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Chapter Twenty-Five

With Edwards help, Lila was laying snug in his arms. The day had been, quite possibly the longest one in history. Jason had no sooner left than her phone rang. "This is Lila…"

"Hi Mrs. Quartermaine…I didn't disturb you, did I?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly.

"Not at all dear, I told you, you could call at any time." Lila said as she shifted in her wheel chair.

"Jason left quite a while ago and I…I don't know, I guess I felt like maybe you could help me make sense of what is going on in my head." Elizabeth said on a deep breath.

"And what exactly is going on in your head?" Lila asked. Even though she married into the family, she was a true Quartermaine and realized that picking sides and sticking her nose in where it wasn't needed, had caused more issues than done any really helping.

"Well…Jason, I don't get it, he looked at me like I should be screaming and shouting about betrayals but…if I have learned anything from all this, I am not…judge, jury or executioner…When I met your grandson, I hadn't thought about the consequences. For all intents and purposes, I was a virgin and…we…I…the funny thing is, I went to the bar, not for a fling or a sexual rendezvous, I just wanted to not be me…I wanted to be someone strong and confident, someone without all my baggage. If it wasn't for the alcohol and my desire to not think, I would have remembered I wasn't on birth control…I would have remembered we hadn't used protection. I'm not trying to take all the blame, Jason was just as responsible for our sexual protection but…why should I be angry at him? Sure, he's been an ass but we have both made a mess. Is there anything I can do or say to make him understand that while I am not happy with his decisions and how he dealt with everything, that I am not going to suddenly go bananas?"

A small smile lit across her face before she got a handle on it. "You know most people, man or woman would feel utterly betrayed by his actions, they wouldn't care if there was another side, and they wouldn't bother seeing what their actions did to bring them to that point. My family is deeply flawed…all of them have egos for days, thinking anything they do or say is gospel. On top of that ego also comes there assertion that they can do no wrong. I will admit, we failed the younger generation by catering to their every whim and desire, making them feel like they were the best, the be all…that just because their last name was Quartermaine, they were better than all the rest. Sadly, that was almost doubled for Jason. I don't know what it is but there is something about that boy that just shines so bright, draws you in and before you know it, you are wanting to make his every dream come true. Perhaps it was his humble beginnings; in any event, we did him a great disservice."

"What do you mean, humble beginnings?" Elizabeth asked, completely confused.

"Jason is the son of my son and his mistress…err…ex-mistress, Susan Moore. Jason didn't come to live with us until he was four. We didn't even know of his existence until then. Suffice it to say, Alan had an affair, actually, so did Monica but Alan's affair resulted in a child. Monica's just so happened to be with Jeff Webber and then Rick Webber…anyway, I digress, Susan didn't have a lot of money and…let's just say that we sort of took things overboard and tried to make up for what we considered her failing Jason. It is probably why A.J. and Emily have always looked down on Jason, not only for his heritage but also because we overcompensated for not knowing about him to begin with. In our eyes, he could do no wrong. So now, after these last few months, I am sure he didn't know how to deal with the fact that some of us just, to him it must of seemed, turned out back on him. You two actually have a lot in common, when you get rid of all the baggage and whatnot. Jason isn't a bad guy; he is just confused and misguided." Lila said, dashing away a few tears, realizing just how badly they hurt their family.

"I'm sorry that my lies and troubles brought so many to you are your family." Liz said with a deep sigh.

"I think you know some of those troubles were already there. No one is perfect and if this situation has done nothing else, it has proven than no one person is blameless. My family is fractured and not because of you. You contributed your own brand of mayhem as did Jason but the rest of us did not help. Since none of this can be settled in a moment, do you mind me asking how you are dealing with Luke being your father and all your mother and siblings have done to hurt you?"

Lila heard her take a deep breath and braced herself for whatever was to come. "Luke may have donated the genetic material that helped in my conception and Carolyn may have donated her womb for nine months but they are not my family. What Steven and Sarah have done, did…I have no words. Epiphany mentioned that my coma may not have been so natural, that she believes someone helped me along but honestly, I just don't care. Whatever happened, is done, I can't spend my life looking back. Don't get me wrong, I know it will all be rehashed in court and I will see that through but my life, my family…that's my children. I haven't always made the best decisions but when I woke up and learned how early my babies were born, I knew nothing else mattered. I will deal with what comes but nothing comes before my babies. Jason needs to learn to be a father, if that is what he wants. I am a mother first and foremost; all the debris can be sorted as life is lived."

"That is a very mature outlook." Lila said with a small smile.

"Thank you for all your help Mrs. Quartermaine, I appreciate everything you have done for me and my children. You sound as tired as I feel, have a good night and…thank you for your advice and such, it did help."

"Not a problem my dear, not everyone is blessed with a good and loving family…" Lila snorted before continuing, "Perhaps you and Jason will learn from the mistakes that we have made and find a common ground to move forward to."

"Perhaps…goodnight." Elizabeth said, ending their call.

Lila simply sighed, remembering her talk with Elizabeth really hadn't helped her with a sense of peace. She wondered when the mistakes would stop occurring, when her family would finally fine some sort of peace. Letting her thoughts go for the night, Lila placed a gentle kiss on her husbands cheek, allowing sleep to claim her.

XXXXXXX

"This is Mac, what can I do for you?" Mac Scorpio asked as he absentmindedly answered his office phone.

"Sorry to bother you Mac, I didn't think about it until I was almost home but are Sam, Carly and Sarah also being charged with rape?"

Not sure how much to say without compromising his case, Mac simply said, "Among other things."

"Umm…okay, thanks…umm, last question…Is Lucky still in Pentonville?" Jason asked, almost terrified of the answer. After everything he had learned, he had forgotten one of the biggest threats to Elizabeth.

" .GOD!" Jason heard as the phone slammed into the cradle.

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