Thanks for the reviews Sashahailie! I love it! Couldn't wait to write more so here comes another chapter and AJ and Elizabeth's first interaction. He's on the wagon and she's tipsy this ought to be interesting.

Elizabeth could not believe he was here. AJ Quartermaine. The last time she had seen him she had thought he was dead. A lot of surprises had come about since AJ's return from the dead. Included among them her own brother's hand in it. It wasn't public knowledge of course. Monica had assumed full responsibility for everything. But Steve had told Elizabeth and Olivia the truth. He had faked AJ's death and arraigned for transportation to another hospital under an assumed name. And had in fact gone to check on him several times since then.

Since his return, Elizabeth had yet to see him. She had certainly heard enough about him. How he was pursuing a relationship with Michael. How Michael was slowly coming around. How Monica and the Quartermaine attorneys had helped him side step the law in the kidnapping and attempted murder charges. AJ was free and clear. And he was standing right across the Rib looking directly at her. Elizabeth felt a quivering inside that she wasn't quite sure how to take. Was it fear? She had nothing to fear from AJ. Unless he was still mad at her for giving him the sedative that allowed Asher to try kill him. AJ grinned back at her a lopsided smile that kicked the quivering up a couple notches. He didn't appear angry. Why couldn't she stop looking at him? Elizabeth realized she was staring but couldn't help herself.

AJ couldn't believe she was here. He came to almost a dead stop when he walked in the door. He saw her almost immediately and he couldn't look away. She looked amazing. Her eyes seemed to glow. She was sitting with Steve's girlfriend Olivia and was that Lulu Spencer? He had eyes only for Elizabeth. The moment drew out. She was staring at him. She wasn't looking away. There was no sneer of disgust or rejection in her eyes. He saw Olivia lean over and say something to Elizabeth who shook her head and the three got back to chatting. AJ moved to the bar to get a club soda. He still wasn't drinking. He had promised himself if he walked again he would never stumble in a drunken stupor and he hadn't. He got a club soda from Mac right before Mac headed over to the ladies' table no doubt at a signal for another round. Elizabeth looked a little flustered. He liked that he wanted her off balance cause she sure made him feel that way.

"That is one hot looking man." Olivia said with grin on her face. Elizabeth shook her head and turned her attention back to Olivia and Lulu. One was looking at her with speculation the other with concern.

"What?" Elizabeth asked them both.

"Nothing. Not a thing" Olivia smiled and gestured to Mac for another round of shots.

"I don't remember AJ all that well." Lulu was eyeing AJ as he made his way to the bar. "Dante said he skated on a lot of things. Something to do with temporary insanity after having Michael taken away from him again. I don't know but there is something I just don't trust about him."

Elizabeth shook her head. and reached for the shots Mac brought over to them. "Tonight is about us girls." Elizabeth said a little too loudly as she was still shaken by their little moment when he walked in. "So let's just forget about AJ Quartermaine." Elizabeth said raising her shot to her lips she was too distracted to notice the looks on Olivia and Lulu's faces.

"What About me?" AJ said from right behind her chair.

Elizabeth choked and the tequila she had just shot burned straight down. Lulu was staring at AJ and Olivia was trying to help her friend. "Boy do you sure know how to make an entrance." She said looking at AJ as he leaned down to help Elizabeth as well.

AJ squatted down in front of Elizabeth and offered her his drink. She was very red with embarrassment and the tequila that was now sitting in her stomach. She shook her head at the proffered drink.

"It's just club soda."AJ said gently. "It will help." Elizabeth reached for the glass and gratefully sipped.

"What are you doing here?" She said to him. Olivia was fussing over her and Lulu was staring shocked at what was happening.

"Me?" AJ said taking the fourth chair at the table. "Just visiting some old stomping grounds. I was looking for Jake's I guess I was a little surprised to see they changed the name."

Elizabeth got quiet at that. Luke had changed the name for her. For Jake. It was a gesture that had touched her deeply. Tears sprung to her eyes at the mention of the name change. The tequila and the shock of AJ making her emotions run high.

"I'm Olivia Falconeri" She jumped in trying to diffuse the tension. "And This is-"

"Lulu Spencer." AJ chimed in. "I remember you. You were a lot younger when...I left town"

"Falconeri."Lulu finally found her voice. "Lulu Falconeri"

"Lulu is my daughter-in-law" Olivia said with pride.

"Right. You married Dante."

"Who is my son!" Olivia said with a big smile. The band started to play another song. And the four sat there in awkward silence for a moment.

"Olivia is with my brother." Elizabeth finally spoke for the first time since choking. "You remember Steve." The last was said with a little heat. She didn't know why she was irritated.

AJ finally looked at her. "Yes, I do. Your brother saved my life." He tanked Mac for the drink he handed him and looked back at Elizabeth. "I have been meaning to drop by and see him. To thank him. If it wasn't for Steve, I probably wouldn't even be here." He looked Elizabeth right in the eye and that feeling hit her again. That strange quivering in her belly. She desperately grabbed her beer and took a big swig.

The conversation stumbled along mostly between Olivia and AJ. It was getting to know you talk. Olivia asking him where he had been and AJ telling them tales of his recovery and such. Lulu interjecting a bit here and there. Elizabeth stayed mostly quiet the whole situation was a little too surreal for her. AJ tried to talk to her ask her questions but she couldn't help but snap at him a couple times. What was wrong with her? She thought. She didn't hate AJ. He just made her nervous. Remembering the things he had done before his "death". Elizabeth had a child kidnapped. She had lost that same child. This was Jason's brother. She just didn't know what to think. Olivia ordered more shots from Mac who was still eyeing AJ like he was a criminal. Olivia asked AJ if they minded if they drank in front of him. He replied that it didn't bother him at all he had put down the bottle years ago and was never picking one up again. Shots came and went and Elizabeth felt herself getting light-headed. Eventually her tension eased and she started to enjoy herself. Lulu even began to relax a little. AJ was at his charming best. Elizabeth remembered that about him. When AJ wanted to he could be extremely charming. Her thoughts flowed one into the next and she lost track of the conversation. So when AJ put his hand out to her and stood up she had no idea why.

"Elizabeth?" He asked.

"Oh go ahead Liz." Olivia said. "When's the last time a good lookin' man ask you to dance" Olivia gave her a little push and the next thing she knew, she was on the dance floor in AJ's arms while the house band played a pretty good rendition of In your Eyes By Peter Gabriel.

The music swirled around her. Her brain was all kinds of fuzzy. AJ pulled her close. The look in his eyes. The quivering was back. It felt like she was somewhere else. The heat in his gaze made her feel like the only woman on Earth. He had her under some kind of spell. When she looked in his eyes she saw something there that she had never seen before. Heat, yes, but something more than that loneliness, aching, and something, well, more. She had been married four times, and she had never seen that look in either Lucky or Ric's eyes. The music swept her away. They continued to dance. AJ's hand gently brushed her cheek and his eyes dropped to her mouth and then back into her eyes. She felt a tug on her insides the quivering increased. Her eyes dropped to his lips and the song came to a close. He led her back to the table and said his good-night to Olivia and Lulu. He told Elizabeth he'd see her soon and He walked out the door looking back only once when he was putting on his coat right at Elizabeth and she knew she was in trouble.