Prompt #5: "When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before." Mae West

Halloween Hookups

Then the Charm is Firm and Good

How was it even possible to miss someone so much it literally hurt when you had only seen them a handful of times your whole life?

Just like she always did late at night on Halloween, just before the clock approached the next day, Elizabeth Webber found herself thinking about one very attractive and yet, unfortunately, much older Jason Morgan. It didn't matter what she was doing, he was always on her mind, and, just when she had finally managed to forget about him, he would sneak up on her consciousness so quickly, she couldn't prepare herself for the desperate attack of loneliness the thought of him provoked within her. She had thought she would get used to a Port Charles without her friend in it, but things never were that simple for her. Just when they had admitted there was a bond between them, he had to leave, disappearing into the night on an errand for his boss that, so far, had lasted 362 days, fourteen hours, and an odd assortment of minutes that was constantly escalating, and she really, really missed him.

She found herself drawing his face more than any other subject. Seeing him take shape on her sketch paper was better than nothing, but it also left her feeling empty because no drawing, no portrait could perfectly capture the right angle of his slightly crooked nose or the startling color of his aquamarine eyes. Even a mundane chore like washing clothes reminded her of her friend, because, for the few brief moments in her life when she had been allowed close enough to the blonde enforcer to take in and memorize his scent, he had always smelled like a unique combination of leather, coffee, and clean, a clean that could only come from freshly laundered clothes not neutralized or covered up with cologne as so many people tended to do. But not Jason, and maybe that was why she had donated all her expensive, designer perfume to a local charity. Her parents had been furious with her for that, but their disappointment and rage were nothing new.

Sighing, Elizabeth pushed aside all other ideas and memories but those that made her feel at peace, leaving her mainly with thoughts about her traveling friend. Positioned on a rather uncomfortable bench at Vista Point, a place Jason had recommended she go and see, she let her gaze wonder across the night skyline, observing the stars and noticing that they seemed brighter, more cheerful away from the city, the clouds and their never ending slow dance with the moon, and the warm, comforting glow of the thousands of lights illuminating Port Charles. Watching the town she lived in from afar and seeing all its flaws hidden away behind the murky shadows of the dark, the soon-to-be seventeen year old found herself wondering where Jason was that night.

Was he, too, sitting quietly somewhere alone thinking about her? Although the desire for him to have her on his mind was foolish, she reprimanded herself, she knew it would be difficult for either of them to ever get through the holiday without reflecting upon the other. For some reason, their lives had crossed paths several years before and were now seemingly irrevocably connected. She liked the permanent bond they shared, and she hoped Jason did as well.

However, thinking of him thinking about her only brought the petite brunette more questions. If he was picturing her in his mind and remembering the moments they had shared together, where was he doing so? With every place he had been, she had received a post card – Montana, Costa Rica, The Galapagos Islands, Morocco, Sweden, Thailand, and, most recently, Puerto Rico, but her last note from her friend had arrived months ago, and she feared something had gone wrong or, more likely, he had forgotten about or gotten tired of her in his life. The only thing that reassured her of the fact that Jason still cared was that sometimes, and not very often, she would sense someone's presence watching her.

Normally, the sensation, especially after what had happened to her the night she had turned fifteen, would frighten her, but whoever it was she sometimes sensed made her feel secure and safe. Although the idea was ridiculous, the stranger seemed to be an extension of Jason in her mind, and she liked to think of him as a friend of a friend keeping the blonde enforcer's place in her life warm for when he returned. Maybe it was because she didn't want to make her shadow feel uncomfortable or, more likely, perhaps she was afraid her silly, childishly romantic ideas that the man was there on Jason's behalf would be crushed, but, whatever the reason, Elizabeth never approached the guard, and she certainly didn't ask him for a reason to explain his presence in her life. It was one of the first times during her life when not knowing the truth was preferable.

However, even with the sentinel always there to make sure she went unharmed, she still missed Jason. Since the moment he had saved, if not her life, then her sanity in the park exactly two years before to that very night, he had come to represent in her mind, perhaps unjustifiably, her place of peace and contentment, and, as another birthday approached, mocking her with the fact that she was even more alone now at seventeen than she ever had been before, she really needed to feel close to the older man anyway she possibly could. So that was why she was there at Vista Point that night wrapped up securely in a thick, protective sleeping bag.

Although it was cold out, the snow that had been falling the whole week had been replaced with a chilling, dreary rain. The woods surrounding her and their canopy of ever changing and dying leaves shielded her from the fat droplets of moisture to the best of their ability, but, still, an umbrella was required, so, while one gloved hand rested underneath her waterproof blanket clutching the postcards Jason had sent her throughout the past year, the other held on to her large beach umbrella and managed to keep it from being carried away by the wind over the cliffs to the swirling, rough waters beneath the lookout point.

It really was a stupid way to spend one's birthday, especially since she had been battling a cold for the past month, but Elizabeth didn't care. Hell, if she got sick, then she'd be able to stay home from school, and, in her mind, that would be a great birthday present. Something else that she would have appreciated at that moment was a cup of hot chocolate laced with some kind of strong, alcoholic beverage, but she recalled Jason's, if not disapproving, then at least disappointed reaction to her drink of choice on her last birthday, and she had decided to forgo it that year. Even if he couldn't be there with her, she still wanted to make him proud of her.

"You really are determined to get yourself killed, aren't you?"

With the sound of the deep, masculine voice behind her, the young artist turned around on the bench and stood up on her knees, the hands she had been using to hold on her to belongings lifting up and around the recent arrival's neck in an embrace so tight, she feared he wouldn't be able to breathe. Still though, she couldn't bring herself to let go of him.

"You made it," she gushed, and, in that moment, all her darker, more somber and depressed thoughts floated away. Jason was there, he hadn't forgotten about her or her birthday, and, just like the years previous, they would spend the evening together.

When he managed to pull away from her vice like hug, he nodded towards the edge of the cliff. "You lost your umbrella."

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're here. Thank you."

"I didn't do anything, Elizabeth."

"Maybe you don't think you did, but I do," she argued. Finally remembering that they were both being attacked by the natural elements, she gestured hurriedly for him to come around and join her on the bench. "Here," she suggested, unzipping her sleeping bag.

"No, I'm alright," the blonde contended, turning down her offer to share the blanket. "The cold really doesn't bother me."

"You're not invincible, Jason. Even you can catch a cold, and I'm not going to be the one to cause it, so quit fighting me and get under the damn blanket already. Besides," she added cheekily while gracing him with a crooked smile, "it's my birthday, so that means you have to do whatever I tell you to do."

He chuckled. "Oh it does, does it?" Even though he continued to argue with her, he listened, and, within moments, the two of them were cuddled together underneath the large cover. However, while they had been rearranging themselves, she had noticed the older man holding a small box in his far hand.

"What's that," the soon-to-be seventeen year old inquired. Beaming up at him, she pressed, "did you get me a present?"

"It's nothing much."

"Jason, I don't care what it is. Just the fact that you thought to get me anything at all is the best present anyone could ever give me."

"Well, you can't have it until it's officially your birthday, but while we wait," he proposed, "why don't you tell me everything you've been up to while I was gone."

"That's not going to take very long."

The enforcer shrugged, making his next words seem almost nonchalant. "That's alright. Even if not very much has happened, I know how much you like to ramble, so we'll be here for a while."

"That's not true," Elizabeth shrieked. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't hold back her giggles as she punched him playfully in the arm. "I do not ramble. Everything I say is important and necessary."

He silenced her defense with one statement. "I like your ramblings."

And, just like that, they settled into easy conversation. While she told him about the various fights she had gotten into with her family, he shared stories about the foreign lands he had traveled to while away from Port Charles. When she eagerly explained all the art projects she was currently working on, he described the picturesque sites he had seen in places she could, at the point, only dream of going to. And, when she confessed that she had missed him while he was gone, he returned the sentiment.

"But you're back for good now, right?"

When Jason didn't immediately answer her, the brunette knew his response was not the one she desired to hear. "Actually, no," he admitted regretfully. "Sonny, my boss, needs me to go back. In fact, I leave tomorrow."

"Was there something wrong here? Is that why you had to return so quickly?"

"Everything's alright," he reassured her. "I actually," he paused to rub his face in a distracting manner. When he started talking again, it was the first time Elizabeth had ever heard the older man mumble or sound shy. "I came back to see you, to spend a few hours with you on your birthday." She knew it was the wrong thing to do, that it would only confuse him, but she couldn't help it. As the meaning of his admission washed over her, the artist burst into tears. "What is it? Did I do something wrong," he quickly asked her, unsure of himself.

"Absolutely not," she declared emphatically, quickly wiping away her tears. "This…you being here, it's exactly what I wanted, what I would have wished for if I had candles to blow out."

"Oh," Jason smiled in relief. His confidence bolstered by her words, he lifted the small package from beside him and set in on her lap. "Well, in that case, I think it's time you open your gift." As she carefully lifted the lid of the box, he continued. "Normally, I'm not one to give presents. I don't really understand the idea behind them, because, if I want to give someone something, why can't I just do it for no particular reason? But, anyway," he shook off his musings, "I haven't seen you in a year, and I don't know when I'll get to see you again, so, if I was going to get you something, now was the time to do so."

Admittedly, Elizabeth only heard some of his words, but, as she gently pulled the chocolate cupcake with a lone candle out of the bakery box, she realized that Jason Morgan, feared mob hit man, was rambling. Apparently, she was rubbing off on him.

"You've never said anything, but I remember you drinking hot chocolate last year, so I figured you liked sweet things."

"I do," she confessed, "the sweeter the better."

Retrieving a lighter from his pocket, he lit the lone candle. "Well, since I'm already here, you're going to have to make a different wish."

And that she did. Closing her eyes, she gently blew against the flame, puckering her full lips and extinguishing the candle in one delicate breath. Upon opening her eyes, she turned and found Jason watching her closely.

"Happy Birthday, Elizabeth."

In that moment, she knew she had two choices, and, with them, she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't. She could kiss her friend, open up both the proverbial can of worms that legally should remain closed for another year and her heart to the risk of getting hurt, or she could forget her desire for the man sitting across from her, forget her attraction. Throwing caution to the wind, she followed her instincts, leant across the small space separating them, and allowed her lips, for the first time, to touch those of the man who continually seemed to save her, whether from hidden dangers or merely from herself. And, with that one kiss, her seventeenth birthday was complete. She could ask for nothing more.