Chapter Ten

"What the hell are you all up to?"

Six pairs of eyes stared up at him innocently. He didn't buy their blank looks. They were up to something and he knew it, just what he didn't know.

Returning to the island, Johnny O'Brien felt out of the loop as everyone around him shared inside jokes and shared knowing looks. He was usually the fountain of knowledge, being away for a few days to follow bosses orders left him out of the loop, which didn't sit well with him.

They were all gathered around the sofa. They looked at each other before looking at him, but no words were voiced.

Tapping his clogs, Johnny waited for an answer. None came.

He threw his arms up in frustration. "For the love of god, will one of you explain already?"

"Aw, poor Johnny feels left out," Max mused with an amused smile.

Francis raised an eyebrow at the pouting bodyguard. "I kind of like this Johnny. He's not much of a jackass."

"It suits him," Adam added from his spot on the arm of the sofa.

Johnny glared at the three musketeers. He was on the verge of stomping his foot like Lil. "I swear to god-"

"Hey, no swearing," Sonny cut him off. "Let's all try to get along, like the civilized human beings that we all are deep down."

Grinning, Emily rose from the sofa to link arms with the Irish bodyguard. "Stop being mean to Johnny Boy. He could be an asset in our master plan."

Brenda rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Yes, he could be of some use."

"You make me sound like hired help," he muttered.

"Dimwit, you are," Francis retorted.

Rolling his eyes at the older bodyguard, Johnny sulked. "Am I in or not?"

"All those in favor say aye," Brenda announced. She received a unanimous verdict, even the musketeers who only smiled cheekily at their fourth member. "All agreed, Johnny is in," Brenda banged Della's milk bottle in confirmation. With a twinkle in her eyes she said, "Now, we need to get him caught up on the happenings of the island."

"Jason kissed Elizabeth," Emily stated.

Max followed up. "Then, pulled away."

"Told her it was a mistake," Francis continued.

"Then tried to explain," Adam added. "Crashed and burned."

"Elizabeth quit," Sonny went on. "She's around for twelve more days."

"Unless, dear old Jason is able to get her to see she loves him and stay all the while realizing that he loves her as well," Brenda finished.

Johnny stared at them all stunned. "Boy did I miss a lot while I was away," he sighed, collapsing into an available armchair.

"Okay, now you three," Brenda wagged her finger at three confused musketeers. "Dish the dirt."

"Jason made Elizabeth breakfast the day after he saw you about the matter," Francis informed his eager boss, his wife, and his other boss's sister. "Then, spent the whole day with her and Lil."

"Interesting," Emily tapped her chin thoughtfully. They could all see the wheels turning in her head.

"Anything else?" Sonny prodded. He was excited. His best friend had finally pulled his head out of the hole he stuck it down and was making a move. As subtle and smooth as it was, it sounded like he was on the right track.

"Elizabeth had a little break down yesterday, Mr. Corinthos," Adam said. The other musketeers rolled their eyes at him for his formal reference to their boss. "She thought Jason expected something in return for his kindness."

"We were able to get her to think otherwise," Max took over. "They had s'mores on the beach last night and had a long conversation about something. They seemed relaxed and comfortable around each other. And of course they spent today with you guys and the kids."

They all shared proud smiles. Jason was getting somewhere, but he would still need their help.

"My dear brother is going to run into problems."Emily dampened all their spirits.

"Why is that, Quartermaine?" Johnny asked on everyone's behalf.

The young brunette began to pace back and forth in front of the group. "Her past," she notified them.

Emily and Elizabeth had been wonderful friends since she had arrived in Port Charles. Elizabeth had been a wild child at first, but after her grandmother's heart attack she calmed down to take some burden off the old woman. Her best friend's change in behavior caught the attention of someone that Emily came to loathe after what he put Elizabeth threw.

As much as Elizabeth repeated that she was past the ordeal, she wasn't. The woman she loved like a sister still guarded her heart after all the time that had passed. She barely dated and rarely showed interest in the opposite sex. It was the only logical reason that Emily could conjure up for Elizabeth quitting after brother's blunder and her doubts of her brother's change in behavior.

"What about Elizabeth's past?" Francis asked, watching Emily with a careful eye.

She grimaced. "It's not so pretty."

Sonny's brows furrowed in concern. "Did something happen?"

"More like someone," Brenda spat. She was aware of Elizabeth's past and if she ever met the idiot that had hurt her friend the man would regret the day he was born.

"What happened?" Johnny asked, his eyes ping ponging back and forth as he followed Emily pacing.

"That doesn't matter," the young Quartermaine waved him off. "What matters is how we're going to get Elizabeth to open up to Jason?"

"We can have dinner or something and bring it up?" Max suggested.

Both women glared at him.

"What?"

"You can never expect or ask a woman to open up about a painful memory in front of company," Adam explained, his eyes trained on his sidekick. "It's a private matter that should be discussed in private."

"I knew I liked that guy for a reason," Emily smiled at him.

"How the hell do you know that?" Max asked, clearly shocked.

"Remember," Adam quirked an amused eyebrow. "I'm the mama's boy so it's expected of me to know these things." He smiled smugly at his friend.

Everyone laughed at their behavior.

"We could set them up on a blind date for it to only turn out to be with each other," Francis offered.

"Nah too easy," Brenda shook her head. They needed something that wasn't obvious with signs that the situation was tampered with.

"Lil would have to be out of the picture for them to be able to communicate freely," the Cuban kingpin stated.

"He has a point," Brenda flashed her husband a proud smile.

Sonny thought for a second before looking to his wife. "Sleep over for the kids?" he suggested.

"Okay, Lil is taken care of, but what about the actual love birds?" Johnny asked, turning to the two brunettes for an answer.

"We just need them alone."

"In an intimate setting."

"Some wine?" Sonny suggested.

Max's eyebrows shot up at a thought. "Candles?"

"A nice dinner for two?" Francis put in his two cents.

"Yes to all of that," Emily exclaimed, wringing her hands in anxiety. "But how is that all supposed to happen?"

"There's a storm headed this way," Adam said offhandedly.

"How do you know that?" Johnny asked.

Max rolled his eyes. "Adam and his sidekick."

"Are you instant messaging with Amanda again?" the Italian asked with a mocked scowl.

"Amanda? As in Dr. Griggs?" Johnny asked, confused.

"Adam here got himself a girlfriend."

"Nice going buddy," the Irishman congratulated him.

"It was just dinner," the young guard brushed it off.

Max winked at him. "And you have another date coming up."

"She's a keeper that one," Sonny winked at him.

The youngest member of the Four Musketeers simply shook his head before he realized that the two brunettes were staring at him intently. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you're a genius," Brenda told him. "I could just kiss you right now."

"Uh…No thanks Mrs. C, I want to live to see tomorrow," he flashed a worried glance at Sonny, who laughed in response.

"How bad is the storm supposed to be?" Emily asked, unable to contain her excitement.

"A pretty bad thunderstorm," he told her as he read through the forecast on his sidekick. "Supposed to start later tonight and end early in the morning."

"I love this kid," Brenda said with a mischievous smile. "You thinking what I'm thinking," she turned to Emily with a twinkle in her eyes.

An impish grin blossomed on the younger brunette's face. "Oh yeah, I'm thinking what you're thinking."

Smiling wistfully, they both turned and faced the dumbfounded five men staring up at them with a mixture of curiosity and fear at whatever scheme they were cooking up now.

"The clock is ticking men. We've got some heavy duty work to do."

~*~

"How's Lil settling in?"

Jason smiled when he followed Elizabeth's voice to her position next to the floor length windows that spanned across the living room wall. She stood beside the window in a pair of blue jeans and a red tube top that landed right above her knees.

"It came out of nowhere, but Lil is excited about the sleep over."

"Good," she replied. "I think Brenda and Emily wanted the kids to distract Sonny."

Jason chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised," he agreed.

"Are you going to dry off?" Elizabeth asked curiously, her eyes running over him.

Jason looked once down at him and then back at her with a sheepish grin. "My umbrella broke on the way."

She laughed. "Go change before you get sick," she ordered him with kind, concerned eyes.

"Aye, aye, captain," he saluted her, failing to hide his smile.

Within a few minutes, Jason was back downstairs in a fresh pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. His hair was tussled, now standing up again. His eyes immediately sought out Elizabeth in the room. She was still by the windows watching the darkened outside world. The rain pelted against the glass harshly as the wind howled. Soft rumbles echoed against the walls of the villa.

Barefoot Jason walked across the wooden floors to reach her side. His image was reflected in the glass sides her. She smiled, her cobalt eyes locking with his in their reflection.

The waves crashed savagely against the shore. There wasn't a single soul on the beach. Everyone on the private island had retreated to shelter to wait out the storm. The sky was pitch black. The stars lost in the whirlwind of black clouds, rain, and thunder. It worried her. They were in the middle of Caribbean where it was prone for severe Tropical storms to occur.

"Do you think the storm will let up soon?"

"No," he answered honestly. Jason had barely heard her question; his mind had been too busy searching for where to place his hands that he had nearly missed her voice. He stood a scant inch behind her. He could smell the shampoo of her hair and the scent that belonged to only her. His hands itched to touch the smooth porcelain skin that was left uncovered by her top. His hand lingered in the air above the pale flesh of her shoulder before he clenched it shut.

Swallowing roughly, Jason shoved his clenched fists into his jeans and dragged his eyes to the storm beyond the walls of the villa. "It's supposed to get worse before it calms down. It should be fine by morning."

Thunder cackled, lightening the darkened sky.

Tearing her eyes away from the view of the outside world, Elizabeth pivoted to only come to a complete stand still. Jason hovered over her. His body within touching distance. Rising, her eyes to meet his, Elizabeth stared up at him.

"I-I guess we'd better have dinner," she murmured.

The words were barely past Elizabeth's lips when the room brightened, joined by the roar of thunder. Within seconds the light faded from the sky and they were left in darkness.