Chapter 8

"Jason, we need to get you to the hospital."

Ignoring the roar that found a permanent spot in his ears, Jason shook his head as firmly as he could. "No…no hospitals."

"Jason, we have to. This is the second time today that you almost passed out on me."

She was worried about him, that much he could tell. Her eyes were boring into his, holding nothing but complete concern for him. He wanted to ease her concern, do what she wanted in order to make her feel at ease, but he was tired of hospitals, tired of everyone hovering over him, and tired of getting flashes of memories about his previous life.

So far he had only had three. When he went to the hospital the other day he accidentally got off at the wrong floor, bringing him to the pediatrics wing. He didn't realize this until he walked right past the nursery that held tiny bundles of human beings that were just brought into the world. He was about to turn right around when he let his gaze linger on the newborns. In that instant, pain ripped through his eyes making him press the heels of his hands against the lids in an attempt to lessen the pain. For the briefest of moments, a memory invaded his thoughts. He was dressed in what looked like a blue hospital gown, but his clothes were the furthest from his mind. What he recalled in that moment, was holding the soft, lifeless body of a newborn baby girl. He could feel the tears in his eyes, feel the ache in his heart, and feel the loss of a child who never had the chance to open her eyes and peer into the world. Just as quickly as that memory had assaulted him, it was gone.

The memory was so quick that he did not think anything of it. He didn't want to tell anyone about it. There was no need for people to pounce on him once they found out that he might start to regain his memory. If he told anyone about it he was sure that they would hold on to the slightest hope that he would remember them and Jason really did not feel like dealing with that aggravation.

It wasn't like he was going to remember anything or anyone else. That one time was just a fluke. No memory would push its way into his mind anytime soon. Or so he thought.

All of his negative thoughts about his previous life had changed once he started to remember Elizabeth. Out of the three memories that he had thus far, Elizabeth was the lead in two of them. At first he thought that it was because he was spending time with her. But wouldn't he remember something about Sam if that were the case? For the first couple of days since he woke up, Sam was the only person he had contact with. If his memories came back because of contact with a person, then shouldn't he have at least remembered something about Sam, or even Sonny? Jason knew that there was something different about Elizabeth. She was special.

His first memory had only been brief and full of feelings. His second had been of her, most likely from years ago, and it too was short, But it held more than feelings, he could almost feel like he was living it again. But this last one, the one that made him fall to his current position-back against the wall, legs spread apart, and Elizabeth kneeling in front of him while her concerned gazed searched his soul-it was different. He felt as if he were living it again. Every emotion, every feeling raced through him as the memory surged from deep within. When he relived it, he could not decipher between the past and present. His whole being was trapped into the memory.

He had to know about them. He couldn't explain his reasoning's, but he had to know about their past. It was a feeling screaming at him, telling him that he had to know everything about his past with Elizabeth, and he would be damned if this conversation was pushed back because he needed to go to the hospital.

Shaking himself out of his dazed state, Jason wrapped his long fingers around her delicate wrists as her hands cradled his face. "I don't need to go to the hospital."

She could not believe that after almost passing out he was still refusing to go to the hospital. She should have known better, this was Jason. The man almost froze to death in the snow because he refused to go to the hospital after being shot. The man was defiantly stubborn. "Yes you do. Jason, something is not right. You're getting headaches so severe that they are literally knocking you out. If-"

"I'll go," she was not going to let up. He could see that his statement pleased her, but her victory was short lived when he added "after we talk."

"Jason-"

"Elizabeth."

Both held warning tones. Both were extremely stubborn, and neither wanted to back down. He wanted to finally find out what they were to each other. Why he felt he had this connection with her, and why she seemed different from everyone else. She just wanted to get him checked out. He scared her yet again when out of nowhere he almost collapsed because of the pain he was experiencing. Elizabeth wanted to tell him about their relationship, sure she was scared, but after spending so much time with him in the past two days, she felt he deserved to know about them.

"Fine," moving away from his touch, Elizabeth sat to his right, both of their backs where propped against the wall while there arms touched. "I'll tell you about us, but you have to promise me that I can take you to the hospital after."

Turning his head slightly to peer down on her, Jason splayed a smirk across his lips, "I promise."

She couldn't help it, her eyes lit up and a slight smirk appeared on her face at his teasing. Even though he promised her with a teasing look in his eyes, she knew that he would live up to it. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything." The teasing was gone. In its place was such seriousness that it carried a chill through her. Jason was looking at her with blue flames of intensity waiting her explanation. His eyes held so much intensity that Elizabeth had to look away. She forgot how easy it was to loose herself in him.

Closing her eyes for a moment to compose herself, Elizabeth opened them again to stare off at the distance. "I guess it all started when you saved me from myself."

The comment confused him. His forehead creased as a frown appeared on his lips. He was about to ask her what she meant by that when her soft voice filtered through his thoughts. "I thought I had just lost the love of my life. We all thought he died in a fire. One night I was feeling down and angry with the world. I decided that I wanted to feel something other than the emptiness that was consuming me. I got dressed up, put on all of this make-up and headed to Jakes." She was staring straight ahead, lost in her own world. He was looking straight ahead as well. Hoping that if he looked off into the distance as she was, then maybe he would be able to replay the events in his mind as well, but so far he had nothing. Turning his head to get a good look at her again, he saw the beginning of a wistful smile appear on her beautiful face.

"When I got there, I found myself in the company of one of the regulars. We were talking, and I was feeding him lie after lie, doing my best to forget about my pain. He tried to get me to dance with him and when I refused he pulled me up and forced me to dance." He couldn't remember any of this, he couldn't even picture it in his mind, but the thought of some man forcing himself on her made Jason clench his jaw shut and form his hands into tight fists. He wanted to find this guy and beat the shit out of him.

"I was trying to fight him off, but deep down I was welcoming the anger I felt towards him. Just as I was in the middle of-" laughing at her own feistiness, Elizabeth continued, "I was in the middle of threatening him when you showed up." Turning her head to look up at him, she was surprised to see Jason staring down at her. Lowering her voice while she stared into his eyes, her smile turned into one of admiration. "You got the creep away from me, and then you just listened."

She turned back to look at the darkness that Jason guessed played as her own private screen. Letting her visualize the memories as she related them back to him, and just like the night that she claimed started it all, Jason just listened.

He listened as she told him about their talk at Jakes, the rush she felt after he took her on her very first motorcycle ride. He listened as she told him about the talks they had along the docks or at Kelly's. She told him how they helped each other through a very tough time. Her loosing the love of her life and him loosing his son because the woman he thought loved him betrayed him. He continued to listen without interruption as she explained the many bike rides he took her on. His own smile matched the brightness of hers when she recalled the first time he let her steer. Her excitement seeped through him and Jason made a vow that he would have to let her steer again some time. He would do that just to see her smile that way again. Her story continued with her explanation of the painting she did just for him. She gave it the title "The Wind," and gave it to him, but yet he didn't recall seeing any painting resembling the explanation she gave him. It wasn't until she told him that she still had the painting that he realized why.

The beginning of their friendship seemed innocent, just meant as time for the two of them, escaping with each other. Although he listened to her and paid close attention to her melodic voice recalling their friendship, it was when she told him of the night that changed everything, that his interest increased even more, if that was at all possible.

Apparently, she was having a horrible night, missing her lost love, feeling incomplete and worthless when he entered the empty diner. He did what he did best for her, he listened and let her voice her frustrations and feelings of emptiness, and then they danced. At first she hoped to just loose herself in his strong embrace, imagining that it was Lucky holding her. But it wasn't. Jason was his own person, and he had already found his own place in her heart. She couldn't pretend that Jason was Lucky. Jason was Jason. The dance began one way but ended as him holding Elizabeth together, not letting her fall to pieces. After helping her pull herself out of the blackness that she fell into every once in a while at that time, he left to where she didn't know. He told her that he had to take care of something, and then he was gone. She told him about how she decided to go for a walk the next morning. It started to snow, and she just wanted to go to the boxcar for a peaceful morning while she sat in the snow. Instead she found him lying face down, bleeding from a gunshot wound, and seconds away from death.

Jason knew that he had been shot a few times, though he couldn't remember when or why or even the pain he experienced, the scars told him. After taking a shower one afternoon, he just stood in front of his mirror, studying each mark on his body, knowing that each scar represented each mark that blackened his soul.

As Elizabeth told him of how she dragged him into the boxcar and ran across town trying to find help for him, Jason couldn't help but wonder what scar belonged to the bullet that was responsible for tainting Elizabeth's soft hands with his blood. He couldn't remember the world that he and Sonny created, but he knew that it held nothing good, and he cursed himself for dragging Elizabeth into it all those years ago.

His anger and self hatred faded slightly once she started to recall the time they spent in her studio. Though the time spent in the studio with Elizabeth nursing him back to health had its advantages, she quickly reassured him that they had to overcome their obstacles, mainly Carly, Nicolas, and her Grams. Since the moment he woke up, this was the first time that he truly wanted to remember his old life as Jason Morgan. Just so he could remember what it was like to have the woman who was sitting next to him stand by him against the whole town.

"You spent that Christmas with me. We decorated this pitiful tree with paper chains and angels. You kept telling me that it would look better in the forest covered in pinecones and snow, like it was meant to be. But you loved that tree just as much as I did." Looking up at him, she had laughter in her voice, but her eyes communicated to him that she meant every word she said. "The time we spent together that winter is still my most favorite time ever. I can't remember a time when I felt so… free."

That Christmas he gave her a leather jacket that she swore she still had. After he swore to her that he was healed, she told him about how he moved out of the studio that Christmas morning. She didn't want him to leave, but knew that he had to figure out his life again.

Her next story she relayed to him was the first time his life style brought a threat to hers. She told him about their New Years Eve ride, and the fact that he saved her from an uptight party. But it was the next part that had his blood boiling again. The man that had shot him decided to plant a bomb in her studio that night. Most likely to kill him, but Elizabeth's life was threatened also. If he hadn't run across the lackey that planted the bomb, Jason wasn't sure what would have happened. Luckily, he rushed back to her studio and pulled her out in time for a man named Roy to defuse the bomb, bringing no harm to her.

He hated the life even more when she told him about that night. Because he killed people for a living, an innocent woman would have been killed, all because of his choices and his life. He was still listening to her. He never once interrupted her, just feeling slightly jealous that she had the memories stored and available to her. She could look back on the time they spent together; all he had was her word. But strangely enough that was fine with him for the time being. He trusted her word.

"After the bomb you told me that we couldn't be friends anymore." Finally, he thought, the man did something right. Staying away from Elizabeth was the best thing that his former self could have done at that time. "I was so upset that you ended our friendship, I felt like I was loosing my best friend."

"It wasn't until Sorel, the man who shot you and placed the bomb in my studio. It wasn't until he approached me on the docks one evening that I finally made you see that you weren't doing any good by staying away." Laughter bubbled out of her throat when she went on, "I did all that I could that night to make you see my side of things, and then you finally gave in, and we ended the night with a ride."

"That night, that is what I remembered this afternoon?"

"Yes." Their eyes locked and Jason could see the brief flash of pain that appeared in hers once she continued on "But after that night you decided to leave Port Charles for good. I'm not saying that is was because of me, there were other reasons you left. But you thought that the best thing to do for everyone you cared about was to leave town. I didn't get it at first. I mean we had so much fun that night, I thought that you finally realized that I wasn't better off without you in my life, and then the next thing I know, you're telling me goodbye."

"I'll see you later." The whispered words came from his slightly parted lips as his eyes stayed locked with hers.

In a voice just as soft Elizabeth asked "What?"

"Not goodbye, I'll see you later."

"How did you-"

"I don't know." They had the whole bridge to themselves. No one was around, no one could hear a word that was past between them. If they wanted to, Jason and Elizabeth could have shouted their entire conversation and not a single soul would have heard what was being screamed. But instead, every word that was past between them was spoken on a whisper. Whispers that were so soft they flutter against each others cheeks and lips due to their closeness.

Not knowing what was overcoming him; Jason reached out and cupped her cheek. It was so soft under his touch, but he knew that it would be. Eyes still locked, both of them made slight movements of their heads, bringing them even closer. They were mere inches apart, and getting closer by the second. Jason's next words were whispered across her lips as they both closed their eyes, "I… I'm sorry that I left."

As their noses brushed a fire began to form within the both of them

He angled his head just enough to bring his cheek into contact with hers. His lips were right by the shell of her ear, causing his breath to fan across her neck and ear. "I'm sorry that I hurt you."

Moving his head back while sliding his cheek against the smoothness of hers, Jason turned his head as Elizabeth turned her own. Both wanted to make the connection. Within seconds their lips would be fused together, igniting the fire that was slowly building between them.

But the connection never came. Jason never felt her soft lips against his own. Confusion and disappointment showed through his eyes when they opened once he realized she pulled away; physically and emotionally.

"I…" Sitting this close to him was making it hard for Elizabeth to come up with anything. She had just been seconds away from kissing him, and now all she could do was stare at him and not form any words explaining why she pulled away.

Standing up and putting as much distance between the two of them, Elizabeth searched for anything to end the deathly silence. Jason just sat there and watched as she ran her hands through her hair. She was having an internal battle with herself and Jason wanted to kick himself for making her feel uncomfortable. "Elizabeth-"

"Oh my god, what time is it?" Looking down at her watch Elizabeth groaned loudly while she cursed herself inside. Another night she spent hours talking to Jason while her Grams watched Cameron, expecting her to pick her son up on time. Her grandmother had agreed to watch Cameron all day for her, but Elizabeth was pretty sure that her Grams expected her to be at her house earlier. How could she forget about her own son?

"I need to go. I have to pick up Cameron, it's getting really late."

"Ok."

As they drove back to the docks so Elizabeth could pick up her car, Jason could feel the difference. The ride to the bridge was filled with screams of excitement, smiles, and Elizabeth clinging to him. The ride back was filled with thick air, and two people lost in their own thoughts.

As Jason stopped his bike right next to her car, he couldn't help but wish the night was not over. Although it ended with an almost kiss that made her pull away from him, he still enjoyed the time he spent with her, learning about the beginning of their relationship. He just hoped that the incident on the bridge didn't ruin what they had. There was still more that he needed to know. His leaving in that year could not have been the end of their relationship. Jason had a feeling that it was just the beginning. He just hoped that Elizabeth would still want to tell him about their past.

"Goodnight Jason, thank you for the ride."

"Goodnight."

As she turned to walk away, his light grip on her arm stopped her. "When can I see you again?"

"I work all day tomorrow, and I'm not sure when I'll have a day off. I can call you or meet you at Jakes." What happened at the bridge scared her, but that didn't mean she wanted to distance herself from him. Jason was still her friend, and she wanted to help him in anyway she could. From what she learned from their encounter that morning, Jason left Sam and wasn't working for Sonny anymore. He really didn't have anything or anyone and she wasn't about to abandon him. She didn't want to bail.

Looking at her, Jason knew that he hadn't ruined anything. Elizabeth wasn't going to keep her distance, and for that he was glad. Dropping his hand while letting an easy smile form his face Jason put his hands in his pockets. "I don't have a phone right now. If I'm not at Jakes, I'll be at the coffee warehouse. I asked Sonny for a job there."

"You asked for a job? Jason, you are part owner."

"I know I just want to work." And it was as simple as that, there was no need to explain into great detail his reasoning. Either she understood, or she just accepted his reason for what it was.

"Ok. I have to go, my Grams is going to kill me once I pick up Cameron. Goodnight."

He waited for her to get into her car, start it, and pull away before he did the same. On his way back to Jakes, Jason realized that he was breaking his earlier promise to her. He wasn't going to the hospital, but rather back to Jakes, hoping to grab a beer and play a game of pool. The table was practically calling out to him.

Jason made a mental note to call Sonny the next morning. He didn't know why, but he had a bad feeling about what happened earlier that day. It wasn't until Elizabeth was telling him about their past that Jason remembered the encounter they had with Manny Ruiz that morning.

"We've got a problem."

No greeting, not even a knock. Manny Ruiz just walked straight into Alcazar's living room like he lived there. What the hell were guards for if they just let anyone in without an announcement? "What?"

"I said we have a problem."

"I got that part. What is the problem?"

"Jason Morgan." Manny was still pissed off about the afternoon encounter he had with Miss Webber and Morgan. All he wanted to do was scare the woman enough so that she would run to her incompetent boyfriend and tell him about the incident. That way, Officer Shithead would come straight to Manny wanting to warn him against messing with the pretty little lady. That is what Manny had counted on, that way he could have made his own threats to Spencer. But no, instead of having his plan go through, Morgan showed up. Not only did he bring Manny to his knees, but he now knew that Manny had an interest in Elizabeth. Even though Morgan was supposed to be out of the business, Manny had just gotten word that the man had taken a job for Sonny. Nothing serious, but that meant Morgan still had connections to Corinthos.

"I saw Elizabeth Webber this afternoon on the docks. I went to her and we had a conversation. She's a pretty little thing. A man could get lost in her for hours."

"Enough! What happened?" Lorenzo's patience was running out with the Miami mobster. The Ruiz brother's were the worst mistake that Lorenzo could have made. His jealousy towards Sonny and his connection with Carly made him see red. Instead of thinking clearly, Lorenzo brought the Ruiz family to Port Charles, hoping that they would bring Corinthos down. He always knew that he shouldn't let his personal life interfere with the business. He was turning more and more into Luis everyday. Letting a woman rule his mind was Luis' way, not his. Lorenzo needed to get his priorities straight. Right now, his priority was bringing down Sonny Corinthos and becoming the most powerful mobster. He was just using Manny to get what he wanted.

Manny relayed to Alcazar the events from that afternoon. Approaching Elizabeth, having the woman scared, and then Jason Morgan showing up and interrupting his plan. Ruiz also told Lorenzo how Jason took a job from Corinthos, working at the coffee warehouse.

"We need to take care of Spencer sooner than I wanted to. Sonny is becoming more of a threat and we need Tito out of jail before Corinthos has a chance to one up us."

"Or, we could forget about Tito and Spencer and just focus on bringing Sonny down."

"I told you last night Alcazar, I am not going to let my brother rot in jail because some pussy cop was able to get a cheap shot at him."

Walking over to the drink cart, Manny helped himself to a drink. Taking a long gulp of the burning liquid, Ruiz turned to Alcazar with a sadistic smirk across his lips. "If you choose to go against me and leave my brother in jail," shrugging his shoulders to emphasize his point, Manny finished off his drink, "then I will have no choice but to pay a little visit to Rose Lawn. I heard they just got a nice addition to the crazy family. A one, Mrs. Caroline Alcazar."

The next thing Manny knew, he had his back pinned against the wall as Alcazar held his shirt between two fists, "You go anywhere near Carly, and I will kill you."

"Anything happens to me, and you can kiss your wife and life goodbye. My father made that clear when you went to him for help." Extracting himself from Alcazars grip, Manny continued, "Help me take down Spencer and get Tito out of jail, and you will have nothing to worry about."

The man was pissing Alcazar off with each passing second. But he was right. When he went to Miami and talked to Manny's father, the man made it clear that if he crossed them, all hell would break loose. Poring himself a much needed drink, Alcazar turned to Ruiz and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Sucking his teeth, Manny placed his hands in his pockets and placed his all known evil smile on his face, "We kill Spencer."