Chapter Seven

Jason had heard every word that had been spoken between Elizabeth and Lucky and it had taken everything he had not to bust through the door and snatch the other man up by his shirt and haul his ass out of the building for even daring to speak to Elizabeth like that. But he hadn't, and he hadn't allowed the guard to do it either. They'd both listened to the argument helpless, knowing that the little woman outside wouldn't appreciate either one of them manhandling her future ex-husband. And a part of him was glad he allowed the conversation between them to finish because in the end, he heard the words of a man who he'd long ago considered dead. Perhaps there was still a bit of that old Lucky Spencer left in the kid after all.

He might not have been able to stop the argument from happening but he was damn sure able to be there when it was all over. Without a second thought he'd opened the door and found a crying Elizabeth ready to collapse to the ground and he doubted she even realized it. He sighed relieved when she was once more in his arms, safe and sound. He knew that Elizabeth liked to think herself invincible at times but he knew better. In his line of work, he was trained to seek out the vulnerability in others, to spot it immediately and store it away for further use. He'd never use those vulnerabilities against Elizabeth but that didn't mean he didn't see them. She was fragile and stubborn and refused to ask for help until the very last minute. She hated to admit when she needed anyone or anything from anyone, but right now she needed him.

He soothed a hand over her silken hair and held her close in an embrace that he was loath to end but he needed to get her inside and resting. She'd gone through hell today and this had just been the icing on the cake. He knew that they still had a lot to discuss but right now what she needed was time to her self and a soft bed to relax in. He whispered in her ear, warning her he was about to lift her and when he received her small nod in acceptance he scooped her small form once more in his arms and carried her back into the penthouse. He didn't think she'd be comfortable on the couch so he carried her upstairs and into the bedroom they'd shared that night. Brenda's old room, it amused him to think of her reaction if she ever got whiff of just how he'd used her silk sheets but he knew better than to actually offer the information. Still it would be amusing.

He sat her back on her own two feet long enough to pull back the covers then he eased her down to sit on the side of the bed. Kneeling before her he took first one tiny foot and then the other, easing the shoes off both of them before helping her to lay back. No words were spoken between them yet it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. That's what a lot of people didn't understand about them. Neither of them needed constant chatter surrounding them constantly. They both liked to listen to the simple beauty of silence and find comfort in it. There had been a lot of those silences between them over the years and he couldn't remember a single one where he felt uncomfortable. She understood him perhaps better than anyone because, in a lot of ways they were alike. Of course no one else could or would ever take the time to see the similarities between them, after all he was a mob enforcer and she was a sweet single mother.

The ultimate Angel and Demon scenario except in this case there wasn't much difference between them. They wanted the same things in life, took pleasure in the same things and generally had the same outlook on life. She was the only one he could turn too when things got tough and know without a doubt that she'd do anything in her power to help him, even if all he needed was just a quite shoulder to lean on. Everyone else in his life had his or her own agenda's for being around him. He wasn't an idiot and he didn't think less of those people, it was just with Elizabeth, he knew she was honest in her affection with him, no strings attached. It was one of the things that first drew him to her, her need to give without reservation.

He reached out a brushed a lock of her chocolate hair away from her brow and was about to walk away, leaving her alone to her thoughts when a hand suddenly reached out and caught hold of his, halting his departure. His ice blue eyes would meet her darker sapphire and even in the darkness of the room he could see the jewel like teardrops forming in her eyes.

"Stay with me?"

The pleading tone of her voice broke his heart without another word he released her hand long enough to strip of his shirt and toss it over the full-length mirror that stood in a corner. He moved around the bed and slid in beside her wordlessly gathering her up against his chest to wrap his arms about her. She was trembling and cold despite the warmth in the room.

"It's really over, there's no going back now." Came her whisper from the dark. He could hear the tears in her voice and he couldn't help but lower his lips to her bare shoulder. It was as if the kiss broke her and soon she was sobbing violently in his arms. He rolled her over then and settled her face against his neck, his arms wrapped securely around her, hands making soothing circles on her back as he let her sob it out. He couldn't imagine the pain she was going through. Sure he'd gone through the divorce with Courtney and it had hurt, like hell, but somehow he always knew from the beginning that if she left he would survive. Sam… Sam was different in a way. He'd been the one to push her away for her own safety and he still loved her but he couldn't look at her without seeing Ric's hands all over her.

It disgusted him and he knew he should forgive her, she'd been hurt and in need of someone to hold and Ric had taken advantage of that but he still couldn't help his reaction to it. Elizabeth on the other hand, she'd spent all of her adult life and most of her teenage years in love with Lucky, they'd had dreams built on a foundation that had previously been unshakable. And he knew that if it hadn't been for Luck's addiction he might never have gotten the chance to make love and hold Elizabeth like he was now. He couldn't lie to himself, a part of him was glad that Lucky had turned out the way he had because of the chance that was now before him, but he'd gladly give that chance away if it meant that Elizabeth didn't have to suffer anymore. He brushed a tender kiss to her temple and closed his eyes, praying for the first time in years that a little bit of peace found it's way into Elizabeth's heart.

A sad little sniff was his answer and he sighed with relief when her sobs ebbed to tiny hiccups and then he felt a smile brush against the flesh of his neck. He leaned back to look down at her, curious to see what could make her smile so soon after all of that and was a bit confused when he found himself drowning in his eyes. She must have noted the confusion and the smile on her lips only grew.

"It is over, and a part of me is dieing on the inside because of that but, I know I can't dwell on the what could have bens or the should have bens. And I realized that was what was making me so sad. I wasn't crying over the fact that I was divorcing this Lucky, but because I think I've finally realized that the Lucky that I was so in love with all those years ago, really is gone."

Jason's hand rose from her slender waist to brush back more of her hair that had fallen against her cheek, his thumb taking the time to brush against the smooth dampness of her flesh. His eyes never left hers as he thought over her words taking them in and processing them before he chose to speak.

"Are you okay with that? Letting go of that Lucky I mean." He didn't stop to think over how funny that sounded. As if there were doubles of Lucky walking around Port Charles but they both knew that in fact, that's exactly what was happening.

Elizabeth sighed into his flesh as she turned her face to press her lips against his open palm. She knew Jason would understand what she was trying to say but it was still nice to hear it spoken. Sometimes she felt that no one else in the world would ever understand the chaos that was her mind but then Jason would come and soon all the chaos would calm and there would be his voice of reason making sense of it all. She thought over his question, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she answered as honestly as she could.

"I don't know. I guess I have to be you know? I don't have a lot of options. I can't allow Cameron to grow up in a house with an addict. I can't put that pressure on me either. I can't keep cleaning up after his messes. And we definitely don't want this child being brought up around that either. I've come to the realization that I've been in love with a memory for almost five years. And I think Lucky has too. We're not the same people we we're all those years ago when we had all those big plans and dreams. We've both just been to desperate to hold on to that, that we didn't see it."

"No one can blame you." He answered his eyes traveling over her face. He'd noted the changes in the girl he'd fallen for three years ago, he'd watched from the side lines as she grew from that spunky young woman into the beautiful woman she was today and he didn't think he'd ever stopped loving her, and though he'd fallen for the girl she used to be, he'd fallen for each new stage in her life just as deeply as he had the first. But he could see how her and Lucky got caught up in the images of who they used to be. It was the same thing with the Quartermaines. They looked at him and saw the Jason Quartermaine that was their loving, devoted son, no matter how many years went by or how far he distanced himself from them. Only Lila and Emily had really taken the time to get to know this new Jason. Monica now was at least trying too.

Sometimes when you love someone, you only want to see what you want to see in him or her. It was one of the reasons he'd allowed himself to fall for Courtney. At first she was sweet and kind. Giving and trustworthy, he'd seen in her what he missed in Elizabeth. She was as similar and as opposite as one could get from the beautiful brunette lying in his arms right now, but at the time he didn't see what he was trying to do, he didn't stop and realize he was only trying to make a replacement for the girl he'd lost.

"No, but I blame myself. How am I supposed to tell Cameron that the man he thinks of as Daddy, isn't going to be there anymore. That he isn't going to be his daddy anymore." The tears once more started to form in Elizabeth's eyes and Jason was quick to brush them away whispering soothingly once more as he tried to calm her.

"You don't have to figure everything out tonight Elizabeth, just rest now and tomorrow we'll think of something. Just close your eyes and get some sleep. You and the baby need it." It was the mention of the baby that had Elizabeth calming her tears. He was right. She'd been putting way too much stress on herself lately and it wasn't good for the baby. She was going to have to take care of herself better. She brushed her tears away and settled her body closer to Jason's; taking the arm that was connected to the hand on her face and brought it around her body once more.

"You're right, besides I have you right?" she whispered against his chest and smiled when his hand fell to rest against her flat belly, caressing her and their unborn child so tenderly it brought tears to her eyes.

"Always."