Prompt: Staring down the barrel of a .45

Note: I know I'm being rough on Sonny and Jason right now, but this too shall pass. Just have some faith in me, okay? If you promise not to tell, I'll spill a little secret…I'm a closet Sason fan. :-P

Thanks to Izzie for getting me great WireImage/Medianet pics for my banners! You rock hardcore, man.

Also, this is quite possibly my favorite chapter yet. I know everyone is waiting for the Liason talk and trust me, it's coming, but it can't be immediate. Keep in mind that it's been about a week since Sonny came back from the dead. (You can count the days – 8 in total.)


The Battle Of Who Could Care Less – 09

"I need paper and a pencil!"

Jason sat up on his cot as Elizabeth thundered down the stairs, her thick wavy chestnut locks and pale pink sabana flying behind her. Today was her third day in the house of Don Buenaventura, and he hoped that it would be her last, even though he knew it wasn't likely. He and Sonny, not to mention the guards, had done their best to dissuade her from going yesterday morning and again today, but the brunette just hadn't paid any attention to them. He didn'tadhad;flja;dflkja;ldfja;lsdfjl;adskjfa;sldfkja;sldfkssl;kjadfHe didn't understand her warped loyalty to Luke Spencer, and understood her devotion to Robert Scorpio even less, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He and Sonny had agreed, therefore, that as long as Elizabeth was in this situation, they'd do whatever they could to help her, even if it meant cooperating with two senile sexagenarians.

His personal situation with Elizabeth, however, was less hopeful. She held him at arms' length and did her best to avoid him even in the restrictive quarters. She stayed quiet when he tried to talk to her and often walked away before he was done; she pretended to be asleep at night when he knew very well that she was still operating on the adrenaline rush from the day's work; she retreated into the safe company of Lucky and Robert, knowing that Jason wouldn't try to follow her.

"What's going on?" The detective was already pulling out a large sheet of coarse white paper and reaching for the pen he always kept in his shirt pocket. "Elizabeth? Did you find something?"

"Yes!" Her eyes were glowing as she snatched the paper and pen from him and hurried over to the massive desk where the party planned their raids. "Not the artifact itself, but I'm so close. I just know it!"

Jason and Sonny followed Luke and Lucky toward the table where Robert was looking over Elizabeth's shoulder as the brunette scrawled frenetically on the paper, pausing every once in a while to jot down some numbers denoting distance measured in paces.

The enforcer squinted at the drawing, silently moving closer to the edge of the table to allow two members of the party to peer down at the work as well. Slowly, several rectangles came into view as Elizabeth continued to draw, trying to capture the mental image she had drawn in her mind earlier that day.

"Okay," she murmured, jotting down a few more numbers and making a couple squiggly arrows. "I've got it."

"Yes, but what is it?" Robert wondered, tilting his head to try to discern what she had drawn.

"A floor plan," the brunette grinned wickedly, pushing the map into the center of the table so that everyone could get a better look at it. "I'm telling you, the Don is a freaking genius."

Emmanuel tapped the largest box that Elizabeth had drawn on the sheet. "This is the stateroom that leads down to the chapel."

"Yes."

"But what is this? There's no room here."

The young woman smirked enigmatically and used her pen to draw a quick direction coordinate in the corner. "Actually, there is. You enter the stateroom through the west entrance, and leave through a corridor on the east wall to get to his private chapel. The chapel opens into the courtyard on the east side and overlooks the orchards on the south end. Right?"

"That is correct, paloma. But I know for a fact that there is no room where you have drawn it."

Her sapphire orbs glittered as Elizabeth bent over the map, poring over it like a military general as she informed and organized her troops. "There is a large painting of corpus Christi on the north wall of the chapel, right by the altar. It takes up almost all the room from the floor to the ceiling. It depicts Christ in the same position as the statue I found in the gallery, with the key underneath."

"Holy living fuck, darlin'," Luke got out as he stared at the hastily drawn floor plan. "What the hell did you dig up?"

"The space behind the painting is hollow, Luke," she smiled back, her sapphire eyes glittering in triumph. "I thought I should hold off trying to break in, but there was no one in the entire wing of the house, and I figured I might not get the same chance again tomorrow."

Robert was nodding his approval as she pointed to the map again. "The painting can be moved enough to access the panel behind it. There's a little button on the back of the frame that makes it slide open – it took me forever to figure that out. You know those papers I found in that safe in the gallery? The one that was opened with the Jesus key?"

The members of the party nodded.

"You remember all the stuff that I told you those papers were about? Ancient sculptures, jewelry, and works of art that were passed down from generation to generation here until the Don's grandfather seized them?" Elizabeth paused for a moment, meeting Emmanuel's solemn black eyes. "All of those artifacts are in the secret room behind Zurbaran's Corpus Christi. There is definitely money in that temple."

An oppressive silence followed in which no one in the entire room even dared to breathe, and then the bunker exploded with noise and exultation. The members of the party crowded around the map, trying to get a better look as they conversed excitedly about what this meant. Several of the men suddenly found themselves tearing up; many of the artifacts that had been seized were precious family heirlooms that belonged to their forefathers, and everyone had believed that the items had been destroyed or sold to the highest bidder. To realize that there was a good chance that every stolen item lay behind a painting of the Lord came as a tremendous relief and cause for celebration.

"That's my girl!" Luke whooped, clapping his hands with excitement. "You did it, darlin'!"

"Brilliant!" Robert Scorpio indulged in a rare, ear-to-ear grin as he impulsively pulled the brunette into a hug. "You brilliant girl!"

"This calls for celebration," Lucky announced. "Come on – Emmanuel, Alex, let's get some booze!"

"Do you know what this means?" The commissioner was running his hands through his hair, doing his best to process the remarkable discovery. "We're this much closer to finding what Roy was after. We'll have to figure out a way to get you back in the private chapel again, Elizabeth. If we could just-"

"I've got that covered," she replied, moving aside as Lucky and a couple of the men brought out the drinks and glasses. "That's why I'm late today – I made sure that the Don and a couple of his top guards caught me at various times during the day, praying in the chapel like a good little Catholic girl. He personally asked me to polish the wooden pews tomorrow. I'm good to go, Robbie."

It was almost too much for the detective to bear, and he threaded his fingers through her chocolate hair and pressed a quick kiss to her forehead. The young woman found new ways to surprise him every single day, and he was almost afraid that he wouldn't be able to handle any more. Not only was she every bit as trustworthy as Luke said – the girl was brilliant. She was forever anticipating and adapting and keeping one step ahead of the situation, and it had been a long time since he had worked with such a talented young person.

"You're not just good, doll," he told her, squeezing her hand tightly and grinning at Luke as the other man wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Lucky had already gotten the drinks and passed around glasses of amber liquid to the three of them as well as Sonny and Jason, who were still standing dumbly by the desk. The Australian clinked his glass with the girl's and then with his old partner's. "You're the greatest."


She was on her second glass of Scorpio's Special Lemonade and her third chalupa when her eyes fell on Sonny, who was seated on his tiny cot with his head bent and his hands clasped between his knees. The older man seemed to be rocking himself back and forth while Johnny and Max paced uneasily back and forth nearby.

Elizabeth's brow furrowed and she elbowed Luke in the side, tipping her chin toward the moblord. "What's wrong with him?"

The older man shrugged, throwing back the last of his scotch and raising his glass for a refill that Lucky immediately supplied. "I don't know. He's been spazzing all day. I tried telling him that he can't possibly be having an attack because this bunker is one big hole in the ground, but it didn't do much good. So I just left him."

"He's claustrophobic, isn't he?" she asked, receiving a curt nod in reply. Despite the fact that Sonny Corinthos wasn't on her Christmas list, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was in a strange country, away from his wife and little boy, and had nothing to do but putter around a bunker full of strange men that didn't show any consideration for him. No wonder he was freaking out. "He probably needs something to keep his mind off of being caged in here."

She popped the last bit of her chalupa into her mouth and licked her fingers, walking toward the desk where she had left her satchel in her hurry to jot down the floor plan as she had remembered it. She picked it up and rummaged through it, walking toward Sonny. The mobster looked up as the brunette drew closer, his curious obsidian eyes following her slight form as she continued to poke through her cloth bag.

When she found what she was searching for, Elizabeth finally looked down at him. Heaving a sigh, she covered the last few steps that separated them and extended her arm, offering him a glossy Mexican magazine. Sonny's brows furrowed slightly but he accepted the gift, holding it gingerly in his hands.

"I'm sorry that you're being kept from your family," Elizabeth murmured, already taking a step back and preparing to withdraw entirely as Jason sidled over. "But maybe next time, you'll pick your battles a little more carefully."

With that, she turned on her bare heel and walked back to Lucky and Luke, accepting the sweet that Robert offered her with another glass of special lemonade. Sonny stared at the foursome, watching as Luke mussed his son's hair while Robert and Elizabeth laughed, and then looked down at the magazine in his hands.


"Come on, it's too early for this party to die down!" Luke Spencer frowned at the other members of the Libertad party who were all smirking at him as they prepared to clear out for the night. "Where do you all think you're going?"

"They're tired, Luke," Elizabeth informed him, emerging from the washroom with Jason a few paces behind her. She had tied her wavy hair up in a messy bun but still wore her calf-length sabana that bared her legs as well as the cotton top she kept tied at her midriff. "Let them go. There's nothing much to do here, anyway." She smirked at Robert and the sulking Spencer, tapping her chin. "You know, I never thought about how rough you guys have it – what do you do all day while I'm out being unspeakably awesome?"

"Dad and Robert hold hands and skip," Lucky announced. "But me? I do something productive. Check out what I learned to do." He pulled a twelve-string guitar out from under his cot, showing it off to the curious brunette. "It's called a bajo sexto; Emmanuel showed me how to play it. Wanna hear a norteña?"

"What's that?" Elizabeth asked, eyeing the unusual instrument.

"It's a high-energy ballad," Sonny spoke up, playing with his rolled-up magazine. Barefoot and dressed in his slacks and a white undershirt that he wore untucked, the mobster looked considerably more at ease than he had earlier that evening. "It's really popular in this area and in northern Mexico, and the lyrics deal with life on the border, desperados, drug traffickers, corrupt public officials, and…rejected lovers."

"Appropriate," Lucky smirked, glancing at a scowling Jason as he began to pluck the strings. To his credit, he hadn't paid any attention to the enforcer since their little 'talk' about Elizabeth a couple days ago. He had said what he wanted to say, and he wasn't going to make the situation needlessly worse by ragging on Jason every chance he got – no matter how much he felt the older man deserved it. They were in a tense situation and tight quarters already; if he started something with Jason, everyone else in the bunker would have to deal with it as well. "Wanna hear me play? Say yes."

"Yes," Elizabeth agreed cheerfully, tossing her small toiletries bag onto her cot. "Show us what you've got, Spencer."

Lucky captured the tip of his tongue between his teeth just as he always did when he was playing a new or difficult piece, and began to pluck the strings like Emmanuel had shown him. The tune was easy enough to carry, and he had nothing to do all day but practice.

"Not bad, Cowboy," Luke mused, tapping his feet to the lively beat. "Catchy. Come on, darlin' – kick up your Sunday shoes."

Before Elizabeth had a chance to respond, the older Spencer grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a clear area in the bunker to dance. A little unsure of herself, she was more than happy to let him lead until she became more confident of her movements and before long, the two of them were hopping and twirling around on the cool tiles.

"That's it," Luke encouraged her, twirling her around and grinning when she squealed happily. "Faster, Cowboy!"

Lucky obliged and the tune took on a quicker and more energetic beat. Johnny and Max watched skeptically as Luke danced with the young woman, almost as if they expected the old man to keel over halfway through. Sonny nodded his head almost imperceptibly to the catchy beat and marked the notes by using his rolled-up magazine as a conductor's wand.

Jason, however, remained leaning against the wall, watching the petite brunette's eyes sparkle as she laughed and danced with the borderline senile Spencer. Her pale skin glowed in the well-lit bunker, and her silky dark hair was beginning to slip from the precarious knot on top of her head. Her movements were light and fluid and graceful no matter how crazy Luke's steps became. She laughed as he lifted her off the ground and spun her around, her eyes dazzling and brilliant. It had been a long time since he had seen her smile like that – and even longer since that smile had been for him.

"Okay, this is getting a little too Dick-Van-Dyke for me," Luke announced in the middle of the dance, glancing at his best friend as he passed nearby. "Hey, Robert! Look alive!"

The detective looked up just in time to catch Elizabeth against his side before she fell, and after a brief moment of motionless confusion, he shrugged and took her small hand in his. The brunette looked up at him with surprise evident in her sapphire orbs, but said nothing as he gracefully turned her and resumed the dance.

Lucky slowed the tempo down and the tune shifted from an energetic polka to a slightly fast-paced waltz. Elizabeth moved carefully, with less freedom and exaggeration than she had with Luke, and she took special care to keep up with Robert's steps and not make the mistake of stepping on his foot.

But the older man moved with ease and the grace of a jungle cat, and it was clear that he was no stranger to the waltz.

"I had no idea you could dance, Robbie," she finally spoke, settling a hand on his shoulder as he turned them once more.

She was treated to one of his signature half-grins. "I'm a man of many talents, doll. Waltzing just happens to be one of them. And it seems that you've had some lessons yourself."

The brunette rolled her eyes, barely feeling the weight of Jason's gaze on her. "When I was little, my parents would send me off to ballet lessons. I hated it."

"Dancing is a very useful skill, Elizabeth," Robert informed her seriously. "It teaches one how to carry oneself; it teaches carefully exercised control over the muscles. It breeds grace and balance, agility and flexibility, which are very important in…certain lines of work."

She smiled against his shoulder and nodded. The waltz continued and she moved gracefully in a circle with the older detective, and it wasn't until she heard him sigh heavily that she actually looked up at him.

His pale topaz eyes saw something in the far-off distance, and a wistful smile played upon his lips. "This takes me back."

"Back to where?" she couldn't help but ask as they swayed to the beat before he spun her around.

"Back to sunny Italy," Robert remembered fondly, his eyes sparkling in the brightly lit bunker. "To a quaint little town where not a clock has been wound for over a century."

She had never heard him sing, and it made her chuckle. "You've been to Italy, Robbie?"

"Been there? I lived there," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows. "My wife Anna and I spent many years in Italy back in the good old days." Elizabeth's eyes widened and she eagerly waited for him to continue. "One of the best countries in the world to live in."

"I've wanted to go to Italy for longer than I can remember," she confessed, a rosy blush stealing across her cheeks when her eyes accidentally locked with Jason's as Robert turned them.

"You really should, Elizabeth," he sighed softly. "You'd enjoy it tremendously." His voice was soft and distant, and the older man didn't notice that the petite brunette was unable to tear her gaze away from Jason's arresting cerulean orbs. "All I can see is me and Anna, dancing around the village square and laughing. I don't ever remember being unhappy back then."

Her eyes were soft and wet when Elizabeth finally tore them from Jason's and turned her face into the commissioner's shoulder. "I know the feeling."