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Chapter 44

"Hey, are you busy today?" Liz asked her sister in-law. Emily had the day off and might have plans.

"Nope. I was just about to call you and see if I could come over. Milo isn't off today and if left alone I will only get into trouble." Emily said grinning.

"Actually I need someone to watch the boys. Somewhere other than here." Liz had told the nanny she wasn't needed today and then she got a phone call which proved that statement wrong.

"They can come over." Emily heard an odd tone in Liz's voice. "Is everything okay?"

"Steven just called me, he's at Port Charles International Airport." Liz said taking a deep breath. "He wants to talk to me."

"Um." Emily wasn't really sure what to say about that. She knew that the siblings hadn't talked since Steven called to say he wasn't coming to the wedding. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Em was slipping her feet into shoes as they talked.

"Thanks." Liz said before hanging up. "Guys. Aunt Em is coming over to get you!" She yelled from the bottom of the steps.

Cameron appeared at the top. "We will clean up and then come down." He said before dashing off to his room where he was playing trains with Jake. He didn't want mommy to say they couldn't go because they left a mess.

Liz smiled as she headed into the kitchen. No matter what her boys could do that for her. She started coffee brewing and grabbed a plate. Just because she and her brother were not currently getting along didn't mean she got to be rude. She would have refreshments waiting when he got here. Looking over at the phone she almost picked it up and called Jason, but stopped herself. She would call him after her chat with her brother. If her husband came home now, Steven would probably end up with a black eye. A well-deserved one, as far as she was concerned.

"Liz!" Emily called out as she came into the house.

"In the kitchen." Liz arched an eyebrow at her sister. "That was not fifteen minutes. How fast did you drive?"

"Speed limits are only suggestions when the boys aren't in the car." Emily said with an angelic grin. "I didn't drive that fast. This time of the morning there isn't any traffic. So where is he?"

"I told him thirty minutes when he called. So he should be driving over now." Liz said getting herself a glass of water. "I wasn't this nervous at my first hospital board meeting last month." She had accepted Lila's offer of a seat and had been welcomed enthusiastically by her fellow board members. Malcolm Barrington had gone so far as to say it was about time a member of her family sat in the room again.

"Do you expect the visit to go badly?" Emily wanted to know.

"Yes." Liz said not mincing words. "I seriously doubt he is coming here to congratulate me." None of the Hardys or Webbers had called to offer good wishes. In fact they didn't call at all. That didn't hurt, because they weren't a part of her life anyway. Gram and Steven were the only ones Liz spoke to with anything close to regularity, and the older woman had never liked Jason. So the marriage would not get her seal of approval. "Maybe he's coming with papers to commit me to Shadybrook. He can say I am showing poor judgement and am a danger to my children." She said laughing.

"He won't have much luck with that." Emily really didn't understand Elizabeth's family. "Do you want me to hang out here with the critters?" Emily was feeling protective.

"I already told them you were taking them out." Liz didn't want them in the house. Yelling might happen and that would only upset them.

"We will find some way to get into trouble." Emily promised as she stole a cookie. "Is Jason on his way over?"

"No." Liz said shaking her head.

"That's for the best. If you start yelling Phil is going to call him." Emily pointed out. He was on the door today.

"I know." Liz said leaning against the counter. "I called Renaldo, I figure if he is in the house I have a fighting chance of not needing to bail my husband out of jail tonight." If he was called she could possibly persuade Jason to stay in his office if her guard was on the premises.

"Who is going to bail out Renaldo?" Emily wanted to know.

"Good question." Liz said taking a deep breath. Her guard was incredibly protective of her. If her brother started doing anything that could be considered threatening, it was going to provoke a response. "At least Steven is coming today, I want to be in a good mood tomorrow."

"I'm excited to go gown shopping with Nadine." Emily had been asked to stand up as a bridesmaid. The wedding was next year, in late January, so Georgie was going to be a bridesmaid too. Liz was acting as the matron of honor. They were just looking at bridal gowns during this first shopping trip. When Nadine made a selection it would set the tone for everything else. All the nurse knew was that she wanted to be a winter bride.

"Have you picked a gown for the art museum gala?" Liz wanted to know. Next month was the ball to celebrate the opening of her wing at the museum. It had almost sunk in that Jason did that for her.

"I did, and no I'm not telling you what it looks like." Emily said smiling wide. "I'm going to look good though." The doctor said doing a little dance.

Liz just had to laugh. She heard footsteps and stood up straight.

"Hi Aunt Em!" Cameron said as the boys hugged her legs.

"Do I know you?" Emily asked being silly. "You look really familiar."

Jake just cracked up. For some reason this never failed to make the little boy laugh. Cameron was old enough to get that this was a joke so he didn't say anything. "What are we going to do today?" Cameron wanted to know.

"How about if we take a trip to the park, and then go get some ice cream after?" Emily would call when they were at the old fashioned parlor to see if it was okay to bring the boys back.

"Cool!" Cameron always loved the park, and ice cream was the best.

"Cool." Jake repeated liking that plan as well.

"Are you coming mommy?" Cameron wanted to know.

"No, I have something I need to do." Liz told her oldest son. "Have fun, and listen to your aunt."

"We will." Cameron said taking his younger brother's hand.

"Good luck." Emily said as she gave Liz a hug.

"Thanks." Liz said loving the support. Emily walked out with the boys and not a minute later Renaldo walked into the kitchen. "My brother is coming over, and I haven't told Jason yet." She said being honest. "I'm hoping to get through this without having to call my husband."

"If your brother behaves that can happen." Renaldo would respect Liz's wishes as long as she wasn't in danger. Her brother stomping on her emotionally fit that description. The guard knew that his boss was not a fan of Dr. Steven Webber.

"Fair enough. Would you like some coffee and cookies?" Liz pointed to the plate.

"I'm good for now." Renaldo said before heading back to the porch to wait for the guest to arrive.

She took a deep breath before opening her front door. Steven was standing on the porch between Renaldo and Phil. She was guessing that the scowl on his face was because he had been patted down before he could ring the doorbell. "Steven."

"Liz." He said looking at his sister.

"Come in." She said stepping back. "We can talk in the kitchen. Straight back."

"I'll be in the living room." Renaldo said following the doctor in.

"He acts like I'm planning on hurting you." Steven said clearly annoyed.

"Based on our last several conversations he has just cause." Liz said shrugging one shoulder. "Would you like coffee or a cookie?"

"No." Steven said pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

"So, are you on your way somewhere and this is a layover?" Liz couldn't see him intentionally coming to Port Charles. There was no reason for that.

"I'm applying for a job at General Hospital. I figured I should let you know before we bumped into one another in the hall." Steven said getting to the point of the visit.

"That won't happen, I don't work there anymore." Liz told him. "It also won't happen because you won't be working there either."

Steven looked at his sister in confusion before he asked sneering. "Is Jason going to run me out of town?"

"No, I am." Liz said giving him a small smile. "I sit on the board of the hospital. Jason's grandfather sits at the head of the board. We'll make sure you don't get offered a contract. This is my town, and the one place I don't have to worry about the fact that I'm the lesser Webber. I don't have to listen to everyone say that the only thing I do is make decisions that disappoint or bring shame to the family name. It's going to stay that way. I have enough contacts here to make sure you never get a job anywhere in Port Charles." She rarely threw around her weight. She didn't need to constantly remind people who she was connected to, but for Steven she would make an exception.

"I'm willing to test that theory." Steven told her. He was still convinced that her marriage to Jason was a mistake. He also thought someone in the family should be around to help Liz put the pieces of her life back together when she realized that.

Liz had to laugh. "You're so transparent Steven. My life isn't going to implode and I won't need you to point out what I need to do to make it better. I've been trying to get to the place I belong my entire life, to the place I am now, and I finally made it. I didn't expect the family to celebrate with me. Which was good because I'd be crushed if that was the case. Nor am I going to spend the rest of my life living under a cloud of your judgement." She was starting to lose her temper. "I'm giving you a chance to leave, but if you start this fight you will not win. I will do everything in my power to destroy you, and not lose a moment of sleep over it." As of now she considered him, and the rest of the people she was connected to through DNA, a threat to her family.

Steven looked at his sister. He'd never seen her this confident in herself. He also was beginning to believe that she wasn't blowing smoke. That if he stayed in Port Charles she would make his life miserable. If Jason couldn't do it, then Edward could. "How can you say this marriage is a good decision, Elizabeth? It's changing you in the worst possible way. You didn't go around issuing threats before."

"I can say that because I'm happy." Liz said smiling wide. "For the first time in my life I'm with someone who loves me, without conditions. I'm not giving that up. Not for you or anyone else in our family. I'm done being a people pleasure who is living her life for everyone but me. You should ask yourself why you get to be happy, and live the life you want but I don't. Or maybe you're just jealous. Mom and dad planned your entire life out for you and you never found the courage to stand up and say no." Liz stood up. "This conversation is done. There is no point in saying anything else. You're either going to heed my warning and leave, or you'll stay and whatever happens is on you."

Steven stood up as well. "The longer you wait the less chance you'll have of mending the breach this marriage will cause within the family."

"Have you not been paying attention Steven? I haven't talked to anyone in the family, but you and Gram in years. When I called to invite her to the wedding she made it clear I didn't need to call anymore." Liz stopped and just looked at him. "Even if I did decide tomorrow to call anyone I doubt they would pick up."

"I picked up." Steven pointed out.

"You did, and I'm grateful for that because it kept Em safe." Liz told her brother. "But then you came to visit and the day after my engagement party you told me I was making a mistake. You didn't even care that I was happy. You just wanted me to do what you and the rest of the family thought was right."

"The entire family is being linked to criminals." Steven pointed out. "Don't you care about that?"

"Jason's never been convicted of a crime. Unlike Uncle Rick who can't even come back into the country because he is facing jail time as an accomplice in Theresa Carter's death. You know, the woman he was having an affair with. That makes him a convicted felon. Then of course there's your mother who has been in an institution for the criminally insane for years. I don't think we have time to list all the crimes she's committed. Considering Gram tried to force me to be with Lucky who was a junkie and whose father was a con artist, Jason shouldn't even be an issue for them." Liz said in a sarcastic tone. "We can go round and round on this Steven, but the outcome is going to be same. Me not falling in line. Tell everyone you tried, and I was just stubborn to listen."

What little doubt he had that his sister would run him out of town simply vanished. Liz finally had something in her life she was willing to buck the family to keep. "I guess I won't apply for that job after all."

"Good call. You should also make your visit here a short one." Liz warned him. "Buffalo is nice, go spend some time there until you fly out."

"Good bye Elizabeth." Steven didn't expect to see his sister again.

"Good bye Steven." Liz had made her choice, and she didn't regret cutting ties with the Webbers and Hardys. "Give Karen my best."

With a nod he turned and headed for the front door. In the kitchen Elizabeth closed her eyes and just let the tension she'd been carrying go. When she opened them Renaldo was standing in the kitchen. "Jason is on his way home."

"Thank you for waiting until my meeting was over." She said smiling.

"You didn't need back up." Renaldo returned her grin. "But I had to report this."

"I know." Liz said pushing the plate of the cookies over so he could take one. "I'm not upset." Nor did she feel like he had tattled on her. Jason needed to know that Steven had come here with the intention of talking her into ending the marriage. Jason wouldn't be worried about her brother succeeding, but about her being hurt. Which wasn't the case, still some time spent with her guy was just what she needed.

She was in the backyard when he found her. Jason stopped and watched her for a moment, just letting how he felt about her fill him up. She was simply everything, and he hated to think that of her suffering pain because of her idiotic family members.

The call from Renaldo had Jason swearing a blue streak as he walked out of the office. Marco had asked if they were going to one of the warehouses to handle a problem, and Jason said not yet, but maybe later. He was only half joking. If Steven came back then the joke would be over. Right now Dr. Webber was sitting in the courtyard of Kelly's, and yeah he was being watched.

"Hi." Liz turned and gave her guy a bright smile. "You took longer to get here than I thought."

"I had to talk to Cody first." Jason said walking over and wrapping her up in a hug. "Where are the boys?"

"Em." Liz said snuggling close. "Is Steven still here?"

"Yeah. Spinelli hacked into Steven's phone. Your brother moved his flight up, he will be leaving in about four hours and not tomorrow as originally planned. He called the hospital." Jason didn't know what that was about.

"Canceling his interview." Liz heard the confusion in her husband's voice. "He came here to apply for the head of trauma job. It would put him in a position to watch and wait for me to realize you are the very definition of evil. I explained that would be a very bad idea. Apparently he listened to me. That has to be a first with my family."

"Are you okay?" Jason looked down into her eyes, she was in flats today and their height difference was even more obvious.

"I am. It would probably be a good idea to have Spin dig around and see if Steven has done something he shouldn't have. Members of my family rarely go quietly. If I have something on him he will leave me be." Liz told her guy. It was sad to think that she had to go that route, but no one was allowed to threaten what she and Jason had built. Those days were over.

"Will anyone else show up?" Jason wanted to know.

"I don't think so, but Spin can shake the entire family tree if he wants. Just to be on the safe side." Liz stepped out of her hubby's arms. "Want to go to lunch with me?"

"That sounds nice. I have to go back to the office after because I have a meeting." Jason would rather come back home and hang out with his wife. "We can go to The Grille."

"That sounds perfect." She leaned up and gave him a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jason let her know.

"Let me get my purse, and we can head out." Liz said walking back to the house. He stood where he was and just enjoyed the view. He would keep an eye on her just to make sure she really was okay, and he would get Spin started on his assignment.

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