A/N- Thanks for the comments! Glad you are enjoying this one.
Chapter 9
The next day, Monica showed up at Elizabeth's around dinner time.
Audrey opened the door holding Jake. "Hello."
"Hi."
Monica couldn't take her eyes off the baby.
"Do you want to hold him?"
"I would love to."
Audrey handed him off and they moved into the living room where Cam was playing.
"Who are you?"
Monica smiled. "I'm a friend. Do you remember Jason?"
Cam nodded vigorously. "He has a motorcycle."
"Yes, he does. I'm his mom."
Cameron's eyes grew big. "Do you have a motorcycle too?"
Monica chuckled. "No."
"Aww man."
Audrey shook her head. "He asks a lot of questions."
"It's okay."
She rocked Jake. "He's so cute."
"Yes, he is. He's a good baby."
Cam went back to watching his video.
"So, how do you feel about all of this?"
Audrey sighed. "It's hard because I've been there for all the good and bad. Elizabeth has been through a lot, and her choices in men have led to a lot of heartache."
"I understand how hard it is to watch your kids make mistakes."
Audrey nodded. "So, you can get why I'd be wary about her relationship with your son?"
"I do. I love him, but I hate his profession. With that said, at heart, he's a good person at heart. He cares about people deeply when they said he wouldn't; that he'd only mimic. While he can compartmentalize his feelings, he has been hurt greatly by people who profess to love him. I'm sure that Elizabeth asking him to give up Jake gave him flashbacks of what Carly did regarding Michael, but from what I could gather, my son walking away from her would have fed her insecurities as well."
"What do you know about him? He seems rather closed off."
"He can be if he doesn't trust you. It has been a long road to civility. We pushed and he pushed back harder. It didn't bode well for our relationship, but we've been doing better, and I stopped wishing he was Jason Quartermaine a long time ago. While I miss who he was, despite what Jason thinks, they are not total opposites. Jason can be stubborn and bossy, but I've seen his softer side. He loves hard and is very protective of the people he considers family and friends. I think he latched onto something he was good out and there was no stopping him."
"He must have felt very inadequate at first."
"He did. He was angry and impulsive and wanted to feel anything aside from pain. I wish we had backed down and tried to give him some space instead of being so demanding and allowing him to find his way. Perhaps if we had, Sonny wouldn't have been able to have any influence over him."
Audrey nodded. "I can't imagine dealing with all of that."
"It was like losing him all over again."
"And you think it's safe for him to be around Elizabeth and the kids?"
"For the most part, but that doesn't mean they won't be a target. Just because Sonny and Jason don't believe in targeting women doesn't mean their enemies are as gallant. What I do know is that he is the best listener, and he will love and respect her. He takes loyalty to another level."
"I just wish he had chosen to do something else with his life."
"Me too, but we, as parents, can't always get what we want. If they get back together, he'll love those boys and her and be supportive. It's just who he is and despite all the awful things he's been through, he still wants to be loved and to love. I just don't think he feels that he deserves it."
"That's sad."
"I think he is sad a lot. Maybe it's more lonely than sad, I don't know. I rarely ever see him smile. He's always running around fixing things for people and that has cost him greatly."
Monica stood and carefully put a sleeping Jake in a bassinet.
"Will you keep an eye on him? I have food in the oven."
"I would love to."
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Elizabeth entered the room at the Metrocourt for their meeting.
"Alright, Jason is being transported back tomorrow," Francis said.
"Good." Carly hates that he is in Pentonville. Every second there is a threat to his life.
"I was subpoenaed," Liz said.
Carly rolled her eyes. "This is a nightmare."
"I don't think I know anything that could hurt him, but Ric thinks I do."
"Unless he's just trying to mess with Jason's head."
"That could be it too." She'll never forgive her ex for the awful things he has done. She had let her fear make her go back to him, and she'd never do something like that again. Unfortunately, she learned the hard way that being with a person for the wrong reasons can destroy your life.
"We all make back choices, Elizabeth. At least you left him."
"I know. I just—I'm tired, Carly. I don't understand why Ric can't let this vendetta go."
"Ric wouldn't know the right thing to do if it fell from the sky and landed on his smug face." God, she'd like to smack off his stupid smirk.
"Hate has a funny way of clouding everything," Francis said.
Liz sighed. "This may be revenge against me too for not wanting anything to do with him."
"Ric can suck it. Sonny has let him get away with too much. If Jason is convicted, I'll kill him myself," Carly roared.
"Hopefully, it won't come to that. I don't think you'd look good in orange."
Carly smirked. "I can rock anything. Now, what's the plan? You are going to wait until he's exonerated and then drop the bomb on him that you're going to be a family?"
Liz nodded.
"And you think that my stubborn best friend is going to suddenly drop the danger aspect? I think you're underestimating him."
"She's right," Johnny said, "Elizabeth is about the only thing he runs from. If something happened to her because of him, I don't think he'd make it."
"I think you are overestimating everything," Liz said.
"No, he's not," Francis replied. "You don't understand how much you mean to him. You never did. Both of you ran because you knew if you took the chance and ended up hurting each other badly, you might lose each other for good."
"He was always the risk that I never allowed myself to take."
"That should tell you something, muffin. If you had taken notes out of my playbook and had taken what you wanted, you'd probably be happily married by now." When her expression soured, Elizabeth laughed.
"Well, I'm not planning on running this time. I'll make sure I have extra duct tape in case he tries."
"Good luck with that."
"Francis, after he's released, bring him here."
Johnny smirked. "You're very confident."
"You bet your Irish ass I am. Jason Morgan is coming home. Like Carly said, Ric can suck it."
"I like Lizzie."
"You ain't seen nothing yet."
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Jason sat in the van on the way to the courthouse deep in thought. So much is riding on this trial, and he hates that he may go down over a piece of shit like Alcazar.
"We're here," the guard next to him said.
Jason took a deep breath as they opened the back door, and he got out. Just as he came from around the corner, gunshots rang out, and one of the guards went down hard.
Inside, as the sounds of gunfire made everyone momentarily freeze, Carly ran forward, only to be stopped by Ric as she yelled to Lucky. "You have to help him!" She fought against Ric who wouldn't let her pass.
Diane is livid and scared for Jason's safety.
Ric pushed Carly back and focused on the attorney. "I know this is some feeble attempt to help Jason escape. You better tell me what you know."
"You have lost your mind. You are the one that chained him up like an animal, and then made sure that all of his enemies knew exactly where he would be. You painted a target on his back!"
"You shouldn't deflect."
Diane wants to strangle him. "We both know you don't have a case, so you set him up to be killed instead. Don't pretend you didn't."
"So, it's my fault now?"
Carly stepped up to them. "Everyone knows how dirty you are Ric. Finally, you screwed up in public and everyone will know just how low you'll stoop to get what you want."
Outside, Jason knocked Amelia down to get her out of the way and then eyed a gun that was dropped. After a slight hesitation, he grabbed it and shot in the direction where the shots came from but soon ran out of bullets. Looking around, he saw the gun in the other guard's holster and grabbed it as bullets sprayed around him. After taking cover, he managed to shoot two of the men.
Amelia watched from her place on the ground. The whole scene is surreal, and she isn't sure about what to think seeing Jason in action.
Jason looked around, making eye contact with the cameraman and Amelia. "Is everyone okay?"
He slowly stood as the door flung open and Lucky emerged from the building.
"All clear," he said before raising his gun. "Put the gun down."
Jason hesitated.
"Don't make me ask again."
The men stared at each other as Jason slowly placed it on a pillar.
Amelia got up and checked the pulse of one of the guards, but he was dead.
Cruz came out and assessed the injured people, and then he and Lucky dragged Jason inside.
Amelia can't believe she almost died. Port Charles is just off the charts with the violence.
Inside, Carly yells Jason's name when he comes into view.
"Stay back," Ric said.
"You let me talk to him or you can throw me in jail."
"Don't tempt me."
Jason eyed her. "Carly, calm down!"
"Put him in interrogation one."
Carly tracked him. "We're going to get you out of here."
Diane moved forward. "Carly, I know this is upsetting, but please don't give that asshole any reason to detain you."
Lucky reported his findings to Ric.
"Well, it looks like we can add three more charges of murder," Ric said cockily.
Carly started to move forward but Diane stopped her.
"Carly, don't."
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Elizabeth hadn't moved as she stared at the television screen in the break room at GH.
"Are you okay?" Epiphany asked.
"No."
"He'll be okay."
Liz sighed. "This is Ric's fault. He let everyone know where Jason would be."
"It doesn't surprise me. He's a jackass at heart."
"Yeah well, I loved the idiot."
"You thought you did, but we both know who your heart truly belonged to at the time."
Liz shook her head. "I chose Ric over him. Nothing says love like betrayal."
"Don't act like he didn't have a hand in that. Why would you trust him after he lied?"
"Jason doesn't lie to my face though. He avoided me so he wouldn't have to."
"He was a chicken shit. Sonny's like five foot two. He should have put him in his place."
Liz couldn't help it and laughed. "You're so wrong."
"Italian suits and dimples don't impress me."
"But Jason does?"
"That man doesn't have the sense God gave him, but he is fine."
Liz wiped a tear away as she tried to get under control. "I think I needed that."
"Why don't you take off and then check with one of his flunkies to see if he's fine."
"You've been watching The Sopranos again, haven't you?"
She grinned. "Maybe…"
Liz shook her head. "Thanks, Epiphany."
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Diane marched into the interrogation room.
"Tell me right now, what the hell just happened out there? Did Sonny set that up?"
Jason's eyes are wide. "What? They weren't trying to take me. They were trying to kill me."
She sat as her brain went into overdrive.
"Who do you think it was?"
"It could have been Alcazar's men."
"Here's the problem, there is now video of you shooting people shackled and handcuffed.
Jason was visibly confused by what he was supposed to do instead.
"It's proof that you are a trained killer."
"And it wouldn't surprise me if that was Ric's intention."
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Liz walked into the station.
Carly frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"That's what I want to know," Lucky said. "There are cameras everywhere."
"They'll just assume I was checking on you."
The former couple stared for a moment until Carly pulled Liz to the side.
"He's fine."
"Thank God."
"We think that Ric set it up or at least it's his fault."
Liz shook her head. "He knew what he was doing. He may not have pulled a trigger, but he knew it could happen."
Ric moved toward him. "Elizabeth, why are you here?"
Liz rolled her eyes. "I was checking on people I care about. Maybe if the PCPD did a better job, there wouldn't be shootouts and people wouldn't have lost their lives."
"That happened because of Jason."
She pointed at him. "That was all on you, Ric. You are the one who let everyone know where he'd be. Those men would be alive if you weren't so arrogant and had stopped to think. You probably hoped he would die."
He said nothing as she blazed with fury.
"Their deaths are on your conscious. You cared about Jason looking bad more than you cared about their lives, so don't stand there, and blame him for your incompetence."
His jaw dropped as everyone watched them. Lucky couldn't argue with her logic and most of the men know that Ric Lansing is a piece of shit anyway.
Liz eyed Carly. "Follow me." She led her to the door. "Tell him I was here if you get to see him. Try not to kill Ric in front of witnesses. Maybe Spinelli can turn this in our favor. I'm heading over there."
Carly smirked. "Great idea, Muffin."
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Jason observed as Diane stood. "What's next?"
"I'll address the media, making sure the seed is planted that Ric's ineptness is the cause of that fiasco outside, and then I'll petition for a change of venue. There is no way we're going to get a fair trial here. I'll shoot for Manhattan. Hang in there."
Max is in the squad room trying to get in.
"I'm sorry, but no visitors."
"He's here to assist me," Diane said.
"I don't care."
Lucky walked up. "It's okay, Mr. Giambetti can see him."
Diane is surprised. "Well, well, this is a surprise."
"Don't get used to it," Lucky said before walking away. His disgust with Ric is the only reason he allowed it.
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Amelia entered the interrogation room.
"How did you get in here?"
"I twisted Ric's arm." He thinks that Amelia's coverage will assist in damaging the public's opinion of the hitman.
Jason watched as she sat.
"I thought you'd like to know that the three shooters were Venezuelan."
"I figured."
"How can you be so calm about all of this? I assume this is related to Alcazar? It's such a shame that poor guard had to die."
"That was unfortunate. He had told me about his family—this could have been prevented if they hadn't told everyone about the transfer."
"I'd be dead as well if it wasn't for what you did. That's not the first time."
"Maybe you should find somewhere less dangerous to do your show."
She slightly smiled. "I had something different in mind. I'm going to keep you from going to jail."
Jason leaned forward. "I don't want to offend you, but I was out to save myself. You don't owe me anything, so I would appreciate it if you didn't feature this."
Despite what he said, he didn't have to save her. "Look, I get you're a private person, but you don't understand how much power the media yields. I'm going to use it to help you whether you want me to or not." First on her agenda is to plant some doubt about Ric Lansing's motives.
