Chapter Four

Later that day…

Emily leaned back against the bed, setting her mug of hot chocolate on the floor next to her. She and Elizabeth were seated on the carpet between her bed and dresser and fine-tuning the plan. Though Emily was totally convinced that it would work perfectly, she could tell Elizabeth still held some reservations.

Feeling slightly guilty for her rash actions earlier in the day, Emily kept her conversation with Jason to herself. She had amazed herself by actually having the nerve to storm in to the kitchen and call him on his bullsh!t; apparently, Johnny was rubbing off on her. Her husband was the assistant news editor-in-chief for the Port Charles Daily Herald, and had been a reporter before that. The many years he spent on the job had taught him a lot about how to deal with people and get the truth out of them. His hound dog attitude must have rubbed off on her; there was no other way to explain the way she had confronted Jason Morgan, a strange, grumpy man that she didn't even know.

But Elizabeth still wasn't sold on the fact that Jason wanted her but had stopped himself. She still clung to the idea that she had turned him off by being too forward and aggressive, and that he didn't feel anything for her besides momentary lust, and even that was experienced only due to the heat of the moment.

"Em, it's a good plan, really, but it won't do any good if he's just not receptive to it," Elizabeth pointed out sullenly.

"Damn it, will you quit saying that?" Emily cried, exasperated by her friend's lack of self-confidence. "Elizabeth, you're a beautiful person and trust me when I say that Jason Morgan looked as if he could not control himself around you."

"Yeah. And he probably thought I was a complete whore."

Emily's eyes narrowed when Elizabeth slunk down against the wooden backboard of the bed, her painted toenails scraping the thin carpet. She hated it when her best friend beat herself up like this, especially since nothing could have possibly been further from the truth.

"And you know something?" Elizabeth's soft voice, laced with embarrassment and self-loathing, broke through her best friend's thoughts. "I was."

"OK, hold it right there," Emily cut in, spinning around on her bottom to face Elizabeth and direct a stern glare straight at her. "Just stop. Because that's total bullsh!t, Elizabeth Webber, and we both know it."

Elizabeth scowled at her. "Why? Why is it total bullsh!t, Em? For Christ's sake, I was ready for Jason to take me upstairs right then – in fact, I askedhim to. If that doesn't make me a whore of…of…Carly Corinthos standards, then I don't know what does."

"First, don't even say Carly's name and your own in the same breath," Emily ordered, wagging a finger at her best friend. "You are nothing like that woman – Elizabeth, she's herpes on heels! How can you possibly compare yourself to her, of all people?"

Elizabeth's blue eyes flashed. "Maybe because I was so completely desperate for him to touch me that I wanted him to take me upstairs to bed at that very instant, Em," she hissed back, not even bothering to sweep her brown locks back as they slipped from behind her ear and got stuck in her lip balm. "I was ready to…to…"

"To go all the way with him," Emily finished. "Elizabeth, I know. And doesn't that tell you something?"

"Yes – that I'm a total whore."

Emily rolled her eyes with exasperation over her friend's behavior and resisted the urge to scream. "Liz, stop saying that. Enough. You are not a whore – if either of us is a whore, it's definitely me miles before you. You're a virgin, for crying out loud!"

Elizabeth's dark blue eyes sizzled before the fire was dimmed by the onslaught of tears. "And I was ready to give it up like that, Em," she sighed, snapping her fingers to punctuate the sentence. She banged the back of her head against the wood they were leaning on. "I didn't even think twice. OK, yeah, twice, but not thrice. Damn it."

Emily's shoulders slumped at the sadness in Elizabeth's voice. She hated when the brunette got like this. "Elizabeth, try to go two seconds without beating yourself up and just listen to me, okay?"

Her best friend didn't say anything, just slumped against the wooden backboard of her bed and glared at a random spot on her dresser.

"Elizabeth." Emily licked her lips, trying to choose her words carefully. The self-deprecating brunette in front of her had a habit of being very stubborn sometimes, and she had to make sure Elizabeth listened to her completely before trying to get a word in edgewise. "Yes, you're a virgin. And in my opinion, that makes you really special."

The brunette snorted but thankfully didn't say anything, and Emily was able to continue.

"It means that you have more…what's the word?...self-discipline and control and maybe even moral integrity than the rest of us sluts that started doing it in high school."

Her attempt at humor barely even kicked up the corner of Elizabeth's mouth.

"Don't you see, Liz?" Emily's voice was pleading as she leaned closer to her best fried. "You decided to wait for that right guy. Sure, you dated Sean on and off throughout high school and then Barry during college, but you made them wait. And in the end when it didn't work out, they didn't have that special part of you. They didn't have that special place in your mind and your heart as the first, you know? You decided to wait until something better came along, Elizabeth. I know that you'd know when the guy was it."

Elizabeth sighed deeply and crossed one leg over the other knee, picking at the loose fuzz on her white socks. "And I was going at it with Morgan like I had all the experience in the world." A horrible thought dawned on her just then, causing her to snap up into sitting position. "Oh, God. What would he have done if he had found out that I was a virgin while we were…? Damn it!"

"Woah, woah," Emily broke in, waving a hand in the air. "No, no, no, don't even go there. Just shut up and listen to me." Reluctantly, Elizabeth leaned back against the backboard once more and crossed her arms sullenly over her chest. "Yes, you were ready to go for it with Jason. Now, doesn't that tell you something right there? Yes, yes, it does," she added without even letting Elizabeth speak up for herself. "And I'll tell you why. There's something about Jason Morgan that appeals to you way beyond his body; there's something there that's about more than just lust."

"I'm not saying you're in love with him or he's The One or anything fairy-tale-ish like that," Emily clarified when Elizabeth shot her a withering look that begged the question, Have you completely lost your mind? "I'm just saying that if that moment made you consider actually losing your virginity to him – yes, I know you're going to say it was in the heat of the moment, but Liz, just listen to me – then it's because there's something more to it. There's something there that's worth exploring and even fighting for. But you have to be honest with me, Lizbits. Were you actually going to go through with it?"

Elizabeth swallowed past a lump in her throat. "I'm pretty sure I was."

"There!" Emily raised her hands in triumph. "See? Doesn't that convince you? Because it sure as hell convinces me. There's something there, Liz. He's more than just a cute coworker, even if you don't know what exactly he is yet. You'll find out; I'm telling you, we just have to follow through with the plan. That man won't know what hit him."

Elizabeth brought her hands up and buried her face in them. "Fine," came her muffled voice. "You can spin this any way you want, Em, but it still doesn't cloud the fact that he pulled away and said it was a mistake; he doesn't want me. And no matter how great this plan goes, it's not going to do anything if he doesn't-"

"Do you want to know why he pulled away?"

Emily's question was met with dead silence, and the redhead's eyes were solemn when Elizabeth snapped up to look at her. Emily took in the skepticism in her friend's dark eyes but her own revealed nothing, good or bad, to partially answer Elizabeth's silent question.

"You know?"

Emily shrugged, a movement of her shoulders so slight that Elizabeth almost didn't catch it. "I wasn't going to say anything because I wasn't sure how you'd take it, but that's just seems stupid now. Especially since it's just what you need to hear to get off your butt and go along with this."

"Woah, woah, woah," Elizabeth shook her head, clearly not about to be deterred from her original question. "How do you know?"

Emily ducked her head and when she peeked back up, the hope of forgiveness that shined through her green eyes made Elizabeth want to crawl into a hole and die.

"What did you do, Em?"

The redhead traced a square in the carpet with one dainty finger. "I, um, kinda barged into the kitchen and asked him what crawled up his ass."

Elizabeth's eyes bulged and the brunette fairly crumpled onto the carpet, pounding the floor with one fist. "You didn't," came her distorted voice, muffled by the thin carpet she was currently resting her head on. "Oh, please, Em, tell me you didn't."

Emily shrugged with guilt. "Well…"

Two dark blue eyes, glittering with suspicion and accusation, shot up to meet hers. "What did you say?"

"I kinda stormed in there and yelled at him to tell me why he hurt you," Emily admitted. She hurried on when Elizabeth closed her eyes and grimaced. "If it makes it any better, I didn't make it sound like you were completely devastated or anything – I just…made him sound like a total ass for walking away from you."

"What. Did. You. Say?"

"I said that if he was frustrated with me for walking in, he had no right to take it out on you," Emily confessed softly. "And that he must be a real egotistical jerk to walk away from you like that. And I might have also said that a man couldn't do any better than you."

"Oh, great," Elizabeth hissed, pounding a fist into the carpet once more. "That's just freaking great."

"But," Emily spoke up, trying to make up for the disappointment she caused with some good news. "I did get a reason out of him."

Elizabeth looked up at her again and this time Emily found curiosity welling up in those sapphire orbs. "And what did he say?"

The redhead sighed and crossed her legs, forming her words slowly and carefully as if she were sampling gourmet pastry. "He said that…in a nutshell, that you deserve better than a nobody like him."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "He said that?" She couldn't believe it; Jason had always seemed so rugged and self-assured to her; what was wrong with him? What was he talking about? Had the entire world lost its mind?

Emily nodded seriously. "Apparently, he's got a total inferiority complex going when it comes to you. Remember when I told him that a man couldn't do much better than you?"

The look in Elizabeth's eyes answered the question as the brunette nibbled on her lower lip. Based on her newfound information, she realized that Emily's choice statement couldn't have been too comforting to Jason. It probably just rubbed more salt into the wound by telling him that all sorts of guys were after her, most better than him. She just couldn't shake her astonishment at the fact that Jason actually felt that way. And here she was worrying that she didn't match up to him

"Well, he said something under his breath and I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to hear, but I've got good ears. He said that I should tell him something he didn't know, meaning-"

"That he thinks I'm above him somehow," Elizabeth finished. Yeah, she had already arrived at that conviction herself and didn't need any more persuasion from Emily. "But what I can't figure out is – why? Why would he feel that way?"

Emily shrugged. "Well, we know he's a mechanic, right? And that he's working at his aunt's diner because of the fire. That's probably it – maybe he's kinda ashamed of what he does."

Elizabeth shook her head slowly. "I don't think so. Jason doesn't seem to be ashamed of anything. I don't think he's the type that would care what other people thought about his line of work."

Her friend's lower lip puckered out as she thought. "Well, maybe it's not direct shame, but something similar," she suggested. "Maybe he's got it in his head that the only guys that have a chance with you are the lawyers and the accountants and all that riffraff." Her eyes glittered and her cocky smile returned once more. "And that is where the plan is going to show him just how wrong he is."

Two days later…

The diner was actually empty in the morning and the two other waitresses that were scheduled to work were done with their muffins and other jobs and now sat at the counter, busily completing some homework for an evening class. The lack of anything to do meant that for the first time in a long time, Jason was able to take it easy and actually sit for a cup of coffee with his aunt, Bobbie Cassidine. The older woman had been busy at the hospital for the last few days, but finally had the free time to catch up with her favorite – though only – nephew.

And now she sat across from him, sipping her cinnamon tea as he nursed his black coffee – no sugar, no milk, just the way he liked it. It was a cold morning and she was buried inside a bright red sweater, and yet still complaining of the chill in the air.

"I hate this time of the year," she griped. "The dead of winter. Really makes my rheumatism act up."

Jason nodded sympathetically, knowing that her aunt's sour mood had little to do with her bodily ailments and more to do with the fact that her husband, a Greek businessman by the name of Stefan, was away doing some work in Greece and wouldn't return for another week.

"Plus, it makes my skin so dry," she continued, running a finger down one pale cheek. "No matter how much cold cream I put on – look at this! My skin dries up in no time. I don't know how you do it, Jason."

He blinked at her. "Do what, Aunt Bobbie?"

She allowed him a half-smile. "Spend the entire winter outside. And on that metal death trap of yours, no less."

Jason laughed at that. His aunt never did like the fact that he had a motorcycle. He could understand where she came from; she was the one that treated numerous motorcycle-related injuries every year and didn't want her nephew to be one of them. "It's really not that bad."

Bobbie smiled over the rim of her mug. "But you haven't been out on your bike very much recently."

Jason sucked in a deep breath, swirling the last of his coffee at the bottom of the cup. "No, no, I haven't."

"Any reason?"

"I've been busy. And tired. When I get home, I don't want to do anything but go straight to bed."

Bobbie nodded sympathetically. "I know, sweetheart. You work so hard here." She saw her nephew glance away in embarrassment, knowing what was coming, and she didn't disappoint him. "Jason, I wish you'd let me and Stefan help you with the garage. Really, honey, it's the least-"

Jason cut her off with a quick shake of his head. "We've been over this before, Aunt Bobbie – I don't want any money from you or Stefan."

The older woman opened her mouth to protest but once again, Jason silenced her with a single look. "I know you want to help, but I wouldn't be happy with myself if I sat back and let Stefan rebuild it for me. I have to do this by myself – I will do this by myself."

Bobbie sighed and set down her black porcelain tea cup. "Jason, it's not that I don't believe you can do it – you know that's not the case. Sweetheart, I think you are one of the most hardworking, dedicated and determined people I know." Jason blushed, always uncomfortable with praise, most of which he felt was either unnecessary or undeserved. "But you've done so much already, Jason, and you're so young. There's nothing wrong with letting family help out-"

"I know," he answered softly. "And I know you're not doing it out of a sense of obligation or pity. I know that. But that doesn't change anything. That garage is going to be back up one way or another. And I choose the way that has me working hard by myself to get it that way. I started that place, Aunt Bobbie," he shrugged as he gulped down the last of his coffee. "It's mine – no one else's. And I'm the one that is going to get it running again."

A customer came in just then and Jason started to get up but then realized that it was one of their regulars, a working mom who only stopped in for coffee and a turnover, both of which were already on the counter. He waited to make sure that April was serving their patron before sitting slowly back down in front of his aunt, a ghost of a smile playing across his lips.

"This time, though, I'll be sure to get everything insured."

Bobbie looked solemnly back at him for a moment, then swept her tea cup to the side and leaned closer to him, lowering her voice. "Jason, I don't really want to suggest this because I know you could easily wind up with more than what you bargained for, but if you won't accept any help from me or your uncle, then…"

Jason sighed. "Aunt Bobbie-"

"Maybe you could get it from Lorenzo Alcazar," she hurried on, knowing what the look in his eyes meant. Her nephew rolled those cerulean orbs and planted a hand on the table, but Bobbie had already decided that she was going to have her say. Even if this particular argument never really seemed to go anywhere. "Jason, he owes you that favor for when you took his mechanic's place last year. You didn't have to do it, but you did because he was desperate, and he said that you could call on him for a favor when you needed it."

"Look, Aunt-"

"Why not, Jason?" she insisted, her green eyes wide and begging him to consider. "It's a straight shot – he could easily rebuild your entire garage without even putting a dent in the pocket money he gets from his father. Why not ask him to repay the favor?"

"Aunt Bobbie." Jason's voice was firm but respectful and Bobbie snapped her mouth shut. "I probably will call in that favor eventually, but it won't be to rebuild my garage. I won't go to Lorenzo for the same reason that I won't take money from you. This is my place – no one is going to fix it up except me. I don't care if I have to work here for the next year; I will get the money together and do it on my terms. I'm not going to take the easy way out and call in what's owed to me." His blue eyes glittered as he leaned back in his wooden seat. "But when I do call Lorenzo up, it's going to be for something important. Maybe even something more important to me than the garage; I don't know, we'll just have to wait and see. I'm not going to ask him to do something for me that is easily within my own reach."

Bobbie pouted but didn't say anything; her nephew, stubborn as he was, had made his point very clear and she didn't want to risk alienating him even a little by pushing him. Jason didn't respond very well to being pushed. "OK, sweetheart, okay. But can I ask you to consider something else?"

Bobbie's green eyes twinkled when Jason playfully groaned and leaned back in his seat. "What?"

"Honey, I want you to move into Kelly's." Bobbie's request was met with silence. "There's no need for you to keep paying rent at Jake's when there's always going to be a room for you here. I've told you a hundred times and you just haven't listened; I'm hoping you'll listen now."

Jason's sigh swept through the near-empty diner. At the counter, April and Jane were finishing up their first-level Calculus and thanking their lucky stars that it was a slow morning. The mornings this time of the year usually were – who wanted to come all the way to Kelly's for breakfast when there was a layer of cold snow and slippery ice on the ground? No one in their right mind, that was for sure.

Bobbie watched Jason anxiously as the young man searched for words. Maybe this was the day that Jason would say yes – maybe he'd really move in and out of that ratty little bar.

"Aunt Bobbie, I like it at Jake's," Jason finally said. But his aunt immediately realized that his voice lacked its previous conviction. "The rent's not that much and I can easily afford it. Besides, I don't-"

"Want to free load, yeah, I've heard this before," Bobbie replied dryly. "Fine, Jason. I know you look at everything in terms of transactions and not in terms of emotions. Fine. I can understand that. But just this once, look at it this way: sweetheart, I want you to live here." Her bright eyes shined with concern and compassion. "Oh, Jason, I never come down to Jake's. To be honest, that place scares me. And the only times I get to see is when I come down here, and you're always busy. If you lived upstairs, I'd be able to see you more regularly. And I'd like that."

Jason sighed when her hand closed over his on the table. He knew she was just looking out for him, and to be honest, he wouldn't be completely averse to the idea of moving in upstairs. There were a lot of pluses that came with the territory.

"I just don't want us to drift apart," Bobbie murmured, squeezing his hand gently. "Jason, you're the only family I have in New York, and I love you so much. I couldn't stand to lose you."

Jason smirked at her. "You're not losing me just because I'm living a few miles away, Aunt Bobbie."

Bobbie chuckled, releasing his hand. "I know. And don't think that I want you to move in so that I can keep a closer eye on you." Her eyes twinkled when Jason laughed. "I know you're a big boy. It's just that…I want you close by. I like it when you're close by. Jason, you might not even realize it, but I look forward to every minute we spend together."

When Jason looked into her eyes, he was unable to doubt the sincerity behind his aunt's words. "Plus," Bobbie continued, still trying to make her pitch. "Just think about how much easier it would be. You wouldn't have to go out into the cold every morning and drive to work here anymore – you could just change into your jeans and walk down the stairs."

Jason did his best to contain a small smile. That was a definite plus.

"Also, you're always complaining about how tired you are," Bobbie offered. "And it's no wonder – Jake's doesn't close til late at night, and the music is always blaring. Here at Kelly's, it's nice and quiet at night and you don't have to worry about bar fights or loud music or dancing or anything like that."

"And," she continued, getting more and more caught up with her list. "You never have to leave to get some hot food – everything you could possibly need is right here."

Jason opened his mouth to say something but his aunt plowed right on.

"And your neighbors will be nice," she beamed. "No drunks or whores or whatever the type that they let into that dismal little bar." She shuddered at the mere thought of it. "No – there's mostly girls up there, and this one college boy that writes for the paper. Let's see, you'll have Penny, Renee, Jen, Lisa, Seth and Elizabeth as neighbors. And those girls are wonderful, Jason – they won't bother you at all."

Whereas he had been ready to say that he might be willing to listen to her this once, the last name out of his aunt's mind dampened that spirit. Even though Elizabeth seemed to spend most of her nights at her little art studio, she did technically live upstairs. And Jason wasn't sure if being in such close proximity with her so soon after their…encounter would be wise.

Two more customers walked in, a man and a woman, and since they looked like they were here for a hot breakfast, Jason finally rose from his seat. As he picked up his coffee mug and his aunt's tea cup, he didn't miss the flash of disappointment in her eyes.

"How about if I say that I'll sleep on it?" he offered as he backed away, heading for the kitchen.

His aunt's smile was immediate. "I'd say that would be great."

"OK, then." Smirking, Jason let himself into the kitchen and grabbed an apron from the little wooden closet next to the cabinets. The couple had ordered scrambled eggs and bacon and before long Jason was done with the order. He was about to call for April when the double doors flew open and a petite brunette strolled in and made her way to the apron closet.

Jason's breath caught in his chest and his brain temporarily froze when Elizabeth pulled out her small green apron and tied it on, turning around to face him. Her eyes, though showing some surprise, didn't display any malice or resentment.

"Jason," she said slowly with a hesitant, polite if not uncomfortable smile. "Hey. Mornin'. Um, can I talk to you for just a second?"