Lighted Shadows - Chapter 1

"Sometimes you just can't find a beat," a deep voice rolled over the chatter of the small cafe. "That's when you gotta make your own."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at those words, knowing just what they meant to her. Folding the menu, she leaned over the small table. Kelly's was a quaint place. It was one of those family-run dives where the waitresses knew your name and "the usual" was the most common order in the place. Elizabeth always found it calming to stop in right before work. They knew her name and her "usual" but she always kept herself from truly letting them see her.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," a waitress greeted her. "Can I get you anything else?"

Elizabeth smiled politely and shook her head. "No, thanks. I'm just fine."

The waitress nodded and walked off to the next table.

Most of the diners chatted it up with the owners and the waiters but Elizabeth liked to stay in her own little corner, sipping a hot chocolate and taking in the scenery. To be honest, it was probably her favorite time of day. Elizabeth was never a morning person but lately it seemed like the only time she could really think and be by herself.

Elizabeth worked at an elite perfume company called Deception. Run by one of the biggest socialites on the eastern seaboard, Elizabeth somehow found herself dragged into the world of glamour and dollar signs as a favor to a friend. Elizabeth didn't have the passion for perfume that so many of her co-workers did. It was a job for her and that was it.

All her adult life, all Elizabeth knew was business functions and social events. In the hussle and bustle, she couldn't help yearning for a little peace of mind and a reason to wake up in the morning. She smiled as she watched a young girl fight with her brother over the maple syrup bottle. At another table, a man was feeding his girlfriend some strawberries and they were both laughing about something. To the right of Elizabeth's table, a father was coaxing his daughter into eating her breakfast.

All around her, the world was coming alive. If only Elizabeth had the time to live with them. Instead, she had to hurry to a board meeting to present the next campaign for Deception. Elizabeth sighed, taking one last sip of the warm chocolate. Another day living a life that was "just fine."

Across the globe, a man in a leather jacket handed his boarding pass to the flight attendant. The woman looked at him curiously, but he didn't even bother looking at her. Or maybe he was. She couldn't tell behind his dark glasses.

"Here you go," she said, handing him his ticket. She eyed him curiously, examining his passport once more. There was something she couldn't put her finger on, but she didn't mention it. The harsh line in his jaw twitched which warned her not to ask any questions.

The man took the ticket, but again did not glance her way. Instead, he brushed past her into the boarding area. Walking briskly down the walkway, he kept his eyes alerted to all that was happening around him. Not a sound, not a movement, not a scent passed him unnoticed.

He found his seat quickly, knowing his way around this particular plane, and dropped his jacket on the seat beside him. He knew it would be vacant since he had purchased both seats. He didn't need the distraction of another passenger. He carried no luggage, but he didn't need much. He knew how to get by with next to nothing.

He put the passport into the back pocket of his jeans, and pulled out a photograph. Examining it, he tried to memorize it. He didn't do well with pictures, but even he could see the image in front of him. He had spent the last few weeks studying it, trying to imagine how she would look in real life.

Something about her intrigued him and that was not a good thing. He thought that if he looked at it enough, the sensation would go away, but it seemed to be a problem not quickly solved. The picture was well-worn, but even beneath the wrinkles, the twinkling eyes shone through.

He swore that he would not let those eyes distract him. He had a job to do, and he wasn't going to let a brunette from Port Charles, New York get the best of him.

Meanwhile, back in that small town, Elizabeth was stepping into her office, grabbing the folder she had prepared for the morning's meeting. It was delicately arranged, but she knew it was pointless. No one would care one way or another how much work she had put into it. All they cared about was what would make them more money.

Elizabeth shook her head. This would not be another one of THOSE days. She just had to push it into the back of her mind. This was just a job. It wasn't supposed to be fun.

"Hey, Elizabeth," a female voice greeted, knocking on her office door.

Elizabeth looked up to find her sister-in-law in the doorway. "Hey, Em."

"Ready to knock their socks off?" Emily Quartermaine questioned.

Elizabeth replied, "More like their pocketbooks."

Emily smirked knowingly. "Look, in a few more months, you're going to get that promotion. Then you'll be in charge of your own projects. You can run a charity event like you've been talking about."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "Like that matters. It just means it will be all my fault if the campaigns flop and if the charity doesn't bring in more business for Deception. At least this way, I'm just one of the little people of no consequential value to the company one way or the other."

"You're not fooling anyone," Emily laughed. "You want to do something that counts. That's all you talk about. You just have to go through the steps to get there. A little bit more patience and then you can do what you REALLY want to do."

"And what's that, Em?" Elizabeth sighed. "I don't even know what I want anymore."

Emily frowned. Elizabeth sounded even more somber than usual. Emily quickly replied, "I heard Jason is coming home from Italy today."

Elizabeth's face lit up. "Yeah, I'm picking him up from the airport after this meeting."

"I bet he's been dying to see you. This has to have been his longest trip this year," Emily commented.

Elizabeth nodded. "It's kind of sad when you only see your husband once every three months."

Emily placed a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "You know he wouldn't be gone so long if it weren't for Grandfather pushing him so much."

Elizabeth leaned her head against Emily's. "I know. It just gets lonely sometimes."

"It'll get better soon," Emily said, knowing that she was saying that much too often lately. Elizabeth was more than her sister-in-law. More than a sister even. Emily wanted her brother and Elizabeth to get the happiness they deserved. Things just kept getting in the way.

"Are we ready to go ladies?" a blonde interrupted them.

They both secretly rolled their eyes with their back to her knowing that snotty voice from anywhere. Caroline Corinthos was not their favorite person, but they turned with plastered smiles and answered simultaneously, "Yep."

Caroline nodded and left the room towards the conference area.

Emily turned to Elizabeth and commented, "I swear, if she didn't write my paycheck, I would . . ."

"You'd what?" Elizabeth taunted with a smile.

"I'd, I'd, well, I'd do something really really bad," Emily finished with a stammer.

Elizabeth laughed. Emily was too nice for her own good.

They headed towards the direction Caroline had taken. Elizabeth sighed, trying to remind herself that as soon as this was over, she'd get to see Jason. He was the silver lining of this cloud she called her life.

He always knew what to say to make her feel better. She had been friends with him ever since she moved into this town. She never seemed to fit in with any of the little cliques but it didn't seem to matter, because he became the place for her to belong. He was her best friend and when they got married, she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her life. She never had a real family, but when she married Jason, she felt like she finally had one.

Tightening her grip on the folder in her hand, she prepared herself for the routine meeting. She was growing weary of these masquerades. Pretending like what she was doing really mattered was becoming harder and harder to do. She tried to hold onto Emily's words and hope that all her work was building up to something meaningful. However, stepping into that conference room, seeing the same faces, she found that hard to believe.

Caroline Corinthos sat at the head of the marble table surrounded by stockholders and company executives. "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us. We are very excited to present to you the campaign for our newest scent, Rapture."

Everyone quieted down at Caroline's authoritative tone and turned to face her. Elizabeth and Emily quickly walked up to the seats beside her.

Caroline nodded in their direction and faced the guests. "I am very excited about this new project. It is refreshing, seductive and above all, appealing to our target consumers. To present the campaign plan, my assistants have brought portfolios which you will find in front of you along with samples of the new scent."

The sound of shuffling papers and sniffing filled the room as each attendee sampled the new perfume from Deception. A flurry of ooh's and ahh's followed and soon the room was buzzing with praise.

"Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves," Caroline said, although very pleased with the response. "First, a formal presentation by one of my assistants."

Elizabeth nodded to the crowd and stood in front of the poster she had designed. "Good morning, everyone. I am pleased to introduce you to the first of the next generation of Deception scents. Deception has realized the new market for bolder, more daring perfumes is growing. The younger generation is tired of the musky smells of their mothers and the older generation is bored with the floral selections that seemed to have infiltrated the market in the last few years. Rapture is a mix of oils from all over Europe along with scents inspired by East Asia and parts of South America. This mixture has produced a scent that is new, original and above all, tantalizing to the senses . . ."

Elizabeth's well-rehearsed speech was delivered briefly as Caroline rushed her along, realizing that the attendees were already happy with the new campaign and there was not much need to convince them further.

As quickly as they entered, the stockholders left, filing out while praising the new campaign and discussing the financial future of Deception.

Elizabeth sighed, gathering up her materials, noting that many of her promotional packets were still lying on the conference table.

"Hey, Elizabeth, don't look so unhappy," Caroline interjected. "You did fine. They liked it. We'll make them tons of money and in turn, make Deception into a formidable company in the perfume industry."

Elizabeth managed a small smile. "I'm happy, I just had a long night last night preparing for this."

Caroline shrugged and departed, leaving Elizabeth and Emily the job of cleaning up.

"Caroline was right about one thing," Emily said, gathering materials on her side of the table. "You did do fine. You had nothing to worry about."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm tired of doing FINE. Rapture is going to be a huge success and I was a part of it. Big deal. So millions of Americans will smell a little different for a few months. What does it mean in the big scheme of things anyway?"

Emily giggled. "There's the Elizabeth I know."

"Excuse me, I have a package for E. Quartermaine," a man said, knocking on the conference room door holding two items in his hand.

Elizabeth and Emily looked up. "I'll take it," Emily said, signing for the package.

Emily placed the package on the table and opened up the letter that was delivered with the package. "Oh, it's from Jason."

"Why is he sending you a package when he could have given it to you in person?" Elizabeth asked, putting down the folders in her hand.

Emily shrugged. "Who knows? Why don't you open it?"

Elizabeth stared at Emily. "Why would I open up your present?"

Emily replied with a smile, "It's not for me, it's for you."

Lighted Shadows - Chapter 2

Elizabeth fingered the familiar smooth writing and raised an eyebrow at the message. "Happy Anniversary?" she read aloud.

"That's not for another, what, two weeks?" Emily asked.

Elizabeth nodded, a distant look in her eyes. "Maybe he meant for it to be delivered later or something."

Emily shook her head. "Nope, it says right here, priority mail."

Elizabeth examined the letter and the package. "Why didn't Jason just give this to me himself?"

"He probably meant it to be a surprise. It seems very romantic and mysterious," Emily observed.

Elizabeth bit her lower lip. "Maybe. It sounds like something Jason would do."

"Come on, just open it. I'm dying of curiosity," Emily said, bouncing up and down impatiently.

Elizabeth grabbed the box and peeled back the packaging. She stared at the object for a moment.

"Is that what I think it is?" Emily inquired, recognizing the black glass bottle.

Elizabeth nodded, with a blank look in her eyes. It didn't make any sense. "Why would Jason send me some Zone perfume?"

Emily shrugged. "I have no clue. Everyone knows you hate perfume."

Elizabeth looked at the bottle closely. "I have this really bad feeling, Em. Like something's wrong."

"Maybe some woman in Italy told him perfume would be a good one-year anniversary present," Emily suggested. "Knowing Jason, this is probably the only one he remembers the name of."

"Jason's never needed present advice before," Elizabeth replied. "He's always known exactly what to get me. Birthdays, Christmas, Valentine's . . ."

"Well, it is the first perfume campaign you worked on for Deception," Emily said. "Maybe he has something up his sleeve."

Elizabeth smiled hesitantly. "That's possible. He sent me on that wild goose chase last year through Port Charles."

"And finished it off with a romantic dinner on the docks," Emily remembered. "Maybe this is a piece to the puzzle for your anniversary in two weeks."

Elizabeth put the perfume down on the table. "Well, I guess I'll find out soon enough. I have to hurry if I want to beat traffic to the airport."

"Okay," Emily grinned, giving Elizabeth a hug. "I am sure Jason would be excited to know how great you did today."

Elizabeth smiled and waved goodbye as she headed towards the parking garage. Then when she was out of anyone's earshot, she muttered, "Yeah, you did great Lizzie. Just great."

"Mrs. Quartermaine!" a young man shouted, chasing after her.

Elizabeth turned on her heel. "Yes, Johnny?"

The man smiled at the brunette. "Your secretary got a message from your husband during your meeting. His flight was cancelled so he took the next flight which doesn't arrive until 1 A.M. tonight."

Elizabeth thanked Johnny and walked back towards her office. Just when she thought she could escape, Jason was going to be late. This day was just getting better and better.

Later that night at the Port Charles Airport, the flight from Italy arrived early. Passengers filed out one-by-one, some surprised to find family members waiting but most just standing, waiting for their party. One flight attendant took notice of a man in a sleek gray business suit and approached him.

"Good evening, Mr. Quartermaine. How was your trip?" she asked the blonde man.

Jason turned to the flight attendant and answered, "It went just as planned. I am just glad to finally be home."

The woman beamed and asked, "Can I help you get your bags, or get you a car?"

Jason shook his head. "No, I didn't bring much and my wife is picking me up."

"Elizabeth has been very successful these last few months in the newest campaign for Deception," the woman informed him.

Jason nodded and said curtly, "I know, I've been reading the papers."

"They say she might be the next Brenda Barrett," the woman commented.

Jason leaned forward and whispered in her ear huskily. "Do you always gossip about other people's business or is this a newly acquired trait?"

The woman blushed and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

Jason smirked and nodded. "I'll see you later."

The flight attendant watched as Jason walked off, eyeing him curiously. She had met Jason Quartermaine many times in the past few years as he returned from his business trips. Why did he act like he barely knew her? If she didn't know better, she might even say he was being rude. But that couldn't be. Jason Quartermaine was the kindest young man she ever had the pleasure of knowing. Maybe his business trip didn't go so well. "That must be it," she muttered to herself.

Elizabeth Quartermaine raced up the steps toward the terminal, wondering to herself why she suddenly felt the urgency to see Jason. She had dashed out of work and went back to the house only to pace for hours before finally driving over to the airport. Ever since that afternoon, she had felt something was wrong, but she didn't know what it was. Maybe she was just being fanciful and placing too much weight on her instincts. "That must be it," she told herself.

As she found herself walking towards the familiar waiting area for the plane's arrival, she felt herself overwhelmed with the need to be with Jason. He had been gone for half a year which felt like a lifetime to her. He was her best friend and her husband, but he was always so far away. He was the one person she could confide in and handling the stress of Deception on her own was getting so tiring. She needed him and she missed him.

Pausing in front of Gate 5, Elizabeth looked back and forth for her husband. She saw many people hugging and laughing and excited to see the different passengers. She couldn't find him anywhere in the crowd. She walked towards the nearest attendant and asked politely, "Have you seen my husband, Jason Quartermaine?"

The woman nodded. "He was here just a second ago. I believe he headed off in that direction."

Elizabeth turned to the left, wondering why Jason would go wandering off without calling her to let her know. It was also strange that he hadn't called to tell her that his plane had arrived early. Elizabeth proceeded in the direction the attendant had directed to her, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously.

Jason was here, she assured herself. There was nothing to be so paranoid about. Elizabeth was just about to turn the corridor, when she felt two hands grasp her shoulders and turn her around. Before she could react, two lips came crashing down on hers and she was pulled into a passionate embrace.

Elizabeth tried to open her eyes to see who it was, but the draw of the talented lips, massaging over hers made her too weak to do anything. She felt her body responding to the caresses and a moan escaping her lips. Her body unfroze and melted into his. She was working purely on instinct, knowing that this was foreign territory for her. Jason had never kissed her like this before and she had to admit, she liked it.

She let herself get lost in his touch, as he ran his fingers through her hair and stroked her face. The roughness of his palm brushed against her porcelain skin which made her tingle with excitement. Elizabeth had missed Jason so much these past few months but nothing had prepared her for this greeting. She surrendered to the sensation caused by his body pressed against hers, setting herself in his hands.

With the combination of the musky scent of his skin and the sweet torture of his mouth, Elizabeth felt the urge to have him closer to her, needing to feel him against every inch of her skin. When her hand reached into his hair to pull him deeper into the kiss, her entire body turned to stone. The long tresses between her finger tips were not the short spikes she had been expecting. She pulled back quickly and stared up at the man who had grabbed her. "Jason?" she gasped.

Jason smiled down at her seductively. "Well, I missed you too, sweetheart."

Elizabeth's fingertips rubbed her tender lips as she tried to recover from the shock of her husband's new appearance. And she wasn't just talking about the long hair. It was also something in his eyes that she had never seen before. Had he been away that long that she couldn't even recognize him?

"Are we just going to stand in this dark corner, or are we going to head home?" he grinned flirtatiously.

Elizabeth stared wide-eyed, rendered speechless by the fierce look of desire in his eyes. She couldn't budge an inch.

"If making love in the shadows is okay with you, we don't have to go anywhere," he teased, leaning closer to her.

She could feel his breath against her lips and her body encouraged her to close that distance with another kiss, but she wouldn't let herself. Jason wasn't acting like himself at all. The Jason she knew would never suggest something so . . . risque. "Jason," she managed to say. "I---"

Jason silenced her with his fingers stroking her lower lip. "Wait, just let me hear you say that again."

Elizabeth looked at him with confusion.

Jason sighed against her cheek. "I have been away so long, I've forgotten what it was like to hear you say my name."

Elizabeth felt her heart beat rapidly and her senses were suddenly hightened by the deep timbre of his voice. "Jason---"

His lips suddenly descended on hers and her statement was lost in the heat of the moment.

© Q 2006
The author does not claim to own anything but the words in these works. The characters and the character history belong to ABC Television, General Hospital and the writers of General Hospital.