Liason

Episode 002

"It is during our darkest moments that
we must focus on the light."
- Aristotle

She knew it wouldn't be easy to go back to work, but she's used up all her leave time and she just couldn't afford not to get back to work. Gingerly tying the apron around her waist, she tries her best to be as kind as she can manage to the patrons of the small diner, knowing it wasn't their problem that she still hasn't moved on from the loss of her boyfriend. Picking up the coffee pot, she ignores the side glances from the other waitresses and even some patrons as she goes around refilling coffee cups. She had been walking back to the counter when a familiar face comes walking into the diner, one she hasn't seen since the day she lost her boyfriend.

"Jason." she voices, standing across from him as he steps up to the counter. "Hey."

"Hey." he replies with the same familiarity. "How are you?"

"Alive." Elizabeth says as the only response she could muster up. "You?"

"Same."

"Its been a while." Elizabeth comments as she pours him a cup of coffee, black. "How's Robin?"

"Wouldn't know." he admits. "We broke up."

"Oh." Elizabeth was actually pretty shocked by the admission. "I have no words. Sorry."

"Thanks for the coffee." he says as he slides over payment for the beverage. "Take care."

"You, too."

Watching him walk out of the diner, she wonders how bad things must have gotten for him to have that look in his eyes, a look of nothingness. With the sound of someone calling her name, Elizabeth tears her gaze from the door that he had walked out of to tend to the patron before her. Once she had refilled everyone's cups, Elizabeth got started on wiping down the empty tables, doing anything to keep busy as she waited for the time to come that she could leave the diner as well. More than anything, she just wants to be back at the cabin, away from the world and all that inhabit it.

Walking through town, Jason makes his way back to the Elm Street Pier, needing to get to work at the main warehouse. Sonny has decided to give him busy work, anything to keep his mind off of the break up with Robin and the darkness that threatened to take hold of him at any given turn. He knew that telling Sonny about contemplating suicide was going to set the man off on an attempt to save him, but he owed it to his friend to be honest with him. After all they had been through, it didn't seem right to keep that from him. As a result, however, Sonny has been keeping a close eye on him ever since.

"Hey, man." Johnny greets Jason when he walks into the warehouse, a smile plastered on his face. "So, how's it hanging, anything new?"

"What do you want?" Jason questions with an arched eyebrow.

"You got me." Johnny smirks, shrugging his shoulders. "I was hoping to get some time off this week. My ma's birthday's this weekend and I was planning..."

"Go ahead." Jason says simply, walking past him. "Expense the ticket. I'll cover the fees."

"Wha...are you serious?" Johnny looks at him in disbelief. "I only needed the time off..."

"Go home, Johnny. Pack up." Jason replies firmly. "Enjoy time with your family. Tell Francis he can do the same. I expect you both back by Monday."

"Understood." Johnny says quickly, surprised by the generosity, but thankful for it, as well. "Thanks, man."

Making his way up the stairs to his office, Jason lets out a deep breath the moment he steps foot inside, securing the door behind him. The lieutenants have been carrying a heavy load through the entire ordeal between him and Robin, picking up where he slacked off, and he appreciates that they were willing to do it without being told or repaid. If paying their trip home to see their family will repay that then he's more than willing to do so. Dropping down onto the chair, he pulls out the files he had been meaning to go over for about a week now, finding that now was as good a time as any to get to paperwork.

She was supposed to head straight back to the cabin once her shift was up, but something pulled her towards the docks instead. Her feet carried her down the steps and over to the bench atop of the pier. Lowering herself down onto the wooden structure, she lets out a deep breath, memories flooding her the moment she sat down. How many nights had they spent sleeping on that pier beneath the stairs? How many restless nights did Lucky stay awake in an attempt to protect from the evil the world could produce? Sitting there, listening to the water crash against the pier, her tears begin to fall down her cheeks. Why did remembering him have to hurt so much?

The seconds turned to minutes and minutes into hours that, by the time she realized she had been sitting there for longer than expected, it was dark out. The cold atmosphere has settled in around her, mirroring the coldness that resides within the deepest parts of herself, silence all around her. It had been so quiet that she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of biker boots walking across the wooden flooring, her body relaxing at the sight of Jason as he makes his way over to her.

"Two times in one day." Elizabeth comments, going for light humor. "Must be some kind of record."

"Its not safe to be out here at night." Jason voices, moving to sit down beside her. "Especially alone."

"I know." she whispers, leaning back against the bench. "I didn't mean to be here for as long as I've been. Time just flew by me, I guess."

"Yeah." he sighs. "Its been that kind of night for me."

"I can see that." Elizabeth replies, turning to look at him. "Must have been some break up."

"It was."

"I'm sorry." Elizabeth says sincerely. "I honestly thought you two were the kind to last, you know?"

"I did, too."

They sit there for a moment longer, allowing the silence to fall over them as they simply listen to the water crashing against the pier, before Jason insists on taking Elizabeth home. Elizabeth didn't think it was necessary, having been taking a taxi to the cabin these last few weeks, but he wouldn't hear anything to the contrary. Seeing his mode of transportation, she had been more than hesitant about getting on the back of it, terrified about all the possible ways a bike could crash on the open road.

Something about Jason's certainty, however, had her strapping on the helmet and straddling the bike behind him. As soon as she was secure on the bike, Jason starts up the engine and takes off down the road, weaving his way through the streets all the way to the Quartermaine cabin. Despite all her fears and uncertainties, Elizabeth enjoyed the ride more than she ever truly wanted to admit, evident through the foreign feature that graces her face as the engine dies and she dismounts the bike, a smile.

Jason wasn't sure what he was doing or what he would say to her when he approached her on the docks. All he knew was that she couldn't be there by herself. Not with all the trouble that's been taking place on the docks these last few weeks. As much as they try to prevent trouble in those parts of the town, trouble still seems to find its way onto their docks, and he didn't want it to find its way to her. Sitting with her, a sense of commonality fell over him that he was tempted to test the theory as he offered her a ride home.

The moment she straddled the bike behind him, she clung to him, afraid but still willing to give it a shot. As the ride progressed, her grip loosened up until she was throwing her head back into the wind as he sped faster down the streets of the town. He could have sworn that he almost heard her laughing behind him as he hit the turns on the way to the cabin.

Going off road with his bike isn't something he does too often, but he didn't mind it as long as it had her relaxing behind him. Then, just before she walked into the cabin, he saw it. A soft smile graces her lips as she waves goodbye and enters the cabin. A gesture which in turn produced a small smile upon his lips. Seeing that smile, knowing he had put it there, it was like he was finally seeing that tiny sliver of light at the end of the tunnel and it gave him hope.

"Jason, what took you so long?" Sonny questions him when he walks into the penthouse. "You said you were on your way over an hour ago. The warehouse isn't that far."

"Sorry." Jason says as he shrugs out of his jacket, seeing that he was clearly worried for him, before sitting down at the table. "I ran into Elizabeth on the docks."

"This late at night?"

"Yeah." Jason confirms. "I had to make sure she got back home safely."

"Good, that's good." Sonny says as he takes his seat at the table for their late dinner. "How is she?"

"No better than the last time we saw her." Jason replies plainly. "She still carries his loss with her like it was yesterday."

"I can imagine." Sonny sighs. "Some nights, I can still hear her pleas, begging for it all to have been a nightmare."

He understood that more than Sonny could ever truly comprehend. Late at night, his mind replays that night over and over again, forcing himself to remember the devastated look in her eyes as she fell to her knees at the sight of Lucky's subway token necklace. It was in that very moment that she finally believed he was gone. Like a light bulb shattering, the light diminished in her eyes and the darkness took hold of her completely. He tried to find the words, but he couldn't. What could he really say in that moment as her whole world crashed around her? Tonight, though, he watched as some of that light returned to her eyes and that had him wanting to help her regain it all. It was the least that he could do.

Walking into the cabin, Elizabeth goes through her luggage and pulls out the sketch set that she had packed with her things. She hasn't really had the heart to allow herself the pleasure of her art lately. She just couldn't stomach it without Lucky by her side. Tonight, though, she feels a renewed desire to take her pencil to the page. In one simple moment, she found the ability to smile, to let loose and allow herself to feel a sense of happiness. With the roar of the engine, she found a sliver of light at the end of her tunnel and she couldn't help but feel the hope that light created within her.

Sitting down on the window seat, she props the sketch pad atop her lap before she takes a deep breath and begins the sketch of the moment her heart found the ability to feel again. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes into hours as she sat there sketching the feeling onto paper. By the time Elizabeth was finished, the sun began to rise and with it a new sense of being awakens within her. Her love for Lucky had been all encompassing. It seeped into every inch of her being and it made her the kind of person she could be proud of. She refuses to let his death taint the love that they had so freely shared with each other.

Now is the time to push forward and live life for the both of them. Setting the sketchpad down onto the cushions, Elizabeth makes the decision to live her life and thrive for as long as she's allowed another day. Lucky's love taught her what mattered to her, now she must love herself enough to go after all she wants out of life. With nothing more than a sliver of hope pulsating through her body, Elizabeth makes the choice to stop feeling guilty for still being alive. Lucky wouldn't want that for her. He wouldn't want any of this for her. So, she will do it, she will move on, and she will live her life the best she possibly can for as long as she can.

Thank you for your kind words and for all who hit that favorite/follow buttons. Elizabeth and Jason are a true fascination of mine and I do hope you continue to enjoy the episodes as they are posted. Thank you and I hope to hear more from you on your thoughts throughout.