A/N– Happy that everyone is excited about the story. Thanks for the reviews!
Chapter 9 – We Collide
Jason walked through the doorway with another man. He patted him on the back like he knew him as Liz watched. She can't believe that it is the guy from Gotham Hall.
"Guiness please, and get him whatever he wants," Jason said smiling at the other man.
"Thanks bro."
He took a swig of the beer and turned to look at her and then almost choked on it as he put it down. "Holy…."
Liz smiled. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I'm visiting family. Well, they live in Colorado, but I have some friends that I visited along the way. What brings you here?"
"I'm on my way to see my brother."
"Cool. What are you drinking?" he asked as he studied her shot glass.
"I just had a shot."
"Of what?"
"Vodka and Peach Schnapps."
Jason made a face and Liz laughed.
"Bartender, get her another shot please."
The bartender nodded and Jason turned back to her.
"So, who was that girl you were talking to that night?" Liz asked curiously.
He gave her a quizzical look and thought for a moment. "Oh. I was going to the bathroom and she was trying to hit on me."
"It looked like it was the other way around to me," she said throwing back the shot.
Jason smiled and took a swig of his beer. "Looks can be very deceiving."
He motioned to the bartender for another shot and she smiled.
"You owe me a dance, I think."
"I do not."
"Alright, your loss…"
She laughed. "And how is it my loss?"
He leaned towards her. "That kiss is pretty much burned into my brain forever. "
Liz sharply inhaled as his blue eyes seemed to look deep into her soul. She shifted and averted her gaze so he couldn't see how much he affected her. He is beyond hot and it really wasn't all about that. There is something in his eyes and the way he carries himself, that makes her want to know everything there is to know about him.
He noted her reaction and stood back up and took another swig of his beer. The bartender put another shot in front of Liz.
"Actually, I'm really tired. I've been driving for hours and I think I'm going to turn in."
Liz downed the shot and got off the stool. It was better this way because if she stayed another ten minutes and kept gazing into his eyes, she would be blaming it on the alcohol in the morning.
"Well, it was nice seeing you."
She smiled. "Thanks for the shots."
"Anytime…"
She started to walk away, but then turned instead. "You don't remember my name, do you?
Jason smiled. "No. I had a lot to drink that night."
"I remember yours, Michael," she said before getting off the stool and walking to the door.
He smiled and then waited for about ten minutes before returning to his room.
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Liz woke up early and packed. When she got to the car, she saw Jason standing outside his. He slammed his phone shut and she heard him curse. After shoving her suitcase on the backseat, she shut the door and approached him.
"What happened?"
"I have a flat and there's no spare. My parents are going to kill me."
"Look, I'm driving through Colorado. I can give you a ride."
Jason looked surprised. "Really?"
"Really. Come on."
"Wait."
"What?"
"I'm not allowed to drive with strangers. What's your name?" Jason asked smiling.
Liz returned it. "Ginger."
He nodded and grabbed all of his stuff and threw it into her back seat and then called the rental company and let them know about the car. She pulled onto the freeway and then they drove for a while in silence.
"Where does your brother live?"
"The northeast," Liz said cryptically.
They made small talk for a while and then stopped and had some lunch before continuing on their way. Jason had fallen asleep and woke up because Liz nudged him. He looks out the window and notices that it is sleeting, so he turns the channel on the radio and listens to the weather report. It is November, but Colorado had gotten an early snowstorm.
Liz is a little worried. "I've never driven in the snow," she said gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"You want me to drive?"
She nodded. "I'll pull over at the next place I can."
Jason is not sure where they are, but there isn't a lot of traffic.
They are in the mountains and Liz doesn't have chains. She went to pull over and lost control of the car on some black ice.
Her scream pierced his ears as the car plunged off the side and down a steep embankment. They got lucky because a lot of brush slowed them down, but they still crashed into a tree and lost consciousness.
Jason woke up first, finding it very hard to focus and then he tried to remember where he is. His mind flashed back and then he reached up and touched his head and felt something wet and realizes that he had hit his head on the window. Looking over at her, his eyes grew wide. She is laying on the airbag and is lifeless. It all came flooding back to him and he frantically took her pulse and is relieved when he finds one.
With some effort, he removed his seatbelt and pushed his weight against the car door and finally it gave way and he tries to get himself together. The sun hasn't completely gone down, so he peruses the area and spots some sort of cabin in the distance and makes a decision. Cautiously, he moves to Liz's side of the car and pries her door open and then unbuckles her seatbelt and pulls her out. He could have killed her and left her there and went home to collect the rest of the money, but for some reason, it doesn't feel right and he wants to know more about her before deciding what he wants to do. Nothing makes sense and he just can't understand why Jerry wants her dead. Besides, he doesn't think he can bring himself to do it anyway.
He carried her to the cabin and broke in. It is freezing inside and out and he needs to get them warmed up, so he gently laid her down on the couch and goes outside to collect some wood that is stacked on the side of the house. When he got back, he lit the fireplace and once it is roaring, he ventures back to the car and got their things. By the time he returned, he collapsed from exhaustion. His head is throbbing so bad he can barely keep his eyes open, but he knows he needs to gather some more wood so they can make it through the night. So, he sucked it up and trudged to the side of the house and started bringing more inside. Jason stacked it up as best as he could and then went back outside for a few more trips. He was bone tired by the time he was done. Everything in his body ached. Liz still is not awake. He got on the opposite of the couch and grabbed a blanket and threw it over both of them and then he passed out.
Liz woke up in the middle of the night. She notices that he is lying on the couch with her and she is a bit startled as she tries to take in her surroundings. The crash came back to her and she wondered how they had gotten here. She eased off the couch and went into the kitchen and after rummaging through some drawers; she found a flashlight and then went to the bathroom. When she gazes into the mirror, she notices that bruises are starting to form on her face and just how sore her body is from the air bag.
Going back to the living room, she realizes that the fire is close to going out, so she threw some wood on it. Turning back towards the couch, she notices the cut on Jason's face and tries to wake him up.
"Michael…" she said as she shook him.
He didn't wake up at first and she panicked and shook him pretty hard, making his body jolt right before Jason almost knocked her on her ass.
"What's wrong?" He holds his head, grimacing when a sharp pain takes his breath away.
"Nothing, I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."
"My head is throbbing."
She got up and went into the kitchen and opened several cabinets, finally finding some aspirin and then grabbed some water and handed it to him.
"Thanks."
"Did you bring us here?"
He nodded and then notices she is shivering.
"Come here."
He closed his eyes and pulled back the blanket and opened his legs.
She hesitated for a minute, so he looked at her, barely lifting his lids.
"I'm not going to bite."
She settled in and he covered them both and she sighed as she listened to his heartbeat.
"I'm scared."
He put his arms around her and held her until he heard her breathing deepened. Lightly, he rubbed her back and felt her cold body turn warm. She fit perfectly in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and then laid back and soon fell asleep.
When they got up in the morning the fire was out, so Jason cleaned up and restarted it.
She had gotten some snacks at the last stop so they ate some of it.
"How long do you think we'll have to stay here?"
Jason glanced at the window. "Probably another day or two, it's not snowing anymore and it's sunny. So, that's good."
She nodded.
"I'm not sure how far we'll have to hike out of here."
She notices that he kept grimacing.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing…"
She got up and stood by his side. "Arms up."
"This is really not necessary."
"Arms up!"
He tried to lift his arms, but the left one is giving him problems.
Liz carefully got his right arm out first and then took the rest of his shirt off. Besides having an absolutely stunning body, his left arm shoulder looks deeply bruised.
"Lay down, please." She pointed to the couch.
He made his way over there. "Are you always this bossy?"
She smiled. "Maybe…"
An idea popped into her head, so she retrieved a bag from the kitchen and then pushed the front door open enough to take some snow out of the drift and then sealed the bag and put a dish towel on his shoulder and sat the bag on it.
"Jesus…" he said through clenched teeth.
"Sorry, but you'll thank me later."
He finally relaxed a bit. "I have a question. Are you really going to see your brother, or are you running away from something?"
