ABC/DISNEY owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.

Let me know if you want to see the house.

Chapter 34

The guys were waiting at the airport. Elizabeth walked over and gave Sonny a big hug. "How is it that you spend a month on the island and you come back without a tan?" Sonny just didn't understand it. After two days he was darker. Liz was like his Nana, Mike's mom. She was Irish and never tanned. "I think there is something wrong with you and Johnny."

"We both wear sunblock." Elizabeth said looking Sonny over. There was something different about her friend. He seemed to be brighter somehow. She wondered if he had met someone.

"I wear sunblock too." Sonny looked at Francis and Jason, both who were sporting tans.

"Jason likes my pale skin." She told him with a smile.

"That's all that matters." Sonny said grinning. "Come on the limo is waiting. I'm cooking."

"We don't get hugs?" Francis said feigning hurt.

"She just saw you guys a few days ago." Sonny said just to be difficult.

"But we missed her." Johnny said holding out his arms.

Elizabeth laughed at her friend's melodramatics but gave them both a hug. Her bags were off loaded and placed in the trunk. The five paintings, which were wrapped in brown paper were loaded into the back of Max's SUV. "What's been going on since I left?" She wanted to get to the bottom of Sonny's glow.

"Not much." Francis filled her in. "We met the new gallery owner."

"Francis's girlfriend is moving to Port Charles." Johnny told Elizabeth and Jason.

"Why?" Jason asked speaking for the first time. He knew that Diane was a lawyer.

"I'm getting a new lawyer." Sonny told his enforcer. He saw the question come into the younger man's eyes. The fact that he hadn't mentioned to Jason that Harry was leaving meant something had happened.

"I think it's very progressive of you to hire a woman. I like Diane." Elizabeth had met her on several different occasions. The two women had hit it off which was a relief to Francis. "When is she coming?"

"Next week. I'm moving into penthouse four." Francis told his friends. Sonny had offered it to him this morning. If Liz had still been living in her studio he would have offered her the spare room. Diane had already said she wouldn't mind. He had shown her the neighborhood where the studio was located. She hadn't lived in Port Charles full time then and knew it was not an area that Elizabeth shouldn't be living in.

"You guys need to look up the definition of nothing." That was just like a guy. "Diane and I can shop for furniture. Or is she bringing her stuff?" Elizabeth asked her friend.

"Her stuff and tossing mine." Francis said laughing.

"Speaking of furniture." Sonny interjected. "Your things are at the house. I saw that you took my advice on the kitchen items." She had called and said Jason was setting up something for them to do and she was shopping for the house. When she asked about pots and such, he had told her what to buy. Only top of the line items that would last forever.

"Can you guys come over tomorrow to help me move the furniture?" Jason asked his friends.

"Sure we'll bring some of the other guys too." Johnny replied. The other guys meant Max, Milo, Marco, Ritchie, and Cody. "You can order pizza and beer."

"I'll be there, because I'm bringing my house warming gift and I'll cook. If you want pizza I'll make pizza." Sonny told them as they pulled into the garage at the Towers. Her luggage and paintings were transferred to Jason's SUV while the group headed to the elevators.

"Who is going to be my guard?" Elizabeth asked as they rode up to the penthouse.

"I am." Francis grinned and then frowned because she was frowning. "You don't like that?"

The guys were all looking at her. No one expected her to oppose the appointment. "Isn't that against the rules?" She asked as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Welcome back Liz." Milo was on Sonny's door.

"Thanks Milo, how is Sabrina?" Elizabeth liked Milo's girlfriend. She was quiet like him and they made a cute couple.

"Good, I'll tell her you asked about her." Milo liked Liz a lot.

"Tell her to call me." Elizabeth told the guard as she walked into Sonny's place.

"What rules are you talking about?" Jason asked picking up their conversation again.

"The one where if any of the guys gets married, is in a serious relationship, or has a child they are moved into a less dangerous position within the company. That is what you guys normally do. I know that doesn't apply to Jason but shouldn't it apply to Francis since his girlfriend is moving here to be with him." Elizabeth said sitting on the couch.

The guys all stood there looking at her. "We really should keep her from hanging around the guys so much." Johnny said shaking his head. She knew a lot about how they ran things.

"Well that is the normal procedure." Sonny confirmed. She had boxed them in. "But this situation is different."

"Why?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Because you're my girlfriend." He said smiling. He couldn't say that without smiling. "So you get the best."

"If Francis is going to take a bullet for a woman, it should be Diane. I appreciate you wanting the best for me, but it's because I'm your girlfriend that I shouldn't have any guy who has a family. I'm a bigger target now." She looked at the guys and none of them liked hearing that, even if it was true. "Beside Francis would be wasted on me."

"How do you figure that?" Johnny asked her. She had completely lost him with that statement.

"I won't need a guard most of the time." She said grinning.

"You won't?" Sonny asked the petite artist. "You planning on staying in the house all day, every day?" He wanted to know.

"No." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I'll be surrounded by the guys all day. Jason will probably take me to work each morning, and someone else can pick me up. On the occasions that I need to go somewhere without Jason you can assign me one of the guys."

"Back up, why will you be surrounded by the guys all day?" Francis wanted to know. He felt like he was missing something.

"I offered her a job." Jason filled in. Based on her reasoning she was right. Francis would be wasted on her.

"You did?" Sonny asked happy that he didn't need to bring it up.

"Johnny needs someone to handle the administrative side of the garage." Jason pointed out.

"I do." Johnny said grinning. "I didn't think you would be interested or I would have brought it up myself." He knew she could type and use a computer.

"Set up an interview for next week and I'll bring in my resume." She told her friend. "Before you argue Jason promised that I would be treated like any other employee, so that means background check and job interview." She was being difficult but how often was she in a position to make Johnny work.

"I hate giving interviews." Johnny told her.

"I know." She said laughing. "So about my guard and Frannie's new job?" She looked at Sonny. She wanted Francis safe, not just for Diane. She loved him like family and worrying about him and the other guys was hard on her nerves. If she could keep one of them out of the line of fire that would be great.

"I'd need to think about where to move him." Sonny said looking at Francis. "Is there anything you don't want to do?" Sonny asked the guard.

"I work for you Sonny. I'll work wherever you put me." Francis assured him.

"You should make him Diane's guard." Elizabeth suggested.

"That won't work." Jason said shaking his head. She kept them on their toes. He had no clue she knew about that rule. It wasn't even written down anywhere. "That would be like me guarding you."

She liked that idea very much, but she saw the downside. They would be too busy undressing each other with their eyes to be looking for danger. "Francis has a business degree." She pointed out. "Do you have a business he could run?"

Sonny had several businesses that Francis could run. He looked at his friend, he wasn't sure that any of them would keep the guard from getting bored.

"That still doesn't negate the fact that Liz needs a full time guard." Johnny pointed out. "Just because you are going to be working with a bunch of the guys all day doesn't mean someone shouldn't be looking out for you." With no one assigned it meant that if the guys left before she locked up it wouldn't be anyone's responsibility to see her home. They had a set routine for a reason.

"Logan is there every day." Sonny pointed out. "As the assistant manager he will work the same hours as Elizabeth." Logan was a senior guard and while he spent a good portion of his time at the garage he occasionally did other jobs for them.

"I don't know him well." Elizabeth said looking at her friends and boyfriend. Logan was one of the few senior guys she hadn't spent much time with.

"He's a good worker and very sharp." Logan was one of the guys they were looking at as possible future enforcers. Johnny could see the merit of that appointment. Logan reminded Johnny a bit of himself. The younger man was cocky, but he did have the skills to back that up. He wasn't much a people person though preferring to be a loner. Liz would blow that mindset out of the water. Suddenly Johnny was liking the idea a lot. "Jason?"

"It's fine." Jason had no problem with Logan. "He's kinda quiet though." He said smirking at his girlfriend. "You will not be able to get him to talk to you like the rest of the guys do."

"That's fine." Elizabeth shrugged. Marco was quiet by nature too and they got along great. "I'll meet him when I come in for my interview." She said with an evil grin directed at Johnny. "If you schedule it early enough I can start working the same day." She was going to get the job.

"Brat." Johnny muttered.

"So that just leaves Francis." Jason looked at his friend. "Would you like to run the coffee warehouse?" Which meant Francis would be in charge of all their incoming shipments, legal and illegal. Right now that job was done on a rotating basis with all the senior guys taking a turn. One guy doing it would add a layer of stability. Jason could make it a promotion complete with pay raise.

"I could do that." Francis actually enjoyed his shifts at the warehouse. It was challenge to make sure everything ran like clockwork. The crew there was already top notch so aside from the occasional raid by the PCPD things would run smoothly.

"Now that we have that settled. It's time to cook. You want to help?" Sonny asked Elizabeth.

"Sure." She said hopping up from the couch.

"While we are in the kitchen, you can tell me all about your time on the island." Sonny grinned at Jason. He was hoping to get a look at the necklace the younger man had purchased. Last year he had given his friend a lesson in jewelry and he wanted to see if Jason had paid attention.

They left a couple of hours after dinner was finished. When they passed through the electronic gate Jason got his first look at the house he had purchased. The large front lawn let him know he'd need to get a riding mower. Then he would need to learn how to use it, he thought grinning.

"I can't believe we are going to live here." Elizabeth said looking at the house with a bit of awe. She had been stunned when he told her what house he had purchased. "It doesn't really seem like something you would like."

"You like it, right?" Jason turned to her as he killed the engine.

"I love it. I've loved this house since I first saw it." Elizabeth looked at him. "Is that why you bought it?" She hadn't ever told him that she adored this house, but she did mention it to Sonny.

"Yes." Jason didn't see any reason to lie. "I can live anywhere. Jake's proved that. I want to live somewhere that you love."

She hadn't ever had anyone love her to this extent before. "I would have been happy at the Towers."

"I know." Jason leaned back in his seat. "You don't ask for things. Not from any of us." He said picking his words carefully. "I think you are afraid that we'll walk away and leave you alone. Because that is what almost everyone else in your life has done. Especially when you needed them the most. This house is my promise that I'm not going to do that. It's my way of showing you that what you want matters. Not what you need, you are strong enough to get that on your own. I'm here to give you what your heart wants."

"My heart wants you." She told him.

"You have me." Jason promised. "And you have this house."

Leaning closer she kissed him. "Thank you Jason."

"Tell me about the house. I mean the style." He said when she leaned back.

"Okay." Elizabeth said looking out the window. "Get out of the car."

Jason did, coming around to open her door. They stood in front of the car with her in his arms. "The style of the house is Queen Anne. It's English, named after the Baroque Queen. You can always tell that style because it has a central triangle pediment with dormered roofs." She pointed to the upper level front windows as she spoke.

"The color is okay?" The exterior was a pale grey with white framed windows and black roofs. He could have guys out here tomorrow if she didn't like it.

"The color is perfect." Elizabeth wouldn't change a thing. "I love the porches." One ran entire length of the east side of the house. The second was on the west front side and was partially recessed. "We will need rockers to sit on." In the autumn when the leaves changed it would be beautiful.

"We will have whatever you want." He promised her. Holding out his hand he took her to the front door. Opening it, he asked her to wait on the porch while he turned off the alarm. Coming back he swept her into his arms. "Welcome home Elizabeth." He kissed her then stepped inside.

Thanks for the reviews!