Penthouse

“We need to talk,” Elizabeth told Jason the second the door was closed.

“Oh, talking,” Brenda said, cheerfully as she sat on the couch.

“Brenda, please don’t take this the wrong way,” Elizabeth said carefully. “Go away.”

“I’ve tried that,” Jason said. “It doesn’t work.”

“I can’t listen?” Brenda asked, crestfallen.

“No, you can’t,” Elizabeth said pointedly. “Please?”

Brenda sighed loudly and over exaggeratedly. She stomped upstairs. “Fine. I know when I’m not wanted!”

Jason snorted. “You do not!”

When she heard Brenda’s door shut, Elizabeth took a deep breath. “You filed a police report when I was kidnapped.”

“Yes,” Jason admitted.

“You went to Taggart to file this report,” Elizabeth continued.

“Is that a problem?” Jason asked, hesitantly.

“I just…you went to Taggart,” Elizabeth repeated. “I can’t believe that. I mean, you hateTaggart.”

“Yeah…well…I needed help to search,” Jason replied easily.

“What else did you do?” she asked curiously.

Jason shifted and looked away. “I, uh, thought it had something to do with ELQ. You know, I didn’t realize it was initials. I thought it was the Quartermaine company. So, I went to Edward.”

“Edward Quartermaine?” Elizabeth asked incredulously. “Are you serious? You hate him more than Taggart.”

Jason tugged on his ear. “I also went to AJ.”

“You were really worried, weren’t you?” Elizabeth asked softly.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” Jason said hesitantly. “You’re not mad, are you?”

“Mad?” Elizabeth repeated. “Are you nuts? You went to three people you hate just to find me. How in the hell could I be mad?” She sat on the arm of the couch a little stunned. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I don’t know,” Jason told her. “It just…didn’t seem relevant.”

“It didn’t seem relevant,” Elizabeth repeated slowly. She laughed. “Yeah, I can see that.” She stood and held out her hands. “Come here.”

Jason put his hands in hers and let her pull him towards her. She stood and peered up at him.

“Thank you,” she told him. She tilted her head up, her eyes meeting his. Jason leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.

— Ten Minutes Later —

“Sending me to my room like I’m child,” Brenda snorted as she came down the steps. “I am a grown woman. I deserve the same respect as other grown women. So what if I giggle a little? I’m entitled. I’ve had a crappy four years–” Brenda cut her little tirade off abruptly when the living room came into view. She covered her eyes. “Oh my god, I think I’m blind!” she shrieked.

Elizabeth, startled, rolled off of Jason and fell onto the floor. Jason sat straight up on the couch, and glared at his wife. “What the hell?” he growled.

“Jesus,” Brenda moaned, her eyes still covered. “Warn a girl–you know moan a little or something. I would have stayed up stairs!”

Elizabeth sat up, a little breathless, her face bright red. “Where’s my shirt?” she hissed at Jason.

“I don’t know,” he muttered. “There it is,” he gestured under the coffee table. Elizabeth reached for it and jerked it over head.

“Christ, you have a bedroom,” Brenda continued. “Use it. Don’t be doing that stuff right in the middle of our living room!”

“Grow up,” Jason finally said. He stood and held out a hand to pull Elizabeth to her feet. “Come on. We’re going out to get something to eat.”

“I’m invited?” Brenda asked, stunned. She pressed a hand to her chest. “Oh, I think I must have hit my head or something.”

“You have to come,” Jason reminded her. “I can’t go out with Elizabeth in public, remember?”

“Oh, so it’s not because you want the pleasure of my company,” Brenda remarked. She sniffed the air haughtily. “I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere.”

“Fine. Then you won’t eat,” Elizabeth teased.

“Okay, so I’ve had a change of heart,” Brenda remarked, shrugging. “Let’s go get something to eat. And then we’re dropping Elizabeth off at her studio, understood?”

“Brenda–” Jason began, glaring at her.

“She’s right,” Elizabeth cut in. “One day a time, remember?”

“See?” Brenda crowed.

— Port Charles Courthouse: Two Days Later —

“I shouldn’t be nervous,” Alexis murmured as they waited for the jury to file in. “We did a good job. A really good job.”

“Right,” Ric agreed.

“I mean, there’s no reason for them to convict them,” Alexis continued. “There was no real evidence–”

“Alexis, Alexis,” Brenda cut in. “You’re making me nervous. Shut up.”

“Right, you’re right. I should just shut up. Because like I said, there’s no reason–”

“Alexis.”

“Shutting up.”

Elizabeth’s hands tightened around the wooden barrier as she watched the members of jury take their seats.

“It’s going to be fine,” Sonny assured her. “You did a good job painting a favorable picture of Jason.”

“It was all true,” Elizabeth said under her breath. “See, real friends stand by each other. They don’t cut each other down or make them apologize over and over again for the same thing.”

Sonny looked at her oddly while Carly used her hands to stifle a laugh. Maybe the little priss wasn’t all that bad after all.

“You hurt him, little girl, and you’re going to have a problem,” Carly warned her.

“Likewise,” Elizabeth remarked.

The judge called the court to order. “Has the jury reached the verdict?”

“We have, Your Honor,” the foreman said.

“Will the defendants please rise?”

Jason and Brenda stood along with their lawyers and Elizabeth stopped breathing for a full minute as she waited for the verdict.

“On the charge of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant Brenda Barrett-Morgan…not guilty.”

Elizabeth let out of sob of relief. If Brenda was found not guilty, then Jason would be, too.

Brenda let out a whoop and threw her arms around Jason’s neck. Jason pushed her away almost as quickly, but his grin was unmistakable.

“On the charge of murder in the first degree, we find the defendant Jason Morgan…not guilty.”

Carly lunged out of her seat and threw herself into Sonny’s arms before nearly knocking Jason over. Elizabeth hugged Ric, Alexis and Brenda before Jason was free from Carly’s clutches.

Jason hugged her tightly, nearly squeezing the breath from her body. “It’s almost over,” he breathed into her ear. “We’re flying to the Dominican Republic tonight.”

“I love you so much,” she whispered, making sure no one else could hear her, though it would be impossible over all other the noise in the courtroom.

“I love you, too,” Jason replied. “And it’s going to work this time. I promise.”

She finally pulled away and kissed him innocently on the cheek.

“Can we please get out of here?” Brenda demanded. “If I never have to see another courtroom, it’ll be too soon.”

— Vista Point —

Elizabeth sighed and leaned back against Jason’s chest. “How’s it feel?”

Jason kissed the top of her head. “How’s what feel?” he asked.

“Being a free man again,” she replied. “You and Brenda have been divorced for exactly sixteen hours.”

“It’s great,” Jason admitted. “She moved out as soon as we got back.”

“So, the penthouse is empty again, huh?” Elizabeth asked. “Your voice probably echoes off the walls.”

“Yeah, well, I’m glad Brenda is gone,” Jason replied.

“Oh, come on. You can’t say she didn’t grow on you a little,” Elizabeth teased.

Jason snorted. “Yeah. Like fungus.”

“Well, I like her. So you’re just going to have to accept her. I mean, you’ve got Carly in your life, I get to have Brenda. You’ve got Sonny, I get Zander.”

“And Lucky fits in how?” Jason asked amused.

“He was in my life before you. Doesn’t count,” Elizabeth remarked breezily.

“Sonny and Carly were in my life before you,” Jason reminded her.

She shrugged. “Details.”

“You’ve been spending too much time around Brenda,” he teased.

“Mmm…” Elizabeth murmured, closing her eyes. “I’m tired.”

“You wanna go home?” Jason asked, beginning to sit up on the bench. “It’s too cold out here for you anyway.”

Elizabeth shook her head and wrapped his arms more tightly around her waist. “You keep me warm,” she remarked contented.

“Yeah, and the next thing you know, you’ll be blaming me when you get pneumonia,” Jason said. “Come on. Get up.”

Elizabeth grumbled and pulled herself to her feet. “All right, all right. We can go.”

“Hey, at least you don’t have to worry about seeing Courtney at Kelly’s tomorrow,” Jason reminded her as he led her to the bike.

“I never thought I’d say this, but Sonny’s controlling nature finally did me a favor,” she said, pulling her helmet on and climbing onto the bike of the bike. “Sending Courtney to college in London. Good man, he is.”

“Right. Until the next time he does something controlling,” Jason told her.

Elizabeth shrugged. “Yeah, well, whatever. You getting on or what?”

“You’re not asking me to drive,” Jason said, confused. “This is new.”

“The roads are too slick.” Elizabeth grinned. “Besides would you let me if I asked?”

“Probably not,” Jason admitted. He straddled the bike but did it backwards so that he was facing her. He pulled off the helmet.

“What’s gotten into you?” Elizabeth asked, mystified. “You’re acting so strange–”

He cut her off with a short kiss that made her toes curl. When he pulled away, her eyes were a little dazed. “What was that for?” she asked, pleased.

He gave her a small smile. “You know…I think that I’m happier right now than I have been in years.”

She touched his face. “Ditto.”

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