Chapters 50 & 51
GH2005.50 Family
Lucy opens her eyes and snuggles closer to Kevin. She looks around the
beautiful hotel suite Mac and Felicia booked for them and smiles
happily. She turns her gaze on to Kevin who still sleeps peacefully. The
previous night replays in her mind-- walking toward him in the perfect
gown Laura picked out for her, Kevin looking so handsome and knowing in
her heart this time it was forever. Kevin senses her staring at him and
wakes.
"Good morning, Mrs. Collins." He whispers to her as he kisses the top of
her head.
She begins to trail kisses down his chest. "Good Morning, Dr. Collins.
I'm still on such a high from yesterday. Do we have the best pals in
the whole wide world or what?"
Kevin wraps his arms around her and breathes in the sweet smell of her
hair. "They're truly the best. You're the best, my love. I couldn't be
happier now if I even wanted to be."
Lucy sighs happily as she rests her head on his chest. "We have a baby
coming, we had the best wedding known to man, Serena is back in our
lives. Nothing could be better."
Kevin turns serious. "How did Scott take the news?"
Lucy pouts. "Let's not discuss that right now. It's our honeymoon."
He shakes his head. "Lucy, I tried to ignore his presence last time. I
won't do it again."
Lucy props herself up on her hands and looks at him lovingly. "Scotty
needs some time to adjust to our marriage. I won't lie to you, he's
extremely upset. He still harbors this dream of him, Serena and me
living happily ever after."
Kevin nods understanding. "He still loves you. How do you feel?"
She lets out a groan of frustration. "I hate when you go shrink on me.
I'm committed to you, Doc. It took me a little while to realize just how
much you mean to me. I'll always have feelings for Scotty, but you're my
soul mate. What I said yesterday I meant forever. You are my husband, my
lover, my pal, and most of all-- my heart. I woke up from the dream
Scotty is having; he'll do the same."
Kevin squeezes her tightly. "That's all I needed to hear. So, what
should we do today? Mac and Felicia were planning on going scuba diving,
and Stefan and Laura mentioned horse back riding."
Lucy kisses his chest and grins at him sexily. "I was thinking of some
indoor activities."
He laughs as she teases him with her kisses. "As you wish, Mrs.
Collins."
Laura sits on her horse and watches the waves crash on the beach. Out of
all the Cassadine property, this beach house property that Alexis bought
for the Cassadine back in '97 was her favorite. Hearing another horse
approach she turns to watch her husband, dressed in white pants and an
open white poet's shirt riding toward her. She can't help but think what
a sight he is-- so strong and handsome on his horse. Stefan reaches her
and laughs. "What are you smiling at?"
She winks at him. "Just thinking how lucky your wife must be. You're
quite a vision up there on that stallion."
He blushes slightly. "Well, I assure you-- your husband is truly the
lucky man. For you, my lady, are a vision every day."
Laura laughs. "With words like that you're apt to have your way with
me."
Stefan shakes a finger at her. "Do not tease, unless of course you mean
it. I was thinking after our ride, we could go into the marketplace. You
wanted to find presents for the children, correct?"
Laura smiles as she gently nudges her horse to a trot. "Yes, I promised
Lu a special gift since I didn't bring her along. I want to pick up
something for Nikolas, Staci and Lucky as well. Any ideas?"
Stefan trots along beside her watching the ocean reflect the sun.
"Cigars for Lucky. Perhaps a necklace for Staci. She always liked the
one we bought for Lu years before."
She smirks at him. "I'll race ya. Loser pays for dinner."
Before he can answer, she gallops off. He races behind her calling out
to her. "You are a cheat, Lasha Cassadine!"
Mac and Felicia climb back on their chartered boat. Felicia hands him a
towel and then lies on the deck to catch the sun's rays. "This is
heaven. Why are we returning home again?"
Mac dries himself off and joins her on the deck. He gently begins to
apply sunscreen to her. "Hmm, let me name the reasons, Robin, Georgie,
Maxie, Evan, the Outback.."
She places a finger to his lips. "Shhh you could have played along. Did
you call Evan last night?"
He shakes his head. "I tried, but no answer. He called me this morning
while you were in the shower though. Says the girls are fine and we owe
him."
Felicia busts out laughing. "Poor Evan. Whatever did we do without him?"
Mac thinks for a moment then smiles. "We had Robin."
She begins applying lotion to his back. "And Betty. We can't forget
Betty."
He moans happily as she begins to massage his back. "How could we
possibly forget Betty? Oh baby, you keep doing that and we won't make it
back in the water."
She kisses the back of his neck and purrs his ear. "Hmm scuba diving
again or..."
He turns and eases her on the deck. He begins to kiss her passionately.
"Scuba what?"
Cassidy watches the messages upload on her screen. Lucky leans over her
trying to decipher the words and symbols. Cassidy turns to him and fakes
annoyance. "You do this when people are reading books too?"
Lucky laughs at her. "Come on, could you sit on the couch and wait for
me to tell you what this says?"
She shakes her head. "Point taken. Okay, this is it. Should we try and
contact The elders?"
Lucky looks over the note again and shakes his head. "No time, we need
to motor."
Cassidy looks up at him curiously. "WE? I don't think so. I'll go and
contact you tomorrow night."
Lucky lights a cigar as he grabs his bags and hers. "No way, babe.
You're stuck with me. This is my brother we're talking about."
She turns to him looking at him firmly. "Lucky, I have experience with
these kind of situations. If anything happened to you...."
He looks at her just as firmly. "I've done a few dangerous things for
this family myself. When Nikky needs some he can trust; he turns to me.
Now, I'm going, you can come with me or stay here bitching 'bout it.
What do you say?"
Cassidy begins to pen a note. "I say you're a stubborn man, but fine--
you can come. Let me tell Stefan and Laura what's happening though."
Lucky laughs. "That's more like it, sweetheart. We're going to get
Richard back. I can feel it."
Cassidy finishes the note and turns to look at Lucky. "I hope so. Too
many years have already passed. I want this nightmare to end."
Lucky nods. "We've file cabinets full of false leads. Every time I watch
Mom and Stefan look so hopeful and then watch as their hopes crash
again. I don't know how many more times this can happen. Everyone has
their breaking point."
She squeezes his arm. "You're a good son and brother. We will find him,
Lucky."
He winks at her. "You ready to roll?"
She heads out the door. "Let's go."
Karen waits at the baggage claim for her bags. A little girl stands
beside her. She has brown hair like her mother, but dark brown eyes like
her father. She reaches for a bag and Karen scolds lightly. "No Mary,
don't touch that, okay?"
She smiles at her mommy and squeezes her hand. A friendly voice comes
from behind them. "Need some help, Dr. Scanlon?"
Karen turns and grins at her husband. "Well, Dr. Scanlon, it appears you
have your hands full."
The toddler in his arms squirms to get down. "Down Daddy."
Joe looks down at his son. "Frankie you have to stay with your mom and
me."
He nods and he lets him down. Five year old Mary whispers to three year
old Frankie, "Don't touch the bags."
Karen looks at Joe. "Where Is Scotty?"
Joe looks behind him and panics. "He was right beside me. Damn it, where
did he go?"
Karen and Joe begin to look around the baggage claim but find no Scotty.
Joe starts calling out. "SCOTTY?? SCOTTY!"
A teenager calls over to him and waves to get his attention. "SIS! JOE!"
Joe turns to see Serena Baldwin running toward them. He looks at her
anxiously. "Serena! Have you seen Scotty?"
Before she can answer he hears his son's voice. "Mom, Dad, I found
Grandpa!"
Scott Baldwin walks toward them with seven year old Scotty sitting on
his shoulders. "Karen, Joe, lose something?"
Joe takes Scotty from his father- in- law and scolds him. "Scott Joseph
Scanlon, you know better than to just run off. Your mother and I were
worried about you."
The dark haired little boy with bright blue eyes looks up at his father
sadly. "I'm sorry. I saw Serena and Grandpa and went over to them. I
thought you saw me."
Scott looks hard at his son- in- law. "I suggest you pay a little more
attention to your kids. It only takes a moment for someone to grab
them."
Karen approaches her father and looks at him concerned. "Dad, are you
okay?"
Scotty reaches over and pulls her into a tight hug. "I'm fine,
sweetheart. I'm glad you all arrived safely. Mary and the rest of the
family are waiting at the house."
Scott turns to the two younger children and kneels in front of them.
"Got a hug for your grandpa?" Serena pulls Joe and Karen over to her as
the younger kids are enveloped into a bear hug.
She whispers. "Don't mind him. Lucy married Kevin yesterday and he's
been in a snit ever since."
Karen looks at her sister and smiles. "Thanks for the warning. Now, give
me a hug, sis."
Joe sighs and looks at his father- in- law. "Welcome home."
GH2005.51 Seems Like Old Times
Scott sits in his dark living room. It's past two a.m. and even after a
long tiring day with his grandchildren, he can't seem to kick his
insomnia. He closes his eyes and thinks back to the day Lucy came home
to him...
Flashback 2000
Scotty awakens to the sound of banging on his door. Nervous that maybe
Serena isn't enjoying her sleepover with her sister, he walks quickly
toward the door. He opens it to find Lucy standing before him with
suitcases at her feet. Tears stream down her cheeks and she looks at him
with a look of both longing and sadness. Scott pulls her inside and
leads her to the couch. "Luce, what's the matter? What did he do to
you?"
Lucy looks at him confused. "Do to me?"
Scott nods. "Yeah, what did that wacko do to you? You're crying and you
have your bags. What happened? I swear I will rip his...."
She laughs bitterly and looks up at the ceiling. "Do to me? What did
KEVIN DO TO ME? HE LOVED ME, SCOTT! HE LOVED ME AND I
BETRAYED THAT LOVE!" She rises and starts to pace. "I tried to convince
him that nothing was going on between us. I told him that we shared Serena
and that we were just pals. He saw through it. Kevin knew I wasn't only
lying to him, I was lying to myself. I couldn't admit to myself that I
still loved you. You and your rude, lack of sensitivity, sarcastic,
charming, handsome irresistible you! Oh Scott! Why? Why are we back to
this place? We moved on. We were just going to be pals. You come back
and the next thing I know all those feelings are back and I'm
remembering what it was like to be in your arms. I love him though. I
won't lie to anyone anymore.
I love my Doc, but he can't share me. In fact, it was his words that the
bed was too crowded. He's right, it is too crowded. My love for both of
you filled it up pretty quickly. So, instead of waiting for me to make
the decision-- he made it for us. Doc left me. He took our marriage, and
our vows and his trusting heart and left me. Said he loved me enough to
walk away and allow me to follow my heart. So here I am, pal; I followed
my heart, and I'm standing in your living room with my suitcases
crying like an idiot waiting for you to say something."
She looks at him as he digests the information. Wordlessly he rises from
the couch and walks over to her. He touches her cheek gently and then
traces her face till his finger lightly traces her mouth. Scott brushes
back her hair and pulls her to him. Taking her in his arms, he rocks her
gently as she sobs into his chest. Whispering tenderly to her as he rubs
her back he says."It's okay, Luce; let it out. I'm here."
She wraps her arms around him and holds into him tightly, enjoying the
feeling of being in his arms. She continues to cry into his chest until
her tears cease from exhaustion. She looks up at him and sees his
electric blue eyes looking at her with concern. Lucy wipes her tears
away and reaches up to him taking his face in her hands. She kisses his
lips tenderly and then more longingly. She whispers to him. "Make love
to me, Scott. I need to feel you beside me tonight." He lifts her into
his arms and carries her to his bedroom.
He opens his eyes to find Karen staring at him concerned. Scott snaps at
her. "What are you looking at?"
She sits on the table in front of him and takes his hands in hers. "A
man who needs to talk. Snap all you want, Dad, but I know you. So, spill
it."
He looks into his daughter's big brown eyes and smiles at her. "I love
you, Karen, but I don't want to discuss this with you."
Karen shakes her head. "Nope, I won't leave you that easily. Dad, I know
Lucy married Kevin yesterday, I can see how much pain you're in. You
have to turn to someone, so why not me? I think I can understand what
you are going through."
He lets out a rough sigh. "I'm not a touchy feely type of guy. I don't
like to discuss my feelings."
She smiles at him. "I know, so how about I take a shot at how you're
feeling? You still love Lucy, and you thought that you'd pick up where
you left off when you got back to Port Charles. I'm guessing you weren't
counting on her marrying Kevin so soon, and when you found out most of
your plans blew up in front of you. So, now you're sitting here, in the
dark, in the middle of the night brooding over her leaving you. You're a
jerk, Dad."
His eyes flash at her angrily. "What did you say?"
Karen squeezes his hands tightly. "I said you're a jerk. In fact--
you're a moody, selfish, pigheaded, Neanderthal."
He rolls his eyes. "Some support you are. If you came here to kick me
while I'm down...."
She takes his face in her hands. "Look at me, Dad; I love you more than
just about anyone in my life. But I also know you, I saw first hand what
you did to Lucy and Kevin. You broke up their marriage, played house
with her for a little while then split. She was inconsolable when you
took Serena and left. She lost everything. You have no idea what kind of
pain she went through. How could you? You got what you wanted and you
left it when you decided to leave. Are you catching this? You, you, you.
It was all about your feelings, your needs, your wants. Kevin loved Lucy
enough to walk away from their marriage and allow her to go to you. He
knew she still had feelings for you. You knew she still loved Kevin but
instead of honoring that, you took what you wanted.
I've seen your generous side. You would move heaven and earth for me and
Serena when we need you. You helped me end my marriage to Jagger and
encouraged me to follow my heart with Joe. Dad, you understood what I
was going through. Now, I'm sitting here in front of you, as your
daughter, and as your friend. Lucy has moved on. She made a choice that
she won't turn back on. If Jagger walked through that door right now,
I'm sure I'd have feelings wash over me. But when push comes to shove,
Joe's my heart and soul. The kind of love you shared with Dominique; you
told me that yourself. One day you'll find it again, but it won't be
with Lucy. She has what she needs with Kevin. She'll always love you;
you share Serena. That's something that'll bond you for life. But
torturing yourself over something that isn't going to work is only going
to hurt you. A wise man told me that once, and he was correct."
Scott chokes back his emotions as he squeezes his daughter's hands. "No
fair throwing my words back at me. It's a nasty habit you and Serena
both picked up."
Karen looks at him tearfully. "We only throw back the stuff that makes
sense. I'm sorry you're hurting, Dad; I really am. I know I can't make
it better, but I'm here to listen."
He pulls her to him and hugs her tightly. "You have helped, baby. Now,
go to bed and leave me to sort my feelings out."
She kisses his cheek and leaves the room. Scott turns to the picture of
him, Lucy and Serena. "So, what do I do with the love, Luce?"
Stefan and Laura lie in bed, neither able to sleep. They'd received
Cassidy's note and knew she wouldn't be in contact until seven tomorrow
night. The agony of the wait already takes its toll.
Stefan kisses the top of her head gently. "You should sleep, Lasha."
She rests her head on his chest and smiles sadly. "Ditto. I wish they'd
called tonight. Not knowing what's happening is killing me. How many
times must we endure this? So many leads and so little progress. I just
want our son back. What kind of monster would take a child?"
She begins to cry and he holds her tightly. "I have no idea, but one day
we will meet the person behind this and they will pay with an eternity
in hell. I wish this nightmare would end. Richard should be back in our
arms. I have to hold onto the hope that this is the lead that brings him
home. Cassidy and Lucky are very capable. If anyone can bring Richard
back to us it will be they."
Laura kisses his cheek. "I know, but I wonder if this is just another
false lead. I try to remain hopeful. I want so much to believe our son
will be returned, but with every day that goes by, a little more of my
hope leaves me. Nikolas worries that we torture ourselves over this."
He nods solemnly. "I know. We discussed this at length after the last
failed attempt. He understands our need to be informed on the leads, but
as you say he worries. I believe he and Lucky would prefer not to share
the leads with us. When did it happen that our children begin to protect
us rather than our protecting them?"
She smiles. "OH, I think it's been happening for years now. They become
young adults and begin to feel the responsibility of their parents'
concerns. I remember Lucky and Nikolas along with you and Luke trying to
protect me from the news on Lulu's kidnaping."
Stefan's face turns to stone at the memory. "I hate that my family was
responsible yet again for your pain. My only hope is that the same is
not true with Richard."
Laura looks at him curiously. "Who would be left to do this monstrous
act? Helena is bedridden."
Stefan nods. "I have learned from years of experience, under the most
damning of circumstances, to believe that viper could play a part in
anything."
A dark haired woman watches as Lucky and Cassidy enter their hotel in
Paris. She smiles as she picks up her cell phone. "It's me...everything
is going according to plan. They've arrived and are in the hotel. I'll
make my move tomorrow."
She hangs up the phone.
A servant in Greece hangs up the extension and looks down at her old
bedridden mistress with a smile on her face.