A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I'm so glad you guys liked the Sonny bit. It was fun writing it.

Chapter 14 - Closer

Liz woke up the next day and there were tons of blogs and stories talking about Sonny on David Letterman. It was ratings gold and Jason is trending again. She laughed as she slipped into the car. They are taking a private plane out of Newark. When it took off, she laid her head on Jason's shoulder and fell asleep.

She woke up a few hours later. "Are we there yet?" she murmured.

Jason laughed. "Sorry, we still have a long way to go."

She got up and used the bathroom and came back.

"Are you nervous?"

"About the award? No. If it happens it happens. I'm just going to have fun regardless."

He nodded.

"Liz, what actually happened to your mom that she ended up there?"

"After they got me back, she just couldn't handle it. In a way, she had lost both daughters. She just kept deteriorating until she just went into her own little world. It was a horrific time in our family. We tried every type of therapy, but nothing worked, so we had to send her away."

"Sorry."

"It was rough, especially since I really needed her. Dad did the best he could. Who am I kidding? He was my rock and almost lost the organization because he was so focused on me."

"I really admire you."

She looked up at him and smiled. "That means a lot to me." She paused and then asked him, "So, what about your family? What happened there?"

Jason took a deep breath. He knew that she would ask that question eventually. He didn't like talking about it, but he wanted to be as forthcoming as she was with him. "I came home injured. I was a completely different person and my family couldn't accept that. They wanted me to be who they needed me to be. My experience changed me. When you have kids shooting machine guns at you and you have no choice but to kill or be killed, it changes you fundamentally. I don't think I'll ever forget what happened over there."

She grabbed his hand. She can tell he is haunted by it.

"I was a wreck. If it weren't for Emily being there for me and getting me help, I don't know what would have happened to me."

"Sounds like we have a lot in common…"

Jason smiled down at her. "I guess we do."

"How did you get injured?"

"Me and a couple of my buddies got ambushed. They were killed and I played dead and that is what saved me. I had to pull their bodies on top of me and lay there for two hours."

Liz gasped and gripped his hand.

"I ended up crawling about a half mile before I collapsed and a local saved me. His family hid me until I was well enough to survive the journey to our base. They risked their lives for me and I'll never forget it."

He turned to look at her. "Other than a therapist, I've never told anyone any of that."

"Thanks for trusting me."

He squeezed her hand.

Liz smiled at him. "Well, before I go all Barbara Walters and make you cry, let's watch a movie."

They picked one out and settled in. Before they knew it, the captain's voice finally came through the speaker and told them to prepare for landing.

Liz started to get excited.

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Los Angeles is a completely different crowd than New York and there are a lot more cameras. Jason was seeing spots before they got into the hotel. There are lots of celebrities staying at their hotel, so it is paparazzi central.

They checked in and went up to their adjoining suites. Jason got ready as he listened to her singing to the radio in her room. He found himself smiling a lot more since he had met her.

She knocked on his door.

Jason opened it. "Can I help you?"

He stared at her and almost held his breath. She is wearing a black dress that is off the shoulder with short sleeves. The skirt goes all the way down to the floor, but there is slit all the way up to her mid thigh. High heels and her hair and makeup completed the package.

"Wow."

Liz beamed. "You ready?"

They are going out to dinner with a few of the other nominees in her category.

A car took them to a restaurant where a private room is reserved.

"Amy!" Liz said giving her a hug.

"It's so good to see you."

Tina walked over to her. "Hey, beautiful." They hugged.

Not to be outdone, Julia got up and embraced her. "It's great seeing you."

They sat at a table. Out of all of them, Liz never was a standup comedian or did any kind of theatre, but her show was the stand out hit of the season. Liz had great comedic timing and her show is on its way to being a classic.

"Everyone, this is Jason."

The women introduced their dates and spouses as they sat and then ordered.

There is a bar adjacent to their room, so the men got up and retreated to give the ladies time to talk.

"So, are you pounding #blueeyes?" Amy deadpanned.

Liz giggled. "No."

"Is there something wrong with him?" Tina asked.

"No. We just haven't gotten there yet."

"Is he gay?" Amy asked.

Liz almost choked on her drink.

Julia made a face. "What the hell are you waiting for?"

"We're taking it slow."

All of the women looked at each other.

"What? Do you have like Jedi self-control?" Tina asked.

They continued to relentlessly tease her about Jason until Liz's face hurt from laughing.

"Don't look now, but Jason has company," Amy said.

Liz glanced into the other room. There are a couple of girls falling all over Jason as the other men laughed.

"He's a big boy."

Amy made a face and raised one of her eyebrows making Liz start to laugh again.

Liz turned around and Jason caught her eye, mouthing the word 'help'. This is becoming a habit.

She turned and faced the ladies. "I'll be right back."

They watched her move towards him.

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Jason's eyes tracked her movements. His gaze travelled to her leg peeking out from her slit and sighed. She looks so hot.

"Excuse me, ladies," she said pointedly.

They frowned at her. Jason and Liz didn't break eye contact.

"I'd appreciate it if you took your hands off of my man."

Jason smiled as she said it.

The two women retreated awkwardly.

Liz started laughing and then playfully scowled at the other men. "I can't believe you left him hanging like that."

"I was living vicariously through him," Brad said.

She grinned. "The food should be here soon. You guys should come back in."

She turned and went back to the table.

"So tell me again why you two aren't an item yet?" Jeff asked.

Jason smiled and downed his drink. "It's a slow burn."

Brad patted him on the back and they went back inside.

The group ate and laughed, having a great time. Liz and Jason left first because she was meeting some other friends at a club. They partied for another hour and then went back to the hotel.

Jason is in awe of the life she led.

They said good night and retreated to their rooms.