Out of the corner of her eye Theresa saw Billy's form stroll across the parking lot and slide easily behind the wheel of his car. Rumor had it that Jason Morgan had returned and she was looking to see for herself without overly drawing attention to her presence. Namely, she didn't want Billy to know she was snooping around his competition.

Her objective for the afternoon was getting to know the illustrious Jason Morgan, rising star of Ryan Racing, better – much better if she had anything to say about it. Theresa watched the dusty trail that followed behind Billy's car as he made a speedy exit from the lot. "Finally," she said with more than a little huff in her tone. Pulling down the vanity mirror, she gave her reflection a once over. Theresa pursed her lips together and ran her fingertips underneath her eyes. The afternoon North Carolina heat had done a number on her perfectly applied make-up. "Damn it," she huffed again, pulling out her bag looking for the needed items to do a quick touch up. Once satisfied Theresa slipped out of her car adjusted her barely there mini and tugged at the elastic holding her shirt in place so that her mid section was exposed. Leaning in giving her image one last look in her side view mirror, she was sure to give those few males passing through the parking lot a free show. She smiled to herself when a low wolf whistle came from behind. "Perfect," she purred.

Theresa slithered her way into Ryan Racing as she normally did. She capitalized on the fact that she was dating Billy Weston allowing her open access. Even though she was there in search of Jason Morgan, Theresa couldn't help herself in making the rounds. It seemed unnatural to be around so many men and not make her presence known. Some drivers took her bait better than others yet for each man she came across Theresa seemed to know exactly what tactic to use to get them all hot and bothered before leaving them in her wake.

Finally she spied her target crotched beside his bright blue racecar. She could see Jason's taut muscles through his thin gray tee shirt. She licked her lips her imagination getting the better of her. "Hi there," she said in a sultry tone as she sauntered closer toward him.

Jason glanced under his arm and saw a pair of long bare legs making their way across the garage floor. Without looking he knew who was coming his way -- the 4 inch stilettos gave her away. He steeled himself for what he knew was coming – what always came when Theresa Kennedy was around. "Hi," he grumbled back not taking his eyes off his work.

"Want some help?" she asked picking up a wrench from the floor beside him.

Jason held a chuckle that threatened to escape by his lips. "Ah, I don't think so," he answered. "I've got it pretty much under control here."

"I'll bet you do," she said, seductively tracing her blood red nail across his shoulder blade. Her touch made Jason jump but not in the way that she had hoped. It was more annoyed than intrigued.

"If you're looking for Weston, I haven't seen him." Jason hoped that would prod her along or at least enough to leave him the hell alone.

"I'm not looking for Billy," she remarked.

"Then who…" Jason stopped himself mid sentence already knowing the answer. He laughed softly shaking his head wondering when this girl was ever going to take a hint.

"You silly," she cooed.

"Oh really? And what would you be looking for me for?"

"Are you sure that I can't help?" she asked completely ignoring his question.

"I'm fine, really."

"Um-huh," she agreed with a purr.

If she hadn't been so obvious, her attempt at seduction might have been intriguing but for Jason it was a joke. Theresa Kennedy was a joke. He had seen far too many women like her in his years around the track. The kind of woman who traipsed from driver to driver looking for the best of the best and he had no intention of being another notch in her little black book.

"Can you hand me that 3/8's impact socket?" he asked slyly more than sure that she hadn't a clue what he was asking for.

Momentarily Theresa was taken aback. No one had ever taken her up on her offer of help, especially when that was never the kind of help she had in mind. "Um," she struggled for a second the only tool she really knew was a hammer and there wasn't a single one of those in sight.

"Over there," Jason directed. Fumbling along she did her best to pick up the round cylinder that he was pointing to. He hid his smile enjoying making her squirm. In his eyes Theresa was no Elizabeth. If Elizabeth had been there she would have handled him what he needed before he had even thought to ask for it. "That's okay," he said, "I'll get it myself."

Suddenly she didn't like the smug way Jason looked at her. This wasn't working out at all the way she had envisioned it. "Sorry," she said feeling the need to fill the silence.

"Not a problem. Some people just aren't cut out for the garage," he added hoping that she would finally get the hint and just go.

Immediately Theresa felt her body temperature rise a few degrees. She didn't have to reason all the much to know that Jason was silently comparing her to Princess Ryan and that served to tick her off. "Maybe not," she agreed, "but there are those of us who are suited for other things," she said with a wink.

Jason again shook his head. How can anyone be that dense he thought? "I guess," he conceded wishing for the words that would make her disappear. The vibration in his back pocket had him reaching for his cell phone. "Hello," he said flipping open the thin device. "Hey Elizabeth," he announced standing up and walking away to give himself a bit of privacy.

"DAMN HER!" Theresa hissed.

Billy stepped off the elevator the sterile smell of the hospital hit his nostrils with brute force. He turned the corner and walked the familiar halls that led to Elizabeth's office. There were several facets of his plan that he needed to put into place and making up with his former lover was one of them. He wasn't about to have his lady running off with the likes of Jason Morgan. So if he had to swallow his enormous pride even for a little while to get what he wanted he was going to do it. The thought that Elizabeth was no longer his for the taking if and when he wanted her back was a concept that was hard for Billy to digest. The last thing he was used to was not getting what he wanted. When he reached Elizabeth's office door it was closed, he knocked softly.

"There's someone at my door. I have to go," Elizabeth said into the phone. "Yeah, I'll catch up with you later," she agreed. "Bye. Come in," she said placing the receiver in its cradle. Elizabeth was noticeably stunned to see who was about to enter her office.

"Hi, Liz," Billy said almost timidly.

"Billy?" she asked as if she were questioning her own sight.

"Do you have a minute to talk?"

"What could we have to talk about?" she countered with her hackles raised poised for a fight.

"A great deal."

"Oh this should be good," she scoffed.

"May I sit?" Billy gestured to the chair on the opposite side of her desk.

"Whatever." She had cut her conversation with Jason short for this she thought.

"I thought it was time we cleared the air between us." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I know you aren't going to believe me but I am sorry for what happened between us." Elizabeth snorted at that remark. "See I knew you wouldn't believe me, but Liz its true. If feel horrible."

"And I should care about your feelings why?"

"You shouldn't really I guess, but that doesn't stop me for still feeling that way. I was stupid. What I did was stupid and I'm sorry that I hurt you. I never meant to I swear."

Elizabeth's eyes widened unable to grasp what she was listening to. Where had the arrogant – I did nothing wrong – Billy Weston disappear to? He was admitting his own stupidity perhaps it was time for an emergency room visit for him. He's delirious she thought.

"You were the world to me and I messed that up," he said with the utmost sincerity.

"Yeah, you did," she agreed the images of Theresa's body tangled with his assaulted her.

"I know there's no way to change what happened. We – I – can't go back and fix it but I wanted you to know that if I could I would. If I could go back to that night and do it over again I would. We would still be together if I could do that," he sighed longingly.

Elizabeth's mind wondered to Jason and just how different the two men truly were. For the first time she was glad that Billy had cheated on her because if he hadn't she would have never found out what it was like to be with a man that accepted her for just her and had no other ulterior motive. Yet there Billy sat doing what she had dreamed of him doing for months as she sat sobbing in her room – he was apologizing for what he had done. He was asking her to forgive him. She wasn't sure why or what had prompted this display from him but there was a part of her that couldn't help but want to agree to his request. The part of her heart that had still partly held a place for the dreams that she had for herself that had once included Billy Weston. If she hadn't been so stunned she might have found her tongue to actually speak.

"I want to put this behind us. I want to try again to be at least friends." Billy knew he couldn't get away with asking her to start over – not just yet anyway. He had to bide his time and play the game he had orchestrated in his mind.

"Liz," Melanie's loud voice broke the silence enveloping the office. Her eyes widened at the sight of Billy Weston. "Billy?!"

"Hi Melanie," he returned with the same soft tone he had been using with Elizabeth. If he was to make this plan work he had to play it to the hilt on all fronts. "Just think about what I said Liz."

"Think about what?" Melanie questioned as Elizabeth's ex slipped from the room.

"Nothing," she answered suddenly feeling more than a little rattled by what had just happened.

"Nothing my ass! What the hell is Weston up to now?"

"He just came to tell me he was sorry for what happened between us. He came to apologize. He hoped that maybe one day we could be at least friends again."

"Friends my ass! You aren't buying his shit – are you?" Melanie asked suspicious that Billy had gotten to her best friend.

"No!"

Melanie was less than sure about Elizabeth forceful yet shaky response. "Don't let him sucker you in."

"I'm not." Yet there was a part of her that couldn't shake the sight of Billy sitting across from telling her all those things she had longed to hear so many months ago. The idea that he was sorry and he wished he could take his actions back had Elizabeth's head spinning. In some way she felt validated and that all the pain she went through somehow had been worth it for those few words and moments from minutes ago.

Melanie stood across from her friend and could only imagine the thoughts that had been running through her head. She had sat with Elizabeth those first days after finding Billy and Theresa together. She knew how much what happened had killed Elizabeth inside. Melanie also didn't believe that suddenly Billy Weston was having a change of heart – that he was sorry for hurting Elizabeth and ruining what they had together. Melanie didn't believe it one bit. And it pissed her off to know that Billy was using his ex-lover's tender heart to get to her since she was more than certain that Weston was up to something she just didn't know what. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Okay well I better get back to work." Melanie was making a beeline for the door the wheels in her own head still turning.

"What did you need to see me about?" Elizabeth asked with a quizzical tone.

"Nothing. I've got to go." With that Melanie spirited herself out of the room making her way to a quiet place where she could call Leo and tell him what Billy Weston was up to now.

Elizabeth leaned back in her chair befuddling emotions swirling around in her mind. A few months ago she would have given her right arm to have had Billy done and said what he just had. In those early days of their break-up, she regularly entertained thoughts of him seeing the error of his ways, coming back begging for her forgiveness, spouting words of love and adoration. Now she was getting the very thing she so desired, why wasn't she running after him? She couldn't deny that Billy Weston still claimed a piece of her. She imagined he always would. She had invested too much of herself and made too many plans and dreams with him not to. Yet the gravitational pull he once held over her the way the moon did on the tides had lessened. She wasn't as drawn to his words as she thought she would. That's not to say that they hadn't been worth hearing but they weren't worth getting sucked back in as Melanie has so aptly put it. She couldn't risk her heart or what she had begun with Jason. She just couldn't – she wouldn't.

Leo lengthened his stride as he crossed the Ryan Racing compound. The sight of Theresa Kennedy exiting the garage where he knew Jason's car was parked had his radar on alert. If he hadn't been taught from a young age to never hit a girl that one in particular could have been in some serious trouble.

Theresa Kennedy even gave the word tramp a bad name. She was a whore plan and simple and what made it even worse was that she flaunted that reputation and loved every minute of it – that in and of itself made Leo sick to his stomach. And if that hadn't been bad enough she desired everything that belonged to Elizabeth. Hell if she could have been Elizabeth, Leo was pretty sure she would have jumped at the chance. "Not this time," Leo said aloud as he entered the garage to see Jason talking on the phone. He waited quietly for him to finish.

"Hey man, I think we need to talk," Leo's voice held an ominous tone.

"Sure what's up?" Jason's tone was light happy that he would be seeing Elizabeth soon.

"Theresa Kennedy. I think you need to know the whole story about that one."

"You mean that she's trying to get into my pants or that she's the one who slept with Weston?"

Leo was quiet for a moment. He hadn't expected Jason to know anything about what happened between Billy and Theresa – that was a subject that Elizabeth rarely if ever spoke of. It only went to show him that both Melanie and he had been right in thinking that Jason and Elizabeth belonged together. "So you know?"

"She's not the most subtle one," Jason laughed.

"No she's not," Leo agreed "But she's also not above making trouble to get what she wants and mostly she wants what she can't have, especially if it belongs to Elizabeth," he added.

"So I belong to Elizabeth now?" Jason asked liking the sound of that.

"It certainly looks that way. And given her history with Theresa I don't want to see her getting her heart torn to shreds again." The overprotective brother in Leo when it came to Elizabeth reared its head.

"You're barking up the wrong tree man. I would never hurt Elizabeth! And more importantly even if there was no Elizabeth I wouldn't be interested in the like of Theresa Kennedy."

"Good! But that doesn't mean that Theresa still isn't going to be up to her tricks. She doesn't like to lose," Leo said rubbing his hands over his face.