Hi All! I have decided to do a one shot series. Each update will be a snapshot into the lives of the Jason and Elizabeth you are meeting here. Every update will be a stand alone story, but will also move the story of the couple along. The updates will most often come around a holiday, but not always. I'm not sure how many one shots will be in this series, but I kind of like that. This was inspired by two writers CMJavaGirl's Unintentional Holiday series over at the The No Name, and EpsiLone's Collected Shots here on FF. I hope some of you will come along on this journey with me, traveling is more fun with a friend.
Thanks to Liason102 for the edit.
I have no idea where this series is going so I'm going to rate it M, although most chapters will not need it.
ABC owns GH. No copyright infringement is intended.
Be My Valentine
"Hey Liz!" Emily said sliding into the booth at Eli's. She'd had a hankering for ribs and luckily her best friend was able to meet her for dinner.
"Hi, thanks for calling. I needed to get out of the house." Elizabeth had been grading papers and her eyes were swimming. Her ninth graders had taken to writing a paper on Valentine's Day with gusto. The stories ranged from heart breaking to hilarious.
"The fact that it's Friday night and you are grading papers is just wrong." Emily grinned. "You should be out painting the town red."
"Um, hello you don't have a date either." Elizabeth pointed out.
"I have a boyfriend, who is working tonight." Emily said arching a brow. Elizabeth was too much everything to be sitting home alone most nights. Too smart, pretty, funny, caring and Emily could go on and on. "You need a boyfriend, or at least a date. Valentine's Day is in a few days, what do you have lined up?"
"I don't celebrate Valentine's Day, you know that." Elizabeth said making a show of looking at the menu.
"You don't have to celebrate it, but you should get out of the house." Emily would push a bit here. "You can hang out with Dante and me."
Elizabeth burst out laughing at that. "Your boyfriend would shoot me with his side arm. He is probably the most romantic man I've ever met and I know he has something amazing planned for the fourteenth. Something that doesn't involve a third wheel." Actually Dante was going to pop the question. Elizabeth knew because he had wanted a woman's opinion on the ring he was slipping on her best friend's hand. "Before you offer, no I don't want to get fixed up with one of his friends."
"Jesse is cute." Emily didn't want Elizabeth fixed up with one of her friends. She wanted her best friend fixed up with her big brother Jason. The two would be perfect together, but at the moment they were firmly in the friend zone.
"Jesse was dating Maxie, which shows he has poor taste." Elizabeth and the blonde woman did not get along. "Cooper also was interested in Maxie so he is out as well. And don't even mention that Spencer guy. He's just too self-absorbed for my taste. The one conversation I had with him, he talked non-stop about himself." Elizabeth had gone to a charity baseball game in which the police department was playing against the hospital staff. Lucky had cornered her to talk about how wonderful it was to be him.
"I would never set you up with Lucky. I wouldn't set anyone I want to keep as a friend with that jerk." Emily couldn't stand Dante's partner either. "I just don't want you home alone. Especially not on that night."
"I'll be fine." Elizabeth assured her friend. Every year it got a little easier to deal with. "What are you getting?"
"The ribs." Emily said tossing down her menu and looking around for their server. "I'm not giving up on you meeting a great guy. What do you want in a guy anyway?" Emily had never asked that before.
"I want someone who sees me. All the sides of me. Someone I can talk to, and who talks to me. I want a friend and a lover. I just want someone who gets me. They don't have to be a doctor or a police officer. They just have to be mine. It's hard to find that though. Guys don't generally see me as anything other than a good friend or a little sister. I'm the one they come to when they want help getting the pretty girls. I know a lot of guys Emily, but I don't think any of them really know me." Jason was proof of that. He knew her better than any other man ever had, and she felt he didn't see her either.
Two years they'd known one another and they were nothing more than good friends. She thought he was an amazing man. Smart, funny, compassionate, and kind. He was what she wanted in a life partner, but she had no idea of how to get him to see her as anything more than his friend.
"You're pretty." Emily instantly protested. "Lots of guys notice you."
"Uh-huh." The petite brunette said. "I just don't think I'm cute out for a grand romance." Elizabeth shrugged. "I don't inspire guys to poetry." She said grinning.
Emily grinned too. Dante had written her a poem last year for Valentine's Day. It had brought tears to her eyes. "Your grand romance is out there Liz. We just have to find it."
"Well we aren't going to find it this year." Elizabeth told her best friend. "So let it go."
The two women had a great meal filled with a lot of laughter. They split the check and headed home. Neither one of them was aware that sitting in the booth behind them was none other than Emily's older brother Jason Morgan.
He had wanted to get out of the house for a bit, so he went for a bike ride. When he got hungry he decided on ribs. He had arrived before both ladies, and he parked his bike in the back so as to announce his presence. The booth he was in was the furthest from the door and the one he always occupied. He liked it because it kept him from getting hit on by women, when all he wanted was to eat in peace.
Tonight he had gotten a lot more than dinner. He had gotten a little bit of insight into Elizabeth. From the minute he met her, he'd been interested in possibly going out. But she was vastly different from the women he normally attracted. She was quiet, a bit on the shy side, and really smart. He found himself a bit intimidated because she wasn't impressed by his money or status. He figured she would end up dating one of the doctors at the hospital, or maybe one of Dante's friends. But that hadn't happened, instead she hadn't dated anyone.
Johnny had told him to stop stalling and just ask Liz out already. His friend had pointed out that Valentine's Day was the perfect opportunity to make a move. Do something big to get Elizabeth's attention, to make her see him as more than her friend. Which was the problem. Jason sucked at romance. So if he was going to do this, he was going to need some help. Throwing money on the table he headed off to get some.
"Come in." Sonny said opening the door to his business partner and best friend.
"Thanks. I kinda need some help." Jason said trying to fight off a blush.
"Sure." Sonny said looking at the younger man. Jason seemed uncertain, an emotion not normally associated with the enforcer. This probably wasn't a work issue. The territory was quiet at the moment. "What's up?"
Jason shrugged out of his jacket before sitting in the plush leather chair. "We're alone right?" The last thing he wanted was Carly overhearing this. She'd insist on helping. She didn't do subtle and while Jason wanted to make a statement with whatever he decided to do, he wanted to make a statement that was right for Elizabeth.
"Yeah, Carly and Michael are with Bobbie." Sonny said getting comfortable.
"I want to do something for Elizabeth. For Valentine's." Jason told his partner. "Romance isn't my strong suit."
Sonny smiled wide enough to pop out his dimples. "Well, Elizabeth doesn't strike me as the type of woman who would want you to be anything other than yourself." Which was just what Jason needed. A woman who appreciated him just as he was.
His friend was really laid back, and it took work to get to know him. Because of his job, women often expected him to want to go out a lot to fancy restaurants and clubs. That he would buy them things constantly or take them places. Jason wasn't flashy so most of the time he ended up frustrated with the women he went out with. The women this lifestyle generally attracted. From what Sonny knew about her Elizabeth was perfect for him.
"She's never expected me to fit in a preconceived mold of what a guy in our life should be like." Jason said smiling some. "She knows that I'm not my job."
Sonny nodded. "That's a great gift. I think if you sit down and concentrate you will know what to do. You know what she likes right? What her favorite things to do are?"
"Yeah." Jason grinned. Elizabeth's favorite thing to do was ride his bike. He offered her rides whenever he had time. They usually ended up at nowhere or Vista Pointe where they would talk. For this he wanted to step away from the bike and show her that he saw her. All of her. The grin turned into a smile.
"Figure it out?" Sonny guessed that he had.
"I have, now I just have to figure out how to pull it off." Jason's brain was already in planning mode. "I need to make some calls."
"Do I get a hint?" Sonny asked laughing.
"Nope." Jason smiled wide. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." The older man said waving his friend away. "Good luck."
"We meet again." Emily said walking into Kelly's. Dinner at Eli's had been a few days ago.
"So we do." Elizabeth had needed some hot chocolate, and she was all out at home.
"Kinda late for you to be out on a school night." Emily joked, it wasn't even seven yet.
"Do you know what Dante is doing for Valentine's Day yet?" Elizabeth asked with a wicked grin. The holiday was two days away.
"No." Emily pouted. "It's seriously driving me crazy. I know it will be good, and the anticipation is killing me. All I know it that we are leaving Port Charles. He's even packing for me." Emily shared. How wonderful was it to have man like that?
"Well I have plans for the night too." Elizabeth told her friend.
"A date?" Emily's eyes danced. "With who?"
"No, not a date." Elizabeth laughed. "I got invited to a private art showing over at the Mercer Gallery. I'm on their mailing list because I bought that abstract last summer." Art was a passion of hers. She couldn't draw a straight line with a level, but she enjoyed looking at artwork of all different styles. "The opening is on Valentine's Night. So I will not be home alone."
"Good." Emily relaxed some, she really had been worried about her friend sitting home alone. "Who's the artist?"
"No clue. The theme of the evening is 'Come Be Romanced' I think it may be more than one person. Sounds interesting and mysterious. I'm going out tomorrow after school is out to get a dress." She would splurge a bit on something nice. She was worth it.
"What color?" Emily said sipping her coffee.
"I don't know. Red is expected so I will avoid that." That was only one reason she would be skipping that color. Emily was good enough not to make a comment. "I'm thinking green."
"You look good in green." Emily commented. The door opened and Jason walked in. "Hey come join us." Any opportunity to get him near Elizabeth should not be missed.
"Do you mind?" Jason asked Elizabeth.
"Not at all. I'll pout if you sit somewhere else." Elizabeth answered smiling.
"Thanks." Jason smiled back taking a seat. "What are you ladies up too?"
"Discussing Valentine's Day." Emily grinned at her brother. "Do you have plans?"
"Yeah." Jason thought Elizabeth looked a bit sad at that. "You two?"
"I'll be with Dante. Do you know what he has planned?" Emily thought her brother might.
"Yes, and I'm not telling you." Jason said laughing. "What about you?" He said turning to Elizabeth.
"Art show." She shrugged. It wasn't surprising Jason had a date. She just wasn't aware he was seeing anyone.
"That should be fun." He commented.
"Should be. I'll let you two talk." Elizabeth said standing. Right now home and her fuzzy slippers sounded good. She would spend the rest of the night trying not to think about Jason and some other woman. "I'll catch up with you guys later."
"Bye." Emily said smiling and when her friend left she turned to look at her brother. He was hopeless. "So what bimbette are you taking out on Valentine's Day?"
Jason just laughed at his sister. "Be nice."
"Jason the women you date have IQ's smaller than their bra sizes. It's time you grow up and get someone worthy of you." Emily lectured. "Someone grandmother would like to invite to tea." Like she did Elizabeth.
"An art showing is an odd way to spend the most romantic night of the year." Jason steered the conversation back to Elizabeth. There was something he needed to know.
"Elizabeth doesn't celebrate Valentine's Day, so this is perfect for her. Maybe she'll even meet someone interesting." Emily threw in to see if she got a reaction from her brother. When he didn't even blink she wanted to growl in frustration.
"Why not?" Jason asked trying to not appear eager for the information.
Emily knew that Elizabeth had been run by the guys. Anyone who spent time with them had a background check done. What Emily didn't know was how extensive it was, but why her friend didn't celebrate the holiday would be in there. She was guessing Jason hadn't read the file, or he would know why. "She was hurt pretty badly a few years back." Seven to be precise. Emily said keeping it vague. "So she doesn't focus much on the day." She looked at the clock. "I have to go, Dante's shift ends in fifteen minutes. Behave yourself." Emily gave him a kiss and rushed out the door.
Alone at the table Jason pulled out his phone, he almost dialed Francis and asked for the background report. At the last minute he stopped. He would wait for her to tell him, if she never did he would have to be content with that.
Two nights later Jason was taking one final look at his gift to Elizabeth. He was hoping that this night would be the beginning of something more for them. He planned every detail of the next few hours and now he had to wait and see if she liked it. If what he was feeling was in any way reciprocated by the beautiful woman who had found her way into his heart. He was laying it all on the line with this gesture, and that was equal parts terrifying and freeing.
Valentine's night was on a Friday this year, so Elizabeth didn't have to make it a short night. She was looking forward to seeing the artistic displays, drinking some champagne, and if the stars were aligned just right maybe she would meet someone interesting. First she needed to stop her overactive imagination from conjuring up images of Jason with some stacked blonde.
Looking at herself in the mirror she liked what she saw. She didn't have a reason to really get dressed up much these days so tonight she had gone all out. A dark green lace pencil dress, and nude heels. She felt sophisticated and pretty. The buzzer rang signaling that her cab was here, she grabbed her invitation, and headed out.
At the gallery she rang the doorbell, as per the instructions, and waited to be admitted. Peeking through the window she saw the lights were dimmed in the front room. She didn't see anything hanging on the walls, but often this gallery showcased their artists in the larger rooms in the back.
"Ms. Webber, welcome." The gallery owner greeted her. "We have a special showing tonight, and I'm so glad you decided to come see it." She was a romantic at heart, and what Mr. Morgan planned had made her melt. It was like something from one of the novels she read. "Let me take your coat."
"Thank you." Elizabeth could hear soft music floating from inside. "Are there a lot of people here?" The invitation said seven p.m. sharp so she expected to see others here.
"Not at the moment." The gallery owner didn't want to give anything away. "We are doing something unique this evening. Follow the roses." The owner pointed to the floor. "And enjoy."
"Thank you." Elizabeth repeated again. The trail of roses gave off more of a romantic vibe than she was expecting, but it was Valentine's Day and romance was in the show title. Stepping out of the reception area she came into the front room. There on the wall in flowing script were the words.
"When I look at you I see a woman who is…"
She followed the flowers and gasped as she walked into the next space. "Smart." Was the word on the wall, underneath there was a picture of her reading a book. She had been reading to a group of preschoolers during a volunteer shift at the library. The Port Charles Gazette had been doing a story on the summer reading program and snapped the image. She remembered that Jason had stopped by, and he walked her home.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves she walked into the next room. "Strong." Was on this wall. The picture was of her and Emily in running gear, grinning at the camera. They had just finished a half marathon to raise money for breast cancer research. After they had gone to the mansion and soaked in the hot tub until they turned into human raisins. Jason had been there that day too, he had been waiting at the finish line.
"Sweet." Was the third word the roses led her too. This picture was of her working the Halloween party in the pediatric ward at General Hospital. She had been dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and handing out candies from her little basket. Leyla had brought in her cairn terrier to play Toto, and get pets from the kids. She had seen Jason before the festivities started, he was responsible for bringing the treats.
Elizabeth had to blink back tears. This was the most amazing thing that she ever had happen to her. The amount of planning and work that went into this display was mind boggling. Just renting the gallery must have cost a pretty penny.
The flowers lead down the hall and she moved forward, wanting to see more. She also felt a little guilty because someone had gone through all this trouble, and the person she was thinking of was Jason. She was hopeless.
"Silly." Had her laughing out loud. Her and Michael Corinthos at his birthday party last year. Carly hired a face painter and Elizabeth had gotten painted as a kitty cat. Michael was puppy. The picture showed the two of them hamming it up for the camera. Jason tried to come to her mind, and she pushed the thought away.
"Sophisticated." Was on one side of the hall that lead to the large back room. Her at last year's nurse's ball. She had sat at the Quartermaine table. Edward flirted with her all night, and Elizabeth had danced with Jason. His asking had surprised her because he didn't dance in public, but she had enjoyed the time spent in his arms. This memory wouldn't go because Jason had been the one to take the picture on the wall.
On the other side of the hall two words were written. "Soft hearted." I it was a picture of her laughing and surrounded by puppies. Francis's dog had the litter last fall, and Elizabeth had been a frequent visitor while the puppies were there. She really wanted one, but her building didn't allow pets. The day the dogs left Jason had found her sitting in the park across the street from the Towers pretending not to cry. He hadn't said anything, just sat with her so she wasn't alone. This picture like the last had been snapped by Jason.
Elizabeth began to wonder if Jason was the one who was waiting in the back room. The room that flickered as if lit by firelight, and had soft music floating from it. While she never would have expected this from him, it was something he was more than capable of doing. He had a lot more depth than most people ever saw.
Biting her lower lip she stepped forward following the trial of roses that ended just past the doorway.
Standing in the back room, waiting for Elizabeth to arrive was hard on Jason's nerves. It wasn't until the front door opened, and her voice floated back that he realized that this display of his emotions might creep her out. He didn't want to come off as a stalker, but was trying to show her that all the parts of her were beautiful to him. Maybe he had gone too far, if so it was too late now.
She walked into the room and every single thought in his head vanished. She was stunning. More beautiful than he had ever seen her. He didn't speak right away, because there was another word for her to read first.
Elizabeth smiled wide as soon as she saw Jason. Her heart started beating faster as she took him in is his suit and tie. Looking impossibly handsome, and just a bit nervous. Slowly her eyes drifted from where he was standing to see the last word. On the wall directly behind him. "Sexy." Her sitting on a blanket in the park. It was the Fourth of July, and they were there, along with most of Port Charles, to see the fireworks display. He had called her up and asked if she wanted to go. Being in a crowd that large at night by herself would have scared her a bit. With Jason she had felt safe. With Jason she always felt safe.
"This is amazing." She said her voice think with emotion.
"I was in Eli's, the night you were with Em." He confessed. "I see you Elizabeth. I see you, and you leave me in awe. I needed for you to know that." He had no idea where those words came from, but they were true. "I heard you say you don't celebrate this holiday, and tomorrow I'd like to discuss why. If you are willing. Tonight doesn't have to have a label, but I want to have a chance to celebrate you." He held out his hand, hoping she would take it.
She walked across the room and did just that.
"I have dinner planned. All your favorites, ending with chocolate." Because he saw that side of her as well. "Then I hoped you would dance with me." Jason said leading her to the table set for two.
"I'd love to dance with you." Elizabeth was trying to take all this in. It looked like she was wrong. She was going to have her grand romance after all. When he sat across from her Elizabeth reached for his hand once more. "Jason? Will you be my Valentine?" Tonight would be not only a night they started anew. But it would be the night she did as well.
Jason lifted her hand and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. "I thought you'd never ask."
Thanks for the reviews, the follows, and the favorites!