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.

“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 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.

+2

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.

“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.”

+3

Carly stood in the hallway glaring at Johnny. “Let me in.”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Corinthos. Sonny said no one was coming in.” Johnny shifted. Staring down the boss’s wife was almost as dangerous as guarding the boss.

“I’m not just anyone,” Carly gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowed. “I am his wife. That is my home.”

“Please, Mrs. Corinthos. He said it wouldn’t be long.” Johnny fidgeted. Carly heard the elevator ding and a few moments later, Elizabeth appeared around the corner.

“Hey, Johnny. I’ve got some information for Sonny,” she said. Johnny stepped aside to open the door. Carly smacked him in the arm.

“If I don’t go in, she doesn’t.”

Elizabeth smirked. “Johnny, open the door.”

Johnny stared between the two women. The boss’s wife. The boss’s sister. Good lord. He’d rather take a bullet.

“Johnny, let me in,” Elizabeth repeated. “Sonny needs this information.”

“I need to go in and take a long bath. I am exhausted,” Carly whined. “You let her in; you won’t be able to keep me out. ”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and knocked on the door. “You could have knocked, Johnny.” She turned to Carly. “How long have you been waiting?”

“Too long,” Carly muttered.

“Oh, and you and me need to have a serious talk,” Elizabeth said. “But it’ll have to wait.”

Sonny jerked the door open. “Damn it, Johnny-” He stopped. “Oh, Liz. Come in.”

Carly barged in before Elizabeth. “Don’t mind me, just going upstairs. See ya later.”

Elizabeth moved past Sonny and waited until he closed the door. She took a deep breath. “The contacts in Florida agree with me. It’s more than likely Verruchio moving in.”

Sonny nodded. “Why?”

“Well, I found out that that Chosky wanted Verruchio taken care of because he tried to take over the territory there. He moved in the dealers first, then prostitutes. He got as far as trying to plant drugs in one of their warehouses before Chosky put out the hit. But it went wrong and Verruchio went underground. He showed up here before Sorel was arrested and he was running the territory there briefly, but after Sorel went to Death Row, we took over the territory. Which is probably why Verruchio’s back.”

Sonny nodded. “Makes sense. So we can expect prostitution next?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Oh, and just before I left the warehouse, Chosky called personally. He says if we get a hold of Verruchio, he’d like to fly up and witness whatever happens.”

“Not a problem,” Sonny agreed. “Chosky’s been good to us, keeps the island safe.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I’ll call him back and let him know.” She hesitated. “What else do you need?”

“I want to you get all of Verruchio’s financial records. Find out where he might be vulnerable. I want to eliminate him before he makes any real trouble.”

“I’ll head back to the warehouse now,” Elizabeth said. “Could you tell Carly to call me later? We have something we need to discuss.”

“I’ll give you a ride back.” Jason took a step forward.

“No, I’m fine, really,” Elizabeth said, smiling. “Thanks. I’ll call you if I find anything.” She walked out of the penthouse.

Sonny eyed Jason strangely. “Things certainly have changed.”

Jason immediately went on the defensive. “What? I don’t want her walking around the docks.”

Sonny nodded. “Mmm-hmm…just remember…she’s my sister.”

“I know that.”

“And I want her to be happy.”

“Of course you do,” Jason replied, a little unsure where this conversation was heading.

“And you know I think the world of you.”

“All right.” Suddenly, Jason had a pretty good idea.

“And I want you to be happy too.”

“Okay, Sonny, stop right-”

“And I think Liz is just the girl to make that happen.”

Jason just shook his head. “Well, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Why? Did you already make a move on her?” Sonny demanded, switching into big brother mode. “What did you do?”

“Hey, I didn’t do anything. Carly’s trying to set us up and we figured it out at the warehouse today. She’s the one who told me it wouldn’t work.”

“Oh.” Sonny nodded. “Well, all right then.”

“Okay,” Jason said, slightly confused. “I think I’m going to go now. I’m going to go check in with Emily.”

Before he reached the door, Carly flew down the steps, “Oh, Jason! You’re still here!” she said, grinning. “I need to talk to you.” She eyed Sonny, “Privately.”

Jason and Sonny exchanged looks before Jason shrugged, “All right. Come over to my apartment.”

She followed him across the hall and into the penthouse. Once the door was closed, she pounced. “How do you feel about Liz?”

Jason groaned, “Carly-”

“No avoiding the question. We’re friends. I love Sonny. So, you know how I feel about him. How do you feel about Liz?” Carly repeated.

Jason shook his head. “I knew how you felt about Sonny and I’m not telling you anything.”

Carly crossed her arms. “I thought we were friends.”

“We are.”

“Then why don’t you trust me?” Carly asked, carefully injecting a note of hurt into her voice. “I always tell you everything. I just want to help.”

Jason sighed and sat on the couch. “Do you really want to know?”

She grinned and flopped on the couch next to him. “Yes.”

He leaned in. “None of your business.”

Carly swore and smacked him with a pillow. “Come on, Jason.”

He let his head fall against the couch. “Can I trust you to keep this to yourself?”

Carly bit her lip. That didn’t bode well for the plan – but hell, she was curious! “Yes.”

Jason was silent for a few minutes. Carly knew this was typical Jason behavior and did her best not to fidget. She’d keep the details to herself—of course. But she would let Emily know if their plan had a pray of working. She had a sneaking suspicion Liz may be on them.

“I care about her,” Jason said finally. “It’s not that I feel sorry for her – because of what happened at the hospital. I mean, I do feel sorry for her. Whatever she’s going through has got to be difficult, but that’s not it either. She came to me the night she had the panic attack and apologized for the way we’d been acting towards each other. She just blamed herself, said it was her fault. I disagree. Yeah, she’d shoot the first remark out, but I gave as good as I got.”

Carly cracked her knuckles. “Liz apologized?” she asked, skeptical.

“She said it was because before the accident, she and Jason Quartermaine related on a sarcastic level and that she’d been doing the same with me. That apparently I didn’t have the sense of humor – and she’s right. I don’t. So we agreed to try and be friends the normal way.”

“And then she had the attack,” Carly said, prompting him to continue.

“Yeah, I still don’t know what’s going on and she says she doesn’t want me to help like I did before. That she couldn’t handle losing me again. I don’t know how to tell her that I’m not leaving. That I want her to trust me and I want to help.”

Carly covered his hand with hers. “You can’t make her believe that. You helped her once, right, before the accident?”

“Yeah. But she won’t tell me why. I mean, I know she used to sneak into my room, but I just feel like there’s something I’m missing. She’ll tell me bits and pieces but I’m missing the thing that connects them.”

“I think – and I’m only speculating because I know less than you do – that she let herself depend on you a lot. I mean, the fact that she asked for you at the hospital tells you that you were her support system. I also don’t think Emily knew anything and I know for a fact Sonny has no clue, which means you were the only person she trusted. And when you didn’t remember after the accident, she had to learn to deal with it by herself.” Carly sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “And she probably just tried to pretend nothing was happening. I know Liz. She’s good at hiding things. She also probably got used to pretending by herself.”

“And here I come, offering to help again,” Jason said. He eyed Carly. “I’m going about this all wrong. I know it. But I know that somewhere inside my mind, I have the answers. I can feel it like it’s just there, within reach but I’ll never get it. Do you have an idea how frustrating that is?”

Carly frowned. “No. But I’ll try to imagine for your sake. I know you’re frustrated. But be patient with her. Maybe she’ll keep telling you little things and one day, the truth will hit you.”

Jason shook his head. “I just feel like something’s wrong. You know, Emily told me that Jason Quartermaine liked her – had worked up the courage for months to ask her to the senior prom.”

Carly smiled. “That’s so sweet.” Her eyes gleamed. “Do you think you still have those feelings?”

Jason shook his head. “Not the same ones. It’s all weird, you know? Two days ago, we were fighting in the hallway and now I’m trying to get her to confide in me. I’m probably rushing it and I know I shouldn’t.”

“Jason,” Carly began carefully, “do you think you could care about her again that way?”

Jason didn’t answer at first. He stared straight ahead the wall for a long time. Carly did begin to fidget this time – this was the answer she’d needed all night. This was the answer that was going to make or break their plan. And damn it, after all the people she and Emily had recruited, it better make the plan.

“Yeah,” he said finally. He turned to look at her. “I think I’m probably already on my way. But it wouldn’t work.”

Carly’s moment of elation conked out almost as soon as it started. “Why?” she asked disappointed.

“Well, because I don’t think she sees me that way,” Jason replied. “She said so tonight, which reminds me, she knows what you’re trying to do.”

Carly gulped. “You know, sometimes I think Liz scares me more than half the guys Sonny goes up against. I think he’s making a mistake not letting her into the business. She’s got some good intimidation techniques.”

Jason looked at her oddly. “Why do you say he won’t let her in?”

Carly shrugged. “I’m only assuming. Personally, I think she’d do a great job. Anyway, you think you could try to explain to her that I love her very dearly and I only want the best for her and that right now I think you’re the best?” she asked weakly.

Jason just shook his head. “Uh uh. You’re dealing with her, not me. I just got on her good side. You think I’m in any hurry to get my head bitten off?”

“Wussy,” Carly muttered. She brightened. “But you did say you cared about her.”

“Yeah,” Jason said, warily.

“What do you like about her?” Carly asked.

Jason shook his head. “You’d better not use this conversation against me at a later date.”

Carly pretended to be hurt. “Who, me?”

“Yeah, you.” Jason took a deep breath. “You’re lucky I’m in a mood to talk – and you know that’s rare.”

Carly nodded. “The last time that happened…” she paused. “I can’t remember. Anyway, you were saying?”

“She’s not afraid of the bike,” Jason stated. She grinned. “I’m serious. She loves to go fast. I told her if she was trouble sleeping, just to call me and I’ll take her on the cliff roads.”

“That’s why you like her?” Carly said, disappointed. “You have some low standards.”

“She’s also strong,” Jason said quietly. “She could have broken down at any time and told me the truth. But she’s determined to do this on her own and I have to respect that even if I don’t agree. She cares about people. You should see the desk at the warehouse – it’s covered with pictures of her and her friends. ”

Desk at the warehouse? Carly frowned slightly. “What kinds of pictures?”

“Mostly of all of us growing up…she has this one of the two of going to Homecoming my senior year.” Jason shook his head. “She gave me some story for why we went together…but didn’t sound right. If I had been waiting for months to ask her and the accident happened in April, I must have at least been attracted to her. So why wouldn’t I just ask her?”

Carly mentally cheered herself and Emily. They had struck gold – at least with Jason. The boy he’d been had been in love with her and the man he was now was falling for her. Now if only Emily could get some similar information. She concentrated on the conversation. For some reason, Jason completely trusted her with his feelings. It had never happened before – but she liked it.

“Maybe she’s afraid if she tells what you really happened, you won’t let it go.” She shrugged. “I love Liz, but I can’t claim to know what she’s thinking. You need to ask her.”

“She wouldn’t tell me. I know that. She says she trusts me, but I doubt she really does.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I think she trusts you – but I also think she doesn’t want to.” Carly bit her lip. My, she was sounding philosophical tonight.

“Why wouldn’t she?” Jason asked, bewildered.

“Well, the more she trusts you, the more she wants to let you in. See, that I do understand. See, four years ago I knew this arrogant son of bitch who thought he knew everything – especially about me. You remember me at the time. Loud, obnoxious, manipulative…” Carly trailed off.

“You had your reasons, Carly,” Jason said quietly.

“Well, a bad childhood doesn’t give me the excuse for the way I treated you, but Sonny seemed to understand. God, I thought he was being condescending until he told me about him. See, he wanted me to trust him too, to tell him everything. I thought he just wanted me to spill my guts and satisfy his curiosity when all he really wanted to do is help.”

“You think Elizabeth doesn’t want to tell me because she thinks I just want to know?” Jason asked.

Carly shrugged. “I also remember it took me a year to tell Sonny.”

Jason swore and she tried to hide her smile. Oh, yeah, he had it bad.

“But, in the end, I trusted him,” Carly reminded him. “And you’ve got an easier fight on your hands then Sonny did.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, she already trusts you. She wants to tell you – she begins to tell you and stops herself. A person can only fight themselves for so long. She’s giving you bits and pieces right now. And maybe part of her is hoping you just connect the dots.” Carly sighed. “But, Jase, if and when she does let you in, don’t ever make her regret it.”

—-

“All right,” AJ straightened his shoulders. “Wish me luck.”

“Where are you going?” Courtney asked, amused.

“To see Jason,” AJ checked himself in the mirror next to the door. “Do I look okay?”

Courtney and Emily traded looks. “For a guy going to see his brother,” Courtney replied.

“What’s wrong with you, AJ?” Emily asked curiously.

AJ took a deep breath. “Look, every time I see him, I wonder if he’s changed his mind, if he hates me and especially so this time. Because that accident didn’t only hurt him, he just found out it somehow destroyed Liz. I can’t help if it I always feel apprehensive about it.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” Courtney stood and handed Kyle to Emily. She wrapped her arms loosely around AJ’s neck. “We just saw Jason two weeks ago at home, remember?”

“Yeah,” AJ replied.

“And didn’t you guys sit out in the backyard, barbecuing? You made chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers and we all sat out there and talked for hours. I went inside and four hours later, the two of you were still out there talking. Jason does not hate you.”

“And he never will,” Emily said firmly.

Courtney gave AJ a light kiss on the lips. “Now, go see your brother.”

“I’m going,” AJ said. He pulled out of Courtney’s embrace and opened the door. He closed it behind him.

“You’re good to him,” Emily said.

“You say that every time you see me,” Courtney said. “But it means a lot to me anyway. You are not only his sister, you’re one of his closest friends. Your opinion means a lot to me.” She smiled at her sister-in-law. “I think the kids need a nap.”

“We can put them in my room. I want to try and get a hold of Sonny so he can get some rooms at the hotel. The four of you will never last with me and Beth. We keep odd hours.”

“Plus, there’s your boyfriend,” Courtney replied. She picked up Melanie and Emily got Kyle.

“Oh, crap. I forgot to call him today. I’ve been so caught up in this thing with Beth and Jase that I completely forgot.” They entered Emily’s and got the kids settled. After leaving, Emily headed right for the phone. She dialed Nikolas. “Hey…I’m sorry. Things have been crazy here…All right…I’ll meet you at Kelly’s in ten minutes. Love you.” She put the phone down and turned to Courtney. “If Carly calls, tell her that I had to put my love life in front of Beth’s for an evening. I’ll call her at Deception tomorrow.”

“Not a problem.”

“And I’ll stop by Sonny’s before I come home,” Emily said. She grabbed her purse, and left.

—-

Emily slid into the seat across from Nikolas. “I’m sorry about not calling. It’s been crazy.”

“You said so on the phone,” Nikolas replied. He gestured for the waitress. “It’s okay. I understand.”

Emily smiled, relieved. “Good. Then we’re on for the show tomorrow?” she asked, hopefully. As important as Elizabeth was to her, Nikolas was too. And their routine was important to her, too. She’d missed arguing with him the past two days.

“Of course,” Nikolas replied, grinning. The waitress appeared. “I’ll have a number three.”

“Number seven,” Emily said. “Thanks.”

“So, how’s Liz been?” Nikolas asked, “You and Carly still scheming?”

Emily sighed. “I don’t know how Beth is. She opened up to me that day before the panic attack, but she’s closed back down. She’s not letting anyone in.”

“Well, you just have to keep trying,” Nikolas replied quietly. “She’s in a rough place. I can see that much without knowing any details.”

Emily nodded. “As for me and Carly, it seems Beth and Jason are doing the job by themselves. Carly hinted that Beth was going to walk to the warehouse by herself today and Jason showed up to ride her there on his bike. And Beth accepted. They’re getting along better. Whatever’s happened between them has obviously helped their relationship.”

“Any signs that you’re succeeding?” Nikolas asked.

Emily nodded. “Jason’s worried about her. And he wants to help. I’ve told you about Jason liking Beth before the accident right?”

He nodded. “Something about the senior prom.”

“Well…the way Jason was talking about her yesterday…it reminded me of the way he used to talk about her.”

“So you think you’re succeeding where he’s concerned.”

“Honestly? I really think he’s doing it by himself.” Emily smiled. “I don’t care how they get together, as long as they’re happy. And I think they could be happy together.” She shook her head. “I’m a hopeless romantic.”

Nikolas reached across the table and took her hand in his. “Nah. You just want everyone to be as insanely happy as we are.”

She sighed happily. “You really are the best, Nik. I’ll always be grateful to Lucky for introducing us.”

“The best thing my brother ever did for me,” Nikolas replied.

“How is he?” Emily asked. “Have you heard anything?”

Nikolas shrugged. “He’s still on some mission for the WSB. I swear, he’s not happy if he’s not undercover.”

“I miss him,” Emily said. “But at least he’s got Luke with him. Laura’s the most understanding person I know. To have her husband and her son on these adventures all the time, doing god knows what. Never knowing if they’re coming back…” she sighed. “Nutty.”

“Well, my mother’s strong. She’s also used to it where they’re concerned,” Nikolas reminded her. “Not only that, but I think Carly keeps her occupied. Those two always fight.”

Emily grinned. “Yeah, I know. Carly’s always complaining to me or Beth. The only thing they’ve agreed on is Gia Campbell for the Face of Deception.” She wrinkled her nose. “She’s beautiful but she’s also snobby as hell. She’ll make a perfect model.”

The waitress brought their food and they dug in. Emily was grateful Nikolas understood why she hadn’t called. The fact that he trusted her and that he was that understanding were only two of the reasons she loved him. Was it wrong to want the same thing for Elizabeth and Jason?

+2

Jason pulled the bike to a stop in the Harborview Towers parking garage. Elizabeth got off the back of the bike and pulled the helmet off.

“Wow, that was amazing!” she said, grinning. He turned the engine off and turned to smile at her.

“You think so?”

She nodded. “Everything was going so fast, I could hardly think.” She tucked her wild hair behind her ears. “That’s something I really needed.”

He got off the bike. “You think that was great?” Jason shook his head. “I like the cliff road. It’s got a lot of twisting turns.”

“Could you take me sometime?” she asked, eagerly.

“Sure.” He shrugged. “Any time. Tell you what, the next time you have trouble sleeping, call me and we’ll go.”

“Really?” Elizabeth asked, unsure. “What if it’s 4 in the morning?”

“I’m a light sleeper. I always keep the cell phone nearby in case Sonny calls.”

She had a sudden flash of a fifteen year old Jason telling her that if she couldn’t sleep, she should just knock his window – at any time of night. He was a light sleeper. She bit her lip and looked down.

“Did I say something wrong again?” Jason asked.

She looked up. “No…I just remembered something.” Elizabeth shrugged. “Well, I’d better get upstairs. Thanks for the ride.” She turned towards the elevators and then turned back, “And for everything else.”

“Anytime.”

Elizabeth gave him a weak smile and headed for the elevators. Jason put the helmet on the back of the bike and leaned against it. Was it only yesterday that they’d still been arguing? It was strange how she’d start to confide in him about the nightmares and then pull back before he learned anything new. The only thing he’d been able to discover was that he’d let her sleep in his room when things were bad at home. But what could that mean? Did her parents fight a lot? Did she hate her siblings?

Jason frowned. He felt like it was right in the forefront of his memory – like if he just pushed enough, he might even remember little bits and pieces. That happened a lot. He’d gotten memory flashes a lot at first. Mainly of the gardens and of his family, but they had faded over the years. It was obvious he had remembered all that he was capable of, but that didn’t stop him from thinking that somewhere inside his brain he held the answers he was seeking. He had a feeling it was bad – and he didn’t want her to go through it alone. Which she would if he didn’t find out.

—-

Elizabeth crept quietly into the apartment, not wanting to wake Emily. She opened her bedroom door and closed it behind her. She dropped the file on her bureau and changed for bed.

It had felt odd to talk to Jason like she had tonight. It’d been years since they’d related on any level other than arguing and for the accident to be the first topic – it was just strange. Every time he’d brought up the nightmares, she’d tried to change the topic. She’d meant what she said – she had no intention of telling him. Elizabeth had told him once before and ended up depending on him to get through the day. Her world revolved around him and it had destroyed her when he didn’t remember. She wasn’t willing to let him in again only to have it destroyed a second time when he took off.

Which he would. Elizabeth was well aware of his arrangement with Sonny. Jason was the active partner that she couldn’t be until she graduated. Once she stepped up, Jason would more than likely become restless. There just wasn’t enough for three equal partners to do. He’d take off and she’d be left alone again.

She wasn’t going to take that chance. She’d meant what she said when she told Jason she wanted to be friends. She did – he’d once been one of the best friends she’d ever had and Elizabeth wouldn’t mind having him in her life again. But she had to face reality.

Jason Quartermaine was long gone and he wasn’t ever coming back. No matter how much he wanted to help, Jason Morgan could never understand what she’d gone through. Jason Q had lived through some the horrors. He’d been there when her father grabbed her arm that day in the garden, when he’d showed up at the mansion one night that Elizabeth was staying over and practically dragged her away… or the morning she’d been caught sneaking back into her bedroom.

She’d overslept one morning after sneaking into Jason’s room. They both had. By the time she’d woken up, there was no way her parents wouldn’t realize she’d been gone. Jason insisted on walking her back – he was worried her father would catch her. She’d been fifteen at the time and it was maybe a month or so before the accident. It had been getting more and more tense when she was in his room. She knew she was falling for him and he’d admitted that he was attracted to her. He’d been seventeen at the time, and if they weren’t careful their hormones would get the best of them. They hadn’t even kissed at the time, but it was apparent to both of them that it was only a matter of time.

She’d tried to talk Jason out of it—convince him to stay home. If they were both caught, it would only make the situation worse. But he was adamant. He wasn’t going to let her face the firing squad alone.

They’d managed to get across the Quartermaine grounds without problems, but it was as Elizabeth was climbing the trellis that it happened…

She was halfway up the trellis when she heard her father’s voice.

“Elizabeth-“

“Please.”

She nodded wordlessly and watched as he climbed down the trellis…

That was the only time Jason had seen Jeff lay a hand on her. Luckily, Jeff hadn’t been on his way up after all. In fact, he’d avoided her for a few days. It didn’t change the fact that she still couldn’t sleep at night, but he hadn’t hit her until he’d dragged her home from the hospital a month later.

No matter how much Jason wanted to help now, he could never really understand. Elizabeth sighed and curled up on her bed. The last month before his accident was ironically the happiest of her life. Jeff was staying away and she and Jason were unofficially together. He’d wanted to tell people, but Elizabeth convinced him that they couldn’t. That Jeff would only send her away – especially after that morning beneath her window. She was looking forward to the end of the summer when Jason turned eighteen. She was beginning to think that running away was her only option.

But in the middle of April, Jason had had his accident and all of their plans were forgotten and she was alone. She couldn’t do that again.

Because she was still in love with Jason Quartermaine and she was beginning to think that he and Jason Morgan weren’t as different as people thought.

—-

Emily had called Jason five times and he wasn’t answering. She didn’t have his cell number or she would have tried that. She glanced at the clock. She was going to miss Elizabeth. She sighed. Well, it wasn’t really Jason’s fault. He couldn’t help if he’d messed up their plan.

Emily grabbed the phone and dialed Carly’s private office line so that Elizabeth wouldn’t have to transfer her in.

“Hello?”

“It’s me. I can’t get a hold of Jason.”

“Shit. Well, we’ll have to come up with something else.” Carly sighed. “All right, we need to find out how they’re getting along now. We’re working from the last time we were in the same room with them and they were arguing at that time. Maybe they’re already friends again. Oooh, wait. Hold on a second.”

Emily waited a few minutes impatiently. Honestly, Carly could get distracted so easily. Finally, Carly came back to the line.

“You still there, Em?”

“Yep.”

“You’re never going to believe this. Elizabeth was getting ready to leave for the warehouse when Jason showed up. He offered her a ride!” There was pause. “I didn’t think he’d show.”

“What are you talking about?” Emily asked.

“Well, I figured it was possible you wouldn’t get a hold of him, so I called him and dropped the hint that Liz was walking to the warehouse by herself. I guess he took the bait.”

“Seriously?” Emily squealed. “Did she take it?”

“Hold on…Yes! She’s walking down the hall with him!”

“You’re not leaning out your office door are you Carly?”

“Um….”

“Nevermind. How do they look? ”

“They’re talking…oooh, she just laughed.”

“They’re not fighting? How far apart are they?” Emily demanded.

“A few inches…”

“This is good. All right, get in your office. We have some serious planning to do.”

“I’m in. So, it looks like they’re getting closer. Do you think they still need our help?”

“We’re not helping, per se. We’re ….uh, nudging them slightly. Listen, I’ll try to talk to her about Jason tonight and you pry some information from Jason. You’re good at that.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Let me know when AJ gets in.”

“All right.”

“Later.”

—-

Elizabeth slipped the helmet off her head and handed it to Jason. “Thanks again for the ride.”

Jason got off the bike and put the helmet on the back. “It’s not a problem. I was heading here anyway.”

Elizabeth nodded. “What brought you to Deception anyway?” she asked as they headed towards the warehouse.

“Actually…Carly called and told me you were leaving. She didn’t want you walking to warehouse.”

“In broad daylight?” Elizabeth asked, skeptically. She stopped. “Oh, don’t tell me…”

Jason stopped walking and turned around. “What?”

She rubbed her eyes. “I’m going to murder her.” Elizabeth shook her head. “You do see what Carly’s trying to do?”

“What?” He looked at her confused.

“She’s trying to fix us up,” Elizabeth explained. “See, most people would just send their friends on a date. No, I get the psychotic sister-in-law who bends over backwards trying to make us like each other.” She swore under her breath.

“I’m sure Carly didn’t mean any harm,” Jason said, uncomfortably. He should have known Carly wouldn’t have given up just because she found out that he and Elizabeth didn’t get along. That fact alone was enough reason for Carly to try and get them together. He stared at the petite brunette and for some insane reason…he wondered if it would be a bad idea.

“I know,” Elizabeth said quietly. She sighed and looked away. Carly’s heart was in the right place, but Elizabeth couldn’t do this to herself. To let Jason in again would only serve to hurt her in the end. She bit her lip and looked down. “Look, Jason, don’t take this the wrong way, but it….it would never work.”

Jason wanted to agree – probably would have made it easier on the both of them. He didn’t think that Elizabeth’s reasons were all that concrete. He suspected it had more to do with the fact that she’d felt abandoned after he’d lost his memory and was in no hurry to do that again. Well, they’d already made incredible progress as friends in the past day and a half. He was going to be around for a while. Maybe he’d even get the truth from her.

“If that’s the way you feel,” he said finally.

“It is,” Elizabeth stated firmly. She hesitated and an awkward silence descended. Finally, she said, “We’d better get inside.”

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Liz, Jason,” Sonny said, looking up. “How did it go last night?”

Elizabeth sighed and headed straight for her desk. Pushing the start button, she said, “Not well. I got a quarter of the way through the list and didn’t come up with anything, but I’m going to keep trying.”

“I checked with the informants,” Jason said. “None of them have any names for us. But I made it clear that any information they get comes straight to me.”

Sonny nodded. “Good. I want the word spread. Dealers will not be tolerated. I’ve got a meeting with some of the other bosses. See if they’re having any of the same trouble. Liz, I want you to keep researching. Jason, keep your ears open.”

Jason nodded. “Do you need anything else?”

Sonny closed some folders. “I’m going home for lunch. Keep Liz company until I get back. Maybe she’ll find something you can use.”

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. “I don’t need baby-sitting.”

“I didn’t say that, Liz,” Sonny said. “It’ll be easier if Jason’s here when you come up with something. He’ll be able to get the information instantly and use it.”

“But what if I don’t find anything?” Elizabeth asked, irritated.

“Then his afternoon will have been wasted,” Sonny said, shrugging. “Unless you have somewhere you need to be?” he asked Jason.

Jason shook his head, “Nope.”

“Figures,” Elizabeth muttered. She pulled up a program and began working. She heard Sonny leave and vaguely realized Jason had pulled a chair up in front of her desk. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him pick up one of the frames.

“When was this taken?” he asked. She rolled her eyes, another trip down memory lane.

“Which one is it?” Elizabeth asked. He turned the picture so she could see it. She sat back and sighed. It was a homecoming picture. “That’s the two of us, your senior Homecoming dance, my sophomore one.”

“We went together?” Jason asked, surprised. Emily had told him that Jason Quartermaine had tried to get the courage up for months to ask her to the senior prom, but the accident happened before he could. Why go through all that if they’d already gone to a dance together?

Elizabeth sighed. That dance was one of her more memorable evenings. They’d planned to go together all along, but since they pretended that nothing had changed between them in public, they needed a plausible cover story. Jason asked Karen Wexler the day before the dance, knowing she was dating Jagger Cates and embarrassed himself further by admitting to her that he’d waited that long because he’d been nervous. Therefore, the reason he’d gone with Elizabeth appeared to be that she was his last resort.

She took the picture from him and looked at it more closely. She and Emily had shopped forever for the perfect dresses. Emily had scored a date with a friend of theirs, Lucky Spencer, Nikolas’s half-brother. That date led to her meeting Nikolas in the first place. Elizabeth had ended up buying a lavender halter dress made of silk that came to her knees. She’d loved the dress. Jason had looked amazing in his black dress pants and white dress shirt. She bit her lip. At that time, she’d thought he looked amazing in anything.

The dance had been perfect. Jason, of course, was named Homecoming King while Brenda Barrett won Homecoming Queen. Emily had been elected the Sophomore Spirit Princess. They’d danced all night and went bowling afterwards. They’d been having so much fun they lost track of time. Elizabeth had gotten home an hour late. She frowned. She’d had to throw the dress out after that. It had ended up ripped and a little bloody.

She looked up to find Jason staring at her intently. Flushing, Elizabeth put the picture back in place. “Yeah, you got turned down by the only girl you wanted to go with and by the time you’d asked her, everyone else had dates. So I was your last resort,” Elizabeth said. She returned to the computer screen.

“Did I actually say that?” Jason asked, surprised.

Elizabeth bit her lip. If she confirmed it, she’d be lying. If she denied it, she’d have to make up something anyway. Go for the easy lie. “Um, yeah, I guess. Why?”

“I must have been a bastard. Why would you go with me?” Jason asked, suspiciously. Last resort? If what Emily said was accurate, he must have at least been attracted to Elizabeth at that time. Something wasn’t right.

Elizabeth shrugged. “You were popular, and most girls would have pulled their teeth out to go with you. Trust me, it wasn’t a hard decision. I wasn’t going to have a date otherwise.”

Jason shrugged. “I would have punched me,” he said simply.

Elizabeth shook her head and kept scrolling through the information on the screen. Something caught her eye and she scrolled back up. Her eyes gleamed as she read the information. “I think I’ve got something.”

Jason leaned forward, all business now. “What?”

“Up until two years ago, Frank Verruchio was Albert Chosky’s right hand man in South Florida. He and Chosky had a falling out and Verruchio disappeared from the area. Most people assumed he was dead.” Elizabeth scrolled down. “I knew I’d seen his name before. He was working under Sorel before Sorel was executed.”

“Do you think it’s him?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Possible. I’ll talk to some of our contacts in South Florida. We’ve got a shipping contract with Chosky and we’re on good terms, so information should be relatively easy.”

“All right, so, we’ve got a lead. I’m gonna go tell Sonny.” Jason stood. “You staying here?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna keep going through this in case something else turns up.”

Once he was gone, she sat back in her seat and rubbed her eyes. Not telling Jason the truth was one thing, but lying to him was something else different. She hated it.

She also didn’t see any other way.

—-

Emily paced her apartment, biting her nails. AJ, Courtney and the kids were supposed to show up any second. She eyed the apartment. She didn’t know if all four of them would fit. Maybe Sonny would arrange some rooms at the Port Charles Hotel.

A knock on the door broke Emily’s thoughts. She opened the door and threw herself into her brother’s arms.

“Hey, baby sis!” AJ laughed. “Let me through the door!”

Emily giggled and moved back. AJ entered, along with his pretty blonde wife, Courtney. Courtney had Kyle in her arms and was leading Melanie by the hand. They were pretty young, only about ten months apart.

Emily gave Courtney a hug – well as best as she could. “Hey!”

“Hey,” Courtney greeted. She set Kyle on the couch and pulled Melanie up to sit next to her. She turned and gave her sister-in-law a better hug, “How are things?”

“Better now that you’re all here,” Emily said.

“What’s up, Em?” AJ asked concerned.

“I just think the fearsome foursome needs a reunion in the worst way,” Emily said honestly.

“That’s just I had in mind,” AJ grinned.

+2

It was late afternoon when Elizabeth entered the warehouse. She stopped just inside Sonny’s office, seeing Jason and Sonny sitting inside. She felt her face flush and she looked at her hands.

She didn’t remember a lot of the previous night, only waking up at the hospital this morning. She’d gotten the idea that it’d been a bad nightmare and she couldn’t calm herself down afterwards. That she’d asked for Jason. And she remembered Jason being there, comforting her, but she’d imagined that a lot after waking from the nightmares. Sometimes, pretending Jason was there was the only way she could go back to sleep.

“Hi,” she said softly catching their attention. They both sprang from their chairs.

“Liz,” Sonny said, coming from behind his desk. “Hey, how are you?”

She tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled. “I’m feeling better. I’m sorry if I worried you last night.” She glanced at Jason, “Any of you. I just had a nightmare and I guess it was really bad.”

Sonny sighed. “You know you can trust me right?”

Elizabeth nodded, “Of course.”

Sonny looked up at the ceiling and then back at her. “I won’t push you for answers because I know that I wouldn’t get them. But, if you need to talk, I’ll be here.”

Elizabeth nodded. “I know.”

Sonny checked his watch. “I have to go. A shipment’s coming in and it needs my personal attention. Jason can let you know what I need.” He kissed her on the cheek and left.

Elizabeth walked forward. “So, what’s up?”

Jason stared at her. “You know that I was at the hospital last night, right?”

She flushed. “Oh.” Oh, lord, how mortifying! She hadn’t been pretending last night – Jason had calmed her down. “Um, I hope I didn’t worry you.”

“Elizabeth…” He lowered his voice, the tone gentle. “You told me that I’d once helped you through a difficult time. Did that have anything to do with last night?”

She sighed. He sounded so much like Jason Quartermaine. She closed her eyes and blinked back the tears. He’s not Jason Quartermaine anymore. He’s Jason Morgan now, and the only reason he’s asking is because you confused the hell out of him last night.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “I don’t know. I can never remember my dreams.”

He took a step back. She was lying to him. He could tell it just from the tears in her eyes and the way she was standing. He narrowed his eyes. “Then what about what you told me last night? That you used to climb in my window.”

Elizabeth bit her lip, “Um, yeah. That’s true.”

“Why?” He crossed his arms. He could hear her words in his head about Jason Quartermaine and how he’d keep pushing until she confessed. Well, maybe the guy had a point. “Why couldn’t you stay at home?”

She rubbed her arms. “Uh, I couldn’t sleep and when I would, I’d have horrible nightmares. You knew and you told me that when it got to be too much, I could knock on your window and one night, I did.”

“Why couldn’t you sleep?” Jason demanded.

She shook her head. “I don’t want to do this right now okay?” Her voice was thick and she was on the verge of hysteria. She couldn’t deal with this again. She’d already bared her soul yesterday. Doing it again would more than likely cause another night like the previous one. She didn’t think she could do that again and she wouldn’t go through that terror again just to satisfy his damn curiosity. She’d trusted him once and he’d left her. It may not have been his fault but he still left. “What did Sonny need me to do?”

Jason exhaled slowly. He’d gotten some information and he could see she was getting upset again. He turned his attention to the subject he and Sonny had been discussing before she’d arrived. “Uh, someone’s trying to move in on the territory.”

Elizabeth’s eyes hardened and she took a deep breath. “What’s been happening?”

“Sonny doesn’t have any concrete proof, but someone’s moving some men in and there’s evidence that there are few dealers in the area.” Jason grabbed a folder on the desk. “Sonny wanted to you run these names and get full background checks.”

She took the folder and headed to the desk across the room where she worked while at the warehouse. It had a high-speed computer and printer and a couple of picture frames. Other than that, it was completely bare. She sat down and booted the computer. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to check on some of the informants’ information. Sonny wants the dealers out of the territory before they can cause any real damage.” Jason watched her start keying some things into the computer. “So once you know anything you think can help, just call me.” He grabbed a piece of paper from Sonny’s desk and jotted his cell phone number. “Here.”

She took it from him, not looking up. “Not a problem. I’ll probably be here all night, so expect a call at any time.”

“I’ll be waiting.” He glanced at her again and left.

Once he was safely out of the room, she sighed and leaned back. Staying up all night to concentrate on background checks seemed like a good idea at that point. It would keep the nightmares at bay.

For one night at least.

—

Carly ushered Emily into the penthouse. “So have you seen her today?”

Emily nodded, “Yeah. She seems really tired but she’s not talking about last night at all. It’s like she’s trying to pretend it didn’t happen.”

Carly eyed her. “What did happen?”

“Just what I said,” Emily replied. “Look, let’s not get into that. I wouldn’t tell Jason and I’m not telling you.”

Carly nodded, “Fair enough. Um, I scheduled the launch party for June 20^th, which gives us about three weeks.”

Emily nodded. “They seem to be getting along better.”

Carly tapped her chin thoughtfully. “How does Liz feel about motorcycles?”

Emily shrugged. “I don’t think she has an opinion. Why?”

“Because Jason’s perfect woman needs to be able to handle a ride on his bike. He takes that thing everywhere. So we need to arrange a ride.”

Emily nodded. “Sounds like a good idea. And Beth would have to hold on to him.”

Carly grinned, “Definitely.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “And you’ve seen him. After feeling those muscles, she won’t be able to resist him.”

“You have a good point. So what else can we do?”

Carly bit her lip. “Well, we have to make sure they’re in situations together. We can’t let them avoid each other.”

Emily sat back and leaned her head against the back of the chair. “Beth is coming into Deception tomorrow right?”

Carly nodded. “She’s got a half day because she’s helping Sonny with something. I think she’s leaving for the warehouse around lunch.”

“So, I’ll tell Jason something like I need to see and I’ll ask for a ride there just as she’s leaving. And I’ll stop to talk to Beth, and she’ll mention she’s leaving and hopefully Jason will offer her a ride.”

Carly grinned. “Jason’s a white knight type of person. You know he will.”

Emily rubbed her hands together. “Oh, I forgot to mention. We have two new supporters, my brother and my grandmother.”

“Lila?” Carly clapped her hands together. “Oh, you know if you have her approval, we’re on the right track. She’s the one who introduced me to Sonny and she’s the reason AJ and Courtney are together…she has a knack for this. And you know Jason and Liz love her. And AJ can really help on the Jason end. He’s a guy. He knows how to relate to other guys.”

Emily nodded. “Looks like our little plan is going exactly the way we want.” She sighed. “And I hope we can help her out with what’s going on.”

Carly frowned. “You said Jason wants to know. Sonny came home today and all he would tell me is that she’d asked for Jason and he seemed able to calm her down.” She studied Emily carefully. “Did Jason Quartermaine help the same way?”

Emily bit her lip. “Let’s just say that Jason has always been good to her and getting them together can only help.”

—

Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and leaned back to take a quick break. It was nearly midnight and she barely had anything that would help. Personally, she’d rather be out doing some of the legwork.

She sipped the coffee and immediately made a face. It was disgusting. She tossed into the trash.

“Getting frustrated?”

Elizabeth looked up, startled. Jason was at the doorway. He had a bag and two cups of coffee.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I checked with everyone, didn’t get anything useful.” He dropped the bag on her desk and handed her a cup. “So I stopped by Kelly’s. I figured you wouldn’t have eaten.”

“Thanks,” Elizabeth replied.

He grabbed a chair and put it in front of her desk. “Find anything?”

She shook her head. “But I’m only a quarter of the way through the list. Something will come up.” She sipped the coffee. “This was just what I needed.”

Jason took a Styrofoam box out of the bag and handed it to her. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I just got a bacon cheeseburger.”

She took the box. “It’s my favorite actually,” she said softly. “I always order it when I go there.”

Jason took another box out and opened it. “Did the four of us go there a lot?” he asked.

Elizabeth nodded, “Every day after school. The limo used to pick us up there. From the time I was seven until I graduated, I ate dinner at Kelly’s every school day. I hated eating with my family. It was always such a huge ordeal.” She wrinkled her nose and bit into the burger. “I preferred being at your house. Your family was great until…” she trailed off.

Jason’s face darkened, “Until they blamed AJ for the accident and threatened to have him arrested.” He shook his head. “I still don’t see them. I’m only close to Lila.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Lila’s great. I still go to see her all the time.” She sighed. “I remember all the fighting that went on when you were in the hospital. Edward and Alan were threatening to have AJ arrested, Ned was trying to get him off the hook by saying he was in the car and Monica wanted to put him in rehab.” She frowned. “I just think they handled the entire situation badly. And I’m glad you didn’t let what happened effect your relationship with AJ.”

Jason shrugged. “It’s not like he woke up one day and decided that he going to destroy my life. I’m sure I thought I was doing the right thing by getting in the car with him. He was drunk and I obviously knew that. Personally, I see it as my fault. I should have yanked him out of the car. Anyway, AJ went to rehab and got help. It’s not like he kept drinking. He’s been clean for four years now and he leads a good life. I’ve got no hard feelings.”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything and concentrated on eating her dinner. She would prefer not to think about before the accident anymore. The night Jason had had the accident was one of the nights that she’d snuck into his room. She’d waited for hours before hearing the screams downstairs. She’d snuck into the hallway and all she could make out were the words “AJ, Jason” and “hospital.” She went back into his room and climbed back down and went back to her house. She’d gotten dressed and called a cab to the hospital. Emily had been so thankful to see her that she hadn’t thought to ask how she knew. AJ had been in the hospital for three days with his injuries, but Jason had been in the coma for a week before waking up. Elizabeth and Emily had practically lived at the hospital. They’d taken turns visiting the brothers. Lila had visited early on, but was too upset to return. Edward, Alan, Monica and Ned were too busy arguing about AJ to visit. She and Emily hadn’t even gone to school.

Once AJ had gone home, he’d locked himself in his room to avoid the family. Emily and Elizabeth spent all their time waiting for Jason to wake up. Emily had gone to the cafeteria to get them something to eat when Jason had awakened. He’d been groggy and hadn’t known where he was. Elizabeth had left to get a nurse, but before she could go back in, her father had shown up and dragged her home. She couldn’t leave her room for nearly a week. For the first time, he’d hit in her the face and it was six days before makeup would hide it enough. The first chance she’d gotten, she’d returned to the hospital. AJ had agreed to go to rehab at that point and was saying goodbye to Jason. He was the first person Elizabeth had seen and told her the news. She hadn’t believed him and gone into the room. Jason vaguely recalled that she’d been in the room when he’d woken up, but other than he didn’t know her.

“You okay?”

Jason’s questions startled Elizabeth back to the present. She’d finished her burger by that point. She met his eyes and weakly smiled. “Sorry, I must have zoned out.”

“If you’re tired-”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t need a lot of sleep anyway.” She tossed the Styrofoam box into the trash. “I’d better get back to this.”

Jason frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

“What?” she asked, tilting her head to the side, “Why?”

“Well, we were having a civil conversation and you zoned out.” He hesitated, “Everything all right?”

Elizabeth bit her lip. “I was just thinking about the accident. The two weeks following it were crazy, you know. Emily and I skipped a week of school, AJ went to rehab, your family went to hell…” she trailed off and shrugged. “It was just a really bad time.”

Jason tossed his own box out. “You were the first person I saw when I woke up. I still remember that.”

“Emily and I spent that first week in the hospital,” Elizabeth replied quietly, “Literally. AJ was there the first three days, so we’d switch off. I’d spend an hour with AJ, she’d be with you. Then we’d trade.” She rubbed her eyes. “I don’t remember sleeping that much. A few hours a night, mainly on one of those really uncomfortable hospital chairs. The nurses kept telling us to go home, but if we had, you two would have been alone. Lila was too upset to come to hospital and Ned was spending a lot time trying to make sure AJ wasn’t going to get arrested. Edward, Alan and Monica were fighting constantly. They were barely at the hospital. So Em and I stayed.” She sighed. “AJ left and locked himself in his room. He promised us he wasn’t going to do anything stupid. He just needed to think. I guess it was good because he ended up deciding to go to rehab. Once he was gone, Emily tried to convince me to go home at night, saying if I went one night, she’d go the next. I didn’t want to go home.” She looked away.

“She went to the cafeteria to grab some lunch and I stayed with you. I was reading something and I felt your hand move.” Elizabeth smiled. “I’d never been so happy in my life than when you opened your eyes. I left to get a nurse but my father came to take me home before I could come back in.” She looked away. She hadn’t talked that much about the accident with anyone else but Emily.

“You didn’t come back for a long time,” Jason said. She met his eyes. “I kept asking where you were. Well, not you specifically. But the girl who’d been in the room when I woke up.”

She bit her lip. “I was being grounded. I had skipped school, hadn’t told my parents where I was and I hadn’t come home in a week. It was six days before I could come back.” She sighed. “Look, I really should try and get more done.”

“You look tired,” Jason observed. “Maybe you should head home.”

“I wouldn’t get much sleep,” Elizabeth said. “I’m better off trying to get work done.”

“You don’t want to go to sleep, do you?”

She looked at the desk and closed her eyes. “Jason-” Elizabeth shook her head. “You’re right. I don’t. I haven’t had a panic attack like that since I was thirteen and I’m not in any hurry to experience it again.”

He hesitated but forced himself to ask. “How did you calm down the first time?”

She opened her eyes and blinked back the tears. “You woke me up and calmed me down,” she admitted.

“You’re not going to tell me what happened are you?” he asked.

She shook her head and wiped her eyes with a napkin. “No. I can’t.”

He nodded, trying to hide his frustration. “You know I just want to help, right?”

Elizabeth didn’t answer at first. She started shutting down her computer. When the screen went black, she finally turned and met his eyes. “I know. But I can’t let you.”

“Why?” Jason asked. “You said you trusted me.”

“I do trust you.” She grabbed the printouts and put them into a folder. “I just can’t let you take care of this again. Because I would depend on you too much and I can’t do that again.” Elizabeth stood. “I’m going home.”

“I’ll give you a ride,” he said, standing. He put the chair back.

“On your bike?” Elizabeth asked.

“Yeah, is that a problem?” Jason replied.

She shrugged. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle.”

“Come on. There’s a first time for everything.”

Elizabeth smiled. “All right. Let’s go.”

+2

Emily jumped up from her seat as Sonny, Carly and Jason rushed into the ER.

“What happened?” Sonny demanded.

Emily was in tears. “I don’t know. I was going to get a drink of water and I heard weird sounds coming from her r-room.” Emily swiped at her eyes. “I went into the room and God, Sonny, her eyes were bulging practically out of her and she couldn’t breathe. She looked so scared.”

“What would cause her to do that?” Carly asked. She looked between her husband and Emily frantically.

Emily shook her head. “I don’t know.”

A doctor came out then. “Elizabeth Webber’s family?”

“That’s us, Doctor,” Sonny said, striding forward.

“I’m Dr. Scanlon. Your sister?” Sonny nodded and Dr. Scanlon continued. “Elizabeth was having a panic attack. We’ve been able to stabilize her breathing, but she’s still very tense. The paramedics said she was calling for Jason. Is that you?”

Sonny seems stunned. He turned to look at Jason who looked confused. Emily gasped.

“Of course,” she whispered. Elizabeth had been talking about her father and the nightmares…she must have had one. Of course she’d call out for Jason. She probably always had. Emily’s eyes filled with tears.

“No,” Sonny said finally, his voice quiet. “Does she want to see Jason?”

Dr. Scanlon’s confused eyes swept the group, “Actually, yes, if he can calm her down.”

“Sonny,” Jason said. “I don’t know…”

“Jase,” Emily said quietly. She put a hand on his arm. “Please.”

Jason took a deep breath, “All right.”

—

Elizabeth was sleeping when Jason was shown into the section where they were keeping her. Her face was tense and it looked like she was having a bad dream. Jason felt kind of stupid, but sighed and took her hand.

“Hey, Elizabeth.”

“Jason?” she whispered. Her eyes were still closed and he could tell she was still sleeping. “He’s coming.”

Jason frowned. “Who’s coming?”

“He’s gonna hurt me.” Her voice was small and sounded scared. Jason was confused. “Stop him, Jason.”

“It’s okay,” he said, feeling more and more bewildered. Did this have anything to do with the difficult time he’d helped her with? “No one’s going to hurt you.”

“He said you weren’t going to help me anymore.” She whimpered. “He’s coming closer…”

Jason stroked her hair. “Shhh, I’m here. He can’t hurt you.”

Finally, Elizabeth’s forehead smoothed and she seemed to fall into a more relaxing sleep. Jason sighed and looked up. Sonny was standing at the edge.

“Who is she talking about?” Sonny asked tensely.

Jason shrugged. He tried to remove his hand from her grasp but she just tightened her grip. “I have no idea. She told me tonight that before the accident I’d helped her through something. I think this has something to do with it.”

“She’s holding to you like there’s no tomorrow,” Sonny observed.

“I just wish I knew how to help her. I mean, we just called a truce earlier and now…” Jason sighed, “I don’t know what to do, Sonny.”

“Well, until she lets go, you can’t do anything.” Sonny looked around. “I’ll go find some chairs. I think Liz owes us some explanations.”

Emily appeared behind the curtain. “Don’t push her, Sonny.”

Sonny turned. “You know what’s going on?”

Emily nodded miserably, “Yeah. And she doesn’t owe anyone anything. Don’t push her, Sonny. You wouldn’t want someone doing that to you.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sonny replied. “I’m just worried. I didn’t know anything was wrong.”

“Neither did I until today,” Emily replied quietly. “She’s good at hiding things. The only person who ever saw through her was…” Emily trailed off, her gaze landing on Jason.

“Jason Quartermaine,” Jason finished. “I didn’t realize they were that close.”

“They were,” Emily said looking away. “Closer than I thought.”

“I’m going to find some chairs,” Sonny said. He turned to Emily, “Why don’t you take Carly back to the Towers?”

Emily sighed, “Yeah, I probably should.” She disappeared with Sonny, leaving Jason and Elizabeth alone.

He covered her hand with his other one. “I don’t know what’s going on, Elizabeth. But I wish you’d tell me. I want to help.”

—-

“….want to help…”

“You got another F, Lizzie. Why won’t you learn?”

Elizabeth jerked straight up and started gasping for air. Jason sat on the edge of the bed.

“Hey, Elizabeth., hey, it’s me, Jason. Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay. It’s just me.” Jason gripped her hands trying to make her focus on him. Her breathing started to even out and her eyes lost that glazed look.

“Jason?” she whispered. She looked around. “What’s going on?”

“Shhh, calm down, you’re at the hospital. You had a panic attack and they brought you here.”

Elizabeth flushed. “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” Jason hesitated. “You asked for me.”

“Oh.” She was mortified. She tried to take her hands from him. “Sorry.”

He kept a tight grip. “What’s going on Elizabeth?” He locked eyes with her. “Why did I know how to calm you down?”

“What?” she asked, confused.

“I knew just what to say. I didn’t even think about it. It just came out,” Jason said, mystified.

Elizabeth’s eyes teared, “You always did,” she whispered. She looked away.

“Have I done this before?” he asked.

She nodded. “I used to have nightmares every night,” she said softly. “They got so bad I was afraid to go sleep so I used to climb out my window and go to your house. You’d let me in and I’d stay with you.”

“What are the nightmares about?” Jason asked.

Elizabeth let out a little cry. “I can’t tell you,” she said, shaking her head. “I told you once, but you went away and you never came back. I know I’m gonna blink and this will all be over.”

“I’m not going to leave.”

She kept shaking her head. “You said that before and you left.” She started to cry and Jason wrapped his arms around her. “You left anyway and you never came back. This is all just a dream. You’re not back.” She hugged him anyway. She didn’t know the next time she’d dream about Jason Quartermaine being back and saving her from a nightmare and have it feel so real.

“Listen, Elizabeth. I helped you once and I want to again. Please, let me,” he whispered into her ear.

“I let you once, but when you left there was no one to protect me from the nightmares,” she whispered, clutching at the back of his shirt. “I’m not gonna do it again.”

“Hey, you know, you’re awake,” he said, pulling away to look in her eyes. “I’m not Jason Quartermaine, you know that?”

She clamped her lips together. “I know. You’re Jason Morgan and you hate me.”

“I think you’re getting yourself worked out,” Jason said gently. “I don’t hate you.”

“Yes you do.” She let go of him and hugged herself. “You love Emily and AJ. You let them back in but you kept me out. ”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “Please. You can trust me.”

She hugged her knees to her chest. “I only trusted one person and you don’t remember him, so-”

“I got the chairs,” Sonny said, reentering. “Hey, Liz you’re awake. Are you okay?”

Elizabeth curled up in a ball and kept crying. Sonny shot a look at Jason.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Jason shrugged. “I don’t know. She woke up and I think she’s confused. She’s going between reality and the past right now. She can’t seem to decide if I’m Jason Quartermaine or Jason Morgan. Either way, I just want to help.”

“Well,” Sonny said, putting the chair down. “Sit. And we’ll wait for her to wake up.”

—

The next morning dawned. Elizabeth was expected to come home that afternoon. She’d slept the rest of the night peacefully and had woken up early that morning, feeling a little embarrassed. She’d apologized to Jason for her outburst and had refused to tell Jason or Sonny anything.

Emily showered and left the apartment after getting a call from Sonny. She headed for the Quartermaine mansion and didn’t even bother with the front door. She went straight to the rose garden where she knew Lila had breakfast every morning.

“Emily!” Lila said as Emily came into view.

“Grandmother,” Emily said, kissing her cheek. “How are you?”

“It’s lonely here, darling.” Lila sighed. “How I miss seeing you and Elizabeth sitting in the garden doing your homework.”

Emily’s eyes swept the garden. “Some of my best memories are out here with Beth, AJ and Jason,” she smiled, “and you or Reginald chasing after us with a camera.”

Lila laughed. “Darling, I have so many lovely memories myself. And Elizabeth is like family.”

Emily sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“What’s wrong, dear?” Lila asked.

Emily smiled, “Can’t get anything past you.” She hesitated. “Do you remember when Beth was young…did her father seem….a little um…” Emily trailed off.

“Are you talking about the times when Elizabeth snuck in Jason’s window?” Lila asked.

Emily’s eyes widened. “How did you know about that?”

“Jason needed someone to talk to. He was so angry, darling, and he couldn’t let Elizabeth see that. He’d promised not to tell you or your brother. So he’d talk to me.”

“Beth told me yesterday,” Emily said. “And last night she had a panic attack and the only person that could calm her down was Jason.” She shook head. “How did I miss seeing Beth was in pain? I don’t understand how I didn’t see it.”

“She didn’t want you to, dear. And our Elizabeth is very good at hiding what she feels.” Lila sighed. “I’m only grateful she at least let Jason in.”

“And then she lost him,” Emily whispered. “I can’t imagine what’s been like these past few years, watching the person who’d been there for her forming new relationships with everyone but her.” She sighed. “Grandmother, I feel so helpless. Jason knew exactly what to say to her last night. Sonny told me on the phone that she woke up again last night, barely able to breathe and that Jason calmed her down in no time. Why couldn’t I do that?” Emily said, crossed her arms.

“Darling, I know that Jason doesn’t consciously remember helping Elizabeth, but I suppose part of him still does.”

Emily sighed. “I guess he did have a lot of practice. It must be second nature.”

“You know, there was a time when I thought that Elizabeth might fall for our Jason.”

Emily smiled. “Oh, Grandmother, that time is still very much in the present.”

Lila grinned, “Really, darling. Have you got a plan?”

Emily wanted to jump and down in excitement. “Does that mean you’d want to help?”

Lila took Emily’s hand, “Anything to make Elizabeth and Jason happy.”

—-

Emily stepped off the elevator, elated from her visit with her grandmother. That brought the total of supporters to five. As she neared her apartment, she paused. Jason was waiting out front – and he didn’t look happy.

“Hey,” she said. She noted the fact he was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. “Did you spend the night at the hospital?”

“Yeah.” Jason ran a hand through his hair. “Em, I need some answers.”

Emily shook her head. “I can’t tell you anything, you know that.”

“Emily, she had a nightmare right there in the hospital and when she woke up, I knew exactly how to calm her down. Why? What happened that makes her so terrified to sleep?” Jason demanded.

Emily crossed her arms and looked away. “I can’t tell you, Jason. She doesn’t want you to know and she is the only person that can tell you.”

“She told me she used to sneak into my room at night,” Jason said. “That when it got too bad, she came to me. Now, I don’t remember that and I know that hurts her, but I can’t help if no one tells me what’s going on.”

Emily shook her head. “No. I won’t break her trust. It took her years to tell me. I want to tell you, believe me. But Jason, Beth-”

“Will never tell me,” Jason finished. He exhaled slowly, frustrated. “All right. Will you tell her that Sonny wants to her to come by the warehouse today?”

“He’s not gonna push her, is he?” Emily asked, warily.

Jason shook his head. “No. I think he wanted to talk about some project she’s doing. He’s going to wait for Elizabeth to come to him.”

“All right,” Emily agreed. “I’ll tell her. Go home, get a shower, all right?”

“Are you trying to tell me I smell?” Jason asked.

Emily grinned. “Can you take the hint?” she teased.

—

Carly flipped through her calendar. She was tired—she’d didn’t get any sleep after she and Emily had returned from the hospital. She’d tossed and turned all night trying to understand what was wrong with Elizabeth. She wished that Elizabeth had come to her.

It was obvious that there was something between Elizabeth and Jason. Carly wasn’t sure if it happened before the accident or after, but something was there. Elizabeth had asked for Jason – someone that she’d told Carly over and over that she couldn’t stand.

Carly rubbed her eyes. Well, the plan to make them be friends was more important now than ever. Elizabeth obviously needed Jason in her life and Carly loved Elizabeth like a sister and she’d do anything for her.

“Mrs. Corinthos, the Port Charles Hotel has called back. They’d like to set a date for the launch party,” her assistant Elton’s voice came through the intercom.

Carly took a deep breath and pressed the button. “Elton, tell them I need the next available day.”

“They said they have an opening in three weeks, on June 20.”

“Can we be ready in that amount of time?” Carly asked, the wheels in her head already turning.

“With me planning it? Of course, Mrs. Corinthos, shall I tell them to book us?”

“Yes, Elton. Tell them.” Carly sat back in her chair. The company was launching the new Face of Deception and Carly had a feeling the party could be the first step in making Elizabeth and Jason see each other as more than friends.

Which meant she, Emily and Nikolas had three weeks to help Jason and Elizabeth become friends.

+3