Do not own General Hospital or any of the characters.

Okay if you remember from the show, that Ronnie told Jason that he would have to choose something, after Franco had visited him in his hospital room after being ran over. On the show this happened 12/21/09. But however I changed it up a bit. You will see what I mean by this once you read this chapter, just wanted to let you know ahead of time! Enjoy!

The Flame of Franco

A Choice to Make...

The room was dark, except for the light creeping into the room from the hallway underneath the door. The hum of the monitor echoed throughout the room as Franco slipped inside, closing the door slowly behind him. He walked like he was on water as he came across the room, to the side of the bed. A smile appeared on his face as he leaned closely down to the figure on the bed; their faces inches apart from one another.

Just then the figure's head jerk a little to the side. His eyes slowly opening to see the face of Franco before him.

"Hey," spoke Franco in a deep whisper. "Did I wake you?"

Ronnie closed his eyes for a second before opening them again. He was delirious, he thought to himself. He didn't understand what Franco was doing here. What on earth did he want? As Ronnie tried to open his mouth to speak, he found that he couldn't. A tube was lodged deep into his throat, helping him breath. "Aaargghh," grunted Ronnie, shaking his head slightly from side to side.

Taking this as a yes, Franco smiled down at the undercover police officer. "Good. You look like hell." He commented as he breathed onto the officer's face. "Didn't I tell you to keep your eyes open before crossing the street like that?" asked Franco, as he laughed, mischief flashing through his eyes in the darken hospital room. "Okay so I have this idea, tell me what you think," he spoke in all seriousness before smiling once away. "I guess you can't talk right now, with your mouth trapped up right now," gesturing to the tube. "Oh well, too bad. I'm sure you had things to say though. "Tilting his head slight to the side, he continued to smile at Ronnie. "If you were an artist, you could always draw the cops a picture, "Franco then drew a circle in the air with his right pointer finger.

Franco paused for a moment as he looked down at Ronnie. He was losing his audience. Ronnie had his eyes closed, drifting off to sleep once again. Ronnie who had been the victim of a hit-run, who the driver was Franco himself was on power pain killers that made him dopey. His face turning to darkness, Franco reached out and harshly tapped the officer's cheek a couple times before his eyes opened once again.

Ronnie groggily looked up at Franco who was still towering over him. "Hey, stay with me. Here's the deal, Jason refused to engage. He is not playing by the rules. That is not cool. So I am going to have to force his hand and make so that he can't say no and have to play fairly," Went on Franco, who was still holding onto the side of Ronnie's face, making him listen.

Ronnie was confused at first on what Franco was saying but it then soon sunk in. However, he didn't understand what this had to do with him.

"I'm going to need another hostage. It's time for him to chose," whispered Franco, is voice a sheet of ice as a smile slowly appeared on his face. His laughter then filled the hospital room as Franco, let go of Ronnie's face and took a step back. Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a small red paint spray-can.

For a brief second as Ronnie watched the artist, he thought that he would be the one getting the spray job.

Franco shook the small can in his right hand, before leaning over the bed once again and sprayed painting the wall that the bed was against. It took him only a brief moment to write his tag- C077X. Stepping back to admire his work, Franco placed the spray-can back into his coat.

Ronnie could feel his eyes begin to drop but he forced them to open. He wanted to see Franco leave. He had seen what he was capable of doing to someone; he didn't want to see himself end up as one of Franco's next art pieces like most of his victims did. Franco, who noticed the officer's watching his every move, smiled at him. "Don't think this is goodbye by dear friend," he spoke down at the Ronnie before wrapping his hands around the tube that was lodged in Ronnie's mouth before pulling it out.

Ronnie grasped out in pain, as his throat filled with fire. The force of Franco's pull had caused him to cough up blood. His mouth filled with the taste of copper.

As the undercover officer went into a coughing fit, Franco just continued to smile at him. "Don't be such a big baby. You have been fine for days now. You just been milking it," Franco had hit Ronnie with his car just over two weeks ago, a few days before Christmas. The officer, he knew could breathe on his own.

Ronnie's brown eyes darkened as they looked up at the artist. He was a psycho, he thought to himself, as he rubbed the front of his neck. He did not dare to try and speak; knowing the pain it would cause him. "What's with all the hatred Ronnie?" asked Franco towards him as he leaned down and pulled the tubes from his nose. "I'm not going to kill you. You are going to help me…I need you!"

Jason's heartbeat raced as he ran down the darken alleyway. He wasn't sure how he was going to get to Franco's studio. He knew the address by heart, but it was a couple of blocks away. He had come in Lucky's police curser. So he had no way of getting there….except for on foot that is. His breath filled out into the cold air before him as he appeared down the street before bolting to the other side.

It was just half past midnight. The streets where empty except for a few drunks souls who were walking arm in arm down the sidewalk. At seeing Jason, they all shout out to him, wishing him a happy New Year. Jason just shook his head as he looked past them and continued on his way. He couldn't believe that it was already the New Year; this was not how he had imaged starting the year off. He hoped that it wouldn't be a metaphor for what the rest of the year would hold. After about ten minutes of running down the same street, Jason quickly jaywalked across to the other side. It was snowing heavily as he disappeared down the alleyway.

Reaching into the back of his waistband of his jeans, he pulled out his gun, a 9mm. Raising it close to eye level, he carefully turned the corner of the alleyway. He was now in a loading area. He paused for a second, taking in his surroundings; he was close to where Franco's studio was.

"Where the hell is Morgan?" cried Mac, outraged as he looked on at Lucky. Lucky had just come out of the interrogation room, Spinelli close behind him. "And what in God's name is HE doing here?" cried Mac, his eyes following on Spinelli, his daughter's non- husband.

Spinelli looked uneasy at Mac before looking over at Lucky, who was wearing a mask of confidence on his face. Mac did not scare him one bit. "There's been a mistake Mac, I'm sorry. I thought we had this one in the bag but unfortunately I had to let Jason go. The evidence I thought I had…turned out to be nothing. We had nothing to hold him on," explained Lucky to his boss, lying through his teeth. He knew that Mac would not like what he was saying but Lucky knew that he wouldn't get fired. Things like this happened all the time at the PCPD, besides he was really the only officer that Mac liked and trusted. He needed him.

Mac's eyes were dark with rage for a moment as he held Lucky's gaze before swearing under his breath. "Damn IT LUCKY! Next time make sure you are 120% sure!" replied Mac before placing a hand on the officer's shoulder and patting him on the back. A slight smile appearing on his face. "I guess now that all has to be done is damage control….the media is going to love this…and don't even get me started on the Mayor…" trailed off the police commissioner as he walked away and towards the swarm of reports that had gathered in the small lobby of the station.

Spinelli's mouth hung open with astonishment as he watched Mac walk away before looking towards Lucky. "The Jackal is in aw!" he spoke.

Lucky's face broke out into a smile at this. "It was nothing," he replied with a wink. He knew that Mac wouldn't give him such a harsh time. The police commissioner had even been surprised that he had managed to get Jason down to the PCPD. Usually it was impossible to get Sonny and Jason down there with something to charge them with and besides they could never make anything stick. His face then turned to seriousness. "Okay, Spinelli I want you to go back to Jason's and finish whatever he had you searching for. Now that we know that Franco has Sam, we need to find out where!" explained Lucky to the young computer hacker, who was nodding his head in agreement.

"The Jackal is at your service, Keeper of the Peace!" replied Spinelli to the officer, before leaving. He had gone out the same way that Jason had, so he could avoid the media and get to the Penthouse quicker, where he had left his laptop.

Lucky stayed around the PCPD for a little while longer before he left too. He needed to warn Elizabeth and the boys about Franco.

"Hey," spoke Franco as he stepped into the warehouse. "You're a wake!"

Sam raised her eyes and looked over at Franco through the plexiglass wall of the box. Wrapping her arms over her chest, she slowly rose to her feet. Her eyes narrowing at as Franco approached her, a camera in hand.

"Well aren't you going to say Hello?" he asked with a smirk.

"Where the hell am I?" she asked back, her voice filled with coldness. Sam had been kidnapped many times before but never had she been kept in a plexiglass glass box, usually it was strapped down on a stretcher or to a bed but never anything as outgoing and crazy as this.

"You don't have to yell," commented Franco, cringing a little as Sam's voice echoed. "That mic can pick up a breathe," he gestured to the microphone that was on a table outside of the box, wired to the platform of it.

Her eyes looked briefly on at the mic he was pointing too but quickly look back at Franco, repeating herself- this time in a softer tone. "Where the hell am I?"

"You are in what I like to think as my masterpiece…I know that sounds a little cocky but you are the key to everything," he spoke with a smile at her. He was now slowly moving around the structure, snapping pictures of her.

"What do you mean the key to everything?" she asked in confusion towards him.

"Ah, that is something for me to know and you to find out or should I say something for Jason to find out," Franco replied as he continued to take pictures of Sam, who stood in the middle of the box, the chalk outline just in front of her. A wicked grin appearing across his face once again.

Sam didn't have to ask what he meant; she knew that he was using her to get to Jason. But what exactly what he was going to do to her, she didn't know. She knew that Franco had more plans up his sleeve for her then just by putting her in a box.

"I almost thought my masterpiece would be ruin after hearing your boyfriend got himself arrested," went on Franco, "He is one stubborn guy I must say. Can't just play by the rules…he's got to cheat all the time. I honestly don't see why you stick with him Sam. Well I guess it probably not due to his brain, now is it….just his appearance."

"You know nothing of Jason," spoke Sam bitterly, her eyes narrowing. "He's the sweetest, kindest man I know. He would never take someone hostage like this. He isn't a psychopath like you. You are just sick!"

"Now, Sam you hurt my feelings," spoke Franco as he lowered the camera and touched his heart. "I know I might be a little different than everyone else but that is because I am an artist. I see things as no one else sees them. "As he continued to speak, he began to walk around the outside of the box to the front of it. "Anyways, I will let it slide this time Sam. I forgive you. But as I was explaining before, After Jason had been arrested. I thought that all my hard work of getting you here was ruined but then brilliant me came up with a new plan. A better one that will make my masterpiece even better then it would've been before. You see I thought that I just needed you…"

"You do just need me," spoke Sam. "I'm all the leer you need to get Jason."

"Yes but Jason is not playing by the rules. Something I do not like at all. He is disrespecting me, yet again," his voice was as cold as ice as he spoke once again on how Jason had not engaged in the game. "It's time that I forced his hand and making him have to play fairly or else. He is going to have to choose."

"Choose what?" asked Sam with curiosity, her brow line fussed together. Her eyes were watching Franco, following his every move as he approached the locked door of the box. Her heart was racing loudly against her chest cavity as her ears filled with the clicking of the lock opening. Taking a step back, her knees hit the edge of the bed, making her collaspe onto it.

Franco smiled his twisted smile at Sam as he bent his head and stepped over the threshold of the structure. "Jason will have to choose between saving you, his beloved or a dear friend," he whispered as he closed the door behind him and slowly made his way over to the bed.

"Now smile for the camera Sam, all of Port Charles is watching," he raised the camera that he held in his hands, taking one last picture of Sam, seated on the bed; he placed it down on the nightstand. Then reaching into his coat, he pulled out a small hand held camcorder. Flipping opening the screen of it, he pressed the record button.

Jason kicked open the door of the studio. A burst of snowflakes flowing into the room as he stepped into the studio. His gun was raised and at the ready as he stared stood over the threshold, staring into the open studio. His blue eyes widening at the sight he saw before him; duck taped to a chair in the middle of the room, sat Ronnie. Jason did not know him personally or anything but had seen him around town. And knew that he was friends with Dominic.

Jason was in complete shock as he cautionary lowered his gun and took a step towards Ronnie, who was barely conscious by the looks of it. "Ronnie," he whispered as he still holding his gun in his right hand while he placed his left hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake. "Ronnie," he spoke again.

This time his eyes fluttered opened and looked on at Jason's face. "Jassonnn," he slurred, recognizing the mobster. Ronnie who was an undercover police officer knew all about Jason Morgan.

"Where's Franco?" asked Jason his blue eyes looking darkly at Ronnie.

Ronnie looked on at Jason for a second longer; his eyes were beginning to become heavy. "He wants you to choose," he mumbled before his head dropped heavily onto his chest, falling into a deep sleep.

"RONNIE!" cried Jason, shaking him hard on the shoulder but the man would not budge. "RONNIE!" he cired again but it was useless. Swearing angrily, he placed his gun back into the waistband of his jeans and ran his left hand through his hair. He then reached into his leather jacket and pulled out his cell.

Pushing Lucky's number he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Lucky, it's Jason. Yeah he is not here. Ronnie is though," spoke Jason as he looked around the studio, seeing if he could find anything that gave away where Sam was.

"Ronnie?" asked Lucky with confusion. "Wasn't he just brought into GH a few weeks ago; he was in a hit and run?"

"I don't know, all I know is that he is duck tapped to a chair, unconscious beside me," explained Jason as he began to pace back and forth.

"Okay, I am going to come by," replied Lucky.

"No don't," replied Jason, "There is nothing here. Just send an ambulance over. "

"Okay…" replied Lucky in confusion. "Did he say anything on where Franco might be?"

"No, Ronnie only said that he wanted me to choose before losing conscious," explained Jason, sighing loudly into the phone. He didn't know what that meant, that Franco wanted him to choose.

"Choose what?" asked Lucky into the phone.

"I don't know," spoke Jason in confusion. "I simply asked Ronnie where Franco was and then he replied He wanted me to choose. It's just another part of Franco's game. He's threatening what I care about. He wants me to unravel and see how long it takes me to kill. "His heart raced, he needed to get to Sam more than ever now, he realized. He had to get to her before Franco took another hostage.

"Okay, well I'm on my way to warn Elizabeth now; I don't need her winding up being a pawned in this twisted game that Franco is playing. The Ambulance is on their way now. Along with Mac. It seems that Franco left is tag on the wall of Ronnie's room. The hospital reported the patient missing about an hour or so a go," explained Lucky.

"Kay Lucky," spoke Jason in response as he hung up the phone and put it back into his coat. Kicking his boot against a table leg, he looked onto Ronnie for a second before leaving the studio. He needed to decide his next move against Franco.

Okay thanks for reading and I hoped that you enjoyed it! Please review!