A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a fan fiction, so please keep that in mind if it isn't that great. I appreciate any reviews!

"Mom! Have you seen my iPod?", Elizabeth Webber heard her youngest son, Aiden, call from upstairs. A knowing smile crossed her face as she grabbed it from the coffee table and brought it to him.

"No way. How do you do that?", he asked as his stunning blue eyes widened in disbelief. How his mom always knew where to find everything was a mystery to the teenager.

"Magic. You about ready for school? I can drive you today."

He made a face that only Elizabeth would recognize. It was his "No way. That's so embarrassing!" face.

"That's ok. I'm just going to catch a ride with Brennan."

"Ok, well I'll let you get ready then. Tell me before you leave", she instructed him before making her way to the kitchen.

As she drank her daily cup of coffee, Elizabeth could not help but ponder what her life had come to. From a stranger's perspective, she had a great life. She had a job that she loved, she was financially secure, and she had two incredible sons that her world revolved around. But though she tried to conceal it, it was sometimes impossible to mask the emptiness she felt in her heart. The emptiness that only true love could fill.

Maybe if she had never felt love before, she would never miss it. Oh, but she had. Several times over. There had been Lucky, her first real love. He was her hero. The one that would always come to her rescue when she needed him. She loved Lucky. That was never in doubt. But had she ever been in love with him? Maybe. Who could say? He had been out of her life for years anyway, so it really didn't matter. He went to Ireland because he needed to find himself. She supposed he was still looking.

On occasion, he would call or send a postcard. But she hadn't seen him in years. Maybe he had taken after Luke after all. Maybe fatherhood wasn't his thing. You would think that he would have considered that possibility when he decided not to use protection. Not that she regretted Aiden for a single second. He was her whole world. Especially after Cameron had left for medical school. Aiden was pretty much all she had left.

Despite his absentee father, her youngest son had grown into a normal, well-adjusted teenager. She knew he was quite popular at school, but being the quarterback of the football team can do that to you. He had also inherited the Spencer charm that made his grandfather so infamous. Against her better judgment, she had looked through the contacts in his phone once. She had never heard of most of the girls, but apparently Aiden was very cozy with them. Not that she blamed them for going after her son. Even when he was a child, Elizabeth firmly believed she had the cutest kid on the playground. He looked just like her, except that he had Lucky's blue eyes.

These days, her life was devoted to making sure her son had a good life. She worked overtime so he could have all the latest gadgets that teenagers just had to have. She cooked, did the laundry, cleaned, and everything in between. And though Aiden didn't know it yet, he was getting a new car for his birthday in three months. Quite frankly, she was determined to spoil her son rotten while she still had the chance. She didn't want to think about the loneliness that she would feel when he grew up. She would be left alone to think about how she had once had true love, and let it pass her by.

Every once in a while, she would think of him. She would think about the life that they almost had. She had been ready to give her heart to Jason. Not just part of it. All of it. And he had rejected her. But she had never fully lost hope that perhaps one day, things would be different. Maybe he could bring himself to quit the mob. Maybe they would get married and raise Cameron and Jake in a normal, happy family. But things changed and her hopes had faded more and more each day.

She had tried to make it work with Lucky, but it just wouldn't. She just wasn't happy. She had even had an affair with his brother. Then, she gave birth to Aiden thinking that he was Nikolas' only to find out later that he was really Lucky's. In the meantime, Jason had married Sam. She tried to be happy for him. But deep down, Elizabeth could not see what Jason saw in her. After everything that woman had done, and he still married her. She had always wondered what she had done wrong that Sam had done right. Why he felt like it was ok to bring a child into the world with her when he had walked away from Jake. Not that it mattered anymore. Jake was gone. She had come to terms with that, though it didn't make it hurt any less.

"Mom, I'm leaving", Aiden informed her as he made his way into the kitchen. She stood up and wrapped her arms around him for what was longer than it seemed.

"Mom…I got to go", he said as he pulled away.

"I know. I love you, baby."

"Love you too", he smiled as he left the room.

And then she was alone again. She wished she could go to work, but Steven had insisted that she take a couple days off for herself. But that was probably the worst thing she could do. Thinking was the worst thing she could do. That was when the pain came. That was when thoughts of Jake would creep into her head. When memories of the love she had shared with Jason would cross her mind. She knew it was pointless to think about him. He was gone. Out of her life for good.

Little did Elizabeth know that Aiden was about to have an encounter that would change everything.