Chapter 9: Friends, Guards and Mobsters

Jason heard the voices and walked out of the office to find the source of the commotion. Francis had his hands on Johnny's arms and Johnny had his hand around Elizabeth's elbow. Elizabeth?

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Came the angry words of Jason Morgan.

All three of them turned their heads to find a very pissed off Jason Morgan standing on the doorway.

The elevator doors opened to reveal the scene unfolding in the reception. Barbara walked in to find Francis, Johnny, a very angry Jason and a very scared Elizabeth Webber. Her husband was standing behind Jason and they all seemed to be as surprised as she was. She walked closer to the three of them.

"Elizabeth? What is going on here?"

"That's exactly what I want to know." Jason voice was dripping cold.

"Elizabeth? As in Elizabeth Webber? Boy you're screwed!" Francis dropped his hand from Johnny and moved back a step.

Johnny shook his head and dropped the girl's elbow. He ran his hands down his face and cursed under his breath. "I'm sorry I didn't know. I just wanted to give her a scare. I found her lurking around and..."

"I wasn't lurking! You're just a big bully." Elizabeth spat at him and soothed her arm with her other hand.

"Are you OK? Did he hurt you?" Jason's tone was worried as he looked at the girl.

"Only my pride."

"Do you mind waiting for me in my office?"

"Look. I obviously interrupted something I shouldn't have, so I will just get going. I'll call you later."

"Elizabeth, wait for me in the office."

"That sounded more like an order than a request."

"Go inside. Please."

The please was what did it. Elizabeth was trembling but she wasn't about to let all of them see her scared. She breathed deeply and walked around Jason with her head looking straight ahead and her shoulders squared. Marcos moved out of the office and closed the door almost completely behind her. He walked to his wife who was just staring at Johnny practically throwing daggers at him.

"Come on Barbara. This doesn't concern us." He took her wife's shoulders and tried to walk her to the elevator but his attempt was futile.

"Get your hands off of me." She moved from the hold Marcos had on her and she walked directly to Johnny. "Are you insane! What the hell was all that about? That girl must've being scare out of her mind. She's being through a lot in the past few months and the last thing she needs is for a big man like you to manhandle her."

"I..." Johnny started but didn't get to far. Barbara was on his case again. And now her index finger was poking his chest.

"Don't you dare say she was lurking around, O' Brien. That's not an excuse to bully a young man. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Barbara, that's enough."

"Diaz don't even start with me. Tu ya tienes suficientes problemas como para echarle leña al fuego." (You have enough problems already, so don't add to the fire.)

Marcos face flushed. If his wife was speaking in Spanish, his troubles were bigger than he thought. "I think is time for us to go, honey."

"Don't honey me!" Barbara turned to Jason. "You better take care of these two overgrown apes or I will."

Barbara walked over to the elevator and punched the down button. Marcos looked at the guys trying to apologize and they looked back with sympathy for the older man. The elevator door opened and Barbara walked in without looking back. Marcos walked behind her and the door closed.

Johnny couldn't look at Jason so he kept his eyes trained on the sculpture of a woman in the corner of the reception area. After a couple of minutes of complete silence Jason decided to speak.

"Are you going to explain?"

"Jason, Johnny was just playing." Francis spoke before Johnny had the chance to answer.

"From where I was standing it seemed like he was manhandling her. Didn't you see her eyes? She was scared. Since when do we treat women like that? And you O' Brien? You know better than anybody. You have five sisters."

"Look Jason I didn't think..."

"Exactly. You didn't think. You're going to apologize to her and then you're going to take the No-man's Land watch."

"What? Jason, don't you think that's a bit extreme?"

"You want to make him company Caruso?" Francis looked down. "I didn't think so. You're staying three days in No- man's Land. Then I want to see you in my office first thing Wednesday morning."

"Jason. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." With that Johnny made a turn and took the stairs without looking back.

"Francis I want you to take two men and go to the south of the Island. I got a call before all of this happened. We found a leak. One of the guys has being tailing Harry and last night he was hanging around with two of Morales men."

"I'm on it." Jason turned but Francis called out to him. "Are we ok?"

"I'm not sure yet. You really think three day on No-man's Land was too much?"

"He can handle it." A smile spread across Francis face.

"Call me when you're done."

"Will do boss." And with that Francis took the elevator.

"I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry." Elizabeth repeated the mantra as she walked from one side of the office to the other. And just like that a tear fell. "Damn it!" She dried the tear and tried again. "I'm not going to cry."

She had being pacing ever since she stepped into the office. 53 and a half steps. She counted 53 and a half steps from the couch to the window. Before she started to walk back to the couch Jason stepped in the office. They stared at each other for a minute before she spoke. Her bottom lip trembled as she tried to let the words out.

"I- I wasn't spying on you. My shoe lace got untied and I bent down and was tying it when I heard you're voice. I did hear you say something about an organization and taking care of someone, but I didn't mean to hear about it. The door was opened and I didn't even know you were inside. Those two came from behind me and started accusing me of spying and I didn't do it. You have to believe me."

Jason was listening to her rant and he waited until he was sure she was finished. Elizabeth said all of that with a single breath. When she looked at him straight in the eye he was giving her a half smile. He was standing with an arm around his chest and the other one was on his chin.

"W- what?" She said, her voice almost breaking.

"I believe you."

"You do?"

"Yes I do."

"The guard didn't."

"He doesn't know you."

"And you do?" She asked skeptical.

"A little bit. But we have to work on that."

"So that's it. We are OK? Just like that?"

"Just one thing. Did he hurt you or scare you?"

"He did scared me a little bit at first, but I'm okay."

"You know you can tell me if you're not, right?"

"I'm fine."

"Good."

Jason walked to his desk and closed the open folders that were lying around. He gathered them together and placed them inside a drawer and locked them in. He looked up at her and placed the key in his pocket.

"Let's go."

Elizabeth frowned. "Where are we going?"

"Out of here. For a ride."

"Are you for real? After everything that happened... you just want to take of?"

"You don't want to come? I have my bike in the parking lot."

She looked at him in disbelieve. Was this guy for real? Boy had she being wrong about Jason Morgan! Her first impression was definitely the wrong one. This guy wasn't as arrogant and cold as he wanted everyone to believe.

"Lead the way." She said as a smile appeared on her face.

Jason walked to the door and held it open for her. They walked out of the office smiling.

They spent all afternoon riding on the bike along the Seashore Highway, but three hours later Jason drove to his house and parked the motorcycle in the garage. Once Elizabeth stepped of the bike she remembered about the girl she met earlier and frowned. She wasn't about to tell Jason someone else's secret, but hiding things from him made her feel uncomfortable. Besides, they hadn't really talk about what happened in the office or the other day when she mentioned his son or anything for that matter.

If there was something she loved about riding in the back of his bike was the wind. It was so loud that she couldn't think about anything. On the back of his bike it seemed like time stood still and everything disappeared from her mind. Everything, even the unexpected re-appearance of her older brother in her life. Steven... damn him for coming to her sanctuary, her place, and disturbing everything she had managed to build in such a short time. Her old life had being placed in a memory trunk and buried somewhere she didn't want to go back to. But him coming back and showing interest in her, caring about her like no one on her family had before had definitely stroke a cord.

She knew she was a cynic, a seventeen year old cynic and that sadden her. She wasn't suppose to be like that. She was suppose to be a hopeful, happy and trusting young woman. At least that is what her grandmother wanted her to be. But she was gone and with her all of her willingness to be a happy- go- lucky teenage girl. And Steven was here, wanting to be a part of her life. What if his intentions were honest? What if he did wanted to heal old wounds and start again? Why did life had to be so difficult?

Jason stood next to the bike and watched her go through emotions without moving from her place. She was standing there biting her bottom lip and playing with the hem of her red mesh shirt. So many different emotions passed through her face that he couldn't really make out what she was thinking. He distinguished uncertainty, sadness and confusion shining in her blue eyes. He wasn't sure if he should speak to her, bring her out of her thoughts, but he hated seeing her like that and not being able to help her.

That thought should have taken him by surprise. But it didn't, and that fact didn't surprised him either. Somehow he knew that the girl standing in front of him had become a permanent part of his life. And that thought scared him. He shook his head and took his leather gloves off his hands.

Jason looked up to find Elizabeth looking at him. "What?"

"I asked first."

"I know, but I didn't really got the question."

"You were staring at me. Never mind. You were somewhere far away."

"No I wasn't. I was standing right here."

"What I mean is that you were inside your own thoughts."

"It was nothing. You were distracted too."

"Yeah, well there's a lot of things going on right now."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"OK."

"Do you want to go for a walk along the shore?"

"Let's go."

Jason and Elizabeth walked side by side for half an hour before she decided to speak. She needed to speak. And she knew he would listen to her.

"My brother came home two days ago." She waited for him to say something. But somehow she knew he wouldn't utter a word until she was finished. "I hadn't seeing him since my grandmother's funeral. I think that was the last time the Webber Family was together in the same room. Not that I miss it, 'cause let me tell you those people are vultures. Sometimes I think I'm adopted. I know I'm not a saint, but compared to them I should be wearing a halo. God listen to me! I sound like a spoil brat."

Jason looked at her and she looked back. Without words she knew that he was trying to reassure her. With him she was allowed to speak her mind. She stopped talking and decided to sit down on the sand. He followed her lead and sat by her side.

"I'm the youngest of the Webber kids. Steven is the oldest. He followed my father footsteps all the way to medical school and back. Like father like son. Then comes my sister Sarah. Straight A student, virtuous, polite, popular and beautiful. My mother is most proud of her. She is every bit my mother's daughter. And then there's me. The black sheep of the family. The mistake that cost my father the most important job of his life. He's a doctor and they offered him a fellowship in Russia that would've given him the opportunity to showcase his abilities and earned him the head surgical position in very prestigious hospital in Europe. But he had to give it up because of me."

"Did he say that?"

"Not in so many words. But believe me, they made it clear in every way imaginable. I wasn't as polite and virtuous as Sarah or as smart as Steven. I was just your average kid. But that wasn't what a Webber kid was suppose to be like, so every chance they got they would pack up and leave, leaving me behind with the sitters and the help. I wanted to be noticed so I started acting out. I started hanging out with older kids and started smoking, drinking and partying."

Jason looked at her and so the unshed tears shining on her eyes. "My grandmother was a nurse in New York. But after my grand father passed out she decided to take an early retirement. Or at least that's what we all thought. She moved back to Colorado and found everything that was going on with me. She decided that if my parents weren't willing to take care of me she would. She packed all my stuff and we moved to her house in the mountains. Her name was Audrey Hardy. She loved painting. She was the one who taught me, when I was young. Every time we went to visit her she would take me to her studio and we spent hours drawing and finger painting. She always sent me coloring books and water colors and sketch books, carbons. I loved her so much. She understood me. She never judge me, she just loved me unconditionally. Do you know what's that like? To have someone to believe in you and give you their heart no questions asked?"

She turned to watch him and he found her eyes full of tears. He moved his head up and down in a small motion, almost undistinguishable.

"Michael did that for me. But that wasn't the same. He didn't know better."

"Don't do that. Don't sell yourself short. He did know. You are his father."

"I was his father. Not anymore. But Lila, she does love me unconditionally. She never asks questions or tries to make me remember who I used to be. After my accident... you know about my accident don't you?"

"You told me something about that the other day and Robin also said something to me once."

"The man I used to be is gone. The Quatermaines didn't seem to understand it. They wanted me to go back to what he was, but not Lila. She wanted to know me and she got to love me for who I am."

"Those are the grandmothers for you. Pure an untainted love. Grams died before I could tell her how much I loved her."

"I'm sure she knew."

"But I never told her. She wasn't taking an early retirement. She came back home to die. She had cancer. When she passed she left me all alone. She was the one person who ever made me care for life. She was pure energy, she made me see the point of fighting for what I wanted. And just like that she was gone. What is the point of fighting when the only person who cared was gone?"

"You can't live for others. You have to live just for you."

"Yeah, I know that now. Thanks to you."

"I didn't do anything."

"Yes you did. You came out of the blue and joined me on this journey down a road to nowhere. But, you want to know something?"

"What?"

"I'm not there anymore. I think I found my way back somewhere."

"I know. I think we are going somewhere too."

"Anyhow, the point to all this discourse is that Steven is back. After years of purposely avoiding me he's back and he says he wants to heal old wounds and start over."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I don't think I believe him. He's not a bad person, but he's not a well of good and best wishes either. Something seems off to me."

"You think he has a hidden agenda or something?"

"I don't know. Maybe I've being watching too many suspense movies."

"You should trust your instincts."

"Sometimes my sixth sense is right on the money, but other times it just fails miserably. It happened with you."

"What do you mean?"

"When I met you I thought you were a bastard."

"Why?"

"You were so arrogant and so macho. Robin had to do what you said when you said it no question asked."

"Things weren't like that. Is that what she said to you?"

"She didn't have to. I was there in the cliff and then in the hotel the next day. I heard you two talking."

"I didn't know you were there. I was just... there's things about my life you don't know. I live a dangerous lifestyle and Robin couldn't accept that."

"She didn't care about your lifestyle."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that she was just scared about your well being."

"Did she tell you that?"

"Yes. And I kinda understand what she meant. I can only imagine the kind of fear she had to live with. Thinking that every time you left, there was a chance of you not coming back."

Jason turned his face to see her. He was speechless and his face was one of pure shock. He wasn't one to show his feelings but this took him completely by surprise. "What else did she tell you?"

"She didn't tell me anything. Well she neither confirmed nor denied. But after what happened today, I don't need anymore confirmation. You are in the mob aren't you?"

"I..." He was speechless.

"You don't have to answer me. I figured as much. You're business trips, you're late night calls, always murmuring when you're on the phone. You have a gun. I don't think that a casino owner has to go around with a gun."

"How did you..."

"You take me on bike rides, Jason. The other day you had your gun in the small of your back."

"Damn it! Look Elizabeth I understand if you..."

"If I what? Don't want to be your friend anymore? Don't be silly. I don't care about what you do for a living. But I do care if your life is in danger."

"Elizabeth this is not something we should be talking about out here. Why don't I take you home and we talk tomorrow after you get out of school?"

"I didn't mean to..."

"Don't worry about it. I just- it just took me by surprise. Let's go. I'll take you home."

He stood up and Elizabeth followed him. This didn't go as plan for neither of them. So neither of them spoke about it in the ride home.

Elizabeth slid of the bike and gave the helmet to Jason. "I'll pick you up tomorrow after school."

"OK. Are you mad?" She asked as she bit her bottom lip in worry.

"I'm not mad. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Sleep well."

"Be careful." He nodded and took of on the bike. She stood there and watched him speed away. But she wasn't the only one watching him. From the window, Steven had being witnessing every move.