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Author's note: This began as a one-shot, but has morphed into a four-part series: Summer Rain, Autumn Heat, Winter Fog, and Spring Snow. It also became semi-smutty, which was NOT my original intention; I hate writing that stuff. The ridiculous amount of rain we had in the South and most recently in the Northeast inspired the story...that and my surroundings.

The farmhouse was everything she had ever dreamed of. A large L-shaped porch fit with a swing and several rocking white rocking chairs was supported by tapered square white columns with stone bases. The grey-green color of the wooden siding blended in with the trees and woods surrounding it and the house had the look of a structure that had simply been there forever… aging timelessly. The hydrangeas and camellias added to its old-time appeal while the fuchsia impatiens and hostas hinted that the house was still being tended to very well.

But even with its craftsman style and pastoral landscape, the best part of the house was the large windows and transoms that allowed a seamless transition from the hot outdoors to the cool, comfortable interior.

Elizabeth stood at one of those windows and stared out at the black clouds that threatened the sky yet again. Even though she couldn't wait to use her watercolors to capture the beauty of this home, she mostly couldn't wait to leave it.

"Staring at it won't make it blow north," the soft voice said from the kitchen.

"What else have I got to do?" she shrugged and began pacing around the living room, her flip flops echoing off the worn wood floor.

"Read, nap, paint …surely you could think of something to do that would make the day go by faster." Jason came around the corner from the kitchen and met her eyes just as the last of his words came across his lips, her smirk causing his normally stoic features to blush heavily.

"I can think of a few things…."

Jason pretended not to understand her innuendo and continued on to the couch.

"I know you're bored…I'm sorry for that. But with the flooding, there's really nothing I can do about it. Maybe next time you will stay out of the line of fire, like I've been telling you for years, and you won't be put in this position again.

Jason took a slow sip of the hot coffee he was holding and opened up the book in his lap acting as if he couldn't sense her exasperation boring holes in the side of his head.

"I'm just not used to having this much free time, or rather, this much slow time. Handling Cameron and Jacob requires lots of energy and my job is fast paced. I guess I'm just a stress addict…I'm always doing things fast."

"Hmm... I kind of prefer things to be slow."

It was Elizabeth's turn to blush, because even though Jason hadn't looked up since he sat on the couch, the electricity between them was enough to convey his unintentional meaning. And she knew from experience that his words were very true. He definitely liked things slow…lingering, drawn-out, tantalizingly slow.

"It's weird for me, Jason, not being with them. I wonder what they're doing."

Jason knew not being in contact with Cam and Jake was torture for Elizabeth and honestly, he wasn't real comfortable with the idea either. But with almost a week of heavy rain before they arrived, continuing for two days since they went into hiding, it couldn't be helped.

Jason looked at the tightness in her shoulders and the way she bit her fingernails to the quick as she stared into the rain once more. It hadn't been easy on any of them. Just as Elizabeth began to move on with her life, and he with his, Claudia Zacchara had struck again. Her hit on Jason had not only gone wrong, but Elizabeth had seen the whole thing: in fact, she had interrupted the whole thing.

Jason thought back to the night in Jake's when the dark-haired killer came from the shadows. Elizabeth was at the bar having a drink with Nic when Jason walked in with Sam. Her lovely face was contorted with disgust when Sam reached over to hold his hand, and Jason had pretended not to notice.

He would've felt worse if he didn't already know that Elizabeth was doing her own share of pretending by being with Nic in the first place. She didn't love him. In fact, he didn't even think she was attracted to him. But for once someone was interested in her that didn't have ties to the mob and didn't act like Lucky…therein was the attraction.

He wasn't sure who he was madder at: himself for allowing Sam to draw him back into her bed or Nic for attempting to draw Elizabeth into his.

Come to think of it, this was all Elizabeth's fault. Not just the part where they had to go in hiding, but the whole thing…from the beginning. If he hadn't been so preoccupied with Elizabeth's disappointment in him, he would've noticed the man in the corner. It happened so quickly that Jason really didn't have time to process any of it: one minute Sam was ordering drinks at the bar, clinging tightly to Jason's hand and the next minute she was ducking underneath the bar, using Jason's body and the nearby barstools as cover.

It was unnecessary though.

As Jason recovered from the initial shock of gunshots, his own gun drawn and aimed, he realized that the shooter had already been dealt with…by a petite nurse who had behaved more like a bodyguard than a caretaker. Elizabeth stood over the man with his gun in her hand, but her eyes were focused on the blue-eyed hitman across the room.

The rest was like slow motion.

Jason shoved his gun back into his pants, ran toward Elizabeth grabbing her hand, and the next minute they were speeding down the back-roads to the safehouse. Not long after, they were here: a house that once belonged to some sweet farm family in days gone by.

Jason snickered to himself, as he remembered the scene and the aftermath, but he was really laughing at his own ridiculous underestimation of Elizabeth's strength. Not only had she seen the gunman, but without thinking she had risen from her seat, shoved the surprised man into the wall behind him, and grabbed the dropped weapon. She hadn't even waited to see if he was going to fight her for it.

She shot him without hesitation.

One shot kept the dark man from getting any closer to her or any closer to Jason…whose life she had saved again. All the while Sam hovered with her hands over her head underneath the bar.

On second thought, it wasn'tElizabeth's fault. It was Sam's. If she hadn't been so determined to show Elizabeth that Jason belonged to her by fawning all over him, Elizabeth wouldn't have been so noticeably upset, and Jason would have been able to keep his wits about him.

"Jason…you there?"

Elizabeth waited for an answer as Jason shook off the memories of events leading them to this remote farmhouse somewhere in the rural South.

"Yeah…I was just thinking about the boys too. I'm sure they're fine Elizabeth. Spinelli has been sending us messages when he can get a cell-phone signal, and he says they're having a blast. Something about mud bogging bringing back good memories of Tennessee?"

Elizabeth grinned. She could picture Spinelli, Lucky, the boys, and the guards covered in mud and loving every minute of it.

"I'm just grateful that the boys were camping with Lucky when all of this went down."

"I know," Elizabeth replied, "I guess it's good that they're not involved with this at all, huh?"

"I think it's better that Dominic has no idea that you were involved."

Elizabeth could see the relief in his eyes and the worry as well. She knew the minute she shot Dominic...or whatever it was that Jason called him…that Jason was proud of her, surprised by her, and completely scared for her. She knew that he was hiding out to protect himself, but mostly to make sure that she was safe.

She casually asked, "So when do you think Sonny will have info on the shooter?"

"He already knows Claudia's involved. He says give it another week…three at the most and he'll have it all cleared away. Sam took credit for the shooting when the police questioned her; she's saying he was a cheating husband that she had been tailing for her PI work, and Nic backed her story up. Coleman won't say anything, but the shooter is still alive. He won't argue with Sam's story because he'll just be incriminating himself. However, until I know he won't come after you again, I can't take any chances."

"So I guess I should get used to roughing it in this house…alone…with you?' Elizabeth stumbled over her last words, clearing her throat before she continued. "I've been in worse situations…." Elizabeth let the words die quietly, her mind in obvious other places, before speaking again. "I'm sorry you're stuck with me. I mean...you know...you could be here with Sam."

"I've been in worse situations," Jason repeated while keeping his head glued to the book before him, "than being stuck in a house with…."

He couldn't seem to finish the sentence. What should he say…"the mother of my son?" or "the love of my life?" or "the best sex I've ever had?" No, those wouldn't do, especially since he was the one who kept pushing her away.

"a whiny nurse who's bored out of her mind?" Elizabeth finished for him.

"Something like that," he smiled and then looked up to gaze into the dark blue depths of her eyes. "I don't wish that it was Sam and not you."

"Really?"

Jason could hear the self-consciousness in her soft voice, but he could also tell that she was genuinely surprised by his admission.

"Really." He stated simply.

And then he smiled.

Because she smiled.

And suddenly the rain didn't seem like such a bad thing.

Elizabeth grabbed a book off the antique hutch and plopped down onto the couch beside him. She opened it gently and flexed the spine, trying the whole time to ignore the need to sit closer. There was no television to create a noisy distraction. No computer to surf the internet and keep her eyes focused on something other than the way his thighs filled out his jeans. There were no children to demand her attention, no pets to feed, no Spinelli to decipher.

The only sound was the rain beating down on the metal roof and the distant rumble from the west.

That is if she ignored the sound of her heart beating almost as loudly as the thunder.

"Jason? It's too quiet."

"I like the quiet."

"I know you do, but I swear I'm going to lose my mind…or start singing."

"Then I'll lose my mind."

Elizabeth whacked him on the stomach, giving him her best you suck face, and he proudly chuckled at his remark.

"Okay…okay…I'm sorry, but you set it up so perfectly. So…what should we do about your fear of silence?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment and then answered seriously, "You could read aloud to me."

Jason's eyebrows shot up questioningly, so she went on to explain.

"When the boys are restless, I sometimes read to them. It makes the time go by faster and it seems to soothe them. Besides, if you're lucky you'll read me to sleep and then you'll have that peace and quiet I've been depriving you of for two days. What's the book of choice, by the way?" Elizabeth flipped the cover of his book over in order to see the title.

Civil War Architecture

"Oh yeah, no doubt this one will have me snoring in record time."

Jason rolled his eyes at her comment but seemed to like the idea. He didn't bother going back to the beginning; he simply started where he had left off. And Elizabeth was right. Jason's voice was soft and gentle, and before long she was completely relaxed by his words. Oddly enough, however, she wasn't sleepy, but instead actually interested the subject. It seemed fitting considering their surroundings and she could almost picture the scenes he described as happening in their backyard.

So deep was Jason in the book that he never noticed when his arm came to rest on the back of the couch, an open invitation for Elizabeth to sink into his side. And he didn't seem to notice when he began to tenderly twirl a lock of hair from her pony tail that tickled his forearm.

Of course she didn't notice when her hand came to rest on his knee. Nor did she notice that as she moved closer into his body, his head came to rest on top of her own.

But then the old oak clock sitting high on the wooden mantle chimed two o'clock.

They had been sitting this way for almost two hours and neither had ever been more comfortable.

"Jason?" Elizabeth almost whispered, unable to bring herself to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

"Yeah?"

"Are all the roads flooded that lead to this house?"

"Yeah, pretty much. There's an old rickety bridge that's washed out on the main road. And the dirt drive to the house has so many dips, that many of the low spots are completely covered in water. My truck won't even get through. I think the weather is definitely helping keep you hidden away."

"So there's no chance that anyone will reach us while it's still raining?"

"No, Elizabeth. Whether we like it or not, we're completely stranded out here for a while. You're safer than you've ever been." Jason finally realized that he was playing with her hair, but with her snuggled so closely to him, he didn't want to stop. He didn't want to do anything that might cause her to become tense around him again.

"I'm not worried about the danger outside, Jason."

"Then why the questions?"

Elizabeth sat up straight and breathed deeply. She rose silently and walked back toward the open window looking out to the porch.

And she's back to the pacing… Jason thought to himself. Was he really that unnerving? Was she really that ready to get away from him and this place?

"I'm worried about the danger in here."

She felt the warmth of the humid breeze on her cheeks and she couldn't bear to do the right thing anymore. It was as if the rain were washing away her fears, washing away her invisible emotional barriers where Jason was concerned.

"What danger, Elizabeth?" Jason knew there was something different about her voice, something sensual, but she was never one to be obvious. And for once, he wished she would be.

"There must be some sort of danger, Jason… You've always said that we could be together if there was no danger. And for the first time since I've known you, you have admitted there is absolutely no way anyone can hurt me while we're here… while it's raining. I think your words were, 'you're safer than you've ever been.' "

She turned her gaze from the window and firmly asked the question to his face that she'd been wanting to ask since he whisked her away on his motorcycle.

"If we're so safe, what's keeping you from being with me?"

Jason was stunned by her question, by the vulnerability in her voice, by the weakness that he felt in his own resolve.

"I guess…there's…um….well there's not really…" Jason tossed his book down on the couch and rubbed his hands through his hair.

"I just don't want to find myself unable to let you go again when this all clears up."

"You've always been able to let me go, Jason. This time will be no different," Elizabeth stated flatly, her eyes admitting with both disappointment and lack of surprise her acceptance of Jason's ability to walk away.

"You're right, Elizabeth, I have. But each time it's gotten harder. And I'm not sure I can walk away this time. Not again."

Elizabeth walked toward the bedroom entrance without glancing in his direction.

"It's raining Jason. And although the rain will clear and the roads will surely become drivable again, right now we're together. And no one will interrupt us. No one will need you to go rushing out into the night to save them. And no one will lecture me about letting you go."

Regardless of whether or not Jason could still hear her, Elizabeth continued talking and the frustration in her voice built with every word.

"It's freaking June, Jason! In the South! Where ever the hell we are, I don't think it rains much during the summer around here. Doesn't that strike you as odd? It's not like we've got a light afternoon summer shower… it's coming a downpour during the hottest part of the season! And it won't stop!"

But she stopped when she saw him standing an arm's length away, his silent steps never betraying his proximity. He never offered his opinion, but merely waited on her to finish… unfortunately, she wasn't sure how; she wasn't sure what to say. But her hand seemed to speak for her when it began slowly moving up his arm toward his shoulder. When it came to rest on the nape of his neck, she was finally able to complete her thought, her words just a whisper.

"I just think we ought to take advantage of it, you know? Give us something to remember when we're old?"

As if in agreement, the thunder boomed loudly and lightning struck the ground nearby in a blinding flash. Jason took the hint and crashed his lips onto Elizabeth's, producing a different type of electricity but a kind just as powerful.

There was no need of darkness to hide behind.

No need to shut the curtains. No need to lock the doors.

The windows in the bedroom remained open, and the damp air caressed their bare bodies, encouraging their inhibitions.

It was what they'd always dreamed of: to be out in the open together.

Their lovemaking began strong and violent like the storm raging outside, but gradually the awareness of their situation sunk in: they didn't need to rush. It was the middle of the day, and they had all the time they wanted to explore each other.

To excite each other.

To love each other.

Jason didn't think he had ever shared such an erotic moment with a woman. Despite the hovering clouds, it was bright enough to see every inch of the beauty before him, and the mirror from the nearby dresser reflected their every move. It was like being able to make love to Elizabeth from all angles at once. He had never realized how perfectly they physically complimented each other until he caught glimpses of himself embracing her, entering her, and he wondered why he once thought they were not meant to be together.

It was just so obvious that she fit him completely.

Elizabeth lay back on the four poster bed with her legs dangling off the edge encircling Jason's thighs as he moved in and out of her. Her hands were resting above her head, and with her pony tail long since released, her hair fanned outward around her head. Jason grasped her hips and pulled her toward him, listening to her quiet gasp when she felt him deeply. He was standing beside the bed, his knees slightly propped against the feather mattress for better leverage, and he couldn't help but stop for a moment to soak in the sight before him.

She lay open and willing, soft and relaxed, and yet breathless with anticipation of his next move. She trusted him completely, and because of that, she gave herself to him to do as he wished.

It was an offering that more often than not scared him; the thought of being in total control of her body was humbling because he knew the strength she possessed. But she didn't want to be strong with him: she only wanted him to be happy, and if that meant giving him a piece of her soul, she would do it gladly.

Sam had never been as selfless.

Lucky didn't know the meaning of the word.

But Jason did and he intended to let her know it.

He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her how important she was, but she quietly silenced him.

"Don't Jason. Shhh…. I don't want to talk right now. I just want to…."

She didn't have to finish.

He lifted both her legs up and rested them on his shoulders, kissing her ankles and then once again pushed himself inside her until he could go no further. She reached between her own legs and began to rub her pleasure point, gently at first but then building in speed, encouraging him to keep up with her pace. His stamina waning, he leaned down and supported his weight on one straight arm, and her legs crossed at the ankles around his neck. His free hand immediately went to her breast, but she leaned her head in and grasped one of his fingers between her lips. Her tongue teased it before drawing it completely in and then she sucked it slowly, her eyes locking with his heated gaze.

It was more than he could bear.

He slipped his other arm beneath her back to lift her and as her legs fell to his waist he pulled her quickly against him. He kissed her mouth, his own finger still in between her lips, until she finally let it go and tangled her tongue with his. One thrust later, and Jason was shuddering in her arms, his face buried in her neck while she cried out his name for only nature to hear.

Elizabeth walked unabashedly naked from the kitchen toward the bedroom carrying a banana and a diet coke. She giggled the minute she saw him laying across the full sized bed on his stomach, his bare butt in plain sight.

He has such a great butt, she thought to herself with a sigh of appreciation.

But even though they had met secretly for months the year before, she had never seen him sleep this relaxed, this exposed to the world.

Then again, they had never made love for eight hours straight in broad daylight either. It was enough to exhaust any man, much less one who put as much effort into it as Jason did.

"Jason, hey, want a bite?" Elizabeth asked as she crawled onto the bed beside him.

Jason looked up at her with only one eye opened.

Elizabeth continued, "You realize it's only 8 o'clock? You can't possibly be sleepy…it's still daylight out!"

Jason rolled his only open eye at her and leaned up on one elbow to take a bite of her banana.

"Just because it's not bedtime doesn't mean I'm not tired," he stated with a mouth full.

"Okay, I'll give you that one. You realize I won't be able to walk tomorrow," Elizabeth admitted as she wiped a piece of the fruit off his mouth with her pinky finger.

"Good…flat of your back is more to my liking anyway," he teased before kissing her gently on the forehead.

"Listen…rain stopped," Elizabeth noticed. "You ever hear katydids so loud?"

"No, I haven't," he replied.

Jason and Elizabeth quietly listened to the outside around them, and then Jason suddenly grabbed her hand, tugging her out of bed, and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Where are we…what in the world are we….JASON!" Elizabeth screeched when he plopped her outside on the porch. As her arms folded to cover her breasts, Jason pushed them down wrapped his own around her tightly. His chest was firmly against her back, and she could feel all of him hot against her lower backside.

"I've never heard anything like this anywhere else before," he softly said in her ear.

"I've never felt anything like this before."

"What? Like what Jason?" she whispered back, afraid to ruin the moment with their voices.

"Free. I've never felt this free to love someone, to be with someone. Here we are, standing outside, and I don't have to worry about someone trying to kill you. I don't have to worry about the guards seeing us, about Milo trying to sneak a peak. Or…"

"Or Carly interrupting us for the millionth time," Elizabeth continued for him.

"Yeah," Jason smiled against her ear. "You know you're the only person I could ever imagine wanting to be with me like this, right? It's like it feels like…"

"a honeymoon."

Jason was looking for the right word, but he never expected to hear that particular one.

"Before you get all weird on me, Jason, just hear me out. I know when all this is over we can't be together. I know that. But it won't change how I feel about you. In my heart, I married you on a hot August night. I could never sleep with Lucky after that without feeling like I was cheating on you, even though it was his ring that I wore. And I have never been able to even look at another man since you told me you loved me."

"What about Nic?" Jason asked as his tongue flicked her earlobe. He could feel her nipples harden and chill bumps appear on her neck with the tickling sensation.

She grinned with the knowledge that even as he asked about Nic he was doing everything in his power to make her forget the prince.

"He's just something to keep me from getting bored. Besides he has enough money to buy me dinner occasionally without me feeling guilty about it. You have my heart Jason, and giving my body to someone else would be…wrong. I belong to you only. And in my mind, regardless of where you are or who you're with, you belong to me. You are my better half. This just feels like a well-deserved honeymoon that's been a long time coming. And you don't have to feel like that; I understand that it's probably just a stupid woman thing."

"No," Jason interrupted before she began to ramble off excuses for her confession. "That's exactly how I feel. I just never knew to explain it like that."

The rain slowly began to trickle once again out of the gutter before it gushed rapidly. They could feel occasional raindrops on their nude skin as the rain filled the gutters to overflow and then splashed onto the shrubs edging the porch. It appeared that while the storm had moved on, but the rain was planning on sticking around for a least another day. And they were glad to see it.

One specific part of Jason's anatomy was especially glad to see it.

"Jason, have you ever made love outside?" Elizabeth huskily asked as she turned in his arms to face him.

He leaned in to kiss her, taking her bottom lip in between his and nipping it gently. Grinning against her mouth he added, "Never in the rain."

*****

The rain continued for eight more days, but to Elizabeth and Jason, it seemed like a forgotten moment in time. It was as life around the world continued, but for them it had stopped, allowing them a glimpse of heaven…of timeless joy and peace.

Their days consisted of reading to each other on the porch swing and listening to the rain on the roof. Jason read history books, and Elizabeth read from the John Grisham paperbacks that the owner of the house had collected. Jason had never liked fiction, but with Elizabeth's mesmerizing lips telling the story, fiction suddenly became very entertaining. During a break in the rain, they once walked down the hill to the meadow behind the house just to see how flooded the creek had become. They talked about the types of trees that grew in the area, laughed at the squirrels, and they even ran from the scent of a skunk that they smelled entirely too close for comfort.

Each evening, they cooked dinner together using the food found in the freezer…vegetables that had apparently been prepared by the current caretakers from a nearby garden. It was pure and simple, and Elizabeth didn't think she would ever eat store-bought corn again. They played Scrabble by candlelight each evening, and Elizabeth discovered that Jason had a vocabulary that would rival Diane Miller.

They showered together every morning, took long bubble baths each night, and they talked about everything. But it was the lovemaking that they would most remember from their time together. Sometimes they were sweet and romantic, other times they were silly like teenagers. And once, on the kitchen island, they had pure, animalistic sex that made Elizabeth's toes curl every time she thought of it.

It was the make-up sex, however, that Jason would dream about for the rest of his life, regardless of their future together. Perhaps it was because they had been confined inside for days or maybe it was just the restlessness of having no job or children to worry about: whatever the reason, it started as two people who were simply testy with each other and then progressed to a full-on emotional war. A war that actually began long before there was a shooting at Jake's and for reasons that had nothing to do with rain. Honestly, Jason admitted, it was the drought from each other that had started the battle.

Jason woke and made coffee like he did every morning since he'd come to the farmhouse and he knew that as soon as the ancient percolator began it's rhythmic noises, Elizabeth would awaken and join him in the kitchen. He loved the mornings; he loved to tease her about her enormous bed head and her morning breath…but most of all he loved her grouchy demeanor. It was a reminder that this beautiful angel living with him was not perfect, and he thought it made her seem more human…more compatible with him.

But on this day, her sour attitude was trumped by his own. He awoke with a nagging feeling that this blissful affair was all going to end soon, and because of that, he didn't feel like teasing her and he didn't feel like telling her he loved her. He felt like he needed to shoot something and if he could get a few minutes alone later he planned on seeing if the shotgun on the hallway gun rack actually worked.

"What's eating you?" Elizabeth asked while she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Nothing," Jason replied stoically.

Elizabeth cocked one eyebrow up and reached for a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I can see that. Nothing sure sounds like something to me."

If Elizabeth wasn't mistaken she thought she heard Jason growl…the only response she was going to get. She wasn't much for small talk in the morning, and frankly, she was a little sore from their late night activities, so she didn't feel like debating the issue.

"You just going to walk away?" Jason asked gruffly when Elizabeth sauntered out of the kitchen after adding an exorbitant amount of sugar to her coffee.

She stopped in her tracks, turned around and glared at him. If she had been dressed in anything other than his black t-shirt she could've probably looked more menacing. But even while mad at her, Jason found her unimaginably sexy and her irritated blue eyes just added to the allure.

"I'm going to take a shower…alone… since talking to you has become a bigger challenge than I'm ready for this early in the morning."

"I'm not surprised; you never have really been up for the challenge where I'm concerned."

Jason was surprised, however, by his own words. He wasn't typically one to pick a fight and he really wasn't sure why he was picking this one. She had been the one begging him to be with her for the past year and she had been the instigator of the last eight days together. If anything he wasn't capable of facing the challenge.

"Did you seriously just accuse me of 'wimping' out of this relationship? Seriously?"

Elizabeth responded incredulously.

Jason didn't answer, but merely returned her glare. It was as if he couldn't stop himself from pissing her off.

"That is by far the most IMMATURE, WEAK, and DISHONEST thing you've ever said to me." Elizabeth slammed her coffee down on the island, spilling the thick sweet liquid all over the granite top. "After all we've been through, I think you know that if it were up to me we would be together."

"That's not the way it sounded when you were screaming at me to go find 'your baby' when Jake was kidnapped. Not our baby, but your baby. I knew then that the danger was too much for you. And in the courthouse, you didn't fight me on the issue. You agreed." Jason shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the kitchen, roughly brushing her shoulder as he passed.

Elizabeth stood there with her mouth opened, unable to respond to such a petty statement. But within minutes, her mind spinning with anger, she whirled around and stomped after him. He was standing by the gingerbread style screen door to the back deck when she caught up to him, and it was there that he grimaced in pain when she tossed her coffee on his back.

"Yeah, Jason, hurts doesn't it…and I'm glad, because that's how your words felt."

He turned and his expression was one that Elizabeth had glimpsed only on occasion, and the last time was when he was screaming at her to get out of his penthouse because of Courtney. But she didn't back down then or now because regardless of his infamous anger, he wasn't Lucky, and she knew he'd never hurt her.

"You're fighting like a girl, Elizabeth, and I expected more out of you," he taunted, furious that his back was still burning and would most likely blister.

"A girl, huh? Did I shoot like a girl when I saved your ASS? Oh wait, make that asses, because not only have I had to save Sam's, but she's usually stuck so close to yours that I can't tell you apart."

Elizabeth shoved him aside and let the screen door slam behind her as she stepped onto the covered wooden deck. Greeting her was that infernal rain…the very thing that had once again gotten her involved with the infuriating man currently swearing at her. And even more infuriating was that she didn't regret the rain, or the last few days, or any night she had ever spent with him. She could never regret loving Jason.

Jason cursed himself while Elizabeth was outside on the deck, the rain causing her wild morning hair to curl up around the edge of her face. The moisture from the downpour sparkled on her bare legs and her shirt blew up slightly from the bottom. She was breathtaking, and he loved her so much that his chest physically ached. He knew that what he was doing was wrong and he knew what he said was a lie…he also knew that his justifications for either were cowardly, and yet, he wanted to fight; he could feel it boiling inside him.

He joined her on the deck but he never progressed farther than the door, leaning against it after it closed, and he watched her…and waited. One arm was wrapped around her mid-section supporting the elbow of the other, and her hand rested on her neck. She gradually turned to him, her eyes red from tears of fury and hurt, but her expression was sympathetic. He should've known she could see right through him, right down to his darkest motives.

"I know why you're doing this, Jason…I feel it too. It's going to end soon; we'll have to leave, and it will be easier if we hate each other." She turned back to face the rain before she finished softly, "but we've never been able to do that very well, have we?"

"No, I guess we haven't," he agreed and then blew out a frustrated breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He casually pushed himself away from the door and padded silently over to stand beside her.

"I hate fighting with you, and yet this morning I can't seem to stop."

"It's your way; it's what you always do," Elizabeth explained while wiping her tears away with her fist.

"Fight? I don't always fight with you…I always fight with Carly. With you I always…"

"Push me away?" Elizabeth looked up at him, and Jason could see that beyond the lingering tears was rage. He knew she wasn't going to let him off easy and frankly, he was glad.

"Sometimes you push, too," he argued. "You've pushed me away because of Lucky more times than I can count. And you've pushed me away because of my lifestyle."

"I have not."

Jason stared at Elizabeth with mock shock, almost laughing at her quick denial.

"Yes. You. Have."

"No, I haven't." She looked determined to win the argument, but Jason could see her stubbornness falter.

"Okay, maybe I have. I know I pushed you away for Lucky, but I was young, and I thought loyalty meant staying with someone no matter what. Now I know it means being truthful with someone no matter what. But as for your lifestyle…I have been scared and even hesitant to be a part of it, but I didn't push you out of my life because of it. You did that. You pushed me away because of the 'danger.' The 'danger' always seemed to be bigger than our love for each other. "

Jason was angry now because of the singsong voice she used when she spoke of the danger as if it were something to joke about. And he was angry because she was right.

"Okay fine. I pushed you away, and now I've got to do it again. Do you know how much I HATE this? Don't you realize that I love you and that I've always loved you, even when you were too young to see it. Maybe you're still too young, Elizabeth. Maybe you still don't realize why this won't work…so once again, I've got to be the one to push."

"Are you saying I'm too young for you?"

"Maybe."

"Fine, push."

Jason was breathing hard, his hands fisted, and his heart rate rising. She was daring him…she was doing exactly what he was doing earlier…making him angry in order to make their leaving easier. But he wasn't going to let her get away with it any more than she let him.

"Come on, big enforcer. Push me away so that there's no way I will come crawling back to you again, begging to become Mrs. Morgan."

Jason fought to find words for a counter attack...but she beat him to the punch.

"You don't remember how? Jason Morgan, the Borg, Anger Boy, Danger Demon, doesn't remember how to push me away? Here, let me remind you…"

And with those words she placed her tiny hands on his bare chest and shoved. The move caught Jason by surprise and it produced enough momentum to propel him down the three steps of the deck onto the grass below. But most importantly, into the rain that had him instantly soaked.

"Damn it, Elizabeth!" Jason yelled as he fought to regain his balance before landing flat of his butt in the back yard.

Elizabeth bit her bottom lip, surprised by her own bravado. She really hadn't planned on shoving him, she just meant to make him take a step or two backward, but her anger had gotten the best of her and she knew she was going to pay for it.

But not until she laughed out loud.

As she threw her head back in laughter, she felt his arm grasp her waist and tug. And then without warning her shirt flew over her head and she found herself pressed up against Jason's chest, his lips crashing over her still chuckling open mouth.

She had kissed him in the rain once before and it was amazing, but this… This was love and anger and fear and disappointment all wrapped up in one crushing connection. She felt his hot damp skin beneath her fingertips and she threw her arms around his neck and jumped; her legs wrapped around his waist and the open button of his jeans rubbed against her inner thigh.

Jason fought to maintain his grasp on her bottom, but the rain made her lithe form slick and nearly impossible to hold on to…and Jason definitely wanted to hold on. Grabbing the wooden stair rail, he slowly sunk to his knees and then lay Elizabeth down in the grass before moving above her.

He didn't even bother removing Elizabeth panties, but instead used one finger and shoved them aside before burying his face in between her legs. The water ran over her, and he lapped it with his tongue as he licked her and caused her to pull his hair as she pleaded with him to continue. But despite her requests, he couldn't go on much longer; his body demanded a release and he began a quick ascent back up her smooth stomach.

As soon as his lips touched her neck, she immediately rolled him over, and began to tug and pull on his jeans. They were heavy and clung to his legs, and she was only able to get them down an inch or two before Jason grew impatient and shoved them past his thighs.

Propping up on his elbows briefly, he watched her quickly toss her panties before she slid up to his lap. He held himself so that she could get into position and then she settled deep on him, a low moan escaping his lips the minute he felt her warmth.

The release came quickly for both of them, but they remained in their positions--Elizabeth's arms wrapped around Jason's neck and Jason's arms wrapped around her waist-laughing at the events that led them to the drenched backyard.

They laughed at their attempt to fight with each other. They giggled at their lack of embarrassment in the heat of the moment. They smiled at the love they saw reflected in each other's blue eyes. And they rejoiced in the amazing feelings of acceptance and understanding that they had together.

But mostly they laughed to delay the feelings of loneliness that they could already feel creeping up on them.

*****

On the tenth day, the rain stopped. It was only a matter of time before the bridge was fixed, the water drained from the gravel drive, and danger subsided. It was only a matter of time before they went back to life in Port Charles and Elizabeth and Jason would pretend that their time in the country had never existed.

Just two weeks from the time they arrived at this house, Jason and Elizabeth lay in bed listening to the unmistakable sound of sunshine.

Spinnelli had already called--the land lines obviously in working order finally--and reported that they were coming by with the boys later in the day. Lucky had just returned to work and he was prepared to tell everyone that Elizabeth had met him after their camping trip and had taken the boys to visit his mother in France--a dream vacation.

He wasn't wrong about that. For two weeks Elizabeth felt like she had been living a dream and she knew it was time to wake up, but she couldn't bear to open her eyes. Like all dreams, the details would be forgotten and the vivid images would fade as soon as reality set in. And Elizabeth couldn't let that happen…she needed to hang on to their days together; she needed to remember that his love for her was real.

Jason stroked her shoulder as they lay side by side, staring at each other's faces, both missing the dark stormy clouds. He tried to memorize every nuance, every sparkle of blue, the texture of her lips, the softness of her cheeks…but he knew he would forget. He knew that he would convince himself this wasn't real, and he wanted to enjoy the fairytale for just a few moments longer.

"Elizabeth?" he whispered.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think about the shooting in Jake's?"

His question caught her by surprise.

"Yes, sometimes. I think about how quickly it happened. I think about how scared I was for you. And one time right after we got here, I dreamed about the blood when I shot him."

"Do you feel any remorse…for shooting him?"

Elizabeth placed her hand on his stubbled cheek and shook her head no.

"Not at all. He was coming after you, and I could never regret keeping you safe."

Jason turned his head to kiss the inside of her hand and replied, "Now you know how I'll feel when I walk away today. I could never regret keeping you safe…even if it kills me to do it."

A tear trickled down onto the pillow beneath his head, and Elizabeth finally understood what it cost him to let her go. She needed to make sure he knew that she would never hate him for his choices.

"About the fight we had the other day, it makes me mad when you push me away, but I didn't mean everything I said. Sure I get angry, but I know why you do it. And I love you even more for it. I only wish you could understand that just because you can't have us as a family doesn't mean you can't come to me when you need someone. You will always have me, Jason…rain or shine."

*****

Jason left the grey-green farm house an hour before Spinelli and the boys arrived. Elizabeth sat in one of the rockers on the porch and waved goodbye with a cheery smile as if he were only going to the grocery store. But Jason noticed that her eyes focused on the clouds above as they blew further and further away; it looked like they were carrying him in the same direction as he sped down the gravel drive…and like the clouds, he would be just another storm in her life that she had endured before it moved quickly on.

Elizabeth watched as Jason climbed into the SUV and slowly began to drive away. She was sad to see him leave, but excited to see her boys, and even more confused about her family than she had ever been. Something had changed between her and Jason over the last two weeks, a familiarity had been reached that was going to make staying away from each other nearly impossible. This wasn't like a two day fling...they had shared half a month with only each other and it bonded them even more deeply than the last ten years had. Waving goodbye to Jason, she watched the clouds gently blow East, and gasped when in the distance a sheer rainbow sparkled and dipped into the wet trees along the horizon. She smiled lazily as she pondered the fading colors; a rainbow had always represented hope and promises for the future...a reward for braving the storm.

And that is exactly what she planned to leave with.