Disclaimer: You know the drill�no affiliation to ABC, Disney, GH, Rick, Becky, or the other
characters�I only wish that I were.
Summary: Elizabeth returns to Port Charles after five and a half years away with a surprise for
Ric.
Author�s Note: Okay, This is assuming that Elizabeth finds out all about Ric and his agenda after their date to the art museum on the night they made love for the first time. She left town without so much as a good-bye to anyone. She hasn�t kept in contact with anyone, and she changed her last name to Hardy so no one could find her.
~*~
�How in the hell could you not tell me that I have a daughter?� Ric ran his hands through his hair
while pacing back and forth. He looked over at the Jungle Gym where Luke was watching
Michael, Matthew, and Erica. Erica. She was his daughter. He was partly responsible for her. He
was kept from her for five years by the woman he loved more than anything in this world.
Elizabeth looked away when he tried to meet her eyes with his own. She couldn�t stare into them.
They were so hurt. She didn�t want to cry. �You know, pacing back and forth like that, you�re
going to burn a whole in the ground.� She let out a weak laugh.
�Don�t try and joke with me. Why didn�t you tell me?� Ric demanded. There had to be a reason,
but he couldn�t see it. You can�t just keep a little girl from her father. It wasn�t fair to Erica�or
him.
�Every time I�ve tried you wind up leaving mad at me. I didn�t want to tell you when you were
mad.� Elizabeth could see Ric stop walking out of the corner of her eye. He walked slowly to
stand in front of her. She felt her body start to shake, when his finger brushed the tip of her chin.
His touch was so soft. It made her heart race.
Ric pulled her eyes to meet his. He felt tears start to fall. �Five years, Elizabeth. You kept my
daughter away from me for five years. How could you do that to me?�
Elizabeth looked away when she saw his tears. She couldn�t stop hers either. All of her reasons
didn�t sound good enough anymore. �I just�Ric�I was scared��
Ric let his tears fall freely. He rested his forehead against hers. �How could you be scared of me
Elizabeth?�
�No, not you. I was scared of Sonny and Jason and that world you were so determined to be a
part of.�
�I would have given it all up for you.� He gently stroked her wet cheek with the back of his hand.
�I love you.�
Elizabeth leaned in to his touch. �You lied to me, Ric.�
Ric pulled back from her. �So what? You decided to pay me back?� Was all of this pay back for
his indiscretions?
�No,� Elizabeth screamed. �It�s not like that. I just�I couldn�t trust you.�
�And you�re the only person I ever completely trusted.�
�If that�s true, why didn�t you tell me the truth.� She didn�t want him to make his life an open
book, but something as big as Sonny being his brother�why couldn�t he tell her that?
�I would have. I just�I wasn�t ready to tell anyone.� He tried to explain. �I didn�t expect to fall
in love with you. In the beginning, I convinced myself it was just harmless flirting. Then when I
started to fall for you, it seemed like too late to tell you. I was just waiting for the right time.�
�Maybe that�s what I was doing.� Elizabeth regretted her words the second they�d escaped her
lips. She sounded so cold.
Ric let out a hurt laugh. �You didn�t just keep her from me, Elizabeth. You took so many things
away from me.� Ric felt his tears start to fall again. �I didn�t get to sing to your belly, or play
guitar to your belly. I didn�t get to hold your hand and let you scream at me in the delivery room.
I didn�t get to see my baby smile at me for the first time, or say her first word. I didn�t get to
watch her first step. Elizabeth, did you even think about me during all of these moments?�
�I�m sorry.� Was all she could say. She continued to utter it under her breath as she knelt down
and rested her head in her lap. She knew she didn�t deserve to cry, but she could stop the tears
from falling. She really had thought of him whenever Erica did anything.
�Elizabeth, don�t cry.� He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. �I didn�t mean to hurt you.�
�You were right. I had no right to do that to you. I just�I don�t know why I did it. I�m so sorry.�
�Shhh.� Ric rocked her back and forth, running his hands through her hair. He held her like that
for nearly twenty minutes before Luke approached them with the kids.
�Is everything okay?� Luke asked.
�Mommy?� Erica tapped Elizabeth on the shoulder. �Are you okay?� Ric smiled. He ran his hand
through his daughter�s hair. He still couldn�t believe she was part of him. He had a daughter.
�Honey. I�m all right. But I have someone I want you to meet.� Elizabeth looked at Ric. She had
to tell her daughter the truth. She didn�t want him to miss anything else in Erica�s life. �This is��
Ric stopped her. �Erica and I have already met.� He looked at Erica. �You just didn�t know that I
was a friend of your mommy�s from a long time ago.� He didn�t want to throw this on her so fast.
She didn�t even know him. They just needed time.
Elizabeth smiled knowingly at him. �What would you think about spending some time with Ric?�
She asked her daughter.
�Really? That sounds like a lot of fun.� She looked at Ric. �Can Matthew and Michael come,
too?�
�Absolutely. Where should we go?�
�I want to go to Kelly�s. Mommy always talks about that place. Her and Uncle Luke say they
have the best Apple Turnovers, and I love Apple Turnovers.�
Ric smiled. He loved then, too. �Well, I have to agree with your Mommy and Luke on that one.�
He looked at Elizabeth. �Are you going to come?�
Elizabeth shook her head, no. �I think you guys have some catching up to do.�
�Okay, I can drop her by your grandmother�s later?�
�Sure.� She walked to Ric and gave him a hug. �I love you.� She whispered in his ear.
Ric smiled. He felt tears sting his eyes again. He�d waited over five years to hear those words
from her. �I love you, too.� Ric reluctantly let go of her.
�Bye Mommy.� Erica yelled while running to the car with her cousins. Ric followed them.
�I guess you told him.� Luke wrapped his arm around her.
�Yeah.� She was still watching Ric with the kids. �I made a huge mistake not telling him about
her. Look, he already loves her.�
�Well, you can�t change the past, but you can make up for it in the future.�
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