Have yourself
A merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light

“Mmm…hot chocolate,” Elizabeth moaned, sipping the cocoa her grandmother had handed her. The entire family had bunked up at the lakehouse on Christmas night–Jane and John taking the guest room, Elizabeth and Skye sharing Skye’s bedroom while Jerry and Jax camped out on the couch. They were all dressed in their robes and seated around the couch on Christmas morning.

“I think Jerry should play Santa!” Jane said, clearly delighted by the idea.

“I think you’re nuts,” Jerry replied, sweetly.

“Don’t talk to your mother like that,” John said sternly.

“Yeah, come on, Jerry,” Elizabeth said, bouncing a little in her excitement.

“Well, when my daughter asks,” Jerry said. He shrugged and stood. He headed for the tree and knelt down. He pulled out a random gift–a hot pink wrapped box with a bright white bow. “To Elizabeth from Skye.” Jerry handed her the box and she eagerly ripped into it.

Elizabeth flushed as she lifted the sky blue filmy nightgown out of the box and Skye smirked. “That’s for Jason as well.”

“Skye!” Jerry said, scandalized. “My baby girl is not having sex with that thug!” He glanced at his daughter warily. “Are you?”

Elizabeth laughed. “No, Jerry. I’m not.” She grinned saucily. “Not for lack of trying.”

Jerry covered his ears with hands. “I don’t want to hear this!”

“Hand out another present already,” Skye said, impatiently. Jerry glared at her. “What?”

“Giving a girl lingerie, what are you thinking?” Jerry demanded.

“Ahem, hello, Elizabeth is twenty-one years old, Jerry,” Skye said. “She’s not a girl, she’s a woman.”

Elizabeth started to laugh hysterically. Jerry’s appalled face was just too good for words. “Oh, Jerry, you’re such a nut. I love you.”

From now on our troubles
Will be out of sight

Jerry suddenly grinned. “I love you too, princess.” He went back to the Christmas tree and fished out another present. “To Skye from Jax.” He handed his sister-in-law the small tissue-paper wrapped box.

Skye removed the green tissue paper and popped the box open. She lifted the delicate diamond tennis bracelet out of the box. “Oh, Jax, it’s absolutely gorgeous!” She beamed and leaned over to kiss her husband. She held out her wrist. “Put it on!”

Jerry handed another present to Elizabeth. “Here you go. From Jax.”

Elizabeth ripped the paper off to reveal a book and she started laughing hysterically. “Oh, Jax, you nut.”

Jax grinned. “I thought you might like that.”

“What is it, dear?” Jane asked, leaning over to peer at the title. Elizabeth held up the book. ‘Bad Boys and the Nuts Who Love Them.’

“It’s not a real book,” Jax explained. “Just a little funny thing I had made. Open it.”

Elizabeth frowned and flipped the book cover open–it was a fake book with a hollowed out inside. She lifted a small package wrapped in light purple tissue paper.

“That’s your real present,” Jax continued. Eagerly, Elizabeth pulled the paper open and her jaw dropped.

“Oh. My. God.”

“What? What?” Skye demanded. At the sight of Elizabeth’s gift, her jaw dropped. “Oh my god.”

“What is it?” Jerry demanded, tired of the drama.

“Two tickets to Italy,” Elizabeth said her eyes as big as saucers.

“I ran it by Spawn to make sure he wasn’t doing anything remotely similar,” Jax said, enjoying her reaction.

“How did you know about Italy?” Elizabeth asked.

“Well, remember that conversation we had about Denial Land and how it looked like Italy and that you’d had the chance to go but hadn’t?” Jax asked. “I thought I’d give you another chance.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. “This is so wonderful, Jax.” She leaned over to hug the blonde man.

“Ah, it’s nothing, kid. You deserve it after the last few months,” Jax replied. She pulled away, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

“Does this mean you know what Jason got me?”

Have yourself
A merry little Christmas

Nikolas arrived about an hour and half later. A true gentlemen, he arrived with gifts for everyone–even Jerry. He gave Elizabeth her gift which made her smile. Jax had gotten the plane tickets and Nikolas had reserved a villa for the month of April. The nuts had worked together on this.

“Thanks,” she said, hugging him tightly.

“Not a problem. Where’s the–”

Elizabeth pulled back and poked him. “So help me God if you say thug, I’ll kill you.”

“I was going to say boyfriend,” Nikolas said, trying to sound convincing. Elizabeth laughed and hugged him again.

“Oh, Nik. I love you.”

“Bloody Christmas carols,” Jerry grumbled, switching the CD player to a new song. “They’re all the same.

“Touch that stereo again and you’ll pay,” Skye threatened, smacking his hand away from the collection. “This is a family holiday and normal families listen to carols.”

“Well, we’re the Jacks family,” Jerry argued. “We’re not normal.”

“Damn it, we’re going to be normal today!” Skye declared. “You can go back to being nuts tomorrow!”

“I’m always nuts!” Jerry retorted.

Elizabeth started to giggle, and Nikolas couldn’t help but chuckle himself. Jax joined in, and so did his parents. Before long the entire family was laughing at Jerry.

Make the yuletide gay
From now on our troubles
Will be far away

Jason arrived about ten minutes after Nikolas and without any kind of build up, he handed her a manila envelope. She pulled it open and her heart skipped a beat.

An itinerary. Nikolas and Jax hadn’t worked alone. The three of them had worked out an entire trip to Italy and the Mediterranean it seemed for two months, April and May. Elizabeth looked up from a document. “Is this…is this what I think it is?”

Jason scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah.”

She stared back down at the yacht rental agreement. “You rented a yacht for an entire month.”

Jason shifted. “I remember you said you’d see the Mediterranean if you had a yacht.”

“You, Jax and Nikolas did this together?” she asked, her mouth dry.

“Yeah,” Jason replied. “It was Jax’s idea, though. But the yacht–that was mine.”

She smiled. He sounded proud of himself. She looked back down at the rental agreement. “This…this is…Jason, my present sucks in comparison.”

He gave her a little smile. “I doubt it.”

“No, it really does,” Elizabeth assured him. She pulled him over to the tree and pointed at the large package. “That one.”

Jason kneeled down and unwrapped the brown packing paper. Inside was a familiar canvas. Jason frowned as he looked at it. “The Wind.”

She nodded as he stood back up, the canvas in his hands. “Yeah. I was only keeping it until you had somewhere to hang it–and now you do.” Elizabeth smiled at him. “It’s my way of saying that I know this…” she stopped, trying to think of how to phrase it. “That I trust you–and that I don’t need to keep this for you to come back to, because you’re already here.”

He smiled and looked back down at it. “Thank you.”

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore

“Merry Christmas,” Jax said, coming to their side. “Did Elizabeth like the present?”

“Yes,” Elizabeth said firmly, giving her uncle a kiss on the cheek. “It’s wonderful and it’s the best present I’ve ever gotten.”

“Good, because it wasn’t easy,” Jax said, gesturing towards Jason. “Me, the Cassadine over there and Spawn working together–that might be a once in a life time thing.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I believe that.”

“Elizabeth, darling!” Jane called. “I want to show you something!”

Elizabeth gave Jason another smile before disappearing to her grandmother.

“She really loves it, doesn’t she?” Jax said, sipping his Scotch–Elizabeth had relented, one glass only. He eyed the man standing next to him. “Don’t mess with her this time.”

Jason looked at one of Sonny’s mortal enemies and found himself saying, “I won’t.”

Faithful friends
Who are dear to us

About an hour later, Nikolas left and Jason and Elizabeth headed to Sonny and Carly’s penthouse. Jax was feeling particular cheery (he’d sneaked another glass of Scotch when Elizabeth was looking) and told Elizabeth to wish Lucifer and the succubus a good holiday.

Carly and Sonny had gone all out typically–a professionally decorated twenty-foot Christmas tree with a white light theme. Michael was still ripping open presents–Carly had gone overboard as usual.

Carly was feeling more festive than usual and even managed to laugh when Elizabeth passed on Jax’s greeting. She unceremoniously dumped a package in Elizabeth’s hands and remarked it was from both of them.

Elizabeth eyed Sonny warily–knowing the older man was still trying to assuage his guilt for the Alcazar situation–and removed the white wrapping paper decorated with trees and Santas. A flat jewelry box was inside. She opened the box and darted a look up at Sonny and Carly.

“How did…you?” She looked to Jason. “Oh my god. You all worked together, didn’t you?”

Sonny grinned and removed the silver chain with the glass heart hanging from the end of it from the box. “What can we say?” he said, handing the necklace to Jason. “Why don’t you do the honors?”

Jason slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp. “To replace the one that broke,” he said.

A hand flitted up to her chest where the heart rested just below her collarbone. “Thank you,” she said, to Sonny and Carly. “You have no idea–thank you so much.”

“It’s a lovely color,” Carly said. “Jason promised me a vase when you two got back from Italy.”

“Definitely,” Elizabeth agreed.

Carly glanced from her husband to her best friend to her red-haired son still unwrapping gifts, oblivious to what was going on around him. “I don’t like you–don’t see that changing–”

“Carly,” Jason warned.

“–and God knows Jason’s track record isn’t all that spectacular–”

“Carly,” Sonny cut in.

“You two are so paranoid,” Carly said, rolling her eyes. “I’m trying to tell Liz that she makes him happy and you all think I’m going to jump her. Honestly. Get a grip.”

Elizabeth surprised the blonde by giving her a light hug. “Thank you.”

Carly shrugged and returned the embrace. “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.”

Gather near to us once more

After they finished exchanging presents, Jason pulled her out to the hallway and asked her a question Elizabeth had been waiting months to hear.

“The snow’s not that bad,” he said. “So, the roads are pretty good. You want to take a ride?”

Through the years
We all will be together
If the fates allow

//Jax and Skye are kissing underneath the mistletoe while Jerry pretended to gag. Jane smacked her son in the head and told him for the hundredth time to go call Bobbie. Jerry remarked it was his life and he’d call her when he was damn well good and ready.\\

Hang a shining star
Upon the highest bough
And have yourself
A merry little Christmas now

//Nikolas is back at Wyndemere, on the phone. He called Gia first and told her how much he loved and missed her. Gia reported she’d be coming home in two weeks for a week. He called Lucky and was thrilled to hear that Laura had finally made some progress–she’d recognized him the day before. She was expected to make a fully recovery. Lucky was thinking of coming home for a short visit when Emily returned home in the spring.\\

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends
Who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more

//Carly and Sonny are eating dinner and watching Michael play his dozens of new toys. Sonny remarks that the red heart seemed to go over well and asked again how Carly had managed to extract the idea from Jason. She shrugged, gave him a smile and put another forkful of rosemary chicken in her mouth. After swallowing she told him that one just had to know how to ask the question right. He asked her if she meant what she said to them earlier–about Elizabeth making Jason happy–and Carly confirmed it. She asked if he still felt guilty. Sonny didn’t answer at first–spent a few minutes looking Michael ram his new Tonka truck into a wall. He finally said he felt better–but he’d never stop feeling guilty about treating Jason like another employee. Carly smile and told him that was a good answer.\\

Through the years
We all will be together
If the fates allow

//Elizabeth and Jason are up at Vista Point. She can’t believe that he worked with her family–and Sonny and Carly–to give her the perfect Christmas gift. She’d never dreamed that a little innocent comment about a yacht would result in her receiving (sort of) one for Christmas. Its cold–but neither of them are really paying attention. They’re just too glad they managed to find their way back to each other. And Elizabeth is secretly planning to put Skye’s Christmas gift to some good use during their trip to Italy.\\

Hang a shining star
Upon the highest bough
And have yourself
A merry little Christmas now

← Chapter Fourteen |