Special shout out to Bella-mi-amore, Liasonfan1, and Caraluna for all your incouraging words, I'm so glad that you guys like it and I'm especially glad to know that I'm keeping Jason and Liz as real as they are. I love them too much to change them too drastically. Tell me how I'm doing with Cam and please keep the reviews coming!

Disclaimer: I don't own them but I wish I did, especially Jason mmmmm Jason

Chapter 9

Elizabeth pushed her loose hair out of her face for the thousandth time that day. Today had been a complete nightmare, from start to finish and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and pretend it never happened. She'd finally gone to Grams to pick up Cam and the few things she'd brought over there. From the instant she stepped through her door her sweet, always well-meaning grandmother had talked none stop about how all marriages hit their rough spots and how deeply Lucky loved me. When Elizabeth told her that she wasn't going back to Lucky…ever and that she was moving in temporarily with Jason that's when things really started getting bad. Couldn't her grandmother see just how deeply she was hurting her by constantly going on about the good in Lucky, and just how much we'd been through over the years?

Of course then she started talking about how dangerous Jason was, and how could she, as a mother place her son in that kind of environment? She really hit the roof when Elizabeth told her she was pregnant with Jason's child. Grams had just stood there then and looked at her as if she were a complete stranger, then turned and walked away, possibly forever. It hurt Elizabeth, more than she was willing to ever admit, but she knew she was making the right choice in all of this. Jason was the one person who could keep her and her children safe, both from his career and Lucky's addiction. She wasn't foolish enough to believe that everything would be fine between her and her future ex-husband. The drugs wouldn't allow it to be, but for now he was keeping his distance and that was fine by her. The only good part about the day was getting Cam. Having her sweet little boy in her arms again was like taking a deep breath after a nightmare. He was fool of questions and stories and she simply ate them up, knowing how precious these moments were going to be for a while.

When she arrived at the apartment she'd shared with Lucky, she'd been afraid he'd be there but thankfully he wasn't. That had been hell. Packing up a life that she'd thought would last forever. All around her had been good memories and it was hard to focus on packing her and Cameron's things. The guards that Jason had sent with her Johnny and Max had been a welcome distraction from it all though. She remembered them from her time living with Jason before and they too remembered her, Max even remembered to call her Elizabeth and Johnny asked if she'd be making anymore of those brownies. They'd made her laugh and that was what she really needed at the moment. Jason had called on and off during the day to make sure she was all right and to tell her to just come home if it got to hard and he'd have movers do the rest. She knew he'd meant well but the thought of strangers touching all these things…just didn't feel right. Besides this was part of her healing process, part of moving on. Of course she wasn't allowed to lift anything except Cam.

Cam had taken to Johnny and Max surprisingly well, which surprised Elizabeth. Cam was usually a shy boy but apparently there was something about the other men's personalities that drew the boy out. By the time they made it to Jason's door Cam was on Johnny's shoulders laughing and talking a million miles a minute. Max was loaded down with boxes and that was the only reason Elizabeth was allowed to carry one, regardless that it was lighter than Cameron. She wasn't given the chance to open the door before it came open with a smiling Jason standing there taking in the scene. Before Elizabeth knew it the box was out of her hands, in Jason's and she was being guided directly to the couch were she assumed the silent order to rest would be expected to be followed through. As she sank into the soft white cushions she gave a huge sigh and had to admit, it felt heavenly. She promised herself she was only going to close her eyes for a second, one small second…

Jason watched as Elizabeth immediately dozed off as soon as she hit the couch and didn't try to hide his concerned expression. She was going through too much too soon but she wouldn't let him talk her out of it. He told Max and Johnny to tell the boys to bring up the boxes of Elizabeth's things and then took Cam from Johnny's shoulders. The little boy simply stared at him for a while and Jason returned the stare likewise. The last he'd been this close to the boy he'd barely been an infant and now the little boy was a whirlwind of words and movements, or at least from what he'd been told and what he'd seen. Now the boy just stared at him with Elizabeth's eyes. They weren't the deep sapphire blue that Elizabeth had been blessed with, instead they were a dark hazel like Zander's but the shape…the shape was all Elizabeth's. Without thinking he raised his finger to trace along the miniature version of Elizabeth's lips and the he smiled when Cam smiled, flashing an adorable dimple.

"Hello Cameron, you probably don't remember me, but I'm Jason, a friend of your mothers. You and her are going to be staying with me for a while." He whispered to the little boy who was currently shyly playing with his shirt. He could tell there were hundreds of questions in the little boys eyes and found himself rather amused that he only asked one which showed there was a bit of the boys father in him after all. He found himself unable to keep the smile from his face, which caused Cam to trace his lips like he'd previously done.

"Is mommy going to cry anymore and be upset?" That wiped the smile from Jason's lips and he forced the urge to go and strangle Lucky away. Jason could imagine what all the poor kid had seen when his parents thought he wasn't looking. For him to ask that question told a good portion of how much. Sighing Jason moved himself and Cameron away from the living room so they wouldn't disturb Elizabeth and into the kitchen. He Sat the little boy on the counter and ran a hand over the boy's dark locks.

"I'm going to try and do everything in my power to try and make sure that doesn't happen. I wish I could promise that she'd never cry again but I can't. I wouldn't want to lie to you." Lord knows he'd been lied to enough. Cam seemed to seriously consider his words and Jason watched as the boy bit his bottom lip and began to kick his legs nervously. He was hesitant to ask the next question and Jason couldn't help but grin.

"Go ahead Cam, you can ask me anything."

Hoping that was true the little boy fought back tears as he asked a question that Jason knew came directly from the heart.

"Is Daddy not going to be my Daddy anymore?" Jason wished he hadn't told Cam he could ask him any question because this was one he sure as hell didn't want to answer, but the trembling of the boys lip and the jewel like tears that caught on his long lashes reminded him so much of the sleeping woman downstairs that he couldn't ignore it or brush it off for another time.

"I think Lucky, will always be a big part in your life Cam, but for right now your mom doesn't think its such a great idea that he be around because he's sick. I can't tell you what will happen when he gets better," hell he couldn't even tell himself, "but what I can promise is that no matter what happens your mother and daddy love you and they just want what's best for you. Now, how about you and me make your mom dinner so when she wakes up she can eat?" That brightened the boy up quickly and Jason was relieved. He knew that Elizabeth wanted to be the one to explain all of this to Cameron but the boy was apparently too impatient, a trait he came by from both his parents. Jason turned to look around the kitchen and frowned, now what to make? He posed the question to the boy and Spaghetti rang out loudly causing Jason to laugh. He could do Spaghetti, he hoped.

Elizabeth awoke to the sounds of male laughter, one slightly higher than the other and sounding heartwarmingly like her sons. She rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her hands and glanced at the clock sitting on the mantle the gasped. Apparently little baby Morgan didn't understand the definition of a second. She solely blamed her baby on this one; it must have taken over her body and made her sleep the hour away. She glanced around the penthouse and saw boxes all around and wondered how she'd slept through that, but then of course she knew the men had been moving like whispers in the wind, she could have been wide awake and still wouldn't have heard them unless they'd wanted her too. Jason was like that too, so big and strong and yet he could move as swiftly and silently as a cat. Perhaps she should get him a human sized cat collar with a bell, just so she knew where he was. The idea had her laughing to herself even as she followed the other sounds of laughter that came from the kitchen.

Upon her first inspection she only registered shock at the mess that had seemed to take over the kitchen like a living thing. There was flour all over the place and red sauce in unnatural places. She took a step in not realizing her mouth was hanging open. This couldn't be Jason's penthouse; no somehow someway she'd walked into the twilight zone, yea that had to be it. She must have made a noise because the laughter stopped and the silence drew her attention to the two culprits standing at the stove. One wearing a proud, happy, sauce covered grin and the other had a deciding sheepish look about him, which caused her heart to jolt pleasantly in her chest.

"Look Momma we cooked S'ghetti!" Cam yelled with a bright smile, which had Jason wincing and Elizabeth laughing. Walking over to her son she grabbed him by the far too big apron he was wearing and pulled him closer to her. She playfully nibbled on his cheek where a splatter of the sauce had planted its mark, which sent the little boy into a fit of giggles. She was laughing herself by the time she pulled away but then smacked her lips as if judging the taste.

"I don't know, could use a bit more salt." She winked then looked up at the man who had watched the exchange interestingly. She began to feel a bit unraveled when he just continued to stare at her so she self consciously wiped at her face one dark brow raising in question. Did she have something on her face? Before she could ask there was the sound of the front door opening and before she could stop him Cam hopped off the stool he'd been standing on and ran to see who it was. She was about to go after him when Jason stopped her with a hand on her arm.

She found herself moving willingly towards him when he pulled her against him. Dark Sapphire eyes becoming lost in the ice blue of his. Jason reached up then and brushed his thumb over her lips before leaning down and replaced his thumb with his lips. Her hands came up to rest on the large muscles of his biceps and for just a moment she forgot that her little boy was in the next room and someone had just entered the penthouse. Jason hadn't though and that's the only reason he was able to pull back from her. He smiled down into her dazed eyes and couldn't help but tease.

"The sauce might need a little salt but you taste perfect." He winked and was about to release her completely when a gasp came from the entranceway of the kitchen; which brought both their stunned gazes to an equally stunned Carly.

"Please tell me you weren't doing what I think you were doing with Muffin Face?" and at the exact same time both Jason and Elizabeth groaned.