Second Chances: Lending Support
I want to thank those of you that have been reading and reviewing. I have so enjoyed working on this story. I have tried hard to stay in keeping with the characters and hope to have done that for all of those reading. Please keep those reviews coming..they inspire me to write all the more.
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Jason heard the knocking on his penthouse door but he chose to ignore it. He knew that it was Carly again wanting to talk and really he just wasn't up for it. In a few hours he was expected at St. Michael's Church for Emily's funeral. He had so many mixed emotions about going.
"Jason," Carly's voice seeped through the thick wooden door. "Jason, please open up." She pleaded.
"Go away, Carly." Jason's own voice said solemnly. She almost spoke again but thought better of it, which surprised even her. She rested her hand on her protruding belly and headed back to her own penthouse. She knew that losing Emily was a great blow to Jason. She knew that no matter how he tried to hide it he was hurting inside. All she wanted to do was help her best friend but she was at a loss as to how to do that.
Jason pulled out the black leather chair from beneath the desk and sat down. He opened the middle drawer and retrieved the family photos he had hidden there. He eyed all that represented a life he couldn't even remember. They, Monica - Alan - Edward, wanted him to be the person he was before the accident, yet he couldn't. AJ, well he and Jason hadn't been brothers in a very long time. The only people who accepted Jason Morgan had been his grandmother Lila and sister Emily. They had been able to look past what they wanted and accepted what he could give them. Jason was grateful for that even though he hadn't said so often enough. He had lost that chance with Emily now. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest - anything as to not cry. He couldn't recall the last time he cried. He claimed not to know how but today that emotion came flooding back. Jason shook his head as though he were trying to rid himself of those feelings the doctors claimed so long ago he could no longer have. It wasn't working. The longer he looked at Emily's smiling face in the photo the larger the lump in his throat grew. Absently, he reached for the phone that sat on the desk and dialed Elizabeth's studio. He didn't know what made him do it, he just did. It only rang once before he replaced the receiver back in its cradle.
He pushed himself away from the desk and walked across the room to where his pool table sat. He racked the balls and took his anger and frustrations out on the cue ball. With a loud crash the colored balls skated across the dark green felt. Many made it into the various pockets of the table but Jason could have cared less. His mind was centered on Elizabeth. He smiled despite myself as he remembered trying to teach her how to play pool. Part of him knew she was just humoring him and that she could play better than she let on but he enjoyed it just the same. Frustrated he threw his stick onto the table and stared out over the skyline of Port Charles.
Again he found his hand dialing Elizabeth's number but this time he let it ring through. He had a deep need to talk to her. He needed for things to be the way they used to be when they could tell each other anything. Jason wasn't sure if they could ever go back but right now that mattered very little to him. He just knew he needed her and somewhere in the recesses of his brain he knew she needed him too.
'Hi, you're reached Elizabeth Lans..Webber,' Jason heard her correcting herself on her voice mail message. Even the faintest mention of the name Lansing had Jason seeing red. The way he had strutted into the hospital yesterday and attempted to take Elizabeth home still made Jason's blood boil. How he wished the Sonny would just give him the order to dispose of him. When the case against him fell through, which didn't surprise Jason in the least bit since Scott Baldwin couldn't argue his way out of a paper bag, he was sure that Ric was a to never be heard from again. And Jason would have taken great pleasure in disposing the world of the likes of Ric Lansing. 'I'm not available right now but if you would leave a message I will get back with you as soon as I can.' Jason didn't bother leaving a message.
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Ric stood in the shadows across the street from St. Michael's Church. He watched as nearly all of Port Charles filed in to pay their respects to Emily Quartermaine, but there was one person in particular he was waiting to see. He was waiting for Elizabeth to arrive.
Lucky, Nikolas and Elizabeth exited the Cassadine limo. Elizabeth and Lucky had stayed on Spoon Island the night before reminiscing with Nikolas about their friendship with Emily. The four of them had grown up together and even though their lives had taken them in different directions in times of trouble they came together. None of them could believe that she was really gone. Each of the three wanted to believe this was all just some bad dream that they soon would wake from, even if in the back of their minds they knew they wouldn't.
Both young men put their arms around Elizabeth for support since they knew while the funeral would be difficult for them it would be unbearable for her. She welcomed the assistance for suddenly she felt as though she couldn't take one step inside. Off in the distance she heard a familiar roar. In all these years she hadn't forgotten that sound. It was that sound that carried her away when she needed to be free from Lucky's ghost. It was that sound that carried her grief filled screams into the wind. It was the sound of Jason's motorcycle.
Elizabeth turned around and saw Jason coming to a stop before the church. As he took off his helmet it was easy for her to see how tired he looked. "I'll be right in," Elizabeth said to both Nikolas and Lucky. Reluctantly the pair headed inside as she made her way down the concrete steps to where Jason stood.
Ric watched and waited.
Gently Elizabeth reached for Jason's hand. "I know this is a stupid question," she hesitated, "but are you okay?"
"Yeah." His remark wasn't a complete lie. He was much better now that she was there.
"You ready to go inside?"
"No." The anguish that Jason tried to disguise in his voice was all too evident to Elizabeth. She clasped his other hand in hers and kissed him gently on the cheek.
Ric seethed as he looked on.
Jason took the opportunity to let his powerful arms envelop her. It amazed him how strong she was being. He knew how much this was killing her yet there she was trying to comfort him. "Thank you," he whispered.
Hand in hand the two of them walked into the church as Ric Lansing calculated his next move.
I want to thank those of you that have been reading and reviewing. I have so enjoyed working on this story. I have tried hard to stay in keeping with the characters and hope to have done that for all of those reading. Please keep those reviews coming..they inspire me to write all the more.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jason heard the knocking on his penthouse door but he chose to ignore it. He knew that it was Carly again wanting to talk and really he just wasn't up for it. In a few hours he was expected at St. Michael's Church for Emily's funeral. He had so many mixed emotions about going.
"Jason," Carly's voice seeped through the thick wooden door. "Jason, please open up." She pleaded.
"Go away, Carly." Jason's own voice said solemnly. She almost spoke again but thought better of it, which surprised even her. She rested her hand on her protruding belly and headed back to her own penthouse. She knew that losing Emily was a great blow to Jason. She knew that no matter how he tried to hide it he was hurting inside. All she wanted to do was help her best friend but she was at a loss as to how to do that.
Jason pulled out the black leather chair from beneath the desk and sat down. He opened the middle drawer and retrieved the family photos he had hidden there. He eyed all that represented a life he couldn't even remember. They, Monica - Alan - Edward, wanted him to be the person he was before the accident, yet he couldn't. AJ, well he and Jason hadn't been brothers in a very long time. The only people who accepted Jason Morgan had been his grandmother Lila and sister Emily. They had been able to look past what they wanted and accepted what he could give them. Jason was grateful for that even though he hadn't said so often enough. He had lost that chance with Emily now. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the rise and fall of his chest - anything as to not cry. He couldn't recall the last time he cried. He claimed not to know how but today that emotion came flooding back. Jason shook his head as though he were trying to rid himself of those feelings the doctors claimed so long ago he could no longer have. It wasn't working. The longer he looked at Emily's smiling face in the photo the larger the lump in his throat grew. Absently, he reached for the phone that sat on the desk and dialed Elizabeth's studio. He didn't know what made him do it, he just did. It only rang once before he replaced the receiver back in its cradle.
He pushed himself away from the desk and walked across the room to where his pool table sat. He racked the balls and took his anger and frustrations out on the cue ball. With a loud crash the colored balls skated across the dark green felt. Many made it into the various pockets of the table but Jason could have cared less. His mind was centered on Elizabeth. He smiled despite myself as he remembered trying to teach her how to play pool. Part of him knew she was just humoring him and that she could play better than she let on but he enjoyed it just the same. Frustrated he threw his stick onto the table and stared out over the skyline of Port Charles.
Again he found his hand dialing Elizabeth's number but this time he let it ring through. He had a deep need to talk to her. He needed for things to be the way they used to be when they could tell each other anything. Jason wasn't sure if they could ever go back but right now that mattered very little to him. He just knew he needed her and somewhere in the recesses of his brain he knew she needed him too.
'Hi, you're reached Elizabeth Lans..Webber,' Jason heard her correcting herself on her voice mail message. Even the faintest mention of the name Lansing had Jason seeing red. The way he had strutted into the hospital yesterday and attempted to take Elizabeth home still made Jason's blood boil. How he wished the Sonny would just give him the order to dispose of him. When the case against him fell through, which didn't surprise Jason in the least bit since Scott Baldwin couldn't argue his way out of a paper bag, he was sure that Ric was a to never be heard from again. And Jason would have taken great pleasure in disposing the world of the likes of Ric Lansing. 'I'm not available right now but if you would leave a message I will get back with you as soon as I can.' Jason didn't bother leaving a message.
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Ric stood in the shadows across the street from St. Michael's Church. He watched as nearly all of Port Charles filed in to pay their respects to Emily Quartermaine, but there was one person in particular he was waiting to see. He was waiting for Elizabeth to arrive.
Lucky, Nikolas and Elizabeth exited the Cassadine limo. Elizabeth and Lucky had stayed on Spoon Island the night before reminiscing with Nikolas about their friendship with Emily. The four of them had grown up together and even though their lives had taken them in different directions in times of trouble they came together. None of them could believe that she was really gone. Each of the three wanted to believe this was all just some bad dream that they soon would wake from, even if in the back of their minds they knew they wouldn't.
Both young men put their arms around Elizabeth for support since they knew while the funeral would be difficult for them it would be unbearable for her. She welcomed the assistance for suddenly she felt as though she couldn't take one step inside. Off in the distance she heard a familiar roar. In all these years she hadn't forgotten that sound. It was that sound that carried her away when she needed to be free from Lucky's ghost. It was that sound that carried her grief filled screams into the wind. It was the sound of Jason's motorcycle.
Elizabeth turned around and saw Jason coming to a stop before the church. As he took off his helmet it was easy for her to see how tired he looked. "I'll be right in," Elizabeth said to both Nikolas and Lucky. Reluctantly the pair headed inside as she made her way down the concrete steps to where Jason stood.
Ric watched and waited.
Gently Elizabeth reached for Jason's hand. "I know this is a stupid question," she hesitated, "but are you okay?"
"Yeah." His remark wasn't a complete lie. He was much better now that she was there.
"You ready to go inside?"
"No." The anguish that Jason tried to disguise in his voice was all too evident to Elizabeth. She clasped his other hand in hers and kissed him gently on the cheek.
Ric seethed as he looked on.
Jason took the opportunity to let his powerful arms envelop her. It amazed him how strong she was being. He knew how much this was killing her yet there she was trying to comfort him. "Thank you," he whispered.
Hand in hand the two of them walked into the church as Ric Lansing calculated his next move.