Jason is lying on the couch. It's been his bed since Carly was taken almost two weeks ago. He can't make himself sleep in their bed without her, it's too haunted with memories of her wrapped up safely in his arms. It's late or early, depending on your perspective, and the apartment is dark, only the dim light from the kitchen illuminates the room.

He lies in the twilight between awake and asleep, his body heavy and weighed down. It's been at least 36 hours since he last slept. It feels like a luxury and a waste of time, time he could spend searching. Though he knows he needs rest to perform his best, it's painful to stop his search.

Everyone keeps reminding him that Tony won't hurt Carly because of the baby, but what they mean is he won't kill her. He's already proven he will hurt her with little regard for Jason's child. And with a cornered animal, you can't predict their behavior. He could lose control and go too far, hurt her more than he is planning to. These thoughts are always swirling just beneath the surface.

It wars with the physical agony of living without the woman he loves. He misses her with an intensity that makes the world grey and bleak, a living nightmare. Everything in his life reminds him of her, reminds him of what he is missing. It seems crazy that only a few months ago, she was just his friend who drove him crazy, the girl who made messes as much as she came through for him. And now, he is absolutely lost without her. She has become the center of his universe, the gravitational force he circles around. Without her by his side, he feels adrift and unanchored.

Suddenly, she's there, standing at the end of the sofa. He drinks in the sight of her as she stands before him in a short maternity nightgown. Her belly has rounded out a little more, though her face is missing the healthy glow of pregnancy. He also notes some new bruises, including one that circles her ankle. She looks at him with the same intensity, her eyes staring as though she's trying to commit the sight of him to memory. Her eyes are sad as she sees his suffering clearly written on his face, which is thinner and haggard looking. He looks tired, with dark circles under his eyes. It shows that he has been through the same hell she has. And when she looks in his eyes, the agony in them causes a tear to fall down her cheek.

For long moments they simply stare at each other, eating up the sight of the other and taking comfort in the other's presence. Then, he reaches his hand out to her, opening his arms in invitation. She pauses for half a breath, and then rushes into his arms, as though she will die if she has to spend another second away from him.

She kneels down on the couch crawling up his body, her hands and lips trail up in quick, soft kisses until her lips are right over his. She takes a moment to breathe him in, allowing herself to fall under the spell of their connection. When she takes too long, he takes control, his fingers spearing into her hair, gently pulling her lips to his. He is ravenous for her after being separated for so long, kissing her deeply. His hands run all over her body, desperate for the feel of her, pulling her body tightly against him as he tries to get as close to her as possible. She matches him fire for fire, desperation for desperation. When his hands take a bruising grip on her hips, her fingernails claw into his back. When she bites down on his chest above his heart, he sucks the skin on her neck with an intensity that's sure to bruise.

The world around them is fuzzy and out of focus as he professes in a voice tight with love and longing, "I love you… both of you so much. I miss you."

"Me too, Jase." She lets out a moan, her head falling back as Jason's teeth scrape down her neck. "You have to find us."

He pulls back, his hands cupping her cheeks and looking intensely into her eyes, "I'm trying, but I can't find you. Where are you? Can you tell me anything?"

She grabs onto his wrists, as she closes her eyes thinking. She shakes her head and tells him with frustration, "It's a cabin, a small one, just three rooms. When I look out the window, all I can see are trees and snow. It doesn't have any power, so Tony's always got a fire going. I screamed my head off the first week, and no one noticed." She tilts her head to the side, and her brows furrow. Thoughtfully , she adds, "He's been leaving more the last couple days. I think he's up to something, but I don't know what." She opens her eyes and shakes her head. "I don't know anything else."

"That's okay. You did so good." Then, his hands stroke her face, frowning at the new bruises on her face. His voice is anguished as he asks, "How are you? Has he hurt you?"

She cuddles him close, curling herself protectively over him, "A little, but I'm being quiet and cautious now. He…" she bites her lip, not willing to add to his worry with specifics. "He didn't react well to the screaming, but I'm playing along now, trying to keep him calm. He doesn't leave a lot, but when he does I've been trying to get free. He's got me chained. The lock is proving tricky."

A growl rumbles up from deep in Jason's chest, as he pulls her lips back to his, "I'm coming for you. I will find you."

She kisses him back desperately, wrapping her arms around his neck. Suddenly, she pulls back and looks to the side. In a small whisper, she tells him, "He's calling me." Turning to look back at him, her eyes try to memorize his face. The look of love on his face will give her the strength to deal with Tony. Stroking his face, she whispers, "Be strong, my love, and come find us. We love you."

He wakes with a start to find Luke standing over him. He sits up, wiping his hand over his face, trying to rub away the fear and exhaustion. He feels reality hit him, leaving him feeling bereft without Carly in his arms. The logical part of his brain tells him that his wife speaking to him through his dreams is impossible, just a figment of sleep deprivation and grief. But even as the argument plays in his mind, he knows it was real, that what she said in his dreams is true.

"Sorry to wake you, kid, but Vinny just got back from watching Lucy Coe. Said he's got something for us." Luke explains with sympathy in his eyes.

Jason gives Luke a measured look, before telling him with a hint of bashfulness, "She's in a small cabin in the woods. It doesn't have power, and there's smoke coming out of a chimney."

Luke scratches his cheek and tilts his head as he studies the younger man. Jason has barely slept in the last two weeks, and looks scruffy and slightly crazed. He's not entirely sure the kid's head is on straight at this point, but he seems pretty certain. "How do you know?" He asks, willing to follow Jason's hunch since they don't have much to go on anyway.

"Carly told me." Jason says, looking like he questions his own sanity. He clears his throat, and confesses, "She came to me in my dream. I know how crazy that sounds, but it's her. She said he's got her chained to a bed, and that she raised hell the first week, and he got violent, but that she's been keeping him calm since then. She also said he's been leaving more; she thinks he's up to something."

Instead of laughing it off, Luke pulls out a cigar, and chews on the end of it as he asks, "What exactly did she tell you about the cabin? Tell me everything."

"Carly, wake up, dammit." Tony's voice rips her away from Jason. She wishes she could stay in the safety of her dream forever, tucked into Jason's arms. However, she knows by the tone of her captor's voice that if she doesn't wake up, he'll turn violent. She struggles to consciousness, opening her eyes to find Tony glaring down at her with a needle in his hand. She scrambles back as far as she can and watches him cautiously.

"Don't make me drag you over here. You won't like the consequences." He growls meanly.

Edging slowly closer, she asks, "What is that? I don't want to…"

She gets into reach, and he yanks her over, jabbing the needle into her arm, "It's nothing that will hurt the baby. Just some basic supplements to help my son grow strong."

A tear falls down her cheek, and she has to literally bite her tongue to keep from going off on him. She sits there with clenched fists, looking down at her lap as he pulls out his stethoscope and listens to her heart. He quietly listens for a moment, and then moves it down to her belly, shifting it around until he finds the baby's heartbeat. When he finds it, a big smile breaks across his face, "There's my boy. Your heart sounds strong. You keep growing stronger for your dad. When you get here, I'm going to get your brother Lucas and the three of us will find somewhere new, far away from Port Charles."

Carly lets out a sound somewhere between a growl and a moan, bringing Tony's eyes to hers. He gives her a glare as he tells the baby, "I'm going to keep you far away from your lying whore of a mother and her thug of a husband. I won't let her ruin you the way she ruins everything else."

"Tony, please…" Carly pleads with tears streaming from her eyes.

"Shut your mouth! Or do you need another time out with the gag?" He asks, leaning down into her space. She shakes her head, and closes her mouth.

"That's what I thought." He smiles meanly. Then, he adds with a stern expression, "I have to go out for a while. I have to get some supplies. I expect you to behave while I'm gone."

Her face gets a mutinous expression, but she doesn't say anything. She just watches him move around the room grabbing keys and such, and then he walks out the door.

She waits until she hears his car drive away, and then pulls out the metal fork she hid during dinner one evening. She has bent one of the tongs out as a sort of lock pick. As she begins working on the lock on the ankle cuff, she talks to the baby, "Don't you listen to that crazy man. He's not your daddy. Your daddy is looking for us and is going to save us from that psycho, but mommy has to help." There's a jingle and scrape as Carly tries to get the shackle unlocked. "Did you see Daddy in my dream too? I don't know how it works, but I got to see him. He looks…" she shakes her head, "We have to get back to him because he's missing us a bunch. He loves us, and he's going to find us. I know he will, and we just have to be strong until he does."

Bobbie knocks on the door to Virginia's room. She hadn't felt well last night, and had gone to bed early. The two women have leaned on each other throughout the ordeal, both overwhelmed by fear for their child and grandchild. It had physically hit Virginia hard. She had taken to her bed when she heard the news, and has appeared weaker and more frail since.

It concerns Bobbie to the point that she has enlisted the help of Lila and Emily to distract her, knowing the calming presence of the Quartermaine matriarch. Virginia has been invited a few times to have tea at the mansion, as Lila's personal guest. Edward had crashed the first one, attempting to charm his great grandson's grandmother, shameless in his attempt to have a relationship with the first in the next generation of Quartermaines. However, he had quickly been shooed away by his wife.

Brenda has also been a big help, asking Virginia to help finish getting the nursery ready for the couple. It's as much to keep Brenda sane as it is an attempt to help Carly's mother. When Virginia protests, claiming it's overstepping, the younger woman tells her that it will be a surprise for Carly when Jason brings her home.

However, Bobbie understands too well that no amount of distraction takes away the fear of knowing your child, your pregnant and vulnerable child, has been kidnapped by a monster.

And Bobbie has the added emotional land mine of the monster being her ex-husband and the father of her child. She wonders how many women have looked back on the men they have loved, the men they have married, and felt absolutely baffled by who the men ultimately reveal themselves to be. She thought she'd been shocked before by his relationship with Carly, sure that she'd seen the worst of him. How wrong she was, how much lower he has sunk since then. It leaves her wondering who he really is, and what was real. How could the man she had two children with do something so horrifying?

Opening the door, Virginia gives her a weak smile, "Good morning." She winces, her hand rising to her forehead, "Sorry, I just got the worst headache."

"Come downstairs, let me get you a cup of coffee. Sometimes that helps when I get a headache." Bobbie offers, taking her arm as they head down the stairs. "Luke says he and Jason are making progress. And my brother is a very skilled and determined hunter… well, of people. I should tell you about the Cassadines sometime, my brother's mortal enemy. Word of advice, don't ask him about it or you're going to be stuck listening to him for hours."

They reach the bottom stair, and Virginia stumbles, and it takes all of Bobbie's strength and years of training to keep them from both crashing to the floor. Carly's adoptive mother sags to one side, leaning heavily on the redhead. Guiding her to a chair, she gets her settled then looks her over. Her face is sagging slightly on her right side, with a drooping lip and eyelid.

Bobbie asks her anxiously, "Virginia, are you okay?"

"Ah.. ga… ah, ah.." she looks up at the redhead panicked.

"You sit right here. Everything is going to be okay, but I need to get Sonny's guard really quick." The other woman just looks at her helplessly. She rushes to the front door, finding a new guard standing there, "Young man, I need your help. I'm sorry, I don't remember your name."

"James, ma'am." He tells her respectfully.

"James, we need to get Virginia to the hospital immediately. I'm assuming they give you one of those fancy SUVs." She asks, her training as a nurse keeping her calm despite feeling panicked inside.

"Yes, ma'am. It's parked right across the street." He points it out to her.

"Excellent! I need you to carry Carly's mother to the SUV, and then get us to the hospital as quickly as possible. If I'm right, she's having a stroke, and time is of the essence." Bobbie tells him in a no-nonsense voice. rushing back in, she guides him to Virginia and then grabs her purse. She's thankful Lucas is already at school.

The entire ride to the hospital Bobbie talks gently to the other woman and holds her hand, seeing the fear in her eyes. "I know this is scary. I know you are scared, but the doctors I work with are excellent. We will be there soon, and they will be able to help you."

Her voice is almost hypnotically calming as she reassures her over and over. James makes it to the hospital in record time. Then, he's carrying Carly's mother into the emergency room. Bobbie grabs a gurney, and looking around wildly, calls out, "Alan, Dr. Quartermaine, help me, please. This is Virginia Benson. I think she's having a stroke." When he rushes over, he pulls out his light and looks in her eyes, as the seasoned nurse runs through the information, "She first presented with a headache, and then facial paralysis on her right side. She has been nonverbal since the paralysis as well, she can make sounds, but no intelligible words. Both started approximately twenty minutes ago."

"Any physical trauma or injury in the past few days?" He asks as they wheel the patient into a trauma room. Other nurses follow them in, prepping the scared woman by removing her clothes and putting a hospital gown on her, as well as preparing an IV.

"No. This was caused by stress. It's another victim of Tony's stupid, destructive actions." She growls.

Alan nods, understanding entirely. Remaining focused on the patient, he orders, "Get her a non-contrast head CT scan, along with a full blood workup including glucose levels and platelet count." Turning to his friend, he agrees, "I think you're right. I need to run some tests to confirm it, but I think it's an ischemic stroke, which would mean we can give her TPA. The problem is that I need someone to give consent."

Bobbie looks at him blankly for a moment, shaking her head, "Carly is her only relative as far as I know, and she is… Jason maybe, but he's out searching for our daughter." She looks at him with wide eyes, "Could I give consent?"

They both turn quickly at the sound of a hand banging against the metal of the bed to find Virginia nodding vigorously and pointing with her left hand at Bobbie. Alan smiles, "It may not be entirely by the book, but that works for me. Okay then, let's get some tests run, and hopefully clear this all up for you, Mrs. Benson."

He pats his patient's hand, giving her a sympathetic squeeze, and then quickly leaves to order tests. Bobbie looks at her new friend, the woman who loved and raised her child when she couldn't, the woman who currently has tears running from her terrified eyes. Half of her face droops, looking like a wax figure half melted by the sun. Taking a seat beside her, the nurse reassures her, "They think there's a clot in your brain that is causing the paralysis and inability to speak. They are going to get a CT of your head, a completely painless test, to make sure there's no bleeding, and if not, which is very likely, they can give you a medicine that breaks up the blockage in your brain. Dr. Quartermaine is an excellent doctor, who has protected our daughter twice. He's not going to let anything else happen to her. She isn't losing her mother, do you hear me?" Bobbie uses a commanding tone that brings a twitch to the left side of Virginia's mouth. Then, in a softer tone, she insists, "Besides, you want to be here to spoil our grandson with me, don't you? Jason is going to find our girl, and she's going to need her Mom, both of them."

An orderly walks in, interrupting. He explains in a cheerful voice, "Hello, how are you doing today? My name is Ray, and I'm here to take Virginia Benson for a CT scan."

Nodding, Bobbie moves to stand, only to feel a squeeze on her hand. Looking at the obviously terrified woman, Bobbie reassures, "I will be right here when you get back, which will be very soon."

Finally letting go of her hand, she gets wheeled away. Bobbie stands still for a moment before moving to lean against the wall. As she sags there, she looks like a woman at her breaking point. For a moment, her lip quivers and her eyes mist, then she brushes her hand through her hair and stands up. Pulling out her cell phone, she considers calling Jason or her brother, but doesn't want to disturb them in case they are in a tricky spot. Instead, she dials Sonny, "Hey, I'm up at General Hospital with Carly's mom, Virginia. I need you to get a message to Jason."

Jason's phone rings, and he answers without taking his eyes off the road. Luke is sitting beside him in the SUV, and his only reaction is a raised eyebrow at the younger man's to the point greeting, "Morgan."

Sonny asks, "Where are you?"

"Luke and I are driving north," he explains in a matter of fact tone that only partially conceals the pain he's in, "There's been movement. He tried to contact Lucy, but she cussed him out for kidnapping a pregnant woman. However, we were able to trace the call to a payphone in a town about an hour north. He called her about thirty minutes ago. I doubt he'll still be there, but maybe we'll get lucky. Johnny and Francis are on their way up, as well."

"That's good." Sonny sounds hesitant as he confesses, "Bobbie called. Carly's mom collapsed earlier today. She took her to the hospital, and they are saying it's a stroke." When Jason curses, Sonny rushes to reassure his brother, "Apparently, they are going to give her some miracle medicine that Bobbie says will hopefully help her fully recover. I guess it was really lucky she was with a nurse when it happened. Otherwise, it would've been a lot worse."

Jason turns to stone at the additional hit, bringing Luke's focus to his face. He raises his eyebrows in question. Jason shakes his head, "How bad is it?"

"Brenda is on her way up to check on her now, but Bobbie says she's doing okay. Apparently, she got her there in time for them to use the miracle drug." Sonny offers, "Look, we have it covered. Between Bobbie, Alan, and Brenda, she's taken care of. I just wanted you to know."

"Thanks. Keep me updated." Jason responds, pushing down his frustration at the additional problem. It feels like an impossible weight to carry, but he refuses to buckle. He won't let down Carly and their child. That would be a much harder weight to carry.

"You too." Sonny responds before hanging up.

"So, what new shit storm has hit your life?" Luke asks, his voice almost sympathetic.

"Carly's mom had a stroke. Bobbie got her up to the hospital." He explains in a tight voice.

"Damn, kid, it's hitting you from every direction." He gives him a serious look, reassuring his new nephew-in-law, "Barbara Jean is damn good at her job. She's got that. You focus on finding the dirtbag and my niece. Nothing is going to make her Mama feel better than seeing our girl."

Jason gives a short nod. Then, he asks Luke, "What supplies would he need Lucy Coe for? Why get in touch with her? Why not Robin, who he knows is sympathetic?"

Luke scratches his cheek, "Maybe he thinks we don't have eyes on her. What sticks me up is what a misstep this is. Lucy has been on a good girl kick since she and the doc started shacking up. And with her history with Serena… There's no way he thinks she's going to help him now that the whole story is playing out in the media, now that everybody knows he abused and kidnapped a pregnant woman." He chews on the cigar in his mouth thoughtfully, "Can we get the call logs for the pay phone, see if he called anyone else?"

"Yeah. Why? What are you thinking?" Jason asks, studying Carly's wily uncle. He's overcome with a wave of gratitude that he is on their side.

Luke tilts his head, his eyes narrowed, "I think it's a misdirect. I think he's about to make a move, and he wants us searching here because he's doing something somewhere else."

Jason lets out a grunt, then narrowing his eyes, he questions, "It leaves us with two questions. What is he planning? And he has to be getting supplies from somewhere. If not from Lucy, from who?"

Luke lets out a grunt of his own as Jason pulls up to the payphone Tony called from. It's beside an old, rundown gas station at a four way stop. To call the area a town would be generous. It consists of a gas station, a general store, and a diner. The payphone is visible from all three buildings. Jason shakes his head, getting the same sense as Luke. This is a misdirect. It's too easy, too visible.

Parking in front of the diner, he tells the other man, "Let's ask around, see what everyone saw. Maybe he let something slip without realizing, but I agree, he's trying to play us."

Luke gives him a nod, and noting the tightness of Jason's face, the blank stare that is a sure sign a storm is happening within, he offers, "Buck up, kid. It tells us two important things: he's getting ready to make a move, and he's seriously underestimating you. Both of those things we can use to our advantage."

Jason clenches his fists on the steering wheel for a moment with enough force to make it creak. Then, through gritted teeth, he agrees, "Let's go figure out what he's up to."