ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

I would like to remind those who are complaining about Johnny being a crappy friend, that it was FRANCIS who came up with the plan, and that he has approved of everything Johnny has done.


Chapter 8

Elizabeth was on KP again so she spent the time after dinner cleaning up from tropical storm Johnny. The man was an absolute disaster in the kitchen. They had the fish from the market grilled topped with a salsa, for the side dishes he made brown rice and broccoli. To do this the man used every pot and pan in the kitchen; along with most of the cutlery and mixing bowls. She couldn't even figure out what he did with some of them. Like the whisk, nothing he made needed to be whisked yet it was dirty too. No wonder Sonny wouldn't let him in his kitchen back home. It would serve Johnny right if the next time he cooked she took a picture and sent it to Sonny. It was no less than Johnny deserved for yelling at her this morning.

Honestly she did feel bad about making the guys worry. That was never her intention. She had made the assumption the island was totally safe. Over lunch Jason said they were safer here than in Port Charles, but no place was one hundred percent safe. She still needed to have one of them with her when she went out.

Francis had requested that if she left the house, even just to go for a morning walk along the beach, that she leave them a note. That way they would know she was close. He also requested she make sure she was carrying her phone. Elizabeth agreed because what they were asking was fair. It still left her gob smacked sometimes that they cared as much as they did. They didn't have to, it wasn't like she was someone important. If she dropped off the planet tomorrow they would miss her for a bit but eventually they would forget about her. Still it felt nice to have someone looking out for her.

She reached for another pan and frowned. "Why did he use both the three quart and five quart sauce pans?" Elizabeth asked herself. "All he needed was one sauce pan. He grilled the fish and steamed the broccoli. The salsa was raw." It was also spicy. "I don't get it." She muttered as she continued cleaning.

While she put the space back to rights the guys lounged. Francis did offer to help, but she turned him down. He and Jason were reading and Johnny was watching a movie. From this angle she couldn't see what it was but based on the music it was a scary one. She didn't do scary movies, no sir. After she was done she'd go upstairs and sketch until it was time to check on Jason.

Another thirty minutes later the kitchen was once again spotless. Tomorrow night it was her turn to cook and Johnny's to clean up. She was considering getting some payback. Maybe she'd spill some things and make him scrub. If she didn't feel bad about disrespecting Sonny's kitchen she would. The mob boss kept his kitchen as clean as an operating room, and that had rubbed off on her.

"All done?" Francis asked as she walked over. She'd been at it awhile. He would have to check the schedule and make sure the next time OB cooked he was on clean up duty.

"Uh-huh." She came over not stopping until she was standing between him in the armchair and Jason on the couch. Despite not wanting to watch the television the screen captured her attention. "What's this?" She recognized some of the actors but not the movie.

"Silence of the Lambs." Jason answered absently. Johnny loved this movie he had seen it at least fifteen times.

"What's he doing?" Elizabeth could feel her skin crawl. The woman was in the bottom of a well in the guy's basement. That was just wrong. She didn't watch movies with violence against women so she had missed this one.

"Lowering lotion down so that the woman can keep her skin soft. He's making a people suit." Johnny said with way too much glee.

"Gross." Elizabeth made a face, but she couldn't seem to look away. The woman in the well was begging to be let go and Elizabeth's breath was coming faster.

"Hey." Jason heard the increase in her breathing and looked up concerned. Francis and Johnny looked over too. "Elizabeth." Jason touched her arm.

"NO!" She screamed and jumped back quickly putting her hand over her mouth. The guys were looking at her like she was crazy.

"You okay kid?" Francis asked getting up.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I just got sucked in." That didn't sound at all convincing. "I'm going to bed." Elizabeth said before bolting from the room. Upstairs she locked herself in and shuddered hard. It was the begging that set her off. She needed a shower.


"I guess she doesn't like horror movies." Johnny said shrugging, some people didn't. Silence of the Lambs freaked a lot of people out. He liked it because it was a damned good movie.

"Should I go check on her?" Francis looked to Jason for guidance.

"Yeah, thanks." Jason hadn't liked the look of fear on her face. He didn't want her having nightmares. She wasn't the best sleeper normally, this might have her up all night.

"I'll be right back." Francis took the stairs two at a time. "Liz." He said knocking on the door.

"Yeah?" She was heading toward the shower when he knocked.

"You okay kid?" Francis didn't ask to come in.

"Yeah, I just got spooked." Her voice only shook a little. "I don't like those kinds of movies. You don't need to worry."

"I don't like them either." Francis told her. Johnny would not be watching anymore of them in the main room. "You need anything?"

"No, I'm good Francis, thank you. Good night." She said hoping he went away, she wanted to get clean.

"Night." Francis was worried that she didn't come to the door but if she said she was okay he had to believe it. He headed back down. "She said she doesn't like horror movies, so from now on watch them in your room."

"Not a problem. I didn't know." Johnny told them.

"You are just fucking up left and right today aren't you." Jason said smiling wide. "What are your plans for tomorrow? Maybe break some of those colored pencils you bought her." Jason said rubbing it in.

"Asshole." Johnny said shaking his head. He really had not had a good day. Hopefully Jason didn't start getting complacent. "We are called the Fighting Irish for a reason, don't rest on your laurels just yet." Johnny did need to come up with something good. He was enjoying irritating Jason too much to back down now. A good night's sleep was all he needed to bounce back from today.

"You'd need a miracle to come back from this one." Jason just laughed his friend was so screwed.


She showered then put on her pajama bottoms and Jason's shirt. Getting in that bed alone held no appeal. The movie wasn't enough to cause nightmares, but it did leave her feeling vulnerable. When she felt like this and her Gram was still alive she would sleep with her. Elizabeth couldn't help but remember how it felt to have Jason hold her while she slept. Chewing her bottom lip she wondered if he would let her stay with him tonight.


They all heard her door open and then her feet on the stairs. They looked at one another trying to figure out what would make her come back down. Normally once she was in she didn't leave again until it was time to check on Jason. Johnny paused the movie happy to see that it was exterior street scene. Nothing scary at all.

"Jason?" Elizabeth called out, she wasn't going back in the room although since she didn't hear any music she wondered if the movie was done.

"What's up?" Not being able to get up had never been more infuriating as it was in this moment. It was clear she wasn't coming in so he had to yell across the room.

"Can I sleep in your room please?" She was blushing bright as she asked. It probably seemed childish, but she just didn't want to be alone.

"Sure thing. I'll be in later." Jason just glared at Johnny. Francis was doing the same thing. "Go check on her please." He asked the older man.

"Not a problem." Francis walked over to Jason's room and arrived in time to watch Elizabeth spread a blanket on the floor. "What are you doing?" His lips twitched up when he saw she was in Jason's shirt.

"Making a pallet." She explained. She had grabbed the blankets from her bed to put on the floor. "Unless there is an air mattress here?" That would be great.

"The bed is a King." Francis pointed out. "There is plenty of room."

"Jason needs to be able to stretch out." Elizabeth went back to making her bed.

"Jason will flip out if he comes in here and you are on the floor. He will also try to pick you up. Do us all a favor and get in the bed." Francis didn't tell her that he would be with Jason.

She looked at the bed and back at her friend.

"Think of it as a stationary hammock." Francis teased. "Are you worried he's going to try something?"

Elizabeth looked affronted. "Francis you know Jason would never take advantage." Even if she wanted him to.

"I know but I wanted to make sure you did." He came over and picked up her blankets throwing them onto the chair. "Hop in." He pulled back the covers on Jason's bed. "Want me to read you a story or sing you a lullaby?" He asked grinning.

"Good night Francis." Elizabeth rolled to her side ignoring her friend.

He was laughing as he turned out the light. "Night Liz." Back in the living room he told Jason and Johnny what happened. "Give her twenty minutes or so to fall asleep and then I'll help you in. Keep your hands off her private parts." He warned. Any other night he wouldn't care, but tonight Liz was upset.

"You don't need to tell me that." Jason frowned at his friend. He didn't expect to get much sleep though. It was going to be the most wonderful torture having Elizabeth that close all night long.

For the past seven months she had been the only female in his life who he wasn't related to. Jason found himself thinking about her at odd times of the day. He would be walking down the street and see something and think that maybe she would like to paint it. If he was working at the warehouse and one of the guys had the radio on, certain songs made him think of her. He even found himself wondering what it would be like to walk the streets of Rome with her hand tucked in his. Italy was a dream of hers. A dream he wanted to make come true.

Elizabeth had dominated his thoughts the night he got jumped. Jason had been in rough shape as he waited for the guys to come get him from where he managed to seek shelter. All Jason could think about was the fact that he might not get the chance to see her again. It had caused an emotional pain on par with the physical pain he was in.

The reason he was so short with the nurses was because they weren't Elizabeth. He had gotten spoiled by that month in her studio, and even though he didn't want her to see him hurt. Her gentle touch was all he wanted. Hell, he would have even eaten the soup she loved to force feed him without complaint. Anything to have her close.

He wasn't going to waste their time on the island. As soon as he figured out how to do so he was going to tell her he was interested in being more than her friend, and hope he was right that she was feeling it too. If he got the answer he was hoping for then he was going to ask her to go out with him when he was mobile again. He was going to make sure Elizabeth understood just how important she was to him.


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