Jason drummed his fingers against the arm of the couch. It had been ten days, nearly a week and a half since he and Elizabeth escaped the penthouse in the middle of the night and went out for a ride, chasing the wind, up an old cliff road that brought back too many memories and too many emotions.
They had talked that night, she had shared JJ's baby book with him and he had presented her with a ruby pendant from Tiffany's. One would think that they had made a lot of progress but to Jason it seemed minimal. They were on their way to being friends, something he never thought he would have with Elizabeth Webber again. It was comfortable and odd at the same time because just ten days ago he it was on this very couch that he was kissing her, pressed against her, wanting so much more than a friendship.
Then it came between them once again, the ghost of Sonny Corinthos.
And here he was sitting in Sonny Corinthos' penthouse, on Sonny Corinthos' couch with Sonny Corinthos' fiancé upstairs getting ready for the day probably putting on clothes that Sonny Corinthos picked out.
Sighing he braced his knees on his elbows and placed his head in the palms of his hands. He had to get out of this place, he felt like he was suffocating. He was only moving in here to drive Elizabeth crazy and spend as much time with his son as possible. Now he was on the verge of forgiving a woman who kept his child from him for three years and he spent nearly every minute of every day around her. That wasn't the plan.
But then again when did things ever really go right when Elizabeth was around? He was doing her a favor all those years ago making sure she got home from Jake's safely. It was only one bike ride which turned into a short conversation the next day and then a run in the docks and then a friendship was formed, a bond was created, a connection made and somewhere along the line, he fell in love with a innocent young woman that changed his life.
Now he was right back where he started, sharing moments with Elizabeth Webber, unsure of where they would lead, not knowing where he wanted them to lead. It would be so easy to pretend that they were a family, to kiss her and hold her at night, pretending that nothing stood between them and that everything was as perfect as it seemed.
He couldn't pretend though, it wasn't in him, and sitting here trying to figure out what would happen in the future was not something that he did either. Part of him wanted to fight for Elizabeth, wanted to fight for the family that they should be but he knew that he couldn't fight a ghost.
It was too soon for her to forget about Sonny; it was too soon for him to forgive Elizabeth. Forgive and forget was something he wasn't sure could even be done anymore.
He stood up from the couch and reached for the cell phone in his back jean pocket, turning it one with the press of a button and waiting for the screen to light up. His thumb moved along the silver buttons as he searched for the number he was looking for and then pressed the button with the small green phone on it. He placed the small electronic device to his ear and listened as the line rang on the other end.
"Sam, hi, hey, it's Jason."
Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed as her hand curled around the banister at the top of the stairs.
Sam.
She wasn't surprised that he was on the phone with the young woman. She was actually surprised that the call hadn't occurred sooner. Jason had been a little distant since the return from their bike ride a little over a week ago. Sure they were getting along, famously if you asked anyone around them, but she could feel it, him withdrawing a little each day and she knew it had everything to do with her lies and Sonny Corinthos.
That was why she had come to a decision. She was going to move out of the penthouse. It was well past time that JJ had a home of his own with a big backyard and a tree house that his father could build for him. She wanted her own dining room that you had to walk into, not a table that was a few feet from the couch and maybe a separate room for her art when she resumed painting.
Not that she didn't love the penthouse; the years she spent here were incredible and filled with love. She always felt warm and protected in Sonny's home but that was just it, she was in Sonny's home. Her signature on the lease didn't necessarily make it hers. This home represented Sonny and he was gone, she needed to move on without him.
She just wasn't sure if Jason was coming with her or not.
The terms of the trust stated that Sonny wanted Jason to live with her but technically he didn't have to. He was only really in charge of the funds that were distributed. She knew, she read through the paperwork that Alexis had handed her cover to cover. Jason moved in most likely to drive her crazy and spent every free moment with JJ.
Now that he was a fixture in JJ's life and they were slowly rebuilding the foundation of their friendship she wasn't sure that Jason would be too keen on moving into a new home with her. That would imply things that neither of them were ready for and it might give JJ the wrong idea.
These were all things that she wanted to talk to him about this morning, she was hoping that they could stop and grab breakfast at Kelly's after dropping JJ off at school but she heard Jason making arrangements to meet Sam there, just to grab a cup of coffee, he didn't want to take up a lot of her time.
Her heart constricted as she made her way down the stairs, one red heeled covered foot in front of the other, making her presence known. Jason turned around, his eyes looking a little surprised before he presented his back to her again and quietly finished his phone call.
As she moved around the side of the couch and came to stand beside him she wondered how it was possible that she missed Sonny so dreadfully and still felt the green monster rear its ugly head when she heard Jason on the phone with his date.
It was that same sinking feeling she encountered over four years ago on Valentine's Day when Jason came stumbling out of the burning warehouse covered in soot all the while Lucky stood behind her, trying to pull her away.
She was in love with two different men and once again she was playing tug of war with Jason Morgan's heart.
If only she had picked up that phone all those years ago when she found out that she was going to have Jason's baby. If only…
"Elizabeth?" Jason asked quietly as he walked towards her, "Are you okay? You look a little pale."
"No, I'm fine," she said giving him a small smile, "I was going to ask if you would mind taking JJ to school by yourself. I want to look over some paperwork that Alexis gave me. She wants to make sure that I'm busy during my summer break; gotta love her for that."
Jason frowned as he listened to her ramble and then walk around the room picking up JJ's toys before depositing them into a plastic red bin besides Sonny's desk. When he heard her coming down the stairs he was surprised that she was dressed so quickly and not surprised to see her looking like the future Mrs. Sonny Corinthos. A pair of gray dress pants and a red shirt that matched perfectly with her red heels.
She was definitely one of Sonny's women. It was a nice, bright wake up call.
"I wouldn't mind," he said as he watched her pull out a gray coat from the closet, "I'll pick him up as well."
Elizabeth shook her head, "I can do that. I promised him that I would take him over to Kelly's for lunch. Bobbie keeps talking about some cookie sundae that she made up just for him. He's been asking for it," she smiled as she slipped her arms into her wool coat. "Would you like me to make dinner this evening?"
Jason shook his head and stuffed his hands in his jean pockets, "I need to work late tonight. I'll be home before JJ goes to bed but then I'll probably…"
"You don't have to explain it to me," Elizabeth smiled as she grabbed her clutch purse, "I'm not your wife or your girlfriend and it's rare that JJ wakes up in the middle of the night so I won't have to explain it to him either."
She was acting weird and Jason wasn't sure if it was that phone call with Sam that set her off. He should've known better and maybe stepped out into the hallway and have Johnny wait inside with Elizabeth and JJ but he didn't want to hide it, if he was going to start dating someone he wanted to be upfront about it and make sure that Elizabeth and JJ were comfortable with it.
Well, JJ anyway.
"I guess I'll see you when you get home," she said with her hand on the door knob, "Be careful."
"Elizabeth," he said taking a step forward, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you," he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, "I wasn't sure how to…I don't want to upset you."
She plastered a smile on her face as she walked towards him, her heels clicking against the floor, "Jason, you can tell me anything, what's going on?"
Elizabeth was steeling herself for the news that Jason was about to thrust upon her, waiting for him to actually say that he had a date with another woman. It was one thing to hear it from a bodyguard or even over hear the conversation yourself, it was another when a man who you were once in love with told you straight to your face.
"There's no sign of Alcazar," he said quietly, "I haven't been able to locate him."
That came out of left field and made her legs a little shaky. She sank down onto the couch, her purse falling from her hands onto the floor. If anyone could have found Louis Alcazar it would have been Jason and if Jason didn't find him than that meant…
"No," he said sitting down next to her and taking her hand, "Elizabeth you are not…"
"Oh yeah I am," she said pulling her hand away and bending down to pick up her purse, "I see Sonny Corinthos in my kitchen, hear him on the phone and what, two days later I'm declaring that Alcazar is alive?"
"Elizabeth, you were tired, you had been through so much that you just…"
"Lost my mind," she laughed as she looked at him, "Good God Jason, I lost Sonny, you came back into town found out your mentors dead, I've been screwing him and on top of all that you had a son you never knew about. I'm not the one who should be going crazy, you are."
She saw the anger reappear in his eyes, the one that was extinguished ten days ago suddenly flamed up again and it was because she couldn't keep her big mouth shut. One of the best things that ever happened to her wanted to move forward, wanted to become friends and here she was feeling sorry for herself and screwing up again. She was done, she had it. She stood up from the couch and hurried towards the door, nearly reaching it before she felt him grasp her elbow and spin her around towards him.
"No, Elizabeth, I won't let you run from this," he said, "It is okay…"
"It is not okay, Jason," she said as she pulled herself away from him, "I cannot say things like that in anger, I cannot because I am the one who caused all of your pain. I am the one who should be suffering not you and that is not the case. I am happy because I have JJ and I have you back in my life and you, you are still dealing with all of this," she laughed as she wiped at the tears that started to appear in her eyes, "I went nuts, I lost it, completely, and everyone knew that, it's about time that I admitted. I was seeing dead people, Jason."
"Elizabeth…"
"And you need to stop rescuing me," she said, "I know where you were the night that I started screaming like a banshee. I know you had a date and I know that I ruined it and I'm sure that one or all of those guards out there chewed you out for even thinking about dating another woman. Well screw them, I want you to listen to me. We depended on each other, we cared about each other, we were each other's freedom, each others sanity. We got on a bike together and we escaped reality and the hell that came with it. Look where it took us, to a place we weren't prepared to go and look what I did to you, I hurt the one person that I never wanted to hurt Jason and I am going to spend the rest of my life trying to make that up to you."
He sighed, "You don't have to…"
"Let me go," she whispered, "Drop the obligations that you feel. Let me go crazy; let me screw up my life Jason, save me for JJ but only then. I don't want your protection, I don't deserve it."
"You don't get to decide that, Elizabeth."
"I'm moving out," she said quietly as she reached for the door and opened it, "And I don't care what the trust implies, I think its best if you didn't come with us."
Jason watched as she smiled sadly at Johnny and the protective bodyguard placed his arm around her shoulder, helping her to the elevator where she disappeared behind the steel silver doors. It was funny, they thought along the same lines, wanting to move out of the penthouse but yet they could never be on the same wave length.
Maybe this time he would listen to Elizabeth, maybe it was time to move on.
"One of these days we're going to go on a date," Sam smiled from across the table as she brushed the back of Jason's hands with her fingers, "And you're going to actually be here."
Jason gave same a sympathetic smile from across the table, "I'm sorry."
"Problems with the Mrs.?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
"She's not…" he laughed slightly, "You know the deal. I was ready to go out to breakfast with you. I wanted to hear more about the fashion industry."
"But something happened," Sam filled in, "Did you get into an argument with her?" she smiled and held up her hands, "I'm being rude, you don't have to tell me a thing. I just want you to know that I'm here, I'll listen if you want." She reached over and squeezed his hand gently.
Jason sighed and nodded. He wasn't someone who would talk about his feelings, he really didn't get into discussing intense emotions with people until Elizabeth came around and even that took some time. She often told him she had no idea what he talked about because he used so many different references. Maybe it would help if he talked to someone, especially someone who wasn't from Port Charles and didn't know everyone's dirty little secrets.
"We're both under the impression that we need to move out of where we're staying," he winced and looked away from her, "I was actually staying with her, I am staying with her. I should have told you."
"We've been on what? One date, that was cut short?" she asked with a smile as she gave his hand another reassuring squeeze, "You don't owe me anything, Jason. I'm just trying to be a friend."
"Thank you," he said quietly, "For not pushing, it's…it's nice."
She smiled as she motioned for him to continue, "Your living with the mother of your son, go on."
He laughed softly, "We both decided that we should end that, sooner rather than later, it just seems that we decided it for different reasons. I don't know, I guess I should just be happy that we're finally thinking along the same lines about something."
"You two seem to have a very sordid past," Sam said quietly.
"I wouldn't even know where to begin," he said as he rested his elbows on the table and leaned towards her, their hands still joined, "And I wouldn't want to do that, Sam. The thing I like most about you is that you're not from Port Charles; you don't hear the snippets and whispers that go around in this town. You haven't even questioned me about why my name is in the paper."
Sam smiled and looked away from him, "I have heard some things but it isn't my place to question, Jason. You seem like a decent enough guy to let me know if I were in real danger," she pushed her plate aside and inched her way closer to him, "I've read about your friend and I'm very sorry. I didn't want to bring it up, it seems very private and I'm not going to believe everything that's in the paper. I'm from New York, remember? If there were someone after you, if this was an intentional thing, then you wouldn't be here enjoying your black coffee with me, you'd be off trying to figure out who done what and why."
"This is one of the easiest conversation's I've had in a very long time," he said with a genuine smile, "I'm glad I called."
"So am I," she said as she finally pulled her hand away and dug into her coat pocket for some money, "This is on me."
"Sam…"
"I didn't say that you didn't have to return the favor," she said as she rested her chin in the palm of her hands, "So what do you say that you take me out to dinner and we can do it on a night when your cell phone won't be ringing off the hook."
"How about Friday?" he asked, "That gives me plenty of time to threaten anybody who has any ideas of calling me that night."
She laughed briefly before frowning, "I forgot, I have work on Friday. I never told you that I finally got a job."
"Here?" Jason asked turning around in his seat and looking behind the counter, "I'm sure that I can talk to Bobbie and get her to give you some time…"
"Not here," she smiled, "I like it here, it's nice, it's quaint, but this isn't my type of place you know? I like it for a morning meal but I can't imagine myself working in here."
"Okay," he said a smile appearing on his lips, "So where did you get a job?"
"At a bar about twenty minutes from here, almost on the outskirts of town," she said as she stood up and reached for her jacket, "I don't know if you ever heard of it, it's called Jake's."
Jason froze as he stood up, shrugging on his own leather jacket. Jake's, the place where he discovered the real Elizabeth Webber, the place where he taught her how to play pool, the place where she had forgotten those beautiful white opera gloves.
Yeah, he heard of Jake's.
"Jason?" she asked curiously.
"I've heard of it," Jason said quietly as he held the door open for her, allowing her to leave the diner first.
"Well I hope it's a good place," she smiled as she stuffed her hands in her coat pocket, "Friday is my first night as a waitress there."
"I'm sure you'll do fine," Jason said as he came to stand in front of her, "If you want, we can go get something to eat afterwards or maybe I could stop by on your break."
"I'm done at nine," she said, "It's going to take about an hour to get home…"
"I'll come get you," he said, "Then you can decide where we want to go eat. We can do Chinese again."
"Chinese sounds good," she smiled as she leaned up and stood up on her toes and gave him a hug, "Thank you for talking to me, Jason. Thank you for calling."
"Thank you for taking the call," he said with a small laugh as she stepped back, "I know that I haven't been…"
She pressed two gloved fingers to his lips, "Make it up to me on Friday."
"That I can do," Jason grinned.
Elizabeth slammed her fist down on the desk in frustration. She had been trying to review these contracts for the past hour but every time she flipped the page she could only conjure up the image of Jason having breakfast with the brunette Pamela Anderson.
She swore she was okay with it, wanted Jason to be happy but dammit she was pissed as hell. It was her own fault. She ruined her chances and she knew it. She'd have to accept what was to come with Jason and his new life love.
She didn't have to be happy about it but she'd accept it.
Looking around the room she became annoyed when she realized that Sonny didn't keep any of his good liquor here at the office. That was something she might fix in the upcoming weeks. Sighing and deciding not to go for a fresh cup of coffee Elizabeth flipped the pages back to the front and tried to start again.
She was halfway through the second page when she heard a thump outside of the office door and two shadows hovering through the small box window that was placed high on the steel door. She pulled open the drawer beside her, reaching for the black nine millimeter that rested there and placed it onto her lap, sliding her chair back under her desk.
Normally Elizabeth would've panicked when the man walked into the office but she couldn't help but smile.
"Good morning, Miss Webber," he said as he bowed slightly in front of her.
"Alcazar."
At least she was going crazy.