A/N – Thanks for the comments! It gets worse…sigh. I tried to respect existing laws as much as possible, but this is soap related…

Chapter 13

Johnny enters the room. "Whatever she said, I agree with her. Get your head out of your ass and fight because you're just wasting my fucking time otherwise because I'm not going to let you rot in Pentonville."

"You won't have to. I'm sure Sonny's enemies will kill me before I can finish the sentence anyway."

"Whoever you are, you suck. The Jason I know would never let Sonny win like this. You know that bastard set you up so you'd come crawling back to him and you are playing right into his hands out of guilt. I thought you were better than this."

"I don't give a shit what you think right now, Johnny. This is my life! I get to choose what I do."

"Fuck you, Jason. This time, you don't get a choice. We're making it for you. It might take us a month or two, but you're getting out and then I'll have to consider whether I'm going to kick your ass or not. While you're sitting around having a fucking pity party and being a martyr, you're going to end up putting all the people who care about you in danger because they won't let this drop and it will bring attention to them. Congratulations on your brilliant plan."

Jason glared at him and then the door slammed in his face and he hit the table with his fist.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Nicole watched Johnny pace outside and finally, asked the guard to listen out for Alaina and then joined him. "You okay?"

"I'm so mad at him, Nicole. He's sacrificing himself. I think he wants to die. They'll probably kill him in there and he is resolved to it all because of what happened to Epiphany."

"I'm sorry. He's devastated and in his head, it's the right thing to do."

"How is killing yourself the right thing?"

"Sometimes, you just can't live with your choices or what life deals you."

He stopped, carefully watching her. "Did you feel like that?"

She nodded tearfully. "Yes, I did."

"I'm sorry."

"Right now, Jason can't see the truth because he has convinced himself it's his fault and that this is the best way to protect everyone."

Johnny groaned. "I can't let him do it. He might not be able to see past this, but I can see it for him."

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"He's like a brother to me. He used to be such a raw nerve and I feel like he has regressed overnight which makes me want to put a bullet between Sonny's eyes. Life gave Jason a shitty deal and he struggles every day to find his place. I can't imagine being inside his head and processing things the way he does. He's complex and tortured and I just can't let him rot in there especially when he doesn't deserve it. All I want is for him to find some happiness. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Come here," she said moving closer.

He held onto her tightly. "He has to make it, Nicole."

"I hope he does."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Elizabeth sat by Epiphany's bed and held her hand. "You have to wake up because I don't know what to do. Tomorrow, Jason is going to plead guilty. I've done everything I can to change his mind. Fight, Epiphany, he needs you."

After saying several prayers, she left and walked through the park next to the hospital and when she rounded a corner, she gasped and froze. "You're not real."

Lucky moved forward. "Yes, I am."

She shook her head. "No! Who are you and why are you torturing me?"

His eyes pricked with tears. "You are so beautiful. I—I'm back, Elizabeth. Helena kidnapped me and she and Faison did unspeakable things, but I fought my way back to you."

She bursts into tears as she holds her head. "No, you're dead. This isn't real."

He touched her and she held her breath before reaching out and touching his face. His eyes closed as her fingers settled and he is taken back to a time where they were so in love that nothing could stop them, or so they thought.

A single tear kissed her fingertips and the wetness makes her realize that she is indeed awake. Her knees buckle and he reaches out and pulls her against him.

"I never stopped thinking about you. It's what got me through."

"Oh Lucky, I'm so sorry that they hurt you."

The dam broke and he cried for everything he lost and also, what he knows he has to do. His body screamed at him to walk away and spare her what pain will come, but he couldn't do it. He had dreamed of her night after night and couldn't let her go.

"After I thought you died, all I could remember is the fire and smoke it would envelop me like a glove. It was all I could smell or taste and I lived like that for months, unable to sleep and when I did, I called out your name as the flames burned so hot I swore they singed me every night. I would torture myself imagining how horrible your last moments must have been."

He couldn't stop crying. Just hearing how much she suffered needlessly make him want to kill Helena. "I'm so sorry."

Finally, she pulled back. "We have to tell Emily."

"No!"

She jumped at his harsh tone. "Why?"

"I'm scared. Helena is tracking me. I shouldn't even be here, but I had to come and see you and make sure that you were alright."

She wiped her face. "I've been doing a lot better, finally deciding that I need to move on and here you are."

He almost cringes. "Did you really want to forget me?"

"I wasn't trying to forget, I was trying to live. What now?"

"I've been hiding out, sleeping in the boxcar."

"Lucky! That is so dangerous. You can stay in my studio and I'll stay with Grams."

"I don't know…"

She grabbed his hand and then tugged him forward. "Come on. I'm not taking no for an answer."

He slightly smiled. "Thank you." It felt so good to touch her and feel her vibrant energy again.

She nodded and the whole way there, she wondered what this meant. Did Lucky think they are back together again and if so, what the hell is she going to do about Jason?

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Jason stared into space as a tear fell down his cheek. Elizabeth and Johnny's words had haunted him for hours and he knows what he must do. Turning off his feelings is something he excels at and had become a form of self-protection. His mind had been made up. This is for the best and he is resolved to the outcome. Ever since he had awakened from the accident, his life has been one huge disappointment after another. Pain always found him and he's so tired of fighting it. Someday, they'll realize that they are better off without him. Tomorrow is going to be one of the hardest days of his life, but he'll do what he thinks is right and live with the consequences. It is going to change his life forever.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Elizabeth and Lucky had talked for what seemed like hours before she finally conked out, already exhausted from her confrontation with Jason.

Lucky had wondered what was weighing so heavily on her and she finally opened up and told him that her friend had been shot and is in a coma and he tried his best to comfort her. He can tell something has changed, because she's still holding back her emotions, but decides to give her time to adjust. As he watches her sleep, he realizes he feels peace since the first time he had awakened and knows it's all because of the woman cuddled up on the couch next to him. He has to convince her that they have to make it work because she is his salvation.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

When Elizabeth woke up, Lucky was gone, but he left a note that he would see her later tonight. "Oh Epiphany, I need you." After toying with her phone, she dialed Nicole's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Elizabeth. I wondered if I could come over."

"Sure. Johnny just left with Alaina."

"I'll be right there." Nicole being an outsider could maybe help her get some perspective on what she needs to do.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The public defender, Hugh Hughes moved into the interrogation room. Sonny had warned him that Jason can be intimidating, but the man that is sitting before him seems rather beat down and resolved.

"Hi, my name is Hugh."

"I'm pleading guilty."

Hugh's brows raise. "Why?"

"Because I am. Don't fight it and we'll be fine."

"Okay then, am I allowed to ask why?"

"No. Just do your job and I'll do mine."

Hugh is getting paid a hefty sum if Jason goes to jail, so it's fine with him. "We'll go before the judge in an hour so you can enter your plea."

Jason nods and then watches as Hugh opens his briefcase and starts to write a few things and then gets lost in thought. Soon, he'll be in the general population of Pentonville prison and everything is gonna change."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Nicole led Elizabeth to the dining room. "Have a seat."

Liz sat and Nicole left and came back with some donuts.

"What can I get you to drink?"

"Whatever you're having…"

"Okay, hot chocolate it is."

Liz smiled and a few minutes later, Nicole returned with two steaming mugs.

"This is my favorite."

"Me too…"

Liz sighed. "Remember I told you about my boyfriend and the fire?"

"Yeah."

"You can't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."

"Okay."

"He's back."

Nicole's mouth dropped open. "What?"

"I know. I had been thinking I was hallucinating, but he's alive and I'm not sure how I feel about it."

"Go on…"

"Part of me is relieved because it means my recurring nightmare can go away, but the other part of me is scared because everything will change again. I had finally gotten to a place where I had moved on. Helena terrorized him and he just wants some semblance of his life back. How can I tell him that I'm not in love with him anymore and that I'm falling for someone else?"

"Oh, Elizabeth…" Nicole embraced her new friend and rubbed her back. "You can't lead him on either. If you go back to where you were before and you're heart isn't in it, that isn't fair to him. You'll just end up breaking his heart anyway."

"This sucks."

"I know, but you have to be true to yourself. You'll be miserable pretending to be someone you're not anymore. This situation has changed you and who knows what damage she did to him. That is not the same boy you fell in love with."

Liz pulled back as her face contorted. "I just feel so bad for him. I will always feel love towards him, but what we had is over. Over the course of the time we spent talking, he seemed so different at times, but then I'd see a flash of the boy I remembered and I can't help but wish we could go back there."

"Sometimes, letting someone go is just the right thing to do. Mark my words, if you pretend to go back to the way things were, it's going to backfire big time."

Liz lets out a strangled noise. "I let him stay at my studio."

"And where are you going to stay?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'll just go back to stay with my Grams."

"Does your Grams like Lucky?"

"Yes."

"Well, you can always stay here. I could use the company and there are guards, so if you didn't want to see him, there would be no pressure. Francis gets home late and leaves early, so he's hardly ever around."

"I'll think about it."

Nicole is really worried about the situation. "Who is this Helena person?"

Liz groans. "She's psycho and has been fighting with Lucky's family for years. Her last name is Cassadine."

"The family staying on that island I heard about?"

"Yes. She pretty much does whatever she wants and gets away with it."

"So, is there a good chance that she might have fried his brain?"

"There's a chance."

"Then you really need to be extra careful. I mean it, Elizabeth. I was bored and read a lot about that family. They are famous for brainwashing people and doing God knows what else."

"I'll be careful, but I don't think he'd hurt me."

"Considering the fact that she kidnapped him and has been holding him against his will, you never know what he's capable of now. People don't do things like that unless there is something in it for them."

The door swung open and Johnny made his way into the house with Alaina in his arms.

Nicole smiled. "She fell asleep?"

"Yeah, but we had fun on the swings."

He carefully laid her down in the playpen and they watched her stir before sighing and going back to sleep.

"Elizabeth, I heard some news."

Nicole motioned for them to go into the next room.

"What happened?"

"He goes before the judge in an hour."

"What!"

"I know. I don't think we got through to him."

"Can we go and watch?"

"No. I think Lila stepped in and got the court to agree to a closed session."

Liz sighed. "What can we do, Johnny?"

"Well, I have a computer geek named Nick on it. He works for Francis because Stan needs to lie low right now. I'm pretty sure that Sonny set all of this in motion as a way to control Jason. He knows how to cover his tracks."

"We need a miracle."

"You need to prepare for the very big chance that he is going to jail for a while. I won't stop trying to find another angle, but if he won't fight and we can't find any evidence in the next hour, he's screwed."

"I'll do anything to get him out of there. If you need me, then please ask."

He gave her a brief hug. "Okay."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The clerk moved forward. "Court is now in session."

Judge Rand stared at the paperwork. "In the matter of the State versus Jason Morgan, how do you plead?"

Jason glanced forward. "Guilty, your honor."

The judge looked over the top of his glasses. "Counsel, do you have any recommendations?"

Claire Walsh stood. "We recommend life in prison with no chance of parole."

The judge's attention went to Hugh. "And you?"

"Given that my client was beaten severely and had no memory of committing the crime because he was drunk, it clearly was not premeditated. The D.A. is just opening the door for this case to be overturned which is a waste of taxpayer money. My client has never been convicted of a crime, therefore, I suggest the twenty-five-year minimum."

Jason leaned over. "What are you doing?"

"Trust me. If she got her way, it would be overturned. This way, you can rot in jail like you want to."

Claire glanced at Hugh, he does have a point. "Counsel agrees with the sentence." Getting Jason Morgan off the streets for that long is a win in her book.

"Mr. Morgan, do you know that by pleading guilty you lose the right to a jury trial?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Do you give up that right?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand what giving up that right means?"

"Yes."

"Do you realize that you are giving up your right to cross-examine your accusers?"

"Yes."

Jason felt the bile build in his stomach.

"Did anyone force you into pleading guilty?"

"No."

"Are you pleading guilty because you shot the victim without provocation?"

"No."

"Then please explain to the court why you are giving up your right to a trial?"

"There was a witness. That's good enough for me, your honor. I'm just trying to be responsible for my actions."

Claire's eyes jerk to Hugh who ignores her and she wonders if he had disclosed the facts about the witness to Jason. Speaking up could change Jason's mind, so she remains quiet.

"The actions that you don't remember?"

"Yes."

The judge has a bad feeling that this settlement will backfire. While Mr. Hughes did get the sentence reduced, he seems to have no interest in challenging any of the facts of the case. Sighing, he took his glasses off and fixed Jason with his stare. "Mr. Morgan, I sentence you to twenty-five years in jail with the possibility of parole after fifteen years."

Jason is led outside and put in a van and immediately transported to Pentonville.