A/N: Okay, I'm completely and totally disgusted with TIIC! Really?! You've got to be freakin' kidding me with this Elizabeth storyline they're pulling! I really hope that they are not trying to say the she messed with the DNA results so that Sam wouldn't get her baby back. I mean really? She's a mother that has lost not one, but THREE, children – she KNOWS what that feels like and you're gonna tell me that she would purposely do that to another mother just to get a man KNOWING that Jason HATES liars.

Okay, climbing down off my soapbox now. On with MY story (which, hopefully, is better than the crap TIIC are shoveling on my TV!)….

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Max! Get in here!" the mob boss shouted.

Closing the phone, the bodyguard walks into the room, "Yeah, boss?"

"Any updates from the guards yet?"

"I just got off the phone with Mick, he says that Carly's headed to New York to do some shopping. Carter is going to meet him there and they will keep an eye on her, just in case. Shawn called just before that and said that Sam is still at Spencer's house. And, no he didn't watch to see if they did the deed."

"Knowing Sam and Lucky, they probably did, not that I care. I just don't want them plotting against Jason and Elizabeth."

"Boss, can I ask you? Why all this sudden concern for Miss Webber? She hasn't been on your radar in a really long time," the guard stated, knowing that it could be dangerous for him to openly question his boss so bluntly.

"No, you're right, Max, she hasn't. But, she and I used to be friends. And, Jason, well, you know he's like a brother to me. After the things Carly said to me the other day, I started wondering how much of a role she had in changing all of that. She alluded to the fact that she got Elizabeth out of Jason's life once, and she obviously wants to do it again. You've been around for a while, what do you remember about Jason and Elizabeth's relationship? How close were they?"

"Well boss, from what I remember Johnny and Francis saying, they were trying to start a romantic relationship around the time that she was staying with Jason, you know when you faked your death? When she and that Zander kid were staying with Jason because of the threat from Alcazar? From what they said, Jason not telling her that you were dead and constantly being away to guard Courtney when she was stripping at The Oasis, all on your orders is what led her to break up with him. I remember that she would always wait up for him at night. She would sometimes come out and ask me if I had heard from Jason, if I knew whether or not he was alright. I guess she was worried that he would come home shot or something, or maybe that he wouldn't come home at all. Francis could probably tell you more, if you want, he and Johnny were her primary guards, and since you can't ask Johnny…." he trailed off.

"Alright, thanks Max. I do remember that time, you know, Carly was the one pushing, telling me that I shouldn't tell anyone else. She would say that she didn't want anyone to unknowingly give it away that I was still alive. She asked me not to tell Courtney and Mike, too."

"Kinda makes you wonder, though, doesn't it, boss?"

"Yeah, especially thinking about how loyal Elizabeth is and that she lied to everyone when Jason stayed with her all those years ago. I don't know. Maybe that was just Carly being selfish and enjoying the attention she got from her husband being 'dead'." Sonny was quiet for a few minutes, and while he can fully admit to Carly being selfish, there was something that just made that whole thing smell rotten. Finally, he asked, "Jason has Francis on Elizabeth again, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, did you want to talk to him?"

"Yes, call him and ask him to come see me when he's relieved."

"Sure thing boss."

Several hours later, Max announced Francis and let him in. "Hey Francis, how are things going with Elizabeth?"

Francis realized that Jason hadn't called Sonny to let him know that he was in the hospital. "It's fine, I'm just trying to keep the sharks at bay." He was going to let Jason fill him in on what had happened today at Kelly's. All Francis wanted to do was get some shut-eye before he was on duty again tomorrow.

"You were Elizabeth's guard a few years ago, right?"

"Yes, sir. Johnny and I were her primary guards."

"What happened between Elizabeth and Jason? Was it the fact that I told Jason not to tell Elizabeth that I wasn't dead the reason she broke it off with him? Be honest."

Stunned and confused about why his boss was asking these questions, he hesitated in giving Sonny an answer.

"Francis, Max told me that you mentioned that it was Jason lying to her that caused her to break it off with him. You were obviously around her more, just tell me if it's true or not, just be straight up with me."

"Okay Sonny, yes, she got angry that Jason was keeping the secret from him. It made her feel as if he didn't trust her enough to tell her the truth. She told me later, that it wasn't so much that he didn't tell her that you were alive; it's that he didn't tell her anything at all. If you want my honest opinion, I think that he stayed away so much to keep from outright lying to her. It made her worry for him; it made her worry about his safety. She thought that because you were dead, he was looking for your killer and was out for revenge. When she found out that he was sitting in a strip club every night, safe and sound, watching your sister, on your orders, well, you can guess how that didn't go over well."

Sonny sat back on his sofa, taking in all that the bodyguard had told him. Slowly shaking his head yes, "Yeah, I can see now how bad that must have made Jason look. I get why she was mad. Did he go after her or anything?"

"No. You know how protective Jason is of her. He believed that she was safer out this lifestyle. He knew there might come a time when he would have to keep something from her. He told me once, just after she left, that he wished he hadn't had to lie to her. He didn't want to hurt her, but he did anyways, on your orders. There might come a time when he would have to do it again. If this was the only way to avoid hurting her again, then he would just let her go."

"Thank you for telling me, Francis."

"Can I ask why you wanted to know?"

"Something Carly said had me wondering, and I was just trying to clear it up, at least in my own mind. I wasn't really paying attention to anyone else back then, and Elizabeth just got lost in the shuffle. It's no excuse, it's just what happened. Go home and get some sleep, Francis. I know you're back on early in the morning."

With that, Francis nodded and walked out. Sonny sat on his sofa and thought about everything the guards had told him that day. There was something there, just in the back of his mind, but no matter how hard he tried to grab on to it, the thought just wouldn't come. It was something important, he knew it. He would just have to keep thinking about it, and hopefully it would come to him sooner or later.