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

Happy 4th of July!

Chapter 38

Francis and Elizabeth were standing outside the small house, more like a cabin really, when Jason pulled up on his bike. Keeping Johnny's instructions in mind Cody was also tagging along. The two men dismounted and walked over. "Hey." Jason was grinning as he took in his girlfriend. She was splattered with paint. It was a good look for her.

"Hi, you'll never guess why we are here." Elizabeth said brimming with happiness.

"Probably not." Jason hadn't been back on this portion of the property in a while. Not too far down the path was the boat dock. A place that Jason Quartermaine had spent a lot of time, but Jason Morgan did not.

"Lila offered me the use of the caretaker's house as a studio." Elizabeth told him. "Francis and I have been checking it out. The light is amazing." The building was south facing and had a lot of windows. "I can use the large back room to paint, and the guys can hang out in the front living/dining room area. We can get them a couch and television so they are comfortable while I'm painting." She was already mentally decorating. "Maybe a small table to eat lunch at too." Not much would be needed. She was guessing on nice days they would eat outside.

Francis was trying not to laugh at how excited his young friend was. It had been love at first sight when she saw the building. It didn't hurt that from the window she could see Lila's garden. Sitting on the porch and drinking coffee wouldn't be a bad way to pass time in the warmer weather. Maybe with a radio to listen to some sports.

"Does it need much work?" Jason was guessing that no one had used it for some time. There hadn't been a live in groundskeeper for at least five years.

"Not really. A good scrubbing, and a fresh paint of coat should be enough for the front. The back room would need new flooring so that I don't mess up the wood." She was guessing it was original to the house. "Maybe laminate flooring that can be pulled up if necessary." She explained. "Would you like to see inside?"

"Sure." Jason said following her into the building while the guys stayed outside. "It's bigger than it looks from the outside." The air was stale which betrayed its disuse, but otherwise Elizabeth was correct the space was in good shape. The galley kitchen on the one side of the main room would need to be upgraded, nothing fancy because not much cooking was going to happen here. Also the electrical and plumbing systems should be checked out. All that could be done in less than a week. "Why are you leaving your other studio?" He wanted to know.

"Because it would make you feel better." Elizabeth wasn't going to lie. "My neighborhood isn't very safe."

"No, it's not." Jason agreed. "Could you be happy here?" He wasn't going to talk her out of moving. This would make him feel better, especially since the owner of the building where her current studio was located had no interest in selling.

"I could be happy here." Elizabeth promised him. "Your grandmother has offered to be my patron." She shared with him.

"What does that mean exactly?" Jason had heard the term, but never bothered to learn what that translated to.

"A patron makes sure an artist has everything they need to produce art. They can also help with advertising by inviting people to showings. I'm not going to ask for money for supplies, something Lila knows. So she offered me this space. Em can come hang out with me while I paint."

"My sister does that?" Jason asked surprised.

"She comes over and studies while I work. According to Em I'm the reason she passed her Physics mid-term and final." Elizabeth grinned. "So I'll need a chair and table in the back as well."

"Make a list, if later you find you need something else Francis can call and get it for you." Jason leaned forward and gently kissed her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Would you have ever said anything?" She wanted to know.

"Yes." Jason could see that surprised her. "Your current building can't be secured. Will you be setting up a studio at the house as well?" They had the room.

"I will, but I don't want to paint there all the time." Elizabeth tried to find the right words. "I like being able to leave any frustration I have at my studio and go home lighter. I also don't want to spend all my time at home. I know from time to time I will have to stay on the property, and being able to paint at midnight if the mood strikes will be nice, but I like having a separate space to work. It's just healthier for me."

"You'll have whatever you need." Jason told his girlfriend. His phone rang and looking down he saw it was Johnny. "What's up?"

"You need to come out to the cabin. I'll send you directions." The enforcer told his boss.

"I'm on my way." Jason said wondering what was up. "I have to go. Francis will be able to get everything started." Just then the man in question walked through the door.

"I got a call from Johnny. He wants me to take Elizabeth home." Francis had no clue why, but was going to follow instructions.

Jason just nodded. "I'll see you later." He told Elizabeth leaning down and giving her another kiss.

"Stay safe." Elizabeth got that something was going on. "All my things are ready so we can leave at any time."

"Nice area." Cody said as they got off their bikes. Sonny had chosen the perfect place to get away. There wasn't anything nearby and the cabin was well off the main road. "I had no idea this was back here."

"Me either. Seems to be my day for looking at small houses." Jason said looking around. Johnny walked out of the house and waited. "What did you find?" Jason wanted to know.

"Sonny." Johnny told his boss leading the way back inside. Their former boss was tied to a straight back chair shot once in the head.

Jason looked at the dead body. "Any sign of a companion?" Meaning the woman who was passing herself off as Hannah Scott.

"Just him." Johnny told his boss. "He's not stiff. Rigor mortis leaves the body somewhere between thirty-six and forty-eight hours after death."

"Which means he was killed right away." Jason finished the thought. "But he also wasn't killed here." Their crew had used Luminol to look for blood spatter. "He's still wearing the clothes he had on the night he attacked Courtney." Jason noted. The items were blood stained which backed up the theory of Sonny being murdered somewhere else.

"How do you want to handle this?" Johnny asked his boss. The rest of the guys were standing by the door waiting for instructions.

"Dump him, but not around here." Jason said putting together a plan. "Somewhere the animals will get to him. In two days we'll arrange for the body to be discovered." They could pay someone to stumble across it during a hike. Walking over he looked at the wound. "He was shot close range, the exit wound is larger than the entry wound so I'm guessing it wasn't a .22 caliber. Probably a nine millimeter." Without the actual bullet no ballistics match to a weapon could be made. "Have Stan create a fake gun permit for Carly. A thirty-eight special." Which was a popular weapon among women.

Johnny saw where this was going. "Sonny will be found fatally shot, and an investigation will be launched. You'll be the first suspect, because you are at the root of all crime in the city. It won't take long for Taggert to learn Sonny was sniffing around other women. Since Carly is missing she will bump you from the top of the suspect list. What happens when he learns about Hannah?"

"It will give Taggert a lose end to chase. He isn't going to find a woman that doesn't exist." Jason wasn't overly concerned about the detective. "The question of where Sonny is has been answered. Now we need to find out where he was, and who killed him."

Emily finished her volunteer shift and headed over to the coffee shop for a hot chocolate. Like Elizabeth she drank the decadent drink all year long. Crema, which was her brother's brand, had the best hot chocolate in the city, topped with whipped cream and cocoa powder it simply didn't get any better. She was contemplating a snack when a voice interrupted her examination of the display case.

"I guess this is my lucky day."

"Jesse." Emily smiled at her friend. "What are the odds?"

"If you are a coffee fend, and out of beans then the odds are pretty good." Jesse said laughing at himself. "What did you decide on?" He pointed to the treats.

"A snickerdoodle." Cinnamon was another of Em's great loves. She told the cashier who added it to her order.

"I got it." Jesse said when Em reached for her wallet. "Can you add a large house brew, and a bag of house blend beans?" Jesse requested. "I'm surprised that your brother makes you pay."

"He doesn't." Emily told her friend. "I insist, which is why I generally only come when he isn't here." She said laughing. When Jason was around he insisted her order be on the house. It made her feel like she was taking advantage.

"Can you stay?" He pointed to a booth.

Em looked at Sal who nodded. He and Lee would grab a table.

"I can." Emily took her items and followed Jesse across the room. "What have you been up to since I last saw you?"

"Not a lot." He said shrugging. "Working at the hospital, getting to know my new home town better."

"The town is bigger than it first seems. Just be careful down by Cortland Street." Emily advised before offering him a piece of her cookie. When he declined she took a bite. She was trying to find any spark between them. Something that would indicate another date should take place. So far she wasn't getting anything.

"I've also been looking for a job. I filled out an application at the campus bookstore." Jesse wasn't thinking he would be here for long, but if he didn't start setting down roots it might look strange. "It's just part time, and I would get a discount on my books. Since I'm paying for school myself I have to save money wherever I can."

"Your parents can't help?" Em had learned a little about Jesse during their date. He was from Indiana and both his parents worked in manufacturing.

"My dad made it clear that college was on me. He put himself through school and feels that I'll have a better appreciation of my degree if I do the same." Jesse lied. "The good thing is that I don't have to worry about pleasing them with my major."

"Not many parents object to their kids becoming going into medicine." Emily said with wry grin.

"They do when you aren't looking to become a surgeon." Jesse told Em as he continued to spin his tale. "My parents think a medical degree for research is a waste."

"Research is a valuable part of medicine." Emily said defending his choice. "General Hospital has one of the most respected research centers in the country. What are you looking to work on?"

"Genomes, especially those that cause mental illnesses." Jesse laughed internally at the private joke. He was pretty sure the man he worked for was a sociopath, there was also a good chance he was one as well. The sheer joy he got from all the dirty deeds he did couldn't be normal.

"I'm sure you'll do great." Emily said finishing off her snack.

"Any chance your free tonight? To catch a movie. I don't feel like looking at my walls." Jesse wanted to try to get some information on Elizabeth.

Before Em could answer Sal came over. "We need to go."

"Guess not." Emily said thinking that the interruption was a good thing. There was no spark at all between her and Jesse. She was going to turn down the date offer, now she didn't have to.

"Another time." Jesse said standing.

"Another time." Emily waved as she followed Sal out.

"Sorry about that." The guard said holding open the door before getting in the car. "Jason wants me to take you out to his place."

"Really?" Emily guessed that something must have happened. "Is Elizabeth okay?" That was the only question she would ask.

"As far as I know she is fine." Sal told his charge. "Should we go by the mansion and get you some clothes?" He had no idea how long she would be staying.

"I left some the last time I stayed over." Emily let him know as he pulled out of the parking space and headed for Jason's place.

Emily came through the door and found Elizabeth sitting in the living room watching television. "Sal said Jason wanted me here." She told her friend flopping onto the couch.

"Francis told me you were coming over." Elizabeth put on a program they both liked. "He is taking a call." She said to explain his absence. "I have no idea why we are here."

"I was having coffee with Jesse." Emily passed along. "Bumped into him at the shop." Liz would know that meant the Corinthos Morgan coffee house.

"Really?" Liz detected an odd note in her friend's voice. "Didn't go well?"

"It was nice." Emily said with a wry grin.

"Ouch." Liz said in total understanding.

"He is so nice to look at, but I am not feeling any spark. And he was flirting." Emily passed along. "I just don't think he's the right guy for me right now." She said shrugging. "I feel bad to because he made it clear he is willing to wait."

"You can't force feelings." Liz said supporting her friend.

"No, I mean in time they could develop, but it's not fair to keep him on the hook because of a maybe." Emily said thinking out loud. She'd been giving this some thought on the car ride over. "I was thinking that I could introduce him to someone else."

"You run the risk of him not being available down the line if you do that." Liz pointed out the possible negative of that scenario.

"Life is risk." Emily said in an overly dramatic fashion before giggling at herself. "I know. Just like I know since I'm not interested I'll be looking around. Just looking because dating isn't going to happen at the moment." She reminded herself. "Why should he be lonely?"

"That's very mature of you Em." Liz told her friend.

"Yeah, that's me. Miss Maturity." Emily smirked. "He really is cute though."

"Not my type, but I can admit that he isn't hard to look at." Elizabeth just wanted her friend to be happy. "At least you don't have to give him the I just want to be your friend speech."

Emily smiled wide at that. "Very true. I suck at that speech. For once my extremely over protective brother is going to come in handy. That is something I never imagined myself saying." She replied laughing again. "What were you up to today? Anything exciting?"

"Your grandmother offered me studio space on the grounds of the mansion. The old caretaker's cottage." Elizabeth shared her news.

"Really?" Emily said smiling. "You said yes right?"

"I did." Elizabeth told her friend.

"Good. Your neighborhood is kind of scary. I think it's actually gotten worse since you moved in." Emily said being honest. "I'm glad you are leaving. I bet Jason is too."

"He is." Liz confirmed. "I'm going to make a space for you to hang out."

"Cool. I will be there come mid-terms and finals." She said smiling over at her friend. "I'm going to go get us something to drink."

"Thanks." Liz said settling further into the recliner. She felt a nap coming on, after she woke up then they could figure out dinner.

Thanks for the reviews!