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Beta: linlawless

Elizabeth jerked awake, her heart racing and her body moving restlessly against the sheets. She sat up quickly, looking around in the darkness for the other person she was sure was there. Her chest heaved and her heart pounded so hard she thought it was going to break through her ribs. She put a hand to her forehead and flopped back when she realized it was just her and a slightly disturbed Morgan in the room.

She had been sure Jason was there. In fact, she had been sure Jason was there with minimal clothing. She groaned when she realized that the bed had been much larger in what she had been so certain was reality-she had just remembered part of her night with Jason in Las Vegas. The memory was quick-mere snippets of what she was sure had been hours of passion.

Elizabeth found her fingers digging into the sheets, legs moving agitatedly against each other, and moaned, rolling onto her stomach to let her legs dangle in the air. She felt Morgan jump back up onto the bed, apparently certain it was now safe, and reached to scratch behind the dog's ears, feeling soothed by her presence.

The thought that she would have to go downstairs and eat breakfast with Jason made her pause in her movements. She swallowed deeply, wincing. How in the world was she going to do that? How was she supposed to look at him with the memory that they had had sex together so up front in her mind? How she had dealt with that memory before wasn't exactly something she would want to repeat, she reflected. Screaming a lot and demanding satisfaction would certainly give Jason whiplash from the sudden reversal in her behavior.

Morgan whimpered and licked her cheek, bringing Elizabeth back to the present. She stroked the dog's head and rolled onto her back again, sitting up in bed. Morgan plopped herself down in her lap and licked her chops, perfectly comfortable.

Elizabeth sighed, rubbing her forehead. The fever had gone down considerably since she'd started petting Morgan, but panic was still settled firmly in place. She couldn't stay upstairs forever. He'd come up and knock on the door and make her stay home from work. Of course, she could always pretend she was asleep, but then he might panic and come in. Besides, she still had to take her medicine. It was unavoidable-she would have to see him.

"It's just horrible, isn't it, Morgan?" Elizabeth asked aloud, looking down at the dog.

Morgan lifted her head, ears pricked forward as she listened.

"Yep, I know," Elizabeth continued, shaking her head morosely. "Awful. Well, there's no sense in delaying the inevitable. What do you say? You want to go see Daddy Jason?"

She winced inwardly at the use of this title that had quickly become habit since Morgan took a liking to Jason. The dog was so excited to see him that Elizabeth knew he had to be promoted from simply "Jason." She never used this in front of Jason, of course. She knew he wouldn't be very appreciative of being called "daddy" of a dog.

Morgan, however, seemed to love it, for she leapt up and bounded to the door, wagging her tail as she waited for Elizabeth to join her. Elizabeth chuckled, glad that someone was looking forward to the tension that was sure to greet them downstairs. She pulled on her robe and slippers, then opened the door for the both of them.

Morgan trotted ahead of her and waited on the landing, seeming stuck between running ahead to Jason and staying with her mom. Elizabeth eventually caught up and the dog seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, walking alongside her. When she stopped at the entrance to the kitchen, Morgan stopped and whimpered up at her, confused. Elizabeth took a deep breath and stroked her head gently.

"Well…here we go."

She stepped forward and found Jason sitting in his usual seat at the island, sipping coffee and reading a newspaper. He looked up from the paper and when his eyes met hers, he smiled. He'd been doing it for days now, but for some reason this time it made electricity numb her toes and fingers and tingle its way into her body. She breathed heavily, feeling her heart pound faster again and her body temperature rise.

"Morning," Jason said just moments later, glancing over her with concern in his eyes.

Elizabeth cleared her throat and forced herself to focus. "Morning."

She pushed her foot forward, though she felt like she was pulling it out of quicksand, and managed to walk past him to go about her normal routine. Luckily, he only watched her for a few moments before returning to his paper and eventually her body calmed, once Jason's attention was firmly focused elsewhere. She sat down with her cereal and glanced over at her husband twice. He shuffled his papers, unaware of her staring.

"So, did you sleep well?" he asked, making her jump out of her skin.

"Uh…um…." Elizabeth closed her eyes and was immediately attacked by the image of the skin of Jason's chest under her hand as it flexed while he moved repeatedly…. "Fine. You?" she finally managed to squeak out, rather hoarsely.

Jason shot her a concerned glance and she shrank down on her stool, avoiding his eyes.

"Yes, thank you," he said eventually, though he sounded a tad disconcerted by her behavior.

He remained mercifully silent for the rest of the meal and Elizabeth was able to find comfort in the restoration of their normal routine. And what was she so scared of anyway? It was just a memory from a drunken mistake-nothing to get upset over. After all, Jason probably had some memories, too, and he wasn't freaking out.

Elizabeth jumped when Morgan licked her hand, then chuckled and stroked the dog's head. Jason stuck their dishes in the dishwasher, then turned to face her.

"What are your plans today?" he asked, as per usual, though she noticed that today he seemed to be taking a keener interest.

"I-I have to work for a little bit today. Tammy wants to get me started going again slowly," she told him, rolling her eyes dramatically at the evident distress displayed by everyone around her.

Jason smiled. "It's not a bad idea, Elizabeth. Even if you are feeling better."

She shrugged, finding it easier to smile this time.

"What time does your shift end?" he inquired after a moment, lowering his eyes.

"Twelve-thirty." She peered at him curiously as he shifted, clearing his throat.

"Well…I was thinking…I mean, only if you want to. That w-we could eat lunch there. Together," Jason said hesitantly, shifting and stuffing his hands in his pockets, as though he didn't know what else to do with them.

Elizabeth grinned at his adorable awkwardness. "Jason, we've been hanging out pretty comfortably for almost a week now. I think it's okay to ask me out to lunch."

He cleared his throat. "Yes, well…do-does that mean you'll…I mean, that we can…?"

He looked up at her, plainly hoping for some compassion. She smiled.

"Yes, I will eat lunch with you, Jason," Elizabeth told him delightedly.

His eyes lit up and she could tell he was fighting not to smile.

Jason went to work for the morning a few minutes later and she took a quick shower before heading for work. She felt a skip entering her step again and she smiled at everyone she passed, though she tried to dim the effects of happiness spreading through her. It was just lunch-nothing special.

Elizabeth wiped off the counter with a dry towel, smiling with satisfaction when she saw that the coffee spill was officially gone. It had happened earlier that morning, and ever since then, the customers avoided the spot as though it was covered in spiders, rather than decaf. She swung the towel over her shoulder and nodded to herself, then quickly drooped as she looked around the empty café.

This was the worst time of day-the time between the breakfast and lunch rush. No customers were around and most of the waitresses were taking their lunch breaks, so she was left alone in the room. When she had a night shift, she would simply turn on the juke box and go about cleaning the tables. During the day, this was not an option, since there were other people around and she tended to dance when she turned on the music-it would be far too embarrassing to let the other waitresses see her tendency to dance like a fool.

Rather than let random thoughts drift through her head and take her to places she didn't really want to go-like more memories of Vegas-she started focusing on wiping down the rest of the tables so that there wouldn't be any more disgusted customers. The bell rang by the time she was on the fifth table and she looked up, eager to serve someone and keep busy, when she realized it was Jason.

Elizabeth's brain froze for a moment as she stared at him, hit once again with that surprisingly pleasant numbing of the fingers and toes and tingling through her core. The heat intensified when he smiled at her.

"Hey," Jason said as he strode toward her. "Sorry I'm a little early."

Elizabeth nodded dumbly and opened her mouth, trying to force words out. His brow furrowed in concern. Speak, woman, speak!, she yelled internally.

"I-um…that's okay. I was just…finishing up. Uh…did you want me to get you anything while you're waiting?" she managed, relieved that some part of brain was functioning enough to come up with appropriate things to say.

Jason smiled that dazzling smile again. "No, thanks, I'll wait for you."

Elizabeth tried to speak again, but instead air simply flew past her lips. She nodded and turned away, holding her forehead and squeaking to herself. Why was this happening to her? Why couldn't things just be normal? She arrived at the counter and saw that Jason had chosen his normal table and was perusing the menu, even though he would most likely be ordering the same thing as always, she reflected. She smiled a little, then shook her head and tried to focus on work.

As she restocked the napkin holder, filled coffee cups, and wiped tables, the heat gradually faded again. She sighed in relief when Jason smiled at her and she was actually able to offer a genuine smile back. At least she knew it would go away if she just went about her business. It was still too weird though, whatever it was. She made a mental note to talk to Emily about it.

Eventually, Penny arrived to relieve her of her duties and Elizabeth took off her apron in the back before joining Jason out in front.

"Hi," she said, breathlessly. "Sorry that took so long-the other girls were taking their lunch breaks."

He smiled. "It's okay. So…how has your day been so far?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Oh…same old, same old. Yours?"

Jason smirked. "Same old, same old."

She didn't know why, but the way he was looking at her made her cheeks flush and she ducked her head. It wasn't the same heat that kept attacking her before-instead it was more embarrassment and shyness that was harassing her. At least she actually knew how to deal with these emotions.

"So, what can I get for you?" Penny asked suddenly.

Elizabeth jumped and looked up. "Um…you know, just the usual. Thanks."

Penny nodded and jotted it down. "And for you?"

"My usual," Jason said without preamble.

"Okay, it'll be up in just a few."

Penny strode away and Elizabeth breathed out. It still felt odd to be around Jason and other people. She felt like they would know what had happened just by looking at them. Besides that, she always felt as though the others took up too much of his attention. Not that he didn't pay enough attention to her-just the opposite, in fact. Ever since the motorcycle ride he'd been as attentive as she could've hoped. It was just that she wanted him to herself, which she knew was silly, since they were almost always alone and when they spoke with others it was very brief, but she couldn't help it. She simply wasn't willing to share.

Elizabeth was once again surprised to find how easy it was to talk to Jason. Once she relaxed and pushed past the fear that someone would discover their secret with one look, the conversation flowed quickly along, uninterrupted for the most part. It was time for him to go back to work too soon for her-she wanted to keep on talking there for hours. She walked him out, since she was going to go meet Emily anyway, and she was just in the midst of laughing with him over something one of the guards had said when she caught sight of her grandmother coming around the corner.

Audrey froze in place, eyes darting between Jason and Elizabeth. Elizabeth's breath hitched and she glanced inconspicuously up at Jason when she felt his hand brush her shoulder blades. His eyes were on Audrey, cold and hard as they had been when he'd looked on his mother two days earlier. She recognized the look as the same one he had bestowed on her when he caught her rifling through his secret box-the look that she now knew meant he was trying to keep the other person at a distance, so they could only see the ice, not the fire beneath. She realized he hadn't used that look on her since that very night and almost allowed herself a sigh of relief, but her focus drifted quickly back to her grandmother.

Audrey offered Jason a glare as well and cleared her throat, going to move past them. Elizabeth whirled and called after her. Her grams halted, but didn't turn around.

"Please…I just want to say," Elizabeth said uncertainly, "that…I'm really sorry for everything. And I understand why you're angry with me, but I love you."

Audrey nodded once and walked inside, dismissing the both of them. Elizabeth felt all her hopes of reconciliation with her grandmother crash and burn as the door swung shut behind Audrey. She nearly let out a sob, but restrained the urge to cry and turned back toward Jason. He was watching her with that warmth and concern she'd come to expect to see in his eyes.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Um, you have to go back to work, right? I guess I'll see you at home," she said quickly, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.

Jason sighed, obviously displeased, but he nodded.

"Okay. I'll see you then."

He shot another glance over his shoulder as he walked away and disappeared around the corner. Elizabeth breathed out, shaking her head to clear it of Audrey for the time being. Right now, it was time for some good old quality time with Ms. Emily Quartermaine, Mr. Ben, and Mr. Jerry, a.k.a. the best friend and the bucket of ice cream.

Emily had taken one look at Elizabeth's forlorn face and immediately snatched the largest carton of chocolate ice cream she could find in the freezer. It was such a beautiful day that the two decided to sit out in the garden, where Lila was tending to her roses. Luckily, she was far enough away that she couldn't hear what to two were saying, so Elizabeth felt free to speak her mind. Lila was a wonderful person, and Elizabeth was very fond of her, but there were just certain things you didn't say to anyone's grandmother.

So, Elizabeth dunked her spoon deep into the chocolate-y mass and dug up a chunk before she began.

"So…do you know how we were saying the other day that Nikolas was acting weird?" she asked after swallowing the heavenly scoop.

"Yeah." Emily settled in her chair, preparing herself. The look on Elizabeth's face definitely didn't say "this is a happy tale."

"Well, I went to the hospital the other day-you know, cause I was sick with the flu-and while I was waiting for the doctor…Nikolas came into the room," she said, wincing at the memory of the giddy look on his face when he entered.

Emily blinked, confused. "…Why?"

"He proposed to me," she confessed, taking another huge scoop when the sound of his voice asking that question resounded in her ears.

Emily stared at her, open-mouthed. It took her several minutes to process this, and when she did, she blinked rapidly and flapped her mouth, stunned.

"I know," Elizabeth said reassuringly. "Complete shocker, right?"

"Uh, yeah! Why did he propose to you?" she asked at long last. "Is he crazy?! You're married to Jason!"

"That's what I told him!" she exclaimed. "But he seems to think that someone needs to protect me from Jason. Like I'm scared of him or something. And he proposed because he thought I was pregnant-which seems to be a popular opinion these days."

"What? That's crazy. Jason would never hurt you, and doesn't he think that maybe if you were pregnant that Jason would be the one to step up?"

"Apparently he thinks Jason is evil and is threatening me in order to keep me in this marriage."

"That's completely ridiculous. Maybe we need to do an intervention on Nik…."

Emily tapped her chin thoughtfully and Elizabeth laughed.

"Well, I want you to steer clear of him. If he's crazy enough to ask me to marry him, who knows what else he'll do," Elizabeth warned her, sobering.

"Now you sound like Jason," Emily replied, grinning.

"I'm serious! Em, you should've seen the look in his eye. It was like he wasn't even himself. Like he was possessed or something."

"It sounds like you are the one who needs to steer clear of him."

"Believe me, I plan on it."

"What did Jason say when you told him about Nikolas proposing?" Emily asked curiously, leaning forward on the table.

Elizabeth paused in the middle of a bite. "Why would I tell him?"

"I don't know, maybe because he's your friend? Or, oh, wait, here's an even better one: because he's your husband?" she explained pointedly.

"Oh, come on, Jason doesn't even care if some guy proposes to me. Especially since I said no, anyway. There's no reason to tell him. Besides, we don't even think of each other like that." Elizabeth paused again, wondering if that was true. What did those hot feelings mean, anyway?

"Spill," Emily said suddenly, making her jump.

"Spill what?"

"What else is going on?"

Elizabeth blushed, suddenly embarrassed now that it came time to tell her. "Nothing."

"Come on, tell me. You know I'll wheedle it out of you one way or another."

Elizabeth heaved a dramatic sigh and shifted in her chair, drawing circles in the ice cream with the edge of her spoon.

"Okay…um, I'm just…having all these feelings and I don't know what they mean," she said in one rush of air, glancing surreptitiously at Emily, who nodded.

"Who for?" she asked hopefully.

Maybe Elizabeth had finally realized the obvious?

Elizabeth hesitated, considering the question. "Well…Jason, I guess."

Emily fought back the triumphant smile. "You guess?"

"I-I don't know for sure. I just know that they pop up every time I see him. Or maybe sometimes when I dr-think about him. I mean, they go away after a while, but at first it's like…wham! I can't figure out what it is."

Emily furrowed her brow. "Can you describe it?"

"Well…it's like a really intense…heat. It fills up my whole body. And my heart beats really fast and hard and I get these tingles and…I don't know. I just can't figure out what it is."

"Are these like…happy tingles and stuff? Like, do they make you feel good?"

Elizabeth blushed and ducked her head, muttering her assent.

Emily nearly laughed. "Hm. Maybe you're pregnant."

"I swear to God, if one more person says that, I'm going to hit them," Elizabeth exclaimed indignantly.

Chuckling, Emily shook her head. "I'm just kidding. No, but seriously, you're feeling desire."

"Desire for what?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

Emily sighed. "You know, desire? Like…you're turned on, aroused, you're lusting after that bod. Any of these ringing a bell?"

Elizabeth gasped. "Oh! You mean I…I want…Jason?"

"Bingo. But don't worry about it-I feel that way around Juan all the time," she said, shrugging.

"Wait, what? Really? I never felt that way with…never mind."

The guilt she had already felt for Lucky dropping out of her mind tripled when she realized that she had never once felt desire for him. How was it possible? Their love had been so strong, so pure…or so she'd thought, anyway. Emily continued scooping ice cream, oblivious to her friend's sudden confusion.

"So…how do I get rid of it?" Elizabeth asked, frowning.

Emily blinked. "You mean what do women use to stop being turned on?"

"Yeah."

"It's called sex," she said bluntly, turning back to her ice cream.

"Sex? Wait-you think I should have sex with Jason?!" Elizabeth yelped, caught completely off-guard. This was the last thing she had thought Emily would tell her to do.

"Well…yeah," Emily replied, nodding sagely.

Elizabeth forced a shaky laugh out of her mouth. "Y-you're kidding, right? I mean…right? I can't have sex with Jason."

"Why not? It's not like you haven't done it before," she retorted nonchalantly, apparently unfazed by her friend's pitch.

"And it was just as illegal then as it would be now!" she shot back.

"So? It's not like you'd be breaking the law more by doing it again," she reasoned.

Elizabeth sputtered. "We can't have sex, okay? We don't even like each other that way."

"Obviously, you do, otherwise you wouldn't have feelings like these."

"Well…Jason doesn't think of me that way!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

"How do you know? Have you asked him?"

"Pssh! Have I asked him." Elizabeth paused, realizing. "No. But I can just tell, okay? Besides, it's not like he would tell me if I asked."

"Isn't it worth a try? Jason doesn't always reveal his true feelings, you know. He may think you don't even want to know."

"It doesn't even matter! Because we can't have sex, okay? And besides, I-I just have…lusty feelings for him. They aren't any deeper than that."

"Two minutes ago you didn't even know they were called lusty," Emily replied, amused.

"Well…that doesn't change the fact that that's all I have for him," she retorted, looking away.

Emily shrugged. "Okay, if you say so."

"I do."

"Okay."

When she saw the thoughtful look on Elizabeth's face, Emily grinned and took another spoonful of ice cream. It was only a matter of time, she knew, before Elizabeth and Jason realized their true feelings. And she would be there for both of them, to guide them in the right direction with understanding and a gentle "I told you so."

Jason leaned against the elevator wall, staring at the numbers as the car went up the floors. There had been a slight emergency at the warehouse so he was late in getting home. Fortunately, Isaac had informed him that Elizabeth's dinner had been taken care of at the Quartermaine's, so he wouldn't have a hungry wife on his hands. She would probably already be in bed, in fact. He half-hoped she wasn't, so he could see her before he went to bed.

The elevator pinged and he stepped through the doors, feet dragging. He couldn't wait to sink into his pillow to finally rest for the night. He opened the door and tossed his keys on the desk, but halted as he headed toward the closet to hang up his jacket when he heard a muffled sob.

Elizabeth sat on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and hugging a very concerned Morgan, who looked up at him with sad, confused eyes. Jason slung his jacket onto the desk and hurried over to her, seating himself behind her on the couch. For a moment, he merely sat there, hands hovering over her back. She didn't seem to realize he was there, and he didn't want to startle her, but he couldn't simply sit by and watch her in pain.

Slowly, Jason laid his palm on the middle of her back, alerting her to his presence. Elizabeth turned sharply and, seeing that it was him, released Morgan and began wiping her eyes, apologizing quietly.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Jason told her soothingly. "Tell me what's wrong."

He rubbed his hand in gradually widening circles over her back and Morgan whimpered, licking Elizabeth's tears off her cheeks and nuzzling her neck. Elizabeth wiped her nose with the sleeve of her robe and sighed.

"I'm sorry, i-it just came over me," she said in between sniffles.

"It's okay, jus-just tell me what's wrong and I'll find a way to fix it," he replied, certain that if she said she wanted the moon he would've tried to get it for her in that moment.

Elizabeth shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Elizabeth." She looked at him with red eyes. "Tell me. Please."

Her face constricted in pain and she let out a sob, falling back into him. Jason caught her in his arms, holding her close and rubbing her arms and back. He rested his chin on the top of her head, cocooning her in his embrace. Morgan nuzzled under her elbow, then leapt onto Jason's lap, laying down to join the hug.

"It's my grams," Elizabeth choked out, still crying against him.

She turned her shoulders so her chest was against his, putting one arm around his waist and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. She buried her face in his chest and he could feel the warm moisture from her tears being absorbed into his shirt. He squeezed her a little tighter.

"I just don't think she'll ever forgive me," she wept, though her voice was muffled. "What if she doesn't love me anymore? What if-"

"She does, Elizabeth, she does." He kissed her forehead lightly. "She just doesn't know how to handle this, all right? I promise you she'll figure things out and realize that she's been wrong. She will forgive you."

"You think so?" she asked, lifting her head.

He smiled weakly. "I know so."

Elizabeth returned his smile and melted back into his arms, stroking Morgan's head to calm the animal and assure her everything was all right. Jason sighed, rubbing to calm her tears, wishing he could somehow force Audrey to forgive and forget. He couldn't stand to see Elizabeth in this kind of pain.

It was late when the two of them finally went to bed. Morgan did her dance between the doors again, this time even butting her head against Jason's legs, trying to herd him toward Elizabeth's room. They managed to divert her attention by offering her some treats. They shared a smile before Elizabeth closed her door and went to bed for a peaceful slumber.

The next morning, Jason woke up at his usual time and had breakfast alone. He let Morgan out of the room and, since Elizabeth was still sleeping, filled the dog's water and food bowls himself. He even changed out her newspapers. He was heading for the door when he heard the thundering of feet on the stairs and Elizabeth muttering, "I'm late!" over and over again.

Jason smiled to himself and turned the corner. Elizabeth, who was running down the stairs at the same time as pulling on her shoes, tripped and fell. His reflexes kicked in and he caught her in his arms, stumbling backward a bit with the impact. She sagged in his arms and then shook her head dizzily, then looked up at him and blinked, smiling.

"Oh, hi."

Jason smiled back for a moment. "Hi."

He sobered when his eyes met hers and he remembered dipping down to spread kisses along her neck. He twitched with the urge to do that now and his eyes trailed down to her lips. He could vaguely remember how soft they had been as they pressed against his. When he met her eyes again, he could see the heat he felt in his own body, answering him. Her eyes started to close and Jason grabbed a hold of himself.

Abruptly, he picked her up and set her down a few feet away, backing up. Elizabeth stumbled a little, surprised by the sudden movement. Jason stuffed his hands in his pockets, avoiding her eyes.

"I'm so late!" she exclaimed, as though reminding herself, and hurried to pull on her shoe.

"Elizabeth, do you want to go to dinner with me?"

Who said that?, Jason asked himself. When he realized it was, in fact, him, he cleared his throat and stood up straight, trying not to falter in front of her. Elizabeth was staring at him, looking caught between surprise and delight.

"Um…yeah, o-of course!" she said at length. "Uh…when? Where?"

Jason hesitated. He hadn't expected a "yes."

"Tonight. I-I'll take you to the Metro Court. Their…their bar and restaurant is good," he replied, steadying himself.

"O-okay, great."

"Good."

Elizabeth froze, still staring at him. Jason could feel the awkwardness settling back in and he wished he had never remembered a thing. Things could've just stayed as they were.

"I'm so late!" she repeated, rushing to the door.

Jason smiled to himself. She really had no idea how adorable she was.

Jason arrived home a half hour after Elizabeth did. Isaac had called him to inform him of her arrival, as he'd been instructed. Knowing how Emily was, he figured Elizabeth would take a while to get ready. Even though this wasn't a date. Not a date, just friends going to dinner, he told himself again. It was the fiftieth time, or at least it felt like it.

Sonny had kept calling it a date, when he'd told him about it. Even when it was unnecessary and irrelevant in conversations, his boss seemed to find a way to bring it back around to the two of them going out. One of the guards had been quite confused when Sonny interrupted his description of Sorel's activities to tell him that "Jason is going on a date with Elizabeth."

Presently, Jason rolled his eyes and headed up the stairs to change into something more fitting for dinner at the Metro Court. He would never wear a tux, but he figured a dressy shirt over his tank top and slacks would do nicely. The shirt he picked was dark green-he remembered Emily saying something about Elizabeth liking green. Not that it matters, because this isn't a date.

He trotted down the stairs and was immediately set upon by Tommy.

"Mrs. Morgan wished me to inform you that she is still in the process of getting ready," he said in that robotic tone he always used.

"Thank you, Tommy. Could you watch Morgan while we're gone? Maybe take her for a walk? Elizabeth has been concerned that she hasn't been getting outside enough."

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you."

Tommy nodded and disappeared again, so Jason began pacing between the door and his arm chair. He glanced at his watch multiple times, finding that the longer she took, the more anxious he got. His breathing quickened and he tried to tell himself to calm down. She was coming, and it wasn't a date. It wasn't important. Just dinner. Like the previous day's lunch. Nothing special.

Just when he thought he should go up and see if she was okay, Morgan came bounding down the stairs and circled his legs excitedly, wagging her tail so hard her entire rump went back and forth. He grinned and scratched behind her ears and then cupped her muzzle.

"Looks like you got a bath today, Morgan," he said, smiling at the dog. "Did you behave for your mom?"

"Like a little angel."

Jason stood up straight and found that his breath seemed to be completely cut off by the sight before him. Elizabeth descended the steps slowly in little black shoes with short heels. Her petite legs were bare up to the knee, where a dark blue dress began, hugging her curves so nicely he could feel his pulse in his neck as his heart pounded a little faster. Her hair was up in a complicated-looking bun, with her curly tendrils hanging down in the front.

Once she reached the bottom of the steps, Elizabeth did a little curtsy and turned in a circle, smiling up at him.

"What do you think?" she asked, approaching slowly.

He could see a silver necklace with a rose for the pendant hanging down her chest, ending just above her dress, and two earrings shining with sapphire-like gems in the center. His chest tightened and he swallowed so loudly he was sure she heard it.

"Uh, um," he choked out, swallowing hard again. "Y-you look…you look beautiful."

Elizabeth's eyes shone up at him and she smiled even wider.

"Thank you."

Jason smiled and brought his arm up between them, offering it to her instinctually. Elizabeth nearly grinned at this and slipped her arm through his, giving Morgan a parting stroke and kiss on the head before they left for the Metro Court.

When Jason returned to Elizabeth at the bar, after having gotten them a table, she hopped off her stool and he smiled down at her, until he heard the shrill call of a woman he hadn't seen in several days.

"Jason! Where have you been lately?! It's like you just dropped off the planet! And you haven't returned my calls, wh-"

Carly drew up sharply when Elizabeth turned about. Jason could see her hackles raising as she looked between the two of them, realizing the two were out together. She stepped forward slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. Jason stepped close behind his wife, cupping her back gently to show his support.

"Well, Elizabeth," Carly said softly-bad sign, "don't you look lovely?"

Elizabeth stiffened at the sarcasm in her voice and waited for the insult.

"For a Muffin Face, that is," she continued.

"Carly," Jason said softly, warning.

Taking in Carly's much shorter skirt and blouse, which showed off quite a bit more cleavage than Elizabeth's conservative dress, Elizabeth straightened her back and looked at the woman superiorly.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Carly," she replied smoothly. "For a banshee."

She heard Jason's groan behind her as his hand fell away from her back. Carly's eyes narrowed.

"And you've even got that pregnant lady glow," she said, ignoring the insult.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "For the last time: I'm not pregnant."

"Oh, but I'm sure you will be, just as soon as Jason brings up the divorce papers," she snapped, folding her arms.

"It's cute how you still think I'm trying to steal someone who isn't yours."

"And whose is he? He's certainly not yours."

"Jason isn't property, Carly. He doesn't belong to anyone," Elizabeth retorted, glowering.

"Least of all you, Muffin Face."

"You know, the same old insult never stops being cool."

"Why don't you try this one on for size, then, you filthy little bitch."

Elizabeth gasped indignantly. "Harpy."

"Shrew!"

"All right, that's it!" Jason boomed, cutting between them and taking them both by the arms.

He guided them to the back, leaving all the whispers and staring patrons behind, and pulled them both into the boiler room. He left the door open a little and held his forehead for a moment. The two women waited, arms folded, as they shot glares at one another.

"I need you both to stop," he said at last, looking between them. "This is never going to work if you don't get along. I can't take your fighting anymore, all right? Carly, you're my best friend, but I need you to respect Elizabeth and stop persecuting her for something that wasn't even her fault. And if you can't do that, then we just…we can't be friends anymore. It won't work."

Carly gaped at him. "But she-"

"I don't want to hear it!" he cut her off, rage boiling toward the surface again. "And…Elizabeth, I know you're just defending yourself and I respect your right to do that. But it's just egging her on. And I want…to be able to make this work for these two months. We only have a little time left. So please…if you could both just deal with this…or else I don't know what I'm gonna do."

Jason scratched his head and shook it, then turned on his heel and left, slamming the door behind him. Elizabeth sighed, placing her hands on her hips. Carly scowled at the door and shook her head.

"See what you did? Now he won't talk to either of us," Carly accused when she turned around.

"I did this? I'm not the one who sought you out day after day just to throw insults!" Elizabeth snapped back.

"You couldn't just stay out of his life, could you? You just had to move in and take him from me, you little slut!"

"Carly, what are we going to do about this?!" Elizabeth exclaimed, holding her head.

"I don't know, maybe you could just move out!" she retorted.

"NO!!! Not that!!! US!!! This problem that we have!!!"

Carly quieted, pouting. Elizabeth sighed, pacing further away from her.

"Carly…we're tearing Jason apart. I don't want to keep doing this to him, okay?" she said, softer now.

"Neither do I," Carly agreed reluctantly.

"Okay, then…we'll just agree. No more fighting, okay?" Elizabeth offered.

"Fine. No more fighting."

"Good."

An uncomfortable silence settled in for several moments before Carly could take it no more.

"All right, let's get out of here."

Elizabeth followed her to the door, but Carly stopped. She furrowed her brow.

"What's wrong?"

Carly looked at her, scowling. "The door is locked."