Love Is Patient, Kind and Above All True

Chapter Thirty Four

Elizabeth woke up refreshed and invigorated. The rays of the morning sun danced on her bed and along the door. She realized that there was a soft jingle of chimes that rang through out the room. Elizabeth looked towards the bare window that overlooked an empty long alleyway. A string of clear crystals hung on the window.

Those weren't there before, were they?

Elizabeth wrapped her robe around her and entered the bathroom where she showered and got dressed. The chimes were still on her mind as she shuffled into the kitchen. Elizabeth grabbed the loaf of bread, which sat in the breadbox and dropped two slices into the toaster.

She felt a slight chill up her back as she waited for her breakfast to pop up. Peeking around the corner, into the living room she called for Jason. Silence.

"He must have gotten up pretty early this morning. She looked up at the clock, which hung against the dining room wall. 11 a.m. "Woah! I didn't know I slept in that late!" she said outloud.

Pop! Elizabeth shuffled back into the kitchen and pulled her slices of toast onto a plate and buttered them. The butter here was so amazing. It was real butter. Not margarine, not the fake hydrogenated lumps of fat, but real butter. Usually freshly made, too.

Elizabeth sat herself down at the dining room table and picked up the paper that Jason had apparently been reading. It had been neatly stacked after its reading, but Elizabeth could tell by the fullness of the paper, that it had been flipped through.

It was the New York Times. Elizabeth tucked her legs under her and leaned against the tabletop on her elbows. She slowly took a bite out of the toast as she began reading an article on the front page of the Lifestyle's section. "The New Cassadine Heir Apparent".

'Nikolas Cassadine, heir of the Cassadine fortune, whisked former Face of Deception model, Gia Campbell to Milan, Italy. They spent two nights there where they spent a minute sum of the Cassadine fortune on updating the newest addition to the family. Sources say that they are now in Venice and are hitting the local nightclubs. It is not known when the impending nuptials are.'

"Nik and Gia are here in Venice?" Elizabeth whispered to herself. She scanned the rest of the article for information about where they might be staying in Venice. Unfortunately there was no more on the two friends and she began putting away the paper.

"Elizabeth," Jason said breathily. "I didn't know you'd be up already?"

Elizabeth watched Jason close the apartment door behind him and pull off his coat. "Jason!" she exclaimed. "Where have you been? Of course I'm up! I mean, it's already 11:30!"

She walked a couple of feet to put her breakfast plate in the sink. Elizabeth waited for an answer as she walked into the living room.

"Well?" she asked tapping her foot and resting her hands on her hips.

Elizabeth stared at Jason who had sat down on the couch.

"I went to talk to Paolo."

"What?" she wailed. "Why didn't you wake me up? I would have gone with you!"

Jason turned his head aside, sighing. "Elizabeth, you know I cannot take you everywhere I go!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Come on Jason. You know it wouldn't have been dangerous for me to question Paolo with you."

"Well, I'm sorry. You needed your rest."

"Jason," she sighed heavily. "I'm not a china doll! I can handle myself. You saw how well I did with Mr. Perelli!"

"Yes. You did great," he smiled. Suddenly his face turned serious. "But you are not equipped to handle certain situations. I mean, if a guy were to point a gun at you, you'd be at a loss."

"Well then teach me!" she exclaimed. "I'm not being left out on finding Jaime. Jason, you know I'm going to look for her in my own way if you don't let me go with you."

Jason closed his eyes. Elizabeth prayed he would see reason. Jaime was one of her best friends these days. Since Emily had gotten shot and moved out of Port Charles, she'd really had no one to talk to. Gia had tried to be her friend, but Elizabeth knew she could never fully trust her.

"Fine," Jason sighed.

"Fine?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"Yes, fine!" he stated, looking at her in the eye.

"Good. Let's go find Jaime!" she jumped.

"No," Jason stated firmly.

"No?" she asked quizzically. "But you just said fine?" Elizabeth was confused.

"I meant, 'Fine I'll teach you some self-defense', fine," Jason explained.

"Oh."

"You're gonna learn some things before I take you anywhere again. I mean, when I saw you…when I saw you in the guard's hands, I regretted bringing you along at all," he explained. "I can't risk you getting hurt Elizabeth."

She was at a loss for words. "Fine. But how long is this going to take? I mean, we have to find her soon!"

Jason got up from the couch and began to push it against the wall behind it. He then pushed the two individual chairs adjacent to the couch against the wall too, leaving an open area in front of the fireplace. "I've got some guys working on the details of hideout. We've got a little time. I'm just gonna teach you a couple of moves that will allow you to escape, okay?"

"You mean, I can't just punch my way out? Like at the bridge?" she teased.

"I think we're going to have to be a little more strategic than that!" he laughed.

***

Jason positioned himself in front of Elizabeth. He knew that this had to happen. Jason thought about a quick list of moves he'd like to teach her. "First, if a guy happens to come after you," Jason motioned for Elizabeth to slowly come at him, "a simple move like taking his hand and pressing on a pressure point…"

With Elizabeth's hand in his, Jason pressed her hand inward towards her and behind her back and upwards. "Like this," Jason explained.

"Ow! Okay, let me try," Elizabeth giggled.

Jason slowly came at her with his arms outstretched. Elizabeth grabbed his left arm and with her thumb pressed his hand inward, towards him and pulled it back behind him and twisted up. Jason fell on his knees. "Like that?" Elizabeth asked, peering around his shoulders.

"Yup," he gasped. Jason let a breath out as Elizabeth released his arm. "Okay, let's try that one more time, and just a little faster."

Hours past as they practised each move, until it came in one fluid motion. Jason taught her the hip toss, the shoulder toss, a palm thrust into the face, he taught her in different scenarios the best defensive and offensive moves.

"Okay, Jason. Do you think I got it all? How am I doing?" she laughed breathily, rubbing her hands together and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're doing great," he huffed, tired from all the physical strain. He ran to the hall closet and grabbed a towel for Elizabeth and himself. "Here!" he called, tossing a towel at her.

"Good," she smiled. "Jason, shouldn't your contacts have called by now?" Elizabeth wiped her brow and her neck, kneeling on one knee.

"They said that it would probably take them till tomorrow. They can't be too obvious about looking into these things. I don't want to tip Rosco off about this, and Mr. Nam, either," Jason explained.

Jason sat down on the floor wrapping his towel around his neck. "I think we can almost call it a night."

"Almost?" Elizabeth cried, falling back onto the floor, tossing the towel on her face.

"Yes, almost!" he laughed. "I just want to teach you one more move. It should be easy. It was no harder than learning the hip toss."

Jason got up and pulled the towel off her face. Elizabeth slowly sat up and waved her hands in front of her. "Nooo more! I'm tired," she pouted.

As he grabbed both of her flailing hands, Jason laughed. "Come on," he coaxed. "If you don't, then I don't have to take you along on anymore trips. And," he paused for effect, "you can't complain."

Elizabeth reluctantly stood up and waited for instruction. "Okay," she sighed. "What next?"

"Okay. Now what you're going to learn is how to take a guy to the ground when he's standing really close to you and facing you."

"But, isn't that what those different arm twists are for?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah, but it's always good to have a back up plan if he is faster than you and is able to grab your wrists."

Elizabeth nodded. Jason moved towards her and grabbed the front of her t-shirt. He was just to the side of her when he moved his whole leg beside her and kicked her foot forward so that she lost her balance and fell backwards. Jason held her shirt tightly so that she would land softly to the ground. "Like so," he motioned for Elizabeth to get up.

Tired and weary, Elizabeth grabbed his shirt and moved to kick his leg out from under him, but didn't have enough force and Jason just a little bit of balance and toppled sideways. He stood back up and shook his head. "You have to push as you kick from underneath them."

Jason showed Elizabeth, pushing her upper body forward as he kicked her leg from under her. Again she began to fall backwards, but her arms were quick to respond and she grasped his arms. As she steadied herself and adjusted the neckline of her t-shirt, Jason rolled his shoulders back in an attempt to loosen up a bit.

It was hard for him to allow Elizabeth to take him down. Every instinct in him told him to fight back, to counter her moves. "I'm ready," Elizabeth quipped.

"Okay, try it again. Push the upper body back, while you kick their legs forward."

Elizabeth moved towards him slowly and she tried the move with a little more force. It went better, Jason thought to himself as he fell to the floor a little awkwardly. "Let's try it again," he stated, popping back up.

They kept at it for about a half an hour before Elizabeth seemed to really gain confidence in the moves and herself.

"Oof!" Jason huffed. He was winded by that attempted. He sat up and took a moment to catch his breath. "That was a good one, Elizabeth."

He looked on her tired face and was pleased to see a smile. "Good," she quipped.

"Hey, why don't we call it a night. Are you hungry?" he asked.

Elizabeth's eyes went wide, "Are you kidding me? I'm starving!" she exclaimed.

Jason grabbed his towel from off the floor and wrapped it around his sweaty neck. "Well, why don't we shower and I'll take you out tonight? Or do you think you're too tired to go out?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, I'm not too tired to go out and eat. Especially when I don't have to eat another bowl of soup!" she laughed.

Jason motioned for her to head to the shower. "You go first. I'll wait. Besides, it'll take you longer to get ready anyway!" he teased.

"Oh! Really?" she glowered, punching him in the arm.

"Yeah, really," he laughed watching her head to the bathroom.