A/N: Here's the next chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the General Hospital characters.
Previously on General Hospital
"Ric! Wake up ! They are counting you out but I'm not. Do you hear me? I'm not! You need to wake up and prove them wrong. You need to wake up and prove me right because you know I hate more than anything to be wrong. Come on Ric!" Alexis said starting to cry.
Nikolas walked over to Alexis and tried to pull her away but she shrugged him off.
"No! Let me go!" Alexis yelled.
"Alexis your going to make yourself ill. Please stop this." Nikolas begged.
"No! He wouldn't give up on me so I'm not going to give up on him. He has got to much to live for." Alexis said then turned back to Ric.
"God dammit Ric, open your eyes! Open your eyes! Open your eyes." Alexis said then collapse on top of Ric's chest crying.
Alexis sobbed on Ric's chest and through each sob she asked Ric to open his eyes. Then she felt someone stroking her hair.
"Oh my god!" Emily said. "Alexis you did it."
Alexis turned her head and saw Ric's eyes were finally open and that it was his hand stroking her hair.
Elizabeth walked into Kelly's and was starving. She needed food and needed it now. As she walked in she heard someone calling her name.
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth over here."
Elizabeth looked and saw that it was Lulu calling her name from behind the counter area. Elizabeth walked over to Lulu who was wavering her over to the counter.
"Hey Lulu what's up?" Elizabeth asked.
"Jason called and he said he will be a couple of minutes late to meet you for lunch. He said don't wait for him just order because he knows you're on your lunch break." Lulu said.
"Ok, tell you what then, I'll have my usual at the table by the jukebox. Thanks Lulu." Elizabeth said.
"Sure, I'll get it started." Lulu said then quickly disappeared in the back to give the cook Elizabeth's order.
Elizabeth walked over to her table and sat down. While sitting there her mind started to wander and thoughts of Jason came through and comforted her like a warm blanket. She hoped that Jason was only going to be a couple minutes late because she really missed him. They had only seen each other briefly this past week due to his "job" and her increased work load at the hospital. She really needed to see his face and be in his presence if only for a short time.
Elizabeth's then drifted to the scene of Lucky and the mystery woman in the hospital. Elizabeth couldn't shake the feeling like she had seen the woman before today but for the life of couldn't remember from where. It was really starting to bug her. Not because she was was jealous by any means but she wanted to make sure that Lucky would be ok. They were still friends after all and friends looked out for each other. The way she looked at is if Lucky and the mystery woman where to get serious then she would be around her boys and that was justification enough for Elizabeth to be little nosy.
Elizabeth thoughts were soon broken up by the smell of food coming her way. She looked over to Lulu who was carrying a hot plate of Elizabeth's usual, a grilled cheese sandwich with bacon, fries, and a side salad. Lulu placed the plate down and before she could remove her hand Elizabeth attacked her sandwich.
"Whoa. Hungry are we? Can I place your salad down or are you gonna to eat my hand?" Lulu asked.
Elizabeth looked up at Lulu after she swallowed and giggled as she turned red.
"Lulu, I'm so sorry. I'm starving and the food smelled so good that I jumped right in. I promise your hands are safe." Elizabeth said.
"Ok, well here is your salad and your dressing. Oh crap, I forgot your drink. Do you want soda, water, sweet ice tea?" Lulu asked.
"Sweet Ice tea sounds really good. No lemon. Thanks Lulu." Elizabeth said.
"Ok, I'll be right back." Lulu was about to walk away when she heard the bell to the door ring and she looked over to see Jason walking through the door. "Hey Jason! What can I get you?"
Jason looked over to see Lulu waiting on Elizabeth who already had her lunch in front of her.
"Hey Lulu, I'll just have fries and a soda." Jason said.
"You got it. I'll go and put that order in and get your sweet tea." Lulu said then headed off towards the kitchen.
Jason walked over to the table Elizabeth was sitting at and kissed her on the lips earning him a content sigh from his girlfriend. He smiled down at her and then sat down at the table. Jason reached out to grab a fry from Elizabeth's plate which earned him a playful smack on his hand.
"I almost bit Lulu's hand off because I was hungry so you better be careful. Besides yours is coming." Elizabeth said.
"You're not going to share with me?" Jason said.
Elizabeth looked at Jason and couldn't resist those blue eyes of his. She pushed her plate over to him and the corner of his mouth turned up into a smile.
"Thank you." Jason said as he took a fry.
"Your welcome. So, how was your day?" Elizabeth asked while taking another bite of her sandwich.
"It's been so so. Nothing out of the ordinary since Ric's shooting." Jason said flatly.
"That's good right? I mean no news is good news right?" Elizabeth said.
"Not in this town. A quiet front means something is coming and I'm just trying to be prepared. The problem is I don't know what's coming and it's bugging me." Jason said pushing the plate back towards Elizabeth.
Elizabeth could see that more than just Ric's shooting was bothering Jason. He seemed very distracted. Elizabeth knew there were some questions you don't ask when it came to Jason's line of work but it seemed like it was more than just work. Elizabeth smiled and thought maybe a change of subject might put Jason in a better mood.
"Hey, guess what I saw today?" Elizabeth asked taking a fry into her mouth.
"What?" Jason asked as Lulu gave him his fries and soda and Elizabeth her ice tea.
"Lucky was with someone this afternoon at the hospital. They looked pretty cozy." Elizabeth said.
Jason was about to take a fry from his plate but stopped. He wasn't much into gossip especially when it was about Lucky but if it was about who he thought it was his interest was suddenly peaked.
"Oh? Who was was he with?" Jason said now eating.
"I don't know. She looked familiar like I have seen her before but for the life of me I can't place her face." Elizabeth said.
"What did she look like?" Jason said.
"She's dark skin, very pretty, and was dressed in a nice business suit. She looked like she might be a cop by the way she carried herself. What really brought them to my attention was the way she and Lucky were looking at each other." Elizabeth said with a smile.
"How did they look?" Jason asked.
"They looked happy. It was nice to see Lucky smiling and laughing again." Elizabeth said.
Jason felt that long lost place inside of him stirring again. That Jason Quartermain side of him was not happy with what he just heard. He didn't like the fact that Keesha was with another guy and that she looked happy. He wanted to make her happy. He wanted to make her smile. Most of all... he wanted to be with her.
Elizabeth watched Jason's reaction and it took her second but she noticed that Jason was getting upset about what he just heard. She couldn't understand why he would be upset. Unless he knew her she thought. Elizabeth had to know what Jason knew. What about this woman caused him to become so upset?
"I wonder what about this mystery women has both my ex and you so pre-occupied?" Elizabeth said.
Jason looked at Elizabeth and then back down at his fries. He started to push them around with his finger when Elizabeth moved the plate away.
"Jason, you know her don't you? Who is she?" Elizabeth asked.
Jason sat back in his chair and took a deep breath in and then let it out before he answered Elizabeth.
"Her name is Keesha Ward and yes I know her. Well knew her. It's complicated Elizabeth." Jason said.
Elizabeth grabbed Jason's hand then moved her chair closer to him and leaned her head his shoulder. Jason kissed the top of her head and took in the scent of her hair which was a mix of vanilla and coconut from the shampoo he loved. He closed his eyes and wished that the conflict he was feeling would just go away. These feelings that he was feeling for Keesha were not his own and he hated having them. They were the long dead memories of someone who no longer existed. Someone the doctors said would never come back but everyday since Keesha's return Jason felt a little piece of himself slipping away.
The only thing on his mind thanks to Jason Quartermain was Keesha. Since she came back in to town Jason felt the need to be near her, to find her, to hold her close and never let her go. Everyday Jason was finding it harder and harder to keep in control of who he was. It took him a long time to remove that stigma of Jason Quartermain from him and for people to come to terms that he was now Jason Morgan and he was going to stay Jason Morgan. He wasn't about to lose his independence to ghost.
Jason took in Elizabeth's scent again and it helped center him and keep him focused. He was able to push Jason Quartermain away and quiet him down once again. Jason felt Elizabeth tighten her hold on his hand. It was a quiet gesture letting him know that she was there and would wait until he was ready to tell her.
"Elizabeth, there's so much I need to tell you. I've been holding a lot of stuff in because... well... you know how I am." Jason said.
"I know. The strong silent type. That's what I love and accept about you Jason. I know that you don't always say how you feel in words. You do it more with gestures and acts of kindness that say more than words ever could. Jason you have such a big heart and you are capable of so much love that it just blows my mind that you gave your heart to me." Elizabeth said.
"Of course I gave it to you. There are people in my life that asked me to change who I am but, you, Sonny, and Carly are the only ones who never asked me to be anything other than just Jason Morgan. Not one of you tried to mold me into an image of what you wanted. You just accepted me for me." Jason said.
Elizabeth sat up and looked Jason in the eye. Never loosing eye contact with him.
"Is that what's bothering you Jason? Is someone asking you to change? Do you think I'm making you change by moving in with you?" Elizabeth asked.
"What! No." Jason said.
Jason cupped Elizabeth's face in his hands and pulled her face to his lips and kissed her. He slowly pulled out of the kiss and stroked the side of her face.
"You listen to me, I never regretted asking you and the boys to move in with me. You, Jake, and Cameron are my family. I love all of you. You are my life." Jason said.
"Then Jason what is it? Who is asking you to change?" Elizabeth asked.
"Jason Quartermain is." Jason huffed out.
Elizabeth jerked away from Jason. She didn't understand how Jason Quartermain fit into this whole thing.
"Jason, you're not making sense. How is Jason Quartermain asking you to change when you are him. I mean he doesn't exist any more." Elizabeth said.
"That's what I thought. I mean the doctors said that since the accident that the Jason Quartermain part of me was virtually gone and that I will never regain that part of my life. I accepted that and never looked back but now somethings changed. Something is making that part of me try and resurface." Jason said.
Elizabeth was still trying to piece all of this together. When Jason said it was complicated he wasn't kidding. She knew that Jason was leaving out some parts of the puzzle and that's what she needed to sort this whole thing out.
"Jason, your leaving something out here. How does Keesha Ward fit into all of this?" Elizabeth asked.
Jason looked away from Elizabeth. He knew that telling her this might hurt her and that was the last thing he wanted to do. Elizabeth gently turned Jason's face to hers.
"No matter what you tell me, I'm not going anywhere. Do you hear me?"Elizabeth said.
Jason nodded and began filling Elizabeth in.
"Keesha Ward is not just some random acquaintance of Jason Quarterman's or mine. She was his High School sweetheart". Jason said.
That's why she looked so famaliar Elizabeth thought. They all went to High School together.
"They were together for a long time then fate stepped in when he got in the car with AJ and the Jason she knew was taken away and replaced with someone who didn't know her or care about her. When she came to me after the accident I was so awful to her. The more she tried to make me remember her and what they had the harder I pushed her away. I didn't want to know what they had or the love they shared. As far as I was concerned Jason Quartermain was as good as dead and he was never coming back and the only way I knew how to make sure that happened was to destroy the one thing he cared about and that was Keesha. I did everything I could to break her and the horrible thing was that I enjoyed it. I enjoyed turning her life in to a living hell because I was sending her and everyone else that loved Jason Quartermain a message. That message was that Jason Quartermain no longer lived here. He was gone and there was nothing they could do about it. The final day I saw Keesha, I was in the weight room of the Quartermain's and she came to try one last time to get me to see that she loved me and would try and accept me for who I was. I looked into her eyes as she told me that she loved me and all I could see was that she was looking for any sign of Jason Quartermain. She wasn't looking to be with me like she said she was, she was still looking to be with him. I was so angry at her that I called her a whore and other names that sent her into a tail spin. She started crying and begged me to stop but I didn't. Her tears weren't enough for me, I wanted more. I wanted her to hurt like I felt she hurt me so I kept going until the anger I was felt was gone. Even after what I just put her through she still tried one last time to reach the man she loved. She reached up to me and kissed me on the lips with all the love she had for him and when she was done I threw her to ground and laughed at her. I told her that I guess he didn't love her enough to come back. That was when I knew I broke her. She ran out the weight room and I never saw her again until Justice's funeral. I knew that I shouldn't but I tried to speak to her and tell her that I was wrong for all the things I said and that it was just the talk of a angry young man but she didn't want to hear me. She told me that I broke her heart one time to many and to just leave her alone. So I did as she asked and walked away." Jason said.
"What changed this time when you saw her?" Elizabeth asked.
Jason shook his head. "I don't know . Guilt maybe. Guilt for leaving things the way I did. Never letting her say good bye. Treating her the way I did. There are many things I'm sorry for." Jason said.
"Do you think this is why you're feeling the way you feel? That there is still some deep seeded need for her?" Elizabeth said.
"I don't know. I just don't know." Jason said.
Elizabeth was blown away by what she just heard. This was not what she was expecting to hear when she agreed to have lunch with Jason. She felt like she was punched in the stomach and all the wind was knocked out of her. She had to mentally slap herself to try and stop all the questions in her head. Elizabeth knew that all the questions she had could wait expect for two. Two questions that couldn't wait and could very well make or break her relationship with Jason. She took a cleansing breath and looked into those deep blue eyes of Jason's. God how she loved looking into them. To think that there was a chance that she would never look at them again was making her ill. Here goes nothing she thought.
"Jason, I told you that no matter what you tell me I won't be going anywhere and that hasn't changed, but I have to tell you, this is scaring me a little." Elizabeth said.
"I know and I'm sorry. I don't mean to scare you Elizabeth." Jason said.
"I know you don't and I can understand why you may have been hesitant in telling me about all this. It's like you said, it's complicated." Elizabeth said.
Jason didn't say anything he just nodded his head.
Elizabeth took a moment before she said what she was thinking. She knew Jason was not going to like it what she had to say because she certainly didn't. The only reason she was going through with her idea was because her faith in their relationship was strong and she knew it could overcome anything.
"Jason, I need you to listen to me. I think you should.."
Elizabeth was interrupted by the sound of her beeper going off. She looked down at it and saw that she needed to get back to the hospital asap.
"Damn it this thing has bad timing. I have to go. We have a trauma coming in and they need me to get back." Elizabeth said.
"Do you want me to drive you?" Jason asked.
"No, I have my car." Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth knew she had to go but she didn't want to leave with out making things clear for Jason. She grabbed Jason's face and kissed him with all she had not carrying who was around or looking at them.
Elizabeth broke away breathless with her lips as well as Jason red and swollen. She ran her fingers through his spikey blond hair enjoying the feel of it against her fingers. She wished to god she didn't have to go because the kiss only made her want to take Jason home and make love to him showing him that together they could they would survive anything the world threw at them.
"What was that for?" Jason asked.
"That was placing my mark on you. To let any and everyone know that you are mine. Mind, body, and soul." Elizabeth said.
"I love you. You know that? You are the most amazing women I have ever met." Jason said.
"I love you too Jason. Look, I have to go but, how about we talk about this when I get home tonight? And don't worry, we'll figure this out." Elizabeth said.
"Go on, you're going to be late. I got the bill." Jason said.
Elizabeth smiled kissed Jason on the cheek then hurried out of Kelly's towards her car.
Jason paid for their meals and left a hefty tip for Lulu. He normally would have waited for Lulu so he could say good bye but he wanted to leave and get some fresh air. Once outside Jason felt the weight of what he told Elizabeth bearing down on him. The thought of losing Elizabeth to whatever was going on with him was unbearable. He needed to talk to someone about what was going on. Someone who knew how it felt to be pulled into two different directions at once but before he could make the call his cell phone ran. He pulled out of cell phone and smiled when he saw the name.
"Hi Monica. I'm glad you called. Are you busy right now? Do you mind if I come and see you? I'll meet you at the house in about fifteen minutes. Thanks Monica, Bye." Jason hung up his cell phone then walked over to his bike then headed toward the Quartermain mansion.
