Jason Morgan shifted through the pictures again, studied them. He understood what they were, but he didn't understand why. Mike Villalobos had sent them to Sonny this morning, when he'd returned from Chicago. He'd been there because Ronan Stryker had been there.
Jason hadn't been thrilled to learn they were still working with Mike. Sure, he'd come through for them in the past, even gave them the tip about Sorel taking Abby. But it always seemed to Jason that Sorel's number one information guy was a little too quick to turn on him. It also made Jason wary that, for the right offer, he'd turn on Sonny too.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he studied the picture again. In broad daylight, Ronan Stryker was walking into Philip Scarcella's house, which wouldn't seem all too odd, except that, Stryker allegedly turned on Scarcella and his organization before he came to Port Charles. When Jason had returned home, he and Sonny discussed this problem. His mentor told him then that he felt something was off with the situation, but neither man could put their finger on it.
He studied the pictures until the faces began to blur together. Finally he tossed them aside and stood, stretching his back and neck. Jason crossed to the window so he could study the skyline, hoping that something would come to him. Sonny had asked for this meeting days ago, before Jason and Elizabeth had agreed to meet with Alexis to begin the divorce proceedings. He checked his watch and realized that in forty three minutes he and Elizabeth would officially file for divorce. Something about that made his heart squeeze painfully.
"Find anything?" Sonny asked, coming from the kitchen.
Jason turned to face the older mobster and shook his head grimly. "Did you get anymore about the man who approached Marie yesterday?"
"Nope," Sonny clipped out. "None of our guys have ever seen him before. The description she gave…he's definitely a new player in this game."
"She okay? Did you ever get her to agree to the guards?" Jason asked with concern.
Sonny busied himself by unbuttoning his shirt cuffs and rolling his sleeves up twice. "Temporarily," he sighed. "Why do I get the feeling that this isn't gonna work?"
Jason moved towards his friend and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He gave him a supportive squeeze before he stepped back a few steps. "You don't know that. Don't give up yet."
"Jason, you've known about every major relationship in my life. Marie is unlike any woman I've ever been with and she refuses to have the guards."
"And so does Elizabeth. Or at least she did, Sonny. She came around and soon Marie will too." Jason had only met his boss' newest flame once. She'd dropped by briefly yesterday afternoon to tell them about the man who came to see her at work. Jason could tell the woman was visibly shaken. He'd watched as Sonny went into action, immediately sending Francis with her. He promised her that Francis was only temporary, but eventually she would have to have a full time guard. They'd argued and Elizabeth had been the one to reason with her.
"Marie, you may think it's a hassle now. But you'll be amazed at how much better you'll feel knowing someone is there for you."
Jason watched in awe as his wife shot down every excuse Marie offered as to why she shouldn't have a guard.
Marie turned to face Sonny and sighed. "I didn't sign up for this, Corinthos. This wasn't part of the deal."
"Marie–" Sonny began.
"No," Elizabeth cut in. She glared at Sonny before turning back to Marie. Jason saw the familiar glint in her eyes and knew that Marie was about to lose this battle. "You knew who he was when you agreed to date him, Marie. You knew what he did for a living, and we're not just talking coffee. And even if you didn't know for sure, I'm sure you've heard enough crappy gossip to fill in the blanks. Hell, you live in AJ Quartermaine's building, I'm sure he can tell you all sorts of juicy information about Sonny and Jason. But none of it's true. Or it may be. But you can't quit now, because you came into this with your eyes wide open. I know Sonny and I know he didn't try to fool you. So you've got a decision to make. You can walk out that door and out of his life, or you can swallow your pride for a minute, agree to the guard and be safer because of it." Elizabeth paused to catch her breath and she stared at the woman in front of her. She knew that Sonny really cared for Marie, but it was still her decision. "Well? What's it gonna be?"
"Elizabeth was right," Jason said quickly. "She knew who you were when she agreed to go out with you. She can't back out now because you want to keep her safe. And if she does, then she's not the person you thought she was."
Sonny knew his friend was right and nodded knowingly. He turned and went to the drink cart, poured himself a glass of water. He took a long sip before he turned back to Jason. "I want this sick bastard gone, Jason." He swiped his hand through the air. "Taken care of."
"I'll do it," he said immediately.
"No," Sonny cut in. "You're not doing this one."
"Yes, I am." Jason turned to face him, hands on his hips, stubbornness in his stance. "Other than yesterday, he's never come after you. You aren't even sure the guy that came to see Marie works for Stryker, Sonny. Every one of his attacks have been on my wife and my child." Jason pressed a hand to his chest and continued. "If he was coming after Carly or Michael or people who were important to you, I know you'd want to handle it in your own way. And you'd probably send me to take care of it. Well he's coming after people who are important to me and I don't have anyone to send, so I'm going to take care of it myself."
"No," Sonny repeated. "And that's not a friendly request, Jason. That's an order."
Jason squeezed the bridge of his nose and knew a headache was coming on. "I don't want to argue with you, Sonny. So let's just drop this topic. How do you want it done?"
"I want it clean. I don't want this falling back on you or me. Since Taggert was named commissioner, he's been itching to bring me down. And he finally has the power to do it. I'm careful to not jaywalk or he'll drag me downtown. You have Elizabeth and Isabelle, you can't afford to go to jail. And I don't want you to leave again. No traces, Jason. But Ronan Stryker has to be taken care of." Sonny paused in thought for a moment before meeting Jason's eyes. "Permanently."
"Stryker signed his death certificate when he touched Elizabeth, Sonny." His voice was cold and detached and Jason tried to block out the memory of the other man groping Elizabeth.
"I know that and you know that. Hell, I even think Stryker knows that. But he's dumb, Jason. He's crazy and he's stupid. And if those pictures are any indication, he has ties with Philip Scarcella. The last thing I want to do is start a war with the old man in Chicago. We have to be careful."
"What are you thinking?"
"I think we take him down with information. Let me talk to Mike, see what he knows about the guy."
"Mike?" Jason sneered. He didn't even try to hide the annoyance and dislike for the man. "Sonny, I don't trust him. Especially not when Elizabeth and Isabelle's lives could be at stake."
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course," Jason answered immediately.
"I know you don't like the guy, Jason. I can understand why. But he turned on Sorel because the man was using women and children to come after us. I trust that he's going to come through for us."
"If you say so, Sonny." The uncertainty still rang through in his tone, but he trusted Sonny completely and would respect his judgment.
"Good. Then I'll call Mike and you can take Francis and Johnny with you when you meet."
"I work alone," Jason argued.
"I don't want you doing this Jason. I'm not going to lie to you. But if you're gonna be adamant about it, you're still going to do it my way. I say Johnny and Francis go, so they go. Deal with it."
Jason knew his friend wasn't trying to be mean or arrogant. He understood that Sonny didn't want anything to happen to him and sending the two bodyguards was his way of protecting him. "Fine," he finally agreed.
"Good." Sonny watched as the younger man dropped into the arm chair and buried his face in his hands. He sat down and watched as Jason ground his fingertips into his eyes and sighed. "You wanna talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Jason asked, not looking up. Suddenly he felt tired and he knew the feeling of dread was in anticipation of the meeting with Alexis.
"Alexis told me that you were meeting with her today." Sonny sighed. "About the divorce. She said that you stopped fighting it," he added softly.
"I thought Alexis was allowed to talk about our business with other people? What happened to that attorney-client thing she's always talking about?"
"Alexis didn't come to me as your attorney, Jason. She came to me as a concerned person who cares about you and Elizabeth. What surprised me was she said that you were the one who called about the divorce. What I don't understand, if you're so adamant that you and Elizabeth are the real thing, is why you agreed to the divorce?"
"I love Elizabeth, Sonny–"
"I'm not saying you don't," Sonny cut in. "I'm just asking you to explain this to me."
"I don't think I can make her happy. And this divorce is what she wants, so I'm going to give it to her." Jason looked up to meet Sonny's steady gaze. The man's dark eyes cut through him and Sonny knew his friend was in pain. "I gave up Michael because AJ and I couldn't get along. I knew Michael would know that AJ and I hated each other. While I don't think Elizabeth and I would ever hate each other, I do believe that Isabelle would pick up on her mother not being happy."
"So you just give up?" Sonny questioned. "I've spent two years with Elizabeth, getting to know her. First, it was because you asked me to. And then she became like my little sister. I love her too, Jason. But you didn't sit by and watch as she waited for you for two years. She loves you."
"Do you think I doubt that? After we got back from the cemetery the other day, we sat in the living room and talked. And it was one of the few times we'd really connected since I got back. She told me then she loved me."
"Was this before or after you told her you wanted a divorce?"
"Does it matter?"
Sonny shook his head. "Elizabeth doesn't want a divorce, Jason. She never did. For two years, the thought never even crossed her mind. She could have gotten one as soon as six months after you left, filing abandonment charges. Alexis would have done it for her then. But as soon as you return, she starts crying divorce? Maybe that's just her anger talking. At you and at herself, because she can't make herself stop loving you. Just like she's inside of you, you're inside of her. You're what makes her tick. I think you need to talk to your wife, Jason."
Slowly Jason stood and turned towards the door. He glanced at the desk once again and sighed. "Tell me when you've got that meeting with Mike set up."
Sonny followed his friend towards the door, intent on going across the hall to Elizabeth's penthouse with him. "Will do. And Jason?"
"Yeah?" he asked, not looking back. Jason nodded at Johnny when he passed him, but continued towards his own home.
Sonny's hand clamped on his shoulder and he stopped. Knowing Sonny wouldn't talk to his back, he turned to face his friend. "At least promise that you'll think about what I said."
"I will."

~*~

Alexis sat back down at the kitchen table and took the last sip of her hot chocolate. Elizabeth was washing still washing dishes. She'd left the younger woman doing just that twenty minutes ago, when she went to lay Isabelle down for her nap. Instead of plates and glasses, Elizabeth was now scrubbing her pots and pans.
"I don't understand," she muttered. "I did exactly what Sonny said, followed the recipe perfectly and I still ruin it?" Abandoning the scrubber, she started pulling off baked on lasagna noodles and tossing them towards the food disposal. "Alexis, you shoulda seen Jason. He offered to take us out, or order food in. But I insisted that I cook for him and we were sitting there, pretending that it wasn't gonna be black all the way through. And well…he tried to eat it. It was bad."
"You love him," Alexis said. It wasn't an accusation or a question. Just a statement of fact.
"Yeah, I do." Elizabeth kept her back to the woman and continued picking at the overcooked lasagna. "I don't think I ever stopped."
"Why the divorce?" Alexis queried.
Elizabeth turned to face her then. A mixture of pain and love colored her face. "He wants it. Jason told me he'd stop fighting it."
"And now…you don't want it." The attorney tried to understand. In her professional opinion, Elizabeth should have divorced Jason a long time ago. But personally, she knew what it was like to love someone so much you thought you'd die with them. Alexis knew Elizabeth and Jason had that kind of relationship and it always colored the professional side with shades of grey.
"I never wanted it, Alexis. I love Jason. Even when I've hated him so much for leaving me and Isabelle, I loved him. Even when I was pressing for the divorce, I didn't see it as what I wanted. I saw it as the best solution to our problems. But we were out the other day and he bought me flowers. And then he turned to me and gently said, 'I want to get to know you better,' and I knew then that I was crazy to think I should divorce him."
"He left you," Alexis argued. "I'm sure it was sweet and pure and a great moment, but he's been gone for two years, Elizabeth. What happens if he gets his feelings hurt and then decides to leave again? You've put all your faith back in him, you're depending on him to take care of you…and he's gone? How can you live with that possibility Elizabeth?"
"He won't leave," she insisted. Elizabeth sighed deeply, trying to regain her composure. "If not for me…he won't leave Isa."
"So you stay in the marriage for Isabelle? What about love Elizabeth? Respect? Trust. All of those things you said your marriage didn't have anymore. What happened to that? Did he look at you with his clear blue eyes and say 'I love you' and then everything was okay again?"
"Why are you doing this?" Elizabeth asked. "Why are you trying to make me doubt him?" Elizabeth pressed a hand to her chest and shook her head. The tears welled in her eyes and she didn't try to stop them from falling. "I'll never love anyone like I love Jason. I've tried, okay? I was in the park not too long ago and Lucky Spencer asked me if I could love him again. He said to me all the things you just said and then some. He called in promises and permanent locks and I looked at him, the boy that I loved so much when I was young, and I felt nothing. I love my husband, Alexis. And I know he loves me. I know I've always told you that love was never our problem." Elizabeth noticed the tone her voice had taken and she quickly changed it. She pointed out of the kitchen, towards Isabelle's bedroom and smiled. "We have a daughter and he wants to know her. I'm not using her to get him back, because I wouldn't do that. But I look at him and I know he's the only man who'll ever make me happy. Love is too hard, Alexis. It's too much and I don't wanna start over with someone new. I want Jason."
"If there was no Isabelle or no Abby, would you still want him? Would you have hung on this long Elizabeth? Two years. If there hadn't been Isabelle, would you have waited two years for him?"
" Yes." She lifted her gaze to meet Alexis'. The assurance of her tone matched the defiance in her eyes. "Like Jason said…two days, two months, two years. Twenty years. Fifty years. I will be in love with Jason Morgan until the day I die."
Unfortunately, Alexis knew that in Sonny and Jason's life, that could be as soon as tomorrow. "Then you need to talk to him."
"You're disappointed in me," Elizabeth whispered. No longer able to stand, she pulled a chair from the table and sunk into it. "I'm trying so hard not to let anyone down, but I've let you down. I can tell."
Alexis crouched beside Elizabeth and wrapped a warm arm around her shoulder. "I'm not disappointed, I just want what's best for you and for my goddaughter. If you love him and he loves you, then I think you should try to work it out. I'm not gonna stand in your way, Elizabeth. Do what's best for you, honey."
Elizabeth turned into the embrace and hugged Alexis back. She sniffled, trying to regain control. "Thank you Alexis."
"No problem. I won't even charge you for this one," she joked. "Sonny would be so relieved. I'm sure he doesn't pay me for my advising abilities too."
"Sonny pays you because he doesn't know you'd help him out for free." Elizabeth pointed out and she couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from forming the beginning of a smile.
"And don't you dare tell him," Alexis warned. She pulled back when her cell phone began to ring. "I've got to get that. I'm waiting on a ruling."
"Then get it."
Elizabeth stood after Alexis left her side and began to straighten herself. She knew Jason and Sonny would be here soon. She went to the sink and splashed water on her face, hoping to make the evidence of her tears disappear.
When Alexis hung up, Elizabeth turned back and recognized the look on her face. "You've got to go."
Alexis nodded in confirmation. "My ruling just came back. The judge wants me there in fifteen minutes."
"Then go," Elizabeth insisted. "We can reschedule."
"Tell Jason I'm sorry. And Elizabeth?"
"Yeah."
"Talk to him."
Elizabeth nodded and followed Alexis out of the kitchen. She opened to the door and was surprised to find Jason and Sonny standing there.
I will was what she heard.
"You will what?" Elizabeth questioned.
Jason turned to face her, immediately softening his features with a smile. "Nothing. Just business stuff."
"Oh, okay. Well Alexis has to go, so we have to reschedule."
"Oh…okay." Jason's attention was caught when the elevator doors opened and Benny rushed out. "What's going on?"
The accountant rushed forward, an opened package in his hand. He shoved it towards Jason, gasping for air. "I got this…I knew Mrs. Morgan wasn't expecting anything, so I got suspicious. Plus, it was sent to me, not her. So I opened it."
"Spit it out, Benny." Sonny moved beside Jason and looked over Elizabeth's shoulder as she pulled out a manila envelope.
"Boss, it's…it's…"
"Abby," Elizabeth gasped.
The name caught Jason's attention and he took the pictures from her. He studied the images, his eyes stopping on the fifth picture. It was a young, blonde child. Her curly hair was in pigtails and she wore a yellow dress. Jason recognized the smile the child wore as Elizabeth's. Seeking confirmation, he turned the picture over and swore. In a thick, black magic marker someone had written Abby Lynn Morgan.
Elizabeth buried her face into his chest and he held her tightly. He looked over towards Sonny and nodded when the man mouthed 'Stryker.' It had to be. There was no one else. Nothing was making sense to Jason right now. He watched as Sonny thumbed through the other pictures. With each dated photograph, a memory was brought back.
October 11, 2002. The day Abby died.
October 14, 2003. The day Jason left.
April 10, 2004. The day Isabelle was born.
October 2, 2005. The day Jason came home.
October 11, 2005. Three years later..
He didn't want to believe…but he couldn't help but not. Jason Morgan tightened his arms around his wife and looked towards the ceiling. It was a silent plea to God, asking him if his child was really alive.