Chapter Sixty Two
Jason didn't like to dance. He was never good at it, he didn't think. As Elizabeth brought him out onto the dance floor, he didn't know exactly what he should do. Dancing required coordination, which he had; it required rhythm, which he thought he had; but in the end, Jason imagined that he looked stiff and like a robot. How many times had AJ or anyone else called him that?
"Jason?" Elizabeth waved her hand in front of him. "Are you going to dance with me or what?"
He pushed the earlier thoughts and doubts out of his head. Jason wouldn't be extremely good at it, but he couldn't be any worse than half the other dancers in the club. It was a fast hip-hop beat, which Jason didn't like listening to, in fact, he hardly listened to music. He was always on the job and didn't have time for frivolities like music.
Jason watched Elizabeth move in time with the music. Her slender body moved from side to side, her arms raised and eyes closed. He smiled at the picture. Jason had never seen her dance like this.
Suddenly Elizabeth looked up at him and made a funny face. "What? Am I a horrible dancer?" she yelled as she leaned closely to him.
Jason shook his head. "You're nothing close to horrible, " he replied.
Unexpectedly the music changed as quickly as the last beat of the song to a slow, almost jazz-flavored rhythm. Jason much preferred the slow songs to the upbeat ones. "Can I have this dance?" he asked, bowing like in the old movies.
Elizabeth smiled. "Of course."
Jason wrapped his arms around her waist as her hands rested on his chest. Her hair smelled of rose petals with a slight hint of a morning mist. Elizabeth pulled away slightly so that she could see his face. "Thanks for taking me out Jason."
He nodded. "I'm glad you came. I probably would have just said hello to Carly and left," Jason explained. "But I'm glad I could give you that dance we missed."
The memory of Elizabeth in her gown, slowly descending down the staircase, was etched in Jason's mind. "You look great tonight," he complimented Elizabeth nervously.
Elizabeth smiled, the blood rushed to her face, causing a rosy glow within her cheeks. She didn't reply, but instead, rested her forehead against his chest. Jason pulled her closer to him and closed his eyes, hoping it would last forever.
Then as Jason felt Elizabeth pulling away, he realized the music had changed to a faster beat again. Elizabeth smiled up at him and with his hand in hers, pulled him down so that she could talk to him above the music. "I'm kind of tired of dancing. Do you want to go for a ride?"
Jason smiled. He was glad Elizabeth wanted to leave this crowded room of people. Jason nodded and scanned the crowd for the owner of the popular club. He spotted her by the door. "Let's go!" he yelled.
He maneuvered through the crowd of dancers to the entrance of the club. Carly smiled and grabbed his hand. "Having fun? Isn't it great?" she asked excitedly.
Jason nodded. "Yeah. Look Elizabeth and I are going to leave now." He tugged on Elizabeth's hand until she stood beside him.
Carly rolled her eyes. "Why is it getting past your bedtime Lizzie?"
Jason looked at her seriously, both knowing that he was telling her to back off. "You're doing great Carly. It's good," he reassured her.
Carly fixed her gaze on Jason. "You really like it?"
Jason nodded. "I'm not exactly a regular to these clubs, but from what I can see, you're doing an amazing job."
The words of confidence and reassurance Carly received from her best friend made her blush. "Well, have a good night!" Carly said accepting the early departure. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Jason looked over at Elizabeth who seemed to bite back an easy retort. He led her to his bike and handed her the helmet. "So where to?" he asked knowingly.
"The cliff roads of course!" Elizabeth laughed as she slipped the helmet over her head.
~~~
When Jaime finished her shift, she was still shaken from her encounter with Rosco. It was making her jumpy at the slightest noise and she had this eerie feeling that she was being watched. She made her way down the docks and was heading back to Kelly's. Jaime was tired and confused at the evening's events.
He wanted an answer from her.
She didn't know what he meant. Or did she? Jaime slowly made her way over the bench that overlooked the docks. Did he come back for her?
The whole situation was a nightmare. She didn't want any of this. More importantly, Jaime didn't know what she wanted. How was she supposed to know what her feelings for Rosco were?
Jaime let out a yell of frustration. This was much too complicated and confusing than she'd ever dreamed it would be. "What am I supposed to do?" she yelled into the night air. "I don't know what you want!"
The heavenly hosts sparkled in the constancy, their ruling master appearing in the ebony sky half hidden. Jaime stared at the sky for what seemed like hours. Her thoughts were running around, and her heart racing from the anxiety of it all.
She couldn't possibly fall for Rosco, could she?
~~~
Elizabeth loved the feeling of adrenaline rushing through her body. It made everything seem more real, more vibrant. Jason's dangerous style of navigating the cliff roads always excited her and set her free from the conventions of Port Charles' idea of 'Elizabeth Webber'.
"Do we have to go back?" Elizabeth had pouted as Jason had handed her the helmet she had worn.
They had only been up at the end of the cliff road for a few minutes, conversing about nothing and about everything. Jason had suddenly received a call on his cell phone and told her that they had to leave. Elizabeth had been somewhat disappointed.
"Please, just a few more minutes here?"
Jason smiled and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Sonny said something's up and I have to get back," he apologized.
Elizabeth looked wryly at Jason. "If we go, next time I get to drive!" she offered.
Jason looked at her smirked. "You know you can't handle this bike!"
Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest and tapped her right foot. "Jason Morgan, you know I can drive it! You've let me do it before!"
"And I seem to remember having to take control after a mile or two," he teased.
She rolled her eyes. "Details, details. You still let me steer!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
Jason straddled the black motorcycle and motioned for her to get on the back. "Come on!" he coaxed. "I'll give you a maybe on the driving."
Elizabeth pursed her lips and pretended to weigh her options. "All right," she huffed. "But you'd better really think about it!" With that, Elizabeth hopped onto the back of the bike, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
Jason pressed down on the starter and the motorcycle roared to life. "Are you ready?"
Elizabeth nodded with the heavy helmet on her head.
~ * ~
Elizabeth walked toward the stairs to the docks as she headed towards her studio. Jason followed behind her to make sure she got safely home. "You know you're going to have to let me drive sometime!" Elizabeth teased.
Suddenly she felt Jason pull her back as they almost rounded the corner. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at Jason, wondering why he stopped her. "What is…"
Jason put his finger to his lips signaling for her to be quiet. He pointed down to the docks, where Elizabeth saw Jaime sitting on the bench. "Why are we stopping?" she whispered perplexed. "It's just Jaime!"
Elizabeth followed Jason's finger as he pointed to a shadow in the corner of their line of vision. "There's someone there with her," he whispered.
"So?" Elizabeth shrugged. "It's not like it's Rosco or anything."
Elizabeth waited for Jason's confirmation, but received none. "You think it's Rosco?" she choked.
When she tried to peer around the corner and maybe catch a glimpse of the stranger, Jason pulled her back. "I need you to go to Bobby's and stay there," he instructed.
Elizabeth furrowed her brow and shook her head vehemently. "No!" she whispered intensely. "I'm not leaving you here with Rosco. You could get shot!"
Jason took her by the shoulders and looked at her gravely. "You have to listen to me. I don't want you to get caught in the middle," he warned. "It's bad enough that Jaime's there with him in the first place, if it is him, but I don't want you to get hurt. Now go!"
Elizabeth felt Jason push her in the direction of Brownstone. She stopped and pointed her finger at him menacingly. "Don't you dare get hurt Jason, or I'll…"
Elizabeth couldn't finish her thought. A wave of apprehension flowed over her as Elizabeth watched Jason make his way down the stairs.
~~~
Rosco didn't mean to bump into Jaime on the docks. He'd planned on meeting his men there to discuss further plans. As he approached the docks from Kelly's, Rosco saw Jaime hunched over on the bench mumbling to herself.
"Thinking about me?" he whispered in a deep voice.
He loved teasing her and seeing her flustered. But this time her reaction wasn't the norm. When she raised her head to meet his gaze, there were tears streaming down her cheeks. It unsettled him.
She remained quiet and distant, caught up in her own thoughts. However her demeanor changed when he approached her. Her body stiffened as he walked towards her. She stood up slowly, seemingly ready to bolt at the first sign of contact. "What do you want?" Jaime choked. "Can't you just leave me alone?"
Rosco took a deep breath. He didn't expect this sort of reaction from her. She seemed so strong willed and defiant. However, the image of her sobbing in his arms after the 'attack' haunted him at that moment. "I'm sorry," he apologized sincerely.
He didn't know where it had come from, but the words just slipped out of his mouth. His gaze lingered on her lips, which were red from chewing on them. Rosco had noticed whenever she had something on her mind; Jaime would chew on her bottom lip.
"You know my father's in town?" she said nervously.
He didn't know whether she was warning him or threatening him. Rosco nodded. "I know," he answered solemnly. "I just wanted to know…"
Suddenly the sound of rushed footsteps came up from behind him and as he looked up, Rosco saw Nam standing behind his daughter. He studied Jaime, debating whether this had been all a trap. She looked as bewildered and shocked as he felt.
Nam's men pushed him from behind. The solid circular point that jabbed into the small of his back confirmed that they were armed. He walked towards Jaime and Nam. Just when Rosco was a couple of feet from Jaime, Nam put up his hand and one of his guards put his hand on Rosco's shoulder and stopped him from going any further.
"I told you I would find you Rosco." Nam smirked. "I thought you were clever, running while you had the chance. In fact I thought maybe I would never find you." His beady eyes were locked on Rosco's.
Rosco stood up to the full extent of his height, a look of disdain on his face. He couldn't believe he had been so careless. As he glanced over at Jaime who seemed to still be in shock, Rosco knew deep down why he'd been so careless. He couldn't stay away from her.
"So you're going to kill me in front of your daughter?" he asked defiantly.
Lee Nam laughed maniacally. "Of course not. I have a suitable place to talk with you alone. We have a lot to sort out before we settle unfinished business."
Jaime suddenly awakened from her dream like state. "No. You're not," she scowled at her father.
Rosco hadn't expected it, and had to stifle a smirk that was forming on his lips. She really had a fire in her. He didn't know what she saw in him, if she saw anything. Nothing had spoken about - not their kisses, or their feelings, nothing.
"Jaime, stay out of this. We'll handle it from here," Nam warned.
She shook her head. "You're not doing anything. And if you even try to hurt him I will scream bloody murder!"
Nam looked at his daughter curiously and then laughed. "You really don't know what you're talking about Jaime. Lien, take her out of here," commanded Nam.
A large Asian man in his 30's stepped up behind her and grabbed her elbow. Jaime pulled away and hit the man. "Don't you ever do that again!" Jaime threatened.
Rosco would have been quite entertained if his life weren't hanging by a thread at this point. "Jaime, you should stay out of it," he heard himself say.
Jaime turned around laughed. "What? You want to get killed?" she asked incredulously. "Well in that case…" Jaime stepped aside.
Rosco sighed at her sarcasm. "Well I certainly don't need you to defend me," he growled.
Just then Nam's men behind him pushed him forward, away from the narrow dock. "What do you want Mr. Nam?" one of the lackey's asked the older man.
"He wants you to let him go," Jaime jumped in and extracted Rosco from the armed men's grasp. In response, the men pushed her aside. But as she stumbled backwards, she tripped on a loose board and fell back.
~~~
"Are you okay?" Jason called, bounding down the stairs just as Jaime hit the ground.
Lee's men turned their attention to the blonde stranger in a leather jacket, guns aimed at him. Jason slowed down his pace and kept his hands in the air. When he finally got to Jaime, Jason knelt down beside her and helped her up.
Jaime looked up at Jason fearfully. "You've got to get him out of this Jason," hissed Jaime. "I don't want him killed."
Jason nodded. "I know," he whispered into her ear as they embraced.
As he surveyed the situation, Jason noted the two men on his right and one large man on his left, standing behind Mr. Nam. All were armed and seemed adept at using their weapons. Rosco was in the middle, between Jaime and Nam.
Jason couldn't strategize a plan that would enable him to extract Rosco without gunfire. Tentatively, Jason moved towards Rosco. Nam stared intently at him. "And what are you doing here Mr. Morgan?"
Jason swallowed. "I saw Jaime down here and it looked like she needed a bit of help." He glanced back at Jaime who seemed alert and ready to move.
"Well I've got it well under control as you can see," Nam replied politely. "I think you can take Jaime and leave now. I've got what I want."
Jason looked over at Rosco. The man made his skin crawl. Jaime came up from behind him and grasped his left hand. "If you're going to do something Jason," she said through gritted teeth and a smile. "You'd better do it now!"
The lyrical tune she spoke conveyed her anxiousness. He smiled and nodded. "Just hang on," he whispered.
Unexpectedly Jason felt Jaime raise the back of his leather jacket and rest her hand on his waist. She fumbled around, while Jason tried to keep Nam's attention on someone else than his daughter. "Do I get a chance at him?" Jason asked casually. "I did happen to find Jaime. He and I have a few things to settle too."
Nam looked sternly at Jason. "I'm sorry Mr. Morgan. But that's just impossible. I have a schedule to keep."
Jason felt the hard heavy piece of metal in the waist of his jeans lift up from its home and slip into his hand, which formerly held Jaime's hand. Jaime pressed up beside him to hide the weapon. He glanced down at Jaime who seemed to have her own plan forming in her mind and intent on pulling it off.
As if in slow motion, suddenly Jaime's eyebrows rose as if a signal, and she lunged forward at the two gunmen behind Rosco, pushing behind towards Jason. Rosco made his way up the stairs as Jason saw the large man in the corner of his eye un-holster his gun and point it at Rosco, who stopped in his tracks. Jason dropped to his knee and taking aim shot the man's hand, making him drop the weapon.
Jaime had taken one of the gunmen out, standing over him and kicking the gun out of his grasp. Meanwhile Jason put the safety on his gun and placed it back in the waistband of his jeans. And just as the other gunman was about to grab Jaime, Jason kneed him in the stomach and disarmed the man, throwing the gun into the water.
"That is enough!" Mr. Nam yelled, catching the attention of all the participants.
Jason looked up and saw Mr. Nam with his arm raised, a gun pointed at the sweating Rosco. Jaime moved towards the stairs. "Don't do it," Jaime pleaded. "Please Daddy."
Mr. Nam's face seemed to soften at the words. "I'm sorry Jaime. He's hurt you too much and he'll do it again. Why do you think he is here?"
Jaime shook her head, moving towards her father. "Daddy, you don't have to do this for me. He's not going to hurt me. I promise."
Rosco nodded his head wearily. "I'll leave town," he said out loud.
Nam looked at Rosco and then his daughter. "I…"
Suddenly the large brute Jason had shot stood up with his gun in hand. "You don't have to do this Mr. Nam. I'll take care of it."
Mr. Nam turned and looked over at his bodyguard. "Wait Lien," he commanded, lowering his gun.
"He could have his men coming sir," Lien warned.
Jaime looked over at Jason wide-eyed. 'Help', she mouthed.
Jason lunged at Lien, hoping he'd get there before his finger pulled the trigger. Jaime ran backward towards Rosco, trying to push him out of the line of fire and Mr. Nam could only watch in horror as the gunshot rang in the cool evening air.
"Jaime?" Mr. Nam called in terror as he rushed to her side.
She was slumped over Rosco, who also was lying on the ground stunned. Mr. Nam approached his daughter in shock. And as he arrived, Rosco sat up and cradled her limp body; her cream-colored blouse wetted with blood.
~~~
The short burst sounded through the night air before Elizabeth had made it to the Brownstone. Elizabeth stopped in her tracks, knowing in her gut that it had been gunfire. Swallowing hard, she ran back to the docks and stopped mid-stride as she found men's bodies strewn across the dock.
To her left, she found Jason struggling with a large Asian man, and to her far right, there were two men lying on the dock, who seemed to be unconscious. She wanted to cry out Jason's name, but nothing would come out.
Elizabeth watched Jason finally knock out the large man he was wrestling with, with an upper cut. She was about to race down the stairs to get to Jason when Elizabeth found a large man holding a petite figure in his arms. Elizabeth was shocked to find Mr. Nam kneeling before the two.
As Elizabeth pressed her body against the building wall, she made her way down the stairs, trying her best not to step on the man holding the small figure. Suddenly she frowned. Where was Jaime?
Her eyes widened and her heart caught in her throat. As she passed the man, Elizabeth peered down to see the doll-like figure, cradled in the man's arms. "Oh please no," gasped Elizabeth, unable to look at her face.
Jason hurried over to join the small crowd. Elizabeth glanced up at him, who had a pained look in his face. "Jaime," he whispered.
Then Elizabeth knew it was Jaime lying in that man's arms; covered in a river of crimson.