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Chapter 25

Jason slept deeply with Elizabeth tucked in close. When they finally woke up they were both hungry. He ate the sandwich she made earlier while she warmed up some fresh soup. When Jason's phone buzzed an hour later he was surprised to see Sonny's name. He hadn't talked to his partner since leaving his house. "Morgan."

"I'm here, can I come in." Sonny said.

"Why are you here?" Jason asked confused as well as belligerent.

"I got your text to come over." The older man had been surprised to receive the request, but had come nonetheless.

"I didn't send you a text." Jason wondered why Sonny would tell a lie that was so easily disproved. The last person he wanted to see was his partner.

"I sent it." Elizabeth admitted to her boyfriend. After their nap she had left on his t-shirt but put her pajama bottoms back on.

"What?" Jason asked surprised."Why?"

Instead of answering she walked over and opened the door. "Come in Sonny."

The older man stepped slowly into what had at one point been his home. "You sent it." He'd heard her through the phone.

"Yeah. Jason needs to go out and I can't be alone. So I thought maybe you could sit with me. Frannie, Johnny and the rest of the guys are waiting for him." When Jason had been in the bathroom she'd sent several texts from his phone to set this up. Not wanting to leave anything incriminating she'd asked Francis to make arrangements.

"Where am I going?" He thought he already knew.

"Have a seat Sonny." Walking over to her boyfriend she took his hand. "Come with me."

They went upstairs to their bedroom. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before facing Jason. She took a second to just admire him. He really did make her motor hum. Elizabeth was struck by the fact that she was thinking of Jason in almost sexual terms. It was the first time that had happened since she'd come home. It was a very positive sign. Walking over she took his hand in hers once more.

"You need to do this, and I need you to do this for me." Elizabeth took a bracing breath knowing full well what her next words would mean. "I need to know tomorrow when the sun comes up that he's gone."

Jason stood in amazement at the fact that Elizabeth had just ordered a hit on Manny Ruiz. "Bess."

"He took something from all of us. Yes mostly me, but we've all been affected by what he did. I need closure. I can't heal; none of us can heal until he's gone. The only one I trust to do this for me is you. I know that you have issues with Sonny but the rest of the guys need to be there when Manny dies." Elizabeth explained.

"I trust Sonny with the business and my life but I don't trust him with yours. How am I supposed to leave you here with him?" Jason asked her hoping she would understand.

"You're not leaving me here with him. You're leaving me here with Chris and Doug both of whom work on your crew. I know that you trust them." Elizabeth told him. "If you can't do it tonight then you need to let Frannie know."

He was perfectly still for a moment before heading into his closet. When he emerged a few minutes later he was dressed in all black. "I'm going to check in while I'm out make sure you answer your phone."

"Every time it rings." She assured him. As they came back downstairs Sonny stood. "Did you bring guards with you?" She asked the older man.

"Ritchie and Hank." Sonny told her. "They are downstairs."

"Can you ask them to come up and stand with Chris and Doug?" Double guards might make this easier on Jason.

"Sure thing." Sonny made the call. "They'll be right up."

"Okay then." Elizabeth turned her face up and Jason gently kissed her. "I'll be okay." She wasn't sure that was true but she could hold it together until he left.

Without another word Jason walked out of the penthouse. Elizabeth turned to Sonny. "So you want to teach me to make marinara sauce?"

When the elevator opened in the underground garage Johnny was waiting for his friend. He watched as Jason struggled to get off. Finally with a sigh the enforcer stepped slowly forward. "None of us felt you should drive. You want to call her before you leave?"

"I'll call from the warehouse." If he heard her voice now he'd go back upstairs and she was right. Manny needed to die and it needed to be sooner rather than later.

They drove in silence. True to his word when they pulled up in front of the warehouse Jason called Elizabeth. She answered on the first ring telling him she was okay. He could hear the tears in her voice. Being away from him was hurting her just as much as it was hurting him to be away from her. When he got home they would spend the rest of the night wrapped around each other.

Walking in he saw his top guards waiting. "Bring him out."

Milo and Cody carried a bound Manny, chair and all into the main room placing him on the plastic tarp that was already laid out. While they were doing that Francis handed his boss a pair of gloves. At Jason's nod they removed the gag. Manny immediately started talking. "Where is she? Where is my Angel? Did you bring her to me? The light. I need her light."

Jason stood there listening to Manny ask for Elizabeth. The blonde man was shaking with rage just listening to the insane rambling. This sick fuck had tortured his girl. Made her strip naked and hosed her. Didn't feed her, didn't let her go to the bathroom. Had left her alone in the dark. He'd been gone a week. She could have died in that time. With something close to a growl Jason stepped forward and started swinging.

Forty five minutes later Manny was a bloody mess and Jason wasn't even breathing hard. "Call the penthouse."

Francis pulled out his phone and dialed Elizabeth. He turned on the speaker knowing his boss needed to hear her voice.

"Hi Frannie." She answered they could all hear the strain in her voice.

"Hey kid, you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, but I think Sonny might be ready to cry." She told him. Elizabeth was a wreck in the kitchen. They could hear the older man chuckle in the background.

"Alright then I'll check in later." He said knowing Jason would want to get back to it.

Hearing her voice Manny raised his head and weakly smiled. "My Angel." Jason's eyes went flat with rage before he started up once again.

At the penthouse Elizabeth put her phone away. "So do you want to try something else?" If she kept busy it helped her ignore the anxiety.

"Maybe we should call it a night." Sonny diplomatically suggested. The woman could burn a pot filling it with water he'd never seen anything like it.

"I have brownies." She told him. They always came out right.

"Okay." Despite not being able to cook Elizabeth made the best brownies he'd ever eaten in his life. Snack in hand they went out to the couch.

"Hold on a second." Elizabeth went back into the kitchen and came out with a small plate of the treat. She opened the door and handed them to Chris. "Okay." She said joining her guest.

"That's why all the guys dote on you. You spoil them." Sonny said smiling. Elizabeth just shrugged. "You should have called someone else to sit with you."

"I didn't want anyone else." Elizabeth explained joining him on the couch.

"You can't fix what's wrong between Jason and me." He warned.

"I know." She didn't like that the two were at odds but she also knew she couldn't heal the breach. That was only something they could do. "This isn't about that. This is me trying to fix what's wrong between you and me."

"You and me?" Sonny said surprised.

"You've been avoiding me. The guys have all been sending me text messages just to check in. I thought Jason was going to make them stop but he said he understood that they were worried. But I haven't heard from you at all." She said calling him out.

"I didn't think you would want to." He admitted.

"Did you think I was taking sides? That just because Jason and I are together I would be angry too." She wanted to know.

"No. I handled everything wrong. I thought that me being Sonny Corinthos was enough to keep Manny in line. And then I tried to keep what happened from Jason. I wanted you back before he got home." The mob boss tried to make her see what he'd been thinking. Make her understand why he felt he had to stay away.

"I do wish you had called Jason sooner. I am a little angry with you about that because that decision was pure ego." She watched as Sonny dropped his head. Reaching out she touched his shoulder. "You couldn't use finding me to erase what you did with Carly."

Sonny's head snapped up in surprise. "Why do you say that?"

"Come on Sonny, I know you saw this as a test. A chance to prove that Jason could trust you with his girlfriend. Even knowing that, knowing you feel you failed me you still should have called to check in." She chastised him. "You're the closet thing I have to a father. I expect you to act like it."

"You're right. I'm sorry for not calling Jason. I'm also sorry for not checking in. So how are you?" He asked taking her hand in his.

"Tired and scared." She told him honestly she could feel the tears coming. "It's going to take time but I'll get better. How are things at the warehouse? Is Carter doing a good job?"

"He's no you, but yes he's doing okay. I didn't realize how much I count on you to do these days." It was time for her to get a promotion assuming she wanted to return to work.

"I'll be back before you know it." She didn't see herself returning to work just yet, but she did want to return. She loved her job.

"Good to know. Take your time, there's no rush." He smiled showing his dimples. Just then her phone rang. "You better get that." Grabbing the dishes he moved into the kitchen as she greeted Max.

They stayed tucked away for another three days after Manny died. Jason just wanted it to be the two of them, no calls and almost no visitors. He wanted to make sure that Elizabeth was truly okay with what she had asked him to do. Aside from crying that first night she seemed to not have any ill effects. He'd also struggled a bit. He never wanted her to be touched by that side of his life, but considering she'd been held against her will it was a bit late.

Monica and Audrey were the only ones who were allowed to stop by. Monica had suggested that if they were both on a more normal sleep schedule they might feel better. It seemed to be helping. Elizabeth was however still having nightmares. Monica offered her sleeping pills, Jason as well since he looked tired but they both passed. Elizabeth had not wanted to speak to her therapist so far and Jason wasn't pushing her. When she was ready she would go.

Today however would be the hardest day since she'd come home. Today she was leaving the penthouse. Jason had tried to talk her out of it but she stood firm. She was leaving the Towers this afternoon, it was time.

When Jason asked where she wanted to go, he figured she would say to see her Gram, but he was wrong. Bess and her Grandmother talked every day and the older woman had been by yesterday. Today she wanted to go see his Grandmother. After that she wanted Jason to take her to place flowers on Renaldo's grave. She'd missed his funereal, something that made her feel bad, but she simply could not go in a church right now.

Walking out the door had been incredibly hard but waiting on the other side in the hall were Milo, Cody and Marco. They had been picked to come along and help her feel more secure on this first trip out. Jason told her all the guys had volunteered something that made Elizabeth feel really great. With all that support she couldn't help but get better soon.

They had tea with Lila. Just being in the older woman's presence soothed both Jason and Elizabeth. After they drove to the cemetery behind Queen of Angels church. Renaldo, like a lot of the guys who worked for Corinthos Morgan, didn't have any close family. The senior guard did have a Grandmother in Brazil and Jason told her that she was being taken care of. Elizabeth knew that she had raised the deceased guard from a young age. It was something they bonded over.

Carrying the flowers that Lila had given her Elizabeth made her way over to the fresh grave. "Hi Renaldo." She placed the bouquet by the bronze marker and knelt on the soft grass. "I'm so sorry that I didn't go to your funereal and that I haven't been here before now. I had a hard time leaving the penthouse. Today is my first day out and I needed to come see you." She took a deep breath trying to not cry so hard she couldn't get through this. "I'm sorry that you died for me. I want you to know that I won't take for granted the life that I have. Jason said that you knew the risks and that you were proud that he asked you to guard me. I just felt I had to come and say that I was proud to be your friend and that I will miss you. I love you and I won't ever forget you Renny. Rest in peace."

Elizabeth walked down the small hill and right into Jason's arms. The guys were all wiping their eyes because they could hear every word that she had said to their friend. One of them would be picked to be her guard next and they would be just as proud to get the assignment as Renaldo had been. They also would give their lives to keep Elizabeth safe if it came down to it.

Nine chapters left!

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