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Chapter 28

She went down the staircase in the back that led to the kitchen. Walking out of Jason's room she could smell chocolate, which let her know where to find him. When she reached the bottom of the staircase he was standing beside the island waiting for her. She didn't even hesitate, but simply walked over to him. By the time she got there his arms were open and as her arms came around him, his came around her. Elizabeth took a deep breath and let it out slow as the tears came. It was over, for the first time in hours she let herself believe she was safe.

"I love you." Jason said holding her as tight as he dared as she cried against his shoulder. That wasn't what he meant to say, but once the words were out he knew it was the right thing to say. "I was so scared when Milo sent out that alarm."

"I love you so much." Elizabeth said just burrowing into him. She couldn't seem to get close enough. "I wasn't going to let that man take me from this." She told Jason. He was rocking her slightly and the motion was comforting.

"He tried to take you from the alley?" Jason asked only because she was volunteering information.

"After he picked me up, he started walking to the front of the alley." Elizabeth recounted. "He didn't say a word, just picked me up with the intention of carrying me off."

"We will find out who sent him, and I will make sure they never do it again." Jason told her.

"I know." She said with total confidence. "I smell chocolate."

"I made you something to drink. It's still warm. Come to the table." Jason said urging her to sit. He grabbed the mug and handed it to her. "Can I look at your leg?"

Elizabeth nodded as she wiped her face before sipping the sweet beverage.

He knelt in front of her and his eyes narrowed with rage when he saw the dark purple patch marring her beautiful skin. "We are arranging to have an x-ray done. Of your wrist too." He said looking at the swollen body part.

"Is the guy awake yet?" She wanted to know.

"Not that I'm aware of." Jason didn't move from his position in front of her. "I can call and find out, but no one will call the house tonight unless it's an emergency."

"It can wait until the morning. Who will I be seeing?" Elizabeth figured it would be the company doctor.

"Matt Hunter." Jason didn't know if she knew the doctor.

"He comes into the diner. I had no idea he was your doctor." Elizabeth liked Matt he was funny, and good tipper.

"For a few years now." They had made something go away for Matt's father, Noah. In exchange Matt became their doctor. "The visit will more than likely be early." Jason was hoping that she slept through it. "Nadine is sending pain and sleeping pills. She wants you to take one of each tonight. So do I." Rest would be the best thing for his girl. "But I won't force you."

"I'll take them." She said putting down her mug. Otherwise he would worry.

"Em is coming back out, unless you want me to call and tell her to stay at the mansion." Jason wanted to know.

"I'd like having her out." Elizabeth told him. Tomorrow he would need to meet with the guys, and if Em was around he wouldn't worry about her being alone. "We can talk about her date." Elizabeth laughed some when Jason scowled some. "Is Milo going to get in trouble?" She asked bringing them to a more serious topic.

"No." Jason didn't want Elizabeth worrying about that. "This wasn't his fault. You can't take the trash out anymore."

"I know." Elizabeth wasn't going to argue. She was guessing that Tammy was going to say that none of the girls could go out back anymore. "Can I go back to work?"

"If you want to." Jason was going to resist the urge to lock her in the house. "You don't have to. I know you like making your own money, but you don't have to work." He said looking into her eyes.

"I'll think about it." Elizabeth promised him. She was going to be off for the rest of the week minimum. "Can we lie on the couch while we wait for Em to come back?"

"I gave her a key." Jason explained. "I do need to wait for the medication, but I can take you upstairs. Will you stay in my room?" He didn't want to move into the master suite under these circumstances.

"Yes." Elizabeth wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise. "I'd like to wait up with you." She didn't want to be alone.

"We can watch some television while we wait." Jason said putting the empty mug in the sink before coming back and helping her to her feet. Dipping his head he gave her a soft lingering kiss, needing the contact.

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his waist and simply held on. Letting the feel of his lips on hers relax her further. He pulled back and she smiled up at him. She wasn't surprised when he lifted her off her feet, and carried her into the living room. He grabbed a blanket for them to snuggle under. "What do you want to watch? He asked after they were spooned up on the couch.

"I generally watch design shows this time of night." Elizabeth told him. Honestly she didn't care what he put on, she doubted that she had the energy to focus on anything right now. "You can put on sports if you like."

Jason just continued to flip through the guide until he found the channel he was seeking. It would need to be added to the favorites list. "Is this where you got the idea for our furniture?" He wanted to keep the conversation light. Maybe thinking about something other than what happened tonight would help Elizabeth sleep better. Although he was expecting nightmares.

"No, I am decorating the house based on our personalities. We both like to be comfortable, and relaxed. Overly fussy just isn't us. I want the décor to reflect that. So not just any pieces will work. Otherwise the entire house would be furnished." Elizabeth explained. Most rooms had at least one piece of furniture, but only a few were completed. The majority in that category were the bedrooms.

"I like what you've picked so far." Jason told her urging her to snuggle closer.

"I'm glad." Elizabeth said as his arms tightened around her a bit more. She sighed in contentment. "Did you go for a ride?" She wanted to know.

"I did." Jason was hoping that she drifted off to sleep. He could give her the medication at any point during the night.

"Did I interrupt that?" Elizabeth had been aware that he arrived at Kelly's on his bike.

"No. I was already back in Port Charles." Jason said before placing a kiss on the top of her head. When she shifted he loosened his grip, and then held her tight again when she was tucked up under his chin. He pulled up the blankets over her shoulders so she was completely covered. His hand was rubbing the length of her spine helping her to relax further.

"That feels good." Elizabeth said as the last of the tension in her body flowed out. Her eyes were so heavy, and she didn't even try to fight it when they slipped shut. "Stay with me." She requested on a soft whisper.

"I'm not going anywhere." Jason promised also speaking softly. "Sleep for a bit, I'll take you upstairs later."

"Your room." Elizabeth didn't want to be alone.

"My room." He assured her. "Sleep, baby. I will be right beside you when you wake up." He kept up the long sweeps of her back until her breathing was deep and even. Then he just held her to his heart.


"Any news?" Johnny asked walking into Cody's office.

"No." The enforcer said sitting on the edge of his desk. "It's like Sonny just vanished. How is Elizabeth?" The alarm had everyone worried. There hadn't been any information on her since, but Kyle had called to say that Johnny dropped someone off. Cody told his friend to call back if the guy woke up before he went home for the night. If that didn't happen Cody would grab a bit of sleep before going over to the warehouse.

"She was still upstairs when I left the house." Johnny told his friend.

"Did Milo stop the guy?" Cody figured the alarm was for a pickup.

"No, Liz did. Milo said the guy was out cold when he arrived in the alley. Francis apparently is a hell of a teacher." Johnny grinned. "The guy was still out when I dropped him at the warehouse."

"Last report still has him being unconscious." Cody passed along. "Any word on Courtney?"

"Francis is on that." Johnny passed along. "Jason will be with Liz until further notice. He will work from the house." Which wouldn't be surprising. With an unknown threat wondering around, it was also smart. "I can't believe our guys can't find Sonny."

"Not even a sighting. Cody said frustrated. "We do know where Carly is though."

Johnny heard the odd note in his friend's voice. "I'm guessing not the penthouse?"

"Lorenzo's hotel. Probably his suite." Cody told Johnny. They walked in to the building several hours ago, and neither one of them has left since.

"Damn, if they are just gonna cheat on each other then why the hell are they together?" Johnny asked shaking his head. He didn't expect an answer, which was good because Cody didn't give him one. "Lorenzo's been sniffing around Carly for the past week or so, and now he finally got what he was after."

"Doesn't make sense though. We know he is here because of Luis. Why go after Sonny's woman, and not the man himself?" Cody wanted to know.

"Lorenzo knows that he can't take out Jason. Sonny that he can do, but he isn't a match for Jason. So instead of going after business interests he decides to dent Sonny's ego." Johnny went for the only thing that made sense.

"Sonny isn't going to tolerate being cheated on. Which is truly fucked up considering he has no idea the concept of monogamy even exists." Cody had lost all his respect for his older boss. "Any idea of what is wrong with Sonny?"

"No." Johnny said shaking his head. "Once we locate him then we'll have him checked out. I'm guessing Jason will send Sonny to the island for treatment. Make it look like a vacation so that he won't lose face with the other families."

"It might already be too late for that. Max said his father is ready for Sonny to retire." Cody passed along. The eldest Giambetti had been in earlier for a briefing. "So if Liz put the guy down, is Milo in trouble?" Cody couldn't figure out why she would be somewhere vulnerable without her guard. Milo was good at his job, being lax was odd for him.

"Jason will be fair." Johnny knew that for a fact. "I still don't have all the information on just what happened. When Jason has all the facts, then he will make a decision. At worst Milo will be sent back to Palermo."

Cody just nodded. He liked Milo and hoped he got to stay. "Who is relieving me tomorrow?"

"I am." Johnny said looking at the clock. "So I need to get some sleep." He didn't need much. "Have some guys on standby. Liz needs to have some x-rays and I want a full rotation with her and Jason when they leave the house." That meant six guards. "I'm guessing Francis will be going too, so they can report to him."

"I'll set it up." Cody nodded. Only a fraction of their guys were carrying out the manhunt. They would be relieved by another group in a few hours. Max was taking over for Marco when the switch occurred. They would put a junior guard on Carly when she finally returned to the penthouse. "Sleep well."

"Not likely." Johnny said being honest. "Call if anything happens." He said heading for the office door.

"Roger that." Cody responded going to refill his coffee cup.


AJ was waiting outside the gatehouse when Francis pulled up. He watched the older man open Emily's door, but didn't move from the spot he was standing in. He was hoping to hear that Sonny had been found. Em didn't say a word just hurried inside. "Has he been found yet?"

"No." Francis told Jason's older brother. "How is Courtney?"

"She is doing better than I am." AJ said being honest. He had left his girlfriend in the capable hands of his grandmother. "How long will the guards stay?" They had men patrolling the grounds.

"Until the situation is resolved." Francis said checking to see if Em was back. "Something else has happened. Elizabeth was attacked this evening."

"Sonny." AJ assumed.

"No." Was all Francis said. "There will be security changes happening tomorrow. If you could let your family know that would be appreciated. Please ask everyone to stay on the grounds until they hear from us tomorrow. If they have to leave call and we will make arrangements for protection." Every single member of the family was getting a guard. Whether they liked it or not. The Quartermaines were a way to get to Jason so they needed to be protected, especially since they had no idea who was behind the grab.

"The situation is that bad?" AJ asked worried.

"Yes." Francis told him. "Emily is staying out at the house."

"How badly was Elizabeth hurt?" AJ knew the family would be worried. Especially grandmother. "Should my mother have a look at her?"

"Elizabeth was checked out, and she's not badly injured." Francis explained. "Liz would like to have her friend close by."

"I'll let my parents know where to reach my sister." AJ said just as Em came back out carrying two stuffed bags.

Francis immediately took one, while AJ took the other. With the car loaded up Francis turned to the other blonde man. "Any questions call Johnny." Jason didn't need to be disturbed right now.

"Understood." AJ said nodding. "Behave." He said teasing his sister.

"That word isn't in my vocabulary." Emily said with humor she didn't feel. Honestly she was scared, but trusted her brother to handle things.

Without another word Francis started the car, and headed back to the house.


The key in the lock had Jason carefully moving from behind Elizabeth. He was in the hall by the time his friend, and sister, walked in. "Your room is across the hall from mine." He told Em.

"I'll drop off Liz's stuff, and then turn in. How is she?" Emily wanted to know.

"Sleeping." Jason told them both. Fitfully right now, but hopefully the meds Nadine sent would change that. "Go up."

"Night." Em said heading up the stairs taking the bags with her.

"Here are the prescriptions, I swung by and picked them up." Francis said handing over the bag. "AJ has been updated. I told him we would call tomorrow with security arrangements. Do you need anything else before I head out?"

"No." Jason said looking over his shoulder at the room where his girl was sleeping. Everything he needed was in there. "What time is the x-ray?"

"Two a.m." They needed to sneak in while the hospital was almost empty. "I'll be back at one. Milo will bring breakfast because I'll be sleeping."

"We'll be ready." Jason already knew Sonny was still on the loose, Francis would have started with that if things had changed. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Try to get some sleep." Francis advised, figuring it wouldn't really happen.

"I will." Jason said before locking up. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. He shook out one of each pill and headed back into the living room. "Baby." He said gently shaking Elizabeth.

"Wha?" She was in that murky land between sleep and awake.

"Take these." He said helping her to sit up. She swallowed one, and then the other before leaning forward with her head on his shoulder. Putting the water down, he gathered up Elizabeth and took the stairs to his room. It was just after midnight so he would nap too before they headed out to the hospital. Once they were back home he'd get a solid few hours sleep before it was time for Cody to give his report. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


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