Breaking Away Chapters 7 - 8     Chapter 7   "Come on in, Lucy." Victor jerked his head towards the livingroom. "Excuse the mess ma cherie." He explains dazedly. "Monk and I---" "Dear God Victor!" Lucy couldn't contain a horrified gasp. The Lighthouse was in ruins. Baby things were strewn over every surface imagineable, including onesies draped over several of the globes, baby blankets hung from Kevin's easel, there were bottles stacked on the table along with dishes and parts of a baby crib on the floor. "What in the heck have you guys been---?" Noticing the dark circles under Victor's eyes and Kevin's disheveled appearence as he came in from the kitchen. "Nevermind. New baby, two guys with no baby experience, not a clue between you, forget I even asked." She took the baby in her arms. "Okay. First order of business. Both of you go upstairs, get showers and go to sleep." "Lucy!" Kevin's tired eyes widened. He hadn't had sleep in a week. It seemed like no matter what he did, his daughter was unhappy. He was beginning to question his fitness as a parent, on an hourly basis. "I can't ask you to . . . " "Doc, first rule of being a parent, take help where you can get it. Me and--" She waited for an answer to the little girl's name. "Abigail." Victor supplied. "Very nice to meet you Abigail." Lucy said to the tiny child. "Abigail and I are gonna get this place in shape. While you both sleep till you can't another minute. Now go." She watched as Kevin and Victor made their way up the spiral staircase. "Well now young lady, this is a fine mess you've made." Holding the baby with one arm, Lucy picked up the phone with the other. ~*~ Five hours later, Kevin came down the stairs showered, shaved, and dressed in clean clothes. He'd never slept better in his life. At the bottom of the stairs he realized that something was radically different. He could see the floor. And the top of the tables. And nothing was hanging off his easel. In fact the place was immaculate. "Lucy?" "Just a sec." Lucy came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel. "Well, I may have to cancel that autopsy after all! You look much better." As the door swung back and forth, Kevin could smell beef burgundy stew, his favorite. "Did you cook that?" He asked in astonishment, "I mean, you cleaned, and cooked and. . . " Lucy tosses up her hands in aggravation. "WHY do men insist on mistaking me for Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart?" She rolled her eyes to heaven. "Nope to all the above. I had a maid service come in. They're coming three times a week from now on, all you have to do is call them and tell 'em when. The food is from Cafe Matisse. They also deliver. A week's worth of meals for two at a very reasonable price. Each week all you and Victor have to do is select from their menu what you want for the coming week. Also, I put together the crib, and shame on the two of you for not reading the VERY simple instructions!" Lucy admonished Victor as he joined them. She pointed towards a stack of books on the coffee table. "I had the library make a delivery too. The two of you are such Rhodes Scholars, you can approach this like everything else. STUDY." "I don't know what to say." Kevin allowed himself a small smile. "Well I DO!" Victor declared as he leaned over to Lucy and planted a smacking kiss on her cheek. "You are a Goddess." "Why thank you. Now Victor. I have a mission for you." Lucy directed slyly. "I need you to take your nifty little laptop and look on the web for sites about parenthood. Do not stop at the F.B.I site, or at the K.G.B archives. Just look for parenthood sites." "Splendid idea Lucy!" "As for you, when Abigail wakes up she's gonna need a bottle. I made up enough for the rest of the night and put them in the refridgerator. Forget warming them in a pan of hot water. You've got a microwave, use it." She reached for her coat. "The baby monitor's on, so that you can hear her when she gets up." "Won't you stay for dinner?" Kevin asked. "It seems like the least I could do after everything you've done today." "Sorry Kevin. I have other plans. Maybe another time?" As she grabbed her purse off the coffee table, she dropped a kiss on Victor's cheek. "Take care of them." She whispered in his ear before breezing out the door. *~* Jake's. "Thanks for meeting me Jason." Carly smiled as he took her coat. It wasn't her fur, but she liked it just as well. Or. . . almost as well. She sauntered over to the bar, and slapped down a ten dollar bill. "A roll of quarers Jake, and a bottle of bourbon. We're celebrating." Jason sat at one of the small tables. "You never did say what we were celebrating." He scowled. "If you think I'm going to drink to A.J getting to see Michael you're.. . . . " Carly lifter her glass to cut him off. "Don't go there. We are celebrating my first job as a party planner." She propped her purple suede boots up on the battered table top. "Before you and A.J spent the afternoon with Michael, I was at Alexis' and she agreed to give me a chance to plan a party for her and her new partner." "Why?" Jason asked downing his shot. "A game?" "Well I didn't come here for the food." Carly replied. She was feeling great. Working for Alexis, planning a party would be fun, and who knew? this could lead to other opportunities. She waited until Jason had racked the balls. "So this is part a "Congratulations for getting off your dead ass" party, and a "Gee, you didn't rip A.J's lungs out and gnaw on them while I was gone." party." Jason leaned on his cue as Carly broke. "He shouldn't be around Michael, he doesn't know anything about him." When none of the balls dropped in, he lined up a shot and proceeded to run the table. "Well Jason, Honey. I hate to break it to you, but that's because we never let him within fifty feet of Michael." Carly explained pouring herself another shot. "I mean out of 16 months, how much time has A.J had with our son?" "What? Now you want to hand Michael over to the Quartermaines?" "Jason, someone really smart once said that you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If anything ever happened and this whole thing went to court again, all we have to do is show the court that we went out of our way to include A.J as a part of Michael's life. Plus, all that stuff I said before is true too. Michael's gonna find out about this weird little family and I want it to be from you and me. I don't even want him to find out, I just want him to grow up accepting that he has two fathers and that it's okay to love them both. He shouldn't feel guilty." Missing a shot, Jason stood back and watched as Carly staged an incredible upset she slowly began to make every shot that she tried, figuring all the angles, and manuevering Jason out of the way. As she sank the last shot she grinned. "How ya' like me now Frappucino Boy?" "You hustled me." "Nah. .. I just let you think you were winning, and then came back and beat you like a red headed step child. . . ." Carly grinned. "Never mind!" Jason couldn't help but smile. "So tell me again why that wasn't hustling?" "Cause if I was hustling you there would have been money on the table." She answered. Man, it had been way too long since she and Jason had had fun together. It was as if nothing else had happened and they were still friends. "So, how many of these is it gonna take to get you to admit that I was right about letting A.J see Michael?" She asked picking up her glass. Jason lifted his arm. "Jake! A couple more bottles over here." They sat in the bar for a few hours, drinking, fighting, shooting pool. But when a group of frat boys started to hassle them for the table, Carly dropped a handful of quarters into the jukebox. The first was Tina Turner. "Jase, come on. Let's dance." When he started to shake his head she tugged on his hand. "I'm not going to assault you on the floor. Dancing with you makes me look good to all the other guys in here, and visa versa. I know, I know, you're not looking for a woman. Well maybe you should be." She pulled him onto the floor and they started to move together like two pieces of a living puzzle. ~*~ All I want is a little reaction Just enough to tip the scales I'm just using my female attraction On a typical male, on a typical male Your sense of justice I'll embrace But your defense don't help my case I'm deep in trouble with the law Something about authority Seems to bring out the bad in me   ~*~*~ Lucy's house. She sat in the dark clasping a pillow to her chest. Kevin was a father. That was a good thing. Really. He would be the kind of father every child in the world deserved. Funny, kind, smart. When the doorbell rang she got to her feet. "Who is it?" "Hey Luce? Ya in there? You left your day planner in the club." Luke called from the other side of the door. Sniffling, Lucy leaned against the door. "Luke, could you um, just leave it?" She asked. "I don't feel very well, and. . ." Before she could finish the sentence Luke opened the door with the spare key he'd found hidden behind her mailbox. "What's wrong?" Luke took in the dark house, and the one candle burning. "Luke, just. I'm just lousy company tonight k'?" Lucy turned away. She didn't want to cry. Not in front of anybody. She was tougher than that. Reaching out Luke pulled her back against his chest. "Come on babe. You know you can tell me." "Maybe I just don't want to Luke. You know, I'm trying to get that talking too much thing out of my system and you're really not helping. So I think you should go on back to the club. Cause it's just that day when you want to crawl under the covers and try again another time." "I know those days well babe, and on every single one of them I recall some broad breaking into the apartment over the club and forcing breakfast down the throat of an unwilling, uncooperative alkie with no table manners." Luke guided her to the couch and brushed aside boxes of tissues, and shoe catalogs. Setting her down, he plucked up one of the catalogs. "Neiman Marcus? That's pretty heavy artilery." "You heard about Eve right?" Lucy asked resigning herself to Luke's company. Once he had an idea in his head, there was no stopping him. Why did that sound so familiar? "Yeah. And I heard Doc Shrink's a papa." Luke reclined back on the couch and pulled Lucy with him. "Right. Victor called me to tell me what had happened, so I got some stuff from Bobbie's attic at the Brownstone, baby gear you know? And moved it into the lighthouse for Kevin and his daughter." "Pretty damn nice of you considering how Collins treated you." Luke muttered. "So you lugged all that stuff over there, and what did he do? Chew you out for not waiting for an engraved invitation?" "No, I was planning on being out of there before they got home from the hospital, but one of the delivery trucks took longer than I expected." Lucy explained. "So I was there when he brought her home." She swallowed. "She's gorgeous Luke. So tiny, I mean like a china doll. I guess it was just really hard for me to see him with his daughter because. . . " "You still love him?" "It's not that. I had a doctor's appointment the other day. The morning that Serena and I planted flowers." Luke held his breath. "Are you alright, Luce?" "It's official. I can't have children." She breathed out, then clenched her jaw tightly to keep from crying. "I know the doctors said before that my chances weren't great, but I figured, "Hey! I'm Lucy Coe." the odds don't apply to me!" "Aw Luce. I know how much having children means to you." Luke consoled. He knew she was struggling to contain her pain. It was a tactic he knew well and used regularly. "I know it sounds so selfish, but I - I always wanted a family of my own. And when I think of all the chances I've blown. . . times when I could have been a mother but I was too greedy, or too vain, and sometimes even thoughtless." She whispered. Luke was silent because he knew that there was nothing he could say to ease her pain. "And I'm happy that Kevin has a child, something I could never give him. But some part of me just feels like it's dying." She swiped at her eyes. "So being at the lighthouse when Kevin came home with his daughter was just too much." "I'm sorry babe." Luke stroked her hair. Here she'd been taking care of him, when all the while she was hurting. "I know it's not the same, but you do have a little girl that loves you to pieces ya' know?" "I know, and Serena is what makes it even tolerable." Lucy nodded. "My whole world isn't gonna dissolve here Luke. I'm just bummed. It's just that it's so darn frustrating. Technically I can have children, but the window of opportunity is so damn slim it's practically non-existant. I'd need to get pregnant in the next five months to even stand a chance." Luke mulled it over. "There are a lot of ways for a woman to concieve these days." "I know, and I've thought about artificial inemination, but think about it. Those sperm banks have thousands of guys on file, and anyone looks good on paper Luke. Think about it. The papers on Tony would just say that he was an accomplished doctor, and a guitar player, and that he was a devoted family man. They don't tell the whole story." He had no idea how long and hard she'd thought about it. "That's true." Luke consented. "There's always adoption." "Not for me Luke. Not even the more liberal social worker on the face of the earth would forget the fact that I've had more than my fair share of scandals, not even the social worker that let the Quartermaine's adopt Emily is going to place a child with me over a two parent household." She eyed him slowly. "But it would be a different story if I could convince someone I know, someone who knows me to be the donor." Luke looked absolutely stricken. "Uh uh, no way sister." "Nevermind. It was a crazy idea Luke." Lucy smiled. She didn't think that he would agree anyway. "I mean. Really, look at me. I'm 38, neurotic, self absorbed, success obsessed, I've been married way too many times. It's all the reasons that no adoption agency would give me a child." She patted his arm fondly. "Let's just forget about it huh pal?" She pulled out of his arms and gathered up the tissue boxes. "Some women aren't meant to be mothers. Three miscarriages, should be enough evidence for anyone." She turned away and hauled the cardbord boxes to the kitchen trash. She could be heard from the other room. "And you know, the reason my relationship with Serena works so good is cause I'm not her mother. I'm her friend. And that's enough." She continued. "And you know what? I'm ashamed of myself for putting you on the spot. We'll forget it okay?" Alone on the couch, Luke felt like something just kicked him between the teeth. Was he really considering this? What in the hell was making him even for one damn minute consider being Lucy Coe's baby's sperm donor? No. He wasn't. "Look, babe. I'm sorry I can't help you out. But don't think for one minute that it's some sort of Divine retribution. I'm just not the guy you're looking for." Luke cleared his throat. "I've got to get going." Lucy walked him to the door, and standing on tiptoe placed a kiss on his cheek. "Take care pal. And I'm sorry, but you know me. . . .I have these crazy dreams." She shrugged. "Night." ~*~*~ Laura's. A knock on the door brings Laura awake. She'd fallen asleep on he couch reading one of her case files. "Coming." She looked out the window and spotted Lucky standing on the edge of her porch. "Lucky! What is it?" "She's gone." Lucky rasped. He was still in shock. "Elizabeth? Lucky, what happened?" Laura hauled her son inside to see he was pale, and shaken. "Tell me." "Her parents came." He sank onto the couch still in a daze. "She thought that they were just coming for a visit. But I guess Sarah told them everything that's happened, and they've decided that Audrey isn't fit to take care of Liz, and that I'm a bad influence on her, and that we're way to serious, so they took her to Geneva." It was still completely unreal. "How could they do that Mom? How could they just completely ignore what Elizabeth wanted and cart her away? Forget about me, but what about her? How's she going to feel safe. I'm her safety. I'm the one she counts on to take care of her." His head dropped into his hands. "Oh Lucky." Sitting next to him, Laura pulled Lucky into her arms. Her heart breaking for him. He loved her so much. Of course she'd had the same concerns as Liz's family, but she knew Lucky was a sensible, smart boy who could be counted on. And now he was hurting. "I'm so sorry. I know that you and Elizabeth love each other very much." Lucky reached into his pocket and removed a delicate ring. "I gave this to her, and she left it." "You gave her a ring?" Laura gasped. Sho couldn't believe how far she'd allowed Lucky and Nikolas to drift out of her life. "It was my promise to her. Not about just to marry her, but to always look out after her, and chase away the monsters, and protect her. The note said that she wanted me to keep it till she came back. Her parents won't let her come back anytime soon." He tried to choke back his sobs, but was unsucessful. "It's okay Lucky. I know that Liz loves you very much, and you're both going to miss one another. But, I don't think you have to worry about anyone protecting Elizabeth. From what I've seen she's pretty tough. You helped give her that back after her rape. That's what she told me. That you helped her live in the real world again." She cupped his face. "That means a lot to her. You have to trust that she can deal with things on her own. That's part of loving someone is knowing how to let them go." "I don't want to let her go." Lucky replied quietly, allowing his mother's soft voice to envelope him. "It was so much easier when you were a little boy." Laura reminisced. "You would fall, your father would pick you up and I bandaged you up. And you'd be off again." She stroked his hair. "Now things are so much harder. And I can't make it all better for you. I would in a heart beat it I could." She contiued to hold him, and whisper soothingly as Lucky slipped into a heavy sleep. Once he was asleep, she pulled a blanket over him, removed his shoes, and kissed him goodnight. ~*~*~ Lucy's. She knew even before she opened the door who was standing on the other side. Lucy pulled her robe tightly. It was 4:00 am. and Luke Spencer was still in the same clothes from the night before. "Luke." "Yes." Was all he could get out before Lucy flung herself into his arms         Chapter 8   "Good morning Lucky." Laura passed him a cup of hot coffee as he walked stiffly into the kitchen. "I thought about waking you up and getting you to your own bed last night, but you were sound asleep." "Feels like I was dead." Lucky remarked taking the coffee and straddling a chair. He blinked blearily. His sleep was full of nightmares and dreams of Liz. "I don't even remember how I ended up here last night." He studied his mother. Laura smiled. "I know, it's the last place you think you'd ever end up for comfort Lucky." She took a seat at the table and offered him half of her omlette. "I'm glad you came. Is there anything that I can do? Maybe call Jeff? Explain the situation to him? Or better yet have Lesley call?" "Mom, she's not coming back. At least not till she's 18. Her mother's quit her job, and she's going to be spending every waking moment hovering over Liz till Liz turns of age, or kills them both." Lucky picked at the food in front of him. "She's been the only constant in my life lately you know? No matter what was going on she was right there. This is like someone chopped off a hand. I know it's gone, but I can still feel her here." Laura watched him closely as he avoided eating and pushed his food around on his plate. She struggled with the urge to offer him advice, but knew he would be as welcoming as Nikolas had been. So instead she let him talk about Liz. About missing her, their plans for going to New York, anything he wanted to talk about. "I should really be going." Lucky looked at his watch. "I promised Jason I'd work on a computer invoice system for the new coffee warehouse." "You're working for Jason and Sonny?" She'd kill them both. Sonny and Jason. "It's not what you think okay Mom? I'm designing a computer system for their very legal coffee import/export business. It's not connected to their other business. Jason's legitimate. He has to be for Michael." "Please be careful Lucky." Laura rose to her feet and hugged her son. "What are you doing for dinner? I was planning on taking LuLu to the Port Charles Grille for dessert tonight. But if you'd come we could make an evening of it." "No warnings about Jason and Sonny?" Lucky askes suspiciously. "Nope." Laura answered. "You're practically a man Lucky. You've been taking on your own responsibilities and I respect that. I may not like it, but I respect it. Have dinner with us." "What time?" "I get out of work at 6:30. . . so about 7:00 by the time I pick up LuLu." "Okay. I'll meet you there." Lucky pushed open the kitchen's back door. "Thanks for breakfast." ~*~*~*~   Offices of Baldwin and Davis Attorneys at Law. Alexis hated the name. But Scott had won the coin toss. She was rapidly learning that all of Scott Baldwin's reputations were true. First that he was an excellent criminal attorney. And secondly that he was an incorrigable pain in the. . . there were the crude comments about being in the B&D business, his INSISTANCE that whatever was wrong with his hair was intentional, and the fact that Lucy Coe was in their offices all the time. There was never any peace, or quiet. Adding to that was the addition of Carly Benson. Alexis was expecting her in 15 minutes, and chose to revel in the peace and quiet until then. "Alexis! Sorry I'm late, I've been running late all day. And Laeticia's sick so I didn't think you'd mind if I brought Michael." Carly bustled into the office weighted down by different magazines, books, and a roldex. She also carried Michael, and a diaper bag under her other arm. "He's a very quiet baby, and it shouldn't take me long to get things moving today." "Carly. Slow down. You're still 15 minutes early, of course I don't mind if Michael is here, I've actually started to like him as far as babies go." Alexis stepped forward and took Michael from Carly's arms. "Did you get my fax with my guest list on it?" "Yeah, and I got one from Mr. Baldwin. You do realize that there's no way to hold this party in the lobby don't you?" Carly set everything down on Rhonda's desk which is situated between Alexis' office and Scott's. "You'd be in violation of the building code." "How many people is Scott inviting?" Alexis mentally went over her list as she jostled Michael on her hip. "I can cut at least ten off my list." "I've got his list right here somewhere." Carly opened several file folders and produced a fax. There were almost 200 names on it names on it. "I've got his guest list at 175." "You're kidding me! Is he insane?" Alexis asked no one in particular. "Quite possibly." Scott stormed into the office, took one look at Alexis with a baby in her arms, and walked back out. "Sorry. Wrong office." "Get in here." She snapped. "Why are you inviting a 175 people to this office party? The idea was to generate a client base, not entertain potential Mrs. Baldwins." "Alexis. How long have you live in Port Charles? Not nearly as long as I have, trust me when I say that you could invite everyone in the Port Charles directory. And every single one of them would be a potenial client. There have never been so many criminals gathered in one place at one time since Alcatraz." He walked into his office, set down his brief case and his apples, and re-joined them. "A pleasure to see you again Ms. Benson." He smiled and tossed Carly an apple. "What's this for?" "And apple a day keeps Dr. Jones away! Whatcha doin' here? Getting things in order for the next time you shoot him?" "She's getting ready to plan the party Scott. Since you've scared off every single one of my assistants, and Rhonda's out sick and I am in the middle of a trial." Scott crossed his arms over his chest. "Your assistants were morons Alexis." He smiled at Carly. "So are we gonna have a theme party? Everyone loves a good masquerade! Maybe Alexis and I can go as Napolean and Josephine." He knew he was pressing it and working on her last nerve, but with an audience and her hands full with the baby, he couldn't resist. "How about Beavis and Butthead?" Carly suggested laughingly at Scott. "A little more contemporary, and I'll leave it to the two of you to decide which is which." Alexis grimaced. "I can tell you. . . " She leaves the sentence dangling, passes Michael to Scott and checks her watch. "I'm due in court, Carly, the cooperate card is in Rhonda's top desk drawer, do whatever you have to do, and above all else, never, ever listen to Scott when it comes to matters of taste." ~*~*~*~ A private jet. "Remind me not to make fun of the coffee import/export business again. This jet is fantastic, it feels like we're on a roll. I couldn't believe the Vonn Family Clinic had an opening so fast. And here we are on a jet to have a baby." Lucy smiled stretching out on the leather seat. "I guess you could say the coffee business has its "perks"." Feet propped up, Luke looked up from his magazine. "Oh darlin'. Just because of your delicate condition, I'm gonna let that one slide." "Luke. We haven't even gotten to the clinic yet. I'd hardly say I was in a delicate condition unless you count a SERIOUS fear of flying." Stretching his legs out, Luke finished his water. "I still don't understand why we're going to some clinic. I mean babe, if you need to be shown where babies come from. . . . ." "Listen Seinfeld, I know perfectly well where this baby is coming from." She tossed a pillow at him. "I told you this before why we are not doing this the traditional way. Because YOU are on the rebound and I will not have to lured into my web of sensual charm before your heart is healed." She laughed. "Men can't help it. And the truth is, no matter what people say, sex ruins a friendship." Luke paused a moment, and consider this before leering shamlessly. "Let's not be friends anymore babe. Lure me!" Lucy curled up on her side and stuck out her tongue. "Not even if you were a trout. You know there's stuff we need to talk about." She informed him seriously. "Like?" He set his magazine down and swiveld the seat to face her. "Like this whole thing. I mean one minute you're saying no, and the next minute we're on our way to Switzerland where you're going to make me a mother. You never said what changed your mind. Or what you think about this, or what you expect." Luke sighed, unbuckled his seatbelt, and crossed the cabin to lift her head off the seat and rest it in his lap. "Never ask easy questions do ya' babe?" He sighed. "I don't know what made me change my mind. Maybe it's the fact that if I believed in soul mates and all that crap that you would probably be mine. Don't get me wrong. I loved Laura, and Bobbie's my sister. But you're the only that's never once judged me. And maybe that's the kind of woman I think a child deserves to have, that any baby would be damned lucky to have you for a mother." He tugged on a lock of hair. "Now don't go getting all mushy on me. You know I'd do anything for you, and if a baby is what you want, and need to make your life happy, then I can't be the one to say no." "Oh Luke." "As for what I think and expect. I bet you mean am I going to itching to play daddy? I don't know. We'll find out when the kid gets here. I wanna be there Lucy. I don't want to be some dirty secret. When you get married that guy will be your baby's father. I understand that. You move away, I'll understand that too. But I'll want a place in his or her life. Uncle Luke works for me. Someone he can run to when he gets into trouble, or needs money, or he's dying of embarassment cause his parents just gave him "The Talk" about birds and bees." "I want that too Luke. And if you think I am ever gonna forget what you are doing for me you're wrong. I am kind of worried about what the rest of the tow is gonna think. Tell me your opinion on this. I'm not telling anyone I'm pregnant till I have no choice. But once I start to show I'm going to have to say something." "Luce, people are going to take one look at you, and one look at me and know that I'm the father." "Oh dear. This really puts you in a pickle." "Nah. . . just tell them that the baby is yours. They don't have to know the details less ya want them too." "What about Laura?" "If this ever pops up in one of our conversations, and I doubt it will, I will tell Laura that it's none of her business, and it is." He twirled her hair around his finger absently. "Just don't worry about what the rest of the town says. Doesn't matter." "You're right." Lucy yawned, the cabin pressure and travel making her sleepy. "Glad you realize it." Luke yawned as well. Moments later they were sleeping.   ~*~*~*~ This is the absolute last place on the face of the earth he wanted to be. At the Lighthouse with Victor and Kevin. Especially not for the airing of Eve's will. Dr. Chris Ramsey opened the door of his Mercedes, and stepped out into the bright and clear morning. He walked slowly up the steps, and knocked once on the door. "Chris." Kevin opened the door to the younger man. "Come in. We are almost ready to start." Chris noticed several people in the room, Victor, Mary, Scott, Ellen and Matt. The mood was somber. "Now that you are all here. Let's begin." Joshua Jericho announced into the room. "Dr. Lambert made this tape through my law firm. " Josh smiled remembering the day perfectly. She'd come to town for an appointment about the baby, and stopped by for some lemonade before heading back to her own place. They'd talked for a while before bringing up the advisability of making a will. She'd decided on one for while she was pregnant, in case somehthing went wrong, and had plans to make a second one after the birth of her baby. "She'd planned on two wills. One for before the baby's birth, and the second after the baby was born. With the coming of her child she wanted everything laid out in case of a problem. She asked that you all be here for the viewing of her last will and testament." He slid a cassette into Kevin's VCR. The frame was of a beautiful woodsy surrounding, and a very pregnant Eve slid into a chair, and flashed a brilliant smile at the screen. "Hey there. Okay, here's the boring part. I Eve Lambert, being of sound mind, and body, and all that other good stuff do hereby bequeth . . . ." She paused. "Though since you're watching this I get the feeling that my body's not so sound." She waited a beat. "Come on guys, that was a joke. At least smile." Chris felt it like a kick in the teeth. It was almost as if she were right in the room with them. "Anyway. The bulk of my savings and such goes to baby Lambert. But there are so many people that I want to leave a part of myself with. Good friend without whom i could never have survived in Port Charles. Much less enjoy life without. I don't even know where to start. How about the first person that made me laugh? Matt, my pal, my easiest mark. Everytime I was short on cash, or food, you always brought me dinner and a smile. So to you, our resident comedian I leave my precious collection of Abbott and Costello videos, and my Groucho Marx glasses. Wear them wisely." She grinned mischieviously. "Besides, from the gossip at GH you and Ellen are into disguises." Ellen gasped and flushed, while Matt smiled fondly. That was Eve. Full of good cheer and an evil sense of humor. "To my darling Victor Collins I leave one of my most treasured posessions. The official microphone from Johnny La La's. When the place burned to the ground I went down there, and found it, still in perfect condition in the ruins. I asked Johnny if I could have it, and he gave it to me. And now I'm giving it to you, the one true King Of Kareoke. There's nothing I can say that will tell you what a fantastic friend you are Victor. But maybe a few of these songs will. Josh. . . psst, Josh. That's your cue to hand him the books." She promtped her attorney. Joshua handed Victor a collection of lyrics. Victor opened them and read some of the titles aloud. "You've got a friend." "That's what friends are for. . ." Victor's eyes misted up at the sight of all the songs about friendship. "To Scott Bladwin and Serena Baldwin. For Serena I leave my charm bracelet and a lifetime membership in the "Exotic Applesauce Of The Month" Club. I know she's not there right now, but Scott you tell girlfriend that I love her with all my heart and that I can't wait to visit with her Mommy." She smiled. "As for you Scott. I leave you one HUGE legal bill for everything you've ever done for me, and my Anniversary Edition Franklin Mint Scrabble set. You know why!" "Kevin. I leave you with our child. I'm betting the baby was a girl. I just can tell these things. And I know that you'll have your doubts about being a father, I've sure had my fair share about motherhood, but I know in my heart that you will make our child happy, and do anything to ensure that our baby has the kind of warm, happy, home that neither of us ever got a chance to have. And to make sure that you have all the help you need I leave you my two best friends as God Fathers for our baby." Her eyes twinkles mischieviously. "Chris, and Scott. I want you both to be my child's god fathers. I know that you'll do this for me and for my baby. She deserves to grow up loved and protected. There's no one that I would trust more." Chris's jaw hung open. She was asking him to be the Godfather of her child with another man? She must have lost her mind! And Godfather with Scott Baldwin? She must be delusional. "No Chris, I have not lost my mind." Eve continued. "I want my baby to have the best of everything. And you are the best of everything." She winked. "I know you don't think that I appreciated you in life, but I do. More than you will ever know. I love you Chris. I love your evil humor, and your sneakiness, and loyalty, and what a damn good friend you are. I love your taste in everything. I especially love your martinis. And most of all I love how you wear your heart on your sleeve to anyone that looks hard enough. I'm asking you to be this baby's godfather, and give her all the same love and loyalty and friendship you gave to me." She leaned back in her chair, the sun beaming down on her peaceful face. "So that's it. That's all. I just have to tell you, that I love you all so very much. I've never had better friends and you should know that whatever direction I'm headed in now, I don't regret one single second." Her expression was serious. "So in parting, I want to say this, live well, love long, be happy, and take care of each other and most importantly, KNOW that I am watching over you." Her face hovered on the screen, then it faded to black. During the luncheon afterwards. Chris stood in Abigail's room after the viewing of the tape. How could Eve do this to him? Make HIM God-father to her baby? Eve had always had a sick sense of humor. When the baby began to fuss and squirm Chris lifted her gingerly from her bassinet. "Look kid. I'm not the most comfortable with babies. You guys are tiny, and squirmy and make a lot of noise. So let's make a deal. You just lie here in my arms, and I won'tdrop you. Deal?" He asked Abigail. He had to admit grudgingly that she was gorgeous, a tiny replica of Eve. The baby shifted in his arms comfortablely nestling closer to his heart. "Umm . .how bout I tell you about your mom. Is that okay with you?" Chris asked. "Well your mom was my absolute best friend. She was pretty, and smart, and knew a good martini when I made one." Getting more comfortable with the child in his arms, Chris began to pace the room. "Except I could never convince her that my jokes were brilliant. That was the thing about your mom. Once she made a decision she stuck to it. She made up her mind that she was gonna be my friend and she stuck to it, even when nobody else cared." He slipped a pacifier between Abigal's lips. "Yeah, my dad once said a woman like that was a "stand up broad." Now, I normally don't quote the old man but in this case I think he was right. Your mommy was a standup broad." Victor nudged Kevin with his elbow. "See Monk? Eve was right this was a good idea." He watched as the young doctor moved about the nursery with his God-daughter. There was something about Chris Ramsey that rang very familiar. ~*~