Elizabeth smiled from her position on the beach where she was lounging in a chair. Her son and her fiancé were splashing around in the ocean, JJ was wearing bright orange swimmies and Jason was teaching him how to kick with his feet. It was amazing that something she had dreamed about so long ago was finally in her grasp and soon she was going to marry the man she had once thought she had no chance of ever loving.

All because her best friend stepped into a building and let himself get killed.

She knew that she should be mad at Sonny Corinthos because her life with him had built up until this very moment. He knew that she was still in love with Jason Morgan, just as he was with Carly but he was well aware that his relationship with Michael's mother would destroy them both, Elizabeth's relationship with Jason was something that she needed to survive.

She knew that she could live without Jason, just as she had before, but having him in her life had made things so much better. He gave her freedom, he gave her the wind and he gave her the most precious gift anyone could bestow upon someone else, a child.

And Sonny saw that, everyday, in her blue eyes that still wondered, still wished, still held out that hope that the hardened enforcer would one day walk back into Port Charles, back into her life and things would fall into place.

He did, they did and finally she had the family she had been searching for ever since she was a teenager.

She still couldn't believe how they had gotten here. Really, it had only been about six or seven weeks. Jason had arrived in late October and now they were quickly approaching Christmas. In that time period they had managed to spend nearly every waking hour together, snapping at one another, fighting the passion between them, dealing with the hatred, realizing that the love was still there.

Instead of running like they both did last time, they faced it, head on, and admitted that this is where they needed to be, whether it be in the midst of the Port Charles Mafia or lazily in a boat floating along an Italian stream. Jason Morgan and Elizabeth Webber were two people who were now twined together by love, by a child, and nothing or no one would ever be able to separate them again.

Be it Max, be it Sam, be it Lorenzo, be it the ghost of Sonny Corinthos, she finally had something worth fighting for and she was damn well going to fight for it until the last breath left her body. She knew that Jason would fight just as hard. They both realized that four years was too much time wasted, not when they could have spent it raising children they both desperately wanted.

She sat up in her chair, adjusted the shades on her face and held out her arms when JJ raced into them, his air filled swimmies banging up against her lightly tanned arms. She laughed as he shook the water out of his hair.

"Did you have fun?"

"Daddy taught me how to swim!" he giggled as he tugged on the pieces on his arm, "Help."

Jason dropped down beside Elizabeth in the sand. He then reached for the contraptions on JJ's arms and tugged them off, dropping them next to him in the sand and beside the picnic basket that Elizabeth had packed and brought down with them.

He remembered all those years ago when he came to the beach with Robin, when he use to bring Michael to swim in the ocean. None of those times with the people he loved could compare to the feeling that was inside of him now as he stared at the woman beside him and the child in her arms.

This was what it was like to feel something.

"I'm glad that you had a good time with Daddy," Elizabeth said as she slipped out of her chair and beside Jason. She smiled as she brushed some of the wet curls from JJ's face and placed a kiss on his forehead, "Daddy and I need to talk to you about something."

"I swear Mama, I was good, I didn't do anything wrong!"

Jason laughed as he took his son and settled him down on the blanket between Elizabeth and himself. He wished that this conversation was about an extra cookie taken or stepping on a motorcycle that should have been put away properly but unfortunately JJ was going to have to deal with being raised in a family that was involved with the organization.

Jason just wished it didn't have to start at such a young age.

"We wanted to tell you that you won't be seeing Max and Sam again," Jason said, "We wanted to answer any questions you might have about what happened to them."

JJ frowned, "I liked Sam and Max. Why did they go away?"

"Sam and Max weren't nice people," Elizabeth said quietly, "They hurt Uncle Sonny, they tried to hurt your Dad and me. We just…we didn't realize it right away."

"They pretended to be nice people," Jason said, "We trusted them and we shouldn't have done that. You're Mama," he said with a small smile as he looked at Elizabeth, "She knew Sam was bad when she met her but I didn't listen."

"Why not?" JJ asked.

"I have a hard head."

JJ nodded somberly, "Mama says I have one too."

"Mama is a very smart woman," Jason said as he tussled JJ's hair, "beautiful too."

"She is pretty," JJ beamed up at his mother, "Max and Sam aren't going to be able to hurt us again are they?" he looked down at the sand at his feet, "Cause I still miss Uncle Sonny and I know Michael does too. He says that Uncle Sonny is saving a place for us in heaven and that I'll see him again but I won't be able to for a very, very long time."

"Right," Elizabeth said as she felt the tears clog her throat, "Right, you will be able to see Uncle Sonny again, he'll be waiting for you, but it won't be for a while JJ. Uncle Sonny would want that, he would want you to stay here and be happy with us and live a long, long life."

"Uncle Sonny told me I could be whatever I wanted to be," JJ said, "He said that if I wanted to own a motorbike shop or sell newspapers on the corner I could. I'll be something for him, I'll be strong and brave like my Daddy."

Jason pulled his son against him and placed a kiss on his hair. He didn't feel strong and brave when he found out that his best friend perished in a warehouse they jointly owned and he definitely didn't feel strong and brave when JJ's mother raised a gun to another woman before passing out beside him from the loss of blood. He still felt a little queasy when he saw the white bandage on her shoulder but she was smiling, she was telling JJ that his father was very strong and very brave and he just nodded along.

He liked getting Elizabeth fired up but he had to admit that it was rare that he won an argument with her.

"Would you like some lunch now?" Elizabeth asked as she reached for the picnic basket, "I packed cheese sandwiches and…" she smiled as she pulled out a plate that was covered with tinfoil. She lifted one side up and let JJ take a peak inside.

"Brownies!"

"After your cheese sandwich," Elizabeth laughed softly as she handed one to JJ and watched him take a huge bite out of it. She was reaching for more items when she felt Jason's wet hand on her warm skin. She looked up at him, saw an unexplainable look in his blue eyes and then he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips before pulling back and reaching in the basket for JJ's juice box and his beer.

She sighed softly and watched as Jason pulled out his own sandwich. She knew that some women needed the 'I love you's', that they would want to hear those words from the man they cared deeply about. Elizabeth didn't, she never would, she knew that everyday for the rest of her life Jason would show her just how much she meant with him.

And he did that with one simple kiss.

"How many other women have you brought here Mr. Morgan?" Elizabeth smiled as she was seated down across the table from him.

He shrugged as the waiter handed him a menu, "None that mattered."

She laughed softly, "Good answer."

"Could I get a Miller to start off with?" Jason said looking up at the host, "And a bottle of your best champagne."

"You drink champagne?" she asked leaning towards him.

Jason shook his head, "I thought you might…"

Elizabeth shook her head, "May I have an Apple Martini please?"

"Yes ma'am, sir," he said bowing slightly, "I'll make sure your server is back with your drinks promptly."

Jason nodded and went back to the menu in front of him, "I'm sorry. I should have asked. Carly likes beer and even she goes for champagne once in a while."

"I tried it once at a wedding," Elizabeth smiled at him before her eyes drifted to the options before her, "The bubbles tickled my nose and it tasted nothing like Ginger Ale."

Jason looked up at her with raised eyebrows, "Ginger Ale?"

She giggled, "I was fourteen," she laughed as he rolled his eyes and reached across the table to squeeze his hand, "Thank you for wanting to celebrate our engagement."

"I…"

"One Miller and one Apple Martini," the waiter said placing the drinks in front of Jason and Elizabeth, "Have you had enough time to decide what you would like for your entrees?"

Jason's eyes moved back down towards the menu where the items were arranged into food categories. Fish, beef, chicken, mostly all in Spanish. He could understand the damn thing but he didn't care about the beans and oven roasted potatoes that came with it, all he wanted was a nice thick steak.

"Mr. Morgan will have the New York strip that you have especially flown in," Elizabeth smiled as she collected both her and Jason's menu's, "I'll have the usual chicken."

"Si, Miss Webber," he smiled but hurried away when he saw the glare on Jason's face.

"Sonny brought me here for two weeks, every night, right after I gave birth to JJ," she said with a small smile, "He said that I needed to get out of the house and apparently taking me to a Casino was his way of doing that."

"How much of his money did you lose?" Jason asked leaning up on the table with his elbows.

"About a grand a night," she laughed softly, "When he brought me here it was out of friendship but sitting here with you, Jason is…"

He held up his hand for a moment and then with his other one he dug into his suit jacket, extracting a tiny, small velvet box that he placed on the table in front of her hand. He then sat back in the chair, tapping his fingers against the white table cloth.

Neither of them made a move.

"This island means a lot to you," he said quietly, "It isn't just Sonny's island anymore, it's yours, JJ's. I wanted to make sure that I found the perfect ring for your somewhere here."

When she still didn't move but kept her eyes glued to the box he leaned forward again.

"If you want me to…"

"No," she said quietly as she reached out for the box, her small palm closing around it, "No Jason you didn't propose to me in the traditional way and I'll be damn if you start getting traditional now by dropping down on one knee. I love you because you break the rules," she whispered as she finally looked at him, her eyes glassy, "And I wouldn't have cared if you got the ring out of a Cracker Jack box."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, "I could…" he said reaching for it.

"I will stick you with a fork," she growled slightly as she held the box against her chest and then smiled at him. She pulled it away and slowly opened the box with her shaky hand, gasping slightly when she saw the diamond inside. It was a silver band with a tear drop diamond that had to be at least two karats. On each side of the center diamond were two smaller heart shape diamonds that seemed to balance the ring out perfectly.

"It's platinum," he said softly, "I know you don't wear a lot of gold and I thought that…"

"You just…" she whispered as a tear slid down her face, "This is exactly what I would have wanted. It's not too flashy but it's enough to let people know that I am definitely taken," she smiled at him through her tears, "Would you?"

He took the box from her and carefully pulled the ring out before slipping it onto her left ring finger. She smiled, holding her hand out and admiring the beautiful gems in front of her. She then reached over and took his hand.

"Thank you for making my life worth living," she whispered.

"You do the same for me, Elizabeth," he said quietly, "I'm starting to get use to the idea of living in a house with you and our son and actually having a…car."

"Oh thank god you said car," she said holding a hand to her chest, "I might have had to hit you over the head with this ring if you said mini-van."

"Hummer," he grinned.

"You can have the Hummer," she laughed, "But I will not be able to reach the pedals in that thing."

"We'll need to get you a little Rav-4 then," he said as his thumb absently started to rub circles on the back of her hand.

"We need to talk about the house too," she smiled, "I'm not sure if you're going to like living in a place where Brenda use to live," she laughed softly, "And I know you are going to make me put up gates."

"Just to keep Carly out," he said. "Something like an estate would probably work better."

"Hmm, like the Quartermaine's," she murmured as she took a sip of her Martini. She choked and laughed when he squeezed her hand, "I'm kidding."

"We'll need to talk about rooms too," he said, "And how many we'll need."

"Well," she said as she licked her lips, "I guess that depends on whether or not you would like to have more children."

"I would," he said nodding, "I can't really say how many but I'd like to…the idea of being a father to your children, Elizabeth just…"

"I know," she whispered, "Watching JJ grow, just watching him turn into a miniature you, it's just…I'm speechless."

He laughed, "And we'll need to create a studio."

She shook her head, "Jason, I told you that I'm going to be a lawyer so that I can…"

"There's going to be an extra garage for me to take care of my bikes," he shrugged, "I just thought I was being fair by…"

She threw a napkin at him, "Taking care of yourself first, I see," she laughed softly. "We should also talk about the wedding."

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't care when, where, or how Elizabeth, just that I marry you."

"In that case," she said as she leaned up on the table with a smile, "Do what you do best, make some phone calls and before we leave this island we'll be husband and wife."

"Elizabeth, we can have a…"

"I don't want a big wedding," she said, "I don't want people that I don't know packing a church to see the new mob boss of Port Charles marry the mistress of the ex-mob boss. I don't want your family there to start a fight, I don't want Audrey there telling me I'm screwing up my life and I don't want Johnny and Francis to have to wear guns in a church. I want you and me before a minister saying our vows before God with the people that we love there, Jason. I don't care if its only four or five of them," she bit her lip, "But if you'd like Lila to be there…"

"She'll understand," he said quietly, "I love you. I know I don't say it every day but…"

"There are no changing the rules now," she said, "And there is definitely no bailing."

A spark appeared in his eye and she raised one seductive eyebrow before the food was placed in front of him, a large T-bone steak, medium rare with a potato on the side that had a stack of butter on it that was already oozing onto the plate.

"Oh yeah," Elizabeth smiled as adjusted the napkin on her lap, "I told them all about you, no steamed vegetables for my man. Now," she smiled as she took a sip from a glass of water that was placed beside her Martini, "We have to discuss how to fit a pool table into the living room with JJ's toys and the new sofa set I just ordered."

Jason looked down at the beautiful woman at his side and couldn't help the smile that wreathed his face. Her hand was splayed across his chest, her other bent under her head, propping it up as it rested against his shoulder, her soft breath tickling the side of his neck, their bodies naked and twined together amongst the sweaty sheets.

Tonight was nothing short of amazing.

After the nitty gritty details of living together and becoming husband and wife Jason decided to take her around the Casino on his arm. She looked too beautiful in that crimson dress to keep her tucked away at home and her face lit up when she saw the familiar coin machines and roulette tables that she had lost so much of Sonny's money at before.

He let her lose a ton of his tonight.

She hit the slot machines, the poker table, craps, you name Elizabeth made sure she made a stop at it, waving to the people who remembered her, greeting people that were newcomers to Sonny's Casino, reminding him that this empire was his own, ready for the taking. She was gorgeous, the perfect hostess and she was his, ready to step into his world and be the rock he never knew he needed.

Elizabeth was too damn tempting for her own good. They were hitting the five thousand mark with his money at the craps table when he decided to give the dice a roll, at her insistence. Just when he was about to throw them onto the green felt she slid her arm around his waist, looked up at him with those dark blue eyes and asked to blow on them for good luck.

The little minx nearly had him undone when she pressed her lips together and gently blew on the red dice and his hand as well. He tossed the plastic squares on the table, grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the gambling hall, ignoring the yells that he was a winner. Her laughter was ringing in his ears the whole way back to their homestead and he was ever so grateful that Carly had arrived and was already asleep.

Even if she had been awake, with the way Elizabeth was touching him Jason knew that he would've told Carly to go upstairs because he had some business that had to be taken care of.

And he would take care of Elizabeth for the rest of his life. He loved that, that this woman in his arms was allowing him back, they were allowing each other back into their lives so they could fix, they could build on this magnificent thing they had that he didn't want to even put into words.

It was scary, it was magical, it was something he would never walk away from again.

As she curled further into him, shifting her head to rest against his chest, his rapidly beating heart right beneath her ear, he decided that he was going to give her the most beautiful wedding she had ever visualized. It might not be big and it might not cost thousands of dollars but Jason was going to make sure that Elizabeth received the best; she deserved nothing less.