Elizabeth shook the snow from her hair as she made her way up the stairs in Kelly's diner. It was bitterly cold out this evening and both Sonny and Lily told her she was crazy to make the trek halfway across town in this weather, but she insisted and Jason remained mute about it.

It would've been hard to explain to the man that she loved why she needed to be with a man she used to love on one of the happiest days of the year. It was just something that Elizabeth had to do, because this day wasn't happy for her, and she knew that this day was never happy for Sly either.

She raised her mitten covered hand and knocked on the door, giving him a small smile when he pulled it open in nothing more than a pair of jeans with a bottle of Corona in his hand.

"Merry Christmas."

"Bah hum bug."

She laughed softly and stepped into his one-room apartment at Kelly's. Elizabeth thought this would have been a difficult adjustment for him, after all the man was coming from a penthouse much like the one Jason and Sonny resided in but Sly turned out to be a chameleon, easily adapting to a new environment.

She just wished that her adaptation was going as well.

"No spreading good tidings and joy at the Corinthos household?" he asked as he made his way over to his small refrigerator and pulled out another beer for her.

"We had dinner, turkey and ham with all the trimmings, two different kinds of potatoes, stuffing, and vegetables. The guards joined us too," she said as she pulled off her gloves and pea coat, "I watched the children open their presents this morning. It was nice."

"It was nice for them," Sly said handing her the beer, "A bitch for you."

"I couldn't very well tell them that," Elizabeth said as she made her way over to the only window in Sly's room, watching as the snow continued to fall. She turned and smiled sadly at him before she made herself comfortable in a bright blue disc chair. "You should've seen all the things they bought me."

"Spoiling the hell out of you eh?" he asked as he settled down on the bed, resting his back against the headboard, "Cars and furs?"

"I wish," she laughed as she took a sip of her beer, "It would've been easier to take if Sonny and Lily just bought me all the fancy things that Luis did for the past two years of my life. But no, the Corinthos' aren't like that, they're good people." She looked up at him and laughed bitterly, "I got supplies for when I start college in January, bus tokens because Sonny knows that I won't allow a driver to take me. He even got my GED framed. I got jeans and sweaters so that I'm not always dressed like a business woman. They bought me my own phone line for my room and my own cell phone since I obviously cut off the number that Luis gave me."."

"The kids," she laughed as she felt tears hit her eyes, "God the kids, Adella picked out all these hair accessories for me, and with the help of his Mommy, Morgan picked out some make up. Lily gave me the tiniest diamond earrings. The best gift of all was Jason Morgan, just sitting there, taking it all in, with that stone façade on his face. I just wish that Sonny and Lily would've done the same."

"Why didn't you tell them how you feel, Lizzie?" he asked as he watched her climb out of the chair and start to pace in front of the window, "Why didn't you just explain to them that Christmas means shit to you and you'd rather not celebrate it."

"Because Christmas means something to the Corinthos family," Elizabeth said and then sighed, taking another long swig from her beer. "We went to midnight mass and Adella and Morgan were so well behaved. They had breakfast ordered in for us and we didn't dare have lunch because it was too much. We spent the day playing with the children's new toys while Lily hounded the men to stop talking business. I helped with dinner, Sonny carved the Turkey, Jason tried to cut the ham and this…this was what I was suppose to get from my own damn family and I didn't and now I finally have it after all these years and I just…"

"Hey, hey," Sly said as he placed his beer down and hurried off of the bed, pulling the crying woman into his arms, "Lizzie, the last couple months have been hell for you. It's understandable that this is all a little too much."

"I feel so ungrateful," she sniffled, "I feel like everything should be falling into place, and it's not. I'm so out of whack, Sly. I'm so used to being treated like shit that I don't know how to feel about being treated well. Plus my hormones are still going crazy and I have yet to get my period again after I…"

Sly stepped back from her and held his hands up, "That is what you and Lily talk about, not you and me."

She laughed as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, "And I knew that coming here to you would make it a little bit better. I know that you hate Christmas as much as I do. You'd rather lock yourself up in your room with heavy metal music and good beer."

"Actually porn and cheap beer but I settled for your version," he grinned as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Christmas hasn't been worth celebrating to me since I lost my parents, but the last few years," he shook his head, "You kind of made it fun Lizzie, always glaring at Luis when he bought you things that you'd rather throw in the trash. That put a smile on my face."

"I wish that things had worked out differently for you Sly," she said quietly, "You deserve so much more than this. After all that you've been through, you deserve to be happy."

"I am happy, Lizzie girl," Sly said, "With the way I was born and raised I think it's better that I walk the line with the law rather than be on the wrong side of it. Those were basically my only choices and I don't regret taking this one. We, you and I, we don't have it that bad. Yeah our asses are going to get dragged down to the police station a time or two and hell I don't like being trained by, what did you call him, a Borg?"

"I was mad at him," she muttered, "I'm working through that."

"So things are getting better?" he asked with raised eyebrows.

Elizabeth nodded, making her way back over to the window, "I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop still. I mean, Chicago was cleaned up rather quickly, too quickly, and I'm afraid that something screwy is going to happen with the transfer of businesses between Chicago and Port Charles. Jason…after that one argument we backed off, took a look at what was happening and calmed down."

She turned and smiled at him, "I calmed down. He's still keeping his distance. He's afraid that if we're in the same room together I'm going to pounce on him and he's not going to be able to resist me."

"Who would Lizzie?" Sly winked as he picked up his beer again.

"I respect Jason's decision," she said as she placed her empty beer bottle down on the window sill and pulled Sly's window open, "If he needs me to stay away, I'll stay away."

"It is like twenty degrees out, Lizzie," Sly said scratching his head, "I don't think you should have the window open."

She laughed as she poked her head out of the window and then stuck her tongue out, tasting the snowflakes that were falling from the sky, before she came back in and shut the window again. She took her empty beer bottle and dropped it in the trashcan.

"Before it was shitty," she said, "Before I was sold to the devil and abandoned by someone who helped bring me into this world, it was good. Every Christmas we use to go out into the woods and find a Christmas tree and cut it down and drag it back to the car and tie it up nice and tight. It was something my father and mother started when they first got married. I wasn't a big fan of it."

"Getting a Christmas tree? Why not?" he asked curiously.

"I always thought trees looked better in the forest," she smiled wistfully, "You know what the pine cones and the snow all on them and they smelled so fresh and clean. I just think they should be left alone."

"And you'd throw the lights and ornaments on right there?" he grinned.

"Sly," Elizabeth laughed.

"You're not happy with staying away Lizzie. I think that's why the Christmas of your dreams is so hard for you."

Her laughter faded, "I don't know…"

"With Jason," he said, "With staying away. Everyone else is giving you what you've always wanted, what you've always dreamed off and he's still standing on the sidelines not making a damn move."

The denial was on her lips but Elizabeth nodded her head sadly, "I just wish that Jason would realize that this is the one Christmas that I need him the most."

"Hey."

Elizabeth looked over from where she was stepping out of the elevator at the Harborview Towers and saw Jason Morgan approaching her, his leather jacket already on, his gloves halfway there. She was sure that even thought it was freezing out he probably had a tee shirt underneath all that.

"Hey," she smiled softly, "Where are you going?"

"To get you."

That surprised her. "Me?"

"Yeah," Jason sighed and looked away from her, towards the elevator that was now making its way back downstairs, "You left, not really in a hurry, but you looked anxious to get out of here and it was getting late and…I know you have a guard but I wasn't sure if…are you okay?"

"I'm not much on holidays," she shrugged, "I just needed to go someplace where I could get away from it. I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell Lily and Sonny that. They tried so hard to make this Christmas the best that I've ever had."

"Did it help?"

"Christmas?"

"Getting away," Jason said, "Wherever you went, did it help?"

She laughed softly, "No, he just made me talk it out."

"Eckert."

"Yeah, Sly," she said, "Thank you for what you're doing for him. I know you think that he doesn't deserve a second chance but…"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Jason said, "Sonny asked me to keep Eckert around and I'm doing it. If he helps you than I'm okay with that."

"He's not the only one that's able to help me, Jason," she said quietly.

Jason shoved his leather gloved covered hands in his pockets and looked at his motorcycle boots for a second before his blue eyes reached hers, "I know that you said you don't like holidays but…" he licked his lips, "I got you a something. If you'd rather I didn't…"

"You bought me a gift?" she asked, "For Christmas?"

"I shot your birthday to hell."

"No Jason," she said, "I did that."

Jason nodded; he didn't want to fight with her, not again. Not when over the past few weeks they'd managed to have civil, albeit chaperoned, conversations. He motioned with his body towards his penthouse.

"Do you want to…I mean…"

"Yeah," she said taking off her mittens, "Yeah sure and thank you."

"For what?" he asked opening the door and allowing her to enter first.

"For coming to look for me," she said as she stepped into his home, a home that was once theirs, "Even though I had a guard you still…thank you," she smiled softly.

"You're welcome," he said as he walked over to his coffee table, the same coffee table where she had done a little dance for him in the same jacket that he was now wearing. He picked up a silver package and handed it to her, "Um, Merry Christmas."

"Thank you, again," she smiled, "I didn't expect this. I don't have anything for you," she tucked a strand of hair behind her hear and nibbled on her bottom lip, "We've been so…I've been so…"

"Just open it," he said as he pulled off his gloves and stuffed them in the pockets of his jacket before tugging that off as well, "Sit, please."

"Okay," Elizabeth said looking back at the couch and then sitting on it, "Okay."

Jason watched her as she slowly started to unwrap the paper containing the present that he had bought her. He needed help from the salesperson at the shop. He wasn't sure what Elizabeth's size was but he knew her measurements, could describe them in vivid detail, and that helped the associate who brought him the gift he thought she would love. The other piece of his present took a side trip to New York, one that he was able to arrange around his business schedule. He deduced from her gasp that she loved it.

"Jason," she squealed as she stood up and quickly unbuttoned her pea coat, shrugging out of it and letting it fall to the floor, "I can't believe you."

He watched as she slid one arm into her new leather jacket and then the other, pulling it against her body and looking out it with a glow in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a very long time. She was practically beaming at him when their eyes met again.

"I love it."

"You enjoyed," he cleared his throat, "You enjoyed the bike when you finally got on it and I know that you'd like to ride it again so anytime that you might…just let me know."

"Can I steer?"

"No."

"Please?"

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Pretty please."

"We'll see."

"Alright!" she squealed as she ran towards him and threw he arms around him, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Jason winced and cringed slightly when he felt something digging into his shoulder and Elizabeth pulled back frowning, watching as he rubbed it and then looked down to see what could have caused the pain. It was then that she noticed the tiny pin that was attached to the lapel of her jacket.

It was an angel made out of rubies and gold.

"What?" she whispered as she ran her thumb over it.

"Angels watch over things," he said quietly, "And our child would've been born in July so I thought I could get you so that and when we ride, or wherever you go , she would watch over you."

"She?" Elizabeth whispered as she looked at him tearfully, "You've thought about our baby? You thought our baby would be a she?"

Jason nodded slowly, "I think that God would have given you a girl to spoil, to raise her properly, to spoil her and dress her up and curl her hair and…" he turned away as he felt the tears clogging his throat.

"You've think about this a lot," she whispered.

"All the time," he said quietly as he took a few steps from her, moving towards the pool table and his long window doors.

"What else did you think about?" she asked quietly as her eyes followed him.

"Her name," Jason said with a small laugh, "I don't…I normally don't think ahead or plan the future or revisit the past. That's not me."

"I know that's not you," Elizabeth said, "You can't dream, you can't really envision. I know that and I'm surprised that you…"

"How can I not?" he asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, "How can I not picture you holding our child? How can I not see a little girl wrapped up all in pink, grabbing onto your finger as she squirmed, the way Adella use to do with me."

"What would her name have been?" Elizabeth whispered as she stepped towards him, "If we had a baby, if our baby would have been born almost seven months from now, what would you name her Jason?"

"Beth," he said as he watched her stop in front of him, "I think that your baby daughter should be named after you because of all that you have been through, because of all that you have survived. A lot of people haven't been able to handle less Elizabeth and you…you amaze me."

"I'm here for a reason," she whispered as she felt a tear slid down her face, "I'm in this very spot for a reason and I'm trying to find the reason that God took my child from me. Maybe you're right, maybe I'm not ready, maybe I need to experience more, live my life, before I settle down and get married and have children and do all those things that one day," she closed her eyes, "That one day I really want to do."

"And you will," he said as he reached out and wipe the dampness from her cheek with his thumb, "Because if anyone can do it Elizabeth, if anyone can run a business at seventeen and go to college and get her life back together and become one of the most well respected women in Port Charles it's you. I'm glad that I get to stand by and witness it."

"I don't want you to be just a witness," she whispered, "I want you, I need you, to be a part of it Jason." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, "I can't lose you, not again, once was too much. I don't care if it's just as friends. We need each other right now. You have…"

"Yeah," Jason said leaning down and placing a kiss to her hair, "I know Elizabeth and I'm not going anywhere."

"I want to stay here tonight," she mumbled against his chest, "On the couch, in the spare room. I just…I want to spend the rest of this Christmas with you."

Jason pulled back and looked down at her, tucking another strand of brown hair behind her ear, "Then stay," he gave her a small smile, "Merry Christmas Elizabeth."

She laughed softly and buried her head back against his chest, "Merry Christmas Morgan."