Part 1: Advice For the Lovelorn Prompt - "Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of understanding and misunderstanding," - Diane Arbus | |
Part 2: Roadside Assistance Prompt - "The time between meeting and finally leaving is sometimes called falling in love." - Falling In Love, Lisa Loeb | |
Part 3: Roommates Prompt - Put that away, we don't have time for that right now. | |
Part 4: Go Fish Prompt - Love is staying up all night with a sick child -- or a healthy adult. -Sir David Paradine Frost | |
Part 5: Best Laid Plans Prompt - There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche | |
Part 6: Unwelcome Visitor Prompt - "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx | |
Part 7: Added Bonus Prompt - When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out. ~ by Elizabeth Bowen | |
Part 8: The Art of Negotiation Prompt - Passion makes the world go round. Love just makes it a safer place. ~Ice T | |
Part 9: Family Ties Prompt - For things that are seen pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal. - L.M. Montgomery | |
Part 10: The Best Day Ever Prompt - Maple Syrup | |
Part 11: Dearly Beloved Prompt - Life is not measured by the numbered of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away | |
Part 1: Advice For the Lovelorn
"Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of understanding and misunderstanding," - Diane Arbus Spinelli kept disappearing, and quite frankly, it wasn't acceptable. While Jason had first been annoyed at the odd, rambling, pot-smoking computer hacker when they first met - mostly because the boy had been paid by Alcazar to fabricate evidence against the Corinthos Organization and then had tried to frame Jason for the rival mobster's fake death - he had grown accustomed to having the young man around. Jason cleaned him up, Spinelli now understood that he was better off not taking part in any herbal indulgences, and once Jason convinced him to work for them instead of Alcazar, things had really picked up in their ability to stay ahead of the competition. Jason also had benefitted from the relationship, although he'd never admit it to anyone. Keeping an eye on Spinelli meant he also kept an eye on himself. It was hard to tell the younger man he shouldn't subsist on a diet of orange soda and bar-b-que chips if he himself lived on a steady diet of beer and stale leftovers. Jason spent more time at home and less time trolling for company at Jake's, and the guards no longer scurried out of his way not wanting to deal with him anymore. So when Jason noticed that Spinelli seemed to be disappearing for hours at a time and nobody, not even his odd assortment of women friends knew where he was, Jason hovered somewhere between curious and worried. He told himself he wanted to make sure that the younger man wasn't back to tracking down pot deals, and that was why he'd followed him today. But he knew that wasn't the complete truth. Yet, he couldn't help wondering why Spinelli came to the hospital and hoped that he wasn't now getting involved in pharmaceutical addictions. It was oddly hard to follow the boy as he maneuvered deftly through the hospital corridors, keeping out of sight of others until he showed up at the tenth floor. There he hovered by the stairwell door until he finally caught somebody's eye at the nurses' hub and smiled brightly before turning and heading off immediately. Jason scanned the desk, wondering who Spinelli obviously communicated with, but couldn't determine who among the doctors, nurses, and volunteers it was. Not wanting to lose the young man, Jason turned and followed after him, figuring that whoever the person was would eventually come to Spinelli. It was hard to find a way onto the roof and where to hide without Spinelli spotting him, but the boy was slightly oblivious, and Jason was an enforcer used to getting in and out of places undetected. After settling into place, he waited and watched, and presently was rewarded by the arrival of someone. Who he saw greatly confused him. The woman wasn't a young volunteer like Jason had been expecting. Dressed in light pink scrubs with an ID badge clipped onto her top, she didn't have the overcoat of a doctor and Jason presumed she was a nurse. But she was older than Spinelli, with a definite air of maturity about her. Had the younger man developed a crush on an older woman? She was definitely pretty, Jason noticed, but somehow she didn't seem like Spinelli's type. The hacker preferred blondes, this nurse had luscious, rich chocolate tresses, pulled back loosely at the base of her neck with just a few strands framing her face. "Hi, Spinelli," she greeted him brightly. "Hello, Fair Maternal One," the younger man responded and Jason arched a brow. Maternal One? Did that mean she had a child, or was Spinelli role-playing his mother's abandonment of him? The nurse didn't look like someone who would be into that sort of thing, but Jason was willing to admit he could be wrong about a great many things regarding those around him. "I was surprised to get your text," the woman continued. "What's up?" "I need your help," Spinelli said plaintively. "The Jackal is most confused." The nurse smiled kindly and asked, "What happened?" "The Jackal was at Mr. Corinthos Sir's father's establishment, helping repair one of the small kitchen appliances, and The Blonde One came in having a fight with The Bad Blonde One. The Faithful Friend and Loyal Sister tried to mediate it and many harsh things were said on all sides. It turned...most unpleasant and then...it turned quite personal." The smile slipped from the woman's face, a sympathetic look crossing it. She reached out and covered the younger man's hand as she asked, "Let me guess. Lulu, Maxie and Georgie couldn't see you." "No," he shook his head dejectedly. "I was in the kitchen." "And you heard something that hurt you," she surmised. "Someone said something about you." He nodded. "Was it Maxie?" The young man shook his head. "It couldn't have been Georgie," the nurse said firmly with a shake of her head. "No," Spinelli admitted softly. "What did Lulu say?" The young man looked away and remained uncharacteristically quiet. That's how Jason knew he had been truly hurt by what had happened. Whenever Spinelli went quiet, he felt too deeply. "Spinelli," the woman coaxed. "What happened?" "She said I was a hopeless and unsocial geek and it was annoying how I clung to her all the time, but she put up with it because whenever Johnny or Logan ignored her I was there. And I would help her with whatever she needed, no matter what and she could ignore me, but I would always come running whenever she snapped her fingers." "I'm sorry," the nurse stated quietly. "You tried to warn me," the young man admitted. "You and the Faithful Friend...you both tried to warn The Jackal and I wouldn't listen to you. I...I was certain that The Blonde One wouldn't do that to me." "I try not to speak ill of people," she said, "but if there's one thing I've learned in the few months I've been in Port Charles...the Spencer family is selfish and has rules unto themselves that don't make sense to anybody but them. They're extremely hypocritical and will use people for their own gain without any regard to anybody else's feelings." "Fair Maternal One?" the boy asked curiously. "Lucky Spencer tried to use my son Cameron in order to get an in with me," she stated harshly. "Would just happen upon us in the park, ask Cam if he wanted an ice cream cone without asking me first, or mention going to the circus or some amusement park...again without asking me first, and then I would have looked like a horrible person for saying no once my little boy was all excited. Then he broke promises to my son, but still expected me to go out with him and I...I'm a single mother. I can't afford anyone like that in my life, so I'm going to go back to my plan of not dating anyone. I think it's just better that way." Spinelli sighed and leaned his elbows against the concrete ledge that ran around the roof. "I think I shall do the same." "Oh, now don't do that," the nurse said with a laugh and a nudge of Spinelli's shoulder. "There is someone right in front of you who would be perfect for you." The young man choked on air as he spluttered. "Fair Maternal One...Elizabeth...I am...am most flattered that you would be willing to be the cougar to my cub...and while I do think you are a beautiful woman...and your son is a most delightful little boy...I am..." "Spinelli," she laughed, cutting through his speech, "not me. I meant Georgie." He tipped his head to the side, "The Faithful Friend?" "What did Georgie say at Kelly's last night when Lulu admitted the truth?" "She was most upset on my behalf, defended me most strenuously and used language towards The Blonde One I had never heard her use before. Not even when The Bad Blonde One brings up the Faithful Friend's shattered marriage because of the Formerly Fair One's actions." "And what does that tell you?" the woman Jason now knew was named Elizabeth asked pointedly. "I...The Faithful Friend has always been a most faithful friend to The Jackal." "Because she likes you," the nurse stated. "She's helped you set up dinners and dates with Lulu and then has sat beside you when Lulu blew you off for Logan or Johnny or simply just forgot. She's listened to you talk poetically about the woman who stole her husband, and has never once tried to talk you out of liking Lulu. Has Lulu ever had anything nice to say about Georgie?" "No," Spinelli shook his head. "No. So...even forgetting romance," she continued, "who's been a better friend to you?" "The Faithful Friend," Spinelli answered immediately. "Try calling her Georgie," Elizabeth suggested. "And just think about the qualities you really want in a woman...and see whether she might be someone you could see yourself dating. Someone who likes the quirky way you talk, someone you can actually talk to, who understands things, who genuinely listens, who doesn't make you feel stupid but appreciates you." "Those all sound like nice qualities," the younger man said wistfully. "They are," she nodded. "They're what any person would want to have in their relationship. Someone who will listen to us, someone who will consider us and not their own feelings, someone who will respect us... You want to know the secret on how to win a woman? Listen to her. Treat her genuinely and kindly. It's not about grand gestures or expensive gifts - although those things can be nice - it's about the day to day moments. Turning to her and giving her your attention when she's talking to you instead of keeping your head buried in the newspaper or glued to the TV screen. Helping out when you can. Calling just because, or doing something for her simply to help her out and make her day easier, holding her hand without expecting it to lead to sex all the time." She shrugged with pure pain even though she tried to mask it. "Things like that." "Fair Elizabeth?" Spinelli ventured cautiously. "Is that why you and little Cameron's father are no longer together?" She didn't answer. Instead she said, "Just think about how you treat others, Spinelli. Especially the woman who means something to you, and then think about how she treats you. Don't excuse their behavior or think that they'll change. It's not that people can't change...it's just that their behavior gives a good indicator of how they really are, despite what they may say." Jason watched as the young man hesitantly raised his hand, and then settled it on the nurse's shoulder. "I'm sorry that you were treated most hurtfully in your past, Fair Elizabeth. It saddens The Jackal that you are giving him such great advice and he can't do anything for you." "It's alright," she shook her head. "I'm alright." Jason and Spinelli both knew she was lying. Only the younger man was able to actually say so. "No, I don't think you are. And so I will strive to be a better friend to you. To help you as you have helped me. Perhaps I could introduce you to someone that you could talk to...someone who would listen to you and treat you with respect the way you deserve." "Oh, no," Elizabeth immediately shook her head. "I'm not looking for a fix-up. I...I'm just going to focus on my son." "You are a most devoted mother and your young progeny is truly blessed to have you care for him. But you're too young to declare that the only thing you are is a mother," he said. "You need friends; you need someone to show you that you are a beautiful woman." She looked away and blushed, "I think I should get back to work, Spinelli. Epiphany will get upset if I'm gone too much longer. So...just think about what I said, okay? And give me a call if you want to talk some more." "Alright," he agreed. "And you think about what I said as well." She didn't reply, but just gave him a wave and then headed back to her work. Spinelli watched her go, a contemplative look on his face that Jason knew indicated he was formulating things in his mind and planning things out. Suddenly he grinned broadly, his whole body convulsing and vibrating with barely-contained glee. "I've got it," he exclaimed to the skyline. "I know exactly who I'm going to introduce Fair Elizabeth to. Stone Cold." As he bustled off the roof and out of sight, Jason leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes with a groan. His life was about to be besieged...and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to fight off the assault or not. | |
Part 2: Roadside Assistance
"The time between meeting and finally leaving is sometimes called falling in love." - Falling In Love, Lisa Loeb If this didn't work, she was going to give up and call a mechanic. Or maybe Spinelli. Not that she particularly thought the computer hacker would know how to fix her car, but he might be able to entertain Cameron. She hesitant to do so, though, because Spinelli would bring a guard with him who would insist on taking over and completing the repairs she was perfectly capable of doing - when she wasn't worried about her toddler inside the car and trying to rush for his sake - or he'd send his sensei out to help her. The young man would no doubt make this another opportunity to try to bring her and Jason Morgan together and she'd really rather not go through another embarrassing round of that. The second time Spinelli had called her and invited her to join him for lunch at Kelly's and Jason just happened to show up at the same time responding to a call from the young man, she sensed something was up. This was after he'd come upon them having lunch just the week before and that incident was after Spinelli had all but accosted him at the coffee shop attached to the Corinthos Morgan warehouse and invited his friend and mentor to join them as they were having a cup of coffee while she was on a break between a split shift at the hospital. Subtlety wasn't exactly the young man's strong suit. That was the first time she'd officially met Jason Morgan. Coffee Importer. She'd seen him around before, and Spinelli had pointed out his friend and boss to her; she'd also seen the older man at the hospital talking to one of the interns Emily Quartermaine. Elizabeth later found out they were siblings, despite the different last names. He didn't have much to do with the Quartermaine family, and sometimes after seeing them bluster around the hospital she didn't blame him. While they seemed to care about patients more than Dr. Ford and Ms. Sneed did, they still were all about the bottom line. Elizabeth was about making people well. She'd talked some with the intern on a girl's night out to a local bar she'd been roped into when Cameron had gone over to a friend's house from daycare for the night and several of the female staff declared that she was not allowed to go home and do laundry as she'd been planning. Emily was kind, not like her grandfather or aunt, and Elizabeth found herself genuinely liking the other woman. Until she apparently became a part of Spinelli's plan, or maybe it was something she came up with all on her own. Either way, she had also made it her mission in life to try to create situations for her brother and the nurse to run into each other, and Elizabeth had taken to spending less time with the other brunette simply to avoid further incidents. It was quite obvious that Jason Morgan was not pleased with the encounters and did not want to be around her. He was quiet, he didn't smile, and he left as soon as he possibly could, and sometimes before he could politely extract himself from the situation and Elizabeth had received the message loud and clear. Jason Morgan was not interested in her and he was not happy with people trying to set him up with her. Which was why she was not anxious to call Spinelli. The younger man simply would be crushed if she told him she needed his help, but didn't want him to call his friend. Georgie Jones had told her one day at the hospital when there was a lull that she had tried to convince Spinelli to stop trying so hard, but he had somehow gotten it into his head that Jason would be perfect for Elizabeth, and he wasn't about to admit defeat yet. "Mama, Mama," Cameron called from inside the car, his young voice drifting out through the open windows. "Mommy! Mommy! I want out!" Setting her screwdriver down, she stepped back from underneath the hood and straightened. Walking around to the open window, she leaned in, careful not to get any engine grease on her little boy's face as she brushed his curls off his forehead. "I want out," he repeated, straining at his car seat. She'd left him strapped in so she didn't have to worry about him getting into mischief inside the car, or somehow getting out of it and into danger near the road. "I know, sweetie," she said sympathetically. "But Mommy can't let you out. Do you want some more water in your sippy cup?" "I want out," he insisted. She knew he was about to hit a major meltdown and she sighed. She was going to have to give in and call somebody. "Okay," she sighed, and opened the door. She unbuckled him and lifted him out, pulling his sweaty shirt away from his body. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. Mommy thought she could fix it." Reaching into her pocket, she was about to fish out her phone when she heard an engine rumble in the distance. Her head jerked up automatically and she scanned the area. What she saw left her wishing she could just disappear into a hole. "A motorcycle, Mommy," Cameron said excitedly. "A motorcycle." "Yes," she nodded, holding her little boy closer as the bike slowed and pulled over to the side of the road behind their car. "Spinny's friend has a motorcycle," he continued on. "He was telling me about it." "Yeah," she said softly, watching as Jason Morgan regarded her for a moment and then climbed off his motorcycle. She didn't want to tell her little boy that this was Spinny's friend. "Are you alright?" he asked as he approached the pair hesitantly. "Yeah," Elizabeth nodded. "We're fine. The car died on me and I was trying to fix it but Cameron was getting restless so we were just taking a break." "Hmm," he said as he walked passed her to the raised hood. She turned to follow him, still holding Cameron to her hip even though her toddler was not anxious to have his view of the motorcycle impeded. He squirmed against her hold but she held on tight. "I'm pretty sure it's the timing belt," she told him. She didn't want him to think that she was completely helpless. "It's been acting up a little lately, but I've managed to tighten it back down each time. I don't think it needs to be replaced quite yet. But I can't seem to get it and Cameron was stuck in his car seat and demanding to be let out and...it wasn't really conducive to..." She trailed off as he said nothing, didn't even look at her, just picked up the screwdriver she'd set down earlier and leaned over her car. She stepped back and glared at the back of his head while biting her tongue. Her son was present and what she wanted to say to the insufferably rude man wasn't fit for Cameron's ears. So she settled for muttering 'jerk' under her breath and turning back to the open car door. "Come on, Cam," she said brightly. "Let's get you some water."
"He can look at my bike," a disembodied voice floated towards Elizabeth from under the hood. "I don't mind." Elizabeth resisted the urge to slam the metal onto the man and settled instead for ignoring him. She tried to return her little boy's attention to his toys kept in the day care bag, but Chuggin' Charlie was no match for a real life motorcycle. She was having a hard time keeping him from whining when he kept twisting and squirming to look at it. "He can look at it." The voice was closer this time and Elizabeth looked up, startled and unhappy to see Jason Morgan standing just outside the back door. He looked at her little boy and then at her, "Unless you'd rather he didn't." "No, it's not...I didn't want him to bother your bike," she said feebly. "He'd want to sit on it and push all the levers and buttons he could find and I didn't want him to mess anything up." "I don't mind," he repeated, opening the back door and holding out his hand for her. She thought it was slightly ridiculous since she was perfectly capable of climbing out of a car by herself, but she decided not to be peevish and rude and just ignore him. She touched his hand lightly and then immediately released it once she was standing, before turning to pick up Cameron who had scrambled over the seat behind her. Jason smiled briefly and then gestured towards his bike. "Do you like motorcycles?" he asked. "And trains," her little boy nodded. "Spinny gave me a toy motorcycle and sometimes we play." "Spinny?" Jason asked with a small quirk of his lips. Elizabeth would almost call it a smile on anyone else, but on Stone Cold Morgan, she was sure it was just an aberration. "He can't quite say Spinelli." "Spinny's my friend," Cameron said proudly. "I like Spinny." "So do I," the older man responded, and Elizabeth found herself frowning. She didn't need him humoring her little boy. "You know Spinny?" the excited toddler asked, nearly twisting out of her grasp to see the older man better. "Really?!" "He's my friend," Jason nodded. "And he lives at my house. He helps me on things." "You're Spinny's friend? You're the one with the motorcycle?" Cameron turned to face her. "Mommy, Spinny told me about him." By now they were standing next to the motorcycle and Elizabeth was prevented from answering by her little boy's excitement. Jason showed him some different features, and then looked at her. Leaning towards her and talking softly he said, "He can sit on it if that's alright. I'll make sure he doesn't fall." She looked at Cameron, but realized he hadn't heard them due to his enraptured gazing at the motorcycle. She looked back at Jason and then nodded slowly. "Alright." "Cameron?" Jason addressed her little boy. "Would you liked to sit on it?" His eyes nearly went round and he looked at Elizabeth, "Can I, Mama?" "Yes," she smiled and then suppressed a gasp when Jason lifted him out of her arms. "Here," the older man said, setting her son on the leather seat, all the while keeping a steady grasp on his waist. "Can we go for a ride?" he asked in pure excitement. "No," Jason shook his head before Elizabeth could even respond. "You'd need to be older, and your mom would have to agree. I...I have nephews older than you that I don't take out on it because I don't want them to fall off." "Oh," Cameron responded, somewhere between disappointment and relief that it wasn't simply him being denied a ride. "How much older?" "Michael's in school," Jason answered. Suddenly he lifted Cameron up and turned towards Elizabeth. "If you hold him, I'll sit down and then I can keep a better grip on him." "Are...are you sure?" she asked in surprise. "I know he can be a bit demanding." "Yeah," he smiled, a full one, she thought she saw teeth. "He's a good kid; he can't hurt anything on it. I just don't want him to squirm off the seat." Once he was seated and holding onto Cameron who was now in front of him he turned his head towards Elizabeth. "It was your timing belt, and I tried to tighten it down, but the screws are stripped. Plus the belt's about to wear through. I don't think I can get it fixed for you to drive back into town. I'm sorry." Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "It's not your fault. I knew I needed to replace it, I was just hoping to get another paycheck before I had to." It was hard to admit that, especially since she knew how much money the man probably had. It was just that with the move here and Cameron's dad not helping out, money was still pretty tight. "I can call one of my guys and have them bring out the parts and I could fix it, or I can call a tow truck and have it taken back into town." "You've already done so much," she shook her head. "I wouldn't want to be a bother or keep you from something." "I was just out taking a drive," he countered. "Wasn't doing much. What were you doing out here?" "Taking a drive," she said, quirking the corner of her mouth. "I've been putting in a lot of shifts at the hospital and Cameron has always loved going for drives since he was a baby. I guess I should have waited since I knew the belt was wearing." Keeping one arm around her son's waist, he used his other hand to fish his phone out of his pocket. "Let me call one of my guys. I..." He looked down, almost embarrassed. "I own part of a repair shop and I can have them come out and tow you back. Then if I fix it, I won't charge you anything except for the parts." "I pay what I owe," she insisted. She wasn't going to have Spinelli's friend help her out because he pitied her. "Pay for the parts," he insisted in return with a stubbornness she was surprised by. "And then maybe the next time you send some of those brownies home with Spinelli you could make it a double batch? We nearly got into a fight over who was going to get the last one and I had to concede since you sent them home with him." He looked at her and Elizabeth felt an odd shiver of awareness go through her that was surprised her, "I hate to concede when there's something that I really want." | |
Part 3: Roommates
Prompt - Put that away, we don't have time for that right now. "Stone Cold! I'm here!" The door bounced open and Spinelli actually slid into the penthouse, his arms laden down with bags. The guard outside reached in to pull the door closed, and in the process gave Jason a sympathetic look complete with a roll of his eyes. Jason shrugged imperceptibly. After all, he was used to such behavior from the younger man. "I got here as quickly as I could, but I had to make a few stops, and I..." He trailed off as he looked up, dismay crossing his face. "Stone Cold?" "What is it, Spinelli?" he asked, his attention once again on the pool table. Now that doors were no longer banging off walls, he could complete his shot. "Why is the room still a mess?" Jason looked up sharply. A fair portion, a more than fair portion, of the mess belonged to Spinelli himself. Jason wasn't sure when exactly the boy had begun thinking he was the maid, but the enforcer intended to put a stop to that train of thought quite quickly. "Most of this stuff is yours, Spinelli. I'm not the maid." "We don't have a maid," the boy retorted. "Two bachelors don't need one; especially since Mr. Corinthos, Sir sends his over once a month. But, Stone Cold, didn't...didn't you get my messages?" He looked around, and then said rather plaintively, "We need to clean up. The Fair Maternal One and her progeny will be here soon." That made Jason drop his cue on the pool table. "Elizabeth, and Cameron, are coming here?" "That's what I said," Spinelli said in exasperation, his body twisting backwards and to the side in his dramatic fashion. "I left you messages. Lots of them." Jason was ashamed to admit that when he got home from staking out the Zacharra shipment and was able to turn his phone back on, that he just hadn't felt up to listening to the sixteen messages from Spinelli's phone, two from payphones and one from Georgie's. Now he wished he'd taken the time instead of having a couple of beers and shooting some pool. "What do you mean Elizabeth and her son are coming here?" "Their apartment building caught on fire," the young man said and Jason felt his heart stutter for a moment in his chest. "Are they okay?" he demanded anxiously. "They weren't hurt, were they?" "They're fine," his roommate assured him. "Fair Elizabeth was at work so Little Cameron was in daycare. But they lost everything." Jason sighed heavily. He could only imagine the devastation Elizabeth must be feeling right now. Since the day he came upon her and Cameron out on the cliff road and had her car towed to the shop, he had come to learn a few things. She wasn't the kind of person to complain, even when it was clear she was having a bad day. She tried to be positive for her son's sake, but there were unguarded moments when she was tired or stressed that she rambled. And in those moments, before she realized what was happening and stopped and changed the subject, he'd discovered things about her. Her ex-husband was a louse who wasn't paying alimony or child support. She knew she could take him to court, but she didn't have the money to hire a lawyer or even file the papers herself. Jason had helped remedy that situation by having Diane happen upon Elizabeth one day at the coffee house. Diane was a master of getting information out of people without them realizing what she was doing, and in time the lawyer coaxed the young mother into divulging the deadbeat status of her ex. That, of course, had led to Diane being properly horrified and upset with said ex-husband and declaring that she was going to 'do what she had to do to see that he paid'. When Elizabeth protested, claiming she couldn't pay, Diane smiled and said that Jason and Sonny paid her well enough that she could take on this case for free, and she would because she was angry and she wanted a good fight. If only Elizabeth's other problems were as easy to fix as the non-payment of child support. Her car was a piece of junk. It should be taken out to a lonely stretch of the road and torched, but because her worthless ex-husband hadn't paid child support or alimony, she couldn't afford to get a new car. While Jason had done all he could by instructing his mechanics to replace all they could and repair everything else - all without Elizabeth's knowledge - nothing could change the fact that the car was old, and on its last legs. One day it was going to die and there would be nothing he could do to bring it back to life. But he also had come to learn enough about Elizabeth to know that she wouldn't accept any overt help from him. While he could offer to help her out by floating her a loan, no interest, pay whenever and whatever she could, he knew she wouldn't accept it. If she couldn't get the same deal at the bank, she wouldn't take his money. She was stubborn and proud that way and while he admired her work ethic and her desire to get things on her own, it frustrated him to no end because he wanted to help her but wasn't a good enough friend to insist that he was going to help out just until she got back on her feet or got her back payments. Also compounding his inability to do much was the fact that he wanted to ask Elizabeth out on a date. He'd been resistant at first because he knew Spinelli was setting him up and the whole thing just made him bristle, but as he'd gotten to know Elizabeth, especially after that day when he met her and her son on the side of the road, he'd stopped fighting it. As he got to know her, he found himself liking her more and more, until he realized that she was exactly the type of person he could fall in love with. She was beautiful, caring, friendly, stubborn, loyal, and determined. She didn't try to use him or Spinelli for money; she seemed embarrassed by the disparity between them, but also determined to pay her own way even when it was a cup of herbal tea at the coffee shop. He didn't want her to feel awkward if he asked her out, or have her think that he was somehow buying her affections. Other women would jump at the chance to have Jason spend his money on them; Elizabeth wasn't like that. And now her apartment had burned down, she'd lost everything, and she was coming here for some reason. Why exactly was that? "So why are they coming here?" he asked. "Are you upset that The Jackal invited The Maternal One and her son over?" Spinelli asked, suddenly aghast over the thought that Jason might object. "No," he assured the younger man. "I just...if she lost everything..." "She needs a place to stay," the hacker admitted. "Sweet Georgie called me and informed me of what happened. The Maternal One tried to contact her insurance company, but they will only reimburse her for any place she stays at until she can find a new apartment, and for anything she buys to replace what was lost...but she has no money to spend in the first place. Her credit cards are unfortunately maxed out, and while I could jackal her a higher credit limit, she would be suspicious." When Jason narrowed his eyes in question, Spinelli sighed heavily. "I might have already offered to do so for her and she adamantly refused." The enforcer nodded in understanding. That was Elizabeth. "Stone Cold's fair sister offered to let Elizabeth and Cameron stay at the Haunted Castle, but The Maternal One declined. Since the Prince of Darkness is Officer Loser's brother, she is afraid Port Charles' Dumbest will try to once again pursue her. Sweet Georgie offered to let Elizabeth and Little Dude stay at her father's place, but our dear nurse said no because he's the police commissioner and she felt uncomfortable. I thought about suggesting asking the Valkryie to let her stay at the Metro Court, but I knew Elizabeth would decline that as well." Shifting nervously on his feet Spinelli continued, "So I offered Casa de Stone Cold in the interim. I...I know it's not the best, but it was either that or a seedy hotel of the No-Tell variety down on Courtland Street. I...I did not..." "No," Jason shook his head. "You did the right thing. Elizabeth and her son need a place to stay and we've got the room here. Lucky won't bother her here..." Of course, there was always the danger of one of Jason's enemies seeing that mother and son had moved in and thinking that they were now a way to get at Jason and Sonny. Merely based on their more frequent interaction, Jason had already assigned someone to discreetly keep an eye on Elizabeth and her son. Now he was going to have to do more. He'd have to talk to her, being honest about the risks and the dangers, and if she didn't want to take that chance - and he wouldn't blame her if she didn't - then he would find her a place to stay until he worked out an arrangement with her insurance company. No questions asked, no taking no for an answer. Apparently though, those thoughts were going to have to wait because as soon Jason agreed to Elizabeth and Cameron staying here, Spinelli had gone into a frantic race around the room, much like a bumblebee buzzing from flower to flower. "Come on, Stone Cold. We have to clean up this mess before The Maternal One arrives. We can't have her worrying about her health and hygiene if she stays here. She's a mother, she has to worry about Cameron, and she's certainly not going to want to worry about him eating week old pizza crusts." The last word came out on a grunt as the younger man had attempted to dislodge a pizza box wedged underneath the sofa. It was caught on something and Spinelli was tugging on it one-handed while various clothes items were trapped between his other arm and his chest. Determined to get the box out, but not wanting to set the clothes down and free up his hand, the hacker kept wiggling and tugging and grunting. Until in one spectacular, horrifically comedic, move, it came free; Spinelli lost his footing and fell backwards and the clothes went flying as he windmilled his arms in an attempt to keep his balance. Jason saw what was going to happen and was too far away to stop it, but he was already moving before his friend hit the ground, soundly smacking his head on the coffee table along the way. "Spinelli!" A groan drifted up from the floor and the younger man's eyes fluttered, but didn't completely open. Gingerly Jason inspected Spinelli's head, making sure not to move his neck too much, and was decidedly not pleased to come away with blood on his fingers. He needed to get the boy to the hospital. He was halfway to the door when someone knocked. Yanking the door open, he was determined to tell the guard to send whoever it was away and then get the car while he helped Spinelli downstairs, but instead came face to face with Elizabeth. Holding Cameron on her hip. "You don't look sick." The mental cursing he was doing, so as to not do it in front of the young boy, abruptly stopped and he looked at her, "What?" "Spinelli said you were sick. It...it was kinda the only reason I agreed to stay here tonight until I could talk to the insurance company again in the morning and work something out. He said you were sick and didn't like hospitals so if I came over and helped take care of you tonight it would be my payment for you guys letting Cameron and me stay here tonight." She sighed and looked down. "He lied, didn't he?" Jason rubbed the back of his head, grimacing when the drying blood on his fingertips smeared on his neck. "Yeah," he admitted. "But there's still a way you can help out. Spinelli just fell and hit his head." He held up his hand to show her the blood, "He's bleeding." She immediately switched into a professional mode and handed him Cameron, then quickly moved past him, setting her purse on the desk next to the bags Spinelli had brought home earlier. While she went to tend to the injured man, softly talking to him and gently ministering to his wound, Jason looked at the bags, and began taking inventory. Toothbrushes, shampoo, Chuggin' Charlie pajamas, surely some for Elizabeth as well, and a few other things. Jason reached into the bag and pulled out a plastic train encased in plastic and cardboard. "Come on, Cameron," he said. "Let's go into the kitchen so I can wash my hands. And then maybe you can play with this cool looking train while I fix us all some dinner." | |
Part 4: Go Fish
Prompt - Love is staying up all night with a sick child -- or a healthy adult. -Sir David Paradine Frost "Do you have any threes?" Elizabeth bit her lip to keep from smiling as Jason Morgan, mobster, looked at his young friend and protégé and said, "Go fish." "Go fish, Spinny," Cameron giggled as he struggled to hold his cards in his hands. Every-so-often Jason would reach over and help the little boy gather them back into his grasp. In reality, Jason was playing both his hand and Cameron's, but her son didn't seem to notice. Jason would sometimes ask for something Cameron had, and sometimes he wouldn't, even though Elizabeth could see her little boy held a match to a card in the older man's hand. He would point to cards for Cameron to ask about, sometimes holding the match in himself, and sometimes not. They had been playing the game for hours, and Elizabeth could detect no signs of irritation in him. She knew why he was doing it. He was keeping her son occupied while she sat out on the balcony of Jason's penthouse, calling her insurance company and getting bounced around to various people. All in an effort to find some measure of relief. Some way to put her little boy's life back to normal. She wasn't having much luck with it. With a sigh of frustration, and feeling ridiculously close to tears, Elizabeth dropped her cell phone onto the cushion of the lounge seat and drew her knees up to her chest. Resting her forehead against her denim-clad legs, she breathed deeply in through her nose and out through her mouth in an effort to regain control of her emotions and keep from bursting into tears which she knew would rapidly dissolve into sobs. A little while later, footsteps alerted her to someone's presence so she was able to keep from jumping when Jason gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey." There was a scrape over the concrete as a chair was dragged closer and she knew he was sitting down, not intending to go anywhere. Resigned to conversation, she turned her head to look at him. He held a mug out to her, "Hot chocolate. I thought you might like some." A corner of her mouth quirked involuntarily, "Thanks." "Spinelli says you like it better than coffee, and you looked like you could use a drink. Since it seemed a little early in the day for alcohol, I thought hot chocolate might be good," he said with a shrug and just the hint of a smile curving his lips. "Yeah. Despite the old adage of it's five o'clock somewhere, before noon seems a little too early to start drinking." "Not having any luck?" She rolled her eyes, knowing he wasn't really expecting an answer to his rhetorical question. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm about ready to take Spinelli up on his offer to get me a higher limit on my credit card," she sighed heavily, leaning her head back against the navy blue cushion. "That way I could get Cameron some things. What I really need to do is look for a new apartment." "What you need to do is get some sleep," he corrected gently. "I'm fine," she shook her head. "You were up half the night with Spinelli," he countered. "So were you," Elizabeth pointed out. "But I don't have a toddler that woke me up early the past couple of mornings, I didn't put in a twelve hour shift at the hospital, and I didn't find out that my apartment and all my belongings burned up," Jason stubbornly refuted. They apparently were going to devolve into a game of 'you're more exhausted than I am'. "You took care of Spinelli last night, waking up so you could check on him every two hours, checking his vitals, making sure his concussion wasn't worse than it appeared. That was after you stitched him up, gave Cameron a bath and put him to bed in a strange house and sat with him for nearly an hour trying to get him to sleep." She tilted her head to look at him, wondering why he sounded like what she'd done was anything special. It was a normal day for her and many other people. She wasn't unique. "I was doing what needed to be done," she shrugged dismissively. "You didn't go back to sleep in between checking on Spinelli. I know you didn't." "I don't need as much sleep," he shook his head. "It's a byproduct or something of my accident. And you're not going to diminish what you did, Elizabeth. I...I don't know if I thanked you properly for taking care of Spinelli." "It's okay," the nurse told him. "I was just glad I was here." "So was I," he admitted. "Spinelli doesn't really like hospitals. Doctors don't understand him and think that the way he talks is a symptom of some condition. Some resident wanted to send him off for a CAT scan and wondered if he had a tumor that was making him talk so funny." "Let me guess," she said wryly. "Dr. Matt Hunter." "Yeah," Jason nodded. She snorted, "Figures. Sounds like something the arrogant jerk would think." When the man across from her looked at her in question she blushed, wondering if she'd given too much away. "He uh...we've had a few run ins. The first was when he hit on me and basically told me my butt looked good so we should go out on a date and when I told him that I had a kid he about tripped over his feet trying to run away. Then there have been the times he's talked down to all the nurses, even the ones who have been emptying bedpans and helping patients when he was still in diapers, and acting like we're stupid just because we have nursing degrees instead of doctor in front of our names." "Hmmm," was all he said. "Yeah, that about sums it up," she concurred. "I've met too many people like him to even be snowed. I follow his orders, I treat him with respect in front of the patients, and I try to avoid him as much as possible. It took me a while, but I learned my lesson about men like him. Men like him, Lucky Spencer, Cameron's father...they're one in the same." "You don't talk much about Cameron's father," Jason pointed out. "There's not a whole lot to say," Elizabeth shook her head. "Not good anyways, and I figured that it's not good for Cameron if I harbor a bunch of hurt and anger towards his father. The fact remains, that he is my son's father, and Cameron's bound to have questions about him as he gets older. I won't poison my son against him, I'll tell the truth - at an age appropriate level - and the rest of the time...I'll just make sure that I provide Cameron with all that I can so that he doesn't feel like he's lacking in anything. I'll be the one out there kicking around a soccer ball and tossing a baseball while also helping with Algebra and history." "You might get married again someday," he said, his voice sounding awkward and tight and Elizabeth looked at him in concern, wondering if he was more fatigued than he was letting on after last night. "Maybe," she shrugged. "But I don't really have a whole lot of time in my life for dating, and I'm certainly not one of those women who defines who she is by the man she's with. I take care of myself and my son and if that means I have to work double shifts some days, or I drive an older car, or we live in an apartment instead of a house...then that's the way it goes." "I know," her companion said. "I admire that about you." She looked at him and then shook her head, "Yeah, okay. Maybe you really do need some sleep." "I'm serious," he insisted. "There are so many times you could complain-" "I vent," she told him. "Not to anyone except maybe your empty room. You don't talk about your problems in an attempt to get people to pity you or help you." "They're my problems; I figure I should figure out how to solve them." "You won't accept any help even when it's offered to you." "I let you fix my car, I'm staying here. I accept help." She felt on the defensive, and she didn't like it. "Alright," he conceded. "Sometimes you do. But it's not often, and it's not always willingly. If it wasn't for Cameron, would you be here?" She'd probably be sleeping in the on-call room for as long as she could get away with it. When she looked away, Jason continued, "It's not wrong to accept help, Elizabeth. Especially from your friends when they want to help you. Not because they pity you or because they think you're helpless and can't figure out things for yourself. It's because they want to help you because they care about you and they're in a position to help. Just like you help out when you can just because. It's not keeping score, or anything like that." Licking her lips and feeling sheepish she sighed, "I know. It's just...it's hard for me to accept things. In my experience, help always came with a string attached. Whether it was from my family who would help me go to school but only if I studied medicine and gave up my silly notion of art. Or my ex-husband who would help out around the house or with Cameron but then always expected me to put out that night despite the fact that I'd worked a full shift while he'd sat around on his laid-off butt and hadn't looked for a job. I know that you and Spinelli are nice and you're not expecting me to pay you back or anything like that...but, Jason, how can I accept a loan from you or anything like that? It just...it makes me feel like I'm using you." "If I'm offering, Elizabeth, then you're not using me." She looked away and he sighed, "What? What's really bothering you?" "I feel like the charity case you picked out and decided to help. You and I are so different." "Not really," he shook his head. "You're independent and like to do things for yourself, yet you're also the first person I see who pitches in to help someone else out." "You do the same." He nodded. "Loyal, simple tastes, hard-working and honest. I look at you, and I see someone living how I try to live my life." Elizabeth arched her brow. He was a mobster, despite what his tax returns may say, and she was a single mother who worked in a hospital. He took lives and she tried to save them. She didn't really see the similarities there. Yet, she also couldn't deny the truth in Jason's words. "You were exhausted last night, but every two hours, despite me telling you that I would wake up Spinelli and check on him, you would get up. You would talk to him gently, you never made him feel like a burden, and when he complained that his stomach was upset by the pain med you gave him, you fixed him something to eat. You did all that because he was your patient and you don't shirk your responsibilities and take the easy way out." "Of course not." "Even when I was offering to help out and let you sleep. You sat up instead of going back to sleep." "He's my friend." "And he's very lucky to have you in his life. And so am I. I consider you my friend as well, Elizabeth. I'm not just tolerating you for Spinelli's sake." "No, I know you're not," she told him. "I never felt that you were...well, not recently anyways. I know you didn't appreciate Spinelli trying to set us up all the time in the beginning. I think that now that he's given up on that notion, things have smoothed out between us. I want you to know, I didn't ask him to do that." "I know," he replied. "But maybe I shouldn't have fought so hard." She tilted her head to the side suspiciously and narrowed her eyes. "What?" "Maybe I shouldn't have fought so hard. I didn't know you and I know Spinelli meant well, but I wasn't really looking to be set up with anybody. After I started to get to know you..." He trailed off and shrugged, "I realized you were exactly the kind of woman I would be interested in." She blushed. She couldn't help it. From the roots of her hair until it disappeared down under the neckline of her shirt. How could she not blush when Jason Morgan told her, her of all people, that she was the kind of woman he was interested in? "I'd like to ask you out on a date, but I don't want you to feel like I'm taking advantage of the fact that you're staying here. So I'll wait until you find a new place and get settled in and then I'll do it right." Now her eyes widened to go along with her deepening blush. The seriousness of his voice, the promise and all it held, it made her want to give in. Even when her head was telling her it was a very bad idea. "I...I don't know," she stammered. "I...I know that Cameron likes you, and you've been a great friend to us...but I...I would hate to possibly ruin our friendship." Jason leaned forward and said, "I got you to send a double batch of brownies home, didn't I?" "That...that was because you helped with my car." "I'm going to ask you out on a date, Elizabeth," he told her. "And you can't always have an endless supply of excuses. So that means that eventually...I'll get my date." | |
Part 5: Best Laid Plans
Prompt - There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness. ~ Friedrich Nietzsche "Nurse Webber." Elizabeth faltered in her step as she approached the nurses' hub after doing her rounds and administering medication to her patients. Epiphany Johnson was normally a gruff, no-nonsense woman, but her supervisor's tone was decidedly beyond that today. Which could only mean one thing. Jason Morgan must have sent another delivery. With no little amount of trepidation, Elizabeth stepped up beside the older woman and waited expectantly. As suspected, Epiphany handed Elizabeth an envelope which bore Jason's neat block print. After issuing a stern glare the supervisor then said, "I suppose you can take your break, just don't be gone all afternoon." "Am I ever?" Elizabeth couldn't help asking. She didn't know if Epiphany objected to Jason's deliveries because they were for her instead of the patients, or if it was because of his occupation, but there was a clear underlying disapproval of the man currently wooing the younger nurse. Most of the time the single mother just accepted the gruff demeanor because she knew that Epiphany's son had once worked for Jason before leaving to go to Florida, but sometimes Elizabeth grew tired of the constant barbs and jabs and disapprovals and pushed back to remind the older woman that this was her life, not Epiphany's, and so long as Elizabeth wasn't skipping out on work then her supervisor needed to step back. "No," came the grudging answer. "See that it doesn't change today." Stepping away from the hub, Elizabeth slid her trim fingernail under the flap of the envelope and pulled out a single card. The simple request sent her turning for the stairwell despite herself.
She hesitated slightly before she opened the door, but after a deep, calming breath to fortify herself, she stepped outside. Jason was standing by the concrete ledge that ran around the perimeter of the roof and he turned when he heard her footsteps approaching. The smile he gave her made her knees feel like jell-o and wreaked havoc with her resolve. "Hey," he smiled almost shyly - for as much as Jason Morgan could ever be described as shy - at her. "You came." "I got your note," she answered. "I wasn't sure if Epiphany would give it to you." "I don't think she understands our friendship," Elizabeth said and watched Jason's smile slip just a little on the word friendship. "She doesn't get why I talk to you, let alone accept gifts from you. Especially when they're so obviously designed to get me to accept a date with you." "Well, then just say yes," Jason coaxed her, his enticing grin back on his face. "If you said yes, then I wouldn't have to keep sending you gifts at the nurses' station." She ran her tongue over her teeth and looked out over the cityscape. She'd known coming up here that Jason would once again try to convince her to accept a date with him, and it was getting harder and harder to say no. She was no longer living with him; he and his men had helped her move her meager belongings into an apartment that she'd chosen and Jason had thoroughly secured. He didn't try to use Cameron in his attempts, which was why her gifts - on average a couple a week - were delivered to the hospital. And they weren't the typical flowers and frivolous things that she didn't need. Bagels for the entire shift of nurses, hot chocolate at those moments when she was in hour ten of a twelve hour shift and absolutely exhausted, a set of brand new mixing bowls and expensive cocoa powder with a little note of how he'd heard brownies made with Dutch cocoa were extremely delicious. There were small stuffed animals the day she was down on the Peds floor that she delivered to every child and watched their faces glow. There were pastel pencils and a sketchpad after he'd learned she used to enjoy art with another note telling her that she should make sure to make time for herself and re-explore her creative side. They were kind, they were supportive, they were thoughtful, they were even funny and each one brought a smile to her face. Which was why she hated bringing a frown to his when she would continue to put him off and say no. She could see he didn't like it, but he never got angry or discouraged. He just tried again in the hopes that this time she'd say yes. Sometimes he never mentioned them going out on a date at all. Like the day he'd run across her and Cameron at the park and gave into the little boy's pleadings that Jason push him on the swings. Jason followed her little boy all around the playground equipment, watching, listening, praising and encouraging and making her son smile. Elizabeth knew that unlike Lucky Spencer who only paid attention to Cameron long enough to start talking to her, Jason was genuinely interested in her son's actions. He wasn't doing this to get on Elizabeth's good side or soften her up; he was doing this to make her son's day brighter. And when they all got ice cream cones that Elizabeth approved of, she had felt such joy at the peace she felt in that moment and the delight her son had. Wiping at her suddenly moist eyes, Elizabeth sighed. "Jason..." "You're scared," Jason suddenly said with insight. "Why?" "Because I've never had good luck with men," she admitted, resolutely not looking at him. "My first date was a guy my brother paid to go out with me. My first boyfriend ended up sleeping with my sister and lying to me about it. Lucky Spencer is an overgrown child masquerading in an adult's body and thinks that I'll be so grateful he's showing the single mother some attention that I'll be happy to date him and sleep with him since I must be so starved for attention. My ex-husband..." She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "My ex-husband and I got married because I was pregnant with Cameron and our families thought we should do the right thing. The only reason he slept with me was to make his ex-girlfriend jealous and he really didn't want to get married or have a kid, but his dad promised to help him get a job that paid well if we got married and well... We got married for all the wrong reasons and stayed married longer than we should have. When I caught him and his ex in our bed, I was glad to have the excuse to divorce him. Then I moved Cameron and I clear across the country simply so I wouldn't have to listen to our families tell me that I should forgive him and take him back because it was better for Cameron if he grew up with both his mother and his father. His father wasn't doing anything to help raise him before the divorce, I just wanted to get away from our hometown and do what I was already doing. Taking care of my son and providing for us." "So you don't want to go out on a date with me because you're still getting over your divorce?" Jason asked. "I'll wait until you're ready." With a shake of her head Elizabeth said, "I don't want to go out on a date with you because I don't want to ruin what we have. Cameron adores you; you're patient and kind with him and you teach him things and I know it's not just an act to try to make me agree to date you. I can talk to you, I feel comfortable around you, I don't have to pretend that I'm having a good day when all I want to do is yell in frustration. "I have never been able to keep a boyfriend," she admitted quietly and with a large measure of embarrassment. "They've all dumped me or cheated on me." When he looked like he was going to protest she held up her hand, "It's not that I believe you would do that to me, but I am absolutely frightened to take that chance. I've always believed that each failed relationship was my fault. That somehow I was lacking, I was to blame, I should have just done something more, done something different, done something else." Licking her lips and then turning to look at him so that he might somehow, possibly understand she said, "I don't want to lose you in my life, Jason. You've become a friend to me and so much more. I would be fortunate to have a man like you in Cameron's life. And I...I'll admit, I'm flattered and...and a bit turned on that someone like you wants to date someone like me, but I don't want to ruin what we have. Nothing good ever comes from me being in a romantic situation." She shrugged and tugged at her ear, "I'm a neurotic, messed up person about to rival Alexis Davis and I absolutely do not want to date you and ruin the best thing to happen to me." "First," he stated, looking at her in perfect seriousness, "you aren't neurotic like Alexis. She used to be my lawyer...you are nothing like her." Elizabeth tucked her hair behind her ear and looked away. "Second," Jason continued, "I understand that you're scared and afraid of messing things up. That's a fear everyone has to face. I'm afraid of getting involved and then having you or Cameron get hurt and you leaving. I struggle every day wondering if I'm being selfish wanting to have a relationship with you because of the danger that surrounds me. "So," he said, stepping closer to her causing her eyes to widen. Not with fear, but with nervous awareness. "If we need to slow things down and wait until you're ready to take a chance on me, then that's what we'll do. But I'm not going to give up, Elizabeth. I won't give up on you." "Jason," she said, closing her eyes. It would be so much easier if he would just accept that they were better off as friends and stop pushing her. It was hard to say no when he was supportive and patient. "Why can't you just..." "Because I won't let you sell yourself short, Elizabeth," he told her. "I won't let you sell us short. There are no guarantees that we'll last, but there also aren't any guarantees that we'll fail. Don't you deserve something good in your life?" "I have something good," she protested. "I have Cameron. And I have you as my friend." "You do," he assured her. "But we could have so much more. And it could be better than either of us thought." She was about to say it could also end worse than either of them could ever imagine, but she didn't get that chance. Jason lowered his head to lightly brush his lips across hers. She could sense that it wasn't done to overwhelm her, to overpower her or force her into submission. It was something for her to think about. Something to entice her and get her to rethink her decision. But when Jason pulled back, Elizabeth suddenly found she didn't want to have that. She didn't want him to give her just a brief kiss and walk away. She grabbed at his shirt, pulling him back to her, watching as his eyes widened in surprise before his lips were once again on hers. As his arms wrapped around her and she fought to get closer to him, she had a fleeting thought cross her mind that today she was going to be late getting back from her break. | |
Part 6: Unwelcome Visitor
Prompt - "Right Here Waiting" by Richard Marx When Jason opened the door to his penthouse, he heard the beautiful sound of Elizabeth's laughter. The unexpected delight made him pause and quietly close the door behind him, wondering what had brought her to the penthouse when he'd been out of town on business. While he knew that Spinelli and Elizabeth had been friends before Jason became acquainted with her, the younger man had become occupied elsewhere recently. Or, maybe it was more appropriate to say Elizabeth had become occupied with Jason, and now if the original duo did encounter one another, their interaction was brief and both were on their way to see other people. Jason didn't begrudge Spinelli his friendship with Elizabeth, and he wasn't upset that they'd spent time together while he'd been out of town. In fact, Jason was glad that Elizabeth was spending time here as opposed to other places. Like Jake's where Jason had seen her one night having a night out with some of her fellow nurses and completely oblivious to the lecherous looks the dockworkers were giving her. When he'd stuck around to play some games of pools, all the while sending her smoldering glances that had definitely attracted the attention of her co-workers, he'd been rewarded by Elizabeth bidding goodnight to her friends and joining him. He then had the distinct pleasure of her company, but he also sent a clear message to everyone in the bar; Elizabeth Webber was his woman and no man should approach her or even so much as look at her. If she knew what he was doing she didn't mention it or get upset. She played several games of very poor pool, and he was more than happy to wrap his arms around her to assist her. She took sips of his beer, denying she needed anything more than the few tequila shots she'd had earlier with the ladies, until she looked down at her watch with a sigh and said she'd better get a cab and get home to Cameron and her babysitter. There had been no cab ride, just the first motorcycle ride they shared together wherein he learned that she loved the machine just as much as her son did. Having Elizabeth at his penthouse meant she was safe, and Jason would always prefer that over anything else. Plus, it sent an unexpected jolt of pleasure through him to walk into his home and realize she was here. The thought came to him that having to leave town on business might not be so bad if he knew she'd be here waiting when he returned. He followed her voice into the kitchen where he found Cameron sitting at the small table in the corner with a box of crayons and a coloring book while Elizabeth stood at the island counter with Spinelli. The smell of warm chocolate drifted towards him and he cast a glance at the oven. Was she making brownies? He could definitely get used to coming home to that, although he knew that he was in danger of having his jeans get tighter around the waist due to his craving for the decadent dessert she made. "Calm down, Spinelli," she said soothingly. "The brownies will be done in time for your date." "The Jackal cannot help but feel nervous, Maternal One. While Stone Cold has never had problems wooing members of the fairer sex," both Jason and Elizabeth frowned at that statement, "the Jackal has not had much success. The Faithful...Georgie has always been kind to me and even though you assured me she would not say no, I just do not want any calamity to befall tonight. A lack of brownies would be a bad omen to begin the night." "Spinelli," she said, abandoning her stirring of the bowl, and resting her hand on his arm, "the brownies have five minutes more to bake. They'll be cooled enough to cut before you have to leave. Now, why don't you go get cleaned up?" The young man seemed nervous about leaving and Jason knew his friend enough to know that there was something else besides the young man's upcoming date with Georgie Jones that had him anxious. The computer hacker didn't want to leave Elizabeth. "Are you sure, Fair Elizabeth?" he queried. "I do not..." "Spinelli, it's just a bit of eggshell," she shook her head. "I can't find it, so I'll just start over again to make the brownies for me and Cameron. It'll be fine." "No, I...are you sure that you will be alright with the Jackal leaving? I...I am sure I could call Sweet Georgie and she would happily agree to come over here and have dinner with you and the Little Dude. She likes you and your fair son." "But then it wouldn't really be like a date," Elizabeth refuted. "No, you've planned a very fun evening for you and Georgie; you should go. There's no need to stay here with me and Cameron. We'll be fine." Jason frowned slightly, it sounded like Elizabeth was staying here at the penthouse. While he had no objection to that, he was a bit perplexed by it. She had her own apartment, had refused to go out on a date with him until she had her own place - and even then it had taken quite a bit of convincing for her to agree; she did not spend the night at his house, he did not spend the night at hers. While he spent time with her and Cameron and then had dates where it was just the two of them, and mother and son would come over to the penthouse, they didn't stay here when he or Spinelli left. So the fact that both her and Spinelli were talking about her staying here while he went on a date made Jason unsettled. Because it meant that something had happened. "Hey," he said, making sure to keep his voice light as he stepped into the kitchen. "Jason!" Cameron called out, wiggling out of the chair and pounding across the room to leap into the enforcer's arms. "You're back!" Elizabeth looked at him slightly uneasily, yet delight was also clear in her eyes as she gazed at him. "Hi," she said softly, almost shyly. "Hi," he returned, his own voice soft. Cameron wiggled in his arms, demanding his attention and the timer on the stove emitted a chime and Elizabeth looked away, grabbing the oven mitt to take the pan out. Spinelli took the opportunity to look at him and then gesture his head towards the living room. Jason nodded and then looked at Cameron and Elizabeth, wondering how to step away without seeming rude. "Little Dude," Spinelli said, enthusiasm bubbling in his voice. "Why don't you go get your new motorcycle to show Jason? I have to give him a couple of messages and then when I go get ready for my date with the Sweet Georgie, you can show him all the cool tricks it does." "Okay," the little boy agreed readily and squirmed until Jason set him down on the floor. He was off like a shot and Jason hoped he didn't trip going up the stairs. "Fair Elizabeth," the younger man began. "Go talk to Jason," she told him, not turning away from the sink where she was shuffling dishes around in. "I'm going to clean up in here. I know you have messages from Bernie and Max to give him." Jason followed the computer hacker out into the main room of the apartment and was about to demand what was going on when Spinelli walked to the desk and unlocked the lower drawers. "Bernie dropped off some files from the warehouse he wants you to look over, Diane called about some contracts she needs your signature on, and Max wants to talk to you about a new rotation schedule with the guards. But you need to read this." Jason accepted the thick envelope and asked, "What is this? And what is going on with Elizabeth? It-it sounds like she's staying here." "She is," the younger man confirmed. "Why?" he questioned, dread filling his heart. "Did...was there a problem at her apartment?" "No, Stone Cold," Spinelli shook his head. "Nothing like that. Fair Elizabeth's ex-husband showed up and her guards all felt, and Max and Sonny agreed, that it was better that she move in here where she could be protected." He swallowed, "Protected? What happened?" "He objected to Diane garnishing his wages," Elizabeth spoke from the doorway. "He showed up at General Hospital, upset, drunk, and yelling about how I'd stolen his son and I was stealing his money and he wasn't going to put up with it. Epiphany called hospital security, but Lucky Spencer was there and well...the situation got a little out of control." Spinelli leaned forward and informed him in a soft voice, "The Dumb Detective arrested her and took her down to the PCPD. The Maternal One's guard called Little Dude's guard who took him out of daycare before the Vile Ex could try to get him, and then he called Diane and had her waiting at the police station." One of these days, the city was going to be missing a police officer. While Sonny still had some sentimental feelings towards the Spencer family, Jason had absolutely no use for any of them. Lucky had ceased to be the kid who washed cars at Jason's garage and in his place had become a man with a chip on his shoulder determined to be nothing like his old man. Which was why he'd become a cop and was determined to take Sonny and Jason down. Those were minor things compared to the burning rage he felt towards the younger man on behalf of Elizabeth. The fact that he arrested the single mother all on the rantings of a drunk man, probably because Spencer didn't like the fact that she wouldn't go out with him but was dating Jason, made him see red. If he continued to harass Elizabeth for living her life and not wanting to have anything to do with him, Lucky was going to find out first hand exactly where Jason buried his bodies. "Thank you, Spinelli," he told his friend. "Thank you for being here for her." "It was my pleasure, Stone Cold," he chirped brightly. "Fair Elizabeth has helped me put together a fun outing for me and the Faithful Friend...Georgie, and she's teaching me how to make brownies. So far I'm not having much luck, but I shall continue to persevere. And now, I must go." He looked over at Elizabeth who hadn't moved from the doorway of the hall that led to the kitchen, and then back to Jason. "It is good that Stone Cold is back." "Yeah," Jason nodded. Now he understood why Sonny had told him to finish the job and get home. The older man knew that Jason would want to be here helping Elizabeth instead of sweating in the jungles of South America. Once Spinelli was bounding up the stairs, Jason started towards Elizabeth. She met him halfway, practically running the last few feet until she was safely wrapped in his arms. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek on her hair. "I hope you don't mind that Cameron and I are here," she said hesitantly. "No," he immediately assured her. "I...I like that you're here, I'm just sorry it's under these circumstances. I liked when you were here before, knowing that you were nearby, that you were living under my roof. I like knowing that you're back." She looked up at him and the first smile he'd seen all night flittered across her lips. "Sometimes, Jason, you are positively primeval. Living under your roof. It's like the night at Jake's when you puffed out your chest and glared down any man who dared to look at me. I half expected you to stick your tongue down my throat in order to mark your territory." "What can I say?" he grinned lopsidedly at her. "You bring it out in me. And just so you know, it's going to be torture knowing you're here and sleeping in the same room as Cameron, instead of in my bed where I wish you'd be." | |
Part 7: Added Bonus
Prompt - When you love someone, all your saved-up wishes start coming out. ~ by Elizabeth Bowen Elizabeth was terrified. Not of the way Jason was driving, she knew that despite the speed in which they flew around the corners, that he was very safe on his motorcycle. While something could go wrong, Elizabeth did not believe it would come from an error on his part. She loved wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning into him as they flew up the road and around the hairpin turns. She could happily stay out here for hours. Nor was she scared of her ex-husband who was sticking around town despite Jason and Diane's best efforts to send him on his way. Cameron's father was upset at the wage garnishment, he was upset that his parents were upset that their firstborn grandchild was no longer living in town, and was upset that his fiancée - the then ex-girlfriend Elizabeth had caught him in bed with - was unhappy that his money was being spent on a brat who should have never been born instead of her. Elizabeth wasn't entirely sure what he'd hoped to accomplish by showing up in Port Charles, but he'd succeeded in making a lot of people here very unhappy. Chief amongst them were Jason and the rest of the men in the organization; it was merely a pity that her ex-husband was too stupid to realize he'd pissed off the local mob and that Sonny Corinthos did not like to see women or children upset. She also wasn't scared over the fact that she was living with Jason again and it didn't seem like that was going to change anytime soon. Jason's men had gone to her apartment and packed up everything inside and brought it all back to Harborview Towers. Cameron's dresser, his toys, and his Chuggin' Charlie nightlight were all set up exactly as they had been at their old apartment. Only now, they were inside the spaciousness of the bedroom at Jason's. A nanny had been hired to watch Cameron while Elizabeth went to work, complete with guards, because Jason was absolutely refused to take a chance with her son's safety. He was not going to give Elizabeth's ex-husband the chance to take him, or even approach him. No, what scared Elizabeth was the realization that she was head-over-heels in love with Jason Morgan. She had fought against her attraction towards him for so long, absolutely convinced that nothing good could ever come of a relationship between the two of them. She had a miserable track record when it came to men and it seemed like every time she tried to move into a romantic phase, that things invariably fell apart. While she was absolutely happy that she'd finally taken a chance, there was another part of her that was petrified about the outcome. Nothing in life could be guaranteed, she knew that, but she was also terrified that Jason would one day wake up and realize that she just wasn't as special as he thought she was and that he could do so much better. It didn't seem to be happening, and Elizabeth was learning not to go around in a state of constant fear expecting the worst to occur. But that didn't stop the heart-stopping terror that gripped her when she'd had her moment of realization. She didn't just enjoy spending time with Jason, and she didn't like him just because he was good with Cameron, and it wasn't just a physical attraction to him...she loved him. The thought had popped so naturally and effortlessly into her mind that she'd snapped her eyes open and tightened her arms around Jason's waist. When had this all turned to love? Before she could fully wrap her brain around the truth, the bike slowed and Jason turned off the road onto a nearly overgrown path. Now that they were no longer flying down the highway, Elizabeth could appreciate the beauty of the night. The air was cool and still, the moon was bright overhead, and they were far enough away from the city that it was quiet and peaceful. They came out of the thick trees and stopped near an old stone bridge. Jason turned off the bike and she took a moment to just soak in the moment, tightening her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back. "Are you okay?" he asked tenderly, his hand coming up to rest on her arm, rubbing it gently before sliding down to cover her entwined hands. "Yeah," she stated without much conviction. "I-I'm okay." He held out his arm for her to grab and brace herself on while she climbed off the bike. While she was taking off her helmet he dismounted as well, and then silently took the helmet from her and placed it behind him. He sighed and reached out, clasping her hands in his. "You don't have to pretend with me," he told her softly. "I know that you're worried about Cameron's father. Diane's going to fight the petition." "I know," she nodded. "I...I'm not worried about him getting full custody of Cameron. I mean, maybe I should be, but I'm not. Not only do I have the records that show he wasn't paying alimony or child support despite having a job, and then there are the statements he made during our divorce about never wanting to be a father, I know that you would never allow him to take Cameron from me." She held up her hands and said, "I'm not asking you to bribe a judge or go beat up my ex, but I have faith in you that you would never allow my little boy to be taken from me." "No," he stated, his eyes glowing with determination. "I'd never let Cameron be separated from you. He's your son and you've raised him, you've done all the work and just because your ex-father-in-law wants to see Cameron more does not give either of them the right to think they can sue you for custody. Where was their concern for Cameron when you left or you were driving around in an old car nearly beyond repair? They see Cameron as a possession, just like the Quartermaines saw me or Michael. Your ex-husband's father thinks that that if Cameron's with them, then your ex will pay more attention to the family business, or they can start teaching it to Cameron despite the fact that he's barely in preschool. They don't see him as a little boy; he's just part of the bottom line." "I know," she whispered, tears clouding her eyes. "They don't love him, not for who he really is. They're not like you. They wouldn't let him play with trains or motorcycles, they wouldn't let him go outside and get muddy; they'd send him off to a private preschool and then off to boarding school and..." "That will never happen, Elizabeth," he growled in assurance to her. "I know, I know," she promised him on a nod. "And that's why...that's why I love you, because I know you'll take care of my little boy. But that's not the only reason, Jason. I look at you and I look at them and I see such a good man standing before me and I just...I love you for it." He moved before she was even aware of it. One arm was around her waist and one hand was buried in her hair, holding her to him as he ferociously attacked her mouth. It wasn't frightening, but it was certainly frenzied. It was as if something inside him had been unleashed, and he was not going to release her. Even when she grew dizzy from lack of air and the swirling emotions his assault caused, he continued on. She moaned into his mouth, clinging to him as her legs could barely sustain her weight. She didn't want to let him go, but she wasn't sure how she could keep standing. How she was supposed to think when he was creating a riot of her senses and she was filled with such longing for him. His lips left hers and proceeded to travel down to her chin. As her head tipped back and he suckled on her neck, she released her breath as she sighed his name. "Do you want me to stop?" he asked against her skin, finding the sensitive flesh behind her ear. "No," she gasped in desperation. "But how...can you stand? I...please, Jason..." His kisses trailed off and he pulled her against him, turning to lean against the stone railing of the bridge. She laid her head against his chest and panted as if she'd just run a marathon. The world was spinning around her in one glorious event and she felt bereft with the loss of his lips, yet she was also grateful for the cessation of the attack because she wasn't sure how she could remain vertical much longer. She felt the evidence of how much he'd been effected pressing against her, but he didn't move, didn't make any motion. He simply held her until she felt like she could trust her legs again. When she lifted her head to look at up him she was startled to find him staring down at her with such intensity that her knees instantly felt weak again. He lifted his hand to brush her hair behind her ear and then the backs of his knuckles linger against her cheek. "I love you, too," he said, his gravely voice stirring her insides. "Oh, how I love you, Elizabeth." His next words shocked her, "Marry me." She blinked and looked up at him, "What?" "Marry me," he repeated. She pushed back, slipping out of his arms and gaped at him, "Jason, I know what Diane said, but that...that is not a reason to propose to me." The corners of his mouth turned down, "What? What do you mean what Diane said?" Elizabeth's eyes went even wider. "You...you didn't hear? You..." "Elizabeth," he huffed. "What did Diane say?" "She said that with Cameron's father engaged, if he got married, and with my ex-father-in-law standing behind him - both personally and financially - that a court might be persuaded that Cameron would have a better life in Colorado. He'd have financial stability, a nuclear family and supportive extended family. She said that I could try to counter that by getting married myself and I told her that I wasn't going to get married just to hold onto my son. I've been his primary caregiver since the moment he was born, I have a steady job, he likes the daycare at the hospital, I've made friends here and they all adore Cameron. I absolutely forbid her from evening mentioning it to you." "She didn't," he shook his head. "She didn't?" "No," Jason promised. "Then did you think of this yourself?" she questioned uncertainly. "You...you don't have to...Jason I could never ask..." He reached out and grabbed her once again, pulling her up flush against him while his mouth unerringly found hers. She was dizzy and breathless again by the time he released her, "You're not asking," he whispered huskily against the shell of her ear. "I am." When she went to open her mouth, he placed his finger over it. "And I'm not asking merely for Cameron. I-I love you, Elizabeth. I love your son. I...I see the two of you together and I want to be a part of it. I want to be a part of your family. I know that you live with me and you...you share my room now, but...I want to be a family with you. I want to make you my wife, make Cameron my son, and...and one day I want to watch you grow with more children." She whimpered and her stomach tightened, the feeling intensifying when she felt him still pressed up against her. "Jason." "The moment you told me you loved me, I knew you weren't scared anymore," he told her. "That's all I've been waiting for. I've been waiting on you, Elizabeth; giving you the time you needed to become comfortable with all the changes we've had in our relationship. Now that you're there...I don't want to waste a single minute. I want to make this permanent. I want to marry you." "Yes," she whispered, her eyes overflowing with tears. "Yes." He lowered his head to kiss her again, turning them so that she was leaning against the stone bridge. His joy over her answer was evident and she let herself be swept away, going with him instead of rushing to catch up to him. She didn't question why he loved her, or why he wanted to marry her, she simply let herself be overpowered by the intensity of his emotions, of the surety he had in their relationship, and the vision he saw for their future. It was everything she'd ever wanted and was afraid to even think let alone voice. Jason loved her, he loved Cameron and he would love their future children equally. They would be getting married for the right reasons. While some might question the timing of it and the convenience it would present to her court case against her contentious ex-husband, Elizabeth would know the truth. He asked her the moment she had the courage to not censor herself, but to voice what was in her heart. They were marrying for love and for family. It would just be an added bonus that in the process, her ex-husband wouldn't have a leg to stand on in his fight against her. | |
Part 8: The Art of Negotiation
Prompt - Passion makes the world go round. Love just makes it a safer place. ~Ice T Jason Morgan was not a happy man. He should be happy, he wanted to be happy, and there was a part of him that was happy. But right now, at this moment, as he stood beside Elizabeth in the Metro Court elevator and watched the numbers light up with each new floor as they went to the restaurant, he was most decidedly unhappy. Because Jason was about to come face to face with Elizabeth's ex-husband and in-laws and the only thing he wanted to do was show them the business end of his Glock. He didn't agree with Elizabeth's choice to meet with the family she was once a part of, but he was here to support her. And there was no way he was going to let her go to this meeting by herself. It was supposed to be just an informal little gathering, but Diane - like Jason - hadn't trusted the Lewis family and so his lawyer was going to be having a casual drink at the bar with Max. That way she could step in should the need arise. Elizabeth had agreed to his request, but assured him that Diane wouldn't be needed tonight, she knew how to deal with the family. He hoped she was right, but he wasn't going to rest easy until this whole thing was over with, Elizabeth's ex-husband was on a plane back to Colorado and the custody battle was over. As the elevator arrived at the top floor, Elizabeth took a deep breath and let it out while forcing her shoulders to relax. Jason placed his hand gently on her back and when the doors opened, they were the picture of perfect calmness and perfect togetherness as they stepped into the restaurant. He nodded briefly at Diane and then followed Elizabeth to the table where her ex-husband and his parents sat. It was only after the older man stood that Elizabeth's ex shuffled to his feet. The ex-mother-in-law barely even looked in their direction and Jason's dislike of the family took a sharp nosedive. "Elizabeth," the senior Mr. Lewis smiled at her. It was an oily look that didn't meet his eyes and when he reached out to hug her, Jason stopped him cold with a well-placed look. The man cleared his throat and held out his hand. "It's nice to see you again. It's been so long since we've heard from you." "Really?" his fiancée asked and Jason didn't need to be looking at her to know that one perfectly sculpted brow was raised in incredulity. He already knew it based on the tone of her voice. "How strange. I sent pictures of Cameron right up to the time when Zander showed up here and had me arrested at my place of work. I never heard anything in reply from you, even though I made sure to include a few words from Cameron in each of the letters. I guess you guys were simply too busy to call him on his birthday or send him a birthday card, despite Cameron sending you a drawing for your birthdays." She then sat down in the chair Jason held out for her and unfolded her napkin to place it on her lap. "Have you already ordered, or did you wait for us?" "We...we waited for you," the older man stated, hastily reclaiming his seat. "We just ordered pre-dinner drinks." Elizabeth looked around the table and then at her ex, "No longer in AA, Zander? Or do you still proscribe to the belief that a few drinks with dinner doesn't count?" Jason reached for his menu even though he always ordered the same thing when he came here. He didn't want to antagonize the situation with sharp glares. Elizabeth seemed to have the verbal thrusts and parries down without his assistance. "Who's this?" Mrs. Lewis spoke up for the first time, looking in Jason's direction. "You're boyfriend? Alexander said you were living with someone." "I'm sorry, I forgot to make introductions," Elizabeth smiled deceptively sweet. "This is my fiancé, Jason Morgan." "You're fiancé?" Zander sputtered out. "Since when?" "He asked me about a week ago," she answered. "Convenient timing," her ex-husband muttered under his breath. "Much like you suing for custody after you got engaged," Jason's fiancée replied, folding her hands and poising them over her plate. "I called some friends of mine back home and they told me that your fiancée doesn't want children; flat out refuses to have them because she doesn't want to ruin her figure. So I suppose you decided your best chance of having an heir in order to make your father happy would be to finally show an interest in the child you already have." "I love Cameron," the dark-haired man insisted hotly. "If you love him so much, then tell me about him, Zander," she said. "How tall is he? What's his favorite color? What's his favorite cartoon? What's his favorite food? His favorite dessert? Is he allergic to anything?" "How can you expect me to know that when you've taken him away?" Zander asked heatedly as he tried to defend himself. "You just packed up and left town and-" "Don't say I didn't make any contact," she hissed out through clenched teeth. "I sent your parents pictures and information on Cameron. I would have sent you information about your son but the first letter I sent was returned as undeliverable and no forwarding address was available. I never heard from you, I never got any child support from you, and your parents - who are now suddenly so interested in their grandchild - never called or offered to help out. It's been that way for months, and now you suddenly come here and tell me you're going to take my son away from me?" She turned to look at Jason and then said, "Jason, how tall is Cameron?" "About three and a half feet, though that's probably going to change because he's been eating like he's ready to go through a growth spurt." "What's his favorite color?" "Gold." "His favorite cartoon?" "Chuggin' Charlie." "His favorite food?" "Right now, he can't eat enough tacos. Two months ago, he ate sweet potato pie and wanted to have it at least once a week." "His favorite dessert?" He grinned at her and said, "He is definitely his mother's son. He loves anything with chocolate, but he particularly likes brownies made with Dutch cocoa." "Is he allergic to anything?" she finished her list of questions. "When he ate a strawberry at daycare he had red spots on his cheeks, but the doctors aren't sure if it's an actual allergy since he'd eaten strawberries before and never had a reaction. You, however, now limit his contact with anything made with real strawberries." "Yes," Cameron's grandfather and namesake rolled his eyes. "Cute little show there, Elizabeth. Of course Mr. Morgan will know these things since he lives with you and our grandson." "Actually," she said, leveling a pointed look at the older man, "I wrote about each and every one of those facts in my letters to you and your wife. I asked that you share the information with Zander since he hadn't given his new address to me. You either never read the letters, or you simply didn't care to pay attention to the information about your grandson." "We just want the chance to get to know our grandson," Mrs. Lewis stated. "And we'd like to see him grow up." "I was showing you how he was growing up," Elizabeth stated firmly. "You never acknowledged him. But now that Zander's ready to get married to a woman with a lot of money and a more connected family than mine, and her father is insisting that Zander do more than sit around watching TV and drinking beer, he's ready to project the family image. Where was his interest in Cameron when he was a baby and actually living in the same house?" "I-" "I really don't want to hear your excuses again," she cut her ex-husband off. "I heard them every day. Your father promised you a job if we got married, and yet you refused to go to work, instead leaving it up to me to work double shifts through my pregnancy, go back to work as soon as my maternity leave was up and put Cameron in daycare because you refused to step up and take care of your own son." "Elizabeth, keep your voice down," Mrs. Lewis stated as people began to turn their heads towards the table. "I will not, Marjorie. Where was your concern over your grandson, or your outrage over your son's behavior? Why was it up to me to stay in town where my husband had humiliated me by sleeping with another woman? Where was your concern when my car was nearly beyond repair, or my apartment building went up in flames, or I was working double shifts simply so that I'd be able to buy clothes and food for Cameron? None of you cared what was happening, but you're all real interested in Cameron now since it seems like Zander won't have anymore kids; at least any time soon unless he ends up divorced again." Elizabeth looked at her ex and his parents and then turned to look at Jason, "Do you know who did care? Jason. Before we even began dating, back when I was just the friend of his roommate, he worried about me and the car I was driving in because he didn't want the car to break down and leave Cameron and I stranded on the side of the road." "You could have asked us for help," Cameron Lewis stated, "Instead of shacking up with some mobster." "Why should I have to beg you for help when your son wasn't fulfilling his duties? I took care of my son and myself and just because things might have been tight, didn't mean Cameron was neglected like he was when he was around you people." She shook her head and took a breath, calming herself down. "You need Cameron to be in Colorado so that he's with Zander in all those candid pictures you want the paper to take. You know, those pictures that will show you're a family man, committed to family values and the people of Colorado should vote you into the governor's mansion." When the Lewis family showed surprise that she knew that information Spinelli had dug up, she said, "You forget, I still have friends there, and I have connections. I know what you're planning, Cameron, and I will not allow you to suddenly decide my son has value just because it suits your political agenda." "I know many judges, Elizabeth," the older man said in low warning. She was ready to respond, but Jason placed his hand over hers and leaned forward finally entering the conversation. "Mr. Lewis, I know quite a few as well. My grandfather is Edward Quartermaine and my father is Alan Quartermaine." He watched the other man's eyes flare wide with recognition and he pressed on. "My grandmother has met Elizabeth and Cameron and absolutely adores them. Lila Quartermaine is respected up and down the Eastern Seaboard." "Lila Quartermaine?" Mrs. Lewis said low under her breath. "It's not merely my connections that you'd face if you insist on taking Elizabeth to court. The Quartermaine family will not stand by and let my fiancée's child be taken away from her by people who never bothered with him before now." He leaned forward even more and looked Mr. Lewis square in the eye; the older man was the one orchestrating this, Elizabeth's ex didn't care about his son. "I love Cameron, and I love his mother and I intend to marry her and help her raise him. I won't love him any differently than I do now if Elizabeth has more children. He's a wonderful little boy and Elizabeth has done an amazing job raising him. You take her to court and everyone will know exactly what your family is doing to her; I'll make sure it stays on the front page of major newspapers across the nation and then you can kiss your political career good-bye." Jason leaned back in his chair and placed his arm on the back of Elizabeth's seat. "Elizabeth's lawyer will be filing a motion tomorrow to have the petition thrown out of court. If you choose to continue to fight her on custody of Cameron, calls will be made to the editors-in-chief tomorrow night." "I told you this wasn't going to work, Dad." "Be quiet, Alexander," the older man snapped. "No, because you need my help to make your petition work and I won't do this anymore," he said with a shake of his head. "If you try to sue for custody on your own, I'll side with Elizabeth." "You would turn against your own family?" his mother asked in shock. "I would protect my son from you," Zander answered. "To keep you from doing to him what you did to me. I didn't love Elizabeth when I married her and it wasn't fair to her what I did, or what you did. She was right to leave town and she's been the one raising Cameron. Plus...there's no way we're going to beat Jason Morgan, Sonny Corinthos and the Quartermaine family." After more blustering and heated words, Mr. Lewis and his wife left the table, leaving Jason and Elizabeth with her ex-husband. He ran his hand over his face and leaned his elbows on the table. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth." She folded her hands in her lap and looked away. "I know I can't make things up to you, but I won't go along with the custody fight anymore." He licked his lips and then asked, "Is he really doing okay?" "He is," she answered, looking back at her ex. "And he's happy." Elizabeth looked at Jason, the corners of her mouth turning up softly and she answered, "Yes. He's happy." Zander Lewis looked at Jason and then said, "Take care of them." Jason looked the other man, the person who had hurt Elizabeth, and said, "I will. But don't think I'm doing it for you. I'm doing it because I love Elizabeth and she deserves to be treated like she's the most important person in the world. And she is. To me and her son." Then he stood and pulled back Elizabeth's chair, placing his hand on her back as they walked to the elevator and waited for it to arrive. He caught Diane's eye as they stepped inside and shook his head. He would call her in the morning; tonight he was taking Elizabeth home and after they tucked Cameron into bed, Jason was going to sit down with her and plan their wedding. | |
Part 9: Family Ties
Prompt - For things that are seen pass away, but the things that are unseen are eternal. - L.M. Montgomery The door opened slowly and Elizabeth looked over, watching a silent comedy as Spinelli entered the penthouse with exaggerated movements all in an effort to remain quiet. He tiptoed to the closet, shushing the door when it creaked and then nearly hitting himself in the head trying to find a hanger. Elizabeth didn't want to scare the younger man, but she didn't want him to injure himself either in the noble effort he was making not to disturb the rest of the household by his late arrival. "Spinelli," she said softly, and then watched as he pivoted on his toes and windmilled his arms around for balance. She switched on the lamp resting on the table beside her and said, "Once Cameron goes to sleep, he doesn't hear background noises. I'm not sure if a marching band in the living room would wake him up." "Truly?" he asked in slight relief, walking across the room and sitting on the other end of the couch. "I think it's a kid thing," she laughed. "I one time slept through a drunk driver crashing into our block fence and a beer bottle being thrown through the window another time, but my parents heard them. Now that I'm a mom, I seem to wake over the slightest sounds." "Did something wake you?" Spinelli asked, looking around as if he could discern why she had been sitting in the dark. "I couldn't fall asleep," she confessed. "And this was one night when Jason was actually tired, and he was out within minutes. I decided that I wouldn't wake him with my tossing and turning and so I came down here." The younger man frowned slightly, "Is everything alright, Fair Maternal One?" "Yeah," she nodded, looking away. "I've just had a lot on my mind and couldn't fall asleep tonight." "You are not...you are not apprehensive about your upcoming nuptials to Stone Cold, are you?" he asked. Quickly she looked back at him and shook her head. "No. No, Spinelli, I'm not. I...I'm not having second thoughts at all about marrying Jason." Once she realized she loved him and he asked her to marry him, there was no looking back for her. She didn't second-guess herself, she didn't wonder if she was doing the right thing for her or Cameron. She knew beyond everything that this was the right thing for her and her son and that she would be loved, cared for, and treasured to a point that she would become embarrassed by the attention. She didn't care about having a big, lavish ceremony, but Jason insisted that they were not going to just go down to a Justice of the Peace. So they were finding a nice balance in between. A small service for those they truly cared to invite, nothing fancy or elaborate; just something to officially join them together. "I'm just thinking about things..." She let out a breath and turned to him raising her brow, "And what about you? What brings you home at three-thirty in the morning?" He blushed and looked away, combing his hands nervously through his hair. "Another date with Georgie?" she smiled. His enraptured grin said it all, until he sobered slightly, "We were watching a movie in her living room when her father, the police commissioner, came home and became most...upset at my presence. He does not approve of The Jackal's relationship with Sweet Georgie." "No," Elizabeth mused. "I suspect he doesn't. Given that you work for Jason and he's the police commissioner." "Yes," the young man sighed heavily. "I do not want to cause problems for Sweet Georgie and her familial relationships. The Crabby Commissioner was ordering me out of the house and Sweet Georgie was upset and almost in tears and asking me to stay and I was most torn as to who to listen to." Tucking her knees under her, Elizabeth laid her hand gently on the younger man's arm, "Mac wants you to stay away from her, doesn't he? And Georgie is telling you that she's an adult and she can do what she wants, right?" When Spinelli nodded, she nodded as well and said, "Listen to Georgie. I'm not saying to disrespect Mac, but Georgie is an adult and she can make her own decisions. I imagine it's hard on her because she's the good sister and so everyone tells her she shouldn't hang around you and she can do so much better than get hooked up with a criminal and you don't want her to feel like she has to choose between you and her family or friends." "Yes," he said earnestly. "It's hard to feel like you're disappointing people, but you have to follow your heart. If Georgie's choosing to date you, then respect her enough to accept her decisions and support her however you can," she advised him. "Children don't stay children forever and while we raise them to be adults and make their own decisions, sometimes parents don't always react like adults themselves when their children make decisions they don't like. You didn't ask Georgie to choose, allow her to make her choices and don't become one of the people telling her things to do." "I believe I understand what you're saying Fair Maternal One," Spinelli stated. "And you've given me things to think about...for more than just dealing with Sweet Georgie." He stood and said, "Are you sure you are well, Maternal One?" She lifted a corner of her mouth, "I'll be fine, Spinelli. Go get some sleep." "You should try to as well," he encouraged her, but did not wait for him to follow as he went upstairs to his room. A little while later she heard a door open and close and she listened to see if it was Cameron heading towards her and Jason's room, but the footsteps were heavier and she knew that Jason would be descending the stairs looking for her. Sure enough, he slowly made his way down, and when he saw she was watching his descent, he furrowed his brow as he came towards the couch. He sat down beside her and looked at her in question. "I woke up and you weren't there and the sheets were cold. I didn't hear sounds coming through the monitor from Cameron's room so I wondered where you were." "I couldn't sleep," she answered, "and then I talked to Spinelli for a little bit when he came home." Her fiancé regarded her for a moment and then let out a troubled sigh, "You're upset with your grandmother's reply, aren't you?" "I've come to realize over the years that I will never be as wonderful as my sister and that she doesn't like my choices, but I still reach out to her. Because somehow I know that I would get blamed for not saying anything, even though it's perfectly acceptable for her to not accept my invitations," she sighed. "I just hoped that she'd make an effort for Cam's sake. Neither she, nor my parents, were very happy when I got pregnant with him and wasn't married. Yet they never got upset at my sister when she slept with my fiancé and he broke our engagement. I'm the black sheep and I know it; I just don't like that they affect Cameron." Jason pulled her to him and she went willingly, burying her head against his chest. The pain had long ago ceased hurting on her behalf, she just hated that her son was now being affected because of the narrow-mindedness of her family. Her parents hadn't come out in full support of the Lewises, but they certainly hadn't rushed to her defense, either. At least Cameron would have a few people who loved him, and it didn't matter to him that his last name wasn't Morgan, or Quartermaine. Lila Quartermaine was a wonderful woman and Elizabeth could understand why Jason had a relationship with her. She was gentle and she didn't push, even though she was forceful in her own way. She had welcomed Elizabeth warmly to the family, pleased that her grandson had found someone to love and delighted with the stories Emily had shared as well. The older woman had insisted upon meeting Cameron because she wanted to meet the boy who would become Jason's son. She kept Edward Quartermaine from overwhelming mother and son when he happened upon their rose garden visits, and she had offered up the blooms from her garden for Elizabeth's flower arrangements for the wedding as a small gesture of welcoming her to the family. Monica and Alan were polite to her and Cameron whenever they saw her at the hospital; they would sometimes invite her to join them for lunch in the cafeteria, but weren't offended if she chose to join her colleagues instead. Jason had been concerned that they would somehow try to use their professional relationship with her to entice him back into the family, but that hadn't happened. In fact, Alan had made a point to tell her that they would not ask her questions about Jason aside from polite inquiries they would ask any other co-worker. They didn't intrude into her personal life, even though she could sense that they wanted nothing more than to have a relationship with their son. She loved Jason and wouldn't push him to do anything that he wasn't comfortable with and had told both him and his parents that. But she also respected the doctors Quartermaine on a professional level and knew that interaction with them would be inevitable. Because of the things she related to Jason about her day and pointed out to him that his parents weren't bothering her, he no longer bristled if she happened to mention them. Jason had been grateful that Alan had allowed guards at the hospital, and had taken to sometimes asking Monica to join him when he went to see Lila. Elizabeth wasn't looking to mediate some miraculous peace between the estranged family members; she had firmly told Jason that his relationship with his family was his business. But she'd also felt comfortable enough to give him her honest opinion. Even though it may be awkward and they didn't necessarily like his occupational choices, it was clear to her that they loved him. They wanted to have a relationship with him. They tried to make an effort not to overwhelm him all the time or scare him away, which was more than her parents did. The Webbers were just as guilty as the Lewises of not acknowledging Cameron on his birthday or Christmas. They yelled at her for her life choices, just like Edward did to Jason. The only difference was her fiancé had people, like Monica, Emily and Lila, who tried with him. All she got was blame, if her family bothered to acknowledge her at all. She was grateful that Cameron would have some family in his life besides her. Lila adored her little boy, and Monica had impressed Elizabeth by remembering some offhanded remark about Cameron that the mother could barely remember making and then asking a follow-up question. Alan was helpful one day when she'd stopped in at Kelly's and Cameron spilled his chocolate milk on his pants. The doctor had asked Mike for a towel, helped clean up the mess, and when she'd gotten back from the bathroom after changing her son's clothes, she found that her future father-in-law had paid for her meal as he'd left for work. When she tried to thank him the next day and pay him back, he refused to take her money or her thanks, he said he was happy to do it and then never brought it up again. They didn't work her, or her son, for an angle and she knew that Jason was appreciative of that just as much as she was. Elizabeth knew that her last name would be Morgan when she married Jason, and maybe one day, Cameron would bear the same last name too. But she also knew that the Quartermaines would be her family as well. They were part of Jason, even if he bristled over them sometimes. Any other children she and Jason might have would also be connected to the family. They weren't perfect, no family was. Even the Cleavers. But Elizabeth felt a connection growing with them, and it was just another reason why she was grateful for finally allowing her heart to open to Jason and letting him in. | |
Part 10: The Best Day Ever
Prompt: Mapel Syrup "Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say; Rudolph, with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?!" Elizabeth blinked up at the ceiling when the door to the bedroom swung open and Cameron's already loud singing became even louder. Her little boy gave no thought to the fact that his mother shared a room with Jason, he simply rushed right in. Thankfully, her fiancé was not in bed at the moment, but was mirthfully following her son holding a tray. "Good morning, Mommy!" Cameron brightly greeted her as he scrambled up the side of the bed, planting his elbow in Elizabeth's stomach in the process. "Good morning, Cameron," she returned, not quite as brightly as she tried to swallow a yawn. "Do you know what today is?" her little boy questioned. "Christmas?" He giggled and shook his head, his curls bouncing with his mirth, "Silly Mommy. It's summer." "Oh," she smiled. "I wondered since you were singing Rudolph." "That was Spinny," he impishly declared. "Spinny made snow pancakes and he said when you eat snow pancakes you have to sing Christmas songs." "Snow pancakes?" she questioned, looking at Jason as he set the tray he was carrying on the bed. "Spinelli put powdered sugar on top of them, said they were snow pancakes," he explained. "Ah," she nodded in understanding, gratefully accepting the cup of coffee he offered her and taking a sip. "Do I get snow pancakes?" "Jason said you might not like them," Cameron pouted. "So he just warmed up your favorite syrup and brought it up here. But he did make you a smiley face with the bacon and eggs 'cause I told him you always make mine that way." She looked over at the plate and sure enough, there was a stack of pancakes and a smiley face of bacon and eggs beside it. She chuckled as she pushed herself to a more upright sitting position. "Thank you." "We made you breakfast in bed 'cause it's a special day," the little boy at her side proudly declared, interjecting himself into the conversation again. "And you should always have a good breakfast on a special day. That's what you tell me." "Yes," she said with a laugh. "That's true." "And today's the most specialist day of all, Mommy," he continued. "'Cause you're getting married. Jason's becoming a part of our family. He's gonna be my daddy now. Do I have to keep callin' him Jason, or can I call him Daddy?" She shared a look with the man in question over the top of Cameron's head and she could tell that he was startled by her son's question. Jason cleared his throat lightly as he sat down on the bed beside them and said, "You can call me whatever you want to, Cameron. It's up to you." "I know you're not my...bi'logical daddy, but he's not around and I don't really remember him," he stated with a bluntness that made Elizabeth bite her lip and look down. "And you're here and you're marrying Mommy, so I wanna call you Daddy." Jason's eyes were bright with moisture as he reached out and touched Cameron's shoulder, "Then you can call me Daddy." Cameron flung his arms around Jason's neck and Elizabeth didn't even care that the syrup nearly got spilled all over the bed. Forget any wedding presents they'd get at the reception tonight, she just got the best gift that covered her birthday, Mother's Day and Christmas for at least the next two years. "Hey, Little Dude," Spinelli called out from the doorway, looking awkward and uncomfortable and not actually looking into Jason and Elizabeth's bedroom. "We've got things to do so let's let your mother eat." "Okay," the little boy cried out, swinging his legs around and hopping off the bed to run full steam to the hacker. When Jason didn't follow as Spinelli had obviously been expecting, the younger man cleared his throat and said, "Um...Stone Cold? Don't you think...you're not supposed to see the bride on her wedding day." "Spinelli," Jason said in a tone of voice that indicated he was not going anywhere. "The wedding isn't for hours. I've already seen Elizabeth. I'm not leaving. You and Cameron go do whatever it you need to do." "But...but Sweet Georgie said she was going to come get Elizabeth later this morning and they were going to go to the spa and the beauty salon and-" "Spinelli," Elizabeth interrupted gently. "Georgie won't be here for a couple of hours. Go do your thing with Cameron. I want to talk to Jason." The young man spluttered a few more times, and then he finally conceded defeat and accepted that Jason and Elizabeth were not going to follow tradition on this. He reached out and closed the door while blushingly admonishing them, "Remember, you do have things to do, Stone Cold." Then they heard his feet pound down the hallway and stairs. Elizabeth laughed as she looked at Jason and knew that underneath his gruff exterior, he was fighting a smile. "So how come I didn't get snow pancakes?" she asked him. He turned to look at her, his eyes glinting with a rakish light, "Because powder sugar isn't nearly as fun to share as maple syrup. Now eat your eggs before they get cold. I'm not going to go make you new ones just because you didn't eat them quickly enough."
After a leisurely breakfast in bed and then a shared shower to make sure they were both presentable for the day, Jason gave Elizabeth a kiss and sent her off with Georgie. The young woman had become Elizabeth's maid of honor due to the fact that she was constantly around because of Spinelli and the two had struck up a friendship. Some of her colleagues from work were helping out with the wedding preparations, but Elizabeth had just wanted a simple, intimate ceremony. She'd already done the lavish wedding when she married Cameron's father, and she didn't like it then anymore than she suspected Jason would like it now. They wanted their family and friends to witness them becoming a family, and that was all they desired. Security had been Jason's domain and he went down to the church to make sure that all was arranged for this evening. Guards already patrolled the property and inside the building, they'd swept it once this morning for explosives and they'd sweep it again before the ceremony. The reception hall was given a similar treatment and Jason knew that he and Sonny had done all they could to ensure Elizabeth, Cameron and the rest of the guests were safe. But Jason knew he wouldn't rest completely easy until the ceremony was over and nothing had happened. With hours left to pass until the service would start, Jason was feeling tense and unrestive. He kept checking and double-checking the work the men were doing until finally Sonny came and steered him away. "Look," his friend said. "Everything's going to be fine. Spinelli's got surveillance cameras going, Max and Milo have set up a guard detail for the place, they're not going to take any chances, Jason. Go take a ride. Take Cameron and go see Lila. Just do something before you make one of the men snap and you show up to your wedding with a black eye." He let out a breath and then nodded. "Okay. Where's Cameron?" "He's playing with Spinelli on some Super Crash Ninja game or something," Sonny chuckled while pointing to the room off to the side that had been commandeered as Command Central. "Thanks, Sonny," he said with a roll of his shoulders. "No problem," the older man waved off the thanks. "You've stepped up more times than I can remember; it's about time I got to do something for you. Too bad the Lewises caved so easily on custody; I would have loved to drag them through the mud." Jason knew his friend was just trying to lighten the mood, but Jason was glad things had ended as they had with Cameron's grandparents. Because even though he and Elizabeth had done their best to shield Cameron from all that was going on, the little boy was smart and knew that he was at the center of some fight his mother was involved in. He clung to Elizabeth, never wanting to be far from her side. He didn't want Jason to leave the house, and was always exuberant in his welcome when Jason returned. The custody fight had upset him and Jason was glad it was over now. He had come to love the little boy and there had been many late nights as Jason tucked him into bed after reading him a story that Cameron would hold his hand and whisper 'I love you, Jason.' But today, when the little boy had asked if he could call him Daddy, something had expanded in his chest until he thought it would burst. He wanted to adopt Cameron, to make him feel just as much a part of his family as Elizabeth was going to become today, but he and Elizabeth knew that while Zander had stopped supporting the custody battle, he may not be willing to sign adoption papers. He respected Elizabeth enough to let her be the one to broach the subject with her ex-husband. While he had no use for Zander Lewis or the rest of the family, he could also understand the situation enough to know that it would be hard for the man to sign a paper officially giving Cameron up despite the fact that he'd already abandoned him years ago. For now, he'd be content with the fact that Cameron had asked to call him Daddy. He would be the one raising Cameron from now on. He would be the one going to school plays and sports games. He got to tuck Cameron into bed at night and Elizabeth had already told him that he would be the lucky one to answer the little boy's questions about where babies came from if they ever had more children. He was Cameron's father in every way that counted, and while today might officially make him Jason's stepson, the enforcer had long considered Cam his son. Opening the door he found the little boy and Spinelli playing some game on the hacker's laptop, laughing and giggling and Jason was grateful for the ease of their relationship. Cameron felt at ease around Spinelli and with Georgie around, it was nice to have someone trusted who could watch the little boy. It may not be conventional, but neither he nor Elizabeth wanted to be away from Cameron on their honeymoon so they'd decided to take their son with them. Of course, though, there were times they knew the little boy wouldn't want to go to the places they wanted, or that they'd want some time alone, so Spinelli and Georgie were coming along. Mac certainly hadn't liked that, but Georgie had refused to back down on her resolve. She was going to get the opportunity to travel, something she had long wanted to do, and she could look into some of the schools she was considering for her semester abroad program. Jason and Elizabeth were paying for her airfare and her hotel room as part of her agreeing to look after Cameron, and the young woman told her father that she appreciated his concern for her, but this was her life. She had already been married and divorced; it was time to stop treating her like she was a little girl in pigtails. Needless to say Mac Scorpio was not attending the wedding today. "Hey, Cam," Jason smiled and it grew as the preschooler abandoned the game and raced towards Jason. "Daddy!" the little boy shouted as he threw his arms around his legs. "Is it time to get dressed? Are we getting married now?" "No," he answered as he crouched down to his son's level. "I was going to go visit Lila and I wondered if you wanted to go?" "Mrs. Lila?" he asked in excitement. "I like her. Is she coming to the wedding?" "Yes," Jason nodded. "I was just going to spend some time with her since we'll be gone after the wedding." Cameron looked down, twisting the toe of his shoe on the ground and then looked up at Jason curiously. "She's your grandma, right?" "Yes," he answered. "So...can she be my grandma, too?" he wondered. "She would love to be your grandma," Jason answered, beginning to understand now why Elizabeth was so touched by the Quartermaines reaching out to Cameron. Lila and Monica weren't doing it to manipulate him; they saw what Jason did, a wonderful little boy who deserved love and happiness in his life. "You know who else would like to be your grandma?" he asked and the little boy shook his head with wide, curious eyes. "Monica. She's my mother, so that would make her your grandmother." "Two grandmas?" Cameron asked in excitement. "Can we go see them? Can I ask them to be my grandmas?" Jason gathered his son into his arms and then stood with him, pretending not to notice when Spinelli turned away and discreetly tried to wipe at his eyes with his sleeve. Cameron wrapped his arms around Jason's neck and laid his head on his shoulder, perfectly happy and content as they walked out of the church towards the SUV. He knew that there would be presents to open from the reception tonight, but he didn't care about those. Today, Cameron was giving out the better gifts and it was time for Jason to share them with the rest of his family. | |
Part 11: Dearly Beloved
Prompt - Life is not measured by the numbered of breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away When Jason opened the terrace doors and walked in, Lila and Monica looked up in surprise, but quickly let smiles grace their faces at the sight of him. Their smiles grew when they realized that Cameron was with him as well. The little boy was fairly bursting with excitement, but he knew that he couldn't just rush at Lila like he could with other people. So he wrapped one arm around Jason's leg and as the older man looked down to brush his hand through his son's curls, he could see an enormous grin covering the little boy's cheeks. "Jason," Lila said warmly. "And Cameron. What a pleasant surprise. We didn't expect to see you today." "Me and Daddy came to visit you," Cameron said proudly and Jason saw Monica's eyes flare briefly with surprise. "Jason said I can call him Daddy now that he and Mommy are getting married." Jason sat down in a chair near Lila and not far from the sofa Monica was seated on. He looked at both women and then said, "Cameron has something he would like to ask you." Monica and Lila looked at the little boy sitting on his lap and for a moment, the shy, little boy returned and he leaned back against Jason, pulling his father's thick arm around him. Jason gave him a squeeze of encouragement and the two women were silent, waiting for Cameron to speak. Finally, Elizabeth's son said, "Since Jason's gonna be my daddy now...I...I wanted to ask if you'd be my grandmas, too." He did his best to watch both their reactions and Lila's face softened and bloomed with the same love he'd always seen directed at him, but Monica closed her eyes tightly and pressed her lips together. He'd seen the pure shock, disbelief and overwhelming desire to shout yes float across her face. Her eyes were moist when she opened her eyes and looked at Cameron with such pure delight and nodded her head. "I...I would love to be your grandma, Cameron," she said, her smile tremulous as she tried not to cry. "You would?" the little boy asked, his words becoming brighter and more excited. "Really?" Monica nodded and said, "Yes. I would. I love your daddy very much and I was very happy when he said he was going to marry your mother. I'm very happy that you will be a part of the family now, too." Jason felt Cameron shift on his lap and he released his son, watching as he climbed down and walked towards Monica. She looked at the little boy and held out a hand to steady him as Cameron climbed up onto the couch beside her. When he settled into her lap and hugged her, tears slid down her cheeks as she squeezed her eyes shut. She wrapped her arms around the little boy and simply held him, her body swaying slightly side to side. Jason swallowed and looked down, blinking at the floor. "And you, Mrs. Lila?" Cameron asked, drawing his father's gaze back to the family scene before him. His son was now sitting on Monica's lap, looking excitedly at Lila who looked at Cameron with pure adoration. "Will you be my grandma, too?" "Oh, my dear boy," she said, her fragile voice thready with emotion. "I would love to be your grandmother." "What do I call you?" the little boy asked uncertainly. "If I say Grandma, how will you know who I'm talking to?" "You may call us whatever you like," Lila offered. "Can I calls you Grandma Lila?" "You may," she answered softly. "Can I hug you?" he questioned. When she nodded, Monica stood, holding onto Cameron and helped situate the little boy on Jason's grandmother's lap while saying, "Let me help you." Though arthritis had ravaged her frame and made it difficult to move, she brought her arms around Cameron as best she could, loving him as he rested his head against her. Monica sniffled quietly, wiping at her cheeks and he could see Lila's eyes were bright with liquid emotion as well. She pressed a kiss on his son's curls and then looked up at Jason with such pure gratitude and love that he wanted to look away from it, certain he didn't deserve it. He'd merely brought Cameron here today; it had been the little boy who had offered the gifts. "Thank you, Jason," she said softly. "Thank you so very much." "Yes," Monica echoed. "Thank you." He nodded, clearing his throat gruffly, but unable to force words out. The moment was shattered when the door open and Jason immediately tensed, fearful of whoever was entering. "Monica," Alan began. "I'm not sure which tie to..." He trailed off, finally having looked up from the silk in his hands to see the scene he'd intruded upon. "Oh," he said awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." "It's okay," Lila answered for them. "Jason just brought Cameron over to visit before the wedding." "I asked them to be my grandmas since Jason's gonna be my daddy," Cameron offered up enthusiastically. "And they said yes." Alan looked at Jason, questions searching in his eyes, but then looked down without voicing them. "That's wonderful," he answered the little boy. "Your great-grandmother is my mother, and I know how loving she is." "Great..." "Grandma Lila," Monica told him gently. Cameron looked at Lila and said, "You're his mommy?" "I am," she confirmed. "He's my son and your grandma's husband." "Then can you be my grandpa?" the little boy immediately asked. "Grandmas and grandpas go together." Alan swallowed, looking at Jason nervously, and then said, "It's your choice, Cameron." "I want a grandpa," he declared. "Grandmas are nice, but Grandpas...will you take me fishing?" Jason brought his hand up to cover his mouth, a smile tugging at his lips. Cameron was apparently determined to make everybody his family today. He was half-tempted to grab the boy and run before Edward could show up and Cameron asked the old man to be his Grandpa Edward. Alan again looked at Jason and then back to Cameron. "It's been a long time since I've gone fishing," Alan hedged at first. "And we'd have to clear it with your mom and dad first, but maybe one day we might be able to go fishing." "I want to," Cameron stated, and then began to wiggle. Monica was there immediately to lift him from Lila's lap and set him down on his feet. The little boy crossed the room to Jason and looked up at him as he took his larger hand in his tiny one, "Will you go fishing with us, Daddy?" The other adults in the room held their breath, but Jason could only look in Cameron's full brown eyes that melted his heart and said, "Maybe one day we can do that."
After leaving the Quartermaines, Jason thought he'd be too nervous to continue to wait until the wedding started, instead he found himself oddly relaxed. He didn't pace and bother the guards, he merely went to a spare room at the church and was able to sit and think as he waited. He was just getting to where he no longer became anxious about visiting Monica. He could see that she wanted so much more from him, but she never pushed him. She spoke to him about Cameron or Elizabeth, or would mention something she had done recently with Emily or Lila, and only occasionally she ventured into conversations about him or her. She was in his life, but he realized now that she was just on the edges of it. Yet, because she wanted a connection to him, she was willing to take whatever he gave her. The same had been true with Alan today. Jason had seen the surprise, fear, desire to stay, and then uncertain shock over Cameron's question cross the older man's face. He'd looked to Jason before answering, and the enforcer had no doubt that if he'd given any indication that he didn't want it, Alan would have tried to find some way to let Cameron down gently. It would have still ended up hurting the little boy, and that was why Jason had made sure to keep his look neutral. This was no longer just about him. There was a little boy in his life that was desperate for a family connection. Elizabeth's family hardly acknowledged him, and the Lewises only came around when it was politically convenient to do so. For most of Cameron's life, and especially those parts that he could actually remember, it had only been him and Elizabeth. To now have the opportunity for more had caused the little boy to reach out with both hands in an attempt to grab all he could. He now had a dad who was there, who would be there every day. While Spinelli had decided to move out to give the new family their space, he was only moving a floor below them and had promised Cameron he could visit any time the little boy wanted. And now his son had grandparents; grandparents who would actually want to be with him, who would remember his birthday and give gifts at Christmas. It was no wonder Elizabeth seemed to like his family. It wasn't about trying to get him to reconcile with the Quartermaines, it was about finding a family that she had never had. They talked to her, but didn't push her about Jason; they respected her, they listened to her, and were anxious to be a part of her life. Jason knew they were also anxious to be a part of his life, and after seeing them through Cameron's eyes today, he was beginning to think that maybe it might not be a terrible thing. While they would never agree on his profession, certainly there were other things that could bring them together. Cameron seemed to be a place to start. As these thoughts churned through his mind, he found that time quickly passed before the ceremony. It was a bit of a surprise to him when Spinelli and Sonny knocked on the door of the room he'd been sitting in and told him that he needed to get dressed. Cameron was all done up in his new suit and tie, Spinelli was keeping an eye on him while trying to keep his own suit from getting too wrinkled and Sonny looked as pressed and polished as ever. He quickly changed and then didn't even bother to feign indignation when Sonny came over to straighten his tie, making sure not to make it too tight. "Are you ready for this?" the older man asked conversationally. They both knew the answer, but Sonny spoke merely to break the silence. "Yeah," Jason nodded. "Then let's go," his friend stated, turning for the door. "Georgie has relayed to Spinelli that Elizabeth is almost ready." Then with a chuckle Sonny laughed, "I still can't believe that she asked Spinelli to walk her down the aisle." "She wanted someone to help with Cameron," Jason replied. "But he's her friend, and it's because of him that we ever met. So," he shrugged, "it seems fitting." Once they walked into the chapel and down the aisle to stand near the altar, both men fell silent. The guests were already in their seats and those that weren't quickly sat down. Jason's family was off to the side and he saw the pure delight on his parents' faces and it no longer seemed to bother him. Edward was scowling, grumbling under his breath - no doubt about being present - but Jason didn't care. Lila and Emily were beside him and he knew they'd keep the old man in line. And if he did say something, it certainly wasn't going to ruin his or Elizabeth's day. They knew how Edward felt and it simply didn't matter to them. Father Coats entered from a side door and Jason shifted slightly on his feet, his anticipation building. Soft music began, signaling the imminent beginning of the ceremony and all the guests turned to look at the doors. A few minutes later they opened and Georgie Jones sedately began her way down the aisle. He knew that Elizabeth had been insistent on finding a dress the young woman liked and could wear again, but Jason wasn't watching her. His gaze was fixed on the opening where Elizabeth would soon appear. Once Georgie took her place at the front of the church, the music changed and the guests stood. Elizabeth came into view, Spinelli at her side and Cameron in front of her, holding a white heart-shaped pillow. Her dress floated around her, falling to the floor from delicate shoulder straps and his heart swelled in his chest, threatening to burst. The look on her face was soft and serene, but she was focused strictly on the front of the room. Her gaze locked with his and he felt every ounce of love she had, flowing towards him, wrapping around him and filling him. He hadn't expected to find love the day he'd followed Spinelli to the hospital in an attempt to find out where the younger man kept disappearing to, but it had found him. The day he stopped fighting Elizabeth's presence in his life and saw what his friend and sister did, that Elizabeth was the woman he could love and make a family with, he was determined to do everything he could to secure that future. In the process, he gained things he never thought he'd have. A wonderful boy to call his son, the desire to have more children to increase that indescribable joy he felt when he first heard Daddy fall from small lips, and the thought that maybe some day he might not chafe at the thought of visiting the Quartermaines. As Elizabeth reached him and he took her delicate hand in his, he knew that in this moment, he had found all that he'd never known he was searching for. He had found a family. He had found peace. He had found love. The End |