Second Chances: Explanation
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jason returned from the kitchen glass of water in hand. He offered it to Elizabeth as he took his place beside her again. "Any better?" he asked. "You want me to call Tony or maybe Bobbie?"
"I'm fine," she said seeing the concern in his crystal blue eyes. "I just let Carly get to me. Besides Tony did say that occasional dizziness goes along with having a concussion. You don't have to worry about me.
"Yes I do. I should have gotten her out of here the minute I opened the door and saw her standing there." Jason pulled Elizabeth into his arms and both of them sunk deep into the leather folds of the couch.
Elizabeth listened to the steady beat of Jason's heart beneath her ear. She didn't want to argue anymore but part of her needed to know why he was so sure that Carly wasn't the person behind her phone call earlier that day.
"Jason," she began quietly. "About Carly..."
"Forget about her."
"Wish I could but," she paused.
"But what?"
"Why are you positive that she didn't call me?" Elizabeth brought her eyes to meet his.
"I just am."
"It's not that I don't trust you Jason but." she bit her lower lip as she watched his sky-blue eyes cloud with confusion.
"You can tell me anything." Jason offered sensing that she was searching for a way to say what she needed to without upsetting him. He smiled slightly thinking how she still tried to make everything all right for everyone else. "You don't have to hide or pretend with me. Just because we told each other how we feel - that shouldn't change how we treat one another."
Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh. "I just can't get passed how much of a coincidence it was that Carly spouted the same words that the person said on the phone this morning. It's just too weird Jason."
"I agree but no matter how much of a coincidence it is Carly isn't your caller. Think about it - has Carly ever been anything but in your face when it came to me and our relationship?"
Elizabeth did think about it. Jason was right. All those times prior Carly had almost attacked her when it had come to Jason. She was anything but subtle and anonymity wasn't her style either. "No," she reluctantly agreed.
"She wouldn't make an anonymous phone call." Jason continued. "She'd do exactly what she did this afternoon and come storming in here thinking she could run you out of my life."
"I know."
"You wanted it to be her didn't you?"
"Uh-huh." Elizabeth's teeth again were tugging at her bottom lip to stave off her tears.
"That way you would know how to deal with it?"
"Yes." Her voice was barely audible.
Jason wrapped his arms around her again as she buried her face in the crock of his neck. He hated knowing that she was afraid. He hated not being able to do a damn thing about it. 'I told you Ric's off limits.' Jason heard Sonny's raised voice in his head. He clenched his jaw tight and pushed down those raging emotions that coursed through his veins. If roles were reversed and someone was after Carly or if she was frightened beyond reason Sonny would have been all over the person responsible. Yet Jason wasn't afforded the same privilege. All because Ric had played on Sonny's love for his dead mother.
"Jason?" Elizabeth sat up again and looked at him. She had felt his body tense beneath her. "What's wrong?"
How was he supposed to answer her question without adding to her fears? How was he supposed to tell her that his bike had been sabotaged? How was he supposed to tell her that Sonny while he may have been indebted to her for a great many things he couldn't see passed his own loyalty - warped as Jason thought it was - and let his enforcer handle the problem at hand?
"Jason?" she pressed.
"You should really be resting." He said trying his best to avoid her hard stare.
"You can't pull that with me. What's wrong? Something happen with Sonny?" She hadn't forgotten how strained she thought things felt between the two men. "I know that you can't share everything with me and begrudgingly I will accept that, but something got to you. What is it?" Elizabeth crossed her legs Indian style beside him and waited for him to speak.
Jason reached over and stroked her alabaster skin. It was smooth and soft against his fingers. He stared into her deep cobalt eyes and could have gotten lost in them. He was still having a difficult time fathoming that after all the ups, downs and misunderstandings they had finally made it to this place. He was almost fearful of doing something to trash it all over again.
"I love you." She covered his hand with her own almost sensing his apprehension. "Please just talk to me. I can listen too you know."
He leaned in and brought his lips on top of hers. He savored their sweetness. "I love you too." That simple sentence was one that he doubted he would ever grow tired of saying.
"What's wrong?" she prodded.
He blew a hard breath from his mouth and just began. "The accident, well it wasn't an accident.."
"No more like a mistake for you to let me try to drive." Elizabeth smiled slyly.
"It wasn't your fault. Someone tampered with the bike. They wanted it to crash."
The tiny hairs on her body stood erect at that comment. "What?"
"Someone meant for me to crash."
"Jason." It wasn't as though Elizabeth didn't understand that most of the time there was a price on his head just because of his job. It wasn't like she hadn't pulled him from the snow bleeding from a gunshot wound. She wasn't that naïve yet to be face to face with it again had her more than a little unnerved.
"I'm sorry that you got pulled into it. I don't think that you were ever meant to be an intended target. It was just supposed to be me."
Instinctively she let her one good arm encircle his neck. She needed to have him close to her.
"Easy," he said as he felt her body tremble.
"Who?" she asked. "Who did it? Is that what Sonny wanted to talk to you about? Does he know who's responsible?"
"We are having a difference of opinion on that." Jason sounded so diplomatic that Elizabeth gave him a funny look.
"Excuse me?"
"Sonny can't see the real culprit so he's focusing on someone else."
"You think it's Ric don't you?" Elizabeth's words sounded more like a statement of fact rather than a true question.
"Yes."
"You think all of it's been him?"
"Yes."
Elizabeth covered her face with her hand and let out a labored sigh. "What the hell have I done?" she asked more of herself than Jason.
"You haven't done a thing." He tried to reassure her.
"How can you say that? Ric - all of what he's done is in one way or another tied to me. He's targeting you because of me. He held Carly hostage because of the child I lost.."
"Ric's a sick bastard!" Jason stopped her before she could continue to blame herself. "His vendetta against Sonny was in place long before you ever came into his life. If anything he just used you as another way to prolong it. It's NOT your fault. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I still don't feel responsible." Elizabeth got up and walked across the living room. She stared out at the harbor and watched the waves roll in and disappear under the docks. "If I hadn't been so stubborn. If I had just talked to you about how hurt I was when you hid Sonny's fake death.."
"If I had only gone after you." Jason's voice came up from behind her. "If I had just admitted that I needed you and not trusting you - when you had never given me reason not to - was a mistake."
Elizabeth pivoted and stared at him. She was surprised to she the glints of unshed tears hanging in his eyes. "We both made mistakes," she said. "And to quote a very smart man I happen to love," Elizabeth smiled brightly at him. "There's no use in looking back."
"I love you. Do you know how much?" Jason seized her lips again with an eagerness that took her breath away.
"I think so, but you could try telling me again," she giggled when they finally parted.
"I love you.I love you.I love you!" He picked her up and carried her over to the couch. "I don't think you got much rest in my absence."
"Well Carly did put a stop to that."
"Rest then. I have some invoices that I need to go over. We can grab some dinner later. Sound good?"
"Yeah I'd like that. You think we could still go to my studio and get my things?"
"Sure. We can do that. Rest!" He pointed to the pillow he had placed on the couch.
"Jason," she hesitated for a second. "About Ric..."
"Don't worry about Ric. He's not going to hurt you."
"It's not me I am worried about." Without thinking she almost flew from her position and jumped into his arms. She wasn't ready to lose him when they had just found one another.
"I'm going to be fine too. Please just relax okay? Try to get some sleep. You look tired, baby."
Elizabeth let him cover her with her yellow afghan and she watched him out of the corner of her eye, as he went about his business not more than five feet away from where she lay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Despite her best efforts not to she had fallen asleep and when she awoke she found Jason sitting in the club chair adjacent to the couch starting at her. "What?" she questioned. She smoothed her hand against her unruly curls. "Oh I must be a sight."
"Uh-huh." Jason smiled more than pleased with the sight before him. "A beautiful sight."
Elizabeth blushed. She wasn't accustomed to his compliments.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better thanks. How long was I asleep?" She turned and looked out the large windows that lined one wall of the penthouse to see the sun about to disappear into the harbor waters.
"A couple hours."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"Thought you could use the rest. Besides I like watching you."
"Oh really?"
"Uh-huh. So you up for dinner? I was thinking we would go to The Grille."
"Well I don't think I am quite dressed for a place that fancy." She gestured to her current apparel.
"Maybe not." He agreed. "How about Pizza and we go to The Grille tomorrow after you have all of your girlie things," he laughed.
She playfully punched him. "Deal."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They spent the next few hours eating pizza and chatting as if all those months of silence between them had never existed. Elizabeth looked longingly at the pool table that sat in the corner of the bar wishing that she could challenge him to a game.
"You ready to go?" He asked reaching for the check the waitress had lain on the table.
"Yeah." There was a wistful intonation in her voice.
"What is it?" But before she could answer he followed her gaze with his own. "You want to play pool?"
"And go for a ride." She added. She could have used the sounded of the wind rushing passed them to deaden the thoughts that no matter how hard she tried to escape still picked at her.
"Well don't think you will be up for either of those things for a couple of weeks," he said sadly hating to deny her anything.
"I know," she remarked resigning herself to the facts at hand.
"You ready to go grab your things from your studio?"
"Yeah let's go."
She reached for the hand he offered and followed him to the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Here, give me the key." Jason brought forth his large hand so she could drop the key ring in his palm.
She stifled a laugh as he jiggled the lock yet the dead bolt refused to budge. "Thought you could pick any lock, Mr. Morgan. Why is using a key so difficult? Here." It was now her turn to ask for the keys. "It sticks sometimes." With minimal effort on Elizabeth's part the lock slid and the door opened. "Score one for this Alias fan." She laughed but that laughter came to an abrupt halt. "Oh my God!" she gasped.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Jason returned from the kitchen glass of water in hand. He offered it to Elizabeth as he took his place beside her again. "Any better?" he asked. "You want me to call Tony or maybe Bobbie?"
"I'm fine," she said seeing the concern in his crystal blue eyes. "I just let Carly get to me. Besides Tony did say that occasional dizziness goes along with having a concussion. You don't have to worry about me.
"Yes I do. I should have gotten her out of here the minute I opened the door and saw her standing there." Jason pulled Elizabeth into his arms and both of them sunk deep into the leather folds of the couch.
Elizabeth listened to the steady beat of Jason's heart beneath her ear. She didn't want to argue anymore but part of her needed to know why he was so sure that Carly wasn't the person behind her phone call earlier that day.
"Jason," she began quietly. "About Carly..."
"Forget about her."
"Wish I could but," she paused.
"But what?"
"Why are you positive that she didn't call me?" Elizabeth brought her eyes to meet his.
"I just am."
"It's not that I don't trust you Jason but." she bit her lower lip as she watched his sky-blue eyes cloud with confusion.
"You can tell me anything." Jason offered sensing that she was searching for a way to say what she needed to without upsetting him. He smiled slightly thinking how she still tried to make everything all right for everyone else. "You don't have to hide or pretend with me. Just because we told each other how we feel - that shouldn't change how we treat one another."
Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh. "I just can't get passed how much of a coincidence it was that Carly spouted the same words that the person said on the phone this morning. It's just too weird Jason."
"I agree but no matter how much of a coincidence it is Carly isn't your caller. Think about it - has Carly ever been anything but in your face when it came to me and our relationship?"
Elizabeth did think about it. Jason was right. All those times prior Carly had almost attacked her when it had come to Jason. She was anything but subtle and anonymity wasn't her style either. "No," she reluctantly agreed.
"She wouldn't make an anonymous phone call." Jason continued. "She'd do exactly what she did this afternoon and come storming in here thinking she could run you out of my life."
"I know."
"You wanted it to be her didn't you?"
"Uh-huh." Elizabeth's teeth again were tugging at her bottom lip to stave off her tears.
"That way you would know how to deal with it?"
"Yes." Her voice was barely audible.
Jason wrapped his arms around her again as she buried her face in the crock of his neck. He hated knowing that she was afraid. He hated not being able to do a damn thing about it. 'I told you Ric's off limits.' Jason heard Sonny's raised voice in his head. He clenched his jaw tight and pushed down those raging emotions that coursed through his veins. If roles were reversed and someone was after Carly or if she was frightened beyond reason Sonny would have been all over the person responsible. Yet Jason wasn't afforded the same privilege. All because Ric had played on Sonny's love for his dead mother.
"Jason?" Elizabeth sat up again and looked at him. She had felt his body tense beneath her. "What's wrong?"
How was he supposed to answer her question without adding to her fears? How was he supposed to tell her that his bike had been sabotaged? How was he supposed to tell her that Sonny while he may have been indebted to her for a great many things he couldn't see passed his own loyalty - warped as Jason thought it was - and let his enforcer handle the problem at hand?
"Jason?" she pressed.
"You should really be resting." He said trying his best to avoid her hard stare.
"You can't pull that with me. What's wrong? Something happen with Sonny?" She hadn't forgotten how strained she thought things felt between the two men. "I know that you can't share everything with me and begrudgingly I will accept that, but something got to you. What is it?" Elizabeth crossed her legs Indian style beside him and waited for him to speak.
Jason reached over and stroked her alabaster skin. It was smooth and soft against his fingers. He stared into her deep cobalt eyes and could have gotten lost in them. He was still having a difficult time fathoming that after all the ups, downs and misunderstandings they had finally made it to this place. He was almost fearful of doing something to trash it all over again.
"I love you." She covered his hand with her own almost sensing his apprehension. "Please just talk to me. I can listen too you know."
He leaned in and brought his lips on top of hers. He savored their sweetness. "I love you too." That simple sentence was one that he doubted he would ever grow tired of saying.
"What's wrong?" she prodded.
He blew a hard breath from his mouth and just began. "The accident, well it wasn't an accident.."
"No more like a mistake for you to let me try to drive." Elizabeth smiled slyly.
"It wasn't your fault. Someone tampered with the bike. They wanted it to crash."
The tiny hairs on her body stood erect at that comment. "What?"
"Someone meant for me to crash."
"Jason." It wasn't as though Elizabeth didn't understand that most of the time there was a price on his head just because of his job. It wasn't like she hadn't pulled him from the snow bleeding from a gunshot wound. She wasn't that naïve yet to be face to face with it again had her more than a little unnerved.
"I'm sorry that you got pulled into it. I don't think that you were ever meant to be an intended target. It was just supposed to be me."
Instinctively she let her one good arm encircle his neck. She needed to have him close to her.
"Easy," he said as he felt her body tremble.
"Who?" she asked. "Who did it? Is that what Sonny wanted to talk to you about? Does he know who's responsible?"
"We are having a difference of opinion on that." Jason sounded so diplomatic that Elizabeth gave him a funny look.
"Excuse me?"
"Sonny can't see the real culprit so he's focusing on someone else."
"You think it's Ric don't you?" Elizabeth's words sounded more like a statement of fact rather than a true question.
"Yes."
"You think all of it's been him?"
"Yes."
Elizabeth covered her face with her hand and let out a labored sigh. "What the hell have I done?" she asked more of herself than Jason.
"You haven't done a thing." He tried to reassure her.
"How can you say that? Ric - all of what he's done is in one way or another tied to me. He's targeting you because of me. He held Carly hostage because of the child I lost.."
"Ric's a sick bastard!" Jason stopped her before she could continue to blame herself. "His vendetta against Sonny was in place long before you ever came into his life. If anything he just used you as another way to prolong it. It's NOT your fault. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I still don't feel responsible." Elizabeth got up and walked across the living room. She stared out at the harbor and watched the waves roll in and disappear under the docks. "If I hadn't been so stubborn. If I had just talked to you about how hurt I was when you hid Sonny's fake death.."
"If I had only gone after you." Jason's voice came up from behind her. "If I had just admitted that I needed you and not trusting you - when you had never given me reason not to - was a mistake."
Elizabeth pivoted and stared at him. She was surprised to she the glints of unshed tears hanging in his eyes. "We both made mistakes," she said. "And to quote a very smart man I happen to love," Elizabeth smiled brightly at him. "There's no use in looking back."
"I love you. Do you know how much?" Jason seized her lips again with an eagerness that took her breath away.
"I think so, but you could try telling me again," she giggled when they finally parted.
"I love you.I love you.I love you!" He picked her up and carried her over to the couch. "I don't think you got much rest in my absence."
"Well Carly did put a stop to that."
"Rest then. I have some invoices that I need to go over. We can grab some dinner later. Sound good?"
"Yeah I'd like that. You think we could still go to my studio and get my things?"
"Sure. We can do that. Rest!" He pointed to the pillow he had placed on the couch.
"Jason," she hesitated for a second. "About Ric..."
"Don't worry about Ric. He's not going to hurt you."
"It's not me I am worried about." Without thinking she almost flew from her position and jumped into his arms. She wasn't ready to lose him when they had just found one another.
"I'm going to be fine too. Please just relax okay? Try to get some sleep. You look tired, baby."
Elizabeth let him cover her with her yellow afghan and she watched him out of the corner of her eye, as he went about his business not more than five feet away from where she lay.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Despite her best efforts not to she had fallen asleep and when she awoke she found Jason sitting in the club chair adjacent to the couch starting at her. "What?" she questioned. She smoothed her hand against her unruly curls. "Oh I must be a sight."
"Uh-huh." Jason smiled more than pleased with the sight before him. "A beautiful sight."
Elizabeth blushed. She wasn't accustomed to his compliments.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better thanks. How long was I asleep?" She turned and looked out the large windows that lined one wall of the penthouse to see the sun about to disappear into the harbor waters.
"A couple hours."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"Thought you could use the rest. Besides I like watching you."
"Oh really?"
"Uh-huh. So you up for dinner? I was thinking we would go to The Grille."
"Well I don't think I am quite dressed for a place that fancy." She gestured to her current apparel.
"Maybe not." He agreed. "How about Pizza and we go to The Grille tomorrow after you have all of your girlie things," he laughed.
She playfully punched him. "Deal."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They spent the next few hours eating pizza and chatting as if all those months of silence between them had never existed. Elizabeth looked longingly at the pool table that sat in the corner of the bar wishing that she could challenge him to a game.
"You ready to go?" He asked reaching for the check the waitress had lain on the table.
"Yeah." There was a wistful intonation in her voice.
"What is it?" But before she could answer he followed her gaze with his own. "You want to play pool?"
"And go for a ride." She added. She could have used the sounded of the wind rushing passed them to deaden the thoughts that no matter how hard she tried to escape still picked at her.
"Well don't think you will be up for either of those things for a couple of weeks," he said sadly hating to deny her anything.
"I know," she remarked resigning herself to the facts at hand.
"You ready to go grab your things from your studio?"
"Yeah let's go."
She reached for the hand he offered and followed him to the door.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Here, give me the key." Jason brought forth his large hand so she could drop the key ring in his palm.
She stifled a laugh as he jiggled the lock yet the dead bolt refused to budge. "Thought you could pick any lock, Mr. Morgan. Why is using a key so difficult? Here." It was now her turn to ask for the keys. "It sticks sometimes." With minimal effort on Elizabeth's part the lock slid and the door opened. "Score one for this Alias fan." She laughed but that laughter came to an abrupt halt. "Oh my God!" she gasped.