Chapter 2

Elizabeth groaned as once more she began to pace outside Jason's penthouse door. She'd been doing it now for more than thirty minutes just trying to work up the courage to lift her hand and knock. How does one go about saying this? She should know the answer to that. Hell she should be an expert after having to tell both Zander and Ric about her pregnancy with Cameron. But Jason wasn't Zander, a one-night stand that had meant absolutely nothing for either parties and he wasn't Ric, a man who had lied to her from the moment he'd opened his mouth. He was Jason and somehow she knew that she just couldn't walk in there and simply blurt out the truth even thought that was exactly what she was afraid of doing. He deserved better, he deserved to be having a child with the woman he loved. That thought had her pausing and a sharp pain was felt in her heart. She wasn't the woman he loved anymore, Sam was, and like a fool she'd thrown away Jason's love just like Elizabeth had all those years ago.

She'd been honest with him that night when she'd admitted that she often thought of what might have been if she had run away with him, but what she didn't tell him was that she thought more of the moment in which she turned him down than anything else. She'd seen the love and hope in his eyes. He'd held out his hand like a lifeline to her and like a fool she ignored what her heart and soul was telling her and turned him away. The pain that she'd seen reflected in those ice blue eyes of his still haunted her in her dreams. She lost her chance to be with him that night and now Sam had lost hers by sleeping with Ric. Elizabeth's pert nose scrunched up when she even thought of it. The man was her stepfather! The whole situation was twisted in her point of view and Jason was lucky to be rid of her. But he wasn't lucky was he? He was getting his soul and heart twisted away from him because he loved a woman too much to risk her life. Always the selfless hero, always putting everyone's welfare above his own. But who was supposed to look after him?

There was a time when she'd asked for that responsibility, she'd even moved in with him and for a small time lived a dream she hadn't even realized existed. The dream didn't last long, though it was silly to even think about it now. She knew she'd been wrong to place the blame so squarely on Jason's shoulders and not allow him to explain, but she'd been so hurt and thinking rationally wasn't something she was capable of doing until it was too late. Elizabeth sighed once again and her pacing speed picked back up again, paying little attention to the guard who was watching her in amusement. So she was acting like a crazy person… she was entitled wasn't she? Her and trips down memory lane usually didn't end up so well and when Jason was involved she usually ended up worse for the ware. Still that wasn't what she was here for and thinking about all the things that had gone wrong between them wasn't going to help her any.

Finally she stopped her pacing and moved to stand in front of the door, the guard who had been watching the small woman moved to knock and announce her when suddenly the door swung open to reveal a familiar tear stained face. Elizabeth hadn't been expecting to come face to face with Sam so soon, especially not with the other woman looking so devastated. She almost felt sorry for the woman, hell who was she trying to kid she did feel sorry for her and her face must have shown it because Sam snarled at her and spoke with a tear strained hiss. "He's all yours. Well, I can't really say that can I? He was always yours wasn't he? How long Mrs. Perfect? He said one night but I don't believe it. I've seen the way you two look at each other when you don't think other people are around. Did you stop to think of how your little affair would hurt others? How it would devastate the woman that he was supposed to marry?"

At first Elizabeth had been shocked, stunned to realize that Jason had told Sam about their one night affair but she wasn't angry, she knew that if Jason had felt the need to tell Sam then it was for a good reason. What made her angry, infuriated was that Sam had the nerve to blame her for her current heartache. Accusing Jason of cheating on her the entire time was ridiculous! Normally she'd have been able to just bite her tongue and tell herself that Sam was just upset and wasn't thinking clearly, but not this time. This time she couldn't.

"How dare you stand there and play the victim. You're the one who slept with Ric! Ric Lansing, you know, the man your fiancée hates with a blind cold passion? Oh and did I happen to mention that he's your stepfather? You made your bed the second you decided to throw Jason's love away for some meaningless sex. Did you stop to think about how Jason would feel? Did you stop to think about how your own mother would feel? No, you didn't. So, don't stand there and pretend that you're the one whose the innocent in all of this. Like I said, you made your bed and now you're just going to have to learn to lay in it."

By the time she was finished Elizabeth was panting with her furry. How dare this woman hurt Jason and then blame her pain on her and over false accusations no less! She was so concentrated on calming herself down that she didn't see the rage flare to life within Sam's eyes, or the hand raise to inflict violence, but luckily someone else did. Before Sam's hand could even come near to connecting with Elizabeth's face another larger, stronger hand caught Sam by the wrist and held her captive as he stared down at her from his height, ice blue eyes glaring down coldly at the woman he'd thought he'd spend the rest of his life with.

"I think you should leave Sam. Now." He released her then as if she burned him, his eyes moving to rest on Elizabeth's red face. Jason had heard everything that had been said between the two women from his place at his desk. He'd expected Elizabeth to defend herself again the charges of having a long time affair with him but he'd never expected her to so readily jump to his defense. He should have known better though. Elizabeth had stood by his side when everyone else had deserted him. Sure there were times when they'd been on opposing sides on a number of things, but when it really mattered, she'd always been there, ready to stare down the devil himself if it meant protecting him. He'd have given himself the opportunity to be amused by the little woman's fierce streak if he wasn't more concerned about what she was doing there.

He moved away from the door to allow her to enter his penthouse, concern replacing the anger quickly when he noticed how she was trembling. She was twisting her hands together like she always did when she had something really important to say but just didn't know how to get the words out. Funny he could remember so many little things about Elizabeth and yet right now he was having a hard time remembering some really important things about Sam. Especially like when did she turn into someone that reminded him so much of his ex wife it was almost frightening? Once Elizabeth was safely inside and he had the door closed behind them, Jason stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans to keep himself from reaching out for her. He always had that problem when Elizabeth was around. He'd see her hurt, see her laughing or just watch her breath and all he wanted to do was touch her, hold her. It was an impulse he thought he'd gotten under control until that night. That night he'd been given the chance to touch her and hold her any way he pleased to his hearts content. He'd traced her lips when she smiled, held her cradled safely within his arms as she talked about her pain and her son. He had been able to caress her hair back and slip his fingers through hers. It was kind of hard to go back to not touching her after all of that.

Clearing his throat he forced himself to concentrate on the here and now and why she'd been standing at his door in the first place. "What's wrong?"

Elizabeth jumped at the sound of his voice. Since entering the penthouse she'd been going over all the lines in the speech she'd spent so much time preparing in her head so that when the time came she wouldn't lose her cool and simply blurt out what she'd come here to tell him. Jason deserved more than that. It wasn't helping that she couldn't get her frustration with Sam out of her mind. It took a lot to get Elizabeth this infuriated, but when you did it took even more effort to get her to calm down again. With all the nervousness and now frustration clouding her mind it didn't surprise her that she'd forgotten he was in the room with her.

Turning to face him she offered him a small nervous smile, her fingers still twisting over themselves as she tried to think how best to answer that loaded question. She bit into her bottom lip to keep from just spilling it like she always tended to do when he was around and she lowered her eyes to the floor to keep from having to look into the hypnotic ice blue eyes that God in all his wisdom had blessed him with. It was also why she was more than surprised when she felt strong rough fingers clasp her hands and then thread those said fingers through her own trembling smaller ones. Looking up with her wide dark blue eyes she was further amazed to find him so close when just a second ago he'd been standing by the door. How did he move so quick without making any noise? And why was her heart doing summersaults within her breast with his nearness? Stupid question, she cursed herself, knowing the answer already.

"Elizabeth I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." Had his voice always been so strong and deep? She wondered within her mind. How could he be looking at her with so much tenderness and concern when he was the one that had just ended his relationship with his ex fiancée, and most definitely lost the woman that he loved, yet again. His heart had to be breaking inside but here he was, ever faithful in putting aside his own pain to take care of her well being. How could she possibly lay her pregnancy at his feet when he'd already gone through so much tonight? The longer she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that now just wasn't the time.

"It's…It's nothing really. I shouldn't even have come here. I better go." She said in a rush of breath, tears - of what? Pain? Regret? - filling her eyes. She broke the contact of their fingers and brushed past him her hand on the knob before he grabbed her back. Turning her swiftly she had no time to prepare herself as she suddenly found herself back within the safety and comfort of his arms. The fingers of one hand were combing over her hair while the other was rubbing her back in soothing strokes. Against her ear lay the steady beat of his heart and though she tried to blink the tears away they began to slide down her face regardless.

"Elizabeth… please, tell me what's wrong. I can't stand to see you upset, you know that. You came here to tell me something. Has something happened to Cameron? Has Lucky hurt you in some way?"

To all this Elizabeth shook her head against the wall of his chest. She shouldn't have come here, Jason didn't need this right now. But then again neither did she. She knew her tears were beginning to soak his shirt but she just couldn't stop them from coming now that they were released. She had to tell him what she knew, but all her well thought out speeches deserted her when faced with his gentle concern.

"Jase…I'm pregnant."