Stop and stare
I think I’m moving but I go nowhere
Yeah, I know that everyone gets scared
But I’ve become what I can’t be, oh
Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you’re here not there
And you’d give anything to get what’s fair
But fair ain’t what you really need
Oh, you don’t need
— Stop and Stare, OneRepublic

Tuesday, December 2, 2003

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

When Sonny came downstairs the next morning, he had trouble focusing—his eyes still felt gritty and his head foggy from a restless sleep. Carly had slept down the hall in a guest room—he’d been alone in the room.

He found his wife sitting at the table by the windows, sipping coffee with a bowl of cereal in front of her. Sonny winced slightly to see brightly colored flakes in the spoon she lifted to her lips. When Carly pulled out the sugary cereal he pretended not to notice in the pantry, he knew she was unhappy.

“Michael?” Sonny asked, slowly pulling out a chair and taking a seat. “He get to school okay?”

“Max drove him,” Carly said. She leaned back in her chair. Stared at him. “How are you feeling?”

“Not great,” Sonny admitted. “I, um—” He scratched his temple. “I don’t really know what happened—I mean, I think—” He squinted at her. “I came home. You weren’t here. And I—” He dipped his head. “I couldn’t find you,” he murmured. He didn’t mention Lily. Or his mother.

He couldn’t bring himself to admit that he’d lost control so badly that he’d hallucinated—that he’d seen and spoken to the dead again. Jason would tie him up in a straitjacket and toss him off the pier.

He had to get himself under control, or he was going to lose everything. Don’t be weak. Have to get it together.

“No, I went to work. Like we agreed.” Carly wiped her mouth. “December 1, Sonny. You didn’t arrange a driver for me. You didn’t tell me Leticia wasn’t returning to work.” She crossed one leg over the other, folded her arms. “So, please, tell me. What am I supposed to do?”

“Carly—”

“I left in September because of this—because you were not only not listening or respecting me—but because you were out of control. You made a threat against Scott. Do you remember that?”

“I do, but—”

“And you’ve done nothing to fix that, Sonny. You asked me to move back in. You wanted me to be safe while you searched for Ric. Well, it’s been nearly a month. And nothing has changed. We are exactly where we were in September, except now—” Carly took a deep breath. “You’ve tried to trap me in this penthouse. If it hadn’t been for Jason yesterday—”

“I don’t want to hear about Jason—” Sonny growled, baring his teeth.

“That’s too bad. Because he let Elizabeth’s guard take me to work. He watched our son. And he gave me his elevator key. A key I’ve been begging you for since the system was installed. I shouldn’t have had to even ask.” Carly hesitated. “I know you’re angry at Jason. Because Ric is still alive. If Elizabeth and I hadn’t wanted—”

“If she hadn’t talked you into this—” Sonny began.

“So, I can’t make decisions on my own?” Carly said with a lift of her brow. “You think I’m gullible? Weak? If I had wanted Ric dead, it’d be done, Sonny. You know why? Because Elizabeth told me that she wanted what I wanted. It was enough for her that Jason supported her. I’m the one with the final decision—”

“But she put the thought in your head—”

Carly’s scowl deepened, and she got to her feet, stalking across the room to the desk where her purse was sitting. “There’s no talking to you about this. You’re determined to put all the blame on her—Why? Why can’t you believe that this is what I want? That it has nothing to do with Elizabeth Webber?”

“Because you know how this life works!” Sonny roared, lunging to his feet and gesturing with one arm towards her. “You know it! You know you don’t get a say! You never would have asked!”

Carly stared at him—and he knew, God, he knew that was the wrong answer. But he couldn’t stand it—he couldn’t stand listening to her trying to protect Elizabeth—this was her fault—her idea—and Jason’s for being so damn weak—

“Maybe you’re right,” Carly said slowly. “Maybe I never would have asked for it. Even though I need it.” She stared at the floor for a long moment. “So, okay, yeah, maybe Elizabeth gave me the courage to ask. To demand it.”

“Exactly—”

“But that doesn’t mean the decision isn’t still mine.” Carly shook her head. “I never dreamed I could ask for it. Until Elizabeth told Jason what she needed to be okay, and he just—” Her voice trembled. “He just agreed, because it was more important to him for her to be okay than it was for him to look strong—Why don’t I get that, Sonny? Why can’t I have that?”

“Have what? You got your way! The bastard is alive out there—planning his next attack—”

“And I’m locked up here. No guard. No driver. No nanny to care for Morgan, so I can’t leave unless I take him with me. No one to pick up Michael from school because you’re not going to do it—” Carly clenched her hands into fists at her side. “You promised me that I could have my life back yesterday, and you lied to me, Sonny.”

“I—” Sonny licked his lips. “I forgot,” he managed. “I just—when we found out about Caracas—I—I forgot. I sent everyone. I wanted him gone—I forgot,” he repeated. “And I thought—I thought I told you about Leticia.”

Carly stared at him for a long moment, then nodded. “All right. Today, I want you to pick up the phone and call someone home. I can’t keep borrowing Elizabeth’s guard. She has a life to live, and they can’t watch Morgan every day. You bring someone home, and you get me a list of nannies that I can hire to replace Leticia. I deserve to have a life, Sonny. If you don’t want to do either of those things, then you tell me now. I will call my mother, and she can come help me pack.”

Sonny nodded slowly. “All right. All right. I’ll—I’ll take care of it.”

“Fine. I’m going to check on Morgan.” Carly walked past him—then stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “It’s easier for you to blame Elizabeth because you know deep down, you can’t put me first. And you’re angry that Jason can do that for her. You can’t stand to look weak, Sonny, but I don’t think you know what it means to be strong.”

And without another word, she walked up the stairs.

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as she fastened her necklace, meeting Jason’s eyes in the mirror of her vanity table. “I’m really not looking forward to the prep with Scott later,” she told him. “I wish I could skip it.”

Jason sat on the edge of the bed to put on his shoes. “Tell him you want to reschedule.”

She sighed, sorting through her collection of lipsticks. “I can’t. The hearing is next week, and Scott wants to take me through it at least twice. I told him I can’t do it—” Elizabeth hesitated. “I mean, there are a few things—I only want to say it once.”

She frowned at the bright red lipstick in her hand. She rarely ever wore this shade—and wasn’t entirely sure why she owned it.

“You okay?” Jason put his hands on her shoulders, his thumbs gently rubbing circles. “Tell Baldwin you’ll come another day—”

“I guess I’m just not—I know it’s important. I know I have to do a good enough job that the other attorney won’t call Mac or Taggert, but I just—” She sighed, tossing the red aside and reaching for a nude shade. “I wish it weren’t just me.”

“I’ll testify to what Baker told me,” Jason told her. “Tell Baldwin I don’t care—”

“No—” She turned on her stool and reached for his hand. “No. I love you, but that opens up a whole door that he doesn’t want. And the last thing you need is to testify in a federal hearing.”

“I don’t care about me—”

“I do.” She got to her feet, sliding her arms around his waist. “I’ll be fine. I’ll go to the appointment, and Scott will take care of everything. I trust him. With this, anyway.”

He kissed her forehead. “Well, I guess testifying would be hard to explain it to Sonny,” Jason admitted. “And I already have to talk to him about last night.”

“What are you going to say?” Elizabeth asked. She went over to the closet to tug out a pair of black flats. “I know he was struggling last summer—he was losing track of time a lot, but I thought you said it was better.”

“I thought it was.” Jason folded his arms. “Sonny doesn’t like to be weak. Or even for anyone to think he looks like he’s lost control. His whole life has been about building power. The only time he’s ever walked away from it was—”

“When he left Brenda at the altar,” Elizabeth finished. “I remember. She was so beautiful that day. And…devastated.” She grimaced. “Sorry, I know that’s not—I know that’s not a good memory for you.”

Jason shook his head, looked away. “I didn’t want to tell her like that. In front of everyone. She didn’t give me a choice.”

“She was just so sure of Sonny. I remember sitting in the pew with Lucky and his family, and Luke could tell something was wrong,” Elizabeth said. “But Brenda was just convinced Sonny would be there.” She sat on the bed. “Jason, if Sonny is having panic attacks—he thought Carly would be at the penthouse. Even after ignoring her calls all day — he was so sure that she’d be there. And when she wasn’t—he didn’t call her, Jason. Didn’t listen to her voicemails — or couldn’t remember anything she’d said to him. How do we deal with that?”

“I don’t know.” He sat next to her, took her hand in his, and squeezed it. “But I’ll make it clear to him. Carly gets a guard and a driver. And I’ll figure something out for Michael—” He frowned when he saw Elizabeth’s face. “What?”

“I know how much you love Michael. And I hope you know that I love him, too,” she added. “But if you keep digging Sonny—and Carly—out of these situations—they’re never going to stop expecting you to. Talk to Sonny, that’s fine. But—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Never mind—”

“No—hey—” Jason turned her face towards him when she looked away from him. “Talk to me. What are you thinking?”

“What Sonny and Carly are arguing about—it’s the same argument they’ve been having since September. And nothing has changed. I just—I don’t know what good it’s going to do any of us for you to keep stepping into the middle of their marriage to mediate. I don’t blame Carly—Sonny is clearly not listening to her. Not respecting her. But that’s not something you can fix at the end of the day. If they can’t solve their problems on their own—” Elizabeth shrugged a shoulder. “Then what’s the point?”

Jason frowned slightly, then shook his head. “I’m not trying to fix their problems—”

“Carly asked Sonny to make sure she had everything she needed to go back to work yesterday. And he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—do it,” Elizabeth told him. “You and I stepped in to help because that’s what friends do. But nothing we do is ever going to fix what’s wrong. I just—I feel like you keep putting bandages on Sonny, keeping him moving until the next time he falls apart—”

“That’s not—” Jason stood up, his nostrils flaring, his mouth pinched. “That’s not what I’m doing—”

Elizabeth got to her feet. Shrugged. “Okay.”

“Elizabeth—”

“There’s no point in arguing with you about this,” she told him. “Whatever it is with Sonny and Carly—you’ve been doing it for years. And I guess it works for you.” She met his eyes. “So, okay. Fine.”

“I’m not arguing with you—”

“You asked me what I was thinking, then you got mad at me. You’re the one that told me that Sonny gets like this every few months. You’re the one that told me that Sonny getting like this last year—” She pressed her lips together. “It’s why you lied to me.”

Jason cleared his throat. “Things are different now—”

“Are they?” When he scowled, Elizabeth sighed. “I’m sorry. That’s not—that’s not fair. I know things are different. For you and me. But not for Sonny. Because it’s the same thing over and over again.”

“Sonny will get past this,” Jason told her. “We just have to—I just have to pay more attention—”

Since he wasn’t going to listen to her, Elizabeth nodded. “Okay—” Her cell phone began to vibrate. She walked over to the nightstand where her phone was charging, unplugged it, then flipped it open, grateful to have a reason to stop having this conversation. “Detective Taggert?”

“Elizabeth, hey. I know you’re meeting with Scott later today to prep for next week,” Taggert began. “I was wondering if you’d come over to the station afterward. There are a couple of things we need to go over.”

Elizabeth scratched her temple. “Yeah, sure. No problem. I don’t know how long the prep will be—”

“No worries. I’m here all day. Just give me a call when you’re done with Baldwin.”

“What does he want?” Jason asked as Elizabeth closed the phone and looked at him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, um—” She wrinkled her nose. “He wants me to stop by the PCPD after I meet with Scott. It’s probably some paperwork or something. I know Scott is making sure everything is in order before we go next week.”

“You want me to go with you?”

“No. It’s—it’s better if I do the prep alone,” Elizabeth told him. “And, like I said, it’s just paperwork. I need to get going anyway. I’m having breakfast with Gail before Scott’s meeting.” She kissed him lightly. “I’ll see you tonight when you get home—”

“Elizabeth—”

“I’m not getting in the middle of you, Sonny, and Carly,” she said when he gently held her back. “You know what I think, but they’re your family, and you know them better than I do. So—I’m sure you’ll do what they need you to.” She kissed him again. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Gatehouse: Living Room

“Jax said the board almost had a collective heart attack when he gave them the leave of absence paperwork,” Alexis said with a snort as she sat down and opened up a folder. “And my partners have also agreed to let me out of the partnership to work with you—”

“I can’t thank you enough, Alexis, for doing this. You and Jax. Giving up your careers—” Ned said.

“Putting them on hold,” Alexis reminded him. “We’ll reassess in a year. You might honestly be ready for new faces by then. But we’re happy to pitch in for now. Oh—” She handed him a set of contracts. “Here’s Anna’s contract. She came to my office over the weekend.”

“Kind of symbolic that Mac’s last day is also Vinnie’s hearing,” Ned murmured as he took the contract, flipped through it.

“You know if Scott wins, there’s still another month before the deal can be executed—Vinnie probably won’t be sentenced until after Christmas—”

“As long as he stays in jail here and goes away for at least twenty-five years—” Ned scowled. “I can live with that. I’m just so angry that the federal court is entertaining this motion—that Elizabeth has to put all of this on her shoulders after what she went through—”

He glanced up at the sound of a knock on his door. “Come in!” he called, then frowned when Lois stepped in. Ned got to his feet. “Lois. I wasn’t expecting you—”

“Maybe I should have called,” Lois said with a sigh. “But when Taggert called—”

“Taggert?” Alexis got to her feet. “Is everything okay?”

“He wants to see us,” Lois told him. Her blue eyes darted back and forth. “I think it’s about the case. He said Elizabeth is coming in, too. But he wouldn’t tell me anything else—and he only told me that much because I badgered him.”

“Hey, I’m sure it’s okay.” Ned put an arm around her shoulder. “We’ll go in, and it’ll be fine.”

“I’m just really sick of meeting about this,” Lois muttered. She pressed her forehead to his chest. “I just want it over.”

Corinthos & Morgan Warehouse: Sonny’s Office

Jason was still troubled by the argument he and Elizabeth had had that morning. It was their first real argument in months, he realized, and he wasn’t satisfied by how it had ended. She’d just stopped arguing, and nothing had been resolved.

By the time Jason went into Sonny’s office to go over the reports from the clubs, he was still irritated—with himself and her for letting Sonny and Carly’s problems get between them.

Jason sat tensely through the meeting with Bernie and Tommy, tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair, contributing little. The clubs made money as fronts for gambling and bookies, and Tommy had been running them without fail for years.

In fact, very little of Jason’s job required him to be on site every day. He could have been with Elizabeth at her testimony prep or going with her to meet with Taggert. He hated her going through any of that alone—

“I’m sorry, are we boring you?” Sonny demanded, bringing Jason’s focus back to the meeting. “Or do you have somewhere else to be?”

“No. Was there anything you needed from me?” Jason asked Tommy, ignoring Sonny’s scowl. “Sounds like everything is fine.”

“It is. Uh—” Tommy flicked his eyes between Sonny and Jason, then got to his feet. “I’ll head over to the club. Talk to you later—”

“I need to meet with Justus about some customs snaggles.” Bernie got to his feet and also made his escape.

“What’s your problem?” Sonny demanded as Jason stood. “You didn’t show yesterday—”

“Yesterday, I was babysitting your kid because you fired Leticia,” Jason said flatly. “Or were you expecting me to abandon Carly, too?” He winced inwardly—that was more hostile than he’d planned to be about this whole thing, but Sonny was just sitting there like nothing had happened—

Like he always did after one of his breakdowns. Sonny hated losing control and always overcompensated when it was over—and Jason let him do it because he’d be fine for a while. It was how things got back to normal.

Jason exhaled slowly. Because Elizabeth was right. He just covered for Sonny until the next time.

“You’re telling me you’d be happy if Elizabeth went back to work eight seconds after having the kid?” Sonny got to his feet, started for the minibar—then stopped himself—maybe remembering it was barely ten in the morning. He went over to the fridge instead and pulled out a bottle of water.

“If the baby was healthy and she wanted to, why not? You think Carly loves Morgan less because she wanted to go back to the club?” Jason shook his head. “That’s not fair, Sonny. And if that’s why you did this—”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Sonny muttered. “I just—I thought I told her about Leticia. A-and I forgot. About the guards. I’m getting someone back from Caracas.” He looked over at him. “I bet Elizabeth is off doing whatever she wants—”

“She’s at the DA’s office going over her testimony for next week,” Jason said tightly. “I think she’d rather be at home.”

Sonny looked down. “I’m sorry. Carly told me about the hearing. I—I’m sorry,” he repeated, looking up. “I know it’ll be tough to watch her deal with that. To testify. Carly wants to go, show her support.”

“I’m sure Elizabeth will appreciate that. Sonny—Carly will be safe,” Jason told him. “She just wants to go to the club. The Cellar’s security system is state of the art. We made sure of that last year when she opened it. She’ll have a guard. You can’t keep her safe by locking her in that penthouse. Without an elevator key.”

“Look—you and Elizabeth—you get to make your own choices, okay? What works for you—what risks you want her to take—” Sonny shrugged. “That’s up to you. I just wish Elizabeth would stop making Carly think she can have things that she can’t—”

Jason scowled. “What? Like freedom? Are you serious—”

“Carly told me this morning—admitted it—that it was Elizabeth’s fucking idea to let Ric live—that Carly never would have asked if Elizabeth hadn’t done it first—” Sonny shook her head. “I told you—I told you all along that Elizabeth put it in her head—”

Jason closed his eyes, then dipped his head down, trying to fight the urge to snap back. He was tired of this argument—tired of saying the same things over and over again. To keep hearing Elizabeth blamed for all of this—

“Elizabeth never asked for it, Sonny.” Jason raised his head, met his eyes. “She didn’t—”

“Bullshit—then how did—”

“She told me she thought it would help her get past things, but that if it couldn’t happen, she’d understand. And if Carly didn’t want it—she’d do whatever Carly needed. It was up to me. If I hadn’t told Elizabeth it was possible, she would have understood. And yeah, I believe that Carly never would have asked for it first. I don’t know why you think that’s a good thing—”

“Because I told you last year that Elizabeth doesn’t understand this life,” Sonny retorted. “She left because of the lies you had to tell her—”

Jason clenched his fists, forcing himself to take another breath. “The lies you made me—” He shook his head. “No. The lies you told me to tell her. I shouldn’t have listened to you. She deserved better. From the both of us. She nearly got herself killed to save Carly’s life. To save Morgan’s life. And all she asked was that Ric rot in prison for what he did to her—”

“And how did that turn out for us?” Sonny demanded. “That lunatic is out there, and you’re still taking her side—”

“I will always take her side—” Jason looked up at the ceiling. “I’m not doing this anymore, Sonny. We’re not having this argument. It’s over. Carly wants to go back to work. I’m going to contact Francis myself to arrange a driver. If no one is available tomorrow, I’ll send Cody with her—”

“This isn’t your business to get in the middle of! She’s my wife—”

“And she’s my friend. I’m not going to let you lock her up.” Jason shook her head. “Not again. I risked everything to get her out of that panic room. The penthouse might have windows and doors, but you made it so she can’t use them. How the hell are you better than Ric?”

He stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

PCPD: Squad Room

Elizabeth frowned when she saw Ned and Lois waiting by Taggert’s desk, and her steps slowed. How could this just be paperwork if they were here, too?

“Elizabeth—” Ned walked over to her, took her hands in his. “How was the prep with Scott?”

“Fine.” Terrible. She’d refused to go into detail about what had happened after Vinnie had attacked her, and Scott hadn’t pushed, but of course, it was back in her head. And now—now Taggert wanted to see them all—

“Do you know what this is about?” Lois asked. “Taggert wouldn’t tell us—”

“He wouldn’t tell me either—” Her eyes stung. Oh, God, what if there was something wrong with her case? With the whole case? What if Vinnie was going to go free now? What if he could come back—

“Jason—I was wondering where you were.”

Elizabeth blinked at Ned’s words and then turned to see Jason walking towards her. Relief flooded her veins as she blinked back tears. “Hey. I thought—I thought you were at work—”

“I was, but I was worried.” Jason put an arm around her shoulders, tugged her close. “You okay? What happened?”

“Nothing. I just got here, but I didn’t—” She looked at Ned and Lois. “I didn’t know they’d be here—”

“Hey, guys. Sorry—” Taggert strode down the hallway that connected the commissioner’s office to the squad room. “I’m running a minute or two late. Come on into the interrogation room—”

“Just tell us out here,” Lois demanded. “Why you puttin’ us through this—”

“I’m sorry—” Taggert hesitated. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset or worry anyone. The hearing is going forward—that’s still the plan. Elizabeth is still testifying. This is—please, just come in. Let’s talk.”

Elizabeth sighed but followed Ned and Lois into the room, squeezing Jason’s hand as they walked in. Elizabeth and Lois took two of the chairs while Ned and Jason remained standing. Taggert sat across from them, setting some papers on the table.

“I wanted to let you know in advance that Scott is calling a second witness,” he told them. “Dante Falconieri.”

Lois took a deep breath. “Why is he testifying?”

“Because after the arrest, Dante went to see him in lockup. And taped their conversation.”

“What?” Ned blinked. “And he didn’t tell anyone—”

“I think you’ll understand why Dante kept it to himself when you see—” Taggert paused. “It can’t be used as direct evidence because Vinnie had lawyered up. But it can be used to discredit any claim that Vinnie is being framed, which will help argue against civil rights violations. That’s how Scott is going to get it admitted into evidence.”

“Did he confess?” Elizabeth asked faintly. Oh, God—

“And then some. Now, since the hearing is public—and you and Brooke were both named publicly as victims—” Taggert leaned back. “The transcript might hit the media unedited—because it’s going into evidence that way. Scott and I—we wanted you to see the transcript in case that happens—”

“Why not play us the tape?” Ned demanded. “How bad is it?”

Taggert looked at him, met his eyes. “Trust me, Ned, you don’t want this in your head more than once. In fact, I don’t think any of you should be in the courtroom when this tape gets played. But it’ll be in the world, and I don’t want you to be surprised.”

He slid two sets of papers across the table, one to Lois and the other to Elizabeth. “You can read it or not, it’s up to you. But I wanted the choice to be yours.”

Elizabeth stared down at the paper, then slowly turned it over. She scanned the first few lines—

Why Brooke—

I thought it’d be like the first time—

Elizabeth shoved the paper away, putting her head in her hands. Oh, God. Oh, God—Her lungs started to burn as her breath became choppy.

“Elizabeth—” Jason knelt next to her, turning her chair out from the table. “Taggert—water—”

“Got it—”

“I can’t—” Elizabeth squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m okay. I just—I heard his voice in my head—five years, and I never knew what it really sounded like, but now I do—”

“Oh, God, Ned—” Lois’s voice was trembling. “He picked her because he knew—he knew her. Because he knew her. He’d watched her grow up, and that was—” She pressed a fist to her mouth, and Ned reached for the transcript as Taggert came back in, glasses of water in his hand. He set them in front of Lois and Elizabeth.

“He knew,” Lois said, shattered. “Oh, God, he knew she was—” She looked at Ned. “He knew our little girl—she hadn’t told me or you—but I knew—” She put her head on the table and just began to weep.

Jason handed Elizabeth the water, then reached for the transcript. She knew when he reached the section where Vinnie had talked about her because his fingers clenched around the paper, and his face went carefully blank.

High cut shorts, low cut—slutty red dress—

Jason finished the transcript, then set down the paper, slowly, calmly. But she could see his fingers trembling just slightly. “And this is going to be played in open court?” Jason asked Taggert. “Baldwin is going to let that—he’s going to let that—” He couldn’t continue speaking.

“If there’s any chance of keeping it admissible and on the record, Scott doesn’t want to put too many obstacles in his way.” Taggert met Jason’s eyes. “No one is happy about this, Morgan. But at the end of the day—”

“It corroborates my testimony,” Elizabeth said faintly. “He told me I was special. And he told Dante—” Her eyes burned as she turned away again. “He t-told him the same.”

Soul mate. He’d said the word soul mate.

“He targeted my daughter because he thought if he knew the woman—it would make it better—” Ned, ashen, leaned against the wall, looking for support. “Because he knew she was a lesbian. Knew she’d never been with a boy.”

“He wanted to make sure she was a virgin,” Elizabeth said, closing her eyes. “God—”

“How long was he planning it? Did he just—did he keep following her until she went to the park?” Lois demanded. “Or was it—”

“He must have been so happy when she went to that fountain,” Elizabeth said numbly. “Petite brunette that he was familiar with—a virgin—going to that same fountain—God, it was the closest he was going to get—” Her stomach rolled. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry—”

“It’s okay, sweetie.” Lois turned to her, taking Elizabeth’s hands in hers. “I know you never wanted this for anyone. He’s sick, and don’t you pay any attention to any of that trash he said about you—or my baby. He’s nothing. Do you hear me?”

Elizabeth nodded but couldn’t speak. She looked at Jason, met his eyes, and he straightened. “We’re going,” he told Taggert. “Is there anything else?”

“No,” Taggert said. “No. I’m sorry—”

“I appreciate the warning,” Lois said as she stood up. She put out her hands as if reaching for Elizabeth—to help her stand, to support her, but Jason already had it under control. He put an arm around her waist to steady her. They walked out of the room, leaving her copy of the transcript on the table.

Taggert watched them go, then turned back to Ned and Lois. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Not for—but that he said those things. And that the world gets to know them. If this is how you found out about Brooke’s sexuality—”

“I knew,” Lois repeated. “I was just waiting for her to tell me. But she never did. And now—” She pressed a fist to her chest. “Now, she never will.”

“If Scott has to play this next week, then he damn well better win. My daughter is dead. This animal traumatized her so much she couldn’t live with herself,” Ned bit out. “And I am done watching him get the chance to torment Elizabeth.” He put an arm around Lois. “Let’s get out of here.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“I’m okay,” Elizabeth told Jason again as she handed him her coat. “It was just—the shock of the transcript—the words—”

Jason wasn’t convinced—her face was still pale, her hands still shaking. “Maybe I should call Monica—”

“Jason—” Elizabeth’s tone turned impatient. “I’m okay. I wasn’t expecting it, but—” She took a deep breath. “I just need a minute. Okay? I’m home. I’m safe. Why don’t you go talk to Carly? I didn’t get the chance to check on her today, and I know she wasn’t going to work.”

Jason pressed his lips together, remembering her criticism that morning about getting between Sonny and Carly. He didn’t want to go take care of them when she clearly needed him — “Elizabeth—”

Elizabeth leaned up to kiss him briefly, her lips trembling against his. “I love you. And thank you for being there today. I don’t think I could have done it without you. But I really just need a minute, okay?”

“Okay.” Jason cupped her chin, kissed her one more time. “I’ll be back.”

He found Carly upstairs in Morgan’s room, rocking the baby to sleep. “Hey,” Carly said, with a smile for him, her voice pitched slightly softer. “You’re home early.”

“Elizabeth had to go to the PCPD,” Jason said, leaning against the door frame. “There’s a new witness—on Scott’s side,” he added when Carly’s eyes widened. “Vinnie’s cousin works for the department—Dante Falconieri—he was one of the cops that worked your case, but I don’t know if you remember him.”

“The name is familiar—”

“He taped a conversation with Vinnie after the arrest. It was—” Jason exhaled slowly, feeling the helpless rage flood his veins again. “It was graphic.”

Carly wrinkled her nose. “Oh, man—”

“Taggert wanted to warn Elizabeth, Ned, and Lois because they’re playing the tape next week. We didn’t listen to the tape—the transcript was enough.”

“I’m surprised you’re not with Elizabeth.” Carly got to her feet to lay Morgan down in his bassinet. “Was she okay?”

Jason followed her down the hallway to the stairs. “Yeah,” he said. “But she wanted to be alone for a while.”

Carly sat on the sofa, putting her elbow on the back of the sofa, and resting her head in her hand. “And she sent you over to check on me?”

“I talked to Sonny this morning.”

“Me too.” Carly sighed, pressed the heel of her hand against her eyes. “It was like talking to a brick wall. He doesn’t get it, Jason.”

“He doesn’t want to get it.” Jason leaned back against the sofa, staring straight ahead. “We’re still having the same argument about letting Ric live, and it’s—it’s not the point. Yeah, if Ric were dead, we wouldn’t be in this position. But he’s not.”

“I’m sorry,” Carly said. “I think I got Elizabeth in more trouble this morning—he wanted to blame her—he’s always blamed her for this whole thing with the trial—and I gave him ammunition. I didn’t mean it—” She winced when Jason just looked at her. “Which I guess Sonny already used against you. I don’t—it’s not like she made me want the same thing—”

“Carly, I get it,” Jason told her gently. “And I told you in the hospital—Elizabeth has always said if it can’t happen that way, she would understand. But I don’t want her to have to understand something like this. She went through—” He shook his head. “Months of being drugged. Of being manipulated. He attacked her, nearly killed her—” He exhaled on a long breath. “And you were trapped in a room, in the dark, for over a week. Threatened with death every day—screaming for us to find you—”

Jason stopped for a minute, then looked at Carly. “Elizabeth still has nightmares. Not as much as she did in the beginning. But she still has them. Do you?”

“Yes,” Carly admitted softly. “More now since he disappeared. Jason, I told Sonny he had one more chance to let me live my life—to get back to work—but I’m not—” She stared at her rings. “I think if he hadn’t had that panic attack, I would have packed up and left last night.”

“I know.”

“We’ve been doing this for years,” she continued softly. “Patching him up, getting over a rough spot—but all it’s doing is pushing the problem down the road. And here we are—again—talking about how Sonny just doesn’t get it. He either can’t or won’t try to see it from my point of view.”

Carly sat up. “Elizabeth came over the day she found out about the hearing. I could tell she was upset, but she’d already figured out how to fight back. She’s been fighting back since this happened. Going to therapy—” Carly looked at him. “That press conference—it was hard to see her as the same woman I watched on the screens in the panic room.”

“She’s worked hard—”

“And I know that’s true, but I also think—” Carly bit her lip. “I think she’s closer to being past this than I am. And I don’t think that’s just because our traumas were different or that hers lasted longer. Not only did she deal with Ric, but her rapist attacked her—again—and she’s still out there. Leading a damn support group—and she can do that—she can go out there and keep fighting because of you.”

“That’s not—”

“Because she has someone she can count on. Who gets her. Who listens. Who values her.” Carly closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “She can fall apart and be honest about what’s messing her up, about her nightmares, about her worries and fears—she could tell you that she is so scared that Sonny’s right—that Ric is out there, and he might come back and—”

Carly wiped at her tears. “I can’t tell Sonny how scared I am. There’s no room for me. For my fears. He is swallowing me whole, Jason. And I don’t know how to stop it. Because if I leave him, I’m not sure he’ll be okay. With Ric out there like this—I think leaving would make things worse.”

“Carly, I don’t want you to worry about any of that—” Jason took her hand. “If you want to go, I’ll take care of it—”

“I still love him,” Carly told Jason. “I just—I think sometimes he’s so scared of being powerless, of being that little boy in the closet—there’s no room for anyone else. If I left and he did something to hurt himself or someone else, I’d never forgive myself.”

Jason waited a long moment, then nodded. “Okay. But if you change your mind—”

“You’ll be my first call.”

Morgan Penthouse: Studio

“Hey.”

Elizabeth glanced up from her charcoal sketch to find Jason in the doorway of the room they’d recently finished converting to a studio. “Hey. How’s Carly?”

“Not great.” Jason crossed over to the small sofa under the windows and sat on the arm, watching her work. “Was I gone long enough?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” She bit her lip, set the charcoal down, and twisted on her stool. “If it’s okay, I don’t really want to talk about it tonight.”

“Okay,” he said simply. He stared at her for a long moment until Elizabeth wrinkled her nose.

“What? Did I get something on my face—”

“No—I just—” Jason shook his head. “This morning. You were right. Carly and I just keep patching Sonny up for the next time. Because there’s always a next time.” He looked out the window. “She’s not ready to give up yet, but I told her when she is—”

“That’s all I guess we can do.” Elizabeth tipped her head to the side. “Did you talk to Sonny today?”

“Yeah. He’s—he’s not going to listen to me right now. He blames me for all of it. For letting Ric live, for taking Carly’s side—” Jason got to his feet, then cupped her jaw in his hand. “I’m sorry. I should have listened to you this morning—”

“You did,” Elizabeth told him. “You just didn’t want to agree with me. That’s okay. We’re going to fight sometimes. I’m just—” She smiled, even though she didn’t really feel like it. “I’m not going to pack up and leave, and you’re not going to let me.”

“No.” He tipped his head. “It’s still early—if you’re feeling okay—you want to take the bike out?”

Her smile was more genuine this time. “Yeah. That sounds great. Might as well since I won’t be able to much longer. Let me just wash my hands.”

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