FF #177: Very quickly you feel incredibly old after you leave the show. What happens is that people come in, you're 31, and then all of a sudden you're 40 in the blink of an eye, and then there's a cast member who's 24, looking at you like you're Chevy Chase or Dan Akroyd and shaking when they talk to you. And you go, "But I was just the new guy a second ago."
-Dana Carvey

Part Eleven

"Are you ready to go to the bank?"

Sitting straight up on her bed at the sound of Jason's voice, Elizabeth turned to see him standing in her doorway, leaning against the open doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. She forgot what he had just asked her when her eyes met his. All she could do was stare at him and hope that her mouth wasn't hanging open.

He was such a beautiful man.

But, the more time she spent with him, the more she realized that not only was he beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. He was such a hard looking man, making people think with one look into his cold blue eyes that he was heartless. But Elizabeth knew better. Jason had a soft side, and she couldn't help but sigh over the fact that she got to witness his beautiful heart fist hand.

"Elizabeth?"

His voice was always so soft and gruff when he spoke to her. She had never heard anyone say her name quite like he did. He said her name like it was a precious little secret that he wanted to keep between the two of them. Always softly spoken, always causing chills to go up her spine and goose bumps to appear on her arms.

He moved away from the frame and took a step closer, "Elizabeth, you ok?"

His lips were another thing that drove her to distraction. For the first couple of days, she could only stare at the fullness of his mouth, wonder if his lips would be soft or hard against hers. Now she knew. They were defiantly soft and wonderful. She sighed again at the thought of their shared kisses, wishing more than anything that Jason would walk closer, lean over her and kiss her again.

As he moved closer, her heart began to race and her breathing became rapid with anticipation of his closeness. She lifted her gaze from his firm, yet soft lips and looked into the most enchanting blue eyes she ever had the pleasure of looking into. What she saw was not what she was hoping for. Elizabeth wanted him to have the same provocative look in his eyes as he did when he practically strolled up his staircase and kissed every thought out of her mind the night before. What she saw was no where near that look that told her she was going to get another mind blowing kiss, and maybe something more.

He looked concerned.

Damn.

Jason was worried about her. When he came back to her room, the sight of her lying on her bed with her eyes closed and a smile on her face caused him to pause. He was just getting her so they could leave for the bank, but when he saw how beautiful she looked, he had to pause and just stare at her. After about two minutes of leaning against her door frame and staring at her, he finally broke the silence. When she looked at him, her expression was, at first, a bit startled, but then her eyes glazed over and she just stared at him as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

Jason kept calling her name, but he couldn't seem to get through to her. There was something wrong. When he made it to her bed and stood before her, he took her face between his palms and looked into her eyes before he started twisting her face this way and that to see if anything was wrong.

She was finally snapped out of her daydreaming. "Jason, I'm fine."

He was leaning over her slightly. Her legs were hanging over the side of the mattress, causing her to spread them in order to bring Jason closer. She tried to hold her smile, and did a pretty good job at it.

She might get her kiss after all.

Jason's eyes became glazed when he looked at her mouth, saw her tongue dart out and moisten the plump lips. His head dipped as she closed her eyes. Their lips were a scant distance apart and neither one of them could wait any longer. Elizabeth lifted her face higher as Jason lowered his the rest of the way and for the third time since Jason stood in her doorway, Elizabeth sighed.

"Jason!"

At the sound of Johnny's booming voice, Jason pulled away from Elizabeth, only to realize that he was just in the process of lowering her to her bed. Standing straight up, Jason scrubbed his hands over his face and cursed his inability to think when he was so close to her. All he could do was stare at her as she looked up at him with eyes so starry; all he wanted to do was kiss her again.

"Jason!" Johnny's voice was impatient as he yelled up the stairs once again.

Jason's gaze moved to her lips, lips he had just been kissing, lips he still wanted to be kissing. Their kiss ended way too soon. Elizabeth looked way to inviting to him at that moment. She was leaning on her elbows, licking her lips, no doubt tasting him with each stroke of her tongue.

Damn.

Moving closer to her again, Jason's smile was almost as big as hers as she sat up again, waiting for his kiss. He was just about to lean in again when Johnny's angry voice called up the stairs again.

"God dammit Jason, what the hell is going on!"

Clenching his jaw tight, Jason moved away from Elizabeth and began to walk towards the door. His words were clipped and angry when he called down to Johnny. "I'm coming!"

Jason walked out of her room without a backwards glance. Elizabeth stared at the open doorway for a moment before she flopped back down on her bed and let out a loud groan. She was about to get off of her bed when Jason came back into the room. She was still lying on her back and had to turn her head to see him. He was stalking towards her with a determined look on his face. When he came to the side of the bed, he reached down, pulled her to a standing position, causing her body to crash with his.

She didn't have time to think before his lips came crashing down on hers. His kiss wasn't gentle and she didn't want it to be. She was just in the process of returning his kiss when he pulled away, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling.

His eyes held a sparkle. "We have to leave for the bank in five minutes."

He placed a chaste kiss on her lips before he pulled away again and walked out of her room.

This time, when she flopped back down on her bed, a pleasurable sigh escaped her lips.

Johnny was just finishing with his report of what was going on with the man they still held at the safe house when they heard Elizabeth coming down the stairs. Jason had wanted to get rid of the man. He wasn't giving them any information and Jason saw no use in the man. But Sonny decided that they shouldn't kill him just yet. They would keep the kidnapper at the safe house until they figured out what was going on and who tried to kidnap Kristina and Elizabeth.

Both men turned to see Elizabeth hop down the stairs. She was such a bubble of energy. His total opposite and, Jason admitted, completely refreshing.

When she smiled at him as she made her way to his desk where he and Johnny stood, Jason realized that he wasn't the only one who seemed to be breathing a bit more rapidly in her presence. He looked over at his friend and saw that Johnny was openly staring at Elizabeth. He was also letting his gaze wonder over her slight frame.

Jason's soft expression turned to a scowl when Elizabeth looked away from him and smiled up at Johnny. His hands formed into fists at his sides when she reached her hand out in a greeting. Jason did not like seeing her soft, delicate hand, being swallowed by Johnny's.

"Hi, my name's Elizabeth."

Johnny continued to shake her hand, as he gazed into her wide, beautiful blue eyes. Her smile lit up her face, and Johnny thought that Sonny's explanation that she was a beautiful woman didn't do her any justice. She was…

"You can let go of her hand now."

At the sound Jason's low growl, Johnny shook Elizabeth's hand once more and finally remembered his name. "Ni…nice…" Clearing his throat, Johnny tried again, "Nice to meet you Elizabeth." He might have remembered his name, but he forgot to mention it to Elizabeth.

When her hand was finally free, Elizabeth looked back at Jason and he could see the question in her eyes. "His name's Johnny." When her forehead scrunched in a frown, Jason realized that his tone was short. Making himself relax, Jason softened his voice. "He works for me and Sonny."

Her easy smile came back and before he could act like an even bigger idiot, Jason grabbed her hand and began to walk towards the door, practically dragging her behind him. "We should get to the bank."

When Jason stopped to open the door, Elizabeth smiled over her shoulder at Johnny. "It was nice to see you Johnny. I hope to see you again." She didn't get a chance to see or hear his reply as Jason pulled her out of the penthouse.

Jason turned back around to close his door as Elizabeth made her way to the elevator. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were pinched tight as he scowled at Johnny, who was now blushing. The guard was leaning against Jason's desk when he saw the dark look on his friends face. Johnny stood up straight and opened his mouth to say something right before Jason's head ticked to the side right before he slammed the door shut.

Johnny understood Jason's silent message loud and clear.

Elizabeth was Jason's.

They had been sitting there for the past ten minutes, waiting patiently while the bank clerk tried to find any possible information that she could give Elizabeth.

Jason could see the drastic change in her since they entered the bank and so far heard nothing. She had been happy and full of energy on the car ride over, but once they sat down, her expression became solemn. Jason hated her parents for causing her so much pain.

"I'm sorry Ms. Webber; there is nothing that I can tell you."

Closing her eyes at the disappointment, Elizabeth willed herself to stay strong. She was not going to cry in the middle of the bank. In a soft, broken voice, Elizabeth looked at the bank clerk with a pleading expression. "You can't tell me why—all of a sudden—my account was frozen?"

The bank clerk, Jill, looked regretful as she punched some more keys on her keyboard before looking back at Elizabeth. "I'm so sorry, but I-"

Jason hated the look on Elizabeth's face. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her, some how ease her pain. He couldn't do that just yet, instead, he glared at Jill, causing the poor woman's hands to shake as she continued to search through her computer. "I'm sure you can find something, Jill." His voice was lethal when he interrupted the woman.

Jill glanced at the man who was glaring at her making her wish she hadn't. He was looking at her with fury and Jill couldn't help but think that the man was some how blaming her for Elizabeth's misfortune.

"Th-there's nothing that I can do Mr. Morgan, I-I don't have the authority to-"

"Then you need to find someone who has the authority to give us some damn answers."

Jill looked like she was on the verge of tears and Elizabeth, finally focusing on the conversation taking place, took pity on the woman who was doing her best to help Elizabeth out.

She placed a calm hand on Jason's forearm and couldn't help but frown over how angry he was getting on her behalf. Leaning over her chair so that she could whisper to him, Elizabeth patted his arm. "We can't scare the answers out of her Jason. She is just doing her job."

Jason looked down at Elizabeth and softened his expression as his gaze met hers. He nodded his head just once before he turned back to look at Jill. He wasn't glaring at her anymore, but he didn't apologize either.

Elizabeth's smile was genuine. "He's just a bit upset." When the clerk nodded her head stiffly, Elizabeth tried to calm her. "Oh, wow, that's a very pretty necklace." Raising her eyebrows in amusement, Elizabeth leaned over the desk, closer to Jill as she smiled. "Did a certain Mr. Perfect give it to you?"

Jill's smile came easily and her shaking stopped as she touched the three interlocked ruby hearts that hung from the gold chain around her neck. "Actually, three little Mr. Prefect's. My three little boys got it for me for Mother's Day last year. I haven't taken it off since."

"Awe, that is so sweet."

Before Jill could respond, Jason cleared his throat in impatience as he stood, tugging Elizabeth up with him. As if it were a habit, Elizabeth clasped her hand with Jason's as she smiled down at Jill. "Thank you so much for your help."

"I'm sorry I couldn't…" Before Jill could finish her sentence, Jason was already dragging Elizabeth towards the door.

Mr. Morgan might have scared her with his glaring, but he sure was nice to watch as he walked away.

Once they stepped outside the bank, the smile that graced Elizabeth's face fell as they made their way to the awaiting car. Before Jason opened the door for her, he placed one hand on her shoulder and used his other hand to cup her cheek, catching the tear that fell from her eye with his thumb. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know what I am going to do."

"We'll figure it out."

He dropped his hands from her, opened the car door and helped her in before he made his way to his side of the car. Neither said a word as Jason pulled out of the bank parking lot. When Elizabeth realized that they turned the wrong way, she turned to Jason and asked him where they were going.

Without looking at her, Jason answered.

"Nowhere."