Elizabeth ran down the pier, not taking notice of where she was going, only knowing that she had to get away. The more and more she thought about the bracelet, the dress… Lucky… the more she felt like something was terribly off. Fear choked her and gasping for breath, Elizabeth stumbled towards the building that held her studio.
As Elizabeth pulled on the door, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Wide-eyed, she gasped at what she saw.
Tom.
He grinned at her, whispering something that she couldn't hear. Closing her eyes for a second, Elizabeth willed herself to be strong.
When she opened them, he was gone.
Breathless, Elizabeth stared in confusion at the spot where Tom had been standing. He had been there… he had to have been… he looked so real.
Tears of uncertainty fell from her eyes as Elizabeth looked around in fear. Her entire being was screaming that something was wrong. Pushing open the door to the building, Elizabeth raced up the stairs, throwing open the door to her studio. Covering her mouth with her hand, she sobbed into her palm, collapsing next to her couch.
"There isn't much more we can do, Sonny," Jason said, rubbing his hand over his cheek. "We've put the curfew and guards on Zander… You heard Alexis. We can't take him out of Port Charles."
Frustrated, Sonny slammed his hands on the table. "That's not good enough! Zander isn't controllable. He acts without thinking and that is going to get him killed."
Jason frowned. "I'll put extra guards on him. They'll stay out of sight and if Zander breaks the rules again, they'll grab him and take him back to Alexis's."
Sighing, Sonny looked up towards the stairs, knowing Carly was up there with Michael. "I know… I know you're doing what you can… but Jason, this is my family. I need for them to be safe. And unfortunately, I need Zander in order for that to happen."
Both men stood in silence, thinking about what the cost would be if Zander's testimony didn't get Sorel a conviction. Sorel would be released and would retaliate. That couldn't happen.
"Jason," Sonny began. "I wouldn't be able to do this without you, you know that, right?"
Smirking, Jason shook his head. "You'd get by. This is your family. You'd makes sure they were protected."
Sonny sighed. "I guess that means you're still adamant about leaving after this trial is over."
Jason inhaled deeply. "Yes."
Shaking his head, Sonny walked over to the couch, leaning against the back. "I know you care about Elizabeth, but are you sure leaving is the best thing? You don't have to leave…"
"Sonny… it's… it's what's best."
"I don't believe that," Sonny said. "How is you leaving good for anyone?"
Jason sighed. "I already told you… Lucky-"
"Who cares about Lucky? I'm talking about you." Sonny paused, studying his friend. "You care about Elizabeth, that's clear. And I know she cares about you."
"Sonny…"
Sonny shook his head, pushing away from the couch. "I remember after that bomb was put in her studio, and you went down to Puerto Rico for a few days… Elizabeth came here. She was looking of you, she was worried about you." Sonny stopped, looking Jason straight in the eye. "I could see then how much she cared about you. You two could have something, Jason."
"No," Jason said. "She loves Lucky. She tells me that all the time. She-"
There was a knock on the penthouse door and Johnny peeked his head in, looking back and forth between Sonny and Jason.
"What is it Johnny?" Sonny asked, more than a little annoyed that his conversation with Jason had been interrupted. It wasn't often that Jason opened himself up and Sonny wanted to know what was going on in his best friend's head.
Johnny looked over at Jason and frowned, not sure of how to relay the message he'd just been given. "Uh… Francis just called."
Jason's head jerked up and he was immediately paying attention. Francis was Elizabeth's guard and if he was calling… something had to be up.
Sonny looked sideways at Jason, taking in his friend's reaction. "What did he say."
Johnny swallowed. "He said… he said he'd followed Miss Webber to her studio and that… that something was wrong."
"What do you mean?" Jason asked as he reached for his jacket. "Is she hurt? Upset?"
"Upset. He said she went running from Kelly's and that she looked terrified."
Jason was already halfway out the door. "Did he say if anyone bothered her at Kelly's?" he asked over his shoulder as he waited for the elevator doors to open.
Johnny hesitated for a moment. "He said it looked like she had a fight with her boyfr… with Lucky Spencer."
Jason cured, stepping into the elevator before the doors had even completely opened. He may supposed to be staying away from Elizabeth… but he'd be damned if he was going to stand by when she was hurting. Impatiently, Jason rode the elevator down to the main floor.
He needed to get to her studio, and he needed to get there now.
Pulling herself off the floor, Elizabeth wiped at her eyes, trying desperately to catch her breath. Her studio was dark but she made no move to turn on the lights.
Flashes of that night in the park played over and over in her head. The coldness of the wind on her cheeks, how she huddled into her jacket…
Closing her eyes, Elizabeth tried to push the thoughts out of her head but they wouldn't stop. They kept coming at her, like a video with no stop button.
She remembered the coldness of the beach, the heavy feeling of the bracelet on her wrist. She remembered the feeling of fear when the hand clamped over her mouth, pulling her up off the bench.
"Stop…" Elizabeth whispered, grabbing her head with her hands. "Make it stop…"
She could see herself in her head being pushed into the snow, feeling the cold wetness seep into her skin. She could feel Tom's bodyweight on top of her, crushing her to the point that breathing became hard.
There was a pounding on the door to her studio and Elizabeth looked up, fear darkening her eyes. The pounding only got louder and Elizabeth instinctively dropped to the ground, crawling away from the door, her entire body shaking.
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth, are you in there?"
It took her a moment for her to register Jason's voice calling out to her, but he second she did, Elizabeth ran to the door, yanking it open and throwing herself into his arms.
Jason wrapped his arms around her trembling body, holding her close as she burrowed closer to him. He hadn't expected her to come running towards him and she had caught him by surprise. When he hadn't seen a light shining from under the door, and when she didn't respond to his knocking, he was sure that Francis had been wrong and that she wasn't there. He never expected her to come to him like this… in this state.
"Elizabeth," Jason whispered, cradling her head with her hand. He straightened, lifting her feet a few inches off the ground so that he could move out of the hallway and into her studio. She never released her hold on him and he wasn't even sure she'd noticed that they had moved.
"Elizabeth," Jason tried again, sitting down with her on the couch. He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to sooth her. Her entire body trembled next to his and it broke his heart to see her this upset. "What happened? What has you so upset?"
When she didn't answer, instead burrowing even closer to his chest, Jason switched tactics, rubbing her back as he rocked the two of them back and forth. As much as he wanted to know what was wrong, he'd let her talk to him once she was ready, and it was obvious that she wasn't ready right now.
Once she had calmed a little, Elizabeth pulled away from Jason, wiping at her eyes. Jason watched her carefully as she kept her eyes down, refusing to look him in the eye. Leaning forward, Jason lowered his head, trying to get her to look up at him.
"Elizabeth…"
She looked up and her chin trembled. Concern was etched on his face. Whoever said he had no emotions never took the time to really look at him. She could clearly see the emotions on his face at that moment. His concern for her eased her fear slightly.
"Jason," she whispered, her voice hoarse from her tears.
"What happened, Elizabeth?" Jason asked gently. "I can't help you if you don't tell me."
"Do you have your bike?" Elizabeth asked suddenly, sniffling. "Can we go for a ride?"
"Elizabeth, I'm not sure-"
Elizabeth's big eyes pleaded with him. "Please, Jason, please don't say no. I need… I need to feel the wind."
She could have asked him for a million dollars at that moment and he would have given it to her in a second. He knew that she was upset over something, but he also knew that he couldn't force it out of her. If she wanted to go for a ride, if it would make her feel better, then who was he to deny her.
Jason pushed off the couch, holding out his hand to her. "My bike's out in the ally."
Still shaking, Elizabeth grabbed his outstretched hand, feeling the strength in his large hand. She would be safe with him. Jason would protect her. She looked around as she allowed Jason to lead her outside.
Jason would keep Tom away…
Stepping up to the bike, Jason sat down, waiting for Elizabeth to climb on behind him before he started up the engine. He revved it up as he waited for her to put on the helmet. He felt her arms slide around his waist, holding onto him as tight as she could. He squeezed her hand lightly once before placing his hands on the handles and speeding off.
Jason saw the road towards the bridge coming up and he slowed slightly, turning onto it. He felt Elizabeth shift behind him as he slowed the bike to a stop, kicking the kickstand down. He turned his head to the side as much as he could, trying to look at her.
"Elizabeth?"
"Why did we stop?" Elizabeth mumbled, pulling the helmet off her head.
"Do you want to keep going?"
Elizabeth looked around, recognizing the bridge. She wished it was daytime so that they could walk around and find the gardens and the statues. Sighing, she climbed off the bike, watching out of the corner of her eye as Jason followed suit.
The ride had been exactly what she had needed. After everything, she needed to clear her head, and sitting on the back of Jason's bike, feeling the wind rush by her, was exactly what would clear her head. She knew Jason wanted to know what was going on, and she knew he was worried.
"How did you know I needed you?"
"What do you need me for?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath, looking around. She felt Jason step up beside her. When she looked up at him, there were tears in her eyes as she whispered. "I'm scared."
Jason held out his arms and she stepped towards him, allowing him to hold her. "What is it, Elizabeth?"
She looked up at him, a single tear falling from her eyes. "Tom."
A man sat in his hotel room, leaning forward onto the mahogany desk as he opened the file in front of him. Soft classical music played in the background as his eyes read over the information he'd been given.
Picking up the picture in front of him, he studied Elizabeth, his finger lightly tracing her face on the photograph.
"Elizabeth Webber," he said, letting her name roll around on his tongue. He smiled as he studied her picture. She was beautiful.
Putting the picture back into the file, he tapped the folder once before turning away, flipping off the light to bask the room in darkness.