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For every success, there is a failure

For every strength, there is a weakness

For every virtue, there is a vice

Envy: Envy is very similar to the sin of greed. Those who commit this sin desire something another may have, especially someone one they perceived to have something which they perceive to lack. Sir Thomas Aquinas described envy as "sorrow for another's good."

~Penthouse 2~

Her new bed had to be the most uncomfortable thing she'd ever tried to sleep on. Although, if she were honest, her insomnia probably had less to do with her pillow top mattress and more to do her ring-less left hand atop the mattress.

And the fact that her husband was off with his girlfriend on their wedding night.

Frowning at the thought, Elizabeth shifted into a sitting position. Pushing off her bed, she slid her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers before making up her mind and heading to the door. She hesitated for only for a moment before pulling it open slowly. She peeked down the hall once, in the direction of the empty master bedroom, before heading for the stairwell.

After her first divorce from Ric, she'd suffered from insomnia nearly every night and nothing had helped better than a hot cup of chamomile tea. Not that she expected Jason to have chamomile tea, but at this point, she was willing to test out just about every option.

The first time she'd moved into Jason's penthouse, the kitchen, and especially the fridge, had been bare as a bone so Elizabeth was more than surprised to find it fully stocked, and perhaps more importantly, occupied.

"Spinelli?"

Spinelli jumped at the sound of her voice, spinning away from the open refrigerator. "Oh! Mrs. Stone Cold." He grinned at her, pulling out an orange glass bottle from the fridge door. "May I interest you in a bottle of the nectar of the gods?"

Shaking her head, Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest. "No thank you. I'm sorry to interrupt. I didn't realize you were up."

He waved his hand at her before popping the top to the bottle. "No interruption. I was merely refueling." He snuck a sideways glance at her, the corner of his mouth curving upwards as he wagged his eyebrows. "Is that what you're here to do too?"

Elizabeth frowned, not understanding. "Excuse me?"

He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively again and when his meaning became clear to her, Elizabeth couldn't help the sharp blush that stained her cheeks. The sight of her blush prompted one of his own as he shuffled on his feet.

"It… It's not like that," Elizabeth stammered out. She moved around the kitchen hesitantly, her fingers trailing along the counter.

"Its it not your matrimonial night?" Spinelli asked quietly. He set down his orange soda on the kitchen table.

"It is."

If she had been looking at him, she would have seen him hesitate before speaking. "Then may the Jackal inquire as to why Mrs. Stone Cold looks so gloomy on this, your first matrimonial night?"

"Insomnia."

Although she responded as blandly as she could, her heavy sigh confirmed to Spinelli that there was more behind her one word response.

"If the Jackal may be so… intrusive…" He stammered, his cheeks reddening again. His arms flailed in the air as he tried to get his thoughts out as quickly as possible. "But do not the conjugal expectations of the first matrimonial night in itself lead to a… a lack of sleep?"

Elizabeth bristled out of embarrassment and faced the cupboards. She was quiet for a long moment, and when she did speak, she hoped to God her voice sounded normal. "In a normal marriage."

She gave what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug. "And if the husband were here."

Spinelli pulled back in surprise. "Stone Cold has left?"

Elizabeth's gaze dropped to the counter. "He's with Sam."

Behind her, Spinelli's eyes widened. "Surely you must be mistaken."

Turning to face him, Elizabeth shook her head sadly, knowing that she looked more than a little pathetic for doing so. "I'm not. He left after I went to bed."

He frowned at that, his fingers digging into the back of one of the wooden chairs at the table. "Are you sure you are not misunderstanding?"

Elizabeth shook her head again. "I'm not."

"But Stone Cold made vows to you this morning!" he persisted. His voice lowered a notch. "And I have met no person who holds true to the importance of a vow as much as my Sensei does."

Elizabeth pushed her hair out of her face and sighed. "You're right, he does try to keep his promises."

Spinelli perked and smiled at that.

"But he doesn't always succeed," Elizabeth continued. "He once made a promise to me to try and then broke that promise days later." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And when he pushed Sam away because of the danger, wasn't that him turning his back on… on their love?"

Spinelli shifted on his feet. "The Former Goddess and Stone Cold have a very… complicated situation."

"But he loves her," Elizabeth whispered. The confession made her eyes burn and she desperately blinked back the tears before they could form.

"Do you… Do you not think that Stone Cold loves you too?" Spinelli asked carefully.

Elizabeth vision blurred, despite her best efforts. "Not like that."

Spinelli was quiet for a long time before he leaned over and pushed his open soda bottle towards Elizabeth. Only when she accepted it and took a small sip did he speak, this time the simplest sentence she'd ever heard him utter.

And one that sent her world spinning on its axis.

"You mean," Spinelli said sagely. "Not like you love him."

~The Lake House~

There was only one light on in the Lake House when Jason stepped up to the door. He saw Sam on the couch, waiting for him, and her eyes met his through the window. For a moment, both just stared.

Jason was the first to break the eye contact as he move out of the line of the window and stepped up to the door. Sam was there an instant later, her coat in her hands. She opened the door only wide enough for her to slip through before shutting it firmly behind her.

"I know it's cold, but everyone's asleep," she said quietly in apology. She slid the coat around her shoulders before crossing her arms in front of her chest.

Jason shoved his hands into the front pocket of his jeans. "It's ok, I don't feel the cold."

They fell silent and again they stared. This time, it was Sam who broke the gaze as she walked to the small swinging chair on the porch and sat down. She looked at Jason expectantly but he remained rooted in his spot by the door. She frowned at him, the corners of her lips tightening.

"Thank you for coming."

Jason sighed heavily. He pulled his hands from his pockets to rub them over his face. He peered down at Sam and sighed again. "I owe you that much."

Her back stiffened, a sure sign that he'd said something wrong. Not that it really surprised him - he couldn't say anything right lately.

"You owe me," Sam repeated, her eyes narrowing. "I'm not some sort of obligation, Jason. I'm the woman you say you love."

Jason frowned. He started to step towards her but stopped a second later. "That's not what I meant."

She shook her head and he noticed, for the first time, the shimmer of tears in her eyes. It looked like she struggled with them for a minute, but in the end, none fell as she met his gaze.

"I really hate you, you know," she whispered. "I hate you so much. I hate both of you."

Her words hurt, making his chest ache as he swallowed hard.

His love for her hadn't been instant. It had started out as obligation, had turned into friendship, and had somehow morphed into something deeper. It had been amazing because she was like him in so many ways. He hadn't gone into things thinking he'd fall in love, but somewhere along the way, he'd gotten so comfortable with her that he started to expect a future with her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, just as quietly as she had whispered her words.

Sam struggled for a second before lifting her chin. Her lower lip wavered for a moment before she got control of it. "Will you and El… her be living at the Penthouse."

"Yes."

Something flashed in her eyes. "In my home?"

Jason sighed, motioning to the house. "This is your home now."

She glared at him. "You were supposed to be my home." She raised an eyebrow at him, her voice laced with resentment. "Now you'll be Elizabeth's home. I'm sure you two will be married soon."

He shook his head at her. "We were married this morning."

Sam jerked back as if she'd been struck. "My god you work fast. Or should I say, she does."

Jason frowned. "I'm the one who asked Elizabeth to get married. I'm the one who pushed for us to get married right away. It's safer."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "Liar! It's not about the danger. It's about you wanting to be married to your precious Elizabeth more than you ever wanted to be married to me."

This time it was Jason who jerked back in surprise. "You know I wanted to marry you."

She shook her head at him, her eyes flashing. "And yet we never were. And you proposed to your perfect Elizabeth and the next morning are married. And now you have everything. You have your dream girl, who you never though you'd get, and you have your baby, who you never though you deserved."

He knew she was waiting for him to say something else, but he knew whatever he'd say would only upset her more, so he kept quiet. He watched a flash of disappointment cross her face at his silence.

"I was so wrong about you," she started. She frowned at him. "I let me guard down and let you in, and I was wrong. I should have known better."

Jason sighed. "Sam…"

She shook her head to stop him from continuing. "I never should have let you in."

Her words hit their mark as he stepped back when his chest throbbed. The heel of his foot hit the edge of the porch.

Sam shook her head, and one tear fell down her cheek.

"I never should have fallen in love with you."

~Penthouse 2~

(The next morning)

Damien Spinelli rarely ever woke up early. He was a night owl, through and through. Given the choice, he'd rather stay up until the wee hours of the morning and sleep the daylight away, not rising until the sun was high in the sky.

Stone Cold rarely let him do that though, insisting that he follow the hours everyone else in Port Charles did. That meant decent bedtimes - usually achieved by his Sensei stealing the AC power cord to his laptop. That also meant ungodly wake up calls, in the form of Stone Cold pounding on the door to the regretfully pink room before heading to the warehouse.

This morning, however, Spinelli woke bright and early on his own, thanks to an alarm clock that had taken him ten minutes to figure out how to turn on.

He was halfway to the kitchen before a knock on the Penthouse door had him turning on his heel. A second later, the door opened, and Milo peeked his head in.

"Silent Sentinel," Spinelli nodded in greeting. "Did you get them?"

"I did as you asked," Milo said, pulling a small bouquet out from behind the door. He pushed them towards Spinelli as he sneezed into the crook of his elbow. "Here, take them."

Spinelli frowned as he took the flowers. "These are not the floral creations that I asked you to pick. I specifically asked for the Casablanca lilies that grown behind the Towers."

Milo sneezed again, glaring at the flowers. "You said the white ones. These are white."

Spinelli held the offending bouquet up by the stems. "These are daisies."

"White flowers," Milo said, backing towards the door. "Not seeing the problem."

Lip curled, Spinelli sighed. "They're weeds."

Rolling his eyes, Milo stepped out in the hall. "I'm not climbing through the flowerbeds again." He stabbed a finger in the air towards the other man. "You want different flowers, you pick them yourself!"

Slack jawed, Spinelli stared as Milo jabbed his finger at him again before closing the door. He huffed before glaring once more at the flowers. Spinelli grumbled on his way to the kitchen, setting the flowers in the tall glass he'd picked to serve as a vase.

"Florally challenged Sentinel," Spinelli muttered, rolling his eyes.

"What was that?"

Jumping, Spinelli spun, his hip hitting the kitchen table and jarring the glasses and plates he'd set earlier. "Mrs. Sto-uh, Maternal One! You're awake!"

Elizabeth gave him a small smile as she stepped further into the kitchen. "I'm still on Mommy time. I'm not used to sleeping in anymore."

Spinelli stepped away from the table, sweeping his arm in presentation so that Elizabeth could see the table. "I made breakfast."

He pulled the chair away from the table as Elizabeth's eyes swept over his spread. Two slices of toast, buttered, next to a giant bowl of Fruit Loops.

A grin played on Elizabeth's lips as she sat, reaching for the glass in front of her. "Orange soda?"

Spinelli grinned as he took the seat across from her. "Orange juice. Stone Cold doesn't allow me to take in the nectar of the Gods prior to the midpoint of the day.

That brought another smile to her face, softer this time before she raised the glass to her lips. "You… you didn't have to do all of this."

Her words, or maybe it was the thanks that he read in her eyes, made him blush and squirm. "The Jackal merely wanted to make sure your morning began with happiness."

His words, and the honest sincerity behind them, threatened to bring tears to her eyes. Her vision blurred, but no tears fell from her eyes as she lifted her chin a notch. "I'm going to be ok," she whispered. "I can do this."

The corners of Spinelli's mouth turned upward, just barely. "I have no doubt."

She took another sip of her juice before setting it down and reaching for her spoon. She snuck a look at him, one that made Spinelli shift in his chair.

"You are a good man, Damien Spinelli."

~Harborview Towers Stairwell~

His body was tired, his shoulders sagging as he rounded the stairwell corner. His legs felt like dead weights but he still opted for the stairs, slowly climbing all sixteen flights.

Sam's word had left him reeling, and his first impulse had been to jump on his bike and ride until her words and his thoughts couldn't haunt him anymore. So he had ignored the snow and ice on the ground, shrugged off the biting cold, and ridden faster than he should have until he'd hit the city limits of Syracuse and finally turned around.

"I never should have fallen in love with you."

Jason paused at the stairwell door, his hand resting on the doorknob as Sam's words came back to haunt him.

Shaking his head, as if to rid his thoughts, Jason pushed opened the door. He took a deep breath as he rounded the corner to his Penthouse, nodding once at Milo before pushing open the door.

Laughter greeting him as he shouldered open the door to Penthouse 2, and the sound of it made him stop short.

Elizabeth was on the couch, laughing, as she waved one of those wireless controls to one of Spinelli's crazy video games around in the air. Her legs were tucked under her body and she leaned heavily into the cushions of the couch as she tried to maneuver the controls around her expanded belly.

The sight of her took his breath away and kept him frozen in the doorway.

His eyes dropped to her swollen belly, and just like always, pride swelled in his chest until that's all he could think about. Once again, Sam's words slammed into him unexpectedly.

"It's not about the danger. It's about you wanting to be married to your precious Elizabeth more than you ever wanted to be married to me."

"Stone Cold! Fair Elizabeth can Donkey Kong!"

Jason jerked as Spinelli's greeting pulled him from his thoughts. Again, he shook his head, as he stepped fully into the Penthouse, kicking the door shut with his foot as he tried not to notice how Elizabeth tensed on the couch.

Or how his chest ached in response.

For a moment, it looked like Elizabeth was going to stand before Spinelli whispered something which made her, in return, raise her eyebrows at the young man. Jason shrugged out of his leather jacket and busied himself with hanging it in the closet, but he couldn't help but peek at the interaction.

Spinelli whispered again, just quiet enough that Jason couldn't hear and he frowned, not liking the stern look Elizabeth gave the young hacker in return. Neither seemed to pay him any attention so Jason stepped closer.

"I'm telling you," Elizabeth said, her voice so low Jason almost didn't catch it. "You're wrong."

Spinelli shook his head as he pulled the video game controller from her grasp. "The Jackal regrets to inform you that it is you, Maternal One, who is wrong."

Jason watched with blatant interest as Elizabeth frowned and shook her head. "Girlfriends… happen. Sometimes there are itches that need to… be taken care of."

Jason's frown deepened and he hated not understanding whatever the two of them were talking about. His hand brushed the edge of the couch just as Spinelli started waving his own in the air.

Spinelli scowled. "Vows! We've conversed on this very subject before!"

One particular wave of his hands brought Spinelli's right hand dangerously close to Elizabeth's belly, and Jason's eyes narrowed, not liking it when the boy's fingers brushed against her shirt.

"Spinelli!"

Both Spinelli and Elizabeth turned towards Jason in surprise. He watched Elizabeth's eyes widen when she realized how close to the couch he stood, but he focused instead on the boy.

"Yes, Stone Cold?"

Jason's eyes narrowed further. "Don't you have someplace to be?"

Ignoring his question, Spinelli stood. "May the Jackal inquire as to where you had to be last night?"

Jason stepped back half a step before catching himself. "No."

Elizabeth stiffened and Jason dropped his gaze to her as she pushed herself off the couch. His hand automatically reached for her, to steady her, but she stood just fine on her own and he dropped it to his side.

"May the Jackal inquire," Spinelli pressed, "if Stone Cold was in the presence of the Ex-Goddess Samantha last night?"

This time, Jason stepped back fully and he blinked at the kid for a moment before snapping his jaw shut and looking at Elizabeth. She kept her gaze aimed downward.

"I…" Jason swallowed. His hand itched to touch her but he kept it clenched at his side. "She called and I went there… I had to tell her about the marriage."

Elizabeth's eyes flew up to his but she kept them guarded as she watched him carefully. His fingers twitched by his side.

"And then?" Spinelli prompted.

Jason kept his gaze on Elizabeth, watching her just as carefully as she watched him. "And then I went out for a ride on my bike."

"YES!"

Both Jason and Elizabeth spun toward Spinelli as the younger man pumped his fists in the air. Spinelli pointed, with both hands, at Elizabeth as he grinned from ear to ear. "Vows!"

Spinelli scooted around the couch and somehow managed to skip step towards the stairs without tripping. "The Jackal will now retreat to his regretfully pink room and let Stone Cold and Mrs. Stone Cold… have their privacy."

Jason watched him go, waiting until he heard Spinelli slam his door shut before turning back to Elizabeth. Her bottom lip was pulled between her teeth and before he could stop the impulse, he reached up and pressed his thumb against her chin until she released her lip.

Without meaning to, his thumb brushed a soothing stroke against her swollen lip and her eyes widened at the touch. Jason blinked, pulling his hand away. He rubbed his hand against the leg of his jeans but the pad of his thumb still burned from the touch.

Jason cleared his throat. "Did you… Did you think I was with Sam?"

Elizabeth shifted, almost pulling away but he mirrored her movements, effectively trapping her by the couch. "I… I know how you feel about her."

He frowned at that, not liking how she didn't answer him. Without meaning to, his hand came up and caught her elbow. The touch felt right, and his frown deepened at that thought.

Elizabeth stared down at her arm, where he held her, and his fingers tightened around her elbow before he dropped his hand. He watched her closely, and if anything, she tensed when he stopped touching her.

Sighing heavily, Jason rubbed his hands over his face. "I know this is all confusing."

She worried her lip again, and he wanted to pull it out from between her teeth like he did before, but he held back this time.

Elizabeth looked up at him, her expression guarded again, and it hit him that he hated that. He hated that guarded look that she seemed to only have when she was around him. He hated not knowing what she was thinking.

He hated not knowing what she was feeling.

He shook his head again, sighed again, not knowing what to say. Damn it, he hated that feeling too. He reached for her, ignoring everything in his head that told him not to as he whispered her name.

"Elizabeth…"

Her eyes flew up to meet his and he blinked at the emotions he saw there. So many flew at him at one time that it was hard to name them all, but it was the first time she'd opened up to him and he clung to that.

"I know this happened fast," he started. "But… I'm married to you. You're my wife."

Pure, liquid emotion pooled in her eyes and she blinked rapidly to clear them. "You love Sam. I understand that. If you want to be with her, I… I understand. We can make this work. You told me that."

Jason frowned, squeezing her hand to stop her words. "Elizabeth-"

"You've been trying to make things work with Sam," Elizabeth continued, her words coming out in a hurried flurry. "And if that makes you happy, then I want that too. I want you to be happy-"

Jason cocked his head at her. "You don't think I could be happy with you?"

Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click as her eyes widened at him. "I… We don't do happiness very well."

He frowned at her words, not because she said them, but because of the truth behind them. They didn't do happiness very well.

Jason slid his hands down her arms until he could hold both of her hands in his own. He stared at their joined hands for a moment before clearing his throat and searching her face.

"Do you want this to be a marriage in name only?" Jason asked quietly. "Do you want me to try with Sam while you… while you try with Lucky?"

Elizabeth closed her eyes at his words. "Is that what you want?"

Jason frowned when she wouldn't open her eyes, wouldn't look at him. "I want what you want."

Frustration shone clearly on her face, one of the first visible emotions he'd been able to read all morning. When she finally looked up at him, that frustration had turned her sapphire eyes darker. "What I want, is to know what you want."

Jason swallowed as his gaze dropped to their joined hands. His thumb brushed over her bare ring finger as Sam's words once again came back to haunt him.

"You have your dream girl, who you never though you'd have, and you have your baby, who you never though you deserved."

"I want…" He looked up at her quickly and his breath caught in his throat. His hands tightened around hers as he licked his lips.

"Elizabeth… What I want is to just…."

His voice was only a whisper as he laid everyone he was feeling, and even that he couldn't identify, out on the table with one simple sentence.

"I want to put a ring on your finger."

~The Haunted Star, Room 7~

The first thing he noticed, as consciousness seeped through the welcomed fog, was that his head hurt. Pounded, in fact.

Groaning, Lucky rolled onto his back, keeping his eyes closed as he scrubbed his hands over his face, his fingers catching on the growth of stubble on his chin.

His mouth was sticky and warm, and felt like something had crawled in it and died. Groaning again, Lucky ground the heel of his hands into his closed eyes.

"Careful, Cowboy."

His hands stilled and he paused for a moment before cracking first one eye open and then the other. His father sat, arms crossed, on a chair beside the bed.

Lucky blinked against the light in the room and against the fog in his head, and just like that, the floodgates opened and the memories slammed into him. His eyes widened and he gasped as he sank heavily into the mattress.

He rolled his head to the side, licking his lips. "Dad… w-water."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "No."

Lucky's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Dad…"

Leaning forward, Luke rested his elbows on his knees as he regarded his son carefully. "Do you want to tell me first what's going on? What caused this relapse, Cowboy?"

Lucky shifted his gaze up to the ceiling. His hands shook so he fisted them into the sheets of the bed. "It… It's all gone."

The corners of Luke's mouth tightened. "Yeah, you kept saying that all night. You want to try making some sense now and quit sounding like a damn broken record?"

Luke's hard words made Lucky flinch. His knuckled turned white as he swallowed hard, his throat burning. "Elizabeth's gone."

His voice was merely a whisper and his heart pounded in his chest. "And my baby… it's not mine. I have nothing now." His face twisted. "It's all his.

"Whose?"

It killed him to say, so he squeezed his eyes shut. Disgust rolled through him as he spat out the name in one angry whisper. "Jason."

Luke sat up straight in the chair. "So you turned to pills again?"

Lucky felt weak under the strength of his father's stare. "I… I don't have anything else." He turned, his eyes pleading with his father. "I don't have a baby on the way… and I don't have Elizabeth anymore."

Luke was silent for a long moment before he pushed himself up off of the chair. "Good."

Lucky's mouth fell open in a silent gasp.

"You heard me right, I said good." Luke shook his head sadly.

"Dad…"

"Because from where I stand," Luke continued. "You don't deserve them."

~Audrey Hardy's Home~

Elizabeth fidgeted in the passenger seat of Jason's SUV as he pulled it to a slow stop at the top of the driveway. She unbuckled her seat belt and moved to open the door before his hand came down on her arm, stopping her movements.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

She turned towards him, the corners of her mouth turning upward. "No, you go. I'll be fine. I need to talk to my Gram anyway."

He frowned but still nodded anyway. His hand slid down her arm to squeeze her left hand for a second before be brought it back up to rest on the steering wheel. "Ok. I need to check in with Sonny. Milo's going to stay here with you."

The corner of Jason's mouth hitched upward, only a fraction of an inch. "I'll see you at… at home?"

Something warm spread across her chest at his words and her own mouth curved upwards. The vice that had tightened around her heart from the moment he'd proposed to her in the elevator at the Metro Court seemed to ease another fraction of an inch.

"I'll see you at home," Elizabeth echoed quietly. She gave him one last look before sliding out of the truck and making her way to the door. She knocked once, watching Jason watch her from his SUV before the front door opened and Audrey stepped out, drawing Elizabeth's attention away.

Audrey glanced at the SUV pulling out of the driveway, the corners of her mouth turning downward before her gaze flickered back to Elizabeth. "Come inside, darling. It's cold."

Elizabeth sighed heavily as she followed her grandmother into the house. Warmth greeted her as she glanced around the bright living room. "Where's Cam?"

Sitting down on the couch, Audrey tapped the seat next to her. "He's down for his nap…."

Nodding, Elizabeth eased out of her coat, slinging it over the back of the couch before sitting down. "He was good overnight?"

"He was an angel." Audrey raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Now that we've gotten past all the pleasantries… Are you going to tell me why Jason Morgan dropped you off here today?"

Sighing, Elizabeth wrapped her hands around her bulging belly. "You know I love you, Gram."

That seemed to be the last kind of start Audrey Hardy wanted to here, because the older woman let out her own heavy sigh. "Oh Elizabeth… I thought you'd grown out of that phase."

Elizabeth stiffened on the couch. "Phase?"

"The bad boy phase," Audrey clarified. "Jason Morgan is a known criminal and he's dangerous, Elizabeth."

"Gram…"

"Think of your children," Audrey continued. "Not just Cam, but this child you and Lucky are bringing into this world. You're a mother now, Elizabeth. Is it really a wise decision to invite Jason Morgan back into your life."

Elizabeth's hand tightened on her belly. "He's more than just invited back into my life, Gram. He's a part of it."

"But Elizabeth…"

Biting her lip, Elizabeth looked down. "He's a big part, Gram." She looked up at her frowning grandmother. "Jason's the father of my baby."

Audrey gasped, her hand raising to cover her mouth.

"We were married yesterday," Elizabeth continued. "Jason's going to protect us and we're going to raise both this baby and Cam… as… as a family."

"Oh Elizabeth…"

Tears sprung to Elizabeth's eyes at the disappointment in her grandmother's voice. "I know you don't approve."

"It's not about my approval, dear," Audrey insisted. "It's about the fact that he's dangerous."

Elizabeth shook her head. "His life may be dangerous, but he's not."

"But-"

"No," Elizabeth interrupted. "Jason said he can protect us to the best of his ability and I believe him. We'll be living at his Penthouse, and he's assigned guards."

Audrey shook her head sadly. "Guards and bulletproof windows don't always work, darling. Just look at Lily Corinthos, who died in a car explosion. Or Brenda Barrett, who was shot at in the shower. It's not safe, Elizabeth. For you or your children."

Shivering, Elizabeth wrapped her arms tighter around her body. "I thought I had safe with Lucky. I thought I was doing right by my son and the whole time, there were drugs in my home. Lucky was strung out around my child. Cam was in danger in the home I'd thought was safe!"

"But Elizabeth…"

"No!" Elizabeth repeated, louder this time. "I'm walking into this with my eyes open. I know the danger. I'm not ignoring it, but we are taking measures to lessen it as much as we can."

Sighing, Elizabeth brushed her hair out of her face as tears stung her eyes. "But I also know that danger can lurk, even in situations you thought were safe. I thought Lucky was safe and he blindsided me, Gram. Jason won't."

Audrey shook her head. "How can you have so much faith in a man so dangerous?"

"You don't know him like I do."

Audrey stared at her a moment longer before she stood from the couch. "Oh Elizabeth… Then for your sake, and Cameron's, and your baby's… I hope you're right."

Audrey shook her head sadly. "I pray you're right."

~Greystone Manor~

Greystone was quiet as Jason stepped through the door. He closed it carefully behind him as he looked towards the darkened living room.

Footsteps on the stairway caught his attention. His hand gripped the doorknob behind him as he watched Carly step carefully down the stairs, Sonny's dress shirt hanging loosely around her body. Sonny was two steps behind her, in his dark robe, and it took both of the a second before they noticed Jason at the base of the stairs.

For a moment, all three of them were taken back to that December, so long ago, when Jason had walked in on nearly the same thing.

Shifting by the door, Jason averted his gaze as Carly tugged on the shirt she wore.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Jason said stiffly, his hand still on the doorknob. "But I needed to let you know about something."

Sonny frowned, stepping around Carly after they both reached the bottom of the stairs. "Carly, go back upstairs."

Jason shook his head. "It's not business."

If anything, that made Sonny's frown deepen as Carly perked with interest.

Jason cleared his throat. "I just… I needed you to know. Both of you. I… I was married yesterday."

Both Carly and Sonny's eyes widened.

Sonny lifted his hand in automatic congratulations. "You and Sam got married?"

Jason accepted Sonny's hand, even as he shook his head. "Not Sam."

Instantly, Carly's eyes narrowed. "Who the hell did you marry then? Oh God, please tell me Brenda Barrett's not back to torture us all."

Again Jason shook his head. "No… Elizabeth and I were married yesterday."

Once again Sonny's eyes widened, even as Carly stepped forward and shrieked.

"WHAT?!"

Sighing heavily, Jason held up his hand to stop her advance. "Carly..."

Carly's eyes narrowed. "Don't Carly me. Why the hell would you marry Elizabeth Webber?!"

This time, it was Sonny who called out the warning. "Carly…"

"NO!" Carly cried out. She shook her head at Jason. "What the hell did that witch do to get her claws into you?!"

Jason sliced his hand through the air. "Stop it, Carly. Right now. Just stop."

Carly's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as the realization hit her. "That bitch!"

Jason's eyes narrowed. "I'm warning you, Carly."

Carly shook her head, more at herself than at Jason's words. "It's yours, isn't it. The baby's yours." Her voice got louder with each word. "The little muffin got pregnant with your baby and now you're stuck with her! She doesn't deserve you, Jase. And she sure as hell doesn't deserve to be having your child!"

She frowned when Sonny pulled at her. "Stop it, Sonny. He needs to hear-"

Sonny clamped his hand over Carly's mouth as he flashed an apologetic look Jason's way. Once again, he held out his hand to shake Jason's.

"Go home to your family, Jase," Sonny said quietly, as he held a struggling Carly in his arms.

Jason stared at Sonny a moment longer, and Sonny met his gaze before both men nodded. He spared a single look at Carly once before shaking his head. Turning on his heel, he stepped out of the house.

And he let to door slam shut behind him.

~Penthouse 2~

The sound of laughter greeted him, for the second time, as Jason stepped inside the Penthouse, closing the door behind him.

Spinelli had Cameron on his shoulders, the little boy holding fists full of the hacker's hair as they zoomed around the room. Cam giggled loudly, bouncing on Spinelli's shoulders in excitement as Spinelli skipped into the kitchen.

"Your humble steed will take you to the nectar of the God's, Pint Sized One!"

Laughing, Elizabeth pushed off the couch and stood as she watched Spinelli carry her child to the kitchen. "Don't you dare give him soda, Spinelli, or I'll make you take care of him for the rest of the night!"

Elizabeth shook her head before she turned towards Jason, her eyes bright as she grinned. "I don't know who's more of a handful, Spinelli or Cam."

Jason shrugged as he moved closer to her. "I'd say Spinelli."

Laughing, Elizabeth pushed her bangs to the side as she watched Jason approach. "You're probably right…" She cocked her head to the side. "You were gone for a while."

Jason didn't stop until he was right in front of her. "I stopped at Sonny's and then I had to make another stop before I came back."

His words made Elizabeth frown for a second before she shrugged. "Business, I guess. That's fine." She motioned towards the kitchen as she stepped back. "I was just going to start dinner soon."

Jason caught her before she could move too far away and Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. "Jason?"

He cleared his throat, holding onto her left hand as he reached into the pocket of his leather jacket. "It wasn't business."

"It wasn't?"

He hesitated for a second before he pulled the tiny box from his pocket. Elizabeth watched his movements, her eyes widening at the sight of the box. "Oh Jason… you didn't have to."

He frowned, cocking his head at her. "I told you I wanted to get you a ring."

His words made her blush and she shifted under his stare. "I know you did… And that means more than you probably realize, but you didn't have to. I mean, I don't need a ring. Really. It-"

Jason let go of her hand to open the box and her words died in her throat as he pulled out the simple platinum band, embedded with three small diamonds.

"If you don't like it," he started, "I can get you another one."

She drew her bottom lip into her mouth as he carefully slid the ring onto her finger. Jason held his breath as he did so, her fingers curling around his hand after he'd slid the ring into place.

Jason swallowed. Emotion he was unprepared for slammed into him. "We… we're doing, this, right?"

She looked up at him and his breath caught in his throat. His heart pounded in his chest as he let himself indulge in raising her hand to his lips and pressing a delicate kiss to the ring she now wore. His lips tingled unexpectedly at the touch.

Tears pooled in her eyes but she had never looked more beautiful to him that she did in that moment, his ring on her finger, his baby growing in her belly.

Elizabeth nodded, barely moving, and her voice was such a soft whisper that if every fiber of his being hadn't been focused on her, he would have missed it. "We're doing this."

The need to kiss her slammed into him. It was hard and unexpected.

His hand came up on its own accord to cradle her face as he stepped as close as her belly would allow. She stared up at him and he hesitated only long enough to search her eyes for the command to stop before he lowered his head.

Their noses brushed and Jason paused again as their breath mingled. He watched Elizabeth's eyes drift shut as her hand came to rest against his. Her fingers curled into his and that was all the urging he needed before he closed the distance between them.

His lips met hers with just the faintest touch before he shifted, pressing firmer as his lips danced against hers. Her mouth opened beneath his and when his tongue slid against hers his chest expanded and he felt the same thing he'd felt the night of the blackout.

Completion.