The next day, Elizabeth was sitting at the counter at Kelly's copying down her schedule for the following week. She barely looked up when Courtney entered. She did not want to look up and see Jason walking away.

"Has it been busy?" Courtney asked, eager to have some communication between herself and Elizabeth.

"No, it's been slow all morning." She said, still not looking up.

"What time does your shift end?"

"Ten minutes. But I told Tammy I would cover the late shift tonight because someone called out sick."

"Elizabeth, can we just stop this?" Courtney asked, frustrated.

"Stop what?" Elizabeth asked, finally looking up.

"This-this whatever it is going on between us. I'm not after Jason! And whatever is going on between the two of you, I do not want to be in the middle."

Elizabeth put down her pen and paper.

"Nothing is going on with me and Jason. So if there was something going on between you and him, it would not bother me the slightest." She said, indifferently.

"There could never be anything going on! I'm with A.J.!" Courtney shouted.

Elizabeth was silent for a moment, her eyes focused on Courtney's. She wanted to believe her and put it behind them. But something in Courtney's eyes said something different that what she had been saying.

"You know who you remind me of?" Elizabeth asked.

"Who?" Courtney asked, confused.

"Myself." She said, seriously.

Courtney look confused, "What?"

"When everybody thought Lucky was dead, I went to Jason for comfort, just like you went to him when A.J. was out of town. And so you thought, as soon as A.J. got back you could just lean on him and forget about Jason. But then one day you realize how you still go to Jason, even though the man you say you love has returned. And soon you'll start to sneak around, people will catch you, a few lies will be created, but it will end the same. You'll ruin the relationship you have with A.J. and you'll be free to act on your feelings for Jason. But Jason will just lead you on until he finds the next waitress at Kelly's."

Courtney was shocked, "That is not how it is at all. I love A.J. and Jason and I are just friends."

Elizabeth started to clear some tables, "I said that a lot too. And for a while I even believed it. I convinced myself that it was the truth. But Lucky saw right through it, like I can see right through you."

Courtney said nothing, appalled by the allegations.

"But I'm not upset, I'm just trying to warn you." Elizabeth said, continuing to clear off the tables.

When she was done and had put all the dirty dishes in the sink, and all the garbage was thrown out, she glanced at her watch.

"Oh, time to go." She said, hanging up her apron, "Have a nice shift."

Elizabeth left Kelly's, leaving a very alone and confused Courtney to figure out her feelings.

* * * She had not meant to walk there, but she was there. She had not been there in a while but somehow found herself there. She went inside and looked around, a single picture of her still hung on the wall. The Elizabeth in the picture was smiling, on the verge of laughter. She pulled the picture down off the wall in disgust and wanted to rip it up. At the last minute, she could not, and instead put it in her jacket pocket.

She heard footsteps outside and suddenly became completely still. She went to the corner of the boxcar and waited. The footsteps got closer and soon she could see a hand reach up and grab at the doorway.

She was surprised, and slightly relived, when he stuck his head through.

"Lucky?"

"Elizabeth." He said, questionably, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure, actually." She said, moving away from the corner.

Lucky looked around the boxcar as if trying to remember but he turned to her as if he gave up.

"Why are you here?" She asked, curious.

"I just come here sometimes, when I have nothing to do. I try to remember but it never comes."

"Oh." Elizabeth said, considering leaving.

"What's wrong?" He asked, knowingly.

"Nothing." She said, not wanting to lean on Lucky again.

"Jason?" He asked.

She nodded, "I know that we can never be. I told him that. And I've told myself that. But . . . I miss him."

Lucky sighed, "Just because you cannot be together doesn't mean you cannot be friends."

She sat down in the doorway of the boxcar and he sat down next to her. For a moment she flashed back to a different time, a time where Lucky was all she ever needed. But that was never meant to be. She pushed the thought out of her mind.

"I can't. When I'm around him . . ."She started, but stopped.

"What?" Lucky asked.

"This is too weird."

"It's me, you can tell me anything." He said, pleading with her.

"The night I caught you with Sarah . . ." She started, his face reddened, "I was mad . . . but at the same time, relieved. We did try Lucky, but it was never meant to be. For so long I tried to be the Elizabeth you fell in love with in hopes it would happen again, but I was no longer that girl. And with Jason, I didn't have to pretend. That night, I was so angry, that I almost made a HORRIBLE mistake. But now I look back on it and I wish I had, so I could have at least had one perfect moment with him. But now I'll never have that, I'll never know."

Lucky easily figured out what Elizabeth had alluded too. He was shocked considering one event in her life that he had helped her work through. But he did not question it because he knew she was not that girl anymore.

"Elizabeth, I am the last person to commend Jason . . . but if you are hurting this much then what you have with him is more than just some passing attraction that will fade on it's own. If you don't give it a chance, you'll never know and you'll always feel like this."

"But his life and my life could never work."

"You're mad because he lied, but everybody lies, Elizabeth. You are no exception. He made a mistake by not trusting you, but the guy's job is to be cautious."

"I don't expect him not to lie, Lucky. But how am I suppose to feel when he is gone for days at a time and I have no clue where he is or if he is okay!"

"I don't have all the answers, Elizabeth. But I know that it can work . . . look at Carly and Sonny. As dysfunctional as their relationship is, it works for them."

"But I'm no Carly . . ." She said, laughing slightly.

Lucky draped an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder.

"You're ten times better than Carly, and you deserve to be happy." He said, sincerity in his voice.

She smiled and blushed; he still did that for her.

"Thank you." She said, and then looked down at her watch.

"Oh, I promised my grams that I'd have lunch with her. I should get going . . ." She said, feeling a slight obligation to stay.

"Oh, well tell her hello for me." He said as she jumped down from the boxcar.

"I will." She said, smiling, then turned to leave.

* * * Courtney was cleaning up a table when Jason entered. He said nothing and sat down and she did not know he was there at first. She put the dishes in the dishwasher in the back and came back out into the diner. She instantly met his crystal blue eyes and couldn't help but smile.

But the instant she smiled, she stopped, realizing what she was doing.

"What do you want?" She asked, nonchalantly.

"My usual."

"Black coffee?" She asked, writing it down before he could answer.

"Do you have a break soon?" He asked just as she was about to walk away.

"No, I don't have a break until Elizabeth gets here. Why?"

"Never mind." He said at the mention of Elizabeth's name.

He turned away from her and she went and retrieved his coffee. She set it down in front of him, he nodded thanks, and she started to walk away. But she stopped, turned, and sat down in the chair across from him. She knew it was wrong, she felt guilty, but she had to.

"What's wrong?" She asked, curious.

"The other night was wrong." He said, looking directly at her.

"I agree. I'm married to A.J." She said, her cheeks blushing.

"I know, and I respect that. So, I'm going to get another guard to watch out for you." He said.

"No . . ." She said, letting it out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

"Has something happened?" He asked, concerned.

She was silent for a moment, making sure to analyze everything she said before she let it slip out of her mouth.

"No . . . it's just that A.J. is back so there is no need for a guard." She said, the words came out slowly as if she was unsure.

"No offense, but I would feel better if another guard was there. I know that A.J. would try but you don't know who your dealing with."

She smiled, it made her feel good knowing that he worried about her. But the guilt quickly set in, she jumped up from the chair and voiced an excuse:

"Customer."

He watched her leave, noticing the urgency, and hoped that he was doing the best thing. He finished his coffee, left her payment and a generous tip, then left without saying goodbye.

* * * Elizabeth walked through the park, her mind elsewhere. Her mind drifted back to another time, where she chose Lucky over her own happiness.

**"I don't want to be free, I want to be with Lucky."

"Elizabeth, you can't fix this. You cannot turn Lucky back into the person that you loved."

"He is the person that I love and he always will be."

She turned away, unable to face him. Everything she said, she wanted to be true, but it was far from it.

"Don't you see what's in front of you? The whole world is waiting for you. We could see it together or you could see it alone. Just get away from Lucky and go someplace safe."**

She paused and sat down on the bench. The memories of that night came flooded back and for a moment she felt as if she could not stand the pressure.

**I will be now that I'm clear on what's in my heart. . . something else you gave me."**

She almost cringed at the memory. She had lied to Jason that night, purposely. She had felt an obligation to stay with Lucky. He had come back to her from the dead! He had loved her for so long. They were eachother's first true love. How do you walk away from that?

But that night it had seemed so easy. She had imagined just packing up and running away with Jason. To anywhere, Italy or somewhere new, and living freely and happily.

That night she was clear on what was in her heart, Jason.

She looked up when she heard his approach. She knew it was him as she always did. How ironic of him to show up just when she thought about him.

He tried to walk by and say nothing but she stopped him.

"Jason." She called, standing up from the bench.

He turned and said nothing, but the electricity in his gaze shocked her. She walked closer and he still said nothing, as if he was afraid it was just a dream.

"I was just thinking about that night in the park when you offered me the world, Italy with you, and I chose Lucky."

"You made your choice Elizabeth."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You did what you wanted, for yourself, and no one should apologize for following their heart."

"But that's just it, I didn't follow my heart, Jason. My heart left with you, on the back of your motorcycle." She said, stepping closer.

He said nothing.

"I'm doing it again! Just like before, I'm pushing you away and then trying to take it back. . . I want you in my life, Jason. I miss you when you're not around."

"What do you want?" He asked, his eyes peering into her.

"I want you . . and I know that that's wrong, and it could never work . . ."

"It's not wrong, Elizabeth."

"But it can never be." She said, sadly.

"We never gave it a chance to be." He said.

Just as she was about to answer, his cell phone rang. His eyes looked at it in pure disgust as he pulled it from his pocket. He had been loathing this call.

"Morgan."

"Brenda is at the hospital."

"I'm on my way." He said, and then shoved the phone is his pocket.

"I have . . ."

"To go." She finished for him, cutting him off, distaste evident in her voice.

He looked at her with his eyes as if pleading her to understand. He was about to turn and leave when she called out to him.

"Jason?"

He turned back around to face her, afraid that she would tell him never to look back.

"Can we continue this?" She asked.

"Sure. Later." He said, turning and leaving.

She smiled and started to walk in the opposite direction towards Audrey's house.