You see colors no one else can see
In every breath you hear a symphony
You understand me like nobody can
I feel like my soul unfolding like a flower blooming
When this whole world gets too crazy
And there’s nowhere left to go
I know you give me sanctuary
You’re the only truth I know
You’re the road back home
– Safest Place to Hide, Backstreet Boys

---

Saturday, January 31, 2004

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

When the alarm buzzed, Elizabeth mumbled a curse and pressed her face into the pillow. She waited for Jason to turn off the alarm and leave her in peace so she could go back to sleep. Elizabeth had never been a morning person and was unlikely to develop that quality at this stage of her life.

When the alarm didn’t stop, she blearily opened one eye and glared at his side of the bed. His empty side of the bed. At the alarm clock on his side of the bed that was not….buzzing.

“Oh. Hell.” She wrinkled her nose and rolled onto her other side, carefully. It was her alarm clock.

She propped herself up on her elbow, shoved her hair out of her eyes, and studied the irritating object, trying to remember why it had been set for six in the morning on a Saturday.

“We can always cancel our plans for the day.”

At the amused voice of her fiancé, Elizabeth rolled onto her back and hissed at the bright light filtering in through the open bathroom door. She pressed a hand over her eyes. “What? What’s going on?”

Jason chuckled and walked into the bedroom, rounding their bed, and turning off her alarm clock. “I mean, I think some people might be disappointed, but I’m sure Father Coates will understand—”

“Father Coates—” Elizabeth’s eyes shot open, and she rose herself up on both of her elbows. “Oh my God, we’re getting married.”

“Yeah.” He leaned forward and gently brushed his mouth against hers. She could taste the flavor of his toothpaste, which hopefully made up for her morning breath.

“Mmm, minty.” Her eyes drifted closed. “We’re getting married today, and tomorrow, we are escaping this insane asylum for two weeks of complete isolation.”

“Well, not complete isolation,” Jason reminded her. He rubbed his thumb against her bottom lip. “We agreed to give Bobbie and Monica the contact information. And Justus.”

“Oh, I know. But they won’t interrupt us unless the world is exploding.” Elizabeth swung her legs over the side of the bed, rolling her eyes as Jason pulled her to her feet. “Thank you for that.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him. “I know how hard you had to work to make it happen. I’ve barely seen you.”

“I just have a few more things to do this morning, but after that, I’m all yours.” Jason’s fingers slid through her hair, brushing it away from her face. “Are you sure you’re okay with Seneca Falls?”

“Yes,” she insisted. “The Finger Lakes are gorgeous in the winter, and I love the cabin Bernie found for us.” Her forehead dropped against his bare chest. “Italy—it’ll be there when we’re ready.”

“I know.” He kissed the top of her head, but just closed his eyes. They stood there for a long moment, trying not to think about whether or not Italy would ever be a reality for them.

Elizabeth forced a smile on her face and stepped back. “We said today we were going to be happy, remember? I’m going to spend the day getting ready to marry the perfect man—” She laughed as he rolled his eyes. “And you’re going to make sure that nothing interrupts or ruins our day. We’ll get married—finally—and then we’ll spend the next two weeks all by ourselves.”

She stepped away from him, switching on the lamp on her side table.

“And you don’t have to worry—everyone in my bridal party is a medical professional.” Elizabeth turned back to him and smiled. “Except for Nikolas, but he’s not invited to the getting ready part.”

“I know. And I know Monica will take care of everything.”

“Exactly. So, go have breakfast with Lila, go to the warehouse, and whatever else is on the list. I need to be ready because Emily is coming over with the dress and you—” She poked his chest. “You need to be gone. She’s already annoyed that I refused to spend the night somewhere else.”

“You could have—”

“Being with you could never bring bad luck.” She pressed herself on the tips of her toes to kiss him again. “But I’m not willing to risk Emily’s wrath, so you’re not seeing the dress until I’m walking down the aisle.”

“Fair enough.” He framed her face in his hands. “We’re going to be okay,” Jason told her. “Whatever we need to do.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Brownstone: Kitchen

Carly hung Michael’s tuxedo on the back of a chair and sat down, accepting the cup of coffee her mother handed her. “I had a moment,” she said, “when I woke up and realized what today is. This is the second time in less than a year that I’m going to Jason’s wedding.”

“Carly—”

“No, no…” Carly shook her head, swirling her spoon in the coffee. “No, it’s more just me marking the moment. I remember going to the church that day to finalize things. Courtney had changed the flowers at the last minute, and I was so annoyed because I knew it had cost the florist double to get a different color at the last minute, and there were more of them than we planned—” Carly sighed. “I looked at Jason, going over the security one last time, and he wasn’t the least bit interested in any of it.”

“Well, interior design and floral arrangements aren’t his thing,” Bobbie said dryly. She sipped her coffee. “He didn’t really get involved this time either—”

“No, and I know there’s been other things going on since he proposed. I just—I was thinking about those flowers the other day when I was at Kelly’s, and Emily was talking to Don about the menu. That Elizabeth wanted to make sure everything was really fresh, and that Jason’s pastrami on rye was the best one he’d ever had—”

“She gave me a bit of a scare,” Bobbie admitted. She leaned against the kitchen island. “Canceling the caterer at the last minute, cutting the decorations in the church—I think Emily said Elizabeth tried to cancel the reception, but the invitations had already gone to business associates.”

“Jason doesn’t care about flowers or menus. He’d eat whatever you put in front of him,” Carly said. She looked at her mother. “But she went insane at the last minute to make sure their wedding day reflected him. I knew last year that Courtney was the wrong person for him. I just didn’t see it in time. And I wonder—”

When she broke off, Bobbie lifted her brows. “You wonder what?”

“If I had been more supportive or just a better friend in general,” Carly murmured, “if I had fought back when Jason wanted to tell Elizabeth about faking Sonny’s death, and Sonny said no—if things would have been different. Ric got a hold in all our lives because Jason was distracted. He’d married Brenda, the affair with Courtney, the murder trial—how much of that didn’t have to happen?”

“Carly—”

“And look, I know it doesn’t do any good to think about that stuff most of the time,” Carly said. “But I just—I could have been a better friend.”

“Maybe that’s true. Jason also could have told Sonny to go to hell and told Elizabeth anyway. He did not have to marry Brenda or date Courtney. And Elizabeth didn’t have to date Ric. You are not responsible for their choices,” Bobbie told her.

“No, I know that.” Carly smiled, got to her feet. “I need to get Michael out of bed so that he can start getting ready. Lucas and Felix said they’d take him out for breakfast.” She rubbed her chest. “It should be Sonny. He’s Jason’s best man because that’s how this goes. Sonny and Jason should be spending this morning together, playing with Michael, getting ready. They did that last year.”

“Carly—”

“It’s so strange,” Carly continued, “to think of what’s changed. What can’t ever be the same again. But Jason’s getting married today, and to make up for nearly pushing him into marrying the wrong woman, I’m going to try to get along with Sonny today and not start a fight. Jason deserves this. And even though I’m not entirely sold on Elizabeth being the one—”

Bobbie rolled her eyes. “Honestly—”

Carly grinned. “Hush, Mama, I’m just kidding. I don’t have to like her to accept that he’s happier with her than he ever was with Courtney. Will you help me get Michael up? It’s a weekend, so he’s not going to be happy about being awake before noon.”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

“I really hope it still fits,” Elizabeth said. She braced her hands on Emily’s elbows as she stepped gingerly into the dress. Emily worked the jeweled halter top up and over her waist, fluffing the tulle skirt as they went. It took almost five minutes before the dress had been sorted onto Elizabeth—and that was before Emily turned to begin buttoning the long line up her back.

They were only trying on the dress now because Elizabeth had had a terrible dream the night before that she’d burst out of the dress. When Emily had arrived that morning, Elizabeth had insisted Emily drag it out of the garment bag instead of changing into it at the church.

“It’s a good thing for you that having nimble fingers is part of my job description,” Emily said, grunting slightly as she finished the last button. “Well?” She turned Elizabeth towards the full-length mirror attached to her closet.

“Oh—” Elizabeth pressed her hands to her mouth, tears stinging her eyes. “Oh, it’s perfect. It’s exactly what I wanted—”

“You look so amazing,” Emily said with a wide grin. “Just wait until Maxie gets her hands on your hair, and Lulu is coming over later to do your makeup. Plus, Jason left a bracelet for you because you didn’t want to buy something new and we didn’t have anything to match—don’t give me that look, he loves giving you things, and I like spending money—”

Elizabeth’s shoulders started to shake. She pushed away from Emily and went to the bed, sitting down in a cascade and swoosh of tulle. “Emily—”

“Do you need your oxygen—”

“No, no—” Elizabeth closed her eyes. Counted to fifteen. “I’m okay. We had an appointment yesterday. As long as I’m careful.” She slid her fingers over the skirt. “I just want today to be perfect.”

“It will be,” Emily assured her. She sat next to Elizabeth, folding up pieces of the skirt. “Your dress is perfect. I personally approved the jewelry, and Maxie and Lulu are great at what they do. I also made sure Jason’s tux looks perfect—he bought a new one out of nowhere, which I thought was weird—”

He’d bought a new one after that day at the church when he’d found Elizabeth standing in the bridal suite, Elizabeth knew that. She’d found the receipt in his pocket when sorting laundry last week.

“But it’s perfectly fitted. I also called the wedding planner—the hotel is done, the church is getting the flowers as we speak. Oh, and I threatened Don at Kelly’s—”

“I really love you.” Elizabeth reached for Emily’s hands, squeezed. “You know that, right?”

“I love you, too. Elizabeth—”

“I just—I want this so much. This dream. And I’m terrified,” she admitted in a soft voice. “Because I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to everything I want. The best friends in the world. The best family. The perfect guy. A beautiful baby. And I’m so scared because I could lose it all—”

She sucked in a sharp breath, ignoring the burn in her lungs at the motion. “I’m trying not to think about it. I told Jason I didn’t want to think about it.” Elizabeth swiped at her cheeks. “But it’s hard not to.”

“I’m sure it is.” Emily waited for Elizabeth to look at her again. “Your appointment yesterday was good. You’re still okay. Your vitals are steady. We have oxygen tanks everywhere. Jason personally delivered them to the church and the hotel.”

“Of course he did,” Elizabeth said with a rueful laugh. “And I’m sure Monica has one in her car—”

“And I have one for the limo. We’re the oxygen squad.” Emily squeezed her hand. “You have been my best friend for years, Elizabeth. Whenever I needed you, you were right there, ready to do battle. I can’t always do the same for you. Your dragons—” she sighed. “Sometimes they were too big for me to slay. But I’ve always been right behind you. That’s not going to change. You’re my sister now. And that’s my nephew.” She touched Elizabeth’s belly. “That’s my baby, too, you know. And if anyone comes after my baby, I’m gonna do some damage. There’s so many people who love you, Elizabeth. You, Jason, and this precious miracle. We’re not giving up without a fight.”

“I know.” Elizabeth laid her head on Emily’s shoulder, closed her eyes. “But if something happens to me—”

“Elizabeth—”

“It helps to know you’ll be here. I couldn’t have found a better aunt if I’d made you myself. And you know—” She forced a smile on her face. “You know that’s how I feel about you. When you and Nikolas stop pretending no one knows you’re dating—”

Emily narrowed her eyes. “Who told—”

“And when you have your first child, I’m going to be right there, fighting every battle. Even if it’s not—” Elizabeth paused. No. No maudlin thoughts today. “Thank you. For being my friend. And my sister.”

“This is a much better wedding day than the last one,” Emily declared, and then for some reason, they burst into laughter even though it wasn’t really that funny. “Let’s get you out of this dress before we mess it up.”

Quartermaine Mansion: Living Room

“I am so pleased that you invited the whole family,” Lila told her grandson as Jason finished his cup of coffee and smiled at her. He’d promised to start this day with her, to have breakfast with her since she couldn’t join the festivities at the penthouse with the others. Then he and Elizabeth would be stopping by between the ceremony and reception to take photos with her.

Jason wanted Lila to feel included. He knew the day was coming when she wouldn’t be here at all. The skin that stretched over the hand she held out to him felt thinner than he remembered at Christmas, and she looked tired already despite it barely being ten in the morning.

It shook him slightly to see his indomitable grandmother who always seemed immortal fading away in front of him, and whatever he had to do to make her happy in the time she had left—he would do it.

Including inviting the majority of the Quartermaines to his wedding.

“Well, Elizabeth insisted on Edward,” Jason admitted, but he hadn’t put up much of a fight.

“He adores her, you know.” Lila beamed. “As do I. And you’ve invited your father as well, which brings me such joy, Jason. I know we haven’t been the best of family to you since your accident—”

“You have always been perfect,” Jason argued.

Her eyes shined. “But we do love you in our own way, especially Edward and Alan. Thank you for having breakfast with me this morning, my dear.” She closed her eyes. “I think I will rest so I can be at my best when you and Elizabeth come back. I want to enjoy every moment of this.”

“Of course. I’ll go get Reginald to take care of you.” He held his grandmother’s hand for another moment, then kissed her cheek before he stood up to go find his grandmother’s devoted manservant.

Reginald was hovering in the foyer and hurried into the living room to take care of Lila while Jason started to put on his coat, intending to head over to the warehouse and put out last minute fires.

“Oh, Jason, I didn’t realize your breakfast was over already.” He turned at his father’s voice as Alan emerged from the front room, his reading glasses in his hand. “Is Mother all right?”

“She wanted to rest,” Jason told him. He looked towards the living room where he had just left her. “Monica said she’s getting worse. Even since Christmas.”

“She sleeps more than she used to,” Alan admitted. “Father isn’t handling it well, but then, I never imagined he would.” He cleared his throat. “It was good of you to come this morning. Ten years ago, I think she might have been able to make the trip to spend the day with Elizabeth—maybe even five years ago. Thank you for making her part of this day.”

“Yeah.” Jason shifted the weight from one foot to another. He’d accepted his relationship to these people, largely because of how they’d handled the press and supported Elizabeth last fall, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable with it. “Well, I have some things to do before…”

“Of course. Thank you again for including me in the invitation,” Alan told him. “We’re all looking forward to it.”

“Yeah, sure.” Jason started for the door again, but Alan spoke again.

“I also wanted to let you know—” Alan walked towards him, his voice a bit quieter now as if he were being careful not to let his voice echo in the foyer. “Monica spoke to me about Elizabeth’s case to make sure that when she was ready for surgery, we’d have the surgeon and operating room equipped. There’s a lot of paperwork,” he added when Jason furrowed his brow. “And Monica wanted to be ready whenever you are.”

“Oh. Okay—”

“I—I can’t pretend to know—” Alan pressed his lips together. “Well, Monica had breast cancer, you know that. So I have a little bit of experience watching someone you love deal with a health crisis.”

Oh, man, Jason hoped that Alan didn’t expect him to get into this right now. Jason did not want to think about this today. He wanted to follow Elizabeth’s lead and try for an entire day where he wasn’t thinking about any of this.

“Okay.”

“And you don’t want to talk about this. That’s fine. I suppose I just—I know Monica is Elizabeth’s doctor, and you’re closer to her. But if you ever have any questions about—well, I just thought you might want to know that I’m here. If you don’t want to trouble your mother.”

“I—” Jason exhaled slowly. “Thank you. I appreciate that.” He didn’t quite feel the same pull towards Alan that he did towards Monica, but he wondered if it was just that he’d given his mother more opportunities to support him. Would he change the way he felt about Alan or even Edward if he gave them the chance?

“I’m sure you have a lot to do,” his father said, “so I’ll see you at the church.”

Harborview Towers: Elevator

Bobbie’s chest tightened as the guard from the security desk followed them into the elevator to turn the access key. “Thanks,” she told him, pressing the button for the penthouse level. He nodded at her, then returned to the security desk.

“They put that in after September, didn’t they?” Monica asked as the doors closed. She glanced at Bobbie, who sighed, then nodded.

“Only a handful of people have a key. You can’t get on the top floor without one.” And Sonny had refused to give Carly one during the handful of weeks she’d returned to the penthouse. Jason had had to surrender his own copy—

But Bobbie wasn’t going to think about any of that now. Not today. “Monica,” she began, “I know Elizabeth had some tests a few weeks ago—”

“Bobbie—”

“And that whatever the results were,” she continued, “Jason and Elizabeth have decided not to share them outside of a few people. It’s okay,” she assured her old friend who looked stricken. “I’m not angry or anything. I’m just worried. Is there anything I can do today to make things better? Or easier?”

Monica pressed her lips together. “Medically, no,” she finally said. “Elizabeth wanted everyone to be happy for her. To think about the wedding. That’s why—” She shook her head. “I can’t say anything else.”

“So focus on today being perfect,” Bobbie said. She nodded, faced forward, and watched the numbers climb towards fifteen. “I can do that. She deserves it. They both do.”

“They absolutely do. She’ll tell you soon, Bobbie,” Monica said softly. “She loves you.”

“I love her, too. Every stubborn inch,” the redhead muttered.

Corinthos & Morgan Warehouse: Jason’s Office

Justus set his briefcase on the floor, then sat down. He looked over at Bernie, and the two of them came to some sort of silent decision before Justus met Jason’s eyes. “We have a problem.”

Of course they did. Jason was literally finishing the last thing that needed to be done before he went to the church to get ready. Before he left this warehouse and all of this behind for two weeks at the lake with Elizabeth.

Of course there was a problem.

“What is it?” Jason asked, sitting back in his chair. “Is this something Sonny needs to know?”

“Uh, well, we’d thought we’d leave that up to you,” Bernie admitted. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but did you ever tell him about Puerto Rico?”

Jason hissed under his breath, looked away. “No,” he muttered. He scrubbed his hand over his face. “No,” he said in a stronger voice. “I didn’t want to deal with it that day, and by the time I was paying attention again, Johnny said they didn’t have anything backing it up, and Tommy was getting raided—”

And Elizabeth had received her diagnosis.

“I haven’t wanted to pry,” Bernie said after a moment of silence, “but I’m concerned about what you told Tommy a few weeks ago. About Elizabeth. I know this isn’t our business—”

“How bad is it?” Justus demanded, clearly irritated with Bernie’s attempt at diplomacy. “You’re dumping all of this on us for two weeks, not telling Sonny about sightings of Lansing—Jason—I want to help, but you can’t leave us blind—”

“I’m not—” Jason shoved himself to his feet. “I’m not leaving you blind. Johnny is coming up to take point on anything I would normally do. As long as you keep him away from Sonny, it’ll be fine. We don’t need to tell Sonny about Puerto Rico because it didn’t go anywhere. None of these sightings have been verified—” Interpol wasn’t even taking them seriously.

“This one has been,” Justus cut in, and at that, Jason focused on him. “Miami. Yesterday. Javier Ruiz said he got a call from Ric Lansing, wanting to arrange passage back into the country. The Ruizes are old Alcazar connections.”

“He—” Jason sat back down. “Javier spoke to him. To Ric?”

“That’s what he says. He also says he didn’t help Ric since he knew his family was sending a representative to your wedding. That’s why he called. But if Ric is trying to get back into the country—”

“I also know that the Ruizes like to play games,” Bernie said with a shake of his head. “My brother said there was something a few years ago. After Lily’s—the car bomb—”

“Yeah. Yeah, uh—” Jason took a minute, tried to concentrate. “Hector gave us a false lead on Rivera—Lily’s father. He’d planted the bomb—” He blinked. “You think this is a false lead?”

“I don’t know,” Bernie said. “I just think that it’s another sighting coming from the syndicate. From someone who is supposed to be, at least nominally, an ally. I talked to DiLucca—he thinks Javier is only mildly more trustworthy than Manny, and that he wouldn’t honestly trust any of the family.”

“Not even the priest?” Justus asked dryly. “What do you want us to do with this, Jase? If we tell Sonny today—”

“He’ll want to cancel everything.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “Bernie’s right. You can’t take Ruiz at face value. He’s either flat out lying, and this never happened, or he’s lying, and he helped Ric into the country. Or he’s telling the truth.”

“Only one of those is good news for us,” Justus said. “The other options mean Ric is trying to get back into the country.” He paused. “Maybe you want to think about canceling this trip, Jase—”

“Not on the table,” Jason said with a shake of his head. “But—” he saw Justus’s impatience. “The last thing Elizabeth needs  is to be across the hall when Sonny finds out about Miami.” He stared at his hands. “You’re not stupid. You know that we had tests done at the beginning of the month.”

“I know it had to be bad for you to show even a hint of it to Tommy,” Bernie said. “What can we do?”

“What’s wrong with Elizabeth?” Justus pressed. “Jason—”

“We weren’t going to tell anyone until after the wedding,” Jason continued. “She didn’t want anyone to worry about her, but if this Miami thing—you need to know why it’s not important to me. Not right now.” He looked up, met his cousin’s eyes. “Elizabeth had these blood clots in her blood vessels—the ones in her lungs. They left scar tissue. It’s hard for her to breathe. Especially when she gets upset or stressed out. Like the day of the hearing.”

“What’s—” Justus swallowed. “She can’t breathe—what happens to the baby?”

“Right now, nothing. Elizabeth is managing, and her vitals are strong. She’s just tired a lot. She needs to rest. She needs to be away from all of this. Especially if and when we tell Sonny about Miami.”

“Right now,” Bernie echoed. “But later?”

“Later—” Jason’s mouth tightened. “It’s rare,” he muttered. “No one knows for sure, but there’s never been a single successful delivery of a baby to a mother with CTEPH—not one where both survive.”

Those words hung in the office for a long moment as Bernie stared at the floor, and Justus just tried to process it.

“But—”

“She could deliver early,” Jason said after a moment, “but there’s no guarantee the baby would survive. And the longer she waits, the more damage she risks to her heart and lungs. There aren’t any easy choices. And the only thing I can do is to keep all of this from touching her. I can’t do that if she’s in Port Charles across the hall from Sonny.”

“Of course not,” Justus murmured. He cleared his throat. “Of course not,” he repeated. “And she comes first. We’ll keep Miami to ourselves. At least for today, until you’re out of town. Sonny will probably go insane,” he admitted. “But maybe by then, we’ll have more information.” He looked at Bernie. “We can handle this. Johnny can handle this. He’ll be here tomorrow anyway.”

“Right, right.” Bernie squared his shoulders. “And maybe this Miami thing will be the break we need. We’ll get Ric dealt with, and things can go back to normal.”

Jason sighed. “Maybe. But while I’m gone—I’ll check in once a day,” he promised Justus. “But I’m not coming back unless it’s life or death. And this was my idea,” he told them. “She keeps trying to make it shorter. If it were up to me, and I thought I could manage it—I wouldn’t bring her back until the baby was born.”

“I’d do the same for Mikki,” Justus told him. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Take care of Elizabeth and the baby. Bernie and I will deal with this.” He checked his watch and winced. “Now, we need to get you to the church. Elizabeth is heading over there right now according to the timeline, and Emily will actually kill me if you accidentally see each other before the ceremony.”

Harborview Towers: Hallway

Elizabeth was still laughing as she left the penthouse, waiting as Cody locked the door behind them. “I’m not sure Emily was joking,” she told Bobbie. “When she told me she threatened Don about the bread—”

“He called me,” Bobbie told her with a grin. “Asking if I knew how to bake bread because if it wasn’t fresh, he was afraid Emily would go after him with her scalpel—” She glanced down at her bag. “Are we sure we have everything?”

“Yes,” Cody assured them. “I had Richie and Marco help Miss Jones and Miss Spencer down to the car with everything you’ll need at the church, and both Doctors Quartermaine are already waiting for us. And yes, they have the wedding dress.”

“It’s almost like you’ve answered these questions before,” Elizabeth said with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Cody. We’re driving you nuts today, aren’t we?”

“Not at all, Miss Webber.” He nodded at Max, who came around the corner. “We all want this day to be perfect.”

“Yeah, Jase deserves a little fun,” the other guard said with a grin. “And you look so pretty, Miss Webber. He’s gonna swallow his tongue.”

“Oh, thanks, but—” Elizabeth saw Bobbie’s glare. “Right, I’m not supposed to do that. Thank you, Max. I feel great today—in fact—” she turned to the redhead. “There’s something I wanted to ask you—I wanted to ask you before any of this, but I also wanted us to be alone—”

“Elizabeth,” Bobbie said. “Just ask.” She patted Elizabeth’s arm. “Whatever I can do to make this day as special as you both deserve.”

“Well—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I know I asked Nikolas to walk me down the aisle, but I really—I really wanted to ask you. I didn’t because I didn’t want it to be weird and I didn’t want Carly to get annoyed, but—”

“Oh, Elizabeth—” Bobbie pressed two fingers to her mouth as tears spilled down her cheeks. “You’re going to ruin my makeup. Sweetheart—”

“I love Nikolas, but you’re—you’ve always been there for me. The night I was—” She paused, conscious of the guards who were trying to look like pressing an elevator button was very difficult work that required all of their attention.

“That night, even with Luke and Lucky—if you hadn’t been there, I’m not sure I could have survived. And then later—when I wasn’t sure if something like this was even possible—if love and a family—if I could do it—you gave me the courage. I know you’re not my mother, but sometimes—” She couldn’t keep going.

“Sometimes I pretend, too,” Bobbie finished. She embraced her as tightly as she dared, not wanting to muss Elizabeth’s curls or her makeup. “And absolutely. I can’t wait to walk you down the aisle. You have made my entire day.”

“Thank you—” Elizabeth hugged her back. With a broad smile, they turned towards the elevator — and then stopped.

They should have seen it—the minute Max had appeared—Elizabeth should have realized it meant that Sonny was still here.

But it wasn’t until Sonny came around the corner, dressed in his tux, a heavy coat slung over his arm, that Elizabeth put the two things together.

“Elizabeth.” Sonny took a deep breath, swept his eyes over her. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks.” Elizabeth put her hands in the pockets of her white winter jacket. “You look great. You always looked good in a tux.”

“I clean up well enough.” Sonny looked at Bobbie, who lifted her chin, then focused on Elizabeth again. “All things aside,” he said slowly, “thank you. I think we both know that if you’d said one word, I wouldn’t even be invited today.”

“You matter to Jason,” Elizabeth said softly. “You always will. And you—” She managed a smile. “You matter to me, Sonny. We both want you to be part of this.”

“I can’t always promise to be a good man,” Sonny said, “but I’m honored to be a part of this, to stand up beside Jason. I wish you happiness. I really do.”

“Thank you.”

The elevator doors opened, and Sonny gestured for Bobbie and Elizabeth to board first. “After you.”

Elizabeth smiled at him again, traded a look with Bobbie, then stepped on board. Maybe this would be the way the entire day would be—maybe Jason would get his best friend back, and Sonny would see how happy they were.

Maybe it would all be okay.

But Elizabeth wasn’t arrogant enough to think everything would be perfect today, and she was afraid that this glimpse of the old Sonny was just that — a flash. Temporary. She prayed she was wrong, squeezing Bobbie’s hand tightly. “I’m getting married today,” she said to her. “It feels like the first time.”

“Because it’s the first time that’s mattered,” Bobbie assured. “The first time it’s been right.” She put an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders, squeezed. “Nothing else matters today but that.”

Queen of Angels: Chapel 

If anyone had told Taggert that he’d be sitting in a pew at Jason Morgan’s wedding, he would have told them to go flying off a building, but here he was, waiting for Anger Boy to exchange vows.

Taggert tugged at his tie and looked at his watch, hoping the ceremony would get over with quickly and that he wouldn’t end up in the background of any pictures.

“Stop fidgeting,” his date murmured as she placed a hand over his. Portia clasped his larger hand between hers and drew it into her lap. He looked at her, and she flashed a smile. “You’ll survive. And in a few more months, everyone will remember Jason Morgan is a bad guy.”

Taggert rolled his eyes. “Knowing this town, that might never happen. But everyone still hates Sonny. I can live with that.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Justus grinned at his old rival over his wife’s head. Tamika arched one dark brow, and Justus looked away, hiding his smirk behind his hand.

“How much longer—” Taggert began, but then, at the front of the church, Father Coates emerged from a back room and nodded at the pianist to begin the music. “Thank God.”

“God is gonna strike you down, you keep that up,” Portia muttered.

Jason strode out from another side door, followed by Sonny and their business manager, Bernie. He took his position at the front, to the right of the church. Taggert scowled. “Damn it, Justus,” he hissed. “I’m sitting on the groom’s side—”

“Hush,” Portia said mildly, and Taggert subsided, still irritated that he hadn’t realized until now what side he’d been dragged to. He’d never live this down if it got out.

Monica came first, with Alan escorting her down the aisle, looking like the proud parents of the groom. That was a point in Morgan’s favor, Taggert thought grudgingly. He was starting to drift away from Corinthos back towards the Quartermaines. Maybe Elizabeth would be a good influence on him after all, instead of him corrupting her.

Stranger things had happened in Port Charles.

“I can hear you judging from here,” Portia murmured. “Can’t you just try to enjoy yourself?” She glanced back at him. “There’s no point in you being here if you’re just gonna glower.”

“I didn’t say anything—”

“You said you that you wanted to be here for Elizabeth. That she deserved to be happy, and you would support whatever did that. So, suck it up, fake a smile, and don’t be scowling in the background of the photos.”

Taggert wrinkled his nose but forced himself to follow her directions. Portia was right—just like always. But he was still gonna try to duck any photographer who tried to aim a camera at him.

Emily was next, escorted by Nikolas. After they’d made it to the end of the aisle, both of them went to the bride’s side of the church, standing opposite Jason. Michael Corinthos furrowed his brows as he walked down the aisle, careful not to let the satin pillow in his hands shake even a little. Once he’d reached the end of the aisle, he gave the rings to his father, then went to stand next to him.

The music changed to the traditional wedding march, and the congregation got to their feet.

Then Elizabeth was standing at the doorway, a bouquet of some sort of white, pink, and peach flowers in her hands. Her arm was wound through Bobbie’s, who was also beaming. He was sure that Portia would tell him later about the dress, but it just looked like Elizabeth wearing a jeweled cloud.

“She looks so beautiful,” Portia murmured. She squeezed Taggert’s hand. “Aren’t you glad you came?”

He was, Taggert realized, as he watched Elizabeth walk down the aisle. Even if she was walking towards one of Taggert’s least favorite people in the world, he was grateful to have this picture of her to add to the ones in his mind.

He’d met her as a pale, wan sixteen-year-old, shattered by the brutal rape that had nearly destroyed her life. He’d watched her grow up, regain her confidence, only to be broken all over again the night he’d held up a burnt subway token. He’d never forget that picture of her—the way her body had simply crumpled, and she’d fallen to the ground as if all her bones had vanished.

Taggert had seen her drugged and battered this summer, pale and unconscious. He’d seen her determined to stand up for all the other women Vinnie Esposito had raped, and the system had thrown away. At the press conference, at the hearing in Syracuse and the sentencing—

He’d known Elizabeth Webber for years, and now he got to add a new picture to all the ones he’d collected since their first meeting.

Because this might be the first time he’d ever seen her delirious with happiness, her smile somehow getting brighter as she and Bobbie reached the front of the church, Elizabeth practically floating down the aisle. Bobbie squeezed Elizabeth’s hands, then kissed Jason’s cheeks before taking a seat next to Carly in the front pew.

Taggert watched as Elizabeth handed her bouquet to Emily, then Jason took both Elizabeth’s in his to help her up the steps to Father Coates, Jason carefully making sure that she didn’t trip on all the floaty material of her dress.

He’d never seen Jason with that particular expression on his face—he’d seen the anger, the disdain, and of course— the famous blank stare.

But he’d never seen the man look at anyone that way.

Taggert swallowed hard as Father Coates began the service, then exhaled. “Yeah,” he murmured, answering the question Portia had asked him earlier. “Yeah, I’m glad I came.”

Quartermaine Estate: Foyer

Elizabeth was laughing as Jason pulled her inside the front door. “Whose idea was it to get married in the middle of winter?” she teased, her cheeks flushed from the cold. She looked back out towards the driveway where the car was parked, squinting at the flurries that had begun to fall.

She started to unbutton the thick winter jacket she wore over her wedding dress, but her fingers were chilled from the brief walk to the door and fumbled. Jason brushed her hands aside to do it for her.

Elizabeth took his face in her hands and kissed him. Distracted, Jason slid his arms around her waist to draw her against him. “Hey,” he murmured against her mouth.

“Hey,” Elizabeth whispered back. She smiled up at him dreamily. “We’re married.”

“Yeah, we are.” He kissed her again, then rested his forehead against hers. “You’re so beautiful.”

Elizabeth giggled, ducked her head. “It’s the dress—”

“It’s nice, but it’s you.” Jason slid the backs of his fingers down her cheeks. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

There was slight coughing from behind them, and they turned to see Reginald stepping out from the family room, his cheeks flushed with red. “Uh, sorry to interrupt, but the photographer got here just before you, and Mrs. Quartermaine is ready when you are.”

“We’ll be right in,” Jason told him. Reginald nodded and disappeared back into the room. Jason helped Elizabeth off with her coat, then hung it up behind them.

Lila was sitting by the sofa, her face lighting up when Jason walked in just ahead of Elizabeth, his hand in hers. “My darlings, look how lovely you look.”

Jason was happy to see that she looked better than she had that morning, and she’d even dressed in one of her formal dresses and put some jewelry on. “You look beautiful, Grandmother.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“Well, I couldn’t look dowdy in our photos,” Lila said, preening under Jason’s praise. She looked at Elizabeth. “And my dear, that dress looks even more beautiful in person.”

Elizabeth grinned, twirling in her dress, the full tulle skirt floating around her like a cloud, the jeweled beading on the top flashing in the light. “I know. I’m so glad Lois and Emily convinced me to get it at Christmas.”

“I have something for you.” Lila looked at Reginald, who came forward with a small, silver-wrapped box. He handed it to Jason, who gave it to Elizabeth. “It’s been passed down in my family for several generations.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth blinked, holding the box more tightly. “Than it should be for Emily or Tracy—”

“I’ve put aside pieces for them,” Lila told them. “But this is something I wanted for Jason’s bride. You’re carrying on my family name, dear, so it seems right that you should have something from me.”

Elizabeth smiled, and Jason helped her to sit down, arranging her skirts, so they billowed around her. “Does it ever stop?” he teased as he fluffed up a section so he could sit next to her.

She stuck her tongue out at him, then unwrapped the box, extracting a blue velvet jewelry case. Inside was a filigree silver necklace with a moon and star pendant set with rubies and sapphires. “Oh, it’s beautiful,” she murmured. She looked at Lila, tears stinging her eyes. “It’s perfect. I want to wear it in all the photos.” She turned, swept her hair from her neck. “Can you?” she asked Jason.

He unclasped the necklace she already wore, then fastened the new one. “It matches my engagement ring,” she said to Lila.

“I thought it might when I saw your ring.” Lila smiled at them, her eyes misty with tears. “I’m so happy, darling. For both of you. For the life you’re bringing into the world. I know I might not be here much longer—”

Jason tightened his hand around Elizabeth’s reflexively. “Grandmother—”

“But I’ll be able to go with peace, knowing my family is happy. Take care of each other. And always remember that you love one another. It won’t solve all your problems, but it isn’t such a terrible place to begin.”

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