It was early evening on Friday and Lucky had just finished his guitar lesson in the Fine Arts building of Port Charles University and was walking down the hallway towards the exit. He had not seen Elizabeth since the previous Saturday, the night she had run from Kelly's and he had walked her home. But he had thought of her every day since then, had thought about how sad and vulnerable she had looked that night when he said goodbye to her. He had wanted to call her the next day, but she had said no, and he knew he had to respect her wishes. Still, it didn't stop him from thinking about her and wishing she would just give him a chance to be her friend. He felt drawn to her in a way that he could not define, and those feelings were made even stronger after their encounter the week before.
He was thinking about her as he walked down the hallway when he heard music coming from one of the Art Department classrooms. He stopped briefly to glance in the room and saw Elizabeth inside, standing at an easel, painting. There was a small radio playing and he could hear her humming along to the song. She was totally absorbed in what she was doing and he paused for a moment to watch her. Her expression was quite unlike the last time he had seen her. Now it was one of complete peace and contentment. He watched the way her eyes changed as she painted, registering satisfaction as she did something that obviously pleased her, and turning a bit more serious as she bit her lower lip when she wasn't sure. He understood that she was doing something she loved. It was that way with him when he was playing his guitar and writing his music. He could totally immerse himself in it and forget about anything that was troubling him.
He was reluctant to disturb her, but she looked so beautiful, the way her long, soft, brown hair fell around her face. So beautiful and complex. She did not look at all like the shy, frightened girl he had seen last week. He decided to just step inside the door and say hello, ask how she was doing, and be on his way. He entered the room slowly, quietly, and said, "Hey."
She looked up, startled, and her whole expression changed. He wasn't sure what he was seeing, perhaps shock, maybe a little fear, as if she thought he might do her harm. She seemed to catch her breath for a moment and then said, "Lucky."
"Hi, Elizabeth. I didn't mean to startle you. I was just walking by and I heard the music and saw you in here, so I thought I would say hello."
"Oh." She seemed unsure of what to say or how to act.
"How are you doing?"
She looked down. "I'm okay." He saw her look at her clothes, which were covered with paint. There was also paint on her face and in her hair. She looked at him, embarrassed by her appearance. "I've been…painting."
He laughed softly. "I can see that. You obviously love to paint. Do you mind if I take a look?"
She hesitated at first, then said, "I guess so. It's a project I need to get done for Monday and I want to finish it tonight. I still have some work to do on it." As he walked towards her she saw the guitar he was carrying.
"Do you play?"
"Oh, yea, I do. I just came from my lesson."
She nodded as he walked around behind her so he could look at the canvas.
It was intoxicating to be in such close proximity to her and he felt his heart start to beat just a little faster. He had thought of her so many times, and had wanted to get to know her for so long. He hoped that they could get off to a better start this time, and that she would begin to trust him, to let him be a friend. He studied the canvas for a long minute. She was painting a view from the docks….she was painting Wyndemere, the house on Spoon Island where his brother Nikolas was staying. It was breathtaking.
When he spoke it was in such a soft voice that she could barely hear him. "Elizabeth, this is…its amazing. It's beautiful."
She felt her face turn crimson as she looked away from him. "Thank you."
"It's Wyndemere."
"You know this place?"
"Yea, I do. My brother lived there. He's staying there now."
"Nikolas Cassadine is your brother?"
He nodded. "My half brother. Do you know him?"
She shook her head. "No, but I know who he is. I love to sit on the docks and watch and try to imagine what it would be like to live there, to have all the money you could ever need and to have servants take care of everything for you. Not that I would want to live that way, but it's fun to imagine it."
"Well, it isn't always all it's cracked up to be. People who live like that have their problems, just like we do. Sometimes more."
"I know. It's so beautiful though, don't you think? The grounds must be incredible. I've always dreamed of going there so I could sketch some of the grounds and gardens."
Lucky thought for a moment and said, "I could take you there. I know my way around pretty well, and Nikolas wouldn't mind. He's staying there while his father is out of town for a few months, so there wouldn't be any problem."
He saw her face light up. "You could? I mean, you would do that for me?"
He smiled. "I'd be happy to. There are some really beautiful places over there. We could go tomorrow if you don't have any plans."
She turned from him, and he could see she was tempted by the offer, yet reluctant. Finally she spoke. "I'll have to think about it…but…thanks."
"So are you going to be here awhile longer?"
"For a few hours anyway. I have a bit of work to do to finish this up."
"Well, that means it will be dark when you leave. Do you have your car here?"
"No, I walked today. It was such a beautiful day and I didn't realize I would be here so late."
"Well, then, do you mind if I stick around and wait on you, and make sure you get home okay?"
She looked at him, wondering why he was being so kind to her. She usually didn't trust people's kindness since they almost always wanted something in return. Lucky seemed different than anyone else she had ever known. He seemed sincere and genuinely interested in her. She wanted so desperately to trust him. "You don't need to. I'll be fine, really."
"Well, okay, but I'd be really quiet. Besides, I have some songs I want to work on and this would be a nice, quiet place to do it. It's not always so quiet at my house. I have a six year old sister and it can get pretty noisy sometimes, especially when she has her friends over and they start giggling and squealing and playing that music that little girls love to listen to."
Elizabeth laughed then, and her whole face lit up. Lucky was astounded by the change in her when she laughed. God, she was so beautiful. Those eyes. They sparkled and danced in a way he had never seen before. He could not look away from her. He wanted to remember the way she looked right now, and he wanted to be the one to make her look this way always. He wanted to take away her pain.
"It must be fun to have a little sister. And I'll bet you're a wonderful brother to her."
"Lulu is the best. Her name is Lesley Lu but everyone calls her Lulu. She's so beautiful, you know. We have a lot of fun together. You know, I just thought of something. If you like, we could take Lulu with us tomorrow to Wyndemere. She loves to go visit her brother. We could take a picnic lunch and eat in one of the gardens. Lulu would love that."
Elizabeth thought about it for just a moment. "That sounds nice. Okay. Besides, I'd love to meet Lulu. She sounds wonderful."
He smiled, pleased that he was able to convince her to go. "Now, I'm just going to go sit quietly in the corner while you finish up your painting, okay?"
"Okay."
The next morning, Elizabeth awoke feeling apprehensive, even a little scared. She was so afraid of her feelings for Lucky. Her feelings for him were unlike anything she had ever experienced, and she didn't know quite how to deal with them, let alone how to define them. She knew she liked him, but it was something beyond that, maybe even beyond simple attraction. There was something about the way he looked at her, his eyes so tender, and open and honest. She wanted to trust him, wanted to understand why he seemed so different from all the other boys she had known who had all wanted only one thing from her. The one thing she was unwilling to give them, the one thing she may never be able to give anyone.
They had agreed that he and Lulu would pick her up at 10:00. She was ready long before that. She had changed her outfit several times, finally deciding on a pair of jeans and a red t-shirt. She looked at herself in the mirror and tried to see the girl she wanted to be. She had never felt normal like other people, never felt that she deserved to be happy, or confident, or have a real relationship with someone. It seemed so unfair that her past, and her secret, prevented her from living a full and happy life. For just a moment, as she looked into the mirror, she saw that scared little girl she had been, that scared little girl that she still felt like sometimes as if she had not progressed a day beyond her 10th birthday.
She heard the doorbell ring and turned from the mirror, grabbing her purse and her sketch book. She had made up her mind that just for today she was going to forget all about that little girl and spend time with Lucky and his little sister Lulu. She was going to be normal.