This is in response to IsisIzabel’s “Triangle” challenge. Basically, Jason would be forced to choose between Sonny and Elizabeth. A lot of great authors entered this challenge back then, and I had a lot of fun writing it.
Timeline
It’s February 20003. Jason and Courtney are dating — Sonny knows and has reluctantly given his approval. Brenda and Jax have both left town and have nothing to do with this story. While Elizabeth does know about Jason and Courtney’s relationship, they never had the confrontation in Kelly’s.
I remember that this was a challenge response (possibly issued by Stephanie aka ILETUDRIVE) — what if Elizabeth turned out to be Jerry’s daughter? This was back in 2002, when Jerry was still the affable and lovable Julian Stone, who’d been on the show from about 1997-98, engaged to Bobbie. Now, of course, he’s the evil psychopath. I’ve mostly come to terms with the change, but I thought a disclaimer was necessary here.
Another note about this story: It’s one of the oldest stories on the site. I began writing it in October 2002. The only full-length story that’s older is Surviving the Past. So it’s not exactly fantastic, but I kind of think the Jax moments are hysterical, so there’s that.
I beg of you to remember that I was eighteen back then 😛
Background
This story is set in the fall of 2002, after the Alcazar story wraps up. I don’t really care how–it has no effect on this story. Brenda’s dying but she’s not really in this story. Jax didn’t get shot, he’s not paralyzed and he didn’t try to push Skye away. Skye is insanely jealous and insecure about Brenda.
Sonny does not know about Alexis’s baby, so he and Carly are still tight. Roy left Port Charles and went to Miami. The scene with Elizabeth and Jason took place when she left. They’ve been avoiding each other for the past two months as it is now early December. Zander left for Florida. Gia left town. Lucky, Luke and Lulu are in London. Nikolas and Elizabeth are friends again.
This was a challenge from The Canvas, issued in early September. I’m so sorry that I can’t remember the username right now — I only remember that they wrote fanfiction I liked, lol. They wanted a montage like the good old days in the late 1990s and they specifically wanted the timestamps. This was right around the time Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol, and I’d heard this song on the radio while driving to class.
Recap
This is set in September 2002, after Sonny faked his death, and Jason wasn’t coming home to the penthouse often. The story also features Carly and Sonny, AJ and Courtney, and Skye and Jax.
[00:00-00:18}
What if I told you
It was all meant to be
Would you believe me
Would you agree
Carly enters the room of the safe house. Her hand flies to her mouth as she sees Sonny standing before her. Tears fill her eyes as she drinks in the sight she thought she’d never see again.
[00:19-00:35]
It’s almost that feelin’
That we’ve met before
So tell me that you don’t think I’m crazy
When I tell you love has come here and now
AJ unlocks the door to the apartment and enters. He closes it behind him and turns to see the apartment decorated in candles. Courtney is leaning against their dining table, smiling. AJ closes his eyes and thanks whatever miracle brought him here.
[00:36-00:53]
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Some people search forever
For that one special kiss
Skye’s eyes drift open and she looks over at Jax sleeping next to her. She can hear another storm raging outside—and she’s so thankful that she’s here, safe from her own personal thunder and rain.
[00:54-01:08]
Oh, I can’t believe it’s happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Jason rubs his eyes as he enters the penthouse. He’d just dropped Carly off with Sonny—and he wasn’t looking forward to this moment. He spies Elizabeth sitting on the couch, wrapped in an afghan. A weak smile graces his face as he realizes she fell asleep sitting up, waiting for him.
[01:10-01:22]
Everything changes
But beauty remains
Something so tender
I can’t explain
Carly hesitates only a moment before throwing herself into Sonny’s arms. She clings to him, the tears she’d tried to desperately to hide spilling down her cheeks. Sonny wraps his arms tightly around her and hopes she’ll understand why he did this.
[01:23-01:40]
Well I may be dreamin
But still lie awake
Can we make this dream last forever
And I’ll cherish all the love we share
Courtney takes a short step from the table. AJ drops his keys next to the door and closes the rest of the distance. He touches her face, amazed at this beautiful woman who’s made his life worth living again.
[01:41-02:09]
A moment like this
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Some people search forever
For that one special kiss
I can’t believe it’s happening to me
Some people wait a life time
For a moment like this
Skye tightens her grip on Jax and sighs. She’d be willing to elope tonight if he would let her. All she wanted to do was spend the rest of her life proving to him that trusting her again would not be a mistake.
[02:12-02:24]
Could this be the reign of love above
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall
Jason crouches next to Elizabeth. Her head is resting on the armrest and her face is scrunched up. He knows he should go upstairs and not touch her but he can’t resist brushing a piece of hair out of her face.
[02:25-02:37]
So let me tell you this
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment like this
Carly pulls away from Sonny and stares at him for a second. She shocks them both by slapping him—the sound echoing in the nearly empty room. She throws her arms around him all over again.
[02:38-02:47]
Some people spend two lifetimes
For a moment like this
Some people search forever
The dinner forgotten, AJ and Courtney are dancing to music only they can hear. He’s holding so tightly—he’s afraid that he ever lets go, she disappear like the angel that she is. He leans in to kiss her, relishing that for one moment in his life, it’s perfect.
[02:48-02:58]
For that one special kiss
Oh I can’t believe it’s happening to me
Some people wait a lifetime
Jax opens his eyes to look at Skye sleeping peacefully. Some might say he was justifiably insane for accepting her back in his life—but he couldn’t honestly imagine his life without the fiery redhead that made everything worth it.
[02:59-03:06]
For a moment like this
Elizabeth opens her eyes sleepily and smiles. Jason is home—he’s safe. “Hi,” she whispers. “I made you a sandwich—it’s in the fridge.” He stares at her, his blue eyes filled with emotion. Elizabeth notices his hair is wet and runs her hand through it. “You’ll catch a cold.” He clasps her hand as it traces his jaw and presses a soft kiss to her palm.
[03:07-03:22]
Oh, like this
Some people search forever oh yeah
Carly kisses Sonny passionately—scared to death that that he’ll disappear. She can’t quite believe he’s here with her. She just buried him—and now she’s standing here, with him. His warm body pressed against hers—Carly was floating and never wanted to come down.
[03:23-03:30]
Some people wait a lifetime
For a moment
Jason released her hand and moves to stand. She reaches out both hands and grasps his shoulders to keep him at eye level. “I’m glad you’re home.” Home. A foreign concept to Jason that he thinks might get used to.
“I had someone to come home to,” Jason whispers, touching her face. She smiles. And for one brief moment in his constantly changing and moving world—for this moment—he lets himself love her.
Shadows picks up shortly after the Port Charles Hotel fire in 2004. If you remember correctly, at first, Zander was assumed dead in the fire, murdered by a blow to the head, which it was revealed that Elizabeth had inflicted. This story assumes that first story was the truth, and deals with the fallout.
Timeline
It’s been about ten years since this storyline (!) so here are the pertinent details to remember about the rest of the characters: Elizabeth is pregnant with Cameron, she is still married to Ric, having remarried after the panic room. Carly and Sonny are in the middle of a very bad divorce. Jason and Courtney’s marriage is over, for reasons I don’t remember because I mostly pretend Courtney stopped doing anything after 2002, so I can still like her. Emily and Nikolas are together.
AJ is still out of town, having left after divorcing Courtney. (Without Lydia and embezzling money, because the head writer at the time, Bob Guza, was a dick and that was a stupid storyline. I’m a sucker for AJ). I’ve aged Michael for two reasons: storyline purposes and the kid in the picture below is my younger version of the current Michael (not Chad Duell, but Jackson Bond, a blonde-haired, brown-eyed boy who looks a lot like him)
