Some days it just didn't pay to get out of bed.

Seriously.

First she'd forgot to set her alarm clock the night before. Not much of a morning person, her alarm was the only thing on earth that could wake her up. So when the wild chirping of birds outside her window broke through her bizarre dreams, Elizabeth knew the day wasn't going run smoothly. She would've been better off calling in sick and staying in bed.

She wasn't a stupid person. Really. But stupid things just kept happening to her. It was as if her life should've been titled, Elizabeth's odd and unfortunate events.

Apparently heat and hot water came from this nifty thing called fuel. Which came in a truck and pumped into the big metal thing down in her basement. Called a tank. Coincidently the truck didn't come and drop off this fuel substance on it's own free will. A person, namely herself, needed to make a call and order it. In conclusion, no fuel meant no heat or nice steamy showers.

Like she knew this. In Colorado she never saw these supposed fuel trucks, and didn't feel she deserved to be the root of Lucky's humor. Or the victim of one hell of a cold shower.

Then her piece of scrap metal refused to turn over and start. Again. It would just be a lot cheaper to rent a parking spot at the garage in town. Seeing she couldn't afford a new car payment, much less another repair bill with all of her mounting bills, she was once again stuck asking Lucky for a ride to work.

Not that he minded. Or so he kept saying.

Then there was the incident from the weekend. Elizabeth didn't want to think of it as anything else. It didn't really hit home that she found a dead guy in the woods until Sunday. Reflecting on the events from Saturday morning, then that night, she wondered who in the hell had taken over her body and her less then stable mind. But once the ball was in motion who was she to stop it? Numb and more than dazed, Elizabeth had to admit she'd been relieved to have someone step in and make the calls for her.

So, to sum it all up, her day started with an ice cold shower. There was a four hundred dollar bill due to the Fuel company. She was still trying to grasp what had happened over the weekend, while her brain sorted out the consequences she could possibly face. Her nerves were gnawing a hole on the insides her stomach.

The last place she should have been heading was to a classroom full of over active five year olds. She could barely keep her attention on one matter, how was she expected to handle a classroom full of children?

Children who seemed to have it out for her. Apparently, she'd missed the note on her classroom was the location for the re-enactment of World War II. No one was capable of listening. Small uprisings broke out ever few minutes. Unable to keep their hands to themselves, their seemed to be little accidents every few minutes. Hurt feelings and whiny tattle-tailing was a common trend. Elizabeth's patience was being tested, and she didn't have much to spare.

Kristina Davis was eating paste like pudding. A habit she'd picked up from one of the other children. Kyle Lansing, the mouthiest and most spoiled child she'd ever met, kept throwing tantrums over the slightest things. Lulu Spencer, typically well behaved seemed to have jumping beans in her pants. It had been painful, but she'd been forced to send the little blonde to timeout.

The only child who she hadn't had to talk to was Michael Morgan. He'd kept to himself, except when Kyle had drenched Lulu at snack time, he'd gotten a handful of paper towels to help clean up the mess. only to get her paper towels to dry up with. Besides that he did what he typically did. Sat by himself. Coloring when told to, or doing whatever she'd instructed the class to do. It was a little eerie, but with the day Elizabeth was having no one would find her complaining.

By the time lunch came Elizabeth was more than ready to hide in the teachers lounge, thankful she didn't have lunchroom duty. What she needed was some time to calm her nerves. To find her center. Because if she didn't it was probable she'd have a complete melt down before story time.

Her Lean Cuisine, on sale of course, wasn't even out of the microwave when Debra stuck her head inside the break room to call her from the quiet little haven The principal's face looked distressed, ceasing all chatter from the rooms occupants. Feeling curious eyes follow her out of the room, Elizabeth felt her cheeks heat.

"We've got a problem." Waiting until the staff room door was shut, Debra brought a hand to her forehead.

A sinking sensation the size of the Titanic made Elizabeth forget her lunch immediately. The only thing she could think of that would cause Debra to look like this . . . No. There was no possible way. Not even her luck was that bad. It'd only been a few days. Surely no one knew about what happened at her house.

Logical thinking didn't stop a cold shiver from running down her spine. Or make her palms any less sweaty. Standing in the empty hall, with it's gleaming floors, Elizabeth waited for the other shoe to drop.

Dear lord she couldn't lose her job. Not now, when she was up to her neck in debt. Most of the house was paid off for by her meager inheritance. But the portion she had to borrow, plus the loan she had to take out to make the place livable was stretching her thin. If she were to lose her job now what would she do? Would she even need to worry? Perhaps an eight by five room was waiting for her to call it home.

What if someone knew? Had reported her and the others to the police. God, she could almost hear the seven o'clock news. Small town teacher being charged with conspiracy. The full story at ten.

"There was a fight in the cafeteria." Looking up at the other woman, Elizabeth nearly cried in relief. She really needed to get a grip on her nerves or she'd become a paranoid idiot. Jumping at the slightest noises.

She's done the right thing. Didn't she know first hand how corrupt police could be? That Max's death would most likely go unpunished. It happened ever day. No. She could see the resolve to get to the bottom of the matter in Jason Morgan's eyes.

"A fight?" Not a good thing, but much better then getting arrested. "Who was involved?"

"Kyle Lansing, Kristina Davis and Michael Morgan." Starting to move toward the office, Elizabeth followed.

"What happened?" Frowning, Elizabeth hurried to catch up.

"I don't know the all the details yet." Reaching the office door, Debra opened it widely and charged through like a man on a mission.

"Miss Davis and Mr. Lansing are their way in." Stopping by the secretary's desk and talking quietly with the older woman, Debra sighed and nodded. "We still can't reach Mr. Morgan."

Smiling weakly at the secretary, Elizabeth hurried after Debra.

"I have Lulu Spencer coming in soon." Rubbing her hands together, Debra turned to look out the window that looked down on the playground. "She was sitting next to Michael."

"Debra." Clearing her throat, Elizabeth watched the woman she'd come to really enjoy and tried to figure out the best way to verbalize the confusion buzzing through her head. "I know fighting isn't condoned, but I didn't know it would cause this much . . ." Looking for the right words, she looked down at the bandages on her hands. "Drama. We're talking about three five year olds. Was someone hurt?"

"No." Shaking her head, Debra let out a small laugh. "I keep forgetting you're not from here. Elizabeth, your class was stacked against you from the beginning. This town has a dark past, and your classroom has become a room of ironic coincidences. Some of the parents have messy pasts."

A knock at the door had Elizabeth swallowing the questions on her tongue. Alexis Davis came charging into the room, her face a mask of pure rage. Elizabeth had never seen someone's nostrils flare so wide. It reminded her of a charging bull. To be honest, the woman scared Elizabeth on a good day. But like this, Alexis Davis was terrifying.

"I knew this would happen." Pointing a manicured nail in Debra's direction, Alexis's mouth pinched in anger. "This is completely unacceptable."

"Miss Davis-."

"I asked to have Kristina moved to the other classroom at the beginning of the year." Placing her hands on her hips, Kristina's mother shook her head. "But no. You wouldn't listen"

"Mrs. Kennedy's class was already full." Debra answered in a controlled voice. "We've already had this discussion."

"I also expressed my concern over Ms. Webber's lack of experience." Talking as though she weren't even in the room, Elizabeth's dislike for the lawyer increased. Not only was she an anally retentive lunatic, she was now a loud mouth witch. "I knew I should've sent Kristina to a private school."

"Ms Webber is one of the best teachers I have seen in a long time." Narrowing her eyes, Debra crossed her arms over her chest. "And before we get further into our conversation I think we should wait for Mr. Lansing to show up."

"What about Jason Morgan?" Alexis sneered. "Wasn't his son the one who's responsible for this?"

Not having a chance to answer, Mr. Lansing entered with a little less drama. "Mrs. McGee, Alexis, Ms Webber." Nodding to each of the woman, Ric Lansing shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'd like to say this little meeting is a shock, but I'd only be wasting my breath."

"I can't imagine what Michael has been learning from his father." Alexis Davis curled her upper lip. "Now my daughter's safety is at stake."

"Excuse me?" Not all too sure she was interpreting the conversation correctly, Elizabeth had a feeling these two adults had tried, judged and sentenced a five year old boy. Not giving a rats ass how these adults wanted to treat one another, she would put up a hell of a fight before a child was wrongly accused. They still had no idea what happened.

"Today she was only covered in spaghetti, but having a boy who's grown up with those people, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before something worse happens." Feeling like the rug had been torn out from under her, Elizabeth looked around at the three people who were busy ignoring that she was in the room.

"Kyle's got a bloody nose." Lifting a brow, Ric made a face. "Wonder who Michael got that from?"

The buzzing inside her head increased. The palms of her hands itched, causing the tender flesh to sting, Her knee wasn't much better, standing there, rigidly straight. All while Debra's office began to get smaller. The ugly words and accusations made her physically nauseous.

With a soft knock, Margo, Debra's personal secretary, stuck her head into the room. "Mr. Morgan's here." Opening the door to allow the man standing behind her in, Elizabeth watched while Alexis and Ric took a step closer together, as though they were closing ranks. Preparing themselves for war.

"Jason, it seems violent behavior runs in the family. You must be so proud." Sneering across the room, Ric Lansing ignored Debra's request to be given a moment to talk.

"Where's Michael?" Not looking too happy to be there, Elizabeth felt small with him in the room. He seemed so much taller than she remembered. His shoulders slightly wider. But his very aura screamed danger. A signal the two attorney's seemed to be ignoring.

By Jason's appearance he didn't seem to notice she was only three feet away. The least he could do was acknowledge her. She was his son's teacher. Perhaps she shouldn't be too surprised, seeing that she had assaulted him just a few nights before. Nor had he seemed too pleased with her when he'd dragged her downstairs. The man was the most paranoid person she'd ever passed paths with.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Morgan. Michael's with the nurse right now." Answering quickly Debra stepped out from behind her desk. "And if you could give me a moment, I'm going to get Lulu Spencer. She saw everything and perhaps she'll be able to shed light on what happened."

"Great idea." Ric smirked after Debra let herself out of the room. "The eye witness is a five year old."

"What I want to know, is why they weren't being supervised." Spinning on her heal to set her sights on Elizabeth, Alexis Davis gave her a look that made her skin crawl.

"I didn't have lunchroom duty today." From past experiences with Alexis Davis, Elizabeth expected a grueling interrogation. "I believe Mrs Winters was with the students today."

"One teacher?" Elizabeth's jaw clenched at the way Alexis's raised her brow. It was the same expression her Grandmother used to use when she'd done something incredibly stupid. An expression she was getting sick of. She was an adult now. So how come the woman in front of her made her feel inadequate?

"I want to know how you plan to keep my daughter safe from that little trouble maker." Contempt dripped off the attorney's tongue. The viscousness first shocked Elizabeth. But once she got over the fact that the woman standing in front of her was the Wicked Witch of the West she felt her blood begin to boil.

"Excuse me?" Tilting her head slightly to the side and using the innocently bewildered expression of a child, Elizabeth practically batted her eyelashes. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that no one knew what had happened. Which would mean that no one should be blamed until we have all the facts. I would think, as a lawyer you'd wait to hear what Lulu has to say before making accusations."

"Oh come on Ms Webber." Ric huffed. "Do you really think that a son of a mobster wouldn't show such violent tendencies?" Blinking a few times, not sure she heard right, Elizabeth tried to ignore the chill running down her spine. Not trusting herself to look in Jason's direction, she tried to erase any trace of surprise she felt over these words. Unfortunately she hadn't been fast enough. "Don't tell me you're the only person in town who doesn't know Jason Morgan is second man in charge to Sonny Corinthos."

It was news to her. But oddly enough, after moment of reflection she could see it. Men in three piece suits were crawling in the woods behind her house. A dead body with a bullet hole in his head. Not calling the police. But Luke trusted these men and she trusted Luke. That was good enough for her.

"To tell you the truth Mr Lansing, I could care less what Mr Morgan does for a living. I teach his child. Unlike some people in this town I can separate my students from their parents. It's a talent I'd think you'd appreciate."

The blood drained from Alexis's face, and before she could reply the door opened again and Debra ushered Lulu into the room. By the looks of it, Lulu didn't want to be there anymore than she did.

"Now before we start I am going to make myself perfectly clear." Though Debra's tone was light for Luke's daughter's benefit, the steel behind the words couldn't be missed. "Elizabeth and I are the only ones allowed to the questions. It was the only way Laura would allow this."

Looking around the room at the unhappy faces, Debra placed her hands lightly on Lulu's shoulders and gave what looked like a reassuring squeeze. "Lulu, could you please tell us what happened?"

The little girl looked nervously around her, making Elizabeth want to take her hand and promise her everything would be alright. Maybe after school she'd take her out for ice-cream. It was the least she could do.

"I was sitting next to Michael and we were talking about going to the park after school today with Emily." Staring at the floor, Lulu twisted her fingers in her hair. "Kristina asked me why I was friends with Michael. She said her Mommy says his Daddy's a crinma . . .crimnim . . . that he's a bad person."

Her heart beat painfully into her chest, and Elizabeth took a quick look in Jason's direction. He stood perfectly still, his jaw clenched. Moving her eyes to where Alexis stood, Elizabeth was pleased to see the older woman looking uncomfortable.

"Go on Lulu." Debra softly prompted.

"Michael didn't say nuthing. But I could tell he was getting mad. He doesn't like it when people say bad things about his Daddy." Mumbling softly, Lulu took a deep breath. "Then Kyle said t his Daddy told him that Michael's Daddy . . ." Lulu's face scrunched up and looked up at Elizabeth. Tears glistened in her large blue eyes. "Elizabeth do I have to do this."

"No." Without thinking, Elizabeth went to kneel down in front of the little girl. "If you're uncomfortable with this, you don't have to." Wiping the tears from Lulu's eyes, Elizabeth gave her a brave smile. "How about this? Would you feel more comfortable if you whispered it in my ear?"

Looking uncertain for a few moments, Lulu nodded slowly. Leaning in, and cupping her hand to keep anyone else from hearing, Lulu told her tale. By the time she was done, Elizabeth was as white as a ghost. Unsure she'd be able to rise and face the room of waiting adults, she stayed where she was at for a moment. Physically sick. It was the only way she could describe the way she was feeling.

Gulping for air, she faked the biggest smile she could manage before thanking Lulu. "That was very brave of you Lulu. Why don't you wait for me out in the office. Okay?"

"Okay." Looking relieved to be leaving, Lulu didn't take another look around the room before hurrying out.

"Well?" Out of patience, Alexis Davis snapped. Her arms crossed over her chest, in a way that made Elizabeth dislike the woman even more.

Seething, ice running through a veins, Elizabeth told herself she had to keep this professional. Letting the emotions out now probably wouldn't be a great idea. "Apparently, Kristina told Michael that his father is a criminal. Kyle told him that he killed people." Bile rose in her throat. "That his father was the reason his mother . . ." It was painful saying the words, much less thinking of how a little boy would feel after hearing them. "That his mother killed herself."