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Counting to Ten

Chapter 23

"Morgan" Jason answered his phone trying to concentrate and focus to see his alarm clock on his beside table.

It was three am. He had been asleep for no more than an hour. After picking up Elizabeth from work, they went to get Cameron and then speak to the real estate agent about a house she found. They had a light dinner in her hotel suite, well his but she was the current resident. Their evening finished on the couch, as has been the norm for the past three days. This night, the only difference was his detour back to the house she chose. He wanted to see it at night. Wanted to know how easy it was to infiltrate. Therefore, he, Spinelli and Milo all met and played their version of War Games into the wee hours of the morning.

It was a quaint little three bedroom cottage on the outskirts of Port Charles, just off the highway leading in to Crimson Point. Even though it was in a remote location, the property itself was amenable for his men to secure it without too much intrusion. He would need to install a fence in the back yard so that Cameron could play without being out in the open as a sitting target. He would replace the windows and install a secured alarm system and a few surveillance cameras. There was a useless bathroom downstairs that could easily be changed into a panic room and still remain a half bath. All in all, Jason was satisfied with the choice or residence.

Elizabeth found the location herself through a website for rental properties. What she didn't know is that Spinelli had been assigned to scout locations and then post several options for her to choose from. Jason then called in a favor of his cousin Ned to use ELQ holdings to purchase these properties and set them up for rent to own. Once Elizabeth made her choice, ELQ could put the others on the market at fair value. However, the one Elizabeth chose, was a steal.

Jason knew the level of dishonesty but Elizabeth's price range put her in dangerous neighborhoods or in dumps and rundown houses that needed too much restoration to be safe for her and Cameron. In all, she was paying and he was not directly involved so he allowed Spinelli to arrange the subterfuge after the young hacker suggested it. A quick call to his cousin and all Jason had to do is wait to find out which one she picked.

After she asked him to drive by the place, he suggested she allow him to fence the yard and install the security as a house warming gift. Since it was a rent to own place, he knew her intention so it was a viable excuse. She complied quite happily, knowing that her little boy would be safe from wandering into the woods that lined the property. Besides, she already had guards for her and Cameron, what's a little technological equipment and a fence?

"Mr. Morgan? I apologize for waking you." The voice pleaded with the mobster.

"Who is this?" Jason barked out.

"This is Tommy Chun from the MetroCourt. I felt you should know that Mrs. Jacks overheard one of our night staff talking about the young woman and child staying in your suite. I believe she may be headed up there now. I tried to stop" Tommy Chun heard the definite sound of the click to end the call. He stared at the phone receiver a moment then shrugged and hung the handle back into its cradle.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jason bypassed the elevator for the stairs. He could be up the eight flights of stairs way before the car reached the ground floor to transport him. His legs sprinted the stairs two at a time in the circular motion up the fire protective stairwell and forcefully yanked the door to the eighth floor of suites.

As soon as the hotel desk clerk mentioned that Carly knew that Elizabeth was staying there, he knew there would be trouble. Anytime Carly was made aware that he was at his suite, she would purposefully use her master key to enter and imbed herself into whatever dealings he was involved in at the time. The fact that it was a woman staying there at Jason's request would make matters worse.

She knew little about Elizabeth, only what Michael and Morgan had told her. She also knew that a little boy had been having daily play dates with Morgan for the past few days but usually they were at Sonny's or the little boy was already gone when she got home from work. The connection had not been made, Jason was sure of it because had Carly Roberts Quartermaine Corinthos Jacks made the connection, Jason would have been the first to hear the screeching tantrum. For Elizabeth's sake, he hoped he was in time to cut her off at the pass.

Turning the corner he cringed. He was too late. Surprisingly though, it was Elizabeth he heard yelling.

"Who are you? You better tell me who you are right now before I beat you to death then call the police."

Jason rounded the short wall of the suite to find Carly on the floor gasping for air, rolling around clutching at her chest and rubbing her eyes. Elizabeth stood over her with her keychain in one hand, still pointing the tear gas canister and holding the bat he gave her with the other hand. Cameron was in the corner, near the bedroom door crying and cowering behind a fake tropical plant. Jason bypassed the scene on the floor and scooped Cameron up in his arms, running his hand over the little boy's back attempting to sooth his fear.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?" Jason asked.

"This woman just broke into our hotel room." Elizabeth panted, adrenaline pumping as she swayed back and forth, never letting her eyes leave the intruder writhing on the floor.

Jason smiled. That'll teach Carly. She finally let herself in to a situation she could not get out of. He looked at the scene and laughed. HE LAUGHED!

"I don't see what's so funny." Elizabeth finally spun around and Jason's heart skipped a beat as he noticed the clothes she had on, or rather lack of clothes. She had her hair messily atop her head and a short red tank top that just covered her breasts and black short shorts.

Finally starting to come out of the sensation of her throat closing on her, Carly sputtered and choked and sat up recognizing the male voice in the room. "J-Jason? What the fuck?"

"Carly, there's a little boy in the room. Watch your language." Jason admonished as he moved closer and pulled the bat from Elizabeth's hand. Elizabeth was so jumpy he feared she still had some fight in her.

"Jason, I can't…everything is blurry. Someone attacked me. Some"

"Uh…Carly, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Elizabeth." His head dipped and he looked upward at Elizabeth's astonished face from the name he had just mentioned. "Elizabeth, honey…this is my best friend Carly Jacks. She's the one that owns this place."

"Oh My GOD!" Elizabeth immediately dashed over to the mini bar and grabbed a towel and two bottles of water. "I am so sorry. I didn't…I didn't know and when I heard someone breaking in"

"I wasn't breaking in. I have my own key." Carly blindly jingled the set of a dozen keys in her hand as she waved them in the air. "You've got some fucking nerve you little"

"CARLY THAT'S ENOUGH!" Jason boomed.

"Yeah, those bad words and you gonna get a time out. Right Jason?" Cameron spoke up and looked for confirmation from the man he was fast getting to know and love.

"That's right Cam. Carly, you need to watch your language."

"But"

"You brought this on yourself Carly." Jason interrupted as he stopped Elizabeth in her hasty trek toward the blonde and handed off Cameron taking the towel and water at the same time. He pulled Carly to her feet and walked her over to the couch, sat next to her and handed her one bottle to drink from while he used the other to soak the towel and rub at her eyes. "I have told you time and time again that you should knock or call me before you just come barging in here."

"Well, what's she doing here?" Carly asked drinking from the water to soothe her throat. The tear gas took about twenty five minutes to completely clear from her system but after ten minutes vision started to improve and the tightness in the victim's chest and throat usually had subsided.

"SHE is here because I asked her to stay here." Jason responded adding more water to the towel and using his other hand to push her hair behind her ears. Elizabeth and Cameron remained silently in the corner of the room near the now closed door. "You are just lucky your staff alerted me. You may have ended up with some broken bones."

Elizabeth glanced at the bat leaned up against the dining table chair and then back at the blonde and grimaced at the thought of what she had already done and what she was gearing up to do before Jason ran in. She hugged Cameron running her fingers through his curls and both Webbers remained silent.

"Well why didn't you tell me someone was staying here? Especially HER! I mean…Jason…I'm your best friend. I should have known." Carly asked finally getting her vision fully restored and sizing up the petite brunette standing before her.

"I…well…I wasn't ready to share Elizabeth and Cameron with anyone yet." Jason admitted and he wasn't lying. He hadn't introduced her to or even remotely spent any time with anyone else since she came to town. Only in unavoidable circumstances did anyone other than Letecia even get an introduction with Elizabeth or Cameron. They stuck to out of the way places, quiet parks and the hotel suite.

"Share? WAIT! Did you say girlfriend?" Carly asked now skeptically peering at the little twit in front of her.

"Yes Carly, I did. And I expect you to behave when you are around her. No threats, no snide remarks and no nasty looks or crazy plans to do away with her. Got it?"

"Hmmff" Carly crossed her arms over her chest and grabbed the towel from Jason's hand that was against her cheek sliding down from her forehead. "What the hell was that stuff you sprayed in my face? You know Jason, I don't think it's me that's being nasty. I mean honestly, is that any way to treat the best friend of your new boyfriend."

"But you" Jason now cut Elizabeth off.

"Elizabeth sprayed you with tear gas just like you and Letecia carry. You are lucky it wasn't worse. You didn't announce yourself and she's here with her little boy. Tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if someone came into your room."

"Well…I would" Carly nodded in agreement while looking down at the towel and then up at the little boy who looked to be Morgan's age. "Wait, is this Morgan's little friend he's been playing with? You're the girl from Disney World. Aren't you?"

"Yes, look I am soooo sorry for…well…I'm really sorry." Elizabeth sang the words. This was not how she wanted to meet Jason's best friend. Letecia had already warned her about the lengths Carly would go for Jason to the detriment of any woman who looked his way and many times the detriment of Jason himself.

"Carly, she apologized. Don't you have something to say?" Jason raised an eyebrow as the words came off his lips in warning.

"Like what. Thanks for spraying me blind in my own damn hotel." Carly huffed looking from Jason to Elizabeth.

"Uh oh, bad words" Cameron said as he lifted his little hand to cup his chin and watch to see what punishment Morgan's mommy was going to get. He knew it was her because Morgan had a picture of himself, his brother and his mother in his room and had told Cameron who the woman was.

"That's right Cam, bad words. I warned you Carly. Now you have to be put in time out."

"Time out?" Carly scoffed as Jason stood lifting her by the arm as he did. She looked at him then down at his hand gripping her arm.

"Yes time out. And the place for your time out is right…out…here." He opened the door and shoved her into the hallway as he spoke and then only heard a slight squeak as the door slammed in her face.

Jason locked the lock on the door and put the chain in place then turned and leaned up against the slab of wood and rubbed over his face with the palm of his hand.

"I don't think you should have done that." Elizabeth worried walking over and sitting on the couch with a yawning Cameron in her lap immediately nestling his head into his mother's chest.

"She'll be alright but she needs to calm down. Now isn't the time to get to know her. She'll be better tomorrow and I'll go see her. We'll plan to get together sometime soon when all the kids are around so she has to behave." Jason said as he walked over to her and sat down placing an arm around her over the back of the couch and leaning in to make faces at Cameron while rubbing his hand over hers on his back.

Cameron climbed from his mother's lap to Jason's and resumed his position. Jason's arms instinctively came down around the little boy and Elizabeth's heart clinched as she watched the loving display between the boy she loved with all of her heart and the man she was slowly giving it to.

"You keep saying she has to behave. You know, I don't understand. I mean…Letecia has told me some stories but I figured the other women had maybe done something to her or more specifically to hurt you that caused her to be mean and spiteful but I am getting the impression that's not the case."

"Well, you are right, that's not usually the case but you did just gas her and then threaten to break her knee caps. This time it's going to be a little different." Jason laughed and Cameron looked up at him and smiled.

"You young man need to get back to sleep." Jason said as he flicked the boy's nose with his index finger.

"Jason will you have a sleep over?" Cameron asked and Jason immediately shot a look to Elizabeth.

"I would love to Cam but I don't think it's a good idea tonight. Maybe you guys could have a sleep over at my place and Morgan can come." Jason responded after seeing the negative shake of Elizabeth's head. A pout was eminent on both male faces.

"When?" Cameron asked.

"We'll see Cam." Elizabeth replied as she lifted the boy from Jason's arms and carried him in to the bedroom.

"Elizabeth?" Jason stopped her just before she entered the room.

"Yes?" she turned with Cameron in her arms.

"Can…can I put him to bed?" he wanted that intimate moment with the little boy especially after he had asked Jason to stay.

"Ummm…yeah." She said as she tilted her head toward the room inviting him in to join her.

XXXXXXXXXX

Elizabeth woke up in Jason's arms. A book Jason had given Cameron on Africa that he bought the little boy in Animal Kingdom after their safari ride was still clasped in his hand that was around her shoulder and Cameron was laying on his chest. Jason and Cameron were both asleep and a small blanket was draped over Cameron. Jason was still fully dressed, boots and all, and his head was lifted under a stack of pillows so that he could read the book.

This is how they were at four in the morning when Jason went in to help put Cam to bed. Cameron asked Jason to read to him and he lay on the bed then Cameron climbed up on top of him. Since there were very few pictures in the book, Cameron had rolled over chest to chest with Jason and that's when Elizabeth took root in the crook of Jason's arm and his side. Jason possessively had an arm over Cameron with his hand gently holding the boy's head and the other arm, with the book, around Elizabeth as he continued to read to both of them.

She gently pulled away and he tightened his grip as his eyes fluttered open. "Hi"

"Hey" she said.

"I…I guess I fell asleep."

"We all did."

"You first then Cam. It felt so good having you two with me I just…I just kept reading. I'm sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

"I know you didn't want me to stay. I should have just left when you went to take Cameron to bed."

"You're wrong Jason. I WANTED you to stay. I just don't know what to tell Cameron. I mean…"

"Move in with me. Just until you move into your place. Cameron will have his own room and…and"

"I'll share yours?"

"Elizabeth, I love you. You know that right?"

"Yes. I love you too."

"If we love each other, why can't we tell Cameron that and explain to him that we want to be together."

"I don't think that's something you tell a four year old Jason. I mean jeez…I was thinking I would have that talk when he was like fourteen or something."

"Well if Michael is any indication, you may want to do it about three years earlier but…that's not what I was talking about. I mean tell him that we want to spend all of our time together. To have" a smile played his face "sleepovers every night until you move into your new house and then a lot more after that."

"How would we tell him?"

"You mean you're saying yes?"

"Well…it's only for a week. The realtor said we could have the keys next week. And I doubt your best friend wants me here anymore so…how do we tell Cam?"

Jason pulled her into his arm tighter and shifted so that he didn't wake the sleeping child. He leaned down and brushed his lips to Elizabeth's savoring the taste. Lingering for a moment and pulling her bottom lip into his mouth and nibbling slightly. Then he leaned back and brushed a stray curl away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "We tell him that we are having a sleepover at my house. Then we play it from the hip until he starts getting used to me being around. We go slow but together. In the beginning I always make sure I am on the couch sleeping when he wakes up each morning Sound good?"

"Only if you are in bed with me the rest of the time."

"THAT is a deal!"