Therein it is related that in the alignment of the planets, occurring only once in the span of a millennia, there shall be a holy union of two. The male, in the first quarter of his life, shall be of flaxen hair and rigorous of body and mind; the female, having celebrated no more than twenty years, small and dark, of pure heart and blood.
Signaling their meeting, a flash, whereupon day will turn to night and then return swiftly.
Upon the binding of the chosen two, a thousand years of blessed light follow and come upon this world on that night, the eve of the fifteenth month. If conditions be not met, damnation will fall upon the land until the planets align once again.
Aurora Dawning is a full-fledged fantasy story with legends, magic, sorcerors and enchantresses. At one point, I had planned a sequel but it has mostly fallen off my radar. I hope you enjoy this odd bit. Thanks to LeaB for being my original beta all those moons ago, and to Pia for writing the legend above.
By the time Nikolas lost his memories in April 2004, I was completely over the Nikolas/Emily storyline, although I had liked them initially. Emily, as a character, was a complete loss for me. I didn’t enjoy the actress and I hated the way they trashed Zander as a character in order to build them up.
So when Nikolas first started sharing scenes with Mary Bishop, I kind of liked it. I liked the actress, as well. But the writers never gave them a chance, and it annoyed me. So I thought about going back to do something with it, but I never really picked up steam with it. It was going to be a series of stories, but I’ve decided to combine them into one.
Timeline
In 2004, Nikolas was presumed dead, but had lost his memory, and there was this ridiculous storyline in which Mary Bishop pretended he was her dead husband, Connor. I really liked the actress and thought she had good chemistry with Nikolas, but the show made her insane and she ended up killing Sage Alcazar, another character the show drove to uselessness. So, this picks up.
Childhood sweethearts. Destined for each other. Soul mates. Mary Bishop had heard it over and over growing up in Ithaca, New York. She and Connor were meant to be together. Since he’d pulled her hair and she’d pushed him into the sandbox when they were five years old.
Picture perfect. Junior Proms, Homecoming Dances, Senior Prom, Graduation, College. Every step of their lives, they were together.
He’d proposed when they were eighteen but decided to wait until they were out of college to get married. He’d gone into the service during college and after their wedding last spring, he’d been transported to Iraq.
And he’d been shipped home that summer.
She’d left Ithaca to get away from those faces. Those well–meaning family members and friends with their expressions full of sympathy and sorrow. At first, she’d welcomed it. Welcomed the chance to wallow in her misery.
But as the months passed and her tears did not subside and her depression became more and more pronounced, she heard them whisper about doctors and how “poor dear Mary wasn’t coping well with her loss.”
Her loss. She was twenty–three years old and eighteen years of history with Connor had been reduced to her loss.
Those looks of sympathy and sorrow gradually faded into pity and disappointment. She was such a pretty girl, her aunt had said. She shouldn’t be dwelling on her loss.
She’d moved to a small town where no one knew her. Where she hadn’t been Mrs. Mary Bishop. Here, in Port Charles, she was Mary Bishop, the new kindergarten teacher at the elementary school.
She’d been living her new life a week when he appeared at her door. At first, in the dark with the shadows on his face, she’d wanted to believe that it was Connor returning to her.
But he was a stranger. And she was so lonely…
She could almost make herself believe the fantasy world she’d weaved. He was her husband, her Connor returned home. She could tell him all about their love and how it had once been.
She could destroy the photos of Connor…
She held the double frame in her hands. One side, Connor. So handsome and poised in his uniform and to the right, herself, smiling. Happy. About to embark on the greatest adventure in her life.
She couldn’t do it. This man—-this beautiful man lying unconscious in her bedroom—-he could never be her Connor.
Someone knocked on her door as she stared at the photo. She set it aside and stood to open it. “Hello?”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you but I’m Officer Lucky Spencer and I’m looking for my brother, Nikolas Cassadine. He was in a car accident and wandered away from the scene.” The dark–haired man thrust a photo of a smiling version of the injured man in the other room. “Have you seen him tonight?”
Mary nodded slowly. “Yes. He collapsed outside my door. I brought him inside but I didn’t have a phone. He doesn’t appear to remember anything.” She stepped back and took a deep breath. “He’s in my bedroom.”
Lucky Spencer nodded. “Thank you,” he said in a hurry as he unclipped his radio from his belt to notify the search teams.
Mary stepped back and her eyes caught the pile of frames she’d been about to burn. She was lonely—-so lonely she’d almost burned her life with Connor and lied to a strange and helpless man.
Tears burned her eyes and she closed them. “Connor,” she whispered, softly. “How could you leave me…”
Mary Bishop entered Kelly’s Diner and managed a smile as she watched a young mother herd her children out the door. Today was the day she began her new life.
It’d been a week since she’d hit rock bottom and nearly burned Connor’s pictures but she’d pulled herself back from that edge. She was stronger than she’d given herself credit for. Nikolas Cassadine had returned to his home, his family–his fiance–and Mary praised the heavens he hadn’t remembered her silly ranting about being his wife.
She stopped at the counter and waited for the middle–aged man to stop berating a younger blonde man standing next to her. She just wanted some coffee to start her day and she’d never been very good at making it herself.
“Mike–I really don’t have the time to listen to this again.” The man next to her sounded slightly irate and Mary slid a few inches to her left.
“Well, you’d better make the time,” the man named Mike shot back. “That’s my little girl and you took vows–”
“She took the same vows I did–why aren’t you having this conversation with her?”
Mary stared at the counter, wondering how long this family argument would go on and if it would make her late for work.
“Mike, I’m sure Bobbie would appreciate if you spent a little more time with the customers and not yelling at your son-in-law,” a new voice said. Mary focused on the counter again to find a pregnant brunette smiling at her. “Hey, what can I get you?”
Mike finally seemed to notice her and cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Miss. Did you need something?”
“Elizabeth? I thought you quit,” Mike’s son-in-law remarked.
The girl named Elizabeth shrugged. “Gotta pay the bills somehow. I don’t know when the alimony will start.”
“Jesus, do marriage vows mean anything to anyone anymore?” Mike threw up his hands. “I can’t remember the last marriagein this town that worked.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Can I get you something to eat, to drink?”
“Coffee–black. To go,” Mary finally said. She slid her hands in the pockets of her dark gray overcoat and focused on the girl Elizabeth.
Elizabeth poured the coffee into a Styrofoam cup and placed a lid on it. “One dollar and fifty cents.”
Mary slid two dollars across the counter. “Keep the change.” She took the coffee and exited the diner, eager to be away from what looked like a strange family argument. She’d lived in a small town before–but everyone had kept to themselves. No one aired their private business outside their own homes.
It seemed to be quite the opposite here.
She crossed the docks and sipped her coffee. In just an hour, she’d be starting her first class on the first day of her new life and she was terrified. She’d been lucky to find a position at all and now she wondered if she’d be any good at it.
“You’re Mary Bishop, aren’t you?” a voice called out from behind her.
She turned and saw a police officer at the top of the stairs. She’d never been fond of a man in uniform. After all, it was a man in a Marine Corps uniform who’d knocked on her door one night and shattered her entire world.
“Yes,” she answered cautiously. “Why?”
The man walked down the stairs and as he came closer, she realized he was Officer Lucky Spencer, the brother of Nikolas Cassadine. “I remember you–you’re that man’s brother.”
Lucky nodded. “Nikolas still hasn’t regained all his memory but he’s recuperating back home.” He gestured towards the house in the distance, surrounded by mists and fog. “Spoon Island.”
Mary nodded. “I’m glad to hear he’s all right.”
“Well–I just wanted to thank you again,” Lucky remarked. “I–I ran your name and found out you’re a veteran’s widow. I was sorry to hear that.”
“Connor died last summer,” she said softly. “He was in the Marines and one of the few soldiers who was a casualty of the actual war.”
“How long were you married?” Lucky asked curiously.
“Just a few months. We were married in May and he shipped out shortly after that. He was sent home in August.” Her throat felt thick and she despised this man for bringing this all back to her.
But she was starting a new life and in order to avoid the pity and sympathy she’d barely survived back home–she had to pretend that this was in the past and she was over it now.
“Man…” Lucky shook his head. “I’m really sorry.” He hesitated. “Am I keeping you from something?”
“I have work, so yes,” Mary admitted. “It’s my first day Port Charles Elementary School, I’m a kindergarten teacher.”
“Oh–well, the good luck on your first day and welcome to Port Charles.” Lucky held out his hand. She shook it and took a step back.
“Thank you.” Mary nodded and then turned–hurrying to get away from the sympathy in the officer’s eyes.
——
Her first day went as well as could be expected. The children were sweet enough but she wondered if that would wear off with the first day over.
Her fellow teachers were nice enough but like in the diner, everyone seemed to know everyone’s business. Someone had told someone else about Connor and by lunch time, she could see the pity in their eyes.
It was almost as if Mary could hear them saying, “There goes the war widow. What a shame.”
But she didn’t want to return to that house just yet. Didn’t want to face those rooms with the pictures of Connor everywhere. Mementos of a life she wanted to forget but couldn’t bring herself to begin the process.
The diner was almost deserted–the after school crowd was gone and dinner rush hadn’t begun. If Mary was lucky–she could be in and out before another sympathetic soul set in on her.
The pregnant brunette was still working behind the counter but there was no sign of the irritating Mike or his stand–offish son–in–law. She hesitantly approached the counter and reached for the menu.
“Hey, welcome back,” the brunette greeted. “Glad to see our coffee didn’t scare you off.”
Mary smiled weakly before hiding her face behind the menu. After a moment, she heard the girl’s voice again. “Now I know why you look familiar.”
Mary frowned and lowered her menu. “I do?”
The girl nodded. “Yeah–Emily Quartermaine is my best friend and Nikolas is like a brother to me.” She extended her hand. “Elizabeth Lans–” she stopped. “Elizabeth Webber.”
“Mary Bishop.” Mary hesitated. “Can I ask why you changed your last name?”
“Divorce,” Elizabeth waved her hand in dismissal. “I’d rather eat dirt than carry his last name. But I’m sure you heard Mike bemoan the lack of morals this morning.”
“I did,” Mary admitted. “But I didn’t want to eavesdrop. How long since the divorce?”
“Two weeks since it was finalized and a month since I left him,” Elizabeth replied. She hesitated. “I–I know you must be sick of hearing this but…Lucky told me about your husband.”
The warmth fled from Mary’s eyes and she drew her shoulders back. “Yes–it seems everyone knows about Connor.”
Elizabeth bit her lip. “I’m sorry–look, I’ve been where you are and everyone always has something supportive to say and it feels like they’re always saying how sorry they are when you all you want is to be alone.”
“So why bring it up at all?” Mary asked coldly. “If you’ve been where I am–” she stopped. “I’m sorry.”
“No–I am. You don’t even know me–everyone knows everything in Port Charles so I’m used to people remembering when we thought Lucky was dead,” Elizabeth told her. “See–we were high school sweethearts and he was believed dead in a fire. It devastated me.”
“How long–how long did you think he was dead?” Mary asked curiously, having never heard of someone coming back from the dead.
“About a year. The first six months–they were dreadful. I started pretending that I was okay because–if Lucky’s girlfriend, the love of his life–if she was okay, then it was okay for his family and friends to be okay, you know?” Elizabeth sipped her water. “But I wasn’t and I was bottling everything inside me–and I got so sick of hearing Lucky would have wanted me to do this, or he would have wanted me to do that…and I just thought–what the hell do I care what he would have wanted? He’s dead, I’m all alone and nothing is going to make me feel better.”
Mary nodded. “You really have been where I am,” she said a little surprised. “I moved from my hometown because I got tired of hearing about how I shouldn’t wallow. About how Connor wouldn’t have wanted me to give up. They said that I wasn’t dealing with my loss well.” She rolled her eyes. “My loss. Connor and I had been friends since we were five, dating practically all our lives and…suddenly, just because he’s gone, I’m supposed to be magically okay?”
“And you came to Port Charles where every look is one of pity or every word is how sorry someone is.” Elizabeth nodded and smiled. “I know that phase. It’s the anger phase of grief. You just want to lash out at the world and when that doesn’t work, you think…why don’t I just…try to find something that hurts worse?”
“Right before I decided to leave Ithaca, I…” Mary hesitated, realizing she was about to tell this woman something she’d never told anyone. She blinked. “I’m sorry–you must have other customers.”
“I’m not really on duty,” Elizabeth informed her. “I live upstairs right now and pitch in when I have to. Why don’t I put your order in and we can grab a table to talk some more?”
“If it’s not a bother…I’ll just have the chicken fingers and fries.” Mary slid off the stool and headed towards the first empty table. A moment later, Elizabeth sat across from her and set an iced tea down. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Elizabeth fiddled with the silver bracelet around her wrist. “You know–my rebellion was actually pretty mild. I dressed up and went to a bar, hoping someone would bother me and I could just unleash my anger.”
“Did someone?” Mary asked curiously.
“Yeah–but Jason…he’s the guy Mike was yelling at this morning–that used to be his kind of hangout and he took care of the guy before it got too serious. I was furious with him though–because I really wanted that outlet.” Elizabeth shrugged. “But he sat me down and he let me ramble for like an hour about how much I missed Lucky, and how nothing would ever be okay again–and he just listened and I realized that I needed that a lot more than I needed a fight.”
Mary nodded. “You were lucky to have a friend like him. Where I grew up–everyone always assumed they knew better and less than three months after the funeral, women from the church were setting me up with their grandsons.” She stared at her hands. “Right before I left Ithaca, I attempted suicide.”
Elizabeth didn’t blink, didn’t gasp–didn’t do anything that Mary had expected so she continued. “I took a whole bottle of anti–depressants and went to sleep but my mother stopped by unexpectedly. I got my stomach pumped and everyone decided that I had just forgotten I had already taken some.”
“They didn’t realize what it was?” Elizabeth asked curiously.
Mary shook her head. “They ignored it, pretended it was something else. But I knew I couldn’t be there anymore. So I started applying at schools–I’m a teacher–and here I am.”
“I thought about it after Lucky died. I thought about it a lot but I never hit rock bottom.” Elizabeth reached out and squeezed Mary’s hand. “I was lucky that I had someone like Jason and no one understands more than I do that sometimes you just want someone to listen.”
Mary nodded and drew in a shaky breath. “When we were five, he pulled my hair so I pushed him out of the sandbox.” She tried to laugh but it came out a strangled sob. “Everyone said we were soul mates…”
Elizabeth squeezed her hand again and nodded for her to go on and for the first time, Mary remembered the joy of having been with Connor rather than the pain.
Another 2004 episode tag. This one is set after Lila’s death and her subsequent funeral.
Timeline
Anna Lee passed away in May of 2004. She last appeared on the show in May of 2003 — that story is tragic. Her son actually blames the show for her decline, stating that being taken off contract when she’d been promised a lifetime contract by Gloria Monty. Lila’s death was devastating for everyone. One of my biggest regrets about this story was that John Ingle had also been taken off contract and he’d left GH for about a year to appear on Days as Mickey Horton. Jed Allan came on and did a decent job, but the story lacked some punch for the recast.
This story is set after her funeral (during which we saw Robin for the first time in five years, setting up a return in late 2005). Jason and Elizabeth didn’t share any scenes which wasn’t a surprise, I guess, since they were setting up Jason and Sam at this point but it was a bit disappointing with Elizabeth’s connection to Emily and the Quartermaines. This episode tag, set after July 16’s episode, gives us maybe a cut scene.
In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on. — Robert Frost
He was in the Quartermaine gardens when she found him at the reception afterwards. He was in the middle of Lila’s rose gardens, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed.
“I’ve never seen roses anywhere else that were this beautiful,” Elizabeth said softly. She touched one of them, breathing in the soft scent.
Jason turned to her and her heart broke at the bloodshot red eyes. “She spent a lot of time out here.”
“She was proud of this garden and I can see why.” Elizabeth shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “I’ve been trying to get a rose bush to bloom like this at Gram’s since the first time I came here but well, I’ve never had much of a green thumb.” She shifted her weight from one foot to another. “It never blooms much but I do get some flowers every year so I guess it’s been worth the effort.”
“It means a lot to Emily that you’re here.” Jason cleared his throat. “And to me.”
“She’s my best friend in the world. There’s no where else I could think of being today.” Elizabeth hesitated. “I know how much you loved her, Jason. I wish that I had the words to tell you how sorry I am but I don’t—I know there aren’t any.”
He exhaled slowly. “This is the first time someone so close to me has died. I didn’t—I thought it would hurt like losing Michael did. But…it’s different. I’m never going to see her again. Never going to see her smile or hear her voice. At least with Michael—I knew he was okay. That he would be okay.” He looked at her. “Do you remember that day in the park when we were talking about him and you said…that one day, you never know?”
“I remember,” Elizabeth said softly.
“I didn’t think I’d have him in my life again but he’s there. A daily part of my life and I’m just so grateful for that.” Jason sighed heavily. “But she’s not. She won’t ever be again.”
“That’s not true,” Elizabeth protested. “She’s in your heart, in your head. You have memories. You have her words, her presence in your life. You don’t have see a person to feel their love, Jason. That person doesn’t have to be in your life to love you.”
She stepped towards him and put a hand on his cheek. “Bodies die. But who that person was—they’re always inside you. I realized that when I thought Lucky was gone. Remembering him tore me up inside because I wanted him with me and if you think about never seeing her again, it’s just going to do the same to you.”
She pulled him to one of the stone benches and made him sit down. “Almost five years ago, we sat at a table and you let me talk until my face turned blue about Lucky. You didn’t know me as anymore than Emily’s friend.”
Elizabeth took Jason’s hand in hers. “You gave me back my memories, Jason, when you hardly knew me at all. Since then, you’ve become so much more to me than Emily’s brother or Lucky’s employer. You’ve been a friend…you’ve been more.” She smiled faintly. “I want to do the same for you. Let me do the same for you.”
“I don’t—” Jason exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. “I don’t know what you want me to do.”
“We can talk. We can just sit here. We can go take a ride on your bike and go around the turns so fast that we almost touch the ground. I just want the chance to help you the way you helped me.”
He nodded and managed a weak smile. “The last one sounds like a good idea but I’m not surprised you suggested it.”
“Yeah?” Elizabeth asked, smiling in return.
“You always did like my bike better than me.”
She laughed then, and her smile was bit brighter and was more genuine. “Well, who can resist it?”
He stood and held a hand out. “Come on. We’ll take the cliff road.”
During the Port Charles Hotel fire — the first of what I’d like to call the disaster sweeps stories — Elizabeth was kept mostly on the sidelines which was not an issue for me. Rebecca Herbst was pregnant in real-life and likely would have been around six or seven months pregnant (I believe her daughter was born that April). Jason was, of course, in the middle of things, and he was nearly killed at the end of it by rogue Detective Capelli (a heel turn that devastated many because his portrayer was pretty). There was a cliff hanger, and I was inspired to write what if Elizabeth shows up.
Timeline
This was an episode tag to February 18, 2004’s episode as the hotel fire was winding down. Most of the survivors had been evacuated from the roof by helicopter (leading to one of the most epic NEm scenes in their story — Emily being carried away as Nikolas looks on, trapped). Nikolas was left behind and believed dead for several episodes. (On another note — Nikolas and Emily had some serious super couple writing in that they were constantly being reunited and separated — the stories themselves weren’t so great, but the trope was there, and i think one of the last true supercouples the show launched).
At the same time, Jason had escaped but was stopped by PCPD Detective Andy Capelli who had been ordered by Lorenzo Alcazar to kill him. (I think — this is a bit fuzzy and it’s been a long time since I’ve rewatched). Elizabeth was married to Ric, and that marriage looked relatively stable (their breakup was welcomed but weirdly out of place with the way they’d written them over the previous six months).
Anyway, the scene is this — Jason is trapped by Capelli with a gun on him, facing certain death, and Elizabeth is somewhere on the grounds. I have no earthly clue how this worked out when it actually aired, lol.
“Could you just…please check for me? One last time?”
Her best friend’s heartbroken voice echoing in her ears, Elizabeth Webber-Lansing stepped out of her car and pulled her jacket more tightly around her protruding belly.
Emily was back at Wyndemere but unable to let go of the possibility that Nikolas had been found or was still trying to get out. She’d begged Elizabeth to check just one more time and Elizabeth—the memory of the night Lucky died in a fire all too vivid in her mind—couldn’t bear to refuse her.
The ruins of the once luxurious hotel were still standing up to about the tenth floor. She knew that plans were already being made to tear it down but it ripped at her to know Nikolas’s body might never be recovered.
As she approached the entrance to the building, she heard raised voices. She rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Detective Andrew Capelli holding a gun on Jason.
“It’s called a preemptive measure, Morgan,” Capelli hissed. “Take you out before you can take me out.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jason remarked stiffly. “You handcuffed me to a pipe to die. Seems to me you already had your shot.”
“And you won’t get a chance to retaliate,” Capelli declared. He cocked back the hammer.
Elizabeth took a few steps back and took a deep breath. “Hello?” she called. “Is anyone here?”
Capelli whirled around and Jason used the opportunity to tackle him the ground. But Capelli kept control of the gun and Jason ended up on the ground.
“What’s going on here?” Elizabeth demanded.
“Elizabeth, get out of here!” Jason ordered.
“Detective Capelli?” Elizabeth asked, ignoring Jason’s words. She crossed her arms tightly. “Are you in the middle of an arrest?”
“Yes, Mrs. Lansing, so please vacate the premises,” Capelli said, keeping his foot on Jason’s chest.
“Why are you arresting him?”
“This is official police business,” Capelli replied coldly. “Please leave.”
Continuing to ignore the request to leave, Elizabeth strode towards them and stood on the other side of Jason. “So you routinely shoot suspects who are unarmed?” she demanded.
“Mrs. Landing, why do you give a damn about a criminal who’s tried to kill your own husband numerous times?” Capelli said scathingly.
“And who are you to decide who lives and dies?” Elizabeth challenged. “I’m not leaving until you do. So step back.”
“I don’t think so.” He raised the gun to her face. “You either leave or I make you leave.”
Her skin drained of color but she didn’t blink. “If you shoot me, you’re going to find it a little more difficult to get away with that than you will if you shoot Jason. Because my husband will find out and you will pay for it.”
“What makes you think they’ll find your bodies? Maybe I’ll write your spouses a nice note telling them how you ran away together.”
With Capelli’s attention and gun firmly on Elizabeth, Jason used the opportunity to knock him off balance, the gun flying in the air.
Jason tackled him and held him to the ground. He contemplated pulling his gun from his waist but with Elizabeth standing right behind him, he wouldn’t put her in the position to having to see that. “Call the police, Elizabeth,” he directed.
“They’re already on their way,” Elizabeth said in a shaky voice. “I called Ric on my cell and he’s been listening in the whole time.” She removed the phone from her pocket. “Ric?”
“We’re en route, Elizabeth,” Ric told her. “Can Jason hold him down for another five minutes?”
“They’ll be here in five minutes, can you hold him until then?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yeah.”
“Yeah,” Elizabeth repeated. “I’ll see you then.” She closed the phone and put it back in her pocket.
“Why didn’t you leave when I told you to?” Jason demanded, his arm pressed firmly into Capelli’s windpipe.
Elizabeth snorted. “Yeah, walk away when someone’s got a gun on you. Dream on.”
No one could ever know me/ No one could ever see me Seems you’re the only one who knows what it’s like to be me Someone to face the day with, make it through all the rest with Someone I’ll always laugh with/Even at my worst, I’m best with you, Yeah!
Inspiration
It began as a flash fiction series, just to see if I could do it. Once upon time, before their permanent lock and his death in the fire , Lucky and Elizabeth were the best of friends, and in honor of this memory, this series was born.
Timeline
This is a series of absolutely fluff pieces, designed just as an exercise to only write a story in dialogue between an alternate version of Elizabeth and Lucky. Mixed with the Liz and Lucky dialogue entry are several Liason companion pieces and one Jason and Brenda dialogue story. These are marked by either Brazen or Liason in their titles.
Your Turn!
Do you want more entries in this series? Reply to this page with a prompt — this was a flash fiction series so I need prompts to produce the silliness!
I’m standing on a bridge/I’m waiting in the dark/ I thought that you’d be here by now/There’s nothing but the rain/ No footsteps on the ground/I’m listening but there’s no sound Isn’t anyone trying to find me?/Won’t somebody come take me home?
Inspiration
The inspiration for this story came, ironically, from listening to an Avril Lavigne song, and I’ve quoted the pertinent lyrics above. I remember thinking at the point Ric pretended to sleep with Carly (and let’s just call it what it was–an emotional rape) that Elizabeth was so isolated on the canvas of the show at that point, where would she go if she, a rape victim, discovered she’d been dating a rapist? The show never really delved into that part of the storyline, and they missed an opportunity I think. But anyway 😛
Thanks to the girls at LU for all their wonderful encouragement in writing this, particularly Cathy, Pia, Waheeda, Maja, and Nicole. This is some of the best writing I personally think I’ve ever done.
Timeline
This is a set of stories that begins in late May 2003. Ric has been revealed and taken care of. Elizabeth learns she was just part of the plan. Emily has learned about Zander and Elizabeth’s one night stand and left her alone. Lucky and Elizabeth have spent a lot of time together while Jason and Courtney are still dating.
In January 2004, there was some asinine story with Carly being at either Shadybrooke or Ferncliffe and for some reason, she stabbed Jason with a needle (I think it was an accident) and this particular stuff in the needle was supposed to make you go where you felt safe. Jason went to Courtney, but I (in all my Liason fan glory) thought it might be fun to write about his going to Elizabeth and the studio. So here we are. If anyone remembers the ridiculous story that actually set this series up, please let me know. I have no clue.
I went back to Liason Underground where I originally posted this story, and got a kick out of reading the old feedback. I had originally intended this to be a one shot, the first part, and then someone asked for more. And I wrote one more part. And then Cathy gave me the idea for setting up a crib. Every time I posted a new part I kept swearing this was it, but it eventually became Good Associations: The Incomplete Complete Fic. Thanks to the ladies at Liason Underground, circa 2004. You guys made those crappy days worth watching.
Timeline
To be more specific about this story, this takes place during the time Carly was struggling after Sonny shot her in the head (AND THEN GOT MAD AT HER BECAUSE SHE DIDN’T FORGIVE HIM FAST ENOUGH–I’m fine). She checked herself into a mental health institution. Somehow, Jason ended up there and Carly was struggling with medication (I don’t remember the full details). Jason got the injection instead and left. The doctor told Carly not to worry, that he’d go some place he felt safe. Yeah, that sounded dumb in 2004 but considering the quality of writing we’re getting in 2021, I’ll allow it.
At the time, Jason and Courtney were on the rocks for reasons I no longer care to remember. Elizabeth and Ric were relatively solid at this point (despite the panic room, pushing to bring back vision incident–and the poison and embolism and attempt to smother–okay, lots of unresolved feelings here, obviously). Let me know if there are any questions!
I’m not sure now what inspired this story, but it’s definitely up there as one of my best early pieces. There are things I would do differently today, but I’m still really happy with it overall.
Yesterdays is really close to my heart. When I started writing it, I had never met anyone who had divorced parents. I’m from a small town and we were mostly lower middle class for the majority of my childhood. People would fight, maybe spend nights at different places, but divorce was too expensive. How could you set up two households when just having one was so difficult to afford?
So, I wrote this story without any real experience. About halfway through, I received a message from a reader who told me that this story touched her because it made her think of her own experiences, and I’ve never forgotten that.
Background
This is an alternate universe in which Elizabeth and Jason are the children of jet-setting wealthy parents who travel the world. They met and married young, then bitterly divorced shortly after the birth of their first daughter.
Story Notes
Some of the cast photos might be foreign or odd. That is Brooklyn Rae Silzer, who currently plays Emma Scorpio-Drake, but I adore her to pieces so she’s cast as Olivia Morgan in this. Holly Marie Combs’ picture is Jessica Spencer (the same Jessica from Intoxication, ha) and there’s Senait Ashenafi as Keesha Ward, Jason Quartermaine’s first girlfriend on the show.
After a body was found in the wreckage of the hotel fire, it was suspected of being both Zander Smith and Scott Baldwin. It ended up being neither of them, but when they thought it was Zander, Elizabeth was responsible for his death. She’d hit him on the head, causing him to be unconscious and die in the fire. Nikolas was suspected of the crime, and Ric was trying to frame him in order to clear Elizabeth.
Elizabeth wanted to come clean but ultimately, Jason agreed to sign a statement that cast guilt on Andy Capelli, the rogue detective that had died while trying to kill Jason after the fire. Elizabeth was in the clear, thanks to Jason. It didn’t matter since Zander wasn’t dead after all, so it was all a mess, to be honest.
Inspiration
I was extremely unhappy with the way the show handled Zander’s supposed death and Elizabeth’s part in it. It felt like she had zero POV in the whole thing, and was just a pawn. I also really hated how Nikolas and Emily were treating her during the whole thing. It definitely demonstrated to me why Ric was terrible for her. I’ve actually written two versions of the Elizabeth Murders Zander story — this one, which I wrote back in 2004, and Shadows, which I wrote a version of in 2004-05 then rewrote in 2014 as my first story back after five years.
I’m not happy with this story and I actually tossed it in the Fiction Graveyard for a time, but it’s not super terrible.
This is set during the summer of 2004, shortly after Elizabeth returned from California with Cameron and had finalized her divorce from Ric. She was drifting a bit storyline wise for a while (I imagine because the show had given her an easy schedule since her maternity leave was pretty short), and she shared a few scenes with Sam.
That summer, Sam had become pregnant with Sonny’s baby but Jason had claimed it for reasons that have never made sense to me other than Sam was a failed character within the first six months of her existence and she was on her third relationship. Anyway, I didn’t mind Sam much at first and I thought, under circumstances, she and Elizabeth could have been friends since they both disliked Courtney and Carly.
Inspiration
I wrote this just as an exploratory piece. What would Sam and Elizabeth be like friends? It’s also a little bit inspired by the song by Britney Spears.
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Elm St. Pier
Elizabeth Webber Lansing sat on the bench and lifted her two month old son out of his stroller. Cameron Webber gurgled and smiled at her. He had big brown eyes—Zander’s eyes and it broke her heart he would never know his father.
Ric had wanted to be his father—but for all the wrong reasons and though he had been a good husband and would have been an exemplary father, she’d never forgive herself for exposing her child to the hatred that lurked in Ric’s heart.
She had sold some paintings in California and would have enough money to live comfortably on until Cameron was a little older. Audrey was planning on retiring from the hospital at the end of the year and at that point, she would take care of Cameron while she helped to fund Elizabeth’s dream of opening an art gallery.
Her life was firmly back on track. She was a mother, she was a granddaughter, a best friend. And soon she would be a divorced woman again. She just had to work up the courage to file.
Emily had been encouraging her call Alexis almost since Elizabeth had left town and now that she was home—well maybe she would.
She heard rapid footsteps on the dock steps behind her and the brisk no nonsense voice of Nikolas’s aunt. “You just stay away from me, do you hear me?” Alexis Davis snapped. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs—Elizabeth hidden from her view by a large bush. “I don’t want you near me or my daughter. You just—just stop coming around.”
“Now now, Counselor, there’s no reason get so upset.” The smooth and charming voice of her estranged husband startled Elizabeth and she recognized the tone—one he’d used to soothe her on many occasions.
Elizabeth clutched her son to her chest and blinked. She had thought Ric and Alexis hated each other. Should she step in? Save Alexis from whatever Ric was undoubtedly planning?
“Whatever happened in the elevator—it just stays there,” Alexis continued, her voice fast and slightly thready. She was nervous and showing signs of some panic. “Don’t touch me!”
Elizabeth frowned and was about to stand when Ric’s next words stopped her cold. “Alexis, don’t act like my touch repulses you. If that elevator hadn’t started to move, we’d probably be on round two.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes and shook her head. No. He hadn’t—two months after she was gone. He wouldn’t. He had told her that he loved her. How did that go away in two months? She hadn’t heard correctly.
“You kissed me,” Alexis hissed. “And I was about to push you away when the elevator—” her words were cut off so abruptly that Elizabeth knew Ric had kissed her quiet.
He’d used the tactic on her numerous times to keep her from asking questions or pursing his strange behavior.
Elizabeth was silent while they talked in soft whispers before going back the way they’d came.
When she was sure they were gone, Elizabeth exhaled slowly and met her son’s quiet gaze. “What is it about me that is so forgettable?” she murmured. She set him back in the stroller and stared at him for a while. “Lucky replaced me with Sarah. Jason with Courtney. Ric with Alexis and I was never really with Zander. Why am I so easily forgotten? So replaceable and disposable?”
Cameron seemed to sense his mother’s solemn mood and reached out his chubby hand to grasp at her fingers. She let him wrap his tiny fist around her index finger and sighed. “Just don’t ever find a new mother, okay, Cam?”
A throat cleared behind her and she looked up to find a slightly pregnant Samantha McCall looking at her oddly. “Elizabeth, right?”
“Right. Sam?” Elizabeth asked. She withdrew her hand from Cameron’s fist. “Congratulations,” she gestured towards Sam’s abdomen.
“Yeah, it’s Sam and thanks.” Sam touched the small mound. “Just when I think I’m used to this, I come across a mother and their kid and I remember just…how bad I’m gonna screw this up.”
“Yeah, I know that feeling.” Elizabeth patted the spot next to her. Sam sat down. “I was pregnant for about six weeks last spring,” she told the other woman, “and I only found out about it a few days before I had a miscarriage.”
“Oh my God,” Sam murmured. “I’m so sorry.”
“I had about five seconds to decide that I absolutely loved the idea of having a baby and being a mother. I’m only twenty-two but part of me just…woke up when I realized I was carrying another life.” Elizabeth smiled at Cameron. “And when I was pregnant again, I was just—so grateful to have a second chance. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“I thought about getting an abortion,” Sam admitted. “I had a crappy childhood and I figured—what do I know about kids, you know? How am I gonna know how to teach my kid right from wrong with the life I’ve lead and the life her father leads?”
“Sonny’s—he’s a good man though,” Elizabeth said helpfully. “Up until this past year, I’d say he’s been a great father.”
The lie was on the tip of Sam’s tongue. The baby is Jason’s not Sonny but instead she asked, “Why do you say until this past year?”
“Carly and Sonny’s custody battles.” Elizabeth shrugged. “I have my issues with Carly but I felt for her when he kept from Michael and Morgan and then—they tried to use those children to destroy each other and I just—I can’t respect that.”
Sam shrugged and looked away. “Sonny’s not going to be raising my daughter,” she murmured. “It’s too—for some reason, it’s too complicated so he’s not claiming her.” She couldn’t meet Elizabeth’s eyes. “So Jason is.”
Elizabeth shook her head and laughed softly. “Super Jason to the rescue again,” she said with cynical amusement. “He’s just stepping in and letting Sonny take over his life. He’s so far from the man I knew.”
Sam raised her eyebrows. “He’s saving my ass,” she said a little annoyed. “I can’t do this on my own—”
“I’m not criticizing you and you couldn’t find someone who will love your daughter more,” Elizabeth assured her. “It’s just—Jason used to live his life for himself. Make his own decisions. He used to be honest. He wouldn’t lie—even if it was easier than telling the truth. He did what was right for him and now—he does what’s right for everyone else. He was so busy saving everyone else that when he turned around to have his own life, his wife left him.” Elizabeth shrugged. “I just—I hope he’s happy.”
“He’s not,” Sam nodded. “Because every time he turns around, there’s Carly and Courtney like some kind of warped Doublemint twins on crack. He’s making a mistake, he’s ruining life. They’re always flapping their jaws and trying to run his life. And if it’s not them too, it’s Sonny. He made the decision not to be this baby’s father but he can’t seem to remember that and all he’s doing is reminding Jason that at any time he could change his mind and I know it’s killing him.” Sam sighed heavily. “But sometimes, I look at him, and I can feel how much he wants this. He wants to be a father again. I just wish—I wish I could give him some kind of guarantee.”
“He loves Michael,” Elizabeth remarked. “It tore him up inside for so long after he lost him and I don’t care what he says, he’s never gotten over that.”
“I know that, too,” Sam told her. “Because he gets this look sometimes with Michael and I just—I don’t love him,” she told Elizabeth quickly. “But when he’s like that, I almost wish I could. But he’s just—he’s not for me. And he’s definitely not for that Barbie Doll he married. She’s such a hypocrite. She’s all fine about moving on with that Australian candy ass but she’s giving him the third degree about me every time he turns around and all I want to do is just crack her across the face but I’m terrified she’d body slam me or something.”
Elizabeth started to laugh and couldn’t stop even tears were rolling down her face. Pleased by his mother’s joy, Cameron gurgled and kicked his legs. “That’s incredible—so you despise her as much I as do, huh?”
Sam broke into a wide smile. “Oh, you’re kidding right? How can anyone stand her? She’s almost as martyrish as Emily Quartermaine.”
Elizabeth sobered and frowned. “Emily’s a friend of mine.”
“Oh.” Sam hesitated. “Well—you were out of town for a while so you really haven’t…” She pursed her lips. “Emily’s a really—she’s…I don’t like her,” Sam said bluntly. “She thinks she knows what’s best for everyone—including me and her brother. She’s rude and thinks only about herself. I’m sorry—but she’s also breaking poor Lucky Spencer’s heart. He’s been falling in love with her and she’s just using him to get over Nikolas.”
“Well—I haven’t been here, like you said. But I’ve known Emily since we were teenagers. We’ve been best friends forever—”
“So you probably don’t see what I see. That’s fine. You’re blind to a lot of things,” Sam shrugged.
Elizabeth quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You were married to Ric Lansing, weren’t you?”
Elizabeth exhaled slowly. “That’s a good point. I do have a habit of seeing what I want in people.” She stared out over the docks. “Have you ever felt disposable?”
“Constantly,” Sam remarked, pleased that her remarks hadn’t alienated Elizabeth.
“Every major relationship I’ve been in….I’ve been replaced mere months after it’s ended,” Elizabeth told her. “Sometimes it’s less than a month and then others it’s six months but it—it never changes. I’m good enough to be around until problems start and things get tough but then they run and find someone who makes their life easier or gives them something I can’t.”
“Sonny used me to get back at Carly and I think I knew that all along so it doesn’t surprise me he picked her over me. It hurts but it doesn’t surprise me,” Sam told her.
“Lucky was my first boyfriend and we were together—wow, forever. From the time we were fifteen to about two years ago. On and off, really. But we had some problems—he was brainwashed and didn’t love me anymore. I can forgive him for what he did because he’d been tricked into not loving me anymore. But he slept with my sister just a few months after we were over.”
Elizabeth sighed. “And then Jason and I had been dancing around each other for three years—a lot of my problems with Lucky stemmed from my feelings for Jason and I just didn’t have the courage to face them. When we finally got together, he lied to me—let me believe Sonny was dead and let be me terrified that he himself was out every night finding Sonny’s killer. So I left him and two months later, he screwed the Barbie Doll.”
Sam gaped. “You and Jason? Sonny was dead? He did what?” She blinked. “I never would have pictured it.”
“And then I met and married Ric,” Elizabeth continued. “But not until after he pretended to sleep with Carly, get engaged to Courtney and try to kill Sonny and Jason. He also tried to kill me but I stayed with him anyway because I thought he could change.”
Sam raised her eyes. “I feel like I should be eating popcorn. And he replaced you, too?”
“I left him in April and he’s already moved on with Alexis Davis.” Elizabeth snorted. “I thought she had better taste. And it hurts. Because he told me that he loved me. That I was the only person for him. That I was the love of his life. And it took him ten weeks to find someone else.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m just glad—you know, I’m just glad it’s not another dumb blonde. I really don’t think I could have taken it if I’d come home and he was with a blonde.”
“Your sister was a blonde huh?” Sam said with some sympathy. “Yeah—that would have sucked if Ric had made it three blondes in a row.”
“I was just thinking about going to Alexis to file for divorce and now—” Elizabeth exhaled slowly. “I feel like I keep getting knocked down. I am so tired of picking myself off the ground, Sam. You just—you have to start asking—when it’s your turn?”
“When do you get to be happy?” Sam nodded in understanding. “When is it finally time for you to get what you want? You’re preaching to the choir, babe. But I think if I could get Sonny out of my life, I could get somewhere.”
“Yeah, well…good luck with that.” Elizabeth stood and smiled at her. “I like talking to you, Sam. For a second—it almost felt like I had Jason back. Though—your comments are more colorful than his.”
Sam grinned. “Yeah, he just doesn’t have the same way with the English language that I do. I liked talking to you. You’re the only person who knows about Sonny and—everything. I don’t know why but I just didn’t want to lie to you.”
Elizabeth gripped the sides of the stroller. “You’d be the first person in my life to have that feeling,” she said with a sad smile. “I’d better get Cam home and to bed. See ya around, Sam.”
She wheeled the stroller away and few moments later, Sam examined her nails. “You can come out any time, you know.”
Jason stepped out from behind the shrubbery. “How’d you know I was there?” he demanded.
“Please. I could hear those motorcycle boots anywhere,” she snorted. She stood and punched him in the arm. “You’re a jackass you know that? Sleeping with the Barbie On Steroid just weeks after that girl walked out on you. What’s with you, Jason? You have something wrong in your head?” She rapped his temple.
“Hey—”
“And I’m not referring to your accident,” Sam remarked scathingly. “That poor girl thinks she’s been replaced in everyone’s lives and all I could sit there and do was restrain the urge to yank you from the bushes and give her free shots.”
“She was better off without me,” he muttered, sliding his hands in his pockets and staring at the ground.
“Yeah, okay. Because giving her up for the Doublemint Twins and that Marlon Brando phoney and her ending up with the half-brother from hell…she was so much better off than with you.” Sam snorted and turned around to head towards the steps. “What is it about men who think they know better? If we think we can do better, trust me—we’ll go and find someone better,” she muttered, stalking up the stairs. “My daughter is gonna know how to kick anyone’s ass who tries to tell her what to do.”
She whirled on the landing and poked Jason—who’d followed her up the stairs—in the chest. “And let me tell you something, mister, you just try to do it to me because I will wipe the floor with you and that crazy brood you call a family and if you had any sense in that head of yours—” again she rapped his temple and he scowled, “—you wouldn’t have let Elizabeth Webber get five feet out your door. Maybe you’d have an actual biological child rather than more of Sonny’s hand-me-downs.”
Jason narrowed his eyes. “Wait a second—”
“Because I’ll tell you—she seems more sensible than to run off to South America and jump into freezing water when she’s pregnant,” Sam told her. “And she seems like the sort who doesn’t judge you. You know that I talked trash about her best friend and she just sat there and let me have my opinion? I can’t remember the last time I had my own opinion.”
“You seem to be having a hell of one right now,” Jason said dryly.
“And stop acting like Sonny’s going to take this kid out from under you. To do that he’d have to claim her and he’s not going to do that. I told you—this is your daughter and you’d better damn well remember that.” Sam rolled her eyes and turned around to stomp up the rest of the stairs. “Men,” she snorted. “Just large children wrapped in hot packages.”
“Is this hormones?” Jason asked. “Because—”
“Hormones?” Sam narrowed her eyes. “Listen here—” she broke off and smiled sweetly and then he knew he was in trouble. “I’ve decided I should be friends with more mothers,” she said firmly. “Carly’s a bony brat who wouldn’t know how to be a good mother if she were handed a picture book and Elizabeth seems to actually spend time with her kid so maybe I should have her over to the penthouse.” She nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like a really good way to piss off the bony bitch and her gorilla friend.”
“Bony—gorilla…” Jason trailed off and shook his head. “Sam—”
She poked him in the chest. “You’d better learn to just deal with it because from now on, it’s you and me. No more of Sonny’s drop in visits. He made his bed and now he’s gotta lie in it, you got me?”
“I’m beginning to.”
“And we’re going to find Elizabeth a divorce lawyer who won’t screw her ex-husband,” Sam decided as they came out onto the street.
“Wait, Alexis and Ric?” Jason said, trying to keep up.
“And maybe I’ll even make her godmother of my kid,” Sam continued, on a roll now and loving it. She was in control again and she’d be damned if anyone would take it from her.
“And Elizabeth can teach me how to not to screw up my kid and maybe I can convince her she’s not disposable and that she’s just got really rotten taste in men.”
Insulted, Jason scowled. “Wait—”
“I don’t mean you,” Sam said impatiently, “You’re an idiot but if you had any balls, it would have been okay. I mean that stupid idiot Ric. I mean, he has a wife and a kid. She loves him—well I think she does and even if she’s too good for him, he should have at least waited more than ten weeks before screwing her lawyer.”
“I’m still insulted.”
“It’s okay.” She patted his arm. “I’m going to work on you and in like a month—you’ll learn how to say no again. Well–I know you know how to say it, now we just have to work on meaning it.”
“Wait—”
“Back off, Morgan, I’m told pregnant women are not to be messed with.” Sam started walking briskly down the block towards Harborview Towers.
“Sam?”
She turned. “Yeah?”
“I think you’re good for her,” Jason said after a moment. “She seemed—better after she’d talked to you. And that’s—that’s good.”
Sam nodded. “Okay.”
“She’s tried to prove herself to everyone in her life for years and I just think—I don’t think you would make her feel like that.” He shook her head. “I just think it’s time someone made her feel like it was okay to be herself again.”
Sam stared at him for a moment. “Well, son of a bitch,” she murmured. “I am so glad to know it’s not the gorilla you’re pining for.”
