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| ~*~Chapter 4~*~ Elizabeth opened the door to Kelly�s and walked inside. She grimaced when she saw the irksome blonde sitting behind the counter staring off into space. Maybe it�s been slow and Courtney will want to leave early, Elizabeth prayed. She looked around the diner. Not busy right now. There was a man with his head in a newspaper sitting at the table closest to the door. Probably a newbie. The regulars tended to sit at the counter when they were alone. That way they could talk to the waitresses. The only other occupied table consisted of a young couple. Elizabeth recognized them as Georgie Jones and Dillion Quartermaine. They made such an adorable pair. They reminded her of Lucky and herself at that age. So in love, so untouchable, so clueless. Elizabeth hoped the real world gave them enough time to build a foundation before ripping their perfect world apart. Soon enough they�d understand heartache and pain. Elizabeth understood both emotions all too well, and she was only twenty-one years old. �Hey Courtney.� Elizabeth smiled as politely as possible. She really didn�t feel like arguing with her anymore. It�s not like she was still hung up on Jason. Ric was the one breaking her heart these days. Of course she was managing to break his just as much. God, the way he was acting the night before scared the hell out of her. He sat in her arms for hours just crying and verbally degrading himself. He kept telling her how unworthy he was to touch her, or even look at her, and how she deserved so much better than him. If he�d told her that just before he broke down, she would have agreed. But when she saw him so destroyed, she couldn�t do anything but tell him everything was okay, and it wasn�t his fault. They fell asleep in the same position on the floor, her holding him. When she woke up, however, she was laying on her couch with a blanket covering her. And Ric was gone. She thought about stopping by his apartment before work, but she didn�t know what she�d say. She could tell him she loved him and that they would work everything out, but she didn�t know if they could. She didn�t know if she�d ever forget everything he�d done. �So,� Courtney started. By the look on her face, she wasn�t excited to see Elizabeth. The feeling was very mutual. �I heard you and Carly bonded yesterday.� The blonde�s face gave the impression that she was trying to raise an eyebrow in angry curiousity, however, she wasn�t pulling it off. The appearance the action created reminded Elizabeth of one of those Mr. Potatohead dolls where you could put the face on in strange, unnatural places. She couldn�t hold in a laugh. �What�s so funny?� Courtney demanded. �What?� Elizabeth forgot where she was. When she looked up to see Courtney, she pulled herself out of her childhood flashback. �Oh, nothing. Just a joke I heard the other day.� She lied. Not that Courtney caught her untruthful statement. Courtney was fairly dense. Not much squeezed its way through her thick skull. Maybe that�s why her and Jason got along so well. They were both pretty---Elizabeth searched for a polite way to put it---less-than-average in the IQ department. Elizabeth couldn�t believe she�d been so hung up on the �scholar� for so long. Must have been the bike...and maybe the jacket. Ric had a leather jacket. He looked much better in his than Jason could ever hope for himself. Plus Ric was mature, intellegent, gorgeous, funny, interesting... And a liar. Something he and Jason had in common. Something Lucky also shared with them. Why was it that she always went for the bad boys? Even her one-night-stand, Zander, had been on the wrong side of the law on more than one occasion. There was something just so...sexy about that dangerous edge. Too bad it went hand-in-hand with dishonesty. But it was Ric�s betrayal that had left the deepest cut in Elizabeth. There was something so different about this breakup. In the past, she�d always found someone to fall back on. When Lucky �died,� she had Nik. When that didn�t work, she met Jason. When Lucky slept wth Sarah, Jason had come back. When Jason was being his you-need-to-stay-away-from-me-my-life-is-too-dangerous-self, she rebounded to Zander. And then the final breakup with Jason drove her into Ric�s arms. But this time, there wasn�t anyone. Sure, she could probably find someone. Like that guy with his head in the paper, he could want a fling. But the problem wasn�t with finding a rebound guy, it was with Elizabeth. She didn�t want a rebound. All she wanted was Ric. She�s never felt so connected, so in love with anyone before. It�s just too bad that when she finally found the guy that she�d been searching for her entire life, he was exactly what she had been praying he wasn�t: a liar, just like the rest of them. �Elizabeth, did you hear me?� Courtney pulled Elizabeth from her thoughts again. �What? No. What did you say?� She finally pulled off her jacket and placed it in back with her purse underneath it. She walked to the counter and put on her apron while Courtney repeated her early request. �Do you mind if I go home? It�s been dead all day, and Jason...� Her voice rose a few octaves when she said her lover�s name. Elizabeth just laughed to herself. It was rather funny to think of how upset she used to get when Courtney would do something like that. �...wants to spend some time together. We�re getting married you know.� �Really?� She kind of had that idea. Carly had mentioned it the day before. �That�s great.� Elizabeth said with all honesty. If someone in this world could find a little happiness, she was glad for them. Even if she wasn�t one of those people. �I really do wish you well.� Courtney did the Mr. Potatohead, eyebrow thing again. �What�s with you today? You�re being so...nice.� �Why can�t I be happy for you?� Elizabeth asked, but went on before the confused blonde could answer. �I mean, I�m not in love with Jason. Frankly, I never was. I cared about him, sure, but I was just hurt that the two of you went behind my back. I�m over that now. I have too many other things on my plate to fret over these days.� �You mean like what Ric did?� She almost sounded concerned. Elizabeth should have known better. �Leave it to you to find the sickest of the whole bunch of eligibles in Port Charles.� She laughed wickedly before grabbing her jacket and purse and walking toward the exit. The man sitting at the table alone lowered his newspaper. Courtney glared at him, before shoving her way through the door. Elizabeth craned her head to the side to see the mystery man that, for some reason, peaked her interest, but he raised the paper back up before she could get a good look. Who was he? The question kept pounding through her head. If he would just lower that damn paper and glance back here for a second, she could get to work. Something inside her wouldn�t let her mind move on. When she saw the coffee cup sitting in front of him, Elizabeth got an idea. She picked up the coffee pot and strode to his table. �Would you like some more coffee?� She tried to peek around his newspaper, but she could almost swear he pulled it closer to him. �Sure,� he said simply. That voice. It was so familiar. She knew that voice. But where... When she started to fill his cup, she saw his newspaper---out of the corner of her eye---lower slightly. She glanced at him in mid-pour and froze. He was dead. She knew he was dead. How was he here? How was he not gone? How was Luis Alcazar sitting in Kelly�s reading a newspaper? ~*~ �Um, Miss?� Diego smiled at the frightened brunette spilling coffee all over the table. God she was beautiful. How had he missed her entering the diner? He was obviously too busy observing Morgan�s ditzy other half. Another reason to hate the stupid blonde. �Oh, my goodness,� The waitress started. �I�m so sorry. I um...let me go get something to clean that up.� She raced behind the counter. Diego watched the girl walk behind the counter and search for a rag. She was so innocent, so pure. He hated that the mere sight of him scared her. He found himself wondering who she was? Where she lived? Who she went home to at night? �I�m so sorry about this, sir.� She nervously started to clean the table in front of him. He grabbed her hand, and she gasped. �Obviously you think I�m someone I�m not.� �What?� She looked up at him with fear in her eyes. �My name is Diego Alcazar. You probably know my late brother, Luis.� �You�re brother?� Diego nodded his head. The girl let out a relieved sigh. Did everyone in town hate Luis? �I�m so sorry. I�m sorry about the coffee.� She looked down at their joined hands and pulled hers away. �Um...so why are you here in Port Charles?� Wow. Forward little thing. He liked it. �Just wrapping up a little business that Luis left behind. Did you know him?� Obviously she did. �Um...not really. He had me kidnapped once, but that�s about it.� All of the fear in her eyes was replaced by anger. �You said you were in town to finish his business? And his business was to kill Sonny Corinthos and Jasper Jacks. Is that what you plan to do?� He smiled up at her. Very forward indeed. He found that incredibly sexy. �No. That�s not what I�m here to do. I want to make amends for my brother�s poor behavior.� �Poor behavior?� Her eyes doubled in size. �You make it sound like he said some things that upset a couple of people. That �poor behaved� brother of yours had me locked in a crypt because I knew that he tried to have a friend of mine killed! And I was an easy way to get at Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan!� How was she connected to Corinthos and Morgan? Maybe his attraction to her could come in handy. If he could only get her name... �I�m sorry, Miss...� He paused, indicating he wanted something to call her. She only raised an eyebrow at him. God, she was even gorgeous when she was pissed. It would be so easy to throw her on this table and ravish her over and over... He cleared his throat and resituated himself so she wouldn�t see the reaction his dirty fantasy was having on his lower half. �I�m sorry for what my brother did to you. That is why I�m here. I�m fully aware of what my brother is...was. I�m in Port Charles to make things right with the people he hurt the most.� �You can�t make something like that right, Diego.� What a spitfire? He just loved a woman who said exactly what was on her mind. Now if he could only figure out how she was connected to Corinthos and Morgan. �You�re probably right.� He paused, sending her an apologetic smile. She wasn�t budging. �You said that my brother went after you because you were an easy way to get at Corinthos and Morgan. Are they family?� She looked at him for a long time before responding. �No. Sonny and Jason have been close friends of mine for a long time. Well, they were. I used to sort of date Jason.� Elizabeth Webber! The realization of who the cute brunette was hit him like a ton of bricks. Her name always popped up on Morgan�s history reports as a way to hurt him. Plus Luis had mentioned her several times. �She�s exactly your type,� he would tell Diego on their phone conversations. He should have listened. �Used to?� He raised an eyebrow that implied he was interested. She obviously liked bad boys. And Diego was as bad as they came. �Yeah.� She didn�t offer anymore of an explaination. She was going to make him work. That�s okay. He loved a challenge. �So are you...� Before he could ask her about her dating status, the door to the restaurant swung open and in walked Mrs. Carly Corinthos. Just great, he thought. All he needed was someone to ruin his connection with Elizabeth. �Liz, stay away from him!� The cartoonish blonde screeched. Oh, not again. �Carly, it�s okay. He�s not who you think he is.� Elizabeth tried to explain. Diego looked up at her. She was defending him. So she felt the connection too. �He�s Diego Alcazar, Luis� twin brother.� �So you do know who he is.� Elizabeth gave out a weak laugh. The sound of her giggle sent warm jolts through his entire body. He couldn�t remember the last time a woman had that effect on him. �Liz, listen. He�s just as dangerous as his brother.� If she wasn�t pregnant, Diego could think of about a million horrible things to do to her right now. �Mrs. Corinthos, I thought I explained to you that I�m not here to hurt you or your family. I�m just trying to make peace.� When he stood to walk closer to her, she backed away. �And I thought I explained to you that I don�t buy your act for a second. You�re up to something, Diego, and I told my husband about you.� She looked at Elizabeth. �Sonny had a background check done on him and he�s just as dangerous as Luis.� The fear was back in Elizabeth�s eyes. Stupid blonde, he screamed to himself. Now he�d have to work twice as hard to get Elizabeth. �Listen, Ms. Webber...� �Wait.� Elizabeth cut him off. �How did you know my last name was Webber? Carly called me Liz.� God damnit! he screamed at himself. How had me made such a foolish mistake? �Diego Alcazar.� He turned around to face the familiar voice that stood in the doorway. Diego looked the man over. He looked a little tired, worn out. Obviously Port Charles hadn�t been to good to him. He smiled at his old �friend.� �Long time no see, Mr. Lansing.� |