(Author's Notes- Hey again! We're starting another new story! We hope you like it! Please Read and Review! -Cleopatra1 and E.B.F.R.)
Chapter #1 – Loose Ends
Arcadia, Maryland –
"Mom, I have to do more on that report on our family history for English Lit. I need more details. Could you give me any more documents or family trees please?" Fifteen year old science extraordinaire Luke Girardi asked his mother Helen.
Luke felt a pang in his chest, as school wasn't the real reason he asked for this information.
"Sure, I'll get it for you after dinner Luke." Helen replied, while her husband and Police Chief Will Girardi came home from work.
"Hi honey, Luke. How were your days?" Will asked, giving his wife a quick kiss.
"Good Dad, how about you?"
"Fine son. Hey where are Kevin and Joan tonight?"
"Joan must still be stuck at work. Sammy must be working her to the bone again." Nineteen year old Kevin said, as he rolled in the room in his wheelchair from work. Kevin worked as a fact-checker at the local newspaper.
Joan, Will and Helen's only daughter and Kevin and Luke's sister worked at the local bookstore as a cashier and assistant to the owner Sammy. She had been working hard lately, both in school and at work. Joan had been saving up for an end of the year school trip to Georgia.
"Honey, will Joan be home for dinner?" Will asked as the phone rang.
"I'll get it." Kevin said.
"Hello, hey Joan…Okay, no problem. I'll tell her. Be careful on your way home. Love ya too. Bye." Kevin said.
"Joan said she won't be home until late, about 9p she thinks. She asked if we could save a plate for her."
"Of course." Helen replied as they all sat down to dinner.
Port Charles, New York –
"Ned, are we almost done? I'm starving." Sixteen year old Emily Bowen Quartermaine complained. Emily, employed by her cousin Ned worked at his record company L&B Records. Emily basically worked as an assistant to Ned, and helping him find talent. Their current talent was Emily's boyfriend Juan Santiago.
One of her best friends, Nikolas Cassadine worked the finances, promotion, and public relation (PR) fields. Everything was supervised by Nikolas' aunt, and Ned's fiancée Alexis Davis.
"Almost Emily. Juan, just one more time, and if you can nail it we'll call it a night."
Emily and Nikolas rolled their eyes. Juan was having an off night tonight and both of them were suffering for it. Behind the window, Juan couldn't hear anything except when Ned pressed the button to talk to him. He could see everything however, and didn't like the looks that his girlfriend was sharing with the prince.
"As much as I love him, I say you and I ditch and go get food." Em said. "I agree. But Em, not to rag on you but honestly: What do you see in him?" Nikolas asked, as he indicated to Ned that neither he nor Emily could wait any longer to eat, so they were getting something and would bring him back something as well.
Nikolas and his brother Lucky didn't hate Emily's boyfriend, but they didn't like him much either. They both thought she could do much better and deserved better. From what they saw Juan was somewhat demanding of Emily at times. Always wanting her to be wherever he is, not wanting Emily to put them, and also Lucky's girlfriend Liz before him.
"Nikolas, we've been through this…Juan loves me. He takes care of me. He cares about me as I do him. I love him too. I know you're not thrilled about me dating him and you're just trying to look out for me. But please? I'm a big girl, I can handle this. I promise."
"Okay. But if you need–"
"Yes Nik, I know. You're here. Thanks." Emily said, giving him a quick hug.
"Come on, what do you say for some of Kelly's chili?" Nik asked with a smile.
"I'm all for it. Should we get Lucky and Liz too?"
"Nah, let them be alone. They haven't seen each other lately." Nik said as the two friends made their way to Kelly's Diner.
Arcadia –
Luke never, ever thought he'd lay eyes on something this important. Ever. It scared him to death. Taken out from being hidden under his keyboard, Luke held the pamphlet in his shaky hands.
He remembers sifting through the boxes of his family's history, recent history. But to find something this surprising shook him to the core.
Flashback – Previous Day –
"Kev, find anything of interest?" Luke asked as he and his older brother Kevin looked through old, dusty boxes of their youth.
"Nothing yet…you?"
"No, nothing." Luke replied. Pictures of he, Kevin and their sister Joan were piled everywhere.
As Kevin emptied out one of the last few boxes, he came upon a pamphlet.
"Oh my…" Kevin said, the oxygen completely leaving his system.
"What? Kev, what did you find?" Luke asked as Kevin went silence.
"Here…" Kevin said blankly completely stunned.
Luke became wide-eyed as he read the pamphlet.
"Kev...-" Luke started
"Don't say it Luke. Don't…" Kevin said forcefully.
"I think I'm adopted." Luke replied, completely astonished.
End of Flashback –
How would he be able to confront his parents?
Suddenly Kevin came in, and scared that it might be his parents, Luke quickly put the pamphlet behind his back.
"Oh, it's only you." Luke breathed.
"Yeah, sorry to scare you." Kevin said as he closed the door.
"It's okay…So what are we going to do Kevin? I mean…why? Why did they adopt me? I'm grateful for it…but why didn't they tell me?"
"I don't know bro. I don't know…" Kevin said, wondering the same exact thing.
"LUKE! Where are you? I need help with this physics problem!" Joan called from the hallway, as Luke scrambled to hide the pamphlet while Joan promptly entered his room.
"Don't you ever knock?" Luke asked, a bit annoyed but more jumpy.
"Hey Kev. Dork, I need help with this please." Joan said.
"Well if you ask me like that, than you can forget it." Luke said.
"Okay dweeb, spill."
"Joan, I'm not giving you the answer, figure it out for yourself."
"No not about the stupid physics problem."
"Then what do you want?" Kevin asked.
"What are you doing in here anyway Kev?" Joan asked.
"We were having a private discussion without the likes of our sister."
"Thanks a lot." Joan huffed. "But really, I'm serious. What's up? I doubt you're plotting against me, so just tell me. Luke, you look pale and Kevin, you just seem a bit off. Plus Luke, you are so jumpy."
"No I'm not."
"And defensive." Joan added.
"Kevin, should we tell her?"
"Should we tell me what?"
"Joan, number one: this goes nowhere and number two: you cannot tell Mom and Dad. You promise?" Kevin asked.
"Yes, I promise." Joan said, realized that Kevin was extremely serious and in no way joking.
"Okay…We think Luke is adopted." Kevin said quietly.
Both brothers looked at their sister. She didn't speak for a good minute as the words that just entered her ears and mind sank in.
Her reaction was not what the guys had bargained for as she suddenly started to hysterically laugh.
"JOAN! We're serious here. We really think Luke is adopted." Kevin said sternly.
"Haha, yeah right. Luke? My favorite little brother. I think not. He's not adopted Kevin." Joan said.
"Then why did we find this?" Luke said quietly, his voice thick, almost wanting to cry.
Joan's humor about the situation immediately stopped as she looked at the pamphlet now given to her by Luke.
"Congratulations! You're Adopting a Child?" No! It can't be true. It can't…Where did you find this?" Joan said wanting to cry, completely unprepared for the evidence she now held in her hand.
"We found it folded as small as possible practically hidden under the flap in the bottom of one of the boxes we were looking through. But how can it not be me Joan? I'm a science geek, I'm so interested in science and stuff, I ace everything. And I've got blonde hair."
"Who cares about hair color? Maybe you got it from one of our relatives instead of Mom. Plus, you being the science geek we all know and love makes you Luke, makes you my brother…So what if Mom and Dad adopted you…" Joan said, now resting her head on Luke's shoulder. All 3 siblings now sat on Luke's bed, contemplating why their parents would adopt any of them.
"Joan's right Luke. You're our brother no matter what."
"Thanks, and you will always be my older brother and sister no matter what. Now the only question is how do we either find proof that I'm adopted, or how do I directly confront Mom and Dad about this?"
Making up an excuse for their parents confusion on why all three siblings were in one room without fighting or killing each other, the trio said they haven't been spending enough time together and wanted a closer relationship since Kevin's accident.
Meanwhile, all three Girardi children sat up all night wondering and attempting to plan what they were going to do next.
(Author's Notes- Please Review! Thanks! -Cleopatra1 and E.B.F.R.)