Elizabeth comes to Port Charles with a secret and meets Jason. Will it be a deal breaker or draw them closer together? AU

A/N – This is only 4 chapters. I probably could have made it a longer fic but, it's kind of nice to write no pressure small ones. Hope you like it.

Chapter 1 - Introductions

Elizabeth Webber is an art major at PCU going in her freshmen year. She just moved to Port Charles from Colorado to attend college. Her grandmother lived in town and she was looking forward to starting a new life. For the last two years, everything had changed. She had gone to visit her parents in a remote village the summer after her senior year and caught a virus. It ravaged her body and she almost died. As a result of the damage, she had lost her hearing. It was a huge adjustment, but she had grown to accept that she probably would never be able to hear again. Her parents had her attend speech therapy and because of the way she lost her hearing, her speech wasn't affected. She liked that people didn't realize that she was deaf from her speech pattern. As she stared out at the water, she slightly smiled. She was alive and would do whatever it took to be successful. Oh sure, the first six months after the diagnosis, she was inconsolable, but her family wouldn't let her quit. They encouraged her art, something she didn't need her ears to do and because of their love and acceptance, she started to thrive.

Jason watched her from afar. She was beautiful and he didn't even realize he was walking towards her until he was standing behind the bench. "Excuse me." It was dangerous to be on the docks in the area she was sitting in. He didn't recognize her at all and figured she was new in town. Slowly, he reached out and touched her shoulder causing her to jump to her feet and spin around.

Stunned by the gorgeous color of his eyes, her mouth dropped open and they simply took each other in for a long moment.

"You shouldn't be here."

Elizabeth had learned to read lips and was very good at disguising the fact that she was. "Why not?"

"It's dangerous."

A slow smirk appeared on her face. "Are you dangerous?" He was the best looking guy she had ever seen.

Jason was at a loss of words for a long moment. "I—uh—what would you do if I was?"

She full out smiled, but ignored his question. "I'm Elizabeth."

Watching his face soften, she thought about how he had gone from a blank expression to a more conflicted one, giving her the impression that he could say a lot with his eyes or not.

"Jason. Can I walk you somewhere?" She was beautiful and her smile lit up her entire face. He loved the deep color of her eyes.

"I walked here from the hospital. My grandmother works there."

He nodded. "I'd prefer to make sure you get there in one piece."

"Okay."

He was quiet as they strolled along the docks, which she was thankful for because it was nearly impossible for her to read lips from a side view. And what a side view it was.

She was almost sad when she saw the hospital looming ahead. All of a sudden she caught a movement and man ran towards them, causing Jason to pull her into his side. She shuddered at the contact. Jason was focused and fought a groan when he saw who it was.

"What do you want?"

Ric stared at Elizabeth, she gripped the back of Jason's shirt, letting him know that she was scared. It was the way the man was looking at her like she was a meal that unnerved her.

"Who is this and why would she hang around with a thug like you?"

Liz glared at him, making Ric smile.

"I said what do you want Ric?"

Liz wasn't sure what Jason was saying but she could tell by the look on Ric's face that he was a little intimated. The tension rolled off Jason's body and she could tell that he was a man to be feared when he wanted to be.

"Introduce me and I'll tell you."

"No. She's off limits to you."

"Is she your girlfriend?"

Liz bit her lip wondering how Jason would reply.

"It's really none of your business."

Ric smirked. "She's a little young for you isn't she? I'm sure when the bullets start flying she'll come to her senses and date someone more suitable."

Liz gasped audibly and Jason's heart sunk a little. The Queen song, Another One Bites the Dust, filtered through his mind as he watched Ric's lips move, bored with the same old shit different day.

"I'm Ric Lansing by the way," he said, holding out his hand to her.

Liz looked at it and much to Jason's delight, she didn't make a move to shake it. "I need to go," Liz said.

Jason moved his arm to her waist, making her shiver again and he put himself between Ric and Elizabeth and walked by him.

Ric watched them leave and smiled. He was going to find out who she was and then he'd win her heart.

"You okay?" Jason asked, softly. When she didn't answer, he stopped and faced her. "Elizabeth, are you okay?"

She watched his lips move and wondered how his voice sounded. "Yes."

"I'm a dangerous man Elizabeth. I guess this is goodbye," he said, dropping his guard for a moment and letting her see that he wished it wasn't the case.

Her head tilted. She wanted to get to know this man and why he held his emotions so close. "Do I have a choice in this matter?"

She saw the amusement in his eyes.

"You always have a choice Elizabeth."

God she wished she could hear him say her name. "Then I choose to meet you on the docks tomorrow at the same time. Later," she said, rushing into the crosswalk so he didn't have a chance to object.

Jason's mouth had dropped open and then he slowly smiled, wishing he had gotten her last name.

Johnny had watched the whole interchange. Elizabeth seemed nice, but he thought there was something that was bit off. He called Francis and told him to get over to the docks to shadow Jason and he followed Elizabeth into the hospital.

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Audrey smiled when she saw her granddaughter walking towards her. To say that she was proud of Elizabeth would be an understatement. "Hello."

Liz smiled. "Hi Grams."

"Where did you go?"

"I sat on the docks looking out at the water."

"That sounds nice. Be careful out there. You might run into some dangerous men. The mob is very active in Port Charles."

Liz tried to hide her shock. Was Jason in the mob? She wondered if it was like the godfather movies. "I'm fine Grams."

"I'm almost done my shift. Why don't you go up to the roof? I'll text you when I'm finished."

Liz nodded and left. Johnny followed her.

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There were several people on the roof all in their own little world. Liz looked out over the city and shut her eyes.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

She felt him brush against her arm and she jumped and looked up—another good-looking guy. She was on a roll and very much liking Port Charles. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

Johnny gave her one of his million dollar smiles. "I said, it's beautiful isn't it."

Liz smiled. "Yes it is."

"I'm Johnny O'Brien."

"Elizabeth Webber."

Bingo. Now he could check her out.

"I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"I'm new in town. I moved from Colorado."

"Well, welcome to Port Charles Elizabeth."

She grinned. "Thanks!"

"I'd better go. You take care."

"Bye."

She watched him walk away wondering if most of the men in the city were gorgeous.

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The next day, Elizabeth waited for Jason on the docks. She was just about to give up when she saw him emerge from a stairwell. Smiling, she watched him walk towards her. Just the way he carried himself was so hot.

He was surprised she had come back, but very pleased. "Hey."

Liz smiled. "Hey."

"I was wondering if you wanted to take a ride with me."

"Okay."

He gave her a lopsided smile and was surprised when she took his hand.

"Lead the way."

"First, how old are you?" She looked young and he just wanted to make sure.

"I'm nineteen."

"I'm twenty-seven."

She made a face. "You're like ancient."

His eyebrows shot up. "You're calling me old?"

"Yup." Reaching up she touched his hair and pretended to look at it closely. "I think you have a gray hair right there."

He smirked. "Is that so?"

She nodded with a hint of playfulness in her eyes. "You should get that taken care of, people might talk."

He pulled her slightly. "Let's go jail bait."

Her laughter filled the air and Jason decided it was now his favorite sound. They walked to his bike and her eyes grew big. "A motorcycle?"

"Yup. You have to wear a helmet though."

She took it from him. "I don't know what to do."

"Just hold on tight and lean with me into the turns."

Grams was going to kill her if she ever found out.

"I'm in."

His eyes lit up a little and he took the helmet back and helped her put it on. They got on and she wrapped her arms around his waist as Jason started the bike. She could feel the vibration and started to get excited.

"Here we go," Jason yelled. He took off as she squealed and by the time they were halfway to Vista Point, Elizabeth was laughing and sometimes screaming and he loved every minute of it.

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She got off the bike and tore off the helmet. "That was amazing. The wind felt so good and I think I really love going fast."

Jason smiled. "I'm glad that you liked it."

He took her hand and they walked over to the bridge and she looked out for a moment and then turned around in case he said anything.

"What else do you like to do besides ride fast?"

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "I like to play pool and travel."

"Cool."

"What about you?"

"I love painting, drawing, and listening to music."

She really had thought about telling him she couldn't hear, but she was scared that he wouldn't want to be around her anymore so she decided to put it off a little longer. "Jason are you in the mob?"

That was not a question he thought she'd ask. "Would it make a difference if I was?"

"Do you always answer a question with a question?"

He looked away for a moment. "No and yes."

She wondered what he was thinking. His face wore a mask that she was quiet certain a nuclear bomb couldn't penetrate at the moment. "So you are?"

He looked down at the ground for a second. "Something happened and I got into it with my family and I met Sonny and he gave me a job."

"I'm not judging you Jason and I'm sorry that your family wasn't more supportive of you."

"I didn't exactly make it easy for them." His phone rang and he walked away so he could talk privately. She could tell it wasn't good. He walked back over to her with a tense look on his face.

"I have to take you back. Elizabeth. I like you, but the danger around me is real. You would be taking a risk hanging out with me. It could cost you your life."

She thought about his words carefully before answering. "I understand and I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me Jason Morgan."

His thumb was rubbing circles on the back of her hand, making her shiver. "Where am I taking you?"

She rattled off the address and Jason thought about where it was and then they got back on the bike.

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Audrey watched from the window as Elizabeth got off the bike and then secured the helmet to it. This was not good. Jason Morgan was trouble and she was going to warn her granddaughter before she got too caught up in him.

"Thank you for the ride. I loved it."

He brushed a curl behind her ear. "I'm glad. Can I have your number?"

"Yes, but it's better if you text me." She did have a special caption program but she really didn't want Gram to overhear any conversations.

Jason hated texting, but for her he'd make an exception. Liz rattled off her phone number and he programmed it into his phone.

"See you later," she said, staring into his blue eyes.

"See you later."

He revved the engine and took off and Liz walked into the house smiling. However, that was really short lived.

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"Where have you been?" Audrey asked.

"Riding."

Audrey shifted her weight and crossed her arms. "With Jason Morgan of all people?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "He's a nice guy Grams."

"He's a mob enforcer."

Liz froze for a millisecond and then walked closer to her. "His job doesn't define him. I like him and I'm going to see him again."

Audrey was not happy about that revelation, but this was the first time Elizabeth had been really interested in a boy since she went deaf, so she wasn't sure how to handle it. For now, she would back off and hope that maybe they would realize that they aren't right for each other.

Elizabeth was surprised by the silence. "I'm going to my room." She ran upstairs and fell onto the bed, thinking about the ride. She definitely had a huge crush on Jason.

Later that night when she went to bed, Jason sent her a text that said, "Sweet dreams."

She smiled and typed back, "You too," before turning in.

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Two days later, Johnny read over the file he had ran on Elizabeth. "Holy Shit," he said, when he read that she was deaf. He was one hundred percent sure that Jason didn't know. And from the looks of it, his boss was falling for Elizabeth. He really didn't want to be the one to break the news about her condition. It would be really difficult to protect her when she can't hear someone coming up to her or threatening her from behind. Logistically, it would be a nightmare. He didn't have a choice but to tell Jason the truth. He thought about the day before when he had spoken to Elizabeth on the roof. Looking back, he realized that she had been looking at his lips and had no idea he had walked up on her. How could he even work with that? Once word got out that she was with Jason, their enemies would definitely try to take advantage of the situation. As much as he wanted Jason to be happy, Elizabeth seemed nice and he really didn't want her to turn up dead.

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Jason looked up as Johnny walked into his office. "What's up?"

Johnny placed an envelope on his desk. "I ran a background check on Elizabeth."

Jason cleared his throat. "Has she ever killed anyone or been in jail?"

"No."

"Is she dangerous or a threat to the organization?"

"No."

"Then I don't want to know anything else," he said, dismissively.

Johnny pushed the envelope towards him. "Jason, I think you should read it."

"Johnny, I said no. Elizabeth will tell me what I need to know. I don't want to invade her privacy."

Johnny stared him down. Now what? "Are you sure?" He was convinced that Elizabeth wouldn't be able to withhold the truth forever.

"I'm sure."

He sighed. "Alright, just be careful with her. She's young and has been through a lot."

Jason's jaw twitched. He didn't like the sound of that, but he was determined to leave it alone and let things take its course.

Johnny walked out leaving the envelope sitting on the desk. Hopefully, Jason would change his mind and give into his curiosity before something bad happened.

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Elizabeth looked down at her phone. Jason had sent her a message. "Do you want to go to the carnival with me tomorrow night?"

Liz smiled. "I would love too." She did fine on most rides except the ones that spun in circles.

Jason looked down at his phone and smiled. "I'll pick you up at seven."

They chatted for a little while longer and then the text session ended and Elizabeth rushed to her closet to figure out what she should wear.

A/N - Let me know what you think so far.