Elizabeth and Jason are trying to navigate being a teen and dealing with their families when their lives intersect. Secrets surround them and when they are finally revealed, it sets their life on a completely different course. AU

A/N – Well this one is angsty with a very slow build. Jason and Elizabeth are in high school and while I do use a lot of GH history, I mixed it up a lot to give it a new spin. Hope you like it. For now, I'm posting Tuesday and Friday.

Chapter 1

With picturesque mountains and quaintness only felt in small neighborhoods with big hearts, Hilldale Virginia is in a charming neck of the woods surrounded by the most beautiful horizon around. The Shenandoah River runs through the county and there are also many caverns to explore. Main Street is a hangout for the high school kids and there are plenty of outdoor activities for those so inclined. For an artist, its beautiful surroundings are inspirational. Even if you don't get into that sort of thing, there are some days that the view will take your breath away.

The main part of town is small, with older buildings, some of which have seen better days, but it also gives it a down-home and comforting feel, like a well-worn robe or comfy pair of socks.

A seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Lansing's sapphire eyes flit between the two display cases as she tries to figure out how she wants to arrange the products. Nothing is coming to mind and she mutters to herself as a curious Jason Morgan observes.

He can't figure her out. She's a pretty girl even though she tries to hide it behind baggy clothes and shyness. Her curly hair is a bit unruly at times, and she always tries to tame it by pushing it down or tucking an errant spiral behind her ear. After two weeks at a job he didn't want, she is an enigma. She bites her lip constantly, to the point he actually feels sorry for it. While she'll talk to some of the girls, he's lucky if she accidentally looks at him from time to time let alone carry on a conversation, which is fine with him, he guesses. He doesn't have anything to say and will do his penance for soaping one of his teacher's car with his friends and cutting some classes by working mostly on weekends and some extra days when he has time. Elizabeth seems to work almost every night and he wonders how she keeps up with her schoolwork.

"Hey, Jason," Carly Durant said as she made a bee-line in his direction.

He slightly groaned something Elizabeth heard but pretended not to.

She must admit that Jason's choice of friends is suspect and if he clearly doesn't like the annoying girl, then why he bothers to speak to her is a mystery. He is gorgeous, with the most beautiful blue eyes she has ever seen, yet he seems to surround himself with self-absorbed people who make it their life's mission to appear to be better than everyone else.

"Hi, Carly."

When her hand grips his arm, he could barely prevent making a face.

"A few of us are going to the diner to get something to eat. Do you want to come?"

"I'm working."

"Come on, Jason, I'm sure the muffin over there will cover for you."

Elizabeth's eyes narrow at the slight. Bitch.

"I can't leave. You know that." He swears he pissed someone off in another life and regrets the night he kissed her when they were at a party after he first moved here. Afterward, he vowed to never play spin the bottle again since afterward, she insisted on being his best friend which is a lot of work. While he doesn't hate her, she can be too much at times and doesn't seem to comprehend the word no.

She pouted. "Courtney will be there."

"Carly, you know I don't like her. Besides, it has been just over a month since I broke it off with Robin and I need some time to forget that she cheated on me with Patrick."

"That's because she's an idiot, Jase, and didn't appreciate having such a great boyfriend."

"I wasn't a good boyfriend or she wouldn't have tried to get attention from someone else." It was clear from the moment they had started going out that he was a rebound after she broke up with Stone, but he had liked her from afar and went along with it. While she never gave it up for him, apparently, Patrick was able to convince her to do otherwise—asshole.

"She wasn't good enough for you. Courtney is pretty and sweet, and she would never cheat on you like that." There had been a time that Carly would have totally dated Jason, but he never seemed interested, so she pursued him as a friend instead. Sure, he's very quiet, but she likes to think that she prevented him from being a total hermit.

Elizabeth wanted to gag. Courtney is one of the biggest sluts in the school and the innocent act was just a cover. Even though she doesn't know Jason well at all, he can definitely do better than that.

"Carly, a customer just came in. I have to go."

Much to his relief, she stomped away.

Elizabeth's brow rose as she watched a very underdressed Claudia Jones saunter towards Jason in a dress that is entirely too short and shows all her assets. "Train-wreck alert," she muttered making Jason smile which was just the invitation Claudia needed.

"Hello, Jason. I seem to have run out of batteries. Do you think you could point me in the right direction?"

She makes his skin crawl. "What size?"

"Triple A's, it only takes a couple, but I guess I've been using it more lately." She loves fantasizing about him. His longish hair is something she'd like to grab onto while she is screaming his name.

Elizabeth has no idea what the hell she is going on about, but the reddish glow on Jason's face says he does.

"I'll be right back."

He escaped, and Claudia takes a minute to whip out her compact and check her face.

Liz rolled her eyes. Rumor has it that Claudia is knocked up by her step-daddy. Jason is surrounded by an ever-changing line of ho's. Who tries to seduce a seventeen-year-old when your pushing thirty anyway? Yuck!

Jason returned, so Liz went to the register.

"I think Jason can handle ringing me up, run along."

Liz's brows raise and then she decides she's had enough. "I'll be in the breakroom."

Jason really wished she wouldn't leave him alone, but before he could say anything to stop her, she was gone. Besides, that was probably the longest sentence she had ever spoken to him.

"Now, where were we?"

He ignored the comment and quickly typed in the amount and put the batteries in a small bag.

Claudia handed him the money and when he gave her back some change, she made sure she brushed his hand.

"Jason, can you help me reach something?" Nadine yelled.

Inside he cringed. He isn't a big fan of her, but right now, she's his savior. "Coming."

"Don't I wish," Claudia muttered. "I'll see you soon," she said before blowing him a kiss.

He scurried to the back to find Nadine with a big smirk on her face.

"You can thank Elizabeth."

"For what?"

"She told me to yell for you before she left."

He crossed his arms across his chest. "Since when do you do requests?"

She stood. "Oh, I'm plenty nice to everyone else."

"What is your problem?"

"Not only do you have a stick up your ass on a good day, but your choice of friends is horrendous. Honestly, Jason, I don't know how you do it."

He rolled his eyes. "Like you're a prize."

She glared. "I'll remember that comment when you need to switch shifts."

He sighed as she went to the front. Their personalities had clashed from day one.

"You know, maybe if you were nicer to her, she wouldn't be such a bitch to you," Manny said. At twenty-five, he had been an assistant manager at the store for a few years. His father is in witness protection, so he doesn't do much to garner attention. Jason is a good kid and at least works hard while he is here which cannot be said about everyone else.

"If I have to hear about her Aunt Rayleen one more time, I'll rip my ears off."

Manny chuckled. "Help me clean up in the back and your shift will be over."

"Hallelujah." He and Manny had developed an odd friendship over the last few weeks, after a harrowing experience behind the store on Jason's first night, and they had ended up confiding in each other. While physically, the man is a bit intimidating due to his tattoos which cover a lot of his body, he gives good advice and actually listens.

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Elizabeth parked her car in front of her house, dreading that she has to go inside. From the street, it looks like a perfectly normal two-story brick house with a well-manicured lawn. Nothing was amiss, but that would be a huge misassumption because lying beneath that phony façade is a shit storm. In fact, there is nothing normal about anything that happens between the brick walls. She works every night to avoid coming home. The only good thing is that she has a lot of money saved up which she hopes will free her someday. Since she had started early, she will graduate in the next month at seventeen which is probably the only thing that she has in common with Jason Morgan.

She sighed, wondering why he had popped into her head. He is an untouchable which is what the ostracized kids called the popular ones. Most of her time at school is spent avoiding them at all costs and because of their taunting and snotty attitude, she did anything she could to not cross paths with them.

Slowly treading up her driveway, her stomach slightly turned as she wondered what kind of mood her father will be in tonight.

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Jason plopped into a chair at the table.

Monica placed a plate full of pasta on his placemat and then sat across from him.

"Where's dad?"

"He's running late. How was your day?"

He shrugged. They have the same conversation every day and try as he may, his mother is never forthcoming. He's convinced that she and his father are hiding some terrible secret. This is the longest they have stayed in a town. For the last three years, they looked over their shoulders every time they appeared as a family and over the last year, he confronted them over and over about it, but they were both tight-lipped. What they don't realize is how relentless Jason can be when he wants something and right now, what he wants the most is the truth. "It was fine."

"Any plans for the senior prom?"

"No."

Her brow quirked. "You're going alone?"

"I'm not sure if I'm going at all." The event is almost here and everyone at school can't stop talking about it except for him and those who are dateless or socially awkward.

"Jason, it's a once in a lifetime thing. If you're not seeing anyone, then go with a friend."

"I'll think about it."

"I'll have your tux cleaned just in case."

"Thanks." He shoveled the food into his mouth.

"Are you going out tonight?"

"No." He has a test the morning and doesn't want to fail. Unfortunately, he has to live with his parents until he turns eighteen in September, but after that, he's planning on leaving. He doesn't need much, so he's not worried about money or a place to stay. The town smothers him in a way that hard for him to vocalize. He's never been good at expressing his feelings and his parents don't really encourage him to do so. Something smells where they are concerned, and he hopes that maybe they'll confess when he turns eighteen because so far, they refuse to clue him in.

Monica sipped her wine. Since they had moved the last time, Jason has been a bear to be around. He's grumpy on a good day and is so rebellious. If he can just hold out until September, then they can all get their lives back. Frankly, she couldn't wait to go back to Port Charles. She misses the family.

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Trevor Lansing's fist hit the table. "Did I not ask you to go to the store on your way home?"

Liz jumped and then kept her eyes on her plate. "I'm so sorry. I was rushing because I had to stay late."

"No Excuses! Put down your fork and go to your room."

She quickly rose and headed towards the hallway and right before she touched the doorknob, she heard a smack reverberate through the air and her mother's cry.

"Keep her in line or you'll be sorry," Trevor spat as his daughter hurried into the room and then fell onto her bed as she cried. Feelings of guilt swirled inside her as she covered her ears to drown out the sobs. It always started with one hit and then her father couldn't stop himself and would take out all his stress on her mother's body.

The door slammed shut and she heard the engine roar in the car before he tore out of the driveway.

Elizabeth ran into the room to find her mother curled up on the floor.

"Mom?"

Connie Lansing sniffles and then her eyes shift to her daughter. "I think I'm going to puke."

Elizabeth grabbed a trash bag and handed it to her mother in the nick of time.

"I'm so sorry. I promise I won't do it again." Her lip trembled.

Connie wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "He's going to kill me one of these days."

"Don't say that." She has a strange relationship with her mother. There are times where Liz truly believes she sees some love in her eyes and then sometimes there is a loathing there which always takes her breath away. What has she ever done that her own mother wouldn't love her?

A groan escaped Connie's lips as she pushed herself up. "I'm going to bed." She grabbed a wine bottle from the cabinet and then went into her room. He'll come home drunk and want sex and she'd rather not be sober for that.

Elizabeth grabbed the plates off the table and then cleaned up, not wanting to give Trevor a reason to be angry. Once she was finished, she dried off her hands and retreated to her bedroom. While she wasn't that tired, he'd be home in a few hours and she didn't want to have to listen to them go at it. Securing her earbuds, she turned up her music and then got under the covers. She only has to hold out until November and then she can finally escape her house of horrors.

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The next morning, Liz hurried to her locker.

Carly eyed Elizabeth's outfit which consists of baggy pants and an oversized sweater which swallowed her whole. "She's in rare form today."

Courtney snickered. "Seriously, where does she shop?"

"Let's help her with her books."

Courtney giggled and then shut her locker and they bumped into Elizabeth causing her to drop her books.

"Watch where you are going," Carly said before continuing on.

"Bitch," Elizabeth muttered.

Jason knelt and helped her almost giving her a heart attack when their hands briefly touched.

"Sorry about them," he whispered.

"You should go before they hate you too."

"They don't hate you, Elizabeth. They just don't understand you."

He handed her the last book and walked away.

"You shouldn't help the strays," Carly said.

He ignored her and turned the corner.

"Jase, wait! Are you mad?"

She struggled to keep up with him and realizing that she wasn't going to go away, he stopped.

"I just don't get why you have a need to mess with her. She's not hurting anyone."

Carly pouted. "Fine, I'll try to lay off the muffin. Since when do you have a soft spot for her?"

"I don't." He headed into a classroom and then she rushed to get to her class across the building. Jason just hopes that his denial will take Elizabeth off Carly's radar.