Easter Sunday

"I really don't know if we should be here." Elizabeth whispered to her grandmother as they approached the oversized mansion.

"Well Monica insisted I bring you and the boys. She said that the house needs more kids around and she finally was feeling up to having the annual egg hunt this year. Ever since she lost Emily and Alan she has been in a rut."

Elizabeth noticed a few other cars parked in the circular driveway, "Who else is going to be here?"

"Just a few doctors and nurses from the hospital with their children. I believe Robin and Patrick will be here with Emma." Audrey explained, pointing at a SUV with a Nascar sticker on the back, surely Patrick's car. "The boys will have fun."

The boys did have fun. The grounds of the Quartermaine mansion were extensive, a lot of land to hide Easter eggs. Some of the eggs had candy in them while some of the others had money… coins for the children to put in their piggy banks. Cameron ran around the property picking up the eggs, shaking them and if he heard a coin he'd open it immediately to see how much money he got, the candy would be deposited into his basket for later.

"I'm going to go inside and visit with Monica for a little while. Why don't you take the boys over to the east lawn, there is probably a lot over there since most of the kids haven't made their way over to that side of the yard yet." Audrey pointed to the side of the house that led to Lila's rose garden.

"Come on boys, lets go try over there." Elizabeth called and started walking to the side of the house. Cameron and Jake followed her, excited to find more eggs hidden. She rounded the corner of the house and immediately spotted more pink, blue, green and yellow eggs hidden throughout the yard and along the edge of the garden.

Jake squealed and Cameron took off running toward some of the eggs. Elizabeth laughed as he picked up various colored eggs and tossed them into his basket. Jake found himself a egg filled with jelly beans and sat down in the grass to eat them. Normally she was against any candy in the morning but today she was making an exception. Suddenly she get a feeling that she was being watched. She looked to her sides and saw people scattered around not paying attention to her and the boys. She turned completely around and looked toward the trees lining the property on the other side of the rose garden. He was there with his cell phone to his ear having what appeared to be an intense conversation… but that didn't stop him from watching her and the boys.

Unable to stop herself, she lifted her hand and waved to him as a flash of the night a few weeks ago appeared in her head, the ride, the kiss, and the emptiness the followed when he left. Cameron saw his mother wave to an area of the yard where no eggs were hidden so he looked curiously who was over there. When he saw that it was Jason he forgot about the egg in his hand and waved, "Jason!" he yelled.

Even though he was over a hundred feet away Elizabeth could tell he said, "I gotta go." Into his phone, closed it then slipped it into his pocket. When he started in their direction the butterflies returned to her stomach, the same butterflies that seemed to appear every time he was around… she hated them and the fact that he could still cause them to appear after all this time.

Cameron took off in his direction and once Jake saw where his big brother was running he took off following him which left Elizabeth with no other choice but to follow them as well. When they finally caught up to Jason, Jake wrapped his arms around his leg and Cameron held up his basket, "Look at all of the eggs I found Jason. I think I have almost five dollars in there."

"Five dollars?" Jason exclaimed. "That's a lot of money."

"Uh huh." Cameron proudly nodded.

Jason looked over to Elizabeth, "Hey."

She offered him a forced smile, "Hey… I didn't know you'd be here or I wouldn't have…"

Jason quickly shook his head, "It's ok, I'm glad you are here. The boys look like they are having fun."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement and looked back toward the yard unable to see everyone searching for their eggs because they'd drifted so far from the main yard. "Did we interrupt an important call? Boy's lets leave Jason alone, he has…"

"No, it wasn't anything important, just Sam."

She didn't know how to take that comment. He was with Sam now, of course that was important. "H-how come she didn't come with you?"

"She is out of town on a job. Actually she was calling to tell me that she got an offer in Washington as a consultant to the Marshall's office."

"Like a U.S. Marshall? Sam?"

Jason nodded, "A consultant though. She could never work directly for them because of her past."

"Still, that's big." Elizabeth said with a nod. Did that mean Sam was moving? Were they still together? She couldn't bring herself to ask him those questions, they were not any of her business but the curiosity was still there.

"I told her to take it. It's a good opportunity for her and she was never really happy here anyway." Jason explained, answering Elizabeth's question for her.

Elizabeth nodded but didn't say anything, instead she crossed her arms over her chest and looked back toward the house.

"Come on mommy and Jason, let's go find more eggs." Cameron called as he started walking toward the house again.

"It's ok Jason, you can go. I'll tell Cameron and Jake you had somewhere to be." She sadly whispered.

Jason stared at her for a long minute. She did not look over at him but she could feel his eyes watching her expression and the emotion behind her words. Not wanting to prolong the inevitable, she started walking. "Wait." He said, stopping her steps.

She turned around, her arms still protectively crossed over her chest. "What?"

He took a few steps in her direction and looked around to make sure nobody could see them. The smell of roses filled the air and he could tell Elizabeth had been enjoying the aroma with each breath. Looking at her he couldn't help but take in her beauty. She wore a flowing yellow sundress, her hair was down, both flowing in the soft breeze. Her soft pink lips were accented by the pink rose bush she was standing beside. Taking one last look around he saw that they were still out of sight. He stepped toward her and took her cheek in his hand. He could hear her take in a shaky breath but her eyes closed and her face leaned into his hand. "There's nowhere else I want to be." He whispered.

The butterflies turned into bats in her stomach when she felt his lips press against hers. It was the softest, most gentle kiss and it was also entirely too short. She knew it was completely wrong and so did he but it didn't stop him from kissing her. His forehead rested against hers but her eyes remained closed as she struggled to swallow with the boulder sized lump that had formed in her throat.

"Mamaaaaa" Elizabeth distantly heard, pulling her from her trance. Jake was looking for her.

Jason's hand slipped from her cheek, his thumb tracing her jaw line in the process. Her arms fell to her side as the protective wall she fought to keep up crumbled as it always did in his presence. Her eyes finally opened and found that he was still standing there, his eyes watching her, waiting for her reaction.

"I should go find the boys." She whispered with a shaky voice.

He nodded and she turned to walk away taking hesitant steps through the yard. When she finally caught up to the boys they were sitting in the grass going through the eggs in their baskets. "Oh my goodness, look at all that candy and money. Are you done looking for eggs?" She asked, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Nope, just taking a break." Cameron shrugged and stood up.

"Then lets go find some more eggs." Elizabeth head from behind her. His voice made her breath catch. She didn't know he had followed her across the yard. Cameron and Jake hurriedly gathered the eggs back into their baskets and jumped to their feet. They looked at Jason with stars in their eyes and his expression mirrored theirs. Both boys were so excited to spend time with Jason. Elizabeth was equally excited but hesitant at the same time. Spending time with Jason was great but it was always followed with heartache and sadness when they had to say goodbye.

The boys followed Jason around letting him point out the eggs to them. Jason kept joking that he was doing all the work but Cameron joked, "You find them faster then me."

Elizabeth watched their interaction, it was so comfortable and they were so happy spending time together. It also relaxed her a bit that nobody paid any attention to the fact that 'mob enforcer' Jason Morgan was spending time with her and the boys.

For over an hour she watched them. It seemed so natural for all three of them. At the same time, she couldn't help but notice how handsome Jason looked in a pair of khaki pants. It was extremely rare that he'd wear anything but a pair of jeans and a dark, solid color t-shirt. The top two buttons of his button up shirt were unbuttoned and every time she looked at his chest the lump reappeared in her throat.

Finally an annoying bell rang out through the yard and the unmistakable voice of Alice was heard through a microphone. "Brunch is now being served."

Jason sighed, "I have to go anyway, I promised Carly and the boys that I'd…"

Elizabeth nodded and interrupted him, "It's fine. Thank you for spending time with the boys. It means a lot to them… and to me." she admitted.

Jason kneeled down and hugged both of the boys. "I'll see you later Jason." Cameron said and high-fived him before turning and running toward the house. As always, Jake followed closely behind Cameron.

Elizabeth softly chuckled, "He loves his big brother." She said as she watched the boys run around the corner and disappear toward the house for brunch. "I should go before Cameron finds the table with the muffins."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth's brows pulled together, "For what?"

"For letting me spend time with them."

Elizabeth shrugged, "You can any time you want." Her words stabbed both of their hearts. "I'm glad Monica invited you."

"Me too. I wasn't going to come but you know how persistent she can be."

She smiled, "Yea, my Grams can be the same way." They both stood there for a few moments, looking into each other's eyes, neither wanting to be the first to walk away. "Anyway, I'll see you later." She nodded and turned to walk away.

Jason watched her take a few steps then rushed up behind her and grabbed her arm to stop her. She immediately turned and wrapped her arms around him. She had hoped he'd stop her and he had. Her head buried into his chest and his chin rested on the top of her head. They stayed like that for a little while until they both knew she had to get inside the house to the boys. Her head lifted and her eyes found his. Her lips formed the words "I love you" even though her voice never came with them. After quickly scanning the area and finding nobody around, Jason took her face in his hands and kissed her. This kiss was not gentle like the first one by the rose garden. This kiss was passionate and eager. His lips parted hers and his tongue entered her mouth, finding hers to mate with. Her body pressed against his wanting more.

"Now that is a kiss."

She turned away from the window, "I shouldn't be watching that."

"But that is what we wanted, right?" Monica asked.

Audrey nodded with a satisfied smile on her face. "Let's get back to the brunch and give them their privacy."