Jason tried sitting.
His leg bounced up and down rabidly and he bit on the skin of his fingers. Nervousness was never something he had problems controlling. In fact, it was never something he usually had to deal with. His emotions were always in control.
Except for now.
The seatbelt light in the front of Sonny's private jet flickered off and Jason ripped the belt off, pushing himself off the seat. From his spot on the couch, Sonny watched curiously as Jason stood. It wasn't everyday his friend acted like this, and Sonny had a front row seat.
"Why don't you sit down. There's nothing you can do until we land."
Jason glared but Sonny knew not to take offense to it. "I can't."
Suppressing a smirk, Sonny shook his head. "You were just sitting a minute ago."
"Leave me alone."
Jason tried pacing.
His motorcycle boots slapped against the floor as he walked to one end of the plane, turned on the ball of his foot, and made the trek down to the other end. Sonny's head followed Jason's movements.
"You're making me dizzy."
Jason fixed another glare onto his friend. "Then don't watch."
"Have a drink, Jason. Anything to keep you calm."
"I don't want a drink, I want Elizabeth."
Sonny sighed, running his hands through his short, dark hair. "And we'll get her, once we get to Rochester. This Barker kid, or Baker, or whatever… he's stupid. Benny found a paper trail and we've got an address."
"What if it's not the right address?"
One of Sonny's eyebrows raised. "That's the second time since Elizabeth's been taken that you've asked me a 'what if' question. That's not like you, Jase."
Exhaling forcefully, Jason ran his hands over his face as he took a seat in front of Sonny. "I never understood before why people would ask, 'what if this, or what if that.' Elizabeth used to do it all the time and I'd tell her that she can't change the past. But now…"
Jason rubbed his eyes before looking over at Sonny. "I'd give anything to change that day. Elizabeth was with me that morning, before she was taken. I told her I had to go to the warehouse to check on the shipment and she said she was going to go to her studio, do some things. She was in my arms that morning… Damn, Sonny, why didn't I just keep her there? Why didn't I just keep holding her?"
Sonny sighed, leaning forward so that his elbows rested against his knees. "You used to tell me that things happen and you have to deal with them, not think about how you could have prevented it. That's what you need to do now, Jase… That's what Elizabeth needs you to do."
Jason's eyes glazed as he looked out the window. "He's got her trapped in some cabin, Sonny. He's the son of her rapist and he's got her trapped. He could be doing anything to her, and she's so small…"
"Don't think about that," Sonny said forcefully. "You need to think straight and if you think about that, you'll just be hurting yourself. We'll find Elizabeth, and then we'll help her if she needs it."
"Do you remember the night of the fire," Jason asked quietly. "She was standing in front of us and Taggert handed her something…"
"Lucky's subway token."
Jason nodded. "She fell, Sonny… and you had to catch her. You remember?" When Sonny nodded, Jason continued. "You saw her… she was broken that night. I didn't even know her that well, but if you hadn't caught her, I wouldn't have because I didn't know what to do… She can't be broken again, Sonny."
"Jason, she'll be ok."
"She once told me that when you break a bone, that when it heals, it gets stronger. I don't know what happens if you brake that same bone again. Is it weak? Doesn't it get even stronger… I don't want to know."
When Jason looked back at Sonny, Sonny saw tears in the younger man's eyes. "She's strong, Jason. She got through the rape, the fire… She's gone through so much and she's still standing. She'll make it through this."
Jason sighed. "But how much can one person go through before they can't stand anymore?"
Sonny shook his head. "I don't know. But if she falls… If she falls, Jason, this time you'll be there to catch her."
Elizabeth groaned as light suddenly flooded the darkness she was in. She squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding light, willing it to go away. The hammering in her head increased and she lifted her head up to massage her temples, wincing at the pain that laced up her arm.
Through the bright light, she could see Jeremy's shadow as he leaned over, picking her up off the closet floor.
Elizabeth groaned, trying to push him away but he had a tight hold on her.
"I didn't want to hurt you, Eliza," Jeremy murmured as she set her down on the couch. He reached to his side, dipping a cloth into warm water and squeezing it out before dabbing it against her lip. "You made me so mad, Eliza. I had to do it."
Moaning, Elizabeth jerked her head to the side, away from his touch. She felt Jeremy tense next to her as he grasped her head tightly, keeping it in place while he tried to wash the blood off her lips.
"Why did you kick me, Eliza? You don't kick people you love."
Elizabeth backed away from him, pushing herself into the corner of the couch. "I don't love you," she said, her voice quiet, hard, and surprisingly calm. "I will NEVER love you."
Jeremy stopped moving and Elizabeth took that opportunity to climb over the armrest of the couch and stand on her feet. She swayed slightly, but she held her ground. "In fact, I hate you… you make me sick just by standing in the same room with you."
Jeremy's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't understand…"
"Tom Baker? You're Tom Baker's son?"
His eyes widened. "Eliza. Who told you that? Who told you?!"
She could see him getting angry but she didn't care. Taking a step backwards, Elizabeth continued, her voice getting louder with every word she spoke. "You're father's a rapist."
"Stop it, Eliza! Stop!"
"He's in prison because he's a blackmailer."
"STOP!"
Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "He deserves nothing less than to rot in jail for the rest of his life… and I hope you join him."
Something inside of Jeremy snapped, and Elizabeth saw the exact moment that it happened. His eyes took on a wild look, darkening to the point where they looked black. He laughed himself around the couch, throwing his body on top of her as he tackled her to the ground. It happened so fast that she had no time to react and she gasped as her head came in contact with the floor.
"I AM NOTHING LIKE MY FATHER!" he screamed, gripping her shoulder. "NOTHING!"
Elizabeth struggled against his hold. "You're exactly like him! And I hate you as much as I hate him."
Jeremy drew his hand back, slapping her across the face. "You DON'T hate me! YOU LOVE ME!"
"I HATE YOU!"
"Shut up!" Pulling away from her, Jeremy ran over to his bag as Elizabeth pulled herself off the floor. She gasped when he turned around, a gun in his hand.
"You don't hate me," Jeremy said, his hands shaking as he raised the gun towards her. "Why do you have to be so mean, Eliza? You love me…. You aren't supposed to be mean."
Shaking, Elizabeth took a step backwards.
"DON'T MOVE!" Jeremy's voice wavered as he shook the gun in her direction. "You were mean, Eliza… you need a punishment."
Elizabeth stared at him in disbelief. "You're crazy," she whispered.
Jeremy's eyes widened slightly and he glared at her. "Don't call me crazy! I told you not to! I'm NOT crazy!" He threw the gun down, letting it slide across the floor and he lunged for her, pushing her into the kitchen area.
"DON'T CALL ME CRAZY!"
Elizabeth pushed him off of her, crawling away from him. Her ankle burned in pain and she winced as the pain shot up her leg.
"You need help, Jeremy. Something's not right."
"What isn't right is that you haven't gotten your punishment for being mean." He pulled open one of the kitchen drawers, pulling out a knife.
Elizabeth's eyes widened as she saw the blade shimmer and she tried to pull herself onto her feet. Her ankle gave out under her and she fell back to the floor. Tears burned her eyes as she watched him advance.
Dragging herself across the floor, Elizabeth threw the table chairs in his way, desperately trying to keep him away. As she reached back for something to throw, her hand came in contact with the cold steel of the gun he'd discarded. Her small fist closed around it as she watched him come closer, raising the knife up.
"You need your punishment, Eliza! You can't go unpunished."
"Stay away from me!" Elizabeth tried to raise the gun but her arm protested, pain shooting up into her shoulder. She gritted her teeth together, tears falling as she watched him come closer. "Stay away!"
"You can't be mean, Eliza! You can't!"
Her ears felt like they had cotton in them as she watched him pull the knife up again. She could see his mouth moving, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. The blood was rushing through her ear, blocking everything out.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the front door open and she could see people coming inside. Her eyes focused on Jeremy watching, as if in slow motion, as his hand, and the knife, came down towards her. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain in her arm as she lifted the gun, aiming it in his direction.
She heard screams and she wasn't sure if they were her own, Jeremy's, or someone else's. She saw the blade of the knife shimmer as it came down towards her.
And then the gun went off.