getting closer to the end on this one... after that i'm not sure if i have any fics left. which feels crazy!
They danced the night away. Liz enjoyed every moment of it. Michael's arms held her in a tight embrace, and she felt safe. She knew that Michael would never hurt her. That he would protect her.
That he would love her.
Because Liz knew then that she loved him.
It was undeniable. Since the moment she'd awakened. Since the moment she opened her eyes to a world that was as familiar as it was unknown. Since that first moment, she'd been falling in love with him.
And now it was irrevocable.
The party was winding down, couples had begun to disappear when Michael whispered in her ear.
"Come on. Let's get out of here."
"What about Alex?"
Michael rolled his eyes, "Your brother is off with his girlfriend."
"But what will he think?"
"Are you really worried about that? You do know that he's with Maria at this precise moment and that they aren't eating jellybeans…"
Liz worried her bottom lip and said, "I just…he's been really overprotective…I just want him to be okay with us going off alone together."
"Well, we're just going back to your place…so I wouldn't worry too much about what he thinks. He's the one who'll be pulling the all-nighter."
"Oh."
"Let's go." Michael pulled Liz along. He'd been planning something special and was glad to finally have her all to himself for the first time that night.
"Michael?" Liz asked as they walked down the street. The limo they'd arrived long gone, they had no other recourse but to walk home.
"Yeah?"
"Let's go to the park."
"Ok, why?"
"It's so beautiful out tonight, I just want to be outside for a while."
"Ok."
"You don't mind?"
"Nah, Elizabeth being with you is what is important to me. Then wheres and whens don't matter to me."
Liz smiled. That was just one thing she loved about being with Michael. He made her feel precious, special, and important. When he was with her nothing else but being together mattered. Liz wanted to show him how much that meant to her. She wanted to show him how much he mattered to her.
They walked out into the starry warm night. The sky was black and twinkling pinpoints of light shone brightly down upon them. The park was midway between the reception hall and the Crashdown. When they arrived Liz pulled Michael towards the swings. They sat there for a while swinging back and forth, reaching for the secrets hidden in the impenetrable dark of the sky, for stars, lost in their own thoughts.
After a while, Liz spoke. "Michael?"
"Elizabeth?" He repeated at her.
"There's something I have to tell you."
"What is it? Did you remember something? Are you feeling okay?" Michael looked her over with concern in his eyes.
"Yes. No. I mean. No, I didn't remember anything. And yes, I'm feeling okay. I just need to tell you how being with you makes me feel."
"Oh. Okay."
Liz took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She'd never done this before. At least not that she could remember, but everything she was feeling was bottling up inside her and every moment that passed without her telling Michael made her feel like she was this close to exploding.
"I love you."
Michael looked at her stunned. His thoughts had in no way been going down that tack. He thought for sure that she was feeling stifled, that she wanted to be rid of him, of his overprotective instincts when it came to her and her safety. That he loved her was a given, but he'd never thought his feelings might be reciprocated. And even worse, he couldn't help doubting the fact that she loved him, because she couldn't remember who she was. And he was sure that he couldn't handle losing her to her memories.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Liz looked at him expectantly.
"What do you want me to say?"
"Ideally--I love you too Elizabeth--would have been great, but I guess I read you wrong." Her voice cracking, Liz blinked her eyes rapidly trying to keep tears at bay.
Michael cleared his throat and said, softly, "You didn't."
But Liz had stood up and was walking away from him. She hadn't wanted him to see the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She didn't want him to know that she felt her heart was breaking. She broke into a run and headed back to the Crashdown. Suddenly she needed to be as far away from Michael as she possibly could.
"Elizabeth!" Michael called out to her.
He watched as she ran further and further away from him. He had expressed himself badly. He hadn't meant to hurt her. But he was so afraid to trust the feelings she felt. Because he was afraid that what was real now would eventually become fantasy. But he couldn't let her think she didn't mean anything to him. When the truth was she meant everything.
"Elizabeth!" He called out again, desperately.
Then Michael broke into a run when he realized she wasn't going to stop.
*****
Liz turned the corner and quickly pulled herself up the ladder to her balcony. Her breath heaving with exertion, her shoes had gone the way of the very devil, her feet were bruised and bleeding. She tucked her dress between her legs and made her way up to her haven.
Only as she looked around the space that she had been most comfortable in since the accident, it was a haven no more. It looked like a war zone. She stared in horror at the upturned table, the broken window, the shards of glass that glittered in the light. And her world went black.
*****
Michael heard a scream and a thud. Sure that the worst was happening he jumped up the ladder and onto the balcony in record time. For a second he stood there in shock at the scene before him. Everything was overturned, broken or destroyed. And his Elizabeth lay in a heap on the floor. He ran to her and checked her over. She was in a faint. And bleeding from a cut on her head. Her arm was crisscrossed with little scratches from the glass that lay strewn across the balcony.
He carefully climbed through the broken window and called for the paramedics. And then he dialed Alex's cell phone. In measured tones, he told Alex to meet him at the hospital.
"Michael, what happened?"
"Someone trashed the balcony, when Elizabeth got there I guess the shock was too much and she fainted. She also knocked her head. She'll be okay though."
"I'll meet you there."
Michael hung up. He could hear the ambulance approaching. He walked back to Liz's side and kneeled beside her. He prayed that she would be okay.
Part 13
They danced the night away. Liz enjoyed every moment of it. Michael's arms held her in a tight embrace, and she felt safe. She knew that Michael would never hurt her. That he would protect her.
That he would love her.
Because Liz knew then that she loved him.
It was undeniable. Since the moment she'd awakened. Since the moment she opened her eyes to a world that was as familiar as it was unknown. Since that first moment, she'd been falling in love with him.
And now it was irrevocable.
The party was winding down, couples had begun to disappear when Michael whispered in her ear.
"Come on. Let's get out of here."
"What about Alex?"
Michael rolled his eyes, "Your brother is off with his girlfriend."
"But what will he think?"
"Are you really worried about that? You do know that he's with Maria at this precise moment and that they aren't eating jellybeans…"
Liz worried her bottom lip and said, "I just…he's been really overprotective…I just want him to be okay with us going off alone together."
"Well, we're just going back to your place…so I wouldn't worry too much about what he thinks. He's the one who'll be pulling the all-nighter."
"Oh."
"Let's go." Michael pulled Liz along. He'd been planning something special and was glad to finally have her all to himself for the first time that night.
"Michael?" Liz asked as they walked down the street. The limo they'd arrived long gone, they had no other recourse but to walk home.
"Yeah?"
"Let's go to the park."
"Ok, why?"
"It's so beautiful out tonight, I just want to be outside for a while."
"Ok."
"You don't mind?"
"Nah, Elizabeth being with you is what is important to me. Then wheres and whens don't matter to me."
Liz smiled. That was just one thing she loved about being with Michael. He made her feel precious, special, and important. When he was with her nothing else but being together mattered. Liz wanted to show him how much that meant to her. She wanted to show him how much he mattered to her.
They walked out into the starry warm night. The sky was black and twinkling pinpoints of light shone brightly down upon them. The park was midway between the reception hall and the Crashdown. When they arrived Liz pulled Michael towards the swings. They sat there for a while swinging back and forth, reaching for the secrets hidden in the impenetrable dark of the sky, for stars, lost in their own thoughts.
After a while, Liz spoke. "Michael?"
"Elizabeth?" He repeated at her.
"There's something I have to tell you."
"What is it? Did you remember something? Are you feeling okay?" Michael looked her over with concern in his eyes.
"Yes. No. I mean. No, I didn't remember anything. And yes, I'm feeling okay. I just need to tell you how being with you makes me feel."
"Oh. Okay."
Liz took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She'd never done this before. At least not that she could remember, but everything she was feeling was bottling up inside her and every moment that passed without her telling Michael made her feel like she was this close to exploding.
"I love you."
Michael looked at her stunned. His thoughts had in no way been going down that tack. He thought for sure that she was feeling stifled, that she wanted to be rid of him, of his overprotective instincts when it came to her and her safety. That he loved her was a given, but he'd never thought his feelings might be reciprocated. And even worse, he couldn't help doubting the fact that she loved him, because she couldn't remember who she was. And he was sure that he couldn't handle losing her to her memories.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Liz looked at him expectantly.
"What do you want me to say?"
"Ideally--I love you too Elizabeth--would have been great, but I guess I read you wrong." Her voice cracking, Liz blinked her eyes rapidly trying to keep tears at bay.
Michael cleared his throat and said, softly, "You didn't."
But Liz had stood up and was walking away from him. She hadn't wanted him to see the tears that had gathered in her eyes. She didn't want him to know that she felt her heart was breaking. She broke into a run and headed back to the Crashdown. Suddenly she needed to be as far away from Michael as she possibly could.
"Elizabeth!" Michael called out to her.
He watched as she ran further and further away from him. He had expressed himself badly. He hadn't meant to hurt her. But he was so afraid to trust the feelings she felt. Because he was afraid that what was real now would eventually become fantasy. But he couldn't let her think she didn't mean anything to him. When the truth was she meant everything.
"Elizabeth!" He called out again, desperately.
Then Michael broke into a run when he realized she wasn't going to stop.
*****
Liz turned the corner and quickly pulled herself up the ladder to her balcony. Her breath heaving with exertion, her shoes had gone the way of the very devil, her feet were bruised and bleeding. She tucked her dress between her legs and made her way up to her haven.
Only as she looked around the space that she had been most comfortable in since the accident, it was a haven no more. It looked like a war zone. She stared in horror at the upturned table, the broken window, the shards of glass that glittered in the light. And her world went black.
*****
Michael heard a scream and a thud. Sure that the worst was happening he jumped up the ladder and onto the balcony in record time. For a second he stood there in shock at the scene before him. Everything was overturned, broken or destroyed. And his Elizabeth lay in a heap on the floor. He ran to her and checked her over. She was in a faint. And bleeding from a cut on her head. Her arm was crisscrossed with little scratches from the glass that lay strewn across the balcony.
He carefully climbed through the broken window and called for the paramedics. And then he dialed Alex's cell phone. In measured tones, he told Alex to meet him at the hospital.
"Michael, what happened?"
"Someone trashed the balcony, when Elizabeth got there I guess the shock was too much and she fainted. She also knocked her head. She'll be okay though."
"I'll meet you there."
Michael hung up. He could hear the ambulance approaching. He walked back to Liz's side and kneeled beside her. He prayed that she would be okay.
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