He hurt me. More than anyone had ever hurt me.

Oh, why you look so sad?
tears are in your eyes
come on and come to me now
don't be ashamed to cry
let me see you through
'cause I've seen the dark side too
When the night falls on you
You don't know what to do
Nothing you confess
Could make me love you less

I'd given Jason a part of me, except he didn't want it. In fact, he only seemed to want me when I wasn't available. Which didn't work for either of us.

I loved him. I don't think I could remember a time when I hadn't loved him. It happened so subtly. One minute he was my friend, then he was my more than friend, and then, overnight, he was my everything.

Which is why I'm here, at the Port Charles Police Department, ready to give him an alibi. I'd been in the studio painting when the broadcast was made. Jason Morgan had been arrested for the murder of Luis Alcazar. His wife, former Deception model Brenda Barrett, was with her former fiancé Jasper Jacks at the moment. The same Jasper Jacks who married Quartermaine heiress Antoinette Skye Chandler-Quartermaine two months ago. Ms. Barrett wouldn't give details on what she was doing with Mr. Jacks, leaving one to speculate. Mr. Morgan couldn't—or wouldn't—give himself an alibi. He claimed he was out on his bike that night, all night long. But no one had seen him. No one could prove it.

So I waited. That was two days ago. I waited for someone to come forward and give him an alibi. Sonny or Carly or Courtney. All of the new people in his life. The people who so obviously matter to him. The people he cares about. But none of them came. Sure, Carly cried about the injustice that was being served. She pointed out that Scotty Baldwin was using Jason as a scapegoat, she'd even gone so far as to cast suspicion on Alexis. Of course, she couldn't prove it.

After I waited, I decided to do something about it. I remembered a time when Jason told me he'd look the same in jail. But I still couldn't let that happen. Even if I had to lie. So, here I am, at the police station, ready to give Jason an alibi.

I smiled warmly at the woman at the desk. "I need to speak with Lt. Taggert, please?"

The desk sergeant returned my smile and picked up the phone. She spoke briefly with someone, Taggert I'm assuming, before she hung up. "He'll be here in just a minute."

"Elizabeth," the older man greeted me. His smile covered his entire face and he waved me into the squad room. "What can I do for you?"

I looked down at my feet and sighed. The knot in my stomach was growing tighter by the minute, my hands were sweating with nervousness. "I'm here about Jason…"

I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you

His eyes widened, but he said nothing. Taggert knew me, he knew I didn't lie. And I was planning to use that to my advantage. "Lieutenant, I know Jason didn't kill Luis Alcazar…"

"Elizabeth," he sighed.

"…I know that because he was with me that night." There. The lie was out. Now came the easy part. Convincing him. "All night."

"Elizabeth–"

"We went for a bike ride. He took me to Vista Point. Then he took me back to my studio, where we stayed for the rest of the night."

That's when it happened. His eyes turned to coal, his gut clenched, and he looked at me like one of them. "If that's the truth, Ms. Webber, why didn't Jason just admit to it?"

"I'm not sure if you knew this, but Luis Alcazar had me kidnapped. And then he tried to shoot Zander and me in the hospital lobby."

"I knew all of that. Mr. Morgan came to me when you were missing."

I hadn't known that and was kind of shocked. Jason asked Taggert for help? I sighed deeply, the words I said to him washing over me. "After it was made known that Sonny was alive, Jason and I staged a fight at Kelly's and I moved back to the studio."

"Elizabeth…" Taggert raked a hand over his face and shook his head. What was it about Morgan that had this young woman lying for him? "Ms. Webber, I know you think you're helping him, but you're not. You're only digger yourself into a deeper hole."

I shook my head, my resolve firm. I had to get Jason out of there. Tonight. "Jason was protecting me, Taggert. So we pretended to end our relationship. But we've been seeing each other all along."

"Elizabeth…"

"I'm not lying. I'll testify in court if I have to. But I want to see Jason. Now."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. It was the same habit Jason had when he got frustrated. I saw it a lot when I was with Jason. "Fine." His voice was like ice as he turned and stomped away. It was then that I knew Taggert knew he'd lost. I'd overheard Sonny tell Jason's lawyer that the only concrete evidence they had against Jason was that he had no alibi. There was no physical evidence. The gun used had been purchased the previous day and the shop-owner hadn't fingered Jason or anyone who worked for him as the buyer.

Taggert came back a moment later leading Jason. His hands were handcuffed behind him, Taggert was pushing him roughly. The blue shirt he wore had a number stitched over the left hand pocket identifying him as prisoner number 98854F. My heart squeezed painfully when he looked up at me. "Elizabeth."

I tucked the string of hair behind my ear, but didn't say anything. I wordlessly followed Taggert into the interrogation room, stood by as he handcuffed Jason to the table, and glared at both of us. "You have ten minutes."

"What's going on?" Jason asked. He looked from Taggert to me and then back to Taggert. "I want my lawyer."

"He'll be notified and informed that you now have an alibi. I'm sure he, Mr. Corinthos, and Mrs. C will be down here soon." Taggert turned to me then. "Ms. Webber, I want you to think about what you're doing. Think really hard and decide if he's worth it. Because you won't get away with it."

I sat down after Taggert slammed the door. My hands reached across the table, reaching for his. But something stopped me. "Hi."

"What did you do?" he asked.

I met his gaze, my chin tilted stubbornly. "I'm not letting them send you to jail."

Jason closed his eyes and sighed. "Tell me you didn't."

So if you're mad, get mad
Don't hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now
Hey, what you got to hide?

"I only said we were together that night. We went for a bike ride to Vista Point, and then back to my studio. That's all you have to say."

"I won't lie."

I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to scream and ask him why he was throwing it all away. I wanted to ask him where he really was that night. But I was too afraid of the answer. "Why does it have to be a lie, Jason? We've spent a million nights on your bike, then went back to my studio. It's something that we do. I'm not lying, Jason."

"You are," he insisted. "We weren't together the night Luis Alcazar was murdered. I was…" he trailed off.

"What?" I asked. "Were you with her? And the blonde bimbo won't give you an alibi. Figures."

"I wasn't with Courtney." The look on his face made me believe him. "I was on my bike, on a road to nowhere."

"Then it's not a lie," I told him simply. "I'm just adding to the truth by saying I was with you."

"Elizabeth–"

"It keeps you out of jail," I cut in. "And it's something your wife nor your new girlfriend will do for you. So just say thank you."

I get angry too
Well I'm a lot like you
When you're standing at the crossroads
And don't know which path to choose
Let me come alone
'Cause even if you're wrong

He still didn't look convinced. So taking a chance, I touched him. I lifted his right hand from the table and linked his fingers with mine. I gently squeezed, smiling softly at him. "I've already lied, Jason. I'll go to jail if you don't back me up. Please?" I pleaded. "Don't go to jail, Jason. I…"

Taggert pushed through the door, rolling his eyes at the scene before him. Of course, he'd watched the entire thing play out from behind the blinds, but he couldn't know what we were saying. "You're entourage is here, Anger Boy."

They filed in wordlessly. I turned to glare at Taggert, but wouldn't let Jason release my hand. The lawyer spoke first. "I understand my client has an alibi."

"She's lying," Taggert accused. He wouldn't look at me. "She's lying through her teeth to save his sorry ass."

"Mr. Taggert, I assume I don't have to remind you of all of the times you've been wrong concerning my client. I don't have to remind you of all of the complaints in your folder concerning Mr. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan. I won't have to remind you of all of the times you've harassed them endlessly," he finished. The lawyer turned to look at me, and smiled warmly. "I'm Sam Heron, and you are Miss…"

"Webber," I supplied. "Elizabeth Webber." I would have stood to shake his hand, but there was no way I was letting go of Jason. I needed him if I was going to pull this off.

"I've been told you've provided my client with an alibi."

"Yes sir," I smiled. "Jason was with me the night Luis Alcazar was killed."

I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you

Mr. Heron pulled a chair from the end of the table and took out a yellow legal pad. "Have you given your statement yet?"

"No sir. I wanted to see Jason first. And Lt. Taggert didn't offer to take it."

The lawyer glared at Taggert then. "Violating my client's rights again, I see."

Taggert rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. "If you and Ms. Webber can wait just a minute, I'll take the statement now."

"Thank you."

When Taggert left, Sonny spoke up. "Elizabeth, do you know what you're doing?"

I turned to look at the man who was once my friend. The man who had been my rock when I was in such a bad place. A man who I didn't know anymore. "I'm telling the truth, Sonny. I'm sure it's nothing you know anything about."

"Elizabeth–"

Taggert came back into the room and sat down in a huff. "Alright, let's get this lie—I mean show—on the road. Ms. Webber, where were you on the night of November 30th, 2002?"

"I closed Kelly's at nine and Jason picked me up at the back door. He took me to my studio so I could change and then we went for a bike ride."

He looked up from his writing and asked, "Was he in the room with you when you changed?"

"Lt. Taggert–" the lawyer began.

To my credit, I only blushed a little. "I changed in the closet, but I left the door cracked. Jason was sitting on my couch the entire time."

"Why did you leave the door open?"

"There's no light in my closet. I usually change down the hall in the bathroom, but we were in a hurry. I hadn't seen him in several days."

"I see," Taggert murmured. "Continue with your story, Ms. Webber."

I tightened my hand around Jason's and smiled when he returned my squeeze with one of his own. "Like I said, we went for a bike ride. We rode for an hour or more, but ended up at Vista Point. We sat on the bench talking until after midnight."

And when…
When the night falls on you, baby
You're feeling all alone
You won't be on your own

"Did anyone else see you?" Taggert asked.

"No," I shook my head. "But that was the point. We were continuing our relationship in secret. Mr. Alcazar had threatened me on several occasions, and Jason wanted to end it all together, but I wouldn't let him."

"Why not? He's a criminal–"

"Mr. Taggert," the lawyer warned. "Need I remind you that Mr. Morgan has never been convicted for so much as a traffic violation, much less a major felony."

I cleared my throat, calling their attention back to me. "Jason has tried to end our relationship once before. You remember, Taggert, when Joseph Sorel put the bomb in my studio–"

"Yet another time when your association with Anger Boy almost got you killed."

"–But I didn't let him then. And I wouldn't let him this time either. I agreed to his wishes until things calmed down with Mr. Alcazar. But Jason said we could still see each other at night."

"How convenient," Taggert muttered. "Of course, if you're giving him what he wants…"

"I don't like what you're implying," I snapped. "You know nothing about me, nothing about Jason, and nothing about our relationship. Now, back to my story. After Vista Point, Jason took me back to my studio. My couch folds out into a sofa bed, so we slept on it all night."

"How do you know he didn't leave you to kill Mr. Alcazar, only to slip back into your bed before you woke?"

"I would have noticed, Lieutenant. I can barely sleep when Jason's not there." I smiled brightly, impressed that I had retold the story just like I practiced. "Is that all?"

I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you

The lawyer smiled then. "Yes, it is, Ms. Webber. And Lieutenant if you'll come with me, we'll start on those release papers for my client."

Taggert glared and grumbled, but followed the attorney out. I knew he was going to cooperate, even though he hated it. Now that Jason had an alibi, they had no reason to hold him.

"Is it true?" Carly asked when the door shut.

I cocked an eyebrow at Jason who was strangely silent. I waited for him to give me some indication, but he didn't. "No, it's not. But the lawyer believed me, and he's going to use it to get Jason out of here."

"Elizabeth," Sonny began. "Why would you do this?"

"I'm not letting him stay in jail, Sonny. Not for something he didn't do."

"Oh."

"So you lie?" Carly asked. She couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips, her respect for the younger woman growing by the second.

"I did what I had to do, Carly. It's nothing you wouldn't do for Sonny." Carly nodded in agreement.

"What if hadn't of worked?" Jason asked. Finally, he spoke. I hadn't been able to read him. I wasn't sure if his silence was because of his disgust with me, or his refusal to lie.

"Then I'd be in jail beside you. Wouldn't be the first time."

"Elizabeth–"

"Shut up," I cut in. "It's over, Jason. I'm not even asking you to say thank you. I just want you to get out of here so you can finish living your life."

I'll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I'll never desert you
I'll stand by you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you
Won't let nobody hurt you
I'll stand by you

The door slammed against the wall when Taggert came back in. He was pissed. Which could only mean… "You're free to go, Morgan. All charges have been dropped pending further investigation." He roughly un-cuffed Jason from the table, slicing the handcuff into his skin. "And Ms. Webber, we'll be in touch about your statement. Don't leave town. In fact, where will you be reachable?"

"Harborview Towers," Carly answered. She moved behind me, her hand resting on my shoulder. "Elizabeth's coming home. I'm sure you know the address."

"I'm sure I do."

Song Credit: I'll Stand By You, The Pretenders