A/N: I'm sorry this is getting posted a little early. I'm heading out in
a few hours to go to NJ to spend the weekend with my husband's family
and it's iffy that I'll have internet. I wanted to make sure I didn't
run out of time to post it. This is my first mystery fic so I hope you
all enjoy what I came up with.
~ Jules ~
Murder Mystery Dinner - Part One
Thunder clapped furiously along the gray, outer walls, the harsh sounds of the late fall storm reverberating around the large, elegantly decorated dining room as guests milled about, their voices attempting to drone out the bleak melody outside. Silverware clanked and glasses clinked as the residents of Port Charles continued to enjoy the gourmet feast that had been catered by the Metro Court Hotel.
The noises from the party combined with the violent rainstorm, the droplets of water loudly pelting against the enormous, eerily shaped windows of the castle, reminded Elizabeth of how much she hated this place. Hated it with a passion that was as strong as the wind that continued to blow ferociously against the stone facade of Nicolas’ home. Wyndemere, to the nurse, would always be one of the darkest places she had ever had the displeasure to set foot inside.
In light of the weather and especially in recognition of whose company she was keeping this evening, the single mother questioned her own intelligence as to why she was even there. 'Why did I bother coming tonight' kept going through her mind. The rough squall raging outside only continued to reinforce her private thoughts. All of it reminded Elizabeth of another night, one she had experienced few years prior, when, even more horrible than the frightening weather, her best friend Emily had been killed. Murdered. Which made it ironic that this event should take place at Wyndemere, since the dinner party she was in attendance of that evening was actually in honor of the late Emily Quartermaine along with her father, Alan.
Brook Lynn, Nikolas’ most recent flavor of the month, decided it would be a wonderful idea to have a hospital fund raiser at the Prince’s home to honor the two Quartermaines, and then she decided how much fun it would be to host one of those Murder Mystery dinner parties. Being that the girl had not been present for the first fund raiser in honor of Alan and the announcement of Emily’s engagement to the Cassadine heir, where Elizabeth's best friend had ultimately been murdered by the Text Message Killer, the nurse couldn’t blame Brook Lynn for her choice of venue or for the theme of the party. She probably didn’t even comprehend the impact of the actual event. But what made the whole thing unbelievable was that Nikolas did know and still had agreed to the party, especially since, he, of all people, certainly was aware of what happened when any type of event was hosted in his home.
Elizabeth wondered how Tracy’s granddaughter had actually convinced the Cassadine Prince to even do such a thing. Not that the brunette was jealous... far from it, in fact, but the man was still her friend, and she was starting to question his rational thinking abilities. 'Maybe,' she sarcastically thought to herself, 'his tumor has come back.' Although the nurse hadn’t noticed any unexplained behavior... well, except for the party of course... or any unusual outburst, Elizabeth also wasn’t really spending a lot of time with Nikolas any longer. Since Aiden's true paternity had been outed and it was discovered that Lucky was her youngest son's father, her long time friend had wanted nothing to do with her... which was actually fine with Elizabeth. Right now, she was determined and focused on being the best mother she possibly could be to her three boys.
It hadn’t mattered to Lucky one way or another whose Aiden's father truly was. Once her teenage love had decided to be with Siobhan, the man quickly determined he had no use for his children, preferring adventure and “danger,” over being a paternal figure. Elizabeth inwardly huffed at that notion, rolling her eyes to herself, thinking that he really should have stuck with Sam if that's the type of relationship and life he wanted.
Sighing at where her mind had wandered, the pretty brunette decided to focus on something else in that moment and continued to gaze about the room. There was the Spencer clan all seated at one table. Lucky and Nikolas, obviously the best of brothers again now, bonding over their contempt for Elizabeth, had decided to sit at the same table. Although, now that she noticed it, Nikolas was nowhere to be found, and she figured that he must have gone off to deal with some unforeseen details concerning the party. Yet, his absence didn’t seem to bother Brook Lynn.
She was presently engaged in a rather boisterous conversation with Lucky and Siobhan. Lulu, too, was absent from the table which surprised Elizabeth, because her ex-sister-in-law had been extremely vigilant in keeping a closes eye on Dante so far that evening, probably because she had recently found out that he had once been in love with Brenda Barrett. Speaking of Dante, he as well was missing from the party's fold. Ethan was with Maya, and then there was Luke getting drunk – as always – and Tracy having a fit over it. As always. It also seemed as though Brook Lynn’s grandmother was more accepting of Nikolas now. Elizabeth didn’t even bother to wonder why that might be. The single mother could only roll her eyes, this time visibly at the group. At one time, she had dreamed of being a part of the Spencer clan; now, all she dreamed about was keeping them as far away from her and her kids as possible.
Not wishing to continue thinking about the Spencers, the Cassadines, and anyone else connected to them, Elizabeth moved on with her perusal of the room, her gorgeous, dark, midnight blue eyes slowly taking in the scene as she observed the other guests. Suddenly, her large, doe eyes locked onto Jason... and the catching vision he made that evening. Her breath stopped for just a moment at the mere sight of him. Thankfully, Sam was nowhere to be found, but the nurse knew from past experience that the adventure junkie would soon return, making sure, for all to know, her claim to the blond.
Yet, while she was absent, Elizabeth decided to take advantage of her good fortune and secretly get her visual fill of the man. He looked so handsome tonight in his tuxedo. Not wanting to contemplate the idea of who had convinced him to attend... as well as to wear the requisite black tie attire, the brunette just watched. He was leaning over towards Sonny, who for some reason was alone at the moment, his wife Brenda and his ex-wife Carly, the two women currently and once more making up his harem, both missing, and Jason was listening to the older man whisper. Whatever Sonny said caused a scowl to form on the enforcer’s gorgeous features. She continued to stare as awareness of being ogled must have hit the blond, for abruptly he turned from his boss to cast his piercing, cerulean blue eyes upon her.
Embarrassed at getting caught staring, the nurse quickly adverted his gaze and attempted to garner Robin’s attention who was sitting next to her. The hospital staff members were all seated at the same table together... well, except for Lisa who was sitting with Johnny Zacchara on the other side of the room. For some strange reason, those two had started seeing one another. Elizabeth just shrugged her shoulders, thinking there was no accounting for taste. The pair sat with Spinelli... or they would have been if the computer hacker had not also been elsewhere, along with Spinelli’s date – a girl he had met online, Margaret. She seemed nice enough, Elizabeth thought – shy but apparently quite interested in the hacker.
No one else looked to be sitting at their table, though. Maxie refused to be anywhere near her ex-non-husband or “crazy” Lisa, so Elizabeth had unfortunately had to endure the twit's company at the hospital table with Matt who was her date. She, too, was strangely absent at the moment, but Elizabeth was extremely grateful for that fact, enjoying the slight reprieve for however long it lasted. Thankfully, Robin, Patrick, Olivia, Steven, and Epiphany were also been seated at her table.
Realizing Robin was occupied in a conversation with Steven, Elizabeth decided to turn her attention elsewhere, namely further away from Jason. She noticed Alexis, Jax without Carly who too had gone off somewhere, Diane, Max, Monica, Edward, Kate, and Coleman at the only other table in the room. It was a large gathering but not overly so, making the evening seem more intimate.
And even more reminiscent of the night Emily had been murdered.
After a few more minutes of avoiding Jason’s scrutiny, Elizabeth heard the distinct sound of a chair scrapping backwards. Turning in that direction, she noticed Nikolas must have returned, for he now stood, a small frown on his face, an elegant glass in hand. He immediately began to lightly tap on the crystal to quiet down the room. “Attention, everyone,” the Cassadine heir requested of his guests, a smile forming on his lips. “I hope all of you have enjoyed your evening thus far. However, now, it is time to take part in the entertainment portion of this evening's fund raiser.”
Motioning to Brook Lynn, the girl rose to stand beside the prince, his arm casually draping across her waist as she leaned into him, familiarly placing her hand on the man’s broad chest before speaking. “We’re all so thankful you could join us tonight.”
Just then, Elizabeth noticed Brenda, Dante, Carly, Sam, Lulu, Maxie, and Spinelli all re-enter the room. One finely plucked eyebrow lifted as she pondered the reasons why that crowd all would have been absent. Surely, those seven couldn’t have been with each other, but it did make one wonder where they had all been, especially since none of them were looking too happy as they rejoined the party.
Brook Lynn waited until the newly returned guests had once again taken their seats before pressing on. “If you all could please lift your dinner plates. There, underneath each one, you will find a sealed envelope.” She raised her hand as she watched people grab for the rich, thick, creamy parchments, quickly continuing to explain. “Now, don’t open them just yet. Every individual here will open their envelopes once they have left this room. Alone. Written on the piece of paper you have received inside of your envelope, you will find either the words, 'killer,' 'victim,' or of a room located somewhere within the Castle.”
She then motioned for Nikolas to pick up where she left off. “No one is to share what their paper says with any of the other guests. Each person will be given a five minutes lead in order to head to their destination. Some of you may end up being in the same room, and some of you may be alone.”
Suddenly, the guests, all of whom had all been silent up until that point, heard Sam loudly, suggestively whisper to Jason, “now this sounds promising. Maybe you and I will end up together in one of the many bedrooms this place has.”
Attempting to draw attention away from his cousin’s very obvious comment, Nikolas cleared his throat and then continued. “Everything was done arbitrarily.” Moving his line of sight to Sam, he added, “I promise. Yes, everyone had a reserved table, but each person’s seat was randomly picked. There were no place cards designated at each place setting, so no one, not even Brook Lynn or myself, know where everyone will be sent or who the victim or killer might be.”
Taking a deep breath, Nikolas forged on with his explanation of the game. “Thirty minutes after the last person has left the room, including their five minute head start, the victim and killer will return to the dining room. Here, there will be another set of instructions, revealing the instrument to be used to kill the victim as well as where to hide the weapon once the act is 'completed.' The killer will then leave to another designated area. Following another thirty minutes, the rest of the guests will return, along with the unknown killer, to find the victim and begin to try and decipher the clues as to whom the killer is and how the victim was murdered. Any questions?”
When no one raised their hands, Nikolas nodded and then quickly added, “one more thing: please, no cheating. This is all meant to be in good fun, and our purpose this evening is to raise money for the hospital.” With a smile, he concluded, “alright, then, let’s begin.” Motioning to a circular grouping of guests, he said, “why don't we start with table number one.”
Everyone curiously watched as the participants started to slowly vacate the room.
One hour later:
Elizabeth couldn't believe it. She was destined to be continually reminded of how much she hated this place. Of all rooms to have to depart to, she had gotten the parapet where Lucky had discovered her affair with Nikolas. Ugh. She began to wonder just how truly random the game actually was. It must of been someone's idea of a sick joke to send her there of all places. She swore, after that night, she never wanted set foot on Spoon Island again for the rest of her life.
As the brunette hurried down the darkened hallway, she nervously realized that she had gotten herself lost... just like she had a few years back. At least, this time, she hadn’t found some murdered guest in a closet.
Suddenly, she heard a loud boom, which, to Elizabeth, sounded like a gunshot coming from behind her, and, without conscious thought and only fear driving her forward, the brunette started to run blindly down the hallway with no real direction or destination in mind. Abruptly, without realizing what she had done, Elizabeth ended up pummeling into what felt like a hard, brick wall... which also ended up being Jason’s broad, muscular chest.
“Oomph,” was all she could voice before she felt two strong, sure hands wrap around her waist, preventing her from falling.
Whether it was the reminders of the Black and White Ball or just plain panic, Elizabeth wasn’t sure, but, when she felt the blonde’s hands close over her body, she instinctively brought her arms up to enfold around his neck, pulling him close to her petite frame.
“Jason,” she softly cried out.
The enforcer automatically drew her even closer, moving his arms to enclose around her tiny waist, taking one of his large, calloused hands and rubbing it up and down her back, which was bare due to the cut of her dress.
“Hey,” he tenderly whispered. “It’s alright. I’ve got you.”
The pair stayed locked like that for several moments before Elizabeth realized the intimacy of their position and hurriedly placed her hands on his chest to push away from his embrace... only the man wouldn’t let her go so easily, and Elizabeth felt him gently pull her back towards him, keeping her close to his body. She did, though, manage to keep them a hair breath’s apart so they could talk.
However, neither Jason nor Elizabeth said a word. Rather, they could only stare at one another, Elizabeth waiting for Jason to speak first, while, no doubt, he was waiting for her to do the same thing as well.
Finally becoming uncomfortable with the silence, Elizabeth attempted to pull herself away again as she said, “Jason,” continuing to fidget the entire time. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you. It’s just... it’s just.... Well, it’s dark, alright, and it's storming outside, and I got... I got lost, and everything just reminded me... it reminded me....”
Taking a hand and lightly cupping her face, breaking her from her ramble, Jason took his thumb and tenderly began to rub it along her cheek. “Elizabeth, you don’t have to explain. I understand.”
“You do, don’t you?” After all, if anyone could understand what she was feeling that evening, it would be Jason. Just as she had lost her best friend in that horrible house a few years back, he had lost his sister.
Jason silently nodded but kept his hand in place as he continued with his soothing touch along her creamy, porcelain skin, his gaze into her dark blue eyes never wavering. Again, starting to feel uncomfortable, Elizabeth pulled back, and this time, finally, Jason allowed her to leave his grasp.
Licking her dry lips, the brunette asked, “what are you doing up here?”
Motioning behind him with his thumb, Jason replied. “I got the music room down this hallway, so I was just heading back when I ran into you, or rather....” A small smirk hitched one side of his full, bottom lip upwards, “... when you ran into me.”
Her own grin – a dark, contemptuous one – forming, Elizabeth mumbled, “I guess that didn’t make Sam too happy – no bed and no together-time, huh?” Realizing that her disdainful remark had come out louder than she had intended, Elizabeth immediately raised her hand to her lips, covering her mouth. “Oh my god,” she blanched. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Jason’s smirk lifted even higher into a full grin as he slowly raised his hand to her face once more, only to begin his ministrations on her cheek anew. “It’s okay. Sam shouldn’t have said what she said.”
Silence then ensued between them once again.
After a minute, Jason took a deep breath, blowing it out before asking. “Are you okay?”
Pulling herself away from his touch, Elizabeth said, “yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jason, I’m fine,” she sternly but gently said, appreciating his concern, for, even though they were no longer together and even though they hadn’t spoken in a long time, Jason understood what everything that evening meant to her and how it was affecting her, and she was grateful for his compassion and commiseration.
After a few more brief seconds under his scrutiny, Jason finally nodded his acceptance of her well being. Elizabeth, deciding she needed some distance from the man, said, “I think we should head back.”
Slowly, Jason, never taking his gaze off of her, responded, “yeah, I guess we should.”
Suddenly, they heard a loud scream.
Without conscious thought, Jason grabbed Elizabeth’s hand, entwining their fingers. “Do you trust me?” Elizabeth, without hesitating, nodded yes. “Come on, then.”
And, with that, Jason lead Elizabeth away.
~~~~~
They reached the dining room in only a matter of minutes, their hands still entwined as they ran in to see what had caused someone to scream. Elizabeth immediately saw that most of the guests had gathered around a still form on the floor. She began to wonder if the scene was a part of the game or not. Everyone seemed rather solemn in reaction to some character's death.
Lucky and Nicolas were whispering to one another, their hands on their hips. Sonny was talking with Luke, while Brenda was off to the side with Dante. He was rubbing her arms that were wrapped tightly around her waist. Lulu was standing off to the side, glaring at the pair, while Dante's mother and Steven were standing with Jax, Alexis, and Diane, all of them huddled together, obviously upset. And then there was Carly and Sam who were standing away from the crowd, talking to each other in hushed tones.
“What’s going on here,” Jason yelled.
At the sound of his commanding voice, Elizabeth looked on as the crowd dissipated, and, when the space before the body opened up, Elizabeth gasped, her free hand going to her mouth when she saw Robin and Patrick leaning over Spinelli’s still form, grim looks upon their faces. She watched as her friend and Jason’s ex-girlfriend raised her eyes to meet the enforcer's, shaking her head back and forth, silently informing Jason that his roommate was dead.
Unconsciously, Elizabeth tenderly placed her free hand on Jason’s forearm, wordlessly lending him her support. Jason automatically squeezed the hand that still remained clasped with his own, letting her know he appreciated her being there for him.
Where was Maxie, Elizabeth began to wonder, as she scanned the room. Even though the blonde was not someone the nurse was personally fond of, the single mother did know how the young woman felt about her ex-non-husband, and Maxie was not going to take Spinelli's death well. And speaking of Maxie, where was Spinelli’s date, Margaret?
She then noticed Sam headed their way, her dark brown eyes locked on Elizabeth's hand that was still entwined so tightly with Jason's, while Carly had returned her attention back to Spinelli, not affording Sam another glance. Elizabeth, sensing the other woman’s displeasure and wishing not to cause a scene, tried to remove her hand from Jason’s, but she felt the man only strengthen his hold, preventing her from letting go.
When Sam reached the pair, seeing Elizabeth still touching Jason, she tried to comfortingly place her hand on her boyfriend’s other forearm as well, lending him her support, only to have him immediately brush her touch off. Undeterred, Sam placed her hand on Jason’s chest, blatantly ignoring Elizabeth’s presence by turning her back on the brunette.
“Jason, I’m so sorry,” she purred, rubbing her hand up and down his chest, attempting to force herself between him and Elizabeth – the other woman, only to have Jason continue to rebuff her attempts. The man kept pulling Elizabeth closer and closer to his side, increasing his grip on her hand, and preventing his girlfriend from getting nearer them.
Continuing to avoid Sam’s advances, Jason locked his gaze onto Sonny's. “What happened?”
The mafia don just shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. I just got back right before you did... with Elizabeth.”
It was then that the whole room, after hearing Sonny’s statement, turned their attention away from the dead body and onto her and the devastated man she stood beside.
Carly, never one to hide her displeasure for Elizabeth, was the first to speak. “Jason! What the hell are you doing with her?”
Elizabeth, once again feeling uncomfortable, tried to pull away from the enforcer, but Jason kept strengthening his hold on her long, graceful digits. “Carly.” was all he said. There was no mistaking the warning tone to his voice.
Undaunted, the harpy blond continued her tirade. “No, don't Carly me, Jason. I want to know what the hell is going on.”
“What’s going on? What’s going on is that Spinelli is dead!”
At his loud statement, she heard from the far side of the room a woman, who must have just arrived, screech, “Spinelli!,“ and then everyone saw Maxie run to the young man’s side, her stiletto Manolo Blahnik’s clicking loudly on the tiled floor. “Oh my god. You can’t be dead,” she denied as she started to roughly shaking his shoulders, yelling at the hacker to wake up. Eventually, Robin gently grabbed the young blonde's hands and pulled her away from the body.
Elizabeth watched as Jason kept his gaze on the two women until he saw them leave the room. Her hand still joined with his, the enforcer returned his attention back to the other guests and said, “alright, we’re going to find out what happened here, and no one is leaving until we do!”
~ Jules ~
Murder Mystery Dinner - Part One
Thunder clapped furiously along the gray, outer walls, the harsh sounds of the late fall storm reverberating around the large, elegantly decorated dining room as guests milled about, their voices attempting to drone out the bleak melody outside. Silverware clanked and glasses clinked as the residents of Port Charles continued to enjoy the gourmet feast that had been catered by the Metro Court Hotel.
The noises from the party combined with the violent rainstorm, the droplets of water loudly pelting against the enormous, eerily shaped windows of the castle, reminded Elizabeth of how much she hated this place. Hated it with a passion that was as strong as the wind that continued to blow ferociously against the stone facade of Nicolas’ home. Wyndemere, to the nurse, would always be one of the darkest places she had ever had the displeasure to set foot inside.
In light of the weather and especially in recognition of whose company she was keeping this evening, the single mother questioned her own intelligence as to why she was even there. 'Why did I bother coming tonight' kept going through her mind. The rough squall raging outside only continued to reinforce her private thoughts. All of it reminded Elizabeth of another night, one she had experienced few years prior, when, even more horrible than the frightening weather, her best friend Emily had been killed. Murdered. Which made it ironic that this event should take place at Wyndemere, since the dinner party she was in attendance of that evening was actually in honor of the late Emily Quartermaine along with her father, Alan.
Brook Lynn, Nikolas’ most recent flavor of the month, decided it would be a wonderful idea to have a hospital fund raiser at the Prince’s home to honor the two Quartermaines, and then she decided how much fun it would be to host one of those Murder Mystery dinner parties. Being that the girl had not been present for the first fund raiser in honor of Alan and the announcement of Emily’s engagement to the Cassadine heir, where Elizabeth's best friend had ultimately been murdered by the Text Message Killer, the nurse couldn’t blame Brook Lynn for her choice of venue or for the theme of the party. She probably didn’t even comprehend the impact of the actual event. But what made the whole thing unbelievable was that Nikolas did know and still had agreed to the party, especially since, he, of all people, certainly was aware of what happened when any type of event was hosted in his home.
Elizabeth wondered how Tracy’s granddaughter had actually convinced the Cassadine Prince to even do such a thing. Not that the brunette was jealous... far from it, in fact, but the man was still her friend, and she was starting to question his rational thinking abilities. 'Maybe,' she sarcastically thought to herself, 'his tumor has come back.' Although the nurse hadn’t noticed any unexplained behavior... well, except for the party of course... or any unusual outburst, Elizabeth also wasn’t really spending a lot of time with Nikolas any longer. Since Aiden's true paternity had been outed and it was discovered that Lucky was her youngest son's father, her long time friend had wanted nothing to do with her... which was actually fine with Elizabeth. Right now, she was determined and focused on being the best mother she possibly could be to her three boys.
It hadn’t mattered to Lucky one way or another whose Aiden's father truly was. Once her teenage love had decided to be with Siobhan, the man quickly determined he had no use for his children, preferring adventure and “danger,” over being a paternal figure. Elizabeth inwardly huffed at that notion, rolling her eyes to herself, thinking that he really should have stuck with Sam if that's the type of relationship and life he wanted.
Sighing at where her mind had wandered, the pretty brunette decided to focus on something else in that moment and continued to gaze about the room. There was the Spencer clan all seated at one table. Lucky and Nikolas, obviously the best of brothers again now, bonding over their contempt for Elizabeth, had decided to sit at the same table. Although, now that she noticed it, Nikolas was nowhere to be found, and she figured that he must have gone off to deal with some unforeseen details concerning the party. Yet, his absence didn’t seem to bother Brook Lynn.
She was presently engaged in a rather boisterous conversation with Lucky and Siobhan. Lulu, too, was absent from the table which surprised Elizabeth, because her ex-sister-in-law had been extremely vigilant in keeping a closes eye on Dante so far that evening, probably because she had recently found out that he had once been in love with Brenda Barrett. Speaking of Dante, he as well was missing from the party's fold. Ethan was with Maya, and then there was Luke getting drunk – as always – and Tracy having a fit over it. As always. It also seemed as though Brook Lynn’s grandmother was more accepting of Nikolas now. Elizabeth didn’t even bother to wonder why that might be. The single mother could only roll her eyes, this time visibly at the group. At one time, she had dreamed of being a part of the Spencer clan; now, all she dreamed about was keeping them as far away from her and her kids as possible.
Not wishing to continue thinking about the Spencers, the Cassadines, and anyone else connected to them, Elizabeth moved on with her perusal of the room, her gorgeous, dark, midnight blue eyes slowly taking in the scene as she observed the other guests. Suddenly, her large, doe eyes locked onto Jason... and the catching vision he made that evening. Her breath stopped for just a moment at the mere sight of him. Thankfully, Sam was nowhere to be found, but the nurse knew from past experience that the adventure junkie would soon return, making sure, for all to know, her claim to the blond.
Yet, while she was absent, Elizabeth decided to take advantage of her good fortune and secretly get her visual fill of the man. He looked so handsome tonight in his tuxedo. Not wanting to contemplate the idea of who had convinced him to attend... as well as to wear the requisite black tie attire, the brunette just watched. He was leaning over towards Sonny, who for some reason was alone at the moment, his wife Brenda and his ex-wife Carly, the two women currently and once more making up his harem, both missing, and Jason was listening to the older man whisper. Whatever Sonny said caused a scowl to form on the enforcer’s gorgeous features. She continued to stare as awareness of being ogled must have hit the blond, for abruptly he turned from his boss to cast his piercing, cerulean blue eyes upon her.
Embarrassed at getting caught staring, the nurse quickly adverted his gaze and attempted to garner Robin’s attention who was sitting next to her. The hospital staff members were all seated at the same table together... well, except for Lisa who was sitting with Johnny Zacchara on the other side of the room. For some strange reason, those two had started seeing one another. Elizabeth just shrugged her shoulders, thinking there was no accounting for taste. The pair sat with Spinelli... or they would have been if the computer hacker had not also been elsewhere, along with Spinelli’s date – a girl he had met online, Margaret. She seemed nice enough, Elizabeth thought – shy but apparently quite interested in the hacker.
No one else looked to be sitting at their table, though. Maxie refused to be anywhere near her ex-non-husband or “crazy” Lisa, so Elizabeth had unfortunately had to endure the twit's company at the hospital table with Matt who was her date. She, too, was strangely absent at the moment, but Elizabeth was extremely grateful for that fact, enjoying the slight reprieve for however long it lasted. Thankfully, Robin, Patrick, Olivia, Steven, and Epiphany were also been seated at her table.
Realizing Robin was occupied in a conversation with Steven, Elizabeth decided to turn her attention elsewhere, namely further away from Jason. She noticed Alexis, Jax without Carly who too had gone off somewhere, Diane, Max, Monica, Edward, Kate, and Coleman at the only other table in the room. It was a large gathering but not overly so, making the evening seem more intimate.
And even more reminiscent of the night Emily had been murdered.
After a few more minutes of avoiding Jason’s scrutiny, Elizabeth heard the distinct sound of a chair scrapping backwards. Turning in that direction, she noticed Nikolas must have returned, for he now stood, a small frown on his face, an elegant glass in hand. He immediately began to lightly tap on the crystal to quiet down the room. “Attention, everyone,” the Cassadine heir requested of his guests, a smile forming on his lips. “I hope all of you have enjoyed your evening thus far. However, now, it is time to take part in the entertainment portion of this evening's fund raiser.”
Motioning to Brook Lynn, the girl rose to stand beside the prince, his arm casually draping across her waist as she leaned into him, familiarly placing her hand on the man’s broad chest before speaking. “We’re all so thankful you could join us tonight.”
Just then, Elizabeth noticed Brenda, Dante, Carly, Sam, Lulu, Maxie, and Spinelli all re-enter the room. One finely plucked eyebrow lifted as she pondered the reasons why that crowd all would have been absent. Surely, those seven couldn’t have been with each other, but it did make one wonder where they had all been, especially since none of them were looking too happy as they rejoined the party.
Brook Lynn waited until the newly returned guests had once again taken their seats before pressing on. “If you all could please lift your dinner plates. There, underneath each one, you will find a sealed envelope.” She raised her hand as she watched people grab for the rich, thick, creamy parchments, quickly continuing to explain. “Now, don’t open them just yet. Every individual here will open their envelopes once they have left this room. Alone. Written on the piece of paper you have received inside of your envelope, you will find either the words, 'killer,' 'victim,' or of a room located somewhere within the Castle.”
She then motioned for Nikolas to pick up where she left off. “No one is to share what their paper says with any of the other guests. Each person will be given a five minutes lead in order to head to their destination. Some of you may end up being in the same room, and some of you may be alone.”
Suddenly, the guests, all of whom had all been silent up until that point, heard Sam loudly, suggestively whisper to Jason, “now this sounds promising. Maybe you and I will end up together in one of the many bedrooms this place has.”
Attempting to draw attention away from his cousin’s very obvious comment, Nikolas cleared his throat and then continued. “Everything was done arbitrarily.” Moving his line of sight to Sam, he added, “I promise. Yes, everyone had a reserved table, but each person’s seat was randomly picked. There were no place cards designated at each place setting, so no one, not even Brook Lynn or myself, know where everyone will be sent or who the victim or killer might be.”
Taking a deep breath, Nikolas forged on with his explanation of the game. “Thirty minutes after the last person has left the room, including their five minute head start, the victim and killer will return to the dining room. Here, there will be another set of instructions, revealing the instrument to be used to kill the victim as well as where to hide the weapon once the act is 'completed.' The killer will then leave to another designated area. Following another thirty minutes, the rest of the guests will return, along with the unknown killer, to find the victim and begin to try and decipher the clues as to whom the killer is and how the victim was murdered. Any questions?”
When no one raised their hands, Nikolas nodded and then quickly added, “one more thing: please, no cheating. This is all meant to be in good fun, and our purpose this evening is to raise money for the hospital.” With a smile, he concluded, “alright, then, let’s begin.” Motioning to a circular grouping of guests, he said, “why don't we start with table number one.”
Everyone curiously watched as the participants started to slowly vacate the room.
One hour later:
Elizabeth couldn't believe it. She was destined to be continually reminded of how much she hated this place. Of all rooms to have to depart to, she had gotten the parapet where Lucky had discovered her affair with Nikolas. Ugh. She began to wonder just how truly random the game actually was. It must of been someone's idea of a sick joke to send her there of all places. She swore, after that night, she never wanted set foot on Spoon Island again for the rest of her life.
As the brunette hurried down the darkened hallway, she nervously realized that she had gotten herself lost... just like she had a few years back. At least, this time, she hadn’t found some murdered guest in a closet.
Suddenly, she heard a loud boom, which, to Elizabeth, sounded like a gunshot coming from behind her, and, without conscious thought and only fear driving her forward, the brunette started to run blindly down the hallway with no real direction or destination in mind. Abruptly, without realizing what she had done, Elizabeth ended up pummeling into what felt like a hard, brick wall... which also ended up being Jason’s broad, muscular chest.
“Oomph,” was all she could voice before she felt two strong, sure hands wrap around her waist, preventing her from falling.
Whether it was the reminders of the Black and White Ball or just plain panic, Elizabeth wasn’t sure, but, when she felt the blonde’s hands close over her body, she instinctively brought her arms up to enfold around his neck, pulling him close to her petite frame.
“Jason,” she softly cried out.
The enforcer automatically drew her even closer, moving his arms to enclose around her tiny waist, taking one of his large, calloused hands and rubbing it up and down her back, which was bare due to the cut of her dress.
“Hey,” he tenderly whispered. “It’s alright. I’ve got you.”
The pair stayed locked like that for several moments before Elizabeth realized the intimacy of their position and hurriedly placed her hands on his chest to push away from his embrace... only the man wouldn’t let her go so easily, and Elizabeth felt him gently pull her back towards him, keeping her close to his body. She did, though, manage to keep them a hair breath’s apart so they could talk.
However, neither Jason nor Elizabeth said a word. Rather, they could only stare at one another, Elizabeth waiting for Jason to speak first, while, no doubt, he was waiting for her to do the same thing as well.
Finally becoming uncomfortable with the silence, Elizabeth attempted to pull herself away again as she said, “Jason,” continuing to fidget the entire time. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you. It’s just... it’s just.... Well, it’s dark, alright, and it's storming outside, and I got... I got lost, and everything just reminded me... it reminded me....”
Taking a hand and lightly cupping her face, breaking her from her ramble, Jason took his thumb and tenderly began to rub it along her cheek. “Elizabeth, you don’t have to explain. I understand.”
“You do, don’t you?” After all, if anyone could understand what she was feeling that evening, it would be Jason. Just as she had lost her best friend in that horrible house a few years back, he had lost his sister.
Jason silently nodded but kept his hand in place as he continued with his soothing touch along her creamy, porcelain skin, his gaze into her dark blue eyes never wavering. Again, starting to feel uncomfortable, Elizabeth pulled back, and this time, finally, Jason allowed her to leave his grasp.
Licking her dry lips, the brunette asked, “what are you doing up here?”
Motioning behind him with his thumb, Jason replied. “I got the music room down this hallway, so I was just heading back when I ran into you, or rather....” A small smirk hitched one side of his full, bottom lip upwards, “... when you ran into me.”
Her own grin – a dark, contemptuous one – forming, Elizabeth mumbled, “I guess that didn’t make Sam too happy – no bed and no together-time, huh?” Realizing that her disdainful remark had come out louder than she had intended, Elizabeth immediately raised her hand to her lips, covering her mouth. “Oh my god,” she blanched. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
Jason’s smirk lifted even higher into a full grin as he slowly raised his hand to her face once more, only to begin his ministrations on her cheek anew. “It’s okay. Sam shouldn’t have said what she said.”
Silence then ensued between them once again.
After a minute, Jason took a deep breath, blowing it out before asking. “Are you okay?”
Pulling herself away from his touch, Elizabeth said, “yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jason, I’m fine,” she sternly but gently said, appreciating his concern, for, even though they were no longer together and even though they hadn’t spoken in a long time, Jason understood what everything that evening meant to her and how it was affecting her, and she was grateful for his compassion and commiseration.
After a few more brief seconds under his scrutiny, Jason finally nodded his acceptance of her well being. Elizabeth, deciding she needed some distance from the man, said, “I think we should head back.”
Slowly, Jason, never taking his gaze off of her, responded, “yeah, I guess we should.”
Suddenly, they heard a loud scream.
Without conscious thought, Jason grabbed Elizabeth’s hand, entwining their fingers. “Do you trust me?” Elizabeth, without hesitating, nodded yes. “Come on, then.”
And, with that, Jason lead Elizabeth away.
~~~~~
They reached the dining room in only a matter of minutes, their hands still entwined as they ran in to see what had caused someone to scream. Elizabeth immediately saw that most of the guests had gathered around a still form on the floor. She began to wonder if the scene was a part of the game or not. Everyone seemed rather solemn in reaction to some character's death.
Lucky and Nicolas were whispering to one another, their hands on their hips. Sonny was talking with Luke, while Brenda was off to the side with Dante. He was rubbing her arms that were wrapped tightly around her waist. Lulu was standing off to the side, glaring at the pair, while Dante's mother and Steven were standing with Jax, Alexis, and Diane, all of them huddled together, obviously upset. And then there was Carly and Sam who were standing away from the crowd, talking to each other in hushed tones.
“What’s going on here,” Jason yelled.
At the sound of his commanding voice, Elizabeth looked on as the crowd dissipated, and, when the space before the body opened up, Elizabeth gasped, her free hand going to her mouth when she saw Robin and Patrick leaning over Spinelli’s still form, grim looks upon their faces. She watched as her friend and Jason’s ex-girlfriend raised her eyes to meet the enforcer's, shaking her head back and forth, silently informing Jason that his roommate was dead.
Unconsciously, Elizabeth tenderly placed her free hand on Jason’s forearm, wordlessly lending him her support. Jason automatically squeezed the hand that still remained clasped with his own, letting her know he appreciated her being there for him.
Where was Maxie, Elizabeth began to wonder, as she scanned the room. Even though the blonde was not someone the nurse was personally fond of, the single mother did know how the young woman felt about her ex-non-husband, and Maxie was not going to take Spinelli's death well. And speaking of Maxie, where was Spinelli’s date, Margaret?
She then noticed Sam headed their way, her dark brown eyes locked on Elizabeth's hand that was still entwined so tightly with Jason's, while Carly had returned her attention back to Spinelli, not affording Sam another glance. Elizabeth, sensing the other woman’s displeasure and wishing not to cause a scene, tried to remove her hand from Jason’s, but she felt the man only strengthen his hold, preventing her from letting go.
When Sam reached the pair, seeing Elizabeth still touching Jason, she tried to comfortingly place her hand on her boyfriend’s other forearm as well, lending him her support, only to have him immediately brush her touch off. Undeterred, Sam placed her hand on Jason’s chest, blatantly ignoring Elizabeth’s presence by turning her back on the brunette.
“Jason, I’m so sorry,” she purred, rubbing her hand up and down his chest, attempting to force herself between him and Elizabeth – the other woman, only to have Jason continue to rebuff her attempts. The man kept pulling Elizabeth closer and closer to his side, increasing his grip on her hand, and preventing his girlfriend from getting nearer them.
Continuing to avoid Sam’s advances, Jason locked his gaze onto Sonny's. “What happened?”
The mafia don just shrugged his shoulders. “I have no idea. I just got back right before you did... with Elizabeth.”
It was then that the whole room, after hearing Sonny’s statement, turned their attention away from the dead body and onto her and the devastated man she stood beside.
Carly, never one to hide her displeasure for Elizabeth, was the first to speak. “Jason! What the hell are you doing with her?”
Elizabeth, once again feeling uncomfortable, tried to pull away from the enforcer, but Jason kept strengthening his hold on her long, graceful digits. “Carly.” was all he said. There was no mistaking the warning tone to his voice.
Undaunted, the harpy blond continued her tirade. “No, don't Carly me, Jason. I want to know what the hell is going on.”
“What’s going on? What’s going on is that Spinelli is dead!”
At his loud statement, she heard from the far side of the room a woman, who must have just arrived, screech, “Spinelli!,“ and then everyone saw Maxie run to the young man’s side, her stiletto Manolo Blahnik’s clicking loudly on the tiled floor. “Oh my god. You can’t be dead,” she denied as she started to roughly shaking his shoulders, yelling at the hacker to wake up. Eventually, Robin gently grabbed the young blonde's hands and pulled her away from the body.
Elizabeth watched as Jason kept his gaze on the two women until he saw them leave the room. Her hand still joined with his, the enforcer returned his attention back to the other guests and said, “alright, we’re going to find out what happened here, and no one is leaving until we do!”




