Elizabeth followed Jason as he quietly walked along the side of the house. The full moon that shone tonight was causing their shadows to play eerily along the beautiful wood building. She had no idea what kind of rancher his sister married but obviously he was a very successful one. Jason had announced earlier that day that they had entered the Alcazar spread and it took them until dusk to come within viewing distance of the lingering cows. He had purposely waited until well past midnight to attempt any entrance.
What had started out as a two day journey to his sister's ranch quickly had turned into three and then four. Jason refused to ride double with her and she couldn't make herself argue with him. She wanted to get to wherever he was taking her as quickly as possible but the thought of any man climbing up behind her made her stomach revolt. She had to suffer through it with White Bear; if she could help it she would not allow another man to touch her ever again.
It was at the end of the second day that Elizabeth realized she might have to give in and allow Jason to lead the horse. She had little to no riding skills and he probably would have gotten them there a lot quicker, knowing when to push the horse to its limits and knowing when the animal needed to slow down. Instead of being the cowboy that she knew he probably was, he allowed the animal to keep a slow and steady pace. She had wanted to move faster but she couldn't get up the courage to tell him otherwise and when she finally did he revealed his secret in slowing down. Today the cowboys would be receiving their pay for the month and mostly every hand on the ranch would be in town drinking it away. There would be less people to spot them and he knew for her, the less there was, the better.
She was expecting to wake up from this horrid nightmare at any moment. She was hoping that she would find herself in her frilly pink room back east under her mounds of covers instead of watching Jason slowly turn the handle on his sister's front door. She would give anything to be listening to Mary Webber's stern disapproval of her daughter's behavior instead of sneaking into a stranger's foyer and depending on a man she didn't know. But she was here, her parents were dead and she was forced to trust strangers until they could deliver her unto her Aunt Laura. Moments like this she wished that the savages had killed her.
"I need you to stay here," Jason said quietly as he led Elizabeth over to a couch, "I'm going to wake my sister and her husband up and I'll bring them down to you. I'll make sure we can get you a bath as soon as possible and some clothes for you to change in to. You can decide if you want to rest or bath first just let me…"
"Bath," she said softly as she ran her hands up and down her still bruised arms, "I need a bath."
It had been days since that man had tried to attack her in the desert but she could still feel his grimy hands all over her body, worse still, no matter how many dips she took in the freezing river near White Bear's tribe, she still felt the savages touch on her skin. She wondered if that feeling would ever go away.
"I'll be right back," he said and turned only to hesitate, "Are you going to be alright by yourself?"
"I just want to get this over as quickly as possible," she said.
Elizabeth watched him nod and then as silently as he made his way into the house, he managed his way upstairs. She didn't want to meet anyone new. She didn't want to see the look of disgust in his sister and brother-in-law's eyes. She wanted desperately to be at her Aunt's house, hiding away in one of the large bedrooms, refusing to face society again. She knew she wouldn't have that problem. Once she stepped foot in Charlesville they would shun her for the squaw that she now was.
Pushing all thoughts out of her head, Elizabeth squinted in the dark and tried to absorb the room that she was standing in. It was a large living area that could be considered the living room or the family room. It looked like it was used often so she assumed that this was where Jason's sister entertained her guests. The furniture looked familiar, like something that Elizabeth had seen back east. It merely cemented the thought that Jason's family was very well off.
She ran her fingers along the dark wood as she wandered around quietly. With no lights on, it was pitch black, from here all the way to the city. Even with candle light she wasn't sure you could see more than an inch or two in front of your face. The moon was bright but it wasn't anywhere near the windows. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself, wondering what was taking Jason so long.
She sighed and turned to move towards the stairs when she felt it, a presence behind her, but as always, it was too late. The arm came around her waist and slammed her back against his body. He was massive and she could feel his muscles bulging against her as he held her too him. Her flailing legs did nothing to ease his tight grip. She opened her mouth to scream but she soon found his hand clamped over it. His arm moved slightly upwards, brushing against her breasts as his right hand came closer to her chin and then she heard the click of the gun before she felt it pressed against her jaw.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you," he hissed in her ear.
Elizabeth refused to give up. She tried to bite him, she continued to struggling against him even as she felt the hysteria take over. This couldn't be happening again, God couldn't be this cruel as to thrust another filthy heathen upon her. She couldn't give up, she had come so far and Jason was only a few yards away from her. She heard the man grunt as he fought to keep his hold and that made her fight him off all the more. She didn't care that he had a gun. She would rather be dead than have to live with another rape. Finally, her booted heal connected with his shin and he released her with a loud curse. She darted for the door but he was right behind her, grabbing her and pulling her back to him.
"You little…"
In the struggle, Elizabeth lost her hat, her dark waves tumbling down past her shoulders and her flannel shirt had been ripped open. Once again her soul was tattered into shreds. She didn't notice that the man had backed away, she didn't hear the thundering on the stairs; she just felt herself slid to the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and cried as she fought the urge to regurgitate.
"Elizabeth," Jason whispered as he crouched down in front of her, "Elizabeth, your okay, your safe now, I'm right here."
"Elizabeth," Lorenzo said looking at his wife as she hurried to his side, "Elizabeth…" his wife's pale face confirmed it, "Oh my god."
"Elizabeth, look at me, please," Jason whispered as his hands gently cupped her face and forced her eyes to meet his, "Lorenzo had no idea, your disguise was that good. He thought you were a boy, he thought you were trying to rob him. He wasn't trying to hurt you, Elizabeth. Elizabeth?"
"I didn't," Lorenzo said quietly as he disengaged the gun and looked at Emily, "I never imagined that he would…"
"Neither did Jason," Emily whispered as she watched her brother help the woman back to her feet, "I need to prepare a bath for her. I'm going to use the one in the kitchen. It would take too long to set up the one upstairs and Jason made it sound like she needed one right away," she turned back to her brother as he spoke quietly to the younger woman, "Will you stay with him? I don't think that it's a good idea that he's alone."
Lorenzo nodded, "Tell her I am sorry. I would never…"
"I know," Emily whispered as she squeezed her husband's arm, "I'll make Elizabeth aware of that too," she stepped forward and offered a sad smile to the woman who seemed so close to her brother and yet physically stood a few feet away, "Elizabeth, would you like to come with me to the kitchen so that you may take a bath? I have some fresh clothes for you to slide into although they may be a bit long on you."
Jason hated the fear that he saw in her blue eyes when she looked up at him. She wanted a bath but she hated the thought of going anywhere by herself. Yes, Emily would be with her, but Emily was a woman, just as vulnerable as she. Jason also knew that if he went with Elizabeth she would never be able to bathe she hoped that he could offer her a compromise.
"I'll stand at the door," he said, "If you need me, you scream, you scream so loud the whole county will hear you and I will come running. Emily even has some of that scented soap I heard that women liked."
"Okay," she whispered and nodded. She walked over towards Emily, making a wide berth of Lorenzo, but then paused when she reached the door that lead into the kitchen, "I'm sorry that you thought I meant to harm you and your family. I'm sorry that I upset you."
Lorenzo felt his mouth fall open and he quickly tried to recover. He scared her, he had thrown this woman back into a horrible time where she was abused and tortured by humans that had no right to walk this earth and yet she was apologizing to him.
"I'm sorry to you Miss Webber," Lorenzo said, "I hope that my home will be able to provide you with some comfort."
Elizabeth didn't say anything; she just turned around and pushed open the door, not even waiting to see if Emily followed her. Lorenzo watched his saddened wife hurry behind the bruised and broken woman before he turned to Jason. He didn't recognize the man that was soothing Elizabeth's damaged soul but he was familiar with the one that stood before him; the gun slinger that was out for blood.
"I apologize, Jason," Lorenzo said, "I would have never…"
"It's not you," Jason said in a clipped voice, "It those damn bastards that did this to her. I want to hunt them down and skin them alive, each and every one of them. The last one who tried to hurt her was lucky that all I did was shoot him."
Lorenzo knew that everyone would be rallying around Elizabeth, helping her put the pieces of her life back together and hoping to get her merged into society so she could at least feel somewhat normal again. No one would think twice about the hardened man that found her. Jason Morgan was bitter about life before he encountered Elizabeth Webber, Lorenzo wasn't sure if the man would ever be able to get over this.
"Sit down," he said as he motioned towards the couch, "Try to relax as much as you can."
Jason removed his hat and sank down to the couch, his hand rubbing his face, "I won't be able to relax. I won't be able to have a moment's peace until Elizabeth starts to get better."
Lorenzo stared at his brother-in-law, "That could take a very long time."
Jason's eyes moved back to the door, "I've got all the time in the world when it comes to her."
Kristina Lansing felt a small smile grace her lips as she gazed down at the couples who were out for an evening stroll. The town that she was in was not much large than Charlesville but it did provide more entertainment and had a handful of restaurants, not more than saloons, but she wasn't sure there was a western town that could boast that.
She let the curtain fall back into place and turned back to her empty room. There were two candles that were lit which provided a soft glow in the small hotel space that she and Lu had rented for the evening. Right now, Lu was in the hotel restaurant, dining with Michael Corinthos enjoying herself immensely. Kristina however, had nothing more than a dime novel to curl up with and fancy dreams that one day someone would take her out for an evening stroll.
She sighed pitifully as she felt herself sink down on the edge of the bed. And every time she thought of that special someone she thought of Lucky Spencer. She knew that it couldn't be helped. She had developed a crush on Lucky when she was a young girl and he allowed her to chase him around across the barren land. He was adventurous, caring, humorous and had the most beautiful blue eyes that any girl could get lost in. She was heartbroken when Lu told her that she was leaving town to get her education back east. Kristina knew that not only was she losing her best friend but she was losing Lucky as well. She knew that she had to grow up sometime but the age of fourteen seemed all too soon. Here she was, four years later, just shy of her eighteenth birthday and still dreaming about the brown haired boy whose smile lit up her world.
Shaking those sad thoughts out of her head, Kristina decided she would rest up before Lu arrived back at the room. She knew that her best friend would keep her up most of the night chattering about her evening and Kristina didn't want to be nodding off while she was doing so. She had pulled the covers back on her bed when she heard a knock on the door. Turning to the nightstand she noticed that there was only one key there, meaning that Lu had taken the other one.
She moved slowly towards the door, cautiously, her hand hovering near the knob, "Who is it?"
"A lonely cowboy drifting through town hoping he can find a nice lady who will share his company over a meal of dry steak and potatoes," Lucky smiled when Kristina's red head appeared at the door, "Hopefully the steak isn't too dry."
"What are you doing here?" Kristina asked with a small laugh. She couldn't even begin to describe the bubble of happiness that was welling inside of her.
"It's the first of the month," Lucky said as he leaned against the door jam, "The cowboys get paid and find the quickest way into Charlesville, or here, to spend their money on beer, women and a few game of cards," he grinned, "Lorenzo decided I had to earn my pay so I'm just here for the company."
"And the steak," Kristina smiled softly.
"Yeah but mostly the company," he said as he pushed himself away from the door, "I don't have much, certainly not enough to take you down there," he said motioning with his thumb behind him, "But there's Ma's Place down the way, I heard she has some great beef stew and some kind of chicken someone was rambling about. There won't be any candles."
"I already have some in my room."
"And you won't be able to dress fancy."
"Who wants to dress up?"
"You do," he said, "You lit up the entire room the night of Lu's welcome home party. I swear if you would have gotten any more beautiful my eyes would've started hurting."
Kristina blushed and laughed nervously, "Did you learn that sweet talk from the cows?"
"No," Lucky said shaking his head, "Not from the cowboys either. So what do you say? Would you like to have dinner with me? Maybe go for a stroll afterwards. I promise that we'll stay within view of everyone else and I won't even think of compromising you."
Kristina nodded as she walked back into the room and grabbed her key. She then leaned down and blew out both of the candles before she returned to Lucky's side and pulled the door closed behind her. She slipped the key into her worn skirt pocket and started to walk ahead of him.
"You tell me that I'm improper," she said as she looked over her shoulder with a small smile, "I think a little bit of compromising is in order."
"It was just amazing to see all these wonderful things," Lu said excitedly before she took a small sip of her water and then continued. "I mean the railways that they started there, the buildings, the markets they were putting up and oh, two years ago, they caught this enormous whale in the Delaware. I mean can you imagine Michael, a whale! And I couldn't even begin to describe the beautiful ships that were moving in and out of port. I don't think I've ever seen anything as amazing as a ship before. The large white sails look like huge clouds from afar."
Michael smiled across the table from her as he watched her do what every other female he knew did, pick at her food, "It sounds like you miss Philadelphia very much and that you didn't miss Charlesville at all."
Lu's smile faded as she looked down at her food, "I didn't mean it that way. I missed parts of Charlesville, I missed my family, my friends," she looked back up at him with her radiant smile, "I missed you."
"I'm sure you didn't think twice about me with all those eastern boys fluttering around you with poetic phrases and beautiful flowers," he said, "I bet you forgot all about this horrible western world and vowed to yourself to stay away forever."
"Oh Michael," Lu laughed softly, "Those men don't compare to you. I'd reject all of their fancy roses for just one of those wild flowers you gave me earlier. And I'd turn a deaf ear on all their phony phrases just to have you smile at me. I didn't want to come back home. I only did at the request of my mother and father but I'm glad that I did. I wanted to see everyone again. I wanted to see you. I just…" she forced a smile and looked down at her hands, "I can't imagine spending the rest of my life in this land. I can't imagine going on without afternoon teas and socials and Saturday night balls," she looked up at him hesitantly, "Can you?"
"I've never been to a tea party," he teased, "But I understand what you're asking. You want to know if I'm okay with living here for the rest of my life," he shrugged, "I remember the east. I remember the booming businesses and the hustle and bustle of everything. I remember the whispered rumors of war and the warm society ladies that my mother was a part of. I do miss our old way of life but I know that I can't get that back, I never will with my mother dead," he let out a small laugh, "I didn't really think about going back east until that mail carriage arrived into town a little over a month ago and you stepped off it. Now I'm interested to see what the east has to offer."
"Do you…do you know what your saying?" Lu asked, "Michael I don't want to pressure you into anything but I do need to leave before winter arrives and I would like it very much if you came with me," she practically beamed at him, "This is all happening so fast and I don't want you to…"
"If things work out like I plan I want to marry you, Lesley Lu Spencer," Michael said as he reached across the table and took her hand, "Right now, I'll settle for courting, and when we get back east if you find someone else that you desire more than me I'll move on like a man should."
Lu squeezed his hand, "We still have a couple of months to decide. I don't have to go back until November and while I didn't plan on staying that long I need to for my mother. That will give you plenty of time to decide whether or not you want to venture that far away from your father."
"Playing cards isn't as fun as it use to be," Michael said, "I'd rather go back east and try my hand something else and hopefully win yours in the process," he brought her hand to his lips and placed a small kiss on it, "I'm glad that you outgrew your cowboy phrase. I feared I might lose you to one of them."
"A cowboy?" Lu laughed as she withdrew her hand from his, "What would ever give you the impression that you were going to loose me to anyone, a cowboy no less?"
"I saw the reaction you received when you arrived at the Alcazar spread," Michael said, "They were polite and reserved but everyone of them was eyeing you, especially the new hire, Johnny O'Brien."
Lu couldn't explain the rapid beat in her heart at the mention of Johnny but she cleared her throat and gave Michael the best smile that she could surmise, "I can assure you that you will not lose me to some dusty man, especially Mr. O'Brien."
"Good," he grinned as he took a sip of his drink, "Because while I like my father's friend I don't like the idea of him trying to win you over."
"That is something you will never have to worry about," she said as she went back to her meal.
Lu didn't understand why her thundering heart was having a hard time listening to her head.
Samantha smiled as she looked around the room that she was seated in. Sonny had made plans earlier in the day for them to have dinner at the hotel diner. It was the finest place in town to eat and while he had yet to say anything more, she was sure that he had booked their finest suite as well.
Life had turned into a whirlwind over the past few days. Ever since Sonny had declared that he wanted to start courting her, her life at the saloon had taken a drastic change. She was no longer escorting men up to her bedroom for an hour of fun. She wasn't cozying up with the business men or cheering up some lonesome cowboy. The pinches on her backside and coin slipped between her breasts stopped happening and she found Michael Corinthos pulling her over towards his Blackjack table more often than he should. She knew that Sonny had made it very clear that Samantha McCall was no longer just a whore; she was now his woman. And while this was something that Sam's heart had been hoping for, she was having a different reaction all together.
The people in town still looked at her as if she was cheap. The girls at the saloon were pulling further away from her company. Courtney was the only one who held a decent conversation with her and that was because the blond didn't know any better. Sonny spent nearly every waking minute that he had with her and when he couldn't he made sure that she was taken good care of until he returned. She had become the doted upon woman that she had always dreamed about but something was lacking, something very important. Looking across the table and seeing that Sonny's eyes were wandering around the room and not lingering on her she was realizing what it was; the ghosts were still dancing between them.
"You don't need that," Sonny has brought his gaze back to her long enough for him to realize that she was fiddling with the shawl she carried on this late September night, "It's warm out tonight, Sam. It's even warmer in here. You can take it off."
She gave him a sad smile, "I have no decent attire for this kind of place Sonny. I would have tired to buy a dress if I thought Mrs. Peterson would have allowed me into her store. The only suitable thing I could wear was on of my dresses and while from the waist down it's fine the bodice is not fit for the public eye. I have to wear this. I don't mind."
"I do."
"Sonny, please," she said leaning across the table to lower her voice, "You know that people are not going to start accepting me overnight. I'm a whore. They can't just welcome me into their mists."
"Sam," Sonny's fist clenched and came down on the table but he was cut off from whatever he wanted to say by the waiter. He managed to swallow his angry bark and order the steak before the man turned towards Sam.
She should have sensed the trouble when it first came to the table. She hadn't been in this business that long but long enough to know when someone was attracted to her and wanting more than she was willing to give, more than Sonny Corinthos would allow this waiter to have. She pretended to ignore his heated glare and looked down at the menu before her.
"I'll have the roasted chicken entrée," she said quietly as she shut it and pushed it towards him, "That's all and thank you."
The waiter smirked as he took the menus and then leaned down towards Sam. She closed her eyes as she felt him inch closer. She didn't blame for thinking that he had every right to hit on her. After all, didn't Sonny take her to the Spencer party for that very reason, to parade her around and show the good citizens what his saloon had to offer? She was surprised to find Sonny's tumbler slam against the table, causing the plates and silverware to bounce.
"If you would excuse us, my date and I would like to spend some time alone," Sonny said through gritted teeth.
His voice was enough warning for the waiter and Sam wouldn't be surprised if someone else would be delivering their food to them. She sighed heavily as she fiddled with her napkin on her lap and tried to fight the tears that threatened to overcome her. She knew that this would never work and she had no idea why she even tried.
"Sonny, I think…"
"Don't say it," he said as he placed his napkin across his own lap, "I know what you are going to say and I don't want to hear it."
"It has to be said," Sam said as she leaned closer to him, "This isn't…"
"You wanted this," Sonny snapped and looked around him before lowering his voice, "You wanted this as much as I do and I don't know why you're giving up so damn soon. I've sensed this from the moment we got back from the diner a few days ago. Sure it's going to be hard, life's hard, but we deal with it. We'll deal with this."
"There is no 'we' here," Sam said as she fought the emotion that threatened to creep up in her voice, "I am the one who gets stared at, I am the one who will never be good enough for you, I am the one who gets brushed aside, doors slammed in her face, whispered about. You are the businessman Sonny; you will always have a place in society. These women think that I'm not even fit to wash their clothes."
"All this time I was beginning to think you actually cared for me," Sonny said quietly before he took a long sip of his bourbon.
"I do care about you," Sam said and longed to reach for him but kept her fingers folded together in her lap, "But I think that what we have should be contained to the bedroom. We're good together there Sonny. We shouldn't change that."
"You're fine with that," he asked with a raised eyebrow, "Your fine with being my whore?"
The words that he had uttered shattered her heart. She was the one to imply that she would be his whore but to hear the words said aloud made her feel worthless. She was pushing him until he gave in and Sonny would. He would be happy to keep her as his whore because Sam knew that deep down he wasn't ready for anything else.
"If that's what…"
"That's what it is, Sam," Sonny said, "That's how it would be. You would be my whore."
"I'm certainly not your wife," Sam snapped as she threw her napkin down on her table, "I can't be the perfect woman that you have all set in your mind; the quiet, calm, eastern beauty that did everything right. I know that your sun rises and sets with her Sonny and it still will twenty years from now," she placed her hand over her mouth to quiet a sob, "I can no more be Caroline Corinthos than you can be the Southern beau's that I always wanted to marry. There isn't just a table between us Sonny, there's a whole lot of pain, baggage and past lifetimes that we'll never be able to move on from."
Sam pushed her chair back and stood up, pulling the shawl tighter around her and making sure that her skirts were situated right on her body. She then took a deep breath before she allowed herself to look at him. She didn't want him to have to see the tears in her eyes once more.
"I know that it is the busiest night in town and I would hate for you to have to loose money because I'm wasting your time here," she said, "I'm going to get changed and head right to work. If you'd like to see me tonight, you can let me know when you return."
Sonny's fingers twisted in the fine linen cloth that covered their table and he smirked before his dark eyes looked up and met with hers, "Tonight, I'll take Rachel."
Sam nodded and turned from him as he motioned for another drink. It didn't take long for her booted heels to connect with the boardwalk and for her to make her way back to The Devil's Gate saloon. And with each step she made back to becoming a whore, the further away she got from the southern belle who wanted nothing more than a beautiful white house with a large peach tree.
"I did not," Kristina laughed.
"Yes you did," Lucky said, "I vividly remember you pushing me into the mud and then blaming me for the cause of all of it. My father grounded me for a week and then he forced me to go to your parents and apologize for all of the trouble that I caused," he shook his head with a laugh, "No wonder they don't like me."
"You started the mud fight," she said with a smile, "And that is not the reason they don't like you. My mother doesn't like that you pull me away from the store all the time and it's difficult for a father to deal with another man coming into his daughter's life."
"Oh is that what I am?" Lucky asked as he motioned for her to walk up the stairs first.
Kristina was grateful she was ahead of him because she knew that her face was as red as her hair, "I didn't mean it that way but…you know what I meant Lucky Spencer and now you're just teasing me endlessly."
"I can't help it," Lucky said as they reached the top of the stairs and he stood beside her again, "I love the way you smile and I'd do anything to see it more often."
Kristina rolled her eyes, "Flatterer," she laughed softly as they slowly made their way down to her room, "I had a really nice time tonight, Lucky. Thank you for coming into town and spending the evening with me. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun."
"The other day on the Alcazar ranch," Lucky said, "When you raced me across every acre of his land or maybe when it was when you helped me pick out my jeans," he smiled when she blushed again, "I enjoyed that day."
"I'm sure you did," she said, "Please let me know when you're going to be in town again. I'll have to sneak out the back way since my parents are still forbidding me to see you but I'd like to go for another ride in the desert. I might even wear a skirt this time."
"I'll tell you what," Lucky said as he leaned against the wall, mere inches from where she stopped at her hotel room door. His smile was causing havoc on her rapidly beating heart as was his smooth voice which dropped down to a whisper, "You keep wearing those pants and I'll talk to Alcazar, make sure that he wants his supplies delivered once a week. That way, I can get my races in."
Then he kissed her. Kristina was so startled by it, it took her a few seconds before her eyelids fluttered closed. She had dreamed about Lucky kissing her, envisioned every imaginable way that it could happen but never was it in front of a hotel room with her pressed against the door. His lips were warm, his arms were circling around her waist and she melted against him like butter in a hot frying pan. She heard a moan and she wasn't sure who it came from but she did know that she never wanted this moment to end.
But it had to and it did with Lucky pulling away. He looked as startled as she did when he first kissed her. His blue eyes held surprise as his arms slowly unwound themselves from her body. He took two steps back before he was able to breathe normally and then he gave her one of his half smiles before he tipped his hat.
"Good night, ma'am."
She would have normally hit him for calling her that again but her hand made its way to her heart, which was still pounding. She couldn't believe that he had kissed her and if his face was any indication, he was just as shaken as she was about it.
Fumbling for the doorknob, she practically stumbled into the room and saw Lu sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for her. Her best friend stood up surprised and hurried towards her, her hands outstretched and pulling Kristina further into the room.
"Where have you been all night?" Lu asked as she plopped down on the bed and tugged Kristina with her, "I've been waiting the past hour for you to get home."
Kristina opened her mouth to respond but Lu started right up again.
"Oh never mind, you can tell me later," she said excitedly, "I have some great news. Michael and I had a wonderful time this evening. He told me that he was going to think about coming back east with me and he also gave me a kiss on my hand. Could you imagine? We were standing in the doorway and he just took my gloved hand and placed this gentle kiss on it. It was lingering and…" Lu sighed, "Oh Kristina I can't believe this is happening to me. I never would have imagined."
"Imagined you and Michael dating?" Kristina asked.
"No," Lu giggled, "Imagined this. I'm in love with Michael Corinthos!"
Johnny let his eyes drift around the rowdy saloon once more before he drank the last of his sixth beer. He had been there for a couple of hours, nursing as much alcohol as he could and trying to bat off the whores that Sonny seemingly had working every corner of the room. And speaking of his good friend, he was nowhere in sight and neither was his brunette beauty.
Johnny slid his empty mug towards the end of the table and hoped that one of the giggling blondes would hurry up with their flirting and give him another round. He was quite ready for another, then one more after that, and a few more following.
He sighed as he ran his hands over his face and pulled his dusty cowboy hat lower. He had no idea what he was doing here. His days of spending the first of the month in a saloon were far over. He didn't want to hang out with the hands he knew he'd be helping Lucky with come Monday morning. He didn't want to push away every busty woman that came towards him. Hell, he didn't want to be awake right now but it was better than sleeping, that was where Lesley Lu Spencer lurked and the damn temptress would not go away.
He had made it halfway to the other town before he took his horse and turned him towards Charlesville. He didn't want to have to explain his perverse reasoning for showing up in the middle of her date. He didn't know himself why he wanted to go there. He had never been so hung up on a female before and the only explanation that he had was that she kept rejecting him. Johnny O'Brien was not a man to be rejected and he looked at the eastern snob as a conquest. Once he took her down he'd be able to get her out of his system.
That was it, he'd go with that.
"Finally," he muttered when Rachel appeared with another drink in hand, "Took you long enough."
"Just because you're a friend of Sonny's, doesn't mean that you're allowed to be rude to the staff," Rachel said as she slammed the drink in front of him, "And I don't like that you're particularly rude to me."
"Stop throwing yourself at me and I might be a little bit nicer," Johnny said, "I'm also a barrel of laughs when I get my beer on time."
She smiled as she leaned down, giving him an eyeful of her cleavage, while he sipped on his beer, "I'm sure you're a barrel of something else when a girl gets you upstairs. Why do you say I provide you with something on the house so that I can put you in a much better mood? I promise to make you forget all about that girl that's been dancing around in your head."
Johnny smirked, "I'm sure you I have no idea what you are talking about and I prefer dark haired beauties."
Rachel stood back up with her hands on her hips and looked around the room. She was surprised when she saw the brunette head back into the saloon and smiled when she pointed her out to Johnny.
"There's your dark haired beauty," she said, "I'll arrange a meeting."
"No need," Johnny said as he downed the rest of his beer and cut Sam off at the stairs, "Looks like your night is going as well as mine."
"Is everything okay?" Sam asked as she looked at Johnny and then searched the room to find Rachel, smirking at her from behind the bar, "You need some company for the evening and the blond behind the bar won't provide it."
"I need company and I don't want anything to do with blondes," Johnny said, "I've got a pocketful of gold that has your name on it."
Sam looked at him and then back at Rachel before her brown eyes moved towards the swinging wood doors. There was no one entering, Sonny was still at the hotel diner, enjoying his steak and bourbon alone.
She smiled as she took Johnny's hand, "Follow me."
Elizabeth watched as Emily gingerly rubbed some salve on her cuts and bruises. The woman who seemed to be about her age was as nice as any other woman that Elizabeth had met. She could tell that it wasn't simply because Elizabeth was here with Jason; Emily had a kindness in here that endeared her to others. Elizabeth was grateful for that, especially after the way that she acted towards Emily's husband.
"I hope that I'm not hurting you," Emily said quietly, "Please, tell me if I am."
"Some of these are from the horses," Elizabeth said, the only thing she had said after apologizing to Lorenzo, "I'm not use to horses. I should have been the one walking instead of Jason but he refused. He gave his horse up for me. He's kind like you."
Emily finished with her bandaging and sat back on her heels as she looked up at Elizabeth from the floor where she was positioned, "Thank you for thinking that I am kind but I wish that I was strong and brave like you. You are an amazing woman, Elizabeth, amazing to have survived this," she reached out and squeezed Elizabeth's hand, "I'm glad that your home."
Elizabeth pulled her hand away from Emily's and stood up from the bed, "A lot of people are going to be glad that I'm home. I'm sure that Aunt Laura and Uncle Luke will be thrilled to see me, along with my cousins, but I'm not thrilled to be here," she walked over towards the window and looked out onto the vast land of the Alcazar's, seeing a few cattle in the distance, "I don't want to be anywhere. I think we all know that I'll never be anybody after what has happened to me."
"That's not true," Emily said standing up and moving towards Elizabeth, "People are going to admire you and…"
"Your being kind again," Elizabeth said, once again moving away from her, "We both know that I am filth, I'm garbage, I'm something that you throw away at the end of the day. Nobody is going to want me and it's time to come to terms with the fact that I am nothing. I am completely worthless."
"That is not true," Jason said as he stormed into the room and sent the door crashing against the wall, "I don't want to ever hear you say that again, Elizabeth. Emily is right, you are something. You've been through hell and you came out kicking and screaming and that is worth more than anyone in that damn town. And if I have to spend the rest of my life telling you that, than I will."
Jason grew silent and then he noticed the tension in the room. Emily was careful approaching Elizabeth as the young woman stood frozen in the room. Her eyes were wide, her skin was pale and her hands were clenched together, trying to hide from him the fact that she was shaking. He had scared her. He had frightened her like those savages did simply because he couldn't hold onto his threadbare temper. He cursed and mumbled an apology before he disappeared from the room as quickly as he appeared.
"I'm sorry," Emily said quietly as she placed a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, "Jason has very little patience and even less control of his volatile nature."
Elizabeth shook her head as she fought to calm her nerves, "He's done more for me than anyone else in my life ever has, bad temper or not, and it's time that I finally tell him that."
"I've heard of your temper," Lorenzo said, "And it hasn't been from the citizens of Charlesville. I actually heard of it all the way down in Mexico. It puts the fear in men and it gets you talked about from saloons here to California," he sighed as he came to stand beside Jason, "I don't think that it's very good for Elizabeth."
"I know that," Jason growled as he slammed his fist against Lorenzo's porch railing, "I have to reel it in just for another day and then I'll be able to let it go, to vent out some of my frustrations. Once I drop her off with the Spencer's I'll be able let loose."
"You're just going to drop her off with the Spencer's?" Lorenzo asked, "Just like that."
Jason looked over at his brother-in-law, "She won't need me any longer."
Lorenzo turned around when he heard the porch door and gave Jason a small smile, "Don't be surprised when find out otherwise. Good evening, Elizabeth."
Jason turned to see Lorenzo disappear into the house and Elizabeth step further out onto the porch. The moon was higher in the sky and shed some light onto them, revealing Elizabeth in a demure white nightgown with a lot of layering underneath. She would probably sweat the whole night through but he knew that it would give her some sense of security.
"I shouldn't have snapped like that," Jason said, "The last thing I wanted to do was scare you. I should have known better."
"You know a lot," Elizabeth said quietly, "You knew how I needed to be taken care of and how to get me into a town safely. You knew the best way to get home and to take me to your sister's so I could clean up before I had to face my Aunt. You know that even though the night scares me, it's the best time for me to reappear because with the daylight comes the accusations and the cruel looks I'm eventually going to have to face. I haven't…" she cleared her throat as she looked down at her hands and found the tears falling upon them, "I haven't thanked you for what you did for me but I want you to know that it was hard. I was…"
"You don't…you don't even have to tell me what you've been through," Jason said as his fingers gripped the white railing, "That's your private life, Elizabeth."
"It's my own private hell," Elizabeth said, "I was rapped by savages then I was kidnapped by another tribe. I begged White Bear to let me go and…"
"White Bear?" Jason asked, "Was he one of…"
"No, he saved me from the savages," Elizabeth said, "Like you saved me from one," she shook her head as she wrapped her arms around her body, "He told me that I would be safer in his world than I would be in my own but I didn't want to listen. I wanted to come home and look what it brought me."
"Elizabeth…"
"Thank you," she whispered, so softly it barely floated to him on the wind, "I would hug you or pay you or do something in return for the kindness that you have shown me but I don't have anything and I can't…" she watched him look away from her, her own pain reflected in his eyes, "All I can say is thank you."
Jason reached over and held his hand out, waiting for her to make the first move in physical contact, waiting to see if she would allow him this one small step. She slid her small, pale hand in his own and let his fingers wrap around it. He squeezed it gently and she squeezed back.
"You're welcome."