"Why?"

"Because we're just not ready."

"Why?"

Jason squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to think of some way to placate his son as to the reason why he was not living with Elizabeth. He could feel Elizabeth standing behind the couch smirking. She had to go through this yesterday and she wanted to save a dose of it for him.

"You remember living with Uncle Sonny right?' Jason asked as he shifted JJ on his lap.

"Right," JJ confirmed as he nodded his head.

"Well you remember that when you lived with Uncle Sonny and Mommy I wasn't around?"

"You were here," JJ smiled as he pointed to his heart, "But you didn't live with us."

"Right," Jason said, "I just came home, recently, and I met you. I've been living on my own for so long that it would be hard for me to live with Mommy. I wouldn't be use to it and we might start fighting and I don't want that to happen."

JJ looked thoughtful for a moment before he turned his blue eyes up to his father, "Don't you love Mommy? She loves you."

Elizabeth felt her entire face flush as she hurried around to the side of the couch, "JJ…"

That's what she got for the slip of her tongue yesterday. She was so frazzled trying to explain to her son why she couldn't live with his father that she let him know that she still loved Jason. She would always love Jason. Time, distance, and other men in her life would never change that.

"I love your mother," Jason said causing Elizabeth to stop in her tracks.

She blinked and looked at him but his eyes were focused solely on his son. He still loved her? She wasn't sure how to take that, what he meant by it.

"She gave me you."

She smiled softly. He loved her because of JJ. That was okay, that was a step and she would do it all over again, give Jason a child, this time she wouldn't make the mistake of withholding the information from him.

"We're afraid that if we live together that love might stop. We need to be apart for a while."

"Apart from me too?" JJ asked as his lower lip trembled.

"No, never," Jason said, "If it's alright with your mom, I'm going to buy up some land around here and build a house, right next door, so you can decide where you want to sleep, every night."

"Really?" JJ asked excited, "I'd have two rooms?"

"Two rooms," Jason laughed, "Two houses filled with toys."

"Two Harleys?"

"One Harley," Elizabeth smiled as she pulled JJ off of Jason's lap, "Even Daddy only has one Harley. Now you have to go find your jacket before Daddy can take you to breakfast."

"Will you come see my room when we get back?" JJ asked, "Help me decided where Mommy is going to put the picture on my wall?"

"Sure," Jason nodded.

"Okay! Be right back!" JJ said and quickly scurried up the stairs.

"So you love me," Jason said standing up from the couch.

Elizabeth knew she had that goofy deer in the headlights look on her face but she laughed when she saw his. Those blue eyes were twinkling, the way they did before when she first became friends with Jason Morgan. He was teasing her and he was enjoying it.

She had to admit that she was enjoying it as well.

"I love you a little more than you love me," she said as she moved around him, "I love you because of JJ but also because of what you did for me all those years ago. You let me be me. I will always love you for that. And thank you for this talk with JJ. You are amazing with kids. You have a gift with them."

Jason shrugged, "I just tried to be honest with him."

"I didn't know how to word 'we'd kill each other' correctly," she laughed.

"I wouldn't kill you, Elizabeth," Jason said quietly, "You were doing a good job of that yourself living in the penthouse."

She nodded as she picked up a blanket that was laying in a heap on the couch and started to fold it. "Did you really mean it? About moving next door."

"I already bought up the property," Jason said, "As soon as I heard that you were looking into the cottage. I made sure the real estate lady kept it to herself," he got this painful look on his face, "It's just…Brenda's cottage."

"I heard you two never got along well," she smiled as she laid the blanket over the back of the couch, "I would have loved to have seen that."

"No you wouldn't of," Jason said, "She drives me nuts." He stuffed his hands in the front of his jeans pocket, "Let me know how much space you need between houses and I'll start on the plans."

"Ten feet."

"Ten feet?"

"That's the furthest I ever allow JJ away from me outside, if that," Elizabeth said, "Or whatever you think is reasonable."

"When they draw something up I'll bring it by, see what happens, maybe we'll just do something identical to this. It doesn't matter to me."

"Just one little favor," Elizabeth asked as she approached him.

"What?"

"Bring in another pool table."

Jason's eyes flashed as he remember images of her leaning over, running that stick between her fingers as she tried to line up a shot. He remembered the way she felt when she leaned back against him, her leg planted firmly between his and her body…

"Ready!" JJ said pouncing down the stairs, "Is Mommy coming?"

"Oh no I…"

"Actually, someone is meeting us there," Jason said never taking his eyes off of Elizabeth.

"Really, who?" JJ asked bouncing up and down.

"Sam."

Elizabeth sat down slowly, watching as the waves bounced up against the docks. She had avoided this area at all costs for the past few weeks. The warehouse she could visit, she could stand amidst the rubble, the place that burned down her future in an instant but here, the place where she last kissed him, the place where she had told him goodbye. This was even more unbearable.

It was almost like Vista Point.

It was one of those places she dreaded going back to but yet somehow was drawn to them. It was like the devil inside of her, calling her, wanting her to feel this overwhelming burden, the pain of it all over again. And wrapped up in his spell Elizabeth followed and here she was, trembling and wishing she had gone to the furniture store instead.

She sighed as she closed her eyes, feeling the tears fill them. She wouldn't cry, not today, not now, not here. Here was her last moment of happiness with him, here was where they parted, here was where she smiled at him, letting him know how content she was to be with him. But did he truly know? Was he aware that she would give up that passionate love she was searching for just for his security and comfort?

Here, at these docks, she had lost a man she had grown to love and her best friend.

"What can I do?"

Elizabeth looked up from the couch, where she was buried under a blanket and shook her head, "I'm fine."

Sonny walked towards her, his hands stuffed in his side pockets and sat down on the edge of the sofa, smiling sadly at her, "If you were fine you would've moved two days ago, Elizabeth."

"Sonny…"

"I'm not telling you to get better," he said as pulled his hand out of his pocket and brushed some of the hair out of her face, "I'm asking what I can do that will bring a smile on your face."

She offered him a small smile, "Even you can't give me what I need."

He propped his elbow up on his knee and rested the side of his face in the palm of his hand, "No, I'm sorry, I can't, but maybe I can help, if you let me. What did you use to do when you needed to get away from everything and everyone?"

She looked at him, the smile widening on her face as she remembered the blurry images, the screaming in her ears, the rush she felt. "I use to chase the wind."

"I can't do that," he said with a small grimace, "I don't think you want me to even try to do that."

Elizabeth laughed, her first real laughter in the past two months and she couldn't stop laughing at the thought of Sonny Corinthos, decked out in his suit, driving a motorcycle with a large black helmet messing up the perfectly gelled curls.

"Alright, come on," he said as he threw the covers aside and took her hand, pulling her off of the couch, "We're going to see a chick flick."

"A what?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"Carly use to see them all the time before she got busy wanting to start her own business," Sonny said as he started pushing her towards the stairs, "We're going to see one, we're going to cry in our popcorn and we're going to share a big gulp. Go get dressed."

"Sonny…" Elizabeth said quietly as she turned towards him.

"I don't want your baby coming into this world not knowing his own mother's laughter," he said, "It's my favorite thing about you, Elizabeth."

"Sonny, thank you," she whispered as she stepped off the stairs and hugged him tightly, "I don't know how I'd make it through the day if it weren't for you."

Sonny smiled, revealing his dimples, "That's what friends are for."

That's what they were to each other; friends, first and foremost.

He was her solace after Jason walked out and when Carly had left the penthouse she had become his. Out of that had grown, love, respect, trust, foundations for a marriage which is why she had so readily accepted his proposal and somewhere in the middle they fell in love, not the deep all consuming love that they had once felt before for other people but comfortable love, love that fit and felt right, love that wouldn't break your heart and would be there waiting for you at the end of the day.

It was a love she didn't have to fight for, a love she wasn't tortured about, a love that didn't hold a candle to what she had once felt for Jason Morgan and yet it was a love that she would miss, deeply.

Elizabeth opened her eyes and was surprised to come face to face with a man's waist. She quickly looked upward and saw Lorenzo Alcazar staring down at her, a frown planted firmly on his lips.

"I'm surprised Francis allowed you this close," she said.

"I allowed him to take my weapon," Lorenzo said as he motioned to the empty seat next to her, "May I?"

She nodded and watched as he sat down, unbuttoning his suit to make himself more comfortable, "Disarming for a lady? And they say chivalry is dead."

"To be honest I had no intention of running into you today," Lorenzo said as he turned towards her, "I was merely on my way to a business meeting when I noticed you sitting here, your eyes closed and the most devastated look on your face. I had to stop by and see if things were okay. I'm assuming they were since your friend over there didn't move from his spot."

Elizabeth looked over and smiled, seeing how Francis was now very visible and his eyes were locked on Lorenzo's face. Sure he would let the man near Elizabeth unarmed but he still didn't trust him.

"He knew that I needed some time," she said as she turned back to Lorenzo, "And please, don't let me keep you from your meeting."

"Ah, the old brush off," Lorenzo smiled as he stretched his arm across the back of the bench, "I'm sorry to tell you my dear that I do have time available before I really must be on my way."

"I think you're flirting again."

He laughed and shook his head, "Would you believe me when I say that no one in this town wants to befriend me, let alone do business with me? I had to twist some arms to get a place here on the pier for my shipments to come in."

"Shipments?" Elizabeth asked, "You led me to believe that you weren't going to be staying in town long. Have you plans changed?"

"Yes, they have," Lorenzo said, "They did the moment you shot at me."

"I didn't hit you," she said rolling her eyes, "And don't tell me that you're looking for revenge because I don't think I'll believe it."

"Really?" he asked, "I was asking you to believe that I had good intentions a few days ago and you didn't believe me then. Do you think that I'm a pathological liar, Elizabeth?"

"I think you're still after something," she said with a smile, "And I'm very curious as to what it is."

"Besides your former penthouse?" he asked with a grin, "An evening with your company."

"I thought I made it clear that I wasn't ready to date," she said wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Who said anything about a date?" he asked, "A mere drink between friends."

"We're friends now?"

"We could be," he said as he moved to stand up, "If you would believe that I mean you no harm. I'd like to try and prove it to you. I'm sure that your friend over there has come up with nothing other than what I have told you regarding my background."

"He hasn't found anything interesting," Elizabeth said looking up at him, "Yet."

He smiled as he placed his hand over his heart, "You wound me, Miss Webber. I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon and I hope that not only will I be provided with a lovely furnished home to move into but the enjoyment of your time as well."

Elizabeth smiled as she continued to stare into his dancing dark eyes. Sonny wouldn't believe this. She was sitting here having an easy conversation with an Alcazar. She knew that she should stay away, red flags were flying all over the place but she couldn't resist. The part of her that found the good in Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos also wanted to find the good in Lorenzo Alcazar.

"You said that you had plenty of time before your meeting?" she asked as she stood up from the bench.

"I do have some time, yes," he said looking at her curiously.

"And I'm assuming that you already know where I live," she said, "Because you make it a habit to know the whereabouts of your enemy."

"Elizabeth, you are not…"

"You rented out the whole top floor of the Port Charles Hotel," Elizabeth smiled.

"Does that mean that I…"

"I have to get home before my son does," Elizabeth said, "Shall I say lead the way?"

"You're taking a chance, Miss Webber," he said, "There is a possibility that I don't know where your current residence is."

"And pigs can fly, Mr. Alcazar."

"He was always trying to cause trouble," Lorenzo said as he walked beside Elizabeth, Francis only a few feet behind them, "I should have seen it coming, something like this."

"You can't blame yourself," Elizabeth said as she tucked an unruly curl behind her ear, "Us younger children, we tend to rebel at the most inopportune times."

He looked down at her and smiled, "What did you do to drive your siblings crazy?"

She laughed softly, "I was the complete opposite of them. Everyone one in my family is a doctor and I, I wanted nothing to do with that. Help people for a living," she cringed, "I drank, I smoked, I tried to squeeze it all in under the age of fifteen and it didn't work out too well. So I ended up here and tried to be an artist."

"Tried?" he asked.

"Yes, like you Mr. Alcazar, I gave up on dreams a lot time ago," she said quietly.

"I having a feeling that a woman like yourself would be able to grab onto her dreams, never let go, be able to do what she wished with them," he said, "I only let go because I'm simply too cynical."

"That's just not possible in your world," she said with a small laugh, "You know when you talk about your brother things don't seem as black and white as they were back then."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I saw it how it was shown to me," Elizabeth said as she stuffed her hands in her pockets, "I saw someone trying to kill me, I saw Sonny faking his death, I saw chaos caused by only one man but when you talk about Luis, with the words you use, it just makes it seem all gray."

"Like he was right and Mr. Corinthos was wrong."

"I didn't say that," she said her eyes flashing for a brief moment, "But it doesn't seem as if the blame lay solely at Luis' feet, it seems as if everyone had a part in it."

"Including you?" he asked curiously.

She shook her head, "I wish I was never involved in the situation but I've been told that I have a tendency to make people my pity project."

"Ah," he laughed softly as they came to stand in front of the cottage, "You must really loath helping people," he smiled when she started laughing along with him, "Thank you for today, Elizabeth. It felt good to talk about my brother."

"It was nice hearing the…"

"Back away nice and slow Alcazar," Jason said as he stepped out of the front door, "I don't want your blood getting all over Elizabeth's fancy clothes."