Hi all! Yes, I have been bad, and I neglected this story. But I am back and hopefully will finish this by the end of the month. I have changed some things and edited, so I hope you go back and reread the first four chapters.

I hope you enjoy.

I don't own. I borrow

CHAPTER FIVE

Elizabeth was in the kitchen, filling a pot full of water for the pasta she was planning on serving for dinner, when the door opened, her oldest walking through all sweaty and dirty from soccer.

"Hey sweetie. How was practice?"

He shrugged, throwing his bag down on the chair and walking over to the island, "It was ok. Not sure if we are ready for our opening game next week, but we'll see."

She smiled, "I'm sure you guys will do great. You have a good group of guys this year."

"Yeah, we do. So, what's been goin on here?"

"Your brothers are upstairs playing that new video game Jake got if you want to go play with them."

He shook his head, "Nah, it's so lame. Let them play. How did his visit with Jason go?"

She smiled, "It went great. He had a blast on the motorcycle. Jason even took Aiden for a ride too."

He nodded, a sad look crossing his face.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He shrugged, "Just wish I was here. I always liked Jason, you know?"

"Well, why don't I let you know when he comes over again, and you can see if you can make it?"

He smiled, "That would be great mom."

She looked at him, crossing her arms in front of her, "To be honest, I didn't realize you remembered Jason all that much."

"Of course I remember him. He brought Jake home when he was kidnapped as a baby. He was always really nice to me too. Always talked to me whenever he saw me. Even when you weren't around."

Her eyes furrowed, "When would you see him without me?"

Cameron looked at his mother and shrugged, "Around town. We would be with Grams at the park, or at Kellys, and he would stop and say hello to Jake and me. He always had time to talk to me. I didn't know he was Jake's father then, but it didn't seem to matter, cuz he treated both of us the same. When we thought he died, I was really sad. I felt like I lost a good friend."

Her eyes glassed over listening to her son talk about Jason. She never knew he would stop to talk to the boys all those years ago.

"Cam, how do you feel about Jason being a part of Jake's life now?"

"I'm happy. I love Drew, don't get me wrong, but I never really forgave him for how he treated you when he found out you lied to him. I know it hurt him, but he didn't have to be so cold. Jason wouldn't have done that, Mom."

She closed her eyes and looked away, "I hurt Drew very much, Cam. I don't blame him-"

"Mom, I have been with you the longest. I have seen what you have gone through. I have seen how guys who claim to love you have treated you. I know why you lied, Mom."

She turned and looked at him, "What do you mean?"

"You have always loved Jason. I can remember being really little, and he would come around, and your face would light up. You never got that way with Dad, or anyone else. Even when he was with Sam, you guys still had this connection, this spark. It never went away."

He watched as her eyes filled with tears, her arms hugging herself as she walked to the couch and sat down. He moved over and sat down next to her, turning toward her.

"When Jason 'died,' I saw it Mom, a part of you died too," he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, nerves showing on his face, "I found something yesterday," he said, looking down at his lap.

She looked over at him, "What?"

He looked at her for a second, then got up. He went to his bag and pulled out an old shoe box.

Elizabeth stood up, her eyes growing wide, "Where did you get that?"

"I was looking for a clean towel, and we didn't have any left in the hall closet, so I went in your room to find one. This was on the top shelf of your linen closet in your bathroom."

She rubbed her hands over the front of her jean legs nervously, her eyes fixed on the box.

"Mom, I didn't open the box," he said, "but I did notice the initials written on the top, in your handwriting. JM. That stands for Jason, right?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes unable to turn away from the box. She hadn't looked in that box in so long. Ever since Drew walked out of her life, she tried to move on from the memories. She felt she lost whatever right she had to remember any of the good things about what her and Jason had shared. To see it now, in her son's hands, after her thoughts just a few hours before, she thought it had to mean something.

She walked over to him and reached her hand out slowly, sliding it along the top of the box. She gently took it from his hands and brought it to her, as if she were hugging it.

She swallowed a lump in her throat and whispered, "Do you want to see what's in it?"

"Only if you want me to."

She nodded, and turned back toward the couch, sitting down. She waited until he was sitting next to her before placing it on the coffee table in front of them. She gently opened the lid, and reached inside. The first thing she pulled out was an old postcard. She reached in again, and pulled out a broken piece of red glass.

"These were gifts. Very original gifts."

"Jason gave them to you, didn't he?"

She nodded slowly, her fingers rubbing over the glass softly, "Jason was always a very original gift-giver."

"He also gave me a bat, and a steel door," she said, smiling wistfully.

He laughed, "A steel door?"

"You know my studio. Well, he didn't like the area, and he thought I would be safer if he installed the door. He was always making sure I was safe. That we were all safe," she said the last part in a whisper.

"Mom, is that why you guys never really got together? Because he's in the mob?"

She turned her head quickly to look at him, "Who told you that?"

He chuckled, "Mom, everyone knows," he said. "You guys never got together because his world isn't safe, right?"

She nodded, "Jason never wanted to put you and Jake, or even Aiden in the line of fire. He was so worried about us being hurt because of his life. I was scared too. I couldn't be selfish and put you through that. I saw what growing up in that life did to Michael and Morgan."

"Mom, don't get me wrong, but I don't think your life was any safer away from Jason. If anything, it was more dangerous." He said, "Look at what happened with Jake. He was kidnapped, thought dead by all of us. That wasn't Jason's world, Mom."

"Cam-"

"No, Mom. I want you to be happy. I just don't think you can be happy with anyone but Jason."

Tears spilled from her eyes and she looked at her son, "I am happy, Cam. I have Franco."

He shook his head, "Mom, I like Franco. He helped Jake so much when he got back. But honestly, I've never seen your face light up. Not the way it does with Jason."

He stood up and walked toward the stairs, turning toward his mother, "That is something you need to think about, Mom. You deserve to finally be happy. I don't think Franco is the right man for you. If you really look inside, you'll figure it out too."

He turned and ran up the stairs, leaving Elizabeth on the couch watching as he disappeared from view. She slowly turned back around, noticing her fingers still wrapped around the glass. She stared at the glass for a moment, her son's words rolling around in her head.