Jason pressed his hands on the door that Elizabeth had just passed through and willed himself to remain in the room. It was an effort that took every strength within him. He buried his face in his hands and let out a heavy sigh. Now that she wasn't there in the room, Jason felt like a vital part of him was missing – that notion scared him. Almost frightening him so much so that he felt his own body shake. What had he been thinking when he agreed to keep up with this – Jason struggled with the correct word to describe what was taking place between them. He wasn't sure what to even call it. Was it an affair? Was it only lust or something much deeper?
If Jason had been truthful with his answer to that question, he was sure that he was doomed. Doomed to be forever in hiding, stealing moments with Elizabeth. That wasn't what he wanted for either of them. She was far too special to be reduced to some cheating wife, yet what else could she ever be? Jason knew that answer as well and it sickened him. This hadn't been how he expected to find love. Love wasn't supposed to come in the form of another man's wife, especially not in that of a wife of a "Made Man" from a rival family.
Jason groaned as he threw his body against the disheveled bed. He rolled over and let the smell of their lust fill his nostrils. Easily all those wondrous pictures filled his head. Making love to Elizabeth had been so effortless. It was almost as if they were two halves of the same whole finally joined. No matter how much logic his head screamed at him, Jason couldn't deny that fact nor could he imagine the thought of never joining with her again. The mere fleeting images of Elizabeth's naked form aroused Jason all over again. "Get a grip, Morgan!" Jason yelled at the image that stared back at him from the bureau mirror. He wondered if that was even possible anymore. The minute Elizabeth entered the bar at the Drake Hotel, Jason had lost what little grip he still maintained on his warring emotions and now – well he knew that no matter what happened he couldn't turn his back on her.
Jason tucked his wrinkled denim shirt into his jeans and threw his jacket over his shoulder. He knew what was waiting for him when he crossed the threshold of the Morgan Mansion's foyer. The way he had stormed out the previous day inevitably would require a long detailed explanation for his father, an explanation that at the moment Jason didn't even have. So many furious thoughts had spilled forth yesterday that he wasn't sure how to explain them all. How could Jason make his father understand that he was grateful for all that had been given to him while still letting Joseph know that he was missing something that both his bother and sister were so readily granted? Better yet, how was Jason supposed to make his father understand that he had found the love he had always dreamed of, but he could never truly have her because of all those rites and rituals that Joseph held sacred? Jason shook his head and understood that for the time being, until he got a handle on what was really happening between himself and Anthony's wife, the less said to Joseph the better.
Jason shielded his eyes as the bright light of day invaded them. He waved his arm for the first available taxi to take him back to the Drake Hotel so he could retrieve his own car. It was then that he saw the tail lights of Elizabeth's dark blue BMW sitting two blocks away amidst the traffic waiting for the light over head to change from red to green. Immediately Jason began to wonder and worry about exactly what would be awaiting her when she reached the Malucci compound. Would Anthony be there waiting for her, or would he have left one of his goons there to wait for Elizabeth's arrival? The thought of it all forced Jason's body to shake with a mixture of anger and fear.
Jason raised his hand again and attempted to hail another cab. He wonder if he could actually go through with this knowing that every time he left Elizabeth he would be troubled by the images of Anthony and what he was capable of doing to her. The problem for Jason was that even if he never saw Elizabeth Malucci again, he would be plagued by those same thoughts.
As her own car came to rest in its appropriate spot in the drive, Elizabeth's eyes were riveted on her father's black sedan. She did not expect to see it in the space where Anthony's car was normally parked. The entire drive home she had agonized over how to handle Anthony this morning hadn't been necessary. The thought of dealing with her father was much less threatening but it was in no way any more appealing to Elizabeth that morning. She sighed heavily steeling herself for the inevitable confrontation that always ensued when she and her father were in the same room. Suddenly Elizabeth wished she had listened to her inner voice that had begged her to turn around and spend the morning making love to Jason Morgan. The same way she had spent the previous night. That was a far more tempting thought than discussing ways to further her father's career. In her opinion she had already done her part.
Leaning her head against the leather headrest, Elizabeth let her mind wander to Jason. She knew that he had agreed that their glorious night wasn't where it ended for them but she couldn't help but fear that it very well could have been. She wasn't stupid. Elizabeth recognized the tightrope they both were walking. She hadn't needed Jason's constant reminders of what could happen if they continued with this affair. Elizabeth absently wondered if 'affair' was even the correct word to describe all that she was feeling. For the first time in many years, Elizabeth felt alive and the only reason for those emotions running rampant through her was Jason Morgan. She wasn't about to let go of them now, no matter what Mafia war was around the corner. Elizabeth felt she had endured Anthony and their loveless marriage for long enough and it was time that she got something out of this arrangement as well. That something – even if it was only an affair was Jason Morgan.
Elizabeth gathered her composure before exiting the car. This was the second night that she had been absent from Anthony's bed and this time she wouldn't be shielded by Rocco's protection. Coming up with a plausible reason for her absence eluded her at the moment. If she had had more friends, Elizabeth could have used one of them as an alibi saying that she had spent the night at their house. Unfortunately, however that wasn't the case. Elizabeth certainly couldn't use her father as an ally since she knew full well what side of the war he was on. His current presence at the Malucci house also threw a wrench in the option, no matter how unlikely it might have been. So instead, Elizabeth was forced to come up with some valid reason for her being out all night. As much as she knew she had an ally in Rocco, Elizabeth doubted he would understand much less condone, what she had done the night before – and he would also certainly not sanction whom she had done it with.
Inching her way toward the front door, Elizabeth found herself almost laughing as she thought how "normal" she had felt sitting alone in the McDonalds across from the Best Western River North. Buying a coffee and slipping into the red, yellow and white booth was comforting. For the first time in a long time, Elizabeth felt completely normal. Just like an ordinary person living out an ordinary existence. She watched the families milling in and out of the fast food restaurant. Many of them had small children. She listened to mothers fighting with them to eat their breakfast or there wouldn't be any toys. The corners of Elizabeth's mouth turned upward as she imagined what it might have been like to have children of her own. That was a thought that, until that morning, had never crossed her mind. The last thing Elizabeth wanted to do was bring a child into her marriage. Anthony would have never been the father that Rocco was. While Elizabeth didn't always agree with or understand the life that Rocco lived, she did know that he loved his son – good and bad. She also knew in her heart that would never be the case with Anthony. He would be a tyrant with his child in the same way he had been with her. Elizabeth wasn't about to bring a child into that kind of hell. Now though, she couldn't help but ponder what a child of hers and Jason's might look like. Would he or she have Jason's piercing eyes, her curly chocolate locks or his thick blonde mane? Elizabeth shook her head forcing reality to rear its ugly and ever present head. No matter where this was going with Jason, it wouldn't be going there.
As Elizabeth neared closer to the house's entry, there was an unmistakable sound of shouting coming from inside. She heard Jeff's voice along with Rocco's. She knew the affect stress had on her father in law's health, so she rushed inside and momentarily put him above all else. "What the hell's going on in here?" she questioned a bit out of breath.
"Nothing. Your father was just on his way out!"
"Goodbye Elizabeth." She eyed Jeff curiously as he slipped passed her.
"Rocco?" Elizabeth's tone was questioning.
"Come," he motioned toward the study. "You and I need to talk."
Obediently Elizabeth followed behind Rocco's wheelchair and closed the door behind her as he had indicated. She felt a tension between the two of them that she had never before and that frightened her.
"I'm sorry if my father was making a pest of himself," she began as she searched for the words to cut through the strain that filled the room.
"I can handle Jeff," Rocco returned in an assured tone.
"I just don't want him upsetting you," Elizabeth said her voice filled with concern.
"You needn't worry about me. I believe it's yourself who you should be concerned with." Rocco raised his brow as he spoke.
Elizabeth felt her cheeks blush. She was sure that there was no earthly way her father in law could have know what she had done the night before but Elizabeth suddenly felt as if she was under a microscope. "Excuse me?" she questioned hoping that she sounded sincere.
"Elizabeth, please." Rocco let out a frustrated sigh. "You are sitting here in the same clothes you had on yesterday, and you expect me to believe you don't understand what I am alluding to?" She was startled by Rocco's directness. All she was able to do was stare at him unable to think of one thing to say. "Where were you?" he questioned. The sound of those words was so familiar to him. It seemed like only yesterday that Rocco had asked the very same question of his sister.
"I couldn't stay here," Elizabeth stammered. "Anthony is out of control. He wants to have you committed for god sakes!" she gasped with wide eyes.
"So what – you ran off into the night thinking that would make everything better? Giving Anthony another reason to strike isn't the answer you are looking for!" Rocco stated firmly while his mind made its way back in time ... ... ...
Rocco watched his sister Anna sneak down the long drive night after night when she thought no one was looking. She and Carlo Rossetti had been married under his father's orders. Carlo had lost his own father to a hit man's bullet that had been meant for the patriarch of the Malucci family. From that point forward, Rocco's father had taken Carlo under his wing and taught him all those things that the elder Rossetti would never be able to do.
The idea of Anna marrying Carlo seemed natural to Rocco's father. So much so that he never even bothered to ask his daughter what she wanted. Anna's desires played no role in her father's grand plan, nor did it matter that her heart had already been spoken for.
Rocco knew where Anna went each night she slipped away from her husband as he lay asleep in their bed. She went to Robert. The man whom she felt she should have been married to. Rocco had known all along that Anna would never give Robert up. She had told him as much. She had begged and pleaded with her brother for his help.
"Papa will listen to you!" Anna pleaded over and over and over again only to get the same tired response from him.
"Anna, this is what Papa wants, what he expects. I can't go against his wishes," Rocco would sigh.
The gulf between brother and sister widened until there was no bridge broad enough to cross the expanse. Rocco did his best to reason with Anna, but she was too irrational. It wasn't until that morning he had over heard a private phone conversation between Anna and Robert that Rocco knew he had to take matters into his own hands. Cupping his hand over the mouthpiece, Rocco listened while the pair made plans to disappear into the night. He shuddered at the thought. Had his sister completely taken leave of her senses? Had Anna forgotten just who their father was? Rocco couldn't let this happen. His father's men would have combed the ends of the earth until they found his daughter. When they did, Rocco knew what would happen to Anna's travel companion. It certainly wouldn't be pretty.
Rocco had to make Robert understand, not only for his own sake but for Anna's as well, that this affair of theirs couldn't go on. That for all concerned Robert had to walk away and never look back. The very thoughts of that, Rocco knew, would break his sister's tender heart, but he hadn't been left with much choice.
"Anthony doesn't need a reason to strike!" Elizabeth's voice broke Rocco's train of thought.
"What?" he said with obvious confusion.
"I said no matter what I do, Anthony is ready to strike." Elizabeth gasped and attempted to hold back her tears as she longed for the safety of Jason's arms once more.
Rocco stopped abruptly unable to speak as all the love he felt for his sister rushed him with brute force. "Where did you go last night?" he asked again with a soft tone.
"I drove around the city." That answer wasn't a complete lie. In the beginning of Elizabeth's journey that was exactly the truth.
"All night?"
"Yes."
"You never stopped? You never talked to anyone?" Rocco pressed hoping that she would confide in him and give him the opportunity to right his wrong from long ago. He couldn't do a damn thing for Anna, but he just might be able to stop Elizabeth from suffering the same fate. It amazed him that he was willing to go against his own son when he hadn't been willing to do so for his sister, yet Rocco reasoned that Anthony had betrayed him time and time again in his efforts to gain the place he thought rightfully belonged to him. "Elizabeth, do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"Trust me with you life?"
"Yes."
"Then please tell me where you were last night. I can't protect you if I don't know all the facts."
"I told you I drove around Chicago."
Rocco again felt like he was sitting across from Anna. Her denial of her actions mirrored that of Elizabeth's and for Rocco it was like reliving a very bad dream ... ... ...
Rocco saw Anna standing alone tiny suitcase in hand looking at her watch repeatedly. He was sure that she had to be wondering where Robert was. Rocco knew that Robert wasn't coming to whisk Anna away that night. He had made sure of it.
It hadn't taken much to threaten Robert. The Malucci name was enough to install fear in the masses and Robert Black was no exception. Rocco had to admit that the man had put up a brave front in the beginning but the more Rocco came forth with what might happen to him if so much as thought of running away with Anna, the man soon ran scared.
Watching his sister crying on the street corner ripped Rocco's heart to shreds. All the reasoning in the world would never erase that memory from his mind.
From that night on, the Anna that he had known slowly slipped away. She slipped into a world of her own making. Toggling from a catatonic to a raving mad woman. Anna had the entire Malucci house on edge. It finally reached a point where Rocco's parents had no choice but to commit their daughter to a sanitarium.
The day that Rocco kissed his sister goodbye was one that haunted him in his dreams. He knew that what he had done had caused this volatile reaction within her. He knew that he was responsible and he wished everyday since that he could have taken every word back that he said to Robert Black that night.
"Rocco?" Elizabeth questioned him. The glazed look in his eyes disturbed her.
"Huh?"
"Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes – yes, I'm fine. Elizabeth," gently Rocco took her hand in his, "I don't care where you were last night and I don't care whom you were with. This life you have with my son isn't a life at all. I know that and I am so sorry."
"What?" Elizabeth couldn't hide her surprise.
"I can't sit by and watch you become a shell of your former self. I won't be a party to that again. You do what you have to do and I will do my very best to see that Anthony is put on a short leash."
"Rocco?"
"Elizabeth, I am old but not stupid. You certainly didn't spend last night driving around the city streets. If you have found someone to bring you joy and happiness amidst this hell my son has created for you, well then I say so be it. Just please, please be cautious," he stressed as he patted hand softly. "This game you are playing has different rules for women than it does for men. You must remember that. Be on your guard at all times. Anthony will be blatant with his conquests but you can not. Do you understand me?" Elizabeth nodded in disbelief. "Take what times of happiness you share with whomever – I don't want to know." He put his finger to her lips before she was able to speak. "Treasure them and know that they may be all you will ever have."
"Why?" she asked. "Why are you being so kind?" Elizabeth knew this wasn't normal, even for the abnormal life of the Mafia. Mafia wives weren't encouraged to seek affection outside of their husband's bed and they surely were never encouraged to do so by their fathers in law.
"I want to do for you what I didn't have the guts to do for my sister. I will live with that regret forever. Now if Anthony asks where you were last night, tell him you stayed with your father ..."
"But..." Elizabeth cut him off knowing that Jeff would never agree to cross Anthony.
"No buts," Rocco stopped her. "I will handle your father not to worry." Rocco was fairly certain that his innuendo regarding Jeff Webber's missing police report would be enough ammunition to keep the man in line.
Elizabeth closed the door to her bedroom. As she leaned against it, she wondered if Rocco would have still been so eager to cover for her if he had known the name attached to her mysterious rendezvous was Jason Morgan.
If Jason had been truthful with his answer to that question, he was sure that he was doomed. Doomed to be forever in hiding, stealing moments with Elizabeth. That wasn't what he wanted for either of them. She was far too special to be reduced to some cheating wife, yet what else could she ever be? Jason knew that answer as well and it sickened him. This hadn't been how he expected to find love. Love wasn't supposed to come in the form of another man's wife, especially not in that of a wife of a "Made Man" from a rival family.
Jason groaned as he threw his body against the disheveled bed. He rolled over and let the smell of their lust fill his nostrils. Easily all those wondrous pictures filled his head. Making love to Elizabeth had been so effortless. It was almost as if they were two halves of the same whole finally joined. No matter how much logic his head screamed at him, Jason couldn't deny that fact nor could he imagine the thought of never joining with her again. The mere fleeting images of Elizabeth's naked form aroused Jason all over again. "Get a grip, Morgan!" Jason yelled at the image that stared back at him from the bureau mirror. He wondered if that was even possible anymore. The minute Elizabeth entered the bar at the Drake Hotel, Jason had lost what little grip he still maintained on his warring emotions and now – well he knew that no matter what happened he couldn't turn his back on her.
Jason tucked his wrinkled denim shirt into his jeans and threw his jacket over his shoulder. He knew what was waiting for him when he crossed the threshold of the Morgan Mansion's foyer. The way he had stormed out the previous day inevitably would require a long detailed explanation for his father, an explanation that at the moment Jason didn't even have. So many furious thoughts had spilled forth yesterday that he wasn't sure how to explain them all. How could Jason make his father understand that he was grateful for all that had been given to him while still letting Joseph know that he was missing something that both his bother and sister were so readily granted? Better yet, how was Jason supposed to make his father understand that he had found the love he had always dreamed of, but he could never truly have her because of all those rites and rituals that Joseph held sacred? Jason shook his head and understood that for the time being, until he got a handle on what was really happening between himself and Anthony's wife, the less said to Joseph the better.
Jason shielded his eyes as the bright light of day invaded them. He waved his arm for the first available taxi to take him back to the Drake Hotel so he could retrieve his own car. It was then that he saw the tail lights of Elizabeth's dark blue BMW sitting two blocks away amidst the traffic waiting for the light over head to change from red to green. Immediately Jason began to wonder and worry about exactly what would be awaiting her when she reached the Malucci compound. Would Anthony be there waiting for her, or would he have left one of his goons there to wait for Elizabeth's arrival? The thought of it all forced Jason's body to shake with a mixture of anger and fear.
Jason raised his hand again and attempted to hail another cab. He wonder if he could actually go through with this knowing that every time he left Elizabeth he would be troubled by the images of Anthony and what he was capable of doing to her. The problem for Jason was that even if he never saw Elizabeth Malucci again, he would be plagued by those same thoughts.
As her own car came to rest in its appropriate spot in the drive, Elizabeth's eyes were riveted on her father's black sedan. She did not expect to see it in the space where Anthony's car was normally parked. The entire drive home she had agonized over how to handle Anthony this morning hadn't been necessary. The thought of dealing with her father was much less threatening but it was in no way any more appealing to Elizabeth that morning. She sighed heavily steeling herself for the inevitable confrontation that always ensued when she and her father were in the same room. Suddenly Elizabeth wished she had listened to her inner voice that had begged her to turn around and spend the morning making love to Jason Morgan. The same way she had spent the previous night. That was a far more tempting thought than discussing ways to further her father's career. In her opinion she had already done her part.
Leaning her head against the leather headrest, Elizabeth let her mind wander to Jason. She knew that he had agreed that their glorious night wasn't where it ended for them but she couldn't help but fear that it very well could have been. She wasn't stupid. Elizabeth recognized the tightrope they both were walking. She hadn't needed Jason's constant reminders of what could happen if they continued with this affair. Elizabeth absently wondered if 'affair' was even the correct word to describe all that she was feeling. For the first time in many years, Elizabeth felt alive and the only reason for those emotions running rampant through her was Jason Morgan. She wasn't about to let go of them now, no matter what Mafia war was around the corner. Elizabeth felt she had endured Anthony and their loveless marriage for long enough and it was time that she got something out of this arrangement as well. That something – even if it was only an affair was Jason Morgan.
Elizabeth gathered her composure before exiting the car. This was the second night that she had been absent from Anthony's bed and this time she wouldn't be shielded by Rocco's protection. Coming up with a plausible reason for her absence eluded her at the moment. If she had had more friends, Elizabeth could have used one of them as an alibi saying that she had spent the night at their house. Unfortunately, however that wasn't the case. Elizabeth certainly couldn't use her father as an ally since she knew full well what side of the war he was on. His current presence at the Malucci house also threw a wrench in the option, no matter how unlikely it might have been. So instead, Elizabeth was forced to come up with some valid reason for her being out all night. As much as she knew she had an ally in Rocco, Elizabeth doubted he would understand much less condone, what she had done the night before – and he would also certainly not sanction whom she had done it with.
Inching her way toward the front door, Elizabeth found herself almost laughing as she thought how "normal" she had felt sitting alone in the McDonalds across from the Best Western River North. Buying a coffee and slipping into the red, yellow and white booth was comforting. For the first time in a long time, Elizabeth felt completely normal. Just like an ordinary person living out an ordinary existence. She watched the families milling in and out of the fast food restaurant. Many of them had small children. She listened to mothers fighting with them to eat their breakfast or there wouldn't be any toys. The corners of Elizabeth's mouth turned upward as she imagined what it might have been like to have children of her own. That was a thought that, until that morning, had never crossed her mind. The last thing Elizabeth wanted to do was bring a child into her marriage. Anthony would have never been the father that Rocco was. While Elizabeth didn't always agree with or understand the life that Rocco lived, she did know that he loved his son – good and bad. She also knew in her heart that would never be the case with Anthony. He would be a tyrant with his child in the same way he had been with her. Elizabeth wasn't about to bring a child into that kind of hell. Now though, she couldn't help but ponder what a child of hers and Jason's might look like. Would he or she have Jason's piercing eyes, her curly chocolate locks or his thick blonde mane? Elizabeth shook her head forcing reality to rear its ugly and ever present head. No matter where this was going with Jason, it wouldn't be going there.
As Elizabeth neared closer to the house's entry, there was an unmistakable sound of shouting coming from inside. She heard Jeff's voice along with Rocco's. She knew the affect stress had on her father in law's health, so she rushed inside and momentarily put him above all else. "What the hell's going on in here?" she questioned a bit out of breath.
"Nothing. Your father was just on his way out!"
"Goodbye Elizabeth." She eyed Jeff curiously as he slipped passed her.
"Rocco?" Elizabeth's tone was questioning.
"Come," he motioned toward the study. "You and I need to talk."
Obediently Elizabeth followed behind Rocco's wheelchair and closed the door behind her as he had indicated. She felt a tension between the two of them that she had never before and that frightened her.
"I'm sorry if my father was making a pest of himself," she began as she searched for the words to cut through the strain that filled the room.
"I can handle Jeff," Rocco returned in an assured tone.
"I just don't want him upsetting you," Elizabeth said her voice filled with concern.
"You needn't worry about me. I believe it's yourself who you should be concerned with." Rocco raised his brow as he spoke.
Elizabeth felt her cheeks blush. She was sure that there was no earthly way her father in law could have know what she had done the night before but Elizabeth suddenly felt as if she was under a microscope. "Excuse me?" she questioned hoping that she sounded sincere.
"Elizabeth, please." Rocco let out a frustrated sigh. "You are sitting here in the same clothes you had on yesterday, and you expect me to believe you don't understand what I am alluding to?" She was startled by Rocco's directness. All she was able to do was stare at him unable to think of one thing to say. "Where were you?" he questioned. The sound of those words was so familiar to him. It seemed like only yesterday that Rocco had asked the very same question of his sister.
"I couldn't stay here," Elizabeth stammered. "Anthony is out of control. He wants to have you committed for god sakes!" she gasped with wide eyes.
"So what – you ran off into the night thinking that would make everything better? Giving Anthony another reason to strike isn't the answer you are looking for!" Rocco stated firmly while his mind made its way back in time ... ... ...
Rocco watched his sister Anna sneak down the long drive night after night when she thought no one was looking. She and Carlo Rossetti had been married under his father's orders. Carlo had lost his own father to a hit man's bullet that had been meant for the patriarch of the Malucci family. From that point forward, Rocco's father had taken Carlo under his wing and taught him all those things that the elder Rossetti would never be able to do.
The idea of Anna marrying Carlo seemed natural to Rocco's father. So much so that he never even bothered to ask his daughter what she wanted. Anna's desires played no role in her father's grand plan, nor did it matter that her heart had already been spoken for.
Rocco knew where Anna went each night she slipped away from her husband as he lay asleep in their bed. She went to Robert. The man whom she felt she should have been married to. Rocco had known all along that Anna would never give Robert up. She had told him as much. She had begged and pleaded with her brother for his help.
"Papa will listen to you!" Anna pleaded over and over and over again only to get the same tired response from him.
"Anna, this is what Papa wants, what he expects. I can't go against his wishes," Rocco would sigh.
The gulf between brother and sister widened until there was no bridge broad enough to cross the expanse. Rocco did his best to reason with Anna, but she was too irrational. It wasn't until that morning he had over heard a private phone conversation between Anna and Robert that Rocco knew he had to take matters into his own hands. Cupping his hand over the mouthpiece, Rocco listened while the pair made plans to disappear into the night. He shuddered at the thought. Had his sister completely taken leave of her senses? Had Anna forgotten just who their father was? Rocco couldn't let this happen. His father's men would have combed the ends of the earth until they found his daughter. When they did, Rocco knew what would happen to Anna's travel companion. It certainly wouldn't be pretty.
Rocco had to make Robert understand, not only for his own sake but for Anna's as well, that this affair of theirs couldn't go on. That for all concerned Robert had to walk away and never look back. The very thoughts of that, Rocco knew, would break his sister's tender heart, but he hadn't been left with much choice.
"Anthony doesn't need a reason to strike!" Elizabeth's voice broke Rocco's train of thought.
"What?" he said with obvious confusion.
"I said no matter what I do, Anthony is ready to strike." Elizabeth gasped and attempted to hold back her tears as she longed for the safety of Jason's arms once more.
Rocco stopped abruptly unable to speak as all the love he felt for his sister rushed him with brute force. "Where did you go last night?" he asked again with a soft tone.
"I drove around the city." That answer wasn't a complete lie. In the beginning of Elizabeth's journey that was exactly the truth.
"All night?"
"Yes."
"You never stopped? You never talked to anyone?" Rocco pressed hoping that she would confide in him and give him the opportunity to right his wrong from long ago. He couldn't do a damn thing for Anna, but he just might be able to stop Elizabeth from suffering the same fate. It amazed him that he was willing to go against his own son when he hadn't been willing to do so for his sister, yet Rocco reasoned that Anthony had betrayed him time and time again in his efforts to gain the place he thought rightfully belonged to him. "Elizabeth, do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"Trust me with you life?"
"Yes."
"Then please tell me where you were last night. I can't protect you if I don't know all the facts."
"I told you I drove around Chicago."
Rocco again felt like he was sitting across from Anna. Her denial of her actions mirrored that of Elizabeth's and for Rocco it was like reliving a very bad dream ... ... ...
Rocco saw Anna standing alone tiny suitcase in hand looking at her watch repeatedly. He was sure that she had to be wondering where Robert was. Rocco knew that Robert wasn't coming to whisk Anna away that night. He had made sure of it.
It hadn't taken much to threaten Robert. The Malucci name was enough to install fear in the masses and Robert Black was no exception. Rocco had to admit that the man had put up a brave front in the beginning but the more Rocco came forth with what might happen to him if so much as thought of running away with Anna, the man soon ran scared.
Watching his sister crying on the street corner ripped Rocco's heart to shreds. All the reasoning in the world would never erase that memory from his mind.
From that night on, the Anna that he had known slowly slipped away. She slipped into a world of her own making. Toggling from a catatonic to a raving mad woman. Anna had the entire Malucci house on edge. It finally reached a point where Rocco's parents had no choice but to commit their daughter to a sanitarium.
The day that Rocco kissed his sister goodbye was one that haunted him in his dreams. He knew that what he had done had caused this volatile reaction within her. He knew that he was responsible and he wished everyday since that he could have taken every word back that he said to Robert Black that night.
"Rocco?" Elizabeth questioned him. The glazed look in his eyes disturbed her.
"Huh?"
"Are you feeling all right?"
"Yes – yes, I'm fine. Elizabeth," gently Rocco took her hand in his, "I don't care where you were last night and I don't care whom you were with. This life you have with my son isn't a life at all. I know that and I am so sorry."
"What?" Elizabeth couldn't hide her surprise.
"I can't sit by and watch you become a shell of your former self. I won't be a party to that again. You do what you have to do and I will do my very best to see that Anthony is put on a short leash."
"Rocco?"
"Elizabeth, I am old but not stupid. You certainly didn't spend last night driving around the city streets. If you have found someone to bring you joy and happiness amidst this hell my son has created for you, well then I say so be it. Just please, please be cautious," he stressed as he patted hand softly. "This game you are playing has different rules for women than it does for men. You must remember that. Be on your guard at all times. Anthony will be blatant with his conquests but you can not. Do you understand me?" Elizabeth nodded in disbelief. "Take what times of happiness you share with whomever – I don't want to know." He put his finger to her lips before she was able to speak. "Treasure them and know that they may be all you will ever have."
"Why?" she asked. "Why are you being so kind?" Elizabeth knew this wasn't normal, even for the abnormal life of the Mafia. Mafia wives weren't encouraged to seek affection outside of their husband's bed and they surely were never encouraged to do so by their fathers in law.
"I want to do for you what I didn't have the guts to do for my sister. I will live with that regret forever. Now if Anthony asks where you were last night, tell him you stayed with your father ..."
"But..." Elizabeth cut him off knowing that Jeff would never agree to cross Anthony.
"No buts," Rocco stopped her. "I will handle your father not to worry." Rocco was fairly certain that his innuendo regarding Jeff Webber's missing police report would be enough ammunition to keep the man in line.
Elizabeth closed the door to her bedroom. As she leaned against it, she wondered if Rocco would have still been so eager to cover for her if he had known the name attached to her mysterious rendezvous was Jason Morgan.