And I wanna believe you
When you tell me it will be ok
Ya I try to believe you
But I don't

It was habit that had me looking up when the bell above the door rang. I could only hold my breath and hope it wasn't Jason. The downside to being the only waitress on tonight was that if he came in, I'd have no choice but to serve him. And he was coming in a lot lately.

Instead, it was the other brother. AJ and I had met briefly the day after I left the penthouse. But he was on his way to Skye's wedding, then out of town to Washington, D.C. But he'd promised me we could have a tête-à-tête when he returned. True to his word, he was here. "Hey," I greeted him. I gave him a weak smile, one he returned just as weakly. Both of us hated the reason we were meeting.

"How's it going?" AJ asked casually.

"It's going…"

"One of those days?" he asked.

When you say that it's gonna be ok
It always turns out to be a different way
I try to believe you
Not today, today, today

I nodded. Grabbing two cups and a pot of coffee I went to the table he'd chosen. It was slow tonight; only two of the tables were occupied. I knew it'd be okay if I sat with him for a while. "How was the trip?"

"I undid some of the damage my grandfather has done. And I got some of my money back." AJ reached for the cup of coffee I poured him and took a sip. "Now tell me, do I still have a wife to go home and share it with?"

"Jason was in here yesterday, and they spoke briefly." I looked away and sighed… it had hurt not talking to him. But slowly I was training myself to not smile when he entered the room, but it was hard. "I'm not really talking to either of them, so I'm not sure what's up."

"Have you spoken to him at all?"

"No. There's nothing left to say. I just… all that time when he was pushing me away, when I would lie awake at night and ache for him… I just can't believe…"

I don't know how I'll feel
tomorrow, tomorrow
I don't know what to say
Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day

AJ reached out and covered my hand with his. "Hey, it's okay. Jason's an idiot for treating you the way he did."

I couldn't help but smile at him. "Funny, he said the same thing about you the other night."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah… when I asked him if what you said was true, he said, 'AJ's an idiot.'"

"It's good to know how my brother really feels."

"I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings," I apologized immediately. I looked away from him again, suddenly remembering all of the times Jason had insulted him. I just couldn't believe it was the same man. Sure, AJ had made some mistakes and he had messed up more than once, but I could see that he was a good guy. And he was at least trying to make his marriage work. More than I could say about Jason at the moment.

"How many times have you seen them together?" he inquired.

"Uh…once before I was kidnapped, they were together on the docks. Then, there were just little moments, you know? I'd see them talking at Kelly's, or on the docks, or just anywhere. Or I'd find them hugging. It just never really clicked, you know. Because the entire time, Jason was kissing me and telling me we couldn't be together because of the danger. And I… I believed him." I had promised myself I wouldn't cry over him anymore. I didn't think I had the tears left in me, honestly. "I never expected this."

AJ reached over and pushed my hair out of my face. He lifted my chin and smiled warmly at me. "No matter what your mind is telling you, I know Courtney wasn't, nor has she ever, had any kind of interest in Jason. She and I might not have had the best start, but my wife loves me… I believe her when she tells me that."

I sniffed, in spite of myself, and looked up at him. "If it's not her, it's someone else. Jason's been seeing someone. Someone put lipstick on his neck… he spends time with someone every night. He certainly wasn't coming home to me."

"You love him very much, don't you?"

I nodded. "More than I ever thought possible. After Lucky–"

"Are you sure your problems are with my brother, or are they with your past?" His tone was soft, and I know he wasn't trying to hurt me… he was just trying to be fair, I think.

And I didn't know the answer to his question. I knew I was over Lucky, but I wasn't sure that he didn't still have a hold on me. On my heart…on my mind. On my trust. He'd been very important to me, and finding him with Sarah had destroyed something inside. "I see your point," I finally conceded.

"Don't cut him off, completely," he urged me. "Jason has been different this time around… he's been less cold towards me. Sometimes I even see flashes of the brother I rammed into a tree."

Now it was my turn to ask the same question. "You love him very much, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

I knew it was true, because his voice broke while he was saying it. It was my turn to reach out and cover his hand to comfort him.

And then the bell above the door chimed again. I looked up and felt my heart jump into my throat. Jason.

It's always been up to you
It's turning around it's up to me
I'm gonna do what I have to do
Just don't
Give me a little time
Leave me alone a little while
Maybe it's not to late
Not today, today, today

His gaze wasn't on me, but on my hand covering AJ's on the table. Immediately, I jerked it back, but I knew it was too late. He was already coming over to us.

Those intense blue eyes didn't look at me, but through me. He looked tired; like he hadn't slept in days. His face had a two-day shadow from not shaving. And I could tell he hadn't changed clothes from the day before. He must have been out riding all night again. I couldn't hold his gaze, so I looked away immediately.

Instead, it was AJ who spoke. "Hey bro…" His voice was kind of shaky, and I knew he was worried about what Jason must be thinking.

"Don't you need to get home to your wife?" Jason's eyes never left me.

"He's right," I spoke up, but never looked at Jason. "I have to get back to work, anyway."

"I need to talk to you." His voice was gruff, cracked with emotion.

I don't know how I'll feel
Tomorrow, tomorrow
I don't know what to say
Tomorrow is a different day

"Can't," I replied shortly, still not looking at him, "We're closing. Is there anything you need before you go?"

"Elizabeth…" Jason sighed.

AJ looked between his brother and me one more time before he silently rose. He leaned over and kissed my cheek and gave me a half-smile. "If you need anything, or just to talk, you know my number. Don't be afraid to call."

"Thanks AJ," I called after him. The door slammed shut and Jason and I were alone in the diner. The other two tables had cleared out before he came in. "Did you need something?"

"I told you…" he began.

"And I told you," I interrupted, my voice sharp, "that I can't. So unless you have a call in, or you want to place an order real quick, we're closed."

Jason reached out to push my hair out of my face, but I stepped out of his grasp. "Don't touch me," I hissed. "You need to leave."

"Elizabeth–"

"Leave," I ordered.

Hey yeah yeah
hey yeah yeah
and I know I'm not reading
hey yeah yeah
hey yeah yeah
maybe tomorrow

Instead of leaving, Jason went to the counter and sat down. "I know you don't want to listen to me, but I'm going to talk anyway." He turned to watch me as I began to gather dishes into a pan. "Will you please sit down?"

"I need to get home. I don't like being out on the docks by myself late at night."

"I'll make sure you get home."

"No thanks," I snapped, "I'll take my chances in the dark."

"So you'd rather something bad happen to you than take my help?" he asked. "Elizabeth you know Courtney was almost mugged–"

"I don't care," I ground out through clenched teeth. I dropped the pan of dishes on the closest table and went to face him. "I could care less, Jason. I would rather eat rusty nails and walk over broken glass than take help from you at the moment."

Jason cocked his head to the side and I could see the hurt in his eyes. It broke my heart. "So you really hate me that much?"

"Problem is… I don't hate you at all." Turning away from him quickly, I grabbed the pan of dishes and went into the kitchen. As I started the water and added soap, I prayed he wouldn't be in there when I went back. But he was.

"I'm not leaving until you talk to me," he warned. And I knew he'd stay forever, if he had to. That was just the kind of person Jason was.

"We're closed," I told him again. "You're trespassing. Do you want me to give Taggert a reason to haul you downtown?"

"You have to talk to me sometime," he pleaded.

I looked up at him, and I knew my eyes were wide with emotion. The thing with Jason was that he could always see what I was feeling, no matter how much I tried to hide it. After a while, I had just stopped trying. "Sometime… but not now. I can't do this with you right now, Jason. Please…" I asked him. "Please, just go."

Jason closed his eyes and swallowed. "I don't wanna go home," he whispered. "The penthouse is so empty… it's so quiet. I miss having you there. I miss running into you in the hall, or you being on the couch waiting when I get home. Somehow, somewhere along the way, I started to need you, Elizabeth. Please come home. Come back to me," he pleaded.

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

"What does it matter?" I asked. "What does it really matter if I can't or if I won't? In the end, it all means the same thing."

"I'm sorry I hurt you. I never meant to."

And I want to believe you
when you tell me that it will
be okay, I try to believe you
not today, today, today

I looked away from him and blinked back tears. At the moment, he reminded me of a little boy who had just broken his mothers favorite lamp. His eyes were wide, pleading with me to forgive him… to just come home with him. To him. I swallowed, and looked back. "I know."

Taking a chance, Jason reached up to cup my cheek. I leaned into his touch for a moment, before pulling away. "You have to go," I told him again. "I have to finish closing… and you have to go."

"I won't give up on you," he swore.

"Maybe you should," I answered him.

"No… I'll be back tomorrow… and the day after, and the day after," he promised. Jason moved away from me, towards the door. He stopped and looked back, not looking like that little boy anymore. "You're everything to me, Elizabeth. I won't give up on you, as long as you don't give up on me."

And then he was gone… out the door, and I left myself to wonder if he'd really been there, or if it was just a conversation I'd had with myself.

As I went to lock the door and change the side, I heard the rumble of his motorcycle as it sped away and I knew he'd been there. "I'll never give up on you," I whispered into the night.

hey yeah yeah
hey yeah yeah
and I know I'm not ready
hey yeah yeah
hey yeah yeah
maybe tomorrow

Song Credit: Tomorrow, Avril Lavigne