Disclaimer: Anything remotely recognizable as being a part of the cannon General Hospital.

Claiming any artistic creativity thought up by yours truly. Copy Writers be fore shamed.

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ONE AND THE SAME
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The Quartermaine mansion is filled with immediate family and extended, all gathered to honor Lila's life the way Edward has planned it. Each with their spouses and some with their kids, everyone awaited the start of the family dinner, knowing that Edward would start once he was good and ready.

From the moment that Jason arrived, he's been searching the crowd of people for Elizabeth, but she has yet to arrive. A part of him wondered if she would duck out on the dinner after what he had told her the previous night, but the logical part of him knew that she wouldn't do that. Not when Edward passed along the invitation in person. Something he knows the elder man had kept in mind while doing it.

"I'd ask if you were looking for your wife, but we both know she's on a shopping trip with Carly." Emily says in that tone that she uses when bringing up a certain ex-bff. "Why are you looking for her?"

"Don't start with me right now, Em." he says warningly, turning away from the door. "This is neither the time nor the place."

"You're right." Emily shakes her head. "Its neither the time nor the place for you to be looking for her, of all people!"

"Don't start." he states, showing the warning in his eyes this time. "Go find your husband before I say something you'll regret."

"He's not here and you know it."

"Then go find Alan or Monica." he says simply. "Find someone else to bug."

"Jason, no matter what you think now, there was a reason you broke up with her." Emily sighs, shaking her head. "Just because we've lost Lila...don't forget that reason. She's not good for you...she's not good for any of us."

"I'm not gonna tell you again." he says plainly. "Go."

"Fine." Emily throws her hands up. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Dully noted."

Letting out the deep breath he hadn't known he was holding, Jason turns away from the sight of his sister walking off to scan the room once again. He wasn't sure if she was right, if he only felt like this because Lila's gone, but he just had to see her. To talk to her. To finally put everything out on the table and close the book on their relationship for good. Whatever the case may be, he just needs her to get there already.

"You sure you want to do this?" Zander asks her, holding her hand as they stand outside the Quartermaine door.

"I have to." she says simply, taking a deep breath. "For Lila and for Edward...I have to."

"Okay, but if you want to leave, just say the word." he says seriously. "Say the word and we're out, okay?"

"Okay." she smiles slightly, leaning in when he leans over to kiss her cheek. "I couldn't do this without you. You know that, right?"

"Its always good to hear I'm needed." he smiles slightly, securing her hand in his. "Ready?"

"Yeah." she shakes her head. "I'm ready."

Knocking on the door, the two of them wait for it to open up, both wondering what will await them when they walk inside. Being ushered inside by Reginald, she's wrapped up into a warm embrace, being told how much Lila loved her and how grateful she would be to know that Elizabeth was there at a time like that.

"Thank you." she says softly, stepping out of Reginald's embrace. "You were a very large part of her family, too, you know?"

"I know." Reginald assures. "A family I was very proud and honored to be a part of, I assure you."

"What are you doing here?" the accusing voice of Monica fills the foyer. "You're not welcome here! Neither of you!"

"I was invited." Elizabeth says simply, holding her husband's hand just a little too tight, causing him to jump into his defensive stance. "I'm sorry if that bothers you, but I'm not going anywhere."

"Not enough with the damage you've both done to my family, you have to cause more in our time of mourning?" Monica glares at them as if they were the scum of the earth.

"You hush now." Edward demands, walking over to greet Elizabeth. "I invited them and they'll be staying until I say otherwise."

"Of course you'd invite them." Monica rolls her eyes before walking off.

"Elizabeth, dear, I'm glad you could make it." Edward says as he wraps her up in a warm embrace. "Dinner is almost ready to start."

"Okay." she smiles slightly pulling away after a moment. "You remember my husband, don't you?"

"Of course." Edward shakes Zander's hand. "Glad you join our family at this time."

"My wife needs me." he says simply. "Nowhere I'd rather be."

"As it should be." Edward agrees, stepping to the side. "Come on in. Everyone's in the family room."

"I'm not so sure that's a great idea..." Elizabeth starts to say when Edward just shakes his head.

"You're family." Edward gives as his explanation, pushing open the door. "Join the others. Dinner will start soon."

The moment they walked into the room, all eyes were on them, making them feel more out of place than ever before. Holding firm to each other's hands, they walk further into the room, taking up a corner of their own as the doors close once again. Strangely, for both of them, they felt like they were being locked up for their own death sentence.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here." Emily confronts both of them. "No matter what Edward says, you're not part of this family. You never were!"

"Back off, Emily, now." Zander states, stepping back when Elizabeth's hand pulls on his arm. "We're not here for you. Just leave us be."

"This is my family home!" Emily snaps. "You don't get to tell me what to do!"

"You're making a scene." Zander says in a hushed tone. "Everyone knows what you think of us...just walk away."

"I'll walk away when I'm good and ready." Emily states, turning her glare to Elizabeth. "If you have any decency left, you'll leave now and let my family grieve without having to see you."

"Edward wants me here." Elizabeth says softly. "I'm sorry if that bothers you, but I'm not going to walk away when he needs me to be here."

"He needs his family." Emily corrects. "Not you."

"Even if you don't like it, Edward sees me as family." Elizabeth defends. "I'm not leaving, Emily."

"I cannot believe how selfish you're being." Emily scoffs, shaking her head. "Then again...I probably can believe it...you've been a hell of a lot more selfish in the past."

"Enough!" Zander steps forward again, ignoring Elizabeth's hand holding him back this time. "You act like you have any right to criticize when, in truth, you have no right to judge us at all!"

"Excuse me?" Emily looks at him in disbelief.

"When Elizabeth and I got together, we were over for a long time!" Zander says angrily. "You made your choice and it wasn't me! I'm sorry if you were hurt in any way by what we did, but it had nothing to do with you! My life stopped revolving around you the moment you slept with Nikolas while we were together!"

"That's not fair." Emily practically shouts.

"Neither is your treatment of me and my wife!" Zander states, finally stepping back when Elizabeth yanks him back. "We're not here for you. We're here for Lila and Edward...so, suck it up and deal with it."

"This is neither the time nor the place for this." Jason says seriously, joining the group. "Walk away, Em."

"Wha...me?" Emily looks at him shocked.

"Walk away." Jason says seriously. "They were minding their business. You walked up to them, you walk away."

"I can't believe you're defending them." Emily scoffs, shaking her head. "You're my brother."

"And I'm telling you to walk away." Jason counters. "Go."

"This isn't over." Emily says to Zander and Elizabeth. "Not by a long shot."

"Have you thought about what I said?" Jason asks Elizabeth once Emily walks away.

"Uh...yeah." Elizabeth shakes her head. "What could it hurt?"

"My point exactly." Jason takes a deep breath before stepping to the side. "Shall we?"

"Um, yeah." Elizabeth turns to Zander. "See you later?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Zander shakes his head. "There's an overdue conversation that I need to have with my own ex."

"Take it easy on her." Elizabeth says softly. "She's going through a lot."

"And you're not?" he counters. "Go on...I'll behave myself."

"Okay." she smiles slightly before linking arms with Jason and walking off to Lila's garden. "Where do we start?"

"The beginning?" he suggests, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not even sure."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"No." he admits. "But lets get it over with."

"Okay." she takes a deep breath. "I guess it all starts when we agreed to try."

"I guess its as good a place as any to start." he agrees, sitting down next to her on the bench. "You go first and I'll fill in my side."

"Okay." she agrees, shaking her head. "Lets get started then."

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