Chapter 3

"Jason Quartermaine? Is that you?"

She had just walked out of the hospital's main entrance. She saw him heading in her direction, but he hadn't seen her yet.

Jason turned to look at the person addressing him. "Elizabeth?"

"Jason. I haven't seen you… I mean Emily keeps me updated…" She stopped stammering. "Hi, how are you doing?"

He smiled, seeing the teenage girl he knew in the young woman before him.

"I'm doing better than I was. And I'm going by Morgan, I mean it's Jason Morgan, instead of Quartermaine."

"Oh, that's… Well, good." She looked perplexed. "Why?"

"That's just not me anymore. That whole Quartermaine life."

"I can't say I know entirely what you mean, but I'm happy if you're happy."

"That seemed to be your theme."

"Emily says you remember some things…"

"Things I have an emotional connection to, yeah."

"And you remember me?"

"Well, I remember some things, and Emily fills me in when I get lost."

"She's a good sister."

"That she is."

"Well, you're going in, I'm going out…"

"It's not a big deal. If you weren't busy, would you be interested in going somewhere? Getting a drink?"

She thought long and hard in a span of about one minute. Yes. No. I'm busy. Sure. Sorry. Anytime.

"I don't have anything too pressing…"

"Then follow me."

There were drinks at Jake's, and not that many. Jason wanted to be sober during his time with Elizabeth. He listened to her as she recounted her university days. How she fell in love with education and decided on teaching history, how she still loved drama and directed the kids at the school she was going to start work at.

He honestly had very little to say. What was he going to tell her? Horrible, life-altering injury, loss of his relationships, painful recovery, the unease of not remembering his life before. No, she didn't need that. So, he kept it light.

They talked about Emily, which was easy as she was doing so much. She'd finally found the courage to get the man she wanted and now she and Nikolas were doing great.

He couldn't stop looking in her eyes, the flash when she laughed, they way she'd look down when she talked about… What Emily told her about his accident. That A.J. had… She stammered again, through that.

"You don't need to be embarrassed. It's not your fault."

"I know… It's just… Crazy."

"I know."

"But what are you doing now? Now that you feel up to life again, got your strength back and all."

"I just signed on with Habitat for Humanity to build houses in South America."

"You remembered…"

"It was already inside of me, accident or not. I knew from the minute I was with it that I would not be a doctor or an ELQ suit."

"I'm really glad you went with what made you happy."

She met his eyes. What she saw there moved her. His intensity pulled at her, she wanted to reach out and touch it. But it made her wary, this passion for a man who might barely remember her, who she hadn't seen in years.

Jason wasn't any less ardent in his feelings for Elizabeth. One of the very few things that got him through his recovery were the flashes of memory that focused on her. He could remember her eyes, her smile, the light touching her face. It was also hard to bear after a while, waking from dreams of Elizabeth not knowing if she even thought of him.

The restlessness it created in them was obvious, especially to each other. She could look at his face and see the naked longing that reflected from her own. She'd forced herself not to think about Jason for years, and now here he was. By the look in his eyes, he wanted her as badly as she wanted him.

"I need to go home, Jason."

His face displayed a crush to his heart.

"If you have to leave…"

"I want you to come with me."

Jason didn't need any more encouragement, he threw a couple of bills on the table and stood up, intent on taking her in his arms.

"Wait," she said quietly.

He reined his passion in, he waited this long. He'd wait forever.

The trip to her apartment was quick. She stopped herself from tearing his clothes off his body the minute the door locked. Instead she walked to the bedroom, turning to throw a smoldering look at him, urging him to follow.

Restraint crumbled, his armor collapsed. Everything he'd felt for the last three and a half years threatened to pour out of his body to hers.

Once in her room Jason started slowly removing Elizabeth's clothes. She moved against him as his fingers worked the buttons on her blouse, his fingertips brushing the skin of her chest as he slid it off her shoulders. He put his arms around her, enveloping her in his embrace. His hands traveled her body like a man discovering Eden, desiring the comfort and peace therein.

She wasn't motionless in his arms. Her fingers sought his face, running the curve of his jaw, touching his lips, trailing from his chin to the hollow of his throat. She caught his hands in hers and pressed kisses to them, guiding him, showing him that he could touch her anywhere and everywhere, and he did.

She grew exasperated with her clothes. She disengaged from him just enough to catch the zipper of her skirt in her fingers and move it down. The loose skirt fell from her hips like downy feathers. Her undergarments followed in short order.

His eyes drank her in, his gaze a caress to every part of her body. She wanted to return that feeling.

She moved back into his arms and pulled him to her, so she could whisper in his ear. "Jason," she breathed.

He could barely speak, passion taking his voice.

"Yes."

"Please take off your clothes."

He shivered and complied.

As soon as the last article of his clothing hit the floor she took his hand and lead him to the bed. She sat at the edge, moved back and Jason pushed her on her back. He moved to cover her body with his and for a time that seemed to go on without end he expressed his deep need for her.

He covered her with kisses, lips barely touching her skin. Just a whisper of pressure accompanied by the heat of his breath. He attended to every part of her, taking time to search out her sensitive areas, to stir the embers, enflame the fire in her.

She lay there, quivering under his touch, aching with longing. Her fingers running through his hair, fingertips barely grazing the tender skin by his ears. She gasped when he took her nipple in his mouth and applied suction. Her body jerked as his mouth trailed back up her body to her neck and he delicately bit the flesh just under her jaw.

She put her hands on his shoulders and moved further up the bed, pulling him with her.

"Jason," she whispered, "I want you to make love to me."

He didn't respond in words. He simply gathered her in his arms and made her ready in every way he knew how. Finally, when she was gasping with the intense pleasure his hands had made and she could take no more…

"I need you inside me. Now."

He would do anything for her, give her anything. And in this he was her willing slave.

"Yes, Elizabeth."

Interlude

"So, you had your first time with Daddy and he just left!?"

"It's not a simple as that, honey." "But you loved him and he loved you…"

"I knew he was leaving, baby. I knew we might only have that night."

"But he came back, obviously."

"After a number of conversations with Emily. I had sworn her to secrecy after I found out I was pregnant. So, naturally, she immediately got a hold of Jason. But even that took time, he was out in the middle of nowhere."

"So, Auntie Emily made him come back?"

"No one made your Daddy come back…"

"He came because he loved you."

"And I keep coming back," Jason said, standing in the doorway of the bridal suite.