Two Worlds Collide
Chapter Three
Hardly a word was spoken for the rest of the evening; Jaime had his bed ready for him after dinner. Jason was exhausted and it felt good to be lying in a comfortable bed, in a real home. He had for the last year or so been moving around so much, the last place he had a real home was in Sonny's penthouse, when he had Michael. Jason knew that things had worked out for the best, but he still thought of him as his son and always would.
With Michael on his mind, Jason drifted off to sleep.
Her mind was just screaming 'THERE IS A STRANGER IN YOUR HOUSE!' She must be out of her mind to have asked him to stay. There was no sleeping for her. She decided to clean up on the house. When she turned on the kitchen light, she could have sworn she saw a light outside. When she looked more closely there was nothing she could make out. Hm…After today nothing would surprise her. She tip toed down the hallway and opened the door to his room and peeked in. He was sound asleep.
She was only human, after all the years of putting off her life for her family. She longed for the touch of a man. The feeling of knowing someone loved you. Her heart yearned for that and Jason being here had made it hard to forget.
When Jason awoke the next day, he had almost forgotten where he was. He got up, noticed his clean clothes lying on the dresser. After getting dressed, he walked into the living room. Jaime was sleeping on the couch in the same clothes she had on yesterday. She had a dishrag in one hand. She had a strand of hair in her face, without thinking he brushed it aside.
She opened her eyes slowly; he was just staring at her not even embarrassed about it. "Good morning."
"Morning, thanks for my clothes. I think that I will get started on the car." Jason sat down next to her on the couch, "Actually I was thinking…"
"You know that can get you into trouble."
"I was thinking that you don't really have any reason to trust me I know, but if you would let me I would like to stick around for a little while. Maybe do some work on the house or what ever I could do to help out around here."
"I couldn't ask you to do that, Jason. I don't have the money for supplies and…"
"Listen to me…" Jason couldn't believe that he was going to suggest this, "how about we trade, I will help you out and you help me out. You could let me stay here."
Jaime got a grin on her face that was from ear to ear. "Your serious?" Jason nodded. "I must have really made quite an impression yesterday," She starting giggling like a schoolgirl.
"So what do you think about it?"
"Well, it sounds like a win/win situation. If you can stand to live with me for a while I am all for it. But you really should know something about me…" Her smile turned to a frown, "I have been known to dance around naked to country music, and it really is quite the sight to behold I have been told." She died laughing.
"You are weird." Jason found her laugh intoxicating. "You should know something about me too," He paused to get her attention, "I make a great audience."
"Ah…. good to know."
The next week went by so fast. They had started a routine, so far everything that he needed to do the work on the house and car had been around the house somewhere. Jason was at the table eating some lunch, when a car pulled up the drive.
"I will be right back." She got up from the table and walked outside.
Jason having the history he did, got up and checked out what was going on. It was the local sheriff. 'Great' Jason thought. He could just barely hear what was being said outside.
"Hello there, Jamie." The man was a short fellow, a little rotund in the middle section, basically, your stereotypical small town sheriff. He had the whole package. The wide brim hat and dark sunglasses, which Jamie had guessed was to hide the fact he was surveying the land, looking for Jason no doubt.
"Hey, Pete. Need I ask what brings you out here?"
"Well, you know I like to know what's going on. Chris and some of the guys down at the pool hall said there was a friend of yours from out of town. I checked at the B & B and they said he never showed up for his reservation so I was curious if your friend had just decided to keep on going."
"As a matter of fact, he is sitting at my kitchen table…" Jason was walking out the front door. "Jason, this is Sheriff Pete Jacobs. Sheriff this is Jason Morgan."
"Sheriff." Jason extended his hand; the sheriff complied by shaking his hand.
"You just here for a visit?"
"Haven't decided yet."
"I hear you drive a motorcycle, I am a rider myself. Mind if I take a look?"
"Sure. Follow me."
Jaime didn't know what Pete was up to, but he wasn't interested in that motorcycle. It wasn't a long wait before they reappeared.
"Well, I guess I will be getting back to town. Nice to meet you, Mr. Morgan. I am sure I will be seeing you again soon." With a wave, he got into his car and left.
Jaime looked over at Jason, "What did he want?"
"My guess…he wanted my license plate number."
"Is there anything I should know?"
"Let me finish what I am doing out back. Can we talk about this later?"
That wasn't necessarily a brush off but it didn't calm her fears. She was a nervous wreck the rest of the afternoon.
She heard the motorcycle start up. She couldn't get to the door fast enough, all she saw was the dust trail he was leaving down her driveway. Damn. 'He will be back' she said to herself not that she believed it. Well, it was apparent with him leaving maybe he was trouble and it was best he left. No, she wanted him back. So she waited.
Jason was miles away when he realized this was not what he wanted to do. If he just told her the truth then it wouldn't matter what the sheriff found. But look at the life style she had. Small town girl. Living alone. Obviously too trusting. What would she do when she found that although he had been convicted of nothing thanks to Alexis, he had been arrested for practically every felony there was. He was sure the sheriff wouldn't make it sound good.
He left Port Charles because people choose for him. What they wanted, never what he wanted, and yet that is what he was doing to her. How could she make a choice if she didn't know there was one?
Jaime couldn't hide the tears in her eyes when she heard him come back. She met him at the door. "Damn you," as she said it the tears were running down her cheeks. She punched at his stomach in frustration.
He took her hands into his and pulled her close. "I came back…shh…it's okay." He just held her until she stopped crying. He led her to the couch and they sat down. "I came back because I couldn't just leave you like that. A couple of days ago, I would have left without much thought, but I have grown kind of fond of that smile and laugh of yours."
"I am sorry that I reacted that way. You don't owe me anything. I just…I was so lonely when you appeared like a dream. I wasn't ready to let that go." She might as well be honest with him, "I sound like such a idiot."
She turned away from him. "Don't do that, Jaime. Never apologize to me for being honest. I am glad you feel that way, because I do to."
She was still staring at the ground when she asked, "What is it that the sheriff is going to find?" She looked up at him, thinking eye to eye he would have to tell her the truth.
Jason took a deep breath. He had talked a lot lately, but explaining this might show his limitations on what he could put into words. "He his going to find that maybe I am not such a good guy to have in his town."
"You know you are going to have to do a lot better than that." If he thought that was going to justify all the mystery he was sadly mistaken. " I have no where to be, he probably won't be back until tomorrow, so that gives you right at 12 hours. Spill it….please."
Then she gave him an encouraging smile. "First, I think you should know that I have never been convicted of anything…"
"Oh my god," She rolled her eyes. Jason got a little amused at her response. He could tell that she wasn't meaning that in a bad way, but he figured any conversation that started with 'Never Been Convicted' only gave her an idea of what was to come.
"Promise you will listen to the whole story."
"Oh, wild horses couldn't drag me away."
So Jason started….the accident, Sonny, Carly, Michael, and Stone. Robyn and her betrayal. His mom and Lila. Being shot and Elizabeth. He looked up at Jaime's face tears were rolling down her cheeks. He gently brushed them away, "Don't cry for me."
"I am so sorry that so much has happened to you." Even though they were alone, their words were barely whispers; somehow the gentleness in the way they spoke signified that they understood the power of the words.
"Why should you be sorry? It isn't your fault."
"You seem to be so good to the people you love. Even when they are the ones who hurt you."
"That is what this whole trip is about. Finding out what it is I want. As much as they said they cared about me, they didn't always know how to show it. And I m not going to lie to you, I didn't always know what to do either."
"Thank you for telling me." So many feeling were running though her right now, she was completely infatuated with this man that had come into her life and the thought of him up and taking off on his motorcycle was more than she could stand. "Jason…I…I am scared." She didn't think her voice could get any lower.
"Of me?" He lowered his eyes to meet hers. "I was afraid that this would happen if I told…"
"No, Jason, I don't want you to leave. That is what scares me."
Her shoulders dropped, she felt so exhausted. All the emotion packed into the conversation had left her mind and body drained. She felt his hand touch her shoulder, encouraging her to lean against him and that was all she needed.
She fell into his chest and held on for dear life. He couldn't say he wouldn't leave. His life had always been unpredictable and he wouldn't lie to her, so he just caressed her back and comforted her. Jason gently eased back to where he was laying down, never letting her go. They fell asleep moments later.
"They are asleep."
"I want you to get a good look in that house. There will be no mistakes. We are taking them all out, then this will be over."
"No problem, boss. What about the girl?"
"What about her? Take her out."
Sorel hung up the phone. They had lucked out that Mr.Morgan had called Sonny a couple of days before settling down in that hick town. "Enjoy this week. It will be your last."