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Chapter 23

"How long have you and my sister been seeing one another?" Steven asked Jason the next morning. Right now most of the family was still upstairs. That would probably change shortly as the warmers were being set up and the coffee was already waiting. Brunch wasn't for another few hours but fruit and pastries were already out.

"For a while now." Jason said drinking his coffee. The doctor could do the math based on Jake's age. He had been enjoying the silence. Jason thought his grandmother would be the next one down, so he was surprised to see Steven.

"You couldn't mention that when I called to ask you to watch them?" Steven had been conned into making this trip.

"I have a very expensive lawyer who advises me regularly to never volunteer information." Jason said with a smirk. "You know that I've been in her life for years, you could have asked if we were still close before just accepting the information your grandmother gave you." He pointed out.

"Would you have told me the truth if I asked?" Steven wanted to know. The fact that his sister was engaged was a total shock. Emily didn't talk about her brother's relationship with Liz, and Steven never asked his colleague.

"Yes, if you knew the truth and I asked you to come home for her birthday would you have said you were too busy?" Jason had his answer before Steven opened his mouth. "I guess you not asking worked out for the best then."

"I love my sister." Steven felt like he was being judged.

"I don't doubt that." Jason told the other man. "It's your priorities I question." Before anything else could be said Elizabeth walked in with both their boys. "You should have called down, I would have helped get them ready."

"Emily, who is right behind me, wanted to help." Liz said walking over and getting a kiss from her guy. "I then had to wrestle her to the ground to get Jake back." She said handing the small boy to his dad. "Enjoy your time with him now, your sister said she wants him and Cameron back at the end of brunch."

"Aunt Em said we could sleep over!" Cameron told his dad excited.

"Okay." Jason knew his sister missed the boys. He and Liz could find something to occupy that free time. "Is Cameron playing hooky tomorrow?"

"Yeah, one day won't hurt him." Liz wanted him to have time with Emily. "She and Milo are taking the boys to the aquarium then to lunch. We are all having dinner at our house tomorrow. It was easier to just agree." Liz said laughing. Dinner at the mansion would happen again this week. Probably multiple times.

"Cameron would you like to come sit with me after you get your plate?" Steven asked his nephew. The boys would eat now because no one expected them to wait for the official start of brunch.

The little boy wrapped his arms around his mother's legs. "Daddy are you coming?" He knew the other man was his uncle, but he didn't know him at all.

"Mommy will sit with you guys, I want to have a visit with your Nana before coming over." Jason didn't want his annoyance with Steven to bleed over into the doctor's time with his nephews.

Liz picked up on the tension and let it go for now. "Let's get something to eat." She said smiling down at Cameron. "Steven you can tell Cameron about Malta."

"Okay." Steven said following his sister to the far end of the buffet.

Jason watched them go before turning to Jake. "How about a banana and some melon?" When his son grinned, they followed the rest of the family. He would get Jake set up and then go talk with his mother and grandmother.

"So you're engaged to a mobster." Steven said to his little sister.

Elizabeth took a moment before answering. It wasn't surprising that her brother would make that statement. She had hoped he wouldn't, but on some level was expecting it. While she could brush off that label with everyone else Steven had at one point worked for the FBI and knew exactly what Jason did for a living. "I'm engaged to the man who I've been in love with since I was nineteen. To the man that makes me happy." Was how she chose to answer. "You should be happy I've found the place I belong."

"I want to be." Steven told his sister. Despite the cold they were walking through Lila's garden for this talk. He didn't want to be interrupted.

"What's stopping you?" Liz asked arching a brow. Steven was the only member of her family who she would want to understand her choices. They weren't close, she had hoped that would change when he left the bureau. She was still hoping it could happen. She didn't want to lose him, but at the same time she wasn't going to alter her life to make him happy. Those days were over.

"I'm worried about the choice you are making. Not only for you but for my nephews." Steven came right out and said what was on his mind. "Jason is a dangerous man, his associates are dangerous people. Killing and lying are part and parcel of their lives. How do you know you can trust him? When I was here the last time you weren't even talking to him. I was hoping that was still true because of what Gram said when we talked."

"You and Gram talked about me?" Liz said feeling her temper start to fray. It seemed for her entire life her family talked around her but not to her.

"I wanted to know if you had repaired your relationship with Jason. I called her after we talked and before I called him." Steven said explained his actions.

"When did you call Jason?" Liz wanted to know.

"The same night you called me." Steven was surprised she didn't know. "I asked him to protect you and the boys. He said he would, and when I asked him what this favor would cost me he said coming home for your birthday." Steven looked at his sister. "This is what I'm talking about. He lied to us both, how can you trust him?"

Liz stopped walking and looked at the garden. The white of the snow, the green of the bushes, and the colorful splashes of the last blooms that hadn't fallen to the ground yet greeted her. Taking a deep breath she let the cold air fill her lungs and when she exhaled the warm air crystalized. Turning she looked back at her brother. "Jason can't lie."

"He never told me that you were dating." Steven pointed out.

"As my big brother he shouldn't have had to." Liz said thinking it was sad that Steven knew so little about her life. "If you bothered to do more than send gifts on my birthday and Christmas you would have already known. When I called you about Em that was the first time we'd spoken in over a year because you never call me back. I think you only returned my call that time because you needed Emily's services. He didn't have to explain anything to you."

"What about him lying to you?" Steven wanted his sister to see what she was signing up for.

"I'm not that reckless teenager who needed everyone's attention or approval." She saw what her brother was doing. "Jason didn't tell me you called because he wanted me to believe that you came to see me because you wanted to. Not because you owed him a favor." She wasn't going to show Steven how much it hurt that he hadn't chosen to come see her. "He wanted me to feel as important to you as Em is to him." She instantly knew what was in Jason's heart. "He wasn't the only one who lied."

"What are you talking about?" Steven asked confused.

"I was taken by the TMK Killer. Jason saved my life. I called you from the hospital where I was staying overnight. I didn't want you to worry about me. The man you are trying to talk me out of marrying, risked everything to save me. To make sure I came home to our boys. Whenever I need Jason I don't even have to look for him. He is just always there. He's always been there, and I know he always will be. I'm not going to justify my choice to you Steven. Be happy for me, or not. If you can't be happy for me then don't bother to come back for the wedding." She said looking into his eyes. "Let's go back in. you can spend some time with your nephews before your flight leaves." Liz said heading back to the mansion. Steven would make his choice, and they would both have to live with it.

While the Webber siblings were talking in the garden Jason and Emily were sitting in their father's office. Monica hadn't changed the space at all and it wasn't surprising to find members of the family using the room. Emily loved to come here to be close to her dad.

"How are things in Malta?" Jason wanted to know. He had managed to repair his relationship with Alan before his death. Jason knew that made his mother and grandmother happy.

"Good. Busy. I really like the work I'm doing there." Emily told her big brother. "I think I'd like to do more work like this."

"Are you extending your stay?" Jason wanted her home where she would be safe, but he understood he had to respect the choices she made about her life.

"Not at this time. I have a lot to learn still." Emily could admit that. "I will use what I'm learning in Malta to be a better doctor, but I need to come home to finish my education." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Also the decisions I make can't be just about me anymore."

Jason only huffed a little. "I don't see a ring on your finger yet."

Emily just laughed, she couldn't help it. The fact that Jason didn't hide that he loved her made her feel good. "Jewelry isn't the only indicator of the status of a relationship." Although she was pretty sure that she would be sporting something by the time they returned home. They were spending her holiday break in Palermo and Emily was guessing there would be something sparkly under the tree for her. Even if there wasn't that would be okay.

"No, it's not." Jason admitted. "Will you move into the Towers when you return home?" She had broken her lease when she left.

"Milo thinks that is a good option. We are talking about it." Emily knew her boyfriend hadn't been happy about her former loft. He felt the building wasn't secure enough. Jason often said the same thing. So did Johnny and Francis.

"You think you guys are going to buy a house at some point." Jason was thinking that eventually Milo was going to be his brother in-law.

It was Emily's turn to huff. "Mom said not to bother, she's leaving me the mansion in her will. What am I going to do with all this space?"

"You could sell it." Jason pointed out knowing she would do no such thing.

"Mom would haunt me and we both know it." Emily said shaking her head. "I will have the pleasure of throwing Tracy out." The young doctor said with an evil grin. There aunt was absent this weekend something that had not gone unnoticed.

"When you leave town for extended periods of time you miss things." Jason said smiling. "Tracy moved out of Port Charles last month. She decided that living here no longer suited her. AJ officially took over ELQ'S London offices last month." Tracy was hurt because she had been passed over, again, for a chance to run the family company.

"So Ned didn't just fly in for the party?" Emily asked stunned.

"No, he is taking over ELQ here because Edward wants to retire." Jason passed along. "The Ashtons have been back for almost three weeks." It was surprising when Lois returned with their cousin. No one in the family knew they had reunited.

"No more Eddie Maine?" Emily asked a little disappointed, she was big fan of her cousin's rock alter ego.

"Ned is planning on still recording music. He is also going to be touring next year. Brook Lynn will be his opening act because her first album will be out." Jason explained what he had been told. "Ned's main job is to help AJ make London ELQ'S new international headquarters." The eldest Quartermaine child didn't feel he could live in Port Charles and stay sober.

"I wonder if I can get mom to leave the mansion to Ned." Emily was thinking out loud.

"He already bought the former Jacks estate." Jason said dashing his sister's hopes. "I know a good torch guy." He said laughing.

"I may take you up on that." Emily said laughing as well. She looked over at the clock. "Come on, we've hidden long enough." She had used the excuse of wanting to catch up to give her brother a small break. He was doing well with the family but having everyone around at the same time was hard. Emily was convinced that the only reason there hadn't been any arguments was because Cameron and Jake were in the room.

"Elizabeth and Steven should be back from their walk." Jason hadn't spoken to the doctor again since this morning. As far as he was concerned there wasn't anything else to say. "Are you staying over our place at all this week?"

"At least one night." Emily said as they walked down the hall. "You guys should go out since Milo and I will be there." She was guessing they would stay in tonight since the sleepover was last minute. Going out meant arranging security.

"That's a good idea. I'm going to pretend not to be upset that you are throwing me over for my sons." Jason said smiling.

"They are much cuter than you." Emily said completely serious. "I'm shallow like that."

Looking into the parlor he spotted his girl, and got right away that she was upset. There weren't any clues others would pick up on, but he could tell. "We'll talk later."

"Yup." Emily said walking over to where her guy was talking with Lila.

"Everything okay?" Jason asked quietly.

"We can talk later." Liz said giving him a smile. Her waiting until Steven was on the plane would keep her fiance out of jail.

"The house seems too quiet." Jason said as they walked inside. While Elizabeth had days where the boys were out, they were always home when he was.

"The boys staying away from home is an important step in their development." Liz said as Jason helped her out of her coat. "Before Em left sleepovers happened a lot. Not just on the nights we were able to meet."

"I'm greedy. I don't like sharing them, or you." Jason said with a grin. Leaning in he gave her a soft kiss before taking her hand and walking to the kitchen. They might snack later, but wouldn't eat a full meal. Now he would get them both something to drink. "Who upset you earlier?" Johnny and Francis, who were at brunch with their wives, had also noticed that she was upset and stopped to check in.

"Steven." Liz didn't even think of lying. "He confessed that he was at the party because he owed you a favor. It was part of his quest to prove that you can't be trusted and I am still not capable of making my own decisions."

Jason put down the mugs and leaned against the counter. "I didn't want you to know that was why he came." Hiding things from her wasn't going to be a habit, he had wanted her to feel like she mattered to at least one member of her family.

"I know. I told him that." Liz said with a sad smile. "He may not come to the wedding now." She confessed blinking back tears.

Jason couldn't think of what to say, so he simply came around the island and put his arms around his girl. "You are both upset, give him time to settle. He does love you."

"I'm not sure that's true." Liz said letting Jason's warmth and love calm her. "I think he and everyone else in my family loves the Liz who is obedient and changes to please them. I don't think they know what to do with the Liz I am now. The one who is living her life on her terms. I won't change for them, and I'm not letting you or our life go."

"I love you." Jason said humbled by her faith in what they were building.

"I love you too. I'd like some hot chocolate now please." Liz said letting it go.

"You got it." He gave her a kiss and started making their drinks.

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