Chapter 2- Heart-to-Hearts

"Robin?" questioned Jason with a gasp.

"Jason!" she said excitedly with a smile.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

He looked her over. She looked pretty much the same as she had at Lila's funeral, except her hair was now a little shorter and had blonde streaks.

"I'm back for a while. I'm working over at GH for the time being. It was just time for me to come back. My family misses me, and I miss them"

"Oh" he answered. "Well, I really am glad that your back"

"Me too" she said with a smile. "So, I heard you're getting married"

"Ah yeah" he said awkwardly.

"Jason, really, I'm ok with it. It's not as if I expected you to be alone for the rest of your life. Heck, you married my best friend and Sonny's sister already. I know you're not just sitting on your butt all alone"

"Yeah, well, let's hope that the third times the charm" he said.

"Let's hope so. I mean, lets face it. If you were to get married again, that would mean another occasion to wear a tie and we all know how we feel about that" she said with a smile.

"Very true" he said with a smile that matched hers. "So, what about you? Anyone special"

"No, not really. I mean, I've had a few dates, but then I mention my HIV status and they're all out of there in a flash" she said with a bitter smile.

"I'm sorry" he said sincerely. "You deserve much better than that"

"Thanks" she said softly.

For a moment, neither said anything. Instead, the two looked at each other for a moment, trying to resist the urge to touch one another. Robin had to cross her arms and Jason had to stuff his hands in his pockets just to prevent it. And all the while, Jason was trying to convince himself that the relief that he felt when she said she wasn't seeing anyone didn't mean anything.

"Anyway, I should go" she said, finally breaking the silence.

"Yeah, me too. I've gotta meet Sonny and his family for dinner tonight"

"How's everyone?"

"They're all good. Except…well…I don't know if I should tell you this" he said.

"You don't have to tell me anything. It's not like you owe me. Just tell me, are the kids healthy?"

"Yeah they're fine. It's Carly. She had a mental breakdown. She's in an institution right now" he said.
"That must be terrible on the kids" she said sympathetically.

Jason was taken aback that she didn't take pleasure in Carly's pain, but then he remembered who he was talking to. Not Robin. Robin didn't do that.

"They're coping. Or they're trying to at least" said Jason.

"Give Sonny a hug for me" she said as she started to walk away. "And all the kids. Bye!" she called over her shoulder.

"Bye" he said, still in awe of her beauty as her hair flipped when she turned her head.

"You're late" said Sam as Jason walked in. "We need to be at Sonny's in ten minutes. And you still smell like a foot. Go shower" she said as she crinkled up her nose.

"Whatever you say" mumbled Jason as he bounded up the stairs.

Half an hour later, Sam and Jason walked into the Corinthos living room.

"Hey, you're late! Michael's so hungry he was threatening to eat Morgan" said Sonny.

"Sorry, Jason has no concept of time" said Sam snottily.

"Well, its fine with me" said Ella as she came down the stairs. "It gave me time to finish my math homework. Help me with history after dinner Jason?" she asked.

"Of course" he said, shooting a look at Sam as she rolled her eyes.

Sam never understood his relationship with Ella. At first, she had thought that it was very weird. She was slowly getting used to it, but she still got annoyed when Jason and Ella constantly came to each others defense.

Dinner went off without a hitch. It was tense, and it was obvious that Sam was irritated with Jason, but other then that, there was no name calling, yelling, or food throwing. As Sonny cleared the dishes, Jason went upstairs with Ella to help her with her homework. She had barely taken out the assignment when Jason sat her down on the bed and said they needed to talk.

"Uh-oh, a Jason Morgan serious heart-to-heart. Should I be scared?" she asked with a smile.
Jason sighed and attempted to smile back.

"Ellie" he started, but she cut him off.

"Does this have to do with Mom?" she asked him.

"Yes" he answered truthfully. "Ella, you don't need to take Carly's place" he said bluntly.

"I'm not trying to Jason, I'm not. I'm just trying to be a good older sister to Michael and Morgan. They don't really understand what's going on. And they just need someone to take care of them. So, I'm helping"

"Ella, I didn't even specify what I was talking about and you already knew what I was going towards. Doesn't that tell you something?"

"Yeah, that I'm really good at reading you"

"Ella; Michael and Morgan have Leticia. And I know that you're too old for a nanny, but you have her too. It's not the worst thing in the world to lean on her a little"

"Leticia is paid to take care of us. I know that she cares about us, and that it goes above money, but the point is, she's not family. She doesn't have that same bond. I know that she loves us all like her own, but she can't understand what Michaela and Morgan are feeling. And I can. And I can't just turn my back on them. I'm their older sister; it's my job to take care of them"

"No El, it's your job to be a teenager. You're running yourself ragged. You have so many responsibilities. It's amazing that you're able to handle it all"

"Jason, most parental figures would be pleased to hear that their child is an overachiever who has goals and cares about her future"

"I am pleased to hear it. And I am so proud of you Ella. But I don't want you to give up your teenage years to be an instant adult. It's not fair to you"

"Fine, I'll try to lay off the mothering, ok?" she asked.

"Ok" he answered with a sigh.

"What's bothering you?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Come on Jason, I know you. Something's on your mind"

"Don't worry about it"

"Jason, we always tell each other our problems. And I know that you want me to act less like an adult right now, but that doesn't mean you need to keep me in the dark"

He was quiet for a moment, and Ella stared at him intently, trying to figure out just what was on his mind.

"You can't tell your mother when you go to visit her, ok?" he asked. "It'll just upset her"

"I won't tell, I swear" she said, holding up her pinky.

He took her pinky with his and they did their little swearing ritual that they had forever.

"Robin's back" he said quietly.

"WHAT!" asked Ella in shock. "Are you kidding me?" she asked and he shook his head 'no'. "How did you find out?"

"I ran into her at the docks. She looked good" he said with a slight smile.

"Well of course she did, she's Robin!" snapped Ella. "That girl could look good in any bad situation"

"How much do you remember about Robin?" he asked her.

"I remember enough. Technically, the human memory can't recall any events or anything from before age four. So I only remember a few years with her. But I do remember missing her Jason"

'Me too' he thought bitterly.

"I know that she and mom never got along, and that they were both competing for your affection…but I did, and still do, love Robin. She was kinda like my fairy godmother. When Mom was too busy hatching a crazy scheme, she was the one who braided my hair, and signed me up for dance class, and attended my tea parties. And she always told me that I served the best air" said Ella with a smile.

Jason laughed, and Ella was glad to see him at ease, even if it was just for a moment.

"So, you're ok with her being back?" asked Jason

"Are you kidding me? I'm thrilled. I actually can't wait to see her again. Really Jason" she assured him. "But how do you feel about it?"

"I dunno. It's complicated"

"If anyone knows complications between you and Robin, it's me" said Ella.

"Yeah, I guess you do"

"Hey, you don't think Robin…"

But Ella couldn't finish her sentence as suddenly she was cut off by a shrill voice from downstairs.

"JASON!" called Sam. "LET'S GO! I WANNA GO HOME!"

"I guess you better go" said Ella as she cringed from Sam's high pitched voice.

"Yeah, I guess I better" he said as he got off the bed. "But wait, I never got to help you with your homework"

"That's ok. I can do it" she told him. "You better go before Sam pops a vein. I love you" she told him as she hugged him goodbye.

"I love you too" he said as he kissed her on the top of her head. "Remember, be a teenager" he warned her.

"I know, I know"

Later that night, as Ella prepared to go to sleep, she heard a light tapping on her window.

"What the hell?" she mumbled as she went to look. "Lulu? What are you doing here?" she hissed in a whisper as she opened up the window and let her in.

"I need a place to stay" she said as she first threw her bag in and then followed with her body.

"What do you mean?" asked Ella as she helped Lulu get off the floor where she had not-so-gracefully landed.

"Leslie kicked me out"

"What? Why?"

"I was just borrowing her car!" said a defensive Lulu. "Anyway, I heard her on the phone with Skye…"

"Meaning you were eavesdropping"

"…and she said she was going to bring me over to the Quatermaine mansion tomorrow so that I could live with my dad"

"So she technically didn't kick you out"

"No, she's just pawning me off on a man who doesn't want me. So, I figured I'd save everyone the trouble"

"By running away to here"

"Exactly. Look El, if you don't want me here, that's fine. I understand. I was thinking about going to Nik's house anyway. But with Helena out of prison, and the fact that I technically am still a Spencer, I just didn't want to set myself up to be fish food. And Liz and Lucky are sleeping on a couch as is… look, I'll find a place" said Lulu as she picked up her bag.

"No, Lu, stay. It's fine. I don't want you wandering around the streets of Port Charles in the dark alone anyway"

"Thanks mom" said Lulu with a smile.

"But the only thing is…"

"Ella, is there someone in there?" called Sonny from outside of her door.

"No Dad, just the TV. Sorry, I'll lower it"

"You should be in bed anyway" he called back.

"I know, sorry" she said as she opened the door a crack so that they could see each other. "I'm going to bed, goodnight" she said as she gave him a goodnight kiss.

"Goodnight, sleep well" he told her.

"Anyway, as I was saying" whispered Ella as soon as Sonny walked away and the door was closed. "The only thing is we need to keep this a secret. If my dad found out you were staying here, he'd bring you back to your dad"

"I know, I know" said Lulu.

"It's a big bed, we can share, right?"

"We're both girls" said Lulu as she rolled her eyes. "And trust me, I like guys"

"No kidding" mumbled Ella as she turned off the lights.

She and Lulu were finally in bed when Lulu turned to her and said "oh, and I should warn you, I'm a kicker".

And that was how Ella knew it was going to be a very long night.