A/N – Thanks for the comments! I had a boss who was bipolar and almost did me in. There were times she was very out of control and there was a mean manipulative streak there. She was like a hurricane during those times and there were times she had days she was normal too. Her moods would swing. I'm kind of using that as my point of reference. * maryrose59 – I don't think you're crazy for feeling like that. It's a bad situation. * kikimoo – I think not being okay with Jason would be a normal first reaction.

Chapter 19 – Sometimes You Break

Elizabeth and Jason walked into the restaurant and walked over to OB and his date.

"Hey." OB said giving her a kiss on the cheek.

He shook Jason's hand. "Elizabeth, this is Olivia."

Olivia smiled and shook her hand.

Jason and Olivia already knew each other since she worked at the Metro Court.

"How's everything going?" OB asked.

"Good. My brother is in town for a few days."

"Why didn't you invite him to dinner?" Olivia asked.

"He was tired. He just worked two double shifts."

Olivia took a sip of her wine. "What does he do?"

"He's an ER doctor."

"Wow. That must be exciting."

Liz chuckled. "Trust me, there is a lot of ego involved."

Olivia smiled.

"When are you going to hop on your motorcycle again?" Olivia asked Jason.

"Yeah…" Liz added as Jason smiled.

"Soon. I just need to get my arm back in good shape."

"What happened to your arm?"

"He was guarding me and got shot." Liz said.

Olivia frowned. "That must have hurt."

Jason shrugged. "It did but it really wasn't that bad."

"Tell me you at least milked it for all it was worth."

Liz laughed.

"Well, I did get a beautiful nurse to take care of me." Jason said smiling.

Olivia grinned. "Now you're talkin'."

The ladies went to use the restroom.

"So Olivia huh?" Jason said.

OB smiled. "Hell yeah. She is smokin' hot."

Jason chuckled. "So is she going to be your girlfriend?"

"If I'm lucky. She's the real deal. She won't take my shit. And my God can the woman cook."

"So you're using her for sex, food, and corporal punishment."

OB laughed. "Among other things. Seriously, I really like her. She was a little skeptical about the age difference at first but my humor and charm won her over."

Jason chuckled. "She seems nice. You're not usually into the whole girlfriend thing."

"I know but maybe it was time for me to grow up a little. Olivia makes me happy."

"Well, then I'm happy for you. By the way, the meeting went as I expected. You want to be my enforcer?"

OB grinned. "Hell yeah."

Jason trusted OB with his life. He had never failed him and he always got the job done. It helped that they got along well too.

The ladies came back and sat down.

"I am going to teach Elizabeth how to make pasta tomorrow." Olivia said sitting down.

"Really?" OB said. "I don't know if I like other people knowing your secret recipe."

Olivia grinned. "It's just Prego."

The look on OB's face was priceless.

"Just kidding."

Jason smiled. "I like you Olivia."

She grinned. "I will have her sign a document stating that she will guard the recipe with her life."

"I can teach you how to make my sinfully chocolate brownies if you want." Liz added.

OB's mouth dropped open. "You've been holding out?"

"A girls got to have some secrets. We'll let you be a taste tester."

"It's a deal."

They ate their dinner and had a few drinks before leaving. Jason's phone vibrated as they were walking into the penthouse.

"Johnny will be here in the morning."

"I'd like to meet Claudia. Maybe it would help if she had a friend she could talk to." Liz said.

Jason sat down. He certainly wasn't used to someone like Elizabeth in his life. She was way more considerate than most people. "Let's see what condition she is in and then go from there."

"That's fine. I'm sure they'll be hungry once they land. We can all have dinner at the safe house if she won't be too overwhelmed."

"I'll text Johnny and let him make the decision."

"Okay."

"I'll go to lunch with Steven and then Olivia was going to come over after that. Should we just cook at the safe house if Johnny says yes?"

"I guess we could do that. We can make sure that no one is following us. OB can come with me to pick Johnny and Claudia up."

"Good. It's a plan then." She said snuggling into his side.

"You tired baby?"

"Yeah, it might have been all the carbs."

Jason smiled. "Will it bother you if I read?"

"No, that's fine."

They rearranged themselves so that Liz's head was on his thigh and he grabbed his travel book and started to read as Liz drifted off. An hour later, he carried her upstairs to his room.

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Jason woke up at 6:00 a.m. He knew all hell would break loose soon and he had decided to get up and work out. He quietly slipped out of bed and threw on some sweats and a t-shirt before going into one of the guest bedrooms that he had converted into a gym.

Liz woke up an hour later and was surprised when Jason was missing in action. She used the bathroom and took a quick shower and then changed. Pulling the door open, she started to go downstairs when she heard a noise and then crept down the hallway.

She pushed the door open slightly and smiled when she saw a shirtless Jason doing some bench presses. Biting her lip, she lustfully watched him repeatedly push the bar up and then grunt through the last reps. "Damn." She muttered walking inside. Jason sat up and smiled at her and grabbed his towel and wiped himself down. "Hey."

She smiled. "Good morning."

"I couldn't sleep so I figured I'd work out."

"Are you worried about Sonny?"

"Yes. It's not going to be pretty. If he comes over, you should probably go upstairs. I don't want you in the crossfire."

Elizabeth didn't say anything. She wasn't going to make him a promise that she probably couldn't keep. She sat down in front of him, straddling the bench and then Jason pulled her closer and gave her a little kiss. "I need to take a shower."

"Okay." She said softly as she inhaled his scent.

He smirked and then kissed her again. "Mmmm. Nice."

He left the room and Elizabeth got up and went downstairs.

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Sonny looked out the window as Max drove him to see the five families. He had been surprised about the impromptu meeting and was a little anxious about what they had wanted; especially since they requested to see him alone.

Max parked the car and then walked Sonny inside the building. He waited outside the meeting room for his boss as instructed.

"Sonny." Vinny said loudly. "Thank you for coming."

Sonny nodded and sat down. "I have to say I was surprised to hear from you."

Dominic took over. "Sonny, we've been really concerned about the state of your business this past year. There were several takeover attempts and some personal problems as well. Frankly, we're not very happy about it."

Sonny looked around the room. He was really starting to feel anxious now. "The business is fine. I'm under control."

"The last six months have been especially screwed up. What we want to know is what you're going to do about it." Vinny added.

Sonny sat forward. "As I said, the business is fine. I don't understand what your problem is with me."

Sammy cleared his throat. "You know how important securing the transport of our goods is but yet somehow the process keeps getting fucked up. I've lost money. Hell, everyone at this table has. So, don't sit there and say it's fine when clearly it's not."

Sonny was starting to get angry. "Look, I'm not going to sit here and debate this with you. The business is fine. Everything is running smoothly."

"Did you or did you not send Johnny O'Brien out of the country for the last two months trying to find your kid instead of using his expertise as it should be used." Sammy asked.

"I had to find my daughter. I don't see why that is an issue."

"Was she in any danger the last two months?" Paulie asked.

"No." Sonny said frowning.

"But, from what I understand because you went looking for her, she is now."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You have been obsessed with her and that has resulted in you getting sloppy. The Ruiz family almost did you in. You're fighting with your men. You really think that is doing fine?" Sammy asked loudly.

Sonny's fists clenched. "Everything is under control."

Dominic chuckled. "You are so not in control. This conversation is going nowhere. So let me just press forward. We want you to step down."

"What?" Sonny yelled. "Hell no, I'm not giving up my business."

"You are giving it up today; effective immediately. I don't think you'll like the other alternative so if I were you, I'd start packing. You have two days to get your shit together and move to the island. The casino is yours to do with as you see fit. You know the deal Sonny. It's not like it hasn't happened before."

Sonny's jaw clenched as he stared Dominic down. "You are going to force me out of the business that I spent years building up and you expect me to just say okay and ride off into the sunset? Fuck that." He yelled as he slammed his hand down on the table.

Sammy stood up and leaned forward on the table. "Let me tell you something you arrogant prick, you are done. You either leave town or I will put a bullet in your head personally. I will not go down because you won't take your fucking meds. The FBI is already sniffing around you because they know that you are weak."

"Who is taking my place?" He asked ignoring Sammy.

Vinny sighed. "Jason Morgan."

"What?" Sonny said laughing. "You've got to be kidding right?"

"We're dead serious." Sammy said. "He knows the business and took over for you once before."

"Jason is a fucking head case right now. You really think you're better off with him? At least I didn't put a gun to my head."

Dominic growled at his lack of respect. "Too bad. If it weren't for Jason, you would be nothing but a two-bit thug. He has helped you tremendously yet you don't even cut him in. Why is that Sonny? I'll tell you what I think. You're a selfish prick who is so threatened by the respect that Jason is given that you try to put him in his place by asserting your authority whenever you can. And if it weren't for you shooting anything that moved on the docks, Jason's grandmother wouldn't have been harmed. You might as well have shot her yourself. You have two days Sonny. This is not open for discussion. Leave. Go start a new life on the island and get yourself together. You have enough money to live several lifetimes. This discussion is over."

Sonny got up so fast that his chair darted out behind him and toppled over. "You're making a huge mistake. Jason will fail."

"By the way, if you touch Jason Morgan, I will hunt you down and kill you myself." Dominic said menacingly. "Now leave."

"What about my son? You expect me to just abandon him?" Sonny yelled.

"You should have thought about your son when you stopped taking your meds." Sammy said.

Sonny looked each one of them in the eye. "This isn't over." He said walking to the door. He slammed it and then went outside. "Take me to see Jason." He said eerily calm.

Max nervously got in the car and headed toward the towers.

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Francis watched Sonny come off the elevator. The guards downstairs had warned him. He immediately opened the door. "Jason, Sonny is here."

Jason sighed and watched Sonny walk inside. Francis came inside too and stood in front of the door. Even if Jason asked him to leave, he wouldn't. Jason nodded at Francis and then stood up mainly to show Sonny that he had no fear of him.

"How dare you go to the five families and ask them to remove me." He said loudly.

"I didn't. They called me."

"You still agreed to take over. You know how much this business means to me. It's my legacy." He yelled.

"I don't know what you want me to say Sonny. You brought this shit on yourself. Taking over was not something I really wanted to do but if I didn't they were going to find someone else and I decided I'd rather run things then get stuck working for someone I couldn't stand."

"I built this business with my blood, sweat, and tears."

"And my reputation and ruthlessness catapulted it to where it is today. Yet, you don't even acknowledge that."

"I don't need you Jason."

Jason laughed. "Oh really, because for someone you don't need, you sure call me a lot to fix all the shit you get into."

"Fuck you Jason."

"Sonny, according to the call I just got you only have a few days to get your shit packed. I would go do it if I were you because this conversation is pointless."

Sonny growled and stalked up to Jason so they were eye to eye.

Jason's eyes narrowed. "Is this supposed to scare me?"

"You should never underestimate me Jason." Sonny growled.

Francis gripped his gun but didn't pull it out.

"Get out of my face now." Jason said menacingly.

Elizabeth had been standing at the top of the stairs listening and slowly started to make her way down them.

"You took my daughter and now you think you're going to take my business away?" He yelled. "I will see you dead first."

"Sonny, you need to take a step back." Elizabeth said firmly.

Jason looked over at her. "Elizabeth, go back upstairs please."

"No." She looked at Sonny. "If you hurt him, I will never forgive you. You are out of control. You need help."

He looked at her. "I'm about to lose everything. He's taking everything."

"No you're not. Jason is not taking anything from you. How long did you think you could behave like this without consequence?"

"That business is my life. It's everything." He said angrily.

"You have a lot of money. You have a wife and a son. What about me? Are you really willing to give me up?" She asked tearfully. "Please don't do this. Don't make me hate you, because that is what I will do if you touch him. You're making it so hard for me to even want to know you at all." She said exasperatedly.

Sonny grabbed his head and spun around. He hated that she had heard him and was looking at him like she was. His heart hurt because he never wanted his child to look at him with such fear and loathing. "You already hate me don't you?" He said quietly as he tried to catch his breath and will away the darkness that he had lived in for almost a year. It felt like it was eating him alive.

"Honestly, I don't know what I feel for you. I told you that I'd give you a chance and I meant that. But, you are so unstable right now. You are scaring me. Think about Michael. Please, don't throw your life away. You need to fight this." She pleaded as tears started to fall down her face.

Jason wanted to go to her but he knew she needed to work this out with her father.

Sonny felt tortured. He was hurting the last person he wanted to. He didn't want her to hate him. There was a big part of him that needed her to accept him but she was so far from doing that. In fact, he knew he would never be able to lay a hand on Jason without losing her. He was letting her down. Lily would be so ashamed of him right now. Her father had done the same thing to her that he was doing to Elizabeth and with that realization he crumbled.

Liz continued to watch her father do battle in his head. He looked like he was in excruciating pain and it frightened her.

"I'm sorry." He said dropping to his knees; mentally exhausted. "I'm not a bad person. This isn't who I want to be."

She kneeled down in front of him and watched him start to fall apart.

"You're beautiful inside and out. You get that from your mom." He said tearfully.

"Thank you." She said softly.

"You were better off without me in your life. At least you grew up loved. I would have failed you just like I'm failing Michael."

Sonny's shoulder's sagged and tears fell down his face and he began to cry and Elizabeth sighed and took him into her arms and hugged him tightly. "I promise I will call and check on you once you get situated. Would you like that?"

"Yes." He whispered.

"Do you want me to call Carly?" She asked pulling back.

He nodded.

Francis opened the door to make sure everyone was okay.

"Can you help me get him to the couch?"

They helped Sonny get situated as Jason took his hand off his gun and moved away. He held out his phone and Elizabeth took it and walked towards the kitchen. This wasn't the first time he had seen Sonny break down but he was hoping that it would be the last. He was still a loose cannon and Jason would feel much better once he was on the plane. Until then, he wasn't going to let his guard down. He sighed. The man before him was nothing like the one who had taken him in and given him a new purpose. Jason barely recognized the man sitting before him. A few years ago, he might have felt something but right now he was numb. All his sympathy had been used up years before.

"I know you hate me and that I've done some bad things to you. I can't change that. But, I want Elizabeth in my life. So, we'll just have to tolerate each other. We were friends for a long time and if I can get myself together, I think I won't be too hard to put up with." Sonny said quietly.

"Fine." Jason said. He would be okay with whatever Elizabeth decided. If she wanted to see how this was going to play out then he would support her but there was no way in hell he'd ever be friends with Sonny again. Too much damage had been done. Sonny knew that too. Jason just hoped that Elizabeth wouldn't get hurt because Sonny couldn't follow through.

Elizabeth walked into the room. "She's on her way." She said as she sat next to Sonny on the couch.

"I'm not taking Carly with me. She deserves better than what I can give her. I don't think she'll want to leave anyway. Her life is here."

"Maybe you should hear what she has to say first." Liz suggested.

"Okay." He looked up at Jason. "Will you make sure that they are guarded?"

"Of course." Jason said.

"Thank you."