Prompt - Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk
What You Need To Know – Everything holds true until the morning after the blackout. Jason refused to forgive Sam and did not reunite with her. Lucky tried everything to get Elizabeth to understand why he did what he did, but she had already decided that enough was enough. She found out that she was pregnant and Lucky and Jason both 'accidentally' found out. She kept quiet until the paternity test and then told them the truth. Lucky cut his ties with her (it was not an amicable parting) and Jason stepped up. Everything else will be told in the story.
A Case of the Gimme's
The wrapping paper up on the top shelf mocked him every time he opened the closet door, reminding him that he had two days left until Christmas and had somehow still not found a gift for Elizabeth.
Jason sighed as he pulled a sweater out of his closet and quickly shut the door on the leering cellophane wrap. (Could cellophane leer?) Two days left. Well, not even. The hospital's Christmas party was tomorrow, so that entire day would be shot wandering the halls with Cameron while Elizabeth worked, trying to dodge his parents and so on. Christmas Eve would be spent reading Cameron stories about an old man that stuffed himself down chimney flues once a year and keeping Spinelli from setting the tree on fire with his joints and then, if he was extremely fortunate, the later hours would be spent curled up on the couch in front of the fire with Elizabeth.
But at this rate, he wasn't going to hold his breath.
The gift had to be perfect, and that was why he'd spent so damn long procrastinating. He'd given her gifts before, but never a real, honest-to-goodness Christmas gift. He'd given her a piece of red glass, a postcard, a baseball bat (a baseball bat? What was he thinking?!), and a leather jacket. In fact, the leather jacket was probably the closest he'd ever gotten to a real gift.
He could have asked Sonny, but his best friend would undoubtedly turn the whole thing into a huge production. Sonny knew first-hand that Jason had been thrilled to learn Elizabeth's child was his; he was the only one that knew that the night of the blackout hadn't been about just sex.
Jason Morgan had fallen for Elizabeth Webber that night in the dimly lit penthouse. And he'd fallen hard.
Perhaps he was fated to exist this way – trapped in a state of fin amour with no reciprocation. This was the second time that he'd fallen this hard for Elizabeth, knowing the whole while that she didn't return his feelings. The two of them were stuck in a cycle, and he hoped – fervently, desperately hoped – that this time would be different. They'd be a family this time.
Elizabeth just didn't know that yet.
He passed Spinelli's room and was relieved when he didn't hear any of his houseguest's college rock or smell any pot. If he could get out of the penthouse without being stopped by the little chaser, he'd be good.
He had to be at Elizabeth's apartment in exactly twenty minutes. He'd show up, grab Cameron as Elizabeth headed off to work, and the two of them would spend the day together. Elizabeth had been thrilled when Jason offered the little boy a respite from the crowded daycare center at GH, not knowing that the enforcer had ulterior motives. If anyone knew what his mother wanted, it would be Cameron. And Jason wasn't above admitting that he'd happily take advantage of a little boy to get to his mother's heart.
He descended the steps quickly and grabbed his jacket and his keys, now trying to imagine what information Cameron would feed him. Did his mom want jewelry? New art supplies? A cashmere blanket or a new dress? A trip abroad? What?
Jason shook his head briskly, growing frustrated with himself. He hadn't ever spent this much time and effort worrying about presents. It had been different before. With Robin, it was much different. She never wanted anything from him, and when he did buy her gifts, they were spontaneous and heartfelt. He knew she wasn't after the latest fashion trends and she didn't care about the number on the price tag. She just appreciated the thought, just like Elizabeth.
Carly, Courtney and Sam were different. They had ruined gift-buying for him. For Carly, gifts had to be flashy. Fur coats, matching cell phones, a new car, and the list went on. The good thing about her was that she usually told him what she wanted, leaving him with the single responsibility of signing the check. And even when she didn't tell him, all he had to do was go to Wyndham's and ask for the most expensive thing they had and he couldn't go wrong.
For Courtney, the gifts had to be frequent. She didn't demand that they be expensive, just that they be presented to her at regular intervals. He could get away with a stuffed animal first and an tennis bracelet later; she was fine as long as he kept presenting her with little items that showed her she was always on his mind.
Sam had been a combination of the two. Growing up poor and on the run had taught her that all that glittered was indeed gold – and what was more, she wanted it. She expected regular gifts, and expensive ones. Usually, she just took him shopping and pointed to everything she wanted, and all he had to do was swipe his card through the machine. This happened about once every two weeks, and he had never in his entire life loathed anything more than those bi-monthly trips to the New York department stores.
Elizabeth, like Robin, wasn't impressed with such things. She never had been. She'd been thrilled with the postcard, made ecstatic by the glass, and hell, she even loved the baseball bat. His money didn't impress her, which was a double-edged sword. It meant that he had to work twice as hard to actually impress her.
She had told him once that he was the most original gift-giver she knew, but that wasn't going to help him this time around. He couldn't come up with a damn thing. Everything was either too big or too small, too flashy or too banal, too cheesy or too bizarre. And this year's gift had to be absolutely perfect – it had to be.
She had given him a baby for Christmas. He had to give her something special as well, and while nothing would quite compare with the pattering feet soon to be in his penthouse, he had to at least try. His gift had to show her, in all the ways he couldn't, that he wanted her. That he wanted her to be with him and he wanted to raise their children together and he wanted everything she could give him and more.
He only hoped that Cameron would know what that something was.
"Going somewhere?"
Jason cringed when he heard Spinelli and looked over his shoulder. Sure enough, the kid was just coming out of the kitchen with some kind of breakfast pastry in his hand and he was spewing crumbs everywhere. Damn kid. "What the hell are you eating?"
"Pop-tart," came the instant answer, and Spinelli broke off a piece for him. "Want to try some? Here – bite. Bite. Bite?"
Jason shook his head, pulling away when Spinelli tried to cram it in his mouth. "No – no, stop that. Aren't you supposed to be at the coffee shop today? I thought Sonny put you to work."
"Oh, Mister Corinthos-Sir did," he nodded, wolfing down half the tart in one go. "But then I installed Zork Zero on his office computer during my lunch break so I could, you know, bash the crud out of Lord Dimwit Flathead the Excessive and stuff, but then the whole thing spazzed out and I ended up deleting his delivery schedule for the next two months and he kicked me out. He told me to go help you for a week."
He was going to kill him. It was settled: Sonny would die.
"I don't need any help," Jason said firmly, pocketing his keys.
"He said to follow you around, be your shadow" Spinelli recited, and Jason had the sick feeling that his best friend was trying to pay him back for unleashing the Jackal on their organization. "So I'm all yours – do with me what you will."
"Tempting," Jason muttered, pulling a few bills out of his wallet and shoving them into Spinelli's hand. "Here – go see a Star War or something."
But he just pocketed the bills and looked up at him with that sick, puppy dog look of total adoration – really, that was getting damn annoying – and shook his head. "No can do, Stone Cold. I was told by Mister Corinthos-Sir to follow you around and learn stuff. Teach me, Master. I am an empty vessel."
"At least you admit it," Jason muttered, watching sullenly as the kid grabbed his jacket and shrugged into it. "But if you're going to follow me, there are a few rules."
"Rule away, your Highness."
"One, I don't want to hear you. You keep your mouth shut and only speak when I speak to you. Two, I don't want to see you. You walk behind me at all times. Three, I'm…picking up Cameron so you better be on your best behavior. No swearing or talking about hacking or offering him pot-"
"Oh, we're going to Nightingale's place?" Spinelli's face lit up instantly as Jason's expression soured. "Dude! Yes! I love her place – did you know she always has Snickerdoodles in the cookie jar? Last time I was there, I ate, like, twenty of them-"
"No cookies," Jason added, pushing Spinelli out the door. "That's rule number four."
From the minute he had met Port Charles's resident sweetheart, Damien Spinelli had been smitten. Elizabeth Webber was delicate, sweet, mild-mannered, accomplished, compassionate, funny, and clean – needless to say, there weren't many women like her in Spinelli's circles.
He followed her around like a puppy, practically drooling as she told him about the day's events at the hospital, and listened intently to all of her stories. The only time Jason saw Spinelli actually shut his mouth was when he was around Elizabeth. And Elizabeth in turn adored Spinelli. She doted on him, was always pushing him to eat something, and was forever straightening his collar and brushing his hair. She was sweet, tender, and affectionate. And Jason was jealous.
Even now, he watched Spinelli fidget as they came to a stop in front of Elizabeth's door. He reached out and knocked before Jason could and continued to fidget, completely oblivious to the enforcer's glare. And when the door opened, his eyes lit up and he was in through the threshold before Jason could pull him back.
"Spinelli, hi," Elizabeth beamed, ushering the two men inside. "I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been? How's work at the coffee shop?"
"I was fired from Sonnybucks," the kid answered apologetically, almost as if Elizabeth was the one he had disappointed when he deleted those delivery schedules. "I have to work for Jason now."
"Poor thing," Elizabeth clucked, smirking at her friend. "Don't work him to death, Jason."
"No promises," he muttered, tempted to biff Spinelli over the head as the young man stared back at him. "How are you? Is – Is the baby okay? Everything okay?"
"Everything's great," Elizabeth smiled back. It was one of those bright, sunny, superficial smiles she always used when she knew she had to be nice but was unsure of how to act. He hated that she felt that way around him sometimes, but he understood. For all Elizabeth knew, he was only interested in her for the sake of the baby and he'd never feel anything for her beyond that. That was exactly what Lucky had yelled right in the middle of the sixth floor at General Hospital, too, before Jason had chased him down and taught him some manners.
And he, in his own ineptness, had been unable to do anything to change her mind. He wasn't too great with words to begin with, and something told him that she wouldn't quite believe him if he started making grand declarations so soon after being told he was the father. He was on dangerous ground and needed to tread carefully.
"You boys eat breakfast yet? I've got….let's see, a few stale donuts and some cereal. Spinelli?"
"He's fine," Jason answered firmly. "He had a Tart-Pop. He doesn't need – hey!"
But Spinelli had already opened up a box of Cocoa Crispies and crammed his hand into the thing and was munching away happily. "What?" he asked around a mouthful of puffed rice. "I'm hungry. And you don't feed me. He doesn't feed me, Nightingale. He just gives me a cup of gruel for the day and locks me in my room."
"Poor baby," Elizabeth clucked absently as she picked up her purse and coat. Across the kitchen, Jason was already planning his housemate's terrible demise. "Steal his hair gel and hold it for ransom – demand a steak dinner at the Metrocourt or something."
Spinelli's eyes lit up as Jason turned around to stare at her. "You don't like the gel either? Score! One more for my global war on gunk!"
"The gel's gotta go," Elizabeth agreed seriously, giving Jason such a studied, assessing look that he felt like a hog being inspected at the town fair. "The long hair's fine, but he overdoes it with the gel."
Treating her hen-pecked friend to her saucy trademark smirk, Elizabeth wrapped her scarf around her neck and turned around. "Cameron! Come on, honey, Mommy's going to be late! Come on out!"
"Coming," they heard her four-year-old yell back, and in a minute he was charging down the hall. "Jason!"
"Hey, bud," Jason grinned, catching the little boy and scooping him up into his arms. Cameron laughed and squirmed as Elizabeth tried to get his arms into his coat. "Boy, you're getting big. Here – let me do that. You wanna put on your coat?"
Elizabeth let go and watched Jason help Cameron into his down jacket. Her son struggled with the zipper so Jason held it for him and let him pull the tab up all by himself.
"You ready to spend the day with me?" Jason asked, tickling the boy's tummy.
"Yeah!" Cameron cheered, pumping his small fists in the air. "Les'go!"
"Not so fast, Mister," Elizabeth chided. "First – mittens. Here." Jason helped Cameron slip his hands into them and adjusted the boy's knit cap. "Second – vitamin. Open. There."
"Way to go, Charlie Brown," Spinelli hooted, slapping high-fives with the toddler. "You ready to go have some fun? Let's go see what Uncle Stone Cold has planned, huh? Better yet," he added, turning to Jason, "why don't you and Peanuts go whoop it up and I'll go to work with Nightingale, go all Grey's Anatomy on everyone's collective butts. What do you think?"
"I think you'd better get down to the car right now," Jason growled, jerking his head toward the door. "Go."
Spinelli made a face at Cameron to make him laugh then said goodbye to Elizabeth before ducking out. Jason let out an exasperated sigh as soon as the kid was out of sight, causing Cameron to once again let out a little laugh. The enforcer's expression softened into a little smirk and he tossed the boy up in the air, caught him, and then slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes as the toddler hollered and squealed with glee.
Elizabeth smiled and brushed Cameron's curls out of his face before looking up at Jason. His eyes twinkled with warmth and her smile grew as she gently put a hand on his shoulder and steered him into the hall, locking up behind her.
"So, what are we gonna do today?" Spinelli asked as he helped secure Cameron into his booster seat. "Skee-ball? Story hour at the library? Underwater basket weaving at the Y?"
Jason ignored him and looked down at Cameron. "Hey, buddy. I need your help on something."
"What, Jason?" he asked, chewing on a cookie that his mother had tucked into his pocket.
"Yeah, what?" Spinelli parroted. "And how come a four-year-old Peanut is more qualified to help than the Jackal? I once hacked into the JFK assassination files, I'll have you know! I executed a fire drill at the CIA from over two hundred miles away!"
"I don't need help getting into jail," Jason glowered at the kid. "Now sit and eat that cookie I know you stole from Elizabeth's."
Spinelli pouted but did as he was told, producing a Snickerdoodle from under his beanie. Together, he and Cameron munched and listened.
"Do you know when Christmas is?"
"Not tomorrow," Cameron answered instantly. "It's the day after that."
"That's right," Jason nodded. "Do you like Christmas, Cam?"
The boy nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I gets presents, and Mommy lets me stay up and drink apple cider."
"That's right," Jason repeated. "You get lots of presents, don't you?" He continued, encouraged, when the boy nodded emphatically. "Do you ever get Mommy a present?"
Cameron's brows furrowed as he thought. "I'm not supposed to say – Gram said it was a sup-rise."
"That's okay, you don't have to tell me," Jason assured him. "But that's my problem, bud. I haven't gotten your mom a present yet."
Spinelli's jaw dropped and he let out a loud whooping laugh. "You mean you didn't get her anything? Oh, man, are you screwed! Even I got her something."
Jason looked over at him, slowly, stealthily. "What did you get her?"
And suddenly, Spinelli was very nervous. He frowned slightly at Jason, not at all convinced that the mobster wouldn't kill him for the pink scarf, hat and mitten set he'd found in one of the Port Charles boutiques for his favorite Nightingale. "Uh…a never-before-released copy of Blood Monolith with 3-D gore effects?"
Jason scoffed and turned back to Cameron, who was regarding him curiously. "You didn't get Mommy anything?"
"Nope."
The boy tilted his head to the side, willing to give the older man another chance. "Did you wanna get her something?"
"Yeah, I did."
That was good enough for him and Cameron nodded. "Kay."
"But that's where I need your help," Jason persisted. "I want to get your mom something that she would really like – something that would make her smile. Do you think you can help, Cam?"
"Something that makes her smile?" he repeated slowly, his brows once again furrowed in thought.
"Yeah," Jason nodded as the car pulled to a stop in front of Wyndham's. "Do you know what makes her smile?"
The boy thought about it for a long moment and finally nodded, turning to Jason with a cheeky little grin. "I think so."
"Jason, you sure about this?"
The enforcer tugged on his ear as he and Max watched Cameron and Spinelli run amok through the gigantic wing at Wyndham's dedicated to children's toys. "I thought I was."
"Jason, I found it!" Cameron called, waving gleefully at his babysitter for the day, and Jason and Max exchanged glances.
"Worth a shot," Jason muttered, leading the way over to the two kids as Max followed, making a mental note not to ever take Christmas tips from a toddler. "What've you got there, bud?"
"Chuggin' Charlie," the boy replied, sitting happily astride a little train.
"Dude, these are only the hottest toys this season," Spinelli made sure to inform him. "You'd better get it quick before someone here steals it out from under Peanut's tush. Keep your eye on the lady with the blue hair – I don't trust her."
Max frowned at the patron in question. "She's gotta be eighty years old."
"The older they get, the meaner," Spinelli shrugged, ducking just in time to escape Jason's swift palm. "Ooh, hey! Look – a Chuggin' Charlie conductor's whistle! You like this, Peanut?"
Cameron thought about it for a while and then shook his head. "No. It's too noisy. But this is good. Mommy will love this, Jason."
The enforcer did his best to conceal a smile, but he didn't think he was completely successful. "You sure? This is what Mommy wants for Christmas?"
Cameron nodded, his eyes wide and bright. "Yup!"
Jason just shook his head, amused. "All right, then we're getting it." It was a good thing, too, because he wasn't good with kids' toys and hadn't known what to get Cam, either. And if the little boy had taken such a shining to the train, that was exactly what he'd find under the Christmas tree in the morning.
"Do you think there might be anything else?" he persisted, handing the train over to Max as he and Spinelli took the little boy's hands. "Is there something else we should get her?"
Cameron nodded firmly. "Yes. I'll show you – this way."
With that, he pulled his little hands free of theirs and took off down the aisle with Spinelli on his heels.
"Boss, can I ask you a question?" Max asked hesitantly as they followed the kids.
Jason slid him a sidelong look. "You're going to ask anyway, so you might as well."
Max nodded as they came to a stop in front of the two boys who were now holding up a very large racecar set and looking up at the enforcer with pleading eyes. "Did you really think you were going to get anywhere with this whole thing?"
"And I want that, too," Cameron announced, pointing at a large pink stuffed bunny that was almost as tall as he was. "And the pony. Mommy likes ponies."
"Bun-bun and Heigh-Ho Silver, Away," Spinelli responded, pointing the two out to the clerks who followed them around and assisted in the shopping experience of one of their most affluent customers. "Check. What's next, Charlie Brown?"
Jason glanced at the toys and animals that practically spilled out over the edges of the shopping carts the two clerks pushed. Pretty soon, they'd need rope to keep it all together. "Don't you think we've got enough?"
"Mommy wants more," Cameron answered simply, and Jason didn't quite have the heart to put an end to the little boy's shopping spree. There was no reason why they couldn't have some fun today for Cameron's sake; he'd find something for Elizabeth later, even if it meant scouring the city until dawn.
"How about this Lego set?" Spinelli asked, pointing to the box on display, but Cameron shook his head.
"You can eat the small parts," he said simply. "And that's bad. Ooh – let's get the rocking horse, Jason! Mommy will love it!"
"I'm sure she will," he murmured, too amused with the little boy's idea to spend in Mommy's name to say anything else.
"Gimme that one," Cameron was saying to Spinelli as he pointed to a large furry blue animal with three eyes sitting next to a many-tentacled feathered thing. "Monsters are scary - we have to have a funny monster."
"Got it, little dude," Spinelli replied, carrying the load himself.
"Can we get that kitchen, Jason?" he asked next, tugging on his pant leg as he pointed to a kid-size kitchen model. "That looks really fun."
"Sure," Jason nodded, making sure the clerks noted it down. "You done, you think?"
Cameron looked back at his newly acquired possessions and thought carefully. "Maybe a little more. I think Mommy wants a little more."
"Stone Cold," Spinelli whined, dragging his feet down the corridor. "I'm hungry. I want to eat."
"You'll eat when I say you can eat," Jason replied absently, frowning at the jewelry that the nervous clerk was piling up in front of him. All of it was wrong.
Spinelli glared at his back and then looked down at Cameron, who had remained remarkably quiet and patient during the past hour that Jason had spent looking at jewelry and other womanly things. He crouched down next to the kid and whispered in his ear, then gave him a little push toward Jason.
Cameron tugged on Jason's pant leg. "Jason? I'm hungee."
That got the mobster's attention. "Okay, bud. I'm sorry it's taking so long. We'll get lunch now, okay? Where do you want to go?"
Cameron, who really wasn't that hungry, didn't quite know what to make of that question so he turned to Spinelli for guidance. His mentor didn't fail and whispered in his ear, "Say Big Al's All You Can Eat Shrimp Buffet."
The boy nodded and tugged on Jason's pants again. "I wanna go to Big Al's All You Can Feet Chimp Buffet."
Jason stiffened at the answer and turned slowly, glaring at Spinelli. "You're not allowed to talk to him anymore."
Spinelli rolled his eyes skyward and collapsed on the tiles, much to the horror of the clerks, and Jason sighed. Waving away the jeweler, he scooped Cameron up into his arms and resisted the urge to step on Spinelli's rib cage.
"Okay, guys. How does pizza sound?"
"I wish we could do this every day," Spinelli sighed happily, finishing off the last of his cheesy sticks as Cameron slurped up his soda.
"Me, too!" the little boy cheered, making Jason smile. "This was fun. We got so much stuff for Mommy."
Jason smirked. For Mommy. That just killed him. Cameron really was his father's son – only a hundred times more likable. And much smarter.
"Can we go to the arcade?" Spinelli wanted to know. "I want to see if Peanut's any good at Dance!Dance!Revolution."
"No."
"If you take us, I promise I won't show Nightingale the pictures I have of you shaving your chest hair."
Jason whirled around and stared at the teenager who looked back at him with sweet, innocent eyes. "I hope you like the gift I got you, because this is going to be your last Christmas."
And just like that, Spinelli's eyes lit up. "Dude! You got me a gift?!"
Jason shifted uncomfortably. "I might have."
Cameron let out a disgruntled oomph when Spinelli leaned over him and wrapped his arms around Jason's shoulders, giving him a tight bear hug. "I knew you loved me!"
"If you don't sit your ass down on that seat in the next two seconds, I'm going to shoot you right in front of him," Jason barked, glaring at Spinelli when he finally sat back. The damn kid had made him break two of his own rules – no swearing or mention of the profession in front of Cameron.
"You love me," Spinelli smiled from across the limo.
Jason frowned at him, then looked out the window. "Don't talk to me."
"Jason! Stop! Stop the car!" Cameron yelled out, pointing toward the street. "Look! Balloons!"
And sure enough, they were passing a balloon and card shop. Max glanced in the rearview and Jason shrugged, so he pulled over to the curb.
"Can we go in?" Cameron wanted to know. "Please, Jason? Can me and Pisnelli go?"
"Sure," he sighed, reaching for his wallet and handing a few bills over to Spinelli. "Get him his balloons and then get back here. No going anywhere else, you got me?"
"Don't take Nightingale's son into the strip club two shops down, got it," Spinelli replied as he helped Cameron out of his seat. "Come on, Peanut."
"I hope he wasn't too much trouble," Elizabeth said, biting her lip as Cameron tried to get out of his heavy winter jacket.
"He was a very good boy," Jason smiled at Cameron before glancing at his other charge. "He could have taught Pisnelli a thing or two."
The boy scowled. "I told you, stop calling me that! Only the Peanut gets to call me that!"
"Whatever you say, Pisnelli."
Elizabeth tried to hold back her laughter as she watched the two interact. Spinelli really did bring out the younger – and by younger, she meant childish – side of Jason. "So you guys had fun? What did you do?"
"It was a top-secret mission," Spinelli announced, saving Jason the trouble of coming up with a plausible fib. "Right, Peanut?"
Cameron grinned brightly. "Right. We can't tell you yet, Mommy."
"That's no fair," Elizabeth replied, plucking the boy's wool cap off his head and tossing it up into the closet. "I want to know."
"You'll find out on Christmas," Cameron told her, grinning at Jason and Spinelli. "You have to wait!"
"Fine, fine," Elizabeth pretended to grouse as the two men lingered in the doorway. "Thank you so much for hanging out with Cam today, you two. He really enjoyed himself, didn't you, honey?"
He nodded seriously. "Thank you, Jason."
"Anytime, bud," Jason smiled back. "Come on, we should be going. I'll – I'll see you at the hospital's Christmas party tomorrow, right?"
"I sure hope so," she smirked back. "Wouldn't be much of a party without you two. Cam and I will both be waiting for you."
Jason nodded, treating her to one of his rare, shy, boyish grins. "Okay."
Next to him, Spinelli shifted his weight from one foot to another as he watched the two of them exchange looks and then Jason was pushing him out into the hall. "Goodnight, Elizabeth."
"I'll see you around, Jason. Bye, Spinelli. Thank you."
"Bye, Jason! Bye, Pisnelli!"
Spinelli waited until the door was shut and they were halfway down the stairs before giving the enforcer a shot in the arm. "Dude, you totally should have kissed her! She was waiting for you to do it!"
Jason stared at him as if he'd sprouted a second head. "No, she wasn't."
The boy rolled his eyes. "I can't believe it – the Jackal has more girly-know-how than Stone Cold. I don't know how to tell you this, man, but you're a legend at PCU – you're a god. And I know more than you? That's just wrong!"
"Just keep walking or I'll push you down the stairs," Jason muttered, quickening his pace and leaving the young man behind.