**
The shadow of your smile
When you have gone
Will color all my dreams
And light the dawn


Look into my eyes my love and see
All the lovely things you are to me


Our wistful little star
It was far, too high
A teardrop kissed your lips
And so did I


Now when I remember spring
All the joys that love can bring
I will be remembering
The shadow of your smile
("The Shadow Of Your Smile" by Tony Bennett)
**




The warmth alone was enough to make Lucky drowsy. He switched positions and grunted in pain. "Ok, so deciding to carry Elizabeth through the boonies wasn't the most brilliant idea ever," he complained to himself. He'd just downed two aspirin, but as yet they hadn't started working on his backache.

"What was that?" Liz mumbled from somewhere near his stomach. She was nestled so far under the covers it was hard to tell. The fire roaring at their feet was rapidly overheating them.

"Nothing," Lucky replied drowsily.

"I told you not to carry me..."

"You weren't exactly complaining though, were you?"

"Would you?"

"Probably not."

"See."

Liz's yawn interrupted anything else she might have said.

The doctor squatting in front of her foot chuckled lightly. "I see both of your senses of humor are still intact. But next time, pay more attention to the weather, please? You could've caught hypothermia." He prodded Liz's wrapped foot one last time, causing her to flinch and Lucky to lunge upward. Liz caught his arm before he could move much more than a few inches.

"Thanks," Lucky said, closing his eyes and settling back against the couch.

"I think he could take you right about now."

"Haha."

The doctor cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses. He stood and pointed to Liz's foot. "You have a light sprain. I've wrapped it, all you have to do is stay off of it for a few days and you'll be good as new. Got that?"

Liz nodded dully. Her mind was reeling. Sprained ankle...stay off of it...Lucky in scrubs...Lucky bringing breakfast in bed...

Liz sighed. It was going to be a long couple of days.

**

The stars were shining outside, and in through a little square skylight, when Liz woke from her extended nap. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes, readjusting herself on the couch. The fire that had burned in the fireplace near her feet was burned out, leaving only ashes in its wake.

Liz reached over for Lucky, intending to go back to sleep, but her arm encountered only a pillow and empty air. Liz's half-open eyes became fully open eyes. She turned toward the spot where Lucky had last been, her stomach knotting.

"Lucky?" she whispered. She licked her cracked lips, and her fingers involuntarily clasped the corner of her blanket. "Lucky?" Her voice was louder this time, but the break in it made it almost non-existent. She drew a quivering breath and called his name one last time.

No answer.

Liz found that her thought patterns were in interesting shapes. She tried to calm herself, but her breathing grew more frantic with each breath she took.

"I'm a big girl," she said to herself, ignoring her trembling hands. "I can take care of myself. I don't need Lucky here every second."

She could think of fifteen legit places Lucky could be, but the only one that made sense to her was right there, beside her. Liz rubbed at her forehead, wondering where her headache had suddenly appeared from. She slid to the edge of the couch, and peered over.

"I'll just go to the kitchen and get some aspirin," Liz told herself, her voice stronger than she expected her legs to be.

She rested her uninjured foot on the floor, flinching at the cool surface. Liz pushed herself up with her hands, and took a firm hold on the table next to the couch. She applied gentle pressure to her hurt foot, and only winced slightly when pain shot through it.

"Ok, that's not going to work." Liz settled for hopping on her good foot. She was halfway to the kitchen when the back door swung open and Lucky burst in.

"Elizabeth?"

His entrance had literally knocked her off her feet. She landed with a 'thump' on the floor, earning herself a bruise for her backside. She looked up at Lucky sheepishly.

"Hi."

Lucky leaned over her, concern in his eyes. "What-"

"Was I thinking?" Liz muttered. "I have no clue," she admitted with a smile, her worries nagging at the back of her mind.

Lucky shook his head amusedly and hoisted her onto her good foot again, grimacing with the effort.

"What a pair we make," Liz teased, allowing him to help her back to the couch. "I can't walk, and you can't bend down."

Lucky carefully elevated Liz's foot to the coffee table, and the small pillow on said table. He then lowered himself slowly next to Liz.

"What were you doing out there anyway?" Liz asked, her manner not betraying any of the fear she had experience earlier.

"I was just standing on the porch and thinking."

"About what?"

"You."

"Good answer."

"And us."

A pause.

"What about us?"

"Well, for one, where do we go from here?"

"Anywhere."

"What?"

"Anywhere. I'd go anywhere with you."

"Really?" Childish hopefulness entered his voice.

"Yeah."

"You'd even trust me on another picnic?"

"In a heartbeat. This one was quite enjoyable."

He laughed. The sound tickled Liz's ears and she found herself laughing too.

**

Liz ached all over. She was lying flat on her back, staring at the ceiling of her bedroom. Lucky was sound asleep next to her, with one arm slung around her waist. He was breathing heavily.

She, however, was wide awake. Her mind went over the days events, from waking alone in this same room, to the goodnight kiss Lucky had given her just an hour ago. And what a kiss it had been. Her mind lingered on those few moments of despair she had felt when she hadn't been able to find Lucky.

Am I too dependant? she asked herself, her brows furrowing. A part of her liked the feeling of not having to rely on herself for everything. But another part screamed for independence, craved not having to constantly have someone to lean on.

It's going to be a long night.

---

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