How Much for Happy
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story.
A/N: I should be working Sins of the Soul but I really, really wanted to start a Liason story. Hope you enjoy it!
Elizabeth watched as the rain hit against her bedroom window rather harshly.
Nearly every drop seemed to make a noise, making sure to leave its mark on the tall, glass double-doors that opened to a spacious patio.
She tried to remember back to when she actually enjoyed rain. She was quite young, actually. Elementary school age to be exact.
A young Liz had caught a viewing of Breakfast at Tiffany's in the fourth grade and was instantly hooked. She often found herself praying for rain and imagined kissing the perfect man while clutching a homely looking cat in a soaking wet trench coat.
But that was before everything.
This everything that consumed her daily life.
It had been exactly three years and eleven months since that day inside the courtroom. She remembered hearing sounds of early thunder as everything began to spin into slow motion. She watched as satisfied smiles spread over the faces of Jason and Sam as the judge stripped her of all rights.
"Sole custody will be rewarded to Jason Morgan, the biological father, and his legal spouse, Samantha McCall-Morgan."
Liz jumped as she heard the crack of the gavel. She watched as Sam and Jason exchanged handshakes with their lawyer. Sam then scooped up the baby and followed behind Jason, who made brief eye contact with Liz before walking out.
After the hearing, Liz drove back home in the rain that night.
Her thoughts of what the past few months had brought consumed her; distracting her to the point of nearly colliding with a car. She swerved off the road and landed in a shallow ditch.
But instead of going with her first instinct which was, ironically, to call Jason and watch him go into superhero mode, she sat with her head in her hands and cried until she was positive there was nothing left in her.
In the weeks following the court hearing, Liz had saw very little of Jason and Sam until the night he showed up on her doorstep covered in rain.
Somehow after a brief conversation she had ended up where she was today – in a comfortable size house in a small sea-side town nearly a world away from Port Charles.
She remembered how taken aback she was from his offer.
"I'll send you anything you need."
"Sounds like you're trying to pay me off."
"You'll be taken care of, Liz."
And she was. He had bought her this sprawling house. Paid all of her bills. And even sent her a couple thousands of dollars a month as an allowance of some sort.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder about the little girl she had left behind.
Jason had offered to send pictures but they never arrived. She figured it had something to do with Sam. Liz had finally reached Emily who randomly sent a photo one day along with her usual "care package" which, at times, would consist of a Port Charles Herald and a box of various teas that could only seem to be found at that one drugstore near Kelly's.
The picture was in an envelope beneath the contents of the box. Liz knew what it was before she even opened it.
The picture was a candid one taken in the dead of winter. The little girl was sitting on a park bench chewing on a sleeve of her coat with a mischievous smile on her face. Liz couldn't help but be amazed at the stunning features on such a young girl. The ice blue eyes, the porcelain-like skin and the dark hair.
That was hers.
Liz had kept the picture on her nightstand for all of two weeks before slipping it under her mattress. She wasn't exactly sure how, but she could feel her heart breaking a little more each time she looked at it.
She sighed as she turned away from the window and began to walk towards her bed. She had once promised herself that she would start anew. She could get married, have more children… but on nights like these, with the heavy rain and the memories flushing back, she couldn't help but wonder.
Was it raining in Port Charles? Did Sam get her proper rain gear? Did they allow her to play in the rain like all little kids should be able to?
Liz remembered trying to call Jason three months after arriving. The phone rang once and she hung up. Five minutes later she redialed and let it ring twice before Sam picked up. She listened as Sam quickly grew frustrated before hanging up.
She called back again. This time she spoke up.
"Hello?"
"Sam? …"
She could hear same exhale heavily. "Is this Liz? Did you just call here a few seconds ago?"
"Don't hang up."
"Then don't call here," Sam responded before hanging up.
Two days later, the phone number was changed.
She had called Emily for the new number but her friend eventually talked her out of it.
"What good could possibly come out of you having that number?"
"I could talk to my daughter. At least hear her voice."
"Jason doesn't answer any phone except his cell and Sam won't even let you say 'hello' before hanging up. I know it sounds harsh, Liz but, believe me, you'll be better off just trying to forget everything."
But she could only try for so much longer.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a knock came to the door.
Liz sighed as she made her way to the front of the house. She had ordered that food over an hour ago.
She grabbed the money she had sat for the delivery guy on the coffee table and opened the door to find Sam standing in front of her.