A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad you're still into this one.

Chapter 36

"Jason," Tracy said.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have guards?"

"Not enough," Johnny said, "but that is going to change. I'll fill Sonny in later. We're going to have to prepare for war. Helena has a lot of men at her disposal, and they are dangerous and consider her their queen. I have a feeling that Ric is going to get more dangerous." There's no telling what mind games she's playing with the man. They need to hire additional men.

"What about the evidence against him?" Edward asked.

"Taggert is hunting down some leads. If we could at least get him in jail, that will confine him and make it easier to concentrate on Helena. She doesn't want Elizabeth harmed, but as soon as I'm out of the way, she'll make a move. If something happens to me—"

Edward stood. "Now, you listen to me, nothing is happening to you again. I will not stand for it. I want to help. I have dirty connections too. How do you think ELQ is what it is today? We can attack her businesses which will distract her."

"That's too dangerous."

"No, it's not. You're not the only one with computer geeks. You let me handle it. You need an edge, and I can you give that."

"If I agree to this, I need to be in on the discussions." Edward is too reactionary sometimes and Jason doesn't trust him. Lila would die if something happened to her husband.

"Fine, but in my business, I could eat you for breakfast."

Johnny chuckled. "OG glare versus new school glare. They are like twins."

"Can I punch him?" Jason asked Emily.

"I'm surprised you asked, but my answer is no. Save it for Helena."

Jason muttered under his breath.

"Well," Chloe said. "I'm starving. I don't know how I can help, but you know I will."

"Don't go to Windemere," Alan said.

"I agree," Edward said. "You can stay here."

"I can't leave him." Her gaze went to Stefan who has a million thoughts running through his mind.

"Yes, you can."

Stefan sighed. "I must go there, or she'll think something is off. Chloe staying here is better. For now, I'll stay away, but I can't leave her for long." The woman is everything to him and he feels he has finally met someone he could spend the rest of his life with. They'll figure it out.

Emily smiled. "Love looks good on you."

Stefan's eyes sparkle. "You too."

She blushed, making his smile brighter.

"This conversation is making me gag. I need more wine," Tracy said before turning toward Jason. "You want a beer?"

He is surprised she asked. "Are you going to poison it or throw it at me?"

She smiled evilly. "There's always a chance," she said before laughing loudly and heading toward the kitchen. While she's used to craziness living and existing in the mansion, this whole situation is insane.

"That was almost as scary as your glare," Johnny said. He made a motion with his head to Liz who is looking out the window into the garden.

Jason headed over there. "You okay?"

"I'm terrified. This is worse than we thought."

"I know."

"Just—please be careful. Are we going back to the penthouse? What about my Gram?"

Lila moved toward them. "She can stay here. I would love to have her."

"She is more stubborn than me."

Audrey cleared her throat. "I may be stubborn but even I know when to fold. I'll go home and pack."

"I'll send for a guard," Jason said.

"I'm sorry we had to lie."

Lila nodded. "We understand, dear. In our hearts, that baby is a Quartermaine though."

"Thank you."

"Jason!" Alan said before pointing to the television.

They moved closer.

"We're here with Debi and Daniel James." The reporter went on about his famous brother. "If you'll recall, Daniel was rescued by none other than Jason Morgan. Tell me, were you scared once you found out who he is?"

Daniel almost rolled his eyes. "Jason Morgan didn't hesitate and jumped into the ocean when I had almost crashed into his boat. He made sure my wife was okay and safely on his boat, and then saved my life. Not only that, but he also checked on us afterward and let us stay at a villa so I could recover with a private nurse before chartering a plane for us to fly home. Who does that? Clearly, he's not the criminal you have made him out to be."

"He is our hero. I don't know what would have happened if he wasn't there," Debi said.

Daniel looked into the camera. "Thank, you Jason. We'll be forever grateful for your kindness."

"Yes, we will."

The reporter turned. "Well, there you have it. Jason Morgan is a hero in his spare time. Maybe he's not the dangerous man that Ric Lansing keeps trying to paint but has always failed to prove."

"Oh, I'm dangerous, alright," Jason muttered.

Alan muted the television.

"That can work in your favor," Edward said grinning.

"You did that?"

"Of course, I did. They were willing and I thought you could use a little good press."

"Unbelievable…"

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

After everyone left, the family along with Audrey stayed in the sitting room.

"Well, that was interesting," Monica said.

Emily sighed. "Sorry, we had to reveal it like that."

"We understand." Things are starting to make a lot more sense,

"We can draw the dots," Alan said. He's concerned that once again Jason is claiming a child that isn't his own, especially when he got burned so badly the last time. However, Elizabeth is not Carly, and he has high hopes that they are falling in love.

"You want me to go away, don't you?"

Monica unclasped her hands. "Well, I'm certainly leaning towards it. You've been through so much and Helena is determined. This isn't going to go away overnight."

"I know, it's just not only do I not want to leave all of you, but I don't want to leave Johnny either. He makes me feel safe, but he's needed here."

"Emily, I'm not completely sure we can protect you here. If Helena gets desperate, she won't care who she destroys to get to you," Edward said.

"So, by staying, I'm endangering everyone." She hates this and wishes Helena would just die already. Eying Elizabeth, so decides to ask her friend what she'd do. "Would you leave?"

"God, it's such a hard decision. I think in the end, you must do what is best for you and everyone else. Trust your brother. I know you probably think that he can be overprotective, and while that is true, I always trust his decisions when it comes to things like this."

Her eyes traveled to the doorway where Jason is leaning against the frame.

"Jason?"

"I want to call Maximus and see what he can do. If he agrees, which he probably will, we'll have to sneak you out. You'll travel under a different name, and it will be on a private plane. Once you land, you'll be taken to a safe place where you will stay until things are dealt with. Our other option is Ireland where Johnny is from. He has family there and a brother who is connected. He's powerful and could protect you. No one knows about them. Everyone thinks Johnny's family is dead. He changed his name when he moved here."

Emily and Elizabeth are shocked.

"What is his real last name?"

Jason smirked. "McCarty."

"I think I like O'Brien more."

Liz nodded.

"Maybe I'd rather be in Ireland so I can get some dirt."

Audrey grinned. "Do you think you could stay out of trouble there?"

"I don't know."

Alan shook his head. "So, Ireland?"

Emily nodded. "If Jason can make it work, then yes." She is very curious about Johnny's family.

"I'll go make some calls." Ryan McCarty is ruthless. No one messes with his territory. Jason doesn't know him very well, but Ryan is aware of where his brother is and who he is working under. The man doesn't like Sonny, but he does respect Jason's reputation and likes Francis. He wasn't happy when his brother moved and broke their mam's heart, but it couldn't be avoided because, at the time, Johnny was a marked man. Ryan killed off everyone who even muttered his brother's name, but Johnny didn't want to return. There was just too much carnage.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Johnny answered his phone. "Yeah?"

"I need you to call R."

"Why?"

"Because we're sending Emily there."

"Hell no!"

Jason grinned. "When it's all over, you can go pick her up and say hello to your mother in person."

"I thought you liked me." He does talk to her a few times a month on a face chat. Maggie McCarty is a force of nature. That is how his mother knows Jason and Francis, and she fawns over both men.

"That depends on the day. Maximus is probably too obvious. Ireland isn't."

Johnny sighed heavily. "Fine. When can she leave?"

"Tomorrow night."

"I'll call you back."

"Are you leaving her here tonight?"

"That's up to her."

"I'll let her know."

When the call ended, a slew of curse words left Johnny's mouth that would have made his mother blush, and that's hard to do. Dialing his phone, he closed his eyes as it rang. He doesn't like being in debt to his brother, but he'll do anything to keep Emily safe.

"Who is this?" Ryan answered.

"J."

"Holy foc. What truck did you fall off of?"

"I need your help."

Ryan shut the door to his office. "How serious is it?" His brother rarely calls and he can hear the tension in Johnny's voice.

"Very. A powerful woman named Helena Cassadine is after my girl."

Ryan grinned. "Some Cailin (girl) is willing to put up with ya?"

"She's beautiful, and I just need her to be safe."

He has never known his brother to be so serious.

"Ryan, Helena is dangerous and won't stop until Emily is dead. It's a long story, but I need to hide her away for a while. She can't be seen by anyone. She may also need a doctor and since you're married to one, I thought it would work out even better."

"What's wrong with her?"

"She is a cancer survivor and tires easily, but she's doing much better and just needs a checkup every few weeks to make sure she is okay. By the way, she's Jason's sister."

"And he hasn't killed you yet?"

Johnny couldn't help it and smirked. "He'd have to catch me. His glare is brutal though."

Ryan chuckled. Jason is a man after his own heart. "I'm a little nervous about bringing danger to our doorstep, but when have you known me to back down from a challenge?"

"Never."

"When?"

"We want to move her tomorrow night."

A million thoughts are going through Ryan's mind.

"I'll have Conor come up with a plan. The witch might be keeping an eye on airports, so we'll use a more obscure one."

"I'll trust whatever you come up with."

"Good. Call me later to iron everything out."

"Later."

He sent a text to Jason that it was finished. When Jason got the message, he called Maximus and asked if he could use him to plan a diversion. The man wasn't happy about Helena but understood. Her men would find nothing there, so it could work. They'll send a guard on the plane with a decoy so that Helena will check it out which will give them time to get Emily to Ireland safely.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Jason placed Elizabeth in his bed. She conked out in the car and didn't even move when he brought her upstairs. He liked having her in his arms and so close. Carefully, he took off her shoes and then covered her before going back downstairs.

Sometimes, it's hard knowing if you are doing the right thing. Lives are at stake and his family will never forgive him if something happens to Emily. She has been through way too much for her age. They all have. Even Johnny had watched his father murdered inside a restaurant when he was just a kid. O'Brien had seen a lot of tragedy at a young age. It's what made Ryan have a thirst for revenge. When he was just seventeen, he took out everyone responsible for his father's death. Johnny watched as his brother transformed from a carefree teen to a machine. Ryan took Johnny with him for part of that ride, so O'Brien had to grow up quickly. His brother taught him to fight and shoot, and soon Johnny was helping protect the McCarty clan. While teens were going to games and making out, Johnny was learning to be lethal, focused, and disciplined. It kept him alive in such a brutal environment.

The violence settled once Ryan took over. People are afraid of him—too afraid to try to take him down.

He heard her move down the stairs, so he whipped around. "Are you okay?"

She softly smiled. "Yes."

"What's wrong?"

"I woke up and you weren't there." She moved against him, sucking in his heat.

"Sorry. I was just trying to wrap my mind around everything."

"I understand." It's a lot to take in.

"I got some intel, and something might be going down with Ric tomorrow."

She retreated. "Something good?"

"Yes."

Their gaze locked, and it didn't take long for them to get lost in each other.

His eyes asked a question that she had no intention of saying no to, as his head moved closer. When their lips pressed together, Elizabeth melted against him the best she could. Just as he breached her mouth, the baby kicked, and Jason jerked his head back.

She grinned. "Maybe she wants some kisses too."

He dropped to his knees and gently kissed her stomach, and then stroked it.

She can't help but tear up, he looks so beautiful gazing at her belly. "You make me feel so lucky."

His gaze met hers. "Why?"

"You're going to be a good father, Jason. There is no doubt in my mind."

"Well, then you'll be an amazing mother."

"I hope so."

"I know so. Now, if we can just teach you to cook so the baby doesn't starve."

Her hand lashed out and just missed his head when Jason ducked. "Smart ass."

When her bottom lip pushed out into a pout, he grinned and then stood. "Come here," he said as he pulled her closer. "I still owe you a proper kiss."

As their lips met, her hands slid under his shirt, making him moan as his body reeled from her touch.

"Elizabeth…"

Is breathy and torturous, making her tremble as she moved her hands higher, and when they brushed against his nipples, she whispered his name making him shudder.

It wasn't like they had never made out before, but this time around, everything seemed heightened.

"Two can play this game," he said as his hands slipped under her shirt.

"Jason."

The torture in her voice made him smile sinisterly.

"Yes, Elizabeth?"

His thumb swept across her nipple.

"I—I…"

His phone started to buzz, and their groans of disappointment filled the room.

"Dammit." There is too much going on, so he answered it.