A/N – Thanks for the comments! Some of your comments just cracked me up. I would have hurt him too! * jynx0854 – Liz knows he's in pain and struggling with the brain injury. It was inevitable that he'd spiral out of control. * Kevin – The Sonny thing will have my own twist on it. Thanks!

To "Guest" who left me a message on Break the Silence complaining about it being short. Not every story is going to be 50 pages. I like writing ficlets here and there so you'll just have to deal. I don't need the attitude. You can say you wish something was longer without being snarky.

Chapter 10 - Tormented

By the next morning, Jason was on his side with Elizabeth tucked in front of him. When he woke up, he was shocked by her state of undress and tried to remember what the hell had happened, but the night was a blank. And then all of a sudden, images flashed in his head. Oh God, had he come home drunk and had sex with Elizabeth? He looked down at his body, his pants were still on but his shirt was off. Maybe that was a good sign. Carefully, he untangled their bodies and went and used the bathroom. He looked like shit. Splashing some cold water onto his face, he tried to think about what had happened but still couldn't remember. He finished up and walked out into the living room, finally finding his shirt on the floor. Putting it on, he studied her and that is when he saw them. She had bruises on her arms that looked like partial handprints. He almost fell over. He had hurt her and he felt like a complete asshole.

He got his socks and shoes on and looked for some paper to write a note.

Elizabeth,

I'm so ashamed that I hurt you. I can't stay here anymore. You don't deserve this.

Jason.

He left and it was another hour before Liz found the note and burst into tears. She needed to find him and set him straight.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Jason walked into Jake's.

"Well, look what the cat drug in. What do you need?"

Jason sighed. "A job and a place to stay."

"Well, since you like to fight so much, I could really use a bouncer and someone to clean up at night."

Jason shrugged. "I can do that."

"No getting drunk on the job though. You can toss back a few beers but I need you coherent enough to deal with the drunks."

"Okay."

"You can have room number four upstairs in exchange. If you learn to tend bar, you can keep your tips. What do you say?"

"Sounds good for now."

"Alrighty then," Jake said, smiling as she handed him a key. "It's yours. It's not much but it's a roof over your head. This key is to get in the back door." She didn't normally have tenants, but she had read about Jason in the paper.

"Thanks."

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Elizabeth looked everywhere for Jason. She had to start her shift, so she eventually gave up and went to work. When she was done, everyone decided to go to Jake's for a drink and she joined them, still wondering where Jason could have gone.

Robin handed her a shot glass and she threw it back. AJ walked up to them and smiled.

"Hey Elizabeth."

"Hi stranger," Liz said. She hadn't talked to AJ in a while. He had a hard time after the accident and had gone away for a while. "How's the art?"

He smiled. "Good. I had a showing in New York."

She grinned. "I'm happy for you AJ."

He watched her get up and dance with some of her coworkers. It was hot in the bar and afterwards she went outside and took off her blouse since she had a tank on under it. She had totally forgotten about the bruises and when AJ walked up to her angrily, she was caught off guard.

"Who did this to you?"

Liz stammered and then looked down and pulled her blouse back on. "It's not what you think."

"Elizabeth, someone hurt you and you're going to tell me who it was now."

Jason walked up to them. "Is there a problem?"

AJ saw the embarrassed look on her face and the painful look on Jason's and he growled and punched his brother in the face.

Jason stumbled back and with a roar he was on AJ.

"Stop it," Elizabeth yelled.

Jason threw AJ to the ground and punched him and then Liz jumped on his back.

"Elizabeth stop."

"No."

AJ had a hold of Jason's arms. He didn't want Elizabeth to get hurt either. "I'll let go if you do."

Jason nodded and Liz slipped off his back.

"Why did you hurt her?"

"I—I don't remember doing it," Jason said, painfully.

A tear ran down Liz's face. "You came home blasted out of your mind. You had been in a fight and I patched you up and then you kissed me. It got a little overheated, but you passed out. You didn't hurt me on purpose Jason. We were just being passionate."

AJ watched them carefully. Both of them had forgotten he was there.

"I'm so sorry. I would never hurt you on purpose. You have to believe that." He was so ashamed.

She reached up and touched his face. "I know that Jason. It's okay. I kissed you back. I was right there with you. It doesn't hurt."

"Shouldn't have happened."

"I don't regret any of it."

His eyes snapped opened and their gazes held as AJ continued to watch. He had been away for several weeks. It was weird seeing her with him, the man that looked like his brother but clearly was not.

"Elizabeth…." He couldn't look at her anymore.

"Please don't pull away from me. Please."

"I took a job at Jake's and I'm going to live in room four."

She dropped her hand. "Oh."

"It's for the best. I don't want to hurt you anymore. None of this is fair to you, and you shouldn't have to watch me be out of control every day." Tears threatened to fall from his eyes. She was his safety blanket and now he would be truly on his own.

She wasn't sure what to say. Even though she knew this day would come, her heart was breaking. Who would watch over him? "Are we still friends?"

He sucked in a harsh breath and nodded yes and turned and went back inside so he could get his emotions under control.

Elizabeth started to cry and AJ stepped in front of her. He understood how hard this was for her. Pulling her into him, he held her as sobs wracked her small body.

"I'm taking you home."

"Okay."

He tucked her into the passenger side of his car and stopped and looked into the bar before he got in. His brother was a total wreck and he didn't think anyone could save him. He thought about the last "relationship" he had been in with and it was never as intense as what he had just witnessed. He was sure that his brother was in love with Elizabeth, but just didn't know how to label what he was feeling. One thing he did know, is that this was harder on Liz than people realized and he wasn't sure how much more she could take.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Sonny noticed Jason on the docks. He knew about the man because it was in all of the papers. "He looks like shit."

Johnny nodded. "I agree."

Sonny sighed and walked over to Jason. "You look like you have a lot on your mind. I'm Sonny Corinthos."

Jason looked up at him. "Jason Morgan." He hadn't changed it legally, but that is what he was calling himself.

"Are you in trouble?" he asked, looking at the younger man's bruised face.

"No. Someone just pissed me off."

Sonny smirked. He dug a card out of his pocket. "If you need anything, just give me a call."

Jason took it from him and watched the man walk away. He shoved it into his pocket and looked back at the water. All he could think about was Elizabeth. He had hurt her and she was the last person he wanted to lose.

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AJ sat at the bar, looking at a shot glass. He was tired of fighting his demons. Everyone around him was hurting. Jason was a fucking mess and Elizabeth was chasing after a shadow of a man that didn't exist anymore.

"Some things don't change."

His head snapped towards her voice. "Nikki Langton." It had been quite a while since he saw her. She had come to town a few years back to sue Monica for malpractice because her father had died under Monica's care. AJ had fallen for her and was willing to marry her, but she was only using him and left town. Of course, AJ turned to the bottle and then decided to go find her but she had married already.

"AJ Quartermaine. Looks like I came in the nick of time."

"Why are you here?"

"Morbid curiosity? I missed you and felt bad about what I did."

He sighed. "Are you still married?"

"No. That didn't work out because I was into someone else."

"Who?"

"You."

AJ shook his head. "I'm not falling for your crap this time around so you might as well leave."

"I'm not leaving town until you forgive me."

She was still so beautiful. "Goodbye Nikki."

She watched him walk away. This was far from over. She had already worked too hard to get him back.

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Sonny instructed Johnny and Francis to get to know Jason. They started to hang out at Jake's more and they actually liked the young man. He didn't talk a lot but there was just something about him that demanded loyalty. Over the next few weeks, they formed a bond of sorts and since Elizabeth wouldn't go away quietly, they started to get to know her too and started to watch her back.

One night, when she had too much tequila, she told them about her and Jason and how she was hopelessly in love with a man who thinks he's incapable of loving her back.

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Keesha walked into Jake's. She had heard that Jason was staying there and she desperately wanted him back and needed to explain what happened before the accident.

Jason groaned when he saw her, making Johnny chuckle.

"Hi," she said, softly.

Jason didn't say anything. He was standing near the pool table with pool stick in his hand. "Why are you here?"

"To have some fun. It's good seeing you."

He watched her walk over to the bar. "I think she drugged me. It was the reason that AJ was trying to take me to the hospital before we crashed."

Francis put down his drink. "No shit?"

"I guess we were engaged before my accident."

"And now she stalks you even after knowing that you know she drugged you?"

"Yeah. She wanted a baby."

Johnny made a face. "She was going to rape you?"

"Apparently."

There was no way in hell they were going to let that bitch get close enough to his drink to drug him again.

"I'll be back." Jason walked to the bathroom and when Keesha followed, so did Francis.

Jason came out and sighed when he saw her. "What do you want?"

"Can't we just be friends?"

"But you don't want to be friends Keesha. What are you going to do, try and rape me again?"

Keesha gasped. "That's not how it was."

"Oh really, then explain to me how the hell I almost O.D'd and AJ found you on top of me."

Keesha started to cry. "I didn't do it. I would never hurt you like that. I swear I didn't drug you Jason."

"Just stay away from me."

"If you'd just give me a minute to explain. I'm so sorry. I crossed the line and I know it, but my head wasn't on straight. I had a breakdown and I saw an opening and took it."

Jason stared at her lethally. He didn't care what her reasoning was and he really didn't believe that she hadn't drugged him.

Elizabeth walked up to them. "Is everything alright?"

Keesha stared her down. "Jason and I were having a private conversation."

Liz stepped up to her. "You listen here you crazy bitch, after what you did to him, you should be in jail not stalking him in a bar."

Keesha smacked Elizabeth and her mouthed dropped open and she touched her cheek.

Jason started to push in between them but was too late, Liz smacked Keesha hard and she stumbled backwards.

"I'm going to kick your ass," Liz yelled as Jason grabbed her around the waist and pulled her away. "Let me go," she said, struggling against him.

"Stop it,"

He placed her on the floor and then dragged her upstairs to his room as Johnny threatened Keesha to stay away from Jason.

"Why did you do that?" she said, pulling away from him.

"Because she's crazy and I don't trust her. I'm not going to let her hurt you."

She stared at him for a moment. "I don't know what you want from me Jason. One minute you're defending me and the next you're pushing me away."

He didn't know what to say.

"So that's it?"

He watched her walk towards the door and before she could walk out, he grabbed her and spun her around and kissed her passionately making her knees give out. Before she knew it, he swung her into his arms and sat down on the bed.

"I'm a mess Elizabeth. You deserve so much more."

She touched his face. "I want you Jason. I won't let you make that choice for me."

He closed his eyes. "I feel like I can't breathe; like everyone wants me to screw up."

"I don't. Come back to the studio, please."

"I can't. I need to do this on my own."

She wished she could read his eyes but right now, he was closed down. The silence was killing her. "I won't push you, but I hope you know that I'll be there for you whenever you need me."

He nodded and looked down.

She got up and went downstairs and ordered a drink and sat in the corner. Jason appeared a few minutes later. A blonde walked up to him and whispered something in his ear. He smiled at whatever she said and Elizabeth gasped. The woman pulled him onto the dance floor and then threw her arms around his neck and Elizabeth stomped towards them.

"My name is Carly Benson."

"Jason Morgan."

She smiled. "Want to go have some fun."

Jason sighed. "I can't." The truth was that after kissing Elizabeth, he couldn't get her out of his head.

She ran her hand down the front of his shirt. "Why not?"

"Because..."

He was interrupted when Elizabeth pulled them apart and smacked Jason hard across the face, stunning him.

"He's all yours," she said, tearfully—pushing him backwards as she pointed at him and said, "I hope she's worth what you just lost."

He painfully watched her run away.

Carly walked up to him. "She seems like a handful. So, what do you say? Want to go upstairs and have a lot of fun?"

Jason's eyes stayed on the door. "No."

Her mouth dropped open as she watched him walk towards the bar and order a drink from Jake.

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Elizabeth slammed the door to her studio. She was so disappointed in Jason. While they weren't going out, she was in love with him and he knew it. He had just kissed her and she couldn't believe he let that ho climb all over him.

As what happened sunk in, she was mortified. "God, what have I done?" she said trying to catch her breath as she began to cry. "I'm turning into a crazy person."

She dialed the first person she could think of. "Johnny."

"Hey, are you okay?"

"No. Is he okay?"

Johnny looked over at the bar. Jason was drinking too much way too fast. "No. He blew the blonde off if that is what you were worried about."

She took a deep breath. "Just make sure no one takes advantage of him okay?"

"Okay."

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At two o'clock in the morning, Elizabeth heard someone banging on the door. She scrambled out of bed and ran to the door.

"Elizabeth, it's Johnny."

She opened up the door and gasped. Johnny had a black eye and he was holding Jason up. "What the hell happened?"

He dragged Jason inside the room. "I went to use the bathroom and when I came back, Jake yelled at me to go outside. These three guys were beating him up and he wasn't even fighting back. Johnny ended up having to pull his gun in order to get them to back up.

Johnny dropped his body on the couch where Elizabeth had been sleeping.

Jason face was battered and she jumped up and grabbed a washcloth and did her best to clean him up while Johnny called Sonny.

"He's sending a doctor over."

Liz nodded. She was worried. Jason wasn't breathing correctly. "I think he might have some broken ribs."

She handed Johnny a bag of frozen vegetables and he put it on his eye. Jason had a black eye too and his jaw was swollen. He had a busted lip too, so she put some peroxide on it to clean it. Liz didn't understand why he had let the men beat him up—why he hadn't defended himself.

A/N – Nikki was an actual character on the show who AJ was in love with.