Lerdo123
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(1/23/04 12:59 pm)
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*New* Full Circle (Ch. 1 & 2) (Liason)
A/N: I think all you need to know is that the wedding in this chapter is their second one.
It should have been perfect. Her dress, the one Ric had picked out for her, was lovely, and it fit her as if it had been made just for her. The church was illuminated by the warm glow emanating from dozens of candles. Ric was so handsome in his black tux, his dark eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight.
Elizabeth shivered suddenly, as she imagined she saw a shadow in the depths of Ric's eyes. But then she blinked, and it was gone.
“We are gathered here in front of God and one another to join Ric and Elizabeth in holy matrimony. You may speak your vows,” Father Coates intoned, his voice solemn.
Ric smiled at her. “Well, here we are again, Elizabeth. We've come full circle now. I am so grateful to you for giving me a second chance. I pledge myself to you, Elizabeth, to be your husband and to love you for the rest of your life. You're my heart.”
Full circle. The words echoed in her head so loudly that she was barely aware that the priest had turned to her and was saying something. Was that it? Would she be trapping herself in another vicious cycle of lies and manipulation if she married him?
She snapped out of her daze when Ric lightly touched her arm. “Elizabeth, are you alright?”
Smiling shakily, she pulled her arm away from him. “I'm fine.”
Father Coates turned to her again, concern written in the lines of his face. “Elizabeth, you may speak your vows now.”
Swallowing hard, she scrambled to find the right words. But try as she might, they wouldn't come. There was no doubt in her mind that this man standing in front of her was handsome, and at one time she had thought she could spend the rest of her life with him. He'd just pledged his heart to her—and sounded completely sincere doing it.
But she should know better than to trust that, to trust him. Ric, this man she'd married once and had almost made the mistake of marrying again, had nearly killed her with the birth control pills he'd secretly been feeding her. He'd hurt her on purpose, knowing full well just how desperately she wanted a family after she'd lost their child. He had kidnapped a pregnant woman and held her captive in their own home, and she had been blissfully unaware that anything was wrong. As if that wasn't bad enough, he had let Carly believe they'd had sex. Given her own rape, that alone should have sent her running in the other direction.
Instead, she had given him her unconditional loyalty. Because she wanted to believe in him, and in doing so, believe in her own judgment. Her cheeks burned with anger and shame as she recalled how she'd defended him—to anyone who saw him for what he really was. To Alcazar, to Sonny, to Courtney, to Carly. To Jason.
Her stomach churned, but at the thought of Jason, her resolve deepened. They might not be more than friends anymore, or even friends at all, but he had taught her one thing that she knew she should never forget: she had a right to live the life she wanted, the way she wanted it. And she did not want a life with Ric, a man who was not worthy of her trust, love, and loyalty. Even if she were willing to gamble with her own life, she now had someone else to think about. Her baby.
Regardless of who the father was, the child growing inside her was a part of her and she would fight to protect it, no matter what. Could she be completely certain that Ric wouldn't hurt that child, especially once he figured out it wasn't his?
In the depths of her heart, she knew the answer.
Drawing in a ragged breath, she raised her eyes to meet Ric's. Worry etched his features, but she had made her decision, and Elizabeth Webber was as stubborn as Lizzie Webber had ever been.
“I...I can't marry you.”
“Elizabeth, what do you mean you can't marry me? I thought we'd worked through this. We agreed to put the past in the past. For God's sake, Elizabeth, I lo-”
She raised her hand and motioned at him to stop talking. “Please. No more. I've heard so many of your speeches. Let me talk now.” She paused to moisten her lips. “I know what we agreed. But I'm allowed to change my mind. A good...friend once told me that sometimes things happen fast, but you have to live through them slow. So much has happened...And I guess it just took a while to catch up to me.” She twisted her engagement ring for a moment before sliding it off. She handed it to Ric. “I'm sorry. Sorry that you aren't the man I want you to be—the man I deserve.” Sighing, she gently patted her stomach. “The man this child deserves.”
Drawing strength from the thought of the life she now carried inside her, Elizabeth lifted her chin and looked straight into Ric's eyes. She wanted there to be no misunderstanding about her intentions. “Goodbye, Ric.”
Turning slowly, she walked away from Ric and made her way out of the church. Though she felt his eyes following her, she looked straight ahead and vowed not to turn around.
Elizabeth breathed deeply of the winter air once she was back outside, but it tasted bitter and did nothing to dissolve the tight knot of panic that had formed inside her. She'd managed to stand tall and dry-eyed in front of Ric and the confused priest. Now though, she felt the sting of tears in the back of her eyes as she realized that she really had come full circle. She was alone again, with her dreams a pile of cold ashes at her feet.
A/N: Thank you to each and every person who left feedback for the first chapter of this story. I loved every bit of it and hope that you will continue to enjoy Full Circle. With that said, this chapter is for Kash, because she asked for it, and because she's had me howling with laughter beause of her comments in a certain thread. 
Chapter 2
Shivering in the cold, Elizabeth crossed the street in search of a payphone. Belatedly she realized she'd left her purse at the studio. She sighed. It was turning out to be that kind of day. She briefly considered who she should call. Her grandmother would cluck over her like a nervous hen. Plus she wasn't in the mood for her I-told-you-sos. Sure, she deserved them, but now wasn't the right time. Moving on from her grandmother, she thought about calling Emily. Scratch that. Let her bask in her newly engaged state. Misery supposedly loved company. So who was as miserable as she was?
Jason. She'd seen him around lately, and he hadn't looked too happy. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that Courtney had moved out. He had that closed-off look in his eyes—the one that warned the world not to trespass. As far apart as they'd drifted, Elizabeth could still recognize that look.
In spite of herself, she felt a twinge of satisfaction at the thought that Courtney, who she'd once considered a friend, and Jason were separated. She'd known from the start that they wouldn't make it. She'd even tried to warn Courtney.
“You know, when Jason and I were close, I thought we had this -- this special understanding. I thought we could make it work because I knew about his life, I knew how to be a part of it. I also thought that he was the most honest man I had ever met. And as long we kept being honest with each other, well, anything was possible. But I was wrong. Because for Jason, what Sonny wants always comes first,” said Elizabeth.
“Yeah, well, working for Sonny is his job,” Courtney replied.
Shaking her head, Elizabeth said, “It's his life. And if you don't know that by now, you're in for a rude awakening.”
Courtney clearly hadn't heeded her warning. She laughed bitterly. Not that she was one to talk. It wasn't as if she'd listened when people tried to warn her about Ric.
So she was back to Ric again and the fact that she was standing outside in the middle of winter, wearing just a wedding dress. The wind blew, chilling her.
True, she and Jason weren't exactly friends anymore, at least not like before, but she liked to think that they'd made some sort of peace in recent months. First when they'd comforted each other in the hospital during the worst of Emily's illness and then later, when they'd talked on the docks. She'd been so hurt when he'd lied to her about Sonny's death. Then he'd just let her walk out of his life. He hadn't fought for her, not the way he had for Courtney. That stung.
But he'd been there for her during some of the worst times of her life, including after Lucky's death. Memories of hours upon hours of conversation flashed through her mind. He'd had that knack for listening to her, without expectation. No one since then had listened to her that way, and at the moment, that was what she needed. Maybe, just maybe, Jason would still be willing to do that for her.
I won't turn you away if you come to me.
Before she could think better of it, she dialed zero and asked to make a collect call. She held her breath as the phone rang once, twice, three times. She was just about to hang up when he finally answered.
“Morgan.”
For a second, her throat closed up, and she couldn't speak.
“Hello. Who is this?” he said impatiently.
“J-Jason? It's Elizabeth.”
“Are you ok? Where are you?”
The obvious concern in his voice strengthened her resolve. “I'm fine. But I need a ride. Can you come get me?”
“Sure. Where are you?”
“I'm across the street from Queen of Angels. By the payphone. I-I don't have my coat with me, and it's kind of cold--”
He cut her off. “I'm on my way.”
She listened to the dial tone for a minute before hanging up and briskly rubbing her hands up and down her arms. She felt moisture on her cheek and glanced up to see that it was snowing. It seemed fitting for some reason.
****
Jason hung up the phone and reached for his leather jacket. Elizabeth had said she didn't have a coat; his bike was out of the question. On his way out of the penthouse, he grabbed the keys to his car, a sleek black Jaguar that Courtney had convinced him to buy. It was hard for him to think of it as his car when it was so clearly not something he would have chosen for himself. Hell, a quick glance around the room confirmed what he already knew—even his apartment didn't like look it belonged to him. Pushing thoughts of Courtney out of his mind, Jason left.
Queen of Angels was only about ten minutes away from Harbor View Towers, but that was more than enough time for Jason to puzzle over what Elizabeth was doing over by the church, and more to the point, why she had called him. Why not call Ric since they were back together?
Unless he was the reason she was standing outside in the cold. Jason didn't like the forlorn, vulnerable note in Elizabeth's voice. It touched some long-buried chord inside him. If that bastard had hurt her, he'd do more than slam him up against a brick wall. After everything Ric had done to the people Jason cared about, he had a day of reckoning coming. If Jason simply hurried the process along, well, not too many would fault him for that.
Courtney would kill him if she knew, but he still had a soft spot for Elizabeth. He probably always would. She'd taken him in and cared for him when he desperately needed it, and no matter what had happened between them in the intervening years, he could never forget that. She'd brought color to his life, made him see the wind, which no one before or since had been able to do. One thing was certain: Elizabeth Webber was one of a kind. The thought made him smile in spite of his worry.
****
Elizabeth was blowing on her hands and shuffling her feet, trying in vain to stay warm, when a black Jag pulled up in front of her. The sky was dark by that point, so she had to peer into the window to see who it was. Relieved that it was Jason, she opened the door and climbed into the car.
A wave of delicious warmth engulfed her. She silently gave thanks for the fact that he'd turned on the heat.
Jason waited in silence while she raised her hands to the vents in front of her and warmed her hands. She sighed with pleasure before turning in her seat to face him. “Nice car. Didn't figure you for a Jag man.”
“Courtney picked it out,” he replied.
There was a beat of silence. “Oh,” she said. “Well, it's still a nice car.”
Jason was staring at her, and it unnerved her. “What? Why are you staring at me.” She laughed nervously. “I know, I must look crazy--”
“No.” His eyes traced her features slowly. “You look...” Jason reached out and fingered a damp strand of her hair, his eyes never leaving hers. “It's just that...I mean...You smell like snow.”
Coming Soon:
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