1 Love Is Patient, Kind and Above All True
1.1 Chapter Twenty Four
He watched her looking through the mail that sat at his desk in the study. Nikolas snuck up behind his beautiful wife-to-be and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck with his kisses. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes. I never imagined we'd get to travel to Italy! First stop Milan! I can spend some of that princely money you keep having to slave over!" Gia teased.
Nikolas turned her around so that he could look into those beautiful brown eyes. Sometimes he thought he could drown in them. "Whatever you want Princess Sparky!" he laughed.
Gia leaned in to kiss him. Her lips seemed to melt into his.
God did he love this woman.
"All right!" he said forcing himself to pull away from her lips. "We need to get going. The plane leaves in an hour."
Gia continued with a barrage of kisses, all over him. He wrestled himself away from the wandering hands of his fiancee. "Why? Can't we just, you know…I'm promise it will be quick," Gia teased suggestively.
"Gia…" he warned. He couldn't help but smile. He was going to marry the woman of his dreams.
"Oh all right," she pouted.
Nikolas grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door.
***
Jason settled Elizabeth in the small apartment he had been staying in for part of his visit in Rome. Elizabeth had been inspecting the apartment, looking through cupboards and the fridge. She seemed to enjoy everything about it. "I'm sorry it's so small."
Elizabeth looked up at Jason and smiled. "No it's fine. It's a lot bigger than your place at Jake's," she laughed.
He agreed, "Yeah it is."
The apartment was a two-bedroom, with a large window overlooking the courtyard, which was overrun with passing tourists and villagers. His living room had only a couch and a couple of chairs. It was connected to the little dining room, which held a table and four chairs. There was an open doorway to the kitchen from the dining room. On the opposite side of the living room was a hall, which lead to the only bathroom and the two bedrooms sitting opposite each other at the end of the hallway.
"Jason, is this where we're staying?"
"Yeah. I hope you don't mind. I mean, I would put you in another apartment, but around here they like long-term tenants and the hotels aren't exactly close to."
"No. That's fine. I mean, we've got two bedrooms right?" she said casually.
"Yeah. Of course." Jason had been glad he had picked a two-bedroom instead of his usual one, but he had need for the extra storage space when some of Sonny's contacts needed a 'place to stay'.
She grabbed her bags and walked down the hallway. "Which one's yours?" she yelled.
"It doesn't matter. Both of them are the same. I don't have any stuff in either one," he replied.
Jason got on his cell phone and called some of his contacts in Rome. He would find out if any new visitors had come to the city in the past few days. Jason also phoned Sonny to ask for a personal call to Lee. There were still channels to go through before Jason could possibly enter the Nam's personal residence. "Yeah, Sonny, could you help me out with that?"
"Uh, Jason, yeah. Sure. Uh, how are you anyway?"
"I'm fine." Jason moved to the window trying to keep Elizabeth from hearing him talk on the phone.
"Jason!" Elizabeth called as she came down the hallway. She stood at the entrance to the living room, hand on her hips. "Who are you talking to? Are they people who'll help us find Jaime?"
Jason motioned with his hand to stop talking. Elizabeth shrugged and walked into the kitchen.
"Uh…Jason?" Sonny spoke, trying to get his attention.
"Yeah?" Jason was praying he didn't hear her voice. The last thing he wanted to get around was the fact that Elizabeth somehow was with him in Italy. Jason knew Sonny wouldn't say anything, but he wanted to avoid Sonny's prying questions also.
"Was that a woman's voice?" Sonny asked.
Jason could tell by the tone in Sonny's voice that he was going to give him a hard time. "Yes."
"Um, was that, uh, Elizabeth Webber's voice I heard by, uh, any chance?" he laughed.
"Yes," Jason replied shortly.
"You dog!" Sonny exclaimed. "So have you guys been hitting it off since she's not engaged to be married anymore?"
"Sonny," he whispered, "I am just bringing her along so she doesn't get hurt trying to find Jaime on her own." Jason looked over his shoulder and saw Elizabeth setting the table in the dining room.
She mouthed something, "Do you want to eat something?" Elizabeth then proceeded to act out lifting some utensil to her mouth and chewing.
Jason nodded his head and proceeded in his conversation with Sonny. "Sonny, you're gonna do that thing right after I get off the phone right?"
"Do what?" he laughed. "Oh, you mean talk to Mr. Nam for you. Yeah yeah. Of course."
"Thanks. How's everything going down in Port Charles? Are you and Carly back together yet?"
Silence. "Jason, it's over…between me and Carly," he said dismissively.
"You know you love her, don't you?" Jason asked. He turned the spotlight on Sonny now. Jason knew what Carly did and he didn't blame Sonny for divorcing her, but he knew that Sonny hadn't gotten over her yet.
Silence again. "Jason, I'd better go now. Or I'll never make that call…"
Jason heard a knock on the door. He heard a rustling noise and a woman's voice. "Are you doing anything, saying anything, ordering someone to do something that will make me work some more overtime for you?" she said sarcastically.
"Sonny?" Jason repeated himself. "Are you there?"
"Yeah," Sonny yelled over the phone. Then some muffling of the phone, which Jason could only assume, was Sonny covering the phone to talk to the woman.
Jason looked over at Elizabeth for a moment. She was setting the forks and knives around the plates and then Elizabeth paused for a moment in her activities to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. He couldn't imagine a better moment in time. Suddenly he realized someone was talking to him on the cell.
"Jason, hey?" Sonny called.
"Yeah? Hey who was that? It sounded like Alexis."
"Uh, yeah. It's Alexis," there was a pause in the conversation and then Jason heard a woman's voice.
"Uh, hi Jason!" she said timidly.
Jason heard Sonny laughing in the background until his voice came back into focus. "Jason. I gotta go now. I'll make that phone call right now. Hey," he paused. "Give my regards to Elizabeth," he teased.
Oh man. Jason thought shaking his head.
"Jason, supper's ready. I'm sorry it's really not gourmet and definitely not as good as Tammy's food, but you work with what you got!" she laughed. She gestured to the table set for two.
Jason studied the table, which held a bowl of pickles, a plate full of sliced cheese and crackers. There was a pitcher of lemonade and twinkies for dessert.
Elizabeth looked at him apologetically. "Oh, and some soup on the stove!" she smiled, running over into the kitchen to continue stirring the boiling soup.
"You did good," Jason said slowly, trying to muffle his amusement. "Looks great."
Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at him, "Hey, if you say one more word, no soup for you!"
Jason feigned terror at the mention of not having any soup to go with this well-balanced meal. "Oh, no. I must have the soup!" he exclaimed walking towards the kitchen.
He positioned himself behind her looking over her shoulder. "What kind of soup is that anyway? Should it be so green?" he asked.
She punched him in the shoulder, a big grin on her face.
1.1 Chapter Twenty Four
He watched her looking through the mail that sat at his desk in the study. Nikolas snuck up behind his beautiful wife-to-be and wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling her neck with his kisses. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yes. I never imagined we'd get to travel to Italy! First stop Milan! I can spend some of that princely money you keep having to slave over!" Gia teased.
Nikolas turned her around so that he could look into those beautiful brown eyes. Sometimes he thought he could drown in them. "Whatever you want Princess Sparky!" he laughed.
Gia leaned in to kiss him. Her lips seemed to melt into his.
God did he love this woman.
"All right!" he said forcing himself to pull away from her lips. "We need to get going. The plane leaves in an hour."
Gia continued with a barrage of kisses, all over him. He wrestled himself away from the wandering hands of his fiancee. "Why? Can't we just, you know…I'm promise it will be quick," Gia teased suggestively.
"Gia…" he warned. He couldn't help but smile. He was going to marry the woman of his dreams.
"Oh all right," she pouted.
Nikolas grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door.
***
Jason settled Elizabeth in the small apartment he had been staying in for part of his visit in Rome. Elizabeth had been inspecting the apartment, looking through cupboards and the fridge. She seemed to enjoy everything about it. "I'm sorry it's so small."
Elizabeth looked up at Jason and smiled. "No it's fine. It's a lot bigger than your place at Jake's," she laughed.
He agreed, "Yeah it is."
The apartment was a two-bedroom, with a large window overlooking the courtyard, which was overrun with passing tourists and villagers. His living room had only a couch and a couple of chairs. It was connected to the little dining room, which held a table and four chairs. There was an open doorway to the kitchen from the dining room. On the opposite side of the living room was a hall, which lead to the only bathroom and the two bedrooms sitting opposite each other at the end of the hallway.
"Jason, is this where we're staying?"
"Yeah. I hope you don't mind. I mean, I would put you in another apartment, but around here they like long-term tenants and the hotels aren't exactly close to."
"No. That's fine. I mean, we've got two bedrooms right?" she said casually.
"Yeah. Of course." Jason had been glad he had picked a two-bedroom instead of his usual one, but he had need for the extra storage space when some of Sonny's contacts needed a 'place to stay'.
She grabbed her bags and walked down the hallway. "Which one's yours?" she yelled.
"It doesn't matter. Both of them are the same. I don't have any stuff in either one," he replied.
Jason got on his cell phone and called some of his contacts in Rome. He would find out if any new visitors had come to the city in the past few days. Jason also phoned Sonny to ask for a personal call to Lee. There were still channels to go through before Jason could possibly enter the Nam's personal residence. "Yeah, Sonny, could you help me out with that?"
"Uh, Jason, yeah. Sure. Uh, how are you anyway?"
"I'm fine." Jason moved to the window trying to keep Elizabeth from hearing him talk on the phone.
"Jason!" Elizabeth called as she came down the hallway. She stood at the entrance to the living room, hand on her hips. "Who are you talking to? Are they people who'll help us find Jaime?"
Jason motioned with his hand to stop talking. Elizabeth shrugged and walked into the kitchen.
"Uh…Jason?" Sonny spoke, trying to get his attention.
"Yeah?" Jason was praying he didn't hear her voice. The last thing he wanted to get around was the fact that Elizabeth somehow was with him in Italy. Jason knew Sonny wouldn't say anything, but he wanted to avoid Sonny's prying questions also.
"Was that a woman's voice?" Sonny asked.
Jason could tell by the tone in Sonny's voice that he was going to give him a hard time. "Yes."
"Um, was that, uh, Elizabeth Webber's voice I heard by, uh, any chance?" he laughed.
"Yes," Jason replied shortly.
"You dog!" Sonny exclaimed. "So have you guys been hitting it off since she's not engaged to be married anymore?"
"Sonny," he whispered, "I am just bringing her along so she doesn't get hurt trying to find Jaime on her own." Jason looked over his shoulder and saw Elizabeth setting the table in the dining room.
She mouthed something, "Do you want to eat something?" Elizabeth then proceeded to act out lifting some utensil to her mouth and chewing.
Jason nodded his head and proceeded in his conversation with Sonny. "Sonny, you're gonna do that thing right after I get off the phone right?"
"Do what?" he laughed. "Oh, you mean talk to Mr. Nam for you. Yeah yeah. Of course."
"Thanks. How's everything going down in Port Charles? Are you and Carly back together yet?"
Silence. "Jason, it's over…between me and Carly," he said dismissively.
"You know you love her, don't you?" Jason asked. He turned the spotlight on Sonny now. Jason knew what Carly did and he didn't blame Sonny for divorcing her, but he knew that Sonny hadn't gotten over her yet.
Silence again. "Jason, I'd better go now. Or I'll never make that call…"
Jason heard a knock on the door. He heard a rustling noise and a woman's voice. "Are you doing anything, saying anything, ordering someone to do something that will make me work some more overtime for you?" she said sarcastically.
"Sonny?" Jason repeated himself. "Are you there?"
"Yeah," Sonny yelled over the phone. Then some muffling of the phone, which Jason could only assume, was Sonny covering the phone to talk to the woman.
Jason looked over at Elizabeth for a moment. She was setting the forks and knives around the plates and then Elizabeth paused for a moment in her activities to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. He couldn't imagine a better moment in time. Suddenly he realized someone was talking to him on the cell.
"Jason, hey?" Sonny called.
"Yeah? Hey who was that? It sounded like Alexis."
"Uh, yeah. It's Alexis," there was a pause in the conversation and then Jason heard a woman's voice.
"Uh, hi Jason!" she said timidly.
Jason heard Sonny laughing in the background until his voice came back into focus. "Jason. I gotta go now. I'll make that phone call right now. Hey," he paused. "Give my regards to Elizabeth," he teased.
Oh man. Jason thought shaking his head.
"Jason, supper's ready. I'm sorry it's really not gourmet and definitely not as good as Tammy's food, but you work with what you got!" she laughed. She gestured to the table set for two.
Jason studied the table, which held a bowl of pickles, a plate full of sliced cheese and crackers. There was a pitcher of lemonade and twinkies for dessert.
Elizabeth looked at him apologetically. "Oh, and some soup on the stove!" she smiled, running over into the kitchen to continue stirring the boiling soup.
"You did good," Jason said slowly, trying to muffle his amusement. "Looks great."
Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at him, "Hey, if you say one more word, no soup for you!"
Jason feigned terror at the mention of not having any soup to go with this well-balanced meal. "Oh, no. I must have the soup!" he exclaimed walking towards the kitchen.
He positioned himself behind her looking over her shoulder. "What kind of soup is that anyway? Should it be so green?" he asked.
She punched him in the shoulder, a big grin on her face.