"Lucky I'm fine, really . Luke is just upset about Laura. I understand." Forcing the words between her clenched teeth, Elizabeth glared at the deadbolt to her studio apartment. The stupid thing was stuck...again. Feeling Lucky shift behind her, she wondered for the hundredth time why she hadn't just put her foot down and told him no when he offered to walk her home.
Because I'm a big fat coward, she thought bitterly, twisting harshly on the key as she kicked the reinforced door with her booted foot. She knew that Jason was standing out in the courtyard for her. Both Courtney and Bobbie had confirmed he was there, he was waiting for her. Probably wanted to make sure she was okay after Luke's attack. With those trademark worried eyes, his hands shoved in his pockets. Go figure that after months of not talking it took physical violence for him to remember that she still actually lived in the same town as he did.
"I. Hate. This. Door." Each word was followed by a sharp kick. "It's ugly. A-and heavy. The locks never work right. For my safety? Please. It's more likely to drive me insane. I hate it." Slapping it with her open palm, she took a step back and took a deep breath.
"Can I?" Lucky sounded unsure after her little outburst.
Turning her head in his direction and pinned him with a bland stare. "Go for it." Stepping back, she huffed as he stepped around her and easily turned the key. "Figures." Brushing past him, she gave the door one last evil glance.
"So do you want to talk about it?" Walking slowly around the studio, Lucky avoided looking directly at her. His gaze traveled to the half-finished painting on the easel near the window. It was dark and depressing. Something that would probably give him nightmares for weeks.
Unbuttoning her jacket and hanging it on the hook near the door, she pretended not to hear the question. "So you and Nikolas still plan on going to Europe to visit Laura?"
"Yes." The word was dragged out. "Elizabeth you really need to talk about--."
"That's great. I'm sure that it'll be good for all of you." With a slight nod she walked purposely over to the coffee table, stacking the year old magazines in neat piles. "When do you leave?"
"Oh. I don't know?" Lucky half sang. "How long are you going to avoid my question?"
"What question?" Smirking over at him.
"Fine you don't want to talk about it. I can take a hint." He shook his head sadly and heaved out a deep sigh. Looking around the bare studio, Lucky tried to find something else to talk about instead. "I thought you would've gotten a Christmas tree by now."
Elizabeth flinched, as something flickered in her eyes. "I'm not."
Swinging his head around his face showing his disbelief. "You? The world's biggest Christmas junkie, isn't going to get a tree?"
"It's no big deal." Shrugging her shoulder with an air of disinterest, she knew deep down she wasn't fooling him. "I'm just not in the Christmassy mood this year."
"Because of Jason." She sucked in a deep breath as her face paled. "Elizabeth, I can see that this has been hard on you."
"I don't want to talk about it." He watched as she retreated into herself, like she always did when the pain got to be too much.
"Tough. I won't stand back and watch you do this to yourself any longer."
"Do what? I'm not buying a Christmas tree. It's not the end of the world." Turning her back on him as walked over to the window and stared down on the empty docks.
"It's not about the stupid tree. This is about how you've cut yourself off from the world. You're hurting. I can see it. Nikolas can see it. Christ even Gia sees it."
"You don't know what you're talking about."
A disbelieving grunt echoed off the walls. "Right. So prove it. Meet us at club 101 tonight."
Squeezing her eyes shut, Elizabeth leaned her head forward. Just the thought of being in a room filled with happy people felt like a fist around her heart. "I..."
"Have a headache?" He asked. "No cause that's the excuse you used last week. Have a painting to finish?" Shaking his head, Lucky shoved his hands into his pockets. "Cause I can tell you that you haven't touched that hideous thing in days." Looking again at the painting he felt a shiver go down his spine.
"I just don't feel like it okay? And my painting isn't hideous." Looking over her shoulder at the unfinished painting she couldn't help but silently agree with him. "I just want to be alone."
"So you can just sit here and beat yourself up over how things didn't work out with Jason?"
Her spine stiffened. "I never said this was about Jason."
"You didn't have to." Answering her in a hushed voice, Lucky moved across the room to stand by her side. "I heard that he tried to step in when my father grabbed you." He knew he was on shaky ground, but he had to get her to talk. To let out some of the pain she was feeling.
"It didn't mean anything. He was doing what Jason does best. Protecting weak innocent women." Her voice caught.
"Courtney said that she'd never seen him so angry before." Watching her face twist in pain, he held his breath.
"Lucky..."
"It's okay to miss him Elizabeth. To be angry that things didn't work out between the two of you. If it means anything I'm sorry that you're in so much pain." He wanted to hug her. To let her know that no matter what they had gone through, the pain he had himself put her through. In the end he was still her friend.
Her face crumbled. Big fat tears slid down her face as she sucked in deep breaths. "He didn't even try. He told me he wanted to be with me."
"I'm sure he did. You're a wonderful person." He hated to see her cry he but knew she needed to get it out. Elizabeth was too good at keep her emotions bottled up, hidden from the rest of the world. But he was afraid that one of these days she was going to combust.
"So wonderful that he never came home." Swiping at the tears, Lucky sighed as he watched her anger return. "Or that he felt the need to lie to me." Her cynical words cut through him.
"I'm sure he had a good reason for what he did. Jason doesn't lead a normal life Elizabeth. There's things he has to do, things that you may not understand, to make sure no one gets hurt."
"Lucky Spencer are you defending Jason to me?" Her eyes rounded as she looked over at him in shock.
"Stranger things have been known to happen." He half joked. Pursing her lips together she looked out into the night. "Why don't you try and talk to him."
"No."
"Elizabeth I'm sure if you go to him. Let him know how much-."
"No!" Her voice was filled with conviction. "He's made it clear that I don't matter anymore. Jason has his own life now. With Brenda."
"Everyone in Port Charles knows that marriage is a shame. I can't even tell you how many times I've seen her out on the town with Jax."
"Lucky I'm done pushing my way into people's lives. Making them hear me when all they want is to be left alone." Leaving her spot at the window she walked, with her spine as stiff as a rod, over to her beat up couch and flopped down on it. "I've learned my lesson with your Father. Now if you don't mind I'd really like to be alone right now."
"You can't..." Seeing the desperate look in her eyes, Lucky let his sentence fade. "Fine. But if you change your mind, we'll be at club."
Watching her slowly shake her head, Lucky grumbled under his breath and headed for the door.
Gravel crunched under his heavy boots as Jason walked down the dirt path leading up to the bridge. He needed sometime alone. Away from Brenda's endless chatter. Sonny's irritating orders and Carly's aggravating schemes. He couldn't remember the last time he hadn't been on autopilot, letting everyone else's wants and needs direct him where to go, what to do. Somewhere along the line it had been easier that way.
Now he was getting tired of it. His life was a joke, unrecognizable to him. Married to a woman he couldn't stand. His friendship with Sonny had taken a huge step in the opposite direction. There was a time they had been equals, knew exactly what to expect from one another. Now he was taking orders left and right. Running all over town, like some well-trained jackass, making sure everyone else was happy.
But he was done. He wanted his life back and he wanted it now. As much as he hated to admit it, coming home hadn't been the brightest thing he'd ever done. Sure being on the road had been lonely. An endless line of dirty dives. Crappy food and nameless faces. With only the memories of his family and friends to occasionally fill the holes when the solitude had become too much to bare. But he'd been able to look at himself in the mirror without scowling. Could jump on his bike and taking off without anyone else to worry about.
Most of all he hadn't been faced with the shell of what had once been Elizabeth Webber. A woman's whose laughter and loving heart had haunted him over three different continents, through sleepless nights and beautiful sunrises. Now she was reduced to someone he didn't recognize. Damnit he knew better than to let what they had between them go any farther. Had known that sooner or later his life style would taint her, suck every good and decent quality she possessed from her. The hell of it he never thought it would only take him a few weeks to accomplish it. He'd single-handedly ruined the best thing that'd ever happened to him. Took away her heart-stopping smile, the dreamy look in her eyes. What he would give to hear her laughter again.
Christ she had all but let Luke abuse her today. As much as it pained him to admit it, he was a little disappointed in her. Had believed her to posses more spirit, more determination, and a lot more passion. She had just stood there letting him go off on her, shake her around like she was some rag doll. The Elizabeth Webber he knew would've fought back. He'd shown her enough moves to have gotten out of that old kook's hold a hundred times over. And that look on her face when she had rushed to the kitchen, it was enough to make him want to forget that she didn't want him in her life anymore.
He wanted to grab her by the shoulder and shake her until she snapped out of it. To yell and throw things until there was some sign of life in those eyes again. Anything would be better than watching her run off to lick her wounds in private.
With a deep rumbling growl, Jason drew back his foot and kicked hard at the bridge. Everything was so screwed up. What was it that he had once told Elizabeth? If you're not happy with something, fix it. Maybe not in those words, but close. He wanted to fix so many things. Aspects of his life that had just gotten so out of control that he didn't even know where to start. It'd a backhoe to clean all the crap out of his life.
Straightening he took in a deep breath and hung his head down low. Where would he start?
"Are you insane?" Sonny's demanding voice boomed, bouncing off the walls and making the two females flinch. "You can't just go around kidnapping people!"
"Sure I can. Actually it'd be easy ." A nervous giggle passed her lips as she watched Sonny wave an irritated hand at her as he turned back to his drink.
"Who do you want to kidnap?" Carly took a step forward, not able to resist.
"Elizabeth--."
"Absolutely not." Not letting her finish, Sonny slammed down the glass he'd been drinking from. "That girl has been through enough this year."
Seeing the puzzlement in Brenda's eyes, Carly filled her in. "She was kidnapped this summer. They kept her in a crypt. If it weren't for Sonny and Jason getting to her in time she would've died."
"Jesus I was thinking of a cabin. Not some smelly grave. Plus she won't be in danger." Not seeing the problem, Brenda pressed on with her plan.
"She might not be, but when Jase finds out it was you that had her kidnapped? You won't stand a chance in hell." Sonny said.
"I thought she didn't mean anything to him." Raising her brow at her former lover, she watched as a blush crept up his neck. "You're losing your edge. Besides I plan on trapping him there with her."
Carly's mouth twitched as she placed a hand in front of her mouth. Soon a small giggle escaped, followed by a full-fledged laugh. "Oh my god you are insane."
Brenda beamed. "Thanks."
"Let me get this straight. You." Sonny jabbed a finger in Brenda's direction. "Plan on having not only Elizabeth kidnapped but you plan on taking Jason as well? How?"
"Well that's why I need your help." Crossing the living room and taking a seat on the arm of the leather couch, Brenda got down to business. "I need Johnny and Francis."
"No."
"Fine." Leaping up again, Brenda headed toward the door.
Watching her walk away, Sonny scratched the side of his head. "You're gonna let it drop? Just like that?"
"Oh I didn't say that. I'll just ask Jax for help." Picking up her jacket Brenda pulled it on slowly, smiling innocently over at the shocked couple. "He'd get a kick out of this."
"Why does this mean so much to you?" Seeing that he was beat, Sonny put his hands back into his pockets. "You don't even know Elizabeth and I know you can hardly stand Jason."
"Because when he and I are divorced, I'll be happily engaged to Jax. You and Carly have the whole family thing going for you. But what does Jason have?" Her eyes saddened. "Nothing. He has a bunch of people he caters to. No one waiting for him at home at the end of the day. I think he at least deserves that. And if Elizabeth Webber can give it to him? Then yay Elizabeth."
"Jason's happy being alone." Sonny countered.
"Really? Sonny he'd how old now? Twenty-six? Twenty-seven? He's well past the sowing his oats stage and is probably ready to settle down. He was ready years ago with Michael and Robin." The words were like ice water. Like it was some kind of unwritten word that no one spoke about that time. "But we all know that didn't work out. He needs his own life. With a woman who loves him and a child of his own."
"Fine." Carly was the first to talk. "I'm in."
Spinning toward his wife, Sonny's jaw dropped. "You're willing to put your friendship with Jason on the line like that? You know he doesn't want you meddling with his life."
"Oh give it up Sonny. Brenda's onto something that we've both noticed but have been too selfish to talk about. Jason isn't the same person he used to be. He's unhappy, and if we don't do something now he's gonna go away again."
The silence in the room was deafening. "Fine. But this is all on you Brenda."
Jumping up and down, clapping her hands in glee, Brenda squealed and raced over to kiss Sonny and Carly on the cheek. "You won't regret this." Turning around and dashing out of the penthouse, she missed the shared look of uncertainty on the people she left in her wake.
