Chapter Fourteen

"Yeah, I checked her temperature." Jason paced nervously back and forth in the dark hallway outside of Elizabeth's room. He had left the door partially ajar and every so often he would poke his head in and check on the brunette who had drifted off into a fitful slumber. "She's not delirious, is she? Should I bring her to the hospital?"

He listened carefully to his aunt as she urged him to remain calm and prescribed several actions for him to take. "Okay, fluids – soup, right? She said that soup was good when you were getting sick. Yeah, she made me drink tons of it. What do you mean, good? That stuff made me even sicker."

Jason's hand was poised on the knob as Elizabeth let out a little moan and flopped over on her stomach, swiping angrily at her bangs, which were clinging to her damp and flushed skin. "A humidifier? What's a humidifier? No, wait, if it's important, I'll find one – are you sure? Okay, fine, what else?"

He stayed on the phone with his aunt for another twenty minutes, making sure he knew exactly what he was supposed to do to help Elizabeth. After thanking her profusely for actually answering her phone at two in the morning, Jason clicked his cell off and slipped quietly back into Elizabeth's room.

She was tossing and turning in her sleep, looking dreadfully uncomfortable, as Jason filled a glass of water for her and spread a damp washcloth over her forehead. The little brunette quieted down some under his hands, and Jason gingerly sat down on the edge of her bed. Elizabeth was stirring, mumbling something in her half-sleeping state, and he figured it would be as good a time as any to get her to drink something like his aunt had told him.

"Hey," he whispered, gently tucking her silky hair behind her ear. "Elizabeth. Hey, come on, wake up." It seemed so natural to insert a term of endearment in there – sweetheart, or maybe honey – but he forced himself not to. And it was a good thing, too, because she was already partially awake, staring up at him with confused blue eyes.

"How you feeling?" His fingers still lingered in her hair and Elizabeth turned her cheek into his palm, sighing softly.

"Icky."

The corner of his mouth hooked up in that boyish smile she loved so much as Jason reached for her glass of water. "You wanna drink something?"

She nodded slowly and lifted herself to her elbows, accepting his help and taking the glass from his hands. Jason watched as she drained it quickly, gulping down the cool liquid, and then flopped back down onto her bed again.

"I'm hot."

The comforter had fallen a bit and was now resting underneath her breasts that appeared firm and pert through the soft baby tee she wore, and a muscle in Jason's jaw ticked. "I know."

"Oomph." Elizabeth was wriggling now under the covers, squirming and writhing, and Jason was on his feet and about to ask her what was wrong when he heard the rumble of her zipper. The jeans that he had been too cowardly to take off earlier were bothering her now, and the little spitfire had decided to take things into her own hands. She squirmed some more, kicking her feet in the air, and before Jason could blink, she flung a pair of worn blue jeans out from under the covers and onto the floor. "Mmth."

He just stared down at her and then the rumpled jeans, and then back again. Elizabeth burrowed into her pillow, coughing softly, and blinked up at him when she noticed that he hadn't left. "What time is it?"

"A little after two."

She frowned, closing her eyes, and tried to pull the covers over her head. "Go to sleep, Morgan."

"But-"

"Go to sleep. And let me sleep. We can't both be dead on our feet tomorrow."

And with that, she dismissed him and disappeared under the covers, now just a tiny bulge under the sea of blue. It was when Jason heard her light snores that he quietly backed out of her room and entered his, quickly stripping off his shirt and pants and flopping down on his bed. He noticed her shopping bags from earlier still by his dresser and made a mental note to return those in the morning.

"I brought you soup."

His voice shattered whatever light, filmy semblance of sleep she had been precariously holding on to, and Elizabeth poked her head out from under her comforter. There, not two feet away from her, stood Jason Morgan, her resident Dr. Ben Casey. He was wearing dark denim jeans – she didn't even know he owned any dark denim – that fit him better than his baggy ones and showed off his backside, paired with a navy blue sweater. But what really made the picture perfect was the fact that he was holding a little breakfast tray with a steaming bowl of soup just for her.

She pouted up at him. "I want pancakes."

"Well, you get soup," he informed her with a smirk, moving forward and settling down on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Icky."

"I figured." He set the tray near her and frowned when he realized that she wasn't going to eat it on her own. "What's the matter? You like soup."

"I want pancakes."

"You were the one that told me all about how good soup is supposed to be for you when you're sick."

"Pancakes, Jason."

He couldn't help the grin that claimed his lips at her childish arguing, and Jason reached out to tenderly brush her hair back from her face. "Elizabeth, you're sick and I'm taking care of you. And I say you get soup."

The brunette sighed, recognizing this as a losing battle, and slowly sat up in bed. Jason shifted closer and picked up the bowl, lifting a spoonful and blowing on it before offering it to her.

As she accepted it and closed her lips around his proffered spoon, Elizabeth realized that there could only be one logical explanation for the situation she currently found herself in: she had died and gone to heaven. It was as simple as that. Where else would Jason Morgan be sitting on her bed in ass-flattering jeans feeding her chicken soup?

He took his time feeding her, and Jason seemed to be secretly enjoying it as much as Elizabeth was. When the last spoonful finally disappeared, he let her settle back down in bed and affixed another damp towel to her forehead. After clearing away the dishes, he reached for the thermometer and slipped it in between her full lips.

Her temperature, while less than the previous night, was still high and Jason set about refilling her glass of water and making sure she was comfortable. Elizabeth watched him lazily, still wondering if this was real or some elaborate, borderline delirious fantasy. So far, the latter seemed to be winning.

"Hey, Jason?"

He looked up at her sleepy murmur. "What?"

"Sarah says that when I'm starting to get sick, I act like I'm high."

The tall blonde smirked at that. "Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm." Elizabeth's expressive blue eyes were half-closed as she burrowed into her pillow once more. "She says I make up words and act like a three-year-old."

"Yeah?"

"So I was wondering…do I?"

"Yeah."

She pouted sleepily at him, an expression he found absolutely adorable. "You need a new word."

Jason laughed and stepped toward her, using his rough fingertips to gently brush her stubborn hair back behind her ear again. "I'm sorry, but you do."

"I really acted like I was high?"

"Yeah."

"You're doing it again."

"Sorry."

There was a brief pause and he thought she had fallen asleep until Elizabeth spoke up again. "What did I do?"

"You informed me that you had muscles."

"I do."

His silver-blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "I'm sure you do."

"I do," she insisted, opening her eyes and pushing herself up on her elbows with a frustrated huff. Jason watched, utterly enamored, as she lifted one slender arm and flexed it, revealing muscles that wouldn't make a kitten flinch. "See? I got muscles."

Unable to resist, he reached out and wrapped his rough hand around her arm, feeling her pulse race against his palm. "Impressive."

She pulled out of his grasp and flopped down on the bed again, somewhat irritated with him. "That's not nice."

"I know – you told me last night."

That made her pause. "I did?"

"Yeah. You called me un-nice."

Elizabeth blinked at him before giggling, and Jason smirked as she covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, no! Sarah was right – I do make up words!"

Jason laughed and laced his fingers through her hair again, this time more out of habit than necessity, and Elizabeth covered his dark hand with her soft, pale one. "Jason?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't mean it – you're very nice."

He grinned down at her, enjoying the feel of her hand against his. "Good to know."

Elizabeth smiled softly, her heavy lids drooping shut despite her attempt to keep them focused on him. "Thank you for taking care of me."

Jason's breath hitched in his throat at her soft murmur of gratitude and the way her thumb gently stroked his rough skin. Her eyes were already shut and Jason leaned forward slowly, hesitantly, until his lips brushed her forehead in a tender kiss.

"You're welcome."

He had been running upstairs and downstairs all day, checking on Elizabeth. He brought her water – and apple juice when she got sick of the water – and soup, despite her complaints. Bobbie stopped in after her shift at the hospital, dead-tired and ready to go home and fall asleep, but the nurse wanted to check up on Elizabeth in order to put her young nephew at ease. She knew there was something going on between Jason and Elizabeth, even if her sister's son was too stubborn to admit it. No one had ever had Jason this emotionally involved since as long as she could remember, and from where she was sitting, her nephew was a better man for it. Elizabeth seemed to bring out the best in him – he laughed, he smiled, he was playful, and he even joked around a bit.

Jason was waiting for her as soon as she entered the diner and led her up to Elizabeth's room. The brunette was half-propped up in bed, groggily staring at the pages of Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death and trying to make some sense out of it. Being stuck in bed all day was driving her crazy, and she figured she might as well try to get some of her homework done, although the idea proved more productive than the actual process.

She glanced up in surprise as Jason and his aunt burst into her room like a pair of storm troopers, and Bobbie immediately began an inspection. After taking her temperature and asking her a few questions, she informed her nephew that it was just the flu and it would run its course, and to stop calling her at two in the morning.

Jason averted his gaze when Elizabeth grinned cheekily up at him and mumbled his thanks to his aunt. Seeing the brunette's teasing smirk, he announced that he'd have a bowl of soup up for her in about five minutes. The smirk dropped off Elizabeth's face as he ushered his aunt out the door.

The evening passed fairly quickly. Jason brought up the soup he had promised along with some saltine crackers and proceeded to feed her once more. Though feigning indignance, Elizabeth selfishly enjoyed every minute of it. Afterwards, she entangled him in a game of five-card-draw and he beat her soundly, winning all of the M&Ms she had used as betting chips. In the end, he let her have them back and watched with thinly veiled disgust as she promptly ate them all, one by one.

He wasn't aware of how late it was until he glanced down at his watch; time just seemed to fly when he was with Elizabeth. The little brunette didn't want to sleep but the minute he dimmed the lights and coaxed her down into bed, she started to yawn. Shaking his head, Jason refilled her glass of water, swept her hair out of her face as she slipped off to sleep, and quietly left the room.

Pulling out his cell phone, Jason was about to call his aunt once more before he decided against it and shuffled into his own room. He didn't even notice her shopping bags still by his dresser as he stripped down to his boxers and got in bed.

The next day passed in the same fashion as the previous one. Elizabeth got into the habit of calling him on his phone when she wanted something – usually water or a clear soft drink and crackers – and Jason was once again scurrying up and down the stairs. He was fairly certain that he heard Penny and Renee giggling behind his back but he couldn't be sure because the minute he looked at them they turned their backs and returned to their customers.

Emily stopped by around lunchtime and grabbed her own lunch along with Elizabeth's, and the two girls stayed up there for hours. It would have made Jason nervous had he not been so busy downstairs – those two were as thick as thieves whenever they got together, no doubt planning some sinister operation to take over the world or double the amount of shoes in their closet, whichever one seemed more important at the moment.

The redhead finally left when it was closing time, saying she had to get back home before Johnny thought she was murdered by the mob and ended up combing the river for her body. The newspaper at which he worked had recently played a significant role in the battle between law enforcement and the Port Charles mafia by exposing several police officers that were on the payroll, and her husband had been fairly high-strung in the past week.

Elizabeth was sprawled out across her bed, her feet dangling off one end and her arms dangling off the other, and her hair was a wild riot of curls as she buried her face in the pale blue comforter. She was tired but not sleepy, bored but not strong enough to do something. All in all, she wasfeeling pretty blah.

Jason's footsteps on the stairs perked her up, and she lifted her head, sapphire blue eyes peeking out from under her bangs at the door. He grinned sympathetically when he saw her, understanding her boredom and fatigue. The sky had been black for hours now and the room was dim, lit only by the small lamp on her night table, and the golden light made her pale skin glow.

"How you doing?"

"Not too great. I'm bored."

"You're tired."

She sighed and rolled over on her stomach, unknowingly exposing her midriff to him and not noticing how his eyes instantly flew to her cute little bellybutton. "Tired, maybe. Sleepy? No."

"Tell you what," Jason began, crossing his arms over his solid chest and forcing his gaze to meet hers, cute bellybutton be damned. "Let me change and grab my Italy book, and I'll come back here and keep you company."

That brightened her mood a bit and Elizabeth craned her head back, letting it dangle off the edge of her bed, as she peered up at his upside-down figure. "But you have to work tomorrow."

"No, I don't."

She'd never heard that before and it made her roll over on to her stomach. "Bobbie gave you the day off? Really?"

Jason shrugged, smirking when she kicked her feet in excitement. "Yeah. She said I looked tired and called in Luke."

"Oh, man, Luke's gonna be here tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes gleaming with happiness. Luke Spencer was Bobbie's oldest and best friend since childhood, and he ran a blues club in town that he was very rarely at, and used to work at Kelly's once himself. Besides always sneaking her spiked coffee, which the little brunette appreciated very much on cold and crazy winter mornings, the man made a kick-ass bowl of chili. "That's great! I love him!"

Jason quirked a brow at her. "Should I be jealous?"

Somehow, Elizabeth managed not to melt. "Yes."

He rolled those piercing cerulean eyes of his and shuffled back a step. "All right, fine. I'll be back in a minute."

As soon as his back was turned, Elizabeth's dry lips curled into a wicked smile. "Oh, Jason?"

He looked at her over his shoulder, his hand on the knob. "Yeah?"

"I think I might have left some of my stuff in your room," she purred innocently, toying with a loose thread on her comforter. "If you see any of my shopping bags there, could you bring 'em?"

"Oh, yeah," he replied easily, already out in the hall. "I'm sorry – I meant to bring them by earlier but I forgot."

"Not a problem at all," she muttered as he disappeared. "Not a problem at all."

He had just changed into his pajamas – a black t-shirt and matching sweatpants – and brushed his teeth, and Jason was about to grab his travel book and head back to Elizabeth's room. It was almost morbid, but he liked the idea of her being stuck in one place and having nothing to do – he enjoyed the time he got to spend with her as a result of that. Whether it be feeding her soup or beating her at cards, he couldn't remember when he had enjoyed anyone's company as much as he enjoyed Elizabeth's.

Another thing he had noticed was that he just couldn't manage to keep his hands off of her. He had tried to restrain himself at first, not wanting to head back down that path once more only to see it blow up in his face – again – but over time, he just couldn't resist holding her hand, playing with her hair, tracing the delicate line of her jaw. It worried him but at the same time, it excited him. He had never been too big on foreplay in general with any of his other former girlfriends – if they could be called that – but with her, even the simplest twining of their fingers seemed oddly erotic.

Sweeping one hand through his unruly spikes, Jason spotted his travel book sitting on the edge of his dresser and snagged it, but not without accidentally kicking over the shopping bags that he had once again failed to notice despite her reminder.

Swearing under his breath, Jason dropped the book on his bed and knelt to pick up whatever it was she had bought. Hopefully, it was nothing fragile.

He could have sworn that his heart skipped two beats the moment he cleared away the jasmine-scented pink tissue paper to retrieve whatever lay underneath it. There, dangling from his long fingers, was a pair of sheer black French-cut panties.

Jason dropped them instantly, almost as if they burned to his touch, and just stared at the scrap of black cloth that now lay on his carpet. Next to it, he saw another pair of bright red lace boy shorts. And then a pair of underoos with a picture of some cartoon cat on them, dark blue satin panties, a black garter, blue and pink lace boyshorts…holy shit.

He had never been a very religious man, but he had a feeling that all the underwear on the floor in front of him was breaking some sort of commandment.

Champagne colored silk panties and a matching bra. A pair of comfortable cotton boxers with little hearts on them. Dark red hot shorts. A pale blue camisole trimmed in cream-colored lace and matching silk boxers. A plethora of cotton panties with everything from flowers to stripes to little firecrackers. Hot pink cotton panties with bright green trim and a matching bra. A soft, skimpy tank top that proclaimed in big red letters, Boy Watch.

Feeling like a pervert but unable to stop himself, Jason held his breath and reached for a scrap of silk that lay across his bare foot. Slipping one finger under the pink strap, he slowly lifted it up and groaned aloud at what he saw.

A pale pink silk nightgown.

Oh, that settled it – he was freaking screwed.

She was counting the dots on the ceiling when Jason showed up half an hour later, dressed in his pajamas and armed with his favorite travel book. "Hey, stranger," she smiled, eyeing the shopping bags he held. The tissue was rumpled and looked as if it had been haphazardly stuffed into the top of the bag, and she had to try with all her might to keep her vicious grin in check. "What took you so long?"

He shrugged nonchalantly but she noticed the tense set of his shoulders. "It hasn't been that long, has it?"

She averted her gaze before he could see the amusement in her twinkling eyes. "I thought I heard the shower running."

Thought, nothing – she had heard him come swearing out of his room in a huff and stomp directly to the bathroom, and had cackled and hooted and guffawed until her stomach hurt.

"Yeah, I thought I'd wash up before I came over," he replied with feigned indifference as he climbed onto her bed and sat atop the comforter with his book in his hand. "Did you want anything?"

Well, she wanted to see the look on his face when he stumbled onto her new purchases, but she couldn't very well say that. "I'm good. Thanks for bringing my stuff over – sorry I left it in your room."

Not as sorry as he was. A half hour shower had barely done the trick.

"No problem."

She buried her face in her pillow, determined not to let him see her grinning otherwise the game would most definitely be over. When she had composed herself, Elizabeth peeked out at him and noticed him flipping through his book. "What're you going to read to me about?"

"Venice," he announced, turning the book toward her so that she could see the glossy picture of the Grand Canal.

"I've always wanted to go to Venice," she sighed, turning on her side and snuggling closer.

Jason quirked a brow at her. "Really?"

The brunette nodded emphatically. "Oh, yeah. My professor for watercolors – you know, that class where I have to do that painting of the dancers – tells us about Venice. He's been there about three or four times, and he says that the light there is unlike anywhere else in the world."

He could feel himself being sucked into her rich, expressive eyes that glowed when she talked of the Italian island. "Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm," she nodded against his bicep, snaking one hand into the crook of his elbow. "He says that the light and water there – like at the Grand Canal – work together to create this restless magic, and that all borders are eradicated somewhere between dreams and reality. Doesn't that sound beautiful?" He nodded and the little brunette cuddled closer, her eyes still on the picture of the Ponte Vecchio. "I'm gonna go there someday."

Jason smiled softly at that and slid down from the headboard, making it easier for her to see the pages. "I know you will." She smiled at that and rested her chin on his shoulder, her soft breath fluttering against his neck, and implored him to read with those magical blue eyes.

He picked a passage and began. "The sestieri are the primary traditional divisions of Venice. The city is divided into the six districts of Cannaregio, San Polo, Dorsoduro – including the Giudecca – Santa Croce, San Marco, and Castello, including San Pietro di Castello and Santa Elena."

Elizabeth's lids were noticeably heavy as she snuggled closer, her silky hair tickling his bare arm. "I like how you say those Italian words," she murmured softly. "They roll right off your tongue."

The compliment made his heart swell and Jason shifted the book to his other hand, untangling his arm from her grasp. She protested softly until he wrapped it around her shoulders and pulled her closer, letting her use his chest as a pillow. Burrowing down comfortably into his warmth, Elizabeth let her eyes slowly fall shut as Jason's deep voice met her ears.

"Venice has treasures and pleasures for all tastes," he continued, his hand rubbing her waist soothingly. "The annual Carnivale attracts many tourists and party-goers; those enamored with the sea enjoy the gondolas and the city's beautiful canals; and lovers stroll through the enchanting St. Mark's Square…"

"Mm, more about that," she murmured, curling her fingers into his shirt.

He was certain he had heard her wrong. "More about the lovers?"

Elizabeth's nose rubbed against his chest when she shook her head sleepily. "St. Mark's Square."

Shifting slightly when her slender leg draped itself over his shin, Jason tucked the little brunette's head under his chin and flipped with one hand to the passage she wanted. Her breathing was slow and even, and he could tell she was almost completely asleep.

"St. Mark's Square, often known by its Italian name of Piazza San Marco, is the town square of Venice, Italy. The Square has always been seen as the centre of Venice. It was the location of all the important offices of the Venetian state, and has been the seat of the bishopric since the nineteenth century. It was also the focus for many of Venice's festivals."

Elizabeth shifted in her sleep, pulling up even closer, and buried her face in the warm cavern of his neck. One of her arms wrapped snugly around his waist and Jason relaxed under the light pressure of her body, struck once more by how right it all felt.

"St. Mark's Square is very popular with tourists, photographers, and pigeons."

She was still sleeping when he awoke the next morning, and Jason discovered that as the night had passed, the brunette beauty had crawled on top of him and was now draped across his body. He wasn't innocent himself, though – his own arm was wound securely around her tiny waist, the other hand loosely tangled in her rich mane of chocolate silk. Their legs were tangled together and he could feel her toes brush against the golden hair of his calves as he stretched languidly.

Quietly, and doing his best not to disturb her, Jason pressed a quick kiss to her temple and slipped out from underneath her. She moaned a little, protesting the loss of his body heat, but soon wrapped the warm comforter around herself, forming a pale blue cocoon, and drifted off to sleep once more.

Jason stepped out into the hallway, yawning and running a hand through his tousled spikes, and he didn't notice Lisa and Jen come out of the bathroom. Both girls stared at him, glanced at the slightly ajar door to Elizabeth's bedroom, stared at each other, stared at him once more, and then promptly disappeared back into the bathroom.

Entirely oblivious, Jason shuffled to his room and quickly changed into his jeans. The bathroom was empty and he hurriedly brushed his teeth, attempting to comb his unruly hair before giving up altogether, and tumbled down the stairs to secure some breakfast for himself and his sleeping beauty.

He figured she was well enough for pancakes and slipped into the kitchen, coming face to face with Luke. The old man was wearing a tall Chef's hat that was too ludicrous to serve any practical purpose along with the Kiss the Cook apron Elizabeth was always trying to get him to wear, and he grinned at the younger man.

"What's shakin', kid?"

"Morning," Jason mumbled in reply. "Nothing much, Luke."

"Chin up," the older man advised merrily, straightening his tall hat. "Things'll perk up. Ooh, speaking of perking up, there's the coffee!"

Jason shook his head as Luke bustled out of the kitchen and quickly set to work making pancakes. Before long, he had a little stack of them along with one mug of hot chocolate and one of coffee for himself. Without waiting for Luke, Jason stepped out of the kitchen and ascended the steps, barely hearing Lisa and Jen chuckle behind his back.

Elizabeth was half-awake when he got back and they shared a quiet breakfast together. She was more than grateful for the pancakes, understanding now better than ever his previous gripes about not being allowed any 'real food'.

Jason cleared away the dishes and set them on the dresser as Elizabeth carelessly swept her silky, mussed locks back into a ponytail. "You wanna watch a movie?"

He shrugged, eyeing the little black television in her room. "Which one?"

"See the one sitting right there, under my pink nail polish?"

The mention of the nail polish – coupled with the memory of stumbling onto her pink nightgown the night before – instantly reminded Jason of his most recent X-rated dream of her, and the older man quickly scrubbed a hand over his face. "This one?"

"Yeah, slip that in," she directed, settling back happily against her pillows. "Em brought it over for me yesterday but I didn't watch it then. Man, I haven't seen this one in forever!"

He slid the movie into the VCR and grabbed the remote, flopping down on the bed next to her. "Which one is it?"

"The West Side Story," she sighed, leaning one shoulder against his. "Natalie Wood is amazing in this."

He had never seen it before so he didn't have any complaints – he just hoped it wasn't some sort of chick flick, although he had a feeling that he'd sit through it even if it was, just to please Elizabeth. That was just how whipped he was.

But the movie wasn't that bad, and though Jason hardly saw the point in bursting into song every seven minutes, he liked the way Elizabeth sang along. They were in the middle of a scene at the dance hall where the director and cameraman were both apparently having some LSD-induced visions when her cellphone rang, and Elizabeth motioned for him to pause the movie as she reached for it.

Jason stretched out as she answered it, unable to keep from hearing her end of the conversation. "Hello? Oh, Drew, hi. It's great to hear from you."

Drew? Who the hell was Drew? And why was it so great to hear from him?

He eyed her curiously as she grinned into the scarlet cell phone.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, did that work out for you okay? It did? Good, good, I'm glad! Hey, don't be silly – anytime! Whenever you need me, just ring my bell."

That sounded rather dirty, and Jason didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Look, I'm just glad I was able to help you out. Return it? Well…actually, I'm not really doing so well right now, so I don't think you should stop by the diner."

Damn straight, this Drew character shouldn't stop by the diner – now or ever.

"Tell you what – just give my notes to Penny, and she'll make sure they get back to me. If you ever need anything else…"

Jason frowned at the wall in front of him and crossed his arms over his chest, hunkering down on the bed. If Drew ever needed anything else, then Drew should just get it himself. What the hell happened to self-reliance?

"Aw, you already thanked me, hon. Really, it's all right."

Hon? She was calling this loser 'hon' now?

"Well, like I said, I'm a little under the weather right now, so I don't think I'm up for dinner tomorrow night."

Damn straight, she wasn't up for dinner tomorrow night – or any night.

"But how about I take a rain check?"

His head snapped around and Jason stared at the oblivious little brunette, a sour taste invading his mouth when he saw how she was smiling into the phone – smiling for Drew.

"How about Friday night? Does that work?"

Jason glowered at her, a feeling of dread slowly coming over him.

"All right, that's great. Pick me up here at eight-thirty? Fabulous. See you then – you take it easy, stud."

He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. And the worst part was knowing that he had no logical reason to feel that way.

Elizabeth turned back to him with an easy smile, thinking to herself that she had been quite lucky – they didn't even need Johnny's help in wrangling up her first unsuspecting date; she had done it on her own! Her long fingers grabbed the remote from his limp grip and pressed Play. As the number continued and Tony and Maria danced gracefully across the screen, the little brunette let her head rest lightly on Jason's suddenly tense shoulder.

"You know," he heard her start with a soft yawn. "I like this. I like that we can spend the whole day in bed together and not have it be weird."

One solid punch to the gut, followed by a clean roundhouse kick. Game over – total knock-out.