Coming Home: Sundae Goodness

Hello everyone. Thanks for the reviews for the last chapter. This chapter includes some nice Liason/Rider mush, so don't say I'm not a nice person!

I would have updated yesterday, but the site wasn't allowing it, so forgive that guys!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Outside of Kelly's

"Lizzie's gonna be there, right Daddy?" Rider inquired as he and his father made their way to Kelly's. They were both hungry, and Sonny was nowhere to be found. So Jason decided it was time to go to plan B and head over to Kelly's.

Rider, having had already been there, was more than pleased to make the plan switch.

Gripping his son's had tighter as they crossed the final street before Kelly's, Jason replied, "I don't know Ri. Maybe." What he left out for his son's benefit was that he hoped that she would be there. He knew that both Rider and Elizabeth got along very well, but he wanted to see that for more than the few minutes they had encountered each other in the past.

The sign for Kelly's came into Jason's view and he lifted Rider up into his arms. The little boy wrapped an arm around Jason's neck to keep himself steady, and used the other to grip his shirt. They walked in silence to the door of the diner. Once they reached the windows, Rider peeked inside. At once he spotted Elizabeth.

"Its Lizzie! Put me down so I can say hi." Rider instructed. Jason laughed as he placed his son back on his own two feet. Rider heaved open the door and ran inside with his father going in behind him at a much more leisurely pace.

Elizabeth had been coming around the counter. Considering that her apron hadn't been on like usual, Jason realized that she had probably been on her way out. Her progress to the door, however, was stopped all together when his son launched himself around her legs to hug her.

For a second she looked startled but, as she realized who was hugging her, her smile grew. "Hello, Rider." She greeted enthusiastically.

"Hey Lizzie!" he yelled back at her, causing both Jason and Elizabeth to smile.

Gently, she tore his arms away from her middle before kneeling down so they could have a proper hug. From over Rider's head, Elizabeth saw that Jason was watching them. Her smile grew when she saw the proud love-filled expression on his face. They locked eyes for a second before Rider pulled away from the hug.

"Me and Daddy were hungry, but Uncle Sonny wasn't at his place." Rider explained in an energetic tone.

Elizabeth laughed, her day suddenly looking brighter. "And you were too afraid to try your father's cooking?"

Putting on a mock-hurt expression, Jason strode over to the two and kneeled down to be at eye level with them. "Hey. That's not fair. I'm not that bad. Carly's worse." Elizabeth laughed again, and Jason loved the fact that he had said something to make her laugh.

Rider winced and put his hand on his father's shoulder. "Sayin' you're better than Aunt Carly isn't too much Daddy. She's really really bad. But so are you. Other than frozen pizza and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Cause then you're the best." He said, trying to cheer up his father even though he knew that Jason wasn't really upset.

"Thanks Rider. At least my son appreciates my cooking." Jason directed at Elizabeth. She smiled again and got up from her knees. Jason followed her suit and then picked Rider up and set him on a barstool so he was as tall as the rest of them. Well, almost as tall.

Elizabeth put her hands together and let them lean to the side, something that Jason noticed she did a lot. She smiled but tried to suppress it. "Well, my fine gentlemen…."

At that moment, Rider leaned over and whispered to Jason. "I didn't know we were gentlemen. Are gentlemen allowed to make slime and watch cartoons?"

Shrugging to his son, Jason then sent his full attention to the waiting Elizabeth. She cleared her throat dramatically. "As I was saying, we here at Kelly's do have a fine selection of foods for you to choose from."

She walked around the counter and then put one hand to her chest to indicate to herself. "I am Elizabeth and I will be your waitress today. Would you like a table or a seat at the counter?"

Rider giggled at her professional manner and turned to his father. The smirk on Jason's face let Rider know that it was his choice. "Well, my fine waitress," Elizabeth choked back a snort of laughter as her words were thrown back at her. "-my father and I would like to invite you to eat with us."

At those exact words, Penny strode through the door. After seeing Jason and Rider she merely winked in Elizabeth's direction before scurrying into the kitchen.

"And you don't have a reason to say no." Jason added once Penny was out of sight. He knew that the other woman had come into relieve Elizabeth and was pleased that she seemed to be about to say that she would be eating with them.

Nodding his agreement to his father's words, Rider sent her an expectant look. Elizabeth couldn't believe how similar they were. Even though she knew that they had identical eyes, it almost seemed illegal that two people could have such intense stares. "Well, how could I say no to my two favorite men?"

Jason smiled, as did Rider. "So, waitress, we'll take the table." Rider snuck in. Elizabeth got the hint that he was hungry and laughed. She brought around a menu and swept her arms out in the famous gesture to show them where to sit. Rider chose his side of the table and sat. Jason grabbed a chair from the opposite table and set it down between Rider's seat and his own.

Once Jason was seated Elizabeth handed the menu to Rider. "Your Dad already knows everything on that menu, so you can look over it instead." Rider took the menu and suddenly it occurred to Elizabeth how old the little boy was. Four year olds were not common readers. She instantly felt stupid and apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry Rider. Here, I'll read it for you."

She started to snatch the menu from Rider's hands but he pulled it aside at the last second. Elizabeth sent a quizzical glance Jason's way, but saw that he didn't think that any of Rider's actions were peculiar. Rider opened the menu and seemed to scan it for a second. Within seconds he made his selection. "Number three please!"

Stifling a laugh in his hand, Jason merely smiled at Elizabeth's surprised look. "Ri can read Elizabeth. He's been able to for a while now."

"Well, that's better than what could be said for me when I was four. Alright, hot dog and fries for the scholar and for you?" She said as she turned to Jason with an expectant look on her face.

Jason appeared to be contemplating his choices very seriously. Rider laughed, knowing full and well that his father didn't stray far from his cheeseburgers or pizza. Jason realized the same thing and gave in to tradition, "Cheeseburger and fries."

Rolling her eyes at him, Elizabeth nodded and walked into the kitchen. Jason leaned forward and whispered to his son so Elizabeth wouldn't hear them. "Still like her?"

"Yeah, a 'course. Do you still like her?" Rider asked, smiling knowingly. Jason wasn't really aware that his son knew that much of the history between the two of them. Which he didn't. He just knew that there was a history, based on Emily and Michael. Also, he knew it because he had eyes. And it didn't take long for someone to see that Jason and Elizabeth had something going on between them.

"Why would you ask that?" Jason questioned curiously. His mind was replaying all of his conversations with Rider. It only took a second to realize that his sister would have to be behind whatever knowledge Rider had on the subject.

Rider shrugged simply. "Just cause. Well, do you?" Curiosity getting the best of him. His father was spared an answer when Elizabeth walked back out. Both boys sat back in their seats.

If she noticed that conversation had stopped when she entered the room again, Elizabeth didn't let on. She sat down in the chair that Jason had brought over for her. "Your food will be ready in a minute."

"Thanks, Elizabeth." Jason politely responded. He sent an expectant look towards his son.

Rider grinned and yelled, "Thanks Lizzie!"

For her part, Elizabeth merely laughed. "Your both most welcome. Your lucky that Kelly's keeps a wide range of hours. Or you two would be in big trouble right about now."

Jason nodded, agreeing with her. "Yeah, if Sonny goes on a business trip then Rider and I are in big trouble. Carly and Michael too. We'll be living off pizza."

"Oooh, Daddy, lets have pizza tonight. Its Ricky's night." Rider interjected happily. Ricky was his favorite of the pizza deliverymen. There were generally three that came to their place. According to all three of them, all of the other people at the restaurant thought they were the bravest men alive for venturing up to the Morgan penthouse. Of course, what all of the others didn't know was that the Morgan men loved pizza too much to harm any of the pizza guys and risk having the place ban them. Along with the fact that Jason, after a few runs to the penthouse, became friendly with the three men and gave out huge tips.

Elizabeth looked completely confused by what was being said around her. The fact that Jason nodded to Rider to signify that he agreed and understood only threw her for an even bigger loop. "Ricky?"

"The pizza man!" Rider stated as though she should have known.

Confusion soon gave way to disbelief. "You know the pizza men by name and shift?" She knew that Jason didn't cook at all and that pizza – since it was conveniently delivered right to your door – was probably eaten a lot at the Morgan household. But to know all of the deliverymen was just pathetic.

Jason too realized the absurdity of the situation and ducked his head down with an embarrassed smile on his face, "Well, maybe."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth let out a sigh. "No comment."

Rider laughed at her "comment" and reached out for the crayons that sat in the cup on the table. His place mat was paper, which was probably what the crayons were meant for. "Aunt Emily says you're a artist."

Nodding, Elizabeth smiled warmly at him. "Yes, I am. I painted your Daddy a picture once."

"Really?" Rider asked, looking up from what appeared to be the start of a beach scene. Much to Jason's amusement.

Answering the question for her, Jason nodded also. "Really. But I didn't have a place for it so she's been holding on to it for me."

"It's called The Wind and it's a picture of the wind from the back of your Dad's motorcycle." Elizabeth explained best she could. Most people didn't understand what she was talking about, and even when they saw the painting, they had no clue. It was the type of thing that only a motorcycle enthusiast would understand. That was, if they understood the wind.

Before Rider had the chance to comment, Penny leaned out from the kitchen. "Elizabeth? Their order is up."

Getting up, Elizabeth quickly walked to the kitchen. Seconds later she returned with Jason and Rider's plates. She set them down on the table and returned to her seat. It only took the plates and food being in front of them for all of thirty seconds before the two dug in happily.

She watched the feeding frenzy with wide eyes. Obviously they'd waited for Sonny for quite sometime before they'd given up and headed to Kelly's. "Calm down guys. We can make seconds if you're that hungry."

Jason looked up at her and then across at Rider, who was still stuffing his face, and got a sheepish expression on his face. "Sorry. You wouldn't believe how many time someone has said something like that to us since we got back."

"Judging by the rate you two are going at it, I'd say a lot." Elizabeth said with a laugh. "You're going to make yourselves sick!"

At that comment, Rider looked up from his french fries to give her an eye roll. "It's never happened before. But everyone always says that!"

Elizabeth and Rider started their conversation anew. Jason was amazed by how well the two got along. He'd never seen Rider so open with someone so soon. Even with Sonny and Carly it had taken days before he had made up his mind about them. The only other people that Rider had taken to so quickly were Michael and Emily. Michael probably because they were both around the same age. And Emily because she had been there ever since he was a baby.

The words that the two spoke were quickly drowned out by Jason's thoughts. He loved Elizabeth, which was obvious. But he loved Rider ten times more and always would. When he had made the choice to return to Port Charles, Elizabeth had been one of his thoughts. He'd had several hard choices to make once the decision had been made and Rider had given his approval to it.

His involvement with the mob being one of them. It hadn't taken a lot to see that he could no longer be Sonny's enforcer. He loved the job, and always had. But the danger was no longer an acceptable risk for him to be taking. His son needed him to be there, and with bullets flying at him that was a hard thing to guarantee.

Allowing the Quartermaines into his son's life – and his own by association – was also a hard choice. The old feelings that he wasn't what they wanted and never would be had come back. Jason Quartermaine was gone and was long ago made part of history. According to both Emily and Lila, the Qs now accepted that fact. But that didn't stop him from worrying.

The final problem he'd had, was Elizabeth. Emily had filled him in at full detail of her current life. With Ric out of the picture he had a clear shot at being with her. But did she even want to be with him? They were friends, and he didn't want to wreck that. And he didn't want his son to not like the idea. Isabella was Rider's mother. And she always would be, but if Elizabeth were there…she would be replaced. Not at first, but the roles and duties that Isabella had taken care of would be handed over to Elizabeth a little at a time.

Instead of Isabella, it would be Elizabeth updating the penthouse, making it her own. She would be the one to talk with Rider and do some of the mothering aspects. Rider may or may not want or even like that.

And Isabella. She relished in her role of wife and mother, even if the wife part only included a name. She loved taking care of people, it was part of who she was. Would she care that now there may be some other woman doing what she had done for her family?

A memory drifted into Jason's thoughts. He could see Isabella's face as clear as if she was saying the words to him again. She was still giving him the serious look that she had perfected. It grabbed your attention and let you know that she was only going to say it once.

"Jason, you can't hide from someone you love forever. I know you love her, it's pretty easy to see. And from what you've told me about her, she loves you back." She held her hand up to ward off his protests. "Don't keep telling yourself she doesn't."

She sighed and flipped her hair back like she did a million times a day. "I love you. You're the greatest friend I've ever had. I want you happy Jason. I know Rider does too. It wouldn't be hard to switch our arrangement up"

For a second, she just stared at him. "I don't want you alone forever. You'll always have Rider and me. But you deserve to be with her. You'll both regret it later if you don't at least try. Who knows, maybe she already does regret not going away with you. You can run from it and her for the rest of your life. But that life won't be very much."

"You're too giving for your own good." She said with a smile. "Its time to go after what you want Jason. Maybe not today or maybe not until Rider's a little older and you've run out of excuses. But either way, you need to go after what you want. I know you Jason, and I've got a pretty good idea about Elizabeth. Neither one of you will say what you want for fear that maybe you'll get rejected. Stop being afraid. Not of that. What you should be afraid of is when you're a old man and you go each day wondering how it could have gone."

After her speech, she had given him a hug and walked back to their house. She didn't ever talk about Elizabeth again to him. Jason knew that she would have been okay with their relationship. She might even have been okay with Elizabeth being a bigger part of Rider's life.

Judging from the way that Rider acted around Elizabeth, he wouldn't mind his father having a girlfriend. Which meant that the only thing holding them back was themselves.

He knew what he wanted, but did she want the same thing? And if she did, how would he tell her that he felt the same way?

"Jason? Would that be alright?" Elizabeth's voice floated into his subconscious.

Startled more than he liked to admit, Jason pushed himself back into the conversation. Both Rider and Elizabeth were staring at him. Rider was looking slightly concerned and Jason pushed forward an embarrassed smiled just for his son's sake. "I'm sorry. I wasn't even paying attention. What do you want to know about being alright?"

"Can Rider make a sundae?" Elizabeth asked again as though she'd already said it a hundred times before. Considering how far into his thoughts he had been, it wasn't all that hard to believe.

Nodding quickly, Jason gave his approval. "Of course he can."

Elizabeth got up from her seat, "Okay, I'll go get you the stuff Rider. Be right back."

She hurried back into the kitchen and Jason was left with a worried stare from his son. "Daddy? Are you sure you're okay?"

He'd obviously been ignoring the question longer than he'd thought. While it didn't take a lot for Rider to get protective, it didn't usually entail over hearing loss. "I'm fine, buddy. I was just thinking." His son's expression didn't change one bit. "Really."

Shrugging, Rider simply pretended to let him off the hook. "Okay." But Jason knew full and well from experience that Rider would be watching his every move for the rest of the day. No matter how hard he tried to convince his son he was fine. Besides, he already had Francis outside the door watching Rider and himself.

Elizabeth came back to the room balancing a large tray in one hand and bowls and spoons in the other. She looked as though it were a fine balancing act. Jason quickly jumped up and took the tray from her and set it on the table.

"Thanks." She directed to Jason with a smile, before turning to Rider. "Alright, Rider, we've got both chocolate and vanilla ice cream. And there's Oreo bits, crumbled cookies, hot fudge, whipped cream, gummy bears, rainbow sprinkles, bananas and cherries. Plus, I've stolen some strawberry sauce from the fridge for you to use too."

The little boy's eyes widened as he took in all of the items on the tray for him to use. Jason groaned, but for entirely different reasons.

He was just imagining the mess that his son would make.

Nice long chapter. This one has actually been taking me a LONG time. I'd start some of it up and then get called away. I'm glad to be done though! As you can tell, my house is really hot right now so I'm envisioning a nice sundae myself (this would have been written during the summer). The other nice thing to this story is the easy pace I have with it. I think from now on, I'm starting stories and writing them till they are mostly complete, THEN posting them. This really is a much nicer system. I started this in January and now its July. That's how relaxed my schedule is for this.

So everyone please let me know what you think.

Review!

For Sam