A/N – Thanks for the comments! Some of them were cracking me up. * Guest – Who said he was going to kill people?

Chapter 11 - Communication

Johnny watched Elizabeth who was deep in thought. "He's hurting. There's a part of him that doesn't care if he lives or dies."

She looked over at him. "I can't let him die Johnny. I love him."

"I know." She was a good person and he wished that he could find someone like her. "He told me that he fights because it's the only time he feels anything besides anger and it's better to feel pain than nothing at all. Jason has had to start all over learning things that we take for granted. He doesn't know how to interact with people. He's like a hormonal teenage boy. Sex feels good so he wants it. You tell him no and it pisses him off and he throws a tantrum. He takes what he wants and doesn't understand the consequences. I know you know that, but maybe you need a reminder. He doesn't understand love. Anger he gets, but love is complicated and twisty and right now, that's too much for him to process. He doesn't understand why you love him when he feels like he's so damaged."

Liz fought back the tears that were threatening to fall. "I know that, but I just can't give up on him. I can't stop him from having sex with other women, but it still hurts that the one person he should be doing it with he runs from." It was killing her knowing that he was with other people. She was certain that he was getting drunk and probably hooking up and just prayed that he was using protection.

Johnny removed the bag and sighed. "It's not that he doesn't want you. He just thinks he'll hurt you. He has feelings for you Elizabeth, but he doesn't understand what that means exactly."

She brushed a tear away.

"I think the fact that he didn't take Carly upstairs and fuck her brains out shows that you mean something to him."

Liz nodded. "Okay."

"And by the way, he has been using condoms. I dragged him to the store so he'd know which ones to get and it only happened a couple of times when I first met him and he was drunk. I talked to him after that because I met you and I told him that it would hurt your feelings if you found out and he stopped. Underneath all of that confusion, hurting you is the last thing he wants to do."

There was a knock on the door and Johnny got up and let the doctor in.

Elizabeth watched him examine Jason.

"I'm guessing from the bump on his head that they struck him with something and he probably has a concussion. Was he drunk?"

"Yes," Johnny said.

"I think he has two cracked ribs. I can't tell if they did any damage to his lungs but from the sound of his breathing, it's possible. There really is no way I can tell with no equipment."

Liz sighed. "What can we do?"

"Well, he'll have to sleep it off."

"Then what?"

"I'll need to come back so I can ask him some questions. He'll need to stay here for a while."

"Okay."

The doctor handed her a card. "Give me a call in the morning."

"Thank you for coming out." Liz watched him leave and then turned to Johnny.

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The doctor checked Jason out in the morning and decided Jason was just badly bruised. He left some pain meds and some instructions for Elizabeth.

Jason watched her move back and forth in front of him. He shut his eyes. The pain meds were making him a little loopy. "Please stop moving."

She froze and glared at him. "I can't do this anymore Jason. I can't watch you kill yourself. I don't think I have it in me."

"You said you wouldn't give up on me." The panic he was feeling took him completely off guard.

"What do you want from me? I don't want to hurt when I see you, because what I want is something you apparently refuse to give me."

His eyes filled with tears. "Please don't give up on me. I don't know how to be what you want me to be, but I want to learn. You are the first person I saw when I woke up and the last person I think about when I close my eyes at night. I'm not good at this stuff—all I know is that I need you in my life."

Liz began to quietly cry. "I need more than that Jason. I want to be with you—just us exclusively. Do you want to be with me?"

He swallowed thickly. "I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Hurting you more than I already have and—."

He shut his eyes.

"Talk to me."

He let out a short breath. "I'm scared that you'll figure out that you're too good to be with me and you'll leave me. I don't think I'd survive it." It was a true. When she had walked out of the Jake's the other night, he almost lost his mind. "I let them beat me because I deserved it for hurting you. I had to pay."

Liz's mouth fell open. She was searching for the right words to explain things too him; to make him understand. "Jason, just because I'm mad at you doesn't mean you have to suffer physically for it."

"AJ hit me because I hurt you. I deserved it."

"No, you didn't. God Jason, you're so literal sometimes. I—please just tell me that you won't ever do that again. Please."

"I don't understand. I did something wrong and there are consequences." All these concepts were confusing to him.

"I shouldn't have hit you Jason. I'm sorry. It wasn't right. The consequence was that I was mad at you. What you did was extreme. They could have killed you. Your brain is still healing. Do you want to die?"

A tear rolled down his face. "Sometimes—' his voice cracked and then he shook off the thought, "—no, because then I wouldn't get to see you. I'm just so fucked up Elizabeth. Why do you want me?" He couldn't understand how she could like someone like him.

She knelt down next to him and touched his face. "Because when you are not beating yourself up, you make me so happy. We have the best talks and you are so caring. You watch my back and listen to me ramble. You believe in me even when I don't."

"I feel the same way except I don't ramble."

She smirked. "Just look at me and don't think about everything else. Jason, do you want to be with me more than friends?"

He gazed into her tear-filled eyes. Could it work? He had been through so much and she was the one person who could totally destroy him. Could he have what he wanted? Because it seemed like every good thing that touched him ended up turning bad.

"Whatever you are thinking just stop and answer my question."

"Yes, I want to be with you. I've never wanted anything more."

She closed her eyes for a moment, savoring his words. "Wanting it and allowing it are two different things."

"I—want everything with you. I don't think I can live without you."

Tears spilled down her cheeks. He was a mess but he was her mess. "Thank you. You won't regret it." She moved closer under their lips were barely touching as they stared at each other longingly. Jason reached up and pushed her head closer and their lips collided into the most beautiful kiss. Finally, he was willing to try and be with her and that meant everything to her.

"I never slept with anyone else Elizabeth."

She was stunned. "But, Johnny said he bought you condoms."

"I did make out a few times, but I couldn't do it. They weren't you." Even in his drunken haze, he couldn't go there.

She started to cry harder and he held her tighter. They were happy tears.

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Liz ran out and got lunch. Jason was in a world of pain, but she was on cloud nine knowing that she was finally getting her chance to be with him.

"This is good."

"It's Thai food. That one is spicy. See if you like it," she said, pointing to a carton.

And he tried it and his eyes got big. "Wow."

She grinned. "I can't eat that, but I wanted you to try new things."

"It's really good."

She was happy that she pleased him.

They ate and then she cleaned up everything and fussed over him.

He watched her check his bandage and smirked at her expressions. He knew all of them. Every time they were together, he discovered some new Elizabeth quirk and he loved every one of them.

"You're staring again."

He smirked. "And?"

She looked up at him. "Didn't we have this conversation before?"

"You're my girl. I get to look at my girl."

Liz blushed. "Is that so?"

"I think I read that rule somewhere."

She grinned. "You're smooth Morgan."

"I'm going to work part-time for Sonny." He wanted to be able to take care of himself and Elizabeth since she had always taken care of him. So, he was going to work for him during the day and Jake's at night.

"Do you know who Sonny is and what he does?"

Jason nodded. "Yes."

"Then you know that he's considered a criminal right? That means he breaks the law."

Jason shrugged. "I'll just be working in the warehouse lifting boxes and moving crates." He figured it might help him work out his anger.

"But because you work for him, you could get in trouble."

He frowned. "I don't understand."

"Well, if the police arrest everyone in the warehouse, then you would get arrested too."

Jason thought for a moment. "Johnny and Francis are nice and they work for him and I know they do a lot more than move crates." He had seen their guns. Johnny had taken him shooting one day and he was good at it.

"Well, I like them too, but they are still considered criminals and could go to jail. If it happened to you, it would make me really sad."

"I won't do anything that I can get in trouble for. I need to make money, Elizabeth, so that I can find my own way and take care of you."

"I know you feel that way, but you don't have to take care of me."

He reached up and touched her face. "But I want to because you deserve to be spoiled."

She slightly smiled. "Just being with you is enough for me. I don't need fancy things."

He went to move towards her and grunted in pain.

"And if you had not gotten into another fight, we'd be kissing right now among other things."

He gave her a look.

"What? It's the truth."

He growled and pulled her into him and laid a kiss on her she wouldn't soon forget. They pulled back.

"Jesus Jason, your mouth should be illegal."

She was surprised by the serious look on his face.

"That night I came home drunk. How far did it go exactly?"

"Not that far. Unfortunately, you passed out before we could seal the deal."

Jason smirked. "Sorry."

"At the time, I wanted to strangle you, but it was probably for the best. I would like it if you remembered our first time together."

"Oh, I plan on it, but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry I hurt you. If I ever do anything you don't like, you have to tell me okay?" He didn't plan to get so drunk anymore. Not only did he never want to mar her beautiful skin again, but Johnny had a long talk with him and explained why it's necessary to be in control. If he was going to work for Sonny, then he really needed to be aware of his surroundings and know when to shut up. It would be hard at first, because the rage wasn't something he could control, but he really hoped that what Tony said about it tapering as his brain healed would finally kick in.

Liz nodded. "I will, but you didn't hurt me that night except for the fact that you fell asleep when I was very turned on and I think you might have crushed my windpipe."

He laughed. "Trust me, I'll make sure that I seal the deal the next time." Right now, he was really pissed that he was hurt.

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Laura sat down and looked through the glass. Luke looked horrible and she knew why. It had been a long time since he had gone without drinking. They stared at each other for a while.

"I think you know why I'm here."

Luke nodded. Laura wasn't used to him being so quiet.

"Where is my son Luke?"

"Mexico."

Laura's eyes filled with tears. "What did you do to him?"

"It was Edward. Somehow, he got him thrown into jail."

Her face began to contort when she thought about the conversations she had heard between the two men. "You let him rot in there to save yourself didn't you?"

Luke swallowed hard and looked down. "He'll be fine."

She moved closer. "You see this face. Take a nice long look because it will be the last time you ever see it."

"Baby.."

"Shut up," Laura growled as tears ran down her face. "I never want to hear another lie from that mouth again. I have been such a fool. I married the man who raped me and had children with him. Children you left whenever you got bored. Now you've left my son to rot in a jail cell because you didn't want to be held responsible for your stupid actions. You no longer exist to me. I hope you rot here."

"Laura please…."

She dropped the phone and stood up. "You, Luke Spencer, can go straight to hell."

He watched her walk away as a tear ran down his cheek. Now he had lost everything.

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It took several days before Jason was able to breathe normally again. When he started to feel a lot better, he went into work. It was hard physical labor, but he loved it. It kept him in shape and he liked pushing his limits.

He finished his shift and went outside to dump some trash, and he heard Sonny talking in an alley.

"You really think you can fuck with me?"

The three men smirked. "You're all alone. I could finish you right now," Sorel told him.

"I don't think you have the balls."

Jason smirked. Sonny was either a fool or he had something up his sleeve. He looked over at a trashcan and then made a decision. He picked it up and hurled it at one of the men, who dropped his gun in order to try and catch it. The weight and momentum, threw him back against the wall. Sonny picked up his gun and Sorel glared at Jason and then he and the other man ran. Sonny shot above their heads, not sure if he could totally trust Jason.

The man on the ground tried to get up and Jason kicked him in the ribs.

Sonny grabbed the man and put the gun to his head. "Go tell your boss that if he even thinks about looking my way again, I will take out his entire organization."

"Okay man, just don't kill me."

"Consider this a warning. I won't be so nice next time."

The man limped out of the alley and Sonny turned to Jason. "You saved my life."

"It—I wasn't sure what to do."

"Next time, go get one of the guards, but you did fine Jason. Thank you."

They shook hands.

"No problem."