I’m gonna love you ’til
My lungs give out
I promise ’til death we part like in our vows
So I wrote this song for you, now everybody knows
Finally it’s just you and me ’til we’re grey and old
Just say you won’t let go
Just say you won’t let go
– Say You Won’t Let Go, James Arthur

---

Saturday, January 31, 2004

Port Charles Hotel: Conservatory

“It’s been a good day so far,” Lucas said as they watched the photographer rearrange the bridal party yet again. Carly had to laugh as Michael’s irritated expression matched his uncle’s. Michael didn’t often look like the Quartermaines, but sometimes he reminded her so much of Jason—

“Yeah,” Carly said, smiling as Elizabeth leaned down to adjust Michael’s bow tie. She whispered something to him, and her son started to laugh.

“Mommy!” Michael said. “Elizabeth says you can be in the pictures, too. I want one with my mom,” he told the photographer. “She’s like Uncle Jason’s best man only she’s a girl. I don’t know why that matters, but it’s something about pants.”

Carly snorted as she left Lucas and edged around Sonny to join the bridal party. “Just one, Mr. Man. I’m not really in this—”

“No, we want one with you and Michael,” Elizabeth told Carly. “Jason will just scrunch up his face—” She pointed. “Yeah, like that—”

“I told you,” Jason said, “whatever you want, but—”

“You want me off my feet. Just one more photo,” she promised. She looked at everyone else still gathered — Emily, Bobbie, Nikolas, Sonny, Justus, and Bernie, furrowed her brow. “I think.”

“Elizabeth—”

“Two more photos,” Elizabeth corrected. She beamed at him. “You and Carly and Michael, and then with Bobbie, oh—” She looked around and waved Lucas forward. “Lucas, do you want one with Bobbie?”

“I’m good. I’m gonna keep this plant company—”

“Oh, no—” Bobbie took her son by the arm. “I never get to see you all dressed up. You’re just lucky I don’t go grab Felix and get all my fun at once.”

“What about Daddy?” Michael asked. He looked hesitantly at his father, who had remained somewhat apart from the rest of the bridal party. Elizabeth chewed on her bottom lip, looked at Carly.

“Yeah, sure,” Carly said, forcing a smile. “We haven’t had a family picture in a while.”

“So how many more photos is this?” Jason asked with a sigh.

It ended up being six more photographs before Jason firmly cut Elizabeth off and sent the photographer into the Renaissance Room to take pictures of the reception. But he was good-natured about it, and Carly enjoyed how relaxed and happy he looked.

Maybe this was the start of something better—

“I was thinking,” Sonny said as Jason posed for the final picture Elizabeth just had to have—one of him with Michael by himself. Michael held up the empty satin pillow and pointed to Jason’s finger, which now had a silver band.

“He’s getting so big,” Carly murmured, pressing a fist to her heart. “Look at him.”

“‘I’m taking Elizabeth to sit down,” Jason told Carly. He glanced at Sonny for a moment. “You coming?”

“No, I’ll be there in a minute,” Carly said. “Michael is going home with Lucas—” She looked at her half-brother. “Thanks again for hanging with him.”

“Yeah, no big deal. He owes me a match up in Mario Kart,” Lucas said.

“You did such a great job,” Elizabeth told Michael.

“I practiced a lot,” Michael said, seriously. “But I don’t like the shoes. They hurt.”

Elizabeth laughed, and Jason finally managed to drag his new wife into the ballroom so he could get her to sit down. Emily and Nikolas followed, as did Justus and Bernie, but Bobbie hung back, waiting for Carly since Scott had left the wedding after the ceremony.

Sonny eyed Bobbie warily for a moment before focusing on Carly. “Listen—” He scratched his nose. “I was thinking maybe Michael could come to my place for the night. You know, a guys night.”

Carly’s fingers tightened on Michael’s shoulders. “Michael—”

“I’m playing Mario Kart with Uncle Lucas,” Michael said in a small voice. He twisted his head up to look at Carly. “Do I have to go with Dad?”

“We’ll make dinner,” Sonny said. “Watch movies. Or play—you still have a lot of things—”

“Sonny,” Carly said softly. “You know how I feel. Don’t do this. Not today. In front of Michael.”

“He’s my goddamn son, Carly. I want to spend some time with him,” Sonny bit out.

“Mommy—”

“Lucas—” Carly didn’t take her eyes off Sonny, nearly terrified that Sonny would snatch her son from her. “Why don’t you take Michael now?”

“Sure.” With an easy smile that didn’t reach his eyes, Lucas strode forward, reaching out for Michael’s hand. “Let’s head out—”

“Get your hands off my son—” Sonny took a step forward, then Michael shrank back against Carly, sniffling. “Why the hell do you do this, Carly? I don’t deserve this—”

“Let’s get out of here, big guy.” Lucas picked Michael up in his arms. “I’ll call you when we get home,” he told Carly.

“Get back here—”

But Lucas wasn’t remotely intimidated by the mobster who took three steps after him. He tucked Michael’s face in his shoulder and left the observatory without looking back.

“I told you from the start. You get supervised visits with the boys,” Carly said evenly, her pulse racing. Her skin felt itchy, and she just wanted to run, to hide—especially when Sonny swung his angry eyes back to hers. “If you don’t like it, then make an appointment with a therapist. Or take me to court.”

She took a step back, grateful when Bobbie slipped her hand in hers, bolstering her. “Please. Don’t ruin this day. Don’t make this about you. This day isn’t about you or me. It’s about Jason and Elizabeth. Come on, Mama. Let’s go inside.”

Port Charles Police Department: Commissioner’s Office

Taggert tugged at his tie as he followed Ned and Scott into Anna’s office.

Anna got to her feet and flashed the trio of men a smile. “Well, don’t you all look charming. How was the mob wedding of the century?”

He winced. So much for getting in and out without anyone noticing. He glared at Scott. “Did you dime me out?”

Scott scowled. “You? I still don’t know how I got suckered into going.” He threw up a hand at Ned. “How the hell did we all end up there?”

Taggert sighed, looked at Anna. “None of us went to the reception, we’re not in photographs—well maybe the cousin is—” Ned rolled his eyes. “I know it looks bad. It’s just—”

“A unique set of circumstances,” Anna said with a nod. “Elizabeth Webber is something of a public figure at the moment with Lansing and Esposito, and I know that her public support of the department went a long way to shoring up its reputation.”

“Exactly. Esposito didn’t appeal his sentence,” Scott said, “but he still might. We don’t want to do anything to mess up that relationship.”

Ned snorted. “Uh huh. Sure. Better than admitting you both got bamboozled by a tiny brunette—”

“Shut up,” Taggert muttered. “You called this meeting, Mayor. What’s the problem?”

“I know you didn’t want to hear any more sightings, but—” Ned hesitated. “Ric Lansing contacted someone in Miami, looking for passage back into the country. My source doesn’t know if he got through, but it’s a more direct sighting than the others.”

“Someone actually spoke to him?” Anna’s brow lifted. “You’re right, that’s very different from a few random sightings out of the country. Interpol might not be interested, but I’ll let them decide for themselves. I’ll also pass it on to the FBI and ring Frisco at the WSB to cover all my bases.” She paused. “Does your source think it’s more credible than the others?”

“Yeah, how does Morgan feel about it?” Scott said with a smirk.

Ned leveled a glare at the DA. “My source,” he said, his teeth clenched, “isn’t convinced, but he thinks it has more legs than the others. He thinks it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

“Whoever your source is,” Anna said, with a look in her eye that told Taggert she knew exactly how Ned was getting this information, “he’s right. Those other sightings might have been purposely vague to throw us off the trail. I don’t want to brush this off and find out the hard way we were wrong. I’ll make the calls. You said Morgan was taking Elizabeth out of town?”

“They’ll be isolated where they’re going,” Ned said with a nod. “Two weeks. Monica, Bobbie, and Justus have the contact info, but no one else can reach them. So Elizabeth is safe.”

“Then, we’ll check with Carly and make sure she has what she needs.”

Port Charles Hotel: Renaissance Room

Luke sipped his whiskey and watched as his sister and niece walked into the ballroom. He wasn’t happy that Barbara Jean looked pale or that Carly’s eyes were a bit too wide. A moment later, Sonny slunk in and headed for the bar.

That did not bode well. Luke had heard through the grapevine about the visits his old friend had made to the Brownstone, and it was lowering to know that his sister was struggling and hadn’t come to him. He only knew because Lucas had told Lulu, and his gumdrop thought this was information Luke needed.

He scanned the ballroom, looking first for Elizabeth, but she was surrounded by a gaggle of women, including his wife and daughter, all of them beaming like sunshine. Luke continued his search, then finally found the groom, leaning against a nearby column, a bottle of Rolling Rock in his hand, watching his new wife.

Luke sauntered over. “Hey, Junior. You look like you’re drowning,” he said. Jason looked at him, his brow slightly raised in response. “These parties—” he gestured with his glass. “They’re not for you.”

“No,” Jason said, with a half smile as he watched Elizabeth’s smile grow even larger as Emily said something. She threw back her head and laughed. “No, but this one isn’t so bad.”

“I did enjoy see Ruby’s chili as an option. That girl—” Luke studied Elizabeth for a long moment. “She would have made a hell of a Spencer. Sometimes, I thought about chucking Cowboy and keeping her.”

Jason narrowed his eyes slightly, but Luke just grinned. “She looks good, though. Insanely happy all things considered. Thanks for the invite. I like seeing my angel all dolled up, looking good. Happy wife, happy life. You learn just that one piece of advice from me, I’ll have done my job.”

“Elizabeth made the guest list,” Jason said. He made a face. “She never made it to dinner with Laura,” he continued, “and I know that bothered her.”

“A lot going on these last few months.” Luke studied Sonny at the bar, remembering how long he’d known the man. They’d once been as thick as thieves, and Luke knew where a lot of the bodies were buried.

Literally.

Luke turned back to Jason. “You’re heading out of town for two weeks, Laura tells me, but, uh, I’ve noticed that my sister’s humble abode is regularly visited by our mutual friend over there. Is Corinthos gonna handle you being out of town well? Or should I be worrying about my sister and her family?”

Jason hesitated, stared down at his beer, so Luke continued. “I’m not asking to get involved. I can’t. Not with my boy making a name for himself with the PCPD and moving in with an ADA—” and it went without saying that Luke didn’t want to stir up too many old ghosts on that front— “I can’t be getting myself into trouble like the old days, but Bobbie’s my sister, and Carly’s like a fungus I’ve grown attached to. I just want to make sure they’re safe.”

“They’re—” Jason sighed. He nodded his head towards the back doors of the ball room. “Let’s go somewhere.”

A few minutes later, Jason had pulled Luke into the corner of the observatory where they’d taken photos. “For reasons I can’t get into, Carly left Sonny in September. She only went home in November because Ric jumped bail.” Jason paused. “It didn’t last long.”

“For reasons you can’t get into,” Luke repeated dryly, and Jason inclined his head. “But Sonny still thinks this Lansing jackass is out there.”

“He does. We’ve had some sightings, but nothing I’d want to point to as credible.” Jason scratched his temple. “He’s not handling the uncertainty well. There was a thing in Puerto Rico I never even passed on to him because—” He looked away, a shadow creeping into his expression. “Because I didn’t. And it didn’t pan out. But Sonny wants Carly to come back to the penthouse. He’s using the threat to guilt her,” Jason told Luke, “but the Brownstone is as safe as I can make it, and Carly has guards.”

“I remember the drill.”

“The reason I’m even bothering to tell you any of this is that—” Jason paused. “I think it might get worse while I’m out of town. And I’m not canceling this trip.”

“You think Lansing is going to make an attempt?” Luke asked skeptically. “Listen—”

“No, I don’t. At least not in the next two weeks. Up until today, I was pretty sure that Ric had disappeared for good. I still mostly think that,” he continued with a sigh, “but we got some news out of Miami that makes me wonder if we know what’s really going on. I didn’t pass this to Sonny today because—”

“He’d have made a scene and ruined the wedding,” Luke said. He pursed his lips. “But you’re gonna tell him.”

“Yeah. After Elizabeth and I are out of town,” Jason told him. “But his first stop might be the Brownstone, so…” Jason shrugged a shoulder. “You might want to be on your guard. Justus and Bernie are going to keep an eye on Sonny, but I’d appreciate if you’d keep an extra eye on Carly and Bobbie. Because I don’t doubt Sonny is going to lose it if he thinks Ric is closer.”

“Interesting,” Sonny drawled as he sauntered out from behind one of the large plants near the entrance, his dark eyes glowing like ignited coal. “Why don’t you tell me about this ‘thing in Puerto Rico’ and ‘the news out of Miami’, and we’ll find out together.”

Port Charles Hotel: Renaissance Room

Elizabeth wasn’t sure exactly when she lost sight of her husband, but it was around the time Emily told her that cocktail hour was nearly over, and it was going to be time for their first dance and dinner.

She got to her feet, scanning the room—then noticed Sonny had left his position at the bar. Damn it.

“I’ll be right back,” she told Emily. “I’m just going to get Jason—”

“But—”

“Wait here,” she told her best friend and started to weave in and out of family and friends, smiling tensely at everyone who tried to stop her until she found Carly standing next to Bobbie. “Hey. Jason and Sonny are both missing—”

“I saw Jason with my brother—” Bobbie frowned, started to scan the ballroom. “Laura—” she called over to another group. “Have you seen Luke?”

“Oh, I think he and Jason went to talk somewhere,” Laura said. “I saw them leaving the ballroom about ten minutes ago.”

“Let’s go,” Elizabeth said. She grabbed her skirt with both hands and started for the door.

“I knew Sonny was in a bad mood,” Carly muttered as she followed the bride. “I should have just let Michael go with him—”

“Carly—”

By the time the trio of women left the ballroom, they could hear the raised voices from the observatory next door — the raised voice of Sonny, that is. Jason and Luke were more muted.

Carly strode forward, irritated beyond the speaking of it, bursting into the room, startling the trio of men who all turned to look at them. “Sonny, what the hell are you doing?” Carly bit out through clenched teeth. “Whatever you’re pissed about—it can wait—”

“Ric’s back in the country,” Sonny snapped, “and Jason lied about it—”

Carly stared at him, blinking rapidly as she tried to take the words in. As she tried to absorb the idea that the man that had kidnapped, held her hostage, threatened to kill her, and had haunted her nightmares for nearly a year—

She was vaguely aware of Jason crossing the space and going over to Elizabeth. He said something to her, but Carly couldn’t quite process it — couldn’t order her thought.

Focus. Had to focus.

“What do you mean back in the country?” Carly said slowly. “Where? When?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Sonny wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his fingers trembling slightly. “You and the boys — you’re coming back to the Towers. End of story.”

“Where? When?” Carly repeated. “How long did Jason know—”

“Five hours,” Jason’s quiet voice came from behind her. “I found out today, Carly.” He took Elizabeth’s hand in his, lacing their fingers together. “I was going to tell you,” he murmured to her.

“When?” Sonny snapped. “When Ric had already taken her? When he’d killed Carly this time?”

“I understand,” Elizabeth told him. “And thank you for letting me having most of the wedding, but Carly and I—” She looked at Carly, their shared trauma one of the few things they had in common. “We should probably know.”

“It’s not much,” Jason told her. He looked at Carly. “It’s not. Someone we don’t really trust out of Miami talked to Ric yesterday..”

“Don’t really trust,” Bobbie repeated. At her side, Luke had put his hands into his pockets, taking in the whole scene like a stranger driving past an accident.

“C’mon—” Sonny growled, but Carly ignored him, focusing on her best friend who would never ever lie to her about her safety to make her feel better.

“No,” Jason told her. “We’re checking it out, but it might not be any more reliable than the sightings in Caracas or Puerto Rico. None of the sightings have been verified—”

“Bullshit—”

“Stop!” Carly threw up her hands, startling Sonny into silence. “Just—stop! Jason isn’t going to put me, Elizabeth, or the boys—any of them—” She spared a glance for Elizabeth, who had a hand curled protectively around her abdomen. “He’s not going to put us in danger just for a ceremony. If there’d been any real danger, we would have postponed or something. Why can’t you just be reasonable—”

“He’s only doing this so she won’t leave him!” Sonny stabbed a finger at Elizabeth who’s eyes widened, startled by the accusation. “That’s what she did the last time business got in the way—”

“Sonny—” Elizabeth began, but Jason sliced a hand through the air cutting her off.

“No,” Jason said flatly. “You got a problem with me, Sonny, you tell me. But you’re done disrespecting Elizabeth.” He angled his body slightly so that he was standing between Elizabeth and Sonny. “I don’t want Ric out there any more than you do—”

“Bullshit,” Sonny repeated, but some of the anger had left his voice. “Ric is still a threat. You need to bring the boys to the Towers,” he said, swinging his eyes back to Carly. “Now. They’re my kids, too, and I don’t want them—”

“I have security at the Brownstone,” Carly said, the fatigue settling in her bones. “Taggert lives upstairs, so there’s a cop on the premises—” When Sonny snorted, Carly glared at him. “Don’t you dare—you know that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me or the kids. He only hates you, Sonny. Not me.”

“You think the cops are going to protect you?” Sonny demanded. “They couldn’t even protect Elizabeth—look what a cop did to her—”

“And Vinnie Esposito got past your security,” Elizabeth snarled, stepping around her new husband, her cheeks flushed. “You have no right to demand Carly go anywhere after what you did to her! After the way you’ve been treating Jason—”

“Oh sure, blame me—” Sonny glared at her, and Carly just blinked. When the hell had Sonny and Elizabeth declared war on each other? She knew tensions were high, but she’d been so removed from all it since leaving the penthouse—

“Hey,” Jason murmured to her. He touched her shoulder, left bare by her strapless dress. “It’s okay—”

“No, I’m tired of this. No one is perfect. Not you, not Sonny. Not the police. All we can do is try our best—”

“They’re my kids, and this is none of your business—”

“You make it my business every time you storm into my home—”

“It’s Jason’s home, you’re just freeloading—”

Carly’s eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets as Jason took his best friend by the lapels of his jacket and shoved Sonny back away from Elizabeth. “What did I just tell you?” he demanded.

“Jason—” Elizabeth grabbed at his elbow. “Come on—just—”

Sonny wrenched himself out of Jason’s grip, his nostrils flaring. “What the hell are you doing—” But before he could take a step towards Jason, Luke put a hand on his elbow, and Sonny seemed to come back to himself slightly, looking around.

“Sonny—” Carly began, but she didn’t know what to do. How to handle this—

How was everything so bad? How had it fallen apart like this?

“Everyone is upset,” Luke said gently. “Why don’t we all take a minute and just—just relax. Before we say something we can’t take back.” He nodded at Elizabeth. “We got a lovely bride over here on the verge of tears, so I think we just need to cool down.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, the flush from her cheeks fading, leaving her cheeks stark white. “I’m going back inside,” she said. “This is my wedding day, and I’m not—I’m not letting anyone take that away from me. ” She turned and stalked back inside.

Jason stared after her, then closed his eyes and shook his head, obviously frustrated with himself for losing his temper. He looked back at Sonny, who lifted his chin defiantly.

“That’s the last time you’re going to talk to Elizabeth like that,” Jason warned him, his voice quiet. “Stop pushing me.”

“Or what?”

“Shut up,” Carly hissed, whacking Sonny in the arm. “What is wrong with you? Like it or not, it’s their wedding day, and she’s pregnant. Stop it! Jason, go back and check on Elizabeth. I can handle this, I promise.”

Jason hesitated. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Carly said. She lifted her brows. “Mama and Luke are here. Go.”

Jason looked at Bobbie and Luke, then sighed and went back into the ballroom. Bobbie folded her arms, glaring at Sonny. “You never learn—”

“Damn it—” Sonny bit out.

Carly counted to five, praying for the patience to reason with her husband one more time. She was so tired. Months of having the exact same argument. “You couldn’t protect me last year. And that scared you. It scared me. It was horrible. But you refuse to give an inch—”

Sonny dragged his hands through his hair. “You don’t trust me. Jason doesn’t trust me. The guards—they’re looking at Jason—” He met her eyes, and she felt herself weakening—just slightly. Sonny was losing control—he was losing the respect of everyone around him, and she knew how much he needed that to survive, to function.

“I need you to come home,” Sonny told her, pleading. “You and the boys. I need my family—”

“I wish I could do that,” Carly murmured. She closed her eyes. “But nothing has changed. You’re not listening to me. And you just want to lock us up. Like before. I’m not doing it again. I spent a week locked in the dark, Sonny. The penthouse is just a larger panic room. The bedroom—how can you refuse to accept what you did?”

Luke scowled. “What is she talking about?” he demanded. “What did he do?” he asked Bobbie.

“Of all people—” Her voice broke. “You put me back inside that room—I’m done fighting you, Sonny. I’m done hoping something will change. I’m not coming back.”

“They’re my kids, too,” Sonny said, roughly. He glared at her. “If you won’t come back, then they will. I’ll make you do it. I can file for custody—”

“And you’ve already been told over and over again. You’ll lose,” Carly promised. “So why even fight?”

Sonny stared at her for another long moment, then stalked away, storming out of the observatory—and hopefully the hotel altogether.

Carly wrapped her arms around herself and took a deep breath. She felt her mother embrace her from behind. “Hey, Mama.”

“You okay?”

“I’m okay. I’m just sorry we made a scene at the wedding. I really wanted this day for Jason—for Elizabeth, too, but mostly for him—”

“And they had a good day. It’s a wedding in Port Charles, people expect the drama. Let’s go inside and finish it off.”

Carly turned and managed a watery smile. “Mama, it just—it feels like it’s never going to be over. I’m never going to be rid of Ric Lansing.”

“One day, you will,” Bobbie promised. “One day.”

Carly walked away, and Bobbie felt a finger tap her on the shoulder. She turned to look at her very irritated older brother.”

“What,” Luke began, “the hell is going on?”

Port Charles Hotel: Renaissance Room

By the time Jason reached Elizabeth at their table, Emily was sitting next to her, pressing her fingers to Elizabeth’s wrist. His heart began to race as he closed the last bit of distance between them. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

“Couldn’t—” Elizabeth closed her eyes. He knelt down next to her, knew she was counting. “Couldn’t catch my breath.

“Mom went to get the oxygen tank,” Emily told Jason quietly. “Maybe you should take her home—”

“No—” Elizabeth’s voice broke as she opened her eyes, looked at Jason. “No—we didn’t—we didn’t get to dance. We didn’t—You didn’t get to eat anything.”

Jason forced himself to speak past the lump in his throat. “I know. But you should rest. If we stay, you need to go somewhere and use the oxygen tank.” He paused. “Do you want to do that? We can. We’ll get a room, and you can take a minute—”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother out of the corner of his eye and discreetly set a black case down next to him—the portable tank they’d brought with them. “How’s her pulse?” Monica asked her daughter.

“Slowing down,” Emily said, “but she still can’t take a full breath.” She looked at Elizabeth. “Honey, I know this sucks. It absolutely does. And I’m sorry. But you need to take care of you. Right?”

“I know. I just—” Elizabeth shook her head, sat up slowly. “I just wanted today to be perfect.”

“It was,” Monica assured her. “You looked so lovely, and you’re married. That’s ninety percent of the battle.”

“Jase, Mom, can you give us a minute?” Emily asked them. Jason scowled, but Monica touched his shoulder, and he stood up.

“I’m going right over there if you need me,” Jason said, pointing to a spot five feet away.

“Yeah, yeah—” Emily waved them off. When she was sure they were out of earshot, she focused on Elizabeth. “Sweetie, I know how important today is.”

“Em—”

“But you told me that the best chance for the baby to be healthy is for you to stay healthy. If you have a health crisis, it’s going to shorten the amount of time the kid gets to bake.”

Elizabeth nodded, then sighed. “Right. I know.”

“So, if you go home now, I’ll make sure everyone remembers you’re pregnant and just got tired. People will keep drinking, and it’ll be fine. I’ll get food packed up and sent over. Jason will still get the food you picked out for him. You’ll go home, and then tomorrow, Jason’s going to take you on a honeymoon where Sonny does not know how to find you.” Emily smiled at her as Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “Do you want to be tired and worn out on your honeymoon just so you can dance tonight in front of people?”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth apologized again as Jason closed the door behind them, then helped her sit on the sofa. She sank into the cushions, her dress frothing around them. She allowed the exhaustion to sink into her bones. She’d wanted to enjoy her perfect day—and it had been perfect, but then—

She’d insisted on going to looking for Jason and Sonny, then she’d fought with Sonny, making things with Jason worse—again.

“Hey—” Jason sat next to her. He touched her face, brushing her tears away with his thumb. “Why are you sorry?”

“I wasted all my energy on Sonny—I pushed myself—” She closed her eyes as the tears continued to slide down her cheeks. “And we didn’t even get to dance.”

He drew her back against his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist, his hand resting on her belly, just above where their son was sleeping for once. “It’s okay. We can dance some other time—”

“It’s not the same—” Her breath hitched, and she felt the tightness in her lungs again. Damn it. No! No, not tonight!

“Elizabeth.”

“It’s not—” She bit down hard on her tongue. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not. C’mon,” Jason murmured. He pressed his lips to her temple. “Let’s just take a minute. We’ll do your breathing exercises.”

Elizabeth inhaled, counted to fifteen, then exhaled, repeating the process until she could fill her lungs more fully. She felt Jason’s chest rising behind her, in time with her own. It was the quickest way to avoid going for the oxygen—

“Better?”

“Yeah.” And he’d been right, of course. She’d needed to take a minute, to give herself a chance to settle down. Elizabeth sat up and slowly turned, so she was facing him. “I’m sorry about Sonny,” she repeated. “I shouldn’t have gone out there. Or I should have let Bobbie and Carly handle it. I was just worried—”

“I know. And I’m sorry, too. When you interrupted us, I should have just gone back with you into the ballroom, but once Sonny told Carly about Ric, I thought—”

“You thought Sonny might do or say something to upset her. Maybe even trigger another episode,” Elizabeth finished. “And to make sure he didn’t lie to her about Ric. Because Sonny isn’t above lying to Carly to get her to come back to the Towers.”

“No,” Jason admitted. He looked down at their hands, sliding his thumb over the silver band he’d put on her finger that day, joining the ruby engagement ring he’d given her the day she’d testified against Vinnie. “If I thought there was any danger—”

“Sonny’s wrong,” she told him. He met her eyes. “If you’d told me before the wedding that we had to cancel or postpone because there was danger, I would have been okay with it.”

“You deserved this day,” Jason told her roughly. “I wanted it for you. For both of us,” he added. He tilted his head, his eyes soft. “You looked beautiful. You still do,” he added. “But just—in the church—taking the photos—you were so happy.”

“I am happy,” Elizabeth promised him. She leaned forward, their lips brushing softly at first, then harder. His tongue traced the soft fullness of her lips, then dipped inside. She moaned, tried to press herself closer to him, her fingers digging at the buttons of his tuxedo shirt—

Then her lungs seized, and she drew back, gasping for air. Jason didn’t even blink. He reached behind them for the tank, fitting the mask over her face. “Look at me,” he told her. “Focus on me—”

She managed to keep the tears at bay until the spell had passed, until she could draw a full breath. “I’m sorry—”

“I know—”

“I’m useless—”

“Hey—” Jason framed her face in his hands, his thumbs sweeping across her cheeks, brushing away her tears. “Stop. You’re not disappointing me. You couldn’t.”

“I just—” Elizabeth forced herself to keep her breath even. She couldn’t even get upset anymore, couldn’t even really let go.

Everything took more energy than it used to. She’d have good days where she felt almost normal, and then there be days where she’d be tired—She’d just hoped—she’d really wanted it to be different today.

“I just wanted it to be normal,” she told him. “I just wanted us to have a wedding night. You know?”

“I do.” Jason got to his feet and drew her up, bracing her with his hand at her waist. “And we will.” When she looked away, he pulled her face back towards him, cupping her chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I know we weren’t going to talk about it today, but you need to know that all I wanted was to be married to you. I have everything I need right now.”

She let her head drop to his chest, feeling some of the pressure leave her—not only physically, but mentally. He meant every word he’d just said—she was the one putting all the pressure on this day, on the things that came along with it. Jason would have married in her middle of the woods with no one around.

He’d done this for her, even though he’d worried it’d be too stressful, that it would demand too much of her.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. “I’m okay. I feel better. I do,” she added when he didn’t look convinced. “Can you do me a favor? Can you—can you put on the stereo? I left a CD in there—um—” She wrinkled her nose as he went over to the table at the base of the stairs, across from the pool table. “Track 3. I think that’s the right one.”

With a shrug, Jason pressed play.

Oh, why you look so sad?
Tears are in your eyes
Come on and come to me now

“I don’t think I could manage a full dance,” Elizabeth told him as the Pretenders echoed in the quiet, dark room. She walked out into the open space at the bottom of the stairs and held out a hand. “But maybe just a little while?”

Don’t be ashamed to cry
Let me see you through
‘Cause I’ve seen the dark side too

“Okay.” Jason took her hand, drew her close. She rested her hand against his chest, closing her eyes.

When the night falls on you
You don’t know what to do
Nothin’ you confess
Could make me love you less

“Was this what you’d picked out for us?” Jason asked, his breath rustling through her hair. “It seems a little sad.”

I’ll stand by you, I’ll stand by you
Won’t let nobody hurt you
I’ll stand by you

“It was on the short list,” Elizabeth told him, “but Emily agreed with you, and I didn’t think anyone else would appreciate it.” She raised her head to look at him. “But I love this song.”

So, if you’re mad, get mad
Don’t hold it all inside
Come on and talk to me now

“I’m sorry I keep doing this,” she said as they gently swayed, barely moving from their spot. “I keep making everything bigger than it is. Wanting today to be perfect.”

“It’s okay—”

“It’s not, and I love you for thinking it is.” She smiled at him. “Thank you. For today.”

Hey, what you got to hide?

I get angry too
Well I’m a lot like you

“It was a good day,” Jason replied. He kissed her hand. “Don’t worry about Sonny. Or Carly. I’ll take care of it.”

“I know you will.”

When you’re standing at the crossroads
And don’t know which path to choose

“Do you remember the first time we danced?” she asked him. “This is better,” she continued without waiting for him to answer. “I’m not pretending that I’m pretending you’re someone else.”

Won’t let nobody hurt you

I’ll stand by you
Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you

“Wait, you weren’t pretending I was Lucky? I thought that was the plan—”

She laughed, then looked up at him again, her chin resting on his chest, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “It was. But you know—you’re not Lucky.”

“I noticed.”

And when, when the night falls on you, baby
You’re feelin’ all alone
You won’t be on your own

Elizabeth laughed again, and he grinned. “Anyway. This is for us. No one else but us.” They drifted for a while, gently swaying, letting the music wash over them.

Take me in, into your darkest hour
And I’ll never desert you
I’ll stand by you

As the song faded away, Elizabeth took a deep breath and met her new husband’s eyes. “I know we said we would try not to make plans—”

“Elizabeth—”

I’ll stand by you

“But I want to make one, okay? Just one.”

“Okay.” He tipped his head to the side. “What is it?”

“A year from now,” Elizabeth said, “when the baby is born, and I’ve had my surgery, you and I will dance to the song I actually picked for us. Just you and me. Okay? I just—I want to make that one promise to each other.”

“Okay,” Jason said. “A year from now. On our first anniversary. That’s a date.” He leaned down to kiss her again. She gripped his shirt in her hand, then reluctantly drew back. “I love you,” she told him.

“I love you, too.”

Miami, Florida

The Setai Miami Beach Hotel: Grand Suite

Claudia Zacchara sauntered out of the luxurious bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around her, glaring at the man lounging on the king-size bed who barely looked over at her. “I could dance naked, and you’d still be looking at that whale,” she muttered as she stalked over to her suitcase.

Ric Lansing glanced over at her, setting aside the laptop computer. “I’ve seen it before,” he said coolly. “And I’ve told you not to call her that.”

Claudia sniffed, tugged out a black lace teddy. She let the towel drop, then turned back to Ric, a hand fisted on her naked hip. “Why didn’t you hit the wedding? It was perfect. We could have grabbed the little waif at the church. Poetic justice.”

Ric scowled, shoved himself off the bed. “They would have been expecting it. I didn’t lay low for the last three months to screw it up now.” He looked back at the website for the Port Charles Herald with the wedding headline and a photo of Elizabeth with Jason at one of the hearings she’d attended.

His blood boiled again as he reached for the laptop, studying the way Jason’s hand lingered at the small of Elizabeth’s back like it had any right to be there.

“They’ve heard by now from Javi that you’re back on the mainland,” Claudia said, dragging Ric’s thoughts away from Elizabeth and back to her.

“What does your so-called secret weapon say?” Ric said with a sneer. “You’ve had a guy on the inside for nearly two weeks—”

“Jason and Sonny are avoiding each other like the plague,” Claudia said coolly. “Which is why we let it slip that you’re in Miami. We made sure that Javi’s people contacted the business adviser. My guy will know how the message gets filtered. Sonny went bonkers every time my father planted a sighting.” She smiled at the thought of her idiot father and his lawyer.

They thought they were in control, but they’d never know what hit them.

“If you want to grab your one true love,” Claudia told him, sliding into a tight black dress, “we should grab her before we set up the Philly sighting. By then, they won’t be able to pretend it’s not happening.”

Ric grimaced, then looked back at the photo again. “No,” he murmured. “I don’t think we’ll grab her after all. She’s pregnant.”

“All the better—Morgan will be desperate—”

“But something might happen to the baby.” Ric shook his head. “I don’t want to risk it.” Everything had gone wrong when Elizabeth had lost that baby. If he’d just killed Faith when he’d had the chance—it would all be different.

“What do you care?” Claudia demanded. “It’s not your kid—”

“I said we’re not grabbing her,” Ric snapped, his eyes flashing as he locked eyes with hers. “Not yet.”

Claudia shrugged, then sat down to put on a pair of black heels. “Suit yourself. But once they actually think you’re coming back—” She arched a dark brow. “You won’t get near her again.”

“You underestimate me,” Ric murmured. Claudia snorted, then went back into the bathroom to apply her makeup. He shook his head.

Everyone underestimated him. They thought he was weak or stupid. They’d all find out soon enough what Ric Lansing was capable of.

Elizabeth would live long enough to regret betraying him. For lying to him, pretending to love him. He’d make her beg for her life before he killed her and took her child for his own.

She’d promised him a family. She had promised him until death did them apart, and he was going to make sure she kept those vows.

← Chapter 74 |