A/N – This is just a little Valentine's Day treat from me to you. I wanted to do something light and loving for the holiday and this is what I came up with! I hope you enjoy and please leave a review!
From This Moment On
Johnny sighed deeply and looked at his watch for the hundredth time. If the plane didn't take off soon, he was going to get home late. Normally, he wouldn't care, but today was Valentine's Day. And he had a very hormonal, pregnant sister at home who needed to be escorted to some party and he wasn't in the mood to get whined at for hours because he let her down.
He knew Claudia was upset enough as it was that Ric, her husband, had been called away on business and couldn't attend the party with her. Johnny hated to see his sister upset, so he needed the plane to take off immediately, but it wasn't. Some girl, apparently a very stubborn and bratty girl, was holding everything up because she had demanded to be let on, even though she was late for departure.
He closed his eyes and put his hands to his ears as he heard the loud mouth finally board the plane, still arguing with the flight attendant because she wouldn't just take one of the open seats in coach when she had paid for a first class ticket. Johnny's eyes shot open and he looked around, noting that all of the other seats in first class were taken except the seat next to him.
"Oh great," Johnny mumbled, looking up to see the blonde trouble maker putting her carry-on into the overhead compartment.
"I would really prefer the window seat if you don't mind switching," the blonde said, acting as if she expected him to move.
"I do mind," Johnny snapped. "Maybe if you had gotten here on time and not put the entire flight behind schedule, I wouldn't, but since you did, I think I like this seat."
"Wow, aren't you a gentleman," she scoffed, falling into her seat.
"I am when I talk to a lady," Johnny replied.
"What does that make me then?" she asked loudly.
"A loud, annoying little girl who probably just made me late for the party I'm going to tonight in New York," Johnny answered, rolling his eyes.
"I'm not a little girl," she said, buckling her seat belt. "I just couldn't miss this flight. I have to be back to New York this afternoon."
"Oh, let me guess," Johnny laughed sarcastically. "Big plans with your boyfriend? I've got news for you, honey. If he wouldn't spring for the flight to Paris to come see you, he doesn't want to see you for Valentine's Day. He wants to have sex for Valentine's Day. If you hadn't come home, he would have just found someone else."
Johnny smiled arrogantly as his comment finally seemed to shut the mouth of the blonde brat next to him. He buckled his own seatbelt and shut his eyes as the plane took off. Once they were safely up in the air, he unbuckled the belt and looked to his right to see that she had fallen asleep. It was amazing how she had been so loud and obnoxious before, but now, in her sleep, she seemed peaceful. And for the first time, Johnny let himself actually look at her. Her blonde hair was straight and framed her face. His eyes drifted downward and he wasn't disappointed by the curves he saw.
"She certainly isn't a little girl," Johnny muttered to himself, letting his eyes rest on her face again.
The more Johnny studied her, the more he came to realize she was far from a little girl. She was a beautiful woman. Beautiful enough to make up for the loud and proud personality she seemed to possess. He smiled softly and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep himself.
Lulu woke up to a tap on her shoulder and the feel of something heavy resting on her head. However, whatever she had fallen asleep against was very soft. She didn't remember getting a pillow and the regular plane seat had never been so soft before. She leaned up slightly and realized her head had been resting on the shoulder of the jerk beside her. As she moved, he stirred and it dawned on her that his head had been leaning against hers.
"I'm sorry to wake you two, but the meal is being served," the flight attendant smiled.
"It's fine," Lulu said, smiling back.
"I see now why you had to get on the plane," the flight attendant whispered to Lulu. "Couldn't let your boyfriend fly home alone."
"He's not my boyfriend," Lulu replied, glancing at the stranger next to her.
"Oh, I just assumed," the flight attendant said, placing the meals down in front of them. "Enjoy your meal."
"Did you...um...sleep well?" he asked, picking at his food.
"If you're going to make fun of me for accidentally leaning on your shoulder in my sleep, you can save it," Lulu sighed. "Because you had your head on mine."
"I wasn't going to," he responded. "I was just trying to be nice. I know that I was rude before and I was trying to make up for it."
"Oh," Lulu muttered. "I did sleep well. You?"
"Yeah, I did," he nodded. "I'm Johnny."
"Lulu," she replied.
Johnny smiled at her and then went back to his food. Lulu did the same, but she couldn't help but sneak a few glances at him. Now that he wasn't being such an ass, she noticed that Johnny was probably the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. They ate the rest of their meal in silence and when the flight attendant had taken their trays, Lulu turned to look at Johnny.
"I'm sorry I held the plane up," Lulu offered.
"It's no big deal," Johnny shrugged.
"It seemed like it earlier," Lulu noted. "Do you have a big date you're trying to get back to?"
"I don't think my sister would appreciate being called big right now," Johnny laughed.
"What?" Lulu asked, confused by his words.
"My sister is pregnant," Johnny clarified. "Her husband is out of town and she wants to go to this big Valentine's Day party for a business she wants to advertise with."
"Oh, well that's nice of you to give up your holiday for her," Lulu smiled.
"There's not much I wouldn't do for my sister," Johnny replied. "What about you? What are your big plans?"
"I thought you already knew," Lulu muttered.
"Look, I'm sorry about before," Johnny said softly. "I was just pissed off and lashing out. I'm sure your boyfriend is a really nice guy and he'd be crazy to cheat on you."
"Well, I appreciate that, but I don't have a boyfriend," Lulu admitted. "My boss is kind of a control freak and if I didn't make it back tonight to help with this thing she's doing, I would be fired."
"Now I see why you fought so hard to get on the plane," Johnny said, smiling at her.
"It was pretty important to me," Lulu nodded.
"So, why were you in Paris in the first place?" Johnny asked.
"Work, what else?" Lulu laughed. "Although, my mom lives there, so it was nice to get to see her."
"Do you get to see her often?" Johnny wondered.
"I usually have two business trips to Paris every year," Lulu answered. "Although, I'd never had one on Valentine's Day before. It was kind of depressing to leave today."
"Leaving the most romantic city in the world on the most romantic day of the year," Johnny said, nodding his understanding. "I kind of felt the same way."
"Like you were missing out on something?" Lulu wondered, looking into his eyes.
"Yeah," Johnny whispered. "But I don't feel that way anymore."
Johnny smiled at her and Lulu fought the blush that wanted to creep up her cheeks. She smiled back and looked down nervously. She had never seen eyes as deep and soulful as Johnny's. She felt like she could look into his eyes forever and the thought took her off guard.
"So, what were you doing in Paris?" Lulu asked.
"Business," Johnny replied. "I had to oversee a transaction with one of our partners."
"Do you work with your sister?" Lulu questioned.
"Yeah," Johnny nodded. "We inherited it from our father when he died. When we first started we were just in the state of the New York, but my sister shifted the product and now we're in demand all over the world."
"And you're the foreign liaison?" Lulu wondered.
"I guess I am for now," Johnny answered. "My sister is too far along to fly, so I'm going in her place. Although, she swears it's going to stay this way even after the baby is born because she's going to be spending most of her time being a mom. But, I know that as soon as the baby can fly with her, she'll be back doing business and taking trips."
"Is she having a boy or a girl?" Lulu inquired.
"Well, she wants it to be a surprise, but she thinks it's a girl," Johnny responded. "I hope it's a girl because if it's a boy she said she would name him after me."
"What's wrong with that?" Lulu asked.
"The kid deserves better," Johnny said, shaking his head.
"I wouldn't say that," Lulu replied. "Johnny is a good name and he would have a great uncle to try and be just like."
"That's nice of you to say, but you barely know me," Johnny said softly. "And if you recall, I was an ass to you half the time."
"I guess if you want to insist that you're a bad person I can't stop you, but I don't buy it," Lulu shrugged.
"I appreciate the confidence," Johnny smiled. "So do you have any nieces or nephews?"
"I have three," Lulu nodded. "All boys though."
"So, any good advice?" Johnny wondered.
"Well, one thing you should remember is to always give them treats," Lulu said, smiling.
"Why?" Johnny asked.
"Because you want to be the favorite," Lulu explained. "Your sister probably won't want her kid growing up on sweets and caffeine so if you sneak it to them every now and then it earns you major points."
"What about my sister?" Johnny questioned.
"Your sister won't be able to get mad at you for loving your niece or nephew and wanting to do nice things for them," Lulu smirked.
"That is good advice," Johnny complimented. "I'll have to remember it."
Lulu laughed shyly and they continued talking about anything and everything for the remainder of the flight.
Johnny stood next to Lulu at the baggage claim and watched as she waited for her things. He had learned so much about her during the flight and he was almost sad to see it end. He hadn't expected to even speak to her again after their initial encounter when she boarded, but when he closed his eyes after watching her sleep, all of his dreams had been about the blonde next to him. In his dreams she was always laughing and smiling, so when he woke up, he decided to try and start over with her just to see if her laughs and smiles were as amazing in real life as they were in his dreams. They were better.
"Okay, I got it," Lulu said, snapping Johnny out of his trance.
"Great," Johnny replied. "Do you have a car coming for you?"
"I'm going to take a cab," Lulu answered. "What about you?"
"My car was brought here for me," Johnny explained.
"So, I guess this is goodbye," Lulu said softly.
"Yeah," Johnny nodded. "It was nice meeting you, Lulu."
"You, too," Lulu smiled. "Have fun with your sister."
"Thanks, I will," Johnny said, smiling as well. "And you take a vacation every now and then."
"I'll try," Lulu conceded. "Bye."
They shook hands awkwardly, neither knowing if it was appropriate to hug after barely having met. Johnny watched as Lulu headed for the exit to go get a cab and he shook his head.
"Bye," Johnny whispered.
Johnny pulled into his driveway with just enough time to spare for him to get showered and dressed and take Claudia into Port Charles. The whole way home, he was beating himself up for not asking for Lulu's phone number. He had really enjoyed talking to her and he wanted to see her again. He walked into the house and was immediately met by a glare from his sister.
"I thought you were going to stand me up," Claudia whined. "What took you so long?"
"My flight was delayed for a bit in Paris," Johnny explained. "But I have to say, if I hadn't made it to this party, I wouldn't have been upset."
"John," Claudia sighed. "If you don't want to go, just say so."
"I know you want to and I want you to be happy," Johnny replied. "I just had a long flight and I'm kind of tired."
"Well, I won't last long at the party, anyway," Claudia said cheerfully. "Being seven months pregnant really takes a lot out of you."
"And they said nothing could bring Claudia Zacchara down," Johnny laughed.
"You better hurry and get dressed before I stop taking pity on you," Claudia warned, but her eyes showed her humor.
"I'm going, I'm going," Johnny chuckled.
He headed upstairs and got ready as quickly as possible. Once he was dressed in his suit, he made his way back downstairs and met Claudia who was already waiting in the car that would take them to the Metro Court.
They arrived just after the party had started and quickly headed for an empty table. Claudia was saying something and trying to point out Kate, the woman who was in charge of the party, but Johnny wasn't paying attention. He was staring at Lulu, who was by some miracle at the party. She looked even more beautiful than she had on the plane. She had on a long red dress that fit her perfectly and her hair was in wavy curls.
"John," Claudia said loudly, forcing Johnny to look at her. "Where were you just now?"
"Sorry, I was just thinking," Johnny smiled, taking another glance at Lulu. "Let's get a table."
"Okay," Claudia said cautiously as he led them to a table. "Are you sure you're okay? You were moping the whole way here and then as soon as we got inside, you were all smiles."
"Well, I was dreading the party, but now that we're here it seems like it may be fun," Johnny replied.
"The red streamers making you feel festive?" Claudia asked.
"Maybe," Johnny laughed.
Claudia just shook her head and Johnny found Lulu in the crowd again. She looked really busy, so Johnny decided to wait to approach her. He spent the next hour in idle conversation with Claudia and whoever else happened by their table. However, the entire time, he kept an eye on Lulu, watching her gracefully walk around the room.
Lulu sighed as she checked on the food and punch bowls. She was having a hard time staying focused on her tasks for the party because of Johnny being there. When she first noticed him she started to approach him, but Kate intercepted her and put her to work on something. It had been over an hour and she still hadn't gotten the chance to speak to him. She decided to take a quick break and at least go over and say hello, but when she turned to go, she ran right into a hard chest. She looked up to see Johnny smiling at her and she smiled back automatically.
"I was just coming over to say hi," Lulu said, taking the champagne a waiter offered her.
"Well, I noticed you were busy, but I was hoping maybe you could sneak away for a dance with me," Johnny replied.
"I would love to, but Kate would never let me," Lulu said, rolling her eyes. "She's watching me like a hawk."
"So make dancing with me a part of your job," Johnny suggested.
"What do you mean?" Lulu asked.
"Like I told you before, my sister is thinking of advertising with your company," Johnny explained. "But I have to approve all deals. So, if your boss asks, you were just buttering up a potential client."
"That sounds like a great reason to dance with you," Lulu smiled, setting her champagne down.
"Shall we?" Johnny questioned, extending his hand.
"We shall," Lulu replied, grasping his hand and letting him pull her over to the dance floor.
Johnny twirled her around before pulling her in close and placing one hand on her lower back. She let one of her hands rest on his shoulder while they kept their other hands clasped together. They swayed gently to the soft music for a few minutes in silence.
"Your sister is really beautiful," Lulu commented, looking up at Johnny. "Pregnancy looks good on her."
"It does," Johnny agreed. "But you can't tell her that. She just thinks she's fat."
"My cousin was the same way," Lulu laughed. "She swore she was bigger than a whale, but I just hope that if I ever have children I look half as good pregnant as she did. Or as good as your sister does."
"I can't imagine you would ever be anything but beautiful," Johnny said sweetly.
"Thank you," Lulu blushed.
"I mean it," Johnny smiled. "You light up the room tonight."
"Well, you clean up pretty nicely yourself," Lulu complimented.
"Thank you," Johnny muttered.
Claudia and Kate had been talking for the last twenty minutes, discussing a possible advertising deal. Just before Kate had sat down, Johnny had excused himself and Claudia was starting to wonder where he had gone. She turned to see him dancing with a blonde headed girl in a red dress. The same girl who he'd been watching, rather conspicuously, all night.
"I'm sorry, I just need to go speak to someone," Kate spoke, noticing Lulu dancing instead of working.
"That's fine, but first, can you tell me who that girl is in the red dress?" Claudia asked, pointing at Lulu.
"That's Lulu Spencer, my assistant," Kate answered. "Who is she dancing with?"
"That's my brother, John," Claudia replied. "You're very lucky to have that girl as an assistant."
"What makes you say that?" Kate wondered.
"They've been dancing for awhile now," Claudia mused. "Not just any girl can hold my brother's attention for so long. In fact, no girl ever has. This Lulu must be something."
"That she is," Kate nodded.
Johnny turned Lulu smoothly and she laughed as he brought her back into his chest. Her laughter was so intoxicating and he couldn't help but laugh as well. The music came to an end and her eyes dimmed slightly.
"Time to go back to work?" Johnny asked softly.
"Yeah," Lulu sighed. "One dance turned into four and a second ago I saw Kate giving me the evil eye."
"I don't want you to get in trouble," Johnny replied, leading her back over to the bar. "But maybe you can save me one more dance for later?"
"It's a deal," Lulu agreed.
"Great," Johnny smiled. "I'll see you soon."
"I can't wait," Lulu said, smiling as well.
Johnny turned and headed back for his table, grinning widely. He wasn't going to let Lulu get away this time. She was just too perfect for him. He rejoined his sister at the table and Claudia breathed a sigh of relief.
"Finally, you're back," Claudia exhaled. "I'm ready to leave."
"Leave? Now?" Johnny asked.
"Yeah," Claudia nodded. "I called a car for me, but I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye."
"Wait, we aren't leaving together?" Johnny wondered.
"Of course not," Claudia smirked. "I wouldn't tear you away from your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend," Johnny argued, blushing slightly.
"Okay, your future girlfriend, wife, whatever," Claudia laughed. "I can get home all on my own, so don't worry. You'll have a car here for you whenever you decide to come home."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" Johnny asked.
"Not at all," Claudia smiled. "I'm just glad to see you happy."
"Thanks," Johnny replied. "It's nice to be happy."
Claudia stood and hugged her brother and then made her way to the elevator. Johnny watched her get safely on board and then turned to find Lulu in the crowd again, watching her and waiting until he could steal another dance with her.
Lulu noticed most of the people filtering out of the party. Johnny was still there, but Claudia had gone home. She saw Kate approaching her and she wondered if she would get to keep her promise to dance with Johnny again or if Kate would overload her with work.
"Lulu, you've done enough for the night and I think the cleanup can wait until morning," Kate said nicely. "Why don't you go speak with the gentleman who has waited so patiently for you all evening?"
"Are...are you serious?" Lulu asked and Kate nodded. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Kate smiled.
Lulu smiled in return and quickly headed for Johnny. He saw her coming and smiled, standing up as she neared the table.
"Are you free for our dance?" Johnny asked.
"I am free for the rest of the night," Lulu answered. "But if you don't mind, I'd rather take a rain check on the dance. There's something else I want to do."
"Okay," Johnny agreed. "What do you want to do?"
"There's a really great fireworks show that you can see from the balcony," Lulu explained. "Would you like to watch it with me?"
"Sounds great," Johnny nodded.
Lulu quickly slipped her hand into his and led him out to the balcony. They stood silently near the ledge as they waited for the show to start, never letting go of the other's hand. The show started and they both watched the beautiful color display. Lulu shivered slightly and Johnny quickly let go of her hand so he could place his suit jacket around her shoulders. She slipped her arms into the jacket and inhaled the scent. Instead of taking her hand again, Johnny wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder as the show started to come to a close.
"This is amazing," Lulu muttered. "I've never seen something so beautiful."
"I have," Johnny whispered, staring at Lulu.
Lulu turned to meet his eyes and she blushed under his gaze. She turned her body to face his and he reached in his pocket and pulled something out of it. She laughed as he placed one of the red heart-shaped napkins in her hand. Written on the napkin were the words: Lulu, will you be my Valentine?
"Will you?" Johnny asked softly.
"Yes," Lulu agreed. "If you'll be mine."
"I'm already yours," Johnny breathed, letting his hands settle at her waist.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Johnny," Lulu said, placing her hands around his neck.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Lulu," Johnny replied, leaning down and capturing her lips in their first kiss of many more to come.