Written in 76 minutes. Sorry. The cat kept walking in front of the screen and then I had trouble ending the scene.

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June 2000

Elizabeth sat at the dining room table in Sonny Corinthos’ penthouse, watching the rain pelt the windows overlooking downtown Port Charles and contemplated the insanity of her life in the last six months. The boy she thought she’d love forever had broken her heart, and somehow that had led her to the home of Port Charles Public Enemy Number One and in a complicated something with his right hand man.

And last night, she’d been shot at for nothing more than standing next to the wrong person in a parking lot.

Elizabeth scrubbed her hands over her face, trying to rub some common sense back into herself. Or maybe if she tried hard enough, she’d knock herself into reality, and all of this would go away because this really couldn’t be her life could it?

A door closed down the hall, and a few minutes later, Sonny appeared. The older man looked as tired as Elizabeth felt. She’d seen him in passing over the last few years, and had never known him to look anything but put together with designer suits and neatly combed back hair. Today, that same coal-black hair was disheveled, hanging in curls over his forehead, stubble lining his jaw, and he wore what must have seemed like casual lounging clothes to him — a pair of black pants and a slate gray shirt.

“Um, I was wondering if it was safe to go home now,” Elizabeth said after Sonny had headed for a mini bar set against the wall. He poured himself a glass of water. “I’m supposed to work at Kelly’s later today—”

“We should talk about what happens next, and the options on the table.” Sonny came to the table, sat across from her. “You’ve done remarkable all things considered. What are you, eighteen?”

“Nineteen. I’ll be twenty in a few months,” she muttered. She picked at the chipped polish on her thumb. “Why?”

“If you think I’m saying something about your age, I’m not. I know more than most that age is just a number. I was running the streets at fourteen. Working for Joe Scully by fifteen.” He folded his arms on the table, leaned forward. “And Jason? You know he’s only twenty-six.”

“Yeah—”

“Twenty-six,” Sonny murmured. He rubbed a finger across his lips. “You know, I left him everything a few years ago. He was twenty-four. Barely working for me maybe a year and a half. And I just handed him the keys to the empire I’d built.”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. “I guess I never thought about that. Why would you trust someone so young so fast?”

“I don’t know. Jason’s got a way about him. You know what I mean, don’t you? One second, he’s just this kid I’m helping out, and the next—he’s my best friend and practically the only person I’d trust my life with. Can’t tell you how or why it happened. Only that it did.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s how it was. He was just Emily’s brother. Or the guy who gave Lucky a job and a place to live. But he was always nice to me. Then—” Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “I don’t know. He listened, even when I didn’t think I needed to talk. And then the next thing I knew—” she trailed off, looked back at her hands. “I’m not some silly little girl with a crush.”

“I never thought you were.”

“Oh.” She lifted her eyes to him. “You said we had to talk about the options. I don’t know what that means. Jason’s going to be okay, isn’t he? And he just wanted me to be safe. I am now—”

“After we’re done here, you and me, I’m gonna send you in to have probably the same conversation with Jason. The thing is, I don’t know if he’s gonna sugarcoat the situation so that you don’t get too scared or maybe he’ll make it sound worse than it really is so you run away screaming, and he doesn’t have to keep pushing you away.”

“I think I know which one he’ll pick,” Elizabeth muttered, and Sonny grinned then, a dimple winking in his cheek.

“Me, too. Our boy is a little too self-sacrificing if you ask me, but we’ll worry about that later. The thing is Jason’s going to be okay, but he’s not there yet. He needs to rest and he needs to stay off the radar. What happened last night—well, the guy didn’t succeed in his goal.”

“Because Jason’s alive.”

“Bullseye. So he’s going to look for an opportunity to finish the job.” Sonny paused. “Now, that part’s easy. Jason’s gonna lay low, recuperate, and I’m gonna figure this out hopefully before he’s well enough to worry about it again. My worry is that if I take Jason off the board, this guy is going to get pissed. And he’s going to do whatever he has to so that he lures Jason out of hiding.”

Elizabeth exhaled on a rush of air. “There are other people. Better people—”

“There’s Emily and Michael and you. That’s it. That’s Jason’s circle at the moment. No one’s going to go all the way to Paris to dig up an ex-girlfriend, though it’s something to consider,” Sonny admitted. “So, fine, we add Robin to that list. Robin’s not here. Emily and Michael? Quartermaines. No one’s touching them. In fact, that’s what happened last night. This guy waited for Emily to leave, and took his shot. He did not care that you were there. But—”

“But Jason took me with him when he left instead of leaving me behind as a random witness,” Elizabeth murmured. “And Emily said the papers printed my name. That she got phone calls.”

“People know who you are. I don’t want you to be someone they can use against Jason, not when I need him to recover. I also just don’t want to see you hurt.”

“So what happens then? What are you asking me to do?” Elizabeth frowned. “I have to work, okay? And I didn’t—I didn’t tell anyone yet except my grandmother and Emily, but I signed a contract this week for an art exhibition the last week of August. I have to paint.”

“I can handle that second part. And I can make some calls. Luke’s a friend of mine, and he and Bobbie co-own Kelly’s with Ruby gone, don’t they?”

“Yes, but—”

“I know this isn’t fair. Especially since you and Jason aren’t exactly on the same page about what you’re doing. I got the idea last night that maybe you were having second thoughts about all of this.”

“Second thoughts? Try fifth and sixth.” Elizabeth sighed, leaned back in the chair. “I don’t know. I don’t know how anyone signs up for this life. To love someone in it, that seems impossible. To actually live it—how do you do it?” she asked, leaning forward. “Am I allowed to ask that? You can tell me to shut up. It’s none of my business—”

“No, but I don’t mind answering. Some people—they go into this world for the money. For the power. Some? They thrive on violence. They like to hurt people. Others?” Sonny sniffed. “They grow up in it, and it’s an inheritance, you get me? It’s an expectation, the way maybe your family thought you’d go into medicine, I’m sure, with all the doctors in your family.” He paused. “I had…a difficult childhood,” he said. “And I wanted to make sure no one could hurt me again. I needed the power to control my world. The rest of it? The money, that’s nice. I don’t care for the violence, but I don’t turn from it either. It doesn’t scare me, particularly. I’ve never known much peace in my life. I don’t think I’d know what to do with it.”

“I should run away screaming,” Elizabeth murmured. “Jason thinks I will, and there’s part of me that wants to stay just to prove him wrong. But that’s not—that’s not fair. To him or to me.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

“I can’t help but notice that you haven’t run away screaming yet. Something’s holding you back.” Sonny tipped his head. “I asked you to stay last night. But I didn’t force you.”

“Last night, someone shot at me just because I was standing too close to Jason,” Elizabeth said slowly. “When you say it that way, you know, it makes it sound like it’s Jason’s fault. But he didn’t pull the trigger. I told everyone I had a date to this dance.” She looked down at her hands. “I told them that I had a date because I didn’t want them to think Lucky had hurt me by breaking off our plans to  go with my sister. I got dressed up, I let my grandmother take pictures of me, and I went to the movies. Afterwards, instead of going home, I walked through the park.” She met Sonny’s dark eyes. “I should have gone home, but it was too early. I sat on a bench to wait a little bit, to finish my popcorn. I told a lie, and that’s why I was raped.”

“That’s—” Sonny paused, took a deep breath. “You know that’s not why—”

“It’s why I was sitting on that bench in that moment. Because I lied. I know that doesn’t make it my fault. Just like standing too close to Jason doesn’t make it his fault if something happens. But I understand why he thinks it does. Because there’s part of me that won’t ever be able to forgive the silly little girl who told that lie.” She cleared her throat. “When Jason says he thinks one day I’ll change my mind and I’ll look at him like a monster, I think — well, maybe he’s right. Because I keep seeing myself in the mirror and blaming myself for what happened to me.” She let out a rush of breath. “I’m sorry. I know this isn’t what you wanted to talk about. You said there were options. I have to go away, too, right? Until Jason is okay, you think I’ll be safer if I go away.”

“Yeah.” Sonny cleared his throat. “Yeah. And you’d be doing me a favor if you went with Jason to the island. He’s a terrible patient who never follows orders if someone doesn’t make him. I’ll make sure you have everything you need for your art. Just make a list. But yeah, I think that’s best.”

“The island? With Jason?” Elizabeth bit her lip. “And he knows this? He agreed already?”

“He did.” Sonny tipped his head. “Does that surprise you?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it does. Um, but he agreed, so that must—it must be okay. I just—I don’t—you’re sure me going away doesn’t mean Emily or Michael would be the next up?” Elizabeth asked. “Because I—”

“As certain as I can be, but I’ll be keeping an eye on Emily. Michael’s a kid — it’s harder to use him. But I can put someone on her here.”

“Okay. Okay. If you’re sure this is the best way, and Jason already said okay, then we can do that. I just—I don’t want to do anything that will make this worse.”

“I can’t imagine how that would be possible. I appreciate this, Elizabeth. I’ll be able to work up here and not worry about either of you.”

——

Jason might have promised Sonny he’d lay down, but it wasn’t a promise he was able to keep. He knew Sonny was out there, explaining this horrible situation to Elizabeth, and he had no doubt Sonny was going to make it sound as dire as possible so that she’d agree to go to the island. After the way Jason had acted over the last twelve hours, there was no way she’d want go back there willingly.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and then it pushed open. Elizabeth stepped in, her brow furrowed. “You’re supposed to be laying down.”

“I need to move around—”

“You need—” She closed her mouth, then sighed. “I don’t know why Sonny thinks you’ll listen to me. That’s the whole reason he wants me to go with you, but if you won’t listen to a doctor, why would you listen to me?”

Chagrined, Jason clutched the post at the end of the bed, wrapping his hand around it, and holding the other against his bandaged side. “That’s what he said?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he was just trying to make it sound like I’d be useful instead of a terrible burden and someone he has to look after.” Elizabeth folded her arms, the oversized t-shirt sliding off her shoulder again. “It’s my fault,” she muttered. “If I hadn’t been there, you wouldn’t have worried about me, and maybe you wouldn’t have been shot—”

“What?” Jason cut in, bewildered. How had she turned this around to make it her fault? “They were shooting at me—”

“But I was there because I told the parking attendant to leave me for last.” She looked at him, her eyes swimming. “I could have gone first. Nikolas told me to go first, but I said it was fine for him. And I only did it because I was hoping you’d come out to say goodbye to Emily, so I waited like the stupid girl with the silly crush that I told you I wasn’t, except that’s exactly how I acted. I ignored everything you said, and now you and Sonny are both worried about my safety—”

“Okay, we need to back up—” Jason took a step towards her, but she shook her head.

“No, no, I keep going over it, and I listened when Sonny explained it all to me — I waited so we’d be out there alone, a-and then you were so worried about me you didn’t even take care of yourself, and now this guy who wants to hurt might try to use me which is exactly what you said would happen, and I promise I was listening—” She sucked in a sharp, quavering breath. “I promise I take this seriously, I just—”

“Hey.” Jason winced as he took a few more steps towards her. “Hey. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’m the one who made myself a target, okay? They were shooting at me—”

“And you got hurt when you pushed me down, so if I hadn’t been there—” Tears clung to her lashes when she lifted her gaze to his. “Sonny told me you agreed that I should go with you, but you don’t want that, do you? That’s the last thing you want. I’m not an idiot. That’s why Sonny talked to me. He said you agreed, but that doesn’t mean you want me to go—”

The fact that she was right—that his first instinct had been to reject the plan made Jason feel about two feet tall. He grimaced. “It’s not like that—”

“And now you’re looking at me like I’m insane, and trust me, I feel insane because I was fine out there talking to Sonny, but I came in here, and you’re standing up walking around like an idiot because you just got shot and you won’t take pain medication, you won’t rest—and it’s because you’re trying to get better faster because you don’t want to be alone with me, and that’s my fault. You think I’m going to push you into something you don’t want—” She pressed her fist to her mouth. “Because that’s what I was doing, right? Last night. In the hallway, and then in the parking lot—you said no, and I didn’t listen. Oh, God.” Horrified, her eyes widened. “Oh, God. You said no, and I didn’t care—what kind of person am I?”

Jason winced, reached for her hands to pull them away from her face. “Hey, okay, we need to take a deep breath. Elizabeth—” He took her chin in his hand. “Look at me. Hey.”

She closed her eyes. “Please don’t look at me. Please don’t. I’m making a fool of myself, and it’s going to be so much worse when you’re nice about it—”

“Well, I can’t do anything about that. Can you look at me? Please?”

Her lashes fluttered, and then her eyes were open again, misery in every line of her expression. “You should be resting.”

“I will. You’re right. I should be listening to the doctor. I’m sorry for worrying you.” He winced, because his side really did hurt like a son of a bitch, but he had to do this first. “Okay. First, I did not say no. And you did nothing that made me feel like that you didn’t listen to me the other night Or last night.”

“But—”

“I don’t think you’re trying to push me into anything. I don’t. And last night—” He sighed. “I was just about to offer you a ride on the bike before everything went to hell because I didn’t want you to just go home. So what if you made sure you were the last to leave? That’s not why I was hurt.”

He slid his hands down her shoulders to her arms down to her hands. “But if you’re asking if I think going to the island together is a good idea, no, I don’t. I think it’s going to make this harder for both of us. That doesn’t change the fact that it’s the best way to keep you safe, and to keep me from worrying about you off in some safe house with guards you don’t know.”

“I—” Elizabeth drew in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry for falling apart. It’s not exactly doing much to reassure you that I could do this if you gave me the chance.”

“I don’t want you to worry about that—”

“I can’t help it.” She smiled, though it was a thin one, and it didn’t reach her eyes. “I was so scared last night when I realized you’d been hurt. And, God, I was so mad.” The color returned to her cheeks. “Why didn’t you say anything? You didn’t tell me you were hurt, and I was looking for my stupid shoe—”

“I wasn’t thinking about it—” Jason winced when she just narrowed her eyes. “I just knew I didn’t have a lot of time to get you somewhere safe—”

“You matter, too, okay? I don’t want any of this macho crap where you think I’m some damsel in distress you have to rescue—” She poked him in the chest. “So if that’s what you think—”

“I don’t—”

“Because I dragged you off your bike and to the elevators, and I don’t think some flimsy princess could do that—and I did it without shoes—so I think I get extra credit for that.”

“Is there a test I don’t know about?” he asked, confused. “I mean, I’m grateful—”

“All of this is a test. You didn’t set it up,” Elizabeth said, letting her hand fall to her side, “but that doesn’t mean you aren’t grading me. Tell the truth. You thought this would be enough to send me running. Maybe you were hoping it would. Is what you want? Really? For me to go?” Her tone had shifted again. “Because I’ll tell Sonny that I’ll go to the island and stay somewhere else like the resort or something. I don’t want to be somewhere I’m not wanted.”

Jason opened his mouth to respond, then shook his head, and did something truly insane. He cupped the back of her head and pulled her against him, claiming her mouth with his.

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