Queen of Angels Church

Brenda pressed a handful of white lilies into her step daughter’s hands and smoothed her curly hair. “I’m so glad you didn’t straighten it today. You look so beautiful when it’s like this.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath and glanced through the doors to where Jason was standing at the altar–clad in an ill-fitting tux he’d borrowed from Ric–was speaking with Ric and AJ.

Jason had originally suggested only telling Ric and Brenda so that they could keep Sonny in the dark more efficiently. But Brenda said that if they were going to get married in secret, they had to make it as memorable as possible. She’d enlisted Adela in the secret and gave Ric and Jason a list of things to do before they all met at a tiny little church that she’d already set up.

Brenda called in Carly’s help and the trio of women went to one of the hotels that Carly’s husband owned. AJ had married Carly to join with the Corinthos empire but he really did adore his wife and he was only too happy to donate one of his best suites until the next day.

Between Brenda and Carly, Elizabeth had found herself in a long silk white dress, her makeup done and ready to be married. But when Adela handed her the ring that had belonged to her second husband–the love of her life, she said–to give to Jason as well as Elizabeth’s mother’s wedding ring–she nearly cried.

Three hours after his surprising proposal, she was in a church with her stepmother, step aunt and her grandmother, ready to be married.

And she hadn’t had one second thought about the whole matter.

“Thank you for doing all of this.” she said softly. She clung to the handful of lilies, trying to hide the shaking of her hands. “I promise that I will never tell my father that you were involved.”

“Tell him, mi niete,” Adela instructed. “You tell him that his own mama went against him to make her baby happy.” She stepped forward and kissed her cheek. “Lily would be so proud of you.”

“Okay, we can’t afford for all us to be out of the house much longer, so let’s get this show on the road,” Brenda declared. She opened the doors to the main room of the church, the signal for the organist to begin to play.

As soon as the opening notes sounded, the men fell into place–Ric as Jason’s best man and AJ seated in the front pew, waiting for his pregnant wife.

Brenda and Carly moved down the aisle swiftly in their roles as bridesmaids and one of AJ’s nieces–Brooke Lynn was doubling as both flower girl and ring bearer.

Adela escorted her trembling granddaughter down the aisle and handed her off to Jason. The older woman kissed his cheek and squeezed her hand. “You take care of her, mi hijo,” she ordered.

“Yes, Mama,” Jason dutifully, returning the kiss to the cheek before taking Elizabeth’s hand and stepping before the priest.

As soon as her hand was in his, the trembling stopped and she smiled at him. “I love you,” she whispered.

It was the first time she’d said so and he couldn’t fight the matching smile on his face. “I love you too.”

The priest began the ceremony then and what seemed like only seconds later, he was instructing Jason to kiss his bride.

He did so eagerly, pulling Elizabeth to him in their first real kiss. Trying to keep it appropriate in a room full of their closest relatives, he settled for a quick taste.

And just like that, Jason Morgan–the bastard son that no one had wanted–had married Elizabeth Corinthos, the only daughter of Michael Corinthos.

Quartermaine Hotel: Dining Room

“You know…” Elizabeth sighed over dinner that night, “my father’s going to know something is up if we’re both not at home tonight.”

Jason reached across the table and took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb over the delicate ring he’d put on her finger earlier that day. “We’ll deal with all of that tomorrow,” he promised. “Tonight…it’s ours.”

Elizabeth flushed and looked down at her plate. “Jason…you know that I–that I’ve never–”

“That doesn’t matter to me,” he replied. “None of that maters tonight. I love you. I never dreamed that when I came home–that less than twenty-four hours later , I’d be married to you.”

Her heart caught in her throat, Elizabeth swallowed hard. “Do you–do you have any regrets?” she asked softly.

“No,” Jason said quickly. “No. I just…it’s all happening so fast–that’s all I’m trying to say.”

“Because I have loved you my entire life and I always dreamed about marrying you, so I have no regrets or second thoughts or whatever,” Elizabeth said quickly.

“Elizabeth, I know. It’s okay. Things happen fast, you know, sometimes but you gotta live through them slow. Tomorrow–we have to tell your father about this but tonight…we can pretend that none of that exists. We can just be.”

Elizabeth nodded. “It’s just–I’m worried about telling my father. I used–he used to care about me,” she said softly. “And listen to me–we used to talk. But ever since little Mike was born…” she sat back in her chair, pulling her hand from his grasp. “I’m just another possession to him.”

“I’m sorry, Elizabeth,” Jason told her. “For everything that you’ve gone through since I’ve been gone. I wish–I wish that I’d been more open to the idea of loving you. But you were so young…” he shook his head. “And I was so stupid.”

“Jason…” Elizabeth laughed a little. “I was fifteen years old. A relationship then never could have worked. Maybe you couldn’t imagine loving me then–but looking back…I can’t imagine how I thought it would work.”

“Still…I hurt you,” Jason said. “And that’s the last thing I ever wanted to do.”

She stood and held her hand out to him. “Well lucky for you–you’ve got the next seventy years or so to make it up to me.”

He rose from his seat and took her hand. “Where are we going?” he asked, once again rubbing his finger over the ring her mother had once worn.

“Upstairs,” Elizabeth replied. She slid her arms around his neck. “I’m not really very hungry,” she murmured.

The Honeymoon Suite

Elizabeth giggled as Jason carried her into the room. “Jason!” she squealed. “I didn’t think you were the type to do this stuff!” she teased.

He grinned and slowly slid her to the ground. “Maybe I just like holding you,” he replied, kicking the door shut.

She laughed again, tilting her head back. He used the opportunity to kiss her neck, nibbling the soft skin. Her laugh trailed off to a shaky moan and her hands tightened on his shoulders. “That feels so good,” she confessed.

His hands slid up the slick silk of her dress, molding to her hips and her ribcage. When his hands brushed the undersides of her breasts, she stiffed slightly but he didn’t notice. She shook it off and kissed him hard, thrusting her tongue past his lips.

He felt the tension in her body but assumed it was jitters and continued to kiss her. He bypassed her breasts and opted for the row of pearl buttons that formed a straight line up her back.

When Elizabeth felt the cool air of the room on her bare back, she broke the kiss and stepped back a little, swallowing hard. “I–” she broke off and looked away, mortified.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Jason assured her. He stepped towards her and couldn’t help but feel a little sting of pain when she backed up. Forcing himself to remember that she’d fought off the unwanted advances of another man just twenty-four hours ago, he took a deep breath. “Elizabeth, maybe…maybe this isn’t a good idea,” he said regretfully.

Her eyes widened her and she shook her head, sending little tendrils of her hair flying. “No, wait–j-just give a minute, okay? I’ll be okay. I’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want you to feel like anything has to happen tonight,” Jason told her. “We can just—we can talk. About how to tell you father, what’s going to happen after tonight–”

“I don’t want to talk about any of that. I want–” She took a deep breath. “Let me…let me change, okay? I promise I’ll be fine.”

“Elizabeth–” Jason protested but she was already heading across the room to get her overnight bag. “It’s okay.”

“I know–I’ll be right out,” Elizabeth told him with a small smile. She closed the bathroom door behind her and sat down on the closed toilet with a thump, trying to fight tears.

This was her wedding night and she was married to the only guy she’d ever dreamed of marrying. This was supposed to be a good night. This was supposed to be the best night of her life.

Except, this time two days ago, Jason had been in Puerto Rico and she’d been engaged to Alexander Castellano. She’d believed that she’d driven him away forever and that he’d never love her.

And now…he was sitting outside this door in a tuxedo with her grandmother’s second husband’s wedding ring on his ring finger. How had they gotten to this point?

There was a soft knock on the door. “Elizabeth? Please come out.”

She wiped her eyes with a piece of toilet paper and stood to unzip her bag. “Hold on–I’m not done yet.”

She reached behind her and finished unbuttoning her dress. She tugged it off and gently hung it on the padded hanger on the back of the door. Elizabeth shimmied out of the slip and her undergarments. Brenda had talked to her briefly about tonight earlier in that morning and advised her to go nude under her nightgown. “Easier when you’re all in a hurry to just get it on,” her stepmother had teased.

“Elizabeth?” Jason called.

“In a minute!” Elizabeth pulled the gauzy silk nightgown over her head and started to yank the pins from her hair, sending it tumbling over shoulders in curls. She took a deep breath and pulled open the door.

Jason had removed his tux jacket, his bow tie and his shoes. His shirt was buttoned and pulled out of his pants and every time he moved slightly, she caught sight of his bronzed chest.

“Sorry, it took me a few minutes to get out of the dress,” Elizabeth said nervously. She flicked the bathroom light off, sending the room into shadows.

Jason cleared his throat and stepped towards her. “Elizabeth, it’s okay if you’re not ready. I mean–”

“Don’t be silly,” Elizabeth said in dismissal. “It’s our wedding night. Of course I’m okay–ready, I mean.”

Uncertain, Jason approached her slowly. “Just because it’s our wedding night…that doesn’t mean anything has to happen. I love you and that’s not going to change if we make love tonight, tomorrow or not for three months.”

She sighed and sat on the bed. “My wedding night was something that I had resigned myself to.”

“Because it was going to be Alexander?” Jason asked, sitting beside her. She nodded, dipping her head and looking away from him.

“For the last three months–I tried to care about him. Tried to at least…develop some feelings for him, you know? But almost every time we went out, he’d remind me that he would have me on our wedding night–it didn’t matter if he sampled goods now or then.”

His fists clenched at his side. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?” he asked.

“What would the point have been?” Elizabeth replied. “Brenda and my father fight enough without my adding to it. There’s nothing Abuela could have done, Carly’s wrapped up with AJ and her pregnancy, Ric’s busy with Faith all the time.” She shrugged. “Anyway…that doesn’t matter now. I’m not marrying him–that part of my life is over.”

He kissed her forehead. “We should get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

“Wait…” Elizabeth pushed him so he was lying flat on his back. She threw one leg over his body so she was straddling him. “You know, when I used to tackle you like this–it seemed a lot more innocent then.”

Jason propped himself up on his elbows. “You were five years old the first time you did it. I think I’d been staying with you guys for about a month.”

“You and Ric were playing touch football in the backyard,” Elizabeth remembered. “And I begged Ric to let me play.”

“You didn’t know you weren’t supposed to tackle in touch football,” Jason teased. “And I wasn’t expecting it so it was the only reason you even got me to the ground.”

“Yeah, okay,” Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “My grandmother was watching and nearly had a coronary.”

“Yeah, well her only grandchild was straddling a street urchin,” Jason said.

“You were not a street urchin,” Elizabeth told him fiercely, fisting her hands in the soft fabric of his shirt.

“I was,” Jason corrected. He shifted his weight to one arm and raised his hand to push her hair out of her face. “But never to you. You made me feel like part of the family from the day Ric brought me home for dinner.”

And with his words, the last of the tension bled from her body and she lowered her mouth to his. “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth.

“I love you, too.”

+2

Sonny studied his daughter carefully the next morning at breakfast. She was quiet, withdrawn and had brushed off Brenda’s attempts to talk about the previous night.

He’d spent most of the morning on the phone with John Castellano discussing the events and what the future would hold for everyone. After breakfast, he would talk to Jason–and to Ric, who’d come back early. They would discuss it and then he would speak to his daughter.

Sonny cleared throat and stood. “Jason, Ric. We should go to my office now.”

Elizabeth glanced up at her father, as if waiting for an invitation but he just left the room and she stared back at her plate.

Jason, seated next to her, wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed it gently. “It’ll be okay,” he told her softly. He stood and exited the room, Ric on his heels.

Brenda cleared her throat and glanced at Adela. “Honey, what happened last night?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She stood abruptly and left. A few moments later, her bedroom door clicked shut, echoing through the empty and silent house.

Brenda pursed her lips and set her napkin aside. “She’ll marry that man over my dead body,” she scowled.

—

“I spoke with John this morning,” Sonny began, his back to them, his eyes focused on the window that faced the street. “He was gravely disturbed by Alexander’s actions last night and wanted to offer his apologies.”

Jason snorted. “A little late for that. I want the job, Sonny,” he said bluntly.

Troubled, Ric silenced Jason with a look. He recognized his brother’s tone, his posture. He had no intention of putting a hit on Alexander Castellano. “Sonny, what exactly did John say?”

“I expressed to him my doubts about this marriage occurring,” Sonny replied. “I told him that despite our previous arrangement and what good would come out of it–I couldn’t in good conscience, sentence my only daughter to a life with a man who holds no respect for her.”

Jason’s foot began tapping against the floor, a sign of his obvious impatience. “Let me guess. He made you an offer you couldn’t refuse.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice and Ric winced at the lack of respect Jason was showing.

Sonny glared at his foster son. “You forget Jason that you exist in this house, in this world only by my say so and my generosity.”

“If you make her go through with this, I won’t need either,” Jason retorted.

Ric held out a hand to silence his friend. “Sonny, while I disagree with Jason’s phrasing, I have to agree with his point. Elizabeth can’t marry Alexander. He tried to rape her last night. He’s notorious for sleeping around and no amount of land or power is worth sacrificing her.”

“John assured me that his only wish for this union would be an heir to join our two families permanently. He’s agreed that after a son is born, he would consent to a divorce for Elizabeth.”

“That’s unacceptable,” Jason spat.

“You don’t get to make that decision,” Sonny replied coldly. “She is still my daughter and it’s in my power to provide for her future. There is no other suitable man to marry her.”

“What about Jason?” Ric suggested. “If you’re so hell bent on marrying her off, just do that.”

Sonny shook his head. “I said suitable. Jason is merely a foot soldier. You are not good enough to marry my daughter,” he told the young man.

Though he suspected Sonny felt this way, it still stung to hear the words and Jason lowered his head.

“When I take over–and I will be doing that,” Ric reminded his brother, “Jason will be my second-in-command. And you know that Lily–”

“Don’t speak to me about what she wanted,” Sonny cut in sharply. “She was a good woman–I loved her–but she knew nothing of this world and only of the fantasy world she lived in. It’s out of the question. You haven’t taken over yet, Ric. Don’t be making plans to do so.”

“I love your daughter,” Jason blurted out, surprising both brothers. “I love her,” he repeated. “And I want to marry her.”

“And you don’t have my permission,” Sonny said firmly. “Elizabeth is my only daughter–the only way I will ever get my hands on Staten Island or Long Island–”

“She’s not a piece of property you can shove around–she’s a human being,” Jason shouted. He lunged to his feet. “And I think we should call her in here and ask her what she wants.”

“Whoa, whoa.” Ric stood and put a hand on Jason’s chest. “Let’s just take a step back here, okay? Look, we all care about Elizabeth and want what’s best for her. Sonny…Jason…let’s just…take a day or two and think this over.” He grabbed the shirt sleeve of Jason’s right arm and dragged him towards the door.

Once they were outside the office and down the hallway, Ric let him go and threw his hands up in frustration. “Have you lost your mind?” he demanded.

“Look, I didn’t…” Jason muttered something under his breath. “How can he sit in there and even consider letting this go on? He saw her last night–she was terrified. She was on the floor, crying her eyes out and shaking so badly–” he drug his fingers through his hair. “Ric…what am I supposed to do? Sit back and let him sentence her to a life of that?”

“No, but telling him to bring Elizabeth in so you can make her decide whether she’d rather marry you or that asshole isn’t the way to do it. Come on, man, do you really want to propose to her like that?”

“You’re right.” Jason let out a frustrated growl. “He’s never gonna let me marry her.”

“She’s been pretty pissed at you since you left–would she even let you?” Ric asked, thoughtfully.

“In a heartbeat.”

Her voice was wistful and it surprised both men who turned to see Elizabeth standing in the hallway, just off the kitchen. She crossed her arms. “I heard what my father said…from talking to Alexander’s father to…just now,” she informed them.

“I’m sorry you had to hear it like that,” Jason sighed. He started towards her, Ric obviously forgotten. “That’s not the way I would have gone about it at all.”

“I didn’t expect it to begin with so it’s okay,” she said softly. “Jason…I don’t want to marry Alexander.”

“And you won’t,” Ric assured her. He shook his head. “I don’t care what it takes–we’re not doing it. Not even with the new divorce clause.” He put a hand on Jason’s shoulder. “I’m gonna go back in there and talk to him. Distract him. Give you two a chance to talk and all.”

He disappeared back down the hall and into Sonny’s office.

Jason took a deep breath. “Elizabeth, I meant what I said last night. I love you.”

“I know,” Elizabeth replied, her voice trembling. “I heard you telling my father. Oh, Jason, you shouldn’t have said those things to him. He’s going to be so angry.”

“I don’t care,” Jason said stubbornly. He smoothed a hand over her jaw. “I’ve waited most of my life to be able to say those words to you. He’s not going to take them away from me.”

She couldn’t fight a tiny smile. “I’ve waited all of my life to hear them,” Elizabeth whispered.

He pressed a brief kiss to her lips–too brief for both their tastes but it was too risky so close to Sonny’s office. “Will you marry me?” he asked softly, his breath still on her lips.

“Yes,” Elizabeth agreed. For the first time since he’d been home, he saw a spark enter her eyes–a little fire. It was damn good to see. “When?” she asked eagerly, careful to keep her voice so as not to echo in the empty hallway.

“You got a free couple of hours?” he asked. “We could get down to the justice of the peace and do it today.”

Elizabeth bit her lip. “My father would kill you,” she remarked with a tiny smile. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” he vowed. “What do you say?”

“Let’s do it.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him down the hall.

+2

An hour or so later, Jason came down the steps to meet with Sonny in his office. Elizabeth was standing in the foyer, reapplying her lipstick in the mirror. Her hair had been pulled up into some sort of complicated twist with some pieces hanging down.

She wore a strapless silk red gown that clung to her upper body and flowed her hips and legs. He paused halfway down and took a deep breath. “You look incredible.”

She turned to face him, and he swallowed hard. How could she have grown up so fast in just three years?

“Thank you,” she murmured. She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Alexander’s picking me up for the opera in a few minutes.”

“So, you like this guy?” he asked after a moment. He stepped off the step and went towards her.

“I’m marrying him, Jason. Of course I like him,” she remarked coolly. She slid the tube of lipstick in her purse.

“We both know why you’re marrying him.” Jason braced a hand on the wall next to her. “I…Sonny told me about the arrangement three years ago.”

She paled. “T-three years ago?”

“I wanted to…I need to talk to you about it actually.” He stepped towards her. “That’s the reason–” He broke off when the doorbell rang. “Elizabeth–”

“I have to go,” she said, hurriedly. She smiled at him briefly before heading for the door. She pulled it open, giving Jason a tiny glimpse of the dark-haired man waiting for her on the step. But then she was gone.

—

Elizabeth smiled nervously. “Hello.”

Alexander Castellano smiled and offered her his arm. “Good evening, darling. Are you ready?”

She nodded and put her arm through his. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He escorted her to the limo and the driver opened the door for them. Once they were inside, Alexander placed his hand on her knee. “You look lovely.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “Thank you.”

“Have you thought about what we talked about?” he asked her.

“I just don’t feel comfortable…I mean…” Elizabeth hesitated. “I don’t think I should spend the night until after wedding.”

He laughed. “Don’t be old-fashioned, love. No one waits until after marriage.”

“I want to,” Elizabeth said firmly. She shifted away from his touch. “Please don’t pressure me, Alexander.”

“I’m not pressuring you, Elizabeth. I merely just wish to sample the goods.” He grinned at her–the expression sending a strange chill down her spine. His hand settled on her knee again and started to slide up her thigh. She tossed it off.

“I don’t know what you’re holding out for,” he complained. “I’m going to have you one way or another.”

“Then I don’t know what the rush is,” Elizabeth said shortly. She took a deep breath and forced the nauseous feeling down. Not a date had gone by without Alexander touching her in some way or trying to persuade her to go further than a goodnight kiss. She was scared to death of her wedding night–the night she couldn’t tell him no or to wait.

“Elizabeth–”

“Alexander, I said no. I want to wait.”

“And I don’t want to,” Alexander argued. He slid a hand over her breast and squeezed it possessively. Elizabeth twisted away from his touch and he ended up pinning her against the window. She yelped and brought her knee up to his groin. He gasped and rolled away from her.

Tears streaming down her face and not caring that the car was moving, Elizabeth opened the car door and luckily for her, they weren’t moving very fast due to traffic and hadn’t left Brooklyn yet. She launched herself out of the car and started running back towards the house, kicking off her heels when they slowed her down. She could hear the car screech to a stop and footsteps behind her.

But she was at her door before Alexander reached her and she shoved it open and slammed it shut behind her, sinking to the floor in tears.

The sound of that as well as Alexander pounding on the door brought Sonny and Jason out of his office.

Jason halted in his tracks at the sight of a disheveled Elizabeth on the floor. Sonny frowned from behind him. “Honey?”

“He…” Elizabeth choked back a sob and fumbled with the lock–scared to death that he’d get inside. “He tried to…”

Sonny’s eyes went deadly flat but his voice was calm and even when he spoke. “Jason, take her upstairs while I deal with Mr. Castellano.”

Jason nodded and strode forward to pull Elizabeth to her feet. She was trembling so badly she could hardly walk so he lifted her off her feet and headed up the stairs. Once he heard his daughter’s door shut, Sonny unlocked the front door to see a furious Alexander Castellano on his step.

“Your daughter is out of control,” the younger man spit out.

Sonny nodded. “My daughter who just ran in here like she was running for her life, who was crying and barely able to speak…she’s out of control?” He shook his head–almost sounding amused but there was an edge to his voice that said differently. This was the man he was marrying his little girl off to.

Over his dead body.

“There are a lot of things I can overlook,” Sonny began calmly. “In our line of business, we’re certainly not good men. But the one thing that I cannot tolerate is a man who doesn’t respect a woman’s right to say no and I think that’s exactly what happened.”

“What are you saying, Corinthos?” Alexander demanded. “That because I tried to take what’s mine–”

“Elizabeth is not yours,” Sonny seethed. “And nothing about her belongs to you. Get away from my house.”

“I hope you’re not doing what I think you’re doing,” Alexander said coolly. “You know it’s in your best interest to go forward with this wedding.”

“And it’s in your best interest to get away from my house,” Sonny repeated. He slammed the door and looked towards the stairs with regret in his eyes.

—

He sat down on her bed with her still clutching at him. Her arms were wrapped around his neck so tightly he could barely breathe but he didn’t care. As long as she was safe.

When Jason could feel her body start to calm down, he eased her away a little to look at her face. “Hey, you okay?”

She nodded, her lips pressed firmly together. “Just don’t…don’t let me go, okay?”

He cupped the back of her head and pulled it back down into the crook of his shoulder. “I won’t. I promise.”

“He didn’t…he didn’t really hurt me,” Elizabeth whispered. “He just…he touched me a-and I was scared that he wasn’t going to stop and he–he pushed me against the door b-but I kneed him and jumped out of the car.”

“You jumped out of a moving car?” Jason said. He immediately started moving his hands up and down her legs, looking for injuries.

“We weren’t going very fast…” Elizabeth took her hands from around his neck and stared at them a little confused. “I just scraped my hands.”

He slid her out of his lap and kneeled in front of her to take her hands in his. “I should get a first aid kit or something.”

“Jason…” she stopped him before he could stand. “You found about this…arrangement three years ago. Was that…is that why…” she trailed off and looked away.

“That’s one of the reasons, yes.” He touched her cheek and sighed. “You were fifteen, Elizabeth. You were so young. I was twenty–”

“You were right though,” she interrupted. She stared at some of the blood pooling in her cupped palms. “I was too young then. You were older than me–you would have gotten into a lot of trouble.”

“Elizabeth, I–”

“I’m just sorry that I didn’t see that then,” she said softly. “Maybe you wouldn’t have left.”

“No, no, I didn’t leave because of you.” He hesitated. “Well, you had something to do with it but it wasn’t your fault. Elizabeth, I realized–”

There was a knock on the door and Sonny edged his way in. “Honey?”

Elizabeth took a deep breath and quickly hid her injured hands. “I’m okay,” she told him.

“Alexander is gone.” Sonny took a deep breath. “But we’re going to have to discuss the future soon.”

Jason frowned. “The son of a bitch put his hands on her. The only future we need to discuss is whether or not he has one.”

“Jason,” Elizabeth protested. She started to reach out for him but remembered her scraped hands and resisted.

“It’s not that simple and you know it,” Sonny told the younger man firmly. “But we’ll talk about it later. I’m sure Elizabeth just wants to get some sleep.”

There was some silence as Jason waited for Sonny to leave so he could finish talking to Elizabeth and eventually the older man understood. He kissed his daughter on the forehead and reluctantly left the room.

“We’d better get your hands cleaned up.” He crossed to the bathroom and reached underneath the sink for a first aid kit.

He sat next to her on the bed and started cleaning her hands. “You know what my first memory of being here is?”

“What?” she asked, wincing as the peroxide stung her a little. He brought her hands closer to his lips and blew it on a little to take the bite of the sting away.

“You hugged me,” Jason told her. “You were five years old–I still remember it like it was yesterday, y’know?” When she didn’t say anything, he went on. “You were so tiny–you still are but, wow…I think I could have picked you up with one hand back then.”

“You weren’t so big yourself,” she teased. She glanced up from her hands to meet his eyes. “I didn’t really understand then, you know? I just thought Ric was bringing me home a new play toy.”

He laughed and applied a bandage to her left hand. “Your mother had done your hair in these little sausage kind of curls. And you had a white lacy dress on with ribbons in your hair to match.” He finished her second hand. “You hugged me and I…you smelled like chocolate and vanilla.”

Her eyes teared a little. “You smelled a lot like dirt,” Elizabeth replied.

“That was the first time I could remember anyone touching me in affection,” he admitted. “I never knew my father and my mother wasn’t that kind of person. But you hugged me. Without reservation–didn’t even care where’d I been…it…it meant a lot to me.”

He turned her hands over and moved his thumbs in tiny circles over the back of them. “A lot of people would think it was stupid or just…not possible but…your mother understood it.”

“What?” she asked faintly.

“That it was possible to fall in love when you’re ten years old,” he confessed in a quiet voice. He heard her breath hitch. “Not only is it possible–but for guys, you practically have to be hit over the head with the knowledge, you know?”

“Jason…” Elizabeth licked her lips. “I don’t…understand.”

“It took a long time for me to accept that and even admit that to myself.” He released her hands and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “But I have now and I just thought you should have that information in hand when you talk to your father about that jackass.”

She hesitated, her eyes darting down. “I…I don’t…I don’t know what to think. I…”

“I don’t expect you to make any kind of decisions tonight–it’s been a bad night but I just needed you to know the truth.” He kissed her forehead and stood. “Your hands are gonna sting but you’ll live.”

He left then and she stared at the door for a few moments wondering if she’d just been hallucinating.

+2

Plane

Even three years later, that moment in time haunted him. She’d been so young, so innocent. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her–hadn’t set out to do so. But he’d done it just the same.

What she wanted could never happen but he didn’t know how to explain that to her without breaking Sonny’s trust. Even if he could get past the five year difference–which at fifteen and twenty seemed impossible–Sonny would never allow it.

He’d left after that night, her tearstained cheeks haunting his every thought. He didn’t tell Sonny why–just that he couldn’t be around right now. For whatever reason, the older man agreed and Jason had been sent to coordinate some territory Sonny had taken control of in Puerto Rico.

He raised his hands to grip her shoulders and push her away but her tongue touched his bottom lip and he found himself kissing her back instead. He tugged her closer and tilted her head back to deepen the kiss.

“It’s a little late for that,” she hissed at him. She pushed him out of her way and stormed into the house.

She was eighteen now–six months past her eighteenth birthday actually. They hadn’t spoken since that night and he hadn’t seen her since he left.

Just as Sonny had told he and Ric three years ago, on Elizabeth’s eighteenth birthday, he’d announced her engagement to Alexander Castellano and the wedding was set for eight months from the date. Three months from now.

Brownstone: Foyer

Adela Corinthos was the first person Jason saw when he stepped inside the only home he’d ever known.

She was fussing over some planter next to the stairs and she looked exactly as he remembered–dark brown hair peppered with gray and still as slender as the day she’d married Ric’s father probably.

She heard the door open and when she saw Jason, she grinned. “Mi hijo!” she cried and swept him in a tight hug. “You’ve been gone too long.”

“Good to see you, Mama,” Jason said, calling her the same name he’d called her his entire life. He’d tried calling her Mrs. Corinthos, Mrs. Lansing and even Adela but she’d insisted on Mama and one didn’t argue with her. “Where is everyone?”

“Brenda and Michael are in the garden with Elizabeth arguing about the ceremony,” Adela informed him. “You can go back.”

Jason hesitated and she read his trepidation in his face. “Ah, don’t fret, hijo. Brenda doesn’t bite.”

“Where’s Ric?’ Jason asked instead. He could see his best friend–that would put him in a better mood. Ric knew the reason he’d left. It’d be okay.

Adela shook her head. “He and that wife of his are out of town. Don’t be silly. I take your bag. Go see the family.” She tugged his duffle out of his hand.

“Okay, Mama,” Jason sighed. There really was no arguing with Adela Lansing. He kissed her on the cheek and headed towards the back of the house.

Backyard

The garden had been transformed in his absence. There was a large wooden altar being built in one corner and there were gardeners everywhere planting who knows what all over the yard.

Brenda Corinthos was standing with her back to Jason and directing some people. She’d had one child a year and a half ago–the son that Sonny had always wanted. Michael Corinthos, Jr. He was perched on her hip, his hair dark and his skin tanned. He was busily chewing on some rubber toy.

Sonny was near the altar but Elizabeth was nowhere in sight and sadly, he preferred it that way. “Hey.”

Brenda heard his voice first and she turned, a huge smile breaking across her face. She and Sonny had come down to Puerto Rico on more than one occasion and the petite brunette had won him over with her seemingly boundless faith in her husband and her determination to make him a decent human being. Besides, she was the only person who’d tell him anything about Elizabeth.

“Well, if it isn’t Jason Morgan,” she said cheerfully. She looked at little Michael. “Hey, Mike, this is your uncle Jason.”

Mike peered at the new person and waved a chubby arm at him. Jason grinned. “Hey, there.”

“Here, take him for a second and I’ll go tell Sonny and El that you’re here.” She shoved Mike at him and Jason took him without argument. He balanced the toddler in his arms and turned to look in Brenda’s direction.

Sonny was now joined by a tiny brunette–he recognized her immediately. Her long curly hair had been replaced with a cut to her shoulders and it was straight and looked smooth and silky. She was a little taller–definitely had filled out more. She wore a simple black dress with some jewelry and light makeup.

The tearful fifteen-year-old girl had been replaced with an eighteen-year-old woman. She laughed and then turned to Brenda who gestured towards him. He was jolted a little when she settled her cool blue eyes on him.

She stepped away from her father and stepmother and moved towards him. “Jason, hello. It’s good to have you home.”

“It’s good to be home,” Jason said hesitantly. “You look…” he trailed off, not sure of the proper etiquette for speaking to someone whose heart you’d broken three years ago.

“All grown up?” she supplied. She smiled then–a polite smile. One you’d use for an old acquaintance rather than the boy you trailed after in a white dress with a ragged hem at age five. “Three years does a lot of a difference. A lot of things can change.” She raised a hand and smoothed a hand over Mike’s smooth black hair. “Having a little brother changes things. Especially a brother in this family.” She raised her eyes to meet his and he understood. Where once an only child, she’d been the center of Sonny’s universe, little Michael was the heir to the empire now. And she was shuffled into a marriage to guarantee a larger empire.

“You look good though,” he told her with aching sincerity. “Real good.”

“So do you.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ears. “So, you home for good? Or just for the wedding?”

“It depends on if your dad needs me to stick around. You should come to Puerto Rico sometime,” he suggested. “You’d like it there.”

“I don’t think that’ll be possible,” Elizabeth murmured. “Alexander doesn’t like the heat.”

He stiffened at the mention of her fiancé. “Well, it was just an idea.”

“Jason,” Sonny said, sticking his hand out. “Good have you back.”

Brenda took the baby from him and Jason shook Sonny’s hand. “It’s good to be back. I’ve missed it here.”

“We’ve missed you,” Brenda assured him. “I’m sorry you didn’t make it home for Carly’s wedding last year.”

“Yeah,” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “How is she?”

“She’s good,” Elizabeth supplied. “Pregnant actually. Something about this family–everyone gets pregnant early.” She managed a fake smile. “Guess that’s good news for the Castellano family, huh?”

Brenda flushed. “Well, it’s more our family than yours. My mother got pregnant with me before she was even married.”

Elizabeth shrugged and looked back at the altar. “I should…go get ready. Alexander is picking me up in a few hours for the opera.” She kissed her father’s cheek, gave Brenda a hug and tugged on Michael’s ear before moving inside without a word to Jason.

“I’m going to get back to the workers,” Sonny told his wife. “Why don’t you go and get Jason settled back in?”

“Come on,” Brenda said to Jason. “I have so much to tell you anyway.”

Sonny narrowed his eyes. “Brenda.”

She glared at him. “Michael.” After a tense moment, she tugged on Jason’s arm and moved him inside.

“I see you two are still at it,” Jason remarked as he followed Brenda through the kitchen and into the hallway. “After three years?”

“He still thinks he can control me,” Brenda told him. “I give him enough leeway with his job. He doesn’t seem to understand that his daughter is miserable.”

Jason halted. “She looked fine to me.”

Brenda turned and looked at him sadly. “The woman she is now is not the girl you remember. She was once a very innocent and sheltered child and now…” she lifted a shoulder. “She knows all too well her father’s wrath.” She shook her head. “I’ll tell you more upstairs.”

Jason’s Room

Brenda set the baby on the floor to crawl around and sat on the bed while Jason unpacked. “I almost wish I’d had a girl,” she remarked softly.

“So Sonny’s favoring Michael more?” Jason asked.

“I don’t think he does it consciously but…” Brenda sighed. “Women in Sonny’s world aren’t held up on a pedestal, you know? Sonny adores Elizabeth but she is just a girl and Michael is his heir now. He always wanted a boy.”

“Yeah…Ric said Sonny always resented Lily a little for not being able to give him a boy.” Jason shut his drawer and set the duffle bag in the closet. “How did Elizabeth take the news of the engagement?”

“By the time that happened, a lot of the fire had gone out of her,” Brenda remarked. “Carly and I–we took her under our wing but there was only so much we could do for her. Once Ric was married and he moved out and Carly was spending so much time with AJ, I was pregnant…Elizabeth was very much alone and I think, to a degree, she became a little depressed. And once she got it in her head that it her fault you left…whatever spark was left was gone. So when Sonny presented the engagement to her, she just accepted it.”

“It wasn’t her fault,” Jason protested. “I had to go.”

“Because you knew what was going to happen on her eighteenth birthday and you were already falling in love with her,” Brenda said, voicing the things he’d only thought and never said.

“She was only fifteen, Brenda. I was twenty. It felt wrong then. I didn’t…” He drove his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t realize I’d loved her for so long. She was just a child when I met her.”

“And so were you,” Brenda reminded him. Michael tugged on her skirt and she lifted him into her arms. “Mama once told me a story about Lily and Sonny. That Lily was seven when they met but she’d boldly announced to her that she was going to marry her son one day. And Mama agreed–because she understood it was possible to find someone like that even at a young age. In today’s society, finding your happily ever after at age seven is a laughable idea. How could you have any idea what you’d want when you were older at that age?”

She shook her head. “It’s so much better to fall in love when you’re children. It’s more innocent, more lasting that way. There’s a reason people always remember their first loves. There’s no shame in admitting you’ve loved her since you were ten.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter now. I knew then it wouldn’t work because Sonny would never allow it. I work for him and she’s his daughter.”

Brenda hesitated. She’d never repeated to anyone what Monica Quartermaine had told her that night. Because she’d been so caught up in Jason’s exit that she’d forgotten it at first and once he was gone, there was no reason to bring it up. “Jason, would it surprise you to know that almost everyone except Sonny expected you to marry Elizabeth?”

Jason frowned and peered at the brunette. “How do you mean?”

“The night of the Quartermaine’s party…Monica Quartermaine told me that Lily had believed you were going to marry Elizabeth and that…business-wise, it would be the most sound decision. Because you didn’t have the full trust of some people because you weren’t part of the family–because you were just a kid Sonny took in. She told me that if you had married her, that your place in this world would be secure. That you’d be accepted.” Brenda smiled. “It was only until Carly married AJ Quartermaine that she even accepted, despite being Sonny’s sister-in-law.”

Jason sighed. “Yeah, I knew all of that. But it never mattered to me. I didn’t intend on marrying someone just to make other people feel comfortable about me.”

“I’m just…it seems odd that Sonny would know that and still arrange for this marriage.” Brenda shrugged. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter now. The marriage is set and Alexander isn’t so bad, I guess. He’s a little stiff–a little too proper and yet…” Brenda hesitated. “I just hope Elizabeth isn’t entering a marriage where the man doesn’t practice fidelity.”

Jason frowned. “What would make you say that?”

She shrugged. “Because I’ve heard rumors that he’s a ladies man. That he likes to have a good time with a lot of women and I know that would devastate her.” Her mouth twisted into a ugly grimace. “I don’t care that some women turn a blind eye to it. I would castrate Sonny in a heartbeat but I’m just worried she’s so…sedate now…so…cold and so withdrawn that she’d just let him do whatever he wants.”

Jason sighed. “Well, I’m home now. I’ll help in anyway I can.”

“Good.” Brenda stood and wrapped her arms around him, trapping baby Michael between them. “She needs you–even if she refuses to admit it.”

+2

Brownstone: Sonny’s Office

“I want to make this clear that I am only letting her go because Alexander Castellano will be in attendance and I think it’s for the best that she meet him,” Sonny announced, pouring himself a bourbon.

“So why do I have to go again?” Jason asked.

“Because I will be busy introducing my new wife to everyone and someone will have to keep an eye on my daughter,” Sonny told him. “She’s young, she’s impressionable and this is her first social event. So, don’t let her leave the party with anyone.”

He looked at his brother. “You and Faith are doing divide and conquer on Daniel Vega and his wife. Charm them, kiss up to them–I don’t care what you have to do, but we’re going to need his influence with the congressman in this district, okay?”

“Think your little viper can handle being sweet?” Jason mocked. Ric narrowed his eyes.

“Think you can handle your newest bimbo dumping you for someone richer?”

“Are you two finished?” Sonny asked. He checked the clock on the corner of his desk. “The girls should be ready, so let’s get this over with.”

Brownstone: Foyer

“Adela, you are not going to believe your eyes,” Brenda boasted, pulling her white silk wrap more tightly around her shoulders. Her dark eyes glittered with excitement. “She looks absolutely incredible.”

“She always looks beautiful,” Adela said indulgingly. She’d adored her first daughter-in-law, Lily but after only a few days, Brenda was fast earning a special place in her heart. When she’d first took Elizabeth shopping, Adela had assumed she was trying to look good in her husband’s eyes, but then she’d argued bitterly with Michael over Elizabeth’s new appearance and she could still feel the tension between the newlyweds.

“Well, of course,” Brenda laughed, “but I swear tonight, she is going to blow everyone away.”

“I hope she’s not wearing anything too revealing,” Sonny said coming up from behind his wife and brushing a soft kiss on Brenda’s bare shoulder. “But you look breathtaking.”

Brenda smoothed her hands over her hips and adjusted the top of her strapless silk black dress. “Don’t worry. Elizabeth is dressed as a fifteen-year-old should dress.”

“Where is she?” Carly asked. She glanced towards the door. “AJ will be here to pick me up and I want to see how she looks.”

“You do?” Brenda asked curiously.

“I care about people other than myself,” Carly said defensively. She peered into the hallway mirror to make sure her French twist was still tightly done. “I helped her do her hair remember?”

“I’ll go get her,” Adela said.

Elizabeth’s Bedroom

Adela knocked softly before pushing the door open. Her granddaughter was standing in front of her full-length mirror, peering at herself in the mirror. Her long curls hung down her back. Some spots seemed to shimmer a little every time Elizabeth breathed.

“Mi niete,” Adela sighed. “They’re waiting for you.”

Elizabeth turned and Adela sighed in relief. The dress they’d bought was indeed something that would pass Sonny’s muster. It was dark blue silk with wide straps. It clung to her curves but it was long–coming to her mid calves. Her hair in the front was twisted away from her face. The makeup was just a bit darker than it’d been that morning. Her skin seemed to glow a little.

“Do I look stupid?” Elizabeth asked, hesitantly. She twisted her hands. “Because I’m not really used to all this and I’m really scared that I’m just going to make a fool of myself tonight.” She sighed and looked back to her reflection. “Maybe I should just stay home.”

“You look beautiful,” her grandmother assured her. “And you will be fine.”

“I don’t know, Abuela,” Elizabeth shook her head. “I really think that I’m just being stupid about this whole thing. What’s the use of waiting around for him to notice me?”

“You seemed fine this morning.”

“It was different,” Elizabeth murmured.

There was a knock on the already open door and a tuxedo-clad Jason pushed it open further. “AJ’s here and Carly refuses to–” he stopped abruptly when Elizabeth looked at him. He blinked. “Elizabeth?”

She bit her lip. “I look stupid don’t I?” she asked softly.

Jason shook his head. “No. Not at all.” He swallowed hard. “You look…beautiful.”

Elizabeth’s cheeks flushed and she looked away. “Thanks.”

He held his hand out. “Come on. Carly’s refusing to leave until she sees you.”

She smiled and slipped her hand into his, letting him lead her out of the room. “Goodbye,Abuela!” she called.

The Quartermaine Estate: Ballroom

The Corinthos party entered the ball room just after AJ and Carly and immediately separated. Ric spotted Daniel Vega and his wife Cristina across the room and tugged Faith in that direction. Sonny kissed Elizabeth on the cheek, gave Jason a warning look before steering Brenda towards Alan and Monica Quartermaine, AJ’s parents.

“So, what are we supposed to do?” Elizabeth asked nervously. She smoothed her hands over her dress again as if ironing out some sort of wrinkle. Her eyes darted around the large room, drinking every detail from the lavish chandelier to the orchestra set up at the far end of the room to the many whirling couples on the dance floor.

“I don’t know. I usually can talk Sonny out of making me come to these things,” Jason told her. He saw Alexander Castellano out of the corner of his eye and despite Sonny’s directions to introduce the two, Jason stepped into Alexander’s line of sight, blocking his view to Elizabeth. “Let’s dance,” he said brusquely.

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows but didn’t have a chance to protest as Jason grabbed her hand and led her towards the dance floor–in the opposite direction of the eighteen-year-old heir to Staten Island and Long Island.

After glancing at the couples around them, Elizabeth mimicked their positions, putting on hand on Jason’s shoulder and leaving her other in his hand. He put his free hand around her waist. “You know how to dance?” Elizabeth asked surprised.

“How hard can it be?” Jason asked even as he stepped on her feet. She winced and glared at him. “Look, let me lead and we’ll be fine.”

“I am letting you lead,” she grumbled. “At least I think am. What does leading mean, anyway?”

“I don’t know. I saw it in a movie once,” Jason replied. He stepped on her foot again and she suppressed the urge to kick him.

“What is with you?” she demanded. “You’re acting all weird. I figured you’d make a beeline for Carly as soon as we got here.” She narrowed her eyes. “My father is making you do this, isn’t he?”

He was too busy concentrating on avoiding her feet and he missed every word she said. “What’s that?”

“Daddy. He told you to stay with me to make sure I stay out of trouble didn’t he?” Elizabeth asked again.

“He might have said something to that effect,” Jason admitted.

“Ow!” Elizabeth hissed. “Damn it, watch where you’re putting your feet, will you?”

“Sorry,” he apologized. “Look, it’s your first time at one of these things–he didn’t want anyone taking advantage of you.”

“Of course, because little Elizabeth is incapable of using her brains to take care of herself,” Elizabeth snapped. “Why should we treat her like she’s fifteen years old and not five?”

“Elizabeth, no one is trying to hurt you,” he attempted to explain.

She pushed him away abruptly and glared at him. “Sure as hell could have fooled me.” She turned around and stalked away, disappearing in the crowd.

Cursing under his breath, Jason followed her, making sure to keep Alexander Castellano in his line of sight the whole time.

Across the Room

“AJ mentioned you’d done some modeling,” Monica inquired. She smiled graciously. “Would I recognize you from anywhere?”

Brenda shook her head. “I worked mostly overseas–just as a way to support myself and my sister.”

“And your sister is the delightful girl who seems to have captured my son’s eye?” Monica asked.

Brenda smiled, spotting her sister chatting with AJ a few feet away. She was surrounded by several other highly-placed members of New York society. Her eyes were lit up, her face animated…it was the happiest Brenda had seen her sister in ages.

“Carly is my sister, yes and just between you and me, AJ’s caught her eye as well,” Brenda confided.

Monica laughed and eyed her husband who was a few feet away with Sonny and some other men in the business. “Your marriage to Sonny was sudden–we didn’t expect to him to marry again after he lost Lily.”

“I’ve heard such wonderful things about her,” Brenda remarked honestly. “Elizabeth adored her.”

“Lily idolized that girl,” Monica divulged. “Her whole life was Elizabeth, because well, she couldn’t have any more children. I’ve never seen a mother who loved her child more. Poor Elizabeth was more devastated than anyone else when Lily was diagnosed with cancer.” Monica smiled. “I saw her come in with you. She looks so beautiful–so much like her mother.”

Brenda smiled. “It was a challenge to convince Sonny his baby wasn’t ten years old anymore, but I think we’re making headway.”

“When she marries Jason, that should make everything complete,” Monica said. “That was always Lily’s dream, you know.”

“Really,” Brenda murmured. “And everyone knew this?’

“Of course. Everyone expects it. Jason’s not being groomed to take over like Ric was but marrying Sonny’s only daughter will cement his position in the organization. For him, it’s a matter of necessity. He can’t ever hope to fully gain trust in this world until he does something to prove it.”

“Did Lily ever talk to Jason about this?”

Monica shook her head. “Oh, no. Lily was the eternal optimist. She was so sure that Jason would fall in love with Elizabeth that she agreed to that codicil in her will.”

“You know about that?” Brenda asked, startled.

“Lily and I were quite close,” Monica revealed. “She fought against Sonny’s wishes to turn the inheritance over to Elizabeth’s husband but in the end, she believed so strongly that Elizabeth would marry Jason, she knew he’d sign it over to her in a heartbeat.”

“Yes, he would,” Brenda replied. “So, this expectation…people don’t generally speak about it, do they?”

“Well…no,” Monica admitted, “but we assume it’s going to happen and well…of course, Sonny knows what it would mean for Jason’s future.”

Brenda’s eyes found her husband and they narrowed thoughtfully. “I’m sure he does.”

Hallway

“Damn it, Elizabeth, wait a second,” Jason called as he jogged after her rapidly disappearing form. She yanked a glass door open and disappeared outside. “I’m going to kill her,” he muttered before following her into the gardens.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Elizabeth demanded, hearing his footfalls behind her. She whirled her and jabbed a finger in his direction. “Do you get off on hurting me?”

“Hurting you…” Jason repeated, startled. “What the hell did I do this time?”

Her eyes burned with tears, her cheeks flaming with the heat of embarrassment. How was she supposed to explain to him that for one moment out on the dance floor, she’d actually entertained the unbelievably idiotic thought that maybe he really did want to dance with her? “It doesn’t matter,” she whispered. She turned and faced the rose bushes. “Just go away.”

He sighed and stepped towards her, his hands brushing the tops of her bare shoulders. “Elizabeth, you have to believe me when I say the last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

She shook her head sharply, her hair brushing the sides of his arms, leaving tiny trails of glitter on his skin. “You don’t understand,” she said softly.

“Of course I understand,” Jason protested. “I know what kinds of feelings you have–”

“You don’t know!” Elizabeth accused, turning abruptly and shoving him away. She glared at him. “Don’t dare trivialize the way I feel by pretending it’s some stupid little girl crush!”

“You might think it’s more–” Jason attempted again.

“I don’t think, I know,” she cut in. “I know exactly how I feel although there are many times I wish I didn’t.”

“Didn’t know or didn’t feel?” he asked a little startled by the direction in the conversation.

“I wish I didn’t have these feelings,” she whispered. She met his eyes briefly before looking away. “Because it causes me nothing but pain.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason apologized. “I just don’t feel the same–”

“Because you’ve never let yourself,” Elizabeth interrupted. “Because I’m firmly in the little sister category and you won’t let yourself move me.”

He shook his head. “No. I feel that way because–” Jason stopped speaking abruptly as she suddenly jerked his head down to hers and kissed him.

+1

Luigi’s Italian Restaurant

Dinner was an almost complete disaster. Elizabeth was only speaking to her grandmother and Ric, convinced Brenda had ruined her life. Sonny and Brenda weren’t speaking, Jason was silent as usual and Adela was sending her oldest son a look that would have killed him if she could swing it.

Only Carly seemed mildly normal as she chattered on, carrying most of the conversation and looking around the restaurant.

Elizabeth was still dressed in the clothing she’d worn home, but the make up was washed clean from her face and her hair was in a messy pony tail. She once again looked eight years old.

A man a little older than Ric approached them about halfway through their dinner and Sonny scowled. “AJ. You’ve ruined my appetite.”

AJ Quartermaine laughed. “Well I heard that you’d brought your new wife and Mother insisted I come over and tell you in person that we’re issuing the permits.”

Sonny nodded. “Smart decision.” He glanced back at the table. “This is my wife, Brenda and her younger sister, Carly. This is AJ Quartermaine.”

Carly raised her eyebrows. “As in ELQ?” she asked, fluttering her eyelashes. Jason scowled when he saw Carly flirting with the young executive and was even more irritated when he saw AJ’s interested expression.

“That’s the family company, yes,” AJ said. “I’ll be taking over as CEO in January of this year.”

“Hopefully you’ll have more sense than your father,” Ric murmured.

“One would hope.” AJ shrugged. “Well, I’ll let you get back your dinner.” He smiled at Carly. “See you around.”

When he’d returned to his table, Carly grinned. “I think I’m gonna like New York.”

Elizabeth’s Bedroom

“You should braid your hair…don’t leave it down when you sleep.”

Elizabeth glared at Carly’s reflection in her mirror. “What do you want?”

Carly shrugged and entered the room, closing the door behind her. She took Elizabeth’s hair brush and started brushing. “I thought it would nice to assure you that you can have your little play mate back. I have no interest in Jason Morgan.”

“But–”

“Elizabeth, let me let you in on a little secret.” Carly’s quick fingers started to wind the long brown waves into a tight French braid. “Beautiful women who know they’re beautiful…we use men to get what we want. I wanted my picture hung, so I flirted. I needed an ally in this house, so I flirted with Jason. But I won’t end up with a lackey of Sonny Corinthos. I’ve set my sights much higher.”

“So…you were just using him to get what you want?” Elizabeth asked. “That doesn’t seem fair.”

Carly shrugged and fastened a hair band to secure the braid. She moved away and sat on the bed. “It’s not like I’m forcing him to do anything. He chooses to do it. It’s not my fault if he’s as weak as any other man.”

“Jason’s not weak,” Elizabeth protested hotly.

Carly smiled. “Spoken like a girl in the throes of puppy love.”

Elizabeth twisted around on her vanity seat and glared at her step-aunt. “You’re not that much older than me and you couldn’t possibly understand how I feel.”

“Well, maybe you really do love him.” She shrugged again. “It doesn’t matter because he doesn’t see you as anything more than a little sister.”

Elizabeth sighed. “Yeah. I know.”

“You’re in luck though, kid, because you’re a beautiful woman too.” Carly eyed the teen. “You just have to learn how to use that.”

“I don’t think I want to,” Elizabeth said hesitantly.

“Hey, some of us don’t get ahead unless we use what we were given. And it’s not like you’re manipulating him or anything. You’re just going to…show him what he’s missing.”

“I tried that already and he just thought I looked silly,” Elizabeth said mournfully.

“Because you acted like you looked different. Tomorrow when my sister comes in here and wants to do your makeup and hair, let her. And then go downstairs to breakfast and when your father comments on your appearance…” Carly paused and opened her eyes wide, feigning innocence. “Act like you have no idea what he’s talking about…because you’ve always looked this way, you’ve always been this beautiful and well-dressed. The sooner you realize how beautiful you are, the easier it will be to make Jason see you that way.”

“So…it’s kind of like if you think you are something, then you are.”

“Yeah.” Carly stood. “I’ll even lay off of Jason if you want.”

“What did you mean that you’ve set your sights higher than Jason?” Elizabeth asked as the blonde went towards the door.

“AJ Quartermaine could use a trophy wife,” Carly murmured, her eyes lit with anticipation. “See you tomorrow, kid.”

Dining Room

Sonny glared at his wife as she followed Elizabeth into the room for breakfast the next morning. Elizabeth was dressed in a spaghetti-strapped black cotton tank top and a pair of tight flared jeans. Her hair was curly but was styled and her makeup was done the way it’d been done the day before.

“I thought we discussed this,” Sonny said, irritated. Elizabeth took her seat next to Ric and frowned at her father in confusion.

“Discussed what?”

Carly hid her smirk behind her napkin as Sonny’s glare deepened. “Elizabeth, you will not dress that way–”

“What way?” Elizabeth interrupted. “When I left for the store yesterday, I was wearing jeans and a tank top. That didn’t seem to bother you.”

“And you will not wear makeup–”

“This is from the stuff Mama bought me before she died,” Elizabeth replied innocently. “It seemed okay with you then. Brenda just re-bought some of the brands that were dried out.”

“Elizabeth, you are only fifteen–”

“She looks a lot like I did when I was fifteen,” Brenda challenged with a cool look. “Any other smart comments, darling?”

Sonny scowled and finished his coffee. “I’m going to the warehouse. Ric, Jason?”

“We’ll be there at the normal time,” Ric said.

Sonny stormed from the room and Carly grinned. “Well done, kid.”

Brenda smirked. “I should have known. What kind of rotten advice did you give her?”

Carly’s smile only brightened. “I think me and the princess are gonna be just like sisters.” She looked at Ric. “Hey, where does AJ Quartermaine go for fun? Like social stuff.”

“Funny you should mention the Quartermaines,” Ric said. “He called early this morning. He’s having some sort of fund raiser tomorrow night and he invited the family. Asked if you would allow him to escort you.”

“Well, then you just call him back and tell him he’s more than welcome to.” Carly’s eyes lit up and she looked at her sister. “Hey, Bren…”

Brenda shook her head. “Oh…I know that look. No. You have plenty of dresses, you don’t–”

“Well, the princess here needs something,” Carly told her. “Right?”

“Actually, Elizabeth doesn’t go to these things,” Jason said. “Sonny doesn’t let her. And she hates them.”

“I’ve never been to one, so I do not hate them,” Elizabeth corrected him. “And I don’t care what Daddy says anymore. The whole family was invited.” She smiled at him. “Besides, I’m fifteen. It’s about time I get to meet guys my own age.”

Jason scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what she said.” Carly stood. “Let’s go shopping. I need the perfect outfit to dazzle AJ.”

Jason smirked. “Yeah. Whatever.”

“He looked interested last night,” Elizabeth mused, her eyes twinkling. “With his tongue hanging out his mouth and all that.”

Jason narrowed his eyes and glared at her. “You know what, Elizabeth–”

“And on that note, I think we should do some shopping,” Brenda said quickly. She stood. “Elizabeth, I think white would be a good color for you. What do you think Carly?”

“She’s about the only person I know that can carry that color off with out lying,” Carly teased. “Unlike my sister who wore white at her wedding.”

Elizabeth giggled and finished her orange juice. “Well, I definitely don’t to be in white my whole life.”

Jason’s scowl deepened. “If that means what I think it does–”

“I think this conversation has ceased to include us, Jason,” Ric said. He stood and yanked his friend up from his seat. “Say goodbye.”

“Wait a second–” Jason protested as Ric pulled from the room.

Once they were gone, Adela smiled at the three women who were left at the table. “I think the three of you will do just fine.”

Elizabeth’s grin deepened. “Thanks, Abuela.” She looked at Carly. “I think it’s working.”

“I think he’s definitely jealous for some reason he’s not aware of,” Carly replied. “Now…shopping?”

“She’s sure got a one track mind,” Brenda remarked.

Sonny’s Office

“Your wife’s here to see you.”

“Show her in.”

Brenda entered and sat down in the chair. “I just came from shopping with your daughter.”

“Again?” Sonny asked, irritated. “Haven’t you changed her enough?”

Brenda glared at him. “She needed something to wear to the Quartermaine benefit tomorrow.”

“We’re not going to that,” Sonny said, frowning. “Who said we were?”

“Ric did. AJ even asked to escort to my sister. We’re going. Elizabeth’s looking forward to it–”

“Even if we were going, she wouldn’t be. She’s too young.”

Brenda sighed. “Sonny, she’s fifteen. She’s a beautiful young woman and it’s time you see that.”

“Look, I’m glad you two are getting along but I wish you’d find something else to bond over–”

“Sonny, don’t you think she looks beautiful?” Brenda interrupted. “Don’t you see how happy she is when she thinks she looks better? Why can’t you just let her have that?”

“Because she’ll get older,” Sonny said defensively. “And she’s not gonna live the way I want her to. I want her to marry someone important, someone who can provide for her and treat her the way she deserves to be and she’d rather marry Jason.”

“What’s wrong with that? Jason can do all of those things,” Brenda argued. “Is that why you refuse to let her act and dress her age? Because Jason might start to look at her differently andthat wouldn’t fit in your plan?”

“Exactly,” Sonny snapped. “She’s my only child and she deserves better.”

“Don’t you think Jason would be good to her? Don’t you think he’s a good man?” Brenda asked. “You took him in, provided for him and accepted him into your family. How is that he’s not good enough for her?”

Sonny hesitated. “Because if he were to start treating her differently and something were to change in their relationship…it would screw up all of my plans.”

“What plans?” Brenda asked. “You have someone else in mind for her?” Something began to dawn in her eyes. “What was that business about Lily’s will?”

Sonny shook his head. “I’m not going to talk about this with you, Brenda.”

“Did she leave Elizabeth something?” Brenda pressed. “Something that she gets when she gets married, what?”

Sonny sighed. “When I opened the warehouse, Elizabeth was five years old. I gave Lily a percentage…you know, just in case something happened, I made sure she was taken care of.”

“That’s a wonderful gesture,” Brenda said. “And she left that to Elizabeth?”

“Elizabeth was only thirteen and all of the money is put into a trust fund. I didn’t want Lily to leave it to her. We fought over it when she made that will, and finally I thought we made some progress. Lily agreed that Elizabeth wouldn’t get money until she was twenty-five and if she were married at that point, control of the money would go to her husband.”

Startled, Brenda pressed her lips together. “You convinced her to sign away Elizabeth’s inheritance?” She gripped the arms of her chair. “And if she were to marry Jason or someone you didn’t choose for her…you know they’d probably sign the fund over to her. What, you don’t want her to have control of her own money?”

“She’s not fit to handle the massive amount of money that is already in there, much less the fortune that will be there when she’s of age. She’ll marry when she’s eighteen and her husband will take good care of her.” Sonny nodded. “It’s for the best.”

Brenda shook her head. “And I’ll bet you’ve already got someone picked out.”

“Alexander Castellano,” Sonny muttered. “I’m announcing the engagement the day she turns eighteen.”

“You can’t do that,” Brenda replied. “You can’t just pick and choose. Don’t you love her? Don’t you want her to be happy?”

“She will be happy. Alexander will treat her the way she deserves. She’s the daughter of a…” Sonny trailed off. “It doesn’t matter.”

“She’s the daughter of Sonny Corinthos, don of Brooklyn,” Brenda finished. “And you’ll be damned if she marries your right-hand man rather than a member of one of the five Families. I know who the Castellanos are, Sonny. They run Long Island and part of Staten Island, too. Alexander is the only son, isn’t he? You’ve made some sort of deal to merge the territories.” Her expression turned horrified. “You’ve bartered her like she’s some sort of contract.”

“That’s not true. I love her and this is the best thing for her–”

Brenda stood. “Then tell her the truth. Don’t lie to her.”

“She’s not ready–”

“The longer you put this off, the longer you let her believe she can change Jason’s mind, the worse it will be when you tell her that not only will she never be with him…but that you’ve already mapped out her life.” She stalked out of the office.

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