A/N – Thanks for the comments! Starting from the bottom - Guest – Sorry! * Dreamlover22 – Nope! * Guest2 – Very rough ride! * Guest3 – Thanks! No one is having sex at this point. * klj5017a – Thanks! * ilovedana53 – That's how desperate they are to get some peace! * virgy15 – You never know but think about Jason's past behavior. * LiasonLuv – Yes, quite a while. * TwistedMusalih – No one is handling anything well! * doralupin86 – Definitely a lot more bonding! * Kikimoo – I think no one knows how to handle it. * jloalso – Thanks!

Chapter 10 - Emotional

The moderator pointed to someone else. "What did you do for shelter?"

Jason described the shelter he had created. "I knew it was going to rain and I didn't want to move the dead outside, so I had to do something.

"We understand that you had a phone?"

Jason nodded and told them about the satellite phone.

"When you finally got through, it must have been a huge relief."

Elizabeth spoke. "It was."

"Then you must have been disappointed when you had to stay another night."

"We were. There was an incident the second night with a mountain lion. He was trying to get into the shelter, but Jason had made a makeshift knife the first day and he used it to stab the animal who finally ran away. It's hard to get the image out of my mind of the lion tackling Jason and almost getting the upper hand."

Everyone was looking at them with wide eyes.

"I was terrified watching them and I still have nightmares about it," Elizabeth said softly.

"Can you describe the rescue?"

"I'm afraid I didn't handle that well. It was windy and we were in this little basket and I started to lose it half way up. We had already been through so much. I think it shattered the rest of my resolve."

A female report spoke up. "There's nothing to be ashamed of. You held up way better than I would have. Everyone admires your bravery."

Elizabeth wiped a tear away. "Thank you."

"How has it been being home?"

They both turned to look at each other and then slowly returned their gaze to the audience.

"It's been very difficult. I can't sleep and it's hard explaining what is going on in your head when you're not even sure. Our fiancés have been very patient."

"You two seem very close," someone else blurted out.

"I don't know how we couldn't be. We relied on each other to keep our sanity intact. It's nice knowing that I can call him and he'll understand how I'm feeling."

"Do you know what he does for a living?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "What difference does that make? I learned early on to never judge a book by its cover."

Jason squeezed her hand.

"Elizabeth, do you think it will be hard to get back to painting again? From what I understand, your artwork is selling out and the non-profit organization you head for children and the arts has been inundated with donations."

Liz was shocked. "I didn't know that. Thank you to anyone who has contributed. It's a passion to offer instruction to any child who has an interest in the arts—free of charge. As far as painting is concerned, it will probably be a while before I'm in that head space again."

"Most of your family died in a plane crash when you were younger. Did that thought run through your mind at any time?"

The room was silent again. Liz was stunned that they had brought that up. She had pushed it from her mind because she really couldn't deal with it. Ric almost growled as he saw the pained look on her face.

"I think Elizabeth has been forthcoming enough for one day," Jason said firmly.

Someone yelled out another question and directed it to one the executives sitting next to them them, giving Jason and Elizabeth a break. He whispered in her ear, "You did good."

She slightly smiled at him, not realizing the cameras were clicking away. They were a mystery to everyone, but at the same time a symbol of hope and everyone wanted to know about them.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The Quartermaine's and Webbers were glued to their television screens. Lila had invited everyone over for brunch. She really wanted to meet Elizabeth personally.

Edward leaned over. "They seem awful close."

Lila nodded. "I know."

It was clear to her that it was innocent, but she could see the look on Gina and Ric's face when the cameras panned to them and they were worried too.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

The interviews concluded and they were escorted to the car. The couples headed to the mansion and when they walked inside, everyone greeted them warmly. Jason patiently hugged his family. He was shocked to see Sonny and Carly there. She silently waited for his family to hug him and then approached him. "Hi Jase," she said emotionally.

He gave her a big hug. She pulled back and touched his face. "You were missed."

Carly and Jason had met at Jake's when she was first in town. He listened to her and was kind of a voice of reason. She had come to town for revenge against her mother, but Jason had talked her down. Carly was able to build a relationship with her mom and she would always be thankful to Jason for helping her see the light. When she dated his brother AJ, Jason had been surprised, but he supported them. It just didn't work out and Carly ended up with Sonny and then realized she was pregnant with Michael. The DNA test proved that AJ was the father, but Sonny didn't care. So, the three of them were raising him together.

Michael ran up to his uncle and Jason scooped him up and hugged him tightly. "I missed you Uncle Jason."

"I missed you too," he said before turning slightly. "Elizabeth and Ric, this is my nephew, Michael."

Liz smiled. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Really? What?"

"Well, Jason told me that you're not allowed to have a lot of sugar because you run around like an energizer bunny and no one can catch you." She had added that last part and both Jason and Michael smiled.

"That's silly."

"But it's true," Carly said.

He wiggled and Jason let him down and he ran off to tell Edward something.

"The food is ready," Alice called out and they all made their way to the formal dining room and sat down.

AJ walked in and Michael got up and ran to him. "Dad!" AJ smiled and gave him a big hug before walking over to Jason and patting him on the shoulder. "Nice to see you bro," he said before sitting down.

They ate and everyone watched Elizabeth and Jason whispering and smiling. Occasionally, they would turn to Ric and Gina, but for the most part, the were engrossed in conversation.

Carly looked over at Sonny and whispered. "This is so bizarre."

"I know."

Gina slipped off to the bathroom, so Carly followed her.

"Are you okay?" she asked when Gina walked back into the hallway.

Gina sighed and led her to the study. "I'm not okay because my fiancé barely acknowledges my presence and only does so out of guilt."

Carly nodded. "I noticed. What are you going to do about it?"

She shrugged and then wiped a tear away. "I don't think there is anything I can do. I'm going to try and be patient with him and wait him out."

Carly nodded. "I'm sorry." She knew how much Gina loved Jason. She was the only girl Jason dated that she actually liked. They got along pretty well and Jason had seemed happy up until now.

"We better get back in there before they notice we're gone."

Carly sighed and followed her back into the dining room.

Everyone ate and Liz and Jason slipped off. He led her to Edward's office and they sat down on a small couch.

Liz snuggled into his side and he put his arm around her.

"When are you going home?"

"Tomorrow."

He felt like he could barely breathe. "I'm really going to miss you."

"Me too. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Call me when you need to. I mean it, Elizabeth."

"I know. You can call me too."

They stood and he hugged her and right before he opened the door they stared at each other intensely as if they were trying to freeze time and then Jason kissed her forehead. "See you later."

"See you later," she whispered before walking out the door and back to her old life.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Ric glanced at Elizabeth a few times as he drove down the interstate. She was staring out the window most of the time, looking as if she was lost in thought.

He put on her favorite 80's station and was surprised when not even that drew back into the present. Normally, she would sing along, but there wasn't anything normal about her at the moment.

When they finally pulled up to her apartment building, she was shocked at the stuffed animals and flowers that adorned her steps. Ric parked the car and then helped her move them aside. A few neighbors came out and gave her a hug and welcomed her back.

"Elizabeth," Diane said coming out of her apartment.

They hugged tightly. Ric walked by them and put down her bag. Even thought he really wanted to stay, he had made up an excuse to go to the office so she could have some time to herself. He kissed her on the cheek and walked out.

Diane pulled her over to the couch. "Tell me the truth, are you okay?"

Elizabeth sighed. "No, I'm not."

"Talk to me. You know you can tell me anything. I won't judge."

Liz stayed silent, trying to gather her thoughts.

"Is this about the hunk?"

Liz frowned. "Jason?"

"Yeah, I didn't see any other hunk doting on you."

Liz chuckled at Diane's expression. "Kind of, I miss him."

Diane sighed. "I have no idea how I would have handled what you went through. Don't feel guilty because he makes you feel safe and understood."She hated that Elizabeth was suffering especially since she partly blamed herself for switching the flight.

Liz nodded. "I just feel bad. I'm having a really hard time opening up to Ric right now."

Diane cringed inside. "Elizabeth, just say the word and I will cancel the wedding."

It wasn't that she didn't like Ric with Elizabeth. He had never done anything to piss her off. In fact, he doted on Liz a lot, but to Diane, he was a bit obsessive and in her experience that led to bad things.

"I can't. I don't want to hurt him."

"Now you listen to me, you need to think about your happiness and what you want. If you can't go through with this because you need time to process, then you owe it to you and Ric to put it off. He will understand and if he doesn't, then he doesn't deserve to be with you. You've been through a horrible ordeal and it has changed you. Just think about it. We don't have to call it off today, but your last deposits are due next week."

She sighed and kicked her shoes off and put her feet on the coffee table. "My life is a mess."

"That is why you have me."

Liz cuddled into Diane's side. "Thank you for being such a good friend."

"Anytime."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI

Carly knocked on the penthouse door and Jason opened it. "Hey. Can I come in?"

He nodded and she walked by him.

"Is Gina home?"

"No, she went out for a bit."

They sat down.

"Jason, I was going to be a good little stepford friend and keep my distance and smile to your face like nothing has changed, but you know me, I can't maintain that for more than five minutes."

Jason slightly smiled.

"So, instead of pretending that everything isn't fucked up, I'm not going to pull any punches."

He sighed. "Go ahead." He was quite aware that it was best to just let Carly talk and get it over with.

"I'm worried about you. You aren't talking to anyone and I know you're not sleeping."

"Carly….."

"Let me finish," she said firmly. "You need to talk to somebody and let your feelings out. It doesn't have to be me, although I would shut my mouth and just listen to you if that is what you needed."

He gave her a look and she smacked his arm and grinned. "Stop it. You know what I mean. It's dangerous to shut yourself off."

"The crash changed me Carly. I'm still trying to work it out."

"I understand that. You know I have your back. You tell me what you need and I'll do my best to do it, but I don't think I'd be a good friend if I'm not honest with you and expect you to be honest with me."

He nodded. "I don't know… I'm overwhelmed and can't stop thinking about what happened. It just keeps playing over and over in my mind and the one person who makes me feel like I can breathe isn't here anymore."

Carly nodded.

She watched the emotion build in Jason as he thought about what he had just said and she pulled him into a hug. "Just let it out, Jason. Please," she said softly. After a long pause, she felt his body shudder as he let out the emotion he had been shoving down for the last few days.

Jason hated crying. It was a weakness to him, but lately it was harder to control himself. Carly rubbed his back and whispered in his ear, "It's okay. I'm here for you."

He held her tighter until he got himself together and they pulled apart. They both had cried and wiped their faces. "If you tell anyone that I cried…."

"I know, you'll put a bullet between my eyes—yadda yadda."

Jason smirked.

"Come on," she said before standing up. "I'll make us some lunch."

"Are you trying to kill me?"

She glared at him. "Jason Morgan, don't make me take off my shoe."

"Please…"

"I'll feed Michael sugar and then drop him off."

Jason stopped walking. "You wouldn't."

Carly smiled. "Try me."

He messed up her hair and followed her inside the kitchen.