Babble: Here is more of this story. Remember it is a limited fic, only 11 parts, so it doesn't involve as many characters as my other stories do. But I still think it's fairly interesting.
Please let me know what you think.
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Quagmire
Part V
~Penthouse~
Jason sipped his coffee and turned the page of the Herald. Reading about Alexis and Baldwin's latest verbal sparring match failed to interest him, but he stubbornly kept turning the pages. His attention on the paper was just to kill time until Elizabeth came downstairs. Judging from the sounds he'd heard awhile ago, it was only a matter of time. Once she did come down they were going to have a nice long talk.
It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about anything personal between them, so they wouldn't but that didn't mean they couldn't talk about what was going on with her. He had a lot of questions that he wanted answers too. Questions like why she had gone to see Taggert, why she had two bags full of Valentine decorations in her trash when it was only October. He especially wanted to know why someone had chased her through Kelly's last night and frightened her enough that she had lashed out with a knife. And he was going to find out who this him, was she kept referring too.
Sighing Jason set his now cold cup of coffee on the table, stood, and moved to the window. Memories of last night were still as fresh in his mind as five minutes ago was. He would never forget the sight of Elizabeth racing along the docks, her eyes wild, a butcher knife clutched in her hand. He'd yelled after her trying to stop her, but she'd kept running and then he'd seen her fall, and that had scared him even more. Afraid that she might have fallen on the knife he'd raced after her and reached out to touch her. When she had turned on him her eyes had been wild in fear, and that fear had made her lash out like an animal would. Even tough he'd repeatedly said her name she hadn't recognized him, and that had frightened him.
He wasn't a man that frightened easily. But the sounds she was making, the pleas that she didn't seem to be aware of uttering, her desperate fight, all of it had frightened him. Unaccustomed to the feeling he was determined never to feel it again. In order for that vow to work he needed to know what or who had put that fear in Elizabeth's eyes in the first place. His face, a cold and expressionless mask was reflected back at him in the windowpane and he made a promise to that reflection, that he would punish whoever it was that had terrified Elizabeth, and he would punish them badly.
Someone pounded on the door behind him and he hurried to open it. He barely had time to step back before being bowled over.
"She's missing," a half-crazed Nikolas Cassadine didn't waste anytime. "She's missing and I think something happened to her. You need to help me find her."
Jason's eyes moved to the stairs then back to the obviously worried man in front of him, playing a hunch he crossed his arms over his chest. "Who are you talking about?"
"Elizabeth," Nikolas cried. "She was supposed to call me last night to let me know she got home safe but she never did. The phone lines were knocked down because of the storm, and she never answered her cell. I couldn't leave the island until an hour ago when the storm finally broke, but by then it was too late, she was gone. I think he may have her."
His gamble had paid off. "Who has her?"
Nikolas hesitated at the pointed question, but fear for his friend quickly overrode the promise he'd made to Elizabeth to keep her secret. "Elizabeth didn't want you to know what was happening to her. She didn't want me to know either, but I found out and pressured her until she told me everything. I tried to help her. I found out as much as I could, and I told her last night that she either had to go to the police or you for help, but it seems I spoke too late."
Jason was rapidly tiring of Nikolas' circular thoughts. "Tell me what is going on."
"I went to Kelly's as soon as I could, the cook, Don, was there taping up the window on the door," Nikolas went on like Jason hadn't spoken. "Someone had broken in and there had been a struggle of some sort in the kitchen, near the back stairs. I found these on the floor by the counter."
Jason recognized Elizabeth's cell and purse in Nikolas' hands.
"Don hadn't seen Elizabeth and he told me that the diner hadn't been closed down the way it was supposed to have been last night. I ran to the studio but the door was locked tight and she never answered it, so I came here." Nikolas focused on Jason. "I wasn't too proud to ask Sonny Corinthos for help to save my brother, and I'm not too proud to ask you for help to save Elizabeth."
"Save her from who?" Jason finally exploded. "Who does she need protection from? I can't help if I don't know what's going on."
"That's just it we don't know for sure who is doing this to Elizabeth. All we know is that for the past several days she's been getting…"
"Nikolas," Elizabeth's call stopped his words.
Whirling around Nikolas spied her on the stairs. Her jeans were torn and she was swimming inside a shirt that had to be Jason's, but she was alive. She looked unhurt and more importantly, she was safe. Relief coursed through him and he quickly moved to her side enveloping her slight frame in a hug. "You scared the hell out of me."
Wincing slightly at the pain in her shoulder when she tried to hug him back, Elizabeth carefully held on. "I'm sorry I know I should have called."
"Yes you should have. What were you thinking?" The initial relief of seeing her alive faded into anger and Nikolas drew back to glare at her.
"Things got a little crazy last night," she admitted and risked a glance at Jason who was blatantly eavesdropping.
"You know what I thought happened to you." Nikolas stopped his complaint when something else caught his attention. Taking her by surprise he tugged on the too big sleeve exposing her shoulder to the light. Instead of the creamy pale skin that should have been there, the skin was marred with dark purple bruises. "What happened?"
Jason came to alert when he saw the bruises and moved closer.
Even though Jason's expression never changed Elizabeth could tell he was angry by the way the vein in the corner of his forehead began to pulse. "I…" she hesitated and looked away from Jason. Unlike the other day she had all of her memories of last night including the fact that she had stabbed Jason. And even though he didn't look any the worse for wear she felt extremely guilty over that fact. But guilt and knowing that she should confide in Jason didn't seem to be enough for her to actually open her mouth and do it, so she hesitated.
"Look I'm not Jason's biggest fan but I think you need to tell him." Fed up Nikolas spoke again. "Something obviously happened last night at Kelly's, otherwise you wouldn't be here. That makes it two nights in a row now. What happens if he comes back tonight and this time you can't get away?"
"What happened to you the other night? Who can't you get away from?" Jason moved closer.
"I don't want to tell you," she whispered finally. "If I tell you I'll depend on you and you'll suck me back in."
Jason moved closer still and Nikolas stepped back out of the way trying to give them privacy. Because she was still on the stairs they were at eye level and he reached out until he took her hand in his. "I know I hurt you. But all I want to do right now is help you. I won't ask you anything about us I won't even mention it, just let me help."
Meeting his eyes was difficult and she searched the blue depths, but all she saw was concern and caring reflected back at her and she began to weaken. Waking up in the spare bedroom, knowing Jason was just down the hall was the safest she'd felt in days, and she wanted desperately to keep that feeling.
"Please talk to me," Jason squeezed her hands.
Had she ever been able to refuse him when he'd said please? "The night you brought me home from the hospital, I checked my…"
"Jason where the hell were you? You missed the meeting with Tagliati last night." Sonny Corinthos stormed through the open door of the penthouse. Realizing too late that Jason wasn't alone he came to an abrupt stop but the damage had already been done.
Elizabeth stiffened and pulled her hands away from him. A shutter descended in her eyes and over her face taking all of the emotion out of her face. Brushing past Jason she moved the rest of the way down the stairs and joined Nikolas who was waiting by the couch. "We better go," she said, taking her bag from his hands.
"Wait," Jason intercepted her. "We still need to talk."
"No we don't not anymore, you're boss is here," she reminded him bitterly. "It seems I've already gotten you in trouble with him once, I'd hate to do it again by making him wait."
"Elizabeth," Sonny tried to break in.
"Don't worry Mr. Corinthos I'm leaving," she informed him icily and saw him flinch. "Soon Jason will be all alone and available at a moment's notice whenever you call him, which, we all know, is exactly they way you like it."
"Wait," Jason reached out to stop her but she evaded his hand.
"I'm sorry I stabbed you last night," she continued briskly and saw Nikolas pale out of the corner of her eye. "I thought you were someone else, my mistake."
When her eyes met Jason's he knew that she meant that last line in more than just one way.
Elizabeth didn't even bother to check if Nikolas was following her when she moved past Sonny without a word and into the hall to wait for the elevator.
"What the hell did she mean she stabbed you?" Sonny asked when Jason tried to move past him.
"Not now," dismissing him Jason moved after Elizabeth. "Wait," he stuck a hand between the doors stopping them from closing. "You can't just leave, I need to talk to you."
"Does the phrase too little, too late, mean anything to you? I wanted nothing more than for you to say those words to me for weeks now, but not like this. You know I'm in trouble so it's SuperJase to the rescue, well that's just not good enough," she snapped angrily. "I know you want to help me. If I'm hurt, or someone was after me, you would be the first person by my side, I know that."
"That's right," Jason agreed.
"The point is I need someone who wants to be and will be by my side when I'm not hurt, when I'm not afraid. I need someone who's willing to spend a rainy night with me just because. You're at your best in a crisis, but on the day to day, you suck," she covered her mouth to swallow her tears. "I need someone who will put my needs, if not first, at least second, not an also ran, or an afterthought."
"You are not an afterthought," he argued.
"That's how you make me feel, and I don't want to feel like that anymore. I'll figure a way out of my problems on my own. I need to get used to doing that anyway," she brushed his hand off the door and the elevator doors quickly closed. Elizabeth waited until they closed completely and the car began to move before collapsing back against the wall.
"Don't," she ordered when Nikolas stirred beside her.
"He's hurting almost as much as you are," Nikolas marveled at the discovery.
"Please don't say anymore," she begged.
"I just want to know who are you trying to punish here. You or Jason?" Nikolas asked.
"What?"
"I know your mad at him and from where I stand you have a right to be. But it seems to me that you're trying awfully hard to find a reason to stay mad at him."
"Why would I do that?" Elizabeth sniffed.
"Because as long as you're angry you don't have to deal with the hurt your feeling. And until you deal with the hurt you won't be able to forgive Jason, and that keeps you both in limbo. You won't deal with the hurt Jason caused you yet at the same time you're using that hurt to keep everyone else away," he finished. "Sooner or later that will have to stop."
~*~*~*~*~
The instant the doors closed Jason hit them in frustration.
"Take it easy Jase."
Not even bothering to stop the groan Jason merely bowed his head and tried to ignore his friend.
"Unlike the muffin," Carly informed him, "I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't start Carly," he warned her and scrubbed at his face.
Carly had fought with herself for a long time before making up her mind. In the end it was her love for Jason and her own feelings that she'd had when she'd found out Sonny had lied to her, that made up her mind. She was going to help Jason with the muffin even if Elizabeth didn't deserve him. She just had to do it in a way that he didn't know what she was going. The last thing she wanted to be accused of was helping Elizabeth.
"Do you remember how crazy things got around here a few years ago? Hannah the banana was snowing you and Sonny and I was stuck with AJ?" Carly asked.
Curious Jason dropped his hands. "What?"
"I'm just asking if you remembered. I wanted to know if you remembered how crazy Sonny got when he found out, and how he tried to string Hannah along. You didn't like that, in fact you repeatedly tried to talk him out of it," she reminded him.
"Carly…"
"Then there was the time that Sonny got mad at me and you thought he was going to hit me. You remember how you got in his face that night and yelled at him?"
"What are you driving at?"
"Or there was the time Sonny wanted you to come to Martinique and tell me that he wasn't coming down to marry me, and you refused."
"What does this have to do with anything?" Jason snapped.
Used to his exasperation Carly ignored it. "I'm just seeing if you remembered all the times you used to stand up to Sonny when you didn't agree with what he was doing or saying. He never cut you out of his life for questioning him or saying no to him, did he?"
"Jason?" Sonny stepped out in the hall. "Carly," he smiled at his wife but her expression remained stony.
"I'm going out," Carly announced. Rising to her toes she kissed Jason's cheek. "Sonny is your friend first, at least he should be. Maybe it's time both of you remembered that," she whispered before rubbing the lipstick off his cheek. Ignoring Sonny entirely she got on the elevator when the doors opened and disappeared from view.
Sighing at his wife's anger Sonny trailed Jason back inside the penthouse. "Did Elizabeth leave?"
"Yes."
"Is she okay?" Sonny asked curiously. "What did she mean she stabbed you? Are you okay?"
"Since when have you cared how Elizabeth is, or me for that matter?" Jason asked.
Caught off-guard by the cool tone Sonny studied his friend and was dismayed by the expression on Jason's face. It was an expression Jason normally wore when he was talking to Taggert or some other thug. This was the first time it had been directed in his direction and seeing it now, made him decidedly uneasy.
"You wanted to talk to me about Tagliati?" Jason let his other comment drop. He needed to handle whatever new crisis Sonny had and find Elizabeth.
A part of Sonny wanted to pursue Jason's earlier comment, yet in the end he decided to answer the Tagliati question instead. Taking the easy way out of things was a habit he'd developed recently and he was used to it by now.
~Kelly's~
"Thanks for waiting for me while I got ready for work Nikolas." Nearing the diner Elizabeth's steps began to slow.
"I didn't mind," Nikolas answered. "I'm glad that other than messages it doesn't appear he got in your studio."
Elizabeth nodded. "There were scratches on the locks so someone definitely tried, but thanks to my tricks I know he didn't get in."
Shaking his head he couldn't help but smile at the memory of the trick Elizabeth was so proud of. "Where did you learn that?"
"Alias and reruns of Charlie's Angels," she smiled at his expression. "Don't laugh it worked, I broke the hairs I left when we opened the door this morning, that meant no one else did last night, so no one was inside in my absence."
"You're right it's a good trick," Nikolas agreed and noticed that Elizabeth's steps had dawdled almost to a crawl.
Distracted by the sight of Kelly's Elizabeth merely nodded. She had worked in the diner for over 5 years now and for the first time she was afraid to go inside of it. The safety she'd clung too, disappeared the instant Jason had informed her it hadn't been him who had chased her through Kelly's the night before. Nikolas was right for two nights she had managed to escape because of luck, would her luck hold for a third night?
"I'm glad you changed your mind about staying at the studio," Nikolas interrupted her thoughts. "But I wish you'd move to Wyndamere."
Elizabeth couldn't repress a shudder. "No that place has too many bad memories. I'll stay at the Port Charles Hotel, thanks for paying for the room. I'll pay you back as soon as I came."
"I don't care about the money. I'd pay anything to keep you safe. You're my friend," he reminded her. "And because you are I'm going to tell you something you don't want to hear."
Groaning Elizabeth began walking again but Nikolas wouldn't be denied.
"Since you won't let me send you out of the country, you need to tell someone else what is going on. You have to know that you need more help than I can give you. That means you either tell Taggert or Jason."
"I can't believe you're encouraging me to tell Jason. I thought you hated him," she stalled.
"I'm not his biggest fan," Nikolas conceded. "But he has the connections we need and he can protect you, so I think you need to tell him."
"Wait," she paused to get clarification because that was the last piece of advice she'd thought she'd ever get from Nikolas. "You'd rather I tell Jason over the police?"
"He has connections the police don't have," he reminded her. "Also he won't need proof before he takes action, the police will need proof."
"By action you mean he'll kill him right?" Elizabeth asked.
"Whatever Jason does or doesn't do to the creep who is terrorizing you, I'll never condemn him for it." Nikolas answered honestly and bluntly. "Whoever it is will deserve what he gets, even if that's death by Jason's hand."
Unsettled by the blasé way Nikolas was discussing a potential cold-blooded murder Elizabeth moved into the courtyard of Kelly's.
"I apologize if my opinion upsets you." Nikolas wasn't comfortable with the implication either. But ever since his father's miraculous return and subsequent death, life had gotten a lot grayer. There were no absolutes in the world anymore, he viewed the world with a far more critical eye than he had before.
"I need to get to work," Elizabeth dodged having to answer the question.
"I'll be back to pick you up," he looked at his watch. "Call me anytime for any reason at all, and try to think about what I said."
"I will," Elizabeth agreed and with a final breath to steady herself she walked through the doors doing her best to ignore the implications of the piece of cardboard that covered one of the windows.
~*~*~*~*~
Work was actually going pretty good. Bobbie had seemed to buy her storm freak out and forgiven her for leaving the diner the way she had, and nothing else had been said. Jason had yet to make an appearance and for that she was both relieved and disappointed. You would have thought he would press her for details, then again Jason never pressed anybody, he was content to let everyone lead their life with no pressure from him.
"Now that's a cheery look," Carly Corinthos commented dryly.
Instantly alert Elizabeth looked up at the older blonde. "Can I get you something?" She asked coolly.
"Yeah I need to talk to you."
"I'm sorry but I'm working here, I don't have a break for awhile and when I get one I have better things to do then sit with you," Elizabeth replied shortly.
"You're not busy," Carly pointedly looked around the almost empty diner. "What's the matter little girl are you afraid to talk to me?" She taunted to get results.
Even knowing Carly was baiting her wasn't enough to make her stop from rising to it. "Fine you got five minutes."
"That's all I'll need." Carly replied and led the way to a table near the door. Once settled, she tried to think of a way to begin. She couldn't be as subtle with Elizabeth as she had been with Jason, it wouldn't work. She still didn't believe she was doing this at all. This was goody-goody muffin face Webber she was pushing at her best friend. There was definitely something wrong with this picture.
"Why don't you just get it over with?" Elizabeth blurted out. "I imagine the laughter must be damn well choking you by now, so why don't you just let it out?"
Carly was genuinely puzzled. "Why would I laugh at you?"
"After the ass I made of myself when I thought Sonny was dead how could you not? God you're a better actress than I thought, you must have been rolling when I showed up with brownies, to check on you. I even cleaned your apartment, I know that had to amuse you, so go ahead and laugh I've been waiting for this visit for days now."
"I never even considered laughing at you." Her voice soft but serious Carly corrected her. "What you did for me was unexpected and very nice." And the actions still baffled her. Elizabeth had genuinely seemed to care about her and how she was doing, and that was the last thing she'd ever expected.
"Right," Elizabeth snorted in disbelief.
"Why were you nice to me?" Carly asked.
The sarcastic reply dried up when Elizabeth saw there was no ridicule or laughter on Carly's face only curiosity. "Your husband died unexpectedly. I saw you that night you were planning you future with him and the next minute he was gone, taken from you in an instant, without any warning at all. I know how that feels. I know the pain that comes from losing a love so abruptly," she explained carefully.
"You mean with Lucky?"
"Yes, I know he's alive, but I've never been able to banish the memory or the pain I felt when I saw the burning garage. I've never forgotten how I felt when they removed a body from the building and told me it was Lucky." Even now the memory threatened to overwhelm her. "Even though he's alive, I carry that memory with me."
"That's got to be rough."
"I knew what you were feeling or at least I thought I did. I knew the brownies probably wouldn't even register to you, nor would me cleaning your apartment. But sooner or later when the grief eased you would be aware that you hadn't been alone," she shrugged. "There's something else we had in common, we both know how it feels when someone comes back from the dead. Of course it took over a year before I found out Lucky was alive, and you found out when? That night, or did you know the whole time?"
"You're right I did know and yes I didn't tell you, it wasn't my place too," Carly began.
"Save it Carly, I've heard it all before."
"Fine you don't want to hear that, there is something you do need to hear little girl," Carly said sharply when Elizabeth started to rise. "When you were kidnapped Jason almost lost it. I knew he was freaked for you but I didn't know how freaked until the day he went to Edward Quartermaine for help."
Elizabeth sank back in her chair in disbelief. "Mr. Quartermaine?"
"That's right Jason went to a man he despises. He went into a house he hates to try to get help to find you. When that didn't work his next stop was Taggert."
"No way," Elizabeth shook her head.
"Yes he told Taggert what was going on and asked for help," Carly went on. "He went to two people he hates, all to help find you."
She didn't want to believe what Carly was saying was true. But why would Carly lie to her, especially about something that was so easy for her to check out?
Getting to the point in her story that Carly had been dreading, she made a promise to herself that Jason was going to owe her big for this. "What do you think Sonny did when he found out?"
The mention of Sonny made Elizabeth frown.
"You're right he wasn't happy. He was upset that Jason went to Taggert, he said it was a mistake to trust a cop." Carly didn't want to say these things about her husband aloud, because by saying them she couldn't ignore how out of control Sonny had been getting, anymore.
"A few weeks ago Sonny wanted Zander dead, he told Jason to make it happen," Carly went on coldly. "Obviously Jason refused to kill him and he told you to get Zander out of town instead. He went against Sonny's wishes wanted because of you."
"Sonny agreed Zander could stay," Elizabeth pointed out.
"Eventually he did but not until he ripped into Jason, questioning his loyalty, attacking his every move since he got back in town. Do you have any idea what Sonny's accusations did to Jason?"
It wasn't hard to imagine he devastation Jason had to have been feeling. Jason's loyalty to Sonny was the most important thing to him, he used it to define who he was, so for Sonny to question it, and him, must have hurt Jason terribly. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I didn't tell you Sonny was alive because it only occurred to me after you were nice, and that was easy to ignore. Sonny confided in me about his business, his plans, for the very first time in our marriage. I wasn't about to give him a reason to doubt me by telling you. I was going to prove to him that he could trust me no matter what, no matter when," Carly explained.
"Okay I get your reasons for keeping quiet but I still don't know what that has to do with me."
"Since Jason's return Sonny has questioned Jason's loyalty twice. I saw Jason face that day, I know how much Sonny's doubt hurt him. Because of this Jason was in the same place I was, desperate to prove his loyalty to Sonny, desperate to prove he could be trusted."
"After all of these years and everything Jason has done for Sonny the last thing he should have to do is earn Sonny's trust," Elizabeth fired back in defense of Jason.
"I agree." Carly was relieved to see the anger, it meant that Jason still had a shot. "Do you remember how you felt the first time your best friend, or your father said they didn't believe you anymore?"
Elizabeth nodded she knew that disappointing feeling very well.
"Jason heard that for the first time a few days before all of this began. He didn't expect it and he didn't deserve it, yet that's what he got." Carly got to her feet, she'd made an attempt the rest was up to Elizabeth. "I just wanted you to have all the facts before you saw Jason again."
"Why do you care?"
"I don't know. I don't like you, and I know you don't like me, and yet you cared when you thought Sonny was dead." Carly reached for her sunglasses. "If it makes you feel any better, Sonny didn't completely trust me either. He kept me in the dark about Brenda, and he had Jason do the same. I'll tell you something else, as much as Jason hated not telling me about Brenda, he hated avoiding you more."
With those final words and her firm belief that her good deed for the millennium was over Carly turned and flounced away leaving Elizabeth with a lot of new things to think about.
~*~*~*~*~
"Bobbie I'm taking my break," Elizabeth called over her shoulder when the door opened. "Thanks for coming."
"I'm glad you called," Jason hesitated. "You want to talk here?"
"Yeah," she led the way to a table by the window and before she could sit Jason had reached around her to pull out the chair for her. His ingrained manners were shining through again. "I said some harsh things to you this morning, and pretty much daily for almost a week now. I don't want to keep doing that."
Jason unzipped his jacket trying to make himself comfortable. "You had a right to be angry."
"I know and I'm not apologizing for being angry. I just think I might have come down on you harder than I should have." Nerves had her rubbing at the table with the cloth she still held in her hands. "I don't know if we can get back to what we once were Jason, but I realized that I don't want to lose you entirely," she darted a look at him. "Unless I already have."
"You haven't," he reassured her and sighed in relief.
"Good," she offered a slight smile. "I'd like to see if we could be friends again."
Wanting to touch her but knowing he'd lost that right, Jason was content to sit across from her and study her. He'd missed being around her more than he'd realized.
"I need your help with something," Elizabeth murmured. "And before you agree there are conditions."
"I'm listening."
Forcing her hand to stop the incessant wiping Elizabeth met his eyes squarely. "I need you to find out if someone is in town, and if he is how long he's been here, and where he's living. Can you do that?"
"Yes. Wh…"
"That's the condition you can't ask me why," she cut him off. "Maybe I'll tell you after I hear what you find out but not now. For now I just want to know if you'll help me without questions."
Knowing this was a test Jason was determined not to blow it. "What's the guy's name?"
"Timothy, Timothy Baker."
The name Baker rang a bell in his memory and even as he nodded he tried to place it. "I can probably find out for you within a few hours."
"Good," she sighed in relief.
"I'd like you to have a guard, if this is the guy who chased you last night, you need protection."
"I told you no questions."
Rising he caught her hand before she could storm away. "I'm not asking you why he was chasing you I just want to know if you'll let me assign you a guard. I'd do it myself but I don't want to pressure you. So I was thinking about Francis, you like him, he's guarded you before."
"Don't you mean you can't because you're too busy with Courtney?" The demand slipped out before she could stop it. "Don't answer that."
"I want too," he waited until she met his eyes. "I'm not guarding Courtney anymore, I assigned her a guard."
"Sonny probably didn't like that."
"I don't care," Jason answered.
Elizabeth studied their joined hands for a long time and considered his words. "What if I said I'd feel better if it was you who were around?"
Surprised Jason was about to reply when his cell began to ring. Frowning in annoyance he pulled it out of his coat. "Yeah."
Wondering where the comment had come from Elizabeth kept her focus on their hands, until she heard whom he was speaking too.
"What do you need Sonny?"
At the mention of Sonny's name Elizabeth withdrew her hands and stepped back.
Jason smothered a curse when she withdrew. "What about Courtney? Now? Fine I'll be there." Closing the phone he braced himself for her anger.
"You better go, Sonny beckons," she said coolly.
"He says it's an emergency," Jason offered.
"When isn't it?" She asked bitterly before waving the question away. "Forget I asked. And you know what I think we should forget this entire conversation. I'm too angry with Sonny to be around you right now. He's your boss, he's your friend, your family, and every time I hear his name I get mad at you and that's not fair to you. Maybe we should try this again, in a few weeks, when I'm not so angry."
"Elizabeth wait," Jason advanced on her but she kept moving back. "I don't want to wait, I want to know what's going on."
"I can't," she gestured to his jacket. "We can't even make it through a conversation without being interrupted, so there's no way I can depend on you now. Go to Sonny, do what wants you to do, it's what you do best. I'll handle my problems on my own."
"I can do both, I shouldn't have to choose," frustrated Jason shot back.
"I agree and I never tried to make you choose, and I'm still not going too. I'm merely choosing to do what is best for myself. I'm choosing to be selfish," she blinked the tears out of her eyes. "If you would be selfish for once in your life you might be amazed at what you find out. But we both know you'll never do that. For some reason you seem to believe that what you want or need isn't as important as what Sonny wants."
"You were the same with Lucky," he reminded her harshly.
Sucking in the pain the unexpected dart caused her Elizabeth nodded. "You're right and you can see where that got me."
"I'm sorry," Jason whispered.
"Don't be you only spoke the truth. I've learned from my mistakes, or at least I'm trying too, that's why I'm protecting myself from doing them again. You better leave."
"Elizabeth…"
"Is everything okay here?" Lieutenant Taggert interrupted the tense scene.
Elizabeth realized the perfect excuse to drive Jason away had just presented itself and she leapt on it. "Actually Lieutenant I'd like to talk to you, it's about our conversation the other day. Some things have happened that you need to be aware of."
Jason felt his stomach drop when he realized she was willing to confide in Taggert and not him. Shaking his head in defeat Jason turned and stalked out of the diner, slamming the door behind him so hard, some of the already fragile glass fell to the floor.
Instead of feeling happy at her victory over getting rid of Jason all she felt was empty. She had won all right and all it had taken for her to do it was hurting Jason. Turning to his sworn enemy for help, right in front of him, probably killed what little relationship they'd had left.
"What did you want to talk to me about Elizabeth?" Taggert asked.
~Warehouse~
Jason was in a filthy mood by the time he reached the office, he strode through the outer office without a word and shoved Sonny's door open. "What's the emergency?"
Surprised Sonny hung up the phone. "What's wrong?"
"Since when do you ask me that?" Jason asked shortly. All the conversations he'd had with Elizabeth and with Carly was swirling around in his head. Carly reminding him how he used to stand up to Sonny, Elizabeth accusing him of only living to serve Sonny.
"Whoa," Sonny cried. "Look I don't know what your problem has been lately but it has to stop."
Inhaling sharply Jason tried to swallow his anger. "You said it was an emergency what did you want?"
Sonny sighed and moved around the desk. "Why aren't you with Courtney?"
Frustrated and surprised, even though he shouldn't be, Jason pulled on his neck. "Courtney didn't want me to guard her anymore. She knew me helping her would hurt her husband so she requested another guard. I assigned Greg to her. Things have died down, the stalker hasn't even contacted her in two days."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
"You were just didn't want to hear it," Jason replied sharply. "Courtney told you herself that she didn't want me guarding her."
"That's just AJ, I want her safe, I trust her with you."
"You had Greg guard Michael," Jason reminded him. "Are you saying you trust Greg to guard Michael but not Courtney?"
Jolted at being questioned Sonny shook his head and moved on. "About Brenda…"
"I have a guard watching her from a distance, and I have one on Alcazar too. Since he's been in the hospital Benny has been crawling through Alcazar's accounts, keeping one step ahead of the police. He's draining them, I figured we'd funnel some to Brenda, then some to the families of the men Alcazar killed then invest the rest," Jason explained. "That way if Alcazar ever does manage to get out of the hospital or prison, he won't have any money."
Sonny took a seat on the edge of the desk and had no idea what to say, and for once he didn't have too. Jason was doing all the talking.
"Michael will be back tomorrow, his plane arrives at 10:00 I've already told Carly so she'll meet him at the airport. Tagliati has been backed off, and made the necessary apologies, I don't see any potential problems from him. The DA can squawk all he wants but he can't charge either of us in your phony death or in Alcazar's shooting." Pausing he focused on his boss. "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"
"Do we have a problem?"
"Should we?" Jason countered. "I'm doing my job just like you trained me too, I'm anticipating the problem and getting rid of them before they get too big. In other words I'm doing the same thing I've been doing for years. If you have a problem with the way I'm handling things, let me know, now."
"I don't have a problem with your work, I want to know if there is a problem between us," Sonny demanded.
"Why do you suddenly care?" Jason flared. "You haven't asked my opinion, or for my advice in months. If you're worried about me not being here if you need something, don't worry, I don't have anything else to do. Now if the emergency is over, I'm going to leave."
Before Sonny could say a word Jason pivoted and stalked out the door. Anger poured through him and he reacted instantly. Picking up a glass from the desk he hurled it against the wall. The glass shattered just as Carly entered the room.
"Problems?" She asked as if she hadn't been eavesdropping the whole time.
"What is going on with Jason? Is what's going on with Elizabeth making him crazy?" Sonny demanded.
"Actually I think what's going on with Elizabeth is the thing that's making him sane," Carly countered. "It's you who is making him crazy."
"You don't know what you're talking about," he cried and stalked back around his desk.
"Okay maybe I don't so why don't you tell me when you demoted Jason?" Carly asked.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I know at one point you intended for Jason to take over for you if something happened to you, he already did it once, so I just figured he'd proved his worth, but apparently I'm wrong," she perched on a chair. "So when did he lose his job?"
"He didn't."
"Sonny I know the pecking order, you may not want me too, but I do. It goes snitch, runner, courier, grunt, guard, enforcer, then I don't know understudy?" She shrugged. "I thought Jason had jumped through all the hoops, but now you have him guarding people, you have him making pickups, you question is loyalty, you pick at his every move."
Sonny tried to ignore her words but the truth of them wouldn't be denied.
"Maybe you do still trust him when it comes to work, from what I just heard you better, it sounds like he's been covering your ass for quite awhile now," Carly drummed her fingers on the desk. "Maybe the better question is when did Jason stop being your friend?"
"He hasn't," he contended.
"Really, when was the last time you listened to what's going on in Jason's life? When was the last time you noticed the fact that he's hurting? Did you even realize he was stabbed last night? Did you ever bother to try to find out what happened?" Carly asked, and with every question her own anger grew.
"So now you're lecturing me on how to be a friends?" Sonny demanded.
"I wouldn't presume to do that, because I'm just as selfish as you are, or at least I thought I was," she got to her feet. "You know for days now I've been searching for any glimpse I can find of the man I married, and I can't see it, I can't see him in you anymore." She headed for the door, and paused to look at him again. "It seems that Jason is finally wondering where is friend went as well. So if you see his best friend, or my husband, tell him he's missed."
~Kelly's~
Jason let himself inside the diner, still frowning at the unexpected package in his hand.
"Hi Jason," Bobbie chirped. "What do you have?"
"A box of chocolates," Jason held it out. "It's an apology from Elizabeth," he looked around the diner. "Is she still here?"
"No she's delivering a meals on wheels, she'll be back in about 15 minutes," Bobbie moved around the counter drawn to the box of chocolates like it was a beacon. "What kind are they?"
Shrugging Jason opened the box and heard Bobbie sigh. Reaching in he pulled out a piece of chocolate and bit into it slightly. "Tastes like raspberries."
"Ohh that sounds good," Bobbie hinted.
Jason grinned and grabbed a handful, before handing her the box. "Have them."
"Are you sure? Don't you want to share with Elizabeth? After all she did buy them for you," Bobbie reminded him even as she clutched the box.
"I'm positive, Elizabeth is allergic to raspberries, remember?"
"Oh that's right, I wonder why she chose this kind then," Bobbie grinned. "Probably because she knew that she would have the same kind of willpower I do when faced with his decadent box, which is none, and got a kind that she couldn't eat if she wanted too."
"Probably," Jason agreed and took a seat. He watched Bobbie carry the box to the counter where Felicia Jones and her daughters were.
"None for you Lucas," Bobbie reminded her son.
"Chocolates," Courtney was drawn from the kitchen the instant the box was set down.
~*~*~*~*~
"Jason," surprised Elizabeth hesitated just inside the door before moving over to the table.
"I have the information you wanted," Jason got to his feet. "That is if you still want it."
"I do," she took the chair opposite him. "I wanted to apologize to you for earlier." She kept her focus on the table and the few empty candy holders that were there.
"I shouldn't have pushed you."
"And I shouldn't have gone off on you like that over Sonny. I don't have the right to say anything about how you live your life." She reached out for the lone piece of chocolate on the table.
"Don't it has raspberry in it remember?" Jason plucked the candy from her hand. "Thanks by the way."
"For what?" She asked in confusion.
"The chocolate," he pointed to the box on the counter. "You didn't have to buy me any chocolate to say you're sorry."
Frowning Elizabeth turned to look, and her heart began to pound when she saw the gaudy red heart box of candy that was open on the counter. "I didn't send you any candy."
"Sure you did," Jason pointed at the note on the table. "I got your note right here," he brought the piece of candy to his lips.
She focused on the note.
I'm sorry for earlier. Enjoy the chocolate and know I'm thinking of you with each bite you take.
Elizabeth
Lunging over the table Elizabeth knocked the piece of candy from his hand. "I didn't send any candy and I sure wouldn't send you any candy in a Valentine heart box."
Before he could answer a scream from the counter caught both their attention.
"Mom," Lucas cried and tried to support his mother when she abruptly began to convulse.
A crash sounded from the kitchen and Elizabeth could hear Don calling out Courtney's name.
"Mom I don't feel good," Maxie Jones cried out, before clutching at her stomach.
Horrified Elizabeth turned back to look at Jason and her eye fell on the empty wrappers on the table. "How many of those have you eaten?"