I know this is rather late… But in my defense, I have been extremely busy and have had no time to write, but seeing as how I am now stranded in no man's land, with dial-up internet and finicky satellite, I will be spending all or most of my time writing. Hope you guys can forgive me for not having this in sooner and I hope the knowledge that the chapters will now be longer will appease you. Thank you all for being such wonderful readers and offering great feedback. Hopefully this chapter is to your liking…

Chapter Forty-Seven

Sonny pulled into the driveway, his headlights already turned off since coming down the street. Sometimes he had a tendency to act rash and plow through all common sense, but this time, he knew that the consequences were much higher, should he try that tactic. So being as cautious as possible, Sonny shut the door quietly as he exited the SUV.

Approaching the house at a crouch, Sonny moved slowly and quietly, in case someone was watching from the windows. The house was completely dark, and the front door was ajar. Cursing under his breath, Sonny eased the door open, hoping the thing wouldn't creak or groan. Luckily for him, the hinges were well oiled and made the smallest of sounds, like a flat palm brushing over a rough object.

He reached into his back pocket, grabbing the small flashlight that was attached to his keychain. Flicking it on, Sonny began his search of, what was obviously the living room. As he was stepping into the kitchen, his eyes spied the broken door, or rather the broken glass, from the door, it littered the floor in sparkling little pieces. The last vestiges of the storm and its accompanying lightning, so he hoped, sparking little swirls of light on the glass.

Sonny had a moment to wonder whether the door had been broken while someone was trying to get in, or trying to get out, although it really didn't matter, either way, Elizabeth and Jason were in trouble. No sooner did he poke his head out of the door, than he heard Lucky Spencer's voice drifting on the rising breeze, "Elizabeth!"

The voice did for him, what the broken door failed at doing, caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up and his arms to break out in Goosebumps. However, Lucky had just offered him a great assistance, when arriving Sonny hadn't known where to go or where to search, he now did. If Elizabeth was in the woods, then so would Jason, he only hoped they were together, but something deep inside himself spoke up instead. "Elizabeth's dying and Jason's dead, you failed them, like you have failed everyone else, just like your mother."

Sonny pushed that traitorous voice from his mind, a feat in and of itself, later, he could worry then, right now, his friends could still use him!

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Elizabeth came to in a groggy daze, her head hurt and for some reason she couldn't feel her legs. With a groan, she raised her hand to her head, squinting at her fingers she could see a dark substance coating her fingers. Suddenly, everything came back, what happened and how it happened.

Before she even had a moment to think about it, she called for Jason, screaming so loud it hurt her throat. His name slipping effortlessly off her lips, only after she had done it, did she realize her mistake. Lucky had been close on her heels when she tumbled down the hill. Struggling uselessly to sit up, desperation took hold, visualizing every thing that could be wrong, "Oh no… my baby!" She whispered, her hand going to her stomach.

Suddenly there was movement to her right, darting her head in the direction the sound came from, caused another wretched moan to seep from deep within.

Any words she might have wished to form, died on her lips as Lucky stepped closer. There was madness in his eyes, never before had she ever seen anything like it before. She knew it then, nothing was going to stop Lucky from hurting her or killing her baby, Jason must already be dead, so she was left to Lucky's madness.

Unable to watch Lucky's stalking, Elizabeth closed her eyes, praying to a higher power for salvation. She knew asking God for a favor while in such a situation, probably wasn't her best course of action, but she needed help, some sort of guidance.

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Jason heard her scream his name, the sound gave him hope and a new sense of strength. The direction her voice came from was the very direction he was headed, at least he believed it was. Elizabeth was in danger, he couldn't afford to second guess himself. So once again, he was trusting his instincts to direct him to where he was needed.

It felt like he had been running for hours, but as he looked back, he noticed with a heavy heart, at some point he must have gotten turned around, because the house was once again in sight, and there was Sonny, standing on the wooded edge.

A string of curses exploded from his mouth, whispered rather than shouted, but holding even more vehemence because they were spoken so soundly.

Jason waited before heading back into the woods until Sonny caught up. There wasn't really anything worth saying, one look at Jason, and Sonny knew what was going on.

To make matters worse, the moon was completely blocked out again, more clouds had moved into the area, the lightning was flaring up and so was the thunder. But at this moment it was still tame, neither man believed it would stay so. With desperation borne of fear, they started to make their way through the wooded area.

Thankful for the help, Jason couldn't help but curse his stupidity. In all the years he had been working for Sonny, never had he ever made a monumental mistake like the one he had previously made. While the woods were not his second home, he knew enough to never backtrack or to lose his set destination, the only way to travel while in the woods. But somehow, in his fear, he had done the thing he shouldn't have. Dismissing the need to spot his next location, he had given in to panic, allowed it to take control, and now here he was, back at the very beginning.

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Elizabeth felt his hand on her forehead, then on her shoulder. Unable to control the shudder that his touch provoked in her, she snapped her eyes open. C oming face to face with Lucky. His eyes were locked on hers, using the last of her strength, she tried to shove him away from her, all she succeeded in doing was pushing him off balance, he landed on her legs, pulling another scream from her.

She looked on in stupefied horror, wondering what more she could go through, what more the world was going to see fit to put her through. For so very long Elizabeth thought that being with Lucky was the right choice, but now as she looked back upon her life, looked at the emotions and feelings that Jason provoked in her, the way a simple smile from him could make her knees weak and the amazing feeling that being in his arms his body filling hers completely. It was beyond anything she had ever felt, and she now realized that Lucky was nothing more than a passing phase, a part of her life that she thought she had to stand by. Jason had given her so much and still he was going along with this crazy plan, he loved her, he trusted her, there was nothing else to think about. So for him, Elizabeth was going to fight her way out of this mess, she wasn't at all sure how she was going to do that at this particular moment, but she would do it, for the family she had always dreamed about and the incomprehensible love that waited on the horizon. A love that transcended mere thought and mortal standards…

Elizabeth tried to conserve her energy, the throbbing at the base of her skull proved slightly hard to ignore, but the remembered feeling of Jason's heart beating below her fingers as they lay in bed, just hours ago, that feeling and the amazing feeling that he loved her and only her, gave her the little bit of strength that she needed to struggle to a sitting position. The demented look in Lucky's eyes, threatened to push her back down, but she refused to be crowed by him again. He had taken much from her, self-respect, innocence, even her love, twisting them all into a sickening guise, stealing everything empowering and making her nothing but a warm body on a cold night.

Elizabeth was slightly surprised to realize that she was angry, perhaps angrier than she had ever been before. Finally she understood what was going on, what Lucky had done, was not because of her or her inability to love him the way he thought she should, it was simply the fact that Lucky needed something more than she could give. He was sick, that was obvious, just looking ay him was enough to tell that, and while a lone part of her wanted to feel sorry for him, there was a deeper part of her that wouldn't allow her to. Drawing on her anger, Elizabeth raised her hands and shoved Lucky with every ounce of strength she had, perhaps drawing a little extra oomph from her anger. Needless to say, it was enough, Lucky spilled from her legs, landing heavily on his side, looking somewhat shocked and disgusted that she had done something so un-Elizabeth-like.

Using the last of her anger, Elizabeth pushed to her feet, launching herself up so fast she almost fell over. She hazard one last look over her shoulder at Lucky and hoping with everything pure and wonderful in the world, Elizabeth turned and fled back the way she came, or so she hoped. The storm looked to be waiting, holding its breath, almost as if it was waiting for something to happen… No lightning lit the sky to offer her a small relieving light, the moon hid behind the dark clouds, banishing her to almost total darkness. Hoping that her heart would lead her to Jason, she allowed her inner senses to direct her. A sickening thought suddenly occurred to her, what if Jason was dead, that blow he had received was anything but gentle, he could be laying in the house, his skull split open and bleeding to death. She shook her head, not willing to think such horrendous thoughts, in her heart she knew he was alive, because, there was no way that he couldn't live. He had a child coming, he was going to be a father, he had her heart, her love was irrefutable, so after so many years of pain and heartache, she was not willing to think about losing him, she needed him, but she also understood, he needed her. They were a part of each other, whether it was lazy thinking or not, her heart believed that she could not survive without Jason, and likewise for him.

She ran, up the hill as fast as her legs would carry her, but like in a dream, it seemed she was moving in slow motion. Every movement seeming to drain twice the normal energy this type of activity would require. She allowed her self on final glance backwards, understanding she was playing the stupid blonde girl in a horror movie, but unable to stop herself. She had to know if Lucky was giving chase, she had to know if Lucky Spencer was once again going to ruin her happiness. Elizabeth skidded to a stop, Lucky still sat where she had left him, sprawled on his side, looking almost beseechingly up at her, begging her with his eyes. But she was no longer that stupid girl, she had fallen for Lucky and his ploys more than once, now that she was safely away from his madness, she had no intention of repeating that disastrous mistake. After a year of living in the sweltering, pain-inducing fog, Elizabeth was more than happy to see the light that Jason had bestowed upon her. She allowed her gaze to wander over Lucky, but seeing no visible injuries, Elizabeth once again began her trek up the hill and hopefully, to Jason's arms.

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Jason and Sonny stumbled through the woods, the previous rains having caused the ground to become soupy almost marshy in texture. Not only were they trying to out run the storm that was winding up again, but they were also trying to outrun a madman. But even as Jason fought his way through the woods, he understood that Elizabeth was already in Lucky's hands, he didn't want to believe it, but there was no denying it.

Finally they reached firmer ground; the rain had not saturated the ground as badly here, only because the trees were thicker and larger, offering a natural barrier to the ground. The trees were older in this area, so the branches interlaced with each other, protecting the ground to some degree. Rain still managed to seep through, but so little in fact actually made it through that the ground was damp but still firm, the many roots compacting the soil and making the rain puddle rather than seep. But even the puddles were miniscule, not offering any real nourishment to the large trees.

Jason was gaining ground, Sonny it seemed was having troubles with keeping up. Nevertheless, that didn't slow Jason down, Sonny at the moment was safe, Elizabeth on the other hand was not, so whether he wanted to or not, Sonny would have to catch up or fall further behind, Elizabeth was the one who needed Jason's help.

Jason crested the one of the many rises and skidded to a halt as a warm, hard body collided with his. His hand instinctually went to his the back of his pants, reaching for the gun that lay in the small of his back, while his other hand snaked around the person's body. No sooner did his arm reach around the body that had barreled into him than lightning flared in the sky, but even had it not, both people would have known who the other was. Relief, flooded through them both, Jason's put the gun back where it had previously been, wrapping Elizabeth in a firm yet tender hug. His lips found hers, delving deep while his hands roamed the planes of her body, searching perhaps obsessively for injuries.

Jason began to deepen the kiss, needing more contact, needing to feel the reality of her in his arms, not a mere figment but flesh and blood. Jason's hand slipped beneath the soaked shirt that clung to her abraded skin, the only thing going through his mind, a sense of relief, but not trusting himself, he slowly opened his eyes, needing to see the love of his life not just feel her, he needed a guarantee that she was okay, that she was safe, but something wasn't right, as he opened his eyes he realized the quality of the light had changed, the dark was not absolute, it flickered as if inconstant, almost as if the storm was threatening to explode all over again, giving into sheer instinct he realized he was no longer standing, he was on his back, his arms and legs spread and seemingly tied, when he tried to move his stiff joints, he discovered he was indeed secured tightly, trussed up light a thanksgiving turkey is what flashed in his mind. Confused and unsure of what was really going on, Jason closed his eyes, willing things to make sense, willing them to place Elizabeth back in his arms, safe and mostly unscathed, but he couldn't live in delusions, that wasn't his mo, so he then opened them again, but the scene didn't change, not wanting to but unable not to, Jason slowly turned his head, not that he was able to do so very well, his neck had kinked at some point, and the way he was tied up, prevented him from seeing everything, but the small view he was graced with was enough, Elizabeth lay beside him, naked and either drugged or worse… Jason didn't allow his mind to follow that train of thought, he forced his head to turn a little more, and by doing so, he was afforded a brief glance at her chest and the shallow, but steady rise and fall of her chest.

He took a deep breath, thankful that she was still alive, but unnerved by the restraints. Elizabeth wasn't the one who tied him up, so that left only one other person, Lucky Spencer, he is the one who had done this, there was no denying it. What he didn't understand was how it had happened, he had expected this thing to take a few days at the very least, but more like a week or two, of course he hadn't expected Lucky to get the upper hand, he was Jason Morgan, enforcer, Borg, a man with single minded determination, so even in all his worries, he never thought Lucky would get the upper hand like this. Either they had highly mistaken Lucky's drive or he had inside information, but from who, that was perhaps more disconcerting than anything else, even being tied up. Yes being tied up was a problem, but he refused to panic, he was going to keep his head, Elizabeth and their child needed him to remain calm and with any luck he could figure a way out of this predicament. But one thing bothered him, he was not used to fits of fancy or anything like that, and yet, he had dreamed that Elizabeth was in danger, but had escaped and come to him. He had dreamed before, at least he was sure he had, but since he became Jason Morgan, he couldn't recall a single dream or nightmare, perhaps it was part of the brain damage that he had sustained, so what reason would he have to dream or to remember it. He had heard numerous times, that everyone dreamt, and while he didn't care to contemplate the possibilities, he had to wonder what his dream meant, or if it was just simply that, a dream…

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Elizabeth stirred, her head rolling on the pillow, her eyes rolling beneath her closed lids. Almost as if coming out of a trance, Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes, wincing at the inconstant light, and the way it pierced her head, feeling like stakes being driven into her mind. It took only a moment for her to understand that the light that she was seeing was candlelight, which was why it flickered and danced. It took several moments for her to get her bearings, but a sudden spike of dread in the pit of her stomach was more than enough to bring her right back to the present. The cold air that fluttered over her skin alerted her to her state of undress. She reached blindly around, trying to find the blanket that had covered her when she and Jason had slipped into each others arms.

Her hand grazed Jason's torso, she moved swiftly, knowing that something wasn't right, but she moved without restraints, as she sat up she noticed Jason's eyes were trained on her, but he looked like he didn't believe what he was seeing. A quick glance around the room told her all she needed to know, Jason's arms and legs were bound, the thin rope cutting into his skin. Not thinking about anything but freeing Jason, Elizabeth scooted closer to him, reaching for his left hand and working on the bonds. With a frustrated grunt of annoyance, Elizabeth realized there was no way she was going to loosen his bonds enough to get him free, she needed something sharp, scissors, a knife, he!!, even a shard of jagged glass would do right now. She could feel time slipping away from her, could feel the danger that lurked near.

Her mind like Jason's knew that it was Lucky who had put them in this situation, after all, it wasn't such a great leap, and this was what they had wanted. Well in actuality, they had wanted the upper hand on him, but as it would seem, he managed to get the upper hand. This was supposed to have gone smoothly, simply. Lucky was to show up, she was going to play the subdued and remorseful ex-girlfriend, lulling Lucky into a false sense of calm, if that was possible, considering that Lucky was not in his right mind, but she had hoped that her plan would have worked. Now she understood that she had been foolish and foolhardy, you don't play Russian roulette with a madman, and in all essence that is exactly what she had done. She had hoped that some small part of the Lucky that she remembered from before the fire still lingered in this new shell, but once again, that was foolish of her, there was nothing left of Lucky but his hate, anger and deranged sense of justice…

She wanted to scream in frustration, but knew that if she made any noise she was liable to bring Lucky rushing back to the room, so long as he wasn't in the room, then she had a chance to free Jason and in doing so, save herself. She was no match for Lucky, she supposed if she surprised him, she might win a fight, but it wasn't just herself she had to worry about, her child was an innocent party in this, and if she sustained injuries because she went off half cocked, looking for retribution, then she could lose everything that she held dear.

Looking towards Jason, seeing the same realization in his eyes, Elizabeth knew that it rested upon her shoulders to get them out of this predicament. As quietly as possible, Elizabeth moved from the bed, still unsure of the house and all its noises, she stepped gingerly, wanting to make it to her luggage, in one of the bags there was a pair of scissors, of course the bag it was in, was a mystery hopefully there would be a divine hand directing hers to the right one, but in her current situation, she had to rely on something more tangible than divine intervention.

She slipped the zipper open on the first case, her breath held as she hastily moved clothing out of her way. Her hands landed on the little traveling case that contained a needle and random colors of thread, the exact thing she needed, the scissors were small but very sharp, three days ago she had accidentally taken a chunk of skin out of her finger, while trying to mend one of Jason's good dress shirts. It was rather silly to be doing it, considering the man liked denim and t-shirts, but if he only knew how well he looked in those tight slacks and form fitting shirts, if only he knew what it did to her when she saw him in such clothing. Her mind drifted, but she quickly refocused her attention, her hands closed on the small, folding scissors, but no sooner did her fingers close over them than she was yanked roughly back. Cold, uncompromising hands gripped her flesh roughly, causing bruises to bloom on her skin, at first just a faint coloring but within minutes the skin had turned a dark blue-black shade. This was the Lucky she remembered, inflicting uncountable damage to her body, with nary a thought of the child she was carrying or anything else…

He spun her around so quickly that she lost her tenuous grip on the small scissors, cursing her clumsiness even as they hit the floor. Whether Lucky noticed them or not, she couldn't tell, he didn't give a sign either way. As he spun her around she glimpsed the panic stricken look pass over Jason's face and the instant anger at the injuries her pliable flesh was enduring. Lucky shook her when her eyes stayed on Jason, her gaze slowly drifted back to the man holding her hostage. Fear wormed into her heart when she locked eyes with him, what she saw in his eyes was nothing short of madness, there was nothing remotely humane in his eyes, he looked at her as if she was nothing so much as a piece of meat. Before she could stop herself a scream of terror and rage erupted from her lips, ricocheting of the walls, deafening her even as she continued to scream, in that moment she understood that there was no way she could reason with him, he was beyond words, beyond anything that resembled intelligence, he was a monster wearing a human façade.

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