Sorry it's been so long. Things have been crazy crazy crazy. By which I mean my whole life has been CRAZY.

Anyway, this is pretty short, but I smiled writing it, and I hope you smile (or even laugh) reading it. Thank you, as ever, for all the lovely things everyone had said, it really is one of the only good things I have going right now. Okay, that was overly melodramatic, but you know what I mean.

And, um, review, or I'll hunt down you favorite stuffed toy. ; )

Chapter Three

It was three days later when Jason saw Liz next. He was sitting at the docks, contemplating the latest mess Sam had got them all into. Okay, so Nico was dead, but now there was apparently some mysterious other now. He was so sick of the constant mystery and trouble that accompanied this woman. It seemed that no sooner had he gotten to the bottom of one lie then another popped up. She was afraid to make her own decisions, but whenever he tried to make them for her, she through a fit. He was supposed to pretend to love her, and to be the father of her baby, but then she and Sonny would make out in his apartment. It wasn't for Gods sake, as if he cared on a personal level, but you know, it seemed wrong on principle. If he was going to throw his life away for them, they could at least respect that by respecting him, and his home.

As he sat there working himself into a truly bad mood, he was distracted by a startled cry, and a thud. He looked over to see Elizabeth sprawled at the foot of the landing, having obviously tripped. As he rushed over, and despite his alarm, he was amused to hear her cursing, with fluent imagination.

"Elizabeth!" She looked up as he crouched next to her, blushing. "Are you okay?"

"As long as you haven't heard a word I've said." Her face turned redder as she waited for his response.

"I didn't hear a word you said." He replied solemnly, blatantly insincere.

She sighed, "Great, because I was cursing like a sailor, and I wouldn't want it to get around."

"Well, since I would be shocked to hear you do such a thing, it must not be true." He played along, before turning more serious. "Are you okay?" He asked again.

"Yeah, yeah. Just perpetually clumsy," she laughed, taking his offered hand and standing up. "So, how have you been?"

"It's been hell." He was surprised to hear the honesty of his response. Liz pulled him down onto the bench.

"Tell me." She said simply.

"I hate the things I have to do to protect my family." He paused. "At least, lately. I tell lie after lie and I've given up so much, and it seems like it's never enough."

"Lies?" She asked neutrally.

Jason looked cornered. "I can't tell you. I can't tell anyone. I don't want to lie to you too, but I can't give you what you need." His voice rose with sudden passion.

She looked at first shocked, then understanding. "Jason, I don't need anything from you." She said softly. "I want to give to you. I'm your friend. I trust you. If you can't tell me, that's okay. I don't expect anything."

The weight that was on his shoulders lessened, and he felt giddy in its absence. "Thank you. Do you know that you're the only person who ever asks me how I'm doing? Everyone else ask me how others are doing, as if it's the same thing.

She smiled, "Well, I don't care about everyone else. I care about you.

The moment became charged, and they sat looking at each other, caught in the moment, like so many before. It was broken by the sound of Elizabeth's cell phone. She riffled through her purse, a bit dazed, before finding it.

"Hello?" Jason looked away, trying to look disinterested. "Is it Cameron?" Cameron? Who the hell was Cameron? "No, it's fine, I'll be right there." Who ever he was, apparently Elizabeth was at his beck and call. She hung up. "Sorry Jason, I have to run. I'll see you soon though." She dropped a kiss on the top of his head, distractedly, before running off.

"Goodbye!" He called after her, not wanting to be left quite so soon. Stupid Cameron, he couldn't help thinking. He had better meet this guy, and make sure he was on the up and up. Jason grumbled to himself, feeling like a three year old, but unable to help it.

O O O

When Elizabeth walked into Kelly's, she immediately saw Jason, sitting at a table with Courtney. Neither noticed her as she walked by and took a seat at the counter. She really tried not to eavesdrop, but the increasingly hysterical tone in Courtney's voice was hard to ignore.

"You know what Jason? You never loved me. If you had, you'd have been willing to give up something that I hated more than anything, the thing that cost us our baby. But your job was the most important thing. I hope you're happy with it, even if you've made me miserable. You're nothing like I thought you were. You have no honor, no fidelity, and no loyalty. I hope... AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH." Courtney shrieked. She and Jason looked up, with expressions of shock, to see Elizabeth, standing with the now empty pitcher, which had contained ice water. "You.. you.. bitch!" Courtney yelled, her hair plastered to her skull, her white suit dripping. "What the hell are you doing? I'm completely soaked!" Elizabeth shrugged, as if an explanation was beyond her. "Urg!" Courtney stood up, grabbed her purse, and stalked out, radiating fury.

Elizabeth watched her go, then sighed, "Damn."

Jason struggled to keep his face straight. "What?"

"I really hoped she would hit me." She fetched a rag and began cleaning the water from the chair.

"Because?" His lips twitched.

"I wanted to hit her back. Harder." She answered maliciously. "Why are you laughing? Where does she get off saying those things to you? Did you knock her favorite teddy off the bed or something?" She sat, huffy, in the vacated seat, now dry.

"She has her reasons," he defended weakly, still smiling at the memory of Courtney's mascara trailing down her face.

"Whatever. Next time hopefully she'll just take a cold shower, rather than make me give her one."

One of the waitresses walked up, "Are you ready to order?"

Elizabeth checked her watch. "Yeah. Do you want to have lunch?" She addressed Jason.

"Sure. That'd be good.

And so they sat, smiling and content, eating lunch at Kelly's, as if they had been keeping the date for years.