Somewhere in her befuddled mind, Elizabeth could've sworn she'd heard Emily whimper.

Fixing her 'Ain't I a precious angel' smile on her face, she turned to find Jason just feet away, standing on the last step on the staircase. His expression unreadable, while he shifted the weight of a red-haired boy on his hip.

She'd been unable to stop the tiny flip her heart did, or how her stomach tightened up into the size of a golf ball. Keeping her eyes from traveling the length of him was an impossibility. Drinking him from his heavy boots on up, bringing her eyes level with his.

God she wanted to just lick him. Like a lollipop. How many licks would it take to get to the center of . . . Squeezing her eyes shut, Elizabeth ordered herself to focus.

She'd been wanting to find some kind of faults she'd over looked. Lip a big fat mole on the end of his nose, or some incurable - lumpy rash that distorted his face. But instead he looked better than she remembered. Wide shoulders covered by his black leather jacket, slim hips all snug in his faded jeans, long legs, and the face of a Greek God.

The bastard, he looked good on purpose.

"We already know eachother." Even his stupid voice sounded like freaking honey with a touch of smooth whiskey. It just washed over her, making her almost ache for what could've been.

They so were not going to play it his way.

"Oh, I didn't know you'd already met." Elizabeth saw the confusion on Monica's face, and wanted to be a dear by making things clear. "We've talked a few times on the phone, when he'd call for Emily. But I wouldn't really say we know one another."

Turning back to him, Elizabeth prayed the floor would stay still as she took the necessary steps to where Jason was standing, studying her like she was some ugly little bug he found grossly interesting. "It's great to finally meet you. Emily's always gushing on about what a gr-reat guy you are."

Shaking his hand while shooting daggers at him with her eyes, Elizabeth went to pull away, only to find her hand encased in his much larger one. Trying again to pull away, her eyes flew to where their hands were joined and had an unnatural desire to bit him. But if she were to sink her front teeth into the back of his hand, Emily would probably lose it. So she opted to look back into his face again, with a nasty remark on her lips. But the angry, irritated smirk he shot back at her, made her forget what she was about to say.

"Nice to meet you."

"And this is our Grandson Michael." Alan tickled the toddlers chubby cheek.

AJ came to stand right behind Elizabeth, so close she could feel the creepiness oozing from him. "Who Jason stole from me. But that's a little part of our family history we like to keep out of civil conversations."

"Well perhaps you should've stayed sobber." Edward snarled, his jowls shaking in his anger. "You wouldn't have lost him to this - this hoodlum."

"Will you both put a sock in it?" Monica cried out. "We a guest in the house who doesn't need to know all of our dirty laundry."

Alan glared at his father and son. "No wonder Emily doesn't bring her friends around."

"Oh, don't worry. My family isn't much better." Trying to smooth things over, Elizabeth all but batted her eyes. "Just this year my sister had one too many while she was on vacation in Las Vegas. Ended up marrying some Schlub she didn't know. She never seems to get anything right."

Clearly taken aback, but interested at the same time, Alan and Monica exchanged glances with one another. It only took a few seconds before Monica asked. "What happened?"

"Oh, he ditched her." Attempting lamely to snap her fingers, Elizabeth tried again until she got it right. "She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. Said one second they were talking about giving it a go, next thing she knows he vanished without a trace."

"Well." Seeing that Jason was clearly on the verge of saying something, Emily stepped in front of him and clasped her hands in front of her tightly. "That sister of yours never ceases to amaze me."

"How sad." Monica's face looked horrified. "What did she do?"

"Came back home with her tail between her legs. Signed the divorce papers when they came." Really into her role, Elizabeth sighed. "But, I told her that's what she gets for being such a . . . well for being too easy."

Snorting loud enough to echo off the walls, Edward shook his head in disgust. "That's the problem with today's youth. No respect for marital vows. No respect for themselves."

Jason didn't know if he wanted to wrap his hands around Elizabeth's slender throat, or put her over his knee until she was black and blue. Both ideas were extremely appealing, but the thought of Elizabeth's tight little backside up in the air . . . What he did know, was she was higher than a kite, and clearly on a roll.

He'd known the second Emily announced Elizabeth would be in the wedding it wasn't going to be smooth sailing. He'd failed her miserably, from beginning to - well he failed her. And it would only be natural she'd harbor some resentment. Hell he'd been afraid of his phone for weeks, expecting to hear her injured voice on the other end of the line. Calling him out on his inexcusable behavior. But when weeks had passed into months he'd assumed she'd recovered and had gone on with life.

"Perhaps we should make our way to the dinning room." Brenda's voice struggled to overpower the warring voices. Casting an amused look at Elizabeth, she took the younger woman's hand and started to drag her away. "Jason if you see Sonny let him know I'll be home later."

"Oh, you're not staying for dinner." Emily could've cried she was so happy. "That's just a shame. Well you drive safe." Kissing Michael on the cheek and trying to make a quick escape with the rest of the family as they made their way to the dining room, she felt Jason's free hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Would you like to tell me what that was about?" Shifting Michael at his hip, Jason watched Emily squirm.

"Not really."

"She's stoned off her ass."

"Not intentionally."

"Emily . . ."

"Some woman on the plane felt sorry for her, because she looked ready to explode and gave her a pill to relax. But didn't know Elizabeth had been drinking wine to sooth her nerves. So long story short, she mixed the pill with alcohol . . . and well she doesn't have that high of a tolerance . . ." Clearly out of words to say, Emily deflated. "She didn't want to come in the first place. But I forced her into it."

In other words, this was all his fault, Jason thought.

"Help me with Michael's coat." Handing his son over to his confused sister, Jason dropped the diaper bag to the ground and unzipped his jacket. Tossing it over the banister, Jason turned back to Emily.

"You're staying?" Clearly not thinking it was the best idea, Emily shook her head vigorously. Her hair swinging madly. "You can't stay. No. No, Jason she's out of her gourd right now. Saying and doing things . . . she's going to make herself sick over this tomorrow."

"A few words aren't going to hurt me." No, but the way her sharp little nails bit into the back of his hand still stung like a bitch. "This is my mess Emily."

Seeing that Jason wasn't really listening to her, Emily made one last ditch attempt to make him understand. "She mooned the parking attendant at the airport, then peed in Kelley's parking lot when stopped there to get coffee."" Pulling Michael's bib out of the diaper bag, Jason looked at Emily as though he hadn't heard her right. " What you saw was the eye of the storm. She's a menace right now, and you staying is only going to add fuel to the fire."

"Do you want me to leave? I will if that's what you really want. But Elizabeth and I have unfinished business, and sooner or later we're going to have to talk."

"Can't it be January first?"

Smiling at her pleading tone, he lifted a brow at his younger sister. "You said she was flying in after Christmas."

"I lied. Sue me." Emily grumbled. Looking down at her nephew, Emily rolled her eyes. "Stay. But I'm warning you now - we're having steak for dinner tonight."

"So."

"That means Elizabeth has access to a sharp instrument."

Peas were the craftiest little things. All round like and . . . green. A person had to be sneaky to get the best of this vegetable. It was a veggie right? No seeds inside. Or, was it a seed? Trying to pin one with her fork, taking her aggression out on it. Elizabeth frowned.

What did it take to get a rise out of Mr. Stick Up My Butt siting across from her. Since he'd taken the seat across from her she'd tried pushing his buttons. Apparently her ex-husband didn't have any to push. Heck she'd even lowered herself and flirted with AJ. That hadn't even earned her a flicker of an eye.

No, that wasn't entirely true, he did look at her several times like she was some three year old acting out. If the table weren't so wide, she'd kick him right in the shin. Stupid poo poo face.

To make matters worse she was slowing coming down. Hard.

"So Elizabeth." Clearing his throat, Edward tossed his napkin on the table. "How do you feel about Emily's intended working for the Mob?"

The tabled stilled for a split second before Monica and Alan exploded. Defending Johnny and reprehending Edward for his outburst.

"I think it's a reasonable question." Edward blustered. "She's the only young lady at this table who hasn't gotten herself tangled up with one of Jason's associates."

"Elizabeth feel free to ignore my father." Leaning forward, Alan grimaced. "He's old and set in his ways."

"Why don't you tell us how the school years been going?" Changing the subject to safer ground, Monica's smile was pinched. "Any boyfriends?"

No Mrs. Quartermaine, but I did divorce your youngest son over the summer.

"Actually I don't date much." Or at all since Spring Break, and it was all Jason's fault - Kill Joy.

Leaning back in his chair and swinging his arm over the back of hers, AJ leaned in and gave her an oily smile. "Oh come on, a beautiful girl like you?"

"I'm shy." She was rewarded by a snort from Jason's direction. "I'm sorry, I missed that?"

Busying himself by cleaning the food off Michael's face, Jason mumbled nothing.

"Well don't worry, this town is crawling with eligible bachelors." Clearly cheering up with the thought of match making, Monica leaned up to the table. "Infact Casper Jax stopped by earlier."

"Oh yes." Agreeing with his wife, Alan picked up his wine. "Charming man. Australian."

"He's a jerk." Jason's jaw squared, as he told in soft tones.

Just happy to have her son join into the conversation, Monica considered his words. "I know you and Jax haven't seen eye to eye in the past . . ."

"There's Lucky Spencer." Edward suggested. "His Father is good for nothing, but his Mother is an angel."

"No, tell me more about Jax." Sitting up a little taller, Elizabeth loved the way the stranger's name made Jason practically growl. "Is he good looking?"

Warming to the conversation herself Brenda nodded wide eyed. "Tall. Blonde. Tan. Rich. He's a real gentleman. And his accent is to die for."

"Elizabeth." Jason's voice was low, but the warning was there.

"And he's single?" Looking up the table and now ignoring the way Jason's eyes were narrowing.

"I haven't heard that he's been seeing anyone." Monica said. "Perhaps we'll invite him over for tea tomorrow."

Jason gripped the napkin in his lap until his knuckles turned white. He was going to kill her. He'd known she'd been testing him all night, and he'd taken it because he actually deserved it. But she was pushing him too far.

"That's a great -."

"We need to talk." Standing up from the table, Jason dropped his napkin down and looked at Elizabeth. Seeing Brenda open his mouth from the corner of his eye, he gave her a look that clearly said to stay out of it.

"Sure, in just a sec." Flashing him a hundred watt smile she hoped would blind him, Elizabeth turned back to Monica. "I was hoping to find someone to escort me to Emily's wedding."

But her words fell on deaf ears. Monica was staring at Jason with a look that looked befuddled.

"Perhaps you should ask your husband first." The words had the room at a standstill.

Her head whipping up so fast she almost got whiplash, Elizabeth couldn't think with the sound of blood pounding in her ears. A could sweat washed over her. Apparently she found a button. A red one.

"I don't -. But I signed -." The blood stopped pounding in her ears and stained her face red. Standing up like a rocket, she grabbed her water glass and almost threw it until she remembered the Michael. "Your not my husband anymore. Remember? You opted out. You can't renig."

"Will someone please explain?" Monica looked to her daughter, but Emily was in as much shock as everyone else.

"Are you to tell me the two of you are . . ." Edward looked back and forth from Elizabeth to Jason and laughed. "No, I don't believe it."

"I thought you were more into strippers and sluts?" AJ's upper lip curled as he glared across the table at his younger brother. "Or is there something we don't know about -."

"Want a broken jaw?" Jabbing a finger at AJ, he waited until his older brother looked away. Running a hand across the stubble on his chin, Jason almost laughed. He could've done this better. Hell, he could've done a lot of things better. And a public outburst wasn't how he'd planned on telling her.

But it was like Lila said. He'd found a girl who knocked him off his feet. Literally.

Now he had two weeks to find a way to knock the tigress growling back at him off hers.