Lizzie Spaulding - A New Leaf

A New Leaf

After losing the thing that meant most to her in her daughter Sarah, being alienated by her mother, ostracized by her grandfather, and being duped (unknowingly) by Reva, Lizzie had hit rock bottom.

In an act of self-declaration and rebellion, she bought a bar. In this bar, looking for any sort of human affection, Lizzie shamelessly flirted with Jake, a rough looking bar fly (who bore similar style to her ex-husband Jonathan) She almost let things get to far with him, but Billy Lewis stepped in, and though she didn’t want to be saved, he saved her from herself. Thus began an awkward, yet moving friendship.

The two helped each other a lot, and became very close. Lizzie kept his secret about being off the wagon again, and Billy offered her a high level job at Lewis Construction, putting faith in her and taking her under his wing like her grandfather would not.

Lizzie also began to form a friendship with a recovering Dinah Marler, who would become her roommate. Unaware of her summer kidnap of her, Lizzie also maintained a close-knit friendship with former mother-in-law Reva Shayne. Finally stable in an honest job, and surrounded by good people who cared about her, Lizzie began to flourish.

Thinking it’s what Billy needs in his life, and wanting to good for him, Lizzie tracks down his son, Bill Lewis, and with Dinah’s help brings him back to town. In doing so, she gained a new roommate, as Bill had no immediate lodgings upon his return.

At first wary of his strange treatment of Billy, Lizzie was won over by Bill’s charm and sweet words, and the way he defended her to her grandfather. Unbeknownst to Lizzie, Bill was scheming to get her in bed in order to gain access to her information on an upcoming Lewis project, in order to slight his father. He succeeded, and stole the deal from her, making it impossible for his father not t re-hire him.

Feeling betrayed and scorned, but still attracted the man Bill had presented himself to be, Lizzie continued to interact with Bill, despite his several attempts to get his father to oust her from the business, and his life. She tried for a while to exact revenge, and even broke into his hotel room to find information on him. Their relationship would begin to go back and forth between moments of closeness, and antagonistic moments (See Bill and Lizzie).

It became obvious that Lizzie was starting to develop deeper feelings for the Lewis heir. She was warned against this by everyone close to her, even his own father (and her confidant) Billy. Lizzie continued to be there for Bill though, and even bent over backwards trying to help him when he lost his eyesight in an explosion. Bill spurned her help though, and a crushed Lizzie turned to Reva for a shoulder to cry on. Lizzie began having severe stomach cramps, so Reva took her to Cedars, where the doctor speculated that Lizzie could be pregnant. Over zealous at the notion, Lizzie took this speculation as truth, and prepared herself to be a mother again. Bill was less than excited when she told him, but Lizzie let him know that he was not going to ruin this for her. She saw it as a second chance, a gleam of hope, and he could be in the child’s life or not. He expressed doubt about wanting to be with her and the child, and Lizzie stormed out. At Cedars, she meekly told Billy she was carrying his grandchild. An over-joyed Billy proceeded to lift her from the ground in excitement. He promised her Bill would come around, and the three would make a beautiful family. He went to see Bill and let him know that this could be his wake-up call to be a better person, and also hinted that this was Bill’s chance to one-up by being a better father and husband than he himself had been.

After several negative pregnancy tests, Lizzie was distraught to find her miracle baby was not real. A heavyhearted Lizzie attended Tammy’s memorial service alone. An apologetic Bill tried to caress and comfort Lizzie, but she was still upset with him, and tried to just bluntly tell him there was no baby. Before she could get it out though, Bill began an impassioned speech about how he wanted to be a family with her and the child, whom he now felt was a gift from God, and a second chance for them both. Lizzie was unsure, and seemed to think about coming clean, but Bill’s instance that he wanted to be with her forced her to keep her secret.

After thinking she saw Sarah in the church parking lot, Lizzie was convinced this child with Bill as something she needed to stay sane. So she asked Bill to go away with her to the Bauer Cabin, where she planned to seduce him into really getting her pregnant. After finding a bear in the cabin though, and feeling guilty about the sweet side Bill was showing her now that he thought she was having his baby, Lizzie broke down and ran from the cabin. Bill chased her, and as they struggled on a hilltop, Lizzie told him she was not pregnant. A confused Bill tried to clutch her to him, but Lizzie stumbled and came close to falling into traffic. She was saved by her former husband Jonathan though, and thus she found out he was still alive.

Though he lied to her at first, Lizzie soon sound Sarah also lived, and started building a relationship with her baby again. She and Jonathan even tried to work things out, and get married again, but her attraction to Bill, and her realization that Jonathan could never love her like he loved Tammy prevented her from marrying him. Not wanting her daughter to grow in a loveless marriage, she fled the ceremony, and reconciled with Bill. Things went sour for her and Jonathan after that, and he even kidnapped her briefly. Lizzie thought him a danger, and tried to take Sarah after this. On top of their entire drama, Alan was still trying to interfere and hurt Jon, while taking Sarah.

Making the hardest decision of her life, Lizzie kissed Sarah good-bye, and allowed Jonathan to flee with her, in hopes of saving her from the fate of growing up in the cold, lonely, loveless Spaulding home like she herself had. She could not go with them, for in exchange for Sarah’s freedom, Lizzie had offered herself for her grandfather to control.

Bill Lewis was having none of that however, and eventually rescued her from Alan’s clutches, through a plot his sister Dinah had set into motion. Still angry with Bill for his lack of commitment to her, and his continued sexual relationship with Ava Peralta, Lizzie railed against him. Bill won her back over though, and the two made love. In the after glow, Lizzie worried aloud that Bill would grow tired of her, and end their relationship. He surprised her by asking her to move in with him, and she gleefully accepted.

As he promised, Bill made sure Alan would not go after Sarah. He assured Lizzie that her home was now with him, and that though he had tried to fight the hold she had on him, he refused to lose her ever again.

Lizzie's bliss, as usual, was short lived. She soon found that Bill was involved in a plot with his siter Dinah to bring dowon the Spauldings. Bill tried to tell her it was just business, and that he had fallen in love with her, but she forced him to choose between her and the company, and when he couldn't make a clear decision, she left him.