Please see the explanation on the first part and please leave me a reply.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Quagmire
Part II
~Studio~
Elizabeth struggled to re-bandage her arm. Being right handed she wasn't adept at manipulating things with her left hand, so bandaging her arm was rapidly becoming a test of her patience and perseverance.
"Nuts," she yelled and threw the roll of adhesive tape across the room. Apparently she was all out of patience and perseverance. If she remembered right Bobbie was working today, that meant she could bandage her arm for her. One decision down and one to go. She eyed the pill bottle on her table warily. She still had no memory of yesterday afternoon, so she didn't know if she wanted to take another pill. She hated pain but hated memory blanks even more.
Frowning she stared down at the pill bottle that was now in her hand. One of the warning strips on the bottle caught her eye Take with food. Well that could explain what had happened to her. She hadn't eaten anything yesterday. In the morning her stomach had been in knots over what had happened with Jason, and then she'd gotten hurt. If she went in to work early she could grab a bite to eat then take a pill.
"Good no more pain." She was now two for two on the decision making track today, that was a great ratio for her.
Unbidden her eye drifted to her answering machine. The little red number 38 met her eye. 38 messages. That's how many were still on her machine. 38 messages of either breathing, or a man's muffled voice. 38 messages that had damn near broke her last night.
"But they didn't and they won't," she vowed to herself. She was tempted to write all of them off as just some kid playing a cruel joke on her. She might have, except for the last message. The last message had been so personal, it had seemed almost familiar. But maybe she was only imagining the hesitation she thought she'd heard when the speaker had said not a word. It was possible that her mind was playing tricks on her. By the time that message had played the memories were hitting her full force, so it could have been her imagination.
She could also dismiss the mention of Lucky. Everyone who knew her knew about that relationship. And her leaving Lucky, a rising photographer, at the altar the way she did had even made the local press. Granted it had been page 5 of the Port Charles Herald's society section, but it had been there. So there were lots of ways someone could have found out about her relationship with Lucky.
And as for Jason?
They'd been written up in the paper as well, the first time had been when he had saved her from the crypt. Then later on when the shooting on the docks happened, their names had been linked in the press again. Someone easily could have read those articles and made the leap that her and Jason were in a relationship. Hell for a night they had been in a relationship.
Shaking the thought away before it could poison her mood she tried to focus her mind back on the dilemma at hand. Jason had no role in her life, so she wasn't going to waste her time thinking about him anymore. That was the latest vow she had made to herself and it was one she was determined to keep.
"Focus," she ordered aloud and looked at the answering machine. She had been able to rationalize how the caller could have known about Jason and Lucky. He also may have seen her yesterday, and that would explain how he knew the color of sweater she was wearing. That was an unsettling thought, but it was a reasonable explanation nonetheless. But that didn't explain the comment about the red dress.
It was true that although she still wore the color of red occasionally she never wore that particularly vibrant shade of red. It was also true, she'd never worn a red dress since that night, and knew she never would. But her lack of wearing the color didn't explain how the caller had known about it. She didn't wear a lot of yellow either, but he hadn't picked that color to mention.
Again she was struck by the words he had chosen to say, not a word. He hadn't said don't tell anyone about my call, he had said not a word to anyone. But again his words may only have been a coincidence.
"It had to be a coincidence," she whispered shakily. A coincidence and an imagined hesitation that had to explain things. Tom Baker was in jail. So there was no way that he called her 38 times.
"He is jail." She tried to sound firm but there was a definite wobble to her voice. She had to know for sure if Baker was still in jail or not. Swallowing hard she made up her mind. There was only one person she knew of who could give her the answers that she needed.
Tucking the pill bottle in her purse she picked up the scattered bandaging supplies and snagged her coat. The sight of a chair tucked under the handle of her big silver door, looked a little ridiculous, but it had made her feel better at the time.
Opening the door and going down the hall to use the bathroom to shower, had been one of the hardest things she'd had to do. She had been tempted to hide behind her new silver door all day, but in the end she had been determined to move on with her life. Moving on with her life was her new motto, and once she handled the unsettling calls, that would be exactly what she would do.
~PCPD~
"Thank you for seeing me Lieutenant. I know how busy you are."
"I always have time for you Elizabeth." Lieutenant Marcus Taggert gave her a genuine smile and pointed to the chair next to his desk. "Have a seat."
"Actually," Elizabeth hesitated and looked around the loud and bustling squad room.
"Would you rather speak in private?" He had caught her hesitation and knew the probable reason for it.
"If it's not to much trouble," she nodded and followed Taggert into the interrogation room. Crossing the threshold she was struck with the memory of the last time she had been in the room. Moving automatically she took the same chair she'd sat in the day she'd finally reported the rape. Taggert sat across from her, where Detective Garcia had sat that day. The only people missing were Dara Jensen and Lucky.
"Are you okay?" Taggert asked in concern when he noticed how she was cradling her arm. "Are you hurt is that why you're here?"
"I got burned and a few cuts yesterday when a coffeepot broke," she explained quickly. "And no, my arm is not why I'm here."
"I hope not I can't do much with coffeepots," he tried a joke to put her at ease and wasn't surprised when it bombed.
"I wanted to ask you," she hesitated, not sure how much she wanted Taggert to know. "I have a question about Tom Baker."
Smile gone Taggert shifted into cop. "What about him?"
"I know he was sentenced to 5 to 7 years, but what does that mean exactly?"
"You want to know if he is still in jail?" He asked softly.
Keeping her focus on her hands she nodded. "If it's not too much work for you, do you think you can find out for me?"
"He's still in jail," Taggert replied instantly.
Confused her head shot up. "How do you know that? You didn't even check."
"I don't have too," he saw her confusion and explained. "Elizabeth I took a special interest in Tom Baker, because of what he did to you. Also because of the charges we were never allowed to bring against him."
"Charges you couldn't bring because I was stupid and destroyed all the possible evidence against him, not to mention not reporting it for months," she finished sourly. She still got angry with herself when she thought about her actions. She knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help it.
"Don't think that," he ordered sharply. "You did what was right for you to do. Every step you took, you took when you were ready. A lot of women never make it through the door, a lot of women can't even say the word rape. I can't even imagine the kind of strength it took for you to not only report what happened to you, but overcome it as well. You were brave back then and you're brave now, so don't try to beat yourself up."
"Thanks," his words were unexpected and took her by surprise, yet made her feel a little better.
"Baker's first parole hearing comes up in 8 months," Taggert's voice turned brisk again. "I have the date circled on my calendar, so does Detective Garcia and ADA Jensen. We all plan on testifying at the hearing and arguing against his release. I was also going to talk to Emily Quartermaine about testifying. Since she was the legal victim she has the right to speak. Lucky, Nikolas, you, because you were, held at gunpoint by him, can also speak about the impact his actions had on your lives. If you choose too that is.
Elizabeth was already nodding.
"Because Baker wasn't convicted for raping you and was never even charged with the crime you won't be allowed to bring up what happened in the hearing," he informed her as gently as he could.
"I probably shouldn't testify then. I wouldn't want to blow it like I did at the trial," she sighed bitterly. The memory of her outburst in court that had almost caused a mistrial still bothered her. A part of her knew that her outburst was the reason Dara had pushed for a plea on the charges in order to get Baker convicted of anything at all.
"It's up to you, no one has to testify," Taggert reminded her.
Elizabeth nodded knowing she'd have to really think about if she wanted to be in the same room with Tom Baker at all. "What if he gets paroled?"
Sighing Taggert didn't even try to sugarcoat the news. "Because he was convicted of extortion and a few other misdemeanors, the victim, in this case Emily Quartermaine, isn't due any early notification of his release. In fact no one has to be notified before Baker is released."
"You mean he could just walk into Kelly's one day and ask for coffee?" Elizabeth shuddered in horror.
"I told you I took a special interest in this case. When or if Baker is ever paroled I will know about it in advance, and I will make sure that you know about it too." He kept the fact that he also planned to pay Baker a visit and explain to him that Port Charles wouldn't be the safest place to return too, to himself.
"Thanks, I'd really like to know in order to prepare myself." Her mind was racing. If Baker was still in prison there was no way that he could have made the phone calls, unless… "Does he have access to the internet or phones while he's in jail?"
Curiosity had Taggert narrowing his eyes in study. "The prisoners have phone privileges. There are also some computers with internet access in the prison library, both are supposed to be monitored at all times." He bit back his familiar diatribe on the rent-a-cops that doubled as prison guards. In his opinion they were barely a step above bounty hunters.
Baker could have been the one that had called her then. The man's voice had been muffled slightly so she hadn't recognized it as his, but that didn't mean it wasn't him. But if Baker was in prison how did he know what she was wearing yesterday?
"Elizabeth has Tom Baker contacted you?" Taggert wanted to know.
Biting her lip she averted her eyes, moment of truth time. She could mention the calls, but how would she explain that Baker had to have seen her yesterday if he was the caller? "I…"
"Lieutenant," an officer opened the door. "You wanted to know when Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan arrived, well they just walked in with their new mouthpiece."
Taggert shifted immediately and peered through the slats of the blinds out into the squad room. He hadn't met the new attorney yet. He could only hope that he wasn't as good as Alexis.
Hearing Jason's name made Elizabeth withdraw. There was no way she was going to confide in Taggert, not now, not when she knew Jason was in the other room. Taking a deep breath she tried to prepare herself for seeing him, and was grateful for the warning the officer had given her. "It's okay to leave Lieutenant, you answered my questions," she said softly.
Blinking Taggert focused on her again. "Yeah but you didn't answer mine."
~*~*~*~*~
Sonny's placid expression shifted when he felt Jason go rigid next to him. Curiosity had him shifting his attention to the interrogation room. Squinting he recognized Taggert, it took him another second to identify the person Taggert was talking too as Elizabeth. For the first time in weeks he allowed himself to think about his old friend. "What's she doing here?"
"How would I know?" Jason barked shortly.
Hearing the coldness in Jason's voice and unsure at the cause Sonny shifted his attention on his friend. "What do you mean by that?"
Weary Jason didn't even bother to shake his head. "She hasn't wanted to talk to me since she found out you were alive, and I was lying to her."
"Yeah but that business," Sonny reminded him.
"Is Carly talking to you today?" Jason asked bluntly.
Uncomfortable Sonny shook his head.
"Why not?" Jason pressed.
"You know why, because she's mad I didn't tell her about Brenda," Sonny replied.
"She's mad because you trusted her enough to keep her in the loop about faking your death, but not about your ex-girlfriend's return from the dead," he corrected Sonny.
"What does Carly and Brenda have to do with Elizabeth?" Sonny demanded.
"All you ever do is lie to the women in your life, and they get mad at you for it. Well when I lie to the woman in my life, she gets mad at me too," Jason shot back.
Sonny was stung by the unaccustomed sarcasm coming from Jason. For the first time in weeks he wondered what was going on in his friend's life.
~*~*~*~
"Thanks again," Elizabeth kept her profile to Jason and spoke to the Lieutenant quietly.
"No problem. If you ever do hear from Baker, I want you to tell me right away." Taggert said.
"Thanks." Knowing she couldn't stall any longer she turned around. Her eyes met Jason's immediately and it took a lot for her to wrench them away, but she did, and it was only a pity that they fell on the man next to him. Seeing Sonny's welcoming smile made her temper start to burn. Moving quickly she headed for the gate.
"Elizabeth, it's good to see you," Sonny called out with a smile.
"What's the matter Sonny hell didn't want you?" She shot back and never breaking stride she was through the gate and out of the squad room.
Taggert let out a long whistle. "Something good did come out of your miraculous return from the dead Corinthos. Elizabeth finally knows what a cheap, lying thug you are," he turned his grin on Jason who was still staring after Elizabeth. "Since she never even looked at you, I'd say she finally wised up about you as well."
Ignoring Taggert's jibe and Sonny's growing anger Jason focused instead on trying to figure out what Elizabeth was doing at the police station in the first place.
~Kelly's~
"Goodnight," Elizabeth called into the kitchen before heading for her coat. The distraction of her busy shift at work had been just what she needed after her visit to the police station. They had been just busy enough that she hadn't had time to think about what she had learned. She also didn't have time to think about Jason.
Huffing out a breath she reached for her coat. She really had to do better at keeping her promises. Checking her watch she hoped it was time for another pain pill, but of course it wasn't. The food intake had helped her function with the drugs, but she still had gotten a little loopy. She didn't know what it meant that her tip's had increased to almost double the loopier she had gotten. Either that meant she was normally a grumpy waitress, or she was really entertaining.
Her shift was over, and it was getting dark, yet she had no real desire to return to her empty studio. Instead of putting on her coat she kept it in her hands and took a seat at one of the tables by the window. She had to figure out what was going on with the calls. She hated to think she was being stalked, Courtney was the one who was being stalked. She was the one who had been followed home, and had phone calls, while she had only had a few phone calls.
But still she couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling that something bad was coming, nor could she shake the memories of the rape. Don had walked up behind her earlier in the evening, and she hadn't heard his approach, so when he touched her arm she had screamed and thrown the plate she had been holding in her hands. She had also jumped every time the phone rang, that wasn't a good sign. This was behavior she'd had for weeks after she was first raped, she didn't want to slide back into it again.
The only way to get past this was to figure out what was going on. The calls had left her with the impression that he knew what had happened to her. Sure the caller may have been making things up about her being with him, but she was still struck by the mention of the red dress. Christ she needed someone to talk this out with. Lucky had been the person she'd relied upon back then. But Lucky wasn't an option. Not only was he not in town, he was in Switzerland seeing Laura, they weren't exactly on speaking terms.
So whom did that leave?
Jason.
"No," she shook her head. She was not going to let a few calls spook her into letting Jason back in her life. Besides he had enough going on, with Sonny, Carly, and now Courtney. Who was to say he would even care what was going on with her?
You know he cares. Don't try to say he doesn't.
She hated when her inner voice was right. Ignoring it, she was still determined not to tell Jason. It hurt to be around him at the moment, and as much as she may try to deny it, if he knew she was spooked, he would be around her a lot. That was just how he was. If someone was in trouble, SuperJase would come flying to their rescue. The most recent case in point was Courtney.
"Jason's out," she vowed, even as her heart twinged in regret.
So who else?
Emily and her were speaking but that was about it. She had finally told her about her one night mistake with Zander, and although Emily hadn't gotten angry with her, she could still hear the hurt. The few conversations they'd had since then had been stilted, nether one knowing what to say to the other. So scratch Emily.
Nikolas? Her heart gave another twinge when she thought of her former friend, and her eye was drawn to the man in question that was sitting at a table working on his laptop. He wasn't supposed to lie to her. There were two people in this world she'd thought would never lie to her, and both of them had this year. What was surprising was the identity of one of the two.
Jason was one of the two, of course that was obvious. But the other one had surprised her. Nikolas was someone she thought wouldn't lie to her. She almost expected Lucky's lies, and that had been a strange pill to swallow, but Nikolas' lies had taken her totally by surprise. After everything they had went through together, the schemes, the work, even their own lies, she thought they'd always be on the same side.
But apparently Nikolas didn't feel the same. First he had kept it a secret that Lucky planned on marrying her only out of pity, and didn't love her anymore. Then he had played with her head about the accident. She could almost understand why he'd kept silent about Lucky. But she didn't think she'd ever understand why he had chosen to lie to her about the accident.
If he didn't know, at that point, that she would have been on his side no matter what, she supposed she shouldn't mourn the loss of her friend, but she still did. It wasn't that he had chosen Gia over their friendship, again she could understand why he had done that. But he had seen how desperate she had been to remember. He had been a witness to her frustration, and when she had begun to question he had played on her doubts, confusing her even more, and that was something she would never be able to understand.
Nikolas and Jason were two people who were never supposed to lie to her, and both of them had in the span of just a few short months. That made them both out of her life, and not an option in confiding her fears too. But unfortunately that also meant she had no one else to talk too.
"I really need more friends," she grumbled. The beep of Nikolas' computer caught her attention and an idea came to her. The distant memory of the research Lucky used to do on the computer, and the research and information he had uncovered about Tom Baker came back to her. Maybe Baker had a relative that he had told what he had done to her. Her stomach revolted at the thought, but in a sick way it struck her as something Baker would do. He had been gloating that day in his studio. Like he was proud of what he had done, it had been the same when she'd confronted him at the police station. He had been bragging.
Reaching for the water on the table, Elizabeth absently popped a pain pill in her mouth. If he had told someone they could be keeping him informed about her, so he could play his sick games with her head. The thought of why he was choosing to do this after all this time, crossed her mind, but it was easily dismissed, in the face of a legitimate answer to her problem.
She needed to get to a computer and do some research on Tom Baker. She looked out the window again, and by now the dark night greeted her. The public library was closed. And the library at the University was two bus rides away, not counting a changeover in a very bad neighborhood. The last thing she felt like doing was being on a bus, alone, at night for hours.
"I need a car," the complaint was a familiar one, so was the whine in her voice.
Nikolas' computer beeped again, and she looked over at it thoughtfully. She was sure he'd let her use it if she asked. He had made no secret of the fact that he would do anything to make things up to her for what had happened. He seemed more contrite and genuine, then Lucky did, and Lucky had slept with her sister.
She didn't want to forgive Nikolas, but at the same time she missed her friend. They had been through so much together that it seemed odd for her and him to be sitting in the same restaurant but at different tables, never having said a word to each other. Asking to borrow his computer didn't mean she was going to forgive him. After all she had let Jason take her to the hospital yesterday and that didn't mean she had forgiven him.
"You're not going to think about Jason again." She reminded herself sharply.
"What?"
Groaning Elizabeth closed her eyes.
"Are you in pain?" Jason took the seat across from her and reached for the pill bottle on the table.
"I'm fine," she snatched the pill bottle out of his hand. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to check on you. I was worried about your arm, but you left the police station before I could talk to you," Jason explained.
She could see the curiosity in his eyes and took perverse pleasure in seeing it. For once he was the one that wanted to know what was going on. How sweet it was for the shoe to be on the other foot for a change. She knew exactly how to play this game she kept quiet.
Jason waited for a response but Elizabeth seemed to be ignoring him. Her focus was on the pill bottle. Finally he knew he'd have to press. "Did something happen?"
"When?"
"When you were at the police station," Jason kept his tone even.
"It was just business," she threw him a cold look and saw the way his eyes closed in pain, and immediately felt guilty. "I don't want to be like this with you."
"I know you're mad and hurt," he offered cautiously.
"I am, but I don't want to lash out at you. I've known you for more than three years, and this is the first time I can honestly say I don't like you very much," he flinched and she gestured at him. "You see I just hurt you and I didn't want to do that."
"What do you want?" Jason asked. "Do you want us to be friends?"
"I don't know, all I know is you were the one person in my life who wasn't supposed to lie to me. I know it was business, you didn't have a choice, it wasn't your secret to tell, lives were depending on you," she listed his reasons and dismissed them with a shake of her head. "That still doesn't change the fact that all you had to do was say to me that something was going down, that you couldn't tell me about, and you would when you could. That's all Jason, and frankly I don't think that was too much to ask for," she sighed bitterly. "But you didn't do that. You knew I was half out of my mind with worry about you, with fear and you let me swing."
Pinching his nose in frustration over the truth of her quiet accusations he finally looked at her. "Where does that leave us?"
"I don't know. I just know that right now I'm hurt and angry, and sooner or later you are going to say something and I'm going to jump all over you, and then I'm going to feel guilty, and I'm too tired to do that with you." She could feel the tears sting that back of her eyes and looked away until she could blink them back.
"I wish I could have handled things differently," he told her honestly.
"Me too, you don't know how much I need you right now," she whispered.
"I won't lie to you again," Jason offered softly but meant every word. "There may be things I can't tell you, but I won't lie to you, either by my words or my actions."
"You heard that," she realized.
"Yeah. Do you really think I don't care about you?" He pressed.
"Sometimes yes," she admitted honestly. "You tell me that I should know what I mean to you, but guess what I'm not a mind reader. And since you won't tell me all I can go on is your actions, and let me tell you your actions stink."
Jason blinked at her bluntness, his focus dropping to the pill bottle again.
"The day after you admitted you wanted to try things with me, you disappeared. What the hell am I supposed to think that means?" Elizabeth demanded. "I know that's when the big con with Sonny started, but all I saw was you doing everything in your power to avoid me. You were with Carly, hell even Courtney, but the only time you had for me was when I went someplace I wasn't supposed too."
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"The night at the docks, after Sonny's funeral, you had to talk to me then, because I was out alone, and we all know when you decide to protect someone you will do whatever it takes to get the job done," she grumbled and hummed the Mighty Mouse theme song under her breath.
"I didn't want to lie to you."
"Why not everyone else does, just ask Nikolas," she called out loudly and waved cheekily at him when Nikolas turned to look.
"How many pills have you had?" Jason reached for the bottle.
"Not nearly enough," she admitted with a sigh and put the bottle in her purse.
"Elizabeth."
"Jason if you ever want to be my friend again, you'll leave me alone. I need to figure some things out, and I can't do that with you here. With you here all I feel is pain, and I don't like pain, so I'll lash out," her eyes sparkled with unshed tears.
He was rapidly discovering how words could hurt someone, because her words were causing him pain as well. "You shouldn't walk home alone."
"Here he comes to save the day," she sang off tune.
"What?"
"I won't be alone I have to speak to Nikolas, he'll make sure I get home," she determined.
Jason hesitated but anything he might have said to change her mind vanished when a cheery voice called out from behind him.
"Jason I'm ready to go. I'm sorry to keep you waiting, but I had a lot of dishes tonight," Courtney called out, moving closer her focus was on her coat. "I really appreciate you walking me home again."
Sighing Elizabeth sat back and began humming again.
Jason could feel the ice coming off of Elizabeth in waves and knew he had just managed to make things worse.
Courtney stumbled to a stop and had the same realization. "You know what I'm just going to take a cab. You should stay with Elizabeth, or better yet walk her home. You're about due another pain pill and I remember how crazy they make you."
"Oh no," Elizabeth got to her feet and sucking in a breath she managed to stop the world from spinning. "I wouldn't dream of depriving you from your bodyguard. Doing whatever Sonny wants is what Jason lives for, so you better let him walk you home. We wouldn't want to get him in trouble with his master."
It was hard to tell which blonde was more surprised, but Elizabeth took their expressions as a good thing and moved past them to Nikolas' table before either one could find their voice to speak.
"I need to talk to you," she announced to a surprised Nikolas.
"Okay," Nikolas' reply was cautious.
~*~*~*~
Jason sigh was long, his expression tired when he got up from his chair. "We better go."
"That's it?" Courtney asked. "She says something like that to you and you want to go? She's hurting, you're hurting you need to talk to each other."
"You need to drop it," he shot back and opened the door.
Rolling her eyes at his stupidity Courtney exited the diner.
~*~*~*~
Though she tried not to notice Elizabeth couldn't help but be aware of every move Jason made.
Hearing her sigh, Nikolas knew Jason had left. "Do you still want to talk to me or did you just say that so you could get rid of Jason?"
Elizabeth forced her attention back on her former friend. "I wanted to know if I could borrow your computer."
Nikolas knew how much that question had cost her so he simply saved his file, closed it and powered down. "I can get it from you tomorrow if that gives you enough time."
"It does," she took the computer from him and got to her feet. "Thanks."
"Anytime," he replied honestly. The request to walk her home, was on the tip of his tongue, but he knew she would refuse.
Nodding Elizabeth headed for the door.
~Docks~
"Hey Zander, man, I thought that was you."
Zander jolted in surprise when someone clapped him hard on the back. Turning around he groaned in unwelcome recognition. "What do you want Paulie?"
"Now is that any way to talk to a friend?" A strung out Paulie wanted to know. "Look your not still sore because I stiffed you on those last few hits of X are you?"
"No Paulie I'm not mad," Zander turned and tried to walk away.
"Hey wait," Paulie latched onto his arm. "I really need some juice man, and this time I got money," his shaking hand reached for his jeans.
"Don't," Zander snapped. "I don't sell anymore."
"Come on, the Z man not selling?" Paulie laughed and his eye began to twitch. "I told you I have money."
"Paulie you want to kill yourself find someone else to sell you the poison. I don't do this anymore." Jerking his arm free Zander stalked off.
"Zander," Paulie yelled. "You can't quit, you can never quit, you're one of us," the yell turned into a whine. "Please man just a little hit."
~Kelly's~
"Hey Zander," Elizabeth called out.
Coming to a halt his bad mood began to lift as he turned around and spied his only friend. "Hi Elizabeth. How are you doing? Courtney told me you hurt yourself yesterday."
"Yeah I got clumsy," she explained, setting the laptop and purse on the table she worked the sleeve up her arm to show off her bandage.
"If the bandage is that size I don't want to see what the wound looks like," Zander shuddered theatrically.
"Oh come on you've had worse. You've been shot before remember," Elizabeth teased. "I doubt this is worse than that."
"I kn… I wouldn't know," Zander caught himself and lied.
Turning away Elizabeth bowed her head and her hands came to rest on the laptop. "Is the sign still there?"
"What sign?" Zander asked in confusion.
"The sign that says lie to me, I'm too stupid to deserve the truth," she whirled around her face white, except for the angry slash of red on her cheeks.
"You know," he whispered.
"Yeah I know," she shook her head. "The only thing is you weren't the one to tell me, you're just another person who lied to me."
"Let me explain," he begged.
"Save it, nothing you can say is worth hearing," she reached for the laptop.
"How did you find out?" Zander wanted to know. "I was going to tell you I was, I just wanted some more time, Damn'it he told me he wouldn't tell you."
Elizabeth's movements froze. "Who wouldn't tell me?"
Hearing the ice in her voice he realized he'd went to far. "Nobody."
"Who?" She demanded. "Don't lie to me again."
"Jason," he admitted reluctantly. "He knows I have my memory back."
Elizabeth stepped back like she had been struck.
"He wanted me to tell you, he told me I should tell you." Zander went on desperately. Unsure of why he was trying to defend Jason, he still felt compelled to do it.
"But when you asked he kept quiet right?" She asked bitterly.
"What's going on?"
Zander groaned, Jason had the worst timing in the world. He shook his head at the other man but Elizabeth had already turned on him.
"Don't worry Zander, Jason kept your secret, he's real good at keeping secrets, and lying to everyone, but most especially lying to me. I heard you on the docks with your friend Paulie, and I came here and gave you the opportunity to tell me the truth, but you lied," she grinned. "Big surprise there everyone lies to me."
The door opened behind Zander and Nikolas walked out.
"See here's someone else who lies to me. God if I were to have a party of the liars in my life I'd have to invite the whole damn town."
"Elizabeth," Jason reached out for her, and she swatted at his hand.
"Don't. I'm an expert by now, you didn't tell me because it wasn't your secret to tell. God forbid you actually tell me something so I don't make an ass out of myself," she snapped coldly. "Keep me in the dark, keep me looking ridiculous, what does it matter to you? It's never your secret to tell."
"Elizabeth why don't you let me drive you home?" Nikolas asked when he saw how upset she was getting.
"Drive?" She let out a high-pitched laugh. "Isn't that what led to your lies, a drive home? We were in everything together until that night Nikolas, until you decided to lie to me just like everyone else."
"And you," her angry eyes found Zander. "I don't know why I'm surprised, but I am. I had no reason to expect more from you and yet I did. I'm fed up with being lied too, I'm fed up with being protected, and I'm fed up with being treated like my feelings don't matter. I don't want any of you in my life anymore. As far as I'm concerned none of you exist."
"You don't mean that," Jason caught her arm before she could storm off and immediately let go when she hissed in pain. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry is just a four letter word Jason, and I don't want hear it anymore, especially when nothing ever changes," she met his eyes coldly. "So much for you not lying to me anymore, that lasted what? An hour?"
"Please let me…"
"Explain? You don't do that remember?" She jeered. Picking up the laptop she shoved it in Nikolas' gut. "Thanks I don't need your help anymore, the cost is too high." Pivoting she faced Zander. "I hope you meant what you told Paulie, but whether you did or didn't stay the hell away from me," she whirled on Jason. "And that goes double for you."
With those final words and her head held high Elizabeth took off for home.
Feeling his heart break Jason could only watch her go.
"Aren't you going to go after her?" Zander asked.
"Shut up," Jason ordered.
"No. Jesus man you're the one she wants to talk too, so get off your ass and move," Zander went on.
"You heard her she doesn't want to see me," Jason reminded him bitterly.
Nikolas laughed. "You know for the first time I think Taggert may be right about you. You are a brain-damaged thug who doesn't have a clue about Elizabeth."
~Studio~
Elizabeth was still in high temper when she reached her building and she took the steps two at a time. It wasn't until she reached the second floor landing and something crunched under her boot that she realized something unsettling. Pausing, she looked up at the next flight of stairs that led to her floor. The light that normally lit the stairs was gone. Glancing down she shifted her feet and saw the shards of broken light bulbs underneath them.
Anger disappeared in a heartbeat and fear moved through her. She listened hard for any sound coming from the floor above but all she heard was her own labored breathing. For the first time since she'd seen Zander on the docks, thoughts of the phone calls she had received came back to her.
Turning slowly she began to head back down the stairs, trying to be as quiet as she could be. She made it two steps before stopping. She didn't have anyplace to go. Sarah was still at her Gram's house, she'd just thrown Nikolas out of her life, besides Gia was at Wyndamere, all the Spencer's were gone. Which was a pity because she knew Luke would have helped her no matter what. And after what she had just screamed at Jason, there was no way she could go to him. She had a thought about going to Bobbie's but remembered that she was working the graveyard shift at the hospital. That left her with no one.
Bending down Elizabeth picked up a jagged piece of glass, pulling her sleeve down, she wrapped it around her hand, then gripped the glass tighter, before turning around. She took a step, and tried to avoid the broken glass on the stairs. She gripped the keys tightly in her left hand, and held the glass in her right hand, even injured it was her stronger arm.
Moving cautiously she hugged the wall and worked her way up the stairs. Pausing every few feet she listened for the sounds of anyone else in the building but it was as quiet as a tomb. She closed her eyes briefly at that analogy, before moving on again. She paused at the top of the stairs to let her eyes get used to the dimness. Shadows filled the hall yet none of them looked like moving shadows.
Slowly she took a step away from the stairs. She tried to look in every direction at once but it was impossible. Her breathing began to pick up again, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth when she bit down hard on her lip. Grimacing she released her lip and kept moving. She paused next to the corner for a long minute trying to prepare herself as well as listening.
There was nothing wrong with running, she determined. Turning the corner she paused long enough to scan the dark hallway before taking off for the silver door that was partway down the hall. The shiny door stood out in the dim light and it called to her like a beacon. She fumbled with the lock and the keys fell to the floor with a clatter. Cursing under her breath she picked them up and tried again.
Finally she managed to get the key in the lock, twisting it she shoved the door open, yanked her key out, and slammed it shut as quickly as she could. Turning, her hands shook as she reached up and slid the extra locks Jason had installed on her door in place. Bowing her head she rested it on the cool surface of the door and tried to even her breathing.
Her heart was beating so hard it was a wonder it was still in her chest. The fear had cleared her mind, she was feeling no aftereffects of the drug. Sighing Elizabeth turned around and reached out for the light switch.
Flicking it on she closed her eyes at the unaccustomed brightness, waiting a minute she finally opened her eyes a crack. The keys fell from her suddenly limp hand and clattered on the floor. Her other hand found her mouth as her breathing picked up again. "Oh my god no," she stuttered.
More afraid than she had been in years Elizabeth turned around and desperately began to unlock the door. A keening sound reached her ears and she was dismayed to realize it was coming from her. "Please," she begged the door and at last the lock finally gave.
Yanking the door open and looking over her shoulder with every step she took, she ran from her home in terror. The scream she had been holding off finally escaped when she collided hard with someone and arms reached around her waist holding her in place against a hard masculine body.