A/N – Thanks for the comments! Glad that you liked Monica/Liz. * Courtney – rofl! * Twisted Musalih – Definitely!
Chapter 13 - Choices
Jason walked into Crimson Lights and Faith lit up at the sight of him.
"Jason."
He was surprised she didn't call him Dylan. Kneeling down, he swallowed her up in his arms and gave her a big hug. "I missed you."
"I missed you too. Come sit with us."
Sharon walked up and gave him a hug before going back to work and Jason sat down at the table.
Nikki gave him a kiss on the cheek. "It's so good to see you. How are things going?"
"A little rough but I think I might have found the lab. I can't explain why I need to go there. I just do."
"It's okay. I hope that if anything, it will at least give you some closure. You and Dylan need that."
Victoria walked in with Katie and smiled when she saw him. "Hey."
Jason got up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Katie, you are getting so big."
She smiled at him and Victoria handed her over.
Jason was so good with kids. He sat down and they told him all the gossip. Nicholas had texted a few people and soon Paul and Stitch walked in and Jason gave the baby to Nikki.
"It's good to see you. What brings you back?" Paul asked.
"Victor actually is helping me with something."
The look on Paul's face had everyone laughing.
"You're not in any trouble are you?" he asked.
"No. I'm good. I just wanted to find the lab where I was held at."
Paul nodded.
"I'm going to let Jake know. I figured that he could come with me if he wants to."
"When are you leaving?"
"I'm going back to Port Charles first so that I can talk to Jake and then hopefully, we can leave right away."
Robin had gone to make a call, so when she came back in, Jason introduced her to everyone.
Sharon took her order and Jason got up.
"Excuse me for a minute," he said before walking over to Sharon. "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"You miss me desperately because no one in Port Charles is as entertaining?"
Jason smirked.
"You have to admit. It was never a dull moment."
"True. I actually wanted to ask you how you liked running the place."
Sharon smiled fondly. "You know that it brings back a lot of good memories. I love it here."
"I was wondering if you'd like to own it again."
Her eyes grew wide. "Really?"
"Yes. I know it means something to you and I'm not going to be around."
She grinned. "I would love to. How much do I owe you?"
He had already decided that he'd give Jake some cash. "One dollar."
Sharon frowned. "Dylan, I mean Jason, I can't do that."
"It's okay. Believe it or not, I'm rich. At least I don't think my wife blew through all of my money."
She smiled. "How's it going with Elizabeth?"
"Right now, it's rough. We had a big fight and I didn't take it so well."
"This is a big adjustment for both of you. Make sure you talk to her when you get back. She's probably beating herself up over it."
"Probably."
"I don't think you realize what you mean to the people in your life. You were there for me at some of my darkest moments and you were a really good friend. Elizabeth's loves you. I could tell that much. Don't give up on her."
Jason sighed. "Sometimes love isn't enough."
"And sometimes it's all you need to get by. I would stick with that one over the other one."
Jason smiled. "You wear optimism well."
She grinned. "Why thank you Mr. Morgan." She handed him a dollar and they shook on it.
"I forgot to mention the fine details though and it's too late for you to back out."
Her eyes narrowed when Jason looked at his watch.
"What did you do?"
"Let's just say that I upgraded the appliances and I thought you could use some MoCo blend from my old partnership. It's really good. A crew will be by tomorrow night to install everything and your coffee delivery should be here in an hour."
Sharon smiled and ran around the counter and gave him a hug. "You better come visit once you and Elizabeth are back on track."
"I promise that I will."
Avery walked in with Joe and Stitch and Nicholas grimaced. Of course her eyes fell to Jason and they approached them. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm visiting."
Joe smirked and put his arm around Avery. "Well, I hear that you've changed identities. No matter what you call yourself, you're still the same hot head you were before."
Everyone stopped talking.
Jason smirked. "You do know what I do for a living as Jason Morgan right?"
Joe's eyes narrowed. "And?"
Jason gave Joe a taste of his Stone Cold glare.
Nicholas made a face, "Dayum."
Victoria smacked him on the arm because Faith heard him.
"I'm only going to say this once, there is nothing that pleases me more that you won because now I'm free to be with the woman that I truly love."
Avery's heart dropped.
"You ran around town, trying to ruin me and goaded me every chance you could get, even after knowing that I supposedly had PTSD. You didn't care what it would do to me or that I could be dangerous. That is the kind of scumbag you are. The last year before you showed up, my father died, I was lied to and lost a woman and baby I loved, and my whole world was turned upside when I found out I was adopted. I guess that wasn't good enough punishment for you. I think you thought you were teaching me some kind of lesson, but the truth is you are the same jerk that you have always have been. You treated Avery like some business merger you had to win at all cost rather than respecting her feelings or the boundaries she tried to set. Now, she's stuck with you and you're stuck with a woman who can never make up her mind who she truly wants. I hope it was worth it."
Nicholas grinned. "Well played my faux bro," he said patting Jason on the back.
"What, you're not going to lose control and hit me."
Jason turned his steely blue eyes back to Joe, "There's a reason I have a reputation as being the most feared man on the East Coast and I remember everything that helped me get it. Unlike Dylan, you would never see me coming. Take that how you want to."
Victor stood off to the side chuckling. He liked Jason far better than Dylan.
Jason sat back down at the table and spent some more time with his friends as Avery rushed outside with a red-faced Joe following her.
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Jason called Jake before they took off and asked to meet with him at the penthouse. He needed to tell him what was going on. He didn't want to hold anything back since Jake was a victim too.
Jake was surprised, but he agreed. He pulled into Liz's driveway and parked. Cameron jumped out and they went inside.
Liz came into the living room and Jake could tell by her expression that she had made some kind of decision. "Cameron, go upstairs and get washed up for dinner."
Cameron took off and Liz motioned for him to sit down. She looked off and like she had been crying again.
When their eyes met, he knew. "You chose him didn't you?"
Liz started to cry. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you. Jason and I have a lot to work through. I'm not even sure it will work, but I have to give it a try or I'm scared that I'll regret it later on. It wouldn't be fair to you to be in a holding pattern until I figure it all out because you mean too much to me to hurt like that. You deserve more than half my heart."
Jake looked away as a tear ran down his face. Elizabeth had been his rock and he wasn't sure how he was going to make it without her. When his fake wife had showed up and they were split apart, it crushed him; especially when she turned to Rick again. She had made her choice and there wasn't anything he could do about it. "I need to get out of here. Tell Cameron, I'll see him soon."
"I'm so sorry," she said standing up.
Jake pulled her into his arms and they both cried. After a few minutes, he pulled back. "Me too because my life just won't seem right without you in it. I have to meet Jason later. I'll send him over after we're done."
She watched him go and dropped to her knees and sobbed. Cameron tried to talk to her and when she just cried harder, he called the closest person he could think of.
Patrick smiled at Danny and then picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Patrick you have to come over to the house, something is wrong with mom. She won't stop crying."
He stood up. "Cameron can you see her?"
"Yes. She's on the floor. Jake just left."
Patrick swallowed hard. "I'll be right there."
Sam was staring at him. "What's wrong?"
"Something is wrong with Elizabeth. Stay here, I'm sending Cameron here. I'll watch him walk over from the porch. He probably hasn't eaten. I'll call you in a while," he said kissing her on the forehead before he ran out the door.
Sam rolled her eyes. The damsel in distress was at it again.
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Patrick knocked on the door and then let himself in. He immediately saw Elizabeth and grimaced. "Cameron, come on. You're going to go to my house okay. Sam and Danny are there and she'll get you something to eat."
He had tears in his eyes. "Will she be okay?"
"Yes, I just need to talk to her and be a good friend."
"Okay."
Patrick walked with him outside and watched him walk to his house and then knock on the door. When it opened, he ran back inside and knelt down next to Liz. "Elizabeth, please talk to me."
She continued to cry so he picked her up and sat with her on the couch. He held her until her sobs died down and she was able to talk to him.
"What happened?"
"I broke up with Jake."
Patrick frowned. "Why? I thought you were happy with him." A look of disbelief flashed across his face. "Jason."
"I can't let him go. I need to see if we can make it."
"Even if you lose Jake in the process?"
"Yes. I know you're not the biggest Jason fan, but I just can't let him go until we have a fair chance."
Patrick sighed. "I just want you to be happy."
"I want to be happy too and I'm not saying that I couldn't be with Jake, it's just…"
"You and Jason have so much history."
"Yes. We have a lot to work through, but I think once we can let go of all the baggage, we could have everything we want."
She wiped her face and blew her nose. "I'm sorry that I scared you."
"I'm just glad that I was nearby. I should go get Cam. I'm sure that he's worried."
"Okay. I'll go wash my face."
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Sam looked on as Cam picked at his food. "She'll be fine Cam. She just needed someone to talk to."
Cam looked up at Sam. "I just want her to be happy."
"I think she wants that too."
He put his fork down. "I'm scared." Cam really liked Jake and he had feeling that he wasn't going to be around anymore.
Sam went over to him and gave him a hug.
Patrick opened the door. "Hey Cam."
"Is she okay?"
"Yes. Want to come see for yourself?"
He nodded and ran past Patrick.
"Thank you. I'll be right back."
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Jake stood on the docks looking at the water. He had lost her to a ghost of her past. Somewhere deep down he figured that it would happen, especially after she had slept with Jason. There was no way he could stay in town and watch them be together. He'd hear Jason out and then he'd be on his way.
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Jason opened the door to his penthouse and stepped back so Jake could come in.
"What's going on?"
Jason sat down across from him. "Victor Newman found the lab."
Jake was surprised. "Really? What's in it for him?" He could tell what kind of man Victor was—the kind that only did things if it benefited him.
"I don't know, but I really don't care. He's going to detain Victor and Helena to give us time to go in. I already have a team of men I trust. We go in and see what information we can find and we get out."
Jake wiped his face with his hands. "I'm in."
"Good. I think we both deserve some answers."
"Listen, I think you should go over to Elizabeth's house."
"Is she okay?"
"I don't think so. I know I'm not. Just go talk to her. She needs you."
Jason frowned. "Alright, I'll be in touch with the details. As soon as Victor secures them, we're leaving."
Jake stood up. "If you hurt her, I will come after you with everything I have."
Jason tilted his head. Did Elizabeth choose him? He grabbed an envelope and handed it to Jake. "That's the money from your inheritance. It wouldn't be right for me to keep it." Sam had given him all his account numbers. She hadn't spent a lot of money and they were going to have to talk about child support and their marriage. He had also called Diane and she was more than willing to dissolve any partnership he had with Sonny and start working on the divorce paperwork.
Jake was surprised. "Thanks, it will help me start over."
Jason nodded and they rode down to the lobby together. He needed to find out what happened since Jake wouldn't provide any answers.
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Jason knocked on Elizabeth's door and waited nervously for her to answer.
The door swung open and he could tell she had been crying because her eyes were red and puffy.
"Come in."
He walked inside. "Is Cameron in bed?"
"Yes." They had a long talk and Liz tried to explain things the best that she could. Cameron didn't say much afterwards, and Liz wondered just how much Cameron had been affected by the decisions she had made in the past. It was something she'd have to address in the near future.
He sat down on the couch and Elizabeth sat in a chair. "Jake said I should come over. Did something happen?"
She nodded. "I ended things with him because I didn't think it was fair since my heart belonged to you."
Jason's stomach turned and he looked down. There were so many emotions running through his body. On one hand, he was relieved, but on the other he wasn't sure that he even deserved the chance.
"I know we have a lot to work through, and frankly, I do need some time to get myself together. I deeply cared for Jake and this step towards you scares the crap out of me."
A tear ran down Jason's cheek. "I just don't want to be selfish. As much as I want you and love you, I'm so screwed up right now. I need to get my head on straight so we can make a fresh start."
"So you definitely want this right?"
Jason looked at her and she was blown away by the amount of emotion she saw. "Yes. You are my future. I just need to deal with my past and find a way to forgive myself."
"I think I need the same thing. Jason, would you agree to a few couple sessions with Kevin?"
Jason sighed. Therapy wasn't something he'd normally seek out, but he needed to show her that he really wanted them to work. "If you think that will help, then yes."
Liz blew out the breath she was holding. "Thank you. I'll make the appointment."
The doorbell rang and Elizabeth got up and answered it. "Michael?"
He pushed past her. "I need to talk." He glanced up and saw Jason who stood up.
"I can leave if you need me too."
Michael brushed his hand through his hair walked further into the room. "It's fine."
They sat down and Michael took a deep breath. He had lost Avery and he was a mess. "I'm sorry that I hurt you. Things have been out of control and I'm not sure what to do."
"What's going on?" Liz asked.
"I just can't stop making the wrong decisions. I miss him and nobody understands."
Jason didn't know what to say to Michael. Clearly it wasn't going to be alright and he was in a lot of pain. That much was apparent.
"I'm sorry. Losing someone you love like that, I don't think it ever really goes away," Liz said wiping a tear away.
"Are you talking about Jake?"
"Yes."
Michael shifted in the chair. "I feel like I'm all alone and that I've lost three parents instead of one."