Luke Spencer’s Office

Luke stubbed his cigar out in the gold ashtray his wife had given him for their tenth anniversary and peered across the desk at the blonde man. “You want me to help you bankrupt Sonny Corinthos.”

Jasper Jacks nodded. “Yes, I do,” he stated firmly, his rich voice tinged with a deep Australian accent. “I want Corinthos put out of business.”

Luke chuckled and jerked a thumb towards AJ. “AJ, you want to fill this guy in on how it works here on the mainland?”

Jasper narrowed his eyes at the slur but AJ ignored the nasty look and started talking. “Sonny Corinthos has been directly competing with Spencer Industries for the last nine years,” he said monotone. “His clubs are second only to ours. He has over thirty night clubs spread across twenty-seven states. He also runs a restaurant chain with fifteen restaurants world wide. They’re located in all the major cities—London, Paris, New York, Vienna, etc. He’s currently trying to get a publishing company off the ground. If he succeeds, he will be publishing both books and magazines. His base of operations was in New York City, but he moved here six years go.” AJ finished his recitation and smirked at the foreigner. “Mr. Jacks, it has been tried. You can’t put Sonny Corinthos out of business.”

Jasper shifted in his seat. “I realize that it’s a risky venture—”

“Better men than you have tried and failed,” Luke cut in smoothly.

Jasper sighed impatiently. “I also realize that it’s asking you to put your own son-in-law—”

“I have no son-in-law!” Luke barked. “We’re finished here, Jacks. Get out.”

“Mr. Spencer—”

“Out.”

AJ stood. “Allow me to show you out,” he said graciously while trying to hide his smirk.

Hallway 

Elizabeth was leaning against the wall when the door to her father’s office opened. She straightened immediately and wanted to groan when she saw AJ exit the office.

“Beth!” AJ said, delighted. He stepped forward as if to kiss her but Elizabeth turned her face so that his lips landed on her cheek.

“Hello,” she said, politely. She looked past AJ to the tall and muscular blonde man behind him. She sighed, thinking of her own muscular and tall blonde.

“Oh. This is Jasper Jacks, a business associate of your father’s,” AJ introducted. “Jasper, this is Elizabeth Spencer, Luke’s daughter.”

“His youngest, I presume?” Jasper asked taking Elizabeth’s offered hand and kissing it. She grimaced and surreptitiously wiped it on her sundress.

“Yes,” Elizabeth replied coolly. “Brenda is my elder sister.”

AJ cleared his throat. “Thanks for coming by, Jasper. We’ll be sure to call you.”

Jasper frowned at the clear dismissal and smiled charmingly at Elizabeth. “Until we meet again, Ms. Spencer?”

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be too soon,” she remarked dryly. He passed by her and headed for the bank of elevators. “Honestly, what a worm.”

AJ laughed. “Yeah. He wanted to bankrupt Corinthos, but your father turned him down.”

“He did?” Elizabeth asked, eagerly hoping it mean that her father was serious about a cease fire with Sonny and Jason.

“Yeah. Your father doesn’t want to share the credit when we put him out of business,” AJ told him.

“Oh.” Elizabeth looked away. “Is my father busy right now?”

“Actually, we’re on our way to another meeting,” AJ said. “I was just getting rid of Jacks. I’ll see you at dinner tonight?”

“You’re coming over again?” Elizabeth asked.

AJ smiled. “Of course, Beth. Oh, and don’t forget about the party this weekend. It’s important that we be there.” He winked at her and disappeared back into the office.

Elizabeth’s heart sank. Not only did it appear that her father was not going to relent on Sonny or Jason, but that AJ had finally gotten what he’d been aiming for.

Her father’s consent to propose.

Spencer Estate: Sun Porch

“Ms. Spencer?”

Skye sighed, irritated. “What is it, Maggie?” she asked the housekeeper without looking up.

“There is a young woman at the door demanding to speak with you,” Maggie replied.

“Tell her to go away,” Skye murmured, flipping another page without really reading any of the articles.

“She says that she is acquainted with Barbara Spencer,” the housekeeper tried again.

Her head jerked up, sending her fiery tresses flying over her forehead. “What?” Skye asked, incredulously.

“She knows your mother.”

The magazine was thrown to the ground and Skye was across the threshold, striding towards the front of the house before Maggie could even blink.

The woman standing in the foyer was of medium height and average build. She was dressed in a pair of well-worn jeans with a white tank top. A dark suede jacket was slung over her arms. Her dark eyes were examining the entrance shrewdly as if she were trying to ascertain the value of some of the objects.

“Can I help you?” Skye asked, sharply.

The young woman turned, her long honey blonde hair flying over her shoulder. She smirked. “Skye Spencer?”

“Yes,” Skye confirmed. “Who are you?”

“Caroline Benson,” the woman replied. “Barbara Spencer is my mother.”

“I see,” Skye murmured. “And what do you expect me to do? She doesn’t live here. She doesn’t really live anywhere.”

“I know,” Caroline snapped. “But she sent me here. Said I could get what was coming to me here.”

“There’s nothing coming to you,” Skye retorted. “Please leave.”

Caroline’s smirk only deepened. “I think I’ll just wait for dear old Uncle Luke to tell me to get lost.”

“You do that then.” Skye glared at her supposed half-sister for another moment before spinning on her heel and stalking back towards the sun porch.

Sonny Corinthos’s Office

Sonny Corinthos set the phone back on the desk and leaned forward across the oak desk. “Spencer just turned me down,” he told his partner.

Jason’s shoulders slumped and he turned away from Sonny to peer out the window, looking over the buildings, past the houses and towards the lake in the distance. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“Look, Jase, I know this is a setback—” Sonny began.

“Setback?” Jason snorted. “It’s more than that. I’m going to lose her.”

Sonny pushed his leather chair back and stood to cross the room. He leaned against the wall adjoining the window. “I don’t see why you should have to. You know Elizabeth isn’t insisting on Spencer’s approval.”

“I know,” Jason replied, reluctantly. “I know that I’m the one postponing on telling him. I just…I know how he’s gonna react. He’s gonna tell her it’s him or me.”

“And she’s already told you she’s going to pick you.”

“That’s the problem.” Jason shook his head and stuck his hands deep into his brown khakis. “You might be okay with Brenda losing her entire family, but I’m not all right with Elizabeth doing the same thing. Spencer won’t survive losing a second daughter. Not to me.”

Sonny shrugged. “He’ll live. He’s got to learn he can’t control everyone.”

Jason sighed and scratched his eyebrow with his thumb. “It doesn’t matter. I know that Elizabeth loves her father. She might think it’s a good idea, but eventually she’ll grow to resent me.”

“What are you saying?” Sonny asked. “That if Spencer doesn’t give Elizabeth his blessing…you’ll end it yourself?”

“I love Elizabeth. More than I ever thought I could love anyone.” Jason’s sigh was wistful. “But, yeah. I won’t do that to her. She’s too proud to back down. So I’m going to have to do it for her.”

“You can’t make that choice for her,” Sonny warned him.

“I’m not making it for her, I’m making it for me,” Jason replied. “I love her, Sonny. And I want her to be happy. And she’ll never be happy if she’s at odds with her father. She’s already lost her mother.”

“I take it you haven’t discussed this with her, have you?” Sonny asked.

“No. I’ve been trying to hold it off. Hoping that Spencer would come around. But I’ve been deluding myself. He’ll never accept me in her life. He’s pretty much made it clear that AJ is the only man he wants for her.”

“But you’re the one she wants. Hell, Spencer dotes on Elizabeth. Even before Brenda left. Maybe…she’ll be able to talk her into it,” Sonny suggested.

“Maybe,” Jason said, but his tone was skeptical. It was clear that the end of his romance with the Spencer heiress was nearing.

He should have known from the first time he spotted her at a corporate party on the arm of his half-brother seven months ago. He hadn’t known her name, hadn’t known anything about her—except that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

By the end of the night, she’d drifted to his side of the room (without AJ) and conversation had been exchanged. She was smart, spunky and had a mouth on her that would shame most truck drivers. She wasn’t like the debutantes Jason had met since coming to work for Sonny over two years ago.

And then she introduced herself. He’d wanted to smack his head up against the nearest wall. Elizabeth Spencer. Elizabeth Imogene Spencer, Luke Spencer’s youngest daughter. Brenda Corinthos’s little sister.

Despite the attraction on both sides, he’d written her off. Everyone knew about the history between Sonny Corinthos and Luke Spencer. They were in direct competition—Luke’s blues clubs were both famous and numerous, more than forty worldwide. He had his fingers in nearly every industry possible—oil, entertainment, hotels, restaurants…you name it, Luke was involved.

He had the perfect family with his beautiful blonde wife Laura, his two daughters Brenda and Elizabeth and niece, Skye. His rivalry with Sonny was strictly business related—Sonny was a close family friend.

And then he’d married Brenda. Almost immediately, Luke had disowned his oldest daughter and cast Sonny out of his inner circle. It hadn’t fazed Sonny—he’d kept building his empire and he and Brenda seemed no worse for the wear. They owned a huge estate on the outskirts of Port Charles with two daughters, Grace and Laura.

Jason had been at the top of his class at Harvard Business School and Luke and Sonny had fought bitterly over getting the younger man to work for their company. In the end, Jason chose Sonny simply because his half-brother AJ Quartermaine already worked for Luke. AJ and Jason hadn’t lived together in nearly ten years, but every time they met, tempers sparked and Jason didn’t want to spend the rest of his life like that.

Jason was the product of one of Alan Quartermaine’s many affairs and initially, Jason had lived with his father’s families. Alan Quartermaine died when AJ was fifteen and Jason twelve. As soon as the funeral was over, Alan’s widow, Monica, had sent Jason to live with relatives in Boston. He’d changed his last name to reflect the maiden name of Alan’s mother, of Jason’s grandmother, the only person in the Quartermaine house that had ever made him feel like he belonged.

He’d heard the rumors and the gossip about Luke’s hatred for Sonny and his resentment that Brenda had chosen Sonny over her family, but he’d never paid much attention to it. He got along with Brenda and Sonny, didn’t really care about the history behind them.

Until he met Elizabeth.

After their first meeting, she was everywhere. She’d sneak to the estate to see her sister, was at all the same restaurants as Jason, at the same parties. She’d inevitably end up near him. Contact would occur and Jason had to admit that he was interested. He’d flirted with the idea of asking her out, but she seemed permanently linked to AJ.

One conversation with Brenda had ended that idea. AJ was being groomed to take over the company. What wasn’t being left to Elizabeth, Luke was leaving to AJ in the hopes that if and when the two were married, he’d finally have the son Laura had never given him. Brenda told him that her sister was too kind to tell AJ otherwise—Elizabeth had no intention of marrying the Quartermaine heir.

Jason made up his mind the next time he saw her, he was going to ask her to dinner. He had, she’d accepted and the rest was history.

And now, their relationship was going to have to end. He didn’t want it that way, but it had become increasingly obvious that Luke Spencer lumped him in the same category as Sonny Corinthos. Enemy. And enemies weren’t allowed to marry his daughter.

“You don’t have to do it this way,” Sonny said, breaking into Jason’s thoughts.

“Yeah…” Jason’s sigh was heavy. “Yeah, I do. I’m not going to let her give up her family just for me.”

Spencer Estate: Dining Room

Skye glanced across the table to Elizabeth. “I can’t believe he told her she could stay a few days,” she muttered, viciously spearing a piece of lemon chicken with her fork.

Elizabeth pushed her food around her plate and checked her watch. Ten more minutes before she was meeting Jason at his penthouse. Ten more minutes to think of a way to get her father to accept her relationship with Jason before Saturday night.

She sighed and decided to concentrate on Skye’s latest crisis. Caroline Benson, or “Carly” as she’d told Luke she was called, had waited for Luke to come from the office. She’d repeated her story and then Luke had called his sister, who was currently somewhere in Texas. Apparently her aunt had confirmed the existence of a second daughter. Unlike Skye, Barbara had actually raised Carly for a few years before leaving her with her father and taking off.

Elizabeth knew that the blonde had already earned Skye’s resentment for at least having met their mother. Skye hadn’t had the privilege since she was two years old and had been dumped on their doorstep.

Luke had agreed to let Carly stay awhile until he figured out what exactly the woman wanted. He’d then taken AJ to his office, and they were holed up working on another deal. Elizabeth was thankful that some new business problem had come up, therefore relieving her of having to be nice to AJ again. A few more days, she told herself, and then you’ll be able to be with Jason.

“Skye, it’s not Carly’s fault that Aunt Barbara raised her,” Elizabeth tried to remind her cousin. It was no use—Skye had already made up her mind.

“She’s tacky,” Skye grumbled. “Probably just a gold digger. Found out that Uncle Luke is rich and decided to cash in on her blood lines.”

“Well, we know where she got that from.” Elizabeth sighed and pushed her plate away. “I’m going to my room. Tell Daddy I’m tired and that I don’t want to be bothered.”

“In other words, you’re going to see your lover and you don’t want to get caught,” Skye murmured.

Elizabeth smirked. “Exactly. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She shoved her chair back and strode from the room.

Skye lifted her eyes to the staircase and glared at it. Carly was sleeping—the trip had taken a lot out of her, she’d said. If it was the last Skye ever did—she’d get rid of the little gold digging wench.

Jason’s Penthouse

“You’re early,” Jason remarked, pulling the door open and admitting Elizabeth. She frowned and set her purse on his nearby desk.

“You sound disappointed,” Elizabeth said. She tilted her head to the side. “You didn’t want to see me?”

“It’s not that,” Jason tried to explain. He sighed and looked away. “We need to talk.”

Fear suddenly choked her, stealing her ability to breathe correctly. “Talk?” Elizabeth strangled. “Talk about what?”

“Your father broke off negotiations,” Jason reported.

“I know. I heard when I was at the office this morning. So?” Elizabeth asked. “We’ve got worse problems than that.”

“I doubt it. Elizabeth, your father is never going to approve of us.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t believe that. He won’t lose me. He already lost Brenda—I know he wouldn’t chance losing another daughter. Not after losing Mom.”

He took a step towards her, raised his hand as if to touch her face but in the end let it fall back to his side. “Elizabeth—”

“AJ’s going to propose,” she broke in desperately. “This Saturday. I just know it. We have to figure this out before he does it. He’s going to do it in the middle of the party—it’s going to be public. I can’t break his heart in front of all those people!”

Jason sucked in a deep breath and looked down at his shoes. “Maybe you shouldn’t,” he said quietly.

“What?” she asked, faintly. “You…you want me to marry him?”

“No!” Jason said, scowling. “I don’t want you to marry him.”

“Then what?” Elizabeth demanded. “What am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t want you to marry him,” he repeated. He averted his eyes—fixed them on a blank spot on the wall across the room. “But I think you should.”

Her face fell and she bit her lower lip. “You think I should marry your brother.” She raised her eyes at him and he was a little surprised by the cold gaze. “You know, maybe I’m a little confused about what’s been going on here.” She folded her arms and glared at him. “See, I was under the impression that you loved me and that I loved you. That marrying AJ was not an option. That it was as laughable as me actually accepting a dinner date with Nikolas Cassadine. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe for you…it was about banging Luke Spencer’s precious baby—”

He pressed a finger against her lips to cut off her angry tirade. “I love you. You know that.”

“Then what’s going on?” she pleaded, dropping her arms to her side. “Why would you even suggest I marry him?”

Jason took a deep breath. “Elizabeth, we can’t be together if your father doesn’t approve.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Jason, we’ve discussed this—”

“Yeah, but I thought your father would see reason. Call off this stupid rivalry. Work out some sort of deal with Sonny.”

“Does my father’s approval mean so much to you?” she asked, surprised. “I thought you didn’t care what anyone else thought.”

“I don’t,” Jason argued. “I care about what losing your family is going to do to you—”

“If my father is too stubborn—”

“I don’t want you to resent me,” Jason cut in. “I know you say that won’t happen, but I’m not willing to take that chance.”

“So, what…it’s his approval or…” Elizabeth couldn’t even continue. She shook her head. “No. I’m not willing to accept that.”

“Elizabeth—”

“We’re going to be late,” Elizabeth said. She grabbed her purse and headed towards the door.

“Wait, we’re not done here—”

“And I don’t want to talk about it anymore!” She ran her hands through her hair, squeezing her eyes shut. “I…I just want to go to dinner with my sister and brother-in-law like we planned, okay? That’s all I want to do right now. I don’t want to discuss the future of our relationship!”

He wanted to get this over with—knew that it would be more painful in the long run to draw it out.

But in the end, her pleading expression won out. Jason sighed and nodded. “All right. Let’s go.”

Corinthos Estate: Kitchen

Elizabeth leaned against the counter and watched her brother-in-law stir the sauce. She was close to Sonny—always had been. But now he was married to her sister, they were almost like siblings. She’d come to Sonny more than once to talk about Jason.

She’d left Jason with Brenda in the living room. He loved visiting with Grace and Laura, Brenda’s daughters. They loved their “Uncle Jason” and jumped all over him the second he was in the door.

“He’s going to break up with me, isn’t he?”

Elizabeth’s soft question broke the silence and Sonny looked up at her. “Honey, I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

She shook her head and looked away. “He would have done it tonight if I hadn’t begged him to drop it.” She closed her eyes. “Why can’t anyone see that I just want the right to make my own decision…like Brenda. She fell in love, she was allowed to be with who she wanted to be with. Why can’t he see that’s all I want?”

“He adores you,” Sonny stated. He used the tip of his finger to taste the sauce and went back to stirring it. “He just wants you to be happy.”

“And I’m happy with him,” Elizabeth replied. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”

“Liz, you and Luke were always closer than Brenda and Luke,” Sonny replied. “Jason knows that. He knows that Luke depends on you to keep him sane. He doesn’t want to do anything that you might regret in the future.”

“I know my father isn’t over my mother’s death….but I am so sick of being expected to keep him in line. If I have to hear it one more time about how wonderful it’s going to be when AJ and I are married, I’m going be sick.”

“I know it’s difficult to swallow, but—”

“I’ll just have to convince Daddy that Jason’s the only person I want to be with,” Elizabeth said softly. “Jason doesn’t understand…I’m not marrying AJ. And I’m not going to pretend that this last year didn’t happen.”

Sonny glanced up and frowned at his sister-in-law but she seemed lost in her own world.

“One way or another, I’m going to get my way.”

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