Author's Note: Can't stop now!!!!.....Nicholas did not get in an accident so there is no psycho widow lady lying to him, no memorial service, he's perfectly fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~General Hospital~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The elevator in the waiting room opened and out stepped Elizabeth, who was only able to keep from falling to the floor in terror because of the comforting arm around her waste. Bobby was at the desk filing some papers when she looked up and saw the pair. She ran over immediately and grabbed the frightened young girl in an embrace.

"Elizabeth, it's so good to see, despite the circumstances." The redhead said and Elizabeth managed a weak smile.

"Bobby thank you for calling me, where's Audrey's room?" Jason asked for Liz.

"Room 310, down this hallway."

"Thank you." He said before turning Elizabeth in the direction Bobby pointed and heading that way.

When they found Audrey's room Elizabeth paused and looked through the window in the door. Audrey was asleep, hooked up to a bunch of machines.

"Jason, thank you for coming with me, but this is something I need to do alone." She said.

"I understand; I'll be out here."

"No, I'm going to be here awhile, why don't you go visit Em?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to leave her alone.

"Yes."

"Call my cell if you need anything." He said giving her a kiss on the cheek before turning to leave.

"Here goes nothing." Elizabeth said to herself before walking into the room.

It was startling to see her grandmother so vulnerable. She'd always seemed so strong; it wasn't possible that she was there, so close to death. Elizabeth wondered why her grandmother hadn't told her something was wrong with her, but she knew that that wasn't who her grandmother was. Their phone calls had been less frequent lately, but more intimate. Audrey seemed to know her time was coming, but it was crushing to Elizabeth.

"Ya know, Grams, I never thought I'd see you here. You've always seemed so invincible. When I was a little girl I thought you would live forever, I guess I still do." Her voice cracked. "But it doesn't seem that way anymore does it? I'm sorry. I know I've caused you a lot of grief being away; we've lost a lot of time together. Why didn't you tell me? I would have stayed. But of course you didn't tell me, you're like Jason that way." Elizabeth paused to pull herself together and a man outside the door leaned in so that he could hear better.

"He came and found me you know. He knew exactly where I'd be. I know you never liked him and we fought about him so much, but he's a good man, Grams. He makes me happy. After Rick, I deserve a little happiness. He kissed me last night, Jason. I never told you what a great kisser he is. If you just gave him a chance, Grams, I think you'd really like him."

"Are you fucking crazy?" Rick said coming in the doorway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Wyndemere~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jason!" Emily screamed as she ran over to her big brother. "It's only been a week, I thought you'd be gone for months. Are you O.K.? Is there trouble?"

"Good to see you too, Em." Jason responded laughing at his little sister. "I'm fine, Audrey Hardy is in the hospital so we came home."

"We? Elizabeth? You were with Elizabeth?"

"Yeah, I went and found her and have been staying with her the past few days."

"Oh my God! How is she? How does she look? What's wrong with Audrey, is she going to be O.K.? I should be with Elizabeth."

"Slow down! Elizabeth is fine for the most part, except she's worried about her grandmother. She looks fantastic as always. Audrey's just been sick the past few weeks, old age. It doesn't look good. Elizabeth wants to be alone with her right now." Jason said sitting down on the couch watching the emotions crossing his sister's face.

"O.K." Emily said taking deep breaths as she calmed down. "So, you were with Elizabeth?" She continued with a teasing smile.

"Yes I was."

"Sonny told me your divorce with Courtney is final. How does Elizabeth factor in there?"

"My divorce with Courtney has nothing to do with Elizabeth, Emily."

"Then what does it have to do with? I thought you two were going to work things out." Emily said making herself more comfortable on the couch; shifting pillows so that she could better stare at her brother.

"It has to do with things I told you I can never tell you about."

"But you told Elizabeth about them." She said, that smile on her face again.

"The two have nothing to do with each other." He said glaring at her.

"O.K. fine. So, where has Elizabeth been all this time? What were you two doing together?"

"She can tell you where she's been if she wants, we were drinking for the most part actually. There was also some dancing."

"Dancing? You don't dance, Jase."

"I do too, quite well actually."

"I have NEVER seen you dance, ever."

He only shrugged in response and stared at his little sister. He knew she was worried about Audrey, but she also always handled those things well. He knew she wanted to go to Elizabeth but she wouldn't, so instead she sat there teasing him. She was always fun to talk to, now that he thought of it he wished he talked to her more.

"You're face got all serious there." Emily said, waving her hand in front of his face. "What were you thinking about?"

"How you and I don't spend enough time together. C'mon." He said getting up to leave.

"And may I ask where we're going?"

"I need to work on my game." He said simply.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~General Hospital~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth groaned when she saw her ex-husband. She was NOT in the mood for him. She'd just gotten back to Port Charles. Her grandmother was dying. She did not need to see her psychotic ex.

"Rick, you shouldn't be here." She said angrily.

"You leave town without a word after a quick and sneaky divorce and when I finally see you again after ten months you growl at me and say I shouldn't be here?" He asked appalled that she could treat him so.

"Why are you here and not in jail anyway?"

"What? Lover boy didn't tell you? I'm the new D.A." He said with a big grin, he was full of himself.

"Wonderful, reminds me why I love the P.C.P.D. so very much. Regardless, I'm going to ask you to leave. Then I'm going to order you to leave. Then I'm going to call for security, and if that doesn't work I'll ask Jason if he'd mind putting a guard outside the door." She spat at him.

"Back to being Morgan's whore? C'mon Lizzie, you're better than that. What will you Grandmother say? It definitely won't ease her passing. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."

"Once more, Rick, leave."

"Believe it or not I've always liked Audrey and I wanted to visit her at least once before it was too late."

"You're not welcome here, NOW LEAVE." She screamed.

"What on Earth is going on here?" Monica Quartermaine said coming into the room. She saw Rick and Elizabeth and quickly deduced that he was the problem. "Rick I'm going to have to ask you to leave and to stay away from Mrs. Hardy's room. If you don't comply I'll have you banned from the hospital."

Rick was shocked, but he left nonetheless, grumbling something about 'fucking Morgan' on his way out.

"Thank you, Monica." Elizabeth said collapsing into her chair as she fought back tears.

"Not a problem. I didn't know you were back in town. Is there anything I can do for you?" The older woman said seeing her pain.

"No...thank...you." Liz responded as she choked on her tears.

Her efforts were useless as she began to cry. Monica pulled a chair over and held Elizabeth as she cried, stroking her hair softly.

"I'm sorry, I just...ever since Jason told me........... I've just been on autopilot.....I didn't want him..... to see me......like this.....It's all so much.......I haven't been in.........Port Charles for so long.......Now I'm back.......and Grams.....she's.......she's going to die........and I just don't know.......I don't know how to handle that...........I should have let Jason stay.......He would have known what to do." Elizabeth said through her tears.

If Monica was surprised to learn that her son was in town she didn't show it. She just held the girl who meant so much to her children. Audrey was a good woman and she'd be missed. They stayed like that for a long time before Monica realized that Elizabeth had fallen asleep. She set her up in the chair as comfortably as possible, turned off the light and left the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Jake's~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You see, what I don't get about this is how does it help you improve? I can't play at all. Besides, you're the best pool player I know." Emily said as she missed yet another shot.

"Apparently, I'm not. It doesn't help really, but I miss my sister and I like to play pool, so why not put the two together?" He asked making two shots in a row and lining up a third.

"Because it humiliates this little sister that you miss so much." She pouted.

"Fine, just let me land the eight ball." Which he did. Then he grabbed two beers from the counter and headed over to the table where Emily sat mock-angrily, however she suddenly got a huge grin on her face.

"So, if you're not the best pool player I know, who is?" she asked innocently taking her beer from him.

"How's Nicholas?"

"Oh no you don't. I asked you a question. Has Elizabeth really gotten that good? Impressive isn't she?"

"I don't see how it matters who it is I need to get ready to play again. I just do O.K.?" He said sipping at his drink.

"Anyone ever told you you're a brat?" At that Jason raised his eyebrows, not many people would refer to Jason Morgan as a brat. "So are you two together or what?" He shot her a glare for that one. "Jesus Jase, you guys have been dancing around each other forever, you're obviously in love with her. She challenges you in pool. What more could you want?"

"A sister who minds her business?"

"You can't have everything so just appreciate what you do have. Does she know?"

"Sort of.... Not really. I told her the only reason I was ever with Courtney was because it hurt too much to be alone after her, but I didn't come out and say it."

"What aren't you telling me?" she eyed him carefully.

"Nothing, I mean we kissed, but it's not big deal."

"Jason!" she screamed.

"Shhhh! Jesus Em, you'll wake the dead."

"Jason, you kissed Elizabeth. You've been apart for over a year, she disappeared for ten months, you're the only one that could figure out where she was, and you kiss her and tell me it's no big deal. Jason you love her, tell her for Christ's sake or I will dammit!"

"You're way to involved in my love life."

"Oh hush, I-" she was cut off by the ringing of her cell phone. "Hold on.....Hello?"

"Emily, I don't suppose you've seen Jason today?" Monica's voice came over the line.

"Ya, he's here with me is everything O.K?"

"Yes, it's no emergency but I think he might want to get to Audrey's room. Rick stopped by and Elizabeth needs him right now."

"I'll tell him, thanks mom." Emily said hanging up.

"What's wrong?"

"Rick stopped by Audrey's room and apparently he really got to Elizabeth, mom thinks you should head over there."

"Alright, c'mon I'll drive you home." he said getting up and dropping a hundred on the table.

"Don't worry about me, I'll get a cab, go take care of Elizabeth."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes I'm sure, go." She said giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then walking him outside to his bike.

As she watched him drive off Emily couldn't help but smile.

"It's about time." She said to no one but herself, then went inside to call a cab.