A/N – Jason has been kidnapped and tortured for five months. They leave him to die and Elizabeth finds him and is shocked by his condition. Can she help him cope with what happened and re-build his life?

Rated T for now. There is some graphic talk about what happened to him in the beginning. So, word of warning. It starts out dark, but there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I know it's hard to imagine Jason completely broken, but it can happen to anyone.

Chapter 1 - Discovery

Elizabeth Webber ran through the woods as fast as she could. Her car had broken down and as she walked inside the treeline, trying to make her way down the hill safely, she caught a movement in her peripheral vision and dropped to the ground when she saw two men beating a man to death in a clearing. In a panic, she crawled back to the road and ran across it and down into another ravine. She was scared, thinking that if they found her she could suffer from the same fate.

After a few minutes, she stopped to catch her breath; leaning against a tree. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest as she frantically tried to come up with a plan. Looking around she noticed that there was nothing but trees as far as her eye could see. The sun was starting to go down, and she knew she had to find shelter before the cold set in. Starting to walk again, she noticed the clouds had started to lower and she could tell that it would probably start snowing soon. She could smell it in the air, so she broke out into a run and right as the sunlight started to disappear, she saw a small cabin. "Yes," she said softly, as she ran towards it as fast as she could. The door was unlocked, so she went inside. Flicking on a light switch, she was surprised and pleased when it actually worked. There was a wood stove and she remembered seeing a stack of cut wood outside on her way in. Running back to the side of house, she gathered several logs and brought them inside before making a second trip. When she turned to go back into the house again, she felt something wet against her face and realized that the snow had begun to fall. Smiling, she hurried back inside and shut the door. After locating some matches in the kitchen, she got the stove started and put some more logs in it and then waited for the warmth to spread.

Sitting on the couch, she finally started to take in her surroundings. There was nothing really special about the cabin. There was a table with a couple of chairs and some books on a shelf. A shotgun sat in the corner and a portable radio across the room. And then she heard a noise that sounded as if a chain was rattling. She grabbed the shotgun and carefully opened the door to each room, but found nothing. "There's got to be a basement," she said softly. Quickly, she went back into the kitchen and flipped on the light switch and stared at the backdoor before opening it. Cautiously, she moved down the steps and looked around the yard and saw what looked like doors on top of the ground. She went over to it and realized that it was locked. Running back into the house, she found some bolt cutters under the kitchen sink and then ran back outside. It took her a bit, but she finally snapped the chains and they fell to the ground. "This is crazy," she muttered as she slowly crept down the stairs and was swallowed up in darkness. Her eyes adjusted and she could tell that there were some boxes strewn around and then she ran into the string for the light switch and pulled it. The room illuminated and she gasped when she saw the terrified man chained to the wall. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. They were also filled with fear and pain. Slowly, she approached him.

"Da…..Don't hurt me," he said shaking and breathing heavily. "Did she send you?"

Her eyes welled up with tears. He looked like he was in terrible pain and his body was only covered by his underwear. Scabs adorned most of his body where he was cut and there were lots of bruises too. His was muscular, but had started to thin.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise," she said moving even closer. "I'm just going to cut your chains off okay?"

He slightly nodded his head; eyes glazed.

"Are you an angel?"

Elizabeth felt like she couldn't breathe. "No."

Refocusing on the task at hand, she cut his ankle chains first and eased the shackles off revealing chaffed and reddened skin. Then she worked on the ones on his wrists. "Sorry," she said as she noticed the pain etched into his face. "What did they do to you?" she whispered not really expecting him to respond.

He was shaking. His eyes flickered with fear trying to figure out if he had died or if he was still in hell.

"My name is Elizabeth."

"Ja..Jason."

"Jason, we need to go upstairs okay? It's snowing and you can't stay down here."

He nodded.

"I'm going to have to touch you okay?"

He stared at her for a long moment before slowly nodding and then flinching when she initially touched his arm and Liz's heart broke. "It's okay." Her voice was soothing and comforting. "I promise that you're safe with me." She helped him sit up and then slowly they stood. His legs gave out and she was forced to bare some of his weight, but he grabbed a pole they were standing next to and leaned against it, panting, so they wouldn't topple over.

"We're just going to take it really slow okay?" she said as she began to move him towards the stairs. Jason shivered as the cold air ripped across his body.

"I know it's freezing out. Come on," she said leading him up the stairs. It was a slow climb and she could hear his teeth chatter.

They finally made it outside and she directed him to the back steps as snow swirled all around them. When they got inside the house, she led him to the bathroom and Jason sat as he shivered violently.

Elizabeth prepared a hot bath and then ran back into the bedroom. She grabbed some underwear and sweatpants from a drawer and then put them on the counter. Rubbing his arms, she tried to warm him up a little, but the effort seemed futile. "I need you to get into the tub okay?"

She turned so he could take off his underpants and then she heard the water being displaced. She grabbed a washcloth and threw it inside and then found a big towel and laid it on the top of the toilet seat. "I'll be right outside. I'm going to see if I can find something hot for you to drink. You're probably dehydrated."

Jason nodded and watched her leave. His mind was a jumbled mess. He didn't even know how long he had been a prisoner. All he knew was that part of the nightmare was over as he sunk down into the hot water and closed his eyes.

liIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Johnny glanced at Francis. "Did you see which way she went?"

Francis sighed. "I just saw her run down the ravine."

"We have to find her."

"I know, but it's fucking cold out here. At least the snow let up a little."

"Max and Milo are on the way. He's bringing heavier jackets and some equipment."

They got back in their car and finally Max passed them and then a few minutes later he parked on the other side of the road.

"There's an abandoned car a little bit up the road. I'm having Spinelli run the plates. Did you take care of the problem?"

"Yeah, he didn't know where Jason was, but we did find out that he worked for the Cassadines."

"Fucking Helena," Johnny muttered. "I hate that bitch."

Francis smirked. "She loves you."

"Shut it Corelli."

Max shook his head as he watched Milo walk up to them. "You ready?"

The men nodded. They needed to find the girl before she ratted them out to the cops or died from exposure.

liIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Elizabeth put some tea on the nightstand and then knocked on the bathroom door which made Jason jump. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," he said softly as he stepped out of the tub and dried off. When he put on the underwear and sweatpants, he caught a glimpse of his reflection and gasped as he looked in the mirror.

Hearing him, Elizabeth turned the knob. "I'm coming in." She slowly pushed open the door and then sucked in a breath as she saw him standing there. There were weird burn marks on his back that she hadn't noticed before. "Sit down."

He sat on the closed toilet seat and she opened the cabinets until she found a first aid kit. There were still a few open wounds on him that needed to be cleaned. "This might hurt a little," she said as she put the peroxide on the cuts. When he flinched, she lightly blew on them and looked up into his eyes. "How long have you been here on your own?"

"A few days. She said she wasn't coming back; that she was leaving me there to die because I was useless." His voice was barely above a whisper. Liz peered deeply into his eyes, just wanting to hold him when she saw the devastation. She recognized that look too well. It was shame. "Oh Jason, I'm so sorry she hurt you," she said as tears rolled down her face.

His eyes filled with tears and she stood. "May I hold you?" She tentatively moved towards him and then he grabbed her and held on for dear life as Liz cried for him. He had been tortured, beaten, and raped for months. And even though he was one of the most feared men in the area, his kidnappers had broken him, repeatedly.

When he finally released his grip, she pulled back and helped him stand and got him to the bed, pulling the covers back and waiting for him to slid inside. "You need to rest," she said, pulling the covers up over him. Liz started to move away and he grabbed her arm. "Please don't leave me."

"I promise that I'll be right back. I'm just going to put some more wood on the fire."

His hand dropped away, but his eyes never left her as he watched her leave. She was his beautiful angel. He had thought he was going to die. When she had turned on the light, he thought that maybe he was already gone and that the basement was some type of purgatory for all the bad things he had done, but it turned out she was his salvation and now he had hope.

After a few minutes, she reappeared in the doorway.

"Leave the light on."

Her head tipped and then she took off her shoes and grabbed a blanket. After laying on top of the comforter, she pulled the cover over her as Jason watched her every move until she settled and he saw her close her eyes. When her breathing evened out, he finally let himself sleep.

liIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

"This is fucking crazy," Max said. "Milo gets to sit in the car and we're down here trudging around in the snow."

Johnny pushed him. "Shut it Giambetti. You're such a big baby."

Francis chuckled and then stopped. "Smell that?"

They all froze.

"Burning wood….we're close."

"Thank God," Max said before continuing on.