Disclaimer: see chapter 1
A/N: OK, so I didn't think that chapters 2 and 3 would get people as riled up as they did. I wasn't going to update till tomorrow, but found myself without much of a choice. Enjoy!

Kendall would have sworn that time stopped. 'Elizabeth Slater, Elizabeth Slater, Elizabeth Slater' kept running through her head over and over again. Kendall felt like she couldn't breathe and she dropped her head, trying to remember to take in breaths. Elizabeth was next to her in a heartbeat.

"Oh my God, Kendall, are you alright? I shouldn't have just blurted that out, but…"

Kendall looked up at her, tears bright in her eyes. "You said… your name… Elizabeth… Slater?" Elizabeth just nodded and the tears fell down Kendall's face. She buried her head in her hands, sobbing. "He… he said he would wait… I was so mad, but after Ethan… I love him and he didn't wait for me… and he… he moved on and remarried…"

"OH MY GOD" Elizabeth cried. Kendall's head shot up to see Elizabeth laughing. "I'm not his WIFE. Good Lord!"

Kendall just shook her head. "But, you said… Slater, so I just." Elizabeth smiled warmly at her, patting her shoulder. "Kendall, I'm his sister, well, kind of his sister. It's a whole…" Kendall was floored. "You're a Cambias?" Elizabeth just shook her head. "No, I'm a Slater. I'm Zach Slater's sister." Kendall just stared at her in utter confusion, not understanding the difference.

With that, there was a knock at the door. Elizabeth walked over and opened the door. Their food was rolled in and they both stayed silent until the bellhop left. Elizabeth rolled the tray over and set up the food on the table. She sat back down and sighed. "I guess you would like to know." Kendall just nodded. "Fine, but you have to eat. Zach will have my ass if I keep you from keeping your strength up." Kendall grabbed a plate and filled it up quickly, wanting Elizabeth to get on with the story. As she took her first bite, Elizabeth started talking.

It was 15 years ago. Elizabeth was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school. She lived with her parents and her older brother, Zach, at their vineyard in Northern California. Her brother, 10 years her senior, was home from college, running the vineyard with her parents. One afternoon, she was sitting in the office, working on a paper when a man walked in. She looked up and stared at him, not recognizing him.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Zach. Is he around?" Elizabeth picked up the phone and paged her brother. A few minutes later, he came through the back door and stopped in his tracks, staring at the man. "Alex?" he asked and the man nodded. Elizabeth watched the reunion. The men hugged and laughed. Zach pulled back and stared at Alex.

"What are you doing here?"

Alex ran his hand through his hair. "Well, I guess… I had to get out. I could see what my father was starting to do to me, so I had to get out."

"Did you…" Alex just nodded and Zach immediately understood. Elizabeth, on the other hand, did not.

Elizabeth cleared her throat and the two men looked at her. "Someone want to clue men in?" Alex looked down at the younger woman and smiled. "You must be Elizabeth. I've seen lots and lots of pictures of you. I'm Alex Cambias." He stretched his hand out to her. Elizabeth was immediately taken with her brother's friend. Elizabeth shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Alex."

Alex smiled at her and turned back to Zach. "I just…I need a place to…" Zach held up his hand. "You can stay here. C'mon, let's go find Dad."

Elizabeth cornered her mother in the kitchen later that night, wanting to know about the stranger sleeping in the guest room. Her mother explained. Alex and Zach knew each other from college, meeting on the first day of classes. Alex and Zach became attached at the hip, doing everything together. Elizabeth's parents took an immediate liking to Alex and included him whenever they could, since Elizabeth's mother knew Alex's father wasn't the greatest of dads.

"What do you mean?"

Julie Slater set the knife down and turned to her daughter. "Well, I met him one weekend I went to visit your brother. You and Dad stayed here, so it was just me. I ended up going out to dinner with your brother, Alex, and his father. I could immediately tell that Alex was uncomfortable with the whole situation. Hell, he paid more attention to your brother than to his own son that night. Mr. Cambias… well, he just said some creepy things that night, about Alex and the plans for him and about their family… it was just a strange night. That was the only time I met Alex's father, but Zach would tell me stories periodically. Then, they graduated and Alex seemed to fall off the face of the planet. Your brother tried for a year to get in touch with him, to find him, but either messages wouldn't get returned or he would get the run around from staff and employees. Zach eventually gave up and… well, this is the first time your brother has seen him in years."

Elizabeth just nodded and that was all that was ever said about the conversation. Alex ended up staying with them and working with John Slater and Zach at the vineyard every day. Alex wanted to learn every aspect of the business and took to working the front office with Edie, John Slater's office manager.

Life went on for the Slater family. The business was successful, Zach and Alex managed the property while John Slater traveled, selling their product. One of them would always be on site. Sometimes Zach traveled with her father, sometimes Alex would. Those trips always excited Alex – he would come back telling stories and proud when he would make a sell.

It was one of those trips that changed their lives forever. It was a rainy Sunday night. Zach, John and Julie had taken product to a wine tasting expo in Southern California that weekend and were expected back late Sunday night. Alex and Elizabeth were in the living room, Alex watching TV and Elizabeth working on a paper that was due in school the next day. She was a senior and was busting her ass to graduate at the top of her class. This AP paper was a fourth of her grade for the year, so she was concentrating solely on that. She failed to notice how late it was getting and how Alex kept checking the time and glancing out the window, waiting for headlights to illuminate the driveway.

It was close to midnight before lights came up the drive. Elizabeth had fallen asleep on the couch and Alex was standing vigil at the window. He had called Edie about an hour ago, to see if she had heard from the Slaters. She had not, but said for him to call the minute she heard anything. Alex ran through the house and threw open the door to find two state troopers standing there, looking at him with sad eyes. Alex knew in that moment what had happened, knowing that things had just changed completely. He called Edie and she flew to the house. Together, they woke up Elizabeth and told her what happened. She curled up next to Alex, sobbing uncontrollably, trying to process the loss of her entire family in an instant.

Elizabeth, Alex, and Edie banded together, getting each other through the grief. The vineyard had been left to Elizabeth, with the stipulation that she finish college before taking legal control of the business. Alex and Edie immediately agreed to run the vineyard while she finished high school and went to college. So, life went on for the three of them. They quietly celebrated Elizabeth's graduation from high school and moved her to Stanford for college. Elizabeth came home most weekends and on all breaks to help run the vineyard. She had grown attached to Edie and Alex since her family had died, thinking of them as her new family.

It was Christmas break her freshman year. It was a few days after Christmas, which was a slow time for them. Elizabeth was working the front office while Edie ran some errands when the door opened. An older man, dressed to the nines, came waltzing in like he owned the place. Elizabeth immediately got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Can I help you?"

The older man looked down at Elizabeth, sizing her up. "My name is Alexander Cambias. I got word through an associate that a man resembling my eldest son worked here." Alexander pulled a picture out of his pocket and showed it to Elizabeth. It was a picture of Alex and a younger boy, his brother, she assumed. "Is this man here? Have you seen him?" Elizabeth saw Alex rounding the corner toward the front office and watched him stop, frozen in his spot, terror written across his face. He slipped back around the corner immediately. Elizabeth remembered the story her mother had told her when Alex had first arrived and she knew she had to protect him.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm sorry, sir, but no one here resembles this man" she said as she handed the picture back to him. Instead of taking the picture, Alexander grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of her chair. "Are you sure about that?" he hissed at her.

Elizabeth was truly scared in this moment, but she knew she had to protect this man that had kept her going all these months. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I've never seen your son, nor have I ever seen anyone that resembles your son. I know every employee here and a man that looks like him is not among them." Alexander dropped her wrist. Elizabeth stood her ground as the older man turned on his heel and walked out the door. Elizabeth watched him enter the limo and pull away. She waited a few minutes before going to find Alex, wanting to make sure that this man had really left.

She found him in a corner, knees pulled up to his chest, head resting on his knees. Elizabeth slid down the wall next to him. "He's gone" she whispered and he just nodded his head.

"I'm going out on a limb here and guess that that man was the reason you're here." Again, Alex nodded. She tapped him on the shoulder and he finally looked up at her. "OK, so I just got rid of your dad, so now you're going to tell me the story." Without hesitation, Alex launched into the story of his family and why and how he managed to get away from his father. Elizabeth was shocked that someone would go to those lengths to get away from their family, but after meeting Alexander Cambias, she could sympathize.

They sat silently after Alex finished his story. "You need to change your name" she said, breaking the silence. Alex just looked at her. "What?" he asked.

"Alex, it's just going to be a matter of time before someone finds you for real. This was close, and apparently your father doesn't believe you are really dead. You have to change your name and leave."

"I'm not leaving you."

"Alex, you have to consider that…"

Alex just shook his head. "No. I'll change my name, but I gave you and Edie my word that I would stick around and run this place. You aren't dropping out of school. Once you're done, we'll talk, but for now, this conversation is over." Elizabeth just nodded, knowing that fighting with him was futile. Alex smiled at her. "So, what should my new name be?"

It hit Elizabeth immediately. "Zach Slater. Take my brother's name. He would want you to be safe. It's the only way." Alex shook his head, refusing immediately, but after listening to Elizabeth's passionate argument, he finally gave in. So, without much ado and notice, Alex Cambias quietly and quickly became Zach Slater. It took Edie and Elizabeth months before they finally called him Zach and not 'Alex, I mean Zach'.

Elizabeth flew through college, graduating a semester early. After graduation, she came back and immediately received an offer from someone who wanted to buy the vineyard. It was very successful and Edie and Zach had been turning down offers for years, wanting Elizabeth to make the final decision. After much talking between the three of them, they agreed, but only if Zach agreed to split the money equally with Elizabeth. She knew of his plans to own gaming facilities, so she made Zach promise to take the money and Edie and start his business. Zach tried to protest, but Elizabeth was resolute. She wanted to travel and she wanted to know that Zach and Edie were taken care of, and this was the only way. Two months later, all was settled and they moved on, Elizabeth leaving for Europe and Zach and Edie traveling to Las Vegas to start the casino. Elizabeth and Zach stayed in constant contact, seeing each other as time and location permitted.

Kendall was stunned. Her food got cold as Elizabeth told her this story. Hearing about what Zach did for Elizabeth only made her love him even more.

Elizabeth sighed, looking at Kendall. "So, Edie called me after Ethan died and gave me the run down. I told her to keep me postedand to let me know if I was needed, which she did four days ago. So, that's why I'm here."

Kendall could barely process all this information when the next question came from Elizabeth. "So, Kendall, I guess my question to you is, now what?" Kendall could only stare, looking at Elizabeth's expectant face, waiting for an answer that Kendall was struggling to find.

TBC…