Greta bolted upright and looked around the dark room. Someone had been shaking her, she was sure of it. Suddenly, it all came back to her, the attack, the kidnapping, Eric's death. She felt the tears well up in her eyes immediately. She no longer cared were she was or who she was with.
Then, someone took her by the shoulders and gently shook her again, calling her name softly. Her heart stopped as she recognized the voice. She opened her eyes again, and turned. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. But she could make out Eric's face in the darkness.
"Eric!" she cried as she flung her arms around his neck. It dawned on her suddenly, that the whole kidnapping had been one horrible nightmare. She was still sitting on the sofa with Eric at Alice Horton's house. After they had spent hours talking and kissing, they had falling asleep in each other's arms.
"Boy, if you always act like this when someone wakes you up, I'm gonna make sure it's always me." Eric said jokingly.
"I'm sorry, but I had the most horrible dream. You were there and I got kidnapped and then escaped and then he came back and you got shot and then I couldn't help you and..." Greta felt the words come tumbling out and she started to cry a little.
"Shhh...it's all right Greta, I'm here and I'm leaving." Eric said quietly as he pulled her closer. She rested her head against his chest. She could feel his chest rising and falling slowly with each breath and it calmed her down. Suddenly, she felt very stupid for acting this way.
"I'm sorry Eric, I know it was just a dream, it just seemed so real." she told him apologetically.
"No reason to be sorry. I want us to honest with each other and able to tell each other every thing. Now come on, we better get some sleep." he told her.
Eric tightened his arms around her as she snuggled close to him and closed her eyes.

The following morning, they arrived at the Titan Photo lab. Eric had insisted on showing her everything there was to know about photography. Nicole had shown up and with smug satisfaction told him that the New York people wanted to see some sexier shots, to prove that he could do it. She generously offered to let him use the Titan lab and then even volunteered to be his model. Greta didn't like it at all, but he had asked her if she minded and she had said no. She did trust him, but she didn't trust Nicole.
However, Eric really needed this job and she wouldn't stand in the way of that. Greta had stuck around for some of the photo shoot, before becoming nauseatingly disgusted and had to leave.
Greta was walking around Salem Place wondering how long that stupid photo shoot would last.
"I should have stayed," she thought to herself, "at least then maybe, Nicole wouldn't have tried anything."
But she knew that wasn't true. Nicole would have flaunted herself around whether she had been there or not. She would just have to trust that Eric loved her and wouldn't fall for Nicole's tricks. She thought back to everything he had said about her to Bo the other night at the Horton house and smiled. No, Eric wouldn't do anything to hurt her, she knew that.

Eric walked around the corner at Salem Place and saw Greta standing there. She wasn't looking in his direction, so he waited for a minute, trying to decide what he needed to do. He watched as she smiled a little and wondered what she was thinking about. Eric's mind drifted back to his kiss with Nicole and he wiped off his mouth angrily again, trying to wipe away the memory of the kiss.
"What the hell's wrong with me?" he asked himself angrily. He didn't understand why he had kissed Nicole. The minute he had done it, he felt guilty about it, about Greta. He didn't even enjoy the kiss, not as much as the ones he had shared with Greta. The question now was what to do. Should he tell Greta or just try to forget about it? He didn't want to lie to her, but he didn't want to ruin there chances for happiness. He really did love her. He took a deep breath and started over to her.

"Hey," Greta spun around at the sound of Eric's voice. She looked up into his handsome face and smiled. Eric felt his heart break as he looked at the beautiful smile. She's so sweet and innocent, he thought to himself, And I'm such a jerk. I don't deserve someone like her.
His mind drifted back to the photo lab. He could see Nicole coming toward him, taunting him, teasing him. He could feel himself losing his self-control as she came closer and moved into his arms...
"Earth to Eric," Greta said jokingly, "Where were you just now?"
"No where important," he told her. In that instant, he made his decision. He wasn't going to tell her about the kiss. Not because he wanted to hide the fact that the kiss meant anything, it didn't. But he couldn't break her heart like that. Not when he couldn't even give her a good reason for why he had done it.
I don't think momentary insanity is going to work in this case, he thought to himself, I don't want to hurt her, so I just need to keep this to myself. As soon as I get home, I'll burn the picture. Nicole knows it was a mistake, plus she won't risk losing Lucas, she won't say anything.
"So, do you want to get something to eat?" Greta asked him. When he paused, she looked up at him, concern filled her eyes, "What's wrong Eric? You're not yourself right now."
That's cause I hate lying to you, he thought, then said, "Nothing. Something to eat would be good. Let's head over to the food court." As they started to walk, she reached over and took his hand.

It had been a week since the photo shoot. Nicole paced around the mansion like a caged animal. She was furious. She had overheard Sami telling Austin that Eric had gotten the job in New York. In fact, they had liked him so much, they were going to let him work out of Salem. Worst of all, he was going to celebrate his new job with Greta!
"I helped him get that job. Not to mention, it's been a week since we kissed," she sighed heavily as she remembered the kiss, "And he's rejected me everytime since then." Nicole had been talking quietly to herself and she quickly stopped herself. The last thing she needed was for Sami to overhear her.
And what's worse, she thought, he seems to be growing closer to Greta. He couldn't have told her about the kiss. Well, I'm not giving up that easily. He might not have told Greta, but then again, why tell her.
With a smug smile, she thought, Afterall, a picture is worth a thousand words. She pulled out an envelope out of her purse and looked down at it.
"I'm not giving up on you yet Eric," she said as slid the envelope back into her purse. She turned and headed upstairs to get changed.

Sami came around the corner and stopped short when she saw Nicole. She was in much to good a mood to talk to her. She turned around and headed the other way.
"I'm not giving up on you yet Eric," she heard Nicole say. She whirled around again and peered around the corner. Nicole was shoving an envelope back into her purse. Sami didn't like the smile that spread across Nicole's face. She had seen that smile to many times on her own face, when she was scheming. Sami waited until Nicole was safely out of sight, before going over to where her purse was lying on the table. She didn't want to do this, she had really meant it when she said she wanted to change. But Nicole had mentioned her brother and she was going to protect him. Sami took a deep breath, hoped Austin would forgive her and pulled the envelope out of the purse. Sami's eyes went wide as she saw the pictures.
"What the hell was he thinking?" she asked herself.
Without a second thought, she grabbed her jacket and the pictures and headed out the door to find her brother.

Sami walked tiredly into the Cheatin' Heart. She had been all around Salem looking for Eric. This was the last place she could think of to look for him. She sighed with relief when she saw him sitting at a table in the back. She walked over and plopped down in the chair opposite of him.
"Hey, Sami. I thought you'd be home with Austin. I thought you were surgically attached to him by now," he said laughing.
His laughter died quickly as he noticed she wasn't returning his smile.
"Okay," he said seriously, "What's up?"
"Well, I was just wondering, I never did ask. How was the photo shoot with Nicole?" she asked him, looking for any reaction.
"It was fine." he said simply after a short pause.
"Fine. That's good. So nothing happened. She just did some poses and you took some pictures and..."
Eric cut her off, "Yes, Sami. Why are you so interested in this for?"
"Well, I just want to make sure I understand everything that happened that lead up to," Sami paused for a split second and smiled innocently as she continued, her voice rising as she went, "her taking her clothes off and you kissing!"
Sami watched as all the color drained out of Eric's face. He looked down at the table. He looked like he felt very guilty and very ashamed of himself. Sami felt herself growing sorry for him.
"Why did you do it Eric? Do you still like her, after everything she's done to you?" Sami asked him, her voice softer now.
"Sami, I've thought about that nonstop for the last week. I don't have feelings for her anymore. I really don't and I don't know why I kissed her. I would like to say I just got caught up in the moment, but that sounds like such a phony answer," he sounded very tired as he told her this, "I think the truth was, as much as I know that I love Greta, I wondered if I was really over Nicole or just rebounding. When I kissed Nicole, I knew for sure that I was over her. I didn't feel any of the old feeling. I just felt disgusted with myself. Does that make any sense?"
Sami looked at his face and knew that he was telling the truth. She felt sorry for him, he was just confused.
"I understand Eric. How did Greta take it?"
"Really well, seeing as how I didn't tell her," Eric saw the look on her face and started to talk again before she could yell at him, "I couldn't tell her Sami. I don't want to hurt her. More than that, I don't want to lose her. I do love her."
"Eric you have to tell her or Nicole will," Sami said as she pulled the pictures out of her jacket pocket, "I got these out of Nicole's purse. I heard her talking to herself in the hallway. She was on her way to show these to someone and I doubt it was Lucas!"
"Are you sure?" Eric asked her. He couldn't believe Nicole had a copy of that picture. Sami nodded her head and Eric felt his heart growing heavier.
"Then I guess I don't have a choice. I have to tell her." he said sadly.
"Just tell her what you told me, she'll understand." Sami said reassuringly.
"I hope you're right. Otherwise, I might have just ruined the best thing that ever happened to me for nothing." he said as he got up from his chair.
"Good luck." Sami told him as he walked toward the door.

Eric walked out of Cheatin' Heart and headed for his Jeep. As he walked, he tried to think of a way to tell Greta what had happened, to make her understand. But how could you make someone else understand something you didn't understand yourself? He unlocked the Jeep and settled down into the seat. He sighed as he started the engine and turned the radio up to drown out his thoughts. The song caught his attention and he found himself thinking about Greta.

'She ain't your ordinary girl,
She ain't your ordinary girl...
She don't love carelessly
That's what I've always heard
Can't use your usual lines
She measures every word

No empty promises
Truth is what it takes to win her heart
The truth and nothing less
Simple things that set her far apart

Save your diamonds and your pearls
She's not your ordinary girl'

As he listened to the music and the words, his mind drifted back to all the times he had spent with Greta. He remembered finally convincing her to let him go to Paris with her. He remembered their picnic in the country when they had wrestled for the box of choclate, how he had really started to notice her at that moment. He remembered dressing up and dancing with her at in her mother's room at the chateau. He especially remembered how, even though he was a little scared at times too, he loved it when Greta would jump into his arms. He remembered falling asleep on the floor with her against him. He remembered how alive he felt when he was around her.

'No midnight alibis
No foolish games for her
And if you cross the line
You'll get what you deserve

But when you see her smile
Nothing seems to matter anymore
And in a little while
You'll feel like you've never felt before

Like no other in the world
She's not your ordinary girl'

Eric thought back to the Hariman ball and how jealous he'd felt when Nathan had shown alot of interest in Greta. At the time, he'd been confused by why he felt jealous. Looking back, he realized it was around that time that he had started to fall in love with her. He thought of chasing her around the castle for the photo album, and finally finding her. She had been a little unsure of what to do, but when he had kissed her, he knew it was right. He could still remember the way it felt to hold her in his arms and feel her lips on his for their first kiss. He thought about the time outside the Cheatin' Heart, when Nicole had set it up so that Greta would see them kiss, how she had ruined their first date.
I'm so stupid, he thought to himself, I can't believe I kissed her at the photo shoot. I just hope Greta can forgive me. Eric focused back on driving as the song ended.

'She ain't your ordinary girl
She ain't your ordinary girl'

Greta walked up to the door of the Horton house and dug around in her purse for her key. She had just finished a little more Christmas shopping. She had been looking for something special to get Mrs. Horton for being so nice to her. Greta turned to look as headlights flashed across the front of the house and a car pulled into the driveway. She squinted in the darkness, trying to make out who's car it was, hoping it would be Eric. Greta rolled her eyes as Nicole walked into the light.
"Greta...just the person I wanted to see." She said brightly.
"I'm really busy Nicole," she told her, trying to sound polite, "I don't really have time to talk." She turned to go into the house, but Nicole grabbed her arm to stop her. Greta shrugged off her hand and turned to face her, dropping any attempt at politeness.
"What Nicole?"
"I was just wondering what Eric told you about the photo shoot?" she asked her. When Greta didn't answer, she continued, "It's just that, despite what you might think, I really do feel bad for you, you've been through so much and..."
"Get to the point." Greta told her bluntly. "Oh, you're not as quiet and reserved as I thought, or was that all an act?" Nicole said snidely.
"No, Nicole, it wasn't an act," Greta told her, "But I was taught to be a lady, something you wouldn't be familiar with."
Greta saw the fire flicker in Nicole's eye and she was glad that she finally got to her.
"A lady, huh? Well, I'm gonna ignore that and finish what I came her for." Nicole said angrily.
"And what was that Nicole? Hoping to cause some more trouble for me and Eric. It's not gonna happen, we're..."
"I told you, I came to save you from anymore pain," Nicole said cutting her off. "You've been through so much, I just didn't want to see you waste your time going after Eric, not when he still loves me."
"How much have you had to drink tonight?" Greta asked her.
"I knew you wouldn't believe me," Nicole said, "that's why I brought proof." Nicole reached into her purse. Greta watched as the smug smile on her face was replaced with one of confusion. She opened her purse further and peered inside.
"What's the matter Nicole? Did the tooth fairy take your proof?" Greta asked her with mock seriousness.
"Eric and I kissed at the photo shoot and I had a picture of it," Nicole said, seething, "I just don't know what happened to it."
"Whatever," Greta said turning to go inside.
"Wait!" Nicole said grabbing her again.
Greta whirled around and shoved Nicole backward, causing her to trip and land on her butt in the dirt.
"Don't touch me again!" Greta told her, her voice low and even. With that she turned and walked inside, slamming the door behind her. A moment later, the porch light was turned off, leaving Nicole sitting in the dirt in the dark.

(By the time this takes place, Greta knows that Hope is her mother, like on tv. I'm going to keep calling her Hope cause I'm not sure what else to call her without getting confused. Thanks)

Greta was sitting on the living room sofa with Hope watching television. She wasn't really paying attention to what was on, she was just enjoying the evening, thinking about how comfortable she felt around Hope and daydreaming about Eric. She had told Hope about Nicole's visit earlier. Hope had seemed to get very upset and Greta was quick to tell her that everything was okay. Eric loved her and she was sure of that. Nicole must have realized that finally and was just becoming desperate. Greta was snapped out of her daydreams when the doorbell rang. Hope began to get up, but Greta jumped up off the sofa.
"I'll get it," she told Hope as she headed toward the door.
"Eric!" She said smiling as she opened the door and welcomed him inside, "What are you doing here?"
Eric just shrugged his shoulders a little bit and looked at her. He couldn't believe he was about to do this.
"Come on in, Hope's in the living room, you can watch TV with us," she offered.
"That's okay," he said, his voice low, "Greta, I need to talk to you."
Greta's smile faded as he talked. She could tell from his tone that the topic of conversation would not be a good one.
As he watched her smile fade, he almost decided not to tell her, but he knew he had too. It was the only way to save this relationship and he desperately wanted that.
"The other day, at the photo shoot, I didn't tell the whole truth about what happened..." he began, trying to think of someway to soften the truth as he talked, "things got carried away and I didn't mean for it to happen." He stopped as Greta started to shake her head and back away from him.
Greta couldn't believe what she was hearing. Everything that Nicole had told her earlier came rushing back. It couldn't be, he wouldn't have done that to her. Yet, even as she thought this, she knew it was true. Nicole, for once, had told the truth.
"You kissed Nicole." Greta said, it wasn't a question or an accusation, she said it as a simple truth.
"I didn't mean to Greta, if I could take it back I would." Eric said. He opened his mouth to explain everything to her, like he had to Sami, but she cut him off.
"Whatever...I can't believe you didn't tell me. Nicole came by earlier to gloat about it and I didn't believe her. Now, I feel like a fool." Greta could feel the tears coming, but she fought them back. She was tired of being forgiving and understanding. She was generally very nice and sweet, but she had just been given too much to handle. "I told her all about how much you loved me and would never hurt me, she must have felt like laughing her head off at me."
"Let me explain Greta." Eric said, stepping toward her.
Greta backed away from his touch.
"Don't! I think you better leave now. Go be with Nicole, she's the one you want. Just answer me one question," Greta said, swallowing hard before continuing, "Did you ever care for me, or was it all just a rebound?"
"Greta, please, don't even say that," Eric said, reaching out for her again.
"Don't touch me!" Greta said, the tears finally overwhelmed her. Hope came around the corner from the living room.
"What's going on?" She said, then saw the tears streaming down Greta's face. "Eric, I think you better go."
Eric glanced once more at Greta, before turning and heading out the door. Hope turned to Greta and gently pulled her to her. Greta leaned her head on her mother's shoulder and cried. Hope felt Greta's body shaking with sobs and glared at the door Eric had left through.
"I will most definetly take care of this," she thought to herself, "no one shall hurt my darling Greta and get away with it."
"Come on, darling," she said, guiding Greta back into the living room, "come sit down and tell me what happened."

Greta laid in her bed staring at the ceiling, but not really seeing anything. Instead, she was seeing all the times she had spent with Eric. The kisses that they had shared. She could still hear him telling her how much he loved her, how she was everything he wanted. Most of all, she could hear him telling her how he didn't love Nicole anymore.
"But that was all a lie, wasn't it," she said to herself, bitterly. She rolled over and curled up on her side, hugging a pillow to her chest as she began to cry again.

Eric stood in the yard, leaning against a tree, staring up at Greta's bedroom window. He knew he should leave, but he didn't where to go. He didn't want to go home. He had this fantasy, that Greta would look out the window and see him there. She would open the window and he would explain everything and tell her how much he loved her. She would close the window and a second later would come running out the door and into his arms. But, he knew that wasn't going to happen.
"Why did I let it happen? I could have stopped it all." he said to himself, disgusted. He looked once more up at the dark window, before turing and walking toward his Jeep.

Three weeks later...

Greta stood in the bathroom with her mother, or Hope, as everyone else thought. They were getting ready to go out into the church. The church were her mother would marry Bo Brady. Greta looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked by what she saw there. She could see the guilt and fear in her eyes. Fear that this would all fall apart and she would lose her mother all over again. Guilt that she was lying to the people who had helped her so much. Even though she hadn't made up with Eric yet about the picture, she still loved him. She knew that if and when the truth came out, she would lose him forever. Tears began to well up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. She fought to gain control over her emotions. She took a deep breath and turned to face her mother.
"Greta, darling, did I not tell you? Everything worked out perfectly." she said smiling, "I am married to a wonderful man, who loves me. It is everything I could have hoped for. I shall now be able to live the life that was stolen from me for all those years"
Greta looked at her mother expectantly, waiting for her to mention the life that she would now be a part of. That they could pick up where they left off all those years ago. But she didn't, she just kept going on about all her plans to go sailing around the world with Bo. Greta felt the tears welling up inside her again. Her mother didn't really care about having a second chance with her. She wanted a chance to regain the life she had lived before, when she had sent Greta away to boarding school. Without a word, Greta whirled around and rushed out of the room. She could hear her mother calling her, but she kept going.

Eric had been looking all around for Greta. He had been trying repeatedly over the past three weeks to talk to her, to explain. He was gradually winning her over. At first, she had hung up on him immediately. The last time he had called, she had politely said goodbye, before hanging up. It was an improvement, not much, but still. Eric rounded the corner and the wind was knocked out of him as he collided with Greta, who was rushing down the hallway.
"Greta," he said, suprised, his arms wrapping around her, steadying her. He took one look at her tear stained face and knew that something was wrong.
"What's wrong?"
Greta just shook her head and turned away. Eric tightened his grip on her and pulled her back to him.
"No Greta, we need to talk. Me first and then you."
He guided her over to a bench and sat down beside her.
"I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am about that picture, about the whole kiss." As he said the last word, Greta bowed her head and he could tell that she was crying. "I don't know any other way to say that I love you. I need you to believe that. I love you. Any feelings I ever had for Nicole are nothing compared to what I feel for you. It was a mistake to let her kiss me..."
Greta raised her head to look into his eyes. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, could hear it in his voice.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to risk hurting you or losing you. I know that that's no excuse. But I really thought that I was doing the right thing. I love you. I need to know if you can still love me?"
Greta looked at his face and felt the tears welling up in her eyes again. She did still love him. She knew how it felt to keep secrets that you thought would protect the people you loved. She didn't tell about her mother, because she was afraid she would lose her again. She kept the secret because she wanted to spare Bo and his family the pain of Hope's death.
"I do still love you Eric and I'm sorry too." Greta said, burying her head against his chest.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked her.
"You'll see," she told him, but then her face lit up, "But I'm going to fix it, before it's too late."
"What are you talking about?"
"I have to tell you something," she took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she told Eric her secret. When she was done, she looked at Eric's face. His expression told her he was having a hard time accepting everything that she had told him.
"Do you understand why I kept it a secret Eric? I understand if you hate me, but I couldn't stand to lose her again."
"I don't hate you." Eric said simply, "If anything, I think I love you more. I could see the past couple of weeks that something was tearing you up inside. You shouldn't have kept this a secret, but your heart was in the right place."
She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close. Eric closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the feel of her in his arms.
Suddenly, she jumped up. " I have to go...I have to go stop this before it's too late!" She was rushing down the hallway, before he could stop her. He jumped up and followed her.

When he reached the door she had went through, he paused for a moment. Peering inside, he saw Greta standing face to face with Princess Gina.
"Mother, you can't do this, you can't marry Bo. It's not right! You're not Hope! Leave now, go with Lily back to France, you'll be safe. I can visit you and we can be happy." Greta's face shone with excitement.
Gina was silent for a moment and Eric thought that maybe she would go along with it.
"Greta, my poor little Greta, if I go back to France, they will arrest me for stealing that painting and I will go to prison. Is that what you want? To visit me in a cell? I thought that after we had been seperated for all those years, you would want to be with me." Gina told her, her tone harsh. Eric could see Greta wince at her words.
"I do want to be with you mother. But I don't want to always have to worry that it's going to end at any moment. I don't want to have to pretend that you're Hope. I want you to be my mother. I love you!" Greta said, pleading with her.
Eric watched as Gina whirled to face her.
"And what about what I want? Does that not matter to you? My happiness. You will just have to adjust to it. If you loved me, you would!"
Eric burst into the room as he saw that Gina's last comments had completely destroyed Greta. He rushed over to her and pulled her into his arms.
"You're a complete monster!" he told Gina heatedly.
"Eric..." she began, sounding like Hope.
"I know who you are," Eric enjoyed the look of shock that crossed her face, "Greta loves you. She has put herself through hell to keep you secret just so that she could be with you. You've never loved her. You shipped her off to boarding school so that she wouldn't interfere with your social life."
"Greta, that is not true. I sent you away to keep you away from Stefano..."
"And who's fault was it that she was exposed to Stefano," Eric continued. "Do you know that because of you, her face was scarred in an accident and she lived by herself, in a bayou for years. No, you didn't, becuase you didn't care enough to ask."
Greta kept her head against his chest, not looking at her mother.
"It ends now! You're not marrying Bo and you're not ruining Greta's life anymore. " He began to walk toward the door, Greta going with him.
"I wouldn't go any further if you value your life." he heard Gina say behind him.
He turned to see Gina aiming a gun right at them. "I am sorry Greta," she said, her voice devoid of emotion, "but I finally have my second chance to live, I will not lose it again."

"Mother, you can't mean that?" Greta asked, her voice shaking.
"I will not let anyone take my life from me again. I have lost far to many years already." Gina said, her gun stilled aimed at them.
Eric slowly positioned himself so that he was in front of Greta. He couldn't let anything happen to her.

Nicole was tired of standing beside Lucas, playing the dutiful wife. She was even more tired of that spoiled little brat he called a son. She had seen Eric earlier. The last time she had seen him, he been heading back a hallway. She quickly excused herself, claiming she had to use the ladies room.

"I so wanted us to be happy together here Greta," Gina said.
"We still can be mother." Greta said, moving from behind Eric. She walked toward her mother, placing herself between her and Eric. "Eric won't tell anyone if you let him go. I promise!"
"Do not be foolish Greta. He will go right out there and tell everyone who I am."
"Mother, do you remember how much it hurt when Stefano took John away from you? Don't do that to me. I love Eric as much as you loved John. Can you do that to me? Can you put me through that much pain?" Greta said, hoping to get the answer she wanted.
Eric saw the her grip on the gun waiver for a second. He took the opportunity and lunged at the Princess. She had a better grip on the gun and they grappled for it.
The door burst open as Nicole strode into the room. Greta watched in horror as Eric and her mother wrestled for control of the gun. The barrel swung toward Nicole. Without thinking Greta dived for Nicole as the gun shot rang out.
Eric and Gina dropped the gun as Nicole and Greta feel to the ground. Both lay motionless, then Nicole began to moan and stumbled to her feet. Eric threw himself down beside Greta. A pool of blood was forming by her side. He cradled her head in his lap. Her eyes were closed.
"You have ruined it all," he heard a voice behind him. He turned his head to see Gina standing over him with the gun pointed at him. He turned his attention back to Greta. He couldn't think, couldn't move. When the shot rang out, he wondered why he didn't feel any pain. He heard a thump behind him and turned his head to see Gina laying on the floor behind him, blood spreading out over the front of her white wedding dress. He looked up into the doorway to see in time to see the gun fall from Bo's hand.

It seemed like an eternity to Eric before the paramedics finally arrived.
He was pushed out of the way in their hurry to reach Greta. He stumbled to his feet and went over to stand beside Bo, who was still standing by the doorway. Eric saw the stricken look on his face.
"Bo, that wasn't Hope." he started to tell him, "It was Gret..." His voice broke as he tried to say her name.
He felt Bo's hand on his shoulder, trying to give him strength.
"I know," he told him, "it was Princess Gina"
"How did you know?" Eric asked him, shocked.
"Because I told him."
Eric turned to face the voice that had come from the doorway. It was Hope, the real Hope. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
"I'm so glad you're okay. She told Greta that you were dead, that you had jumped off a bridge in France. That's why she did all this, she wanted to spare you all the pain. And she wanted to be with her mother again..." Eric knew that he was rambling, but he didn't want anyone to blame Greta.
"It's okay Eric," Bo told him, "No one will blame Greta. Princess Gina was a manipulator. She used people's emotions to get them to do what she wanted and she did that to her own daughter."
"She did that to me in France," Hope told him, "She played on my fear for my family and their safety to get me to help her against Stefano. Then she turned on me."
A flurry of activity in the center of the room, focused their attention back to the paramedics. They were putting Greta on a stretcher.
Eric stepped forward to one of the paramedics.
"I'm going with her." he told the paramedic. The paramedic nodded his head and Eric followed them out the door. As they raced down the hallway toward the ambulance, he prayed that he wouldn't lose her.

Eric sat in the waiting room, waiting impatiently for any news on Greta's condition. So far they knew that the gun shot had went into her abdomen. Dr. Wesley said that it wouldn't have been so bad, but she had lost a lot of blood. She had stopped breathing once on the ambulance ride to the hospital. Eric had thought that he had lost her forever and it had made him numb.
Mrs. Horton sat next to the left of him and Caroline Brady to the right. They both had tried to comfort him, to reassure him that she would be alright, but nothing they could do made him feel any better. He would relax when the doctor came out and told him that Greta would be pull through this.
Commotion from the doorway called their attention. Lucas was practically dragging Nicole into the waiting room. Eric could tell from the look on Lucas's face that something was wrong.
"I need help over here!" Lucas called out. Nicole's eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped over. She would have fallen to the floor if Lucas hadn't lifted her into his arms at the last minute. Two nurses and a doctor went over with a stretcher.
"What happened here?" the doctor barked at Lucas.
"She's been drinking all night. After all the trouble at the reception, I took her home. I was in my son's room for a while, when I came back into our bedroom, she was lying on the floor, passed out. Their was a empty bottle of vodka beside her."
"She's probably has alcohol poisioning, take her to trauma room three." the Doctor said, as they began to push her stretcher down the hallway.
"Eric dear, would you give me a hand getting up?" Mrs. Horton said, "I need to speak with Lucas."
Eric quickly got up from his chair and offered her his arm. She thanked him and went over to Lucas. Eric sat back down and his thoughts went back to Greta immediately. He never noticed Lucas coming over toward him. He never saw the look of anger on his face.
"This is all your fault, you know that right?" Lucas demanded.
"What are you talking about?" Eric's voice was strained and tired.
"I know that Nicole drinks because of you." Lucas said matter of factly, "Everyone thinks I'm so blind to it, but I know she still loves you. I thought that in time, she'd get over it, that she'd learn to love me more. But I think we both know that's not happening."
"Lucas...I don't want Nicole! All I want is Greta." Eric told him.
"That doesn't matter. She wants you, that's all that matters. You know what, that's fine. If she wants you, God knows why, she can have you. I'm tired of trying to hold this marriage together by myself." Lucas said as he stomped out of the waiting room.
Eric shook his head, as if to clear it of any thoughts of Lucas and Nicole.
"Eric, honey, you need something to eat," Caroline said gently.
Eric shook his head, "I'm not very hungry. Don't worry, I'm okay, really. I just want to wait for the doctor to say something."

An hour later...

"Eric Brady?" the voice belonged to a man wearing green scrubs.
Eric jumped up and headed over to him. He didn't turn around, but he knew that his entire family was up standing behind him, waiting for information.
"Greta's is out of surgery and asking for you."
"How is she?" Eric couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.
"She's doing fine. We were able to stop the bleeding and I see no reason why she can't make a full recovery." The doctor told them before heading off down the hall.
Eric turned around to face his family. He could see his happiness reflecting in their faces. He turned back around to start down the hall toward Greta's room, when another voice stopped him.
"Eric Brady?"
Eric turned to find another doctor standing in front of him.
"Nicole is asking for you. She had a very close call tonight." he told him. Eric just stared at him, unable to say anything. Nicole was free now, Lucas was going to let her go and she wanted him. He looked down each hall, one leading to Greta, the other to Nicole. He didn't even hesitate before making his choice. He started down the hallway to the room.

Eric stood outside the door for a moment, trying to gather the strength to remain calm. Through the door, he could see all kinds of medical equipment hooked up to her. She looked so pale against the white sheets. She looked so fragile against the backdrop of all those machines. His heart almost broke as he looked at her lying there. He took a deep breath and reached for the door knob.

Greta slowly regained consciousness. She looked around the room through paritally opened eyes, wondering where she was. The events of the night came rushing back to her and she bolted upright. Now fully awake, she gasped when she realized where she was...she was back at her mother's house in Paris. She looked around the room that she had spent so much time in as a child. All the things that had seemed so beautiful and elegant, now looked strange and forbidden to her. She choked back a scream as her mother entered the room.
"Greta, darling, you are finally awake." her mother smiled warmly at her.
"How did I get here? Where's Eric? Is he okay?" she demanded. The last thing she could remember was diving for Nicole and then hearing a gunshot.
Gina came over and sat down beside her on the sofa. Greta didn't know what it was, but something was different. This wasn't the same woman she had known back in Salem. This was more like the mother she remembered from her childhood.
"I am quite sure that Eric is fine. You, however, are not. You were shot by accident, darling. This is all a dream." Gina told her.
Greta suddenly remembered hearing the gunshot again. Only this time, she remembered the pain tearing through her side immediately afterward. And then everything went black and she couldn't remember anything else.
"Am I dying?" she asked her mother, her voice shaking.
"No, you are not dying. You are just dreaming of the way you wished things could have been." her mother gave her the smile she remembered from her childhood, "I am so sorry Greta. Sorry that we did not have the future together that we should have. Sorry that I was not there for you like I should have been."
Greta reached over and pulled her mother toward her in a hug. She let the tears fall and didn't care. It felt so good to be with the mother that she remembered.
"Greta, I want to tell you something," Gina slowly pulled away, "I want you to know that I loved you, more than anything. When Stefano took John away from me, I thought that I had lost the love of my life, I thought that I could not go on. My weakness is what ruined over future together, not love. Do not be afraid to love, because of what happened to me. When I was with you and John, they were the happiness times of my life. I would not miss those for anything. I want you to feel that same kind of happiness."
"Mother...I love you too..." Greta's voice broke as she tried to say more.
Gina pulled Greta into her arms again, hugging her. Greta closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of being with her mother again.
"Don't be afraid Greta." She heard her mother's voice say. And then she gone.
Greta opened her eyes and saw the she was in a hospital room. All around her machines were blinking and beeping. Remembering her mother's embrace, she almost broke down from the feeling of loneliness that washed over her. She looked over as the door opened.

Eric stepped into the room slowly. He didn't want to wake her up if she was sleeping. Her head turned toward him as he came in. He walked over to the bed and opened his mouth, but no words would come out. He just took her hand in his and sat down in the chair beside the bed. They sat like that for a long time. Holding hands and looking at each other. Both to overwhelmed by emotion to say what they were feeling. But they could see the what was left unspoken in each other's eyes. Finally, Greta broke the silence.
"My mother, how is she?" Greta asked, fearing the truth.
"She was shot. She didn't make it...I'm so sorry Greta." he didn't want to tell her. He wanted to keep the truth from her forever, to protect her. But he was afraid one of the staff might tell her if she asked and he wanted to be here for her. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, they shone with tears.
"It's okay, Eric. I've realized, I lost my mother long ago. That woman wasn't my mother. She looked like her and sounded like her, but she wasn't her." Greta told him, the saddness was heavy in her voice, "The mother I knew long ago in Paris, was elegant and independent. She was beautiful, inside and out. I'll mourn for her, but not for the woman that she became, the woman Stefano made out of her."
Eric leaned over and gathered Greta into his arms. It was an ackward position for him, trying to maneuver around what seemed like a million wires. But as his arms tightened around Greta, he didn't care. He felt her gentle sobs against his chest and he held her tighter. After a while, she calmed down and the sobbing subsided. Her breathing slowed and he knew that she had fallen asleep. He gently lowered her back down onto the pillows. He paused for a moment, staring down at her sleeping face. He couldn't believe how much he loved her. He settled back down into the chair beside her bed. When she woke up again, he wanted to be there. He wanted to be the first person she saw when she woke up, now and forever.

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