YQThe streets were silent; there wasn't a single person walking on the cobblestone paths. The night was still very young, though. It was barely after sundown, on a beautiful Saturday. The emptiness was very strange, and its melancholy atmosphere only added to the grief of the one girl that hurried down these streets. She glanced around her, perhaps hoping to find another someone like herself; lost, even with all the lights shining brightly. Candles adorned all the gray walls of the shops, and the smoke of fires burning in the small houses spilled out of the chimneys and dyed the darkening sky.

A light wind blew gently on the smoke, forcing it to run back instead of forward. The hem of the girl's beautiful dress danced around her, moved by the breeze and her quick footsteps. She had her arms wrapped tightly around her shawl, pulling it down on her shoulders for its warmth and comfort. Her tears wouldn't stop.

Elizabeth Turner kept her face down as she ran, for she knew that watching the little town around her – her home – would make it unbearable to leave. And she knew that staying would be a thousand times more painful than just leaving now.

The road stretched on in front of her, the end never seeming to grow close. Her tired feet ached; throbbed in pain. But not as much as her heart.

Silently, the door of a tavern opened. A lone man stepped out, staring ahead of himself with sad eyes as his hand held a dark bottle of imported rum. It was half empty, and the liquid inside slammed back and forth against the glass as the man moved.

Jack's eyes slowly turned to watch the young girl as she passed him – her run never slowing as she grew closer and closer to the docks. For a second her face had seemed familiar, but the candles were flickering so that he couldn't tell. Her voice had seemed familiar as well; just the sound of her sobs ignited some spark in his memory. But the overpowering alcohol in his system made it impossible to think.

He sighed and started walking toward the huge mansion that rested on the large hill overlooking the town. He hoped that enough time had passed, and that his hostess – the governor, and his 'good' friend – would allow him back inside. After all, she wasn't completely heartless.

A sudden sharp cry startled him, and he turned back to see where the noise had come from. It was the girl; she had fallen to the ground and was curled up in as tight a ball as she could manage. Her heavy sobs broke through his intoxicated daze, and he let his bottle shatter against the stones as he hurried to assist her. He would normally just keep walking, but something in her cry had struck him in a way he didn't understand. And he was curious, for obvious reasons.

As he approached her – cautiously – she didn't seem to be aware of his presence. When he put a hand on her shoulder, she gasped and snapped her head up to meet his eyes. Once she caught them, recognition sparked her eyes and she averted her gaze, pulling her shoulder free from his grasp.

Jack staggered back and stared at her in shock, questioning if she was really there, or if the rich alcohol had simply created her here in front of him. He narrowed his eyes and scrutinized her distraught face.

"Elizabeth?"

She slowly looked up at him from underneath her tear-stained lashes. Pain was glowing in her dark eyes.

"Lizzie, is that really you?"

She looked away again, bringing her wrist up to wipe away her tears. It did no good though; they were still steadily flowing down her face.

"What happened to you?"

Elizabeth bit down on her trembling bottom lip and swallowed back the breathless sobs that fought to overtake her. She glanced up to see Jack's eyes burning into hers, demanding answers. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head furiously, not wanting or attempting to speak. She wanted him to leave, so that she could.

Thunder exploded in the sky above them, and rain instantly followed. The quick and heavy drops slammed down on Elizabeth's vulnerable skin, throwing stabbing numbness along her face, neck, and hands. A sharp tremor shot through her system, abruptly sending her into a violent shuddering case similar to that of hypothermia. The sudden weather change was not doing her good.

Jack watched as her eyes began to grow more and more distant, and he knew that she would be out soon. The rain was growing heavier every minute, and it didn't look like it would let up anytime soon. Acting on instinct, he bent down and grabbed her – firmly, but gently – around the waist and lifted her to her feet. He then scooped her into his arms and turned toward the mansion. She struggled against his grasp, but she was so weak that he barely felt her at all.

"Jack," she whispered, her voice heartbreakingly desperate. "Please, let me go."

He looked down at her and sighed. "No, Lizzie. I can't do that."

She gazed up at him, her usually bright eyes terrifyingly cold and dead. "Please."

"No, Elizabeth. Now stop begging. Save your voice for later – you have some explaining to do." His voice was abruptly severe, and she closed her mouth and looked away. She didn't feel like arguing, and her head was throbbing dangerously, anyway. She wished the freezing rain could numb that, too, and not just her porcelain skin.

As Jack began walking towards the mansion – jogging, really – she became aware of the familiar black flashes crossing in front of her eyes.

"No," she tried to protest, trying to force the spots away.

He looked down at her questionably. "No, what?"

She just shook her head, attempting again to send the black and her headache away, but only making them worse.

"Jack," she choked desperately. She felt herself slipping – it was strong, and fast.

He glanced down at her again, another question ready on his lips, but he swallowed it back and sighed. She was gone. He looked back up at the approaching mansion, and tightened his grip on her before increasing his speed to a run. He was soon at the large double-doors. He pounded on them and, within seconds, they opened. Mary peered out into the rain, her eyes narrowing and her jaw setting as she realized who it was.

"Before you say anything, please take her," Jack said shifting Elizabeth slightly in his arms.

Mary's mouth dropped open when she noticed her mistress. Her gaze shot back up to him, and she demanded, "What happened to her!"

"That," he said, "is an excellent question."

(A/N:) Wow, time passes REALLY fast. I am sooooooooo sorry to anyone that is still bothering to read this. I know I haven't updated in a billion years...I'm just getting really lazy. I won't even pull out the excuses anymore - even though I have a ton of really good ones - because I know it's my fault. Again, one word : twilight. I swear, Bella and Edward and literally controlling my life now. I think I'm going insane. Oo I really need a reality check. No wonder none of my friends want to read the books.

Anyway, besides Twilight, I'm also just getting really lazy with the whole fanfiction thing these days. I'm writing a book now - an actual book - and that's taking up a lot of my time. And I also spend a lot of time just obsessing over vampires and Washington (I'm going there in a few weeks!!) and such. I'm suffering from a severe case of OCD: Obsessive Cullen Disorter. If anyone else has it, please write to me and we can work through it together. Lol but I don't know if I want to get over it. - ...man, I really need to get out more. This is sad.

Well, on another note, I have two new kittens because my other cat, Spike, died three weeks ago. Riley's with me now, and he won't stop stepping all over my keyboard. It's really starting to get annoying. -sigh- oh well...that's the joy of kittens. At least Bella learned to stop. Yes...that's right...I said Bella. -smacks forehead- What have I done?

-Crazy Obsessed Twilighter :D Lizzie