As she predicted, ever since she told her brothers about taking Jason up on his offer to track down their mark, neither of them have let the rare occurrence go. She gets it. She'd be the first to laugh her ass off if someone even suggested she accept help from another organization, much less the top enforcer of said organization, but here they are. Watching them as they continue to pick apart her decision, Elizabeth pulls out her gun and sets it down on the table in front of her.

"Oh, please, don't stop now, it was just getting good," Elizabeth says with a smirk as her hand rests atop her gun. "You were going on about how amusing you find me."

"No need for the hostility," Max laughs. "You know we're just playing."

"It's not every day that you accept help," Milo points out. "Not even as repayment."

"Gotta wonder what's so different this time around," Max counters, curiosity in his words as he arches his eyebrow, growing serious when he says, "Is there something different this time?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Elizabeth says simply, grabbing her cellphone from the table when it rings and holding it to her ear. "What a surprise...hello, father."

Eyeing them pointedly, she grabs her gun and places it at the small of her back before rising to her feet, smacking the back of Milo's head as she heads out of the room. Leave it to them to go directly to their father once Elizabeth does anything remotely out of character. Brothers.

"If there was time, I would have left it to their people," Elizabeth points out as she debriefs her father on the device and her choices leading up to Jason offering help. "Weren't you the one that said I needed to improve my relations with other organizations anyway?"

"Improve your relations, yes," Maximus concedes. "Put your own life at risk for the sake of said relations, no. No one is worth your life, you hear me?"

"I hear you, father, and I never would have done it if the risks outweighed the benefits," Elizabeth points out. "I have spent countless months training to deactivate devices because you said it was a necessity. What good is having the skills if I don't put them to use every now and again?"

"You were taught those skills to keep yourself alive," Maximus reminds her. "Not to play hero for another family."

"I love you, too, father," Elizabeth says gently. "The window was small and the risk minimal. I never would have done it otherwise. You have to know that."

"I know, I know," Maximus admits, pouring himself a glass of whiskey to ease the tension. "You are more than capable, I know, still I worry."

"I'd be worried if you stopped worrying about me," Elizabeth counters sincerely. "On the bright side, you were right, the training was worth taking."

"Not that it would stop you from arguing over the next training I feel is necessary," Maximus chuckles, knowing she was a fighter by nature. "Now about Jason Morgan..."

"What about him?"

"You know exactly what about him," Maximus counters. "He's Corinthos's enforcer."

"I know."

"Elizabeth."

"I know, father," Elizabeth says seriously. "It's not like that."

"No?" Maximus questions. "Then what is it like exactly?"

"Just improving relations," Elizabeth answers vaguely. "As requested."

"Right," Maximus replies, not believing her for one second. "You forget who you're speaking to, sweet girl."

"Does he fascinate me, sure, you know he does," Elizabeth replies plainly. "His story intrigues me, but that's all it is."

Part of their training is learning about the top players in each organization, knowledge always being the most powerful of assets they possess, and knowing what you're dealing with is always a plus. The story behind the others was typical and expected, but then she came across the story of Jason Morgan formerly Quartermaine and she found herself sucked into the story behind the man.

Jason Morgan in their world is a stone-cold enforcer, one of the best if not the best, and his reputation is rightfully earned. It's because of him that Sonny Corinthos has been able to maintain his hold on such a large territory for as long as he has. To think that it all started, that the man only exists because a freak accident erased the memories of one man prompting another one to emerge from the rubble, it's a captivating story if nothing else.

"I have Cody and Jim guarding Robin at her uncle's house," Jason says, debriefing Sonny on what happened at the restaurant. "We need to find this guy, Sonny."

"We will," Sonny assures him. "Stan is tracking the car as we speak. He'll get back to us the moment he has something. For now, let's figure out what a threat on Robin achieves."

"A threat on Robin pulls our attention off the mole," Jason says, trying his best to keep his mind on task. "Probably hoping we would be distracted long enough to cover their tracks but they weren't counting on Elizabeth interfering with their plans."

"And we're sure that she's not in on it?"

"I don't see how when she's the one that prevented it."

"True, but it could have been because she saw an opportunity to get the information she needed," Sonny suggests. "I mean, you did offer to help because she saved Robin, right?"

"I offered, she declined, I pushed," Jason says seriously. "She's not involved."

"Yeah, okay," Sonny stands down, seeing that Jason was certain of his standing. "I had to ask."

"Robin's life was put at risk and she could have died," Jason says seriously. "The last thing we should be doing is questioning allies over enemies. I need some air."

Knowing when to push and when to let things go, Sonny lets Jason leave, knowing that he's running hot with Robin's life being put at risk. More than anything, Sonny hates that they came close to losing Robin and possibly Jason in the process, but he had to bring every possibility into light and Jason would too if he wasn't as deep into it as he is. With his girlfriend at risk, Sonny has to be the one to keep the level head, knowing that Jason kept things leveled more times than he cares to count when someone Sonny loves is in danger.

"Hey, can we talk?" Max questions as she ends the call with their father.

"Sure," Elizabeth shrugs. "What about?"

"Our last conversation before we left home," Max says, pulling up a seat to sit across from her. "Does it have anything to do with what you're doing with Jason?"

"I honestly hadn't thought of it like that," Elizabeth admits though she finds it to be viable. "Wouldn't be a bad idea if it were."

"Don't say that," Max sighs. "Your place is with us."

"We're family, that's forever," Elizabeth says wholeheartedly. "But my place in the organization isn't. We both know that the only reason I'm in charge right now is because you refuse to take it. Once it comes time for father to step down, the responsibility becomes yours whether you like it or not and I don't intend to be an enforcer forever, Max, you know that."

"I can decline, can't I?" Max questions. "That way you can be boss instead of me."

"We both know you can't, it's your birthright," Elizabeth says simply. "Look, I haven't made any decisions about my future once father hands the reigns over to you and I'm too focused on the assignment to even ponder what comes next."

"You'll tell me if that changes?"

"You and Milo will be the first to know," Elizabeth assures him. "Until then, can we agree that this isn't the time or place for this conversation?"

"Yeah, okay," Max accepts, almost wishing he could see the future and the choices she'll make once the time comes, glancing at the door when Milo walks in. "What's up?"

"You got a visitor," Milo says to Elizabeth. "Jason Morgan."

"Thanks," Elizabeth says, meeting Max's eyes for a moment before rising to her feet and walking out of the room, finding Jason at the front door. "Hey, you good?"

"Can we talk?" Jason questions. "Somewhere private?"

"Yeah, sure," Elizabeth says before grabbing the keys and gesturing for them to go outside. "The SUV's the best bet."

Closing the door once they're outside, Elizabeth climbs into the SUV with Jason, sitting in silence as he explains what he's doing there. Elizabeth had to admit that his boss's train of thought isn't exactly that out there. Hell, if the roles were reversed, she'd be questioning motive, as well. For him to defend her without knowing for sure that she wasn't part of the whole thing had her placing a little more trust in the man.

"It would make sense if you hadn't offered to help from the jump," Elizabeth points out. "If it'll make Sonny feel better about it all, you don't have to help me track down my mark."

"I already said I'd help," Jason counters simply. "I should be hearing back from my contact soon."

"Okay then," Elizabeth smiles slightly. "If that's all..."

"It would help if he could meet you," Jason finds himself voicing, knowing that if Sonny met her he'd understand why he knows she's not part of it. "I know you said you'd consider it after the job..."

"I can see it means something to you," Elizabeth voices. "But there's a reason why my existence is mostly a rumor. The fewer people that know my face the easier my jobs are."

"Two lieutenants have seen your face," Jason points out. "Would it be that bad for my boss to be added to that list?"

"I met your lieutenants briefly and they're not exactly kings of facial recognition, I doubt they even remember what I look like," Elizabeth counters. "My job aside...I'm not what people call sociable."

"You seem fine enough with me," Jason replies. "If it'll help, I'll have the cameras disarmed while you're there. That way there's no record of your face and Sonny isn't any better at remembering faces."

"Something tells me that you're not going to give up till I meet him," Elizabeth says as she meets his eyes, grabbing the keys and starting up the SUV. "No time like the present, I guess."

"You sure?"

"Not at all," Elizabeth says before tossing her phone to him. "Pull up Max's number and text him that I'm heading out for a bit."

While they head to the apartment towers, Jason calls ahead to the security to let them know to shut down the cameras once they're in the building before calling Sonny to let him know that they're on their way there. Elizabeth wasn't at all certain that this wasn't going to be a mistake on her part, but Sonny's an ally and she doesn't foresee that changing anytime soon. Hopefully, he's as forgetful as Jason claims because she'd prefer her face be stored in the least amount of minds as possible.

"He's on his way," Jason says as they walk into Sonny's penthouse. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Water...coke..." Elizabeth says before tapping her fingers on the side of her leg. "You know...make it tequila. Yeah, tequila sounds good."

"You don't have to be nervous."

"Make it a double," she counters before walking over to the desk and muttering to herself, "Just might be your dumbest move yet, Elizabeth."

"Here," Jason says, handing the drink to her before clinking glasses and downing the shot as she does. "He'll be here soon."

"Any luck tracking the car?" Elizabeth questions, needing a distraction as she hands him the glass for a refill. "Or Greg?"

"We were able to track the car and the driver," Jason recalls Sonny's information when he called about the meeting. "Still no luck on Greg."

"How many Gregs do you guys have working for you?" Elizabeth questions curiously. "I mean, it can't be that many, right?"

"A few Gregs and a couple of Gregorys that go by Greg," Jason admits. "It's a matter of finding which one without tipping our hand."

"Fair enough," Elizabeth accepts, falling silent when a picture on the desk catches her eye, shakily reaching out to pick it up before staring at it in confusion.

"Sonny doesn't really like people touching his pictures," Jason voices as he reaches for the frame. "He's really touchy about it."

"Who's..." Elizabeth's voice cracks, prompting her to clear her throat before speaking again, allowing him to take the picture and put it back down. "Who's in the picture?"

"Sonny's family," Jason concedes, pointing them out. "That's Sonny, his mom, and his little sister. They both died a while ago before I even met Sonny."

"Oh," Elizabeth voices, her mind racing. "That's, um...I'm sorry to hear that."

"He doesn't really talk about them," Jason admits, bringing his focus back to her and finding himself confused by the look on her face. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Elizabeth assures, forcing her expression back to normal as she reaches into her pocket, hitting one on her speed dial and ending the call after one ring. "So, how much longer before the boss guy shows up?"

"Five minutes," Jason replies. "But I can double-check."

"Sure," Elizabeth agrees just as her phone rings right on cue. "Sorry, I should get this."

"Right," Jason looks at her curiously. "I'll call Sonny."

"Hey, no, yeah, I'm just waiting for..." Elizabeth says, cutting herself off as if Max was saying something urgent though he was mostly just confused on the other end. "What? Are you sure? No, yeah, I'll be right there. Don't do anything stupid. I'll make it fast."

"Everything okay?" Jason questions as she ends the call.

"Something's come up," Elizabeth says quickly, wanting out of there more than anything. "Looks like meeting the boss is going to have to wait. Let him know I'm sorry for running like this."

"You sure everything's okay?" Jason pushes. "Anything I can help with?"

"Not right now, but I'll let you know if that changes," Elizabeth assures as she pulls open the door. "I'm really sorry about this. Hopefully we can reschedule or something."

Before he can say anything more, Elizabeth walks onto the elevator and jabs at the button to close the door, riding the elevator back to the lobby and booking it out of the building as fast as possible. Her mind racing, Elizabeth makes her way back to the safe house, met by both her brothers at the door once she gets inside. Promising she'll explain later, Elizabeth makes her way into her room and shuts the door, pacing the floor as she calls their father.

"It was my face!" Elizabeth insists, cursing herself for coming undone by a single photograph, her professionalism flying out the window. "I know my face, father, and it was me in that photograph."

"Say nothing," Maximus says seriously. "I'm taking the first flight out. We'll handle this as a family, you hear me?"

"I hear you," Elizabeth assures, trying to keep the emotion from making her voice shaky. "I'm sorry I'm reacting like this...I should know better..."

"First and foremost, you are my daughter," Maximus states firmly. "I am the one person you never have to hide from, you know that, regardless of whether you're on assignment or not. I will be there as fast as I possibly can and we will go from there. Loop your brothers in, go into lockdown, and wait for my arrival. We will get to the bottom of this, I promise you that."

"What about the mark?" Elizabeth questions, knowing that he probably didn't care at this point, but still needing to know where the job lands.

"I'm bringing Matteo with me," Maximus replies. "He can handle the mark while we get to the bottom of this. I'll call you when I land. Okay?"

"Okay, father," Elizabeth accepts, taking in a deep breath to steady her nerves. "I'll wait for your call."

"I love you, sweet girl," Maximus says wholeheartedly. "I'll be there soon."

"I love you, too, father."

Ending the call, she slides her phone into her pocket before taking in a few steady breaths to regain control of herself, not at all ready for what lies ahead once her father arrives. She has always known that she wasn't his by blood, that she showed up on his doorstep one night, a terrified child unable to speak or recall much of her life before she came to be on that doorstep.

She remembers him saying that he had looked everywhere for her family, but none were found. Just a letter naming him to care for her and nothing else. His lawyer, with training in dealing with traumatized children, did her best to get Elizabeth to recall anything from her past, anything to help find her family, but the only thing Elizabeth could recall was her birthday. Not her name or where she came from. Just her birthday.

With nothing much to go on and no family to be found, Maximus took it upon himself to give her a name and adopted her into his family, raising her as if she were blood. Seeing that photograph in the penthouse of Sonny Corinthos, Elizabeth just didn't know how to feel, to know that it was possible that she was his sister. Just saying it felt wrong. Max and Milo are her brothers. They're her family.

"She took off," Jason explains when Sonny gets to the penthouse. "Something came up."

"That's just as well," Sonny waves away his explanation. "The driver flipped pretty easily. I guess you get what you pay for and clearly he wasn't paid enough to keep quiet. We've got our mole."

"And the driver?"

"Still alive," Sonny assures. "You can handle him after we handle the mole."

"Thanks," Jason says, pulling open the door for Sonny, finding himself glancing at the photograph on the table for a long moment before walking out. A part of him sensing that Elizabeth taking off all of a sudden had something to do with the picture of Sonny's family, but he just couldn't figure out why that would be. Whatever the reason was that had her running from the penthouse the way she did, Jason will have to put it on the back burner for now, having his own business that needed to be taken care of.

Author's Note: Yeah, I get what you mean, this one isn't as detailed and thorough as my other stories. That was kind of the point with this one. Just a free-flowing story with no real direction to get me out of my headspace long enough to relax and enjoy myself. It's okay if it's not to your liking, I totally understand, not every story I write is going to appeal to everyone. I appreciate your support nonetheless and hope that one of my other stories will give you the escape you need. Anyway, back on topic, let me know your thoughts on this update and I'll see you all in the next one. Take care.