"Damn it," Jason cursed as he vainly tried to button his dress shirt. The mob boss had been attempting this one simple task for the past fifteen minutes. He couldn't seem to stop his hands from shaking, and the more he tried, the worse it got. It had been one week since the helicopter crash, and not even the simplest of tasks had gotten easier. Jason had always prided himself on being calm and methodical under pressure, but the stoic blond had been anything but during and in the days following the hospital crisis.

The mob kingpin hadn't been able to recall one detail of how they had gotten off General Hospital's roof that night, nor how he had made it to the crash site, but the blonde hadn't nor would he ever be able to erase the memory of what he saw once he arrived. Jason closed his eyes now and could still recall every detail as if he was standing there again in that moment. The smell of smoke and burning flesh had permeated through the air, but no sound had emanated. It had been eerily silent.

The rescue workers had efficiently and quickly found Jax's dead body still strapped in his seat. Then, Kate had been found just outside the wreckage, still alive but barely. The Fashionista had immediately been transported to Mercy Hospital, but, due to the severity of her injuries, once the storm had lifted, she was transferred to St Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan for continued treatment. Mercy had not been equipped to handle the magnitude of Kate's injuries nor were they prepared to offer the medical care that was necessary for her survival. Olivia had returned to Manhattan as well, to tend to her cousin. Claudia had been found an hour later, underneath the helicopter's tail which had been severed off when the helicopter had hit the ground. Her neck had been broken from the impact, and she had died immediately.

Elizabeth's body was never recovered. People searched for hours without success. Jason, himself, had been relentless to find her, never giving up hope. But, as the minutes turned into hours and the hours turned into days, hope had wavered. And then Mac Scorpio, two days after the fatal accident, had called off the search, stating most likely that her body had either been burned beyond recognition or she, if by some miracle, had managed to survive was now dead due to the lack of medical attention she would have most likely needed to remain alive.

It was only then that Jason finally succumbed to the grief he had been harboring for days. The blonde had taken his motorcycle out for a ride to nowhere, pushing his bike and his body to extremes, willing the pain to go away, but it never did. It just continued to overtake his entire being, and it blanketed his soul with no end in sight. And, now, because no body had been found, Elizabeth couldn't even have the proper burial she so deserved, only a Memorial Service for her friends and family to grieve their terrible loss.

And, as he futilely attempted to get ready for the service, Jason couldn't help but recall how Elizabeth had helped him through his previous times of grief. After Alan had died, the brunette had been the one to help him get ready for the funeral. God, how he wished she was there right now, helping to button his shirt and straighten his tie. Jason knew there was no way he was even going to be able to knot a tie around his collar today. So, blowing out a deep breath, he once again began his attempt to finish getting dressed, but, just as he was about to start, he heard a pounding at the door.

"Hold on," Jason hollered as he came bounding down the stairs, the incessant pounding refusing to stop.

Looking through the peep hole, the blonde couldn't help but exhale an extremely frustrated sigh.

Throwing the door open, he scowled at his visitor asking, "what do you want?"

Ignoring his glare and waltzing past where he was standing, the visitor in question plopped down on his couch, not waiting for an invitation to enter.

"Jason, is that really how you should be talking to me?"

Exasperated, Jason ran a hand down his face and turned to his guest and, again, asked, "Carly. What. Do. You. Want?"

Whining, the bleach blonde answered, "Come on, Jason, where else would I be? I'm your best friend, and you need me right now." Then, all of a sudden, Carly took in Jason's appearance, the black dress pants, the unbuttoned black dress shirt, and realization hit her.

"Oh my god, you can't seriously be thinking about going to her Memorial Service, are you?"

His frustration growing, Jason just ignored the blonde and attempted to finish getting dressed.

Carly, becoming annoyed by Jason's lack of attention, promptly rose from her seated position and planted herself right in front of the mourning man, daring him to ignore her now. Placing her hands on his shoulders, attempting to look compassionate, the hotel owner asked, "come on Jason, you can't possibly think anyone will want you there?"

Brushing off her attempt at comfort, the mobster stepped back glaring at his friend. "It doesn't matter what other people want, Carly. This is about Elizabeth, and I am GOING. So, if you don't mind…" Allowing his words to trail off, Jason grabbed Carly's arm in his hand, briskly walking her back to his front door, opened it, and gently but forcefully guided her out in to the hallway. "It's time for you to go."

Stomping her foot and glaring at him, Carly started to complain, "Jason...."

"NOW, Carly, just go!" And, without waiting for a response, the mobster slammed the door closed.

Sighing in relief to have his friend gone, Jason, again, began to tackle the task of getting dressed. But, as his continued attempts to secure the buttons on his shirt proved futile, the blonde's frustration escalated, and he grabbed the first thing he could find - A Corinthos-Morgan coffee mug, of all things, on his desk - and hurled it at the wall, splattering coffee everywhere and shattering the mug into a million, tiny, fractured pieces.

Realizing that hearing the noise downstairs would bring Spinelli running, the kingpin struggled to get his emotions in check, not wanting to have his housemate attempt to engage him in a discussion about his feelings. Not that Jason minded that the computer hacker cared and he was thankful to have his roommate around right now, it was just that Jason had no idea how or what he was feelings except for a sense of great loss, a loss that only one person could fill, and that person was gone to him forever.

So, taking a deep breath inward, Jason turned to face his roommate as he came barreling down the stairs.

"Stone Cold, are you okay? I heard a most distressing noise emanating from the lower level of our humble abode."

Jason quickly answered the young man, "I'm fine Spinelli."

"Unfortunately, as I look around and see caffeine laced liquid on our walls and Stone Cold's state of undress, I must disagree with my master's assessment. He is far from fine. May the grasshopper be of some respectful assistance?"

Sighing and rubbing his hand across his face as he had just minutes ago with Carly, Jason mumbled, "Spinelli, it's fine. Just go back upstairs and rest."

Spinelli, tilting his head, noting the mob king's obvious distress over the loss of his beloved Maternal One, tried a different approach. Beseechingly, the Jackal benevolently replied, "Jason...., let me help you."

Jerking his head at the use of his given name coming from Spinelli's lips, the stoic blonde just stared at his close friend. And, without a word, Spinelli walked over and finished the task of buttoning Jason's shirt, leaving the top two buttons open.

All Jason could do at that point was look at his friend, nod his head, and quietly say, "thank you," before heading out the door.

~~~

Jason had decided to drive his SUV to the service at the Queen of Angels church, saving the motorcycle ride for later after he had said his goodbyes to Elizabeth. Therefore, no one had heard his approach as he entered the church. The service hadn't yet started, and the extra time gave the mob boss the ability to study his surroundings and prepare for what was yet to come.

The hospital workers that had survived the bio-toxin crisis and fire had congregated to the right side of the church, near the back. Jason spotted Patrick, Robin, Epiphany, Nadine, Lainey, Matt, and Kelly all sitting quietly, whispering amongst themselves on how sad they were for the loss of a dear friend and co-worker and how much they were going to miss her. Then on the left, close to the center of the church, were Monica and Edward. It actually gave Jason a sense of relief to see that his family, however strained their relationship may be, had come to honor the woman he loved. Although they didn't know how close he and Elizabeth were or how much she had meant to him, it was a comfort nonetheless.

But, as Jason drew his gaze to the front of the church, the calmness he had just experienced quickly faded. First, he saw Ric. Jason could feel his fists start to clench by his side, and then his fury increased as the blonde noticed Lucky, Nicolas, and Sam all standing in a circle talking between themselves, ignoring everyone else around them, Audrey seated in the front pew, holding Jake as he slept soundly. What had angered Jason the most, though,, was seeing little Cameron Webber, alone, standing in front of his mommy's picture, trying to understand what was happening and trying to be brave all at the same time. It broke the mob kingpin's heart, and all he wanted to do, in that moment, was take Elizabeth's son in his arms and comfort him like he knew his mother would have had she still been there with them to do so.

Then, for unexplained reasons, the toddler turned and looked towards the back of the church and recognition immediately hit him as he saw who had entered. Without hesitation, the little boy began to run down the center aisle, yelling Jason's name as he leapt into the waiting man's arms. It was then that all the guests turned to see Elizabeth's son being held and comforted by one Jason Morgan. Lucky, quickly angered by the new arrival, hurriedly walked down the aisle and immediately removed Cameron from Jason's grasp.

With no respect for the child or their surroundings in a church, Lucky bitterly yelled at the mobster, "you have a lot of nerve, Morgan, showing up here. You need to go. NOW! You aren't welcomed… will NEVER be welcomed around me or my children again, and, if I ever catch you coming near either of my sons again, I will charge you for harassment and possibly endangering a minor, for we all know what happens to people who get too close to the great Jason Morgan."

Jason just stared at Lucky as he spouted out his hateful words, amazed at the younger man's arrogance. But, in all honesty, he shouldn't have been surprised. Lucky had always been selfish. Why would Elizabeth's Memorial Service be any different?

The mobster then watched as Lucky turned and carried a crying Cameron towards the front of the church. It was enough to spur him into action. but, before he could take a step, both Nicolas and Patrick were in front of him, blocking his way.

Patrick spoke first. "Look, we are all upset, but don't you think staying here would make a bad situation worse?"

Nikolas' words followed. "Patrick's right. Just go. I will call you when the service is over so you can come back and say your goodbyes in private. Please, Jason, just this once, do as I ask."

Jason wanted to argue. He was so angry, but this wasn't about him. It was about Elizabeth and saying goodbye to the woman he loved.

"Just make sure you call me."

But, before the blonde left, the occupants watched as the mob boss of Port Charles, ignoring all those around him, walked to the front of the church and kneeled before a now seated Cameron, taking the young boy in his arms once again, challenging Lucky with his icy gaze to stop him. Trying to keep his tears from falling, Jason gently kissed Cameron on his forehead and whispered softly so only the little boy could hear. Using the same sweet, loving voice he had always used with his mother, he said, "Cameron, remember I am always here for you."

And, as he rose, he gave a long glance towards Jake, reaching out and brushing his hand along his soft, spiky, matching blond hair. Looking at Audrey, Elizabeth's grandmother and only family present, Jason addressed the elderly woman. "I am very sorry for your loss."

After turning to gaze at Elizabeth's picture for more seconds than most had wished him to, the mobster promptly left the church, glancing at no one as he left.

~~~

Much later that day, Ric entered his home Martha's Vineyard, exhausted from the day's events. Going to Elizabeth's Memorial Service had been tough. No matter what people believed, Ric had truly loved the petite brunette with all of his heart and grieving for her had been a trying experience. His greatest satisfaction had been watching Jason Morgan pretty much get forced out of Elizabeth's service. It probably wasn't proper for him to be so happy during such a sad occasion, but, when it came to the onetime enforcer and now mob boss, Ric only held ill will for the other man.

Immediately putting away his thoughts of the day, Ric began to think of his life to come, and, as he opened the door to the upstairs bedroom, Ric couldn't help but smile inwardly at the sight before him.

Warmly, he greeted her. "Hello, Beautiful."