Two Weeks Notice Chapter Twenty Nine, a general hospital fanfic

I'm so sorry for the mix up. I messed them up on my computer and re-posted chapter 28 twice. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience. I just want to take a second to also say thank you to everyone who has read and commented on this story. It really means a lot to me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"What's in here? Rocks?" Steven exclaimed, shaking a storage box. The contents clamoring against the sides that held them captive.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder to shake her head in amusement. For a doctor, her brother could be very dense sometimes. "Books. It's written across the side of the box."

Angling his head, Steven read the words scribbled in black permanent marker. "Oh."

"Uh huh."

"Then, what are in these?" he asked, kicking a group of unlabeled boxes.

"Clothes," she replied sharply. "And I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop abusing my things."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am—"

"Don't you dare," she cut him off, pointing a finger at him to emphasize her words.

"Fine, mother," Steven grumbled, stacking up the boxes he had abused a few moments ago. He paused to examine the growing number of boxes that he was taking with him to their new apartment. "Maybe you should have the smaller bedroom with the bigger closet," he suggested.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "No really, genius."

"Hey! No need to get snippy with me, missy," Steven complained.

Scrubbing her face, Elizabeth bowed her head in shame. She was acting like an ungrateful brat. Her brother had taken time out of his busy schedule as the new Head of Pediatrics at General Hospital to help her pack her things. Not only that, Steven had generously offered her the spare bedroom in his new apartment until she decided what her next step would be. Instead of being patient and grateful towards her brother, Elizabeth had spent most of the afternoon being sarcastic and obnoxious.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'm just…"

"It's all right, kid." He threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "I know this is hard on you."

"It shouldn't be," she murmured, more to herself than her brother.

Inhaling deeply, Elizabeth pulled away from Steven and let her eyes freely roam over her room. She was far from packing it up. It was hard to imagine this room; this very penthouse had become such a critical part of her life. Blind-folded she could probably navigate through the spacious layout without colliding into anything. The thought of waking up next week miles away from Lil and her friends had her heart constricting in pain. The idea of never again staring into a pair of identical pale blue eyes as they studied her in total sync brought fresh tears to her eyes.

Dashing away the tears obscuring her vision, she cleared away the ache in her throat and composed herself. "All right," she said as cheerfully as possible. "Brenda and Emily helped me pack up most of the dresser last night, so we should focus on the closet today," she planned, pointing at the assortment of her belongings littering her bed. She had slept on the floor the night before.

Elizabeth finally met her brother's gaze to find herself on the receiving end of a scathing glare. It was rare of Steven to express anger towards her or in general. The only times she had seen her brother enraged was towards their parents countless times growing up and full of passion when he spoke of his work with children. He was ticked off now and definitely scowling at her. Hands on his hips, his green eyes snapped with frustration as they bore into her.

"What?" she asked softly, cautious of his sudden change in demeanor.

"What she asks," he scoffed. A muscle pulsed rapidly in his jaw. "How can you pretend everything's good and dandy when your heart is breaking?"

She pasted a bright smile on her face. "What are you talking about?" She shrugged, reaching for an empty cardboard box. "I'm fine."

Steven snorted. Her brother actually snorted. The always composed, eloquent Steven Andrew Webber snorted.

Astonished, Elizabeth gaped at her brother for a minute before she caught herself. Clearing her throat, she pretended not to notice his frown or his fighting stance. Her brother was on a mission and she planned to steer clear of him for now.

"I'm going to take these boxes downstairs and start on making lunch," Elizabeth dropped the empty box she held to move towards one of the packed and sealed ones. "I need to run over to Brenda's too and check on Lil."

"Oh, no, you don't," he blocked the doorway and stared her down.

She sighed heavily. "Steven…"

"I know you too well, sis," he said gruffly. "I've always been able to read you like a book and any other time I would have pretended like nothing was wrong to give you time." The corners of his lips lifted into a sad smile. "But you don't have much time left, Elizabeth. I can't stand by and let you do this."

"I'm not doing anything that needs your intervention," Elizabeth argued, hating the tremor in her voice. "I'm making a career decision. I'm no longer satisfied with my position here so I'm making a change for the greater good."

"You're going about it the wrong way!"

"That's your opinion."

"You are not—I am not letting you go down without a fight." He punctuated each of his words to emphasize the meanings of his words.

"Dr. Webber?" Lil's softly spoken words snapped the Webber siblings to attention.

Steven practically jumped in the doorway and then scampered to Elizabeth's side like if he were being chased by a ghost. He stared at the child with wide, startled eyes. He cleared his throat and got a hold of himself. "Why hello, Miss Morgan," he turned on the charm. "I was wondering when you would make an appearance."

"Hello, Dr. Webber," the toddler smiled shyly.

Silently, Elizabeth watched the young child interact with her brother. Dressed in a white t-shirt and light green overalls, Lil stood in the threshold of the room as though she was afraid to step in. Lil's barely restrained energy was lacking and her small shoulders were slumped. Both her arms were wrapped around Mr. Floppy like an anchor keeping her grounded as the sea churned in turmoil. For a second, their eyes locked and the air disappeared from her lungs. The pale blue eyes reflected the helplessness and despair Elizabeth had been struggling with every morning since she knew she no longer had a home with Jason and Lil.

"Can I speak to Liz, please?" Lil asked Steven politely.

"Of course," he granted her request like a gentleman, stepping out of her path.

Lil walked further into the room with small tentative steps. Mr. Floppy dangled from her arms as she moved towards her nanny. Elizabeth met her half way, kneeling once Lil stood before her. "Lil, who brought you back?" Elizabeth asked softly, tucking in a lock of the child's golden hair.

"Aunt Brenda dropped me off. I wanted to talk to you," she mumbled.

Elizabeth swept the child into her arms and gently combed a hand through Lil's hair. "What is it?" She frantically searched Lil's young features for what the child needed. The nanny could only imagine what her charge had endured the last few days. It had been a never ending circus for the child and she had bore it all like a little soldier. It amazed Elizabeth to find such strength in such a young child. It was the same strength she saw in Jason and his daughter had inherited that vigor from her father.

Guilt pierced her heart to know that she was responsible for the pain Lil did her best to swallow. There was nothing she wouldn't do to have a chance to make amends, but in a matter of days she would be gone. It would just be cruel to rub salt in Lil's already bleeding wounds.

Lil leaned into her touch. "Daddy said you're leaving Monday night." Sad blue eyes peered up at Elizabeth. "I don't want you to leave…but Daddy said it had nothing to do with me."

All she could do was silently nod her head in response.

The toddler looked to her sidekick for a moment. A silent conversation occurred between the two before Lil faced Elizabeth with Mr. Floppy. "I want you to have Mr. Floppy," Lil said, her eyes full of grief. "So you won't forget me."

"Lil…" Elizabeth gasped.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she gazed down at the innocent bundle of joy in her arms. She may not have given birth to Lila Amanda Morgan or raised her, but in her heart Lil was hers. Every fiber of her being loved the child. She had never expected to care for Lil as she did, but Lil deserved better. She needed someone who would have thought things through before jeopardizing everything. She felt the beginnings of a gaping hole in her chest. With every passing second, it expanded. A tub of ice cream would most likely be her best friend for the coming days it would take for heart to move on from her life with the Morgans.

"Oh, sweetie," she murmured against Lil's soft tresses. "I could never forget you. I love you too much to forget you."

"I'm going to miss you," Lil mumbled, resting her cheek against her nanny's.

Closing her eyes, Elizabeth held onto Lil a few moments longer before she grudgingly lowered the child to her feet. She straightened all of Lil's hair and smiled as brightly as possible. "Why don't you go get washed up for lunch?" she suggested.

Lil nodded her head.

Steve appeared by her side. "You know, Miss Morgan," he drawled capturing both of their attention. "You could visit Liz and Mr. Floppy whenever you want. They'll still be Port Charles."

Elizabeth's eyes flung to her brother in alarm. She'd done enough to already crush Lil's heart. To give her hope and rip it away was just malicious. She would rather walk over glass than cause the child another ounce of pain.

"Oh," Lil squealed, swinging to face Elizabeth with bright eyes. "Could I really, Liz? Aunt Brenda and David and Delilah could visit you too with me. Oh! Even Daddy!"

Her soft features came alive as she stared up at Elizabeth with a glimmer of hope in her cerulean blue eyes. It was just too fragile to crush. She found herself nodding her head.

Lil beamed as she wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's legs and squeezed her tight. "I love you, Liz."

Of their own accord, her hands tenderly cradled the child's head and patted her hair. "I love you too," she whispered back.

"Here," Lil thrust Mr. Floppy into Elizabeth's arms and rushed for the door.

"Lil," Elizabeth called after her. "You can hold onto Mr. Floppy for now."

The child looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Mr. Floppy needs to get use to sleeping with you. I'll sit with him at lunch."

Nodding to Lil's logic, Elizabeth tightened her grasp on the stuffed animal. She watched as Lil skipped out of the room with a new found confidence in her step. She stared long after the golden haired angel disappeared through the door.

"Thank you," she murmured to the now empty door way as she drew Mr. Floppy closer to her side.

"You are not leaving that child," Steven stated from the other side of the room.

Confused, she turned to her brother in question. "What are you talking about? What is this about?" she asked, tired of the pretense. "Do you not want me living with you? Is that why you want me to stay?" She drew in a shaky breath. "All you had to do is say so. I can stay with Emily or just rent a room at Kelly's."

"Elizabeth," he barked. "This isn't about you moving in with me." The frustration was clear in the set of his jaw. "This is about you not fighting for what you want. Even we were kids," his tone softened. "You never stood up to Mom and Dad about how you felt. I gave them hell. Sarah gave them hell, but you, you made things easy for them." He shook his head in dismay. "You accepted the constant moving, them never being home, missing every important event in our lives."

"Steven," she started, feeling the exhaustion taking over her system. "You don't understand."

"No, you're right. I don't understand," he agreed fiercely. "I don't understand why you're leaving that child who loves you like a mother," he jabbed at the empty doorway. "A child you love like a mother. Sue me, but I don't understand the logic behind that," he all, but yelled at her. "Hell, you're in love with her father."

Her eyes burned as she witnessed the disappointment on Steven's face. Her determination to leave with dignity snapped. Reaching for anything solid with her free hand, Elizabeth threw the first thing she could find at her brother. She sent a crimson red satin pump sailing through the air. Steven ducked just in time for the heel to miss his head.

"You think I want to leave Lil? You think I want go to bed every night knowing that I will never see her and Jason again?" A green leather sandal went flying across the room. "You think this easy?" Her fingers wrapped around a black leather bootie.

"Quit throwing your stupid shoes," Steven shouted, dodging another one. "I'm just trying to help."

"You're doing a lousy job," she shrieked back at him, raising her arm to launch a pale pink stiletto at him.

"Then stop being a coward and fight, damn it!" he hollered catching a sneaker in mid-air. Breathless, Steven collapsed against the wall and stared at her with pleading eyes. "You're running, sis," he gasped, unbuttoning the first few buttons of his navy blue polo. "You're running like you always do. It's your signature move when you get hurt," he explained.

Elizabeth glared at him. He was right and she knew it.

"Emily—uh—explained why you resigned in the first place," her brother cleared his throat roughly, his cheeks coloring. "It made complete sense to me afterwards. You did it as a child and you did it again when you decided to move in with Grams after Mom and Dad didn't make it to the first showing of your work. Whenever someone hurts you Elizabeth, you run. Jason hurt you by rejecting you and he did it again the other day and you're running again," Steven smiled at her softly, eyes full of understanding.

Releasing a long breath, Elizabeth collapsed into her arm chair. Her fingers trailed through the velvet of Mr. Floppy's fur. Everything Steven said was logical and dead right, but there was one thing that was different about the present. The man she loved didn't return her feelings.

Steven moved to her side, sitting down on the arm of the couch to gently rub her shoulders. "Fight, sis," he urged her. "Fight for Jason and Lil."

"I did," she said harshly. "I told him how I felt. I told him I wanted to stay."

Steven raised an eyebrow and gave her a look of disbelief. "Did you really? In those words exactly? Did you say the words 'I love you' or 'I want to stay'?"

"Well…" she mumbled, avoiding eye contact. "I told him I wanted to try two nights ago, but he still wanted me to leave."

"Talk to him again," Steven suggested, pulling her to his side. "You still have time."

Resting her cheek against Mr. Floppy, Elizabeth stared off. "No," she sighed in resignation. "I won't stay where I'm not wanted. I won't do it again."

Chapter Twenty-Nine
"What's in here? Rocks?" Steven exclaimed, shaking a storage box. The contents clamoring against the sides that held them captive.