Second Chances: A Start
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mr. Morgan, we have a problem."
Before Francis' words could even register in Jason's brain, Elizabeth's face flashed before his eyes. "What?" Jason barked already knowing the answer. It had to be Ric Lansing.
Jason did his best to contain his wrath. When was Ric Lansing going to learn he thought to himself as he listened to Francis recount of what had happened at the cemetery? The image of him touching Elizabeth let alone manhandling her to the point she was in hysterics had Jason seeing red. While he continued listening he pulled open the desk draw and reached for his gun. In doing that he revealed a picture of Emily, Elizabeth and himself. Emily had forced him to pose with them. She knew there was very little that her brother could deny her and she had used the to her advantage that day.
That picture held his gaze. He let out a labored sigh. He missed his little sister so much. He missed Elizabeth. He missed what they shared. He missed her touch, the soft way she used to brush her skin against his own. He longed for those days when he was recovering from his gunshot wound, when it had just been him and her in her studio.
"Mr. Morgan?" Francis' questioning tone interrupted Jason's thoughts. "Mr. Morgan, what do you want me to do? Miss Webber just left with Zander Smith."
"I want you to stay where you are. Max is on his way. He'll be taking over for you." Jason threw on his leather jacket and slipped his gun behind his back and exited the penthouse with Max in tow. He gave the guard the same instructions that Francis had received days before - only this time Jason hoped that the man knew how to get the job done.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Once more Ric Lansing watched his wife being guided away from him by another man. Gingerly he slipped Elizabeth's wedding band onto the littlest finger of his left hand. His eyes rested on the pair sitting next to one another - his and hers. He felt the tears prick his dark eyes as he recalled the day they had exchanged their wedding vows. She had been a beautiful bride. So full of love for him but now her azure eyes were filled with nothing but contempt.
He looked on as the figures of Elizabeth and Zander Smith got smaller and smaller in the distance until there was nothing left of them but the image of her Ric had burned in his memory. Just as he was about to turn and leave he caught sight of a man lurking just beyond the cemetery fence. The man was dressed in an expensive Italian suit and while he didn't know him by name there was no mistaking he was one of Sonny's guards.
It wasn't until he heard the thunderous roar of a motorcycle in the distance that it registered with Ric that that man had been shadowing Elizabeth at Jason Morgan's request. Ric felt his body become rigid at that thought. Jason Morgan - Sonny Corinthos they were everywhere. They had everything. "You can't have Elizabeth," Ric whispered under his breath.
As he saw the motorcycle come careening to a halt and Jason Morgan jump off of it, Ric knew he needed to disappear. But where? The cemetery was nothing more than vast openness. His eyes darted around him finally spying a large marble crypt. Quietly he slipped inside hoping to give himself enough of a vantagepoint to hear what was going on between the two men but not giving himself away either.
"Where the fuck is he?" Jason's voice echoed as he glared at Francis.
"One minute he was here and the next he was gone," Francis said dumbfounded knowing how ridiculous that statement sounded.
"Why the hell did you let him get that close to her?" Jason demanded. "I told you to shoot him if he came within fifteen feet of her!" He clenched his jaw waiting for a response.
The words 'shoot him' grabbed Ric's attention as he listened crouched near the heavy stone door of the crypt.
"I was about to when.."
"When what? Was this before or after you heard her screaming?" Jason wasn't cutting the man any slack. In his eyes he had done a poor job with what he was assigned to do.
"Zander Smith showed up and he seemed to handle things all right." Francis turned his face away from the man who he knew suddenly held his life in his hands.
Jason forced Francis' eyes to meet his own. "You're paid to handle things!"
"I'm sorry Mr. Morgan. It won't happen again."
"Damn right it won't. Max will be guarding Elizabeth from now on. He's done the job before and knows how to do it right. Get out of here."
Francis wasted little time in clearing out as his boss had suggested. Jason ran his hand through his blonde hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out his cell phone making a call to Max. He was relieved to hear that Zander had taken Elizabeth to Kelly's and all seemed to fine with her. Stay close Jason had told Max. He didn't want another mishap.
Jason looked up and realized that without knowing it he was standing before Emily's fresh grave. He peered at the marble headstone his stare boring holes in it if he could. This was all still so surreal to him. It was hard for him to believe that she was really gone. So many people in his world had faked their own demises that Jason wanted this to be just another one of them, yet he knew it wasn't. He rested his hands on the cool pink marble surface and listened to his own breathing. In.out.in.out.it all sounded so normal but nothing was normal anymore. "I miss you, Emily," he sighed. "How do I tell Elizabeth that I love her?" The question came out of nowhere but it had fallen from his lips just the same. It was as though in the stillness of the cemetery he didn't have to hide. It was easy for him to say what was in his heart because there was no one there to hear it - but there was.
Ric clasped his hands into tight balls as he heard Jason proclaim his love of Elizabeth, his wife, to his sister's headstone.
"I have messed this up so many times, Em. I don't want to do it again. But I don't want to be without her anymore."
Ric raked his hands through his thick black hair and tried to keep his focus. The rational part of him knew he couldn't move if he wanted to stay alive, but the irrational man that he had been for most of the time lately had him wanting to take his chances and show himself to Morgan. He wanted to claim his wife.
"I love her, Emily. I love her." Jason said it again. For him saying it out loud was freeing in a way. For so long his heart had been screaming those words even though his head refused to acknowledge them. It felt good to finally let them have free reign.
"Shut up, Morgan! Shut up," Ric's jaw clenched as he muttered under his breath. With the more Jason talked the more Ric lost his resolve to stay hidden. It was like Jason was baiting him without even knowing it.
"So much has happened between us, though, what if we can't find our way back?" Jason asked the emptiness in hopes of getting an answer. "We've.I've," he corrected, "hurt her so many times. What if she doesn't feel that way anymore?"
No one would have believed that the man standing there talking to a grave marker was Jason Morgan - Jason Morgan, Sonny's Corinthos' enforcer, right hand man. That man had no feelings. That man was stone cold and tough as nails. Yet Elizabeth Webber had a way of turning that stone into flesh and feelings.
The shrill ringing of Jason's cell phone cut through the stillness. "Morgan." He gave his customary response. "Elizabeth?" his tone was questioning and one of surprise. "Everything okay?"
The mere mention of Elizabeth's name passing from Jason's lips had Ric pressed closer to the crypt entrance. She called him he thought. She called him. His mind repeated like a skipping record.
"I'm fine. I need to see you."
"Sure. Where?"
"My studio. You remember the way right?" She tried to sound light- hearted as she spoke.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can find my way." He joked back. "I'll be there in five."
"Thanks Jason."
Ric looked on from his hiding place as Jason nearly sprinted from the cemetery. His heart sank in his chest. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't really be losing her to him. He couldn't. he wouldn't.
Ric emerged from the crypt as the motorcycle rumbled off into the distance. He wondered just how Elizabeth would feel knowing that Jason was having her followed. Armed with that knowledge Ric formed a plan as he headed back to the home he would soon be sharing with his wife again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jason rounded the corner sharply as the building that housed Elizabeth's studio came into sight. It was then he saw her standing outside.
"Hey," he said over the hum of the engine.
"Take me for a ride." It wasn't a request but more of a statement.
"Hop on."
Elizabeth did just that. Wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, she let herself melt against his body. Jason revved up the engine and they were off to wherever the wind would take them.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Mr. Morgan, we have a problem."
Before Francis' words could even register in Jason's brain, Elizabeth's face flashed before his eyes. "What?" Jason barked already knowing the answer. It had to be Ric Lansing.
Jason did his best to contain his wrath. When was Ric Lansing going to learn he thought to himself as he listened to Francis recount of what had happened at the cemetery? The image of him touching Elizabeth let alone manhandling her to the point she was in hysterics had Jason seeing red. While he continued listening he pulled open the desk draw and reached for his gun. In doing that he revealed a picture of Emily, Elizabeth and himself. Emily had forced him to pose with them. She knew there was very little that her brother could deny her and she had used the to her advantage that day.
That picture held his gaze. He let out a labored sigh. He missed his little sister so much. He missed Elizabeth. He missed what they shared. He missed her touch, the soft way she used to brush her skin against his own. He longed for those days when he was recovering from his gunshot wound, when it had just been him and her in her studio.
"Mr. Morgan?" Francis' questioning tone interrupted Jason's thoughts. "Mr. Morgan, what do you want me to do? Miss Webber just left with Zander Smith."
"I want you to stay where you are. Max is on his way. He'll be taking over for you." Jason threw on his leather jacket and slipped his gun behind his back and exited the penthouse with Max in tow. He gave the guard the same instructions that Francis had received days before - only this time Jason hoped that the man knew how to get the job done.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Once more Ric Lansing watched his wife being guided away from him by another man. Gingerly he slipped Elizabeth's wedding band onto the littlest finger of his left hand. His eyes rested on the pair sitting next to one another - his and hers. He felt the tears prick his dark eyes as he recalled the day they had exchanged their wedding vows. She had been a beautiful bride. So full of love for him but now her azure eyes were filled with nothing but contempt.
He looked on as the figures of Elizabeth and Zander Smith got smaller and smaller in the distance until there was nothing left of them but the image of her Ric had burned in his memory. Just as he was about to turn and leave he caught sight of a man lurking just beyond the cemetery fence. The man was dressed in an expensive Italian suit and while he didn't know him by name there was no mistaking he was one of Sonny's guards.
It wasn't until he heard the thunderous roar of a motorcycle in the distance that it registered with Ric that that man had been shadowing Elizabeth at Jason Morgan's request. Ric felt his body become rigid at that thought. Jason Morgan - Sonny Corinthos they were everywhere. They had everything. "You can't have Elizabeth," Ric whispered under his breath.
As he saw the motorcycle come careening to a halt and Jason Morgan jump off of it, Ric knew he needed to disappear. But where? The cemetery was nothing more than vast openness. His eyes darted around him finally spying a large marble crypt. Quietly he slipped inside hoping to give himself enough of a vantagepoint to hear what was going on between the two men but not giving himself away either.
"Where the fuck is he?" Jason's voice echoed as he glared at Francis.
"One minute he was here and the next he was gone," Francis said dumbfounded knowing how ridiculous that statement sounded.
"Why the hell did you let him get that close to her?" Jason demanded. "I told you to shoot him if he came within fifteen feet of her!" He clenched his jaw waiting for a response.
The words 'shoot him' grabbed Ric's attention as he listened crouched near the heavy stone door of the crypt.
"I was about to when.."
"When what? Was this before or after you heard her screaming?" Jason wasn't cutting the man any slack. In his eyes he had done a poor job with what he was assigned to do.
"Zander Smith showed up and he seemed to handle things all right." Francis turned his face away from the man who he knew suddenly held his life in his hands.
Jason forced Francis' eyes to meet his own. "You're paid to handle things!"
"I'm sorry Mr. Morgan. It won't happen again."
"Damn right it won't. Max will be guarding Elizabeth from now on. He's done the job before and knows how to do it right. Get out of here."
Francis wasted little time in clearing out as his boss had suggested. Jason ran his hand through his blonde hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out his cell phone making a call to Max. He was relieved to hear that Zander had taken Elizabeth to Kelly's and all seemed to fine with her. Stay close Jason had told Max. He didn't want another mishap.
Jason looked up and realized that without knowing it he was standing before Emily's fresh grave. He peered at the marble headstone his stare boring holes in it if he could. This was all still so surreal to him. It was hard for him to believe that she was really gone. So many people in his world had faked their own demises that Jason wanted this to be just another one of them, yet he knew it wasn't. He rested his hands on the cool pink marble surface and listened to his own breathing. In.out.in.out.it all sounded so normal but nothing was normal anymore. "I miss you, Emily," he sighed. "How do I tell Elizabeth that I love her?" The question came out of nowhere but it had fallen from his lips just the same. It was as though in the stillness of the cemetery he didn't have to hide. It was easy for him to say what was in his heart because there was no one there to hear it - but there was.
Ric clasped his hands into tight balls as he heard Jason proclaim his love of Elizabeth, his wife, to his sister's headstone.
"I have messed this up so many times, Em. I don't want to do it again. But I don't want to be without her anymore."
Ric raked his hands through his thick black hair and tried to keep his focus. The rational part of him knew he couldn't move if he wanted to stay alive, but the irrational man that he had been for most of the time lately had him wanting to take his chances and show himself to Morgan. He wanted to claim his wife.
"I love her, Emily. I love her." Jason said it again. For him saying it out loud was freeing in a way. For so long his heart had been screaming those words even though his head refused to acknowledge them. It felt good to finally let them have free reign.
"Shut up, Morgan! Shut up," Ric's jaw clenched as he muttered under his breath. With the more Jason talked the more Ric lost his resolve to stay hidden. It was like Jason was baiting him without even knowing it.
"So much has happened between us, though, what if we can't find our way back?" Jason asked the emptiness in hopes of getting an answer. "We've.I've," he corrected, "hurt her so many times. What if she doesn't feel that way anymore?"
No one would have believed that the man standing there talking to a grave marker was Jason Morgan - Jason Morgan, Sonny's Corinthos' enforcer, right hand man. That man had no feelings. That man was stone cold and tough as nails. Yet Elizabeth Webber had a way of turning that stone into flesh and feelings.
The shrill ringing of Jason's cell phone cut through the stillness. "Morgan." He gave his customary response. "Elizabeth?" his tone was questioning and one of surprise. "Everything okay?"
The mere mention of Elizabeth's name passing from Jason's lips had Ric pressed closer to the crypt entrance. She called him he thought. She called him. His mind repeated like a skipping record.
"I'm fine. I need to see you."
"Sure. Where?"
"My studio. You remember the way right?" She tried to sound light- hearted as she spoke.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can find my way." He joked back. "I'll be there in five."
"Thanks Jason."
Ric looked on from his hiding place as Jason nearly sprinted from the cemetery. His heart sank in his chest. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't really be losing her to him. He couldn't. he wouldn't.
Ric emerged from the crypt as the motorcycle rumbled off into the distance. He wondered just how Elizabeth would feel knowing that Jason was having her followed. Armed with that knowledge Ric formed a plan as he headed back to the home he would soon be sharing with his wife again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jason rounded the corner sharply as the building that housed Elizabeth's studio came into sight. It was then he saw her standing outside.
"Hey," he said over the hum of the engine.
"Take me for a ride." It wasn't a request but more of a statement.
"Hop on."
Elizabeth did just that. Wrapping her arms tightly around his waist, she let herself melt against his body. Jason revved up the engine and they were off to wherever the wind would take them.