Jason looked away from Max the moment that he heard light footsteps make their way down the stairs. She had changed, she had grown, she was a woman now. He could see it by the lines in her face.

When she silently stood in front of him Jason couldn't resist the temptation to run his eyes over her body. She was barefoot, with brightly polished pink toe nails. Her legs were covered in a pair of stretch black dress pants and a beautiful navy blue cashmere sweater fitted her body to reveal every curve possible. Her waist was still so tiny, her breasts the perfect size and her face was bright red by the time he made his ways up to her eyes.

The windows to her soul.

As devastated as she seemed, there was a sense of strength that surrounded her, an aurora of happiness that was hidden deep beneath the pain.

Elizabeth Webber was all grown up.

There was something different about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. The pricks that started to appear on the back of his neck warned him that he wouldn't like it.

"Hello Elizabeth."

"Hello Jason."

Still after all this years he could affect her. Standing there in his mud stained motorcycle boots, looking like he had been through hell and back just to get here; he caused little butterflies to flutter around in her stomach. Those same blue work jeans, that same black tee shirt, that damn leather coat that kept her warm on so many nights. She felt a chill in her bones.

When she needed Sonny the most, he wasn't here.

Biting her lip and fighting back a fresh wave of tears she made her way back over to the wet bar, looking to retrieve the unclaimed vodka from a few short minutes ago.

"I was expecting you," she said as she raised the glass to her lips and took a long, large gulp, "Actually I was surprised you weren't at the docks," she held the glass in her hands, her teeth fidgeting with her lip again, worrying it, wondering what he was thinking.

As beautiful as he still was to her, sometimes it hurt to look at him. Those beautiful eyes that once held so much love now looked straight through her. Like she had told him on the docks many years ago, their connection was gone. She must have blinked.

Taking another zip of her vodka, Elizabeth had just wished there was some way to make this easier.

"I got here as soon as I could," Jason said. "I was in New Orleans when Sonny called me; I drove day and night to get here."

She felt his eyes on her back, boring through her almost and she turned to look at him, glass still in her hands. He looked worn out, ragged and she believed that he did indeed drive day and night. Part of her wished that she was on the back of that motorcycle with him.

"Do you want something to drink?" she asked motioning to the wet bar, "We have beer in the fridge."

Jason watched her fidget, watched her play with her glass and toy with her lip. What wasn't right? What in the hell was going on?

He use to know her so well; know when something was wrong and just how to fix it. But now, when he was merely ten feet from her, he felt like he was a world apart. She was hiding something or trying to and he wanted to know what the hell it was.

Sighing he ran his fingers through his short hair and then shook the rain out. Fixing Elizabeth's problems wasn't his reason for returning to Port Charles, his best friend, his brother Sonny Corinthos was and on his way over here he was informed by Johnny that Sonny was no longer around.

There was no preemptive strike, no one was looking for territory, Sonny was dead and no one had any idea why. That's why Jason was here, that's why he was staying in town. As soon as his job was over, he was back on the road, away from this city and far away from her.

But then he looked at her, she looked like she had been crying most of the day, like her whole world just felt apart around her. He wondered how close she had gotten to Sonny.

When Jason left Harborview Towers at the crack of dawn four years ago the last thing he said to Sonny was to take care of Elizabeth. Sonny was true to his word, Jason knew he could count on his mentor to watch out for the woman he lusted after for so many years but could never have. It was obvious that Sonny had become close with Elizabeth, it was obvious that she was comfortable in his home, comfortable with his wet bar. Something else was also very obvious.

"Where's Carly?" Jason asked his eyes drifting upstairs and then back to Elizabeth.

She looked at him with the infamous 'deer in headlights' look and he knew. Carly wasn't here, but Elizabeth was, coming downstairs, in Sonny's penthouse. He didn't know why it took him so long to figure it out, why he didn't realize the change in Sonny's voice over the past few years. It seemed happier, more content. Elizabeth could do that to a person, she could make your whole year with one pretty little smile and then rip your heart out in the next breath.

She was Elizabeth and she was fucking his best friend.

Elizabeth watched him, watched him change from the Jason Morgan that she knew as Sonny's partner to the Jason Morgan that the likes of Sorel and Moreno were familiar with. A human block of concrete, frozen concrete, with icy blue eyes to match.

Turning away from his intense stare Elizabeth dreaded the conversation they would have to have. She never asked Sonny, but had always hoped that he would be the one to break it to Jason. Apparently neither of them had the heart to tell the man that mattered the most to them, they were sleeping together, caring for one another, becoming a family. They both chickened out because they knew it would devastate Jason, torture him more than situation between Sonny and Carly.

Elizabeth finished the rest of her vodka and placed the glass back down on top of the wet bar with a shaky hand. He forgave Sonny for sleeping with Carly, how could he ever forgive this?

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him, ready to explain away the last four years of her life when she heard some muffled screams.

"I don't care what she said, this is my house!"

Carly.

Elizabeth ran her hands over her face as Jason went and opened the door. He was a little surprised to see that Max was forcibly restraining her from entering the apartment.

"Max?" Jason asked.

But Max looked right past Jason, right to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth sighed and nodded, indicating that Carly could come in and the chaos would begin.

Carly stormed right over to Elizabeth, finger wagging in her face, "How dare you? How dare you keep me out of my own house after you killed my husband? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Carly," Elizabeth said quietly as she looked at Jason. His eyes were on Carly as she continued her rampage.

"No, don't Carly me, don't try and explain this away," Carly said. "Sonny was on the docks with you at the time of his death and what did you do? You just let him die. You just let those bastards shoot him; let that warehouse burn around his bleeding body. How could you!"

Then she shoved her, causing Elizabeth to stumble back and bump into the couch behind her. Jason grabbed Carly around the waist and pulled her away from the smaller woman. At the moment he really wouldn't have minded watching Carly scratch out Elizabeth's eyes but the tiny woman looked so distraught and he hated that.

He was always thinking about damn Elizabeth.

"You don't know, you have no idea," Carly said with a tearful laugh, "You have no clue what the hell has been going on Jason. She has been screwing around…"

"Don't," Elizabeth said straightening herself up, "Don't come in here and drag Sonny's name through the mud, I will not allow it."

"This is my house!" Carly screamed.

"This is Sonny's house!" Elizabeth yelled right back, "And I swear to God if you…"

"Tell Jason that you're fucking him? What are you going to do, Elizabeth?" Carly asked as she crossed her arms across her chest, "Going to murder me like you did Sonny? Going to let someone accidentally shoot me just so you can have Jason back to yourself? That's what you wanted isn't it? Isn't it!"

Elizabeth stared at the grief stricken woman in front of her, hoping that this was coming out of the pain and anguish that Elizabeth herself was feeling. Sure Carly was crazy but she couldn't possibly think that Elizabeth would kill Sonny just to get Jason back could she?

Elizabeth watched as fire raged beneath Carly's eyes. Yeah, she could.

"Did you tell him it all, Elizabeth?" Carly asked as she stepped towards the smaller brunette, "Did you tell him how you moved right in after he left town? How you and Sonny started fucking each other before my bags were packed? How you became his little princess, while he pushed me out the door. Did you tell him about how you and Sonny created…?"

"That's enough," Elizabeth said slamming her hand down on the wet bar. "I am so sorry," she said as she fought back tears. She refused to cry in front of this woman. "I am so sorry that you lost Sonny. I know, believe me I know how much he meant to you but I didn't do this Carly. I swear to you…"

"I hope you rot in fucking hell," Carly whispered. "Fucking hell."

Elizabeth took a step back and knew that tonight; there was no headway to be made. She turned around to compose herself and then faced the woman and Jason once more.

"I'd like you to leave," she said quietly. "I think we've said enough hurtful things to one another."

"Jason needs to know that you're no longer his precious little angel."

"He knows Carly," Elizabeth said looking over at Jason and then back at the screaming woman in front of her. "Jason knew the moment he walked in this door. He also knows how to discuss things civilly." Elizabeth brushed past the woman and opened the penthouse door. "Leave, please. Max can take you home."

"I'm not going anywhere," Carly said with her hands on her hips. "My name is on the lease."

Elizabeth sighed and ran her fingers through her still wet hair. They both knew it wasn't, but this was something else Carly wanted Elizabeth to have to admit to Jason. Carly's name was removed from the lease and Elizabeth's was added over three years ago.

"I don't want to have to have you forcibly removed."

"Try me," Carly smirked.

"Carly please," Jason finally said.

Elizabeth looked over at him, surprised that he would defend her. She wasn't surprised to see the look in his eyes, indicating he wanted her all to himself. He was going to tear into her the moment Carly left.

And she deserved every minute of it.

"I'm doing this for Jason," Carly said, "I don't want these bastards following me," she motioned to Max. "Come see me tomorrow Jase."

With that, she was gone, as loudly as she came, slamming the door shut firmly behind her.

Elizabeth sighed as she rubbed her temples, the headache quickly coming back again. As much as she hated the sound of it earlier, sleep would be wonderful right now, but staring down at the motorcycle boots in front of her she knew she had something much more important to deal with.

"I don't think I should even try to explain," Elizabeth said heading straight back to the wet bar. This one required another drink. "You won't listen, you won't understand and your eyes won't change."

She quickly poured the vodka into its tumbler and downed it. It burned her throat, warmed her belly made her feel so much closer to Sonny.

Sonny.

She could no longer fight the tears. She missed him, she needed him, she wanted him to stand beside her as she tried to explain to his best friend what the y had done. But Sonny was gone, gone forever and she was all alone, to face the world. How would she ever manage to do it?

Jason held firm as he saw her small slender shoulders start to shake beneath that beautiful navy shirt. He could barely breathe due to the pain he was in. He lost his best friend, Elizabeth was hurting, everything was in pieces and he couldn't move an inch to help her.

This wasn't Lucky Spencer, this wasn't Zander Smith, this was Sonny Corinthos' bed that she jumped into that. For Carly it seemed normal, for Elizabeth it was unforgivable.

As quickly as they seemed to start, the tears ended and there was grown up Elizabeth standing in front of him again, cool, calm, collected, strong. All qualities that Sonny possessed.

It looked like she could match him drink for drink as well.

"I can only imagine the hate you feel for me," Elizabeth said as she walked past Jason and towards Sonny's desk, "I won't ask you to stay a moment longer than necessary."

He watched her rifle through some paperwork before pulling out a few piles and dropping them on top of Sonny's desk. She placed everything into a neat pile and slipped a large rubber band around them, handing them over to Jason.

"Benny has the books. I don't know how long you plan on staying in town, if you even plan on staying but I think Benny will tell you that you need to be here for the reading of the will."

When Jason opened his mouth Elizabeth held both of her hands up and cleared her throat.

"I know you don't want a damn thing from Sonny or me or this organization right now," she said. "But I do know that none of the funds can be disbursed unless you sign them away. Sign them over to Michael. Carly will make sure he'll use it wisely." She bit her lip. "Benny will make sure that Carly uses it wisely for her son."

Jason looked down at her curiously. Was she starting to ramble? She only did that when she was nervous, when there was something that she needed to tell him and couldn't seem to find a way to get it out.

"For Benny, for Max, for Johnny, for Francis, before things get worse, just take a quick glance and make sure the coffee house is doing okay," she said quietly. "They did nothing to you except be loyal, just give them some type of security."

He nodded and didn't know why. He didn't want to give her anything, not even a request that wasn't meant for her. He wanted to watch her suffer, to see that she had nothing left, but Sonny wouldn't do that. He would be surprised if Sonny left anything to him. Apparently Elizabeth was the woman in his life and Johnny, Max and Francis guarded her as such. Benny wouldn't be any different.

Shaking his head again he held the papers against him and gave her a small shrug, "Is that all? I'm sure there is a lot to do tomorrow."

"There's one more thing," Elizabeth said walking around him again. She needed space to tell him this, some room to breath or run. "Jason, I don't even know how to begin to tell you this."

She didn't want to tell him but if she didn't someone else would and she would be damned if it were Carly.

Jason watched her struggle, watched the pain in her eyes become worse and worse until it started to make his own heart ache.

No, he thought taking a step back from her; no I won't let her do this to me.

A loud crash from the upstairs disturbed the stillness in the room and Jason turned his head to see something dart down the stairs and then wrap its arms around Elizabeth's tiny legs.

A boy.

A three year old little boy.

With Elizabeth's porcelain skin and dark brown hair.

"Hey, it's ok," she soothed as she gathered the tiny figure in her arms.

Jason watched as he sniffled and buried his head into Elizabeth's neck, mumbling about rain and loud flashes and booms. He was staring at Elizabeth's child. Elizabeth's own precious son.

He wanted to rip his own heart out at this very moment.

"There's someone I want you to meet," Elizabeth said softly and with a smile as she coaxed the boy away from her shoulder, "He is…was…a good friend of mine."

Elizabeth looked up at Jason hopeful, pleading with her eyes for him not to storm out and frighten this child anymore. Jason wanted to curse, yell, scream, throw a chair, tell her that he would not give her what she wanted, but he wouldn't, couldn't scare a small child.

Especially Elizabeth's child.

The boy's head started to move slowly upwards but concentrated on the floor below them. Obviously he wasn't a fan of thunderstorms; Jason remembered that Michael wasn't either when he was just an infant. As much as he wanted to back away, run, get out before he got in too deep once again he couldn't help but be mesmerized.

By Elizabeth's child.

"Tell him your name sweetie," Elizabeth smiled as she nudged his chin up with her finger, "Tell him what we've been practicing."

Jason could tell a smile light the boys face before he even looked at him. This beautiful little child who was like a kick in the gut to him.

Elizabeth's child.

Sonny's child.

Jason didn't know what hit him when the boy looked at him with bright blue eyes and proclaimed in his loudest voice, "Jason Morgan Junior!"

His child.