For Some Doll
Jason Morgan was not a happy camper.
Dressed in his tuxedo pants and a white wifebeater, he scowled as Sonny walked into his house, followed immediately by a bunch of other guys.
"Corinthos," he snarled, quickly descending the steps and advancing on the group. "You wanna tell me what the hell you guys are doing here?"
"I told you over the phone," Sonny sighed. "The girls are meeting us here. We're all supposed to change, and then they're going to come over and put on their makeup or whatever, and then we're supposed to take pictures in your backyard."
"Okay," Jason ground out humorlessly, his intense eyes flashing. "Now, you'll have to humor me here – why the hell are we doing that?"
"Because that's what Brenda said," came the simple reply.
"And you know how whipped Sonny is," Ryan joked, making a noise of a cracking whip as the other boys laughed. Sonny scowled darkly and punched him in the shoulder before grabbing his suit and stalking downstairs to the basement.
"I have to change," was all they heard as he disappeared from view.
The boys milled around, eventually finding themselves in the kitchen as they scrounged for food. Jason followed them suspiciously, his eyes trained on the group warily as they pulled out some cereal and then went searching for something with which to make sandwiches. There was a significant bunch – Sonny who was still in the basement, Ryan, Charlie, Johnny, Taggert, Michael, Alex Smith, Luke, and they were expecting Steven Lars – Carol's date – to drop by later as well.
Scowling, Jason grabbed a box of cereal from Taggert's hand and crammed his fist into it, drawing out a handful to munch on. He was going to kill Brenda as soon as the little midget came over. Who the hell did she think she was, commissioning his house off to her Prom Insanity committee? He was going to snap that little twig in two first and worry about Sonny later.
He stalked barefoot into the den with the box of cereal still in his hand and headed for the stereo. He needed to hear something loud and something fast before he put his fist through the wall. Stupid Brenda. Stupid Sonny. Stupid Prom.
All his plans had been dashed with the arrival of his so-called friends that were insane enough to go to Prom willingly. He had waken up late, eaten brunch in his underwear and then read a book for a while before getting up to shower. And then he'd pulled on his tuxedo pants and grabbed an undershirt and that was when the Stepford Men had arrived. And soon, the girls were going to be here with their damn dresses and their damn makeup and their damn screaming and their damn cameras.
Damn it all.
And what was worse, his parents were entirely thrilled about the fact that he was going to the ridiculous dance. They had shifts lasting until the afternoon but they had promised to be home in time to greet Elizabeth and get pictures of them together.
Just freaking great.
He collapsed in the recliner and put his feet up, telling himself that if he concentrated hard enough, he could will the whole evening away. He wouldn't have to go to the ridiculous dance and instead, Elizabeth could just come over and they could spend a couple hours making out on the couch in the basement…
His lips had just relaxed into a soft, sly smile when Johnny and a bunch of the other guys burst into the den, armed with food. They sprawled out on the couch and floor without being invited to do so, and Jason could only scowl at them as they ate his chips. Bastards. All of them.
Damn Brenda.
Jason wiggled his toes as he burrowed further back into the recliner. Truth be told, he felt a little guilty about ragging on the Prom so much. After all, Elizabeth wanted to go and that was reason enough for him to do so. He wanted to make her happy and if she wanted to spend all night dancing around in a sweltering, cramped room with a couple hundred of their closer friends in a frilly princess dress and five inch heels, who was he to complain?
The tall blonde groaned and kicked himself. He was doing it again.
Well, no more. He was going to suck it up and find some sort of pleasant attitude somehow and make sure the night was everything Elizabeth had imagined, because she was his girlfriend and he loved her and that was reason enough.
Damn Brenda.
"I hope none of the girls wear anything frilly or poofy," Johnny was announcing, licking mustard from his fingers as he polished off his sandwich. "It's hard to get through fifteen layers of gauze to anything underneath, if you know what I mean."
Laughter echoed through the room and Jason rolled his eyes. He had nothing against getting a little action, naturally, but he just thought that using Prom night as an excuse was ridiculous. Prom was hardly a momentous enough occasion for some girl to lose her virginity to some putz in a rented suit.
The thought made him frown; he hoped Elizabeth didn't think that he expected her to put out tonight.
But as soon as it occurred to him, Jason was easily able to see how foolish it was. It was silly of him to think that Elizabeth would worry about that – she knew him well enough and Jason didn't have anything to be worried about. He had never pressured her about sex and he wasn't planning on doing so tonight – she knew that.
"Laura's wearing some sort of ruffled thing, from what I understand," Luke got out around a mouthful of crackers. "She was making a huge deal about it and I didn't have the heart to tell her that she lost me after 'blue'."
Taggert glanced up at the mention of Luke's girlfriend from a neighboring high school. "I haven't seen Laura in forever – how's life treating her?"
"Everything's very cool with my little Swiss Miss," Luke replied easily, stuffing some more crackers into his mouth and reaching for his soda.
"I saw Lexi's dress," Ryan declared, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'm not gonna lie – it's pretty damn awesome."
"Nowhere near as awesome as Leah's," Johnny boasted. "Her older brother was milling around at her place when she tried it on for me – I nearly got the crap kicked out of me for the look on my face."
Jason smirked at that and the tall Irish boy's green eyes darted over to him. "So, Jason – what's Beth wearing?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
The boys stopped eating and just stared at him. Was he serious? "You mean you've never seen it?" Luke asked. "She didn't model it for you?"
"And ask which shoes went best with it?" Taggert asked with a grimace, remembering the almost-fight he'd had with Dara over stilettos or sandals.
"Or if her garter matched?" Michael asked, brushing his red hair out of his eyes. "I swear, Leticia made me choose from a whole bunch of 'em."
Jason's sandy brows furrowed. "What the hell's a garter?"
A giant grin appeared on Luke's face. "The best part," he confided with a wink.
Michael laughed, kicking his friend in the shin. "It's basically just an elastic band made of satin or whatever with little bows and shit that fits around the girls' legs."
"Thighs," Luke corrected. "Right up there, if you know where I'm talking about."
Jason leaned forward, intrigued now. "So what do-"
Sonny chose that exact moment to walk into the room, buttoning up his tuxedo shirt. He stopped and stared at his friends, all of whom lay about stuffing their faces with food. "Aren't you guys going to get dressed? The girls will be here soon."
"Whipped," Johnny coughed into his fist, scooting away when Sonny advanced on him menacingly.
Charlie and Ace wandered out from the kitchen, each with a can of soda. "The Don's right," Ace admitted reluctantly. "Emily just called me and said that we'd better be ready by now."
"Eh," Michael shrugged, leaning back comfortably against the couch. "We've got time."
"Yeah, we've got lots of time," the others agreed.
Still standing in the middle of the room, Sonny shook his head. "No way – the girls are going to massacre you losers if they come here and you're not in those suits. Get up right now if you want to avoid a bloodbath."
Grunting and scowling, the boys reluctantly followed the President's orders but not without making the sound of a flying whip under their breaths as they left the room.
"Hey, boys!" Brenda Barrett called out gleefully as she waltzed across Jason's foyer. "Fellas! Your dates have arrived!"
The brunette was dressed in a stunning red dress that lapped at her ankles and her hair was done up in lovely curls. The material clung to her like a second skin and bared a large expanse of her back, and she absolutely loved the little number. It showed in her step as she danced across the hallway to where she thought she heard voices. The girls behind her dropped their bags in the foyer and followed her lead.
"All right," Brenda called out, her patience wearing thin. "Where are you morons?"
As if on cue, Sonny Corinthos sidled out of the kitchen, impeccably dressed in his handsome tuxedo and looking absolutely dashing in the starched and pressed outfit. His lips curled into a grin, showcasing his dimples, as he strolled up to his girlfriend and took her in his arms.
"Brenda," he growled, letting his warm breath fan out across her lips as he leaned down into her. "You look amazing."
She giggled and then his lips met hers as he cradled her in his arms. Emily rolled her eyes and made gagging noises before skirting around the two in search of her own man. "Ace? I swear to God, if you're still in your jeans, I'm so dumping your ass-"
"Looking for me?" he asked, appearing from the bathroom with a rakish grin on his face. The brunette's heart skipped a beat when his dark hair fell into his eyes and he brushed it back, still grinning at her. The boy looked good enough to eat. "Does this meet with your approval?" he asked, standing still as she approached him.
"And then some," the brunette muttered wickedly, a sultry gleam in her eyes. Before Alex could reach for her, Leticia pushed her way past them on her quest to find her own red-haired boyfriend who was currently using Jason's gel to pull his own hair into spikes. The other girls quickly found their dates and that was when Brenda started doing inventory.
"There are enough bathrooms here, right?" she asked Sonny, pulling a folded piece of paper out of the top of her dress. She straightened it out and grabbed a pencil from the kitchen counter. "We still have to put on our makeup and I'll probably need to fix up Leticia and Emily's hair – and Beth, if she ever gets here."
"Where is the little gidget?" Johnny asked, stuffing some of AJ's gummy bears into his mouth. "Wasn't she supposed to come with you girls?"
"Well, we all dropped our stuff at Brenda's for the sleepover tonight – you know, after you guys left," Emily informed him, snagging a couple of gummy bears from his broad hand. "Beth called us then and told us she was running late – something about her father having kittens."
Sonny smirked at that. "Jason's in such deep shit," he muttered. "Poor bastard."
"Okay, moving on," Brenda announced, checking some things off her list. "Jason and Beth haven't dropped their stuff at my place yet. Actually, Beth will probably take care of that on her way over, so we need to remind Jason to bring his junk over afterwards."
"What junk?" Ace shrugged. "The only thing any of us brought was our pajamas and a toothbrush. He'll manage."
Brenda ignored him. "It's still nice and sunny out, meaning that we should probably take pictures soon. Our parents will be coming over in a little while and the limo gets here an hour after that – I think we'll be fine."
"Good," Sonny muttered under his breath. As much as he liked order and organization, this dance had turned his girlfriend into a maniac. He was looking forward to afterwards when they could all just have some fun. "So let's-"
"Brenda!" A tall, broad figure thundered down the stairs to the lower level where the whole gang stood, and all the girls stared at Jason as he stomped over to the petite brunette. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"
"What do you mean, Jason?" she asked in a deliberately bored voice.
"I mean," he ground out, narrowing his lethal blue eyes. "Who the hell told you that you could tell all these losers to come over to my place? And for what? Some lame-ass pictures and-"
"You have the best back yard, Morgan," she replied flippantly, stepping around him and not caring one bit when he growled under his throat and whipped around to face her. "So here we all are. Deal with it."
"I'm-"
"You're what?" she challenged, and Sonny groaned when he saw that wicked gleam in her eyes. He should have warned his friend not to tango with Brenda when she was in this mood – she'd step on his toes and every other part she could reach. The girl was merciless sometimes. "You're going to toss us out?" He remained silent. "You're going to insist that we do this elsewhere, that you can't be bothered by it? That we call all the parents and tell them to meet us somewhere else, that we tell the limo to arrive somewhere else?" A cheeky smile curved her lips. "Jason, do you really want to be the Grinch that stomps all over Prom?"
"I want to be the Grinch that stomps all over you," he muttered, crossing his arms over his tuxedo shirt.
"You wouldn't want to do any of that," Brenda purred, settling her hands on his shoulders and ignoring his last comment. The boys exchanged nervous glances while the girls exchanged pleased smiles. "You wouldn't want to be the one single-handedly responsible for ruining Prom for Beth, would you?"
He didn't say anything and Brenda just grinned smugly up at him, her hands still on his shoulders. The guys murmured sympathetically, tossing in, "It's okay, Jason."
"You never had a chance, man," Sonny informed him with a sad shake of his head.
The mood lightened even though Jason remained glaring angrily down at a cheeky Brenda, and Emily broke the silence when she suddenly noticed the music. "Hey – this is Bohemian Rhapsody! Great pick, Jason."
"Didn't you know?" Brenda purred innocently, batting her long lashes. "It's a special thing for him and Beth – it's kinda their song." The girls cooed and awwwed just for the sake of making Jason blush, which he did. To further add to his discomfort and displeasure, Brenda reached up and pinched his cheeks between her thumb and index. "Isn't that just the cutest thing ever?"
Jason scowled and wrestled himself away from the petite brunette as Carol laughed. "Yeah," she grinned, "it's because he's so whipped."
"Girls, you look absolutely enchanting!" Lila Morgan was beside herself with glee as the lovely young ladies paraded around in front of her in their elegant dresses. "Just radiant!"
Edward Morgan muttered something to the like as he helped Sonny fix his bow-tie, complaining that "the youth of today have no idea how to do things properly". Alan and Monica were still running around looking for extra rolls of film – they planned to go through several tonight, damn it – and Jason had retreated to the safe confines of his bedroom as he finished putting on the loathsome tuxedo.
Elizabeth still hadn't arrived, and Brenda was getting worried. She had occupied herself with making sure that her friends' hair looked stunning and their accessories were all accounted for. The makeup was done and the parents would be arriving any minute for pictures, and she was a nervous wreck. Her best friend wasn't even answering her cellphone, and Brenda resolved to pounce on her the minute she walked in.
The doorbell rang just then, as if on cue, and little AJ ran for it immediately. "It's Beth! It's Beth! I'll get it!" He pulled the heavy white door open wide and immediately greeted the petite brunette who was waiting on the other side. "Beth! You're here! You look pretty."
"Thanks, Junior," she smiled, tousling his hair as he stepped aside to let her in. "Everyone's already here, huh?"
"They're all waiting for you," AJ informed her as he led her into the house. "Brenda was saying something about clawing your eyes out if you didn't show up in time."
"Naturally," the brunette replied, suppressing her smile. She walked into the main room where all her friends stood and was instantly greeted with a chorus of yells.
"Beth's here!"
"Beth!"
"Hey, Gidget – you look smokin'!"
"Is that a tiara? How come I didn't think of that?"
"I'm going to claw your eyes out!"
"Told you," AJ whispered to her before slipping out of the room. Normally, he liked all his brother's friends – but tonight, everyone had just gone crazy.
The girls cooed over Elizabeth's outfit as the brunette shifted awkwardly. The dress was long and black and wrapped around her like a glove. It was sleeveless and strapless, coming to two peaks over her breasts. The black contrasted beautifully with her unmarred alabaster skin, and the slit up the sides showed the length of one creamy leg when she turned just right. Her shoes were simple black stilettos that added three inches to her height, and her curled hair had been styled up earlier by Brenda's clever digits, and now a silver tiara twinkled over the nest of chocolate ringlets. Her nails were clean and bare, and a pair of white opera gloves was slung over her slender arm.
"Grandmother's gonna want to see you," Sonny remarked dryly, taking her elbow and extricating her from the girls. "She's been talking about nothing else but 'Jason's little Elizabeth' for the past twenty minutes."
"Thanks," Elizabeth whispered, a pretty pink blush stealing across her cheeks as she peeked back at her group of gal pals. "I don't know how much more of that I would have been able to take."
"No problem," Sonny replied easily, slipping an arm over her shoulder. "You look cute, by the way."
"Thanks, you, too," she answered, eying him up and down. "Cummerbund?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I kinda like 'em."
Lila Morgan was seated on a stately arm chair when Elizabeth and Sonny entered the room together. Her pale blue eyes instantly lit up as soon as they found the petite brunette, and she raised both of her gnarled, old hands, beckoning the child over.
"Elizabeth, my darling, come here, come here." The soft hands wrapped around Elizabeth's long fingers as the old woman gazed at her. "You look positively royal!"
Sonny smiled and slipped away to find Edward – his bowtie was coming loose again – and Elizabeth blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Grandmother." She had taken to calling the old woman that from the first time she met her, but only because Lila insisted.
Jason chose that moment to come tumbling down the stairs, dressed in the pestiferous tuxedo, and he stopped the minute his eyes landed on Elizabeth. She was standing in front of his grandmother and the old woman was holding her hands, talking to her, and Elizabeth's eyes were sparkling as she laughed. His eyes lingered on her crown of curls as his fingers twitched, wanting nothing more than to run through them and free them from their constraints. He lingered on her delicate, swan-like neck before letting his gaze drift to her creamy shoulders and the cleavage visible through what had to be the world's sexiest 'little black dress'.
And when Elizabeth shifted, revealing one slender, supple thigh of creamy alabaster, Jason suddenly wanted to recant all his noble, stand-off-ish thoughts about not pressuring her for sex. Holy crap.
Swallowing hard, he took the remaining few steps that carried him into the room. His grandmother noticed him first and smiled, causing Elizabeth to turn. Her intense midnight blues sparkled when they met his, and Jason slipped up easily next to her and wrapped his arm possessively around her tiny waist. He leaned in, and then remembering that his grandmother was right there, just pulled her into his side.
Lila was watching the two young lovers with a twinkle in her eyes, and she slowly smoothed away invisible wrinkles from the pale pink gown she wore. "Jason, darling, aren't you going to greet your date?"
The young woman blushed at the mischievous lilt in the matron's voice, but Jason knew how to handle her. "Not with you around," he answered honestly, his own eyes twinkling when his grandmother laughed.
"All right, then," she smiled, slowly rising from the couch. "I won't keep you." With that, she turned and walked away to help her husband with Sonny's incorrigible bow tie.
Elizabeth was laughing when Jason's lips crashed into hers, and she allowed him to pull her against his hard frame. He ravaged her mouth, leaving her light-headed and extremely grateful that she was wearing Color Stay Lipstick. Her hands settled on his neck when he pulled back, stormy blue eyes gazing deeply into her own.
"You look nice."
She chuckled at his growled compliment. "So do you – you clean up really well, Mr. Morgan."
He smirked and lowered his face to hers once more. Their noses bumped innocently as Elizabeth wrapped her hands around his neck, frowning suddenly. "Jason?"
"What?"
"Are you okay? You feel kind of warm – you sure you're all right? You're not getting sick, are you?"
"I feel just fine," he answered easily, letting both his broad hands claim the small of his back and watching as her dark brows furrowed.
"But you're warm-" She stopped mid-sentence, her lips parted on an 'o' of surprise, and hesitantly lifted her gaze to his eyes. The smugness twinkling within those cerulean orbs caused a crimson stain to spread across her cheeks. "Oh."
The corner of his mouth hooked upwards and he leaned in again, brushing his lips sweetly against hers. She pulled him closer, giving him all he wanted and then more, and didn't even notice that Lila Morgan was shuffling past them.
When they pulled apart, Jason was startled to feel the old woman's hand on his shoulder. He looked up in time to see her shoot him a cheeky wink over her shoulder. "And that, my dear, is a greeting – well done."
This time, it was his turn to blush.
"Smile, Buttercup." Hayden Barrett was all smiles as his little girl took young Michael Corinthos' hands and leaned into him. Sonny was a good boy, and he had been friends with his mother Adella since they were in grammar school. Next to him, his wife smiled weakly. Her headaches were getting worse, but there was no way she would have allowed herself to miss this. "That's just lovely."
Jason fidgeted, holding his tuxedo jacket in his hand and wanting to avoid donning it until the last possible moment. Elizabeth stood nearby, chatting with Emily, and as much as Jason wanted to just stand there and ogle her, he knew that wasn't a safe thing to do considering her father had been watching him like a hawk for the past twenty minutes.
"Jeff, Caroline," Monica called, ushering the doctors over. "We can get some really great shots of the kids in front of the gazebo. What do you think?"
"I think that would look great," Caroline agreed, turning her camera on. "Kids?"
Elizabeth smiled and began to walk over before noticing that Jason wasn't accompanying her. Smirking, she backed up and looped her arm through his, dragging him over to the gazebo as if he were a two-year old.
"You remember to smile now, Morgan," she muttered under her breath, trying to contain a smile. "And if you're a good boy, I'll give you a toy. You want a toy, don't you?"
He mumbled something dirty under his breath but allowed her to arrange him in a pose beside her, and to his credit even managed to smile when the multiple flashes went off. His parents urged him to put on his jacket but seeing his reluctance, Elizabeth waved it off, saying that it was hot outside anyway and if Jason didn't want to put it on just yet, it was no big deal. Pleased and a little surprised, Jason cast his jacket a glare where it lay slung over the deck railing and obliged Elizabeth by posing with her some more.
And then it was time for the corsage and boutonnière. Their parents laughed and smiled together as Elizabeth's nimble digits made quick work of pinning the flower securely to Jason's lapel – for he had succumbed to the guilt and donned his jacket after all – and smoothed the material once over before adjusting it. And they got a nice shot of Jason reciprocating, and several snapshots after that.
As soon as Brenda announced that the limo would be there in five minutes and that it was time to head on out, Jeff Webber sprang into action. Waiting until Elizabeth had been swept away by her eager and excited girlfriends, the doctor quickly draped an arm heavily over the boy's shoulder and dragged him to the side, safely out of reach of either Monica or Alan.
"Now, Jason," he began in a voice a few notes deeper than his usually was. "I know you kids are about to leave, but there are a few things we need to discuss."
The boy shrugged. "Okay. Elizabeth and I aren't going in the limo anyway, so-"
"Like I said, there are a few things we need to discuss," Jeff interrupted sternly, knowing he only had a few minutes before his wife caught on to what he was up to and made him stop, crazy woman that she was. And it was in these crucial few minutes that he intended to scare the pants off his little girl's boyfriend.
The thought made him grimace – no, on second thought, the pants should definitely stay on.
"Now, I know you kids want to have fun tonight and I'm not against that," he started again after the abrupt pause stemming from a most uncomfortable visual image. "I just think we need to be clear on our definitions of fun."
Jason pursed his lips and did his best to control the urge not to roll his eyes. Sometimes, Dr. Webber gave him a real headache with his constant paranoia.
"You kids are to go to the dance and do your thing," the older man continued. "Afterwards, you are going to the Barrett household for a supervised sleepover, am I correct?"
Jason shrugged. "Yeah, we're all crashing there for the night before we head out in the morning."
"I'll get to that," Jeff frowned. "But first, I want to make sure you understand something. Due to the collective looks on the boys' faces, I am judging that tonight's Prom theme is not 'A Night On The Town' as my daughter would have me believe, but instead 'I Am Going to Take Advantage of Your Daughter'."
Jason's eyes widened at the explicit statement coming from the buttoned-down doctor before him. "Sir-"
"Let's get this straight, Morgan," the man growled, inching closer and narrowing his eyes. "I like you. Fine, I admit that. But not that much. And certainly not enough to let you take my daughter off to this…this dance without giving you a few rules."
Jason had to back up a step as the doctor advanced on him, and he began casting glances around the yard for Elizabeth's mother. She was the nice one.
"You are to take her to the dance. And then you are to take her immediately to the secure, supervised location of the Barrett residence. There is to be no monkey business overnight, Jason." The boy had to try with all his might not to smirk at the fact that his girlfriend's father had just used the words 'monkey-business' to allude to sex. "You've taken health in freshman year, haven't you, Jason?"
"Uh, yes, Sir."
"Good. Then you know that sex-" It hurt him physically to have to say that word in reference to his little girl "-without a protective barrier kills, Jason." His eyes narrowed at the boy stared up at him. "You see, I am the protective barrier and I will kill you."
Jason knew it was wrong – he knew it was stupid – but he couldn't help himself. He grinned. And let out a little chuckle. "Mr. Webber, I'm not going to touch your daughter."
Jeffrey narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the smirking boy. On one hand, he didn't like the honesty gleaming in the youth's blue eyes – it made him feel paranoid. And old. But on the other hand, he found his respect for the young man growing.
His wife had just spotted him leering over their daughter's date and instantly came stalking over. "Jeffrey Webber, what on earth do you think you're doing?" she hissed, grabbing his elbow and looking apologetically at Jason. "Jason, honey, I-"
"It's fine, Mrs. Webber," Jason shrugged. "Mr. Webber was just telling us to be careful when we head down to New York tomorrow."
Caroline eyed him suspiciously. "Oh. Okay. If you say so." Jason nodded and she felt a little more at ease. "All right, dear, you'd better get going. Have a great time."
"We will," Jason smiled, not trusting himself to look at Mr. Webber. He turned on his heel and walked into the house coming upon Johnny and Leah engaging in a tap-dancing contest in the foyer. Sonny and Brenda were bickering by the door and his father was taking pictures of Luke's blue suede shoes. Shaking his head, Jason went off in search of his own date, wondering just how in the world he had allowed himself to get involved with such a bunch of nuts.
"Aw, the background is so cute," Brenda cooed as they waited to get their pictures done. "It looks just like Times Square."
Jason wasn't about to admit out loud that he thought it was tacky.
"I don't know," Elizabeth shrugged. "I think it looks kinda tacky."
He had to bite back a laugh when Brenda snapped around and glared at her. "I just don't even know you anymore."
Elizabeth snickered and quieted down as they waited. Next to her, Jason fidgeted and then leaned closer. "Why are we taking pictures here if we already took pictures at home?"
"Because those were pictures at home, and these are pictures here," she replied as if it made all the sense in the world.
"We still look the same," he mumbled under his breath, smirking when she giggled and elbowed him in the stomach. In front of them, Brenda turned around and shot daggers at them for daring to desecrate the sanctity of this night.
"It's for the effect," Brenda sniffed haughtily. "Those pictures at home were done with normal digital cameras – these are done by a photographer. It's all for the effect."
"And we all still look the same in the both," Jason repeated, his eyes darting sideways to Elizabeth when she laughed.
Brenda looked as if she were about to scream and Sonny was begging them silently with his eyes to quit making trouble, and Elizabeth finally managed to compose herself. She looped her arm through Jason's and smiled up at him before looking at her best friend. "Fine, fine, Brennie – we'll behave."
No sooner had the brunette turned her back than Jason and Elizabeth were once again snickering under their breaths.
"I had no idea you could dance this well," Elizabeth mused as Jason wrapped his arm around her waist.
"What do you mean?" he frowned. "I danced with you back at the Four Leaf in Clover, remember?"
"Yeah, but you were so nervous then," she laughed.
"I wasn't nervous."
"Liar."
"Elizabeth, I'm never nervous."
"Liar."
He rolled his eyes and moved them in a circle, careful to avoid the other couples on the floor. "Fine. I might have been a little nervous."
"Jason, you didn't talk to me all through dinner," she reminded him. "You were very nervous." A smirk claimed her lips as she leaned into him. "Of little ol' me."
He let out a raspy chuckle. "I can't help it – you're a scary little person."
That got her attention. And her displeasure. "What do you mean? I'm not scary."
"Not at all," he agreed in a voice so patronizing she wanted to gag. "You're an angel."
"I'm nobody's angel," she huffed, resting her cheek against his chest.
"And you're not happy either way," he chuckled. "You get mad when I call you scary and then you get mad when I tell you you're an angel. How about somewhere in between?"
"That's better," she agreed, closing her eyes and following his strong lead. It was really warm at Pennington Manor – as well it should be, since several hundred young people were crammed into it. But the old house was just gorgeous, a remnant from the colonial era that had been painstakingly maintained and beautifully restored. The dance floor was in the largest room upon entry. Beyond that stood a large stairwell that ascended onto the second floor which had been turned into a museum of sorts. The grounds were well-kept and the garden was lovely – and Elizabeth couldn't imagine a more beautiful location for the dance.
So far, the evening had been wonderful. They had arrived in Jason's jeep and had gotten their pictures taken both as a couple and with Sonny and Brenda immediately thereafter. They had mingled around for a while, and Jason actually seemed to relax a little after conversing with a few people who still managed to retain their grip on their sanity, thus convincing him that all was not lost throughout this traumatizing ordeal.
And then they had started dancing. He was better than she remembered – probably because they hadn't danced like this in a long time. He was quick on his feet and very graceful – not that he ever wanted to be told that last part.
She smiled against the material of his jacket and relaxed in his arms. Jason always made her feel so safe and…cared for. He made her feel as if there was nothing those two strong arms wrapped around her couldn't protect her from, all starting with the time he'd scooped her up off the floor when she fell in front of the lockers and going strong right up until now. Regardless of the situation, she always felt so safe with him.
His hand was stroking her back, his thumb moving in large circular sweeps, and Elizabeth could feel a slight warmth spread through her body at his touch. Oh, yeah – and she usually felt like that when he was around, too.
The thought made her blush a little and she turned her face into his neck. Ever since the whole Prom-planning mess had started, she had pushed some of her worries to the back of her mind. But now, hearing nothing but the soft music and feeling nothing but Jason's hand low on her back, those worries came screaming back.
She wasn't a fool – she knew what every boy Jason's age was interested in. She just considered herself fortunate that he never pressured her about anything, especially given his liberal behavior toward that situation in the past. He never made her feel awkward and uncomfortable, he never made her feel like she was disappointing him by not doing something.
And although part of her knew that tonight wouldn't be any different from any other night as far as they were concerned, another part of her – albeit, a tiny part – was still a little troubled.
Not about him putting a move on her – she knew him too well to even think that.
But what she was troubled about was Jason's own reluctance to talk about the situation. He never so much as mentioned the word 'sex' in her presence, and he'd always change the subject when they were hanging out with his friends and the conversation got a little raunchy. It was like he was trying to protect her from that, and although she appreciated his consideration she also found it a little…silly. Just a little.
It wasn't something to ignore. Hell, she had a feeling it wouldn't be too long until she couldn't keep quiet about it herself. She was in love with him – she had realized that long ago. And he reciprocated. And although she found it tacky and in bad taste to go for it for the first time on Prom night, she didn't see anything wrong with wanting to take it to the next level.
Her hand stroked the soft golden hair at his nape as he rested his chin on her hair. She had always thought of sex as somewhat taboo – something that those girls did. Good girls were too busy with their schoolwork and friends and family to think about things like that. Good girls just didn't let themselves get into those sort of things.
That was all bullshit.
It had nothing to do with good or bad, prudent or promiscuous – at least not in the way that she herself was thinking about it. It just had to do with love, and wanting to be close to a person on a physical level. It wasn't divided among certain types of people as she had once foolishly believed. There were no 'good girls' and 'loose girls' in the sense of an honest, fulfilling physical relationship. Hell, if that was true, Brenda would have been listed in the 'loose girl' column a while ago – she and Sonny had started sleeping together about a month or two after they first started dating.
The number was slowing down and yet Jason still guided her easily, stepping in perfect time to the rhythm. She enjoyed the simple swaying motion and the feeling of being held in his arms, all the while knowing that it wouldn't be too long before she was ready to go further.
The music faded to a stop and yet she still stood in his arms, not wanting to step away just yet. Her fingers fiddled with the flower in his lapel and he had to strain to hear her low voice.
"You do dance really well."
"So why do the girls put on the guys' ties?" Jason wanted to know as he finished the last of his dinner and made quick work of undoing the noose around his neck. "Not that I'm complaining – you can have it."
Elizabeth laughed as he placed the tie around her neck, tightening it just a little. "Who knows? It's just a tradition."
Sonny was helping Brenda put on his bowtie, claiming that he could do it better "now that the damn thing's in front of me." Their table was one of the largest ones there – they were fortunate that the seniors this year had been able to pick their own seating arrangements despite the fact that some tables numbered up to thirty kids.
Dessert came out next and before long, most of the kids were dancing again. Brenda sat in Sonny's lap and they were talking softly, intimately, as their friends laughed and danced around them. Elizabeth persuaded Jason to dance with her once more to a faster number, and was very pleased when her hair didn't come undone from the intricate pile of curls that Brenda had constructed with a legion of hairpins.
After the number, Felicia and a bunch of girls dragged her off to the dance floor again and Jason returned to the table, sitting down next to Sonny. Brenda had ditched him for the all-girl dance, too, it seemed, and the two best friends just sat together and relaxed as their classmates laughed and talked and milled around them.
"Having fun?" Sonny's coal black eyes were amused as he glanced at his friend.
Jason shrugged. "Well, it's not as bad as I thought it would be."
"You still want to cut out of here, don't you?"
"I'm not gonna lie – I'll probably end up making a break for it as soon as Cyndi Lauper's done torturing a cat."
Sonny grimaced as Girls Just Wanna Have Fun played over the speakers. "Yeah, I think you should consider it – especially since I hear they're playing Celine Dion for the last dance."
Jason groaned. "It's times like this that I really feel sorry for you."
"I know." Being the Senior Class President, Sonny had no choice but to stick around throughout the entire dance. He would have felt compelled by the organizers to go to the Post-Prom, but he had been able to escape with the standard, "What can I do? –My girlfriend's a Nazi" routine. Bless Brenda.
"You think Elizabeth will want to go?" he asked, stretching back in his chair.
Jason shrugged. "I don't know. But…if she wants to stick around, I will."
Sonny's dimples emerged. "You're a stand-up guy, Jason." His best friend tipped his head once. "And also quite whipped. Welcome to the club."
Jason glared at him and was about to make a stinging retort before he stopped abruptly and shrugged. "Yeah, well – I should have seen that coming, huh?"
He was on the balcony staring out at the stars when she approached from behind. The gentle night breeze ruffled through the fabric of her dress and Elizabeth slipped up to him as quietly as possible before wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his strong back.
"Hey, you."
"Hey, yourself," he smiled, trying to twist around so that he could see her. She loosened her hold on him and let him pull her into his arms.
"What are you doing?"
"Looking at the stars."
"And the moon?" she asked, remembering for some reason their first kiss in Clover and how she had babbled on about the moon at that time.
He seemed to know exactly what she was remembering. "There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery."
She smiled softly and leaned back against him, pleased that he remembered the exact line she had used. "Joseph Conrad."
They stood in silence, gazing up at the stars and the moon, and Jason's thumb again began to make sweeping circular motions low over her belly. Elizabeth shifted, once again feeling those familiar sensations his touch elicited.
"Jason?"
His eyes were closed. "Hm?"
"You know what?"
"What?"
"You know when the stars and moon seem really close?"
"When?"
"Right after a bike ride."
That got his attention. Jason's eyes flew open and met hers, and Elizabeth gently cupped his chin with her hand as she glanced at the stars once more. "You wanna get out of here?"
"And go nowhere?"
"Fast."
"Okay, I think my parents are over at your place for dinner tonight," Jason spoke up as he eased into his driveway and killed the engine. They had left the manor and driven straight home to get his motorcycle, and now all that was left was for Elizabeth to change. She hadn't had a chance to stop over at Brenda's house earlier and so she had stashed her change of clothes in his car and planned to change into them now. He waited for her to move, but she just turned her face to him and smirked wickedly.
"You know, there's still one little thing…" she murmured in a sultry voice, quirking one dark brow at him.
Jason blinked at her. "What?"
"A little matter of…my garter."
He remembered back to that conversation with Luke's and as soon as he remembered just where her garter was, his eyes widened. "Oh. Okay!"
"You wanna take it off?" She lifted one leg and her dress parted easily over it, revealing a creamy thigh as she rested her shoe on the dashboard. "Or should I?"
"I think you'd better let me do that," he growled as soon as his eyes fell on the scrap of satin that fit snugly around her thigh. It was black with cute little white bows and Jason could only stare at it for a moment.
And then he reached out his hand to her, cradling her ankle with one and using the other to tease the wicked little accessory. His rough fingertips rasped over her smooth skin and Elizabeth bit back a gasp. Jason noticed her reaction and slowly edged the satin down further, this time letting his palm smooth against her silky skin.
She bit her lip, thinking that maybe this hadn't been such a good idea due to the wave of sensations now racing through her body. Jason seemed to sense her unease and hooked one finger under the elastic, running it down the length of her thigh, playing with it a little at her knee, and then skimming it down her shapely calf and pulling it away. Leaning back, he twirled it around his finger.
"Now, what exactly am I supposed to do with this?"
A smirk claimed her lips as Elizabeth quickly regained her composure. "I don't know. Whatever."
Jason shrugged and put it in his pocket, patting it once securely. "You wanna change inside or-"
"It's okay – I'll do it in the back," she replied, reaching for the door handle. "Then we can just get on the bike and go."
He watched her step out into the night and then pull the back door open. She quickly found her clothes and laid the seat before taking off her shoes. She got out her worn blue jeans and quickly shimmied them on under the dress, grunting a little as she found herself in tight quarters. Jason pushed his own seat up along with the passenger-side to afford her a little more room.
Next came her shirt. Elizabeth stared down at the bra she had brought along – couldn't wear one under the dress, that was for sure – and then nervously glanced toward the front where Jason was making an effort to preoccupy himself with a map. Shrugging away her discomfort, Elizabeth turned around so that her back was to him and dropped the dress, pushing it down over her hips and slinging it over the back of the seat.
And as much as Jason tried to keep his eyes glued to the damn map – which he was holding upside down by mistake – he just couldn't help himself. Her back was smooth and creamy, the delicate curve of her spine leaving a ghost of a trail on the pale alabaster. His eyes lingered on her delicate shoulders and then her back, finally dropping down to her waist. And that was when he cursed himself and set to work righting the map.
Elizabeth pulled on her bra and grabbed her t-shirt. Done, she pulled her black stilettos on and folded the dress neatly. Her jewelry came off and she grabbed her leather jacket before getting out.
"Done!" she called, and Jason soon followed. He yanked off his tuxedo jacket and undid a couple buttons on his shirt before grabbing his own jacket and putting it on. Taking her hand, he grabbed his keys and led them over to his bike.
He had taken her on it for the first time when they got back from Clover. She had loved it instantly and told him that she finally understood what he said about the wind – she saw it, too.
"Ready?" He handed her the helmet which she pulled on over her curls. Elizabeth flashed him a brilliant smile and looped her arms around his waist.
"Let's go!"
They finally found what Jason had been looking for. He had seen a road cutting through a thick, dense forest on their way to Pennington Manor and had been curious about it. As soon as he started the bike up in his driveway, he knew where he wanted to take her. He wanted to follow that little road to wherever it went.
Elizabeth had screamed and laughed the whole way, her hold on his waist tight. Jason had sped shamelessly, not very concerned at the prospect of being pulled over although he should have been. They had found that secluded road and pulled onto it. It had wound through the dark forest and Jason had slowed down so they could enjoy it. And then the forest had ended abruptly, giving way to meadows on both sides. Still, they rode on.
And finally, they had reached their destination.
"Wow," Elizabeth murmured as she took off her helmet. "Would you look at that?"
Jason gave her his hand and helped her off. "Amazing, isn't it?"
They were standing in front of a dilapidated old colonial mansion, much like the Pennington Manor. Unlike that one, however, this manor was decaying. The grounds had been conquered by tall grasses and what must have once been a beautiful garden was overgrown with trees and vines.
"It's like a palace," Jason muttered under his breath, taking her hand and leading her carefully up to it.
"More like a ruin," she corrected, parting the tall grasses. "But it's so pretty."
They stood there for a long time, right in front of the stairs that led into the old house. The full moon shone down on them, falling in between the broken rafters and gaping holes directly onto the floor of the old house. Something in the periphery caught Jason's eye and he tugged her hand.
"Come on – over here."
She followed him around to the side of the house where they found an incredible garden. Wildflowers grew in abundance and weeping willows whispered in the night breeze. Jason led her over to a statue that stood at the center of the garden and squinted up at it.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked. "Do you think it's a tombstone?"
Jason hesitantly rubbed at the base of the statue, trying to read the lettering underneath. "Maybe." He cleared away the grime and squinted down. "And maybe not. It says here that this was a gift to the owners on…what's that?...mm… Apparently the birth of their daughter."
A smile bloomed on Elizabeth's face. "Hey, that's sweet."
Jason tilted his head to the side. "You know, it kind of is." The moonlight made his eyes glow as he glanced down at her. "You wanna explore some more?"
Her face lit up. "Can we? Let's do that!"
He grabbed her hand, twining their fingers together, and led her around to the back. He paused in mid-step when he felt her fingers tighten around his, and then he was being pulled back into her arms.
"Eliz-"
Her lips met his and the sweet kiss nearly stole his breath away. When she pulled back, her eyes were sparkling and she wrapped her arms around his neck. Jason settled his hands on her hips and stared down at her as she whispered her lips over his once more.
"Thank you for a wonderful night, Jason Morgan."
