Chapter 7

Elizabeth whirled around with a gasp and came face to face with John Zacchara and Johnny.

Francis stood and eased away from the couple that was staring at one another. Discreetly, him and Johnny moved out of hearing range but close enough to protect Elizabeth if a threat occurred. Looking over at his friend, Francis noticed that Johnny had a pained expression on his face and felt for him. He knew that he wanted a chance with Elizabeth.

Clearing his throat, John moved closer and flinched as she backed away automatically. "Please, Liz, give me a chance to explain. I know that you are hurting and confused."

"And you think some pretty words are going to make this better? Are you insane, John. Did you lose your mind or leave it wherever you have been?"

John sighed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. His eyes moved over her slender body and noticed that she had not really changed throughout the years that he had been gone. Her hair was longer and her expression was guarded, but those were the only changes that he could see. Following her gaze, John noted the small dark haired boy with the curls coming their way with a group of guards surrounding him and instantly felt a pang. He had missed so much of his small son's life because of the insanity of his family.

"Mommy, I am hungry. Can we go to Kelly's?"

Elizabeth looked over and motioned Francis and Johnny over. "Can you guys take Cam to get some lunch?" Getting their nods, she bent down to the little boys side. "Mommy has to talk with this man, but the guys will take you to get lunch. Kelly's isn't the best idea right now, but maybe Zander can call in an order and you can pick it up and take some lunch home to Aunt Em," she suggested.

Cam bounced on his feet. "Alright." He eyed the stranger before turning back to her. "Should you keep Frannie or Johnny? Do you know him?"

Gathering her son in a tight embrace, she kissed his cheek. "I will be fine, sweetie. You just be good for the guys. I love you, Cam."

"I love you too, Mommy." Waving good bye, he placed his hand in Johnny's, who was watching Elizabeth carefully before they walked away.

John was in awe of his son. "He is amazing, Liz."

She arched her eyebrow at him. "Yes, he is. Cameron is a wonderful boy who has been through hell lately." Sitting on the bench, she glared at him. "Too bad that he has no idea who you are."

Wincing at the tone, John sat beside her. "I know that I made mistakes, Liz. I also know that you have every right to be mad, but I really wish that you would let me explain."

"What is there to say? You left us. You hid and left us. I mourned your death so much that I almost miscarried Cam. I know that you had your reasons, John. I also know that you could have at least sent word through Francis that you were alive. Hell, even Jason knew that you were alive!"

Feeling the anger and hurt rolling off of her, he winced. He had known the night that everything went down that he was making a mistake, but there had been no time to really think things through. "You are right. I should have told you everything, but I made a mistake."

"No, your mistake was in coming back expecting me to forgive you. I have lived a life of complete hell that you are to blame for. If you had only kept your promises to me, none of this pain would have happened!"

He grabbed her hand as she stood to leave. His own anger was starting to rise at all her accusations. "No! You don't get to yell at me and then walk away, Elizabeth. Everything I did, I did it because of you. I was given a choice. Either I faked my death and walked away, or my father was going to be told of you and our child. I couldn't take that chance. Don't you think I wanted to be there for you? I loved you more than life itself, Liz! Even if we never get that back, I refuse to let you just ignore me and not know all the facts." He tightened his grip on her as she tried to jerk away. He pulled her over closer to him so that he could tilt his head and speak into her ear. "I have watched you move on all these years and attempt a relationship with the man responsible for this whole mess. The least you could do is listen."

Her head jerked up and she looked into his dark eyes. Comprehending what he had said, the fight went out of her. "Jason, are you saying that he did this?"

Sitting back down with her, he gave a short shake of his head. "Lucky was the catalyst for everything. My father and Sonny had put a hit on me, ordering Jason to take me out. He had been following me and had seen us together. He gave me a choice. Leave and fake my death or he would kill me. Then Luck showed up. He had heard from his father that I was going to be killed. He threatened to tell my father about our relationship. I knew that Anthony would not hesitate to kill you, so I told Jason that I would take the deal of leaving and faking my death."

"Oh my God!" She started to sob and John pulled her into his arms and held her as she let out all the emotions that were raging inside her. "How could he do this?" she whispered brokenly after her sobbing subsided.

"Why do you think, Liz? He was obsessed with you. He wanted you for himself. I told Jason before I left that you were pregnant. He was suppose to protect you and the baby. Next thing I heard, you were with Johnny O'Brien. I was happy that at least you were safe. I knew that he would protect you and Cam. Then I heard that Jason had killed him for betraying Sonny and him. Francis contacted me and sent O'Brien to where I was. He was wounded badly, but recovered. Next we heard, you were with Lucky. It was a nightmare. We were both so worried."

She suddenly jerked away from him and stood. "No! I can't believe this! Why would he do this? There is no way that he would ruin my life like this!" When he stood she scampered back. "Get away, John! I don't want you here! Go away!"

John held up his hands, knowing that she needed time to process everything that he had told her. "Alright. Let me call one of the guys to come get you. No matter what you may think or believe, you can't be wandering around alone."

He watched as she silently ignored him while he called Johnny to come and get her. He hated that she would not listen to him, but knew that she was hurting and feeling a massive amount of emotions right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Johnny drove her to the outskirts of town and pulled over at one of the empty picnic areas. He led a silent Elizabeth over to the table and sat down and pulled her into his arms. Without a word, she started to cry again. Holding her close, Johnny rubbed her back until she had calmed somewhat.

"Is it true?"

He closed his eyes, his heart aching for the young woman. "About Lucky, yes. He threatened you to get John out of the way." When she shuddered, he knew that it was starting to hit home that it was the truth that John had spoken.

"But why? I don't understand."

"None of us do, Liz. He was sick. After he returned from the dead, he was a different person. Francis found out recently that he was the one that told Sonny that I had betrayed them. He also planted the fake evidence against me for them to find."

Wiping her face, Elizabeth only shook her head. "I am so blind."

"No, baby girl, you were fooled. Just like almost everyone else in the town." Knowing that she was confused, he gave her a half halfhearted smile. "John was telling you the truth, you know. He honestly left to protect you and Cameron. He wouldn't have done it if he hadn't thought that you were in danger."

"I know. I believe that after actually listening." She looked up at him. "But I still can't just go back to what was, Johnny. I have feelings for you that have been there for years."

At her confession, his heart lifted. "And I have had feelings for you for forever too. But I want you to be sure. You and John have Cam together. Your past with him is complicated and unresolved, Elizabeth. I don't want you to rush into something and regret it. You need to really evaluate exactly what you want." He eased back against the table some so that she could rest her head against his chest. "I am not going anywhere. The problems here and the danger are still present. I will be here if you decide that you want to take the chance."

Listening to his steady heartbeat, she knew that he was right. She owed it to both men to be sure about what she wanted. She also realized that she needed to talk with John about things again after accepting that Lucky had been at fault. She also needed to decide what to tell Cameron.

They stayed like for almost an hour before Johnny realized that Elizabeth had fell asleep. Looking down at the beautiful woman in his arms, he sighed. He hated to push her to away, but he needed to know that she was making the right choice. Loving her the way that he did, Johnny needed her to be happy. He prayed that it was him though and not John Zacchara.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jason opened his penthouse door and stopped short. Sitting on his couch looking pissed was his sister and brother. He had heard from Monica that both of his siblings had returned but had not seen them since they had arrived. While he wanted to see Emily and make sure that she was alright, he had no real desire to see A.J.

"Emily, A.J., I am happy that you are alive."

Watching as he tossed his keys on the desk, Emily only frowned at him.

"Really?" A.J. questioned. "That is odd considering that you and your late partner tried to kill me before I left."

"You are mistaken. We did not try to kill you."

A.J. only smirked. "Fine, believe what you want."

Emily interrupted before they could start fighting. "Jase, can you please explain why you are protecting the woman that killed YOUR son. How could you abandon Elizabeth and Jake and then protect that woman?"

His eyes flashed and closed before he opened them and met her stare. "You don't understand."

"Damn right we don't," A.J. spat venomously. "You protect everybody else's children except your own! You would kill anyone else for what has happened. So what gives, Jason?"

"Sam is pregnant. She is carrying my baby."

Emily snorted. "Might want to get a paternity test done. We have been gathering facts while in hiding. She has been sleeping with Ric the entire time that you have been back together."

"You are wrong, Em. I know that you dislike Sam, but she is my wife. I love her. Taggart must have fabricated the video. There is no way that she would have hit Jake!"

A.J. stared at Jason in disbelief. "You know, I always thought that you were at least smarter than this. She killed your son, Jason! There is no excuse for that. None!"

"You have no idea what you are talking about!" he snapped, frustrated.

"No, you have no idea." Emily tossed a file on the desk as she walked over to him. "Take a look at everything in there, Jason. Your wife is cheating on you with Ric. There are pictures. There is also proof that she hit Jake and caused his death." She looked up at him sadly. " I always thought you were better than this."

Jason watched silently, gritting his teeth, as his brother and sister left the penthouse. Picking the file up to throw it in the fireplace, a glossy picture fell out on the floor. When he bent to pick it up, Jason saw a picture of Sam and Ric in a compromising position with a time and date stamp for four days after their honeymoon ended and they had returned from Hawaii.

Sinking onto the couch, he started to regret all his past choices. He had supported this woman. With shaking hands, Jason opened the file and started to read about how his wife had intentionally hit his son. Forty minutes later he dialed Diane's number.

"Stop representing Sam and file divorce papers," he barked into the phone before hanging up.

Jason was still sitting on the couch when Max knocked on the door and entered. "Jason, John Zacchara was spotted in the park today with Miss Webber. Also, there is no video footage of the fires or murder of Mr. C. The cameras were shut off by remote."

"What about the hit that Sonny ordered? Have you been able to locate whoever took the contract?"

Max shuffled his feet uneasily. "No, but Roy Delucca's body was found about two hours ago in an alley on the docks. He had been beaten and then shot. Mr. C. had met with him a couple days ago."

Punching the table, Jason cursed. "Fine. Let me know what our police contact says about the murder." He watched as Max exited and then sat back down, pinching the bridge of his nose. He needed to figure out a way to save the organization. He also needed to find a way to talk to Elizabeth. He owed her an explanation, but he knew that there was not one that could erase the pain that he had caused her by being blind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laying awake in her bed, Elizabeth tossed and turned. Looking at the clock, she mentally groaned. It was almost two-thirty in the morning and she was completely wide awake. Sleep was definitely evading her tonight.

She had spent most of the night thinking about Johnny. No matter what, she knew that her feelings for him were not going to disappear. While she had once loved John, she no longer felt those emotions for him. It was Johnny that her mind drifted to whenever she was not busy. And he was who she felt comfortable talking to.

Deciding to make some cocoa, she slipped quietly down the stairs and entered the kitchen. Flipping on the light, she jumped backwards and clutched her chest. "Geez, Johnny! You scared me! Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Shrugging, he smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't sleep. What about you?"

Mixing up a mug of her favorite drink, she sat beside him at the table. "Same thing. It's been an interesting week."

Chuckling, Johnny looked over at her. "I guess that is one way of looking at it." He let his eyes travel over her sleep tank that barely covered her stomach and sleep pants. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly looked away.

Elizabeth grasped his hand. "Thank you for sitting with me today. I know that I was probably not the best company."

"Lizbits, you are always my favorite company."

They sat together in silence while she finished off her mug of chocolate. His eyes followed her as she rose and rinsed her mug in the sink. When she turned, he held his hand out to her.

Knowing exactly what she was doing, Elizabeth walked over to him. Johnny stood and pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When she slid her arms around his neck, he lifted her easily into his arms and carried her up to her room.

Placing her on the bed, he pulled her top and pants off, admiring the lacy bits that was underneath. Elizabeth smirked and pulled him onto the bed after removing his shirt. Deepening the kiss, she moaned as he explored her body.

Breaking apart from her, his green eyes latched onto her blue ones. "Are you positive, Liz? If you want to stop, we need to do it now, baby."

Nibbling on her bottom lip, she pulled him back down to her. "I know exactly what I am doing, Johnny, and it is exactly what I want." She ran her hands over his muscular back. "I have never been more sure," she breathed against his lips before they captured hers once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~b~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jerry slipped into the silent house and looked at the other man. "I have taken out the hitter."

"Yes, I heard. Thank you. Is everything moving accordingly."

"Yes. Sonny is taken care of, Roy dead, Sam in jail, and Jason is busy dealing with all the truths he has learned. Everything is moving just like it should."

"How about John? Did Elizabeth talk with him?"

"It did not go well," he confessed. "She left the park with O'Brien. I think that she is being hit with too much at once."

The other man shook his head. "She is stronger than people give her credit for. She is not some fragile flower that needs to be cuddled." He paused, considering the info that he had been receiving for the past week. "Are her and O'Brien moving into a relationship?"

"I am not certain. I know that the attraction is strong."

"Zacchara will be unhappy. Although I never understood why he thought she would wait."
Jerry snorted. "Elizabeth Webber has never been predictable. She has given me fits for years. She never does what is expected in a crisis. I think that everyone seriously underestimates our girl."

"Keep a close eye on her, Jerry. No one, and I mean no one, hurts her anymore from here on out. I don't trust Morgan to stay away and Sam needs to be taken out soon. I am also concerned that Zacchara will not take it well if she proceeds with O'Brien."

"Don't worry, I will keep her safe. It was funny though today after she received the visit from Mac. She demanded that Johnny kill Sam."

The other man smirked. "She certainly is a spitfire." He paused Jerry as he was getting ready to leave. "One other thing, get Dr. Quartermaine's license revoked. It is time for her to learn that there are consequences for her stupidity."

Flashing a wicked grin, he only nodded before letting himself out of the house. He laughed as he made his way to the car that he had stashed about a mile and a half away. He was happy at the thought of having more fun. Roy had proved no fun at all.