Sonny looked up when Max opened the penthouse door and Elizabeth walked in.
She stopped just inside the door looking at Sonny uncertainly.
"Elizabeth, come in. What's wrong?" Sonny said.
"I didn't know where else to go," she said. "God, I am so stupid!"
"No, you're not. Come in and tell me what's going on," Sonny said.
Elizabeth sat on the couch and said, "I really need to talk to Justus. Can you get him here?"
"Sure. He's staying across the hall," Sonny said and went to the door. "Max get Justus."
A minute later Justus entered. He looked at Elizabeth, then Sonny but he didn't say anything.
Sonny took Adella from Elizabeth and said, "We'll be in the kitchen."
Once Sonny was out of the room, Elizabeth pulled money out of her pocket.
"If I give you this them that makes me you client and we have privilege, right?" she asked.
Justus nodded and took the money.
"What do you need?" he asked.
"Are you working on Jason's defense?" Elizabeth asked. "The DA is going to charge him with murder."
"What does that have to do with you?" Justus asked.
"I saw the whole thing. Jason had to kill Alcazar. It was self-defense or justifiable homicide or whatever," Elizabeth said. "I told Ric...."
"Ric?" Justus asked.
"My husband and the DA," Elizabeth said. "I told him but he wants me to lie. Well, he never actually said that word."
"What exactly did he say?" Justus asked.
"He said you couldn't call me to testify if you didn't know I had been a witness. I never talked to the police and he wasn't going to tell you," Elizabeth said.
"You didn't really need me to be your lawyer to tell me that," Justus said.
"I need a divorce," she said. "Now. I want him to be served with the papers by the end of the day and I want it final as soon as possible."
"Okay, I can do that," Justus said.
"And I want custody of my daughter," Elizabeth said. "I'm afraid if Ric gets custody, he'll never let me see her again. Um, there's something that could help with that but I don't want to use it unless absolutely necessary. And you cannot tell Sonny."
"What is it?" Justus asked.
"My daughter, she's not Ric's," she said.
"Well, we'll need proof of that so we'll have to send out for DNA tests," Justus told her.
"I'll do whatever you say," Elizabeth said.
"I'll take care of all of that but you need to tell Sonny and Jason what you told me about Alcazar's death and Ric's reaction," Justus said.
As Justus walked across the hall, Elizabeth called to Sonny to come back into the living room. Sonny came out carrying Adella at the same time Jason and Justus walked through the door.
"Elizabeth," Jason said, "what are you doing here?"
"I have something I need to tell you and Sonny," she said.
"What is it?" Sonny asked.
"I'm sure you both expect Jason to be charged for killing Alcazar and Ric is ready to put Jason in jail forever," Elizabeth said. "I was there. I saw the whole thing."
Elizabeth continued explaining her conversation with Ric. When she was finished, Sonny and Jason just looked at her.
"So you want to testify for the defense," Sonny said.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Why?" Justus asked the question that had been bothering since she had first told him everything.
Elizabeth looked at Jason as she answered, "Because it's the right thing to do. Because I remember several situations where Jason almost had to kill to protect me. Because this really isn't about Jason or what he did."
"What do you mean it's not about Jason?" Justus asked.
"It's about Sonny and revenge and me being an idiot," Elizabeth said.
"You're not an idiot," Sonny said.
"Aren't I? I've been here before and yet I willingly went back to him. I can't believe I thought he actually changed. People don't just get over obsessions like that," Elizabeth said.
"You see the best in people," Jason said quietly, speaking for the first time. "It's not a bad thing just because Ric took advantage of it."
"I'm sorry but what are you talking about?" Justus asked.
Elizabeth quickly told him all that had transpired between herself and Ric and about Ric and Sonny.
"Okay, that actually gives me a lot to work with," Justus said.
"What are you going to do?" Sonny asked Elizabeth.
"I'm getting a divorce. Iwon't stay married to a man who tries to put Jason in prison for protecting someone's life," she said.
Sonny and Justus exchanged a look and Justus said, "We do have one major problem."
"What?" Jason and Elizabeth asked at the same time.
"The fact that you never told the police could look bad for us," Justus said.
"I can't just go to the police station and give a statement," Elizabeth said.
"No, you can't," Jason said. "But I think I know a way. Can you stick around for a while?"
"Sure," Elizabeth said. "It's not like I have anywhere to go."
Jason left quickly and Sonny looked at Elizabeth.
"Do you have a plan for any of this?" Sonny asked her.
"I just know I can't go back to that house," Elizabeth said.
"You can stay here," Sonny offered.
"No," Elizabeth and Justus said at the same time.
"It's a sweet offer, Sonny, but I can't stay here. It would look like you were coercing me or I was testifying to get back at Ric," Elizabeth said.
"I guess that means Jason's penthouse is out too," Sonny said.
"Yes," Elizabeth said.
"So where are you going to stay?" Sonny asked.
"I really don't know. My studio isn't suitable for raising a kid, even short term. Plus, that's the first place Ric would look. My grandmother's house is the second," Elizabeth said.
"Sonny, could you put her in a safehouse? One where she could come and go but Ric wouldn't think to look for her," Justus said.
"I guess but he'd probably just follow her from Kelly's," Sonny said.
"You have guards. Give her one," Justus said.
"I'm starting to feel like a burden and that's the last thing I ever wanted," Elizabeth said.
"You're not a burden and you are helping keep Jason out of jail. I could give you everything I have and not be able to repay you for that," Sonny said.
"I don't want to be repayed," Elizabeth said. "I owe him far more than this anyway."
A few minutes later Jason knocked on the door and let himself in. He spoke to Sonny privately and then to Justus. Finally he turned to Elizabeth.
"Justus is going to take you to a place I have set up. There will be two cops there that you can trust. They want justice, not payback," Jason said. "Sonny said you're going to stay in a safehouse with a guard. Would you like me to come and stay with you? I know you don't love the guards."
"That would be nice," Elizabeth said and followed Justus out of the penthouse, after securing Sonny as a baby-sitter.
"Elizabeth, come in. What's wrong?" Sonny said.
"I didn't know where else to go," she said. "God, I am so stupid!"
"No, you're not. Come in and tell me what's going on," Sonny said.
Elizabeth sat on the couch and said, "I really need to talk to Justus. Can you get him here?"
"Sure. He's staying across the hall," Sonny said and went to the door. "Max get Justus."
A minute later Justus entered. He looked at Elizabeth, then Sonny but he didn't say anything.
Sonny took Adella from Elizabeth and said, "We'll be in the kitchen."
Once Sonny was out of the room, Elizabeth pulled money out of her pocket.
"If I give you this them that makes me you client and we have privilege, right?" she asked.
Justus nodded and took the money.
"What do you need?" he asked.
"Are you working on Jason's defense?" Elizabeth asked. "The DA is going to charge him with murder."
"What does that have to do with you?" Justus asked.
"I saw the whole thing. Jason had to kill Alcazar. It was self-defense or justifiable homicide or whatever," Elizabeth said. "I told Ric...."
"Ric?" Justus asked.
"My husband and the DA," Elizabeth said. "I told him but he wants me to lie. Well, he never actually said that word."
"What exactly did he say?" Justus asked.
"He said you couldn't call me to testify if you didn't know I had been a witness. I never talked to the police and he wasn't going to tell you," Elizabeth said.
"You didn't really need me to be your lawyer to tell me that," Justus said.
"I need a divorce," she said. "Now. I want him to be served with the papers by the end of the day and I want it final as soon as possible."
"Okay, I can do that," Justus said.
"And I want custody of my daughter," Elizabeth said. "I'm afraid if Ric gets custody, he'll never let me see her again. Um, there's something that could help with that but I don't want to use it unless absolutely necessary. And you cannot tell Sonny."
"What is it?" Justus asked.
"My daughter, she's not Ric's," she said.
"Well, we'll need proof of that so we'll have to send out for DNA tests," Justus told her.
"I'll do whatever you say," Elizabeth said.
"I'll take care of all of that but you need to tell Sonny and Jason what you told me about Alcazar's death and Ric's reaction," Justus said.
As Justus walked across the hall, Elizabeth called to Sonny to come back into the living room. Sonny came out carrying Adella at the same time Jason and Justus walked through the door.
"Elizabeth," Jason said, "what are you doing here?"
"I have something I need to tell you and Sonny," she said.
"What is it?" Sonny asked.
"I'm sure you both expect Jason to be charged for killing Alcazar and Ric is ready to put Jason in jail forever," Elizabeth said. "I was there. I saw the whole thing."
Elizabeth continued explaining her conversation with Ric. When she was finished, Sonny and Jason just looked at her.
"So you want to testify for the defense," Sonny said.
Elizabeth nodded.
"Why?" Justus asked the question that had been bothering since she had first told him everything.
Elizabeth looked at Jason as she answered, "Because it's the right thing to do. Because I remember several situations where Jason almost had to kill to protect me. Because this really isn't about Jason or what he did."
"What do you mean it's not about Jason?" Justus asked.
"It's about Sonny and revenge and me being an idiot," Elizabeth said.
"You're not an idiot," Sonny said.
"Aren't I? I've been here before and yet I willingly went back to him. I can't believe I thought he actually changed. People don't just get over obsessions like that," Elizabeth said.
"You see the best in people," Jason said quietly, speaking for the first time. "It's not a bad thing just because Ric took advantage of it."
"I'm sorry but what are you talking about?" Justus asked.
Elizabeth quickly told him all that had transpired between herself and Ric and about Ric and Sonny.
"Okay, that actually gives me a lot to work with," Justus said.
"What are you going to do?" Sonny asked Elizabeth.
"I'm getting a divorce. Iwon't stay married to a man who tries to put Jason in prison for protecting someone's life," she said.
Sonny and Justus exchanged a look and Justus said, "We do have one major problem."
"What?" Jason and Elizabeth asked at the same time.
"The fact that you never told the police could look bad for us," Justus said.
"I can't just go to the police station and give a statement," Elizabeth said.
"No, you can't," Jason said. "But I think I know a way. Can you stick around for a while?"
"Sure," Elizabeth said. "It's not like I have anywhere to go."
Jason left quickly and Sonny looked at Elizabeth.
"Do you have a plan for any of this?" Sonny asked her.
"I just know I can't go back to that house," Elizabeth said.
"You can stay here," Sonny offered.
"No," Elizabeth and Justus said at the same time.
"It's a sweet offer, Sonny, but I can't stay here. It would look like you were coercing me or I was testifying to get back at Ric," Elizabeth said.
"I guess that means Jason's penthouse is out too," Sonny said.
"Yes," Elizabeth said.
"So where are you going to stay?" Sonny asked.
"I really don't know. My studio isn't suitable for raising a kid, even short term. Plus, that's the first place Ric would look. My grandmother's house is the second," Elizabeth said.
"Sonny, could you put her in a safehouse? One where she could come and go but Ric wouldn't think to look for her," Justus said.
"I guess but he'd probably just follow her from Kelly's," Sonny said.
"You have guards. Give her one," Justus said.
"I'm starting to feel like a burden and that's the last thing I ever wanted," Elizabeth said.
"You're not a burden and you are helping keep Jason out of jail. I could give you everything I have and not be able to repay you for that," Sonny said.
"I don't want to be repayed," Elizabeth said. "I owe him far more than this anyway."
A few minutes later Jason knocked on the door and let himself in. He spoke to Sonny privately and then to Justus. Finally he turned to Elizabeth.
"Justus is going to take you to a place I have set up. There will be two cops there that you can trust. They want justice, not payback," Jason said. "Sonny said you're going to stay in a safehouse with a guard. Would you like me to come and stay with you? I know you don't love the guards."
"That would be nice," Elizabeth said and followed Justus out of the penthouse, after securing Sonny as a baby-sitter.