While Emily and Elizabeth were finishing up in the kitchen, AJ and Jason sat at the dining room table waiting. AJ leaned over to the table and said, “Do they look like they’ve been crying?”

“Yeah. But they’re smiling,” Jason said.

AJ shook his head. “Women. They cry over anything. Now, men, we save it for the important things, like when the Giants lose or the Yankees have a bad game.” He smirked, “Or when their wife finds their porno collection.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Personal experience?”

“Nah, I got friends,” AJ said, shrugging.

Emily came out with the pot of sauce, and Elizabeth followed with the strainer of pasta. “We still have to get the iced tea and garlic bread,” Emily said, “so hold on before you dig in.”

AJ and Jason both started to rise. “We said we’d help,” Jason said.

Elizabeth pushed him down. “Our apartment, our dinner. Sit.” They returned to the kitchen.

AJ smiled in relief. “Good. For a minute, I thought they’d take us up on it. I’ve learned not to offer at home. Courtney always takes me up on it.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

AJ shrugged. “Hey, I work hard. ELQ sucks, but it pays for that nice brick home in the suburbs.”

“How in the world did you talk Edward into giving you a job at the New York headquarters?” Jason asked. “The last I heard, you broke ties when Emily did.”

“I’ve only been back a year, but it was actually easy,” AJ explained. “See, I took a page from his book. I blackmailed him.”

“Was it worth it?”

“Hell, yes,” AJ replied. “I never see the family there, the vacation time is great, so Court and I always have time to spend with the kids, and let’s face it, Jase, money is always nice.”

“Do I want to know what you blackmailed with?” Jason asked warily.

AJ grinned. “The usual, another illegitimate child.”

Emily and Elizabeth reentered again, each carrying something. They sat the iced tea and garlic bread down and took their seats. “Dig in.”

There was only the sound of clinking silverware and eating as they served themselves. Finally, Elizabeth cleared her throat. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Jason and Emily looked at her oddly, but AJ rubbed his hands together. “Ooh, I hope its gossip.”

“Sometimes, I wonder if you were a woman in a past life,” Emily said, shaking her head.

“I think I’ll forget you said that,” AJ replied. “What is it, Liz?”

“Um, I’ve written three novels…” Elizabeth took a deep breath, “And submitted them to publishers. All three have been rejected by numerous places. The last one just being a few days ago.”

AJ frowned, “Stupid sons of bitches. Don’t they know talent when they see it?”

Emily rolled her eyes. “AJ, you’ve never read her stuff.” She looked at Elizabeth. “Not that I think it’s bad, it’s just-”

Elizabeth cut her off with a smile. “It’s fine. Thanks, AJ.”

“Good. Now, who can I beat up?” AJ asked honestly.

“I’m twenty, AJ. Not ten,” Elizabeth said. “I can handle myself now.”

AJ frowned. “But I saved you from Lucky.”

Emily and Elizabeth exchanged amused glances. “I guess AJ has forgotten,” Elizabeth said, giggling, “Considering he’s the one that ran away.”

Emily laughed, “While Jason saved the day.”

“Ran away?” AJ repeated. “I don’t remember that.”

“Well, it’s not like the situation called for both of you anyway,” Emily said. “It was just Lucky, after all. Scrawny little Lucky.”

Jason frowned. “What are you talking about?”

AJ groaned. “No, no. Don’t tell him. Not if I don’t look good.”

“Actually, if that’s true, I think I would like to hear it,” Jason said.

AJ threw a napkin at his brother, “Traitor.”

Emily rubbed her hands together. “It’s a great story. You want to tell it, Liz, or should I?”

“You’d better. I’m afraid I might be too harsh on Lucky,” Elizabeth replied.

Emily wrinkled his nose. “Come on, Liz. We were only ten. I think you can let it go.”

“Let it go?” Elizabeth echoed. “Are you nuts? He ripped my poster and pushed me on the ground. I still have a scar.”

“You know Lucky was only trying to be a bully. Jason nipped that in the bud,” Emily reminded her.

Elizabeth shifted, “Doesn’t matter.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, we were ten, right and I think we were in the park on the fourth of July. The family had the tent set up…”

“That sucks,” Lucky Spencer said. Elizabeth turned around and glared at the slightly taller brunette. He was pointing at the big poster she was coloring of the fireworks.

“You suck,” Elizabeth replied.

Lucky smirked and kicked some dirt onto the poster.

“Hey!” Elizabeth cried. She kicked him hard in the leg. He pushed her aside and stepped on the poster and twisted his foot so that the paper ripped. Elizabeth started kicking and pushing him, but Lucky shoved her to the ground – hard. Elizabeth rolled onto her back and pulled up her jeans to see the wound on her knee. She started to cry.

“You’re such a girl, Webber,” Lucky spat.

“Hey, Spencer!” AJ said, spinning the boy around. AJ hadn’t hit his growth spurt, so even at fourteen, Lucky still had a good two inches on him.

“What are you gonna do about it, Quartermaine?” Lucky said, smirking. He pushed the older boy, who went sprawling on the ground. AJ jumped to his feet and without another glance took off. “Don’t worry, Lizzie, I’ll get Jason!”

“Get up Webber,” Lucky said. “Don’t be such a baby.”

“What’s going on here?” Jason asked, entering the clearing. He crossed his arms. Even at twelve, he was taller than AJ. Taller than Lucky, too. “What are you doing, Spencer?”

“Get away, Quartermaine. Ain’t your affair. Get up, Webber. You want to hit me?”

Elizabeth climbed to her feet. “You’re a horrible mean little boy has no friends,” she said, clenching her fists. “I heard my mother say that even your own brother won’t talk to you!”

Lucky’s face turned purple. “I don’t talk to him. And he’s not my brother!” He gave Elizabeth another push, sending her face first into the dirt.

Jason grabbed Lucky’s collar. “Don’t touch her!” He threw Lucky to the ground – a bit harder than Elizabeth had gone. Lucky jumped back up, blood smeared on his face. He went straight for Jason, but someone pulled him away.

“Hey, Cowboy, knock it off,” Luke Spencer said, holding the back of Lucky’s shirt. “What’s going on here?”

“Lucky was picking on Lizzie,” Jason said. He held a hand to Elizabeth who pointedly ignored it and stood up.

“He ripped my poster,” Elizabeth said in a small voice. “And he pushed me?”

“What?” Luke shook Lucky. “You don’t hit girls, you get me Cowboy?

“Yeah, I get you,” Lucky muttered, shrugging out of Luke’s grasp. “But she ain’t no girl!”

Elizabeth gasped and went for him. Jason grabbed her by the waist to hold her back. “Remember the last time you tried that?” he said.

She whirled around. “You keep out of this!” she cried.

Luke smirked. “All right. That’s enough. Lucky, apologize to Elizabeth.”

“I ain’t apologizing to nothing!” Lucky yelped. Luke smacked him upside the head.

“Apologize or I’ll tell your mother you hit a girl.”

“I’m sorry,” Lucky muttered. He glared at the two and stalked away. Luke followed him…

AJ glared at his sister. “You weren’t even there. You can’t trust Elizabeth’s version of what happened. She was being traumatized by that little…little…” AJ trailed off.

Elizabeth reached over and smacked him in the arm. “I resent that! I could have handled Lucky!”

“And I didn’t hear it from Beth,” Emily replied. She gestured towards Jason with her fork. “I got it from Jason.”

“And he made himself out to be a hero,” AJ grumbled. “I bet you anything I took Spencer down.”

Elizabeth laughed. “No. You were the one who was running. I definitely remember that.”

AJ shrugged. “Well, you didn’t want Jason’s help either.”

“That’s because I didn’t like Jason,” Elizabeth replied. She shot a glance at Jason who seemed amused by the whole situation. “It’s not my fault he was bigger than you.”

“Yeah, well, you always liked Jason better.” AJ sat back in his chair and sulked.

Emily giggled. “AJ, you’re twenty-four. Grow up. It was ten years ago.”

“Doesn’t matter,” AJ whined.

“Aww, it’s okay, AJ, you have a special place in my heart,” Elizabeth assured him. She kissed him on the cheek. Emily shot a look at Jason – his eyes did seem to narrow a bit and jaw clenched. But she might have been imagining that.

“So, did AJ ever do anything remotely heroic?” Jason asked, finally. “Or was that always me?”

AJ threw a small piece of garlic bread at him. “Traitor,” he said again.

“Well, there was that time he took blame for breaking that statue,” Emily said.

“Yeah, but that was only after Jason,” Elizabeth reminded her.

“True. Ooh, what about that time Sly Eckert was picking on me?”

“No. That was Nikolas.”

Emily frowned. “Did you do anything AJ?”

AJ glared at her. “You know,” he drawled, “my talents were not geared towards the white knight side. That was always the golden boy. I was entertaining.”

“Entertaining,” Emily snorted. “That’s way to put it.”

AJ clutched his heart. “I’m hurt, Em, really.”

“Oooh, I remember something. Remember when Foster was-” Elizabeth paused. “No. That wasn’t you either.”

AJ turned his glare towards her. “You know, it’s not my fault. Jason was taller than me until I was seventeen. People were more intimidated.” He turned to his brother. “Come on, Jase. Help me out.”

Jason shook his head and spread some spaghetti on a piece of garlic bread. “Hey, I don’t play the white knight anymore.”

AJ glared at him. “You’re all against me.”

“Oh, AJ. It’s just so much fun messing with you,” Emily laughed. She helped herself to some more pasta. “Besides, you had your good points. Remember my eleventh birthday party when you dumped that whole bowl of ice cream on Grandfather? I mean, how great was that?”

“I remember that!” Elizabeth said, laughing. “I thought Edward was going to kill you.”

“Well,” AJ scratched his ear. “He shouldn’t have said what he said.”

Jason leaned forward. “What’d he say?”

AJ shrugged, “Nothing important.”

Emily burst out hysterically laughing. “AJ was dating Keesha Ward at the time and Grandfather offered her a position at ELQ – if she’d break it off with AJ. Keesha responded by throwing her punch on him.”

“Which AJ followed up with the ice cream.” Elizabeth laughed. “And then there was your fifteenth birthday, AJ.”

“No need to share that,” AJ said firmly. “That was nine years ago. Water under the bridge.”

Emily wiggled her eyebrows. “What? Ashamed Ned found you in the stables with Keesha – and Brenda Barrett?”

“Brenda?” Jason said. “Wasn’t she like thirteen at the time?”

“We weren’t doing anything,” AJ said, lamely. “Keesha wanted to, er, see the new stallion. Brenda had a crush on me. She was following me around.”

“Poor girl ran screaming from the stables,” Emily said, tears starting to stream down her face.

“Good to know I kept you all happy,” AJ grumbled.

“You did say you were the entertainer,” Elizabeth reminded him.

“Traitor.”

—-

Later after dinner, they sat sprawled out in the living room. Emily and Elizabeth appropriated the couch, Jason stretched out in the armchair and AJ lounged on the floor.

“So, Em….” AJ drawled staring at the ceiling. “Is Nikky ever going to make an honest woman out of you?”

Emily propped herself up on the couch and glared at her brother. “We’re not living together,” she said, “So that statement is totally irrelevant.”

“Already talking like a lawyer,” Jason said.

“Hey, watch it or I won’t be your lawyer,” Emily warned.

“Oh, come on, Em.” AJ sat up and leaned on his elbows. “How do you feel about the kid?”

“Kid?” Emily raised an eyebrow. “He’s a year younger than you are.”

“Which makes it a scary prospect,” AJ replied. “You’re avoiding the question.”

“And doing it quite spectacularly, I might add,” Elizabeth said.

“Thank you,” Emily replied. “As for Nikolas, we’re in love and we’re content to stay that way. We’re not at the point in our lives where we need anything more. We’re both in college, we both have dysfunctional families, and neither one of us are pushing for a commitment.”
“Happy?”

AJ nodded, “As long as he treats you right.”

“Don’t worry,” Elizabeth said. “Nikolas treats Emily like a princess.”

AJ grinned. “And what about you, my lovely Liz, anyone special in your life?”

Without even intending to do so, Elizabeth glanced at Jason who seemed to be watching her intently. Emily and AJ both noted the glance and mentally filed it away for later use.

“Well, Beth?” Emily asked, evilly. Elizabeth glared at her.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said, glaring at both her friends. “And that’s all I’m saying about it.”

“Oh, come on, Elizabeth,” Jason said, a slight smile on his face.

Elizabeth eyed him. “What about you, Jase?” she asked suddenly. “You’re awfully quiet on the subject.”

AJ liked the way this conversation was going and he turned his head to face his brother. “Yeah, Jase, how about you?”

Jason glared at AJ much the way Elizabeth had glared at Emily earlier, “None of your business.”
“Oh, you get to question Beth, but we can’t do the same to you?” Emily asked crossing her arms. “Come on, Jase. Someone special…?”

There was no mistake about it this time – much to AJ and Emily’s delight. Jason stared straight at Elizabeth as he said, “Yes. There is.”

AJ grinned. “Want to tell us anything?” he asked.

Jason seemed to struggle with it for a second – but he finally spoke. “She’s the strongest person I know. She always wants to do things on her own – no matter how difficult that might be.”

Emily sneaked a look at Elizabeth who had a tiny smile on her face. Victory!

AJ cleared this throat. “That’s very romantic, Jase. So, Liz,” he said, turning his attention back to his other friend. “Want to tell us anything about your mystery man?”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. She had a feeling AJ knew exactly what he was doing. Gritting her teeth, “Not especially.”

“Come on, Beth,” Emily said quietly. “Jason found something to tell us.” She eyed her friend and smiled at her.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. “He respects the way I feel and gives me a chance to sort things out my own no matter how much he doesn’t agree. He understands that it’s important for me to handle my life on my terms, but I know that if I needed him, he’d be there.”

Anyone with half a brain would know that they were talking about each other, Emily thought happily. She had a feeling Elizabeth was on her way to making a solid decision about what she wanted. “He sounds wonderful, Beth,” Emily said. She knew he was wonderful – after all, he was her brother.

Elizabeth smiled. “He is wonderful, Em.” And again, there was no mistake. Elizabeth was looking straight at Jason when she said it. She wanted to high-five AJ but she thought that might be too much.

Elizabeth suddenly realized what she was doing and flushed. She grabbed her glass and stood quickly. “I’m going to get some more iced tea.” She headed for the kitchen. She had the pitcher out and was pouring it when she felt Jason enter.

“Hey,” he said coming to stand next to her. “I meant what I said out there.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked up at him. “You never say things you don’t mean,” she said. “So I knew that. And I meant what I said out there, too.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I knew that, too.”

She put the pitcher on the counter. “I’ve been doing some thinking and Emily’s been helping. But I don’t want to talk about it tonight. Tonight’s about all of us, our friendship. I don’t want to think about bad memories, or the territory problems which will be more than likely waiting for us at work tomorrow. So,” she paused. She stepped back and looked up at him with a genuine smile. “Let’s meet for lunch tomorrow. There are some things we need to discuss.”

“All right,” Jason agreed. He reached past for her the pitcher. “Might as well fill my own glass so that I can stick to my cover story.”

Elizabeth grinned. “You know it’s almost full any way. And we’re not fooling the two of them you know? Because Emily knows what happened. She saw us this morning.”

Jason sighed. “Yeah. And I had a talk with AJ last night. So they’re both working at it.” Along with everyone else we know, he finished silently.

“I wish AJ lived closer,” Elizabeth said sadly. “I wish we could do this more often.”

Jason returned the pitcher to the fridge. “Even if I sometimes get lost with the conversation…” he trailed off, “I’m glad that we’re all still friends.”

She nodded. “I’ve missed this. That first year, we couldn’t be in the same room without fighting. I know it was hard for them. We’d been so close up until then.” She smiled. “I’m glad that’s changed.”

“Me, too,” He grinned. “Let’s get back before they think we’re up to something other than talking.

—-

Emily watched Jason leave the room. She leaned to talk to AJ. “They are so far gone.”

He grinned. “It’s a triumphant victory, isn’t it?”

“I wish you and Courtney lived closer,” Emily said. She sighed. “I miss seeing you whenever I felt like bugging you.”

“I know, Em. And believe me, I miss you, too. Port Charles has some bad memories.” AJ shrugged. “Maybe one day Court and I will come home – maybe we’ll mend the bridges with the family. But until I’m ready to face that, we’re better off where we are.”

Emily nodded. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

“I’m glad we’re all happy,” AJ replied. “I’m glad you and Nikolas are together. He’s a good kid, I’ve always felt that way. And Liz and Jase? They’re getting there all by themselves. A little push never hurt, though.”

Emily grinned. “Hey, you want to go see Grandmother tomorrow? She might be able to give us some pointers.”

AJ nodded. “Yep. Besides, I have pictures of the kids for her.”

Elizabeth and Jason returned then and they returned to their seats. “Hey,” Emily said, excitedly. “Let’s break out the album!”

“No!” Elizabeth begged. “Not the album.” But Emily was already up and dragging a photo album off the shelf. She plopped back on the couch, smiling widely.

“Em, I’m pleading,” AJ said. Emily stuck her tongue out at him.

“Remember this one?” she asked, opening it the middle and showing it to Elizabeth. “My eighth birthday party.”

Elizabeth giggled. “AJ, I forgot about the great shrimp incident of 1991.”

“The great what?” Jason asked. “I have to hear this one.”

Elizabeth traded looks with Emily. “I’ll tell this one. It was May, and for some reason, Monica had a great idea to have seafood at Emily’s party…”

Emily stared at the fish. “This sucks.”

Elizabeth smiled sympathetically at her friend. “Yeah, it does. But don’t worry. AJ and Jason already promised that we’re gonna ditch the party later and order pizza.”

“Why didn’t Mom just listen to me?” Emily asked miserably. “I just wanted some balloons, a cake and a barbecue.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “Where are the rest of your friends?” she asked curiously. “Didn’t you invite the rest of the class?”

“Mom said they weren’t appropriate guests,” Emily said. She flopped down and sighed. “I hate fish.”

AJ came up and rubbed Emily’s head affectionately. “How’s my favorite sister?”

“She’s not happy,” Elizabeth reported.

AJ grinned. “Maybe I should cheer you up.” He reached forward and grabbed a crab leg off Emily’s plate. He started dangling it front of Emily.

“Ewww! Get ’em away from me!” Emily screeched. Elizabeth was giggling until AJ swung the leg in her direction. Elizabeth yelped and leaned back to get away and succeeded in falling off the chair.

“Smooth move, Lizzie,” Jason smirked. “I ordered the pizza. When it gets here, Reginald’s gonna come find me.”

Elizabeth looked up at Jason from her position on the ground. “You know what, Jason? Blow it out your ear,” she said.

Jason shook his head and held a hand out to help her up. “You’ve got to stop listening to Lois.”

Elizabeth ignored his hand and stood up. “What kind of pizza did you order?”

“Pepperoni and sausage,” Jason repeated. She grimaced.

“They suck. You shoulda gotten cheese.”

“If the two of you are done,” Emily said, “tell AJ to get the crab away from me.” She was leaning as far as she could without falling off the chair, but AJ was dangling the leg closer and closer.

“AJ, stop it,” Elizabeth ordered.

“Make me, Lizzie,” AJ replied, dangling it back her direction. Elizabeth took another step back and crashed into Jason.

“Knock it off,” Jason said. “Some people eat that stuff.”

Emily wrinkled her nose. “Why?”

Jason shrugged. “Some people are dumb.”

AJ opened his mouth to respond but a waiter knocked into him from behind and spilled his whole tray on him. AJ was covered in dipping sauces off all kinds, and shrimp was hanging from the pockets of his shirt.

Jason continued his statement without missing a beat. “And some people just look dumb.”

“Kids! Pictures!” Monica called.

“We must have snapped a dozen pictures before she realized AJ was a mess,” Elizabeth laughed.

“Served you right for scaring us,” Emily grumbled throwing her brother a dirty look. She turned a few pages. “Oh, hey…Beth, do you remember this Christmas…?”

Elizabeth took the album from her and looked at it. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “I have a copy of it in my room. It’s the Christmas before the accident.” She bit her lip.

“That was my favorite Christmas,” Emily said fondly. She smiled at Elizabeth. “Remember? You spent Christmas Day with us. You were over really early and we opened our presents together.”

Elizabeth smiled, but the smile never quite reached her eyes. “That was a good Christmas.”

She’d been over early because she’d spent the night with Jason – and she’d spent the day because she’d been afraid to go home. It was the first Christmas she hadn’t woken up to her parents fighting and her siblings getting presents while Elizabeth was handed a few gift certificates. At the Quartermaines, Monica and Alan had bought her a few things, and so had Lila. Jason had gotten her a charm bracelet that she didn’t wear anymore.

She hadn’t gone home for three days, and by the time she did, her parents had been so busy with parties they hadn’t noticed she was gone.

“You okay, Liz?” AJ asked curiously having seen the sad look enter her eyes.

Elizabeth flashed another smile at him. “I’m fine. It’s just…I miss the family sometimes. Before everything…I was closer to them than to my own family.” She shifted uncomfortably. Pasting a smile on her face, she flipped past that page. But the pictures after that day were few and far between. There were no longer any pictures of the four of them…mostly just Emily and Elizabeth, or AJ and Emily, or Jason and Emily. There were a few of she and Jason, and maybe one of the she, Emily and Jason. As AJ’s drinking had gotten worse, they’d stopped spending time together. And towards the end of March, she’d stopped seeing AJ altogether. He was either drinking all the time or locked in his room with a hangover.

AJ seemed to understand where her thoughts had drifted. “I remember that last Christmas as the end of era,” he said quietly. “I’d give anything to go back and do it over again.” He took a deep breath. “But I know that’s highly unlikely. I’m sorry. I know I’ve said it a dozen times, but it won’t change any time soon. I’ll always be sorry.”

“AJ…” Emily sighed. “You made a bad judgment call. The family … they let all three of us walk away. And the only person who’s made any overtures is Grandmother. Everyone else is still too angry. This is not your fault. I made the decision to walk away. Jason made the decision. You didn’t influence our decision. I hated the way they treated you and the way Jason got treated. I didn’t want to ever give them the chance to do the same to me. You have nothing to apologize for.”

Jason nodded “Same here, AJ. I don’t blame you for my choices or theirs. Don’t worry about it.”

AJ swung his eyes to Elizabeth. “What about you, Liz?”

Elizabeth furrowed her brow in confusion. “What about me?”

“Do you forgive me?” AJ asked.

She raised her eyebrows. “For what?” she asked. “AJ, you didn’t do anything to me.”

AJ stared at her. “You’re kidding me.” He sat up more and leaned towards her. “I took Jason away, I ruined our childhood-”

“You didn’t do those things to me,” Elizabeth said quietly. “And you didn’t take Jason away, AJ. He’s right here. And believe me, AJ; you had nothing to do with ruining my childhood.”

AJ gave her a strange look and shrugged, “All right. Well…” he grinned. “As much as fun as this walk down memory lane was, I better head to the hotel. I want to tuck Mel and Kyle in before they’re too tired to remember.” He stood and stretched. “Can I help clean up or anything?”

Emily shook her head as she stood. “No. Beth and I got it.” She hugged her brother tightly.

“I’ll walk with you to the elevator,” Jason said standing. AJ hugged Elizabeth as Jason hugged Emily.

Both AJ and Emily watched closely as Jason and Elizabeth hugged each other. AJ noted that Jason practically swallowed her tiny body while Emily sighed happily at the fact that they held each other for almost a full minute.

They exchanged glances – it seemed that whatever mistakes had been made in the past … were finally being righted now.

Emily knocked Carly’s office door at Deception. She heard Carly yell for her to come in and she opened the door the rest of the way.

Laura Spencer, the other owner, was arguing with Carly. Between them stood a beautiful girl with mocha colored skin and braided hair—along with the snobbiest face Emily had ever seen. Gia Campbell was the new Face of Deception and Emily hadn’t liked her since the moment she’d met her.

“Hey, Em,” Laura greeted warmly. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. How is the family?” Emily asked, hoping Laura would drop some mention of Lucky and Luke. She hadn’t seen either for almost a year and she was beginning to miss her surrogate father and brother.

“Luke and Lucky are still overseas,” Laura said sadly. Her face brightened. “But Lulu’s headed for the second grade next year.”

“That’s great,” Emily said, grinning. “If you hear from Luke and Lucky, tell them to give me a call.

“Sure.” Laura turned back to Carly. “We’ll finish this later. Come on, Gia.” Laura and Gia left the office.

Carly wrinkled her nose. “God, I hate that girl.”

Emily sat down. “Well, she’s beautiful. That’s all that matters.”

Carly shrugged. “Whatever.” Her eyes brightened. “I talked to Jason last night.”

“I didn’t get a chance to check in with Beth.” Emily couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her face. “But I did see her asleep in Jason’s room this morning. I think she finally opened up to him.”

Carly grinned. “They spent the night together?”

Emily nodded. “I think it was platonic, but that’s a far cry from where they were last week.”

Carly nodded. “But don’t worry, Jase has got it bad for Liz, no doubt.”

“I think Beth feels the same way,” Emily agreed. “I meant to talk to her, but my own love life set in. I’ve been ignoring Nik and I feel really bad. Of course, he understands but that’s just because he’s sweet.”

Carly nodded. “So what’s the plan for today?”

“Well, Nik’s coming over to watch Law and Order and then he’s leaving because I gotta order out and get the apartment set up. AJ and Jason are having dinner with me and Beth tonight. We’re going to catch up, reminisce and …. See exactly how close Jason and Beth really are,” Emily replied.

“Call me as soon as possible,” Carly ordered. “I want to know how it went.”

Emily nodded, “Will do. How’s the Deception launch party going?”

“Right on schedule. So, we’ve gotten the bike ride – which Jason tells me Liz absolutely adored. They’re friends enough to spend the night in same bed – which is saying quite a bi,t if you ask me,” Carly said. “And we all see the attraction. The thing is – do they?”

“I don’t know,” Emily said plainly. “But I’m going to try and find out tonight. If they’re attracted and they both know it, we might not want to do anything overt. We don’t want to do anything that will hurt our cause.”

Carly nodded, “Definitely. We don’t want to cause any miscommunications or problems. So, maybe once we know what’s going on, we can invite them out for dinner…make the reservations for two and not show up.”

“That’s a good idea. We can have roses or something waiting at the table. Ooh, and AJ and I have decided that Beth probably works for Sonny, so we can have flowers delivered there for her.”

Carly’s eyes were practically glowing with happiness. “I think this is one scheme that might actually.”

“There’s always a first time,” Emily replied. She checked her watch. “I’m going to head to the florist before going home. Beth likes lilies so I’ll have those delivered. With no card. Jason won’t take credit – but maybe he’ll just keep his mouth shut and let her give him credit.”

Carly shook her head. “No. Probably not. Maybe, we can convince him to deliver flowers to her.”

“Jason? Flowers?” Emily asked doubtfully. “I don’t know.”

“You never know,” Carly pointed out.

“That’s true. Last night, AJ and the family took over the apartment, so I went to Jason’s to crash. I hinted to Jason that Beth was working late and he was out the door. Flowers…might do the trick. Always made me feel good. One time, Nikolas had them delivered to me right before a final. Just made my whole day better – I passed the final, too,” Emily said, grinning. “All right. I’ll make a note to talk to Jason then. I’d better go.”

“See ya,” Carly said.

—-

Emily leaned against Nikolas on the couch and sighed with satisfaction. “I’ve missed this.”

Nikolas leaned over slightly to grab the bag of Doritos, “Me, too.”

She leaned her head back to give him a teasing glare. “I think you like coming over for the food,” she grumbled.

Nikolas crunched on a chip, “That, too.”

Emily shrugged, “S’okay. I like you because you’re cute, not because you’re smart.” She snuggled in deeper. “No talking, show’s on.”

They sat watching the show in silence until the first commercial – and then the arguing began. “He killed three people,” Emily said, shaking her head. “Throw the book at him.”

“You know McCoy’s gonna go nuts on him,” Nikolas said, reaching for a can of soda. “This was what…like a season after Claire was killed?”

Emily nodded. “He’s probably gonna cheat.” She frowned. “Haven’t I seen this episode before?”

Nikolas shrugged, “Probably. I think we had the same conversation last time.”

Emily grinned, “Yeah. But it’s still fun.” She leaned back to look at him adoringly. “No one else understands the obsession but you.”

“Hey, good to know I’m good for something,” Nikolas replied, trailing a finger down her cheek.

She closed her eyes and sighed happily. “You’re good for a lot of things.”

“Oh, really?” Nikolas asked, curiously. “Like what?”

“Oh, no. We’re not turning this into what Emily Loves about Nikolas.” Emily shook her head. “That would take too long.”

“Hey, just give me the top five,” Nikolas suggested. She propped herself up and giggled. “What? I’ll give you my top five.”

Emily considered this, “All right. Top five. Five,” Emily reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I like the way we fit together.”

“Five,” Nikolas said. “I love the way your eyes sparkle when you’re arguing with me.”

“Four,” Emily continued, “I love the fact we can sit around all afternoon and not have to do anything at all…and we’re still happy.”

“Four, I love waking up with you in my arms.”

Emily allowed herself to kiss him lightly, “Such a sweet guy. Four, I like the way you smile at me when I first open my eyes in the morning.”

“Three, I love the way your hair curls around your ears.”

She wrinkled her nose. “You’re insane. Three,” she took an arm from his neck and wrapped her hand in his. “I love that my hand fits so neatly in yours.”

“Two,” Nikolas said, his voice growing serious. “I love that even after two years of dating, you’re still the only girl I want to see when I wake up and when I sleep. I love that I can tell the second you enter or leave a room.”

“That’s two things,” Emily whispered. “Two, I love that my day isn’t complete until I hear your voice or see your face. I can’t sleep without that.”

Nikolas brushed her hair out of her eyes. “One,” he said, staring into her eyes, “I love that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Emily gasped. “Y-you w-what?” she asked, trembling.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Nikolas repeated. Suddenly he felt a little nervous. Maybe their relationship wasn’t ready for that.

“One,” Emily said, her voice suddenly firm. “I love that there’s no one else I want to be with. I love that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Nikolas grinned and pulled her face towards his. “I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too,” she whispered just before their lips met.

—-

Elizabeth smiled as she watched Emily humming her way across the kitchen. Elizabeth continued to stir the sauce. “Someone had a good day today,” she said, grinning.

Emily started sprinkling garlic on the rolls. “Nikolas told me he wants to spend the rest of his life with me,” she reported happily.

Elizabeth dropped the spoon and spun around, “Oh my God!”

Emily twirled in a circle. “Nothing can bring me down. My life is finally making sense. I’ve got the world’s most amazing boyfriend, you and Jason are getting close again, AJ’s in town, its summer…” she stopped, her eyes gleaming. “Tell me, Beth. Can it get any more perfect than this?”

Elizabeth hugged her friend. “That’s amazing!”

Emily pulled away. “I need you something, and you have to promise that you’ll tell me the truth.”

Elizabeth frowned, “Of course.”

Emily took a deep breath. “I saw you and Jason this morning, in his penthouse, in his room.” She watched the flush cover Elizabeth’s face. “Now, I know you didn’t sleep with him. Did you tell him…?”

Elizabeth nodded and returned to stirring the sauce. “I told him everything – more than what I told you.”

Emily flinched. “You didn’t tell me everything?” she asked, hurt.

“It’s not that,” Elizabeth assured her. “There were just parts of the story that it didn’t feel right that anyone but me and Jason would know.”

Emily bit her lip, “All right. Will you tell me one day?” she asked hesitantly.

Elizabeth nodded, smiling, “Definitely.”

Emily started putting the rolls in the oven. “So…how do you feel about my brother?” she asked not looking up.

Elizabeth sighed. “I have no idea.”

Emily shut the oven and straightened. “How can you not have an idea?”

“It’s confusing,” Elizabeth murmured. She stared into the red sauce. “I was crazy about him before the accident. And now…” She looked up and turned her face towards Emily. “And now I think I’m falling for him all over again. But I don’t know who I think he is. Jason Quartermaine, Jason Morgan or something in between. And I can’t make any decision because I’m so wrapped up in these damn memories that I don’t know what’s going on in my mind.”

Emily got the iced tea mix out of the cabinet and started scooping it into a pitcher. “All right, quick test.” She put the pitcher underneath the faucet and started filling it. Once she was satisfied, she turned off the water and pulled the pitcher out. Stirring it, she continued, “What did you like best about Jason Quartermaine? Don’t think too long. Just answer it.”

“The way he protected me,” Elizabeth said instantly, “And not just from my father, from everything. When my grandmother died, when the kids at school picked on me…” she trailed off. “He made me feel safe when no one else could.”

Emily smiled. She adored her brother, but part of her still missed the boy he’d been. “What do you like best about Jason Morgan?”

“He doesn’t push me,” Elizabeth replied. “I honestly think he would have been satisfied with me not telling him. He wouldn’t be happy – but he wouldn’t push. He’d wait until I was ready to tell him.” She smiled. “He’s also a good kisser.”

Emily dropped the spoon into the pitcher. “Shit.” She dug it out and laid it on the counter. “Did you just say…?”

Elizabeth bit her lip and looked away. “You see what I mean, Em? The things I like best about them are…things they did for me. How selfish is that?” She shook her head. “I’m better off staying away from him.”

Emily sighed. “You said that Jason made you feel safe when no one else could. That’s not selfish at all, Beth. It was the way he made you feel, and that’s important.” She went to the refrigerator and opened the freezer. “And you basically said that Jason gives you space…time to deal what’s going on without him demanding answers. That’s important, too. You know?” She grabbed a tray of ice cubs and shut the freezer. “So, it’s not cut and dry. Part of Jason is still who he used to be, there’s this whole other person inside of him now that’s nothing like the boy we grew up with.”

“How I do I figure out who I want?” Elizabeth asked. She filled another pot with water and set it on the stove to boil. “I knew the old Jason inside and out. I knew the arrogant parts he showed to everyone else, and the way he’d hold me after a nightmare. I remember him at parties where he lorded his popularity and I remember playing games in the garden.” She opened a cabinet and took out some boxes of pasta. “This Jason…I’m getting to know him. I never really gave him a chance before. But again, I’m getting two sides. The way he is around Sonny when he’s working and the way he was last night. He sat with me while I explained my terrible life and do you know what? He apologized for not being there. He blames himself.”

Emily put the pitcher into the fridge and opened another cabinet to grab some plates. “I knew he would. And he probably will for a long time.” She headed to the small dining room and started setting the table.

Elizabeth sighed, frustrated. “Why is it so hard to let him go?” she asked. “It’s been five years. I should be over him.”

Emily reentered the kitchen and opened the silverware drawer. “Maybe you have.”

Elizabeth looked up. “What?”

“Maybe you got over Jason Quartermaine and the reason you think you didn’t is because you’re confusing the feelings you have for Jason now with the ones you had then.” Emily frowned. “Did that make any sense?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yeah, in a roundabout way.” She put the pasta in the water. “I care about Jason, I really do. But I’m scared to open up again like that. I lost him once – I don’t know that I could survive it again.”

Emily pulled some glasses out of the cabinet. “Jason Quartermaine was great,” she said. “And I’ll always miss him.” She eyed her friend. “But, Beth. Jason Quartermaine and Jason Morgan are two different people. Yeah, there are some similarities – that’s to be expected, but the sooner you realize that Jason Quartermaine is dead and that he’s never coming back, the happier you’ll be. Don’t use Jason as a substitute. He deserves more.”

Elizabeth crossed her arms. “Is that what you think I’m doing?” she asked, tightly.

Emily paused for a few minutes. Finally, she shook her head slowly. “No. I know you didn’t want to open up to him again. I know how hard it was for you to trust that Jason wanted to help. And I know what it must have cost you to tell him the truth, but I know my brother very well. He won’t leave you on purpose. He’s going to be around for a long time.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I know.”

“If it’s any consolation, Beth,” Emily said, taking the glasses to the table. “I saw the two of you this morning. You were wrapped in each other’s arms and quite frankly, I’ve never seen either of you look that at peace. There’s something between you two, I can feel it. Anyone who’s in the same room with you can. And I’ve always felt it – even when you two were at each other’s throats. You just have to decide if you’re ready to put your memories in the past and look to the future.” Emily opened the oven and took out the finished garlic rolls.

“But, you know what, Beth? Tonight, let’s forget romance and forget the pain. They’ll be here soon and for the first time since the accident, I finally think…” Emily paused, searching for the right way to say it. She saw Elizabeth smiling at her gratefully. “I think it’s going be okay. We’re all going to find our way in life. AJ found his first. I’m getting there … and I think you and Jason might find your way together. We’ve been friends since forever, Beth. And nothing has ever changed that. Not AJ’s drinking, our family problems or even Jason’s accident. We’re still all here. We’re still friends – hell, we’re still family.” She put the garlic rolls on the counter and swept her friend into a tight hug. “And no matter, what Beth-”

“-we’ll always be family,” Elizabeth replied, softly returning the hug. “We have been since the day we dared Lucky Spencer to eat glue in the first grade. Since I spilled that juice on Jason and since AJ tackled me to the ground and ruined my favorite dress.” She pulled away and wiped at her eyes. “You’re my best friend in the entire world, Em, and all the boyfriends, sisters, brothers in the world can’t change that. You were my sister first. You were the first person to look past my sister and like me for me. You didn’t become Sarah’s friend and then invite me along out of pity.” She smiled. “We invited Sarah because we pitied her.”

“You are my best friend, too,” Emily said, her eyes watery. “And nothing can come between us. All the secrets in the world will never change that.” She laughed. “AJ and Jason will think we’ve lost our minds.”

“Nah,” Elizabeth said, reaching for the Kleenex. “They’ve seen us cry over silly things before. Remember Forrest Gump?”

“And Willow?” Emily said. “They’re good sports, though aren’t they?”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth grinned widely passing the box to Emily. “Man, I lucked out the day they put me in your first grade class.”

“Me, too,” Emily pulled a Kleenex from the box and blew her nose. “Come on. Let’s get dinner ready so we can clean up.”

Jason opened the door to the penthouse as quietly as possible. He let Elizabeth walk in front of him, but she stopped almost as soon as she was inside.

“Emily’s here?” she whispered. Jason peered over her head to see Emily passed out on the couch.

“AJ and Courtney and the kids are in town and took over your apartment. She came here to sleep.” He eyed her. “We can go upstairs if you still want to talk.”

Choice. Elizabeth closed her eyes and breathed in a sigh of relief. She could turn around right now and go back to her apartment, go to sleep and never tell him another thing. He’d let her, too. She was sure of it.

Instead, she nodded. “Let’s go upstairs,” she said softly. She slipped her hand in his and he led her up the stairs. He opened one of the doors in the hallway and led her inside. She perched on the edge of the bed and crossed her arms tightly. Jason flipped on the light and leaned against the dresser.

They sat in silence for a time. Elizabeth didn’t know where to start and Jason didn’t want to push it. Finally, she sighed. “Is there anything you want to ask me?”

Jason hesitated. “I don’t know. Do you really want to tell me anything?”

She peered up at him and smiled a little. He was really going to handle this any way she wanted to. He wouldn’t ask and he wouldn’t push. They’d go at her pace. Elizabeth relaxed a little and pushed herself further onto the bed. She curled her legs and sat Indian style. She patted the space in front of her. “Sit down.”

Jason moved to the bed and sat with his legs over the edge and half turned to see her. “Elizabeth, I’ll understand if you don’t want to say anything more.”

She took one of his hands and wrapped her smaller hands around it. Concentrating on that instead of looking up, she said, “I know you would. And that means a lot to me. But I want to tell you. And if I don’t do it now, I’ll probably never do it.” She took a deep breath. “I always had a big mouth and I guess you know I usually say what I think. Not a trait my father appreciated. He’d smack me upside the head. It wasn’t that bad at first.” She moved her fingers over the rough skin on the back of his hand. “When I was seven, he hit me with a belt. Even then, it was only when I did stupid things. I tried to behave more, but I was never very good at it. He began looking for reasons and it started getting worse. I always wore long shirts and long pants, even during the summer.”

She looked up then. He was staring at their hands as well. “That’s how you found out.”

He jerked his eyes up to meet hers. “What?”

“We were in the garden during the summer. I was eleven and you were thirteen. You, me, Emily and some of our friends from school were playing hide and seek. AJ was fifteen and too old to play it. I was hiding behind a hedge. It was a hot day and I’d pushed my sleeves up. You came up behind me – I guess you were going to surprise me—but you saw the bruise instead…”

“What’s on your arm, Lizzie?” Jason asked, confused. Elizabeth turned around so fast she fell against the bushes.

“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.

Jason pointed to the large, ugly purple bruise that covered the bottom half of Elizabeth’s left arm. “What happened?”

Elizabeth hastily pulled her sleeves down. “N-nothing.”

Jason grabbed her right arm and pulled her up. “What’s on your arm, Lizzie?” he asked again.

“I said it was nothing,” Elizabeth snapped, jerking her hand away. Jason pulled the sleeve up again and looked at the bruise. His blue eyes bore into hers.

“These look like finger marks,” Jason said. “Who hurt you, Lizzie?”

Elizabeth’s lower lip trembled and she tried to pull her hand away. “N-no one. Let me go.”

“You’re lying.”

“Leave me alone,” she said, her voice breaking. “No one hurt me. No one.”

“You can trust me, Lizzie. Who was it?”

Elizabeth’s eyes welled up with tears. “You promise not to tell Emily or AJ?”

Jason nodded. “I promise, Lizzie.”

“It was my dad…”

“You were so angry,” Elizabeth remembered softly. “You wanted to head right over and beat his face in and that was before you knew the whole story.”

“I guess things haven’t changed,” Jason said quietly. “I still want to head over and beat his face in.”

For some reason, his words brought tears to her eyes. She sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay, but they came anyway. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck. Confused, Jason wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

After a while, she pulled away and wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just…I don’t know.”

“It’s okay,” Jason assured her.

She smiled weakly. “It was all I could do to convince you to stay away and keep the secret. After that, I-I…it started getting harder to keep it to myself. You were always asking me if I was okay. You started getting more observant…started noticing the circles under my eyes … that I was trying too hard…” She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “That I was trying too hard to act happy. You kept asking me and asking me and I finally I blew up at you. I was maybe thirteen at the time. I completely freaked. I told you that I miserable, that it was getting worse, I wasn’t sleeping and that I was probably going to fail eighth grade because I couldn’t concentrate.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “So, you came up with a solution. You told me that the next time I couldn’t sleep, just to come over to the house and knock on your window.” She chuckled softly. “I thought you were insane. But a few nights later, I was lying in my bed staring the ceiling. All I wanted to do was sleep, but I was so afraid that the minute I shut my eyes, my father would-” Elizabeth broke off and looked away. “So, I pulled on my robe and climbed down the trellis. Your house was only just across the lake.”

“How did you get up the third floor?” Jason asked curiously.

“That first night?” Elizabeth couldn’t help but grin. “I shimmied up the drain pipe.”

“You could have fallen-”

She held up a hand to stop him. “Hey, you forget. I’ve heard this lecture. You’re not as different as most people think.” Elizabeth shrugged. “You set up a ladder after that. Some nights you even waited at the bottom.”

“You showed up that often?” Jason asked.

She nodded. “After a few months, it was at the point where if I wasn’t already spending the night with Em, I was with you. By the time of the accident, I hadn’t spent the night in my room in a year and a half.” She smiled. “You weren’t even surprised to see me. Not really. Just said to come in, I’d catch cold sitting on the roof. You’d let me sleep in the bed and you’d sleep on the floor. I felt so guilty – I kept trying to sleep on the floor. I’d even doze off sitting on the floor, but I’d always wake up in the bed. Finally, a few months after I started coming, you got one of those cots that folded up. You’d put it in the closet during the day.”

“I found that cot after the accident,” Jason admitted. “I asked Emily what I used it for – she didn’t know.”

“Well, no, she wouldn’t,” Elizabeth said. “The first few weeks I was there, I still didn’t sleep much. I’d try, but I’d always wake up in nightmares. You always got to me before I’d make too much noise. I don’t know how you do it – you probably stayed up. I don’t think you got a lot sleep either. But eventually, I started sleeping more. My grades went back up, and I passed the year.”

“I can’t believe we never got caught,” Jason said, shaking his head.

“I never said that,” Elizabeth said. “We did…once.” Her face became troubled. “We overslept one morning. It was in March, a month before the accident. You insisted on walking me back and my father was waiting. He threw me against the house and ended up spraining my wrist. You stepped in and punched him.” She bit her lip. “You also slammed his head against the trellis. His nose never looked the same.”

“Good,” Jason said shortly.

She smiled. “We went up to my room and you wrapped my wrist.” She touched her wrist as if remembering. “You tried to make me go to the police, but I knew they’d never believe me. Webber was a name respected almost as much as Quartermaine. I just knew my father would either kill me or send me away and I knew I’d never see you again. You made a compromise…” Elizabeth trailed off. She hadn’t meant to tell him that part of the story. He already felt guilty enough.

“What kind of compromise?” Jason asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Elizabeth said quickly.

“Yes it does,” Jason pressed.

She took a deep breath. “You told me that when you turned eighteen in August, you’d come into your trust fund. You said we’d leave Port Charles and get away from my father.” She looked at him, into his eyes that were practically over flowing with self-loathing. “It’s not your fault, Jason. You didn’t know-”

Jason exhaled slowly. “What happened when you didn’t have me around?”

Elizabeth looked down. “I had to go back to my room. For three years. I barely slept, and I barely graduated. My father didn’t hit me as often but when he did…it would hurt for weeks. He broke my arm once and I ended up with a concussion twice,” she whispered. “On my eighteenth birthday, he woke me up early. He grabbed me by the hair and dragged me to the window. With his other hand, he opened it and shoved me out halfway. He told me that I was a bastard that he’d been forced to raise, that he hated me and wanted me out of the house. He offered to end my misery and throw me the rest of the way. That where I was going, it wouldn’t matter. I’d end up dead anyway. That’s how I found out Sonny was my brother. My father knew all along.” Elizabeth blinked back tears. “I didn’t tell Emily the truth when I told her about that morning. I just told her my father came in, told me the truth and left. I couldn’t tell her without having to tell her the whole story – and you were the only person who ever knew.”

“I wish…I wish I’d known. I’m sorry,” Jason said. “It’s not enough – and there are no words to tell you how-”

“I didn’t tell you to make you feel bad,” Elizabeth said quietly. “The nightmares never went away – they just stopped coming as often.”

They sat in silence for a while as Jason struggled with the story. He couldn’t believe what she’d gone through — both with and without him. He was now curious about the nature of their relationship and it’d gone any further than he was aware of.

“I only have one question and I want an honest answer,” Jason said, locking eyes with her. “Before the accident, did you know I was attracted to you?”

“How did you know that?” Elizabeth said, her hand darting up to her mouth in surprise. “How could you know…”

“Emily told me I was going to ask you to the senior prom,” Jason replied, studying her reaction very carefully. “You did know, didn’t you?”

Elizabeth nodded slowly. “We were together,” she whispered. “No one knew…I was scared that my father would send me away and I’d never see you again.”

“We were dating?” Jason asked, incredulously. His conversation with AJ earlier that night drifted back to him and he could only blink.

Elizabeth slipped off the bed and turned her back to him. “If that’s what you call it. We’d sit in your room and for the first time, we’d talk about more than my problems. We’d talk about the future – about the way we felt about our families and people we knew. We’d talk about everything. Sometimes, we’d kiss.” She wrapped her arms around herself. He stood up and approached her. “I was only fifteen but I had convinced myself I was in love with you.”

Jason put a hand on her shoulder and she turned. Tears were streaking down her cheeks again. “Why didn’t you tell me…after the accident?”

She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “We didn’t get along. You weren’t the same person, you didn’t have the memories. What good would it have done?”

He brought his hands up to wipe the tears away. “God, I wish I could have known – I wish I’d been here for you,” he whispered.

Elizabeth reached up with her own hand and wiped a tear from his cheek. “That doesn’t matter anymore,” she said meeting his eyes. “You’re here now.” Her hand lingered on his cheek. As different as he really looked – Elizabeth was beginning to realize that maybe the only real difference between Jason and who’d once been were the absence of memories.

Blue eyes locked on blue – she felt like she was drowning. She knew she should pull away or leave – but she couldn’t move. He moved his head slightly in her direction and she lifted her chin and closed her eyes.

The first kiss was light, just a brushing of the lips. The second was a bit longer – but it was the third that made the difference. Their lips parted, tongues met and Elizabeth couldn’t think anymore. She moved her hands through his hair and arched her body against him. His hands drifted from her face, down past her shoulders to wrap around her waist and drag her closer.

It was the need for oxygen that finally drove them apart. Breathing heavily, Elizabeth put a hand over her racing heart. She leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She kept her eyes closed.

Jason stood rooted to the same spot. He drove his fingers through his hair and cursed himself for pushing her. She’d never trust him now.

It was a few minutes before Elizabeth trusted herself to speak. “Jason-”

He jerked his eyes up to meet hers. She’d opened her eyes and was looking at him. “Elizabeth, I am so sorry. I never should-”

“Stop,” she whispered, moving away from the wall. “Do I look like I regret anything?” she asked, searching his eyes.

Jason closed his eyes. “No.” He opened them. “But I think I do.”

She blinked. “What?”

“I know who I’m falling for,” he said quietly. He tucked a curl behind her ear. “But I don’t know who you want me to be.”

Elizabeth sucked in a breath and moved away from him. She sat on the edge of the bed and covered her eyes with her hands. Who had she been kissing a few minutes? Jason Quartermaine, Jason Morgan or a cross between the two? She looked up. His back was to her. She stood up and went to him. “Jason.”

He turned to look at her, the mask of indifference in place. He looked down at her.

“I need time,” she told him. “Everything is happening so fast. The nightmares, you – the territory problems, the novel rejections, I just need time to think.”

Jason furrowed his brow in confusion. “The novel rejections?” he repeated.

“I’ll tell you about that some other time,” Elizabeth said. “But I wanted you to kiss me. I hope you believe me.”

He smoothed her hair down. “I believe you.”

She bit her lip. “I’d better go,” she said quietly. “It’s late and I have work tomorrow.”

As she put her hand on the door knob, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Will you be all right sleeping?”

Elizabeth turned her head towards him. “Probably not,” she admitted. “But I won’t be sleeping anyway.”

“Do you…” Jason hesitated. “Do you want to stay here?”

Elizabeth sighed and peered up at him. “Would you stay with me?” she asked softly. She flushed. “In case I wake up…I mean…”

“If you want me too,” Jason said. He gestured towards the bed. “I’ll take the floor.”

“No.” Elizabeth put a hand on his arm. “No,” she repeated firmly. “You’re not sleeping on the floor.”

“Well, the chair will be pretty uncomfortable,” Jason said, shifting his feet.

She shook her head. “It’s a king-size bed. We can share.”

Share a bed with her. Good god, this woman was going to kill him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth nodded. “All right, then I’ll take the floor, you have the bed.”

“Elizabeth-”

“Either we both sleep in the bed, or we’re both on the floor,” Elizabeth said firmly. “I’m not going to put you out because you’re being kind.” She smirked. “You’re not arguing with a thirteen year old.”

“All right,” Jason said. He shook his head. “Do you want to borrow something to sleep in?”

“If that’s okay,” Elizabeth said quietly. He headed to the dresser and opened one of the drawers. He removed a blue t-shirt and handed it to her. “The, uh, bathroom is over there,” he said pointing to a door on the far side of the room.

“Thanks.” Elizabeth headed to the bathroom.
—-

Some time, just before dawn, Jason’s eyes opened. He looked down to see a mass of curls ticking his chin. He raised his eyes to the ceiling and swore silently. They’d started the night out on opposite sides of the bed – he was sure of it. Somehow, they’d both ended up in center. He was lying on his back and she was curled into his side, her hair flung every which way on his chest and one of her arms slung just above his waist.

The first thing that he realized was that he didn’t mind waking up next to her like this. The second was that he could more than likely get used to it. And the third…she was muttering in her sleep.

“Don’t…don’t, daddy…”

Jason frowned. She must be having a nightmare, he guessed. He stroked her hair. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re all right,” he said softly. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Elizabeth cowered in the corner of her room. “Don’t…Don’t Daddy!” she screamed as Jeff approached her, the belt snapping in his hands.

She shut her eyes, trying to block out the image before her and she waited for the first sting of the belt.

“Hey, it’s okay.”

At the sound of his voice, Elizabeth opened her eyes. Jason was crouched in front of her, holding his hand out. “You’re all right.”

She hesitantly took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. He pulled her into a hug. “No one’s going to hurt you.”

Jason kept stroking her hair as he felt her body relax. She was still asleep. He closed his eyes and decided to try to sleep a little more.

—-

Emily stretched and rolled over. She woke up with a start as she tumbled off of Jason’s couch. She banged her head against the coffee table and swore. She’d fallen asleep waiting for Jason. The sun was now streaming through the windows. She saw Jason’s keys and jacket on the desk.

Emily stood and headed up the stairs. She just wanted to satisfy her curiosity. She silently slid open the door to Jason’s room and had to struggle to keep a squeal from popping out.

Jason had made it home all right – with Elizabeth it would seem. They were both lying on their side in the center of the bed, both deeply asleep. Jason’s arm was slung across Elizabeth’s waist and his face in her hair. Elizabeth had her hands clasped over Jason’s.

Emily slipped back out and skipped down the stairs, humming. It didn’t matter that they probably had slept together in the biblical sense. They were getting closer – and the reunion dinner tonight was just the way for Emily to find out how close.

AJ took a deep breath. Courtney’s reassurances had worked two floors down, but now that he was standing in front of Jason’s door he wasn’t so sure. It was true – after over five years, it was unlikely Jason would hold the accident against him. But after what Emily had told him about Elizabeth, AJ wasn’t ready to believe the accident was truly behind them both.

He raised his hand to knock on the door when it was pulled open and AJ came face to face with Carly Corinthos. He didn’t know her well – but Emily and Elizabeth, as well as Jason, spoke highly of her and their opinion was enough for AJ.

“Hey, AJ!” Carly said, surprised. “I didn’t know you’d be in town so soon!” She turned around. “Hey, Jason, get your butt down here. AJ’s here!”

“Hey, Carly. How are you?” AJ said.

“I’m good.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Did Emily tell you about our plan?”

AJ nodded and grinned. “And I’m more than happy to help.”

“Good.” Carly turned again to see Jason heading towards the door. “Well, it was good to see you. How are the wife and kids?”

AJ’s favorite subject, “Oh, they’re great. Kyle’s took his first steps and Mel’s talking. Oh, and Courtney just opened her own restaurant.”

“That’s good to hear.” Carly patted him on the arm. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone.” She gave Jason a quick hug and left. Jason gestured for AJ to enter.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming,” Jason said.

AJ shrugged. “Courtney’s been begging me to take a vacation. So, I figured that since you were living here again, we could all get together, like old times. Especially since Em tells me you and Liz are finally getting along again.”

“Yeah. But the truce has only lasted a few days,” Jason said. They sat on the couch. “Every time I open my mouth, I think she’s going to snap my head off, so I’m treading carefully.”

AJ shrugged. “You’ll get the hang of it and before you know it, the two of you will be right where you were before the accident.”

Jason frowned. “Trouble is, I have no idea where that was. I thought we didn’t get along. Then, it was we just teased each other. And now I find out that we were really close – but only when no one else was around. I’m worried that I’ll find out we were dating or something.”

AJ laughed. “I don’t see that happening. Take it from me; the two of you were nowhere near that.” He frowned. “Well…then again…I was sort of drunk most of the time.”

Jason shrugged. “Anyway, has Em told you anything else?”

AJ nodded. “That Liz is going through a rough time and you’re trying help and she won’t let you.”

“Oh.” Jason sat back. “How long did you know Courtney before you figured out you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her?”

AJ mentally noted that Jason was obviously falling for Elizabeth since this was the first time Jason had ever asked a question like this. “A few months, I guess. We met in rehab, and it was that long before we had the chance to really get to know one another. I mean, we saw each other in support group and passed in the halls, but when we got out, I didn’t see her for almost a month. Then I ran into her outside this bar. She hadn’t gone in – but she really wanted to. I was, of course, still craving alcohol at that point and I knew that it would be extremely easy for the both of us to relapse. So I took the initiative and asked her to dinner. We left the bar and went out. After about a month, I realized I was in love with her. Two weeks later, I decided that she was it.” He eyed Jason. “Why?”

“I never knew Courtney was in rehab too,” Jason said, avoiding the question.

AJ shrugged. “Well, it’s not something we volunteer. Most of our friends don’t know it either. ”

Jason frowned, “I never asked about how you met her before, either. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

AJ raised an eyebrow. “You feeling okay, Jase?”

“I’m fine. It’s been a rough week,” Jason replied.

AJ shrugged again. “The reason I don’t talk about meeting Courtney is because we met in rehab. Thinking about rehab makes me remember the accident. And I prefer not to do that.” He looked away. “So you like Liz.”

Jason sat up. “I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to. We’re brothers. I know what’s going on in your head.”

Jason exhaled slowly. “Tell me it’s not that obvious.”

AJ shook his head. “Don’t worry. Liz will never see it. So you gonna make a move?”

Jason stared at him. “Are you insane?”

“What? You like Liz. Ask her out. It’s not that difficult,” AJ said.

Jason shook his head. “She doesn’t want a relationship. I’m lucky we’re friends at this point.”

AJ tried a different tactic. “Look, you’re good at reading people. Do you really think that’s the way Liz feels?”

Jason hesitated. He pictured in his mind the way that Elizabeth had looked when they’d had the conversation earlier that day about Carly’s scheme. She definitely didn’t look like she believed what she was saying when she said it wouldn’t work. He hadn’t thought so then, either. “No. But I think she’d rather feel that way.”

“Well, tough for her. Now you gotta decide – is what could be with Liz worth risking the friendship for?” AJ asked. “If it works and you end up together, great. If it doesn’t, you could lose what progress you’ve made. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?”

Jason didn’t hesitate this time. “No. Not right now. Right now, I just want to help her.”

AJ nodded. “Good choice. Now, we just gotta figure out how to convince Liz to let you help.”

Jason thought about it for a few minutes. “I think she wants to let me. But she keeps resisting at the last minute. But when I offered to take her riding on the cliff roads the next time she couldn’t sleep, she seemed to be okay with accepting that.”

AJ grinned. “You know what Jase? I think you and Liz will be fine. She’s letting you in whether she wants to or not. You don’t even need Carly’s help. You just have to give Liz some time. Prove to her that you’ll be around – that she can trust you. Don’t push it.”

Jason nodded. “When did you become so smart?” he asked, a teasing glint entering his eyes.

AJ shrugged. “It’s Courtney’s influence.” He stood. “It’s late. I’d better get back to the apartment before Emily converts my wife.”

Jason stood as well, raising his eyebrows. “Converts?”

AJ hesitated, “Um-”
“AJ.”
“The hell with it. You know Carly’s plan? Well, she’s not exactly alone.”

Jason narrowed his eyes. “How ‘not alone’ is she?”

AJ thought for a moment. “Well, ten to one, it was her idea. But I know she’s recruited Emily which means Nikolas is in on it. Em got to me and she’s probably working on Court as we speak, I’m willing to bet Sonny at least approves and I’ll bet you five bucks Emily’s gone to Grandmother.”

Jason stared at him. “You’re all insane.”

AJ shrugged. “We want you two to be happy. We figure who else will put up with the two of you except each other? Hell, Jase, will you be disappointed if we succeed?”

Jason felt the corners of his mouth twitching. “AJ-”

“Look, I promise I’ll try to keep them in line. No crazy schemes.”

“Carly’s involved. Not possible to avoid a crazy scheme.”

“Well, crazy schemes also have a tendency to work,” AJ pointed out. “Anyway, listen, what are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Nothing, why?”

“Good, Em and Liz’s apartment at seven. Don’t be late. We’re having dinner and it’s just going to be the four of us.”

“Courtney’s okay with that?” Jason asked.

“She’s fine with that. Man, I got lucky the day she agreed to marry me. She seems to understand the crazy relationship we all have.” AJ’s face grew serious. “Look, you know I just want you to be as happy as me and Court. If you really have a problem with this whole idea…tell me and I’ll make sure everyone backs off.”

Jason ran a hand through his short hair. “It’s too late. I already told Carly that I care about Elizabeth. In her mind, she’s already planning her dress for the wedding. I’d like you to even try to call her off.”

AJ shook his head. “Not what I asked, little brother.”

Jason looked away. “Yeah, I know.” After a few minutes he met his brother’s eyes. “To tell you the truth, as long as the schemes don’t get too crazy…no, I don’t have a problem with it.”

AJ grinned. “Good. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

—-

Emily rubbed her eyes as she entered the apartment. Courtney was lying on the couch, her legs propped on AJ’s lap. Her breathing was even and deep. “Hey, Beth back?” she said softly trying not to awaken Courtney.

AJ looked at his younger sister, “Nope. She called. She’s at the warehouse.”

Emily frowned. “She spends a lot of time at a place she doesn’t work at.” She checked her watch. “It’s almost midnight.”

“Maybe she works for Sonny,” AJ joked. The second the words left his mouth, he clenched his jaw. “You don’t think-”

Emily exhaled slowly. She put her purse and keys down and turned to bolt the door shut. Turning back to her brother, she said, “To tell you the truth, I’ve had my suspicions. Beth is good with computers. She probably does work for Sonny.”

AJ sighed. “It’s not that I don’t like Sonny and that I’m blind to the fact that Jason is now partners with him – but Liz being involved…it just feels different…”

Emily nodded. “I know what you mean. But, in the end, it’s her choice.” She sighed, “The kids still in my room?”

AJ nodded apologetically, “Yeah. I’m sorry, Em.”

Emily waved it away. “I was going to stop by and see Sonny about getting you guys a room or two at the hotel but it was too late tonight. I’ll just crash at Jason’s place.” Her eyes gleamed. “Maybe I can convince him to bring Beth home.”

“Speaking of which…” AJ grinned. “We got his approval.”

Emily arched an eyebrow. “His approval?” she repeated.

“Yeah, he knew exactly what Carly was up to, but once he found out that so many people were involved…he thinks we’re insane, but he does care about her. He told Carly so tonight. She called. She wants you to stop by her office if you have time tomorrow.”

“But he said it was okay if we try to get them together?” Emily asked, skeptically.

AJ shrugged. “He said as long as the schemes didn’t get too crazy.”

Emily nodded. “Well, I’m going up to see if I can crash. I’ll see you in the morning.”

—-

Thirty minutes later, Jason entered the empty warehouse. He’d barely hesitated when Emily told him Elizabeth was still at the warehouse – alone. He’d missed the grin of satisfaction on his sister’s lips as he’d shrugged into his jacket and grabbed his keys before heading out of the penthouse.

He headed towards the office and opened the door quietly. He peeked in and saw Elizabeth at her desk. The computer screen was brightly lit – some information scrawled across it. His eyes softened as he saw Elizabeth’s head on the desk. Her curly hair was in its usual disarray, shielding her face from view.

He stepped in and closed the door softly behind him. He crouched in front of her and gently tapped her shoulder. She murmured something and shifted slightly – but didn’t wake up. He frowned, wondering if this was the first time she’d slept since the hospital. If so, he didn’t want to wake her up. He straightened and pulled a chair over. Jason turned it around backwards and straddled it, resting his hands along the back and his chin on his hands.

—-

“What did you think were doing? Not coming home for a week?” Jeff raged. He dragged her up the stairs of the Webber home. Elizabeth caught a glimpse of her mother in the livingroom silently crying.

“I was with Jason and AJ-” Elizabeth’s frantic explanation was cut off as Jeff threw against the wall. She cried out as pain exploded along her lower back.

Her brother, Steven, came out of his room. “Dad, what’s going on-”

“Nothing!” Jeff shouted. “Get back in your room?”

Steven frowned, noticing his little sister on the floor. “Dad, Lizzie’s hurt. Shouldn’t-”

“Now, Steven.” Jeff jerked Elizabeth to her feet. “I’ll take Lizzie to her room.”

Elizabeth’s eyes silently pleaded with her brother to help her, but Steven sighed and returned to his room. She whimpered.

“You stupid little whore,” Jeff swore. He gripped her arm tightly and threw the door to her room open. “Skipping school, do you really expect me to believe you were at the hospital the whole time?”

“I was,” Elizabeth said. “I-”

Jeff slammed the door shut and let go of her arm with such force that Elizabeth went spinning across the room. She crashed into her bureau and slumped to the floor. The pain in her back was now overshadowed by the feeling in her skull. It felt like her skin was two sizes too small and her skull just wanted to explode out of her head. She winced and brought her fingers up to her head. When she removed them, they were wet and sticky with blood.

“You just never learn, do you?” Jeff demanded, approaching her. Elizabeth cowered and tried to crawl away towards the window, the bed, the door – anywhere but there. She got halfway to the window before Jeff grabbed her hair and yanked her to her feet. “You think that because you’re little rich boyfriend protected you once that you were never going to pay? Well, now he’s in the hospital and he can’t save you!” He pushed her violently and Elizabeth slammed against the wall. Her vision was starting to get black around the edges – but she pushed the darkness away. She had to survive this. Jason was awake – if she could just get back to hospital – he could help her, she knew he could.

Jeff’s face was crimson with fury. Elizabeth had never seen him so out of control – she had a bad feeling that this was going to be worse than ever. That she was going to pay not only for not coming home – but for Jason’s actions a month ago. This might be the time Jason had spoke of that morning – the time when Jason couldn’t protect her and Jeff’s anger might go too far.

“Daddy, please,” Elizabeth whimpered as Jeff came after her again. “Please! Don’t hurt me! I’m sorry-”

Elizabeth’s head jerked off the desk with such force, she propelled back on the chair and it hit the wall. Her head bounced off the concrete with a snap and she swore.

“Are you okay?” Jason had barely had enough time to get out of the chair before she’d been thrown back to the wall. He crouched in front of her. “Elizabeth-”

Elizabeth’s vision cleared and sharpened. “Jason?” she whispered, not wanting to believe her eyes. Was he really here this time? Was he really sitting in front of her, his blue eyes warm, caring and concerned? Tears pricked her eyes. Or was she just dreaming it again?

“Hey,” Jason said, softly. “How’s your head?”

She bit her lip and rubbed it. “Sore. What are you doing here?”

“Em said you were still here. I didn’t want you walking alone. You okay?”

She nodded. “A little embarrassed,” she laughed weakly, “And not exactly sure if you’re really here at all.” Her laughter turned to tears. “I have this tendency to wake up from the nightmares and pretend you’re here. It’s the only way I can sleep again.”

Jason took her hands in his. “I’m definitely here. You want to talk about it?”

She sniffled and pulled one of her hands free to wipe her eyes. “Yes.” She looked down. Her other hand was sandwiched between his much larger ones. “But I can’t,” she whispered.

“You sure?” Jason asked quietly. “I want to help, believe me, Elizabeth. But I can’t if you won’t let me.”

She took a deep breath. “God, Jason. You don’t know much I want to tell you,” she whispered. Her voice was broken as if tonight’s dream had been particularly bad.

He shifted. “I know you want to be strong,” he said. “And I don’t blame you. I can’t imagine what it must have been like after the accident and you didn’t have me anymore. But you can’t do this alone. It’s not working, Elizabeth…and I know you can see that. You’re falling apart and it’s hurting me to see you like this.”

She raised her watery eyes to meet his. “I-” she took a shaky breath. “I don’t know if I can,” she whispered.

Jason sighed. “You don’t have to. I won’t push you. Listen; let me take you for that ride I promised.”

“The cliff roads?” Elizabeth asked, unable to keep the eagerness from creeping into her voice.

Jason nodded. “And once we get to where we’re going, I’m going to ask you again. And if you won’t tell me…” he gripped her hands tightly. “I’ll never ask again unless you want me too. Sound good?”

Elizabeth bit her lip. “Yeah,” she breathed, “Sounds good to me.”

Jason stood. “Okay then.” He moved out of the way so she could push her chair forward. He waited as Elizabeth shut the computer down and grabbed her purse.

—-

Jason coasted the bike to a stop and turned off the engine. Instead of getting off the bike, Elizabeth just tightened her arms around him and rested her head against his back. She hadn’t wanted the helmet tonight – and he didn’t argue.

He put his hands on her clasped ones. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, her breath warm against his back. “That was amazing – but I wish you could have gone faster.”

He chuckled, “Maybe on the way back.”

Elizabeth lifted her head and looked around. They were in a clearing in the forest – and just a head was a bridge that spanned a small creek. “Where are we?”

Jason shrugged. “Not sure if it has a name. I used to come here after the accident – to get away from the fighting at the mansion. It always helped me to calm down – put things into perspective. I thought it might help you.”

She got off the bike and ran her fingers through her wild curls. Jason got off as well and he took her hand. He pulled her onto the bridge and into the middle. Elizabeth looked down at the creek. It was small, but the creek was fast-moving. She stared at for a while. Jason leaned against the far side of the bridge and crossed his arms.

Finally, Elizabeth turned to face him. “Are you going to ask me?”

Jason looked away. “I don’t know. I don’t want to push the issue.” He looked back. “I want you to trust me, Elizabeth.”

She sighed and hugged herself. “I do trust you, Jason. And I have told you some things – things I didn’t even tell Emily the other day. Like when I wake up, I pretend you’re there so I can sleep. Do you know how easy it would be for me to tell you – to let you help?” She bit her lip. “I just don’t know if I could handle trusting you with that and having to watch you walk away all over again.”

He straightened and closed the distance between them. “I’m sure I promised that I would never leave you once and I’m sorry that I had to break that promise.” He reached his hand up to cup her cheek. “And I can’t promise that I won’t leave you again.”

She raised her eyes to meet his. “So you understand why I can’t tell you?”

Jason continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I can’t promise you that because of the life I lead—the life we both lead. You know as well as I do that there are no guarantees in life – that tomorrow, I could get shot or you could. But that’s the life we’ve chosen to live.” He brought his other hand up so that both his hands were framing her face. “But, Elizabeth, I can promise that I will never willingly walk away again. Not from you.”

She wrapped her hands around his arms and closed her eyes. God how she wanted to believe him – and it would be so easy to do that. He was saying the right things and acknowledging he could never keep that type of a promise – and the way he was looking at her…for the first time, she stopped wishing he was Jason Quartermaine. Jason Quartermaine would have kept pushing that first night in the hospital until Elizabeth had broken down and told him the truth. But Jason Morgan was willing to give her space – to develop a trust between them. To let it be her decision. A fact that made her want to tell him all the more.

She closed her eyes, feeling a few tears sneak past the closed lids and streak down her cheeks. When she opened them a few moments later, she found him staring into her eyes intently. His eyes weren’t demanding – or curious. They were just concerned and caring. He really wanted to help her. She could finally see it.

“Tonight,” she began in a law voice—so low Jason could barely hear her, despite being only inches away. “Tonight, the nightmare was about the day you woke in the hospital. I told you I left to find a nurse. That I wanted to come back, but my father showed up and took me home before I could. That I was grounded for a while—and I couldn’t come to see you. Well, that’s not entirely true.” She took a deep, shaky breath before continuing. “My father dragged me out of the hospital. His grip on my arm was so tight that I had a bruise for nearly two weeks. When we got back to the house, he dragged me up the stairs. I saw my mother crying in the living room, but she didn’t make a move to help me.”

Jason closed his eyes and blinked back tears of his own. Oh, god. He knew where this was going. He needed to be strong for her – because he’d promised himself that much.

“He threw me against the wall in the hallway,” Elizabeth whispered, her voice thick with tears. “Steven came out of his room – and for a moment, I thought he was going to help. But my father just yelled at him and he went back inside.” She sucked in a breath. “He threw me into my room and I hit a bureau. And then he threw me into a wall. I had almost passed out at that point, but I wasn’t too far gone to realize that the day you’d been warning me about for years seemed to be there. The day he was too angry to stop and would go too far.” She stopped for a second and looked up at Jason. His eyes were closed, but he hadn’t removed his hands. The muscles in his jaw were so tight; she thought they’d feel like rock if she touched him. “He grabbed me by my hair and started smacking my head against the wall. I was so scared, Jason. I was right next to the window and I was scared he was going to throw me out the window and kill me – like he’d been threatening to do for years.”

Jason did remove his hands at that point – but only to pull her into a tight embrace. She rested her head against his chest and he put his chin on the top of her head. He wanted to tell her to stop. That she didn’t need to tell him anymore. But he sensed if he stopped her now, she might never talk about it again. He moved his hands in gentle circles on her back, trying to soothe her.

Elizabeth curled her hands in his shirt and sighed. “Eventually, I passed out. When I came to, I was in my room and it was two days later. Sarah was sitting by my bed, cleaning the blood off my face. It was the first and only time she’d ever acted like she cared. I couldn’t move for another four days, but the second I could stand, I headed straight to the hospital. I wanted to tell you that you’d been right. I’d had enough – I was going to the police.” She closed her eyes. “But you didn’t remember me and I had to return to my house by myself for three years.”

He flinched. “I am so sorry, Elizabeth.” He swore under his breath. “I wish I could have done something-”

She shook her head gently. “You didn’t know and we didn’t take to each other very well at first, remember?” she said softly. “Anyway, once I turned eighteen, I was gone. He’d told me by then I wasn’t his natural daughter and I was actually relieved. I wasn’t related to a cold son of bitch who beat his daughter. And suddenly his anger made sense.” She took a deep breath. “There’s a lot more, Jason. But if you don’t want to hear it, I’ll understand.”

Jason pulled away slightly to meet her eyes. “If you want to tell me, I’ll listen,” he assured her. “But I won’t push you.”

She bit her lip and nodded. “All right.” Elizabeth looked around. “Do we have to do it here?”

He shook his head. “No. We’ll go back to the penthouse. Or anywhere else you want to go.” He moved away and offered her his hand.

Elizabeth took it without hesitation. “Thank you, Jason,” she said quietly. “For giving me the space I needed.”

“No,” he said, taking her hand and putting it over his heart. He met her eyes and held her gaze intently. “Thank you for trusting me.”