Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, the GH writers do. However, I do own this story and I would appreciate it if you didn't steal it.

Chapter 4

      Elizabeth tossed and turned unable to find a comfortable position to lie in. It had become a nightly ritual for her. Every night she fought to sleep and every night she lost the battle. There were so many things going on inside her head and they seemed to make their presence known whenever she was fixing to go to sleep.

      "Oh this is ridiculous." She said to the empty room before throwing off her covers and crawling out of the bed. Unwilling to bother Jason or Johnny she crept down stairs and went out on to the veranda.

      There was something about being outside that always seemed to calm her. Maybe it was the rippling water or the crickets chirping in the air. Either way it had a magical effect on her entire persona. It was funny how Jason had that same affect on her. All he had to do was smile one time and the entire world came to a halt.

      It had been that way since he'd first taken her for a ride on the back of his motorcycle. She had held on to him with all the strength she had and for the first time since the loss of her first love, she'd felt alive and free. It hadn't taken much, just a ride through the countryside on a night quite like the one she currently enjoying.

      Her heart still fluttered at the thought of wrapping her arms around him and being able to feel his heartbeat and every single move he made. With each turn on the road she felt him lean and she would lean with him. It was as if they were one person and there was nowhere else on earth they meant to be at except that one spot at that one precise moment.

      She sighed and rubbed her hands over her shoulders. It wasn't cold, but the night air had a coolness to it that seemed to refresh her tired body. She allowed herself a moment to just enjoy the light breeze before settling back into a lounge chair that had been positioned next to the spot where Johnny had taken his little tumble. That memory brought a smile to her face as she thought of how embarrassed he'd been.

      She closed her eyes and listened intently to the night sounds that surrounded her. It was the most peaceful she'd felt in a long time and that surprised her considering she was here because someone was trying to kill her. Yet, the only thing she felt was comfort, safety, and thankfulness at Jason's insistence on being the one to guard her.

      Before Elizabeth even knew what was even happening she was snoring softly and in a completely relaxed dream state, unaware of the one person who had been watching her intently for inside the living room. When he felt confident that she was asleep he walked out and knelt next her sleeping form.

      He slowly reached down and pushed a stray hair away from her face. She was so beautiful and this was the first chance he'd had to fully enjoy what he'd been missing for the past two months. Her soft, silky, skin that screamed out for him to touch her, the fullness of her lips that invited him to kiss them, and the way she carried herself that just drove him off the edge. She was perfections true form…almost.

      She had one flaw. A flaw that made her deceive and betray him with a man he'd never gotten along with. Something about that whole situation just didn't seem right to him. Maybe it was the way she constantly insisted that there was something she had to tell him or maybe it was the fact that truly deep down inside he wanted to believe her. He wanted to believe that what he'd seen that night wasn't because she was trying to betray him, but it was because she was trying to save him.

      He shook his head at the thought and leaned down towards her. Gently putting his arms beneath her, he lifted her up into his arms and carried her back inside the house. He sucked in a breath when he felt her nuzzle into his neck. Ok Jason don't drop her, just get her up to her room. He thought to himself while fighting to keep his composure.

      He carefully walked her up the stairs and into her room. From there it was pretty easy, he just lowered her softly down onto the bed and covered her with the floral comforter. When he moved a step back she opened her eyes slightly.

      "Jason." She whispered softly with a smile. "I love you."

      He started to say something, but judging by the slowness of her breathing he knew she was still asleep. He sighed and leaned down once more to kiss her gently on the forehead before leaving her alone and making his way to his bedroom.

      Once in his room, Jason peeled off his shirt and practically fell onto his bed. He cursed and stared up at the ceiling, wide-awake and alone. "Oh this night is going to be wonderful."

~*~*~*~*~*~

      The next morning Elizabeth awoke feel refreshed and completely rested. She slept, dreamt of Jason, and had been able to forget everything that had gone on her in life over the previous months. She couldn't believe how good she felt. Of course that was before she remembered the night before.

      "How did I get up here?" She whispered to herself. The last thing she remembered was being outside on the Veranda and sitting down on the lounge chair. "I must have fallen asleep." Her eyes widened when she realized it had either been Johnny or Jason that had brought her to bed last night. Of course she hoped is had been Jason.

     A small knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Relief quickly took over when she saw Jason standing there with a friendly look upon his face. He always knew how to make an entrance and the best thing was, he was just being himself. No false feelings, just Jason.

      "Am I correct in assuming that you are responsible for me waking up in my bed this morning instead of outside on the lounge chair?" Elizabeth asked, flashing her winning smile.

      "I didn't want you to get cold."

      "Well thank you for you concern. I didn't know I'd even been moved till this morning."

      Jason shrugged his shoulders. "It's not a big deal." He slowly put his hands in his pockets trying to give off a casual vibe and failing terribly.

      Elizabeth could tell something was off. "What's wrong Jason?"

      His eyes told her a lot. Something had happened and she wasn't going to like it. "I got a phone call from Sonny this morning. There's been an incident back in Port Charles and I have to go back there to take care of it."

      Elizabeth threw off her covers and was standing in front of him before he could do anything to stop her. "Then I'm going with you."

      "No, you're not. You're going to stay here with Johnny." When he saw the fire in her eyes ignite, he tried his best to extinguish it. "Elizabeth, I know you hate feeling helpless, but that's not what you would be doing if you stayed here. I need you to be safe right now and if I knew that you were here with Johnny I could concentrate on my job."

      Worry filled her eyes and she swallowed slowly. "Is this incident something that could hurt you?"

      "You don't need to think about that right now. I'll be fine."

      "That's not what I asked Jason and you know it. Could you get hurt?"

      His eyes softened and he placed her hand on her cheek. "Elizabeth, you know the answer to that question. Do you really need to hear me confirm it?"

      Her eyes began to glisten as her hand covered his. "Promise me you'll come back Jason."

      He gave her a comforting smile before pulling his hand away and taking a step back. "I promise to try. I should be back sometime tonight." He made a movement towards the door.

      "Jason, wait!" Elizabeth exclaimed before running towards him and wrapping her arms around his torso. His arms hesitantly wrapped around her tiny frame and he sighed at how right it felt to hold her in his arms again and have her reciprocate those feelings.

      "Elizabeth, I have to go." Jason said, fighting to keep his voice from cracking.

      She reluctantly loosened her grip and took a step back. "You'll be back tonight and I'll be waiting."

      He nodded his head and took a deep breath. "I'll see you tonight." He replied before stepping out the door and shutting it behind him.

      As soon as she was sure he was gone she allowed the emotions that were overwhelming her body to make their full presence known. Sobs racked through her body and she slumped onto her knees in the floor. She knew something bad was going to happen tonight and she was afraid that something involved Jason. "Oh please…please let him come home tonight."

~*~*~*~*~

      While Elizabeth was crying upstairs in her room, Jason was making his way to the running car sitting outside. He stopped when he heard the sobs coming from her room. It tore at his heart to hear her frightened cries and wished that someone else could take care of his business so that he could stay and keep her calm, but the reality was that he was the only one Sonny trusted enough to do the job.

      He shook his head and continued on his way down the stairs to the car. He made one final glance up at Elizabeth's room and was surprised to see her standing in the window with a grim look on her face. She kissed the tips of her fingers and place them on the glass in front of her, mouthing the words "I love you."

      He nodded towards her before climbing into the car. He had to be strong for her sake. He felt a little better as the car got on it's way and he knew that she was going to be alright while he was gone with Johnny watching over her.

      As he rode in the back of the car thoughts of her just kept running through his brain. For a reason he couldn't explain he was finding it harder and harder to believe Elizabeth had really betrayed him. His head told him to be careful and that it might really be true, but deep down in his heart he knew that there was no way the woman he loved was capable of such deceit. Either way, he was finally prepared to face it, and when he came back that night he was going to allow her to finally tell him everything she knew about that night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wheeee! This is getting to be kinda fun. One more to go.