Miles To Go

By ~*~lauren diane~*~

Rated: R

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Robert Frost, Disney, ABC, General Hospital, Rick, Becky, or any of the other characters.

Summary: Ric has an agenda, but will his love for Elizabeth stand in the way?

Author's Note: This starts the day after Ric and Elizabeth make love for the first time. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1: The Morning After

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.The woods are lovely, dark, and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening, Robert Frost

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Ric Lansing slowly made his way down the stairs at Kelly's like he did every morning. He stopped at the archway leading to the diner when he saw Elizabeth Webber pop her head up from behind the counter. Her small frame was cloaked in a long, red skirt that draped along the ground when she walked, and a black, long-sleeved shirt, covered in red glitter, which clung to her subtle curves.

Ric stood back for a moment, taking in the sight that claimed his breath every time he witnessed it. He reveled in the many Elizabeth-features that turned his cool-calm-collected exterior into a mumbling-hot-ridiculous mess: the way she constantly fights to keep her hair out of her eyes with the simple stroke of her index finger; the smile reserved for her favorite customers; the way she bites her bottom lip when she gets frustrated. Everything about this girl made Ric lose all control. . .and that was something he couldn't have enough of if he planned on causing the complete destruction of Sonny Corinthos.

"Hey." Elizabeth blushed when she realized Ric was staring at her from the stairs. She was sure the jittery feeling he gave her would be a thing of the past after they had made love the night before, but she was wrong. The butterflies that inhabited her stomach were fluttering stronger than ever. And it didn't help that he was dressed in the charcoal-colored suit that accentuated his lean, yet muscular, build. It drove her absolutely wild.

"Hey." Ric tried to sound as cool as possible, but he couldn't rid his face of the goofy grin seeing her gave him. He took a seat at the far end of the deserted counter. He liked this seat best because he could see the entire diner. He didn't like people being able to sneak up behind him. Plus, no matter where Elizabeth was, he could follow her with his eyes.

Ric could tell that his penetrating stare made Elizabeth a little nervous, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She was so beautiful. He couldn't describe the relief he felt when she wouldn't let him ruin things with her the night before. He was positive that he wasn't going to let their relationship make it that far. She was too good, too innocent to understand why he was doing what he was doing. But there was something in her eyes that night that he couldn't ignore. She was looking at him with the same longing he'd been feeling since the first time he'd met her.

"Two sugar, three cream." Elizabeth placed Ric's coffee in front of him. She let her hand linger on the cup for a second to steal a slight brush of contact with his fingers. She hadn't anticipated him taking hold of it. A bolt of electricity shot through her body as his soft fingers gently massaged the back of her hand. Elizabeth couldn't figure out why this simple action felt completely forbidden.

"I guess I'm a little redundant." Elizabeth could barely make out Ric's hoarse voice. He kept his sight locked on her, but she had to look away. His stare was so powerful and full of so much passion when it was aimed at her. It was overwhelming. She didn't think anyone would ever look at her like Ric was looking at her.

"Everybody's redundant when it comes to their morning coffee." Ric smiled as Elizabeth stuttered a response. He knew he should stop touching her, but he couldn't force his grasp away from hers. So instead of retracting his hand, he let it slowly slide further up her arm. A small gasp escaped her lips.

"I guess you're probably right." Anyone could walk up at any moment and realize what Elizabeth meant to Ric. He'd become really bad at hiding his feelings ever since the strongest of them became his attraction to Elizabeth Webber. But was it just attraction? He tried to deny it, but Ric knew it had gone far beyond physical desire. He was beginning to care for Elizabeth as much as he cared for. . .

Elizabeth felt Ric pull away from her. She looked toward him to find his glances everywhere but on her. "So, um, the showing last night was great. I had a lot of fun. Thanks for taking me." She couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You're very welcome." He hated toying with her like this, but he couldn't take the chance that someone, like Carly or Faith, would see his feelings for Elizabeth. They would use her as a tool against him. She could be in danger. "But I have to go. I have an appointment." Ric stood to leave the awkward situation he had just created, knowing full well all he wanted to do was stay. "We can continue this later?" He said, more as a question than a statement.

"Definitely." Elizabeth watched as Ric threw on his jacket and practically ran out the door. Did she do something wrong? Why else would he just leave all of a sudden? Elizabeth went back to filling the sugar containers to prevent her perpetual questions from driving her crazy.

TBC