Written in 59 minutes

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Luke’s: Main Bar

Jason hadn’t spent much time inside the old club since his return to Port Charles the previous year but there had been a time in his life when he’d spent much of his time here. Prior to leaving Brenda at the altar and fleeing town, Sonny had operated most of his concerns from inside the club, using it as a meeting place. Jason had parked cars, worked inventory, security, and accounting and any other number of tasks.

Stepping inside the club tonight almost felt comforting, even with the noise of the crowd and music pouring out from the stage across the room.

He’d made sure to time their arrival after Brenda, knowing that she’d get most of the attention. She had one of Jason’s guards on her arm posing as her date but meant to stick to her side like glue. Jason intended to circulate and keep Brenda in sight at all times, but the whole point of this operation was to use Brenda as bait, and Alcazar would never strike if Jason was breathing down her neck.

It had seemed like such a simple idea when Baldwin and Mac had suggested it, and while Jason cared what happened to Brenda, he could focus on her without going out of his mind.

Elizabeth, on the other hand—

Jason was forced to keep his distance slightly from her as well, watching her cross the room on Mike’s arm. There were looks and whispers as Mike escorted her to where Emily and Zander with Nikolas. Mike left her, then went to the next table and an empty seat with Felicia, Kevin, and Mac. Elizabeth was smiling and looking at Mike, who was understandably subdued but not particularly somber.

That phone call had changed everything, throwing Jason’s entire perception in the air. Who was in danger? Who was the target? Had Ric called just to throw off the scent? What if Jason focused entirely on Elizabeth, leaving Brenda out to dry? Was that what Alcazar wanted? Or what if Ric had actually been trying to save his own skin and tipping Jason off to Luis’s plans for Elizabeth?

And how many cons had Ric been trying to pull at once? Sonny wasn’t his brother? Floating theories to Luis about Sonny’s dead sister?

Since the shooting, there had been too many players, too many pieces on the chessboard, and every time Jason wrapped his mind around the situation, someone flipped the board, and changed the game. How many opportunities was he going to get to reset the players and start over?

Jason edged around another crowd of people, then hissed when he bumped directly into Robin. He held his hands out to steady himself and to keep her from falling, but snatched them back before he could touch her.

Her hair had grown since the last time they’d seen each other — she’d cut it short, close to her head, and now it fell just below her chin. But she was older and her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Jason,” she said.

“Robin.” He cleared his throat, then looked over at the bar. “Uh, did you and Brenda get into the hotel okay?”

“Yeah, we’re fine. Thanks for the security.” Robin looked back the way she’d come, to the table where Elizabeth was flexing her hand, talking to Felicia. “So you’re dating Lizzie Webber. Wasn’t she in high school when I left?”

Jason exhaled slowly, then scratched his eyebrow. “Yeah. She graduated that year. How’s medical school?”

“Fine. Nice when I’m not being threatened at every turn by your latest enemy, so I’m glad I don’t have to dodge that anymore.” Robin folded her arms. “I hear you’re still having trouble being faithful.”

Jason flinched, then took another deep breath. “You want to take shots at me, that’s fine. But maybe it can wait until this is done—”

“Why? You can’t multi-task? You don’t have enough security to keep Brenda safe? I mean, you dragged her all the way here—”

“And if you were that worried about safety, Robin, you’d have stayed in Paris,” Jason cut in, and she closed her mouth. “Where you don’t have to dodge my enemies, right? You’re the one that put yourself in the middle again. I don’t have time for this,” he told her.

“No, you better go check on your mistress—oh, I guess it doesn’t matter now that your fiancée is dead, right?”

Jason was already striding away from her, but flinched again at the parting barb. Robin had every reason to be angry at the way they’d ended things, and the way he’d treated her those last few months, but he’d forgotten how cutting she could be when she wanted to unleash that streak of vindictiveness that she kept well hidden.

He reached the table where Elizabeth sat, jerked out a chair, angling so he could keep an eye on Brenda near  the bar. She was laughing, glowing, her dark hair in glossy curls, a wine glass in her hand. She turned to say something to Lucy, then laughed again.

Brenda had always been an excellent actress.

“We have guys on the docks,” Mac told Jason, his own eyes on his stepdaughters across the dance floor. “Ready to hit the yacht as soon as we can, but we don’t have probable cause. Not yet. They’re tracing the call from your place. If they can put it on the boat—”

“No sign of Alcazar,” Jason cut in, tense. And even if Alcazar showed up, it wouldn’t matter. He wasn’t a fugitive, and arresting him wasn’t going to solve anything. They needed to catch him in the act. He glanced away from Brenda to find Elizabeth at the end of the table, leaning over to say something to her Emily. “And we’ve got guys on every entrance, every possible street corner watching.”

“Things looked tense with you and Robin. Anything I have to worry about?”

“Not unless you’re planning to arrest me for something else I didn’t do.” Jason shifted away from the commissioner, towards Mike. “If we did this all for nothing—”

“Sometimes you gotta play a hand just to see what the other players will do,” Mike said. “Maybe he doesn’t strike tonight. Maybe he just watches. Or maybe—”

“Maybe we’re not giving him enough room to act.” Jason exhaled slowly, dragged a hand down his face. “Brenda’s surrounded by people—”

“And Elizabeth hasn’t moved since we got here.”

Jason looked at Mike, saw the worry on his face. “We’re being too careful maybe, but I don’t know any other answers.”

“No, and I’m not going to tell you to take chances. Not with Brenda who’s been through too much, and Elizabeth has a lot to lose.” Mike looked over at his son’s ex-lover. “I’m not interested in one more women paying for the obsession and failings of men.”

“That’s not on the table,” Jason began, but stopped when he saw Brenda coming towards them. He rose when she reached them, as did Mike.

“Well, if it isn’t two of my favorite people.” Brenda embraced Mike tightly. “Hey. I’m so sorry about Courtney,” she told him, the glow slipping slightly. “I know I can’t fix that, but I hope that anything I do helps.”

“Just being willing to come home, Brenda, it matters.” Mike kissed her cheek. “I can’t wait until you’re free to live and love the way you deserve.”

“Same.” Brenda turned to Jason, hugged him. “My favorite ex-husband.”

“The only legal one you have,” Jason reminded, and she smiled.

“I’m sorry if Robin bit your head off. Coming home—” Brenda looked around the room, her dark eyes somber. “It brings back memories, you know? Puts you back into a mindset. But when she insisted on coming back, I couldn’t stop her.”

“It’s her home, too,” Jason said. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m doing okay. A little shaky, but I know how to put on a show.” Brenda looked past him to Elizabeth who was doing a great job of not looking at them. “Lizzie Webber—”

Jason sighed. “Brenda—”

“Right. We’re friends now, so I’ll say that I’m happy for you if you’re happy. No matter what you had to do to get there.” She leaned in, made sure Mike had moved on, returning to the rest of the table. “I’m sorry she’s gone, but I never liked that other one. You know how I feel about mouthy blondes.”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Speaking of her—” Brenda made a face. “How—how is she? Recovering?”

“Yeah. She’s doing good. Brenda, if this ends up being a waste of time—”

“No, not a waste. It’s never a waste to face your fears.” Brenda licked her lips, took another deep breath, trying to cover her nerves. “But we have to give him an opportunity, don’t we? So if you’re up to causing a scene, I think we might be able to force his hand.”

Jason furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Well—Mac filled me in when I got here. You think there’s a chance Luis might go after Elizabeth or me. You don’t know who the target is.” Brenda met his eyes. “So why not let him try for both of us?”

General Hospital: Carly’s Room

Bobbie listened to the person on the other end of the phone, then laid her hand over the receiver to block her voice. She looked at Carly. “Dr. Winters thinks now is a good time if you’re up to a quick phone call.”

“Now? Like—like right now?” Carly blinked, looking at the phone. Was she ready to talk to Sonny? The first time since that terrible day at the penthouse, when he’d shaken her, demanding to know what she’d done with his wife— “Is she sure?”

“She is. She’s there, monitoring. But if you’re not ready—”

“Ready is a strong word,” Carly admitted, but she held out her hand for the phone.

“She’s up for it,” Bobbie said, then set the receiver in her daughter’s hand.

Carly lifted it to her ear. “Hello?”

There was a shuffle, some muffled voices, and then—

“Carly?”

She closed her eyes, the sound of Sonny’s familiar, beloved voice. “Sonny. Um, hey. Hi.”

“Hey.” The silence hung long on the line. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Yeah, I—I know what you mean. How—how are you?”

“Am I still a raving, violent lunatic?” The tone was clipped, irritated, but there was a different tenor to the words. More self-deprecating—his distaste was internal, not directed at her. “No. I still have some…I have some work to do. I promised—” There was a pause. “I promised Jason I’d stay here until I was sure I wasn’t going to hurt anyone. Jesus, Carly, I never—I never wanted this. I never wanted any of this. To hurt you, to hurt Elizabeth.”

“I know.” Her voice faltered, her head started to ache. “I know you, Sonny. Inside and out. I would have stayed if I could. I just—”

“You had to protect the kids. You stayed too long. Longer than I deserved. I hope—I hope when you’re up to it, maybe—maybe you could come see me.”

“I could bring the baby. Morgan. You should see him, Sonny. He looks just like you. Right down to the dimples.” Carly pressed two fingers to her lips. “As soon as the doctors say it’s okay, I’ll bring the boys to you. Okay? You’ll get better, and I’ll get better, and this—we’ll fix what was broken.”

“When you say it, I almost believe it. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Carly held the phone against her chest, even after  the line had gone dead, squeezing her eyes tightly. “I just want this over, Mama. I want Sonny to come home, and I want us to be a family again.”

Bobbie gently took the phone from her, laid it back on the base, then held Carly’s hands tightly. “And you will be. I’ll be right there with you, every step of the way. And we’ll trust Jason to finish this. He’s never let you down before, has he?”

“No. No, he hasn’t.” Carly smiled. “Sonny sounded good, you know. Like himself. That’s—that’s something. It’s everything.”

Luke’s: Main Bar

Brenda’s idea was perfect, of course, designed to create a opportunity that even a man expecting a trap couldn’t resist —

Jason hated every single detail, but once Brenda had pulled Elizabeth into the loop and given Robin her role to play, he’d been outvoted.

Especially since his only protest had been Please don’t put yourself in danger which was a personal request to Elizabeth, and nothing rooted in practicality. Jason had every inch of the alley covered, but they couldn’t put the plan into motion until there was a reason.

Until Alcazar’s location was determined. What good was dangling a carrot if there was no one to take it?

“If you think Robin’s going to screw this up because she’s still pissed,” Brenda said, dragging Jason onto the dance floor for another conference, “you’re just wrong. Her fight isn’t with me or Elizabeth, and we’d be the ones in danger.”

“That’s the part I don’t like,” Jason muttered, his gaze finding Elizabeth, still where he’d left. Just as she’d promised, she’d stayed with Emily all night, Mike close by. Nikolas had drifted back and forth between their table and another with Lucky and someone he’d brought.

But he couldn’t stop worrying, couldn’t stop thinking that Elizabeth might have survived the courtyard without lasting damage, but that it couldn’t last. Jason wasn’t supposed to have anything or anyone good in his life, wasn’t that what he’d told himself over and over again?

“Hey, focus—” Brenda said, jerking Jason’s attention back to her. “Robin’s going to do her part, I’ll stick with Elizabeth like glue, and you trust your guys, don’t you? You wouldn’t let Elizabeth be guarded by just anyone, would you?”

“No,” Jason muttered.

“Okay, then. So let’s go over it again—”

The phone vibrated in his pocket, but he didn’t touch it. Didn’t answer. His actual phone was with Elizabeth, in her little black bag. The phone he carried was only to ring if Alcazar was sighted. “Brenda.”

His tone clued her in, and Brenda closed her mouth. She kept the smile on her face, but her eyes shifted slightly. “Game on?”

They didn’t have a better plan, and as much as he hated it, Brenda’s was their best chance. And now that he had confirmation Alcazar had been seen in the area of the club—

“Yeah. Do it. Let’s end this. For good.”

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