Title: Today I Do, Tomorrow I Will
Category: TV Shows ยป General Hospital
Author: Undesired Results
Language: English
Rating: Rated: T
Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Romance

Chapter 7: Friends

Dipping the tip of her paintbrush into the paint, Elizabeth gently strokes the color over the canvas, needing the escape it provides to get her mental chaos into order. On the one hand, she can go against the Queen's wishes and continue her path to retrieve the answers she so desperately needs, regardless of the punishments that will undoubtedly occur. On the other hand, she can oblige the Queen's request and prove herself, she's waited this long for answers, surely she can wait longer, right? Taking the Queen's path, it'll free herself up to be there for her brother, regardless of the lack of progress in her own mission. Wasn't that the point of this whole thing? To ensure a future for each other...so, by helping him complete his mission, wouldn't that be the first step in accomplishing that?

"Pardon the intrusion, your Highness, but the ever so dashing Prince of this fine estate would like a moment of your time if possible," the voice of her brother pulls her from her thoughts to turn a curious look in his direction. "What's your count so far?"

"This is the last one for the third collection," Elizabeth concedes, dropping the paintbrush into the canister before walking over to him. "I'm a little stumped on what my next collection will portray. I've done darkness, innocence, and - most recently - the rise of a princess. What should come after that?"

"It'll come to you," Nikolas says without a shred of doubt. "Alfred says you're expecting company."

"I am," Elizabeth concedes with a shrug. "Damage control."

"Ah, the girl you were meant to meet up with," Niklas says with understanding. "Well, I hope that turns out well, for your sake."

"My sake?"

"For you to have a true friend, apart from the overcast of the Queen, it's something I have always hoped for," Nikolas explains. "I know she wants you to befriend this girl for the sake of my mission, but it doesn't have to be that way. This is your chance to create something real for yourself. I say take it, see where it takes you, and allow yourself to be a thirteen-year-old girl for once in your life."

"How do I create something real with someone that will never know who I truly am?" Elizabeth counters seriously, gesturing around her as she says, "This, all of this, no one can know about any of it, you know that."

"Maybe they can," Nikolas challenges. "I'm not saying to tell her the whole story right away, but if she's as great as you think she is then maybe it'll benefit you to have a true ally besides yours truly."

"Maybe."

"Give it a real chance and let it come naturally," Nikolas suggests. "First step in separating us from her."

"Okay," she whispers, understanding where he was going with this. "I will."

"Good," he replies, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead. "Go on, get back to your painting. I'll show your guest in when she arrives."

Smiling softly, Nikolas watches as she makes her way back over the painting, making an internal prayer that this friendship she has stumbled her way into will be more than the Queen envisions. Staying for a moment longer, he takes a deep breath and turns on his heels, having his own mission that needs to be handled. Regardless of the Queen's demands, essentially this is his family and he'll deal with it as he sees fit. Through the clutter and chaos, he knows that nothing can truly destroy him, no matter the outcome, not as long as he still has his sister by his side in the end.

"Hello, you must be Emily Quartermaine, I'm Nikolas Cassadine," Nikolas greets as he steps aside to allow her entrance. "Please, come in, Elizabeth's awaiting your arrival in her studio."

Emily couldn't really say much, her attention being sucked in by the decor found through the estate, impressed that anyone could out decorate her own family. She had thought her family's estate was bad enough, this estate put theirs to shame, an estate fit for royalty. Walking through the halls a couple of steps behind him, Emily does her best to just take it all in, wondering what kind of childhood could really be created from such an estate. Taking a deep breath, she places the smile back on her face, remembering why she was even there to begin with. Elizabeth. Someone she can truly see herself being friends with and she couldn't wait. Something told her that this was the kind of friendship meant to happen and she hopes that's true.

"Your Highness, my apologies for interrupting your session once again, but your guest has arrived," Nikolas voices as Emily stands just out of sight behind him, the gentleness in his voice puts a soft smile on Emily's, their connection reminding her a lot of her connection to her own brothers. "Shall I show her in?"

"If you feel inclined to, I'd surely appreciate it, my Prince," Elizabeth replies with a hint of laughter in her tone. "The third collection is officially complete. Just two more to go before the planning can begin."

"I'm sure Uncle is growing ever so anxious for that day to arrive," Nikolas comments, sidestepping to allow Emily to walk into the room. "Miss Emily Quartermaine for your Highness. Do alert the staff if you should find yourself in need of anything, Princess."

"I'll keep that in mind, Prince Nikolas, thank you," Elizabeth rolls her eyes slightly as a chuckle escapes her brother's lips. "You may exit from whence you came."

"As you wish, your Highness," Nikolas bows ever so slightly before turning to Emily. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Quartermaine. I do hope you enjoy your stay in our humble estate."

"Thank you, I think I will," Emily replies, watching as he walks out of the studio and shuts the door behind him before turning to Elizabeth. "Hi."

"Hey," Elizabeth smiles slightly. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Emily shakes her head. "This place is..."

"Yeah," Elizabeth says when Emily can't find the right words to describe the estate. "It can be a bit much. We royals have an image to uphold after all."

"I can see that," Emily admits. "Do you ever get tired of using your titles with each other?"

"Not really," Elizabeth replies after some thought. "We don't use it as a formality. It's really hard to explain...it's just how we are with each other...a way to make our titles mean something...I must sound crazy to you."

"No, not at all," Emily assures. "I get what you mean. It's something you share with your brother that no one else can take from."

"Yeah," Elizabeth shakes her head. "Exactly...anyway, I just wanted to say sorry for leaving you hanging last night. I really didn't mean to."

"It's okay," Emily says sincerely, gesturing to Elizabeth's body. "Clearly, you had a good reason for not showing up...does it hurt?"

"Not that much," Elizabeth replies, almost forgetting the bandages on her body. "Superficial, mostly, nothing life-threatening."

"So...this is your studio, huh?" Emily questions as she walks further into the room to take a look at the paintings hanging about from Elizabeth's completed collections. "Art must be something you're truly passionate about."

"It is," Elizabeth admits, watching Emily's reactions as she walks about the room. "It's the one thing in my life that's all mine."

"They're amazing," Emily comments as she walks over to a painting that immediately caught her eye. "Can you tell me what this one's about?"

"Sure," Elizabeth says as she stands next to her, not at all surprised that this particular painting is the one that caught her eye, it was the one that portrayed the most emotion. "But, first, I need you to tell me what you see."

"Um, okay," Emily glances at Elizabeth before turning back to the painting. "I see what looks like a baby in the middle of the painting...two pairs of hands on either side of the baby...one dark...one light...almost as if there was some kind of struggle happening...am I right?"

"Yes," Elizabeth smiles slightly, her eyes focused on the painting as the story of her birth floods her mind. "This is a painting of the day I was born."

"Oh, okay, so, one set of hands is your parents, right?" Emily looks at Elizabeth, watching as she simply nods her head, confirming her assumption. "And the other...a doctor?"

"Sadly, no," Elizabeth shakes her head. "Those are the hands of the woman my parents gave me away to."

"Wha..." Emily couldn't believe her ears, unable to look away from Elizabeth. "They gave you away?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth shakes her head, deciding that the truth is the only path now, hoping against hope that the trust she's placing in Emily won't be the worst mistake of her life. "I wasn't always a Princess...when I was born...I was a regular person...born to two doctors in Boulder, Colorado...with a brother and a sister."

"Wait..." Emily looks at Elizabeth closely, really closely, and it was then that she saw it. She couldn't believe it, but there it was. "Sara...she's your sister?"

"Essentially...yes," Elizabeth says softly. "I wasn't part of there family for long, though...not even a full day...before I was given to Helena Cassadine."

"I don't understand...why...why would they give you to that woman?" Emily questions in confusion, having heard all the horrible things that Helena was capable of. "I mean...Sara...god, Sara doesn't even know you exist...that's...that's just crazy."

"The Webbers were in business with Helena. They were so deep in that they couldn't find a way out of their arrangements," Elizabeth explains. "In a last ditch effort, they asked Helena for a way out and, so, she gave them one. Their unborn child for their freedom from her. She had made them believe that I'd be returned in five years, but Helena had other plans. As far as they are concerned, I died before I even turned one."

"That's...I don't even have words for what that is..." Emily tries to process the information, but she just can't seem to understand any of it. "Five years or indefinitely...for your parents to just give you to a woman that's clearly unstable, to say the least, I just...I have no words."

"If you think that's unthinkable..." Elizabeth scoffed slightly, shaking her head. "Don't even get me started on the way we've been raised."

"So...Nikolas..."

"Not my biological brother, but he's the closest thing I've got to one," Elizabeth explains. "Blood couldn't make us any closer than we already are."

"I can see that," Emily admits, smiling softly. "Was that why you wanted me to bring Sara with me?"

"I was hoping to run a DNA test between the two of us," Elizabeth explains. "So that I could have proof to show the Webbers when I told them who I am."

"Makes sense," Emily agrees. "What happened?"

"Helena," Elizabeth states plainly, gesturing to the bandages much like Emily had earlier. "Let's just say, she didn't appreciate my tactics. We're raised to follow her orders to the letter...asking for help wasn't part of those orders...these being punishment for disobeying the Queen."

"I...I can't even..." Emily could feel her heart breaking for the kind of life that Elizabeth and her brother must have suffered through at the hands of that woman. "Can I...if you don't mind..."

Elizabeth simply shrugged before removing the bandages over her wrists, showing Emily the cuts along her wrists from the handcuffs, the obvious abuse being too much for the young girl as tears welled up in her eyes. Clearly, Emily didn't know such pain growing up because wounds like these no longer affect Elizabeth in the same way. Wrapping it back up, Elizabeth walks over to the table to get Emily a napkin, not having intended to make the girl cry.

"Sorry, I forget sometimes that not everyone had the childhood like Nikolas and I had," Elizabeth whispers, watching as Emily wipes at her tears. "If it makes you feel any better, this isn't the worst punishment I've ever had...I just mean, these don't hurt as much."

"It doesn't make me feel better, actually. This is just horrible," Emily sighs. "Did you ever think of running away? I mean, I'm sure my parents won't mind taking you in...we could call child services..."

"As nice as that sounds, there's no escaping the Queen, trust me, I've tried," Elizabeth replies simply. "Nikolas and I just have to finish our missions...once the Queen gets what she wants...we'll be free. We just have to hang in until then."

"You shouldn't have to hang in till then," Emily points out seriously. "Is she why you couldn't keep Buddy?"

"He was just a test, she never truly intended for me to keep him," Elizabeth explains. "She gave me him to teach me the destructive nature of love. When she put him in danger, I risked my life to save him and failed the point of her test. I gave him up because...I just knew he wouldn't be safe with me."

"Like I said...horrible," Emily says seriously. "Someone should really arrest that woman."

"Someone should really kill her, but that's not bound to happen," Elizabeth shakes her head of the thoughts that began to form. "Look, I didn't invite you here to burden you with my horrible childhood, I really just wanted to see if we could be friends."

"Me, too," Emily agrees. "But part of being friends is caring about the other person's wellbeing. If that's what punishment is like in this family...you have got to find a way to escape...a way to have a normal life...a safe life."

"I don't know how to do that," Elizabeth admits, letting out a sigh of frustration. "This is the only life I know. Missions...combat training...punishments...it's all I know."

"That's not true," Emily points out. "I mean, I see you and your brother...the love you share...that's gotta give you hope that there's more out there...more love just waiting for you."

"And who would give it to me?" Elizabeth counters firmly. "The family that gave me to the Queen to begin with? Should I expect love from those people?"

"Maybe," Emily says gently. "But there are two people that know nothing about it...two innocent people that I know would love to know about you...to know they have a sister."

"I...as much as I'd like to...there's no escaping the Queen," Elizabeth says after a long moment. "She's already ordered me not to tell them the truth of who I am...I can't risk her punishing me again...not this soon. If I mess up twice in a short amount of time...I ended up in the hospital for a month the last time I did that."

"Okay, you can't go to them, but maybe I can," Emily suggests. "What if I told them about you? I'll go to Sara and I'll get her to help me break it to your family. At least, that way, if it works out, you'll see that there's more for you outside of Helena's control."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," Emily smiles reassuringly. "What are friends for, right?"

"I..." Elizabeth shakes her head. "Do you really think Sara will believe you?"

"I can be quite convincing," Emily laughs softly. "It's one of my better qualities."

"I can't even begin to thank you for doing this," Elizabeth says, tears welling up in her eyes as she stares at Emily, unable to comprehend the level of kindness Emily was just freely giving her.

"No thanks necessary," Emily assures. "You gave me Buddy, remember? Its only fitting that I help you connect to your family."

Unable to resist it any longer, Elizabeth throws her arms around Emily, the tears falling as she holds tight to her friend. In all her life, she has never known anyone outside of Nikolas and her uncle that was willing to show her any form of kindness. For Emily to go above and beyond, to not only sympathize with her situation but also assist her in her mission, she just couldn't put it into words. Whispering a thank you to Emily, she pulls away to meet her friend's eyes, it was all just too much.

"I'll give you a call once I've got everything set up," Emily says wholeheartedly as they make their way to the launch. "I won't let you down, promise."

"I can't thank you enough for doing this, Emily."

"Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me the truth," Emily says with a soft smile. "I'll be in touch soon."