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(o.O) Lounging Bunny (c) Productions Presents
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~ . ~
Love me without restriction,
Trust me without fear,
Want me without demand,
Accept me for who I am."
~.~
The winter cold surrounds her as she makes her way to across the Elm Street Pier on her way to her shift at the local diner. Its been more than a few days since Jason has chosen to leave town and no one is more surprised than her that she has yet to fall apart. When Lucky died, her whole world came to a stop, she didn't know how she would live without him.
Though she knows Jason's out there in the world and he had profusely denied it before he left, she still feels like she has lost him and that made her want to hide away in her studio for the foreseeable future. Doing that, however, wouldn't do justice to the friendship they shared. She owes it to both Jason and Lucky to move on with her life and continue to build herself up, regardless of losing both of them.
Pulling the jacket tightly around her, Elizabeth could sense his presence as her shadow steps out from the alley, following her as she steps onto the main street in the direction of the diner. Since Jason has left town, Johnny O'Brien has become a somewhat permanent fixture in her life.
She knows its Jason's way of keeping her safe from Sorel and, for that reason alone, she has accepted the man who has become her shadow, but it still didn't stop her from feeling bad. Especially with the cold weather that has fallen upon the town. In order to keep her safe, he has to remain outside while she's toasty warm inside the diner, making her feel more than a little guilty.
Punching in once she arrives at the diner, Elizabeth quickly gets to work on clearing tables and assisting the other waitresses when needed. On days like today, where there are more than three waitress scattered about, Elizabeth's only duties are to assist when assistance is needed. She had tried to argue the point, but agreed with Ruby none the less. She is the boss after all.
"Here." she says softly to the man standing vigil outside the diner as she hands him a hot cup of coffee. It took a phone call to Sonny to find out how he likes his coffee, but she didn't mind, it was the least she could do.
"You don't have to do this." Johnny replies when she turns down payment for the beverage. "I'm just doing my job."
"I know." she says simply. "Enjoy your coffee."
"Ms. Webber." he tries to stop her, taking hold of the hook of her arm when she's about to walk through the door. "Elizabeth."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." she says with a soft smile. "Give me a nod when you need a refill, okay?"
With a nod, he releases his hold on her, watching as she makes her way back into the diner. Having a charge care about his well being isn't something he's used to. Normally he'd just stand guard for as long as he's ordered to before switching off with the next guard and heading home.
Taking a sip of his coffee, surprised to find that its exactly how he likes it, Johnny lets out a deep sigh, realizing that this isn't going to be like any other guard detail he's ever been assigned to. As he drinks his coffee, he begins to realize that he just might actually start to care about the person he's guarding rather than feeling indifferent.
The night progresses relatively uneventful, something Elizabeth was thankful for, rather preferring her nights to be just like this one. As her lunch hour grows closer, Elizabeth puts in her order with the cook before requesting Johnny's usual, knowing he's bound to have one. If you've lived in Port Charles long enough, its pretty much guaranteed that you have a usual at the diner, its just how it is.
She won't be having lunch with him, of course, knowing that he'd prefer it if she kept her time outside to a minimum, but she will send his food out to him with one of the waitresses. Regardless of what he or Sonny says, she feels the need to do as much as she can for the men that guard her, knowing that they are pretty much the difference between something happening to her or not. She knows its not her fault that Sorel is coming after her, but it didn't mean that she couldn't be grateful to the men risking their lives to protect her.
"Francis will be here soon." Johnny informs her when they finally make their way back to her studio. "I'll be back to relieve him around midnight."
"Okay." she says with a shake of her head. "Thanks."
"You don't have to thank me." he says with a slight smile before pushing open her door for her. "I hope you know that."
"You're protecting me, Johnny." she says simply. "I get to be grateful if I want."
"Don't forget to lock the door." he says after a brief moment. "The deadbolt, as well."
Waiting long enough for her to walk inside, Johnny shuts the door firmly behind her, listening intently for the sound of the locks sliding into place. Once he hears the familiar clicks of the locks, he allows himself to breathe a breath of relief, thankful that his charge is willing to listen to him, something else he wasn't familiar with. If he were still on Carly's detail, he'd have to lock the damn things himself, as if he didn't have enough things to worry about when guarding her. It didn't take much longer for Francis to arrive to relieve him.
"Get some rest." Francis tells his friend once he's updated on the happenings of the day. "You look like you could use it."
"I'll be back at midnight." Johnny says simply. "If she needs anything before then, you've got my number."
There was something in his demeanor that had Francis more than a little curious, but not curious enough to speak on it just yet. Leaving things be, he assures his friend that he'll call before watching him walk down the hall and out of sight. Executing the usual knock, letting Elizabeth know that it was him on the other side of the door, Francis settles into his position by the door, keeping his senses sharp just in case.
While he stands vigil by her door, Elizabeth pops the lid off her paint can before getting started on a new painting, hoping to get lost in her art long enough to escape the thoughts running through her mind. Emily and Nikolas have both accused her of hiding away from them ever since they both accused her of sleeping with Jason, but she couldn't care at this point. Even though that's not the reason why she's keeping her distance, the fact of the matter is that she is keeping her distance from them.
As hard as it was to learn, she now knows that her friendships with them just didn't make any sense anymore. It was as if her relationship with Lucky had created an instant friendship between them and, once he was gone, it now didn't make as much sense as it used to. She doesn't want to hurt them, but she just can't see herself being friends with them either. With a deep sigh, she dips her paintbrush into the paint before focusing on her painting, allowing the rest of the world to just melt away and fade into the background of her mind.
Before she knows it, the clock on the wall chimes twelve times, marking the end of yet another day. Midnight. Dropping her brush into the rusty tin can, Elizabeth takes off her art apron, slinging it across her stool before washing the paint from her hands. Listening intently, she hears the familiar knock on the other side of the door, signalling that Johnny was now on the other side of the door again. With a slight smile upon her lips, Elizabeth grabs the afghan from the back of the couch before getting comfortable upon the cushions, hoping for a dreamless sleep tonight.
"Good morning, Johnny." she greets him the next morning once she's ready to head to work.
"Good morning." he replies before holding out a cup to her. "Hot chocolate."
"How did you know?" she says as she takes the cup into her hands. "Sonny?"
"No. I pay attention." he says with a soft smile before gesturing for her to go first. "Don't want to be late."
"Right." she says with a shake of her head. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." he replies, knowing it was pointless to say that her thanks isn't necessary.
The day goes by much like the day before, only this time the two have gained an understanding that things would be different between them from here on out. As hard as it was for either of them to process, they have stepped into a friendship that neither could really deny and that both could pretty much use at this point in their lives.
Johnny wasn't one to make friends so easily, mostly because of the line of work that he has, but he can only hope that he can keep a friend in Elizabeth because she seems like the kind of friend worth having. A sentiment that Elizabeth believes about him, as well. Lord knows she could use a few good friends these days.