Chapter 25
Thank you to Starlight Guardian, Trini12180, and Theresa Roundtree for your reviews and guesses. Welcome new reviewer, Sota421. I'm glad you are enjoying the story. Thank you to the guest reviewers. Thanks for everyone's guesses.
August 2008 -
8/1/2008
Elizabeth prepares for a picnic in the park with Cam and Jake. Jason walks by, and Cam screams out, "Jason!"
Elizabeth says, "Hi."
"It looks like you are having a picnic."
What If:
"Yes, would you like to join us?"
"I thought we weren't supposed to be seen together."
"It defeated that purpose when Cam screamed your name. Would you like to hold Jake?"
"I can't."
Monica walks over. "Jason. Now, this is about the prettiest picture I've ever seen."
Elizabeth says, "We were waiting for Lucky, but would you like to meet Jake?"
"Are you and Lucky…?"
"No, we aren't reconciling, but he likes to spend time with Cam and Jake." Elizabeth offers Jake to Monica. "Monica, this is Jake." She looks around to see if Lucky is around. She glances at Jason with raised eyes. "You wanted me to tell her; this may be a good time."
Monica takes Jake from Elizabeth and stares into the blonde, beautiful 15-month-old boy. "Tell me what? Jason, Jake looks, he looks like you did as a baby. Elizabeth, is Jake Jason's son?"
Jason replies, "Umm, yes. Jake is my son, but we are keeping his paternity quiet. I'm sorry; we should have told you sooner."
Monica says, "The trial? You lied when Ric asked if Jason was Jake's father."
Elizabeth drops her head and softly says, "Yes. I'm sorry. I panicked. I want you to know now."
Jason says, "Please don't tell anyone else in the family. You know how Edward would react. Look at how he's trying to take control of Michael's care while in a coma and what that has done to Carly. Imagine what he would do to Jake. Elizabeth and I are concerned for his safety, and Edward would shine a light all over him."
Monica pulls Jake tighter. She inhales his scent—tears well in her eyes.
Elizabeth says, "Are you angry at me? I can't tell. Jason wanted me to tell you about four months ago, but I was stubborn. I'm sorry."
Monica replies, "I wish I had known. Seeing him today with you both, you look like you could be a family. Did Emily know?"
Jason says, "Emily suspected after Jake's birth. Elizabeth confirmed it the day she died, so yes, Emily knew. I want nothing more than to be a family, but it's not a good time. Are you pissed at us?"
"No. I know how the Quartermaines can get. I'll keep your secret, but I hope to see Jake more often."
Elizabeth says, "I think we can figure something out."
Monica hands Jake back. "Thank you. It means a lot you trust me." Monica walks away, mumbling, "Alan, I hope you are looking down on this."
8/18/2008
Anthony Zacahhara arrives at GH in a wheelchair. He corners Elizabeth, making subtle and veiled threats. He parks his chair, forcing her to side-step him.
Elizabeth says, "Can I help you?"
"I'm due for physical therapy, but I don't mind waiting and looking at the scenery."
"I'm a nurse, not scenery."
"I'm sure you are many things to many people. You are the ex-wife of my brilliant yet treacherous attorney, Ric Lansing, and the ex-lover of Jason Morgan, my biggest business rival."
"What's the name of your physical therapist? I'll page them."
"Lasker. I haven't rattled you, have I?"
"No."
"Good, because I'd like to think of us as friends."
Elizabeth chuckles, "Friends? Friends don't threaten others to jump off a ledge."
"I was kidding. I thought we were having fun."
"My best friend died that night. I wasn't having any fun."
"You might be useful someday to help me communicate with your ex."
"Which one? I have another; his name is Detective Lucky Spencer. A lawyer, a mobster, and a cop. How is that? It sounds like the opening to a bad joke. I won't be passing any messages to anybody."
"It's a shame—all those exes. You have no one to keep you and your two little boys company when it gets dark at night."
"I sleep just fine. I'm not afraid of the dark. I'll find your therapist."
8/29/2008
Summary:
Elizabeth visits Spinelli, who is recovering from a hit-and-run at GH. Spinelli is worried about Stone Cold that he may be into a Slavic Seductress because he can't have Elizabeth. Elizabeth contacts Jason, and he meets her at her studio. She updates him on Spinelli. Jason reassures her that he is not interested in anyone other than her. Jason says it was because of Morgan, Cameron, and Jake that they agreed not to be with each other.
What If Scenario 1
Elizabeth says, "We are looking out for the best interest of Morgan, Cam, and Jake. But I am not a child. If I choose to take risks, that's my choice. Nobody can decide for me. I still want to see you."
"If you are doing this to save me from some affair I'm not having, don't. I miss you. I'm okay."
"Well, I'm not. I care about you and me. Jason, I want us back. Every morning, I wake up, and it's another day I don't get to see you. I imagine you getting ready and pouring your coffee and all those stupid little beautiful moments that people who love each other should share. Yet I ache because I'll never have that with you."
Elizabeth, I want that, too. I loved that morning after the blackout when we made Jake. I brought you coffee in bed and made breakfast for you."
"Do you ever see a time when we can do that again? We had some moments at the SH but don't meet there anymore."
"What do you want from me, Elizabeth?"
"If you don't think it's safe for you to see Jake, we can wait, but you can't decide for me."
"It's not fair to Jake or Cam for you to take those risks."
"I understand that, but I don't want to walk through my life like a ghost, only half-feeling because I'm afraid it will hurt too much to feel all the way. Jason, I want to be with you, even if it's only in secret.
"You deserve better, Elizabeth."
"People do it all the time. They have affairs, find ways to meet each other, and then return to their daily lives. Why can't we? Unless you don't want to be with me. And if that's true, you can walk out that door, and I won't try to stop you." Jason doesn't move. "That's what I thought."
Jason pulls her to him and kisses her. His tongue finds hers. He pushes her to the couch. He removes his jacket. She unbuttons his shirt. He fumbles with her blouse.
Elizabeth says, "Don't say anything." Jason stops and pushes her away.
"Are you going to deny that you want me as much as I want you?"
"I want you so much, Elizabeth. People want a lot of things they can't have.
"It's not about people, it's about us."
"There is no us."
"Yes, there is. We may not talk about it or act on it, but it's there. Every time I see you, the silence is deafening; that speaks volumes."
"I have nothing to offer you."
"That's bullshit, Jason."
"If I sleep with you, I'm going to want more. I'm going to want the life that I can't have. We can say we want to stay in the present, but it's impossible. You know we won't be satisfied meeting in secret; we will want more, so why even do it to ourselves?"
"Because I can't forget you. I need you. I love you. Please don't shut me out. I know your business will always come first."
"But it's a business where people depend on me. I'm responsible for so many things and many people. I can't walk away and would never ask you to be second."
"I'm glad you're not asking because I'm telling you it's okay."
"No, no, you say that now."
"Jason, please do not presume to know what I'm thinking. You have this idea that I'm too fragile and sensitive to handle your world."
"You are one of the strongest women I know."
"But you worry about my expectations, and you are right. I used to have them. When you and I were first together, I tried to accept that you worked for Sonny and that you would never give it up. I hoped that you would and that you would live a normal life someday."
"I can't give you normal. I don't think I could change what I do."
"I know that now because I've changed. After all these years, I've come to realize that it's all about compromise. And people are complicated, and I have no right to judge them or decide anything for anyone else."
I can't promise you the future."
"Neither of us has a crystal ball to see the future. If we did, maybe we would have been together years ago. I would have gone away with you when you asked. All we have is the present. In the present, all I want is you, whenever I can, for as long as I can. And if it becomes too painful, then I'll walk away. Can you do that? Can you just let me decide what's best for me?"
Jason finishes unbuttoning her blouse. He leans in and kisses her. He draws her to the couch. They make love. She dresses, and he puts his shirt back on. Staring out the window, Elizabeth says, "I'll always think about our time at the safe house. I loved meeting you there."
"I know. I loved that, too. It's different now. There's too much at stake for both of us."
"Not if we are careful."
"I'm running the business. I'm not Sonny's second. What happens if you got shot or killed meeting with me? What about your children? They need to come first. All it takes is one mistake."
"Why are you fighting this so hard? Have you stopped loving me? Was this all about Jake? And now that you've given Jake up, you are giving me up too?"
"That's not fair."
"I'm not talking about fair. I want you to be honest with me."
"We wouldn't even be here if Spinelli didn't come up with some crazy scenario in his head."
"No, that's not true. This has been building for months. I miss you being a part of my life. I just thought you felt the same way. You've told me we can't meet, but you have yet to tell me how you feel. I need to know, Jason, so that I can make peace with it. Because if you don't love me anymore, just say so. So I can just let this all go. I love you, but if you don't feel the same way, then all I'm doing is humiliating myself."
"Maybe I should lie and say I don't care about you, but I can't; I cannot hurt you on purpose, even if it's to set you free."
"But you'll hurt me with the truth, telling me you care ."
"You know I love you." Jason leaves as Elizabeth cries.
Elizabeth surprises Jason at the Coffee Shop, insisting they can be together. Jason says she shouldn't be showing up there.
"Why not? Carly does it."
"Carly is not a good example."
Laughing, "Maybe I should do it more often."
"No, you don't mean that."
"Don't tell me what I mean or assume you know what I want or can handle. When I came to Port Charles years ago, I handled myself just fine. I was fearless, and you know what? I liked who I was back then. I went after what I wanted with no apologies, and that's what I'm doing right now. I want you, and I know you want me."
"Do you want to go back to lying?"
There will always be lying about Jake. I am over it. I am tired of being miserable. I want us to figure out a way to be together."
"How can I justify that after what happened to Michael?"
"No life is ever safe."
"It would work for a little while. But sooner or later, someone you love will get hurt, or I will do something you cannot live with."
"I accept we won't have a future, but we do have right now. That's all I'm asking."
"I chose a life where being able to kill is a measure of success. I choose to break the law. I had a chance to run away with you and the boys, and I chose to stay. What part of that makes you love me?"
"I can't explain it. It's not logical; that's why it's love." Elizabeth kisses Jason.
"This, us, is going nowhere."
"I don't expect it to. I accept who you are and the life you've chosen. I don't have any illusions about who you are."
"I don't want people to know you are close to me, and I love you."
"It's a little late. It came out in court last summer that we were involved."
"It came out that we slept together; it's not the same thing as a relationship."
"Wow. Maybe that's my mistake. Maybe we don't actually have a relationship. I was so hurt and confused the first night we were together. I found Lucky in my bed with Maxie and came to you because I needed a friend. That's what I told myself, but it was more. My marriage was over, and you were the man I had always wanted to be with. You were just as hurt and confused."
"You saved me that night. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up."
"I guess it was a combination of all that hurt and missed opportunities that brought us together. We took refuge in each other, but you are right; it wasn't a relationship. It was just one night that we were both able to escape reality. But since then, I've been trying to go back to that night. It was the one time you let your guard down and let me in. Is it possible to do that again?"
"I've let you in before, but we never seemed to be on the same page together, but that night we were."
"Being together. I know it wouldn't be perfect, but it would be worth it."
"Until one of my enemies would use you as leverage against me."
"I'm not afraid."
"I am afraid. If anything happened to you, I couldn't take it."
"Well, I can't take being without you."
"Are you going to tell Lucky? Because secrets come out sooner or later."
"You don't think I've considered all this? I've already promised myself that if it gets too painful, I'll walk away, but that is for me to decide when and how much I can handle. Aren't you the one who's always saying that people should be able to make their own choices?"
"I don't think you can live with this choice and what it will cost you."
"Jason, there was this man; he was dying, and he got people together in a room to give what he called The Last Lecture and Brick Walls. The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough, they're there to stop the other people. His name was Randy Pausch, and he died this year. I don't want you to tell me that this will be easy or that there will be brick walls. I just need you to tell me how you feel."
"It doesn't matter how I feel."
"Jeeze, Jason. I am standing here with my heart in my hands. Don't tell me it doesn't matter."
"I'm just trying to protect you."
"I don't want you to protect me. I just want you to tell me if you feel the same way or if I'm just crazy."
"You're not crazy." Jason kisses and lifts her, and she straddles him while he carries her to his bedroom. They peel each other's clothes off. They make love. (No Carly-interrupt-us in this version).
Elizabeth lies in Jason's arms and says, "I'll bring whatever sledgehammer I need to get rid of the brick walls as long as we can find a way to be together."
9/19-9/24/2008
Jason tells Spinelli he loves Elizabeth. He chastises Spinelli regarding his and Elizabeth's relationship. "Stop coming up with reasons we should be together. I know we should be together. I love Elizabeth. We have a child together. I don't want to be with anybody else."
He asks Spinelli to help with computer research. "I've always wanted to be with Elizabeth. Did you know I asked her to marry me right before Michael got shot?"
"No, I wasn't aware of that."
"Then I thought I had to end things permanently with her."
"But Fair Elizabeth disagrees?"
"She thinks whatever time we can have together in secret is enough."
Summary:
Lucky approaches Elizabeth at GH and tells her of his plans with Sam. He wants to take the boys for a few days. Elizabeth is concerned about Sam's undercover work to bust the drug ring, but Lucky assures her they will be fine. They will be away from anyone who could see them. Elizabeth comments that they are getting serious, and it's a good idea for the boys to become more comfortable. If they will be with Lucky, she agrees to the trip.
Jason invites Elizabeth for a trip to Italy. He had already bought the tickets. She says yes and tells Lucky her plans. Sam convinces Lucky that it's only fair if she and Lucky are going away; Elizabeth should be able to get away with Jason. Jason says to meet him in the first-class lounge tomorrow. He will be there after he attends Sonny's wedding.
What If:
9/29/2008
A sniper shoots Kate as she is about to marry Sonny. Jason must take care of Sonny's needs and forget about what he wants. He instructs Cody to look for the sniper. He asks Spinelli to trace the shell casing. Sonny rants and screams at Jason for not protecting Kate and him. "I left the business so I could live a normal life. You fucked it up, Jason!"
Jax tries to pull Carly away, but she yells back at Sonny, "Did you think it would be that easy? Didn't you say there is no out? You may pretend you've left the organization but are still in. You have been in since you moved to Port Charles. You were once a small-time hood, but now the name Sonny Corothinos still means something to the Five Families. Stop blaming Jason for your choices."
Elizabeth has been waiting for Jason in the first-class lounge. She checked with the gate attendant, and Jason had not checked in or left any messages. The attendant calls the flight to Italy. Elizabeth knows that something must have happened to delay Jason. She understands that business comes first, but that won't stop her. She asks if there is time to make a call.
The attendant says, "You have one minute before we close the door."
Elizabeth decides to go without Jason. She calls and leaves him a voicemail. "Jason, something must have come up that needs your attention. I understand and will travel ahead of you. I hope you can finish your business before my flight back, but if you can't, I'll understand. I'm not letting this moment pass me by. I want to share this with you, but I will still enjoy Italy if you stay in Port Charles. I'll take lots of pictures and buy you a postcard."
Elizabeth sighed, picked up her bags, and walked onto the plane. She turns her phone off and listens to the flight attendant's instructions for take off. Elizabeth retrieved her guidebook to Italy and read it until the attendant asked if she wanted a drink. She smiles, "I'd like a glass of red wine."
Jason is at the hospital trying to calm Sonny down. Sonny says, "You were supposed to check everybody. How did this happen? What are you going to do to make who did this pay? Was it the Russians?"
"It looks that way, but I'm not sure. The bullet casings were Russian. It could be a misdirect as a professional sniper would police their brass. Whoever did this left it behind as a message. It could be anyone."
"Find out who shot Kate and take care of them. This wasn't supposed to happen on our wedding day."
"You were the one who wanted to please Kate by having a big Catholic church wedding. I don't know what happened, but you can never fully walk away. I took the business from you when you dated my sister, and someone still tried to kill both of you. You asked me again to run it for you because you want to be with Kate."
Sonny throws Jason against the wall. "This is your fault. You really didn't want to run things. I should take it back. But this should be a message to you why you can't be with Elizabeth."
Jason pushes Sonny off him and says, "I can't talk with you when you are upset like this. I'll check with the surgeons." He listens to his message from Elizabeth. He says, "Shit!" He's surprised she went without him. He thinks, "I deserved that."
Jason gets an update on Kate and tells Sonny what he knows. Jason makes a choice. He takes a day to make arrangements with Spinelli, Cody, and Max. He leaves a letter for Sonny. "Sonny, Kate is in recovery, and she needs your attention. I am looking after business but will be away for a few days. I know everything that is happening. Spinelli will have ballistic reports. Cody is searching for the shooter, and Max is there to guard Kate. I am giving you time to get pissed, but you are not in charge. You jump to conclusions and insist on revenge before it is verified. Nothing will change in five days."
Jason leaves for the airport to join Elizabeth in Italy. While waiting for his plane, he calls Elizabeth, apologizes, and asks her to stay, saying he will explain everything. Elizabeth says she will greet him at the hotel when he arrives.
Elizabeth ended the call and checked the previous location off her guidebook. She heads to the next stop. She takes several photos and finds time to sketch. She returns to her room and changes for dinner. She ordered a glass of wine with her meal, and an attractive Italian offered to buy her a drink. Elizabeth read basic phrases in Italian and replied, "No, Grazie."
After her meal, Elizabeth returns to her room and showers, sends emails, and turns off the lights. The following morning, Elizabeth sipped coffee and ate pastries on the outside patio. Jason checked in and was directed to Elizabeth's location. He surprises her, kissing her cheek. Smiling, Elizabeth jumps and kisses Jason. "I am happy you are here."
"I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner."
"You are forgiven if you take me to bed right now!"
They enjoy places Jason highlighted in the travel guide for the next four days. Elizabeth sketches him and leaves a space to insert Jake later. He takes her to nightclubs and surprises her when he asks her to dance. Elizabeth says on their last night in Italy, "You didn't want to tell me until our trip was almost over why you missed your flight. You didn't want to ruin things. Can you tell me now what happened?"
Jason tells Elizabeth everything. "Things will change when we return, but I wanted you to experience Italy without worrying about someone seeing us. I love you. I want to try again when this thing with Sonny is over if you still think we are worth it."
Elizabeth kisses him and says, "We are worth it."
Reset to OG S/L:
9/30/2008-
Pre-Thanksgiving and Dex.
Elizabeth and Jason review Spinelli's notes again. Spinelli provided an additional report tracing funds deposited into a dummy account in an alias he found on Dex. Jason makes notes while Elizabeth reads the information out loud. "Jason, you will not like where the funds came from."
"What is it?"
"Jason, from what Spinelli uncovered, the money is from Michael."
"Michael? He helps run ELQ now. He wants nothing to do with Sonny since he chose Nina over his mother."
"It does seem suspicious. Are you going to confront Michael first? Do you want answers?"
"Perhaps I should give Michael the benefit of the doubt. Let me find out his reasons first before I tell Sonny."
"Michael has been pissed at his father for several months."
"I do not like where this is heading, Elizabeth."
"You should ask Michael how much Joss knows. She's part of the 'I hate Sonny' club too."
"Whew! I hate this, and it's so close to Thanksgiving. We are supposed to have drinks with Sonny, Robin, and Patrick at Pouzzula's in two days."
"Will you tell him then? Or wait until after the holidays? Dex has been around Sonny, Joss, and Michael for over a year. If he is after revenge, what is he waiting for? How soon before the other shoe drops?"
I don't know, Elizbeth. What else does that report say? Has he visited his brother?"
"Let me see….yes, five times in the past year."
"God dammit! How could Brick or Sonny miss this shit?"
"He's not you, and he probably doesn't have someone as talented as 'The Jackel' on his payroll."
"You said you had a bad vibe from Dex. What was that about?"
"As I told you, it could be a bias due to what happened with Cam and Joss. She broke up with him to be with Dex. It seemed like they were together before she broke up with Cam. He was hurt, and Spencer took his side, and Trina took Joss's side, so it got messy."
Jason laughs, "Sounds familiar."
"He may be in college, but I still want to protect him as I did when he was a little boy."
"If Carly doesn't know…"
"She should, and you should be the one to tell her. But first Michael, then Sonny, and later Carly."
"Carly will be pissed if she's told last and will probably find a way to place the blame on you."
"Yeah, but if you tell her before Sonny, she will run straight to him and rant all over him. Then Sonny will blame you for not telling him first and say that if you had returned when Nikolas rescued you, none of this would have happened. It's a lose-lose scenario."
Jason sighs, "They never change. It is exhausting refereeing them."
"Do you miss it? Do you want it back?"
"Oh God, no! I'm not sorry I discovered this information; Sonny and Carly need to know. But catering to their demands leaves no room for my happiness—no room for you. I love you; I know my life is better away from them."
"Tomorrow is a long day for me at GH. I may need to work a half shift on Thanksgiving in the evening since the ER will be filled with idiots arriving with injuries from deep frying their turkeys, carving accidents, and drunk touch football sprains and broken bones."
"I'm glad most of the food is pre-ordered."
Elizabeth laughs, "Yeah, I'm not equipped to cook for that many people. Will you be here Wednesday afternoon for the delivery?"
"I'm not sure. Won't Jake and Aiden have the day off?"
"I'll ask them. Cam should arrive tomorrow night. Can you send a car for them when their jet arrives?"
"Yes. I will do that. Come here, let's get some sleep. After talking with Michael tomorrow, I'll think about what I should do."
Elizabeth works at GH, and Jason approaches Michael.
"Michael, thanks for meeting with me. I have some difficult questions to ask and would like honest answers."
"Sounds ominous. Is this about mom?"
"Not exactly. It's about your relationship with Dex?"
"Dex? Do you mean Joss's boyfriend? He works for Sonny. I don't know him that well."
"Michael, I need honesty. I found things about Dex. I know you have been giving him money. I don't know the reasons why, but it started before he arrived in Port Charles and ended about a year ago."
"Jason, it's a long story."
"I've got time. The boys are in school, Elizabeth is at work, and I don't have to be at the Estates. I would like to know why. It's important."
"I was angry with my father for what he and Nina did to my mom."
"What did Sonny do?"
"Nina kept Dad away from us for almost a year!"
"So, it's Nina that you should be pissed at. Why your father?"
"He chose to stay with that bitch."
"Your father and mother have married and divorced each other about half a dozen times. She's been married to other men. So has your father with other women. Marrying Nina is far from the worst thing he has done."
"She has done horrible things to Willow."
"Alright, you have a right to your anger. Why did you pay Dex?"
"I was pissed and wanted to take Sonny down. I wanted to hurt him for hurting Mom, and the only way was to ruin him and expose his business."
Jason wants to explode. "Do you understand how insane your logic is? If you expose Sonny, you leave your family open to his rivals. You, Kristina, your mother, Josslyn, Avery, Donna, and even Molly could be in danger. Why do you think I agreed to the asinine plan to marry Carly over two years ago? It wasn't for love. It was to maintain control over The Families. With Sonny presumed dead, it left all his loved ones open to danger. Your mother and I had control over the territories. When Sonny returned, I gave the business back to him. If Sonny went to prison, your mother would not have a foothold in his business since they were divorced. Nina has no clue what Sonny does."
"Yeah, that's what Mom said a couple of months ago. Dex quit on me. It turns out he likes working for Sonny. Mom said Dex needed to keep working for Sonny to protect Joss and me. Joss agreed to keep my previous arrangement with Dex a secret."
"Your mother knows what you did? She has her faults but knows how the business works. Aren't you worried about Joss? Do you remember what happened to those close to me when I worked for Sonny? Courtney, Sam, Elizabeth, and Emily all were targets. What else can you tell me about Dex? Did you complete background checks on him?"
Michael opens a locked file and hands Jason the information he has on Dex and his security firm. Jason shakes his head. Michael did not complete a thorough background check. He relied on others. It's a wonder how he can run ELQ. "Michael, we need to tell Sonny what is happening."
"No, we can't. He's finally happy again, despite Nina; I have forgiven him."
"This goes beyond you hiring an outside contractor to spy on your father in hopes you will send him to prison. This could be life or death, and you are to blame."
"Oh, no! What did I do? I tried to fire Dex months ago when I was worried about Sonny learning the truth, but he said he'd keep working for Sonny either way because he had his own reasons to stay. Is this why you look so worried?"
"I'm not saying anything until we are all together. I was planning on telling Sonny tomorrow night, but it can't wait. Carly needs to hear this, too. I will make the calls. Don't say anything to anyone until tonight. If you have anything else on Dex, bring it with you."
Jason calls Elizabeth, "Hey, Jason. I'm due back from my break soon. How did things go with Michael?"
"Elizabeth, it's worse than I thought. I'm calling a meeting to tell Michael, Sonny, and Carly everything I know. Michael fucked things up. It could be a long night. Please be careful and keep all the guards. I want Mario on Dex if he decides to visit Sonny while we are there. I don't know what they will do about Joss. I won't be home until late."
"Okay. I'll let Jake know to have dinner without us. Jack will be with them."
"I'm sorry. I won't let myself get sucked back in, but this affects us too. I love you."
"I understand. I love you too."
Jason calls Sonny and Carly and asks for a family meeting. Elizabeth texts Jake that she and Jason won't be available for dinner.
TBC
It is taking longer for me to get caught up from the "What Ifs" to the present timeline. I am inserting mini-what ifs (Liason Endgame); some will also include Robin and Patrick.
1996
Bits and Morsels:
What if: After Jason's Accident
What if Steve Hardy's memorial
What if Robin goes to Yale