Chapter 17

"Good morning, beautiful."

Elizabeth opened her eyes to see Lucky staring down at her. He was already awake and dressed. When she came in last night, she'd been glad that Lucky was asleep. She knew she wouldn't have been able to handle an argument with him about where she'd been. Her emotional state had been pretty much trashed after her talk with Jason. Looking at Lucky now, she wasn't sure she could handle talking to him today either.

"Morning," she said sluggishly as she rubbed her eyes and sat up in the bed.

"I didn't hear you come in last night," he said. "You must have worked really late." She could hear the silent question loud and clear. Did you see Jason?

She wanted to be honest but didn't want him to know exactly what happened between her and Jason. "I finished my painting and then I went to Jake's to see Jason. I needed to make sure he was okay and to tell him that we couldn't be friends anymore." She closed her eyes and waited for the attack. It didn't come.

He smiled, leaned over and kissed her. "I've got great news. Mom and Carly are going to organize a launch party to announce who will be the next Face of Deception. It's going to be next week. I can't wait for your name to be called and all those journalists start clamouring for your attention. You're going to be a star, and we'll get to live out our dream."

Elizabeth was stunned. Lucky didn't say anything about Jason. Had he changed his mind? Did he not care that she had seen him when she agreed not too? Maybe I didn't try hard enough to make Lucky understand her connection with Jason. Did she even understand her connection with Jason?

She smiled at Lucky's excited expression. He was happy and that's all she ever wanted. "That's great," she said trying to match Lucky's excitement, but not quite achieving it. With everything that had occurred in the last two days, she had forgotten all about becoming a model. She remembered what she told Jason. She didn't want to be a model, but she would do it to make Lucky happy.

She climbed out of bed and reached for her bathrobe. "Let me take a quick shower and get ready, okay. Then you can tell me all the plans for the party."

He gathered her up in his arms and kissed her again, "Want some company?"

She hit him playfully on the arm and opened the door. "You know Bobbie would never allow that," she laughed. "Go down and order some breakfast. I'll be ready by the time it's served." She headed for the bathroom before he could reply.

Her smile lasted until the bathroom door closed. She looked at herself and couldn't believe what she saw. Her eyes looked lifeless, devoid of emotion. She looked years older than she was. I'm so tired, she thought. She tired to smile but her mouth wouldn't cooperate. It's only been one day, she thought. It will get better. She knew it. It had to.

Jason stepped cautiously into Kelly's scanning the diner looking for her. She wasn't scheduled to work, but there was always the chance she could be sitting with Lucky and Emily just hanging out. He was a fool. Why else would he torture himself like this? He should find another place to get his coffee, then he wouldn't be putting Elizabeth in the awkward position of accidentally running into him. A better man would do just that, but he wasn't a better man.

He ordered a coffee and sat down at the counter. He wondered when Taggert would be paying him a visit. Soon he figured since Sorel's body would be found by now. He knew he was going to be Taggert's one and only suspect. Sometimes he felt sorry for Taggert. He could only imagine the frustration Taggert felt from desperately trying to take him and Sonny down and never being able to. It would make any man crazy. He knew the law thought he was a criminal, but he didn't think so. He didn't go around killing or hurting any regular person on the street. He just dealt with the people who tried to go against Sonny. Their life didn't follow the normal rules as the normal everyday person's did. It had their own rules and he was the one to who enforced those rules. Those involved with this life know the rules when they enter, so he felt no guilt when they have to be punished for breaking them. He would expect the same kind of treatment if he broke a rule. That's the life he agreed to when he'd accepted Sonny's job offer.

"What are you doing here, Morgan?"

He turned to see Lucky standing behind him. "You don't belong here."

Jason brought his cup to his lips and just stared at Lucky. "The last I checked this was a free country. I can go where I please."

Lucky stepped closer getting into Jason's face. "She doesn't want you, Morgan. Is that too complicated for your brain-damaged head to understand? Elizabeth is with me," he snarled.

Jason was so tired of Lucky. He wished he could take him to a deserted alley and just beat the shit out of him. It would make him happy, but he knew Elizabeth wouldn't like it. He couldn't see what she thought was so special about him.

He clenched and unclenched his fists trying to keep his anger in check. "Lucky, I don't have time for you and your insecurities," he said swinging his chair back to the counter.

Lucky grabbed Jason's shoulder and forced him back around. "Well make time, because you're not leaving until I know you're going to leave Elizabeth alone. She doesn't need you stalking her."

Jason brushed Lucky's hand off his shoulder and stood. Lucky took a step back prepared to attack at any provocation from Jason, but none came. Jason picked up his coffee and turned to leave. Anger covered Lucky's face. He shoved Jason when he tried to pass. Jason fell back against the counter dropping his cup.

"Lucky, what is wrong with you?"

Emily stood by the entrance shocked at what she had just seen. Lucky had shoved her brother and looked like he was ready to do more.

Lucky turned to face her, "Nothing, Jason and I were just talking."

She moved closer to Lucky. "It looked to me like you were about to do more than just talk. It looked like you were about to hit my brother."

"Emily, it's okay," Jason said in a clam voice. That seemed to make Lucky even angrier. Hatred radiated from him.

"No, Jason, it's not," she would not let it go, "I want to know what's going on."

"Your brother and I were just discussing something, and I needed to make sure he understood what I was telling him," Lucky said. His distaste for Jason covered every word he spoke.

"By shoving him in the middle of Kelly's? What were you thinking?" She didn't understand where Lucky's hatred was coming from.

"What's going on here?" Taggert surveyed the situation from Kelly's entrance.

"This doesn't concern you, Taggert," yelled Lucky.

Taggert smiled and entered the building. "Anything dealing with Morgan here concerns me."

Jason sighed, "What do you want, Taggert?"

"It seems Joseph Sorel was killed in his home last night," he raised his hand and poked Jason with his finger. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

"What! Sorel's dead," Emily screeched. "What about Zander? Is he all right?"

Taggert ignored Emily and kept his eyes on Jason hoping to see some kind of reaction to his news. A small smile or a twinkle in the eye, anything to show that Morgan knew about Sorel's death before he showed up, but all he saw was a blank expression. He didn't know why he expected a reaction. Morgan was never one to brag about his work. He just wished one day Morgan would screw up, just once. "Turn around," he said. "You're under arrest for the murder of Joseph Sorel. You have the right to remain silent, but you already know that don't you. You have the right to an attorney, if …"

Jason tuned Taggert out and turned without comment. He placed his hands behind his back without protest. He was expecting to be arrested and wasn't worried. He knew nothing would come of it. The police didn't have any evidence to tie him to the murder. He just wished that Emily didn't have to be present when Taggert did his job.

"You can't do that," Emily objected grabbing Taggert's hand to prevent him from handcuffing Jason. "You don't have a warrant."

"Emily, be quiet," Lucky pulled her out of the way as Taggert tightened the handcuffs.

"Lucky-," she was about to argue when she saw Jason's expression.

"Don't worry," he said moving towards the door, Taggert falling in behind him. "They can't hold me. I'll be out in an hour."

Taggert gave a sly smile, "I wouldn't count on it, Morgan. This time you're going down."

Emily was confused. What was going on? First Lucky shoved Jason, then Jason was arrested and Sorel was dead. She felt like if she had entered a parallel universe when she stepped into Kelly's, but then realized that this was just the same old Port Charles. Her time away must have affected her more than she originally thought.

She looked back at Lucky. "Please tell me what was going on between you and Jason."

"What about Lucky and Jason?" Elizabeth asked stopping beside Emily.

"That's what I would like to know," exclaimed Emily. "When I got here Lucky was about to punch Jason."

"What?" Elizabeth shifted her gaze to Lucky. "You hit Jason?"

"No, I didn't," he replied giving Emily an angry look.

She ignored it. "You would have if I hadn't interrupted you," she stated. "Then just as I was trying to get either one of them to talk, Taggert showed up and arrested Jason."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock, "Because of the fight?"

"Because he's a killer," he muttered quietly.

"Lucky!" Emily could not believe the words coming out of Lucky's mouth.

He shrugged, "What? It's the truth. You may not want to accept it, but he kills people for a living. He belongs in jail."

"Wait," Elizabeth interrupted. She needed to know why Jason was arrested. "Why did Taggert arrest Jason?"

Emily gave a quick glance at Lucky and answered, "Sorel was murdered last night and Taggert thinks Jason did it."

"What? When? Did Jason say anything? Do you know if they have any evidence against him?"

Emily looked strangely at her, "That's all I know. Why? Do you know something?"

Elizabeth didn't answer. She looked to Lucky and knew he would be upset about what she was going to say next, but she needed to help Jason. "I have to go to the police station."

Lucky grabbed her arm to stop her, "No, you don't."

"Lucky, Jason didn't do this," she said. She wasn't entirely sure of that, but it didn't matter. She didn't want Jason to go to prison even if he did kill Joseph Sorel. She didn't care about Sorel. He had shot Jason that Christmas two years ago. He was probably the one that bombed the warehouse. He needed to be punished. If the police did it or Jason, it didn't matter to her.

"Elizabeth, you promised," Lucky whined.

"I know, but this is important. I can't just let Jason go to jail when I know I can help him." She ran out of Kelly's without a backward glance.

"Damn it!" Lucky yelled and stalked off towards the stairs leaving Emily alone in the middle of the diner. Something was going on, and she was going to find out what.