Gravity
*Cue getting ready "montage" kinda*
Elizabeth, Brenda, and Robin:
Quickly showering to wash off the smell of the lake, the girls throw on their robes before working together to tackle drying Elizabeth's unruly curls. Splitting her hair into three sections, Elizabeth tackles the front while Brenda takes the back left and Robin takes the back right. With the three of them tag-teaming her hair, they managed to get her hair dry in just over half an hour. Talk of the night ensues as they get dressed behind separate dressing screens.
"Okay, but be honest with me..." Brenda starts, automatically eliciting a collective sigh from the other two, prompting her to counter with, "Okay, come on, it's not like that!"
"Uh-huh," Robin replies simply. "We're sure but please, do continue."
"Well, now I don't want to ask," Brenda throws back, feigning offense. "How about that?"
"Works for me," Robin calls her bluff. "So, Liz..."
"Wait, wait, I was just kidding," Brenda cuts her off before she can finish her sentence. "Come on, I just need your opinions."
"Robin's just messing with you," Elizabeth chimes in, knowing Robin will leave her floundering just for the hell of it. "Just ask what you're gonna ask, Bren."
"You're no fun," Robin comments with a hint of laughter. "I actually had her going that time."
"Rude," Brenda counters, throwing her towel over Robin's screen to hit her. "As I was saying...what do you think my chances are of actually finding a date tonight?"
"Called it!" Robin comments as she walks out from behind her screen, throwing Brenda's towel back at her. "You literally ask that before every event. Sure, it's never the same phrasing but still..."
"I wouldn't have to if you'd just set a girl up," Brenda counters. "I thought people in love enjoyed setting others up. What's your deal?"
"Oh, please, that's so stereotypical," Robin scoffs. "Besides, I introduced you to Patrick's friends and his brother, it's not my fault none of them matched your interests."
"She's got you there," Elizabeth comments as she walks out to join them. "As for your chances tonight, Bren, it's whatever you make of it."
"Are you really hitting me with a cliche?" Brenda looks at her curiously.
"No, I'm being serious," Elizabeth states firmly. "You're a spitfire. Waiting for a guy to find the courage to approach you hasn't exactly been working in your favor. Maybe it's time you took the reigns and made the choice yourself."
"Bren's a little too old-fashioned for that, though," Robin reminds her. "She's not exactly accustomed to being the one to make the first move."
"I mean, can you blame me?" Brenda counters. "Have you seen me?"
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly expecting different results," Robin comments as she grabs her bag. "But what do I know?"
"And on that cheery note," Elizabeth adds, tossing Brenda her bag before grabbing her own. "Let's go before we're late."
"You know, we wouldn't be late if you'd stop volunteering your time at every turn," Brenda points out. "Fashionably late is a thing, you know?"
"Okay then you guys stay here and I'll see you when you get there," Elizabeth throws back, pulling open the door. "No one's saying you have to show up the same time I do."
"Arriving late makes me literally itch," Robin throws back as she follows Elizabeth out the door. "No way I'm showing up late in any capacity."
"Hey, hey, I wasn't saying that I wasn't coming," Brenda calls out as she rushes to grab her keys and lock up her apartment. "Wait up, I can't run in these heels...geez, you make one observation...sheesh."
Climbing into Robin's car, they take off to the event, none of them surprised that Brenda wasn't too keen on showing up to the event alone. While she may not love the idea of showing up early to an event, Brenda will always put her own discomfort to the side to show up with them. She and Robin both know why Elizabeth is consistently volunteering for things, wanting to make her way through college on her own merit and not on her parents' dime, making adjusting their schedule to hers that much more important to them. From start to finish, they will always put each other above all else and that's not about to change now.
Carly and Sam:
Music blaring, the girls rush about Carly's room, snatching up different articles of clothing to piece together the perfect outfit to match the accessories they've chosen for the night. Much like every other time they needed to get ready for a big event, they argued over who gets what, both absolutely certain that certain pieces just had to be theirs for the night to tie their whole outfit together. By the time they finally settled down from the chaos of getting ready, Carly ended up in a tight little black dress with silver accessories to compliment her blonde hair. Sam ends up with a flowing burgundy dress, utilizing the few black accessories to give her the dark appeal. Glancing at the clock, they scold each other for taking so long before rushing out of the house to climb into Sam's car and take off. They'll just manage to arrive fashionably late if Sam puts her driving skills to work.
Nikolas and Lucky:
With the family house being too clustered with everyone getting ready for the event, Lucky decided to get ready at his brother's estate, knowing it was bound to be less clustered. It was strange to see his family so interested in a Quartermaine event as they are for this one. Typically his mother would have to bribe his father to attend one of these events but he actually agreed happily before she could even deliver her usual spiel.
"I thought you brought your own clothes," Nikolas comments as Lucky rummages through his formal attire. "What even has you wanting to dress up so formally anyway? You never put this much effort into dressing up. What's your deal?
"Felt like it," Lucky gives as his reasoning. "What's it to you anyway?"
"Seeing as it's my clothes you're poorly putting together," Nikolas says, pushing him to the side to put an outfit together for him. "I get to ask what's with the switch up."
"I guess," Lucky shrugs, dropping down on the bed while he waits for Nikolas to put an outfit together for him. "Let's just say that I'm working an angle."
"What's her name?" Nikolas says before tossing the set to him.
"What makes you think..."
"Time isn't a luxury we have right now," Nikolas cuts him off. "What's her name?"
"Elizabeth," he concedes, rising to his feet when his brother scrunches his face at him. "What's with the look? You don't think I have a shot?"
"I don't think anything," Nikolas counters before turning back to get himself something to wear. "You have your outfit, you should hurry up and get ready."
"No, I'm not letting it just drop," Lucky says, forcing him to look him in the face. "Spill. What's with the look?"
"Nothing," Nikolas states. "She just wasn't someone I thought you'd be interested in, that's all."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucky pushes further. "She's exactly the type of girl I'm interested in."
"If you say so," Nikolas shrugs. "I just think you're, as you would say, barking up the wrong tree with that one, but who am I to say what can or can't work out? More power to you."
Staring at the back of his head for a long moment, Lucky rolls his eyes before gathering his outfit and walking out of his brother's room to start getting ready. Just from the way he said that last sentence, Lucky knows that if he were to dig any deeper into this train of thought, they would be in a shouting match before long. Not wanting to be late to the event, he thought better of it, deciding that he'd just have to put a pin in it for now. Once they were both ready, they took the launch back to the mainland before being taken to the Quartermaine estate by Nikolas's driver.
Emily:
Her siblings don't put too much merit in their family's charitable events, it just isn't their scene, something she can understand because she knows them better than most. AJ, being the oldest, has gone to more of these than either of them. Recently, his only enjoyment in attending is bugging the hell out of Jason. If she were being honest, though, Jason does make it easy for AJ. She's not entirely sure that it bothers Jason as much as he puts on.
Putting on some music, she makes her way to her closet to look for the absolute perfect outfit for the night, committed to wearing a setup she's never put together before. Not only is this the last event of the season but the attendees list has some of the most influential (not to mention hot) people this town has to offer. She just turned sixteen which means more doors are open to her now than ever before.
"Come in," Emily voices when there's a knock at the door. "Skye."
"Hey, you," Skye voices when she walks into the room. "Looks like someone's especially excited for tonight."
"Is it that obvious?" Emily questions as she moves to take a seat with her sister. "I don't know why but tonight just feels electric, you know?"
"Yeah, I'm starting to feel that, too," Skye says before pulling out a slender velvet case out of her purse. "Which is why I brought this for you to wear tonight."
"Oh my gosh, don't tell me..." Emily's eyes go doe-like as she carefully takes the case into her hands and opens it to find Skye's pearl necklaces that she wore on her wedding night. "It's so beautiful."
"Not nearly as beautiful as you," Skye says sincerely before holding out her hand. "May I?"
"Yes, please," Emily says, handing it back to her before turning around and allowing Skye to put the necklace around her neck. "You just solved my outfit crisis. I know the exact outfit I want to wear with this. Thank you."
"Treat it well and I just might let you keep it," Skye comments. "I have to go get ready. I'll see you soon."
"I'll treat it better than the royal family treats the crown, promise."
"I don't doubt it."
Waiting long enough for Skye to walk out of the room, Emily moves to stand in front of the mirror, taking a moment just to admire the necklace around her neck. She never once thought that her sister would ever find her responsible enough to wear this particular necklace. Not that she hasn't tried to convince her in the past. For her to come to her of her own accord, Emily will not make her regret trusting this piece to her. With a new pep in her step, turning up the music, Emily gets ready for what is fixing to be a beautiful night.
AJ:
Not doubting he's most likely the first one in the family to be ready, AJ makes his way through the estate to ensure that everything is precisely as his grandmother envisioned. He doesn't put much care into these events but they mean a lot to his grandmother and, for that reason alone, he does his best to put effort into these events. Just out of eyesight of anyone in the family, of course.
"How did I know I'd find you down here ahead of everyone else?" a soft voice comments from the doorway of the kitchen. "Heaven forbid anyone knows you actually care, right?"
"I have no idea what you mean by that," AJ counters, approving the plating to the chef before walking over to her. "What are you even doing here this early anyway, Keesha? Don't you know it's socially acceptable to be fashionably late?"
"And miss out on seeing you like this?" she scoffs, her head tilting up to look at him when he gets close. "I think not. This is my favorite side of you, after all."
"Careful, talk like that will get people talking," AJ counters, lifting one hand to brush the unruly curls that fell over her forehead. "Wouldn't want that, now would we?"
"Hide behind your snarkiness all you want, Alan James Quartermaine," she stands defiantly before him. "You and I both know it doesn't work on me. I see you despite all your efforts and that's not about to change."
"Well, look at the time," AJ says, retreating from his position towering over her to stand up straight and take a few steps back. "Still much to do and little time to do it."
"Running doesn't suit you, you know?" Keesha calls out to him as he starts walking through the door. "You're bound to run out of places to hide eventually."
"Only one way to find out," he says, stopping for a brief moment to say, "Till that day comes, it was nice seeing you tonight, Keesha."
Leaving her to her own accord, he walks briskly as far as possible, knowing that there was nothing he could do or say at that moment that would shine in his favor. Watching him walk away, Keesha simply shakes her head, knowing that it's just who AJ is and she has more than enough time to wait him out. She'll get him to see himself the way she sees him one day, she just has to wait long enough for him to get there.
Jason:
While just about everyone in the family prefers to have background noise of some kind while getting ready, Jason showers and dries off in complete silence, needing whatever calm atmosphere he can muster up. Though his room isn't completely soundproof, majority of the day-to-day noise can be easily tuned out if he puts some effort into it.
Walking into his bedroom, he's not at all surprised to find an outfit already laid out for him, something he credits to his grandmother's understanding of where he and outfits are concerned. If it were up to him, he'd never wear anything more than his best casual clothing. She knows that if she wants him to dress up in any capacity, she needs to be the one to buy it and leave it for him to put on.
This way, she gets what she wants and he doesn't have to stress out trying to figure it out for himself. Though a Quartermaine by blood, Lila has always commented that he took the characteristics of the Morgan bloodline more than the Quartermaines, making her more than happy to do what she needed to get him to where he needed to be.
Jason was just about done getting ready when he heard the sound of a car pulling up to the front door, prompting him to walk over to his window and look out at who was arriving this early. Not too surprising to find Keesha Ward getting out of the car with her cousin, Justice Ward. He doesn't doubt that she made up some excuse that she had to show up early knowing full well that she's only here for AJ.
He was just about to walk away from the window when he spotted another car coming up the driveway. This car is also one that he expected but for an entirely different reason. Though he's certain that both Robin and Brenda would probably show up at a later time, Robin obviously showing up precisely on time, Elizabeth volunteers at almost every event this town has to offer. It's a dedication to her independence that has always had him at awe of her.
Glancing at the time, he quickly turns away from the window to speed run drying off and getting dressed, deciding to just sling his tie around his neck for the time being until it's time for the event to begin. Slipping his shoes onto his feet, he stops at the door to take a deep steadying breath before making his way out of his room.
Making his way downstairs, he pauses outside Emily's room, a smile touching his lips as he listens to her belting out to her favorite song. It never fails to bring a smile to his face when he hears her happiness flood through the house. With a single nod, he continues making his way downstairs, knowing it wouldn't be too much longer for the event to begin.
"Hey, Jason," Robin greets him when she and Brenda notice him coming down the stairs, Elizabeth nowhere in sight. "Who knew you could clean up so nicely?"
"Miracle, I know," Jason replies with a slight smile. "You can thank grandmother for that."
"I always knew Lila was a miracle worker but damn," Brenda comments, eying him up and down. "The woman should definitely market that skill because damn...just damn."
"And on that articulate note," Jason says, his eyebrows slightly scrunched at her phrasing. "I'll see you two later."
"Hey, I was just paying you a compliment," Brenda throws out as he starts to walk away. "Come on, you know I didn't mean anything by that...you look good, you know that!"
"Bye, Brenda," Jason says before walking through the door way leading to the back patio.
"Was it something I said?" Brenda questions Robin as she turns to look at her. "I swear I was just complimenting him."
"And you wonder why you're single," Robin shakes her head. "Come on, let's go see if they need any help with prep work while you only have one foot in your mouth."
"No, seriously," Brenda says as she trails after Robin. "I think he just doesn't like me. I've tried gentle flirting and abrasive...maybe he's just not that into me."
"Self awareness is always a good first step," Robin comments. "Now that that's out of the way, who are you hoping to attract tonight? AJ, maybe?"
"Please, everyone knows that Keesha has him in a chokehold," Brenda scoffs. "That's one tree I don't intend to bark up."
"Fair enough," Robin agrees. "So maybe one of Jason's friends then?"
"Maybe," Brenda accepts. "Guess we just have to play the night out and find out."
"Just remember that if you set your sights on Johnny, he may act all big and bad but he's a huge softie."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, Liz will probably kill you if you do anything to hurt him," Robin says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course, it goes both ways, but I'd just be wary of that one."
"You don't think those two are...you know?"
"Not even a little," Robin assures. "She's just protective of him and the same in return. Nothing more than that."
"Eh, didn't hurt to ask," Brenda accepts. "So, Johnny is on the roster just not first choice...got it."
While they meet up with Keesha to see if there's anything that has yet to be done, Jason makes his way out to his grandmother's rose garden, knowing that no one else was brave enough to step into it. No one else except her, of course. He had thought he'd find solitude there for the moment until the event begins but, the moment he stepped through the door, Jason found himself frozen to the spot at the sight of her. She doesn't notice him right away, giving him a moment to just take in the sight of her in her formal gown as she admires the roses.
"Are you just going to stare at me all night or are you going to say something?" her soft voice sounds playful as she turns away from the roses to look at him. "You look good. I'm glad I chose the navy blue. It suits you."
"You chose this?" Jason voices, unknowingly moving closer to her as she starts to walk over to him. "I don't understand."
"Lila was swamped with the event, so, I volunteered to go shopping for her," Elizabeth smiles softly, reaching out to do his tie once he was close enough. "I'm glad I chose right."
"God, you're beautiful," he whispers, time seeming to slow down to the point that he could feel ever single second pass by, his arms reaching out to wrap around her waist as she finishes tying his tie. "Graduation can't come fast enough."
"I know, but it will come," Elizabeth reminds him, running her hand down his tie to smooth it out. "There. Perfect."
"Yes," he replies, using a hooked finger to lift her gaze to his. "You are."
"Couldn't be further from the truth," she counters, leaning into his touch when he moves to caress the side of her face. "Haven't you heard? I'm the problem child."
"According to my step-mother, I'm a curse from hell, so, my point still stands," he counters with ease. "I will marry you one day."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," she reminds him with an arched eyebrow. "One day may never come."
"That's not a promise, it's fact," Jason states firmly. "You will be my wife. I will be your husband. It's not a matter of if but when."
"When you talk like that, I almost believe you," Elizabeth whispers, taken by the look that graces his features. "I should get back."
"I know," he whispers, confirming not only her last statement but more importantly her first. She was raised with a fear of instability and broken promises. Slowly but surely he'll heal her from that. There will be a day that his words will be accepted without a single drop of hesitation. One day she will trust his words above all else and that's the day he's fighting for now. "But before you do..."
Holding her snuggly against his body, his heart melting as she melts into his hold, allowing him to take control of this embrace. Tilting her head up so her eyes meet his, they stare into each other's eyes for a long moment before allowing their eyes to slide shut as their lips take claim to the other's. Hearts pounding against their chests, they give themselves to this moment for as long as it's allowed to last, before inevitably pulling away, laying their foreheads against each other's.
"I love you," he whispers, knowing this moment was about to come to an end. "I know you're not there yet but I wont' walk away without saying it."
"I know," she whispers back. "I'm working on it, I hope you know that."
"I do," he assures, pulling away to meet her eyes once more. "Five more months."
"Five more months," she confirms. "See you soon."
"See you soon."
Releasing his hold on her, he places a gentle kiss upon her forehead before allowing her to walk out of the garden and back to the estate, using the time left to recompose himself. When he first started seeing her, it was just one of those things that they chose to do for the hell of it, the only two in town that had similar backstories. Neither of them thought it would go anywhere. Commiserating at it's finest. Nothing more than that.
The more time they spent together, the more they started to learn things about the other that they hadn't expected to learn, finding more depth in each other than they have ever found in anyone else. Some days they didn't even have to speak. Not a single word and yet they understood more than anyone that they spoke paragraphs to. To find that in each other when neither expected to find anything there, Jason will not risk losing her for anything or anyone. It was in that realization that they made the decision to give each other time. Time to process where they found themselves with each other and with life. Though patience is one of his worse qualities, he will refine it for her, he will turn it into a damn artform, if necessary.
A/N: Hey, hi, hello! Thank you for reading this far. I love Johnny/Francis as much as Jason/Elizabeth. They are two of my favorite GH characters by far. Let me know your thoughts on this update. Thanks again!