"Here, drink this." Emily placed a paper coffee cup into Elizabeth's hand.
"That's how all this started." Giggling to herself, Elizabeth tried to bring the cup to her lips, almost missing and spilling the hot liquid down the front of her.
Ignoring Emily's panicked expression. Brenda waited until Elizabeth finished drinking and looked at her. "We really need you to pull it together. Emily's family is expecting us for dinner."
Wrinkling her nose, Elizabeth concentrated on Brenda's words. "You need me to act normal?"
Grabbing Elizabeth's shoulders, Emily grinned brightly. Thrilled that they were finally getting through. "Yes, we need you to act normal."
"I can do normal." Sounding as though she might actually be able to do this, Elizabeth looked past Emily's relieved expression to Brenda. "Who are you going to be?"
"Oh crap." Letting go of Elizabeth's shoulder's, Emily fell back against the plush seat. "I can't take her home like this."
"Are you kidding?" Helping Elizabeth take another drink, Brenda grinned. "I mean she's more sober than AJ's probably been in the last month."
"I can't believe you think this is funny."
"I can't believe you don't." Snorting, Brenda took the coffee away from Elizabeth. "We could always take her back to my place until she sobers up some more."
Looking at her watch, Emily shook her head. "Cook said she was putting dinner on the table at six. And you know how she is when people are late for her 'special' dinners."
"We could shove her face into the snow." Brenda suggested. The soon to be bride looked thoughtful. "It was a joke Emily."
"You two need to calm down." Elizabeth shook her head at the two of them. "I can be normal." Giggling again, it took her a moment to get herself together. "No really, I can. It's not like I'm going to start swinging from the curtains like Tarzan."
"Elizabeth, you peed in Kelley's parking lot when we were getting you coffee." Emily exclaimed.
"Well I had to go."
"Apparently."
"Why don't we just tell them what happened. It's not like Elizabeth's some kind of junkie. I'm sure they'd understand." This time she and Emily looked at one another and started laughing.
"Whatever you girls are gonna do you better figure it out now." Max called out as he turned the limo into the entrance of the Quartermaine estate.
"Do you really have to go?" Holding Michael close, Monica Quartermaine kissed her Grandson's cheek loudly before handing him over to her husband to do the same.
"It's almost Michael's dinner time, and we need to go up to see Lilah." Not meaning to stay as long as they had, Jason waited until Alan kissed Michael goodbye before taking his son into his arms.
"Why don't you stay?" Knowing she was suggesting the impossible, Monica knew the answer before she offered, but she hoped one day to be surprised.
"Monica when are you going to give up?" Edward's voice came from the doorway. "Jason doesn't want anything to do with us. If it weren't court ordered, he'd never bring Michael here twice a month, plus holidays. We'd never see hide or hair of either one of them." Waving his hand in Jason's general direction, Edward headed to the wet bar to pour himself a drink.
For the first time in a long time, Edward was actually right about something. If it weren't for one un-bribable judge, he wouldn't subject himself or Michael to these visits. They drained him. Having Monica with her searching eyes and hopeful invitations. Alan, working so damn hard on staying aloof, only it made him look more desperate than Monica. Then there was the old man.
Edward Quartermaine. The man was intrusive, opinionated and pushy. As far as Jason could see, Edward didn't approve of anything anyone did, didn't do, thought of doing. It drove him nuts to watch his Emily turn herself into knots each time she came home from school. But now she was home for good it was even worse.
He'd seen the way she'd tried to make the cranky old fart see what a good man Johnny was. Of how much she loved him. She'd been wasting her breath.
"Edward I thought you weren't feeling well." Monica asked.
"Well, I'm feeling better." A flush grew around the older man's collar. "And I came downstairs to make sure that delinquent doesn't forget to stop by Lilah's parlor before leaving."
Zipping Michael's jacket up, Jason tried to block out the bickering around him. Swinging the diaper bag over his shoulder, he picked up the toddler. "I'll be here around two on Christmas."
Not waiting for a reply, he hurried out of the room and up the stairs before they realized he and Michael had left. If he was lucky he could be out of the house before the war in the living room ended.
"Home sweet home." Staring at the door, Emily breathed deeply before turning to Elizabeth who was staring up at the icicles hanging off the eves. "Elizabeth are you sure you can do this?"
"Why? Still thinking about shoving my face in the snow?" A wicked smile curled onto her lips as she studied the long pointy objects. Tilting back a little too far, she lost her balance and slipped off the step.
"I don't know Tarzan, gonna swing from the curtains?" Offering her a hand up, Brenda looked into Elizabeth's dilated pupils. "Stoner."
"Princess."
"Okay, Elizabeth please whatever you do, please don't let my Grandfather get you mad." Looking nauseous, Emily closed her eyes. "Just give the sign if you feel like you can no longer do this. Brenda and I will get you out."
"Jesus Em, I'm starting to think you should've taken the little pink pill."
"I know I'm acting insane. But I can't help it. The seamstress mutilated my dress, the caterer thinks this is his wedding and keeps insisting that fish bake is the way to go. My Grandfather is acting worse then ever. He's boycotting the wedding and anyone who's supporting me. My mother is trying so hard to be happy that I think her face is going to crack."
Still rubbing her backside, Elizabeth slipped in the same spot and almost ended up on the ground again. "Doesn't anyone shovel their sidewalks anymore."
Brenda and Emily looked over to where Elizabeth was now muttering to herself. Brenda nodded, her brows raised. "Hell, with all that other stuff happening, this is nothing."
"You've got a point." Putting her hand on the doorknob, Emily knew it was now or never.
"He's grown so much." Watching Michael teeter across the room, Lilah sighed. "So are you two ready for Christmas?"
"I hope so." Jason chuckled as he thought of all the presents under the tree at home.
"Christmas is my favorite time of year." A soft smile touched her lips. "The decorations, brightly wrapped packages. And most importantly family." Laughing at the face Jason made, Lilah patted his hand. "Yes even this family."
"I'll take you on your word."
"Oh you just wait. One day you're going to find the woman who's going to take your breath away. No, I think she's going to have to be the type to knock you off your feet, literally." The words hit home, and it hurt like a SOB. What would his Grandmother say if she knew he'd found that girl and shoved her away, literally?
"Michael and I need to get going."
"I was hoping Emily would be here to see her nephew before you left." Smiling again when Michael laughed at nothing in particular, Lilah went on. "Enjoy these years Jason, they don't come again."
Picking up Michael Jason brought him over so Lilah could kiss him goodbye. "We'll see you Christmas afternoon."
"Merry Christmas Dear."
"Merry Christmas."
"Mom? Dad?" Walking into the house, followed by Brenda and Elizabeth, Emily didn't have to wait long before her parents and AJ joined them in the entranceway.
"AJ, when did you get here." Kissing her older brother on the cheek, Emily could smell he'd been drinking.
"Just a few minutes ago, I was just bonding with Grandfather." Smirking, AJ looked over to where Elizabeth was standing. "It's nice to see you again Elizabeth. You're looking prettier than ever."
Elizabeth smiled weakly and tried to step away when AJ came over to give her a friendly hug. The last and only time she'd seen him was when he'd stopped in to visit Emily in Colorado. He'd gone out and gotten wasted, only to come back to the apartment and puke all over her.
Trying to put space between herself and the oldest Quartermaine sibling, Elizabeth whispered into Brenda's ear. "I think I just threw up in my mouth."
Brenda covered her laugh by coughing into her fist.
Seeing Emily's pleading eyes, Elizabeth clamped her mouth shut. Looking around the room for something else to occupy her mind, she stopped on Emily's father's tie. The lines on it seemed to be moving in hypnotizing waves. And here she thought she was getting sober.
"I'd like to introduce you to Elizabeth Webber." Seeing that Elizabeth was staring wide-eyed at her father's multi colored tie, Emily gave her had a sharp squeeze. "Elizabeth this is Alan and Monica Quartermaine."
Knowing it was her time to perform, Elizabeth opened her mouth and for the first time in her life, found herself speechless. Instead she smiled and murmured a greeting.
"And this is my Grandfather, Edward Quartermaine." Emily's smile seemed to grow tight, and Elizabeth swung her eyes to the ever so famous man.
"It's nice to meet one of Emily's friends - who's not tied to the mob." Taking her hand in a firm handshake, Elizabeth felt Brenda pinch her from behind. "And you can ignore that deviant coming down the stairs." Edward growled over her shoulder. "He's not a person someone as respectable as yourself should become acquainted with."
Not needing to turn around to knew who the old windbag was talking about, Elizabeth felt the room sway and knew it had nothing to do with a pill. The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise, as goosebumps ran the length of her arms.
"Don't listen to him, he's full of hot air." Emily's mother pulled Edward off Elizabeth. "I'd like you to meet our Son, Jason and our Grandson Michael."
This was it. The thing she'd been dreading. And - screw that, the son of bitch was going to pay.