A/N: Wow, thanks for the review guys! Glad you are liking the story or interested to see where it goes. I thought it would be an interesting concept with Jason and AJ fathering the two boys and it is kind of taking on life from there.I do want to address Guest's reviews though to explain what some of you might be thinking.
As mentioned in the summary, both Jason and AJ have not been around for about eight years. But there is reason for their absence and not to give anything away, it will be explained in a later chapter. And as I tried to give this a real "soap opery" feel, some things are not as they seem.
I will say this though: While both Jason and AJ know the whole truth now about their sons, this may not have always been the case. And with secrets, things have to be sorted out.
That's all the spoilers I got for you. Enjoy the next chapter where we find out Elizabeth's mystery man!
"Robin called me, said you would be here, explained what happened," he replied. "I came as soon as she called. I know you probably want to be alone but I just couldn't let you do this by yourself."
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes before whispering a simple thanks. He was right. She had wanted to be alone, but at the same time, she knew she would have just continued to be a wreck if he wasn't there. He had always been able to calm her down, something not many could do.
Truth be told, their relationship had come about under unusual circumstances. They had found each other by accident almost, as both had been looking for someone else. It was someone they each had trusted, had relied upon and had always come to look for when times got rough.
Unfortunately, that person wasn't there and the two had found each other instead. But it was something neither would change. As it turned out they proved to be exactly what the other had needed. And it hadn't hurt that they were practically family.
"I know you are just processing everything and that we don't really know anything concrete yet," he paused, breaking the comfortable silence the two shared. He needed to make sure he addressed this delicately. "Uh I don't really know how to say this but, medically something could come up and,"
This time it was her turn to lightly place her hand on his shoulder. She could tell he was nervous but she didn't want him to be. He had every reason to ask or tell her to do exactly what she knew he was trying to say. In fact, she had known she would have to do it eventually and with him there, she felt a lot better about admitting that to herself.
"Michael, relax, its, its okay" she said calmly, although her body was shaking.
"I, I know, I know I have to tell them," she continued, "I just, I, I haven't told anybody yet. I wanted to wait until I knew something, anything. But, but, they are their fathers, they deserve, they need to know. Jason and AJ need to know."
- (later that day) -
Elizabeth sat up in the chair and looked around slightly confused. She blinked a few times and then remembered where she was. She was in the hospital. Cameron and Jake had been in an accident. It wasn't a dream.
Taking a deep breath, she sighed and began to get up from the chair until she felt a hand on her arm.
"I brought you some coffee, here," Michael said as he handed her the cup.
"Thank you," Elizabeth smiled, happy that he was still there. "How long was I asleep?" she asked before quickly realizing what had happened. She had fallen asleep. Instantly her mind went into panic mode. "Is there any news? Are the boys okay? Please tell me everything is okay."
"Hey, it's alright, it's alright," Michael said, calming her down the way she had done for him so long ago in the past. "Everything is okay. There hasn't been any news. You've been asleep for about an hour."
"Oh okay," Elizabeth said a little more at ease. She took a sip from the coffee knowing she would not fall asleep again. At least not while her boys were in the hospital and not while she remained oblivious to either of their conditions.
"Uh, I hope you don't mind, but I, I knew you were exhausted," Michael started unsure of how he would tell her. "You fell asleep on my shoulder about 15 minutes after I got to the hospital and we had been talking about the boys and their dads. And I know I probably should have told you or asked you but I wanted to help and considering the way things have been, I thought that was the best way I could do that, the only way I knew how at this point."
He couldn't finish the thought. He already knew he shouldn't have done it, shouldn't have gone behind her back, but he wanted to help and he thought this was a way to do it, one less thing for her to worry about. Although if he had thought about it, he would have realized that having them there had the potential to make everything so much worse.
"You called them, didn't you?" Elizabeth asked almost panicked as she read Michael's face and realized the truth.
"I hope you're not mad," Michael said softly. He had hoped he was doing her a favor. He had never wanted to make her upset.
"No, not mad, just a little worried," Elizabeth admitted. "I'm thankful you did it, talked to them so I didn't have to, but I have to face them eventually and I'm guessing that is now. I just, with the boys hurt, I don't know what to do, what to say to them to make this okay."
"Don't worry about it Elizabeth," Michael said reassuringly. "I'm hoping my father and uncle Jason would have the tact not to focus on the past and that the three of you will get along for the sake of the boys. But if they have any problems or cause you any problems, I'll make sure it doesn't happen and,"
Michael stopped. He felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He looked at the caller-ID and sighed.
"I have to take this, its work," Michael said as he answered the phone.
He had stepped away but Elizabeth could still hear parts of the conversation:
"No, I can't...This can't wait?... Look my brother and my cousin were in an accident and I'm at the hospital...Well yes, but...I'm not just going to leave her...I have, I need... No, that won't be a problem...And it absolutely can't wait?...Fine, I'll see what I can do...Goodbye."
Michael sighed and rubbed his thumbs against his temples in frustration as he returned to where Elizabeth was sitting.
"If you need to leave, don't worry about it," Elizabeth said before Michael had a chance to speak.
She knew that he didn't want to leave but this was work related and it must have been important. But she also knew that if she didn't give him the okay to leave that he wouldn't have gone. So as much as she needed him there, in that moment, she was thinking about him and what was best for him.
"If it was any other circumstance Elizabeth, anything, I would be right by your side but this, this is big for ELQ and they need me immediately," Michael responded.
"It's okay Michael, I'm a big girl and I can handle my exes," Elizabeth said only partially smiling.
Despite the joking manner, Michael could tell that she was still worried. And he wanted nothing more than to be there with her, but he couldn't.
"Are you sure?" he asked. "Because I could probably get this rearranged and figure something out and,"
"No Michael," Elizabeth said in a serious tone. He was a bit taken aback. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that," she continued. "I just, please, please go and do what you need to do. You've already done enough for me."
"But I feel like I'm failing you or going back on my duties or something," Michael said.
"Trust me you're not," Elizabeth responded quickly before placing her hands on Michael's shoulders. "For quite a few years now Michael, you have been like a son to me. You have helped me with the boys in ways I could never have imagined. And nobody asked you to. You stepped up because you wanted to."
"They're my family, you're my family," Michael smiled, knowing Elizabeth was not looking for him to make any sort of justification as to why he had decided to become involved in Jake and Cameron's lives. Still, he had decided to give her one.
"I know and we are so grateful," Elizabeth smiled genuinely. "But you don't owe us anything. Your duty as a cousin and brother has been more than fulfilled. And just because it is your father and uncle who are the boys' dads, that does not mean you need to make up where both AJ and Jason have failed. Michael, you have been more than I could have ever asked for but you are not a dad and you do not need to be my caretaker. That is not your responsibility. I will handle Jason and AJ and besides, if it makes you feel any better, I will call Nikolas. I need to tell him anyway. And, and Robin will be there and if anyone could ever talk down a Quartermaine man it was Robin. So please go, do what you need to do. I will be just fine."
"I have to admit it wasn't until you mentioned Robin that I was actually sure I was going to leave," Michael grinned. "But you are right. If anybody can talk down dad and Jason, it would be Robin. But please do also call Nik. I'd feel better if I knew he was here with you too. There is no guarantee how long they'll stay if they show up at all and I don't want you to be alone."
"I won't be," Elizabeth assured him. "Now come here," she added as he tightly wrapped her arms around Michael in a hug.
"Go have a good night at work," Elizabeth said.
Michael started to walk away but turned around before reaching the elevator. "Elizabeth?" he called.
"I will call you as soon as I know anything," she responded, knowing what was on his mind.
Michael smiled at how she knew what he was going to ask before he asked it. He had always known that he and Elizabeth had this connection. He didn't know how it started but the more he got to know her, the more he realized just how alike the two were. She had become like another mother to him and he was grateful.
All he could hope for now was that those boys were okay and that when or rather if their fathers showed up, that they wouldn't cause Elizabeth any trouble.
Because if they did, they would have him to deal with.
So, the mystery man is Michael! Bet none of you saw that coming! After reading a fic on this site, I became quite intrigued by the possibility of a friendship between Michael and Elizabeth, nothing romantic at all though I will stress. But anyway, I felt that under the circumstances of this story, this kind of friendship would work so I wrote it.
Yes Elizabeth is with Nikolas, but I will repeat no pairing is safe and not everything is as it seems. A lot will be coming out in later chapters that will shake the core of the relationships and pairings. But I promise you it will be worth the read. You just have to hang in there. The drama is about to kick into high gear! As always, please review with your thoughts and if you have any questions, about where the story is heading or about the characters or my writing, etc, please ask them. I will do my best to answer without giving away any spoilers. Thanks for reading!
