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Chapter 37

"Elizabeth, that picture is stunning." Lila was hosting the young woman for tea. The artwork was leaning upright on a patio chair.

"Thank you Mrs. Quartermaine. I had a lovely subject. When I first arrived in the gardens I had to take a stroll to give myself time to decide which bloom to paint first. Your garden is full of inspiration." Elizabeth thought it rivaled the gardens at the Port Charles Arboretum.

"Why did you pick the daylilies?" Lila wanted to know. Elizabeth had been roaming the grounds painting for a couple of days now.

"That shade of pink called to me. It was a challenge to reproduce it." Elizabeth had spent almost thirty minutes perfecting the shade.

"You have done the flower justice, the painting is brimming with life." Lila said taking in the image. Elizabeth was extremely talented. "You mentioned wishing to return to paint tomorrow?" Liz always called and asked for permission to come to the mansion. Despite the fact that she didn't need to.

"Yes ma'am. If you wouldn't mind." Elizabeth had spotted several other plants she wanted to paint. "I'd love to get a series of works. A Summer Blooms series. I would of course list you in the description of the works."

"That isn't at all necessary." Lila said smiling. "I am surprised that you didn't take photographs to work from. The blooms are fragile. Daylilies are called such because the flowers only last for twenty-four hours. That stem will bloom again, several times, before the summer ends but the colors you saw today may not be there." The older woman warned.

"I doubt inspiration will be a problem in your garden." Elizabeth said smiling. "Painting on sight gives me an excuse to be outside, and it also keeps me out of my studio."

"I'm guessing the location of the building is the issue." Lila said showing her street savvy. The neighborhood was one of the worst in the city. When Elizabeth nodded Lila continued. "May I ask why you are still there?"

"You mean because Jason can rent me something better?" Elizabeth wanted to know.

"Frankly, yes." Lila saw no reason to beat around the bush. "I know you aren't with him for his money. You are with him because he is the man worthy of your heart. So letting him provide things for you doesn't reflect poorly on you." The younger woman was sitting in the parlor in faded jeans and a paint splattered shirt. If she was image conscious she would have changed before tea. Lila was pleased that Elizabeth hadn't, she very much respected that she didn't try to be anyone other than who she was.

"I guess I'm used to my space." Elizabeth said looking out the glass French doors as she gathered her thoughts. "When I had to move out of my grandmother's house that studio was all I could afford. I've been working hard and saving money to get something better, but rent here is expensive. I could afford an efficiency but then I wouldn't have anywhere to paint. All those doctors drive the prices up." She said with a small laugh. "I could probably swing a small one bedroom if I stuck to a tight budget. I think part of me is afraid that I'll get a new place, and then get kicked out because my art won't sell. Then I'd be on the street. My studio has become something of a safety net, which honestly I no longer need."

Lila sipped her tea sensing that Elizabeth wasn't done yet.

"I also think I'm worried about becoming another Carly. All she does is shop and spend Sonny's money. Before that she spent Jason's money. I feel this need to prove that I can support myself. Not because of Jason so much, but because of my grandmother. She has been waiting for me to get a real job since I graduated high school. By keeping the studio which I could comfortably afford I'm showing her that I'm living life on my terms, and not asking anyone to help me. Showing her that I haven't failed." Elizabeth finished. "Does that make sense?"

"It does. And it's admirable. What do your parents think of your art? If I may ask?" Lila didn't know the doctors Webber well, but she noticed that Elizabeth didn't speak of them often. When she did there was a bit of sadness to her tone.

"They said I should do whatever makes me happy." Elizabeth was reminded that she needed to call the relief agency again. "I think they are happy to support my decisions as long as I don't ask them to come home. My father has been waiting for this opportunity for a while." Her parents loved her, but her father had bowed to pressure from Audrey to join the agency. Her mother wasn't all that thrilled about working overseas, she enjoyed their life in Colorado, but Audrey kept mentioning that Carolyn owed this to Jeff. Liz still didn't know what that was about. The fact that her parents left the country when she turned fourteen no longer stung. Most of the time.

"I think what you need is a patron." Lila announced. She saw a way to help Elizabeth retain her independence, and relax her grandson at the same time.

"A patron?" Elizabeth repeated surprised. "That's generally only something well established artists have. I'm not there yet."

"You are well established in this house." Lila had an Elizabeth Webber original already. It had been a birthday gift last year. A portrait painted from a picture of Lila's girlhood home in England taken by Lois last summer. With her health being an issue the Quartermaine matriarch hadn't been able to visit in years, so Elizabeth brought the manor to her.

"Mrs. Quartermaine, I couldn't ask that of you." Elizabeth said blushing. The offer did make her feel good though.

"You didn't ask. I'm being pushy and offering." Lila said laughing. "We have plenty of room on the grounds for you to have a studio. There is a caretaker's building near the boathouse. It's not very large, three rooms in all including the bathroom. No one has used it for a number of years, I'm sure that with a bit of work it would be perfect."

"Shouldn't you check with Dr. Quartermaine first?" Elizabeth asked surprised at the offer. Monica did own the house.

"She won't mind." Lila assured her young visitor. Monica wouldn't, she adored Elizabeth too. "I will have Alice walk you and Mr. Corelli down. You can inspect it, and I'm positive Jason will send someone to make it suitable to your needs." She wasn't going to take no for an answer. They were family and took care of their own.

"Mrs. Quartermaine, thank you that is incredibly generous." Elizabeth said blinking back tears.

"I will expect invitations to any future shows." Lila said naming her price.

"Deal." Elizabeth promised.

"Good. Now would you please push me over to the phone so I can call Reginald and set up your tour?" Lila requested.

"I'd be happy too." Elizabeth would call Francis who was out strolling the grounds so he would know to head back to the house.

Johnny stuck his head in Jason's office again. "Got a second?"

"Sure." Jason was going over the shipping schedule. "What's up?"

"I got a call to check out Sonny's cabin." Johnny told his boss.

"You heading out?" Jason asked standing up.

"I am. I've had guys watching the cabin since I got the call this morning." Johnny explained. Despite this having trap written all over it, he was going to go check out the tip. This was what Jason paid him to do.

"You want company?" Jason asked his friend.

"I have company. I put together my crew before coming here." There would be the guys to go into the cabin with him. "Marco is still here, so I'm taking him and Max. You are not going." Johnny saw the argument brewing. "You're the boss now Jason, you don't get to walk into dangerous situations. Cody is in his office, I told him you don't get to leave here until he hears from me. If I don't check in within the next two hours he's going to take you home."

"Take Hank too." Jason requested not liking that his enforcer was correct.

"Today is his day off. I'll call Joey." Johnny would do that to ease his friend's mind.

"I want a report as soon as possible." Jason ordered, it didn't feel right to ask the guys to do something he wasn't going to. Jason was used to leading from the front.

"No one is going to lose respect for you because you aren't checking this out personally." Johnny told his boss. "We know you are capable, and we know you would be the first one through the door. To keep the territory stable we need you to stay safe."

"I get it." Jason nodded. "Stay safe. You have a date later in the week."

"The movie came in the mail yesterday." Johnny was looking forward to spending the evening with Nadine.

"You know they have streaming these days." Jason said poking his friend some.

"This wasn't available on streaming." Johnny said giving his friend a look. "I'm heading out. Stay put."

"Yes dad." Jason said being sarcastic.

Johnny flipped him off before walking out of the office.

Jason just stood there and tried to let this change settle. Johnny was right, the organization's needs came first in situations like this. He also hoped his friends all returned from this scouting expedition.

It only took about twenty-five minutes to get to the property. The guys drove around a bit before parking in a secluded area off the main road. Johnny listened to the reports from the other cars. There was no movement in the area. "Let's go in."

The four men got out from the car. They removed their jackets and strapped on protective gear. With guns in hand they walked to the tree line. "What's your gut say?" Johnny asked his crew.

"Not getting the feeling we are being watched." Marco spoke up first.

"I agree, it's just us." Max added on.

"Joey?" Johnny asked his friend.

"Feels good." The youngest of the crew replied.

Johnny nodded before stepping out from their cover. If someone was gonna start shooting it would be at him and not his crew. Nothing happened, around him the birds were chirping and bugs were doing whatever the hell they did. If something was truly off then area would be still. They did a sweep of the house from the outside first. Nothing looked out of place, all the windows were closed, and the lights were off. At the door they stood to the side as Johnny turned the knob and pushed the weathered wood open.

When nothing happened he nodded and the guys all returned the gesture. He swept in low and Marco went high. "Son of a bitch." Johnny said getting a good view of the living room.

Since the swelling was gone and the bruise could be covered with foundation Courtney decided to go to work. It felt nice to be back to her normal schedule. As she was putting on her apron she noticed a black line through Liz's name on the board and wondered what that was about. If she had to guess she would say Jason didn't want his girlfriend somewhere so public while Sonny was running around. "So you are just going to sit out front while I work. Like Francis does with Liz?"

"Exactly." Paulie told his charge. "If any issues crop up I will deal with them, otherwise you'll hardly notice I'm there."

"Okay." Courtney didn't see herself forgetting about the large man sitting there watching her. "How do you take your coffee? That way I can keep your cup filled." She was guessing that Tammy didn't charge the guys.

"Black with sugar." He said grinning. "I'm pretty low maintenance."

Courtney nodded and headed out to the floor. Her guard took a seat and since Penny was already on the floor with the coffeepot she filled his cup. "Thanks."

"No problem. So is he permanent?" Penny wanted to know.

"Hopefully not. He's nice, but a guard isn't my thing." Courtney shrugged. "Why is Liz off the schedule?"

"She got hurt taking the garbage out." Penny told her friend.

"Hurt how?" Courtney wondered why AJ hadn't said anything. Instantly her mind when to Sonny.

"Messed up her leg, I think she slipped. Same night you got mugged. Tammy said none of us girls can take the garbage out anymore." Penny wouldn't miss doing that. "They say trouble comes in threes, I hope no one else here gets hurt."

"She slipped and now we can't take the trash out?" For Courtney that wasn't totally adding up. The timing was too suspicious.

Penny just shrugged. "Since you're here and we're slow I'm gonna take my break. I need to run an errand."

"Sure thing." Courtney said making a mental note to call and check on Liz. Not to try to get information, but just to make sure she was doing okay.

Penny hung up her apron and headed out. She walked a block over to the park and grabbed an empty bench. All day she had been trying to work up the nerve to make this call. Now that the time was finally here she took a deep breath and started dialing. The number hadn't been that hard to get, in this day and age you could get all kinds of information on the internet.

"Hello?" The female voice came across the line.

"Hello." Penny's voice shook a bit, before speaking again she took another deep breath. "I have some photographs you might be interested in."

"Who is this?" She wanted to know.

"That doesn't matter. I know you've been watching Elizabeth Webber." Penny had stumbled across that fact on one of her late night shoots, and ever since had been keeping watch. "I think Jason Morgan would be interested in that fact."

"How much?" The fact that she had been spotted was surprising. In the future she would need to be more careful, and aware of her surroundings.

Penny smiled wide. This was actually going to work. "Fifty thousand dollars." That would be enough to leave Port Charles and relocate somewhere else.

"When and where?" She wanted to know. There was no point in trying to bargain, Morgan simply could not learn of her activities.

"There is a statue of a little girl dancing in Hamilton Park. Leave the money at the base, tomorrow night at midnight. I'll put the pictures in a parcel and drop them in your mail slot." Penny said before holding her breath.

"I get all the copies and the micro card?" She wanted to know.

"Every single one and the card." Penny wasn't going to draw this out, she was going to get her money and leave town after serving notice at Kelly's. No need to screw Tammy over.

"Then we have a deal." She said a bit sarcastically before hanging up. For a moment she considered calling Jesse, but no need to announce to everyone that she had screwed up. No this was a minor inconvenience one that was easily handled.

On the bench Penny couldn't help but smile. She was going to have more money then she'd ever had at once. Tonight she would start figuring out exactly where she wanted to move, and what she wanted to do when she got there.

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