176 Chapter 50.3

"Hey, what are you doing?" Emily said but two AEM soldiers stopped her from advancing, one raising a hand and another menacingly holding his rifle as he glared at her from a distance, their helmeted faces intimidating her. Several more surrounded Jason in a circle and raised their weapons after flipping their safety off.

"I won't let you -" Melanie took a step forward but Suni changed the direction of his gun and aimed at her.

"Don't," he warned her even as half a dozen small drones, all linked to his system, exited from the opening of his backpack and turned their turrets at her. The drones buzzed as the turrets mounted on them whirled, ready to fire at any time.

"You should lower your weapons before I melt your lungs," Melanie narrowed her eyes and said in a sweet but sultry voice while smiling deviously and Suni's face changed as he recalled that Melanie was a master of poison. He hesitated before he moved his eyes to gaze at Junco, waiting for her orders. 

Damnit, she'll really do that and kill everyone, Junco thought as a headache assailed her. Before Junco could decide, however, Jason raised a hand to stop Melanie.

"It's alright, it's alright," he reassured Melanie first before turning to look at Emily and repeating his assurance. He gazed at them both with mixed emotions before turning to Junco. "Give me a second with them?"

Junco thought for a moment before nodding and gesturing at the AEM soldiers to lower their weapons.

"Jason."

"Jason."

"Daddy."

Emily, Melanie, and Alice all rushed to him while speaking at once, worry evident on their faces. Jason smiled as he looked at all of them, realizing that he wasn't alone anymore; there were people, other than Alina, who cared for him and, unknowingly, this increased his attachment to Sanctuary.

"Relax. It's gonna be alright," Jason reassured them all once again with a small smile. His hand rubbed Alice's hair as he continued explaining. "I'm just gonna go along with them." 

He was calm because even if AEM tried to arrest him, it wouldn't work. Phantoms were given a long leash, allowing them to do things that others would be imprisoned - or executed - for and Jason had been given a literal license to kill directly by the Council. Of course, he couldn't kill discriminately, but in this case it was acceptable since his daughter, Alice, was on the scene. All he needed to say to the Council was that his daughter's life was threatened and they'd let him go with a slap on the wrist. However, his identify as the armored individual who had been running around the city would be revealed, but that was a minor convenience. Regardless, AEM wouldn't be able to do anything to him.

"Listen, you two need to -" before he could say anything else to Melanie and Emily, he sensed a familiar presence and his face changed as he groaned. "Hmm, fuck."

Entering the crime scene was a redheaded beauty, who walked confidently while using a white cane to check the areas in front of her. A few AEM soldiers tried to stop her but some whacks from her cane followed by a liberal amount of curses about them not respecting the blind had the soldiers moving back silently. Junco was about to step forward and deal with the newcomer when she saw the latter's hair colour and froze as she recalled Jason's words.

Redhead, she's a redhead, she thought. No way . . .

Indeed, Jason quickly stepped forward and sided up to the newcomer, grasping her hand to help her walk while she turned to look at him with a smile.

"That you, baby boy? Yeah, that's definitely you alright," Elizabeth asked Jason before leaning forward and taking a sniff of his shirt. "Mmm, can't ever forget that smell."

Jason, who was about to greet Elizabeth, had his facial expression change and he quickly sniffed his shoulder.

"I smell?" he asked concerningly.

"Mmhm, in a good way though," Lizzy nodded, a small laugh leaving her mouth as she wrapped her arms around Jason's neck and nuzzled herself against him. She took in another deep breath of his whiff while almost kissing his collarbone. "I can get drunk on it."

Jason coughed as he noticed that their display of affection wasn't unnoticed. Melanie was hissing like an angry cat while Emily's eyes bore into his back with a certain calmness that gave him goosebumps. Alice was also surprised, but her emotions soon turned to anger and she stomped her foot before looking away with a snort, her arms crossed with annoyance.

"Stupid daddy," she muttered under her breath. "Stinky daddy!" 

"I - uh - hmm," Jason groaned as he slowly broke away from Elizabeth. His eyes were swimming from place to place as he noticed Junco's gaze of despise, Suni's glare of envy, and Dhole's look of shock. He grunted when he saw the latter gazing at Elizabeth without blinking but said nothing. Instead, he focused on the beautiful woman in front of him. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"You dropped this at my place," Lizzy said before pulling out a ring. Jason immediately placed a hand on his pants and realized that, during his tryst with Lizzy, he had dropped the ring that he placed in his pockets earlier. "Here."

Elizabeth grabbed his left hand and placed the ring on his ring finger very slowly. Jason moved his face away, wanting everyone to avoid the mixed feelings he was portraying. He was happy that Elizabeth was putting it on him as it indicated that she accepted his proposal, but at the same time he was almost blushing with embarrassment at having this done to him in public. At the same time, he felt guilty towards Emily and Melanie; he had just decided to move forward in his relationship with them but now he was backtracking while a woman claimed him right in front of them.

"Don't ye forget mine," Elizabeth then leaned forward and whispered to Jason in her Scottish accent before biting his ear. Pulling away with a teasing laugh, she declared loudly, "And don't forget theirs as well."

She gestured her head at Emily and Melanie's direction, surprising everyone. "What? You could practically feel them biting their nails. Besides, shouldn't we all get a ring from you?"

Why?! Why is this bastard so lucky?! The thoughts of several men merged together in one unified thought as several gazed at Jason with glaring eyes.

"I - how'd you find me?" Jason asked, trying his damnest to change the topic.

"Your 'assistant' told me," Elizabeth answered.

Ava? Jason thought as he made the connection quickly.

"Sorry, this is a restricted section," Junco cut in, asking Elizabeth who turned to the direction of her voice. "Who are you and what exactly are you doing here?" 

"Oh, sorry, we tend to get lost in our own world," Lizzy smiled as she patted Jason's cheeks. "Name's Elizabeth Hyde - oh yes, that Hyde - and this man's my fiance."