It had been a few days since Elias was up and able to walk on his own two feet, finally without having to lean on Isabella, or any of his bodyguards. The journey had been long, and it was damn tough. But he had determination to once again become a force, and to be stronger than he was before. All he wanted to do was serve his family, for Don Luciano to love him as a son, and for Isabella to accept him for what he was, albeit now damaged from his wounds. Hiding the truth from his love was far harder than he imagined. He almost told her at the riverbank, but brushed it off, almost to her annoyance. But he knew that one day she would be told the truth, and Elias wasn't prepared to hide anything from her any longer. 'I need to speak to her' Elias thought, as he picked up the phone and dialled her number, almost scared if she was going to answer..

Isabella crossed the room quickly to answer the phone; finally out of her bandages she could move a LOT easier.  With a bit of cheer in her voice she answered, "Hello?"  

Elias' heart stopped momentarily when he heard Isabella answer the phone. As much as he longed to hear her voice, he knew now there was no backing out. He wanted to tell her about his wound and lingering death right then & now, but he just didn't have the strength. His voice trembled as he mustered the broken voice to say 'please could you come over to my place? We need to have a chat Izzy. It's rather important, and this pressing moment can't wait..it concerns us..how quick can you get here my love?'

As Elias realised he put the phone down even before he got an answer he began to pace up and down his apartment.. how was he going to tell her, what words could he use? Maybe he could just show her the wound and show her that it wasn't healing properly.. The pain that Elias was going through currently was just as much physical as it was emotional. He longed to be wanted, and to be loved by Isabella, and now he had that..it felt like a lifetime away from reality and being able to be with her due to circumstances out of his control..'sometimes I wish I'd died that day, having a distant friend try and kill me was bad enough, but being punished for a lifetime of pain and loneliness is far worse than the death I almost had..'

Elias' emotions were doing summersaults as he wanted for what seemed a lifetime for Isabella to arrive..

"TINY!"  Isabella called out, as she hung up the phone.  Her bodyguard came running into the room.

"Boss?"

"Tell Nails to get the car and bring it around front we're going to Elias' something's horribly wrong."  He'd never hung up on her before... never not said goodbye and now it was important they speak?  She pulled her gun out of the drawer and loaded it.  If anyone had hurt Elias, if they were using him as bait in some sort of trap for her... she'd make them pay.

Hopping into the car she discussed with Tim, Tiny, and Nails the plan. Nails would stay with the car in case they needed a fast get away... Tiny would come in the front with her, Tim would go up the fire escape to the window in case they needed a surprise bail out.  Silently she prayed she was over reacting, but with all that had been going on lately, she didn't dare chance it.

With Tiny and she went to the front door, up the steps to Elias' apartment.  Then, she knocked, hand on her gun... Tiny with his out already.  "Eli, it's me darling."

Elias opened the door once he'd heard Isabella's voice on the other side, he could see she was startled by the lack of communication from his side, purely down to the fact her eyes were like dots, and her hand was ready to pull her revolver and kill...'it's okay Izzy' said Elias 'please come in, and alone please. We need to have a chat...'

Elias closed the door behind Isabella and immediately pushed up against her so they both couldn't move anywhere, he put his arms either side of her shoulder and kissed her passionately. For what seemed a lifetime he was in a moment of serenity, all he wanted was Isabella, and all he wanted was for them to be alone. He found himself always under a spell with her, and he would do anything for her, and to her.. and Elias knew that he couldn't keep lying to Isabella and carry on pretending everything was okay, when it was anything but...

He calmed his impulsive seductive urges and ushered Isabella over to the sofa and sat her down, before once again kissing her neck.. This could possibly be the last time he'd be able to experience any kind of romance with his one love, for all he knew she would go crazy at him for hiding the dark truth that haunted him every minute of every day..

'I'm sorry for rushing you here my love, and I'm even more sorry for hanging up in a hurry, and I deeply apologise for it..but you see...the other day when you asked if everything was okay...and I said it was...I wasn't being truthful to you.. the reality is since the war I've been left with a deeply uncomfortable pain in my liver, the doctor couldn't dig out all of the shrapnel, unbeknown to me - as I thought everything went smoothly and I would heal and live a relatively pain free life until the time came that I was staring down the barrel of another gun...'

Elias wiped away a tear that had crept out of his eye before quickly wiping it away and gripping Isabella's hand even tighter.. 'Don Salvatore came clean with me, he told me what the doctor had relaid to him...I have a 50/50 chance of survival..my wound so far hasn't healed, and it's looking like it may stay that way, and I'm going to be in pain for the rest of my limited days in this world..I'm scared Izzy. I love you so much, and I want you even more, but how can I be expected to cause you heartbreak when I'm no longer here? Maybe it's best we go our separate ways now, before any further damage is done..that attempted hit was a death sentence to me, by a so-called friend. They've done more damage to me than I could ever wish on my worst enemy. Having a broken body, and a broken heart is not something I can live with for much longer.'

Elias looked at Isabella with her body trembling...'I don't know what to do Izzy'

There was so much information... too much.  Combined with the emotional roller coaster she was riding it felt too much to bear.  First she was scared for Eli, worried he was in danger ... then she was lusting for him ... then the onslaught of terrible news began.  Did he say he knew the person who  shot him and ... and ...  breaking up with her after that kiss?!?

And wait... did he just say her FATHER knew about this?  That he knew all this time Eli was possibly dying and that... GOD DAMN IT!  She HAD to make her head stop spinning.  She took her hand away from Eli and stood up and walked away from him - over the window where Tim was just peaking in.  She opened it and in a far angrier voice than she intended she shouted, "WE'RE FINE - GO AWAY."

She watched him climb back down.  "Are we fine?" She whispered, a question to herself as much to him.  "The day I came to you - you were worried and uncomfortable about this... you didn't even know about... about what they did to me."  She swallowed a lump in her throat that felt like a mountain.

She put a hand on the window frame and leaned her body weight against it, her had hanging ever so.  "I have a guy downtown who gave me the name of the man in the mug shot."  There was only one mug shot she could possibly be referring to and even after everything, she was SURE Eli hadn't forgotten the photo of the man who shot her - the man whose identity would gain Salvatore's blessing over their union. 

She knew Eli wanted her to tell him that everything was okay or that it wasn't - but she couldn't.  Not right now.  Not with so much to take in and so much that could not wait.  "I got the call shortly before yours."  She took a steadying breath and finally allowed herself to look at him, "We have the answers my father is looking for.."

Elias took a sigh of somewhat dissatisfaction at the photo, as much as it killed him to know Isabella's shooter was still out there, and even more so...alive..he couldn't help but notice her changing the subject onto something that she knew would sway his mind from the matters at hand..

'Izzy, now isn't the time to speak about a god damn photo! I called you over here so I could lay it all on the line, and needed to discuss whether we can actually be together, and live through this together. The last thing I want to know is break your heart, but you've just moved the subject onto your shooter, hoping to get my attention switched..I'm sorry my love, but I can't just change like the wind.'

'As much as I'd love to be the one to put a bullet in your target my dear, I just don't have any strength left in me. I feel like I could let the one I love most, free - and then what else do I have to live for? I think it's best that I have tonight on my own, I know it's late, but you can have my bed, I'll sleep on the sofa for tonight...'

With a tear running down his face, he went over to Isabella and gave her a soft kiss, before sitting down beside her, and letting his body flop to her side.

"GAH!"  She couldn't stay silent.  "You know what... fine, if you want to do this right now... if you NEED to know how I feel, FINE."  She sat up straight.

"First off - HOW DARE YOU - accuse me of jerking you around emotionally and dodging the issue.  How long have YOU dodged this discussion because it was hard to have?  And you expect to drag me into your apartment, kiss me like you mean to make love to me for the first time, and then drop on me that you're dying... and I'm just suppose to... what exactly?!?"

She shook her head.  "I love you, dumb ass."  She sighed.  "I'm heart broken and worried and the only thing I can think right now is that you could die before you walk down the damn aisle with me so I ... of course... thought about how the fuck to make that happen as quickly as humanly possible, but you... YOU... sometimes I think you don't think much of me."

"You keep something like this from me but you're supposed to love me and want to be my partner forever, to say NOTHING of all the other ties we have in this thing of ours.  I came clean about losing my ability to have children the very day I saw you... it was hard, it was one of the hardest things I ever did, but when I commit to someone I do it with everything in me.  I won't ever lie to you or keep secrets from you Elias and I sure as hell am not happy that you chose to suffer alone like this rather than let me cherish whatever time we have together.  You don't get to 'save me' from pain... I'd be as heart broken if you died today as I would if you dumped me and I'm NOT letting you dump me you big dumb lug!"

She stood up.  "I'm going to my father... NOW.  I'm not sleeping tonight or again until I have his damn blessing.  And MAYBE when I get it, I'll come back here and let you apologize to me properly.  Until then, dry your tears... you're not dead yet and the daughter of the Don of Detroit loves you... seems to me you got plenty to yet be happy about.  We all have pain in this life but I'll be damned if I let you fall on your sword and send me away because you think it's noble."

"You're mine Elias.  You walk with me and if you ever THINK of leaving me ... no matter the reason... understand this: it'll be in a damn body bag, one of my design."  She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him to her mouth and SHE kissed him.  It wasn't gentle, or sweet, it was demanding and wanton - not a hint of modesty contained within it.  Pure rage laced with lust.  

"When I get my father's blessing... I'm making love to you... so take some aspirin and drink some whiskey, Mister, and work on your apology because I'm worth a good one.  I'm Isabella Fucking Luciano and I deserve the best."