Chapter 2

A/N: We'd like you to weigh in in your comments about the episode on 9/2/08. We'd like to know who you think wears the vagina in the Liason relationship. 'Cause it looks like Jason to us. You don't just rev a woman's engines and call it quits. It's a vag move. And it's mean.

"You're not real. You are not real. You can't be here!" Nikolas said, panicking.

"I'm here, Nikolas. I'm right here."

"I saw you dead. At the Black and White Ball… I saw you on the ballroom floor… And then Liz was there and Jason…"

"I'm here. You can see me, talk to me," she reached out her hand and touched his face, "You can feel my hand."

"I've seen you before… After you died. You… You haunted me… I could touch you."

Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'll be right back, I swear."

She left the room in haste and came right back in, pulling an orderly in with her.

"Cassius, you can see me, right?"

The young man looked at her quizzically.

"Yes, Dr. Quartermaine…"

"You hear me, you felt my hand on your arm when I steered you into the room?"

His brow furrowed in deeper confusion.

"Yes, Dr. Quartermaine."

She turned to Nikolas.

"Could anyone else see or hear or feel me in your dream?"

"I… It wasn't…" He sighed deeply, head hurting. "No. No one could see or hear you. Just me."

"Well, now that we've established that people here can in fact see, hear and feel my presence, you can relax."

She turned back to Cassius.

"Sorry about that, Cassius. Thank you, though."

The man just looked at her strangely and left the room.

Emily pulled the chair back up to the side of Nikolas' bed.

"I'm alive. Clearly. So are you."

"It was real. It felt real."

Emily ran her fingers gently through his hair.

"Patrick said you'd have memory loss. He also said, due to the state you were in, you may pick things up from the environment around you, and they may get incorporated into your unconscious. It was like a dream, Nikolas."

The man's red rimmed eyes glistened.

"Maybe," Emily said, "if you tell me what happened you might feel better."

He felt like he'd been holding his breath when he finally spoke.

"It started with Leticia…"

Spinelli woke up to the sound of Leyla moving items around in his hospital room.

She looked at him when he opened his eyes.

"Sorry, Mr. Jackal, I didn't mean to wake you. I was just going to slip in and do a quick set of vitals."

"No trouble, Enchanting Nurse Leyla, I feel more refreshed today."

Leyla smiled and wrapped the blood pressure cuff around his arm.

"I'm glad. So far, your vitals have been good, and you've been responding very well to the antibiotics."

She reached out and pushed a stray strand of hair out of his eyes.

Damien Spinelli almost glowed.

"It's good of you to take the Jackal's health so seriously."

"Well, I'm your number one fan since you helped me out with my mother. And I had a really good time."

His poor head spun.

"You, the Lovely Leyla enjoyed spending time with the Jackal?"

She touched him on the arm playfully.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Spin stammered.

"A woman as attractive as yourself… could find any number of suitors."

Leyla finished getting the vitals and turned just before opening the door.

"Yes, yes I could," she said, smiling sweetly as she left the room.

Spinelli floated on a cloud for the rest of the day.

"So, this 'text message killer' killed Leticia, me and then Georgie and Cooper Barrett. And there was this big drama in the Black and White Ball, then he dangled Liz and Sam off the Port Charles Bridge. Sounds incredibly scary."

Nikolas was exhausted from the recitation, he simply nodded.

"Nikolas, love, none of that happened. Things have been, well I won't say boring, because it never is, but not nearly that crazy."

Nikolas closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"And I think I can explain how some things got into your head."

She took his hand.

"Spencer played a lot with Morgan, so Leticia brought him here to see you when he was with her. So… Leticia. Georgie's been in and out. Liz, obviously, and Nadine Crowell has been your nurse as well. As to why we would be murdered or attacked, I'm not really sure.

"There has been a problem with meds as well, which you probably overheard staff talking about. We had issues with pills coming is as placeboes as opposed to the antibiotics and pain medications they were supposed to be."

"How? How could it be all in my head? I lived every second of it."

Emily stood, leaned over and kissed Nikolas gently on the lips.

"No, you didn't. It was just the product of a terrible shock to your system and your fevered, overactive imagination," she said, quietly.

Nikolas took a easier breath.

"You swear?"

"I do."

Jason was standing at the ready, large automatic weapon primed. He'd just taken up position on the far left flank, blocking the exits from that alley.

He'd set himself up when he saw her.

"Sam!" he said in a loud whisper. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Sam stopped mid stride and turned at the sound of the voice.

"Jason! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Not working for the Russians. You?"

She looked shocked and angry.

"I'm not working for the Russians. Karpov is a misogynistic piece of filth, I wouldn't voluntarily be anywhere near him."

"But Lucky's okay?"

"He's been a whole hell of a lot better for me than you, Jason Motherfucking Morgan. Where do you get off being so self righteous?"

"In the fact that I'm not actually a criminal."

Sam made a rude noise.

"I don't have time to play with you, Sam. What are you doing here?"

She thought a minute and decided on a semi-truth.

"Following Jerry Jacks. Trying to get more goods on him so Alexis can see the truth and dump his sorry ass."

Jason raised an eyebrow.

"I swear, Jason. I am not half the crazy bitch you knew. Though in freaking fairness, you helped make me crazy."

Jason swore quietly, then took a big breath.

"I did some things… I didn't handle things well… When…"

"When I got shot for you and lost the ability to bear children of my own?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"For that. For all of it."

"For what what, Jason?"

"I didn't mean for that to happen. And I have apologized in the past," he said, quietly. "However, your apology for watching my son be kidnapped and then having a gun pulled on Liz and the kids in the park is still forthcoming."

"I apologized to Liz."

Jason made the rude noise this time.

Sam stared at her boots for a minute.

"It was stupid and I'm sorry."

"Accepted."

"Really?"

"Maybe. Depends on what you're really doing here."

Sam shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Isn't it enough that Jerry Jacks is evil and must be stopped?"

"And you have nothing to do with the Russians?"

Sam put on her best lying face.

"No. Yes. Only in the sense that Jerry is dealing with them, and I need the info."

Jason couldn't read her. She could be telling the truth for all he knew.

"Then you need to get out of here. The OCTF is about to rain fire onto this place when the Russians are all here."

"No shit."

"Yeah. So, get out of here, and stay out of sight for a few days."

"Days?"

"The fit is about to hit the shan. If they say your name for any reason, it's better you're not handy."

"So, you really believe me?"

"And… I'm really sorry."

"We should just agree that we had no real business being together in the first place. We weren't meant. It took me a while to get that through my head."

Jason looked down the alley.

"Agreed. Now this place is about to be swarming with OCTF agents and Feds. So, you should leave."

"Thanks, Jason."

She turned and left.

"If the don't have OCTF or FBI on their chests arrest them. If they resist, non-lethal alternatives first. If they fire on you, you have full authority to fire back to kill. Are we understood?"

There were grunts and nods of assent.

"Move out!"

Down the alley there was gunfire and shouting. Jason held his position.

He drew down on Karpov's men as they attempted to escape the raid.

"Throw down your weapons and get down on your faces or I will shoot you!" he shouted.

One man began to raise his weapon.

Jason shouted.

There was a rain of gunfire.

The ER was flooded with bullet wounds.

The triage nurses and ER doctors descended on the group, calling out for blood types and sutures.

Every available staff member was pulled from their respective floors.

Liz stood in the elevator, bouncing on the balls of her feet, praying that when the doors opened she wouldn't be faced with one of her worst fears.

The doors did finally open into the ER and Liz stepped out.

"Liz, we need triage on that guy over there, STAT," Patrick called. "And hang a bag of normal saline on that guy after you're done."

She just nodded and threw herself into her work. She hadn't seen Jason yet. And she hoped not to see him in the ER at all.

But then she turned to the ambulance bay…

Jason was stumbling under the weight of a comrade, attempting to get him through the door.

"He needs help!" Jason called to her.

They locked eyes for a second and then she turned away from him, leaning over the Federal Agent being laid on the gurney.

After the storm…

Jason was standing by the hub. Actually leaning on the hub. It had settled down. They hadn't lost one OCTF agent or Fed. The simultaneous raids went off as well as could be expected.

He turned just in time to see Liz bearing down on him, a look of relief and love running down the hall in front of him.

They embraced, her hands in his hair, lips a hairsbreadth away.

Jason gasped as all the air left his body.

He doubled over, one hand on his groin. When his head came up, there was a vicious left uppercut, followed by a right cross a sailor would have been proud of.

"Your safe," she said, standing over him as he hit the floor.

The people at the nurse's station stood in shock. Even Epiphany didn't have words.

"Almost ten years, Jason! Ten years!" she shouted, then turned and almost ran out of the ER.

Ten minutes later, Liz was interrupted in her search for the cold packs.

"Hey, slugger," Robin said, closing the door to the supply room behind her. She reached around the other woman and pulled out two packs.

"You need to come down to an exam room. You might need x-rays."

Liz just looked desolately at her friend.

"You have no idea how bad it is, Robin."

"I might."

Liz followed her out the door and to an exam room.

After the x-rays were done and she could join Liz, Robin brought a suture kit and lidocaine.

"Good thing you're not a regular ol' nurse anymore. They'd have fired your ass for that."

"He deserved it."

They were silent for a long moment.

"So, you want to tell me what's going on?"

Liz blew out her breath.

"Why the hell not? Might as well tell everyone."

"Tell us what?"

"Oh, that ten years of my life have been a big fat lie." She paused and looked at the feet hanging over the end of the med bed in the other exam area. "How's your jaw, Jason?"

There was grunting from the other side of the curtain.

Patrick poked his head to Liz's side of the exam room.

"If this gets physical again, I will call security."

"Whatever," Liz snorted.

Robin drew her attention.

"What was a lie?"

Liz sighed.

"You know how your relationship ended with Jason 'cause he was a criminal?"

"That's not why it ended…"

"Whatever, this is my story." Deep breath. "I found that man bleeding to death in the snow, and I took him into my home and nursed him back to health." She took an exceptionally large lungful of air. "Can't believe I nursed your ass back to life TWICE just to have you lie to me you… you… you asshole!"

Robin was clearly confused.

"What did he lie to you about?"

"You see the big OCTF on his chest? Organized Crime Task Force? He's an agent!" Big breath. "Since how long? Huh, Jason? What did you say '99!"

"I thought you were okay with it…" he mumbled from the other side of the curtain.

Robin stopped from standing, putting her hands on her shoulders.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the curtain…

"You well and truly pissed her off," Patrick said, shaking his head.

Jason was a sight. One ice pack on his groin, the other on the left side of his face.

"Move the pack so I can look at your jaw."

Jason removed the pack and Patrick could see the bruise blossoming from the middle of his neck to just under his left eye.

"Yeah, that might be broken," Patrick said.

"He fucking deserved it!" came from the other side of the curtain.

"What did you do, so I know never to do it."

Jason shook his head.

"I thought she'd be happy knowing I wasn't a criminal," he said painfully, through a clenched jaw. "I thought you'd be happy!" he shouted, and immediately regretted it. "Owww, oh, ow."

"You know what would have made me happy? Knowing almost ten years ago! I can keep a secret. It's the psycho hoes beasts in your past that can't keep their mouths shut. No one knew about Jake-"

Robin gasped.

"Jake is Jason's?"

Liz gave her a look.

"Well, they know now," he said.

"You getting' lippy, Jason. Because I will come over there and bust your other jaw!"

Jason lowered his head and whispered to Patrick, "I never should have taught her to box."

"You're goddamn right you shouldn't have!"

Patrick looked at Jason.

"So, you're not in the mob? Good, good. Life expectancy just went up. Liz's youngest is yours… huh? Congratulations. Yeah, well, I'm about to be a dad myself. But you kept the truth from her for almost ten years… I… Well, you don't really have a leg to stand on."

"I'm well aware. I'm just wondering why she laid me flat in front of a large group of people."

Back to Liz's side of the curtain…

"And… And! Carly wants him to pretend to be the baby daddy, and it's 'Yeah, sure!' Sam needs someone to blame her spawn on and he fully accepts responsibility." More shouting. "I have his baby and we have to keep it a national fucking secret!"

Robin attempted to calm her friend.

"Liz, maybe you should try to relax."

"I don't want to relax. I don't want to be calm! I want to get it all out now. I've been sitting on his bomb for a week. It was bound to explode sometime. And I have to… I don't want to end up and angry bitter bitch. Like Carly." She called out again. "You're best fucking friend, Carly!" Her voice lowered. "Fucking vagina…"

"It was not my idea to keep it a secret!" Jason yelled, again unwisely. "That was your bright fucking idea." He closed his mouth, feeling the pain.

"Even after I told you it was okay to claim your son, you didn't. How about you retrieve your balls from Carly's purse and put them back where they belong?"

Patrick pulled the curtain back a tiny bit.

"I'm going to take Jason down to x-ray," he said to Robin, "I want you to finish up with Liz and get her out of here."

Liz looked like she was about to speak.

He silenced her with a look and a finger.

"Chief of Staff, Liz. Chief of Staff."

She was silent.

"I'm not calling the police because Jason asked me not to, but you need to go. I'm going to pull this curtain all the way around, get a wheelchair and escort my patient out. Robin," he looked at her, "No problem?"

"None."

"Good."

Patrick did as he said and as he was wheeling Jason down the hall Maxi came around the corner.

"Jesus f-ing Christ, Jason! What the fuck happened to you? You look like you got hit by a bus!"

They didn't even stop.

"Domestic assault," Jason muttered, gritting his jaw.