Written in 69 minutes. Sorry, I wanted to get the final Liason scene just right. No time for spell check or typos.

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PCPD: Commissioner’s Office

Mac knew—from the battle light in Diane Miller’s eyes as the redheaded lawyer sauntered into his office the morning after Elizabeth had disappeared from lock-up—he knew that whatever papers she pulled out of her briefcase would not be good for him.

“Ms. Miller—”

“This—” Diane set the papers down. “This is a proposed order from the district attorney dropping all charges against Elizabeth Webber—her legal name,” she added coolly, “as she has not filed paperwork to change it.”

“We’re still looking for her—”

“If Baldwin declines to drop the charges, this—” She set down a thicker packet of paper next to the first pile. “This will be filed directly with the court, suing the PCPD for negligence and alleging corruption in allowing my client to be dragged and kidnapped from your custody, leading to Luis Alcazar putting a bullet in her shoulder and shoving her, bound and gagged, into Lake Ontario.”

Mac shoved to his feet, his stomach dropping as her words sank in. “What—” Elizabeth, shot and nearly drowned? “How—”

“He tried to trade her for Brenda Barrett. You get Ms. Barrett’s statement and an interview with Ms. Webber only when the charges are dropped.”

Mac hesitated. “She’s alive then.”

“No thanks to you and the others. You knew she didn’t do this, and you arrested her anyway. If you want to close your case in the Smith murder, you’ll make sure Baldwin drops these charges. Or I will sue you and Scott personally as well the city and the department for putting my client in danger.”

Diane arched her brow when Mac just stared at her. “What will it be, Commissioner?”

Corinthos Penthouse: Living Room

“What are you doing out of bed?” Carly demanded as she stalked down the stairs, finding Jason standing by the desk with Brenda and Sonny. “You nearly drowned—”

Jason frowned at his best friend. “Because I was tired. I slept.”

“For five minutes?”

“Until a half hour ago. Six hours is enough for me,” he told her patiently. “I’m fine—”

“You—”

“-should be checking on Elizabeth,” Brenda interrupted smoothly. “You know, staying with her to make sure she’s recovering. The girl dragged herself out with an infection and fever.”

Carly narrowed her eyes, pursed her lips, and took a long look at her nemesis before looking back at Jason. “Okay. Yeah. That. And you do that by being at home, resting.”

“If the two of you are done,” Sonny said dryly, “we’re waiting on Diane to tell us how things went at the PCPD—”

“Oh, and Jason can’t find that out, laying down and taking it easy?” Carly poked Sonny in the chest. “No. You can go tell him—”

Sonny scowled, but before he could respond, the phone on his desk rang. He snatched it up. “Yeah? Yeah. Okay. Thanks. Thanks. Yeah, worth every penny.”

“Well?” Brenda demanded when Sonny had hung up. He ignored the women and turned his atttention to Jason.

“Mac got Scott to sign off on it. Charges are dropped. It’s over,” he added. “Zander’s murder will probably go down as a cold case, but unofficially, Mac said he’s willing to accept Alcazar was behind it.”

“That’s a relief,” Brenda said. “Luis is dead, you and Elizabeth are off the hook,” she said to Jason. “So if one of the guards can help me take my stuff back to the cottage, I’ll figure out what’s next.” Her lips twisted. “With what time is left.”

“You keep talking about dying,” Carly said with a roll of her eyes, “but you barely even seem sick. How do we know you’re not just making this up?”

Sonny growled. “Carly!”

“Why would I—” Brenda stared at the blonde virago, her retort ending abruptly. “I never opened the results.”

“Brenda?” Jason asked, putting a hand on her shoulders as she pressed her hands to her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Before the accident,” she said softly. “I never had a chance to open them. Jax said he threw them out. But I had them done again. With Luis. In the beginning. Before—” She closed her eyes. “Before I realized who he was.”

“You think he was lying?” Sonny asked.

“Well, of course he was,” Carly said, her patience at its absolute end. “Look what he went through to make sure Brenda never had any choices. He came after you and Jax. He tried to kill Elizabeth and Jason so he could get to her—he stalked her—you’ve been taking his word for it all this time?” she demanded, disgusted. “How stupid are you?”

“Carly—” Jason began.

“No-no-” Brenda shook her head, her voice thick. “No. Don’t—she’s right. God, she’s absolutely right.”

“Of course I am. Go take another stupid test with a reputable doctor. Honestly.” Carly stomped off towards the stairs. “Do I have to do everything around here?”

Morgan Penthouse: Master Bedroom

Jason left Sonny to deal with Brenda and getting her back to the cottage, still shaking his head over Carly and her bold, almost offensive ways of getting things done. It hadn’t occured to him that Brenda would have learned about her illness through Alcazar, but trust Carly to see right through it.

“What’s wrong?” Elizabeth asked as Jason closed the door behind him. She struggled to sit up, wincing as she accentally put pressure on her shoulder. He hurried over to help her sit up further, then felt her forehead.

“Fever still gone,” he said. “But you should be sleeping—”

“I’ve been sleeping forever. Isn’t that what you said when you got dressed? Only one of us spent half the night swimming in the lake,” she muttered, but laid back against the pillows. Her skin was still too pale, but he had to admit that she was doing better.

“I took a long swim. You were shot and dumped in the lake—”

“Yeah, I think I liked the first kidnapping better,” she decided.

“You’re not getting a third to help you decide.”

Elizabeth cracked open her eye, one irritated slit of blue glaring at him. “You’re not going to try anything stupid like pushing me away again, are you? I will soak you if you try to divorce me. I’ll take everything.”

He gently smoothed her hair off her forehead, tucking a piece behind her ear. “I’d give it all to you if it meant you were safe,” he admitted. “But no,” he added when she growled. “No. We settled that in Vegas. You’re going to have to doing the walking.”

“Okay. Well, at least we don’t have to fight that.” She forced her eyes open. “Did you hear from Diane or should I make sure I’m wearing pants in case I get hauled back to jail?”

“Charges are dropped. You—and I—are good. They didn’t want the lawsuit.”

“Good.” She stifled a yawn. “Do you have to go anywhere?”

“No.”

“Even better. Take a nap with me.”

“A nap?” Jason repeated, even as he kicked off his boots. “I’m not tired—”

“No, but you’re comfy and warm, and I need my rest.” She tugged him down next to her. “So stop complaining.”

Cottage: Living Room

Brenda folded her arms. “It’s so weird,” she told Elizabeth. “I don’t even know what to do with the rest of my life. I was so sure I’d be dead in a few years.”

“It’s good news,” Elizabeth reminded her.

“I know. I just…I have to rethink. I can go back to work. I can have a life again.” Brenda bit her lip. “I don’t even know where to start.” She nodded at Elizabeth who rotated her shoulder and winced. “That looks like it still hurts.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s been a week but it’s still sore. Jason is finally letting me out of his sight again. I convinced him to go to the warehouse.” Elizabeth rubbed the spot on her shoulder where the bullet had dug through, grimacing. “Diane dropped off a bunch of paperwork for me. Financial stuff. Name changing.”

“Ah.” Brenda nodded. “Marriage stuff.” She tipped her head. “So you’re staying married, then.”

“I guess. I don’t know. She said Jason didn’t ask about any of it, but that Sonny had. So I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it. We were…figuring things out, and then—” Elizabeth looked at her hand, still bare.

“Then you got dumped in the lake and Jason almost died saving your life.”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth met Brenda’s eyes. “I came over to hear about your results, but I also—you kept looking. I know Sonny had given up hope, but you stayed out there. Thank you. For bringing him back.”

“He promised me that you and I would get out of this alive,” Brenda said softly. “I knew he would have done anything to make that happen. Jason’s always taken care of me, even when I didn’t want him to. I wasn’t going to let him go. And you would have been right there with me if you were able to.”

“Still. Jason and I have a chance to figure things out because of you. And—don’t you dare tell Sonny this—but if you hadn’t started that insane marriage idea, then Sonny wouldn’t have dragged me to Vegas. Even with everything that happened—I’m grateful.”

“It’s kind of romantic if you forget why Jason was at the chapel in the first place,” Brenda said. “He looked so pissed when he dragged you through that door.”

“Very romantic,” she said dryly. “Glaring at me and asking me if I wanted proof or not—”

“But you married him.” Brenda tilted her head. “What made you go through with it? I would have jabbed the pen in his eye.”

Elizabeth hesitated, then just smiled at her. “Thank you,” she said again, getting to her feet. “For bringing Jason home.”

“Thank you for showing up in Vegas or I might be Mrs. Jason Morgan right now.” Brenda shuddered. “No, thank you.”

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Elizabeth grinned when she came in and found Jason lining up a shot at the pool table. “Hey. I thought you would still be at work.”

“I was, and then Diane asked if you’d signed the papers she dropped off.” He set the pool cue on the table and walked over to her.

“Oh. Yeah. She said Sonny suggested if—if I needed it—” Elizabeth bit her lip. “I didn’t really know. I mean, we haven’t really talked about it since before—well, before,” she added.

Jason leaned against the desk. “We can just let it sit,” he told her. “It’s just contracts. I mean, it doesn’t change anything—”

“But it would,” she said. “If I took your name and you put me on your bank accounts. I don’t need that—”

“I know—”

“But there’s other stuff Diane gave me. Life insurance from the warehouse, survivor’s benefits—” She folded her arms. “We can leave it alone and ignore it, but I don’t know. Maybe we shouldn’t.”

Jason was quiet for a minute. “What do you want to do?”

“I went to see Brenda today to thank her for bringing you home.” Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and he parted his legs so that he could hold her against him. “And she asked me why I said yes. Back in Vegas. When you shoved that pen at me.”

Jason winced. “I’m sorry—”

“She asked me why,” Elizabeth repeated, “but I didn’t answer her. Because it’s your question to ask. You wanted to prove that you loved me. And I said yes because I believed you. Because of how it happened. I didn’t until then.”

“That’s…” Jason frowned. “You believed me because I was angry and rude?”

“You were angry, rude, almost offensive, and demanding I marry you because I’d been driving you crazy. Yeah.” She brushed her lips against his. “You weren’t worrying about me anymore, trying to spare my feelings. Trying to say the right thing. I was terrified you’d regret it later.”

“I don’t—” Jason rested his forehead against hers. “I thought you would.”

“I don’t. It might not have been right for anyone else, but it was perfect for me. I’ve had the proposal before, I’ve had the white dress. But Lucky didn’t love me. You do.”

“I do.” Jason kissed her again, then gently pushed her back so he could reach into the top drawer of the desk. “While I was out…” He took out an envelope. “I picked these up.”

Elizabeth pursed her lips as she stepped back and slid out the plane tickets. Two round trip tickets to Venice, Italy, leaving in three days. “Italy,” she murmured.

“Starting in Venice, but you should see Florence. And Sicily. Naples,” he added. “I want to show it to you.”

She raised her eyes from the tickets to find him holding out a ring. It wasn’t in a box and he wasn’t on one knee. It was just a tiny little gold bond with a few rubies and diamonds inset, held between his thumb and index finger. “I thought—”

“You wanted to wait to get rings until it was right.” Jason straightened and reached for her hand. He slid it on her finger. “Well?” he asked, and he grinned as he said, obviously remembering that he’d said the same thing to her that crazy dawn in Vegas when she’d hesitated and he’d snapped at her.

How different things were now, barely even two weeks later.

Elizabeth smirked, reached behind him for the folder that Diane had left and grabbed a pen, scrawling her name on the only piece of paper that mattered—taking Jason’s name and making them a family.

“Does that answer your question?”

Jason framed her face in his hands and kissed her, her smirk disappearing. “Yeah, it does,” he whispered against her mouth. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

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