Back To Life

~ . ~ . ~ . ~ . ~

Seeing Lucky had to have been the hardest part of being brought back to life in that town. Seeing the torment he was suffering through, knowing she had been alive all this time without him knowing and having moved on only to find out she was alive, it was hard to live through. It was hard to watch him wish it wasn't true. To walk away when he was begging her to stay. Every part of her wanted to stay. To find a way to make it work. To find their way back. Her feet carried her away regardless. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how much her heart begged for her to stay, she walked away and she has to believe its for the best. Everything happens for a reason. She has to believe that.

"Hey." Nikolas places a gentle hand over hers, stopping her from brushing Sheba. "I think Sheba's all brushed out."

"Oh. Right." she chuckles softly before handing off the brush. "I guess I got a little lost for a second."

"Its okay." Nikolas assures as he tosses the brush to the side. "Everything okay? Where's your head at?"

"I saw Lucky yesterday." Elizabeth concedes, moving to sit down on a bale of hay. "It was hard."

"Ah." he says on a sigh as he moves to sit beside her. "Emily had mentioned something about setting up a face to face for you."

"Yeah." she confirms, hanging her head slightly. "He looked so torn. Begging me to stay. I just...I wasn't prepared for that."

"Understandable." Nikolas replies softly. "What can I do for you, Liz? How can I make this okay for you?"

"Just...take care of him, okay?" Elizabeth lifts her gaze to meet his. "As much as I know we can't go back, I still need to know he's okay, you know?"

"Yeah." he says as he slings his arm across her shoulders, allowing her to nestle into his side. "I just hope you know I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you always."

"I know." she says as she shuts her eyes. "It means the world to me."

Staying like that for a moment longer, Elizabeth and Nikolas rise to their feet before taking the horses out for a ride, both needing it in that moment. As they make their way around the island, Elizabeth loses herself in the moment, allowing herself to just exist. No matter what will come after this moment, she will accept it, but - for right now - she will live in the peace and tranquility of a long horse ride. By the time they got back to the stables, Elizabeth was met by Johnny and Francis bribing Alfred to give them a horse to ride. Apparently her ride took longer than expected and they were growing anxious with the situation.

~ . ~

Jason had gone back to his penthouse after a meeting with Sonny to take a quick shower before heading out again, but the sight of Lucky at this door put all that on the back burner. The look on the kid's face, it was clear that he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that Elizabeth was alive. According to Emily, he had called her right after Elizabeth left him and the guy just wasn't taking it well. Taking a deep breath, Jason walks up to the kid, accepting the situation he has found himself in.

"Lucky."

"Hey, Jason." Lucky replies plainly. "You got a minute, man?"

"Sure." Jason says before opening the door and letting him in. "You okay?"

"I...I don't know." Lucky admits, walking over to the wet bar to pour himself a glass of whiskey. "I mean, Elizabeth's alive, man. She's alive. I can't even begin to comprehend it. Can you? I mean, of course you can, you found her. God. You found her. I should have found her. It should have been me...I never should have accepted it."

"Lucky, you can't honestly blame yourself for not knowing she was alive."

"How can I not? I moved on, Jason. While she was living through hell, I moved on." Lucky downs the glass of whiskey. "How could I do that?"

"Lucky."

"I mean, I love my wife, I do. She's the world to me, but Elizabeth...she was my forever." Lucky groans, pouring himself another glass. "She's the one I built my dreams on. Everything I wanted for my future had Elizabeth in it...how is she, Elizabeth, how's she doing?"

"She's okay." Jason says after a moment, stopping him from pouring another glass. "She survived. She's rebuilding."

"Without me." Lucky sighs, handing over the glass to Jason. "This wasn't meant to be our lives, Jason."

"I'm sure she feels the same way." Jason assures. "But you did move on and she's trying to find a way to do the same."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, if she wants to let you go, you need to let her." Jason says carefully. "I know having her return must be a shock for you, but Elizabeth's dealing with a lot. I just don't want you making it harder for her."

"If you were in my position...what would you do?" Lucky dares to ask. "What would you have done if you had been me and your girlfriend supposedly died in a fire?"

"I can't say what I would have done because I haven't lived it." Jason counters with understanding. "You lived it the best you knew how. You can't fault yourself for how you handled it."

"I know...I just..." Lucky hangs his head. "But if you were in my position now..."

"I'd let Elizabeth make her own choices and accept whatever she decided." Jason admits honestly. "I'd put aside my love for her and I'd do whatever it took to make it easier for her. Even if it meant removing myself from her life."

"Yeah, I guessed that's what you'd say." Lucky sighs before he pulls open the door. "Thanks for the talk. I mean, I knew its what I'd have to do, but...I don't know. Maybe I needed to hear it from someone else."

"Take care of yourself, Lucky."

"Yeah." Lucky shakes his head. "You take care of her, okay?"

Granting him a single nod, Jason watches as the kid walks out of the penthouse, his head hanging as he leaves. In all honesty, Jason does feel for the guy, having to lose your girlfriend and then finding out she was alive right after getting married to another girl. He couldn't even begin to understand what the guy was going through, but it didn't stop him from laying out a few truths either. His main concern in all of this is Elizabeth and the last thing he needs is for Lucky to set back all the progress she has made thus far.

~ . ~

After leaving Spoon Island, Elizabeth heads to the hospital with the two guards, needing to get to her appointment with Dr. Baldwin. After talking to Jason, she finally feels capable of talking it out with the doctor, understanding that none of it was her fault. What they did to her, all she had suffered through, its nothing for her to be ashamed of. Its nothing for her to hide. It happened and she just has to find a way to move past it. She just hopes that talking to Dr. Baldwin will be the ticket to getting her there.

"I'm here to see Dr. Baldwin." Elizabeth says to the desk nurse, confused by the look on the woman's face.

"I'm so sorry, I thought I had called all of her patients." the nurse said apologetically. "Dr. Baldwin had an emergency come up and she's unable to see patients today. She truly apologizes for the inconvenience and has created an extra appointment date to make up for it. If I could just get your name..."

"Elizabeth Webber." Elizabeth replies, saddened by that revelation, looks like therapy will have to wait for another day.

"Ah, yes, she has you down for tomorrow morning, 8 o'clock. You'll be her first appointment for the day."

"Thanks." Elizabeth says, accepting the appointment card from her before turning to find the guys talking to Sonny. "Hi, Sonny."

"Elizabeth." Sonny says in greeting. "Here for an appointment?"

"I was, but it was cancelled." Elizabeth admits. "What about you?"

"Just a favor for Luke." Sonny concedes but doesn't elaborate. "Since you're free, why don't we have lunch?"

"Sure. That sounds good." Elizabeth agrees, walking with him to the elevator. "Kelly's?"

"I was thinking the Grille."

"I haven't eaten there in a long time." Elizabeth concedes as the elevator doors open up and they walk off it. "I wonder if the food's still any good."

"Well, lets find out shall we?"

Riding together to the restaurant, Elizabeth and Sonny spoke like a couple old friends in spite of not knowing each other before she was taken. Sure, she knew of him and maybe he knew of her on some level, but their paths never really crossed all that much. One wouldn't truly know that, however, as they talked during their drive. It seemed as if they were old friends catching up on all they had missed and they found comfort in that. Sonny having grieved for her over the last year has gained a sense of appreciation for her existence.

"Its been difficult. Coming home and finding everything has changed." Elizabeth admits as they get comfortable at their table. "People try to make it okay, they try to understand, but its not something that can be understood, you know? I was taken and now I'm back. Nothing's the same, not even me, and I'm left standing alone trying to figure out my place in it all."

"Yeah, it can be tough, but you can't truly believe you're alone."

"For the most part, I know that. I have my gram and my friends. Jason. You." Elizabeth sighs. "Its mentally that I find myself alone. With my thoughts. My emotions. All of it."

"That I can relate to, believe me." Sonny smiles slightly. "But its the people around us that can keep us out of that loneliness."

"Yeah, you're right. Its when I'm with those closest to me that I don't feel it as much." Elizabeth concedes. "Like now, just talking to you, I don't feel it quite as much."

"Jason helps a lot, huh?" Sonny comments. "I can see you two have come to be real close lately."

"He's been good to me. For me." Elizabeth says with a soft smile, accepting the food from the waitress. "I don't know where I'd be without him."

As Sonny's food is set before him, the two allow a calm silence to fall over them as they enjoy their meals. As unprecedented as this was, they both believe that it was a good step towards something meaningful, a friendship of sorts. Elizabeth is grateful to Sonny for so many reasons, mainly for setting forth the assignment that placed Jason in the position to rescue her, regardless of his not having the knowledge to do so. He still was responsible for Jason being there and inevitably saving her. For that, she'll always be thankful.

~ . ~

Things seemed to be growing more complicated the deeper they dug into the situation, but he's almost certain they're near the core of this whole fiasco. For some reason, Lucky's fiance has become the focus and he's uncertain of just what she gets out of any of this. Luke has asked Sonny to help him out with the daughter-in-law from hell and, as always, Sonny's help constitutes his help, as well. Less than five minutes with the woman and it was clear something was up with the brunette.

"Hey." he greets Elizabeth when he walks into the penthouse and finds her sitting on the couch.

"Hi." she replies softly, smiling slightly as he shrugs out of his jacket before walking over to sit down next to her. "You look tired."

"I am." he admits, leaning back against the couch. "How was your day?"

"Riding with Nikolas was nice. It helped clear my head for a while." Elizabeth relays. "My appointment for today was cancelled, but I have one for tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry." Jason voices. "I know you were looking forward to your session today."

"Its okay." she assures. "Sonny was there and he took me to lunch. We had a good talk."

"That's good."

"We talked a lot about what its been like since I got back." Elizabeth elaborates. "We even talked about you for a while."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Just about how you've really helped me a lot since you found me." Elizabeth concedes. "I told him how good you've been to me. For me. How thankful I am for you finding your way into my life."

"Elizabeth..."

"I know you don't like being thanked for what you do, but it has meant a lot to me, Jason. I hope you know that."

"I do." he assures, lifting up his arm so she can nestle into his side before he lowers his arm around her. "Thank you for letting me be here for you."

They stay like that for a long silent moment, simply unwinding from the day they just had, before they slowly make their way up the stairs to Jason's bedroom. Tomorrow, she'll be back to sleeping in her own room, but not tonight. Tonight she'll sleep in Jason's bed while he takes the floor in hopes of watching over her while she sleeps. The nightmares didn't hit her quite as hard last night after their talk, but he wants to be sure she's okay before she goes back to her own room.

"Jason?" she voices in the dark as she turns on her side to face where he's laying.

"Yeah?"

"Just...goodnight."

"Goodnight." he says softly, reaching up one hand to take hold of hers as she holds it out to him. "I'll be here all night. Try not to be afraid."

"Okay." she whispers, slowly closing her eyes. "Sweet dreams."

"You, too."

A/N: I've been swamped with work and just recently got over the flu, so, my apologies. Hope you enjoyed either way. Thank you all and take care.