AN:

Woo hoo! Another chapter down. This one gives some background on Elizabeth. Remember just go with it.

~Kelly~

Chapter Three

Elizabeth strolled through the woods until she reached a small river. She loved Steven truly she did but there were times he drove her crazy. Like now for instance. The last thing she wanted was to speak about Nikolas especially with him. She didn't want to be reminded of the fact Nikolas would never be hers. It had been difficult enough to hear him say the words.

Logically she knew they could never be together. Their lives were too different for things to work out. Her heart however never received the message. For as long as she could remember Elizabeth loved Nikolas. It was a fact she could neither avoid or deny. Not that Elizabeth had ever tried. Nikolas knew exactly how what she felt for him. While he never encourage her feelings he never hid his either.

It all came to a head one night when Nikolas kissed her. She hadn't expected Nikolas to so gentle but he had been. Years later Elizabeth was still haunted by that chaste kiss and by Nikolas himself. Now that he had returned she wished that she could hate him. It would certainly make watching him with another woman easier. As it was this winter was going to be torture.

A snap of a branch immediately drew Elizabeth from her thoughts. She knew these woods as well as anyone. She knew all about the dangers the things the towns people whispered about and feared. This however was new, different. "Who's there?" she called out in to the darkness.

"I didn't mean to frighten you." Jason said stepping out into the small clearing. He had been exploring the woods when he noticed the young girl walking by herself. Deciding this was the perfect opportunity to learn more about her Jason followed her. Now getting a good look he saw that she had changed out of the boy's clothing from earlier. Now Elizabeth was wearing a long flowing skirt in various colors. Jason could see glimpses of her legs from the slit along the side. However it was Elizabeth's top that captured his interests. On the surface the simple white shirt and vest were innocent enough that was until you took a closer look. The sleeves of the shirt were nearly transparent allowing lots of her creamy skin to revealed. The vest was nearly as bad. It was a corset style that was cut just low enough to tease him even further. Perhaps he had figured out why Nikolas's uncle allowed gypsies to camp there.

"You shouldn't be in here." Elizabeth said firmly to the older man. She couldn't believe Stefan was letting strangers wonder around the grounds. Or maybe this was Nikolas's doing. Four years was a long time and maybe he had forgotten the rules.

"Because it's not safe?" the blonde asked slightly amused by the young woman before him.

"Exactly."

Jason let out a humorless laugh at the idea. "You're here. All alone and vulnerable."

"Perhaps." she agreed toying with the ends of her hair. For some reason she couldn't place this man made her very nervous. "But I've lived here half my life. Nothing here is a danger to to me."

"Is that so?" he said his smile turning predatory as he took several steps forward.

The moment was of course broken up not as Jason expected by Nikolas but another young man. "There you are. What are you doing still out? You know Steven worries."

"He worries too much I'm fine." she said brushing of the other man's concern. Johnny Zacchara was one of her closets friends. He was also a little in love with her. Something Elizabeth was still trying to deal with.

"Still I'm under orders to drag you back."

"Johnny."

Johnny shook his head and smiled at his friend. He had heard about Nikolas's return and truly sympathized. Although he couldn't help but secretly wish this would allow her to move on. "I know but humor okay?" he asked taking her hand. Johnny wasn't stupid and he hadn't missed the way the blonde was looking at Elizabeth. He had seen that look countless times before. Some men thought the way she dressed was an invitation for attention. Nothing could be further from the truth. Elizabeth was one of those rare woman who had no clue how beautiful she really was. That combined with her innocence was enough to drive most men crazy. Sighing he realized that he would have to speak with Stefan in the morning. At least the older man would be more reasonable than Steven. Probably. At least that's what he hoped. "Say good night."

"Good night."

"Good night Elizabeth." Jason said watching as the pair left him standing alone.

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Stefan watched as Jason approached the house. It was obvious where the man had been. Turning to his nephew he said, "I see Mr. Morgan has trouble following the rules."

Nikolas rolled his dark eyes not at all surprised by the news. "Jason doesn't follow anyone's rules but his own."

"Yet you brought him to Wyndemere. Care to tell me the reason why?"

"I didn't invite him. I barely tolerate the man. When Sonny mentioned the trip he invited himself along." Nikolas practically growled in frustration. Wyndemere was the one place he felt safe the one place he didn't have to worry. Knowing that made it almost impossible to keep completely in control. His eyes scanned the grounds looking for a distraction when he spotted Elizabeth walking with another man. For a moment his control snapped and every reason he had for walking away forgotten. She was his and how dare some other man touch her. "Who is that?"

"Johnny. I believe Steven met him during his first year of medical school." The older man replied taking great care to keep his tone neutral. He didn't want Nikolas to know how amused he was by seeing Elizabeth and Johnny together. "I believe that they are quite close."

'Of course they are.' Nikolas thought bitterly. He ignored the voice that laughed reminding him this was his own fault. He had been the one stupid enough to leave Elizabeth behind. He should have expected other men to be interested in her. The only real surprise was that Elizabeth wasn't married yet.

They talked on many occasions of her desire to be a mother. They talked of many private things back then. Soft words and even softer touches filled many a winter's night. For a time he even contemplated marrying Elizabeth for himself. Then the accident happened. After that Nikolas wanted her as far from him as possible. He knew it was stupid and selfish. Nikolas knew hurting the only woman he'd ever love wasn't a smart move. His only consolation was Elizabeth would never ever see the monster inside him again.