Chapter 23

The sound of a horn blaring snapped them out of their trance. They spun around and found themselves in the direct path of a speeding car. A split second before the car reached them, both Liz and Lucky flew apart, and the car sped through between them, right over the spot they had been standing. They both fell to the ground on opposite sides of the street.

Liz was the first to sit up, reaching up to rub her shoulder, which had struck the ground the hardest. She gasped when she saw Lucky laying motionless near the curb. She gingerly stood up, praying that nothing was broken, then, after making sure there weren’t any other cars coming, she hurried across the street and crouched down next to him.

“Lucky! Oh God, Lucky!” She fought every urge in her to shake him, knowing that if he had any injuries it would only worsen them. She couldn’t remember doing anything, but by the way they had flown apart, she could only imagine that in her fright, she had pushed him out of the way with her mind. She must have pushed so hard, that part of the momentum also pushed her back as well.

Lucky began to stir and Liz gasped in relief. “Lucky! Are you okay? Can you hear me?” she asked breathlessly, running a shaking hand over his cheek as he slowly opened his eyes.

“Mmm, yeah, I’m okay, I think,” he muttered, pushing himself into a sitting position. He rubbed his head for a moment and groaned.

“What’s wrong? Did you hit your head?”

“No, I don’t think so,” he said, his eyes finally meeting hers. He gasped and reached up to touch her shoulder, which was bleeding. “You’re hurt. Did it hit you?” he asked, starting to panic.

Liz shook her head quickly, trying to calm him down. “No, I backed up in time. So did you. We got out of the way at the last second.” She hoped the explanation would be enough for him, and that he wouldn’t press it any further.

Lucky nodded, hoping that she really believed that. He could remember his only thought when he saw the car bearing down on them was to save her. He had never moved an actual person, but obviously, due to the extreme circumstances, he was able to not only push her out of the way, but somehow pushed himself back as well.

“Do you think you can stand up?” Liz asked, holding out her hand. Lucky nodded and took it, pushing himself off the ground. He wobbled slightly, then gained his balance, leaning on her for a moment.

“Thanks,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I think we should get you to a hospital, just in case. You’re kind of banged up.”

Liz shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine. How about you? You look like you’re in pain.”

Lucky took a step and winced slightly as a pain shot up his back. “I’m okay, I just need to go home. My mom can take care of me. And worse comes to worse, my aunt’s a nurse.”

“Okay, if you say so,” Liz said reluctantly as she looked around. ”Maybe we should get out of the road now.”

Lucky chuckled and gently wrapped his arm around her waist, leading her back to the sidewalk. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

“No, I still have to go to the Quartermaine mansion for that fitting. It’ll give Alexis a chance to play mommy,” she said with a laugh. Lucky smiled as they slowly made their way down the street, paying full attention to the cars around them this time.

They walked in silence, both thinking about what had happened, about how close they had come, not only to being seriously injured, but also how close they came to discovering each other’s secret.

Liz sighed and turned to Lucky as they neared the mansion. “Lucky, do you believe in fate? Or, at least that certain things happen for a reason?” she asked softly.

He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I guess so. Why?”

“Well, I’m starting to think that maybe what happened back there was a sign. I mean, we could have been killed or seriously hurt, and all because we were too busy staring at each other to look where we were going. Maybe we should back off a little, try just being friends for now.”

Lucky swallowed, seeing that she had a point, but not wanting to accept it. What would have happened if she found out he was a witch? No, he couldn’t take that risk. “Yeah, maybe that’s best. Well, here we are.” He stood in front of her, not wanting to leave.

Liz looked up at him and immediately questioned her decision. He looked so adorable standing there, unsure of what to do. She smiled and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you, Lucky. I’ll see you later, okay?”

On impulse, Lucky leaned down and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. He slowly pulled his head back and smiled at the dazed expression on her face. “One for the road,” he muttered.

She chuckled, shaking her head a little to release the thoughts she was having. “Take care of those bruises, okay?”

“I will. You too. Make sure Alexis cleans up that shoulder. It looks kind of nasty.”

“It’s not that bad. Well, I better go in.”

Lucky looked up at the door, then back at Liz. He nodded and backed off the porch. “I’ll call you later. Have fun.”

“Bye, Lucky,” she said, waving as he walked away. She sighed and rang the doorbell, wondering if she had done the right thing. ‘Yes,’ she told herself. ‘You came way too close to blowing it today. If Lucky found out you’re a witch, who knows what he would have done?’

~*~

Lucky walked into the house and called out for Laura. “Mom! Can you come down here?”

Laura hurried down the stairs and gasped when she saw her son. “Lucky! What happened?” She rushed over to him and began inspecting his many bruises and scratches.

“I’m okay. Elizabeth and I almost got hit by a car, but I pushed us out of the way in time. Can you do something about these, though? They’re killing me!”

“Sure, come over here into the light so I can see.” Laura led him into the kitchen and pulled off his shirt, lightly running her hand over the cuts and bruises. As she passed over them, they faded away, until he was back to normal. He smiled and turned to hug her.

“Thanks Mom. You should have been a doctor!”

She chuckled, hugging him back. “Yeah, and how would I explain my methods to my patients?”

Lucky shrugged. “Just get them all doped up, they won’t even notice!”

~*~

At the Quartermaines, Alexis was having a similar reaction to seeing Liz’s condition. Luckily, Monica was home, so she took care of her shoulder right away and cleaned up her other small cuts. Liz told Alexis pretty much the same story that Lucky told Laura, promising to go into more detail later. Chloe conducted the dress fitting quickly, knowing that Liz was still in pain and wanted to go home to rest. Once she was done, Alexis took Liz home, making her promise to go straight to bed, and to call her first thing in the morning so they could talk about what happened.

Liz made herself a small dinner, then went to sit outside for a little while before going to bed. She knew she should have been sleeping the whole time, but she didn’t feel at all tired, and figured laying in bed wasn’t going to do her any good if she couldn’t sleep. After getting some fresh air, she climbed the stairs to her bedroom and got into her pajamas. She turned off her light, then went to sit at her window for a few minutes, gazing out at the night sky. Just as she was about to turn in, she spotted a shooting star and made her usual wish for a soulmate, except this time, she actually had someone in mind.

~*~

Lucky sat at his bedroom window, staring out at the stars. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep, and hoped that having the night air blow on his face would help tire him. He sighed as a star shot across the sky, automatically making his usual wish, to find someone to love for the rest of his life. He couldn’t help picturing Elizabeth, which only drug him farther into his depression. How could he just be her friend, when he felt so strongly about her?

Alone again tonight
Without someone to love
The stars are shining bright
So one more wish goes up
Oh, I wish I may
And I wish I with all my might
For the love I'm dreaming of
And missing in my life

You'd think that I could find
A true love of my own
It happens all the time
To people that I know
Their wishes all come true
So I've got to believe
There's still someone out there who
Is meant for only me

I guess I must be wishin'
On someone else's star
It seems like someone else
Keeps gettin' what I'm wishin' for
Why can't I be as lucky
As those other people are
I guess I must be wishin'
On someone else's star

I sit here in the dark
And stare up at the sky
But I can't give my heart
One good reason why
Everywhere I look
It's lovers that I see
Seems like everyone's in love
With everyone but me

I guess I must be wishin'
On someone else's star
It seems like someone else
Keeps gettin' what I'm wishin' for
Why can't I be as lucky
As those other people are
Oh I guess I must be wishin'
On someone else's star

Why can't I be as lucky
As those other people are
Oh I guess I must be wishin'
On someone else's star

[Song Credit: “Someone Else’s Star” by Skip Ewing and Jim Weatherly]

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