A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad you're happy about Jason's growth. Nothing is easy in this fic.

Chapter 22

Sonny slammed the door to his office. "What the fuck?"

Ronnie sighed. "I'm looking into it."

"Well, look faster!" Losing Carter puts them at a disadvantage, but the good thing is that there is always someone willing to be at his beck and call for the right price.

"I have several people on it. The new computer geek is annoying."

"How did Stan take it?"

"He was fine with it and it is showing her the ropes."

"What's her name again?"

"It's Winifred. She's harmless."

Sonny rolled his eyes. "She's weird."

Ronnie tried not to smile. "You'll get used to her. Stan is taking more college courses right now, so it will seem natural if we start to ease away from him."

Sonny leaned against his desk. "So, who do you think it is?"

"It's pointing to Joe Scully. I guess Philly got boring and he has decided to play with the big boys."

"He's going down if he comes up against me. Are you sure it isn't Corelli?"

"They've been really quiet."

"That kind of worries me too."

"I'm handling it."

"You better."

Ronnie left and Sonny picked up his phone.

"You at home?"

Carly smiled. "Yes."

"Get naked. I'll be right there."

"I'll have Leticia take Michael to the park."

"Perfect…"

He needs to work off some stress and his wife is the perfect vehicle.

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Elizabeth opened the door to her studio. "Grams."

Audrey brushed by her. "I've left you several messages."

"I'm sorry. Things have been chaotic."

Audrey perused the room and then sat on the couch. "Are you living here?"

"No, I'm living with a friend across town."

"I see. Why didn't you stay at the house?"

"I felt safer there."

Her grandmother's eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"

Liz sighed. "I—God, this is hard."

"Is this about Lucky?" It has been in all the newspapers and while she hadn't seen him with her own eyes, she saw some pictures and figured that maybe Liz had been taking care of him.

"Partly, but it also as to do with someone else. Look, Gram, you're not going to like it, but it's my life."

Audrey's brow rose. "Go on…" Elizabeth hasn't been this sassy in a long time and she wonders what happened to give her a spark again, but figures it is Lucky's return.

"First, I'm not going back to Lucky."

"Why? You were so in love with him that I was worried that I was going to lose you too."

"I know, but recently, someone helped me move on and he's wonderful, Gram. He listens to me and gives good advice. I feel so safe when he's around and he gets me."

The look on Audrey's face is priceless. She is stunned that somehow Elizabeth had finally gotten over the loss. "Wow."

"It took me by surprise too, but it's complicated and everything is such a mess. Lucky is still in love with me, but he's so messed up. He loses time because Helena messed with his head. They think he was brainwashed."

"That's horrible. Are you scared of Helena?"

"Well, I think she'd hurt me if it meant controlling Lucky. So, that is why I moved in with my friend Nicole."

"I don't remember you mentioning her before."

"She's a new friend and she has a little girl that is so cute. She's a survivor too and I really like her."

"I see. Well, I'm glad that you found each other. Now, are done evading the heart of the matter, or are you not going to tell me who this man is that swept you off of your feet?"

Elizabeth chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "It's Jason Morgan."

Audrey gasped and her hand went to her heart. "Did you just say who I think you said?"

Liz tried to sit up a little straighter. "Yes."

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Helena sighed as she viewed the surveillance monitor from her room which is located in the catacombs at Windemere. Things aren't going as fast as she wants, but she'll just use the time to toy with the Spencers more. After finding out the identity of Elizabeth's new paramour, she became intrigued by all the ways their union could wreak havoc with Lucky. Unfortunately, Jason Morgan is in jail which will do her no good because she wants to use him to torture Lucky and she has the perfect way to do it. Now, she just has to make sure that Jason is released from jail. So far, her computer genius had managed to make sure that Francis's geek, Nick, and Stan had found her evidence and they are playing right into her hands. Lila meeting with the judge had saved her from resorting to blackmail.

A wicked grin lit up her face. Yes, enacting revenge on the Spencers has become her favorite thing. In the end, Lucky will be so damaged that there will be no undoing it and Luke can watch as his precious spawn slowly loses his little mind. God, she loves her life. Yes, Jason Morgan is the key to driving Lucky Spencer insane. With a supposed serial killer on the lose, the PCPD will be sidetracked and not even see it coming.

Turning slightly, she gazed at the wall across from her which held up pictures of every major person in town. Tapping her lip, she pondered for a long moment. Who will be next?

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A long moment passed before Audrey finally came out of her stupor.

"I don't even know what say."

Liz gazed at her defiantly. "Jason is a good man. His job does not define him."

"Is what I read in the papers true?"

"He didn't do it. Epiphany got shot and he gave up. He thought everyone would have been better off if he had died in the accident."

Audrey gasped.

"Grams, they beat him and almost raped him in jail. I understand him and want to help him heal if he lets me. I'm not the same girl that I was with Lucky. I've grown up and know what I want now. Lucky and I were just kids and I can't go back to what we had before. I know you liked him, but I just can't."

"Elizabeth, I actually had reservation about Lucky at first because when I found out what he did, leaving you and going out with Sarah, I wanted to ring his neck, but then he basically refused to let you out of his sight after he found you at the park. He grew up a lot that night and I think he was feeling guilty and then along the way, he fell in love with you. Eventually, you started to smile and blossom again and I was thankful that he helped you get there. It was beautiful to watch. This has to be so hard on you both, but if your heart is not in it, I think you are making the right choice to back away. He has been hurt enough and so have you."

Liz's eyes pricked with tears. "What are you saying?"

"I may not approve of you dating a mob enforcer, but I also don't approve of you going back to a man that you're not in love with anymore. It's your life and your choice. I won't always like your decisions, but I will always love you."

She got up and hugged her grandmother. "I love you so much. Thank you for trusting me."

"If he hurts you, there will be hell to pay."

Liz smiled. "I think I could love him, you know? I'm so scared for him right now and he tried his best to push me away, but I refused. He doesn't get a say."

Audrey chuckled. "I don't think Mr. Morgan anticipated your Lizzie side.

"When he gets out, he's in for a rude awakening then."

"My money is on you."

Liz laughed, feeling relieved that her Gram didn't ask her to walk away from Jason because she had been prepared to draw a line in the sand. It feels nice to be supported.

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Laura rushed into Kelly's and locked eyes with her son. "Lucky?"

A slow smile edged onto his face. "Hi, mom."

She runs to him, quickly enveloping him and gripping him tightly as she cried.

"Uh, mom, I can't breathe."

Luke chuckled. "I don't think she'll let you go any time soon."

"He's right. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too." Feeling her energy just feels so right, but at the same time, he wishes she had stayed out of town because now, she'll be on Helena's radar.

She pulled back and gripped his face, studying every inch of it. "I can't believe that you are here."

"Mom, there's something that you should know."

Luke moved closer. "Cowboy, how about we save the gory details for later and just enjoy the reunion?"

"Okay."

Laura smiled as they sat at a table. "I may never let you out of my sight again."

He made a face, making his dad laugh.

"Have you seen your brother and Elizabeth?"

She noted that his levity fell a bit and wondered what had happened.

"I had an accident and that is how Nikolas and Emily found out that I was still alive."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. They were happy to see me."

"And Elizabeth?"

He sighed. "I had been watching her for quite a while and she had sensed me and apparently Emily and Nikolas thought she was losing her mind."

"That's because of your connection. What happened?"

"Well, she caught me one day and there wasn't time for me to duck, so she saw me and we talked."

Laura grinned. "She must have been so happy."

"Yeah—well…"

The door opens and Elizabeth walks in an then stops.

"Elizabeth! Come join us," Laura said as she rose to her feet.

"Laura. Hi." She moved towards her and they embraced. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful now that my son is back. We were just catching up and he was telling me how he stalked you."

"Mom…"

Liz shook her head. "He made me think I was losing my mind for a while."

"Well, I'm glad that you weren't. Can you join us?"

"Actually, I can't."

Laura pouted.

"Sorry, but I am picking up lunch for Epiphany."

"How is she?"

"She's actually recovering from a gunshot wound, but she's doing great."

Laura's mouth falls open.

"She's fine."

"Elizabeth, your order is up," the new waitress, Lisa, said.

"Thanks. I have to go."

"It was great seeing you," Laura said before hugging her again.

When she left, Laura turned to face her family. "Alright, what is going on? Elizabeth seemed so distant and you didn't say one word to her."

Lucky groaned. "I was just trying to tell you what's up before she came in."

"Go on. I'm listening."

"Mom, Elizabeth had moved on right before I showed up. She likes Jason Morgan now."

Laura frowned. "But he works for Sonny."

"I know. He's also in jail."

"For how long?"

Luke put his drink down. "Twenty-five years…"

She was quiet for a minute while she processed the information. "Well, obviously they can't be together. You need to remind her how things were. She'll come around. You are meant to be."

"I don't know about that. I'm not the same and neither is she."

She can see the pain radiating off of him. "What did Helena do to you?"

"I'm not sure, but it's not good."

"I've been talking to some specialists. They think they can help," Luke said.

Lucky isn't convinced. There was far too much damage done. "I think we should be prepared for the worse."

Laura's eyes gleamed with tears. "I refuse to accept that. Let's just see what they can do."

"She's going to use me to hurt you."

Luke tried to check his expression. "I'll kill her first."

"She went too far this time," Laura said. Luke had gotten very lucky. His injuries were minor and he just needs to take it easy.

Lucky couldn't help but think that if his father didn't play so many games, maybe he wouldn't be put in this position and the old bat would have been dead already.

"She hurt you and your father. We can't let that go."

"I know, but whatever she did to me, let's just say I don't think a reversal was in the plans."

Laura and Luke shared a worried glance, refusing to face the fact that the son they knew might be lost forever.

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Ronnie observed as Leticia grabbed Michael and dove to the ground. The boy's screams filtered through the air as two shots were fired and then only the sounds of his whimpers were left. Kids are usually off limits, but this would throw Sonny off and make him more paranoid and reliant on Ronnie, so it was necessary to scare the boy.

As he sprinted towards them, along with several other guards, visions of being partners with Sonny filtered through his head. The goal is to make Sonny more and more dependant on him as his mental state deteriorates.

"Are you alright?" he asked Leticia who burst into tears.

One of the other guards moved towards them. "He's gone."

"Let's get them out of here."

He helped her up and scooped up Michael who is shaking. "I've got you. Everything is going to okay. I'm going to take you to your daddy."

Michael gripped him tighter.

A small smile eased onto his face. Yes, this is going to work out perfectly.

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Liz let herself into Epiphany's house. "It's me."

Piph left her bedroom and met Liz in the dining room and after taking one look at her, she paused before giving her some good news. "What happened?"

"Laura is back in town and I think she wants Lucky and me back together."

Piph groaned. "Great…"

"I can handle it."

"I know you can. I just don't like that you have too. Hopefully, she won't push the issue."

"The Spencers are always pushy."

"Well, I have some really good news."

"What's that?"

Piph smiled. "Jason is fighting."

Liz's eyes grew big. "What happened?"

"Lila said it was rough for a while, but they finally made him see and he agreed to try."

Liz squealed and then hugged her. "I'm so happy for him."

"Me too. Are you going to the studio?"

"Yes, and then I'll meet you at Crimson Pointe."

"Okay. How is your clunker doing?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "I don't have it anymore."

Piph's head tilted.

"Why?"

"Johnny had the guards put it down."

Piph's eyes lit up. "How?"

"They shot it up in front of me."

Piph's laughter filled the air. "What are you driving now?"

"Believe it or not, a mustang. One of the guards had one that needed some work, so Johnny took it to a shop and they fixed it up. It's zippy."

"Zippy?"

Liz smiled. "I like going fast."

Piph shook her head. "What am I going to do with you, Webber?"

"Love and feed me…"

"You're on."

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Nicole opened the door. "Hello, Epiphany."

"Hey. How are you?"

"I'm great."

Alaina crawled towards them before standing.

"She is so cute. Is she walking?"

"Yes. She's starting to get faster."

The baby looked at her mom.

"You want to eat—eat?"

Ali nodded.

"Go tell uncle…"

She smiled and toddled toward the kitchen.

"Come on in."

They went into the living room where Liz is sitting.

"Hello. I saw your car."

Nicole chuckled. "She's going to take me out for a spin in a few days. I need to do some shopping."

"That sounds dangerous."

Johnny entered the room. "Did I hear that Francis is cooking?"

Nicole grinned. "Yup and it's for Epiphany."

Johnny's brow rose. "Are you trying to make an honest man out of him?"

"Is that possible?" Piph quipped.

"I heard that," Francis said as he appeared in the doorway wiping his hands on a dish towel. "It will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"What did you make?"

"Lasagna Alla Bolognese and my special garlic bread." Having bread with meals wasn't the usual growing up, but in America, you learn to adapt.

Nicole rubbed her hands together. "You are in for a treat. I love besciamella sauce."

Piph smiled. "I'm looking forward to it." Her mouth is watering.

Ari appeared with a piece of bread in her hand.

"You little cheater," Nicole said. "Give me that."

Her eyes grew big and she squealed and tried to run, making everyone laugh.

Johnny picked her up. "Got you." He is rewarded with her cute laugh and wonders how he ever lived without her.

"Does she make you want five more?" Liz asked.

Piph patted Nicole on the back as she choked on her water. "Are you trying to kill her?" When her gaze falls on Johnny, she's surprised to see he doesn't look really upset by the idea. "Thanks for saving Elizabeth from that death trap.

Johnny rolled his eyes. "It was horrible. We went through several clips to make sure it wasn't salvageable and then I had the guys light it on fire."

Liz shook her head. "Overkill?"

"Not even close…"

Francis shakes his head. "Who is going to help set the table?"

Liz got up and followed him.

Frank joined them and then they moved into the dining room. "It smells good, Francis."

"Thanks."

Frank said the blessing and then they began to eat.

Liz's eyes grew wide as the flavors burst on her tongue and Piph thought she had died and gone to heaven.

"Either I've gone too long without pasta or this is the best thing I've ever tasted," Piph said.

"Ditto," Liz said mumbled before taking another bite.

Francis smiled and then raised his glass. "To friends and family. I'm glad you're in my life."

They touched glasses and sipped on the wine.

When Liz tasted the bread, she glanced at Nicole. "No wonder you were willing to steal from a baby."

Nicole chuckled. "Why do you think I keep him around?"

"And here I thought you loved me for me."

"Oh, I do, but if I could lock you in the kitchen and make you cook every day it would be a win-win."

Frank smiled.

"I'll try to cook a couple of times a month. How's that?"

"Sounds good to me," Liz said.

"I second that," Piph said.

Francis flashed her a smile and then tasted another bite. His grandmother would have been proud.