Elizabeth ran her fingers down the length of her hair and brought the phone a little closer to her mouth as she yawned.

"No, I’m just a little tired that’s all Jilly. It’s been one of those days."

Jillian scoffed on her end of the line. More like one of those weeks.

"Well, why wouldn’t you be tired?" She said in irritation. Disbelief still caused her to rage at the injustice of everything that had happened to Elizabeth and her new husband.

"I can’t imagine you and Lucky are getting much sleep with what that little…" Jillian clamped her mouth closed tightly. She’d almost called the little bitch something unbecoming.

As far as Jillian was concerned the little trollop was a monster. Stephanie Davenport. She should have been ashamed for having caused two nice young people so much pain and heartache.

"Anyhow, I’m sure she’s keeping you up for reasons that aren’t the typical ‘just married’ sorts of reasons," Jillian finished. Blushing slightly on her end of the line. She wished that she could just hop a plane and come down to be with her girl.

Or better yet they’d both come down to Nevada to stay. No more big city living.

Elizabeth bit her lip. Jillian didn’t know the half of what ‘typical just married’ things had been put on hold since Stephanie had dropped her little bomb.

It wasn’t just that their exquisitely healthy sex lives had been put on hold. Worse, yet they didn’t seem to touch at all very much lately. Or more precisely, Lucky didn’t seem to want to touch her at all.

Scratch that – he wanted to – or at least it seemed like he did most times when they kissed…those rare times that they kissed - but he simply wouldn’t allow himself to go any further.

It was as if some part of Lucky’s brain had decided that he deserved to be punished for something he hadn’t even done. It was insane and she couldn’t figure out how to jolt him out of it.

In fact she was beginning to feel a bit insane herself and if she didn’t figure out how to help him soon, she didn’t know what would happen.

"How is he doing now Hon?…I thought he was supposed to have another meeting with his attorney today." Jillian commented, breaking through Elizabeth’s thoughts.

The attorney had indeed just left the penthouse after a meeting with Lucky but as far as Elizabeth could tell, he wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels. As soon as the woman had left, he’d turned right back around, walked down the hall and gone back to bed.

Elizabeth sank down on the couch and yawned again. "I don’t know. They met a little while ago…"

"And?" Jillian prompted.

"She suggested that we sue for slander."

"Good! I think that’s a wonderful idea!" Jillian said. Practically erupting with joy. "That’ll show that little…show her what he’s made of…I can’t believe any woman would do what she did. Cry rape. For heaven’s sake, she has no idea what some women go thr…" Jillian’s voice faded away as she remembered whom she was talking to.

Elizabeth shut her eyes as Jillian began again. "So what did Lucky think of that idea Honey?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I really don’t know…He didn’t say much about it…God, I feel like the worst wife in the world. I don’t even know what my husband is thinking or –

"Oh you stop that right this minute," Jillian said quickly. "There’s no cause for doubting yourself. Walter and I have been married for over 40 years and I still don’t know what the Hell he’s thinking most days. And we’re just fine."

"But I can’t seem to break through Jilly!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her broken heart showing its self. "It’s like there’s some wall or something, and I know where it comes from, but…" Elizabeth sighed. Having had these same thoughts time and time again.

"Honey you’ll figure it out. You know Lucky’s going to have to come out of the funk himself, but I promise you that you ARE helping him…and if you insist on thinking you’re not, then you’ll figure something out. You’ll find a way to help him in the best way you can."

Elizabeth bit her lip and pondered that thought. In the best way she could. What was that?

"Well," she said after a moment. "The good thing is, that since the little bitch hasn’t pressed charges there hasn’t been much coverage in the news. It’s died down a lot…but it’s still…out there – you know? She still said it out loud…around SO many people. But until she does something about it – makes some sort of move it’s like we’re in limbo…

"Excuse my language," she said as an afterthought.

"Please. If anyone inspires profanity, that woman does."

Elizabeth sighed, and Jillian did as well. "He should sue."

"I think maybe he’s just too worried about everything else," Elizabeth responded. "He thinks he’s going to be fired…He’s paranoid about going out…" Elizabeth shook her head and shut her eyes as she let it fall against the back of the couch.

The best way she could…what was that?

Jillian sighed into the phone. "You know, I’ve been meaning to ask…but now really seems like the perfect time with Christmas just around the corner…Why don’t you two come down to the Inn for a visit, Honey? Walter and I would love to have you. I could make those brownies you love and –

"Oh gosh," Elizabeth broke in with sudden tears in her eyes. Brownies sounded like heaven, but even they couldn’t help this situation. "That sounds wonderful Jilly…but I don’t think it’s the best time to do that. Lucky and I really just got back into town when you think about it and…" She bit her lip. "I just don’t think it’s the best time for us to leave. I don’t want these people getting the idea that we’re running scared or something.

"Lucky didn’t do this and we’re going to fight it."

She just had to get HIM to see that.

"I understand," Jillian said through a proud smile. "My little girl is a fighter and I know that her man is too.

"But just know that if you change your mind and just need the time away…we’re here……Has he thought about going to see his own family Honey?"

Elizabeth sighed even louder this time. "No, he’s talked to them on the phone…but – like I said. Just not a good time to leave."

‘More like Lucky’s father is the last person he wants to see right now,’ Elizabeth thought wearily. Lord knew they’d already had that talk 20 times.

"Well, like I said…if you change you’re mind you know Walter and I would love to have you both."

Elizabeth began to thank her again when the intercom buzzed. She glanced up towards the door and then lifted herself from the couch.

"Jilly someone’s at the door. I’m going to have to call you back later ok?"

"Of course Honey. Try not to worry yourself ragged and get some rest."

She didn’t know how she was supposed to do that when her briefly perfect life was crumbling around her, but she said ‘ok,’ anyhow.

"Ok…Talk to you later. I love you," she said hanging up.

Elizabeth didn’t realize it, but Jillian would never forget it. It was the first time Elizabeth had ever initiated the ‘L’ word with her. For that she’d be grateful to Lucky forever.

"Byebye Sweetheart."

Elizabeth hung up and walked towards the intercom. Wallace’s voice boomed through it when she pressed the button. She quickly let him up and was opening the door to him a moment later.

She expected Lucky to come out of the bedroom when he heard his friend’s voice but he didn’t. Maybe he was sleeping. Again.

"Hey," he said. Bouncing a basketball against the hardwood floor. The sound ricocheted through the penthouse and Foster looked up from his place by Lucky’s office. Sighing in annoyance when he dropped his head back down.

It was only that idiot Wallace.

"Hey," Elizabeth greeted back. She glanced over her shoulder once more. Checking for Lucky. When she turned back she lowered her voice. "Were you and Lucky supposed to play ball today?"

"It’s Saturday Liz," Wallace said nonchalantly. An unsure grin on his face as he moved past her in and into the living room. "We always play ball on Saturday, you know that."

Elizabeth bit her lip and nodded. That was true. She did know that. He and Wallace played ball every Saturday. Like clockwork, even when it was cold out. But with everything going on she’d just forgotten.

"Where is he? Is he home?" Wallace continued. Glancing towards the office and down the hall. The place was too damn quiet.

Elizabeth nodded and turned towards him. Trying to get his attention again before he went looking. Not that she could blame him. It was already mid afternoon.

"Yeah, he’s…he’s home, but…I don’t know that he’s going to feel like playing today Wallace. He might just want to –

"Of course he feels like playing. He’s gonna play," Wallace said. Shrugging. He started towards the corridor that led to the back of the penthouse but Elizabeth clasped his arm.

"Wallace I really don’t think that now is the best time."

"You’re kidding me right? Now is absolute BEST time," Wallace stressed. He turned to her and lowered his voice. "Is he still asleep? Liz, he can’t go on like this. We gotta get him out of the house before he goes insane…I’m not gonna let him be a fucking hermit - so we’re gonna play some ball. Like we ALWAYS do…You can come too if you want. Maybe that’ll make him feel better or –

"Wallace, I know you mean well," Elizabeth said interrupting. But seriously, he just doesn’t feeling like doing anything today. I think he just needs the time to himself right now."

"Time to himself?" Wallace shook his head. He’d already had too much damn time to himself. "Elizabeth the guy has been holed up in this apartment for a week. It isn’t healthy. It can’t be. The Lucky Spencer I know would rather die than sit in the penthouse ALL DAMN DAY."

Elizabeth would have agreed, but didn’t have time to. If she was going to show Lucky she could handle things, it would have to start simple. Like dealing with Wallace.

"Wallace I think you should maybe just come back tomorrow or something. Call first and then –

"And then what? He’ll be ready to face the world?…Elizabeth he didn’t DO anything. We have to make him see that. And I don’t understand why –

"You’re right, you don’t understand!" Elizabeth exploded. "Just because someone didn’t do anything wrong, doesn’t always mean they don’t FEEL like they did!"

"What the Hell are you talking about? I don’t think we need any psychological mumbo jumbo right now, we need to get him out of the house. So what I’m gonna do is go down that hall and get him and –

"No!"

Wallace had just about had it. Lucky wasn’t talking and Elizabeth – though Wallace knew she was the guy’s wife – was allowing him not to talk by doing all of it for him. Like some damned interpreter. It had to stop.

He was going to get his best friend back and he was going to get him back now.

But his feet stilled before he even moved them forward a full step.

Lucky’s presence in the room quickly shut both his wife and his friend up. Each of them halted mid argument to stare. As if he were some science project gone bad. The air in the room thickened like soup around them.

Standing on the threshold, Lucky pulled at the hem of his white undershirt and then reached to scratch the back of his neck. Elizabeth could tell by his eyes and the non-wrinkled state of his gray sweatpants that he hadn’t been napping.

‘Just lying there again Lucky?’ She thought. ‘Staring at the television like it’s going to tell you something new?’

"Come on Man," Wallace said bouncing the ball again with a grin. "Let’s go shoot some hoops. I just passed the court and it’s completely empty."

"Why would that matter to me?"

He wasn’t paranoid. Lucky knew they both thought he was. But people WERE looking at him differently. He could see the fear in people’s eyes. Of course they wouldn’t notice it because it wasn’t directed at them!

Wallace’s brow knit in confusion. "Um…because we wouldn’t have to wait to play? Come on man…Get your shoes and let’s be out. I haven’t kicked your ass in a couple of weeks."

"Nah, I think I’ll sit this one out," Lucky said. Shaking his head. He flexed his hand slowly, but Elizabeth knew his hand was fine now.

"Why don’t you give Bruce a call?" Lucky continued. "I think he’s finally back from all those west-coast gigs. He can play."

"If I wanted to play ball with the Suck-Meister I wouldn’t have come here. Now come on," Wallace persisted. Throwing the ball at Lucky. "I gotta practice my hook."

Lucky caught it mid chest and held it there for a moment as Elizabeth came close. Standing by his side.

"Wallace, if Lucky says he doesn’t wanna go, then he doesn’t wanna go. Maybe you two could set something up for tomorrow. Or I could even make us all some lunch and –

"You know what Elizabeth? I can speak for myself, thank you."

Elizabeth swallowed and her gaze hit the floor as Lucky turned back at Wallace. Tossing the ball back at him a little harder than he should have. Wallace caught it and shook his head as Lucky turned around and headed back to his bedroom. Shaken as he watched his friend retreat.

Wallace glanced at Elizabeth and took a deep breath. "I’m sorry. That was my fault. I shoulda listened to you in the first place. I inspired that bit of assdom…not you."

"No," she said shaking her head now as she looked up. "Like he said – he can speak for himself. I’m not his mother. I’m just a wife who has no idea what she’s doing at this point."

Wallace bit his lip. Feeling bad for having caused whatever he just had. Obviously he’d made a bad situation even worse but since Lucky hadn’t been to work since Monday, and wasn’t really answering his phone it was kind of difficult to have a conversation with the guy.

More than that he felt for Elizabeth, who was obviously was only trying to help but having a hard time succeeding.

"Is there something I can do?" He asked then. "Besides fuck things up I mean?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "I don’t see how you could…If your presence didn’t cheer him up, then I don’t know what will."

Wallace sighed and sat halfway on a barstool with one foot still placed on the floor.

"Well I am a laugh-riot, but even my powers of charm and wit probably can’t break through this………Has he thought anymore about going home? Visiting his family? I know in the past that’s always worked to get his mind off things."

‘Like the night I kissed you,’ Elizabeth thought bitterly. ‘The night all this crap started and I gave Stephanie the ammunition to devise such a dirty plan?’

She didn’t say any of that, but that’s how felt. All of this was still her fault. And there was no using harping on that because she couldn’t turn back time and leave Sullivan’s with Lucky that night. It couldn’t be done.

But since it was her fault, she had to find a way to make things better…in the best way that she could. Whatever that meant.

"No. He’s talked to his mom and his sister and even to his dad…for a bit. But, I think things would just be too awkward for him."

"Yeah I can see that being…weird."

Elizabeth drew her fingers through her hair and tried to change the subject. "What about Lucinda how’s she doing?"

"Besides still stewing over all of this? Stewing over the fact that Jack was screwing Stephanie the whole they were together? Great!"

"What?"

Wallace’s sat dumbfounded for a moment by Elizabeth’s dumbfoundedness. God it HAD been a busy week if she hadn’t spoken to Lucinda about this yet.

"You mean you didn’t know?"

Elizabeth took a seat on a bar stool herself. Preparing internally for another hit. "Wait, wait…You mean, Stephanie…and Jack?"

"The two lowest life forms on the Earth…yes," Wallace said. "Together forever probably. Hopefully they’ll do the world a HUGE service and not breed."

Elizabeth shook her head. Two people had never been so completely frighteningly perfect for one another. Scum and Scumier.

"So Jack cooked up this whole scheme with her didn’t he? He had to…she’s so…"

"Ridiculously stupid? Almost circus-freak-show-like stupid?…Yes, Jack’s gotta be the mastermind behind it. She’d never come up with this on her own."

Elizabeth couldn’t believe it. Her mouth hung open. "Which is why she still hasn’t pressed charges. She has no proof, PLUS she probably can’t even open her puppet mouth to speak without someone’s hand up her ass. Namely, Jack’s."

The visual was so frightening, that Wallace had to push it aside. "That son of a bitch Jack…as soon as he gets out of the hospital I swear to God I’m gonna kill him. Give him a REASON to be in the hospital"

Elizabeth seemed deep in thought. But suddenly she looked up. Was this the best way she could?

"What hospital is he in?"

Wallace’s face changed and then he shook his head. Hip to her game. "Oooh no. I’m not telling you. It wouldn’t work anyway Elizabeth."

"Oh come on…we still have time here Wallace. He obviously hasn’t convinced Stephanie to go completely through with this yet because she hasn’t pressed charges. What if I just went to him and had a conversation. Tried to talk him into –

"Because my best friend is somewhat mentally incapacitated right now, and I feel the need to step in for him and say HELL NO. No way should you go anywhere near that guy."

"He’s in a hospital bed," Elizabeth countered. "He can’t touch me…the mere thought of Jack makes me want to hurl. Especially after last week…but the worse thing he did that night wasn’t to me – it was to Lucky…and I have to fix it."

"You let me fix it."

The words silenced Elizabeth for a moment. "What?"

"Elizabeth, Lucky would have my pretty ass if I sat here and encouraged you to go talk to that insect. I’ll do it. I don’t know that it’ll penetrate his thick skull…I’ll probably just end up giving him a matched single to make a pair of broken ribs…….but I’ll try."

She rose as Wallace did. Following him to the door. "Wallace you don’t have to do this. If you really think it’s a lost cause…if you think you’re just going to wind up pummeling him or something. I mean we don’t need for you to be in trouble too…I don’t think Lucky could handle that."

"Hey, I got my own reasons for wanting to pummel Jack that have nothing to do with him."

Elizabeth nodded and stood back as he opened the door and stepped through it. He turned towards her one last time.

"Besides," he said. "It’s the least I can do for my best friend’s best friend."

Elizabeth inhaled deeply and gave him a watery smile. Sure for the first time that he forgave her for that incident at Sully’s. Even if she hadn’t fully forgiven herself.

She stood to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you…Call me when you leave there."

He nodded. Grateful that Lucky had her. Even if she wasn’t quite stable, she was looking out for him and that was all he could ask.

"You’re welcome. Bye."

And with that he was gone, and Elizabeth was left standing there. Thinking of how she was going to go talk to Lucky and make him see that this wasn’t over yet. That they could still win this. That Stephanie and Jack may have made the first strike, but they’d make the last.

~~~~~~~

Elizabeth curled up next to him in the center of their bed. Leaving tons of spare space on the huge piece of furniture as she placed her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat slowly. He was watching some business news show and quickly zapped it off with the remote. Placing it down on his left side as he draped his right arm around her.

She was so glad for the sensation of being held that she shut her eyes and just let herself revel in it for a moment. Sometimes when he snapped or said something short like he had a few moments ago in front of Wallace she wondered if he still loved her.

But then she had to remind herself that her idea of love wasn’t exactly what other people’s was, and that when Lucky told her loved her it didn’t mean ‘until I get mad at you or you irritate me,’ it just meant that he loved her. Forever.

Even when she pissed him off or he was in a bad mood.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent that was distinctly Lucky. If she could bottle it, every woman in America would be buying it for their husbands. But she couldn’t do that, and she was glad. Because he was all hers.

No matter what happened she was the luckiest woman in the world.

"Do you remember all those things you said to me when we first started going out?" She asked suddenly. Her voice beautifully quiet to Lucky in the stillness of the penthouse.

Lucky licked his lips as he stared up at the ceiling. "You mean when I was TRYING to go out with you?"

Elizabeth smiled. A sense of humor was a good sign and she hadn’t heard it in awhile.

"Yeah, I mean then."

"Like what kinds of things?" He asked.

"Like how you told me that I could do anything I wanted. That I was better than stripping. That I could do anything at all if I wanted it badly enough. Accomplish anything I wanted to…overcome and conquer everything I wanted to."

"Yes," Lucky said on a sigh. Knowing already where she was headed with the reminiscing.

"Were you just saying all that stuff to get me to go out with you or did you really mean it?"

That caught him off guard. Lucky turned to her swiftly. Propping himself up on his elbows.

"Of course I meant it…But Elizabeth, this situation is entirely different."

"How?" She whispered propping herself up. "Because you’ve been accused of something and I was the victim of that something?……Lucky if I could conquer what my stepfather did to me on a almost nightly basis for 3 years of my life, you can conquer what Stephanie did to you on one."

It cut so sharply and genuinely through to his heart that Lucky nearly had to catch his breath. He got down off his elbows and rolled against her. Holding her tightly.

He was silent for a long moment before he whispered in her ear.

"I’m sorry for what I said to you out there…It was completely uncalled for."

"That’s ok."

"No it’s not," he said rolling back a bit to look into her eyes. "Stop telling me it’s ok. She accused me of raping her. That doesn’t give me license to treat you like crap. I don’t want you to take that from anybody…especially not me.

"You were only trying to help me and I was a bastard," he finished upon her silence. "And I’m sorry."

Elizabeth kissed his chest as he lowered himself to his back. "Well at least you know you were a bastard…that’s half the battle."

He kissed the top of her head and felt a little less jerky for the time being. But he was sure he’d be making up for it soon.

There seemed to be this tight ball of tension sitting on his chest all the time now, and little parts of it unraveled all the time like yarn. And when one piece unraveled it twisted it’s way around Elizabeth. He hated that.

"What were you watching just now?" She started. Glancing back at the blank television screen.

Lucky chuckled a bit under his breath. "Business News Today says Road Fury 2 is doing fantastically well."

When Elizabeth looked up at him, he donned his best reporter voice and mimicked the journalist.

"After a slow start the video game buying public has flocked in droves to purchase Road Fury 2. Experts are saying that a generation of Ebay’ers will consider this a prime auction piece if formal charges are brought against creator, Lucky Spencer for the accused sexual assault of millionaire heiress Stephanie Davenport."

"Ugh," Elizabeth groaned. "A pompous ass AND he uses run-on sentences."

Lucky smiled softly down at her. "God, I love you."

"I love you too."

He sighed tiredly. "So now they’re calling it ‘accused sexual assault’ to cover their asses. We wouldn’t wanna confuse that with ‘rape.’…Hell at least now I won’t be fired for lack of sales. I guess they could always fire me if I spend my sick leave in prison though."

Elizabeth sighed and ignored the ‘joke’ that wasn’t anywhere near funny.

"Lucinda thinks Stephanie was sleeping with Jack when they were together…Wallace told me…"

Lucky glanced at her and then shook his head. "Why am I even surprised? I knew it…somewhere deep down I knew it. I knew they couldn’t just be friends. No way is that guy, ‘just friends’ with anything female.

"They were probably sleeping together even before she and I broke up," Lucky finished, shaking his head. He almost had to laugh.

Elizabeth looked at him soberly. "How would you feel about that?"

And then he did laugh, but it was a bitter kind of chuckle. "It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Hell maybe one day she’ll accuse him of rape and we can start some kind of ‘I’ve been accused of rape by Stephanie Davenport,’ club."

Elizabeth bit her lip. He was full of zingers this afternoon. One more and she’d choke him senseless.

"Wallace and I were talking and we both think that he’s the brains behind this whole thing. No way Stephanie decided to do this on her own."

Lucky lifted a brow. Stephanie WANTED people to think she was an idiot.

"I don’t know about that. She’s a ditz that’s for sure, but she’s not as stupid as she seems. At least not when it comes to cooking up schemes and getting revenge…I remember watching her get back at one of her friends simply because she didn’t return a sweater she’d borrowed…Don’t mess with Stephanie’s angora."

"Screw the lamb hair, I wanna pull out every hair on her bleached head."

Lucky smiled weakly and sobered after a moment. "What do you think about what Ms. Davis said?"

"About suing?"

"Yeah."

"I think you should. I think you should let Stephanie know that she can’t get away with this. It’s the vengefulness in me, but I just want to see her have to admit to what a liar she is."

"I just don’t know if it will help," Lucky said after a moment. "I mean…the damage is already done, isn’t it? Sure people are buying the game now…but nobody’s ever gonna look at me the same Elizabeth."

"But what if we could get them to admit they were lying?" Elizabeth said. Sitting up with eyes wide. She had to get him to believe that it was possible. That anything was. He’d done it for her once, and she wanted so badly to do it for him now.

"Elizabeth, they’re never going to admit that –

"No, no. Just listen! Wallace went to go talk to Jack. I mean who knows…maybe you’re right – maybe it’s a lost cause. But there’s always a chance that he could say something that would change his mind.

"I was going to go, but –

"What?" Lucky interrupted. Pushing up to his elbows again. "Elizabeth, no! I don’t want you anywhere near that guy, do you understand me? NOWHERE near him! When I saw his hands on you the other night…Elizabeth if Wallace hadn’t pulled me off I would have killed -

Elizabeth covered his mouth with her hand. "I’m not. I’m not going to talk to him. Wallace is taking care of it. I just…Lucky I just want to help you. And I want them to know that they can’t do this to us. To you. They can’t hurt you like this and get away with it. I won’t let them. No matter what I have to do, I won’t let them…and you won’t either because you’re a fucking Spencer and sooner or later they’re gonna find out who they’re messing with."

Something about the passion in her voice…the passion in her eyes. It made him warm all over, and made him tingle in spots he hadn’t tingled in for a week.

All of that sensation and she was beautiful too.

A ‘fucking Spencer.’

He understood the sentiment behind it, but lately he hadn’t wanted to remember he was one. But the way she said it…it made him realize that there was a lot more to that name than the one night he was thinking of. The one night he’d been obsessing on since Stephanie had accused him of raping her. Yes, there was a lot more to being a Spencer.

Including the ability to get up and fight when you were knocked down. They didn’t give up.

He kissed the inside of Elizabeth’s palm, still pressed against his mouth and then turned it over to kiss the other side.

And slowly then his lips began to travel. Inspired them selves.

Elizabeth held her breath as he kissed his way down her arm and closer to her. His mouth so tender against her skin. She felt herself light up like a candle inside, but she tried to dampen the flame. This could have been another one of her fantasies.

He’d kissed her a couple of times here and there within the last few days, but never like this. Never like it could lead somewhere else. He shut his eyes and his lips met her shoulder. Elizabeth sighed. He felt like heaven.

Fantasy or not.

God, how she’d missed his touch. Yearned for it. She moaned when his hot mouth met her cool neck. His hand cupping her breast through the soft t-shirt she wore.

"I want you so bad," he murmured. Kissing his way along her collarbone now as he pushed the shirt aside. "I’ve needed you so badly…for days….I just…"

"It’s ok," she whispered. Heat gathering between her thighs. The candle inside burned brighter. And if he was going to extinguish the flame by pulling back, she hoped he’d do it now. She couldn’t take it if it came any later.

"No it’s not," he said kissing his way up her neck as she dropped her head back. Allowing him all the access he wanted. "Things are only ok when I’m inside you…perfect."

Elizabeth breath escaped her and he laid her down beneath him. Gathering her legs up to meet his hips. She felt how excited he was. Just how badly he wanted that perfection now.

This wasn’t a fantasy and he wasn’t going to be putting out any flame. He’d only stoke it, draw it up, make it burn hotter. And she couldn’t wait to feel it.

The heat caused their skin to moisten now.

His hands curled inside her shirt. Freeing it from the waistband of her sweats. She stretched her arms up and he lifted it away. Easing his mouth down on the vulnerable skin of her inner arms then. She was so soft and he wanted to linger…stay. Melt right away into that softness.

He kissed his way down to her breasts and felt her heart beat like crazy through her chest. Elizabeth pushed towards him and the brushing of his palms against her nearly drove her crazy. He unfastened the flower covered hook at the front of her bra and pushed each cup aside.

Lucky licked his lips in anticipation. Contemplating her creamy skin just before he took her inside his mouth. Drawing on that rosy flesh with such sweet intensity that her hips bucked towards his.

He needed this. God how he needed to feel her, touch her, consume and then be consumed.

Elizabeth pressed her head back into the pillows and arched up to give him more. Wanting him to take and take and take until there was nothing left of her.

He wanted that too, but he also wanted to give and his hips met hers in a deep grind. He felt her pulsing beneath him like a rapid heartbeat and he needed so badly to take her pants off and be inside her, but he held back. Wanting to prolong it just as badly as he wanted the rush.

She’d been a rock. She’d stood by him and offered warmth and understanding even when he didn’t understand himself.

Holding him like she held him now, telling him it would all be ok. That he would see.

All he could see now was her. And suddenly being blind to the rest of the world was heaven. Bliss.

He never wanted bliss to end.

His hands trailed over her stomach and he lowered himself slightly. Looking up at her as he kissed at that delicate skin. Her fingers curled into his firm shoulders and he lowered even more. Hooking his fingers into the waistband of the sweatpants and pulling them down to her knees.

She gasped when he reared up to kiss her inner thighs. They trembled with delight and she arched up. Her center aching for him. Aching to tremble like that.

Lucky inhaled her scent, heady with it as he reached with both hands to draw his undershirt up and over his head. Chest against her thighs his mouth lapped at the moisture that shown through her panties.

Elizabeth’s body jerked with that first assault on her senses and Lucky’s hands positioned themselves on her hips, holding her still to continue. He heard her sighing and mewling from deep inside and knew that he’d belonged in her arms this entire time.

Why he’d denied himself only a ludicrous memory now. She was so sweet and hot against his tongue. Deliciously open.

"Off," she muttered. Panting now as she writhed beneath him. "Off…off…"

He was very close to getting off, but he knew she meant something else entirely. Meant that she wanted him to take her panties off. Lucky happily obliged.

Happily.

It was a word he didn’t think he’d be feeling again. Especially not this soon. Granted it felt like a lifetime since he’d touched her, but in actuality it had only been a week. A week that would have turned into so much longer had he not have had this miraculous woman in his life. This miraculous love.

He did a bit of his own miraculous loving as he removed her panties and went back to pleasing her. Causing her to cry out loudly as the first thrust of his tongue inside her tight depths.

Lucky groaned at the sounds of her passion, and the throbbing inside his own underwear at that moment. His sweatpants were too tight. He knew he had to get out of them soon. Had to get out of them and into her.

Not until she was satisfied. If he could give her a thousand orgasms before he reached his own, he would.

But it had days and Lucky knew as soon as he entered her, he’d be gone. He’d lose control and come before she ever got the chance. He had to insure it this way first. Make sure he showed her how grateful he was for her presence in his life.

For her gentle caress, her slow strokes of his back in the middle of the night.

Lucky took one hand away from her undulating hip and slipped his finger inside her. Knowing she needed something more substantial as closed his mouth around her agitated nub. Drawing on her until her body began to spasm.

She watered like the juiciest, sweetest fruit against his mouth and he knew that he’d given her exactly as much as he wanted to take. And he would take, it was inevitable now. His body had filled itself to painful and he stood from the bed. Shedding his pants and his underwear quickly as she lay there – all breath and bone melting into the bed.

But he couldn’t give her the time she needed to rest. There was no way.

Elizabeth embraced him with loose, weak arms as he came down upon her. Entering her without hesitation. She was soaking wet and he slipped in so easily that he sighed. It was like diving into the warmest of waters and then feeling the water grow solid and tighten around you with a glove like strength.

Lucky groaned as he began to move. Slowly and deeply at first, his thrusts building quickly though to something Earth shattering.

Elizabeth curled her fingers into his already sweaty back. Loving the broadness of him above her. Rocking into her with passion barely restrained. She kissed the salt of his shoulder. Knowing what he wanted and that she’d have to give him permission first.

He was such a gentle, caring lover. And anger nearly bubbled in her again, but she pushed it away. Centered her energy between them and gave to him.

"F-faster Lucky…faster."

Her voice was the faintest whisper through the roaring of blood in his ear, but somehow he heard her and relief flooded through him as he heeded the instruction. Pushing forward like he wanted.

Lucky curled his hands under her shoulder blades and held her tightly beneath him as he drove himself inside her rapidly. Pulling back just to push more fervently back inside. Feeling how she met him each time. The quick pulse of her hips towards him spurned him forward.

He loved this woman. How he loved her.

She was nearly spent from her first orgasm but still she tightened around him like a determined fist as he hammered away at her. Lucky let his hand drift down her wet body, clutching at all her curves as he moved.

Elizabeth hissed and moaned at the tightness of his grip and sighed when his fingers hooked themselves around her knee and drew her leg up to her waist. He slid deeper inside as she lifted towards him.

The bed squeaked under the pressure as Lucky picked up the pace. So fast now that it made her breath catch in wickedly fast rhythms. She could no longer keep up and she held tight for the ride as he lifted her other leg and buried himself to the hilt.

Pleasure and pain came together in a glorious explosion of triumph and Elizabeth came again…and then again. Her body rearing up even as he continued to pump inside her.

His body still hard and throbbing. Swollen with what he had to give.

Through heavy, dazed lids she watched his brow tighten with what was to come. Watched him shut his eyes and then open them. Training them directly on hers as he started to open inside her. She felt the hot flood even as he pulled back and then thrust forward again. Flooding her even more.

Even as his upper body was settling against her, he was pushing again. Holding her hips as he thrust again and then sighed and pushed again. His body strained against her for one last time and Elizabeth’s breath caught as she came again under the pressure of his weight.

After the relief had washed over them both, they lay there. Experiencing peace in one another’s arms for the first time in days. Weak only for one another.

Lucky knew his problems weren’t over simply because he’d had some profoundly loving making with his wife, but suddenly they seemed a lot less important. The ache was dull, not sharp as it had been.

He knew what was true, and Elizabeth knew what was true, and his family knew what was true. After that everything else was a detail.

A detail to be dealt with.

~~~~~~~

Wallace cleared his throat from the chair where he sat next to the hospital bed. Waking a sleeping Jack with the noise. He wished he would’ve had a camera when the startled look crossed the bastard’s face. Realizing it wasn’t a bad dream after all and Wallace was really there.

"Here to make your life miserable," Wallace said with a bright smile.

Jack yawned as if bored. "No can do McKenzie…my life is great. Absolutely and completely great."

"Great? See, that’s funny…’Cause you weren’t calling it great when you were crying like a little girl the other night. You remember that right? When Lucky had his foot up your ass?"

Smirking, Jack shook his head. "I let that asshole do it."

‘Bingo,’ Wallace thought. That was exactly what he’d wanted to hear. Now all he needed was to get the asshole to admit it had all been a set-up.

"Oh really?" Wallace continued nonchalantly. "You coulda taken him huh?…Whew," he said wiping his brow. "That’s good to know. Glad to hear your loafer wearing reputation won’t suffer.

"What’s a little ass kicking among friends, right?"

"You’re not my friend McKenzie."

"You’re damn right I’m not your friend!" And with that Wallace lunged at the idiot in the bed. Wrapping one hand around his neck and forcing him to the bed. Jack gasped and sputtered. Fumbling around for the call button.

Wallace pushed it out of his reach.

"Ah-ah-ah Gimpy, no nurse for you…You’re gonna listen to me for a few seconds and you’re gonna listen good."

Gimpy shut up. His eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as Wallace spoke quickly and tightened his grip.

"First things first…I know you planned this whole thing for Stephanie. You trained the little bitch well Jack…now call her off."

Jack hissed something about not knowing what he was talking about, and Wallace pressed a bit harder as he continued on. Disregarding everything he said.

"Second…a public apology would be wonderful. Either in the form of a press conference or newspaper ad. I don’t really give a fuck as long as you do it or she does it. Either way you’ve already done the damage…now you reverse it.

"Third…you stay the fuck away from me and mine. That includes Lucky and Elizabeth and I swear to God if you ever come near Lucinda again I’ll snap this little neck of yours right in two."

He let go then and grabbed his jacket from the chair before Jack could catch his breath. Wallace stopped in front of the door and turned back.

"You scared of me yet?"

Jack said, "No," with hoarse outrage.

Wallace glanced at the sheet that covered him. "Hmm. Interesting…’cause you pissed yourself."

The door swung shut behind him and Jack stared down at the widening stain on the sheets. Horrified.

~~~~~~~

Lucky sighed and smiled a bit as Elizabeth settled against his chest again. This time with the big green book he hadn’t seen in quite some time, in her hands. She wiggled nakedly against him and he had to laugh.

Man it felt good to laugh. Not a bitter kind of laugh…but a laugh. A true one.

He was already feeling better than he thought possible, and she seemed to be going for the gusto now. It wasn’t enough for him to hold her and smile, he apparently had to listen to some more of their story now too.

"Elizabeth, I’m actually kind of tired do we have t –

Her hand reached low to convince him and his voice quickly disappeared. She started to read and massage certain parts of his anatomy at once.

"We haven’t read in a long time," she whispered. Kissing his chest before looking up at him. "And I think we could both use a little fairytale in our lives right about now, how ‘bout you?"

Lucky nodded. His concentration not completely on the book now.

"So when we stopped, the wind had blown illness upon the king’s son and the magic ball had snatched away his beloved. That was what made him grieve so constantly. Now the wizard has asked that the wind blow upon him that it blow away his sorrow."

Lucky cleared his throat. "I remember."

Her fingers stroked him and he quieted again.

"Then the king made his son go out into the wind, and he gradually recovered and told his father all. ‘Forget the maiden,’ said the king, ‘and take another bride;’ but the prince said he could never love another.

"He couldn’t," Lucky broke in. His voice tight.

Elizabeth rewarded him with a slower stroke of her hand.

"A year afterward the prince came suddenly upon the bridge where his beloved had met her death. As he recalled the misfortune he wept bitterly, and would have given all he possessed to have her once more alive. In the midst of his grief he thought he heard a voice singing, and looked around, but could see no one. Then he heard the voice again it said:

She read with such passion that Lucky smiled. In the past she’d always been the reluctant one when it came to reading aloud, always asking him to do it.

He tightened his grip around her. As did she.

"The prince was greatly astonished, sprang from his horse, and looked every where to see if no one were hidden under the bridge; but no one was there. Then he noticed a yellow water-lily floating on the surface of the water, half-hidden by it’s broad leaves; but flowers do not sing, and in great surprise he waited, hoping to hear more. Then again the voice sang:

"You read the last part for tonight," Elizabeth said yawning. She kissed the middle of his chest again. He was growing in her hand and that was enough reading for tonight.

It’d been too long. There’d be no wasting of a good hard-on.

Lucky licked his lips and read the last sentence aloud quickly.

"The prince suddenly remembered the gold-spinners, and said to himself: ‘If I ride thither, who knows but that they could explain this to me?’"

Lucky shut the book and smiled at Elizabeth. Rolling over to kiss her, but she placed her hand in front of his mouth.

"Wait…Don’t you get it?"

"No, but I’m trying."

Elizabeth sighed with exasperation. "Lucky the prince thought all hope was lost until it called up to him. Until the princess called up from the water lily she’d been turned into."

"Yeah," he said smiling at her with love in his eyes. "And I already found my water lily."

"No, but don’t you see," Elizabeth said. Trying to hold him off when all she really wanted to do was love him again. But there was a point to be made here! She’d thought very hard to construct it in her mind too!

"There was more to it," she continued. "He knew she was there – that hope was still there…but he needed more. He needed wisdom. He needed to find out HOW to put that hope to good use…He needed to go the gold-spinners."

Lucky stared up at the ceiling then. A vision of who Elizabeth thought his gold-spinners were popping into mind.

"Elizabeth, it’s just too weird. I don’t think I could handle –

"Lucky, they can help you! Especially you’re father, even if you don’t think so now…maybe…I mean at least go see your sister and brother. You know you want to see them right now."

"Elizabeth my parents are spinners, but it ain’t gold they’d spin at a time like this."

"Lucky truth spinners or not, they still know their son! They still now things about you that I don’t and maybe things to say that I –

Lucky shook his head and brought her close. "All I need is you…and unless you’ve got a problem with me being around, I’m not going anywhere."

Elizabeth dropped her head to his chest in defeat. "Well at least promise me you’ll consider the advice your lawyer gave you today."

Lucky nodded. "I promise."

Elizabeth shut her eyes. She still hadn’t come up with ‘the best way she could,’ but she was getting there. More importantly…Lucky was getting there.

‘And maybe for tonight,’ Elizabeth thought as he kissed her. ‘This was the best way.’