Elizabeth rested her hand on the door leading to Rocco's private quarters. God how she missed him. She missed his booming laugh, the warmth of his smile, his companionship, but what Elizabeth missed the most was his protection. She turned the doorknob slowly as she winced in pain that that simple motion caused her. Silently Elizabeth slipped into the room. Nothing there had been disturbed since the day Rocco died. By the looks of the room to the outside world it would have appeared that Rocco Malucci was still alive and well – just in another section of the mansion. Elizabeth took a ragged breath as she settled her body down on the expansive bed. In doing so she was forced to gaze at her battered reflection in the bureau mirror. There was several purple bruises scattered about her face and neck. Anthony had no reason to hide his offenses any longer. With Rocco gone, he had free reign to do as he pleased without any consequences.

Elizabeth gingerly laid her body back against the cool surface of the satin comforter. This was the one room in the house where was still able to pretend she had some semblance of a life. Even the sham of a life Elizabeth had prior to Rocco's death was better than the hell she was living now. If a person could even call what Elizabeth was doing now as living. She felt the tears dampen her face as they slipped passed the corners of her eyes. The previous day's memory of the woman, Anya, on Jason's arm felt like a heavy weight on Elizabeth's chest. The idea that Jason had so easily moved on was more than Elizabeth thought she could bear. Yes, she had pushed him away. Yes, she had been the one to tell him it was over between them, that their being together had been a mistake from the start. She just never expected Jason to forget her the way he had.

"I thought I made myself clear that this room is off limits!" Helena's angry voice startled Elizabeth into a sitting position. "Oh – Mrs. Malucci, I didn't realize it was you."

"That's fine," Elizabeth said as she hurriedly wiped away her tears.

"What are you doing in here?" Helena asked as she tried not to stare at the young woman's bruised features.

"Thinking."

"You miss him very much – don't you?" Elizabeth nodded fearing if she spoke her words would have been drown out by sobs. "I do too," Helena concurred. "This house just isn't the same without him." The older woman knew that was an understatement to say the least. Rocco had been a man of great honor and respect. He treated his employees the same. Whereas his son was the exact opposite. Anthony was rude, crude and a power hungry monster that demanded obedience and if that obedience didn't come in the manner Anthony thought it should there was hell to pay. By the bruises on Elizabeth's face, Helena knew that brutal payment extended to his young wife as well. "Have you had any breakfast?" Helena asked Elizabeth.

"Coffee," she answered.

"Miss, you really need to keep your strength up," Helena said sounding like a mother hen. For what – Elizabeth almost said aloud. There was nothing left for her. Rocco was dead. Jason had moved on. Her father hadn't really cared for her in many years. What did she really have anymore? What did she have to be strong for anymore? "Come with me to the kitchen. I will fix you a nice big breakfast."

"Thank you Helena, but no," Elizabeth replied. "I'm not in the least bit hungry, besides I have to get Rocco's things gathered up. Anthony wants them to be sent to the homeless shelter downtown."

"What!?!" Helena was shocked. "You can't be serious? Mr. Malucci hasn't even been gone a month and ... ..." Helena couldn't fathom the idea of just disposing of her boss' things, at least not yet. It was too soon in her opinion.

"I am," Elizabeth said flatly.

"I'm sure it could wait a few more weeks."

"Anthony wants it done. He said that his father would have wanted his things to go to those less fortunate than he." Elizabeth nearly choked on the lie. That's not what Anthony had said at all but she couldn't bring herself to repeat his true words.

"Oh really, Anthony said that did he?" Helena cocked her brow. She didn't believe a word of Elizabeth's remarks. It wasn't a secret around the estate that Anthony Malucci was enjoying the fact that he was now THE MAN of the house. Helena suspected that he wanted no reminders of his father lying around.

"Yes. I tend to agree. Rocco was a very generous man. I think he would be pleased to know that he was helping others," Elizabeth said with a faint smile.

"Well then at least let me or one of the staff do this. Going through Rocco's things is going to be hard on you I am sure," Helena offered.

"Anthony expects me to do it," the young brunette stated.

"But..."

"Thank you Helena, really, but it's better if I just do it myself. It's better for all concerned," Elizabeth stressed. She was finally beginning to see following orders was better than defying them.

Helena stared at Elizabeth for a minute unsure of what to say next. The vacant defeated look in her deep blue eyes tugged at Helena's heart. The purple bruises only added to the shell shock effect. In Helena's opinion, it was time that Joseph Morgan took some action before there was nothing left of Elizabeth to protect. If Marco wasn't going to deliver the information to his boss, Helena would make the delivery herself. "If you need anything... ..."

"I know where to find you," Elizabeth finished her sentence.

"I mean it," Helena stressed.

"I know you do."

Helena closed the door behind her as she set out to find the man responsible for guarding Elizabeth's well being. Up until now Helena felt he was doing a poor job and intended on telling him as much.

Elizabeth opened the closet doors and stared at the rows and rows of suits lined up before her. The faint smell of Rocco's cologne filtered its way into the room. One by one she removed them from their hanger, folded and placed them in a neat pile on the bed. Once the closet was emptied, Elizabeth made her way to the bureau drawers and repeated the ritual until the surface of Rocco's bed was covered with stacks and stacks of his belongings.

She moved to the night table adjacent to Rocco's bed opening each of the three drawers. It was then that she came across what looked to be a journal, much like the one she had when she was a teenager. Her fingers ran along the tattered leather corners worn from over use. Elizabeth never thought that Rocco would have kept a journal. Easily the book fell open and revealed its yellowed pages. Elizabeth's eyes were drawn to the pretty script that flowed across the frayed sheets. This writing didn't belong to Rocco. It was the handwriting of a woman, a girl even. Elizabeth flipped back to the opening page in the hope that like she used to the author would have scribbled their name and the date. That was not the case however. What Elizabeth did find there was a black and white photo of a rather strikingly handsome young man. She studied the strong lines of his face, his light hair and soulful eyes and immediately Elizabeth's thoughts were drawn to the image of Jason she carried in her head. Tenderly, Elizabeth ran the tips of her fingers over the photo as though she was touching Jason. She positioned herself on the soft carpeted floor and started reading the life and times of who she didn't know yet but was sure that the pages of this book would reveal.

It hadn't taken long for Elizabeth to surmise that this journal belonged to Anna Malucci, Rocco's sister. Elizabeth continued to read as she recalled many of the heart breaking stories that Rocco had relayed to her about his sister's life, yet reading Anna's written words of pain, heartbreak, anger and frustration brought tears to Elizabeth's already damp eyes. She could have easily been reading the tale of her own life. The parallels between Elizabeth and Anna's lives were astounding. Elizabeth looked down at the photo she laid at her side. She knew now that handsome man was Robert. Robert Black had been the love of Anna's life. The love that she had been forced to give up when she married Carlo Rossetti at her father's wishes. Yet Anna hadn't really given Robert up. According to the pages of the journal in Elizabeth's hands, Anna and Robert met in secret for years until one day he failed to meet her. Elizabeth choked on a sob as she read Anna's desperation and loss. From that entry forward the words penned made little sense. Most of them were rantings and ravings for pages on end. There was also gaps of time when not a single word was written for days, even weeks. From what Elizabeth could gather the day that Robert stopped their relationship was the day that Anna stopped living in reality. It was as though Robert was her last thread that tied her to the world around her and without him that world made no difference to Anna any longer.

"Just like me," Elizabeth whispered to the ghosts that surrounded her. The entries suddenly stopped without so much as an explanation. Elizabeth leafed through the remaining blank pages looking for some clue as to what happened to Rocco's sister. That clue came in the form of an unopened letter that had been returned to Rocco. The address read:

Anna Rossetti

Our Lady of Grace Hospital

1812 Tipping Drive

Chicago, IL 90612

As Elizabeth lifted the seal of the envelope what had become of Anna was crystal clear. She had been sent to a hospital, which wasn't really a hospital at all, but rather a sanitarium. The loss of Robert had pushed Anna over the edge into madness. Elizabeth herself was teetering on that very same edge right now. Losing Rocco and Jason was just too much for her to handle. That loss coupled with the isolation Anthony had been successful in creating for her was just enough to have Elizabeth within steps of falling off a cliff.

Elizabeth returned the letter to its resting-place at the back of the journal and placed the book back in the drawer. As she did that her hand brushed against a bottle. She brought the bottle of pills out from under the stack of papers that had been hiding it and read the label. It held the pills Dr. Aber had prescribed when Rocco had been having trouble sleeping some time ago. The bottle was nearly full. Elizabeth recalled Rocco's insistence on not needing them. He must have thrown them in the drawer.

She toyed with the bottle as she thought how nice it would be to sleep and forget all about the world around her. She thought how much she didn't want to suffer the same fate as Anna had. She didn't want to end up locked up in a padded room talking to herself or scratching at the walls searching for an escape. Cautiously, Elizabeth opened the bottle of pills. She let the pink and blue pills roll around in her hand as her brain formed a plan. A plan that would rid her of all her pain, all the isolation that she been battling for years now. There wasn't anyone left to miss her. There wasn't anyone left to care if she lived or died. Her father was off planning and scheming his next big political coo. Anthony was plotting to over throw the powers that be with the families. Rocco was dead and Jason had moved on to his next conquest. There wasn't a person who would care or even notice if she ceased to exist. Elizabeth dropped the pills back in the bottle and replaced the lid before she slipped them into her pocket.

"I'm sorry Rocco," she cried. "I am sorry I wasn't stronger." Elizabeth closed the door to Rocco's quarters. She spied Helena and Marco having a heated discussion at the end of the hallway. "Perfect," she said aloud. This would make it all the easier to slip out of the house unnoticed. Helena was angry about something that Marco had or hadn't done. Elizabeth knew that her tail would be occupied for quite some time with Helena in that sort of mood. It would give her ample time to make her getaway.

Elizabeth slid behind the driver's sear of her car just a bright flash of lightening split the evening sky. Elizabeth's BMW made its way out of the drive before anymore even realized that it was gone. As she drove deeper into the heart of Chicago and farther away from her prison, Elizabeth didn't know where she was really going though her car guided her. It was taking her straight to where she had always longed to be. It was carrying her to a place where for one last time she could feel close to Jason, feel close to her one true love.

She parked the car several blocks away from the Drake Hotel and began walking in the rain. As the rest of the world scurried around trying to avoid the pelting raindrops, Elizabeth walked slow and steady to her destination. She opened the door to the secret entry of Jason's penthouse and followed the corridor like she had done so many times before. She rode the tiny elevator until it stopped and she stepped out into the living room of the penthouse. It was dark and quiet. Elizabeth turned on a small lamp resting on the desk. It cast a soft glow as she made her way to the bar. Taking the bottle of sleeping pills from her pocket, she placed them on the bar as she reached for a bottle of champagne. The cork popped loudly as some of the bottle's pale contents escaped onto the lacquered surface. She took each bottle in her hands and walked to the large leather sofa. Elizabeth took a long gulp of the sweet fruity liquid as her hands caressed the supple leather. How many time had she and Jason made love in that very spot. She closed her eyes and let those beautiful memories entertain her.

A flash of white light lit up the room and the crash of thunder soon followed. Elizabeth yelled back as the next wave of thunder rumbled through until she felt as though she was down to her last breath. With a steady hand Elizabeth opened the bottle of pills and dumped them into her hand. She had been traveling down a road to nowhere for so long she knew it was time to finally escape it all. She brought her hand to her mouth taking in the pills in one full gulp following them with the champagne. She could feel them sliding down her throat into the pit of her stomach.

She expected to be frightened but she wasn't. All she felt was relief. She knew that it all would be over soon. As she looked back on her life there were so many mistakes to reflect on. So many roads that should have never been taken but she had always thought that road she had found with Jason would lead her some where, some where in his grace. She had foolishly believed that Jason had been heaven's way of saving her. Here she was standing six feet from the edge thinking that maybe six feet wasn't so far down after all. She had nothing left to lose she thought as she finished off the bottle of champagne. Elizabeth crossed the living room and headed for Jason's bedroom. She recalled the first night he had brought her there. How she watched the waters of Lake Michigan lapping the shore. Now she watched the waves caused by the storm beat against the sand. That's how she felt, like the sand being beaten down time and time again by a force beyond its control. Everything in her life had been beyond her control for so long now Elizabeth couldn't remember a time when she powered her own destiny. That was all about to change tonight. The end of her life, that was within her command. The combined effect of the sleeping pills and champagne was beginning to work its magic. Elizabeth lay across the king-sized bed, as her eyes grew heavy. Suddenly she wanted desperately to hear Jason's voice. The last thing she wanted to hear before she left this world was Jason's voice.

Elizabeth fumbled with the phone as she tried to recall Jason's cell phone number. Her mind was filled by fog. Finally the last number was dialed and the line began to ring through. "Morgan." Jason's husky voice met her ear. For a moment she savored its sound. "Morgan," he repeated.

"Jason," Elizabeth's voice was barely a whisper.

"Elizabeth?!?" Jason was stunned. He had spent the previous night worried out of his mind. Not only was he worried about what Anthony had in store for her but also by the fact that she had thought that he had forgotten about her so quickly. "How are you?" he questioned.

"I'm fine," she answered almost in a sing song manner.

"Elizabeth?" Jason knew that something about her tone was off. "What's the matter? What's going on? Did Anthony hurt you?" Jason fired out question after question. Elizabeth chuckled at them all. Where should she even begin to explain? "Elizabeth!!" Jason shouted. "Honey where are you? Are you all right? I'll come and get you. I promise that I will take care of you."

"It's too late for you to take care of me. I can take care of myself. As a matter of fact I already have."

"What are you talking about Elizabeth? What do you mean you have already taken care of yourself?" Jason couldn't hide the panic in his voice. Wild thoughts ran rampant through his head as to exactly all the meanings behind her words.

"I really loved you Jason," she gasped.

"I love you too, Elizabeth." He didn't like the past tense of her statement. "Baby, please let me help you," Jason pushed down the cries that hung in his throat. "Where are you baby?"

"I don't need anyone's help anymore. I will be fine. I am fine."

"You don't sound fine."

"I want you to know Jason that I am so grateful for you. I will always remember you – remember the little bit of joy I shared with you. I'm sorry – so sorry... ..."

Those were the last words Jason heard Elizabeth speak. "ELIZABETH... ... ELIZABETH... ... ELIZABETH!!!" Jason screamed into the phone over and over again. "DAMN IT!!!!"