By the time Elizabeth had dug the bullet out of Jason's shoulder, he had lost quite a bit of blood. Fearful of an infection, she called Sonny for help obtaining the necessary antibiotics and pain medicine.

With nothing left to do except wait and worry, Elizabeth began to pace the small living room. Jason was resting on the couch, watching her every movement. Elizabeth cast frequent looks his way but said nothing.

Jason finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry."

Elizabeth was aghast. "You're sorry? Lucky's the one who should be sorry! He had no right to shoot you."

Jason squeezed his eyes shut. "He came to arrest me and I ran."

Elizabeth knelt beside him. "Because you can't be in jail right now. Our son needs you to find him. And there's the small matter of you being innocent as well." Elizabeth stroked his jawline. "We really need to take care of that."

"Sonny's on it."

Elizabeth rose. "I trust Sonny but..."

Jason shifted and winced. "But?"

She shrugged. "I don't trust Lucky. He's not thinking clearly."

"He's an addict."

Elizabeth sighed. "And that means he's dangerous, not just to himself. He's running around with a badge and a gun and a pocketful of pills. Someone is going to get seriously hurt and I don't want it to be you."

Jason struggled to his feet, still a little dizzy from blood loss. She quickly came to his side and helped him stand. He tried not to lean on her too much. "I'm kinda already hurt. He shot me, remember?"

Elizabeth failed to keep from giggling. "Okay, tough guy, if you're so hurt, you should be in bed."

Jason feigned shock. "Are you insinuating that I'm acting like a baby?"

The word 'baby' swept over her like a tsunami. She couldn't keep this secret much longer. He deserved to know. Once he did, her future would be decided. She could never walk away. In truth, she really didn't want to. She just wanted healthy, happy, safe lives for her children.

"Hey, you okay?"

Jason's gentle concern only intensified her guilt. He was such a wonderful father to Cameron. This baby would be loved so much. And in so much danger, just like Cameron. Did she dare risk going through this nightmare again?

Resolutely, Elizabeth pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. "I was just thinking about Cameron."

Jason pulled her into his chest with his uninjured arm. "This is just a temporary setback. Tomorrow I'll be out there looking again."

Elizabeth returned his embrace. "I know."

Audrey was beginning to seriously question Sam's mental state. The younger woman talked of nothing except how dangerous Jason's life was and what a terrible mother Elizabeth was for bringing Cameron into it. She truly believed that stealing the little boy was in his best interest. While Audrey did agree with Sam's concerns, they did not justify keeping Cam from Elizabeth.

Audrey waited until the evening when Sam was giving Cameron his bedtime bath. After checking to make sure the door was closed, she dialed Lucky's number.

Lucky rolled off Maxie and reached for the beer on the nightstand. Maxie began prattling on about how they should really look for a nicer apartment and other useless things. All Lucky could think about was the pill bottle stashed in his jean pocket.

When the phone rang, Maxie frowned. Lucky checked but didn't recognize the number. He tossed the phone to the floor and ignored it. He really needed that pill.

Audrey wanted to scream in frustration when Lucky's voicemail picked up. Before she could speak, the receiver was snatched from her hand. Sam was standing over her.

"What in the hell do you think you are doing? Do you really want Cameron safe or was that just a lie to get me to trust you?" Sam was shaking with rage as she hung up the phone.

Audrey knew she had to be careful. "I was just ordering a snack for Cam. He always likes one before bed."

Sam coldly smiled. "Liar."

Audrey stood and tried to step past the other woman. "My goodness, Samantha, you certainly are suspicious. I told you that I would help you. Cameron's welfare is my only concern."

Sam reached out and took Audrey by the arm, jerking her around to face her. Audrey lost her balance and fell, hitting her head on the dresser. Sam stared at her, waiting for her to get up. When she didn't, Sam knelt to shake her. Audrey didn't respond and Sam's heart began racing. She checked for a pulse and didn't find one.

Cameron called from the bathroom and Sam's panic disappeared. She carefully lifted the dead woman and placed her under the covers on one of the beds. Sam then grabbed the pajamas she originally came for and went back to Cam. She dressed him and then announced that Gram was not feeling well and needed some rest. They were going for a drive.

With a final check of the room for any personal belongings, she led Cameron out the door into the night.

Spinelli burst into the safe house like a whirlwind. "Maternal One, here are the necessary pharmaceuticals to ensure Stone Cold's complete recovery."

Elizabeth smiled and began reading the labels. "Jason, you need to take the one for pain every four hours and the antibiotic three times a day."

Jason looked ready to argue but she cut him off. "Please don't. I have enough to worry about."

Jason gave in. Holding out his hand, he accepted both medications and quickly gulped them down dry.

Spinelli watched for an opening. Finding it, he cheerfully shouted out his bigger, more important news. "The Jackal found the Taken Tot!"

Both parents stared unable to speak.

Spinelli clasped his hands together. "I, the Jackal, admit to having failed miserably up to this point to provide any true assistance in this most noble of quests. However, as the Jackal pondered that fateful day, he, I, I began to question certain aspects of the abominable abduction. For instance, how did Darth Alcazar know where to find the Cyber Assassin?"

Elizabeth's eyebrows were drawn together in a frown but Jason's eyes were wide open. "Sam." Elizabeth gasped.

The geek pointed at the enforcer. "And Stone Cold gets it in one!"

Elizabeth began to shake. "Where is she?"

Jason was already reaching for his cellphone. "I'll find out."

Spinelli sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "The Grieved Parentals do not give the Jackal his due credit." When they only looked at him in question, Spinelli continued. "I have already located Sinister Sam. I hacked into her credit card company and then checked for security cameras in places she had used her cards. There are several shots of her and a wee one, your offspring."

Jason grabbed the younger man by the arm and shoved him to the door. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Elizabeth pulled her jacket on and waved off Jason's words before he could stop her. "I'm coming with you. Cameron must be scared and he needs me. Besides, you've been shot and you've just taken some powerful medicine. You need me and so does Cam."

Jason didn't argue. Getting to Cameron was the only thing that mattered now. He only hoped that Spinelli was right.

Lucky was high. There was no other word for it. He had no business answering the page from Mac but was too desperate to hide his habit to call off sick. As he drove to Audrey Hardy's house in response to the missing persons report filed by Monica Quartermaine, his squad car veered from one lane to another. Thankfully, Audrey's neighborhood was quiet in the late evening hours.

After banging on the door for over five minutes, Lucky walked around to the side door. Locating the fake rock containing a spare key, he let himself in and started looking around. Pictures of Cameron were scattered on the coffee table. A cold cup of tea sat nearby. There was absolutely no trace of the older woman anywhere in the house.

Had Lucky been sober, he might have noticed little things like the daily calendar showing yesterday's date or the morning paper haphazardly tossed into a shrub. But he wasn't sober and he didn't notice. He reported to Mac that Audrey must be out somewhere and promised to follow up tomorrow.

Detective Spencer left without a second thought.

As Spinelli drove to the motel, Elizabeth's thoughts raced from holding her son again to concern for Jason's wound. The week Cameron had been gone felt more like a decade and she shuddered to think what her small boy had suffered. He had undoubtedly asked for her over and over again. What had Sam said? What lie would Cameron believe?

She refused to even consider that Cam had been mistreated. Sam was not a monster, she kept repeating. Sam would take care of Cameron, at least physically. Just as her fears began to overwhelm her, Jason reached for her hand. It would be okay. It had to be okay.

Jason watched Elizabeth's face and knew exactly when she neared her limit. Taking her hand was such a small thing but it seemed to calm her down.

He tried not to but his thoughts kept returning to Sam. Why did she do this? Did she really hate him that much? Had she always been so self-destructive? Did he ever know her like he thought he did? Jason half-hoped that Spinelli was wrong. The woman he had loved simply could not hurt a child in any way. Keeping a little boy from his mother was cruel.

Jason knew all about cruel; it was his lifeblood. Was this some sort of divine judgment on his own choices? Jason did not believe in God. He didn't believe in karma. He believed only in what he could see. This nightmare had forced him to examine himself in a way that made him uncomfortable. How different was he from the four original kidnappers, from Alcazar? How different was he from Sam?

Detesting the similarities did not erase them from his consciousness. He began to think of himself as a monster. Elizabeth and Cameron deserved better. He should have let her go all those months ago.

That feeling vanished as Elizabeth leaned her head on his uninjured shoulder. He decided that, if they deserved better, then he would be better.

Jason insisted that Elizabeth wait outside while he checked the motel room. He was thankful he did. Audrey's stiff form was laying on the bed. Under the dresser he found one of Cameron's socks. Sick with fear, he quickly exited the room and told Spinelli to call the police.

"What? Why? Jason, you told me that we couldn't call the police!" Elizabeth's voice was high-pitched and frantic.

Jason pulled her over to the car. "Elizabeth, it's bad."

She started shaking her head. "No, don't say that. Don't tell me that my son is, don't tell me that he's..." She couldn't say the word 'dead'; she couldn't even fully think it.

Jason reassured her. "Cameron's not there. I'm sure he's okay. Sam will take care of him." He stroked her cheek as her breathing returned to normal. "Elizabeth, Audrey's in there."

"Gram?"

"Yes." He tried to gently steer her to the fact. "She must have figured it out or maybe she saw Sam with Cameron."

Elizabeth tried to get around him. "Maybe she can tell us where Sam was headed!"

Jason refused to let her pass, despite the pain it caused him. Her pain was about to be so much worse. "She can't tell us."

The truth hit Elizabeth square in the stomach. "Let me see her," she said in a surprisingly firm tone.

Jason shook his head. "That's not a good idea. You shouldn't have that memory."

Elizabeth roughly tore away from him, knowing that between the wound and the medications, he really couldn't stop her. She ran into the room and halted.

Her beloved grandmother was stretched out under the flowery bedspread. If not for the blood on her temple, Elizabeth might have thought Audrey was sleeping. She slowly walked over to the bed.

Elizabeth didn't realize that she was crying as she gently stroked Gram's soft cheek. Audrey had always, always taken such good care of skin. That beauty trick with the petroleum jelly she had passed on to Elizabeth was a godsend.

Elizabeth choked. There would be no more secret sharing, no one cheering her on when she faltered, and no gentle correction when she failed. There would simply be no more Gram.

Elizabeth sat beside her on the bed, uncaring of the approaching sirens. One final time, she laid her head on Audrey's chest and cried.

Lucky crashed from his high and wanted only to sleep. Mac's urgent call ruled that out. As he made his way to the station, he pulled out his phone to call Maxie. Maybe she could hook him up with some more pills.

Lucky noticed the voicemail and responded only because he was afraid it was from Mac. He could hear voices but they sounded muffled. Curious, he replayed the message and clearly heard Audrey's voice talking about Cameron. A third hearing helped him to recognize Sam's voice, something about keeping Cam safe.

Lucky frowned. Was Sam the one Jason and Elizabeth had sent Cameron out of town with? Lucky could have sworn the sultry brunette hated his ex-wife. He had no idea why would Liz agree to something like that. He decided to do some further investigating as soon as he finished up whatever Mac needed.

The police station was a nightmare. Elizabeth only wanted to go home with Jason and cry for her grandmother. Instead she was standing here listening to Diane's loud arguments about Jason's innocence. Mac was refusing to free Jason, even going so far as to accuse him of Audrey's murder. It was insane.

Then Lucky walked in and Elizabeth almost wished for the former insanity. Lucky exploded at Jason and had to be pulled away by Cruz. Jason stood silent, eyes only for her. Elizabeth tried to give him some sign of reassurance but failed. Her heart was broken.

"Okay, let's start at the beginning," Mac said as he tried to regain control of his squad room. "According to you, the dead guard, Milo, was killed by four men who kidnapped both Cameron and Spinelli." He waited but neither Jason nor Elizabeth acknowledged his remarks. "Then, since this was personal, you tracked them down yourself rather than report the kidnapping. You found Spinelli, who illegally hacked into secure databases to find Samantha McCall, who you say has your son."

Diane threw up her hands. "You know Ms. McCall has Cameron; we gave you the evidence. There is absolutely no reason to detain my clients."

Lucky hesitated but love for Cameron egged him on. "She's right."

Mac rounded on his officer. "You're kidding me, right? You want us to let Morgan loose?"

Lucky shrugged. "I don't know what happened at that penthouse but I received a call from Audrey. She's with Sam and Cameron."

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to hear anymore.

Mac sighed. "Audrey's dead."

Lucky's jaw dropped. "What?"

Jason had put two and two together and come up with the truth. "She's dead, Lucky. She'd be alive if you hadn't been high when she called you."

Elizabeth straightened and turned to Lucky. "When exactly did Gram call?"

Lucky faced a room full of accusation. Mac looked ready to deck him and Jason's whole being screamed vengeance. The look of total disbelief on Elizabeth's face was his undoing. "I just checked my voicemail. I just heard it."

Elizabeth pressed him. "But when did she call?"

"Um, yesterday, evening maybe."

Cruz checked his file. "Preliminary autopsy indicates that Mrs. Hardy died last night, possible late evening, from a blow to the skull."

Jason clenched and unclenched his fists, wanting nothing more than to wrap them around Lucky's neck. Elizabeth stared at the floor, trying to process how Lucky's addiction had once again destroyed her life. Cruz absently tapped the file against his thigh.

Mac pressed his lips together, gathering his thoughts before speaking. "Detective Spencer, were you high when Audrey attempted to reach you?"

Lucky began to deny it but Elizabeth's eyes flew to his and he knew he owed her the truth. "Yes."

Mac whirled away from him, taking out a desk chair in his anger. "You're suspended. Get out of my sight."

Lucky opened his mouth to protest but Cruz grabbed his shoulder. "Just go quietly, man. I'll call you later."

Lucky lowered his head and left without another word.

Diane cleared her throat. "Commissioner Scorpio, you have absolutely no reason to hold my clients further. After the events of this evening, instead of harassing an innocent couple who are trying to find their missing son, you should be taking stock of your department."

Mac glared at the lawyer. "Let them go. We'll have more questions for them later."

Diane smiled. "I'm sure you're going to do everything you can to find Cameron, aren't you?"

Mac nodded but didn't speak.

Diane turned to Jason and Elizabeth. "Let's go. Sonny's waiting to speak with you."

Sonny had not seen Jason and Elizabeth for days and their deterioration was heartbreaking. Audrey's death had done far more damage than he could have guessed. He hated it but he was about to add to their pain.

"Can I get you something to eat? Drink?"

Both Jason and Elizabeth refused but Diane helped herself to a bottle of water. "Let me tell you, that police department is the sorriest excuse for law enforcement that it has ever been my displeasure to associate with. Between the extreme prejudice, the incompetence, and the drug abuse, it's no wonder this town has such a high crime rate."

Sonny hid his smile. If the PCPD were effective, he'd be out of business. "Diane, could you excuse us?"

"Of course. I think I'll go home and draw up a nice bubble bath with candles and wine." She waved as she sauntered out of the room.

Sonny retrieved a paper from his desk. "This arrived four days ago."

Jason took the note and read it. "Four days ago?"

Sonny nodded.

Jason wadded the page into a ball and threw it into the fireplace. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

Elizabeth's brows shot up. "Tell you what? Is that from Sam?"

Sonny sighed and poured himself a drink. "No."

Jason stalked over to his boss and jerked the older man to face Elizabeth. "Look her in the eye and tell her why her grandmother is dead."

Sonny could have called for Max but didn't want to make this situation worse. "The note is from Alcazar. He knew Sam had Cameron and contacted me."

Elizabeth swatted away tears. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Sonny tried to back away but Jason held him firm. "Honestly? I thought Alcazar was lying, you know, trying to save his own skin by blaming someone else and sending us running around in circles."

Jason tossed Sonny to the couch. "You son of a bitch! Did you have anyone check it out? Max? Anybody?"

Sonny rose, his temper matching Jason's. "I had no reason to trust that lying asshole! You know that!"

Jason got in his face. "All I know is that Cameron is out there somewhere and I will follow every single lead we get until he's home, even if those leads come from my enemies."

Elizabeth wet her lips. "Sonny, it doesn't matter if Alcazar was lying. We deserved to know, to decide for ourselves. How could you keep this a secret?"

Sonny tilted his head to the side as he looked at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't want..."

Jason shook his head. "Didn't want what? Alcazar to be telling the truth? Because you hate him? Or you didn't want Audrey's death on your conscience? Because it is!"

Sonny seemed to shrink under Jason's tirade. "You're right. I didn't want to cut Alcazar any slack and that's the reason Audrey is dead. I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth's stomach rolled. "I need to get out of here. Please, Jason, take me home."

Jason wrapped an arm around her shoulder and led her from the house.

Elizabeth turned the hot water on full blast and tried to wash away a day's worth of tears and frustration. She had been so close to finding Cameron, so hopeful. And then came even more pain.

Audrey had been more like a mother to her than a grandmother. Audrey had always loved her unconditionally when her own parents had abandoned her. Audrey was her anchor and her role model.

Elizabeth sobbed into her wash cloth. Their last words had been so angry, so hurtful. She could have done something, said something, anything, to make peace with Gram but she hadn't.

All she had thought of was her missing son and now she had lost them both.

As Elizabeth showered, Jason pondered the day's events: Spinelli's information, Audrey's death, Lucky's negligence, and finally Sonny's betrayal.

Who was left to trust if Sonny was capable of deceit? Jason had built his whole life around Sonny, had idolized and imitated him when he had nothing else to go on. Sonny had spouted out words like loyalty and family and Jason had swallowed them up without question. If the man who taught you about honesty was dishonest, what did that make you?

Jason tried to focus on Elizabeth and Cameron but his thoughts kept spinning around Sonny. Was this the truth about the business? Did friendship fall in the path of vendettas?

It didn't matter that Jason had never given up on Sonny's kids when Faith took them. It didn't matter that Jason brought Micheal home long after Sonny had given up hope. Sonny's hatred of Alcazar was more important than Jason's desperate search for his son. Sonny was the center of Sonny's world and Jason was an accessory.

Jason didn't know what would come next and for once he was afraid to find out.