A/N – Thanks for the comments! I got out of jury duty. Yea me!

By the way, Sam did apologize to Elizabeth directly. I know I've seen several say they don't recall it, and I couldn't either, but it did happen. I just watched it on youtube, and I think it may have happened more than once. Also, Sam alluded things when they were in the cabin due to the Russians (which is the best they have ever gotten along and she was very respectful of Liz no matter what her motivation was, and that Liz has a reason not to trust her but that she is trying to protect the kids as well as some other quip about how she understands Liz's misgivings. Liz even said she was grateful that Sam was with her). Elizabeth forgave her and let the bitterness go whether we like it or not. She forgave her first. I think Sam just said so many horrible things for so long that we as fans just can't forgive it. That's the way it should have been on the show, but except for Tom, Liz pretty much forgives everyone.

Chapter 28

Jason's gaze locked on Elizabeth who shrugged, although she is glad that Cam had warmed to him already.

"Don't give Drew a hard time."

She grinned. "Don't take away all my fun."

Jason shook his head and opened the door to the car and Liz slipped inside. She waved before the car moved forward and then he hopped into another SUV and they were on their way.

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Elizabeth moved into a very large panic room as Vincenzo followed. She smiled at Milo and hugged him. Tess waved.

"I thought I'd hang out," Tess said. She wasn't given a choice. Milo had insisted just in case.

"Well, we can use this time to get to know each other. I mean, it might come in handy so you and Max can see each other on the down-lo."

Tess smirked. "I knew I would like you. That suit was to die for, by the way." She likes Liz's style.

Elizabeth smiled. "Thanks."

Cam sucked in a breath, so Elizabeth followed his gaze.

"What is she doing here?" he asked.

Emiliana crossed her arms. "They thought I'd be safer here."

Cam's jaw ticked as his mother moved towards the younger woman.

"It's okay. Come sit," Elizabeth said directing her to a chair.

"Thank you."

"Cam, she is a pawn in this."

"She lied to me."

"You lied to her too."

Cam's jaw dropped. "How did I lie?" His tone rose.

"March?"

Cam groaned. "God, I hate it when you are right."

Milo snickered.

"What's March?" Tess whispered.

"Their kind of fake last name," he explained.

"Oh…"

Vincenzo was giving a guard some directions and then turned toward the group.

"Alright, I have to go. Drew, there are more guns and ammunition in the closet. This room is fireproof, and they probably don't have big enough bombs to get in here. This place could survive a rocket launcher." He spares no expense when it comes to safety.

"Good to know."

"You've been instructed on how to get in and out just in case. Carlito will be on the door."

Drew nodded. "Got it."

Vincenzo's gaze rested on Elizabeth. "Mrs. Giambetti, sources told me that you like chocolate, so there is some on the counter and in the frigorifero."

"Grazie."

He left and the door was sealed.

"Well, I guess we should all get comfortable," Liz said.

Drew is skeptical as he watches Emiliana and Cam stare.

"Are they going to fight?" Tess whispered to Milo.

"I hope not."

Liz sighed as she sat, wondering how Jake and the guys are faring.

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Sal moved into Maximus's cell.

"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to greet me? Maybe I need to teach you some manners."

"I'd like to see you try." Maximus is big, but he fights dirty.

Sal sat on a chair and then eyed Max. "Your little spit-fire of a wife is a huge thorn in my side."

Max almost choked and then realized he needs to play along. "You better not touch—"

"Oh, save it. She stepped into a man's shoes so she will be treated like one. When that puttanata decided to take my daughter, she sealed her fate."

Max stood as his chair flew backward.

"Max!" his father demanded.

Max rolled his shoulders and then adjusted the chair and sat as he tried to curb his temper.

"Elizabeth Giambetti is going to die by my hand as will you."

The Giambetti's almost swallowed their tongues as Sal stood. Max had thought he was referring to Tess.

"Tomorrow, she dies, but tonight, Jake Morgan is mine."

Maximus tried to school his emotions as Sal chuckled.

"That's right, I know his identity as well as Elizabeth's. I'm not sure why you married Jason Morgan's ex, but it doesn't matter. Maybe I should keep her alive so she can feel the pain of losing her son twice." When Jason had shown up, they did some digging.

He left and the men's gazes locked.

"What the fuck is going on?" Maximus said. Jake had been planning on changing his last name, but it hadn't happened yet.

"God, I hope Tess doesn't find out." He'll be walking funny for the rest of his life. "When Jake supposedly died, Jason was outed as his dad, so it was in the paper."

Maximus cursed under his breath. "We need to get out of here. Elizabeth is not cut out to be a mob boss. Where the hell is your brother?" There is no way he wants her in so deep or to have to make life or death decisions. She doesn't deserve to have to hold that on her conscious.

Max rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know, Pops, but it seems like Elizabeth must be doing something right if she has Sal all riled up. Thankfully, Johnny, Francis, and hopefully Carlos is there to help her."

"Quel pezzo di merda Sal is going to die if it's the last thing I do. We'll end this once and for all." It's a position he never wanted to put Elizabeth in. This can never happen again and he hopes that she forgives him.

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The guys surrounded the house and then used some gadgets to detect heat signatures in the surrounding area.

With Vincenzo's men, they are not outnumbered, so it had evened their chances.

"There are two guards in the field," Gio whispered into his mic.

"I see them," Johnny said. The men are lying on the ground.

Jake's phone vibrated, so he checked the message. "I Just got an email from Sal." Thank God he has notifications turned on.

"Son of a bitch," Jason whispered. "What does he want?"

"He wants to meet me in an hour at a park."

"Then we'll be there. Let's take care of these assholes first," Johnny growled.

"On the count of three," Jason said.

Carlos counted and then all hell broke loose as the men started taking out their opponents.

Franky is shot in the leg, and to Jake's amazement, his father stood and fiercely moved forward, taking out men left and right.

"Damn…"

Francis smirked. Jason is always a sight to behold when he's wielding his gun.

They flank him and Jake shows no fear as he takes out several men.

Gio is grazed by a bullet and barely flinches. "Now, they have pissed me off," he said in Italian.

After several minutes of intense battle, the men finally reach the house.

"It's stopped," Max said.

Maximus nodded as he played with the ring on his finger. "We might have to do a little damage. Sonny didn't make you soft, did he?"

Max rolled his eyes. "Did you see me hold my pinky out when I drank?"

"No."

"Okay then."

Maximus fights a smile. "Let's do this then."

Max nods as he watches a guard rush toward the cell and stands in front of it like he's waiting for someone to come down the stairs.

Max edges up behind him grabs his neck and then propels the man's head into the bars. He slumps, but Max holds him up. "Pops, check his jacket for the key."

"Nice work," Maximus said as he tried to find it.

"Damn. He's not carrying."

Max muttered in Italian. "Let's see if I can reach the gun." He pushed the body to the side and then gets on the floor. "Give me your tie."

"This is a perfectly good tie. Victoria gave it to me."

Max rolled his eyes. His secretary is a godsend because his father is high maintenance. "She'll buy you another one then. Come on, Pops."

Maximus takes it off and hands it over.

"You got any change?"

"What do I look like, an ATM?"

Max frowned. "They don't carry change."

Maximus pressed some coins into his son's hands and then waits as Max does a complicated knot with the coins inside and then throws the ball at the end so it's on the other side of the gun. The shooting starts again, so Max moves a little faster. When the fallen guard begins to stir, Maximus kicked him in the head and knocks him out again. Finally, the tie trick worked and then the gun moved forward enough for Max to grab it.

"Move into the corner," Max said. Once his father was set, Max shot the lock and the door opened.

"I'm so glad those shooting lessons came in handy."

"I'm a good shot."

"Milo is better."

Max cursed. "He is luckier."

"If you say so… Let's go."

They headed to the door but freeze when it bursts open.

Maximus grinned. "Jason Morgan, it's good to see you again."

Jason lowered his weapon and shook Maximus's hand. "I'm glad that you're okay."

Max gave up all pretense and hugged Jason. "It's good to see you, man."

"Thank you for protecting Elizabeth."

"I'm glad I was there."

"Whose idea was it for her to say she's married to my son?" Maximus asked.

"It was mine, sir," Jake said stepping forward.

Maximus shook his head and then put his hand on the young man's shoulder. "You got your dad back."

Jake smiled. "Yeah."

Maximus messed up his hair. "Let's get out of here."

They headed upstairs.

"We need to get to the park. We have fifteen minutes," Jake said.

"What park?"

"Sal wants to meet me there."

Maximus locked gazes with Jason. "It's a setup."

"We know and will deal with it. He needs to die," Jason said. There is no way anyone with standing in that organization will live.

"Agreed. I'm riding shotgun," Maximus said.

Jason waited until Maximus is secure in the car before turning to Max. "Keep him under control."

Max groaned.

"Seriously, let me handle this."

"I'll try."

They get in the car and go over the plan.

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Elizabeth paces back and forth. "How long has it been."

"About five minutes after you asked the last time," Cam said.

"Don't be smart."

He smirked.

"What are you going to do after this?" Tess asked Emiliana.

"I don't know. I guess me and my mom will start over." Her dad is going to die. That she is sure of. Her mother will know what to do and her uncle will help them figure it out.

"I'm sorry things worked out this way."

Emiliana brushed a tear away. "Me too." As her father had gotten older, he had become more jaded and it hurt their relationship.

Cam averted his gaze. He's mad at her still, but he does realize that he was pretending to be someone else too. They'll have to talk after this is all over. There is no way he's having that conversation in front of everyone.

Milo answered his phone. "Ciao."

Elizabeth listened and is immediately alarmed.

Drew moved next to her. "What's going on?"

"Someone is hurt."

Her eyes squeezed shut and she said a little prayer. When Milo said goodbye, Liz's eyes snapped open.

"Who?"

Milo sighed. "It's Jason. We need to get to the hospital."

Drew rushed to the door and opened it.

"Not again…" Liz said as tears prick her eyes.

Cam hugged her and then pulled her through the doorway. Jake is going to need them.

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Several minutes earlier, Jake gets out of the car and Jason moves to his side. They stride towards a gazebo as the other men fan out and get in position. Maximus takes one of the guard's guns and he and Carlos aim at Sal.

"I told you to come alone," Sal said. His eyes are glittering with revenge. Not only will he get a chance to kill Elizabeth's son, but also take out a feared enforcer. He won't live to bury them, but at least he'll die knowing that he'll ruin the Giambetti family and cause years of pain.

"We don't care what you want," Jason said icily.

"Mr. Morgan back from the dead. I'm sure you were happy to be reunited with your son."

Jason didn't even blink but inside he is seething that this man knows. "What do you want?"

"Where is my daughter?"

"She's safe."

"Wrong answer."

They whipped out their guns.

"Don't move, Jake," Sal said.

"Don't tell him what to do."

"All I have to do is say the word and you're both dead."

"Ditto."

Having enough, Maximus said a code word, and several men drop to the ground around them as Sal's hand slightly shakes.

"It's over," Maximus calls out. "Your sons are dead." The wusses had made a run for it but were taken out before they could escape. The way the man is standing is making it difficult to take him out since the pillars are blocking him except from the front. The gazebo slopes off from the back down a hill, so they are limited to what they can do without endangering Jake, whose weapon is not out, and Jason.

"I hate you so much! My capos will carry out my revenge." He can't believe his sons are gone.

"They are dead like you will be in a minute," Maximus said in Italian. Vincenzo's men had done that favor.

Someone runs into the clearing, distracting everyone as he fires wildly, and all hell broke loose.

Sal fired his gun and Jason dove as he shot the man between his eyes.

The air leaves Jake's lungs as his father hits him and they crash to the ground. When Jason doesn't move, Jake starts to panic. "Dad!"

Johnny pulls Jason onto his back and Jake scrambles to his knees. They have Kevlar vests on, but the type of bullet that was used had pierced it and went into Jason's upper chest. With the way Jake ducked when Sal started shooting, he would have been struck in the head if Jason hadn't jumped in front of him.

Feverishly they scramble to undo the vest and then rip it open and then Johnny applies pressure.

Jason sucks in a breath as his eyes flutter open. "Jake?"

"D—dad." He's barely holding on.

"I love you. Never question that." He grimaces as Johnny presses harder.

"Don't leave me." Jake sounds like a little boy as he pleads.

"Tell your mom I love her too. I'm sorry."

"We need to get him out of here." Two cleanup crews had already arrived and were struggling to deal with the carnage before someone calls the cops.

"Get him to the car!" Maximus said. The hospital is just a few minutes away.

Johnny, Francis, Carlos, and another man hoisted Jason up who immediately passed out, but they got him into the SUV as fast they could. Jake sat next to him and Johnny jumped into the driver's seat with Francis getting in the passenger side. Maximus, Carlos, and Max got in the other one and Max made the call to Milo.

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Liz ran into the hospital with Cam, Tess, Drew, and Milo hot on her heels.

Maximus moved toward her, and she threw her arms around him.

"I'm so glad that you're okay."

He kissed the top of her head.

"How's Jason?" she said as she retreated.

"We don't know anything yet."

Max went to her side and hugged her. "Hi, wife."

Her face scrunched up. "Sorry about that."

He looks up and spots a tearful Tess who is going crazy and then looks toward the stairwell and after a moment, she made her way there and waited. You never know who could be watching, so they need to be careful.

"It's okay."

"What happened?"

Jake's gaze locks on his mother.

"Jake, are you okay?"

He nods as his mother grips him. "It's my fault."

"What do you mean?"

"He drew his gun faster than me. I was next to him and Sal wanted to kill me as revenge for us taking Emiliana and for killing his sons."

Liz sighed. "Go on…"

"He—he started to shoot, and I ducked. Dad shot back as he dove in front of me. We crashed to the ground and Johnny pulled him off. The bullet went through the Kevlar."

She blinked back tears. "Where did it hit?"

"It was his chest on the left side. He stopped breathing on the way in. We had to stop, and Johnny brought him back."

She is shaking now, so Drew moved next to her and supported her.

A doctor moved toward them. "Mr. Morgan has been taken to surgery. Once we have him open, we can access the damage. The Kevlar stopped the bullet from killing him, but if he makes it through the surgery and the next forty-eight hours, he has a chance of recovering."

"Thank you, Doctor."

He nodded and moved away. They are aware of who Mr. Giambetti is and that Mr. Morgan is important to them. However, it has no bearing on the man's treatment. Saving lives is what they do.

"I have to go," Jake said before hurrying toward the elevators.

"Jake!"

"He won't go far," Francis said. He eyed Carlos who made a call to the guard outside to follow Jake if he leaves.

Max went to the stairwell and as soon as the door shut, Tess jumped on him and kissed him torridly as he steadied her and then pushed her against the wall.

"I've missed you so much," he said soulfully.

"I was going out of my mind. I love you so much."

"I love you too."

"No more hiding…"

He smiled. "I told my pops about you. He said I could bring you to dinner."

She grinned. "I get to go shopping."

He laughed. "I'll give you my card. It's on me."

"Max…"

"Let me spoil you please."

She doesn't want to argue and instead kissed him like his life depended on it and then he reluctantly let her slide down his body.

"I'm not sure how long we'll be here."

"I know. I'll go down a flight and leave. I just had to see you."

He lovingly stroked her face and then made a call for someone to meet them and a minute later, a guard joined them.

"Can you take her home?"

He nodded and Max stayed until he heard the door shut and then went back to his family.