A/N – Thanks for hanging in there with me. I know my schedule is erratic (I don't even get comments anymore from Fanfiction), but my job is very demanding. I'll do the best I can to get you the next chapter by Monday.

Chapter 45

Sonny sighed as he watched the kids play outside. He misses Sam. It's not the same without her and he hopes to God they can get their relationship back on track soon.

Jason moved next to him.

"What's going on?"

"It has been too quiet. Also, Helena has more men on the island."

"So, she's preparing for something."

"Yes."

"Can't we just blow up that fucking island?"

Jason smirked. "Trust me, that island will be gone by the time this is over. I don't give a shit what Nikolas wants."

"Good. It's a blight."

"Lila wanted me to invite you to dinner tomorrow night."

Sonny glanced at him. "Seriously?"

Jason nodded. "Bring the boys too. Stefan is supposed to be there, so we can see if he has any new info."

"What time?"

"Be there around 5:30 pm."

"Okay. How is Elizabeth?"

"She's good."

"How many weeks are left?" It's difficult talking about a baby, but he wants to show some support.

"Three."

"You ready for it?"

Jason shrugged. "As I'll ever be… They are having a baby shower before dinner."

"That's nice. I'll be sure to bring something."

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I do."

Michael ran up to Jason. "Morgan tried to eat dirt. He needs you, Uncle Jason before he kills himself."

Jason chuckled. "Is that right?"

Michael nodded.

"You're his big brother. You have to look out for him."

"That's a lot of work."

Michael's expression almost made Sonny laugh aloud. Instead, he covered his mouth to hide his grin.

"Well, if you do a good job, maybe you won't get coal in your stocking at Christmas."

Michael's eyes narrowed. "That doesn't sound fair."

"Take it or leave it."

His little lip poked out. "Fine."

When he took off, the men chuckled.

"You know, I might have to send him to live with you."

Jason eyed him. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Michael is just too much to handle.

Sonny grinned as Jason walked away. Despite Michael's issues, he loves the boy with all his heart and wouldn't trade him for anything.

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Carly sighed as she stared at the food on her plate. Today is the day she will lure Jason out and her stomach has been turning for hours. To make matters worse, she's not sure if Stefan is alive or dead. They had worked him over the previous night; she had heard him yell. After flirting with a guard, she confirmed that it was him.

Pushing the plate away, she got up and lay on her bed thinking of her life in Port Charles thus far. One way or another, she'll probably die at the end of this either by Jason's hand or Helena's. Jason—they could have had everything. He is her biggest regret and it's all Elizabeth's fault. Sitting up, her anger rose, and she felt more determined. At least if Helena takes Elizabeth, Jason will be free. Standing, she shook off her anxiety and sat at the table again. She'll do this because it's the best for Jason and she is protecting him from himself. He'll survive because he always does, and hopefully, she can save the day and help him move on. Fuck, Sonny. He had his chance. He can have that whore Sam.

Smiling, she picked up the fork and began to eat. She'll need her strength to pull this off.

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Emily grinned when Johnny's face popped up on her phone.

"Hey."

"Hi. I miss you." His eyes take in every detail as he relishes the little time they have.

"Are you eating?" She figures he's been working non-stop.

"Yeah. I'm good. Audrey has been dropping off meals. I might be fat by the time you return."

She laughed. "I seriously doubt that."

"You hanging in there?"

"Yes. I'm doing much better."

"I'm glad to hear that."

She cleared her throat. "Any news?"

He shook his head. "It has been quiet, which makes me nervous."

"I wish I could come back for the baby shower."

"Monica got what you wanted to give Liz at least."

"Good. I hope they will take some pictures and video."

"I'm sure someone will."

Emily sighed. She misses him terribly. "What if this takes months? I don't want to stay away that long."

"We'll figure it out. Your life is more important to me than anything."

"It's just hard being away from you all. They are very nice, but they aren't you or my family."

"I get it. Is my family driving you insane?"

She grinned. "No. I'm learning a lot about you though. I'm taking good notes."

He groaned. "I have to go, but I just wanted to see your face." A lot is going on today, so the guards have to be on their toes.

"I'm glad you called."

"Me too." Hopefully, they can things finished here by eliminating Helen. It's a dangerous game, but they have no other choice. The woman will never stop until she gets what she wants.

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Jason ran into the house so he could get changed. Johnny had just left to take Elizabeth over to the mansion because there had been a problem at the warehouse that he had to take care of. Quickly, he showered and then dressed before grabbing his phone, gun, and keys.

He had just made it to his car when his phone rang. Sliding onto the seat, he answered.

"Jason."

He frowned. "Carly?"

"I need your help."

He sighed.

"Please, listen. I can't take back what happened. Will you help me make this right?"

His eyes squeezed shut. "Where are you?"

She smiled. "I'm close." This is turning out to be easier than she thought it would be.

He thought for a moment. If he can grab her, that will be one less dangerous person surrounding them and all they have to worry about is Helena. "Carly, if you are playing with me, you'll regret it." She is going to die regardless.

"I'm not. Meet me in the alley next to that Italian dive you like. Sonny has people looking for me. I doubt they'll know the connection."

"Fine. I'll be right there."

He pulled out of the garage and tried to call Johnny, but he suddenly has no bars, unaware that Helena is blocking his phone connection. He texted Johnny that Carly is in town and he is going to get her before hitting send, and then concentrated on the road. This won't take him long, and then he can dump her at the warehouse and get to the mansion quickly.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Johnny got about two blocks from the mansion when all hell broke loose. "Fuck!"

Kenny, the guard accompanying him tried to make a call but can't get through. The car started to slow, so they glanced at each other. The other SUV that is trailing them with more guards slows as well.

"EMP," Johnny muttered as he hit the steering wheel.

Elizabeth is scared to death as the car slows to a crawl.

"What do you want to do?" Kenny asked.

Johnny looked in his rearview mirrors, spotting a car in the distance. Instead of pulling over, he chose to stay right where he is so it will draw attention. "We can't risk Elizabeth's life."

"Johnny, I'm so scared," Liz said. She is trembling.

"I'm sorry."

Liz's eyes pressed closed. "I don't want you to die." Emily will also be devastated.

"Tell Emily and my family that I love them." He focused on his mirror again. "Run back to the car and use all your firepower."

Kenny jumped out and ran as fast as he could. Johnny put the car in park and then slipped into the back with Elizabeth. He put one arm around her and held a gun in his other hand. "Breathe, Elizabeth."

She softly cried. It's hard trying to control her emotions, but she knows she needs to get her blood pressure under control.

Gunfire broke out.

"Jesus," Johnny said. They are sitting ducks. It seems like it's coming from everywhere, all pointing to the other car.

Right after a whimper left Elizabeth's lips, the door is flung open and a man growls, "Don't move."

Johnny lowers his gun and it's snatched.

"Get out of the car now."

Johnny's gaze locked with Elizabeth. "Do what they tell you to do, okay?"

She nods as tears stream down her face.

As soon as he clears the door, he is struck hard on the back of the head and goes down.

Elizabeth screamed as a man opened the other door and tugs her. "Wait!" On shaky legs, she gets up and is manhandled.

"Be careful," another man yells.

She can see bodies strewn on the ground near the other car as she is hustled to an SUV.

When she gets inside, she is stunned to see Nikolas.

"Just do what they tell you, okay?"

She is so mad at him.

He noticed her expression change and smirked. "She doesn't want to hurt you, Elizabeth."

"You're an asshole."

He moves closer to whisper in her ear. "He's alive because of me."

"You're still an asshole." She wiped her face. "Jason is going to kill you for this."

His brow lifted and she gasped.

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. Just do whatever she says, and you'll be fine."

She wonders how much of his soul he has sold to Helena. Just the sight of him is disgusting to her, so she looks out the window, praying that they haven't killed her husband.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Monica is livid as they huddle in the panic room. The guards had ushered them in there at the start of the gun battle.

Chloe held Lila's hand.

"You think they have her?" Tracy asked.

"Yes," Edward whispered. It killed him and he hopes that Jason tears them apart.

"Johnny will protect her," Alice said.

"He may not be able to do that without her getting hurt," Audrey said. Elizabeth is close to her due date. This is a very bad situation.

Sonny had been called by the guards at the mansion and had sent men to the area. In Ireland, Ryan was made aware of the situation and when his brother or Jason didn't answer the phone, he started making arrangements.

Maggie entered the room. "What's going on?"

"Something is wrong in Port Charles."

"Johnny?"

"Maybe. I can't reach him."

Maggie sighed. "Are you leaving Jacob?" He's second in command.

"Yes. Don't ask me how I know that he needs me. He just does."

"Be careful," she said before hugging him.

"I love you, Ma. I'll be fine."

"I'm more worried about them than you." She's quite aware of her son's reputation.

He smirked. "That sounds about right."

He left the house to go say goodbye to his wife. It's time to clean up the mess in Port Charles. No one hurts an O'Brien and gets away with it. Blood is about to flow.

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Jason was almost to the destination when he got a call about gunfire near the mansion. He slammed on the brakes, jerked the car around, and then sped off. Unfortunately, Helena's men cut him off at the pass, slamming into his car as he went through an intersection.

"Fuck!" he yelled as the car spun and then slammed against a curb.

He drew his gun, before slipping out of the car and froze when several men appeared pointing weapons at him.

"I would drop it if I were you, Mr. Morgan."

Jason's lethal expression almost gave them pause. After a few seconds, he put it on the ground, wondering if Carly had set him up.

A man approaches him, putting away his gun, and is stunned when Jason's fist lashed out and dropped him. Unfortunately, someone fired a taser, and pain shot through Jason's body, forcing his muscles to clench before he crashed to the ground. Just when he was able to breathe easier, another jolt is administered, leaving him jerking on the pavement.

"I can do this all day long. What's it going to be?"

Several people in a building across the street could see what is happening and called the police.

Jason is handcuffed and dragged into an SUV, and they sped off before the PCPD arrived.

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Alice jumps up. "Something is wrong,"

When she opens the door and makes a run for it, Monica eyes the monitor.

"It's Johnny."

Chloe rises. "He's hurt."

Alan takes off in case they need him, but the rest stay put.

Monica doesn't want to leave Audrey alone with Edward and Lila in case something happens medically unless Alan needs her.

In the foyer, Johnny is placed on the floor.

"What happened?"

Francis appears. "They were ambushed. I think they hit him over the head. He has a giant knot on the back of his head.

Alan examined him. "His skull could be fractured, or he could have a bleed. He needs more medical attention than I can give him here."

Francis stepped away and made a call before returning to the group. "A transport vehicle is on the way. We have a clinic we can use that has scanning equipment."

"Do you need me to ride with him?"

Francis shook his head. "No, but thank you for taking care of him." Unfortunately, police were called because neighbors had heard the gunshots, so they couldn't clean up the scene.

"Just keep us updated. He means a lot to Emily."

"Okay."

"There's one more thing."

Alan adjusted Johnny's head position. "Go on."

"We lost contact with Jason."

Alan sighed heavily. "This is a disaster. She needs to be stopped."

Francis nodded. They are down their best men and Sonny is going to have to step up and ask for help, but the five families probably won't want to get involved because it's non-mob related. He's not sure what they are going to do.

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Sonny is alerted that Mac is there. "Send him in." This is a shit show and he's not sure how they'll recover if Jason is dead. No one has heard from him.

Mac entered the room, taking in his surroundings before speaking. "There was an accident at the north end of town."

Sonny froze.

"There were several witnesses that saw Jason being confronted by gunpoint. He decked one of them and then was tased repeatedly. Someone took him. Do you have any idea who?"

Sonny schooled his features as best as possible as his heart sank. "No."

"No?"

"I don't believe you," Mac yelled. "A few blocks from Jason's family, there are dead bodies strewn all over the roadway. The cars are dead like someone took them out with an EMP. That's serious firepower. Now, who the hell did it? I know that you know!"

Sonny shifted his weight. "I don't know."

Mac ran his hand through his hair. "You are endangering everyone else, and as usual; you don't care. Stop being selfish!" When he didn't reply, Mac threw his hands up. "All of these deaths are on your head."

He left as Sonny slumped onto the couch. Jason is alive. That is good. If anyone can get away, it's him. They need to come up with a point of attack and get some more men in here. He texted Francis to meet him as soon as possible.