Rated: M

Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just like writing about them

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There You'll Be

Chapter Ten

"Black is slimming," Elizabeth reminded herself as she thumbed through the dresses on the rack. She lifted one simple sheath and managed to contain the grimace as she imagined her ever-growing pooch protruding forward and stretching the chiffon dress to its limits. "I refuse to go to a Quartermaine party looking like a poor relation," she muttered to herself, "Or worse, like a whale."

The choices on the clearance rack of Wyndams were severely limited. Unusually she was able to sneak in a purchase like this. Run into the store and grab something outrageously priced, marked down to just within her budget. That was when she was her normal size four. Pregnancy usually endowed her with an amazing figure that she normally enjoyed while it lasted, fuller breasts, curvier hips. Enjoyed it everyday except this one when she needed to find a damned dress.

Last night Jason had committed the most unpardonable offense in relationship etiquette, inviting her to a party with only hours notice. She still had to rush home, do something with her nails, wash her hair and try to make something of it before it was time to leave. She frowned thinking of the credit card Jason had placed in her hand and told her to get whatever she needed. She didn't' like it damn it.

For that one brief female induced second of course she had been pleased, but she couldn't. She had just accepted the penthouse that there was no way she could afford; she didn't want Jason thinking that he had to buy things for her to make her happy. Just being with him was enough. She had a good job, well, she hoped she still had a position after the leave of absence she had taken from GH. She was perfectly capable of buying herself a dress.

Then she sighed, remembering the anxious look on Jason's face as he handed her the card.

It wasn't about money for him and her heart knew this. It was about him being able to take care of her. Man issues that she had gone through with Lucky and hadn't understood until it was too late. Jason was a born provider. His first instinct to care and nurture the people important to him was part of the reason why she cared about him so much. Accustomed to taking care of herself and managing her own problems for so long, she had forgotten that in relationships you were partners. Meaning her and Jason would share the burdens as well as the joys.

Jason didn't think she wasn't capable of taking care of herself, he wanted to be able to do his part, she only had to loosen the strings on her pride and accept.

Secretly, it felt nice not having to worry about taking care of everything. After so many struggles it was a comfort to know that she had someone she could depend on. If that was a slight to Lucky, well so what. Jason wasn't Lucky.

Still, she wouldn't be taking advantage of Jason's generosity and wouldn't have people calling her a gold digger or that she purposely got pregnant so that Jason could take care of her. For this one night she would accept Jason's gift.

Tentatively, she walked around to the other side of the store. The couture section. She drew in a deep breath, placing a hand on her stomach. It was like an entirely different store. Women draped in furs, leather and diamonds walked around with a proprietary air. Sales clerks dressed in outfits way more expensive than hers followed the money around the store with a kiss ass smile on their smug faces. Elizabeth glanced down at her dark brown cords and the simple white knit Henley beneath her coat and felt sorely out of place. Even the Coach purse on her arm had been a gift from Emily for her birthday.

Ready to turn around and run, not walk but run, in the other direction, the snarky voice behind her stiffened her resolve instead.

"Well, well, the little muffin face has returned to the scene of the crime."

The very last person she wanted to confront in this very embarrassing moment. "Carly," she turned slowly and found the blonde who detested her holding a gorgeous gown in sleek teal in one hand and a dazzling suit in bright red in the other. Both were so exquisite Elizabeth didn't doubt they cost a fortune.

Carly looked her over, saying nothing, and she lifted a brow ready to volley the first salvo of insults aimed in her direction. "I take it you're going to the Quartermaine Christmas party if you're here in Wyndams contemplating what to wear in a price range that's completely out of your league." Elizabeth frowned not quite sure if that was an insult or if it was Carly just being her usual snarky self.

"Jax is going and asked me to accompany him," Carly shrugged looking uncomfortable with having to explain herself. Unusual because Carly never explained herself. It was common knowledge that the Quartermaines hated Carly and the feeling was mutual. Carly was pretty bold braving that crowd, then again, Elizabeth had never doubted Carly's nerve.

"Look," she set both outfits on top of a display table of silk scarves and folded her arms across her chest. "I know we have never gotten along."

"That's true," Elizabeth pointed out making Carly roll her eyes.

"And I've always hated how you treated Jason, putting him between you and Lucky. Now Lucky is my cousin but I know Jason and he deserved better."

"You're right," she was woman enough to admit. "Jason did deserve better than the way I treated him. Maybe you think I should just go away so that he and Sam can get back together."

"Sam?" Carly snorted, "Sam McCall? The woman who slept with my husband and got pregnant by him, then moved in across the hall from us with my best friend. The woman who slept with the man who kidnapped me, chained me to a wall and was going kill me and steal my baby?" she shook her head, "No, thank you. I've known Jason deserved better than Sam."

"But you seemed to get along with her," Elizabeth was shocked quite frankly. She had no idea that Carly's animosity was still so strong.

"I accepted Sam because Jason was happy. That's all I ever wanted was for Jason to be happy."

"And you don't think I can make him happy."

"This is what? The fourth time for you two," Carly smiled wryly, "You're almost as bad as me and Sonny were."

"Jason and I are nothing like you and Sonny," she felt obligated to point out. She might not know all the details of their confusing and always tumultuous marriage but she knew with absolute certainty that she and Jason had never hurt each other like Sonny and Carly. The comparison was more than enough to spark her temper.

"Calm down," Carly drawled, "I was kidding, sort of," then she waved away the half assed apology before even making a real effort. "All I meant was that it just seems like the two of you were supposed to be together but stuff kept getting in the way. That's all."

"Okay," she didn't bother to hide her confusion, "I guess."

"Don't make too much of it," she pointed out, "You're still a muffin face, but I guess you're the combination that's right for Jason. Robin was too nice and too much of a know it all. I drove Jason crazy most of the time. Courtney couldn't handle the business and was always trying to change him. Sam, well, the little con artist could handle the business just fine, but was too needy and insecure."

"That's not exactly kind."

"But it's accurate," Carly lifted a shoulder as if to say, she didn't care if it was kind or not. "I guess I always knew you had potential and that's why I hated you. You're nice like Robin, you can handle the business much to my surprise and when it's important you're loyal no matter if anyone else thinks it's a mistake. Jason respects that. You can stand on your own, like raising your son by yourself, Jason really respects that. And you can dish it back to me which I have to respect."

"Because it's all about you right?"

Carly blinked as if she were truly astonished, "Didn't' you know?" And Elizabeth had to grin at the woman's audacity. "Now we'll probably never be best buds."

"Probably not," she quickly agreed.

"But you're giving Jason the family he's always wanted so I'll do my part to keep the peace. I know he cares about you, he always has. I don't know if it's love because he's still hiding his emotions behind that wall of his, but I know you're the one relationship that he's had that is different than all the others."

"That's just not true."

"Stop fishing for compliments," Carly huffed, in annoyance, "When Robin told AJ about Michael, Jason cut her out of his life with no regrets. They're friends now, but he would never consider trusting her that way again. Same with me. And Courtney. Now Sam, I know he tried, but I don't know if he ever would have been able to forget about her sleeping with Ric. On top of that he climbed into the bed with the one who could have been and that just screwed Sam completely."

"That night wasn't planned."

"No but I'd hazard a guess that when it did you didn't' regret it." She bit her lip as if she wanted to say more but then the expression on her face told Elizabeth that she wouldn't. "Just make him happy. Be the person you are, loyal, strong muffin face and Jason will be happy that's all that matters."

She picked up her clothes and turned to walk away, then paused glanced back over her shoulder, "Congratulations by the way," she nodded toward her stomach. "There's a black dress over against the wall that should work for tonight." Then she smiled, a blatantly trouble making Carly smile, "You know you're going to stir up a hell of a lot of trouble tonight when you walk in with Jason. Edward will be singing Quartermaine heir faster than you can whistle."

"I'm not worried about Edward Quartermaine," she answered.

"No reason you for you to be," Carly's smile turned a little melancholy at the edges, "you're exactly the person they would want for Jason."

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Jason fidgeted on the door step after ringing the bell, hating the unexpected bite of nerves that he wasn't used to feeling. He didn't know exactly why he had come here today but he did know it was probably the right thing. The white curtain that covered the glass in the center of the door slid to the side and Cameron appeared, bright smile lighting up his face. The little boy mouthed his name, then streaked away.

A few seconds later, Audrey Hardy appeared and the disapproval on her face was unmistakable. When she opened the door, Cam slipped past her and jumped, and he easily scooped the little boy from the air, settling him on his hip. "Hey Cam."

"Jason!" he breathed excitedly, "Mom told me we're moving next to you. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, it is," he smiled back at the happiness in Cam's voice. He knew their relationship wasn't always going to be this easy, especially when Cam understood that the changes going on his life were only just beginning. Children were resilient, this he knew from experience with Michael and Morgan, but they still were children and had difficulty understanding the choices the adults in their lives made sometimes. Again he silently promised to do right by this little boy who trusted him.

"Jason," Audrey finally spoke up.

"Mrs. Hardy," he nodded respectfully, "If it's okay, I'd like to speak to you."

"I don't know what you could possibly say," she answered and he understood. Elizabeth had told him about the argument they had last night before she came to him. How her grandmother felt about ending her marriage to Lucky. He was the one who ruined that for Elizabeth. He was the one who was the threat to her granddaughters happiness and well being.

"Cameron, why don't you go back to the kitchen and finish your snack?" Audrey suggested and the little boy looked crestfallen.

"But Jason just got here," Cam pouted.

"And I'll still be here when you finish your snack," Jason reassured him.

"Promise?"

"Promise," he vowed and let Cam slide down so that he could rush back to his snack.

"Come in," Audrey stepped aside, closing the door after him and he had to resist the urge to shove his hands into his pockets to conceal his nerves. "Would you like to sit," she offered and he agreed, slipping off his jacket and handing it to her so that she could hang it in the closet. He sat in the large chair she indicated and watched as the gentile woman settled on the couch across from him. "Now what is it you wish to say to me," she cut right to the heart of the matter.

"I know you don't like me," he began but she surprised him by shaking her head in disagreement.

"That isn't quite accurate. I would say that I don't like the line of work you're in."

"That's fair," he accepted. "I know you're worried about Elizabeth."

"And rightfully so," she pointed out, "I know her marriage was in trouble but to let it deteriorate so far without even seeking help? And this, fascination she's always had for you, it's going to ruin her life."

This was exactly what Alexis had said about Sam, and what each of these women said was the truth. Only he could respect Audrey Hardy's concern a lot more than Alexis' need to control. "I don't want to ruin Elizabeth's life." All he wanted was something a man like him should never hope for.

"Then you should do what's best for her."

"And what's that? Give her up? Abandon my children and Elizabeth?"

She frowned in disbelief, "Of course not! That isn't what I meant at all. Yet I think you know exactly what has to be done."

And he did. Deep down part of him had always known. He wanted Elizabeth, and he refused to give her up, but the last thing he ever wanted was to be a cause of tension between her and her grandmother. "It's not that simple."

"If life was simple, everyone would be experts at it," she said simply, giving no pause or allowance for excuses. "You want to be in a relationship with my granddaughter? You want to be a father, then you have decisions to make. How do you want your children to look at you ten, fifteen years from now? That blind adoration in a four year old's eyes gets disillusioned by sixteen."

"I want to make a good life with her, I want to keep her safe. And I know it's important to her that she has your approval."

"Then choose. What do you want most Jason Morgan Quartermaine." She smiled at the shock he was feeling, "I knew and loved Lila well," she reminded him gracefully. "I also think she would be the first to say that your family should always come first. You can change your name, your life but the person you are deep in side, never truly goes away. The grandson that Lila adored is still there. You know what has to happen to make sure that Elizabeth is happy and safe, don't you?"

It was almost like speaking to Grandmother in a way. While Lila wouldn't presume to tell him what to do, she always managed to get her point across anyway. He could well imagine Audrey Hardy and Lila Quartermaine being good friends.

"Yes I do."

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"Diversification?"

The word was spit out by Tracy Quartermaine as if it were a four letter one. The board members of ELQ sat in the den of the Quartermaine mansion dressed in their evening finest a half hour before their Christmas party was due to begin. Tracy thought she had finally settled any threats to her set as CEO of the Fortune 500 conglomerate but it was obvious that she had underestimated the man who had pulled more back handed stunt in his life than she could ever imagine.

After the condom fiasco ended, and ELQ paid out the ass in civil lawsuits for their negligence, the company had been struggling along vulnerable and ripe for some corporate raider to come along and snatch control of the company from the family then proceed to dismantle it piece by piece.

Each member of the board of directors and all stock holders were present for this coup tonight. Each held in his or her hand a black note book that was the salvation of ELQ. The prospectus was so brilliant in fact that each of them could only wonder how Edward Quartermaine managed to come up with this solution.

"It's ridiculous," Tracy repeated for the fourth time, though even her tone proved she didn't believe her own words.

"On the contrary," Ned felt obligated to point out, "It's a damned good solution, and makes me question how Grandfather came up with it."

"Yes, it does," Monica agreed, "Edward isn't exactly known for his forward thinking."

"Media, Fashion and Cosmetics, Security," Alan turned each page with a look of grudging respect. If the figures listed here were accurate, the family's business would not only be saved, but would leap ahead of it's corporate peers. "Not exactly the staples of ELQ."

"That's what makes the idea so innovative," Ned explained and no one could fail to note his interest. Ned had been so busy running his fledgling music business, but it was obvious he missed the pace of the corporate world. "Publishing, Cable and the Internet, very lucrative fields at the moment. These three companies are sitting right at the forefront and ripe to make their move into their prospective fields. Incorporating them under the ELQ umbrella and we can recoup our losses in the next year instead of five like Tracy initially outlined."

"It's risky," Tracy frowned.

"It's sure as hell is," Ned nodded eagerly, "And just the shake up ELQ needs right now. Fashion is always a booming business, and the little Italian house would fit right into New York fashion world. Security, that one threw me for a moment, then I thought about all the different aspects, government, private and I only wonder why we haven't tapped that market before now."

"You can see form the prospectus, that these are good directions for the company to take," Edward pointed out proudly. The man sounded positively gleeful. They were holding a potential gold mine in their hands and he knew it.

"The only problem is to purchase all of these business, ELQ would need an extremely substantial infusion of capital," Tracy pointed out with a smug smile, "And the only person here with that kind of money is certainly not a man that I would trust not to attempt to steal the company from beneath us."

"I love you too Tracy," Jax smiled, and lifted a glass a champagne in a mock toast. "Unfortunately she's right, where are you planning to get these kinds of funds?"

"Already accomplished," Edward smiled and they all knew that it could only mean trouble. "Alice!" he bellowed out of the door and the tall maid scrambled inside, "Tell him to come in now."

For once the woman didn't seem to mind the order, she in fact smiled as she rushed back out the door to follow directions. The occupants of the room all glanced nervously around at each other, worried about what Edward had up his sleeve this time. Couldn't have been more shocked when the last person they ever expected to see walked inside.

Dressed in a black suit that was simple but extremely elegant and for the first time that any of them had ever witnessed a sleek black, white and red tie. He looked calm, perhaps even a little amused by the attention he was receiving.

"You're joking right?" Tracy jerked from her seat, pointing an accusing finger in his direction. "That brain dead thug?" Jason lifted an eyebrow, but said nothing as everyone continued to stare at him. "You've never done anything for this family in your life. And besides, any money that comes from him is tainted."

"That's not quite true," he lifted a shoulder, "The coffee business is very lucrative."

"The mob you mean," Jax pointed out and Carly who still wore a stunned expression jabbed him sharply in the stomach.

Instead of confronting Jax, he chose to ignore the man, "I'm willing to put up one hundred percent of the capital needed by ELQ."

"And what are the conditions? That you use the company to launder your money," Tracy snapped, "No thank you. We don't need help from the criminal of the family."

"Be quiet mother," Ned said despite the shock on his face, "One hundred percent? There has to be a catch."

"Jason is doing this because he's family," Edward pointed out, very puffed up and proud of his accomplishment.

"That's not exactly true," Jason murmured, then pushed his hands into his pockets.

"See, I told you!" Tracy smiled smugly, "He does want to use the company as a front."

"No," he took a deep breath, looking at Edward, "The security company. I want it."

"Why," the old man looked crushed at the possibility of being double crossed.

"I'm going to need a job soon, I'd just as soon as stick with what I know." He spoke directly to Edward, then held up a hand for a moment, as he left the room leaving them all in stunned silence. He was gone for a second before they all started talking at each other, their voices quickly rising to a dull roar.

Edward saw him first as he re-entered the room, joy leaping into his eyes. Monica gasped, stood covering her mouth with her hands as tears filed her eyes. Carly shook her head and smiled, not even bothering to hide her amusement. And the other Quartermaines just gaped.

"You all know Elizabeth," he spoke up finally. "We're having a baby."

"Babies," Elizabeth nudged him, looking radiant in the black gown that Carly had pointed out in Wyndam's earlier. A simple halter style dress in sheer georgette, the flowing hem beaded in elaborate silver embroidery danced around her ankles, and the dramatic color accentuated the obvious glow of her pregnancy. Her dark hair hung tumbled carelessly down her back in thick curls framing her face were a diamond studs that glittered a dazzling blue just like her eyes.

"Babies," he corrected, taking her hand into his and lacing their fingers together.