Marriage of Convenience by lizjason4ever

[JRK Archiver]

Cast of Characters:

Elizabeth Taleski - citizen of Uzbeckistan, her father has been an ambassador to various European nations and most recently finished his term as ambassador to the U.S. in NYC. During that time Elizabeth went to college at PCU, with her best friend from boarding school, Emily Bowen Quartermaine.

Sonny Corinthos - same old, same old - although he and Carly are divorced and Sonny and Alexis are tentatively forming a romantic attachment.

Alexis Davis - Sonny's lawyer, friend, lover - she hasn't told Sonny she's pregnant with his child... yet.

Jason Morgan - same guy we all know and love, met Elizabeth through his little sister Emily

Emily Bowen Quartermaine - Jason’s little sister, adopted by the Q’s after her mother’s death from breast cancer (same as on the show). Attended boarding school in Europe and NYC with her best friend Elizabeth. Currently entering her senior year at PCU.

Francis Collins - Elizabeth's guard since she moved in with Jason

[JRK Archiver]

Prologue


Harbor View Towers - PH2

August 17, 2002

“Jason, I need you to take care of some business for me up in Canada,” Sonny told his friend and business partner.

“Sure. When do you need me to leave?” Jason asked.

“Tonight. I’m sorry for the short notice, but we’ve got a situation up in Nova Scotia that’s getting hot. One of Sorel’s former associates is kicking up some dust and we can’t afford to wait until it blows over."

"Fine. I'll take the first flight out," Jason told him.

Sonny patted him on the back and then left.



Chapter 1


Crestview Circle on the outskirts of Port Charles

August 20, 2002

Elizabeth stood in the living room of the house where she lived with Jason.
It was furnished in navy leather with beechwood accent tables and lamps
everwhere, so any corner could be used for a cozy read.

Elizabeth tucked a lock of her long curly brown hair behind one ear before
picking up the phone and answering it, with only the merest hint of an
accent to her English, which dated from early childhood.

“Hello,” Elizabeth said softly.

“Is this Ms. Elizabeth Taleski?” the female voice on the other end of the
line asked.

“Yes. Who is this?” Elizabeth asked, a tinge of anxiety unconsciously
creeping into her tone.

“This is the New York Office of the Immigration and Naturalization
Services. It has come to our attention that your green card will expire at
the end of this week...” the INS agent began to explain.

Elizabeth cut in before the INS agent could finish, her accent becoming
noticeably thicker, “I applied for an extension over two months ago. I’m
supposed to be finishing my senior year at Port Charles University, starting
this fall.”

“No extension has been granted Ms. Taleski. In fact, we don’t even show
an application for extension on file. We must ask you to report to the New
York Office of the INS on August 23rd at 11 AM, unless you plan to depart
the US before that date, in which case we require notification of departure
from you,” the INS agent explained mercilessly.

“Are you saying that I have no choice, other than to leave the US either
before August 23rd or report to the INS Offices on that date?” Elizabeth
asked, aghast at the enormity of the dilemma before her. She was barely
able to contain her tears, but didn’t want the unfeeling agent to know just
how much fear she’s engendered.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” she confirmed.

“Fine. I will be at your offices on the 23rd,” Elizabeth told her, then she
hung up the phone.

She sat down on the couch and leaned down until her head was resting on her
hands, which rested upturned on her knees. That’s when she finally allowed
the tears to flow freely. This couldn’t be happening. It was
inconceivable, but it was happening. Now, what was she going to do?

Elizabeth raised her head and brushed the tears from her face, no closer to
any kind of a solution to her problem.

It was only two days ago, just after Jason left town on business for Sonny,
that she'd felt under the weather. Since it was a feeling that showed no
signs of dissipating, she'd finally resolved to go to General Hospital and
find out was causing it.

"Sonny, I don't need a guard to go over to General Hospital," Elizabeth
argued with him over the phone.

"You're living out in the middle of the woods, the last thing I want is to
have to tell Jason when he gets back that I let you get injured or killed on
my watch. Just take Francis with you," Sonny replied, a mixture of worry and
determination in his voice.

Elizabeth wondered why she'd bothered to even call and argue the point, when
Sonny always came back with the same reasoned argument that she inevitably
caved to, since she couldn’t bear the thought of Jason having to deal with
something happening to her.

"Fine. I will bring Francis with me," Elizabeth agreed, the merest hint of a
slur in her speech from her Uzbeckistani heritage. "And don't try any of
that just breathe stuff with me buster. Remember, those dimples of yours
don't work over the phone. Just be glad I'm more worried about Jason's
worrying than I am about your paranoia."

"Thank you," Sonny replied, trying to placate her, especially since she'd
agreed to do what he wanted.

"Have you heard from Jason?" Elizabeth asked, worried that her lover had yet
to check in with her, although she understood that his contact had to be
brief and sporadic at best when he was out of town on business for Sonny.
This time Jason hadn't even told her where he was going, merely that he'd
had to leave and didn't know how long he'd be gone.

"Only that he arrived at his destination," Sonny confirmed. "He's fine
Elizabeth. Nothing's going to happen to him. I'll let you know when he's on
his way back home," Sonny reassured her.

"I need to leave or I'll be late for my appointment. Goodbye Sonny,"
Elizabeth said, as she hung up the phone in the cradle.

She turned to the front door after she picked up her slim black leather
Louis Vuitton clutch from the side table.

Francis was standing just to the side of the front door on the porch, alert
and scanning the area for any possible threats.

"Why don't you ever sit and relax, while you're working?" Elizabeth asked.

Francis turned and locked eyes with the young lady he'd been guarding for
the past several months. "Because it could dull my edge and that's when a
bodyguard can make a mistake. One that could get you hurt or even killed."

"I would appreciate it if you would drive me to General Hospital," Elizabeth
requested.

"Are you all right? Is there anything I can do?" Francis asked solicitously.

"I'm fine. I simply have an appointment... for a checkup, that's all,"
Elizabeth elaborated. She didn't feel the need to worry Francis, when in
truth, she had no idea what was wrong with her.

"You wait here and I'll bring the car around," Francis offered.

Elizabeth nodded and stood at the top of the porch steps waiting for Francis
to drive the car around from the garage in back. Then he got out and opened
the back door of the black Cadillac El Dorado and closed it carefully once
she was inside, before he walked around the car and got back into the
driver's seat.

General Hospital - 3rd Floor Waiting Room

Francis sat patiently beside Elizabeth, waiting for her to be called into
one of the waiting rooms. Elizabeth could tell by the way he tapped his
fingers on the armrest of his chair that being in the hospital was making
him nervous and edgy.

"Why don't you go get a cup of coffee or maybe some nice herbal tea?"
Elizabeth suggested.

"I'm fine," Francis replied, looking down at his hand and immediately
ceasing the tapping that had tipped her off to his unease.

"I'll be in there for at least half an hour, if not longer," Elizabeth
insisted. "It's not too likely that anyone would try and nab me from the
hospital. There are people everywhere."

"Fine. But you wait here for me until I come back, if you get done early,"
Francis cautioned, already beginning to feel better as he walked away from
the waiting area and toward the vending machines he'd spotted at the end of
the hall.

When Dr. Fredrickson had called her the following day to tell her the
results of her tests over the phone, she’d practically felt giddy relief
flood her body. Elizabeth had been worried that the leukemia that had taken
her sister Sarah’s life in early childhood might have crept up on her as
well. The fact that it hadn’t, that it wasn’t an illness that had caused
her feelings of illness at all, had come as a tremendous relief.

It didn’t feel like such a relief right now.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 2


Harbor View Towers - PH2

Sonny answered the door and invited Elizabeth inside.

"Has Jason called and said when he would be back?" Elizabeth asked.

“Why do you ask?” Sonny countered.

“There’s something important I need to tell him,” Elizabeth hedged.

“I haven't heard from him since he arrived at his destination a couple of
days ago,” Sonny admitted. “I'm sure that everything's fine. I'd be more
likely to hear from him if there was a problem.” Of course, that was
predicated on the assumption that Jason was able to contact him and wasn't
in so much trouble he himself needed help.

“I really need to talk to him... within the next couple of days. It's
urgent. Life altering even,” Elizabeth told him, her seriousness evident in
her the way she drew her brows together in a frown.

“I'm not sure he'll be in touch by then,” Sonny told her.

“He has to be. If he's not, I don't know what I’m going to do,” Elizabeth's
fear leant an edge of near hysteria to her tone.

Sonny led her over to his couch and he sat down beside her. “I’m sure Jason
will be checking in soon,” Sonny said in a soft voice as he laid a hand on
her arm, trying to reassure her.

“But you don’t know that. You have no idea when he might call... or if
he’ll call at all,” Elizabeth got out in a rush, then she folded in on
herself. “What if he doesn’t come back in time,” she murmured under her
breath, not really thinking about Sonny anymore.

“Elizabeth. Elizabeth,” Sonny said trying to get her attention. When she
finally looked up at him, he could see the tears that hovered on the verge
of falling. “Please tell me what it is that’s got you so upset. Whatever
it is, maybe it’s something I can help you with.”

“I don’t think so. The only one that can help me is Jason and he probably
won’t be back home in time to help me,” Elizabeth whispered.

Sonny rubbed her arm gently and got her to look up at him. “You won’t know
if I can help until you tell me what’s wrong.”

Elizabeth’s wiped at her eyes, but was unable to still the tears that
continued to gather there. She took a deep breath and looked up at Sonny.
“The INS is trying to send me back home. I'm supposed to be at the New York
office of the INS on the twenty-third, if I haven't already gone back home
by then.”

“What about school? Don’t they have to renew your green card because you’re
finishing college at PCU?” Sonny asked incredulously.

“It seems not. I got a call earlier and they say that I must report to the
consulate in New York in two days. That’s when my Visa expires and since
they won’t renew my green card, what choice do I have?” she inquired,
looking up at Sonny with a hazy tearful gaze. It was only through a
tremendous effort of will that she kept her tears from falling, because she
knew that once she began to cry it would presage a flood. “They’ll send me
back to Uzbeckistan and I might never find my way back here,” Elizabeth
whispered in a voice tight with fear.

“There’s got to be something we can do,” Sonny countered.

“What?” Elizabeth asked.

Sonny looked at the woman his best friend loved and realized that there was
something else, something more to her fears than what she was telling him.

“There’s something else, isn’t there Elizabeth?” Sonny half asked, half
accused.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Elizabeth replied in the most haughty
ambassador’s daughter’s voice she could muster. Unfortunately, since the
tears in her eyes chose that moment to choke off her voice, it came out with
quaver she couldn’t control.

Sonny reached over and tipped up Elizabeth’s face by the chin, so he could
look into her eyes. “Just tell me. Please,” he implored. Without all the
facts, there was no way he could make a decision on how to handle this
situation.

Elizabeth could feel the laser-like stare of Sonny’s brown eyes and knew
that she wouldn’t be able to slip anything past him. And at this point,
she’d sunk so far into desperation, she thought what could it hurt?
It was just that she’d wanted, so badly, for Jason to be the first one that
she told her news to. Not Sonny. Not anyone else. Just Jason. So they
could hold it in their hearts and savor it together.

“Sonny, I’m pregnant. I’m going to have Jason’s child,” Elizabeth
confessed.

To say that he was surprised, didn’t half cover his reaction. Then, when he
realized the import of the news she’d shared first with him, he told her,
“congratulations.”

“There won’t be much joy in it, if I can’t find a way to stay in the United
States until Jason gets back,” Elizabeth replied in a defeated tone, as he
gazed into her desolate eyes.

Sonny shook his head, hating what he had to tell her. “Jason probably won’t
be in contact with me for the next few days, maybe even longer. There’s
very little chance that we’ll be able to get him back here in time.”

“So what can I do?” Elizabeth asked in a fearful whisper.

“You can marry me,” Sonny stated calmly and confidently.

“What?” Elizabeth replied, incredulity dripping from her tone. “You can’t
be serious.”

“It’s the only thing I can think of to keep you here in the States. We
could talk to Alexis. Maybe she could think of something else,” Sonny
suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Elizabeth told him.

“You don’t want to marry me or you don’t want to talk to Alexis,” Sonny
requested clarification of her answer.

“Either,” Elizabeth replied emphatically.

“Then what do you want to do?” Sonny asked.

“I don’t know,” Elizabeth told him, then she collapsed against him as the
tears she’d been holding back came out in wrenching sobs she could no longer
control.

Sonny held her close, rubbing her back and crooning nonsense words to try
and calm her, as he thought to himself 'I’m definitely going to have to call Alexis'.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 3


Penthouse 4 - Living Room

“I think you need a nap,” Sonny suggested, lifting Elizabeth’s tear stained face, to look into her sad eyes.

“I should go home,” Elizabeth tried to sound insistent. “Although it won’t be my home for much longer.” A laugh that verged on hysterical escaped her throat and came out half strangled.

“Go upstairs and take a nap in the guest room. It’s the second door on the right. I’ll think of something. We’ll talk at dinner,” Sonny insisted, getting her to her feet and shepherding her over to the stairs. With a hand on her back, he urged her to start up the stairs, knowing that once she did, she’d continue on her way up. It was as plain as the nose on her face that she was exhausted.

***

As soon as a few minutes had passed, Sonny picked up the phone and called Alexis.

“Alexis. It’s Sonny. I need you to come over tonight,” Sonny told her, unsettled after his conversation with Elizabeth.

“Is this about business?” Alexis asked curiously. He typically didn’t sound so agitated when he had a business problem, but she was unsure what else it could be.

“No, it’s not business. But I need to see you. Could you be here about 5:30 tonight? I need to talk to you before dinner,” Sonny explained, without providing any additional information.

“All right. I’ll be there, but you better have an explanation for me then,” Alexis warned.

“I will. And thanks,” Sonny replied. He could practically see Alexis shaking her head at the things she put up with from him and he smiled to himself. “I’ll make some lasagna for tonight, just for you.”

“That sounds great,” Alexis admitted, with a smile in her voice. He knew how to get bonus points by offering her one of her favorite meals.

“By the way, we’ll be having a guest for dinner. Jason’s girlfriend, Elizabeth Taleski,” Sonny interjected.

“I’ve been looking forward to getting to know her better. Why isn’t Jason’s going to be there?” Alexis asked.

“He’s out of town. On business,” Sonny added, effectively shutting down that line of inquiry.

“Okay. See you later,” Alexis told him as she hit the end button on her cell phone and closed it up, slipping it into her briefcase.

Sonny turned off the black cordless phone in his and replaced it in the recharger. He could no longer stop his thoughts from going to the woman lying in his guest room upstairs. There was no way to safely get a hold of Jason and get him back to Port Charles in time.

The only way he could think of to keep her in the country, was to marry Elizabeth, whether it was what she wanted or not. He’d just have to convince her that it was the only option, because Jason would never forgive him if he let something happen to Elizabeth on his watch. And deportation of the woman that Jason loved, especially since she was pregnant, was quite simply not an option.

***

Elizabeth was still asleep just before Alexis arrived and since she looked so peaceful, Sonny decided not to disturb her as he walked back downstairs and disappeared into his well appointed kitchen.

There was no doorbell signaling Alexis’ arrival as Johnny opened the door with practiced ease to let her in, as he no longer bothered to announce the frequent arrival of Sonny’s lover.

“Sonny... Sonny,” Alexis called out. “You are here, aren’t you?” she finally asked, thinking to herself he invites me over and slips out, so he’s gone when I get here?

“I’m in the kitchen,” Sonny called out in reply.

Alexis thought no way am I going in there unless he invites me. “I’ll just be out here in the living room then,” she shouted out, informing Sonny of her whereabouts.

She set her briefcase on the desk and took a seat on his amber and black patterned couch. It was a relief when he’d hired a professional to redecorate his penthouse after his divorce from Carly, because it made her presence somehow fade from the space.

It was only a minute or two before Sonny came out of the kitchen, looking delectable in his long sleeve gray silk shirt rolled up almost to his elbows with his black Armani pants. His tie had already been removed and the top couple buttons of his shirt were undone, making him appear somehow more accessible.

Here comes trouble, flitted through Alexis’ head as she observed his sure footed approach of her perch. The full-on dimpled grin was always a dead give away that Sonny intended to try and charm something out of her.

Sonny pulled Alexis up from the couch and into his arms, feeling her arms steal around his neck, weaving through his painstakingly tamed hair, freeing it from it’s gelled restraint into a wavy mass.

When Alexis finally got her breathing calmed down to a more even pattern, she noticed that his rakish curl made him look more boyish and suited his semi-relaxed attire. Even though they’d been lovers for over four months, she’d still never seen him in anything other than his suits or his silk pajamas and those didn’t stay on for very long. Alexis found her cheeks burning at the thought.

“Why Alexis, whatever are you thinking about?” Sonny teased, noticing her blush.

“Nothing, absolutely nothing Sonny,” Alexis denied. “So what problem do you need me to use my legal expertise to defuse for you tonight?”

“It’s really Elizabeth’s problem. She’s having a problem with the INS. It seems she’s going to be forced to go back to Uzbeckistan by the 23rd of this month. There’s got to be something that you can do, isn’t there?” Sonny asked, hoping that the only solution he’d been able to come up with wasn’t their best or perhaps only hope.

“Well, has she filed for an extension of her current green card and Visa?” Alexis asked.

“I assume so. We can ask her when she comes down,” Sonny added.

“Comes down?” Alexis asked, with an arched eyebrow.

“Elizabeth was very upset, distraught even and then once she was cried out she seemed whipped. I told her to go take a nap upstairs in the guest room,” Sonny explained.

“Is there something more that you’re not telling me?” Alexis asked, sensing an underlying tension emanating from Sonny.

“Yes, but before I tell you, can you think of a way to keep her here?” Sonny asked.

“If there’s a problem with her paperwork and they’re trying to send her back home in a couple of days, it’ll be nearly impossible for her to stay,” Alexis admitted. “The only way to manage it would be if she married a U.S. citizen.” Alexis found Sonny’s piercing brown eyes gazing into her own as she confirmed his thoughts, and she could practically read his thoughts. “You aren’t seriously considering… you are, aren’t you?”

“I asked Elizabeth to marry me. It was the only thing I could think of Alexis. It’s not like it was my first choice,” Sonny added.

“Why not just call Jason home?” Alexis offered the logical alternative. “I assume you can get in touch with him?”

“Not safely and probably not in time to do Elizabeth any good,” Sonny admitted.

“So you’re really considering this,” Alexis pondered the possibilities out loud. “It will mean remaining married for at least 2 years, or they could simply send her back when you divorce. And it means making it look like a real marriage Sonny. The authorities will probably check on the both of you, more than once since this marriage will appear like the rush job to avoid deportation that it is.”

“What do you really think?” Sonny’s voice was filled with laughter as he threw out his rhetorical question.

Alexis still in full on lawyer consultation mode; treated his question seriously, “I think it could work.” Then she looked up and caught Sonny’s expression and smiled back at him as it dawned on her that she’d essentially just agreed to help him perpetrate a fraud on the INS.

***

Elizabeth came back to consciousness swiftly, opening her eyes in a room that was unfamiliar. That’s right, this is Sonny’s guest room. She swung her legs over the side and stretched, willing to admit, at least to herself that she felt much better after the nap Sonny had insisted she take.

As she walked down the stairs, the enormity of the problems facing her swamped her mind, leading her to overlook Alexis’ presence in the living room.

“Sonny, what am I going to do?” Elizabeth asked, then looking down and seeing Alexis, she quickly clamped her hand over her mouth.

“I think you need to consider my proposal seriously,” Sonny reiterated. “I told Alexis. She needed to know in any case if she was going to try and find a way for you to stay in the U.S.”

Elizabeth’s temper was on a short fuse because of her raging hormones, so she lashed out at the obvious target. “I told you I didn’t want you to tell anyone. So what do you go and do? You tell Alexis, without my permission. I suppose you told her everything.”

Sonny explained, “Alexis is my lawyer and we’re involved. What I’m talking about is a purely legal arrangement to keep you in the U.S.” Alexis’ arch look kept Sonny from saying anymore about the legality of the arrangement he was proposing.

“It doesn’t seem right somehow,” Elizabeth told him. “It will mean that Jason’s ch…” she began before she realized that she didn’t really want to reveal any more of her difficulties.

Alexis caught the drift of Elizabeth’s clipped comment and filled in the blank that made this whole thing finally come together for her. Elizabeth was pregnant with Jason’s child and that made it even more imperative that Sonny do everything in his power to keep her in the country until Jason’s return.

“You’re pregnant with Jason’s child, aren’t you,” Alexis requested confirmation of her suspicions from the young woman standing before them.

Elizabeth slumped into the chair and nodded her head. The news that had made her so happy only a couple of days ago, now filled her with trepidation because of what Jason might well find himself coming home to.

***

Jason had turned his cell phone off and left it in room # 108 of The Cross Roads Motel a couple of days ago right after he checked in with Sonny. He'd wondered when he checked into the place, cross roads to where? There wasn't a cross road for miles around the place, aside from the driveway leading into the parking lot.

It would have been difficult keeping his presence a secret in the cramped quarters he found himself in during the day, in a room above a dive bar called The Misty Rose. At night he'd been prowling through all of the local fish markets to try and find Sorel's old associate Renny. It figured that the guy would get into an illegal enterprise involved with seafood.

It was already getting tough to get the smell of fish out of his clothing. He'd only brought one spare outfit with him, since it was all that fit into the saddle bag he fastened to the back of his bike, never thinking he'd need to do laundry on a daily basis.

Jason looked around the deserted fish market and shook his head, wondering how long he'd have to wait to finally observe something to make his efforts pay off.

Elizabeth was on his mind constantly and he'd even been thinking that he should have called her after he talked to Sonny. Since he'd left his cell behind, thoughts of Elizabeth had been preying on his mind, almost like something might be wrong back home. But that was unlikely.

A sudden crack filled the dark room with menace. Jason looked around the room trying to get a bead on where the sound originated.

Then as he turned his head to look behind him, the lights suddenly came on and he had to scramble to find a nook to conceal himself from the group of six men entering the place, laughing and slapping one another on the back.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 4


Harborview Towers - PH4

Sonny found himself in the same room with a lover and a potential bride to be, if he could convince her to marry him; neither of whom looked very happy with him. When he heard the timer go off in the kitchen, he'd never been so grateful in his life for an interruption.

"Dinner will be ready in a moment. Why don't you both sit down at the table and we'll discuss this after we eat," Sonny suggested, rising and practically racing out of the room to disappear into his inner sanctum, the kitchen.

Alexis hid a grin at Sonny's sudden unease with the situation he found himself in as he made his precipitous exit. Trapped between two women as it were. It shouldn't have been that unusual of a situation for him, after all it's not like he hadn't gone through similar situations before, when he was married to Lily and in love with Brenda, and that was merely one for instance.

Since Elizabeth seemed sunk into a deep funk, she persuaded the young woman to accompany her to the table.

"Have you given any thought to a name?" Alexis asked, attempting to fill the yawning silence between them.

"What?" Elizabeth said, raising her head to see Alexis' concerned gaze zeroed in on her. "Name for what?"

"For your baby. Have you thought of any names you'd consider? I'm assuming you don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet," Alexis added, when Elizabeth continued to look at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

The baby she thought, finally finding some focus. Elizabeth had given some thought to the child she was about to have with Jason, but names weren't something she'd even considered, what with the larger problems looming over her head.

"I haven't really thought about it. Perhaps Marisa after my grandmother, if it's a girl and if Jason likes the name. If it's a boy, perhaps Jason might have a preference, but I've always liked the name Ben," Elizabeth told Alexis.

"Those are both beautiful names," Alexis replied, glad to see Jason's girlfriend finally starting to relax and open up a bit. "Are you signed up for fall classes yet?"

Elizabeth shook her head, and as she contemplated the future she realized that it was going to be a bit more of a challenge to finish her degree than she'd originally planned. She might be able to finish the next semester at PCU, but after that it'd be dicey with a baby due in mid April.

"How long do you have to get signed up?" Alexis asked.

"Until the first week of September, but I need to get signed up as early as possible to have the best chance of getting into the classes I need to finish my degree." Elizabeth pondered the possibility of doubling her course load, then dismissed it as an exercise in futility.

Alexis was saved from having to try and carry on with further chit chat, by Sonny bringing out the salad along with a bottle of wine. The water glasses were already full. Once Sonny set down the salad and poured the wine for Alexis and himself, he brought out the dish of lasagna and steaming garlic bread that he’d just pulled out of the oven.

“That smells wonderful. Just like heaven,” Alexis enthused, her lack of culinary skills adding to her appreciation of Sonny’s talents in the kitchen.

Elizabeth’s lips curved into a genuinely appreciative smile as she finally warmed to both their efforts. “Thank you both.”

“For what?” Sonny asked.

“Everything. But right now, for making dinner,” Elizabeth answered.

Sonny smiled and his infamous dimples induced Alexis to smile back and then wink over at Elizabeth. She returned Alexis’ smile, then dug into her meal.

***

Nova Scotia - Front Street Fish Market

Jason continued to crouch behind the crates and broken pallets that had obviously been used to bring in the produce sold, since they still emanated a strong odor of stale fish. He fully understood the meaning of the expression, ‘something smells fishy’ and the reality of it was a hundred times worse than he’d ever imaged. Jason wasn’t sure he’d be able to stomach the thought of a fish dinner ever again.

Renny was among the six men who had entered the fish market. Although he seemed to be the quietest of the bunch, which wasn’t saying much considering the racket that they made in what should have been a dark, quiet building in the middle of the night.

From his vantage point, he could only overhear bits and pieces of their conversation, but from what he was hearing, Port Charles was far from the only target this group had intensions of moving in on. Their illegal operations appeared to include drug smuggling as well as small arms, based on the merchandise they pulled out of all things some crates full of dead fish.

Sonny definitely wouldn’t like this wrinkle. This group definitely needed to be shut down, before they could gain a foothold.

The larger number of players indicated that he’d need to get in touch with his boss and have him send reinforcements.

Since the group in front of him was deep in conversation, Jason decided it was probably as good a time as any to slip out and make a call. He shifted slightly and prepared to turn around just as he heard a sharp crack and felt pain blossom in the back of his head, right before he slipped into unconsciousness.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 5


Front Street Fish Market - Office

Jason came back to consciousness slowly, with the realization that his hands and feet were bound to a straight backed chair with armrests. As he opened his eyes, motes of color swam in front of his eyes before his vision came into focus.

There was a man sitting behind the desk, the only other furniture besides that in the small office was a gray file cabinet in the far corner.

“Renny tells me you’re Jason Morgan, Sonny Corinthos’ enforcer,” the man said to him in a calm even tone.

Jason sat in the chair, with the same silent, stone faced look that he gave Taggert when he arrested him and tried to interrogate him.

“Don’t have anything to say to me?” the man in the black Armani silk suit inquired smoothly.

Jason’s only answer was a continued silent stare at the man.

“This is my territory Mr. Morgan and you’d do well to remember that. You’re not messing around with a bottom feeder like Sorel anymore. This operation is run by August Trenoir and I don’t like trespassers.” Mr. Trenoir nodded to one of his men and he pumped a fist into Jason’s stomach.

Aside from a soft, reflexive out rush of air, Jason didn’t make any sound to convey pain of any kind.

Mr. Trenoir nodded and his goon proceeded to work over a defenseless, trussed Jason. Blows soon rained on his face and any area of his body not protected by the arm chair he was tied to.

After about thirty minutes of such punishment, there was blood oozing from his nose, right cheek and lip. Jason's breath was rattling in and out unevenly as he struggled to protect what he suspected were a couple of cracked, if not broken ribs.

“Do you have anything to say about why you’re here now Mr. Morgan?” Mr. Trenoir asked, expecting some kind of answer at this point.

When confronted with a stone faced, silent response from Jason once again, Trenoir nodded to his goon indicating the other room. “Put him on ice and we’ll see if he’s more responsive to questions in the morning,” he instructed.

***

Harborview Towers - PH4

“Elizabeth, I realize that marrying me isn’t the alternative you were looking for. But if it keeps you in the U.S. and keeps you, Jason and your child together, isn’t it worth considering?” Sonny asked, with a small smile.

“As much as I hate to agree with him, Sonny’s right. It will be next to impossible to untangle whatever snarls there may be with the status of your Green Card and Visa before the INS simply ships you back to Uzbeckistan. And I know as well as you that the borders there aren’t particularly open. You might never manage to get back to the U.S.,” Alexis added.

“I know all that. It’s just hard to agree to this, when I wanted all of this to be something I discussed with Jason. I didn’t want to wind up married to someone I barely know, simply to stay in the U.S.,” Elizabeth admitted.

“So what do you say?” Sonny asked.

“Can I sleep on it?” Elizabeth asked quietly, her voice barely above a soft whisper.

“Sure. Why don’t you stay upstairs in the guest room tonight and then we can talk about this in the morning,” Sonny suggested.

Elizabeth nodded her head, the stress of the day was catching up with her once again, since her pregnancy was making her more tired than she could ever remember being. She was halfway up the stairs, when she turned and addressed a question to Alexis, “will you be here tomorrow morning too?”

“If it’ll make you more comfortable,” Alexis answered, hedging so she could veer in either direction.

Elizabeth nodded and proceeded the rest of the way up the stairs and into Sonny’s guest room.

“I know that this isn’t something you were planning. Why don’t you send Johnny to find Jason?” Alexis suggested.

“That’s not a bad idea. I just don’t know if he can find Jason and get him back here in time,” Sonny admitted.

“It’s worth a shot though. Right?” Alexis prodded.

“Definitely. I don’t think we should mention it to Elizabeth though, because she might get her hopes up.” Sonny looked over at Alexis who nodded in agreement. “If she doesn’t want to get deported, she’ll need to be married by the 23rd and that’s only 2 days away, as of tomorrow morning.”

“And right now, the only candidate is you,” Alexis stated.

Sonny nodded, and reached out to take Alexis’ hand in his. “This isn’t exactly something I would have planned. In fact, the only woman that I want to marry is...”

Alexis reached out and put her finger across Sonny’s lips stilling his speech. She knew how he felt about her and this wasn’t the right time for those kind of declarations. “I love you Sonny. Probably even more, considering what you’re willing to do for Jason and Elizabeth.”

“I love you too Alexis,” Sonny admitted. It had taken him a long time to admit that to his attorney, friend and lover; but once he had, surprising as it seemed it was as if he couldn’t say it often enough.

“I guess you’ll just have to wait and see what she says tomorrow morning,” Alexis teased.

Sonny nodded. “In the meantime, I can send Johnny to try and find Jason, like you suggested.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll see you upstairs in a few then?” Alexis asked, with a sultry smile and a flash of her enticing dimples.

Sonny’s answering smile lit his face and brought out his own cavernous dimples.

As soon as Alexis disappeared upstairs, Sonny opened the front door and asked Johnny to come inside.

“I need you to go up to Canada and try to find Jason. He went to a little town called Ellingston in Nova Scotia. I’m not sure where he might be, but he doesn’t have his cell. He left it behind in Red Rock. You need to try and get him back here before 5 PM on August 23rd,” Sonny said hopefully. “If you can’t get him back here by then, just get him back here as soon as you can. Check in with me at least twice a day. This is very important.”

“Okay boss.” Johnny replied, as he turned and started toward the door. He turned back and said, “I’ll have Nick take over my shifts here.”

Sonny nodded and encouraged, “get going. The sooner you get Jason back here, the better.”

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 6


Fishmarket - Meatlocker

It felt colder to Jason than the middle of a Port Charles snowstorm as he woke up on the floor of the freezer.

Jason had almost tried to make a break from the guards once they'd removed the ropes, but a couple more goons had entered and he knew that his chances of getting out of there without a gunshot wound were slim to nonexistent. It had seemed like being put on ice, might give him a better chance of escape anyway.

He hadn't counted on being knocked out before they threw him into the freezer. It was definitely well below freezing in there, or at least cold enough that icicles were forming on his eye lashes by the time he woke up.

Nova Scotia - On Jason's Trail

Johnny opened up the door to Jason’s rented room at The Crossroads Motel in Ellingston, but he found it as typically devoid of personality as any random motel room could be. When he opened the top drawer of the bedside table he found Jason’s cell phone underneath a note pad behind the Gideon Bible. He tucked Jason’s phone into the left pocket of his jacket, so he wouldn’t confuse it with his own phone which was identical except for its phone number.

It seemed like a long shot, but he took the pencil on the table and rubbed across the top sheet of the pad, after he pulled it out of the drawer. Jason was usually very thorough about removing any trace of where he might have gone, so Johnny’s brows raised when he was able to make out the words Misty Rose and what must be a town underneath, which looked like Breckinridge.

Johnny looked up the city, found the name of the place and got the phone number, which he dialed quickly.

A female voice answered the phone, “Misty Rose, can I help you?”

“I’m hoping you can. This is Johnny O'Brien. Do you rent rooms?” Johnny asked.

“Yes we do on occasion. All of our rooms are currently rented. Is there anything else I can do for you?” the same female voice asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Thanks,” he replied, flipping his phone closed, ending the call.

Johnny went back to his car and pulled out his map of Nova Scotia. Having AAA Gold Membership came in handy when he needed to pick up maps for a trip. Although it was typically something he used more for vacations than business.

From the map it appeared that he should be able to make it to Breckinridge in about three hours of drive time. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already quarter past two, so he needed to get a move on. He spread the map out on the passenger’s seat and turned the ignition of his rented ’02 black, Buick Regal and took off down the road.

Johnny shook his head, still curious why Sonny would send him to bring Jason back to town, while stressing the need for urgency. It didn’t seem very likely that he’d be able to get Jason back home before 5 PM, but he’d give it his best shot.

Harborview Towers - PH4 - Guest Room

Elizabeth lay down on the burgundy-covered bed in Sonny's guestroom. It was a beautiful room, decorated with tapestry motif curtains that had just a hint of burgundy in them to match the bedspread. When she could no longer contemplate the décor, Elizabeth buried her head in the pillow, but that brought her no comfort. At their house, the house she lived in with Jason, she could nestle into his pillow and smell his scent when he wasn't there with her. Oftentimes even after she changed the sheets, she could still smell his scent in their bed, like he had made himself a part of that piece of furniture.

Being without Jason in Sonny's penthouse with the proverbial sword of Damocles over her head was making her crazy. She wanted to scream and rail at the world for the unfairness of her situation, but she knew it wouldn't change things. “Jason, where are you? I need you,” Elizabeth whispered to herself, holding out her hands as if her entreaty alone could bring him home to her.

She flung herself onto the bed and turned her head into the pillow to let her tears flow. Even though she was alone, she was careful not to let out a sound, because she didn’t want anyone to hear her. It felt like her heart was breaking, as she forced herself to admit to herself that she had no option but to accept Sonny’s proposal, since she wanted to be here when Jason returned and she wanted them to have the chance to raise their child together.

Fishmarket - Meat Locker

Jason pulled his scattered thoughts together, as he assessed his situation. He shivered involuntarily in reaction to the cold that had seeped into his bones. Considering how cold he was, he knew that he had been out for at least the last several hours.

The blow that took him in the temple had blind sided Jason. He’d expected them to simply push him inside the meat locker and close the door; unconsciousness hadn’t factored into his plans.

It seemed almost miraculous, when he discovered that although they’d taken his 9mm pistol, they hadn’t taken his lock-picks. Jason immediately went to work on the inside door lock, disregarding the fact that once he had the door open he’d more than likely have a couple of armed guards he’d have to deal with. That was a bridge he’d cross when he came to it.

Images kept swimming to the surface of Jason’s mind as he worked on the lock. While he’d been out cold, it seemed like he’d had a dream. And in it Elizabeth had been crying. It seemed as though she’d been calling his name and reaching out for him. Even though he’d tried to reach back to her, he could never quite reach her as she receded from view.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to get back to her quickly.

In what couldn’t have been more than a few minutes Jason had the simple lock mechanism figured out and he opened up the door a crack to get a look at what he would need to deal with to make his escape. From his vantage point, he could see at least two burly bodyguards, neither one of them familiar.

Since he couldn’t see over to his right, there could be more and he had to make his move as though there were at least one or two more of them out there.

Out of the corner of his eye, he’d swear that he saw Johnny lurking in the shadows off to the left, behind the guard furthest from Jason’s position. After continuing to watch the area where he thought he’d seen Johnny for another fifteen minutes, he caught another glimpse confirming his presence and decided it was time for him to make his move. He just hoped that Johnny would follow his lead.

Harborview Towers - PH4 - Living Room

“Have you made a decision?” Sonny asked.

“It seems like a huge sacrifice on your part, but yes I’ve decided that I will marry you,” Elizabeth told Sonny solemnly. “I’m doing this so I can stay here in the U.S. with Jason and our child,” she quickly added.

“I know. I’ll need to make the arrangements so we can be married by 6 PM tonight. Alexis, I’d like to handle this using a Justice of the Peace. So if it wouldn’t be too much trouble...”

Alexis cut off Sonny before he could ask her a question she really didn’t want to hear or answer. “I think you should ask Francis to be the witness.” The last thing Alexis wanted was to get reeled into being the witness at yet another of Sonny’s marriages. It was one thing to agree with Sonny that he was doing the right thing, it was quite another to be the witness at the wedding of the man she loved to another woman, yet again.

“I’m your lawyer,” Alexis pointed out quite logically. “And when all of this is said and done, I’m the one that will have to untangle you from this mission of mercy you’re performing.”

“Alexis, I’m really sorry for all of this,” Elizabeth interjected, her voice wavery and on the verge of tears.

“Honey, this isn’t your fault. I don’t blame you. However you slice it, this situation is fraught with peril.” In answer to Elizabeth’s quizzical stare, Alexis continued, “I was involved in a couple of marriages of convenience myself once upon a time.” Watching Elizabeth’s eyes widen in wonder, Alexis hurried to explain. “I married Jasper Jacks when I was in love with Ned Ashton, while my friend Chloe Morgan married Ned when she was in love with Jax.”

“Why didn’t you and Chloe simply marry the men you were each in love with?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, you see Chloe needed to marry to save her company and since she and Jax weren’t quite at that point in their relationship, Ned gallantly stepped in and offered her a marriage of convenience,” Alexis answered.

“So how did you wind up married to Jax?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yes, Alexis how ever did that happen?” Sonny baited Alexis, with a dimpled grin.

Alexis gave Sonny a look that said, I’ll get you later before she answered Elizabeth and Sonny’s question. “The four of us went to Las Vegas, so that Ned and Chloe could get married, but her aunt arrived and pointed out to us that an elopement in Las Vegas wasn’t the way for them to show their undying love, so Jax stepped in and claimed that he and I had come there to get married. There was no way out of it at that point, so we got married.”

“But you’re no longer with Ned. May I ask, did the marriages of convenience break up your relationships?” Elizabeth asked, fearful of the older woman’s answer to her question.

“No, something a lot closer to home, my own fear of marriage and giving up control of my life ended my relationship with Ned,” Alexis admitted.

“So, you’re not afraid of giving me control Alexis?” Sonny teased.

“Why would I need to be Corinthos?” Alexis asked. “We both know whose in control of this relationship,” Alexis shot back, hitting him squarely between the eyes.

“Touche, Alexis. Touche,” Sonny replied, with a dazzling dimpled grin that might or might not have indicated his total agreement with her statement.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 7


Justice of the Peace - 5:50 PM

“Anything?” Sonny asked Francis, adjusting the sleeves of his suit as they stood outside the office.

“No boss. No calls from either Johnny or Jason,” Francis informed him.

“I guess this is it then,” Sonny said with a shrug of his shoulders. “You’ll be the witness to my wedding to Elizabeth Taleski.”

“If you’ll excuse my asking, what about Jason and Alexis?” Francis inquired.

“What about them?” Sonny asked, putting on a good impression of Jason’s stoniest of stone faces.

“Aren’t they going to be upset by all of this?” Francis asked, doubtful that anything good could come of this alliance.

“Just worry about continuing to keep Elizabeth safe,” Sonny told him, dodging Francis’ real question.

Francis nodded and lapsed into silence, declining to offer any more questions. It just didn’t make sense that Elizabeth was marrying Sonny. She was too in love with Jason. He’d seen it with his own eyes. So why would she marry her lover’s boss and best friend? Besides which, he’d seen the looks between Sonny and Alexis since Carly’s death. If it wasn’t love that was blossoming between them, he’d eat his hat, that is if he wore one.

Breckinridge - Fishmarket - Meat Locker

Once Jason saw Johnny start toward the furthest guard, he flung the door open with the intention of taking out anyone who might be lurking behind it and giving himself the widest possible field of view. Then he sprinted toward the nearer guard, taking him down with a running tackle that landed them both on the ground before the guard could draw his gun.

In the meantime Johnny took out the guard he'd launched himself at with a couple of punches to the gut and a right uppercut to the chin that put him down and out for the count.

Once Jason got a grip on the guard he had pinned to the ground, he smacked him with his fist a few times until he too lapsed into unconsciousness.

Then Jason and Johnny made a run for the stubby evergreen tress and bushes that were off to the far right side of the building.

Port Charles - Justice of the Peace 5:55 PM

Alexis had helped her pick a sky blue dress out of her closet for the occasion of her wedding. It wasn't remotely how she'd pictured her wedding day. As a child she'd had dreams of a long white satin beaded dress, off the shoulders with no sleeves, with a veil cascading down her back. That vision had expanded to include Jason in a tuxedo, looking resplendent in black and white.

Instead she would be walking inside of the Justice of the Peace to marry a man that she barely knew. Admittedly he was her lover’s best friend, but that didn’t translate into a feeling of comfort to her.

If anything, it made her even more nervous. Compounding her discomfort was the morning sickness that had her making unanticipated visits to the bathroom, mostly right after breakfast. But some days, it could linger. Today was one of those days.

Alexis had kindly agreed to stay with her until she went inside and Elizabeth was grateful for the companionship. She must have noticed something, because Alexis took her arm and led her over to a bench outside the Courtroom.

“Elizabeth are you all right?” Alexis asked, thinking to herself, the girl looks positively green. I wonder if she’s that nervous, or... “Is it morning sickness?”

“Yes. It just started a couple of days ago. The day after I got the call from the INS,” Elizabeth admitted, bending down so she could lay her head on one of her knees. It wasn’t the most flattering of positions to put herself in wearing a dress, but it did help to alleviate the nausea. That was paramount at the moment. Otherwise she wouldn’t be able to drag herself inside and marry Sonny.

“It will be all right,” Alexis said reassuringly, smoothing on hand down Elizabeth’s back, trying to offer what support she could in lieu of a mother.

Elizabeth sat up and looked at Alexis, who sat beside her so calmly in a burgundy suit with a white blouse. She looked so consummately professional and it seemed so effortless.

“How do you do it?” Elizabeth asked.

“What?” Alexis asked, perplexed at the intent of Elizabeth’s vague inquiry.

“Stay so calm, when I’m about to marry the man that you love?” Elizabeth asked.

Alexis tipped her head as she looked over at Elizabeth. “I know he loves me. And I know he’s doing this to help his best friend and you.”

“It just seems so wrong somehow,” Elizabeth lamented. She wanted to deny this was happening. And would have been willing to do just about do anything to have Jason here ready to marry her in Sonny’s place.

Alexis looked at her watch and saw that it was 6 PM. “It looks like it’s time.”

Elizabeth looked at Alexis with wide panic stricken eyes. “Would you... would you come in with me?” came out in a low whisper.

“Sure I will,” Alexis agreed. There was no way she could turn down the younger woman when she appeared near to bolting. Hell, she knew exactly what that felt like, from the bitter experience of bolting before she married Ned. And bolting was the last thing Elizabeth could afford to do at this point.

“Thank you,” Elizabeth got out in a rush as she turned to face the door, like she was marching into her own funeral, instead of her wedding.

Alexis put an arm around her and escorted her inside. Slowly, but surely they made it to the front of the courtroom, where Sonny and Francis were waiting. They’d both risen to their feet at the entrance of the women.

Sonny stood there stunned by Alexis’ serenity as she escorted Elizabeth into the courtroom. It amazed him daily that someone so intelligent, funny and beautiful could be interested in him.

And here he was marrying someone else, yet again. It almost defied reason. But he couldn’t abandon his best friend’s lover, especially since she was pregnant with Jason’s child and was on the brink of deportation. Since he was the reason Jason wasn’t here to take care of the situation himself, there was no other way out, but the one that he’d gotten Elizabeth to agree to.

They would get married. As soon as Elizabeth’s ice cold hand was clasped in Sonny’s the judge performed the ceremony that tied them together as man and wife. Sonny’s responses were clear and measured, while Elizabeth’s were low and hesitant, as though she was hoping to turn and find Jason at the back of the room ready to sweep in and rescue her at any moment. Before they knew it the judge was pronouncing them man and wife.

Breckinridge - Woodlands

Johnny hunkered down in the woodlands area that bordered the back of the property of the Frontstreet Fish Market. Each time he tapped Jason’s arm or started to open his mouth to say something, he got a look from Jason that made him lapse back into silence before he had a chance to say anything.

It appeared that Johnny could lay better than 50 to 1 odds that neither he nor Jason would make a call to Sonny before 5 PM. Since Jason didn't think they were a reasonably secure distance from their enemies, silence was Jason's watchword. So Johnny continued to worry, leading him to start tapping his right forefinger against his left arm at the junction where they were crossed in front of his chest. Jason gave him a quelling look that had Johnny falling back in time to the past, to the day that Sonny hired him.

"There's one thing that you'll have to overcome if you're gonna work for me O'Brian," Sonny told him, never cracking a smile.

A wayward lock of hair curled against Sonny's forehead, but Johnny refused to react to anything that might normally bring a smile to his face. Being interviewed by Mr. Corinthos was much too nerve racking as it was.

"What's that?" Johnny asked, his curiosity overcoming his nervousness. His arms dropped to his sides as he stopped tapping his fingers against his opposite forearm.

"That incessant tapping. If you're going to be a guard, you need to be still... watchful. Nervous tics are something you need to eliminate," Sonny warned.

"I can do that," Johnny stated confidently.

"Then you've got the job. You can start tomorrow," Sonny offered, with a slight upward curve of his lips that revealed just a hint of his dimples.

Johnny took Sonny's outstretched hand and shook it firmly. "I'll be here at 5 PM tomorrow night," Johnny told him.

"Make it 4:45 and Tony can run down the basics with you before you start your first shift," Sonny suggested.

Johnny nodded, turned and took the elevator down to the Lobby of the Harborview Towers.

Johnny continued to remain still, laying in the dry grass beside Jason, worry uppermost in his mind, although he knew there was nothing he could do about the situation.

Finally, after about an hour and forty-five minutes crawling through the grass and underbrush, they made it back to Johnny's car.

As soon as Johnny slipped behind the wheel, he made a 180 degree turn and started down the road.

"Why are you headed away from Breckinridge?" Jason asked.

"Sonny wanted you to call before 5 PM. He said he wanted me to bring you back to Port Charles ASAP. So we're headed back to Ellingston to get you on the next flight back there," Johnny explained, never letting up on the gas pedal, while held their speed to just under 10 miles over the legal limit.

"Give me your phone," Jason demanded, holding his hand out.

Johnny put his hand into his pocket and he pulled out Jason's secured satellite cell phone and handed it over, "here's yours."

Jason looked at the display on his phone and saw that it said 6:35 PM. Whatever Sonny needed him so desperately for, it was probably already too late.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 8


Harborview Towers - PH4

Elizabeth looked down at the ring on her finger. The diamond was massive, it must be at least three carats she thought as she continued to look at it. She noticed the way it dwarfed her tiny finger. The stone winked brightly, flashing rainbow light at her eyes. Her mouth turned down at the corners as she continued to contemplate it as though it was a snake, rather than a hunk of metal and stone. To her it was a thing of ugliness, rather than a symbol of union, since it tied her to the wrong man.

A tear formed in the corner of her eye, but she valiantly held herself together. She refused to give into self pity. Marrying Sonny had kept her in the United States. It had kept her and her child within Jason’s reach. This marriage would allow her to be with the man she loved. A weak smile blossomed on Elizabeth’s face. She looked up to find both Sonny and Alexis watching her and crimson quickly stained her face at their stares.

“What?” Elizabeth asked.

“Are you all right?” Alexis queried, her concern evident in the open gaze she bestowed upon the younger woman.

“I’m fine,” Elizabeth answered, realizing after the words left her mouth that it was almost the truth.

The ringing of Sonny’s cell phone broke the silence. He pulled the phone out of his coat pocket and turned it on.

“Corinthos,” Sonny said into the phone.

“Morgan here. What’s the problem?” Jason asked.

Sonny ran his hand over his face, smoothing the frown lines that had formed between his brows at the sound of his best friend’s voice. “Jason, I’d prefer to discuss it with you when you get home. When will you be here?”

"Johnny's got us on the road and we'll be at the airport soon," Jason advised him.

"I need you back in Port Charles right away Jason." Sonny's tone was full of urgency even though the problem had been dealt with. However, he knew that the repercussions of how he'd chosen to deal with it were only beginning.

"What is so urgent..." Jason began, only to get cut off abruptly.

"We'll get into it when you're back," Sonny hedged.

Jason's brow creased in worry and his tone reflected his concern, "Is Elizabeth all right?"

"She's fine." Sonny was unable to keep the edge off of his voice.

Jason picked up on the suppressed emotions in his friend's tone and dug deeper. "Maybe I should give her a call. I can let her know that I'm coming home," he suggested.

"She's not there," Sonny replied quietly. "She's here."

"Damn it Sonny. What's going on. Let me talk to her," Jason demanded.

"Jason, she's perfectly fine," Sonny attempted to offer additional reassurance. "There's nothing you can do until you get here anyway."

Elizabeth looked over at Sonny and was tempted to wrench the phone from his hand. She knew that he was talking to Jason and yet he wouldn't let Jason talk to her, even though it was clear from Sonny's end of the conversation that Jason wanted to. It wasn't as though it would sound better for him to hear the news in person, she thought, then again maybe it was. She wasn't really sure what she'd tell him anyway, other than offering the same lame reassurances that Sonny was.

"You're sure Elizabeth is okay?" Jason asked, anxiety coloring each word with import.

"Yes. What time will you arrive in Port Charles?" Sonny inquired.

Silence ensued on the other end, while Jason consulted with Johnny on the answer to that question. Finally when Sonny was sure he must have lost the connection, Jason answered, "Johnny has me on a 9:45 PM flight that's due into Port Charles at 11:35."

"Good. Adam will pick you up at the airport and bring you back to the penthouse. Then we can all sit down and talk," Sonny offered.

Realizing that he wasn't going to pull any more information out of Sonny, Jason sighed and agreed to the plan, "fine." Then he clicked his cell phone shut ending the call, but not even coming close to putting his worries to rest.

Elizabeth looked over at Sonny and felt more than a little uneasy. Jason was coming home. What will he think about what I've done? she thought. Will he think it was reasonable, or will he blame me for acting without thinking things through?

12:05 AM

By the time Jason entered Sonny's penthouse it was just past midnight. And as the minutes passed, Elizabeth found her agitation growing worse, as she continued to drum her fingers against the armrest of the brown leather chair she sat in. She heard him before she saw him and wanted nothing more than to rush into his arms, but instead she hunkered deeper into the chair, letting it envelop her small form.

Jason could see Elizabeth's head peeking just over the top of the back of the chair and wondered why she didn't rush over to greet him, although it could well be the fact that both Sonny and Alexis were in the room. Usually they were in their own house when he came home and he was the only witness to her exuberance.

Sonny halted his pacing at Jason's entrance, while Alexis raised a questioning eyebrow wondering just how he was going to explain recent events to Jason.

"Welcome home Jason," Sonny finally said, a lame attempt at best to lighten the tension in the room.

"Sonny, you called me home in the middle of a job. I assume this is important?" Jason let the rest of his question hang implied in the air.

"Yeah. Why don't you have a seat," Sonny suggested.

Jason walked over to the couch and saw that Elizabeth had her legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them tightly. It seemed as though she was in fear for her life, or her future. "Is everything all right?" Jason asked Elizabeth softly, his attention riveted to her as though no one else was in the room.

"No," Elizabeth replied, clearly on the edge of tears. "Sonny can you tell him?" she implored.

As much as he had been hoping that this tale wouldn't fall on his shoulders, he could see just how emotionally fragile Elizabeth was right now, so he nodded and everyone could see Elizabeth visibly relax. "Something happened while you were gone and we had to take care of it before you got back. It had to be handled today," Sonny began.

"What exactly are you talking about?" Jason asked.

"Elizabeth was about to be deported," Sonny told him. "So we had to find a way to keep her here." Sonny figured the news about the baby was hers to share, so he left that part out.

Jason looked from Sonny to Elizabeth and back again, before he turned his gaze on Alexis. "Is anyone going to give me some details?"

"Since we couldn't get you back here fast enough, I married Elizabeth," Sonny finally blurted out.

"What?" Jason asked, incredulous.

Alexis decided it was time to intervene before things took a nasty turn for the worse... although she wasn’t entirely sure just how much worse they could get.

“Jason, in order to keep Elizabeth in the country someone had to marry her,” Alexis began. “So Sonny, being that he’s your friend, stepped in and married her in your place.”

Jason looked from Sonny to Elizabeth and saw that Alexis was merely giving him the facts. Elizabeth’s eyes were wide and filled with tears and if anything she’d pulled herself into an even tighter ball in the chair, as she waited for Jason’s reaction.

When Jason held his arms out to her, she sprang out of the chair like a coiled spring and flung herself into his embrace. Over her shoulder, he asked both Sonny and Alexis, “What’s next?”

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 9


Harborview Towers - PH 4

"So what exactly is next?" Jason asked, when his first question was met with resounding silence from all quarters. Elizabeth was crying soundlessly into his shirt, making it damp with her tears, but he didn't mind that. It was heaven simply to have her in his arms.

"Do you really want to go through it all now?" Alexis asked, mindful of Elizabeth's emotionally fragmented and fragile state.

Jason continued to caress Elizabeth's long, auburn curls and when he could feel her tears subsiding he led her over to the couch where he sat down beside her and took her right hand in his. "Yeah, I think I need the short version of what's going on," Jason admitted.

Elizabeth chimed in before either Sonny or Alexis could say anything more. “Jason, a few days after you left... I got a call from the INS. They told me that my visa was expiring and I would have to go home. I went to Sonny for help... because I didn’t know what to do.”

Jason looked over at Sonny and thought to himself, Why didn’t Sonny try to reach me? He couldn’t keep his thoughts from his eyes.

“As soon as Elizabeth came to me, I tried to get you on your cell. Then when I couldn’t, I sent Johnny after you. But I didn’t know if he’d be able to find you and send you back her in time, so I asked Elizabeth to marry me... just to keep her here and safe,” Sonny explained.

Jason looked over at Alexis with more question marks in his eyes, but didn’t voice his query.

Alexis sighed and combed through the sides of her hair with both hands, letting it fall back like a curtain until she looked up again. “There was no other way for us to keep Elizabeth in the United States. And believe me... I looked through every immigration statute on the books for a loophole. There simply wasn’t one.”

Elizabeth tried to muffle her tired yawn, but it simply signaled the lateness of the hour to rest of the group.

"Everyone needs to get some sleep, then we can plan our next move tomorrow," Sonny suggested.

"I think both of us need to go home for the night, Jason," Alexis interjected.

"I'm not going anywhere," Jason announced.

"Unless you want to shatter the illusion that we've so carefully crafted here..." Alexis allowed her voice to trail off, allowing everyone's imaginations to fill in the blanks.

Sonny patted Jason on the back and offered consolingly, "I'll take good care of Elizabeth. You and Alexis come back tomorrow morning and we'll formulate a game plan."

Jason clenched and unclenched his right fist, but remained tight-lipped regarding his displeasure with the current status quo.

Alexis took Jason’s arm and said softly, “Elizabeth’s in good hands. We all need some sleep. Tomorrow will be soon enough to get things figured out. ”

Jason nodded, then broke away to walk over to Elizabeth. “I love you. Sleep well, I’ll see you in the morning.” He pulled Elizabeth close and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, stroked her velvety soft cheek with his thumb and gave her a quick peck on the forehead, before he turned and walked over to the door where Alexis was still standing.

“Eight thirty tomorrow. We’ll have breakfast and...” Sonny shrugged slightly, then added, “figure out what to do next.” He had a feeling that Jason wasn’t going to like any of what he and Alexis had already tentatively worked through regarding this sticky situation, but tomorrow was soon enough to get into those details.

Outside PH4

Tony was standing outside the front door when Francis arrived at 8 AM the following morning.

"Where's Johnny?" Tony asked.

"He's out of town," Francis replied.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to guard Mrs. Corinthos for the day shift," Francis told him.

Tony tipped his head toward PH4 across the hall. "You mean he finally married Alexis?"

"No," Francis replied. In answer to Tony's open-mouthed stare, he continued, "the new Mrs. Corinthos is the former Miss Elizabeth Taleski."

"Jason's girlfriend?" Tony asked rhetorically.

Francis nodded.

Tony shook his head. “I better get going." Tony entered the elevator and descended to the ground floor with nothing except his conversation with Francis ringing in his ears. It was probably going to get a lot more interesting than he personally liked around the penthouse floor, based on what he'd just heard. And a lot more noisy, if he was any judge.

On Duty

Francis tucked a lock of curly blonde hair behind one ear and realized that it was past time for his next haircut. The curled ends almost touched his starched, white cotton shirt collar. It didn’t pay to let his hair get too long because then the rest of the bodyguards started teasing him, saying that he was prettier than his girlfriend. But it was Johnny that was the worst. He could practically hear the taunting already and Johnny wasn’t even back in the States yet.

“Hey Frannie. You sure you don’t want to put on a dress to go with those curly locks of yours?” Johnny asked him derisively the last time he’d let his hair get a little out of control. A low chuckle followed had his comments teasingly, like a promise of more to come.

Then again, right about now he’d almost welcome Johnboy’s taunts. Johnny was the only one that he could really talk to about what was going on inside PH4. He’d tried earlier with Tony, but that had gotten him nowhere. Sonny and Elizabeth had been joined by Jason and Alexis around 8:30 this morning, a little early for any honeymoon couple to be entertaining by any stretch of the imagination.

Francis stood guard at the door, thinking about the group just inside. You know, at this point, it would hardly surprise me if Jason wound up with Miss Davis, the way those four are playing musical partners. Then he quickly shook his head to refute that thought. No way that'll ever happen.

Inside PH2

"Jason, would you sit down. You're starting to make me feel like I'm looking in a mirror buddy. Have some breakfast, would you? I made eggs, bacon, waffles, french toast with cinnamon and there's plenty of coffee," Sonny offered, pointing to a chair at the dining room table.

Jason stalked over to the chair and pulled it out, like he was wrestling it into submission, then he sat at attention like he had a poker stuck through his spine.

Elizabeth reached for the carafe of coffee and poured some in Jason's cup. She knew he liked it black. Considering the dark circles under his eyes, it didn't appear that he'd gotten a wink of sleep last night.

Jason reached out and took the cup by the handle, throwing a weak smile her way as he brought the cup to his lips. All this waiting around was getting on his nerves. It was one thing to wait for hours in cold, cramped and uncomfortable quarters when he was working on a job for Sonny, but when it came to Elizabeth and her happiness and well being that wasn’t something he was willing to trifle with.

Alexis could sense that Jason was on the edge, so she decided it was time to step in. “Sonny I think breakfast needs to wait until after we all talk. Why don’t we all go into the living room,” she suggested, standing and motioning the group in that direction.