October 26, 2020

This entry is part 8 of 16 in the Flash Fiction: Not Knowing When

Written in 55 minutes.


Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

The last thing Jason wanted to see when he opened the door to the penthouse an hour later was people sitting on the sofa. He knew Brenda would be lurking, but why the hell were Sonny and Benny with her—

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as she walked in behind him, setting a duffel bag on the desk. Jason put down her suitcases—he’d been strangely relieved when she hadn’t just put things back into the single bag she’d brought with her in September. The majority of her clothes were now in his penthouse.

And Brenda’s luggage was still at the base of the stairs, a glaring reminder of how close he’d come to ruining everything.

“I’ll go upstairs,” Elizabeth began, but Brenda shook her head.

“Oh, no, if this trio of morons is going to be deciding how the hell to save my life, I am not going to be the only woman in the room.” Brenda sprang up. “Look, I know we got off the wrong foot when I almost married your husband—”

Jason scowled at her, but Brenda kept going, “But in a very strange way, I’m like a fairy godmother, you know? Because if I hadn’t dragged him to Vegas, Sonny wouldn’t have dragged you there either, and now I’d be married to him.”

Elizabeth squinted. “Wasn’t that the plan?”

“Yes, and I think we can all agree marrying this—” Brenda flicked her eyes at him, frowning. “Well, some people like him but it would have been a terrible mistake. Tell her, Jason—”

“Huge mistake,” Jason muttered.

“Elizabeth, maybe you should go upstairs—” Sonny said. “Brenda’s just upset with the plan we came up with—”

“Upset?” Brenda whirled around, her dark eyes flashing dangerously. “Upset? Listen, Don Corleone, just because one time in my life, I was dumb enough—” Her hands were shaking, Jason noticed, and reluctantly he looked at Elizabeth.

“This is going to sound really insane, and I am so sorry,” he began.

“But Brenda could use someone in the room without testosterone,” Elizabeth finished. Her smile was thin, but he didn’t think it was disappointed. “I understand. Brenda—”

The other woman turned back to her. “They want to send me away. Lock me up, just like Luis. I can’t lose my life again—”

“I don’t want to lock you up,” Sonny said. “I would never do that to you.” He exhaled slowly. “I suggested the island,” he told Jason. “With guards to keep Alcazar from finding her—”

“But why can’t we talk about options that keep me in Port Charles? I don’t—” Brenda closed her eyes. “I just want some control,” she said after a moment. “It’s been four years, Sonny. And I wasn’t allowed to do anything. I couldn’t contact my friends. My family. I don’t know how much time I have left before—”

“I don’t understand,” Elizabeth said, “and maybe I’m not allowed to ask this, but, um, can’t you just…” She made a wave with her hands, looking at Jason. “You know.”

Jason paused. “That’s on the table, too,” he said.

“We’ve talked about this,” Sonny said, with a warning look. “He’s protected by the government—you wanna bring down more heat?”

“You got any other ideas?” Jason demanded. “Brenda shouldn’t be so desperate to get her life back that she suggested marrying me for protection.”

“Well, that, and your sparkling personality,” the woman in question muttered.

“I thought it was about your—” Sonny hesitated. “I thought you wanted someone to take care of you at the end,” he said finally as Benny looked away.

“I can do that with a power of attorney,” Brenda said. “It’s a side benefit. But I thought I might have a better chance of surviving if Jason was standing in front of me. I never said it made sense, Sonny. I said I was desperate.” As an afterthought, she shrugged to Jason. “No offense.”

“Then—”

“If the man Elizabeth overheard on the pier was someone watching Brenda, Alcazar isn’t giving up,” Jason said. “He’s not going to let Brenda go. It doesn’t matter where she goes, where we send her—”

“Sonny—” Brenda turned her attention on her former fiance. “If I thought I could get away with it, if there was any other way—I’d do it myself. I just want to live again.”

Sonny held her eyes for a long time, then nodded. “All right,” he said finally. “But that’s where the two of you are out of it,” he said to her, before looking at Elizabeth.

“Don’t wanna be in it in the first place,” Elizabeth grumbled, “but Alcazar keeps shooting at me.”

Sonny and Benny left then with plans for Jason to head over to the warehouse later that evening to work. Brenda went up to her room, waiting for Jason to deliver her luggage.

Elizabeth followed her, busying herself with her own unpacking, still not entirely sure how she’d gone from listening to Courtney tell her about her future romance with Jason to married to him and back in the penthouse.

A smile flitted on her lips as she closed a drawer in the bureau. She couldn’t wait to go to work the next morning. She and Courtney were working the opening shift.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone tonight,” Jason said. He closed the bedroom door behind him, looking at her with a hesitant expression. “And I don’t know if I can call to tell you.”

“Okay.” Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t—” He sat next to her, drew her hand into his lap, playing with her fingers. “That I wasn’t around when you were here last. Every time I looked at you—” Their eyes met. “I was lying to you. And I hated it.”

“I know you can’t tell me everything,” she said. “And I don’t want to know. But I also need to know when you can’t say something. Like right now—I would have been worried if you left and didn’t come back tonight. I’ll still worry,” she added, “but not the same way.”

“It’s been a while since where I was mattered to someone,” he admitted. “I’ll do better this time.”

“I’ll do better, too,” she assured him. “I wasn’t fair before, and I’m sorry.” Elizabeth frowned as he reached for her left hand, his fingers sliding over her ring finger.

“Do you want a ring?” he asked after a long moment. “I can get one.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together, considering the question. She should say yes. They were married. It was real and within a few days, everyone would know. Everyone would look at her hand and ask questions.

“I don’t know,” she said finally. “I know—I’m not sorry that we did it—that you dragged me into the chapel to win an argument—” Elizabeth smiled when he winced. “And it’s not like I’m telling you that I want undo it. I’m here. And I want to make this work. I just—”

She waited, trying to find the right words, hoping she wasn’t hurting him by being honest. He didn’t look upset—only curious. He tipped his head, encouraging her to finish.

“We got married on a whim,” she said. “We didn’t plan it. That’s not—it’s not how I want to make promises to you, Jason. You know? So, no, right now, I don’t want a ring.” She leaned forward to kiss him lightly, hoping it could take the sting out of her words.

His hand, strong and warm, touched her neck, his long fingers tilting her chin to the side to deepen the kiss. “You deserve more than Vegas,” Jason murmured.

“We both do, but I’m still glad we did it.” Elizabeth’s eyes drifted close as his mouth moved down her jaw. “Did you lock the door?”

“Yes,” Jason confirmed.

“Then if you don’t know when you’ll be home—” Elizabeth scooted back on the bed towards the headboard and grinned at him. “We should make the most of it.”

Kelly’s: Kitchen

The next morning, Elizabeth breezed into the kitchen and flashed a bright smile at the cook who was busy with his morning prep. “Morning, DJ.” He saluted as she hung up her purse and went into the dining room to start the side walk.

Courtney was already there, frowning at her smile as Elizabeth joined her and started making the coffee. “I thought you’d quit.”

“Why? Because I flaked my on shift yesterday?” Elizabeth shrugged, measuring the coffee. “I promised Penny I’d cover for her soon, and Mike said it was okay.”

“But—” Courtney edged away from her. “You…were mad at me the last time we talked.”

“I was,” Elizabeth said. She pressed the on button, then turned to face the other man fully. “But then I ran into Sonny, and he asked me to go to Vegas with him to see Jason.”

“Jason—” Courtney squinted. “Vegas? What—”

“And Jason and I talked about it, but it’s okay now. It’s easy to mistake a crush for something else,” Elizabeth said. “But I don’t have anything to worry about—”

“You don’t—”

“No, not since I moved back into the penthouse.” Elizabeth stared at her hand. “Jason and I decided to wait to get rings, but—”

“Rings? Penthouse—” Courtney held up her hands, her blue eyes wide. “Elizabeth, what the hell—”

“Jason and I got married in Vegas,” she explained patiently, enjoying the flash of anger in the other woman’s eyes as Courtney clenched her jaw.

“You—” Courtney cleared her throat. “You married Jason. Jason Morgan.”

“It was spontaneous, but—” Elizabeth went around the other woman to start unstacking the chairs. “But I’m glad you told me what you did. If you hadn’t, Jason and I might not have talked. At least not so soon. And once we’d sorted things out—well, we were in Vegas—”

“This is a joke, right? Or—or it’s business.” Courtney lifted her chin. “Taggert came in here yesterday, asking about you. Zander’s dead, didn’t you hear? Is that why Sonny took you to Vegas? Did you see Jason doing something?”

“No, believe it or not,” Elizabeth said softly, “Jason married me because he loves me. And I said yes because I love him.”

“No. No. I know what I felt, what he felt—”

“I’m sorry, Courtney,” Elizabeth said, attempting to keep her temper, “but you were wrong. And it would be best if you just forgot about it. You’re married—”

“This is a trick. You’re tricking the police, and you’re just trying to be mean to get back at me. You’re probably in the guest room again,” Courtney accused, her eyes flashing as she stormed out from the counter.

“No, Brenda’s in the guest room.” Elizabeth folded her arms. “I’m in Jason’s bed.” It might be small of her to enjoy this moment so much, but damn it—Courtney had pretended to be her friend.

Hurt flared in Courtney’s expression now as her lip trembled. “But he said—he told me—he told me it was over with you—”

“He thought it was. Now it’s not. Get over it.” Elizabeth walked away from her, and didn’t even flinch when she heard the bell over the door jingle as it swung open.

“Where did Barbie go?” DJ asked, leaning out from the kitchen. “We’re opening in ten.”

“She got some bad news,” Elizabeth said, returning to the counter to finish prepping for her shift. “I’ll take care of the morning rush.”

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

“You don’t have to worry, Carly already left for the club,” Sonny assured Jason as he handed him a cup of black coffee. “What did you find out? Can we get a line on Alcazar?”

“It might be easier than we thought,” Jason said, “since he’s in the hotel—”

They both turned at the sound of raised voices in the hall. Jason sat the coffee on the desk just as the door flew open and Max threw up his hands. He couldn’t stop the blonde who shoved her way in without tackling her.

“Sonny—” Courtney drew up short at the sight of Jason. She glared at him. “I hope you’re happy.”

Jason frowned, confused. “What—”

“If you’re here to tell me AJ dropped dead in the middle of the night,” Sonny said, “then, yes, I’m very happy—”

“I’m not talking to you,” Courtney snarled at her brother. “I’m talking to Jason.”

“Jason would also be happy with that news—”

“Sonny—” Jason said with a shake of his head. He looked back to Courtney. “I don’t know what’s going on—”

“What’s going on is that you lied to me,” she said, putting her hands on her hips. “You told me that you and Elizabeth were over, that it never really started—”

Sonny pursed his lips as Jason just stared at the other woman, baffled. “Uh, what am I missing?” He looked at Max who was waving his arms. “Max–

“So why the hell did you marry Elizabeth Webber two days after you kissed me?” Courtney demanded.

“You know,” Taggert said from the doorway where he’d just appeared around the corner from the elevator. Max dropped his head with a sigh. “The universe is really on my side these days.”

October 25, 2020

This entry is part 8 of 18 in the Flash Fiction: Shot in the Dark

Written in 59 minutes. No time for spell check.


Mykonos, Greece: Flat

Luke checked his watch, wincing. “I gotta get back to my place. Lucky will be wondering where I am, and if he starts thinking I’m against him—” He looked at Laura. “What do I do with Cowboy?”

“Bring him here,” Laura said reluctantly, shooting Elizabeth an apologetic look. “If Helena does have him under her control again, seeing Elizabeth might shake him into saying something. And if it doesn’t, well—”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose at being volunteered to play even a small role in Lucky’s nonsense, but it would be important to learn whether or not Lucky was being his normal jackass self or a new breed of brainwashing had taken hold. She left the Spencers alone to determine the best way to deal with Lucky and went back over to Spinelli’s computer desk where Jason and Sonny were studying some of the prints they’d made.

“Hey, Luke is gonna bring back Lucky,” she warned them. “But Patrick should be here—” she checked her watch. “In about an honor—”

“Spinelli’s getting closer to the security cameras,” Sonny reported. “He’s found the network—” He hesitated, looked at Spinelli. “What did you say?”

“I found the network, but decrypting it might take a while,” the younger man said. “Unless Robert and Anna can do this faster—”

Elizabeth started to reply, but her phone beeped and she picked it up. “It’s Dante,” she said as she pressed play on the speaker. “Dante?”

“Listen, I don’t want you to worry—”

“Where are the kids?” Elizabeth demanded.

“I got to Patrick’s place and found Maxie and Lulu tied up,” Dante said. Sonny scrubbed a hand over his face. “Apparently, Joss hitched a ride to the house—and distracted them—they can’t really explain it—”

Elizabeth hissed. “Are they gone? How long?”

“No more than half an hour,” Dante assured them. “They left Aiden in the living room with a Lunchable and the remote. He’s watching cartoons, so he’s fine—”

A Lunchable and remote. Elizabeth shoved the phone at Jason to put her head in her hands. “They could get into a lot of trouble in thirty minutes—”

“Clearly, but Carly and Michael are on it. Joss thought she turned off the tracker on her phone, but apparently Carly put one on something else Joss carries because, well, she doesn’t trust her. They’re on their way to the airport, and Michael is meeting them there.”

“The airport,” Jason repeated. “What were they planning to do, hijack a plane?—”

“They didn’t give details because, and I’m quoting Cameron here, only dumb villains monologue and give away the plan.”

Sonny snorted and turned away before Elizabeth could set him on fire with a glare. “Ask Carly where she got the tracker because I’m gonna need to lojack my kid when I get home. Thanks, Dante.”

“Honestly, tying Maxie up and gagging her is probably the best thing that’s happened to me,” Dante said easily. “I’ll keep you posted, and we’ll put the kids under closer watch. We underestimated them.”

“You have my permission to use the handcuffs.” Elizabeth took the phone from Jason and hung it up. She looked at Laura who came over now that Luke had left. “Cameron, Emma, and Spencer — with help from Joss — tied up Maxie and Lulu and made a run for it. They’re tracking them to the airport.”

“Oh.” Laura couldn’t fight the giggles. She pressed her hands to her mouth, but the mirth slipped out. “Oh, my. Did Dante take pictures?”

Jason put an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. “It’s okay. Carly and Michael are on it,” he assured her. “You’ve always wanted to gag Maxie.”

“This is insane. The kids are trying like hell to throw themselve in the middle of the nightmare and you’re all laughing— ” Elizabeth stalked away, storming out onto the terrace. Jason winced, and followed.

“I shouldn’t have laughed,” Laura said, her humor sliding away. “She’s scared for Jake—”

“Jason will take care of it,” Sonny assured her. “Let’s look over these maps. Tell me how much this has changed.”

Port Charles Airport: Drop Off Entrance

Cameron slammed the door on the taxi and shoved a pile of cash at the driver while Spencer lugged their duffles out of the backseat. “Okay,” he said. “We got to the airport. How do we get to Greece?”

“I reserved tickets,” Spencer said. “I used my father’s credit card, and we’re traveling as unaccompanied minors—” He peered at his phone and the email with the information. “We just gotta avoid everyone until the flight to Mykonos—”

“Oh, balls,” Jocelyn Jacks said with a sigh as she saw the tall, blonde man leaning against the glass entrance. “How’d he get here so fast?”

“What?” Cameron turned, his stomach sinking as he recognized Joss’s older brother. “Damn it! Your mom must have put something on you.”

“Going somewhere?” Michael Corinthos asked, sauntering over, his hands in his pockets. “How were you planning to get to Greece?”

“Unaccompanied minors travel all the time,” Spencer said loftily. “And my father never pays attention to credit card bills. I stole one last year and he never noticed. I only use it in emergencies.”

“Passports?”

“I brought mine,” Joss volunteered. “Spencer always has his because he’s a Cassadine. We were at Emma’s house, and—”

“I grabbed mine when we were packing. I never used it before,” Cameron explained, “but one time, my mom was going to take us on a trip and we all got one.” He’d had to slide it out of a drawer where it sat next to Jake’s. Aiden didn’t have one—his mom must have gotten them before Aiden was born.

Michael frowned. “This might have been dumb enough to work.”

“But Mom doesn’t trust me,” Joss complained. “What did she put the tracker on? Oh my God, did she like, open me up while I slept and slap it on my ribs?”

“Yeah, not telling you. Let’s go. We’re going home.” Michael looked at Cameron. “Dante had to call your mother in Greece, Cam. And she was not happy.”

His stomach sank. “He’s my brother,” Cameron said, dully. “I gotta help bring him home. Wouldn’t you try everything to bring Morgan or Joss home?”

“I would,” Michael said, “and part of me is pretty impressed by the four of you.” He met Cameron’s eyes. “But your mom has been through enough, Cam, and you know that. Don’t ask her to worry about you. And Spencer—”

“I’m a Cassadine—this is a matter of honor.” Spencer sniffed. “You have no right to tell me what to do—”

“Really? Because your mom and my mom were best friends,” Michael said. “And my mom wouldn’t want Courtney’s son getting hurt. You’re not just a Cassadine, kid. You’re my cousin, too. And Aunt Courtney took real good care of me.”

“My dad took off with my grandparents,” Emma complained, “and I don’t get to know anything.” She pouted as Michael picked up her duffel bag. “I just wanted to help.”

“I brought the rope,” Joss said when Michael started herding the four of them towards the parking lot. “Would you believe Dr. Patrick didn’t have none?”

“Shocking.”

Mykonos, Greece: Flat

The sun was just starting to set over the Adriatic Sea as Jason joined Elizabeth at the terrace as she looked out at the distant lump of land where the Cassadine estate could be found.

“He’s just across the water,” Elizabeth said. “And he’s sitting in the middle of some of the worst people in the world, Jason. It was one thing when it was just Helena and Stavros. I was scared, but I didn’t think they’d hurt him. But I don’t know Mikkos. And this Valentin—Luke said Helena is terrified of him.” She looked at him. “If we get this close to getting Jake back and lose him—”

“We won’t,” Jason told her. “We’re not going to get this close and go home alone,” he added. “I might not know much about the Cassadines, but I’m a pretty good shot, and I know how to follow orders. Robert and Anna—Luke and Laura—you were right. This is what they do. And you and I—Spinelli and Sonny—we’re smart. We think on our feet.” He tipped her face up to his. “We’re going to get our son back,” he promised her. “And we’re going to stop the Cassadines from coming back.”

Elizabeth leaned forward, her forehead resting against his chin. “And then Dante calls, and Cameron’s trying like hell to get here because he wants to help. Part of me is just so angry and scared—”

“And the rest of you is proud,” Jason said. “Because you’ve raised a really great kid who’d put his life on the line for his little brother without even blinking.”

“He’s just a baby.” Elizabeth swiped tears from her cheeks. “They’re all just babies. He shouldn’t be worried about this. He’s barely eight years old, Jason.”

“Barely eight, and without even taking a minute, he and Spencer put together plan to get to Greece, and Emma and Joss agreed to help because they’re best friends. There are worst in the world than finding out you’ve got a strong, independent kid who could take on the world.”

“I know.” Elizabeth’s mouth twitched. “They left Aiden with a Lunchable and a cartoon.”

“Resourceful,” Jason said and she laughed. Her phone rang and he handed it to her. “It’s Michael. He probably has them.”

Elizabeth took the phone and put it on speaker. “Michael?”

“Mom?”

“Cameron—” Elizabeth closed her eyes, relieved. “Baby. You’re with Michael?”

“He found us at the airport. I—I’m sorry. I just—” There was a pause as Cameron’s voice faltered. “I just want to find Jake. I want to bring him home.”

“I know you do. I’m so proud of you, and I love you so much. Jason and I were just talking about how amazing you and Spencer and the girls are to get that far. Did you have tickets? What about passports?”

There was a pause. “Dante said you didn’t want to reveal your plan,” Jason said, “but I think it’s safe now.”

“I found my passport in your room, Mom. I saw it once when you were getting my birth certificate. It was next to Jake’s. Spencer got tickets on a credit—” There was a scuffle. “Uh, I don’t know how Spencer got them.”

Tickets and passports. If Michael and Carly had been ten more minutes behind the kids, would they have been able to stop them? Elizabeth sighed. “Michael, are you there?”

“Yeah, hey. We’re on our way to Mom’s place. Dante is coming over to hang out. For some reason, Lulu and Maxie are tapping out.”

“Please, I did the world a favor,” Joss said from the background. “They should always be gagged.”

“Anyway, Mom’s got this. She’s always one step ahead of Joss mostly because Mom already did worse than Joss is ever gonna try—”

“I’ll find that tracker!”

“I’ll call you if they break out again,” Michael said.

“Okay, thanks. Cameron, I love you,” Elizabeth said. “But if you decide to tie up Carly and gag her—”

“Make sure you take pictures this time,” Jason offered.

Michael snorted. “We could make a lot of money selling those.”

“Bye, Mom. Bye Jason.”

She hung up the phone, looked at Jason. “We’re going to get our little boy, aren’t we?” she said softly. “We’re going to get Jake and bring him home.” She slid her phone in her pocket, then reached up to kiss him fiercely. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

They stood there for another minute, looking out over the island but then Laura came out on the terrace. “Before you decide to just swim over,” she said, “Luke’s on his way up with Lucky.”

“Well, I guess I’m back in the Saving Lucky business,” Elizabeth muttered, but Laura shook her head.

“No. It’s not like that, sweetheart. If Helena has control again, it’s not on you to take care of it. It’s me. And Luke. We should have finished this a long time ago.” Laura lifted her chin. “But I think seeing you—with Jason—it might shake Lucky enough. If he thinks giving Jake back to you will win you back—”

“You always did piss him off just by breathing,” Elizabeth said even as Jason made a face. She focused on Laura again. “Michael called. They have the kids.”

“Oh, good. How close did they get?”

“Honestly, ten more minutes, and we’ve have a child army ready to go to war,” Elizabeth admitted as they went back inside. “I think they might stay put for a while, but—”

The door opened and Lucky stumbled in, blinking at the crowd of them. Spinelli got to his feet, Sonny angling himself slightly in front of the younger man, unsure what Lucky might do or say.

“What’s—” Lucky looked around. “Mom—” His eyes found Elizabeth. “Why—you came. You came to help. Dad told you? He told you Nikolas stole our boy—”

“No, Nikolas stole my son,” Elizabeth corrected, gently. “Min and Jason’s. We’re here to get him back. To take him home.” She slid her arm through Jason’s, smiled up at him. “Together.”

Lucky shook his head. “No—No, that’s not—” He looked at his father who sighed. “That’s not how this is supposd to happen.”

“Cowboy—”

“She—” Lucky’s hands fisted at his sides. “I’m supposed to—I’m—” He glared at Elizabeth. “You’re doing it again. You’re ruining everything!”

“How am I ruining anything?” Elizabeth said coolly. “You left Port Charles and made it very clear that you didn’t want me or any of my boys in your life.”

“No, no, no—this is wrong.” He took a step towards her, and Jason’s hand tightened around hers, tugging her back slightly. “I’m supposed—you’re supposed to come back to me.”

“According to who?” Elizabeth asked. “I’m telling you how it is—”

“Damn, she said that if I killed Nikolas, I could have Jake back!” Lucky raged. “If I could bring him home, you’d love me again! She promised!” He turned his fury to Jason. “You’re always ruining everything—”

He lunged at Jason, pulling a knife from beneath his jacket. The room exploded in chaos as Jason tried to shove Elizabeth aside just as she pushed him away—over balancing them both—Lucky crashed into them, sending them all to the ground.

“God damn it!” Sonny growled as he waded in. Luke grabbed Lucky by the back of the jacket—just as blood began to pool on the floor. “Who the hell—”

“It’s not me,” Lucky said dully—his face crumpled as Jason rolled over and shoved Elizabeth on to her back—the knife shoved into her gut. Elizabeth stared blankly at the knife, then at Lucky before her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed out.

October 24, 2020

This entry is part 5 of 41 in the Flash Fiction: Signs of Life

Written in 59 minutes. No time for spell check. Forgive any issues with the ending. Dad called as I was writing the kiss, and even though I ignored his call, it was right next to my computer, and my brain got very confused, then there was no time to fix it.


December 30, 1999

Kelly’s: Parking Lot

Carly scowled as her keys slid out of her hand and dropped with a clink to the ground. She started to crouch down to retrieve them but her foot slid out from under her, kicking the keys under the car. Wincing, she glared at the glint of silver mocking her from just out of reach. “Fine,” she hissed to the world.

She got to her feet, determined to go into the diner and force someone to get her damn keys for her. She was a Quartermaine now—she wasn’t supposed to be rolling around on the ground like a nobody.

Carly hitched her purse over her shoulder and started towards Kelly’s, but the roar of a familiar motorcycle stopped her in her tracks and she grinned. Jason might be angry at her, but she knew she’d talk him down eventually and he wouldn’t leave her in the lurch. She turned to the street, waiting for his bike to turn into the lot—but it sped right past her, around the corner of the diner, towards the alley—and someone was riding with Jason, her arms wrapped him, frizzy brown hair peeking out from underneath the helmet.

She growled and stalked towards the alley, determined to put a stop to this once and for all. Jason needed to stop playing in the playpen and concentrate on what was important — getting her out of her marriage. That was the only reason he was getting distracted by that child—he was bored—

Carly heard the motorcycle’s engine switch off, so she stopped at the corner, waiting for Elizabeth to go inside—

Only to see the little brat hand him the helmet and say something to him that Carly couldn’t make out from where she was standing. Jason grinned—her eyes narrowed—she knew that particular smile, the jerk—

Then she stared as Jason put his arm around Elizabeth’s waist, pulling her against him and kissing her. Not on the cheek. Not on the forehead. But on the mouth—and clearly not for the first time the way the little bitch curled up against Jason and all but climbed into his lap—she might as well straddle him on the bike, Carly thought bitterly.

“I’ll see you at closing?” she heard Jason asked, Elizabeth nodding and smiling at him. She waved and went inside. Jason watched her go, and Carly was not at all happy about the way he was smiling.

It looked like she was going to have to remind him who came first around here.

Kelly’s: Diner

Elizabeth smiled sunnily at DJ who just squinted at her, since the last time the cook had seen her, she’d tried to freeze herself into feeling nothing the night before.

“You look better, Lizzie,” DJ said. He flipped a pancake. “You pulling another double?”

“Mmm, until break is over in January, I took all the hours Bobbie would give me,” she said, hanging up her jacket and purse. “You, too?”

“If I let anyone else make the chili,” the cook said with a sigh, “we’d go out of business. Miss Ruby said no one ever made it like me.”

Elizabeth smiled wistfully, remembering the owner of the diner who had passed away earlier that year. Ruby Anderson had taken a chance on Elizabeth even though she was the worst waitress ever, and the tough as nails woman had had always had a soft spot for her. “Without you, this place would have fallen apart,” she told him, then went out to start her shift.

A few hours later, as she was finishing the first half of the lunch rush and gearing up for the late lunch shift workers from the docks, she noticed Bobbie coming in, smiling at Penny who was handling half the diner that day.

Elizabeth went behind the counter to check on the carafes of coffee, trying to avoid the redhead’s notice. She was grateful that Bobbie had been wrong the night before, but part of her couldn’t quite shake the notion that Bobbie knew Jason better than Elizabeth did. Had Bobbie said something to Jason? She knew she should just trust Jason—he said what he meant, and wouldn’t lie to her.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t also have a deep streak of kindness—but maybe that was just her insecurity again, Elizabeth decided. She was listening too much to the people around her who said she’d never be Jason’s type, but he didn’t kiss her like she wasn’t his type—

Except he wouldn’t just want to kiss her. That thought had slid into her head like an assasin somewhere between the third and fourth pots of chili, and Elizabeth knew the topic of sex would come up faster with Jason than it had with Lucky. It hadn’t really ever come up with Lucky, except just that once and she knew Jason wouldn’t pressure her but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get bored—

“You look like you’re trying to figure out peace in the Middle East,” Bobbie said with a smile as she came around the corner to pour herself a cup of coffee.

Elizabeth smiled tightly. “I didn’t pay a lot of attention in history,” she said, “but even I know that’s probably not going to happen.” She cast her eyes over the diner, wincing when she saw her last customer leave—Penny’s section still had a handful of diners, but Elizabeth was done for the moment.

“I’m sorry,” Bobbie said. “About last night. I really shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Bobbie—”

“No—” Bobbie put a hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “You’re part of my family, the way that Jason is,” she added. “And I suppose I never saw it coming because in my head—” she sighed. “In my head, it’s still supposed to be Lucky.”

Elizabeth’s throat tightened and she stared blindly at the counter. “And it’s supposed to be Carly for Jason,” she muttered.

“No—well—” Bobbie pressed her lips together. “Yes, I guess maybe. Which sounds terrible since she’s married, but—”

“But you thought Jason would get her out of the marriage with Michael and they’d be a family.” Elizabeth folded her arms, picking at a loose thread in her sleeve.

“I did,” the other woman admitted. “But that’s selfish of me because Jason is a good man who deserves to be happy. And he was right—he gets to make that choice.”

“You talked to him?” Elizabeth asked, frowning. Oh, God, what had she said—

“Nothing, except that I had heard he’d moved out and was glad. He was very annoyed with me, worried I might have given you the wrong idea about how he felt,” Bobbie added. “I realize now that I heard what I wanted to hear. What I expected to hear.”

“Because Jason and I don’t go together,” Elizabeth finished when Bobbie said nothing else. “We don’t fit. I know that.”

“Elizabeth—” Bobbie tilted her head to the side. “You know, I might have agreed even a week ago, but I think I just didn’t see how much you’ve grown up. You’ve been through so much, baby. I wish I could protect you from the world, but I can’t. And Jason absolutely deserves to be happy. He shouldn’t be cleaning up after my daughter or Sonny for the rest of his life. You’re both young enough to take a risk.”

Elizabeth frowned. “You don’t look like you believe what you just said.”

“It’s not that. Just because Jason is ready to let go of the last year—”

“That doesn’t mean Carly is.” Elizabeth bit her lip. And part of her wondered if Jason really was ready to move on from Carly. He’d been tangled up with her for years—had been rushing to her rescue barely two months ago. She was supposed to think that a few months of being around Elizabeth would change that?

“Just be careful,” Bobbie cautioned. “Carly can do quite a bit of damage, even when she’s not aiming directly at you.”

Corinthos Penthouse: Hallway

 

Jason nodded at Johnny on the door. “He wanted to see me?”

“Yeah,” the guard said, shoving the door open. “Yo, Mr. C. Jason is here—”

“Good, good.” Sonny waved him in and Jason reluctantly stepped over the threshold, avoiding the other man’s eyes. Was it always going to be this way? When Robin had hurt him, she’d left town and it had been easier to get over it. To find some understanding, even regret for how everything had worked out.

But Sonny and Carly were always in his face—even if Sonny wasn’t demanding forgiveness the way Carly was—Jason was finding it harder than he thought to face the whole thing. He’d stayed too long in the studio—had hoped by the time he’d left, his brain would have let it all go. But it just wasn’t.

“I heard from my guy at the PCPD,” Sonny said. “You didn’t tell me Taggert had already gone after Elizabeth. He got a search warrant?”

“Nothing to tell.” Jason looked at Sonny’s forehead. It was easier than meeting his eyes. He didn’t know what he’d find there or if he even wanted to know. “Elizabeth handled it and he walked away. Taggert knows there’s nothing in the studio. He wanted to scare her.”

“She doesn’t scare easy,” Sonny said, folding his arms. “This isn’t going away—”

“I’m meeting with Justus tomorrow,” Jason said. “He’ll take care of it. Taggert can’t prove anything and Elizabeth can talk circles around him.” He smiled then, not realizing it, remembering the frustrated bafflement in the other man’s eyes as Elizabeth had efficiently demanded the search warrant and located an error, forcing him to back down. She was tough than she looked.

“I know that,” Sonny said. “I’m pretty intimidating when I want to be, but ever time I tried to turn it on her to get you out of the studio, she just—” He shrugged. “Either ignored me or talked me around until I was agreeing with her.” He paused. “But the PCPD is still coming after you for Moreno—”

“They can do whatever they want,” Jason replied. “As long as Elizabeth is out of it.”

“She’s not giving an alibi?” Sonny asked. “I thought she’d want to—”

“I don’t think she’d refuse,” Jason said slowly, hating that he even had to have this conversation, but Sonny’s business depended on keeping people out of jail so he, at least, had a right to know whether or not Jason was about to be arrested. “But I don’t want her to lie for me.”

“If it comes down to proving you were somewhere else—”

“Carly knows I wasn’t with Elizabeth,” Jason told Sonny with a shake of his head. “So—”

“Actually—” Sonny winced. “She does know. She saw you dancing with Elizabeth. At Kelly’s.” At Jason’s scowl, he sighed. “That’s why she was here,” he said. “She wanted to know how long that was going on. And I probably—” He hissed. “I egged her on. Didn’t tell it was probably innocent.” Sonny eyed him. “Whether or not it would be now—”

“It’s none of her business what I do,” Jason said, stiffly. “She married AJ. She made her choice. I’m making mine.”

“Okay,” Sonny drawled, waiting as if Jason would volunteer more but there was no way Jason was giving Sonny any more information about his life. Not when Sonny seemed to doubt the way Jason ran his life. He’d wanted to take Carly out of his life, so he’d taken her. Jason didn’t  want to know what Sonny might try if he didn’t want Elizabeth around.

No one going to take her away from him, unless Elizabeth didn’t want him anymore.

“Carly knows you were with Elizabeth that night. She doesn’t know exactly when you got shot. So if Elizabeth gave an alibi—”

“I’m not asking her to lie for me,” Jason cut in. “And that’s the end of it.”

Kelly’s: Diner

“So, really,” Elizabeth said to Francis as he stacked another set of chairs on a table as she mopped one half of the diner. “You just sit all day and watch me work? That’s it?”

“That’s it,” Francis said. “Mostly—” he hesitated.

“Mostly it’s to make sure the warehouse guys know I’m being protected,” Elizabeth said with a half smile. “I’m not an idiot. I told Jason about Sorel’s guys, and you showed up the next day.”

“That might be part of it,” the guard said, with a shrug. “Mr. C also likes you. Said you were top priority.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth wasn’t sure if she’d ever thought about being the top priority to a man who was a notorious gangster, but nothing in her life had gone the way she’d planned since she’d moved to Port Charles. In fact, dating the number two guy in the local mob and needing a guard was probably the least traumatic experience she’d had so far. “Well, that’s probably a good place to be if someone has to be on a list.”

“It’s not bad.”

The bell over the door jingled as Jason opened it, nodding to Francis. “Hey.” He glanced at Elizabeth. “Can I—”

“Sorel’s guys sat in Penny’s section,” Elizabeth said as she moved the mop over to the section where Francis had stacked the chair. “They said nothing, just like yesterday.”

Jason winced, then tipped his head to the guard.

“Night, Miss Webber,” Francis said as he took his coat from the rack and put it on. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Mr. Corelli.”

Francis flashed a grin as he left and Jason made a face as Elizabeth finished mopping the diner. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to sound like he was reporting back to me—”

“It’s his job,” Elizabeth said with a shrug. She picked up the bucket, waving him off. “I let Francis stack the chairs because I couldn’t stop him,” she said as she went into the kitchen to dump it. “I don’t mind closing and cleaning up. Bobbie pays extra.”

Something was off, Jason realized as he watched Elizabeth efficiently finish all the tasks and put on her coat. “Are you okay?”

“Me?” Elizabeth hesitated, then looked at him. “Yeah. It’s just—” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s silly, but I guess I’m still—this is weird, right?” She met his eyes. “A few days ago, we were something else. And now, we’re—whatever. And it’s just—” She bit her lip, then leaned up to kiss him, blushing furiously as she stepped back. “I’m allowed to do that now and not just think about it.”

Jason returned her grin, swallowing her smile as he kissed her again, letting himself push everything else away. He sucked in her bottom lip into his mouth, soothing the nicks she’d caused by biting it.  “I know,” he murmured, as he drew back. He wound one of her curls around his finger. “But I like it.”

“Me, too.” She smiled again, slid her hand in his, and then they left to take the cliff roads.

October 23, 2020

This entry is part 8 of 27 in the Flash Fiction: A King's Command

Written in 52 minutes. Basic spell check.


“At least I know you didn’t nothing stupid last night,” Johnny muttered as he helped Jason to see to the horses while Francis took Elizabeth down to the stream to wash and stretch her legs.

Jason glared at him. “What does that mean?”

“She can barely meet your eyes,” Johnny said, with a shrug, “and you don’t look like a man who’s enjoyed the marital bed—”

Jason grabbed Johnny by the fabric of his tunic, shoved him against the tree. “You think because we grew up together that you can talk about my wife that way?” he growled.

Johnny shoved him back, and Jason lost his balance, hitting the ground. He scrambled back up and launched himself at Johnny. The two of them grunted and rolled—Jason wincing when Johnny landed a shot to his jaw, but Johnny’s nose spurted blood when Jason’s fist connected to it—

“Oh hell,” Francis muttered as he and Elizabeth returned from their short trip to find her husband rolling around on the ground with hostile Highlander. “I was hoping this would hold a few more days—”

“Aren’t you going to stop them?” Elizabeth asked, blinking up at the taciturn blond man. “Shouldn’t—”

“Johnny’s been asking for it,” Francis admitted. “He likes to needle Jason more than he should, and—” he glanced at her. “Well—”

“He doesn’t like me,” Elizabeth murmured. She wrapped her arms around her torso, staring at the men, wondering if they would truly kill one another.. She’d only really known her father and brother who were nothing like these brawny Highlanders.

“It’s not that—”

“He doesn’t trust me.” Elizabeth lifted his chin. “Neither do you. Or my husband.”

Francis nodded slowly. “It’s not personal, lass,” he said with a bit of color in his cheeks. “Just—”

“I’ve kept secrets,” Elizabeth finished. “And you three think that ‘tis so easily to transfer loyalty.” Tears stung her vision as Jason shoved Johnny again, and the other man hit the tree, grunting before he hurled himself at her husband again. “Would you think better of me if I had immediately told Jason everything that I had only just sworn to keep quiet? Why would you trust me if I broke my word? You’d only wait for the day that I did it to you.”

Francis pressed his lips together, accepted the truth of that. “Aye, well, you should know that Jason barely believes you capable of any real treachery,” he admitted. “Johnny barely trusts his own mother—” He winced as Jason punched Johnny again. “I should stop it,” he muttered. He strode forward, grabbed Johnny by the arm and shoved him back.

“Feel better?” Francis asked Jason dryly as he held Johnny back easily. “You’ve broken his pretty face more than his brother did last Michaelmas.”

Jason wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I won’t warn you again,” he told Johnny. “You’ll hold your tongue—”

“Someone has to watch your back!” Johnny exploded, “or you’ll let your—” Francis growled and the other man broke off his words, looking at Elizabeth, whose pale face suddenly colored and she stared at the ground. Johnny’s meaning was clear.

“You may not like it,” Francis told him in a low voice, “but she’s done naught to deserve the way you speak of her. You’d blacken the eye of any man who did so at home.”

“Please,” Elizabeth said softly. “I think there’s been a terrible—” Her voice faltered as she met Jason’s eyes. “This was a terrible mistake,” she finally said, but her voice was so low it barely carried on the wind. She turn and fled back into the woods.

Jason shot Johnny a scathing glare before taking off after her.

“He doesn’t even see that she’s wrapped him around her little finger,” Johnny muttered. “I’m his first, Francis. I’m supposed to challenge him—”

“Like it or not,” Francis said slowly, “she’s his wife. They took a vow in the church before God and king. She’s Lady Morgan now, and you’ve treated her worse than you’ve treated a tavern maid. It doesn’t matter what secrets or danger she’s carrying. Jason swore an oath to honor her. No one is asking you to trust her,” he said when the other man just rolled his eyes. “But show some damned respect until you know differently.”

Elizabeth didn’t even know where she was she was running, but the choice was made for her when she stumbled into the clearing she’d only just left with Francis, where the woods opened into a small stream.

Her chest heaving, her face flushed with shame and misery, Elizabeth stood at the water’s edge and contemplated the depth of the water. Could she go across? Simply disappear into the woods? Vanish from the world and all the people in it?

“Elizabeth.”

She closed her eyes. She’d heard his heavy footsteps behind her and hoped that he wouldn’t be able to follow—how silly was she to think she’d be able to hide from a man who likely knew these woods better than she knew the four walls of her bedroom at home.

“When we reach Perth,” Elizabeth said, relieved to find her voice steady, “you should leave me there.”

“To do what?” Jason asked, stepping up to her side, his broad shoulders brushing her arm. Elizabeth refused to look at him.

“It matters not,” she said, wishing she could dip inside his mind without having to touch him. She knew now the voice she’d heard the night before — not Jason’s, but Johnny’s, the angry man who had resented her every step of the way.

He was Jason’s first, the leader of his men, one of Jason’s most trusted warriors. And now he was quarreling with Jason, violently clashing over Elizabeth, over the secrets she kept.

How could she continue this way? She couldn’t tell any of them the truth. They’d never believe her, and she half thought Johnny would have burnt as a witch if she told them she had visions of thoughts and could hear snippets of conversations for which she hadn’t been present.

And Jason would never trust her enough to let her stay his wife. He wouldn’t chance breeding her madness and curse into his sons. Her father, in all his cruelty and anger, had been right. Elizabeth should have stayed behind.

Should have stayed quiet and invisible.

“It matters,” Jason said, “as you are my wife, and the regent has charged me with your protection.”

“It would be a mistake,” she said, “if we pretended that you could bring me to your home and others would not share Johnny’s distrust. I am not of your clan, I am from the Lowlands, and the regent forced us into this match. And—” Elizabeth looked at him, raising her chin to him defiantly. “You do not trust me.”

“Johnny disagrees with you,” Jason said slowly, “which was the source of our disagreement. I might find it difficult to accept that you keep secrets from me, but that is not the same as distrusting you.”

Elizabeth frowned, shaking her head slightly. “But—”

“And I’m sorry if you think that any of the kindness or care I’ve given to you was out of pity or a hope that I could trick you into telling me what you keep to yourself,” Jason continued. He reached for her hand, and she watched as he traced the lines of her palm, his larger, darker fingers dwarfing her own.

“I cannot tell you,” Elizabeth said softly, her breath nearly a sob. “I can never tell you.”

“I know you think that’s true,” Jason said, their eyes meeting. Not letting go of her hand, he used his other to touch her jaw. The way he had the night before. “Because your father convinced you not to. And your mother thought you should stay quiet.”

“I—”

“I am asking you to trust me,” Jason told her. “Not with your secret,” he added when she closed her eyes. “But with the rest of you. If you can promise me that your secret will bring me or my clan no harm, than I will take you at your word and not press you.”

Her eyes flew open, and Elizabeth blinked in confusion. “But Johnny and Francis—”

“Will do what I tell them,” Jason finished. “I won’t leave you in Perth, Elizabeth. Even in the Highlands, arranged marriages are common. We don’t have to be any different. I have a need of a wife. My aunt is getting older and will need more help running the keep. I want children. Sons to continue my line,” he added as her heart began to pound so fast she could hear it in her eyes. “And daughters.”

“Daughters,” she repeated, remembering their conversation the day they had wed. “Daughters would not be a burden?”

“I have a sister,” Jason reminded her. “And she was never a burden to me or my father. She’s married now, living on the Isles,” he said with a trace of wistfulness. “I haven’t seen her in more than a year. I understand the worry your brother had for you that day—it was the same I had the day Nikolas took Emily away, and I couldn’t protect her.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes, tears sliding down her cheeks. It couldn’t be real. Couldn’t be possible that he was really handing her the life she’d wanted so desperately deep down inside without demanding everything in return. There was a trick somewhere—there must be—

“Elizabeth? Will you come with me?”

“I—” She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t force the words out of her throat, afraid that if she spoke them out loud, this moment would vanish and she would wake up back in the inn with an angry husband or worse — back in Annan, and this entire adventure nothing more than the dream of a silly girl.

Jason bent down to her, his lips brushing against her so softly they felt more like a caress than a kiss. And she saw it — saw what their future might be—seated beside a hearth, Elizabeth smiling at him, her body round with child—oh, and Jason holding another child in his arms, a smiling, laughing, beautiful little boy—her chest nearly ached from the vision—or was it just a dream—

“Yes,” she whispered against his mouth. She threw her arms around his neck, clumsily kissing him back with all the love she wanted to feel for him, for the dream he’d laid in front of her, and the desperate hope that he was everything he was promising to be.

October 20, 2020

This entry is part 7 of 16 in the Flash Fiction: Not Knowing When

Written in 57 minutes.


Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

He needed to change the locks on the penthouse. If he’d had another set of locks, he’d still be upstairs with Elizabeth where everything made sense. Instead, Jason was standing in his living room, glaring at a stricken Carly while Baldwin and Taggert awaited his answer to Carly’s question.

Why the hell had Sonny—

“Well?” Baldwin demanded, shoving the detective aside. “You marry the witness against you, Morgan, or what? Is that why Elizabeth didn’t show up for work today? You dragged her to Vegas?”

“If you have any questions for me, you can talk to my lawyer,” Jason said flatly. “And I don’t have one right now, so unless you’re arresting me—”

“Oh, we’re not here for you, Anger Boy,” Taggert sneered. “We got a material witness order for Elizabeth so we’re bringing her in—”

“What’s the criminal proceeding?” Brenda asked as she joined Jason’s side. “I thought you could only get them if there was a pending proceeding and you wanted to make sure she was available. So what’s the case? Who’s the bad guy?”

“Brenda,” Taggert said with an impatient sigh, “this doesn’t concern you—”

“Unless—” Scott gestured at the set of suitcases by the stairs that Brenda had been pawing through. “Unless Mrs. Corinthos here is wrong and the blushing bridal brunette is not Elizabeth Webber. Maybe we got the wrong idea—”

“What’s going on?”

Jason kept his expression blank as they all turned towards the staircase and Elizabeth stepped off the bottom stair. She’d taken the shower, so her hair was damp, already curling at the ends, and she’d put on the purple summer dress she’d left behind. She’d probably gotten impatient waiting for Brenda to bring her a top.

“So you are here,” Scott said, narrowing his eyes, looking at the luggage, then Brenda, then Elizabeth again. “You know polygamy ain’t legal in New York.”

“Polygamy?” she repeated.

“Carly here let your good news slip,” Scott continued, “but we were debating the actual identity of the bride since Brenda looks like she’s all moved in. Or maybe you’re just a really understanding type of wife. I mean, you practically look alike—”

“Elizabeth, we got an order to bring you down to the PCPD,” Taggert interrupted as Elizabeth just stared at the DA with wide eyes. “So—”

“Am I under arrest?” She folded her arms. “Because I need to call a lawyer—”

“No, we got questions and we want to make sure you answer them—”

“I don’t understand. How do you get a material witness order if you don’t even know the witness has any material?” Carly demanded. “You haven’t talked to her—”

“Carly,” Sonny hissed. “You’ve done enough.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, looked at Jason hesitantly, and he knew she was regretting the decision to come downstairs. He hated this. Hated her being in the middle of all of this, and hated even more than it was his friend that tippd Baldwin and Taggert off about their marriage. They hadn’t even really figured any of it out yet, and now—

“Where have you been for the last forty-eight hours?” Taggert asked. “You didn’t show up for work, and night before last, you were seen running from Pier 52 after gunshots were fired. You didn’t call to report them—”

“It’s Port Charles,” Elizabeth said, walking forward, glancing at Brenda who was next to Jason. The older brunette stepped back, but Elizabeth remained several feet from him, and he just wanted to reach out, take her hand, pull her close to him and make them stop asking questions. “Someone is always shooting at someone.”

Taggert lifted his brows. “I went to see you at your studio when we got the footage. It was almost three in the morning. You weren’t there—”

“No, I wasn’t. I flew to Las Vegas that night with Sonny.” Elizabeth twisted a silver ring on her right hand. “Jason was already there, and we were meeting him.”

“You closed at Kelly’s at midnight. You went to Vegas after that?” Taggert said. “What the hell is in Vegas?”

“We have a hotel on the Strip,” Sonny interjected. “The Cosmopolitan. We checked in around five AM Vegas time. You can call the hotel.” He flashed a dimpled smile. “We just got back last night—”

“Short trip,” Scott said. He focused on Elizabeth. “Marriages are public record, Elizabeth. All I gotta do is call the registrar in Vegas—”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said, making a face. “We got married that night when I got to Vegas. I’m sorry if I didn’t send you an invitation, but you know, you’re not exactly high on my list, Mr. Baldwin.” She flicked her eyes over Taggert’s. “You either, for that matter. “

“You got shot at on the pier,” Taggert said slowly, “then ran to Harborview Towers, hopped a plan with Sonny, and got married to Jason, and I’m supposed to think it’s a coincidence that Zander Smith showed up dead the same day?”

“I can’t tell you what to think,” Elizabeth told him. “All I can tell you is that getting married to Jason had absolutely nothing to do with Zander or what happened on the pier.” She met Taggert’s gaze head on, and Jason knew that she’d phrased the response deliberately so that every word was the truth.

“Wait—” Scott held up a hand. “Morgan was already in Vegas?” His head snapped to Jason who just stared at him blandly. “When did you get there?”

“You can talk to my lawyer,” Jason said. “Elizabeth already told you. Our marriage doesn’t have anything to do with what happened in Port Charles.”

“I doubt that. We can subpoena flight records,” Scott reminded him. “Passenger lists. Car rentals. If you were in Vegas at the time of death—” He shrugged. “Then we can let this go.” He glanced at Elizabeth. “Unless Miss Webber—I’m sorry—Mrs. Morgan—” he said with such venom that Elizabeth nearly flinched. “Unless Mrs. Morgan wants to tell us what the hell she was doing on Pier 52 after midnight? Maybe getting rid of an old boyfriend to clear the way—”

Elizabeth’s mouth dropped as Jason clenched his jaw. “Lawyer,” he repeated. “Get out.”

“Is that it, Elizabeth? Wanted to make sure Smith couldn’t mess up a good thing? Got tired of playing them off one on another—”

Elizabeth put an arm out just Jason started to step forward, blocking him from commiting assault. “If you expect me to answer any other questions,” she said, icily, “then you should get an arrest warrant. Do I need to call my lawyer?”

“Do you have a lawyer?” Taggert asked with interest. He gestured at Jason and Sonny. “Their lawyer quit after her sister got blown up because of them—”

“I’ll get a lawyer within the hour,” she retorted. “And I’ll press charges for violating my constituational rights and for trespassing. We’ve told you to leave. Twice.”

“We’ll be in touch.”

Scott closed the door behind him as Elizabeth let her head drop down, her shoulders slumping. Jason looked at Sonny, who nodded.

“Carly,” he began.

“Wait—” The blonde frowned as her husband took her arm. “No, we need to fix this—why the hell did you get married? What is going on?”

“We’re going home,” Sonny told her, “so you can do all the yelling I ignored last night.” When they were gone, Jason turned to Brenda who put her hands up.

“I already told you I wanted to be anywhere else,” she reminded him.

“I need to get my things from the studio,” Elizabeth said to Jason. She tucked her hair behind her ears. “I can do that on my own if you can get a guard—”

“No.” He shook his head, then went over the closet to get his jacket and tossed her the one she’d worn in Vegas. “No, I want to get that done.” Jason looked at Brenda. “Don’t go anywhere. We still need to figure this out.”

“Always nice to be an item on the list,” Brenda said with a roll of her eyes, but Jason was already ignoring her and steering Elizabeth towards the door.

Studio

They didn’t talk on the ride over—Jason took her on the bike with a guard following in one of their SUVs so she’d have a way to get her things to the penthouse. The guard waited downstairs while she led him upstairs, unlocking the door and shoving it open.

She’d only been gone a few days, but already the studio felt like another lifetime. Elizabeth sat on the arm of the sofa and looked at Jason. “Do you think they’re really going to come after me for this?”

“No,” Jason said, but he didn’t sound nearly as sure as she’d hope he would. “No,” he repeated. “They wanted to piss me off, make me mad enough to give them something. Taggert still thinks I did this—”

“I don’t know, Scott sounded like he was halfway to a motive,” Elizabeth admitted. She stared down at her chipped nail polish. “I mean, you think he couldn’t sell it to a jury?”

“Elizabeth—”

“Imagine me, some kind of femme fatale,” she said, trying hard to force a smile on her face. “Got a rich lover on the hook, but I gotta make the last guy get out of the picture—”

“Hey—” Jason pulled Elizabeth up to her feet and into his arms. She pressed her face against his leather jacket. “We both know that’s not what happened.”

“No, it’s actually worse,” she admitted. Elizabeth tipped her head back to look at him. “And you said it yourself. Zander made himself your enemy, and I—I didn’t do what I should have. He didn’t matter to me. Not really. We weren’t even friends, and I only—” She sighed, sliding one of her fingers down the smooth material of his jacket. “I just went to see him in the hospital, and then Lucky was there, telling me what I couldn’t do—I wasn’t going to ask Zander to stay until that happened—”

“And then I came over and told you the same thing,” Jason said, with a slight wince. “I’m sorry—”

“It still doesn’t change what I did later.” Elizabeth stepped back, that false smile still on her face. “Maybe it was partly just being scared of being alone. Of not trusting that you and I were going to go anywhere. I don’t know.”

“You made a mistake—”

“And you forgave me because that’s what you do.” Elizabeth bit her lip as she picked up the suitcase she’d brought home from the penthouse two weeks earlier and flipped it open. “And I just run away. Isn’t that what you said?”

Jason came up behind her, drawing her against his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist. “That night—in Vegas—I didn’t mean it—I was just—I was angry,” he admitted. “At you, at Sonny, myself for letting it get so crazy—”

“You meant it.” Elizabeth turned. “You’re right. You forgive me, and I just go on to the next terrible thing. And the one time that you mess up, I didn’t even—” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have let you explain. Or just accepted it and forgiven you like you do for me.”

“Elizabeth—”

“Let’s just get this stuff and go. I didn’t even really unpack from when I moved out,” she told him. “You have so much to do, to worry about—”

“It can wait,” Jason insisted. He gently pressed her shoulder so that she faced him again. He traced his fingertips down her jawline, waiting for her to meet his eyes. “I know there’s a lot going on,” he began. “And we’re not—we’re not okay yet. You and me. We can’t fix everything with screaming at each other on the street and getting married five minutes later.”

She dipped her gaze down, her chest tightening. “I know,” she said in a painful whisper. “I wish we could just pretend the rest of it isn’t there.”

“Sometimes we will,” he told her, tipping her chin up again until she looked at him. “And sometimes we won’t. Right now, I just want us to promise each other something. I don’t want you to run away again when you get scared.”

“And I don’t want you to let me go because you think I’m better off.” Elizabeth gripped the sides of his jacket, leaned up to press her lips against his. “You were right,” she whispered against his mouth.

“When?” he replied, his breath hot against her cheek as his lips traced a line to the pulse point in her neck.

“Sonny told you were hurt, and I would have gone to the ends of the Earth to get to you,” she said softly. He drew back, their eyes holding. “I do love you.”

“I love you, too. I just wish I hadn’t shouted it at you the first time I said it,” Jason said with regret in his eyes.

“I’m glad you did,” Elizabeth said. “It was actually—” She bit her lip, then grinned at him, a more genuine one that she could feel down to the tips of her toes. “Once I got past the whole being screamed at part, I think it was kind of hot.”

He laughed, leaned his forehead against hers, tugging her closer. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth pressed her mouth to his collarbone. “So let’s get my stuff, go home and deal with Brenda so we can be alone.”

“That sounds like a great idea.”

October 18, 2020

This entry is part 7 of 18 in the Flash Fiction: Shot in the Dark

Written in 21 minutes. No rereading.

 


Mykonos, Greece: Flat

After Luke had shown them whatever he had on the phone, Elizabeth had gestured for Jason to join them at the table, and Luke didn’t even look that surprised to see him. Jason wanted to throttle the other man for the grief he’d brought to Elizabeth, for the lies he’d told—but a single look at the women told Jason that he was best just standing behind them and taking his cues from them.

So they’d returned to the flat where Sonny had taken Spinelli to get started. When Jason had admitted to Elizabeth that he literally had no idea how useful he’d be during all of this, he knew that Sonny felt even more useless. Sonny didn’t even go into the field anymore—he’d been delegating that to Jason for years. But Sonny knew how to look like he had things together, so putting him with Spinelli who was good at taking orders had been the best plan.

“All of the Cassadines,” Sonny repeated, staring at his former business partner. “Mikkos. Helena. The sons.”

“And Nikolas and Jake,” Laura said faintly. She went over to Spinelli’s computer where he’d downloaded Luke’s photos, looking for any extra information he could find. She stared at the photograph, the sight of Mikkos with both of his sons.

She could scarcely believe Stefan and Nikolas had thrown in with the murderous trio, and if Luke was right, if Valentin Cassadine, the most notorious double agent DVX and the WSB had ever employed, was on his way—

“This is Endgame all over again,” Luke said.

“It’s worse than that,” Elizabeth said. Laura and Luke frowned, looking at her. “Endgame was just Helena and Stavros. They wanted revenge against you, Luke. But Lucky told me stories about Mikkos. Stories that he’d heard from you all his life.”

“He’s the one that wanted to freeze the world,” Sonny said. “He’s insane—”

“He makes insane look normal,” Luke muttered. “How sure are we that the Dark Prince and Stiffin aren’t part of this?”

“I don’t know,” Laura admitted. “But—” She bit her lip. “Luke, the Ice Princess—”

“I broke it into pieces a long time ago,” Luke reminded her. “And it’s not nearly as powerful as anyone ever said. It was just a diamond—”

“And nearly everyone sitting at that table is supposed to be dead,” Elizabeth interrupted. “And if Lucky has been brainwashed again—Helena used the diamond to do that. She used it as a trigger.”

“Let’s just focus on getting eyes on the estate,” Sonny suggested, trading an uneasy look with Jason who felt as out of depth as Sonny looked. Brainwashing, diamonds, weather machines, dead Cassadines —”

“I’m working on the network now,” Spinelli said. “I can’t work any faster or I’ll be caught.”

Elizabeth’s phone vibrated and she glanced down at it. “Patrick, Robert, and Anna have landed in Athens. They’ll be here in another two hours.”

“They’ll know how to deal with Valentin,” Luke said. “Anna trained him at the WSB before he went rogue.”

“I’m going to go call the boys,” Elizabeth told Jason. “Patrick said they’re with Lulu and Maxie.”

But when Elizabeth went to place the call to Lulu’s cell phone, it went to voicemail, and disappointed, Elizabeth left a message for Cameron and Aiden, hoping that she’d be able to keep her promise and see them again.

Scorpio House: Living Room

Dante Falconieri shoved open the door to the house, grimacing as he saw the toys strewn across the living room. He’d gotten his wife’s voice mail at the end of a long overnight shift, and the last thing he’d wanted to do was help babysit anyone’s kids.

He frowned when he didn’t hear any sounds, so he went upstairs to Emma’s room, then just stopped and stared at the two women who were sitting on the floor struggling to free themselves—

They were seated back to back, with a a rope tied around their upper bodies, tying their arms down with their mouths gagged.

Dante dragged the gag from Lulu’s mouth. “What the hell?”

“Those are not children,” she seethed. “Those are demons from hell and we are never having kids—”

He untied them, trying not to snicker. “Where’d they go?”

“By now?” Lulu huffed. “I’m sure they’ve hijacked a plane. Oh, damn, where’s Aiden?” She rushed out of the room.

Maxie sighed, shoved her hair out of her eyes. “They left a letter,” she told Dante. “Spencer said it was a matter of honor, and Cameron said something about older brothers.”

“Did Emma leave a cryptic message?” Dante asked dryly as he picked up his ringing phone, unsurprised when he learned from Carly that somehow, Joss had also disappeared, leaving a letter about how her mom should understand, she’d do it for Jason.

Just another day in Port Charles, Dante thought grimly, as he called the airport and put them on alert for short people trying to get to Greece.

October 17, 2020

This entry is part 4 of 41 in the Flash Fiction: Signs of Life

Written in 53 minutes. Basic spell check.


Studio

Elizabeth stared at the search warrant that Taggert dangled in front of her, struggling to process not only what was happening in front of her but what had happened less than five minutes ago.

Jason had kissed her.

Jason had kissed her.

Jason Morgan had kissed her.

She knew she should be focusing on the search warrant and the police officers standing behind the irritated detective, but her brain was screaming at her that she needed to shut the door on him, turn around and ask Jason what the hell that had meant before they lost the moment—

“Last chance,” Taggert said, drawing Elizabeth’s attention back to him. She frowned. “Answer my questions—”

Behind her, she heard Jason make a sound that might have been a mixture of a growl and a hiss, and she knew that he never ever showed Taggert any reaction — except when Taggert was harassing her.

Because she didn’t want to explain to anyone why Jason was arrested for committing assault against an officer, Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Do you mind if I read it?”

“Excuse me?” Taggert frowned, letting his hand fall slightly. “Read it?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said. “I’d like to read it so I know what you’re looking for and so that I can make sure you don’t touch anything or take anything you’re not supposed to.” She held out her hand.

Taggert squinted. “Did you go to law school this semester or something?” he demanded. “Or is Morgan giving you lessons?”

“Uh, this is the state of New York and I watch Law & Order,” Elizabeth said with a roll of her eyes. “Reruns are on, like, all the time. So I know that if I request a copy of the search warrant before you come in, you have to give it to me. I’m not allowed to stop you, but I am—”

Taggert glowered but shoved the paper at her. She unfolded the paper and frowned at it. “You’re looking for bloody clothing, firearms, and any other evidence that suggests involvement in a crime.” She wrinkled her nose. “That seems really vague, doesn’t it?”

“Elizabeth—”

“Oh. You have a mistake on your warrant.” Elizabeth beamed at him. “My studio is on the fourth floor. You have it listed as the fifth floor.” She handed it back to him. “You need to correct that or anything you find might be thrown out of court.”

Taggert stared at her. “Who are you?”

“You heard her—” Jason began but Elizabeth waved him off. She could handle this.

“I mean, if you execute this search now with incorrect paperwork,” Elizabeth explained to Taggert, “I’m just going to tell the lawyer I hire to sue the PCPD that you knew it was incorrect and that you verbally, in front of witnesses that include your fellow officers, made it clear that you were planning to illegally search my studio for vague evidence because I was exercising my constitutional right to remain silent. It’s your choice.”

Taggert pressed his lips together. “I will be back with corrected paperwork,” he told her. “And they’re standing right outside to make sure you don’t throw anything out—”

“I would think you’d want me to throw things out,” Elizabeth said, opening her eyes wide with feigned innocence. “Because then I’ve abandoned the property and you don’t need a warrant. Is that why they’re staying?”

He stared at her for a long moment, then turned to the officers. “Let’s go,” he muttered, snapping his fingers. Elizabeth watched them go down the hall and head into the service stairs. She closed the door, letting all of the air out of her chest at once. She felt slightly dizzy and light headed.

“How—” Jason paused. “How did you know to do that?” he asked.

She turned. “What? Oh. I meant what I told him. They have reruns on Law & Order on one one of those cable networks all the time, and I spent like half the spring watching them over and over again.” She folded her arms. “I watched them a lot when I was home sick, and—” Elizabeth squinted at him. “Do you think he’ll be back with corrected paperwork? I wonder if he thinks the canvas knives count as a evidence.”

“I’ll call Alexis,” Jason said, still staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. “Elizabeth—”

“I know it must come as shock to you, and clearly to the rest of the world, but I know how to take care of myself. I’m not helpless,” she told him. “I’m sorry if that’s a problem—”

“It’s not.” Jason gritted his teeth. “I’m sorry,” he added. “I just—I hate that you’re being dragged into this. Alexis will make it go away. You’ve told Taggert you’re not answering questions, and I know she could get a search warrant thrown out.”

“Thanks.” She bit her lip, then tucked her hair behind her ears. “I don’t think they can force me to answer their questions, right?”

“You mean Law & Order didn’t cover this?” he asked with half a grin. She rolled her eyes. “No. Unless he decides to be really stupid and make it seem like you’re an accomplice—but that’s not going to happen. No one knows I was shot or that you took care of me.” He hesitated. “Except Sonny and Bobbie.” He sighed. “And Carly.”

“Oh. Well, Carly’s not going to do anything that…would…get you arrested,” Elizabeth said. Then winced, remember what had happened earlier that year when Carly had accidentally had Jason briefly accused of kidnapping Michael.  “Not again, right?”

“Probably not on purpose, but Carly isn’t predictable. Let’s not—” Jason took out his phone as it rang in his pocket. He grimaced at whatever was showing up on the screen. “It’s Sonny. I have—I have to go.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth rubbed a finger against her lip and watched his eyes drop to her mouth. Feeling a bit bolstered by that, she decided not to get mad they couldn’t talk about it right now. It had still happened, and it wasn’t like they could forget it entirely.

Right?

“I’ll see you later, then,” she said.

“I’ll see you later.” Jason waited a minute, then walked past her, and with another look over his shoulder, left.

Wednesday, December 29, 1999

Kelly’s: Diner

Elizabeth hummed to herself as she refilled sugar canisters behind the counter and kept an eye on the door to Kelly’s, wondering if Jason would come by at closing like he used before the shooting. He knew she was working the closing shift because she had met her new guard, Francis, who had walked her to work from the studio that morning. She wasn’t sure how she felt about having a guard but it also wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Bobbie smiled at her as she sat down with the evening’s receipts in her hand as well as the ledger for the diner. “You’re in a better mood than the last time I saw you.”

“Oh, well, that was at the Christmas Party,” Elizabeth reminded her as she finished the last canister and started to refill the ketchup. “Nikolas made things a little annoying for a while, but it’s starting to get better.”

Maybe if Jason came by, they’d go on a ride and he’d kiss her again. Or could she kiss him? She grinned to herself. It was so silly to think about something like, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt silly—

“I am so sorry,” Bobbie was saying when Elizabeth tuned back into the redhead. “That I didn’t realize earlier. I should have talked to Jason before.”

Elizabeth frowned, tipping her head. “Before?”

“Well, I suppose I didn’t know that Nikolas or Audrey had been by,” Bobbie continued, “or that they knew about Jason. I never imagined anyone would believe you and Jason were dating.”

Elizabeth’s stomach rolled slightly as she swallowed hard. “Well, Nikolas can be impulsive,” she said faintly.

“I know. But it wasn’t until the party when I realized that it would be a problem. It didn’t help that you left with Jason and Sonny,” Bobbie said with a shake of her head. “Everyone believed it then.”

“I was supposed to stay at the party with Nikolas and my grandmother? After he’d humiliated me?”

“Well, no, I suppose not. I guess I just wish I had anticipated how messy it would be. And it’s dying down, just like you said. I should have talked to Jason before the party, when I realized he was probably well enough to leave.” Bobbie smiled at her, a warm smile that still felt slightly wrong. “I feel guilty, Elizabeth. I should have seen that you were getting a bit of a crush.”

“A crush,” Elizabeth repeated. “I—”

“When I realized it, I went over to talk to Jason, and he realized it was awkward, too—”

Oh God. “Did you—” Elizabeth swallowed, horrified. “Did you tell him I had a crush on him?”

“Of course not, sweetheart.” Bobbie squeezed Elizabeth’s chilled hand. “I would never do something like that. I just told him it wasn’t a good idea for you to be known as Jason Morgan’s girlfriend, and he agreed.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes. “You did this the day after Christmas.” The day Jason had seemed fine with her, and then had abruptly left the studio and not called her or spoken to her for nearly twenty-four hours.

“Yes. It’s all right, Elizabeth. Jason’s a good man, and I can see how you could get your head turned a bit. With you at college, you’ll meet someone who will make you forget all about this little crush.” Bobbie beamed at her, then looked down at the receipts. “Oh, damn, I forgot to carry the one.”

“I need to go—” Elizabeth forced a smile. “I need to go in the back for a minute.”

Leaving the smiling woman at the counter, Elizabeth ignored DJ behind the stove and went over to the walk fridge.

“Lizzie, don’t go falling asleep in there—”

Elizabeth turned to him, her hand on the metal handle of the door with a sigh. “DJ, what was after locusts again?”

“Darkness, Lizzie,” the cook offered. “But I told you, you don’t want to be tempting none of that.”

“Maybe I do,” she muttered and went inside to let the cold air hit her cheeks and force some common sense into her silly little brain.

Kelly’s: Courtyard

Jason shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling strangely anxious as he walked towards the double doors of the diner, seeing the closed sign on the door. He knew she was still there—he’d called the new guard just to make sure.

But he couldn’t see her inside the diner, only saw Bobbie talking to Francis and putting on her coat. A moment later, the redhead emerged and smiled at him. “Jason! We’re closed. I just sent DJ home—”

“I’m here to pick Elizabeth up,” Jason said. “She’s still here, right?”

“Oh, she’s in the back with that guard you sent her. I guess you’re more worried about those rumors than I thought.” Bobbie hitched the strap of her purse higher on her shoulder. “I’m not sure this is a good idea,” she told him.

Jason frowned, shook his head. “What’s not a good idea?”

“Spending all this time with Elizabeth, alone,” Bobbie said, stressing the last word. “I mean, we talked about this, didn’t we? Elizabeth didn’t need a reputation that isn’t true, and well—” Bobbie pursed her lips. “I really shouldn’t say anything, but you’re a nice man. And you don’t want to hurt her feelings.”

Baffled, Jason shook his head again. “No, I don’t—”

“She has a bit of a crush on you,” Bobbie told him. “Now, she knows it’s not going anywhere. She and I talked about it—she knows we talked after Christmas, but I think—”

Jason put a hand up. “Bobbie,” he said, cutting her off. “What do you mean, Elizabeth knows it’s not going anywhere?”

Bobbie pursed her lips, squinted her eyes. “Well, I told her what we talked about after the party. About how you agreed she didn’t need to be known as your girlfriend—”

For the life of him, he would never, ever understand women. “Bobbie, did you tell Elizabeth that I don’t have feelings for her?”

A bit taken aback, Bobbie hesitated. “Not in those words, exactly,” she said, drawing the words slowly, “but I’d be surprised if she didn’t take that view.” Her mouth formed a little circle. “Oh. Oh, dear. I was trying to help, but—”

“But you did the exact opposite,” Jason muttered, dragging his hand over his face. First all the dumb customers in her face about how she wasn’t his type, and the idiot warehouse workers, and Nikolas and her grandmother—the cops—

Not to mention Jason couldn’t have handled any of this worse than he had.

Now Bobbie was trying to help.

“Jason, are you telling me you’re interested in Elizabeth?” Bobbie asked skeptically. “She’s eighteen—”

“And technically I’m twenty-five,” he bit out. “I know that. But I don’t exactly remember all twenty-five of those years, do I? Why does that matter?”

“Well, I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Bobbie said. “And she’s been through more in the last two years than most adults deal with in a life time.” She sighed. “I’m sorry. I just—I love her so much. I want her to be happy. I just don’t see how this—I mean, can you imagine what Carly is going to do?”

He didn’t have to imagine—he knew exactly what Carly would do if Jason publicly showed interest in another woman. “It’s my life, Bobbie. And it’s Elizabeth’s choice. Not anyone else’s.”

“Of course, of course. Well, she’s in the back. I’m sorry,” Bobbie said again, but Jason ignored her and went into the diner.

Kelly’s: Kitchen

Elizabeth emerged from the pantry, the last of her closing responsibilities completed and walked out into the front of the dinner—stopping when she saw that Francis was gone and Jason was standing at the counter. “Oh.” Nervous, she tucked her hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t sure if you—”

“I thought you might want a ride home,” Jason said. He paused. “If that’s okay.”

“Sure. Um—”

“I parked the bike in the alley.” He gestured towards the back of the diner. “I’ll get the lights and the door.”

“Okay.” Flustered and not really sure she was comfortable with any of this, Elizabeth went behind the counter to get her purse and coat. Jason flipped the locks and turned off the light.

In the alley, Jason went out first, and Elizabeth followed letting the heavy security door fall shut. She started towards the bike, but then he turned to her and Elizabeth barely had a minute to register what was happening before his mouth was on hers and she was pressed against him, his hands in her hair.

Elizabeth’s purse dropped to the ground and her arms went around his neck. She leaned up on the tips of her toes, returning his kiss with everything she could manage in her limited experience.

“I’ve been thinking about that all day,” he murmured as he drew back. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him, not really trusting her own ears. “Since yesterday. Longer.”

“Really?” Elizabeth said, a bit breathless, her heart pounding. “You’re not…” She licked her lips. “But Bobbie—”

“She was wrong.” He dipped his head to kiss her again and Elizabeth decided not to argue anymore.

October 16, 2020

This entry is part 7 of 27 in the Flash Fiction: A King's Command

Written in 67 minutes. Sorry I went a bit over and got interrupted in the middle, too. But I’m pretty happy with this. No time for typos or spellcheck.


Elizabeth’s eyes fluttered open the next morning when the sunlight slid through the opening in her tent. As her mind became alert, she also realized that everything hurt. She squeezed her eyes closed again, then slowly, pushed herself to a seated position, inhaling sharply as the muscles in her lower back and shoulders protested. Then she twisted, sliding her legs from the cot she slept in to the ground.

She sucked in another breath, almost on a sob as she realized she couldn’t quite bring herself to stand up. Every single piece of her body was frozen. She didn’t know what would happen if she told Jason she wasn’t sure she could stand much less travel on the horse again, and she expected to ride all the way to Braegarie? Would his patience with her disappear? Would he leave her here?

No. She rubbed her wrist. No. She couldn’t read her new husband very well unless she was touching him, and even then it was difficult to get a sense of him. But she’d felt genuine worry and concern. Some suspicion, some worry that she was keeping secrets, but she’d known that already.

“Elizabeth?”

His voice from outside the tent jarred her and she looked towards the entrance. “I—I’m awake,” she managed. “I’ll be out in a moment—” Elizabeth took a deep breath, then forced herself to stand, the muscles in her thighs protesting from the pressure, but she stood, wobbling slightly.

Now to take a step.

She stared blankly at the matted grass and dirt beneath her feet, her brain sending signals to move, but her body simply refused.

“Elizabeth?” Jason said again. “Are you all right?”

“I—” She bit her lip. “No,” Elizabeth confessed in a small voice. “I’m not. I’m—” She stopped as the flap to the tent swept aside and Jason strode in, ducking his head slightly. She smiled at him tightly. “I stood up. And that was all I could do.”

Jason nodded, his mouth tightening. “I’m sorry. We should have set an easier pace yesterday. We—we always camp here when we return from the town,” he said. “How did you travel from Annan?”

“Oh. My father hired a cart for my sister and I.” Elizabeth stared at her hands. “We were never instructed in riding, and—” A tear slid down her cheek. How useless she was. How little she knew about what would be expected of her. A Highland wife who couldn’t ride? Or care for herself?

She glanced at Jason, who was squinting at her, his brows furrowed in thought, as if trying to process how to go forward from here. Would he just take her back to the regent, tell him she was defective? It wasn’t too late to set aside the vows — she knew it was done often, particularly in the Highlands.

Expecting Jason to declare this a disaster, she was surprised instead when he came forward and lifted her, sliding one arm under her knees and the other under her shoulders. She gasped slightly, wrapping her own arms around his neck to brace herself.

“You’ll ride with me today,” Jason told her. “And we will stop in Stirling for the night. You’ll be able to rest there.”

“I—” She blinked at the sun as he walked out of the tent and set her down on the little stool by the remains of the fire. He jerked his chin at Johnny who scowled and started to pack up. “I could have—”

“Don’t worry about him,” Jason said. He pushed something into her hands, an oatcake. “Eat. You need your strength.”

She chewed her bottom lip, contemplating the grubby little oat cake, but when she raised her eyes to say something, her husband had already walked away, joining Johnny and Francis in packing up the campsite.

He’d meant what he’d told Elizabeth that morning by the loch—he should have stopped earlier that night. There had been other villages between Edinburgh and Linlithglow where he could have taken rooms, eased her into the brutal pace that they’d need in the hills later in the trip.

Instead, he’d let his irritation at Johnny and Francis’s suspicions, her refusal to trust him with the truth, and his own worry about what trouble he was bringing home to his clan — he’d let all of that cloud his vision, and he’d treated his new wife worse than he had the day of their wedding—which he hadn’t thought would be possible.

After they’d packed the tent, Jason took Elizabeth to the loch so that she could wash, and then carried to her horse where he set her in front of him—having her pressed against him all day would be his punishment, he decided.

But the universe had devised an even harsher penalty for his actions. When they reached Stirling, Jason was chagrined to learn that there was a festival in town which meant many had flocked in from the surrounding countryside and many of the inns were full.

“We’ll camp outside of town,” Johnny said when Francis had trudged out of the last place with a shake of his head. Johnny glanced at Elizabeth, pale and worn, leaning back against Jason, her eyes closed.

“They have one room,” Francis said before Jason could consider Johnny’s suggestion. He nodded at Elizabeth. “The lass needs to sleep, and another night on the cot won’t do her any good. I told them you’ll take the room, Jason. Johnny and I will make do and we’ll see you in the morning.”

Jason hesitated. They should keep trying. There were at least two or three more inns, one of which had to have at least two rooms. He’d never leave Elizabeth alone in one of these places, but—

“We can’t leave them alone,” Johnny bit out. He swept his eyes over Elizabeth again, but she was awake now, blinking at them blearily. Jason hoped Elizabeth thought Johnny was worried for their safety, but he knew what the other man was thinking. He didn’t trust Jason around her without Johnny to remind him that she hadn’t earned their trust yet.

His jaw clenched. He wasn’t going to make Elizabeth suffer another night because she hadn’t earned Johnny’s respect. It wasn’t him that she needed to satisfy. He looked at Francis. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Francis—” Johnny began but the blond sent his friend a sharp look. “Fine,” he muttered.

“We’ll take your horses to the livery,” Francis told Jason as he held the stallion’s reins. Jason dismounted and reached for Elizabeth. He’d stopped several times that day so that she could walk off the worst of her cramps and rest her muscles so she was able to stand on her own while he grabbed what they’d need for the night.

He put a hand at her elbow and guided her towards the low doorway of the inn. A few minutes later, the innkeeper had taken them to their room and Jason had arranged for supper and a hot bath to be brough up. Elizabeth had sighed, a soft sound that sounded almost happy.

“Thank you,” she said, twisting her fingers together. “It wasn’t necessary, but—”

“You’ll feel better when you’ve soaked,” he muttered, looking away from her, not wanting to think about her bathing. He did not need that image in his mind before they shared a room together for the entire night.

They ate first—a hot stew that tasted much better than the oat cakest they’d had for breakfast and around noon. Elizabeth’s color had already returned by the time the bath was brought in, two serving women bringing steaming pitchers with which to fill it.

“I’ll—” Jason got to his feet hastily. “I’ll go downstairs,” he muttered, then fled like a coward as Elizabeth stared at him then turned her flushed cheeks to the serving women, feeling a bit embarassed how quickly he’d left the room to avoid being near her while she bathed.

She tried very hard not to linger in the bath, but it had been several day since she’d been able to wash properly, and Jason had been right—the hot water really did make her feel so much better. She wasn’t sure how she’d make it all the way to his home since she knew it wasn’t possible to take rooms every night.

But he’d done this for her this once, and Elizabeth decided to see that as a good sign.

By the time Jason returned, she had finished her bath and was drying her hair by the fire. He stepped aside so that the maids could take the tub to another guest, then closed the door, clearing his throat. “Your father.”

Elizabeth stared at the flames, her comb clutched in her fingers. “Yes?”

“Even for a Lowlander,” Jason said slowly, “it seems strange that neither of his daughters were not taught to ride.” He sat at the table where they’d eaten their supper, watching her. “I assume your brother was?”

“Of course.” Elizabeth sighed and rose to her feet. She sat on the edge of the bed, running her fingers across the teeth of her comb. “My father does not think women should do many things,” she said after a long moment. “And riding was one of them. My mother—” She closed her eyes. “Her horse threw her.”

Jason frowned. “That could have happened to anyone—”

“Her mare was spooked by something,” Elizabeth said with a shake of her head. “And my mother couldn’t stop her—couldn’t jump to safety. Her skirt was tangled in the sidesaddle. My father…is not always rational.” She paused. “He never expected me to marry,” she admitted which was not quite the truth. He’d never wanted her to find a husband. Had never wanted her to leave Annan and risk their secret—her secret—to be known. “I fear that there are many things you would expect your wife to be capable of doing that I cannot.”

She looked up to find him staring her with a calm expression as if she hadn’t admitted what a failure she was—or would be. “I should have said something sooner—”

“Why?” Jason asked. He sat next to her on the bed, keeping at least a foot between them. “What reason could he have?”

“I—” Elizabeth wrinkled her nose, looked down at her hands. She couldn’t tell him the truth, but— “My father has never cared for me,” she said instead. “From my earliest memories. He’s always favored Sarah, but—he never intended her to marry either. Steven—he’s different,” she said softly. “He’s the heir. But neither Sarah nor I—after our mother died—received any instruction that would make us particularly fit for being a wife.” She looked at him. “He changed his mind about Sarah when we were invited to the court. He thought she might make a brilliant match.”

“But not you.”

“Not me,” Elizabeth confirmed. She thought that he would press on the matter, and she worried how she would deflect the questions—she didn’t want to lie to him, but she couldn’t imagine telling him the truth. That her father had feared that women carried the curse of her vision, and that Sarah might shame him and have a daughter just like Elizabeth. That his family would be dishonored and disgraced.

“What did your brother mean about your mother?” Jason asked, surprising her by the change in conversation. “That you should remember what she taught you?”

“I—” Her eyes widened and she looked straight ahead, at the dingy walls of the room. Could she tell him? Could she open up about this? Would he trust her if she showed a little of herself? She looked at him, met his eyes. “She taught me to be quiet,” Elizabeth admitted in a soft voice. “Not to speak. To be invisible.”

“To be—” Jason frowned, shook his head. “Why? Why would she teach such a lesson to a child—” The scowl deepened. “Why would your brother remind you of it.”

“Oh. Well—” Elizabeth’s stomach pitched strangely and she dipped her gaze down at his hands. They were so large. Larger than her fathers. He wore no ring that would cut her, but she suspected if Jason hit her with a closed fist, she might not wake up again. “Quiet children are safe,” she said finally. She touched the side of her cheek, absently where the cut her father had given her had only begun to scab over, the bruise fading into sickening streaks of yellow and green.

“Elizabeth—”

“Steven’s just worried,” Elizabeth said in a rush. “He—he doesn’t know you, and he can’t protect me. He tries, but sometimes my father—” She shrugged a shoulder. “He knows we might not see each other again, and he worries for me.”

“You don’t need to be quiet or invisible,” Jason told her. She glanced up to find him closer to her, his eyes intent on hers. “You will be safe with me.”

“Will I?” she asked, her voice scarcely above a whisper. “You don’t trust me. I know your men don’t trust me.”

“Whatever those secrets are,” Jason responded, his voice hushed but fervent—his hand reached out to cup her cheek. A shiver slid through her body as the sense of comfort, of security—of being safe sank into her body. He wasn’t lying to her. “Whatever they are,” he repeated, “I promise you that I will never hurt you.”

His thumb brushed away a tear as it escaped her lashes. Then he leaned forward and gently brushed his lips against hers. Startled, Elizabeth parted her mouth, and he deepend the caress. She closed her eyes and sank into him—he was open to her for the first time—the guards she’d been fighting for days disappeared—and she reached her hand up to touch his jaw, then slid into his hair, the dark blonde strands falling just below his chin.

And just as she believed she was truly safe, that this time it would be different—she had a flash. A flash of Johnny and Francis standing in front of him, with the horses. At the inn in Edinburgh.

And I can’t think of a better spy than a slip of a woman that screams victim.

Elizabeth couldn’t sense who had said the harsh words, but she could feel the venom, the hatred, the distrust down to her bones—she jerked away from him, jumping off the bed.

“Elizabeth—”

Shaking slightly, confused and bewildered—how could he be so true in one moment and feel so right—when she knew—she knew he didn’t trust her. And if he hadn’t said it, one of his own men thought she was a spy.

“You think if you are kind to me and promise me things,” she said, her voice shaking, “that I will break my word? Do you think that I am so weak? So soft? I made a vow—”

“You made vows to me,” Jason said tightly. “Are they not more important?” He rose to his feet, his face tightening with irritation. “Elizabeth—”

“I’d like to go to bed,” she said, trembling. “I—I am very tired. And I would like try riding again tomorrow.”

Jason pressed his lips together, then nodded. “Fine. Keep your secrets.” He jerked a pallet out of one of the bags he’d brought up and laid it on the floor. He laid down, his back to her.

She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around herself, and reminded herself that her mother had been right. Quiet. Invisible. It was the only way to protect herself.

October 9, 2020

This entry is part 6 of 27 in the Flash Fiction: A King's Command

Written in 55 minutes. Did a basic spell check but did not reread for typos.


Jason had hoped to make it to Linlithgow before the sun had started to dip in the horizon so that they could set up camp before complete darkness descended. He hadn’t planned to make any changes in their usual route home from Edinburgh — he and his men knew the terrain between the capital and Braegarie like the back of their hand and were able of making the trip in a week.

With the addition of delicate woman from the Lowlands who could barely seat a horse, Jason had steeled himself for the week’s trip to take more than double that. Elizabeth would never manage to seat a horse from sun rise to sun set, even if he set her before him and did the work.

By the time they reached loch, the waters were nearly black and the moon was high in the sky. Jason glanced over at his new wife, and even in the moonlight, he could see the way her shoulders were trembling with fatigue. The terrain had been relatively flat so far — if she was flagging after the easiest leg of the trip—

He swung down from his horse and caught Elizabeth’s mare by the bridle. The brunette blinked blearily at him. “We’re stopping?” she asked, her voice low and rusty from disuse.

“Aye,” he confirmed, furrowing his brow as she winced, rubbing her hands. “Can you dismount?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said, then made a face as she attempted to move her leg from the pommel of her side saddle. With a bite of her lip, she sighed. “I might need a little help,” she admitted finally.

“Set up camp,” he told Johnny and Francis, who had tied their horses to a near branch and were coming over to take the other horses. “I’ll take care of the horses. I want the tent up first.”

“Tent?” Elizabeth repeated.

“Aye,” Johnny said caustically, as he yanked the material in question from the pack horse. “Only the best for milady—”

“Johnny,” Jason said quietly. He met the other man’s stare head on, but Johnny’s eyes were shadowed in the darkness. “No.”

Francis quietly came up behind Johnny and removed the other supplies they needed to make camp. “I’ll get a fire going,” he said.

When Jason was satisfied that both of his men were occupied, he returned his attention to Elizabeth. He started her when he swung up behind her, mounting the horse. “What—” she began.

“It’ll be easier,” he said, reaching around her to gently wrap a hand around her calf and lift it over the pommel. Elizabeth hissed as her leg moved for the first time in hours. Her body was trembling against his, and Jason felt a now familiar shame spreading through his body. She’d told him she had little experience riding, and he’d pushed her too far, too fast on the first day.

He’d be lucky if she could even walk in the morning.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice tight with pain. “I didn’t—I said I would tell you if I was tired, but I didn’t—until we stopped and I tried—”

“Your muscles locked in this position,” he said, keeping his arms around her, steadying her. He was afraid that in her exhaustion, she might tumble right from the back of the mare. “And your mind adjusted. ‘Tis my fault for not stopping for lunch and letting you walk around.”

“I don’t want to delay your return home,” Elizabeth said fretfully. “I can do this—”

“We’ll see.” He took her hands in his and set them on the pommel. “I’m going to get down now. Hold on, and I’ll have you on the ground before you know it.”

Elizabeth did as he asked, and when Jason reached up to pull her down to the soft earth, she nearly stumbled and fell against him, her legs protesting the movement. “It—” She squeezed her eyes closed, pressing her forehead against his chest. He felt tears soak into his shirt. “It hurts,” she admitted.

“You need to walk,” he advised. He put an arm around her shoulders. “Or it will only feel worse.” Her arm snaked around his waist as they inched closer to the clearing where Francis had lift the fire and Johnny was cursing with the unfamiliar tent.

It was a small pavilion tent, patterned after what aristocrats brought to fairs and on their own sojourns. None of them had ever traveled more than a night with a woman, much less a laird’s wife, and Jason knew that Johnny was going to sulk for the entire journey.

“Is that for me?” Elizabeth said, staring at the white linen as Francis shook his head and joined the other man. He shoved Johnny aside, then patiently assembled the wooden frame work before attempting to stretch the linen over it.

“I thought it would be comfortable than a pallet on the ground,” Jason said. He frowned at her. “Did you not have one on the journey to Edinburgh?”

“Oh.” She dipped her head. “I suppose I did, I just—” She looked at him, her eyes little more than shadows in the flames. “I didn’t think of it as mine. I shared it with Sarah but—” She shook her head. “It wasn’t necessary, but thank you.” This she directed at the men. “For going out of your way. Please don’t think I need special treatment.”

“Says the lass who can barely move,” Johnny grunted, but some of his hostility had faded. “It’s fine,” he muttered. “You’re—” He wiggled his hands. “Small. Soft. You’d never sleep on the ground.”

“I—”

“Don’t argue,” Jason muttered. “This is as nice as he gets.” He jerked his head. “Let’s walk more to get your body loosened.” And if he let himself enjoy the way she felt, snuggled next to him, fitting perfectly into the crook of his shoulder — well that was his own personal secret.

Francis managed dinner while Johnny took care of the horses. By the time Jason was satisfied that she’d walked off the worse of her cramps, Elizabeth was convinced she’d crumble from exhaustion. She really hadn’t meant to make things more difficult for her new husband and his men—had been trying so hard to convince them she could hold her own —

But Jason was right — not moving for so long had tricked her brain into thinking she was fine. When he set her down on the small wooden stool that had also magically appeared from the pack horse, Elizabeth only felt marginally better than she had when he’d pulled her off the horse.

He’d been surprisingly kind in assisting her—she might even go so far as describing his demeanor as sweet if she had any way to determine what that might actually look like. She nearly preferred the open hostility of the suspicious dark-haired warrior—she was more familiar with aggressive behavior.

No one had ever put her needs and comfort first, and Elizabeth wasn’t really sure what to say or how to handle it. Could it be possible that she would really be able to start a new life in her new home? Could her new husband come to value and trust her?

She glanced at him as he sat on the ground, reaching for the jug of whiskey that had been hanging on the horse. He took a long pull, then glanced at her. “You should eat before you sleep.”

“Oh—” Elizabeth was about to protest that she wasn’t very hungry. The meat and cheese Francis had tossed at her on horseback at mid day had been twice as much as she was used to, and she’d saved a portion of it to eat later. But Johnny didn’t wait for her answer, just shoved a bowl of some sort of mashed something at her with a badly carved spoon.

“Thank you,” Elizabeth said. She gingerly pushed the spoon around the mash, then touched it to her lips, trying very hard not to recoil. It was dreadful and tasted not much better than dirt. But it was food, and she wanted them to trust her. To like her, if such a thing was even possible.

Johnny narrowed his eyes at her, sitting across the fire from her. “Not fancy enough for you?”

“It’s fine,” Elizabeth said hastily. She spooned up another bite and forced herself to eat it. “Thank you,” she repeated.

Johnny grunted, and looked away from Jason’s glare. Francis quietly ate his own meal. Elizabeth finished her food, but before she say anything, Johnny yanked the bowl from her hand. “You should go to sleep,” he told her.

Elizabeth rose to her feet, and Jason swiftly stood as well, throwing Johnny another scowl. “I’m fine,” she told Jason. “I’m quite tired, and I want to be ready to leave in the morning when it’s time. Thank you for…for taking care of me,” she told all three of them. I will see you in the morning.”

Jason took her arm, and helped her over the uneven terrain, pulling back the flap of the tent. “If you need anything—”

“Good night,” Elizabeth said to him. She managed a smile. “I promise. I’ll do better tomorrow.” She ducked inside the tent, and Jason let the flap close.

He closed his eyes for a moment, then turned back to his men. “The horses. Now,” he snapped in a low voice, wanting to be out of earshot of his new wife.

“I know that you don’t trust her,” Jason began, but Johnny shook his head.

“You are letting that woman trick you with her sweet smiles and fluttering eyes,” he snapped, keeping his voice low. “She’s not nearly as helpless as she pretends to be—”

“Didn’t see her acting helpless much,” Francis said idly, and Johnny turned to look at him, dumbfounded. “Put her on a strange horse. Clear she’s barely able to sit one, and then we dragged her along for nearly ten hours at a brisk pace. No stopping for breaks or meals.” He shrugged. “She can fake not expecting fancy food or sleeping arrangements, but not the riding.”

Johnny scowled. “Don’t tell me—”

“I don’t trust her either,” Francis said, patiently. “She won’t tell you why the regent wanted you to marry her, and she knows what service she was supposed to have done,” he added to Jason. “And her brother came to see her off. Made sure to see her off. She’s keeping secrets.”

“I know that,” Jason bit out. “But she’s still—” He glanced at the tent, isolated and lonely in the middle of the clearing. A pavilion tent alone was a strange sight. He was used to seeing them in larger numbers. “We still exchanged vows in the church,” he muttered. “She’s still my wife.”

Johnny’s scowl deepened. “And you’re my laird, which means I’d lay my life down for her if you ask it. But that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it—”

“She could also just be an unwilling part of this,” Jason retorted. “And making her mistrust any of this doesn’t do anything to get her to tell me what she knows. Francis is right—she could have been pretending everything else, but she didn’t complain even once today. She pushed herself because she wanted to prove herself to me. And she’s done that. I don’t think she holds any secrets that put my life in danger. For now, that’s enough for me.”

“You’re a fool,” Johnny told him caustically. “Taken in by pretty eyes and soft skin—”

Francis stepped between the two of them as Jason nearly growled. “Jason is right,” he told the other man. “Like it or not, she’s married to our laird. She’s his lady. She deserves the same respect you manage to give his aunt. You don’t like her either—”

“Aye, well, Tracy would flay me if—” Johnny muttered, then looked away. “All right. I’ll try harder,” he admitted.

“We’re changing the route home,” Jason said, deciding that he might as well get it over with. “We can make Stirling tomorrow, and Perth the day after—”

“That’s nearly a third of what we’d do in one day! And we never stay in towns—”

“We’re setting a slower pace now and let Elizabeth get used to sitting a horse. Once we leave Perth, there’s barely any civilization,” Jason reminded him. “I won’t have her falling ill and—” He broke off. “There’s no hurry to get home. It’s not worth it to me to work her to the bone.” And he was worried that a lifetime of living with a man like Baron Webber would cause Elizabeth to hold back any complaints about illness or her true condition. “You’re welcome to ride ahead. I can bring Elizabeth home on my own.”

Johnny hissed and dragged a hand through his hair. “No,” he said in a low voice. “You’re right. The girl could barely walk when you pulled her off the mare. She didn’t fake that. And one night on the pallet in a tent won’t fix it. Better to lose the time in a town than in the hills where we can’t easily resupply.”

He fixed his eyes on Jason’s. “Don’t forget that all of this could be a plot against you. It’s taken you less than two days to let down your guard—”

“And it could also be nothing more than we were told,” Jason said, slicing his hand in the air between. “Which means that she is an innocent young woman being dragged into the Highlands with no riding experience and three men she barely knows. She’s trusting us not to kill her in her sleep and pretend none of this ever happened. The very least I can do is make the journey as comfortable as I can.”

Johnny threw up his hands and stalked away. Jason looked at Francis. “You agree with him.”

“I think there are secrets that you don’t know,” Francis said, after a measured silence. “But I also think she might not know them either. And there’s no point in terrorizing the lass if she’s just a pawn. She’s not any trouble to me, Jason, and remember that Johnny hates everyone. He’ll respect her because you ordered it, but he won’t do more than that.”

Jason just shook his head and walked away from Francis, irritated with both of his men. He trusted them more than his own family, and they were both suspicious of his new wife, even if Francis was being quieter about it. Jason couldn’t quite bring himself to share those worries. Not after spending time with her, seeing her family —

But was Johnny right? Was he being played for a fool?

October 7, 2020

This entry is part 6 of 18 in the Flash Fiction: Shot in the Dark

Written in 63 minutes. Went a few minutes over bc I really wanted the ending to be just right. No time for spell check.


Plane

By the time Spinelli had transferred the photo to the computer to study the metadata or whatever it was, Laura had sent it to Elizabeth so that she could have it for herself. Elizabeth sat on a sofa and just stared at it, tracing her little boy’s face. She felt Jason’s weight next to her and she looked at him. “It has to be real,” she managed. “It has to be. He’s—this is exactly what he’d look like. He’s just—” A tear slid down her cheek as she looked back at Jake. “He’s lost some of the baby fat in his cheeks, see—”

“Yeah.” He put an arm around her shoulder and Elizabeth curled into his embrace, angling the phone so they could both look at the photo. “He looks like you,” Jason said after a minute.

“Really?” Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “I always thought he was more like you. The blonde hair, blue eyes—” She closed her eyes. “He had this way of smiling at me, and I just—I let him get away with murder. There was just this—this twinkle he’d get that was so much like you—”

“Twinkle?” Jason raised his brows and she smiled up at him. “Don’t let Sonny hear you say that.”

She laughed. “You know what I mean—that agitating mood you get in when you’re teasing me. Remember the Christmas party? Before Nikolas came in acting like an idiot, and you stole my stupid Santa hat?” When he nodded, she continued, “that’s what I mean. Jake could get the same look.”

She looked over at the table where Spinelli was studying the photo. “Is it real?” Elizabeth asked him, raising her voice so that it carried over to him.

Spinelli blinked, then looked up. “Oh.” He leaned back. “Yeah. Yeah. It’s about—” He squinted. “It’s about a week old. And it was taken in Greece. I can’t get it any closer, but it’s real. It looks like the raw photo an iPhone would take. If it’s faked, I can’t find the evidence.” He stared at them. “And if it’s real—”

“Then Jake either has a twin or that’s him,” Sonny said. He looked at Laura. “You knew Luke was holding something back.”

“And when we land, I am going to punch him so hard,” Laura muttered. “He had an actual photo of Jake and didn’t—” She took a deep breath. “Spinelli, where are you in the rest of it? The island?”

“I’ve got all the aerial footage I can get here, and I’ll be able to put together pretty good maps and keep you out of trouble,” Spinelli said. “There’s not much else I can do until we land. I’ll be able to tap into the local—”

Elizabeth frowned at her phone lighting up with Patrick’s number. “Patrick?” she said, putting him on speaker phone. “What’s wrong? Are the kids okay?”

“The kids are now staying with Lulu and Maxie,” Patrick said. “I’m on my way to the airport with Anna. We’re meeting Robert in Athens.” He paused. “I got a message from Robin.”

“What?” Sonny jerked out of his seat, his eyes wide. “Robin?”

“She sent it through an unnamed number,” Patrick continued, his voice tinny as their connection faded for a minute, “but I know it’s her. We have a code. She used it.” His voice faltered. “She’s alive. And the Cassadines have her and the world was ending. She said I need to bring the cavalry. And she wanted Jason. She must know about Jake.”

“Okay, let me know when you’re landing in Athens,” Elizabeth said. “We’ll—we’ll make sure you get a connection to Mykonos and we’ll regroup there.” She hung up with Patrick, her pulse still racing.

Robin was alive. Jake was alive. The Cassadines had them both. “She wanted the calvary—and Jason. Patrick’s right—she wouldn’t have asked for Jason if she didn’t know about Jake.”

Laura nodded. “The calvary would definitely be Robert and Anna,” she murmured. “Robert would still know the island like the back of his hand, and no one is going to separate them from Robin. Why the hell would Helena want Robin—”

Elizabeth exhaled slowly as Laura’s voice broke off. Their eyes met. “Maybe the same reason she wanted Tony Jones,” Elizabeth said. “Robin’s done some amazing work on brain chemistry. Look at what she did for Jason—” She looked at him. “Your memories in 2005 and then last year—”

“Oh, man—” Sonny’s voice was a low moan as he sat down. “Don’t tell me the Cassadines are raising the dead again.”

“It looks like they already have,” Laura said. “Do you think it was Stavros that Robin brought back?”

“If it was just Stavros,” Elizabeth said slowly as she stood up, “then Helena would have gotten rid of Robin. And Nikolas is part of this, probably playing the same role he did ten years ago during Endgame.” She paused. “Laura—”

“Don’t say it—” Laura shook her head. “Don’t even—”

“Mikkos was frozen to death,” Elizabeth said. “What if—” she swallowed hard. “How sure are we that Helena hasn’t been searching for a way to bring him back—”

“Damn it.” Laura squeezed her eyes shut. “Robin said the world was ending. I think she might mean that literally.”

Jason just stared the both of them wordlessly, unsure how to operate in this world. He looked at Sonny who appeared as lost as he did. They worked in a world of rules—physical rules. You shot someone, they died.

He’d never really appreciated the danger Elizabeth had lived through as a connection to the Spencer family, and watching her and Laura debate the situation while he and Sonny sat on the sidelines —

“What do we know for sure?” Sonny said. “We know Jake and Robin are alive. Nikolas is hopefully a friend, but honestly—” He looked at Laura regretfully who nodded.

“He could be either,” she agreed.

“Luke definitely knows more than he’s saying, and I don’t think the picture is all he’s holding back,” Sonny continued. “He said Lucky threatened to kill Nikolas?”

“The last time Lucky threatened to kill Nikolas,” Elizabeth said, with a light flush, “wasn’t when he found out about the affair. It was when he was being controlled by Helena.” She pressed her lips together. “How did Luke and Lucky find out Jake was alive?”

“Could Helena have wanted this?” Jason said finally. Their eyes turned to him. “I don’t have a lot of experience, but this is a lot of things happening at the same time. Robin finally manages to get a message to Patrick the same night Luke calls us about Jake? We’re all going to Greece at the same time? Stavros Cassadine is alive. You think there’s a chance Mikkos might be, too,” he continued.

“She’s trying to play the game again,” Elizabeth realized. “She never really forgave Nikolas for betraying her, and she blamed me for it.” She hesitated, focused on Laura. “She kidnapped Jake because of me. Not Luke. To hurt me. And, oh, God, she might mean for Lucky to kill Nikolas. As revenge.”

“Well—” Laura took a deep breath, squared her shoulders. “The Cassadines have already aimed at my family more than once. We’ve always won.” She offered Elizabeth a faint smile. “We’ve done this before, Elizabeth, but we didn’t finish it. We thought it was over when Stavros died, but—”

“But this time Helena has to go,” Elizabeth agreed. “We need to cut the head off or it’ll just grow back.”

“I would really like to retire from hunting Cassadines,” Laura said fervently. Her smile broadened, turned a touch mean. “We’ve left it up to the Spencer men a little too long, haven’t we? I think it’s time for the Webber women to do some damage of their own.”

Mykonos, Greece: Airport

Sonny and Laura went to go take care of the customs officials — Sonny had money and Laura knew how to bribe officials in most European countries thanks to her years on the run while Spinelli started working on getting a local connection so he could hack into the Cassadine estate’s cameras.

This left Jason and Elizabeth standing with their luggage, waiting for them to return. Elizabeth frowned at him slightly. “Are you okay? You didn’t say much on the plane.”

“I am—” Jason paused. “Processing,” he admitted. “This time yesterday, Jake and Robin—” He looked out over the hills barely visible through the morning fog. “And now—” He met her eyes. “I’ve gone against some of the most dangerous men in the world, but I don’t know how to do this. I’ve never really had to deal with the Cassadines, and now—” He cleared his throat. “I think about all the times I pushed you away because of the danger—”

“Jason—”

“And I’m sorry,” he continued, “because it’s clear that you’ve faced worse. Because the Cassadines? They’re not like anything or anyone I can predict.”

“It’s scary,” Elizabeth acknowledged, “and they’ve been haunting Laura her entire life. They stole her away from her life—Helena and Stavros forced her to marry him. For years, she endured that abuse. And I wish it could be over for her.”

“I just don’t know how much help I can be in a situation like this,” he continued.

“Can you still shoot?” she asked, dryly. “Pilot a boat if we need it? Keep Spinelli from getting distracted? Move quietly? Jason—Luke and Laura didn’t know anything about them either, and they saved the world. I don’t need to save the world. I just want my son back. And I want my friend to come home.” She leaned up on her toes, pressing her lips against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, dragging her closer, deepening the kiss.

“We’re going to bring Jake home,” Elizabeth told him when she drew back. “That’s what matters. Jake and Robin. And yeah, I want to make Helena pay for putting us through this. For putting Patrick and you and everyone who loved Jake and Robin through hell these last few years. I need you to be strong in all the ways I can’t be.” She searched his eyes. “Can you do that?”

“Yeah,” Jason said, leaning down to kiss her again. “I can do that.”

“All right, we’re good to go,” Sonny said as he and Laura returned. “The jet is heading over to Athens,” he continued, “where it’ll be waiting for the rest of them. We’re going into the city to meet with Luke?”

“Yeah, I told him I want to meet him in a public place.” Laura paused. “Sonny, you and Spinelli should find somewhere safe to set up. I don’t trust Luke, not if Lucky’s been compromised. Spinelli—”

“Get the security feed—number one priority,” Spinelli agreed with a firm nod. “Mr. Sir?”

“Jason,” Laura said, turning to him. “I think Elizabeth and I should meet Luke alone—” Jason opened his mouth to argue. “You can be nearby. “I’m sure you know how to blend in if you need to.”

“I can manage it, I’ve been to Greece,” Jason replied. “But—”

“If Helena is watching,” Laura said, “she probably already knows we’re here. So we need to throw her off. And if she isn’t—then Luke will never talk to you the way he’ll talk to Elizabeth.” She looked at her former daughter-in-law. “Play him with the guilt. Rub it in. Helena might have kidnapped Jake, but Luke was still driving the car. And he lied to you. Kept the photo back.”

Elizabeth nodded with a clench of her jaw. “Yeah, it’s not hard to find the anger,” she told Laura.

“Exactly. We’ll signal you,” Laura told Jason, “when we’re ready for you to join us, but I want Luke to feel outnumbered. I’ll go after him on Lucky, Elizabeth will kick him with Jake, and we’ll find out what we’s hiding faster.”

“I’m just the muscle,” Jason said. “You obviously know this better. Just tell me where you want me and who to shoot.”

“I like a man who can take directions.” Laura beamed at him. “Let’s get to work.”

Cosmo Cafe: Outdoor

Luke got to his feet when Laura and Elizabeth approached, his hesitant smile fading as the women approached. He cleared his throat. “No Morgan?”

“He went to get set up with Spinelli,” Elizabeth said. She drew out an iron chair and took a seat. Laura sat next to her, then Luke gingerly lowered himself back into his chair across from them. “You’re going to need a good excuse when you see him, by the way.”

Luke grimaced. “Darlin’, I know I held back the photo, but—” he spread out his hands. “I wanted to make sure Laura would come—”

“There wasn’t a chance in hell I would stay at home,” Laura cut in ruthlessly. “Cut the bullshit, Luke.”

“Are there more?” Elizabeth asked, her voice trembling slightly. Laura glanced at her, but Elizabeth didn’t look at her, didn’t even glance at Jason who had taken a table ten feet away, dressed in tourist clothes, complete with a pair of sunglasses and a hat. He really did know how to blend — he was sitting behind Luke, completely out of his eye line.

“More—”

“More photos? Of my little boy? I haven’t seen him—” Elizabeth pressed a finger to her lips. “He’s two years older, and they stole that time from me. And Nikolas—he’s sitting next to him. I need—”

Luke pulled out his phone, started rifling through them, then shoved it across the table. “Here,” he said in a rush. “I know, kid, I know it hurts. When I found out the Cassadines took Cowboy—”

Elizabeth stared at a photo, looked at the date underneath it, then looked up. “You’ve known my son was alive since December. At least.” She clutched the phone tightly. “While I was buying him gifts and hiding them in a closet so no one would think I was crazy—you knew Jake was alive—”

“Luke!” Laura said, her eyes bulging. “How could you—”

“I knew Jake was safe enough,” Luke said. He put up his hands. “Let me—let me explain—”

“How can you possibly explain this?” Laura demanded. She planted her hands on the glass table top and leaned forward. “Three months. Three months! Of all people—you drove the car that started all of this—”

Elizabeth squeezed her eyes closed. “Why? Why call now? What’s changed?” She looked at Laura, saw the other woman adjust her self. Back to the plan. Back on track.

“Lucky,” Luke said slowly. “At first, we were doing recon. You know, trying to find the weak spots. We got that picture just before Christmas. The first—” He sucked in a deep breath. “The first real proof. I wanted—I wanted to call you. Lucky wanted to call you,” he told her. “He’s got this idea he’ll give you Jake, and it’ll be like it was again—Lucky and Liz.”

“That’s over,” Elizabeth said flatly.

“I know it, but he—he couldn’t get it out of his head. And then—” Luke nodded at the phone. “He saw Jake with Nikolas. And it was—” His voice shook then. “It was like a switch in his head. Like before.”

Laura nodded grimly. “Helena.”

“We never broke it,” Luke said with a shake of his head. “It’s always been there. Always in his brain. Like a bomb. Lucky nearly killed Nikolas that day. I’ve spent the last three months trying to fix it, trying to talk him down, trying to find the trigger—” He looked at Elizabeth. “You need—you need to save my boy. Just one more time, darlin’, save my son.”

Elizabeth stared at him for a long time, then shook her head. “It’s not my job to save Lucky,” she said. “You took Jake from me. The night of the accident, you hit my little boy. He didn’t die, but that doesn’t matter, Luke. You put him in that hospital, close to death. And then you stole three months from me. It’s not my job to save Lucky,” she repeated.

“Angel—” Luke switched his attention to Laura. “You gotta see, if we can break the control—”

“We’ve got bigger problems than that,” Laura told him, regretfully. “Because Robin Scorpio is alive and being held by Helena.”

Luke bowed his head, all the fight sinking out of him. “So you know. You know that Mikkos is back.”

“Wait—” Elizabeth jerked up and Laura stared at Luke. “Wait—he’s actually—it’s not something Robin is working on?”

“No—” Luke nodded at the phone. “Go to the last photo. It’s why I called.”

Elizabeth handled Laura the phone and she scrolled to the last one, her face paling. She showed it to Elizabeth.

She’d only seen Mikkos in photographs, but there was no mistaking the people in the picture, clustered around a dining table. Helena and Mikkos. Stavros and Nikolas. Jake. And Stefan Cassadine. Her little boy surrounded by the darkest evil she’d ever known.

“All alive,” Laura breathed. “All four of them.” She raised her eyes to Luke. “All the Cassadines.”

“Yeah, and I got word from a contact—” Luke’s smile was grim. “Valentin is on his way to Greece. The Cassadines are about to have a family reunion, and Jake is in the middle of it all.”