--Chapter Nine--
.:Port Charles Hotel, Fourth floor, Room 431:.
"So, what, is he, like, a monk?" Elizabeth wondered, cramming a heaping spoonful of Moose Tracks into her mouth as The Princess Bride played on Carly's big screen. Her stepsister had been spending most of her free time house-hunting but had yet to find anything that she absolutely loved, and so their Sunday night ritual was safe for the time being.
"Nah," Carly answered, throwing her legs over the arm of the sofa. "Jason's just a serial monogamist."
"Mm?"
"Yeah. He's only had a couple relationships, all of them serious."
Elizabeth's eyebrows jumped at the uncharacteristic description of a member of the male species. "Really."
It wasn't a question but Carly treated it as such. "Oh, yeah. His first girlfriend was…gosh, what was her name? Oh, yeah, Keesha Ward. You know Justus Ward, right? His daughter."
"Wow."
"Yeah, I know. They were pretty serious but then things kind of started changing. Her dad wanted her to go to law school, which she wanted, too, and that was around the same time that Jason stepped into the corporate world. They didn't have much time to be together anymore and just drifted apart."
Elizabeth's full lower lip stuck out in a small pout. "Sad."
"Yeah," Carly nodded, thinking of her own break-up with Jasper Jacks before snapping herself out of it. "Next came…um…shoot, Nikolas told me about her. Um, Brenda Barrett. Yeah, one of his college-classmates-turned-model, another entitled rich brat who's Daddy Dearest gave her everything she wanted on a silver platter. That surprised a lot of people, mostly because everyone said Brenda was way too fast and out there to be with a steady, dependable kind of guy like Jason."
"How long did they last?"
"About a year and a half – although how they did it was beyond me," Carly shrugged. "According to Nikolas, they fought all the time. Eventually, Jason decided he had enough and didn't need that kind of aggravation at work and at home so he walked away. Moped around for a few days then bounced back after that. They see each other once a year at her dad's Christmas party in New York City and exchange pleasantries at the punch bowl for exactly forty-three seconds before pretending like they're needed elsewhere."
"Geez, you stalk them or something?"
The blonde laughed, licking a drop of ice cream from her thumb. "Nah – Nikolas is there every single time. He finds it damn funny."
"Anyone after that?"
"Yeah – Robin Soltini, an old friend of Nikolas' since they were kids. Her father deals with the government – I think he's a weapons or technology contractor. Something like that – selling stuff to the government or whatever. Her mother comes from the Devane family – the oil tycoons from Wales. That girl had business in her blood."
Elizabeth listened patiently, nodding along. "Sounds like they were a good match."
"You know, from what I hear, they really were," Carly mused, tapping her spoon on the rim of her bowl. "For two years, they were joined at the hip. They fit perfectly because their lifestyles and families were pretty much the same. But then…"
Her stepsister quirked a brow at her. "Oh, no. What happened?"
"Robin found a bad-boy-with-a-heart-of-gold, Holden-Caulfield, James-Dean, John-Travolta-circa-hotness kind of guy named Stone Cates and dumped Jason for him. They ran off to Niagara Falls and got hitched in about a week. Still married, one kid, one on the way. She sends him Christmas cards."
"Ouch."
"Oh, yeah, it was a huge surprise to everyone."
"How'd he do after that?"
"About as well as could be expected. Left Port Charles for New York City, transferred into that big fancy-pants firm of his, threw himself into his work. I'm not totally sure about what went on downstate, but word on the street is that he wasn't looking for romance this time around and pretty much kept to himself."
Elizabeth nodded absently, trying to process all the information her in-the-know sister had just heaped onto her plate. She had thought there was a reason that Jason seemed so stiff and aloof on their informal dinner date Friday night. When she got home, she had just written it off as him being the same cold fish type that she had pegged him to be since their first big fat happy sunshine day encounter.
But Carly had shed some light on the situation. It was no wonder that Jason seemed distant and uncertain – he'd been burned before, and from what it sounded like, hadn't been on a date in quite a while. He was pleasant enough, that was true, but at the time she still didn't think she wanted to give it another go. But now it seemed that the least she could do was cut him some slack, especially if he was actually making an effort to get to know her.
The tap of Carly's spoon against the rim of her empty bowl snapped Elizabeth out of her silent reverie, and she looked over to find her stepsister studying her carefully.
"Okay, Elle," she started, turning around cross-legged on the couch so that she could face her directly. "Level with me: what gives?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, give it up – no one's buying the innocent act," Carly huffed, setting her bowl and spoon on the coffee table. "What's the deal with you wanting the skinny on Jason Morgan? What do you care who he's dated? Come on, Elle, talk to me here."
"Okay, okay, fine," she relented, knowing that resistance was futile wherever Carly was concerned. "I was just asking because I…I was curious, okay?"
"Uh-huh. Why?"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her sister's bland voice. "I…we…kinda went out together on Friday night."
"…Went out as in a he showed up and you conked him over the head and dropped his body in a ditch sort of way?"
"…Went out in a date sort of way."
"A date sort of way?"
"Okay, a date-date sort of way."
"A date-date sort of way?!"
"My God, Carly, find a pirate to sit on!"
"I'm sorry," the blonde sputtered, holding her fingers to her temples. "I'm just trying to comprehend how the Hell my kid stepsister could have, first, gone out with the man that makes Rupert Murdock look approachable and, second, not told me sooner! Friday night? Jesus, Elle, that's a way the Hell long time ago!"
"I know, I know," the brunette exclaimed, exasperated. A fat throw cushion soon found itself held captive against her chest as she turned on the couch, facing her sister and in full confession mode. "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you that night but I was afraid you'd do…that."
"What, you mean try to find a hemlock to swallow?"
"Yeah."
Carly sighed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "Okay, I'll try to stay calm and resist the urge to scrub you down with Lysol long enough for you to spill. So spill."
"I showed up at Kelly's for Friday Night Dinner, right? But when I got there, the place was closed up and-"
"Hello? Didn't you get Mom's message?"
"Well, Dad called me, like, six times, but my phone was…you know what? It's a long story."
Carly smirked wisely at her stepsister. "Was it in your shoe again?"
"No," Elizabeth replied witheringly. "It was…I accidentally let it fall out the window into the hedges. There – you satisfied? Anyway, so I found my phone and ran to Kelly's and saw that Dad called, and Bobbie left me a note telling me what happened. And that's when Jason showed up. He wanted to get something to eat and didn't know about the Friday Night thing, so he asked me what was up and I told him."
"And then? He forced hallucinogenic pills down your throat and when you woke up from the haze you found out to your abject horror that you were somehow on a date with him?"
"Close."
"Oh, thank God."
"-He asked me if I wanted to have dinner with him and I said yes."
"That's not close!"
"Well, I didn't want to make you feel bad."
Carly growled and buried her head in her hands. She loved her sister, but sometimes the girl was unbelievable – like when she was spontaneously going on dates with Jason Morgan and not spending her every breathing minute calling him a tool. That was textbook insanity right there.
"Okay, fine, so dinner."
"Yeah. He asked me where I wanted to go and I told him to surprise me. Next thing I know…he's taking me to the Outback."
Her sister's eyes bulged. "The Outback? As in, Mac's Outback?"
"The same," Elizabeth shrugged.
"Elle – didn't you tell him that you're-"
"I didn't," she answered with a shake of her head. "I mean, it didn't feel right. I was the one that told him to pick, and he was so nice to ask me to dinner because he knew I was starving and…no, I didn't tell him. But it was no big deal – I mean, I ate."
Carly just shook her head. "Then what?"
"Nothing, really. We talked through dinner – just random stuff – and he dropped me off at Jake's."
"…And then?"
"And then, what?"
"…And then?"
"Carly, nothing. I didn't sleep with him or anything."
"Are you sure?" she persisted, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Well, I suppose there's the distinct possibility that we tried out every position in the Kama Sutra and I just forgot about it."
Carly scowled and poked her – hard. "So - no sex?"
"No sex."
"What about kissies?"
"No kissies."
"Oh, thank God!" the blonde cried out, jumping across the couch to throw her arms around the petite brunette. "I haven't lost you after all! You're not tainted!"
"Gee, thanks, Sis," Elizabeth gasped, trying to breathe.
"What?" she asked innocently, pulling back and folding her hands in her lap. "I'm just looking out for your best interests. And trust me, having Jason Morgan dip his doodle in your poodle is not in your best inter-"
"Carly!" Mortified, the brunette gaped at her sister. "Jeez! Just once, I'd like to have a memory with you that I don't have to repress!"
The blonde grinned smugly, burrowing back into the couch cushions as Buttercup fell gracefully flailing out of a window. "Keep away from Jason's doodle, and neither one of us will have to repress anything," she replied sweetly.
Elizabeth pulled a blanket up to her chin, sulking while Buttercup and Wesley rode away from the palace. "I disagree."
.:Wyndemere, Stables:.
"Mrs. Lansbury," Nikolas sighed into his cell phone, trying to reassure his harried housekeeper. "I assure you, whatever you decide to put on the menu for the Bacchanalian Ball will be fine…Yes, I've always found salmon puffs agreeable…I do believe the guests should have that option, yes…all right. All right, Mrs. Lansbury, that will be fine. Goodbye."
Jason chuckled, rubbing down the large bay stallion that stood before him. He and Nikolas had just spent the better part of the morning racing around the island on two of his finest thoroughbreds at Stefan's urging, and Jason had to admit that it had been a welcome change of pace. "She's already worried about the food for the ball?"
Nikolas shook his head, familiar with his housekeeper's peculiar ways. The Bacchanalian Ball had become a tradition at Wyndemere ever since he and his uncle had taken up residence there, and it was a fine opportunity to mingle with the other people of Port Charles – the ones that were lucky enough to be on the guest list, at any rate.
"You know how she is," he sighed, patting his own black stallion on his velvet muzzle. "She wants everything to be perfect, and she knows that Uncle and I are incapable of seeing to the preparations ourselves. The ball gives her an opportunity to show off the house and her talent."
"Well, she's really good at what she does," Jason agreed, scooping up a few sugar cubes and waiting for his horse to lap them up from his palm. "Wyndemere's a crypt, but she makes it look almost like a home."
Nikolas laughed good-naturedly and pulled a burr from his horse's glistening coat before reaching for a washcloth to wipe away the lather that had formed from the race. "You're still coming, right?"
His small smile grew when Jason nodded. "Good – it'll make things a bit more interesting, at the very least. I only go along with this mess for Uncle's sake; he thinks I need to build on my social networking skills and all of that. But honestly…the Bacchanalian is quite tedious."
"You don't have to tell me," Jason muttered, tossing the soiled washcloths into a nearby laundry bin. His horse snorted, demanding more sugar cubes, and stomped his left foot on the ground. "I've been coming since you two moved in."
"Yes, and I still feel badly about that," his old friend pretended to sigh with guilt though his twinkling eyes gave him away. "But this year should be better than last. For one thing, you're here, and for another, Carly and Elle will actually be able to attend this time. Last year they were off white-water rafting or something outrageous like that – Carly came home and swore she'd never leave again, sister-bonding be damned."
Jason just smirked, shaking his head. "Anything's possible when it comes to Elizabeth, huh?"
"I'm afraid so," the Prince chuckled. "I invited Elle the year before last, to be nice. We were just starting to become friends and I thought she'd have a good time coming along with Carly and Jax."
"And? Did she?"
"…You could say that," Nikolas grinned, taking his horse's reins in his hand and undoing them from the bridle. "She and Luke spent the whole night boozing up Uncle and a couple of his friends, then trounced them in a lively game of poker. It was…fantastic."
Jason laughed deeply, not the least bit surprised. "Yeah, that sounds like her."
"I wonder what she'll have planned for this year," the Prince smiled to himself. "She's been telling me that she's not above jumping off the docks at the launch and going skinny-dipping off the shore, so…we'll see."
He looked over at his friend when Jason coughed, sputtering for breath. "You okay?"
"Fine," came the instant reply.
"Carly'll be coming stag this year," Nikolas continued solemnly. "That's too bad. I wonder if Elle will bring a date…I don't think so."
Jason quirked a brow at his old friend. "Why not?"
The young man shrugged. "She hasn't really dated much since she got to Port Charles. Carly says she had two boyfriends back in Philadelphia, and she and Lucky Spencer dated a couple times when she and Noah moved here."
"Elizabeth and Lucky?" That was news to him. "What happened?"
"Nothing much," came the casual reply. "I guess they discovered that they didn't really have much chemistry because they stopped dating and settled on being good friends instead. And to be honest…"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I think Elle's too caught up with everything else in her life right now to consider a serious relationship," Nikolas confided. "Her dad just got remarried not too long ago, about thirteen years after her mother died. She has a new stepmother and a new stepsister, and she's making sure that she has a good relationship with them. She just bought up Jake's a while back and almost all of her free time goes into that place and keeping it running. Plus, she's got her little band on the side, not to mention her art, which she doesn't really have much time for anyway."
Jason was nodding to himself as Nikolas finished rubbing down his horse and began to lead him to his stall. "What Elle needs is a very low-maintenance kind of guy – the kind that doesn't mind if she's blocking out the third Friday night of every month without question to spend time with her family. The kind that doesn't care if she's running around repatching the roof at three in the morning – the kind that doesn't worry if she locks herself up and paints all day. Someone that doesn't need her to always be hovering over him. That's the kind of guy that Elle needs – and hasn't really found, I guess."
The Prince chuckled to himself, giving his horse one last pat on the muzzle. "Hey, if you know anyone that fits the bill, you might want to drop Carly a hint. She and Jax were always trying to introduce Elle to some of their friends for that express reason."
He stopped mid-pat when he saw Jason looking at him strangely. "What?"
"…Nothing."
"No, seriously, what?" Nikolas pressed, locking the stall door so Gabriel couldn't break out like he was prone to do. "I mean, I know Elle's kind of…unique, but that doesn't mean…"
He trailed off, studying his old friend who was suddenly paying Enkidu an awful lot of attention. "…You like her."
His grin grew when Jason glared at him. "Oh, man, you really like her."
The other man growled low in his throat, untangling the horse's mane and ignoring the animal when it snorted its displeasure. He could feel Nikolas' amused chestnut eyes on him as he backed the animal up into the stall and moved after it, taking down a white blanket from a peg.
"You and Elle? Seriously?"
Jason rolled his eyes, hearing Nikolas' chuckles, and tossed the blanket over Enkidu. The animal tossed its mane, waiting patiently as Jason snapped the white blanket around its middle so that it stayed securely on, then moved away to shut the stall door.
"Jason, you've got to tell me – since when? Does Carly know?"
"No," he answered immediately. "It's nothing, really – I just took her out to dinner once."
The young Prince found this tidbit extremely interesting and rested an arm on the stall door, leaning his face away when Gabriel tried to nuzzle against him. "When?"
"…Friday night."
"And?"
"And what?"
Nikolas rolled his eyes. Sometimes, his friend was just impossible. "Well, for starters-"
"I didn't plan to," Jason interjected, sullenly holding his palm out to Enkidu and waiting for the stallion to lick up the sugar. "It just kind of…happened. We both showed up at Kelly's and it was closed so…I asked if she wanted to get something to eat."
"And?"
This time, Jason wasn't as reticent. "I don't know. Something was different. She was nice and kept telling me the craziest stories – and she thanked me when I dropped her off at Jake's. But…Seriously, Nikolas, what kind of woman goes to a steakhouse and only orders a wilting salad? It's just the-"
"Wait a minute," his friend directed, holding up his hand. "Did you say steakhouse?"
"Yeah," Jason shrugged. "I couldn't think of anything else, so I ended up at the Outback."
His brows furrowed when the Prince rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What?"
"Jason," he sighed, quirking a brow at his friend. "You took her to the Outback and you're wondering why she only ate a salad?"
The sarcasm that accompanied the question, which seemed to him perfectly legitimate, surprised him. "…Yeah."
The Prince smirked, still shaking his head. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe Elle doesn't eat meat?"
That was something he hadn't thought of and Jason's eyes widened in sudden understanding as Nikolas continued. "Elle's a Vegan. She eats dairy and certain kinds of fish, I mean, so she's not as strict as some, but she hasn't eaten ever eaten red or white meat since she was little. She had some really bad tainted meat when she was seven, and she got so sick then that now, sometimes even the smell makes her vomit. Noah's the same way - he and Elle are both Vegans. Everyone in town knows that."
He stopped when Jason muttered something under his breath, then apologized. "…Well, everyone but you, I guess."
"Why didn't she say anything?"
"Who knows?" Nikolas shrugged. "She probably didn't want to be a pain. She doesn't go around advertising her dietary habits – she said one time that she doesn't want to come off like she's preaching about the evils of meat. She probably just went with it because you had offered to take her out and thought it would be rude if she said anything."
Jason shook his head to himself, wondering why the answer hadn't occurred to him. If Elizabeth had so much as said the word, he would have found some other restaurant for her. He locked up the stall door and stepped back, letting out a heavy sigh. Maybe it was time he cut Elizabeth Drake some slack and stopped jumping to conclusions about her.
Nikolas had been watching him carefully during this time and smiled to himself. Jason secured the stall door and moved to leave and the Prince quickly followed suit lest his preoccupation be discovered. After Jason's little revelation, something told him that the Bacchanalian Ball would be even more interesting this year.