Someday My Prince Will Come
Chapter One
Summer 2002
Elizabeth sighed as she looked around the Port Charles hotel ballroom, her best friend was dancing with her prince, Nik and she had had a long hard road to get to this point but clearly, they would have their happy ever after. If only...
"What is a beautiful woman like you doing standing out here all alone?" drawled Zander as he came out the open French doors then looking around and seeing her ex-boyfriend stalking another woman said, "Or is Lucky bothering you?"
With a laugh, Elizabeth said, "No, and how did you know that I was out here?"
"When Spencer came inside in a snit, I overheard Luke going on and on about how his son would get a chance with his true love. That Nik and Emily getting married meant you would get back with his son," he said with a snicker.
Shuddering, Elizabeth said, "Luke has his delusions but hey, that is Luke."
Zander looked at Elizabeth then at her recently arrived sister who was exiting the doors and approaching the two of them. "Hey, why are you to hiding out here?"
"I came out because Carly was annoying me. As for Zander, I figured that he had had another fight with his father, as for you, I figured that you were escaping Lucky too," she said with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I had a run in with Carly too," Sarah said with a chuckle. Running her eyes over Elizabeth with envy as she took in the gown that only someone as tiny as Liz could wear, she said "AJ and she are arguing about Michael, then she found out that Courtney is at the party. She began shouting about how she betrayed her by marrying AJ and I am sick of hearing it."
"I saw her," she said dryly. "What makes me curious is why would she think that the blond airhead wouldn't be here? Either way, that new doctor from GH is heading this way, anyone else, want to take bets on how long after he arrives Robin Scorpio comes out?"
Then looking at Patrick who had joined the hospital staff recently alongside his father when he came out on to the balcony she asked what was up with him. "You have been antsy for the last several days."
"I can't explain what is going on, the doctor-patient privilege but let me assure you, you will be happy," he said with a smirk as he looked at Elizabeth. He had had a man show up to see him, a patient who had taken a blow to the head recently that had given him his memory back.
Now he had to convince the beautiful brunette that he hadn't forsaken her, that his leaving had not been because had not loved her. That he had left for work, then had lost his memory and forgotten his promise, if not her. At least if Patrick had figured it outright, he thought with a sigh, the man hadn't been one of his more talkative patients.
Seeing a happy Emily coming to join them, Zander sighed and wished her well. They had been a couple until Emily had gone to California, but when she had been getting help, it was Nik who had flown out to help her and had won her heart.
"Thank you, Zander," she said with a bit of regret as she watched her ex-leaving. When he had gone to talk to his boss, her cousin Ned, she saw her parents and was reminded of why she had come out here in the first place. "I have news."
"Better than your engagement?" teased Elizabeth as she hugged her best friend who had dealt with the now dead ice queen.
"It depends on who you ask." she teased then with a look at Sarah asked if it was true that she had heard the rumors at the hospital that day. A confused Sarah didn't get it at first, then she realized what they were talking about earlier. The blond man who had visited with the Quartermaines... it had to be.
Elizabeth wasn't going to bite, she knew that Emily wanted her to guess, to play games but Elizabeth wasn't up to doing that. Hearing her name being called, she turned to see Sonny Corinthos and greeted the mobster.
"How are you?" he asked his eyes dancing as he debated giving her a hint at what he knew, but then seeing his ex-wife, he signed and just let her walk away, knowing that Carly would need to be distracted.
Girding his loins, he soon had his ex-wife off in the corner and agreeing to speak to him later. They had gotten married when Carly had been thought pregnant with his child until she had tripped down the stairs at the Quartermaine house and miscarried.
She had tried to blame AJ but the annoying pest had not been home at the time and it was almost two months later that he had learned that she had gone over to try and sneak Michael out of the house.
AJ had ended up with sole custody because of her lies, Sonny had divorced her but Carly had tried to cling, certain that he was the way to locate Jason who hadn't been seen since February 2000.
He had heard rumors from associates, had received a call from a heartbroken Robin who he had visited and had made clear to that they were not going to be getting back together. Then nothing for two very long years, then out of the blue, a visit from a complete stranger had given him the truth.
Carly didn't get it, for months Sonny had paid absolutely no attention to her, now he was acting like she was the most exciting person in the room. Suspicious, she looked around and felt the buzz in the air, a certain sense of excitement that had to have nothing to do with the engagement, after all, who really cared that Saint Emily was marrying her short, stout prince without a country, not her.
Seeing Courtney across the room, speaking to AJ who looked tense, suddenly begin to smile at someone coming through the door. Then a gasp from Robin who was standing nearby looking brokenhearted in spite of the doctor she had been digging her claws in standing next to her.
Checking, looking for one last woman, Carly didn't see her and she really didn't like that but her eyes quickly went to her former in-laws and sure enough, they had the expected expression. Edward looked gleeful, his wife Lila looked complacent even as she whispered something to her daughter who had a frown on her face.
But it was Alan and Monica's expressions that had her thinking she was wrong, after all, they were looking happy as they walked forward to greet the newcomer. Standing just in time to see the person embracing them, she pouted and sat down, positive it wasn't her Jason like she had been thinking, Jason would never have hugged the people who had raised him.
Turning to Sonny, she began to think he was regretting letting her go and Carly did what she did best, she began to flirt after all her mama raised no fool.
Across the room, Maxie Jones was awestruck as she saw the man striding across the center of the ballroom floor, letting nothing distract her as she talked to her sister and cousins. "Why does Jason look so different?"
"Maxie, do you ever pay any attention when Dad is talking?" asked Georgie with a roll of her eyes. "Jason had an accident a few years ago, just after he left town. He isn't Jason Morgan anymore, he is Jason Quartermaine again... or something like that. He just got hit in the head and forgot himself again."
After jokes about how the blond man shouldn't take any more shots to the head, Georgie looked between Lucas, Dillon and Maxie's latest boy toy and said: "Stop, the three of you are embarrassing us."
"Its fine, Georgie." said the husky timbered voice behind them with a slight grin as he looked at the young girl he recalled. "I was hoping you could do me a favor."
"Me. Do a favor? For you?" she asked in shock her hand pointing first at herself, then at him. "Why would you need my help?"
"Just come with me, I will explain," said Jason as he led the young woman over to the other side of the room. After explaining what he needed, he handed her what she required to do what he wanted, then winked and hurried off to where the woman he had long been looking for was.
"Who is that?" asked Courtney only for AJ to reach for her head and escort her over to his parents. "Wait, you haven't answered me."
"No one that will matter to you," AJ said then asked his astonished parents. "Here, he is going to ask her here? Isn't it a little too soon? I mean, I wasn't even aware that they had ever gone on a date, besides, Spencer is still chasing after her."
"But like she told Lucky when he came back, that she was glad he returned but she was unable to be anything more than his friend," said Monica with a smile. "Besides, Audrey has decided to do a little idiot blocking, my guess he believes her when she says that he is wrong that it wasn't Jason Morgan."
With a chuckle, AJ shook his head and went dancing with his wife, almost wishing he dared tell Carly the truth so that he could see her body spontaneous combusted when the truth sank in for the blond.
Elizabeth was speaking to Emily who was doing as requested, keeping her on the balcony while glowering at Sarah who was also not leaving. Sarah wanted to see her sister's expression, Dr. Drake had asked her to let him know how she reacted and she liked the handsome physician.
When Nik joined them, Emily closed her eyes, hoping he was as mature as he claimed to be. He had seen Jason earlier that day, had been cordial and surprised to hear the truth from the man. Now came the big test, how he reacted to knowing that the one thing Jason had come home for was Elizabeth.
Nik hadn't wanted to be there, Lucky had asked him to help get Elizabeth back inside so that he could ask her to dance, but he regularly went out of his way to avoid Sarah after attempting to seduce her back while under the brainwashing and she refused to accept that he had not wanted her according to Lucky.
Seeing Sarah and Emily seemed to be trying to get Elizabeth inside, he listened to what they were saying and groaned in annoyance. Apparently, his brother had nothing to worry about, those two weren't trying to pair Sarah with him, they were trying to get Elizabeth and Lucky back together from the broad hints that they were dropping.
Loosely embracing his fiancee and with a quick greeting of the other two, let them be the ones to get Elizabeth inside, he was dreaming of a perfect future when he felt the slight buzz.
Emily smiled at Sarah who winked back while Elizabeth began to feel sick. She had thought her family and Emily had gotten the message that she wasn't interested in rekindling anything with Lucky two years ago, but from the jokes about true love and missing what was right in front of one's eyes, she was getting ready to make her excuses to leave the engagement party.
There was only one man she was missing and Elizabeth was well aware that no one but no one understood how deep her feelings for Jason had been that winter he had stayed with her at her studio.
He had left, explaining that he had to track down one of Sonny's enemies but he had promised to write to her, promised to send her postcards from every single destination... but after cards from Washington DC and Atlanta she had received nothing, for two years.
A bit miserable in her own little world she missed seeing the looks at the buzz going on in the other room, she was about to tell Emily she didn't feel well when her friend suddenly threaded her arms through hers and all but pulled her back into the ballroom festooned with wooded playground as the prospective bride had requested of Elton the hotel decorator for these events.
"Em..." she began to speak only for her best friend to begin looking around in earnest for someone. Her heart beginning to sink at the idea of having to dance with Lucky, with having to deal with this nonsense yet again, she looked at Nik and decided it would be easier if he wasn't there when she spoke and asked him if he would get her a bottle of water. "I am feeling a little warm."
Nik ever the polite prince did as asked while Emily's grin widened and Sarah began to look around trying to find the person who had asked her to help.
"I wonder where he is?" muttered Sarah as she saw Robin standing with Patrick Drake and frowning as she squinted at the crowd near the Quartermaines.
"No idea, but the black crow looks ready to peek someone's eyes out, she saw him and is now trying to find out who it is he is looking for. He told me that he told her the truth, in spite of how it had to hurt." Emily said thinking it sucked to Robin.
"What about the banshee?" Sarah asked then with a sigh of relief said: "Distracted by the Cheshire cat."
Elizabeth began to pay attention when her sister referred to someone as a crow but the banshee comment had her looking for Carly or Courtney. It couldn't be Courtney she was in a corner trying to peer at someone over her husband's shoulder as they danced.
Emily was beginning to get worried when she said: "There he is, talking to the town idiot."
"Which one?" murmured Sarah who then looked up in time to see Nik had returned and had brought Lucky with him. "Oh crap."
"Elizabeth, may I have this dance? I figure we should let bygones be bygones," said Lucky as he looked at his one true love.
"I am thirsty," she said rudely and reached out for the bottled water and took a long sip while glaring at her friends as she tried to find a diplomatic way to tell Lucky Spencer that she would rather dance with Helena Cassadine's former bodyguard than with him.
As the two women suddenly began speaking to one another in soft whispers, Elizabeth felt a sense of disappointment at their betrayal while Lucky and Nik began to plan not only the next six weeks but from what she was hearing her entire future.
Then there was silence. Emily had suddenly stopped speaking and had begun to smile while Sarah looked on with a worried expression on her face. Nik looked like he had swallowed a rotten lemon whole and Lucky was clearly trying to decide what to say to whoever was now behind her.
Elizabeth swallowed another sip of the water, then realized the buzz she was feeling wasn't from the crowd's excitement it was the way she felt when only one man was there. When only one person was near.
Slowly turning around, she looked up into azure blue eyes that were staring at her like she was the answer to all of his prayers.
Jason looked at his Elizabeth, she had changed so much in the last few years. Her hair had softened from tight curls kept shoulder length into long curls, dark hair had lightened and was now shot through with even lighter colored highlights.
The face was the same, her plush lips that had often driven him to distraction when he had stayed in her studio, a button nose that made him want her on its tip had matured to suit her face and her eyes, her eyes still showed her every emotion.
They had gone from surprised to excited to hurt and now to looking at him as if to detect the same differences he had in her.
Elizabeth was astounded, Jason had changed so much. He had always been fairly fit, but now, he looked capable of lifting his motorcycle, his face was a bit harder, his hair a bit darker... but his eyes, they were the same and the slight smile now growing on his face though rarely seen was the same almost shy smile he had always shown to her.
"Jason?"
My "Elizabeth?" he edited what he wanted to say and just said her name then asked, "Would you care to dance with me?"
"We were just about to..." Lucky glared as Elizabeth placed her hand in Jason's and was lead off to the dance floor. "What the hell is going on Emily? Why is Jason dancing with Elizabeth?"
"A better question would be, why isn't he dancing with Carly?" asked Nik, his expression dark with anger.
"Excuse me." Emily said with a smile at her fiancee and her friend, "I have to go speak to my parents and find out. Sarah, come with me."
When they had left, Emily looked back then at her friend and said: "I think I just lost my fiancee, I thought he would be mature about this, but that isn't the look of a mature man."
Sarah loosely hugged Emily as they joined the Quartermaines and Audrey Hardy who had an apprehensive look on her face. "I am not so sure about this, this might not have the happy ending we all want."
"Audrey, do you believe that Elizabeth is in love with Jason?" asked Lila.
"Yes but he is rushing things," she said fretfully. "Why can't he slow down."
"Audrey like he told us today, he waited for two years, having no contact, I just think that in the end, Jason wanted to give her a chance to make her mind up regarding a lot of things, including Lucky."
"Why?" asked a confused Sarah. "She was done with him when he came back."
"I think that Jason just wanted to be sure," Lila said with a look of annoyance at Bobbie Spencer who was now speaking to Luke on the opposite side of the ballroom. That woman had a lot to answer for, thought Lila. Telling Jason when he called to stop writing and speaking to Elizabeth, that her first love was back. That they would live happily ever after.
As Jason lead Elizabeth towards the floor, he took in her dress and just smiled at her while mentally imagining just how quickly the younger Jones girl could get done what he had asked. How he had let the last twenty-seven months pass between visits he didn't know, not even a knock on the head explained forgetting how wonderful Elizabeth was.
As his mind went back to that last night, the night they had given into their passion. The night they had made love and all he could think of were long slim legs wrapped around his waist as his lips had feasted on her taut little raspberries.
His family and Audrey had suggested taking the time to get to know her again, he didn't know how to explain that they could be parted for years and at their souls, Elizabeth and he would still know each other. He had spent the time away preparing for this moment, dreaming of the day he got to hold her in his arms again.
Just as they began to dance he heard the sound that he didn't want to hear a squawk from his former friend and the snippy sound of Robin's voice. Then turning he saw Lucky getting ready to charge at them. Holding out his hand, he asked. "Elizabeth, please, trust me."
Looking him over, then taking a deep breath, Elizabeth placed her small hand into his and walked towards the exit door.
There Jason was about to explain that they had to wait when Georgie Jones came off the elevator. "Jason, its all done. Here."
"Thank you," he said to the younger Jones girl and with a quick toss-away comment telling her to keep the rest of the money, Elizabeth and he ducked into the elevator she had just exited.
With a shrug, she looked at the money then tucked it into her pockets just as her cousin came rushing through the doorway. "Georgie, did you see which way Jason went?"
"Jason?" she asked then with a frown said, "I don't think so."
She hated lying to Robin, but she had seen the way Jason had looked at Elizabeth and knew her cousin was wasting her time. Then they both heard the blond otherwise known to her enemies as Hurricane Carly as she rushed out into the hallway and demanded to be told where Jason was.
"Carly stop, you are embarrassing yourself." said Sonny who when she hissed at Robin to stay away from Jason, that he didn't want her, that he had come back to save Carly just said "Carly, enough. He didn't come back here for you, any more than he came back for Robin. He came back for one reason and one reason only. Elizabeth."
With that, he went back inside, positive that by then Jason and Elizabeth had taken off either on his bike or in one of the cars.
TBC