The sequel to Could Have Missed The Pain. Jason searches for closure, and Elizabeth searches for a life that feels right.

Part I

Another day has almost come and gone
Can't imagine what else could go wrong

Jason Morgan hated Italy. It was there Elizabeth that had died; it was there where she was buried, and it was there that he couldn't get any answers about her last days or the details of her death. Before leaving Port Charles he'd gotten the information of the lawyer that contacted Alexis Davis and he'd gone with the intention of getting in touch with him.

The first time they talked the man seemed helpful, sympathetic to the circumstances. He filled Jason in on the details, gave him names of police officials, doctors at the hospital, even the plot number in the cemetery where she was buried. Or rather, where she was supposed to have been buried. None of the information was checking out. Her grave didn't exist, just like the people the lawyer told him about didn't exist. When he'd gone back to question the man, he realized the lawyer had disappeared.

So he did what he did best when confronted with a situation like this. He began to investigate. And he didn't like what he was unearthing.

There were absolutely no records of Elizabeth dying anywhere in Italy. No accident matching what the lawyer, or whoever the man had been, told him. There were no records of any American matching her description having been admitted or treated in any hospital. Worst of all, there was no airline record for Elizabeth coming into Italy.

When he'd broadened his search and checked on flight manifest records leaving Port Charles, he'd hit upon France. According to airline and airport records, Elizabeth had traveled Air France from Port Charles to Paris. But from there, she'd vanished into thin air.

He'd traveled there, searched, looked and started to piece together her trip, which had taken her to the south of France. It had been a bit tough, given the time that had elapsed, and that she was just another tourist paying cash. It was only when she'd cashed a traveler's check that he'd received a hit.

But after a certain point, after a certain time, the trail once again turned cold. So he started all over again. He checked with police, hospitals, morgues, clinics and even sanitariums looking for any information. He showed her picture around hoping someone might have seen her. He tracked down every unknown female involved in an accident or death, and he still had nothing to show for his efforts.

Then came the gripping fear that maybe there hadn't been an accident, but Elizabeth had been killed or kidnapped. The vanishing lawyer could have been paid to plant false information. But for what purpose? Why would someone want to take Elizabeth? So once again, Jason investigated.

He looked into every known associate, no matter how loosely tied, to Moreno, Sorrel, Luis Alcazar and any other possible enemy of his and Sonny's who could have known about the connection between he and Elizabeth. He looked into the Cassadines, wondering if Helena had escaped and was once again playing her sick and twisted games in her feud against the Spencers. He even investigated Elizabeth's parents, looking to see if someone had sought revenge against them by way of their daughter, or if - in an idea born and followed by sleepless desperation - they had come to collect her back to the family fold.

Every single idea, every thread followed yielded the same results. Nothing.

He was no closer to finding out what happened to Elizabeth than he was when he left five weeks ago. So he stopped running around getting nowhere and he allowed himself to wallow for a little bit. He found a nice local bar and got rip-roaring drunk. He drank to drown his anger, he drank to ignore the fear, and he drank to stave off the ever-present empty feeling that had carved out his insides from the moment Alexis told him Elizabeth was dead.

When he turned maudlin and the memories threatened to overwhelm him and pull him under, he stumbled back to his room at dawn and let the tears come. Then he admitted the need for help and called back to Port Chalres. Johnny hadn't been angry at being woken up; he'd only been concerned at the devastation and broken defeat in Jason's voice. He promised he'd be there as soon as he could, and Jason could barely express his thanks.

He spent the next three days blind drunk, and when Johnny showed up he wasn't even mad that Jason had forgotten to pick him up at the airport. He merely paid the bartender, picked up his friend and took him home. And right now he was fixing breakfast. The smell of it turned Jason's stomach, but he figured he should go out and face the day instead of hiding in his bed.

Slowly he crawled out, managed to stand and searched for his clothes. When he emerged in jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt he found a large glass of water and a bottle of aspirin waiting on the counter for him. "Hey."

"Hey," Johnny said as he turned and placed a plate of toast before him.

"Sorry about yesterday."

Johnny waved his hand through the air. "Forget it. You're entitled, man. Your world's been turned upside down several times over...it's bound to hit anyone hard. Even you."

"Thanks for coming," Jason said as he took a seat.

"No problem," the other man replied. "I'm glad you called, that you trusted me to help. We'll figure this out, Jason. We will find out what happened to Elizabeth. That is one promise you can take to the bank."

Sighing, he turned and gazed out the window as the sun steadily rose. "I hope so, Johnny. Because I have to know. Something isn't right here, and I have find out what happened to her. I-I just have to."

The following morning the pair set out, two men determined to find the truth. Johnny had listened to Jason's run down of every single dead end he'd encountered. Johnny had been a bit hesitant, always working under Jason's orders before and following his lead, but he knew he was the person who should talk to people and lead their investigation. He would have a fresh perspective, a new approach to the people, and Jason admitted he needed someone to step in right now.

They combed the countryside where there was the last positive ID of Elizabeth, stopping to ask every business, every homeowner, every stranger on the street if they had any information. It seemed to be going the same way Jason's question had gone until they stumbled upon someone who recognized her picture. Apparently Elizabeth had rented a room from the woman for a little over a week while she sketched the countryside. It was their first break, and Johnny looked over to Jason to see his friend was hopeful, yet tempering it.

"Would you like to come inside?" she asked them as they stood in the yard of her cottage.

They followed her in, their heads nearly touching the low ceilings of the old structure, then sat at the table when she directed them to. Waiting while she fixed them coffee, they looked around the room and Johnny could see why Elizabeth would stay here. It was cozy, full of history and family, and so inviting.

"How long was Elizabeth here?" Johnny asked as she sat down.

"About eight days. She left a couple of weeks before Christmas; said she wasn't sure where she was going to go after she left here." She paused and took a sip from her cup. "She talked a lot about Italy, but said she wasn't ready to go there yet. She said she'd just wander and see where she ended up."

Johnny glanced at Jason out of the corner of his eye. His friend remained quiet and still, just as he had since they sat down, but his hand tightened around his cup ever so slightly. It had to be hard to hear about her being happy, sketching, traveling just like he had wanted to do with her, and not knowing if he would ever see her again.

"Ma'am," he cleared his throat and didn't look at Jason, knowing this would be hard on his friend, "did you hear of any accidents occurring shortly after Elizabeth left?"

"Accidents?" she puzzled.

"We were informed shortly before Christmas that she'd been in an accident and had died from her injuries."

The woman immediately shook her head. "I've heard nothing like that. She headed south when she left, so maybe it occurred in another town?"

Johnny thanked her for her time and the coffee and soon they were back in their car following Elizabeth's trail. Jason was quiet, staring out the window at the passing countryside. He remained that way as they drove and Johnny didn't attempt to talk and pull him out of whatever thoughts he was in. He knew Jason wouldn't want to fill the air with useless sound, and there was nothing he could think to say that would bring any comfort.

Suddenly Jason leaned forward and then turned in his seat, his gaze focused out the window. "Stop the car."

Immediately Johnny complied and pulled over to the side of the road. Before he could even turn off the engine and pull the key out, Jason was already heading back along the road at a jog. By the time he caught up with him, he could see what had captured Jason's attention. A salvage yard on the outskirts of town.

Johnny held back, letting Jason take the lead as they entered the yard and searched for a worker. He stopped when he saw what looked like the twisted remains of a moped in a pile of salvage and glanced up to see if his friend had spotted it. But Jason was talking with a man in faded gray coveralls, so he walked over and took a closer look at the bike. There were paint transfers on the small vehicle which told him it had definitely been in an accident with another car. Pulling his notebook out of his breast pocket, he compared the license plate and vehicle identification numbers, his heart sinking when they matched up to the moped Elizabeth had rented in Paris.

He straightened, suddenly feeling like he was holding fifty pound weights and pivoted slowly. "Jason."

His friend turned from the worker he was talking to, and tilted his head to the side in question. Johnny motioned him over and took a deep breath as Jason approached. "It's her moped," he tipped his head to the wreckage. "License plate and VIN numbers match. There's a spot where the rental sticker was removed."

Jason closed his eyes and swallowed raggedly, then rounded on the man. "When did you bring this here?"

"After Christmas. Someone called in and said they found it abandoned."

"Did you call the police?" Johnny asked.

The man immediately nodded. "Of course. They investigated, but they found nothing."

"Obviously," Jason growled. "How come they never ran the plate? The rental agency should have known."

"You'll have to ask the police," the man replied, his back stiffening at Jason's tone and insinuation he had done something wrong.

Johnny reached out to touch Jason's arm, hoping to calm him, but Jason stepped back. "Oh we will."

Then he stalked out of the yard and the only thing he could do was hurry to catch up. It was their first solid piece of evidence they had, putting the accident in France and contradicting what they'd first thought. Jason was slipping into the cool, determined mode Johnny saw him get all too often in Port Charles. This was a quest to find the truth and he couldn't help but feel Jason was setting himself up for a huge fall if it fell through. He seemed certain Elizabeth was alive, and if he looked hard enough and long enough then he'd find her. But if it turned out Elizabeth truly was dead, it was going to crush him all over again.

The only thing Johnny knew he could do was be there when the crash happened.

Skye walked into the dining room and was surprised to see A.J. sitting at the table alone. "Is something wrong?"

"The doctor came today," he said, not looking up from the fork he was twirling around on the table by its tines.

"And?" she prompted as she stripped off her coat and gloves and tossed them over the back of a chair.

"Her injuries are fully healed. He said he couldn't keep the splint on any longer without causing more problems."

"Well, that's probably for the best."

"She's getting suspicious," he snapped as his head shot up. "When she was injured and recovering it was easier to convince her she needed to stay here. Now she keeps asking if she can see the town and the countryside."

"So let her," she shot right back. "Geez, do you intend to keep her locked up here forever? The house is big, you get her anything she wants, but it's still a cage and she's going to resent it and you."

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at her across the table. "Do you resent me? Because from where I'm sitting it sounds like you were projecting just a bit there."

"A.J.," she began, but stopped when he suddenly pushed his chair back and stood up.

"It's James. Do you want her to come down here and hear you?" He stalked towards her, his fingers latching tightly onto her upper arm and propelling her in front of him to his study. Once inside he locked the door and rounded on her.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded as she backed up.

"Jason is in France and he's got one of his former goons with him."

"That's why you won't let her leave the house? You think he'll suddenly pick up her scent and swoop in on us?" She shook her head and crossed the room. "I don't understand, A.J., I thought the whole point was to make him suffer. To let him think she was dead and make him miserable. Well, clearly he is, so why not just let her go? She doesn't remember anything thanks to the accident and all the drugs you've got her on."

"Because," he seethed, "if I let her go I lose the power. He could find her one day. Jason took my son away from me, Carly never gave me a chance to make our family work because all she wanted was Jason and he handed my son over to Sonny Corinthos. Then just when I think I have something good in my life, he waltzes back into town and steals Courtney from me."

"But he left her, just like she left you," she tried to reason with him, not bothering to point out his role in his wife walking out the door. "What if after his time in Europe he goes back to her? If he finds Elizabeth you'll guarantee he'll never go back to Courtney."

"But then he'll be happy," he shook his head. "I don't want him to be happy. I want him as miserable as I am."

With a sigh, Skye sat down on the couch and crossed her legs. "A.J., this is never going to work. When you called me and told me to get to Switzerland because you needed my help, the last thing I expected to find was you and Elizabeth Webber. I thought you were crazy then, and I especially do now."

"But you helped me," he argued. "And now you're just as much a part of this as I am."

That was certainly true. She'd helped because Elizabeth was seriously hurt and A.J. was clearly desperate. Someone with a semi-clear head needed to step in, and she was looking for her own escape from the clutches of Port Charles. The drinking, the jealousy and hurt she was getting lost in watching Jax with Brenda; she wanted out. She didn't have anything against Jason. Sure she'd been a little hurt when she rebuffed her attempts to get to know him, but she never would have done something like this to him.

But she was unable to turn her back on A.J. when he seemed so out of control. She hoped that in time he would see the futility of his actions or she could reason with him. But the more time that passed, the more stubborn he became. All he could focus on was inflicting his twisted revenge on Jason, and didn't care about the damage being done to Elizabeth.

"A.J., what are you doing to do?" she finally asked. "Stay here for the rest of our lives, keep her under lock and key, never go back and see Grandmother or our father? It's never going to work. You can't live like that, and it's not fair to Elizabeth. Besides, Jason's smart. If he finds out what you did in France, what we've done here, do you really think he'll let us live? He'll kill us, A.J., you know he will."

"He won't find us," he resolutely declared. "I paid the officials too well."

"You're a fool," she scoffed. "He'll find out. Somehow Jason always seems to find things out."

"Not this time. Now why don't you go tell Imogene you're back? She's missed her big sister. And maybe you can get her to eat. She refused to join me."

When he sat down at his desk and started going through his folders she knew she'd been dismissed. The only thing she could do when he got like this was leave and try again to convince him later. She knew he didn't want to admit it, but she knew that one day Jason would discover the truth, and she wanted to try and emerge from this whole mess alive.

Reaching the top of the stairs she turned toward the left where Elizabeth's room was. As usual, the door was closed and she wouldn't be surprised if it was locked. Elizabeth seemed to spend a great deal of time locked in this part of the house. Reaching out she knocked on the door and hoped the younger woman would take a chance and at least acknowledge the knock.

After a few minutes she knocked again. "Genie, it's me."

The door opened and Elizabeth warily looked over Skye's shoulder, her smile brightening when she realized her sister was alone. "You're back."

"Got back just a little bit ago."

"Already fought with James?" she asked as she opened the door wider and let her come in.

"That obvious?"

"He's been quite a bear since you left. But I don't want to talk about James anymore," she shook her head, and then smiled. "Tell me where you went; what did you see?"

Skye closed her eyes in silent despair. A.J. was never going to be able to keep her here forever. Elizabeth simply wasn't a soul who could be caged.

Part II

Sometimes I'd like to hide away, somewhere and lock the door
A single battle lost, but not the war

"You sure about this?"

Jason just continued to stare out the window, but Johnny perceived a faint nod. He didn't really like it, but he knew this day would eventually come.

"It's time, Johnny. We've done everything we can think of. It's...it's time to let go."

He knew what it cost Jason to say those words. They had searched everywhere, questioned the police and everybody in the town, but nobody knew anything about the accident. The police had no explanation for how Elizabeth's rental scooter had ended up in the junkyard and why they hadn't contacted the Paris agency. There was no record of any female being involved in an accident. It was a complete mystery how her bike ended up in a small scrap heap in southern France.

Someone was pulling the strings in an elaborate puppet show, but they couldn't figure out whom. They'd been picking at threads for weeks; only to still have no answers and too many questions. They hadn't exhausted their resources; there was always something more they could do. But Jason had decided to stop.

He had been going for months, dealing with one blow after another. Caught in a cycle of hope and despair, Johnny wondered if Jason had ever truly dealt with his grief. In Port Charles the initial devastation had been evident. Jason had been lost, aching with Elizabeth's death. But he fought, searched, and hoped that by some miracle he would find out she was alive and he would be able to be with her again.

For a man who didn't dream, it was crushing to have that hope extinguished. Whoever had toyed with Jason appeared to have beaten him. His friend was broken, not in body, but in spirit. Johnny felt the other man's pain and wished he could do more, but knew he couldn't at this time.

Remembering the way Jason had been living in a bottle when he arrived, he was hesitant to leave. He knew his friend needed some time alone, he wasn't a person who would be able to grieve if he thought someone was watching him. Johnny just hoped that when Jason finally let go, he didn't crash too hard. Jason wasn't Sonny and Johnny didn't think he'd try to hurt himself, he just worried if his friend would be able to pull out of this.

When he left and came to Europe, Jason had accepted Elizabeth was dead and while it was hard on him, he was coming to say good-bye. When the inconsistencies came up and Jason began to wonder and hope, he lost some of that grief. Now it was back and stronger than ever.

Standing, Johnny crossed the room and stood beside his friend who hadn't moved or spoken in minutes. "You know that if you ever need me again, I'm there for you? Right? I'll be here in a heartbeat. Or, just call...and you can yell if you want. Whatever you need, Jason."

"I know."

The words were low; holding witness of the weight Jason was struggling with.

"Then I'll get my stuff and go."

"I'll take you to the airport."

He held up his hand. "Don't worry about it. I can get there on my own. You take care of yourself."

"I will." His voice was hoarse and ragged.

Johnny nodded and went into his room where he grabbed his waiting bags. Walking back into the main room, he could see the tension and pain and knew it wouldn't be long before the younger man broke. "Catch you later, Jason."

Silence was the only reply, and it followed him out into the hallway.

He didn't know how long he stood there after Johnny left, it could have been minutes, it could have been hours. It simply didn't register, or matter, anymore. While he appreciated all that Johnny had done - abandoning everything to immediately come help - Jason needed to be alone now. He wanted to be alone.

He knew when he started investigating he may not like what he found. His fear was that some distant enemy, an upstart looking to challenge them or an old associate of Sorel's, who knew of Elizabeth's connection to him and Sonny had seen her alone in Europe and had taken a chance in grabbing her. What they would have hoped to accomplish he could only guess, and fear. But there was nothing that said this was done by someone in their business.

What had happened to Elizabeth he still didn't know. It hadn't happened in Italy, but that was all he knew for certain. How it happened, why it happened, and who was responsible was still a mystery. But he couldn't keep pursuing it.

It was eating him alive. By throwing all his energy into finding how she had died, or even if she was alive, he was burying a part of himself. The part that he'd opened the night he admitted he loved Elizabeth and that a piece of his heart had died with her. He had left Port Charles so that he could deal with her death and its impact on him. But he wasn't dealing with it at all.

His shuddery sigh echoed through the room and he swayed, reaching out he braced his hands on the wall and window. His head bowed, his shoulders began shaking as he finally let himself go. The pain, the grief, the realization that he was crushed because he hadn't found a miracle that she was alive all overwhelmed him. He swayed again and this time his momentum took him to the floor.

He couldn't move, couldn't function, could only feel and be swept along in the waves of pain. With the lights on, he lay there until exhaustion finally claimed him and gave him a brief respite.

For six days Jason merely existed. He slept wherever he happened to be when fatigue simply wouldn't allow him to go on. He ate whenever he remembered, and most of all he drank. He hadn't showered, he hadn't changed his clothes, and he avoided looking in mirrors whenever he passed by.

He let himself get lost inside himself, mourning the loss of Elizabeth from his life. Even though she hadn't been in it the months preceding her death, he still hurt for the tragic end. Now that he'd realized the truth of his feelings for her, all he was left with was the memories of her and regrets that he hadn't done more.

As hard as it was, he came to accept that he might never know the truth of what happened to her. Whoever was responsible for this had set up a roadblock he couldn't break through. And he had come to terms with that for now. He didn't think he would ever completely give up searching for what happened, but he couldn't make that his whole life. He had to find a new way to continue on.

When he finally pried his eyes open, finding himself once again on the hardwood floor, he determined to make a change. And it started now. He pulled himself up, and stumbled blindly through the pre-dawn lit rooms until he stepped into the bathroom and turned on the light. If anyone could see him now they would be worried, and probably with reason. He reached behind him and turned on the shower, letting the steam fill the room and penetrate his senses.

After his shower, he stood back in front of the mirror and ran his hand across the moisture there. He attacked his beard, erasing the signs of his slovenly behavior. Then he dressed and packed his clothes from his room. It was time to put this week, and this place, behind him.

He came to Europe to find some measure of peace. He came to escape the pain of Port Charles, and to remember Elizabeth and the happy times they'd had together. It was time to do that. He wasn't sure where he was going to go, but he wanted to travel, to remember the way Elizabeth would come alive when she spoke about the places she wanted to visit, or asked him to describe where he'd been.

It was time he started living again, and remembering the joy.

"Absolutely not."

She stared at him, her eyes shimmering lethally and folded her arms over her chest. The ever-present headache that had been with her since she woke up intensified into a sharp stab of pain. He stood there; jaw set in determination, expecting his word to be law and her to run off and obey like a good little sister. She was getting really tired of that look.

"You can't keep me here, James."

"Imogene," he began, raising his arms from his side.

She cut him off before he could get started on another one of his impassioned speeches. He was always going on and on about things. "I've heard it all before, James. You're only looking out for me, you were frightened when the accident happened - scared you might lose me, and you just don't want anything to happen to me now that I'm better."

He smiled, and the way it looked like he was placating a small child really chaffed her. "That's right. So you understand why it's too dangerous for you to go out there."

Too dangerous. An echo of some forgotten moment shot through her and she struggled to keep her temper under control. "How is it dangerous? Are we at war?"

"No."

"Then how can it be too dangerous for me to do what thousands of other people are doing? I just want to go places, see places. I've never even been to the village just down the hill."

"You were hurt," he tried to explain to her.

"But I'm better now." She didn't even bother masking the frustration she felt. "The doctor said my injuries were healed."

He turned and crossed the room approaching the bar. She tensed, wondering what he'd reach for. Water or booze? If he reached for the liquor, then things were about to get very ugly. She let out a silent breath when he picked up the pitcher of water. "You don't remember anything from before you woke up. How do you really think you'll do traveling when you don't know how?"

Stung by his words, his polite way of saying she was damaged, incapable of making her way through the world or life without her benevolent older brother there to guide her and protect her, she abandoned her hold on her temper. She was grateful for all that he'd done for her - the best doctors, private nurse, therapists, anything she wanted before she even could ask for it - but her lack of freedom angered her. She refused to believe that the rest of her life would be like this.

"I might remember, but even if I don't what does it matter? I can learn. I've done plenty of that already. And some things just seem to come to me."

"Imogene-"

"Genie," Antoinette spoke for the first time from her perch on the couch. "She prefers Genie. One would think that it is the least you could do for your sister since you're determined to keep her here under your thumb for the rest of her life."

He spun and stabbed an angry finger at her. "Don't start with me."

"Don't yell at her," Genie said to James forcefully. Turning to Antoinette she said, "And you, don't let him direct his fight somewhere else. I'm not ready to be brushed off once again. I'm tired of being here, James. You barely let me walk in the gardens without you or that rigid butler nipping at my heels like a rabid dog. I want to go to other places and I refuse to stay here because you think I'm a drooling imbecile who can't function without you."

"Alright," he smirked. "Let's say for the sake of argument that you left. Where would you go? Do you know the languages, understand the currency; do you even have any money?"

That made her pause and he saw it. "Hadn't thought of that, had you? I control your money, Genie, I have since you got hurt. I don't know that I can in good conscience release it back to you when you seem so unstable."

She took an angry step forward. "You bastard. You are that sick, that desperate to control me that you would hold onto my money because I won't do what you want. I hate you! You aren't a brother, you're..."

"Genie?"

Her sister stood and touched her elbow as the memories of fights, feelings of inadequacy washed over her. Genie shook the hand on her elbow off and sneered at her brother. "I guess it shouldn't be a surprise should it? After all, you are just like dad."

He paled slightly. "What?"

"You were always his favorite...were just like him...and I was just the screw-up," she said, pain lancing through her that she didn't understand, but she just kept lashing out. "So why not just keep treating me like that now?"

"Th-that's not what I'm doing."

"Whatever you say. I know you're itching for something stronger than water, don't hold back on my account," she shot at him as she turned. "I'm done with you."

Then she stormed out of the room and waited for the screaming to start. It didn't take long, and this time it was punctuated by breaking glass.

Skye walked up the stairs with a covered tray and turned for Elizabeth's door. She and A.J. had continued to fight after the younger woman had left, but she still hadn't been able to convince him to let her travel. He seemed determined to keep her locked up and he just couldn't - or didn't - want to see that she was too strong willed to submit to it.

A.J. had indeed dived into the bar after Elizabeth walked out and Skye knew that for the both of them she had to do something. Maybe if their guest was gone he would be able to see how futile and wrong his plan had been. Hopefully she could convince him to focus on something else so they didn't have to live with this hanging over their heads anymore.

Stopping at Elizabeth room she knocked and called out, "Genie, it's me. I brought some dinner for you."

A few minutes passed and the door swung back. "Are you mad at me for fighting with James?"

She shook her head and stepped inside when Elizabeth moved out of the way. "No. I'm sorry he's acting like this. I've tried talking to him."

"I know," the brunette sighed. "He's drunk again, isn't he?"

"Yeah," she answered sadly.

"I hate it when he drinks, and I know I shouldn't have said anything..."

"You were mad, and it's understandable. I'm sorry, Genie," she said sincerely. Sorry for more things than the younger woman was even aware of. "I'm sorry this is happening."

"It's not your fault, Toni. It's not like you ran me off the road so you could lock me up. James..." she trailed off and shrugged, then sat down. "He won't let me go."

"Well, it's a good thing then that I'm just as tired of it and I'm going to help you."

"Help me?"

"James is wrong. You can travel and you'll be just fine. I can give you some pointers, and money. You can go wherever you want. James can't keep you locked up forever, and it's time you were free."

Elizabeth's face showed the war between hope and doubt. "James won't just let me walk out of here."

Skye smiled and leaned forward, patting the younger woman's knee. "You leave that to me. It may take a couple of weeks, but I'm going to spring you from this place, kid."

Part III

'Cause tomorrow's another day, and I am not afraid
So bring on the rain

Europe was beautiful in early summer. As the days warmed and grass deepened to a rich emerald green, the barrenness of the landscape that first greeted him when he arrived faded. He had left The Continent when he checked out of the hotel, but he hadn't put Europe completely behind him.

After crossing the Mediterranean Sea he'd gone into northern Africa. With no real destination in mind, he'd merely wandered through the towns, stopping when something interested him or he felt like resting. The architecture and colors of Morocco touched a corner of his soul he was glad had remained alive. He knew Elizabeth would have been infused with awe and joy over the deep colors, the lines and shapes, and the bold, captivating decorations. He tried to find the beauty, but it was tempered because she wasn't there to share her view and describe her vision.

It was hard, some days he didn't know why he bothered getting out of bed, but he kept going. Sometimes it was like she was right beside him, and he could almost hear her voice reading the guide book's description. Other times he found himself looking through shops for some small gift, a trinket or a postcard to buy for her so she would have a memento of where he'd been. Then came the days where he felt lost, alone in a crowded market. It seemed all the color from the scene had bled away, leaving nothing but gray behind. Those were the days when he'd pack up and run until he'd fall exhausted into a bed hundreds of miles away.

Those days were fading though, and he was finding it easier to go on. The ever present-ache didn't hurt as much and he was starting to see things that made him smile again.

He'd ended his time in Africa at Egypt. He'd been there before, climbed the pyramids and read to Michael about the places he'd seen from travel books. But what he remembered the most was the winter he spent in Elizabeth's studio as he recovered and she brought him a book from the library on Egypt to keep him occupied. He recalled how he would sit on her flea-market couch and read while she painted or quietly moved about her studio.

This time when he traveled the Nile and climbed the pyramids at night, he thought about how she took away the book he'd used as a weight and refused to return it for fear he'd hurt himself. He laughed at the memory of the way her face had lit up with a secret when she brought in the globe nightlight for Michael. She'd teased him for hours, taking great delight that she'd tricked him with the beach ball.

The memories hadn't torn him apart like he was first afraid they would. They had cheered him, brought him back to the comfort and the happiness he'd felt with her, even in the midst of so much pain and turmoil with Sonny and Carly. It was then that he felt strong enough to go back to Europe. He felt he could be closer to where she died and not be lost in an overwhelming crush of pain.

As he stepped off the train that had brought him from the airport, he shouldered his bag and stepped into the crowd. He'd get a bike tomorrow so that he'd have the freedom to go wherever, whenever. But tonight, tonight he just wanted to find a place to grab a bite to eat and sack out.

"Excuse me," he murmured automatically when the crowd shifted and he bumped into a woman walking the other way. He glanced down at her to make sure she was alright and sucked in a sharp breath of air.

She was petite, her brown hair kissed her shoulders, and as she looked up to smile her assurances she was fine, her perfume hit him. It was a scent similar to Elizabeth's and his gut clenched at the unexpected assault. Already walking away, the woman had no knowledge that for the briefest of moments she'd reminded him of Elizabeth and forced him to do a double take to ensure it wasn't her.

It had happened to him occasionally in Africa, especially in Egypt where there were more tourists. He wasn't surprised that it happened again, expected that it would happen more often until his mind and emotions settled down, but it left him feeling slightly shaken. For a brief moment, hope - however illogical - would bloom inside him that it was her.

He knew it wasn't going to happen. She really could be dead, and if she wasn't she could be anywhere. But that tiny flare would burn him, make him wonder if he was really accepting the truth of the situation, or if he was merely pretending as he had been doing the last months he lived in Port Charles.

Someone jostled his shoulder in passing and he blinked, realizing he was still standing in the middle of the sidewalk. With a sigh, he readjusted the position of his bag and set off once again. He cut through the crowd and stepped into the first bar he saw, making his way to a table in the back. He sank into the chair, feeling tired and more than a little bit dejected he ordered a beer when the waitress stopped at his table.

For better or worse he was back in Europe.

Europe in the summer was gorgeous. She thought spring was amazing as tender of shoots of grass sprung up and flowers were slowly coaxed into opening. But nothing compared to the warm sunshine dancing across her face as she stood in the courtyard of a church, or as she searched to find a museum. The architecture, the colors, the pure beauty of it all thrilled her.

True to her word, Toni had helped her find a way out of the prison James constructed. Having the ability to go places, not having James tell her she couldn't or that it was too dangerous had never felt so wonderful. And she took full advantage of not having restrictions, having plenty of money, traveling with abandon. Her sister had set her up with an account and credit cards she swore James wouldn't be able to trace, and so far he hadn't found her.

She loved visiting old churches and buildings, studying the lines and curves of the design. She had enough travel and history books to fill up an entire suitcase, and she'd actually had to arrange with Toni to ship some to her for storage, but kept her favorites with her. Now it was time to pick the next place to visit.

Laughing to herself, she crossed to her suitcase and reached into the back corner. She pulled out the folded plastic, turned it until she found the valve and blew. In no time at all the beach ball was inflated and the stop pushed in, and she was viewing down at the world. She had no idea such a novelty existed, but when she saw it in the kitschy little tourist stand she hadn't been able to stop thinking about it.

She'd wondered what parent would buy such a thing, it seemed so flimsy and liable to pop after a few days. But it was whimsical and she'd laughed, before looking at other things. She nearly bought it until she shook her head at the foolishness of the thought and left the shop. Five minutes later, after she'd made it halfway down the street, she walked back out of the store with the beach ball because she'd turned around and rushed back to the shop, giving in to the impulse to buy the novelty.

She didn't know what it was about the thing, but it made her smile and she couldn't seem to part with it. And it turned out to be a handy little thing. It was how she picked where to go when the urge to move on grabbed her. So she twirled it in her hands wondering where she'd end up this time. Closing her eyes she spun the orb and stabbed it with her finger.

Italy.

Suddenly she felt cold and her heart raced. She couldn't go to Italy. It was where her accident had happened...and it was a place she wasn't ready to face yet.

The next spin was shakier and a little more desperate, and she cautiously opened her eyes to see where she'd chosen to go. An intrigued smile teased her lips. She hadn't been there yet, but she'd read about it while she was still in Switzerland. She couldn't wait to go.

A.J. stormed into the house and slammed the door behind her. He still couldn't find Elizabeth, and Skye continually refused to tell him where she was. Two months ago he returned from one day in Germany, and Elizabeth was gone. Skye made no effort to hide that she'd helped the younger woman, and offered no apologies for it. He'd underestimated both of them and he felt betrayed by Skye for her duplicity.

"Skye!" His shout echoed off the marble floors and bounced back from the vaulted ceilings. He knew she was here, and eventually she'd come sauntering down the stairs, casually flip her hair out of her face and act put out that he wanted answers to his questions.

Walking into his office, he poured a drink then sat down at his desk. He flipped through the file there, the report his investigator had given him saying he thought Elizabeth was in Spain. She wasn't there; so far as A.J. could guess she'd never been there. It appeared Skye was planting false information.

"Skye!"

"You bellowed?" she smirked as she walked into the room. She took in the crystal tumbler in his hand and shook her head.

"Don't start," he growled and flung down the file. "You are just determined to stab me in the back, aren't you?"

"Don't be such a conspiracy theorist. I am not stabbing you in the back; I am helping Elizabeth."

"Jason is traveling, you do realize that?" he asked. "He could find her and then everything I worked for would be gone."

She shook her head and snorted. "They have the world at their disposal. In all that space to travel what are the odds of the two of them being in the same country, let alone the same town? That kind of thing only happens in soap operas and romance novels."

"Jason has incredible luck."

"Would you get over your obsession with Jason?" she shouted at him. "You're the only one keeping this pathetic rivalry alive. Jason Morgan doesn't care about you, A.J., except when you get in his way."

He slammed the crystal down on the desk, hard enough to crack it and allow alcohol to slowly seep out, and stood. "Jason has taken everything away from me. Even after the accident all the family cared about was Jason. I was right there; ready and willing to learn from Grandfather, but all he cared about was Jason. He took my son, and both of my wives wanted him more than me. I want him to suffer for everything he's done!"

"A.J., don't you get it? He didn't do those things to hurt you. And he would never deliberately hurt someone to get at you."

"You don't understand," he said as he sat back down and looked at the wasted alcohol spreading across his blotter.

"No, I don't," Skye answered. "I don't understand why you would grab and keep her, and never let him know. If it's meant to punish him, how is he being hurt?"

"I know I have her. And I can watch him try to move on with his life; all the while knowing I have the thing he wants the most."

"A.J.," she said as she sat down in the chair across from him and leaned forward imploringly. "I'm asking you to let this go. It's not healthy to live your life so wrapped up in this obsession that you do nothing else. Please, just let this go."

"Very touching, Skye. You seem almost concerned there."

"I am concerned, you idiot. Despite what you think, I care about you. Let this go, A.J.," she pleaded once again. "Do something else with your life. Run a business, find a wife, heck try and oust Grandfather from ELQ, but let this obsession with Jason and Elizabeth go."

"Because you want the best for me...or for them?"

"I don't care about Jason," she snapped with a shake of her head. "I do care about Elizabeth...but, A.J.; I want the best for you."

"Then tell me where Elizabeth is."

She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, her arms resting on the cushioned sides of the chair. "I won't do that, A.J. Anything else, I'll gladly help. Get rid of anything that ties you to the accident or the doctor you paid to dope her up and mess with her mind...I'll help you. But I won't tell you where she's at so you can drag her back here."

"Then you're of no worth to me, Skye, so get out of my sight."

"A.J.," she began.

"Go! I mean it, Skye."

With a resigned sigh she stood and left the room. He knew she'd try again later, but he wasn't going to yield on this. He looked at the file before him and then picked up the phone. "Yeah, it's me. I want you to tail Skye Chandler Quartermaine, and do a full accounting of all her money and where she's spending it at."

Greece was beautiful. The temples, the ruins, the coastlines. It spoke to a part of her soul she couldn't name, but she loved it. Toni had given her some suggestions of places she definitely had to see, but told her most of all to just have fun and enjoy herself. As she sat in her hotel, guidebook open and pamphlets from the lobby surrounding her, she couldn't decide where to go first. Too many choices, too many decisions, she merely closed her eyes and pointed, sure that she'd end up somewhere interesting.

Part IV

It's almost like the hard times circle 'round
Another drop and it all starts coming down

A.J. sat at his desk in his study, the lone lamp the only illumination in the room. Skye was somewhere else again, possibly helping Elizabeth, or maybe just avoiding him. It was hard to say. It all seemed to be falling apart. Elizabeth was gone, and Jason was back in Europe. Skye was right, Jason had amazing luck and he'd either find out the truth about Elizabeth's accident, or run into her.

His baby brother had recently arrived in Greece after having spent some time in Germany. Keeping track of Jason's movements was pretty easy. And it gave him perverse pleasure to know Jason still seemed so lost. It was only fair that he suffer for all the times he had messed up A.J.'s life. It didn't matter that some of those times hadn't been intentional. Some, especially lying about Michael's paternity, had been. And it was time somebody stuck it to the Golden Boy.

His man would follow Jason's movements and report back. That was all he could really do. Right now A.J. was anxious to find out how Skye was helping Elizabeth. His sister had money from her adoptive father and ex-husbands, and his investigator hadn't cracked her accounts yet. But he would, and then A.J. would have Elizabeth back.

Standing, he slipped the file on Jason into his desk and locked the drawer. He turned off the light, and was almost out of the room when the phone rang. Quickly he ran back to the desk. "Yes?"

He smiled and switched back on the lamp. His guy had come through, and he was sending over information on Skye's accounts. "Thank you, Gregg. Good work."

A.J. made sure the fax machine was turned on, and then crossed the room to pour a drink while he waited. Eyeing the machine over the rim of his glass, he was surprised at the number of pages coming through. When the machine finally stopped printing, he stood and gathered the papers. He would find out how Skye was funding Elizabeth, and when he did he would be able to figure out where she was.

He had to get her back, because she was the key to all of this. He had to know where she was. It was the only way to ensure his plan, to ensure that Jason got what he deserved. Pouring another drink, he sat down, determined not to leave until he deciphered the mystery of Skye's money and found out where Elizabeth was.

Toni was right, Greece was beautiful. The history, the ruins, the museums; she knew she could spend weeks here, probably even months, and not discover everything. She'd already been here over a week and she knew she wouldn't be leaving any time soon.

For the first time since she'd been traveling, she wished she wasn't alone. She liked her solitude, the ability to go wherever according to her wants. Locked up in the villa with James controlling everything, she wanted to prove she could do this on her own. And she had. She'd traveled capably, despite what her well-meaning brother had feared. But now she wished for someone to talk to.

She'd been happy when Toni, though surprised by her asking, had agreed to come to Greece. Toni said it would be nice to have something besides shopping to keep her occupied and away from James. Genie was excited, though a little nervous, that Toni was coming. While her sister had been helpful and kind in the face of their brother's tyranny over her life, they really hadn't spent much time together. She felt like Toni knew so much about her, but she couldn't say the same.

"Genie?"

She looked up from her seat in the restaurant across from the museum and smiled. "Hi, Toni. I'm glad you came."

Her sister sat down across from her and pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. "I was surprised when you called, but I'm glad too. Do you want to eat lunch now, or after the museum?"

"You know me," she laughed. "Why eat later and pass up a perfectly good meal?"

"Sounds good to me. It's not like the museum is going anywhere, is it?"

Several hours later, Genie was feeling much more relaxed. Having the safety of the museum exhibits to talk about, they were able to branch into other topics, besides travel or James. Her sister was still a stranger to her, but she liked her. She thought Toni was funny, if slightly high strung, but she felt more comfortable around her.

They decided to head out, just walk around, see some sights, and so they began to make their way towards the entrance. That was when her world crashed in on her.

With no warning, Toni grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards behind a large statue. She looked in shock at her, demanding, "What are you doing?"

Toni was looking over her head, not meeting her gaze, and searching the crowd. She turned, trying to see if she could spot what her sister was looking for. "What is going on?"

"We gotta go," was all she said, as she dragged them through the crowds back into the museum.

"Toni, what's going on?" she demanded. Her heart was racing and she knew Toni had spotted someone and that her sister was trying to lose whomever it was in the crowd. She didn't know why they would have to do that, though. Who did they know that would cause her sister to frantically run through a crowd?

They turned another corner, but Genie stopped, refusing to go any further. "Tell me what's going on. Why are we running? Who did you see?"

Eyes wide as a thought occurred to her, she looked over her shoulder. "Did James follow you? That's it, isn't it? You saw James. He wants to take me back to Switzerland."

"No, no, I didn't see James," her sister shook her head. "But we need to go."

"No," she dug her heels in. "Not until you tell me what's going on."

"Genie, please, just trust me," Toni pleaded. She didn't fully understand why, but she found herself agreeing.

"Okay. I'm sorry. Let's go." Her sister had been so helpful, how could she not go along with her now?

The relief was clear on Toni's face, as she turned and scanned the crowd, then took Genie's arm and started off again. Genie determined that as soon as they got to their hotel she was going to demand what was going on and she wasn't giving up until she found out.

"Elizabeth! Skye!"

Toni faltered and looked back, her ivory skin paling, and she tugged more insistently on Genie's arm. But then a man was standing in front of them, blocking their path. He was tall and imposing, from his spiked blond hair to the thick-soled black boots. His face was a combination of anger and shock, and when Toni took a step back Genie went willingly along with her.

"E-Elizabeth?" His voice was a broken whisper as the stranger stared straight at her. Clear blue eyes searched hers, searched her face, pleading for something she didn't understand.

Shaking her head she clutched Toni's hand and arm. "No. I'm not Elizabeth."

His gaze swung to her sister's, and it instantly hardened to a frightful intensity. "What's going on, Skye?"

Toni paled even further and looked around the museum frantically, but couldn't seem to speak. Genie was confused and frightened about what was happening. Who was this person and why was he calling them by different names?

"I think you're confused," Genie whispered. "I think you should go."

"Eliz..." he stopped and swallowed as if he'd been punched. "Elizabeth?"

"My name is Genie. And you need to leave me and my sister alone."

"I agree."

She and Toni turned, startled to hear James. He was standing there with two of the museum's security guards. Looking at the guard to his right he said, "This man is harassing my sisters. You saw them running through the museum and you heard Genie tell him to leave them alone."

"What is going on?" the man demanded. "A.J., tell me right now."

The guard stepped in front of the stranger when he took a step towards her brother and said, "You need to come with us, sir."

"No," he shook the hand off his arm. "I want to know what's going on. A.J., what did you do to Elizabeth? It was you, wasn't it? You caused her accident and kidnapped her!"

James shook his head as the guards grabbed the man. "Clearly delusional. Let's go, Genie."

He took her arm, but she paused, confused by James' sudden appearance, this man's insistence they were different people, and especially by the reference to her accident. "Genie, come on."

"James, what is he talking about? Who is he?"

"Nobody," he said, leading her away. "Let the guards take care of this. We're going home."

"Elizabeth, wait," the stranger called out. Genie looked back and saw him struggling with the guards' hold on him. "Let go of me," he demanded. "A.J., Elizabeth!"

When they got out of the museum Genie wrenched her arm out of her brother's grasp. "I'm not going any further 'til you tell me what's going on. You two are lying to me and I want to know why."

Jason walked out of the museum, his insides feeling hollow. It had taken a while to straighten out the situation with the museum security guards. They really couldn't hold him, it was clearly a nuisance stop, and he was having a hard time explaining himself because he was trying to figure out how Elizabeth was not only alive, but was with A.J. and Skye. Finally he managed to get out of there and head to his hotel. He needed quiet to be able to think, to process what was going on.

He nearly hadn't gone to the museum today. He couldn't see paintings; and he didn't see the point in torturing himself very often by not being able to, or by wishing Elizabeth were there to see it with him. But this museum had more of an antiquities focus, and he liked taking in the history and artifacts of an area.

Being in the museum had played with his mind. He kept looking for Elizabeth to discuss a display with, and then he'd catch himself and remember. So when he saw a petite brunette, he told himself it was only his mind playing tricks on him. He was just missing Elizabeth more than normal, so of course he would think he was seeing her. He hadn't had a day like this in a while, but he couldn't hide from them. He had to keep going, and eventually these days would fade.

Then, he saw Skye. Skye was standing next to the woman who looked like Elizabeth. It was odd, but he told himself it was nothing. Elizabeth was dead. She'd never known Skye while she was alive. He was just surprised to see someone familiar and was trying to find something to believe in. It wasn't real.

But he kept watching Skye and her companion, and when he saw the woman's face he began to realize it wasn't an illusion. A person couldn't look that similar. So he followed after Skye, determined to find out what was going on. Elizabeth was alive, and with Alan's daughter and Jax's ex-wife. Had Elizabeth planned this? Had she faked her death?

Then Skye saw him - he knew she did - and suddenly grabbed Elizabeth and started running away. He gave chase and almost wished he hadn't. She didn't know him. Elizabeth wasn't avoiding him because she was mad at him; she thought he was a complete stranger. She clung to Skye, and then A.J. when he showed up, and she shied away from the man who was angry with her brother and sister.

Picking up the phone he punched in a familiar number, though it was one he hadn't called in a while.

"Yeah?"

"Johnny, it's me."

"Jason?" he asked in surprised. There was a shuffling in the background, and Johnny cleared his throat. "What's going on?"

"You okay?" he asked, realizing Johnny sounded tired and congested.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was working last night. Why'd you call?"

"She's alive," he breathed out. "Elizabeth is alive."

"What?" Johnny croaked out in disbelief.

"I saw her in Greece. She was with Skye, and then A.J. showed up. The museum security took me for questioning. They showed up with A.J. and by the time they let me go I knew I wouldn't be able to find her or the others. I need your help.

"Of course," the other man immediately agreed. "What do you need?"

"Where's A.J.? What's he been up to, especially around the time of Elizabeth's accident? And how did he end up with Elizabeth?"

Part V

Yeah I might feel defeated, and I might hang my head
I might be barely breathing, but I'm not dead

Jason sat on the airplane, impatient at the way time seemed to be crawling by. The time he'd spent in his hotel waiting for Johnny to get back to him, had been nothing compared to this. When Johnny finally called, he'd all but pounced on the phone, desperate for what information the other man had found.

A.J.'s accounts had been quite easy to access. His accounting practices were minor league, compared to the accounts Johnny was used to cracking and it had taken the other man hardly any time to get the information. A.J. had been in Europe for several weeks before Elizabeth disappeared, but around the time of her accident, he bought a villa in Switzerland. Right near the town where the doctor who treated Brenda on Alcazar's orders ran a clinic. In fact, the doctor had been out to the villa, and A.J. was making sizeable donations to the medical practice.

It appeared A.J. had had her the whole time. Whether he had caused the accident or merely used it to his advantage, Jason didn't know. But he had her, and arranged for everyone to think she was dead. It was just one of the reasons he was going to hurt A.J. severely.

He certainly didn't claim A.J. as his brother, and he could only imagine what excuses the other man would give for his behavior. It would probably be about Michael, and how Jason had stolen him or some other such reasoning. There would always be something to justify his behavior, and it would always be Jason's fault. But nothing would ever excuse A.J. injuring and kidnapping an innocent woman; a friend of their sister. A.J. wasn't going to get away with this.

Johnny said he'd meet him in Switzerland, but Jason wasn't going to wait. A.J. had seen him, he had to be panicked, and he would want to run again. Jason just hoped he wasn't already gone. Now that he knew for certain Elizabeth was alive, he wasn't going to ever give up until he found her.

Genie - or was she Elizabeth? - sat on the sofa and regarded the two people across from her. Against her will, James had taken her straight from the museum and boarded her on a plane. He'd already had someone pack up her belongings and check her out of the hotel. Toni - or Skye - had been yelling at him the entire time, and he had been yelling right back.

They had returned to the villa because James, she shook her head, his name was A.J., needed to get some documents. He didn't trust anyone else to get them. Skye refused to allow the two of them to be kept on the airplane, screaming and pounding on the window and making the ground crew nervous. Now that they were at the villa, she refused to allow any of them to leave.

The three of them had spent the night and the morning regarding each other with varying degrees of anger and weariness. There was certainly no trust. Skye had been quite forthcoming on information, and Elizabeth hadn't really known what to make of it.

She wasn't Immogene Morgan Chandler; she was really Elizabeth Immogene Webber. James was in fact A.J. Quartermaine and Toni was Skye Chandler Quartermaine. She'd been held hostage by a crazy brother and sister. Well, Skye seemed remorseful for what had happened; A.J. just sulked.

Her accident hadn't occurred in Italy, but Southern France. A.J. had been traveling by himself and had seen her. Mad at his brother, Jason Morgan - the man at the museum - for getting involved with his wife and her divorcing him, he'd watched Elizabeth. Elizabeth had been very close to Jason until recently, and A.J. wanted to hurt him. But he swore he didn't cause her accident. She really didn't know that she believed him on that; it seemed way too convenient.

Sometime during the night as they continued to argue, Skye had hit A.J. over the head and tied him up. Elizabeth looked on in horror, but the red head said she wasn't going to allow him to leave. Jason would be searching for Elizabeth, and Skye wasn't going to run.

"Elizabeth?" Skye asked quietly.

"Just let me go," she pleaded. "I won't go to the cops, I won't say anything. I promise."

"Elizabeth," Skye moved to the chair closer to her. "I was wrong, okay? But I won't hurt you. Jason...he's been looking for you. And I know he'll show up here eventually."

"So we sit with A.J. tied up and wait for someone I don't even know to show up? Are you crazy? No, I know you are, because you pretended to be my sister. You pretended to care and all the while you knew. You knew A.J. was holding me here, you knew I had a family. So why should I wait here?"

"I understand you're frightened," the older woman said. "But Jason is someone you once knew, and I think you should talk to him. You don't have to stay here after that, and you don't have to go anywhere with Jason, but I think you should talk to him."

"Maybe," Elizabeth said and stood, turning her back on the room and walking to the window. Ever since they left the museum, she had been thinking about the man who stopped her and Skye. Jason had looked surprised, like he couldn't catch his breath. But it was his eyes. His eyes haunted her, seemed so familiar to her, but she didn't remember him. Maybe she knew him, but A.J. claimed Jason had an affair with his wife. How could she know someone like that? The thought of this man having an affair with someone's wife made her feel sick. And why, if he was involved with someone else, would he come looking for her?

Nothing made sense to her. And she didn't think it was just because she couldn't remember her past. Something just didn't match up with what Skye was telling her about Jason.

"I...I can't do this right now," she said. "I'm tired and I...I just want to sleep."

Turning, she left the room, not knowing what to do. She couldn't trust the two people who'd been there when she woke up not knowing anything. Everything they told her, the safety she felt with them, it had all been lies. She wanted to run, but she felt even more scared about leaving than she did about staying here. That's when she knew she needed to sleep. She needed to have as clear a head as possible before she made a definitive decision.

"Let me go."

Skye looked at A.J. and narrowed her eyes. "No. Look, you did all of this to get back at Jason, why do you want to run away now that he's found out you have Elizabeth?"

"Because our dear brother is a killer. And I rather like living."

Skye did pause on that. Despite all the screw-ups A.J. had done, he was still her brother and she loved him. She didn't want him to die, but she had done enough to hurt Elizabeth and Jason already, she wasn't doing it anymore. She would ask Jason not to kill A.J., but she wouldn't hold out much hope that he'd show mercy.

"A.J., I've helped you, and I love you. I won't let you go. Maybe this is for the best. Maybe you need to face up to what you've done instead of someone covering it up or making excuses."

"So you're going to feed me to the wolves?" he yelled. "You're just trying to save your own neck by offering up mine. You truly are a Quartermaine. You'll turn on anybody if you think you'll profit. Get away from me, you traitor. You're nothing to me."

"A.J., please," she tried to reason with him. "That's not what-"

Loud pounding on the front door interrupted her and she turned her heart rate racing as she realized this was it. Jason had found them. Ignoring A.J.'s renewed pleas for her to help him, to not answer the door; she walked down the hall to the foyer and opened the heavy wooden door.

Jason was standing there, looking tired, haunted and haggard. He was thinner than she remembered from Port Charles, and he looked like he hadn't slept since yesterday.

"Where is she?" Jason demanded.

"Come in," she said hesitantly. "Will you let me explain?"

"You're a part of this, why should I do anything for you?"

"Because I can give you some answers, and some insight into what Elizabeth is thinking right now."

He paused and nodded his head slightly. Taking a deep breath she cleared her throat. "He called and said he needed my help. When I showed up I didn't know what was going on, and then I saw Elizabeth. I tried to help her, I tried to convince A.J. to stop this and let her go."

His eyes thinned and a muscle in his jaw ticked, and she wisely sped up her explanation. "Finally, I helped her travel and wouldn't tell A.J. where she was. I was trying to help her."

"Why didn't you call me? Call somebody? Surely you knew we thought she was dead."

"Yeah, I..."

"Look you say you helped her. Whatever. You still hurt her and those who love her. I'll deal with you and A.J. later. Right now, I want to see Elizabeth."

"Upstairs, the wing on the left. She's scared, Jason. She doesn't know you, doesn't remember anything from before the accident. What happened in the museum unsettled her and I told her the truth when we got back here. Tread lightly," she tried to caution him.

He just waved his hand at her and headed for the stairs. She watched him go and then turned back for the living room. A.J. looked at her questioningly. "He's here? Come on, let me out of here."

"No," she said as she sat down and eyed the mini bar across the room. "Don't worry though; I may just be buried beside you."

Jason approached the wing where Skye said Elizabeth was, his footsteps slowing slightly. When he saw her at the museum he was so surprised to see she was alive, he never thought about what to say to her after reaching her. Now that he knew what had happened to her and that she didn't remember anything, he wasn't sure how to approach her. He didn't want to scare her, and he didn't want to crowd her, but he needed to see her.

Stopping outside a door that seemed a likely candidate, he raised his hand and knocked. Only silence greeted him, so he knocked again. "E-Elizabeth?"

"Over here." Her voice was behind him, and he spun around.

She was alive. He wasn't going to stop marveling over that fact anytime soon. Her hair was longer than it had been the last time he'd seen her in Port Charles, but she was still as beautiful. Even more so because he had missed her so much and thought he would never see her again. He wanted to keep this moment in time, even though he knew it was impossible.

"You-you're alive," he said, his chest tightening and his throat feeling rough.

His shoulders shook and he fought to hold onto his emotions, but in the end it was a losing battle. His vision blurred as he refused to take his eyes off her. "I'm sorry...I don't mean to scare you. I...I'm just so glad you're alive."

She took a hesitant step towards him, and then paused as she twisted her fingers together nervously. "I'm...I don't know who you are... "

Part VI

'Cause tomorrow's another day, and I am not afraid
So bring on the rain

Skye sat in the library looking out over the manicured lawns and sighed. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jason's friend who had arrived shortly after her wayward brother, but the man stood like a sentinel in the doorway of the room. Jason had spent some time with Elizabeth after he arrived, but not as much time as she would have imagined. When she asked the younger woman about it later, Elizabeth said she'd been nervous and he left saying he didn't want to push her.

Once Johnny arrived, Jason took A.J. and the two men disappeared. She had a feeling Johnny was here to watch over here and make sure she didn't do the same. Elizabeth spent most of her time upstairs and Skye spent most of her time wishing A.J. hadn't smashed all the liquor in the house. She had only her imagination to keep her company, and it was coming up with some rather gruesome demises for A.J. and herself.

She caught movement near Johnny and she looked over, wondering if it was Elizabeth because the man never moved unless someone else was moving. She was surprised to see instead that it was Jason, and it unnerved her how quietly he'd come into the house. But most of all, she noticed A.J. was not with him.

He walked into the room as Johnny left his post at the doorway. She watched him with unabashed fear as he pulled a chair over and sat down in front of her. He was stoic, he was silent, and she was in fear for her life.

"I don't know what to do with you," he admitted, surprising her. "You helped Elizabeth, she told me that. But you also helped A.J. You could have called me, you could have called anybody to let them know the truth, but you didn't. I will never forgive you for your part in keeping her away from the people who love her."

Crying at Jason's calm, yet furious, words, she nodded at her crimes. "I'm sorry. I-I should have called you."

"You should have." He took a deep breath and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "But I can't ignore that you helped her get away from him. You didn't have to, but you did."

"He's crazy, Jason," she spoke. "I really think he came unhinged; I saw it more and more I had to get her away from him. He wanted you to pay for Michael and for Courtney."

Sighing heavily he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know. He told me."

Skye swallowed hard and mustered up her courage. "I'm not... Look, is he dead? I just want to know so I can figure out what to tell Grandmother and our father."

"He's not dead," he said, again surprising her. She expected him not to answer, or to answer affirmatively. "I...I couldn't do that to Lila. But I can't let what he did...he can't get away with it. You can look for him, but you'll never find him."

She arched a brow. "That's it?"

He stood up and looked away. "You think he's crazy? Check mental institutions...but you'll never find him."

Johnny came back into the room and she noticed he was holding her suitcases. "What happens to me now?"

"Now?" Jason said, his voice once again calm and even. "Now you leave. If I ever see you again you will find yourself in a room next to A.J. Am I clear?"

"Yes," she said softly. She had no doubt that he would follow through. "Can I say good-bye to Elizabeth?"

"No," he shook his head. "Johnny will take you to the airport and put you on the first flight. You will never see her again."

Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the room. She had just been dismissed.

Jason climbed the stairs after leaving Skye and turned for Elizabeth's room. When he first arrived several days ago, Elizabeth had been nervous and anxious in their first meeting and he hadn't stayed long. He knew this whole thing was unsettling for her, and he couldn't be the person who added to it.

So he left to do what he did best. He eliminated a problem. He listened to all of A.J.'s excuses; how it was always Jason's fault he lost anything good in his life. He wanted Jason to pay, and that's why he'd taken Elizabeth when the opportunity presented itself.

He wanted to kill A.J., wipe him off the face of the earth, but he couldn't. He knew it would hurt Lila and Emily enough for them to hear what A.J. had done; he couldn't hurt them further by being the one who killed the person they loved. But he exacted revenge, making him a prisoner like he'd done to Elizabeth. A.J. would never be able to hurt anyone again.

He hoped that after some time, both he and Elizabeth would be calmer for their next meeting. He had so many things he wanted to say to her, but she didn't remember him and he didn't want to force his way into her life. He knew it would take a great deal of restraint to do what was best for her and not what he wanted.

Raising his hand, Jason knocked on her door. "Elizabeth?"

After a minute she opened the door and regarded him cautiously. "You...you're back."

He nodded. "Can I come in?"

She stepped aside and let him into her room. "Do...do I want to know what happened to A.J.?"

Knowing she didn't know about their past didn't lessen the sting of the words and the fear in her posture and voice. "He's alive. But he will never be able to hurt you again," he finally answered.

She bit her lip in thought and tucked her hair behind her ear. "And Skye?"

"I let her go. She...she helped him, but she also helped you." He knew she would probably want Skye alive.

"Thank you," she told him softly. "I know what they did to me, but she...she didn't agree with him. I believe her help was genuine because she cared."

She sat down in one of the plush chairs and he accepted her silent invitation to sit as well. His shoulders and neck felt tense and he took a deep breath in the hopes of releasing it. "How are you doing?"

"I'm confused," she told him. "I've been trying to come to terms with the fact that I'm not who I thought I was. Supposedly I'm Elizabeth Webber, but she's as much of a mystery as Imogene Chandler was when I woke up."

"I understand," he told her. "I had an accident several years ago and woke up not being able to remember who I was before. People pushed me to remember him, to remember them, and I won't do that to you."

"Can I ask you a question?" she said after a moment's silence. "Why did A.J. take me?"

Jason rubbed his hand over his mouth as he let out a breath. "A.J. is my brother, but we haven't been close since my accident. He blames me for things that happened to him."

"He-he said you stole his wife and were having an affair with her."

He swallowed at the sour taste those words created in his mouth, especially to have her say them. "It's a little more complicated than that, but I was involved with her."

"I see," she said, looking away and rubbing her hands over her arms. "That doesn't explain why he took me."

"We...you and I were friends. And we were once closer," Jason said softly. "He wanted to take away someone I loved like I had done to him."

"Someone you loved?" she whispered, turning her head back to look at him. "We were in love? Then...then why did you sleep with his wife?"

"I was hurting after you left me. He wanted to...make the pain even worse, and it worked. He blamed me for Courtney and Michael, and I'm sorry you got injured in his plan."

She sat there quietly, her eyes closed and her head resting on her hand. He knew this was confusing and a lot to take in. Her forehead crinkled in thought and wondered if she was trying to remember so he was caught a bit off guard when she asked, "Who's Michael?"

"Mi-Michael?"

"You said he was mad at you about Michael. Who's Michael?"

"Michael is my friend's son. A.J. is his biological father. I...I helped raise him for a year."

"And then you gave him up. And you were sitting in a park...and we talked. Right?" she asked, her head cocked quizzically to the side.

"You...do you remember that?"

"Kinda," she mused. "It's...it's not concrete...it's more like a feeling. I have...they're not really memories, just vague feelings about things. Like I absolutely hated when A.J. would tell me I couldn't travel because it was too dangerous. Something about that word just made me want to scream. Like I'd heard it too many times and it was all a lie."

Again, he knew she didn't know she was talking about him or them, but her anger directed towards the person who had said that word to her hurt. It almost overshadowed the fact that she remembered something about him and Michael. He wondered what the extent of her injuries really was, if it was amnesia or brain damage, and if he should try to get her seen by a doctor.

"Jason?"

He blinked and looked at her, startled out of his thoughts by the sound of her voice. "Yes?"

"What...what happens to me now?"

"Well," he said, reminding himself not to push, "that depends on you."

"Up to me?"

"Well," he said, "you have friends and family back in Port Charles. You can go back there if you want."

Port Charles. She'd heard that name before from A.J. and Skye once they came back here, and each time she heard it, it made her feel sick to her stomach. She understood she had family there, but she didn't want to go back. Not right now.

"Elizabeth?" Jason asked quietly.

"I-I don't want to go to Port Charles. I...I left there for a reason...I don't want to go back."

"Okay," he said calmly in contrast to her feeling of panic. "Then do you want to stay here?"

She shook her head. "No. No, I definitely want to get as far away from here as I can and never come back."

"I can understand that," was all he said about her statements. "Listen, I...I took some money from A.J. and put it into an account for you. I figure you deserve it for all he did to you. You can buy a house."

"Or keep traveling, right?"

"You were traveling?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yeah. The only thing I ever wanted to do after I woke up was to travel. I wanted to see places. Toni," she shook her head, "Skye helped me with money, told me travel tips...I saw some different places. England, Ireland...and obviously Greece."

Pausing, she looked at him as he smiled and silently laughed. "What?"

"Your whole face lights up when you talk about it. It...I just like seeing you look that way."

She blushed and bit her lip as she looked down at her lap. "Something just tells me I've always wanted to travel."

"You have," he confirmed, causing her to glance up at him. "You used to talk about it."

"To you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. You used to ask me about places I'd traveled to, tell me about places you wanted to go."

"Did we talk about the Mediterranean?"

He seemed surprised by the mention. "Why do you ask that?"

"After I woke up and thought about traveling, I knew I didn't want to go to Italy." Jason flinched slightly, but didn't interrupt her. "That's where they told me my accident happened and I didn't want to go back there...I was reluctant to even think about it. But I used to think about the Mediterranean...about a yacht...and blue eyes full of so much emotion that they would make me shiver."

She looked up at him, his blue eyes - the same blue eyes she remembered - soft and shimmering with tears. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Part VII

No, I'm not gonna let it get me down, and I'm not gonna cry
And I'm not gonna lose any sleep tonight

"You're absolutely certain, Jason?"

"Yes, Emily," he repeated, answering her question once again. He could understand her need for confirmation. When he first found out Elizabeth was alive, he couldn't believe it either. He was certain he'd blink and find out it was all an illusion. "She's alive, but she doesn't remember who she is."

"What about a doctor?"

"I brought her to London," he told her. Elizabeth had told him and the English doctors about the doctor in Switzerland A.J. had brought in to treat her, and Jason sent Johnny to get her records and the doctor. On the way back to Switzerland from London, the plane mysteriously dropped off the radar, and the corrupt doctor had disappeared.

The specialists in London told them that the drugs she was given had worked against her neurological pathways. Even if she could have recovered her memory from before, though they weren't certain because of the trauma, it might not be possible at all now because of the drugs. They could try to see if it was reversible with a combination of drugs, but Elizabeth had decided against it. She said it would come or it wouldn't, but she didn't want to take more drugs.

Unsure of what to say to Emily about A.J., he also knew he couldn't lie to her. "The drugs she was given may not make it possible for her to ever remember."

"I can't believe A.J. did this," his sister sighed. "I never thought he was capable of such a thing."

"I'm sorry, Emily." He knew she loved A.J. without regard just as she did him, and so he was sorry she had to realize her brother wasn't who she thought he was.

"I know, Jason. It's just going to take a while. Thank you for letting me know she's alive. Maybe some day she'll feel comfortable talking to me."

"Maybe. But it could be a while. She's barely comfortable with me." The words came out before he even knew it and he didn't want to sound bitter to his sister. "I should go, Emily. I'll call you again later."

"Okay, Jason." She paused and then her was voice was soft as she said, "I'm just happy she's alive."

"Me too," he said, his throat feeling thick. "Bye, Em."

Then he hung up and sat there for a minute to calm himself before he headed out into the main room of the suite he'd rented when they arrived in London. Elizabeth was sitting on a chaise lounge looking at some photo albums and books Johnny had sent them. When the guard returned to Port Charles he took a letter Jason had written to Elizabeth's grandmother. When she called Jason later, he tried to explain to her what happened and apologize for the incident his so-called family had caused.

The nurse was so thrilled her granddaughter was alive that she didn't even yell at him like he expected her to. Mrs. Hardy was saddened that Elizabeth didn't remember anything, but she sent some pictures after speaking with Elizabeth's doctors. The older woman and the doctors felt it couldn't hurt for her to look at them, but he sometimes felt Elizabeth shouldn't torture herself hoping to remember. But he stayed silent because he knew she needed to deal with this in her own way.

She looked up when he walked into the room and peered questioningly at him. "How come there aren't any pictures of us?"

When he said nothing because he was surprised yet again by the questions she asked him, she rambled on quickly. "You've told me a bit about us, that we were friends, that we were more...before it ended badly. If we were almost dating, if we were friends for so many years...how come there aren't any pictures of us together?"

"I'm not really a person who takes pictures or likes having mine taken...and...so much of our time together was just the two of us." A memory of sitting with her in her studio going through scrapbooks she'd put together for Lucky floated to the surface. "You once told me we didn't need pictures because we knew how it felt. I...I guess that's not a consolation now. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "No. No, I guess you don't strike me as a guy who sits to have his picture taken."

He smiled. "Not really."

"I guess...I guess what I really don't understand," she paused and shifted on her seat, brushing her hair off her forehead as she looked away. "I guess I don't understand why you would come looking for me, or why you left Port Charles if we ended the way we did."

He leaned forward, locking his fingers together and resting his chin on them. He knew this question would come, she'd skirted it, but now she asked him directly. He refused to lie to her; he just didn't want to frighten her with the honesty of his emotions for her.

"It's true that in the end we fought," he said, the pain of that time still fresh like a bleeding wound, "that...that I was seeing Courtney. But when I heard you were dead, when I got your letter, something inside me broke. I realized...I realized that I loved you. Even though I thought it was too late because you were dead...I couldn't stay in my life. I couldn't keep living as I had been anymore. I left to go to Italy to say good-bye. When the story I was told didn't match up with the facts I'd first been given I searched for you. I...a part of me wanted so desperately for you to be alive, for it not to be too late. But most of all, I had to know what happened so that I could find peace in your death."

She was crying when he looked up from the spot on the carpet he'd been focusing on. "I'm sorry," he whispered as more tears streaked down her face.

"No," Elizabeth shook her head. "I...I asked the question and you were honest."

"But...but you don't remember me, and I shouldn't have said all that."

"I don't," she admitted. "And I just...I don't know what you want from me."

"Nothing," he immediately said. "I don't want you to feel like I'm demanding anything from you. People pushed me when I woke up from my accident, they claimed it was because they loved me, but I just wanted them all to leave me alone. I won't do that to you. If you're uncomfortable, I'll go. I'll walk away forever."

"Walk away and never look back?"

He slowly turned his head. "What?"

"You said you'd walk away from me before if that's what I wanted." She shook her head as if the memory was floating away. "It was a park, it..." she sighed and her shoulders dropped. "That's all. But you said that to me before...and you were sad."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "We were in a park. You were...in an unhappy relationship, I offered to help you get away."

"I didn't go."

"No," he shook his head, hoping he masked his sadness and disappointment.

"I hurt you that day. I feel like I'm always hurting you."

"No, no. Yes, we may have hurt each other, but that's a part of life, Elizabeth. I left Port Charles to forget about the bad and remember the good. We had a lot of fun times together, things that mean something to me. Those are the important things, the things I want to remember."

She kept shaking her head. "Why? Why don't you find someone who won't keep hurting you?"

"Because I tried to make a life without you," he said, meeting her wandering gaze and refusing to look away. "And I did, but I didn't like it. I want you in my life, but you have to want it too."

Two days later, Elizabeth was sitting in the main room of the suite sipping her mint hot chocolate and nibbling on her second croissant. She heard Jason's door open and felt when he saw her and paused. Looking up, she smiled at him brightly. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he said in return, looking a bit uneasy.

"I ordered some coffee for you," she tipped her head towards the room service cart. "I noticed you don't really eat breakfast."

"Thank you," he replied as he poured some coffee and picked up the paper.

"You can go ahead and say it."

"Say what?"

"You're wondering what I'm doing up so early."

He shrugged and grinned just a bit. "A little. But I also knew you'd tell me."

He could be so stoic and realistic sometimes that trying to have a conversation with him was hard. Deciding he wasn't going to play along, she determined to just tell him. "I got up early because I didn't want to waste the day. I've made a decision."

"A decision?" he asked as he set his coffee down. She wondered if she was just imagining the hint of trepidation in his voice.

"I don't have to stay here because the doctor said he couldn't really help me, right?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

"Don't be," she shook her head, wanting to ward off another apology from him about something his estranged brother did to her. "I've decided that I'm not going to sit around waiting to see if my memory comes back. Just because I now know I'm Elizabeth and not Genie doesn't mean I've given up wanting to travel. I wanted to know if we could leave London today?"

"We?" Surprise was clear on his face and in his voice.

"Do you remember when you said you left Port Charles so you could remember to be happy?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"I just...I feel like I left for the same reasons. When I think of Port Charles I feel like my stomach is in knots. I feel miserable and unhappy and I don't want to go back to a place like that. You've been very kind to me and you haven't pushed."

She knew he loved her, even if she didn't remember him. He said he'd walk away if that's what she wanted and she completely believed him. But she didn't want him to go. She didn't know him beyond vague feelings and recollections, and Elizabeth didn't know if her feelings would ever go beyond what she felt right now. But right now, she liked Jason and the way she felt around him.

"I feel safe with you," she admitted to him. "I never knew why I didn't feel completely comfortable with Skye or A.J. They said they loved me and cared, but there were times I could remember fights with people who said they loved me because they were my family, and I remembered not feeling like I fit in as a child. I didn't know why they would say we got along so great, when I didn't feel that way. It never felt right with them, although I did get to know Skye better. But you...I feel connected to you."

Jason relaxed just slightly in his seat and she felt happy that she was able to make him look more comfortable. She smiled as she continued. "So when I thought about going back and traveling more, I thought maybe...that it might be nice to go with you."

"With me?"

He said nothing more and her smile fell. He didn't want to. And who could blame him when she didn't remember him? So what if she felt comfortable with him? He was in love with her and she didn't know him, and didn't feel the same way.

"You don't want to," she said, standing up and putting her plate on the table. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...I'm not being fair to you. I have no idea if I'll ever remember who I am or what we were to each other, so why should I expect you to stick around just because I asked you?"

Embarrassed and wanting to get out of the room so that she could figure out how to get away from London and Jason, she turned for her bedroom and jumped when she felt his hand on her arm. She'd never even heard him move from his chair.

"Elizabeth?"

"I'm sorry," she shook her head. "I'll be out of your hair in just a minute."

"Hey, stop. Just calm down, okay?" he said, his voice stern yet gentle, and the calmness cut through to her and made her cease her babbling and frantic efforts to leave. "You're not in my hair. And I don't care if you never remember. You just...it surprised me that you would invite me to join you...that you want me to come along."

"I'd like to think of you as a friend," she bit her lip, "but I know that's not-"

"No," he interrupted. "I'm your friend. I'll always be your friend. And if you want to travel, then I'd love to come."

She grinned and peered up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. Anywhere you want to go."

She shrugged, still just happy that he actually agreed to join her. "I went to see a lot of places. What's your favorite place to see?"

"Italy's a place I really liked."

She took a step back and he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to go to Italy." She didn't know why, she knew that wasn't where her accident happened, but something inside her said she wasn't ready to go there right now. Especially not with Jason. She didn't understand, but she didn't want to ruin the country for him if he enjoyed being there.

He paused and swallowed, but just nodded his head. "Okay. You don't have to go anywhere you don't want to. Do you want to go back to Greece?"

"I want to see some place you like."

Jason took a breath and shifted uncomfortably. "Why do you want to see some place I like?"

"Because I want to get to know you. I want to see what you like. And I can see you don't like making decisions," she laughed, "but I'm sticking to my guns on this. So you choose."

He just shook his head, but eventually laughed and shrugged. "Okay. Hmm...someplace I like. Morocco. I liked Morocco, and I think you will too. If not...we'll go to a different place."

"Morocco?" She rolled the name around in her mind, trying to remember if she'd read anything about it. "Sounds good. Can we pick up a book on it to read while we're on the plane? I'm all packed, so when can we leave?"

She had a feeling he liked her excitement as his eyes danced with silent laughter at the way she practically bounced on her feet. "Give me a little bit to pack and get a flight. As for a book..."

He trailed off as he walked into his bedroom, and then came out a few minutes later holding a book in his hand. "Maybe you'd like to borrow mine."

Part VIII

'Cause tomorrow's another day, and I'm thirsty anyway
So bring on the rain

Elizabeth stood in the sparsely furnished room, gazing out the window over the countryside. The weather was turning colder as fall settled in. The trees were a riot of colors; golds, crimsons and rusts dotted the countryside and the air had a definite chill to it when she and Jason ventured out. Everything was just so beautiful, and just like every place they'd traveled to, she absolutely loved it.

From Morocco to Egypt and too many places in Europe she'd nearly lost count, she and Jason had seen so much. They even went to Uzbekistan because for some reason she wanted to keep reading about it and then insisted she needed to see it. He told her about a globe at Christmas and a game they'd played, and then he stared in amazement before laughing when she showed him the beach ball globe she had bought.

At times she was conflicted around Jason. There were moments when she felt so at ease, so comfortable with him that it was easy to forget she didn't remember him. Other times a heavy weight of dread and remorse would settle on her and she felt she would drown. They both would be temporarily choked by emotions and feelings she didn't understand or remember and she'd wonder why they were doing this to themselves. But when the good times outnumbered the bad, she gave up thoughts of leaving.

As she got to know him, she genuinely came to like him. He wasn't just the guy who rescued her from A.J. and Skye, nor was he the stranger from her past watching her every move hoping she'd remember him. He was her friend. She realized that regardless of everything else, she liked Jason Morgan. Not because of some mysterious connection she may never remember, but because of how she felt around him in the here and now. The way he treated her, how he seemed to understand her confusion, and at times hesitancy, made her truly believe his earlier promises that he would never push her.

She knew he loved her, but he hadn't said it since their first days together. He never tried to take her hand, although he was always a gentleman - opening up doors and sometimes gently guiding her by her elbow as they navigated their way through a crowded street. His face would always register surprise when she would grab his hand to show him a ruin, or a find in a store. She felt like she was giving him a rare and precious gift if she touched him and didn't immediately let go.

Sighing, she leaned against the wall and traced the outline of a distant tree on the cool glass of the window. If only her other relationships were as easy to sort out as Jason. She had remembered feelings and fleeting memories about some of the people in the pictures her grandmother had sent over; some memories she liked and others she was glad she'd forgotten. Jason told her she didn't have to talk to anybody she didn't want to, and after a couple of conversations with many of the people who claimed to care about her, there were only a few she wanted to keep in contact with.

Some of the people were kind, let her focus their talks to her comfort level, and other pushed under what they said was only good intentions. All she knew was that every time she spoke with someone back in Port Charles and they would ask if she planned to come back home, she would be filled with dread and her stomach would twist in knots. She didn't ever want to go back. That's when she realized she didn't just leave the tiny New York town because of what happened with Jason, it was a culmination of events and emotions.

She had a feeling Jason expected her to decide one day she was tired of him and walk away. Elizabeth knew though that wouldn't be happening any time soon. She first thought she stayed with him because she felt safe, that after having her known world turned upside down she clung to something that made her feel better. It was a relief to realize that wasn't the case. She stayed with Jason because she wanted to, not because she felt she couldn't do anything else.

Now, she needed to convince Jason of that. He needed to know that while she may never remember her past with him, she did want a future with him. Hearing his footsteps echo down the hall of the spartan boarding house they were staying in, she crossed the room and pulled open her door. "Jason."

He stopped and looked up from his door he'd been about to unlock. "Yeah?"

Smiling, she stepped back from the doorway. "I was wondering if we could talk?"

"Sure" he answered, his brow furrowing. "Is everything okay?"

"It's fine," she quickly assured him as she closed the door. "I just wanted to talk. Didn't mean to worry you."

"Oh, okay," he said as he sat down in one of the straight back chairs.

She sat down in the other one, situating her feet beneath her. "How's your grandmother?"

"She's fine," he said, relaxing slightly. He couldn't get reception on his phone from inside the building, and had gone for a walk earlier.

"I'm glad," she smiled. She had heard from both Jason and his sister about their grandmother and she knew that Jason cared for her. Therefore she was glad the older woman was doing well. "Jason, do you want to go back to Port Charles?"

He blinked and leaned back in his chair. "Go back to Port Charles?"

"Your grandmother is there, do you wish you could visit her?"

Jason sat there for a minute, Elizabeth's words rolling around in his brain. He didn't understand why she was talking about Port Charles and if he wanted to go back. He knew she said she didn't want to return, but he certainly didn't have any real desire to go there either. "I-I love my grandmother, and I do miss her when I'm gone. But I don't have to live there to see her."

He let out a slow breath and looked down at the floor as he linked his fingers together. "Elizabeth, do you want me to go back to Port Charles? Or just leave altogether?"

"No," she burst out immediately. "Jason, no, I'm not asking you to leave. I don't want you to. Leave if you want to, but don't think I'm asking it of you."

His shoulders relaxed then, and he slowly peered up at her. "I-I don't understand then."

She shifted on her seat, unfolding a leg out from underneath her and wrapping her arms around the raised knee. "I don't really know either," she confessed softly. "My grandmother asked me again yesterday if I thought about coming home. I think I hurt her feelings when I said Port Charles isn't my home. That just made me think about you...it is your home."

Jason shook his head. "My family may live there, but I don't care if I do. I can make my home anywhere."

Elizabeth sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked over at the wall. He tipped his head to the side as he watched her and then ventured a guess. "Elizabeth, do you want some place more permanent to live? A place you can call home?"

Her eyes were deep blue and shimmered with truth as she nodded. "I love traveling and I don't care if the hotels are five stars or one, as long as I don't have to worry about roaches crawling on me while I'm asleep."

He laughed along with her, "But sometimes you'd rather not live out of a suitcase. You know, you could have said something."

"I really didn't know I wanted it until I voiced it," she admitted sheepishly as she bit her lip.

He nodded slowly, "I can understand that. So do you want to buy a house? Some place for you to stay?"

She froze as she was lowering her legs to the floor and blinked. "What...what about you?"

"Me?"

"What will you do?" She twisted her fingers together nervously and took a breath. "If I get a house, what will you do? Keep traveling? Keep living out of a suitcase?"

Leave me? The thought wasn't voiced, but he could hear it just the same. "I...I don't know," he hesitated. "Maybe we could get a place big enough for both of us."

She blushed bright red and he couldn't fight the smile that tugged at his lips at the pure innocence of it. "Live together? Are...are you sure?"

Suddenly he was afraid he'd pushed her. That she would think he wanted something more from her than she was ready to give. "Not if it makes you uncomfortable."

"It does," she said softly, her glance darting away from his only to come back. "But not in the way you're thinking.

"I don't understand."

"You don't make me uncomfortable...well, you do, but it's not..." She trailed off and blew out a breath. "I don't think I'm going to explain this very well, but I'll try. I don't feel uncomfortable like you're making me do something I don't want to. It's not because you care for me and I don't feel anything for you...it's...it's that I do."

He swallowed and then took a deep breath. It was really one of the first times she'd said anything about her feelings towards him beyond safety, comfort or friendship. Did she mean she felt more than that, possibly romantic? "I...you do?"

Her nod was so small he nearly missed it. "This is new, and yet I feel an echo of it somewhere inside me. I've gotten to know you; this is beyond just feeling comfortable. I don't want to be away from you. Not because I'm scared to be on my own, but because I can't see myself being with anybody but you. I know what you've told me about our past, about our pain, and I don't care about it. I don't care if I never remember everything, what I know is how I feel now. I know you, I know how cherished and loved you make me feel, and that's what I want to focus on."

She dragged her chair closer to him and then reached out, slipping her small, delicate hand inside his. He marveled at the contrast of texture, size and color, and could feel his heart race just from her simple touch. "Stop holding back. You won't scare me away, even if I maybe seem a little frightened. It's that good kind of scared."

"I know that feeling," he smiled.

"Overall, I really like that feeling," she admitted on a nervous grin. "So is this okay with you?

"Getting a house? Yeah," he nodded, shifting his hand so that it was cradling hers and tracing his fingertips over the back of it. They'd just had a huge shift in their relationship, and it filled him with awe that he could touch her, show her more of his feelings and not worry so much about frightening her.

"And giving us a try? See where this all goes?" Her eyes were deep, filled with hope and also trepidation.

He knew she didn't remember, but he couldn't help but recall the night they sat on his couch and promised to try. She told him he didn't fulfill that promise, and he was later able to admit that he hadn't done all he could have, or should have, to show her he loved her. He now had what he had wanted since the moment he heard she was dead, he had another chance. She may not remember everything, but he didn't care. She wanted to be with him, not because she didn't know anyone else, but because she chose to be.

Tightening his clasp on her hand, he nodded and gave her a warm smile. "I'm definitely okay with seeing where we go. I once told you I'd try, and I didn't. This time nothing will make me break my word."

Elizabeth frowned slightly. "Don't think of this as some way to make up to me something I don't even remember. The past isn't important."

"Okay," he said, willing to let go of some of his guilt over the past for now. "So, let's talk about where you want to live."

"You get a say in this," she pointedly said. "Do not put this all on me. Besides...I haven't seen every place yet."

Jason laughed and shook his head. "I don't think you can see every place in the world, especially if you want to get a house."

Her eyes twinkled as she tipped her head to the side. "Maybe not, but there is one place I want to go. I want to go to Italy."

"You do?" he asked, unmistakably surprised by her announcement. She had seemed so adamant about never going there.

"It doesn't scare me anymore. I know my accident happened in France, I knew that back before we started traveling. Whatever was holding me back...it's gone. I...I borrowed your travel book on it, I hope you don't mind."

"That's okay," he smiled.

"I want to go. I want to see all the sights and places...and I want to see your favorite places, too."

Her smile was so large and enthusiastic he expected her to bounce in her seat at any moment, but she was containing it so far. There were so many places he'd always wanted to show her in Italy, and he knew they could spend months there…maybe even buy their house there. "I would love to go to Italy with you, Elizabeth. I've wanted to go there with you for a long time."

The smile she gave him looked like she had always known that and he licked his lips, telling himself not to spook her by kissing her. She may be willing to venture into a relationship, but it was still all new to her. Elizabeth looked at him, her eyes crinkling slightly as they followed his tongue and he felt his breath catch.

"Jason?" Her voice was filled with question, with hesitancy as if she wanted something, but wasn't sure what.

Maybe he should let go of his fear a little like she'd let go of hers. He brought one hand up to her jaw, his movements slow, giving her plenty of time to pull away. Instead, she leaned into his touch, briefly closing her eyes. He inched forward, and she instinctively mimicked his movements. It was a struggle to keep the kiss light and not overwhelm her. When it ended, he searched her face for any signs of regret and smiled when he found none.

Maybe they really did have hope for the future after all. They both were willing to let go of their fears and look forward together to tomorrow.

The End

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