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Backpack stuffed to the brink with what little belongings she possessed, Elizabeth Webber silently trudges her way through the foot traffic of the bus station, intent on catching the next bus out of Colorado. She wasn't certain where she'd escape to, but she knew she couldn't stay where she is now. Though her parents couldn't care less whether she survived her teenage years or not, she certainly wasn't ready to kick the bucket just yet and staying there would have done her in for sure. Using the money she took from those hellish people, Elizabeth purchased a ticket to the only place she could think to go, the only place left for her to go. Port Charles.

Snatching the ticket once it was within reaching distance, she quickly made her way to the bus before anyone could comment or question her lack of adult supervision. Climbing into the bus, she hands over the ticket before taking a seat at the back of the bus, situating her belongings to ensure she made the venture alone. Settling into the seat once the bus began to depart, Elizabeth lets out a deep sigh of relief, not at all caring what her sister or Grandmother will think when she arrives in town. They had made it quite clear that her presence wasn't needed or wanted. Big whoop. She'll find a place to stay as far away from them as she possibly can in that town. Who needs family anyway?

Hours would pass, her backside growing numb, before the bus pulls into the rundown town, letting off a couple passengers before taking off once again. Backpack slung on her shoulder, Elizabeth takes a deep breath in before walking over to a nearby bench to gather her thoughts. First and foremost, she needs a place to stay, after which a job would be preferable. Then again, as she tries to think of a place to crash, a more important issue arises through the sound of her stomach grumbling. Food. First and foremost, food. Then she'll figure out a place to stay from there.

Not wanting to waste money on transportation, she begins her walk through town in search of something decent to eat, stumbling upon a diner almost an hour later. Deciding it was better than nothing, she makes her way inside, surprised to see that it was pretty busy. Diners weren't exactly a big thing in her area and she had assumed it'd be the same here. Clearly she was wrong. Walking up to the counter, she's greeted by a young girl, around her age, with a bright smile on her face.

"Well, I'll be, a new face." the girl says with a soft chuckle. "Hi, I'm Emily. Been in town long?"

"About an hour." Elizabeth admits. "I'm Liz."

"Well, Liz, welcome to Port Charles." Emily replies cheerfully. "Would you like to look over the menu?"

"Or you could suggest something." Elizabeth counters. "I'd eat pretty much anything."

"In that case, grab that table there and I'll bring your order right over." Emily says with a gesture to the empty table at the corner of the room before pouring a soda for her. "Here. While you wait."

"Thanks."

Taking the drink, Elizabeth walks over to the table to have a seat, taking a sip of the drink once she's settled. Cheerful people aren't usually the type of people she associates with, seeing as her sister played miss cheerful on the daily, but she finds that she doesn't mind it with this waitress all that much. It wouldn't take long before Emily walks over with two trays of food, plopping one down in front of Elizabeth before taking a seat herself.

"Its my dinner break, do you mind?" Emily explains as she settles a napkin over her lap. "I usually eat alone at this table. It'd be nice to have some company."

"I don't mind." Elizabeth assures as she picks up the spoon. "So what is this, anyway?"

"Ruby's famous chili. Town favorite." Emily says matter-of-factly. "Its great. Promise."

With that, the two girls enjoyed their meals in silence, Emily taking great pleasure in seeing Elizabeth enjoy the food set before her. As they relax back into their chairs after a good meal, the two girls decide to get to know each other, having nothing else better to do as they wait for their stomachs to settle. To their surprise, they actually had quite a few things in common, which made settling into a friendship with each other a lot easier. Deeper questions were brought to light when Elizabeth ducks out of sight while her sister, Sarah, came into the diner. Luckily, Emily wasn't too big of a fan of Sarah, either.

"Wow...I never knew she was that bad." Emily voices after Elizabeth explains why she's basically in town on her own. "That's just crazy. How can your family treat you like that?"

"Its how it is when you're the unwanted child." Elizabeth says with a shrug of her shoulders. "To be quite honest, I've never met anyone that wasn't completely obsessed with Saint Sarah."

"Yeah, well, she showed me her true colors a while ago." Emily explains. "She strung my best friend along while really wanting to be with his brother."

"Seriously?"

"And, as if that wasn't bad enough, when she finally got to be with his brother, who is also a friend of mine, she tried to get together with my brothers." Emily groans at the thought. "Thankfully neither of them fell for her, not that I thought either would."

"Wow...that's a side of Sarah that I didn't even know existed." Elizabeth admits, truly impressed that her sister learnt a new level of low. "So...who's she with now?"

"My dumb best friend, of course." Emily sighs, shaking her head. "Anyway, if you're really looking for a place to crash, my family's got tons of space."

"You don't think they'd mind having a stranger in their house?"

"Trust me, you'll be more than welcome." Emily assures. "On the plus side, its a Sarah free zone since she's no longer welcomed there."

"I love it already." Elizabeth says with a bright smile, pulling out money to pay for the meal, only for Emily to push the money back to her. "Its for the meal."

"Don't sweat it. Perks of the job is free food." Emily says as she rises to her feet. "Just relax here while I finish my shift. If you need a refill on the drink just let me know."

"Thanks, Em."

"What are friends for, right?" Emily says with a shrug. "See you in a bit."

As she waited for Emily to finish her shift, Elizabeth decided to turn her attention to the other patrons of the diner, watching as they interacted with one another. The atmosphere within that small diner was unlike any diner she's been to in the past. It was an interesting thing to see as families sat down to dinner with smiles on their faces and kind conversations among themselves. Every now and again, someone would walk into the diner and others would greet them in passing. Sitting there, watching it all, she finds that she just might like it in that small town after all.

"Ready?" Emily asks her once her shift was over.

"Yeah." Elizabeth replies as she rises to her feet, grabbing her backpack as she does. "This town really isn't what I had expected."

"I hear that a lot." Emily admits as she walks out of the diner with Elizabeth. "Stay for a while and you'll learn the dramatic side of it all, trust me. Its not all rainbow and sunshine in this town."

"I'd hope not." Elizabeth says honestly. "Where's the fun in that?"

"With that attitude, you'll feel right at home with my family." Emily laughs softly as they climb into her car. "We Quartermaines are the professionals at drama."

"Then I can't wait to meet them."

The drive to the house is spent singing along to songs on the radio in true girl fashion before they pull up to the house and park in the garage. Making their way into the house, Elizabeth is at awe with how big the house truly was, having never lived in a place so big. Showing her around the house, Emily shows her all the rooms that mattered before bringing her to the one person that Emily felt Elizabeth needed to meet. Her grandmother, Lila Quartermaine. After hearing about the broken relationship between Elizabeth and her own grandmother, Audrey, Emily couldn't help but want to introduce Elizabeth to the woman that portrays the true meaning of being a grandmother. Hoping the two could gain a bond of their own.

"Well, it is truly a pleasure to meet you, my dear." Lila voices lovingly with a soft smile. "You are more than welcome to stay with us for as long as you need. Just know that, by doing so, school is a must. No way around it. In order to make something of yourself, you must learn the tools to do so."

"School's important to me, too, so, I don't have a problem with that." Elizabeth assures. "I wouldn't mind helping around the house, either. I can get a job and pay you for letting me stay here, as well."

"If you wish to get a job, dear, do so for your own benefit. I won't take a dime from you." Lila assures her. "As long as you keep with your studies and pitch in when needed, that'll be quite enough."

"Thank you, so much, Mrs. Quartermaine." Elizabeth says wholeheartedly. "You won't regret this, I promise."

"I have no doubt about it." Lila assures. "Go on, make yourself at home and get some rest. We'll see to your enrollment at Port Charles High, in the morning."

"Yes, ma'am." Elizabeth says before walking out of the room.

"Thank you, Grandmother." Emily says wholeheartedly as she hugs her grandmother goodnight.

"Thank you, my dear, for proving just how big your heart truly is." Lila replies. "You have grown into quite the young woman."

"I learnt from the best." Emily says with a bright smile. "Goodnight, Grandmother."

"Goodnight, my dear."

"You're really fortunate, you know that?" Elizabeth voices as they make their way to the room adjacent to Emily's. "To have a grandmother like her, I mean."

"Yeah...I know." Emily admits. "But my fortune came at a great price."

"Right...sorry." Elizabeth sighs. "I just wish I had someone like that..."

"I get it, trust me." Emily assures. "Anyway, so, here it is. I usually use this room for sleepovers, but its all yours now. You can decorate it anyway you want...make it yours. My room's just through that door."

"Emily..." Elizabeth calls to her as she's about to walk to her room.

"Yeah?"

"I'm really fortunate to have met you." Elizabeth says honestly. "You're taking a real chance on me...something I never got from my family...you won't regret it."

"I know." Emily smiles brightly. "Call it a feeling, but somehow I know we were destined to meet. It was inevitable."

"I hope so." Elizabeth admits. "Goodnight, Emily."

"Goodnight, Liz." Emily replies softly. "See you in the morning."

As the door closes behind Emily, Elizabeth makes her way over to the bed, dropping her backpack on the floor before plopping down on the mattress. The choice she made to leave that hellish family had come out of a few for her life. She never once thought that this would be her reality once she made her way to that small town. She was prepared to fight for anything she needed or wanted. She was ready to face the harsh world as long as it meant that she would be able to live her life as she saw fit.

Sitting there now, in the biggest house she's ever seen, having a room and a friend to go with it, Elizabeth just couldn't believe her luck. Overwhelmed with emotions, Elizabeth digs through her backpack for the only thing that truly helps her when her heart's this full. Her sketchbook. Sitting up at the head of the bed, she flips to a blank page before drowning herself in her art. This may not have been the way she saw her choice taking her, but she doesn't regret any of it for a second. Swearing that she won't let anyone regret taking the chance on her. Ever.