Fade To Black by Meerkat60

[JRK Archiver]

Renee aka Meerkat60
Fade to Black 1/?
NC17
GH Characters not mine
Warning: chapter contains non-consensual sex and may be offensive to some readers. Be warned.
Summary: Elizabeth ends up at the wrong place at the wrong time and pays the consequences.
Dedication: For Planegirl. Loved your premise and couldn’t resist starting it now, even though I’m behind on other stories. So, I’m totally blaming you for that, lol.
A/N In this story, Elizabeth’s last name is Lewis.



Thanks to Jessica (Reily) for the wonderful banner!

Elizabeth Lewis glanced around the fraternity house, wondering why she had ever agreed to come to the annual keg party marking the end of the spring semester. It certainly wasn’t her usual idea of fun, but her best friend and roommate, Linda, had begged and pleaded so earnestly that she simply didn’t have the heart to refuse. Now, said roommate had ditched her for someone tall, dark and handsome, and she was left to her own devices. In the six months since Elizabeth had been dumped by her boyfriend, she hadn’t been out with anyone. Linda, on the other hand, was apparently trying to get into the Guinness Book of Records, dating so many men that Elizabeth quickly lost track. When would she ever learn? Heading over to the bar, Elizabeth grabbed a glass of beer and started drinking, figuring she might as well enjoy herself.



Jason Quartermaine pulled his Mercedes up over the curb onto the lawn of the fraternity house. He had gotten a jump on the evening’s festivities by stopping off at Hector’s on the way over, determined to find a way to get that pregnant dog, Janine, out of his head. She had ruined what should have been the best day of his life. Opening the acceptance letter to Harvard Medical School had actually brought tears to his eyes. Finally, all his hard work was starting to pay off. Wanting to share the news with his girlfriend, Jason rushed over to her place, using his key instead of knocking on the door in the hopes of surprising her. Turned out, he was the one who was surprised when he found her in bed with the teaching assistant from their health statistics class. Of course, Jason punched the guy, and then Janine slapped him, all of which solved nothing. Alcohol was the answer; that much was clear. But, for the life of him, he couldn’t seem to remember the question.



“Watch it,” Elizabeth said indignantly, turning her head to see who had spilled the beer on her shirt.

“Sorry,” Jason smiled, entranced by the petite beauty glaring angrily at him. “I hope I didn’t ruin it. Let me pay to have it dry cleaned. Or we could try some club soda.”

He seemed so genuinely apologetic that she quickly dismissed the stain as unimportant, even if it was on her favorite silk blouse. “Don’t worry about it. Accidents happen, right?”

Her blue eyes stared up at him, huge and vulnerable, and, for a second, Jason couldn’t breathe. She looked like a china doll with her peaches and cream complexion, framed by a wild mane of velvety brown curls. “What’s your name?”

“Elizabeth Lewis,” she replied, holding out her hand so he could shake it.

“Jason Quartermaine,” he countered, pressing a kiss into the palm of her hand instead. “Would you like to dance?”

“There’s no music.”

“I was thinking of some place more private.”

The sexual tension between them skyrocketed instantly, and Elizabeth only hesitated for a second before she took Jason’s hand, letting him lead her up to his room. They were both sobering up by the time he shut the door behind them, and the nerves were beginning to show. Reaching for some reinforcements, Jason grabbed a six-pack from his mini-fridge and popped the caps on a couple of them, handing one to her.

They talked for a few minutes, polishing off all the beers in the process. Feeling buzzed again, Jason turned on his cd player and pulled her into his arms. Elizabeth let herself relax into the hard warmth of his body, enjoying the sensation. It seemed like forever since she had been held in a man’s arms. The heady scent of his cologne drew her closer, and she pressed her face into his neck, breathing deeply.

“Polo, by Ralph Lauren?”

“How did you know?”

“It’s my favorite.”

His hands tightened around her waist before sliding down to cup her ass, rocking her against his obvious erection. Elizabeth shivered and moaned, prompting Jason to increase the speed and intensity. Her breathing was ragged by the time he tangled his fingers in her hair and tugged, lifting her face up. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, bringing his mouth down hard across her lips.

She opened to him immediately, giving him free access as he plunged his tongue in and out of her mouth, exploring her with such determination that it scared her a little. Having only been with one man before, Elizabeth didn’t have much experience, and she could tell right away that she was in over her head. Ronald had always been so gentle and easy with her. It wasn’t until they broke up that she discovered it took someone of the male persuasion to bring his passion to the surface. Evidently she was just now finding what it took to do the same for her.

One minute they were standing, and the next minute Jason had her on his bed, stripping off her clothes. “Wait, you’re going too fast,” she gasped.

“You’re so f**king sweet,” he sighed, her words not even registering.

His hands were rough on her breasts, squeezing painfully, and she cried out in spite of herself. Not wanting to cause a scene and embarrass herself, Elizabeth was still trying to handle things politely, not recognizing the danger signs. “Jason, please stop.”

Trapped under his body weight, she could barely move as he wriggled out of his shirt, pinching her nipples with his fingers before he touched his bare chest to hers. His skin was so warm; it felt like liquid honey moving over her, and she lost herself in the feeling momentarily, coming back to her senses when she realized he was unzipping his pants and kicking them off.

“No,” she stated firmly, her hands pushing at his shoulders.

To her dismay, his fingers probed between her legs, and it was clear that he hadn’t heard her at all. “d**n, you’re so f**king wet. I can’t wait to be inside you.”

Grabbing his face with her hands, Elizabeth tried to make him focus. “I don’t want to do this, Jason. You need to stop now.”

He kissed her suddenly, his possession so deep and brutal that she felt faint. At the same time, two fingers thrust inside her small opening. Tears were running down her face, and the whole thing was so surreal. It was like it was happening to someone else. “Please, don’t,” she whispered after he tore his mouth away, letting her breathe once more.

When she felt his thingy pushing against her, Elizabeth snapped out of her trance and started fighting him with everything she had, screaming loudly and beating her small fists against his back. But, it was no use. Jason’s hips pressed her into the mattress, forcing her to yield to him. It was a painfully slow process, because he was extremely well-endowed. By the time he hit bottom, she thought for sure he was tearing her apart.

“f**k me,” he swore, pounding into her with everything that he had. “I can’t believe how tight you are.”

Exhausted from her efforts, all Elizabeth could do was sob and pray for a quick ending to her misery. Fortunately, Jason’s usual stamina was severely hampered from all the alcohol, and he only lasted a couple of minutes. Still, it seemed like a lifetime from her perspective. Before he could pass out on top of her, she managed to push him off to the side and slide out from underneath him. Her clothes were on the floor beside the bed, and she grabbed them and dressed hurriedly, anxious to get away as quickly as possible.

He was snoring when she left the room, and Elizabeth eased the door shut behind her, cowering in the shadows of the hallway until she could decide the best way to get out of there. Working up her courage, she made a run for it, sprinting down the stairs and out the front door, ignoring the people who tried to speak to her. She had to find Zander; he would know what to do.



“What the hell,” Zander Lewis muttered, waking up to the sound of someone trying to bang down his door. Rolling over to check the clock, he groaned with he saw it was only two in the morning. Sliding into some sweatpants lying beside the bed, he headed for the door. “This better be good,” he growled, before he caught sight of his sister’s face.

She threw herself into his arms, and he held her tightly, knowing her comfort was more important than all his questions. “Shh,” he whispered soothingly. “It’ll be okay. Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”

“He hurt me, Zander,” she cried. “I told him to stop, but he wouldn’t.”

Fear gripped his chest, and he struggled to breathe, afraid to ask what she meant. “Who hurt you, sweetheart?”

“His name is Jason Quartermaine.”

Bile rose up in his throat at the sound of that last name, and Zander had to fight not to give into his own anger and animosity. “How did he hurt you, baby?”

“I was at this party at a frat house. Linda talked me into going. Anyway, I met Jason, and we went up to his room. We were talking and dancing, and I liked it. But then he … and I didn’t …he just kept on …”

“Are you saying he raped you, Liz?”

His tone was gentle, and she burst into tears, no longer able to keep the pain inside. Picking her up, Zander carried her to the couch and sat down with her on his lap. His hand rubbed circles on her back, calming her with his touch. When she stopped crying, he kissed her cheek softly and whispered in her ear. “You need to be checked out by a doctor, sweetie.”

“No,” she protested, starting to get upset again. “I don’t want anyone touching me, and I definitely don’t want anyone else to know.”

“Sonny can get a private physician to examine you.”

“Zander, I don’t want to tell your boss I was raped.”

“He’s not just my boss; he’s also my friend. Sonny Corinthos is a good man, and he’ll help us. Trust me.”

“Okay,” she agreed, after a long pause. “With one condition. You can’t tell him who it was.”

“I can’t make that promise.”

“Then I won’t go.”

Zander recognized the steely determination in her blue eyes and shook his head in defeat. “Fine. Tell me again how it is that you manage to win every argument we have?”

“Because you love me,” she postulated.

“Yeah, there’s that.” Giving her a kiss on the forehead, he lifted her off his lap and got to his feet. “Let’s go. I’ll call Sonny on the way over.”



Pacing back and forth across Sonny’s living room, Zander kept glancing up the stairway, as if he expected to see Elizabeth come running down it at any second, screaming like a banshee. “Are you sure this guy is good?”

“He’s the best, Zander. Just relax. It’s only been a few minutes. And, for God’s sake, stop pacing back and forth. You’re wearing a hole in the carpet.”

The young, dark-haired man smiled at his boss’ obvious attempt at humor. “Thanks for doing this, Sonny. I owe you.”

“You don’t owe me anything, Zander. What happened to your sister makes me embarrassed to be part of the male species, and I relish any opportunity to try and counteract the damage this creep did.”

At the sound of footsteps on the stairs, both men turned to find Dr. Abrams walking toward them. “How is she?” Zander asked.

“She’s in good condition. There was some girl thingyl bruising, along with traces of blood, but no significant tearing was present. I did a rape kit, per your request, Mr. Corinthos. As soon as the results are processed, they will be sent to Mr. Lewis according to your instructions. All results are, of course, confidential.”

“Thanks for coming, Doc,” Sonny said. “Your check will be a reflection of my gratitude, I can assure you.”

“There is one more thing. According to her medical history, she’s had a problem with blood clots in the past.”

“Yeah,” Zander confirmed. “She was hospitalized last year with a clot that ended up in her left lung.”

“Unfortunately, that means I can’t administer the morning after pill because it would be too risky. So, pregnancy remains a consideration.”

Disturbed by the information, Zander nonetheless shook the doctor’s hand and walked him to the door alongside Sonny. They didn’t speak for several minutes after he left, trying to absorb the specifics of the situation. “I’m going to go check on her,” Zander said eventually.

She was almost asleep in Sonny’s guest bed when he eased his way into the room. “Hey, sweetie. Just looking in on you.”

“I’m okay. The doctor gave me something for my nerves, and it seems to be helping.”

“That’s good. You need to rest.”

“Have I ever told you that you’re the best brother in the whole world?”

“All the time, baby, but that’s only because you make it so easy. You’re the best person I know, and I love you so much. Having you in my life is the only reason I’m still on the planet, after all the nuts we had to take from Mom and Dad.”

“Ditto, Zan-Man. You’re my hero. You looked after me when we were kids, and you’re still doing it now.”

“If I’d looked after you better, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Don’t you dare blame yourself,” she said, her lips starting to tremble.

“Okay,” he promised, taking hold of her hand as he sat down beside her on the bed. When he was sure she was sleeping, he kissed her cheek and left the room, his mind racing as he considered the best way to deal with one Jason Quartermaine. Sonny was nowhere in sight, so Zander sat down at the kitchen table and jotted down his thoughts, filled with a strange sense of foreboding. By the time he had finished with what he had to say, it consisted of two pages, and he folded it in half and stuck it in an envelope, placing it inside his jacket pocket.



The call came at eight o’clock the next morning, and it was no less devastating delivered in the light of day. Sonny answered the door to find a policeman standing on the other side, and he rolled his eyes, figuring it was the usual harassment. “Officer, isn’t it a little early for a visit?”

“Your name was the listed contact for an Alexander Lewis. Do you know him?”

“He’s my employee. Is something wrong?”

“I’m afraid there has been an accident. He was taken by ambulance to General Hospital after being hit by a car a little over an hour ago.”

Sonny staggered, almost falling to his knees. “Is he alive?”

“I have no specifics on his condition, sir. Is there someone else I should notify?”

“His sister is here right now. I’ll tell her myself.”

“Very well,” the officer said, nodding respectfully as he left.

The next few minutes passed in a blur. Sonny hurried upstairs to awaken Elizabeth, breaking the news to her as gently as possible. She threw on her clothes from the night before, and they headed for the hospital. She was so pale that he was worried she might faint, and he picked her up and carried her to the car, not willing to take the risk of her getting hurt.

The doctors wouldn’t let her see him right away, not until they were sure that she understood the gravity of Zander’s condition. Terms like “irreversible coma” and “minimal brainwave activity” were used repeatedly, until Elizabeth felt like screaming. Instead, she nodded and told them she understood. In other words, she lied. But she would have said anything to see him.



It had been a week since the accident, and nothing had changed. Zander was still on full life-support, and Elizabeth refused to leave his side for more than a few minutes at the time. Sonny knew she was running herself ragged, but he was helpless to do anything about it. The only time she would give herself a break was when he was sitting with Zander, and then only for twenty minutes at the time. Just long enough to grab a quick shower, or get something from the cafeteria. He understood her reasons; she was afraid her brother was going to die while she wasn’t with him, but, sooner or later, something had to give.

Elizabeth paused on her way back to Zander’s room, one hand resting against the wall while the other held the apple she purchased from the vending machine. She was so tired that it was a tremendous chore to put one foot in front of the other. Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice, and, to her absolute horror, Jason Quartermaine rounded the corner, wearing a white lab coat. Turning her face toward the wall, she breathed a sigh of relief when he passed by without noticing her.

Hysterical when she reached Zander’s room, Elizabeth could barely speak, but it hardly took Sonny any time to figure out that she must have seen her rapist in the hospital. “Who is it?” he demanded.

“I can’t stay here,” she wailed. “I’ve got to go away. Please, Sonny. Help me get away from here. And I want Zander with me.”

She was so upset that he would have promised her anything, and, by the end of the day, all the arrangements had been made. Early the next day, a private jet equipped with all the necessary medical equipment would transport both Zander and Elizabeth to Switzerland, where he would be staying in a clinic doing experimental work with coma patients. An apartment had been leased for her within walking distance of the clinic, and funds had been placed at her disposal.



“I can never repay you for everything you’ve done,” Elizabeth told him as she boarded the plane.

“Your brother was my best friend. Anything I have to give is yours.”

“You will come see us soon, right?”

“Very soon,” Sonny promised. “Call me and let me know you’ve arrived safely.”

“Okay,” she said, the tears welling up in her eyes despite her best efforts to hold them back.

“Take care, Elizabeth.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, clinging to him so tightly that he started to cry too. Knowing they needed to get underway, Elizabeth dragged herself away from him, brushing her lips against his cheek. “Thanks for everything.”

Watching the plane take off, Sonny was filled with a pervasive sense of melancholy he couldn’t fight. He knew instinctively that nothing would ever be the same again.



The next day, Sonny made himself go to the hospital to settle Zander’s bill, knowing that the longer he waited, the harder it would be. When he got there, a social worker appeared, handing him a manila envelope with his friend’s name on it. “These were the items the patient had on him at the time of the accident,” she explained. “Somehow, there was a mix up and they were never turned over to his sister.”

“I could pass them along to her. I’ll be seeing her in a couple of weeks.”

“That’s very kind of you. We prefer not to send the items through the mail unless absolutely necessary. Something irreplaceable could easily be lost.”

“It’s no problem,” he assured her.

Taking the envelope, he continued on to the casher’s office, where he wrote a check to cover all of Zander’s medical expenses. The man’s eyes widened when he saw the amount, but he covered well, giving Sonny a receipt and thanking him profusely. Nodding distractedly, he left carrying the envelope, taking the elevator down to the first floor. An ambulance was pulling up to the Emergency Room entrance as Sonny walked out the front door, but he never noticed it, or any of the commotion that followed.

He was totally indifferent to the gasps of recognition as Jason was lifted out of the ambulance and onto a stretcher. “We have severe head trauma,” said one of the EMTs to a doctor rushing out to meet them. “It’s associated with a motor vehicle accident. The patient was not wearing a seat belt.”

Unable to think of Zander without getting extremely upset, Sonny focused his anger on Elizabeth’s rapist, thinking to himself if there were any justice in the world, that man would pay. And, if it happened to be necessary, Sonny wasn’t above helping justice along. Sooner or later, it would be time for payback.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 2 PG-13 - R

A/N Just wanted to make it clear that the idea for this story should be credited to Planegirl. She gave me a very detailed premise in her fanfic request, and I just have to give props to her for her creativity.

Sonny pulled his ringing cell phone out of his pocket, checking the caller ID even though he would have bet money it was Elizabeth calling. He had been thinking of her all day and getting a strange vibe, apparently for a reason. “Hey, sweetie.”

“It’s time, Sonny.”

He didn’t speak for several seconds, the no-nonsense manner of her announcement taking his breath away. “Are you sure?”

“Three and a half years I’ve watched him like this. And it’s totally been for me, because I’ve been too selfish to let go. Zander would never have wanted to just exist, with no hope of ever getting his life back. You told me so yourself.”

“Don’t let me pressure you, Elizabeth. I don’t want you to do something you may regret later.”

“The hardest part for me is that he won’t ever get to see Alexandra. He would have been the most wonderful uncle in the world. She’s turning three in a couple of months, and I’d give anything to throw her a party with him there.”

“What can I do to help?”

“I know you just visited last week, but is there any chance you could come tomorrow? I don’t want to wait now that I’ve made the decision.”

“I’ll fly out early in the morning. Have you thought about arrangements for a service and where you want to have him buried?”

She was silent for a long time, and Sonny wished he had saved the questions for the following day, when he would be with her in person. “Zander always loved Port Charles. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to have him buried there. And we can have a private ceremony with just the two of us.”

“I’ll make all the arrangements,” he said quickly. “Don’t you worry about anything.”

“I never do,” Elizabeth sobbed, her pain too raw to be contained any longer. “You’ve been so good to us. Alex thinks you’re a magician, and I’m inclined to agree with her.”

“If I were a magician, then Zander would be okay and you wouldn’t be heartbroken.”

“Sonny, you take too much on yourself. You’ve practically put your life on hold since Zander’s accident to take care of me and then Alex. We’ve taken advantage of you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You act like it’s some kind of hardship to see you. You’re my two favorite girls.”

“I don’t know if I would have made it without you,” she confessed.

“You won’t ever have to worry about that,” he responded lovingly. “Are you planning to move back to Port Charles? Because you know I would give anything to have you and Alex live with me.”

“I’m not sure yet, but I definitely want to stay for a while.”

“That sounds good, sweetie.” He heard her yawn and chuckled lightly. “Someone needs to hit the sack.”

“Yeah, I guess I do.”

“I’ll meet you at the hospital tomorrow morning. I think the flight gets in at 10:00 so I should be there by 11:00.”

“Okay, you’ve made this trip way too many times if you have the flight schedule memorized,” Elizabeth giggled.

Tears filled his eyes as he realized she probably wouldn’t be laughing much for a long time. “Mind like a steel trap,” he joked, trying to cover.

“Be safe, Sonny. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, Elizabeth. Give Alex a kiss for me.”

He had barely ended the call when the reality hit him like a ton of bricks. Tears fell like rain as Sonny was forced to admit for the first time that Zander was never coming back to life. Even when he had been encouraging Elizabeth to take her brother off life support, it was a clinical, dispassionate opinion, not one that was heartfelt. He would never see Zander’s smile again, or hear him laugh at some stupid joke. It was so very unfair.



Elizabeth waited for Sonny in Zander’s room, brushing his hair the same way she did every morning. “Well, I guess you’ve been wondering how long time it was going to take for me to do the right thing, Zan-man. It’s so hard though. How can I live without you? You’ve been my whole world for as long as I can remember. My heart is broken and it’s never going to heal, not without you here. I’m furious with God for taking you away from me, but I can’t blame him for wanting you in Heaven. Be happy, Zander, and I know we’ll see each other again someday. Until then, I’ll be loving you heart and soul.”

Sonny heard most of what she said, and he had to take a minute to compose himself before entering the room. “Hey, sweetheart.”

Smiling through her tears, Elizabeth ran into his arms, hugging him like she never wanted to let go. “Thanks for coming.”

“Always,” he said, kissing her cheek softly. “Where’s Alex?”

“She’s with Cassie. That girl has been nothing short of a miracle. Alex loves her like a sister.”

Worry filled his eyes as he pondered the consequences of taking the little girl away from everything she knew and loved. “How is Alex going to feel about being away from her for an extended period?”

“That’s the thing,” Elizabeth related. “Cassie’s agreed to come with us to Port Charles if it’s okay with you.”

“That’s wonderful,” he exclaimed. “Of course it’s all right with me. I want Alex to have whatever makes her happy.”

“You spoil her.”

“Guilty as charged.”

They smiled at each other, understanding the desire for normalcy despite the circumstances. “I’m going to let you have a few minutes with Zander,” she stated. “The doctor will be here in a little while.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth.” She closed the door gently behind her and he walked over to the bed, unsure of how to say goodbye to the man that he loved like a brother. “I’d give anything to hear your voice right now, Zander. You could always keep me in line when I got the urge to do something crazy and impulsive. All this time I had the idea in the back of my mind that you were coming back to us, in spite of everything the doctors said. They didn’t know your indomitable spirit. But I guess some things aren’t meant to be, no matter how hard it is to accept.”

“You have a niece, Alexandra. She’s beautiful, inside and out; a wonderful combination of you and Elizabeth. They mean the world to me, and I’ll take care of them the best way I can. You don’t ever have to worry about that. I wish you peace and joy, my friend. Until we meet again, I’ll keep you here in my heart.”

Sonny leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek, squeezing his shoulder one last time. The door opened, and he looked up to see a heavyset man in a white coat following Elizabeth into the room. “Mr. Corinthos, it’s a pleasure to see you again, but I’m sorry it is under these conditions.”

“Thank you, Dr. Brisbois. It’s a comfort to me and to Elizabeth that you are going to be the one to turn off the equipment.”

“Well, I want you both to be prepared for what could happen. It’s possible that his body may be able to function well enough to breathe for a short time, hours, maybe days. However, it is more than likely that Mr. Lewis will expire shortly after the life support is disconnected. So, it’s important that you be sure of your decision.”

“I am,” Elizabeth stated firmly.

“Very well,” he smiled gently. “Whenever you’re ready.”

She took her place by Zander’s bedside, whispering “goodnight, sweetie” in his ear before reaching for his hand and holding it tightly. Sonny stood beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist for support. He nodded at the doctor, and, with the flick of a switch, it was done. Elizabeth sobbed quietly as the heart monitor measured Zander’s fading heartbeat until it finally flatlined.



After making arrangements with a local funeral home to prepare Zander’s body to be shipped home, Sonny took Elizabeth back to her condo. Alex squealed delightedly when she saw him, running into his arms at full speed. He picked her up and repeatedly tossed her in the air. “You’re going to wear Uncle Sonny out,” Elizabeth scolded lightly.

“Nonsense,” Sonny grinned. “I can keep up with this little tyke.”

“My dollies are having a tea party,” she announced. “Come see them.”

He went without complaint, thankful to have something to keep his mind occupied. Elizabeth wondered into the kitchen and filled the kettle with hot water, longing for some tea herself. Cassie followed her, taking a seat at the kitchen table. “It must have been very hard for you this morning.”

“If Sonny hadn’t been there, I never could have done it. What really bothers me is how long I let it go on.”

“From what you’ve told me about Zander, he wouldn’t have wanted you to make the decision before you were ready.”

Elizabeth thought about the young woman’s words, smiling as she heard a ring of truth in them. “I’ve never thought of it that way, but you’re absolutely right. Thank you for pointing that out.”

“Anything to help. Would you like for me to get Alexandra’s things ready to go?”

“That would help a lot, Cassie, but leave yourself time to pack.”

“I’m already done,” she smiled.

“You’re amazing,” Elizabeth said. “I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to go with us.”

“Well, it’s a good opportunity for me to visit the states, and it’s not like I won’t get to see the sights. You’re always making me take time off.”

“I don’t want to overwork you.”

“There’s no chance of that,” Cassie grinned. “You must be the world’s easiest boss.”

“She’s a soft touch,” Sonny confirmed, hearing her comment as he came down the stairs.

Elizabeth scowled at the two of them in mock anger. “Hey, no ganging up on me.”

Sonny retrieved his jacket from the closet and draped it over his arm. “I guess I’ll head over to the hotel.”

“No, Sonny, stay here tonight. Please?”

“Won’t that just create more work for you?”

“I need you,” she sighed softly.

“Okay,” he agreed, willing to do anything to make the situation easier for her. “How about I take everyone out to dinner?”

Alexandra chose that moment to enter into the conversation, calling out “pizza” as Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

His eyes twinkling in amusement, Sonny winked at Elizabeth. “I think I have a place that will satisfy everybody. What do you say?”

She hesitated, not wanting to dampen everyone’s spirits, but needing to know that all the arrangements had been made. “Have you …”

“I’ve taken care of everything. The coffin will be on a plane to LaGuardia in the morning. Someone from the funeral home will meet the plane and transport the body back to Port Charles. They’ve planned a private service and burial for the following day.”

“Thanks, Sonny. It all seemed overwhelming to me.”

“Pizza,” Alexandra interjected, becoming impatient with all the adult talk.

“Okay, sweetheart,” Elizabeth smiled. “Pizza it is.”



The service was short and emotional, with Elizabeth crying quietly from beginning to end. Sonny was worried about her, but she refused to address his concerns, saying it was Zander’s day and all the attention should be on him. The trip left her exhausted, and she had spent most of the previous day sleeping. Yet, there remained dark circles under her eyes.

“Are you ready to go, sweetheart?” he asked, after she placed a single red rose atop the coffin.

She nodded and held out her hand. They walked slowly back to his car, both of them finding it difficult to leave Zander alone. “Do you think Cassie is okay with Alex?”

“Elizabeth, she’s your nanny. It’s her job to take care of Alex.”

“I know, but I don’t want to take advantage of her.”

“Why are you asking?”

“I was kind of thinking I’d like to go by Kelly’s and get a chocolate milkshake.”

“Than that’s what we’ll do.

Johnny greeted them somberly as he held the back door open. “We’d like to go by Kelly’s on the way home,” Sonny said.

“You got it, Mr. C.”

In the few minutes it took to get to Kelly’s from the cemetery, Elizabeth fell asleep. Sonny sent Johnny inside to get four chocolate milkshakes, deciding to indulge himself for once. Before the driver/bodyguard could get back to the car, her blue eyes flickered and she murmured drowsily, “don’t think I forgot about my milkshake.”

“I should have known it would take chocolate to wake you up.”

“Works every time.” When Johnny opened the door, Elizabeth took one of the milkshakes from him and sucked on the straw greedily. “Yum,” she sighed. “There’s nothing in the world as good as this.”

“And what would Alex say?” Sonny teased. “You’re not even waiting for her to get hers before you start slurping away.”

“Kelly’s milkshakes defy all rules of polite behavior.”

The consistency was so thick that she barely managed to finish half of it before they got back to the penthouse. Johnny escorted them into the elevator, trying not to laugh at how hard Elizabeth was working the poor straw. “I think you need a spoon,” he advised. She looked so scandalized that he chuckled despite himself.

Hearing Alexandra’s laughter from the hallway, Elizabeth opened the door and stepped inside, freezing at the sight of her daughter sitting on the lap of a man who looked all too familiar. All the blood drained from Elizabeth’s face, and she struggled to draw air into her suddenly constricted lungs.

“Look, Jason. I drawed a tree and a dog.”

“You sure did. And guess what? That’s the best tree and the best dog I’ve ever seen anybody draw.”

The milkshake slipped from her hand, and two identical pairs of blue eyes turned to look at her. “Mommy,” Alexandra said excitedly. “I made a new friend.”

Before Sonny even knew what was happening, Elizabeth fainted dead away, her body crumpling to the floor without warning. The last thing she heard was him calling for Jason’s help, and then, mercifully, she drifted into unconsciousness.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 3 Rated R

A/N Thanks for all the well-wishes! I’ve been feeling a little better physically for a couple of weeks, but nothing was flowing story-wise. I started feeling panicky, and thought that maybe I had used up all my creative juices (yeah, not rational, lol, but since when is fear rational?). It was especially scary to me because writing is my outlet, my way of coping with chronic pain and the rest of my situation. Anyway, waiting for something magical to happen didn’t seem to be working, so I decided to make myself write, hoping that would do the trick. This is that effort. Maybe it will get me headed in the right direction, but my updates for this story, as well as my other stories, will probably be shorter and less frequent for the foreseeable future. Hope you enjoy.

Elizabeth woke up with a pounding headache and the feeling that she was trapped in some sort of huge cocoon. She immediately starting flailing about, struggling to break free. “Hey, you’re okay,” a soothing voice said. “You’re in Sonny’s bed and you’re under the covers because we wanted to make sure you didn’t go into shock.”

For a few seconds she let herself relax, until she suddenly remembered the owner of the soothing voice. “You,” she gasped, sitting up with a jerking motion that made her head scream even louder.

“I’m sorry,” Jason told her. “It must have been uncomfortable walking in the door and seeing your daughter on some stranger’s lap. It didn’t even occur to me to think about it from your perspective. Although, I’m not sure what I would have done even if I had. Your daughter was being very friendly and I wouldn’t have wanted to hurt her feelings. Besides, she’s absolutely adorable.”

“Stranger,” Elizabeth repeated, every word out of Jason’s mouth only serving to confuse her more.

“Well, not technically, I guess, since I do work for Sonny. But a stranger to you and Alexandra nonetheless.”

“I’ve seen you …”

Jason paused, his eyes narrowing as he stared at her with an intensity that should have made her uncomfortable but didn’t. “I see. That explains a lot.”

“Really? Perhaps you could fill me in because I’m not understanding anything.”

“Did you happen to be a student at PCU about three and a half years ago?”

“Yes, why?”

“I was a student there as well, except back then my name was Jason Quartermaine instead of Jason Morgan.” Upon hearing the name she had thought about every single day since the rape, Elizabeth started to cry. “You must really have cared about him,” Jason observed.

“Him?” she sniffled.

“Not long after graduation, just a few days in fact, I was involved in a terrible car accident. According to what I’ve been told, my brother was drunk, and I tried to stop him from driving by getting into the car with him. Apparently, I wasn’t too bright.”

“What do you mean you were told?”

“I don’t remember anything from before my accident.”

“You don’t remember?” Elizabeth stated incomprehensibly. “You don’t remember? How could you not remember? You have to remember. You have to remember.”

She was completely hysterical, and Jason didn’t have a clue what to do. The only thing he could make of it was that Elizabeth must have been a close friend of Jason Quartermaine’s. Odd that Sonny wouldn’t know that though. “Hey,” he said awkwardly, “maybe I should go get Sonny so he can sit with you. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Where’s Alex?” Elizabeth demanded, concern for her daughter slicing through the pain.

“Sonny took her downstairs. She was getting upset because you wouldn’t wake up.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Over two hours.”

“What?” she exclaimed, trying to swing her legs off the bed and get to her feet.

“No chance,” Jason said firmly, positioning her back on the bed before tucking the covers around her. “The doctor was here and he said you should rest.”

Her head was pounding again, and she felt sick to her stomach. How could such a thing be happening? The man who raped her was sitting on the side of her bed, talking to her with such concern, as if he had never held her down beneath him, never shoved his fingers inside her as she pleaded for him to stop, never stabbed his penis into her over and over again until all the fight drained out of her and she could only pray for it to end.

“Elizabeth, where are you? Talk to me. Maybe I should get the doctor here again.”

“No,” she shouted.

She was so insistent that Jason nodded, not wanting to upset her further. “My story must be particularly hard to hear in light of what happened to your brother.”

The sadness of the day returned to her in an instant. Zander was gone, lying cold in the grave. “I can’t bear it,” Elizabeth cried. “How am I supposed to live without him?”

The deep, gut-wrenching sobs tore at Jason’s heart, and he couldn’t sit by and watch her suffer. Getting under the covers, he wrapped his arms around her and held on tightly. Elizabeth was so overwhelmed with grief that she couldn’t even focus on who was holding her and giving her comfort. She just closed her eyes and bawled like a baby over Zander until she fell asleep from exhaustion.



The next time Elizabeth woke up, she was alone. The jackhammer noise in her head had faded, for which she was immensely grateful. The urge to hurl the contents of her stomach was apparently gone as well, probably because there were no contents to hurl. Instead, her stomach growled with hunger, provoking a sadness in her heart that she could let herself be bothered with such mundane details while Zander was lying dead in the cemetery.

Common sense told her she was being irrational; she could starve herself to death and it wouldn’t bring Zander back. Still, it was discomforting to think about eating, sleeping, laughing, basically continuing to live, as if him dying had changed nothing. “I wish you were here, Zan-man. This situation with Jason Quartermaine, or rather Jason Morgan, is freaking me out. I don’t know what to think. He doesn’t remember anything about what happened. What am I supposed to do with all these feelings I have? Ever since that night I’ve dreamed of confronting him. Maybe it would have happened one day; maybe not. But now, I’ll never have that opportunity.”

“Elizabeth,” Sonny called, knocking softly on the door. “Who are you talking to, sweetheart?”

“Come on in, Sonny. I was just talking to Zander.”

Pleased to see her out of bed, Sonny smiled and held out his hand. “I cooked some dinner for us. You need to eat so you can keep up your strength.”

“Okay,” she agreed before looking down at her clothes with a frown. “I look horrible. Do you think I should change?”

“Nobody cares if your clothes are wrinkled, honey. Besides, it’s just the five of us.”

“The five of us?”

“Yeah, you, me, Cassie, Alex and Jason.”

“Jason’s eating with us?”

“Yeah, he and I usually eat dinner together. Is there a problem?” Sonny asked, confused by the hint of hostility he detected at the mention of his lieutenant’s name. “I know you don’t know him yet, but he’s a great guy.”

“Yes, I’m sure he is,” she replied coolly. “I’m just drained, that’s all. You’ll have to forgive me, Sonny. I feel so detached right now, like I’m watching my life on television or something.”

“Would you rather I bring you something on a tray?”

“Thanks but I’m sure Alex needs some reassurance that her mommy is okay.”

“She has been rather worried,” Sonny admitted reluctantly.

“Then let’s go eat.”

Elizabeth tried to steel herself against any reaction toward Jason, but it was almost impossible when the first thing she saw on her way down the stairs was him laughing as he tickled her daughter. Alex was giggling nonstop, and Cassie was studying the scene with an indulgent smile. “Hey there,” she said when she spotted Elizabeth. “You gave us quite a scare.”

“Mommy,” Alex shouted, abandoning Jason to run straight into Elizabeth’s arms.

“Well, I guess we can tell who she really loves,” he teased.

“You slept a long time, Mommy, and you didn’t wake up.”

“I’m sorry I scared you, baby. Mommy wasn’t feeling good, but I’m all better now.”

“Jason said that Mommies need ‘lone time once a while and you still love me.”

“That’s very true,” Elizabeth said, trying not to cry as she rubbed the back of her hand against her daughter’s soft cheek.

Sonny herded the group into the dining room, and got Alex her booster seat. “You’re almost as tall as I am now, squirt,” Jason winked.

Alex beamed in his direction, making the knot in Elizabeth’s stomach start to tighten again. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice that she didn’t say much, or they chose not to comment. “Sonny, this food is delicious,” Cassie raved. “You should be a gourmet chef.”

“I actually considered it for a while,” he confessed with a sheepish grin.

“Well, consider it again. This meal is better than anything I’ve ever tasted.”

“That’s quite a compliment, Cassie. I appreciate it.”

Elizabeth almost smiled when she realized Sonny was blushing. Thinking about how Zander would have ragged on him for days, her eyes softened momentarily. She lifted her head to find Jason staring at her, his blue eyes twinkling with silent laughter. For a few seconds, they shared a connection, and she noticed how attractive he was when he smiled. Then the memory of what he had done to her slammed into her brain like a sledgehammer.

Getting to her feet so suddenly that she knocked the chair over backward, Elizabeth stood trembling beside the table, unable to explain her odd behavior. “I’m sorry … I don’t feel …”

Sonny stood up and patted her hand. “No need to explain, sweetheart. I think you better go back to bed. The past few days have been very rough.”

“Alex, will you be okay with Cassie reading you a story tonight? Mommy is still feeling a little tired.”

“It’s okay,” the little girl assured her. “Jason is going to read to me.”

It was a battle she couldn’t win without explaining herself, so Elizabeth forced a smile and let it go. “That sounds very nice, sweetie. Just don’t wear him out.”

Noticing how long it took Elizabeth just to get halfway across the room, Sonny motioned for Jason to help her. Instead of letting her lean on him, he simply swept her into his arms and started up the stairs. “Much easier this way, right?”

“There’s no need to carry me,” she protested. “I’m sure Sonny would have helped me.”

“He’s too busy being macho to let on that he hurt his wrist trying to catch you when you fell.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.”

“The doctor said it was just a sprain, but you know how Sonny is.”

Jason laid her down gently in the bed, covering her with the sheet and bedspread before taking a seat in the chair next to the nightstand. “Elizabeth, what were you and Jason Quartermaine to each other?”

“What do you mean?”

“Based on your reaction, I think you knew him, and not simply as an acquaintance. Were you friends?” Elizabeth turned her head away from him and remained silent. “Lovers?”

“Get out,” she demanded.

“I don’t want to pry, but it’s obvious something happened between the two of you. And every time you look at me, I can feel your pain. Did he … did I treat you badly in some way?”

“Stop it. Stop talking about it.”

“It?”

“Get out. Get out right now or I swear to God I’ll scream.”

Leaning forward to stroke her hair with his fingers, Jason tried to calm her down. “Elizabeth, I’m not …”

“Don’t touch me,” she shouted, leaping out of the bed to cower against the wall. “Don’t touch me, ever again.”

Her actions were like that of a wounded animal, and Jason could barely look at her without flinching. “It’s okay. I’m leaving now. Sonny will be up later to check on you. Nobody is going to hurt you.” He backed out of the room slowly, easing the door shut behind him.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 4 Rated R

Jason looked up from the travel guide he was reading when he heard Sonny’s footsteps on the stairs. “Is she feeling better?”

“Yeah,” Sonny sighed, the circles under his eyes revealing his level of exhaustion. “It took a long time for her to calm down, but she’s asleep now.”

“I don’t know what I did to get her so upset.”

“It’s not you, Jason. She’s been through so much. I’m surprised that she’s managed to keep herself together this long. Give her a couple of days and she’ll be back up to speed. She’s a fighter.”

“Are you going out?” Jason asked, as Sonny opened the door to the coat closet.

“Malenko called and wants to meet.”

“Let me go, Sonny. You need to be here.”

“He insisted on a face-to-face meeting, Jason. I don’t have any choice. Elizabeth and Alex will be fine with you here.”

“What if she wakes up again?”

“Go get Cassie. She’ll figure out what to do.”

Jason nodded nervously, not convinced by Sonny’s analysis of the situation. “It there anything you want me to work on while you’re gone?”

“No, just relax and …” Sonny snapped his fingers and turned back around to look at Jason. “Actually, I need you to get a file out of the safe for me so I can look it over when I get back.”

“Which one?”

“The prospectus on the Farrington project.”

“It sounds like a good deal,” Jason said cautiously.

“Yeah, too good to be true. I’m suspicious about the whole thing, so I want to study every little detail with a fine-tooth comb.”

“Okay, I’ll put it on your desk for you.”

“Thanks, Jason. I appreciate you staying here even though I know you’re uncomfortable after what happened earlier.”

“It’s not me I’m concerned about. I just don’t want to upset Elizabeth.”

Sonny paused in the doorway, smiling at his right-hand man affectionately. “You’re a good man, Jason Morgan.”

After Sonny left, Jason relaxed for a few minutes with a glass of scotch and then opened the safe. He reached for the prospectus, accidentally grabbing a manila envelope that was underneath the folder. As he tried to let go of the envelope while holding on to the folder, everything fell to the floor in a jumbled mess.

“Damn it,” Jason swore.

The envelope was labeled Zander Lewis, and Jason knew it must be the personal effects that had been removed from him after the accident. It seemed irreverent to handle the objects any more than necessary seeing as he hadn’t even known Elizabeth’s brother, so Jason quickly separated everything and either put it back in the envelope or the folder. Unfortunately, one item remained, and he had no idea where it belonged. It was a long, white envelope, totally blank on the outside.

His first instinct was to ask Sonny about it, but he reconsidered when he remembered that his friend was still in mourning. The back of the envelope was folded in, instead of being sealed, and Jason finally decided to open it and take a quick look at what was inside, just long enough to tell if it had belonged to Zander. There were two pieces of paper folded together, and he opened them and briefly scanned the first page, determining that it was some sort of letter from Zander, seemingly to himself. Almost like a journal entry.

About to refold the letter and put it back in the envelope, Jason suddenly caught sight of the name “Jason Quartermaine.” Thinking that it might answer the question of why Elizabeth seemed so afraid of him, he put aside his reservations and started reading the words that Zander had written just hours before his accident.

Tonight has been the worse night of my life, and I know it must be a million times worse for Elizabeth. When she showed up at my place, barely coherent and crying hysterically, it was obvious something horrible had happened. I wanted to help her, but part of me was so afraid to hear what she had to say; it felt like if she didn’t actually say the words, then it wouldn’t be real. Cowardly, I know. But I felt so helpless in the face of her pain. Then she spoke, and my worst fear was realized. My baby sister, my sweet, loving Elizabeth, who would never hurt a fly, was raped by Jason Quartermaine.

Stunned by Zander’s revelation, Jason staggered a bit and forced himself to breathe deeply, fighting the urge to throw up. Jason Quartermaine wasn’t the paragon of virtue everyone made him out to be; he was a rapist, a horrible, vile, disgusting monster who had forced a woman to have sex against her will. And it wasn’t just any woman; it was Elizabeth.

“No wonder she freaked out when I asked her if she and Jason Quartermaine were lovers,” he mumbled. Anger surged through his body when he remembered the things the Quartermaines told him while they were trying to get him to still be their son. “You’re wonderful, kind and compassionate,” they had all said. But he wasn’t any of those things; he was a rapist. Jason Quartermaine was a rapist.

All at once, the truth hit him so hard that he fell to his knees. “He is me,” Jason whispered, so appalled at the notion that he cried out in agony. “I’m a rapist.”



Sonny eased his key into the lock, doing his best not to disturb Jason, who was probably asleep on the sofa. Suddenly, the door jerked open, and his best friend was staring at him wildly. “Are you okay?” Sonny asked after a slight pause.

“I’ve got to go,” Jason blurted out abruptly.

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something I have to do. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Jason, what’s wrong?”

“I have to leave now.”

He shoved Sonny out of the way and headed toward his place to get his jacket and keys. “Wait a minute,” Sonny said sharply, confused by Jason’s strange behavior.

When Jason didn’t respond, Sonny followed him into the other penthouse, grabbing his arm with the intent of making him explain. To his astonishment, Jason jerked away from him and walked out the door without saying a word. “Come back here,” Sonny demanded.

The sound of Jason’s footsteps on the stairs sent a chill through Sonny that he couldn’t begin to understand. Something terrible must have happened for his friend to just take off without any explanation. Starting to panic, Sonny raced back over to his penthouse and took the stairs two at a time. Easing the door open to Elizabeth’s room, he crept over to the bed and looked down at her. Breathing a little easier when he saw she was sleeping peacefully, Sonny repeated the process with Alexandra. The little girl looked so angelic, he couldn’t help stroking her face gently.

Hearing a noise in the doorway, Sonny looked up to find Cassie peering into the room. “Is everything all right?” she whispered.

Sonny kissed Alex on the forehead and tiptoed into the hallway, closing the door gently behind him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Something’s going on with Jason. He took off as soon as I got home, and he wouldn’t tell me why. You didn’t happen to see him tonight after I left, did you?”

“No, I went to sleep right after I got Alex to bed. Is there anything I can do?”

“I guess there’s nothing anyone can do until Jason gets back. It’s just so unlike him to act this way. I guess I was frightened and needed to reassure myself that Elizabeth and Alex were all right.”

Cassie picked at the frayed sleeve of the tee-shirt she was wearing, trying to work up the courage to ask Sonny a question. “Did Elizabeth … did she know Jason in the past?”

“No,” Sonny frowned. “What made you think that?”

“The way she looks at him …there’s some weird vibe between them. Jason doesn’t seem to know her though. I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Maybe she knew Jason Quartermaine,” Sonny mumbled to himself. “But why wouldn’t she tell me?”

“What?”

“Sorry, just thinking out loud. Jason’s last name used to be Quartermaine, not Morgan. He changed it after he was in a car accident that left him with brain damage and no memory of the past.”

“How horrible,” Cassie stated simply, not knowing what else to say.

“His family wanted him to be who he was before the accident, and he wasn’t that person anymore. I met him in a bar one night; he was out of control, trying to provoke a fight with everyone in the place. For some reason, his pain really affected me, so I intervened and managed to calm him down. Then, I offered him a job, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

“So Elizabeth could have known him in the past, and he would have no memory of it?”

“Why wouldn’t she have said anything?”

“She fainted when she saw him.”

Sonny thought back two days, remembering the way Elizabeth had collapsed on the floor as soon as she stepped inside the penthouse. “We had just buried her brother. She was exhausted and overwrought. I’m sure it had nothing to do with Jason.”

“You’re probably right,” Cassie agreed, not wanting to argue with him.

“Still, the timing was a little strange,” he admitted grudgingly. Suddenly, he glanced at his watch, grimacing when he realized that Cassie would have to be up with Alexandra in a couple of hours. “Here I am keeping you awake. You better get what little sleep you can because I’m sure Alex will be raring to go at the crack of dawn.”

“She’s a sweetie. I almost feel guilty accepting money to take care of her. It’s such a joy to be with her, and Elizabeth too.”

“What about me?” Sonny teased.

Cassie blushed, caught off guard by his playful question. “It’s always wonderful when you’re around, Sonny.” Her voice was so soft he had to strain to make out the words. Finding himself staring at her, Sonny tried to look away, but the unexpected attraction between them was too strong. He lifted her chin with one hand, the fingers of his other hand brushing gently against her skin as he traced the contours of her face.

Her big brown eyes were filled with uncertainty, and her mouth trembled at the feel of his fingers moving slowly across her full, shapely lips. Sonny was fascinated by her reaction. “Are you afraid of me?”

“No, I’m afraid of me.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m afraid I’ll get in too deep, and I’ll get hurt.”

“I won’t hurt you,” Sonny vowed.

“You can’t know that,” Cassie said harshly. “I’ve had a crush on you for over a year, and you haven’t even noticed me.”

“Then I’ve been an idiot. Cassie, you know I was preoccupied by the situation with Zander, and worried about Elizabeth and Alex at the same time.”

“I know, but, Sonny, I’m the nanny. I’m not a member of the family, or a friend of Elizabeth’s. I’m an employee.”

“You couldn’t be more wrong. Jason is an employee, but he’s also my best friend. You’ve been a wonderful friend to Elizabeth; she’s said as much to me on more than one occasion.”

Cassie shook her head and opened her mouth to object, but Sonny kissed her before she could speak. His lips were firm and insistent, even though the contact was brief, and she found herself leaning into him despite her reservations. When the kiss was over, he pulled back slightly, their breath still mingling together as his hooded, dark eyes almost burned her with the intensity of his desire.

“We’ll take things as slowly as you want.” His words hung between them, waiting for her response. She finally nodded her assent, her fear of missing out on any chance with Sonny greater than her fear of what was happening between them. “Better get back to bed, sweetheart. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She kissed him on the cheek, and he smiled, showing her his dimples. “Wake me up if you get any news on Jason.”

“Okay, I will. Sleep well.”

He watched her walk back to her room, the thin tee-shirt clinging tightly to her body and leaving little to the imagination. “Soon,” he muttered under his breath. “Very soon.”



Jason rode his bike for twenty-four straight hours, far longer than he ever had at any one time. The first fourteen hours, he drove north, with no particular destination in mind. The interstate had far too much traffic for him, even in the middle of the night, so he stuck mainly to the highways and back roads, finally winding up lost somewhere in New Hampshire. Stopping for a quick bathroom break, Jason asked for directions to the interstate, knowing he couldn’t run forever.

The drive back was faster, and, at exactly 2:47 am, Jason pulled his bike into the garage underneath the building where he and Sonny both lived. He was exhausted, and in desperate need of a shower. Eschewing the stairs for once, he stumbled into the elevator, leaning against the wall for support. The dinging sound as the car reached its destination roused him just as he was about to doze off. Rubbing his bleary eyes, Jason stepped into the hallway and turned left, his mouth dropping open in shock when he saw Elizabeth sitting on the floor.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Waiting for you,” she explained, wincing as she got to her feet. Her muscles were stiff and aching from too much time spent in the same position.

“It’s not a good time, Elizabeth.”

“Well, Jason, something tells me that there isn’t going to be a good time. We can talk out here if you insist, but I’d rather do it inside.”

Figuring she was there to scold him about worrying Sonny, Jason reluctantly unlocked the door and motioned her into the penthouse. “I know Sonny must be frantic. I’ll call him and let him know I’m back.”

“Yes, he is frantic, but that’s not why I’m here. You know, don’t you?”

His eyes widened at the implication, and he struggled to catch his breath. A denial began formulating in his brain, but he quickly discarded the notion. The truth was all he had to give her, even if it was precious little comfort after what he had done. “Yes, I know.”

When Elizabeth stepped toward him, saying, “Jason, you have to listen to me,” he bolted across the room, holding his hand out in front of him as if to ward her away.

“How can you stand to be in the same room with me?”

“Let me explain.”

“What is there to explain?” Jason shouted. “I’m a fucking rapist, a monster, an animal. I should just be put down like a rabid dog.”

“Stop it,” Elizabeth yelled, stamping her foot in frustration.

All at once, what little energy he had left him, and Jason slumped against the wall, burying his face in his hands. “I don’t understand how I could hurt you. How could I do something so vicious and cruel?”

“I want to tell you what happened.”

“No,” he sobbed. “I can’t bear to hear it.”

She walked toward him as his body slid down to the floor. Pulling his hands away from his face, Elizabeth held them tightly with her own, willing him to accept her help. “You have to hear it.”

“Turn me in to the police. I’ll confess. There won’t be a trial or any publicity.”

“Are you insane? How would I ever explain to Alexandra that her father was in prison for rape?”

“Alexandra? I’m Alexandra’s father?” The traumatized expression on his face made her want to bite her tongue.

“Jason, I’m sorry. I thought you would have figured it all out.”

“Oh, God,” he wailed, falling over to lay prostrate on the floor. “What have I done to you? I can’t … I just can’t …”

Elizabeth sat down on the floor beside him, knowing any conversation was pointless until the shock he received left his system. She stroked his back gently, just to remind him that she was there with him, and waited patiently. When the tears were gone, he sat up and looked at her, the pain in his eyes so familiar to her. “Please let me tell you what happened.”

“Okay, but it won’t change anything.”

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 5 Rated R
Summary: Elizabeth’s expectations confuse Jason. He tells Sonny the truth.

Jason stared at Elizabeth for several seconds before covering his face with his hands. Feeling the need to move, she got to her feet and paced back and forth in front of him. Now that she had his attention, she wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. “You don’t remember anything about your life before the accident?”

“No, nothing.”

“We met at a frat party. It wasn’t my usual scene at all, but my roommate, Linda, begged me to go with her. She thought my social life could use a little help.”

“You weren’t dating anybody?” Jason asked quietly.

“No, my boyfriend and I had split up six months earlier, and I wasn’t ready to start going out again.” Elizabeth paused, waiting to see if Jason would say anything else, but he simply nodded in her direction. “We bumped into each other and you spilled beer on my shirt. The truth is I wasn’t having a very good time. Linda had abandoned me for some guy, so when you apologized very sweetly and asked me to dance, I was intrigued. I pointed out the lack of music, but you just smiled and said you had somewhere more private in mind.”

His snort of derision echoed harshly across the room, bringing a pained expression to Elizabeth’s face. “Jason, don’t,” she protested. “It wasn’t like that.”

He muttered something unintelligible under his breath before he looked up at her. “Elizabeth, how can you still be so naïve after everything that happened?”

“I’m trying to give you an accurate account of what happened. It will be impossible to do that if you keep interpreting everything on your own.”

The anger faded away, leaving him with the bitter, heart-wrenching truth that he wanted so badly to deny. “Why are you doing this to me? I can’t bear to listen.” His voice was faint, barely discernable at all, and Elizabeth suddenly tired of coddling him.

“Tough shit. Jason Quartermaine raped me, and I really couldn’t bear that either.” He flinched, like she had actually struck him, before adopting a neutral visage.

“My apologies. Please go on.”

“Jason, I’m not trying to hurt you. But I can’t sugarcoat the situation either.”

“I understand.”

Kneeling down in front of him, Elizabeth cupped his face in her hands. “Don’t,” he pleaded, knowing he was unworthy of her touch.

“You can’t let this destroy you, Jason. Alexandra needs you … I need you.”

He frowned at her choice of words, unable to imagine what she could possible need from him. “Alexandra shouldn’t be around me. It’s dangerous.”

“Don’t be absurd. You would never hurt her.”

“I raped her mother. What could be more hurtful than that?”

“It wasn’t you. It was a different man in a different life.”

“Elizabeth, you can’t think that I plan to be around the two of you? If you won’t send me to prison, then I’ll have to find a way to punish myself. Regardless, I won’t be staying here.”

“Yes, you will,” she said insistently. “Alexandra deserves to have a father. I’m not letting you walk away.”

“I’m a monster. How could you possibly want me around her?”

“I’ve seen you with her. She adores you. And it’s not going to be that easy, Jason. I have to live with the rape everyday. You’re just going to have to find a way to do it too.”

“You ask the impossible,” he said, glaring at her as he pulled her hands away from his face.

“I need to finish telling you what happened,” she insisted stubbornly.

“Then finish, damn it.” Elizabeth almost smiled at the little pout playing over his lips. He looked remarkably like Alex at that moment; the resemblance was uncanny.

“We went up to your room. You were upset about something, but you never said what it was. After you put on some music, we danced, and it was wonderful. It had been so long since I’d been in a man’s arms. Your body was hard against mine, and it felt incredible the way you were holding me.”

“Were we drunk?”

“Rather inebriated,” she admitted. “We had some more beer when we got up to your room.”

“Elizabeth, why would you …” He caught himself just in time, but the damage was done.

“Do you think I haven’t asked myself that a thousand times?”

Her lips trembled, and Jason could see the tears forming in her dark blue eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” he whispered gently.

“I didn’t know you. I never should have gone up to your room.”

“Even if that’s true, sweetheart, poor judgment is not a crime.”

“I still remember the smell of your cologne … the feel of your lips on mine. How could something so beautiful become so ugly?”

“Did I ask you to sleep with me?”

“No, one minute we were dancing, and the next minute I was on the bed and you were pulling off my clothes. It all happened so fast.”

Jason swallowed hard, trying to contain the panic welling up in his throat. “Did I … did I hit you?”

The desperation in his tone triggered the deluge of tears she had holding valiantly at bay. Managing to eke out a strangled “no,” Elizabeth buried her face in his chest and bawled like a baby. Despite the awkward circumstances, Jason longed to comfort her, and, after a brief hesitation, his hands descended on her back, rubbing big, rhythmic circles lightly across the thin fabric of her shirt.

Her tears finally abated, but she was reluctant to move. “Can I stay here?”

Jason’s arms tightened around her as he breathed in the fresh, clean scent of her shampoo. “Yes,” he murmured.

After a long silence, Elizabeth cleared her throat and resumed the story. “I didn’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t seem to hear me, and I was worried about causing a scene. That’s why I didn’t realize the danger until it was too late. Then, you were inside of me, with all your weight pressing down, and I couldn’t move an inch. I beat on your shoulders with my fists, but I don’t think you felt it in the slightest.”

His fingers stroked the length of her hair even as a wave of nausea passed over him. “I’m so sorry, Elizabeth.”

“I’m sure it only lasted a couple of minutes, but it was like an eternity to me. I managed to slide out from beneath you before you passed out. My hands were shaking so badly I could hardly get dressed. When I left the frat house, I went straight to Zander’s. He convinced me to go to Sonny for help, but only after I made him promise not to tell anyone who raped me, not even Sonny. The doctor wasn’t able to give me the morning after pill because of my medical history.”

“Did you ever think about …”

“No,” Elizabeth answered quickly. “It’s not that I’m opposed to women being able to make that choice; I just couldn’t do it. Zander was on life support, and I had no family. If it hadn’t been for Sonny, I would have been completely alone. Being pregnant with Alex gave me a reason to live.”

“How did you end up in Switzerland?”

“Not long after Zander’s accident, I was returning to his room from the hospital cafeteria when I heard your voice. I turned my face toward the wall and prayed that you wouldn’t recognize me. You were wearing a white coat, so I figured you must be working there for the summer. As soon as you were out of sight, I ran back to Zander’s room, demanding hysterically that Sonny arrange for me to leave the country.”

“Sonny never wanted to know who raped you?”

“He asked, but I refused to answer.”

“And in the time before you left, Jason Quartermaine never looked you up? Never bothered to try and make amends in any way?”

“That’s just it,” she replied, her fingers nervously tracing the striped pattern of his shirt. “I don’t think he remembered what happened. He was drunk.”

“That’s no excuse,” Jason snapped. She shivered in his arms, making him want to bite his tongue for yelling at her. “Oh, Elizabeth. I wish I could take away all the pain. It kills me to know that you suffered at my hands.”

An exasperated sigh escaped her lips. “How many times do we have to go over the same information? It wasn’t you, not the person you are now anyway.”

“Elizabeth, this body is the same body that penetrated you against your will. These are the same hands that held you down. It was my sperm that impregnated you.”

“Jason Morgan wasn’t even alive then.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, brooking no argument.

“It’s not that simple.”

“Yes, it is.”

Despite the enormity of the moment, Jason had to stifle a laugh. He had never met a woman like Elizabeth: strong, generous, and incredibly stubborn. No wonder Zander had loved her so much. “I don’t know where we’re supposed to go from here.”

“All I know is there’s a hole in my life, and Alexandra’s life, that only you can fill.”

“What are you saying, Elizabeth?”

“I don’t know,” she sobbed, her fingernails digging painfully into the back of his neck. “Jason Quartermaine hurt me, and, for some strange reason, I think you’re the only one who can heal me.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Jason asked, confused by her professed need of him.

“You’re already doing it.” Elizabeth pressed her body even closer to his, seeking out the solid warmth of his muscular frame.

They sat on the floor together until Elizabeth sneezed, prompting him to get to his feet, pick her up, and carry her over to the sofa. “You’re going to hurt yourself,” she scolded.

“From your weight? Not likely.”

Running her hand along the day-old beard roughening his cheek, Elizabeth felt indescribably sad. “Sonny really has been worried about you.”

“He has to know the truth. It’ll be a big shock for him.”

“You don’t have to tell him right away.”

“Yes, I do, Elizabeth. Sonny deserves to know the truth. He’s taken care of you and Alexandra, just the way Zander would have wanted.”

“Sonny cares about you too, Jason.”

“Not after what I tell him, he won’t.”

“I believe you’re underestimating him.”

“I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t kill me on the spot.”

“You are Alexandra’s father. He has to respect that fact.” Her face was resolute, and Jason marveled at her penchant for positive thinking.

“Sweetheart, Sonny’s inclination will be to protect both you and Alex from me. And I don’t blame him.”

“Sonny knows that you’re not Jason Quartermaine.”

“You’re splitting hairs, Elizabeth.”

His eyes were red and bloodshot, and she suddenly felt incredibly guilty for keeping him awake for so long. “You need to get some sleep. Promise me you won’t try to talk to Sonny until the afternoon.”

“Okay, tell him I’ll stop by around two o’clock.”

Elizabeth nodded and got to her feet, smiling when Jason predictably escorted her across the hall to Sonny’s penthouse. “Goodnight, Jason.”

“Goodnight, Elizabeth.”



Sonny glanced at his watch for the fourth time in five minutes. “Are you sure he said he’d be here at two?”

“Around two,” Elizabeth replied. “It’s only ten after. Why are you so worried?”

“Jason’s always on time. It’s not like him to be late. Of course, it’s not like him to take off without any explanation either.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“I don’t understand how you ended up seeing him in the first place. What on earth were you doing in the hall in the middle of the night?”

A sharp knocking sound saved her from having to respond, and Elizabeth gave a sigh of relief as Sonny headed for the door. “Jason, why are you knocking?”

“May I come in?”

“What in the hell is wrong with you?” Sonny barked, struggling to understand Jason’s strange behavior.

Sliding past Sonny into the living room, Jason nodded at Elizabeth before taking a seat on the sofa. “I have something to tell you.”

“So talk, damn it.”

“Where’s Alex?”

“Cassie took her to the park,” Elizabeth said reassuringly.

“Good,” he mumbled.

Sonny stared at him impatiently. “Any day now.”

Unsure of how to begin, Jason finally decided to tell Sonny the same way he himself found out. “When you asked me to get that file out of the safe for you the other day, I accidentally spilled it on the floor along with the envelope from the hospital containing Zander’s things. Everything was easy to put back except for one piece: a white envelope that was blank. I opened it and pulled out the piece of paper from inside. After reading the first couple of sentences, I quickly figured out it was a letter from Zander to himself.”

“Why would Zander write a letter to himself?”

“It was kind of like a journal entry,” Jason explained. “Anyway, I was about to fold it up and put it back in the envelope when I caught sight of the name Jason Quartermaine. I was curious, so I read the whole thing.”

“What did it say?” Sonny asked quietly.

“It said that Jason Quartermaine raped Elizabeth.”

Sonny snarled, “son of a bitch,” and launched himself at Jason, wrapping his hands tightly around his best friend’s throat. “Stop it,” Elizabeth screamed, pulling desperately on Sonny’s fingers in an attempt to dislodge them.

Jason refused to fight back, even when he felt the life ebbing out of him. His face was turning blue, and Elizabeth was so frightened that she balled up her fist and slammed it into Sonny’s jaw. The blow staggered him, and his hands loosened their grip around Jason’s neck. Kneeling down beside Jason on the sofa, Elizabeth ran her hands over the already bruised flesh and watched anxiously as he gasped for air.

“Are you alright, Jason?” He nodded at her and tried to smile, but his lips refused to cooperate.

“Get away from him,” Sonny ordered.

“Don’t you dare lay another hand on him. You know very well that Jason doesn’t remember anything that happened before his accident. For God’s sake, Sonny, he’s your best friend.”

“He raped you.”

“No, Jason Quartermaine raped me, and I’m sure you appreciate the distinction.”

“Elizabeth …”

“No, no more. Jason is Alexandra’s father, and you will respect that if you respect nothing else.”

Sonny stared at her in horror, clearly having forgotten that part of the equation. “I don’t understand any of this.”

“Do you think Jason does? When he found out, he almost lost his mind.”

“Jason, I …”

“It’s okay, Sonny,” Jason rasped. “It’s no more than I deserved.”

Exhausted from reliving the ordeal of the rape the night before, Elizabeth started crying and couldn’t stop. Sonny gathered her up in his arms, but she would not be consoled. “Sweetheart, you have to stop,” Jason urged. “You’re going to make yourself sick.”

Concerned about Elizabeth’s well-being, Sonny backed away and let Jason take his place. “It’s okay, Elizabeth. We’ll figure it all out.”

It took almost half an hour for her to stop crying, and then another twenty minutes for her to fall asleep. “Do you want me to take her upstairs?” Jason asked.

“Yeah, I think she’d be more comfortable in her bed.” Sonny led the way, turning down the soft cotton sheets so that Jason could deposit her directly in the bed.

“I don’t think we should leave her alone.”

“Nor do I,” Sonny agreed. “I’m sorry about what happened downstairs. It was just such a shock.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Sonny. You were trying to protect Elizabeth.”

“It’s too late to protect her.”

“I know.” Silence filled the room, leaving each man to his own thoughts.

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 6 NC17

The knife was a blur in Sonny’s hand as he chopped the vegetables into tiny slivers. Cooking was a panacea for him, and, if ever he needed a calming influence, it was now. He heard the front door open and Cassie’s voice calling, “we’re home.”

Rushing into the living room, Sonny lifted Alexandra and twirled her around, hoping she wouldn’t pick up on his anxiety. “How was the park?”

“We had a great time,” Cassie volunteered. “Alex spent almost an hour just on the jungle gym, not to mention the swings and the seesaw. I think someone is going to be out like a light tonight.”

“Where’s Mommy?”

“She’s sleeping, honey. Mommy wasn’t feeling very well.”

“Why Mommy’s sick ‘gain, Unca Sonny?”

Cassie met Sonny’s gaze over the little girl’s head, knowing something was going on but unsure of the specifics. Kneeling down in front of Alex, Cassie smiled reassuringly. “She probably just has a bug that’s making her feel tired, sweetie.”

“Maybe it’s a ladybug,” Alex giggled.

“I need your help, young lady,” Sonny announced, bending over to tickle her belly. Throwing her over his shoulder, he carried her into the kitchen, explaining the proper way to toss a salad along the way. Cassie shook her head in amusement and followed behind, wondering how the man managed to look sexy even in an apron.



Jason tried hard to keep his eyes open, but his body was still feeling the effects of the two days he went without sleep. He finally nodded off, his large, muscular frame resting uncomfortably in the small chair beside Elizabeth’s bed. How much time elapsed, he couldn’t say, but he awakened to the sound of her voice.

“No, don’t, please,” she moaned, thrashing back and forth on the mattress.

“It’s okay,” Jason said, patting her arm gently when he realized she was still sleeping. “You’re dreaming, Elizabeth.”

Her cries only got louder, and he leaned over the bed to stroke her face, his heart breaking at the idea that she was dreaming about the rape. “Don’t, it hurts. Let me go.” Tears were falling down her cheeks, and her hands ripped through the air, scratching at nothing. When she tore her shirt open, Jason grasped her arms as gently as he could and held them down, frightened that she would hurt herself.

Elizabeth’s eyes opened suddenly, and she let out a terrified scream, shaking Jason to the core. He released her arms, and she unexpectedly lashed out, her nails raking across his face hard enough to draw blood. Before he could react, Elizabeth was pummeling him with her fists, shouting “no” at the top of her lungs. Jason staggered to his feet just as the door opened.

“What’s going on?” Sonny asked, horrified by the scene in front of him.

Jason shoved past him, one hand pressed against his cheek, and the other covering his mouth in an attempt to stop the bile rising up in his throat. With no other thought but escape, he was dismayed when Cassie caught up with him in the hall, insisting that he let her attend to his scratches.

She led him into the bathroom, and he sat on the edge of the tub while she squirted some Bactine onto a cotton ball and cleaned the blood off his face. “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” he said, swallowing hard. “Elizabeth must have been dreaming about Jason Quartermaine, and then she woke up and saw me.”

“Is he the one that raped her?”

“Sorry, I guess you didn’t know.”

“It wasn’t hard to figure out.” Cassie’s fingers were gentle as she applied the pain-relieving ointment along his swollen flesh.

“Sonny hates me, but I hate myself even more.”

“First of all, Sonny doesn’t hate you; he loves you. Given time, he’ll remember that. Secondly, you didn’t hurt Elizabeth, and, knowing her, she’s already told you the same thing.” His silence confirmed her suspicions, and she smiled and patted his shoulder, telling him he’d be as good as new in short order.



“I want to see him right now, Sonny.”

“It’s not a good idea,” he stated stubbornly. “Look how you just reacted to seeing him.”

“For God’s sake, I was having a nightmare.”

“Yes, about the man who raped you; the man who looks exactly like Jason.”

Growing impatient with the conversation, Elizabeth swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Either you go get him, or I will.”

“Fine,” Sonny snapped, turning to walk out the door.

“Where is Alex?”

“Downstairs with Johnny. She’s fine.”

Her eyes pleaded with him to understand, but Sonny was beyond such appeals, consumed with anger and guilt. He stomped down the hall, glaring at Jason when he spotted him in the doorway of the bathroom. “Elizabeth wants to see you.”

“Why?” Jason asked quietly.

“How the hell should I know?” Sonny shouted, running his hands wildly through his normally well-kempt locks.

Everything inside him screamed for Jason to make a run for it, but he stiffened his spine and forced his legs to walk in the direction of Elizabeth’s room. She was staring down at her hands when he opened the door and walked inside, keeping a respectful distance from the bed.

“Please sit down. I promise not to attack you again.” Jason stepped toward her and sat down gingerly in the chair next to her bed. “I’m so very sorry,” she began.

“There’s no need for you to apologize, Elizabeth. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“For what? Being nice to me? Trying to make sure I’m okay?”

“Elizabeth, you know what I did to you.”

“How many times are we going to have the same discussion? Yes, you look like the guy who raped me, but you’re not.”

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated by Elizabeth’s refusal to accept what he viewed as incontrovertible facts. Her hand brushing gently against his wounded cheek startled him, and he had to fight with himself not to pull away. One hand became two, and, before he realized what was happening, Elizabeth was mere inches from him, her brow furrowed with concern as her dark blue eyes focused on the damage she had inflicted.

“I hope it doesn’t get infected,” she fretted. “Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“Cassie put some medicine on it.”

“I can’t believe I scratched you like that, Jason.”

“Elizabeth, you were having a nightmare, probably about the rape.”

His voice was soft and sympathetic, and she started crying again, incredibly moved by Jason’s generosity. “It’s not fair to blame anything on you.” Pressing her lips against his unblemished cheek, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed deeply, her brain associating his scent with safety, security and protection.

Allowing his hands to circle her waist before moving around to stroke her back, Jason did his best to temper his response, unwilling to turn her away when she was in such a fragile state. He heard her sigh, and then she was crawling into his lap, curled up in a ball with her legs tucked underneath her. “You can’t be comfortable in that position. Let me put you back in the bed.”

“Only if you get in with me. I want to snuggle with you.”

Jason opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, having no clue what to say to her. In the end, he simply nodded and got to his feet with her in his arms, setting her down lightly on the far side of the bed. Bending over to untie his boots, Jason toed them off and lay down beside her, his body rigid with tension. Elizabeth rolled over onto her side, draping one arm across his chest. He could almost feel her skin burning his flesh, tattooing the word “rapist” in bold, black letters for everyone to see.

Beads of sweat formed across his forehead; he longed to wipe them away but he was afraid of disturbing Elizabeth. Her breathing was deep and even, suggesting she was asleep. Trying to ignore the huge knot in his stomach, Jason concentrated on his own breathing, counting to ten as he inhaled, then repeating the procedure as he exhaled. Her hair was tickling his nose, and he reached up and captured the wayward tendrils, smoothing them down with his hand. She looked like a porcelain doll, fragile and easily broken, but Jason knew appearances were deceiving, at least in Elizabeth’s case. Her toughness was a given, not open to speculation. Still, at that moment, watching her sleep in his arms, he thought there couldn’t be a nobler purpose in life than making her happy. Too bad he wasn’t the man for the job.



Three glasses of scotch did nothing to improve Sonny’s mood, so he poured a fourth and downed it quickly, hurling the glass at the fireplace in a burst of anger. Seconds later Cassie appeared on the stairs, hands on her hips as she scolded him like a child. “Stop all that racket. Do you want to wake up Alex?”

Sonny could only see the upper half of her body, but the sheer blue negligee clinging tightly to her breasts immediately captured his attention. “Come here,” he ordered.

Everything about him screamed danger, but Cassie didn’t care. For once she was going to throw caution to the wind. Descending the remaining seven steps, she hesitated at the bottom of the staircase, shy and uncertain in her sexy new nightgown purchased with him in mind. His voice cracked like a whip across the room and she shivered in response. “Now, Cassie.”

Galvanized into action, Cassie practically ran toward him, stumbling into his arms when her feet got tangled up together. His hands were hard and forceful as they molded her tightly against him. He smelled of sandalwood and scotch, and she pressed her lips into the curve of his neck, heady with the sensation of being so close to him. Lifted off the ground without warning, Cassie wrapped her arms around him to keep from falling backward, shaking with fear and anticipation when he slammed her hard against the wall.

The silky material covering her body was no match for him, and she watched as it fell to the floor in tatters. Before she could even make sense of what was happening, his fingers claimed her breasts, teasing at first, then pinching the elongated nipples so roughly that she cried out in protest. Sonny soothed her with his mouth, laving the tender flesh with his tongue in an alternating rhythm. It took her a minute to realize that one hand was between her legs, two fingers rubbing back and forth a couple of times before they plunged into her so powerfully it took her breath away.

His thumb brushed lightly against her clit, triggering a mind-blowing, toe-curling, earth-shattering climax that left Cassie feeling like her whole life had been a prelude to that one moment with Sonny. Then his fingers were gone, and a different part of his anatomy was digging into her abdomen, burning her soft, satiny skin and marking her with a trail of clear fluid as he grabbed the shaft and dragged the tip downward to position it just beneath her small opening.

“Wait, Sonny. We need a condom.”

For a minute, Cassie thought he was going to ignore her warning, but all at once he sighed and shifted her weight onto one arm. His pants were still on; in fact, his cock was the only thing exposed on him, whereas she was completely naked, and something about that seemed wickedly decadent. She blushed as he reached into his pocket and emerged with a square, foil packet, smiling shyly at him until she realized that if he carried around condoms in his pocket, then sexual encounters, casual or otherwise, were probably a regular occurrence.

Her face reflected her disappointment, and Sonny’s face softened as he looked at her. “I bought it after we kissed the other night.”

Cassie beamed at him, equally impressed by what he said, and the fact that he cared enough to reassure her. “Let me do it,” she offered, taking the condom from him and ripping it open with her teeth. Her small hands were trembling when she rolled the latex onto his throbbing penis.

Expecting him to take her right away, Cassie was surprised when he leaned over and kissed her, his lips coaxing hers apart so his tongue could slide between them. He tasted of scotch, the flavor sweet and slightly smoky, along with a rich, dark essence that she instinctively recognized as being uniquely Sonny’s. Their mouths were still fused together when he entered her, burying himself to the hilt with one vicious thrust. Her eyes watered, and her lips trembled beneath his.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, pausing briefly to give her time to adjust. When she loosened the tiniest bit around him, Sonny’s hands settled on her ass and he started to move. His strokes were hard and deliberate, stretching her perilously close to the breaking point with a deep, almost painful penetration. Yet, her pleasure was building at the same time, reminding her of the thin line between those two sensations.

Sonny was grunting into the soft curve of her neck, his breath hot and heavy against her skin. The urge to scream became overwhelming, and Cassie bit into his silk-covered shoulder to muffle the sound. He growled her name as her wet walls tightened around him, and they went over the edge together.

“What’s happening?” she murmured minutes later, still enjoying the rush of pleasure pulsating through her body.

“I’m taking you to my bed,” Sonny explained, tucking himself back in his pants with the condom still attached. He set her down just long enough to pick her back up the conventional way, and then headed for the stairs.



Jason woke up with a cramp in his neck and a massive hard-on, but, at the same time, he had never felt more comfortable. Elizabeth was cuddled up next to him, her head resting on his chest. Despite the longing to stay exactly where he was, Jason couldn’t help but wonder what she would do when her eyes opened and she saw his face. Her previous reaction was one he never wanted to experience again, so he forced himself to move, gently extricating his body from her grasp.

Grabbing his boots, Jason tiptoed to the door, giving her one last look before shutting it softly behind him. A creaking sound immediately caught his attention, and he turned to see a flustered Cassie standing a few feet from him. She was wearing one of Sonny’s shirts, and it was only too obvious that something had happened between her and his boss.

“We have to stop meeting like this,” he grinned.

“Jason, this isn’t … I’m not …”

“Sleeping with Sonny?”

She covered her face with her hands, mortified at having been discovered. Sonny might not want anybody to know, and she was still trying to process what had happened. “Please don’t say anything.”

“I would never do anything to embarrass you,” Jason assured her with a gentle smile.

“Have you been with Elizabeth all this time?”

He frowned at the question. “Yes. She wanted me to get in the bed with her. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Don’t you?”

“She shouldn’t be looking to someone like me for comfort.”

Cassie shook her head at him, knowing he was being deliberately obtuse. “How do you feel about Elizabeth?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does. And why can’t you believe that she might feel the same way about you?”

“I raped her,” he said harshly. “What kind of a man would dream of a future with the woman he raped?” When she tilted her head and studied him carefully, a small knowing smile playing across her lips, Jason realized he had given far too much away. “My dreams don’t matter.”

“Whatever you say,” Cassie shrugged.

“Elizabeth deserves to be happy. I can’t give her anything but pain.”

“I don’t think she sees it that way.”

“She’s far too generous and kind for her own good.”

“Alexandra is your daughter.”

“That little girl deserves better than to have a rapist for a father.”

Cassie was growing frustrated at his stubbornness, and her reply was sharp and to the point. “You are her father, nonetheless.”

Jason remained silent, unable to deny the truth and unwilling to admit that she was right. Finally, he took a deep breath and changed the subject. “Sonny deserves to be happy too. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

“I’m just a nanny,” she said, fighting back tears.

“Sonny doesn’t think that way, Cassie, and neither should you. Give him a chance.”

“Give Elizabeth a chance.”

“You don’t give up, do you?”

She laughed, and Jason laughed back. He walked past her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before continuing down the hall. Her voice echoed after him, saying, “You’re a good man, Jason Morgan, whether you believe it or not.”

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 7 Rated R

Elizabeth woke up alone, but Jason’s scent lingered. It made her feel safe and warm, something that had eluded her for a long time. The best night’s sleep she had gotten since the rape, and it was in his arms. The irony was astounding; it spoke volumes to her assertion that Jason Morgan was not the man who raped her.

Wishing he hadn’t felt the need to slip away so early, Elizabeth willed herself to leave the sanctuary of her bed. A quick glance into her daughter’s room found Alex still sleeping, a happy smile on her cherubic little face. “The sleep of the innocent,” Elizabeth noted, remembering back to a time when she too had been unaware of the harsh realities of life.

No one else appeared to be up, so it seemed like the perfect time to enjoy a nice, hot shower. Mornings were usually rushed and extremely hectic, and luxuriating in the feel of the water cascading over her stiff, aching muscles was rarely an option. As her fingers massaged the body wash into her skin, Elizabeth’s mind started to wander. She pictured Jason’s hands, his long slender fingers exploring every inch of her …

The pitter-patter of little feet brought her crashing back to earth, and she blushed when she realized her hands were cupping her breasts. Trying to ignore the tingling between her legs, Elizabeth called, “Good morning, sweetie.”

“Mommy, you not sick ‘more?”

“No, baby. Mommy’s not sick anymore. In fact, Mommy is feeling very good.”

“Cass sleepy.”

“Well, don’t wake her up. How would you like it if you and Mommy went downstairs and fixed everybody a special breakfast?”

“Yay!” Alex squealed, hopping around the bathroom on one foot. “Spe-cial break-fast, spe-cial break-fast.”

“Careful, sweetie. The floor is slippery. Why don’t you wait for Mommy in her room? I’ll be there as soon as I dry off.”

Elizabeth walked into her bedroom two minutes later to find Alexandra sitting on top of the vanity, studying her face in the mirror. “There’s my pretty girl. It’s dangerous to sit up there though. Come help me pick out something to wear from the closet.”

None of clothes seemed suitable, even after a second perusal, and Elizabeth frowned in displeasure. So engrossed was she in the task that she failed to hear her daughter babbling on about Sonny in the background.

“Mommy?” Alex said impatiently, tugging hard on the towel Elizabeth had wrapped around her. “Unca Sonny say nobody cook his kit … kitchnan.”

“In his kitchen?”

“Yeah.”

“Uncle Sonny could never be mad at you, sweetie. And when he tastes how good the food is, he won’t be mad at all.”

“Um-Kay.”

Sensing that her daughter’s interest was rapidly fading, Elizabeth grabbed an old pair of jeans and a tee shirt from the closet along with a plain white bra and matching undies from her lingerie drawer. Alex was inching her way toward the door by the time Elizabeth was dressed. “Not so fast, young lady. Come give your Mommy a big, fat kiss.”

Elizabeth bent down, allowing Alex to jump up into her arms for a loud smooch. “You always smell so good,” she murmured, burying her face in her daughter’s soft curls. Alex quickly began to squirm, so Elizabeth headed out of the bedroom, easing the door shut behind them. After a quick dash into Alex’s room to get her dressed, the two of them tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen.



“Sonny, sorry to interrupt you when you’re cooking but …” Jason rounded the corner to see Elizabeth and Alex staring at him with undisguised interest. “Oh, sorry.”

“No problem,” Elizabeth smiled. “We’re cooking for everyone, including you.”

“I don’t really have time to …”

“You have to eat, Jason. We insist that you stay.”

Resisting Elizabeth was hard enough, but when Alex looked at him with those enormous baby blues, Jason was a goner. “Then I guess I’m staying.”

“I’m surprised that Cassie and Sonny are still sleeping. They’re both early risers.” Jason cleared his throat a couple of times and looked down at the floor. “You know something,” Elizabeth said suspiciously.

“I have nothing to say.”

“Oh, my God. I knew this was going to happen.”

“What? I haven’t said a thing.”

“And that told me everything,” she beamed, excited at the possibility that her two best friends might find love with each other.

“I’ll never understand women,” Jason muttered.

Elizabeth’s face suddenly fell when the thought occurred to her that she was only looking at it from one angle. Suppose things didn’t work out? “That would horrible.”

“What is it now? I thought you were happy.”

“At the thought of Cassie and Sonny never speaking again?”

“Should I go out and come back in again? I think I’m in the Twilight Zone.” Jason felt a small hand pulling on his fingers, and he looked down to see Alex staring at him with an adorable pout.

“No go, Unca Jason.”

He squatted down beside of her, winking as he gave her hair a playful yank. “I’m not going anywhere, squirt. Not before breakfast anyway.”

The sound of voices wafted into the kitchen. Sonny and Cassie walked in together, making it a point not to look at each other. Jason looked down at the floor again, figuring it was the safest course of action. Everything was fine, or at least they could all pretend it was, until Elizabeth started giggling.

“You told her,” Cassie accused Jason indignantly. He threw up his hands and groaned.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s true,” Elizabeth confirmed. “I commented on how unusual it was for you and Sonny to both still be sleeping. And he said nothing.”

“Thereby telling you everything.”

“Of course.”

Jason inched closer to Sonny, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. “Help?”

“It’s not like I meant to keep it a secret, you silly woman,” he grumbled, pulling Cassie into his arms for a good morning kiss.

Elizabeth gave a happy sigh, Jason said a silent “thank you” for being let off the hook, and Alex clapped enthusiastically before running to Sonny for her own good morning kiss. “Since I’m in such a good mood, I won’t even comment on the fact that certain people have invaded my kitchen.”

“Shush,” Elizabeth chided, banishing everyone but Alexandra from the room with a wave of her hand. “Breakfast will be served in twenty minutes.”

Alex sat up on the counter, adding her expertise to the process as Elizabeth concocted several omelets with a variation of ham, cheese, onions and green peppers. Sliding each one onto a hot plate, she made three trips into the dining room to deliver the food. “No snide comments, Sonny. I know it’s not up to your standards.”

“Actually it smells delicious.” He waited for Elizabeth to get Alex situated and take her own seat before saying grace.

The food rapidly disappeared, as everyone seemed to have a hearty appetite. It was the most food Elizabeth had eaten since arriving in Port Charles, and she savored each and every morsel. Cassie and Jason raved about her cooking skills, and even Sonny gave her a nod of appreciation. Elizabeth was practically glowing from all the attention.

“Unca Jason?”

“What, sweetie?”

“Why you not live here?”

“Well, I have my own place across the hall.”

“Why?”

Jason struggled to answer, looking around for help that wasn’t forthcoming. “Because I’m grown, and I need more room.”

“But why? I live here. Mommy live here. Unca Sonny live here. Cass live here. Unca Jason live here.”

“You have to admit she’s logical,” Sonny grinned.

“He’s here most of the time, Alex,” Elizabeth said, deciding to take pity on Jason.

“Where Unca Jason bed?” Silence reigned for several seconds as everyone scrambled to think of an appropriate response. “I sleep Unca Jason bed.”

The look on Jason’s face was priceless, and Elizabeth couldn’t keep from laughing. He glared at her, reminding her of the fact that he left her bed without even waking her up to let her know he was leaving. “Alex, I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you sleep with Uncle Jason at his place?”

Jason was so stunned his jaw almost hit the table. “That’s not … a good … idea,” he replied weakly. Alex didn’t even hear him. She was too busy jumping down from her chair and running around the table in celebration.

“And you know what? To make it even more exciting, you could sleep in sleeping bags on the floor. I know Uncle Jason would love that.”

“Really, Mommy?”

“Well, it’s up to Uncle Jason.” She smiled sweetly in his direction, daring him to disappoint her little girl.

He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “If you really want to.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Alex chanted, skipping over to the stairs. “I go pack.”

Elizabeth was across the room in a flash, one arm around Alex as she carried her back to the table. “We’ll pack later. Right now you need to finish your breakfast.”

Recognizing the growing tension in the air, Cassie finished eating and offered to take Alex to the park. Sonny mumbled an excuse about having to make some phone calls and quickly took his leave. The minute they were alone, Jason started in on Elizabeth.

“Why did you do that?”

“Hello, your daughter wants to spend time with you.”

“She is spending time with me. I see her every day.”

“I thought it would be a good chance for you to spend time alone with her.”

“Bullshit. It sure seemed like payback to me.”

She rolled her eyes at him and got up to clear the table. “Payback for what, Jason.”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Why did you leave without telling me goodbye this morning?” The words slipped out before Elizabeth could stop them, and she wasn’t prepared to deal with the emotions they provoked. Tears filled her eyes, and she looked so sad and forlorn that Jason felt like crying too.

“Because I’m a fucking coward.”

“You think I’m punishing you by making you spend time with Alex?”

“What? No,” Jason protested, totally repulsed by the idea. “That’s not what I meant at all. You completely blindsided me with something that I wasn’t ready for, and you did it intentionally and in front of Alex.”

Ashamed of her childish behavior, Elizabeth sat down beside of Jason, turning her chair around to face his. “I just don’t understand why you would leave that way, like you couldn’t wait to escape from me.”

Jason swore under his breath and leaned forward to pull her into his arms. “I never want to be away from you, Elizabeth. That’s the problem. I left because I couldn’t bear the thought of you getting hysterical again when you woke up and saw my face.”

“I’m so sorry,” she sniffled. “I should have thought of that. After the way I mauled you, I’m surprised you stayed with me at all.”

“Sweetie, I couldn’t care less about the scratches on my face. It’s the fact that the mere sight of me causes you pain.”

“I see you now and I’m not in pain,” Elizabeth whispered, lost in the depths of his blue eyes. It was an interesting contradiction, how they could be such a beautiful, icy color and still emanate all that heat. All at once, she realized what he had called her. “Say that again.”

“Seeing me causes you pain?”

“No, not that part.”

“I don’t care about the scratches.”

“No, not that part either.”

Jason pondered for a minute, trying to remember what else he had said. Then he laughed, a low rumble that left her trembling. “Sweetie?”

“Yes, that.”

“You like Sweetie?”

“Very much. Is that how you think of me?”

His chest tightened upon hearing her question, and it was a struggle just to catch his breath. “We can’t go there.”

“Jason, we’re already there.” She slid down to the floor in front of him, her head resting on his thigh.

The boldness of her actions astounded him, and his brain ceased to function rationally. His body, however, seemed quite capable of acting on its own. One hand reached out to stroke her hair gently, even as he felt his cock threatening to burst free from the confines of his jeans. “Elizabeth, what are you doing to me?”

“Do you know how safe I feel when I’m touching you? How warm and protected?”

“I want you to feel that way, but it shouldn’t be with me.”

“There is no should or shouldn’t. It is what it is.”

Her arms pressed against the outside of his thighs, and she lifted her head into his caress, like a cat begging to be petted. He stroked and she sighed, in a continuous rhythm, until he found it difficult to tell where he stopped and she began.

“I’m worried about Alex.”

“Why?”

“Her language skills are regressing. I’m sure she knows on some level that I’m upset, and it’s probably frightening to her.”

“Being away from the only home she’s ever known must be a tremendous adjustment as well, even with Cassie here.”

“Do you think I should take her to see someone?”

“I would give it a little more time, but whenever you feel it necessary to take that step, just say the word and I’ll find the best pediatrician around.”

She gave him an appreciative squeeze, and they fell into a comfortable silence. It was the happiest chunk of time that Jason had experienced since his rebirth following the accident. With extreme reluctance, he finally pulled his hand away from her hair. “You can’t be comfortable on your knees. Come sit with me on the sofa.”

“Only if I can sit on your lap.”

“Elizabeth, sweetie, you can sit anywhere you want.”

The smile on her face was contagious, and his lips twitched as he helped her to her feet. “Do you really think I’ll be okay with Alex? I don’t know anything about kids.”

“Jason, you must be doing something right. She already loves you.”

“She’s incredible, Elizabeth. You’ve done an amazing job.”

“I’ve had a lot of help.”

“I see so much of you in Alex.”

“You’re in there too. Her eyes look just like yours.”

“Like Jason Quartermaine’s, you mean,” he said bitterly.

“No, I don’t. His eyes may have been the same color of blue, but he didn’t have the same sparkle of kindness and compassion that I see in yours. Jason, if I had seen anybody that even remotely resembled Jason Quartermaine when I woke up from my nightmare, I would have reacted the same way. I don’t see him when I look at you. Not since the first day when it was such a shock. Now that I know you, it’s clear to me that you two are nothing alike. You could never hurt me, or any other woman, the way he hurt me. And nothing you say will convince me otherwise.”

“God, I wish I shared your faith in me.”

“You will,” she promised, reaching up to cup his face with her hands.

He temporarily banished all of his doubts, letting the sensation of her touch wash over him with unadulterated enjoyment. After a couple of minutes, she circled her arms around his neck and pulled him down toward her. “Hey, I thought you said I could sit on your lap.”

It was her way of teasing him. Elizabeth was certain he would come up with a reason why it wasn’t a good idea. So when he suddenly swept her into his arms and carried her over to the sofa, she was completely taken aback. She wasn’t about to waste the opportunity, however.

With her upper body draped across his substantial chest, Elizabeth buried her face in his neck and breathed deeply. Jason rested his head on the cushion behind him, offering himself to her in a way that sent chills up and down her spine. It was like part of her had been dead since the rape, and now she was slowly coming back to life, thanks to him. She was frightened and exhilarated, in equal parts. But she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt which part would win out.



Sonny paced back and forth across the enormous kitchen, fifteen steps across and fifteen steps back. One glance into the living room had been enough to throw him into panic mode. Yes, he was over his initial reaction of blinding anger at Jason; he even felt a certain amount of sympathy. That did not mean that he thought Jason and Elizabeth should be involved sexually, and any fool could see they were gravitating in that direction.

“Zander, I wish you were here. I don’t know what to do. Should I keep quiet and respect Elizabeth’s right to live her own life? Or should I try and protect her even though she might not want me to? I mean it’s like she’s standing in the middle of the road and there’s an eighteen-wheeler bearing down on her. Isn’t it my obligation to at least warn her of the impending crash?”

Just then he heard the sound of laughter as Alex and Cassie entered through the back door, and his stress level dropped dramatically. Subtlety never had been Zander’s forte. “Good call, my old friend. Even from heaven, you’re still watching my back. Cassie is the one person who has a chance of putting everything into perspective for me.”

[JRK Archiver]

Chapter 8 Rated R

The sensation of her lips softly caressing the curve of his neck had Jason shivering uncontrollably. “Elizabeth, I really don’t think …”

His voice trailed off when he heard an excited giggle coming from the direction of the kitchen. Elizabeth pulled back slightly and cupped his face in her hands, brushing her mouth gently across his parted lips. “To be continued,” she whispered.

Ignoring the worried wrinkle of Jason’s brow, Elizabeth got to her feet and called out to Alexandra. “Who is that I hear? Is that Mama’s special girl?”

Alex came running with the speed of a whirling dervish, headed straight for Elizabeth. “Mommy,” she squealed.

“Easy,” Elizabeth chuckled, struggling to keep her balance as Alex barreled into her. “I think you’re on excitement overload.”

She patted her daughter on the head and grinned at Jason. “You seem to get all us girls in a frenzy.”

“A frenzy, huh?” he retorted. “I’d say you were a little calm for someone in a frenzy.”

“Well, if there had been just a little more time, I definitely would have been in a frenzy.”

Jason covered his face with his hands and laughed out loud, unable, or perhaps unwilling, to argue with her logic. “Whatever you say, sweetie.”

Watching her slap Jason playfully on the arm, in between Alex running around her like she was a maypole, Sonny could barely breathe as he was forced to acknowledge the glow of happiness that radiated from her, even at a distance of thirty feet.

“Sonny,” Cassie murmured sympathetically, placing her hands on the back of his shoulders. “You have to let Elizabeth make her own choices.”

“She’s not ready, Cassie.”

“It’s not your decision to make, even if that is true. Besides, you have no way of knowing.”

He jerked away from her, irritated that she didn’t share his opinion. “How can you say that? It would be difficult for her to move on with her life under normal circumstances, but she’s becoming involved with the man who used to be Jason Quartermaine. That’s an impossible situation. Plus, she just buried Zander. I don’t think Elizabeth knows what she’s feeling.”

Summoning up her courage, Cassie walked around in front of Sonny and stroked his cheek with her fingers. “Is it possible part of you needs to believe that?”

“What do you mean?” he asked, his tone just short of accusatory.

“Simply that you’ve been the only man in both her and Alex’ lives for a while now. Resenting anyone that challenges your place would be very natural on your part.”

His reaction was strong and immediate, causing her to step away from him in alarm. “Just what are you suggesting? That I am involved with Elizabeth romantically? Or that I want to be?”

Waving away her protests, Sonny glared at her until she started to fidget nervously. “Let me offer you some advice. Mind your own business.”

Stunned, and more than a little hurt, Cassie lifted her chin and stared back at him. “Elizabeth and Alex are my business. I care about both of them, and I’m not going to stop on your order, Mr. Corinthos.”

The sarcasm melted right through his anger, and he reached for her hand, pulling her tightly into his arms. “Let me go,” she hissed, struggling to free herself.

“Cassie, please,” Sonny implored, refusing to release her. “I didn’t mean it. I swear. Everything is so confusing right now. I just know that I can’t ever see her again like she was the night of the rape. It would kill me. I’d never forgive myself, and Zander would never forgive me either.”

Mentally kicking herself for overlooking something so obvious, Cassie pulled his head down until it was resting on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sonny. It must be so hard to carry that image around with you.”

“It’s burned into my brain.” Allowing his body to relax into her embrace, Sonny closed his eyes and thought about the first time he had laid eyes on Elizabeth. “She was just a kid when I met her, you know. Zander was too. They both had too much responsibility at far too young an age. Of course, being two years older, he felt like it was up to him to take care of her. It’s the reason I hired him. Otherwise, I never would have considered giving a job to someone his age.”

“Did you know Elizabeth well back then?”

“Not really. Just to say hi. She was such a sweet person though, totally dedicated to Zander. And he was so proud of her. I heard him arguing with her on the phone the day she was accepted into PCU, saying he was paying her way and that was final.”

“It’s such a tragedy. I’m sure Alex would have adored him.”

Sonny mumbled his answer into her hair, soothed by the already familiar scent. “Cassie, what I said to you was inexcusable. This whole thing with Jason and Elizabeth has me so unnerved, but to lash out at you that way … I just, I don’t know.”

She hesitated, searching for an appropriate response. “It’s not that I don’t understand where it was coming from, especially now that you’ve been so open about the past, but you attacked me where you knew I was most vulnerable. I shared with you my insecurity about my position, and you used it against me.”

There was no defense, and Sonny realized that his penchant for speaking first and thinking later, a personality trait he had battled since childhood, might have cost him dearly. It was why he had hired both Zander and Jason, to keep him from making those kinds of mistakes in a business where they could be fatal. But Cassie wasn’t business; she was personal.

“Yes, I did,” he sighed, lifting his head. “I’d get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness, except that I have no right to ask anything of you.”

Her lips were on his before he even realized what was happening, and the intensity of the kiss left him helpless to do more than hang on and pray Cassie wasn’t saying goodbye. When the pressure finally eased, so that both of them could gasp for air, Cassie didn’t back off a bit. She stood in front of him, mouth a scant inch or two away, as her lips trembled and her eyes watered.

“I’m trusting you not to hurt me, Sonny. It’s a huge leap of faith. Don’t make me regret it.”

The tears started falling as she spoke, and it broke his heart to know that he was responsible. Brushing her cheeks gently with his thumbs, Sonny urged, “don’t cry, Cassie. I won’t hurt you. I promise.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she sniffled.

“I can and I will.” His fervent declaration broke down her remaining defenses, and she wept in his arms as he stroked her hair and pondered how to put his concerns for Jason and Elizabeth aside.



Figuring it might be time to rescue Jason when her daughter decided he made a nice tree and started climbing, Elizabeth wrapped one arm around her and lowered her to the floor. “Behave, you little monkey.”

“Besides,” Jason grinned, “I’ve got to go, squirt.”

“Go where, Unca Jason?”

“I need to get us a sleeping bag, if you’re going to spend the night with me, that is.”

“I already got a sleepin’ bag,” she smiled. “It’s a Dora the Explorer Nap Map. It has a pillow and a bwanket and a backpack. Do you know Dora the Explorer?”

“Not exactly,” Jason said weakly, wondering just how far in over his head he was.

Alex’ eyes narrowed as she saw the opportunity to gain a convert. “She’s on the bestest TV show.”

“What’s her show about?”

“Well, she goes lots of places and she teaches things.”

“One of Alex’ favorite things is the Spanish words,” Elizabeth interjected.

“Unca Jason, do you say Spanish?”

He shook his head, noticing her rather crestfallen expression. The need to redeem himself prompted him to blurt out, “but I speak French.”

“Lots a people say French where I used to live,” she beamed. “What was the place, Mommy?”

“Switzerland, baby.”

“I’m gonna tell Unca Sonny that Jason says French.”

She bounded away, leaving a dazed and confused Jason in her wake. “It’s gets easier,” Elizabeth chuckled, running her fingers lightly through his hair.

“I think she’s going to eat me alive,” he said morosely. “She senses blood in the water.”

Elizabeth struggled hard not to laugh. “Stop being so dramatic, Jason. Alex is a little girl, not a shark.” Reaching for his hands, she tugged on them until he reluctantly got to his feet. “Don’t you have some shopping to do?”

“Okay, okay. Tell Alex I’ll be here to pick her up after dinner.”

“Aren’t you eating with us?”

“Not likely,” Jason grinned. “I better save up my energy for tonight.”

His anxiety was impossible to ignore, despite the teasing façade he presented, and Elizabeth found herself feeling guilty once more for the way she had manipulated him. “Perhaps it really is too soon, Jason. I never should have pushed you into this. If we reschedule for a week or two from now, Alex would be disappointed but she’d get over it quickly.”

Shaking his head emphatically before she could even finish verbalizing her suggestion, Jason quietly stated, “not a chance. I’m not going to let my daughter down the first chance I have to give her something she really wants.”

“Well, if you need reinforcements,” Elizabeth offered with a gentle smile, “I’ll be right across the hall.”

Jason unexpectedly lifted his right hand and touched her face, sliding his thumb slowly across her bottom lip. “Thanks, sweetie.”

Before she could reply, he was walking across the room and out the door, leaving her with butterflies in her stomach and a sudden, overwhelming desire to take Alex’ place.

[LesEram]

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