Inspiration & Timeline

Set in December 2002 after Jason slept with Courtney. I wrote this in December 2002, using the song Come Away With Me by Norah Jones before it became LiRic’s theme song. YouTube video embedded below.

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Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Brownies. What made him think of that? What had made him tell Brenda to make brownies.

The only food Elizabeth could cook without burning them. He’d found a box of the mix in one of the cabinets after she’d walked out. He’d tried to make them, but they hadn’t tasted like hers.

He was running on autopilot now. After leaving Brenda at the penthouse, he’d just had to be by himself for a while. So many of his actions seemed strange and peculiar to him.

He’d slept with Courtney. With Sonny’s little sister. With Elizabeth’s friend. He’d slept with her.

He was no better than Lucky.

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can’t tempt us
With their lies

She knew she should turn around the second she saw him sitting on the bench. She remembered sitting there with him, three years ago, when he told her he was leaving. She’d cried for days and missed, but now she wished he’d never come back.

At least then she’d have their perfect friendship instead of the broken relationship.

There was something about him right now—something lost and vulnerable. Something she couldn’t turn her back on, no matter how much she wanted to.

“Hey.”

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won’t you try to come

He looked up at the sound of her voice to find her standing a few feet from him. Her eyes were concerned, caring. He frowned, wondering why she was talking to him. Why she hadn’t walked away.

“Hey,” he replied.

“You look like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders,” Elizabeth said quietly, taking a seat next to him.

He shrugged, not really knowing what to say. How could he explain to her that he had to stay married to a woman he hated, that she had to stay in the penthouse where Jason resented her presence, because as far as he was concerned, the only woman who belonged there was Elizabeth.

How was he supposed to explain that he’d made a mistake and slept with Courtney and somehow managed to lead her on, thinking they had a chance. He’d let himself believe he could be with Courtney, and be happy.

He’d been lying to himself, he could see that now. That the only person he’d ever be happy with was sitting next to him and she wanted nothing to do with him.

He sat back on the bench and looked at her. Her gaze was unwavering and strong. Like she’d finally made a decision.

And he decided to trust her. “Have you ever done something you wished you could take back as soon as it happened, but somehow you ended up making it worse?”

The question startled Elizabeth, but she nodded. “Yeah. I have…” She looked down at her hands. “When I slept with Zander.”

Come away with me and we’ll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I’ll never stop loving you

“I did that yesterday,” Jason told her. “And you’ll probably never forgive me for it.”

She bit her lip and looked away. She’d seen Courtney today—she already had a pretty good idea what he’d done.

She’d been hurt at first, but she’d put it into perspective. He hadn’t done anything that she hadn’t. She’d slept with Zander, let him believe he had a chance. And Jason had slept with Courtney, and she obviously believed that they had a chance.

“Try me,” she said quietly.

He looked up. “I slept with Courtney.”

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof

“I know.” She shifted on the bench and stared out over water. “She told me.”

He frowned. “And you…still sat down and talked to me. I thought—”

Elizabeth looked back at him. “You never turned me away after Zander. I made a lot of mistakes, Jason. But the biggest one was walking away from our friendship.” Her eyes softened. “We were friends before we were anything else, and that friendship has always meant the world to me.”

He reached for her hand. “It’s meant the world to me, too,” he admitted.

While I’m safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you

“I miss it,” she confessed. “I miss talking with you, and going for rides and…just being around you. I understand that you’re married to Brenda and with what’s happening with the Alcazar murder, I’m guessing that’s going to last a little longer than you thought, huh?”

“Yeah,” Jason admitted. “We have to stay married so we can’t testify against each other.”

“And what about Courtney?” Elizabeth asked quietly. She looked down at their hands, watched his thumb move in small circles across her skin.

To come away with me in the night

“I’m going to have to explain that I’m in love with the most wonderful woman in the world,” he said softly.

She looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I love you, too,” she breathed.

He stood up, using their joined hands to pull her up with him. Suddenly not caring who was watching, whether it was the PCPD or Scott Baldwin or Courtney, he pulled her to him and kissed her.

He’d waited too long to care about anyone else.

When he pulled away, she smiled up at him. “So, speaking of rides…”

Come away with me