"Steve Burton discovered Jason's heart and gave it to Elizabeth when the hitman decided to bite the bullet and give up his son on GH.

When Jason met with Liz in the park he was a bundle of nervous energy; Burton bounced on the balls of his feet, hands fidgeting. "I love Jake more than my life," Jason gulped, choking on his feelings about his son. His speech accelerated as he forced the difficult words out. Staring at Liz, Burton carefully enunciated Jason's vow to protect his family. His eyes grew moist and he stepped closer to tower over her protectively, finding a hint of a smile as he asked her to try to be a family together. But Liz's description of the abduction bid left Jason crestfallen; Burton turned away and stared into space. "I was a fool to think this could work," he sighed, shaking his head. "I can't take that risk."

Burton's eyes watered and his voice quavered as Jason admitted. "The best way for me to love my son is to let him go." The morose rogue brightened only when he conjured the memory of learning he had a son. He narrowed his eyes with sincerity as he offered to help, but only from afar.

Then the criminal haltingly made his biggest confession. "I love you," he croaked. "I should have told you before." He leaned in for a tentative kiss, long and soft, then pressed his forehead to hers. After savoring the moment, Jason turned off his emotions and turned away. "You need to leave," he ordered. But he couldn't resist one last embrace. Burton didn't look at her with his red-rimmed eyes - he simply bit his lip and looked in the opposite direction as Liz left Jason with his chest heaving and eyes swollen with suppressed tears.

Later, a frenzied Jason snapped at Sonny: "I'm walking away from my son because I love him. Never bring it up again!"

Hopefully Burton will forgive us for dredging it up in praise of his performance