My feel for you, boy, is decaying in front of me
Like the carrion of a murdered prey
And all I want is to save you, honey
Or the strength to walk away
– Carrion, Fiona Apple

---

Tuesday, December 9, 2003

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

Despite Elizabeth’s shorter legs, Jason still found himself two or three strides behind her as she threw open the penthouse door—Carly had started screaming again, and he could make out the words—

She was screaming his name, screaming for Sonny—

Screaming for someone to let her out.

Jason couldn’t think, couldn’t put words to what he knew Sonny must have done—he’d seen red the moment Sonny had put his hands on Elizabeth—shoving her back—he’d nearly gone after his best friend and partner—

And then that scream—that sound of pure terror—he remembered it—he’d heard it on the phone the day Carly had been rescued. As the panic room had opened, as he drove back towards the house—he could hear her screaming at Elizabeth to push the button, watching as they searched on the monitors—her voice pouring out of the soundproof room as the door had slid open, revealing the nightmare hidden within.

He finally caught up to Elizabeth in the hallway outside of the bedroom, twisting the knob—she turned to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “It’s locked—she stopped screaming, I can’t—”

Jason swore, gently pushed her aside, intending bust into the bedroom himself when he heard footsteps thundering up—Justus and Bernie—and Sonny, followed by Max and Cody.

“You can’t let her out—” Sonny grabbed Jason’s arm, pushed him into the wall. “She’s not safe. She’ll leave!”

Elizabeth tried to call to Carly, tried to tell her they were there—but the room was silent. The screams had stopped.

There was nothing.

“Jason—” She looked at him. “We have—”

“Sonny—” Jason pushed his partner back, took him by the shoulders, then shook him. “Where’s the key?”

“You can’t—”

“Damn it—” He looked at Max and Cody. “Hold him back.” Then he shoved Sonny at them—Max grabbed him, and Cody put himself between Sonny and the bedroom. Jason went back to the bedroom door, then with all of his strength—crashed through it, the door splintering in pieces. Jason pushed them aside, shoving his way into the room.

He looked around the room, trying to find Carly—trying to see past the wreckage of the room. Clothes, hangers, and shoes were everywhere—

“There—”

Elizabeth darted under his arm and found Carly in the corner, between the nightstand and the wall, her head tucked her into her knees, curled into a ball. “Carly, we’re here—”

She knelt down in front of Carly, but Carly just lifted her head, stared at her. Her eyes were blank. Unseeing. “You have to go,” Carly hissed. “He’ll come back. He’ll come back. He’s hurting you.” She reached out, grabbed Elizabeth’s arm, digging her nails into the skin. “Don’t drink the water! Stop drinking it!”

Jason swore, then turned around to head off Sonny, who had broken away from Max and Cody. Justus and Bernie remained in the hallway, stunned—

Rumors of Sonny’s instability had circulated for years, but—

Sonny’s fury had evaporated somehow—with the door busted open, it seemed as if he’d lost all will to fight. “She’s not safe,” he said dully, staring at his wife. It wasn’t needed, but Cody stepped in front of him, stopping him from going near Elizabeth or Carly again.

“Jason, we need to get her out of here,” Elizabeth told him as he knelt down, trying to peel Carly’s hands from Elizabeth’s arm. “Keep Sonny back.” She looked at Carly. “I won’t drink the water, Carly. Thank you. You’re right. You saved my life. Thank you,” she said again, rubbing Carly’s arm. “Let’s go—let’s go home. Okay? Come with me now. I’ll take care of you.”

Carly blinked then, and the terrible blankness seemed to dissipate. She looked around, saw the door— “Couldn’t get out. Couldn’t leave.” She looked at Jason. “No windows.”

Gently, Jason put his hands beneath Carly’s elbows and lifted her to her feet. The blonde gently swayed but stayed upright.

“She can’t…” Sonny swallowed hard. Blinked rapidly, looked around the room, looked at the door. Looked at the corner of the room—the other corner, opposite of Carly. “Not safe.”

“Can you walk?” Elizabeth asked Carly, looping one of Carly’s arm around her shoulders.

“I’ve got her,” Jason started, but Elizabeth shook her head.

“No. Make sure he doesn’t follow us. Justus—” she looked at the lawyer. “Justus, can you call Bobbie? Ask her to come over. Don’t upset her, but make it clear she has to come. Call Laura, tell her she needs to keep the boys a little longer.”

“Yeah.” Justus cleared his throat, stepping aside as Carly and Elizabeth made their way into the hallway. Carly seemed lucid now but moved as if she were sleepwalking.

“Cody,” Jason said, his eyes on a confused Sonny. “Go with them. Make sure they get down the stairs.”

“Got it.” Cody glanced at Sonny another moment, then followed.

“Couldn’t leave,” Carly said as Elizabeth put one of the blonde’s hands on the railing. She curled her fingers around it, clung to it. Then she looked at Elizabeth, her eyes feverish and over-bright. “You didn’t drink the water?”

“Not today,” Elizabeth told her.

“Okay. Okay. You should—you should leave him,” Carly said. She stopped on a step, just before the landing, closing her eyes. Swayed slightly.

“You’re right. I should have listened to you.” Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder, realizing Justus, Bernie and Cody were all following a few steps behind, Justus quietly on the phone.

After what seemed like hours, they finally made it across the hallway into the other penthouse. She helped Carly sit down, then all but collapsed next to her. Elizabeth’s legs were shaking from exertion, and her own lungs were starting to burn. She hadn’t thought, hadn’t given any consideration to her own health—

Those screams—the sound of it had dragged her back to that terrible day—Carly’s cries had been the last thing Elizabeth fully remembered before passing out.

“We need—” Elizabeth closed her eyes, fisted her hands in her laps. “We need something to drink.” She paused. “Not water.” Carly might lose it again if she saw Elizabeth drinking water.

“Elizabeth,” Justus said, closing the door behind them, leaving Cody on the door in the hallway. “You don’t look good. Let me go over, deal with Sonny—”

“N-No, I just need—” She gestured at the dark bag by the desk. “My oxygen tank.”

“I’ll go to the kitchen—” Bernie volunteered, and Justus rushed over to get the oxygen.

“I’m…” Carly looked around, looked at the windows, then looked at her hands. “I’m okay.” She looked at Elizabeth, her eyes flaring as Justus handed her the bag, and Elizabeth fumbled. She brushed aside the tube and grabbed the oxygen mask. It was faster. . “You—you said he didn’t hurt you.”

“Not today,” Elizabeth managed. Justus brushed her shaking fingers aside, fitting the mask over her face. She switched the tank on just before the crisis hit. Within a minute or two, her lungs could expand again.

“Not today.” Carly closed her eyes. “It’s not today. It was before.” Her hands were shaking as she pressed them to her face. “Oh, God. It’s not today. I’m okay. I’m okay. My baby—I couldn’t find my baby—I thought he stole my baby—”

Tears streaked down her face as Carly lurched off the sofa, wild eyes looking at Justus. “Where’s my baby? Does he have him?—”

“Carly—” Justus crossed the room, took her by the arms to keep her still. “Look at me. It’s December. Morgan is great. He was borne healthy, and Laura Spencer is babysitting him.” He locked eyes with her. “Look at me. Just breathe. It’s December. You—you were rescued. Ric isn’t here to hurt you.”

“Not here.” Carly took a deep breath, closed her eyes again, then opened them. “It’s—we were at the hearing.” She looked at Elizabeth. “We came home.” She pressed her hands to her face. “I wanted to leave. I was angry. And—Sonny—Oh, God. He locked me in. He trapped me in that room. No windows,” she repeated. “No way out.”

“What’s wrong with her?” Bernie asked Elizabeth softly. He handed her a glass of iced tea. “What’s—are you all right? I should get Jason—”

“I know better than to push myself like that,” Elizabeth told him. “I’m fine. Sometimes I have trouble breathing, and if I don’t pay attention, I can start to hyperventilate. Oxygen helps.” She looked at Carly, who seemed calmer. “As for Carly—” Another tear slid down her cheek. “It’s Acute Stress Disorder. She’s having a dissociative episode.”

Corinthos Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Jason didn’t know what to say to Sonny—how to even process what had just happened. He’d seen Sonny hit rock bottom before—at least he’d thought he’d seen the bottom before—

But this—the last twenty minutes—

He looked at Sonny, who had sat at the end of the bed, his eyes unseeing, his face facing the wall. “I won’t ask what you were thinking. I doubt you could tell me.”

“I just—” Sonny stared at his hands. “I needed her to be safe.” His voice was hoarse, roughened. He looked at Jason, the whites of his eyes crisscrossed with red. “She was going to leave. She’s not safe out there.”

“Ric is long gone, Sonny. In South America—”

“Not just Ric. You—you saw what happened to Elizabeth, to all the other girls—it’s not safe.” Sonny shook his head. “She wasn’t here last week. And I—I couldn’t find her. Couldn’t find the boys.” He lunged off the bed, heading for the door. “Where are they? Where the boys?”

Jason swallowed hard, held up his hands to keep Sonny from charging past him. He shoved his partner back. “They’re with Laura Spencer. She’s babysitting them, remember?”

“Where’s—” Sonny took a deep breath, closed his eyes. “Carly’s with Elizabeth. She’s still in the building.” He looked at his hands. “Elizabeth,” he repeated. “I—” He frowned at Jason, his dark eyes bewildered. “Did I hurt her?”

“I—” Jason exhaled slowly. “Yeah. You pushed her. She was coming to get Carly. You wanted to stop her. Sonny, you locked Carly in a room with no windows. Do you know what you did?”

“I had to stop her from leaving—” Sonny scrubbed his hands over his face. “I locked her in. I trapped her.”

“You know she’s—that she has Acute Stress Disorder. That what you did brought it back—you just put her through the same—” Jason bit off his angry words, swallowed the bitterness. It wouldn’t make a difference, and he didn’t want to be here, cleaning up after him. “You need to sleep, Sonny.”

“What?” Sonny blinked at him. “Sleep—”

Jason turned, hearing Max’s footsteps. The guard held a black kit in his hand—the same kit Bobbie had used that summer. He took it from him, then looked back at Sonny. “You always feel better after some sleep.”

“Sleep,” Sonny repeated. He nodded. “Right. I’ll sleep, and then I can—” He turned, gestured at the room. “I can make everything better tomorrow.”

While Sonny’s back was turned, Jason quietly filled the syringe with the sedative, then handed the kit back to Max.

When Sonny looked at Jason again, his arm waving in the air—Jason grabbed the arm and quickly plunged the needle—

“What—” Sonny scowled, but Jason was already done before he could process it or struggle. He staggered back, looking at Jason. “What did you do—”

Then his words slurred, and he started to sway. Before he collapsed on the ground, Jason and Max maneuvered him to the bed, where he fell flat on his face.

“Go over with Mrs. C and Miss Webber,” Max said. He met Jason’s eyes. “I got this. It’s not the first time.”

“No, I know,” Jason muttered. He dragged a hand over his face. “Do me a favor, though. Put some things together for Carly. Just—I don’t know—” He looked around the room. “Something,” he said after a minute. “She’s not coming back.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

By the time Jason returned home, Bernie had left, wanting to give them some space. Bobbie must have sped over—because she was sitting on the sofa with Carly, who was pale but looked more alert.

“Jason.” Bobbie got to her feet, rushed over to hug him tightly. He could feel the older woman trembling—whether from anger or fear, he couldn’t tell. “Elizabeth went upstairs to change. Don’t get worried—but she needed the mask again,” she told him as she drew back.

Jason scowled as Bobbie returned to Carly, looked at Justus. “What happened?”

“She said she just moved too fast,” Justus told him, coming over to the desk. “She got something to drink, we got the tank—and she’s okay. I walked her upstairs just to be sure.” He looked at Jason. “What the hell are we going to do?”

“He was sedated for the night. I didn’t—” Jason hesitated. “It’s what we always do when he’s like this,” he admitted. “What we did last July. I can’t—we’ll deal with the rest of it tomorrow.”

Justus looked like he might argue but then nodded with a scowl. “Okay. Okay. I’ll go. We’ll—” He looked back at Carly, pale and worn out, tears staining her cheeks—her hands still shaking. “We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

He closed the door behind him as Jason walked over to Carly and Bobbie, sat in the armchair—frowning at the sight of the oxygen mask on the table. She’d needed it three times today—that wasn’t great, but it had been a demanding day, and he wasn’t going to worry about it right now.

He looked at Carly. “I—” Words failed him, and Jason shook his head.

“I’m okay,” Carly told him, her voice broken, hoarse from the screaming. “Mama’s here. And you—” Fresh tears lingered in her lashes. “You got me out again—you and Elizabeth. I don’t—it’s all—it’s all kind of a blur—I thought I was in the panic room. I thought Ric had Morgan—” She closed her eyes. “I thought it was happening again.”

“That’s the disorder,” Bobbie murmured to her. “You relived the trauma because…because you were forced to.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Kevin said that might happen—um, I want to go. Can we—” Carly clenched her mother’s hands. “Please. I want to go. I want my boys—”

“Lucas went to get them from Laura,” Bobbie promised her. “They might even be at the Brownstone already.” She got to her feet, helping Carly stand. “We’ll get your things later.”

“I’ll walk down with you—” Jason said, also rising, but Carly shook her head.

“No, no—that’s—” She looked at him, reached out with her hand to squeeze his. “I’m okay. Elizabeth—I saw the mask. I think she used it.” She frowned at Bobbie. “Didn’t she?”

“She did,” Bobbie told her gently. “Jason, you should go check on her. You’ll feel better.” Her eyes hardened. “And we’ll deal with everything tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Jason swallowed, then followed them to the door. He opened it. “Cody, walk Carly and her mother downstairs. Make sure they get home, okay? You’re done for the night.”

“Are you sure?” Cody asked hesitantly. “You and Miss Webber don’t need anything?”

“I’ve got it, thanks.” Then Jason closed the door, grabbed the portable tank, then went upstairs.

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Elizabeth was standing by the window when Jason came upstairs, dressed in one of his old t-shirts and a pair of loose cotton pants. Her hair had been pulled back off her face into a messy knot on the top of her head, and she’d cleaned her face, removing her make up.

She turned when he pushed open the door and flicked on a lamp on his dresser. “Hey. Carly and Bobbie leave?”

“Yeah.” He crossed the room; she met him halfway and let him take her into his arms. “Justus said you needed the oxygen?”

“I’m okay,” Elizabeth promised, closing her eyes and resting her cheek against his chest, feeling his heartbeat. “I wasn’t thinking. I just—I heard her scream—”

“I know.” Jason slid his fingers through her hair. “Carly seemed okay when I got back—I mean, she knew where she was.”

“It took her a bit, but by the time Bobbie came, she was better.” Elizabeth drew back, then pulled Jason’s hand over to sit on the edge of the bed. “What about Sonny?”

“Sedated him,” Jason said shortly. “No point in arguing with him when he’s like this. It’s—it was almost like last summer. When he was hallucinating Lily and thought she was blaming him for Carly, for everything that happened—he slept and was okay the next day—”

“He’s not okay,” Elizabeth said shortly. She folded her arms, looked at him with worry. “I—I know you told me about it when it happened, but this was different, Jason. He only hurt himself the last time.”

“I know—” He took her arm in his hand, wincing as he brushed his hands over the scratches left by Carly’s nails, but there was no evidence of Sonny’s shove. “He remembered pushing you. He was sorry.”

“I’m sure he was. But it’s escalating, Jason. He locked Carly in their bedroom—”

“I know that—” Jason stopped, then looked away with a shake of his head. “I know,” he repeated, more quietly. “But I don’t know what else to do. What to say to Carly. What to say to him.” He looked at her, and she sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“I just—I hate that Carly had to go back to that—that she was locked in a room again, and we couldn’t get her out. We couldn’t stop it from happening. Again.” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Last year, I blamed myself. For getting pregnant. For marrying Ric. For making him think—I know it’s not my fault—what he did, I mean. What he wanted to do. But I still think I could have done something to stop it. And this time—we knew she was feeling that way, Jason. And we just let it happen.”

“I—” Jason grimaced, looked away. “ This isn’t on you. You wanted to do more. I didn’t do enough. I didn’t—after he fired Leticia, after he broke his promise about getting her a driver—I should have stepped in with Sonny. More than I did.” He scrubbed his hand over his face.

“And I should have told Bobbie what happened last week because I know Carly didn’t,” Elizabeth said. She touched his hand, drew it into her lap, and waited until he looked at her. “I’m sorry. They’re your family. Your best friends. I wish we could fix this.”

“Thank God you were there tonight.” Jason wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulled her to him a rough hug, then kissed her. “I don’t know if I—I didn’t know how to help her. I couldn’t—”

“You would have managed it,” she said softly. “But we got her out. And she’s—she’ll be okay.”

“Was—” Jason hesitated. He didn’t continue until she met his eyes. “Was that—was it like that for you?”

“For me?” Elizabeth furrowed her brow, shook her head slightly. “What do you mean?”

“You—last year. You said—” Jason gestured with his hand. “You had this after the crypt.” His mouth tightened. “The night you left—you said you had an episode. Was it like tonight?”

“I—you mean, did I lose track of time and place?” Elizabeth asked slowly. “Not—not the way Carly did. She—her trigger—her trauma, it’s different.”

“The dark. Small spaces?” Jason pressed. “Being trapped? That’s not so different.”

“No, I guess not. Um…” Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “I don’t really want to talk about it. It’s—I haven’t had a panic attack in—”

“In a few hours,” Jason said softly.

Irritated at that reminder, she stood up and walked back to the window. “It’s not the same,” she muttered. “It’s medical now. Okay? I have panic attacks because I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe because of what Ric did.”

“Elizabeth—”

“The last time I had anything like what happened tonight to Carly was in July.” She turned to look at him. “The night we talked about Tom Baker. So, yeah, I guess—it was like that for me. I don’t really know. No one saw me during the attacks. No one except—” She bit her lip, dipped her head. “Is that why you’re asking? Because I told you I was having a panic attack the night of the blackout?”

“Maybe,” Jason said. He stood, but stayed behind at the bed. “I was looking at Carly tonight, and I didn’t—I didn’t think about last summer with the letter. I was thinking if you were like that when it happened to you a year ago—”

“Then why would Zander think I wanted to sleep with him?” Elizabeth finished his thought when he broke off. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Jason. I don’t think he knew what I was going through. I never told him. I—” She sighed, picked at the carpet with her toe. “What good does it do to talk about it now? You didn’t want to then.”

“I—”

Elizabeth met his eyes again. “The truth is that I don’t remember. I remember the lights going out, trying to leave, hearing footsteps, and being scared. Zander must have found me then, but I didn’t know it was him. I thought it was you. You were supposed to come back. I think he kissed me, but it’s not all that clear. ”

Jason exhaled slowly. “I did come back,” he said quietly. But it had been too late. And he’d walked away—he should have done something—said something—

“Yeah, well…” Elizabeth looked back towards the window. “I don’t know,” she repeated. “I got trapped in the elevator a few weeks later, and I didn’t really remember that either. I barely remember that night in the penthouse. So…I don’t know. Maybe I knew it was him, maybe I thought it was you. I can’t tell you.” She exhaled slowly. “I just know it’s over. I’d really like it to be over.”

“Okay.”

“I mean it.” Elizabeth pressed her lips together, then held her hand up, looking at the ring he’d put on her finger. “I made a mistake that night. Whether I knew it in the moment it was Zander I was kissing, or when I let you walk out the door without telling you I was mad at you for leaving to take care of Sonny and Carly—I should have just been more honest. It’s over. You said you wanted to wait until I testified to ask me to marry you. Because you wanted to close the door on that part of our life. To turn the page.”

“I do.”

“That’s what I want to do. What happened last year, Jason, it just doesn’t matter to me anymore. Does it matter to you?” She searched his eyes. “Because I think we both know we made mistakes. But we’re together now. I trust you. With my heart, my body—with everything.”

She touched his cheek. “Today, I closed the door on my rape. And now I want us to do the same for last year. I don’t want to think about it again. Not Ric, not Zander—or God, even Courtney. There’s just now. And what happens next. Can—can that be enough?”

“Yeah.” Jason brushed a piece of her hair behind her ears. “I’m sorry. It was just hard to see Carly like that. I couldn’t help her. And I couldn’t help you this summer, either. I can’t stand knowing you were in pain, and I couldn’t make it stop.”

“You did make it stop.” Elizabeth took her hands in his, squeezed. “But more importantly, I made it stop. I don’t need you to fix me, Jason. And that’s not what Carly needs. I just need you to love me.”

“I do. I do love you.” He leaned down, kissed her, then rested her forehead against his. “You’re right. It’s over. It can’t be changed, and we’re here now. Tomorrow—we’ll figure out what’s next.”

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Brownstone: Bedroom

When Carly woke up the next morning, she laid in her bed for a long time, staring out the window at the dull gray light filtering in through her curtains.

She couldn’t really remember most of the previous night—she knew they’d come back from Syracuse, they’d argued—

And then it was patchy. She’d been screaming, clawing at a door—then she’d been at Jason and Elizabeth’s—

And now she was here.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and Carly rolled over to see her mother gingerly opening the door a crack. “Carly, I just wanted to let you know there’s coffee if you need it.”

Carly slowly sat up, scooting back to rest against the headboard. She looked at Bobbie, felt nothing. Felt…empty inside.

“Carly?” Bobbie said again. She walked into the room, perched at the edge of the bed. “Michael’s left for school. Lucas and Felix dropped him off on their way to the PCU campus.”

“Oh.” Carly cleared her throat, smoothed her hands over the comforter crumbled in her lap. She frowned at them. The nails were broken—bitten down to the quick. “Um. Thank you. How—weren’t they—” She met Bobbie’s eyes, frowned slightly. “They weren’t at the penthouse last night.”

“No. Laura was with them while we went to the hearing. Remember? Lulu suggested it because she and her friends wanted to protest outside. Lucas picked them up, brought them here last night.”

“Oh. Um, thank you. I mean…I should tell him thank you.” Carly told herself to get out of bed, to get moving, but she couldn’t quite manage it.

“Should I call Kevin?” Bobbie asked.

“No—” Carly hesitated. “No,” she said more firmly. “I think—I think I just—I need to think. Um, I don’t—it’s—” She focused on her mother. “Sonny—he—he locked me in the penthouse. I mean, in the bedroom. Didn’t he? It’s—I can’t—it’s all jumbled up in my head,” she admitted. “I thought I was in the panic room. Elizabeth was there—she—I thought Ric had locked her in with me—no, I thought she had water in her hand.”

“She and Jason heard you screaming from their place,” Bobbie told her. “They came over to get you. Jason broke down the door and held Sonny back while Elizabeth helped you over to their place to wait for me. That’s why you remember her.”

“Oh. I should—I should thank them. Um, she’s—” Carly closed her eyes. “She’s okay? I feel like she’s not. I don’t know—I don’t know if it’s because I remember what happened back in July, and it feels like now, or if it’s because of yesterday—”

“She’s all right. She had some trouble breathing, but that’s just because of the adrenaline. It sometimes happens when she pushes herself too hard. But she’s just fine, Carly.” Bobbie took Carly’s hand in hers. “You’re okay, too. You got out. And you don’t have to go back.”

“I thought—” Her stomach rolled as Carly tried to force herself to continue speaking. “I thought I didn’t have to go back before. I can’t—” She shook her head. “I don’t know if I can make it go away again.”

“I’ll call Kevin—”

“No—” Carly shook her head. “No, don’t. No. There’s—I know what happened. And I remember how to make it better. I can—I’m okay, Mama. The boys? They’re okay?”

She shoved back the covers, got to her feet. “Michael—he’s in school?”

“Yes. And I fed Morgan with the milk you left for Laura. He’s napping.” Bobbie took Carly by the shoulders. “It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I’m—I’m okay.” Carly sank back onto the bed. “But what you really want to know is what I’m going to do. Am I going back?”

“Yes.” Bobbie lifted her chin. “I knew if Sonny didn’t get help months ago, that his issues were just going to come back. Jason’s been covering them for years—he’s still doing it. Look what Sonny did to you last night. Who’s next, Carly?”

“I—” Carly’s mouth was dry as she tried to answer that question, tried to process things. “I never thought he’d hurt me,” she murmured. “He thought he was keeping me safe. He couldn’t see what he was doing was wrong. He never would put his hands on anyone—not a woman, I mean. He’s—you’re right.” She rubbed her cheek, exhausted. “He needs help. And I can’t fix it. I can’t make it go away anymore. And neither can Jason. Something has to change. And I can’t go back until it does.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“I’m going to have lunch with Emily today,” Elizabeth called over her shoulder as Jason took their breakfast dishes into the kitchen. After the turmoil of the night before, she was determined to strike a lighter note. “Can I tell her we’re getting married, or do you want to do that together?”

Jason returned, another cup of coffee in his hands, frowning slightly. “No, you can tell her.” He sat back down, kissed her forehead. “Are you going to the mansion?”

“Yeah, Emily said Lila wanted to catch-up about yesterday, and I want to check on Lois. Lila invited her, too. So I’ll get it over with now.” Elizabeth twisted her ring on her finger, smiling at him. “You know what they’re going to ask? Lila and Emily? And Edward?”

“Uh—well, having met the Quartermaines, they’re probably going to ask when.” Jason sipped his coffee, leaned back as she grinned at him. “Or is that you asking me, and pretending you’re doing it for them?”

“It can be both,” she said, with a careless shrug. “My divorce is final at the end of January.” She bit her lip. “I don’t want to get married in February. I just—” She looked at him. “And if we wait until March, I’ll be as big as a house.”

“I don’t care about that—”

“I do,” Elizabeth muttered. “I’m going to have to look at those pictures for the rest of my life.” She went over to his desk and looked at the calendar that sat there. She flipped through the pages. “We…I guess we could wait until after the baby is born. Maybe May?” She wrinkled her nose. “No. Because May is when I married Ric, and I don’t want that either. And you were supposed to marry Courtney in June—”

“Elizabeth—” Jason raised his brows. “Let me guess. July is out, too?”

“You’re laughing at me.”

“No. I’m not. I just—” He hesitated. “It’s not that it doesn’t matter to me. It does,” he promised her. “It’s supposed to be a good day. And if you’re thinking about the wrong things, then it’s not worth it just to get it done. So you don’t want to get married before the baby—”

“But I do,” she insisted. “I just don’t know how we can manage it. It’s already December 10. I’m halfway through this thing, and if you suggest we get married at city hall, I might set you on fire—” She narrowed her eyes.

“I wasn’t going to say anything like that. Your divorce is final on January 27, isn’t it?” Jason asked. He rose and joined her at the desk, flipping back to January. “That’s a Tuesday. Let’s get married that Saturday. We need, what, a three day waiting period with the license? We’ll get it on Wednesday.”

Elizabeth frowned at him, then looked at the calendar date. “January 31.”

“Not February,” he pointed out.

“No, I guess you’re right about that,” she murmured. She’d still be twenty-seven weeks pregnant, but not quite as bad as she’d be in March— Elizabeth smiled at him. “January 31 it is.” She leaned forward to kiss him. “Thank you. For understanding.”

“Well—”

Jason’s reply was cut off when there was a knock on the door. Jason frowned, glanced at his watch. Cody’s shift didn’t start until ten—it was only nine. He sighed, set the coffee down, and went to see who it was.

He looked back at Elizabeth with a heavy sigh, some of the lightness sliding out of him. “It’s Sonny.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth pressed her lips together. She got to her feet, folded her arms. “I’ll go upstairs,” she said, moving towards the stairs.

“Just—just wait—” Jason held up a hand, and she stopped. Then he opened the door. “Sonny.” He cast his eyes over his friend and partner. Sonny looked exhausted, but he’d showered and shaved, looked more like his normal self. “Hey.”

“Uh, hey. So I—” Sonny’s mouth tightened when Jason didn’t move away from the doorway, didn’t let him in. He glanced past him, saw Elizabeth standing by the sofa. “I know I had…I had some problems yesterday.”

“Some problems,” Jason said slowly. “You locked your wife in her bedroom after she’d been trapped in a panic room for a week.”

Sonny winced, looked away. “Yeah. I—It seemed like the right thing to do at the time,” he muttered. “But obviously it was—it was not.” He rubbed his face.

Jason didn’t need to look behind him to know that Elizabeth was probably glaring at Sonny—or worse, rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know what you want me to say, Sonny. You broke Carly’s trust. She’s not here. She’s at the Brownstone, and I wouldn’t bother trying to see her because Bobbie will kill you.” Jason raised his brows. “And I’m not kidding about that.”

“I just—I was wrong. And—I lost it for a little bit there. It won’t happen again. I mean it—I—Carly can—she can take care of herself. Obviously, I can’t—” He grimaced. “I’ll let her figure out how to…how to handle this. I just—I needed you to know that I know it was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

He glanced past Jason, and Jason turned to see Elizabeth—still standing in the same spot, not coming near Sonny. “And I’m sorry, Elizabeth. I don’t—I don’t remember it, but I know I pushed you. You were just—you were trying to help Carly. Like you did last summer. And I got in your way. I’m sorry.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth flicked her eyes at Jason, trying to gauge his reaction, and he sighed because he knew she’d try to make this better for him—that she’d do what Jason wanted her to do to ease any tension between Jason and Sonny. “I understand. It…it was a lot. And I know you…” She bit her lip. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose,” she finished.

“Okay. Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that.” He looked at Jason. “I’m sorry,” Sonny repeated. “I’ll—let Carly know I’ll do whatever she needs me to do to make this okay.”

“I’ll tell her that,” Jason told him. “I got things covered at work.” He paused. “And it might be better if you didn’t come in. You could go down to the island for a few days. Take a break.”

“Yeah, maybe. Maybe.” Sonny rubbed his mouth. “I’m gonna go back—I’m just gonna go.”

When Jason closed the door and looked at Elizabeth, she shook her head. “He can’t really think Carly will forgive him, can he?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. He walked over, pulled her against him, and sighed, just grateful she was there, in his life, and that he didn’t have to do any of this alone.

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