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Chapter 24

"Jason's here." Max tapped on the door to the bathroom. Liz had gone inside to get changed. This morning he had watched her make the garment she was putting on. The fact that she went from a piece of fabric to a finished product in under five hours was fascinating. She explained that what she was making was basic, but it wasn't something he could do. So he was left impressed.

"Thanks." Liz called out before opening the door. "Thank you also for letting me drag you through the fabric store this morning and the design shop this afternoon." Her guard had been very patient.

"Thank you for not asking my opinion on things." Max grinned at her. "I don't mind telling you what I think about fabrics. At the same time I don't want to help you decorate your house."

"Understandable." Liz said walking over and getting her gear. After the closing they had swung by the Towers to pick it up. She was already in her boots, and a pair of grey jeans. Her makeup was light because they were just going to be hanging out with friends. "Once I move to the house you are going to have a pretty long commute." Liz looked over at him. "Coming to get me, then driving back into Port Charles and reversing that in the evening." It was long in comparison to what he did now.

"I'm going to move as well." Max let her know. "Jason owns the Dorchester Towers which are almost a carbon copy of the Harbor View Towers. Even built by the same architect. We already have a lot of guys living there." With a territory this large they couldn't all be concentrated in one space. Having guys living, as well as working, in Crimson Pointe gave them a presence there.

"I'm not uprooting you am I?" Liz wanted an honest answer.

"Nope." Max promised her. "I'm looking forward to getting a new space. I was looking around some while we were at the design shop. I've never been in there and to know I can get paint, furniture, art, and such all in one place is helpful." He wasn't overly fussy about his living space, but he wanted it to be nice.

"I don't mind you shopping for your place while we are shopping for the house. In fact it's a good use of time." Liz walked to the window and looked down. The bike was parked which meant Jason was on his way up.

"I can shop on my own time." Max took his job seriously, and he wasn't buying stuff while he should be protecting Liz.

"At least make notes." She said laughing. "Snap a few pictures. While I'm trying to decide between the six shades of blue I like grab some paint cards for yourself."

"You are a bad influence." Max said giving her a look.

"Francis often says the same thing." Liz said with a grin. "I like living up to my reputation." She gave into her laughter. "Please go let Jason in." She made herself stay still when the doorbell rang. Having Max answer the door made her uncomfortable, but it relaxed him so she would get used to it. She heard the guys talking before her boyfriend walked into the reception area. Or it would be if she had a receptionist which she didn't. This was really where her models sat while she arranged the background during shoots. "Hi."

"Hi." Jason smiled over at her before leaning in for a kiss. "Is this the new item?" He had seen everything else she was wearing before.

"It is." Liz waved her hand in her best spokesmodel manner. It was a sleeveless tank top with a high rounded neckline. The top was an ivory fabric and the bottom three quarters of the shirt was covered by a graphic lace rose print. She was wearing it fitted, but it would look good in a loose style as well. This might even make a fantastic dress.

"I like it." Jason took her hand and turned her. The pattern continued on the back.

"I'm experimenting with the flowers, and with the theme of black and white. Or off white in this case. I like the graphic feel of this design. I may also do this pattern on colored fabric, maybe red. I'm not sure yet. I wanted to evoke a feeling of lace. More like an homage then the actual thing." Liz explained as she slipped into her jacket.

"So would you buy that fabric from the store and then dye it yourself to get the color you want, or does the shop do that for you?" Jason wouldn't talk fashion with anyone but his girl. Because it was her passion that meant it was important to him as well.

"I would buy the fabric and dye it. Then do like I did this morning and draw on the image." Liz said grabbing her headgear. She could not wait to get on the bike, it felt like forever since they last went for a ride. "It would cost a lot to have several bolts of this design custom created at the store because of the detailing, but if I want a lot of pieces like this in the collection I may have to go that route."

Jason stopped her. "Wait. Take off your jacket." He requested, because he wanted to look at the design again. "Seriously?" He asked looking at the detailing. "You drew this by hand?"

"Yeah. It took about three hours to get it right. The good part was that by the time I finished the back the front was dry which meant I could pin it to the form. Then I had to match up the two panels. I think Max may have learned a few new words while that was going on." Liz said laughing at herself. "The sewing took maybe fifteen minutes tops." It was minimal sewing for this pattern.

"You say that like it's no big deal." Jason was gob smacked.

Liz just shrugged. "For me it's not." This was what she did. "Since we are running early can we stop off at the fabric shop? I went through my last three black fabric markers. I need to get another box. Max has done enough shopping for the day."

"That won't be a problem. You can get a case of them if that is easier. Max can put them in the back of his SUV if you want." Jason let her know as she locked up. The guard was already in the hall.

"I don't want to buy too much overhead just yet. Not with me moving shortly. The gals are coming over to help me pack and unpack." Liz further explained as they went down the stairs. "After I move into my new store I will go stock up." It wasn't that she didn't trust the crew to be careful. It was that she was fussy about who touched her work items. "So for now the one box will be fine. Mainly because I'll be spending my last bit of time in my workspace photographing looks for the website."


Down at the bike they both put on their helmets. Since they were wired they continued their conversation on the way to the fabric store, and then on the way to the house. They dismounted and stood looking at the structure. "Here is your key." Jason said after digging it out of his pocket.

She had to clear her throat before speaking. "Thanks."

They were holding hands when they reached the front door. "You do the honors." He requested.

"Okay." Liz put the key in the lock and let the knowledge settle that this was home. When the door swung open Jason scooped her up and carried her over the threshold.

He turned so that they were looking at the front door again and walked forward. "Deactivate the alarm." He gave her the numbers. Right now it was his birthday and hers. "That code is going to change because it's too obvious. I needed something to use for now because the construction crew will be in and out of the house. We'll come up with the new one together."

Liz nodded in understanding. "The locks will change again once we are living here?" She guessed based on his statement. The crew would need keys to gain access to the house. Even if Jason went the route of giving the key to the guard who would be here with the crew the locks would change again.

"Yes they will. In fact they will probably be changed once a year." It was just a security measure. Sonny and Francis did the same thing.

"I'll try not to get annoyed by that." Liz said grinning. It drove Diane up the wall. "My shop will not be getting that treatment." The designer gave her boyfriend a look.

"Fair enough." Jason only agreed because Elizabeth agreed that he could do the security layout. The building would have more obvious security enhancements, like cameras, and some not so obvious like bulletproof glass. Plus once word got around that she was his girlfriend, and no longer just his friend, only an idiot would go after her store.

"Welcome home." Liz rose up on her toes and brought her mouth to his. The kiss was getting good when Cody arrived.

"Sorry." The enforcer said grinning. Jason was breathing hard which was a clue to what had been interrupted.

"It's okay." Jason told his friend.

"Congratulations." The former solider said looking around the entry way. He had looked over the specs Jason sent and been pleased at what he was reading. Namely that under the siding the façade was brick. That meant no one was shooting through the walls. "On the ring as well." He was guessing the ladies were going to spend a lot of time tonight talking about that.

"Thanks." Jason put his arm around Elizabeth and smiled wide.

"Thanks Cody." Liz echoed her guy. "Shall we get started, that way we aren't too late to the BBQ." They would probably be the last to arrive anyway.

"Let me go get Seth." Cody figured the guys would discuss the ring, and the house, tonight. Nadine was excited to hear about the trip, and he couldn't wait to see his girlfriend's reaction to the ring. The enforcer brought back the head of his crew and made introductions. Jason already knew him so it was just Liz who he had to meet.

"Congratulations on the house." Seth told the couple. He had been surprised to hear that Jason bought this place, it didn't seem at all like him. Then he heard that the blonde was in a serious relationship and it made more sense. "Cody forwarded me your notes, and I did the inspection so today we can do a walk through and talk both those things. Who will I be contacting if I need additional instructions?"

"Me." Jason told the foreman. His girlfriend was going to be busy.

"Please clear everything with Ms. Webber before telling me to do something." Seth said laughing. "I cannot tell you how many fights I've witnessed because the guy has gone rogue." The company did work for non-mobsters as well.

"I'm sure that Jason will do fine. We have similar ideas on a lot of things." Liz was laughing too because she had seen first-hand what he was talking about. Her mother almost killed her father when he picked the wrong wallpaper after what she ordered was out of stock. Liz wasn't that high maintenance. "Would you like to start down here or upstairs?"

"Let's start in the kitchen because that is going to be the biggest project. After that we can go outside and talk about the patio area. Then we can head upstairs." Seth followed them down the hall. "I brought some pictures because folks tend to work better from images." Even though Jason couldn't see the pictures, he would see the colors which was what really mattered. He opened the cover on his tablet. "Let's start with cabinets. These are oak and in great shape." Seth pointed to the existing cabinets.

"I like these as well. I don't like the color though." They were currently hickory brown which she felt was too light. Liz pulled out her paint sample. "I prefer this color. Spiced Cherry."

"That will look good in the room." Seth nodded making notations.

"The island needs to be replaced. Since we have the breakfast nook I don't want seating in the kitchen itself." She went through his pictures. "This is perfect." Her sink would be in the island and below it would be storage as well as a few refrigerated drawers. That way prep could be done here. "I like to bake so I'd like a quartz top on the island."

"Quartz throughout the kitchen?" Seth asked making notes.

"Throughout the house. I want all the vanities in the bathrooms to match what is in the kitchen. The same with the cabinets." Liz explained looking over at Jason. "Feel free to speak up if you don't like something."

"I will." Jason really didn't have any design ideas in his head. His lack of imagination made it hard to picture how anything he picked would fit into a room.

"May I suggest something lighter in color since it's not just going to be here?" Seth pulled up another image. "Like this."

"I have a sample piece in my bag, but what you have is better." Liz said nodding.

"The design shop in town is good for a lot things." Seth always tried to support local businesses if he could. "Countertops isn't one of them." He made notations. "Wall color?"

"I want all the walls down here painted Cappucino White. That should be on the stairwell, and in all the bathrooms." Liz handed over her sample. "The main portion of the third floor as well."

Seth nodded. "So the bedrooms are getting different colors."

"Yes. We can talk about them when we get there." Liz thought that would be easier. Plus she wanted to show Jason the color she picked for their bedroom before making it official with Seth.

"While we are here what color are your floors going to be?" Seth wanted to know.

"Oak. Throughout the house." Liz wasn't customizing that to fit each room.

"I would recommend a laminate in both your laundry room and your mud room. If you remove wet items in the mud room it will preserve the floors in the house. I suggest laminate in the laundry room because washers can spring a leak." Seth passed along some knowledge picked up on the job.

"Let's do that then. Can you build me some shoe boxes for the mud room? Please?" Liz liked the idea of that.

"I can put in hooks too." Seth promised her making more notes. "Let's head outside now."

Cody looked over at his boss. "Your house is going to be amazing."

"The only thing that matters is that Elizabeth is happy with it." Jason told his friend as they went to find out what she had planned for the outdoor space. "But yeah it will be."


"I noticed that nothing you picked out for the house is yellow." Jason pointed out. They were standing in the living room while Seth and Cody were taking measurements in the kitchen. Once they were done then everyone could leave.

"I don't really like yellow on the walls or on large pieces of furniture." Liz let him know. "I've tried a variety of shades and it just never works out well. I'm thinking the patio area will have yellow in it, probably the pillows. Yellow will also find its way into the house proper as an accent color."

"I just wanted to make sure you didn't leave it out because you thought I wouldn't like it." Jason had made his wishes known as they walked through the house. He had picked the blue that was going to be on the walls in their bedroom. A deeper shade of that hue would be in the bathroom in their towels and shower curtain.

"I know that if I said that I wanted the entire living room painted yellow, you wouldn't argue." Liz said leaning over and kissing him. "When something mattered to you then you spoke up." She knew there just things he really wouldn't care much about. Like plates.

He had mentioned when she was decorating the penthouse that he could care less what those looked like. So she played a prank on him and stocked the cabinets with hot pink plates. He didn't say a word and just used them until she came and took them away. Jason's comments had been plates are plates as long as they hold the food he didn't pay them much attention.

"Okay, we're all set." Seth came into the living room. "We'll start the work tomorrow. The master suite and the kitchen will be done first. When those are finished you'll have the option of moving in if you like. The last area we will work on is outside. The patio, the outdoor kitchen, and Jason's office suite. I need to call in a contractor for the pool, and I'll have a start date for you tomorrow. I'm guessing it will be sometime this week."

"Please ask about safety features for the pool." Liz figured they may as well get that squared away now. "Particularly covers, fences, and alarms."

"Are you interested in all three?" Seth was making more notes.

"Yes." Liz nodded thinking that they couldn't be too careful.

"I'll make sure to do that." Seth closed his tablet cover. "If you have any questions just give me a call." He handed over two business cards.

"Thank you." Liz shook his hand before Jason did. "Thank you Cody."

"You're welcome." Cody liked making sure his friends were taken care off. "I'll send a text to let Sonny know we are heading over now."

"Max is probably starving. I worked him hard today." Liz said grinning as she headed to the door. Jason set the alarm and then locked up making sure his key worked.

Jason got on the bike and held the machine steady as Elizabeth got on behind him. When her arms came around his waist and she let him know she was ready, they roared off the property.


Walking into the house they were directed to the living room where Lila was waiting with Edward. Cody had asked Sonny to have the older couple in the house so that Jason and Liz could share their news with them first. The enforcer didn't say why but that their friends would share with everyone when they got out back.

"Welcome home." Lila held out her hands so that they would come closer.

"Thank you. Hello Mr. Q." Liz gave Jason's grandfather a kiss. "How are you?"

"I'm with two pretty ladies so I am doing great." Edward said grinning. When Jason rolled his eyes the older man beamed. One of his great joys in life was flirting with Carly in front of AJ. Now he could mess with Jason too.

"How was your trip?" Lila asked when they sat.

"Fantastic." Jason picked up his girlfriend's hand and held it out for his grandparents to see. "I gave Elizabeth a ring to wear."

"Well done my boy." Edward extended his hand and shook Jason's when his grandson did the same. He had been worried that this wasn't ever going to happen.

"Is that a sapphire?" Lila wanted to know.

"It is." Liz nodded as she answered. "No one else has guessed that. I should have known you would get it right."

Lila looked at Edward and smiled. "Lila knows because I gave her an orange sapphire for our twentieth wedding anniversary. Great minds think alike." He told the young couple.

"Really?" Jason hadn't know that, or maybe he did and the memory was now lost. "A ring?"

"No, a necklace." Lila would make sure to leave that to Elizabeth in her will. She would also let the younger woman borrow it whenever she liked.

"We will need to wear them at the same time so that everyone else is envious of us." Liz liked that they had this in common.

"You mean they aren't already?" Lila asked laughing. "Congratulations. Elizabeth you have always been family, now it's official."

"Thank you." Liz had to blink back tears. "We have more news to share."

"Unless you want to use your superpowers to guess." Jason teased his grandmother a little.

"I would be careful." Edward warned Jason. "Your grandmother has more power than you suspect." He said with a twinkle in his eyes. Very little got by his Lila.

"If you mean about the house, I already know." Lila had eyes and ears everywhere. Not to mention that when a house that expensive sold everyone wanted to know who the buyer was. "Audrey adored that house, she had your dollhouse modeled after it."

Jason was just shaking his head, he really shouldn't be surprised.

"I was wondering." Liz said trying not to laugh at her boyfriend.

"It was built just before she and Steve moved here. They actually had an apartment not far from it before moving into Port Charles and buying the house your father would grow up in." Lila shared her knowledge. "I think it's fitting that you would live there. May I send some roses?"

"We would love that. Thank you. May I be forward and request a specific type?" Liz asked Lila.

"It's my turn to impress you." Lila covered the hand of the young woman who would one day be Jason's wife. "You want the Peace rose."

Liz just nodded, swallowing hard so she didn't cry. Lila wasn't reading her mind. The Peace rose had been her gram's favorite type of all the roses in the Quartermaine garden. After the funeral service Liz had sat in the garden surrounded by them and cried on Jason's shoulder while Em held her hand. Even now sitting there made Elizabeth feel close to her grandmother.

"I'll have my gardener come over and find where the best place to plant them will be." Lila thought it would be a fitting tribute to her friend, and Elizabeth's grandmother.

"Thank you." For Liz those flowers would mean that both her gram and Lila were watching over them.

"If the soil won't work then we'll have a green house built on the property." Jason told both women. If his girlfriend wanted those roses then she would have them.

"I think we've hogged you enough. It's time to go out back so you can show that ring off properly." Edward said getting to his feet to man the wheelchair.

"I agree with my husband." Lila wanted to visit with everyone. Late nights for her were rare, so they would leave before the party ended.

Jason got to his feet at the same time as Elizabeth. "I want that. What they have." She said looking into his azure blue eyes.

"Me too." Jason smiled at his grandfather's back. "We are on our way."

"Yes, we are." Liz linked their fingers as they followed Edward and Lila to the backyard.


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