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Chapter 21

It rained for three days straight. For the first two days Elizabeth and Jason stayed in their bungalow enjoying their time alone. They watched movies, talked more about what life in Port Charles would look like when they got back, and they spent time in bed enjoying one another. It was like a mini-vacation during their time away.

On day three she felt a pressing need to get out. To stay inside any longer would be hiding in her eyes. If she wasn't having nightmares, then staying locked away wouldn't be an issue. Because of the bad dreams not going out could become an avoidance tactic. Resorting to unhealthy behaviors wasn't going to happen.

They went to the resort because it was close. She wanted to take a yoga class to start her day. While she had been using the gym at the compound yoga and/or Pilates was her preferred method of exercise. Back home she went to a class several times a week generally with Emily although any of the ladies was welcome to come. Max joined her, and Elizabeth learned he was more flexible then she would have ever guessed. In fact several times the instructor complimented him on his form.

The guys had gone to the gym to work out as well. Once everyone was showered they met up and went to one of the resort's restaurants for breakfast. Over the morning meal she got to know Rory a little better. She still didn't know why Lee was gone, but didn't really think too much on it. Back home assignments were regularly switched up so it was probably the same down here. Jason had mentioned that Rory might be returning to Port Charles as part of her security detail. If he was going to be around then Liz wanted to be comfortable in his presence.

After eating the gang saw a movie. The guys all breathed a collective sigh of relief when Elizabeth suggested the latest Marvel film. While yes she loved a good romance, and sometimes wanted to watch a tearjerker, those movies were best with her girlfriends. Although the little devil on her shoulder made her point to the period drama, complete with subtitles, that was at the cinema. Just to see Johnny's face. His reaction was everything she had hoped for and more. It was going to make her laugh whenever she remembered that moment.

Next they went to El Arsenal. She hadn't researched this site at all. It was a spur of the moment decision since they still had plenty of daylight left. She had been expecting another museum dedicated to the Spanish American war. The building was a former naval station. In fact it was one of the last places in the region to house Spanish troops. Instead she found galleries of paintings and exhibits on the decorative arts common to the region. Before going in she checked with the guys to see if they would rather do something else. They all said it was fine, so they went in.

"What should we do now?" Liz was looking at her phone trying to find something to do.

"It's time you learned about rum." Johnny named what they would do next. "There is no way we can let you go back home without having you at least sample some."

"O'Brien's got a point." Renaldo said agreeing with his friend. "Which goes to prove that he is smarter than people give him credit for."

Johnny just pushed his friend. "Come on let's head over. I've never been either so maybe I'll learn something new." He was happy to see that Liz was laughing. This morning she had been quiet and he got the impression that whatever had been bothering her was still lingering some.

That was how the group once again found themselves in San Juan, this time at the Bacardi factory. "I don't have my camera." Liz said as Jason parked.

"You can't take pictures inside." Renaldo was the only one of the group to have been on the tour. The single time he had a look at the establishment he was with Sonny. The mob boss had been invited in for a private tour and tasting after signing a deal to make the company the exclusive rum supplier to all the Corinthos/Morgan resorts. "In fact even taking your phone out is grounds for immediate removal. They have recipes to protect."

"Everyone turn them off and put them away." Jason told the crew. They would all be together so that was fine. He had been down here when Sonny took his tour but declined to come along. Now he could experience this with Elizabeth. Once everyone was ready they headed inside.

The tour wasn't just about the rum. It was about the family as well. In fact they spent most of the first portion of the tour listening to their guide tell them about Facundo Barcardi i Masso, a Spanish born businessman who founded the world famous rum company. After following his elder brothers to Cuba he started his own mercantile, and in 1862 he founded Barcardi Boutellier and Company. Which they sold successfully from Facund's brother's store. Shortly after gaining that initial success was when the signature on the label and the internationally recognized symbol of the bat began appearing on the label.

In 1874 after buying out the other stakeholders, the company became Barcardi and Company. They continued to grow internationally in name and recognition under the new label. In 1877 Facundo was forced to turn over running of the company to three of his sons due to failing health. But that didn't affect the success of the still expanding brand.

The next section of the tour dealt with how Barcardi came to be in Puerto Rico. With the rise of communism in Cuba the family began establishing foreign branches of their business to protect their assets. First in the Bahamas, then in Puerto Rico and Mexico. That decision ended up saving the Barcardi brand. Their fears were realizing in 1960 when the Castro regime seized their company and bank accounts, when they made all private property and bank accounts in the country illegal. In response the family fled the land they had made their home after leaving Spain.

As they moved from the museum into the factory they began to talk about the various brands of alcohol that were created under the Bacardi umbrella. As the company grew they began to diversify. They merged with Martini & Rossi to create vermouth and sparkling wines. Dewar's was acquired giving the brand a Scotch, Royal Brackla, and Bombay Sapphire Gin. Cazadores tequila, which Elizabeth had never had, and Grey Goose were also owned by Bacardi. The list went on showing those on the tour the global reach of the brand.

They finished their time in the factory with a tasting. They were given the option to taste four items from the catalog of items produced. Elizabeth made sure that the tequila they learned about on the tour was one of her selections. Not to be undone the guys decided to join her. Lemons and salt shakers were produced and she gave them a lesson on how to treat tequila. The crew was impressed at her ability to slam back a shot.

"How much alcohol can I take back with me?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Five quarts." Their tour guide answered.

None of the guys bothered to point out that anything she wanted could be acquired in much large quantities than that. They weren't going to ask her to break the law. Jason would just make sure she had it. After she made her purchases they went back out into rainy San Juan.

"The sun is out!" Liz was standing by the window in her pajamas soaking in the warmth. Last night she had slept very well and now she had a lot of energy. Going out had been the right decision. "That's good because today I want to go zip lining."

"Max is going to be thrilled." Jason was stretched out in bed still.

"Something else he doesn't like?" Elizabeth asked coming back over and sitting beside her guy.

"I was serious. Max loves zip lining." Jason had enjoyed their lazy morning in bed so far. He was developing a new appreciation for not getting up so early. Having Elizabeth in his arms made getting up seem like a waste of a day. Especially on vacation, back home they would both need to get up for work.

"I have enjoyed getting to see a different side of the guys on this trip. I knew Johnny well before coming down, now I know Renaldo and Max better too." Liz straddled Jason's thighs over the blankets. They had already made love this morning, not that she would mind doing so again. "Rory seems nice as well. He reminds me of Cody. They are both pretty quiet. Of course I've only known Rory for a couple of days, he might change when he starts feeling more comfortable."

"Your first impression was correct. Rory is fairly quiet." Jason was guessing Elizabeth would draw him out some. He had decided to not tell her about Lee unless she asked. Jason knew his girl well, she would feel guilty and there wasn't a need for that. Lee had not gotten in trouble, and she hadn't done anything to encourage his crush.

"So do we go through the resort to book our zip lining trip or do we go somewhere else?" Liz was ready to get their day going.

"We will go to the same place the resort takes its guests, but we aren't going to go with any of those groups. We'll be on our own. The area is safe enough that we won't have any issue with that. We'll stick to the main trails that everyone uses." Jason explained how it was going to work. All the guys would have their guns as well, so if anything were to occur they could defend themselves. "Go shower and I'll get everything going."

"Okay." Liz gave him a kiss before getting off the bed.

"Where on the island are we?" Liz asked as the group set off for the trail that Max said they should take.

"Orocovis." Jason explained as he took her hand in his. He was carrying their gear in his backpack. Not because Elizabeth couldn't carry things, but because they only had one backpack in the bungalow. They would get another one at some point because if they came back she would insist on carrying her share. "This is Toro Negro State Forest."

"I read about it." Liz replied looking around. "This is part of the public forest system. There are twenty-one parks across the island. If I remember correctly this forest is home to the highest cloud forest on the island."

"Yeah." Jason nodded as they followed Max. "The three highest peaks overall are in this forest. One of them is where we will zip line from." They would start at the mountain and end not far from Lake Guineo which was the highest lake on the island.

Toro Negro Forest, which was located in the Cordillera Central mountain range, was large enough that its total acreage spanned the municipalities of Ponce, Orocovis, Jayuya, Ciales, and Juana Diaz. Seven non-contiguous tracts of land with four forests made up the dense tree covered natural reserve which was created in 1935.

There were ten official trails and they were on number one, which at some point would intersect with trails three and six. Max had already warned them that trail number three would be slippery, and possibly harder to traverse. However there was an observation tower with views that made the climb worth it. At the end of trail number six there was a lovely pool that on another day they could come back and visit. They weren't stopping at the pool, or the lake because they were returning to the cars after zip lining. From here they were heading over to the Dona Juana Recreational Area, which wasn't directly connected to the forest, and going to the falls.

"I was worried I would be hot." Liz had dressed for the workout. She was in a bright blue crossback tank top that left her arms and shoulders bare. She hadn't been too worried about sun exposure, although she was wearing sunblock, because she had been told the canopy was thick. Her top was paired with dark blue soccer shorts and on her feet were hiking shoes. Today she had donned a cap to offer extra protection to her face. Jason's outfit let her know she was going to be okay.

"It's fairly cool up here but it can get humid around this time of year." Jason let her know. "During the fall if we come out you may want to go with long sleeves and longer pants." He was in a sleeveless bright blue top with grey piping and grey athletic shorts. Like her he was also wearing hiking shoes, and sunglasses.

"Everybody okay?" Max asked from up front. Jason had asked him to head up this outing. The big guard got a course of yeses so they kept moving forward.

"I've never climbed a mountain before." Liz said as they reached Cerro Dona Juana where the observation tower stood. "I can cross that off my list today." Max hadn't be lying when he said the climb up was not going to be easy. Slippery and steep, it had offered quite a workout.

"You ever leave New York State?" Johnny wanted to know.

"Yeah." Liz nodded and drank some water. "Growing up I left at least once a year until I was in high school. My parents like to travel so on vacation we generally went somewhere. More often than not we were in California because that was where my mom grew up. We also spent a good amount of time in Colorado because that is where the Hardy family is from." Hardy was her grandmother's married name. Liz had stopped traveling for a while but in college trips to New York City started happening. "On the east coast I've been down as far as Virginia and up as far as Boston."

"How did you miss the mountains in Colorado?" Renaldo wanted to know. "I though most kids ski before they walked."

"I've never been skiing." Liz said shrugging. "I like to ice skate, but my family as a whole isn't much into outdoor sports. Except for tennis, which I'm not sure counts because we always played it inside." She said laughing at her own joke. "So today I am conquering my first ever peak!"

"Here's to new things." Max said raising a toast. The guys all joined in.

"How is your hand?" Jason wanted to know. She was wearing her brace today which was a good thing because on the ascent she had slipped and ended up grabbing onto to a branch to keep from going down.

"I'm good." She let him have a look. "I can't move my thumb otherwise I think I would be in a lot of pain." Liz was happy she had opted to leave her ring back at the compound. There was too much of a risk of losing it out here.

"Want some ibuprofen?" Jason had packed it just in case.

"Might not be a bad idea." Liz agreed because yeah her hand did hurt some after her fall. She hadn't been the only one to go down though. "Are you okay?" She asked Rory.

"Nothing hurt but my pride." He said with a small grin. "I wipe out every time I come up here."

"I took a nasty fall here myself." Max told his fellow guard. "That was why I gave everyone the warning." It was also why he had a first aid kit in his bag.

"Ready for the view?" Jason dug out her camera.

"I am." Liz followed him into the tower. "Wow." She said just taking it all in. From where they were standing she could see both the northern and southern shore of the island. "Is that San Juan?" She asked pointing. It was distant and not as clear, but you could see it was a city.

"Yeah." Jason nodded smiling at her enthusiasm. "The Spanish built this tower to protect the southern coast, and now we get to reap the benefits of that." He was standing behind her and when she leaned against him he wrapped her in his arms.

"Amazing." Liz lifted her camera and tried to capture the beauty.

"All set?" The staff member asked after checking all the safety gear and making sure it was as it should be.

"Yes." Liz was super excited, and yes nervous, to do the zip line. Johnny and Jason had gone down already. Her guy had asked her if she wanted him on the ground when she arrived and she said yes.

"Okay. Step up to the line please." He pointed to where his co-worker was waiting.

"Thank you." Liz did as instructed.

"Welcome." The perky young woman said with a smile. "Few last minute instructions. Please place your right hand on the green section of the strap." She pointed to the thick cords that attached the harness to the cable. "Put your left hand on the handle." She pointed to just below the pulley. "Don't let go from either place until the ride is over. Those two points of connection help you to stay centered. Some twisting is normal, just relax and you'll come back to where you are now. With me so far?"

"Yes." Liz had removed her brace for this, otherwise she couldn't go down.

"Good. You'll step off the deck and let gravity take over." The staff member explained. "It's a nice long ride. So enjoy the scenery as it whizzes by. Try not to flail with your legs because it will throw you off balance, however you won't fall off the line. Your harness keeps you nice and secure. Just stay as relaxed as possible. Still with me?"

"Yes." Liz nodded her head yes.

"On the other side there are staff members waiting to receive you." The worker pointed. "See that speck of yellow, that's the end. As you are coming in keep your feet up. The staff member down there is going to stop you and help you out of the harness. Ready?"

"I am." Liz said as the butterflies in her stomach took flight. She wondered if this would be similar to being on the back of the Harley.

The worker looked over and saw the light was green. "Step off the deck please, and enjoy the ride."

Liz nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the sky.

"That was amazing!" Liz said as she jumped into Jason's arms. "Everything was whizzing by and all the colors were melding. It was almost as good as being on your bike."

Jason laughed at how excited his girlfriend was. "So you want to do this again?"

"Yeah." Liz wished she had thought far enough ahead to bring her phone so that she could have recorded the ride.

"We can do this back in the states." Jason would have no problem taking her. It could be another group outing, or just them.

"That would be awesome." Liz said giving him a quick kiss before settling in to wait for the rest of the group.

"The beauty just never stops here." Liz said looking at the site in front of them as she put down her camera. Dona Juana Falls were two hundred feet of raw power and beauty. The water came from a creek of the same name and cascaded down plant covered rocks before being fed into the Rio Toro Negro. She had expected another long hike to get to them, but that hadn't been the case. In fact if she turned around she could still see where they parked the cars.

"Renaldo, do you come out here often?" As a visitor she could appreciate the beauty but she understood how if you lived with something day in and day out it might not be as awe inspiring.

"We come out about once a month or every six weeks." Renaldo told his friend. "Leyla likes to be outside. So we are generally doing something physical on days off. She prefers to be on the beach and in the water."

"I look forward to meeting her." Liz said smiling at her friend.

"The next time I come up, if you don't come down before that, I'll ask her to come with me." Renaldo liked traveling with his girlfriend. They had fun when he took her to South America.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Liz let him know. "How about you Rory? Do you come out here?" She thought things with the new guard were going well.

"First time." Rory admitted shrugging his shoulder. "I'm not really a water fan." It was why he didn't mind moving to New York. The beaches here were wasted on him. "Not scared of it, and yes I can swim. Just don't feel a need to seek it out. I will have no problem taking you to the beach if that is where you want to go."

"So noted." Liz would respect his boundaries. "I want to get into the water." Everything she was wearing could get wet and would dry quickly. Not that she planned on swimming, she just wanted to get in the pool that was at the base of the water fall and relax some. "Who's coming with me?"

"I'm in." Jason said putting down the backpack and stripping off his top. Like his girlfriend his clothing was designed to dry quickly. That included his underwear which was made of lighter fabric than his normal cotton.

"Me too." Johnny never let a chance to splash in the water pass.

"I'm getting in as well." Max was ready for a refreshing dip. For him this and the forest they just came from were places he always visited when he came down.

"Rory and I will hang out and watch the gear." Renaldo told everyone else urging them to get in.

"Did I answer the question wrong?" Rory wanted to know. He figured that was why his boss was hanging back.

"No." Renaldo shook his head. "If Liz asks you a question she expects an honest answer." The young guard was doing great with the new assignment. "I was just here before Leyla left. Also with so many people about you having back up isn't a bad idea." The area wasn't crowded, but there were a fair number of people enjoying the falls.

"Renaldo?" Liz had waded to the bank. "Would you mind taking a picture of us in the water?"

"Not at all." He dug out the camera. "Stand together." He told his friends and got a group shot with the waterfall in the background.

"Just us now." Liz pointed to her and Jason. She didn't make a point of excluding everyone else when taking photos, but she wanted one of just her and her guy.

They were looking at each other and just before Renaldo snapped the picture Jason kissed Elizabeth. Pulling back he watched her blush and smile. "Perfect memento of our trip."

"I couldn't agree more." Liz agreed thinking that this had been an amazing adventure. Just one of many that they would share.

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