Roman Holiday
By Jessica Allen
aka JasonElizabethMorgan
AN: This is for the A&E Project II. I hope you all enjoy it and this is dedicated to Becky and Ted.
It had begun to rain, a perfect night to watch a movie. Elizabeth made her way to the video store. Cameron was staying at Audrey's tonight so that Elizabeth could enjoy an evening to just relax. She had been working so much lately at the hospital, her part-time job had turned into a full-time one lately, and Cameron had been going through a stage of not sleeping at night. So Elizabeth couldn't pass on Audrey's offer to take Cameron for the night.
She entered the video store and headed for the new release wall. As she moved along the barrier of the store following the new rentals, she decided that there wasn't much new that intrigued her. So she decided to hit her favorite section, Classics.
Audrey Hepburn was one of Elizabeth's favorite actresses. She was so wonderful in Breakfast at Tiffany's and Sabrina. But Roman Holiday was what she needed. She wanted to be swept away to a different world, one that didn't resemble her own at all.
She made her way towards the end of the alphabet scanning for R. "Ah-ha!" she exclaimed as she found the title. Elizabeth reached for the film, when another hand grabbed at the same time. "Excuse me."
"No excuse me, I'm sorry."
Elizabeth made eye contact with the hand. Lorenzo Alcazar. "Lorenzo?"
"Elizabeth, hi. How's Cameron?"
"He's with my grandmother tonight. So I thought I'd come pick up a movie, go home and snuggle into bed for a relaxing evening. You?"
"Well I was going to do the same thing. Since we were both thinking about Audrey Hepburn tonight how about we go to my place and watch it?"
She looked at him with wonder, "How about we make it my place and you have a deal?"
"I'm game."
Lorenzo thought about how he first met Elizabeth on the drive to her house. The single mother was the only one who could make his heart pound quickly like Sophie used too. He hadn't been with anyone serious since his wife had died. Sure he had flings but not with anyone he would ever consider sharing his life with. Not until Elizabeth walked in to his life.
They had met at Kelly's one morning while Elizabeth was filling in for Penny. She had served him coffee and gave him directions. Her smile was so contagious he had to smile with her, something he hadn't done in a long time. They had become fast friends from that time and their relationship had only grown stronger over the past two years.
He arrived at the house and waited for Elizabeth to get out of her car before he proceeded to follow her into the house. "Get comfortable if you want, I'll be right back." She went to her bedroom to change into some comfortable clothes. Elizabeth put on a pair of cotton plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt. Ordinarily when she had company over she would have kept regular clothes on but this was Lorenzo. It's not like he had never seen her in her pj's before.
When Elizabeth entered the living room she saw Lorenzo in a wife beater and his shoes off. He had his feet on the coffee table, his head thrown back, and his eyes closed. He had looked so at peace. She came around with a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hand.
"Hi, well don't you look comfy," he chuckled.
"I could say the same for you. When was the last time we sat and watched a movie together?"
"It's been awhile," he said as he pushed the movie into the VCR and sat back on the sofa. Elizabeth inched closer to him and put her head on his shoulder.
The car slowly drove down the road towards what would become her temporary home while she was in Italy. She waved out the window to the strangers who had lined the streets to see her family. This was part of the job that she didn't like. She hated putting a smile on her face and pretending that she lived the life that everyone wanted. Well she didn't want it, not at all. The car came to a stop in front of an enormous and ornate gate. She was getting antsy sitting in the car; she wanted to explore the city. She was hoping that her schedule would permit her to do some sight seeing on her own. The door opened and a hand was presented for her to grab. As soon as she hit the fresh air she new to plaster a fake smile on her face. She stood on the stairs and waited for her family to join her. They all stood their smiling and indulging the public. When her father began climbing the stairs to enter the palace, she thought Welcome to your life as Princess Elizabeth Webber!
Tonight was going to be an extravagant ball. It was a way to have the Webber family introduced to the other royalty visiting the lovely country. She stood at the top of the staircase breathing deeply. She hated this; she hated having to parade herself around like she was something important. She was just Elizabeth.
She began her walk down the staircase. Praying that she didn't mess up and wishing that she were in some other place than this. She took her place next to her mother and father. Now the precession of royalty would come and shake her hand.
Now she had stood there for over a half hour and she still had not met everyone. The line was long and going out the front door. Elizabeth kept fidgeting with her shoes. Kicking them off resting her feet, then slowly putting them back on. No one could even notice since her gown was to the floor. Then it happened. She had kicked her shoe off and it fell off the little step. She tried maneuvering so that no one would realize what had happened. Her eyes scanned the room to see if anyone was aware of what she had done. Finding no one even paying her any attention she stepped forward and slipped the shoe back on her foot. Just in time because that's when the Prince of Greece, Nikolas Cassadine, asked her to dance.
Elizabeth wanted anything to escape the endless ceremonial occasions, to find adventure and to experience life beyond the claustrophobic confines of her royal position - without royal control. So she decided to slip out of the Embassy that night. For the first time, unescorted and unchaperoned, she smiles as she watches her liberating passage through the Embassy's gates. She sees a truck parked down the street and hops in to hide. It will take her into the city.
On his walk home following a late-night card game, street-smart American newspaperman Lorenzo Alcazar, one of the many reporters who was planning to interview the Princess the next day, walks by seeing a young girl well-dressed and singing to herself on the street like a drunk. "Excuse me Miss?"
"Oh, yes?"
After realizing who she is he asks, "Are you lost?"
"I'm new in the city and afraid I don't have any place to go."
Signaling a taxi he takes her hand and helps her into the car. After giving the driver directions to his apartment he looks over at the young woman, and she was fast asleep.
"Can I sleep here?" she asks.
"Well, that's the general idea," Lorenzo replied.
"Can I have a silk nightgown with rosebuds on it?"
"I'm afraid you'll have to rough it tonight - in these," Lorenzo hands her his oversized pajamas.
"Pajamas!" Elizabeth yelled.
"Sorry honey, but I haven't worn a nightgown in years," he laughs.
Elizabeth had never dressed herself before so now she was hesitant, "Will you help me get undressed, please?"
"Uh, OK." He removes one small article of clothing - her necktie, "There you are, you can handle the rest." He pours himself a glass of wine and drinks it down rapidly.
"May I have some?" the Princess asks.
Lorenzo couldn't believe what was happening. "No."
"This is very unusual. I've never been alone with a man before - even with my dress on," she begins unbuttoning and removing her blouse, "with my dress off, it's most unusual. I don't seem to mind." She gazes directly at him, "Do you?"
"I think I'll go out for a cup of coffee. You'd better get to sleep."
Elizabeth wraps an arm around Lorenzo's middle. He looks over at her and realizes that she has fallen asleep. "It figures." Not wanting to move her cause he enjoyed the weight of her body on his, he decided to finish watching the film.
Lorenzo returned back to the apartment around one thirty in the afternoon. The Princess was sitting in a chair. "Would you be so kind as to tell me where I am?"
"Well, this is what is laughingly known as my apartment."
"Did you bring me here by force?" Elizabeth asked panicking.
"No, no. Quite the contrary."
"Have I been here all night, alone?" she asked worrying what she may have gotten herself into.
"If you don't count me, yes." Lorenzo was toying with her now.
"So I've spent the night here - with you?" Elizabeth immediately began nibbling on her bottom lip. A bad habit, that only came to be seen when she felt nervous or in trouble.
"Well now, I-I don't know that I'd use those words exactly, but uh, from a certain angle, yes."
Elizabeth smiled knowing that he was just as nervous as she was, "How do you do?"
"How do you do?" he replied.
"And you are - ?" she asked.
"Alcazar, Lorenzo Alcazar."
"Delighted."
"You don't know how delighted I am to meet you."
"You may sit down," damn she thought to herself. I need to keep my identity a secret. Obviously he doesn't realize who I am.
Lorenzo sat on the bed, "Thank you very much. What's your name?"
Elizabeth had to think fast, "You may call me Beth."
Lorenzo moved Elizabeth slowly. He needed to use the restroom and how he hated his bladder at the moment. He decided to leave the movie running. He finished washing his hands and looked at himself in the mirror. He needed to shave but that could wait till morning. Lorenzo walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Grabbed a bottle of water, and swigged a long sip. He stood there for what seemed to be a long time, trying to sort things out in his head. What was he doing? The woman he loved was in the other room, fast asleep on the sofa and all he wanted to do was put her in bed and climb in beside her.
His cell phone jarred his thoughts, "Hello?"
"Lorenzo, its Audrey."
"Is something wrong with Cameron?"
"No dear. I was just calling to check in to see how everything was going. I take it she took the bait and invited you over?"
"Yes she did. She's asleep on the couch in the living room."
"What movie did you wind up renting?"
"Roman Holiday."
"Ah one of my favorites. Well I'll let you get back, don't worry about Cam he's sound asleep and being an angel. I'll talk to you tomorrow afternoon."
"Thanks. Give him a kiss for me."
"I will. Goodnight."
"Night." He flipped his cell phone shut and preceded back into the living room. As he made himself comfortable on the sofa, he pulled Elizabeth's body back towards him so that she was snuggled into his side. He looked up at the television and realized that he had missed a fair bit of the movie. The part where they spend the day together and the Princess gets to act like a normal girl. Now it was at Elizabeth's favorite part, he decided to wake her. "Elizabeth."
She stirred. "Yeah," she said groggily.
"You're going to miss your favorite part."
"I missed the whole movie?"
"You fell right to sleep as soon as your head hit my shoulder," he said with a small smile.
Realizing what she had done she sat up abruptly and moved to the other side of the sofa. "Thanks for waking me."
"How about we just finish the movie?"
"Sure."
The Princess leaves the car and he watches her disappear down a dark, empty little street as she runs back to the Embassy, returning to her cloistered and protected world.
Elizabeth is questioned about her long, twenty four hour absence, but she offers no explanation other than: "I was indisposed. I am better." She hurries off to her room.
Meanwhile Lorenzo is deciding whether to run the exclusive story about the Princess. He immediately decides against it. He couldn't betray her trust in him. He had fallen in love with someone he could never be with. She was of royal blood. Tomorrow though he would get to see her one last time while she was in Italy.
The next day the press corp was buzzing. She was dreading answering a question from Lorenzo. He never took his eyes off her the entire time. "Next question please."
A reporter from the far left asked, "Princess Elizabeth what was your favorite city on your tour?"
Her advisors were whispering in her ear what would be the proper response, "Each in its own way was unforgettable. It would be difficult to..." she glances at Lorenzo, "Rome, by all means, Rome. I will cherish my visit here in memory as long as I live."
When photographs are allowed to be taken during the session, Jason, Lorenzo's boss steps forward and surprises the Princess by revealing that his cigarette lighter is really a miniature camera. Jason presents Elizabeth with some "commemorative photos" of her visit to Rome. She views the one of her smashing a guitar over an agent's head, smiles discreetly, and then formally thanks Jason, "Thank you so very much."
As she gives a final goodbye, she slowly turns toward the audience, gives a wide smile toward everyone and then directly towards Lorenzo, she begins to cry, but before the tears could fall she turns and leaves the room.
After the press corps has left, Lorenzo stares at the door through which she left, never to see her again. With echoing footsteps, he slowly walks out of the room. He turns one last time at the end of the hall to sadly look back before leaving, he was leaving the woman he fell in love with.
Lorenzo looked over at Elizabeth after he pushed stop on the VCR. He handed her the box of tissues on the end table. "I'm sorry. You know I always cry at this movie."
"I know. Well it's late, I guess I better go." He puts his shoes back on and begins buttoning up his shirt.
"Lorenzo, don't go."
"I don't want to Elizabeth."
"Will you come home? I hate everything that happened between us. I never meant for our fight to last this long," she said as her tears from the movie turned into tears for her life.
Lorenzo rushed to her and enveloped her small frame in his arms. "I love you Elizabeth. I'm so sorry that we fought. I would love to come home."
"You just don't want to sleep at Jason's anymore."
Elizabeth smiled as she mentioned her best friend Sam's husband and Lorenzo's business partner.
"That's true too. But most importantly I want to come home every day from work to our son playing on the floor and my beautiful wife painting. I want our life back."
"I do too. Let's go to bed and get our life back on track," she said as she lifted her eyebrow.
"I love the way you think. But let's promise never to fight like this again."
"I promise," Elizabeth stated before her lips met his for a passionate kiss.
"I promise too," he said when they pulled apart. "Now how about we continue our making up in the bedroom?"
"I love how you think; now you have to catch me." Elizabeth took off down the hall.
The End