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Author's Note: Okay, I had absolutely no chance to edit which I hate and please remember my family and I all have the flu with 101 temps so I'm working at a disadvantage so I didn't tie up all the loose ends, but here you go…

Jason stood watching Max and Milo burying Claudia Zacchara. The night was still pitch black and although the drenching rain had stopped the air swirled with damp mist. Jason didn't even feel the chill on his forearms in his typical short sleeved black t-shirt. There was a pounding in his head that felt like a spike through his temple. His heartbeat throbbed in time to the pain. When Max and Milo finished, Jason waved them on. He would drive Sonny's car back.

The smooth purr of Max and Milo's SUV faded into the distance and Jason was left alone in the silence. The night closed in around him. Jason sighed deeply. It was over. Wasn't it?

Jason felt like he should feel relieved, but all he felt was this sharp pain in his head that kept telling him that something more was going on. The ache grew and swelled and drove Jason to his knees. A shadow moved in the woods and slowly took shape as it grew closer. A man approached but Jason couldn't even reach for his gun. Instead the pain brought him down to a heap on the forest floor. His eyelids closing Jason tried to focus on the man. It was Jerry Jax's voice that Jason heard last before he passed out, "You poor sod. She's really done a number on you, hasn't she?"

Dawn was breaking as Jason staggered to his feet. He dazedly made his way through the woods to the road. He passed Sonny's car, barely glancing at it, and tripped over the pavement. The pounding in his head was still a heavy beat and the cool pavement was almost soothing as Jason lay there telling himself to get up. The squeal of tires made him wince in reaction as the pounding grew.

A car door slammed and footsteps approached him cautiously. An angel's voice said, "Jason?"

Elizabeth rushed the rest of the way and dropped her knees besides Jason's prone body. She felt for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when she found one. Jason turned and pressed into her palm seeking the cool relief of her skin. Elizabeth patted his cheek lightly, "Jason? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?"

Jason just groaned and Elizabeth swiftly ran her hands down his body searching for gunshot wounds or injuries. She found no bullet holes so her hands returned to his face. One hand touched his temple and Jason winced. He was obviously in pain. Elizabeth had to get him to safety.

Elizabeth shook him, "Jason? Can you hear me? This can't be happening again." Elizabeth felt the odd sense of déjà vu even without the snow on the ground. Her hands cradled his face, "Jason, you have to wake up. I can't help you if you don't open your eyes."

Jason forced his eyes open a fraction. Elizabeth's beautiful face stared down at him full of concern. Her lips moved, "Are you okay? What happened? How did you get here?"

Jason felt stuck between the past and the present and his head swam with memories, "Help me up."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth echoed her words of long ago.

"Yes, just do it," Jason replied weakly.

"My car is right over here. We can make it. You just have to stay awake for me. On the count of three we are going to get up and walk to my car, okay?" Elizabeth rambled trying to keep Jason focused and awake. She was as lost as he between the past and the present.

"One, two, three…lean on me. I'm a lot stronger than I look," Elizabeth prompted.

Jason forced himself to his feet with one arm wrapped around Elizabeth's shoulders. Carefully they made their way to Elizabeth's car and she tucked him into the passenger seat.

Elizabeth took Jason directly to the emergency room. She called Monica on the way, "I found Jason collapsed along the side of the road. I have no idea what is wrong so I'm not taking any chances and taking him straight to the ER. Can you have Patrick and Robin ready when we get there?"

Monica tried to absorb what Elizabeth was saying and think like a doctor, "Does he have a pulse?"

"Yes, it's strong and steady. I can't find any bullet wound or specific injury. He seems to be holding his head, but I don't see any blood," Elizabeth relayed.

"How far away are you?" Monica asked as she rushed down to the Emergency Room.

"We should be there in five minutes," Elizabeth responded. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Elizabeth hung up and focused on her driving. She glanced at Jason. It was hard to believe it had been almost a year since she had really been this close to him for this long. Elizabeth sighed. She had been fooling herself to think she was over this man.

Elizabeth admitted to herself that trying to get over Jason had been her excuse for a lot of her stupid mistakes recently. She had realized too late that she was allowing Lucky to be her safety net again and had used Nik to punish herself and self destruct her life.

Jason groaned, "Elizabeth?"

"Sh," Elizabeth comforted. "Jason, you are safe. I'm taking you to the hospital. Can you tell me where you are hurt?"

"My head," Jason murmured before his eyes closed once again.

Elizabeth pulled directly into the ambulance driveway and Patrick, Robin, and Monica burst out of the doors immediately pushing a gurney ahead of them. Together they got Jason on the gurney and into an exam room.

"We need a CT and MRI immediately," Patrick ordered as he took Jason's vitals. Robin hooked him up to an IV and got fluids started.

Monica called down, "I want a CT and MRI Stat. Clear the space immediately. We have a priority."

Within minutes Jason was being wheeled off for testing. Monica turned to Elizabeth, "Tell me what you know."

Elizabeth shook her head, "I don't know much Monica. Jason and I haven't been in each others lives much at all this last year."

"He suffered a head injury in a blast with Jerry Jax last April plus the ship explosion a year ago. I think I heard that he was injured in Mexico this summer when he was searching for Michael, but Jason never told me the details," Monica revealed. "Elizabeth, Jason has had a lot of head injuries since the original car accident. Have you noticed any difference in his behavior since this summer?"

"Like I said Monica, Jason and I really haven't seen much of each other so I can't say," Elizabeth shrugged and tried to hide her concern.

"And why is that Elizabeth?" Monica asked. "You and Jason have been friends for years. Why are you suddenly not part of each others lives and why is Jason hanging around Sam again after the horrible way they ended?"

Elizabeth was saved answering by the appearance of Robin. Robin grimly informed them, "Jason has a hematoma. Patrick is going to have to operate to relieve the pressure. Monica, do you have any idea if Jason could have suffered a head trauma within the past six months?"

"Robin, you know how many times he has been injured. I think I heard Jason or Carly mention that he had been hurt when he was in Mexico this summer," Monica repeated what she had been saying to Elizabeth.

Robin's eyes grew thoughtful, "That would explain a lot."

Monica's eyes widened and Robin's cryptic comment, "What do you mean by that?"

Robin grimaced and snuck a glance at Elizabeth who just raised an eyebrow in question. Robin threw her hands up, "Oh come on! Honestly, haven't the two of you wondered why he got back together with Sam and how odd he has been acting lately? I know he wanted to solve who hurt Michael, but he was obsessed with it. Max told me that he yells a lot and even Spinelli has been the burnt of Jason's explosions recently."

Elizabeth's brow knit in concern. She had been so focused on her own pain that she never even allowed herself to wonder if there was another reason why Jason spent so much time with Sam. She thought he felt Sam fit his life better and despite how much it hurt, Elizabeth had let it go. Sam had helped bring back Jake and Elizabeth felt that they all were responsible for Jake being kidnapped in the first place…Lucky, Jason, Elizabeth, and Sam alike.

Robin snapped her out of her deep thoughts, "Elizabeth, he called for you repeatedly. Will you wait until after the surgery? I think he will want to see you."

Elizabeth bit her lip, but eventually nodded, "The boys are with my Gram. I'll stay."

Three hours later, Patrick wearily made his way across the living room to Monica and Elizabeth. They both jumped up as soon as they saw him. Patrick smiled slightly, "Jason's okay. We were able to relieve the pressure. It looks to me like an old injury probably in the last six months that slowly grew. It would have caused a personality change, memory lapses, and outbursts of anger and passion due to the location of the injury. Did either of you witness any of these symptoms?"

Monica replied thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it I may have seen those signs, but wrote it off to what was happening with Michael. Sam has spent the most time with him, but she has never mentioned anything to me."

Patrick rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, I would call Sam but when Jason came to and I mentioned it…"

When Patrick's voice trailed off, Monica prompted, "What? What did Jason say?"

"He looked at me completely baffled as to why I would ask about Sam. Instead he asked me if Elizabeth was working." Patrick turned to her, "In fact, he was insistent that he needed to see you."

Elizabeth avoided Monica's curious gaze and kept a calm demeanor, "Well, I guess I better go check on him."

"He's in room 301. We already moved him out of ICU. I expect him to make a complete recovery," Patrick reported.

Elizabeth nodded and headed to Jason's room. Her mind was racing with questions. She could have lost him yet again. How much longer could she stay away from the man she loved? She wished he would just take the decision out of her hands, tell everyone Jake was his, and they could finally move on.

Elizabeth pushed the door open cautiously. Jason was propped up in the hospital bed with a white bandage around his head. It made the piercing blue of his eyes all the more striking as he stared at her as soon as the door opened. Elizabeth hesitated uncertainly.

Jason spoke first, "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth smiled at the sound of her name on his lips, "Yes, Jason. I'm here. Was there something you wanted?"

"Patrick explained to me about the head trauma. I've been trying to piece together what I remember because it seems the last six months are mostly a blur for me. I clearly remember Jake's second kidnapping, the pain of our decision to stay away, the way I was only half alive except the rare moments I saw you or Jake. I know I forgave Sam for the past, but I never forgot what she did to Jake or you or Cam so I don't understand my other memories," Jason's face was a picture in frustration.

Elizabeth instinctively wanted to soothe. She crossed to his bedside and placed a hand on his cheek, "Don't force it Jason. It's okay."

Jason dropped a soft kiss in her palm and Elizabeth raised startled eyes to his. Jason met her gaze and his grew puzzled, "That surprises you? Me kissing you?" His eyes grew somber, "We've drifted further apart than I realized."

Elizabeth looked away uncomfortably, "We've both been hurting."

Jason tugged her hand until she looked back, "I turned to Sam, didn't I? I have these vague red hazed memories of touching her, being with her that I don't understand. I would never go back to Sam not after everything we went through, but I did…"

Elizabeth sighed, "Patrick said that a side effect of the head trauma could have been personality changes, memory loss, and outbursts of rage and passion."

Jason nodded slowly, "I know I focused on Jerry and Claudia and Michael. I think subconsciously I blamed them for losing you and my family, but I don't understand why Sam didn't notice…didn't get me help."

"She had you back…why would she want you any different?" Elizabeth smiled sadly.

"Elizabeth, I have to know…could you ever forgive me? I told you that if I couldn't be with the woman I loved that I would rather be alone, but then I ran to Sam. I betrayed you," Jason apologized.

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears, "Jason, I hated seeing with you with Sam. I've been so foolish. First, I fell back into old habits and allowed Lucky to think we had a chance and when I realized what I had done instead of owning it I self destructed."

Jason raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. His voice was soft, "With Nikolas?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, "You knew?"

"I saw you kiss him outside of Jake's hospital room. Jake being hurt at the carnival was one time my memories cleared for a while. The adrenaline kept my head clear and I remember holding you in his room, but when I came back looking for you…" Jason's voice trailed off.

"I was kissing Nik," now Elizabeth sighed. "Yes, I knew Nik was off limits and would be the one thing to ensure that Lucky would never want to try again. I realized it too late though. I've told Nikolas that we are over, but every time I try to tell Lucky he overwhelms me with his absolute trust." She turned sad eyes to him, "It's like kicking a puppy. I just can't do it."

"We have both made huge mistakes. We've been shadows of who we really are. I hate that it has taken me so long to realize it, but I know that we are stronger and safer together. I want my family. I want to marry you, to claim Jake, and adopt Cam. Do you still want that after all we have been through apart this year?" Jason nervously asked her.

"Jason, I am only half alive when I'm not with you. I don't know how that can be good for my boys. I realized after Jake's kidnapping that too many people already know about Jake. It is better if we control it and you are already protecting us before it comes out or it could be so much worse. I've never stopped loving you," Elizabeth admitted.

Jason pulled her down to him and kissed her deeply. When they came up for air, Jason softly whispered, "I love you too…so much."

Monica walked in and saw the two of them and commented "Finally!"

Jason and Elizabeth laughed.

Monica smiled, "I know how much you hate hospitals and want to get out of here. I am willing to release you into Elizabeth's custody, but you have to stay with her. You have just had major head surgery and any normal hospital would never let you go. I can only get away with this because I'm your mother and you are going home with a surgical nurse that knows what to watch for."

Jason turned his gaze on Elizabeth questioningly, "What do you think? I know we still have a lot of things to work out, but are you okay with me coming home with you?"

Elizabeth grinned and tipped her head at Monica, "Don't look at me. She's the boss. I guess I have to take care of you."

"Good," Monica declared. "Go home and give my grandsons a kiss for me."

At Elizabeth and Jason's startled expressions, Monica rolled her eyes, "Please! How stupid do you think I am? Jake looks exactly like Jason at that age. I'll be dead by the time you admit it."

Jason opened and closed his mouth. What could he say?

Monica continued, "Jason's right. You have a lot to still work out, but at least you are finally moving in the right direction and going that way together. If Alan and I can make it, anyone can." With that Monica left the room.

Jason turned to Elizabeth, "With advice like that, I think we should let my mom tell us what to do more often."

"Works for me," Elizabeth smiled. Jason pulled her back for another kiss and Elizabeth relaxed, fully alive for the first time in almost a year. Finally, they were going to take their chance.