Chapter One

It was almost the end of summer and Jason was once again at GH with Sam McCall. Getting her settled into her hospital room after an appointment with her doctor, he roamed the halls needing some peace and quiet.

Instead he overheard Elizabeth arguing with a clearly idiotic Lucky and Alexis Davis pacing back and forth with Ric Lansing hanging around outside her daughter's hospital room. He wished he dare go back and interfere for Elizabeth but he knew that would only escalate the argument.

He had heard about Ned's daughter from Emily and had agreed to keep an eye on Lansing who neither of them trusted around the clearly not thinking Alexis. That the attorney who knew what he had put Elizabeth trough, what he had put Carly though was trusting him made him wonder about her state of mind.

Finally getting to the chapel, he sat down and prayed for the baby that Sam was carrying. She kept talking, acting like he was going to be the father, but Jason had no such illusions, he knew that the moment that baby was born, Sonny would be there, claiming his child.

Feeling a longing for what he would never have, then looking at the floor, he let out a sigh as he recalled the last time he was in this room. The day he had almost lost his sister, the night he had almost had a chance with Elizabeth. He had walked away, wishing he had been free to give in to his desires, but he had known that Elizabeth was better off without him.

Even now, he watched her moving on, having her life with the man he had thought she loved until recently. It had only been as he spent time at GH that he got Spencer wasn't telling the whole truth and that Emily was believing the kid for some reason.

He wondered, had he given in to pressure, to letting others tell him what he should want. There were days and especially nights when he would think what if... what if he had done what he had wanted for himself. If he hadn't first screwed up when Sonny faked his death, then later on had given into obligations created by his ties to the Corinthos family.

There were days, and most especially nights when he wondered what if, what if he had followed his heart more often then letting his obligations rule him. What if he had given into his own desires? His need to find his own happiness?

Hearing the door open, he looked up, annoyed but that slipped away when he saw Elizabeth entering and sit down not that far from where he was. "Are you okay?"

Looking over at her more than friend, she said with a heavy sigh. "Yes, just having a small pep talk with myself. Reminding myself that I have a spine and that I can keep it strong."

Sliding over so that he was sitting about a foot away, he asked "What is going on?"

"Jason, you don't need to hear my problems, you have enough of your own." she said gently. "I heard about Sam, how are you doing with all of this?"

Taking a deep breath, recalling what he had been thinking only moments before, then looking at Elizabeth he said "I am fine, Elizabeth. This isn't my baby, Sonny is the baby's father. Not me. I am just standing in to keep Carly from creating trouble. To smooth the waters right now."

"But still, she is living with you, you are the one coming to the doctors appointment, the one whose penthouse she is decorating, the one who will be there day in and out for this baby." she said reaching out to grasp his hand and a bit surprised when before she could he had reached for hers and enfolded it in his much larger one.

"Yes, but I am not the father, Sonny and she will work this out between the two of them and I think when that finally happens, I will move out, find a new place to live. A place without any bad memories." He said surprised to find that the memory at the forefront was watching Elizabeth walk out on him.

"Jason, if you love her..." she trailed off when he stood abruptly then sat back down just as suddenly still holding her hand. "Jason..."

"I don't. I mean, I can tolerate her, but I am not in love with Sam. Elizabeth, she tried to abort this child until I offered her money and a place to live. I am more worried for her than anything else. Just like I would be with anyone in her position."

"Still the white knight." she said with a soft smile as she looked at her watch. "I have to go back to work, but Jason, if you need anything, please, don't hesitate to call me."

Watching her leave, Jason was about to stand when his phone rang. "Morgan."

"Morgan, I need to have a meeting with Corinthos and you, now." was all that was said then Lorenzo Alcazar hung up the phone. Jason was curious why the other man had called him, usually all concerns had to go through Sonny after all most of the time the families did so in spite of them being full partners.

Walking back to Sam's room, checking on her and promising to be back, he never saw her needy expression as he left, never saw her tears as she waited for him to come back in but he didn't return.

Outside, Jason saw Max pulling up and was about to tell him he needed to see Sonny when the guard said "Sonny sent me, Lorenzo Alcazar just called, said that it was about Lansing's father. That he wouldn't speak unless you were there."

Grimacing, then getting in the passenger side door, he fastened his seat belt while Max drove across town. "Sonny, what is going on?" he asked into his cell phone.

"Just get here." said the other man who looked at the dark mobster across from him and scowled at his having invaded his office, having him dictate terms in order to speak to him. This was the man that Carly had chosen over him, this pantywaist...

Jason entered the warehouse and glared at the South American mobster who was lounging in one of the guest chairs. "What is going on?"

"Trevor Lansing is dead." he replied bluntly. "Ric got a note today from his killer, he came to me about it."

"And we care because?" asked Sonny not really caring what happened to Ric's father.

Taking the note out of his pocket, he said "Here."

Jason took it by the edge, not wanting to leave fingerprints but the words on it, had him wondering what was so threatening about it. "You Better Watch out. SC. Who is SC?"

"That is just it, I don't know but Trevor was found hung at his mistress Kate Howard's penthouse. Corinthos, when running her background, I found she wasn't always Kate Howard. She was once Connie Falconari."

"Shit." said Sonny as the name rang a bell. For a moment his mind went back to a lonely corner at midnight and being devastated that she hadn't shown up. "And she was involved with Lansing?"

"Yes, for years." he replied, knowing that right now, Sonny was wondering what he knew about his past and Lorenzo knew a lot, things that not even Sonny knew. "Old man Zachara isn't running things, by the way, his son is. There is more, I got a note this morning. Here, or rather I should say Carly got a note with flowers."

Taking that one, Jason read "You better not cry? SC, again."

"It rings a bell for me, but I have no idea how." said Lorenzo shrugging. "As you can see it was addressed to Carly. I took it as a threat, but strangely enough when I tracked back the flowers it lead to the Cassadine Enterprises."

"What?" asked Sonny now confused.

"The flowers, which Carly threw out when she finally saw them were called Helenium. They look like yellow weeds but they mean tears. Why on earth would Nicolas Cassadine send Carly flowers?" he asked waiting for them to play connect the dots.

Morgan was quick, brain damaged or not. "Helena, this is from Helena Cassadine, not Nik."

"You are correct." he said then saw Sonny scowling at his already having the answers. "I did some checking, several other women also received these flowers. Bobbie Jones, Leslie Webber, Laura Spencer at her hospital room. Alexis Davis at the hospital and lastly..."

"Emily." said Sonny with a frown when he saw Jason tense up. This was the last thing they needed right now, Jason tense because Helena was coming after his sister.

"No." said Lorenzo who then said "They were sent to Audrey Hardy's house but they were addressed to Elizabeth Webber, Ric's ex-wife."

Now Sonny was wishing he hadn't called Jason in spite of Alcazar's demands. He had seen his partner at the hospital had seen him speaking to Elizabeth and this, this wasn't a good thing, not while he needed him to take Sam off his hands, not that there was ever a good time for Elizabeth Webber to be on his partner's mind but now was a particularly bad time.

"Because of the Spencers." said Jason now getting what Lucky had been bothering Elizabeth about. She had probably pushed him away to protect herself and her son and Spencer in all his selfish glory more than likely hadn't gotten the message.

"I did some checking, Helena Cassadine hates Elizabeth for what happened a few years ago, when she faked her death and hid down on Sonny's island. That helped defeat the old woman's grand plans for her now dead son and Port Charles."

Jason never let on that he didn't know what the other man was talking about, but vowed to get answers. He saw Sonny's reaction and got that if he wanted answers, they wouldn't be coming from his partner. He was discovering more and more that Sonny was only telling him what he wanted to, not what he should.

Elizabeth was leaving the hospital, having picked Cam up at daycare when she overheard Courtney arguing with Jax and wanted to laugh. She only hoped Jax who was a nice guy didn't get gutted like every one else who was in Courtney's way.

With that, she called her grams and asked if she wanted her to stop at the store on the way home since Elizabeth needed to get diapers.

"No, but you received some flowers today." she said archly. "Anything you want to tell me, like that Lucky and you have reconciled?"

"No." she said then told her she would be delayed. With that, she drove over to the apartment that her fellow nurse new nurse Nadine Crowell had told her about.

Grimacing at the neighborhood but after seeing how clean the apartment and the building was kept up, began to make plans to move out. She was tired of hearing about Lucky from everyone and at least if she had her own place, there would be some peace.

She had no intention of making that mistake again. She almost had gone there, wanting Cam to have a real live father, but had begun to realize that she had already once made that mistake with Ric, and she wasn't going there ever again with any man.

At the Hardy house, after looking at the flowers, what looked like yellow weeds really, she began to prepare things to move at the beginning of November when the apartment would be ready, her phone rang. "Hello."

"Elizabeth? Can you meet me someplace, your old studio?" asked Jason as he walked away from Sam's hospital room yet again. She had called, crying hysterically but when he had arrived she had only wanted company. After a quick call to Emily, he had his sister stopping in later.

Deftly avoiding Ric and Alexis, the former looking tense, more than likely about his father, then Carly and Courtney who seemed to be stalking the place, he quickly ducked into the stairwell while waiting for her answer.

Hesitating then agreeing, she asked her grams to keep Cam for a while explaining she had to go check on something, she wasn't happy when she got that the woman thought she was meeting Lucky but instead just reminded herself that in forty five days she would have her own place.

At the studio, she knocked and was soon let inside. Looking around, she asked. "Jason, what is going on and how do you still have a key that works?"

"I own the building." he said sitting on her old sofa and waiting for her to join him. "I need to ask you something. What happened when you had to fake your death a few years ago?"

Her eyes widening, she said "Jason that was a long time ago."

"Please tell me what happened and how you ended up on the island." Sure enough, after listening to her, he was sure Sonny had known he was there, had sent him away deliberately so that he wouldn't be on the island at the same time with Elizabeth.

Cursing himself for not questioning things more, he hesitated then said "Now, I need to tell you something. Carly, Alexis, Bobbie, Leslie Webber and you all received flowers today."

"Yes, grams thought they were from Lucky but I doubted it, since we argued and I told him that we would always be friends but nothing more." she stated.

"They were Helenium. Did you see the card?" he asked. When she stated no that there hadn't been one, he said "Carly's said You better not cry and were signed SC. And Ric's father died today and he had an note found on him also signed SC."

"I don't understand, I mean I get that you at first thought it was Helena, but why would she kill Ric's father?" she asked bewildered.

"I don't know, but I wanted to warn you. Would you like me to assign a guard to you?" he asked, already planning on doing so anyhow.

"No, it would only cause tension for me with grams." she said with a sigh then looked at him and knew she had to think of Cam. "I have been looking at places to move into. I found one I am interested in, could you please have someone check it out. With Helena on the loose and apparently gunning for me, I would be a fool not to ask."

"I will, what is the address?" he said then watched as she pulled out a pen and a piece of paper then wrote it down. Seeing the street name, he wasn't happy that wasn't in a particularly good neighborhood. "Would you let me have Max and Bernie look into things, for you?"

"Please, I won't let my pride stand in the way of protecting my son from that family. I can't." she said then stood and walked to the door. Turning, she said "Jason, thanks for letting me know, you could have just dealt with her, just protected Carly like usual, but I am glad..."

Standing, looking at her, getting that she really thought he would leave her hanging like that, Jason got that things had really stretched the bounds of friendship. He couldn't nor would he let that continue.

He was still a little confused up in his head, still a little unsure if he was figuring things out correctly but no matter what, Elizabeth whether as a friend or something deeper would always, always be someone he protected.

"Elizabeth, I won't let you down." Watching her leave, Jason stood there brooding, his mind on all he had learned this evening then drove back to General Hospital to check on Sam yet again as she had been calling his phone nonstop since he had left, so much for Emily distracting her.

Two days later, Max thought about telling Sonny what he was doing for Jason, but decided not to since Mrs. C was visiting with the boss as he called Jason back. "Sir, the apartment just needs new locks and maybe some protection for the windows."

Jason looked at Bernie then at his phone and said "Thank you Max."

Hanging up and thinking on how Bernie had said the place wasn't safe and he said "Max seems to think this apartment is fine, Bernie. Do you have the keys?"

Taking them, driving over himself, Jason was pissed without even going inside as he called Max back. "Where are you?"

"Mr. C has me driving Mrs. C home." he said then grimaced when he was told to call him back after dropping the blond off. Carly who had no idea who he was talking to was pissed at Sonny for daring to criticize her choices. Once at the Alcazar residence, Max waited until she was inside then called Jason back.

"I want you to meet me at the apartment building I asked you to check out for me. I want to see it myself." he ordered. Max hung up and quickly tried Sonny only to get a busy signal.

Hesitating he drove to the building and found Jason sitting on the motorcycle. Not wanting to, he got out of the limo and walked up to his boss. Jason gave him a once over and said "Would you let you live here?"

Not liking being questioned, he said "With some security, yeah."

"Good, because I have called our people at the towers, I took out a lease on that apartment you think will be just fine for Elizabeth and her not even six month old son for you. You can live here for the next year, you will be responsible for the rent and I assure you, I will be checking up to make sure you are actually staying here."

Swallowing hard as he got how angry Jason was, he started to protest then said "Look, Mr. C made it very clear that he didn't want us doing any favors for her."

Moving in closer, Jason said "You seem to forget I am a full partner in Corinthos/Morgan and that my orders are equal to Sonny's. Now, you will be staying here and you should consider yourself damn lucky that I don't send you back to Italy with a note pinned to your suit."

Jason looked at him and said "That you would lie to me, that you would think this is acceptable place for Elizabeth to live considering her ties to our organization, to me after all she has done for me... from now on, I don't trust a single thing you will do. You are strictly Sonny's man."

The bulky Italian looked at his boss and got that he was screwed. All the guards knew that Jason was the one who handed out assignments, while Sonny gave the orders, Jason made the finally decision and he was now on his shit list. "Sir, Sonny..."

"Sir, I am sorry." he tried to apologize again when Jason seemed to shut down even more as the man glared at the guard.

"Yes, you are, but not as sorry as you will be. Tomorrow, I want you at the hospital on Sam. Protecting her, do you understand me." he said knowing that none of the men liked protecting the brunette and for Max, with his hero worship of Carly, it would be pure torture.

When Max started to go back to his vehicle, Jason added. "And Max, if I hear about this from Sonny before I decide to speak to him about it, that note to your father, will happen sooner not later."

Walking away, Jason went to the door of the managers apartment and turned in the key then called Bernie. "Take care of what I asked you to do."

With that, Bernie made a call, and that accountant made a call and yet another call went out an attorney. That attorney called Audrey Hardy's house and asked to speak to Elizabeth Webber.

"Elizabeth isn't here right now, may I help you?" she asked politely.

"This is in regards to the late Zander Smith." she said then explained that she could only speak to Ms. Webber. Audrey checked out the attorney with a friend and was a bit relived to find out she specialized in defense cases.

That meant whatever she wanted, it couldn't be good and that suited the older woman just fine, she wanted Zander erased from Elizabeth's life and had it all planned out, Lucky would adopt Cam, they would change his name and the thug would cease to exist.

Jason went the hospital late in the afternoon the next day then took Sam back to his penthouse and soon had her settled in with Emily stopping by to help her out. Seeing his sister, he saw she seemed a bit upset and asked what was wrong.

"Helena is in town, I can handle her, but she is in an awfully good mood and that always worries Nik, so it worries me." she said then admitted she had come so that Sam could help distract her.

Jason told Sam he had to run out, then called Sonny and said "What did Carly tell you about the flowers?"

"Nothing, she thinks I set it up. I wish I had." he said annoyed with her choices. "Either way we need to step in, I promised Luke I would protect his family but agreed to leave Helena to him. Now she is coming after my family."

Jason agreed; they should have stepped in several years ago and would have if he had been told the truth. However if he had known who was at the Corinthos Estate he would have been furious as Sonny hung up and turned to Lucky and told him about all who had gotten flowers.

"Helena Cassadine is sending threatening note and flowers to people. Since you are so close to Elizabeth, I thought you should be told." Sonny was sure that the possessive young man who soon curtail all potential contact between Jason and Elizabeth.

The young cop thanked the man then called Mrs. Hardy who told him that Elizabeth was leaving from work for a meeting with Zander's criminal defense attorney. Giving him the address, she added "You might be able to catch her there."

Elizabeth sat down stunned as she read the address. "Let me get this straight, Zander's father bought a house? Before his death?"

Ms. Miller looked at the woman in front of her and said "Yes, I was contacted by his accountant."

"That client wouldn't be Jason Morgan would it?" she asked skeptically. An hour ago, she had gotten a call from Jason telling her that the place she wanted to rent was not a very secure spot, two hours after this attorney had called.

"No. I wouldn't work for Corinthos for all the designer shoes in Milan." she said clicking her heels. "As for Mr. Morgan, I have heard of the man but no, I don't work for him."

Elizabeth blinked then said "So, let me get this straight, I own this house."

"Yes, you do." she said then saw the other woman begin to speak.

"I uh, I can't accept it." she said then admitted. "Though Zander is listed as my son's father, he isn't. I didn't know it until after my son was born so I would be accepting it deceptively."

Cursing Bernie for either not giving or not having all the facts, Diane tried to maneuver her way around this bit of surprising news and finally came up with a way.

"Elizabeth, how about this. You move in, I will try to track down any living member of this Lewis/Smith family but I was assured that there was no one else. If in twelve months there is no one else, you accept this house and the money. For now, just move into the house."

Agreeing, not really wanting to but thinking back on what she had told Jason about not letting pride keep her from protecting her son, Elizabeth asked if she had to sign any papers. "No, not at this time. I will come up with some sort of lease for now, but the house will be move in ready when you are ready."

Nodding in agreement, Elizabeth shook her hand then stood as they walked to the door and opened it to see Lucky arguing with the woman's secretary. "Lucky, what are you doing here?"

"Your grandmother told me where you were, I came in case you needed my help. After all, I am a cop and if this involved Zander I figured you needed me." he said puffing out his chest to Diane Millers annoyance. "What is going on here, why are you bothering Elizabeth?"

"It was nothing, just a small bit of paperwork regarding Zander and my son." she said as she took his arm. Once outside, Elizabeth endured his speech about protecting her from Helena and was a bit surprised to find out that he had heard from Sonny directly.

Pretending concern after hearing how dangerous Sonny and his world was and why Zander had been a horrible choice, Elizabeth in truth wanted nothing more than to roll her eyes at him. "Maybe you should go report to Mac that you had direct person to person contact with a mobster, after all, I am quite certain that isn't allowed by a police officer."

Lucky said "Not for me, after all I am Luke's son. Everyone knows..."

Elizabeth's phone rang just in time to keep her from letting him know what she thought of him. Seeing it said Georgie she answered and asked "How is Cam?"

"Fine, we are at Kelly's." she said with a laugh as she pushed the stroller out the door and then slowly lost her smile when she saw Dillon and Brooklynn and heard the name Sage. Since Sage's death and the subsequent mess created, she had felt a distance grow between her friends and her.

"Here, let me get the door for you, my dear." said the short elderly man with a huge grin on his face. "Is this your son?"

Stunned at even the idea, she said "No, I am still in high school."

"Okay, okay, didn't mean to offend. I am looking for someone, mayhaps you can help me." he asked. Georgie looked at the kindly old man and said "Who?"

"A lovely young woman, kind, friendly, loyal with brains. Someone who has a bit of spunk to her gallop. Good with children, but also someone who will be faithful." Anthony went through all his wishes for his son.

"Does she have a name?" she asked not admitting his description sounded like he wanted a date, not to locate someone.

"No, not yet. So far I haven't found what I am looking for." he said quizzically then asked "Do you want children of your own some day?"

Blinking because now this had gotten weird, she looked at him and said "Uh, someday but not now. I am uh, too young. I haven't even graduated high school yet."

"No, I think you would do, nicely." he replied with a beaming smile. "Here, take my card. If you need a job, come the holidays, give me a call. I need an elf."

Confused, Georgie really didn't want to take the card but then laughed when the man suddenly said "Drat I have to go. Got to get flowers for my Maria, its our anniversary today. Been married almost twenty three years."

Arriving at Elizabeth's grandmother's place, Georgie was happy when she pulled in right beside her. "Thanks, Georgie."

Refusing to accept her money, Georgie said "I owe you, for standing up for me, last month."

"You did nothing wrong." she said gently. "Don't let it get to you."

"Can I ask you something, when you were a suspect after Mary died, how did you deal with going back to work, to facing everyone." she asked her mind on her strained relationships with her friends.

"I knew I hadn't done anything wrong. I just looked them in the eye, then when Dr. Quartermaine apologized for having to suspend me, it helped, but at the same time, I just can't help wondering if they are talking about me behind my back."

"Does that bother you.?"

"No, not any more. It used to but I have learned that the very same people gossiping about you, are more than likely to have done way worse things wrong than what you are getting accused of." she said thinking of Carly, of Courtney, of Ric and how he had made things worse for her during John Durant's tenure as DA.

"Thanks, Elizabeth." she said then watched as the other woman climbed the steps where Audrey had come out on the porch. She could hear some words from the two of them as she went back to her car and got the feeling that they weren't very happy with one another.

Inside, Elizabeth said "I was unaware of the threat until Lucky told me."

"Well you shouldn't take chances. I am considering asking Lucky to move in with us, for your safety." she stated as she followed Elizabeth back into the house then watched as she undressed Cam from his outerwear.

Elizabeth looked at her grams and said "If it would make you feel safer, you should ask him, after all it is your house."

Upstairs, she called Diane Miller and asked "How soon can I move in?"

"Tomorrow, at the latest." she replied then heard what Elizabeth needed. "I can take care of that for you. You haven't actually signed the lease on that place yet so it should be no problem."

"Thank you, I would appreciate that." with that Elizabeth hung up, not knowing that Lucky moving in would become less of problem as Jason after checking on Sam who was blowing up his phone now that Emily had left.

He went to the shed where they kept their boats and was on his way to Spoon Island to check on his sister. Arriving, he landed in the middle of a maelstrom. "What is going on?"

Emily ran to her brother, threw herself into his arms grateful to know he had been with Sam at the time so he would have an alibi as she stated "Helena is dead. Some man came over to the island and shot her point blank. We saw him fleeing on foot then hop into a speedboat."

Blinking in surprise, he saw Mac Scorpio, Mac Taggert and Garcia all coming his way as they questioned what each other hand learned. "Are you sure that Morgan had nothing to do with this?"

"Yes." said Mac then he called out to Officer Spencer and ordered him back to the station. "You can comfort your brother on your own time."

"But Mac-"

"Commissioner Scorpio to you, kid." snapped Taggert, tired of this kid trying to use knowing his boss to get what he wanted. "Now get in the boat."

Flushing, pissed at being reprimanded in front of Morgan, Lucky sulked at he did as ordered. Emily who was holding tightly onto her brother said "Thanks for checking on me, Jason."

Nik wanted to say it was awfully suspicious but he kept his mouth shut as he saw the paper crumpled up in Emily's hand. "Em, what is that you have?"

"Oh, I haven't had a chance to read it." she said then flattened the paper "Odd, You Better not pout. SC."

Freezing, Nik looked at the note and knew that it was connected to his father or his uncle, it had to be. His hands shook as he walked back inside.

Jason decided that Helena must have sent the flowers to Emily before she was killed then forgot about it as he crossed that chore off his list.

Next up was getting Sam settled so he could move on with his own life. Making a call, being told what Diane Miller had passed on, he thought about it, then went for a drive as he wondered about the lie he was about to help keep. That Ric Lansing was apparently the real father of Elizabeth's child.

TBC

A/N: Anthony Zachara is SC, aka Santa Claus, that isn't a secret in the story.