Inspiration: Well, the world went wild on Friday, June 7 and not just because it was this author’s last full day of classes for the 2023-24 school (four half days left, let’s go!) But because on the heels of our glorious #LiasonBaby seeing Finn getting handsy with Barb (taking one for the team), he makes a call heard around the world, and GUESS WHO SHOWS UP. That’s right, Jason heard Liz might need him, and he took off like Forrest Gump.

Timeline: If you’re not watching daily, let me catch you up. Elizabeth has been stuck with Doctor Dud for about a year of official dating. He’s a recovering drug addict (years ago) and after the death of his father from ALS, he started to drink. Elizabeth and his brother Chase stepped in with concerns, he promised to stop. He was rude to Elizabeth when she expressed concern about her niece (Finn’s daughter with Hayden, Jeff Webber’s retconned secret daughter), and he basically threw her out. He’s apologized, but things are very tense with them.

After the memorial, Elizabeth headed to work and Finn went home alone to pack his father’s things. He did a half-assed attempted to go to an AA meeting, but went to a seedy bar and proceeded to get drunk with random woman, Barb, whose name is not official yet because Finn doesn’t know it and didn’t care to learn it. Jake is at this same bar, sneaking in with new to us friends Dale and Gordo (Gordo is our new hero, too). He sees Finn leaving with the handsy blonde, is upset, and goes to tell Elizabeth. After Elizabeth leaves to confront Finn, Jake makes a mysterious phone call. “It’s Jake. My mom needs you.” Then we cut to Liz walking into the apartment to Finn with Barb in his lap, kissing. End Scene.

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Who do I have to speak to
To change the prophecy?

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This was not the first time she had stood on this side of a door, hesitating to open it. It wasn’t too late — she could still turn around, return to her car, go home, and pretend that none of this was happening.

Three times she’d stood in a doorway, watching the supposed love of her life with another woman. Even now, even though she knew that this particular man couldn’t break her heart, that the truth of whatever was on the other side — she still hesitated.

Then she turned the key in the lock, twisted the knob — and pushed.

She found him just as she thought she would, sprawled out on the sofa, still wearing the remains of the suit from the memorial service, the denim-clad legs of a woman in his lap, his mouth against hers.

At the sound of the door, the woman — the blonde because of course she was — looked up, her brows drawn together. Finn’s head slowly swiveled, and his glazed eyes swept over her. No recognition.

Elizabeth looked down at the keys in her hand, then removed the key to the apartment, working it off the silver ring as she came forward and Finn started blinking, started to come to himself.

“Who is she?” the woman asked as Finn pushed her legs away, and he tried to stumble to his feet.

“No one you need to worry about. I won’t be needing this anymore.” Elizabeth set the key on the desk. “I’ll call your brother, tell him to keep Violet wherever she is. She shouldn’t see you like this—”

“Violet? Who the hell—”

“Wait, wait—” Finn came forward, his face flushed. “Wait, you have to let me explain—”

“Explain what exactly?” Elizabeth arched a brow. “That’s a woman who isn’t me behind you, her cheap lipstick is smudged on your cheek—”

“Hey—”

“Please. You’re both drunk, I can smell the liquor from here.” Elizabeth dismissed the blonde. “And since this started at the bar, you were drinking and driving. And whatever you had there, wasn’t enough because there’s a bottle of—” She stepped forward, took a closer look. “A bottle of tequila. Huh. Were they out of bourbon?”

“I just—she doesn’t mean anything to me—please—” Finn came towards her. “If you walk out—” There were tears in his eyes now. “Please. You can’t leave it like this—”

“I can, and I will. Why don’t you and—” Elizabeth tilted her head. “What’s her name?”

“I—that doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, you don’t know it.” She clapped her hands together. “This gets better and better. You threw away the last year for some blonde whose name you didn’t even learn—wow. Wow. I feel amazing. This—this is everything I wanted it to be. What a prince.”

“I just—I tried to find an AA meeting, okay? I tried. You’re not even listening to me! You’re not even letting me explain!”

“You tried to find an AA meeting, and…what?” Elizabeth lifted her brows. “You tripped and fell into a bar? You forgot my number? You forgot your sponsor’s number? Alexis’s? Chase’s? There are a lot of steps between an AA meeting and—whoever she is.”

“It’s Barb,” the woman said testily. “And I think I should go—”

“No, you stay. Stay. He’ll need someone who makes him feel better. Like he’s a man. Because that’s why she’s here, right? Why you didn’t want me or  your brother with you to go through your father’s things? You wanted someone who wouldn’t remind you that you’re a recovering addict with a little girl who depends on you.” Her eyes burned. “You wanted someone to make you feel like a big man, didn’t you? Did he tell you about Doctors Without Borders?”

“I—yes—” Barb edged around Finn. “Look, I’ll go—”

“Elizabeth, please, just—I know if you let me—I’ll get coffee. And I’ll go to a meeting. You—” He stepped forward and Elizabeth stepped backwards. “You could take me, and we’ll talk—Please give me a chance to explain—”

“Oh, I can drive you to a meeting because you’re too drunk to do it yourself, but not too drunk to go to a bar and pick up a woman. Boy, how lucky am I? Yeah, call a cab. I’m done here—” She was nearly at the door, but his hand encircled her forearm, pulled her back around. “Hey, let me go—”

“You have to understand, okay, because I can explain—”

“There is nothing you can say to ever make this okay—I don’t care that your father died, I don’t care that you have regrets — I will never do this again—” Elizabeth tried to wrench her arm back, but his grip was solid—

“Let her go.”

The new voice had her spinning around, and Finn’s head lifting, his brows creasing in confusion. Not a new voice, Elizabeth thought. An old one. Another echo from the past.

Finn released her suddenly, and Elizabeth lost her balance, stumbled into the door. Jason put both his hands on her shoulders, steadied her.

“Are you all right?” he asked, and she just shook her head, because now the tears burned in her eyes.

“I’m fine.  He didn’t hurt me.” Elizabeth turned back to Finn, standing there, looking pathetic. “I just want to go, okay? I just—don’t talk to me, don’t call me. Lose my number. Forget you ever knew my name.”

“Elizabeth, just—” Finn made a desperate grab for her, but Jason shoved him back — not hard, but in Finn’s inebriated state, he went flying backwards and fell over the coffee table.

Elizabeth paused in the doorway, exhaled slowly, then left, walking quickly towards the end of the hall and the elevator. She heard the door close behind her, and familiar footsteps, but she still didn’t wait or look back. She jabbed the button hard, staring straight ahead. “How did you know?”

“Jake. He said you might need me.”

She closed her eyes. “He—he called you?” Jake hadn’t spoken to Jason since that terrible day in the living room, had scarcely even spoken of him, and Elizabeth had decided to give the situation time, but to know Jake had broken that silence because of her—

The doors opened, and Jason touched the back of her shoulder. Elizabeth boarded the car, and he came in behind her, selecting the first floor. “I was surprised, too, but I’m glad he did. Are…are you okay?”

“Okay.” She repeated the word, pressed her lips together. “No. But I’m not going to fall apart. He doesn’t deserve that.” She brushed away the few tears clinging to her lashes. “Thank you. For coming. You—” Her voice faltered. “I told Jake, you know. That’s how you know. It’s actions. Not words. Finn had all the right words, but he never lived up to any of them.” She looked at him, at his familiar face, brought back to her from beyond the grave. “I told Jake that’s how you’ll know he loves you. Because your actions will show it. He’ll remember that he called you, and you showed up.”

The elevator beeped, and the doors opened. She stepped into the lobby, and Jason followed. “I’m going to leave a message for his brother, make sure that my niece is somewhere safe, and after that? I’m never going to think about this again.”

“Elizabeth, it’s okay to be upset.” He touched her arm, stopped her as she searched through her clutch for her phone. “It’s—”

“Not the first time I’ve walked in on my boyfriend with a blonde. I’ve actually got a lot of experience at that. Hey—” Her head lifted and somehow she had the strange urge to laugh. “Jake’s here because of that, you know? And you know—you know, I’m grateful. I’m actually—I’m grateful for this. I know that sounds stupid, and right now, I feel humiliated. But if this hadn’t happened, if I hadn’t actually seen him with her—I might have let this keep going. I knew he was going to keep drinking, I knew I was going to have to keep making the decision to support him and encourage his sobriety—but this? No. I won’t do this again. I won’t sit back and watch the man who was supposed to love me throw it away because a blonde with bigger breasts is making him feel like a big man—” The words tumbled out in a rush, and she stumbled to a horrified stop. “Oh, God. I’m a mess. Just go. Go, and let me make a fool of myself on my own.”

“Never going to happen,” Jason said, in that soft, almost amused voice. Not because what she’d said was particularly funny, but at the thought of him leaving her alone in this lobby while she fell apart. “Make your phone call, and I’ll follow you home, okay?”

“I can get home—”

“I’d offer you a ride, but you’re not really dressed for it.”

Her lips parted slightly. “A ride?”

“Yeah. I was at the warehouse when Jake called, so I brought the bike.”

“The—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “Maybe you could follow me home and wait. I could change?” she asked. “I think if I’m going to have a history lesson today, I should at least get to repeat something I actually liked.”

“Yeah, I think that can be arranged. Make your call.”

She grinned. “I’ll be right back.”