AN:

omg! I have no idea WTH happened with this chapter. I do know I lost control about halfway though. The upside you get a little Niz goodness.

~Kelly~


Chapter Four

Elizabeth was thankful that things had been quite the last few weeks. Once the shock of Nikolas's return wore off this essentially returned to normal. The only exception was the guests he brought along as well. The older of the two men seemed pleasant enough. He certainly exuded enough charm to fool most people but not Stefan though. Elizabeth got the strong feeling that the he disliked both men. Jason the younger of the men was harder to figure out. He was very quiet something that seemed strange to her. Then there was the odd feelings she had around him. For reasons she still could not place the man made her nervous. It had gotten bad enough that she tried to avoid him when possible.

Courtney was her biggest problem. Elizabeth was sure the blonde was a normally perfectly decent person. Probably. The thing was she didn't care. Courtney had been nothing but rude to her every time they met. She knew Nikolas would never talk about their past so for a time she was confused as to why. Then Elizabeth realized this was what Nikolas worried so much about. He hadn't wanted her ostracized because of her heritage. At the time she didn't quite get what he was saying but now she did. Except the blonde's behavior didn't bother Elizabeth. Oh she was offended on Nikolas's behalf but otherwise she could ignore Courtney.

Of course staying away from the main house increased her chances of accomplishing this. In some odd stroke of luck both Stefan and Steven had left the estate at the same time. Both men worried what she might do if left to her own devices urge her to stay near the camp.

She didn't mind too much. After all it gave her a chance to sketch uninterrupted well except for Johnny. Ever since her run in with Jason that first night the young man had stayed by her side. Elizabeth had grown used to his presence and at time even welcomed it.

The only down side in her mind was the fact she hadn't seen Nikolas either. Since his return they hadn't had a moment alone. While hurt and angry with the man she still longer for the connection they once had. Although that was looking less and less likely as the days went on.

"Ms Elizabeth?" a familiar male voice called from just outside the wagon. "Are you there?"

She immediately recognized it as Alfred the head butler at Wyndemere. That however only raised more questions. She couldn't imagine any reason why the man would venture all the way down here. Well no reason that was good. Every instinct Elizabeth had told her something was seriously wrong. "What's wrong?"

"It's Master Nikolas. He needs your help."

Once she heard Nikolas's name there was no need for Alfred to go on. No matter what happened between them Elizabeth would always do anything she could to help him.

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Elizabeth practically raced up to the house and Nikolas's room. As they moved Alfred took a few moments to explain the situation. It seemed as though Nikolas had once again fell off Sheba of more accurately the horse threw him. The accident resulted in a deep cut along his side. Nothing too serious except the wound was now infected. The stupid man was of course refusing to see the town doctor. Elizabeth understood he hated the man but really this was going too far. He might die if not treated. Which was why he consented to seeing Steven. Proving he had some brains left in that stubborn head of his.

She mentally groaned at the complex situation. Steven was at least two days ride away. That was two days Nikolas might not have at this point. Which for some crazy reason left Nikolas depending on her to save his life. Maybe all those years in the city had cause him to lose his mind. That had to be it because otherwise she was the crazy one for agreeing.

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Nikolas felt disorientated as he struggled to open his eyes. He knew he had to for some reason. He didn't know what the reason was only that it was urgent. However the urge to simply sink back into oblivion was almost too much.

Sometime later Nikolas became more aware of the world around him. The first thing he noticed was a cool wet cloth against his skin. It felt so wonderful that Nikolas couldn't hold back a soft moan. Seconds later he heard a soft feminine voice full of worry. The light sound was pleasant causing him to relax even further. That was until he felt a sharp pain on his left side.

Things had been going fairly well in Elizabeth's opinion until Nikolas began to wake up. Between the fever and disorientation he had no idea what was happening. He only further proved her right by panicking "Shh. Nikolas you have to calm down. I'm not trying to hurt you."

"E... Elizabeth? Is that you? I'm not dreaming." he said forcing his eyes to open. Nikolas almost sighed with relief when he saw that Elizabeth was indeed sitting at his bedside.

"You're not dreaming I promise."

"Good I hate that dream. I still haven't gotten used to waking up without you."

"Nikolas don't say things like that. It's just your fever talking. When you feel better things will go back to normal I promise."

"I don't love her, Liz. How could I she's not you?"

"Shh. Go back to sleep. You're delusional and obviously need the rest."

"I'm thinking clearly for the first time in four years. I'm sorry for everything I did that caused you pain."

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As Courtney listened from the hall she became furious. How dare that nobody try to steal her man? Nikolas was going to be hers and no one especially that gypsy was going to stop her. Not even Nikolas himself.

When he invited her to Wyndemere Courtney had taken it as a sign Nikolas was ready to marry. However nothing could be further from the truth. Ever since stepping on these grounds he had become distant and moody. Darker somehow. The only cause she could find was Elizabeth. Every time the other girl was mentioned Nikolas would tense up. She had hoped the two were enemies however that didn't appear to be the case.

The brunette had to go. That was the only plausible solution Courtney could see. She had tried getting pregnant but Courtney thought Nikolas might be on to her scheme. What other reason would he have for kicking her out of bed?

What she needed was some help. Jason immediately sprang to mind. Her brother's friend wasn't above breaking rules. If anything the man lived for it. Jason had proven to be invaluable to her bother's operation over the last few years. Something Courtney planned to take full advantage of now.

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Elizabeth sat by Nikolas's bed and fought the urge to cry. She thought he would never say such sweet thing to her again but know it was only because of an illness broke her heart. Her only salvation would be that Nikolas didn't remember his ramblings. It was certainly possible given his high fever. The wound wasn't as bad as she originally feared. Once Elizabeth cleaned it up she was relived to see it looked worse than it was.

It was surprising how much she remember from occasionally helping Steven. She knew her brother would be proud of job she had done. He had always urged her to do something anything beyond her current life. The problem was her one true dream was impossible to have. Not because of time or circumstance but because of the man who shared it. Ugh. There were times she wanted to kill Nikolas. Ironic considering she had spent the better part of the last day saving his life.

Maybe just maybe Johnny was right and she should move on. Of course when Johnny said that he meant move on with him. Something that wasn't unimaginable. She certainly felt some affection for the other man. What's more he knew about her feelings for Nikolas. Johnny knew she would never feel as deeply as she did for him. In fact he didn't seem to be bothered by the fact. Elizabeth knew he would treat her with respect and that they would be equals within their marriage. And children. That was something they both agreed on. She knew he would be an excellent father. In fact the only reason she hadn't encourage Johnny was lying before her.

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"She has to to be stopped." Courtney demanded the moment Jason let her into his room.

"What are you talking about?"

"That... gypsy girl... Elizabeth she has to be stopped. I want you to stop her."

Jason sighed and ran a hand over his face. It was times like these he wondered if Courtney was insane. Not that he would ever say anything aloud. Sonny wasn't infamous for his temper for nothing after all. "I thought she was taking care of Nikolas."

"She is and that's the problem."

"You do realize you can't marry a dead man right?" he asked although he felt that much would have been obvious to even Courtney.

"Of course I do but if that girl keeps hanging around there might not be a wedding."

"Just start at the beginning."

"She's done something to Nikolas." the blonde woman insisted hysterically. "He was talking about how he dreams about her. He practically admitted to loving her."

"What exactly is the problem?" Jason asked not seeing the issue. Nikolas's high fever was mostly likely the cause of his ramblings even if he did desire Elizabeth. Courtney's reaction to what Nikolas said however could be trouble.

"What... what is the problem? That girl wants my man."

"Probably but that doesn't mean anything. Not unless you do something stupid. Just let Elizabeth take care of Nikolas and then I'll handle her."

"She's going to ruin my plan. I worked for years to get a rich and powerful man like Nikolas."

"I know but you have to trust me. The only one who is going to mess your plan up is you." he pointed out gently hoping that she would see the truth in what he was saying.

"Fine but you had better be right." she pouted finally calming down. If Jason promised to handle it Courtney believed him. It was his job to handle her family's problems after all.