Notes --

I do not fool myself into believing that this chapter in any way furthers the plot of my story. I am merely sick of GH giving us no Liason, and desperately needed some fluff to lift my spirits.

I promise to give substance next week! ;)

I don't own GH or the characters, just my little story.

Making A Memory

Chapter 37

Jason awoke to an empty bed and felt himself start to panic. He looked around for any sign that she was nearby.

"Elizabeth!" he called frantically.

At hearing her name, Elizabeth came quickly out of the bathroom to see what was the matter.

"I'm here," she reassured him. "What's wrong?"

Jason exhaled the breath that had lodged in his chest. His heart was racing in fear that she was gone; or perhaps she'd never been there to begin with and was merely a vivid figment of his imagination. When she came close enough he pulled her onto the bed and cradled her in his lap, like she was a lifeline.

"I just …" he began, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I just got worried when you weren't in bed." He didn't expand on his thoughts, so as not to burden her with them after all she'd already been through.

Little did he know that it was an unnecessary kindness. His wife could read him like a book, just as he had her last night. She sat up in his arms and placed her hands on either side of his face. His worry was plain, try as he might to hide it.

"I'm here and I'm fine. Okay? You don't have to be afraid for me anymore."

Most people would never even dare to assume that Jason Morgan was afraid of anything. And for the most part they'd be right. But when it came to those he loved, he felt vulnerable and responsible for their safety and happiness.

She knew he was afraid for her while she was missing, without his having to say it aloud. If the tables were turned and he'd been the one in trouble, he would have been calm and figured he'd find a way out eventually. But with Elizabeth, he'd been powerless. It was probably the one feeling he hated above all others. She knew that, and did her best to divest him of it.

"I was scared too, but no one hurt me. Emily confirmed that I'm in perfect health, so you can put down all this guilt you're carrying around."

Surprise registered in his eyes that she'd known what he was thinking; though he shouldn't be. Talking had long ago become redundant for them.

"Yes, I knew that's what you'd be thinking, even when I was first taken. I hated that almost as much as being away from you. You weren't responsible for what happened to me. You did everything possible to bring me home, and you did. We're here … together … with the boys; all safe."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know. And I'm so grateful to have you in my arms again." His hands moved reverently along her arms, up her neck, and into her hair. "To be able to touch you, and hold you, when I thought I never would. I just wish …"

She put a finger to his lips to prevent him finishing that sentence. "No, don't do that. We don't live in the past, remember. No regrets." He half smiled at her mention of their shared adage. "What's happened can't be changed, so there's no use dwelling on maybes and what ifs." She ran her fingers softly through the hair at his temple, smiling back wistfully. "Wishes are strictly reserved for the future; what we want from now on."

He chuckled slightly at the serious look on her face, waiting for him to agree with her edict. "Okay, you win. Since it's your rule, you go first." She looked a bit confused, so he clarified. "You have to make a wish for something you want in the future."

Her eyes sparkled with understanding and then closed as she concentrated on what she wanted. They popped open again in seconds.

"Wait. Don't we need birthday candles or a wish bone or something, to make it … you know … stick?"

His head dipped as he held in a laugh. "I don't think we need any of that stuff." He looked into her eyes again. "We make our own magic."

Elizabeth smiled and closed her eyes again. Her smile got wider as her wish popped into her head. Once she'd said it in her mind, she opened her eyes.

"Your turn."

"You didn't say what you want," he said in disappointment. He wanted to do anything to make all of her dreams come true.

"I can't say it out loud," she replied with a roll of her eyes, "or it won't come true." She shook her head at him, like the answer was obvious.

"Well I don't put stock in superstitions, so I'm going to tell you my wish." He smiled at the way her mouth quirked up; surely at his stubbornness. "I wish … to spend the rest of my life with the most beautiful woman in the world."

A worried look passed over his face when Elizabeth frowned and crossed her arms protectively in front of her.

"I can't believe you." An exasperated sigh passed her lips. "God, you're such a … man!" She got up from the bed, pulling away when he tried to bring her back.

Jason watched his wife's back as she crossed the room and stood by the door. He scratched his head in utter bewilderment at her sudden shift of mood.

"What … What did I say?" He considered that perhaps he shouldn't brush off superstitions, and that next time he'd definitely keep his wish to himself.

"I swear, if you've been looking at my Victoria's Secret catalog and getting ideas … I'll never forgive you." He heard a small hitch in her voice, though her back was still to him. "I've had two children Jason! I can't look like that."

He saw her shoulders begin to shake and wanted to punch himself for being an insensitive idiot. It finally hit him that she thought he was talking about someone else. It didn't make any sense to him, because he thought it was clear that she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

He rose from the bed and approached her slowly, lest she pull away again. "Sweetheart, you are perfect. Even more so because you gave birth to our two beautiful children. If I made you think that I'd want anyone else but you …" When she wasn't responding, he gently turned her around to face him. What he saw shocked the hell out of him.

She was laughing!

Once he was in on the joke, Elizabeth couldn't hold it in any longer. She let out a roar of laughter at the look on his face.

"I'm sorry … honey … I couldn't … resist," she said while trying to catch her breath. "The look on your face …" Another laugh escaped her.

Jason watched as she tried to collect herself. He stood in front of her with his arms crossed; an intimidating look replacing the one she thought so amusing.

As she looked back up at him after being doubled over, she immediately stopped. His demeanor was serious, but she saw the glint of payback in his eye.

"Uh-oh," she said, before taking off down the hallway.

She could feel him hot on her heels as she went down the stairs to the living room. A small yelp came out when she felt him getting closer. She ran around the couch and stopped on the side opposite him. They rotated around the piece of furniture.

He was stalking her like an animal on the hunt.

"Honey … baby … it was just a joke. Ha ha."

Jason was doing his best not to laugh at the look now on her face as she pleaded for mercy. He kept the serious mask in place and continued to follow her around the couch, trying to anticipate which direction she was going next.

"I know sweetheart. It was hilarious. Why don't you come over here so I can show you how funny it was." He changed directions when he saw her waffle on which way to go.

Elizabeth yelped again as he almost caught her. "I think I'll just stay on this side of the couch."

"Okay," he said as he darted again toward her. When they ended up on opposite sides again, he put his hands on his hips. "I thought you said you were staying on this side of the couch." He pointed at the spot where he now stood.

"I'm sorry, I should have clarified. I meant that I'm staying on whichever side of the couch you're not on." She smiled sweetly at him, knowing she was baiting him at the same time.

Jason couldn't help the slight smirk that played on his lips. "This isn't going to get us anywhere. So what do you say we call a truce?" He stuck his hand out in the age old gesture of compromise.

"Okay … truce." Elizabeth kept her hands to herself.

"Don't you want to shake on it?" he asked with his hand still outstretched.

"That's not necessary," she said with a shake of her head.

The movement sent her hair falling toward her face in a messy tumble. She put her hands behind her back and clasped them together, which served to slightly open the front of the short silky robe she'd put on that morning. When his gaze went there, she knew the upper hand was hers.

"I trust you," she continued innocently.

"You do, huh?"

Jason knew what game she was playing, and damned if it wasn't working. He wouldn't make it that easy for her though. He brought his hand back and crossed his arms over his chest, bracing his legs slightly apart. He cocked his head to the side and let his gaze travel the length of her body. Slowly.

He could see her guard was down. When he could practically feel her shiver from where he was standing, he made his move. He raised a foot to the couch and readied himself to jump over.

Elizabeth saw him move and took off in the direction of the kitchen with a squeak, just before he made it over the back of the couch. She ran into the family room, glad for the greater expanse of the pool table to protect her.

At least for the time being.

They faced each other with the large object between them.

Jason grinned at her and braced his arms on the dark wood rails. "I thought you trusted me … sweetheart."

She grinned back and mirrored his position. "I do … darling."

"Then why are you running?"

She chuckled and bit her lip for a second. "Self preservation."

He leaned forward to get as close as the table would allow. "Exactly what is it you think I'm going to do?"

Elizabeth cocked a hip out and looked upward in thought. "The mind reels with possibilities." Her eyes drifted back to his in time to see the devilish twinkle in them.

"Why don't you come over here then," he said with a tilt of his head, "and we can try them out."

An eyebrow hiked at his suggestive tone. "I'll think about it."

"I will catch you. You know that."

She sucked a breath through her teeth. "I don't know … You are getting kind of slow in your old age."

They both laughed a bit at her barb; Elizabeth comically and Jason with a sarcastic edge.

"Old age?"

Elizabeth moved back from the pool table in preparation to run when she saw his muscles bunch as an indication of his plans.

"I'll show you old age."

"Nononono" She backed up with her hands raised and started going in the direction opposite his when she saw the determined glint in his eye.

They rounded the table three times when Elizabeth turned her head to the left to look behind her. Jason took advantage of the blind spot that caused and stopped where he was, turning the other way. Such a change of strategy not occurring to her, her forward momentum brought her right back around into his chest.

She squealed in surprise when she felt his arms close around her.

"Gotcha!" He trapped her between himself and the pool table. "Not bad for an old man, huh?"

"You get around … I guess," she said amidst a series of giggles.

"So," he began as he pressed his body closer to hers, "weren't you saying something about … possibilities?"

"I think I recall saying something like that, yes." She tilted her head back to look up at him; the heat of him against her giving her all kinds of ideas. "And since you did catch me fair and square, I'll be a gracious loser and submit to whatever … punishment … you see fit."

Elizabeth gave an exaggerated sigh in surrender to her fate at the oh so capable hands of her husband. She leaned back on her elbows against the pool table and dropped her head back with eyes closed.

Jason looked down at her with a quirked brow and shook his head. "Now that I have this captured and willing woman at my mercy, whatever will I do with her? The mind reels," he said, repeating her words from before.

"I could try … slow … torture."

He took the back of one hand and ran it softly down her exposed neck to the opening of her robe. His head dipped lower, giving his lips access to her. He let his breath caress her skin just before gliding them, just barely touching, along the same path as his hand. On the descent his tongue took over, causing Elizabeth's breath to catch. He could feel her pulse race at the base of her throat.

Pulling back slightly he took in her open mouth and clenched hands, combined with the breath she was holding. He licked his lips and basked in his new found power. His hand went to her thigh and he lazily ran his fingers up the back beneath the hem. He watched her release the air from her lungs and swallow; waiting.

"Or …" He surprised her by grabbing her by the waist with both hands and lifting her onto the lip of the table.

Elizabeth's eyes opened in shock. They met with two blue orbs sparking with fierce desire and a hint of wickedness. As he pushed her down onto the soft green surface, she felt her skin flush with anticipation. He climbed on atop her and cradled himself in the juncture of her thighs.

"I could just take you … hard and fast … right here."

Just the low drawl of his voice, and those words vibrating seductively by her ear, brought her close to the edge. When his mouth came over hers and staked its claim, she didn't know how much more she could take.

But she was willing to find out.

He sucked her lush bottom lip into his mouth, bringing forth a pleading moan from her. His hand drifted between them and parted the silky fabric that covered her. He traced the curve of her breast with his fingers, hooking them in the cup of her bra and brushing his knuckles across the hard bud within.

Elizabeth raked her fingers through his hair as he continued to kiss her senseless. Her leg hooked along the back of his thigh, bringing him in closer contact. He had her entire body screaming for Option B in his choice of punishments.

"Mommy!"

Jason lifted up as they heard small feet on the stairs. They both scrambled to get off the pool table and managed to cover and compose themselves just as Cam rounded the corner.

Elizabeth was grateful for her son's shout of warning, she didn't want to give her three year old a live action crash course on the birds and the bees. When she noticed how Jason was hiding his lower half behind the other side of the pool table, she covered the giggle that threatened to escape.

"I was looking for you Mommy. I thought you went away."

The humor immediately left the situation as she realized her son had been afraid she'd disappeared again.

"Come here baby." She knelt down and opened her arms for him. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Her fingers brushed through his curls as she kissed him on the head.

Jason looked down as his wife's eyes met his. It killed him that his son might have been traumatized by what happened, even though he'd down his best to shield him from the worst of it.

He was reminded of what the rest of their day held. He and Elizabeth were to tell Audrey about the kidnapping and aftermath and then go and see the police in Seracen. As of yet, no one was aware that their murder victim was in fact alive. How it would effect the case against Sam he wasn't sure. But he wasn't sure if she'd even make it to the trial, if her husband had anything to say about it.

To be continued …

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