ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement in intended.

Chapter 16

Despite needing to pack Francis decided to stick around when Johnny showed up. They had a private plane, so he and Diane could leave whenever they wanted to. Jason came through the door not ten minutes after O'Brien. "My office." Jason said to the two men. He closed the door and looked at his friend. "What's wrong?"

"I know why Liz dislikes Gia." Johnny was pacing he was so angry.

Jason and Francis looked at one another. Johnny's accent was thicker than they'd heard it in years. "Why?" Francis wanted to know.

"Tom Baker." Johnny said feeling sick just saying that fucker's name, "Gia tried to use him to knock Liz out of the running in the competition."

"Are you sure?" Jason hadn't expected that. "And what do mean use him?"

"Gia sent photos of Liz to Pentonville and Tom got one. He mailed the picture back with a request for an autograph." Johnny spit out. "He's going to die tonight. I already gave the order. He's going to know why."

"He's not in Port Charles." Francis pointed out. Baker had gotten out of prison and left the area.

"He wasn't hard to find." Johnny's computer guy was good. The New York State database kept pictures on file of every prisoner who had ever gone through their penal system. A computer search had yielded a hit on an active driver's license in Florida. It had taken minutes to cross reference the license with tax forms to find where he worked. One phone call had eyes on him. "Why didn't Liz say something?"

"She loves you Johnny." Jason told his friend.

"I don't love Gia." Johnny stopped and looked at his two best friends. "Every time Liz saw us together it would have hurt. What would she have done if I married Gia?" The relationship wasn't anywhere near that serious, but if it had been he would have hurt a woman he thought of as a sister.

"She would have been happy for you." Francis knew Liz's heart. She would have accepted Gia, but they never would have been friends.

There was a knock on the door and Emily walked in. "What's up?" She asked smiling. She had been surprised at Johnny's request to meet him here.

"Lucky Spencer is here visiting Mac with Maxie." Johnny relayed to the young doctor. Francis sent a text while Johnny was driving over saying he told Jason.

"Okay." Emily could see that Johnny was angry.

"He told me what Gia did." The Irishman announced.

"Which was?" Emily wasn't that slow. He wasn't going to get her to blab first.

"Sending pictures to Pentonville." Johnny wouldn't say that piece of shit's name in Emily's presence.

"Why? Why would he tell you that?" Emily wanted to know. It didn't fit with the Lucky who left here. The one who only did something to benefit himself.

"Because he said he owed it to her." Johnny told Emily.

"He can't apologize in person so this is his way of making amends." Emily as a recovering addict knew the twelve steps by heart. She figured Lucky knew that any personal contact with Liz would get a swift response from Jason, Francis, and Johnny. "Where did you see him?"

"At the Metro Court. I was having lunch with Gia." Johnny explained.

"He saw you and put two and two together." Emily just grinned. "The world is so random. Liz made me swear not to tell any of you. She said that since Lucky wasn't here anymore that you would never find out. That Gia wouldn't tell you, and if she and I kept our mouths shut you wouldn't find out. Of course this being Port Charles secrets always get out." Emily placed a hand on her hip. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"First I'm going to break up with Gia, then I'm going to see that she leaves Port Charles, after that I'm going to have a few words with Liz. I don't need her protecting me." Johnny felt like he had betrayed their friendship. Guilt, for something that he unknowingly did, was eating at him.

"You need to wait on those words." Emily told the mob boss. "Liz needs to keep her blood pressure down. Fighting with you won't do that. So you're just gonna have to deal with this on your own." Em was fully in protective mode.

Jason looked at his sister.

Francis caught the look between the siblings. "What? She pregnant?" He couldn't think of any other reason her blood pressure would be a concern.

"Liz is pregnant?" Johnny said smiling. This was the perfect news to hear. Kind of like a palette cleanser. "You guys are nesting again?"

"How the hell do you know? Matt shouldn't have told you." Jason would be speaking to his brother in-law.

"He didn't. You stay away from my husband." Emily warned her brother. "Elizabeth's schedule was changed. The no emergency surgery decree kind of gave it away. She knew it would. No one will say anything, but we all know." And they would all be making sure she didn't over do. "Trust me I'm very annoyed that my husband didn't say anything."

"This isn't going to keep." Johnny looked at Jason. "I won't upset her. But when I show up at brunch without Gia she's going to figure it out. Liz is frustratingly hard to hide things from. But we need to talk about this. We are family, and we don't hurt each other, not when it can be avoided. She should have told me."

"She's just getting in all kinds of trouble this week." Francis said laughing.

"I heard about the guards." Emily grinned. "That's a move out of my play book, of course Jason if you gave mom some space this wouldn't have been an issue."

"We have put that issue to rest. I will talk to mom when she gets back." Jason told his sister.

"Mom's going to flay you when she learns you made Liz cry." Emily teased.

"You made Liz cry?" Francis frowned at Jason.

"How do you know that?" Jason had to hear it from Milo.

"Liz always cry when you guys argue. Even when you screw up, she still cries." Emily was amazed at how clueless her brother could sometimes be. "Is Gia the only reason you needed to see me?"

"Yeah, I needed confirmation on Lucky's story. I'm surprised Laura would have given Liz the note." Johnny didn't see the older woman as they type to intentionally hurt Elizabeth.

"The picture went to Liz's apartment, not Deception." Emily told the three men and watched as they all started turning red. "Gia went to the prison and gave Tom the address so he would know where to mail it. The note he sent said that Gia personally promised him a signed photo. I wanted to go see you and take back my promise, Elizabeth begged me not to." Emily told her brother.

"She gave him Liz's home address." Jason said softly. Gia would be leaving Port Charles and shortly after she did he was going to begin taking everything she valued from her until the former model was left with nothing. "He could have sent someone to hurt her." It was chilling to think about that.

"She moved the next day. Justus broke her lease and she got a new place. She stayed with me for the time in between. I think Gia would have been thrilled if Liz got hurt." Emily truly believed that. "I need to go, I have shopping to do. I'll see you two at brunch." She said to Johnny and Jason. "You and Diane enjoy Italy." She said to Francis.

"Merry Christmas." Francis told her.

"I will be over tonight to speak with Liz. Tell her I'm coming. You are welcome to sit with us, but I'm asking you not to interfere." Johnny looked at Jason.

"As long as she is okay I will stay out of it." Jason agreed. He almost said as long as she didn't cry, but with the baby hormones that was probably going to happen.

"Congratulations." Johnny said to Jason before walking out of the office.

"A baby, that's a hell of Christmas gift." Francis said clapping his friend on the back. "Congrats."

"Thanks." Jason said smiling. "Get going, Diane will be angry if you keep her waiting."

"We will celebrate properly when you make the announcement." Francis said heading for the door.

"Sounds good." Jason stood in his office and processed the morning. The joy of a confirmed pregnancy, the anger over what had been done to Liz, and the sorrow that his friend was hurt. "Gina." Jason said opening his office door.

"Yes?" Jason's assistant said looking up at her boss.

"Go home. Merry Christmas. I'll see you next year." Jason was done working. He wanted to spend some time with his boys and his grandfather.

"Thank you Jason." Gina said turning off her computer. An extra paid day and a half off. Working for Morgan Corelli was great. "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year."

"Tell anyone you pass to go home as well." Jason said stepping back in his office to start locking up.

Elizabeth kicked off her shoes and let Jason help her out of her coat. "I'm not used to the house being this quiet." She was rarely here without the boys.

"I know, feels weird." Jason said hanging up his jacket. He still wore brown leather because he felt it suited him better. "Emily was happy to take the boys out to dinner, and grandfather decided to tag along." Edward didn't know what was up, but he could tell that Emily's impromptu visit had a backstory.

"When is Johnny coming over?" Elizabeth asked her husband.

"He should be here in about ten minutes." Jason had told her that the secret was out when he picked her up. He also told her Lucky was in Port Charles. She was working tomorrow, but that didn't mean she might not run into her ex-husband. So he wanted her forewarned.

"Are you staying for the talk?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Yes." Jason said sitting on the back of the couch.

"Can I ask you not to interfere?" She wasn't sure he would like her request.

"As long as you both play nice, that won't be a problem." He wouldn't let Johnny hurt her feelings, but he wouldn't let Elizabeth hurt Johnny's either.

"Do you think I was wrong?" Elizabeth knew he would be honest.

"No, and yes." Jason said pulling her between his legs and kissing the top of her head. "You wanted Johnny to be happy, and if they broke up you wanted it to be on them. What she did though, baby that was wrong. It could have had very tragic consequences." Jason told her. It already was disrupting Liz's life, he had clued in that Gia was what had triggered the nightmares. "Why wouldn't you let Emily tell me?" He asked his wife.

"I didn't want you to know what had been done to me." Elizabeth explained quietly. "You didn't look at me and see a victim. I didn't want to change that." She admitted. He found out anyway, and she realized her original fear was unfounded.

"I don't see anything but a strong beautiful woman when I look at you." Jason told his wife. "Its been that way since that night at Jake's." He smiled before laughing. "I'm amazed you haven't hit her yet, you are well within your rights."

"It was years ago Jason." Elizabeth looked up at him. "We've all moved on. Yes it hurt, but I said I would be fine when we got together. I would have kept my word. I want Johnny happy, and she made him smile."

"Talk about it with Johnny." Jason told her. "Let's have a snack."

"I had one earlier. Patrick made me step out and eat something." Elizabeth had stood in the scrub area stuffing a banana in her mouth and then having some water. "I was annoyed until I saw the banana, and then I was starving." She said laughing. "They all know."

"I don't like Patrick, but I appreciate that he did that." Jason would try to hold his temper the next time they were together.

"He said to get used to it." Elizabeth leaned into Jason's warmth. "I'm going to nap when Johnny leaves. That's going to be a regular occurrence, an afternoon nap. We may need to get that nanny sooner rather than later. When I was pregnant with Jake I had a lot of people around to watch Cam. We can contact an agency."

"I can work from home in the afternoons until we get things worked out." Jason assured her.

"After Johnny leaves, I want to talk to you before the boys come back." She'd been giving some thought to her future and had come to a decision.

"That sounds serious." Jason said arching an eyebrow.

"It's a good serious." She promised as the phone rang. "He's here."

"Yup." Jason let her go to tell the guards to let their friend in.

Johnny walked into the living room and looked his friend over. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good." Elizabeth assured him, she figured Frannie leaving was the only reason he wasn't here too. It really as impossible to keep a secret here. "Go ahead." She told him.

"Why?" Johnny wanted to know. "Why didn't you tell me what she did?"

"Because you didn't need to know." Elizabeth told her friend. "She did it to me, not you."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Johnny said calling her out.

"No it's not." Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest. "Just like you guys make it a point to not involve me in business matters, I made it a point to not involve you in the drama that was my personal life. It didn't concern you."

"How did it not concern me? I was dating her." Johnny just looked at his friend like she was growing a second head.

"You were dating her, not me. If you were dating me then I would have told you." Elizabeth told him shrugging. She wasn't going to change her mind. "Lucky had no right to tell you my personal business."

Johnny growled in frustration. "So you told Jason?"

"No." Elizabeth knew she was on shaky ground there. "I should have. I'm sorry Jason. I was going to tell you tonight."

"You knew I would tell Johnny." Jason said grinning he understood her silence. He knew how his girl thought. "You think I was going to punch him?"

"No, but I was worried you would ask him to choose." Elizabeth admitted.

"I would have chosen you." Johnny said exhaling deeply. He got it. "That's what you were trying to avoid."

"I figured Gia was a phase. Hopefully a short one." Elizabeth said smiling. "I was not going to put myself in the middle of your relationship. It wasn't fair to you or Gia. She could have changed in all the time she's been gone. She hasn't, but I still had no right to change how you viewed her. I know what it feels like to have everyone sticking their noses in your private affairs. People did that to me at every turn most of my life." She finished quietly and took a calming breath. "If I never asked Jason to choose between me and Carly why would I do it with you and Gia?" She asked him.

"For the record you were wrong there too." Johnny told her what he'd always thought. "If you had asked him to choose you could have saved us all a lot of trouble. Don't do something like this again. I don't need you protecting me." Although he had to admit it felt good to be cared for.

Elizabeth just kept quiet.

Jason got what she didn't say. Elizabeth never asked him to pick because she thought she would have lost. He really had messed up. The only thing he could do was be better about letting her know her place in his life. Because the truth was if she had asked him to choose he would have picked her.

"Have you broken up with Gia?" Elizabeth cautiously asked. She couldn't help that she felt guilty about that.

"No." Johnny said and could tell Jason was surprised. "She was not available when I called. I'm not breaking up with her over the phone. I will see her later tonight."

"You don't have to." Elizabeth wanted him to know.

"Yeah I do, I can't overlook her hurting you. What she did speaks to her character." Johnny couldn't get past that.

"Carly did some pretty awful things." Elizabeth said drawing a parallel.

"Carly has shown genuine remorse." Johnny gave voice to the thing that bothered him the most. "I don't think Gia feels bad for what she did. I think she sees it as doing what she had to." He could tell by how she spoke about that time, and Elizabeth. He didn't trust her to not do something else mean and spiteful. Which was why after they broke up she would be leaving Port Charles. He had already set that in motion. Jax had not been pleased to learn what Gia had done, she was being transferred effective immediately. At the first available opportunity she would be fired. And if she tried something stupid, she'd end up in the ground.

"You don't think so either." Jason saw it in his wife's eyes.

"It was years ago." Elizabeth told them both. She wasn't going to bring up the insincere apology. There was no need to pile on to what was happening. "I'm tired. I need to go lie down. You are welcome to come back and have dinner if you want. It's just me and Jason." Elizabeth told Johnny.

"I'll be fine. I'll be here for brunch." Johnny said giving her a kiss on her forehead. He waited until she left the room. "Gia will be leaving tonight."

"Jax?" Jason guessed.

"Yes, aside from being pissed at what Gia did. He is worried that Carly will end up in jail if Gia is here when they return." Johnny said grinning. He was going to go for a drive and shake this off. "See you at Mass."

"Yes." Jason said walking his friend out and then heading upstairs to find his girl.

Thanks for the reviews!