A/N: A quick thanks to: DarkAngelPearl, ShimmeringWater, POGLUVR, Fk306 animelover,shikijo, rissa1788, ClumsyElf, Dunthonwen and The White Masque (I bought a fancy new Middle Earth Dictionary and I got the name of the wine from a website. I forgot which one.) Please enjoy because it took me several painstaking tries to get this one the way I envisioned it.
Answers
"Hope for the best and prepare for the worst."
-Unknown
"I am in love with you."
Lizzy blinked at Legolas. Her mouth stood open with shock and slight horror at what he had just said. Looking at him, he too appeared somewhat taken aback by what he had spoken. Lizzy heard people say that kind of stuff on television all the time, but she never would have thought someone would actually say that o her. It was surreal to hear something like that being directed towards her. To Lizzy, it just wasn't normal. It wasn't something she expected or even factored into neither her life nor her future.
Lizzy tried to comprehend what was going on inside of Legolas' head. Maybe he was playing some sick joke on her or he had lost his mind. She felt as if she were watching a horror flick starring herself. In all honesty her instincts told her to run, distance herself as far as possible from the situation. Nothing good could possibly come out of this was what her head screamed.
Legolas could not grasp what was going on inside of his own mind. Thoughts were garbled and he doubted his capability of stringing together another sentence that would that could explain the one that had come before it. He had wanted to tell Lizzy that he loved her for the longest of times, but he had not meant to tell her like this. Not while she was in the healing ward with white cream smeared on her skin and being forced to breathe in menthol vapor. He wished to have made the time he told her that he loved her more memorable.
When Lizzy managed to get around the shock, she closed her mouth and cleared her somewhat sore throat. "You- You what now?"
She decided to check her hearing. Last time she had gone a few rounds with the despicable raspberry it had not affected her ears but maybe this was the one time it had. She was willing and ready to believe that she had fully misheard the elf. Lizzy was even ready to except the fact that maybe she had misinterpreted him. Hey, she had never been the brightest crayon in the box. Her first grade teacher even told her so when she screwed up 3x3.
Legolas felt like a complete idiot for letting his mouth take over for his head. Looking into her iridescent grey eyes he saw her confusion. He knew that he would have to clarify things because something as difficult to admit as being in love with a person was not something you left unexplained. At least not with Lizzy. Lizzy meant so much to him now and he would have to over come his tongue-tied state if he ever wanted her to understand.
Finding his voice Legolas said once more, "I am in love with you."
"Hmm," Lizzy said looking down at the sheets she sat beneath. She scratched a particularly itchy spot on her arm. So she hadn't misheard him, only misinterpreted.
"And what does that mean? I mean, is it like some kind of elf thing to say when somebody's sick or something? Because if it its, it's stupid."
Legolas frowned. Whatever logic Lizzy was using, it went completely misunderstood by the elf prince. She was looking at him with her rarely used curious stare. It was puzzling to him that she did not know what he meant by his words, but he understood. He understood why something like love was foreign to her.
Unintentionally, she had come to him and showed him her past. There wasn't very much there for her to hold on to. Lizzy had been raised around so much anguish. Pain and disappointment was the only thing she knew. It was only comprehensible to see that Lizzy had no real understanding of love.
"No, Lizzy. It is not some elf thing to say." It was all he could bring himself to say for the moment being but it seemed to be enough for Lizzy to understand.
Her eyes went wide with complete disbelief. She shook her head, not accepting what Legolas had said. An eccentric feeling wound its way around her nerves. She wished it would go away, but no matter how much she tried to exhort the feeling from herself it would not leave. Lizzy did what the next best thing had to offer was. She ignored it.
If she hadn't misheard him nor misinterpreted his words that could only mean…No, she had to set Legolas straight or this could all end up an utter catastrophe. There was no way that a pretentious and egocentric elf like Legolas was in love with her. She refused to believe it. It was an outrageous concept, something that not even God himself would believe. Lizzy would make him see that whatever feelings he was harboring for her were a lie.
He was lying to himself. That was the only possible answer that made sense to her. Why he would lie to himself about being in love with her was something Lizzy hadn't worked out in her head so quick, but she was pretty positive it was all a lie.
"I am in love with you Lizzy," Legolas said when Lizzy took to shaking her head. Saying that lifted a weight from his shoulders that he had been keenly aware of for a while.
Taking into great consideration of her cream covered skin, he took her hands in his own and held onto them. Looking at their joined hands and then to her eyes, he willed her to believe what he spoke.
"No. No you're not." Lizzy chocked out the words and tried to be firm at the same time.
She could feel her strength slip away from her when she looked into those clear cerulean eyes of Legolas. Images flooded into her head that she promised herself to forget. They were memories that she had buried in the very back of her mind. They were things that went beyond their petty little friendship. They were things that had the potential to morph into something else, something that Lizzy didn't believe in and never thought that she ever could.
Some of those assaulting images were of her and Legolas when they had been trapped in that underground dwelling created by orcs. He had tried to assure her that they were going to be all right. He had comforted her in the darkest of places when he had his own fears to deal with.
Legolas held her hands tighter. "I am."
The time when he had clutched her hand unyielding as they walked through a crowded town so he would not loose her flashed through her head. That alien feeling was still inside of her letting itself flare up stronger than ever.
"Elizabeth," Legolas whispered as if someone was in the room with them and he did not want to be over heard. "You must understand that I love you."
"No," she said with a higher tone. Lizzy ripped her hands away from Legolas' grasp. "No, and don't call me that!"
Lizzy forced herself to look down, escaping Legolas' penetrating stare. Unluckily, the memories assaulting her were not that easy to get away from.. She remembered the time they spent under the stars trying to learn about one another. Against her will her heart sped up. Lizzy was angry, angry that Legolas was making her feel this way.
Legolas placed both of his hands on either side of her face. He expected her resistance. He never anticipated for Lizzy to take this lightly. She wasn't an open person, but as he promised, he was going to push her. He had given his word to her innocence, her heart, her very essence and he was going to do everything in his power to honor that. A powerful feeling coursed through his veins, pushing him to continue to try and reach through to her.
Despite Legolas' gentle touch on her face, she kept a rigid hold on her eyes being down. Her mouth felt dry and her skin was warm beneath Legolas' cool hands. The itch she had acquired went long forgotten. She was having trouble convincing herself that none of it was real. Lizzy felt Legolas' thumb stroke her left cheek.
Her eyes shot up automatically to look into his. It was an action that was completely out of her control. The smile he gave her was small, barely even there.
"I do. I do love you whether you may think it or not."
The floodgates that bared all of those memories that she kept locked away opened. Every second that her eyes lingered on Legolas the more she remembered. Turning back and trying to push all that she recalled back from where they came was impossible. Legolas was making it all impossible with his stupid confession and his gentle touches. Lizzy wanted to hit him but couldn't.
Looking at him she couldn't bring herself to do much of anything but remember. She remembered how they poked fun at each other, the smiles that were passed between them and insistent fights they would pick with each other. Lizzy remembered that Legolas did not like when she stole food from his plate and that after a while he had just gotten used to it. She recalled that Legolas had this irritating thing where he was always checking up on her, wanting to know whether or not she was fine. His ostensible need for her to learn about the elven culture was another memory.
Most of the time she had always thought that he had wanted her to realize how much more superior elves were to man. More serious memories invaded her current thought path, trying to throw her off from resistance. She remembered being given the bracelet she never took off by Legolas. The dark stones contrasted perfectly against her skin and that night he had given it to her they both had noticed that it matched the dress she wore entirely. Then she dredged up what had come after the gift, the ball.
Legolas did not speak as he could see Lizzy was occupied in her own thoughts. He simply continued on stroking her cheek and seeing the mystified look on her face. When she was ready, he told himself, then he would talk.
That ball.
That ball that she had spent weeks preparing for just to get back at Iris. It had started off as just a way to get back at that elf that she hated more than anything in Middle Earth and turned into something completely different. That night was going utterly horrible for her when both she and Legolas had decided on escaping the dim event. What had happened next was a recollection that she had suppressed. She had suppressed this memory because it was hard for her to deal with, so like most things that were hard for her to confront, she let it slip away without much analyzing.
It seemed that everything she let 'slip away' was coming back to haunt her…or to tell her something. That night the two of them had been sitting by a fountain came to mind. This particular fountain happened to be one of Legolas' favorites. The next thing she knew his lips had descended on hers. She remembered the warmth and the closeness she felt and shuddered.
Despite all they had ever been through for whatever reason Legolas had always been there. For whatever reason. Whatever reason. The frown on her face that hadn't left only deepened. By now she had figured out that it wasn't a lie that had sprouted its way from Legolas' mouth. The memories had told her so.
When he lied to her, he always laced them with sarcasm. When he lied to her it was to get her to do something. And most importantly, his lies were few and far between and were considered rare. Lizzy thought about that kiss and how it hadn't at all felt awkward or wrong. It hadn't changed anything between them.
It was almost as if nothing had ever occurred between the two of them. Now that he had told her that he had loved her she wasn't sure that things could go back to the way they were. Legolas was complicating things. The tough girl she had prided herself in being was afraid. She had finally found some semblance of peace and she was afraid that it would all be shattered.
Lizzy lifted her hands to rest atop of Legolas' own. Being mad was beyond her now. All she wanted was what she had.
"Legolas…you're one my best friends." Out of being uncomfortable and a bit nervous she laughed. Her eyes darted to a spot in the room and then back to the elf. "You can't love me."
"I do. I will do what it takes for you to see that," Legolas said to her softly.
Lizzy shook her head and dragged Legolas' hands away from her face. In an attempt to distance herself from him she let go of his hands severing their connection. It was easier that way.
"No, you don't understand. You can't. You can't love me."
Legolas knitted his brow. "Elizabeth I do. What can I say to make you under-"
"No!" Lizzy stood and walked towards the enormous window. She stayed there and folded her arms across her chest. She dared not face him, afraid of seeing a disappointed expression on his face. She wasn't being fair to him but this was the only way.
"You can't love me."
Legolas noticed that her tone was insistent. She was not inquiring about what he said anymore, she was refusing to accept it. He got to his feet, concern showing in every aspect of him.
"Why can I not?"
The question was simple and he kept his emotion from his voice. He wanted to know her thoughts. He wanted to know what was going on inside of her without her thinking or even considering his feelings. She didn't answer. Her only response was to bite her nails and stare in front of her.
"Why can I not?" The elven prince asked somewhat callously.
"Because I won't let you," she seethed back. "I won't let you!"
Nancy sat across from Lizzy and observed the young woman. To say that she looked horrible would have been an understatement. Horrible wasn't even a blimp on the radar anymore for Lizzy. The teenager's long hair, even though it was in a high ponytail seemed limp. Her somewhat darker complexion didn't seem like its bright usual self.
Lizzy didn't seem like she was her usual self anymore. The sarcastic jabs and ridiculous jokes were gone. All Lizzy did was come home and bury herself in ridiculous amounts of homework each night. Words were only exchanged between the two when they were required and nothing more. Nancy tried light topics to coax her from her funk but nothing took.
Nancy couldn't blame her for her mood though; she was feeling a bit depressed herself. The reason for her depression was most likely completely different from Lizzy's. For days she had been battling telling Lizzy about the message she'd received from the police station. It was something that Lizzy had to know end of story. There was no doubting that.
It was why she had brought her to the somewhat nice restaurant. She had finally gathered up enough courage to tell her exactly what was going on. The news was sure not to improve her mood, but it couldn't be put off for any longer. Besides, the first thing she had noticed about Lizzy was that she was a hard as nails girl. She wouldn't appreciate being coddled.
Nancy took a nervous sip of her water and observed the restaurant's atmosphere. It was nice but she had been in and could afford much nicer. The wallpaper was a dark red color and it resembled marble. The light fixtures were dim but not dim enough where you could barely make out the words on the menu. The floor was hard wood and nicely polished.
Overall it was a simple nice, but not extravagant. She doubted Lizzy was appreciating the environment. The teenager was running a finger around the rim of her glass of water while she studied her menu.
"Lizzy I gotta be honest with you. I didn't just bring you here for a girl's night out."
Lizzy didn't look up from her menu but she stopped her finger's actions.
Nancy took it as a sign that she was paying her at least some attention. She took a deep breath and was about to speak when their waiter came up to them. He had to have been in his early twenties, as he appeared fresh faced and not as tired looking as the rest of the waiters and waitress she saw walking around completing orders and refilling drinks. Despite the glum mood at their table Nancy found that she could not pass by the opportunity to smile at the young waiter.
"Hello ladies. My name is Kevin and I will be your waiter for this evening." Kevin shot them a 100-watt smile and began to read them off the specials for dinner.
Lizzy kept her eyes on the menu, ignoring what he was saying. She was lost in her own thoughts. It had been days since she had spoken to Legolas or had even seen him. She felt horrible for yelling at him, for saying all the hurtful words that she had to him, but she had to. Why couldn't he understand that she had to say everything she had so things would all go back to normal?
Now instead of spending time goofing off with him or teasing him for everything he did being perfect she was spending time regretting the things that had come from her mouth. Things had gotten a lot more intense in the palace to top things off. The place she had gone to to escape the perils of her life was facing its own problems. People in Mirkwood were on their guard. Less and less people were around in the halls or even outside.
Ellesa had explained to her that things were turning somber in Mirkwood. It was time for change to take effect. There were hardly any laughs in the palace let alone smiles. It all just succeeded in making her more depressed. The place she had come to love was beginning to let her down. Now she was seeking happiness in a grave place.
Lizzy couldn't help but think that this was all her fault somehow. Somehow she had screwed everything up. She remembered walking down the halls of Mirkwood's palace by herself one day. It had been a downpour outside and Ellesa was too busy attending to her palace duties to spend time with her. Renomere and Elrendor were nowhere to be found.
Lizzy was wandering aimlessly with nothing to do when she stopped in front of a large window that overlooked a training field of some sort. She had stopped in front of the window to observe the apparent militia below. They all moved in sync with one another. The rain seemed to not be a factor as they all lifted their blades in harmony with one another.
Their blades gleamed even in the gloominess of the day. The way they all brought them up and sliced through the air made her tremble. Something was happening here. It concerned her, but like everything else she pushed the concern back. She pushed it back and continued down the lonely hall by herself.
"Lizzy. Lizzy!" Nancy refrained herself from kicking the teenager from underneath the table. Kevin had been waiting on her to order for almost a full three minutes.
"I'll just come back when she's ready," Kevin said. He gave Lizzy a smile even though she paid him no attention.
"No, I'm ready." Lizzy didn't look up.
"Alright what is it that I can get ya?"
Nancy noticed the waiter looking at Lizzy with what she liked to call goo goo eyes. It was no use because Lizzy wasn't even looking up to order.
"Lemme get a..um a double cheeseburger and a coke," Lizzy said closing her menu and handing it to Kevin.
"That comes with a side you know. Let me guess you're a cole slaw kind of girl aren't you?" Kevin seemed like the non-stop smiling waiter.
"I kinda have a knack for these kinds of things.." he said.
Nancy smiled thinking that maybe this whole outing wouldn't be as bad as she anticipated.
Lizzy finally looked up at Kevin, her eyes shinning with annoyance. "Well aren't we just bursting with talent…Kevin."
"Lizzy!" Nancy looked at her in shock that she would be so rude to someone who was nothing but nice.
Lizzy ignored Nancy. "Just get me some fries with my burger and I'll be all good." She turned her attention back to the table.
Kevin looked a bit shocked as well. Nancy sent him an apologizing look. The woman hoped that that would be enough for Lizzy's apparent attitude. Kevin said he'd be back in a while and hurried off. Lizzy scoffed.
"What is wrong with you? That guy was into you."
The teenager shrugged. "So was the boy who delivered our pizza a while back. I'm not going to fall for every guy that brings me food."
Wanting very much to get off the topic of guys checking her out she asked her about what she had been speaking about previously. Nancy's nature turned more serious. She sighed and looked to see if Kevin the waiter was going to return any time soon. It didn't look like he was. Lizzy looked up at Nancy.
Silence was unusual for the woman who was always talking to her without a break.
"What is it?"
It was now or never Nancy told herself. "About a week or so ago I got a call from the police department. They had apparently been contacted by a Mark Winston"
Lizzy had her full attention on Nancy now. Anything dealing with the police station and herself deserved nothing less than her full attention. Lizzy hoped it was no more trouble, because she didn't think she could deal with any more trouble. She hoped it was only a follow up report dealing with her uncle's case.
"Mark Winston is your father Lizzy," Nancy explained.
Lizzy felt her stomach drop and her appetite die. Her head felt like it was spinning. How she managed not to freak out and go postal right there in the restaurant she did not know. All she knew was yet another bomb had been dropped on her. Too many of these and she would have to commit herself.
"Please tell me you're lying."
Nancy shook her head. "'Fraid not." She dug through her purse that was hanging off her chair and pulled out a slip of paper. "They didn't tell me much of anything, only the contact information."
Lizzy felt cold and rubbed her sweater clad arms in an effort of comforting herself. Why after all these years did her father want to contact her. He had never meant her, was never there, so why now? It couldn't have been because of Ed's death. He could have contacted more promptly after then.
Lizzy bit her lip. She drew no conclusions to why her father, this Mark character would want to contact her.
"Are you sure? Are they sure?" Lizzy had to ask. The police were notorious for mistakes where they lived.
Nancy nodded. "They did a background check. It's…your father Lizzy."
Lizzy was silent. She let all of it sink in. It wasn't fair for her father to be able to walk into his life whenever he so chose. It wasn't fair for him to make himself known when it was convenient for him. Nancy slid the slip of paper over to her. For a split second Lizzy didn't even acknowledge it, for on that piece of paper was everything she absolutely did not want in her life.
She had survived without him and would continue to do so. Something in her however made her take up the paper and study it under the restaurants low lighting.
Mark Winston1436 Terrance Lane
756-5502
She knew where that was. It was in Gray Pont Hills. It was not too far from where her and her uncle used to live.
"After all this time," she muttered under her breath. "After all this time and he was right there."
Lizzy felt like slamming a fist against the table but the last thing she wanted was to cause a scene so instead she just put the piece of paper that could potentially ruin her life down and looked up at the finely painted ceiling.
Nancy reached a hand out and placed it over Lizzy's hand. "Sweetie are you okay?"
Lizzy didn't know what to tell her. She didn't know because she didn't know herself. Was she okay with her father trying to reach out to her? Was she okay with everything going on in her life? Lizzy rolled her head around to work the kinks from her neck before facing Nancy again.
She was just seventeen but she felt much more older than that.
"I don't get it. I don't understand what he would want from me after- after seventeen years. I though after the first six he just didn't give a crap."
Nancy shrugged not really knowing what advice to give a girl who had been abandoned for most of her life. "If you really want to find out, you know what you have to do."
Lizzy looked back at the information on the paper. Biting her lip she thought more on the matter of her father and what he could possibly want. What in her life could he possibly benefit for, because that was usually the case right? That was usually the case when a long lost relative suddenly wanted to get in touch with you right?
"I know its really none of my business but I think you should see him." Nancy said slowly. "I know. I know. You're thinking what the hell is wrong with me but here me out. I think if you-"
"I'm gonna do it," Lizzy spoke confidently.
"I think if you heard him out you could judge for yourself- wait what?" Nancy cut herself off as Lizzy's words had reached her and sunk in.
"I said I'm gonna do it. I'm going go and see Mark Winston."
Nancy looked at Lizzy a little speechless.
Looking up from the slip of paper Lizzy said, "It's high time I get some answers to why he left. I want to know why my life is the way it is. I think I deserve that."
Nancy smiled. She was happy that Lizzy was handling this the way she was. She was one of the most mature seventeen year olds she had ever had the opportunity of meeting. Kevin came back with their orders. He set down their drinks all the while giving Lizzy flirtatious looks. It seemed like he had decided to start anew with her. He set Nancy's plate of pasta in front of her and then Lizzy's double cheese burger with fries.
"It seems like we got off on the wrong foot here," Kevin the waiter said patiently. "Do you think we could get on the right one over dinner sometime?"
Lizzy frowned. "I'm involved," she paused. "With someone."
Kevin took the moment to stutter. "O-oh sorry. Lucky guy."
Lizzy watched him leave quickly and disappear into the kitchens with a frown. She then turned and dug into her double cheeseburger. Somewhere along the way of thinking of her father she had gained back her enthusiasm for food. Nancy had stopped twirling her pasta and pretending to be a fly on the wall to stare at Lizzy.
"You were lying weren't you?" She couldn't believe Lizzy had turned down a guy as hot as Kevin the waiter.
Lizzy took another bite of her double cheese burger, chewed, swallowed and grabbed the ketchup. She wanted to avoid any conversation like this but knew with Nancy she probably couldn't. Nancy had a way of getting guy talk out of anyone.
Lizzy began to squirt a ludicrous amount of ketchup over her fries.
"Why would you let that," Nancy motioned to where Kevin the waiter had been. "Get a way."
"How do you know when somebody loves you," Lizzy asked quietly and somewhat surprising herself in the process.
Nancy gaped at the question. Not sure how to answer she stuffed pasta into her mouth. Lizzy picked up a ketchup covered fry and looked at Nancy. Nancy cleared her throat and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Lizzy was expecting an answer so she would give it some kind of shot.
"Well…I suppose you know when a person loves you when despite all your faults they're there for you. They love you no matter what you do, what you look like or what you have to offer." Nancy forked up more pasta. "That's all I have to offer kiddo. I'm not that well versed in the real love department."
Lizzy looked down at her food and wondered. It was all she could do.
-------------------------------
The car was borderline frigid and the man behind the wheel blew into his hands to keep them warm. He cursed for forgetting to bring gloves. The activity on the street was nothing unusual but still the man, Tom kept his awareness active. His white sedan was parked across the street of one popular American restaurant. He happened to know the prices there were fairly reasonable and the food was good.
He wished he could be inside, if not to eat just for the warmth. He could feel the heat reaching his skin as he sat there. A wishful smile spread across his face. Right about now, he wished he hadn't bombed as a lawyer. He could've been sitting behind an oak desk in a upscale office designed by the top designers in the country.
Instead he was inside of a cold car watching the streets for a teenager. The only upside that kept him going was that his gig now paid much more than he would have made as a lawyer in one month. He was contemplating cutting on the heat just for a little bit when his cell phone went off. He dug through the inside of his coat and quickly answered.
"Hello," he paused knowing what was going to be said. He always knew what was going to be said. "They stopped inside of a restaurant. Simply Dining its called."
Tom nodded even though he couldn't be seen by the person on the other end. "Yes sir, I'll keep you posted as always." Tom closed his phone and placed it in his pocket. Opening the car door he got out, closed the door and made his way towards the restaurant. It looked like he was going to get the warmth that he desired after all.
Tom entered into Simply Dining and took a look around. It didn't take him long to spot the teenager he had been trailing for close to three months now. The job had been grueling and completely unexciting but by now he could spot Elizabeth Montgomery in a stadium full of people. He spotted her sitting close to the back of the restaurant in a sweater with sleeves striped black and white and a pair of jeans. He thought her taste in clothes to be horrifying.
It was a shame because she was an attractive girl. He remembered going over Ed's to play poker and thinking that she'd become quite the looker if she cleaned herself up better. Thankfully the restaurant had a seat yourself policy and he choice a table that was close to Lizzy but not too close so as not to be noticed. Tom dug through his pockets looking for the device he would need for this job. He placed the ear wig in his ear and sat back.
A waitress came over and he quickly got rid of her by ordering the night's special. In the next thirty minutes he had everything he was going to need to report to the man he was working for. He finished his soup as he watched Lizzy and Nancy stand and gather their things. As they left, Tom smiled knowing that this was going to earn him a bonus. He took the ear wig from his ear and put the device away in his pocket.
Tom dug both his wallet and his phone from his coat and hit one. He always kept important numbers on speed dial.
"Yes," an agitated voice answered.
"I've got something you want to hear." Tom pulled out a few bills from his wallet to pay for his dinner and proceeded to relay information.
He clicked his phone off when he was done and grinned. "What the hell," he said and pulled out a few more bills to tip the waitress.
Tonight was going to be a good night, he could feel it.
-------------------------
Lizzy brushed her dark hair for the zillionth time for this day. She had finished her homework in advance for this day so nothing could be lingering over her head. Lizzy dressed nice for this day. She put on a crisp white shirt with a black tie, a black skirt with slight frills at the hem with black stockings and dark heeled shoes. It was the best thing she had in her closet and she put it all on for this day.
Lizzy stood in front of the bathroom mirror and stared at her hair. She had never worked so hard on her appearance before but she wanted to show her father that she wasn't some misspent youth. Lizzy wanted to show him that she had done good for herself that despite all the shit he had put her and her family through before they had died that she was okay. She wanted for him to see that she could take care of herself. She didn't need him. Answers were the only thing she wanted.
Lizzy stared at the off centered part in her hair and wondered if it was straight enough. She brushed more though her hair and looked at herself in the mirror. She was neater than she had ever seen herself. If Nancy didn't have to work she would have said the same thing. Lizzy looked at the littered makeup products on the counter before her.
She grabbed the watermelon scented lip gloss and without thinking spread some on her lips. Once done, she looked at the other makeup options and couldn't bring herself to apply anything else to her face. She was doing enough just to dress up for the bastard. Lizzy checked her watch and decided it was time. She smoothed down her black skirt and looked at her reflection in the mirror once more.
If she wanted to make the time she had set for herself then she had to get going. The bus didn't wait for anyone. Lizzy left the bathroom in a cluttered mess and grabbed her coat. Buttoning it up, she found that her hands were shaking.
"Stop it Liz. Stop it."
Lizzy left locking the door behind her. The winter air had her walking briskly for the bus. She caught the city transportation without any problems. She tried to keep her head on straight because she had to be aware of everything. Traveling on your own could be dangerous. Lizzy watched businesses and houses whiz by her as she sat on the bus.
What she was going to say to the man who had abandoned her was something she didn't think about. Living in the moment seemed like the appropriate thing to do. The scenery began to get familiar as time passed and Lizzy pulled the string to get off. Once on the sidewalk, she pulled out the slip of paper Nancy had given her and read the address.
It was a bit of a walk but she found the neighborhood. It was nice, much nicer than the neighborhood she had lived in with her uncle. Lizzy came on 1436 Terrace Lane and stuffed the paper in her coat pocket. She hadn't called him because she didn't want his permission to come and see him. If he wasn't here she'd wait and wait all day if she had to.
Lizzy walked towards the white door of the neatly groomed two story house. It sickened her to think while she was being abused by her uncle and having to scrape by on practically nothing he was living well in this house. Lizzy rang the doorbell and waited. Five minutes had passed before she thought that nobody would come. She turned around thinking no one was going to answer but the door opened revealing a petite blonde woman.
"May I help you?"
Lizzy turned around and blinked. She studied the woman and felt instant hate for her. "Yeah, I'm Elizabeth. Elizabeth Montgomery. I'm here to see Mark Winston."
The woman looked her up and down before moving to let her in. "Oh yes. Come in. I'll get Mark."
Lizzy stepped into the house and found that it gleamed. The furniture was retro and she was pretty sure if the surfaces of the house were laminate they would shine. The woman closed the front door and disappeared down a hall. Lizzy stood uneasily in the middle of the living room. There were pictures on the wall of the blonde and a man. She came closer to one of them.
Lizzy studied the man. He was somewhat tall. Average in height if she had to judge from just a picture. He had short cropped light brown hair and her identical grey eyes. This was her father. She was looking at her father.
The sound of someone entering the room drew her attention away from the photos and she turned to stare at the man from the pictures. The two stared at each other for a silent minute. It was not Lizzy who broke the silence but the man.
"Wow," he laughed. "Wow, you've grown since the last time I saw you."
Lizzy was fuming but he kept her temper in check.
"You're a woman now!" Mark pulled on the collar of his long sleeved polo shirt.
Lizzy crossed her arms. "Well that's what happens when you start out as a kid."
Mark ignored her comment and motioned for her to sit down. Lizzy sat stiffly on the couch, her eyes never leaving those of her father. She was staring back at his grey eyes, the one thing she had inherited from him. He sat down in an arm chair across from her and smiled.
"I'd never think you'd come."
"I didn't think so either but there's….stuff I want to know."
Mark nodded. "I want to start out by saying I'm sorry about your uncle. I kn-"
Lizzy waved her hand. "Please don't. I know you don't care so just cut the crap."
Mark didn't look happy. That much was apparent. "I expected that."
Lizzy made a noise in her throat and looked to the side.
"How are you holding up," he decided to change courses with her. He didn't really know how to talk to his daughter. What the right things to ask were confusing him.
"Again, you don't care nor have you the right to ask. If I want to tell you anything about me I will, but right now I just want answers. I want the answers to why my life ended up the way that it did. I want to know why you left us?"
Mark looked down. He knew she was referring to her mother and brothers. How he could he not? He also knew that that would be her very first question. He knew nothing about her but he knew that that would be her number one question. It would've been his too.
"I see we're cutting right to the chase then." He leaned back in his chair.
"Yeah we are." Lizzy's voice was cold and she'd have it no other way.
"Fine. I left you and your mother because she was no good. She was greedy, ignorant and too stupid for her own good."
"Don't you dare talk about my mother like that! Not when you were the one who left us!"
Lizzy wanted to call him every name in the book. She hadn't intended for this meeting to be pleasant at all. It was just business. It was just finding a piece to the puzzle that was her life. It was nothing more or nothing less. She wasn't trying to reach out and connect to the man before her. Not at all.
"I left," Mark steamed. "To make her see that I was serious. I left so that maybe she could- I don't know open her eyes. That money her father had given her was no good. That money that I'm guessing you'll be inheriting soon is no good."
Lizzy ran a hand over her eyes. So it all came down to this; money. She should've known and she thought just as much. For being so stupid she cursed herself. He had left their family because of money.
"She was so naïve, she thought that that money could be used on you kids. "Let 2.3 million dollars do our children some good in the future" she said. I tried telling her that that much money did not come from your grandfather's simple exporting business. Not when the business was as small as his." Mark explained. In his eyes Lizzy could see unmistakable hate.
"Let me get this straight," Lizzy said leaning forward. "You left mom to prove that the money she got from her father was dirty? You left her to prove that you were right?"
"Don't you see!" Mark stood up and threw his hands in the air. "That money is no good. It's NO GOOD. Everywhere it goes something happens." He was looking at her crazed. "Everywhere it goes Elizabeth."
Lizzy looked down. Her mother and brothers were killed and she had only just escaped. Her uncle had been murdered while she was with him and she was about to inherit her mother's millions. Lizzy couldn't say anything.
"You'll see if you don't get rid of that cash." Mark ran his hands through his hair.
Lizzy put he hands on her coat hoping that it would absorb some of the sweat on them.
"Why didn't you come for me?"
The question left Mark stunned. He looked at Lizzy. She was his only living offspring and he wanted to do right by her. He wanted to do one final act for her before she decided to cut him from her life all together. It would not square things between them or makeup for all the years he had missed, but it was something.
"I left you because…." He couldn't answer. Instead he looked down at the white carpet beneath his feet.
That was enough for Lizzy. She stood and smoothed the creases in her skirt. She buttoned up her coat and began walking towards the door.
"Wait Elizabeth! Wait!" Mark rushed for her and grabbed her shoulder. Lizzy pulled away from his grip but stopped and faced him.
"Give me the money. Give me the money and I'll get rid of it for you. You should be enjoying your life. You shouldn't be worrying about things like this."
Lizzy's face expressed anger. "You didn't check to see if I was enjoying my life when I was seven why now at seventeen? You know what just…just leave me alone. "
Lizzy made for the door again this time not stopping.
"I'm doing this because I love you," Mark shouted. "I love you damn it!"
Lizzy stopped once more standing in front of the white door. She remembered when those exact words had been said to her so gentle and meaningful. Now they were being said to her harshly. They were being cruelly spat at her. Lizzy turned around to face her father for what would be the last time. She was going to make sure it was the last time.
"It's too late for that Mark. I have enough people in my life who love me. I don't need anymore."
Lizzy walked through the door and closed it softly. Great satisfaction was bubbling within her. She walked from the house and didn't look back. Now that she had faced what was in her past, it was time to own up to what she hoped would be a bright future, her bright future.
A/N: Thank you for reading. Please review. It'll be appreciated.