Note: Not too thrilled with this chapter.

Chapter Seventeen

"The stars are always so close after a ride," Elizabeth sighed happily as she gazed up at the inky black heavens. She and Jason were at Vista Point after a long ride on his bike and it was their first excursion together after a long time. "I'm so glad we did this."

Jason smiled behind her, debating over whether or not to boldly step up and wrap his arms around her stomach. "Yeah, we've both been pretty busy. But it's good to have a chance to get out."

"To be free," she finished with a knowing smile, nudging him with her shoulder. That was all the incentive Jason needed to claim a step forward and lightly set one of his large hands on her hip. "Yeah, it's good to be free."

He smiled at that, especially when she leaned back against his solid chest to get a better view of the stars. Both of their lives had been hectic in the past couple weeks; she had been busy with school and preparing to graduate, not to mention her dancing and artwork and he had been putting in ridiculous hours at Kelly's and the garage, which was nearing completion and would be ready for him to move into in about a month or two. Between their crazy schedules, they didn't really have much time to spend with each other, and though Jason welcomed that at first because it kept thoughts of wanting her as more than a friend at bay, he soon realized just as he had before that he missed her.

"I love Port Charles at night." She cuddled back against his chest, still gazing up at the stars as his other hand wrapped around her waist and Jason's fingers twined at her belt buckle. "Heck, I just love the nighttime. It's so dark and peaceful." Elizabeth shook her head with a chuckle. "I'm such a night owl."

"That explains why you only sleep for three hours a day," Jason smirked, tentatively letting his cheek rest against her soft hair. "And why you do nothing but blast music for the other twenty-one hours."

She elbowed him in the stomach, smirking when he grunted and bent forward, his nose brushing against the shell of her ear. "I wasn't blasting my music, Jason."

"It was loud."

"It was not."

"It was annoying."

"It was Annie, Get Your Gun!" she frowned at him. "And it was not annoying, Morgan; I swear, I've got to work on your taste in music."

Jason just smirked and turned his face slightly, inhaling the scent of her hair. "Whatever you say, Elizabeth." She shivered quietly in his arms and the mechanic frowned, undoing his clasped hands and running them up and down the sleeves of her thin blue sweater. "Are you cold? Take my jacket."

Elizabeth turned around just then and wrapped her fingers around his biceps as he began to take off the leather jacket. "It's okay," she assured him with a small smile. "I'm good." He looked at her quizzically and moved to take his jacket off anyway, but she stopped him with a glare. The older man smirked down at her and Elizabeth noticed for the first time just how close she was to him; she was practically in his arms. Gulping quietly, she averted her gaze and found herself looking up at the twinkling stars again.

Jason stared down at her, admiring how those magical sapphire eyes dazzled in the starlight. He'd been a fool to think that he could just ignore this, whatever this was. It was a goal that had been attainable back when he hardly knew her; back when she said hello to him every morning, prattled on as he cooked, and then said goodbye to him at night. He worked with her then but he never made any effort to get to know her. The situation he now found himself in was worlds different; he was in far too deep to pretend she didn't matter.

"Man," she sighed softly, subconsciously letting her hands smooth up his arms to rest on his shoulders. "There's nothing like a good look at the stars to make you feel like the loneliest person in the world."

That was practically the last thing he expected to hear from the cheerful and gregarious little brunette and it made Jason frown. "Do you…think of yourself as lonely, Elizabeth?"

She barely realized that she had twined her fingers together behind his neck, or that she was currently running her thumb through the soft golden hair at his nape. But she did feel it acutely when one of Jason's large, rough hands rubbed up and down her back in a strong, smooth motion. "I…I'm just sayin'. You know…"

The brunette didn't seem too inclined to offer anything in terms of a real answer and Jason wasn't about to push her. Besides, he was perfectly content to stand the way they were right now, with her in his arms as they looked up at the stars. Elizabeth's soft sigh rustled through the warm, misty summer air and the corners of her mouth.

Was she lonely?

It was a good question; one that she wasn't sure she had an answer to. She had more than enough friends, good friends, at that. Her family wasn't all that stellar as far as families went; her parents never really figured into the equation, her only remaining grandmother had passed on a few years ago, and her siblings were busy with their own lives. But she liked to think that her friends made up for her family's inadequacies. Johnny and Emily were for all intents and purposes her family; Penny and the girls at Kelly's were like sisters to her, and Seth was just like a sardonic but well-meaning big brother. And she had Jason. She wasn't quite sure what he was, though; he had started off as a summer crush but she couldn't really call him that anymore. She just wasn't sure what he was.

His fingers brushed against her skin and Elizabeth shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Jason looked down at her with a confused twinkle in his unearthly blue eyes, and she smiled up at him. "I like it here."

He tilted his head and flashed her that boyish smirk she was so fond of. "Me, too. It's nice."

Elizabeth nodded absently, nibbling on her bottom lip. "I don't want to go home."

Jason frowned at her troubled sigh. "We don't have to – not yet, I mean." She heard a jingle of metal and then he lifted his keys out of his pocket. "We can get on the bike and just drive – we don't have to go back until we want to. What do you say?" Her smile was reluctant and Jason dangled the keys in front of her, grinning. "Tell you what – I'll even let you drive."

Elizabeth laughed and rested her forehead against his strong chest. "I have a feeling this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity here."

Jason chuckled and settled one hand squarely on the small of her back. "It might be."

She sighed softly, a touch of a smile still on her lips, and reluctantly shook her head. "I'd love to, but I've got an early class tomorrow and a mee-" She stopped herself abruptly before she could finish the word. "-uh, plans afterward."

Well, that was close enough. She actually had a meeting with an admissions officer for one of the most acclaimed ballet programs in upstate New York. She had submitted her application a long time ago and it had been approved; afterwards, she had auditioned for them privately and tonight she'd find out if she got the spot or not. Her gram's superstitious ways had rubbed off on her when she was younger, because she believed that if she spoke of it in advance, she'd jinx herself. Saying that she had plans was probably better – she could pass it off as a date, and that way if she didn't get the part, no one would know about it except her and no one would offer her sympathetic smiles and smother her with their attempts to console her.

Jason's jaw tightened momentarily and his gaze turned steely as he dropped the keys back into his pocket and withdrew his arms from around her. "Yeah, okay," he got out with a jerky nod. "We should probably get going, then."

Elizabeth nodded and tucked her hair behind her ears, following him toward the stairs. Jason's breathing was controlled, his nostrils flared, as he berated himself for the millionth time for entertaining foolish notions that never seemed to pan out anyway. He was working himself up into a good old funk, too, when her small hand slipped into his, clasping it as they descended the stairs, and just like that, his anger fizzled slowly away.

It was almost astonishing how much power the little brunette had over his emotions, he couldn't help but muse as he squeezed her hand back.

The bells attached to the front door of Kelly's Diner jingled as Elizabeth stepped inside. The days were much warmer now and though she didn't need a jacket, she had pulled on a cardigan to make her pink leotard look a little more modest. She wore loose black capris over her tights and her pink slippers dangled from her fingers. After a long day of classes, she had been so high-strung over her meeting that night that she had gone straight to her studio without getting anything to eat or drink and had spent the next few hours dancing away her nervousness. It seemed to have worked, but now that she only had forty minutes to get ready for her meeting, the butterflies were once again settling in.

The girls had asked her to go to the movies with them this afternoon and true to her superstitious ways, Elizabeth had claimed she had a date instead of telling them about the meeting. And as soon as she was safely out of earshot, she called her friend who was a waiter at the Grille to call in a favor. He started his shift about the same time as her dinner appointment started and had agreed to come pick her up and make it look like they were going out together. He'd get to work, she'd get to her meeting and no one would be the wiser.

Jason was sorting through a thick stack of papers in his room and Elizabeth waved at him as she passed. He looked up, caught sight of her in the skimpy leotard and shimmering tights, and quickly waved back before hastily turning away.

Half an hour later, the brunette was showered and dressed. She had picked a strapless black dress that hugged her curves and fell an inch or so above her knee and had paired it with a pair of strappy black sandals that she knew were every man's undoing. The evening was supposed to be a formal meeting, but Jason didn't have to know that. She'd waltz around in the revealing dress for a few minutes and then sneak out with the dress' matching blazer under her arm – that is, if Tom ever showed up to get her. Whisking her fingers through her hair, Elizabeth stepped out into the hall and looked around for her friends.

"HELP!"

Seth and Jason were the only two boarders who were in their rooms, and both men came barreling out into the hall at the sound of her voice.

"What? What?"

Elizabeth looked from Jason to Seth and then stepped fully into the hallway, doing a little twirl in front of them. "Seth? What do you think?"

The reporter frowned first at Jason and then at her. "About what? The dress?"

"No, about our dependency on foreign oil. Yes, the dress!"

The dark haired man shrugged uncomfortably. "You know I'm not too good at these things. Why don't you ask the girls?"

"Well, the girls aren't up here, are they?" Elizabeth snipped, setting her hands on her hips. "Just tell me what you think – is it too tight? Too low? Does my chest look like it's going to pop out?"

Seth frowned at her, missing Jason's dark glare. "I don't know – it looks fine to me. You know I suck at this; why don't you ask someone else?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Because I need a man's opinion, for Christ's sake."

"So? Ask Jason – he's a man."

Elizabeth turned and stared at Jason, then flipped back to the reporter. "Jason? He's not a man – he's just…Jason. I need your opinion, Seth."

"It looks fine," the young man replied, throwing his hands up in the air. "Do me one thing – take it easy on the lucky bastard that gets to take you out tonight, okay? For your sake, don't open your mouth; if he finds out what he's in for, he'll head for the hills."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that and just thank you for your opinion," Elizabeth replied, tilting her nose in the air. "So, thank you." She disappeared back into her room, leaving Jason to snarl to himself out in the hall before he did the same, slamming the door hard behind him.

"Miss Webber, I'm terribly sorry, but at this point I have the unpleasant task of letting you know that you're not quite what we're looking for."

Mr. Townsend's words repeated over and over in her head as Elizabeth walked through the park with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her light spring coat. Not what they were looking for. Why the hell wasn't she surprised? She wasn't what anyone was looking for. If she were smart, she'd have listened to her parents all those years ago and given up her foolish notions of dancing professionally; after all this time, she still had nothing to show for it.

Letting out a long, sad sigh, Elizabeth sat down on one of the benches and looked up at the stars. The night was warm but she still hugged her coat around herself, listening to the crickets chirp.

She didn't really mean it; this was what she always told herself after she lost what might have been a big break. There was no way she would ever have gone to medical school even if she hadn't discovered her natural aptitude when it came to dance and art. That just wasn't her; it would never be her. Soft locks of chocolate hair danced in the summer wind, fluttering against her cheek, and Elizabeth sullenly swiped them back. Painting and ballet were her life's blood; they were what kept her going when she just wanted to hide under the covers and never get up. They gave her something to look forward to; they were her solace when everything was going wrong. Stretching and posing on the bar was as good as meditation and the angry slashes of her brush on the canvas was as good as the anger-purging karate some of her friends swore by.

But she was just so sick and tired of losing.

First it had been not getting accepted into the university with the acclaimed ballet program; then it had been one botched audition after another. Rows upon rows of tall, slender, blonde waifs that were all a wee bit better than her or at least had deeper pockets than a single minimum-wage-earning college student. The losses were numerous and at times she felt as if they were crushing her, bearing down upon her shoulders as the marks of her failure. Her paintings always ended up stowed away in the back of her closet, and then the back of Emily's garage when her closet was filled up. She never really entertained the fantasy of getting one of the chic galleries in town to notice and endorse her, and after tonight's humiliating defeat, she was glad.

Just another heartbreak that she would have been setting herself up for.

The stars twinkled down at her from their lofty position as Elizabeth sat alone in the park, wondering why she still wasn't good enough.

Her steps were heavy as she walked across the cobbled walkway to Kelly's and wearily shoved her key into the lock. She struggled with it for a minute and was about to kick the wood and curse darkly when it gave, granting her entrance into the dark diner. All she wanted to do was go upstairs, change out of her stiff dress, flop under the covers, and have herself a good long cry. And that didn't seem like too much to ask for.

But she should have known better.

Jason was standing by the counter when she walked in, absently sipping lukewarm coffee. He still had a bunch of papers spread out before him and a yellow pencil was tucked over his ear. The mechanic looked up at her and in the darkness, didn't notice the look of pure dejection on her face.

"Came home alone tonight?"

She stopped mid-step and stared hard at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jason's shrug belied the tense set of his shoulders. "I figured that Tim or Jim-"

"Tom."

"My mistake," he replied smoothly, not sounding the least bit sorry. "I figured that Tom would have at least dropped you off."

Her pseudo-date was the last thing Elizabeth wanted to discuss. She fumbled with her buttons, tugging on the stubborn fabric of her coat, and swallowed roughly. A reply didn't seem forthcoming, so she gave up trying to come up with something to say and shuffled toward the stairs.

"Better luck tomorrow night."

Jason's cavalier voice stopped her in her tracks and Elizabeth turned slowly on her heel. "And what's that supposed to mean?" He didn't reply right away and she bristled, directing a dark glare at his broad back. "All right, Hansel, quit dropping the damn breadcrumbs and just spit it out; if you've got something to say, say it."

He turned smoothly and rested his hands against the counter, directing a cool look at her with his icy blue eyes. "I just meant that I hope your date for tomorrow night at least has some manners."

"Uh-huh," she grunted, crossing her arms in front of her chest and claiming one step toward him. "And what makes you think I have a date tomorrow night?"

Jason shrugged easily, the corner of his mouth curving humorlessly. "Well, I just figured, with the number of guys that you've been seeing recently…"

Her dark eyebrows shot up and Elizabeth looked at him with blatant disbelief. "Excuse me?"

"What?" Jason tossed back defensively, shrugging his shoulders again. "You have been making the rounds again, Elizabeth. There was Drew-"

"I went out with him once," she shot back only to be interrupted.

"There was that kid with the red hair and the ripped jeans – Scuzz, right? Wasn't his name Scuzz? – and that guy with the long hair, that busboy with the black spikes – oh, and what about all those interns that come in on their lunch break just to flirt around? Are we counting them, too? Maybe I should get out a calculator."

She didn't know whether to slug him or burst into tears, so she settled for a happy medium. "Shut the hell up, Morgan – do I walk around ticking off all your women on my fingers? No, I don't, so the least you can do is show me the same fucking courtesy and knock it off."

"Dirty language," he frowned, shaking his head. "You kiss Tom with that mouth?"

Her palm itched with the urge to slap him but Elizabeth held herself in check – albeit with great difficulty. She had no idea what was going on here, but Jason had never been like this to her before. She was used to him being grumpy and grousing around the kitchen and yelling at her to stop singing, but he had never been malicious before.

"You're a total jerk, you know that?"

"And what, exactly, is your standard for determining quality, Elizabeth?" Jason asked, crossing his meaty arms across his chest. "Because judging by the low-lives you run around with, I'm willing to bet that it's so low you have to dig for it."

"Low-lives?" She couldn't believe her ears. "Who the hell do you think you are, calling those guys-"

"And you think they're not?"

"Drew is a musician," she started, ticking off the men on her fingertips. "Nick is a counselor at the community center; Sam, not Scuzz, is a teachers' aide who likes to skateboard; Roger is a full-time student; yes, Gavin is a busboy and a good one, at that; and those interns happen to work long hours with Johnny at the paper – they wouldn't be able to put anything out if it wasn't for them." Her eyes were blazing with anger as she prowled forward, her hands curled into fists. "They're honest, hard-working kids just like me who don't have a fucking dime to their name but don't intend to let that stop them. So I guess if they're low-lives, then, yeah, I'm one, too. And you know what they say about birds of a feather."

That muscle in his jaw ticked as Jason glared down at her. He didn't quite mean it the way she had said it; he had never once thought of her like that. But reason was immediately pushed aside by emotion. "Don't get so defensive, Elizabeth; I was just suggesting that spend a little less time running around with-"

"So help me God, if you don't shut the hell up in the next two seconds-" She was covering her ears with her hands, absolutely ready to scream. "Who the hell do you think you are? News flash, Jason: I already have a father. And a brother, so I don't need any replacements. And I already have enough people around who think they can control my life and I don't need to add you to the fucking list!"

"Control your life?" He parroted, dropping his hands to his hips. "How about just trying to look out for you?"

"You're not looking out for me!" she yelled back, not particularly caring if she woke up the whole block. "You're telling me I'm easy – so go ahead, Jason, stitch a red A on my chest and let's be done with it!"

"I'm not-"

"You're calling me a fucking whore," she growled, furious to find tears creeping into her eyes. "Let me tell you something, Jason. I am more than used to being told that I'm a screw-up. I'm more than used to knowing that I'm not wanted or valued. And I am more than used to being written off and rejected and told that I'll never amount to anything. There. Did that pretty much cover everything you wanted to say to me tonight? Let me tell you something else, then – I am so not in the fucking mood for this." Tears were creeping into her voice now, slurring it, and she hated herself for it. "Call me whatever the hell you want – an easy girl seems just fine. I'll be sure to add it to my fucking resume first thing in the morning."

"Elizabeth!" Jason's eyes were glittering as he tried to keep his voice in check. "Did you hear me use that word? No? Maybe that was because I didn't." And if she had listened to him, she would have picked up on that. But she never listened to him. All she did was blast her damn music and wear her damn miniskirts and go on dates with strange men that weren't him, not even caring if he was sent into a dark funk for a whole day afterwards. She took him and his feelings for her for granted and it was about time she realized that he wasn't going to sit around and wait for things to change on their own. He was a grown man, goddammit, and he was sick of hiding his feelings – which at this point, meant his anger. "There's no need to make yourself the martyr here."

Funny, because that was exactly what she felt like as tears flooded her eyes. "You're a complete asshole, you know that? I can't believe I ever thought differently." She swiped up her purse from the table and tugged her coat back into place, fairly seething at the older man. "Let me tell you something, Jason – I am used to being spit on, I'm used to knowing that I was never wanted, and I'm used to knowing that no matter what I do, I'll never be good enough. My own family was kind enough to clue me in, and for a while I thought they were the crazy ones. I never thought that I'd be told the same fucking thing by my friends – so thanks for being such a damn good one, Jase."

Turning on her heel before he could see her cry, Elizabeth jammed her hands into the pockets and fairly fled from the diner. Jason glared after her, his jaw tight, and finally turned with a huff and stomped up the stairs to his room, hoping that this bout would be just what he needed to shake off the ridiculous crush he had on the petite brunette.