Coming Home: Sweet Like Chocolate

-------

Gasp! It's a new chapter!

A big thanks to all of the reviewers and readers! There's some one on one liason here...

--------- Corinthos Apartment

"And Jason actually went after him?" Sonny asked, running his hand over his eyes. Shaking his head, he walked over to the bar to pour himself a shot - it seemed like a story like this required one.

Francis nodded, "Lansing did call Elizabeth a slut and Rider a fucking brat." He pointed out. Clearly, Francis didn't find this nearly as surprising as Sonny did.

"But Jason hit him in front of Rider?" Sonny repeated.

"Yes, sir." Francis confirmed.

Sonny sighed, "You broke it up?" He asked and waited for his guard to nod. "How fast?"

"We waited until it really seemed like Jason was either going to really do damage to Lansing or Rider was going to get free of Elizabeth and take care of business." Francis answered, smiling a little.

Jason, Sonny knew, wasn't going to find his son's attitude there nearly as amusing as Francis did. After an incident like this, Sonny was hard pressed not to re-think his decision to keep Francis and Marco at bay as much as possible. Jason was more than capable of losing Francis if he was annoyed enough and they all knew it. If Jason was going to have a guard, then the rules needed to be different. One, the guard cannot be seen. Two, he can't interfere until absolutely necessary. Breaking up a simple fight between Jason and some guy that could never pose any threat to him was not absolutely necessary. Technically Francis had done the right thing to wait as he had, but Sonny didn't like it.

"Sir?" Francis asked, breaking his boss out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" Sonny asked, suddenly feeling tired.

Francis watched him carefully. "Should we step in sooner if anything else happens?"

Sonny's preferred to say yes, but knew that wouldn't work. "No, keep back as much as possible. Jason can handle Lansing."

"Yes, sir." Francis confirmed. When Sonny said nothing to acknowledge him, he quietly left the penthouse.

Once Francis closed the door, Johnny leaned over. "How did he take it?" He asked in a hushed whisper.

Francis shrugged, "He's not happy, I think. If we could get Jason to promise not to lose me, Sonny would order me to get right in there, next time."

Johnny nodded his head to Jason's door. "Go grab Jason before Sonny throws something." He advised, proving he knew all of his boss' habits. Glass throwing when frustrated was one he'd been standing outside the door listening to for years.

-------- Morgan Penthouse

Jason watched Elizabeth reading to Rider with a small smile on his face. Inside, he felt much better than he had in a while. That Elizabeth and Rider were getting along so well was a relief.

He started when someone in the hall knocked on his door. Shaking his head to Elizabeth so she'd keep reading, he got up and answered. "Yeah?"

"I had to report to Sonny." Francis said without preamble.

Instantly, Jason knew the problem. He knew Sonny, after all, so how could he not? Glancing back at Elizabeth and Rider he waved his hand at his son and walked out with Francis. "Great." He answered, feeling strangely sarcastic.

"He's my boss, what did you want me to do?" Francis answered easily. They both knew that he'd had no choice, but that didn't make it easier on Jason.

Instead of answering, Jason just crossed the hall to Sonny's penthouse and opened the door without knocking. "Sonny?"

Sonny looked up from where he was sitting on the couch, the floor around him mercifully clean. The older man swirled his drink around in its cup, "Johnny moves fast."

Jason didn't bother telling him it had been Francis who'd realized that Sonny was less than pleased by Jason's fight. "Lansing isn't going to press charges." He said, honing in on what he knew Sonny's real problem was.

"How do you know?" Sonny snapped at him, downing the rest of the fiery liquid.

"It was provoked. What cop is going to haul me in for hitting a guy who called my son a fucking brat?" Jason asked, ignoring the dark look Sonny shot him.

"I can name a few." Sonny answered him. "And if Ric doesn't tell them that then you'll be brought in to. Even if they release you, you'll be seen with policemen."

Jason sighed and sat down heavily across from Sonny. "I know that."

"You can't keep doing this." Sonny reminded him. "So what if he called Rider and Elizabeth nasty names? You cannot afford to be seen in the police station, Jason, end of story."

That annoyed him. Who was Sonny to say disrespect towards a man's family wasn't a cause for retribution? "And you'd have just stood there?"

Sensing his former enforcer's thoughts, Sonny gentled his voice, "There are other ways to defend them. You know that."

And Sonny was right, Jason knew. "I snapped. I didn't mean to." He answered finally.

The two sat in silence for a minute. Jason watched Sonny carefully, since the man seemed hesitant to say anything. Reluctantly, Sonny spoke, "If I get any idea that this could happen again, I'm going to instruct Francis to step in immediately if Ric Lansing shows up anywhere near you."

There was nothing constructive that Jason could say to that. Sonny knew he didn't like it, so what point was there in saying it? Besides, that wasn't what had him so worried. "He says he loves her, but..."

"Not all men respect the women they're with, Jason." Sonny said, waving a hand dismissively.

"I know that." Jason asserted, a little annoyed again. "The point is, Elizabeth wouldn't date a guy like that."

Sonny stood up and set his glass back down on the bar. Truth be told, he didn't think that there was anything particularly threatening about Ric Lansing. He'd seen that guy's type before, they thought that they were powerful and should be respected, but when it came down to it, all they had were fancy insults. "She wasn't with him long."

"She wouldn't be with some guy she barely knew." Jason defended Elizabeth.

Turning back to Jason, Sonny couldn't help the amused look on his face, "Just because you two danced around each other for years doesn't mean that's how she is with other guys."

Jason stood then too, when it was clear that Sonny didn't agree. "She wouldn't date a guy who could disrespect her like that or call some kid a fucking anything to his face." He repeated. "If she did then it's because - "

The phone on Sonny's desk rang and cut Jason off. Sonny put a hand on his friend's shoulder before he moved to get it, "Competition and being rejected bring the worst out in some guys. Leave it alone, Jason. You can't afford to bring that kind of trouble around."

Once Sonny was on the phone Jason turned and left the penthouse, his jaw clenched and not deterredat all.

---- Morgan Penthouse, Meanwhile

Elizabeth smiled as she listened to Rider read her the last page of the book. Though Jason's son liked to be read to, like all small children did, he also liked to read to whoever was handy, she'd learned. It amused her to pick out a book for her own reading time again, even though she hadn't done such a silly thing since she was little herself. Rider's determination to do it himself just reminded her all the more of Jason, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't love it.

"Lizzy?"

"Hmm?" She answered, stacking all of their reading material up on the table.

Rider slipped down off of her lap. "Can we go make hot chocolate?" Then, appearing to remember his manners he quickly rushed to add, "Please?"

Elizabeth turned to look at the door. Jason had disappeared only five or so minutes ago, so she wasn't sure when he'd back. She turned back to the expectant boy, ready to tell him that they had to wait for permission, but caught sight of his pleading expression. Oh god... "Sure." She answered slowly, without really meaning to.

He lit up happily and pulled her arm to get her up from the couch. "Lez' go!"

"Yes, let's." She agreed, teasing just a little.

Rider either didn't hear her or didn't care, his entire focus was on the ultimate hot chocolate goal. Once in the kitchen, he pulled a chair from the counter and quickly scrambled up it to open a cabinet. Elizabeth moved behind him quickly, reading to catch him if he needed it. She couldn't imagine Jason Morgan's son had a whole lot of experience in a kitchen, but the boy seemed to be managing himself fine.

"Could you get some cups, Auntie Lizzy? I'm not 'llowed to get the ones that break." Rider explained seriously as he pointed to an opposite cabinet.

As Rider searched through the cabinet for the hot chocolate mix, she stared at his back, a little dumbstruck. Auntie Lizzy? Never in her life had she been close enough to a child to be considered an aunt. Aunt, of course, wasn't quite what she was going for, but that he'd just said it, without any prompting that she knew of, sparked some strange feeling that she'd never quite felt before. She loved this boy…

"Aunt Lizzy?" Rider asked, for what seemed to be a second or third time. "Did you hear me?"

"Sure, Rider." She answered a little absently, "I'll get them for you."

Rider tilted his head to look at her seriously, "Are you okay?"

She smiled then, "Absolutely perfect."

---------

"Three stories, a sip of water, a bathroom break and four kisses." Jason reported quietly as he sank into the couch next to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth grinned, "If Taggert could see you now…"

Jason couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I have a son, he has a bedtime." Then shrugged in a way that clearly meant, What can you do? "What did you two do while I was with Sonny?"

Elizabeth flushed a little guiltily, "Hot chocolate." She confessed.

"I know, he told me." Jason smiled, seemingly pleased that she'd so readily answered. "He thought it was great."

"I aim to please." She said, and leaned in to give him a quick kiss, feeling strangely bold about the whole situation. Jason grinned, and she cut him off quickly, "No comments from you."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Jason said sincerely, and she could see how, with Jason Morgan, that might just be the truth. They sat quietly for a minute, before Jason said, "He said you went daydreaming for a minute."

She smiled at Rider's choice of words, "He said something that startled me." She admitted and when Jason turned to look at her, concern in his blue eyes, she added, "He called me Aunt Lizzy."

Jason was silent for a second. Slowly, he answered, "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"What? No, why?" She asked quickly, "Would you prefer he doesn't?"

Jason shifted on the couch to face her completely, "No, I think it's a good thing, but if it makes you uncomfortable…"

"Absolutely not." She quickly, reassured him, taking his hand. "I, well," She looked down for a split second, remembering her realization after he'd christened her with her new name. She felt Jason squeeze her hand. "I think it's a good thing, too." She finished a little lamely.

He nodded then and put his free hand to her cheek. "Then I won't say anything."

Jason pulled her close for another kiss and that was the end of any and all conversation.

I wasn't entirely sure how to end this, but hey, kissing always works, right? I hope everyone liked the update, even if they're never quite worth the wait.

I hope you'll all review, though!