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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:53:08 GMT -5
Chapter Ten
Elizabeth had seen the interrogation room at the PCPD. But shed never been in it. Never been handcuffed to the table like a dog on a leash. The blinds were drawn and the soundproof walls allowed no noise to filter through and keep her company. After twenty minutes of simply waiting, the shock that had been protecting her like a cocoon began to wear off. What was the jail time for assault? She groaned softly and rested her head on the table. How did she get here? When did her life fall apart so drastically? Would she ever get it back?
Home, she just wanted to go home. But where was that, she wondered. Not her studio. That sanctuary had been ruined. She couldn't go to her Grams. That woman didn't really exist. Audrey Hardy was little more than a stranger she shared memories with now. After the way she'd treated Jason that afternoon, the top floor penthouse at Harborview Towers wouldn't be her home any time soon.
Tears pricked her tired eyes as she remembered the fight. Guilt overwhelmed her. Like the night she walked out on him last October, he hadn't deserved the full wrath of her temper. She'd lashed out at him because she could, because she knew he'd let her and never question her right to do so. Maybe October he'd been at fault, but not that afternoon. Not in front of Sonny and Carly.
Still, she couldn't deny that she was hurt and afraid. In that moment, fighting near panic, she admitted what hurt the most. Courtney's mission to rupture the bond Elizabeth had counted on so completely for more than three years wasn't a failure. Right now, Courtney had wedged herself very firmly between her and Jason and she didn't know how to fix it.
Maybe...maybe that was the way her life was supposed to be. The thought hit her out of nowhere and made it hard to breathe. She loved Jason. Denying that was impossible, but if it was over...if it ended now, she might be able to survive it. She'd been prepared to let him go once, she could do it again. Now. When he walked through that door to rescue her like she knew he would, she could end it and save them both a world of pain. If she fell any deeper, she'd never want to let go, let alone be able to. He was already part of her heart, and she could live without that. Her would would be bleak and empty, but she would survive.
But even as she contemplated this, she felt hot tears squeeze through her tightly closed lashes. She didn't want to let him go, even to finally make a sacrifice Jason seemed to make all the time. Putting herself last, putting him first...setting him free to find someone who wouldn't hurt him the way she did. As the tears flowed more freely she wondered if maybe she just wasn't meant to love Jason Morgan. Maybe she was only meant to lose him.
Before she had a chance to contemplate any of those questions, the door to the interrogation room burst open. With a jerk worthy of whiplash she raised her head just as Taggert shoved Jason into the small room. Her heart leaped to her throat at the sight of Jasons blue eyes immediately locked on hers. Carly and Brendas voices carried from the main office.
Why dont you go back to Europe where you belong, you home wrecker! Carly cried.
Home wrecker? Me? Oh, please. And how many men have you slept with in Port Charles? through the open door Elizabeth caught a glimpse of Brenda wiggling the fingers of both hands in Carlys face. One, two, five, ten...gee, Ive lost count.
You twoIll deal with you later, Taggert promised as a chair was toppled on its side when Carly shoved it out of her way. He closed the door with a heavy sigh. Elizabeths focus on Jason never wavered. His hands were bound in metal cuffs identical to her own.
Jason," she whispered, her voice thick with the tears she'd spent. "Why are you handcuffed?"
I broke a window at Kelly's so Taggert would bring me to you, Jason said softly, taking a step closer. When Elizabeth visibly stiffened, he halted. Akwardly, he studied her from a distance. Are you alright?
Im... Jason, why did you get arrested on purpose?
I didnt want you to be alone in here, Jason spoke softly as he settled into the chair across the table from her. His mouth crooked in a small smile. And its been a little while since I let Taggert enjoy his favorite hobby. He's even more obnoxious if he doesn't haul us down here once in awhile.
To her surprise, Elizabeth's mouth curved into a smile for a moment. The brief amusement was a respite from the pain and she latched onto it. What is going on out there? What set off Carly and Brenda?
Being in the same room?" he shook his head and looked toward the door. "I called Sonny. He's out there with Alexis trying to get us both out of here. I guess Brenda and Carly insisted on coming along."
The both fell silent and the momentary mirth fled. Elizabeth's chest constricted painfully as she realized now was the time to tell him...what exactly? With him in the room, the idea of telling him goodbye didn't seem possible. Just his presence comforted her so much, but she'd decided. Hadn't she? "Jason, I-."
"What do you want to know about Courtney?"
I-, Elizabeth started and her heart raced upon hearing the other woman's name. He'd said it and from the tense set of his jaw, she knew how hard it was. I guess, I just wanted to hear you say her name. I dont know why, but it bothered me that you wouldnt.
I couldnt, Elizabeth, he murmured so softly she almost missed the words. He couldn't look at her, instead focusing on his hands. She watched him swallow, lick his lips in preparation. I have never regretted anything as much as that night. I wanted to pretend it never happened.
The confession was so sincere and full of a pain that matched her own, Elizabeth couldn't stand it. Her lip trembled and tears she'd thus far been able to hide tumbled down her cheeks. She couldn't brush them away, couldn't stop them, so she hung her head and let them fall. Why-why did it happen?
"Elizabeth," Jason murmured sadly. She heard a chair scrape across the floor and before she could stop him, he was crouched beside her chair. His hands were on her face, pushing aside the protective curtain her hair made and brushing at her tears. "Don't cry. Please. Don't-"
"I'm sorry," she stammered, the tears only falling faster. All her promises to be strong and put him first fell apart. She didn't know what she was apologizing for, but they were the only words she could speak. Apologizing over and over for something. Maybe if she said it enough, she'd be forgiven and her life would go back to what it used to be. "Jason, I'm so sorry-"
I don't want you sorry, Elizabeth. I just want you...I just want you, he whispered still holding her face. She raised her eyes to meet his. I got lost. Courtney pointed something out to me that I refused to believe, even though Id been telling myself the same thing all along.
What?
Jason sighed again and she saw tears collect in his eyes. He blinked them back and they failed to fall. Her heart ached at his next words. She said that I should let you go. That maybe we just werent meant to beand I just shut down.
Elizabeths heart thumped wildly against her chest. Hed slept with Courtneybecause of her? No, thats not what he said, but in a way she supposed it was true. Oh, Jasonwhy do we do this to each other?
"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," his voice broke on her name. "About everything. I don't think I've...I don't know what to do. Every time I try to keep you in my life, I just end up causing you more pain. But I swear. I promise you I had no idea about Sonny."
"I know you didn't," she replied, leaning into his touch. "I never thought you did I was just..."
"Scared?"
"I'm terrified. I'm afraid of letting you too close, I'm afraid of holding you away," she let the confession go, ignoring the warnings and words of doom that echoed through her head. "I almost...I almost think I should just run away again."
"Elizabeth-"
"But I can't," she continued. "I can't because I have nowhere to go. My family isn't real. I can't count on them. Emily's gone, Lucky-I don't even know him anymore. You're the only thing that makes sense, Jason. Being with you is all I want, but what if-if I lose you again? I don't think I could live through that."
"You won't lose me," he promised, suddenly fierce. "I promise. I'm not going anywhere."
"You can't make that kind of promise," she tried to argue, because her heart already latched onto the words. No one could make the promise to never leave. Things happened, hearts changed. Business got in the way...
"No, I can. I will," he vowed. Almost rough in his need to make her understand, he tilted her chin so she had no choice but to look at him. "On the docks, you asked me if I knew how to be selfish. I do. The only way you're ever going to get rid of me is if you walk away. And even then, I might follow you."
"After everything I've done to-everything that's happened...why do you want me?"
"You're not a burden in my life, Elizabeth," he argued with her, desperate to make her understand, afraid she never would really believe him. "You are my life. Everything good I thought I'd lost when I gave up Michael, you found it and gave it back to me. And more. Let me help you now. Please."
She bit her lip as he continued to touch her face, to wipe away the tears. Studying him for the first time, she noticed his hair was getting darker, the blond highlights gone completely. Dark circles shadowed his eyes that she'd somehow managed to ignore until this moment and his face was thin, like he'd been hollowed out. Even so, with all the signs of his weaknesses so obviously exposed, her heart swelled just feeling his touch. It was too late, she realized. She was already too much in love with him to survive without alone. With a sob of relief this time, she let her head fall to his shoulder. The leather was warm and soft. A chair scraped against the floor as he rose slightly to sit beside her. She wished their hands weren't bound so she could reach out to him, so he could wrap his arms around her and make all the pain and fear go away, if only for a moment.
The room was quiet while she cried and did her best to release the doubts she'd been harboring. She had no idea how long Jason cupped her face and absently dragged his thumb over her skin, wiping away the tears. Elizabeth forgot about the police station, the handcuffs binding her to the table.
What are you thinking about? he asked after her shoulders had quit shaking and the hitched breath of her sobs evened out. His voice a quiet whisper of breath against her skin. She remained silent, all the while her heart thumped loudly in her chest, but this time fear wasnt the driving force. Lifting her gaze to study his blue eyes she licked her lips.
You. I love you, she murmured and leaned in to capture his mouth in a soft kiss. It felt like a lifetime since shed felt his lips against hers, and this held something new, something more demanding in its need. Jason leaned into her, threading his fingers through her hair to pull her closer.
Elizabeth needed to breathe, but she couldnt tear herself away. The kiss had started because of her, but she willingly gave Jason the control. He leaned forward even further, and she tilted her head back to accommodate. She felt his tongue against her bottom lip, a soft yet insistent request. With parted lips she obliged and their tongues danced together with a building fire. This is how its supposed to be. Just me and Jason and-.
Morgan, Taggert flung the door open and stalked into the room. Jason pulled back and Elizabeth saw the frustration rage on his face before the stone cold mask slipped into place. He turned in his chair, his gaze never fully leaving Elizabeth's tear-stained face. Taggert, oblivious to what hed just interrupted, jerked his thumb toward the main room. You need to stop those two.
You cant handle two women half your size? Jason smirked.
Just get them to stop and Ill drop the charges against you, he promised as another crash, followed by a long harsh string of curses from Capelli wafted into the interrogation room. Jason looked back at Elizabeth and raised and eyebrow.
Drop the charges against Elizabeth, and Ill see what I can do, he countered. Taggert opened his mouth to deny Jasons offer, Elizabeth was sure, but the noise from the other room escalated and the cop dropped his head to his chest.
Fine, fine, just get them out of here.
~*~
Courtney sat in the middle of her living room floor, her belongings shattered and broken around her. The desk lamp at her feet mocked her, the ragged edges of the broken bulb taunting her. The glass looked so sharp, so lethal. How badly would it hurt to drag one of the corners against her inner arm, following the blue veins just below her skin? When she pressed it past her flesh, would the blood spurt out, like a punctured hose? Or would it seep, slow and steadily, spreading wider across her arm like an oil spill?
They know. He knows. They know. He knows.
The truth had been the least of her worries. Never in a million years had she thought the truth would be the biggest obstacle in her path. Everything had gone so perfectly. Sonny believed she was his sister, Mike believed she was his daughter, AJ believed he had the magic key to getting his son back. The plan that had already been going swimmingly, only improved the day Jason Morgan walked into Kelly's and saved her with that plate of eggs. She'd wanted him from the first moment she saw him. The fact that he was AJ's brother and worst enemy made no difference. Getting stuck on the bad end of the brother deal had no appeal to her. Besides, it wasn't like she loved AJ, no, he was nothing more than a cover. As long as she stayed with AJ, Sonny came to her, Mike begged the siblings to patch things up and the little family that never should have been argued over her.
"Manipulation 101, ladies and gents. Get them to think it's all their idea and you're gold," Courtney almost smiled, but quickly the tears came. Why did it all have to fall apart? You let yourself get distracted by Jason, silly girl. The tears fell harder. Jason wasn't a distraction, he was her life. She needed him. He was supposed to be her big reward for pulling this off. Her reward to herself for out-conning a conman like Sonny Corinthos. What had happened?
"That brunette bitch," she muttered. Elizabeth Webber, beacon of perfection that had Jason wrapped around her...everything. God, how did she do it? What hold did those big blue eyes have over him? With a frustrated shriek, Courtney grabbed the lamp at her feet and heaved it across the room. It hit the wall with a thud, the wooden base cracking and splitting as more glass chipped off the base of the bulb. Jumping to her feet, she swiped angrily at the tears clinging to her lashes and grabbed her coat from the couch. Self pity would get her nowhere and self preservation was what she really needed. She had one last card to play. If it won, she'd be dealt a whole new hand.
~*~
Brenda looked idly around the PCPD main office. Chairs were toppled, papers strewn about and a very tired Detective Andy Capelli was filing the paperwork for Elizabeths release. Their "fight" had been a major success. Carly had resumed her usual place-superglued to Sonny's side while he and Alexis discussed Jason and Elizabeth's release.
"Homewrecker, huh?" Brenda muttered grimly. Maybe the fight hadn't all been fun and games.
Jason, its fine. Theyre just a little sore and its not Taggerts fault, Elizabeths voice carried and Brenda watched as Jason examined Elizabeths wrists. Even from ten feet away, she could see the red, irritated flesh. And even from ten feet away she could see the raw and untapped need passing between Jason and Elizabeth. It wasnt love or lust, but the uncontrollable necessity to be together, even when it hurt more than helped. There was desperation in Jasons eyes when he looked away from Elizabeths face. And the way her hands tightened around his arm, the way she leaned into him like she needed his strength to live, made Brendas stomach clench at the familiarity of it all. This is going to destroy them if they let it go. Like it destroyed Sonny and me.
There wasnt a word for it, but she had always likened it to a dangerous, intense high, that was painfully intoxicating while it lasted and completely debilitating when it crashed. Desperation, fear, need, passion, lust: it all played into it, even love sometimes. But real love wouldnt drive you insane with jealousy or depression. Real love wouldnt send you into the arms of another man to escape that feeling of being a pawn in a game you didnt know how to play. They are so afraid of losing each other again, they can barely breathe. Well, that was it. Brenda refused to stand idly by and watch Jason and Elizabeth destroy something theyd never even had a real chance to explore.
Elizabeth, can I talk to you for a second? she asked, and waited for her to look at Jason for a nod of approval. She wanted to scream when she actually saw it happen. She looked at her husband and without cracking a smile she added, Ill bring her back. Again, she wasnt surprised when Jason actually looked relieved at her promise. She guided Elizabeth over to a corner where the mess had already been cleaned up. With her arms folded over her chest, she regarded the younger woman.
Whats wrong? Elizabeth asked with a puzzled frown. She licked her lips and glanced nervously at Jason. Brenda sighed.
Where are you staying tonight?
I planned on going back to the penthouse with Jason, she stammered, a frown still marring her features. Brenda, whats going on? Why are you looking at me like that?
Oh, Elizabeth, she buried her fingers in her hair and tried to find a way to gently explain what she saw. Would she even listen to me? Would you come and stay with me for a few days? Jax is out of town and I would really like some company.
I, I would, but I she looked at Jason again, and Brenda could practically feel the pull between them. I really want to be with Jason.
I know you do, sweetie, she sighed again. Taking a step closer, she looked Elizabeth right in the eye. Look, I'm the last person to tell anybody what to do, but...
But what? Elizabeth prodded, her gaze darting back and forth between Brenda and Jason at an alarming rate. I just want to be with him. We have so much time to make up for.
Elizabeth, you need time, Brenda decided honesty was the only route. Subtle people never got the point across anyway. You need some time to breath on your own and remember that being with Jason is not your whole worldhe just adds to it.
I dont understand, she replied, crossing her arms indignantly even as her eyes welled with tears. You had no problem with me living with Jason these past three days, why suddenly now?
Because of what I just watched Elizabeth. Because you keep looking at Jason like hes oxygen and you need him to breath, Brenda placed her hands on Elizabeths shoulder and stared directly into her eyes. That is how it was with Sonny and me and it destroyed us. I dont want that to happen to you or to Jason.
Elizabeth didnt speak for a moment, but she stopped glancing Jasons way every five seconds. Finally, she opened her mouth, I love him, Brenda.
I know. And he loves you. But right nowcan you please, just trust me on this. Stay with me for one night, at least. Give yourself a second to breathe, Brenda felt the desperation entering her voice. Why was this so important to her? Because they belonged together. Because if she had kept her stupid mouth shut for another half an hour, Elizabeth wouldn't have been attacked in the parking lot. Because, she realized, Elizabeth was her friend. "It's not like this has been your easiest day and I certainly didn't help. Think of this as me making it up to you."
Elizabeth looked once more at Jason, then returned her gaze and drew a ragged breath. Brenda's heart sank as she expected the inevitable 'no'. But the young woman surprised her.
Okay.
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:53:37 GMT -5
Chapter Eleven
Elizabeth stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror for what felt like hours. In the glass, she saw her room over her shoulder, clothes strewn all over the place in her frenzied search for the right outfit to wear. How many rooms can one girl have? She sighed. A room at the brownstone, a room at Audreys, her studio, Kellys, Jasons and now a room at Brendas cottage. Im like the designated homeless, she smiled sadly.
Not that she hadnt enjoyed her stay at Brendas. A solid week of sleeping all night, eating real food and not just coffee and peanut butter, and avoiding any run-ins with the PCPD had done her a world of good. Of course, the only way Jason would go along with Brenda's plan was if he spent every waking moment with Elizabeth. Given Jason's tendency to not sleep, Brenda joked that she saw her husband more now than she had when they shared the penthouse.
Ready for your date? Brendas voice cut through her thoughts. Elizabeth turned away from the reflection in the mirror and stared at the real person. She was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and an amused smile on her lips.
My what? Im going for a ride with Jason, its not a date, Elizabeth tried to scoff. A date? They didn't date. They spent time together and ran into each other and sometimes lived together, but they didnt date.
Brenda raised and eyebrow walked further into the room, picking her way through the piles of sweaters and pants. Did he call you ahead of time?
Yes, but
Is he coming to pick you up?
Well, yeah
Did you start to get ready about three hours ago?
Well, yes but
Did you redo your nailpolish and toes?
Hey, I did that this morning before he called, so that doesnt count, she protested, but Brenda just laughed. Elizabeth felt the blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks. Okay, fine. Technically, this is a date.
Are you nervous? Brenda asked, sitting on the bed next to the vanity. Elizabeth turned back to her reflection in the mirror. The eyes looking back at her were bright, the smile she wore wouldnt go away. She thought about Jason and the wind and racing along the cliff road and her heart pounded in her chest. Her smile widened and she turned back to Brenda.
No, Im excited. I miss himand us, the way we used to be together. Everything got so complicated, she sighed and studied her toes. The red polish flashed in the light from the vanity. Jason and Iwhen he came back it seemed like it would be so simple. Lucky and I werent together anymore, Jason was actually in Port Charles. And then I had to go and mess it all up with Zander. Elizabeth shook her head. Why was she dwelling on the past now, when Jason was going to be there inshe checked the clockhalf and hour? They were starting over. This was new and the past, everything about it, was over with. She lifted her gaze and caught Brenda staring at her. Thank you, by the way, for making me come here. I didnt understand a week ago, but I think I get it now and I-I can breathe again.
Brenda blinked and looked away for a moment. Elizabeth thought she saw the sparkle of tears in her friends eyes, but when the other woman looked back that familiar grin was in place.
I just didnt want to see you and Jason start out wrong, she explained. Both of you deserve to be happy. Well, you do. Jasonlets just say he doesnt make me want to tear my hair out anymore.
You like him, Elizabeth laughed, turning back to the mirror to sweep blush over her cheekbones. She looked pointedly at Brendas reflection in the mirror. But dont worry, I wont tell a soul.
Yeah, you better not, Brenda grumbled and flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She sighed heavily. I would never hear the end of it.
~*~
Courtney twirled a strand of stick straight blond hair around her finger and idly wondered if now would be a good time to dye her hair. Maybe some plastic surgery. If the meeting her contact was already late for didn't go well, she'd need to take drastic measures to ensure her safety.
"Courtney Matthews?"
"Shh, keep your voice down," she hissed in confirmation, darting nervous eyes around the bar. The Wharf wasn't as run down as some of the dives she'd frequented over the years, but she'd rather not allow anybody to place her here.
"Whatever, Princess," her contact muttered, sliding into the seat across from her and raising a finger to hail a passing waitress.
"So, when am I going to see him?" she asked eagerly, bypassing formality and procedure in her need for self-preservation.
"Hold your horses, chick. Mr. Tagliatti doesn't see just anybody."
"But I told him-."
"Yeah, I know what you told him. You told him you've been conning Corinthos for nearly a year and that you've got information Mr. Tagliatti might find...interesting."
"That's right," she nodded with a relieved smile. Sammy Tagliatti wouldn't turn down the opportunity to one-up Sonny Corinthos. In exchange for a little protection, maybe a one-way ticket some place out of the country, Courtney would give him all she had. "So, when do I meet with Sa-Mr. Tagliatti?"
"You don't."
She blinked dumbly. "I don't."
"Not yet," the contact shrugged in the booth and smiled at the waitress as she plunked a Bud Lite in the bottle on the scratched table top. He took a long pull from the bottle before continuing. "Mr. Tagliatti needs a sample of the information you're willing to give up. To make sure it's legitimate. Sonny Corinthos has an impeccable reputation and Mr. Tagliatti feels that...prudence is the best approach."
"So...he thinks I'm lying?" she scowled.
"He thinks your story is very good. Perhaps too good. And there is the issue of your behavior concerning Miss Webber."
Courtney closed her eyes in pain. That little brunette bitch wouldn't leave her the fuck alone! Every time she turned around, Elizabeth Webber and all her perfection was thrown in her face. "Look, that's personal. It has nothing to do with my information on Sonny Corinthos."
The contact studied her for a moment, carefully appraising. After a moment, he leaned forward and clasped his hands. "Mr. Tagliatti is interested in what you have to offer. He needs a few more days to decide on the appropriate course of action."
"A few more days?" she repeated in shock. "In a few more days, I probably won't be around."
"You've survived a week, haven't you? Your botched attack on Elizabeth Webber was over a week ago and your still around," the contact grinned as Courtney paled.
"You know about that?"
"You'll find that, like Sonny Corinthos, there's very little Mr. Tagliatti doesn't know," the contact drained his beer bottle, chucked a few bills on the table and prepared to leave. "Like I said. A few more days. I'll be in touch."
Courtney watched him leave, mouth agape. What was she supposed to do now? The man was right, a week had passed and she was damn lucky to be alive. Jason either didn't know or hadn't devised an appropriate torture for her yet. But why wouldn't Elizabeth...
"It doesn't matter," she whispered. Suddenly, her path came into sharp focus. The fact that she was still alive meant Jason didn't know she'd paid for the attack which meant for some reason, Elizabeth hadn't told him. Without bothering to pay for her two whiskey sours, she grabbed her jacket and darted out the back door. "Well, I'll just have to see to it, Elizabeth keeps her mouth shut."
~*~
Ill get it, Brenda insisted from the living room when she heard the knock at the door. Elizabeth shouted an indiscernible response, still making last minute preparations in her room. Brenda rolled her eyes. Sure, this wasn't a date at all.
Without pausing to identify her visitor, she pulled open the door. Jason was leaning against the door frame, pulling off his gloves. "You didn't even bother to see who it was, did you?"
She cocked her head and grinned. Aw, honey, youre home. And for the record, I heard your motorcycle pull up before you even knocked.
Shaking his head, Jason didn't wait for an invitation to cross the threshold into the cottage he'd once called home. A lifetime ago. "Jax around?"
"No," an uncharacteristic scowl marred Brenda's features. "He's still corporate raiding somewhere. "
"You and Elizabeth have been here by yourself?"
"Yeah, unless you count the 50 guards you've put on my front door alone," she teased. Jason didn't laugh. Not that she expected him to, he never thought she was funny. But in the past week she'd caught him at least rolling his eyes, smirking. She sighed. "Jason, we're fine and Elizabeth's been careful. Nothing even remotely eventful happened this past week. Which," she continued, poking him playfully in the chest. "you should know since you spent most of it here."
That earned her a response. The corner of his mouth lifted and she caught actual mirth in his eyes. He followed her to the couch and joined her when she sat...on the opposite end. I brought you something, he pulled an envelope from his jacket.
What is it? Brenda frowned, even as she scanned the papers. Her heart beat a little faster as she read the words and then let out a whoop of joy and jumped into his arms. Hugging him fiercely for the briefest of moments, she quickly pulled back to examine the documents again. Oh my God, Jason, I could kiss you! But I dont have to cause were not married anymore! When did this come?
Just today, he couldnt suppress his grin either. Brenda nearly collapsed to the floor. The nightmare was really over. Not that being married to Jason had been a nightmare, but the reasons behind it, her illness, it was really all over. Sighing happily, she was about to dive into another diatribe of glee, when she heard Jason suck in a sharp breath. Following his gaze she saw Elizabeth hurrying down the stairs, her hair loose on her shoulders, curling into waves lazily. Even under the leather jacket, the form fitting burgundy button down showed off every curve of her body. Brenda cast Jason a sideways glance and watched his eyes travel over Elizabeths figure, worshiping it like a holy relic. She had to bite her cheeks to contain her giggles.
When she hit the landing, Elizabeth finally looked up and immediately caught Jasons stare. She smiled, a little shyly, but didnt look away.
And that's my cue. Well, kiddies, have a good time, she sighed loudly. With deliberate steps, she joined Elizabeth on the landing. For the younger woman's ears only, she whispered. "And if you don't stay out there past noon tomorrow, I'm going to be very disappointed."
Elizabeth blushed and Brenda nudged her closer to Jason. She watched them leave, oblivious to her presence. They didn't speak, but she caught a look pass between them that said more than words ever could. Jason visibly relaxed and the brief glimpse of happiness she'd witnessed on the couch grew more pronounced. Elizabeth's smile was easy and for the first time, completely real. Brenda's heart constricted with the familiarity of it all as a memory she thought she'd buried long ago resurfaced.
I wonder if she began, but let the thought die on the air. No, it was never good to look back at things that could never be. No matter how right it still felt.
~*~
The fire in the grate had dwindled to smoldering coals an hour ago, but Sonny remained on the couch, staring into space. He didn't even hear Carly's soft footsteps on the stairs, didn't notice her presence until she sat beside him.
"Are you coming to bed tonight?" she spoke softly, the room was too still for her, and even in a whisper her voice seemed to ricochet off the walls like thunder. Sonny's eyes never left the grate, but he took her hand in his own and tugged her to his side. The tight spring pinched somewhere in her heart unwound at her husband's touch. She missed him, missed them and she gratefully pressed her face into his shoulder. "What's wrong, Sonny?"
"It's nothing," he mumbled, reaching for the tumbler of bourbon. Carly sighed, the spring tightening again. It wasn't nothing. She could recognize nothing and this thing that was quietly eating away at the man she loved was far from nothing. Sonny's chest rose under her as he sighed; his hand traveled down her shoulder to settle low on her hip, rubbing slow circles into the red silk that should have soothed her, but instead just emphasized how distracted and disconnected they were.
"Sonny, please," Carly whispered, desperate for a connection with him. He'd shut her out, confided in Brenda the truth about Elizabeth's parentage and Carly still hadn't quite gotten over it. His shirt was open at the collar and she traced her fingers over his skin then traveled lower to cover his chest and felt his heart beat steadily against her palm. "Please talk to me. If it's business, just tell me and I'll drop it, but please, tell me something."
Sonny closed his eyes at the pleading note in her voice. Carly asked questions all the time, demanded, coerced, cajoled and manipulated, but he rarely heard her beg. "There's nothing you can do. There's nothing anyone can do except sit here and wait."
"Wait for what?"
"Answers," was his simple reply. With measured calm his hand traveled back up her body to her shoulder and then his fingers threaded through her hair, briefly clenching the blond locks before releasing them and started the trip back down her side. Carly snuggled deeper into his side and drew a breath.
"This is about Elizabeth, isn't it," she bit her lip and waited for either a denial which she new would be a lie on his part, or an admission of the truth. Of course this was about Elizabeth. Everything had been for the past few weeks. Carly tried to squelch the surge of jealousy and distaste. She couldn't help it. Somehow, Princess Purity had managed to mesmerize both the men in her life to the point where they didn't even see Carly anymore.
"Yes, it's about Elizabeth," Sonny sighed and sat up, elbows on knees, and held his face in his hands. Carly wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resting her cheek against his shoulder blade, begging him to confide in her like he used to. "I never should have told her who she is."
"She deserved to know, Sonny."
"Yeah, but what have I got to show her? I birth certificate? What good is that? I have no answers for her, no proof, no fucking clue as to how this happened," his voice was as tight and strained as his heart felt. Resting his chin on his closed fists he returned his gaze to the dying embers. "I want to give her all the pieces. From what Jason's told me, the Webber's treated her like an outsider her entire life. She was the piece of their family puzzle that never fit and they didn't try to hide it.
"And then here I come, waltzing in with nothing more than a piece of paper that proves exactly nothing and I'm hurt because she can't stand to be in the same room with me? How is that fair?" he was speaking to himself now, forgetting Carly was there at all, so he didn't try to hide the tears that pooled in his eyes. So that's it. He expected Elizabeth to want to figure this out with him and instead she's...
"Sonny," she drew a deep breath. Now was the time to be sympathetic, supportive. Mustering all her strength, she tried. "You know I'm not...not Elizabeth's biggest fan. But...she'll come around. She's always trusted you."
"I know," Sonny sighed. He didn't blame Elizabeth for keeping her distance. First she has to deal with Courtney and then he drops a bomb like this on her. Stupid, Corinthos. You could have waited. "I just don't want her to be alone anymore, Carly. She's been alone her entire life, and I just-."
"She's not alone, Sonny," Carly sighed softly. And she never will be again, she thought, if Jason's attitude at the PCPD was any indication. Placing a soft kiss on his neck, a last effort to make him see her, she whispered, "She has Jason."
~*~
Jason couldnt breathe. Gripping the handlebars on the bike tight enough to make them ache, he forced his eyes on the road. This was stupid. This was dangerous. This was going to get them killed. But if Elizabeth stopped hed die anyway.
This wasnt what hed had in mind, he kept reminding himself. He hadnt planned on this, it had even started innocently. Shed leaned forward to tell him something, and the next thing he knew her lips, like velvet, brush the skin just beneath his ear. Maybe hed turned too suddenly, maybe hed hit a bump and it had all been an accident, but it was no accident that Elizabeth was now showering kisses on his neck and jaw. Using slow, seductive torture she explored his skin with her lips and tongue while she dragged the zipper of his leather jacket down. He felt her fingers travel over his chest, his stomach, low to his waist and then those same fingers pulled his shirt out of his jeans and he felt her touch, hot even as the cold wind blew by them.
Jesus, he spoke. She must have heard him as she pressed herself tighter against him. Through the leather he felt her entire body, her legs digging so tightly against his thighs he thought hed explode if he didnt touch her. She bit his earlobe and he almost lost control of the bike as they sped around a curve. He swore and reached back to run his hands over the curve of her hip, the material of the jeans cool from the wind, but the heat of her skin bled through the denim and his leather gloves. Hooking his hand under her knee, he lifted her leg on top of his, bringing her closer yet. He felt her sigh against his skin, tickling him to the point of distraction. The parking ramp to Harborview Towers taunted him as it came into view. He was desperate to bring this ride to an end.
He pulled into the underground garage and parked the bike in the farthest corner, in the shadows. As soon as his feet hit the floor, he turned to catch her mouth, finally feeling those soft lips on his own. With a sigh, Elizabeth brought her hands to his face and returned the kiss, teasing him with her tongue against his bottom lip. He tilted his head slightly to draw more of her mouth to his. He groaned in frustration when she pulled away.
Ive been waiting to do that all night, she confessed in a breathless whisper that would have brought him to his knees if he wasnt already sitting down. Wrapping an arm around her waist, Jason pulled her entire body around to face him, straddle him from the front and kissed her again, his glove-clad hands framing her face, drawing her closer so he could drink her in. Like an addict finally getting his fix.
Elizabeth whimpered aloud as Jason took his time paying the same attention to her neck and jaw that shed paid him. Her breath caught in her throat and her body pulsed in anticipation. This felt so right, so amazingly perfect; Jason's hands, his lips caressing her skin.
His hands traveled lower, over the curve of her bottom and she pressed against him until her breast were flat against his chest and his waist was cradled tightly between her thighs. Her body ached for his touch. The heat from the bike mixing with the fire burning low in her center.
We should go inside, he murmured as his lips brushed past her ear. Her breath came in shallow bursts as she felt the leather against her stomach, first his fingers and then his hands as he slowly drove her mad. The intensity of his gaze nearly burned straight through her.
Whats wrong with right here? She asked urgently and leaned forward only a breath to capture his mouth in another crushing kiss.
Were on my bike, He spoke around her lips. She laughed and he felt it travel through his body.
I like your bike, her words sent a shiver down his spine.
There are cameras in here, he tried, even as he tipped his head back, exposing his neck to her lips as they scorched a trail across his throat.
Its dark over here, she whispered working her way to his ear, catching the lobe, holding it between her teeth. She pressed her body tighter against him. His hands found her waist, traveled lower and held her to him. He was not going to last long, not with her teasing him like this. She was so close, her skin demanding to be touched. How many nights when hed been away had he imagined holding her like this? It would be amazing, Jason. Right here. Right now.
Her throaty voice hit a nerve and he closed his eyes as he grew harder beneath her. Elizabeth rocked against him, torturing him with the increased pressure. He fairly growled as he held her still. Yeah, it would. It would be amazing. He captured her wrists and trapped them above her head. Pulling back slightly, her smile bewitched him with lips red and swollen from his kisses. She was the most beautiful angel Jason had ever seen.
Theres a problem, though.
Oh really? she mused and her eyebrow shot up in a challenge. Tugging on her hands, she moved forward to kiss him, but he held her fast, raking his gaze over her face, her throat, lingering on the swell of her breasts and then further down. When his eyes returned to her face, they were smoldering with a fire Elizabeth had never seen before.
It would be hot, he murmured and kissed her lips. It would be fast, and he leaned her back against the handlebars and the hard edges bit into her back, but she was only aware of Jasons lips on her skin. It would be amazing, he trailed kisses down her throat, dipping his tongue in the hollow at the base. Elizabeths body was shaking now and she squirmed against him, trying to draw him to her, to ease the ache only he could soothe. With her hands trapped above her head she felt wonderfully vulnerable. He could do anything to her. From the gleam in his eye, she knew he would.
Then whats the problem? she managed to gasp.
Well...there are only so many places I can kiss you...when we're like this...on the bike, he replied. Elizabeth could have sworn her heart stopped when he looked at her, his eyes holding a promise she knew damn well she was going to make him keep.
Then...then I think we should go inside, she whispered when she found her voice again. Jason grinned and helped her off the bike.
The doors of the elevator barely slid shut and Jason had to taste her again. Trapping her face in his gloved hands he backed her up to the wall. Lowering his mouth, he kissed her, drew her into him with slow steady thrusts of his tongue. She met him, stroke for stroke and wrapped her arms around his neck until he was overwhelmed. Her skin smelled like the wind, free and wild, and he fought to drink her in.
You taste good, she murmured against his lips in that same throaty voice that had nearly sent him over the edge on the bike. With a growl of thanks he parted her legs with his knee. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled closer, riding his thigh higher, until her feet were off the floor.
You smell like he trailed off, all his focus on unbuttoning her jacket and running his hands under the hem of her shirt, touching the taut skin of her stomach. She shivered against him, sighing into his mouth.
Like snow? she breathed as she ran her tongue across his bottom lip, nipped the skin with her teeth.
Better, he vowed. A desperate moan emanated low in the back of her throat and she ripped the leather gloves from his hands.
"Touch me," she begged, wrapping her slender fingers around his wrist and pressing his palm against her stomach. Her eyes were hazy with desire as she gazed at him through thick lashes. "Please, Jason...put your hands on me.
His breath caught in his throat as her thigh unexpectedly pressed tighter against him. The bright read emergency button on the elevator panel taunted him. He could hit that button and take her here in the elevator. Against the wall, on the floor, he could be inside her like he was dying to be. With each passing moment his body was rebelling at the wait, nearly screaming at him to ease the pressure.
But he wouldnt. He wanted Elizabeth in his bed, her scent mingling with his so every time he took a breath, hed breathe her in. He wanted to make her come over and over until she was too weak to move. He wanted his name on her lips when wave after wave of passion pushed her into oblivion. He wanted to make up for lost time. All the months hed been away, all the months they had been apart, he wanted to make up for it all.
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:53:58 GMT -5
Chapter Twelve
Brenda knew she was dreaming. She was with Sonny and she was happy-it had to be a dream. They were on an island, the fine, white sand glowing in the moonlight. Waves crashed against the shore and she could feel his eyes drinking her in as she watched the stars. He didn't touch her and she didn't move to be held. The steady tattoo of the water, beating at sand and rock, filled her senses and gave the silence company. She was happy and she knew if she turned her head to catch his eye, Sonny would have been smiling.
With a start, she jerked upright in bed, like some kind of jack-in-the-box, to the insistent shriek of the telephone. Diving across the half empty queen sized bed, she nearly dropped the phone and said hello to both ends before aligning the receiver correctly against her ear. "Hello?"
"Brenda?" a voice, very far away and nearly muffled by static echoed through the line. "It's Jax."
"Jax," she repeated, her voice suddenly loud and straining to fight the distance. The beginnings of a headache pulsed at her temple and she pressed the heal of her hand against her forehead to impede it. "Jax, I can barely hear you."
"I've only got a...needed to tell you that I-."
Rising on her knees, as if the height might somehow help the reception, she felt like she was screaming into the phone. "What? You need to tell me-."
"Five more days. I'll be...the deal is almost done. Just...days,"
"Five more what?" she shouted. Suddenly the static ended and she heard him sigh. His voice was crisp and clear when he spoke again.
"Finally out of that damn tunnel. Hey babe. Did I wake you?" he was smiling. She could hear it in his voice and because she still felt groggy and disoriented, it annoyed her.
"Do you know what time it is?" she admonished, leaning back against the plush pillows and glaring at the ceiling. The moon peaked through the blinds streaked the smooth surface with bands of light. "And what do you mean 'five more days'?"
Jax sighed and she vehement wished she still couldn't hear him. "This is taking a little longer than I'd anticipated, Brenda. But I'll have it wrapped up shortly, I promise."
"You said that three days ago," she started to whine. With an agitated huff, she pressed the heal of her hand to her forehead. God, she sounded like Carly. Her stomach twinged in disgust. "I'm...sorry, Jax, I just...miss you."
"I miss you too," he replied quickly. She could hear men's voices in the background speaking words she could only guess were German. "Listen, I have to get to a meeting, but I'll call you later, okay?"
"I..." she sighed. He wouldn't call her later. She knew that and so did he. But he felt better saying it. Like the fact that he even thought to make the idle promise counted for something. "Okay."
"I love you."
"I love you," she started to say, but the phone beeped, signaling that Jax had already ended the connection. She stared at the receiver for a moment, until the green lights behind the keys shut off and then tossed it to the foot of her bed. Five more days. Pulling the mauve duvet up to her chin, she tried to be disappointed at the prolonged separation from the man she loved. When she couldn't muster up the energy to be more than vaguely annoyed, she felt a sharp stab of guilt. The feeling only intensified when thoughts of her dream came back to her. She had no reason to feel guilty, she told herself stubbornly. Nobody could control their dreams and with all the time she'd been spending with Jason and Elizabeth and-she made a face-Carly, it was only natural to...
"Dream about Sonny?" she wondered aloud. When Jax returned, it would be different, she promised herself. She'd be with him and hold him again. He'd be a constant in her life and her mind wouldn't wander down old, deserted roads that only led to pain. Satisfied with that conclusion, she rolled over on her side and snuggled back into the pillows. She drifted off to sleep wondering where Jason and Elizabeth were at the moment. With a small smile, she doubted they were still on that motorcycle.
~*~
Jason managed to retain a modicum of restraint as he ushered Elizabeth out of the elevator and past the guard in the hall. What was his name...Trent. Trevor. Travis. Fuck it, he didn't care, he didn't ravish her in front of him. That was the important fact. Not the guard, not the time, hell the day really didn't matter at this point. He just wanted her in his penthouse in his bed. Now. The instant the door was closed, he nearly tripped over his own feet as his back hit the thick oak. Elizabeth pulled his mouth to hers with fervor, her lips like silk against his. Groaning audibly, he held her flush against him, hands that ached to caress every part of her stilled momentarily on her lower back, pressing her hips tightly to his. Every intimate curve of her body left its impression as she rocked against him. Her touch, her heat made him hard and straining for release. Tightening his arms around her, she rose slightly on her toes, crushing her breasts against his chest so completely, he could feel her heartbeat.
Her hands left his face to trail down his chest, her small artist's fingers lingering on the ripples of muscle she felt through the plain black cotton shirt that now seemed an impossibly annoying layer separating them. Jason moaned into her mouth as her tongue delved the warm depths. She'd been his in the elevator, ready to comply to his every whim, but now the tables had turned and she had him. Whatever she wanted, he'd do. Even with the door supporting him, he felt his legs go weak when her touch moved even lower. Without even removing his jacket, she tugged at the waist of his jeans and slipped her inside to caress his hard length. Swearing, he pulled her ever closer and swung around so that she took his place. In one fluid motion he caught her wrists and held her hands captive above her head. "Stop."
Elizabeth blinked, in a daze and he watched as her eyes went from cloudy with lust to only slightly more focused. She licked her lips, that pink tongue teasing him. With a shudder he closed his eyes. She tugged on her wrists halfheartedly. In a husky, low voice that he'd never heard before she managed to whisper. "Stop...why-why stop?"
Jason swallowed as the tone swept through his body like the finest whiskey, rendering him numb and warm. "If you keep touching me like that, this will all be over. Right here. Right now," Jason began, his chest heaving as he fought to breathe. Confusion flashed across her features and he couldn't resist tasting her as he lowered his mouth to hers and ran his tongue over her full bottom lip. When he continued, he looked right into eyes that were still cloudy with desire. "And I made you a promise."
"Yo-you did?" her brow crinkled as she tried to remember a promise. Nothing came. She couldn't remember what happened five minutes ago.
The smile that tugged on Jason's lips was slow and drugging. Elizabeth watched the corners curve upward as if in a dream. Now pinned with only one hand, Jason dragged his knuckles down her arm, making her shiver through the leather jacket. "On the bike. I said it would be hot," he moved to kiss her lips and dipped his head at the last minute to taste her throat. "And it would be amazing," he moved higher, still aiming for her mouth, only to detour at the last moment to nip at the spot just below her ear. She moaned in frustration as her lips hungered for his. "And it would be fast," he hovered before her, a breath away and if she'd been able to speak she would have begged for his mouth. The sound of his voice, low and ragged made her ache with need. She bucked her hips against him, trying to drag him closer. Relenting, he feathered a kiss against her lips, breaking away before she could properly enjoy him.
"But I want to take you slow," he murmured. All strength and reserve melted away and he let go of her wrists and leaned his forehead against hers. Elizabeth let her arms drop slowly to rest on his shoulders. She buried her fingers in his hair and held him close, not knowing what to feel, if she could feel anything other than the pulse of her blood and the heavy, delicious press of his body against hers. This was going to happen. Jason was going to make love to her, finally, after all the pushing and pulling and heartache. Without opening her eyes, she sighed.
"Then take all the time you want," her breath caressed his mouth and blindly, they met in a slow, sensuous kiss that traveled through her to her toes. Locking his hands around her small waist, her feet left the floor as he lifted her, inch by inch until she was above him. She clenched at the wheat colored locks between her fingers, urging him to meet her as she thrust her tongue against his.
"That's it, baby" he encouraged her when she wrapped her legs tightly around his torso. She helped him shrug out of his jacket and as the leather hit the floor, the tight coil resonating through her burned hotter. They moved together away from the door to the stairs, shedding articles of clothing as he carried her, so that by the time he laid her down on the bed, nothing but her bra and panties and his jeans separated them.
Bracing an arm above her head, Jason pulled away from her kiss to gaze at her porcelain skin and perfect curves. With his free hand he teased the strap of her bra, first slipping a finger beneath it, then pulling it over her shoulder to completely expose her shoulder. His fingers, rough, calloused and perfect against her soft flesh traced the lace and Elizabeth's breath grew shaky as his fingers danced over the straining nipple, applying just enough pressure to make her squirm. If he noticed, Jason's gaze never left her body as his eyes followed his hands while they explored.
"You look at me like..." she blurted out the words on a shallow breath, giving voice to the scattered thoughts tumbling aimlessly through her mind.
"Like what," Jason asked, lifting his head so she could see his eyes smolder in the shadowed bedroom.
"Like you can't...can't quite believe I'm real," she stammered to explain. His hand stopped on her hip, thumb hooked absently under the elastic of her panties, coaxing them away to reveal all of her.
"I've wanted you for so long...," he finally sighed and leaned over her more fully, slipping his knee between her thighs to press lightly against her. She realized then that he was still wearing his jeans, that entire too many articles of clothing separated her from those strong thighs her fingers hand so often itched to sketch or paint.
"Don't wait anymore," she demanded and beseeched all at once. Lifting her body, she rubbed her aching center against him. She reached her hand down to cup him through his jeans. Jason groaned and dropped his chin to his chest. Elizabeth smiled as she began to unzip his jeans, pushing them down before he could protest. Soon they joined the rest of her clothes on the floor, his black boxer briefs the only thing separating her from what she craved.
The distraction was overwhelming. Elizabeth's small hand caressed him through the cotton, driving him insane with her gentle, but constant pressure. He needed to be inside her. Once he felt her warm walls close securely around him, he'd take it slow, fast...whatever she wanted. He just needed her now. Her bra, black and lacy, needed it gone so he could kiss every inch of her body. Even as he worked at the clasp, one hand tangled in her hair, the other twisting the stretchy fabric, his mouth lowered to her breast, kissed the exposed skin before finding the tight nipple straining against the lace. He nipped it with his teeth, his body clenching at her hitched breath, the broken cry of his name. The barrier gone, he descended on her flesh again, nipping and sucking at her full breasts until she was shaking in his arms.
"Jason," she nearly sobbed as he abandoned her breast and moved lower to her navel, dipping his tongue in the hollow there before moving lower still. Elizabeth could have sworn she'd had more to say than just his name, but she could barely breathe let alone speak. Every nerve in her body was focused on the pulsing between her legs, the need so intense and unlike anything she'd ever felt before. Her nails dug into Jason's shoulders, piercing the skin, and she heard him suck in a breath. "I'm sorry."
Grinning, he planted a fist on either side of her, the deep blue comforter billowed around them. "That wasn't pain, baby," he promised and her stomach clenched at the husky tone. He kissed her hard, bruising her lips and eliciting a moan of satisfaction from her throat. Breaking the contact for a brief moment and before he could claim her again, Elizabeth blazed a trail of kisses over the stubble on his jaw to his ear, nipping the lobe before she moved farther down his body. His arms shook as she took his nipple between her teeth, mimicking his earlier assault and he swore softly.
Growling her name, she felt his hands nearly span her waist as he dragged her higher on the bed to reclaim her lips. He seemed to be everywhere, caressing every inch of her flesh until goose bumps broke out. God, she wanted him. Vainly, she tried to remember a time when she didn't want him. With his mouth fused to hers, the rest of the world ceased to exist. All she knew was the pressure of his body in her arms. Even as his fingers slipped between her thighs to brush the wet, sensitive skin, her only awareness was the insistent thrust of their tongues as their mouths mated. He bit her lip, then tasted it with a flick of his tongue, and she dug her nails into her shoulders yet again. The pleasure was going to drive her mad. "Jason, please..."
"Please what?" he teased, tracing his finger lighting around a pert nipple. He dipped the tip of his finger between the silky folds of her core and she instantly encouraged him, dying to relieve the building pressure.
"Jason," she panted his name again and his control nearly snapped at the raw, primal tone of her voice and he started a descent down her body. He kissed her stomach, continued traveling lower. He pressed the finger deeper. God, she was tight. Tight and wet and hot and he physically hurt with the need to be inside her. His tongue found her center, flicked at the tight bud buried there, and he felt her walls clench around his finger. Elizabeth murmured something incoherent, her hands in his hair, pressing him against her. He continued his careful kisses, nipping and sucking, thrusting his finger slowly in and out of her body until she cried out his name, he tasted her completion. The cries of passion nearly sent him over the edge as he reveled in the knowledge that he made her feel this way. More than that, after everything he'd put her through, she still wanted him to make her feel like this.
Traveling back up her body, he couldn't taste her enough. In the moonlight slanting through the blinds, her skin glistened with sweat, as tremors of pleasure still raced through her veins. When his lips found hers, he kissed her slowly, drinking her in for an eternity before pulling back to drown in her eyes.
Elizabeth felt the weight of his gaze on her, and with some difficulty lifted her heavy lids to peer at him. What she read in his eyes took her breath away. "I love you," she whispered, pulling him down to a kiss before he could speak. Jason rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him, molding her naked body to his. The delicious friction of her body against his elicited a moan of pure bliss from deep in her throat. Her knees cradled his hips and she felt the press of his arousal against her still swollen center. Suddenly, the need was back and she rubbed herself slowly against him, lowering her hands to slip beneath the elastic of his briefs. Bringing her mouth to his ear, she whispered, "I love you, but you are wearing entirely too much clothing."
He grinned, helped her remove the last barrier separating them from finally being one. Making a move for the nightstand, he fumbled with the handle, jerking it open, but she beat him to it, grabbed the condom and held it behind her back. Straddling his thighs, she took his hard length in her hand, stroking him slowly, her small fingers hitting every nerve and rendering him helpless. With every touch he grew harder in her grip and she watched him, her own desire building with the knowledge that he needed her just as badly as she would always need him.
"Enough," he finally growled and flipped Elizabeth to her back, pining the birth control beneath her. Moving his hand underneath her body to take it from her, she evaded him, switching the small package to her other hand. Her eyes sparkled as a slow smile spread across her beautiful lips.
"Looking for something?" she laughed before bringing the wrapper to her mouth, gripping it with her teeth and her free hand and ripping it open. When her fingers touched him again, he sucked his lip between his teeth, closed his eyes as he fought for the last shreds of control holding him together. No one had ever pushed him to the edge so quickly and made him stay there, suspended in a state of nearly painful want and need. Her fingers brushed his face, pulling him to her waiting mouth that he happily claimed, even as he pressed slowly and carefully inside her. Her walls stretched and closed around him like a glove, a perfect fit as he moved inside her, hesitant at first and then gradually building to a steady pace. Together they found their rhythm and raced each other, pushed each other harder and faster until spiraling together into oblivion.
~*~
The cottage was dark. One wouldnt expect anything different at five oclock in the morning. Nestled among the trees, Courtney felt like the cottage belonged in a totally different world. She imagined herself there, sleeping in one of the rooms with Jason by her side. The pleasant thought quickly turned bitter. There would be no happily ever after for her and Jason. Whatever delusions she'd had about a forever with him were just that-dreams she'd created.
She knew her days were numbered. Luck and a lifetime of con jobs were the only two factors keeping her alive right now. Sonny had doubled security at the Towers. So far, they'd left her alone, but she knew it was only a matter of time before her hiding places ran out and Johnny or Francis or one of the other brainless thugs caught up with her. She'd spent the better part of an hour studying the cottage from a safe distance. The guards did rounds every hour, leaving certain areas of the house vulnerable. All she had to do was bide her time until...
Now.
In the darkness she crept up to the porch, searching under the mat and then above the doorframe for a spare key. Courtney may end up a loser, but Elizabeth wasn't going to win. Not that little brunette bitch. Her fingers closed around cool shoved the key in the lock.
Silently, she opened the front door, crept up the stairs and checked the first door. The bathroom was empty as was a spare bedroom. The second to last door was a closet she had just enough time to duck into before a petite brunette stumbled sleepily out of the farthest door on the left and padded to the bathroom. Courtney heard the door close and she cracked the door open slightly, then slinked into the hallway.
Water ran in the bathroom, the light clicked off and the brunette opened the door, her back to Courtney. Without wasting anytime she clamped her hand over the smaller womans mouth, the other arm wrapping tightly around the small waist.
I am so sick of you messing up all my plans, she whispered in barely contained fury. She dragged the brunette to the top of the stairs, ignoring the muffled protests coming from behind her hand. So this is the last time. Im not leaving until Ive taken care of you for once and for all.
With a savage shove, Courtney pushed the brunette down the stairs, watching with a sadistic smile as the small body bounced off each step and ricocheted from one side of the staircase to the other. The railing shuddered under the unusual impact. A pop echoed through the apartment, followed by a thud when the dark head connected with the hardwood floor at the landing. Then all was silent. She hadnt even screamed. Courtney smiled wider.
Bounding down the steps, she picked up a heavy lamp off an ornate antique end table by the foot of the stairs. Lifting it over her head, the image of Jason ran through her mind. She had been so close and now she'd never have what she truly wanted. But she could have revenge. All she had to do was finish this job.
The body on the floor moved then, the head rolled and a curtain of dark brunette hair fell away from the face. Courtneys heart sank as she realized that she had just thrown Brenda Barrett down a flight of stairs.
~*~
The room was still and silent, the calm broken only by the soft sigh of Elizabeth's breathing as he held her in his arms. Jason felt her chest rise and fall against him, his own lungs forgetting how to function as he drank in the light glow of her skin. Her lips, still red and swollen from his kiss, were parted slightly. Rubbing her bottom lip with his thumb, he studied the curve of her jaw, the way her eyelashes rested against her cheeks. She slept on, through his gentle touch, the hand over his heart seemed to draw him to her, without even moving.
He struggled to define what he was feeling at that moment, holding Elizabeth's warm body to his, watching her sleep. Happy, whole, content, peaceful? Peacefulhe couldnt remember ever being peaceful, but right now, it was the closest word he could find to describe the calm in his soul. He could spend the rest of his life holding her like this, watching her breathe.
As if on cue, a knock sounded on the front door like thunder. Jason stiffed, looked at the clock over Elizabeths shoulder. The red lights glowed 3:18. With a grimace he squeezed his eyes shut and pulled her closer to him. Sonny can find someone else to The pounding resumed and Jason groaned softly, eyelids fluttering. Elizabeth hadnt moved. Resting his forehead against hers he struggled with the need to see what the hell Sonny wanted and his desire to stay wrapped up in her embrace.
When the pounding sounded for the third time Jason swore softly and eased his arm from beneath Elizabeths body. Her brow creased for a moment, but instead of waking she snuggled deeper into his pillow and slept on. Kissing her closed eyes, he searched for his jeans, tugging them on even as he descended the stairs. The hardwood floor was cool under his bare feet. With an angry jerk he wrenched the door open just as his best friend was about to launch another volley on the door.
What? Jason spat with more venom than he actually felt. Sonny took a step back, surprised it seemed, to see him. The annoyance Jason had felt ebbed away as he took in his friends appearance. Sonnys white dress shirt was rumpled and untucked, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The usually perfect crease down the center of each gray pant leg was lost amongst the maze of wrinkles. He looked like he hadnt slept in weeks. Jasons brow furrowed in concern, but Elizabeths sleeping form never left his mind. Whats wrong?
Sonny sighed, debating which carefully planned speech he should use, which topic of discussion he should tackle first. Courtney or Elizabeth. He really didnt want to talk about either one, but Carly had convinced him if he didnt talk to Jason about some of the burdens he was shouldering, hed never get any peace.
Sonny? Jason leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms. Whats going on?
I have something for youwell, for Elizabeth really. I wanted to, I mean, she needs his words fell all over themselves and he shook his head, cursing softly. He held out a yellowed slip of paper to Jason. Here.
Jason took the scrap of paper, unfolded it and read it over carefully. This is Elizabeths birth certificate. Why are you giving it to me?
Because she wants nothing to do with me, Jason, Sonny sighed as he began pacing the few steps from one side of the hallway to the other. And I cant say I blame her. Her life has been put in danger more times in the past few weeks than they have in her entire life because of me. I let Courtney into my life, into my family and Elizabeth has suffered because of it. I make you lie to her to cover up that Alcazar fiasco and then I throw this in her face with nothing more than that as proof. He gestured to the birth certificate in Jasons hands with an angry flick of his wrist.
She hates me, Jason, and I dont blame her, he stopped pacing and grasped the back of his neck, staring at the floor. Jason waited a moment, rereading the words on the birth certificate.
Are you done, Sonny? he asked, casting his friend a sideways glance. When the mobster didnt respond, Jason sighed. Refolding the slip of paper, he held it out. I cant give this to her.
Sonnys head jerked up and the dark eyes focused first on the birth certificate and then on Jason. Why the hell not?
Because, I Jason paused. How did he explain that he wasnt in a position to force anything on Elizabeth? They were together, sure. Hed finally made love to her like hed dreamed of doing for longer than he could remember, but he was so close. The bridge between them was so new he was afraid to put this much weight on it. She was asleep, in his bed, and he wanted to make damn sure nothing happened to change that. This is about you and Elizabeth. Im not going to force her to deal with this if she cant yet.
I want to make this right. I dont want to treat her like the Webbers did, like she was an outsider who didnt belong. I want her to have a family, a home where she can feel like shes wanted. She belongs with us, here, Sonny was pacing again, not really talking to Jason, more around him. He bit his lip and stared down at his bare feet, the hem of his jeans was starting to fray.
She is here, he said softly without looking directly at his best friend, but Sonny heard it, stopped pacing and looked at him with an expression akin to amazement. Casting another sideways glance, Jason continued even softer. Shes asleep in a home where shes more than wanted.
Jason watched, unsure how Sonny would react to the news that his newfound sister was asleep in his best friend's bed. The thought had never crossed his mind, that Sonny would have any opinion at all. But now, after his rant at 3 am in the hallway outside his apartment, Jason was a little nervous that his bosswouldnt like it.
After a solid minute of silence, Sonny cleared his throat. I...We haven't found Courtney yet. There are guards on her apartment in case she shows up. I've doubled security here.
Jason frowned at the abrupt change of topic. The mob boss wouldn't look him in the eye. I know.
Sonny nodded his head when Jason didnt speak further. He handed the birth certificate back to his friend. Please, just keep this. Tell her you have it, keep it to yourself, whatever, just keep it. Until shes ready. Jason nodded, silently taking the battered piece of paper that held the only key to Elizabeths past. Sonny turned to leave, but Jason had to tell him.
Sonny, the mob boss turned, glassy brown eyes met his for a split-second before darting away again. Jason sighed in resignation, but lifted his chin. I love her.
Sonny stared at him and nodded mutely. Opening his mouth, the mobster apparently thought better of whatever comment he wanted to make. He turned slowly, and walked back to his apartment, leaving Jason standing in the doorway to his penthouse.
Swearing softly, he shut the door and flipped the lock. As he slowly ascended the stairs, eager to crawl back into bed, he wondered if loving Elizabeth would ever be easy. Not that it mattered, he amended. The mattress shifted and sunk with his weight when he sat on the edge. A soft sigh had him turning, like a moth to a flame, to marvel at the beauty of the woman who now shared his bed. Simple or difficult, loving Elizabeth was the only thing he wanted to do. The only thing he would always understand.
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:54:24 GMT -5
Chapter Thirteen
The chill in the air sank beneath her skin to gnaw on her bones. A vice wrapped its solid arms around her lungs making even the shallowest of breaths impossible. Elizabeth tried to open her eyes, but the darkness only grew deeper and panic coursed through her body. Something heavy and hot pressed against her stomach and the coil of fear wound tighter. With each passing second, the black world around her filled as her other senses made up for her lack of sight. The snow on the ground, partially melted by her body heat, stole all the warmth from her bare skin. Hot, moist air feathered against her ear and she tried to squirm away, but the weight over her body shifted and unknown hands pinned her wrists. A voice came to her then, low and menacing, the words unintelligible. Cool fabric moved against her hip as a calloused hand groped her greedily.
It's happening again. The words finally made sense. The voice as much her own as the cruel growl of an assailant she couldn't see to fight. But the stench of fish filled her nostrils and her stomach rolled in protest. No, it couldn't be him. Please, God, don't let this happen again. She'd gotten away once, but this time, she was already on the ground, clothing in tatters and rendered defenseless. Tears pooled in her eyes and slipped past her cheeks. The winter wind turned them to ice as they hit the uneven ground. Somewhere, part of her knew she was dreaming, but that rational part of her mind was lost in the desperate cries of 'no' that couldn't fight their way past her throat.
The hands seemed to be everywhere, touching every part of her body, parts she only wanted Jason to touch. Struggling harder, she finally heard her own voice outside her mind. Kicking her legs, she fought the hands, slapping blindly and using her nails to rip the skin to shreds.
"Elizabeth," the voice sounded miles away, too far to help her or save her and she ignored it. The hands were working their way down her body and she squeezed her thighs together as she twisted and screamed.
"Elizabeth," this time the voice sounded closer, so much closer.
"Help me," in her mind it was a scream, but the cry actually sounded like a whimper once it passed her lips. The weight lessened, but she still couldn't breathe around the vice gripping her heart and lungs.
"Elizabeth," Jason's voice was right by her ear, breaking through the barrier holding her captive and as she pushed the hands away for the final time, she sucked in a deep lungful of air. Shooting to a sitting position, her eyes flew open and the early light of morning filtered through a window to her left.
"No," her voice echoed off the bedroom walls. The dream clung to her and she panicked at waking up naked in a strange bed. Both hands clutched the dark blue sheet to her bare breasts as she struggled to remember where she was. Dawn had not yet broken, but she could make out the shape of the sparse furniture in the room. The dresser, the nightstand, the doorway to the bathroom... Her heart began to slow down, although her chest burned from holding her breath.
She felt something brush her shoulder and she jerked her head in the direction of the caress. Jason's fingers swept the bare skin as he tentatively touched her. His gaze focused on the smooth flesh for a moment before rising to meet her eyes. The concern she saw reflected in the blue depths comforted her.
"I'm okay," she tried to speak, but her voice cracked and she had to clear her throat and try again. Forcing herself to breathe slowly, she swallowed. "It was just a dream."
"A nightmare," he whispered softly, but with an edge of anger. She could feel the heat from his body, wrapping around her like a blanket. If she'd been ready, she could have crawled into his arms and cried away the slowly ebbing terror. "What about?"
Elizabeth sucked in her bottom lip and rested her head on her knees. When she closed her eyes, immediately the visions from the dream came back in technicolor and she forced her eyelids apart. Vague memories assaulted her, taking shape as she remembered details of that day a week ago she'd tried desperately to forget. Letting out a frustrated cry, she spoke. "Don't ever wish you could dream. It's not...you're not missing anything." She sighed and her hand found his, twisting their fingers together. "I was back in the park. In that stupid red dress, but it wasn't...it wasn't Tom this time, it was the guy who-."
"Who attacked you," Jason cut in, his fingers tightening their grip on her own. She nodded and gave into the need to hide in his embrace. Strong, safe arms encircled her with their protection and love. He murmured something, too soft for her to understand, but the words didn't matter as he lowered them both back to the bed. Burying her face against his shoulder, she let a few tears squeeze past her lashes.
"I knew I was dreaming, Jason, but I couldn't wake up," she sighed after a moment.
"You were afraid."
"I was angry too," she admitted.
"Angry?"
She pulled away only enough to look him in the eye. He watched as she licked her lips and took a breath. "Jason, the man who attacked me...it wasn't random."
Sunlight had yet to peak its way over the horizon and with the shades drawn in his bedroom, their world was full of shadows. But even in the limited light, Elizabeth noticed the way his entire face darkened at the words. "What are you talking about?"
"He-he was paid...Courtney-,"
"Son of a bitch," he growled and rolled away from her. He might have been intending to get dressed and go hunt the man down, he might have been going down to shoot pool and work it out, or he might have just been trying to reign in his temper. Elizabeth didn't know and she didn't care. At that moment all she wanted was to keep him in that bed, next to her, to protect her from demons and threats she knew couldn't really get to her.
"Jason, don't," she warned. He stilled at the sound of her voice, sitting on the edge of the bed with just his bare feet on the hardwood floor. Almost desperate, she rose on her knees and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her hands splayed over his heart. "Please don't."
"Why didn't you tell me?" he ground out through clenched teeth. For a moment she thought he was upset with her, until he closed his fingers gently over her wrist and just held on.
"I didn't remember until now," she confessed. Turning his head, she caught his pained expression. "Jason that day...until you walked into the police station and held my hand...that was the worst day of my life. I just-with everything that happened, the last thing I wanted to remember was Courtney. I just-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep it from you, really. I forgot and now I wish i had just kept it to myself because I need you and I don't want you to-."
He stopped her ramble before it completely derailed into hysterics and tears with a fierce kiss. He let her guide him back down to the bed and he continued his oral assault until her body stopped trembling in his arms.
"You don't have to be afraid of him. I promise," Jason whispered softly against her cheek. Brushing a kiss over her lips, he expelled a shaky breath when he pulled away and felt her fingers tracing his lips. The vow was more than an empty gesture like it would have been given by any other man. She knew her acceptance of what he said meant more than a placation. "He will never hurt you again."
"I know," she finally nodded, and it was done. She didn't want to think about what it meant. For once, she more than accepted what Jason did, she was grateful for it. His lips were inches away, begging to be kissed and she happily obliged. Velvety soft under her tongue, she tasted his mouth. "I know."
With a low moan against her neck, Jason pulled her on top of him, blazing a trail of kisses down the column of her throat and back up to capture her neck. A need that hadn't been sated, only put aside, surfaced again and Elizabeth purred her pleasure. Jason's hands traveled over her entire body, smoothing out the remaining traces of the dream with a touch. When he brushed the sensitive skin on the inside of her thigh, her breath caught and she dug her nails into his shoulder blades. Her tongue clashed with his and she bit his lip. With a low growl, Jason rolled her to her back, his lips leaving hers as he suckled her jaw, moving towards the spot just behind her ear that he knew drove her mad.
He moved lower, pinning her arms at her side while he kissed her shoulder, the slopes of her breasts and the hollow at the base of her throat. Elizabeth's breath came faster and sharper as he neared her tight nipple, and he let go of one arm to brush the delicate skin beaneath her breasts. He was tracing the skin just around the rigid peak with his tongue when the shrill ringing of a cell phone filled the room.
Elizabeth groaned in frustration and kept her eyes firmly closed. Ignore it," she managed, her hands threading through his hair, urging his mouth to continue.
"It's not mine," he whispered in response. Her eyes flew open and she looked down at him.
"What? Then who's is it?"
"Yours," he guessed, not allowing anything to distract him from taking her gently between his teeth. Evading him, she rolled out of his grasp and reached over the side of the bed towards the sound. "Wha-."
"After all the times your cell phone interrupted us, I owe you," she smirked over her bare shoulder, the porcelain skin taunting him. Jason groaned and shook his head.
"My cell phone never interrupted anything like this," he swore, flopping down on the bed and pulling the sheet she had wrapped around her waist away from her.
The volume of the ring increased when she dug it out of her purse, which she finally found buried beneath Jason's jeans. The number flashing across the display was Brenda's cottage.
"Who is it?" Jason asked as they played tug of war with the sheet, Elizabeth losing miserably as she fumbled for the buttons.
"Brenda," she replied. Jason rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to his chest. She felt his lips brush the nape of her neck, his tongue exploring the flesh as his breath blew hot over her ear.
"Brenda? It's not a real good time," she said as her insides turned to mush. A moan of sheer pleasure nearly escaped her lips as Jason's caresses became more distracting. Damn, his mouth and tongue should be illegal. The only sound was the rustle of sheets and her own breathing. The silence unsettled her. "Brenda?" Still nothing. "Brenda, are you there?"
Through the phone line, Elizabeth heard one small sound, a whimper and then the connection died. Until that moment, she'd been willing to assume Brenda was just teasing her, playing the big sister checking up on her sibling's first date, but that whimper sounded so helpless it sent a chill down her spine. Jason sensed the change in the mood and was just holding her against his chest, concern lacing his eyes.
"What did she say?"
"Nothing. There was nothing until the end," she sat up, the sheet forgotten as she stared at the blank screen of the cell phone. Her eyes were troubled when she finally looked up and met Jason's gaze. "There was nothing except dead air, and then a, a whimper before the connection broke."
"Are you sure it was Brenda?" he asked, taking the cell from her and checking the call history. The number to the cottage, familiar even to him after the last week of visiting Elizabeth lit up as plain as day. The weight of the bed shifted and he saw her throwing clothes around, searching for her bra. She turned to look at him and he saw the same apphension in her eyes that was starting to tug at him as well.
"Something's wrong."
~*~
The alley stretched out before her, dark and deserted save for the lone yellow glow of the single bulb lighting the back entrance to the strip joint, newly opened, next door. Courtney hopped from foot to foot, trying to keep the blood flowing as she cowered in the shadows. The landing in front of her doorway was empty in the spreading dull gray light of morning. The windows of her little hole in the wall apartment were still black with night, but she was afraid.
"Fuck," she muttered under her breath. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Jason was supposed to fall in love with her and leave Elizabeth's scrawny ass by the wayside. The plan had been simple, reaching out before her in her mind like the red carpet leading her to the glory she'd been dreaming of her entire life. The wealth of the Quartermaine family and the connections of the Corinthos empire. Not a bad scam for two grifters like her and Janine. The animosity between Jason and AJ was no secret. And the connection Jason had to Sonny was the icing on the cake. She had almost laughed at the epic romance of it all. The untouchable enforcer in love with his boss's sister. How perfect. A flawless story.
But of course, she'd overlooked Elizabeth Webber. Overlooked the power that stupid, snarky bitch had over Jason. Tears pooled in her eyes, hot and angry as she recalled the pain in Jason's eyes the morning at Kelly's when he watched Elizabeth walk away. She wouldn't admit it at the time, but he'd looked like someone had torn his heart out and tucked it carefully in the palm of the brunette's hand.
"How could I have been so careless?" she whispered as the tears spilled over her cheeks. Jason had been falling in love with her, she was sure of it. What man would risk his neck to save her from an attacker if it wasn't love? No one was selfless enough to just do something like that for any old girl...right? Maybe if she hadn't faked the entire stalking...was that where she went wrong? Could she have won Jason's affections if he hadn't had to save her, like a knight in tarnished armor? With an angry shake of her head she pushed those thoughts aside. What ifs meant nothing now. 'What ifs' were worthless.
With a sinking heart she began to understand the world she was living in. Jason would never choose her. No matter what she did for him, no matter how much she wanted him and loved him. No matter who she made suffer to pay for his unhappiness, Jason's heart would always belong to Elizabeth. The knowledge pierced through her heart and she doubled over in pain before slumping to the ground beside a large dumpster. The stench was verwhelming, but she barely noticed. Mascara ran with her tears and she stared numbly at the crumbled cobblestones.
Tagliatti was her only hope. As quietly as possible, she ran from the alley. Sonny had guards on her house, she'd seen them. She may have avoided the light security at Brenda's cottage, but for once she wasn't going to press her luck. When she was a five blocks away, she hailed a cab and instructed the driver to take her to the The Grand. Tagliatti would see her...even if she had to break into his suite to meet him.
~*~
The wind whiped past Jason's face and he pictured it flying through Elizabeth's hair, even as he urged the bike faster. There was no time to fantasize about those long brown locks, wind or no wind. The worry in her eyes as they'd quickly dressed in the early morning light had been enough to prove to him that something wasn't right at the cottage. As much as he'd been dying to lay in bed with her all morning, making love to her until they were too weak to move, he knew Elizabeth. Her instincts were better than his.
They took a twist in the road at a sickening speed and Jason could have dragged his hand across the ground. Elizabeth barey flinched, just tightened her grip on his waist and buried her face into his shoulder. Good thing she barely weighs anything or we'd be all over the pavement. He righted them and slowed as they approached the cottage.
Instantly, Elizabeth was off the bike, casting the helmet aside and sprinting to the steps. With a flick of his wrist, he killed the engine and jumped off the motorcycle, catching her in a few long strides. Circling her waist with an arm, he lifted her off the ground and swung her around behind him.
"What are you-,"
"Stay behind me," he ordered softly, holding her cheek in his gloved hand for a moment before reaching back to draw his gun, his eyes never left hers. With a swallow, she nodded and grasped his other hand. The worry in her eyes was tinged with fear and he squeezed her fingers, dwarfed more than usual by the leather. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. He'd die first.
The cottage was dark, but at 6:30 in the morning, that didn't surprise him. If he'd learned one thing being Brenda's husband, the woman really wasn't a morning person. The feeling that seeped through his senses and unsettled him, however, was the loneliness of the surroundings. They were so far away from everything. A person could live and die their entire life out here and nobody would be aware of it until the realtors came to collect the morgage. Jason's jaw clenched and he suddenly felt sick at leaving Elizabeth alone out here, so far away from him. Right then and there, he decided she was moving in with him. Whether she wanted to or not. He didn't care at that moment if she hated him for it, he needed to have her with him. She needed to be safe.
"Do you have-," he began, but stopped when he felt the imprint of metal through the leather and looked down to see Elizabeth press the key into his gloved hand. She nodded once and he saw the determination in her eyes as she squeezed his hand this time. Offering her the faintest of smiles, he tugged her hand and he felt the reassuring warmth of her body through his jacket.
The key slipped easily into the lock, popping the dead bolt back. The door swung open and it took him a minute to adjust to the dark. Nothing seemed out of place, but he felt a presence in the room, although he saw nobody. Elizabeth followed, still clinging to his hand, as he crossed the threshold. The thud of his boots echoed dully against the hardwood floor. The satisfying weight of the gun in his hand, began to feel unnecessary. There was nobody-
"Oh my God," Elizabeth whispered. Jason's heart skipped a beat when he noticed the body on the floor. For one brief, but all too real moment, he saw Elizabeth's still, pale form lying on the floor of the freezer at Kelly's. Her hair had been hiding her face and she'd been curled into a ball, just like the body on the floor of Brenda's cottage. But this time, it wasn't Elizabeth. He forced the image out of his head and crouched beside her on the second step.
"Is it?"
"It's Brenda," she murmured, pushing the hair away from her friend's face. Jason stripped off a glove and searched for a pulse. Elizabeth caught his gaze with tear-filled eyes.
"She's alive," he whispered. What had happened? Had she fallen? He turned and appraised the stairs, the landing and small living room beyond. The dread trying to creep past his defenses suddenly strengthened and his grip tightened around the gun. "Call 911."
"Jason, where are you going?" Elizabeth whispered, the need for silence was contagious and she matched her tone with his. Grabbing his arm she stopped him from standing.
"I need to check the rest of the house," he explained. After a moment she nodded, but pulled him to her, kissing him fully on the mouth. His fingers dug through her hair, tangling in the strands as he tasted her. Even now, she had the power to make him forget everything except her touch, her scent. With regret, he rose to his feet, breaking the kiss. Elizabeth's lips were red and swollen from use, making them even more enticing than usual. Shaking his head slightly to clear the distraction, he moved from room to room on the first floor, never letting Elizabeth out of his sight for longer than a few seconds. She had the cordless phone Brenda had pulled off the end table in her small hand and was rattling off directions to the paramedics. The other hand was tightly clutching the unconscious brunette's limp one and even though she offered a faint smile when Jason nodded toward the stairs, it did little to reassure him.
It wasn't until he'd secured the entire top floor that he set free the breath he'd been holding. He almost ran down the stairs himself, in his eagerness to be near Elizabeth again. The house may be clear, but he felt better when he could reach out and take her hand.
Apparently, Elizabeth had been holding her breath as well, because she heaved a sigh when he finally joined her on the floor next to their friend. Her eyes were anxious as she turned to him. "What did you find?"
"Nothing. The house is empty. Jax must still be out of town," he brushed a curl off her forehead. She hadn't had time to shower before they left and her hair had begun to from waves from sleep and sweat. Frivolously, he tried to decide if he liked it better straight or curly in that moment. Both suited her. Who was he kidding, as long as her hair felt the same beneath his fingers, he'd die wishing he could bury his hands in it one more time.
"The ambulance is on its way," she murmured, her voice louder now that Jason was back and the house was clear.
"She'll be okay, Elizabeth."
Her response was unsure. "I hope so."
~*~
Sonny had been in control for a long time. Too many years for him to adequately remember the last time he'd been woken at 7:00 am. He'd been up at that hour, spent and tired from a late night meeting or some necessary business matters, but a phone call, when the light of day was just beginning to creep over the horizon was as foreign to him as being questioned on an order. And just as unwanted.
"What?" came his gruff reply when the phone beside the bed he shared with Carly rang shrilly. His wife murmured beside him and rolled away as he struggled to pry his eyelids apart and focus on the voice at the other end.
"Sonny," Jason's voice sounded hollow and he remembered that the man didn't have a damn cell phone yet. First thing Johnny's gonna do today is get the man a cellular.
"Jason, what time is it?" he mumbled against the vestiges of sleep that refused to let go. The silk was so smooth and warm beneath him, it was nearly impossible to concentrate on anything else.
"Doesn't matter. Brenda's in the hospital," came the faraway reply. Sonny was silent while the words sunk in, and then he sat up like a shot. Sleep was completely forgotten as a strange, but eerily familiar sensation made his stomach knot and his voice hitch.
"Brenda? What the hell happened?" he was already moving around the room, pulling a pair of dark gray slacks from his bureau. He'd been expecting...well, to be honest he would have been less surprised if Jason had called bearing news of another tragedy befalling Elizabeth. He grew sick as he realized he'd never thought of protecting Brenda. "Jason, is she...is she gonna be okay?"
"I don't know. She was alive when Elizabeth and I found her," Jason paused and Sonny waited, his impatience building.
"Well, damn it, Jason tell me what the hell happened?" he shouted into the phone. Carly stirred on the bed and held the sheet to her body as she rose and stared at her husband. His hair was sticking out in wild curls, illuminated by the shafts of light streaming through the curtains. Wearing the gray pants, unbuttoned still with the undershirt bunched about the waist, he looked utterly the opposite of the mighty Sonny Corinthos the mob world feared.
"We don't know. Elizabeth and I found her at the bottom of the stairs at the cottage," Jason paused, but this time Sonny refused to be the first one to cave. The man could talk, so talk already. "Sonny, I didn't say anything to Elizabeth but I...I think she was...was pushed."
Sonny had to lean against the wall to keep his knees from giving out on him and sending him tumbling to the floor. Brenda was pushed? By who? For what? She had no connection to him anymore, or Jason for that matter. What kind of threat or warning could any of his enemies be trying to send by going after Brenda. "Why was she...are you sure?"
"No, I'm not sure. Brenda hasn't woken up yet for anybody to ask any questions," Jason explained. Despite his attempts to hide the tremor by lowering his voice, Sonny could hear the dread simmering beneath the efficient exterior. "Sonny, the way she was laying on the floor, in the dark...she looked exactly like Elizabeth."
Sonny was silent and this time he did allow himself to sink to the floor. Running a hand over his face he tried to get a grip on the whirlwind of thoughts racing through his mind. Elizabeth had been staying at the cottage, Elizabeth and Brenda were the same size, the same build. Their hair was the same now that he actually thought about it. Brenda wore hers curly more often and it was a few shades darker...He shook his head. Now was not the time to be comparing hair color. He cleared his throat. "Do you think whoever did this, if someone did this, they meant...meant it to be Elizabeth?"
Jason was silent for several minutes and Sonny wondered if his quarter had run out, but finally he heard the weary sigh. "Yeah."
"I'll be there as soon as I can," the mob boss promised and ended the connection. Without sparing a glance at the forgotten bed, he finished dressing and went to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he looked exactly like the always-in-control Sonny Corinthos, mob boss of the eastern seaboard, don of the five families, the man who saw everything and knew about everything days before it happened. And he had never been more terrified in his life. First Elizabeth, now Brenda and they had no idea why. Running a hand over his tired eyes he moved toward the door before she spoke.
"Going somewhere?"
Stopping dead in his tracks, he turned to the voice. Carly still sat in the bed, still clutched the red silk sheet to her chest, but any sign of sleepiness was gone from her brown eyes. "I'm going to the hospital. Brenda's been hurt and, and Jason and Elizabeth are waiting."
"I see," Carly nodded and picked at an imaginary piece of fuzz on the pillow he'd been laying on. When she looked back at him, her eyes were full of the old accusations, the ones he hadn't heard since Brenda had first returned. The ones he'd forgotten existed. "Were you even going to tell me?"
Sonny sighed, ready to explain like he always did, that he loved her and no one else, that she was his life and her and Michael were his family forever. The words, despite their truth, sounded empty before he even spoke them. Suddenly, reassuring her seemed like so much pointless work when Brenda was lying, possibly dying at the hospital. Swallowing the conflicting thoughts and feelings making his stomach twinge, he merely nodded is head. Looking at the floor before briefly meeting her eyes, he turned his back. "I have to go."
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:54:47 GMT -5
Chapter Fourteen
Elizabeth never particularly cared for the couches in the waiting room at General Hospital. They werent uncomfortable, but decades of fear, tension and stress had soaked into the blue fabric. Every tear ever shed, every lost soul awaiting the news of their loved one, had left their mark. The emotions were contagious. She couldnt keep her thumbnail from her mouth. The nail was stripped of its polish and now she was working on the skin. The usually bustling halls stood empty. She hadnt seen a soul since Jason went searching for the nearest pay phone.
The isolation did strange things to her mind. All of her senses peaked. The steady beep of a heart monitor down the hall pounded through her ears. The antiseptic cleanliness invaded her air and the scent was so strong she could taste it. Her skin tingled and each time she shifted in her seat, drawing her legs tighter beneath her, the friction nearly drove her mad.
Hey, Jason's warm familiar voice soother her when he suddenly appeared beside the couch. A crease marred his forehead as he keenly observed her.
Hey, she drew the word out and it pulled her away from the edge of her isolation. An overwhelming need to feel his body against her own propelled her from the cushions. Wrapping her arms around his neck and shoulders, she had to rise on her toes. His lips pressed a kiss to her neck, her temple, before he pulled back to study her again.
You okay? he murmured, moving his hands to her shoulders. Elizabeth sucked in a breath.
Okay? Well, no, not exactly, but I dont know she stuttered, her fear as allusive as ever. In a gesture that was rapidly becoming second nature, she tucked her hand into Jasons, lacing her fingers through his. When he joined her on the couch, the reassuring warmth of his body, his weight beside her, cleared her mind. Low and husky, her voice floated in the sterile air. Its just so quiet. I felt like I was the only person on earth.
You havent heard anything then? About Brenda? he noticed the ragged edges of her thumbnail and tightened his grip on her hand. Elizabeths fingers were like ice within his grasp.
No. Not since you went to call Sonny, she ignored the twinge of anxiety at speaking her brothers name. Jason watched her, waiting for her. Elizabeth sighed and felt renegade tears burn at her eyes. I dont know how to feel, Jason.
What do you mean?
I-Im happy. I finally woke up in your arms, she whispered the words and immediately felt a wave of guilt. Im happy for the first time in a long time, but it doesnt feel right. Brendas lying in an operating room somewhere, hanging onto life, and its probably my fault.
Elizabeth, this is not your fault-.
I didnt push her, but... lets face itIm the one attracting all the violence lately, she swallowed and looked at their hands, tightly joined together.
We dont even know she was pushed, Jason took her chin and gently forced her to look at him. His words were strong, but she saw the doubt in his eyes. And-and even if she was, its not because of you. Its because of me and Sonny and this entire business.
Jason-, Elizabeth's voice gained strength. The troubled look in his eye was so familiar. Shed heard that voice before when he tried to push her away at Vista Pointe. Oh God, not again. A frustrated cry bubbled up in her throat. Why did every conversation have to come back to the its too dangerous argument?
Everythings a mess, he continued, looking away from her now. His voice was low and only for her. We finally got it right and now
Now what? she pressed, the frustration thick in her tone. His walls were rising before her eyes, the protection around his heart. She rose to her knees beside him and forced herself into his line of vision. Now what? Now you think you have to push me away for my own good? You have to lie to me and tell me we cant be together? Because thats not true, Jason.
Shades of desperation filtered into her voice, You are the one good thing I have right now. You cant, I cant-.
He crushed her mouth beneath his with a kiss so powerful it trapped her, completely at his mercy. His hand threaded through her hair, gently grasping the back of her neck and holding her captive again. The stubble from a days worth of beard scratched the delicate skin around her lips, but she didnt even flinch. Instead she tipped her head back, tilted it to the side and parted her lips to drag Jason closer, further in. Their mouths dueled in a mutual desperation to prove the other wrong; or perhaps prove the other right. All Elizabeth knew for sure was the simple fact that she would fight anyone with everything she had to keep him in her life. Even if her harshest adversary was Jason, himself.
Long before Elizabeth had her fill of Jasons mouth on hers, he ended the kiss. He had no intention, however, of letting go. The gentle, but firm grasp at the base of her neck relaxed only slightly. Resting his forehead against hers, he struggled to draw a steady breath. Im not pushing you away. Im not letting you go. Not now, not ever. You were right. Ive tried all the noble bullshit, the honor, and all its ever done for me is strip away what I love. It may be the most selfish thing I could ever do, but I will protect you and I will keep you with me at the same time.
Goodgood, she swallowed thickly. I thought, for a minute that youI couldnt take it right now if you tried to push me away again.
You're stronger than you think, he promised, his faith in her strength unshakable. But you wont have to. He pulled her into his embrace. Out of habit, she buried her face into the soft leather of his shoulder. The cool material soothed her raw lips. For a few moments, they waited together. Elizabeth counted each strong heartbeat beneath her palm on Jasons chest while he twisted her hair between his fingers. Brenda was still in the operating room, they still didnt know who or what had caused her accident. But her nerves werent screaming at her anymore. The hospital wasnt invading her life and threatening to drown her. Their past mistakes were still trying to flood their present lives. At least now the fear had a name.
This is going to be hard, isnt it, she sighed and pulled back to look Jason in the eye. He was already frowning. Us, I mean. Making this work.
He smiled ruefully. When have we ever been easy? You said it yourself, everythings a risk." His hand was still at the base of her neck, fingers massaging the tension away and Elizabeth felt herself relax even further. He whispered. Besides, Ive been dreaming about making love to you for three years. You think that Im just gonna walk away now that I know the real things better than my fantasy?
Her eyes widened and she bit her lip. Three years? she repeated, and a blush crept up her neck.
He nodded. And it was worth it.
Shut up, she couldnt suppress the smile from blossoming on her face, even as her skin burned red from the tips of her ears all the way down to disappear beneath her burgundy button down. The overwhelming urge to hide her face in his shoulder went unheeded as he trapped her gaze in his own.
Three, he promised, eyes sparkling. The corner of his mouth curved. Did you know when you blush like that, your whole body turns pink?
~*~
Samuel Mario Tagliotti reclined in his leather desk chair and watched the sun rising over the harbor. Samuel. Sam. Sammy. No connotation of his name inspired any kind of fear. But hed been lucky. Yes, quite lucky. His less than authoritative name hadnt stopped him from achieving his position of power among the Five Families.
When he entered the business, he could have gone by Sam. An air of clipped efficiency clung to it. Mario might have been an option, but Sammy proved to beluckiest.
The memory still made him chuckle. A late night poker game in his fathers bakery. The streets of the Bronx still echoing with the occasional screech of tires and burst of Italian cursing.
His mother, God rest her soul, would have beaten him senseless if she knew about the clandestine poker game. Big Joe, Luis, Skid and Henry spent every Friday night with him, blowing their wages from the week in a low stakes game of five card.
Skid had been on a roll, as per usual, cleaning them out in a matter of hands. But Sammy finally got his golden deal. Henry had all but handed him the pile of chips sitting in the center of the table. A Royal Flush, all spades. He only needed one card. The ace.
Whassa deal Sammy boy? Skid sneered, tipping a longneck and sucking the bottle dry. You aint got a hand and we all know it. The lucks mine. Why dont you just give me your money and well call it a night.
Sammy took a swallow of his own beer and slid a card through the peanut shells. Relaxing back in his seat he nodded to Henry. One.
Its your funeral, Sammy boy, Skid shrugged as Henry dealt him that one card. He picked it up, slid it into his perfectly fanned hand, and tossed a few chips to the pile. Skid took no cards and did the same. All humor left the lighter mans eyes as they rallied, drawing the pot up to a staggering two grand. The largest in the history of their games.
Ya gonna call, Sammy? Skid asked for the third time, wiping the sweat from his brow. When Sammy refused to acknowledge him, Skid scoffed and called himself.
Think you can top this, Sammy boy? he taunted, laying down a very respectable full house. He mopped his forehead again. Luis whistled from his seat. Big Joe shook his head and Henry gaped. They all turned expectantly to Sammy, expecting to see his crestfallen face. Their eyes grew wide as Sammy placed his hand down, one card at a time. Ten of spades, Jack, Queen, King and finally the ace, with all its filigree.
Skids jaw dropped to the floor and stayed there as Sammy collected his winnings, straightened his still perfect tie and rose from the table.
Night boys, he flashed a quick smile and walked casually to the rear of the bakery. The next mornings bread was rising. From that night on, he went by Sammy, but Skid never dared to add boy to the end of it. Luck had been with him ever since.
A buzzer at his elbow blared and with a casual flick, he pressed the speaker button.
What is it?
Courtney Matthews is requesting a meeting.
I see. Come in here, Sammy twirled the leather desk chair away from the window. With a quick tug, he pulled the non-existent wrinkles of his sleeves straight. With steepled fingers, he waited for his old poker pal Skid to update him.
The man literally fell through the doorway, tie hanging loose, cuffs of his white shirt dirty while the gray suit coat showed a crease for every minute of his past 24 hour information hunt. Sammy didnt even offer him a drink.
Well?
Skid gulped a quick lungful of air. We've checked out the pieces of information she gave us as a show of good will. They check out.
Sammy's forehead creased in surprise. "Do they?"
"Yeah, we got a problem though," Skid tugged at the back of his neck and looked at the floor for a minute. "She's a loose cannon, Sammy. Brenda Barrett was brought into the hospital this morning. They're calling it an accident, but the guy you've got tailing Courtney saw her go into the Barrett woman's house."
Sammy snorted. She let her obsession with Morgan get in the way of her control. Now shes just pushed a young woman down a flight of stairs and failed to finish the job.
Do you want to grab her, or just eliminate her?
We should do both, Sammy paused and turned back to the picture window. The sun glittered off the harbor like early morning diamonds. A cargo ship was docking at Pier 52. The Corinthos-Morgan warehouse already bustling with forklifts and trucks unloading crates from Columbia. Sonnys empire flourished, but Sammy was just dealt a new card, a luckier card. But she could be useful. Put her in a safe house, but have someone she doesnt know do it. I dont want her to know who has her.
Sammy turned back to the window and observed the warehouses hustle and bustle. Its time to up the ante.
~*~
Distraction was dangerous and it had Sonny in its iron fist. The ride to the hospital had been filled with thoughts of Carly, Brenda, Elizabetheven Courtney. Brown eyes, blue eyes, straight blonde hair, and wavy dark brown. With a sigh he rubbed his tired eyes. Those women would be the death of him.
What was he doing leaving Carly like that? Every accusation and insecurity his wife had ever thrown at him about Brenda took on a legitimate meaning. She was his family, his love and hed just walked out on her. The look in her eyes, he couldnt name it, but it scared him.
But Jason had allowed actual fear to bleed through his voice, and thoughts of Brenda, battered and broken on the floor of that isolated, unprotected cottage, haunted him. She couldnt be in danger because of him. Sonny wouldnt allow it. He had to go.
In the elevator, the first two floors clicked by and he nodded to himself. As soon as they figured out what was going on, as soon as Brenda woke up and told them all she tripped, that no one was trying to take Sonny down through his friends and family, hed go home to Carly and apologize. Everything would be just fine. Control would always be within his grasp.
Jason, before Sonny completely rounded the corner, he saw the enforcers jacket draped over the arm of the couch. When he saw Elizabeth snuggled against Jasons chest, his quick stride faltered. Elizabeth.
Hi. Sonny, she mumbled in greeting, sitting up as best she could with Jasons arm still wrapped protectively around her. Her gaze flitted from object to object around the room, looking at everything but him. With an inward twinge, he noticed the white-knuckle grip she had on Jasons hand.
Sonny cleared his throat. Hows Brenda?
We havent heard yet. Shes in surgery, Jason didnt move, made no attempt to extricate himself from Elizabeths embrace. Sonny sighed and cursed himself for all the pain she'd suffered. It was becoming an hourly occurrence. No wonder she didnt trust him.
He felt like an old man as he sat on the matching blue armchair. The waiting room was silent, save for the shuffle of papers and click of keys from the nurses station.
Im going toto find a doctor, Elizabeth rose abruptly and was already running down the hall before Sonny could open his mouth. Jason watched her until she disappeared around the corner and the echo of her footsteps died away.
Im sorry, Sonny mumbled.
For what?
She left because of me, man. You dont have to tell me different, he flashed a dimpled smile that didnt reach his eyes. Unless you want to try and tell me different?
Elizabeths-, Jason sighed, looking exactly like a man who wanted to be somewhere else very, very badly. I cant tell you how she feels, but II think you make her nervous.
I make her nervous? he laughed. I feel like shes just waiting for me to screw up again.
Its not just you, Sonny, Jason closed his eyes, looking as weary and old as Sonny felt. Courtneys threats, us being together, and this mess with BrendaI dont think theres room for her to deal with being your sister on top of all that.
Elizabeth got pushed aside, put second by me, you, everybody. Nobody even noticed she was drowning. Now, shes the center of attention, from one extreme to another.
Sonny regarded him silently for a moment. Im-I'm glad she has you, his chocolate brown eyes clouded. I know I wasn't exactly...thrilled last night when we talked, but...Id hate to think of her doing this alone. I feel guilty enough.
A silence fell over the waiting room. It was the truth, he realized. Knowing Elizabeth was safe with Jason the night before, would probably be safe with Jason every night from now on, eased the tightness in his chest. He would always worry about her, but nobody could protect her better than Jason.
Wheres Carly? Jason asked, breaking the silence. Sonny felt his stomach twinge. Bring on the guilt.
Shesat home. I came over here right after you called.
Jason eyed him warily. Does she know youre here?
Yes.
Does she know why youre here? Sonny was about to answer another defensive yes when Elizabeth rounded the corner, breathless and flushed.
Brendas awake.
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:55:04 GMT -5
Chapter Fifteen
Brenda Barretts eyes fluttered open and she groaned softly. Her body ached in places she didnt know existed. The doctors had told her shed cracked two ribs, dislocated her shoulder and snapped her wrist. Add to that a slight concussion and more bruises than humanly possible, and she figured she must look like the losing end of a boxing match. Bang up job, Barrett.
The hospital was quiet save for the steady beep of the heart monitor beside her bed. The cloudy morning had morphed into a drizzling afternoon. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, she realized she must have fallen asleep after Johnny had stopped by. Something dire and important, had required Sonny and Jasons immediate attention. Nearly four hours ago. Brenda yawned.
Sonny had seemed almost grateful for the excuse to leave. After moving her from recovery to her room Jason, Elizabeth, and to her surprise, Sonny, had appeared almost instantly. Barely speaking, he hovered by the doorway, staring at her when he thought she wouldn't notice, contributing a few words to the conversation, while at the same time refusing to join in. It had been Jason who had asked her what happened and tried to help her remember.
Not that shed had much to give. All she remembered was waking up in the early morning, stumbling half-blind with sleep to the bathroom. She didnt recall tumbling down the stairs or rolling across the landing. She didnt even remember reaching for the cord and pulling the phone down to the floor to call Elizabeth. Her first memory was the garish glow of the recovery rooms florescent lights assaulting her eyes.
Despite the heavy drugs, Brenda caught the not-so-subtle glances between Sonny and Jason. The worry on their faces had been as obvious as the way Elizabeth sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed mercilessly. She knew there was something they werent telling her, but shed been too exhausted to ask.
Still drained, she closed her eyes again and settled into the pillows. The painkillers dripping into her bloodstream from the IV made her feel drowsy and heavy, despite her four-hour nap. Her mind, however, refused to slow down. Sonny had been there. Sonny stood in the doorway-his eyes never leaving her-while she told Jason what little she remembered. His presence surprised her, and at the same time she felt comfortedsafe. Protected.
Unnerved, she drew her lip between her teeth, her brow furrowed in unease. This, like her dream the night before, wasnt supposed to happen anymore. Jax was her life now; her choice, her love. And yet knowing Sonny cared, that he even worried about her, gave her a sense of peace she hadnt known in years.
The door clicked and her eyes fluttered open to find Elizabeth poking her head into the room. A bright smile graced the younger womans face and Brenda felt the corners of her own mouth curling-as much as the bruises would allow. Placing a cup of coffee on the small nightstand, Elizabeth shrugged off her leather jacket and draped it over the chair beside Brendas bed. Youre awake.
And youre still here, Brenda whispered, her voice soft from sleep.
How are you feeling? Do you need anything? she hovered near the chair, poised to rush out the door at Brendas behest. I can go find Bobbie. Have you called Jax?
Brenda grimaced, but not with pain. "Jax is in Germany taking over...something. As usual."
"You haven't called him?" she asked, alarmed.
"No. And I don't want to. He'll get back when he gets back and I'd..., she swallowed. She what? Didn't want to see him? Would rather spend her time with Jason and Elizabeth minus the lectures Jax would surely have for her. Blinking away the tears that stung her eyes, she took a deep breath and changed the subject. Do you know how long I have to stay here?
Elizabeth nodded sympathetically. I think Monica wants to keep you here for observation another night, but youre free after that.
Brendas soul rejoiced at the thought of the sun and freedom. Distant thunder rumbled, a low growl underscoring her thoughts. She glanced out the window. Well, maybe just freedom. In the past month, shed spent more time in the hospital than the rest of her life combined. Elizabeth too, she realized. God, she must want to get out of there. Go home, see Jason. Elizabeth, you really dont have to stay.
Yes I do, she insisted. When Brenda opened her mouth to protest, Elizabeth raised a brow and took a sip of her coffee. You sat by my bed when you barely knew me. You gave me a place to stay and helped me figure out my life.
You don't owe me, Elizabeth. Its my fault I took a header down my own stairs, Brenda grimaced and laughed self-deprecatingly. You shouldnt be stuck here because Im a klutz.
Elizabeths smile slowly faded, her eyes darting around the room, alighting on everything, but her. Drawing a shaky breath, Brenda nearly missed the quiet confession. A month ago, I felt utterly and completely alone. After Jason and Iended things, I thought I had nobody and that I never would again, she placed the cup back on the nightstand and tentatively took Brendas hand. Without meeting her eyes, Elizabeth continued. Its been a long time since I had a friend to look out for me. I never even thought to thank you.
Hey, Brenda squeezed the small fingers she remembered trying to bring back to life only weeks ago. You dont have to thank me. I, I missed having a girlfriend. I havent had one since, well since Alcazar pulled me out of the water somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
Well you might want to reconsider me as your first choice, Elizabeth replied with a frown.
Brenda brow quirked, Why do you say that?
Elizabeth hesitated. Im sort of a danger magnet lately, in case you havent noticed.
Brenda sobered. Do you have any idea where-where Courtney is? Do Jason oror Sonny?
Elizabeth shook her head. Unless thats what Johnny came to tell Jason and Sonny For all I know, thats where they are right now.
~*~
Sonny Corinthos traveled smoothly through the streets of Port Charles in one of the limos kept on reserve just for him. The spacious and comfortable cab provided ample room for at least five people to relax. Plenty of room for a discrete meeting, if necessary. The bar was well stocked at all times with food and drink. Hell, if the mood struck, Sonny could stretch out and take a nap.
Despite the luxury, he felt like the sides of the car crept closer to him with every passing block. His chest constricted a little tighter. And yet this was heaven compared to the suffocating hospital room hed been in all afternoon. When Johnny showed up, informing him of a last minute meeting that some coffee buyers had all but demanded, the mob boss had jumped at the chance. The hospital afforded no distractions. He had found himself lingering over every bruise, every scratch and bandage marring Brendas face and body. He couldnt look away, even when she was safely asleep, he kept looking for a sign that her bravado was all a faade. That underneath it all she was dying. That she needed him.
Fool. His own brain mocked him with the derisive laughter of his inner demons. Chasing a dream. One that had died over four years ago. A dream that even now had put who knows what kind of walls between himself and Carly. His wife wasnt stupid and there was no way that she had failed to see past his attempts at neutrality this morning. He just hoped his carelessness hadnt cost him the family he knew he didnt really deserve. Brenda Barrett was his past. She loved Jax-she was happy. He didnt fit in her life anymore.
But that didnt mean her assault would go unpunished. Sonny smiled grimly and pushed a button to lower the dark partition separating him and Francis. Brenda didnt have to remember. He knew. Down deep in his gut the instincts he hadnt called upon in years screamed at him.
They arrived at the main office of the Corinthos/Morgan coffee warehouses in a matter of moments. Francis moved quickly to the door, opened it and held an umbrella over Sonnys head. The mob boss climbed out of the car effortlessly and began the short trip to the building.
Stopping short at the door, Sonny glanced over his shoulder as the gaurd sloshed through the rain back to the limo. There was another matter that desperately needed to be taken care of. The business was suffering and would continue to suffer until it was handled.
Francis. The burly guard whirled around and squinted through the downpour. Get Jason a damned cell phone.
~*~
Jason Morgan, the man of total control, was two strained breaths away from snapping his long neck in half and letting the broken shards of the beer bottle rip his hands to shreds. Hed been waiting at Jakes for nearly an hour and his mark hadnt showed. Johnny promised hed be there, that the thug was back in commission, but this wait was getting to him. Leaving Elizabeth alone made his blood run cold and his palms clammy with sweat. Hed have no peace until this was over. Once he could slip into the cool, calm, completely detached frame of mind where it wasnt personal, where it wasnt about someone he lovedthen it would just be the job.
But the pool table by the jukebox caught his eye once every minute and he could smell her hair. Feel her small body pressed against his chest, her fingers trailing over the veneered pool cue and closing over his hand. Hed wished so many times theyd been alone that night, playing pool by themselves in the dark bar. Or dancing. Hed never danced with her, knowing she was only thinking of him, his arms around her, his lips against her hair as he drank her in
Son of a bitch. Jason groaned inwardly, but barely moved in his dark corner. Why did the mark have to hit Jakes? Elizabeth was everywhere. The fantasies of what could have been the day she came for her gloves, the last time shed been in his room upstairs How badly hed wanted to make her stay with him, to keep her safe-thats all hed ever wanted.
Well that and to make love to her all night long on the pool table. He allowed his lips to curl upward a fraction of an inch. Theyd have to try that sometime.
The creak of the door dragged his eyes away from the pool table and every X-rated thought that went with it. His instincts hummed, and even without Johnnys verbal confirmation, he knew his mark had arrived. The bear of a man limped to the bar and sat down heavily on one of the old wooden stools. He greeted several other patrons in a gruff baritone, his words light and jovial. The scraggly salt and pepper hair stuck out crazily from beneath a battered, oily Redskins cap. His beard matched his hair, hiding his face and drawing attention to him like a neon sign. The flannel shirt and grease stained jeans did nothing to single him out from the scads of dockworkers and warehouse schleps, but the beard was all Jason needed.
Thats him, Johnnys voice burst through Jasons appraisal over the tiny communications device tucked discreetly behind his ear. Big guy in the flannel. The name is Joe Philips. Works on Pier 16 for a Myersons Fish and Fowl.
About fucking time, Jason muttered behind a swig from his beer. He did everything he could not to picture the monsters hands on Elizabeths body, stalking her in her dreams and making her scream in the middle of the night.
Hell be here an hour, leave through the front and Ill be waiting, Johnny promised, running over the plan.
Rightand then, Jason took another long pull from the bottle of Killians. We talk.
Johnny snorted. No. Then the bastard finds out what happens when you mess with family.
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:55:29 GMT -5
Chapter Sixteen
The penthouse was nearly black, and Elizabeth didn't bother to flip the switch. "Thanks, Francis," she murmured, dropping her duffel bag by the already closed door. The living room was exactly as she remembered. Sparse, but fitting for Jason. The entire room screamed his name in the lack of objects, the lack of anything his. The familiarity of it all hit her at once and she leaned against the door for support.
"How many nights?" she wondered aloud. How many nights had she waited here alone? Too many to count, hour after hour, chewing the polish off her nails and wondering if Jason was alive or bleeding to death in the snow. On the ride from the hospital to Brenda's and then again on the way back here after she packed her things, Elizabeth had promised herself it wouldn't happen again. This time things would be different. Jason would never be home promptly at six o'clock, never be punching a clock and collecting a paycheck every Friday, but he'd be there. She'd fall asleep in his arms enough to forget the nights she slept alone. This time she'd wake up to his smile.
They had to be different or she'd break for good. Losing Jason once had been painful enough. Twice and she had every confidence a part of her, if not all of her would wither and die. A desperate need to make it different overcame her. Sprinting up the stairs, she vowed to do something she should have done all those months ago. Something she would have done, if she hadn't been so scared.
~*~
Johnny O'Brien liked to pretend he didn't need his gun. That he could take out any man in a matter of seconds-with a well- laced punch, or a timely kick-that he was lethal. But as he showed Joe Philips through the freight door of an empty warehouse, Johnny thanked the Glock he was gripping tightly in his hand that Mrs. O'Brien hadn't raised two idiots. His brother Lyle could jump out of planes for a living, he would stick to his guns when interrogating lowlifes. Literally.
The stench of liquor nearly made him choke and Johnny wondered how the man was able to walk, let alone put up the fight he had getting into the limo. Probing his tender lip, Johnny grimaced. Son of a bitch had backhanded him.
"What the hell am I doing here?" the drunk slurred, still struggling against the gun pressed into his back.
"Shut the hell up, asshole," Johnny muttered absently, pushing him further into the empty room. Well, not entirely empty. "I have a few questions for you."
"And you had to-to haul my ass all the way down here?" Philips snorted and rocked on his heels, nearly toppling to the ground.
"What can I say," Johnny gave the guy one more push into the dim light of the warehouse. The move overcame what little equilibrium the man had left. The drunken slob fell to his hands and knees, cursing loudly, his words bouncing off the walls. Johnny shrugged innocently. "I'm shy."
"What happened to your knee, man?" a different voice cut through the shadows, but the fallen man was already in too much pain to recognize it. Johnny couldn't see Jason tucked into the shadows, but he knew he was there. Philips kept the curses going, ignoring the question. Johnny whistled. Jason may cut out the small talk and subtle build to the matter at hand, but this was not the way to begin peaceful negotiations.
In one swift move, Jason emerged from the shadows and kicked the man's arms out from beneath him. Joe fell face first into the concrete with a sickening crunch and a howl of pain. Johnny shrugged. Then again, peaceful is highly overrated.
"Let's try again," Jason murmured. Another kick had the man on his back, blood gushing from between his broken teeth. "What happened to the knee?"
"N-nuthin's wrong with th-the knee," Joe protested through blood bubbles. Jason raised his eyebrows, glancing Johnny's way.
"What do you think? Deaf, stupid or both?"
"Little from column A, little from column B. This little peach is the whole package," Johnny quipped, shifting the gun from his left hand to his right, letting the light glint off the steel and reflect in the fallen man's alcohol clouded eyes. "He claims nothing's wrong with his knee."
"Yeah, I heard that," Jason agreed. The gunshot echoed off the bare concrete walls, sounding like an atomic bomb and Philips howled in pain. Blood oozed from his knee where the bullet from Johnny's 9mm had shattered the bone and cartilage.
"What the hell was that for?" the wounded man screamed through sobs of pain. Jason cursed darkly and strode into the shadows. Johnny heard the scrape of wood against concrete and suddenly Jason had a chair crushing the man on the floor. The bottom rung cut into his windpipe, choking him twice on blood and lack of oxygen. Jason straddled the chair, leaned forward against the back and looked over his shoulder at Johnny. "Do you think this might help him figure it out?"
"Depends...does he get to breathe again?" Johnny asked, moving closer and kneeling down beside the man on the floor. He pressed the gun against the drunk's forehead and watched Philip's eyes cross staring at the barrel. "Okay, so you're knee's not fine anymore. And we know Elizabeth took out the other one with awhat was it Jason?"
"Crowbar."
"Right, with a crowbar, I think it's time we moved on to question two, shall we?"
"Fine with me," Jason agreed, leaning harder into the man's windpipe. His face was already purple. "How much did you get?"
The man wheezed and coughed as Jason leaned back and let some air crawl down the bruised windpipe. Johnny pulled his gun away.
"If I tell you...will you let me go?"
"Wrong answer," Johnny muttered as Jason let the chair fall forward and abruptly cut off the air supply once again. Joe gagged and sputtered blood as Jason stared impassively at his prey. Seconds ticked by to minutes and the fight began to dwindle from the man's abused body. Johnny was almost grateful when Jason yielded to the broken syllables of pain and eased off.
"Five thou...five-five grand. Cash, all upfront," Philips, now ready to talk, stuttered and slurred his words together in a landslide of confession. "Some blonde chick told me all I had to do was rape this-this what's her name brunette. She showed me a picture. No man would have said no to a go with that piece of ass."
Johnny's gaze flicked to Jason, but the enforcer didn't move. The room was beginning to reek of blood and sweat, all from the trapped man on the floor. Jason hadn't even scuffed his boots. Sitting on the chair, arms folded over the back, he rested his chin against the leather, and waited for more.
"It was so easy. I thought she might be more careful... It happened to her before, but she was just wandering around in that parking lot. Easiest money I ever made, I thought," the drunk's fear was unable to mask the pride in his voice as the boastful words continued to rush past his lips.
Johnny nearly pulled the trigger right at that moment. This guy had to be the sorriest excuse for a human being he'd ever been unfortunate enough to meet. Philips' face darkened. "But she-she got away. Clubbed me with something and ran."
After the words stopped, the warehouse fell into silence. Johnny fought to keep the bile down after listening to the easy way Joe Philips confessed his plans to rape Elizabeth. Five grand. Courtney bought that slime for five grand. He almost wanted to ask Jason to let him pull the trigger.
Casting a glance at the enforcer, Johnny waited. He didn't know what Jason had expected to hear, couldn't tell if it was Courtney's part in the ordeal, or the man who did the deed that bothered him more. What he did know, was the cold look in those steel blue eyes. The calm, methodical way he rose from the chair, lifted it off the barrel chest that Johnny would forever picture pining Elizabeth against a wall, and set it down in the shadows where it came from.
"What-what happens now?" the man rasped around the blood pooling at the back of his throat.
Johnny studied his gun. "Well, Elizabeth got away. She's safe. You get lucky, you might last ten minutes," he murmured, barely loud enough for the wheezing man to hear. Rising smoothly to his feet, Johnny holstered his gun, rolled his shoulders and moved to the doorway. Pausing there, he looked over his shoulder into the dim pool of light just as Jason stepped back into it. Lethally still-the devil masquerading as a harmless statue. "Really lucky and you'll be unconscious the last five."
~*~
Carly Corinthos waited patiently for her husband to return home. For nearly six hours she'd been waiting patiently. The clock above the mantel tick-tocked in the soft glow from the crackling fire. On the coffee table at her side, an untouched glass of water had long ago melted the ice and warmed to room temperature. Michael had worn himself out at a friend's and had nearly fallen asleep in the frozen pizza Carly had confidently made for them. She had known Sonny wouldn't be home for dinner. Not because he had called her or shown the smallest gesture of consideration her way. No, she'd known because, quite simply, it was Brenda.
Brenda Barrett.
Sighing, Carly rested her head on a silk covered knee. She was exhausted from fighting her instincts all day. The instinct to take Michael and leave Sonny, to storm down to the hospital or the warehouse and rant and rave and demand. The fact that she hadn't should have earned her an award of some kind, she was sure. Sonny had been with Brenda. Now she was waiting for him to come home and either admit or deny.
Another half hour passed before Carly heard the click of the door and the weary sigh she knew to be her husband's. She didn't move from the couch and didn't offer a greeting of any kind. Keys hit the wooden desktop, the mail was shuffled through, she heard the slight squeak of wheels as she assumed Sonny threw his suit jacket on the desk chair; then nothing.
"Carly," the single word cut through the palpable silence and she felt it with a physical flinch. She didn't turn to look at him. His footfalls were muffled by the thick carpet of the floor rug as he came closer. "Carly."
"Welcome home," she said softly. Why waste words and heavy silences? The meek and humble route never accomplished anything. "How's Brenda?"
"Alive," he stated in a clipped tone that left nothing to the imagination. He didn't want to talk about the morning. Well, that was just too damn bad.
"She must be hurt pretty badly," Carly shrugged and continued to stare at the fire. "You've been at that hospital all day."
"I was at the warehouse," he replied. She felt the couch shift behind her and could tell when he reached out to touch her, then abruptly changed his mind. Her stomach twisted painfully.
"What happened to her, Sonny?"
He sighed. "She-she fell. Why are you asking me about Brenda?"
"Fell? The graceful, beautiful model fell?" Carly snorted, a mixture of disbelief and scorn that didn't make her feel any better.
"Actually...we think she was pushed," Sonny explained. This time he did reach out to her and take her hand. Carly looked down and stared at his dark brown fingers entwined with her pale ones. The dual bands of gold glowed red in the firelight. Her fingernails were perfectly manicured; a treat she'd dreamed of all her life. The white French tips were like a symbol of what she'd achieved. Shallow and a little petty, perhaps, but an important part of the woman who Caroline Benson finally became.
Raising her eyes to her husband's face, she found him searching her with a guarded expression. A coldness descended on her, stemming from an unknown source, and Carly felt numb. She knew the thought was irrational and the accusation on the tip of her tongue held no basis in reality, but the words spilled from her lips regardless. Crooking her mouth into a smile that read more like a sneer, she quipped lightly. "Do you think it was me?"
Sonny balked. "You?"
"Well, why not? I'm jealous of her, right? She's a threat to my perfect life and Carly Corinthos never stands idly by when being threatened," she replied casually. Insincerity dripped from her tone. He hadn't said no. The right answer the second the question registered would have been no and instead of saying it, Sonny merely parroted her. Angrily, she rose from the couch and put a few feet between them.
"It couldn't be you," he shrugged, refusing to move from the couch.
"Why not?" she asked warily.
"Because you were with me last night."
The words hung there in the air, vibrating and echoing inside Carly's head until she felt like she'd explode. Tears burned at her eyes. "Because I was with you."
Sonny nodded, concern and confusion blatantly displayed on his face. "That's right."
She laughed. Harsh and cruel. Crossing her arms, she dug her nails into her bicep through the silk, anxious for the pain to take away from the emotion threatening to choke her. The bastard. She knew on some level she was being ridiculous, but Sonny was her husband. He was supposed to trust and love and honor her and the best he could come up with was the fact that she had an alibi? Through gritted teeth, she spoke. "Maybe I hired someone."
He hesitated a fraction of a second and that lapse of time was too long for Carly. Her heart broke. "You wouldn't do that."
"Oh really? How do you know?" she demanded, her voice rising a shrill octave. "How do you know, Sonny? I'm jealous of her, right? Maybe I got tired of fighting her damned ghost for two years just to have the real thing come back to haunt me. Maybe I'm tired of...of being your wife and not the love of your life."
"Carly, Carly," he tried to stop her tirade and reached for her. His fingers grazed her forearm, but she jerked angrily away. The heat of the fire bled through her silk robe. Tears of anger slipped from her eyes.
"Don't touch me," she cried, throwing up her arms to ward off his advances. The precarious thread she'd been clinging to for reason and fairness snapped and she floundered in her own misery and self doubt. The demands she was placing on Sonny were unreasonable. She knew that on some level, but she was so damn tired of fighting for him. She wanted him to fight for her. To struggle and cry and doubt his every move every day. For once, she wanted him to beg and she wanted to say no.
Carly Corinthos was tired of being the mobster's reliable, all suffering moll.
Stumbling toward the stairs, she nearly tripped over the hem of her robe. She stifled her tears and focused on the fury, on the anger that she would need to get her through the next hour of her life.
"Where are you going?" Sonny demanded. The panic she heard in his voice did little to ease the pressure in her chest. He may not want her to leave, but she didn't believe his worry stemmed from needing her. Failure was a bitter, bitter pill for a man like Sonny to swallow.
"To Momma's," she explained, her voice was strained, but she didn't stammer.
"You're leaving me?"
She froze on the steps. Was that what she was doing? Leaving him? She hadn't thought of her actions in those terms. The painful thud of her heart seemed to pulse in her head. Dizziness threatened to suck her under, but she held strong and firm to the railing of the stairs.
"Carly?" he repeated. She turned her head slightly and watched him out of the corner of her eye. Even in the dim light, his gaze was watery and tortured. Her own pain lessoned.
Lifting her chin, she raised a shoulder. "I don't know."
~*~
Jason arrived back at the penthouse with a pounding heart. The leather gloves he always wore were clean, but he could still feel the slick heat of the mans blood. Elizabeth had nothing to fear, but Jason couldnt stop the anxiety that raced through him. Hed never had a panic attack before, least of all after a successfully completed mission, but that night, walking into his dark penthouse, he could barely breathe.
The only solace he could find was in the knowledge of why. Why his palms were damp, why beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, why his chest constricted each time he tried to draw a breath. He just wanted to forget, to push it out of his head and he needed her. If Elizabeth hadnt been waiting Jason would have jumped on his bike and spent the night with the wind, taking the cliff roads at breakneck speed. His only goal to out run himself.
Fumbling with the keys at his front door, Jason finally found the right one and slid it into the lock. He ignored the new guard whose name he couldnt remember, not even sparing him a glance as he slammed the door and flipped the lock. On impulse, he even took the time to secure the chain lock.
Stripping off his gloves, he tossed them to the desk. His jacket came next as he backed into his living room. The door held his attention, grounding him. That door was always there, had always been there no matter what happened. Even the bomb that took out most of Sonnys penthouse just across the hall hadnt touched the thick, oaken door.
Motorcycle boots hit a roadblock and he stumbled and turned all at once. The dark made the shape blend into the shadows and Jason had to squint. The slight calm he felt being safe in his penthouse shattered as he recognized Elizabeths duffel bag. His breath caught in his throat and held until his chest burned. A dead cold lead weight that was his heart sunk to his feet.
Not again, he whispered. There was no reason to believe shed leave. No reason to think Elizabeth was planning on walking out on him once more, but his mind jumped there and planted his fears firmly in the forefront of his mind. For whatever reason, shed found an excuse to leave. He was too dangerous, too entrenched in Sonnys world. He hadnt done enough, showed her enough that all he cared about was having her in his life. That she was the only thing that made his life more than just existing.
Squeezing his eyes shut he tried to swallow the returning panic. He couldnt.
~*~
Elizabeth was dozing on Jasons bed when she heard the door open. Despite the previous night, it was still Jasons bed and her sleep had been uneasy without him physically in it. Her grand illusions of calmly waiting for his return hadn't paned out the way she'd hoped. The click of the locks and the heavy tread of his boots carried up to her and she blinked away the tentative bonds of sleep.
Barefoot, she padded down the short hallway and then the steps. She saw him first, bracing himself over the desk with his back to her. He still had his jacket on and in the dark she could just make out the way his arms were shaking.
Jason? she called softly, but in the stillness the sound was magnified. He whipped around to face her, his normally tan skin pale in the moonlight streaming through the window. Concern furrowed her brow and as Jason made no move to come to her, she closed the distance between them. Whats wrong?
Youre here, he whispered after what looked like a struggle to even draw breath.
Of course Im here, she replied, confusion joining the concern. She smoothed her fingers over his brow. Where else would I be?
Dont go, he demanded and pleaded all at once. Strong arms closed around her leaving her no choice even if shed wanted to make one. Please, dont go.
Im not going anywhere, she promised. The words to dig deeper, to request some kind of explanation died in her throat as she felt the tremors raging through his body. Pressed against him, his jacket parted and she could feel the heavy hammer of his heart. She glanced at the door, saw the lock and chain securely fastened and tried to not to give in to the sudden tug of panic. Pulling away only enough to see his eyes, she couldnt help but ask. Are you all right?
Jason didnt respond. Her skin tingled as he slowly dragged his hands from her lower back up over her ribs to skirt her breasts and eventually frame her face. His gaze betrayed nothing and his chest was heaving. Before his mouth descended on hers, his thumbs brushed her lips. Then he claimed her in a kiss that quickly bypassed tender and hesitant to become demanding.
Elizabeth almost had the urge to pull away and ask again what was wrong, what was scaring him. Because he was scared. She could feel that almost as palpably as the hard press of his body against hers. The question never came as she found herself kissing him back and meeting the thrust of his tongue when it demanded entrance. Her own fear and doubt was too close to the surface and she didn't have the strength to anything but give in as Jason took control. With a tilt of his head, the angle of the kiss changed, became deeper and she felt like she was drowning in his taste.
Without breaking the connection, she wrestled with his jacket, pushing it off his shoulders and to the floor. The thick leather was proving to be too much of a barrier. As soon as Jason was free of it, his hands locked around her waist, riding lower to cup her ass and pull her tightly against him. He broke away from her lips as she struggled for breath, and blazed a trail of kisses down the column of her throat. The fear shed felt in him lessened slightly and was replaced by heat and passion that dragged a low moan from her throat when he snaked a hand under her shirt.
The calloused fingers were warm and she arched into him, inviting him to take whatever he needed to chase his demons away. Allowing him to guide her, they blindly backed further into the room. Either to the pool table or the couch and when she hit the sharp wooden edge hard enough to make her cry out, she had her answer.
Elizabeths cry didnt slow Jason down and she was glad. As he lifted her to sit on the edge of the pool table and stripped off her shirt, she heard a seam pop. The simple sound echoed in her ears and dug her nails into his back, through the thin cotton. Swearing, Jason removed the offending barrier and tossed it to the floor. Elizabeth allowed him only that brief moment of separation before she pulled him back. Her stomach quivered in anticipation as it came in contact with Jason's bare flesh. Scouring his back with her nails once again, she elicited a moan from somewhere deep in his chest.
Grabbing her wrists, Jason jerked her arms above her head and as she fell back against the felt, he came with her. He bit her lip and grazed his teeth over her chin, continuing lower to tease her throat. His breath, hot and moist teased her breast and Elizabeth arched her back in offering. Gripping both wrists tightly in one hand he couldn't wait to remove her bra before taking her straining nipple between his lips. She gasped and tugged on her hands, but he didn't let go.
Skilled fingers danced along her skin, tracing the waistband of her jeans. Rocking her hips, she met his caress, wanting him closer. All thought, all consequence-everything but Jason's demanding, commanding touch was erased from her mind. His mouth was still locked on her breast and she fairly weeped from the sensation. She needed more, craved more. Not only because she wanted him, but because he was making her forget.
"Jason," she panted when his hand slipped first the button than the zipper free. She lifted her lower body, putting more pressure on her trapped hands to the point where she felt them bruising. She didn't care. The jeans needed to be gone so she could wrap her legs around his waist and feel the hard muscle on the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. The steady pulse at the center of her being was aching, crying to be taken fast and hard. "Jason-."
He stopped her with a crushing kiss. Her bra was damp where his mouth had been and the air teased the already pebbled nipples even further. With his free hand, he yanked her jeans down her smooth legs and dropped them to the floor. Suddenly, the world tilted again and she was flush against his body. Her wrists burned when he finally released them, but she wasted no time pulling him closer. Threading her fingers through his hair she clutched at him as the desperation she'd felt in his actions bled through to her.
Small, eager hands made quick work of his belt and then the button and zipper of his pants. Elizabeth pushed them down his hips and cupped his hard length through the boxer briefs. His groan of sheer pleasure radiated through her as he deepened the kiss. Burying his hand in her hair, the day's worth of stubble on his jaw scraped her lips, rubbing them raw. She couldn't get enough. Applying more pressure, his reaction was like a drug. After all the time they spent second guessing and dancing around each other...knowing she could make him feel this way was intoxicating.
Then he swore and pushed her hands away. Before she could doubt her own instincts, he was tearing at the straps of her bra. She reached behind her back to help him and in seconds the article of clothing separating them was on the floor. The touched her between her legs and she stiffened at the pure intensity as every nerve in her body seemed to crackle in response. He cupped her, and she rocked into his hand. She thought he'd whisk her panties away next, but Jason had other ideas. Easing one long, lean finger beneath the damp cotton he dipped into the silken folds.
No longer able to breath as he slowly thrust in and out of her, she tore her mouth away from his and sunk her teeth into his shoulder. Jason's chest rumbled with laughter, as satisfied as she that he could bring her to this. Closing her eyes she buried her face in his neck and let the sensations carry her away.
Jason brought her close, right to the edge until she was fairly crying his name. Just as she was about to reach the peak, he pulled back. Her whimper of protest faded to a sigh of sheer pleasure when she felt the wet center of her panties pushed aside and the tip of his cock press against the swollen flesh. He wasted no time, no pretty words she didn't need to hear before thrusting forward, filling her and stretching her. Blindly, she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him as he increased the speed. Her hips rolled in rhythm with his and when she felt the hard surface of the pool table beneath her back once again, she didn't notice. All she knew was Jason's body linked so deeply with hers that when she reached that peak again and he let her shatter through it, he was right behind her.
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:55:53 GMT -5
Chapter Seventeen
Elizabeth woke up slowly. No jarring nightmares to force her from slumber. Her eyelids fluttered once, but she stubbornly refused to greet the world. Her body felt warm and languid, but as she stretched and rolled onto her bare back, she felt the tiny twinges of sore muscles. Piece by piece the events of the previous night filtered into her brain until a complete puzzle stretched out before her in her mind's eye. Jason taking her on the pool table, the stairs, and in this bed. Pushing her to peak after peak until she'd nearly passed out from pleasure and exhaustion. God, the things that man could make her feel. Like there was nothing in the world but his hands and his lips and the firm, strong body that made her mouth water with desire.
Whimpering softly in protest as her body adjusted to being awake and moving, she reached out her hand for Jason, expecting him to be right there at her side. The bed was empty. More than that the sheets were cool to the touch. Frowning, she opened her eyes and struggled to a half upright position, propping herself on her elbow.
"Jason?" she murmured to a still and quiet room. The emptiness seemed to expand and Elizabeth felt very small in the king sized bed. The door to the bathroom was ajar and no light spilled into the curtained room. Muttering under her breath, she looked around the room, her eyes falling on the black duffel bag by the dresser. Throwing the covers back, she swung her bare feet to the floor and padded to her bag, oblivious to her nakedness. When did she bring this upstairs, she wondered, but didn't dwell on the thought for long. Jason must have taken care of her things. She smiled, picturing him downstairs, drinking coffee or reading the paper.
Adjusting the lapels of her robe about her throat, Elizabeth caught her reflection in the mirror above the dresser and started, then stared. Lips, chapped and bloody red caught her attention first, followed by the lightest dusting of bruises near her collarbone. When she lifted a delicate hand to touch the shadowed spot, the black and blue circling her wrist caught her attention.
The puzzle of the previous night had some missing pieces and with growing unease, Elizabeth remembered the way Jason had pinned her wrists to the green felt of the pool table. The way her frenzied need of him pushed all other thought, including the twinge of pain as she bruised her flesh on the hard surface, from her mind. She remembered the crashing force of his kiss, the scrape of stubble against her mouth and the firm muscle of his shoulder as she bit him. The reflection in the mirror blushed crimson. She'd wanted him so badly, needed him beyond all thought the moment he touched her, she hadn't even been aware of the pain.
The revelation damped the euphoria of her memories, but only slightly. On some level, she supposed as she made her way slowly down the short flight of stairs, she should probably be shocked. But she wasn't. Jason had always stirred emotions in her that ran deeper than anything she'd ever felt for any other man. Feelings so palpable she hadn't know what to do with them at
first.
On the bottom step she paused. What if Jason had noticed? She knew he watched her sleep. The man hardly ever closed his eyes. If he'd noticed and thought he hurt her A wave of mild dread weighed down her spirits. She could only imagine how hard it would be to convince him that it didn't matter. He hadn't hurt her. He could never...
The living room was silent and at first she didn't see him. Then something pulled her eyes to the window and there he was. His back to her, showered and dressed in jeans and a long sleeved gray shirt. Arm braced against the window, he seemed to be studying the harbor below. As she took a hesitant step closer, Elizabeth realized Jason wasn't studying anything. His eyes were closed.
"Jason?" she called out just as softly and unsure as she had in his bedroom. Suddenly, the room felt like his again. For reasons that were no more substantial than the bruises on her wrists, a cold chill wrapped around her heart and squeezed.
He didn't move, made no motion that showed he heard her, save for the miniscule tick of his jaw. Forcing her feet to carry her forward, she stopped just a foot behind him. The hand that touched his shoulder was light, but she could feel the tremors raging through him. "Jason, I-."
"Don't," his response was terse and she dropped her hand as certainty swept her away. He had noticed. Embarrassment, sorrow and anger all crowded in her gut for attention and importance. She felt her cheeks flame again at the thought of having this conversation with him. They'd made love and lost control. Got a little rough with each other, but she didnt regret it. Couldnt. Shed do it all again in a heartbeat.
"You didn't hurt me, Jason," she stated with conviction. At least he moved then, looking over his shoulder with self-loathing darkening his eyes. As if he could only bear to look at her for a brief second, he shifted his gaze over her shoulder at the pool table. She wondered if he was here with her, or reliving the night before, looking for the lie in her truth.
Moving quickly, Jason surprised her when his firm grip locked around her hand. The cuff of the robe fell halfway down her forearm and under the suddenly too bright light of the overhead lamp, the bruise circling her wrist stood out garishly. On instinct, Elizabeth tried to pull her hand away, but he refused to let her go. He seemed mesmerized by the marks and his breathing grew shallow.
When he lifted his head, his lips were parted slightly and his eyes bled anguish, like drawing air hurt him. Her heart constricted painfully in her chest and she tilted her head to the side as her eyes welled with tears. They weren't supposed to be doing this-not anymore. Theyd overcome so much to get to this place, why did the uncertainty and second guessing have to come back to haunt them again?
Cradling his cheek in her palm, Jason allowed himself one brief moment to relish her touch. With infinite care he slid his fingers along the silky skin of her jaw to find solace in her soft hair. With his thumb, he whispered over her lips in a caress that made her shiver.
Elizabeth studied his face, searching for some sign, some form of guidance as to what she should do. Jason opened his mouth as if to speak several times, but no words came and she felt them both falling. Some great void had opened between them, a wall, even as close as they were after what they had shared and she had know idea how to fix it.
Swallowing convulsively, he finally spoke and his voice was a ruined croak. "I shouldn't have...You're so..." on a tortured sigh, he dropped her hand and abruptly put the room between them. His jacket was still lying on the floor by the desk and he swept it up and over his shoulders.
"Where are you going?" she demanded, her voice shrill in a way that she hated. Jason didn't answer, just searched his pockets for his keys and wordlessly opened the door.
"Jason!"
He stopped, turned to show the room his profile. "I have to go. I'm not sure when I'll be back."
The words, so simple, nearly brought her to her knees. Taking a stumbling step toward the couch, she latched onto the back to keep herself standing. Her heart pounded so ferociously, it echoed in her head. With sickening clarity, she knew what was happening. It would be just like before. She'd never see him. He wouldn't call. Shed be alone. Banished in this fortress. Safe and so utterly isolated she might as well be dead. Tears stung her eyes, but refused to fall. "Please, stay. Why are you leaving? What do you have to-"
Jason cut her off with words of steel. "Elizabeth, its-."
"Business. And more important than me," she supplied, angry and heartbroken at the same time. He refused to look at her and the anguish in his whole body was evident even from across the room. But he'd done this before and the sting was still too fresh for her to sympathize.
"Eliza-."
"Just go, Jason," the hissed command was brutal. She saw him flinch and even as a small amount of satisfaction nudged at her heart, she wanted to run to him. Instead, she folded her arms over her chest and bit back the tears that stung her eyes. Go. Dont let me stop you.
Elizabeth lowered her gaze to the floor and missed the defeated slump of Jasons shoulders as he rested his forehead momentarily against the door. From the distance, she missed the way his eyes hardened with conviction and he squared his shoulders. Elizabeth missed it all until he shut the door firmly behind him.
And then she let the first tears fall.
~*~
At ten o'clock in the morning Carly Corinthos surprised her husband by not only being out of bed, but also showered, dressed and all the way across town knocking on the door of their penthouse. As Max ushered her in, amid protests that she should wait for Sonny's say so, the mob boss's heart beat painfully in his chest. His wife was acting like an unexpected and possibly unwanted guest, stumbling over formalities and pleasantries that not only rang false for Carly as a person, but stabbed at his already guilty conscious every time her wedding and engagement rings flashed in the early morning light.
"Max, Sonny may be busy. I can wait," she insisted as the guard rolled his eyes and closed the door. Apparently, where Sonny didn't know what to do or how to act, the guard had no patience for playing one of their many games. The armor Carly had donned that morning as she prepared to face him was thick- barely a chink was visible as she folded her hands and met his gaze head-on. "I'm sorry if I've bothered you this morning, but I'm taking Michael to Bobbie's. There was no point taking him in the middle of the night."
"There's no point in you taking him at all," Sonny seethed, anger matching his guilt and hurt feelings. "There's no point in you staying with Bobbie. You're home is here, Carly."
"Oh, no...I don't think it is," she replied breezily, brushing past him to the stairs. She didn't do him the courtesy of looking his way, but her voice was steely as she continued. "This fortress you've constructed is not a home. I dwelled here for a time, thinking I could make it one, but it's time to end the charade, Sonny."
"What the hell does that mean?" he demanded, following her up the short flight of stairs to the second level. He expected her to go immediately to Michael's room and alert Leticia of her plans, but as they passed the boy's open door he saw the maid already packing suitcases. His temper snapped. "And when did you talk to Leticia?"
"I left her a note," she shrugged and turned smartly into the bedroom Sonny hadn't been able to face on his own the night before. Her suitcases were stacked in the back of the huge walk-in closet. With a certain kind of grace that proved how often she'd been in this exact position, Carly wheeled out the biggest of the suitcases and began picking out clothing, starting with her lingerie and nightclothes.
Clenching his hands into fists to prevent him from flipping the cases shut on her hands-a move that would do nothing but further antagonize her-he glowered at her from the doorway. "This is a mistake, Carly."
"Doesn't Brenda need you right now, Sonny?" she asked, moving on from the nightclothes to her skirts hanging just inside the closet. "She probably gets out of the hospital today and I'm sure none of the guards are qualified to keep an eye on her."
"This has nothing to do with Brenda."
"Not for me," she replied lightly enough, but her packing was rapidly growing more vicious as she abused her clothes with all the venom she'd obviously like to lay on her husband. "You, on the other hand, can't breathe without her, so she has everything to do with you."
Sighing, Sonny covered his face with his hands. He didn't know how to handle this. She wasn't throwing things-except her clothes-wasn't trying to goad him into saying something he'd regret. Aside from her agitated packing, the only sign of her anger was in the firm set of her jaw, the white line of her mouth. He watched in silence as she filled the first suitcase and moved on to the next. She skipped over evening gowns and the pointy stiletto heals that went with them. The jewelry remained untouched.
"Carly," he allowed a note of pleading into his voice. "Can we talk about this?"
She paused and finally looked at him, allowing herself to catch his eye. Shrugging, she licked her lips. "There's nothing to talk about."
"Like hell there isn't," he protested, seizing the opening she gave him. Her mouth twisted in some form of a sneer and she shook her head.
"I'm not going to fight for you, Sonny. Not against her," Carly admitted, twirling the wedding and engagement rings around her finger. "What would be the point?"
"Our marriage vows?"
She snorted. "Whatever," she drawled. "When it comes to Brenda Barrett your vows to me mean nothing. The past few months, the fact that you hid her existence from me for weeks, proves that."
"I love you, Carly," he promised fiercely. "I've married you three times over. If I didn't want you in my life I wouldn't have-."
"You thought she was dead," she spat and folded her arms protectively in front of her. "When you found out she wasn't, don't tell me you didn't have one giant moment of regret over the fact that you didn't wait for her."
"Brenda is with Jax."
"I. Don't. Care," she replied evenly and with conviction. "It doesn't change how you feel and I refuse to be nothing but your consolation prize."
"Why are you so sure that's what you are?" he argued, ignoring the part of his heart that swelled at the mere mention of Brenda's name. The part of him that was still mourning her loss and too confused with elation that she was actually alive to function properly. Cautiously, he took another step towards her. "I made vows to you, Carly. Promises before God and I intend
to keep them."
"I don't," she shrugged again and went back to her packing. The revelation stunned him. Not only because Carly-the woman he'd had to fight tooth and nail through every moment of their marriage-was giving up, but also because as she said the words, a weight lifted from his chest. And guilt replaced it.
"So that's it then..." he murmured. "Everything we've been through and you're just going to let it go."
"Are you going to fight me on it?" she asked. Her back was to him, deep in the closet, but even from there he caught the hope in her voice. He opened his mouth to speak, but the answer wasn't forthcoming. He paused too long. The sharp brittle laugh of scorn and betrayal echoed in the bedroom. "Of course you're not, Sonny."
"Carly," he tried, finally finding his voice.
"No," she cut him off. Disgust rolled over her features, as much with herself as with him. Closing the last of the suitcases, she took a step toward him, her eyes searching his face. "You know, I believe you."
"Y-you do?" he stuttered with more surprise than he liked. His wife nodded.
"Yeah, I do. You love me, Michael. You love the family we created."
"Then why are you doing this?"
Carly's lips twisted into a sad smile. Tearing her gaze away from him, she looked out the window. The sun was shining in the mid morning sky. Clear blue stretched for miles, as far as the eye could see. Sonny didn't notice or care. His wife was giving up. The knowledge scared and angered him. He'd been doing this for so long, he wasn't sure how else to live. And at the same time...how dare she make this choice without him.
Shrugging once in a half hearted attempt to hide her pain, and tugged her wedding and engagement rings off. Throwing them on the center of their bed, Carly looked him in the eye once more. "Why? Because you'll always love Brenda more."
~*~
Courtney Matthews awoke to darkness so thick and heavy she thought she was still asleep. As her head began to throb with pain, however, she understood differently. Lying immobile, she tried to discern her surroundings without jarring her splitting headache. Where the hell was she? The ground beneath her was dry but cold, the concrete rough against her cheek. Stretching her legs out one at a time, she found the fetal position she woke up in to be a matter of comfort and warmth rather than necessity. She blinked-or thought she blinked-in surprise when it dawned on her that neither her feet, nor her wrists were bound. Placing her palms on the cold concrete, she slowly struggled to a sitting position. Only when she was upright, fully mobile and dealing with the relentless migraine that beat at her skull did the first threads of fear kicked in.
Where was she? Why was she here? Who had taken her? What did they want?
On her hands and knees she began to feel her way around the room. With each inch that she crawled forward, she expected to come into contact with a wall or a sturdy door. Seconds passed, turning into minutes and for all she knew she was traveling in circles. Or the room was huge.
About to admit defeat, her head struck something hard and she couldn't swallow the wail of pain. Her headache intensified before a wave of dizziness swept over her. Tears that had been building behind her eyes with her panic slipped through her spiky lashes to dot her cheeks. With a tentative hand, she felt the space in front of her. Rough wood met her palm. Rising on her knees, she found a simple doorknob and she eagerly twisted. Much to her frustration, however not her surprise, nothing happened.
"Hello!" she yelled, her voice cracked and hoarse. Coughing slightly, she pounded on the door, ignoring the echo in her head. "Hey! Can anybody hear me?"
From the other side of the door, shuffling ensued. Her eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark and she could make out a faint sliver of light fighting its way through the cracks. She pounded harder and screamed-not for help, but for attention-to whoever was moving around on the other side. A small part of her, the survival part that always seemed strongest and most demanding on her various cons throughout the years warned her to tread carefully. Any other day she might have. But at that moment, the only thing she wanted was an aspirin and a glass of water. She'd worry about getting shot between the eyes after her throat quit burning.
Just as she sucked in a deep breath to scream at her captor again the door was ripped away from her. She spilled into the hallway, completely disoriented at the sudden light. Strong hands grabbed her under the arms and roughly dragged her across now carpeted floor to a battered couch. Low voices fluttered around her, the words a jumble of consonants and vowels she couldn't understand. A fit of coughing ravaged her sore throat and when she could sit upright again, steady fingers wrapped around her forearm and forced a bottle of water into her hand.
Greedily, she gulped at the soothing liquid, her vision gradually improving as she grew accustomed to the low lighting of the room. The steady throb behind her eyes refused to abate, however, and she would have done anything for an aspirin. The cushion beside her shifted and her body tensed, suddenly remembering she wasn't alone. Blond hair curtained her face like a shield and after several moments, she called upon the courage and cunning that had helped her survive 24 years on this planet. Dragging a lock of matted hair behind her ear with a shaky finger, she didn't know whether to sigh in relief or recoil in panic.
"Ms. Matthews," Sammy Tagliatti grinned, showing off pearly capped teeth. Courtney shrank under his black gaze. "I hear you've been eager to meet me."
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:56:13 GMT -5
Chapter Eighteen
The second morning Brenda woke up in her private room at General Hospital she still felt like she'd been hit by a truck, but a smaller one. The huge 18-wheeler that had trampled her with every one of its wheels the day before had been reduced by half. Breathing hurt, sitting upright hurt, but the pain came in low throbbing waves rather than sharp bursts that blurred her vision and made her want to cry out. With the superior knowledge of a patient who'd had enough of any and all poking and prodding, Brenda was more than confident that if she got out of the stupid paper-thin hospital gown and the lumpy, albeit adjustable, bed and into her own silk pajamas and sheets she'd be back to normal in no time.
So, she began watching the clock. As the seconds dragged by every noise in the hallway turned into Monica or Bobbie on their way to give her the okay to leave. After each sound turned into nothing and some other patient got the attention she desperately wanted, her frustration grew. Reaching for the phone at her bedside she began to dial Ned's number. Then she realized she didn't remember it. Her hand hovered over the gray buttons. Nor did she remember Jax's cell, his hotel suite in Germany or any of the other people she knew in Port Charles. Every number was programmed into her phone and Elizabeth still had it.
"Dammit," she muttered and roughly punched in the only number she had memorized. After trying twice and listening to her own voice tell her to leave a message when Elizabeth failed to answer, Brenda gave up. With a bang, she returned the hospital phone to its former place on the night stand and glared at the ceiling. Was nothing going to go her way today? The natural motion of folding her arms over her chest made her ribs shriek in pain and she in turn wanted to shriek in agitation. Grimacing, she eased into a sitting position and searched for something-anything-on which to vent her anger.
The rolling lunch tray was closest. A box of tissues, a pitcher of water and a stack of individually wrapped plastic cups at the ready. Might as well start small, she nodded with a gleam in her eye. Reaching for the cups first, she was so intent on her mission of destruction that she missed the knock at the door. Without picking a target she watched the cups sail through the air and right into the leather clad chest of Jason Morgan as he hesitantly entered the room. Her anger turned to shock and slight embarrassment as he easily caught the projectiles and glanced at her questioningly.
"Jason! What the hell are you doing here?" she gasped. He looked down at the cups in his hands and then back at her warily.
"I, um...see youve been expecting me."
Her brows pulled into a confused V. "Expecting you?"
"If you dont want me here you can just say so," he shrugged and gestured with the stack of cups. "Ya know, instead of throwing things at me."
Brenda blinked and her mouth fell open several seconds before her voice caught up. "Okay, you need to either stop doing that or warn me next time."
"Doing what?"
"Being funny. Making jokes," she replied, gesturing vaguely around the room. "I'm not used to it from you and I'm already in a pissy mood." She raised a warning finger. "And I know you don't want to deal with that."
"I don't want to deal with you at all," Jason smirked and tossed the stack of cups back at her. An empty chair was tucked into the corner of the room and he pulled it closer to the bed. He didn't remove his leather jacket, only the motorcycle gloves that he stuffed in his pocket as he sat. Brenda eyed him warily.
"Then why are you here?" she challenged him, shifting slightly as her ribs started to protest. "I'm sure there are plenty of other places you'd rather be...other people you'd rather deal with. Where's Elizabeth?"
Her question met with silence. Jason dropped his gaze to his hands and studied them. The ease and familiarity they'd developed and managed to maintain during the few weeks she'd lived with him bled away as something else took its place. Tension mounted with each passing second and she squirmed as much as her battered body would allow. She cleared her throat softly. "Did I say something wrong?"
Jason's sigh was quiet but full of pain and his entire body moved with it, giving the impression of a rolling mountain of unhappiness. "No," he said softly, avoiding her searching gaze. "Y-you didn't say anything. I don't know where Elizabeth is."
"What? Why not?" she demanded unable to hold back her incredulity.
"She was at the penthouse when I left this morning, but... I don't know if she's still there," he explained, still without looking up. His shoulders were hunched up to his ears and Brenda knew he was closing in on himself. Shutting down. "I wouldn't blame her if she...left."
By the way his voice dipped an octave on the single word, she knew it actually hurt him to say it. Like the word was stuck in her own throat and twisting so tight she couldn't breathe. Picking at the beige blanket with fingernails desperately in need of a manicure, she pursed her lips. "Jason, what happened? Did you two have a fight?"
He shrugged silently and she thought she was going to have to throw something at him again when he spoke up of his own will. "A fight? I made her cry, so yeah. I guess you could say that."
"I did say that," she prompted when he fell silent once again. Sighing in frustration she pushed her fingers through her matted hair and decided then and there that she'd sell her soul for a shower and her good shampoo. "Okay, Jason? I realize that you don't talk and that I'm probably the last person you'd call for a chat if you did. But...you came here for a reason. Either tell me what it is, or quit moping around like a big oaf and go find Elizabeth."
"I can't," he growled angrily and restlessly rose from the chair. The spacious room shrank to a small cage as she watched him prowl.
"Why?"
"Because I ruined everything. I don't know how to fix this...us...her and I," he replied easily now, almost babbling and Brenda's mind reeled trying to understand a word of it. He actually reminded her of Elizabeth. The way she'd just start thinking out loud and keep talking until someone interrupted or stopped her. Jason wasn't talking to her. The angry words were directed at himself and the bleached white walls of the stark hospital room. "Last night, something...something happened and I can't promise that it won't happen again and it kills me. Then this morning..." he paused and pinched the bridge of his nose in a move so second nature she barely noticed it anymore. "I know what she's thinking right now, Brenda. She's alone and she's upset. Elizabeth thinks that I'm going to do it all over again."
"Are you speaking English? What are you going to do all over again?" she had to shout to get his attention. To break through the diatribe. "I need some actual...like, nouns or something. What happened last night?"
Jason stopped his pacing in the shadowed corner, his dark gaze lost in the low light. Brenda couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw humiliation darken his eyes. "What happened last night doesn't matter. It's what happened this morning that does. How much did Elizabeth tell you about when she lived with me before?"
"Just that you were gone a lot. I figured taking care of me and that mess with Sonny and Luis. I know that-that it caused some problems. She felt like you were shutting her out," she replied carefully, not wanting to send him into another heavy silence.
"I wasn't trying to. I didn't want to hurt her," he swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. "I spent so many nights watching you or Courtney or Alkazar and...and the only thing I wanted was to be with Elizabeth. But I knew she was safe at the penthouse and wherever I was...there was a threat. I was more concerned with protecting her than anything else. When I saw herI had to lie and it-it hurt too much."
"Did you ever tell her that? Any of this?" she asked without having to. She knew he hadn't.
"I never got the chance. She found out that Sonny was alive and that I'd been lying to her," Jason's voice was gravely, his eyes moist with tears she knew he'd never shed in front of her. Probably not in front of anyone. Jason didn't share his pain. Not because he didn't want to. No, that wasn't it. Her eyes narrowed as she studied him. He didn't want to burden anybody.
"God, you and Sonny," Brenda scoffed, shaking her head. Both men were so much alike. Letting wounds, past and present, fester until they exploded in Sonny's case or in Jason's...well, they never exploded. They just ate away at his soul until he retreated further and further away to shield his heart. "You're so caught up in that whole 'protect the women and children' bullshit that you completely miss it."
"Miss what?"
"That the only thing Elizabeth wants is to protect you, too."
"Protect me," Jason parroted, his brow furrowed.
"Yes, Jason. Just because she doesn't know how to fire a gun or bring a man down with her fists doesn't...it doesn't stop that need to make sure the man she loves is safe," Brenda felt tears burn behind her eyes and didn't understand why. Blinking rapidly, she continued. "You don't have the monopoly on wanting to protect the ones you love."
"I know that," he insisted, his frown deepening.
"Do you?" she pressed, leaning closer and wincing at the bite of pain that lanced through her lower ribs. Wrapping an arm around her torso for support, Brenda felt her tears burn hotter and pool against her lower lashes. Mentally, she chided herself as an agony deeper than her physical pain ripped at her heart. The memories shouldn't hurt so much anymore. "Do you know what it's like to watch someone you love go out day after day and...and wonder if it's the last time you'll ever see them? If this time, they won't outrun the threat or dodge the bullet or escape the explosion? If this time you'll be left alone forever, without them there to hold you and help take away the pain?
"Because that's what it's like, Jason. That's what I-," she stopped abruptly and blinked as two tears streaked down her cheeks. Jason was watching her carefully, his lips parted, his eyes still saturated with misery, but a question hung in those blue depths, momentarily taking precedence. Oh God. She closed her eyes and drew the deepest breath her abused body would allow. Forcing her eyes open, Brenda swallowed and continued softly. "That's what Elizabeth deals with every time you walk out the door. You go to protect her, she stays wanting to protect you. Th-the difference is...you actually get to do something about it. She just has to wait."
For what felt like a lifetime, Jason held her in that steady blue gaze and Brenda wanted to scream at him to let her go. She wanted to beg him not to search too deeply for the emotions she was too exhausted to keep hidden. Everything she'd buried-out of necessity and survival-had been unearthed in the past few weeks. The jagged edges of a broken heart she'd never mended were poking through the wreckage of her brave facade. And now the ever observant, impossible to fool Jason Morgan-Sonny's brother, Carly's best friend-would see it all. Her chest constricted and fear born of so many old wounds took her breath away.
"Jason, please-," she managed to stammer breathlessly just as he looked away. Relief flooded through her even though she knew he understood all too clearly what he'd seen. Awkwardly, she leaned back against the pillows, more for something to do with herself rather than the physical relief to her ribs. Recovering as best she could, she continued. "Jason, please talk to Elizabeth. Tell her why you did what you did. Fix this," she urged with building intensity. "Don't just get through it, fix it so you're stronger. You-you're so much stronger t-together."
Jason didn't respond. For a moment, he just sat there, unmoving and staring at the floor by the foot of Brenda's hospital bed. Then with the typical Jason Morgan sigh, he scrubbed at his face with his hands and stood. He moved slowly, like every beating, every bullet he'd ever taken was weighing him down. He nodded, a quick jerk of his head and he was already at the door before Brenda realized that had been his answer to her desperate urging.
Halfway gone, he paused and turned back to offer her his profile. "What are you going to do?"
Brenda bit her lip and looked down at her hands, clasped together so tightly her knuckles were white. She hadn't even noticed. "The same thing I've always done."
"What's that?"
She sniffed and laughed, short and desperate. "Pretend it doesn't matter."
~*~
Carly wasted very little time packing her belongings and Michaels. Before Sonny fully comprehended the situation, his family life-his home-ruptured down the center. The penthouse fell into an unusual silence. Knowing that Carly wasn't upstairs, planning her next decorating adventure, that his son wasn't building skyscrapers out of Lego's or reading the fantasy stories he'd started to latch onto, made what used to be his world become nothing more than a collection of rooms.
Sonny prowled the hallway on the second level, stopping at each room and closing the door. On some level, he was waiting for it all to sink in, but on another he felt the pain of his loss acutely. The only thing he could think to do was shut the door and ignore the ghosts. For now.
The couch in the living room tantalized him, beckoned to him and he would have liked nothing more than to sink into the deep cushions and just... Sonny sighed and forced his feet to carry him to the front door and open it. Indulging in his need to have a personal pity party was infinitely appealing, but a privilege he refused to allow himself.
One of the rookie guards was patrolling the short hallway between penthouse 2 and penthouse 4 and Sonny gave him a brief nod as he strode past the elevator. In his head, he ticked through the things he'd rather be doing at that moment. Root canal, meeting with the five families, dodging bullets, a fitting for cement shoes. All of those options sounded far more appealing than knocking on Jason's door and invading Elizabeth's life.
However, he needed to talk to Jason. No matter what was going on, they still had a warehouse to run, coffee to receive and ship out, business to attend to. Elizabeth hadn't changed any of that. Just because the woman he found out was his sister hated him, didn't mean he had to obtain some kind of engraved invitation to meet with his friend and business partner. Plus, Elizabeth was a small woman. If she decided to attack him, which he admittedly deserved, he'd be able to contain her. Probably.
He was being ridiculous, he knew, but he couldn't help the nervous shuffle of his feet as he knocked on the door. The way his palms started sweating as he waited in silence for an answer. Knocking again, he sincerely hoped Jason wouldn't be answering the door the way he had the other night. He really did not need to know about his sister's nocturnal activities.
Whether curiosity or his own sense of entitlement encouraged him, Sonny didn't bother to figure out when he put his hand on the knob and turned. Surprised, he found it unlocked. Stifling the familiar urge to fling the door open, he pushed gently. "Jason?"
"He's not here," a soft female voice floated through the air, but from his limited view, Sonny couldn't see the owner. Moving farther into the room, he was almost ready to assume he'd imagined the sound when he saw his sister.
Tucked into the far corner, the room separating them, Elizabeth sat on the floor and leaned her head against the floor to ceiling windows. The cuffs of the burgundy turtleneck fell almost to the tips of her fingers as she dragged her hands up and down the shins of her black pinstriped pants. She looked, Sonny realized, like she was freezing and trying to warm herself. Or trying to hide.
"Elizabeth?" he didn't know what to say and took a few steps toward her, stopping when she didn't look at him. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he looked around the room. The half finished game of pool, the brown leather couch, the...lack of anything else.
"I don't know when he'll be back," she replied flatly.
"He didn't tell you?"
Elizabeth shook her head, a sardonic smile touching her lips as she swept an errant curl away from her face and behind her ear. ""I spent an entire month wondering where the hell he was, why should he tell me now?"
To his embarrassment, Sonny didn't understand what Elizabeth meant at first. Realization quickly dawned on him and he winced. Shit. Just when he thought he knew all his sins, another sucker punched him when his back was turned. Giving her plenty of time to object, he joined her on the floor, sitting with his back to the window next to her feet. He expected her to shy away, but she didn't even glance at him. Despite the fact that he felt at a total loss when it came to his new found family, an opening like this hadn't come up since he discovered the truth. The conversation on his 'death' was long overdue anyway.
"Elizabeth-"
"I don't want to talk about it."
He blinked. "Talk about what?"
"My past. Who I am. Who I'm not," she let her gaze sweep over him briefly, but he felt the weight of it intensely. "I don't...want to talk about it."
He nodded his head and drew his knees up, resting his hands on them. "Neither do I," he admitted. "I almost couldn't come over here, you know. Knowing youre here."
She frowned and for a moment focused on his profile. "Why?"
"I've spent a lot of the past few weeks...thinking about things," he began, unsure as to which way to lead the conversation. "There was a time...and I know you think I've forgotten or that I didn't care but...we used to look out for each other, Elizabeth. When Jason was shot. When Carly lost the baby. I haven't done a very good job returning the favor. I don't think I ever really thanked you. I know I never apologized for acting like it didn't matter."
Elizabeth used trembling fingers to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. It was a gesture Sonny was coming to recognize as one of the small signs that his sister was nervous and needed a momentary distraction. She swallowed and her voice was thick. "It mattered?"
"Very much."
"Oh," she whispered and turned her attention back to the view. The move masked the bright sheen of tears that began to pool in her eyes, but only for a moment. Sonny's gut twisted painfully as she blinked and the first drop cascaded down her cheek. She mumbled something he couldn't understand.
"What was that?"
"Why couldn't I know, Sonny?" she demanded, turning to face him. Her eyes were too bright as she swiped furiously to brush away her own weakness. "When exactly did I lose your trust? What betrayal did I commit that exiled me to so many nights here alone, worrying about Jason while he took care of your mess?"
"I...," Sonny couldn't breath as the truth got lodged in his throat. God, he didn't want to do this. Honesty was a trait he valued in others, but spent far too much time skating around himself. But if he was ever going to have a relationship with Elizabeth he had to put the past to rest. There would no doubt be plenty of opportunities to hurt her after she'd accepted him as her family. With his stellar record, he'd hit every one of those painful marks no matter how hard he tried. "Elizabeth...I don't know how to explain this to you without hurting you."
"When did that ever stop you?"
He bristled and tried to dampen his indignation. "I had to do what I thought was best. Too many lives were riding on this. Yours included. If you knew, you could have been forced to tell others."
"I was stuck in here under lock and key, Sonny. Who would I have told? What about Carly?" she shot back, her eyes black with old anger and scars.
"Carly? Please," Sonny snorted at the idea of keeping his wife in the dark. She would have made Jason's life impossible, distracted him from what he needed to do. "If my wi-if Carly hadn't known the truth do you have any idea how much trouble she would have caused? She would have demanded retribution, had all the guards trying to hunt down my killer. She would have jeopardized the entire organization."
When he stopped, Elizabeth stared at him expectantly. The seconds ticked by and he didn't say more, she pursed her lips and nodded. "Okay, so you finally understand Carly. What did that have to do with me? What about Jason? Was he afraid I'd go running my mouth off to the cops or something?"
Sonny's eyes widened. "Jason? No. He wanted to tell you. I...I convinced him not to. That you didn't need to know," he finally admitted. A burden lifted off his chest only to be replaced by the boulder of disappointment that radiated off Elizabeth. The small flare of anger he'd felt a moment ago sputtered out, leaving him cold. This was not going the way he wanted. "Look, Elizabeth...you were stuck here with Zander. After everything that-that boy did to try and bring me down, bring Jason down, I didn't trust him."
"You mean you didn't trust me," she corrected.
"No, I trusted you," Sonny argued emphatically. And he had, he did. When Jason had practically begged him to let Elizabeth in on the plan, trusting her hand never been an issue. "But I didn't trust Zander. Then or now. You were here with him. Constantly. I don't care that he said he didn't remember anything. I don't care if we had him on constant surveillance. I've been sloppy in the past Elizabeth and it's nearly gotten a lot of people, including Jason, killed."
With a weary sigh he covered his face with his hand. "It wasn't supposed to go down the way it did. The last thing I ever expected was for Brenda to turn up alive. I was only supposed to play dead for a couple days, a week at the most. But then Brenda... And I needed Jason to-."
"Take care of it," Elizabeth finished for him. With a heavy sigh, she turned back to the window. The late November wind chilled the glass and soothed her head. "Well, he did a great job, Sonny. Spent every waking moment out there, taking care of everything. Brenda, Courtney, Carly...Alkazar, I'm sure. You know, I think I saw him...maybe three times during those weeks you were gone? The rest of the time I just waited. Waited and prayed to every god I could think of that he'd be okay. He wouldn't tell me how he was doing, what was going on. Then one day Zander was watching the news and there the two of you were. Alive and well and arrested."
Sonny's brow furrowed in concern as he watched her retreat further into the memories that still carried a bitter sting. For whatever reason, the old wounds had been ripped open. The past few weeks he'd had plenty of opportunities to observe Jason and Elizabeth together. A blind man would have been able to see their connection from across state lines. The love between his best friend and his sister was obvious. But something had happened in the past twenty-four hours to change that and now the old scars that Sonny realized had never healed were bleeding.
Hopelessness washed over him and he allowed it. He'd been to this place before, knew what Jason was going through. He may have been oblivious to it at the time, but hearing Elizabeth speak, remembering Jason's haunted looks in the past...Sonny knew exactly the pain he'd inflicted. He'd made choices that he thought best served everybody in his life. Their suffering didn't matter so long as he didn't get them killed. Death was the only consequence that couldn't fade with time.
"Sometimes...you have to make a choice," Sonny began quietly, aware he was speaking aloud, but not knowing why. For some reason, he didnt feel ready. "Sometimes, in this world, your only choice is pain or more pain and you have to pick which one could hurt the people you love less. And then there's the selfish need everybody has to have something of their own. Something special and separate from the world that constantly tries to drag them under."
"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked softly, her voice free of anger and accusation for the first time since Sonny's entered the apartment.
"I've spent more than three years watching you and Jason. Whether he knows it or not, you've become his safe place. A small slice of perfection he can't really believe he has because he's never had it before," he explained without looking at her. He couldn't. If he let her see his face, read the expression in his eyes, someone else would know the truth he was trying to squelch. So he put it all on Jason. Everything Sonny had felt the day he'd decided to run away from Brenda rather than ruin her. The day he'd decided that his selfishness had to end and he chose the pain of leaving her rather than the pain of watching her die. "That's why, Elizabeth. That's why he works so hard to keep everything he does from touching you. Not because you can't deal with it. Because he can't. He cannot allow you to carry him."
"But I want to, Sonny," she vowed, a few new tears slipping down her cheeks. "He knows all the darkest parts of-of who I am. I need to do the same for him."
Weary now, the mob boss nodded his head. His heart beat sluggishly in his chest and he wondered if they'd ever get it right. Any of them. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet. Smoothing the wrinkles from his grey suit, he rolled his shoulders and looked back at Elizabeth. She was openly studying him now, unafraid. Maybe that was progress. "Then tell him, Elizabeth. Make him understand. He's a better man than I am. He hasn't traded happiness for contentment yet and maybe...maybe you can keep him from doing that. Before he ruins his chances for something real.
"I'm not...I'm not what anybody deserves for family. Especially you," Sonny sighed and felt old beyond his years. "But I want to try. I want to be for you what the Webbers never were. You may have their name, but you're my family. After everything that's happened, I don't deserve it, but I hope...I wish that we can have a chance."
Holding his gaze for a moment, Elizabeth finally nodded and dropped her gaze to her knees, tracing a thin, white pinstripe with a fingernail. Sonny couldn't be sure, but as he watched her for just another minute before quietly leaving the penthouse, he thought a wall between them had at
least weakened.
Once again, in the hallway he was tantalized with the idea of hiding away. Shutting the curtains and dousing the lights. Drowning himself in liquor and the blackness that always threatened to eat him alive. With a sigh he punched the button for the elevator. That would be too easy. He'd taken that way out too many times. Someone needed him now and he was tired of letting people down.
~*~
Sammy Tagliatti watched Courtney Matthews squirm on the beat-up couch and loved every second of it. The blonde's fear was palpable, he could taste it. Knowing the power he had over her at this exact second was an incredible rush, almost sexual in its intensity. He flashed her a quick smile, all white teeth and sly cunning. As much as he wanted to relish this and drag it out, business needed to be taken care of. He hadn't taken such careful precautions to secure the adept con artist to screw it up now.
"So...what can you do for me?" he drawled, leaning into the corner of the couch and leering at her. To her credit, Courtney managed to steady her quaking hands as she brought the water bottle to her lips for another sip.
"I-I can help you," she croaked.
"Help me?" Sammy raised a brow. "What could I possibly need help on? Skid? Is there some kind of trouble I don't know about?"
"No boss," the enforcer shook his head dumbly. Sammy wanted to roll his eyes. The idiot was good with a gun but God skipped him the day he gave out a sense of humor. Maybe it was a requisite for mob enforcers.
"Well, Miss Matthews," he shrugged. "I can't think of a single thing I need your help with, so..." he motioned to Skid and the bodyguard drew his weapon with obvious enthusiasm. He aimed the weapon directly between Courtneys eyes.
"Wait a minute," she shrieked and cowered back against the couch. "You-you haven't even heard what I have to offer. I can give you Sonny Corinthos. I-I've been around long enough to-to know plenty."
There it was. An obvious trick, perhaps, but one Sammy found to be most successful. Never ask. Threaten, and allow everything to fall at your feet as the enemy showed his hand. He grinned again, slowly and with the grace of a Cheshire cat. "What do you know?"
"Shi-shipping schedules. Overseas contacts. Bank locations," she rattled off the list, her body relaxing after Sammy motioned to Skid to put the gun back in his holster. "I know enough about the business to keep you busy and causing problems. You could run him to the ground with what I know."
Sammy pretended to consider the information. In truth, he'd already made up his mind, but it paid to keep her intimidated. "He knows the truth now, right? Knows you're nothing but a two-bit con artist and that his real sister was right under his nose all the time. It might be more beneficial to go through Elizabeth Webber."
As soon as he said the name her face went sickly pale. The tremor returned to her hands. Pressing her mouth firmly in a line, she gave her head a tight shake. "You don't need her. She'll give you nothing. She knows nothing about the business and will never ask. Too many years of being enthralled with Jason Morgan."
"You know, I've heard that you're pretty...enthralled with Sonny's right hand man," he replied casually, almost laughing at the round stains of pink that glowed from her pale cheeks. "And it's not just me. Morgan and Corinthos know it too. If they're smart men-and I know they are-they've already changed all their schedules, contacts and locations. I'm sure they suspect-."
"They suspect nothing. And even if they did, they never would have believed I was capable of actually getting to anything," she smirked, already forgetting the gun waving in her face only moments earlier. "And even if they did...I can still get more. I have unlimited access."
"Really?" Sammy mused, surprised for the first time. It was a bold promise to make. Unlimited access into the holdings of a man as powerful as Corinthos? Especially when he was already on to her games. Carefully, he looked her over. The bright sheen of determination and desperation make her eyes glow in the dimly lit room. She might be telling the truth. To have lived as long as she had-to have escaped the heavy guard no doubt out searching for her at this very moment-Sammy had to give Courtney Matthews credit. He couldn't underestimate her. That would be an unforgivable mistake. One Corinthos was dealing with now.
Standing, he straightened the cuff of his suit. "I'll keep you in mind," he said casually and moved toward the door.
"What?" Courtney rose halfway to her feet only to sink meekly back to the couch when Skid took a menacing step closer. "What do you mean, keep me in mind?"
"Well, I need to think about this. About you and whether or not you're worth it," he explained easily. "But don't worry. I'll keep you alive." Her outraged protests were muffled by the door and then silenced by a sharp slap to her face that almost made Sammy wince. But he had promised Skid he could use any means, any threats necessary to keep her in line. The bodyguard deserved it.
~*~
The sun was sinking below the horizon when Jason opened the door to his penthouse. Bathing the living room in an amber glow that would have made the place feel instantly like a home if he was certain Elizabeth was still there. Silence greeted him, broken by the rattle of his keys as he tossed them on the table.
After talking to Brenda hed gone to the warehouse, not to avoid Elizabeth or his penthouse. Just to think and clear his head. He wasnt going to let her go without a fight. Not again. If she wanted to leave him, hed deal with it, but he wouldnt let her go without a fight. The first time, as much as it hurt, had been easier. Hed never told her he was in love with her, hadnt made love to her. When Elizabeth walked out of his penthouse, the first time, hed lost something that could have been. If she left him now, hed loseeverything that he had.
She wasnt in the living room and there were no sounds echoing from the kitchen. Without removing his jacket, he headed for the stairs and by sheer will managed to swallow his anxiety and get up the steps. His-their-bedroom was dark, but light from the spare bedroom at the end of the hall spilled into the hallway.
Before Jason saw her, he could feel her. The knowledge that Elizabeth hadnt left him made his knees weak with relief. Tucked into a rocking chair-one hed often rocked Michael in-she sketched. Standing in the doorway, he knew the minute she realized he was there. Her pencil stilled over the sketch, but she look up at him. Gripping the charcoal with delicate fingers from both hands, she twirled it and hesitantly lifted her head.
The errant curls framing her face made her red rimmed eyes stand out even more and his chest tightened. Jason couldnt breathe. He wanted to hold her, apologize a thousand times and then one more, but words didnt come as he stared at her, lost in her gaze and thanking God over and over that she was still there.
In the end, he did speak, but only to ask a question. Taking off the leather gloves he still had on, he held out a hand to her. Will you come with me?
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Post by JRK Archiver on May 3, 2008 8:57:28 GMT -5
Chapter Nineteen
Brenda Barrett had died and gone to heaven. Every muscle in her body ached and when she tried to walk more than a few feet she wanted to cry out in pain, but she was finally checking out. She spent the entire afternoon convincing Bobbie that she'd go back to her cottage and rest for a week in bed if they'd just let her out of the confining hospital room. After four emergency pages with her call button, the head nurse consented. If Brenda hadn't been so eager to go home, she might have felt bad.
The only obstacle in her path was who to call to pick her up. Jax was still in Germany. If she told herself the truth, she didn't want to see him anyway. She was still annoyed with the jerk. Sighing, she contemplated the phone and unconsciously chewed on her bottom lip. Jason would come get her if she asked. But in his current state of mind he'd probably use her as an excuse not to face Elizabeth. Brenda scoffed. The man didn't need any more problems today. The real issue of course was that she couldn't remember any phone numbers because she didn't have her cell phone.
"Stupid technology," she muttered, flicking at the buttons on the phone. A wave of uneasiness stilled her fingers. There was one number she remembered. One she couldn't help but memorize. But did she really have the right to call?
All Brenda's attention was focused on the phone and her own internal struggle over who to call for help. She didn't hear the door open, didn't feel the steady gaze of her new visitor. When he finally cleared his throat, she jumped and the phone tipped off her knees.
"Sonny!"
"Hi," he said softly, his lips curving into a small smile. For a moment, Brenda didn't speak, only wondered if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming that the very person she'd been working up the courage to call had walked through her door. The steady monotone of the dial tone switched to the annoying operators voice, asking her to place a call or hang up and try again. Sonny gestured at the device. "Are you expecting a call?"
"What? Oh, no," she quickly righted the phone and returned it to the table by her bed. "No, I was about to call yo-I mean...I was trying to figure out who to call to come get me. I finally convinced Bobbie to let me out of here."
Sonny's smile fell away to concern as he stepped further into the room. "Are you sure you're ready?"
"Sonny. I've been stuck here for two days. If I don't get out of here, I'll go crazy. For real this time," Brenda rolled her eyes and forced a smile on her bruised face. "Besides, I'm fine. Nothing a few painkillers and my own bed won't fix."
"You broke ribs."
"Yeah well...I'm thorough," she shrugged. Sonny sounded concerned. More than that, there was worry in his voice. She swallowed and forced her mind elsewhere. "So...what are you doing here?"
"I, uh...hmmm," Sonny ran his hand through his hair, his expression rueful as he cast his eyes on the ground. When he shuffled his feet, Brenda's eyes nearly popped out of her head. The all powerful mob boss was nervous. "I really don't know. It's been an interesting day."
"Really?"
"Yeah I...talked to Elizabeth," he confessed and moved further into the room. The bed shifted at her feet where he sat down and leaned against the footboard. A draft of air from the open door carried the scent of his aftershave and Brenda closed her eyes briefly at the familiarity of it.
"How...how did that go?" she cleared her throat and dropped her gaze to pick at the bedspread. It was easier to have him this close, alone with her, when she wasn't looking at him.
"I don't think she hates me anymore," he shrugged, trying to be casual but allowing the heartache to color his voice. "I don't know...I don't know much of anything anymore. There used to be a time when Elizabeth and I were close. We had no reason to be. I mean, what could be further apart than the big bad-"
"Coffee importer?" Brenda offered with a hint of a smile. Sonny stopped and raised his head in time to catch the mirth in her shining brown eyes.
He chuckled. "Yeah, the coffee importer and an 18 year old girl. I remember being with Elizabeth in the hospital after Carly lost our first baby and...I just couldn't figure out how she understood. How did someone that young be so wise? It didn't take me long to remember how much she'd already had to live through. I never thought...," sighing, Sonny lifted his gaze and Brenda was caught off guard actually looking at him.
For a moment, neither spoke. She wanted to be looking anywhere but at her former lover, but their connection held her. Like an iron fist it squeezed her lungs and heart, forcing her to acknowledge the power it possessed. Sonny's gaze turned from warm brown to a burning black. Blinking rapidly, she finally tore her eyes away and focused back on her jagged fingernails. Sonny cleared his throat softly. "I never thought I'd ever hurt her. But I think I may have caused more pain in her life than anything else."
Brenda drew a slow, ragged breath. "Sonny...I don't-don't know exactly what happened. I was too busy being a part of what was happening, but...I don't believe you'd ever hurt Elizabeth on purpose. I don't think she believes that either."
"That doesn't change what happened. What I caused," he argued, rising from the bed in a sudden burst of energy.
"What we caused," she cut in.
"What?"
"Coming back to Port Charles was my idea as much as Luis's," the name of the man she once thought of as her savior tasted bitter and foreign on her lips. Probably a good sign considering all the man had done to her and those she loved. "I forced Jason to marry me, you forced him to guard Courtney and Elizabeth got shoved aside and lied to."
Sonny nodded, pain pinched the corners of his lips. Shoulders tense, he paced a little along the side of the bed. "I need to make this right, Brenda."
"We need to make this right," she corrected. Before he could interrupt her and try to carry the weight of their collective selfishness himself she lifted a hand. "I'm serious. I owe Jason a lot for what he's done for me and I really like Elizabeth. So...we can start helping them by taking me home."
Sonny cocked his head in bemused confusion. "How does that help-"
"Because the only number I remember without my cell phone is Jason's and he's got enough to deal with today."
Regarding her for a moment, the slight grin eventually morphed into a bright smile, complete with the dimples that used to make her melt. Used to she reminded herself with a mental shake. His brown eyes flashed and she couldn't help smile a little herself. "All right. Let's go."
*****
On the back of Jason's motorcycle, Elizabeth ignored the stars and the wind. The chilly November night cut through the leather jacket she cherished almost as much as the postcard she still had and the single, jagged fragment of red glass she'd salvaged. Wind lifted her hair from her neck and she pressed her face against Jason's back and hugged him closer. The scent of leather surrounded her and she felt a little bit more whole. She needed that, had been craving and searching for that sense of completion all day. The bike made it easier. She didn't have to talk or think about what happened between them that morning...or the discussion that was soon to follow. Elizabeth didn't understand it. Once they could have said anything to each other and understood without question. Now every word felt like a land mine and every tense silence an ignited fuse.
The bike took turns she might have recognized if she could have let go of Jason long enough to enjoy the ride. But Elizabeth allowed herself the indulgence of having him close. Even as she felt the bike slow, the roar of the engine lessen, she wouldn't look up. They rolled to a stop and pine needles crunched under the heavy wheels. Jason's hand crept down to cover hers. Leather against leather. Silence washed over her and the sound of him clearing his throat echoed like a rumble of thunder over the stillness.
"Elizabeth?"
Squeezing his hand for a split second before tearing herself away, Elizabeth leaped off the bike and took in her surroundings. The air was fragrant with the scent of pine and the promise of snow. A dirt path, beaten into the woods by years of ancient traffic, narrowed and disappeared in the shadows ahead. She hadn't been to the spot in years and snow had covered the ground when she last saw the road, but she would recognize the quiet clearing anywhere.
"I was wondering where we'd end up," she murmured softly. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she took a few steps down the path. "I've still never seen that girl. The one with the dress."
"I still need to show it to you," Jason replied, just as softly. "Maybe tomorrow we can-."
"When did this get so hard, Jason?" she demanded suddenly, whirling on him as he studied the speedometer of the motorcycle. At her words, he raised his head and frowned, but she didn't care if he was confused at her abrupt question.
"What?"
"I used to be able to tell you everything, anything," she said and tears welled in her eyes and stung her nose, along with the cold. "Now we can barely say two words to each other without someone's heart breaking."
"I know," Jason replied simply. Swinging a leg effortlessly over the back of the motorcycle, he was at her side in a few long strides. He reached for her and hesitated, waiting for her to pull away. When his gloved hand finally touched her cheek, it was to push away a tear. "I know, Elizabeth. I'm sorry."
Sniffing, she crossed her arms and took a step back. The wind stung her skin where his hand had been protecting it, but she couldn't let him get that close now. The dejected slump of his shoulders cut her, but she was determined to find a way through the maze of hurt separating them. "Why-why did you leave this morning?"
Jason's sigh was long and sounded as if it was pulled from the very bottom of his soul. His gloved hand scrubbed at his face and he wandered to the other side of the clearing. The sounds of the forest intensified as she waited for him to speak or to face her.
"Do you remember that day on the docks when you found me and Lucky fighting?" he finally asked in what had to be a whisper, but sounded like a rugged gunshot in the night. Shoving his fists in the pockets of his jacket, he studied the hard packed dirt and brown remnants of grass. Elizabeth blinked in shock. She remembered that day. Even now, after time had put years between her past and present, she still felt the sting of regret at what she'd said to him.
"I remember," she tipped her chin in ascent, but her forehead was furrowed in confusion. "But I don't understand what that has to do-."
"You called me a monster," he continued as if she hadn't spoken at all. His eyes slid her way, a piercing blue in the grey glow of moonlight.
The confusion turned to anger in a split second. How dare he? Take a word she'd said in a moment of fear and uncertainty and use it to somehow excuse his actions years later? Not a chance. "That doesn't give you the right to--That's not fair. I didn't mean-."
"You were right," he whispered, and the quiet admission stunned her to silence. "When Lucky put that knife to my throat, the only thing running through my head was surviving. I was going to come out of that alive, no matter what I had to do. That's who I am, Elizabeth.
"I have done so many things. Cold, ruthless, violent things to people and I don't regret any of it," he growled. She swallowed the instinct to shrink away from him. He took a step toward her, almost daring her to run. Even though her feet felt like blocks of ice and her pulse started to race, Elizabeth held her ground. Jason couldn't scare her. Not like this. "I don't feel it. I can shut it all off and bury it and the feelings never come back to haunt me."
"Jason," she tried, but he pressed on, oblivious to her confusion. What was he trying to do?
"I don't dream. I have no remorse," he continued without self-reproach. Finally, he was right on top of her, his face was stone, his eyes cold. "I kill people and I can forget that they are human and maybe have families, people who love and care for them. I just...go numb."
"Why are you telling me this?" she challenged, daring him to continue his game of intimidation until she could figure out what he was doing. "You've never told me this before. I didn't think you wanted me to know."
"Dammit, I don't. That's the point," Jason swore and one of the fragile strings of his control snapped. He lunged at her, grabbing her shoulders. His grip was unbreakable, but she felt more like his anchor than his prisoner. "But I'm trying to explain-"
"Explain what?"
"Last night, something was...it was different," Jason's stoic mask slipped and Elizabeth's breath caught at the panic and uncertainty lacing his eyes. "Johnny and I-we found the guy who attacked you. We-he's dead."
"I know," she said softly and allowing him to pull her closer. Butter-soft leather danced over her cheek as he touched her, caressed her like a lifeline holding him to this earth. "Jason, I knew what you were going to do. I practically asked you to do it."
"But you don't understand. I felt it. I can still feel it. Everything I-I did. I couldn't let it go, I-" his voice broke in a ruined whisper that set her nerves on fire. His head dropped and she wanted to hold him. "The only time I'd ever felt so angry was when Tony Jones kidnapped Michael, but it still wasn't...it wasn't as bad as this."
Swallowing thickly, he pushed on. Elizabeth had never heard him talk this much. "When I got back to the penthouse, I couldn't breathe. Then I tripped over your bag and I thought I'd lost you again...until you came down the stairs. When I kissed you, I-I felt better. I thought if I loved you, kept you with me...and all I did was hurt you."
Elizabeth closed her eyes and tasted the salt of her own tear as it spilled down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. Helpless. Of everything she expected Jason to say, every excuse she'd imagined he'd try, she never thought he'd tell her this. That he was afraid and helpless and needed her just as much as she depended on him.
"Jason," she peered at him through eyelashes wet with unshed tears. Once again, he was looking at the ground as he gripped her shoulders-struggling with inner demons Elizabeth never knew he had. She tugged at the zipper of his jacket, pulling it down to expose the thick, black sweater he wore underneath. Placing her palms on his chest, right over his heart, she caught his eye. "Jason, you have to stop this. You didn't hurt me. And I know, I wasn't exactly gentle with you."
"I could have," he began to protest, but she shook her head.
"I know you could. But you didn't and you wouldn't," she vowed. Licking her lips, she continued, praying she'd be able to get through what she had to say without losing the ability to speak completely. "Jason, I had no-no idea that I hurt you so badly when I walked out. I'm sorry."
"I don't want you sorry."
"But I am. I forget, you know? I forget that you aren't invincible and that I'm-what we have-is what makes you vulnerable," she said. Her heart was pounding against her ribs, echoing in her head. Jason was practically in her arms, but she felt like he was half a world away, ready to slip from her grasp and disappear in an instant. "Sonny came to the penthouse today. He said you wanted to tell me the truth about the death scam."
Jason could only nod and Elizabeth finally gave into the desire to wrap her arms around his neck. "That matters to me, Jason."
"I wanted to tell you," he promised, one arm slowly wrapping around her waist to hold her. "And I can't blame keeping it from you completely on Sonny."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want my life to touch you, Elizabeth," he explained, securing his other arm around her shoulders and resting his chin on the top of her head. His breath stirred the hair on her crown. "It's stupid because it always does, but I want...You asked me a few weeks ago what I wanted and the truth is--I want to protect you from all the darkness in my life because...because you're my escape."
"I-I am?"
He pulled her closer and Elizabeth didn't know if he was standing on his own or if they supporting each other. Warm lips brushed the shell of her ear. "I need you, Elizabeth. I need you to be the place I can go to feel more than nothing. I didn't lie to you to hurt you, I just...and I'm afraid--"
"Shhh," she pulled away and pressed a finger to his mouth even as he fumbled for more words. Biting her lip, she found his eyes-blue orbs full of misery and hope and fear. What did she say? How could she make him see that she understood and trusted him when she didn't even know if she trusted herself? She didn't, couldn't. So she gave him the only thing she had. Brushing her lips against his, and murmured softly against his mouth. "Jason, I trust you."
The relief that ran through him was so palpable, Elizabeth felt it. On a shuddery breath, Jason kissed her again and pulled her closer, burying his face in her hair.
The night grew colder and darker around them as they stood in the clearing. A million other sentiments ran through her mind, things she could say to make him feel better, to make herself feel better, but when her mouth opened to form the words, she found she was too tired to utter them. Jason knew she loved him and believed in him. Asking for promises couldn't fix anything she realized. What had broken between them when she slammed the penthouse door and tried to walk away from his life, was already mending. The both just had to believe it in enough to give it time.
*****
Winter may have been technically a month away, but Fall was quickly dying. The leaves had abandoned the trees in a made dash for freedom, leaving them bare and forbidding. Sonny stared at the barren limbs as the limo drove slowly through the streets of Port Charles.
Even though he didn't look at his passenger, he was acutely aware of her presence as he twirled his wedding band around his finger. Not quite ready to take to take it off and tired of having it on, the ring of gold was burning his hand. Such a little, insignificant piece of jewelry and Sonny Corinthos was utterly paralyzed by it.
The limo hit a bump and Brenda's whimper pulled his attention away from the window. The only light illuminating the interior was from the passing streetlights, so Sonny flipped a switch. The soft orange glow brought much needed color to Brenda's pale face.
"Are you okay?" He asked, knowing full well she didn't want to hear it.
"Sonny, I'm fine," she promised through teeth clenched against the slightest movement. "I'll be even better when I'm home."
Home. The cottage. Out in the middle of nowhere, where someone-and his bets were entirely on Courtney-had broken in and nearly killed her. Sonny sighed. "Yeah, about that. Are you sure you want to stay out there alone?"
"You mean aside from the five guards you're going to surround the place with?" she asked innocently. He stared. The corners of her mouth hooked upward in the smallest hint of a smile. "Come on, Sonny. I know you're not going to leave me out there alone. Especially since-"
"Since what?"
"Since I, um..." she licked her lips and looked down at her lap. Her hand shook slightly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Since I had some time to think, to remember and I-I don't think I fell. I don't think you or Jason believe that either."
Silence fell over the limo. Sonny studied her face. She didn't seem upset, but it had been so long since he'd memorized her every gesture and mood... Expelling a heavy breath, he leaned back in the seat and made his confession. "No. We don't."
"Do you know who did it?" she asked in a small voice. "Or why?"
Admitting the truth cost him so much pride it made his teeth hurt. Angry with himself, with Jason, with the enemy who tried to hurt both Elizabeth and Brenda, he swore and his voice was harsh. "I don't have a fucking clue."
"I see," she replied in that same quiet voice that sounded so helpless to his ears.
"Brenda-"
"It's not your fault, Sonny," she interrupted. "Don't blame yourself. You've been doing that enough lately. Don't add to it on my account. I'm not your responsibility anymore."
"Yes, you are," he promised without thinking. Suddenly, escorting his former lover home seemed like a very bad idea. His wedding ring weighed on his finger like lead, but he wouldn't acknowledge it. If the limo hadn't pulled up in front of her cottage at that moment, Sonny would have told Brenda everything. About Carly, the end of his marriage, the reasons behind it. But he was saved-or damned-by the sudden slight lurch as Johnny shifted the limo into park. The partition slid down an inch.
"We're here, boss," Johnny announced.
"Th...thanks, Johnny," he cleared his throat. Dammit, they'd been fine in the hospital. What the hell had happened. The ease of their conversation had vanished and he was stumbling around like a sixteen year old boy.
The walk to the front door was short and Brenda spent every second focusing on the cold November night, the uneven ground beneath her feet. Anything to avoid the reality of how close Sonny was holding her as he guided her up the steps and opened the door. Not that it mattered. She was still acutely aware of his warm hand against her stomach when her shirt rode up to expose her skin, the scent of his cologne that was still the same after all these years. Her head throbbed from the tension of trying to shield her body from every bump in the road on the way to her cottage. Sonny's shoulder was so close and strong. As he helped her down the steps to the couch in her living room, she wanted nothing more than to let him hold her until she fell asleep. She hadn't let anybody just hold her since she woke up at the foot of the stairs. It would feel so good to just...
"You want me to help you upstairs?" Sonny murmured softly, his breath skirting the shell of her ear.
Brenda didn't even flinch at their proximity. Closing her eyes, she sighed. "Can you just...stay with me. Only for awhile. I don't't want to keep you from Carly, I just-"
"Carly left me," Sonny interrupted. Her eyes flew open as she whipped her head to face him.
"She what?"
"She left me," he repeated. The chocolate brown eyes darkened to an ebony so deep Brenda thought she'd get sucked in drown.
"Why?" She breathed, her heart in her throat. The question was completely inappropriate. She didn't know why she'd asked it, and yet given the opportunity she wouldn't take it.
"Because..." he hesitated, but didn't look away. "Because she doesn't want to be second best."
Frowning, Brenda stared at him. He couldn't mean...what did he mean? "Sonny-"
"Well, isn't this cozy," a loud voice interrupted. In the split second it took for Brenda to shift on the couch and find the owner, her heart dropped to her feet.
A soft snort of disgust pulled her attention back to Sonny. The mobster was staring at the man who'd ruined the moment-whatever it had been. Brenda knew what was coming next.
"Welcome home, Candyboy," Sonny flashed a cocky smile, dimples in full effect. Jax glowered.
Great, she thought. One lover against the other. Stuck in the middle and as she thought about what Jax walked in on, she knew she had no one to blame but herself.
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