A/N – Thanks for the comments! * Guest – I mentioned back in chapter 3 that Nathan and Lulu were married. * Scoobycool9 and LuckycoolHawk9 – What an interesting idea re: Lulu. I hadn't thought of that. * Guest W – Thank you! * trini12180 , lrobinson01 – Hang in there we're almost there.

FYI - I usually try to reply to some of your reviews via PM, but unfortunately something is wrong with the site and it stopped working on the 27th so they are emailed to me but that's about it.

Happy New Year everyone! Be safe!

Chapter 29

Patrick checked Jason's drip. "That is almost done. I hear you're coming home with us."

"Yeah."

"Did Liz tell you that tonight was charades night?"

Jason's eyes narrowed as Liz chuckled.

"You two can team up."

"Am I in any condition to play?"

Patrick nodded. "Sure, just don't wave your arm around or anything. Now that would probably hurt."

Liz laughed at Jason's expression. "He's just teasing you. It's actually strip poker night."

Jason gave her a look. "You're both crazy."

Epiphany walked in. "Sponge bath time."

Patrick laughed.

"You guys need to leave," Jason said making Epiphany crack up.

"Come on Elizabeth. He's kicking us out."

She playfully glared at Epiphany and left.

"Now that we're alone, I can finally have my way with you."

Jason smiled. "You might want to wait until I can participate."

"Now you're talking," she said as she started to take out his I.V.

"Is Emma okay?"

"She's rattled, but she'll be fine. Maya is off, so she's dropping the kids off at the car and then coming back to get you and Liz. You need to get some rest tonight and let Liz take care of you."

He didn't respond, but Epiphany knew that he wouldn't be totally against that. Once she had him unhooked, she helped him sit up and waited while he got his bearings.

"You know you can't use that arm for a while," she said easing him out of the hospital gown. He still had his jeans on and shoes.

"I know."

"Let me do all the work," she said. When he smirked she chuckled. "You have a dirty mind Mr. Morgan."

"I must have picked that up from you."

She winked at him and then buttoned his shirt. "Alright, move slowly please."

He slipped off the bed and Liz appeared with a wheel chair.

"I can walk."

"You know the rules," Epiphany said.

He sighed and walked slowly towards it and sat down.

"See, you can be a good patient when you want to," Liz said as she pushed him forward.

Jason muttered.

"Don't make me stop and pick up some soup."

"You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Epiphany chuckled. They were too cute. When they got outside, Maya pulled up and Epiphany got the door. They helped Jason get in and then Liz went around the car and got in from the other side.

"It's a good thing it was your left arm," Maya said before pulling off.

"He can shoot with both," Liz said making her grin.

"Good to know."

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, just tired," he said closing his eyes.

She grabbed his hand and he entwined their fingers. They still hadn't talked, but it was a start.

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Nikolas hugged Laura. He had picked her up from the airport because he didn't want her to find out about Luke and Lulu from the radio.

"I can't believe he's gone," Laura said. Her face was swollen from crying and Nikolas hated that he had to give her more bad news. They retrieved her luggage and got into the car.

"How is Lulu handling it?" Laura asked.

"Not well. I'll tell you everything when we get to the house."

They drove the rest of the way in silence and when Nikolas finally pulled into the driveway, he felt a sense of dread, but helped her get her luggage into the house and they sat down.

"Where is she?"

"Mom, I have some more bad news."

Laura's eyes filled with tears. "It's really bad isn't it?"

Nikolas nodded. "Luke got really drunk and shot at Jason on the docks, who happened to be surrounded by Liz and her kids as well as Emma."

"Did he hurt them?" She couldn't believe that Luke would be so reckless.

"Jason pushed Emma out of the way and took a bullet for her."

Laura gasped. "Is he alive?"

"Yes. He was shot in the arm."

"Oh God, is Luke in jail?"

"He had fired so many rounds that Jason pulled his gun out to defend himself, but he dropped it when he fell."

She took a languid breath. "Go on."

"Jake picked up the gun and fired it and it hit Luke in the chest. Dante saw everything."

Laura burst out in a sob. "This is horrible."

"He didn't make it."

She let out a wail and Nikolas held her until she calmed down.

"What happened to my daughter?"

"She was at the scene and lost it. They transported her to Shadybrook."

Laura started to shake.

"Mom, please take a deep breath. She's going to need us."

He held her as he gently rocked. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and he got up and answered it.

"Hi," Sabrina said.

Nikolas hugged her tightly as he softly cried. "Thank you so much for coming."

"I couldn't let you go through this alone. How is your mom?"

"Devastated."

"We'll stay here tonight. She shouldn't be alone."

He kissed her, grateful for her presence, and they went back inside.

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Aidan insisted on being the one that slept on the couch, so Jason was now propped up in the bed.

The boys sat on the edge of it as Elizabeth fussed with the covers.

"I would like to repeat again that your whole reason for being apart was the danger, yet most of the violence we've encountered is non-mob related," Cam said. He wanted to break it down. What he had witnessed scared him badly and he could have lost Emma and his family.

Liz sighed. "I know."

"So, what does that mean exactly?"

Aidan wanted to know too.

"We haven't had time to discuss our relationship, but we will soon. Jason needs to rest."

Cam didn't want to end the conversation, but she was right. Jason looked exhausted. "Alright, just know that Aidan and I are okay with you being together and we understand the risks," Cam said before leaving. His mom's happiness was very important to him.

"He's right. I know you have to figure everything out, but I like you Jason. Mom deserves to be happy and I deserve a good dad." He left and she sat next to Jason.

"We're not doing this right now because you can barely keep your eyes open, but we need to talk soon because the boys deserve some resolution."

"I agree." He wanted to be the man they all deserved, but he was scared that Liz wasn't ready. There were still a lot of unanswered issues.

"Sleep Jason. I'm going to go make sure the boys and Emma are okay and then I'll come back."

She watched his eyes close and then kissed him on the forehead. Their conversation will be a difficult one, but she planned on lay it all out as soon as he was feeling better. They needed to if they were going to move forward.

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Jake threw his keys on his desk and sat down. He had changed rooms since the other one was bugged. His phone rang and he grabbed it. "Hello?"

"It's me. I know we're not supposed to have contact, but I heard you were arrested. Are you okay?" Abbie said.

"I'm fine. There were no charges. I'm home."

"You killed Luke."

"Yeah." It wasn't the way he planned it out, but at least Luke's memory was tarnished.

There was knock on his door and he frowned. "Hold on."

He jerked it open and Abbie was standing there dressed in a blonde wig and dark sunglasses. His amusement was reflected in his eyes. "That's an interesting look."

She pushed past him and took the glasses off. "I always wondered what it felt like to be a blonde."

He slightly smiled and pulled her into his arms.

"You're not mad?"

"I should be, but I need you."

Her hands gently moved up and down his back, sending a shiver throughout his body.

"It was hard watching my dad get shot."

Abbie pulled back. "He's at Patrick's house with Elizabeth and the boys. I checked."

"Good. I wish I could be there." He longed for a time where they could be together with looking over their shoulders.

"Well, that is why you have me. I can relay any message that you want."

"Thanks. I'll take you up on that—later."

Before she could react, his mouth covered hers in a torrid kiss. She wasn't leaving until he made love to her properly.

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Cam watched his mother walk into the room. Emma was clutching his arm while Aidan and Maya quietly sat on the couch.

"You okay?" Maya asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm worried about Jake, but I know there's nothing I can do about that right now. "

"He saved us," Aidan said softly.

Liz sat next to him. "I know. Everything happened so fast. Luke was so out of control." While she wasn't surprised that Luke got drunk, firing the gun into a group of people had totally shocked her and she couldn't wrap her mind around it.

Cam sighed. "Helena might be mad at Jake."

That was another thing, Helena needed to die. They probably weren't going to get any more information out of her. At this point, she was scared that Helena would force him to do something horrible. Most of the Spencers were gone and she wondered if the old bat would try to kill Laura.

There was a knock on the door and Aidan got it.

"Hi. I just heard about Jason and I wanted to make sure he was okay."

Aidan let her in.

Elizabeth got up and hugged her. "I never got to thank you for being such a good friend to him."

"I'm just glad everything is working out for you. How is he?"

"He's resting, but he's doing well. Come on, I'll take you to see him."

She led the way to the room and Vicky followed. Jason's eyes were closed, so she sat on the bed and grabbed his hand. He squeezed back.

"You're not Elizabeth."

"How did you know?"

"Hand size."

"Are you calling my hand fat?"

Jason smirked. "No."

She was silent for a moment. "I had to make sure you were okay."

His eyes slightly opened when he heard the emotion in her voice. "I'll be fine."

"He could have killed you and hurt your family and I would have lost one of the few friends that I have." Being friends with Jason had come as a surprise to her, but she was happy to have him in her corner. Over the years, they had seen each other lot at functions and at her dad's house, but everyone judged her so much that she always stayed to herself for the most part.

Liz listened from the doorway. She knew what loneliness sounded like and made a mental note to include Vicky for dinners here and there.

"You know, you've been there for me a lot and I hope that if you ever need someone to talk to you, that you'll come to me."

Vicky brushed a tear away. "Okay. Sorry that I'm a little emotional. When dad called, I was shocked and scared."

"I'm not going to lie, I was scared someone was going to get hurt badly. We dodged a few bullets."

She gave him a sarcastic look. "You're trying to be funny right now?"

"If it makes you smile then yes."

"Brat."

"I think that's my line."

Liz smiled. "Vicky, why don't you hang out for a while?"

She partially turned. "I actually need to get back to my shop, but can I come by later?"

"Of course you can. Why don't you have dinner with us? It's probably going to be pizza."

"I happen to love pizza. Thank you for inviting me."

"You're Jason's friend and I'd like to get to know you a little better."

Vicky squeezed Jason's hand. "I'd like that too. I'll see you later. You better rest."

Jason's brow rose.

"Trust me, if I hear that you do otherwise, there will be hell to pay."

Jason slightly smiled. "See you later."

"Bye."

After she left, Jason asked Elizabeth to stay.

"Can you lay with me for a little bit?"

"Okay."

They got comfortable and Jason made a confession. "Tomorrow, Jake is meeting with Helena. I will need to be close by for backup."

She studied his face and knew that it wasn't up for discussion. "She's not going to be heard from again, is she?"

Jason shook his head. "I can't let her hurt my family again. I don't think we'll get any more information out of her about what she did to our son anyway."

"Okay. I trust you."

He started to nod off. "I love you Elizabeth."

"I love you too. Rest."

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Jake and John met at a restaurant on the outskirts of town to plan the meeting.

"Jason and Max will be fitted with listening devices. They are undetectable. We can track you via your phone. If something happens to it, then you'll have to get creative about getting us the information."

Jake nodded.

"Jason's men will work with ours to secure the building. I don't think she'll have a lot of men there. We take them out and then you'll only have to worry about the guard in the room with you."

Helena was sending a car for Jake so he didn't know the actual address.

"Make sure that Max sticks to Jason's side. I know my dad can still shoot, but he's not one hundred percent." Jake had considered asking him not to come, but he knew that his dad wouldn't agree to it.

"I will be with them." Helena just wanted to speak to Jake alone.

"I just can't wait until she is gone, then I can see Patrick and hopefully he can fix this."

"Have faith. Patrick is a great doctor."

"Are you going to leave me once this is over?"

John slightly smiled. "Not on your life, you're like a brother to me. I'll go wherever you go."

"That's nice, but I don't think I can ask you to do that. You have Zoe to think about and you deserve to have a life."

"Jake, we'll make it work. Once you decide what you're going to do, then we can have a talk. First, let's get rid of Helena and get your brain unscrambled." John watched his eyes flicker with amusement.

"Alright, back to Operation Kill the Bitch."

John laughed. "You got it." They spent the next hour going over every detail they could think of and covered how they were going to explain Helena's death.

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Spencer plopped down in a chair in his dad's office. "So, am I going to have a company to work at?"

Nikolas dropped his pen and sighed. "I'm really not sure what is going to happen." His mother had decided to stay in town for a while so that she could visit Lulu. At least she was staying strong. They were having a memorial for Lucky and Luke in a couple of days, so she was focusing on that with Sabrina's help.

"Is she still here?"

"No, Helena was not in her room this morning and all her things were gone." He wasn't sure what to think. "I'm assuming she's going back to Greece now that she has ruined so many lives." The PCPD were actively searching for her to bring her up on charges.

"What are you going to do if she dies and gives everything to Jake?"

"I'll try and fight the will and a lot will depend on what Jake wants."

"This sucks," Spencer said. His plan was to help his dad run things. Now it didn't look like that was going to happen.

"Once Jake settles down and deals with whatever Helena did to him, maybe he won't want anything to do with Cassadine Industries."

"I hope so."

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Tristan stopped by to check on Elizabeth. He had heard about the shooting and just wanted to be there as a friend.

"Come in," Maya said smiling. "You're just in time for dinner."

"I don't want to interrupt anything."

"Nonsense. Come on in."

Tristan walked inside. Everyone was at the table. "Where's Elizabeth?"

"She's eating in the room with Jason," Emma explained.

There was another knock and Maya let Vicky in.

"I hope I'm not late."

Maya smiled. "Come eat a few slices and then you can go in and see him."

She headed to the table and smiled when she saw Tristan. "Hi everyone."

The boys grunted because their mouths were full of pizza, making her laugh.

"It's good to see you," Tristan said.

"Likewise." She took a seat next to him and Maya's head tilted and then she hurried into the room with Liz and Jason.

"What's up?" Liz asked before wiping her mouth.

"Well, Tristan and Vicky are here and I told them to eat and then they can visit."

"Sounds good." Liz's eyes narrowed as she noticed the mischievous look on her friend's face. "What else?"

Maya grinned. "I need your help playing matchmaker."

"I'm in."

Jason smiled.

"Who?"

"Tristan and Vicky."

Liz looked at Jason. "What do you think?"

He shrugged. "I guess they would get along. He's nice and she would give him a run for his money."

Liz chuckled. "The more I think about it, the more I like it."

Maya rubbed her hands together. "I'll think of some kind of group event we can all attend."

"Sounds good." She left and Elizabeth grabbed Jason's plate. "Another slice?"

"Yes please."