The next two weeks were hard on both Jason and Elizabeth. They talked to each other on the phone but that was about it. He needed to study for his finals and Elizabeth needed to turn her photos into masterpieces. Her show was going to be two days after his graduation. His family was coming up for both of them. She was really excited to see Jason graduate and see Emily and the family. The Quartermaines' had taken Elizabeth under their wing when Emily and her had become best friends. Her grandmother didn't have any more time for her than her parents. They loved her brother and sister but they never seemed to care about what happened to Elizabeth. It was always about Sarah and Steven. She was close to her brother Steven but that was about it. He was surprising her at her show and so were her friends from college. It was a good thing that she didn't know or she would have been even more anxious about her show.
The day before Jason's graduation Emily flew up to Boston. They met Emily at the airport and took her to Elizabeth's apartment. She had three bedrooms so she had plenty of room for her best friend this time. Emily loved her new apartment and how much she had changed since the last time she saw her. She had really moved up in the art world in a few short period of time.
"Mom and dad will be here later tonight and my grandparents should be in tomorrow morning. They are staying at one of the hotels near the campus. I forgot which one though. Dad is coming straight from work and so I am sure that mom has his things already packed. When they are getting along they are great and they are in one of their good times together so it should be a lot of fun to be around them. I know you remember when they were fighting and we practically had to stay at the gatehouse just so we wouldn't get caught in their crossfire." Elizabeth remembered that time but she also knew that Emily was lucky to have parents who actually cared about her and not ignored her.
"Em, how long are you staying? I was hoping you could stay for a couple of days to see Elizabeth's show." Emily just shrugged and so Jason just dropped it. Elizabeth knew that something was up and that she was going to stay. Jason took Elizabeth and Emily out to his favorite restaurant near the campus. He was very excited about the next day and his future. His grandfather told him about a building that would be perfect for Elizabeth's gallery. It was far enough away from the major downtown streets but close enough that the people shopping would go check it out. Jason was about to invest his hard earned savings in order to make Elizabeth's dream come true. He never really cared about money but he did care about her.
Once they had eaten lunch, his mother had called to tell Jason they were leaving the airport and that they would land in about an hour. He told her that he would be there to pick them up. The three of them went to the apartment that Jason lived in and made sure that everything was perfect for when Monica and Alan came in. "I told you Jason that they will love your apartment. I love you and I love your apartment so you are fine. Let's go get them now." Emily got in back and watched the two lovebirds. She knew when she left them a few months back that they would be an item but she hadn't realized that it would happen so quickly.
The met Monica and Alan at the airstrip and put their things in the back of the truck. Monica, Elizabeth and Emily sat in the back of the cab while Alan and Jason sat up front. The ride back to the apartment was not far and for the most part they would be having a town car take them around to where ever then needed to go. There was another town car for his grandparents and he was happy about that because he was too stressed to be driving everyone around.
Jason had received his instructions about where his family could sit for his graduation. He also had instructions on his cap and gown and where to meet. In the morning, Jason was going to pick up Emily and meet with his grandparents and Elizabeth was going to meet them at the graduation. She had to go into work for a couple of hours to make sure that everything was perfect for her show. She was so excited that she hardly slept that night. She was up to after two paintings and fell asleep around three. Emily didn't know how she managed on such little sleep but she did. Her brother was the same way so that was something else that they had in common.
The next morning, Elizabeth went to put on a pot of coffee for her and Emily. Jason came in the door and was surrounded by his family. He was so happy that his family was there and just a year ago that never would have happened. So much had changed in him since the accident. He was a like a different man. Everyone knew it was because he met Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth, dear how are you? We miss you and Emily at the mansion. Do you have any of your paintings around that we can see?" Elizabeth showed everyone her apartment and let Lila in her little studio to see a few of her paintings. Lila was very impressed with Elizabeth's talent but she more impressed in the way she loved her grandson. Elizabeth even showed her the painting of Jason in the bubble bath at the cabin they went to a few weeks before. Jason hadn't even seen the painting. You could tell in the detail of her work how much she loved painting but also how much she could see the light in Jason's eyes. After his accident his eyes always looked cold and dead. Now his eyes are light and full of life. "I love this painting but I know that is something that you are always going to treasure. Has Jason seen it or anyone besides me?" Elizabeth shook her head no.
"You are the first to see it. You have been a very special part of my life and I am truly grateful that you have been there for me. I wouldn't be doing what I love if it wasn't for your help. You are a true blessing." The two of them went out into the kitchen both with tears in their eyes. Monica came over and hugged both of them. I guess we need to get going so Elizabeth can go to work and then meet us at Jason's graduation. Everyone left and Elizabeth got into the shower. She let the emotions flow out of her and then once her shower was over she was ready to get to work.
She got inside of the gallery and then is when she saw the guest list for the gallery showing. She almost fainted when she saw the names of the celebrities that were going to see her paintings. "I hope that you are playing with me Michelle because I might have a heart attack if I see just one of those celebrities never mind all of them."
"You my dear, have talent and that is why they are going. You need to know that I hope you keep busy this summer painting while you are on the road with Jason. I will probably need a hundred of them to keep the customers happy. You are one of the biggest and brightest talents to hit this area in a while. I will truly miss you after this show but you are ready to be on your own. Until that time if you ever want to stop in here and see an old friend, please do but don't forget to bring me some of your paintings." Elizabeth hugged her boss and went to work.
Soon it was time for her to leave for Jason's graduation. Jason had a town car pick her up and bring her straight to the graduation. She found his family and sat down with them. She was so happy for Jason and his graduation. She forgot to tell Emily about her news. They watched as Jason graduated with his MBA. He now had officially graduated with a Master's in Business. He knew what he wanted to do with his degree and who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He just needed to check out the building his grandfather had told him about and get the paperwork started. He also needed to find an architect to help design the gallery.
The graduation was over and everyone went out to eat. They had made reservations at a quaint Italian restaurant that Elizabeth and Jason loved to go. They were really good customers and when the owner heard that Jason was graduating and his family was coming in from upstate New York, well he closed off a portion of the restaurant for their dinner. The atmosphere was very romantic. The food was unbelievable and the wait staff was the best in the area. They had decorated the room for him and had all of his favorite foods ready for him.
The next day Jason went back to Port Charles for something. He told Elizabeth that he had to go check out something with his grandfather and that he would be back before her showing. Emily stayed with her and showed her mother and grandmother the gallery where Elizabeth worked. They loved the gallery and saw a lot of Elizabeth's paintings. "Elizabeth I loved these paintings but the one you have hidden from everyone I think I love the best." Elizabeth blushed but she knew that Lila wouldn't tell anyone especially Jason about seeing the painting.
The rest of the day, Elizabeth worked along with Michelle getting everything ready for the next night. They had the talent put up their paintings but no one wanted to put their things up near Elizabeth's paintings. They knew it was her last show for a while and they were happy for her and also happy that everyone was going to see their work too. They hoped that they could get a break like she did and they also wished they had the talent that she had.
Emily told her that the family was going to be there for her too. They had wanted to see one of Elizabeth's shows and they were happy to get on the list. Elizabeth had been back and forth from the gallery all day. She went to get her hair, nails and makeup done at the salon in her building. Emily helped her pick out the perfect dress for her to wear. It was a dark blue dress that came just past her knees. It was curvy like she was and it fit her like a glove. The color of the dress matched her eyes perfectly.
Jason came in to escort her to her showing. The family was already there and a few extra surprises. A couple of her friends from college were there including Lucky. Steven was there and so was her grandmother, Audrey. She was so happy to see them. Steven hugged his sister and at first Jason was a bit jealous until Emily told him that he was Elizabeth's brother.
The celebrities that showed up were quite impressed with Elizabeth's work. They also loved her photography as well as her paintings. She saw a couple of movie stars that were from the area and also a few sport stars. She was not sure if they were there to be see her stuff or to be seen. It didn't matter to her because she had Jason by her side and that was all that mattered to her anyway. Michelle told her that most of her things were sold before the doors were even opened for the gala. She was very impressed with the way that Elizabeth carried herself and how much she was able to talk to everyone about her art work. She explained but the photographs and also the paintings.
Audrey never realized how much talent her granddaughter had but she did now. Steven was also very proud of his little sister. She sold every piece of her artwork. She was front page news in both Boston and Port Charles. Lucky thought that Elizabeth would give him another chance until he saw Jason with her. He knew then that they would never get back together. Everyone had a great time that night and her life was about to take another turn that week.
When the excite was over and Elizabeth went to see Michelle to pick up her check she was shocked to see how much money she made. The celebrities were the ones to have bought most of her artwork and they paid plenty for it. There was a bidding war on just about every piece and so a five-thousand-dollar painting became fifty thousand. She made over five hundred thousand dollars in one night. She looked at Michelle and she smiled. "I hate to leave you now but I am about to be going cross country with the man I love. I hope you find your muse like I did and that someone like me comes along to help make you even more money." Michelle gave Elizabeth a hug and told her to have fun.
The first stop after storing all of their things was a trip back to Port Charles. He wanted to see what kind of camper Elizabeth wanted. They found a nice camper that was perfect for the two of them. They had it all mapped out and was going to start going west and then back again. They had marked the parks they wanted to go and places they wanted to stay. They also found places along the way that they were both interested in.
"I have a surprise for you that I hope you will love? It is down the street from here and I hope to have it up and running by Thanksgiving. This is also when I hope to be back off the road." The two of them took his bike and went to where he was getting the gallery built. It was an old warehouse but it had plenty of potential. When Elizabeth saw it she thought that he was going back in business with Sonny. She was scared until she really looked at the building. She then could see that he wanted to make it into a beautiful gallery.
"Is this for me? I don't know what to say. I guess Michelle really did know that I wasn't going back to her. Thank you for this." Jason hugged her and wiped away her tears. She was so beautiful and humble that Jason couldn't believe how lucky he truly was with her love.
"I want to help you with this. I will manage the place and also find other talent to go in here and you just concentrate on being a great artist. I think that we should go to the architect so you can see his plans and see if there are any changes to be made. I also have a piece of land not far from here where I am going to build our dream house."
When Elizabeth went to see the architect she knew that she was going to have problems with him. Her ideas of the gallery were completely different and so Jason just let Elizabeth speak to the contractor herself. She knew what she wanted and how she wanted it designed. She also was going to design their home. She loved being able to see in print what she wanted. They spent a few days talking about it while they got their camper ready for their trip. They had their laptops with them so they could be in touch with everyone including the contractors.
They had dinner with his family and her grandmother. They told them about their plans for the summer and also about their new home being built and the gallery. Elizabeth was very excited about the new adventure and changes in her life. Jason had changed even more than the family could hope for since meeting Elizabeth. She had softened him up without realizing it and he had stood behind her while she went for her dreams. Who would have thought that a young girl with a sketchbook and a young man who lost his memories and then become an enforcer for the mob could turn the lives so completely around. The two of them were destined for each other. Emily was so happy for both her brother and her best friend. She was going to fly out to meet them in California for a week or so when they were going to be in Los Angeles area. Emily had a couple of surprises in store for them when they got to the west coast.
The young couple spent their last night in the Quartermaine mansion before their camping across America trip. When the year ends there will be more surprises ahead for the young couple.