Your faith like the pain
Draws me in again
She washes all my wounds for me
The darkness in my veins
I never could explain
And I wonder if you ever see
Will you still believe?
– Falls On Me, Fuel

---

Sunday, November 16, 2008

No Name Restaurant: Dining Room

“If you can excuse me for a minute,” Nadine said, scooting her chair back. “I’m going to use the restroom.” She disappeared into the back hallway where Elizabeth had gone a few minutes earlier.

“You know what?” Claudia said, rising. “I have a need to use the facilities, too.”

“Claudia,” Johnny warned as his sister went around the table.

“Chill, John. The nurse will return in one piece. Both of them,” she added when he just narrowed his eyes. Claudia sauntered in the same direction as Nadine and Elizabeth.

“Well, Dad, did you get what you wanted?” Johnny wanted to know. He tossed his crumbled napkin on the table. “Have I crawled enough?”

“Showing up late is crawling now?” Anthony asked with a smirk. “Yeah, you got me what I needed, son. I very much enjoyed Elizabeth Webber having to come and pay homage to me—”

“To my wife,” Johnny said, and his father fell silent. “If Nadine weren’t involved, she wouldn’t have come within ten feet of this table, and you know it.”

“But she is involved, John,” Ric said coolly, and Johnny looked at his lawyer. “And you made it that way. You asked your father for help, and you’re going to criticize how he gets it done?”

“I don’t need a new bootlicker,” Anthony muttered. He lifted a shoulder carelessly. “But whatever, John. If you don’t want my approval, I don’t have to give it—”

“I never—” Johnny closed his mouth, thought better of what he’d been about to say. There was no point in picking fights on that score. “What was Elizabeth talking about? What speech about love did you give her and Jason last year?”

“Oh, it was nothing. I’m just touched really that she remembers it so fondly.” But Anthony’s smile suggested he was irritated Elizabeth had poked at him, offering him an insult wrapped as a compliment. Not that anyone who had overheard her would find fault with a single word she’d said, so if he did anything about it, it’d be ruining all the work he’d just done.

“Yeah, I’m sure she recalls you with warmth,” Johnny muttered, then settled in to watch for his wife’s return.

No Name Restaurant: Ladies Room

Nadine joined Elizabeth at the mirror as the other woman reapplied her lipstick. “Thank you. For what you said at the table.”

“Any time,” Elizabeth said, twisting the cap back onto the lipstick and dropping it into her purse. “I meant what I said, Nadine. I really am sorry about your sister.”

Nadine nodded. “I know. Um, can I ask something? And you can say no, okay, or you can tell me you won’t answer. But—when you came over—that wasn’t…it wasn’t, like, spontaneous, was it? They knew you were going to do that.”

Elizabeth opened her mouth, hesitated, then grimaced when another woman came around the wall separating the room from the door.

“No, go ahead,” Claudia said, sauntering forward, setting the black clutch on the sink. “Answer my brand-new sister-in-law’s question.”

Elizabeth and the other woman shared a long look that Nadine didn’t quite understand before Elizabeth refocused on Nadine. “Yes. To show that there’s no bad blood between our families, I came over to offer my well wishes.”

“And that’s why you came to the apartment the other day,” Nadine said, switching her attention to Claudia. “To set this up.”

“Sure. That’s why. It’s a tricky business, little sister. Not a lot of room for women to play a role. Usually we have to seize our opportunities. But then again, if you’re happy to play Suzy Homemaker,” Claudia said, arching a brow, “and negotiate peace treaties, there’s always space for that.”

Elizabeth picked up her clutch. “It was nice to see you, Nadine. I’ll talk to you at work.”

Claudia’s eyes followed the other woman to the door, then she looked back at Nadine. “God, I can’t stand her. How can you? That holier-than-thou attitude—and the way she smirks—it makes you want to punch her.” She yanked open her purse, snatched her lipstick out. “But you probably like her.”

“I don’t have a reason not to. Elizabeth was one of the few people who didn’t see my sister when she looked at me.” Nadine looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Don’t you get tired of people making up their minds about you before they even know you?”

“Why? What people see is what they get. That one doesn’t like me because I tried to come on to her boyfriend and there were some rumors about us for a while.” Claudia made a face. “But Jason Morgan wasn’t interested. God, I hate when the sexy ones are prudes. Imagine wasting that ass on such a bony little bitch?”

She fluffed out her hair. “Anyway, the reason I came back here—other than to needle that little goody two shoes—is to talk to you about John.”

Nadine bit her lip. “What about him?”

Claudia rested one hand on the counter and leaned in so that their faces were inches apart. “I want you to remember that everything my brother has done since he pulled that trigger on the docks that day is to protect you. My father could have had him out of the country in a second. You would have disappeared into the abyss just like any other witness. But John is desperate to make sure no one can touch you. Why do you think we’re here playing happy little family? Why do you think the bitch and her boyfriend are playing ball? Because of you.”

Nadine’s mouth was dry. “What’s going on? Why are you telling me this?”

“Because the day is going to come when you need to remember what John’s done for you. For some reason, you matter to him. He didn’t come to Daddy for help with the crazy one. Just for you. You make sure you honor that, Nadine. Or I’ll make you sorry you were ever born.”

Claudia snatched up her purse and stalked out, leaving Nadine bewildered.

No Name Restaurant: Dining Room

“Sorry that took so long,” Elizabeth said, sliding back into her chair, setting her clutch down on the table. She reached for her wine. “Claudia Zacchara—”

“I saw her go back there. I’m sorry—”

“It’s fine. Nadine realized it was a setup and asked. I just confirmed that it was a way to show there’s no bad blood between our families. And there’s not,” Elizabeth said, darkly. “Johnny and Nadine are fine. The rest of that family can burn in hell.”

Jason hesitated, then rubbed the edge of his brow with a thumb. “What did Claudia say?”

“Some veiled insults.” Elizabeth tipped her head, considered him. “Did she ever come on to you? I mean, like make a serious pass?”

Jason picked up his beer. “We talked about this.”

“We did. And you told me there was no one else.” She raised her brows. “She did, didn’t she?”

“Why does it matter? I didn’t—”

“No, but—” Elizabeth sighed, shook her head. “No. It doesn’t matter. It’s just—the way she looks at me. It feels like arguing with Carly sometimes. Back when she was still obsessed with you and had to go around smacking any woman who looked at you twice. Well, Carly didn’t scare me, and neither does Claudia Zacchara.” She picked up her fork, sliced into the cheesecake that had been served in her absence.

“Claudia probably should scare you. A little,” Jason added, when she just shot him a look. “She reminds me of Carly, too. A more homicidal version. You don’t need to deal with her again. She lives two hours away, and outside of the last year, we’ve never needed to deal with the Zaccharas. The only reason they’re even here is because of Johnny meeting Lulu.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t like the way she looks at me like she’s got a secret. So if she kissed you or something—”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Jason promised. Elizabeth searched his eyes. “I have no reason to lie to you. I haven’t touched another woman in more than a year—”

“I didn’t mean it like that, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just—” she exhaled slowly. “A little adrenaline from the whole thing. And I don’t think you touched her. But she seems like the kind of woman who wouldn’t wait for an invitation and get a kick out of telling me in front of people like a humiliation thing. So I just wanted to be ready. But if you tell me there’s nothing to know, then I believe you. I just really don’t like her.”

“Me either.” He squeezed her hand. “We did what we came to do, so let’s go home. I don’t want to be around these people longer than I have to be.”

Nadine’s Apartment: Living Room

Johnny hung his keys on the hook by the door, then seemed to stare at a spot on the opposite wall. “I’m sorry about tonight.”

Nadine closed the door, then remained there, leaning her head against it. “Your sister’s intense.”

His head snapped up and he looked at her. “Why? What did she say to you? In the bathroom? What did she do?”

Nadine straightened, startled by his reaction. “Nothing—I mean, nothing that you should be worried about. I’m used to Claudia, or at least I thought I was. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her.” She rubbed her shoulder, then wandered towards the kitchen. She took a bottle of wine from the fridge, then looked at him. “Sorry. I don’t have any of the kind we had at the restaurant. It’s a screw top.”

“I don’t care about that.” Johnny came forward, took the bottle from her. “Did my sister say something that upset you? She knows better. I told her—”

“She loves you,” Nadine said, and he closed his mouth. He looked down at the bottle. “I don’t know. Maybe she was worried because I asked Elizabeth if tonight was planned. If your dad knew she was coming over to talk to us.”

“Nadine—”

“She wanted to make sure I didn’t get upset about it. That I didn’t blame you, I guess. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you—”

“I don’t want an apology. Christ, that’s the last thing I need,” Johnny muttered, shoving the wine back at her and stalking away.

Had she said something wrong? Nadine cradled the wine bottle against her middle, watching as he paced the small length of the living room, then reached the opposite wall and looked at her again. “We talked once about our sisters. Which one of us had it worse. Do you remember?”

His mouth twitched. “Yeah. I do. You decided you’d rather have yours.”

“I won’t pretend I know what it’s like to grow up in a family like yours, with what your father’s done. With a sister who loves you the way Claudia does. The tight rope you have to walk. I know you don’t want me to apologize, and I won’t. It’s not my fault that situation exists. But I am sorry that I agreed to go tonight when you didn’t want to go.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he repeated. Johnny came towards her, took the wine from her again, then set it on the counter. He took her hands in his. “It’s okay,” he said again. “My family are what they are, and no matter what I’ve tried, I can’t escape them. But they’re going back home in a few days, and I don’t have to go with them.”

There was something in his eyes, something she couldn’t quite name, but she couldn’t look away. Couldn’t look away from him.

“I don’t have to go with them,” Johnny repeated. He slid his fingers through her hair, trailing them down her collarbone.

“No, you don’t. You can stay here with me.” She laid a hand on his chest. “As long as it’s where you want to be.”

The corner of his mouth tugged up, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ll regret that. All women who marry into the Zaccharas regret it.”

“Well, men who marry into the Crowells don’t tend to stick around, so…” Nadine licked her lips. “I guess maybe we’re both cursed. You think it’ll cancel out or double up?”

“I don’t know.” He leaned his forehead against hers, slid his hands down her arms from her shoulders to her elbows. “I wish I were the man you deserved.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, thanks.” She tipped her head up and kissed him.

Drake Condo: Nursery

Patrick lingered in the doorway, a hand resting against the frame. “Alexis just called.”

Robin looked up from Emma, readjusting the bottle so that the newborn didn’t gulp in too much air. “Yeah?”

“We’re all set for tomorrow morning. We’ll turn over everything we have, including the database Spinelli has built, and make final statements to your mother and Mac.” He tipped his head. “Alexis suggested that we not be there to make it easier. She has our written statement, and if there are questions, she’ll bring them to us.”

Robin bit her lip, looked back to Emma. “You don’t think that would be cowardly? To avoid seeing her? To not be in the room when we tell her what we know?”

“She came to town under false pretenses and hurt you. I don’t much care if it is cowardly.” Patrick folded his arms. “We agreed — we’re turning this over and making it the WSB’s problem. We did everything we could to protect the hospital. ”

“Yeah, I guess.” Robin sighed, set the bottle aside and shifted Emma so that she could pat her back, waiting for her to burp. “I’m inviting Matt for Thanksgiving by the way.”

“He’ll say no,” Patrick muttered.

Robin smiled, got to her feet, and started to walk in a circle, continuing to gently pat Emma’s back. “Maybe. And we’ll invite him again at Christmas. I can be very annoying when I want something.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Patrick said, and grinned. He dropped a kiss on Robin’s head, then on Emma’s. “I’m living proof that a little nagging can be good for the soul.”

“Ha, very funny.”

Morgan Penthouse: Bedroom

Jason lifted Cameron’s leg back into his bed, and pulled the comforter up to his waist, before making sure Jake was tucked in. Both boys, along with their great-grandmother, had already gone to bed before Jason and Elizabeth had returned from the restaurant.

The boys usually played until they dropped into sleep. There’d been many nights when Jason had carried Cameron to bed, Elizabeth right behind him with the much lighter Jake. Jason would have rather have been at home with them than sitting in a stuffy restaurant glaring at a man who’d tried to kill them.

He closed the door, then headed for their bedroom, stripping off his jacket as he crossed the threshold. Elizabeth had exchanged her dress for a black silk robe that hit her at mid-thigh. She hung the dress back in the closet, then glanced over her shoulder at him. “Hmm, I had plans to take that off myself,” she said, watching as he began to unfasten the buttons on his shirt.

“Well, I had plans for that dress, so I guess we’re both disappointed.” But he didn’t reach for another button, only pulled the ends out of his pants. “Boys are sleeping. Spinelli’s not home yet.”

“Probably with Maxie. I feel bad he’s not here as much because I kicked her out, but then I remember it’s Maxie and that feeling goes away.” Elizabeth crossed to him, then reached for the buttons on his shirt. Instead of undoing them, she leaned up on the tips of her toes to brush her mouth against his. “Sorry for getting jealous at the restaurant. I guess maybe I still have a little unresolved frustration that anyone thought…” She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, I guess you were technically single when those rumors about Claudia started to swirl, but—”

“I haven’t been single, technically or otherwise since I told you I loved you,” he murmured, tipping her chin up so their eyes could meet. “But I know a little something about being jealous.”

“I have no room to talk with what I’ve put you through, I know. I just….” Elizabeth slid her hands over his chest. “We missed so many chances and wasted so much time we can’t get back. I have so many regrets.”

“So do I.” He kissed her, his hands at her waist to hold her close. “But we don’t have to have them anymore. I’ve been…” Jason stroked her hair back from her face. “There’s something I’ve wanted to do for weeks. Months. Maybe even years.”

“Well, if we’re talking about lists kept for years, I have a long one myself,” Elizabeth said, but she stopped when Jason pulled away from her and went to his dresser. “Wait, is it an actual list—” The words died on her lips when he pulled a velvet ring box from the top drawer. “What is that?”

Jason stepped back towards her, keeping his eyes locked on hers. “I bought it after your birthday, but I wasn’t sure—I didn’t know if I had to right to—I’ve—” He stopped shook his head. “I didn’t know if I had the right to ask you first. When I promised you I wouldn’t take—”

She pressed two fingers over his lips. “Don’t apologize. Don’t. We were both so scared and you were so hurt, Jason. So destroyed. All I wanted was for you to be okay. Yes, there were times when I was upset, and even resented you for it. But I always understood. I love you. My boys—our boys—are happier with you than they’ve ever been. This life we already have together—it’s everything I ever wanted, and I don’t need a ring or anything else to prove you love me.”

“So you don’t want it?” he asked, and she bit her lip but couldn’t stop herself from smiling, looking down at the box. “I can return it to the store—”

Elizabeth snatched it out of his hand before he stepped back, even as a joke. “Don’t you dare. I want to see—” She flipped the top up and simply stared at the ring for a long moment, before looking up again, her eyes shimmering with tears. “It’s emerald. For Jake?”

“For Jake and Cameron,” he told her, and a sound escaped her lips that was almost a laugh mixed with a sob. “That’s—” He lifted the ring with emeralds set on either side of a diamond. “That’s why there’s two of them.”

“It’s for Cameron,” she whispered, throwing her arms around him. Jason wrapped his arms around her waist, buried his face in her hair. “You didn’t—but you didn’t ask me yet.”

“I’ve asked you three times,” he said, almost teasing, and pulling back. “I know you didn’t think I meant it the first two—”

“Ask me again,” Elizabeth said, her smile wistful. “Just one more time, okay?”

“Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She held out her hand. “Yes, I’ll marry you. And if you take it back this time, they’ll never find your body.”

Jason laughed as he slid the ring on her finger, then stumbled when she launched herself at him again, kissing his cheeks, his chin, his forehead before finally finding his mouth, her nimble fingers making quick work of the buttons on his shirt.

He lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed, and this time — the door stayed closed.

And the phone stayed silent.

Warehouse: Cargo Bay

“Patience you say,” Karpov muttered. He stalked to the edge of the pier, then whirled around to stab a finger at Jerry. “I have patience for months and nothing happens—”

“You didn’t request my assistance until after Sonny Corinthos was a vegetable,” Jerry said calmly. He adjusted the fit of his leather gloves. “Had you come to me earlier, we might have had success more quickly. Or I would have told you to seek more amenable shipping partners. Perhaps in Rochester—”

“No one says no to Karpov.” The Russian’s face was florid with fury, and Jerry sighed. He didn’t mind working with clients from the Baltic states — they tended to be cold-blooded and amenable to playing the long game. But when they lost their tempers—well it was almost impossible to get them back.

“As I told you in my last message, Johnny Zacchara is making the very inroads we’ve asked of him. He arranged for a truce between his father and Jason Morgan. A truce that does far more for the Zaccharas than the Morgans, I might add. At this point, that family has taken down three members of Jason’s personal inner circle from the child to the bride and groom. The syndicate was waiting for open bloodshed after that incident on the pier. But instead—”

“Instead he stops all shipments,” Karpov muttered. “Who does he think he is? What right does he have to tell me I cannot use those waters?”

An idiot trying to get out of the mob, but Jerry decided that wouldn’t do any good to offer. “My point is that Jason Morgan did not have to make that deal. He did it for his family. He feels protective of the nurse. Johnny’s wife. It won’t take more than a few more nudges for Johnny to give us everything we need — ”

“I can get what I need other ways,” Karpov muttered. “I snatch one of those kids, and he’ll give me those routes—”

“And you’d lack his South American and Caribbean connections to make them work, and all you’d have done is pissed him off. So if we could stop talking about blowing people up and killing children, perhaps you’ll allow me some more time?” Jerry asked.

“I am done waiting, Mr. Jacks. I must have results. You took the nurse’s sister to push Zacchara into cooperating. Why cannot I take something from Morgan?”

Jerry mentally counted to ten. “There’s not much left to take from Morgan that would work as a message. If you want a body, I can look at his inner circle. I am not recommending you go for someone in the immediate family. Dead children bring too much heat. Maybe you take the woman,” he said almost reluctantly. “But I remind you what happened the last time you tried to eliminate her.”

“Morgan cut all shipments,” Karpov growled. “And lost not an inch of power. How can he cut all those clients and lose nothing—”

“He spent the summer making contacts in other ports. Rerouted them. Almost admirable,” Jerry said, “if you wanted to cut your profits in half. He eliminated the most dangerous part of his business in a couple of months without making a single enemy. He has allies, Andrei. He’s spent his entire career being the smart one in this organization. Did you expect him to crumble at the first sign of stress?”

“If I kill this woman this time,” Karpov said, “I make him crumble, yes?”

“I think you’d be better going for the tech,” Jerry said. “Damien Spinelli is not only an emotional connection, but a resourceful one. He lives with Morgan and the family. And he single-handedly shut down your operation at the hospital. Why don’t you give me a day or two to look into eliminating him?”

“This Spinelli would be a message, then. We take this body, and Morgan does business with us?”

Not a chance in hell, but Jerry wasn’t going to tell him that. Killing a useless comatose woman was one thing — another death would only increase the pressure from the authorities—

Jerry had been contracted to find a way to force Jason Morgan to reopen the Port Charles shipping routes. After six weeks, he had concluded that was not going to happen. Now, all that he could do was bow out gracefully without having a bloodthirsty Russian hunting him down.

“Yes,” Jerry said finally. “Johnny Zacchara decided to do his part when I made it clear I could have taken the wife instead of the sister. If I can grab Spinelli at a time when I could have taken someone closer like the nurse or the boys, it will make it all very clear. Give me a day or two to set it up.”

“Fine. But this is your last chance.” Karpov stalked away.

“Raging lunatic,” Jerry muttered. It was time to think of an exit strategy.

THE END
for now

---

My deepest apologies for leaving you there, lol. It was necessary to break this project into a trilogy just so that you weren’t waiting YEARS to read it, and Book 2 took a lot longer than I’d hoped (two extra months!) But this seemed like a good place to leave our characters. Jason and Elizabeth are stronger than ever and engaged, Robin and Patrick are building their family, and well — everyone else is a mess.

I’m not going to give you a date as to when Book 3 will be out. I do have a lot of the big stuff already written from before the project was broken into pieces, but I’ve been working on this project since November 2023 and I’m taking a break to work on my Tortured Poets collection for Crimson Swift. I will promise, however, that you’ll get Book 3 this year — hopefully in the summer.  I appreciate your patience while I take my time to craft quality stories that feel worth the wait. Until then, check out the Flash Fiction and backlist of more than 20 other novels.

Love you lots <3
Lissie

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