A/N – Thanks for the comments! I hope everyone is staying safe!

Chapter 5

Elizabeth and the boys got off the plane and she can't help but smile when she spots Johnny and Francis. Warm hugs are exchanged, and she introduces them to the boys. When Max had told her that Johnny was still alive, she was shocked but happy. While she wasn't close to the two guards, they had always been very nice to her.

"So, you knew my dad?" Jake asked.

"Yes. He was a good friend."

"Why did you leave Port Charles?"

Johnny scratched his head. "To be honest, Sonny wanted me taken care of, but your dad didn't believe that I betrayed them."

"Did you?" Cam asked.

"No. Jason faked my death and I've been undercover for Maximus ever since."

They piled into an SUV.

"We're about an hour from the house."

"What's it like?" Cam asked. He isn't thrilled that he must leave his friends, but his mother made it seem like it was final, so he didn't argue. The wedding had been a shit show and he was shocked when his mom had admitted to lying. Deep down, he's disappointed because he's tired of new men and his mother being miserable all the time. Maybe this is the change that she needs to get a new start.

"It's a small town, but it has a great high and middle school. You'll fit in."

Cam put his earplugs in and listened to some music. He's easy-going, but he wonders if Jake will be okay. He has been hard to reach since he came back and while he's glad his little brother is okay, he wishes that Jake would talk to him.

Jake isn't so sure this is the right thing to do. Nothing had been right since he came back and the fact that his dad suddenly surfaced is messing with him. Helena had warned him that he was still alive, so he wasn't surprised by the turn of events, but while he likes Jason, something just feels like it's missing. Maybe it's because his father doesn't remember any of them. Could it be a coincidence that he chose the name, Jake? Everything is a mess. Helena hadn't said very nice things about anyone in PC. She was cruel and tried to get him to hate Lucky and his mom. It didn't take much for his Lucky hate to grow, but his mom is more complicated. He never thought he'd see her again and she always loved, it's just that he feels a little disconnected. Her choice in men he'll never understand because she let so many people hurt her. It's upsetting that so many people hate her. She may have lied, but other people have done far worse. Sam doesn't know that he is aware of what she did regarding his brother. Helena wanted him to hate Sam. He doesn't get why his mom or dad forgave the woman. At least now everyone knows what she did. He had intended to expose her so people would stop hating on his mother. He isn't concerned about Danny. The main reason he hung around with him is so he could mess with Sam's head.

Aidan wasn't a fan of the kids in his school, so he's fine starting over. It had been weird and awkward when his father showed up to deliver Jake. He doesn't hate his dad, but he can't say that he loves him either. His mom has been his only constant and he's not privy to as much information as Jake and Cam know, but he'll do anything to protect his mom because he hates that people are so mean to her.

They finally arrive and Francis gives them a tour. It's a nice villa that is comfy and has a lot of charm.

"It's so beautiful here."

"I knew you'd like it. Your balcony faces the gardens. I figured you could start painting again."

She smiled. "It has been a long time."

"We stocked up on supplies. There's a small building in the back you can use as a studio."

"You didn't have to do that." Their niceness is almost overwhelming considering she had become the town pariah.

"Yes, we did," Johnny interjected.

The boys pick their rooms and then Jake wanders out on his own, heading near the water where there is a dock, so Johnny follows.

"There's a boat and some jet skis. Maybe we'll go out this weekend."

Jake nodded. "Tell me about my dad."

"Jason was the most loyal person that I've ever met. Do you know about his accident?"

"Yeah. Helena told me a lot."

Johnny isn't sure that he likes that. "Helena had her agenda. Your dad had a hard time afterward. He was angry and confrontational and couldn't control his emotions. I think a lot of it was frustrating because there was so much he didn't understand or remember."

"That's when he met Sonny."

"Yes, and that changed his life. He was good at his job, but he sucked at love."

"Kind of like my mom."

"Yes. He loved her, but he let his fear and insecurities get in the way."

"I guess my mom was the same way."

"She was and honestly, I think they could have saved each other a lot of heartaches if they had just gone for it, but I don't think they thought their love was meant to be."

"I want to be like him." He has spent a lot of time thinking about it. While he hates that his father had walked away, there are still some things that he admires about him. While he was in captivity, he thought of him as a superhero. His father had overcome so much.

Johnny is surprised. "Why?"

"I like the idea of people fearing me, so they won't mess with my family."

"You want to protect them?"

"Yeah."

"That's understandable, but you don't have to be an enforcer to do that."

Jake stopped and their gaze connected. "I know, but I want to get rid of everyone and make them pay."

Johnny is taken aback by how much older Jake seems and wonders how far Helena got in programming him. "You have time to decide, but I just ask that you let me help guide you. I owe that to your dad."

"Okay."

Liz gnawed on her lip as she watched them, wishing she could hear their conversation. "He's hurting. In some ways, he's more like Jason now and that makes me sad."

Francis leaned on the railing. "Why?"

"He's angry and doesn't interact a lot. I think he's isolating himself. Helena had years to inflict damage and we still don't know exactly what she accomplished. He has lost his light and that scares me more than anything." Jake was such a sweet and loving little boy. The child she is gazing at is nothing like him and she wishes she could change that for him. He didn't deserve all the crap Helena dumped on him.

"He'll be fine. We'll watch out for him and help him work through it."

"I feel like I've let them down. I've made so many bad decisions and unfortunately, they had a front-row seat. I'm a failure, Francis, and I don't know how to fix it. It's like I've been banished, and they have to pay the price for my sins."

"Everyone makes mistakes, just show them how to be strong and go on. They need you, Elizabeth. You've always been there for them. If they see you thriving, then they will too. Teach them that when life throws you rocks, you chuck them right back."

She wiped her face. "You're right. I'm going to get myself healthy and be a good example for them."

He put his hand on hers. "You're not alone. Johnny and I will have your back."

"You're willing to stay here with us?"

He slightly smiled. "I may not approve of all your prior methods, but I still care about you. We wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

She hurled himself into his arms as he chuckled.

"What are you laughing at," she said after retreating.

"Back in the day, Jason would have kicked my ass for that."

She smiled saucily. "No, he wouldn't because then I would have been forced to kick his."

Francis laughed as they went back inside.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Carly moved towards Jason who is sitting in the corner at Kelly's. "You okay?"

He shook his head.

"Can I sit?"

He nodded.

"Talk to me."

"I miss them." He won't admit it to her, but Liz had left him a note that was mysteriously delivered the day after she was gone. It just said that she is sorry and had to go away and that it was for the best. What he can't live with is that she said she didn't know if she was ever coming back and promised to take care of Jake and make sure that he is safe like they always wanted.

She bit her lip so she wouldn't respond. Sonny had informed her that Liz had disappeared before he could do the deed, but he's looking for her. The little bitch had run and taken Jason's kid with her. "I'm sorry."

"Are you?"

She averted her gaze. "Yes and no. I think you know I don't like her, especially now that she has taken your son away again."

"She was scared and everyone was upset with her. I'm hoping that she didn't leave for good."

"And what if she did?"

"Then I won't stop until I find her."

"Jason…"

He threw his napkin between them. "If Sonny disappeared with Michael, would you ever stop looking?"

"No, I wouldn't, but what about Sam?"

"I don't remember her. Why are you bringing her up anyway? Don't you care what she did to Jake?"

Carly sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of hers, but you guys fit and I think you were happy."

"From what I understand, we hadn't been happy for quite a while."

"That was because of circumstances, but they have changed."

"You mean how Franco, the man you decided was more important than Michael's feelings, used a tumor as an excuse to pretend like nothing he did before was his fault?"

She closed her eyes. "I made a mistake." Franco is someone she wishes she had never laid eyes on.

He leaned closer. "Isn't it amazing that when you make a mistake, all should be forgiven without question, but God forbid Elizabeth makes one and it's the end of the world."

"So now you're going to just excuse all the lies and the people she hurt?"

"No. She was wrong, but that doesn't mean I hate her. Besides, I'm good at forgiving considering, I forgave you and Sam over and over."

"Now you—"

He stood. "Did you ever support me on anything?"

"I have always had your back. Just because I never liked your choice of women doesn't mean I didn't support you."

"It seems like you only supported me when it benefited you in some way. The rest of the time was one big manipulation."

Before she could respond, he left her sitting there wondering what the hell had just happened.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Sonny watched as Carly dejectedly moved into his office.

"What happened?"

"Jason happened." She plopped onto a chair.

"What did he say?"

"He loves her, and he doesn't understand why I can't deal with it after all the mistakes I made and he forgave."

Sonny pushed out a breath. "I knew this was going to blow up in our faces."

Carly rolled her eyes. "Just because he's leaning towards forgiving her doesn't mean I'm ready to give up. The muffin is still going down if it's the last thing I do."

"Carly…"

"No, Sonny, she will take him away from us for good if she gets her hands on him again. She ran like the coward she is and he needs to see and understand that she'll always do that. After all the lies she has told over and over, he still makes excuses for her. I hate that she gets to hurt him and get away with it."

"You did."

She rolled her eyes. "I have tried to make it up to him. I learned from my mistakes. Elizabeth never does. She never learned from her disastrous relationship with Lucky and kept going back. After lying to Jason about Jake, she just ran and took his son from him again. When does it stop?"

Jason sagged against the wall as he processed what she had said. His instincts had kicked in and he knew she would run to Sonny. What better way to find out how your best friend feels but to follow her and eavesdrop. That's a move right out of Carly's playback.

"Are you going to throw my past in my face too?"

"No, but Carly, you have to give him some time. I doubt that Liz is coming back. We just need to bide our time. He'll start remembering and come back to us. In the meantime, don't piss him off and try to be there for him and in the end, we'll come out on top."

She sighed. "You're right. I just wish he had never met her."

"Well, it's too late to go back. He'll get over her. He has many times before and then hopefully he'll find someone new."

Carly stood. "As long as it's not Sam, I'm good. After what she did, I almost want to Jason to get a medical evaluation. Why would he go back to her when she hated his son?"

"It's complicated. Elizabeth was just too much of a risk to take. He would have never forgiven himself if something had happened to her and Jake or Cam that was related to the business. He was lonely and Sam was always there. She eased her way back in and apologized and I think he was just tired of fighting and resigned to it. He got lonely."

"He loved Sam."

"Eventually, he did, but I still don't think he loved her more than he did Elizabeth."

"It was baby Lila that put them over the top. Jason can't resist a damsel in distress. He never wins when it comes to kids. Jason didn't have to try when it came to Sam. She did whatever he wanted and became what she thought he needed. I noticed the change in him. He was more withdrawn and easily flew off the handle. He was miserable and we didn't even care as long as he toed the line."

"It's not that simple."

"Yes, it is because we never want to deal with how Jason is truly feeling. We push it aside and he learned to as well."

Sonny nodded. "Elizabeth was like a dream and Jason doesn't dream. I think she was the one he never truly thought he could have."

Carly rolled her eyes.

"It's true. He put her up on a pedestal and he drowned in her goodness to escape his darkness. Sam had different levels of darkness. There wasn't a lot of light there. Liz was like an escape for him. He would defy me over her before he'd ever do that for Sam."

Jason began to walk away. While he thinks their perspective is interesting, the truth is that it's skewed. They take a morsel of truth and morph it so far away from what it was originally until it's a lie. It's probably how they got him to turn against his brother; not that AJ didn't give him enough ammunition. Carly repeated her fears over and over until Jason justified their actions. This time, he won't give them that much power.