The penthouse went so quiet, Elizabeth was sure that she could have heard a pin drop.  She had run this scenario over in her mind, but it had never been quite like this.  For instance, she had been speaking with Sonny, alone.  There wasn't an audience of Alexis or Johnny.  Sonny wouldn't be staring at her like she'd lost her mind.  Oh yeah, and there was one more thing; Jason wasn't there. 

"Approached you how?" Sonny questioned.

"Well…uhm, he…Sonny, how many ways can he approach me?  Isabelle and I were in the park playing in the sandbox.  I left a sketchpad lying open on the bench.  Someone made a comment about the sketch, I look up–it's Stryker."  Elizabeth raised her gaze to meet his, but immediately lowered hers again.  She wasn't ready to deal with his anger. 

"Who was your guard?"  Jason wasn't even aware that he was speaking.  The question had just come so natural to him.

Elizabeth glared at her soon to be ex-husband.  "What business of it is yours?  He would have never approached me if it weren't for you!"

"Elizabeth.  Who.  Was.  Your.  Guard."  Jason clenched his fists, trying to ignore the truth that rang in her statement.

"I didn't have one!" 

Sonny's gaze flew to Johnny.  "She didn't have one?  I left you explicit instructions to watch out for her while I was gone!" 

"Boss-"

Elizabeth interrupted Johnny's speech.  "Look, Sonny.  I don't need a baby-sitter.  If I want to take my daughter to the park, then I'm damn well gonna take my daughter to the park." 

"Daughter?" Jason asked, but no one seemed to hear him.

"Elizabeth," Sonny tried.  "We've been through this.  Until we have this Stryker problem taken care of, you have to keep a guard.  Where was Andrew?"

"Andrew's mother is the hospital.  Look, I didn't think I'd need a guard." 

Jason rubbed the back of his neck in confusion.  Daughter?  Andrew?  Stryker?  "Will someone please tell me what's going on here?" 

Elizabeth tossed another glare in Jason's direction.  "It's not Johnny's fault," she sighed.  "When I got here yesterday morning, Isa was screaming her head off.  Jax was losing his mind.  Johnny needed to get to the warehouse.  I honestly thought we'd be okay." 

"Elizabeth-"

"Sonny, I had to get out.  The snow will be here soon.  It was one last day with Isa in the park.  Everything was fine.  She was playing in the sandbox, I was doing some sketching.  We were in a public place." 

"Elizabeth," Sonny lowered his voice, "my car blew up in the parking lot of a public place.  Someone just like Stryker killed my wife and my child.  Abby was grabbed in a public place.  Just because you were in a public place doesn't mean it was safe." 

"Sonny-"  Jason tried.

"Sonny, I refuse to live my life in a cardboard box.  Besides, Lucky showed up, things were fine."

"Lucky?" Jason asked.

"Spencer?  Isn't he in New York?"  Sonny knew that Elizabeth hadn't been ready to see him.  "Honey, are you okay?" 

Elizabeth rolled her eyes.  Wasn't Sonny getting her mental message that she really didn't want to go into this in front of Jason?  "Stryker wanted me to get a message to Jason.  I told him I didn't know where Jason was, which was the truth.  Lucky showed up at the park and Stryker decided to split.  He didn't hurt me, he didn't do anything but make a few idle threats." 

Sonny shook his head.  "You know what, this isn't going to work.  I'm going to assign you a twenty-four hour guard.  You can't be alone." 

"What?!" she exploded.

"Elizabeth, you know better than to go out like that by yourself.  You should have taken Johnny with you.  Any of the guys would have gone with you.  All you had to do was ask."  Sonny ran a hand over his face and sighed.  She wasn't gonna like this.  "You can't keep doing this, Elizabeth.  You've been out twice this week, with Isabelle, without a guard.  I can't allow you to do that." 

"So you want to give me a baby-sitter!" she yelled.

"No, I want to give you a guard.  Stryker sees you as a way to get to Jason and since I'm sure he knows that Jason is back now, he's going to come after you all the more.  I gave Andrew a leave so that he could be with his mother while she passes, but I have to assign you another guard." 

"You know what?  This is ridiculous!" Elizabeth walked to the drink cart and poured a healthy splash of scotch.  She swirled the liquid in the tumbler before she swallowed it in one gulp.  "Jason and I won't be married very much longer.  I think it's pretty obvious, to anyone who takes a long, hard look at our relationship, that I mean nothing to him.  Using me to get to him won't accomplish anything." 

Neither Sonny, Elizabeth, nor Jason heard as Johnny and Alexis slipped out of the room.  It was obvious the three needed to talk without an audience.  They all stood there, looking from one person to the next.  Not sure who should speak next, or what they should say.

"Tell me you don't honestly think that," Jason said finally.  He stood rooted in his spot until he couldn't stand still any longer.  "Please tell me you don't think you mean nothing to me." 

"What would that accomplish?" she asked.  "You want me to lie to you.  You want me to tell you that no, I don't think that badly of you?  Well I won't.  You left me.  You abandoned me when I needed you the most."

"You said you understood," he whispered.  "You said that you'd always be here for me to come back to.  To come home to."

"Home?" she questioned.  Elizabeth felt as the tears sprung forward and she was mentally berating herself for being weak.  "I don't have a home.  I have a penthouse full of stuff that doesn't really mean anything.  I have memories from the last two years that don't include you.  No, my home fell apart at my feet the day you walked out my door." 

Sonny cleared his throat.  Until that moment, he was sure they weren't aware he was still in the room.  "I think it's obvious that you two have a lot to settle.  But first, we need to settle a few safety issues." 

Elizabeth broke the staring contest that she'd started with Jason first.  She turned to Sonny and gave him a weak smile.  "Can we hurry?  Jax has Isa and I'd really like to spend some time with her." 

Sonny nodded at her slowly.  "Sure sweetheart.  As for the guard issue, I'll put Joey on you.  Vince will take the night shift."

"Sonny," she protested.  "Really, you don't have to do this." 

Sonny crossed to where she was standing.  He gently cupped her cheek in his hand.  "Ronan Stryker is my enemy.  I let this get out of control once and you lost a daughter because of it.  I'm not letting that happen again." 

"I guess," she conceded. 

"Elizabeth, you know this is for the best.  I'll take care of this and soon everything will be okay.  There is one more small favor I'd like for you to do for me." 

Elizabeth didn't like the tone in his voice or the way he was almost asking her.  "What Sonny?"

Sonny glanced nervously from Jason to Elizabeth.  He knew she wasn't going to like this and he wasn't sure how he'd take it.  "I think, that at least for a little while, you need to let Jason stay with you."

"What?" a shocked Jason asked.

"Absolutely not!" Elizabeth declared.  "There's no way.  He's not staying with me."

Jason considered the suggestion.  It wasn't an entirely bad idea.  Plus, he could take the time to get back in her good graces.  As soon as the thought entered his head, he was shocked.  Using a bad situation to get back into someone's good graces.  He'd never done that before.

"Listen," Sonny tried, "I know you don't like the idea.  But I think Jason would protect you better than any number of guards.  It's personal for him." 

"Personal?" she scoffed.  "It's not personal.  I'd personally like to show him the curb, but you don't see me doing it." 

"Elizabeth," Sonny warned. 

"No, Sonny, don't try to protect him.  The sooner Jason understands that this marriage is over, the better off he'll be." 

Jason's face turned to stone and he glared at his wife.  "Who are you?" he asked for the second time that morning.  "Who is this person standing in front of me?" 

"I'm Elizabeth," she answered simply.  "I'm the woman you walked out on."

"Elizabeth, we need to talk."  Jason tried the sensible approach again. 

Ignoring him, she turned to look at Sonny.  "Is that all?  Because hell will freeze over before I let that man live under my roof." 

"That man?" Jason scoffed.  "Your roof?  I own that penthouse."

"No, Sonny owns that penthouse.  It's his, not yours.  And now it's mine.  You aren't staying there.  I'll have the police escort you out before you do." 

"Can we be civil?" Sonny interjected.  He knew that things were getting out of control quickly.  "Since Jason has obviously said he's staying, I think you're going to have to get used to the idea of him being around, Elizabeth." 

"That's right, baby, I'm gonna be stuck to you like white on rice."

"I'll get a restraining order," she threatened.  "One visit with your old friend Taggert, that's all I'll need." 

"Do you even hear yourself?  I'm your husband!"  Jason reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out her wedding ring and the engagement ring she'd thrown at him that morning.  "I'm the same man that put these rings on your finger.  What made you hate me?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" she shot back. 

"Children," Sonny said.  "This is obviously not getting us anywhere." 

Jason crossed to where Elizabeth stood and held out the rings to her.  "Please take them back, Elizabeth?  Let me be your husband again." 

She stared at the rings and then looked up at his face.  All the love in his heart was written there and she knew she'd never seen anything as beautiful. 

"Please?" he pleaded.  "I love you, Elizabeth Morgan.  Let me be your husband." 

"No," she said quietly.  Damn it, she cursed herself.  Why did she have to sound so weak?  "No," she repeated more firmly.  "I don't trust you.  You walked out that door once before and I know it'll happen again.  You always leave, it's what you do best." 

"You don't mean that," he told her.  "You know me, Elizabeth.  And I know you.  You said you don't trust me, not that you don't love me.  Please honey, let me be a part of your life." 

Instead of answering him, she looked past him at Sonny.  "Are we finished here?"

"Yes," he nodded. 

"Good, because I want to spend time with Isabelle."

Jason grabbed her arm as she turned to walk away.  "That's another thing we need to talk about." 

"Oh really?" she asked him.  She jerked against his hold but he wouldn't release her.

"Yes.  Your daughter Elizabeth." 

"What about her?  Her name is Isabelle Hardy, after my grandmother.  Who's dead, by the way.  Another of the things you missed." 

"What about her father?" he prodded.  Jason wasn't sure if he was ready for this answer. 

"What about him?" she retorted.  "Isabelle doesn't know anything about her father.  He's not in the picture." 

"Who is he?" he asked softly. 

"Like I said, he's not important.  The only thing Isabelle will ever know about her father is that she has his eyes."  Elizabeth pulled back against him and finally he let her go.  "If we're through here, I'd like to go." 

"We're not finished," he promised.  "We're not done by a long shot." 

Elizabeth turned back to him from the door.  A small, sad smile on her face.  "We were finished the moment you left me, Jason.  We were finished the moment you stopped loving me." 

Before he had the chance to respond, she was on the other side of the door.  Jason had the urge to throw something.  Elizabeth had a daughter with someone.  It seemed that he wasn't the only one that hadn't loved someone enough.

He turned to glare at Sonny, all emotion cut off from his eyes.  "How much do you know about this?" 

Sonny poured himself a drink before he returned the glare.  "I don't think you're in any place to be demanding answers from me." 

"Elizabeth has a daughter," he said, not quite believing it.  Jason took a seat on the couch and dropped his head.  When he looked up again, Sonny could have sworn it was the first time he'd ever seen him broken.  "Who's the father?" he whispered.

"Jason," Sonny started.  He wanted to tell him.  It'd be so easy.  But he couldn't—no, wouldn't—betray Elizabeth like that.  "That's Elizabeth's choice.  I have to respect her decision."

"Damn it Sonny!" he yelled.  "She has a child?  It's not fair!"

Sonny watched as the tears streamed down his face.  "Life isn't fair, Jason."  Sonny took a seat beside his friend and gently placed a hand on his back.  He'd never been the comforter before, always the comforted.  "Life isn't fair, that's all I can tell you.  You two were dealt a shitty hand, Jason." 

Jason broke down as he listened to his friend.  He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried.  It didn't seem to matter.  He knew that some people thought he didn't know how to cry.  He did, but crying was so expressive and he'd never understood it.  "I love her so much," he sobbed.  "I never meant to stay away, Sonny." 

Sonny felt his heart ache for his friend.  He wanted to help him so much.  But Jason had done this to himself.  "You hurt her," he told him.  "But she lived.  I watched as she put the pieces of her life back together." 

"I love her so much," he whispered.  "It's just…after Abby died.  Elizabeth looked so dead."  Jason stopped speaking so that he could regain control of his emotions.  His hand went to pinch the bridge of his nose and he pushed back the rest of the tears.  "Her eyes, Sonny.  The day I left her, her eyes were dead.  They'd been dead for a long time." 

"You're going to have to give her time, Jason.  I think she still loves you, but there's a lot of hurt there.  And sometimes, you just can't fix something that's broken.  It's impossible." 

Jason looked at his friend in the eye for a long time.  His head told him what Sonny was saying was right, but his heart refused to believe it.  He could feel in his bones that Elizabeth still loved him.  She had kissed him.  She wouldn't have done that if she felt nothing for him.  She was angry now, but he'd make her forgive him. 

"I'm not leaving again," Jason told Sonny.  "She thinks I am.  I'll just have to convince her that I'm gonna stick around."

"That might take a lot of convincing."  Sonny clasped his hands between his knees and stared at his shoes.  "Elizabeth needs you, Jason.  She doesn't even know how much."

"Then I swear," he vowed, "that I'll make her love me again." 

Sonny didn't say anything else as Jason leaned his head back on the couch.  He heard him let out a soft sigh and knew that this conversation was over.  "I hope you can, Jason," he murmured.  "I really do."