Jason barged into the District Attorney's office without either knocking or waiting for permission to enter.  He was neither concerned with how the attorney might react to his impromptu visit or if she was in some official legal meeting at the time.  All he cared about was finding any type of information that might lead him to Elizabeth.  But, as he entered Alexis' office, he was unprepared for the sight before him which caused the ex-enforcer to slightly hesitate as he stalked through the threshold.  

In front of him was not only his and Sonny's former attorney but their present attorney as well, both ladies proceeding to get totally plastered in the District Attorney's office.   Jason quickly regaining his composure, cleared his throat, and addressed his former attorney, "Alexis."

Both women, now realizing they were no longer alone, turned to face the stoic blond, each registering surprise on their faces at who their unexpected visitor was. 

Alexis recovered first and spoke.  "Jason, what a surprise.  We were just celebrating the capture of Anthony Zacharra, which, for some reason, I was told you had a hand in.  Not that I'm not thankful…  I was just rather surprised.  But, gathering from the look on your face, that's not why you came her tonight.  So, and I’m probably going to regret asking this, but what can I do for you?"

Before the mob boss could answer, he heard his attorney address him in her clear, crisp voice.  For being half blitzed, she sounded quite competent.  "Please, do not tell me that those idiots at the PCPD pulled you in for some bogus charge again, and that you erroneously did not have the forethought to call your attorney,... meaning you are here to work your manly magic on Alexis in order to get out of whatever latest trouble you now find yourself in." Or… maybe not.

Alexis and Jason both directed their gazes at the redhead who was still drinking her very dry martini with incredulous expressions plastered on their faces, wondering where that statement had come from.

Diane, looking back and forth between the two adults, exclaimed, "Oh, come on, you two!  It's not unthinkable.  I mean, Alexis, you do have a thing, no matter how much you protest, for that mysterious, bad boy persona.  That unfortunate affair you had with Jerry Jax was proof enough of that, and, Jason here… well..., well....  Okay, I guess you’re right.  That's definitely not a possibility, so, if that's not a possibility, then what are you doing here, Jason, and, better yet, why wasn't I called before you requested a meeting with the District Attorney?  And you better not tell me that you need me to file some harassment charges against the PCPD right now, because I have just propped my feet up after a very long day, and am enjoying both this very nice, very dry, very tasty martini and the slight buzz it and its predecessors have graciously given me.”  As she completed her monologue, the attorney once again went back to sipping her drink.

Jason initially just glared at his attorney for several seconds before redirecting his attention back to Alexis.  "Would you by chance have any idea where Ric might be?"

"Ric!" Both attorneys exclaimed simultaneously as they each spit out their alcoholic beverages, sending questioning glances in the others direction. 

But, since the question had been directed towards Alexis, she ended up being the one to respond to Jason's rather unexpected inquiry, and she did so with, a question of her own.  "What do you want with Ric?" Wary of the ex-enforcer's intentions, especially when the attorney knew of the very volatile animosity between the two males, she refused to tell the blond anything… yet.

Jason, releasing a frustrated breath, placed both hands on his hips and willed the conversation to go faster.  "Ric has Elizabeth, and I need to find out where he has taken her."

With that statement, both attorney's eyed the young man more carefully, sure that he had gone crazy, because both women knew the young lady in question was dead.  Seeing the disbelief on the brunette and redhead's faces, Jason, rubbing his hand across his face, hastily tried to explain, exasperated that such a seemingly easy task was taking so long.  "Before Anthony was caught, he came to see me about helping him escape.  In return, he told me he would give me the one thing I truly wanted.  At first, I didn't believe him, but then he told me something only Elizabeth or I would know.  Finally, the old man told me Ric had taken her to his family's home in Martha's Vineyard.  When I got there, they were gone, but I am positive Elizabeth was there.  So, please, Alexis if you know anything, I would appreciate your help."

"Jason, are you sure," Alexis asked, still not able to believe that her ex-husband could be capable of something so appalling, but this was Ric they were talking about, so, really, why should she be surprised?

The stoic blond just nodded in response.

Then Diane, slamming her feet down onto the floor, spoke up.  "Good God, Alexis, what kind of men are you attracted to?  First, there was Sonny who you ended up having a child with, not that such a thing could be considered a unique accomplishment considering his… penchant for procreating."  The legal eagle took another sip of her delicious beverage.  "Then there was Ric, whom you had another kid with.  Why you were attracted to him, I still haven't figured out, and, now, look at what he’s allegedly done."  Another long gulp went down the redhead’s throat before she spoke again.  "Then there was Jerry, albeit he was already mentioned earlier, but we both know that he ended up being a raging sociopath.  What is it with you and these horrible choices in men?  This goes well beyond the typical case of Daddy issues!"

Alexis, quick to defend herself, looked at her friend and sometimes adversary in the courtroom and countered back,  "Oh, come on!  It's not like you aren't attracted to the same kind of men.  I mean, you are sleeping with Max, aren't you?"

Diane stood up and leaned towards Alexis, quick to defend her choices.  "Max?  MAX?!"  Swinging her arms and spilling what little remained of her drink all across the DA’s desk, she cried out, "Max is a wonderful man.  He's a teddy bear, gentle as can be.  Plus, he is the most flexible man I have ever dated.  Now, that is the type of man you should be looking for, not Max, though.  He’s mine.  Keep your bad boy licking fingers away from my Max, do you hear me?"

"Oh, please!  He works for Sonny!  What kind of future..."

"LADIES!" Jason bellowed, tired of their bickering.  He wanted answers, not information on the two attorneys’ sex lives. 

Immediately, the room became silent, both women showing contrition about their behavior... at least, for the moment.  Nodding in agreement with each other, they declared a truce on their choices in men and redirected their attention back to the stoic blond in the room.

Jason, balling his hands into fists in an attempt to remain calm, asked again, "Alexis, do you have any idea where Ric might be?"

Alexis, feeling sorry for the young man in front of her, sadly said, "no, Jason, I'm sorry.  I don't.  All I know is Ric called me earlier today to let me know he would be out of town for a while and to just tell Molly that he loved her.  That was it.  He didn't tell me where he was going or how long he would be gone."

Jason nodded to his former lawyer, acknowledging what she had said and for her expression of sympathy towards his plight.  As he turned to go, Jason looked over his shoulder and said, "if you do hear from Ric, would you please let me know?"

"Of course," the brunette attorney replied as she nodded and watched him exit the room.

As the door closed, both attorneys remained silent, quietly sipping their drinks – Alexis the one she had started drinking earlier and Diane a new one she had just mixed, lost in their own thoughts of love and the choices they have made in the past.

As Jason headed out of the building, his cell phone rang.  Brusquely retrieving the device from his pocket, the ex-enforcer was not capable of hiding his frustration as he answered. "Morgan."  The stoic blond heard squealing in the background and had to pull the phone slightly away from his ear.

"Stone Cold, I am so glad we reached you.  I have information of the most exciting proportions..."

Interrupting the computer hacker, so as to get the information out of his roommate as quickly as possible, Jason said, "Spinelli, calm down and slow down.  Did you find something that could help me find Elizabeth?"

"We did, and it is of the most interesting nature.  You see, when we got to the Zacharra fortress, an attorney was leaving something for Johnny.  Unbeknownst to the mob prince, Trevor Lansing had left something in his will for the oh so dark, brooding one…"

Jason, his patience wearing thin, for he wanted the information that he needed, but not wishing to upset the young man, quietly but forcefully cut short his friend and asked, "Spinelli, is Johnny there?  Let me speak to him."

Instantly, he heard Johnny's steady, reasonable voice on the phone, and the older man got right down to business.  "What did you find?"

Knowing the ex-enforcer didn't want to waste any time, Johnny quickly blurted out, " it seems I’m not a Zacharra after all, but a Lansing.  Trevor had an affair with my mother while she was married to my father, and I was the product of their little tryst.  Scared of my father, the two of them decided to keep quiet about my true paternity and to make my father believe I was his.  But, in some ironic joke, Trevor decided to leave me the cabin where he and my mother had their illustrious affair.   God, this is sick.  I was raised by a demented sociopath and given life by another.  I have no idea what this means for my future, but it can’t be good.”

Jason, sorry for the young man's plight, inquired, "are you okay?"

Shaking his head out of his self pitying musings, Johnny said, "I'll be fine, Jason.  It's not like I didn't already know that I was damaged goods, but that's for me to deal with, not you."  The young man then took a deep breath and continued.  "So, it may be a long shot, but Trevor's cabin is located in the Catskill mountains north of here.  Now, I don't know if Ric knew about the cabin or not, but its as good as any place to start looking."

The mob boss nodded and said, "I agree.  That's where I’ll start."  Just as Jason was about to hang up the phone, he asked, "Johnny does anyone else know that you are a Lansing and not a Zacharra?"

Johnny, surprised by the question, said, "I don't think so, but I can't be sure.  It seems my mother and my… Trevor kept it a secret from every one, and the attorney who delivered the papers stated he never looked inside, just that he was supposed to deliver the letter to me in the event of his death."

Jason nodded again.  "Good.  Let's keep it that way.  For now, it would be best if everyone still thought of you as a Zacharra, and we will leave this little piece of information between you, me, and Spinelli."

"Not a problem.  It's not like I want to advertise my new paternity to the world."

With that, both men ended the conversation.  Johnny looked over at Spinelli, both young men lost in their thoughts, hoping that this was the information Jason needed to find Elizabeth, and Jason sped off to the Catskills in his quest to be reunited with his one true love.

~~~

Elizabeth entered Ric's bedroom.  It was the one and only time she was thankful that the senior Lansing deemed it necessary not to have any locks on the establishment’s doors.  For Elizabeth, such a design decision was an advantage and a disadvantage towards her plight.  With no locks, the brunette had no means of containing her ex-husband in a confined space for any period of time; yet, it did allow her to move freely around the cabin while the younger Lansing was incapacitated. 

Seeing her ex-husband sprawled out prone on his bed, Elizabeth quietly sighed in relief that  her captor had passed out still fully clothed.  Gingerly, she made her way towards the bed,  staying on guard and tense the whole time, for she was still unsure of the effects the GHB would have on her ex-husband.   Once she was able to ascertain that Ric was semi-conscious and unable to take control of the situation, the young mother went about rising the man off the bed and leading him towards the entrance of the cabin, out into the woods.

While cooking dinner, Elizabeth had figured that the only way she could keep Ric from attacking her due to her treachery if the effects of the GHB wore off before she could procure an escape was to lead him as far away from the cabin as possible and hope he was disoriented enough about his location that it would take him several hours, if at all, to find his way back to the cabin.  That would allow her time to figure out a way to escape.  She knew her ex-husband wouldn't be completely fooled by her agreeable nature and estimated that Ric would not only lock up the two way radio but the keys to the car as well.  As she lead Ric to the front door, Elizabeth searched his pants pockets and found out she had been correct in her assumption, for no keys were discovered.  

Moving slowly, due to Ric's sluggish nature, Elizabeth then checked her own pockets, being certain she had the little plastic ties that came with garbage bag packages.  For the young mother wasn't stupid; she knew that she herself could also get lost in the woods, so, taking a page out of the Hansel and Gretel storybook, minus the bread crumbs, which actually caused them to get lost,  Elizabeth grabbed the most accessible marker she could find.  Lucky for her, what she found was both small and colorful enough that they could  easily be hidden in her jeans pockets and used as markers to lead her back home.

Feeling the chill as she opened the door, Elizabeth considered grabbing a heavier coat but then thought to herself that she didn't want to waste any more precious time, so she, in turn, concluded that the sweatshirt she wore would have to be enough.  Then, as the two adults hit the ground, Ric stumbled and almost took both of them tumbling down.  Releasing a breath she had been holding, Elizabeth was silently thankful that she had managed to keep them both upright, for guiding Ric off his bed was hard enough but lifting him off the ground would almost have been downright impossible. 

Just as Elizabeth was about to lead them further away from the cabin, she noticed Ric's eyes flutter open, staring at her intently, inherently stopping not only the brunette’s  external physical movements but also her internal physical movements as well.  Her heart and lungs seemed to stop functioning.  She couldn't feel her heart beat or her body take a breath.  Everything just stopped. 

But then she saw her ex-husband smile at her, and her bodily functions started up again as she heard Ric mumble, "did you want to take a romantic walk in the moonlight?"

Elizabeth smiled back, replying, "yes, Ric.  I thought it would be nice, and it’ll help us walk off that delicious meal we just shared."

Ric just nodded in agreement and allowed Elizabeth to lead them on their little promenade.  Luckily, the man still seemed to be under the effects of the GHB and did not have all of his senses about him, for he did not seem to notice the petite brunette stopping every so often to randomly tie something onto the eye level branches of the trees they passed.

Once the young mother felt they had walked far enough,  Elizabeth gently eased her ex-husband onto the ground.  Despite the fact that every fiber in her being wanted to throw him down and kick him until he cried out in merciless pain, the brunette realized that such an action would not serve her purpose… at least, not at that particular moment.  She didn't need to alert him to any error in his ill conceived plan; she  just needed to get as far away from the her demented sociopathic ex-husband as quickly as possible if she was to have any chance of escape at all.   So, she bit her lower lip, straining under his weight so as to place him gently on the hard, cold dirt, leaning him up against the closest tree trunk. 

Confident that Ric was comfortable, Elizabeth immediately took off, running as fast as her long yet petite legs would take her.  Unfortunately, her progress was slowed as she stopped to remove her garbage bag ties so as not to leave any clues that may assist in leading Ric back to the cabin.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Elizabeth bounded into her what would hopefully be her very short lived prison and immediately headed into Ric's bedroom.   The brunette instantly began to try and conjure up possible combinations that would give her access to her desired goal - freedom.

But, no sooner did she begin her task, then the young mother heard a noise coming from the entrance of the cabin.   Scared it was Ric already returning, fooling her into thinking he was asleep, Elizbeth hastily looked for any type of weapon she could defend herself with, chiding herself for not having the forethought to find a weapon first.  Then she immediately remembered that she hadn’t been able to find a weapon earlier.   With that in mind, the young mother quickly began to look for a place to hide.  Yet, before she could do anything, a shadow crossed over the door frame, the outline of a gun glaring her in the face, and Elizabeth could do nothing but hold her breath as the intruder entered the room.