A/N – Thanks for the comments! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Chapter 32

Elizabeth unlocked the door to the diner and Francis and Johnny rushed inside. Johnny checked Micah's pulse.

"It's strong."

"Tell me everything that happened," Francis said.

Liz smoothed out her apron. "I was wiping some tables down when she came inside. She and Lucky know that Jason is out of jail. Also, she somehow knows that Jason and I are together, but told me that ignoring Lucky will make things worse and she seems like she's going to use me to pit them against each other."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe she wants Lucky dead or she's just sadistic. She said some weird poem before she left."

Micah groaned, so Johnny sat next to him.

"You're okay."

"Lizabeth."

"I'm right here," she said rushing to his side. "Just take it easy. You were drugged."

Slowly, he sat up. "Are you okay?"

"I think I should be asking you that."

He stretched and then focused on her. "I'm fine. Who did this?"

"Helena Cassadine."

"I guess we have a new enemy," Francis said before looking at his watch. "Johnny, stay here with Elizabeth. Micah needs to be checked out and I'm a little later for a meeting with Jason."

"Please don't tell him what happened. I don't want him to get upset and blow his cover," Elizabeth said.

"Elizabeth…"

"Please…"

"I can't promise you that, but Jason will stay put because he doesn't have a choice. If I have to knock his ass out, he'll stay at the safe house."

She sighed. "Fine…"

"I'll check on you later."

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Jason shook hands with Francis.

"Have a seat," Francis said. He sat in a chair and Jason chose the couch.

"I'd like to thank you for what you did for me in prison and for protecting me now."

"You have people in your corner who believe in you. I probably wouldn't have helped if it weren't for them. Jason, I've thought a lot about what to do and none of the solutions will result in no blood loss."

"I know."

"What do you want?"

"To kill Sonny and protect my friends, beyond that, I'm not sure. Coming to work for you would make sense, but after all the bad choices I have made, do you even want me?"

"Let's talk about that. I understand that you care about Epiphany, but throwing your life away like that, did you really think that was the answer?"

"Yes and for the record, I love her. I don't process things like normal people and didn't think that I deserved to go on."

"You have a lot of insecurities which you know does not help you in the line of work you chose. I can't help you unless you are willing to submit and learn. I don't want a yes man, but I need to know that your line of thinking isn't so emotional. When I found out what those animals did to my sister, I was really pissed and trashed my office, but I didn't fall apart. I put all my hate and anger into making a plan and then I executed it and them. I couldn't change what happened, but I did make sure they would never hurt her like that again. I feel like your coping skills are completely off and that was because of the way you were taught by Sonny to react. He wanted you to be reliant on him and to basically be a robot and do what he said. I don't operate like that. In some ways, you are so young because of the accident and have no reference point with how to deal with conflict and that affects your judgment and reactions."

"You're right. I agree that I'm reactive and I've tried hard to change that, but sometimes it's hard to hold back my emotions. It's like a rage takes over me."

"Sometimes, your body can't hold everything in and in your case, you lash out or you completely shut down, but it doesn't have to be that way. You're capable of learning and growing. Part of this job is to be disciplined, but we're all human. When someone you love gets hurts, you want to hurt someone back, but you have to learn how to reign it in and think smart. You probably want to go to Sonny's house and blow his head off, but if you do that, you'll probably end up dead yourself. I've worked for months to start bringing him down and I don't want all my hard work thrown out of the window. Can you give me your word that you will stick to my plan? I promise that in the end, you'll be part of the team that brings him down. Can you do that?"

Jason's eyes clamped shut as he took a few deep breaths. "Yes."

"I'm willing to help mentor you and train you the way you should have always been trained. You'll be the best and hopefully, a better man when all is said and done. Is that something you'd be interested in?"

"You're willing to take a chance on me?"

"Yes. Johnny and Manny vouched for you and Epiphany would probably kick my ass if I let you fend for yourself. I think you have potential, Jason. Your confidence took a big blow, but you ended up fighting which is a testament to your spirit. I also know that you're good with a gun and level-headed in a fight. So, are you willing to be on team Corelli? I'm not sure what position you'll be in when all is said and done, that will be partially up to you and how you progress."

"I understand and yes, I want to be on your team." Just the fact that he had given it so much thought and is willing to invest in him makes Jason feel good about taking the opportunity.

"I want you to know that you can say no. The five families might not be happy about it, but if you want out, now would be the time. They will probably flip anyway once they find out you're on my team. That is why I need you to keep out of sight for a little while. It will buy us some time to lay some groundwork."

"Okay. This business is all I know. I'm good at my job for the most part. I don't mind learning."

Francis stood and held out his hand. "Welcome aboard."

Jason shook it. "Now, what are your intentions with Epiphany."

Francis smirked. His first thought was to say, "break a bed," but he didn't want to be disrespectful since Jason's expression shows no humor and what happens in the bedroom between him and Piph is noone else's business. "I don't think you get to ask me that, but Epiphany is a great woman and right now, I'm just appreciating that greatness and getting to know her."

"Don't hurt her."

"I have no intention of doing so. Now, what are your intentions regarding Elizabeth, because I've grown rather fond of her."

Jason is taken aback but quickly recovers. "I like her."

"And?" Francis crossed his arms.

"And?"

Francis tried not to smirk. "Don't hurt her."

Jason's eyes flickered with amusement. "Understood."

"Manny will be here tomorrow to start with some training."

"I'll be ready."

"I'll be back after the weekend with the rest of the team and we'll go over the plan." He has to change it a little since Jason is involved.

"Okay."

"Oh, and one more thing, but you have to promise me that you'll do what I say once you hear it."

Jason shifted uncomfortably. "Go on."

"Helena cornered Elizabeth in the diner today."

"What!"

"I know. She drugged Micah and then talked Elizabeth's ear off. I have to admit, I don't know a lot about her, so I'm not sure which way to play it. It's the first time she has been seen around town for a while. Elizabeth thinks she's going to play you and Lucky against each other."

"Why?"

"That's the big question."

"Maybe she wants me to kill Lucky and figures if he provokes me, then I'll snap."

"Will you?"

Jason sighed. "If he hurts Elizabeth, then all bets are off."

"You can't fly off the handle though. Lucky means something to Elizabeth. If you hurt him, then she may get upset."

"I—I can't promise I won't get pissed off. Just thinking about it makes me want to rip his head off. If Helena has done something to him, then that means Lucky is very dangerous. She seems like she wants Liz to be around him when he's unstable which makes me question her motives."

"I agree that it isn't safe for Elizabeth and will tell her that, but the little I do know about her, she doesn't turn her back on people she loves and she loves Lucky. Epiphany explained their dynamic to me. What does your gut tell you?"

"That his love for her might be the only thing that saves him. I think you or Epiphany needs to talk to Liz and find out all you can about Lucky's state of mind. You can't protect her if you don't know what you're working with."

Francis slightly smiled. Instead of just getting angry, Jason is focused on finding a solution which is very good. "That's smart and I will take your advice."

"What about Helena? Clearly, she has an agenda. The Spencers are getting attacked and she's trying to put Elizabeth in the middle. She may be more dangerous than anyone realizes."

"I'll have Nick, my computer geek, do some research on her and see if he can piece anything together and link her to the attacks."

Jason moved to the windows and looked outside. "How long am I going to be stuck here?"

"I'm not sure. Sonny is unstable and we're chipping away at him. By not making big overtures, it's slow but very effective. By the way, we have Scully." He wants to show Jason that he's willing to trust him.

Jason spun on his heal. "What?"

"Sonny thinks he's underground. I guess in a way he is. I have a man on my payroll who is running his business so that no one, even his men are privy to the fact that he is missing in action. Joe is in a world of hurt and Sonny is blaming him for everything. We'll go over more at the next meeting."

"Okay." Trust goes both ways and he likes that Francis is clearly orchestrating a well thought out plan. Taking Joe and using him against Sonny is brilliant and Jason can't wait for his former boss's business to come tumbling down.

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Carly gingerly sat on the couch. How did her life turn out to be such a mess? If it isn't her ruining it, then it is someone else. The nightmares hadn't stopped and she is edgy and despondent. Michael is still at her mothers and Sonny is going crazy trying to figure out who had hurt her in between putting out fires.

Ronnie entered the room. "Are you okay?"

"I couldn't sleep. Where is Sonny?"

"He'll be right back. Can I get you something?"

"No, I'm fine."

The door swung open and Sonny strode inside.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep."

"You should have taken the sleeping pill."

"It makes me have nightmares."

Sonny tenses as he watches her struggle to suck in a breath. "Laying down will be easier on your ribs."

"Let me help you get back upstairs," Ronnie said.

Carly nodded and Ronnie helped her stand and it took a while, but when she was safely inside the room, he came back down.

"What do you have for me?" Sonny asked as he poured himself a drink.

"I spoke to my jail contact. He hasn't seen Jason for a while. Rumor is that he's in solitary confinement, but there is no way to tell if that is true." Unbeknownst to them, Francis's men had started that rumor.

Sonny winced as the cool liquid scorched his throat. "What about Scully?"

"He's still hidden. There was another attack on one of our shipments last night, but luckily, the guys fought hard and got it back."

"Do you think Johnny tipped them off?"

"No, he wouldn't have known about it."

"We need to send a message to Scully. I want his facility in Jersey hit hard. I'm tired of playing games with him. People need to know not to fuck with us."

"I'll handle it personally."

Sonny watched him leave and then threw back another drink before going upstairs to check on Carly.

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Elizabeth grabbed her phone and took a break. "Hello?"

"Hey."

She smiled. "I miss you."

A slow smile crept onto Jason's face. "I miss you too. At least I had your brownies to keep me company."

She laughed. "I'm glad you enjoyed them."

"Evangeline made me and Manny chase her around for them."

"Oh really…" She's a little jealous she couldn't be a part of the fun.

"Yes. I think Manny is making some headway with her."

"You like Manny, don't you?"

"Yes. He's a good guy. Does he bother you?" He can't help but tense his muscles.

"No—no, I'm fine with him now. I just had to get used to him."

He sits on the couch. "Francis told me what happened, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"Helena got a little to close and drugged my guard. I'm scared something really bad will happen."

Knowing that she is probably thinking about Lucky, he decides to broach that subject. "When was the last time you saw Lucky?"

"It has been awhile. He disappears from time to time and has lapses of memory where he doesn't know what he has done."

Jason is silent for a long moment. "If Helena is controlling him, there's no telling what he does during those lapses."

It's her turn to be silent, unwilling to face the implications. After brushing her hair back, she presses forward.

"I don't think that he'd hurt me."

"This isn't the Lucky you used to know. Maybe part of him is still there, but you can't totally let your guard down until we know what she did to him or is making him do." When she doesn't answer, he continues. "I can't let them hurt you. Do you understand?"

"Jason…"

Her exasperated tone has no effect on him.

"Elizabeth, I mean it. Please at least agree that you'll be more careful around him. Please..." His desperate tone makes her shudder and then she slowly perused the area when she suddenly feels like someone is watching.

"I'll be careful. I know you think he's done something really bad, but please don't hurt him. If he did, it's not his fault. I have to go. My break is over and I need to process this."

"Okay."

"Bye, Jason."

"Bye."

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Lucky watched Liz from a distance. The phone call seemed to unnerve her and he wonders if it was Helena or one of her men. He knows that she had made contact because he's been watching Elizabeth since she got to the diner. While he has to do Helena's bidding, his instinct is to protect Elizabeth and not let anything harm her. His blackouts are getting worse and he suspects that he is the one that hurt Carly. In the big picture, she is nothing to him, but the fact that he can so easily hurt a woman chills him to the bone. Helena seems to know where he is at all times, so he's convinced that she is tracking him with a GPS device which means it's implanted. Knowing that he can't run or hide from her, makes him even more desperate to figure out a way to stop this madness. If it comes down to it, he'll kill himself rather than hurt Elizabeth, his friends, his brother or mother. His dad, he's unsure of. This whole game is because of his father's stupidity which means his life is ruined because of it. As much as he tries to shove it back, hatred is flowing through his veins every time he thinks about his dad's actions and he wonders if it's part of Helena's plan or the feelings are his own. Either way, their relationship will never be the same again.