Written in 66 minutes. See you tomorrow!

---

Luke’s: Main Bar

The direction from Brenda had been simple. Wait for her cue, and react. No scripts, no hints for improvisation. Just imagine that everything you see and hear is real. And whatever your instinct is? Dial it up to a hundred.

In other words, make a scene and find a reason to storm out of the bar, out into the vulnerable, dark, cold night where Alcazar should be waiting to take advantage. Whether he was Luis or Lorenzo wasn’t important anymore. That was a problem for someone else to sort out.

Elizabeth’s only goal was to make sure no one else was gunning for Jason and the people important to him.

She flexed her hand again, and across the table Emily caught sight of her. She smiled faintly. “It’s better, right? You’ll get full range back?”

“I think so, yeah.” Elizabeth bit her lip, watching Brenda and Jason on the dance floor. Brenda was smiling, Jason look pained. She tapped her water glass, trying not to fidget. She had her own part to play, and she worried she wasn’t up to it.

And what scene was Brenda planning? Her feud with Jason had been off and on for years, but it had been publicly laid to rest. Robin’s conversation with Jason had been tense, but nothing that would make anyone flee the room—

“Is everything okay?” Emily’s foot nudged her under the table, and Elizabeth refocused on her best friend. “I was surprised when you and Jason decided to come. Even more, uh, surprised when Mike came with you guys. Considering.” She tipped her head. “Is there anything I should know?”

“Nothing I can tell you now. But, um, if I have to make a scene, I could use your help, no questions asked. You’re more dramatic than I am—”

Emily rested her chin on her first, then fluttered her lashes. “I’ve been known to throw a tantrum or two. What’s my motivation? What are my lines?”

“That’s the problem. I just know that Brenda is supposed to cue something that’s going to make a scene, and I’m supposed to storm out of the club with her rushing behind me to explain—”

Emily’s smile faded and she looked around to make sure Zander was still at the bar, ordering another round of drinks. She scooted closer. “That’s why she’s here? I knew it was odd. You don’t know what she’s going to do—”

“No, but it needs to look real. Like it’s not a trap we’re—” Elizabeth closed her mouth when Robin walked up to Jason and Brenda, and Brenda let her cut in as the music shifted to something slower.

“Is that your cue?” Emily asked, furrowing her  brow watching the exes trade a few words, then . “I feel like it’d be more dramatic than that—uh—more like that,” she said when Robin kissed Jason—

And he kissed her back.

Two minutes earlier

Brenda hadn’t been very clear on the details of her plan, and Jason regretted not knowing exactly how she intended to orchestrate causing Elizabeth to storm out with Brenda on her heels in a way that didn’t look like a set up. But he hadn’t tried very hard to find out —it was Brenda, after all, and Jason didn’t much care how it got done.

Just that they trapped Alcazar into something that could get him called into the PCPD and his yacht raided. Any other permanent ending was out of the question — Mac and Scott were wrapped into all of it too deeply to do anything but play this straight.

But now, as Jason waited for Brenda to make her cue, he realized that he probably should have asked for some details, but maybe he was supposed to look surprised when Brenda stepped away, letting Robin cut in just as the music shifted to a slower song.

“This is part of the plan,” Brenda said, patting his chest before turning a bright smile, knowing smile at her best friend. “There you go, just like I promised,” she told Robin, raising her voice slightly. Not enough to be heard across the room, but definitely enough so that people around them could hear it. “Now, you promise to hear her out, don’t you?” she told Jason.

He wanted to make a face, wanted to look over at Elizabeth, but didn’t. “Yeah, okay,” he said, realizing Brenda hadn’t told them the plan for just this reason. So that his reaction — and Elizabeth’s would be genuine.

Which meant whatever was on the menu was not going to be terrible.

Robin stepped into his arms, and they fell into a dance, like they had a thousand times or more during their relationship. “Well, some things never change,” she murmured, looking up at him. “You still have no rhythm.”

“No, I don’t. Robin—”

“She’s my best friend and I’ll do anything to make sure she’s free to live her life again.” Robin’s dark eyes searched his. “Wouldn’t you do the same for someone you loved? Whatever it took?”

“Yeah, yeah, I would—”

“Then you need to make this look real.”

Jason opened his mouth to ask another question, but she leaned up on her toes and kissed him, sliding her hands into his hair. His own froze at his side for a minute, his mind whirling at the familiar sensation of Robin’s mouth on his, the feel of her body pressed against his—

And the knowledge that Elizabeth was sitting a few dozen feet away—ready to play her part in the farce Brenda had designed.

Jason hesitantly laid his hands on Robin’s hips and kissed her back for just a moment. Then he gently set her back a step, licked his lips, raised his head—

To catch sight of Elizabeth striding across the dance floor, her face flushed, her eyes burning. The people around her stepped out of the way. She reached them just as Brenda danced back over to them.

“I knew it! I knew if I just got you together you’d remember,” Brenda said, clapping her hands together. “Oh—” She looked at Elizabeth, guilt flashing in her eyes. “Oh. I wasn’t thinking about—oh, I’m so sorry—” She pressed her hands to her mouth. “Oh—”

She closed her mouth abruptly when Elizabeth slapped Jason, his head snapping to the side. Elizabeth winced, holding her arm against her side, and Jason realized she’d used her injured arm out of habit. Tears glimmered in her eyes.

“I guess Courtney was right about you,” she bit out. “You’re never happy. There’s always someone else you want more. I hope you rot in hell.” She glared at Brenda. “And I wish you’d stayed dead.”

And then she stormed out, the people parting around her as if she were Moses parting the Red Sea.

“Oh, crud, I wasn’t thinking—” Brenda looked back at Jason and Robin. “I’ll go get her, okay? I’ll talk to her and make sure she understands you just can’t deny destiny—she won’t want to talk to either of you—and, oh—” She winced when she saw Mike and Emily coming towards them. “You’ll have your hands full with that. Good luck.”

“I am going to kill her,” Jason bit out, then glared at Robin. “And you, too. What  the—”

“Shut up,” Robin said, clenching her teeth. She grabbed his shirt sleeve and started to drag him through the club, towards the back. “I didn’t just embarrass myself so that you could screw it up now—”

They reached the back hallway and Jason pushed open Luke’s office door, stepping aside so that Robin could go in, quickly followed by Mike and Emily. He slammed it, and turned on Mike. “That was—”

“A plan,” Emily finished quickly. “Elizabeth warned me she had to make a scene, and I said I’d play along. So Mike and I are here to yell at you—”

“Who the hell came up with this idea?” Jason demanded.

Robin rolled her eyes, folded her arms. “Please. Brenda did. Do you think anything I’d come up with would put me anywhere near your mouth? Who knows if you bothered to bleach it after you were finished with Carly.”

“All right, let’s all take a deep breath,” Mike said, stepping between Robin and Jason. “Robin, it’s been a long time since you were here—”

“Not long enough. Brenda told me that you’d been engaged like two months ago, and that you got someone else pregnant. Are you actually this kid’s father or is it another lie?” she demanded. “Did you learn anything from all of that or did Carly warp your brain too much—”

Jason grimaced, dragged his hand through his hair, and went over stand by the window. He tugged the phone his pocket, willing it to ring again, to indicate that Alcazar was heading for the alley.

“Robin, maybe you take it down a notch, okay?” Emily said. “It’s not like you weren’t perfectly willing to lie to my other brother as long as Carly stayed away and you and Jason could play house with a baby you both knew wasn’t his. So just save the self-righteous act for someone gives a damn. Go away and stop pissing me off.”

“Whatever. I did what I had to do for my best friend, and now I’m out of it.” Robin yanked the door open and stormed out.

“Mike—” Jason looked at him. “I don’t know if—”

“I’ll go with her. Make sure she’s safe. You stick to the plan.” Mike closed the door behind him, and Jason exhaled in a low sigh.

“She doesn’t believe what she said, you know that,” Emily said, stepping up to her brother. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know why you needed to make this scene, but it’s going to work. Elizabeth knows it was just an act. She just wanted to make it look real.” She tried to smile. “She did such a good job you think it was. So whoever you’re trying to trick probably does, too.”

Jason looked at his sister, then sighed again, looked out the window, wishing it had a view of the alley. “I made so many mistakes,” he muttered, then stared down at the phone, willing it to ring. “You know we were together that night in the hospital.”

“Elizabeth said as much. But you’re okay now. She’s having the baby, and you’re happy—I know it’s complicated with everything else that happened. But that part is good, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So what if you went home and picked the wrong woman? She picked the wrong guy. A lot. I mean, geez, Jase, she picked Ric, right? If anyone understands making the wrong choice, Elizabeth does.” She poked him lightly in the arm. “When this is done, and you guys are the winners at the end of the day, you’ll have all the time in the world to stop and take a breath. Robin can go wallow in her own acid, Brenda can have her life back, Sonny and Carly will figure out whatever they’re going to do, Mike will—well, we’ll be there for Mike. And you and Elizabeth can focus on each other and the baby.”

“When did you get so smart?” Jason wondered.

“I had a really great older brother.” Emily slid her arm around his waist, leaned in to hug him. He kissed the top of her head. “Also, I’m absolutely going to credit for being the reason you and Liz get together. I should almost die more often, huh?”

“Never again. I couldn’t even handle almost losing you.” He rubbed her back, his hand freezing when the phone vibrated in his hand.  “Thanks for playing a part and not asking questions, but—”

“But time for me to go, and for you to go save the world.” She kissed his cheek. “Good luck storming the castle.”

Jason made a face but his sister just waved and left the room. He went over to the desk, opened a drawer, and pulled out the gun he’d stowed there earlier that day.

Luke’s: Parking Lot

Elizabeth burst out the front doors, then made a beeline for the side of the building, her heart pounding, her throat so tight she could barely squeeze a breath through—

Jason had looked so stricken, so hurt when she’d slapped him and thrown that barb about Courtney, and even though she knew it was all an act, and so did he—

Damn Brenda for being right. For knowing that it would be more realistic without the details, because part of Elizabeth had been actually furious, and the words she spoken—the fear that Jason wouldn’t be happy with her—

They weren’t exactly untrue, and maybe that’s why they’d fallen so easily from her lips.

She heard heels clacking behind her, and Elizabeth turned, still in motion so that she walked backwards for a few more steps. “Go away, Jason—”

“It’s not Jason!” Brenda held up her hands in mock surrender. “I come in peace, okay? I just wanted to come out here. Make sure you were okay—”

“Oh, like you care about that now,” Elizabeth retorted, fisting her hands at her side.

“I didn’t tell Robin to kiss him, okay?” Brenda rolled her eyes, planted one hand on her  hip. “Please. Jason hates public displays of affection. When we were married, I tortured him all the time because he hated it—”

“This is your idea of helping—” Where are you, you asshole? Elizabeth thought. How long were she and Brenda supposed to pretend to fight?

God, what if they’d done all of that for nothing—

“No, but it’s not my fault that arranging for them to have a minute alone together—”

“Alone in the middle of a packed bar? Are you kidding me?”

“I repeat, I did not tell anyone to use lips.” Brenda wrinkled her nose with some distaste. “Or tongues. There better not have been tongues — ew, now that picture’s in my head—”

“You really haven’t changed in the slightest, have you, darling?”

The slow, silky tone was quiet and Brenda immediately closed her mouth, turning around and backing away at double speed until she was standing right in front of Elizabeth, her arm held out.

“Who’s there?”

“Oh, I think you know.” Alcazar stepped out from the back parking lot, a cigar in his hands, the tip glowing in the dark night. He brought it to his lips. “Hello, Brenda. It’s nice to see you again.”

Brenda’s body was trembling hard and she fumbled with the purse in her hand.

“Oh, are you calling the police? Perhaps Morgan? I saw him running towards the back office with his paramour—poor Miss Webber—” Alcazar said with a sad sigh.

Brenda retrieved something from her purse, the little gold bag falling to the ground—

“Go ahead, call whoever you want. It’s already too late—” Alcazar continued.

The single gunshot echoed along the walls of the alley, Elizabeth jolted from the shock of the sound. Alcazar clutched his hand to his chest, his eyes wide. He stared at Brenda with a stunned expression. “What—”

“This time you’re not coming back,” Brenda bit out. And pulled the trigger a second time.

Then a third.

Alcazar fell to the ground, knees first, looking at them both with such bewilderment, even as the blood trickled from his mouth.

Then he fell face forward into the dirt and gravel, and didn’t move again.

← Flash Fiction: Chain Reaction – Part 45 |