Breaking Away Chapters 27 - 28     Chapter 27     Luke's. ''Come on in son.'' Luke motioned Lucky into the bar. ''If you're gonna eavesdrop, it's better to do it up close and personal.'' He shot a glare at Renee. ''Lucky, I'd like you to meet the town crier, Renee Carson, this is my son Lucky Spencer. Lucky, this is Renee.'' Lucky nodded shortly. ''Nice to meet you. Dad?'' He motioned to the back room. Luke motioned for Renee to wait, and followed his son. ''Look, Lucky.'' Lucky's eyes identical to his mother's shot daggers. ''Is Lucy pregnant?'' ''Yes she is.'' Luke dropped into a chair. ''But before you blow a gasket you need to know the how and why.'' Lucky folded his arms across his chest. ''We had this talk a long time ago.'' ''I was a genetic donor, Lucky. That's it, that's all. Lucy wanted a baby.'' ''So you weren't having an affair?'' ''Lucky. In the 18 + years I have been married to your mother I never touched another woman. I may have looked, and I may have lusted in my heart, but not once did I break our vows. The fact that your mother and I divorced has nothing to do with Lucy's baby.'' Lucky perched on the end of the pool table. ''Dad, were you ever going to tell me? I mean I'm about to be a big brother again. . . .'' ''Not really.'' Luke responded. ''Cowboy, this baby is Lucy's baby. She asked me to be a biological father, and nothing more. She won't shut me out of the kid's life, cause she's not like that. But I'm not raising this baby.'' ''Why'd you do it?'' Lucky asked. ''Because the thing Lucy Coe wants more than anything in this world is a baby. She asked me if I would help her, and I did. I've been pretty fortunate.'' Luke gestured to his son. ''You, and Lesley Lu are the best things in my life. I didn't even know I wanted you until I held you in my arms. You're stubborn, and independent, and opinionated and bossy, and probably the best man I know. So who am *I* to deny Lucy?'' Lucky rubbed his face. ''I don't know about you and Mom. . . .every time I turn around I've got another sibling popping up. I've got a million new gray hairs from you two. Does Mom know about this?'' ''No. You're on the short list. Lucy has a history of bad pregnancies, so she's not telling a lot of people yet. Plus, she's not sure what her answer will be when people start to notice. So this needs to stay between us.'' Lucky hopped off the pool table. ''Just between us? I think the baby'll be okay if it's anything like you.'' He nodded in the direction of the main room. ''And Lucy's cousin?'' Luke rose from his seat and slung an arm around Lucky's shoulders. ''How about those Yankees?'' *~**~*~**~*~**~* ''Hey pal.'' Lucy jolted out of her reverie. ''What did you want?'' ''Your attention for five minutes.'' Scott replied. ''You've been spacey lately.'' He waved some figures under her nose. ''But I've got what will bring you crashing back to reality. Look at these numbers!'' She covered her mouth while she yawned, taking a summary glance at the numbers. ''We need capital to expand.'' She surmised. ''Look, I've been running a few projections with the nice girls and boys in accounting.'' She plucked them from the teeming heap of papers on her desk. ''I think that now would be a good time to take it public.'' She tapped her fingernails and thought about what she was going to have for lunch. ''I thought that going public with stock was a last option?'' Scott asked. ''I have no problem, but I'll want first crack at it.'' ''Have your broker call my broker.'' Lucy replied. ''It's the best way to finance the expansion we want into the lingerie market. We're doing pretty well, but a little more money and we could become a serious competitor.'' Lucy's assistant Don stuck his head in through the door. ''Lucy? There's a delivery here for you.'' He walked in the room carrying a heavy picnic basket laden with goodies, and deposited it on her desk. ''Looks pretty good.'' He remarked waiting for her to open the card. Thought you could use a little snack. Love Kevin. Lucy read silently. ''Just a gift from a friend.'' She smiled at Don and Scott. She peered into the basket all of her favorite things. Cheese straws, crackers, juice, water, tea bags, cookies, fruit. Scott plucked an apple out of the basket and polished it on his shirt. ''So, who's the friend?'' He asked. Lucy reached into the basket, pulled out a bottle of water, opened it, took a long drink, all the while giving Scott the evil eye. ''I'm not saying anything without my lawyer present.'' She remarked. Don poked his head into the room again. ''Lucy? There's another delivery. In fact, you might want to come out here and see all this.'' Lucy and Scott exchanged glances and they both went out into the main lobby of the Jacks Cosmetics offices. At lest a dozen delivery men stood with bouquets of roses cradled in their arms. ''Oh my!'' She gasped. Kevin, when he decided to be romantic, he didn't do it half way. ''Who died?'' Scott asked sourly. He had a pretty good idea who was responsible for all the flowers. Spencer. Lucy'd been spending too much time around him. ''Where should I put them all?'' Don asked. ''I don't think there's enough room.'' ''Um. . . I'll take a couple in my office.'' Lucy replied. ''And you can just distribute the rest to all the other offices. If you want to take a dozen, go right ahead.'' She plucked a bouquet from a delivery man and carried them back into her office. ''They're beautiful.'' She dumped the old flowers out of the vase on her desk and set the long stemmed yellow roses in water. She felt like the earth shifted under her feet. She had tried to tell Kevin that they were through. That she didn't trust in his love anymore, and even that she is carrying a child of her own. But instead of keeping him at bay, all she'd done was to increase his determination. On the one hand, she'd be a fool to trust him again. He could only break her heart if she let him. But on the other hand, he was so kind to her during her appointment, that it seemed like he really wanted to be there for her, and nothing would get in his way. But on the other hand, he'd left her at the alter, and hadn't once looked back. And still on another hand ...how many hands could she use? ''Lucy? I've got some paperwork to go over with Alexis. I think the stock's a good idea.'' Scott rolled his eyes and walked out. There was no getting any business down if she was going to spend the day mooning over Spencer. Once Scott was gone, Lucy picked several items from the basket, and nibbled. ''Lucy? A Mr. Lucky Spencer to see you.'' Don announced. ''Lucky? Come on in.'' Lucy waved Don off. ''This is a nice surprise. What can i do for you?'' Reading his serious face, Lucy tensed. ''Is there something wrong with Luke?'' ''No. My dad's fine. I just wanted to tell you that I know.'' Lucky shifted. He didn't know exactly what made him come here after leaving his dad's. ''Know what?'' Darn Luke Spencer. The man was worse than Deep Throat. ''About the baby.'' Lucky answered. He felt stupid. ''Really?'' Lucy kept a lid on her temper. ''it must have been a shock.'' ''My dad said that the two of you aren't. . . weren't. . .'' ''Lovers?'' Lucy supplied. Lucky was a precocious kid, but he was still a kid. ''Right. That you weren't together when he and my mother were married. Is that true?'' ''Even if it weren't true, I wouldn't tell you.'' Lucy pushed herself out of her seat. ''Why not? It's my family. I have a right to know. I'd also like to know why my dad?'' ''Correction Lucky. It's MY family. And I have the right to keep my mouth shut, don't kids today watch cop shows?'' She tossed her garbage in the trash can and took a position behind her desk. ''I'm sorry you were surprised, but I'm not going to sit here in my office and answer intimate questions posed by a 17 year old. It's not gonna happen.'' Seeing Lucky shift, Lucy was slightly mollified. ''I understand. You're worried about your mom and dad. But this is a very personal matter to me. So I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that the baby I'm carrying is Luke's.'' Kevin backed away from the door to Lucy's office.   *~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~* Greece. It was almost like stepping back in time. Being on the island once more. Stefan paused and took a deep breath bracing one foot on the crumbling wall. It was never his intention to be here at all. But after his drinking binge, Alexis had suggested that he come and bury Stavros, and everything associated with him. There was no place to do that but here on this island. Emerging from the back patio doors, Laura lifted her face to the sun. It was incredible. The sensation of being free. Not only of the house, but of all the past surrounding it. It was no longer the monster under her bed, or the deep, dark, menacing figure in her nightmares. Instead it was a pile of rubble. There was nothing that would keep her prisoner there again. As she made her way along the beach path, she took a deep breath and veered towards the cove. She had to say good bye to all the past. As she reached the top of the hill, slightly out of breath and flushed. She was stunned to see someone already there. ''Adelfos*.'' Stefan's voice carried over the cliffs. ''If only you knew. . . .knew the kind of man I have become. You would feel nothing but shame.'' The words are ripped from his lips. ''I slept with your wife. I saw her, my brother's bride and I desired her from the first moment I laid eyes upon her.'' Stefan shakes his head. ''No. That' s not the truth. I loved her from the first moment I laid eyes upon her.'' He corrected. ''There is no need for artifice now. You are dead, and Laura is lost to me forever.'' ''As much as I loved you, I abhorred you. The way you walked in and took what you wanted no matter what prior claim someone else might have. But I did that. Not only here on this island. But also in Port Charles. I used the illness of a little girl to create an opening for myself in the midst of Laura's life.'' He continues, needing to say some of these words aloud before the guilt consumed him. ''You have no idea how deep my treachery, and envy ran. If Laura had not left the island, and you had not been murdered at Luke Spencer's hand, I planned to kill you. A coward's weapon no less. I plotted to poison my own brother. I held the vial in my own hand and contemplated the most humane way to murder you, all the while making love to Laura.'' ''And even when she fled from me, leaving behind Nikolas, I knew that one day we would cross paths. And I would make her pay for daring to leave this prison. For daring to leave me. I hounded her marriage into the ground and have stood on the rubble of her life. Through it all insisting that she love me.'' He laughed in a tired, bitter bark. ''I destroyed her life, and waited for her to come to me with open arms. I do not deserve her love. Or your forgiveness. I cannot change what I did to you Stavros. I am not fit to wear this.'' He pulled the Cassadine crest from inside his shirt, tugged ruthlessly at the chain until it snapped, and flung it off the side of the cliff and into the sea. ''And my days of harming Laura are at an end as well. I will never force her to relive her past again. There is nothing for her here but pain, and there is nothing for me in the present or the future. She and I have gone our separate ways.'' At the sound of footsteps on the loose gravel, Stefan turned. ''Laura.'' Stefan felt the air leave his lungs in a rush. For a moment he thought he might be hallucinating. She was the last person he'd expected to find here. After their last argument, he was certain that any hope for a future was demolished. Alexis had encouraged him to try and contact Laura, to talk with her. But he'd flatly refused. He would not longer try and force his feelings on her. So he'd come here, to the last place where he'd been certain of both their feelings. Not to hold onto Lasha, but to bury her, and his feelings once and for all. She'd never expected to find him back here. For a brief second she was taken back to their time on the island. He'd been so handsome and kind. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she focuses on the here and now. ''Stefan!'' His eyes are red, his face drawn, and his jaw set in a harsh line. ''What are you doing here?'' ''A better question might be what are you doing here Laura? I thought that you would return to this place not even for love?'' Stefan's words come out more bitterly than he'd intended. ''I didn't come back here for love, Stefan.'' Laura responded, fighting the urge to reach out and stroke his face. ''I came back for myself. I needed to do this.'' She studied him. ''If you didn't know I was here, what made you come?'' Stefan shifted. ''I was not comfortable with your accusation that I was clinging to the past.'' He admitted softly. ''I have been sitting here for hours, thinking about our conversation.'' ''Stefan- I said some very cruel things.'' Laura began. ''I'm not sorry that I said them, but I am sorry for HOW I said them. You are NOT your brother.'' ''But I am not blameless either.'' Stefan responded. He stood motionless, and his voice was husky. ''How could I expect you not to hate me Laura?'' He paced methodically. ''I understand now what you tried to say to me about your time here. I won't make the mistake of asking you to relive your past.''   *~**~*~**~*~**~*~**~   *adelfos=Brother (note: I got this from an English to Greek dictionary so it's possible I got it wrong. . .my apologies if I did. . .I guess my H.S should have offered Greek.)     Chapter 28   The Lighthouse. Victor slowly made his way down the path to the duck pond, pushing Abby in her stroller. He occassionally stopped and pointed out a tree, offered bit of natural history. Once he reached the duck pond he came to a halt. "Hello Monk. I didn't hear you drive up. Abby and I were listening to a little Wagner." Kevin held out his arms for Abby. "Dad, please, start her out with Brahms would you?" He nuzzled Abby's face with his cheek. Already he was feeling calmer. "I take it that your visit with Lucy didn't go as we'd expected?" Victor frowned. "Perhaps I should have shown you the yarn chart after all." "Dad, there are some problems that not even one of your brilliant yarn charts can fix." Kevin's grin was forced. There was a sadness behind his eyes. "I overheard something in Lucy's office today." "What?" Victor leaned forward. Whatever Kevin had overheard was important. He didn't know if he could say the words out loud. It was too surreal. Of all the men in the world to be the father of Lucy's baby. . . .Luke Spencer. Kevin tried to categorize Lucy's relationship with Luke. It was tempting to dismiss the entire association as outrageous flirtation, but he knew in his heart that wasn't accurate. He'd seen Lucy's concern for him when she thought Laura was dead. And even after Luke confessed to faking his own wife's death, Lucy had bailed him out of jail. She worried about him, coddled him, nagged, irritated, and bullied him. As much as he hated it, he could accept that Luke would have a place in Lucy's life. It always seemed so removed from his own role in her life. Luke might be the man that Lucy went on her adventures with, but he was the man that she always came home to. To the untrained eye, their relationship was one sided. Lucy chose Luke to be her friend and that was it. Things were never what they seemed. For all of Luke's complaining, he loved Lucy. *~*Flashback February 24th 1998*~* Lucy's hospital room. "I'm getting really, really scared here Doc." Lucy had confessed. She was deteriorating rapidly, and despite the fact that the interns were working round the clock to find an antidote for the poison Rex had given her, her chances were slim and fading. Before Kevin could respond there was a voice from the doorway. "Don't get scared, Darlin'. You ain't gonna die. I won't let you." Standing at the foot of her bed, Luke Spencer looked more frightened than Kevin could ever remember. Lucy had accused him of coming to say goodbye to her. Her eyes filled with tears, but she looked relieved. As though the very fact that Luke Spencer forbid her to die made it gospel. When she accused him of coming to say his goodbyes, Kevin's hands had clenched at his response. "I don't do good-byes. Especially to the only woman I ever considered leaving my wife for." He came around the bed and nudged Kevin out of the way, so he could touch Lucy's face. There was a deep emotion in his voice that no matter how hard he tried, Kevin had never been able to pin down. Was it teasing? Friendship? Longing? Or was it love? Lucy shot back with "You never looked twice at me" And Luke had assured her. "Oh, I looked. I've been looking for a long time. The hard thing was looking away." *~*End Flashback*~* And now, Luke was divorced, he and Lucy were no longer together, and Lucy is carrying Luke's baby. "Monk? Talk to me." Victor waved a hand in front of his son's face. "Victor, what I tell you has to be between us. I'm trusting you." Kevin replied. "I shouldn't say anything, but I need to talk about it with someone. Lucy's pregnant Victor." Victor's eyes lit up, and his mind began to sort through the information available. Lucy was pregnant, judging by the times he'd seen her, she wasn't too far along, maybe two months. He conceded grudgingly that the baby couldn't be Kevin's because, well, honestly if Monk and Lucy had been together, then Monk wouldn't be so tightly wound or grumpy. So that left other options for the father. Victor supressed a shudder. It could possibly be that obnoxious Scott Baldwin. He disregarded that theory because of Scott and Lucy's amicable break up. He knew enough about Scott to know that he would never let Lucy go if she was carrying his child. So perhaps that Luke Spencer. Now that would be something of a quandry."Really? Did you offer her your congratulations?" He asked sternly. "Yes. I Did." Kevin huffed. "Dad, I'm not completely stupid where Lucy is concerned. And the fact is that I am actually very happy for her. She'll be a great mother." Choosing to forego a comment on how stupid his son was regarding the love of his life, Victor zeroed in on the problem. "My guess is that it's the choice in father that's got you in this state?" "Luke Spencer." Kevin nodded as he reached into the stroller for Abby's pacifier. "My, my. . . that's interesting." Victor nodded. "And does that change your congratulations and salutations into indignations?" "Victor, lay off the Dr. Seuss." Kevin snapped. "Of course not. It's just that. . . ." Just that what? What difference did it make to him that Lucy was carrying Luke's baby as opposed to Scott? Or some other man all together? "I don't know what it is, except for the fact that in this equation of me and Lucy, Luke Spencer is the unknown." "Then solve the equation." Victor rolled his eyes. "I know that math was never your strong suit, but let's break it down. You are a known factor, Lucy is a known factor, TALK TO HER YOU DUNDERHEADED NINCOMPOOP!" He ordered testily. Kids today! Kevin grinned. "Gee Dad, thanks for that heart warming fatherly advice." "I may not be heart warming son, but you know I'm right." Victor reached for his sleeping granddaughter and placed her in her stroller. "This whole thing is much more confusing than it was supposed to be. Boy meets girl, boy loves girl, boy and girl split up, and boy and girl get back together again." "It's all much easier on All My Children isn't it?" Victor asked knowingly. "Yes. Say, I missed yesterday, what's going on with Tad and Dixie?" Kevin asked then shook his head. "Nevermind. Look I don't know what the situation between Lucy and Luke is. But I won't know how to proceed with Lucy till I find out." "And how are you going to do that?" Victor asked. "I'm going directly to the horse's. . . . . . . MOUTH." Kevin stood up. "I'll be back in a bit Dad. Thanks." "Now Monk!" Victor recognized the glint in his son's eyes. "Don't do anything. . ." He didn't have a chance to finish the sentence before Kevin disappeared. "Stupid." **~**~*~**~*~**~** Luke's. Renee typed furiously. And jerked when something cold and slick trailed across her neck. "Excuse me? Mr. Spencer is that an icecube in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" She looked away from her laptop. And smiled at the sight of Luke grinning at her wickedly. "I've got to get this story in. Now be good boy, get back in the kitchen and make me a decent batch of cheesefries, extra cheese." "Hmph! Is that all I am to you woman? A piece of meat? I cook, I clean. . . " Renee arched an eyebrow and craned her head away from the computer screen to survey the apartment above the club. "Luke. I don't honestly think that shoving all the dirty laundry into a closet is considered cleaning." "It is if you're a guy." Luke answered. "Come on. You've been working over that piece on the PCPD for three hours. It's perfect. If you keep messing with it, you'll end up with a puff piece. E-mail it in you technophile you, and come downstairs and let me teach you how to dance." Renee sighed. He would be the death of her. The absolute death. But what a way to go. "I can't dance with you Luke. I'd hate for you to have a heart attack." She hit the send button and closed her laptop. "Maybe we could start out with a nice little foxtrot?" "FOXTROT? FOXTROT? Them there's FIGHTING words!" Luke huffed. "You have insulted my virility and now must pay the price." Rising to her feet Renee sauntered across the room. "Put your honor where your feet are big boy." She purred before opening the door and dashing down the stairs. Luke chuckled and followed her. Once in the club, Luke found Renee in front of his CD collection frowning. "What's the matter Twinkle toes?" "Your collection is sorrily lacking." Renee remarked thoughtfully. There is an astonished gasp from the waitstaff. No one ever questioned Luke's musical selection and lived to tell about it. They'd just lost a good waitress because she'd wanted to know if B.B.King was Don King's wife. It had gotten ugly. "Pardon me?" Luke's eyebrows arched. She was gorgeous, but he would have to kill her. Renee held up her fingers. "Just a sec, I think I have something in my purse that will fix things right up." She reached behind the bar and rummaged through a huge bag. "Ahh! Here it is!" She held up a tape triumphantly. Slipping it into the tape deck, she tugged Luke out onto the dance floor. Luke smiled. "Do you always carry a Bruce Springsteen tape with you?" He asked spinning her out of his arms only to pull her back in as the music began. "What can I say? I'm a one man kinda woman." Renee grinned. "It's the country girl in my heart."   ***~*~***~*~***~*~***~*~**** The Brownstone Carly paused at the bottom of the steps leading to the front door of the Brownstone. "Jason." "I know, I know it's not Monday. I wanted to talk to you." He stood up allowing her to pass him. Sighing heavily Carly opened the front door and led him down the hall. She dropped her things on the nearest chair and confronted him immediately. "What do you want Jason? I got your messages, but there's nothing left that I can say." "How about why you won't see me?" Jason suggested. "God! Jason!" Carly's temper blew. "What do you want from me? I mean, you spend two years of your life wishing that I would just disappear into the woodwork, that you'd never have to deal with me again, and now all of a sudden YOUR feelings are hurt and YOU want to make nice! What do you want from me? A game of pool? A slow dance? Someone to help you find your way home after you get too lit to drive? Or just a meaningless hump in a seedy room in a trashy dive?" She pokes him in the chest. "Come on Jason, just tell me what you want from me." Watching the anger, and the hurt in her eyes, Jason flinches. She was right. He had to want something. "I want it all." He replied. "I want to be your friend, and no matter what else people can say whatever they want about us, but we are friends." "But. . . . . ?" "I want everything." He answers slowly. "Not good enough Jason." Carly responded. "I'm sorry, but that's not good enough. I'm not settling anymore, for being temporary, or a passing fancy. You like having me around? That's great, but it's not working for me. I never know where I stand with you; one minute we're friends, the next lovers, we're Michael's mom and dad, then we're standing so far apart it's like we're enemies. I get whiplash from you Jase. You tell me that I have no claim on you. That who you see and what you do is your business. Then you catch me and Sonny kissing, and all of a sudden you're too drunk to stand up, spouting off about how you would have to kill Sonny if it happened again. I don't get it Jason. You don't want me? Fine! Tell me that! I can deal with it. Want me? TELL ME! I'm not a mind reader. If you can't tell me, then what do you expect?" When he doesn't reply Carly tosses up her hands. "That's IT!" "What?" "I can't take this anymore Jason. I'm not playing any games. This is my LIFE okay? I tell you I don't want to see you and you show up on my front steps. I ask you what you want from me and you can't give me a straight answer." She brushes at the corners of her eyes. "This isn't easy for me Jason, and you're making it so must harder." She bit her lip. "Maybe I should just move. New York isn't that far away, and you could see Michael any time you wanted. . . . " Jason took three steps towards Carly, his heart pounding a mile a minute. "NO!" His touch on her sleeve was gentle in contrast to the vehemence in his tone. "Don't leave Carly. You don't have to move." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If you want me to leave you alone. . . .I'll do it. I promise." "You will?" Carly gulped. "I never lie to you Carly. If you want me to get out of your life. You've got it." He leaned in closer and feathered his lips lightly over her forehead. "The last thing I ever wanted was to hurt you. I won't stay gone forever though. Eventually we're going to have to sit down, and really talk, you and me without anyone else's ghosts. Not Sonny or Robin or A.J or even our son. . . . but till you're ready I can wait." He brushed one more kiss across her cheek and closed the door behind himself. *~**~*~**~* Luke's. Seated in the office, Luke went over the reciepts from the night before with satisfaction. There's a knock on the door. "Come on in." He calls out bending as he puts the books in the safe. "What can I do ya' for?" "I'd like to know what you think you're doing?" Kevin clenched his hands to his sides and forced himself to be calm. "Well hey there Ex-Doc Shrink." Luke greeted him casually. "To what do I owe this neighborly visit?" You arrogant jerk. Luke added silently. "May I?" Neanderthal. Kevin indicated a chair. "Oh please do." Luke gritted out, all the while thinking 'weenie'. "Now that we've faked our way through all the Miss Manners crap, why don't you tell me why you're here?" Kevin crossed one leg over the other and studied Luke carefully. "I know about your child." He began. "Lucky? Lulu? Take your pick." "Your child with Lucy." Kevin clarified. He knew a stall tactic when he heard one. "I know that you are the father of her baby." Luke reached for a cigar, snipped and lit it. "She tell ya'? That's great!" "Lucy didn't tell me precisely." "Then there's nothing for us to talk about. Lucy's baby, Lucy's business. And let's face it Ex-Doc-Shrink, you don't really have the right to come prying into the lady's business." "I care a great deal for Lucy. That makes it my business. I'm concerned about her welfare." "Oh please, you're concerned that Lucy and I got together in the spur of the moment, got nekkid, horizontal, and made a baby. And you're even more concerned cause you know that if that had ever happened, she would never want you back. I mean, why have chopped liver when you could have filet mignon." He puffed on his cigar. "I know that you were with Lucy at her doctor's appointment." "One that you should have been there for." Kevin pointed out snarkily. "I understand that responsibility and FAMILY aren't your strong points Luke. . . ." "Listen Collins. Last time I checked you dumped Lucy flat on her ass in front of a crowded church, and never took a second glance at her again. You were too busy hitting the sheets and knocking boots with a kid young enough to be a Girl Scout. And speaking of the dearly departed 15 year old, she left you your own bundle of joy. Imagine that, two doctors and neither one of you remembered how to use a rubber. So you've got to have a HUGE set of cojones to come into my club and talk to me about responsibility." He leaned over his desk and bared his teeth. "What do you want here? For me to declare my intentions?" "No. Quite the opposite Luke." Kevin's demeanor is icy. "I'm here to declare MY intentions. I love Lucy. And I intend to spend every waking moment helping her fall in love with me again. I will be a part of her life, I'm only telling you this for one reason. If you have any idea of using Lucy's child to ooze your way further into her life, you can forget it." Luke of course had no intention of a romantic attachment between him and Lucy, but he'd eat broken glass before giving Dr. Kevin Blowhard Collins the satisfaction. It would be better for Lucy to keep the guy on his toes. "We'll see won't we Ex-Doc Shrink?" Thug. "No. WE won't see anything Luke. I'm telling you the way things are going to be." Luke got to his feet. "Look Loon-Boy, everytime to open your mouth you manage to tear down one of the best friends I've ever had. Get over it already, Lucy's moving on with her own life, the last thing she needs is a nut-job stalking her for the rest of. . . " Luke can't finish the sentence once Kevin slams his fist into his jaw. "You're a pathetic man Spencer. You made a shambles of your own life and marriage, and now you're moving into the middle of Lucy's." Luke's recovery was swift, a strong shot to Kevin's solar plexus left the other man doubled over. "Anything that goes on between me and Lucy is none of your business you cracked quack." As the two men continued to brawl, Lucy and Renee poked their heads in the door, and backed slowly out. "Um, Cuz, why do I get the feeling that's not good?" Renee asked as they took seats at the bar. "Well. . . " Lucy sighed. "Maybe it's just male bonding?" She suggested hopefully then flinches as there is a horrible crashing sound from the backroom. "We really should break it up." Renee glanced worriedly in the direction of the back room. Lucy snagged a plate of cheesefries from the tray of a passing waitress. "You go right ahead. If you wanna stand between Luke and Kevin when they're flexing their. . . . " Lucy grinned wickedly. "Testosterone. Be my guest. I'll just go in when it's over and sweep up the teeth." She offered Renee a chessefry. Renee nodded. "Good point." Voices grow louder from the office. "Ignoramous!" "Hey Collins! I hear the chick living in David Letterman's attic died, why don't you try HIS place?" Luke snarled. Renee chuckled. "That one was actually kind of funny." She explained to a frowning Lucy. "You dullwitted, bald headed socially inept, emotionally stunted, bottom feeding troglodyte!" Lucy grinned back at Renee. "I think that one gets high marks for accuracy!" Claude leaned over the bar. "Boss man sounds pretty ticked. Ya'll want me to break it up?" Renee and Lucy looked at each other. "How much is Luke paying you these days Claude? And do you have health benefits yet?" There's another lound banging noise from the back and Claude shakes his dreadlocked head. "He ain't payin' me NEARLY enough." He responded. "Listen to me you over educated, stuffed shirt, sari wearin cross dresser!" Luke bellowed. "You make an uglier woman than Scorpio!" When Renee and Claude looked at Lucy, she shrugged. "It's a long story, but I can say this, neither Mac OR Kevin made pretty women!" The small crowd in the club is absolutely silent listening for the next insult. "Ill-mannered, ill-bred, dim witted, foul tempered thug!" "Hmm. . . ." Renee quirked a grin at Claude. "He IS foul tempered." Lucy swirled another fry through the bright orange cheese and popped it into her mouth. "And he can be a thug. But dim witted? Nahh. . ." "I bet Luke comes up with a better one." Renee challenged pulling out her wallet. "Ha! I'll take that action!" Lucy reached for her purse. "You're nothing but a snobby, bullying, whiney, nut job with a fetish for women's clothing." Once the entire bar has gotten in on the action, Renee nudges Lucy. "They're fighting about you. Aren't you going to break it up?" "Nah. . . Luke and his big mouth started it, and Kevin's big nose got him into it. He can't stay out of the middle of my life." She winced when she heard the Tiffany lamp hit the wall. "I'd rather that they get it out of their systems NOW instead of later." Turning to Claude she smiled sweetly. "Got any apple pie?"            Chapter 28       As Luke and Kevin slammed into the main room of the club. Claude rolled his eyes. "I better get a bonus in my check this week." He muttered disgustedly. He came out from behind the bar grabbing his baseball bat. He lightly tapped Luke on the shoulder. "Boss, not on my shift. You know how much violence upsets me." Lucy got up off the barstool. "Hey, Doc. I think you've both had enough." When Kevin glowers at her darkly, Lucy heaved a dramatic sigh. "Okay, fine. If you want you can come back tomorrow and play." Using the end of the baseball bat Claude nudged Luke out of hitting range from Kevin. "I have to put up with his eccentricities, the man writes my check. But you? I don't have to. Now get the hell outta this club and come back when you've got some manners and can show some respect." Kevin rubbed his bruised jaw. "That's funny, that's exactly what Luke and I were talking about, wasn't it?" "Oh absolutely." Luke nodded. "That and the right to privacy." "Yeah, Plato, Aristotle, Voltaire, Spencer, Collins, Larry, Curly and Moe, the great thinkers through history." Renee tugged on Luke's arm. "Why don't we finish this great theological debate in the back room?" She suggested dragging Luke away. Lucy stood staring at Kevin. "Want a ride home?" She offered through gritted teeth. "Are you sure you're not too angry to drive?" Kevin asked. "Oh no." Lucy reached for her purse and keys. "Besides, * I * have a drivers' side airbag. You're the one that ought to be worried." She snapped. "Let's go before I open up a theological debate of my own."   *~*~*~*~*~*~* "So that's where we left it." Carly cradled a cup of tea in her hands and looked at Bobbie. "Well. . . . ???" "Well what?" Bobbie asked taking a sip of her own tea. "Isn't this the part where you ask what I'm doing? What I think I'm doing? And why I think I have the right to toy with Jason's life?" She asked defensively. She was trying to pick a fight, but Bobbie wasn't rising to the bait. She wanted to be angry, anything but sad. Bobbie leaned over and patted Carly's leg. "Trust me honey, I'm sitting here trying to think up a reason to disapprove so that we can fight." She offered helpfully. "But to be honest, I think what you're doing is a good thing." Bobbie tolerated Carly lifting a hand to check her temperature. "I mean it Carly, I know how you feel about Jason and I know how difficult it is to walk away. But if you don't think he's in love with you, whatever pain you're feeling right now would only get worse in time." "Right. Took me long enough, but I finally got the picture. I never realized how much of my life was centered around Jason. Trying to get Jason to notice me. Trying to make Jason fall in love with me." She set down her cup. "But now, there's this whole other life, and I finally get that it's mine. For once it doesn't depend on Michael, or Jason. I never thought that A.J and I could be in the same place at the same time, but I think this business is gonna work out okay. And look at us." She grins. "We're sitting here having TEA. . . . ." "Odd isn't it?" Bobbie remarked. She was amazed that they were forging a relationship. That wasn't to say there weren't problems, but now they seemed minor in comparison to being a part of Carly's life. They were destined to clash on everything from clothes, to men, to views of the world, but no matter how big the blowups, their bond as mother and daughter would always draw them back together. It was like a rubbed band between them. Carly could stretch it like nobody's business. Then something would send her catapaulting back. Jerry came into the living room with Lucas. He bent over the back of Bobbie's chair and kissed her. "Hello Love. Hello Carly." Carly waved. "Hey Lucas." "Jerry and I were just out riding Sheba." Lucas announce to his mother. "I can tell." Bobbie wrinkled her nose. "You need a bath, and then you need some dinner. We'll be down in a few." She pointed to Carly. "You'll stay?" "Sure. Want me to mangle some lettuce for a salad?" Carly offered. For some reason she needed this today. The whole making dinner, family thing. It was soothing. "Good idea, and Jerry, you can set the table." Bobbie instructed ushering Lucas up the stairs. Jerry washed his hands carefully and reached into the china cabinet for the dishes. "So Carly, how goes the party planning business?" "Not bad." Carly pulled the ingredients from the fridge. "I was just asking cause Jax wants to throw a little party at the hospital in the new wing he's dedicating to Brenda, a wing devoted to genetic research." Jerry winced remembering Jax's response to his suggestion that Carly plan the party. "Your brother hate me." Carly offered. "He probably only wants me in the hospital so that there'll be a morgue nearby." Jerry chuckled. "I admit, he's not one of your fan club. But I managed to talk him into it. So the job's yours if you want it." He'd had to pull out YEARS worth of emotional blackmail, but he knew that it would make Carly happy. A happy Carly meant a happy Bobbie, and a happy Bobbie might possiblely put on that silk green confection she'd ordered from Victoria's Secret to thank him. He was a man of simple pleasures. "I'll have to talk to my partner." Carly bit her lip as she tore off chunks of lettuce. They could do it. And if they could pull it off it would be a phenomenal coup. She began chopping tomatoes into the salad bowl, smacking Jerry's hand as he reached for one. "Out of there." Leaning against the refridgerator, Jerry folds his arms and watches her for several moments. "Look, if I don't say something my head'll explode all over your mother's kitchen. Is Morgan bothering you? I saw him on the steps earlier. It wasn't my place to get rid of him, but I damn well wasn't going to invite him inside." He frowned. Carly shook her head. "Jason's not a problem." She said quietly. "Not anymore." "You don't sound happy about that." Jerry observed. "What gives?" "It's nothing okay?" She answered too sharply. "You're being nice Jerry. I'm sorry, I just can't talk about it anymore okay?" "Got ya'." Nodding he took the finished salad from her hands and placed it on the table. "Lucas has been bugging me for flying lessons." He changed the subject quickly, if not smoothly. He didn't want to make the kid cry. She reminded him too much of himself when he was much younger. He was young and wild and everyone was certain he'd never make it to 30. Carly was wild, just in a different way. And as for being the black sheep, no sheeps's wool had ever been blacker. "Wanna tag along some Sunday?" Carly had to admit it. She liked Jerry Jacks. Not only did he treat Bobbie like a complete queen, he seemed to genuinely like being involved with her mother's kids. "That would be great." She answered giving him a smile. "I can't wait! Can you teach me how to do one of those loop things?" "Why stop there?" Jerry replied filling water glasses. "I'm thinking we rent a crop duster and try our luck at sky writing!" He was wrong about Carly. She wasn't going to cry. Not over Morgan anyways. She was tougher than she looked. *~*~*~*~*~*~* The Lighthouse. Victor met them at the door. "Lucy! Ma cherie!" Taking one look at Kevin Victor shook his head. "Son, tomorrow we are going over that yarn chart whether you like it or not!" He grabbed his hat. "I'm on my way out with Mike. I'll see YOU later son!" He threatened. His son was a remarkable man with the occassional pinheaded tendency. When Victor breezed past her, Lucy called "Don't forget your seatbelt Victor! Mike drives like a maniac!" "Yeah, yeah!" Once on the couch Kevin looked up balefully at Lucy, batting his eyelashes. "I throw myself on the mercy of the court?" "Bad move considering the mood I'm in." Lucy blew out a breath. "I'm assuming that you overheard me and Lucky." When he nodded in confirmation she sighed. "I wasn't keeping it a secret because I'm ashamed or embarassed. I kept it to myself because it's nobody's business but mine." She walked into the kitchen to find Abby in there with her nanny. "Hey Zoe." "Hi Ms. Coe." Zoe returned. "I thought I heard voices out there. I mean, more than just the ones in my head." She grinned, waiting for a horrified reaction. In her few dealings with Lucy, she found that the other woman was extremely protective of the Collins family, and being the little devil she was, she couldn't help but tweak her on occassion. "Where's the ice bucket?" Lucy asked distractedly. "Kevin's got some bruises and I thought I'd make him all better before I killed him." The pretty nanny got up from the table and reached into a cupboard taking down the ice bucket and filling it. "Please don't do that. He hasn't written my check yet." She folded some ice in a clean dishtowel. There was a knock at the back door, and a blonde head popped in. "You ready?" Chris Ramsey asked, then stopped in his tracks when he saw Lucy looking at him curiously. "Hello Dr. Ramsey." Lucy greeted him watching Zoe flush slightly. "I didn't know doctors still made house calls." She remarked. "We don't. Godfathers do." Chris replied quickly. "Well since you're here," Lucy gestured to the livingroom. "There's a patient that could use some attention. Kevin's got some bruises and he's cradling his side. He won't go to the hospital. If you could just nip on out to your car and grab your bag, take a look at him, you can go back to playing Dr. Feelgood and the Naughty Nanny." Once she'd left the kitchen Zoe made a face at her back. "You may as well go get your bag Dr. Feelgood." She laughed. "Chris is here. He's going to look at your ribs." Lucy informed Kevin handing him the icepack. "And once he's gone, you and I are going to have a long conversation about MY privacy, MY baby and MY life." Chris comes in carrying his bag. "How'd you know I'd have my bag with me?" He asked taking one look at Kevin and letting out a low whistle. "Anyone get the liscense of the truck that backed over your face?" Kevin looked woefully at Lucy. "What? Dr. Kevorkian wasn't available?" Ramsey might be Abby's godfather, but Kevin was not in the mood for his flippant remarks. In fact, the only mood he was in involved a nice bottle of Akavit. "I've been married to enough doctors to know you always carry your bag with you." Lucy remarked. "So I've heard." Chris snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and turned Kevin's face from side to side. "Superficial. Open your shirt." "Not tonight, I've got a headache." Kevin grumbled. "Kevin, either you let him look at your ribs, or I'll go into the kitchen and make you DINNER." She threatened evilly. "Then for dessert I'll make you a cup of cappucino!" "Over my dead body!" Kevin objected trying to rise as she disappeared into the kitchen. "Sit down." Chris ordered. "The quicker you let me see your ribs, the quicker I can get away from that nutcase." Kevin unbuttoned his shirt, revealing some nasty bruises. "She is NOT a nutcase." He gritted out between clenched teeth. Luke Spencer had done quite a number on his ribs. Bastard. "Yeah sure. Everyone threatens to make people cappucino." Chris rolled his eyes. "You've never seen her in the kitchen." Kevin grunted when Chris hit a particularly sensitive spot on his left side. "You sure don't wait long do you Collins? Eve's not in the ground for long before you've got Lucy draped all over you again like a cheap suit." He observed bitterly. Kevin kept himself from replying to that, and took a moment to study the younger doctor. His first reaction was to shoot back, but suddenly he felt a wave of recognition wash over him. "You'll live." Chris pronounced harshly peeling off his gloves. "But do yourself a favor and get them X-rayed tomorrow." "Thanks Chris." Kevin responded as he watched him carefully and made a decision. "You up for lunch with me and Abby tomorrow?" He asked cautiously. Before Chris could answer, Lucy came back into the room. "Well, is he going to live?" "For now." Chris packed up his bag. "Don't worry, I'll bill you for the visit." He remarked before leaving. "What a little punk." Lucy complained, then turned back to the topic at hand. Kevin was buttoning his shirt again. For a moment she lost her train of thought, he had a great chest. "Kevin, I've told you how important this baby is to me. You said you understood. So I didn't think that who the father was concerned you. I know you don't trust my judgement, but that's your problem." "Lucy. It has nothing to do with your judgement." Kevin corrected gently. "It has to do with mine." He rubbed his jaw. "I admit that I was a jerk and I had no right. But when I heard that you were carrying Luke's child. . . . .I don't know where Luke is in your life right now Lucy. I had to see him for myself, to know if you're in love with him or the other way around. Because I love you. I want you happy. And I want you to be happy with me." "Kevin-" "Please, listen?" He asked. "I've done a lot of thinking about what happened between us." He continued. "And a big part of why I couldn't forgive you for lying to me about Serena's accident was that I had this niggling doubt in the back of my mind about you and Scott. I thought that you went to such great lengths to protect your place in Scott's life. I wondered about you and Scott for years Lucy. Ever since that first tape of Serena came. He was a presence in our lives, but as long as he was out of town, he wasn't a presence in our home. " "But you never asked me Kevin." Lucy shook her head. "You never said anything." "I know, and that was my mistake. That's why I went to Luke tonight. Because I wanted to know where he stands in your life." "Then ask ME!" Lucy cried out. "Kevin, ask me not Luke." She leaned into him and cupped his face carefully between her palms. "Ask me." She repeated. Kevin closed his eyes, his heart tripping a mile a minute. He didn't want the answer to this question. He didn't want to ask it out loud and he certainly did NOT want her to tell him she was in love with Spencer. "Do you love Luke?" He whispered. "Was that so hard?" Lucy asked, tears in her eyes. "No. I'm not in love with Luke Spencer." "If only I'd asked you that. . . . " "Shh." Lucy placed a finger over his lips. "I don't want to talk about the past anymore Kevin. It won't change no matter how much we dissect it." She rose gracefully to her feet. "If you want to know something about me Kevin, ask me." She requested. "If I want you to know I'll tell you. If I don't I'll tell you to take a long walk off a short pier. Take care of yourself Doc." She ordered. Kevin stood wincing at the shooting pain in his ribs. "I was a jerk, and I apologize Lucy." He kissed her lightly. "My only excuse is that I love you. It's a terrible excuse. . . . ." "It's not so terrible Doc." Lucy replied. "But we both know love doesn't fix everything." "Not everything. No. But change can. Give me a chance Lucy. I've changed from the man I was before I came to Port Charles. I've changed from the man I was when I stalked Felicia. I've changed from the man that left you on our wedding day. Let me show you." He caressed her cheek. "There's nothing I want more in this world than to believe you Kevin. . . . " "Take a leap of faith Lucy. You trusted me once, trust me again. I'm not going to let you down. I know you love me. It might not solve everything, but it's a place to start." She can't deny it. Even if she wanted to. There's no denying the fact that Kevin Collins was the love of her life. And maybe, just maybe she could edge out on that ledge again. She was a woman that lived from a lot of second chances. How could she refuse him? It would be safer to keep walking, but what good was there in walking away from what your heart desired just to prove that you were strong enough to do it? She leaned into his touch. "I love you too Doc." The words were no sooner out of her mouth, than Kevin's hands delved deep into her hair, and he kissed her devoutly, adoringly, worshipfully. She loved him and he vowed silently that he would never give her reason to doubt him again. *~*~*~*~*~*~* Greece. Stefan strode across the tarmack to reach the jet, his goodbye with Laura still in his mind. . . . . . "You were right Laura. This island is a prison. In more than one way." He could barely look at her. She was too beautiful for words. But he knew that the only thing he had left to give her was her freedom. The one thing he'd been too selfish to give her before that moment. "I'm leaving now. The compound will be closed, the house destroyed." At her shocked expression he nodded. "I want no reminders." He looked out on the water. "When you return to Port Charles, there will be nothing to fear from me Laura. I am ending my obsession. The only connection between us is Nikolas, and you and he have forged a bond so tight that not even I in all my arrogance would dar presume to break it." "Stefan. . . . ." "This is what is best. I've brought you nothing but misery." He continued. "I am through controlling your life." He walked towards her and planted a reverent kiss on her forehead. "Goodbye Laura." Before starting beck down the path . . . . Climing onto the jet, Stefan is startled to find Laura sitting in one of the wide seats flipping through a magazine. "Oh! Hello there Stefan, your pilot and I were beginning to grow concerned." Laura smiled broadly. "It's been hours." She gestured to where an open bottle of water sat next to her seat. "I hope you'll forgive me, I get so dehydrated on long flights." "What are you doing here?" Stefan managed to croak out. "My flight was canceled." Laura replied. "I thought since we were heading in the same direction, you wouldn't mind offering me a lift." "Mr. Cassadine, we are cleared for take off. Please fasten your seatbelts." The pilot's voice comes over the loud speaker. Speechless Stefan took a seat and buckled himself in, still uncertain of Laura's presence. Laura rose from her seat and moved to a seat next to his. "If you don't mind, I need a hand to hold onto. I'm something of a white knuckle flier." She explained. Stefan cleared his throat as the plane began to taxi down the runway. He felt Laura's cool soft hand slip into his own. It was agony because he knew as soon as the plane landed, they would go their own seperate ways. "Actually Laura, I will only be flying as far as New York." Stefan informed her. "From there I will be taking a vacation. If you like I will have my driver meet you and escort you to Port Charles." "Why Stefan, that's very thoughtful of you." Laura remarked holding his hand tighter as they began their ascent. "Where are you planning on going for your vacation? I didn't realize you were taking one. When I spoke to Nikolas he was under the impression that you were coming home." "My plans have changed." Stefan replies stiffly. "I think it best for everyone if I am absent from Port Charles for a time. There is nothing to tie me to Port Charles anymore and I am sure that my continued presence would be uncomfortable at best for you. I told you Laura. I am not going to continue my relentless pursuit." He nodded solemnly. "You are a free women now." He stares straight ahead unable to meet her blue eyes. "And when I do return to Port Charles, you will not have to concern yourself. I will do everything in my power to avoid you." Laura opened her mouth. "Stefan that's not what. . . . " Before she can continue, he interrupts. "Not what I have shown you in the past?" He asked rhetorically. "I understand that I have given you every reason to distrust me. For once I am determined to act like an honorable man rather than a savage beast." Stefan heard a muffled choking noise from Laura. "Are you ill?" Her blue eyes twinkling Laura nodded. "Yes. Please, go on. I'm listening." She encouraged. It was fascinating. She'd never seen Stefan in such a dither before. He was in complete Greek tragedy mode, complete with goatee stroking, and earnestly furrowed brow. "You were saying?" "Only that I will no longer force myself into your life. The past is dead and buried. I wish to thank you for making me see that." "Anytime." Laura replied wryly. "Now you were saying something about a vacation. . . .How long are you thinking of being gone?" "I thought several months." He answered stiffly. He had no claim on her. No hold. And no place in her life. "That will make things difficult." Laura remarked in an equally dire tone. "Excuse me?" Obviously he had lost the thread of their conversation. "Well if you are off God knows where it will make it very difficult for us to date." Stefan repeated the words as if speaking a foreign tongue. "Date?" "Yes. Date. You know, dinner, movie, opera. . . . " Laura explained. "Date." "Are you hysterical?" Stefan's brows furrowed together. She was making no sense. He just vowed to stay out of her life forever and exile himself from Port Charles in an effort to give her the room she needed to move on in her life away from him, and she was making jokes about dating? "Not hysterical, but LuLu thinks I can tell a mean knock knock joke." She couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. "I understand you'll have your reservations Stefan. But trust me I would never hurt you." Seeing his puzzled expression she lifted her hand to caress his face. "Would it help if I courted you?" "It would help me Laura to know what you are talking about." Laura unfastened her safety belt and slid into his lap. Once comfortable she touched his chest. "Stefan. I don't know what you think, but I never recall telling you that I wanted you out of my life." Stunned Stefan glared at her. "You have given me every indication that you want no part of me." Laura waggled her eyebrows. "Stefan. I want many parts of you. But the one thing I did not want, and do not want is a relationship built in the past. Now you're the one assuming that by rejecting the romantic trappings of our past I'm rejecting the man that you are NOW. And that's ridiculous. I told you that Lasha was dead. And she is God rest her soul. But Laura... " She slid an arm around his neck. "Is very much alive. I am sorry for the cruel things I've said to you. But if you think about it for a moment, they were things that were standing between us all this time. No matter how much we tried to ignore them, they kept coming back to haunt us." Stefan shook his head. "Laura I do not understand what you're saying." "You act as if it's inconceivable that I want you as you are NOW." "A man that tried to destroy your life?" "No, the man that's selfless enough, and stupid enough to think I want him to walk away. The man that leaves me poetry, and takes me to the opera, the man that steals kisses in the sweetest ways. The man that is as PROUD of my accomplishments as I am. And yes you tend to be Machiavellian, you can't help it. . . .it's the combination of your brooding Russian gene pool and your tragic Greek upbringing." She grinned like a Cheshire cat from ear to ear. "And I've been on to you for some time now." She laid her head on his chest, feeling warm as his arms finally closed around her. "I'm not fooling myself anymore Stefan. You're no white knight, but then, I'm no damsel in distress." She placed a light kiss on his jawline. "I promise we can take things slowly. The last thing I want if to rush you, or pressure you in any way." She continued her kisses coaxingly. As her lips reach his ear she whispers. "Stefan, have you ever heard the Americanism "Mile High Club"?"