Manhattan, New York
Penthouse 7

It might as well have been HIM auditioning, Lucky thought as he stared up at the ceiling. His eyes wide and wandering over every bump and crack in the plaster. Far too wound up to even consider sleeping tonight.

Elizabeth’s audition was tomorrow afternoon and he was apparently more anxious than she was.

She’d been far giddier than she had been nervous tonight as they’d polished off an entire carton of Rocky Road together. Each of them commenting on how they should have let it sit a little while longer in the freezer – in order to age the marshmallows to perfection, of course. Yet neither of them had been able to wait. It had been a celebration after all.

And a girl that liked stale marshmallows?…Hell that was reason enough alone to celebrate, Lucky thought closing his eyes. Reason enough indeed.

The look on her face tonight had been magical. She’d gone to bed with a spring in her step that he’d never seen before. Her eyes so alive you’d swear she’d been high on something.

High on the anticipation of everything to come. High on the adrenaline rush that had to be coursing through her veins. It made him excited just to think about it.

This had to work out for her. It just had to.

‘But so far so good,’ Lucky thought to himself. Folding his arms beneath his head. For once, Jack had done something useful with his life. Lucky closed his eyes and supposed he’d have to find some way of repaying the guy. One good turn deserved another right? Even if it was…Jack.

And anybody that made Elizabeth smile like that definitely earned a few points in his book. Although he’d probably just been trying to make up for his idiot remarks the other night. Idiot remarks that Elizabeth had actually taken to heart. Lucky bit down on his bottom lip now just thinking about her face across from his at the dinner table the other night.

The fact that she’d thought that one iota of what Jack said had been true though, hadn’t been Jack’s fault. It had been his. He should have told her right then and there that it wasn’t. Should have made her see immediately that he was NOT ashamed of her in any way.

Yes, that was his fault. Something he would start making up to her everyday. And he had to call his parents and tell them all about her soon - like tomorrow – soon.

‘All about her,’ his brain repeated. Taking in a mental inventory of the ‘all.’

Her smile, her laughter, her smart mouth, her insane amount of talent, her strange, yet adorable taste in reading material…

His bare chest got a bit warmer beneath the sheets, just thinking about her reading that botany book she’d been reading earlier in the day. ‘Shit,’ Lucky thought. Feeling his briefs constrict just a tad. He closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose. ‘If the girl sitting on the couch with her head stuck in a botany book is cause for a hard-on, you’re in bigger trouble than you thought.’

Reaching behind him he pulled his pillow out from beneath his head and smothered his face. Pulling it away a second later. "Jesus," he muttered.

Even HIS bed linens smelled like her now. Everything in the apartment smelled of wild flowers. She didn’t even SLEEP in this bed for God’s sake! What the Hell was he supposed to do, start wearing a gas mask in order not to smell her at every turn?

It was getting ridiculous.

And of course…just down the hall she was busy lying in his bed. Making THOSE sheets smell like wild flowers. Causing all of his clothes in the closets and the drawers – to smell like wild flowers as well as they mingled with hers.

The bed sheets, the clothes…the TOWELS.

Was it any wonder why story time had to be skipped this evening?! It was definitely for the best that he’d said he was too tired to read.

‘More like too horny,’ Lucky thought sarcastically as he rolled over on to his stomach.

‘Bad idea,’ he thought just as quickly, rolling back over. He blinked a few times, trying to clear himself of the lustful haze. It was getting harder and harder to do that for himself – literally.

Lucky sighed aloud. After only a few days of developing the habit, it felt weird sleeping without her and when he smoothed his hands across the sheets only to find a sleeping Foster, he found himself highly disappointed.

"Sorry boy," he said, as the dog lifted one eyebrow. Like he’d been able to read Lucky’s thoughts. "She’s just a lot softer than you are…and she sure as hell smells better than -

"Again with the smelling!" Lucky muttered underneath his breath. It was too much already!

"So why don’t you go in there and see her," Lucky asked himself matter of factly, as he continued to stare at the ceiling. "What the Hell is wrong with you anyway? Are you gonna make a move or not? You stand around giving Wallace lectures about Lucinda…but are YOU DOING anything to further things along with Elizabeth? Nooo…….

"But then again you’re supposed to be giving her time," he reminded himself. "And now…NOW you’re actually beginning to TALK TO YOURSELF…so get out of bed, and go take a little peak at her just to get your fix ok? Before you drive yourself crazy….CraziER," he amended.

And it wasn’t as if he were going to get in the bed and SLEEP with her for God’s sake…He just wanted to look in on her. That was all. Make sure everything was…A-Ok.

"You selfless bastard you," he mumbled to himself as he rolled out of the pullout bed. Slowly padding his way through the living room and down the hall towards her bedroom.

His bedroom.

Their bedroom.

Somebody’s friggin bedroom.

He stopped suddenly in his tracks after making his way down the hall. His brow knitting tightly…The door was closed.

Of course there wasn’t anything wrong with her closing the door when she slept, but she’d never done that before. Lucky took a step away and scratched the back of his head wondering if maybe he should knock or just turn around and get back into bed.

Though he decided on the latter and started back down the hallway towards his own bed, something made him still in his tracks once more. Standing quietly for a moment in the darkness...something wasn’t right.

There wasn’t a lock on the door. So maybe if he were to just open it a crack…if he could just SEE that she was ok, he’d go back to bed. He’d been taught very early on not to run away from that chill that ran it’s way up the back of your neck to the top of your head.

But for some reason he was far more afraid of this chill than anything he’d ever faced as a child.

His suddenly clammy hand gripped the brass doorknob and pushed inward. Finding immediately that the door was impeded by something…"What the…"

The soft words exited his mouth before he had a chance to censor himself. And he stared inside the darkened crack and pushed again to no avail. Something had been jammed beneath the knob so that no one could get in. So that HE couldn’t get in.

Panic raced up his spine and he pushed again. Pressing his face closer to the crack now in order to peer inside the darkness. He inhaled deeply when he caught sight of her.

She was lying there…fine…he couldn’t tell whether or not she was asleep, but she seemed just fine - with a huge teddy bear lying next to her. She was fine, he said again inside his head.

But no…this wasn’t – this wasn’t fine at all was it? Why the…

What he realized now to be a chair – his chair - was propped soundly in front of the door in order to keep him out. And though he knew it was probably a massive invasion of her privacy and she’d probably have a coronary, he instantly NEEDED to move the chair.

A million questions raced through his mind as his eyes tried to focus around the door and he tried to coordinate his long fingers enough to push it out of the way without waking her. The small space between the door and the jam, not helping matters any.

Why would she do this? Why would she push a chair in front of the door as if she needed to protect herself from him? The mere thought sent a fear through him that he didn’t quite know how to handle.

‘What did you do?’ He asked himself rapidly. Running through the evening’s events in quick chronological order in his mind. He’d been so insanely turned on by everything she did tonight. The way she pushed her hair over her shoulder. The way she laughed at his jokes. The way she chewed. The way she licked ice cream off of her lips and then the spoon. The way she smelled…God, everything about her tonight had done the trick…

Had she been able to tell? Had he frightened her in some way?

He licked roughly at his lips and continued to strain through the door.

Just a couple of more centimeters and…

The loud thud it made as it fell against the carpet and clanged against the door, caused Lucky to swear beneath his breath. And sent the occupant in the room bolting upright in bed immediately. He stared in horror as she sprinted towards the opposite side of the room, before he – the intruder – crossed the threshold.

Before he even had a chance to switch on the light on the wall, she’d buried herself within the mountain of teddy bears in the corner. Cowering silently behind their softness.

"Elizabeth," Lucky called, jogging over to her rapidly. The light bounced angrily through the darkness. Illuminating the face that he knew was crying behind the sea of stuffed toys.

Her sniffling and shifting beneath the animals sent something worse than a chill through him now, and he wished to God that he could banish the fear from his eyes. She had to see it. She didn’t need to see her own fear reflected in him.

She didn’t need that.

"Elizabeth," he said again. His voice soft and painstakingly calm as he approached. She yanked her bare feet closer to her and he saw her small toes disappear completely. ‘Oh please let me touch you,’ he thought silently. His eyes, beginning to cloud.

She was shivering like a small, wounded animal.

"Sweetie, it’s ok…it’s me."

He started to bend towards her and immediately pulled back when she moaned something indistinguishable from behind her homemade fort. A fort that hadn’t been there earlier in the day. Just like the chair hadn’t.

Had she done all this before bed? Set the room up like this? As if ready for some kind of attack? Why? She’d been fine. Just fine as they’d eaten ice cream and talked about how the audition would go tomorrow.

‘Well obviously she wasn’t fine you fucking moron!’ Lucky thought angrily. His fingernails biting into the fists he made at his sides to keep from reaching out.

"Baby," he said. His voice cracking. "Why did you…" She flinched again and he realized, he’d reached without even knowing it.

‘Damnit.’

"…Elizabeth," he said gently. Easing down to the floor a few feet away from her, though he wanted to do nothing more than dive in and find her. Scoop her up and hold her in his arms. "It’s me, it’s Lucky…Nobody’s gonna hurt you Sweetie. I promise."

His throat was tightening too much to speak, so he quit talking and started thinking. Last time the story had worked. Reading from her favorite fairytale.

‘But last time she had a dream,’ Lucky thought. ‘This isn’t a dream, Stupid.’ God he had no clue what to do! Why hadn’t he gotten her to open up about things yet? To tell him more about her past? To tell him why the hell she had nightmares that made her shake so badly that he thought her teeth would chatter.

This wasn’t normal. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

"Elizabeth…" he whispered. Inching just a tad closer. "Do you mind if maybe…maybe I crawl in there with you? Maybe we could…maybe I could play with some of your bears?…

"You wanna share with me?" He continued. "Like when we played at the toy store?…Remember? Here…," he said pausing. Lucky hesitantly took one small brown bear from somewhere near her hidden foot. "I’ll play with this one, and you can -

"Nooo," she moaned, pulling her feet back again. And her voice was so desperately broken that he wanted to cry. He bit his lip and wiped anxiously at a tear at the corner of his eye. Realizing that she was only retreating farther into her corner. Her already small frame, getting smaller and smaller

Lucky grinned mildly and placed the bear down exactly where he’d gotten it. She locked

eyes with him for a moment and then glanced at his hands. Watching them intently as they retreated. He moved them slowly and watched her eyes shift with their every motion.

He brought them to his sides. "Ok, ok…that’s fine…we don’t have to do anything."

Silently he wracked his brain and prayed. Thinking of everything and nothing. Hoping for a miracle.

What did she need? He thought desperately. What was it that she needed to have him do? Have him say? She obviously felt like she needed to escape, right? To hide inside herself…

It dawned on him that a hiding place or a place of escape was exactly what he would have to give her. Only this one, he’d be allowed inside of as well.

It was such a long shot though that he almost dismissed it. Almost…

His father had taught him better than to ignore his gut. Even if what his gut was telling him was silly. Lucky slowly got to his feet and walked over to the old turntable he had in the corner. A relic that he’d stolen from Luke’s club. He pushed open his closet quickly. Pulling an old album from its cover and setting it carefully on the disc. As he pulled the needle over he hoped that the nearly ancient record wasn’t scratched beyond belief.

Hoped even harder that this wasn’t the stupidest idea he’d ever had. That it didn’t send her retreating even farther into that corner.

As the first chords of the song began to play, Lucky walked slowly back over to where she now sat dry-eyed and bent to her level once more. "You sure I can’t play with just one of those?…I like this one," he added, moving it only slightly. "I think it wants to dance."

She seemed suddenly distracted by the music or by something he said, and only nodded absently at his request. He took the opportunity to make eye contact as he removed the bear from the pile. "Thank you," he whispered.

Her eyes followed every move he made as he rose before her. Watching his hands again with intense scrutiny.

‘My hands,’ Lucky thought. Taking mental note for whatever reason.

He swallowed hard and tried to get ‘into character.’ Thumbing through his brain’s index for all the words to the song that was beginning. Yet the only thought that would come to him was ‘you’re about to make a monumental ass out of yourself.’

But if that’s what it took to chase away the Boogie-man than so be it.

Lifting the bear up in front of his face he immediately started singing the lyrics to the old Elvis Presley classic. Curling his lips in order to lend the cadence to what had to be a complete mockery of the Elvis drawl. Right at the moment he was sure that the king was rolling restlessly in his grave.

Or at McDonald’s…or wherever.

‘But,’ Lucky thought. At least, the words and his complete humiliation were camouflaged by the bear in front of his face. A bear that wore black satin pants would probably never tell anyone anyhow.

It didn’t seem to Lucky, that a bear that sat around wearing those pants would be too embarrassed about things anyway.

Lucky’s cheeks reddened a bit when he did a little spin with the bear. Holding it out for a moment to do his best impression of the hip swivel that Elvis used to do. But the color soon faded to its usual golden hue when he caught a glance of what he thought he did, across the room.

‘Was that a grin?’ He thought silently. Almost giddily as he tried not to stare too hard at the small face behind all the bears in the corner. ‘Please let it be a grin.’

Before he could get too excited Elvis began to sing again so he positioned the satin-pants bear in front of his face. The bear wasn’t so bad…if he did say so himself.

And with that held out note, the one non-stuffed animal in the corner seemed suddenly amused. Seemed to suddenly be giggling.

Seizing the moment, Lucky scooped up another bear from the pile and sat it on the bed. Kneeling down next to it, so that the flashy satin clad – nightclub bear could serenade the new one. Elizabeth laughed when the bear shuffled it’s feet and did it’s best to swivel it’s fur covered hips the way Lucky had.

It couldn’t hold a candle of course.

Lucky did his best not to pay too much attention to the laughter. Not knowing if acknowledging her would only send her back into the darkness that she’d only just emerged from.

He silently begged for her to stay with him. To stay in the moment. To continue to laugh at the spectacle he presented. When what he really wanted to do more than anything right then, was sweep her into his arms and hold her. Tell her that everything was going to be alright and have her assure him of the same thing.

But the song would be ending soon, so it was time to really make sure this worked. ‘To pull out all the stops, so to speak,’ Lucky thought.

Going for the proverbial gusto, Lucky lowered his voice a few octaves and lifted Elizabeth’s hairbrush from the dresser. Quickly causing it to morph into a microphone.

He flung one teddy bear after another towards the sole human in the audience and she reached up to catch them. An imitation of a scene he imagined would have happened countless times at an Elvis Presley concert or some cheesy beach movie. When the king would fling a sweaty scarf at a wild groupie and she’d be ever so grateful for it.

Going along with it, Elizabeth jumped up and hugged the bears to her chest. Turning back and forth at the waist as if they were the best gifts that ‘Elvis,’ could have thrown at her. Now her most prized possessions.

She pretended to swoon and Lucky couldn’t hold back a chuckle.

He watched her in awe and continued to do what he now figured wasn’t THAT bad of an impression. Regaining his composure he curled his lip and continued to sing in the seductive drawl. Making his hips revolve in a slow circle.

Nearing her slowly, Lucky extended his microphone towards Elizabeth and smiled. She smiled in return…and it was beautiful. Quite possibly the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life.

"Sing little mama," he panted in a southern drawl as the music began to fade away.

Elizabeth shook her head and giggled. Removing the ‘mic’ from his hand. "No way…"

"Fine then," Lucky said with the same slow cadence. "Dance with me then ‘Cilla."

And when his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close, Elizabeth started to laugh uncontrollably. Lucky closed his eyes at the sound, thanking God that she was ok. That she was laughing, dancing, simply moving…no longer staring off into oblivion. No longer hiding in such a dark place.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and gasped a little at how tightly he was suddenly holding her. As if she’d just come back from some long trip or something. When she tried to pull away, he held her tighter and shook his head. Murmuring, "Not yet."

"Lucky," she whispered, trying to catch her breath. The music had disappeared, and their feet still moved. Gradually out of the swing rhythm and into a barely their movement.

"Lucky," she said again. But she didn’t get an answer…he was shaking.

Biting down on his bottom lip, he blinked hard. What the Hell had just happened here? He suddenly found himself very close to tears. "Elizabeth are you ok?…Did I – did I do something that would make you lock yourself in here?"

Elizabeth pulled away slightly. His fingers still linked together against her lower back. She shook her head in confusion. Perplexity written all over her face. "What are you talking about?…Lucky what’s wrong?"

Their eyes held for a long moment and if Lucky thought he was scared before it was nothing compared to right then. She saw the fear in his eyes, and it clutched at her heart.

She didn’t know. He was staring into her clean, clear, blue eyes and she didn’t know. She had absolutely no clue what had just happened.

Nervously, she laughed under the concern of his gaze. "Lucky? What is it?…Why are you so serious all of a sudden? I liked your little show there…honest I did."

His tongue swept anxiously across his dry lips. "Elizabeth do you…Sweetie were you – were you afraid? Tonight? Did you wake up and get frightened or –

She lay a shaky hand over her opened mouth and shook her head. Instantly ashamed. "Oh God…did I have another nightmare? Lucky, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you or make you come in here and –

"No," Lucky said shaking his head as his hands dropped from around her waist. He stepped back for a moment just to get his bearings. She HONESTLY didn’t know. Didn’t realize…

"You didn’t – there was no dream. At least I don’t THINK you had a dream. Elizabeth I just…" Licking his lips again, he shook his head and gestured towards the fallen chair by the bedroom door. "Elizabeth do you remember doing…that?"

Though she followed his eyes, she didn’t understand the question. Do what? Lay a chair down on its side near the door? What the Hell was going on? What was he so freaked out about all of a sudden? Everything was fine just a moment ago.

The blank expression on her face confirmed everything he was thinking. "Sweetie, I think we need to talk about your dreams or whatever this wa–

"Lucky, I didn’t have a dream," she said abruptly. "You just said so." Elizabeth moved past him and out into the hall. Whatever happened in there – dream or not - she already knew she didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to discuss it. "Great impression of Elvis though," she added with a laugh as she crossed into the kitchen. Suddenly very thirsty.

Was there any rum? She could mix it with her coke and just drift back to sleep…Wait…had she gone to sleep tonight?

The question popped into her head and she began rifling through the refrigerator for God only knew what. She just didn’t want to think about it. Not at all.

He stood silently in the door way for a moment. His arms braced on either side of him. His voice was quiet and only slightly controlled when it finally emerged. His eyes trained themselves on the unmade pull out bed in the living room. Foster had slept soundly through all of it…

"I guess – I guess you didn’t have a dream, but I got up to check on you Elizabeth. I got up from that bed…Walked down the hall and your door was closed. Something inside me thought that was strange…so I tried to open it.

"There was a chair propped up against it. Under the doorknob so no one could get in…So I couldn’t get in…do you know that?"

When he turned towards her finally, her back was turned to him. As she stood stock still in front of the open refrigerator. The light from the kitchen and the city lights outside the only illumination for the large room.

The glow that shined around her body made her look like an angel. An untouchable angel.

She closed the door and moved towards a cabinet to get a glass. "That’s silly…I wouldn’t do that Lucky…I know I’m a little strange, but I’m not crazy…I wouldn’t put a chair in front of my door."

Another laugh escaped her throat and for the first time, he sort of wanted to shake her silly.

Lucky crossed slowly through the room and to the bar. Leaning against the cool surface for support. Pretty soon he was going to have to sit down. His legs felt like jelly.

"Elizabeth I’m not trying to say that you’re crazy. But I’m not either…I mean I know what I saw…I moved the chair out of the way myself.

"I just," he continued. "I just want to know if I did something earlier that would make you want to keep me out. I mean…everything was fine before you went to bed right? We were talking about your audition and you seemed happy and –

"I’m fine Lucky! Ok!? I just need you to stop pryi - "

When she swept her hand through the air she hadn’t meant to break anything. Really she hadn’t. But the shattering of the glass that had served as a vase for her single, white rose convinced both of them that she WASN’T alright. Lucky jumped over the countertop before she had a chance to take a single step.

The glittering of small pieces of cracked beauty all over the wood floor.

Quickly he wrapped his hands around her shaking wrists before she could reach down and pick up any of the jagged shards. "It’s ok," he said quickly. Starting to pick up the bigger pieces he could get his fingers around, and lay them gently on the counter. "It’s ok…."

Her trembling hands covered her mouth and hot tears she didn’t even notice began to stream down her cheeks. "It’s not…I’m sorry – I’m so sorry," she said quickly. Moving slowly away from the broken pieces and into the corner of the small kitchen. "I’m so sorry…"

Lucky licked his dry lips once more and lifted another piece. Placing it on the surface of the counter. Immediate panic swept through him when their eyes connected again. Fear…again.

Total, unadulterated – fear.

He went to narrow the space between them by touching her face and she backed away.

"Hey," he whispered as he withdrew his hand. "It’s ok…really.

He swore under his breath as Foster came prancing towards the kitchen. His nails heard against the wood, in the darkness.

Unable to handle one more thing tonight. Lucky turned away from Elizabeth for a second longer than he would have liked and shooed his companion away. "Go back to bed Boy!…There’s glass in here ok…"

"I’m sorry," she whispered again. Shaking around her sobs. "My flower...the flower’s broken."

When Foster disappeared, Lucky picked up the white rose and put it in her hands. Touching her face, before he had a chance to stave off the impulse. "It’s ok," he said again. "See, it’s still just as beautiful as it was…it’s not as fragile as it looks…ok? It’s fine…we’re fine."

Elizabeth bit down hard upon her lip and nodded. Never taking her eyes away from the ivory petals. Lucky licked his lips and looked down at the glass that surrounded their bare feet. He hadn’t gotten all of it. The tiny bits still remaining.

"Come ‘ere," he said quickly. Bending slightly to lift her into his arms before she could protest.

"Lucky –

"Ssh," he said. Cutting her off as they rounded the corner into the living room. Though he felt a small sliver stick to the bottom of his own foot he paid it no mind. "You gotta dance your little heart out on these precious little babies later today…I can’t have you cutting them all up."

She smiled only weakly through her calming tears as he deposited her in the messy couch-bed. It didn’t take him long to notice she was shivering.

"Hold on a second…I’ll be right back."

In seconds he returned from his room with a sweatshirt that he quickly helped her slip on over her head. It dwarfed her and suddenly she looked just as small as she had in the midst of all those bears. He wished to God she would just SHARE with him. Just let him at least try and take the pain away.

He knelt next to the edge of the bed and cupped her face in his hands. Sweeping away a few errant tears with his thumbs. She was crying in front of him…that alone, was monumental.

"Hey," he whispered lightly, trying to grin a bit. His voice was soft. "I think we both know…that you’re not, alright," he said pausing as he swallowed. "Do you think that maybe it would help to tell me what’s going on? At least a little bit?…I’m not trying to pry Elizabeth…

"I just wanna make you feel better…that’s all," he finished. Whispering as he leaned his forehead against hers.

She sniffled and leaned her cheek into one of his soft hands. Closing her eyes. She could have kicked herself for allowing another tear to roll down her cheek. But before she could sweep it away, he did.

Yet he didn’t say anything when he did it. He didn’t smirk at her, or call her a baby. He merely wiped it away. Giving it not a second glance.

"I don’t know what’s wrong with me," she sniffled. "I got…scared – I guess."

Though it hurt, he tried to keep his voice neutral. Tried not to the let fear he thought she felt for him, offend him. "Of me?" He asked softly.

"No. Yes – I…No, I just…" Elizabeth fumbled for the right words, shaking her head. She wasn’t afraid of him. How could she be? How could she be afraid of someone who dressed up like a prince and brought her a rose after work for no reason at all? Someone who touched her as gently as he was touching her now. "I don’t know," she sighed. Her voice, beginning to quiver once more.

"It’s ok," Lucky said quietly. His brain going 90 miles a minute. "I don’t want you to make anything up for me Elizabeth…what you feel is what you feel, ok?"

In spite of what she’d said, he couldn’t resist offering her the circle of his arms when he climbed up on the bed with her. When she turned into his body and lay her head on his shoulder, his brain sped up to 100.

She was scared…but she – she wasn’t? She sat there in his arms for a long moment. Each of them quiet. Each of them so afraid to hurt the other. One afraid of her feelings, the other afraid to cause her more pain.

After a few minutes of silence, Lucky cleared his throat and tried to ask the right questions. Leading her back a few hours in time.

"We were having a good time…we finished the ice-cream and then you went to bed. Do you remember what happened after you got into bed?…You said you didn’t dream, but did you – I mean did something frighten you? Did you hear a sound or –

"I don’t think I ever fell asleep," Elizabeth answered then. Remembering something. "I was just lying there thinking…and suddenly I started to get anxious about the audition…really nervous…worried…and I couldn’t breathe.

"I tried to fall asleep, but now I remember that I just couldn’t. I just kept getting more scared…and more panicked about how things would go. I remember wanting to come out here…and talk to you. To wake you up and have you hold me just like this…just like this," she whispered into his chest.

"Why didn’t you?" Lucky asked quietly. The skin that her breath played against, heating up considerably. He breathed in through his nose – this wasn’t the time damn it.

Elizabeth swallowed hard. He would think she was crazy. Hell, she WAS crazy. She already knew that herself. She supposed it was Lucky’s turn to find out. Maybe this would be it. Maybe this would be the thing that finally caused him to come to his senses and throw her out of his apartment. Out of his life.

"I started to hear things. At first I knew it was just in my head…but then it got so loud Lucky. It sounded like it was getting closer and closer…I remember thinking," she swallowed against his chest. "I remember thinking that I had to keep him out."

Lucky’s brow knit together tightly. He knew this was no longer about the man who had attempted to rape her that night. Perhaps it had never been about him. "You had to keep WHO out Elizabeth?"

For a moment things got quiet again and he felt her tense in his arms. He rubbed her back in a slow circle. Feeling her breath shutter through her when she spoke again.

"When I was a kid…sometimes – sometimes my stepfather would say things to me…Mean things – just…just to be evil, I guess," she said kind of chuckling at the end.

Lucky didn’t laugh. Though something in his gut clenched as tightly as a fist as he listened quietly. His grip tightened involuntarily on her shoulder, and he systematically lessened it.

"Usually when my mother wasn’t around…" she continued. "Things about me having no talent or…no brains or…It was never a big deal – just things that would make me anxious or worried, you know? We never had enough money in the house, and it was always my fault because I asked for too much or I wanted too much…I don’t know…mostly he would do it when he didn’t want me to do something, like when I wanted to take a dance class or something he’d say I was incapable of learning something like ballet or…that the girls that took those kinds of classes were supposed to be pretty or… "

Elizabeth’s voice trailed away and then she cleared her throat to cut through the haze that enveloped her. "Anyway, I heard him tonight. I think I’ve heard it before…it’s no big deal – but I’m sorry it scared you."

At the look of pure wonderment that crossed through Lucky’s eyes, she stiffened and started to rise from the bed. "See, I knew it was stupid. I shouldn’t have said anything."

His hand closed quickly around hers and he locked eyes with hers. "It’s not stupid…please…please don’t leave."

Her eyes clouded with tears and she looked away. "I’m sorry that I – that I locked you out and that I - that I keep disturbing your sleep with some new drama every few days. I’m really –

"Hey! Hey!" He said quickly. Getting to his knees on the bed, as she stood at the edge of it. Holding her face still, in order to force her to look at him. "Would you please, PLEASE stop being sorry. You don’t have anything in this world to be sorry about. HE’s the one that should be sorry Elizabeth. NOT you – him. You’re lousy excuse for a stepfather. A guy that should have been encouraging you to do whatever you wanted to

do, but made you feel bad about it instead………Honey, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why you would get stressed out even now when you have a chance at getting exactly what you’ve always wanted."

Elizabeth closed her eyes. Was that why she’d freaked out like that? Stress had brought that on? Yes…there’d been one other time a few years ago when she’d barricaded herself in her room hadn’t there?

She didn’t need this then. She didn’t need any of it.

When she opened her eyes, she was met with the softest blue eyes she’d ever seen in her life. "I don’t think I can do it Lucky…I think maybe I should just call Jack in the morning and tell him to cancel the audition with –

"No way," Lucky said quickly. Shaking his head. "Elizabeth I promise you right here and right now, that this is the first and last time that I’ll ever tell you what to do…but I’m NOT letting you cancel. I can’t."

Elizabeth groaned. "Lucky I can’t do it! You just said yourself that I freaked out when -

"You freaked out because some asshole told you couldn’t do it," Lucky interrupted. "Elizabeth, look at me…You can do anything you want to do. Do you understand me? Anything at all…You’re gonna walk into that audition tomorrow and that woman isn’t gonna know what the Hell hit her. She’s gonna sit there in front of you and want to kiss your feet when you’re done because you’re gonna be the best thing she’s ever seen in her life. Ever."

"All those things that your stepfather used to say to you," he continued in disgust. "It was all a bunch of bullshit Elizabeth…They were just words. Just words to scare you and hold you back from things he didn’t want you to have for some stupid reason."

She closed her eyes and whispered to herself. Trying to make his words true. She really wasn’t stupid. She really did have talent. She wasn’t just good for one thing…

"Just words."

Lucky watched her for a moment as she drifted to some far off place again. Knowing as he looked into her eyes that the vacant look in hers meant that she was no longer with him.

‘She pushed a chair under the door and hid herself in a huge pile of bears,’ Lucky thought silently. His chest, beginning to tighten. ‘People don’t do that kind of thing because they’re afraid someone’s going to come ‘TALK’ to them.’

The kind of fear that hung dimmly behind her deep blue eyes, wasn’t the kind fear that came from ‘just words.’

"Elizabeth?" He asked softly. His hands lacing through hers as he continued to kneel in front of her. "Did he…did he do anything else?"

It was as if she was hearing him again for the first time, and she shook herself to really look at him. "What are you talking about?"

He inhaled deeply. "Is there something else?…Something you’re not telling me."

An odd sort of laugh escaped her throat and she shook her head. Pulling her hands away from Lucky’s. "What? Saying really evil things to your stepchildren isn’t enough these days?"

Though he already knew she was lying to him, and it settled like a big, hard brick in his stomach, he nodded. "That’s more than enough."

"Alrighty," she began. Slipping a few non-existent strands of hair behind her ear. "Well you have to do some wage earning tomorrow so you need to go to sleep…I think I’ll head back to my – YOUR room and catch some shut eye myself."

"Elizabeth," he said quickly. Reaching out for her again. He caught her fingertips. "You know what? I’m not very sleepy anymore…and honestly I think the reason I couldn’t sleep tonight was because we didn’t read any of our story…

"Do you think you’d mind staying out here with me tonight? I mean, to read our story…I won’t read long I promise. Just until we get too tired…or you get too bored with my monotone."

She took a deep breath and sighed as she turned back to him. "You’re not monotone."

He grinned slightly and reached to the side of the bed. Searching beneath it for the big, green book. And moving over so that she could crawl in beside him.

It took only a moment for him to realize that she wasn’t sitting as closely to him as she usually did when he read. Her hip wasn’t pressed against his. Her head wasn’t lying snuggly against his shoulder.

It made his heart ache something fierce.

He cleared his throat of emotion and began to read. Listening more to the sound of her breathing next to him, then to the sound the words made as they exited his mouth.

"The prince was still sitting by the door and had been so happy in the maiden’s company that the time had seemed like a single hour. Before leaving he promised to return and fetch her to his father’s court, where he would make her his bride. When he had gone she sat down to her wheel to make up for lost time, but was dismayed to find that her thread had lost all it’s brightness…

"Ugh," Lucky groaned. "That sucks."

Elizabeth’s eyes were beginning to get heavy, so she rolled over slightly to share his pillow. "Yeah well…the old woman warned her that would happen."

He licked his lips when he looked down at her, and tentatively brushed his fingers through the chestnut strands of hair that laced his pillow now. He wondered if maybe Elizabeth had seen herself as this small maiden when she’d been a girl.

Had her stepfather warned HER that something would happen? Was that why, years later she couldn’t even look at a fairytale optimistically?

Had the reproaches of her stepfather been like that of the old woman that had banished away the maiden’s happiness? Apparently if you were happy – you’re thread lost all its brightness.

Lucky lay down next to her and propped the book up on his chest. Though it was more difficult to read from a flat angle. It was easier to smell her hair this way. And that was far more important than his eyesight.

He sighed as he settled in and began to read once more. "Her heart beat fast and she wept bitterly, for she remembered the old woman’s warning and knew not what misfortune might befall her.

"The old woman returned in the night and knew by the tarnished thread what had happened in her absence. She was furiously angry and told the maiden that she had brought down misery both on herself and on the prince."

Though he knew she had fallen asleep by the depth of her breathing, Lucky turned to her anyway. Looking at the beauty that she was, just for just a moment before he continued on. A sleeping maiden beside him. A maiden who’d somehow been made to think that everything bad that happened in the world was her fault, just like the one in this story had.

He read silently to himself now.

‘The maiden could not rest for thinking of this. At last she could bear it no longer and resolved to seek help from the prince.’

When her arm slipped quietly across his chest, Lucky closed his eyes for a moment. Placing the open-faced book down on his stomach after a moment and yanking the small chain on the lamp above them. Letting darkness fall once more upon them.

But this time she was going to be ok. She was going to be able to sleep – to rest. He’d make certain of that.

His lips were soft and tender when he wrapped his arms around her and placed them against her temple. Whispering "seek help from your prince," against her skin.

~~~~~~~

The Next Day

She’d told him not come. That it wasn’t a big deal. As was her usual thing to say about things that really mattered to her.

But when he’d found her up at the crack of dawn and looking as if she could puke if someone bumped into her accidentally, that had made the decision for him. If she didn’t want him to take her to the audition, he had to be there when she got out.

It was quiet, outside. The only sounds that of light traffic and a faint base rhythm coming from inside the small theatre space. It wasn’t Broadway, but it was a start. And if the looks on the faces of the girls that filed out sporadically, one by one, were any indication – it WAS a big deal. In spite of what his beautiful roomie would have had him believe.

Lucky shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the brick building. Thankful that Wallace had covered for him this afternoon when he’d taken off. Sitting in an office and imagining Elizabeth going through her very first audition with no one to gab about it to afterwards was simply incomprehensible. He had to be here. This was where he belonged.

And between the upcoming meeting with the committee about Road Fury 2, and the call he’d received from his mother just before he left…he’d needed nothing more than a good excuse to get out of the office.

He chuckled when he remembered his conversation with his parents. He’d desperately needed cheering up after a long night and an equally long morning at work…and although his parents hadn’t fit the bill immediately…they had come around.

Like always.

***

"Son, you’re mother’s just a little upset that you would invite a girl…woman…female person to come and share your swanky little abode without telling her – that’s all."

"Luke, I don’t need you to speak for me," Laura said quickly as she sighed on the extension from inside the kitchen. She hadn’t told Luke to pick up the other end, but of course he’d felt the need to defend his son’s ‘rights.’

"Lucky, I’m just a little upset that you would invite a woman to share your –

"Yeah," Lucky cut in, leaning against his hand with a sigh. "I got that the first time Mom, I didn’t – Look, this is gonna sound stupid, but I didn’t plan this. This…this was –

"Don’t say fate," Laura interrupted.

"Fate," Lucky sighed. "Mom…come on," he continued. "I know you believe in things like fate, and miracles and meant-to-be’s…Mom, I think Elizabeth is my meant to be."

"Oh boy," Luke sighed. Closing his eyes. "My boy’s talkin’ like a fortune cookie."

"Dad go away," Lucky groaned. "Isn’t the caddy in need of a tune up or somethin?"

Luke made a sound of mock insult. "Oh sure. The pride of my loins shacks up with a girl for the first time and I’m supposed to sit idly by and twiddle my thumbs…oh no, Cowboy. I must here all the gory little details of this."

Lucky rolled his eyes. "There are no gory details and we’re not…’shacked up.’"

Laura nodded. "It’s a perfectly nice place Sweetheart, our son can’t be ‘shacked’ in a penthouse."

"Are you two done with me?" Lucky asked. Tapping a pencil against the memo that had come just a few days ago, once more. They wanted to meet. There was a problem – that’s all it said. How the Hell were you supposed to prepare for ‘a problem.’ "Can I go now?" He asked suddenly.

"No!" Both of them shouted. Luke was far too excited to hang up, and Laura far to agitated. Though she knew her husband sat upstairs shaking with something very near jubilance over this turn of events.

Laura sighed and pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. "So let me get this straight…you met her in Las Vegas at a dance club….A –

"A strip joint Sweetheart," Luke put in. "It’s really not a big shocker. There’s a place on every corner in Vegas. The odds are better of hooking up with a stripper than actually winning any money on the slots…it’s a beautiful place," he added with a mock sniffle.

"Luke!"

Lucky laid his head down on his desk. The headache he’d had since daybreak getting stronger and stronger. He’d have to bug Janice for some Advil.

And he’d have to execute his sister. "Mom…Dad – if I could have a word –

"Your father and I are having a discussion Lucky."

"Well could ya call me back when you’re through?" He asked. His voice cracking on ‘through.’

"No!"

Lucky got quiet again until he heard his name a few minutes later. What was the point of talking when no one was listening? "Yes…I’m still here. Waiting my turn."

"Stop taking that tone with your mother."

"Look – I’m taking the tone with BOTH of you," Lucky sighed. "First off - in case everyone has forgotten, I’m at WORK here. Which means I have things I need to be doing. Secondly," he sighed again. "I’m SORRY for not informing you that I have a roommate –

"Lucky you didn’t even tell me you had another girlfriend," Laura sighed. "I mean the last I heard Stephanie was out of the picture – thank God," she said pausing. "But you told me you wanted to be single for awhile. That you wanted to be by yourself."

"He’s a virile, young stallion Sweetheart…you really think he’s gonna sit around and ponder the ultimate questions of life without looking for a little female companionship…Honey…use that pretty little noggin God gave ya…"

Lucky licked his lips and scratched the back of his head before leaning back in his chair. "Mom, like I said…things between Elizabeth and I didn’t happen in the…the usual ‘way.’ I just…look - if it makes you feel any better - She’s not even my girlfriend.

"I mean," he added quickly before either of the huge mouths on the other end got a chance to speak again. "She’s a girl, and she’s a friend, and God knows I love her – but she’s not ready for a commitment. I don’t know that either of us is ready to take it to the next step…whatever that might be."

Luke rested his head on his pillow. His head was spinning. "Lasso the horses back in stable Cowboy…what are you telling us here? You’re living with a girl, but it’s not a commitment – you’re not ready for the ‘next step,’…………Son, what the Hell have they done to you down in corporate America? You just hold tight – I’m coming to get you."

On the other end of the line Laura sniffled and wiped at her tears. It was the first time, her son had ever said he loved a girl. "Shut up, Luke…that’s beautiful Lucky…I hope things work out the way you want them to."

Luke sat up on the bed. What the…

His wife was a friggin tornado.

Lucky smiled on the other end of the line. "Thank you Mom…oh and Lu – GET OFF THE LINE!!!"

The click on the other end made all three of them smile on their respective ends. What a sneaky little thing she was turning out to be…It warmed the heart.

Grinning to himself, Lucky rubbed at his temples again. "Bye guys…thanks for understanding."

"Goodbye Lucky."

***

Spotting the back of her as she exited had him waking from the memory and sprinting towards the door.

"Elizabeth!"

She nearly jolted out of her skin, but the wide smile that raced over her lips when she turned to see it was Lucky, nearly had his knees buckling.

"You’re here," she sighed.

Lucky licked his lips and neared her. Shoving his hands back in his pockets to keep from grabbing her and kissing her. God she was beautiful when the wind whipped through her hair and that light sheen of sweat from dancing caused her face to shimmer in the waning sun.

He inhaled deeply before he spoke. "Is that a good ‘you’re here,’ or a bad ‘you’re here’?"

Elizabeth smiled again and bit her lip. Unable to control her grin. God, she was glad he’d come. "What do you think?"

Realizing after a moment that he didn’t care and that they were wasting time, he slipped his hands into hers. Pulling her away from the building as a few other girls came strolling outside. "So how did it go?" he asked eagerly.

Continuing to bit her lip, Elizabeth shrugged. "I don’t know…I…I’m not sure. I’ve never done anything like this before you know? An audition for a strip club consists of putting on some music and taking off your clothes – it isn’t that difficult."

Lucky closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head. He’d never QUITE understand her sense of humor about stripping. Or why she always referred to it as something ‘not that difficult’ or ‘easy.’ How could taking your clothes off for a bunch of strangers be easy?

He didn’t want to think about that now though. Now was time for good thoughts and good thoughts only. She’d had enough heartache the night before.

"Tell me how it went?!" He continued excitedly.

Pulling him over beside the building so others wouldn’t hear, she started to explain. Watching as Lucky nodded at a bunch of technical dance terms that he knew nothing about, but tried anxiously to understand.

"Two 8 counts of what?" He asked bewilderedly. "What’s an 8 count?"

"I’ll explain later," she giggled.

Lucky licked his lips and smiled. "Ok…so how do you feel? I mean, WHAT do you feel? What’s your gut telling you?"

She shook her head. Would it be enough to say she’d never felt so alive in her life? Her pulse was racing and she was so excited it was all she could do not to jump right out of her skin. "I don’t know…I guess…I guess I did ok."

Lucky locked eyes with her. There was more. A lot more. Her eyes were sparkling way too much to have done ‘ok.’

"You did well didn’t you?"

He watched her shrug again and he shook his head - not about to let her get away with that. "You did really well, huh?"

His body was closer to hers now and she could feel every bit of warmth he had for her.

A crooked sheepish grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. She pulled absently at the hem of her jacket and stepped back. He was so damn cute sometimes it was all she could do not to just smother him with kisses.

"I did well…yeah…I think," she said awkwardly.

"Uh-uh," Lucky said shaking his head as he got closer. She was blushing. "Oh man…by the looks of things, I’d say you did GREAT didn’t you?"

Her nose wrinkled and she stared at the ground. Anything at all but that face of his. Those lips that kept grinning at her.

"Say it," he sighed seductively. "I wanna hear you say the words ‘I did GREAT.’"

"Lucky…" Elizabeth whined. Biting her lip as she grinned. He was really going to make her do this. "What difference does it make whether I –

He almost completely closed the space between them and his body was so close that her pulse raced far past the accelerated speed it had been at just moments ago. That speed had been NOTHING compared to this. Nothing at all. She suddenly would have said or done anything he wanted. Right there out on the street, as cars went by.

"That’s part of it," he whispered. "Say…I did GREAT, Lucky," he whispered again. His breath tickling her lips.

"I did great, Lucky."

A wicked smile slipped over his features and he ran a hand through his hair. Licking his lips. "One more time…a little louder, please."

"I did great," she said again. Looking around in case one of the other girls was milling about. All she needed was for someone to hear her saying this. For someone to hear about the girl with absolutely no credits saying she’d done great.

He was insane…and beautiful.

He shook his head. "That little old lady across the street could probably say that louder."

"I did GREAT Lucky!"

"You did what?"

"I DID GREAT LUCKY!!!" When she started jumping up and down as she said it, he caught her in his arms and squeezed so tightly she squealed against him. He kissed the side of her face over and over again as they twirled around.

Her smile was a mile wide when he finally set her down on her feet. "Let’s go," he said quickly – breathlessly.

"Go where?" She asked. Her eyes wide. "Don’t you have to go back to work?"

"Hell no woman – what’s work?" He laughed. "We’re off to celebrate."

She laughed out loud and threw her head back. His eyes moving restlessly up the column of her neck. "Lucky you’re crazy! We don’t even know that I’m IN the show yet. I mean it’s a total long shot – every girl in there had a resume a mile long and –

"Would you do me a favor and shut up," Lucky requested. He bit down so hard on his lip that it hurt. For he wanted to kiss her so badly it was scary. "Today," he paused. "THIS moment in time - is a major, major accomplishment. Whether you DID or DIDN’T make it into this show – it doesn’t matter, Elizabeth. What matters, is you went in there and you danced your heart out and they saw that. What matters is that you are the most AMAZING woman I’ve ever met in my life and I would be ecstatic and honored to share just a few hours being alive with you."

Because she couldn’t speak for a moment, she simply offered her hand. And he took it, and pressed it to his lips. Off to face the world and be alive…together.