Switching Places
Chapter 15
Korr: The more things change the more they stay the same.
Carly knocked on the penthouse door, needing Jason's help. She was beginning to think walking on the docks wasn't a good idea "Carly, are you sure you wouldn't like to change first?" Asked Johnny as the wet brunette stood at Jason's door.
"Not right now. Johnny it's important could you please wake him up?" She asked.
"If I interrupt anything and I mean anything, he will kill me."
"I might just decide to shoot you anyhow." Said a half-dressed Jason as he stood in the doorway pulling on a t-shirt. "Carly this had better be very important, Elizabeth just got to sleep."
"I found Zander down on the docks; he was floating in the water, barely able to call for help. He is down in my car."
"Johnny, please go and get him." Said Elizabeth as she walked down the stairs tying her robe. "Does he remember?"
"No." said Carly.
"If you two are finished talking in code, how about filling me in." said Jason. He sat down and pulled Elizabeth into his arms, listening as they told him about Sonny faking his death and Brenda being alive. That Zander ends up on the Alcazar yacht and not remembering anything.
"Is this what we were to be discussing tomorrow? I thought you said it didn't happen for a few weeks?" Jason watched as Johnny and the downstairs guard eased Zander into the house and laid him upstairs on his and Elizabeth's bed.
"Things are unfolding differently. The waitress at Kelly's, she is claiming to be pregnant with Sonny's kid. She said she meet a guy on an Island and came her to ask his boss to find him. Then with the other little tidbits she has dropped, we gathered as well as what Carly knew before, tells us she is really pregnant. "
"The thing is she wasn't supposed to show up until 2004, so something was changed. Jason, she is a con artist."
"I could tell that from when I meet her at Kelly's today. At the very least she is a really good liar. Carly what happens to her in the future."
"The kid dies, but it was more than likely for the best. She is obsessive worse that Courtney. She watches as your son gets kidnapped and does nothing. There are a few other things, but we are learning that telling too many of them can make things worse. Trust me, Jason. I could care less that she is carrying Sonny's kid, except for the fact that in the last timeline, Sonny makes her your problem and the yes man you became took care of things."
"Well how do we get rid of her without letting her harm the baby?"
"We find a way to offer her the same thing she had before, unlimited cash and a very nice place to live. Then I get rid of her." Said Carly, scaring Jason and Elizabeth with her ferociousness.
"Carly your plans have a habit of backfiring, why not let me take care of this."
"No, Jason trust me, Alexis, Elizabeth and I are more than capable of dealing with her. You just get ready to deal with Luis; Sam is taken care of."
"I need to go and take care of Zander, where did you put the first aid kit?" Elizabeth asked Jason as Carly followed her up the stairs. The two of them cut him out of his clothes, and removed the sodden money. Carly gave it a quick count and said "Where would he get almost fifty thousand dollars?"
After checking his wounds, Elizabeth grabbed a pair of Jason's sweats and dressed the soaked man, smirking as Carly and she tied them at the waist. "He really is overcompensating." They giggled walking down the stairs as Jason called Marco and told him to watch the Alcazar yacht.
"I have to go and wake Sonny. If he remembers anything, we need to be told. Carly can you stay with Elizabeth until I get back? She needs to take some Tylenol in a few minutes. "
"Is he always like that?" Asked the amused mother.
"No, but I really would like to know why you are a brunette, what is up with that?" She asked.
"Let's just say that one more group was there to straighten out Courtney tonight. Alexis was a blond. Nice show by the way."
"She escaped out the window with Zander. I'm sure that if Zander didn't have information we need, Jason would have tossed him back into the harbor. He left a note at the penthouse earlier, before going to the meeting with Jason I believed it. I showed up at Jakes."
"How? Wait the phone call. He is still upset about Sonny firing him; he needs to get over it. If he was still working for him, it would just get him killed much sooner than he is."
"Do you think we can prevent that?" Asked Elizabeth. "Emily will take it rather hard.
""She will be dating Nik at the time and it will hurt, but she can't stop the mess about to happen. Elizabeth, have you heard from her lately?"
"Carly what do you know?" She asked knowing that tone by now.
"She is going to find out she has cancer, a rapidly developing cancer in a few months. She will refuse standard treatments and almost die, only then will she allow the surgery that saves her life. It will be what gets her together with Nik."
"I can't let her go through this alone." Elizabeth said as she sat down trembling.
"That is why I encouraged you to get your nursing degree now. This way you can be there for her, as more than her friend." Softly said Carly. "When Michael is shot, I will watch you in the room, taking care of him after we had some really intense fights about Jason and Jake. I may not understand the urge to take care of people but Elizabeth you are good at it."
Jason finished explaining to Sonny that Carly found a floating Zander in the harbor and pulled him to shore. "He has no memory but kept saying one thing. Sonny he kept saying the name Brenda."
Sonny froze, it couldn't be. Picking up the note, he read it again. Someone had sent him a note with the name of the church where he had stood up the woman he had once loved. "Alcazar does his research. We need to set a trap."
Jason said "We should see what we can find out. Then set a trap. Maybe fake your death."
Sonny liked the idea, if it worked things could finally settle down. "Get Justus to draw up papers for me. I can go to the Island and you can run things in my absence. That should work. Also have someone bug the yacht so that we can find out what else Mr. Alcazar knows."
"We have another problem, but this one is minor. The search we did on the waitress at Kelly's for Bobbie, it might have been incomplete. She is up to something. Elizabeth mentioned the girl is pregnant and is looking for the baby's father."
"Why are you concerned? Unless?" He left the rest unsaid.
"No, I have never seen her before. She just gives off bad vibes. Do me a favor, until we find out what is going on with Alcazar stay away from Kelly's."
Courtney couldn't believe she was stuck in this rat hole by herself. Where was Zander? Looking out the door, she saw the blond woman next store, checking the parking lot, before opening her trunk. Seeing a man in a prison jump suit, getting out she let the curtain drop.
That was the man who had held her in the crypt. Picking up the phone, she called the operator asking for the number for 911. "Miss, are you drunk?"
"No, look just connect me to 911, it's important." When she heard the 911 operator, she whispered where she was and that there was an escaped prisoner in the room next door. Giving the man's name she hung up and went to hide in the bathroom as she could hear them getting busy next door.
Seeing the lights of the cars as they surrounded the next room, Courtney heard the gunshots and when it was quiet she crept out of the room. Hearing a knock on the door, she trembled before opening it, seeing Mac Scorpio, she threw herself into his arms telling him the whole story.
Mac shook his head, and glared at a laughing Taggert and Capelli. He really didn't need to deal with this.
"Courtney we need you to come down to the station and give a statement."
"Could you please call Jason, and let him know that I'm okay." She said as the two lieutenants just climbed into their cars laughing even more.
Mac told the female officer to take her to the station then drove over to Harborview Towers himself, after telling the desk sergeant to have Capelli get Miss Matthews statement. Telling the guard he needed to see Sonny, he was surprised when he was let in at one thirty in the morning, Morgan and Corinthos were both awake and dressed.
Telling them what happened, he saw Morgan shake his head at the message from the blond. "Mac, the Roscos' are dead?"
"Yes, they decided to shoot it out rather than give up. I can't believe he risked his wife this way."
"I will be down to the station to pick up Courtney. Is it safe to send her out of the country?" Asked Sonny.
"Yes, she is actually a victim this time. Morgan, we got the truth out of her about the kidnapping earlier this year. At least part of it. She said that Rosco's man was supposed to grab Elizabeth, realized she was too well guarded and went for her instead. Then when they realized that Sonny was estranged from her, they went to Edward for the ransom money. "
"Thanks Mac." After the commissioner left. Sonny said "She is going to the Island, I want to send Zander as well."
Just as they were leaving Sonny got a call from the station, "They are taking Courtney to the hospital she fainted. Take care of things, here. If Carly is still at your place, give her my credit card and have her go and get some clothes for Zander and any other incidentals he will need on the Island."
"Good lucky, I will see you in the morning." Said a weary Jason, as he went back to his penthouse to see Elizabeth curled up on the sofa and Carly talking to someone on the phone. After passing on Sonny's request, he checked on the man in his bed and grabbing the extra pillows that Elizabeth insisted they get and went back downstairs planning on having Elizabeth get them some more furniture soon.
Sonny arrived at the hospital in time to see Dr. Meadows walking out of Courtney's room. "Will she be okay?" Asked Sonny.
"She is fine physically. Mr. Corinthos your sister could use a friend right now. Does she have any close female friends you can call?"
"I can't think of one, is there anything I can do for her?" He asked wishing he could hand this problem off to someone else, but Elizabeth couldn't stand the blond and Carly who it had seemed was softening towards her now avoided her at all costs. Entering the room, he saw his sister throw some pamphlets at the door unaware he was standing there.
"Courtney these are about being pregnant. Who is the father?" He asked dreading the answer.
"I don't know. I only slept with Zander the other day, the only other guy I slept with says he can't have kids, so we didn't need to use a condom." She finished with AJ was too long ago.
Sonny wanted to slap her, what was she thinking, was she really that dumb. "Who was it?"
"I can't tell you. I won't let you hurt him when he didn't do anything. Besides Lucky is dating that girl who works at Kelly's. Summer."
Sonny turned and walked out the door, seeing Milo entering, he told the guard to keep an eye on her and don't let her leave the room.
Banging on the door of the blues club, he was let in by Claude who was wrapping things up for the night "Is Spencer back yet?"
"The office. He is very drunk though."
"This might work better this way." Said Sonny as he entered the room and saw his old friend.
"What can I do for you old friend?" He was asked as the man toasted him with a bourbon bottle.
"Your son got Courtney pregnant. We need to talk to him about his responsibilities."
"Here I thought he was still pining over Elizabeth, last I knew he was claiming that your brick wall of an enforcer stole her away."
"Now, Luke. I have enough on my plate without dealing with this."
"Let's go talk to the Cowboy." He said as he fell flat on his face before even getting up.
Sonny called Lucky and told the youngster his dad needed him down at the club. Waiting he said to Claude, I would leave while I still can.
Lucky walked in, wishing he was still at the diner curled up with the hot pregnant girl who let him screw her in exchange for letting her use his car during the day, he saw Sonny standing over his father with a glare on his face. "Sonny, what happened?"
"Your father was proposing a toast, care to guess what we were toasting to?"
"What were you toasting?" He asked wondering why Sonny was taking that tone with him.
"Your impending fatherhood. Congratulations you are going to be a father Courtney is pregnant."
"Doesn't mean it's mine." He said quickly. "She is doing Zander now; we only slept together once."
"She is going away for a while, when she returns there will be a test performed, if the baby is yours, you will taking responsibility do you understand me?"
Lucky swallowed the fear he felt and said "Yes. I do. However I doubt I'm going to be the father." In fact he would make sure the test said he wasn't.
"Good, now that we have an understanding, why don't you return to the girl at Kelly's? I thought you were still mourning the loss of Elizabeth, but lets see. In the last four months, there was Sarah Webber, Summer, and the hooker you frequented down on the pier, this new waitress and my sister. Interesting behavior for a man who had his supposed true love stolen. Now get out of my eyesight."
Chapter 16
Ghandi: You must be the change you can see in the world
Elizabeth walked away from her meeting with the committee feeling ice cold. The only person voting against her getting a nursing degree had been her grandmother. Alan had tried to reason with Audrey but the woman had just insisted that Elizabeth was wasting her time.
Seeing the chapel up ahead, Elizabeth allowed herself to cry, until the sobs had Francis threatening to call either Jason or Carly. "Don't I will be fine." She said swallowing the remaining tears.
Alan had finished talking to the woman he had always held in such high esteem and was furious, what on earth was she thinking? Tearing into her granddaughter so publicly the day before then trying to keep her out of the nursing program for spite. Finding Monica, they called Lila and suggested she talk to Elizabeth.
Alexis finished her check up and was heading out when she heard Sonny arguing with Courtney further on up the hall, wanting to avoid the mess, she went into the chapel and saw Elizabeth with Francis.
"Elizabeth, your grandmother was wrong. You are trying to do something wonderful, don't let her persuade you any differently."
"Thanks Francis, I just don't understand why she seems to think the way she does."
"She is just set in her ways." Said Alexis as she eased down onto the pew.
Carly packed the bag then took it to Max who was at the airport with Zander. Seeing the limo arriving, she told Sonny that she had gone and packed some clothes for Courtney and they were on the plane.
"Thank you. I'm glad you were willing to do this. Do you need a ride back to the Brownstone?"
"No, my driver is waiting. Sonny, Momma said she is pregnant and that Lucky is the father? Are you sure?"
"Either Zander or Lucky, we aren't sure. I just wanted to make sure that Lucky understood there would be consequences if it were his kid."
"Are you flying down with them?"
"No, Max is along with Greg and Paulie."
Audrey was furious as well as confused. When they had started the interview process, she had been shocked to see Elizabeth's name registered for the program. She still didn't understand why her granddaughter was doing this. What happened to wanting to be an artist?
Sitting down at the corner table she started to eat her lunch, seeing Bobbie talking to Amy, she changed her mind about inviting the woman to join her. She really didn't want to hear anyone else tell her about the great Jason Morgan.
The table between the two nurses and her emptied out and she could hear the gossiping going on. "- how, that is what is happened. Lucky was sleeping with her as well as Alan's son. Zander too, they have no idea who the father is. Sonny agreed to send her to the Island for a while."
"Who do you think it is? Wow is this the reason for the tests when she came into the ER?"
"Yes, as for the daddy, from what Alan said, it could be any of them; it might be the reason for the new career choice. "
"It probably pays more than waitressing would." Laughed Amy. "Wow, I can't believe this, what if it is Lucky's?"
"They will probably get married, poor Elizabeth."
Audrey couldn't hear anymore but was worried about her granddaughter; Elizabeth needed to be here not shipped off to some Island where there was no one she knew.
Jason checked the reception of the mike, turning to Stan he thanked him for his help then told him to check in with Benny, that his brother was working on something in Miami that might need his unique capabilities.
Once things were settled he took the files that Johnny had copied from the office on the yacht and went through them.
Grimly making plans, he called Sonny and told him that as soon as he returned from the Island they needed to go ahead with the plan. "It looks like he has either Brenda or a Brenda look-alike."
"Have our people find out." Ordered Sonny.
"We are already on it, we are looking into his weaknesses, but so far we can't find anything." Carly and Elizabeth were going to tell him tonight what his friends knew about the past, hopefully they knew something that could put a stop to this before it went too far.
Walking into the warehouse, Elizabeth dried her tears, and warned Francis not to say anything. "I won't have to; it's obvious that you are upset. Jason will see it."
"What happened?" She heard the minute she walked into his office.
"Grams, I'm fine, more mad than upset. Do you still have time for lunch?"
"I had Max go and get us some food, I have to work through the next hour, and then we have someplace to go." He said knowing she had not wanted to go shopping. She just stared at him, knowing he wasn't going to let up on the idea of furniture for the penthouse.
Max returned and as they ate, she wandered the warehouse, seeing the side where they were repairing from the bomb damage she giggled recalling Carly's idea of a coffee shop.
"That sounds rather evil." Said an entering Justus. Stopping to greet her, he asked what was so funny.
"I was trying to imagine Jason's face if I were to suggest they open a coffee shop. They could call it Sonnybucks." She said snickering again.
Justus was shaking his head as he entered and gave Jason the partnership papers, picking up the coffee mug from Sonny's desk, he looked at it, and what Elizabeth said stuck with him. Looking at Jason, he said "You know Elizabeth might have something there."
Jason looked up a bit confused, "With what?"
"Opening a coffee shop, it would be an easy way to stash cash temporarily."
"No way in hell, I don't want people wandering throw like that would allow." He said glaring at the attorney.
"I will have to tell Elizabeth she is correct, your facial expressions at the idea are funny." Justus was chuckling as he walked out the door while Jason plotted to get back at Elizabeth. Turning Justus said "You might want to consider it, maybe not here, but it is a good idea. Tax wise."
Carly and Alexis were wandering around the department store, they had decided that the sofa in Elizabeth's studio had to go. Memories or not, it was hell on the back. "What about this one?" She asked Alexis.
"No, it really doesn't look any better than the other one. We need to be thinking like Elizabeth, Carly, not you. It's an art studio, so it needs to be comfortable, practical and still attractive."
"Great, so what about this one." She said pointing to the leather sofa that was sitting against the wall.
"Too long." Alexis said looking at it critically. "We can keep the style and material in mind, but it is almost seven feet."
Walking back into the warehouse part of the store, Carly said aha. "This is the one."
"Sit on it; make sure it won't kill someone if they fall asleep on it."
Ten minutes later, they ordered it delivered the next day and the salesman assured them that he would arrange for the old sofa to be picked up. "Who is going to tell Elizabeth?" Asked Alexis.
"Tell Elizabeth what?" Asked an entering Jax and Skye.
"That we are tossing her old sofa out and buying her a new one. I nominate Jax." Said Carly. "He should recover in time for his wedding."
"Why would he need to recover? Asked a suspicious Skye. She was still leery of Carly; the blond had sent a way too expensive wedding gift for someone whom just a few months ago had been swearing revenge.
"Elizabeth, has this rock hard old sofa that she loves, we are replacing it, without her knowledge."
"Don't you think you should ask first, I don't really know her that well, but something tells me she might be upset at your high-handed ness?" Said Skye.
"That is why we are nominating Jax, she won't hit someone she barely knows."
Hey, everyone." Said Elizabeth as she walked up to them while Jason talked to the salesperson. "Carly I thought you were meeting Bobbie?"
"She is at Lucas's school; he is leaving for a school trip in the morning."
"I thought school didn't start for a couple of weeks?"
"It doesn't. This is for band. Why are you here?" She asked as Jax pulled Skye away.
"We need some more furniture for the penthouse, so that we don't have to sleep on the sofa when there is someone staying with us."
"I still think you should have tosses Zander to the sofa and slept in your own bed." She grumbled.
Jason and the Wyndham's salesman joined them, preceding to show them everything available. By the time he finished, Jason and Elizabeth were frustrated and neither really cared about leather vs. suede, oak or maple. Finally having enough, Elizabeth asked Jason for his wallet.
Handing it over, he watched as she turned to Carly and said "You have twenty-four hours have fun."
Walking out the doors, five minutes later, Elizabeth started laughing. "That was fun." She said as Jason handed her the helmet. "Can we take the cliff roads or are you late for something?"
Two hours later, Jason dropped Elizabeth off at the Tower doors, telling Francis to escort her up. "I will be home late."
Elizabeth smiled broadly saying "that was the first time you called the penthouse home."
"It is our home." He said reaching over and pulling her into his arms to kiss her.
Exiting the elevator, Elizabeth saw her grandmother and her good mood evaporated. "Grams, why are you here?" She asked as she let them into the penthouse.
"We need to talk about the mess you are making of your life, how can you bring an innocent child into this world? She asked waving her hand around to indicate the empty penthouse.
"Since I'm not having a child, right now. I will talk to Jason, before even contemplating it. Grams why the sudden interest in my future children."
"Don't play games with me; I am well aware that the only reason you are entering the nursing program is that you are pregnant. You don't even know whom the father is do you? Elizabeth what has happened to you? I had to hear Bobbie talking to Amy Vining about it of all people how she was possibly going to be an aunt. "
Elizabeth had been confused and hurt, but now she was just hurt. "First of all Grams, they were discussing Courtney Matthews, not me. Secondly, I was becoming a nurse for me, not you not any imaginary children.
Even if I were having a baby, you would be the last person I told. Did you hear yourself just now? How hypocritical can you be? Please leave. For the record, your perfect dream husband for me is dating Summer and got her co-worker in bed, where he told her he couldn't have kids, so they didn't need a condom. Get out, and take your belief that you know all with you. If you think Lucky is so great, you date him, or have your precious Sarah date him. I'm done."
Carly walked into Jason's office; she had been driving by where she saw the lights. "Jason, why are you still here?"
"I'm waiting for a call from Miami, what are you doing here?"
"Just driving by. Did Sonny land yet?"
"Courtney and Zander are now stuck together on the Island. He is on his way home. Carly how sure are you that Brenda is alive?"
"Very, she ruins a lot of lives by returning. Jason I can't tell you anything other than what I did earlier."
"I do understand I just want this over. What you are saying about Sonny scares the hell out of me."
"Jason, watch your back, in the future, you help me protect the boys and he goes behind your back and betrays you. The man he becomes isn't the man you know."
"How do I protect them, and yet help Sonny?" He asked bleakly.
"You protect those you love, and try to help him, but Jason, make sure that your family comes first. Sonny isn't worth it. Trust me. At one point he put a hit out on you. He will do things you can't even conceive of right now."
"Is that why you no longer love him?"
"No, I mean I had started to fall out of love with him in a few years, but the end will come when he protects his girlfriend over Michael and my son ends up in a coma. Jason, he didn't have guard there, then told someone he thought he had a truce with that he didn't. He risks Michael to prove a point to himself and this girlfriend. I will never trust him again."
Jason looked Carly in the eyes, seeing how serious she is, he asks "how is Jasper Jacks involved.
"I fall in love with him, fight it, then when we miscarry I fall back into old patterns. Relying on you in spite of knowing you had a lot to deal with on your own. Then I sleep with Sonny, out of grief and I think now to destroy all the good in my life."
"Carly how bad was my future."
"The Jason you are in this minute will die soon; you became a true yes man. You marry Brenda to protect my marriage. I think part of that was losing Elizabeth, but the old me never wanted to see that. I used to say she couldn't handle your life. Now I think that it was the catalyst for the mess it becomes. She is the softness you need the other half of your soul. Don't lose her Jason, it will kill you, the you sitting here."
"You said we have a son, so it can't be all-bad." He said.
"Jason, the world believes that Lucky Spencer is his dad, a man who was addicted to drugs. You never see him, and most people have no idea how much you love Elizabeth. You keep saying the danger is the reason. But you are slowly destroying not only yourself but also Elizabeth. Make the changes now. Fight for her, no matter what."