~ * Small Beginnings * ~
The Quartermaines were hosting yet another one of their fancy high-end parties that her parents just couldn't miss out on regardless of the fact that she wasn't exactly feeling well. Taking a deep breath, she makes her way over to the front garden, deciding to take a break from the hustle and bustle of high society. Not like her parents will even notice her absence. She had to hand it to the Quartermaines, though, they surely know how to keep a garden looking beautiful despite the drop in temperature.
"Take it you're not the partying type?" a voice causes her to turn to the side to see who has joined her in the garden, recognizing him from the other day when he returned from boarding school for the summer.
"You can say that," she replies as she scoots over to make room for him to sit. "Same for you, I'm guessing."
"Sometimes," he admits. "Jason. Jason Quartermaine."
"Elizabeth Webber," she says, shaking his hand as a soft smile touches her lips. "Liz."
"I know."
"You do?"
"A Quartermaine must know all high society family members," he says all noble like before chuckling. "One of the many rules in this family."
"Right," she shakes her head. "My family has the same kind of rules...only I don't particularly follow much of them."
"That I can see," he replies with a smirk. "If you're up to more rule breaking...why don't we get out of here?"
"And miss out on Edward's famous speech?" she says teasingly as she accepts his hand. "The horror."
"It never changes," Jason assures though he knows she's just being sarcastic. "Come on, there's this really great place on the edge of the property that you just gotta see."
"Okay, okay," Elizabeth laughs as she jogs alongside him, giving no care to her particularly expensive gown. "I'm trusting you."
"Same here," Jason replies as they make their way through the foliage. "I don't bring just anyone to my secret hideout."
"How generous of you," she counters with a slight roll of her eyes.
"Isn't it?" he replies with a chuckle, taking hold of her hand as he gets them past the last of the bushes. "And...here it is."
"I..." she takes in a deep breath as her eyes go wide, lowering herself down onto the grass as he does so, turning to meet his eyes as a smile touches her lips. "This is so beautiful."
"Yeah, it's why I like coming here. That and the fact that no one makes their way out to these parts," Jason replies honestly. "Thought maybe you could use it for your art project."
"Yeah, I could..." Elizabeth says before realizing what he had just said. "Wait...how did you..."
"Emily mentioned you were having a hard time finding a subject for your piece," Jason explains with a shrug. "I hope this will work out for you."
"It's tempting," she admits. "But I wouldn't want to impose on your secret hideout."
"This isn't exactly a selfless act," he concedes. "More like an excuse of sorts."
"An excuse for what?"
"For us to hang out," he replies carefully. "If that's okay with you."
She wasn't sure just how much she could have in common with someone commonly known as the golden boy of the Quartermaine family, but she also didn't see any harm in it. Deciding to give it a chance, they stay at the hideout for a few hours just talking about anything that came to mind. The more they hung out, just talking, the more they find themselves growing closer in their similarities as well as their differences. By the end of the night they were as close of friends as friends could be.
~ . ~
Carefully taking the sketch into her hands, Elizabeth sits down on her bed, remembering all the long hours she had spent making this sketch. All the detail that went into it. She and Jason had spent so many hours together as she worked on the sketch. The more time she spent with him, the more she grew to care for him, until the fateful night he made the ill advised choice of stepping in the way of hell-storm on a rampage through those they deemed to be nothing but a waste of space. Some days she can't help but wish he hadn't jumped in the way of that car. One minute he's getting hit by a hell-storm car and the next he's leading the pack.
"Yeah?" Elizabeth answers her phone, sliding the sketch back into her portfolio.
"Hey, Liz," Robin's voice comes over the line. "You ready to get started on the decorating?"
"Um, yeah, sure," Elizabeth says as she rises to her feet. "Did Z get back to you on the invitations yet?"
"He said it'll be done tomorrow," Robin assures. "We still haven't decided who'll be passing them out."
"I can handle it," Elizabeth replies. "My job at the diner kind of makes it easy."
"Great," Robin exclaims. "So, I'll see you at the warehouse in a bit?"
"Yeah," Elizabeth replies. "On my way now."
Ending the call, Elizabeth grabs her jacket and her bag before heading out to meet up with Robin. She had been passing by the diner when she decided to pop in for some grub, knowing they'll be quite busy getting the warehouse together and in major need of some refueling. Of course, like many things in her life, she truly wishes she could have foreseen what awaited her inside. She isn't sure if Carly just loves picking on Damien or if she secretly has a crush on him. As always, Elizabeth places herself between Carly and Damien, frustration vibrating through her entire being. When will this girl ever learn?
"You again?" Carly snaps, thoroughly irritated. "When are you going to learn to stay out of my way?"
"About the same time you stop messing with my friends," Elizabeth snaps right back. "So, I'm guessing never."
"You really wanna come up against all of us," Carly gestures to her friends who saddle up right beside her. "One of you against seven hell-storms...you really think you can beat the odds, muffin face?"
"If I have to," Elizabeth states, not backing down even an inch. "Unlike you, I'm not afraid to fight my own battles."
"Is that so?" Carly shouts, anger flooding her at the implication. "You think I'm scared of you? As if! I can take you on by myself just fine. Let's take this outside, shall we?"
"Carly, wait," her right hand, Sam McCall, grabs her arm to stop her from walking out of the diner. "You sure you want to do this?"
"We've trained for this, didn't we?" Carly says, reminding her of the hours of self-defense training they had together. "She's just a puny little thing. I've got this."
"If you say so," Sam says, releasing her hold on Carly before taking a step back, not having really meant about winning or losing. "Just hope you know what you're doing."
"Just you watch," Carly says as they walk out of the diner. "I've got this."
As the group of hell-storm walk out after Carly to watch her take on Elizabeth, Damien quickly gets on his phone to send out a mass text telling all of Elizabeth's friends what's going on. With the warehouse not too far from the diner they should be there in a matter of time. After sending the text, Damien rushes out to be there for Elizabeth until they could get there. Thankfully the fight hadn't gone on for too long before Elizabeth's friends showed up along with Emily's brother, the head of hell-storm. The look on his face had said enough. He wasn't happy.
"What the..." Carly nearly shouts before choking on her words at the sight of Jason pulling her out of the fight. "Jason!"
"You're gonna regret this," Jason states low enough for her to hear before turning to Sam. "Get her and go. Now!"
"Understood," Sam says carefully, having foresaw just this. "Come on, Carly...let's get out of here."
"Are you kidding me?" Carly snaps as a trail of blood slides down her chin from the side of her mouth, fighting against Sam's tugging. "Look at what she did to me!"
"Stop, Carly," Sam urges at the sight of Jason glaring daggers at them. "Just stop. Come on."
With the arrival of Jason, the crowd broke up as quickly as it had gathered, the rest of hell-storm following after Carly and Sam. None of them wanting to deal with Jason when he's clearly on a rampage of his own. One look at him and everyone with any sense in their brain ran in the opposite direction of wherever he happens to be. Once he was alone with Elizabeth and her friends, no one else within visible or verbal range, Jason moved to stand in front of Elizabeth.
"You okay?" Jason questions, noting each cut and bruise that began to form.
"I'm fine," Elizabeth says firmly. "Nothing I couldn't handle."
"Right," Jason says after a moment before turning to Emily. "Take her to the hospital."
"I said I'm fine," Elizabeth states, forcing him to turn back to her. "I don't need you looking out for me."
"Clearly," Jason states, meeting her glare with one of his own, truly wishing she'd stop stepping in for others. "Do it anyway."
"We're going," Emily says, knowing what was bound to happen if the conversation went on any longer. "Liz, please, let's just go."
"If you're really concerned about the smaller people, Jason Morgan, try putting that girl on a leash!" Elizabeth snaps as her friends try to get her to walk away. "Maybe then we'd all be better off."
"Liz, let's go," Robin chimes in now, tugging on her hand to get her to walk. "None of this will make a difference. Trust me. Let's just go."
"Fine, fine," Elizabeth concedes, knowing she was right, but still hating that it's true. "Let's go."
"Jason?" Emily voices as the rest of the group walks off to get Elizabeth checked out.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks," Emily says, hugging her brother quickly, knowing he wasn't too big on hugging. "For showing up when I called you. I appreciate it."
"Sure," Jason says with a slight smile. "You should make sure she's okay."
"Will do," Emily promises with a soft smile before running off to catch up to her friends.
Watching his sister walk off, Jason lets out a low sigh as memories of what brought them to this moment plays back in his mind, knowing it was necessary, but hating that it is. Once he's sure they're gone, Jason makes his way back to his bike, straddling it and taking off into the night. A nice long ride should do the trick in getting his mind together before he faces what's bound to come next. He had been driving for a few hours when he finds himself outside the house of the man who created hell-storm, Sonny Corinthos. Shutting off his bike, he chances that his friend is still awake and knocks on the door, grateful when he opens the door moments later.
"Kind of late for a drive, isn't it?" Sonny comments as he steps aside to allow him entrance.
"No," Jason says as he walks over to the pool table. "One round?"
"As long as we're not playing for money," Sonny counters, grabbing his pool stick. "I'm in no mood to lose another grand."
"Fair enough."
"So, do I gotta ask?" Sonny questions as he sets the game up. "Or can you just jump right in?"
"Carly got into a fight with Liz again," Jason states as he goes for the break. "Worse than usual."
"Ah," Sonny says as realization settles in. "How you gonna handle it?"
"Working on it."
"And the girl?" Sonny questions. "You ever gonna tell her the truth?"
"What good's the truth?" Jason counters. "Doesn't change anything."
"It could."
"It won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know her," Jason states firmly. "And I know me."
"I get that the accident changed you, but it didn't change the parts that matter," Sonny points out. "You never know till you give it a shot."
"Nothing's changed," Jason says seriously. "So drop it."
"Fine," Sonny relents. "Was worth a shot."
"Sure."
After playing a couple rounds of pool, Jason thanks Sonny before heading back to the gatehouse to call it a night. It wasn't the first time that Sonny tried to convince him to take a chance on what could have been and he's certain it won't be the last, but Jason just couldn't chance it. They aren't the same people they used to be. He's most definitely not the same guy he used to be and there was no sense in putting her through that again. Regardless of Sonny's optimism, things haven't changed and they probably never will. It was evident in the way she spoke to him tonight.
"You really okay?" Robin asks Elizabeth once they get back to her place.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Elizabeth assures her, thankful to be able to stay there rather than have her grandfather see her and worry. "Carly doesn't hit as hard as she thinks she does."
"Still," Robin sighs. "I would feel more comfortable if you got checked out by a doctor or something."
"I'm fine," Elizabeth says seriously. "Really. It's not the first fight I've gotten into."
"Okay," Robin accepts. "So...can I ask?"
"Do you have to?"
"You know me," Robin says with a slight smile. "I gotta."
"Okay."
"This thing between you and Jason," Robin says carefully. "What is it? I mean...do you guys have history or something? What's the deal?"
"Yeah," Elizabeth concedes with a heavy sigh, dropping down onto the couch. "You can say there's history."
"Come on," Robin groans. "Don't make me beg."
"We were friends...a long time ago," Elizabeth admits with a shrug. "And I'm the reason he got into the accident that altered his personality."
"Wha...are you serious?"
"Hell-storm was being...well, hell-storm," Elizabeth explains. "They had just jumped a few kids a few blocks over when they started driving recklessly through the streets. The driver almost ran me over when Jason pushed me out of the way and got hit instead."
"Wow...I literally have no words," Robin stares at her with wide eyes. "I mean, I heard rumors about the accident, but the details were never released, so, I wasn't sure...dang. That's crazy."
"Yeah."
"I can't believe it," Robin says in disbelief. "Jason gets hit by a hell-storm car and ends up the leader of hell-storm. I mean, what are the odds of that kind of thing happening? It's..."
"I'd really rather not talk about it," Elizabeth cuts her off, really not in the mood to rehash the past. "Please."
"Okay, okay," Robin says with a soft smile. "Sorry."
Leaving the conversation there, the two transition smoothly into talk of the party, deciding it was a better topic for both of them. The party is in a few days and invitations are going out tomorrow. With everything pretty much set, they just had to make sure they decorate the place by tomorrow. Once the decorations are done, they'll be able to focus on the snacks and drinks, as well as the music. As they get ready for bed, Elizabeth can't help it as the past floods her mind, wondering if they'll ever come a day that she and Jason can find their way back to being friends. The way things stand now, she just can't see that ever happening.