* Author’s Note: This takes place directly after Greta and Eric leave the ball. The last air date is October 1, 1999*
* Disclaimer: I have no connection to Days of our lives, the actors, or the writers. I am only using them for entertainment purposes.

Greta walked around the overly ornate room tracing everything slowly with her fingertips. She drifted over to the expansive bed and sat down. Yesterday she’d been ready to leave this place, but now sitting in her mother’s room, she was overcome with sadness and despair. She couldn’t believe that she’d traveled across the world to discover that her mother was in fact dead. Only a few weeks ago, Greta had been sure that her mother was alive. She’d been sure that Princess Gina had been hiding somewhere in Europe waiting for her daughter to come home. That fantasy could no longer linger in her head. Last night at the ball, Greta had made a promise to herself. She was determined to accept the past and move on. While pretending that Hope was her mother was extremely hard, it helped Greta realize that Princess Gina was dead and gone. Greta picked up the pillow and breathed in the scent. "My mother is dead," whispered Greta to the cold morning air. Hearing the finality of that last word, Greta began to sob softly into the pillow. For the first time since the autopsy results, Greta cried for her mother’s death.

Eric picked up his suitcase and started walking down the hallway. After four weeks in Europe, he was going home. Home to Salem, his problems, and Nicole. There was a definite sense of dread in returning home, yet there was a sprinkling of joy as well. Eric thought back to the previous night at the Harriman’s Ball. He smiled as he thought of Greta in the moonlight teasing him about Nathan. Eric couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized his feelings toward Greta sooner. When he’d leaned down to kiss her, it had seemed like the most natural thing in the world. If only that glass hadn’t fallen. "There will be plenty of time for that first kiss later," Eric thought. Eric turned the knob of Greta’s bedroom and swung the door open. "Greta we’d better get going if…" his voice trailed off as he stared around the empty room. "Now where did she go?" Eric wondered. It didn’t take long for Eric to figure it out. Leaving his suitcase by the stairs he disappeared down the hallway in such a hurry that he didn’t notice the figure in the shadows. As he turned the corner, Eric didn’t notice as the figure slipped something into the pocket of the suitcase.

Greta continued to cry onto the pillow as feelings of loss, hate, and loneliness washed over her. "I never really got to know her and I never will," Greta whimpered as the tears fell faster and faster. "I’m all alone now."
"No you’re not. I’ll always be here for you," came a voice from behind her. Greta turned and found herself staring into the eyes of Eric who had joined her on the bed. "And you’ll always have your mother too. She’s looking down from heaven and watching over you. She’s seen you become a beautiful, caring, intelligent young women who she always will love."
Abandoning the pillow for something much more comforting, Greta threw her arms around Eric’s neck. "Thank you Eric," she whispered as she cried herself out on his shoulder.
Eric rocked her back and forth for what seemed like forever before the sobs soften and the breathing became slower. Running his hands up and down her back, Eric felt his heart break for Greta, yet he was also relieved. He’d been worried that Greta would never accept her mother’s death. After a few minutes of silence, Eric checked Greta to find her asleep on his shoulder. Supporting her head, he lay her down on the bed. Still holding on to her hand, Eric watched her sleep. "I’ll never leave you Greta."

Greta felt the warm sunshine on her face as she awakened from her sleep. Blinking several times to get used to the sun, Greta opened her eyes.
"Hey how are you feeling?"
Greta noticed Eric sitting on the edge of the bed holding her hand. "Better. Have you been here all this time? What time is it?" Greta sat up in alarm, "Did we miss our flight?"
"Sssssh. Relax Greta," soothed Eric. "Its about three in the afternoon, and I already rebooked us on the evening flight so don’t worry about it."
"We missed our flight? Why didn’t you just wake me up?"
"You needed to rest. Besides I got to witness you drooling. It was well worth it."
Greta immediately wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and was horrified to discover drool at the corner of her mouth. Eric laughed as Greta blushed furiously. "Oh you big jerk," cried Greta as she swatted at Eric.
Eric backed away holding his hands up in surrender. "Okay okay you win tough guy."
"That’s more like it. I could take you on I bet."
"Well lets save the golden glove tournament for later huh? We have a flight to catch, and I’m sure you want to freshen up and do whatever else girls do when they disappear into the bathroom."
"What we do is make ourselves beautiful for you men." Greta hopped of the bed and started toward the bathroom, but halfway there she turned around and walked back up to Eric. "Eric I wanted to thank you for just letting me cry. I needed it so much, and it means the world to me that you were there for me."
Eric reached out and grabbed Greta by the shoulders pulling her slightly towards him. "I meant what I said earlier Greta. I’ll always be here for you. You’re my best friend."
Greta’s eyes filled with happy tears and leaned in to hug Eric. "You’re my best friend too Eric." She felt Eric’s arms wrap around her and stop at the small of her back. She leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his muscular back. She could smell his shampoo and aftershave, and she could hear his heart beating rapidly. A little too rapidly. She pulled back and looked into Eric’s eyes.
Eric immediately felt the lack of warmth as Greta pulled away. He missed her delicate scent, and small body wrapped so closely to him. He focused on her big beautiful brown eyes which were now burning into his. There was so much he wanted to say, yet the words just didn’t seem to come. "Greta … I… "
"Yes Eric?" Greta questioned.
"We should … um… really…" but the words were lost as Eric leaned closer to Greta.
Greta could feel his warm breath on her lips. She leaned in closer. "uh huh," she murmured.
Eric closed his eyes and started to press his lips against Greta’s.
"Excuse me sir, but the phone downstairs is for you," came Kurt’s abrupt voice from the doorway.
Greta and Eric jumped apart before their lips could meet. Eric turned angrily toward Kurt. "Thank you Kurt. I’ll be there in a moment," he barked.
"Of course Mr. Brady."
Eric turned back to a flustered Greta and groaned in frustration. Every time Greta and him started to kiss it seemed that something interrupted them. First the broken glass and then Kurt. Was this supposed to be a sign of some sort? "Well I guess I’d better go and answer the phone."
"Yeah and I really need to go and freshen up," Greta replied. She gave Eric’s hand a squeeze and then walked into the bathroom and shut the floor. "Why is this happening to me? Why do we keep getting interrupted? Are we ever going to move to the next step?"

Eric walked down the stairs and entered the living room. He noticed the bags were sitting by the door all ready to go. He walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Eric? Hey this is Bo."
"Bo, good to hear from you. What’s up?"
"Well I just wanted to be the one to tell you that Stefano has been arrested and is now behind bars awaiting a trial."
"That’s fantastic news. So did everything go as planned last night?" Eric heard Bo sigh on the other end followed by a lengthy silence. "Bo are you still there?"
"Yeah I was just thinking. I was slightly worried last night when Hope was acting as Princess Gina, but we talked right before I left, and I think I got through to her. She followed the plan perfectly."
"That’s great. So now what? Are you and Hope coming back to Salem?"
"Well Hope still has a lot of problems in her head so we’re going to stay here and get her some help. Now that Stefano is behind bars, I’m hoping that Rolf will fall and help us."
"Well do you need me and Greta to stay here and help?"
"No there isn’t anything you two can do really. Its better that you two return to your normal lives."
"Ok then. I’ll spread the word around at home."
"Thanks man. Good journey home and make sure you take good care of Greta."
"I will."
"Oh I’m sure you will," chuckled Bo.
"What’s that mean?"
"Nothing look I’d better go. Talk to you later. Bye."
"Later man."
Eric hung up the phone and sauntered over to the couch. Now that the mess with Princess Gina and Stefano was over there wasn’t any excuse not to address the Greta issue. They’d almost kissed twice so obviously there was some feelings between the them. Two months ago he couldn’t imagine thinking romantically about another girl, not after the way things had ended with Nicole. Was he really over Nicole? He knew he had feelings for Greta, but were they true feelings or just rebound emotions?
Deep in thought Eric didn’t notice as Greta walked down the stairs. She tip-toed over to the couch and stood behind Eric. Placing a hand on his shoulder she whispered, "Eric?"
Eric jumped out of his seat and swung around. Greta doubled over in laughter at the frightened Eric. After a few seconds of panic, his body returned to normal. He noticed Greta standing in front of him. She’d changed out of the jeans and shirt she’d had on earlier. Now she was wearing a simple black sheath. It fit her body perfectly and hung to her every curve. Her hair was slightly curled and floated around her head. She looked absolutely breathtaking, but it was more than her beauty that made Eric’s heart stop. It was the silly way she’d scared him, and the amusing way she was laughing now. So hard that she began to hiccup which only made her laugh harder. Eric loved her joy for life and the innocence and sweetness that touched everything she did. All doubts of his true feelings toward her disappeared. Eric knew that whatever he felt for Greta was real and true.
Greta had finally managed to control her laughter and hiccups. She wiped the tears that had started to form in her eyes. "Did I scare poor wittle Eric?" she teased in a childlike voice.
"Oh now you’re going to get it," warned Eric. He took off around the couch after Greta who squealed and ran away.

Later on Eric checked his watch and figured it was time for them to leave to catch their flight. He walked back inside and shouted for Kurt, "Kurt!"
"Yes Mr. Brady?"
"I just wanted to make sure that you called a cab."
"Yes, I called one about twenty minutes ago and it should be here any minute now."
"Thank you Kurt." Eric turned back to the living room and called out to Greta. "Greta you ready to go? The cab will be here in a moment."
"I’ll be right there," came a distracted voice.
Eric followed the voice and found Greta standing in the hall. She was just looking around. "Hey are you okay?"
Greta turned to Eric and gave him a sad smile. "Yeah I’m fine. I was just thinking how much I’m going to miss this place."
"Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?" asked a worried Eric.
"No. Salem is my home, and I want to be with my friends… and you." Greta blushed at her last sentence and turned her back to Eric to look at the large stairway again. "It’s just that I never felt closer to my mother. I’m afraid that I’ll lose that closeness once we leave. I couldn’t bear not to remember my mother."
"But you’ll always have the memories that you received here. You came for answers and you got them. You found out what happened to you mother."
"I know and deep in my heart I know that I could never ever forget her. That’s not the only reason I’m worried about leaving."
Eric walked up behind Greta and put his arms around her waist. "What is it?"
Greta turned around so she was facing Eric. "Well its just we’ve grown so close here. I’ve really enjoyed this time we’ve had together and well…um when we …uh go back…"
"…We will still be close."
"But things will be different there. I mean here it was just the two of us. We kinda had to hang around each other, and at home there are other people around."
"You mean Nicole?"
"Well yeah," Greta whispered while avoiding Eric’s gaze.
Eric cupped Greta’s face in his hand and directed her gaze to his. With his other hand he softly stroked her face. "Nicole was an important part of my past. She may have even been my first love, but the thing is she’s my past. You’re my present and future. You helped me do the impossible. I never thought I’d get over Nicole, and now I barely think of her or the pain she caused me. You’ve opened my life up to joy again."
"So you think we’ll still be close in Salem?"
"I know so. Greta we aren’t close because of where we are. We’re close because of how we feel."
Greta smiled shyly, "And how do we feel?"
"Like this," murmured Eric as he bent down to kiss Greta. She lifted her head to meet his.
"BEEP BEEP"
Eric and Greta jumped apart at the sound of the cab. Kurt came in through the entry way and picked up the suitcases. "I’ll put these in the car for you."
"Thank you Kurt," replied Greta.
They watched as Kurt opened the door and walked out to the cab. When the large wooden door had swung closed they turned back to each other. "Well I guess that’s our third strike," Eric joked.
Greta laughed along with Eric, but she was deep in thought. Three strikes and you’re out. Are Eric and I out?

"Our travel time is scheduled at eight hours and thirty minutes. The weather in Salem is a crisp 67 degrees. We hope you enjoy your travel with us, and please feel free to ask one of the flight attendants for anything that would make this a more comfortable flight. Now sit back, buckle up, and enjoy the flight."
The intercom crackled as it turned off, and the airplane starting filling up with noise from the many conversations. Greta and Eric were seated in first class due to a mix-up from the airline. Greta couldn’t help but smile at the ecstatic look on Eric’s face. He looked like a kid in a candy store trying to take everything in.
Eric looked over at Greta and noticed her small smirk. "What?"
"It's nothing," Greta dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"Well excuse me for not being born in nobility. You may be used to traveling first class everywhere, but for us normal folk this is quite a big deal."
"I know. I’m sorry, but you look very cute when you’re excited."
Eric raised his eyebrow and bent forward. "I don’t look cute all the time?"
Greta blushed a deep shade of crimson. "No of course I think you’re cute. I was just saying that when you’re excited you’re even more so and…" babbled Greta before she realized that Eric was laughing at her now. She swatted at him with the back of her hand. "Oh you big jerk."
Eric laughed and fought off her small arms. "Okay truce truce!!"
They both smiled and returned to their own seats. Eric glanced at Greta who was now staring out the window as the airplane taxied out to the runway. She was so beautiful and innocent. He’d been dying to kiss her since the ball, yet every time they attempted they were interrupted by something or someone. He’d traveled to Europe with her, became her best friend, and somewhere along the way he’d fallen in love with her. Had he just said love? Eric stopped in his thoughts. Was he in love with Greta? He’d die to protect her, and wanted noting more than to make her happy, yet was that love? Things were bound to get more confusing in Salem with his messed up life. Eric had wished that they could have settled their feelings before leaving Europe. He would have loved their first kiss to be in the land where they feel for each other. "Who says it can’t," he whispered to himself. Touching Greta on the shoulder, he murmured, "Greta?"
She turned to him as the plane picked up speed for departure. Eric’s eyes burned into hers and his hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek. "Yes?" she whispered almost to softly to be heard.
Eric tilted her chin up and clasped the back of her head with his free hand. They both closed their eyes and leaned in. Eric pressed his mouth to Greta’s as the plane lifted off the ground. Their kiss grew more intense as the plane towered into the sky. Greta’s hands went around Eric to his muscular back, and Eric pulled her closer to him. Both wanted to be as close to one another as possible, wanted to merge their souls into one. As the plane left Europe and soared toward Salem, Greta and Eric finally found each other.

To be continued…

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