Five years ago, Lucky Spencer had walked away from the woman he had loved most in the world. He had been the better man and bowed out gracefully when his princely brother had made a grand declaration of love for his best friend. He had swallowed his own unconditional affection for the brunette medical student and tried to build a relationship with the girl he'd once saved. He tried to be the man that Emily needed because that was all she had asked of him. She had asked him to stay her best friend, to help her get over the nightmare of being raped by Connor, to hold her hand when Nikolas was falling in love with Courtney. He had done those things dutifully because he loved her.
The night that Emily died counted among one of the worst of his life. While his best friend was running around Wyndamere trying to save Nikolas from himself, Elizabeth had been busy wrecking Lucky's entire life from the cold confines of the barn. It only took a matter of seconds for all the lies to come spilling out and send his world crashing off its axis. The truth had finally come out, and Lucky had thought that it was the absolute worst thing that could ever happen to him. Ten minutes later, his best friend was dead, and apart of his soul was forever crushed.
Over the next several months, Lucky tried to be the perfect father, the perfect boyfriend, the perfect brother, the perfect cop. He had failed Emily by not being there to protect her the night of the Black and White Ball, and he refused to make the same mistake twice. He doted on his children, found a way to get along with Elizabeth, supported Nikolas through his grieving process, grew closer to Sam in a vain attempt to feel something, and worked hard to regain his reputation at the department. He did everything right, but it still didn't make up for the one thing he had done wrong. Nothing would ever make up for his failure to save Emily.
It was only in the dark hours of the early morning that he allowed himself to really think about Emily. In those precious moments, he didn't remember her as Monica's daughter or Nikolas' fiancée or Elizabeth's friend or General Hospital's resident. He only remembered her as his best friend. He thought about grape snow cones and roller skating in the hallway and chasing their dogs along the beach. He thought about tossing pebbles at her window when he would sneak into her bedroom in high school, meeting her for coffee when she would be between classes and he had a break from work, laughing so hard they were in tears at movies that Elizabeth and Nikolas would just never get. He thought about all the things that connected him to Emily.
Now, more than eighteen months of losing his best friend in the world, he had a second chance. Rebecca Shaw would never be Emily Quartermaine. It was one fact that she had made clear, and the more time he spent with her, the more he knew that they were far from the same person. Everyone else might look at her and see Emily, but Lucky would have known his best friend anywhere. His heart would have known if it was her. No, his Emily was still gone.
Their contrasts far outnumbered their comparisons. He didn't see that same glimmer in her wide eyes or that same slight quirk of her lips when she smiled. Instead, Rebecca had a habit of biting her bottom lip when she grinned and tugged on the ends of her short hair whenever she got nervous. She preferred cold beer and loud music where Emily liked red wine and the opera. Rebecca was more likely to show up in leather and tattered jeans, while Emily was known for her impeccable taste in designer garb. Emily had been the daylight, full of sunshine and wholesome goodness. Rebecca was pure moonlight, with all of the dark corners Lucky was still discovering.
Five hours ago, Lucky had walked away from his brother because he refused to give in. He'd run into him on the docks after stopping by Kelly's to catch up with Rebecca over coffee. They'd gone out the night before to hear a live blues band at one of his favorite places downtown and had actually ended up having a pretty decent time. Rebecca was a good dancer and could match him shot for shot. They'd walked around after closing time, having one of those conversations that ended up lasting for hours. It was a connection neither of them had expected but welcomed. Whether it was friendship or something more was left to be determined, but Nikolas wouldn't hear anything of it. Instead, he threw one of his famed self-righteous fits as he demanded that Lucky stay away from Rebecca. According to Nikolas, if he couldn't accept their friendship, it simply could not be. Lucky rarely fought with his brother anymore, not after all they had gone through to get to this point. However, he wasn't about to lose another woman to Nikolas like he'd lost Emily. That was what had brought him here, outside her room above Kelly's, ready to leap without looking for the first time in his life.
"Hey, Spencer," Rebecca greeted him as she swung the door open. She was dressed in faded jeans and a tight black sweater, her hair still pulled back from her shift at the diner. She moved to the side to let him in before returning to the music magazine spread out on her bed. "I didn't know you were going to stop by. I thought you had the boys or something tonight."
"Elizabeth kept them," he said distractedly. Lucky scratched the back of his head and started to pace like he always did when he was nervous. Rebecca had come to recognize the habit early on. She reached out and grabbed his hand when he passed by the bed. "Sorry to just drop in on you like this. I just needed to talk to someone."
She shook her head dismissively and patted the mattress next to her. "You don't have to apologize for needing a friend," she assured him. "It's pretty clear that you got something on going on in that hard head of yours. Why don't you tell me what's up and I'll help you work it out? I've been told I'm a pretty decent listener."
"Nikolas doesn't want me to see you."
Rebecca covered her face as she groaned in frustration. Every time she thought she had explained things to the Cassadine prince, he went and pulled another stunt like this. "Why does he insist on acting like he has a say in my life?" she asked him. "I don't know any other way of saying it, but I am not his dead fiancée. It sounds harsh, but maybe that's what it would take. He doesn't get to tell me who I can and can't see."
"I don't think he was really trying to tell you what to do. It was more me that he was trying to order around," Lucky pointed out. "He kept telling me how he knows that you're you but how he still sees Emily every time he looks at you. It's not like he's the only one. I just don't understand how he can't see past the physical resemblance to who you really are."
"It's something I ask myself every time I meet someone else who thinks I'm Emily," she frowned. It was maddening to live your life in the shadow of a dead girl, especially when she was as treasured as Emily Quartermaine. "I see that hopeful look they get in their eyes, and it kills me to have to be the one to disappoint them over and over again. It also makes me angry because no one wants to get to know me. They just want her back."
Lucky was about to disagree with her when he realized what he would be saying. He would give anything to have Emily back, but not at the risk of losing Rebecca. It wouldn't be fair to her, just like so much about this situation hadn't been fair to her. It was easy to look at how this had affected Nikolas and the Quartermaines. Their grief was deep and apart of their lives every single day. However, few people stopped to consider the pressure it put on Rebecca. They didn't get how hard it had to be for her.
"Well, what did you say?"
He snapped out of his reverie and looked back at her. "I told him that he could go to hell."
Rebecca was clearly stunned by his response. "I thought that everyone bowed to Prince Nikolas' every whim," she smiled. She hadn't really expected Lucky to go against his brother, not for her. "I'm guessing that he didn't like that so much."
"Not so much," he agreed, "but I told him that I didn't care. I could have stood there all day and listed a million ways you two were different, but Nikolas is going to see what he wants to see. There is nothing you and I can do to change that. I was selfless once when he needed me to let go of a woman for his sake. I won't make that mistake again. I'm not willing to walk away from you just because it hurts him."
She moved a little closer to him on the bed so that they were sitting side by side on the edge. His thigh was pressed against hers, their knees touching and ankles bumping against each other. "There's something to walk away from here?"
"Not yet," he answered, "but maybe someday. I can't leave before I get the chance to find out. I mean, that's assuming that you even want to hang out with me. I mean, I know that I am not as exciting or rich as my brother but…"
Lucky was cut off by Rebecca's lips on his. His fingers quickly found a home on the back of her neck as he pulled her closer to him. They broke away for a moment, both surprised by the moment, before plunging back together. Rebecca groaned in the most delicious little way when he pulled her into a straddle over his lap. When all air had escaped from their lungs, they leaned back and smiled genuinely at each other. Lucky pressed his forehead to hers as he stroked her hair. He could now add the way they kissed to the list of differences between Emily and Rebecca.
"So I guess you want to hang out with me, huh?"
"Yeah, something like that," she teased lightly as he rested his hands on her hips. Her arms were threaded around his neck, her fingers playing with the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. "We've only had one date, so I guess I could still find something not to like about you. I'm just having a hard time coming up with one right now."
Lucky cocked his head to the side as he pretended to think. "I'm really stubborn."
"Eh, I think I can deal with that," she decided as she moved off his lap. Lucky reached for her hand and entwined their fingers together. "Do you make it a habit of showing up at girl's doors and ravaging them?"
"Nope, you're different," he grinned. "And I didn't ravage you. I believe you made the first move."
"Only because you were too much of a wimp! You totally wanted to kiss me."
"No way!" he exclaimed before relenting. "Okay, yeah."
She laughed at how easily he had caved. "You wanted to kiss me the other night when you walked me to the door. I know that I wanted you to. It was a pretty good night, and that would have been the perfect ending."
"So maybe we'll go out tonight," he proposed. "And maybe when I walk you to the door this time, I'll look into those big beautiful brown eyes of yours and kiss you. And maybe you'll kiss me back."
"Maybe," she agreed. "As long as you're sure I'm the girl you want."
Lucky cupped her cheek with his left hand while still clutching her right one tightly in his. "I have never once thought of you as Emily. You will never be her just like she could never be you. That's what I'm doing here – chasing the moonlight, pursuing the mystery. I don't know what brought you to me, but I don't care. I'm not asking for forever here, Bec. I'm just asking for the chance to get to know you. And kiss you."
"That's all I needed to hear, Spencer," she murmured before allowing him to kiss her again.
Five minutes ago, Lucky Spencer had walked toward a woman he felt connected to without having it remind him of anything else he'd ever known. He had been stronger this time as he fought for the simple opportunity to get to know this incredible woman that just happened to look like his best friend. He had refused to let someone else matter more than her, even if it was his brother. He had reached out for the vivacious waitress and built the beginnings of a foundation with her. He didn't have to try to be the man that Rebecca needed because he was the man that she already wanted. She had asked him to want her for her, to never look at her like she was the other woman, to let her be the girl that he wants. He had done those things because she was the girl he wanted, and this time, he would not walk away for anyone.
Fin.