Tag Archives: jason/elizabeth

January 29, 2014

Inspiration

In August of 2003, when we had the last meaningful Liason interaction for many moons, Jason and Elizabeth comforted each other in the hospital chapel. Then they showed up the next day in the same clothes. I always wondered if they’d toyed with having them go with a one-night stand because it was strange that it faded to black and Liz was still in the same dress the next morning  — she even went straight to Jason’s penthouse.

Anyway. That scene inspired this.

Timeline

In August 2003, Emily’s cancer had taken a turn for the worse and she was not expected to survive the night. She married Zander on her deathbed, and Jason and Elizabeth found each other in the chapel.

Her smile is false and she knows it. She watches her best friend wed her first love with the knowledge that Emily loves another. Her closest friend is making the mistake Elizabeth has almost made before. Thinking that first love meant only love.

She brushes a tear from her cheek and wishes her friend happiness in the short time she has left. She clenches the white lily in her hands—she feels the stem snap with the force of her hold.

After a moment, she leaves the small hospital room, feeling out of place. She adores Emily and considers Zander a close friend, but they are newlyweds and she really just wants to be alone.

She wanders the hospital for a little while, stopping in front of the nursery for a moment. She touches the window with her fingers, her touch lingering for a few seconds. She closes her eyes and imagines her child—a daughter. With her father’s curling brown hair and maybe her mother’s blue eyes. She would have named her Audrey.

After another moment of wallowing, she opens her eyes and walks briskly away from the nursery, wiping her tears away. She has a destination in mind—a quiet place just to gather her thoughts and regain her composure before she returns to celebrate the wedding with Emily and her family.

She pushes the door to the hospital chapel open. It slides open with a heavy creak and she pauses for a moment, seeing the figure seated in the front pew. He’d ducked out after the ceremony as well but she’d assumed he’d gone home. To his newly returned fiancée and best friends.

He hears her come in and he turns to look at her. She folds her arms uncomfortably and briefly considers turning and leaving. But she had a right to be here, too. And…for the first time in so long, she doesn’t feel anything when she looks at him. No anger, no hurt, no bitterness.

She steps inside, letting the heavy door close behind her. He’s still looking at her even as she steps forward and sits next to him. The remains of her crushed lily are in her hands and she stares at it for a moment.

“Emily looked beautiful, didn’t she?” Elizabeth finds herself saying.

Jason nods. “She did.”

Elizabeth shifts and looks away. “I was surprised Courtney didn’t come with you.”

“She doesn’t know that Emily was getting married,” Jason tells her. “I…we haven’t spoken for a few days.”

Elizabeth frowns and before she can stop herself, she asks, “Why?”

Jason takes a deep breath and looks away, his eyes sad and distant. “Because she lied to me. She was pregnant, didn’t tell me. She came to South America, knowing she wasn’t supposed to. She was kidnapped and before I got to her, she miscarried and she never told me. She was never going to tell me at all.” He breaks off after the explanation and looks at his hands.

She sets her broken flower at her side and covers his hands with one of her own. She doesn’t say anything and after a moment, he looks up at her. He doesn’t speak either. She doesn’t need to say I’m sorry and he doesn’t need to accept it. They’ve never really needed words and it was nice to pretend for just one moment—on Emily’s wedding day and maybe in honor of the sister they shared—it was nice to pretend that they still didn’t.

Inspiration

If I recall correctly, this was in response to a challenge: What if Jason and Elizabeth had an affair? I was always interested in writing a story with that as the trope, but I was never sure if I could get it to work with their characters. Even here, I don’t go into the hows and whys very much. I did a decent job in For the Broken Girl, building to an emotional affair with light physical cheating (some kissing), but I fully believe an outright affair that goes on for months is outside of their character.

Timeline

Set in the summer of 2003, but before Ric kidnaps Carly. It’s kind of out of time and place. Jason and Courtney are together, so are Elizabeth and Ric. That’s really all that matters.

Banner

She always told herself it was the last time. Every time she’d open the door to him, she’d assure herself that after today, she’d tell him it was over. That…they couldn’t do this anymore. That something had to change.

But she never did. And she cherished every touch, every kiss, every caress knowing one day it would be over. That even though they both lacked the motivation and desire to do so, one day…it would end. And she’d only have the memories.

She sighed and stared at the ceiling of her studio. They never went to the bedroom—she knew the guilt that lived in her would be unbearable if this happened there. There was a small couch in there that they made do with.

She listened to the rustle as he dressed silently. She heard him pull his jeans over his legs and narrow waist. He zipped and buttoned them before searching for the black t-shirt he’d worn over.

She clutched the afghan higher on her chest and propped herself up on her elbow. “It’s behind the easel,” she said quietly.

He didn’t look at her, just nodded and headed across the room to pull the cotton shirt from the floor and he slid it over his head. He sat on her stool and pulled on his socks and boots.

“This can’t happen again,” he said.

“I know.”

A conversation they’d had more than once. It was always the same. They’d swear it wouldn’t happen again and then maybe a few days later or even hours later, he’d show up at her door and they’d barely make it to her studio before their clothes were gone and he was inside her.

But inevitably, it would be over and they would lay in silence for a few moments before he’d dress, tell her it couldn’t happen again, and then he’d leave.

And she’d start to cry.

It was a vicious circle, one that would destroy her one day, she was sure. But for now, she’d live for every single forbidden touch.

His hand was on the studio door—he was about to leave her again—but he stopped and turned and looked at her. She was staring right back at him. Just a few moments longer, she told herself. He’d be gone and she could let it go.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Familiar words but they were different this time. His voice was low, thin and nearly desperate. She swallowed hard and slid her feet to the ground, sitting up and wrapping the afghan more securely around herself. “Jason—”

“I can’t keep coming here…doing this…and hurting…” He stopped, averted his eyes from her. “We’re hurting people. And I never wanted to do that.”

He was right and she had the sinking feeling that this time, when he said this couldn’t happen again…that this time he really meant it.

She blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to keep the tears from spilling over her lashes. “I know,” she choked. “Oh, God, we’re such horrible people.”

He crossed the room then and kneeled in front of her, pressing his forehead into her knees. “Elizabeth…we can’t keep doing this.”

“I know.”

He raised his bloodshot eyes to hers, stunning her with the desolation she saw in them. “I leave you every day and go back to the penthouse,” he told her quietly. “I look at Courtney and I feel like I’m choking. Because when she comes and she hugs me, and I feel her arms around me…I’m pretending that they’re yours.”

She bit her lip. “I know. Because I see Ric and when I feel his hands on my face, on my skin…I’m pretending it’s you.”

“I can’t…I can’t leave her,” Jason said, voicing what she knew to be true. “I can’t hurt her like that.”

“I can’t leave Ric,” she whispered. “He’s…he’s sick and I can’t do that to him.”

He nodded and clenched his hands around her own and held them tightly. “But I don’t think that I can walk away from you today and not come back.”

“We have to do something,” she breathed. “We can’t keep doing this Jason. The guilt is devouring us both. When does it get to be our turn to be happy?”

“Maybe we don’t get the chance.”

“But why?” she asked, desperately. The tears she’d been trying so hard to keep back spilled over her lashes and streamed down her cheeks. “Why did we do this to ourselves?”

“Please don’t cry,” he whispered. “I can’t…I can’t do this if you cry.”

“I’m sorry,” she managed to say, clutching a hand to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I just…I just can’t watch you walk away.”

He touched her face, stroked the curve of her jaw. ”I love you,” he said so softly she almost didn’t hear him. “I love you with everything that I am.”

“I love you, too.” She slid forward until she was off the couch and practically in his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her mouth to his, as if a kiss would solve it all.

The kiss was soft and gentle—as if they were other people, normal people and they’d just professed their love for the first time. He pulled the afghan from her body, tossed it towards the floor and laid her down gently on it.

“I love you,” he whispered again. He brushed soft kisses over her face, her neck before finding her lips again.

Her hands found the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He was quickly shed of the clothes he’d only just put back on.

“I need you,” she moaned, burying her face in his neck. “Please Jason.”

His hands explored her body, desperate to know every inch, every curve of her soft skin. He spread her legs easily and she drew one leg up to wrap around her waist. He slid deep inside her and she closed her eyes, feeling the connection for what she accepted would be the last time.

As Jason thrust—slowly at first—she felt the warmth of his own tears on her skin and she knew he knew it was the end, too. She threaded her fingers in his hair and moaned, fighting the release. Her walls started to tighten and she started to sob.

It was over in a few more minutes—not long after she gave in, he let go, too and they parted and lay sprawled out on the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

After another moment, she felt him stand and she closed her eyes, listening to the familiar sounds of him dressing. She kept her eyes closed and listened to the floorboards creaking.

“I have to go.”

“He’ll be home soon anyway.”

“Elizabeth, I…”

“I know, Jason. I know.”

Inspiration

Along with Back at Jake’s, this is a story I wrote just kind of exploring the history of Jason and Elizabeth. I had been a huge LL2 fan back in the day, then tuned out for a few years due to high school. I came to Liason fanfiction late and didn’t really write a lot for LL2 back in the day. I was still really understanding their characters, and I took the opportunity to think about how Elizabeth might feel about her rape five years later. It’s definitely not one of my favorites of the early stuff, but it was part of the learning process so I’ve left it up.

Timeline

This is set in February of 2003 (obviously), and kind of exists outside the canon. Jason and Elizabeth are separated and dating Ric and Courtney, but they’re not really factors.

Banner

February 14, 2003

It was early afternoon when Elizabeth Webber sat down on the stone bench in front of the fountain. She closed her eyes and forced herself not to think about five years ago when she’d been young and naïve enough to think that the park was safe.

She heard the crackling of footsteps and jumped up, startled. Lucky Spencer appeared from behind some bushes. “Hey. I thought I might find you here,” he stated simply, sticking his hands in his pockets.

Elizabeth chuckled nervously. “I guess I’m still a little jumpy,” she said, sitting back down. Lucky took a seat next to her. “Why were you looking for me?”

Lucky shrugged. “I woke up this morning and it hit me I guess. You know—there hasn’t been a Valentine’s Day that’s passed that I haven’t thought about it.”

“That makes two of us,” Elizabeth said softly. She rubbed her hands nervously over her jeans. “It’s funny. Sometimes days and even entire weeks will go by where I don’t think about it.”

“It’s been five years, Elizabeth,” Lucky replied. “You’re entitled to move on.”

“I know that. I just…it’s so easy to remember the days when it was all I thought about. It consumed me, took over my life until I could hardly recognize myself anymore.”

“I still think about what would have happened if I hadn’t taken Sarah to that stupid dance,” Lucky said. He shook his head and looked straight ahead towards the fountain. “I wonder if maybe we’d gone to the dance like we were supposed to…”

“I used to think about that at first, too,” Elizabeth admitted. “But in the end, it was me who made up the date, me who went to the movies and it was me who chose to walk through this park alone.”

“How do you feel about it now?” Lucky asked, hesitantly.

She shrugged. “I guess…for the most part…I’m over it. I mean, I still get a little jumpy at night when I’m by myself. I don’t trust anyone and I still don’t like coming here at night. But really, Lucky, I’m okay.” She smiled at him. “Thank you. Thank you for caring enough to find me today.”

“Elizabeth, I’m always going to love you,” Lucky told her. “Just because we’re not in love anymore…you know? You’ve been such a major person in my life…of course I care.”

“So, how’s your friend…Laura?” Elizabeth asked, eager to change the subject.

Lucky sighed. “I don’t know. Things…they’re weird right now. You women…you’re all so hard to figure out. I never know what you want.”

“That’s not true,” Elizabeth remarked. “You used to be pretty good at it.”

“Before the fire, yeah,” Lucky admitted. “Come on, Elizabeth. The reason we worked before the fire is because we were friends. We had all that time to know each other before we fell in love. We were best friends that turned into more. You can’t ask for anything better. You and me…we’re completely different from Laura and I.”

“I know. First love and all that,” Elizabeth replied. “Look, Lucky, if you really care about Laura…make her understand that. Don’t let her think for one second that you don’t. Don’t assume she knows, because it’s possible that she doesn’t. If you care about her and you want her, do both of you a favor…and fight for it.”

“Once again, there’s a cryptic remark that I just know has more to it than just friendly advice,” Lucky said. “It’s about you and Jason.”

“There is no me and Jason,” Elizabeth replied honestly. “I thought I knew what I wanted. I went after it until I got it and then I found out I had no idea what I wanted. I thought that I was in love with this great guy who cared about me, cared about my feelings, what I thought…someone who knew me and instead…I ended up with Sonny’s enforcer.”

“Hey, I’ll never be his biggest fan, but I don’t think that’s all there is,” Lucky replied. “He cares about you. I knew it back when we were still together. Probably why I tried to beat him up.”

“Anyone can care about a person,” Elizabeth replied. “I didn’t want Jason to care about me. I wanted him to love me. Was that too much to ask?”

“No,” Lucky said instantly. “You deserve that much, Elizabeth. At the very least, you deserve someone who loves you. Okay, so it didn’t work with Jason. Yeah, that sucks. And yeah, right now that hurts. But you got to ask yourself…are you going to let that determine the rest of your life?”

Elizabeth sighed and looked away, her eyes sad and distant. “I don’t know, Lucky. Sometimes I think I’m always going to be that girl in the snow, waiting for someone to come and pick me up.”

“You wouldn’t have waited,” Lucky replied. “You’re strong, Elizabeth. You would have picked yourself up. I just happened to come along first.”

“Thanks,” Elizabeth said. She leaned towards him and enveloped in a quick fierce hug. “You have no idea how much I needed you back then.”

“I needed you just as much,” Lucky said, kissing her on the cheek before releasing her. “I think Nikolas was looking for you, too.”

“Really?” Elizabeth asked, surprised. “Why?”

“Hey, no matter what’s gone down these past few years, you, me, Nikolas and Emily…we’re still family. You know? The best of friends.”

“The four Musketeers,” Elizabeth said, her eyes lighting up.

“One for all and all for one,” Lucky teased. She hit him playfully.

“Hey, that’s not any fair!” Elizabeth groaned. She laughed. “Okay, I’m going back to my studio. I wanted to call Em, today anyway. If you see Nikolas…tell him he can stop by.”

“I will,” Lucky said. He watched Elizabeth disappear in the bushes and sighed.

—-

He found the other man standing on the docks. He was standing, facing the water his hands clenched into fists at his side.

“Waiting for someone?” Lucky asked, smirking.

Jason Morgan turned and immediately glared at Elizabeth’s ex-boyfriend. “What do you want?”

Lucky shrugged. “Nothing. I just following Elizabeth back home, making sure she was safe.”

“What does she need you do that for?” Jason demanded.

Oh, yeah. Jason still cares about Elizabeth. A lot. Lucky resisted the urge to needle the other man and forced himself to be casual. “You know…with the day being what it is. I was worried.”

“I know what day it is,” Jason snapped, irritated.

“Have you even gone to see her?” Lucky demanded.

“No,” he admitted.

Lucky snorted. “And to think, she used to defend you. Jason’s my friend,” he mocked. “Jason lets me be myself. Jason listens to me. Jason’s there for me–”

“Shut the hell up!” Jason growled. “You don’t know anything about me and Elizabeth–”

“I know she walked out and that you let her go,” Lucky shot back.

“Shut up,” Jason warned him.

“What kind of friend are you that you haven’t even gone to see her on the anniversary of one of the worst days of her life?” Lucky demanded.

“She’d just slam the door in my face,” Jason muttered turning his attention back to the water.

“I thought Elizabeth was just trying to rationalize everything, but she’s right. She really did make you up,” Lucky said, incredulously. “She thought you were someone who really knew her, who understood her. You don’t know a damn thing about her, do you?”

“Just shut up, Lucky,” Jason said, shaking his head. “I don’t have the patience for this.”

“You act like you’ve never had a door slammed in your face before,” Lucky remarked. “Think about it, Jason. You really care about Elizabeth? I mean, if you really do…you need to show her. She’s been through a lot of shit in her life–none of which she deserved. The last she needs is someone else jerking her around. Dangling his love in front of her, making her jump through hoops to prove she deserve it–”

“I never did that!” Jason exploded finally. “I’m not you, Lucky. I don’t mess with other people’s lives. Elizabeth knows how I feel about her–”

“Right,” Lucky drawled sarcastically. “You sure about that, Jase? Have you ever actually said the words? Because she deserves that much.” Lucky just shook his head. “You know what, I don’t care what you do. Go see her, don’t go see her. It’s all the same to me. She doesn’t expect anything from you, so if you don’t show up, at least she won’t be crying about it.” Lucky glared at him a moment before stalking away.

Jason muttered something under his breath, dragged his fingers through his hair and stalked in the opposite direction.

—-

Elizabeth glanced up from her sketch when she heard the knock. “Nikolas?” she called.

“No.” There was a pause. “It’s Jason.”

Elizabeth’s breath caught in her throat as she crossed the studio to flip open the locks. “W-what are you doing here?” she asked, opening the door.

“I…” Jason shook his head. “Shit,” he grumbled. “I argued with myself the entire day about coming to see you and then I ran into Lucky on the docks–”

Elizabeth sighed. “I knew I shouldn’t have said anything to him,” she muttered. “Jerk never could mind his own business.”

“I just…I wanted to know if you were okay,” Jason finally said. “I know…I know today is…is well..”

“I’m okay,” Elizabeth gratefully. “Thank you for asking.”

“Uh…” Jason took a deep breath. “I don’t suppose you’d…want to go for a ride…”

“Really?” Elizabeth asked, her eyes lighting up at the prospect.

“Yeah,” Jason replied, feeling a little more confident. “Really. Maybe…we could talk.”

She flashed him a brief smile. “I’d like that,” she said softly.

Inspiration & Timeline

Back in August of 2002, we still thought as a fanbase that we had a chance. Little did we know that the nonsense in August 2002 was just prologue to the crap we would have to go through for the next eighteen years. (I…am not bitter. Or salty.)

Anyway, this takes place around August 27, 2002. At this point, Jason and Elizabeth are still apart — he was hurt over Zander, then pushed her away after the warehouse explosion worried she’d get hurt. Elizabeth is struggling with that decision.

It’s another one of my early efforts that I think is interesting and worth reading only to see the progression of how I developed. I was still a new Liason fan and learning their history, so this is was also me just exploring their relationship and dynamics. I don’t think I had a handle on either of these characters at this point, but it’s always fun to go back and look at how I learned to write them.

Elizabeth sat on the curb outside Jake’s and let herself get lost in the memories. She could see her self three years ago, dressed in next to nothing and waltzing into the bar looking for trouble. She could remember talking to Jason as if it were yesterday. At the time, he’d been Emily’s older brother and nothing more.

And now… she drew in a deep breath. Well, she wasn’t quite sure what Jason was to her. He’d been her best friend, the only person who’d been able to get through to her. At one point, before her kidnapping, she’d even let herself wonder what it would be like to if they could be more. Well, she’d ruined that chance. Ruin wasn’t the right word. Decimated, shattered…those words were more like it.

She hugged her knees into her chest and sighed. What she wouldn’t give to be here, three years ago. She’d do the entire thing over. At first, she’d make the same decisions. But if she could…she’d handle the whole Lucky/Jason situation completely different. She would tell Lucky from the start that she’d been attracted to Jason the first time around. And she would tell him that he couldn’t choose her friends and she wasn’t going to stop hanging out with Jason.

She would take his hand that day in the park. God help her, if she could do that day over again, she’d take his hand and follow him anywhere he wanted to go.

“What’re you doing here?”

She didn’t need to look up. She knew it was Jason. She could see his boots, she recognized his voice. She loved his voice.

She sighed. “I’m reminiscing. You don’t live here anymore, so I figured I wasn’t breaking any rules.”

He sat down next to her on the curb. She had to smirk. She was small; she could curl up on the curb. He was too tall to sit comfortably. Good. “Reminiscing about what?”

“The day my life turned around,” Elizabeth replied, quietly. “August 27, 1999. I came here trying to forget my pain and I found you instead.”

“I didn’t realize,” Jason said. She still didn’t look at him. “I’m glad I could help.”

She shrugged. “Back then, I like to think our friendship was a bit more equal. You listened about Lucky, I listened about Michael. You pulled me back from the edge, took me riding. I found you in the snow.” She sighed. “Our friendship had so much potential.”

“Potential?” Jason asked, confused. “You say that like we didn’t keep on being friends.”

“We didn’t,” Elizabeth replied. “Not really. You left that January and you weren’t back that long the second time. When you came back in 2001, we were still on an equal footing. I gave you a place to stay and you listened about Lucky. And then I started using you. That’s when it went all downhill.”

“What do you mean?” Jason wanted to look into her eyes. See what she was thinking, feeling. She was still staring straight ahead–at a row of motorcycles.

“I started jerking you around. Telling you I couldn’t see you, running to you the next, not believing you–” she broke off. “Tell me, what did I do for you that was any good?”

“You were confused,” Jason replied. “You were dealing with Lucky and he wasn’t right. You knew that. I knew that. You did what you had to do.”

“All right. Then what about this time around?” Elizabeth asked. “I think, once again we were off to a good start. Then I got kidnapped. You searched for me, saved my life again and how I do repay you?” She could feel the tears in the back of her eyes and willed them back. This was not about how she felt. “I sleep with a man that I’m not in love with and he throws it in your face. Instead of throwing him out, I defend him every chance I get. I use our friendship,” she said saying the word sarcastically, “to keep him safe. He sets you up, breaks into your apartment, shoots me and I still went home with him.” She shook her head. “The only thing I’ve done right is tell Zander that I won’t go to Florida with him. Not that he took that well. I haven’t seen him since.”

“I don’t blame you for any of those things,” Jason said.

She laughed, bitterly. “Of course not, Jason. You never do. Which makes this worse. God, why can’t you just be mad at me?” She angrily swiped at her eyes. “If you could be mad, I could be spending my energy on trying to get you to forgive me and instead, I hate myself. I’m mad at myself.” She drew in a shaky breath. “But if you’re not mad at me, that’s your choice. I can’t change that. I just wish…” she trailed off. “I just wish I could do things differently.”

“What–” Jason stopped and breathed deeply. “What would you do differently?”

She looked at him then–met his eyes for the first time. Her eyes were watery and full of pain. “There so many things I’d do differently but the biggie?” She sucked in a breath. “The one thing I wish I could over more than anything else in the world…” She reached a hand out and touched his face. “I would have taken your hand and followed you anywhere.” Her hand traced his jaw line. “You mean so much to me, Jason. I don’t think you know just how much.”

He reached up and took her small hand and grasped it in his larger ones. Her hand was cold against his warmer ones. He stared at her pale hand, so small, so fragile and soft–completely different than his. “Tell me.” He looked up and met her eyes. “Tell me,” he repeated quietly.

She took a deep breath. Once she told him there would be going back, no taking the words back. She took her other hand and put on top of his. She stared at their joined hands. She raised her eyes and met his. “I love you.”

His blue eyes burned into hers. “Say it again,” he said, urgently.

“I love you,” she repeated, her eyes searching his for some indication of what he was feeling.

A moment later, he’d pulled her towards him and kissed her. The surprise Elizabeth felt melted away as she opened her mouth and let her tongue trace his lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist to drag her closer and opened his mouth to deepen the kiss further. She snaked her arms around his neck and tried to get even closer to him.

They pulled apart after a while, their breathing erratic and ragged. She kept her arms wrapped around him and buried her face in his neck unwilling to break contact with his body. He rested his head next to hers. Jason was the first to recover. “I love you,” he whispered, his breath warm against her neck. “God, I love you so much.”

She pulled away and kissed him gently. She took his hands in hers and stood up, bringing him with her. “Take me for a ride,” Elizabeth said, her eyes gleaming. “Let’s take the cliff road and go fast.” She hesitated. “Unless…you have somewhere else to be.”

Jason paused. It was nine-thirty. Courtney’s shift started in a half hour. He couldn’t let Sonny down–he’d promised him. He looked down at the woman in front of him. They’d been through so much, both together and apart and despite all of the pain and suffering and the separation and the obstacles…here they were. Three years later, back at Jake’s. He couldn’t walk away from her. Not again. She wanted to be with him. They could worry about the danger tomorrow. Tonight…tonight was theirs. “Give me a second, okay?”

She nodded. He walked away a few steps and took out his cell phone. He dialed Sonny’s number.

“Corinthos.”

“Sonny, it’s me. I can’t watch Courtney tonight.”

“Why not?”

“Something came up.”

“What? Jason, this is important to me.”

“Yeah, well, so this is important to me. You can get someone else to do it, can’t you?”

“That’s not the point, Jason. You told me you’d do this.”

“Well, I gotta do this. It’s one night, Sonny. I don’t ask for much.”

Sonny hesitated. “You’re right. You don’t. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Jason hung up the phone and turned back to Elizabeth, who was smiling hopefully. “You ready to go?”

She nodded eagerly and he led her to his bike. He handed her the helmet. As she was putting it on, “Are you sure there’s no where you have to be?”

He put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “There’s no where else I’d rather be.”

She smiled. “Good. Go really fast all right? I love those turns.”

“Yeah, I know.” He straddled the bike and she got on behind him. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and he turned on the bike.

It seems so wrong that something so beautiful should be hidden. Whether it’s a blood-red tulip covered in a surprise snow storm in April or a beautiful memory of a friendship forgotten in grief.

My mother used to tell me a story about a woman she’d known in her own youth. She died at an early age, this woman. But she’d been my mother’s best friend and closer than a sister.

It pained my mother to speak of her, but I could never get enough of the story. I once found an old faded picture in an album. My father cautioned me never to show it my mother, for it would only serve to make her cry.

She was beautiful, with soft dark hair and porcelain skin. She stood in a garden, laughing with a younger version of my mother and a man I’d seen in other pictures. My mother’s brother, an uncle whom I’d never met.

The story my mother told was always the same, about how the woman had convinced my mother to tell the truth. My mother had breast cancer as a young woman and she’d been ready to die. Her friend had discovered the truth by accident and had convinced my mother to tell the truth. Eventually, she’d received treatment, thanks to her friend and she’d been able to marry my father.

I once begged my father to tell me the story about her death and why it made my mother sad to think about her. He’d been reluctant to tell me since the woman had been a good friend of his as well.

But he’d wanted me to know more about her and why she’d mattered so much. So he told me. The woman had found herself in a situation where she knew of a man who wanted to kill my mother’s brother. My father told me that the woman and my uncle had once been together, and that they loved each other despite their differences.

She went to my uncle to tell him of the threat, but he had his pride and he turned her away. She followed him and begged for him to believe her. He gave in and told her that she needed to leave, that she needed to be safe.

She agreed, only because she was frightened of the man who wanted to kill my uncle. He put her on a plane for a private island, and she told him that she loved him before she left.

The plane had been piloted by someone who worked for the man and he shot the woman just after the plane took off. My uncle was devastated and once the threat had been taken care of, he left town.

My father says my mother gets letters from him still. He says that he will never return home until he is ready to be buried beside the woman who’d lost her life for him.

My father and mother loved her dearly and still grieve for her now. Which is why I suppose they named me for her.

I often wonder why my mother does not speak of her more. One would think she’d be desperate to pass on her memory to the daughter she’d named her for. But the only words I hear of her are the one story and what I can beg from my father.

It seems so wrong that a woman such as her should be forgotten and lost in my mother’s memories. She was beautiful, both in body and in spirit. Why should her memory be hidden like the tulips in my great-grandmother’s garden during a snowstorm?

Perhaps I should seek out the uncle who loved her so deeply, that nearly twenty years after her death, he has yet to return to the place she once lived.

But if it pains my mother to speak of it, then I would think it would be twice as painful for him. Or maybe it would help to speak of her?

My father says that it is foolish. That my mother doesn’t talk about her because it hurts to remember what could have been. That she might have had a sister, and that they might have raised a family together. He warns me to leave my uncle alone, that his memories are not to be used to serve my curiosity.

And I’m left to wonder why Elizabeth Webber touched my family so deeply in the time they knew her and how she would have changed my life if she’d lived.

Rated NC-17

When Gia Campbell had suggested the game, Elizabeth had been slightly intoxicated. All right–she’d been smashed. Otherwise, she never would have agreed.

Well she might have–just not in front of her best friends.

Find a guy. Sleep with him. No names.

It couldn’t be that hard, right? Elizabeth had known a lot of guys in her life–they were almost always horny. Always looking for sex.

All she’d have to do is dress up, head into a bar and the guys should take care of the rest of it.

Gia, anticipating the fact that they’d probably pull out once they were sober, had made them sign contracts. Basically, they’d had to sign their name stating they’d do it on a napkin. Damn Gia–she’d have to be a law student.

Gia had assigned them separate places to look. She’d given herself Club 101, Carly had gotten Luke’s, Brenda the Outback and Elizabeth…?

Elizabeth had gotten Jake’s, a bar on the docks that all the dockworkers went to after work. Gia had thought she was making Elizabeth’s job difficult–but Gia also didn’t know that Elizabeth was a regular there and good friends with the woman who owned it.

Elizabeth tightened the robe around her waist and pursed her lips as she perused her closet. Skirts–you never wore those to a bar. Even if you were looking for a one-night stand. It was easy access for guys who didn’t know better.

And she’d met a lot of guys who didn’t know better.

See, Elizabeth liked sex. She knew that in most circles, that probably made her slut, but she didn’t really care. She was twenty-one, in college, on her own and carried at least three condoms everywhere she went. She was responsible about it and as long as no one got hurt–

Well, what were a few one-night stands?

Elizabeth’s best friends had no idea about this little hobby of hers. She wasn’t sure why she’d never told them. It wasn’t like they were saints. Carly Benson alone had probably beaten her in the number of guys they’d slept with. Gia had just broken up with her boyfriend and was going a little wild. Brenda was usually restrained, but you get enough tequila in her–watch out.

Elizabeth was the youngest in the group and considered the little sister. Maybe that’s why she never confided in them.

But after tonight? Maybe she could prove she wasn’t as innocent as they liked to believe.

She pushed aside a pair of jeans and pulled the leather pants she’d bought on a whim a few months ago. She grinned and headed to the other side of the closet where she flipped through her tank tops and dug out the black one she’d stopped wearing when it’d shrunk a size too small in the washer.

The phone rang as Elizabeth was arranging her brown curls in a casual disarray. She reached out with one hand and clicked the speaker phone.

“Hello?” she asked, picking up the cover up and applying a light coat to her face.

“Webber, it’s me,” Gia’s voice wafted through the room. “Just making sure you’re not chickening out.”

Elizabeth smirked as she applied the smoky gray eye shadow. “Not a chance. Since when I have I backed down from something I’d said I do?”

“Well–”

“Don’t bring up that again,” Elizabeth groaned. She closed the eye shadow and picked up the eye liner. “Lucky Spencer was an idiot. There was no way I was going to date him.”

“All right, fair enough. So, you’re going to go through with this?” Gia asked, her voice a little doubtful.

Elizabeth just shook her head. “I’m not a virgin, Gia. I can handle a one-night stand, you know.”

“You know…” Gia hesitated. “About safety and all that.”

Elizabeth almost burst out laughing. They really did think she was an innocent little girl. “Of course, Gia.”

“Well, it’s just Brenda was making a big stink about dragging you into this plan and I was feeling a little bad. I mean, you haven’t been with a lot of guys–”

“What makes you say that?” Elizabeth asked, leaning forward to apply the mascara. She set it back on the dresser and studied her reflection in the mirror.

Gia didn’t reply right away–seemed a little stunned actually. “Elizabeth. What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked finally.

“Exactly what I meant to say,” Elizabeth reply, digging through a pile of make up to retrieve just the right shade of red. “I’m not some innocent little girl the three of you need to lead around because you feel sorry for me.”

“We…We never–ever–thought of you like that,” Gia said, firmly.

Elizabeth snorted. “Could have fooled me.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Gia told her. “You don’t have to do this to prove yourself.”

“I’m not doing this to prove myself,” Elizabeth retorted. She capped the lipstick and fluffed her hair out once more. She studied her reflection again and seemed satisfied with what she saw. “I’m doing this because it’s Saturday night.” She paused and then went into for the kill. “And I do this every Saturday night.”

Before Gia could manage a reply, Elizabeth swiftly hit the disconnect button and jerked her leather jacket off the back of a chair. She pulled it on and flipped her hair out from underneath the collar. She was pissed now–she’d never had confirmation of her friends’ pity for her–but Gia had just validated her thoughts.

—————-

“Hey, Liz,” Jake said as Elizabeth slipped onto a bar stool in front of her. “Can’t say I’m surprised you’re back again.”

Elizabeth smiled. “You know I love this place. I’d much rather go here than some stuffy old club like the Outback or Club 101.”

Jake smiled proudly. “I do have a unique establishment, don’t I?”

“You do,” Elizabeth agreed. She looked around and frowned. The bar was usually packed by this time of night. Instead, there were a few men at the bar and a couple at the pool table. “Where is everyone?”

“Oh, the Quartermaines gave their workers the day off,” Jake supplied. “I don’t know why–but they’re not coming in here to work off steam.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth shrugged. Just made her job a little more challenging. She gave the bartender and owner a bright smile. “The usual.”

Jake slid a bottle of beer across the counter and sighed. “You know, a bright and intelligent girl could be doing so much more with her life.”

“I am,” Elizabeth said, defensively. “I’m going to school and I’ve got a job. I just like to blow off steam every once in a while.” She slid off the barstool and perused the bar again looking for a likely candidate. A smile crossed her face as she found her prey. He was familiar–like she’d seen him somewhere outside the bar. He was in the back, playing pool at a table by himself.

Elizabeth licked her lips as she studied his form leaning over the table, lining up another shot. Short spiky dark blonde hair, muscular forearms. She’d be willing to bet any amount of money that the rest of him looked just as yummy.

Jake shook her head in amusement as Elizabeth Webber took her jacket off, slung it over her left arm and headed over to Jason Morgan’s pool table, beer in hand.

She’d seen Elizabeth’s look of determination and knew that when Elizabeth decided she wanted something–

She almost always got it.

—————-

Elizabeth set the beer on a nearby table and put the jacket over the back of one of the chairs. “I don’t suppose there’s room for one more,” she said.

Jason Morgan looked, ready to say no when his eyes connected first with the black leather pants. His gaze seemed locked on the waist of the woman and the tight as a second skin pants. He finally drug his eyes past her breasts encased in a small–very–small black tank top and looked her face. The expectant look in her smoky blue eyes, the generous lips painted a dark red that just begged to be kissed off.

“Sure,” he found himself saying. He grinned quickly, indicating the rack of pool cues. “I’m always in the mood to win.”

She raised one dark slim eyebrow and put a hand on her hips. “Are you?” she asked. “Well, I hate losing,” she remarked as she selected one of the cues. She took out of the rack and picked up the chalk to rub it on top. She met his eyes. “And I never lose.”

Jason broke away from her eyes to rack the balls. There was just something incredible about this woman who had just showed up at his table. Most patrons knew who he was and didn’t come near him. He was Jason Morgan, Sonny Corinthos’ right hand man. The hitman and enforcer for the mob.

Whether this woman didn’t recognize him or didn’t care who he was–it was something different, that’s for sure.

“You can break,” he said after a few moments. She smirked and slid past him, relishing in the sharp intake of breath she heard as her bottom brushed the front of his jeans for a few minutes.

This was almost too easy.

They played in silence for the most part. Elizabeth made sure to brush past him a few more times, slid her fingers suggestively up and down the pool cue. She could hear him swallowing almost every time it was her turn.

But then he turned the tables. After one of her turns, he brushed in front of her–his back coming in contact with her breasts and she’d had to struggle not to gasp in pleasure. The mere sight of this man had aroused her, but she needed to downplay it.

She wanted to be the one in charge and it just wouldn’t work if he knew just how much he was affecting her.

As the game neared its end–they were both competing heavily, at this point either one of them could win–Elizabeth leaned against the table and watched him line up another shot. “You know,” she said, “what would make this more fun?”

Jason made his shot and looked up at the vixen who’d been driving him insane the entire night. “And what would that be?” he asked.

“Raising the stakes,” Elizabeth replied. He lined up another shot, having sunk a ball in the previous turn.

Jason missed the shot and straightened. She didn’t say anything at first as she studied the table to make her next shot. She found it and started to move past him. Jason gripped the left hip, stilling her movement and planting her right in front of him, pressed up against him. Her eyes flared a little as she realized exactly how much the stakes were raised already. “What did you have in mind?” he murmured.

She licked her lips, drawing his eyes to her mouth again. “If I win,” she began, tilting her head back to look up at him, “I get a ride.”

“A ride?” Jason repeated, knowing exactly what she meant and loving the idea. An idea sparked in him and he smirked. “All right. And if I win, I get to take you for a ride.”

The corners of her mouth quirked up in a little smile and she nodded. “Sounds fair.”

Ten minutes later, Jason sank the winning shot and straightened up. “I guess I win.”

Elizabeth glared at the table. “I can’t believe this. I’ve never lost at pool before.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Jason teased. “So, you want that ride?”

Elizabeth finished her beer and grabbed her jacket. “Definitely.”

He took her hand and Elizabeth frowned when he led her past the stairs and towards the front doors. He pushed open the door and suddenly Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.

The man had a motorcycle. That was his big “ride.”

Shit. She should have tried harder. She should have known it wasn’t going to be easy. She’d taken it for granted that he’d be a pushover.

Shit shit shit.

He pulled a helmet off the back and handed it to her. “Here.” When Elizabeth reached out for it, he held it back. “Wait.”

Elizabeth sighed impatiently. She was already going to lose this game–that’s what she got for letting for hormones lead the way. “What?”

“I never got your name,” Jason said.

Elizabeth shrugged. This night was a loss–might as well as toss it completely down the drain. “Elizabeth.”

“Just Elizabeth?” Jason asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah,” Elizabeth replied. She waited for a few seconds before she sighed again, “What’s your name?”

Jason hesitated. There was every possibility that the second he gave his first name, it might connect in her mind.

And he’d lose whatever leverage he had.

He was never one to lie to anyone so he said it. “Jason.”

Elizabeth nodded and understanding dawned in her eyes. “Now I know where I know you.”

He frowned. “Oh, really.”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth replied. “You were at Emily Quartermaine’s graduation party this spring. She’s a year a head of me in school, but we had a class together.”

Shit. This girl was only twenty-one. And a friend of his baby sister’s to boot. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea.

“We didn’t really know each other all that well,” Elizabeth continued. “But she knew Brenda and Brenda drug me along for the ride.”

And she knew Brenda Barrett. This just didn’t seem to be Jason’s night.

Elizabeth frowned. “So, you reneging on your offer?” she asked.

“What?” Jason asked, tuning back in to her. “What do you mean?”

She held her hand out for the helmet. “Aren’t we supposed to be going somewhere?” she asked pointedly. “I mean, I don’t especially know where, but you seemed to have a destination in mind.”

He had. His penthouse. But he was beginning to reconsider the idea. He hesitated another moment and looked down at her.

Wait–why should he? She’d made it blatantly obvious what she wanted. The whole ride wager–well, if that hadn’t convinced him, the way she’d been looking or the way she’d been holding the pool cue all night definitely tipped him off.

She was over eighteen–over twenty-one. She appeared to know what she was doing and it wasn’t like he was going to force her to do anything. They were both adults.

He handed her the helmet. “I think I have a way to make both of us happy,” he told her.

Elizabeth smirked and took the helmet from him. “Oh, really?” she asked, looking up at him.

In one swift movement, his hand snaked around her waist and pulled her against him. He searched her eyes for any sign that she didn’t want him this close or for any sign of hesitancy. When he didn’t find one, he grinned and leaned down.

She tilted her head up even further to meet his lips. It crossed her mind just before their lips made contacts that she’d already broke two of Gia’s rules. They’d exchanged names.

And she was definitely emotionally involved now.

They kissed with a fierce intensity, exploring each other’s mouths, fighting for control. The helmet dropped to the ground as Elizabeth threaded her fingers through his dark blonde hair. His mouth devoured hers greedily, his hands at the small of her back, holding her close.

When the need for oxygen became too much to ignore, they broke away, each sucking in air.

When Elizabeth felt calm enough to speak, she asked, “So…your place or mine?”

He swept the helmet from the ground, and handed it to her. “My place.”

She hooked the chin strap and swung her leg over the seat and scooted up behind him, letting her hands trail of the muscles of his chest.

“Hey, watch where you’re putting those,” he chastised, turning the engine on. “We want to make it there in one piece, don’t we?”

—————-

Jason closed the door behind them as Elizabeth looked around his apartment–or penthouse, as it clearly was. It was nearly bare–a few pieces of furniture and a pool table.

She frowned. Jason lived in Harborview Towers. Sonny Corinthos lived here, too. It was always in the papers–

Oh.

Oh.

She turned to look at him. “You’re Jason Morgan, aren’t you?” she asked.

He looked away for a second before meeting her gaze and holding it. “Yeah.”

She bit her lip and only hesitated for a second. “Webber.”

“What?” Jason asked, confused.

“That’s my last name,” Elizabeth replied. “Elizabeth Webber.”

“Oh.” Jason searched his mind for the name. Now that he thought about it, Brenda Barrett had mentioned her a few times. Mainly as a girl she’d met through Gia Campbell. The girl was supposed to be young and kind of innocent. Brenda had often remarked that she was taking her under her wing.

He found himself wondering how her friends had ever got the idea that Elizabeth was innocent.

He was jerked out of his thoughts by the feeling of her small hands on his chest. “So,” she asked, “Are you going to stand there staring into space all night or–”

She never finished her thought as he took her arms and held them at her sides while he devoured her mouth again. She kissed him back just as hard–eradicating any thoughts that might be lingering in his mind about what Elizabeth had wanted to do tonight.

He let go of her arms and they wound tightly around his neck, trying to pull him even closer to her body. He broke away from her mouth and trailed his mouth down her jaw line to her neck and finally her collarbone. She tilted back to give him better access and when she got frustrated by the clothing between them, she pushed him away.

“What–” Jason was cut off when Elizabeth reached for the hem of his shirt and jerked it over his head. She let it fall to the floor as she leaned forward to kiss his chest. Her lips closed over his nipple and he tensed, threading her fingers in her curls.

After a few moments of that delicious torture, Elizabeth pulled away again and crossed her arms to pull off her tank top. It was Jason’s turn to have a little fun and he pulled towards the couch, going slowly so that she could change her mind if she wanted to.

She didn’t and let him lay her gently on the leather couch. He was over her in a second, adjusting himself so he wasn’t crushing her. When he was comfortable, he leaned down and took one of her nipples in his mouth. She almost bucked right off the couch, but he held her down with one of his hands as he suckled.

“Oh, god,” Elizabeth moaned, squirming a little under his ministrations. Jason switched sides and lavished the same amount of attention to her other breast.

After a few more minutes, Jason raised himself up and captured her mouth in a soft kiss before pulling away. “You’re so beautiful,” he breathed, kissing the side of her neck.

Elizabeth would have said something but he was pulling her pants off and she was too interested in what came next. She was getting a little antsy. Foreplay was nice and all, but she was becoming way too hot to concentrate anything else but the thought of—

Jason’s finger pushed inside of her, effectively breaking into Elizabeth’s thoughts. He stroked her—soft at first but as her moans got louder and she got closer, he slipped another finger in and kept his eyes on her as she closed her eyes and cried out. “Oh–J–Jason!”

He watched her orgasm wash over her and withdrew her fingers. She whimpered and opened her eyes, her breathing still heavy. “Jason–”

“Hold on,” he told her. “I just have to go upstairs–”

“No, no,” Elizabeth argued. She sat up a little and searched the room desperately. “My purse,” she told him.

He was back in a matter of seconds, but had taken the time to shed his jeans and boxers. The condom was in place when he slid back between her legs. Her legs raised instinctively to cradle him. “Are you sure?” he asked for the first time, meeting her eyes.

She nodded. “Definitely,” she promised. One of her arms was around his neck, the other on his back and Elizabeth moaned as he slid inside of her. “Oh, good lord,” she breathed, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. He thrust inside her again and she raised her hips to meet him. They eventually found a rhythm and she clutched at his back as her second orgasm of the night drew closer.

“Oh, my god,” she moaned. Elizabeth bit her lip and closed her eyes again.

She tried to hold back, tried to wait for him, but it proved impossible. “Sweet leaping Je–sus,” Elizabeth cried out.

He chuckled and thrust once more before finding his release as well. Spent, he collapsed on top of her for a few seconds. He raised his head and brought one of his hands up to push her sweaty hair off her forehead. “So.”

Elizabeth gave him a tired smile. “So.”

“I figure we could go upstairs,” he told her. She frowned when he pulled out of her. He stood and disposed of the condom before holding his hand out to her. Elizabeth stood, a little self-conscious. “Because, you know, you still have two more condoms,” he continued. “And the bed’s a little more comfortable.”

Elizabeth grinned. “Sounds good to me.”

She grabbed her purse and laughed as Jason hooked an arm under knees and swept her into his arms. “Swept right off my feet,” she drawled as he headed for the stairs.

“I knew you were trouble the second I laid eyes on you,” he mused.

Elizabeth sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, thinking she could spend the rest of her life contently wrapped in his arms. “Yeah, well, I don’t think you quite mind the kind of trouble I’m going to cause you.”

The promise in her voice made him grin. “Oh, I think I think we’re going to cause a lot of trouble together.”

“Sounds good to me,” she laughed as he kicked his bedroom door open.

Prompt: Stay

When he’d first followed the tiny VW Bug, Officer Jason Morgan had no idea that he was about to pull over the very irate pregnant wife of the police commissioner, Ric Lansing.

And now her car had quit and Mrs–Miss Webber, he automatically corrected, was very much in labor.

“Okay, just–just stay right there,” Jason told her. He ripped his radio off his belt. “Dispatch, I need bus at my location. Now.”

“What’s the emergency officer?” a crackling voice came back over the static.

“I’ve got a female in labor,” Jason replied. He stepped towards Elizabeth Webber and kneeled in front of her. “How far along are you, ma’am?”

“Eight months,” Elizabeth bit her lip and tightened her hand around her steering wheel. “Oh man, oh man, this really hurts.”

“Keep her calm, officer. Bus is en route. ETA twenty minutes.”

He hooked the radio back on his belt and took a deep breath. “I–I, uh, never been in this situation before Miss Webber. Do–do you know how close you are to delivery?”

“Do I look like a doctor?” she screeched.

“Okay, maybe I should just get you in my car and get you to the hospital myself,” Jason said hesitantly. He reached for her hand. “Miss Webber?”

She took his hand and just as he started to pull her to her feet, another contraction slammed into her and she nearly hit the ground. Jason braced her weight in his arms and kept her standing. “Keep a hold on me, okay?”

Elizabeth nodded fervently and bit her lip as they started to move towards his police car. Jason took his radio back out. “Dispatch, cancel that bus. The female seems to be in advanced labor and I am transporting her to the hospital.”

“Ten-four.”

He settled her in the passenger side of his car just as another contraction ripped through her. “Oh God, they’re coming so fast, that’s not good!” In her pain, she gripped his arm so tightly he nearly yelped. “I don’t think I’m going to make it to the hospital,” Elizabeth whimpered.

“Y-you have to, Miss Webber. I’m not equipped to deliver a baby,” Jason said, panicked.

“M-maybe you should see if the baby’s coming,” Elizabeth suggested.

Jason paled. “Are you kidding me?”

“Do I look like I’m in a position to kid?” Elizabeth demanded. “You’re a cop, you’re supposed to…like help me aren’t you?”

“Uh yeah.” Jason swore under his breath and made a promise to never pull over another female driver for the rest of his career. He reached for her legs and maneuvered them out of the car. “So…I just look right?”

“I don’t know, this is my first kid,” Elizabeth retorted.

“Right, right.” Jason hooked his fingers on the buttons of her jeans and slid the zipper down. “This feels so wrong,” he muttered. He tugged the jeans over her hips.

“Okay, what am I looking for?” Jason asked her, not wanting to look down there unless he absolutely had to.

“A baby’s head,” Elizabeth said with a glare. “Look, this isn’t exactly the my idea of the perfect delivery–you know–a strange man looking at my goodies so why don’t you just cut the shy act and help me, okay?”

“Right.” Jason glanced and closed his eyes. “So I think the kid’s gonna have your hair color.”

Elizabeth blinked. “What?”

“Dark hair I mean…I see the baby,” Jason told her. “Okay, okay…I can do this. I’ve seen it on television, you know?”

“Oh dear God,” Elizabeth wailed. Another contraction wracked her body and she started to cry. “Oh, I really wanted drugs. I want drugs!”

Realizing that he would have to deliver this baby, Jason took a deep breath and yanked her jeans and panties all the way down. He tugged off her sneakers and now she was nude from the waist down. “Okay, I think if you push with the contractions–that’s supposed to help, right?”

“I think so,” Elizabeth grunted.

“So…next one, you’re going to push,” Jason nodded decisively. He reached into his glove compartment and took out a bottle of water. “You want some of this?”

She nodded eagerly reached for it. She downed half the bottle in one thirsty gulp. “This isn’t fair,” she whimpered. “This was supposed to be a happy day with me and Ric and our families and instead I’m on the side of the road with a police officer I don’t even know…”

“Well, Miss Webber, this isn’t my idea of a good day either but I’m going to do my best for you and your baby,” Jason promised her.

“Oh…oh…ow, here it goes again,” Elizabeth moaned.

“Okay, now is a good time to push,” Jason told her. “Go!”

Elizabeth grunted and after a few more minutes, the head pulled through. Jason braced his hands on it, keeping it steady. “The head’s out,” he reported. “Keep pushing, Elizabeth, I hear once the shoulders are out, it’s all down hill from there.”

Her face red and sweaty, Elizabeth gritted her teeth and gave one more push, forcing the baby’s shoulders out. Jason easily slid the rest of the baby’s body out and cradled the slimy little body against his uniform. “It’s a boy,” he told her with a smile as Elizabeth’s son started to wail. “Reminds me of you already.”

Elizabeth’s tears started again in full force as she reached for her son. Jason hesitated. “The umbilical cord,” he told her. “We need to cut it and there’s placenta and stuff, right?”

“Right,” Elizabeth nodded. She sat up and took off her shirt, revealing a tank top underneath. “Here–he needs to stay warm.”

Jason took it from her and wrapped the baby in it. “I need the first aid kit from the glove compartment. “There are some scissors in there.”

A few moments later, he’d cut the cord and the placenta had been disposed off. He managed to get her jeans back on and handed her the baby. “Let’s get you to the hospital.”

—

A few hours later, Jason knocked on her open hospital door. His uniform was gone–replaced by jeans and a t-shirt. “Miss Webber?”

“Officer Morgan,” Elizabeth said with a smile. She had her son in her arms and a pretty brunette was seated next to her. “Emily, this is the cop that delivered Steven.”

“Oh, thank God you were there,” the girl named Emily declared. “The doctors say that both Elizabeth and Steven are in great health.”

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t screw it up,” Jason remarked honestly. “But I think I’ve sworn off female drivers for the rest of my life.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Have you seen your husband yet, ma’am?”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “If that jackass comes within five miles of this room, I’ll kill him. And…call me, Elizabeth?” Her blue eyes sparkled. “After all…you’ve seen me half-naked.”

Prompt: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Furious, she pressed on the gas pedal, spurring her much abused car to leap ahead a little bit.

“No good son of a bitch,” she muttered. She ignored the stop sign and sped ahead, angry words hissing through her teeth like steam rising from a tea kettle. “When I find him, I’ll kill him.”

Ignoring the blares of the horns and the yells of outraged drivers, Elizabeth Webber breezed through a red light.

Predictably, she soon noticed the familiar red flashing lights behind her. “Is there no justice?” she screeched. Pulling the car to a sudden and abrupt halt, the police car behind her was forced to swerve off the road in order to avoid crashing into the back of her ancient hatchback.

She threw the car into park and launched herself out of the car, murder on her mind. “Do you have a problem?” she demanded, hotly.

The police officer threw open his door and stalked towards her, his blue eyes cold as ice. “Have you lost your mind lady?”

“Yes!” Elizabeth threw her hands up in the air. “Yes! Can’t you tell? I only broke a thousand traffic laws back there! Obviously I’m in a hurry!”

“You were going fifty in a twenty, you lunatic,” the officer growled. “You ran three stop signs and two red lights. Where the hell are you going in such a hurry?”

“To take a baseball bat to my husband’s knees,” Elizabeth hissed. She reached inside her car and withdrew the object in question. A good old fashioned wooden bat. The officer took a step back and she rolled her eyes. “Oh, please, the only person I’m going to be injuring is that fuck ass.”

He reached forward and grasped the bat. “Give me it,” he directed.

“No.” She yanked it back. “That son of a bitch is going to know pain when I’m done with him!”

“Okay, okay.” He set his notepad on the top of her car. “Look, I can see that you’re very angry but that’s no reason to put the lives of everyone else on road at risk.”

Elizabeth hesitated, her eyes darting back to the last intersection she’d just come through. “Sorry.”

“Well…sorry’s not going to be good enough.” The officer reached behind him and she paled, seeing he was going for his handcuffs.

“Look, okay maybe I was a little out of hand, you know? I was pissed–a-and just going on instinct.” Elizabeth set the baseball bat down on the road. “I’ll take the ticket, the fine whatever–”

“I’m sorry, Mrs.–”

“Miss Webber, I didn’t take his name,” she retorted. Taking a deep breath. “Okay, I know I’m probably guilty of reckless driving and all of that good stuff and you have every right to be mad at me because I’ve been acting like a serious madwoman but really–there’s no need to…” she swallowed hard, her eyes trained on the silver bracelet-shaped objects in his hands.

“It’s the law–”

“He’s been cheating on me,” Elizabeth said desperately, “And it’s with my sister, you know? I mean, that’s going to piss anyone off, right?”

“Well, yeah–”

“And it’s been going on since before we were married. And that’s like five years we’re talking about,” Elizabeth continued, her words coming quickly, her face becoming flushed from the strain. “Seriously, if you run my license and my name–I have no tickets, no record, really.”

With a sigh, the officer tucked the cuffs back into his pocket and pulled the cap off his head, wiping his forehead with his forearm. “Here’s what I’m going to do, Miss Webber. I’m going to take your word on it. You don’t seem like the type to do this kind of driving normally, okay? Just…do me a favor and go home.”

Elizabeth sighed and ran her hands through her hair, the sides of her bulk coat parting, revealing her to be in an advanced state of pregnancy. “I don’t have a home,” she muttered.

“I’m sorry–what?”

“I don’t have a home,” Elizabeth bit out, her eyes flashing. “He locked me out of the house.”

“Okay, we’ll just get a locksmith–”

“You obviously don’t know who my husband is–” her eyes flicked down to the little name tag beneath his badge, “–Officer Morgan.”

Officer Jason Morgan frowned. He knew from the moment she’d leapt out of the car that she’d looked familiar. “Oh, shit.”

“Yeah,” Elizabeth agreed with a bemused smile. “You probably know him.”

“Commissioner Richard Lansing,” they said together.

“Okay…” Jason cocked his head to the side. “Okay, so what about a friend’s house?”

“The only friend I had in this godforsaken town was my sister–and if I go there, you’d better believe someone’s not coming out.”

“Well…we’ve got another problem.” He gestured to where her car had just conked out. She’d left it running but it had just…stopped. With a loud huff.

“Oh…no…” Elizabeth sat down, her legs dangling into the street. She turned the ignition off and then tried to start again. “Come on–ow!”

Concerned he started forward at her outcry of pain. “Are you okay?”

“Must be Murphy’s Law,” Elizabeth said through clenched teeth. She took a few deep breaths. “You know–where everything that can go wrong…will go wrong?”

“Yeah?”

“My water just broke.”

“Oh. Well…shit.”

Timeline & Inspiration

Set vaguely after Elizabeth left the penthouse in 2002, like close to the end of the year in November or December but it’s not really important. This was written as Canvas Flash Fiction Challenge, written in 60 minutes. The prompt was: Power is the ability to walk away from something you desire to protect someone you love. It’s kind of crazy to look back and see how much shorter my Flash Fiction 60 minute entries were. I’m much faster now, LOL.

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“I’m sorry.”

“Goodbye.”

They were words that had ceased to have meaning for Elizabeth Webber. She’d heard them so many times over the past three years. From her parents. From her friends. From everyone in her life.

Her mother was sorry they missed her ballet recital–Sarah had to go shopping for her Homecoming dress. Her father was sorry he’d missed the concert in which she had a Christmas solo–Steven had a ice hockey game.

Her parents were always sorry when they passed her over for Sarah and Steven. They were always apologetic and they tried to find ways to make it up to her. Mostly through gifts and money.

Material possessions and money became the way Elizabeth measured her parents love. The more she received, the more they loved her. It didn’t matter that they never said they loved her or that they were always too busy with Sarah and Steven to really care about her.

They’d said goodbye when leaving her at the Johnsons. They’d been offered the chance of a lifetime–to take care of soldiers in Bosnia. They’d always wanted to make a difference. Steven was in college by the time this happened, Sarah a senior in high school and Elizabeth a sophomore.

They’d only be gone a year–they’d keep in touch.

She didn’t see them again. A year in Bosnia led to one in Switzerland which led to two in Russia. After that, they decided they preferred Europe and were going to stay. Steven and Sarah decided they preferred Europe as well.

Elizabeth Webber lived alone in a cold and drafty studio. Her only family–her grandmother Audrey Hardy—had a massive coronary on Christmas Eve and died in the early hours of December 27.

She had no one else in the small town of Port Charles, save for a few friends and a couple of former friends.

She’d been sitting at Audrey’s bedside when she heard the news that Brenda Barrett and Jasper Jacks had fled the jurisdiction. Jax couldn’t be prosecuted for the murder of Luis Alcazar and Brenda wouldn’t have to testify.

She’d been making the funeral arrangements for Audrey when the murder charges were dropped and the divorce for both Jax and Brenda came through. Skye had a change of heart or something along those lines and had granted the divorce. Jason Morgan signed the divorce papers when it became clear Brenda wasn’t returning.

She was packing up Audrey’s house when she heard that Courtney Quartermaine was pregnant.

And that was the final piece of news that sealed her decision. Courtney Quartermaine was pregnant and she’d been sleeping with Jason for a little over a month. She said the baby was his.

It didn’t matter that even Elizabeth could tell the other woman was lying–that she couldn’t be sure if AJ or Jason were the father.

Jason didn’t think so. He believed Courtney.

Carly Corinthos had decided that she didn’t want Courtney and Jason together after all and came to tell Elizabeth that Sonny had blown a gasket when Courtney turned up pregnant. He’d all but ordered Jason to marry Courtney.

Carly told Elizabeth that Jason had argued very logically that the baby could be AJ’s. And Sonny had countered with a threat.

Carly had filed for divorce and came to tell Elizabeth that she was sorry for the way she’d treated her after Sonny had faked his death. Carly said that Elizabeth had had a right to know.

She asked Elizabeth if there was anyway to change Elizabeth’s mind–if maybe she’d try and give Jason another chance.

Elizabeth explained very simply that she couldn’t do that. She confided that she still loved Jason very much, but he was no longer the man she’d fallen in love with. The man that never would have slept with Courtney while they were each still married. The man that would never have let Sonny Corinthos order him around.

She couldn’t give their relationship another chance. No matter how much she loved Jason, she wouldn’t allow herself to settle for a shadow of the man he’d used to be.

She’d done that once before and it hadn’t worked out. She wouldn’t compromise who she was again.

She’d walked away from something she desired to protect someone she loved.

Herself.

And she wasn’t going to turn around.

The day Jason Morgan married for the second time, Elizabeth Webber got a flight to Venice, Italy.

Timeline & Inspiration

This was a response to the Flash Fiction challenges at The Canvas in October 2002. The prompt was “missing in action” and is set very shortly after Elizabeth left the penthouse in October 2002. She was pulled briefly into the Spencer drama where Luke had disappeared following Laura’s breakdown, and Lucky was trying to find him.

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Elizabeth Webber shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she stood at a pay phone on the docks. She’d been on hold for ten minutes and had already had to feed more money into the machine. “Come on,” she muttered.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jason stalking towards her and she grimaced. He must have found out what she was up to. Knowing it wouldn’t do any good, she turned her body away to give her more time.

“Yes. I need two bus tickets to Atlantic City. Right. Atlantic–yes, tonight. As soon as possible–directly–” the phone was jerked out of her hands and she was roughly turned around.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

She raised an eyebrow. “It’s a little late to be interested in my activities, don’t you think?”

He didn’t even flinch. “That’s a low blow.”

“Too bad,” Elizabeth snapped. She turned back to the phone, already digging in her pocket for more money. She really needed a cell phone. “How’d you find out anyway?”

“One of the waitresses at Kelly’s,” Jason replied.

Elizabeth turned back around and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because Marisa would just jumping to tell you I was leaving town. How’d you really find out?”

“One of the waitresses came up to Courtney and told her.”

“Oh, you were with Courtney. There’s a surprise,” Elizabeth remarked. “Do you have a problem with me leaving or something? Because it’s a little late to act like you give a damn.”

“Elizabeth, you can’t just go to Atlantic City with Lucky Spencer to…” Jason stopped. “Why are you going with Lucky?”

Elizabeth frowned. “Wait a second. You’re all worked up just because I’m going with Lucky…not because we’re going to look for Luke?”

“You’re looking for Luke,” Jason repeated. “Are you insane?”

“No,” Elizabeth said, defensively. “You know what? Go back to Courtney. The big bad stalker’s probably attacking her at this second.”

“That’s not funny,” Jason said, his expression dark.

“I think it’s hysterical,” Elizabeth muttered. She began fishing through her purse. “I know I have change in here somewhere… You know what really irritates me? You guard her personally. That’s what so infuriating. I get shot at, my life’s actually in danger and you stick me in a penthouse, but aww…Skipper gets a little scared by some heavy breathing and there goes Super Jase–off to save the day!”

“What are you talking about?” Jason demanded. “Are you jealous?”

She looked up from her purse, her eyes blazing. “Jealous? Jealous? You self-centered pig!” She put the purse on the ledge of the pay phone and shoved at him. He didn’t move an inch, but she got her point across. “You think I’d be jealous of that little…that little twit?” she raged.

“Then what’s wrong?” Jason asked, throwing his arms up in frustration. “You’re not making sense!”

“Why are you the only one that can protect her?” Elizabeth demanded. “Why does she get you when I got a nameless guard? What? Does she mean more? Are you in love with her? You sleeping with her? Was AJ actually right?”

“You know you don’t really think that.”

“Then why does Courtney get your personal attention? Why?” Elizabeth asked. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. You’re not my boyfriend–and I don’t give a damn how you spend your time.” She grabbed her purse and stalked away.

He followed her and grabbed her arm. “You can’t just go searching for a fugitive, Elizabeth.”

She whirled around and shoved him again. “You know what, Jason? Go to hell! The only reason you care is because I’m doing something that doesn’t involve you! You’re the one who’s jealous–you came here all upset at me because I’m going somewhere with Lucky–and then you go and accuse me of being jealous of Courtney? Make up your damn mind!”

“That’s not it and you know it. Don’t you know how dangerous–”

“Oh, shut up!” she groaned. “I don’t think looking for Lucky’s father is any more dangerous than being with you, so just save your breath and go back to Courtney. I’m sure she saw her shadow or something.”

“Will you stop that?”

“Stop what?” Elizabeth demanded. “Jason, it’s too late to act like you care about who I see and who I’m with. You had your shot and you blew it. You’re the one who never called, who never came home, who let me worry for no good reason.”

“We’re back to that?”

Elizabeth was positively hysterical with rage now. “You knew I was worried sick–you knew I was scared for you and you let me sit in that penthouse wondering if you were dead or alive while you and Sonny were out there perpetuating a lie, so don’t act like you’re innocent. This was never about Sonny faking his death and you not telling me–this was about you making me feel like I was worth next to shit in your life. Well, you know what? I’m through–I’m through waiting around for you to wake up and see what you’re missing–you let me walk away so you deal with that. I have some phone calls to make.”

He let go of her arm and stepped back. “Just…just be careful.”

The anger seemed to drain out of her body as she just stared at him. “You really are an idiot aren’t you?”

“What did I do now?” he asked, irritated.

“You always do this!” she cried. “You make me think you care and then you just stop–you shut down. What is wrong with you?”

“What? I’ve made it clear I don’t agree with this–but you’re going to do what you want anyway!”

“Damn right I am, but–” Elizabeth just stopped and shook her head. “Fine. Just remember something–when you’re done protecting Courtney and taking care of Carly and doing what Sonny tells you…and you go home to that empty penthouse of yours…remember that it’s no one’s fault but your own.” She turned around then and stalked away.