TITLE: DAYS Fairy Tale: Eric & Greta: Chapters 76-80
WRITTEN BY: Heather Ferguson (fergus80)
EMAIL: hferguso@niu.edu
WEBSITE: http://eric_greta.tripod.com (from when Jensen was on days)
Rating: If you can watch DAYS, you can read this. If there is a rating change, a link to the chap. will be provided.
Disclaimer: Days of Our Lives and all of their characters are property of Corday Productions and NBC.
My Rant: Okay, I'm finally putting this up on FanFiction.net. Mostly to free up my website space. This was started way back in Oct. of 1999, and I haven't decided if it's finished yet or not. Reviews are always welcome!
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Chapter 76
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Eric couldn't believe what he heard, "She's what?"
"She's gone, she called from a plane. She left Salem." John replied through the phone.
"Where.. where did she go?" He asked in shock.
"I have no idea, she didn't say."
"Will she be coming back?"
"Well she didn't say she was staying away, but she also didn't say when and if she was coming back."
Eric sighed, and closed his eyes. "John, please, if you find out anything, anything at all, please tell me."
"I will," and with that he hung up the phone.
Eric sat there on the phone, his heart felt like it was in a million pieces. He had absolutely no idea what to do. He wanted to go after her, but he had no idea where she went. "Greta, please come back to me." He said to a now very empty apartment.
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A few days had passed, and there was still no new news as to where she was. Eric had called into work and took some of his vacation time. For once Lucas didn't give him a hard time about it, in fact he agreed completely. Eric actually felt sorry for him. Lucas found out everything that had happened with Nicole, found out that she tricked Eric, tried to get him back, never loved him, and only married him because his mother paid her to. Lucas had actually moved out of the mansion, and filed for divorce.
Eric laid on his couch, the phone on the stand next to him. He did that a lot lately, where ever he went, the phone was right next to him. The thought that there might be news from John or if it was Greta herself, enough for him to keep it there. He jumped when it actually rang, and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey son."
"Dad, what's up?"
"Well, I have some bad news for you."
Eric sat up on the couch, "What is it?"
Roman sighed, "Well I told you yesterday that Nicole was let out on bail, that her financial agent, Rex I believe his name was, had posted bail for her."
"Yeah, you told me."
"Well, she was supposed to show up today for some questioning..."
"And?"
"She didn't. We called around, and after some searching we found out what happened."
"What?" Eric asked.
"Well, Rex and Nicole ran off with the five million dollars that she got from Kate, and they left the state. We have an APB out for them, but we have no idea when they left or where they went."
Eric sighed, "So she's escaped."
"Yes, but if she sets foot in town we have her, let alone the state. I doubt she will be coming back."
"Okay, thanks for letting me know." Eric said, then said good bye to his dad. He laid back down on the couch. *Now Nicole is still free, and there is no justice.* He thought shaking his head, before he at least had the knowledge that she was behind bars for what she did. Now there was none of that, Nicole had gotten away with it again, and this time with five million dollars.
A knock at the door, brought his attention back, and he got up to answer it. He opened the door, and was slightly shocked to see who it was. "John? What are you doing here?"
Eric saw the look on his face and knew that he didn't look to happy. "Eric... I hate to say this, and do this, but..." He paused trying to decided how to do this. Eric saw Marlena, Belle, and Brady behind him in the hallway. "Greta called."
"What did she say? Did she say when she will be back?"
"No, but she asked us to do something for her."
Eric looked confused, "What?"
John held up a couple boxes, "She asked us to pack up her stuff and move it into storage for her."
Eric felt like he was going to fall over, *She's moving out.* "Why?" he asked worried.
John closed his eyes, not wanting to hurt Eric, he then reopened them and spoke with a sigh, "She said that she can't come back to this apartment. That it would be to painful."
"So that means she is coming back."
"She didn't say that Eric."
"Did she say where she was? A city, country, or continent even?"
"No."
Eric felt defeated, he could literally feel her slipping further and further away each day. He stepped back slowly, and allowed them to come into the apartment. He sat back on the couch, refusing to help, hoping that they would miss something of hers, and that she would have to come back for it. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. *Why?* he asked himself, *Why did this have to happen? We were so happy.*
He felt a hand on his should and looked over, Belle smiled at him slowly and sat down next to him. She opened up her arms, and he smiled slightly, and leaned into them. He needed the hug, "It'll work out." She said to him, as she hugged her big brother.
"How do you know that?" He asked her as he pulled away to look at her.
"Because, you two belong together. After everything you two have been through together, you have to end up together. Just think of this as another thing you have to overcome."
He shook his head, "You are very optimistic."
"No, I just have a lot of inspiration around me. "Look at mom and dad, or Bo and Hope."
Eric shook his head, "Or look at mom and my dad. Or Austin and Carrie. Or a ton of other people, who went through a lot to be together and ended up with other people."
"Point taken," she said, "But I believe that if two people are meant to be together, they will be, no matter what."
"I hope you are right."
She smiled, "I am." And with that she got up and went back into Greta's bedroom.
He watched as they packed everything up, and moved it out of the apartment. It was late when they had finally moved everything out and gave Eric hugs good bye, telling him not to give up. He then shut the door behind him, and walked back to her bedroom. He opened the door, and walked into the now empty room, turning on the light. He walked to the window, and bent over to pick up the only object left in the room. He smiled slightly, knowing that his mom, John, or Belle had left it there deliberately. He sat down on the floor with his back to the way, and held the teddy bear to his chest. He smiled remembering how happy she was when he won that for her at the Salem Fair a couple of weeks earlier. He closed his eyes, picturing her when he handed the bear to her, the smile so bright and radiant on her face. The way her eyes sparkled with happiness and love. The kiss they shared. The happiness he had making her so happy, from something so simple. He held the bear to his chest, praying that soon, he would be able to do that again with her.
He spoke out to the empty room, hoping that she could hear him, "Please Greta, please come home to me."
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Chapter 77
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Two weeks had passed, and even though Greta was talking to John regularly, she still hadn't told him where she was. Eric tried to convince him to put a trace on the phone calls, but John refused to do that to his daughter. As the time went on, Eric made it back to work. Actually he had too, he needed the money. Lucas gave him almost free run with the shoots, telling him that he trusted him. Eric still couldn't believe the change he saw in Lucas since he found out the truth, he was even letting Will spend more time with Sami, and open to the idea of joint custody. Eric had even warmed up to him enough to try and get Sami to agree. But his twin wouldn't even listen to him.
Eric walked through Salem place, not really looking for anything, he just needed something to do. His only problem was that no matter where he looked, something, anything reminded him of a time that he and Greta had had together. He sighed as he walked into the park. He looked down, and kicked a small pebble across the sidewalk. He just wanted to walk through the park, he didn't want to look around. He knew to the right was the place they had many of their picnics during his lunch breaks, to his right were the swings that they would sit on and have their long talks looking up at the stars. He focused on the sidewalk below him, and tried to follow it out of the park.
But unfortunately, he didn't see the person walking in front of him, someone moving much slower than he was. By the time he saw their shoes it was too late, and they collided. His hand immediately went out to help the other person balance, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He said looking up at the person he ran into and then he stopped, his hands still on their shoulders. "Greta..."
A look of shock on her face for an instant disappeared to regret, she wished she wasn't there. "Eric..." She started, and then tried to pull away, "I have to go."
But he held onto her, "Go? Go where? You have been gone to long already, I'm not letting you leave again."
She pulled away from him roughly, and started to walk out of the park. Eric followed her, "Greta, I deserve an explanation. You leave without telling me, you don't tell anyone where you went, you had John and everyone more your stuff out of the apartment. I deserve an answer!" He said gripping her shoulders making her look at him.
"Eric I needed to get away, to think things through, without you there. I know you, if I would have told anyone where I was, you would have followed me."
"Okay, you had your time alone to think, can we talk now? Please." He said, his eyes begging her to say yes.
She shook her head, "I basically just got back, I'm not ready to deal with this, with you yet." She said trying to move away from him, almost as if she was afraid to be near him.
"You aren't ready? You have been gone for almost three weeks. And what do you mean, basically just got back? How long have you been in Salem?"
She squared her shoulders, "Two days." She said turning from him, moving the other direction away from him.
He walked after her, "Two days? You have been in Salem for two days and no one told me?"
She turned around, angrily, "Are you saying you have a right to know?"
He looked at her in shock, "Yes, I believe I do!"
"No, no you don't." She said and continued walking towards her car. She got her keys out of her purse, and opened the door.
"Greta, we need to talk. I need to know what you are thinking."
"Not now." She said as she got into her car. He stood in the way so she couldn't shut the door. "Eric, move, please."
"No, you have to talk to me."
"No."
He sighed, knowing that she was being stubborn, and that he wasn't going to win this way. "At least tell me where you are, where you are staying."
She sighed, "I'll call you." She reached out for the door, trying to get him to move. He moved out of the way, and she shut the door, and then started the car. He looked around as she backed out of the parking spot. He ran down the embankment, and whistled, a taxi cab pulled up along side the curb. He got into the car.
"Where do you want to go?" Asked the man. He watched as Greta drove out of the parking lot, and then turned left onto the road.
"See that Green Mustang?" He asked the driver.
"Yeah," nodded the guy.
"Follow it." The guy nodded, made a U-turn and followed her.
"Stay back a few cars, I just want to know where she is going?"
The guy looked a little uneasy as he drove, "Uhh, why are we following this car?"
Eric smiled, "It's my girlfriend, we had a fight, and she moved, and she didn't tell me where. I just want to talk to her, but she's being very stubborn."
The driver nodded, and continued on his way. As they continued to drive, Eric began to believe he knew where she was driving. He was going to have to call John later and ask why he didn't tell him.
Greta drove into the parking garage, and Eric told the guy to just pull up to the curb. "I know where she's going. Thanks." He said and paid the guy the fair and a nice tip.
The taxi pulled away, and Eric crossed the street, and made his way up the elevator. He got out at the floor he wanted and rested against the door, waiting for her. He knew it took longer for her to get up here, than it did him, because she had to park the car. He heard the elevator go back down, and then return. The doors opened once again, and Greta was looking in her purse for her keys again, once she looked up she looked like she almost would have screamed.
"What are you doing here?" She asked in complete shock.
"I followed you. I wasn't going to let you get away that easy."
He thought he could almost see anger rising in her face. She opened up the door, and slid it to the side. Giving up she motioned for him to come in. He walked into the loft, and saw that it was basically moved in, except for some more boxes sitting here and there. She set her purse and keys on the counter. "Okay, okay. What do you want?" She asked as she made her way into the living room.
"Greta, I just want you, I want you back. I love you." He said looking at her, moving closer to her.
She closed her eyes and moved away from him, turning her back to him. "No." She said quietly.
"No? No what?" He asked.
She turned around and looked at him, "I thought a lot while I was gone, about a lot of things. And I came to a few decisions." She said looking at him.
"And what are they?" He asked worried, fearing what she would say.
"We can't be together anymore."
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Chapter 78
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"What?" He asked her, in total shock.
"Eric, we can't be together, not anymore. There are just too many reasons."
"Greta, I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you punishing me like this?"
She shook her head, "Eric, I'm not punishing you. I just thought about us, in a different perspective."
He was confused, he closed his eyes, and sat on the couch. "Then tell me. Tell me why the most wonderful, perfect, relationship won't work."
She shook her head, "Because there are too many things that are wrong in the relationship."
He looked up at her, "Like what? If it wasn't for that stupid little incident, we would be happy right now."
She ran her hand over her forehead, and she sat down next to him. "Why did we get together?" She asked him simply.
"What?"
"Why? Why did we get together."
"We were in Paris, finding out information on your mother, we became really good friends, and then those feelings grew."
She smiled, "No, that's not the whole story."
"What am I missing?"
"You went to Paris with me to get away from Salem, to get away from Nicole." She saw him about to object, but she continued. "At that time, you wanted nothing to do with her, the idea of anything like Nicole bothered you. You ran away to Paris, to escape her, you ran away with someone completely opposite of her."
"Greta..." He said, not believing what she was thinking.
"I am, I am the most opposite of Nicole that you can get without being a guy. She's blond, I'm brunette, she has blue eyes, I have brown, she's tall, I'm only medium height. She's outgoing, I'm shy. She's sexy, I'm... basically innocent. Name it, and we are opposites of each other."
"Yeah, you're nice she's not, you're honest, she isn't."
"Eric... Ahhh," she screamed slightly, "You are missing my point. You were first attracted to Nicole because she possessed all those qualities that were opposite from me! You only liked those qualities in me, because they were opposite of Nicole. Eric, I'm a rebound. I am, you are attracted to those qualities you first saw in Nicole, not what I have."
Eric stood up, shaking his head, "That is ridiculous. You are NOT a rebound! God Greta, I love you."
"Why? Because you know I won't hurt you like she did? Is that the only reason?"
He was getting angry with her, "Well obviously not, because you are hurting me worse right now then she ever did."
She jumped slightly with that accusation, like she was almost slapped with it. "Eric, I don't mean to hurt you. But it's better this way."
"Why? It doesn't make any sense."
"Because you should be with the type of girl that you want to be with. Someone that has Nicole's qualities, but just... nicer. That's not me."
"So you are telling me what I want. Well I want you, so too bad."
She shook her head, "It's not about just what you want. It's also about what I want."
He took a step back, "I'm not what you want, is that what you are saying?"
"Yes and no." She said turning away from him, this was a lot harder to express out loud than in her head.
He moved over to her, and turned her around, "What do you mean?"
"I need to know that I am not always competing with her."
"What? Greta, that is ridiculous. You aren't competing, and if you were, you won a long, long time ago."
She shook her head, and tried to figure out a way to make him understand the thoughts and feelings she had. "Eric, when we made love, what did you think?"
He closed his eyes, and smiled, "It was perfect, one of the most wonderful things I have ever felt."
"And not once, during, or afterward, did you compare it to having slept with Nicole?"
He wanted to say no, he did, but she was right, he did compare it. "Yes, I did. But... Greta, it was much better, in so many ways. I had nothing else to compare it too."
She nodded, "And when we kiss, you never compared it with her either. Or how I cook, or how I touch you, or how I look. You never compared that with the times that you and Nicole shared."
"Greta, I can't help it. It's human nature to compare things, everyone compares things."
"Unless they have nothing to compare it too." She said simply.
He looked at her, "So is that it? You are blaming me for having made the huge mistake for sleeping with Nicole in the first place? Greta, I'm sorry, if I could go back and stop it from happening I would. Alight? I'm sorry that Nicole had to be my first and it wasn't you."
She shook her head, "I don't blame you for that, you were in love with her, or at least thought you were."
"Then what? I admit it okay, I have compared the two of you, but you always win. I have to compare you to Nicole because I have no one else to compare you with."
"That's just it."
"What is just it?"
"You have no one else to compare me with. The only two people you have ever been with is Nicole and me, two completely different people."
His mind was like Jell-O, was she really saying what he thought she was, "You wished I had slept with more people?" He asked in shock.
Greta threw up her hands, "Yes... No. Ahhh..." She sighed, "I just don't think you really know what you want."
"Then how do you know what you want? At least I have been in another relationship."
"Maybe I don't. Maybe that's it, neither of us know what we want. But I do know, that I would rather be compared to a number of different girls, than Nicole. Nicole the woman that at one time you wanted to spend the rest of your life with."
"What does it matter if you are being compared, if you always win?"
"What if I don't always win?" She asked him, looking at him. "What if one of the times, I don't compare. And what if it happens again, and again. If you were comparing me to more people, I'd at least have a shot."
Eric ran his fingers through his hair, he was completely confused. "Greta... just tell me what I have to do to get you back."
"You can't."
He wouldn't listen to that, he couldn't, his heart wouldn't let him. "Then what are you telling me to do?"
"I'm telling you, we are over. I'm telling you we need to see other people. I'm telling you, we both need to figure out exactly what we want and need, and not just be thrown together because of circumstance."
He stood up straight, and squared his shoulders, he walked over to her, and looked her in the eye, "I'm going to prove to you, just how wrong you are." And with that, he leaned in and kissed her, he kissed her hard, drawing her to him in a soul searching kiss. He could feel her try to move away, but then she gave into it. He knew he hadn't completely lost her. He just had to get these crazy thoughts out of her head. He broke away, and then then walked to the door, and left, leaving her standing there out of breath.
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Chapter 79
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Greta stood there looking at the door, as it closed her shoulders slumped, and she threw herself on the couch sobbing. Telling him all that was the hardest thing she ever had to do. But she tried to convince herself it was for the best. She sat up, and tried to wipe away the tears, "Get a hold of yourself." She said, "This is what you want, this is for the best." She tried to say. She stood up and went to unpack some more boxes.
She opened the next box, and started to put away the stuff inside. She then went and grabbed the next object, and almost dropped it when she saw what it was. "Why did they have to pack this?" She asked herself as she looked at the picture of her and Eric in Hawaii together. Her hand moved over the image of his face smiling back at her. She walked over to the dresser drawer, opened it, and placed the frame inside, upside down. "No more, I can't think of that anymore. I have to move on with my life." She said, tears streaming down her face.
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Eric walked down the sidewalk slowly, he was in a daze. He couldn't believe what she had done. *How can she do this?* He kept asking himself, *Why is she throwing what we have away?* It didn't make any sense too him. All that nonsense about only wanting her because she was a rebound, because she was nothing like Nicole. That was ridiculous. Wasn't it? *God, now she's even got you questioning your own feelings!* He yelled at himself mentally. He slowly walked back to his apartment. *My apartment, not ours anymore.* He thought with a sigh. He just knew that there was more to it than what she said, there was some reason that she didn't tell him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. *If I can just get to the heart of the problem, then maybe I can get her back.* He tried to think of what it could be all the way home, but nothing stuck, he couldn't think of anything that he thought she would ruin everything they had for. He opened his apartment, and walked in, tossing his keys on the table. He sat down on the couch, "Unless... she said all that because she doesn't see herself with me." He shook his head, but that thought wouldn't leave him. He got up and went into the kitchen, he decided to make some dinner. His mind kept working as he tried to concentrate on cutting up the food. "Maybe I don't mount up to what she wants. I mean she does come from royalty." He said, with a bit of anger. Then he shook his head, "But she's not like that." He quickly reminded himself. He tossed the food into the wok that they had purchased together, and began to cook it. "What could have made her think of all this in the two weeks that she was gone?" Then his eyes went wide, "She met someone." Then he shook his head again, *Then why would she be back in Salem?* "That's it Brady, you are going insane." He told himself. "You have to stop thinking about this for awhile, or you are going to drive yourself crazy." But his mind wouldn't stop, his heart wouldn't let him. He might not know why she did what she did, he might not know what to do so he could get her back, but he did know that he loved her, and that was all that mattered.
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Another week had gone by, he had called her many times, and to his surprise, she actually did answer the phone. She didn't ignore him, but she also didn't answer his question of why? Except for the answer she had given him before. He could almost recite it perfectly now, "We need to see other people, we need to know what we want." He tried to get her to say, that if after that, if they knew that they still wanted to be together, that then they would. She denied it, and told him to just move on with his life. He almost winced when she said that she just wanted to be friends, like how they started out. How in hell was he supposed to be just friends with someone that he loved so much?
He was on his lunch break, and headed for the Java Cafe to get something to eat, as he was just about there, he stopped. She was there, drinking a cup of coffee, he smiled, and started to walk over to her. But he stopped again, when he saw she wasn't alone. She was smiling, and laughing, he felt guilty sneaking around to get a look of who it was. He was hoping it was John, his mom, or Belle, but his heart sank slightly. Austin. A week ago he wouldn't have had a problem seeing them together, but now that Sami and Austin had broken up, it was a different thing all together. He didn't know the full story about why they broke up, it had something to do with Sami and her old ways and Brandon, but he wasn't fully sure. The only thing he knew, was that Austin was now single, and as far as he knew, Greta thought she was too. Even though he wanted to beg to differ.
He stopped and just watched them together for a minute, and decided he wasn't really that hungry. One more of her laughs made him grit his teeth and turn around and head back to Titan. *And she thought she was a rebound with me. She's an even bigger rebound with Austin.* He thought as he walked away.
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Greta laughed again, "No, I'm serious, he was covered in strawberry jam. All over his face, hands, even between his toes." He said, and she shook her head, grinning. "It took forever to clean him off. And Will just sat there with a huge smile on his face."
"You know, I've never even baby-sat."
"Well, it was new for me then too. Now, he's gotten so much bigger, and he's with Lucas, I don't have to do nearly as much now."
"You miss him, don't you?" Greta asked, her smile fading slightly.
"Yeah, a lot. I guess maybe that was a reason I pushed so hard for Sami and I to be together, to try and get the family back together. But I should have known better." He sighed, "But enough about me. Why were you looking so glum when I sat down, and also, where have you been?"
She smiled slightly. "I left town for awhile, to think."
"Yeah, I know that. I heard about everything that happened. But knowing that he didn't do anything wrong, I figured..."
"You figured we would be back together?"
"Well... yeah."
"I went away to think, and while I was gone, I realized that neither of us truly knew what we wanted."
"Oh kay," he said not truly understanding her.
"Don't do that."
"Don't do what?" He asked.
"Every time I try to explain it to someone they look at me like I am from a different planet. But I know what I mean, I know what I feel, and I know that Eric and I shouldn't be together."
"So you did break up?" She nodded yes, "And how did he take it?"
"He won't accept it." She said with a sigh.
"He loves you."
She shook her head, "He loved her too, he got over her, he can get over me, and then find the person he should be with."
"And what if he is supposed to be with you?"
She looked at him, "He's not."
"How do you know?"
She shook her head, stood up and threw away her paper cup. Austin did the same, and asked the question again. She sighed, "I just know, I just have this gut feeling."
"Is your gut telling you that you don't belong together, or is it telling you that you don't want to get hurt again?"
"Both."
They talked as they continued walking, and made their way slowly into the park. They sat down on a bench to continue their conversation. Austin sighed, "So basically you want to move on."
"Yes," She nodded.
"So basically we are in the same boat. Both trying to move on."
"Yep."
He nodded, "Then how about two friends, get some dinner, and try and move on by helping each other through it."
She smiled, "Sounds nice."
"Okay, Penthouse Grill? I know people there that can get us a good table." He said with a wink.
"Yeah, cause you work at Titan." She laughed, "Okay, sounds good."
"All right then, I'll pick you up at 7, unless you want to pick me up?"
Greta thought for a second, then remembered where Austin lived, "No, you can pick me up."
"Okay, see you then." He said getting up from the bench, he then turned back to her, "Wait, where are you living?" She laughed as she told him the directions.
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Chapter 80
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Eric walked out of the Titan photo lab with a sigh, *Well, that's done.* He thought, after his long day of photo shoots, he was still trying to make up for the time he took off. He turned the corner and got the elevator. All he could think about was getting home and relaxing, *And maybe calling Greta again.* He knew he was bugging her with all the phone calls, but he didn't know what else to do. He got into the elevator when the doors opened and headed for the lobby. He leaned against the wall, and thought about how much had changed since he first started working here at Titan. The doors opened and he walked out, heading towards the parking garage exit. He turned around as his ears caught the sound of a familiar voice.
Once he did, he felt like someone reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. *What the?* He asked himself as he saw Greta dressed up, being led to the elevators by... Austin. He stood there and watched the two of them with smiles on their faces go into the elevator and the doors shut behind him. He walked back to the elevator and waited to see where it would stop, but he already knew. He hit the button, and waited for the next elevator. The elevator had stopped where he thought it would, he got into the next one, and pressed the button for the penthouse grill, and waited. He walked out of the elevator and moved closer to the restaurant looking in.
Austin pulled the chair out for Greta and she sat down. He then walked to his side and sat down across from her. The smiles tugged at his heart, *How could she?* He asked himself as he looked at them. *It's only been a week since she broke up with me.* He felt his blood start to boil, as anger started to fuel inside of him. He watched them for a few minutes, and when Austin stood up and asked her to dance, he just about lost it. When she accepted he stood up straight, and turned around, heading back to the elevator. He pushed the button to go down, and thought, *Okay Greta, you want to date other people, then we will date other people.* And with that the doors opened and he left.
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Greta sat there and laughed as her and Austin talked. They were talking about a recent movie he had seen, some comedy that went straight from production to video. It sounded hilarious. "It was definitely a B movie, but it was so funny!"
"Sounds like it," she responded. It was so nice to talk about something so light hearted, the last thing she wanted was to talk about her problems. She just wanted to have some fun, because it seems like for almost the last month, all she did was cry and think. She took a drink of her wine, as Austin stood up.
"Would you like to dance?" He asked her.
She smiled, *What would it hurt,* she thought, as she accepted and he led her to the dance floor. He twirled her around playfully, making her giggle. He kept making funny faces at her, and she laughed even more. He dipped her quickly, then brought her back up. She laughed some more, "Where did you learn to dance?" She asked him with a smile.
"I taught myself everything I know," he said with a slight wink.
"It shows," she said teasing. He made a slightly hurt look, then laughed.
"Nah, I'm not really this bad, just wanted to make you laugh some more. I think we both need it."
She nodded in agreement, it was nice to have a friend that she could go out with and just have some fun. "Yeah, we both do. But I don't want to think about that tonight, tonight is just fun, no seriousness."
He smiled, "Sounds perfect." Austin said as he twisted her again, making her laugh even more.
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Another few days passed, and Eric had a plan. *Well it wasn't really a plan,* he reminded himself. In a way he felt bad for it, but he wanted to get back at her, through what she had done to him back in her face. Give her a taste of exactly what she asked for. Eric knew that Austin and her were seeing a lot of each other, which made him furious, with both of them. But that also told Eric, that if Austin was going somewhere, Greta wouldn't be to far behind. Eric heard Austin as his door, he grabbed his wallet and keys, and opened the door, he said a polite hello to him, as Austin nodded in return. They both got into the elevator and rode it to the bottom. The whole way it was quiet, *Feel bad about something, Austin?* Eric thought. They then walked out of the elevator and went in their own directions. Eric got into his jeep, which he had parked close by, and he waited. He watched Austin get into his car, and then pull out of his parking space. Eric, started his jeep and drove behind him, but not to close. He already knew where he was going, and Eric decided to take a detour and wait for him. He drove the side streets to the loft and waited. Sure enough, Austin pulled up a few minutes later, and got out of the car, and went inside.
Eric took out his cell phone, and dialed a number, "Hi, it's me..."
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Austin followed Greta into Tuscany, and Maggie greeted them. "Hello, you two. Your table is right this way." She said with a smile and took them to their seats. They sat down, and ordered their food, and began to talk.
"Well, have you been thinking anymore about what you want to do?" Austin asked her, as he took a sip of water.
"Somewhat, still not sure. My first year of classes went great, but there is just so much that I like, it's hard to pick just one subject. I made out my schedule for the fall semester though."
"What are you taking?"
"Well, I am taking an American history class, since I don't know all that much about it." He grinned in agreement, and she continued, "Also, I decided to take Psychology, Economics, General Writing, and Basic Chemistry."
Austin laughed, "Well, that is spread out."
"See I can't decide, I find it all so interesting."
"By the time you find what you want, you may have completed a lot of degrees."
She giggled, "Maybe, I'll be a professional student."
He nodded, but then his face changed slightly, and seemed to become serious. She noticed he was looking to the door. She started to turn and he stopped her, "So, what class ... uh... are you really excited about?"
She knew he was trying to change the subject and not let her turn around. "What is it?" She asked as she turned around to look, and just about fell out of her chair. "Oh my God." She thought as she watched Eric walk in with a tall, blonde, beautiful woman on his arm. She watched as Maggie escorted them to a table, and he pulled out the chair for her, kissed her hand, and then sat down across from her.
She felt like she had the wind knocked out of her, Austin reached out and touched her hand, she looked back at him. "Do you want to leave?" He asked her, knowing what she was feeling.
"No," she said her voice shaking slightly, "No, I have to get used to this. I told him to see other people. I just didn't know..." She let it hang in the air.
"You just didn't think he would be seeing someone else so soon."
She nodded her head slightly, and tried to keep the tears from falling. He took her hand in his, and rubbed the thumb over the back of her hand, "It will be okay." He said trying to comfort her.
"I know, besides, it's what I wanted." She said, and turned back fully in her chair, and tried not to think about what had just happened.
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To Be Continued
WRITTEN BY: Heather Ferguson (fergus80)
EMAIL: hferguso@niu.edu
WEBSITE: http://eric_greta.tripod.com (from when Jensen was on days)
Rating: If you can watch DAYS, you can read this. If there is a rating change, a link to the chap. will be provided.
Disclaimer: Days of Our Lives and all of their characters are property of Corday Productions and NBC.
My Rant: Okay, I'm finally putting this up on FanFiction.net. Mostly to free up my website space. This was started way back in Oct. of 1999, and I haven't decided if it's finished yet or not. Reviews are always welcome!
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Chapter 76
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Eric couldn't believe what he heard, "She's what?"
"She's gone, she called from a plane. She left Salem." John replied through the phone.
"Where.. where did she go?" He asked in shock.
"I have no idea, she didn't say."
"Will she be coming back?"
"Well she didn't say she was staying away, but she also didn't say when and if she was coming back."
Eric sighed, and closed his eyes. "John, please, if you find out anything, anything at all, please tell me."
"I will," and with that he hung up the phone.
Eric sat there on the phone, his heart felt like it was in a million pieces. He had absolutely no idea what to do. He wanted to go after her, but he had no idea where she went. "Greta, please come back to me." He said to a now very empty apartment.
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A few days had passed, and there was still no new news as to where she was. Eric had called into work and took some of his vacation time. For once Lucas didn't give him a hard time about it, in fact he agreed completely. Eric actually felt sorry for him. Lucas found out everything that had happened with Nicole, found out that she tricked Eric, tried to get him back, never loved him, and only married him because his mother paid her to. Lucas had actually moved out of the mansion, and filed for divorce.
Eric laid on his couch, the phone on the stand next to him. He did that a lot lately, where ever he went, the phone was right next to him. The thought that there might be news from John or if it was Greta herself, enough for him to keep it there. He jumped when it actually rang, and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hey son."
"Dad, what's up?"
"Well, I have some bad news for you."
Eric sat up on the couch, "What is it?"
Roman sighed, "Well I told you yesterday that Nicole was let out on bail, that her financial agent, Rex I believe his name was, had posted bail for her."
"Yeah, you told me."
"Well, she was supposed to show up today for some questioning..."
"And?"
"She didn't. We called around, and after some searching we found out what happened."
"What?" Eric asked.
"Well, Rex and Nicole ran off with the five million dollars that she got from Kate, and they left the state. We have an APB out for them, but we have no idea when they left or where they went."
Eric sighed, "So she's escaped."
"Yes, but if she sets foot in town we have her, let alone the state. I doubt she will be coming back."
"Okay, thanks for letting me know." Eric said, then said good bye to his dad. He laid back down on the couch. *Now Nicole is still free, and there is no justice.* He thought shaking his head, before he at least had the knowledge that she was behind bars for what she did. Now there was none of that, Nicole had gotten away with it again, and this time with five million dollars.
A knock at the door, brought his attention back, and he got up to answer it. He opened the door, and was slightly shocked to see who it was. "John? What are you doing here?"
Eric saw the look on his face and knew that he didn't look to happy. "Eric... I hate to say this, and do this, but..." He paused trying to decided how to do this. Eric saw Marlena, Belle, and Brady behind him in the hallway. "Greta called."
"What did she say? Did she say when she will be back?"
"No, but she asked us to do something for her."
Eric looked confused, "What?"
John held up a couple boxes, "She asked us to pack up her stuff and move it into storage for her."
Eric felt like he was going to fall over, *She's moving out.* "Why?" he asked worried.
John closed his eyes, not wanting to hurt Eric, he then reopened them and spoke with a sigh, "She said that she can't come back to this apartment. That it would be to painful."
"So that means she is coming back."
"She didn't say that Eric."
"Did she say where she was? A city, country, or continent even?"
"No."
Eric felt defeated, he could literally feel her slipping further and further away each day. He stepped back slowly, and allowed them to come into the apartment. He sat back on the couch, refusing to help, hoping that they would miss something of hers, and that she would have to come back for it. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. *Why?* he asked himself, *Why did this have to happen? We were so happy.*
He felt a hand on his should and looked over, Belle smiled at him slowly and sat down next to him. She opened up her arms, and he smiled slightly, and leaned into them. He needed the hug, "It'll work out." She said to him, as she hugged her big brother.
"How do you know that?" He asked her as he pulled away to look at her.
"Because, you two belong together. After everything you two have been through together, you have to end up together. Just think of this as another thing you have to overcome."
He shook his head, "You are very optimistic."
"No, I just have a lot of inspiration around me. "Look at mom and dad, or Bo and Hope."
Eric shook his head, "Or look at mom and my dad. Or Austin and Carrie. Or a ton of other people, who went through a lot to be together and ended up with other people."
"Point taken," she said, "But I believe that if two people are meant to be together, they will be, no matter what."
"I hope you are right."
She smiled, "I am." And with that she got up and went back into Greta's bedroom.
He watched as they packed everything up, and moved it out of the apartment. It was late when they had finally moved everything out and gave Eric hugs good bye, telling him not to give up. He then shut the door behind him, and walked back to her bedroom. He opened the door, and walked into the now empty room, turning on the light. He walked to the window, and bent over to pick up the only object left in the room. He smiled slightly, knowing that his mom, John, or Belle had left it there deliberately. He sat down on the floor with his back to the way, and held the teddy bear to his chest. He smiled remembering how happy she was when he won that for her at the Salem Fair a couple of weeks earlier. He closed his eyes, picturing her when he handed the bear to her, the smile so bright and radiant on her face. The way her eyes sparkled with happiness and love. The kiss they shared. The happiness he had making her so happy, from something so simple. He held the bear to his chest, praying that soon, he would be able to do that again with her.
He spoke out to the empty room, hoping that she could hear him, "Please Greta, please come home to me."
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Chapter 77
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Two weeks had passed, and even though Greta was talking to John regularly, she still hadn't told him where she was. Eric tried to convince him to put a trace on the phone calls, but John refused to do that to his daughter. As the time went on, Eric made it back to work. Actually he had too, he needed the money. Lucas gave him almost free run with the shoots, telling him that he trusted him. Eric still couldn't believe the change he saw in Lucas since he found out the truth, he was even letting Will spend more time with Sami, and open to the idea of joint custody. Eric had even warmed up to him enough to try and get Sami to agree. But his twin wouldn't even listen to him.
Eric walked through Salem place, not really looking for anything, he just needed something to do. His only problem was that no matter where he looked, something, anything reminded him of a time that he and Greta had had together. He sighed as he walked into the park. He looked down, and kicked a small pebble across the sidewalk. He just wanted to walk through the park, he didn't want to look around. He knew to the right was the place they had many of their picnics during his lunch breaks, to his right were the swings that they would sit on and have their long talks looking up at the stars. He focused on the sidewalk below him, and tried to follow it out of the park.
But unfortunately, he didn't see the person walking in front of him, someone moving much slower than he was. By the time he saw their shoes it was too late, and they collided. His hand immediately went out to help the other person balance, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." He said looking up at the person he ran into and then he stopped, his hands still on their shoulders. "Greta..."
A look of shock on her face for an instant disappeared to regret, she wished she wasn't there. "Eric..." She started, and then tried to pull away, "I have to go."
But he held onto her, "Go? Go where? You have been gone to long already, I'm not letting you leave again."
She pulled away from him roughly, and started to walk out of the park. Eric followed her, "Greta, I deserve an explanation. You leave without telling me, you don't tell anyone where you went, you had John and everyone more your stuff out of the apartment. I deserve an answer!" He said gripping her shoulders making her look at him.
"Eric I needed to get away, to think things through, without you there. I know you, if I would have told anyone where I was, you would have followed me."
"Okay, you had your time alone to think, can we talk now? Please." He said, his eyes begging her to say yes.
She shook her head, "I basically just got back, I'm not ready to deal with this, with you yet." She said trying to move away from him, almost as if she was afraid to be near him.
"You aren't ready? You have been gone for almost three weeks. And what do you mean, basically just got back? How long have you been in Salem?"
She squared her shoulders, "Two days." She said turning from him, moving the other direction away from him.
He walked after her, "Two days? You have been in Salem for two days and no one told me?"
She turned around, angrily, "Are you saying you have a right to know?"
He looked at her in shock, "Yes, I believe I do!"
"No, no you don't." She said and continued walking towards her car. She got her keys out of her purse, and opened the door.
"Greta, we need to talk. I need to know what you are thinking."
"Not now." She said as she got into her car. He stood in the way so she couldn't shut the door. "Eric, move, please."
"No, you have to talk to me."
"No."
He sighed, knowing that she was being stubborn, and that he wasn't going to win this way. "At least tell me where you are, where you are staying."
She sighed, "I'll call you." She reached out for the door, trying to get him to move. He moved out of the way, and she shut the door, and then started the car. He looked around as she backed out of the parking spot. He ran down the embankment, and whistled, a taxi cab pulled up along side the curb. He got into the car.
"Where do you want to go?" Asked the man. He watched as Greta drove out of the parking lot, and then turned left onto the road.
"See that Green Mustang?" He asked the driver.
"Yeah," nodded the guy.
"Follow it." The guy nodded, made a U-turn and followed her.
"Stay back a few cars, I just want to know where she is going?"
The guy looked a little uneasy as he drove, "Uhh, why are we following this car?"
Eric smiled, "It's my girlfriend, we had a fight, and she moved, and she didn't tell me where. I just want to talk to her, but she's being very stubborn."
The driver nodded, and continued on his way. As they continued to drive, Eric began to believe he knew where she was driving. He was going to have to call John later and ask why he didn't tell him.
Greta drove into the parking garage, and Eric told the guy to just pull up to the curb. "I know where she's going. Thanks." He said and paid the guy the fair and a nice tip.
The taxi pulled away, and Eric crossed the street, and made his way up the elevator. He got out at the floor he wanted and rested against the door, waiting for her. He knew it took longer for her to get up here, than it did him, because she had to park the car. He heard the elevator go back down, and then return. The doors opened once again, and Greta was looking in her purse for her keys again, once she looked up she looked like she almost would have screamed.
"What are you doing here?" She asked in complete shock.
"I followed you. I wasn't going to let you get away that easy."
He thought he could almost see anger rising in her face. She opened up the door, and slid it to the side. Giving up she motioned for him to come in. He walked into the loft, and saw that it was basically moved in, except for some more boxes sitting here and there. She set her purse and keys on the counter. "Okay, okay. What do you want?" She asked as she made her way into the living room.
"Greta, I just want you, I want you back. I love you." He said looking at her, moving closer to her.
She closed her eyes and moved away from him, turning her back to him. "No." She said quietly.
"No? No what?" He asked.
She turned around and looked at him, "I thought a lot while I was gone, about a lot of things. And I came to a few decisions." She said looking at him.
"And what are they?" He asked worried, fearing what she would say.
"We can't be together anymore."
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Chapter 78
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"What?" He asked her, in total shock.
"Eric, we can't be together, not anymore. There are just too many reasons."
"Greta, I didn't do anything wrong. Why are you punishing me like this?"
She shook her head, "Eric, I'm not punishing you. I just thought about us, in a different perspective."
He was confused, he closed his eyes, and sat on the couch. "Then tell me. Tell me why the most wonderful, perfect, relationship won't work."
She shook her head, "Because there are too many things that are wrong in the relationship."
He looked up at her, "Like what? If it wasn't for that stupid little incident, we would be happy right now."
She ran her hand over her forehead, and she sat down next to him. "Why did we get together?" She asked him simply.
"What?"
"Why? Why did we get together."
"We were in Paris, finding out information on your mother, we became really good friends, and then those feelings grew."
She smiled, "No, that's not the whole story."
"What am I missing?"
"You went to Paris with me to get away from Salem, to get away from Nicole." She saw him about to object, but she continued. "At that time, you wanted nothing to do with her, the idea of anything like Nicole bothered you. You ran away to Paris, to escape her, you ran away with someone completely opposite of her."
"Greta..." He said, not believing what she was thinking.
"I am, I am the most opposite of Nicole that you can get without being a guy. She's blond, I'm brunette, she has blue eyes, I have brown, she's tall, I'm only medium height. She's outgoing, I'm shy. She's sexy, I'm... basically innocent. Name it, and we are opposites of each other."
"Yeah, you're nice she's not, you're honest, she isn't."
"Eric... Ahhh," she screamed slightly, "You are missing my point. You were first attracted to Nicole because she possessed all those qualities that were opposite from me! You only liked those qualities in me, because they were opposite of Nicole. Eric, I'm a rebound. I am, you are attracted to those qualities you first saw in Nicole, not what I have."
Eric stood up, shaking his head, "That is ridiculous. You are NOT a rebound! God Greta, I love you."
"Why? Because you know I won't hurt you like she did? Is that the only reason?"
He was getting angry with her, "Well obviously not, because you are hurting me worse right now then she ever did."
She jumped slightly with that accusation, like she was almost slapped with it. "Eric, I don't mean to hurt you. But it's better this way."
"Why? It doesn't make any sense."
"Because you should be with the type of girl that you want to be with. Someone that has Nicole's qualities, but just... nicer. That's not me."
"So you are telling me what I want. Well I want you, so too bad."
She shook her head, "It's not about just what you want. It's also about what I want."
He took a step back, "I'm not what you want, is that what you are saying?"
"Yes and no." She said turning away from him, this was a lot harder to express out loud than in her head.
He moved over to her, and turned her around, "What do you mean?"
"I need to know that I am not always competing with her."
"What? Greta, that is ridiculous. You aren't competing, and if you were, you won a long, long time ago."
She shook her head, and tried to figure out a way to make him understand the thoughts and feelings she had. "Eric, when we made love, what did you think?"
He closed his eyes, and smiled, "It was perfect, one of the most wonderful things I have ever felt."
"And not once, during, or afterward, did you compare it to having slept with Nicole?"
He wanted to say no, he did, but she was right, he did compare it. "Yes, I did. But... Greta, it was much better, in so many ways. I had nothing else to compare it too."
She nodded, "And when we kiss, you never compared it with her either. Or how I cook, or how I touch you, or how I look. You never compared that with the times that you and Nicole shared."
"Greta, I can't help it. It's human nature to compare things, everyone compares things."
"Unless they have nothing to compare it too." She said simply.
He looked at her, "So is that it? You are blaming me for having made the huge mistake for sleeping with Nicole in the first place? Greta, I'm sorry, if I could go back and stop it from happening I would. Alight? I'm sorry that Nicole had to be my first and it wasn't you."
She shook her head, "I don't blame you for that, you were in love with her, or at least thought you were."
"Then what? I admit it okay, I have compared the two of you, but you always win. I have to compare you to Nicole because I have no one else to compare you with."
"That's just it."
"What is just it?"
"You have no one else to compare me with. The only two people you have ever been with is Nicole and me, two completely different people."
His mind was like Jell-O, was she really saying what he thought she was, "You wished I had slept with more people?" He asked in shock.
Greta threw up her hands, "Yes... No. Ahhh..." She sighed, "I just don't think you really know what you want."
"Then how do you know what you want? At least I have been in another relationship."
"Maybe I don't. Maybe that's it, neither of us know what we want. But I do know, that I would rather be compared to a number of different girls, than Nicole. Nicole the woman that at one time you wanted to spend the rest of your life with."
"What does it matter if you are being compared, if you always win?"
"What if I don't always win?" She asked him, looking at him. "What if one of the times, I don't compare. And what if it happens again, and again. If you were comparing me to more people, I'd at least have a shot."
Eric ran his fingers through his hair, he was completely confused. "Greta... just tell me what I have to do to get you back."
"You can't."
He wouldn't listen to that, he couldn't, his heart wouldn't let him. "Then what are you telling me to do?"
"I'm telling you, we are over. I'm telling you we need to see other people. I'm telling you, we both need to figure out exactly what we want and need, and not just be thrown together because of circumstance."
He stood up straight, and squared his shoulders, he walked over to her, and looked her in the eye, "I'm going to prove to you, just how wrong you are." And with that, he leaned in and kissed her, he kissed her hard, drawing her to him in a soul searching kiss. He could feel her try to move away, but then she gave into it. He knew he hadn't completely lost her. He just had to get these crazy thoughts out of her head. He broke away, and then then walked to the door, and left, leaving her standing there out of breath.
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Chapter 79
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Greta stood there looking at the door, as it closed her shoulders slumped, and she threw herself on the couch sobbing. Telling him all that was the hardest thing she ever had to do. But she tried to convince herself it was for the best. She sat up, and tried to wipe away the tears, "Get a hold of yourself." She said, "This is what you want, this is for the best." She tried to say. She stood up and went to unpack some more boxes.
She opened the next box, and started to put away the stuff inside. She then went and grabbed the next object, and almost dropped it when she saw what it was. "Why did they have to pack this?" She asked herself as she looked at the picture of her and Eric in Hawaii together. Her hand moved over the image of his face smiling back at her. She walked over to the dresser drawer, opened it, and placed the frame inside, upside down. "No more, I can't think of that anymore. I have to move on with my life." She said, tears streaming down her face.
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Eric walked down the sidewalk slowly, he was in a daze. He couldn't believe what she had done. *How can she do this?* He kept asking himself, *Why is she throwing what we have away?* It didn't make any sense too him. All that nonsense about only wanting her because she was a rebound, because she was nothing like Nicole. That was ridiculous. Wasn't it? *God, now she's even got you questioning your own feelings!* He yelled at himself mentally. He slowly walked back to his apartment. *My apartment, not ours anymore.* He thought with a sigh. He just knew that there was more to it than what she said, there was some reason that she didn't tell him, but he couldn't figure out what it was. *If I can just get to the heart of the problem, then maybe I can get her back.* He tried to think of what it could be all the way home, but nothing stuck, he couldn't think of anything that he thought she would ruin everything they had for. He opened his apartment, and walked in, tossing his keys on the table. He sat down on the couch, "Unless... she said all that because she doesn't see herself with me." He shook his head, but that thought wouldn't leave him. He got up and went into the kitchen, he decided to make some dinner. His mind kept working as he tried to concentrate on cutting up the food. "Maybe I don't mount up to what she wants. I mean she does come from royalty." He said, with a bit of anger. Then he shook his head, "But she's not like that." He quickly reminded himself. He tossed the food into the wok that they had purchased together, and began to cook it. "What could have made her think of all this in the two weeks that she was gone?" Then his eyes went wide, "She met someone." Then he shook his head again, *Then why would she be back in Salem?* "That's it Brady, you are going insane." He told himself. "You have to stop thinking about this for awhile, or you are going to drive yourself crazy." But his mind wouldn't stop, his heart wouldn't let him. He might not know why she did what she did, he might not know what to do so he could get her back, but he did know that he loved her, and that was all that mattered.
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Another week had gone by, he had called her many times, and to his surprise, she actually did answer the phone. She didn't ignore him, but she also didn't answer his question of why? Except for the answer she had given him before. He could almost recite it perfectly now, "We need to see other people, we need to know what we want." He tried to get her to say, that if after that, if they knew that they still wanted to be together, that then they would. She denied it, and told him to just move on with his life. He almost winced when she said that she just wanted to be friends, like how they started out. How in hell was he supposed to be just friends with someone that he loved so much?
He was on his lunch break, and headed for the Java Cafe to get something to eat, as he was just about there, he stopped. She was there, drinking a cup of coffee, he smiled, and started to walk over to her. But he stopped again, when he saw she wasn't alone. She was smiling, and laughing, he felt guilty sneaking around to get a look of who it was. He was hoping it was John, his mom, or Belle, but his heart sank slightly. Austin. A week ago he wouldn't have had a problem seeing them together, but now that Sami and Austin had broken up, it was a different thing all together. He didn't know the full story about why they broke up, it had something to do with Sami and her old ways and Brandon, but he wasn't fully sure. The only thing he knew, was that Austin was now single, and as far as he knew, Greta thought she was too. Even though he wanted to beg to differ.
He stopped and just watched them together for a minute, and decided he wasn't really that hungry. One more of her laughs made him grit his teeth and turn around and head back to Titan. *And she thought she was a rebound with me. She's an even bigger rebound with Austin.* He thought as he walked away.
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Greta laughed again, "No, I'm serious, he was covered in strawberry jam. All over his face, hands, even between his toes." He said, and she shook her head, grinning. "It took forever to clean him off. And Will just sat there with a huge smile on his face."
"You know, I've never even baby-sat."
"Well, it was new for me then too. Now, he's gotten so much bigger, and he's with Lucas, I don't have to do nearly as much now."
"You miss him, don't you?" Greta asked, her smile fading slightly.
"Yeah, a lot. I guess maybe that was a reason I pushed so hard for Sami and I to be together, to try and get the family back together. But I should have known better." He sighed, "But enough about me. Why were you looking so glum when I sat down, and also, where have you been?"
She smiled slightly. "I left town for awhile, to think."
"Yeah, I know that. I heard about everything that happened. But knowing that he didn't do anything wrong, I figured..."
"You figured we would be back together?"
"Well... yeah."
"I went away to think, and while I was gone, I realized that neither of us truly knew what we wanted."
"Oh kay," he said not truly understanding her.
"Don't do that."
"Don't do what?" He asked.
"Every time I try to explain it to someone they look at me like I am from a different planet. But I know what I mean, I know what I feel, and I know that Eric and I shouldn't be together."
"So you did break up?" She nodded yes, "And how did he take it?"
"He won't accept it." She said with a sigh.
"He loves you."
She shook her head, "He loved her too, he got over her, he can get over me, and then find the person he should be with."
"And what if he is supposed to be with you?"
She looked at him, "He's not."
"How do you know?"
She shook her head, stood up and threw away her paper cup. Austin did the same, and asked the question again. She sighed, "I just know, I just have this gut feeling."
"Is your gut telling you that you don't belong together, or is it telling you that you don't want to get hurt again?"
"Both."
They talked as they continued walking, and made their way slowly into the park. They sat down on a bench to continue their conversation. Austin sighed, "So basically you want to move on."
"Yes," She nodded.
"So basically we are in the same boat. Both trying to move on."
"Yep."
He nodded, "Then how about two friends, get some dinner, and try and move on by helping each other through it."
She smiled, "Sounds nice."
"Okay, Penthouse Grill? I know people there that can get us a good table." He said with a wink.
"Yeah, cause you work at Titan." She laughed, "Okay, sounds good."
"All right then, I'll pick you up at 7, unless you want to pick me up?"
Greta thought for a second, then remembered where Austin lived, "No, you can pick me up."
"Okay, see you then." He said getting up from the bench, he then turned back to her, "Wait, where are you living?" She laughed as she told him the directions.
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Chapter 80
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Eric walked out of the Titan photo lab with a sigh, *Well, that's done.* He thought, after his long day of photo shoots, he was still trying to make up for the time he took off. He turned the corner and got the elevator. All he could think about was getting home and relaxing, *And maybe calling Greta again.* He knew he was bugging her with all the phone calls, but he didn't know what else to do. He got into the elevator when the doors opened and headed for the lobby. He leaned against the wall, and thought about how much had changed since he first started working here at Titan. The doors opened and he walked out, heading towards the parking garage exit. He turned around as his ears caught the sound of a familiar voice.
Once he did, he felt like someone reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. *What the?* He asked himself as he saw Greta dressed up, being led to the elevators by... Austin. He stood there and watched the two of them with smiles on their faces go into the elevator and the doors shut behind him. He walked back to the elevator and waited to see where it would stop, but he already knew. He hit the button, and waited for the next elevator. The elevator had stopped where he thought it would, he got into the next one, and pressed the button for the penthouse grill, and waited. He walked out of the elevator and moved closer to the restaurant looking in.
Austin pulled the chair out for Greta and she sat down. He then walked to his side and sat down across from her. The smiles tugged at his heart, *How could she?* He asked himself as he looked at them. *It's only been a week since she broke up with me.* He felt his blood start to boil, as anger started to fuel inside of him. He watched them for a few minutes, and when Austin stood up and asked her to dance, he just about lost it. When she accepted he stood up straight, and turned around, heading back to the elevator. He pushed the button to go down, and thought, *Okay Greta, you want to date other people, then we will date other people.* And with that the doors opened and he left.
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Greta sat there and laughed as her and Austin talked. They were talking about a recent movie he had seen, some comedy that went straight from production to video. It sounded hilarious. "It was definitely a B movie, but it was so funny!"
"Sounds like it," she responded. It was so nice to talk about something so light hearted, the last thing she wanted was to talk about her problems. She just wanted to have some fun, because it seems like for almost the last month, all she did was cry and think. She took a drink of her wine, as Austin stood up.
"Would you like to dance?" He asked her.
She smiled, *What would it hurt,* she thought, as she accepted and he led her to the dance floor. He twirled her around playfully, making her giggle. He kept making funny faces at her, and she laughed even more. He dipped her quickly, then brought her back up. She laughed some more, "Where did you learn to dance?" She asked him with a smile.
"I taught myself everything I know," he said with a slight wink.
"It shows," she said teasing. He made a slightly hurt look, then laughed.
"Nah, I'm not really this bad, just wanted to make you laugh some more. I think we both need it."
She nodded in agreement, it was nice to have a friend that she could go out with and just have some fun. "Yeah, we both do. But I don't want to think about that tonight, tonight is just fun, no seriousness."
He smiled, "Sounds perfect." Austin said as he twisted her again, making her laugh even more.
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Another few days passed, and Eric had a plan. *Well it wasn't really a plan,* he reminded himself. In a way he felt bad for it, but he wanted to get back at her, through what she had done to him back in her face. Give her a taste of exactly what she asked for. Eric knew that Austin and her were seeing a lot of each other, which made him furious, with both of them. But that also told Eric, that if Austin was going somewhere, Greta wouldn't be to far behind. Eric heard Austin as his door, he grabbed his wallet and keys, and opened the door, he said a polite hello to him, as Austin nodded in return. They both got into the elevator and rode it to the bottom. The whole way it was quiet, *Feel bad about something, Austin?* Eric thought. They then walked out of the elevator and went in their own directions. Eric got into his jeep, which he had parked close by, and he waited. He watched Austin get into his car, and then pull out of his parking space. Eric, started his jeep and drove behind him, but not to close. He already knew where he was going, and Eric decided to take a detour and wait for him. He drove the side streets to the loft and waited. Sure enough, Austin pulled up a few minutes later, and got out of the car, and went inside.
Eric took out his cell phone, and dialed a number, "Hi, it's me..."
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Austin followed Greta into Tuscany, and Maggie greeted them. "Hello, you two. Your table is right this way." She said with a smile and took them to their seats. They sat down, and ordered their food, and began to talk.
"Well, have you been thinking anymore about what you want to do?" Austin asked her, as he took a sip of water.
"Somewhat, still not sure. My first year of classes went great, but there is just so much that I like, it's hard to pick just one subject. I made out my schedule for the fall semester though."
"What are you taking?"
"Well, I am taking an American history class, since I don't know all that much about it." He grinned in agreement, and she continued, "Also, I decided to take Psychology, Economics, General Writing, and Basic Chemistry."
Austin laughed, "Well, that is spread out."
"See I can't decide, I find it all so interesting."
"By the time you find what you want, you may have completed a lot of degrees."
She giggled, "Maybe, I'll be a professional student."
He nodded, but then his face changed slightly, and seemed to become serious. She noticed he was looking to the door. She started to turn and he stopped her, "So, what class ... uh... are you really excited about?"
She knew he was trying to change the subject and not let her turn around. "What is it?" She asked as she turned around to look, and just about fell out of her chair. "Oh my God." She thought as she watched Eric walk in with a tall, blonde, beautiful woman on his arm. She watched as Maggie escorted them to a table, and he pulled out the chair for her, kissed her hand, and then sat down across from her.
She felt like she had the wind knocked out of her, Austin reached out and touched her hand, she looked back at him. "Do you want to leave?" He asked her, knowing what she was feeling.
"No," she said her voice shaking slightly, "No, I have to get used to this. I told him to see other people. I just didn't know..." She let it hang in the air.
"You just didn't think he would be seeing someone else so soon."
She nodded her head slightly, and tried to keep the tears from falling. He took her hand in his, and rubbed the thumb over the back of her hand, "It will be okay." He said trying to comfort her.
"I know, besides, it's what I wanted." She said, and turned back fully in her chair, and tried not to think about what had just happened.
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To Be Continued