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The Next Day, Afternoon
Abandoned Cabin
When Elizabeth wakes up, she feels less than rested, but a little less tired than before. She also knows something is missing. She pulls her head up from the pillow and frowns at the empty spot beside her, recalling what happened the night before.
Elizabeth runs her fingers along the creases of the logs, encountering cold wood and dust, but no hidden compartments. Slapping her hands against her scrub bottoms to remove some of the dust from her hands, she presses her wrists into her eyes, trying to rub the strain from them. A shiver wracks through her body and her teeth chatter. She takes a deep breath, feeling the tightness in her lungs before she drags her legs towards the box sized room housing a sole toilet she and Jason found not long into their search. They had already gone over every surface within, but another look over wouldn't hurt.
"Elizabeth, I think you need to rest. I can hear your teeth chattering from over here," Jason urges, and practically materializes behind her like a well meaning furnace.
She tries to bat his hands away from her arms, but lifting them is a chore. She only manages a groan.
"You're dead on your feet. Besides, what good would it do for us if you got sick?" he appeals to her sense of reason, guiding her body to face him.
"Well, I'm sorry. Not everyone is lucky enough to only be affected by extreme temperatures," she grouses, slurring some of her words.
He continues to look at her, his pointed stare saying more than words ever could.
Her shoulders slump, and she sighs in defeat. She feels like every crevice of the pint sized cabin has been ingrained in her mind, the hours of search imprinted into her bones. The pale grey of early morning trickling through the gaps in the boarded windows tells her she's been on her feet all night.
She lets Jason steer her towards the bed.
She kicks off her shoes and burrows under the old wool blanket, feeling marginally warmer and wonders, even in her exhaustion, if she'll really be able to sleep feeling so cold. The bed dips, and she looks up seeing Jason climbing under the covers.
He pauses, his eyes studying hers. "Is... Is this okay?" he asks, voice barely above a whisper.
Her heart jolts, and she hopes it's still dark enough that he can't make out the heat flaring up her neck and through her cheeks. There's nothing wrong with sharing body heat fully clothed. Jason is just being kind, she firmly reminds herself as she gives him a nod.
When he pulls her into his arms, she melts against him, soaking in his heat and scent. Her eyes flutter closed.
The last thing she remembers is falling asleep to the gentle rumble of his voice.
"We're going to find that vial, Elizabeth. I promise."
She looks around for him now, getting a clearer view of the dingy cabin in the light of day. There's really no place to hide unless you're willing to risk the mile high layer of dust and grime beneath the bed. She bites her lower lip and furrows her brows at the blatant absence of another soul. Curling her fingers in the blanket, she waits a few minutes to see if he emerges from the bathroom before moving to the edge of the bed and shoving her feet into her shoes.
Already her mind is being overrun by thoughts of what could've happened to him - from goons having taken him in the night to him having died alone outside. Racing to the door and yanking it open, she shouts his name into the brisk afternoon. At first, all she sees are looming pines extending upward in every direction she turns. Then Jason is bounding around the side of the cabin, gun drawn and features set in the stone cold glower of mob enforcer.
She closes the gap between them with swift steps, throwing her arms around his neck in a fierce hug.
"Whoa, whoa. Hey, what's wrong?" His free hand presses against her lower back.
But just as quickly as she threw herself at him, she backs away a respectable six feet. "I'm sorry-I just woke up and I thought... I thought something had happened to you, and I—" She cuts herself off, unwilling to continue. Curling her hair behind her ear and fidgeting with her fingers in front of her chest, she keeps her gaze down, feeling ridiculous for her reaction in hindsight.
There's a click as he slides the safety back into place, then a beat before the whisper of his touch under her chin urges her head up. His hand is already back at his side before she looks up, but the faint brush of his fingers remains, dipping under her skin and speeding her heart with ease.
"I'm sorry I made you worry. I wanted to see if I could find anything outside or even figure out where we are," he explains in that open, gentle way she's growing too accustomed to.
"I feel silly now for overacting," she tries to explain away in an attempt to honor Franco, who's no doubt doing everything he can to find her, by keeping an emotional distance with Jason. "But we don't know how much time is left," she tells him in a raspy voice anyway, the words seeming to spill free unbidden.
She has to look away after, hating the understanding that softens his eyes. Hating that if he has things his way, he'll die needlessly for her. So she stops twisting her wedding ring and turns her thoughts off. She reaches across the distance between them and takes his wrist. "Come on. I know you haven't eaten anything because you wanted to wait for me."
She tugs but he doesn't budge, forcing her to meet his gaze for answers. But he's looking down at her hand curled over his wrist. She pulls away with a sinking heart, thinking she's gone too far.
His hand captures hers.
Her pulse double times as he gives a gentle tug, leading her instead. "Yeah, let's go," he murmurs and she trails along with her heart cartwheeling in her throat.
Get it together Elizabeth. Friends hold hands. Besides, he loves Sam. That's more than enough for her emotions to cool and not follow after him like a love sick schoolgirl.
—
Three jars of jerky, two of peaches, two of strawberries, a bent fork, and another bear trap is what the top cabinets had yielded the night before. Cleaning the jars and fork of dust in the low pressure water is all they had done. Lord knows she couldn't stomach anything at the time. So she breaks the seal of one jerky jar and hands it to Jason, opening the peaches for herself and leaves a jar of strawberries on the pine dusted grass in front of them.
She stabs the fruit, considers it for a moment before drawing it into her mouth. She chews for a bit, feeling his stare against her face until she gives in. "It's pretty good," she assures him with a grin.
He flashes her a smile brimming with mirth and she giggles, shaking her head before focusing back on her "meal".
They eat in silence for a while, trading off jars. The amber light of late afternoon casts an almost dream-like quality to the surrounding woods. It's a temporary peace. The crisp breeze brushes over her skin, stirring up her thoughts like tangled leaves on the wind. "'Closer than you think'. What could that even mean?" she huffs, lowering her forehead into the heel of her hand. "Is it in the cabin or-or did he have it implanted under our skin somewhere somehow?" She sighs and lets Jason take the jar of strawberries from her hands. "At this rate, we could pick a direction and start walking."
"Even if we made it home, there wouldn't be enough time to identify the drug and create an antidote," he points out reasonably. His knee presses into her thigh when he shifts on the porch, facing her. "Besides, I'm not giving up."
Frustration at his need to be a martyr boils over and she snaps. "Don't you want to see Danny and Jake? Sonny and Carly? Monica? Sam?" He flinches, but remains silent otherwise. She tries again. "Wouldn't you rather be surrounded by your family and friends instead of an estranged more than friend?"
Something flits through his eyes too fast to make out and his tone takes on an edge. "I'm doing what I feel is right, Elizabeth."
"And I've always loved and hated you for that." The words slip off her tongue. Her heart freezes when she hears them. She bolts to her feet before she can see any changes in his expression, a concoction of emotions too thick to decipher driving her restless movements. "I-I just meant." Her mind comes up blank of excuses and she thrusts her fingers into her hair, tugging at the roots in an attempt to distract her from the sting in her eyes. "God, this is so stupid. I'm still the pathetic woman you met at Jake's all those years ago." Her laugh is bitter and she squeezes her eyes shut.
The grass rustles in his approach. And then he's right in front of her, his hands hesitant yet warm on her arms. Surprise shines bright in his eyes when she looks up. "What did... What did you mean?" he questions softly.
A tear trails down her cheek as she decides to throw caution to the wind. "I meant that I've always loved how you're never afraid to do the right thing—"
"That's not true—"
"And I hate," she continues over him, refusing to lose her nerve - it's much too late to turn back. "I hate that that trait is the reason we never got married."
His throat bobs as he swallows, confusion and something indecipherable whirling in his eyes. "I don't—What about Franco?"
She laughs a wet, broken sound and keeps barreling down the road of honesty. "I love him, I do," she admits with a shrug. "You can love many people, Jason, but I've always been hopelessly in love with you." She licks the salty tears from her lips, studies his wide eyed stare as his hands fall from her arms, and nods her head once. She turns and walks back into the cabin.
She doesn't look back once.
—
The cool water sliding down her throat does nothing to alleviate the raw feeling of exposure she feels inside. She shuts off the faucet with a deep exhale. Watching water droplets trickle down into the drain with an empty stare, her heart weighs heavy in her chest. Telling the truth was a mistake, not that it'll matter. Jason won't leave Sam and... I'm married to Franco. Her feet just manage to get her to the bed where she sinks into the steady support.
That's when Jason comes in. The wild determination in his eyes tells her he's not going to let this go before he even speaks. He strides across the room setting the forgotten jars on the counter before bee lining towards her. She turns away with a groan.
"We need to talk about this," he presses, his heat and scent encircling her in his proximity.
She jumps to her feet desperate for distance. "Why? Talking about this won't make a difference!" she exclaims feeling her skin flush with anger at his insistence on drawing this matter out. She faces him from across the room with her back to the door, taking a deep breath. "Look, I fought hard to get some kind of happiness with a man who won't leave me or my boys. And you-you have the love of your life. Why do you even care—"
"Sam's not," he shakes his head once and shifts with a restlessness visible under his skin, but stays put. "Sam's not the love of my life," he finishes in a quiet tone, his eyes refusing to leave hers.
Her heart leaps, but she bats it down viciously, overcome with a fury so deep she feels it coursing down to her toes. "Don't you dare take pity on me! You don't mean that!"
He crosses the distance between them like it was never there, his eyes ablaze with irritation. "When have I ever said something I don't mean?"
"How about when you said you would try with me and then left me alone and ignored me for weeks in your penthouse? And then you shacked up with Courtney two seconds after I walked out the door!" she hisses. "How about when you said you'd marry me and then changed your mind that same day? Any of that ringing a bell?" She shoves past him and his stricken look without a care, wiping at her wet face with finality. "Don't you dare try and deny she's the love of your life when you married her, fathered a son with her, and stuck around despite all the supposed danger that wouldn't allow you to be with me Jason."
"Elizabeth, you-you don't understand," he says after a few beats.
She whirls to face him, jaw clenching with her irritation. "What don't I understa—"
"I need you to be alive!"
She falls silent.
His presence surrounds her again as he stops a mere foot from her. "I need you to be alive, Elizabeth, even if it's with somebody else. I need to know that you're safe and breathing." He lifts a hand towards her for a second before it falls back to his side. He huffs and runs a hand through his hair, his mouth opening then snapping shut in clear frustration as he struggles for words that aren't as easy to him as numbers.
She stays silent and allows him time to get his thoughts in order. She needs to hear what he has to say on his own without any help.
He closes his eyes with a sigh. When he opens them and looks at her, his eyes are radiant, earnest gems. "I made a mistake I'm going to regret for the rest of my life, okay? I let other people talk me into buying her a ring and marrying her because I owed it to her," he forces out a breath and edges a little closer, his gaze unwavering. "But you know, I asked you to marry me three times, Elizabeth. No one told me to do it. No one said I owed it to you. I wanted to marry you. That was all me," he presses his hand to his chest to emphasize his meaning.
Her chest squeezes and her throat tightens up as she struggles to digest the meaning behind his words. She can't let herself hope.
But when his brows come together in this deeply imploring expression, her resolve wavers. "Look, I've had a lot of time to think about my life while watching Mike slip away the way he has. I'm not afraid of dying—"
"I know. You…" she feels herself blush at his raised eyebrows, at the surprise lighting his eyes, but forces herself to continue. "You wouldn't want to be trapped in the in-between. I remember how you felt about Michael when he was in a coma," she explains while trying to work out her nervous energy through her fingers.
"Right," he breathes and something solidifies in his eyes like he's reaffirming something he knew all along. "I'm not afraid of dying, but what I am afraid of is having not lived my life the way I wanted. Sam is… Sam likes the danger and loves taking risks. But sometimes she takes unnecessary risks - like with Shiloh and her parole. A lot of the time it feels like she doesn't think I can be happy if things were calm for a while. And our relationship suffers from that." He moves until there's barely a gap between them, his timbre sinking to a belly warming register. "But you and I fit together differently. Entirely."
She swallows hard around her thumping heart. Thoughts dissolve out of existence. "Yeah?"
His intense gaze drops briefly to her lips, sparking her nerve endings to life. "Yeah. Our relationship never depended on the highs or the lows. I just-I love listening to you talk and ramble. I love hearing how your mind works. I miss our rides together. I miss watching you paint and sing off key." He raises his hand, cupping her cheek and her eyes flutter shut for a moment. "I miss holding you in my arms and feeling your skin against mine."
"J-Jason..." she gasps. She's certain she must be dreaming, otherwise he wouldn't be looking at her with eyes darkened with yearning.
"I never took that risk with you because if something were to ever happen to you because of me... I-I don't think I could ever live with myself," he admits in a roughened tone that has emotion welling up in her chest. "You are the one that got away, the love of my life. You said before that you can love many people. I love Sam, but I'm-I'm in love with you."
Tears brim her eyes and she chokes back a sob praying to every god above that this moment is real.
He cradles her face between warm hands, thumbing away her tears and she can see the truth, the love, in the depths of his gaze. "You were too big a risk for even me to take, but I'm willing-I want to take it, if you want to—"
"Yes. Yes!"
He swoops down as she winds her arms around his neck. She doesn't know what to expect, to prepare herself for. So used to safe, to settling. She's not ready for the brush of his nose against hers as he tilts his head and captures her lower lip between his, gentle and lingering. Turning, he reconnects them, trapping her upper lip this time. Again, pressing harder, their lips lock and mesh and—
Oh god.
Her knees buckle but he hooks an arm around her waist, holding her flush to unyielding muscle with the clear intent of taking his time with the consumption of her mouth. Elizabeth's mind whirls as she clings to him, her fingers curled tight in the back of his shirt, shook to her core by how right this feels, by how much she needs him, by how much she wants more. He dips his tongue between the seam of her lips, stroking her tongue in languid caresses that has her fingers gripping the back of his hair, her sanity slipping as she whimpers unabashedly. His fingers flex against her hip with his rumbling groan, his other hand cupping her jaw, angling her head as he kisses her harder. Her tongue becomes trapped between his lips, the rub and press of his tongue rougher, needier as he devours her.
Her skin prickles with fire, her hips rocking into him as her lungs pinch with the need for air. She happily ignores them, drunk on his delectable taste and his overwhelming desire for her. But he seems to read her mind. The snap of their lips as he separates them is overshadowed by their heavy breathing. She shivers in delight as he kisses over her mouth while she takes greedy gulps of air like a predator awaiting his opportunity. And swoop in he does when she nudges her nose against his, fusing their lips without preamble. She's drawn into his mouth by the curl of his tongue where she eagerly takes the chance to reacquaint herself, drinking in his groans that mesh deliciously with her moans.
Her core pulses and moistens for him, leaving her with a feeling of confinement within her clothes. Driven by the quick beat of her blood, she rubs her body along his, sensual and urgent. His hands move to grab at the back of his shirt and their kiss is broken for the instant it takes to peel it off. Molten need bubbles at the pit of her stomach as she splays her hands over his twitching belly. The taut, warm skin stretched over muscle gives autonomy to her hands as they climb up his torso. Spread over his chest where she feels the pounding of his heart in sync with her own, her thumbs teasingly circle his nipples, pressing firm when they pebble. He shivers, and she nips his mouth, smirking against his lips in utter satisfaction.
She feels his hands at her back, slipping under her shirt like brands against her skin a moment later. Her knees wobble and she feels his grin in return before he's pulling both her shirt and undershirt off of her, forcing her temporarily from the kiss. He grabs her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. The moment his skin slides against hers she's electrified. She whimpers in desperation, scratching her nails across his shoulder blades as she grinds as best she can against his stomach. He grunts, nipping her bottom lip as he walks to the bed.
He sets her at the foot of the bed and, instead of following her down, she watches through a lidded gaze as he bends down and starts to remove her shoes and socks. Heart fluttering, she looks him over in the mellow late afternoon glow. Lean muscle ripples beneath tan skin with each motion, more breathtaking than any Adonis. Golden streaks of hair dazzle in the sunlight. His expression open and flushed, his eyes shining with lust and a cosmos' worth of love. He's beauty personified. Her throat tightens up as she's hit all over again by the boundless depth of her love for him. She's overwhelmed once more by this dream turned reality.
The gossamer touch through her thin bottoms when his fingers climb up her legs invokes a shiver of anticipation, centering her. With deliberate slowness, Jason drags her pants down her legs, never breaking eye contact until they're tossed to the side. From her elbows, she watches him glide his hungered gaze over her body repeatedly, his muscles tense and chest heaving. She feels her pulse thundering through her body right down to her toes.
He swallows and flicks his eyes up to hers. "You're beautiful," he rasps in pure reverence.
Her belly tightens and her throat dries. She couldn't form words if she tried.
A tender smile quirks one side of his lips up before he kicks off his boots and socks. She tilts towards his weight when he presses his knee into the bed beside her thigh. His fingers skim up her thigh sending electric zings of sensation through her breasts and throbbing core. His hand winds over her hip and splays over her stomach as he boxes her thighs between his knees, hovering over her.
Her back bows off the bed, her hands fisting the sheets when he bends to connect their lips. His mouth is addicting - strong, stirring kisses that dissolve every thought from her mind. Unfortunately, the kiss is short lived with his mouth dropping to her collarbone. She whines, fingers traversing up his arms and shoulders, ready to pull his mouth back to hers. His short, breathy laugh against her clavicle vibrates through her skin and straight to her sensitive nipples, stopping her short by drawing a startled moan from her.
That's when she notices his clever fingers undoing the clasp of her bra.
Letting him slide it from over her arms, she barely has time to catch her breath before she feels the first firm flick of his tongue over her rosy peak. She gives a sharp shout, one hand delving into the back of his hair, the other grasping his bicep. She quivers beneath him, each swirl and flick of his tongue almost overwhelming as her nerve endings begin to hum. Clamping her hands behind his skull, she shoves his head against her breast and arches her back to press deeper into his mouth.
He answers her silent need, wrapping his lips around her sensitive peak. Her head falls back and her mouth gapes in a lengthy cry when he sucks her hard like a man deprived. She feels as if stars are combusting under her skin, tingly and burning, the wet ache between her legs throbbing faster and building. Breaking the suction, he kisses his way to her other breast, lavishing it the same way; licking, kissing, then teasingly rubbing his lips over the pebbled nipple before sucking it with a heart stopping intensity.
Her chest shudders with unbidden noises, her fingers digging into his back as he feasts on her breasts with a zest that sends her pelvis rocking upwards, pressing and grinding against the seam of jeans, the rigid length of his cock. With hastening breaths, her craving for him surges to a feverish degree.
His breathing fans hot and quick across her chest. She meets his intense gaze, her bones liquifying at the promise held there. He wedges his knee between her legs, spreading them. Her shaking hands reach to unfasten his pants. And after he sets his gun to the side, he helps her, shedding both his jeans and boxers.
There's a moment when she's looking at him in all his glory, looming above her where she wonders if she should feel guilty for the act she's about to commit. It's after he lifts her to the head of the bed and gently lies her on the pillows she knows what she feels is at peace - after an arduous journey, she's finally home.
Her panties are shoved off her legs and she blankets herself with his body. His steamy skin presses to hers, nothing between them. Meeting in the middle, she swallows his throaty moan, erupting in tremors when she grinds her slit against his cock, ready.
He breaks the kiss, and her gaze searches his. She knows what he's asking her with the slight shift of his hips that has her eyes fluttering. Her palm slides from his neck to his cheek with a simple answer. "I love you."
His eyes shine before his lips touch hers, breathing his words into her soul. "I love you."
Elation swells her heart to bursting. She pulls his face down and slants her lips over his, cradling him between her thighs. Rolling her hips, she mewls into his mouth at the delicious slide of his cock through her folds, stoking the low flames curled in her belly. He pulls from the kiss, their breaths mingling. Her eyes drop to look between them as he shifts, watching him guide his cock to her core while biting her lower lip. In her next breath, he's sliding home.
Ohh god!
Muscles shaking and eyes squeezing shut, her breath is all but lost. Her lips part around a silken moan, already feeling a pressure building at how full she is, at the feeling of a piece she's been missing sliding back into place. His groan is shaky, his lips falling to the cleft of her chin and dotting her throat. He drags his hips back, her breath hitching at the dizzying pleasure. Then he's thrusting, and she's swept under a tide of indescribable sensation.
It feels like he's everywhere at once. Hot open mouthed kisses fall on her jaw, her throat, her shoulders, her breasts. Calloused fingertips dance up her thigh, the tingles driving her hips hard up into his. One hand grasps her trembling thigh, the other stroking her belly, curving to her back, his hands feathering across every inch in reach with an insatiable fervor before tangling in the back of her hair to hold her steady for his kiss. His cock drives into her in wet, demanding snaps sending lines of fire racing up her thighs to the tightening in her core.
She can hardly catch her breath. Her heart beats frantic thumps against her ribs, her mind reeling at how incredible he feels, wondering how it is she managed so long to go without this blinding passion. Feet pressing into the small of his back, she meets him thrust for thrust set on savoring every moment of this. Dragging kisses across his throat, she sucks on the straining tendons, trailing her fingertips down his hard torso then slowly scratches her nails back up.
Jason curses hotly before capturing her jaw in his hand, bringing her gaze to his. His eyes are a band of blue around dark pools, glinting with a single-minded focus of working her body to oblivion. Her fingers snap up, curling into his biceps for purchase as she senses a white hot hook beginning to pull taut in her belly.
Feeling his muscles tense and flex with barely restrained power sparks her fuse. The sheer masculinity of his abs rolling rhythmically against her belly leaves her light headed. Her toes curl. Tension winds her body taut for a second before releasing in ribbons of ecstasy spiraling to every corner of her body. It's so sudden she's left quaking beneath him, eyes slamming shut as she sinks into the pleasure, falling apart at the seams. Wave after wave ripples through her core, squeezing his cock. He grunts above her, but doesn't break pace. The aged bed creaks obnoxiously from the abuse.
She gasps for air as the tidal waves slowly release her, feeling soft kisses pepper her cheeks, eyelids, and nose, her heart skipping. Her eyes fall open, watching his brow set heavy over his eyes in wild determination, feeling the muscles under her hands become steel. Her hips are held down by his hand. In a blink, he begins driving into her like a well oiled piston. Just as quickly as it left, the waves of rapture slam into her harder and deeper than before, elongating her spine as she cries sounds she hasn't made since the last time they were together.
Nails digging into his arms as her neck strains, tears of bliss slide down her cheeks. His cheek nuzzles her own, his breathing a heavy mix of, "Love you so much," and "So beautiful," effortlessly enamoring her all over again.
She feels him trembling in her daze, his pace staggering. Her pleasure milks his own as his lips find hers in a sluggish kiss, submerging her in a kaleidoscope of euphoria. She remembers feeling as if she was standing on the cusp, waiting for something - waiting for him. Together, at last, she relishes the weightless satisfaction floating between them as they gradually begin to calm.
His forehead rests against hers as they attempt to catch their breath before he rolls them over. She's tucked against his side, her head pillowed to his chest as the wondrous chill of early evening begins to wash across her skin, penetrating the heat that surrounded them. Boneless and enveloped, by his heady scent, she's powerless to fight the pull of sleep, dropping off with the beating of his heart as her lullaby.