Life's Lemons 11

She hadn't been here since… since Cameron was conceived. It all looked the same. It didn't matter that someone else owned the bar; Jakes held the same atmosphere as it did when she first started going there. Nothing changed, and Elizabeth had to admit that she liked that. Liked the fact that everything was the same, from the pool tables right down to the dark appearance the bar gave off. Breathing in, Elizabeth placed a hand over her stomach and was happy that one thing had changed. Smoking was banned in all business that served food, making it acceptable for Elizabeth to enter Jakes in her state of being pregnant.

When she rushed out of her apartment and away from Lucky, she had no intentions of going to Jakes. But after she spent half an hour at her grandmother's house, she couldn't take it any longer. She kept asking Elizabeth what was going on with her and Lucky. Why would she leave their home? Why was she trying to ruin the family she was building with him? She thanked her grams for letting her come by without announcement, asked her if she could watch Cameron for a couple of hours and left. Her grams was more than happy to watch her favorite grandson, probably, Elizabeth thought, because her grams thought Elizabeth was going back home to work it out with Lucky.

After she slowly climbed into her car due to her ever growing belly, Elizabeth turned it on and headed away from her Grams house with no destination in mind. Or so she thought.

Instead of driving around like she had planned on, she ended up in the parking lot of Jakes. She wasn't going to get out of her car, but once she spotted his bike, she gingerly climbed out of her car and walked towards the entrance.

Her eyes scanned the bar looking for him, and when she saw him with his back leaning over a pool table, Elizabeth allowed herself to study him. He moved around the table with as much ease and grace as she remembered. It didn't matter that Jason had no memories of the past; he still acted and moved the same. As he leaned over the table to make his final shot, Elizabeth let her eyes lower and linger on his backside. She may have been an engaged woman, but she could never deny that Jason had one of the nicest butts she had ever seen.

Writing her thoughts off as hormones, Elizabeth walked towards his table, careful to not jar him until he made his shot. Once the eight ball sank into the corner pocket, she spoke up. "Hey."

Not knowing that someone was behind him, Jason turned around quickly bumping into Elizabeth, almost causing her to fall down. "Whoa." Wrapping his arms around her, Jason steady her against him then released her once she got her footing. "You ok?

Tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, Elizabeth dipped her head once before she looked back up at Jason, embarrassment marring her face, "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that, didn't mean to scare you."

Smirking, Jason crossed his arms over his chest and looked her up and down, sizing her up, "You didn't scare me."

"Oh you are such a guy." Smacking him lightly across the chest, Elizabeth moved around him and picked up a cue stick. "I might not have scared you, but you were startled. You turned around so fast you almost knocked me over."

"Sorry about that."

Waving a hand in the air, she dismissed it, "Its ok. Just admit that you were surprised."

Jason placed both of his hands on the edge of the pool table. Tipping his head to the side, a sparkle appeared in his eyes. "Yes, I'm surprised to see you here. But you didn't scare me, or startle me." Jason watched as she let a light laughter escape her. She walked around the pool table, and began to prepare it for a new game. "You play?"

"Not really. I haven't played in a long time. Actually, the last time that I played was with you."

"Me?"

"It was a long time ago." A sad look appeared across her face as she leaned her hip against the pool table. "You were the one who taught me how to play."

"Was that the last time you played? When I taught you?"

"No. No, you taught me how to play a long time ago, maybe even another life time." When her eyes met Jason's, she saw confusion mixed in with curiosity. Pointing to the pool table, Elizabeth asked, "You want to play a game. I could… I could tell you more about… us."

Jason walked over to the rack and pulled a pool stick from it. Looking into her dark orbs, his own appeared to have a new sparkle in them, "I'd like that." For a moment, they just stared at each other. Something tight began to form in his chest as he continued to stare at her. It tugged even tighter when a small smile appeared on her face causing him to fight to breathe. Every time he was a around her new emotions would serge through him. He didn't know where they came from or how to control them, they just happened. At first he tried to write it off as just being around her. He wasn't letting anyone else in but her, and of course he would have building feelings for her. But the more time he spent with her, the more he began to realize that it wasn't true. He had strong feelings for Elizabeth, and they only grew more intense the more he spent time with her.

Clearing his throat, Jason looked away from her and motioned to the pool table. "Do you want to break?"

She took in a large gulp of air as she tried to regain her composure. It didn't matter what state their friendship was in, every time Jason looked at her, really looked, everything would fade away except for him. When they first became friends, when she was having mixed feelings about him and Lucky, when they finally decided to be together, even when she was married to Ric and claimed to hate Jason, all he had to do was look into her eyes and nothing else mattered. After going so long with not talking to him, Elizabeth thought that would have changed. But she thought wrong. Laughing, Elizabeth placed a hand high on her chest and let her index finger play with the dip in her neck, "You know, I better break, I might as well get some shots in before you do. 'Cause I know once you start, the game will be over."

"I'll go easy on you."

"Oh no you don't. Don't take pity on me. Besides, I just need some time to warm up." Leaning over the table, Elizabeth lined up her shot and hit the white pool ball making it hit the other balls. The balls scattered across the pool table, and one solid red ball made it into a pocket. "Oh yay! I did it!" Turning her bright eyes filled with joy toward Jason, she pointed a mocking finger at him. "See, I'm not that bad."

All Jason did in return was give her a lopsided grin as he watched her circle the pool table, looking for her next shot. He could easily see three shots that could be made without failure, but one look at Elizabeth's face told him that she had no idea which one to shoot next. He would have given her a hint, told her where to stand and which one to hit, but she did tell him to not take pity on her. Jason saw her lean over the table once more, chewing on her bottom lip debating whether or not she could make the shot. Humor found its way into his eyes as he looked at her trying to lean further over the table. Her height and her growing belly were proving to be too many obstacles for her to make the shot she was after. He wanted to help her, his hands were itching to help her position the cue stick when a sharp pain radiated through his eyes.

It wasn't a blinding pain, not nearly as fierce as his previous pains, but it still hurt. Shaking his head, Jason tried to relieve the biting pain when his mind was brought back to another time. The scenery was exactly the same. He was in Jakes and Elizabeth was with him, only her hair was shorter and she looked younger, but still mature.

"Ok, but first I need to decide which ball I'm going to hit."

"All right. Just let your instinct tell you which one feels right. Which one?"

"That one."

Leaning over Elizabeth, Jason molded his hands to hers on the pool stick, placing her hands in the exact location it needed to be in order to make the shot, "All right, ok. Number one in the corner pocket."

"All right. Ready?"

"Just go through the ball." Right before they pulled the pool stick back together, Jason leaned in, burying his face into her hair, and closed his eyes breathing in her sent. Opening his eyes, together, the both of them sank the ball into the corner pocket.

"Ok. Ooh. That felt so good."

Snapping himself back into the present, Jason pushed his fingers harder into his eyes as he gripped onto the pool table, wanting the pain to go away but not the memory. He took several breaths, doing all that he could to calm himself down, trying his hardest to not fall down. The pain began to subside. His hand eased off of the pool table and his head slowly rose as he heard Elizabeth's voice.

"Well, I guess the first shot I made was pure luck. It's your turn." When Elizabeth looked back towards him, his shoulders were slumped and there was a fine sheen of sweat across his forehead. "Jason? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah…" Clearing his throat, Jason tried again, "Yeah, I'm… I'm good. I, ah, I just had a memory."

"You did?" When he nodded his head and tried to stand straight again, Elizabeth walked towards him and placed a hand on his bicep. "You got another headache didn't you? How bad was it?"

"Not as bad as the others." When she removed her hand from his arm, Jason quickly reached out and grabbed it lightly in his, running his thumb over her knuckles. "I remembered teaching you pool." When their eyes connected again, Jason knew, in that one memory that their friendship was more than what he thought. He didn't know how long ago he held her in his arms as he taught her how to play, but he could feel that his feelings for her were so strong at that time. It made the fact that he was feeling something for her now a little easier to accept. He knew he had feelings for her before, so it was only natural that he still had those feelings. At least, to him it was.

She cleared her throat and tried to bury the excitement that was building up in her with each soft caress of his thumb made on the back of her hand. "What… what did you remember?"

"We were here, I was… I was leaning over you and we made a shot."

Nodding her head slowly, Elizabeth continued to stare into his unblinking depths of blue, "That's all?"

"No." When her eyebrows shot up in question, Jason reached his other hand up to her face and began to caress her cheek with as much tenderness as his thumb caressed her hand. "I remember how I felt about you. We weren't just friends were we?"

She stared at him for a long moment, really looked into his eyes and down to his soul. He stunned her with his question and she had no idea how to answer him. They were more than friends, always had been until their friendship fell apart. But it was complicated. "It's complicated." Pulling away from him, Elizabeth turned away from him and rubbed her hands together, trying to think of something, anything, to say. "We were never just friends."

"Were we... together?"

Turning around to face him, a sad smile appeared on her face. "At that time, no." When he crossed his arms over his chest and his eyes squinted, Elizabeth pointed to a nearby table. "Would you like to sit down?"

Without a word, Jason followed her towards the table and sat down with his arms folded over the table. His gaze was unwavering as he looked into her hesitant eyes. He could see that she was trying to do everything to not squirm and normally he would do anything to ease her tension. But he needed to know, wanted to know, what their relationship was like. The only thing he knew about their past was what she told him on the bridge and she left off at the part where he left Port Charles. He obviously came back, and he wanted to know what happened when he did.

"After you left Port Charles the first time, my whole life changed. I had found out that Lucky was actually alive, someone had kidnapped him and made us all believe that he was dead. I thought it was a miracle, you know. The love of my life returned to me. But when he came back, he was different. He acted different, treated me different. It was like our love for each other didn't matter to him anymore." It was hurting Jason to listen to her talk about Lucky. So many things were still confusing to him, but when she talked about her love for Lucky it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He didn't care about the other man; he wanted to know about them. But he didn't interrupt because he knew that she had reasons for telling him about what happened with Lucky.

He continued to look at her with an open mind and eyes as she continued on with her story about how Lucky returned from the dead. She told Jason about when he came back to town just when his sister was in a major crisis. He listened to her tell him about the bike ride he took her on, which he realized was what he remembered on the bridge that night. She told him about Emily getting kidnapped at a Rave, how he worked night and day trying to find his little sister until he tracked her down in Canada. After Emily had been returned safely to Port Charles, he left again.

"You didn't get a chance to say goodbye to me. Emily was the one who told me that you had to leave again and that you told her to tell me goodbye. Everything kind of went back to normal again. Emily was having problems with her boyfriend Juan and her feelings that she developed for Zander. But Lucky and I, we were better than ever. At least that's what I thought at the time."

"But then, you came back again. One day you just showed up at my studio, asking me if I could hide you there for a while. You told me that I couldn't tell anyone that you were there, not even Emily. At first I wasn't sure if I could do it; lie to everyone that I knew. But then I realized that you came to me because you needed me and because you trusted me and I knew I couldn't turn my back on you."

Jason never said a word as she continued on with her story about their past. He never looked away, hardly even shifted in his chair. Nothing around them made its way into their private world they built in that moment. His usually unreadable face took on a look of curiosity as he continued to listen to her tell him about the second time he lived in her studio. She explained to him about the conversations they had about her modeling career and the Christmas they spent together. He could even tell now, without her telling him, that she didn't want to be a model. He could tell by the change in her voice and the dull look that appeared into her eyes that modeling was probably the last thing she wanted to do.

Elizabeth continued on with her memory of the time that he stayed in her studio. Her eyes had that far away look in them even as she stared into his. Laughter escaped both of them when she told him about how he removed the splinter from her hand. The humor in her eyes faded when she continued on and told him about how she asked him to leave her studio because she couldn't lie to Lucky anymore. Just like it did that day years ago, a sharp pain tugged at her heart when she told him about Valentines and their gift exchange. Despite her attempt to ward them off, tears found their way to her eyes as she told him about the fire in the warehouse and her fear that he wouldn't come out. But when he did, it was like everything around her faded away.

She looked away from him, tried her hardest to gain the courage and when she did she decided to hold nothing back. "When you came out of that warehouse, Carly ran into Sonny's arms and I watched you drop to the ground. I felt so many things in that one moment when I realized that you were going to be ok and when you looked up at me, the strongest feeling that went through me was one that I never thought I would feel for you. In that one moment I admitted to myself that I had feelings for you that went beyond friendship. I knew that I felt something ever since you came back that year, but I knew that I was fighting those feelings because I was with Lucky. But when you looked at me, it all came rushing out until Lucky appeared at my side. He steered me away from the fire and I walked away from you and I pushed those feelings down again."

She wouldn't meet his eyes, and Jason was relieved for once that she wouldn't look at him. Because if she did, than she would have noticed the look of amazement pass over his face. Just hearing her say that she had feelings for him made that tight feeling return with more power. She nibbled on her lower lip and took in a deep breath before she decided to go on. Again, without interruption Jason listened as she explained her reasons for having to stay away from him because of Lucky's jealousy. When she finally looked at him again, she held nothing back.

"But no matter how hard I tried to stay away from you, I couldn't." And there is was again. That tug at her heart when her eyes connected with his. She had to break eye contact with him, if she didn't, she had no idea how she would be able to continue. Finally, she looked down at her hands and was about to go on when she felt the need to move, she couldn't sit there any more with him looking at her as she opened up about their past together. No one really knew about what happened between the two of them. She had never had to tell anyone about it. Sure she talked about how Jason made her feel to Emily, but she never had to really talk about it. No one else needed to know except for her and Jason. But, since Jason couldn't remember, she had to tell him, and she was beginning to realize how hard it was to voice what actually went on between them.

Standing up from the table, Elizabeth surprised Jason when she began to walk towards their unfinished game. "We should finish this. Who knows, I might get a chance to actually beat you."

He stood up from his chair and approached the pool table. "Does talking about us make you uncomfortable?"

She turned quickly, unaware that he was so close behind her. Sighing, Elizabeth leaned back against the pool table as she absently rubbed her belly. "Yes and no. It's such a private experience, but yet it's not because it happened with you. I guess I just never thought that you would forget what happened between us." She turned her head to peer up at him as he mimicked her position. "So much happened between us when you came back… including me hurting you."

"I don't understand."

She turned her entire body to face him leaning her hip against the pool table, "I would go back and forth between you and Lucky. I would tell him that I would stay away from you and then the next thing I knew, I was knocking on your door needing an escape. You were always there for me, never turning me away, but in the end I would always walk away from you. And when I would leave, I could see the hurt in your eyes and on your face."

"It wasn't until one night in the park where I really screwed everything up." Laughing at her own stupidity, Elizabeth wiped away a tear that slipped down her cheek. "We had both just admitted to each other that we wanted more from each other. Lucky showed up and we went somewhere private to talk. I told him about how I felt and he blew up and walked away. I found him later in the park with you, and the two of you were fighting. Just like I did when I found the two of you on the docks, I admittedly thought that you started it. But when Lucky walked away without a word, I realized that you were just defending yourself. I really screwed everything up that night though."

On a tortured whisper, Jason asked, "How?"

"I walked away from you after you offered me the world."

Her tear filled eyes met his and when she looked into his equally emotional eyes, she knew she couldn't look away. Nothing would be able to cause her to look away in that moment.

Jason raised his hand to cup her smooth cheek, but before it made contact he hesitated for a moment, afraid to move, until he finally touched her soft skin. When he did, her eyes shut and another tear escaped from beneath her lashes. Before it could slip any farther, his thumb swept across her cheek and caught the tear. She didn't open her eyes as he continued to caress her cheek, but when she felt his hand tug her head slightly towards his she didn't fight it.

Their breaths mingled together as their faces grew closer. Her eyes were still closed, but his were slightly opened, starring at her slightly parted lips. Not waiting any longer, Jason finally dropped his head and their lips met in a soft caress. For the longest moment neither moved as they familiarized themselves with the softness of the others lips.

Slowly, Jason lowered his hand from her cheek and molded it to the back of her neck, digging his fingertips into her soft hair. His other hand found its way to her hip and glided to the small of her back as he opened his mouth over hers.

She responded to him without hesitation. Her hands ran up his chest, over his shoulders, and finally hooked around the back of his neck as she let her fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Her mouth flowered underneath his as they continued to explore each other with slow, sensual movements. When she felt the slight pressure of his tongue against her lips, she opened her mouth to him and let out a sigh when he began to explore her mouth.

He pulled her closer to him, keeping his movements slow as he wrapped her fully in his embrace. Her stomach bumped against his, only causing his mouth to move over hers with more force. He dove his hand deeper into her hair as she pulled him closer, meeting him stroke for stroke with her own tongue. They pulled away from each other for a split second, taking in as much oxygen as they could in that brief moment before their lips began to move against each others again.

The exact moment that Jason pushed his tongue past her lips, the bundle of joy that was growing inside of her decided to make her presence known. When Elizabeth felt her baby's swift kick to her ribs, she pulled her lips away from Jason's and looked at him with wide passion filled eyes. "I…I…oh god." Running her hands through her hair, Elizabeth pushed down the feeling that spurred when she realized that her hands in her hair didn't feel as good as Jason's. On a whisper, Elizabeth turned around without even looking him in the eye. "I have to go."

And then she was gone.

The opening of the front door pulled Lucky's attention away from his beer and towards the now open door. He expected Elizabeth to be standing there, but instead when he looked up, Manny Ruiz was standing in his door way with his gun pointing straight at Lucky.

Lucky didn't move, didn't even blink as the tattooed mobster made his way into his home. It might have been the ten beers that he had just downed, but looking down the barrel of a gun that was pointed right between his eyes did little to scare Lucky. Standing up with a little of a wobble, he towered over Manny, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Careful, I'm the one who has the gun. I'm the one who speaks."

"Fuck off." Before he knew it, Lucky was on his knees clutching his bleeding nose from where Manny hit him with his gun."

"I said careful."

Looking down at his bloody hands, Lucky wiped them on his jeans before he turned his glazed eyes towards Manny, "What do you want."

A sadistic smirk played across Manny's lips as he crouched down towards Lucky, lowering his gun. "It's simple. Change your statement against my brother."

"Why would I do that?"

"Trust me Spencer; it will be in the best interest of you and your little woman to back off."

Rising, Lucky stumbled back a bit before he squared his shoulders and pointed an accusing finger at Manny who was now standing. "You stay the hell away from Elizabeth, if you go near her or hurt her I will-"

"Whoa, whoa," holding his hands up as he smacked his lips together, Manny stepped closer to Lucky. "It's not me who hurt her man. You did that all on your own by jumping into bed with another woman."

"How-"

"That doesn't matter. You don't want her to find out? Change your testimony against my brother."

Gaining some more courage, Lucky stepped closer to Manny and used his height over the man as an attempt to look threatening. "Elizabeth would never believe you."

Pocking Lucky in the chest with his gun, Manny tipped his head to the side, never letting his smile leave his face. "No? You really want to take that chance?" When Lucky did nothing but continue to stare, Manny held his gun towards Lucky's chest as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket. At the push of a button, Manny had called his contact and said nothing in greeting except for "Do it," before he shut his phone off and backed away from the other man.

"That was a stupid mistake you just made Spencer." Raising his hand that held his gun, Manny watched as Lucky closed his eyes in anticipation of being shot. But instead of shooting him, Manny pulled his arm back and knocked Lucky across his head, knocking the other man out.

Without a word, Manny turned around and walked out of the front door not even looking at Alcazar's man as he crouched down by Lucky's car with tools in his hands.