Chapter 19

The mid-afternoon sun was blazing in the sky by the time Elizabeth made her

way out of the saloon. Despite the straw hat she wore, Elizabeth had to

squint her eyes as she looked up and down the busy main street of Heaven.

As it was usual for the middle of the afternoon, a parade of buggies,

horses, and folks passed by the saloon. She was relieved very few folks

seemed to take notice of her. Perhaps people were already beginning to

forget...

"Can you ride on your own Elizabeth?"

The sound of Jason's voice made her turn around in front of the saloon

doors. Confused by his question, she apologised shyly, "I'm sorry, Jason.

Can you repeat what you just said?"

Under the rim of his hat, Jason's unnerving eyes met her wide ones. "It'll

take longer if we take the wagon than if we ride horseback. If you can

ride, you can take Carly's mare, until we get you one of your own from the

livery."

"Yes, I can ride..." Elizabeth began softly as she clutched the basket of

food in her hands. "But we picked up my bicycle from the farm...I can ride

that."

The mention of her visit to her grandmother's farm wasn't lost on Jason, but

he let it go without comment as he shook his head. "In town or on trails,

that bicycle is fine but you'll need a horse when we go places that don't

have trails. Where we're going, there's not many trails yet."

Exactly where were they going? Her curiosity was screaming at her,

but she was not quite brave enough to ask the man before her. So she tried

to concentrate on the other matter at hand. The horse...while she wasn't as

comfortable on a horse as she was on her bicycle, she remembered a number of

times when riding her bicycle was almost slower than walking because of the

rough terrain. "Alright, Jason." She glanced at the horses tied to the

wooden rail and asked, "Which one is Carly's mare?"

"This one." Jason untied the reigns to a beautiful cream coloured mare with

a golden mane and led it away from the other horses. Looking towards

Elizabeth, he held out his hand to her. "I'll help you mount."

Elizabeth walked hesitantly in his direction, but ignored his hand.

Instead, she walked up to the horse, and gently placed her hand on the side

of its head. "Hello..." She glanced at Jason and asked softly, "What's her

name?"

A little taken aback by Elizabeth's actions, Jason answered curtly, "Nelly."

He watched as a slow smile spread over the girl's face as she whispered,

"Hello, Nelly. You're quite the beauty, aren't you?" The animal turned its

head into Elizabeth's hand until it could lick her hand in acknowledgement.

A small giggle escaped Elizabeth but it quickly died as her eyes fell on

Jason.

While she would never describe the imposing man before her as soft, a moment

ago his face had by no means been the granite that it was now. How did he

do that? Not one single emotion could be deciphered from his face...no, as an

uneasy Elizabeth looked into his turbulent blue eyes which were staring over

her shoulder, she could see there was emotion there. She just couldn't

quite name it...

Turning around slowly, Elizabeth saw that the crowd of people and buggies on

the street had somehow parted to line the street on either side to allow two

black coaches to slowly make their way down the street. As the front coach

made its way by, she recognised the two occupants all decked in black.

Beneath the black hat the woman was wearing, she looked dreadfully pale as

her eyes widened. She turned her head to speak to her husband, and a moment

later he too was looking out the window. Elizabeth noticed how their

glances switched between Jason and herself. And she had no idea how to

acknowledge her new in-laws. Oh dear, wasn't it terribly rude of her to

simply stand here like this staring at them? But Jason's rigid form

indicated he was not about to make a movement towards them.

She was still in an awkward state of indecision when Jason said tightly, "We

better get going." And as she was completely unsure of what to do, she

slowly took his hand and allowed him to help her onto the saddle. Despite

the fact she was quite aware of all the eyes on them, Elizabeth couldn't

help but notice how warm his hands were on her waist, and how easily he

lifted her onto the horse. And when she was safely seated, it took her a

moment to realise he was once again holding out his hand. Following his

gaze to the basket in her hands, she realised he was waiting for her to hand

it to him. She quickly passed it over, and Jason tied the basket of food to

the back of the saddle.

As she took hold of the reins, Elizabeth's attention was once again caught

by the black coaches. The second coach approaching them held an elegant

elderly lady decked in widow's black. Lila Quartermaine. Elizabeth had

seen the woman in town on a number of occasions but she knew very little

about the matriarch of the Quartermaine clan. But from what she had heard

Lila Quartermaine was a wonderful woman with a warm heart, and as the lady's

eyes through a thin veil of black met Elizabeth's, the girl had the

strangest feeling of kinship.

"Please halt, George."

As the coach came to a stop, Elizabeth glanced at Jason, who was in the

process of untying his horse from the railing and mounting. He turned

around at the sound of his grandmother's voice.

"Grandmother, the service is to start at two-"

Elizabeth hadn't noticed until the moment the coach door opened that AJ

Quartermaine occupied the seat beside his grandmother. The elderly lady

descended from the coach, shaking off her grandson's hand on her arm.

"Really, AJ, it will certainly not start without us." She raised the black

lace from her face to look up at Elizabeth. "Besides, I do believe I should

at least introduce myself to Jason's lovely bride. You are Elizabeth, are

you not, my dear?"

Blushing, Elizabeth nodded her head slowly. "Yes." Then realising she was

still rudely seated, she made to dismount, when Lila shook her head and said

firmly. "There is no need to dismount, my dear. We will be on our way

soon." She smiled up kindly at the shy young woman. So this was Jason's

Elizabeth. She was lovely...but so young. Lila hoped she would be able to

handle being married into the Quartermaine clan. But as the old woman

thought of all she had heard of the girl, she had the suspicion everything

would work out. From her actions on Jason's behalf, the young lady showed

she had honour and loyalty. That was something that the Quartermaines

needed...and even more importantly that was something that Jason needed in his

life. "I am Jason's grandmother, Lila."

Righting herself on her seat, Elizabeth replied softly, "It is a pleasure to

meet you, Mrs. Quartermaine."

"Please call me Lila, my dear. Welcome to our family." An elegant wrinkled

hand reached up to gently pat the younger hands tightly clenching the reins.

As crystal blue eyes caught sight of the golden band on the girl's hand,

small laugh lines crinkled around the elderly lady's eyes.

For some strange reason, the warm words of kindness brought the beginnings

of tears to Elizabeth's eyes. She blinked away the wetness, as she said,

"Thank you...Lila."

Keeping her hand on the girl's, Lila turned toward her youngest grandson who

had made his way toward her. "I was happy to read the wedding was so

beautiful, Jason. Miss Davis certainly knows how to pen an event. I will

save the article for your sister. She will be anxious to read it once she

arrives, but I am sure she will be eager to get all the details from you and

Elizabeth."

"Emily is coming to Heaven?" Jason asked. The last he'd heard, Emily was

still in New York at finishing school.

"Yes. She insisted on coming home after we sent her a telegram about

Edward. And you know your sister, Jason. Once she sets her mind on

something...She indicated she is also quite anxious to see you again."

Jason nodded. While he had kept in contact with her, he hadn't seen his

sister in years...since he'd left Heaven. It would be good to see her again.

Lila glanced down at the gold band on Jason's hand and then at its match on

Elizabeth's. "I am pleased the bands fit so well."

Elizabeth noted the softening of Jason's eyes as he replied, "Yes, thank

you, again, Lila." And unlike the other day when he spoke to his brother

and father, there was no anger in his voice. In fact, it was a gentle tone

she had never heard him use before.

"Grandmother, we really must be going. I'm sure Jason will understand that

while he seems to be off on an outing with his...uh...wife...some of us wish to

pay our last respects to Grandfather."

Elizabeth's eyes flew towards AJ who was leaning out the open coach door.

The irritation in his eyes was unmistakable. She nervously glanced back

toward Jason, and saw his face was once again stone.

Lila gave her oldest grandson a look of disapproval, and then turned

understanding eyes toward Jason. "I hope you have a lovely outing with your

wife, Jason." She lifted her hand from Elizabeth's, and placing her palm on

his cheek, she said softly, "Life must go on..." She paused before

continuing, "But indeed we should be going."

The look of grief that passed over the lady's face made her look every one

of her seventy years. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to embrace the

woman, and as if sharing her thoughts, Jason leaned down to place a gentle

kiss on Lila's cheek. The great woman smiled lovingly at her grandson

before turning toward Elizabeth. "It was a pleasure meeting you, my dear.

I look forward to becoming better acquainted with you."

Elizabeth responded softly, "As do I, Mrs. Quar-Lila." She paused before

continuing with sad eyes, "I am so terribly sorry for your loss."

Something in the girl's dark blue eyes made Lila believe that Elizabeth was

acquainted with loss...poor dear. There was an aura of loneliness about the

shy girl...she must not have had an easy life with that Audrey Hardy. But

Lila had a feeling there were hidden depths to this girl...perhaps if the

fates were kind, Jason could help her discover them. "Thank you,

Elizabeth." Lila turned to Jason and squeezed his hand. "I will see you

tomorrow, Jason." Her voice dropped as she said, "Please come by at noon,

my dear. I will have spoken to everyone by then."

At Jason's nod, the elderly lady pulled the black lace down over her face,

and headed back to the coach. The driver assisted her back inside, and soon

the coach departed following the other coach toward the church cemetery.

Elizabeth's attention was so caught up in watching the coaches depart, she

didn't realise Jason had mounted his horse, until he called out. "We should

go Elizabeth."

She guided her horse toward his direction, and nodded her agreement. But as

she followed Jason out of the town, thoughts of the Quartermaines ran

through her mind. How could one family consist of such different

individuals? Lila seemed so kind, whereas the other Quartermaines seemed

so...cold and angry. And she had to admit she found it strange that Jason was

not attending his own grandfather's funeral. Did he hate the man that much?

What had happened to cause such a rift between Jason and his family? And

why were they keeping Rebecca away from him? As she urged Nelly to match

the other horse's speed, Elizabeth had the feeling that finding the answers

to all those questions would go a long way in understanding the man who was

now her husband.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

They rode in silence for a long stretch before they passed the Quartermaine

apple orchards. And for the first time in days Elizabeth thought of the

pond and the sketches she kept hidden there. She found she missed the

comfort of being able to simply draw...and now she had so many things...and

people...she wanted to sketch. Perhaps she could find some time alone to go

to the pond...

All thoughts of drawing were pushed out of her head as she realised they

were heading past Quartermaine land towards the river. Through all the

years she had lived at the farm, she had never been this far past

Quartermaine land. She saw how the grass was a richer green as they neared

the river. Thick bushes lined the bank, and it took Elizabeth a moment

before she could make out the small wooden bridge crossing a narrow section

of the river.

She urged Nelly to follow Jason's horse as it made its way across the

bridge. They rode a short distance more up a small hill before Jason

finally reined in his horse. "We'll stop here."

As she pulled gently on the reins to slow Nelly, Elizabeth looked at Jason

to find him tense as he looked down the hillside. Curious to see what had

captured his attention, she followed Jason's gaze...

There a little distance away from the bottom of the hillside was a farm, but

its fenced areas, and large barn appeared to be completely empty. As her

eyes moved over the abandoned area, it finally came to rest on a large three

story dark wooden structure. While she had never seen the place before, a

strange feeling of familiarity passed through her...

Jason carefully watched Elizabeth's face as she looked over the farm. He

hadn't been here with someone since...shaking off the thought, he waited for

her reaction. But as she continued to take in the land before her, he

wondered what was going through her mind. He had no doubt she was curious

about why they were there. Jason had to admit he wasn't quite sure

himself...could he really be considering settling down here?

Feeling Jason's gaze on her, Elizabeth asked with eyes still on the grand

house, "What is this place, Jason?"

"It could be where we live, if you want it to be."

Elizabeth's blue eyes widened as they flew to his face. "What? Live here?

But how can..."

"I own this land." He urged his horse to make its way down the slope of the

hill.

"Oh..." Elizabeth exclaimed softly as she followed him. As they moved closer

to the farm, she could now see clearly it was somewhat run-down from lack of

care. The fences needed repairing, and the barn obviously needed

repainting. The small garden in front of the house was now overgrown with

weeds.

Just as they reached the outside fencing, Jason halted his horse and

dismounted. He waited for Elizabeth to slow down Nelly, before offering her

his hand, and helping her down. As his arms went around her waist to set

her down to the ground, he became aware of just how tiny Elizabeth was. She

weighed next to nothing, and even with that straw bonnet on, she barely

reached his shoulder. It was hard to believe this girl was actually his

wife.

As his hands remained on her waist, Elizabeth was having a hard time

breathing and was all too aware of the rapid galloping of her heart. What

was the matter with her? The image of her waking up that morning next to

him in his bed flew through her head...she remembered the same feeling

of nervousness...and also this strange sensation of warmth. Blushing, she

took a nervous step backwards.

At her rapid movement, Jason realised he still had his hands on her waist,

and quickly withdrew them. He cleared his throat and not quite looking at

her, he suggested, "Why don't you have a look around, Elizabeth, and see if

you like the place."

Still flushed, Elizabeth blinked in surprise. "You want me to just...just

look around by myself?"

"Yes," he answered shortly, "I want to know if you think this would be a

good place for us to bring Rebecca."

For a moment Elizabeth just stared at him. He couldn't just expect her to

make this kind of decision for them, could he? She asked hesitantly, "Are

you saying that if I say we should live here, we will?"

Jason turned to look at her. "Yes. Is there something wrong, Elizabeth?"

She swallowed hard before beginning, "I-I don't even know what you think..."

"As I said, it's up to you. If you want to live here, we will."

Shaking her head, Elizabeth protested, "But, I don't know anything about

picking a place to live."

He looked at her for a moment in consideration before he said, "You don't

need to know anything, Elizabeth. You just have to tell me how you feel.

Does it feel like a place where you can live?"

Elizabeth looked around the farm, and slowly in her mind's eye she could

picture what the place would look like with some loving care. The barn with

it's peeling dark brown paint could be painted a fresh bright red. And with

some mending the fences could house all sorts of animals...why perhaps Burt

could come and live here! A small smile played on her lips at the wonderful

thought. Her blue eyes moved toward the house, and she imagined how lovely

it could be with a blooming garden in the front, and some fresh white paint...

"Why don't you go inside the house, Elizabeth?" Jason suggested as he saw

her eyes rest on the building.

Elizabeth looked back at him, and reflected on how strangely he was

behaving. Why did he keep telling her to explore rather than showing her

around himself? And why did he seem so unsettled here? She asked, "Can you

come in with me, Jason?"

After a moment, he nodded curtly and started to head toward the house.

Elizabeth followed still puzzled by his behaviour. But she soon was

preoccupied with another mystery. While the paint on the grand house was a

dull brown, it did not look old at all, and the rusty-coloured brick-lined

path to the house looked not older than a few years. The wood of the steps

and porch also did not have the appearance of age...just neglect. And as

Elizabeth finally came to stand in front of the intricately carved large oak

door with its beautiful stained glass window of red roses...she realised the

house must have been built only a few years ago.

Jason opened the door, and motioned for her to enter first. She cautiously

took a step into the front foyer. As the faint aroma of dust and mildew

tickled her nose, Elizabeth's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the house.

Straight ahead she could make out a long hallway lined by a rich red carpet,

and to her left a strip of light revealed the thick oak railing of a long

winding staircase. As she moved down the hall in silence with Jason behind

her, she could see there was a salon to the right and what looked to be a

study to the left. The door to each room was left open so she could see the

white sheets draped over the furnishings.

As they reached the back of the house, and stepped into a cosy kitchen with

large windows, Elizabeth stopped and turned around. She couldn't make out

Jason's face under the rim of his hat, but she had the feeling he was

waiting for her to say something. Taking in the beautiful iron fire stove,

and indoor water pump, the first of this kind she had seen, she said, "It's

a beautiful house, Jason."

Jason only replied, "Did you want to see the other floors?"

She shook her head. "No," she began as she began to nervously clasp her

hands in front of her, "Why don't you tell me what's up there."

"The next floor contains five bedchambers. The floor above is the attic."

Elizabeth blinked. "Oh my, it's quite large isn't it?"

Jason nodded. He had actually planned on making the house much smaller...

"But if we're going to have all those little ones you're planning, we'll

need the room, Jason."

"Jason?"

Shaking off the memory, Jason looked down at Elizabeth. "Yes?"

"Is something wrong?"

With a short shake of his head, Jason looked around the kitchen and asked,

"So what do you think? Do you want to live here?"

"I-I..." Elizabeth nibbled on her lower lip, before turning the question back

on him, "Do you want to live here?"

"I already told you, we'll do what you want."

Without thought, Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh. Why was it like

pulling teeth trying to get him to tell her how he felt? Before she could

say anything, Jason asked in a reasonable tone, "Is there something wrong?

If it's something about the house, we don't have to live here."

Before she could prevent herself, she blurted out, "No, it's nothing about

the house! The house is lovely. It's you. Why won't you tell me what you

think?-oh!" Her eyes widened as she saw the surprised statement on his

face at her outburst. Blushing fiercely, she stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I

shouldn't have said that..."

For a moment Jason was silent, and then the strangest thing happened. His

lips started to twitch. He didn't know why but the astonishing sight of the

girl getting all riled up vanished the suffocating memories that had

descended upon him as soon as he stepped into the house. Jason wondered if

Elizabeth knew her eyes sparkled when she was angry...

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed slightly. Was the man laughing at her? But a

moment later, his face was once again unreadable as he said seriously, "You

shouldn't apologise for how you feel, Elizabeth. You should let it out more

often. And as for what I think. I think I want to make sure you're

comfortable here before we decide anything."

Elizabeth sighed softly, "I know. I'm sorry, but you should feel

comfortable with where we live as well, Jason," she paused before continuing

hesitantly, "You said I should tell you how I feel...well, I feel you're

uneasy in this house."

Jason ran a hand along his jaw line, as he met Elizabeth's questioning eyes.

He knew she had a right to know about the place before deciding to live

there, but he just didn't want to drag up the old memories. But it seemed

no matter how much he tried to put the past to rest, it wouldn't go away

peacefully. "You're right, Elizabeth." He turned around towards the door,

"There's some things I need to tell you, but why don't we have that lunch

Sonny made first?"

As Jason had already made his way through the kitchen door, Elizabeth had no

recourse but to follow him.

They made their way out of the house, and back to their horses, where Jason

untied the basket from Nelly's saddle. With basket in hand, he led them

away from the farm through some trees, and finally came to a stop at the

bank of the river.

Jason placed the basket on the ground beside a large tree, a few feet away

from the river's edge but before Elizabeth could sit down, he took of his

jacket and laid it down. "The ground could be damp."

"Oh, I cannot sit on your jacket, Jason," Elizabeth said nervously as she

glanced at the gun in the holster at his waist. Moving a short distance,

she sat down on the grass. She leaned over to open the basket and started

to unwrap the bread and jam from the cloth.

He peered down at the top of her straw hat for a moment before putting the

jacket back on. As he sat down next to Elizabeth by the tree, he noticed

she was struggling to take the lid off the jar of jam. Reaching out for it,

he suggested, "Here let me."

Elizabeth didn't even look up as she continued to struggle with the lid,

until she gave a small exclamation of delight as the lid twisted open. "Got

it!" As the sweet smell of strawberry filled her senses, she realised how

hungry she really was. Mouth watering she turned to reach for a slice of

bread, and the knife in the basket. She had just started to spread the jam

on the bread, when she suddenly realised Jason was staring at her.

Seeing her startle as if she had just remembered his presence, Jason had to

smile.

Elizabeth blinked as his lips curled upwards. Now, that was definitely a

smile. Seeing his amusement, she asked tentatively, "What is it Jason?"

Letting out a deep chuckle, he replied honestly, "I don't think I've ever

seen someone get so wrapped up in the presence of food. It's hard to

believe you're so tiny."

A deep red flush spread over her face, as she looked ashamedly down at the

jam covered bread in her hand. Holding it out to him, she murmured, "I'm

terribly sorry, Jason. How could I be so rude?!"

He shook his head, as he took off his hat. "I didn't mean it as a rebuke,

Elizabeth. I like watching you eat."

She blinked. "You do?"

He nodded as he reached for a slice of bread. "Yes. Eat."

As he reached for the knife, his hand brushed hers causing her to nervously

release it. She moved slightly away to lean against the tree, and quickly

turned her eyes away from him to the view of the river before her. As the

sweet taste of strawberries burst in her mouth, Elizabeth's eyes followed

the dancing of the sunlight on the ripples of water.

With the warm breeze of summer teasing the curls under her bonnet, and the

singing of birds playing in her ears, Elizabeth let herself forget about all

the changes that had so recently occurred in her life, and just be...

Through the corner of his eye, Jason could see how the peaceful setting was

working its magic on Elizabeth. The scenery was one of the reasons he had

loved this place since we was a young lad. He remembered all the times he

would spend hours sitting here reading, fishing, or simply thinking. There

had always been this sense of belonging with the land and river here...always

until that night...

Staring ahead at the river, he asked abruptly, "How much have you heard

about me, Elizabeth?"

Surprised by the question, she almost choked on the piece of bread she

swallowed. With a little cough, she replied cautiously, "What do you mean?"

He kept his gaze on the water. "I know that in a town the size of Heaven,

it would be a damn miracle if you hadn't heard something about my past."

"Yes...you are somewhat infamous," Elizabeth murmured. She thought a moment

before saying, "But then again, I reckon I'm somewhat infamous myself now..."

This comment brought another smile to Jason's face. "I think that may be an

understatement." The smile disappeared as he continued, "As my wife, I

think there are a few things you need to know about me. Tell me what you've

heard."

Elizabeth shrugged as she played nervously with the rim of her hat. "I

really don't know much about your past. I've only heard a few things here

and there." She paused before asking, "Why don't you tell me what you want

me to know?"

Jason was quiet for a long moment, before he spoke again. "The rumours I

was a hired gun these past two years are true." He waited to hear

exclamations of horror, but when none came, he turned to find Elizabeth

simply sitting there with her head tilted waiting for him to continue. "The

first time Sonny and I tracked down a man, it was a favour to a lady friend

of Sonny's, but after that, folks came to us. They would pay us to find

someone, and we found them."

Elizabeth searched Jason's eyes for a moment before asking, "What did you do

with them once you found them?"

"Are you asking me, if we killed them?"

Nervously swallowing and eyes wide, Elizabeth nodded her head.

Looking her in the eye, Jason nodded. "Sometimes it came to that, but

mostly we tried to bring them back alive to let the law deal with them. In

some cases, the law didn't deal with them and we did."

Elizabeth broke the eye contact, and asked quietly, "What did these men do?"

"Mostly theft and murder. Sometimes rape."

Elizabeth flinched at the word. Rape. She was not so sheltered as not to

recognise the simple word to describe a woman's worst nightmare. She was

quiet for a moment before beginning, "Why would you..."

"Why would I give up being a Quartermaine to become a hired gun?" At her

nod, Jason answered, "It actually pays quite well."

"And?" Elizabeth prompted. She didn't believe for one instant his becoming

a hired gun had anything to do with money.

He stared at her for a long moment before continuing, "And I was doing more

good as a bounty hunter than I was as a Quartermaine."

Hearing the edge in his voice, Elizabeth recalled their earlier encounter

with his family. She asked cautiously, "Why do you hate them so much?"

For a long moment he didn't answer as his jaw clenched. Finally, looking

back at her, he said, "The most important thing you need to know about the

Quartermaines is that except for Lila and my sister, Emily, they can't be

trusted. They'll do whatever it takes to obtain and keep power."

As she listened carefully to him, Elizabeth noted how he kept any hint of

emotion out of his voice as he spoke of his family.

"I'm sure you've already heard about what Edward was capable of from many of

the folks he's swindled in town. While I was out East, I only heard about

his actions in bits and pieces from Sonny, but when I came home I

experienced just how far he and the rest of them would go to get their way."

His tone remained flat as he continued, "But it wasn't until a couple of

months before I left Heaven that I finally made a clean break from the

family." Jason paused before he explaining, "There was a girl I was

planning on marrying whom they didn't agree would make a suitable

Quartermaine."

"Robin..." The name escaped as a soft whisper from Elizabeth's lips.

He wasn't surprised Elizabeth had heard about her. "Yes, Robin Scorpio. We

were planning on getting married as soon as possible, but we wanted to have

a place to live first. Robin wanted to stay near Heaven to be near her

family, and Lila had given me this land when I came of age. It had been

part of her inheritance from her father and Edward had no claim to it. We

decided to live here. There had once been a farm here years ago, but the

place was hardly liveable. Sonny helped me to fix up the barn."

Elizabeth nodded. "But you built the house, didn't you?"

His eyes rested on her face. "Yes, we built the house. The old farmhouse

was falling apart." Turning back to the view of the river, he said, "To

make a long story short, things didn't work out with Robin, so when I left

Heaven, I gave this place away to Sonny's father, Deke."

She was not surprised he had not mentioned exactly why things had not worked

out...she recalled all too well the story of Robin marrying Nikolas Cassadine.

Was Jason still in love with her? Was that why he so obviously still

carried the memory of her with him? Was that why he could barely walk into

that house? She had so many questions, but only asked, "This land must

carry many memories for you...why do you want to live here again, Jason?"

"We can't live at the saloon with Rebecca, and the hotel is hardly a place

to raise a child. This house has a lot of room and the land..."

Elizabeth nodded as she looked down the river toward the distant bridge lost

in thought, "Yes, this would be a wonderful place to raise a child with so

much room for her to run free...Why she could help care for and play with Burt

and the other animals. And she could play in the garden. With a little bit

of tending, I'm sure it would bloom. And yes, the house is rather large,

but imagine all of the adventures she could have in the place with the

friends she would invite over."

Elizabeth's words conjured up in Jason's mind the vivid image of Rebecca

growing up on this land and in the house. He was so caught up in the idea,

he didn't hear Elizabeth's next words at first.

"But if you don't feel comfortable living here, it won't be much of a home

for Rebecca."

After a moment of reflection, Jason admitted to himself he hadn't felt

comfortable on this land for years...and had only brought up the idea of

living on it as a simple solution to their problems. But Elizabeth's words

showed him something he hadn't seen when he had come here this morning

surrounded by the past...a possible future.

Leaning back against the tree, and crossing his arms in front of him, he

asked her once again, "Elizabeth, how do you feel about this place?"

Like she belonged. Elizabeth blinked as the words popped into her

head. She looked over at Jason to find him carefully watching her with those

unbelievably blue eyes. Even the sky paled in comparison. "I like it

here." When he did not respond, she added, "I-I don't know how to describe

it...but I feel it could be a-"

When she cut off her sentence, Jason finished for her, "Home?"

Unsure of his reaction, she nodded.

"Good. I think we should bring Rebecca here."

Taken off guard, Elizabeth exclaimed, "You do?"

"I couldn't really see it before, but you've made me see Rebecca growing up

here."

"I have?"

Jason nodded, before adding, "I want Rebecca to have the childhood you

described Elizabeth. I want her to have the home you described."

"So do I," Elizabeth whispered, "I want her to feel secure in the fact she

will always have a home."

The sadness in her voice spoke volumes. He wondered what her childhood had

been like growing up on the Hardy farm. For the first time, he realised how

very little he knew about this woman before him, this woman he married.

Sure he knew she had a tendency to get into trouble, and possessed a strong

sense of loyalty but what were her hopes and dreams? And why did he

suddenly care? Pushing aside the thought, he said, "Thank you, Elizabeth."

Deep blue eyes met his in curiosity. "For what?"

"For caring about my daughter. You haven't even met her yet."

Elizabeth smiled shyly, before responding quietly, "But I have met her

father, and he's a good man." The turning quickly, she busied herself with

putting away the remainders of their lunch.

Jason ran a hand through his hair as he stared at her in bemusement. After

all he'd told her, her only judgement of him was that he was a 'good man'.

He would wager most other females would be horrified by what he had done the

last two years, but not Elizabeth. But then again, hadn't she called him

'nice' when all he had done was yell at her? He had to admit Elizabeth

Webber-no Morgan, now-was sure one unpredictable female. But as he caught

her furtive glance up at him, he gave her a smile.

At his easy smile, Elizabeth felt a strange flutter in her stomach. A

strange shift in their relationship seemed to have just occurred. It was

as if they were beginning to become friends...well perhaps not quite friends

yet, but their whole situation seemed decidedly less frightening...

After putting on his hat, Jason lifted the basket and suggested, "I think we

better head back to town before it gets late." He rose to his feet and

offered her his hand. "Besides I think you offered to help the boys with

something...something to do with a hat?" He wondered what Francis and Johnny

were up to.

As her hand became engulfed in his, Elizabeth let out a giggle as she

remembered Johnny and Francis's bicycle riding incident earlier. "I'm

sorry, but I promised not to tell."

Now Jason was curious, but he decided he'd have a talk with the two

men later to find out what was going on. He pulled her up to her feet and

said, "Alright. But be sure they don't drag you into any trouble."

Elizabeth shook her head emphatically. "Oh no, there won't be any trouble."

And as they headed back towards the horses, Elizabeth thought, 'What

possible trouble could there be in teaching two men to ride a bicycle?'

~ * ~ * ~ * ~