Pg5

Pacing the floor of her grandmother's living room, Sarah waits for her parents to return her call, knowing it wouldn't take them too long to reach out once they got the message. With Elizabeth putting down roots in Port Charles of all places, she just couldn't wrap her head around why she'd ever do something like that. It made no sense.

Seeing as Elizabeth's never been to Port Charles, not even allowed to come along when Grandfather passed away, Sarah just doesn't get why she'd choose this town to open an art gallery. The day that Elizabeth walked away from the family for good, Sarah was convinced that she'd never see her again. For her to sneak her way into their hometown, Sarah just needs her parents to fix this. Port Charles is her home! Hers!

"For goodness sake, Sarah, it is too dang early for your insistent pacing," her grandmother, Audrey Hardy, snaps at her. "Your parents will call when they're good and ready."

"I'm sorry, Grams, but I just don't get why she'd choose this town," Sarah stops in her tracks to face her grandmother. "She could have chosen anywhere in the world. Why here? Why now?"

"I think you've answered your own question already," Audrey says plainly, moving to sit on her recliner with the day's newspaper. "She had the choice and she made the choice. The why is irrelevant."

"How can you be so nonchalant about this?" Sarah looks at her in disbelief. "This isn't her home, Grams, this town isn't hers! She doesn't belong here."

"Clearly Elizabeth believes otherwise," Audrey says simply. "If you're going to continue this little outburst of yours, do so in your room, I'd like some peace and quiet now."

"Grams!" Sarah blurts out, not understanding why her grandmother is literally unbothered by Elizabeth's sudden reappearance.

"Or you could always move out," Audrey's tone remains leveled, not entertaining Sarah's outburst in the lease, simply turning to the next page in the paper. "You have the means and are way past the age to start living on your own."

"Ugh, forget it," Sarah throws her hands up in the air before stomping off to her bedroom to wait for her parents' call.

"Yeah, that's what I figured," Audrey mumbles to herself before letting out a deep sigh. "Only a matter of time now...only a matter of time."

Closing the newspaper and setting it aside, Audrey rises to her feet to walk over to the mantelpiece, lifting her late husband's picture into her hands. A soft smile touches her lips, she looks at him longingly, wishing more than anything that he could have been here to see this day. She isn't sure how he knew, but he was adamant that this day would come and, sure enough, it has.

With a single choice, that young woman has sent a change into motion that Audrey's certain she's not at all aware of, but a change that Audrey's looking forward to seeing play out. Placing a soft kiss on his image, she places the photo back on the mantel before heading off to his old study, deciding that she should get things started. Her husband's last wishes before he passed. Finally, she'll be able to honor them. Finally.

"Finally!" Sarah exclaims into the phone, it wasn't her parents but it was close enough. "What took you so long to get back to me?"

"I have a life," her brother, Steven, replies plainly as his only explanation. "What's with the 911?"

"Did you not listen to any of my messages?"

"No," Steven says honestly. "And I'm not about to. Just tell me what's going on."

"Elizabeth's in Port Charles," Sarah fills him in, deciding not to argue about him never listening to her messages. "Can you believe that?"

"It's a free country," Steven points out. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Steven!"

"What?"

"You can't be serious," Sarah says seriously. "Port Charles is OUR hometown, Steven! OURS, not HERS!"

"And?"

"And?! What do you mean and?"

"Just that," Steven's tone takes on his usual tone when dealing with her many outbursts when she feels like she's been wronged. "Elizabeth's free to do as she pleases. Why should I care that she's in that town? Her life is her own. What she does with it is none of my concern."

"Steven, my god, can you be serious for one minute?" Sarah growls out. "You may not live here anymore, but this is still my home! She doesn't belong here."

"Did I miss the memo?"

"What?"

"Did I miss the memo that said you bought Port Charles?" Steven questions seriously. "With that kind of purchase, I'm sure it would have made national news...so, tell me, did I miss the memo?"

"Wh-wha...no! Of course not, but that's beside the point..."

"No, I'm pretty sure that's the main point," Steven counters. "Unless you purchased the town and closed it off to outsiders, people are allowed to move in and out of it without your say-so, that includes Elizabeth."

"Would you stop?" Sarah groans, her head seriously aching the longer her brother goes on. "Even if you couldn't care less about what she does, you should at least care about how this affects me. This is my home. She doesn't get to just come into town and open an art gallery in my hometown!"

"Look, unless this situation turns into a life or death situation, I have to get back to work," Steven replies simply, knowing that this conversation wasn't going anywhere, having more important things to tend to. "I love you. Goodbye."

"Stev...dammit," she groans when the line goes dead, dropping down onto her bed and tossing her phone to the side.

Sarah doesn't even know why she bothered calling Steven about any of this. It's always the same with him. Don't get her wrong, she loves her brother endlessly, he's practically her hero, it's just that she wishes he'd at least try to care about the things that matter to her. Was that really too much to ask for? Honestly. Elizabeth popping up in her hometown throws Sarah's whole world out of balance. Made evident by Emily's reaction to the news that she even had a sister, to begin with. Lord only knows what's going through Lucky's mind in regard to that. The last thing she needs is for Elizabeth to come barging into her life and take center stage where Sarah rightfully belongs.

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Emily was barely out of bed when she got a call from her grandfather, barely making anything out past instructing her to get to the estate, leaving her confused about what had him so flustered. Deciding that it was best to get to the estate and figure it out sooner rather than later, she gets washed and changed as quickly as she can manage before heading downstairs to let her husband know she had to head out early.

"Not before breakfast," Nikolas says to her as he pulls out a chair for her.

"But my grandfather..."

"Will keep until you've had breakfast," Nikolas counters, giving her a nod to take a seat. "The sooner you eat, the sooner you can go about your day."

"Okay," she relents, knowing that she really should eat before she heads out. "You'll drive me to the estate once I'm done?"

"Of course," Nikolas says before kissing the top of her head. "I'll happily be of service."

"Okay then."

Leaving her grandfather's outburst to the side for the moment, Emily allows herself to relax and enjoy a comfortable breakfast with her husband, knowing she'll have enough time to stress over what has her grandfather so bothered. Once they are done eating, Nikolas upholds his end of the deal, riding the boat with her into town before driving her to her family's estate. Instantly regretting bringing her there when her grandfather starts in about something almost unintelligible.

"Whoa, catch your breath, Edward," Nikolas says as he slightly blocks his wife from her grandfather. "What's this about?"

"At least let Emily take a seat in the family room, father," Emily's father, Alan, chimes in as his wife trails after him. "She's in no condition to be questioned in the foyer."

"What's this about?" Emily asks her father as her grandfather grumbles and makes his way back into the family room.

"This came in the mail this morning," her mother, Monica, explains, taking her place by Alan's side. "Your grandfather has it in his mind that your friend had a hand in it."

"I don't understand," Emily says as she opens the envelope, finding what looked like a business bid that had been ripped to pieces, turning the envelope to see a simple 'Thanks but no thanks'. "I don't know what this means, but I know Sarah had nothing to do with it."

"How are you so sure?" Monica questions as they make their way into the family room.

"Because Sarah has nothing to do with her younger sister," Emily says definitively. "I can't tell you why that person would mail you a torn up bid, but I do know Sarah would never do this."

"Am I to believe that girl showing up and grilling me has nothing to do with receiving this in the mail soon after?" Edward barks, growing tired of the back and forth. "This town has not seen a development this big in quite some time. It's the kind of development that our company specializes in! Do you realize the kind of funding we could acquire if ELQ could monopolize the contracts for this development?! Do you?"

"That's enough, Edward!" Monica snaps. "Emily has nothing to do with the owner nor does she control whether or not you get those contracts! For goodness sake, she's your granddaughter, not your employee!"

"It's okay, mom, really," Emily puts a gentle hand on her mother to ease her concern. "Really, grandfather, I have no idea what this is about or why they'd be so callous as to send you your bid back in pieces, but I'll do what I can to get to the bottom of it. I swear."

"Right...well..." Edward grumbles for a bit as if his senses have finally returned to him as his eyes settle on Emily. "I'm sorry for going off on you like that...you didn't deserve any of it...I'm sorry."

"That's okay, I know how much getting these contracts means to you," Emily smiles softly, moving to wrap her arms around her grandfather. "I'll look into it and I'll let you know what I find out, okay?"

"Thank you," Edward manages to get out before excusing himself to his den, realizing he's in no state to be around someone as delicate as Emily presently.

Assuring her parents that she's okay and that she'll be fine, Emily allows her husband to take her away from the estate and back to their home, clearly not happy with how her grandfather treated her. Knowing that it affected him to see her treated like that, regardless if that's just how her family is or not, Emily lets him vent it all out, appreciating that he didn't just tear into her grandfather for his treatment of her.

To her, her grandfather's reaction just comes with the territory, nothing new to her, but Nikolas doesn't see it the same way. She knows if it were up to him, she'd never have to deal with her family's outbursts like that, but he accepts that it's her choice. Just like she accepts it's not her place where his family is concerned. Where their children are concerned, however, they've agreed that he has every right to stand his ground with them. Emily assuring him that she'd expect nothing less.

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Tossing her hair up into a loose ponytail, Elizabeth settles on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, laying out the information that Mario prepared for her in regard to reputable businesses she should consider for the gallery. Something that she and Maximus have always had in common is their desire to contract out to up-and-coming businesses and people with good character, more so if they happen to be local, as well.

While the gallery itself is still a ways off, getting started on repairs to the building and surrounding parking lot is bound to take quite a lot of time to finish, so, getting that started now would be best overall. From the look of the place, she wants a company that'll be conscious of their decisions on the repairs. It cannot be the end justifies the means kind of situation.

"Come in," Elizabeth calls out when there's a knock at the door.

"Hey," Francis voices when he steps inside. "You called?"

"Yeah, I was hoping to get your opinion on something," Elizabeth explains, gesturing for him to come in and have a seat. "Jason mentioned that you know this town better than most and I could use the insight."

"Sure," Francis obliges, closing the door before making his way over to take a seat across from her on the floor. "What do you need to know?"

"For context, do you know the old storefront down near Wyndham?"

"Yeah, I know the place."

"Okay, so, I'm going to be opening an art gallery in that building eventually and I need the entire parking lot renovated along with bringing the building up to standard," Elizabeth explains. "There's no definitive timetable, but I'm hoping to have the place set by the end of the year. Mario has it narrowed down to these companies, but no amount of research can honestly tell me the owner's true character."

When it comes to getting things done efficiently, the usual suggestion is to contract out to ELQ's subsidiaries because they pretty much monopolize both manpower and equipment in town, making them viable if you're set on having things done within a specified window of time.

Of course, Francis can clearly see that Elizabeth holds the same belief as Maximus as far as big companies are concerned, as well as Jason's belief where the Quartermaines are concerned, easily kicking them off the list. Looking over the companies before him, he pulls out the only listing he'd personally recommend.

"Smith and Son's hasn't been in business for that long, but they're the closest to what you'd want in a company," Francis explains, handing her the listing. "While the owner was in the life, he held good relations with the Giambettis. He's as upstanding as they come and he doesn't cut corners on anything. Of course, they don't have the manpower to get the job done quickly, so, you might want to factor that in when you make your decision."

"An upstanding, locally owned, family-run business in the early stages of operation with ties to both sides of the track," Elizabeth mulls that over as she looks over the listing. "Sounds like the exact thing I'm looking for. Thanks, Francis."

"Of course, anytime," Francis replies before pulling out his phone to answer it. "Yeah...send him up," he instructs, ending the call before explaining it to her, "Benny's on his way up to see you. Should I send him in when he gets here?"

"That was fast," Elizabeth says as she rises to her feet along with him. "You can send him in."

"You got it," Francis assures, pulling open the door before saying, "If you need any more help, you have my number."

"Thanks," Elizabeth smiles, turning to put the listings away once he leaves, thankful to have his insight on a good place to start. Now to set up a meeting with the owner to get things going.

Soon after, Jason's accountant, Benny, makes his way into the penthouse, greetings exchanged before they get down to business. Jason had told her that he was efficient and that it wouldn't take him too long to get her affairs in order, but she never thought he'd be this quick with it. Not that she was complaining. The faster she can get her financial affairs in order, the sooner she can get things rolling with the gallery.

By the time they were done going over everything, Elizabeth was more than ready for a good meal, deciding that she'd take that time to put her new card to use. With Jason busy with work, she's left to now take the town in on her own, not as interesting as it would be with him, but then again she won't be distracted by him either. And boy was he distracting. Damn near all-encompassing.

Getting changed, she makes her way down to the lobby, checking in with her guard, Cody, to let him know where she'll be heading, knowing it made his job that much easier to keep track of her. With that done, she heads out the door, knowing he'll trail after her at a distance, maintaining a perimeter to ensure her safety.

Elizabeth had to admit that, though it paled in comparison to Italy, the small town sure held its own beauty. With fall setting in, the leaves already starting to turn, she can see the beauty that will soon become the town and she finds that she couldn't wait to capture it in her art. One of the many places she has taken note to capture once fall is in full swing is the local park. That place was truly beautiful.

"Take any open table and I'll be right with you, sweetie," the waitress voices when she walks into the diner, Kelly's, clearly overwhelmed by the lunch rush, her attention pulled to a patron holding up their cup for a coffee refill. "I'll be right with ya, just let me get these orders in, okay?"

"Um, hi, sorry to bother you," Elizabeth catches the waitress as she's heading to put the new set of orders in, a thought hitting her. "I'm not sure what your staffing's like, but I used to be a waitress and I'm still server certified...I don't mind pitching in if you need it."

"Oh, you must be a heaven send," the waitress lets out a sigh of relief. "If you could just top people off, that'd be great and I'll be sure to split tips with you."

"No need," Elizabeth assures. "I know what it's like to be stuck on the lunch rush alone..."

"The name's Tammy," the waitress says as she shakes Elizabeth's hand. "There's an extra apron behind the counter. Thanks again."

Grabbing the apron as Tammy heads to the kitchen to put the order in, Elizabeth grabs the pot of coffee and starts making rounds to top off people's cups, striking up conversations with them as she goes along. Though she definitely didn't intend on being put to work when she set out for the diner, she's definitely not complaining about it.

Something she's learned over the years is that there's no easier way to get to the people of the town than to work at a local diner during the lunch rush. True colors shine through during that hectic period, giving her the chance to get a true feel of the town she's now a part of. Being new to town sure helped her efforts, all the patrons found curiosity in the girl that just popped up to her time without the need for payment.

"Thank god that's over," Tammy exclaims when the last of the patrons leave the diner, the lunch rush finally over. "You sure you don't want to split tips? You worked your tuchus off the whole time."

"I'm sure," Elizabeth assures. "I'm new to town and this helped me get a feel for the locals. I gotta say they sure are a lively bunch."

"That's one word for it," Tammy laughs. "I'm sure you didn't initially come in to be put to work. What can I get you to eat?"

"You're the local, you tell me," Elizabeth counters, plopping down onto the stool as Tammy makes her way behind the counter, handing her the apron she had been using. "I'll take whatever you recommend."

"Girl after my own heart," Tammy says happily, writing out a quick slip to hand to the cook before returning to the counter to talk to Elizabeth as she starts a fresh pot of coffee. "So what brings you to town? Business or pleasure?"

"Both," Elizabeth admits, laughing at the curious look on Tammy's face. "My boyfriend's a local to the town and I'm working to open an art gallery...so, business and pleasure."

"Ah, I heard something about someone opening an art gallery," Tammy replies with thought. "Never thought something that fancy would open up in this wayward town if I were being honest."

"That's fair," Elizabeth accepts. "First time for everything, right?"

"Most definitely," Tammy agrees. "Hell, I've always wanted to check out some cultural stuff and, after today, you'll definitely have a customer in me."

"I appreciate that," Elizabeth replies. "The gallery's not set to open anytime soon, though. I'm still getting a feel for the place."

"Makes sense," Tammy can get behind that, it's always good to get a feel for a place before you put down some roots, her attention pulled to the door when the bell dings. "Take a seat anywhere, Mrs. Hardy, I'll be right with you."

At that name, Elizabeth's body stiffens, swearing that it couldn't be who she thinks it is. There was just no way that the timing could be so against her. Not bothering to look in the woman's direction, she subtly rises from the stool and follows the arrows that'll take her to the restroom, mentally begging the woman not to notice her on the off chance that it is who she thinks it is.

Of course, that was too much to hope for, given her luck, because the woman calls out to her by name. Mentally cursing, she takes in a steady breath before turning to look at the woman. Sure enough, it was her. Audrey freaking Hardy. Though she's never met the woman in person, she's seen pictures of her in her birth family's home, her face unmistakable.


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Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with it and I hope you enjoyed this update. I can't tell you what it is about this couple, but I just can't help writing for them. There's just something unspeakable about them. I don't know. Anyway, thanks again and I look forward to your thoughts on this one. Thanks.