Author's Note:

Starts off from the end of the 5/23/03 episode (where Faith pushed Liz down the stairs).
Very different in some ways and—surprising to me, since I worked out most of the plot the weekend after that episode, having not read any spoilers—not so different in others from what the actual show did. This fic does not begin as very romantic, but there will be more focus on relationships (mainly those of S&C, Journey, LiRic, and Zem, but just because I list them here doesn't mean they'll all survive…) in later chapters, after the plot gets laid out. Please stick with me a little while! Thanks for reading, and if you like it or not, please review.

Disclaimer:

I am in no way affiliated with General Hospital or ABC, and none of the characters in this story, aside from the few I may or may not create, belong to me.

The Fallout

Chapter One

Elizabeth Webber stood alone on the deck of Rice Plaza. She hugged herself as she stared out at the water peacefully lapping the docks of Port Charles. A cool breeze tugged at her shoulder-length brown hair and baby blue jacket. She pulled the coat closer around her, straightening the shoulder strap of her small pocketbook. She looked so sweet, so innocent. Once her personality had matched her appearance. Before Sonny's half-brother had changed her, turned her against him. Sonny was all of a sudden the bad guy. Elizabeth was too blind in love to see what Ric Lansing was: a kidnapper, murderer, blackmailer, pathological liar, almost rapist. She couldn't see beyond the Ivy League facade. She was in for a violently rude awakening one day. It was a pity. She had once been such a nice girl.

With a sigh, Sonny pushed through the double glass doors and stepped onto the plaza. "Wait inside," he ordered his bodyguard. He didn't like having bodyguards following him and his family everywhere, but he couldn't take any risks. Not after the car bomb.

"Yes, sir." Max obediently retreated within, moving far enough away from the glass so he could see, but not hear, what went on.

Elizabeth turned to Sonny with a toss of her head. Her sapphire-emerald eyes were shining, her dimpled chin held high. Sonny's gaze strayed to her belly. She was not yet showing her pregnancy.

Sonny walked over to her, crossing his arms over his chest when he stood directly in front of Elizabeth. "What is it you need to tell me about Ric?"

Elizabeth held up her left hand, which sported a diamond engagement ring and a golden wedding band. "Your brother and I got married last night."

Sonny wasn't surprised. Ric had already told him he was going to marry Elizabeth, given that as his reason for letting go of his twisted vendetta. Sonny was willing to believe the family part, but not about the vendetta. Ric blamed Sonny for everything bad that had happened to their mother—her fall down the stairs, her deciding to keep Sonny but give Ric up for adoption, her marriage to the abusive Deke. Sonny had pushed her, Sonny hadn't wanted a brother or a father, Sonny had been the one who put Adella in the hospital, not Deke. True, it was Ric's father Trevor who had fed him all these lies, but Ric was a grown man and responsible for his actions. And Ric wasn't about to give up on his quest for revenge.

Elizabeth waited for Sonny to comment, but he did not. "Look, Ric had nothing to do with the car bomb, or the drug set up. Ric is no longer a threat to you. You don't have to kill him."

Sonny offered an abbreviated laugh. "He told you this, didn't he?"

"It's the truth, Sonny!" Elizabeth's eyes flashed. "I need your word that he will be safe."

So this was what she wanted. He shook his head. "I can't give you that."

"You know what? You are not God, Sonny. You do not decide who lives and who dies. I stayed with you when Carly lost the baby. You owe me for that. And this is how you will pay me back." Elizabeth gave another toss of her head.

All sound faded from Sonny's hearing and all surroundings from his vision. All he heard was Elizabeth's breathing. All he saw was this girl Ric had brainwashed. Ric let Carly think he'd raped her, and, even worse, he'd allowed her to worry about the paternity of her and Sonny's baby. Yet Elizabeth dared to bring up the loss of his and Carly's first unborn child? And demand that he let Ric, pure slime, live in order to pay her back for keeping him company? "Your twisted, rapist husband is not a good person, Elizabeth. I will not promise you anything. My debt is paid. Never come to me again."

Elizabeth looked shocked that he'd spoken to her in such a way. So what? He didn't owe her anything, especially when it came to Ric.

Sonny opened one of the glass doors and left her, never looking back.

Faith Roscoe covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. Oh, this was priceless. She couldn't let an opportunity like this pass her by. She'd given Elizabeth a little nudge in the right direction—the right direction for Faith, anyway—making her think Sonny believed Ric was responsible for the car bomb and intended to kill him. Now, if Elizabeth were to slip and tumble down the stairs that lead up to Rice Plaza and get a concussion or, better, lose the wretched baby…well, wouldn't it be damn unfortunate for Sonny? Naturally, Ric would assume his brother, the ever-so-slightly mentally unstable control freak mobster Sonny Corinthos, had pushed her. How sad.

Elizabeth moved to the stairs. Faith, hardly containing her glee, gave her a one-handed shove.

"Ric Lansing's here to see you."

Carly Corinthos looked at her best friend, Courtney Matthews, now engaged to her other best friend, Jason Morgan, and rolled her eyes so far back she could almost see the top of her head. "Tell him to go away," she instructed Marco, the doorman.

Ric brushed past the bodyguard. "This will only take a minute."

"Oh, fine," Carly said, not budging from the couch where she, Courtney, and a bag of contraband potato chips were positioned.

"I just wanted to tell Sonny that Elizabeth and I got married last night."

"Wow. Did you blackmail her too or just kidnap her and force her into it?" Courtney inquired innocently. Carly smirked.

"That's none of your business," Ric snapped. "She and I are leaving the country, and I thought Sonny would like to be made aware of our movements." He headed for the door.

Carly stuffed a potato chip in her mouth. "So maybe that's why Elizabeth dragged my husband off."

Ric turned around with a frown. "Elizabeth is meeting Sonny?"

"Married less than twenty four hours and already keeping secrets." Carly smirked, offering Courtney the bag of chips. Courtney selected one and munched on it.

"Where? When?"

Carly swallowed. "Rice Plaza. Now. Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Ric jogged up the stairs to Rice Plaza, speculating as he went as to why his new bride had asked Sonny to meet her. It didn't make sense. He'd told Elizabeth that he had given up his vendetta, and so long as he kept his word and stayed away from Sonny's family, his brother the mobster would not come after him. Or so he hoped. It was hard to tell with Sonny. One minute the man said he couldn't kill him because he was their mother's son, the next he had his goons drag him to his penthouse and shouted he didn't care who he was. Well, he couldn't exactly blame Sonny for the inconsistencies. The car bomb must have really spooked him. It wasn't often that someone got so close to Sonny Corinthos and his family.

Ric paused a moment, wondering who was coming after Sonny. It didn't matter, he supposed. Sonny was a control freak and a psychopath. He'd be more than happy if someone dismantled the empire Sonny had built, but he would have nothing to do with bringing the mob boss down. Now that he was married and had a baby of his own on the way, he didn't want anything to happen to Carly, Michael, and the baby. No matter what Sonny had done to Ric, Ric's father, their mother, and anyone and everyone else, his family didn't deserve to pay for it.

Ah, well. This was Sonny's threat to deal with. He'd proven time and again that he could protect his family. Hell, if he couldn't manage it, and Jason couldn't manage it, Carly certainly could. Who could stand up to a furious, baseball-bat wielding, duct-tape using, gun-toting, drink drugger?

Time for Ric to concern himself with his wife. "Elizabeth!" he called, reaching the top step. The deck stretched before him, not a soul in sight. "Elizabeth!" he tried again. Maybe she was still nearby and would respond to his shouts. There was no answer. Either she and Sonny hadn't met yet, or they'd already finished their business. He headed for the stairs on the other side of the deck. He could get back to his apartment—their apartment—and the love of his life sooner if he went that way.

He took the first few steps and then glanced at the bottom of the stairs. He froze. Elizabeth lay, motionless, at the bottom of the stairs.

"Oh my God," he whispered. "Oh my God!" he said louder, racing down the remaining steps to his wife's side. He gingerly touched her back. "Elizabeth? Elizabeth, can you hear me?"

No answer.

He gently rolled her over, while thoughts in the foggy corners of his mind asked him if he should be doing that. What if her spinal cord was injured? What if it hurt the baby?

Blood trickled from a cut on Elizabeth's forehead, a bruise purpled the corner of her perfect full mouth. He pushed a lock of hair lovingly off her scraped cheek. "Come on, Elizabeth. Wake up, honey."

She offered no response.

His placed a hand on her stomach. The baby.

No, the baby was fine. His mother hadn't lost him when she fell—when Sonny pushed her—down the stairs. Elizabeth wouldn't either.

Ric's eyes snapped to the stairs. His mother. Stairs. Falling. Sonny. Pushed. Meeting with Sonny. Anger exploded within him. He could hardly see straight. This was no accident. This had Sonny's name written all over it. Sonny had pushed their mother down the stairs so she wouldn't marry his father Trevor, so she wouldn't split her attention between him and a baby brother. His mother wouldn't give Sonny up for Trevor, so she'd instead put Ric up for adoption. Sonny needed to be in control. Ric's marrying Elizabeth and Elizabeth being pregnant somehow knocked Sonny out of control. And Sonny didn't like that. So Sonny had pushed Elizabeth down the stairs. He'd gone after Ric's family instead of Ric. He couldn't harm his mother's son, but he sure as hell could hurt his family!

"You will pay, Sonny. Oh, you will pay," Ric swore through gritted teeth.

But first there was Elizabeth and their unborn baby to worry about.