CHAPTER 23

"-Elizabeth, this is.... This is amazing

-You really like it?

-I love it. Man, I’m completely blown away

-You can change your tune Lucky

-What do you mean?

-You said the exact same thing when I gave her that painting of the boxcar

-I did? I don’t remember. But this is.... Can I keep it?

-I made it for you. I started it the first day after I picked our son up from your house.

-You’ve been working on it ever since?

-Yes"

Robert was really blown away, you could see it in his face. Elizabeth’s heart was racing a 1000 miles an hour. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek, his mouth dangerously near her earlobe, and her breath got stuck in her throat.

"-Thank you. He whispered"

Elizabeth’s heart was about to give out. She was so nervous she thought she was gonna faint. She turned her head towards his face and he smiled at her. The smile that always warmed her heart. Not a little smile, but the one that went all the way to his eyes, the smile that could melt an ice statue. The smile that still made her fall in love with him all over again.

"-I’m sorry, I’m looking for Elizabeth Webber-Cassadine? Asked a man in uniform

-That would be me. Elizabeth answered, getting away from Robert

-You’ve been served"

The man gave her a brown enveloped and left. She went to the nearby chair and sat down. She opened them and read, before handing them over to Robert.

"-What are they?

-My divorce papers. It’s Nikolas’ offer.

-He is offering you 5 million dollars, but you have to give up on anything in the Windermere house, you keep your own car, he keeps the rest, and you each have the kids 2 weeks a month. Unlimited visitation for the kids when they are at the other’s person’s house, you keep Medallion, everything inside, but by doing so, you give up any claim you may have on Cassadine Industries. That seems fair.

-Fair? There is a catch somewhere in there Lucky. He was so pissed that I chose being with you over him, he wouldn’t have just give up like that. Cassadines don’t give up like that. He has something up his sleeve.

-Maybe not. Maybe he really loves you and knows you love me"

Elizabeth looked at him with wide eyes. He sounded so confident. Like he knew all along she would choose him over his brother. But there wasn’t a trace of vanity in his eyes. Or even of victory. He was only stating a fact. A true fact.

"-Wait a minute. He said and went to get his glasses. That GOB.

-GOB?

-Grandson of a b*tch.

-Why? What’s wrong.

-It’s written in really little at the bottom of the page. "If, one day, Ms. Elizabeth Webber-Cassadine decides to wed Robert Jackson, A.k.a Lucas Lorenzo Spencer junior, she, by doing so, forfeit everything to Nikolas Cassadine since all of the above were paid by the Cassadine fortune, including the store Ms. Webber-Cassadine owns, Medallion.

-He can’t do that, can he?

-He can’t if you don’t sign this. But you will have to go to court then

-Wait a minute! Medallion was paid with MY money. The one I made selling paintings here and there. He can’t take that away from me?

-Do you have the receipt that totaled all your sales, along with the price of this place?

-Of course I do. What am I, a dumb blonde? She asked with a smile. This place and everything that comes in and out of it was paid with my own bank account. The amounts of money deposited and withdrawn from that account can all be proven by receipts.

-That’s good. Then don’t sign this. He said firmly. If Cassadine money never came in and out of this store, don’t sign this. Fight it

-Well, you know, what good will it do if we never get married? She asked with a smile

-You never know. Was his only answer"

He went back to the corner where his laptop was, and he continued his work. But he couldn’t concentrate. The fact was that he now knew she wanted to marry him. Someday. If not, why would she had been nervous about losing her store? Maybe the life they had dreamed of when they were kids could still happen, 18 years later.

He worked fast on his laptop, concentrating on his work. He was so into it, he didn’t even noticed Elizabeth coming in and out of the back store to talk to clients and friends. Someone came and stood directly in front of his laptop and Robert looked up. A smile immediately lighted his face.

"-Mr. Murty!"

Robert got up and shook his hand, his smile never leaving his face.

"-Hello Lucky. Call me Ted. Ted’s voice didn’t change one bit

-Name’s Robert now. How have you been? How’s Richard?

-He’s good. He is in the front with Elizabeth. He just loves her paintings and frankly, so do I.

-Are you still an English teacher at PC high? Robert asked as they moved to the front of the store

-Yes! Ted smiled. I even had your son as a student one year. When I read his name I was startled I admit, and he said he was yours and Elizabeth’s son, and he said, how did he put it, ‘I have my father’s good looks and my mom’s intelligence’ and I answered ‘I doubt you have your mother’s intelligence because she still has it’ or something like that. He still comes to see me once in a while. I heard he got married to another one of my student. They met in my class. I think I will call it Mr. Murty’s English love matching class

-I know he got married. To my adopted daughter"

Ted looked at Robert and smiled. He said that, in a way, he was the reason Lucky and Liz got together, they fell in love while they were trying to nail him. And he was right. And now, Lucky and Kiara fell in love because of him, too.

"-Do you think I should change my name to Ted Cupid?

-What and have the children call you Ted Stupid?"

They were laughing when they arrived in the front with Elizabeth and Richard. Robert shook his hand and looked at the painting he chose. Richard came here at least once every 3 months to see her paintings and he always bought one. Elizabeth was joking, saying he was the one who paid her bills. Richard wanted to know why she didn’t have any new paintings to show me so she went in the back and came back with her latest painting. Richard fell in love with it and wanted to buy it, but Robert was against it. It was his and no amount of money would make him separate from it. Elizabeth accepted to paint a portrait of Richard and Ted, and they were all happy. Richard paid for the painting he bought with the discount she always gave him, and they left with a last hand shake, after Elizabeth and Robert promised to stop by for dinner later that same week.

Elizabeth sent her employee home early and said she would close up. She had to clean the back store and pay some bills. She locked the front door and put the electric stop on it. The one Robert sold her to go with the alarm system. It needed the right code to open, or it wouldn’t. She was in her office when the storm started. Robert joined her right away. If his memory served him right, she didn’t like storms. And he was right. She gave him a weak smile.

"-What do you say we get out of here before it gets worst? She asked

-Good idea."

On their way to the front door the lights flickered and closed. Elizabeth reached for Robert’s hand and he squeezed it. He opened the panel for her to punch her code and smiled.

"-We’ll have to call the central and get them to open it, since it works with electricity

-There is only one problem

-What’s that?

-It’s an old building. When the power goes out, so does the phone

-You mean the phone lines are dead? He saw her nod. Well, I can use my laptop."

Robert went to his computer and opened it. He heard three beeps before it died down. He cursed out loud and Elizabeth rushed by his side.

"-What happened?

-Battery’s dead. When I work on it in a building I always forget to plug it and I use all the battery.

-You mean we are stuck here?

-Until the lights come back, yes.

-I don’t want to stay here. This place in the dark gives me the creeps"

She didn’t see his smile in the dark of the room.

"-Well, there are some things we can do to make the time pass faster

-Like what?

-Think about it. He said, moving closer. No phone, so Lucky can’t call. No doors so Lucky can’t knock and even if he did, we can’t open it. No Stefan to barge in on our night.

-What are you saying Lucky?

-We can’t be interrupted this time. I think someone up there is trying to tell us something

-Like what?

-That it’s time we renewed our love for each other."

Robert gently took her in his arms and kissed her deeply, his mouth tracing her lips softly, before moving to her earlobe, his tongue dancing around it. Elizabeth’s arms went for his neck and he held her closer, allowing her to feel his desire for her.

"-No phone, no doors, no kids. He whispered in her ear"