Shadowing Death: Catch Me If You Can

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----------------------------------The Penthouse

There, leaning in the doorway half-collapsed already, was Jason. Jason, who was supposed to be dead, Jason, who did look like death warmed up.

Silently, Jason raised his head to look at Sonny. He did it slowly, as if his head weighted more than the rest of his body. His eyes were unfocused, but he still zeroed in on Sonny's stunned face. He opened his mouth, to say something, but no words came out. Instead, he just mouthed "Sonny."

Before Sonny could react, Jason slumped forward, a dead weight in his arms.

The second that Jason fell into Sonny's arms, he jolted back into reality. He'd been in shock, staring at Jason as though he were an incredibly life-like mirage.

Behind them, he heard Johnny rushing forward also. "Jason?" Sonny half-whispered, unsure if Jason had passed out or had simply lost the strength to stand. He didn't receive a response.

Sonny pulled Jason up a little further against him, trying to see his face for a confirmation. Seeing Jason, sitting there with him in his lap, was almost making him shake. He had thought he'd never see Jason again, never, and now, here he was.

Though unconscious, Jason was still here. Still alive.

"Let's get him to the couch." Johnny quietly suggested after a second, his hands already going to Jason to help Sonny pick him up.

Together they moved Jason as quickly and gently as they could. They weren't sure if he was injured or not, but he was clearly not well.

Once Jason was settled onto the couch Sonny crouched down next to it. Jason's eyes were closed, and his breath was coming in short pants as though he'd run the whole way to the penthouse.

Johnny went up along the back of the couch, and reached a hand out to gently rest on Jason's forehead. "He's got a slight fever, I think." His voice tight with something that Sonny didn't care to spend time and figure out.

Sonny didn't look up to Johnny as pushed his guard's hand away and replaced it with his own. Johnny was right, it wasn't severe but there was a definite heat radiating off of Jason's forehead.

"Jason?" Sonny said, trying to sound forceful but his voice ended up coming out a half-hopeful plea. His hand moved down to cup Jason's cheek, "Jase, can you hear me?"

"Should I call a doctor?" Johnny asked from above Sonny.

----------------------------The Docks

Elizabeth ran as though she had the devil chasing her. She'd never run so fast in her life. Everyone once and a while, when she hadn't heard Alcazar's men huffing to keep up or tripping on something for some time, she'd slow or pretend to trip herself. Once the guards caught up to her, she ran faster, leading them further and further from any route that Jason would have taken.

She wanted to give him as much time as possible to run to Sonny's penthouse. He was still injured badly, and running wasn't what any doctor would have suggested. It was, under normal circumstances, a horrible idea.

Unfortunately, there was nothing else they could do. All that Elizabeth could hope for was that he would make it to Sonny. If he could do that, then they were in the clear.

Elizabeth spared a glance behind her, her chest heaving with the pants of air that were all that she could get. She was getting tired, and soon she would have to end the game. She couldn't let them stay on her trail on her way to the penthouse, or else Alcazar would know that they had made it to Sonny.

She looked around, getting a feel for where she was. With a grin, Elizabeth spotted a side alleyway and headed down it, making sure that they only caught the briefest glimpse of her.

Once inside the alley, she only had seconds to figure out her next move. The alleyway had two different directions that it went off into, one leading further away from where they'd started, and one that would loop back onto a route closer to where she was headed.

What she needed to do was get them to think that she was going down the first one, but really she would hide and wait for them to go down the second.

An easy trick, but one she prayed would work.

Quickly, as she'd heard the arguing men once again – one would think they'd be trained in the ways of stealth – and she knew she only had a second, Elizabeth darted down the one that would lead her further away. With a triumphant grin, she saw the dumpster in the alleyway off to the side. Without even a grimace, she slipped inside before the two saw her.

"She went down this way, come on!"

"Are you sure?"

"Real damn sure, now move!"

"We can't lose her!"

Elizabeth watched through the tiny space between the lid and the dumpster. Luck was on her side, as the trash was in bags and not just sitting free. Otherwise she'd shudder to think what she'd be sitting on.

The two rather incompetent men ran down the alleyway, in the exact opposite direction of where she'd be heading. They had stopped talking for a moment, and it was apparent that they were getting as tired as she was.

Hopefully they would continue to assume that she was running ahead of them for a while. By the time they realized that she'd gotten away, they would be too far away to try and trace their steps correctly.

With the way that they had ran behind her, it was clear that they knew nothing of the Port Charles docks. There were a few times when a shortcut could have landed them closer to her, or even ahead of her. Never once did they try that though, so it was clear that they were unaware of the tricks of the docks.

Elizabeth waited what felt like eternity before slipping the lid off the dumpster as quietly as possible and rushing down the other alley.

---------------------------------Alcazar's Yatch

"What do you mean 'they escaped'?" Alcazar yelled, enraged.

The man before him almost cowered. His boss was a powerful man with no conscious. This failure to keep the two prisoners in their room and on the yatch might well cost him is life. "I'm very sorry, sir…"

"Sorry? All this planning and work is ruined and you're sorry?" Alcazar said, getting up from his chair and striding toward the man.

"Y-yes, sir."

Alcazar moved quickly, getting right into the man's face. "If you don't get them back – soon – then you'll pay for it with your life."

Not the best, I know, but I figured it was all right to post. I hope you all liked the chapter all the same, and remember: reviewing is a sure way to get me moving!