Sly groaned as he ran his hand over his face. He hated being bedridden especially when the place he was confided to consisted of nothing more than a bed, dresser, television set and public bathroom. Normally, he loved the quaintness of Kelly's but this past week these four walls that surrounded him were driving him crazy.

It was his own fault and he was being constantly reminded of that by his associates. He had wanted to prove himself to Sonny so after he was haphazardly stitched up by the private doctor, he made his way back out onto the streets searching for the identities of the men who did this to him. He had worked night and day for a week, searching high and low, interrogating people the police wouldn't go near and examining areas of the city that some didn't know existed. He had some leads but nothing plausible and he was ready to admit defeat when Jason Morgan found him hunched over in an alley clutching his bloody side.

His wound was resealed and then he was told to take it easy. Of course he had no intention of listening but that was when Sonny sicked the nurses on him. Elizabeth, Lily and even his cousin Lu were checking up on him daily to make sure he was where he should be. Sonny threatened that if he tried something stupid like that again he was going to move him into Jason's penthouse where the enforcer could keep a constant eye on him. That was enough for Sly.

So he stayed here, tossing and turning with numerous pillows around him that received physical abuse every hour on the hour. He had watched so much television these past fourteen days that he felt like his brain was turning into mush and he wasn't much of a reader. The only material he was interested in viewing consisted of Playboy and Penthouse and he would never ask any of the girls to go and purchase those although Lizzie probably would.

Reaching for three or four pillows, Sly slowly sat up in the bed and slammed them against the headboard, positioned for him to recline on. When he said that he was a little uncomfortable lying in bed he was hoping someone would take him out for a walk, instead he wound up with fourteen pillows provided by the mother hens.

"Typical women," he muttered as he reached and reached for his cell phone.

There was a flashing green light on the small silver phone, indicating that someone had called and left a message for him. He couldn't resist the smile that appeared on his face when he read that he had four missed calls, each one of them from Emily Quartermaine, the one nurse that he didn't mind.

He still regretted that night when he appeared at Sonny's door step with a bloody side. He would never forget the horror that appeared on her face when she realized that he had been injured. Her wide brown eyes were the last thing he saw before he blacked out and the first thing that appeared when his eyes opened again. She was standing right beside him, holding his hand as the doctor worked on his side. Jason was fuming in the corner and Elizabeth had a tight grip on him.

Sly remembered mumbling the words thank you and I'm sorry over and over again until she ran her hand over his sweaty forehead and told him if he said it again she was going to knock him into next week. The flare in her chocolate eyes told him that she would do so and he quieted down, squeezing her hand in acceptance, and was grateful that for the first time in many years he actually had someone else to lean on.

He was beginning to understand the emotion Lizzie was talking about the night he was stabbed. It was difficult as hell admitting that you needed someone and it was even harder allowing yourself to lean on them. That was why Sly kept his distance. He liked Emily, had a great time hanging out with her, but that didn't mean that he was ready to jump in with both feet, especially with Jason Morgan's sister. After all, he did enjoy breathing.

He sighed loudly and pressed the button on the phone, ready to call her back when he heard the twist of the knob on his door. He looked up with furrowed brows. He could have sworn that he locked it last night before he went to bed. Reaching into the nightstand drawer, he slid it open silently and pulled out his gun, clicking off the safety and aiming it directly at the person that appeared before him.

"Guess I should have knocked but I assume d you were still sleeping," she smiled with her hand on her hip, "Put that away before your do more damage to yourself."

He rolled his eyes heavenward and reengaged the safety on the gun before he slipped it back into the drawer. She then walked into the room and flicked the lock behind her before making her way towards the bed, her flip flops clicking against the wood floor.

"I'm not usually that careless," Sly said, "I thought I locked that door last night."

"Oh you did," she grinned as she tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear, "It was Lu's shift to watch you today and she told Bobbie she would work so I volunteered and I certainly couldn't watch you with your door locked."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "She snuck you the master key?"

"Mmm-hmm."

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "You shouldn't be here. If Morgan finds out…"

"He does have a first name," she said as she sat down on the bed beside his stretched out legs, "And I stopped caring about what my family thought years ago, Eckert, Jason is included in that."

Sly shook his head, "I just don't want to see him giving you grief for hanging out with me."

"I can handle Jason," Emily said as she reached over and pressed her warm palm against his wound, "How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright."

"Would you tell me if you were otherwise?"

"Emmy…"

"I got you something," she said standing up from the bed and walking towards her book bag which was propped up against the windowsill, "I was in here earlier and I thought that I had woken you up but you rolled right back over and I'm glad because you need your sleep," he watched her fingers flip through the large shoulder bag that she had, "I was at the campus bookstore picking things up and when I saw this I thought of you."

He watched a mischievous glint appear in her eyes as she walked back towards him and held out the magazine. When he saw what was on the cover he burst out laughing and wound up gripping his side.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said as she sat back down beside him.

"Playboy," Sly laughed as he swatted her hand away from his side with the magazine, "You bought me Playboy, Em?"

"I know your bored," she smiled, "And I know that you would much rather be flipping through the pictures of those beautiful women than listening me drone on about school or the crazy Quartermaine's driving me to the point of insanity."

"Hey," Sly frowned, "That's not true."

"Come on, Sly," she laughed as she took the magazine and flipped through it until she found the centerfold and held it open to him, "Are you telling me that you'd much rather listen to me talk about my parents getting divorced again than checking out the Playmate of the month?"

"I'm telling you," Sly said grabbing the magazine and tossing it onto the floor, "I'd much rather look at a beautiful woman than a fake one."

"Sly," she said softly as she ducked her head.

"Besides Lizzie, you're the first real friend I've had in a long time, Emmy," he said as he reached out and took her hand, "I like having you around. I enjoy your stories," he smiled, "I just don't want to cause a strain in your relationship with Morgan. I don't mind straining him but you I do."

She laughed, "He has a first name." She laughed again when he snorted, "And I like spending time with you too. I missed you. I missed the guy I used to pal around with. It's good to have you back."

"Who knew the girl helping me with my ant farm would turn into such a beautiful woman?" Sly asked quietly, "One who didn't even shed a tear when she saw me gushing blood from my side," he sighed dramatically, "I should be hurt that you didn't cry but I'll just take that as a symbol of incredible courage and strength."

"You, my friend," she chuckled as she pushed at his chest with her free hand, "Are a bad flirt, stop it," she laughed again when he reached out to pull her towards him, "No, don't, I'm ticklish. Eckert!"

"You enjoy it!" he laughed as she fell to the bed beside him and he rolled on top of her tickling her side, "Admit defeat!"

"Never!" Emily laughed as she rubbed against him, "Sly, stop, seriously!" she giggled.

Sly laughed as he looked down at her, her mouth parted, her eyes dancing and their bodies intimately pressed together. She had gotten her hand free and now both of them were running up and down his arm causing a wonderful friction against his naked skin. Suddenly, things were no longer funny and gravity was pushing downward to the woman he knew he should stay far away from. What was worse was that she was welcoming him.

He had never been more grateful for a ringing cell phone.

He turned to grab his when Emily sat up and flipped hers open, answering it with a yeah. She listened intently and then her eyes grew wide. She slammed the phone shut and jumped out of bed as if the devil were on her tail, throwing the Playboy at him and zipping her bag.

"Jason's downstairs looking for you. That was Lu, she says he's on his way up," Emily said as she threw open his window, "I know that I said I didn't care but if he finds me in here he is going to set your recovery back another two weeks," she threw the bag over her shoulder and started to climb out the window towards the fire escape, "Please call me later and let me know that you're okay."

"Em," he said and cried out slightly as he made his way towards the window. He grabbed her hand before she was able to dash away, "Before I forget to tell you. Thank you…for being there that night."

Emily looked away as she brushed her long hair out of her face, "You came to Sonny's, Sly."

"I came to you," Sly said quietly, "And I know now that I made the right decision."

They both looked over when they heard a loud pounding on the door and Jason calling Sly's name from the other end. Sly was the first to look back and Emily pulled away, mouthing to call her later. He sighed and shut his window after her. This was the second time that he could recall being grateful that Jason was around. He didn't want to think about what would have happened if the enforcer didn't show up.

Sly shuffled his way over towards his door and pulled it open, wrapping his other hand around his side with the Playboy gripped into it. He made sure that the Camel girl back cover was visible. Jason nodded and entered without receiving permission.

"I have some news," he said looking around Sly's sparse room.

"What's going on?" Sly asked as he shut the door behind Jason and made his way over to his nightstand where he stuffed the magazine in the drawer.

"We haven't found who did it," Jason said as he shoved his hands in his jeans pocket, "We did find out who didn't. It wasn't anyone from Alcazar's crew. They're aware of who they're dealing with."

"Someone isn't," Sly said as he sat on the edge of his bed and looked up at Jason, "I don't like this situation at all. Johnny and I were in and out of that warehouse all damn day. It was like they were specifically waiting for me."

"They were," Jason said quietly, "There's word going around Eckert that you have a lot of information that is valuable to a lot of people. You've worked with a lot of the Midwest and you've been up and down the east coast. There are some things that you know that you might not even be aware of."

Sly sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "Please don't tell me this means what I think it means."

"Some one is coming after you," Jason said.

"And if I don't provide them with the information they want?" Sly asked.

His question was answered with silence.

Sonny sighed heavily as he stepped off of the Harborview Towers elevator and looked towards his right. There was the door that led to his penthouse and his beautiful family. For the umpteenth time in his life he regretted the choices that he made that led him down this path. He hated that they were going to be in danger once again because of the lifestyle that he led. Then again, if he didn't choose this distorted path, he would have never met Lily Rivera and she was the reason that he was still living and breathing.

Looking towards his left, Sonny made the hesitant steps that led towards Jason's penthouse. His enforcer was right now at Kelly's diner getting a black coffee to go and having a conversation with Sly Eckert about the information they learned recently. Jason told him that he would gladly come home afterwards and share it with Elizabeth but Sonny felt that the information needed to be relayed by someone who would have sympathy towards Sly. Jason had yet to reach that point in his relationship with the younger man.

Reaching in his pocket for the key that Jason gave him, Sonny slid it into the door and unlocked it. He then opened it quietly and smiled softly. Elizabeth was curled up on Jason's leather sofa, a blue afghan thrown over her, the books from the club spread out on the coffee table next to a half eaten muffin and an empty mug that once contained hot chocolate.

He knew that for the past few weeks she had been spending her nights with Jason. The first few times he had caught her she had been sneaking back over in the morning but after a conversation regarding trust they decided that there was no need to hide the fact that two of the people he cared about the most in this world were deeply in love. They both knew where to draw the line and he saw no problem with Elizabeth spending the night on the couch or in the spare room. After his conversation with her he had a fatherly one with Jason where he made himself very clear on the situation; 'touch her and die' was thrown in there somewhere.

Hating to wake her, but knowing that he had to, Sonny made his way over to the couch and shook her leg gently. He sat down at the other end as she slowly woke up and stretched in front of him, a large yawn overtaking her face. He was smiling when she blinked her eyes and sat up startled.

"Hey, what time is it?"

"It's still early," Sonny smiled, "Probably too early for you to be up but there's something I needed to discuss with you. I wanted to make sure that you heard it from me before you heard it whispered through the rest of the town."

"Okay," Elizabeth said groggily as she pulled her knees up to her chin, "What's going on? I think Jason woke me when he left and told me he'd be back later."

"He did," Sonny said, "He's got a few things to do at the warehouse and I'm not sure what time he'll be back tonight. I think it might be best if you stay in your own bed tonight. I don't want you here by yourself, even with Johnny at the door."

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked at Sonny, "This is about Sly, isn't it?"

Sonny looked away from her blue eyes and nodded, "We found out that this isn't from Chicago. No one in the Alcazar organization is going after you or Sly. It's been taken over from someone else and they are happy with what they've got," he turned back to her with his dimples, "They're smart people."

Elizabeth shook her head, "That's not good."

"What's not good?" Sonny asked.

"An unknown enemy," Elizabeth said as she stood up from the couch, "If you know your enemy you know their strengths and weaknesses. You can plan your attack, you'll haves strategies, you even know the best time to hit," she turned back to him as she stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, "When you don't know your enemy Sonny you might as well be blind. You can get hit from any side and Sly's a perfect example of that."

"Lily and I talked about not worrying you," Sonny said as he looked up at her, "We thought that you had already been through enough but I can see that we made the right decision. You would have put the pieces together on your own, Elizabeth," he sighed as he stood up beside her, "Someone is after Sly. We don't know who and we don't know where from, but we know that someone wants him for the information that he has pertaining to both organizations."

"Both organizations?" Elizabeth asked, "I'm from both organizations. Don't they realize that I have the same information that he does?"

"No, they don't," Sonny said, "And we're going to keep it that way. Men in this organization, they're cocky, arrogant. They think that these trophy wives that they marry don't know a damn thing about the businesses they're running but after a certain amount of time, Elizabeth, wives pick up on things. You did but these men don't know that and we're just fine with it."

"But Sly's in danger."

"We're going to take care of that," Sonny said, "Jason's with him right now. He's going to see if Sly can remember anything that happened at all the night that he was attacked. We need something to go on. Sly has been up and down the whole east coast, so like you said, this could be coming from anywhere. We just know that someone wants what he has and they're willing to do whatever it takes to get it. They thought that Sly was alone when they attacked him. When they saw people still lingering around in the warehouse, they got sloppy and took off. Sly did the smart thing by coming to the penthouse."

"If the lights were out, if no one were around," Elizabeth said as she started to walk around the couch, 'They would have taken him, they would have tortured him and then they would have killed him."

Sonny watched her as her brilliant mind worked, putting together the puzzle that was the world of the organization. It was horrific, terrifying, but it was a way of life that some people enjoyed living.

"Sly won't break," Elizabeth said as she turned back towards Sonny and leaned her backside against the pool table, "I know that Jason still doesn't trust him but I know that you both trust me and I can tell you that once Sly is loyal, he is loyal to a fault. He chose me over Alcazar. He will choose you over anyone else because you gave him the second chance that he needed. He won't roll over on Jason either."

Sonny nodded, "I know…"

"That doesn't matter," she said as she looked out Jason's glass sliding doors, towards the Port Charles harbor, "These bastards are going to do what they want anyway, aren't they Sonny?" she turned around when he didn't respond, "It's out there isn't it? If Sly doesn't talk, someone made it real clear that he's to be hit, didn't they?"

Sonny nodded slowly.

Elizabeth turned away from him as she crossed her arms across her chest, "I need to be alone."

Sonny cleared his throat and took a step towards her, "Lily is right across the hall. She understands what you're going through, she's been there. Why don't you…"

"Please," Elizabeth said looking back towards the man she considered her father, "I'll be okay. I'll come to terms with this like I always have before. I know that one of us may not come out of this alive."

"One of us does not include you, Elizabeth," Sonny said firmly.

"I need my space," Elizabeth said quietly as she walked past Sonny and headed for the stairs, "Thank you. I appreciate you being honest with me and I'm glad that it was you who told me instead of Jason. I know he's still coming to grips with Sly being in this business."

Sonny nodded in understanding, "If you need anything…"

"I know where to go," Elizabeth said with a forced smile, "Right now I'm going to go upstairs, curl into bed and curse my biological father for once again dragging me into this damn world."

Sonny watched as she turned on the stairs and headed up, disappearing quickly from view. He sighed and closed his eyes before turning towards the door and making his exit.

"You can be sure I'll be cursing him too, mi hija," he muttered before slamming it behind him.

Elizabeth's dark sapphire eyes roamed around the space of the room as she lay in Jason's bed, awaiting his arrival home that evening. Sonny had told her that he was going to be late but it was well past midnight and she was starting to worry. She wouldn't call however because she knew that this was part of the job, part of being in the mob, you took what was available to you and dealt with the rest. Fortunately for her, Lily's birth of the baby helped bridge a gap in her and Jason's relationship and she had kissed him for the first time in months.

She had nearly forgotten what his lips tasted like. They were still warm and moist and when they touched hers, she felt that same electric shock go through her as she did the first time their mouths met. They were still unsure around one another, due to her being underage, but there were times when surprise kisses were planted and hugs lingered a little bit longer. She missed him, his heartbeat against her ear at night, his warm breath mingling in her hair, the way his hand caressed her naked side when she curled up against him and she knew that she still had three months to go before they could finally be together again. She was happy with what she had. It was the contentment that she felt with Jason that made her come up to his room, curl up in his bed and wait for him to arrive home. She needed to be near him and she knew that he would have no problem joining her and wrapping her up in the safe place she always counted on.

Her mind had been nearly numb since this afternoon's conversation with Sonny. She had taken for granted the peace that was offered her in the surroundings she found in Port Charles. She had forgotten what life in the organization was really like. People were always moving in to take over someone else's territory, you always had to be one step ahead and if for some reason you should fall behind, death was usually the penalty.

Elizabeth had been through a lot with Sly and there was a time in her life when she herself wanted to shoot him, but over the last few months their friendship had grown beyond what it was before. She had seen him develop into a young man who finally had a foundation in life and to see that stripped away because of the connections he had was breaking her heart. The cards had dealt both Sly and Elizabeth a bad deck and she felt they both deserved a second chance. She had received hers; she now wanted Sly to have his.

She looked over when she heard a creak in the bedroom door and there stood Jason, his shadowy image outlined by the hallway light. He hadn't had the chance to remove his leather jacket, just came upstairs and made his way to her, moving across the carpeted floor in two quick steps and wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get home earlier," he said quietly, "Sonny told me that he spoke to you but things needed to be done," he pulled back and looked at her, "Are you alright, Elizabeth? I really wanted to be here but I just couldn't…"

"Saving Sly is more important," Elizabeth said as she settled on the bed on her knees while Jason sat down next to her, "Is there some way to get him out of the country until we can figure this out? I know there's an island. I know that's where Lily went before." She watched him shake his head, "He won't go. The bastard is going to stay here and fight."

"Isn't that what you did?" Jason asked, "You turned yourself over to Alcazar to make sure I wasn't killed. Eckert isn't going to run away from this. I wouldn't either, neither would you," he sighed as he leaned forward and ran his hand up and down her back, "You're afraid."

"And usually I'm not," Elizabeth said as she moved closer to him, "For those three years that I was with Louis I didn't give a damn about my life. I could've cared less if something happened to me or Alcazar or anyone else around us. I was just so numb…but then you walked into my life and now I can feel again," she laughed softly, "And I'm being a worry wart."

"It's normal, Elizabeth," Jason said as his fingers slid into her hair, "I just hope that one day you'll worry about me this much."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "I can't believe that after all this time you're…" her sentence was cut off when he pushed her head forward and leaned in for a kiss, "Mmm."

"I'm not," he said quietly as he brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on the back of it, "I've always done this. I mean, I moved some boxes around, did some train surfing, parked some cars but this is the life I know, the only life I've known since my accident," he cleared his throat and forced his blue eyes to meet her own, "But if you need something else, Elizabeth, if this is too much for you all you have to do is…"

"I'm not going anywhere," she said cutting him off, "And I'm allowed to get afraid. That's why you're here, to talk me down, it's why I keep you around," she smiled, "I'm not like those other women Morgan. I know what you do for a living, I've seen it, and I'm still proud to be the woman that you love."

He looked at her with raised eyebrows, "Why you keep me around?"

Elizabeth laughed softly as she hooked one arm around his shoulder, "You've talked me down already. I know that Sly is going to be safe, that plans are being made, that you boys are going to make sure us girls are protected," she laughed again when she felt herself being lowered to the bed and watched him stand up to remove his leather jacket, "And I promise dinner on the table when you get home."

"You're going to cook it?" he asked again as he pulled his boots off.

She snorted, "I would have just gotten you home safely. I'm not going to kill you with my food. Kelly's take out it is."

Jason sat back down on the bed and pulled her in for another kiss, "I like the idea of coming home to you, even if it means burnt food on the table."

Elizabeth smiled up at him as he settled down next to her in bed and pulled her into his arms, "I like that idea too, Jason."