Elizabeth returned home to the usual unpleasantness and took to spending a lot of time in her room away from her step-father who had been drinking more than usual, and had taken to striking her mother when he would get upset, making Elizabeth fear she would be next.
Jason wrote almost every week, and every letter she received only served to make her miss him more. One night when her mother and stepfather had gone out, she used the calling card her grandfather had given her and she called Jason.
Sonny “Hello?”
Elizabeth “Mr. Corinthos, this is Elizabeth is Jason there?”
Sonny “Elizabeth it is good to hear from you. Jason is here I will get him one moment”
Elizabeth heard muffled voices in the background and then Jason’s voice.
Jason “Mia what’s wrong?”
Elizabeth “Nothing really I just miss you, and wanted to talk to you”
Jason “Are your parents there?”
Elizabeth “No, and I am using the calling card I got from Papa”
Jason “How are you?”
Elizabeth “Ok I just want to be home”
Jason “Elizabeth I know something is wrong what is it?”
Elizabeth “It’s just so much harder to be away from you this year. I…just hate being here”
Elizabeth broke down in tears and began to sob wildly into the phone, leaving Jason to feel helpless on the other end.
Jason “Mia please…please don’t cry”
Elizabeth “I’m sorry Jason, I just wanted to hear your voice. I miss you so much”
Jason “I miss you too Mia…I miss you too. I want you to close your eyes and imagine that I am holding you. I am always here for you Mia don’t ever forget that”
Elizabeth closed her eyes and imagined she was enveloped in Jason’s warm embrace and instantly felt safe.
Elizabeth “Thank you”
Jason “Do you feel better?”
Elizabeth “Yeah I do”
Jason “Good”
Hearing the car door slam Elizabeth began to panic
Elizabeth “They are home I have to go”
Before Jason could respond Elizabeth hung up on him, and by the time her mother came in Elizabeth and placed the phone back on the hook and had run into her bedroom.
Hearing loud voices coming from downstairs Elizabeth crawled into bed, pulled the covers over her head and pretended to be asleep hoping to block them out. The unmistakable sound of fist meeting flesh filled the house and Elizabeth began to cry once again praying for a way out.
A few days later Elizabeth received a letter from a very worried Jason, and instantly felt bad for hanging up on him so quickly.
Mia,
I understand why you had to go so quickly when we talked, but I wanted to make sure you are ok. I am always here for you Elizabeth and I always will be, please call me if you need to talk I don’t ever want you to feel alone.
I love you,
Jason
Later that week her parents had gone out again and Elizabeth called Jason.
Jason “Hello?”
Elizabeth “Jason?”
Jason “ Mia ”
Elizabeth “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to worry you”
Jason “I know are you ok?”
Elizabeth “Not really but I am as good as I will be”
Jason “Tell me what to do?”
Elizabeth “There isn’t anything you can do Jason, just don’t stop writing to me ok cause I really need those”
Jason “I wont, can you talk or do you have to go?”
Elizabeth “I should go I don’t know when they will be back”
Jason “Ok. I promise I will write soon”
Elizabeth “I love you Jason”
Jason “I love you too Mia…always”
Elizabeth hung up the phone and went into her room, as she fell asleep she heard her wolf howling in the distance, and started to cry wishing she were home. A few weeks later she was in the car with her mother and stepfather headed back after having dinner with her step-grandparents.
Her father had quite a bit to drink with dinner and Elizabeth didn’t want to sit in the car with him driving, but when he grabbed her by the arm and shoved her inside she didn’t have much choice. Buckling her seatbelt Elizabeth bunched her hands into tight fists as her stepfather began to weave in and out of traffic.
A few miles from the house her stepfather swerved into oncoming traffic and before Elizabeth could completely react the car was airborne. Elizabeth heard screams but didn’t realize they were her own as the car landed on its side, and began to roll.
Elizabeth…Scared…
The car came to a stop on the it’s roof an unconscious Elizabeth hanging upside down…her seatbelt the only reason she wasn’t thrown free of the car.
Hurt…
Arriving on the scene the first thing that assaulted his senses was the smell of gasoline. Moving quickly he found the car and Elizabeth suspended upside down. With his superior hearing he was able to tell she was still breathing and stepped through the broken window working fast to get her out of the car.
Heat…Fire
The seatbelt snapped sending Elizabeth to the ground jarring her awake, and as she opened her eyes she saw the beautiful blue ones of her wolf staring back at her. The animal latched on to the collar of her shirt and began dragging her from the car.
Broken glass cut into her skin as she was pulled across the pavement, and came to rest on the far embankment just as the car burst into flames. Elizabeth tried to get up and was thrown violently to the ground when the vehicle she had just exited exploded in a huge ball of flames.
The wolf covered her body with his the heat searing his fur, and making him whimper in pain. Sirens sounded in the distance and when the wolf saw Elizabeth would be taken care off it disappeared into the night as quickly as it came.
It had been two days since the accident and Elizabeth still hadn’t waken up, Jason kept a 24 hour vigil at her bedside refusing to leave. They were still baffled as to how she had gotten out of the car and over to the other side of the road but she was lucky. Logan, Anne, Sonny, and Jason got to the hospital as soon as they heard.
The first thing Elizabeth became aware of was the sound of Jason’s voice drifting through her mind like a soothing song.
Jason “Mia please wake up…we need you, you have to be alright you just have to. Please Elizabeth you and I are supposed to be together you have to be ok…”
Her voice came out on a hoarse whisper and to Jason it was the most wonderful sound in the world.
Elizabeth “Jason?”
Jason “Yes Mia it’s me”
Slowly she opened her eyes and the light caused a blinding pain to cut through her head like a jackhammer. Groaning she tried to move her right hand and cover her eyes only to find it was extremely heavy and didn’t want to cooperate. Moving her left hand was easier for her and she used it to cover her very sensitive eyes.
Elizabeth “What happened?”
Jason “You don’t remember?”
Elizabeth “Not really”
Jason “You were in an accident, your stepfather was driving and swerved into oncoming traffic”
Elizabeth “Uh…now I remember”
Just as she spoke Logan, Anne and Sonny came in.
Logan “Elizabeth you scared us half to death, how are you feeling”
Elizabeth “I don’t know, I tried to open my eyes but it was so bright”
Moving over to her side Logan reached across the bed and removed Elizabeth’s hand from her eyes as he gently massaged her temples. Feeling the pressure in her head lesson Elizabeth opened her eyes blinking to clear her vision.
Logan “Better?”
Elizabeth “Yes thank you Papa. How bad am I hurt? I can’t really tell”
Logan “You have a broken arm, several broken ribs, a lot of cuts and scrapes and a concussion. You were very lucky Elizabeth”
Elizabeth “What about Mom how is she?”
Logan looked at Jason who moved closer to Elizabeth sitting on the left side of the bed, he took he wrapped one arm around her shoulder as he held her left hand.
Logan “Elizabeth your mother is dead”
Elizabeth "What?"
Logan "There was an explosion, she and your stepfather were killed"
Elizabeth began to cry, and Jason pulled her into his chest. Her left arm went around his waist, and no one in the room missed the way he winced when her arm connected with the burns on his back.
Elizabeth "Where am I going to go now?"
Anne "Elizabeth you will come home with us of course"
Elizabeth "I will?"
Logan "We are your family"
Jason felt Elizabeth slump next to him and took that as a sign she needed more rest.
Jason "I think Elizabeth needs more rest"
Anne "I think you are right Jason, Elizabeth get some rest honey we will be back first thing in the morning""
Elizabeth nodded into Jason's shoulder and he gently lay her back down on the bed and placed a kiss on her forehead before following his father, Logan and Anne out into the hall.
Sonny "Is there anything you would like for us to do Logan?"
Logan "Yes Sonny if you could come with me while I make the arrangements for Elizabeth's mother? She may have been an awful woman, but she deserves a decent burial"
Sonny "Sure"
Jason "I would like to stay with Elizabeth"
Anne "Of course Jason stay with her, I will go to the house and pack up her things so she wont have to go back"
Logan "I think that is a good idea"
Sonny placed his hand on Jason's shoulder leading him away from Logan and Anne.
Sonny "Try and get some rest Jason"
Jason "I will rest when Elizabeth is home safe where she belongs"
Sonny "I saw the way you flinched back there Jason those burns on your back are no joke, you need to take care of them."
Jason "I will father once we get home"
Sonny "I am still not happy with you, you took one hell of a risk back there. I am glad you were able to save her, but you could have paid a very high price"
Jason "I had to save her father. You know I can feel her and she was so afraid, if she hadn't gotten out of there she would have died, and so would I"
Sonny "I don't ever want you taking a risk like that again Jason do you understand, you are too important to us"
Jason "She is too important to me, I will do whatever I have to in order to keep her safe"
Logan having overheard everything decided he should step in before the wrong person might overhear.
Logan "I think the rest of this can wait until we get home don't you Sonny?"
Sonny "I think you're right"
Sonny, Logan, and Anne all left to take care of their errands while Jason returned to Elizabeth. Coming into the room he saw that she was fast asleep and not wanting to wake her took a seat in the chair next to her bed, holding her hand in his as he watched her.
Gently he brushed a stray hand from her face, and Elizabeth turned into his touch.
Elizabeth "Jason?"
Jason "I'm here Mia"
Elizabeth "Thank you for staying"
Jason "I wouldn't be anywhere else"
Elizabeth made some incoherent sounds before she fell back to sleep. Elizabeth spent three days in the hospital before she was released and could properly say goodbye to her mother.
It was a very small service that didn't last very long and soon Logan, Sonny, Anne, Jason, and Elizabeth were headed home. Anne had cleaned out Elizabeth's room making sure she didn't miss anything and Elizabeth was grateful, she never wanted to set foot in that house again.
Anne, Jason and Sonny flew back while Logan drove with all of Elizabeth's things in the car. While they were in the car on the way home from the airport Elizabeth fell asleep in Jason's lap and when they arrived he carried her up to her room.
When he set her on the bed, Elizabeth woke and looked around.
Elizabeth "Are we home?"
Jason "Yes, Mia sleep now your home"
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