A/N – Thanks for the comments! Hope I don't let you down. I posted a little early cause my co-workers are taking me to lunch for my birthday (actually tomorrow).

Chapter 41

The limo turned and stopped abruptly, like it had pulled slightly off the road. They heard the passenger door open and close and then a few minutes later, the driver spoke. "Get out on the right."

The wind slightly swirls around them as they eased out of the limo and the driver motioned for them to move forward. It is dark and they can't see very well.

"Elizabeth, come to me."

"No!" Jason said.

"I could kill all of you right now. She comes to me or I start shooting and push you off of this cliff. What's it going to be?"

"It's okay," Liz said softly.

Jason quickly kissed her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

She walked several steps and then was grabbed by the arm and pushed forward until someone else took hold of her.

A few seconds later, the headlights were turned on and Liz and Julian gasped.

"Did you miss me?"

Liz is stunned. "It was you?"

"That's right. You just can't keep a good woman down." She turned Liz around and put the gun to her head.

"They said that you were dead," Julian said.

"Rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated."

"Why are you doing this?"

Ava laughed incredulously. "You took everything from me and you want to know why I hate you?"

Julian jaw almost ached he tightly clenched it. "I can't believe you did this to your own family. Have you lost your mind?"

"Do not call me crazy! You have no idea what I've been through. I was left for dead in the street. One of the guards found me and got me away from the danger. I almost died from my injuries, but he wouldn't give up and brought in the best doctors he could find. He hid me because we weren't sure who was after me. I fought my way back to the man that I love and because of all your machinations, he is gone—dead."

"He forced my hand. I was defending myself. What the hell did you want me to do?"

"You leaked what was on that disk and it basically made him a walking dead man."

"He was a nut job and came after my business and my daughter. Did you expect me to just roll over and die?"

"Why couldn't you just give him the disk, Julian? If you had, he would still be alive and then he would have left you alone." Her gripped tightened on Elizabeth's arm, making her cry out. "You better toughen up, Princess. I haven't decided if I should kill you or him. If I kill you, then he'll know what it is like to have someone he loves taken away from him."

"I already know that because I lost her mother."

"Faith?" Ava laughed. "That vile bitch poisoned you against me."

"No, she didn't. Just because she wasn't willing to take your crap, doesn't make her the bad guy. She was standing up for me."

Tears were flowing down Ava's face she is so angry. Her hand gripped the gun she is holding as her finger rested precariously against the trigger. "It's too bad you didn't stand up for me. Instead, you turned your back on me. You knew I had issues because of our father, but you didn't care. You watched me spiral out of control and did nothing!" She is shaking she's so angry.

"I couldn't force you to face all of that. I'm not sure what you wanted from me."

"You should have killed him," she yelled as Liz grimaced. "You should have defended me. I don't even think that you believed me. I tried to be normal, but I was too fractured. Gabriel didn't care that I was broken. He loved me better. When everyone else had given up on me, he stepped up and was so good to me."

"Then why did you prepare the disk?" Jason asked.

"Because my ability to trust was so fucked up, that I felt like I should protect myself, that I needed leverage. No one ever looked out for me. I couldn't understand why he did."

Liz's eyes locked with Jason and he tried to send her strength. She is too far away from him to do anything. Ava had continuously been backing up and now they were dangerously close to the edge.

"I should push her over, so you can listen to her scream before she dies. It would leave you broken and destroyed. I loved him Julian. It was the first time a man has ever loved me back. He was everything and now I'm all alone, all because of you."

"If you kill us, it still wouldn't change anything. Gabriel will still be gone, and you'll still have no one."

Ava's face contorted. "You always were a mean son of bitch, always turning on me. You pushed me out of your life when I was at my lowest. Well how do you like me now, Julian?" She laughed maniacally and then heard a sound and she grew quiet for a moment. "Roberto?" She waited a few seconds before calling out again. "Roberto!" There are several other guards in the woods and she called out to them, but no one responded. "Shit."

She knows that somehow Jason's men had found them.

"Let her go, Ava, please. You're probably surrounded by now. We can go somewhere and hash this out. We'll get you help."

"Fuck you, Julian. It's too late for that. If I'm going down, then I'm taking this bitch with me. Bye brother dearest."

"Ava please don't make me do this."

Julian knelt down and then retrieved the gun he had strapped to his leg. And just as Ava turned to look down before stepping backwards, he yelled and shot her in the head. Her arm is still partially on Elizabeth, which propelled her backwards. Jason yelled her name as he ran forward. Liz's arms flailed as she struggled to right herself. Johnny cursed under his breath and sprinted towards the edge.

Liz and Jason's eyes are locked as pure terror filled them and then she disappeared from view, just as Jason got there.

"No….no….no!" he yelled before dropping to his knees. He looked over the edge and amazingly enough, Elizabeth is holding onto a ledge a little ways down.

"Elizabeth! Hold on, baby."

To her absolute disbelief, Jason lurched forward without thought. His body slid towards her and Johnny jumped and landed on his legs, just barely keeping him from tumbling over the edge. Sonny grabbed Johnny's legs to keep him steady.

"Julian, take my keys. There is rope in my trunk."

Julian snapped out of his shock and grabbed it and ran for the truck.

"Baby, you have to hold on. You can't leave me," Jason said tearfully.

Her legs dangled as her body precariously swayed. She is trying to find something she can rest her feet on to take the pressure off her arms and shoulders. Jason now had both of her hands in his iron grip.

"I can't do this. My arms hurt." Elizabeth is starting to panic and tears flowed down her face.

"I will not let you go. Please Elizabeth, don't let go. I can't watch you die like this. Please." It will kill him if he couldn't save her.

Julian pulled up the truck and got the rope out. Milo and a couple of guards had arrived, so he took Sonny's place.

"Let's tie one end to the bumper and then put a knot in the end so she can put her foot on it," Sonny suggested.

Julian did the best he could and then they secured it to the truck.

"Raise your hand when you're ready for me to back it up," Sonny said before sliding into the driver's seat.

Julian raced towards the edge. "Elizabeth, I'm going to throw down this rope. You'll have to let go of Jason to get it."

"I can't. I'm sorry. I—I love you, daddy."

"Elizabeth! Do what I say!"

Milo glanced at Julian. "Take my place."

"What?"

"Do it now!"

Jason's arms hurt so bad, but he tried not to think about it. If he let go, his girl would die.

"Jason, you can't hold me much longer. I don't want you to blame yourself okay? It's okay to let go."

"No! Don't you ever say that again!" That outcome is not acceptable.

After another minute, Liz had grown quiet and that scared him even more.

Milo tied the rope around his waist and then began to repel down. He swung over to Elizabeth.

"Milo!"

"I'm going to wrap my legs around you. Let go of Jason and then I need you to put your arms around me. I'll pull you up and then you wrap your legs around me. Got it?"

"Okay."

"Hurry," Jason yelled. His grip is slipping.

Milo wrapped his legs around Liz, so she let go of Jason. Johnny and the other men started to pull Jason back. He cried out in pain as a jagged rock sliced into him.

"Stop! You're hurting him," Elizabeth screamed.

Johnny stopped. "Jason, talk to me."

Liz threw her arms around Milo.

"Ready!" he yelled.

Sonny slowed reversed the SUV allowing Milo to climb back up the side of the mountain. When they got to the top, Julian grabbed Elizabeth and carried her to the car.

"No! Jason!" she yelled.

"Elizabeth, I'm putting you in the car and then I'll help him."

He placed his frazzled and exhausted daughter on the seat and ran back outside.

Milo was lowering himself down again. "Talk to me."

"The rocks—I'm cut."

"How do you want to do this?"

"Let them drag me. I'll heal." Jason just wanted off the side of the cliff, so he could get to Liz.

Milo looked him in the eyes. "I need you to push yourself up off the rocks. Use your hands to move backwards. It will keep your body away from the rocks."

"Okay."

"Alright, slow."

They slowly pulled him. Jason followed Milo's directions and it is much better. After a few minutes, he collapsed against the ground and rolled over, thankful that he is safe.

Sonny slipped into the car and backed it up until Milo was on solid ground. A cheer pierced the air. Milo and Johnny helped Jason stand. They applied pressure to the cut and got him into the SUV.

Elizabeth burst into tears when she saw the blood. They handed her a towel and she put pressure on the wound.

"Don't cry, baby. I'll be okay."

"I'm sorry that I was going to give up. I was so tired."

"I understood." It had been hard listening to the defeat in her voice, but he knew she had been under tremendous pressure.

Julian slipped into the car and Sonny took off with Johnny and Milo following. The other men would take care of Roberto and the car.

They rushed to Julian's house. He had called Monica and she agreed to meet them there to treat her son and Elizabeth who had some serious bruising developing.

Julian was silent the whole way there. He had killed his sister. While he knew she was crazy, maybe she had been right and he hadn't done enough to stop the abuse and he felt like he had failed her tremendously.

Elizabeth could tell her dad is upset, but she didn't know what to say. When they finally pulled into the driveway, she took a deep breath and loudly said, "It's not your fault, dad. You couldn't fix her."

"I could have done more."

"Grandfather was a tyrant. I don't think you could have. You were young too."

They got out and everyone ran to assist them. They put a blanket down on the couch and got the Jacket off Jason before making him lay down. Monica cut off his shirt while Alan took his vitals. She then examined the wound. "I'll have to irrigate it. Can you get him to the bathroom?"

"Don't worry about the couch. I can buy another one," Julian said.

"Okay."

She irrigated the wound as Jason sucked in a harsh breath.

"You've survived worst, Jason. You can do this!" Brenda said.

Felix made Elizabeth sit and Milo took a look at her hands.

"Can you make it to the bathroom so we can wash your hands?"

Liz nodded. Brenda followed and after Milo cleaned her hands thoroughly, Brenda washed her face. They returned to the living room.

"What happened?"

"Ava was going to take me with her over a cliff and my father had to shoot her. He's a wreck. She took me with her when she fell off and somehow I managed to hang onto the ledge of a rock and Jason dove over the side and grabbed my wrists."

"That's insane. You all are lucky to be alive."

"I know. I was so scared."

Jason moaned and Liz stood and then wobbled, determined to reach him.

Julian focused on her. "Honey, please sit down. You're so pale."

"I'm fine."

"I'll stay over there near him, just rest."

"Okay."

By the time Monica was done cleaning it out, Jason was in so much pain.

"That's it. I'm giving you a pain shot."

Jason didn't even argue which shocked her. Sensing something else is up due to her mother's instinct, she called him on it.

"Where else are you hurt?"

"My ankles are sore and I think my leg might be cut too."

Monica muttered under her breath before sewing up the wound. Alan saw the blood stain on his pants and was already cutting them away.

Georgie and Ellie are holding hands as they nervously watched.

Brenda stepped into the kitchen to make a call. She had gotten the number from Sonny.

"Hello?"

"Carly, it's Brenda."

Carly pulled the phone away, looked at it with a frown, and then put it back to her ear. "How did you get my number?"

"That isn't important."

"What do you want?"

"It's Julian."

Her heart dropped. "What happened?"

Brenda told her the whole story and Carly was in tears by the time she finished. "He needs you. He's really hurting. Ava really did a number on his head."

"Okay. How are Jason and Elizabeth?"

"Monica and Alan are treating Jason. He had a nasty cut on his stomach and now they are treating one on his leg. He'll be fine, but it's really painful. Elizabeth hasn't been seen yet, but she's emotional and physically exhausted."

"I just need to drop Michael off at my mom's house and Carlos and I will be right there."

"Okay."

"Brenda. Thanks!"

Brenda ended the call and went back in the other room.

Alan let Monica clean the wound. It wasn't nearly as bad as the other one. Alan then got up and knelt in front of Elizabeth who is shaking.

There is a knock on the door and Sonny got it.

"Hi. Elizabeth never texted us and she didn't answer her phone."

Sonny let them and told them what happened and they rushed inside. Doreen made her way to Elizabeth's side and kissed her on the head.

"Elizabeth, your body is in shock. That is why you are shaking. You've been through something horrible. Please, let me see your hands."

She held them out and Alan lovingly cleaned them with peroxide. She had a cut on her leg that wouldn't need stitches, so he cleaned it out and attached a band aid.

"You're probably going to be very sore tomorrow and possibly bruised."

"Okay." He kissed the back of her hand and stood.

"We should get you out of that dress," Doreen said tearfully. Elizabeth is a mess. She is covered in dirt and barely holding on.

"I can't walk." Her body is so wiped from the stress that it is failing her.

Jim stepped forward. "I can help with that." He scooped her up and Brenda showed him where her room is upstairs. When they got there, he placed her on the bed and took her shoes off.

"I want to shower."

"Jim, can you take her into the bathroom? I'll help her get undressed," Doreen said.

"Okay."

Felix went over to Liz's dresser and got some underwear and a pajama set and handed it to Doreen.

"Thanks."

Jim put Liz down on a bench and then left.

Doreen shut the door and put down the clothes and then turned on the shower. "You ready?"

Liz nodded and then shakily stood. Her body is already sore, so she knows tomorrow will suck.

A/N – Liasonisthebomb was the first person to suspect Ava was still alive back on chapter 33.