Rewriting the Stars
Endgame: Liason
Staring deep into Johnny's eyes, she fights the tears that threatened to fall, knowing that this is one of those moments in your life where you decide what kind of person you want to be. Will she be the girlfriend that talks him into staying with her, the girlfriend that puts her own happiness before anything else, forsaking anything outside of that room for her own needs? Or will she be the girlfriend that makes it okay for him to leave her and step into the role that has been set before him?
"We...was..." Elizabeth shakes her head, trying to get her thoughts in order. "We...we could have...been..."
"We could have been amazing together," Johnny finishes her thought, smiling softly when she smiles and shakes her head. "If I were honest, a part of me wishes I never left you...that I could go back to before my trip and just be with you forever."
"Yeah," she whispers, as a single tear breaks through to fall down her cheek. "Me...too."
"I never wanted you hurt," Johnny whispers, his voice thick with emotion as he reaches out to wipe the tear from her face. "To be the one hurting you now..."
"It's..." Elizabeth takes in a steady breath before shaking her head. "It's...okay. You...you didn't...know."
"Still," Johnny says, his gaze dropping to their hands as she places her left hand on his, holding it loosely in an attempt to give him comfort, making his heart ache further. "You deserve so much more than you've been dealt, Lizzie."
"Not...your fault," Elizabeth says seriously, using her hand to lift his gaze back to hers. "Life...happens. Like it...not...or not...not your fault."
"True or not, you'll never convince me of that," Johnny says, lifting her hand to place a gentle kiss upon it. "I know I should walk away now...I should leave before it becomes impossible not to...I just..."
"I know," she says with her whole heart, letting out a shaky breath. "We...we'll always have...memories."
"If only that were enough," Johnny whispers, reaching out one hand to caress her cheek. "In another life...another reality..."
"A...different...forever," she agrees, leaning into his touch, her gaze dropping to his lips for a moment before meeting his once more. "Kiss...goodbye."
Though he knows the pain that will follow for them both, Johnny shakes his head slightly, taking in a deep steady breath before framing her face in his hands, hers rising to meet his. As her eyes slowly shut, Johnny stares at her face for a long moment, etching her face into his memory before allowing his eyes to close and their lips to meet. Pouring his heart into this moment, Johnny allows himself to feel it all, the love and the pain, knowing this will be the last time he sees her before he leaves, unable to handle another goodbye.
"Goodbye, Lizzie," he whispers as their foreheads touch, his eyes shut tightly against the tears that burned at his eyes. "You'll always be a part of me...always."
"Goodbye," she whispers, the weight of her words not lost on her as she tries her best to keep herself together. "John."
Refusing to watch him leave, Elizabeth keeps her eyes shut tight as Johnny takes each painful step away from her, listening for the door as it opens and shuts behind him. Throwing her head back against the pillows, she allows the tears to finally fall, not at all ready for the end.
Within moments, a set of gentle arms wrap around her, Elizabeth clinging to the person, knowing exactly who it was without opening her eyes. Lily. She could hear the whispers, telling her it's okay to cry, to let it out, that she's there and that she wasn't leaving her, but she couldn't speak. Letting her pain out, Elizabeth holds her tightly, accepting the new reality set before her.
"Kid?" Francis voices when Johnny meets him at the chopper.
Shaking his head, Johnny climbs into the chopper in silence, staring out the window as the others load into the chopper to be taken back to Port Charles. Getting back to his car, Johnny tells Francis that he'll meet him at the airstrip once he's packed up, leaving without another word. Knowing he couldn't say much of anything to ease his pain, Francis heads to his place to pack up, knowing that saying goodbye wasn't going to be any easier on him, Port Charles being his only home for so long.
"Ready, kid?" Francis voices when he arrives at the airstrip and finds Johnny standing at the steps to the plane.
"Sure," Johnny replies. "Ready."
"Thought you two could leave without saying goodbye?" Lily's voice catches them by surprise, prompting them to turn to her as she walks up to them. "Have I taught you nothing?"
"Lily," Johnny smiles slightly, dropping his bags before walking over to hug her. "Sorry."
"It's okay, I understand," Lily says as she rubs his back soothingly, pulling away after a long moment. "I won't ask if you're okay. Just know that we will see each other again. You have to introduce us to your family, after all. When things settle down, of course."
"Count on it," Johnny assures. "Once things settle."
"Good," Lily smiles softly, moving to hug Francis goodbye. "You take care of each other, you hear me? You'll only have each other out there, so, be sure to watch your backs."
"Always," the guys say in unison.
"Good," Lily accepts. "Go on before I make you stay."
"Lily..." Johnny says carefully as Francis makes his way onto the plane. "Just...watch out for her for me...please."
"She's family," Lily assures him. "And that's forever."
"Yeah," Johnny replies, shaking his head slightly. "Thanks."
Taking a few steps back, Lily watches as he boards the plane, waving goodbye when he stops at the top of the steps to look back at her. With a single nod, he makes his way into the plane, shutting the door behind him. Though she never wanted to see them leave, it was always a possibility, not that knowing it made it any easier to say goodbye.
Heart heavy, Lily makes her way back to the car, instructing Ritchie to take her to the penthouse, needing some time to get herself together. Walking inside, she finds her husband and son setting the table for lunch. Walking into her husband's arms, she allows herself to be in the moment and give herself the time to just be.
"They gave her a mild sedative to make the transfer easier on her," Steven explains to his grandmother as the nurse finishes setting Elizabeth up in her room. "She's got a long road ahead of her."
"That I can see," Audrey voices. "Your parents are flying in tomorrow."
"What changed their mind?" Steven questions in disbelief.
"With your grandfather in his condition, they intend to take her to a long-term care facility," Audrey explains. "They have a place all set up and waiting for her transfer. Once your parents are here to sort out the paperwork, they'll fly with her to the facility and get her settled before continuing on."
"The hell they are," Steven states. "If they think I'm just going to let them stash her away, they have another thing coming."
"The facility will benefit her, Steven," Audrey points out. "You have your own responsibilities. Your own life. You're in no position to give her the help she needs."
"What she needs is family," Steven says seriously. "If that means quitting my job and getting one here in town, so be it, but I'm not letting them take her to a place where she's all alone."
"Need I remind you that you're her brother, you have no custodial rights over her," Audrey says, meeting his eyes. "If your parents want to send her away, there's nothing you can do to stop it."
"You clearly underestimate what I'm willing to do for her," Steven counters. "She's not going anywhere, Gram, not as long as I'm breathing."
Letting out a deep sigh, Audrey watches as he storms out of the room, having known that this would be his reaction to the news. Turning back to Elizabeth, she shakes her head, hating everything about this entire situation. Her husband is barely hanging on, on the brink of death, and - as unfair as it may seem - she just can't seem to not blame Elizabeth for it.
If she hadn't been taken, her husband would still be in good health and it's taking everything in her to keep herself together. Turning away from her granddaughter, Audrey leaves the room and makes her way back to her husband, intent on spending whatever time he has left by his side.
"Hey," Emily says softly when she pulls open the door to find Zander on the other side. "You had me so worried, you know that?"
"Sorry," Zander says as he wraps his arms around her. "I should have called you."
"Yeah, you should have," Emily says before pulling away. "How is she?"
"She's back in town," Zander explains. "He did a number on her. It's going to be a long while before she's back to her old self."
"I'm so sorry," Emily says with a heavy heart. "I hate that she's hurt."
"Yeah..." Zander starts to say when his attention is pulled to a silhouette walking up behind Emily, finding the freak's brother, turning his attention back to her. "I just wanted to check in before I head to the hospital. I'll see you later."
"Zander, wait," Emily says, taking hold of his hand. "Please."
"It's okay, Emily," Nikolas says as he grabs his jacket from the rack. "He has every right to hate me. For whatever it's worth, I am sorry your friend got hurt."
"Your words mean nothing to me," Zander says, gently removing Emily's hand from his arm. "I'll see you later, Em."
Standing there in the doorway, Emily watches as Zander walks back to his car and drives off, her heart hurting for him. Turning to Nikolas, she nods in understanding, allowing him to leave, as well. She wanted to explain to Zander that he had come there to help, wanting to do whatever he could to make amends for what Lucky did, but she could see now that Zander won't hear of it. Maybe someday, but not now.
Torn between her role as his girlfriend and her role as Nikolas's friend, Emily wants to help them both cope with all that they are going through, but they don't want to accept that it's neither of their faults. Nikolas blames himself for not seeing Lucky for who he is, Zander blames himself for turning his back on Lucky and giving him the opening to get to Elizabeth. If only they could put the blame where it belongs, on Lucky.
"Z," Juan voices, stepping aside to allow him to walk into the penthouse. "I thought you went to see Emily."
"I did," Zander replies plainly. "Cassadine was there."
"You can't do that, man," Juan sighs, knowing exactly where his mind went. "The guy's not responsible for his brother."
"Agree to disagree," Zander counters.
"For now," Juan says when there's a knock at the door. "Place feels like Grand Central Station today."
"Lot of visitors?" Zander questions as he walks to the door.
"You can say that," Juan confirms but doesn't elaborate, pulling open the door to find Steven standing on the other side. "Hey, man, come on in. They're in the office. Last door at the end of the hall."
"Thanks," Steven says, granting Zander a nod before making his way down the hall.
"Let's head out, huh?" Juan says, grabbing his jacket before tossing Zander his. "I could use some time outside."
"Sure," Zander replies, turning away from the hall that Steven just walked down, accepting that it was probably not his place to question it. "Let's get to it."
Leaving the penthouse, the two head to the park, needing some time outside to clear their minds. From the moment that Elizabeth was taken, they have been working on overdrive to figure out a way to get her back, almost running themselves into the ground in the process. Knowing she's home and she's safe, the two take the moment to just breathe and appreciate that she wasn't taken from them for good.
"Your concert's in a couple of days," Zander breaks the silence as they walk through the park. "You know she won't let you back out of it."
"I know," Juan sighs, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to enjoy the music when she's going through what she's going through."
"Music has always been your escape," Zander points out. "If there was ever a time you needed your music, I think now's that time."
"Yeah," he replies in a hushed tone, knowing he was right. "I can just hear her now."
"Life happens whether you like it or not," Zander says in the same tone that Elizabeth always uses. "It's not only how you handle it during but afterward that matters."
"Exactly," Juan smiles slightly, accepting that this is their reality now. "Guess I've got no choice."
"Did you ever?" Zander counters with a soft laugh. "It's gonna be great."
Author's Note: So much to dissect here. Johnny and Francis are off to Ireland. The Doctors Webber will be landing shortly. Audrey is in a place that may be irrational, but she's also on the brink of losing her husband. Could rational thought really break through the heartbreak of a love so deep? Who knows. Now with Steven on the warpath to stop his parents from shipping Elizabeth off, what is he willing to do to ensure Elizabeth's taken from their grasp? Let me know what you think in the review box below. As always, take care of you and yours, a million virtual hugs to you all, and the reminder that you are truly appreciated. You are a beautiful soul and you are worth the world. See you in the next one.