The Way It Should Be

Part 9

"I can not believe how beautiful it is here, Jason," Elizabeth says from the balcony of their suite in Venice.

"Neither can I," he says, staring at her with the city as her background.

She turns and smiles at him. "You weren't looking out there."

"It doesn't matter. THE most beautiful thing in the world is right in front of me."

She blushes. "Especially when you do that," he says, wrapping his arms around here.

"Hmmmm," she moans as she wraps her arms around his waist.

He kisses her forehead before pulling back to look down at her.

"Happy?"

"Yes. I'm in Italy, with my husband. When we get back, the paperwork for changing Jake's birth certificate to show you're the father should be complete. Now, I just need to ask Diane to start on adoption papers for Cameron."

He pushes her away to arms length so he can see her.

"That is, if you want," she stutters. "I just assumed."

"No – I just wasn't expecting that. At least not so soon…"

She chews on her lower lip. "Well, it can wait, I just thought…" she tries not to cry.

"Why didn't you ever ask Lucky?"

She turns away and stares out through the open balcony doors.

"I don't know. It never felt right. I mean," she says, turning around to face him again, "God, that didn't sound right because he was-is Cameron's father in every way possible, except biologically. He has been there for me and Cameron since Cameron was a baby. I guess I never thought we needed a piece of paper to say anything otherwise."

He nods and takes her hand.

"And it's not that I feel that you need a piece of paper to prove you are, but with making it official with Jake, I just thought we should make it official with Cameron. Maybe it was a bad idea," she shakes her head.

"No, it wasn't a bad idea, but we need to think it all the way through. If we do that, it's going to make Lucky mad and right now, we're working on the whole limited custody thing with him, so I don't think taking away the one thing he thinks he has with Cameron is the right solution – for now."

She pulls him closer and gets lost in his warmth. "Maybe you're right."

~*~

"Hi," Rebecca says, sliding over near Jason.

He stands up straight and takes a step back.

"Hi…Rebecca, right?"

She nods and leans over a little more so her cleavage shows more.

He shuts his eyes and looks the other way.

"Okay, we need intervention," Kelly says, grabbing Elizabeth's hand.

"Uh, Kelly…no," she tries to protest.

"Rebecca?" Kelly asks, trying to get her to stand up straight. "You need to come back to the bar with me, Elizabeth here will play a game of pool with Jason. Keep him out of trouble," she says, patting Elizabeth's hand.

Jason stares at Elizabeth.

"Hi," he says.

"Hi," she replies. "You don't have to play pool with me, Kelly was just trying to prevent Rebecca from making more of a fool of herself."

"I don't mind. I'd like to see if you've gotten rusty," he teases, racking up the balls.

She blushes because she can't remember the last time he flirted with her like this.

"Me, rusty? Bring it on, big boy," she says, grabbing a stick.

~*~

"Okay…I admit, you must have been practicing," Jason laughs before taking a drink of beer.

Elizabeth looks around and can't find hers so she takes his from him and takes a drink.

He holds his hand out in the same position as it was when she took it and just stares at her.

"Yes, you may have a drink of MY beer," he kids.

"Thanks."

"Elizabeth," he says, leaning in closer.

"Yes," she says, leaning in too.

"Are you drunk?"

She shrugs. "Feelin' it."

She covers her mouth with her hand when she realizes the last time she heard that phrase was the night Jason got her pregnant.

"I probably shouldn't say that," she laughs.

"Okay…I think you've had enough," he says, taking the beer away from her.

"You want me to take her home?" Robin laughs as she comes over to them. Rebecca and Kelly were long gone.

"No, I can get her home," he says, holding onto Elizabeth so she doesn't fall.

"You sure? I live right by her now…"

"I think I might just drop her off at the Studio and let her sleep it off."

"Okay. Good night Elizabeth," she says, looking her friend straight in the face.

Elizabeth gives her a serious look and then starts to laugh, uncontrollably.

"Yeah, good luck," Robin tells Jason before leaving.

"Come on, Miss I'm Not Drunk," he says, holding her up as he walks her to his SUV.

~*~

"Easy," Jason says, as he sits her down on the couch in her Studio.

"Why did you bring me here?" she asks, starting to sober up a little.

"Because, it's closer. Do I need to call anyone to tell them that you won't be getting the boys tonight?" he asks, handing her a bottled water.

She takes it and tries to open it, but can't so she hands it back to him. He loosens the lid and she shakes her head. "No. Grams has them."

"Okay, good."

She looks around. "Why did you bring me here again?" She scratches her head.

He looks around the room, wondering why she keeps asking.

"Because, it's closer. I didn't want you puking in my car," he jokes, sitting down next to her.

She stares at him. Like she's trying to figure him out.

"You're not supposed to be around me," she whispers. "Which, by the way, I think is stupid. People already know that we're friends or more than friends…or whatever the hell we are," she says, flailing her arm around.

"I know. But, I've been thinking…"

Jason's cell phone rings, which makes him shut his eyes before flipping it open and answering it.

"Yeah."

Elizabeth leans over and lets her head fall onto the pillows on the arm of the couch.

"Spinelli, calm down. I'm sure it's not as bad as you think….okay, okay, I'll be there in five minutes," he says before flipping his phone back shut.

"I know, I know," she mumbles into the pillow. "You have to go."

He leans over and kisses her temple. "We need to talk. I'll be back when I can, okay?"

She nods but doesn't move her head away from the pillow.

"Just sleep it off," he says, touching her thigh before getting up to leave.