Special thanks to liasonfan1, paulineJ, mtj18ej and Sparxx27, Chawkchic, and Silent Me for your kind words. I'm so glad that you guys enjoyed Nikolas and agreed with my choice of having him in her corner. I'm so touched that a few of you have said this was one of your favorite fics, you don't know how much that means to me, to know that you guys really do enjoy what I write. Now I will tell you this chapter didn't turn out the way I really wanted it to but I still like it let me know what you think okay? Now on with the plot!

Disclaimer: Don't own it but wish I owned at least Jason…mmmmm to own Jason…

Chapter 14

Jason was just hanging the telephone up when he heard the front door opening. His face was troubled with the news that Sonny had just given him but even so he still found it possible to smile as he saw Elizabeth enter their penthouse home. He'd once told her that he didn't like living in penthouses that they were too big and he'd meant it but he had to admit that ever since Elizabeth and her son had moved in, he found himself longing to be within the penthouse, enclosed in the homey feel that Elizabeth had brought to it. She was like a breath of fresh air in his previously closed up life and he'd never be able to find the words to thank her properly for that.

When she smiled up at him he could easily read the exhaustion in her eyes and a concerned frown touched his lips and his eyes narrowed as he placed both his hands on his lean hips, about to tell her that perhaps she was working to hard when her laugh halted him and had him looking at her confused.
"I already know what your going to say Jase and you can forget it. It was just a really stressful day but its nothing to be concerned about I promise. Everyone has been really helpful and won't let me over work myself so you can stop looking at me as if I'm five and just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar." She smirked and tossed her purse on his desk setting her set of keys beside his rather than hang them on the key holder.

Despite the news he was about to give her and the concern that her exhaustion was causing him he couldn't help but smile and arch a brow. "And just how do you know what I was going to say?" at that he got a snort from her direction and he watched as she pushed up her sleeves and then crossed them, looking up at him as if he was the most oblivious person she'd ever met.

"Oh please Jason, you might as well be screaming it. I mean look at you, your standing straight which means your alert, your hands are on your hips which you only do when your aggravated or in deep thought and you were scrutinizing my face as if answers to life's mysteries were written on it. Not to mention the fact that your just itching to give me the order to go take a nap." She chuckled before she came closer to poke his chest playfully, her sapphire orbs lit with a mischievousness he hadn't seen in awhile and god did it look good on her.

"Face it Morgan, your old fashioned." She laughed while trying to take some steps back from him only to have him catch hold of her quickly by the waist and pull her up against him keeping her there while he stared down at her. Both of them paused as their eyes connected and memories of another time and another place flashed within their minds. Him holding her just like this after she'd teased him about telling her to stay away from Zander. She smiled when he reached up and gently tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and then trailed his finger down the slope of her cheek. Every touch was soft and gentle, so unlike the monster people had always tried to make her see.

"I'm not old fashioned, your just being stubborn." He answered, his voice barely above a whisper as he bent his head forward to brush his lips against her forehead, lingering there for a paused moment before stepping back knowing that if he didn't tell her what was going on now he'd possibly lose his nerve. This was the first time in weeks that she'd almost seemed normal and now he was going to ruin that for them both but there was nothing else to be done, he could only hope she'd understand.

"I have to tell you something. Before you got home Sonny called." He took her hand in his and drew them both to the couch to sit but instead of letting her hand go he held it in one while he traced the back of it with calloused fingertips. " Apparently Ric had someone make a false flash-drive with incriminating evidence on it but before the police could run it someone supposedly took it. Ric planted it on Sam to get to me. They have her at the station now. It doesn't look good and she's going to need all the help she can get. She's going to need…me." He paused on the last and sighed releasing her hand to run both of his through his hair before standing up to pace to the mantel. Things had been going so good till now.

"I understand Jason." Came the softly spoken words at his back causing him to pause in his thoughts to turn and look at the beautiful woman sitting there who has been one of his best companions for years. "Sam needs you and I think that you need to help her too, for your sake. I know you feel guilty, sure you never say it out loud but I know you Jason. Despite what she did you still love her." She smiled at him then and stood from the couch to come to him resting her hands on his chest, gazing up at him with adoring eyes. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't and I'd expect nothing less from you. So go but be careful."

Jason's arms came around her then and pulled her as close to him as he dared. He wanted to tell her that yes he still loved Sam and yes she was right a part of him needed to go to try and make amends with both Sam and himself, but what he couldn't tell her was that a bigger part of him didn't want too. A bigger part of him didn't want to risk not being there to protect her or Cam. Ric wasn't going to just let him come to Sam's rescue, he knew there had to be another reason, a trap but for the life of him he just couldn't figure out what. Concerned for the little woman in his arms he released her slightly to stare down at her his hand coming to cup her face.

"Whatever happens I want you to stay away from Ric. I know that you may still consider him a friend but he's up to something and the last thing we need is for him to find out we slept together and the baby's mine." He was about to continue when he noticed her suddenly going pale and a scared expression cross her face. Placing his hands on her shoulders he pushed her gently back to get a good look at her. "What's wrong Elizabeth?"

"He already knows." She whispered and a cold wave of terror rolled through him like nothing he'd ever felt before. If Ric knew then that made Elizabeth a target for the sick bastard. Jason remained silent though; there was something in her eyes that told him that wasn't all. His eyes for some reason of their own drew downwards over her body and came to rest on her arms where thanks to her scrub top he could see just above her elbow and what he saw left a furious rage seething within him, rolling over the terror that had once been. His hands lowered from her shoulders to her arm, fingertips tracing the faint bruises that would worsen in the next day or so with infinite care.

Elizabeth watched him and sighed. She'd foolishly hoped that she wouldn't have to tell him about her run in with Ric but now due to everything going on she knew she had to, for her sake as well as his and Sam's. "Today about thirty minutes before my shift ended Ric came up to me and asked what I was thinking moving in with you. I told him it was none of his business, that you were just helping me out he asked if I was sure it didn't have anything to do with the fact that I was pregnant from our one night affair. He started saying some really mean stuff and I don't know Jason, I just couldn't stop myself. I went off on him and then I tried to leave, that's when he grabbed me. We went at it again and again I tried to leave he would have grabbed me another time but Nikolas showed up and ran him off. I swear Jason I never, not even when he had me and Carly locked up in that panic room, saw the look that he had on his face when he said someday their wouldn't be someone around to keep us from finishing our conversation. I never thought he'd threaten me." She shook her head and Jason saw the tears sparkle in her eyes but she refused to release them.

"I thought somehow I was different ya know? God I really am stupid." She sighed and before he could shake his head and deny her words there was a knock at the door and Johnny opened it to tell Jason they were ready whenever he was. Jason gave a nod and watched as the door closed then lowered his gaze to Elizabeth to find her wiping at her eyes. He wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault, that he was actually grateful she was able to see the good in everyone otherwise she never would have talked to him that night at Jakes so long ago but he didn't, he didn't have time already Sam was sitting in jail waiting for him to come rescue her.

"I'll be back soon, take Tony with you to go pick up Cam from Sonny's then I want you to stay there till I come for you okay? I don't want to take the chance of Ric trying to grab you while I'm distracted." He pulled her in his arms once more before lowering his lips to hers for a brief caress that somehow expressed everything they wanted, needed to say but were too afraid to.

"Just be careful Jason." She whispered then watched as he grabbed his keys and with one last glance at her he was out the door leaving her feeling more alone then she had in a really long time. She could only pray that whatever he had to do to get Sam out of jail wouldn't place himself in any more danger than needed. "And come home to us." She whispered into the empty penthouse apartment.