Written in 61 minutes.

March 2000

The island, which Elizabeth learned was actually called West Plana Cays, was a tiny dot in the southern part of the Bahamas. The resort was on the eastern side of the island, which had handful of villages and towns — nothing large enough to be called a city. Sonny owned the land, but had leased it back to the local governments. Emily explained it all over mimosas their first morning, but Elizabeth had immediately started to tune her out the way she had every history teacher in her entire academic life.

All that really mattered was that they could drive twenty minutes along the coast and have their pick off the resort amenities, head down to the largest town — called Pirates Well — or they could soak up all the sun on the private beach.

It was, Elizabeth thought, the closest she’d ever come to living in paradise.

The first few days, they kept close to the villa, catching up on sleep, drinking their mimosas with breakfast, margaritas with lunch, and wine at night, enjoying the high of drinking legally for the first time in their lives.

But halfway through the trip, Emily decided they needed to do this right — a day spent at the resort’s spa and a night bar hopping in Pirate’s Well.

“I mean, come on, Liz,” she’d said that morning, “how can do you do anything but drink some rum in Pirate’s Well? The name practically begs for it!”

And that was how they found themselves stumbling into their third bar of the night, already a little tipsy and loose. Emily had told Elizabeth over and over again that everyone knew she was Jason’s sister, so they were good to go, and Elizabeth wasn’t going to let anything stop her from enjoying her first real spring break.

The third bar didn’t look like it ran to margaritas or cocktails, so Elizabeth ordered two pints of whatever was on tap, then carried them to the table where Emily was picking at a bowl of pretzels. “You’re not really going to eat from that, are you?” Elizabeth wanted to know. She slid in the seat across the table.

“No, but I might take some of them back for an experiment. How many people do you think have touched these?” Emily picked up her beer, sipped it, then made a face. “Not my favorite, but since I won’t be legal for another year when we go home, I’m not going to complain.”

It was more like eighteen months, but Elizabeth wasn’t going to rain on Emily’s parade. “Did you touch base with Juan today, or—”

“Answering machine again.” Emily rested her chin on her fist. “What do you think that means? That neither of us are trying very hard to keep in touch?”

“I think it’s been five days,” Elizabeth pointed out. “And you see each other everyday, so what’s the problem?” She tipped her head. “Is there a problem?”

“I don’t know. I mean, maybe I’ve just read too many books or watched too many movies, but I feel like I’m just missing the oomph. You know? That something special.”

“Sometimes that ends up being a lie,” Elizabeth muttered. She took a long pull from the bottle. “I thought Lucky was the answer to everything, you know? I felt that something special with him, but maybe it was never there.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, maybe I thought after everything we’d been through that I’d never trust another man—but I don’t even know. It sometimes feels like there was something missing with Lucky, too. We dated for over a year, and I never felt—” Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “You know. That urge. That feeling.”

“Oh, you mean sex.” Emily nodded sagely. “Yeah, I totally get you. I’ve wanted to jump Juan almost since we met, and then you know, a few weeks ago, we went for it.” She made a face. “It was not what I expected. It got better, but I still feel like there’s something not…I don’t know.”

“I never wanted to jump Lucky,” Elizabeth said, almost wistfully. “You think maybe that part of me is just dead? Lucky never pressured me, but I never felt the pressure either—but maybe I never will.”

“Or maybe you’re just putting yourself out there. We should go to more parties. Lucky’s not the only guy in the world. There are amazing guys who can be trusted, you know that.” Emily shrugged. “Take my brother, example — he’s literally the best.”

“Oh, well, if we’re going to talk about guys who aren’t available,” Elizabeth said, flicking a pretzel at her. “Let’s keep going into fantasy land. Brad Pitt. Joshua Jackson—”

Emily lifted her brows, tipped the beer towards her. “Oh, you’re putting my brother in the same league as Joshua Jackson? That is very interesting. What did you talk about for the whole flight anyway?”

Her cheeks were heated for some stupid reason, and Elizabeth looked away. “Nothing.”

“Come on, you can tell me. You think my brother’s cute, don’t you?”

“We are not having this conversation. Let’s talk about you and Juan some more—”

“If the answer was no, you’d say that.” Emily’s eyes were lit up with pure amusement. “I bet you wouldn’t mind jumping Jason—”

“You have lost your mind—”

A chair slid next to them, and a man sat down, straddling it backwards. “Hello, ladies,” he said, a dimple winking in his cheek. His smile was friendly enough, but there was something in his eyes that had Elizabeth’s own smile fading. “I couldn’t help but overhearing your conversation. You know, I’d be willing to help you out. Show you a good time.”

—

Listen, Jase. Don’t worry. Your sister’s fine. But you need to get over here as soon as possible.

The short, terse phone call with the local deputy in Pirate’s Well was all Jason could think about during the ninety minutes of flight time between Puerto Rico and the island. Knowing she was safe didn’t really stop him from worrying — he knew exactly how much trouble Emily could get into when she had a mind to. He’d just figured Elizabeth would be a calming influence on her —

He landed at the airport, got into the waiting Jeep, and headed into the largest town on the island. Pirate’s Well was a tourist trap most of the time, and its downtown was nothing more  than a long strip of bars, tacky gift ships, and restaurants. The local police station was at the end of Queen’s Highway. It wasn’t much of a building — just a large box of concrete set back off the road.

Jason stepped inside, and saw Emily first. She popped off the wooden bench behind the counter, her eye makeup smudged and her hair tousled. The thin strap of the tank top she wore was ripped. “Jason, thank God, you’re here. You need to get this fixed, okay? Because this isn’t Elizabeth’s fault—”

“Elizabeth—” Jason frowned. “Where is she?” His heart picked up a beat. “Is she hurt?” They’d only talked about Emily on the phone, he realized. “Where—”

A door open down the short hallway, and Elizabeth emerged, holding an ice pack against her bottom lip. Jason’s hands fisted at his side. Unlike Emily, it was clear Elizabeth had actually been in a fight. Her curls were hanging limply around her face from the humidity, and there was a rip in the bright pink tube top she wore over a pair of black denim cut off shorts.

When she saw him, the ice pack slid from her hand just enough for him to see the bruise flowering on her cheek and the split lip. “Oh. You’re here.”

“I told you he’d come,” Emily said. “You’re in for it now,” she told the cop who still had an arm around Elizabeth’s upper arm. “My brother is going to—”

“Emily,” Jason cut in. She looked at him with those wide doe eyes. “Let’s just—”

“She didn’t have a choice, okay? She had to slug the guy! And when he hit her back, what was I supposed to do? You didn’t—”

“Way to throw me under the bus, asshole,” Elizabeth muttered, then winced at the pain. She pressed the ice against her mouth.

Jason exhaled, stepped behind the counter. “Marco,” he said. “Let’s talk, okay? She’s not going anywhere.”

“Stay right here,” the cop told Elizabeth, releasing her and gesturing towards the bench. “I don’t have time to chase after trashy American tourists—”

“I wouldn’t say anything else if I were you,” Jason said, and the cop looked at him, his brows raised. “Let’s talk,” he repeated.

He looked at his sister as Elizabeth reluctantly sat next to her. “Don’t say another word to anyone. I’ll be right back.”

“Sorry,” Marco said as they headed towards the back office. “I didn’t know the hot brunette was yours—”

“Tell me what the hell is going on.”

—

Elizabeth had thought she’d hit rock bottom when Jason had appeared in the doorway of the police station, but no, apparently there was another level because as soon as they’d arrived back at the villa, Emily had called dibs on the only shower in the house.

“I know, I know,” her best friend said when Elizabeth shot her a nasty look. “But you dove on the other guy. I ended up on the bar floor, and it’s nasty down there.”

“The next time I take a vacation, you’re not going on it,” Elizabeth called after Emily, but her friend had already disappeared down the hallway. She looked back at Jason whose irritation continued to radiate, from the clench of his jaw, to the tense set of his shoulders, and the cold expression in his eyes.

“She’s just being dramatic. No one dove anywhere, and she tripped on her own feet,” Elizabeth said, tugging at the bottom of her top, though she really wanted to yank the top of it up to her collar bone. “Um, I’m sorry—”

“Give me this,” Jason said, taking the melted pack from her hand. He dumped it in the trash can, went to the freezer and found another pack.

“Um, thanks. I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean to get Emily involved in any of this. I’m usually the one holding her back.” She winced when she settled the ice against her mouth. “I’m know you’re pissed we messed up your trip and you had to get us out of jail—”

“They never should have taken you in,” Jason said shortly. “They know who Emily is, and you’re with her. That’s all they needed. But you punched the mayor’s kid, so—” He went back to the fridge, sighed when there wasn’t anything other than alcohol inside. He found the bottle of tequila. “Emily starting a bar fight, sure. But you?”

“I don’t know if I technically started it,” Elizabeth muttered. She sat at the island, watched him pour himself a shot. “And I didn’t mean to punch him that hard. And it’s not like it was much more after that. I slugged him, and he backhanded me. Emily got pissed and went after him, but tripped — she took the table down with her, and then—” She made a face. “I guess maybe I’m lucky all I got was a backhand.”

Jason set the shot glass down with a hard thud. “Why did you hit him?”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You hit the guy first, Elizabeth. Why?”

She shook her head, went towards the sofa. “It’s not a big deal. Em and I were talking, and he made a comment, and it just kind of spiraled form there.” She curled up on the sofa, hoping he’d drop it. Please, please drop it.

“Normally, I wouldn’t care,” Jason said, and his voice was closer now. She looked up and he sat down, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. “But I had to call in a favor. He was going to hold you on assault charges. Do you have any idea how complicated an international felony case would be?”

“I—” Elizabeth exhaled slowly, some of the fight draining out of her. “Emily and I were talking about relationships,” she said. “And…he overheard us. It’s embarassing, okay?” she managed, staring down at the chipped polish on her free hand. “I drank a little too much, and Emily and I were talking about how I never—I don’t know there’s going to be anyone else I trust  to be with, you know, and she was teasing me—and he sat down and he said he’d show us a good time.”

“And you punched him for that?”

“No,” Elizabeth drawled. “I punched him because he wouldn’t go away when we asked. We stood up to go, and he grabbed my arm—”

Jason sat up, looked at her. “He put his hands on you.”

“Y-Yes.” She swallowed hard. She dropped the ice pack into her lap. “He stopped me from leaving. Told me I was asking for someone to give it to me rough.” Her voice wobbled slightly. “I wasn’t. And no one’s ever going to touch me again. So I punched him. And when he backhanded me, I kicked him in the balls, and that’s when Emily tripped trying to help. So if you want to be mad—”

“I’m—” He dragged a hand down the side of his face. “I’m not mad. I’m sorry—you didn’t tell Marco that—”

“I didn’t want to get into it. I was afraid he’d say something like why didn’t you find another way to get him to go away? I could have laughed or pulled away, but I just—I reacted. I’m sorry. Emily could have been hurt, and I wasn’t thinking about her—”

“I’m not worried about her—” Jason stopped. “I mean, I’m always going to worry about her. But you—” He touched her chin, tipping her head to the side so that he could look at it. “I’m sorry. That you had to go through that. You should have been safe here.”

“I’m—” Elizabeth couldn’t quite form another word. Her brain had mostly clicked off when his fingers had brushed across her skin. She opened her mouth to try again, and his thumb slipped, brushing across her bottom lip, sending a cascade of shivers down her spine, her stomach fluttering wildly. Their eyes met—

And he didn’t move his hand.

All the nerve endings in her body were standing on end, and that was so weird, wasn’t it? The whole world had narrowed down to this moment, to Jason sitting awfully close to her, now that she thought about it, and there was nothing but the sound of waves crashing at the beach, and it was just his eyes and his skin touching hers—

And then the shower clicked off, and Jason jerked his hand away. Elizabeth practically flew to her feet. “Emily will be out soon,” she said, not sure why her voice sounded so breathy. “I need—I need a shower. Thanks for—thanks.”

And she fled.

+47

Written in 63 minutes.

March 2000

Another bikini top flew out of the closet, landing on top of Elizabeth’s sketch pad. “How many of these do you own?” she asked, sticking her pencil under the strap and flinging it across the room to Emily’s bed. “You know we’re only going for six days, right?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to do any laundry while we’re there—” Emily emerged from the closet, another pile of clothing in her arms. She dumped it on her bed. “And it’s supposed to be, like, boiling hot down there this week. I think we need to go shopping again.”

Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “We went shopping twice. I’ve been packed for two days. You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be.” She returned to her sketch, the tip of her tongue darting out as she reconsidered the height of the Ferris wheel. She didn’t think it was so high above the buildings — it was just an abandoned carnival ride rusting in a junkyard by the docks. Maybe—

“But we’re not going to be at Jason’s place the whole time,” Emily reminded her. She flicked through the dress options. “We said we were going to hop a few bars, and hit that really swanky restaurant at the resort. Jason said he’d hook us up with VIP access for everything— don’t make that face. You agreed.”

“I just don’t like how little I’ve spent on the trip, that’s all, but you don’t know how to take no for an answer.” Elizabeth set her sketch pad aside. “Take the blue dress for the restaurant. Don’t wear the purple for the bars. It’s cut too low. In fact—” She leaned over, scooped up the purple tank. “I think this should be mine—”

“Ha—” Emily snatched it back. “You’re lucky. You’re all petite and curvy. I’m like a giant stick—nothing hangs off me right—”

“One of us was a model, and one of us has stubby legs. And curvy—I think you need to get your eyes checked.” Elizabeth got to her feet, turned to the side to examine her figure in the side mirror. “I mean, I’d describe it more as speed bumps in the right places.”

“Please. Here—” Emily disappeared behind the closet door and tossed something at Elizabeth. “You’d look better in this than me.”

“The tube top? No thanks—” Elizabeth flung it back. “Listen. I was talking to Nikolas at work today, and he said Lucky’s been trying to get in touch with you.”

“Yeah, I know. I hear his voice, then I delete the messages.” Emily started to sort through the piles on the bed again. “You’re allowed to delete his messages, why can’t I?”

“I broke up with him. I didn’t want you or Nikolas in the middle of it. It’s okay with me if you want to be friends.” Elizabeth closed her sketch pad, brought it to her desk, then turned and leaned against it. “Really, Em. He’s one of your oldest friends—”

“Sure. But you’re my best friend. And that matters. Lucky made his bed, and he gets to lie in it. Besides—” Emily shrugged, even though her excitement had dimmed slightly. “He brought my brother into it when all Jason tried to do was be nice. You know I don’t play about my brother. Lucky crossed a line. He wants to get back on the right side of it, he’s going to have to work on it. Apologizing to you and meaning it would be a great start. You didn’t put me in the middle, Liz. I put myself there.” She lifted one brow. “No regrets, okay? So don’t worry.”

“Just strange, I guess. It’s been…God, almost a month. For so long, all my waking thoughts were about Lucky, and now…I don’t know. Feels weird not to think about him. You know?”

“Yeah, I know. When we come back from break, I’m going to get Juan to see if one of the guys in his dorms would be willing to do a blind date. We need to get you back out there—”

“No, thanks.” Elizabeth reached for the fluorescent pink tube top that still laid on Emily’s bed. “You really think this would look better on me?”

“One hundred percent.” Emily lit up. “Let’s have a fashion show, and we can pick out everything I should take—”

“You’re never going to finish packing, are you?”

——

On the other side of Port Charles, closer to the harbor, the topic of Emily and Elizabeth’s trip to the island was on someone else’s mind.

“I know it’s short notice,” Sonny said, pouring himself a tumbler of bourbon. He offered one to Jason, who just shook his head. “But you mentioned the trip the other day, and it got me thinking. This is a good opportunity to check on the casino in Puerto Rico, and then you could go to the island, stop in at the resort. You know, do a quick run. Neither of us have done it in a few months.”

“You want me to tag along on my sister’s trip?” Jason asked skeptically. “The whole reason I offered my place was because I wasn’t going to be there—”

“You won’t. You can fly them down there, stay a day and do the run at the island. Puerto Rico is what’s worrying me. Diego thinks there’s some trouble on the pit floor, and he wanted a fresh eye. You’d be there most of the week. Then, you know, head back, scoop up the girls, and come home.”

Jason just made a face. “Why can’t it wait?”

“You’d rather they fly commercial?” Sonny asked. He sipped his drink. “This way, you take the jet. They get a better experience, and you know, they go through security with you. You really want your sister going through the Miami airport on her own?”

“She’s not twelve, Sonny. And Elizabeth’s with her. They’ll get to the island in one piece. I’ll go in a few weeks—” Jason hesitated. “Is there a reason you want me out of town this week?”

Sonny pursed his lips. “Maybe I wanna give you a little bit of cover. Johnny’s handling something at the Oasis, and you’d be the first person Taggert goes after. You’re out of town, shepherding your sister on her Spring Break trip, it’s good for you. And Taggert doesn’t know Johnny exists.”

Jason sighed. “You should have just said that. I’ll call Emily and let her know.”

—

“How long were you planning to be gone?” Jason asked, lifting the fourth suitcase from the back of the car and setting it on the luggage cart. His sister looked at him, wide-eyed. “Don’t make that face — it’s six days—”

“She doubled her suitcases when she found out we were taking the jet,” Elizabeth said dryly, stepping up behind Emily, looping the strap of her tote over her shoulder. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, and Emily reached for a chunk of it to pull playfully. “Hey, I still have the same suitcase I packed—”

“I just wanted to options, okay? Plus, I had to bring extra for Liz, because, you know—her wardrobe is—well, it’s a little boring,” Emily said in hushed whisper. Liz elbowed her. “No, seriously, we’re traveling to the Caribbean, Liz, and you’re dressed like we’re going hiking.”

“You know, you’re insulting your brother. We’re wearing the exact same thing,” Elizabeth pointed out, gesturing at Jason in his jeans and blue shirt.

Jason eyed the blue tank top and denim cut off shorts paired with flip flops. “Not exactly,” he said, and she rolled her eyes.

“I’m comfortable, and that’s all that matters. Bite me, both of you.” Elizabeth let her sunglasses slid from the top of her head on to her eyes. “I’m gonna go stand over here while you guys continue to argue and hold up the line.”

Emily wrinkled her nose. “Is this a good time to tell you that I have another suitcase in the front seat?”

Jason squinted at her. “Is that a trick question?”

—

“I think I’m going to have to eat my words,” Elizabeth said, dropping into the seat next to Jason. “Emily’s mad at me, so she said I had to sit with you for take off.”

Jason glanced across the aisle to see Emily sticking her tongue out at both of them. “Is that a punishment for you or me?”

“Hard to tell,” Elizabeth said, buckling the belt across her lap, then reaching down into the bag she’d tucked between her legs. She pulled out a sketch pad and flipped it open. “Anyway, Emily wanted to ask you two weeks ago to use the jet and I told her no, but having flown before, it was so much nicer not dealing with other people at the gate. And these seats are much more comfortable.”

“You know, she’d do all of this anyway for herself. Why do you fight it so much?” Jason wanted to know, thumbing through the travel guide he’d brought him, trying to find the last page he’d read.

“Oh, well—” Elizabeth bit her lip, then glanced at him. “It’s like I said, I don’t like to ask for help. Or take gifts. Especially not anymore. You start letting people do things for you, and maybe you start to rely on it, you know? Like—” She paused. “My parents gave me money for the year they were going to be away. That’s all it was supposed to be. One year. Sarah came here with my grandmother, and I got left with the neighbors. I lasted exactly two months before I ditched it, spent all my money on a first class ticket to Port Charles. I figured my parents would just send me more money. It was the least they could do for abandoning me the entire year, you know?”

She started to shade something on her sketch pad. “And that’s how they liked to solve problems. Throw money at. Lizzie’s failing science? We’ll get her a tutor. Lizzie’s sleeping too much? We’ll get a fancy alarm clock. Lizzie’s ditching school? We’re hire a driver to take her to and from.” She sighed. “But then I got here, and I spent that money on the ticket, and my parents refused to send anymore. They told me that I had to grow up and start learning to take care of myself sometime. I had to get the job at Kelly’s and pay off the ticket. And there’d be no more allowance.”

Elizabeth jerked a shoulder. “And like, fine, whatever. Teach me responsibility all you want. But for four months, I didn’t have a single dime. Everything I made at Kelly’s went straight to Gram, and it sucked. Sarah didn’t have to pay for her plane ticket. And my parents sent her money. But I never got another dime from them. Not even when I graduated high school. They didn’t even bother to show up.” She looked at him. “That sounds like I’m whining, and maybe I am. But it just taught me that money doesn’t solve your problems. And it’s not the same thing as love. My parents gave me money so I’d leave them alone. After I came to Port Charles, well, they didn’t need to do that anymore. So they didn’t. I had to do it on my own. I didn’t really like it, but I guess it was a lesson worth learning.”

She flipped to another sketch in her pad. “And, well, Lucky thinks he saved me. He thinks he gets to take credit for helping me put my life back together. He thought that gave him some special ownership over me. Over that night. That’s why he did it, you know.” She met his eyes again. “Because he wanted to remind me of what he gave me. He thinks he gave me my life back. So I don’t like when people do things for me anymore. I don’t want to owe anyone. Or to let anyone feel like I do. They can’t call in debts I don’t run up in the first place. I never forget that Emily is a Quartermaine with a trust fund and all kinds of access to wealth and power through her family, and well, you. And I don’t forget who Nikolas is, either. They’re not going to think I’m their friend because of what they can do for me. Not if I don’t take advantage of them. Yeah, Emily might do all of this for herself, but at least this way, she knows I wasn’t expecting it. Or demanding it.”

Elizabeth stopped finally, then made a face. “Which is more than you wanted to know. Sorry. I tend to ramble if no one stops me. You should have cut me off.”

“Why? You weren’t done answering the question.”

She drew her brows together, confused. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

“I don’t say things I don’t mean. And I don’t like when people do things for me, either,” Jason added. “I don’t like to owe people. You’re right. They think it gives them the right to boss you around or use you. It’s better to do things for yourself. To take care of yourself.”

“Exactly.” Elizabeth flipped to another page. “See, you get it.”

“I do. I also know that Emily’s generous by nature. And if she didn’t want to include you in these kinds of things, she wouldn’t. So maybe you don’t have to fight everything. Give her break, you know? It makes her happy to make other people happy. Let her do that.”

“Oh. Oh, that was sneaky.” Elizabeth smirked, then leaned back when the pilot came over the speaker to announce that they were taxiing to the runway, and preparing for takeoff.

—

With the jet, they didn’t need to do a layover in Miami, but could fly directly into the small airport on West Plana Cays, the island Sonny owed and on which he operated a small resort. There were also a handful of villages dotting along the eastern coast of the island.

At the airport, there was a cherry red convertible waiting for them. Jason fit as much of Emily’s luggage as he could — “this is why you don’t pack your entire closet,” he told her — and arranged for the rest to follow them in another car.

Elizabeth sat in the back, enjoying the ride across the island, letting the wind blow through her hair and the view of the Caribbean as they headed for the western coast, where Jason and Sonny and a few other private villas were located. It was kind of wild to think of one person owning all of this, she thought.

The villa they pulled up to wasn’t that large, but it was open and airy with one side of the house entirely open to the beach beyond the house. The water surrounded the house on two sides, and as soon as Emily got out of the car, she made a beeline for the water, kicking off her shoes. “Come on, Liz!” she called, turning halfway down the sand between the house and the shoreline.

“You go ahead,” Elizabeth called back. “I want to get unpacked and settled.” She turned back to Jason who was lifting the trunk of the car. “Here, I’ll take mine—”

“You can go down with her, you know. I can get this into the house—” Jason set two of Emily’s suitcases down, then Elizabeth’s single bag.

“I can carry one bag. Besides, you’ll need both hands for all of Emily’s things. You know she’s going to go shopping while we’re here and have like two more suitcases when you come back to get us.”

Jason made a face, looked down at the beach where Emily was halfway into the water now, her skirt bunched up in her hands. “I didn’t even think of that.” He sighed, unloaded the last suitcase, then closed the trunk. He held out the keys. “This is yours while you’re here. You and Emily’s,” he added. “Don’t crash it.”

Elizabeth hesitated. “I’ll hold on to them for Emily, but—”

“Look, you don’t like to owe people, right? Me either,” Jason added. “And the way I see it, I owe you more than I could ever repay.”

She furrowed her brow. “How do you figure that?”

Jason looked back to the water where his sister was still calf-deep. “She wasn’t like this before you.”

“Like—” Elizabeth paused. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t remember before the accident, but I know the story. She only came to us maybe less than a year before I lost my memory. She’d lost her mother, her home, her name, pretty much everything. And it’s not like the Quartermaines are an easy family to live with. She got lost,” Jason murmured. “You know about that. The drugs.”

“Yeah, but—”

“She kept getting knocked down, and you know, she’d get back up because that’s just who she is, but she’s laughing all the time now. Happy. Silly,” Jason said after a moment. “And that didn’t happen until you.” He met her eyes. “So, like I said, you’re not the one who owes anything. I can’t ever repay what you’ve given her.”

Her throat felt tight, and her eyes blurred. “I wasn’t like this before her either, you know. Whatever you think I’ve given her, I’ve gotten back a thousand times over. I finally understand what it’s like to have a sister. So we’re even.”

“Okay maybe, but—” Jason took her hand, opened her fingers and dropped the keys in the center of her palm. “Take the car anyway.”

+49

Written in 60 minutes.

February 2000

The sting of bitter cold slapped at her cheeks and froze the few tears Elizabeth had let escape. Behind her, the back door to Kelly’s swung closed, and she leaned against the brick wall, closed her eyes.

…they’ll see who you really are and leave you, too…

…your family did…

She heard the door again, and sighed. “I’m fine, Emily. Go back inside.”

“She went after Lucky,” a familiar, but much deeper voice said, and Elizabeth’s flew open to see Jason standing awkwardly in front of her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I was going to but I think she knew I was going to throw him in the lake.” He squinted. “Not that I’d put that past her, honestly, so maybe he’s not safer with her.”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled. She straightened away from the wall and flicked away the remaining tears clinging to her lashes. “I’m okay. Really.”

“You don’t have to say that. And don’t listen to that idiot. He knows he screwed up, and he—”

“Wants to make me feel as bad as he does.  Yeah, I’m familiar with the trick. I told you, I’m fine. And honestly—” She folded her arms. “Aren’t you a little tired of always coming to my rescue?”

“Always is a strong word,” Jason said after a minute. “And I don’t think a few rides home really counts as a rescue.”

“That’s because you’re not standing on this side,” Elizabeth replied. “And I know I’m tired of it. I feel like every time I see you, it’s about Lucky, and how he’s disappointed me this time—and that should have been a clue, I guess.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “It’s just…it’s not that he wants me to feel bad. That’s standard, I guess, for breakups, though this is my first so what do I know? It’s…how he did it.” Their  eyes met. “He took something I told him in confidence—and he used it to hurt me. He keeps doing that, and it just—it makes me doubt everything I ever knew. Everything I thought we were. And I hate that. I hate that every time he’s cruel, I wonder if I was just imagining all the good parts. I hate that he’s making me doubt myself.”

Jason opened his mouth, but Elizabeth continued, “But it’s a choice, right? I could choose to listen to him, to believe him, and maybe I’d feel bad enough to take him back. But I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to believe that I don’t deserve something better. I almost did. But you wouldn’t let me, and you were right. You were right, and I’m done feeling bad about Lucky Spencer. And I’m really done making it your problem.”

“I made it my problem,” Jason said, reluctantly, but the corner of his mouth had quirked up in a slight smile. “I followed you, remember?”

“And it’s freezing out. I know you said you don’t feel the cold, but I do, so I’m going back to work. Thank you. But this is the last time you have to watch me cry over him.” Elizabeth pulled open the door, held it for him to go in first. “He doesn’t get anymore tears.”

“That’s good.” Jason placed his hand flat against the door, holding it open, and she rolled her eyes. She released her grip on the edge of the door, and went into the kitchen.

—

Emily caught up to Lucky just as he had his hand on the handle of the car door. She grabbed his arm and flung him against the back door. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Behind her, Juan skidded to a stop but stayed back as Lucky shoved her arm away, his nostrils flaring. “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you? How long have we been friends? After everything we’ve been through, you’re just going to take her side as gospel? What the hell, Emily? You know how she can lie to get her way—”

“This isn’t cheating on a high school text, Lucky! This isn’t some little prank she’s pulling to make Sarah miserable—and that was two years ago! But since you’re still the insensitive dick you were back then, maybe you think no one else has grown up either.”

“You don’t even know what happened!”

“Really? Really? I had a front row seat for six goddamn months, Lucky. Watching you pick at her every time she disagreed with you—it’s the same thing you did to me because you didn’t like Juan! You’re the most loyal friend in the world, Lucky, as long as we agree with you. But the second we disappoint? We get shoved off the island, and we’re nothing to you. I know what you said to her that night.”

“You don’t know anything—”

“You accused her of sleeping with my brother, of wanting someone with more experience to make sure she liked it this time,” Emily bit out.

“Whoa, dude, you did that?” Juan demanded. “That’s some bullshit. What kind of asshole are you?”

Lucky’s eyes dropped to the side. “I didn’t mean it the way she took it—”

“I almost wish Elizabeth was cheating on you with my brother because at least I know she was with someone who wouldn’t hurt her like that. To take the worst thing that ever happened to her and throw it at her because you didn’t like the way you smiled at her? Are you deranged? Have you lost what little sense you had left?” Emily stepped back, tears suddenly stinging her eyes. “How could you do that, Lucky? How could you ever think she’d betray you that way? Because she smiled at someone? Because her attention wasn’t focused on you? It’s disgusting what you said to her that night. What you just did to her today. And I’ll never forgive you for it. Because I’ll always be waiting for you to turn on me. You going to throw my drug addiction in my face?”

“Em, I’d never—” Lucky swallowed hard. “I’d never do that to you—”

“Why not? You threw your mother’s rape in her face? You used to tell Nikolas all the time he was the baby your mother ran from. And you just told Elizabeth everyone leaves her just like her family. Why wouldn’t you get angry at me one day, too? I’m not waiting to be next. If you can’t see what you did is beyond redemption, then I can’t help you.” Emily turned, stalked off towards the pier.

She reached the railing that overlooked the bottom of the docks, and gripped the wood hard. Juan stepped up beside her. “You okay?” he asked, stroking her back.

“He was the first friend I ever made here. I loved him so much, Juan. I always thought I’d be able to count on him forever. I don’t understand — I can’t understand how something so small could ruin everything. How did he let it destroy everything they were? She smiled at someone. She decided to live with me for a year. And he thought that was a betrayal.” Emily exhaled on a shuddering breath. “It was just a matter of time before it was me, too. It’s better this way. Better to cut him loose before he gets to hurt me the way he’s hurt Elizabeth.”

—

A few blocks over, Sonny strolled into the gaudy and garishly decorated Luke’s, and headed for the back offices where he found the man himself at his desk, a cigar in one hand, and their tax forms in another.

“I thought we hired an accountant for that,” Sonny said closing the door behind him.

“Never trust anyone with your money. You know better.” Luke removed the cigar, set it the nearby ashtray. “What brings you by?”

“Need you to pass on a warning.” Sonny tossed his jacket aside, sat down. “Your kid needs to stop telling anyone who could listen Jason’s after his girlfriend. Ex-girlfriend,” he added.

“Oh, that’s just some gossip I passed along, and you told me it was nothing—”

“I said I’d check with Jason, but that he’s never mentioned her. You know better, Luke, the truth almost never matters if the lie is more interesting. The truth of the matter is that Jason mostly minds his own business these days. Things are quiet in my neck of the woods and Moreno is currently respecting the boundaries. For now. Why do you think he’s doing that?”

Luke made a face. “Because he can’t beat you. Because every time he comes at you, you shut him up and make him weaker. What’s with the question?”

“Because I have nothing to lose. No family. No loved ones. No one who matters to me. No one whose safety I have to worry about. I can respond to Moreno without worrying he’s going to take a shot at me and hurt someone standing next to me. No one stands next to me. And no one stands next to Jason.”

Luke sighed, picked up the cigar again, inhaled, then blew out a ring of smoke. “You’re thinking Lucky spreading this kind of gossip might make Moreno think Elizabeth is worth something to Jason. That’s a little thin, don’t you think?”

“I think it’s worth keeping the status quo exactly as it is, unless you enjoyed your parking lot being shot up.”

“Didn’t much like my wife’s son taking a bullet to the neck either,” Luke muttered. “You wouldn’t be telling me to back off Lucky if there wasn’t something to this. Is Jason sniffing around Elizabeth? Because I like that girl. And if there’s a chance she and Lucky can work this out—”

“I’m not going to tell you what’s in Jason’s head or you know, anywhere else. And I don’t know Elizabeth. But Jason cares about her as a person. Whatever Lucky did to her — he pissed Jason off in the process. That’s why he got fired and kicked out. We can’t trust someone going around mouthing off about one of us. Your kid used to know better.”

“He’s all tangled up about this Elizabeth thing. Laura—she, uh, told me that maybe Lucky went a little far. Standing her up on a date. Making her get dressed up, wait for him. He regrets it, but she won’t listen to him long enough to apologize—”

“That’s none of my business. Jason’s love life isn’t my business either. But he doesn’t have a lot of people in his life either. Just his sister, and she’s too connected to the Quartermaines to touch. Same goes with Michael. Tell your kid to knock it off or I’ll be the next one to make life miserable.”

“You don’t got a right to talk about my son that way—”

“And he doesn’t have the right to walk around calling this girl a slut or cheating whore, but that’s what he’s doing, isn’t he?” Sonny got to his feet. “I asked a few people, and they were happy to share the gossip. You like him talking about her that way? You think she deserves that?”

“No.” Luke sighed. “No, I don’t.”

“So if you don’t give a shit about my business or the quiet we got right now, then maybe you give shit about this girl you say you like. Because your kid is going to say something to the wrong person, and maybe next time Jason puts him through a wall. And I’ll help him do it.”

Sonny picked up his jacket, then left.

—

“I’ll go break down the courtyard,” Elizabeth told the other waitress on the shift. “If you’ll finish up in here?”

“Yeah, and if my last table leaves before you’re done, I’ll be out.”

“Thanks.”

Elizabeth left Penny to finish up, and went outside. She folded up the chairs first, stacking them in the corners. Just as she started the last table, she heard footsteps. She looked over towards the parking lot, grimacing when Lucky stepped out of the shadows. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Yeah, I get that.” He stood there another minute, his hands in the pockets of his coat. “Weird that you guys are still using the courtyard. Aunt Ruby—”

“A few people asked in December,” Elizabeth said, folding up another chair, stacked it with the rest. “Some people like the cold. I told you that, then but you weren’t listening. Obviously.”

“Look, I just—I wanted to apologize. Okay? I didn’t—I didn’t mean it. What I said earlier. About your family.” He shifted his weight from one foot to another. “It was a low blow, and you didn’t deserve that.”

“But I deserved Valentine’s Day? And the night outside my dorm?” Elizabeth shook her head. “Some things can’t be made right.”

“I came in earlier to apologize about that stuff, okay? Nikolas—he said some things, and they stuck in my head, so I thought—I’ll come in and I’ll catch you on your break. And we could talk.” He ducked his head trying to catch her eye but she kept hers down. “Just like we used to. We used to be able to say anything to each other—”

“I thought so. But it turns out that was just you.” And she lifted her gaze to his. “You were allowed to be whoever you wanted to be with me, and I loved you anyway. Venting about your father and Nikolas, and your mother, and anyone who looked at you wrong. But I didn’t get to do that, did I? I didn’t get to tell you that I think Juan is okay, that maybe we should be supportive of Emily. I didn’t get to change my mind about where I wanted to live—”

His mouth thinned, and he looked away. “You’re changing the subject—”

“No, I’m proving that I don’t get to say anything to you. Fine. You apologized. You can go—”

“I’m just asking you for you to hear me out—”

“What is there to say?”

“I came here to apologize earlier, and I saw Jason. Okay? So I lost it. I figured he was already moving in on you, and I just—I wanted to hurt you—”

“Emily dragged him in. You know, his sister. The only reason Jason and I even see each other is because of her and because of you. You’re imagining this huge conspiracy that just doesn’t exist. Okay? He drove me home a handful of times. And then he took me out on his bike to tell me about Valentine’s Day—” she broke off. “And I don’t know why I’m explaining myself to you.”

“Because you feel guilty. Because you know—”

“Because the idea is so ridiculous that it makes me laugh! You’re the one who introduced us, Lucky. You’re the one that told me he was a nice guy and if I ever needed anything, he’d help me. Why are you so angry that you were right? And why are we still having a conversation about Jason? He doesn’t matter. Except that I smiled at him, so you decided to use the worst night of my life to punish me.”

She shoved the table into the corner. “You’ve apologized. Fine. We have nothing else to say to each other.”

“I’m just asking for you to try to understand—”

“Understand what?” Elizabeth whirled back around, her eyes flashing. “What? I gave you the darkest pieces of myself because I thought you’d keep them safe, and you used them to hurt me. My family not loving me? And the rape—” Her mouth trembled. “Did you know that I almost forgave you for Valentine’s Day. Jason told me that you intended to do it, and I almost talked myself into forgetting about it. If you hadn’t been there that night, I might have.”

Lucky swallowed hard. “What do you mean—”

“I mean that I might have kept believing you were the only man I’d ever trust enough to let into my life. The only man I’d ever trust enough to touch me. Valentine’s Day. I was going to ask to go back to your room. Because I thought I might be ready to show you how much I loved and trusted you. But you never came, and thank God for that. Thank God you showed me what you really thought before I gave you that last piece.”

“Elizabeth, please—” He stepped towards her, but she threw up her hands.

“No. No. I worked so hard not to be that girl. To not wake up and have that night be the first thing I thought about. I didn’t want to be the broken girl anymore, and that’s what you did. You put me right back in that night. You looked at me, and you accused me of sleeping with someone I barely know because you saw me smile at him.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, hot and furious. “And then you said what you said. Did you think I didn’t fight enough that night, Lucky? That the only reason it haunts me is because I didn’t like it?”

“No, no, please, come on, that’s not what I ever—” He came towards her again but she darted away again.

“I will never be able to look at you again and not remember what you said. You made me feel dirty and ashamed all over again. For so long, I blamed myself. For lying. For wearing that dress. For sitting on that bench. For not fighting hard enough to make it stop. And you made it a cheap insult you threw at me in the middle of a completely different argument.  I can’t be with someone who makes me feel that way. We need to be done. We are done. And you need to go.”

Lucky swallowed hard, looked away. “Okay. I’ll go. But you need to admit something before I go. I deserve the truth—”

She laughed. “Oh, you do, do you? Fine. What do you want me to admit?”

“That I’m not crazy.” He waited for her to look at him. “You need to admit that you laughing and smiling at Jason the way you do — that’s not innocent.”

All of this — and he still didn’t get it. “No, you need me to admit that so you can have someone else to blame for what you did. For what you’ve said. And I won’t make this easy for you. I won’t give you a scape goat. Jason is a friend who was kind when I needed it. I won’t apologize for that. This is on you, and you’ll have to live with that.”

Lucky glowered at her, then turned and stalked away. Elizabeth took a deep breath, then sat  in the last chair she hadn’t yet folded up. She listened to the sound of his car as it left the parking lot.

And let the silence that followed surround her. It was over. Really over. She put her head down on the table, and wept bitterly.

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