Note: Oooh. Almost done. Hee hee.

Safe Haven – prt 11

Jason stared out the window, watching the inky black ocean glitter beneath them. The personal jet he and Sonny owned was equipped with all of the luxuries available to aircrafts, and yet Jason was still terribly uncomfortable.

The past few hours had been an absolute nightmare. Sonny had called him and Elizabeth while they were…Jason shook his head briskly, refusing to let his mind wander back to the events in his office for the millionth time and get all excited. He definitely didn't need that.

The news hadn't been what Jason was expecting. His best friend had told them, clear as crystal, over the telephone that the Spencer-Cassidine war was over. It had thrown Jason for a loop; he hadn't been expecting such a quick resolution. But the news was as it was, and it meant what Jason had been dreading: Elizabeth was free to return home.

He didn't know how the news was really affecting Elizabeth. The petite brunette had stared at the receiver with a face bland of all emotion as Sonny told her what had transpired. Stavros Cassidine had been alive, resurrected from a frozen state by his doting mother, and had been wreaking havoc on the citizens of Port Charles that had stood in his mother's path in the past.

And Jason had to watch, with his heart breaking at every word, as Elizabeth slowly recalled the night that she had run into Stavros Cassidine himself, face-to-face, on the docks. She hadn't looked at him at all then, just stared at the intercom as if she were talking directly to Sonny. She had dropped her purse and its contents had spilled all over the planks. An older man, impeccably dressed and neatly groomed, had stooped and helped her recover them, then told her that she shouldn't be out walking this late at night.

But Stavros Cassidine was dead now, having fallen into an abyss underneath General Hospital. Lucky had almost killed his father in the time that she had been gone from Port Charles, and Nikolas had finally come face to face with his own father. Jason recalled the tears that had sprung to Elizabeth's eyes when she reflected aloud to him and Sonny how shaken poor Nikolas must be.

Sonny didn't offer much more information and had been careful not to say more about Lucky than was absolutely necessary. And Elizabeth had taken it from there. With Sonny still on the extension, she had turned to Jason – who still hadn't had any luck finding his shirt – and announced in a deathly calm voice that they had to get back to Port Charles immediately. And with that, she had bid Sonny farewell and walked out of the office to pack.

Sonny had wanted to stay on the line and talk some more about the events back home but Jason had been compelled to take a rain check – after all, he really needed a cold shower. The walk upstairs had been excruciatingly painful and he had passed Elizabeth's bedroom to see her duffel bag spread open on her bed and ready to be packed.

He had tried his best not to think about it as he showered. When he emerged half an hour later, his fingers wrinkly and his limbs tight from the frigid water, Elizabeth was still packing. She was doing it methodically, slowly, often pulling items out and rearranging them more conveniently. He had leaned against the threshold of the door and just watched her, but she had been very involved in the task at hand. When she finally noticed that he was there, she looked up and asked him if he wasn't going to pack as well.

Neatly dismissed, Jason had no choice but to trudge back to his own bedroom and pull his own duffel bag out of his closet. He was a light traveler and didn't have nearly as many things to arrange and rearrange in the bag as Elizabeth did. They both finished packing and emerged from their respective bedrooms at approximately the same time, leaving Jason feeling very awkward. He recalled shuffling his feet nervously against the carpet as Elizabeth stood not two paces away, but then Paco had appeared and solemnly informed them that Betty thought they should eat something more before they left.

The bodyguard and Betty were both sorry to see Elizabeth go; that much was apparent from the last supper. Both of them, along with Jason, ate slowly and picked at their food as if by prolonging their meal they wouldn't have to separate. Elizabeth, however, quickly shoveled her dinner into her mouth, focused only on the mission that lay before her: getting back to Port Charles. She was a racehorse with blinkers on, and missed the disappointed set of Paco's shoulders and the little frown Betty wore.

It was quite late when they finished and rose from the table, and it was beginning to show on Elizabeth. She would yawn every few minutes despite trying her hardest not to. She'd rub at her eyes, as if trying to rouse herself, and her fatigued behavior was worrying Jason.

Finally, and much to her displeasure, he suggested that they both take a few hours to sleep before making the trip. Elizabeth only agreed when Paco patiently explained to her that there had been delays with the jet and that it wasn't ready for take-off yet, so she might as well get some sleep and be well-rested for her return home.

Thus placated, Elizabeth slipped upstairs to her bedroom without so much as a second glance at Jason. They had both retired to bed and awoken a few hours later. The plane was ready and so was their luggage. Jason had exchanged a few words with the bodyguards on duty while Elizabeth had hugged Paco and Betty goodbye. Then they had boarded the plane, on their way back to Port Charles.

And that was where they were now. Jason was seated on the couch by himself, looking out at the water, and Elizabeth was asleep on the white loveseat on the opposite side of the plane. Her small body was curled up in a defensive position, her arm hanging off the side of the little sofa, and her silky hair had fallen in her face. Her lips were parted slightly in her sleep and she would occasionally mumble something about pink poodles and flying bunnies.

Jason watched her enviously from his seat wayyyyy on the other side of the plane. She looked so beautiful and perfect, and all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and make her understand….make her understand what? Why he had pulled away from her? She knew that as well as he did – he didn't want to bed her while Lucky still thought she was his. That was something Jason just couldn't bring himself to do, no matter how deeply his feelings for her ran. Because even though they had admitted that they wanted to be together, they hadn't discussed anything further than that. And when he took Elizabeth to bed, he wanted to be sure that both of them knew it was about more than just sex.

But she didn't see it that way, and Jason didn't blame her. Tortured by the sight of her sleeping innocently right in front of him, looking every bit the fallen angel, Jason shucked his shoes and leaned back on the couch, closing his eyes and trying to lull himself to sleep. At least while he was sleeping, he wouldn't be tortured by thoughts of them.

The flight was peaceful and uneventful, more than conducive to sleep and slowly Jason slipped away into a deep slumber. On the other side of the jet, Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and peeked at him. He was sprawled back on the couch, still looking terribly uncomfortable. His features were strained and tight and he looked as if something were haunting him.

Sighing, Elizabeth shifted on the loveseat. She had a pretty good idea of what that something was.

He was so beautiful when he slept. She didn't even bother to stop her eyes from grazing over his entire magnificent form from the tips of his spiky golden hair to the toes of his feet, clad in navy blue socks. Elizabeth sighed again and tucked her hair behind the shell of her ear.

She knew that this wasn't easy for him. For that matter, it wasn't easy for her either. But if she really stretched her imagination, she could get an idea of what Jason was going through right now. He had been honest with her in his office back on the island – it had hurt, but he had been telling her the truth regardless. And if she really forced herself to admit it, he was right. Emily was right. They both had reminded her that she didn't have the greatest track record when it came to Lucky and Jason.

She had waffled back and forth too many times; she had hurt Jason too deeply. Should she really be surprised, then, that he was so insecure when it came to her? The thought almost made her smile – the mighty Jason Morgan, insecure about where he stood with a skinny little girl that liked to ramble.

Her eyes drifted to his face, the proud nose, the strong, angular jaw, the aristocratic cheekbones. More than anything, she wanted to go back to that time and make things right. To fix things so that Jason wasn't so conflicted and torn and angry.

Slowly, she pushed herself up from the sofa and shuffled quietly to the cabinet in the back. It took her a minute to find a blanket and when her fingers found a soft blue one, she slowly made her way back to Jason. She gently peeled off his socks and stuck them in his boots and spread the blanket over him, tucking it under his chin. Done, she wandered back to her own loveseat and flopped down on it again.

Somehow, she would make things right for Jason.

A sick, heavy feeling settled in the pit of Jason's stomach as he stood at the top of the steps leading down from the jet.

They had arrived.

His bike was waiting for him; he had to make a trip to Sonny's before anything else to discuss business. Nearby, a limousine was waiting for Elizabeth, the driver having been instructed to take the young woman wherever she wanted to go.

A muscle ticked in Jason's jaw as he fought off a sudden and unexpected wave of nausea. Never in his life had he wanted so badly to be somewhere else. Anywhere else – Egypt, Morocco, Paris…Italy. Anywhere but here.

Elizabeth was moving around behind him, pulling on a light cardigan to ward off the early morning chill. Jason's heart beat painfully in his chest, reminding him all to bluntly that this could be the last time he was alone with Elizabeth. She could easily run into the arms of Lucky Spencer after his little stunt back on the island and never look back. And then he'd be all alone again; she'd have passed him over for another man for the second time. And this time, Jason doubted that he could get over it anywhere near as quickly as he had the first time.

He felt a flutter of movement behind him, and then her sweet scent of lilies and honey enveloped him. Heart heavy in his chest, Jason moved slowly to the side to allow her access to the stairs that would lead her back into the life she had abandoned two short weeks ago. More than anything, he wanted to spin around, wrap his arms around her and kiss her until neither of them could breathe. He knew it was a selfish, possessive wish but he didn't care – he wanted to feel her sweet lips under his and give her one more reason, however carnal and primitive, to choose him.

But his limbs felt like lead as she appeared at his side, pulling her sunglasses out of her pocket as she surveyed the calm sky. The beginning rays of the sunrise were starting to grace Port Charles, and she knew she'd need her shades soon. Wordlessly, she looked out at the waiting motorcycle – his – and the waiting limousine – hers. This was it. She had to go down there and face everything that she had escaped. There was no running away this time.

But the remarkable thing was that none of it scared her. She didn't know what she was going to say when she saw Lucky, but she wasn't afraid to tell him that she couldn't be with him anymore, that she loved someone else. It didn't scare her the way it should have.

But the one thing that did make her heart hurt was the anguish radiating in waves off of Jason's strong body. He was hurting, and it was because of her. He had no idea what would happen the minute she descended those steps and his refusal to move showed that on some level, he was doing everything he could to keep that moment of uncertainty and loss from arriving.

She couldn't leave without taking care of him first.

Her small hand, cool and soft, reached out and touched his arm. Shaken at the physical contact, Jason quickly looked down at her. Elizabeth gazed up at him openly, hoping that he could see in her eyes everything that she couldn't put into words at the moment. Letting her hand slowly travel to the base of his neck, she timidly tugged him forward.

Jason didn't have any idea what was going on but the older man was powerless to resist her innocent pull. His startled blue eyes darted between her cool and calm ones as his heart raced. And before he knew it, Elizabeth's lips were pressed sweetly to his.

She kissed him softly, cherishingly, letting him know in that one simple coupling of lips that it would be all right. Jason's heart raged in his chest and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. He wanted everyone in this damn town to know that he wanted her and this time, no psychotic little kid with boy-band highlights was going to keep him from the woman of his dreams.

Elizabeth pulled back before he could deepen the kiss and stared fondly into his confused and stormy eyes. "You can be a real idiot sometimes, Jason Morgan," she whispered, sweeping her thumb through the soft hair at his nape. "But that doesn't change how much I love you."

He could have sworn that his heart stopped beating right then and there.

The brunette beauty allowed her lips to whisper across his once more before she pulled away and slowly turned, walking regally down the stairs to the waiting limousine below. It was time to do away with everything in her past that threatened her future.