Chapter Nine:Confessions and Realizations

Elizabeth walked into the sanctuary at the church and was greeted to it being decorated to the nines for the wedding ceremony that was to take place in just a few hours. The décor was a little to tacky for her taste, she imagined it was something Carly must have put together. She searched around looking for her priest and found him in his office preparing for the ceremony.

She tapped lightly on his office door to announce her presence "Father O'Brien?"

He looked up from his papers "Morgan, how are you?"

"I'm fine, but I was wondering if you were very busy?"

The priest glanced down at his watch "I suppose I have a few minutes to spare. What can I do for you?"

"Well I know that confession is normally on Friday, but I was hoping…" she let the question hang, hoping he would understand. She knew that it was silly that after talking to Lucky she felt the need to unload everything on her priest, but she just couldn't help herself. She felt the need to just be truthful with everyone she knew.

"I suppose that would be fine." Father O'Brien said to her. He led her over to the sitting area he kept in his office. He sat down in his worn out wing back chair while Elizabeth took a seat on the couch. He had told everyone that he put the couch in so that people would feel more comfortable when meeting with him, all the old women of the parish believed it was so he could take an afternoon nap. "Or would you prefer to go into the confessionals?" He asked after they were seated.

"No this is fine… I think that it's best that I tell you what I have to say to your face anyway." She said a little nervous.

"Whenever you're ready to start," He urged her on "I'm ready to listen."

"Well….. I guess I should tell you that I've been living a lie." She began avoiding his eyes and continued on with her story. "I'm not who I've been pretending to be. My real name is Elizabeth Webber, I'm from Port Charles, New York and I changed my name to escape my husband."

Father O'Brien was quiet for a long moment while he took in all of what she had said.

"I know it wasn't right for me to lie Father, but at the time when I left I actually had faked my own death, so I guess I've been lying to everyone for eight months."

"Tell me Morgan, or do you prefer Elizabeth?"

"I think I would like for you to still call me Morgan."

"Morgan it is then. Tell me do you feel bad and remorseful for the lies that you have told?"

"I regret telling any lie that may have hurt anyone, but I cannot say that I regret the decisions that I made that caused me to tell those lies. I know this is going to sound crazy, Father, but I know that Elizabeth Webber did die that day on the road. I could never go back to that life she lived. I'm Morgan now and I would like to stay that way."

"Have you told anyone else about this?"

"Yes Father, I told my close friends here about my past and I have also talked to an old friend that knew me as Elizabeth."

"Where do you plan on going from here?"

"I know that I want to stay here in Dublin Creek. I still want to be Morgan, but I do miss my family and friends that I left behind. I just don't know how to make them forgive me."

"The best place to start Morgan is with yourself. You have to forgive yourself for your choices, God already has."

"What if they don't forgive me?"

"You won't know until you try." On that note Father O'Brien signed the cross in front of her and gave a small blessing. "You are absolved of your sins. You must say three rosaries and be honest when asked about your past."

Elizabeth stood "Thank you Father, thank you for everything."

Father O'Brien also stood to walk her to his office door. "Just remember to be honest from now on."

Smiling Elizabeth said "I will and thank you again." She walked out of his office with a little wave to her priest. She looked around once again at the tacky sanctuary and hoped that Jason was happy.

~*~*~*~

Courtney stood on the bus station platform in the rain waiting for the bus that would take her back to Port Charles. It had been easier then she thought it would have been to sneak out of the hotel. It was if no one cared what she did, even Carly was nowhere to be found.

As soon as she had left the hotel she hauled it over to the bus station and bought the first ticket back to Port Charles, not that she would be there for long either. She planned to go back to the penthouse, pack her things and place them in storage and head over to London. She had already bought the plane ticket.

She just couldn't believe this was all happening to her all because of some dead girl. Why couldn't she just stay dead? Why did she have to show up the weekend I was suppose to get married? Courtney just couldn't get over her bad luck.

As the bus pulled up to the platform and she got on she just hoped that once she got to Europe she would find her real prince charming and have the life she was meant to have.

~*~*~*~

Lucky rushed into the lobby knowing that he was running behind and that Courtney would have his hide for it. He never would have guessed what a bridezilla she turned out to be. As Lucky made his way to the stairs to rush and get ready he noticed an unready Emily and Nicolas speaking with Emily's parents, the Drs. Quartermain.

"Lucky where have you been?" Emily asked as he came closer to the group.

"I just went out to scope out the town for a while." He lied easily covering where he had really been and with who. "Em, why aren't you ready?" He asked trying to change the subject.

"That's why we've been looking for you, the wedding is off Lucky." She told him

"What happen, Bridezilla break a nail and have a melt down?" He asked making a joke about Courtney's behavior.

Lightly taping Lucky, Emily smiled "No. Jason is the one who called it off. He went to her this morning and told her there wasn't going to be a wedding." Emily got a small frown on her face "I hope this didn't have anything to do with what I told him this morning."

"What did you say to him?" Nicolas said joining the conversation.

"Nothing, I just went to make sure that he was going to marry the woman he was in love with and then somehow we got to talking about Elizabeth." Emily noticed at the mere mention of Elizabeth, Lucky got a worried look on his face. She stared at Lucky as he fidgeted. "Lucky? What aren't you telling me?"

Lucky shifted nervously under Emily's watchful eye. "Nothing."

"You believe Jason don't you? You think he saw Elizabeth alive and breathing and going by some other name." Emily watched Lucky shift uncomfortably again. "You do."

"I didn't say that Emily." Lucky said defensively.

"Do you really think Elizabeth is alive?" This time not only did Lucky shift slightly he also refused to meet her eyes. As Emily realized what exactly Lucky was not saying a look of utter shock came over her.

"Emily?" Nicolas asked his wife

"OH MY GOD!! She's alive? Lucky are you telling me she's alive?" Lucky met her eyes then and Emily saw the truth. Her best friend was alive and was for reasons Emily didn't understand going by a different name. "What do you know Lucky?" she demanded.

"I had to know Em, I had to know that Jason wasn't just saying these things. I found her. It's Elizabeth."

"Take me to her." Emily said as she grabbed onto Lucky's forearm and dragged him out of the hotel lobby and back into the rain.