Chapter One

Mac Scorpio swallowed hard as he raised his fist slowly towards the door in front of him. His knock barely made a noise as all strength left his arm just when he lowered it to the door. An anguished moan gurgled from his throat and his eyes had a ravaged look to them. This was the part of his job that he hated as Police Commissioner of Port Charles. Bringing the news of the death of a loved one. When it was the wife and child of one of your own, it was even worse.

Mac swallowed again. The lump in his throat was getting bigger the longer he waited, not smaller. He exhaled slowly. It was time to stop procrastinating and deliver the news. Raising his fist again, Mac knocked firmly. Footsteps strode quickly to the door and it was swung open with a whispered, "Shhhh... I just got Heaven down for her nap."

Mac managed a stiff smile as he gazed at his fellow officer. "Evening, Lucky. May I come in?"

Lucky Spencer offered an apologetic smile at Mac, stepping back to allow his boss room to enter. "Of course, Mac. Come in." Noticing the look on his face, Lucky frowned. "Has another mob war started?"

Mac walked inside and gazed around. As soon as you entered the Spencer home, there was the feel of family. On the fireplace mantel were framed pictures of the family, including Lucky's parents and his wife's grandparents. Pictures of the children, of Lucky's sister. Mac sighed and forced his gaze elsewhere. His eyes settled on the small toy box in the corner, and the toys littered loosely around the room.

Seeing his gaze, Lucky stepped forward and cleared some toys out of the way with his foot. "Sorry about the mess," he apologized with a grin, "but Elizabeth has been out with Cameron most of the day. I haven't had a chance to clean up. Heaven's been keeping me pretty busy."

"Don't worry about it," Mac muttered, waving his hand. Gathering every ounce of courage he had, Mac turned and faced Lucky suddenly. "I am here on official police business." He tried making his tone as formal as possible.

The sudden seriousness of Mac's tone threw Lucky. "Is something wrong, Mac?" For the first time, Lucky's heart began beating harder as concern filled him. "Is it my dad? Lulu? Nikolas?"

At the mention of Lucky's father and siblings, Mac shook his head. "We received report earlier today about a drunk driving accident," Mac said quietly, his voice serious and his eyes compassionate. "The driver hit another car head on. The people in the other car didn't survive." Mac paused and sighed. "I'm sorry, Lucky. Elizabeth and Cameron were the other car." He knew it was a backwards way to say it, but he couldn't bring himself to be blunter than that.

Lucky's head spun. "No, Mac. No - there must be some mistake. You're wrong. I talked to Elizabeth a few hours ago. She was taking Cameron to do some grocery shopping and then was going to come home for dinner. I was even going to make dinner tonight!" He sank down on the couch, shaking his head with disbelief. "You're talking about my wife and son here!"

Mac put his hand on Lucky's shoulder, almost father-like. "Who can I call for you?" He had dropped everything at the office for this, intending to stay by Lucky's side until his family arrived. Mac remembered all too well Lucky's drug addiction from a year earlier after a back injury.

"What?" Lucky's eyes were glazed and unfocused. "Call? You can call Elizabeth. Tell her this is a cruel joke and to come home with Cameron." His voice cracked as tears filled his eyes. His fingers curled into fists in his lap.

Shock and denial. A textbook case for how news like this was handled. Only this wasn't a textbook case. This was Lucky, a man Mac had watched grow up. A man Mac himself had hated a year ago when he cheated on Elizabeth with his own daughter. A man Mac respected as a fellow officer and a human who tried his best to make up for his mistakes. Mac pulled his cell phone out and began dialing, "I'll call Nikolas."

Lucky nodded and let his eyes travel around the room. The tears that had been building seeped from his eyes. Disbelief filled him as Mac's words ran through his mind. Elizabeth and Cameron - dead? The thought of his daughter filled his mind. Upstairs, peacefully sleeping in her crib. Blissfully unaware that her entire world had been ripped apart. That she was never going to see her mother or her brother ever again. Lucky managed a small smile at the thought of his daughter. The child that looked so much like her mother with big brown eyes and brown hair.

Lucky thought back to the day Heaven was born. Lucky had been with Elizabeth in the delivery room, crying like a baby as the doctor announced they had a girl. "Let's name her Heaven," Lucky said suddenly. "Heaven Laura Spencer". Laura, after his mother. "Heaven because she's heaven on earth. She's what brought us back together after everything else that kept us apart. She's a piece of heaven."

Elizabeth's damp eyes locked on his. Reaching up, she tiredly caressed his cheek. "I think Heaven is the perfect name for her," she said softly.

Now, six months later, everyone said that Heaven suited her name. She was a happy child who adjusts well to anything going on around her. She was social and always laughing and giggling at the innocence of the world around her. It really was like being in heaven when around her. Lucky dragged himself away from his thoughts to focus on Mac as the police commissioner hung up the phone. He waited, his eyes blank.

"Nikolas is on his way," Mac said softly. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"No." Lucky dragged himself off the couch. "Thanks for coming over, Mac." He walked to the door, his actions portraying the visit as a personal one. Opening it, he waited, "I'll talk to you later."

Realizing he was being dismissed, Mac hesitated. Then he nodded, walking to the door. "Take as much time off as you need," Mac said quietly. "And call me if you need anything. Anything," he emphasized. Resting his hand lightly on Lucky's shoulder, he met the younger man's eyes. "I am so sorry, Lucky."

Lucky inclined his head, lowering his eyes. "Thanks," he muttered. He remembered all this from the funerals he'd attended in his time. The condolences, the sadness, everyone talking in quiet tones. What he'd never experienced before was this deep numbness. The feeling of everything around him being surreal. Shutting the door after Mac left, Lucky felt drained of all energy. He took one step forward towards the couch and then sank to his knees, an animal cry escaping him as he moaned the name of the woman he loved more than anything. "Elizabeth ... "

Two Weeks Later

Jason Morgan sat in the middle of the living room in his penthouse apartment, his mind whirling with thoughts. His lawyer would be taking the papers over to Lucky today. It was time he told Sam, before someone else did. Because once Lucky was served with the papers, there was no telling what he would do. Jason had agonized for almost two weeks about his decision. It went against everything he promised Elizabeth a year ago. But with Elizabeth gone ... Jason knew the time had come. Jason was startled from his thoughts as the front door to the penthouse opened. Raising his eyes, Jason felt his heart clench.

Jason's fiancée, Samantha McCall, came inside and set her purse down. Her face was bright and happy, slightly tired after a day of working on the set of her TV show "EveryDay Heroes". Setting her keys down, Sam noticed Jason sitting on the couch. Concern immediately lit her face. "What are you doing home, Jason? Is everything okay?" Sam went to him, sitting down beside him on the couch and wrapping her arms around him.

Jason allowed himself to be pulled against her. He slid his arms around her waist and lowered his chin to her shoulder. Closing his eyes, Jason inhaled sharply. Sam's whole world was about to change and Jason hated to be the one to cause her the grief he knew was coming. "No," Jason answered honestly. "I need to talk to you."

"Ok." Sam pulled back from Jason slightly to look at him. "Is this about Elizabeth's death?" Sam knew how close Jason and Elizabeth had been. He'd taken the death of his friend hard and had been extremely withdrawn ever since he'd found out.. The funeral had been difficult for Sam. She'd managed to swallow her jealousy over Jason's intense feelings for Elizabeth but watching Jason grieve so much over another woman had not been easy.

"Yes," Jason swallowed hard. "Back when we were broken up. After your accident, when I was pushing you away... " he trailed off, emotions overcoming him and needing a moment to compose them.

"When I slept with Ric," Sam added, wincing at the old memories they'd long since worked through and buried. Confusion entered her eyes. "What does that have to do with Elizabeth?" It wasn't exactly what she'd meant. Elizabeth had been a solid friendship to Jason through that time, she remembered. Yet Sam couldn't see what that had to do with her subsequent death. "Did Ric have something to do with her accident?" she asked, grasping at the only straw she could figure out. She wouldn't put it past him. The corrupt DA was no one's favorite person, but knowing the past Ric shared with Elizabeth, Sam didn't see that as very plausible.

Jason shook his head. "No." He sighed. "The night I saw you with Ric, I came back here. It was the night of the storm. The same night, Elizabeth caught Lucky with Maxie - in their bed. She came here." Jason couldn't bring himself to say the words directly, so he walked around them in his head. "I'm the father of her daughter," he finally admitted.

Sam's head spun. Father of Elizabeth's daughter? Lucky was her father. Sam knew Jason well. Or at least, she THOUGHT she knew Jason well. She knew how much Jason loved kids. She knew how much it had hurt when he'd thought he was father to Carly's son Michael and bonded with the child before the truth came out and Michael was 'taken away'. If Jason truly was the father, why was she living with Lucky? Why was this the first Sam was hearing of it? "How?" It was the only word that could escape her throat.

Jason watched the shock cross Sam's features. He rose from the couch and went into the kitchen to get her a bottle of water. Handing it to her, Jason sank back down beside her. "Elizabeth got pregnant," Jason explained tonelessly. This part was something he'd been over so many times to himself that he rarely allowed emotions to enter it anymore. "She had a paternity test done, and I was confirmed to be the father."

"Why is this the first I'm hearing of this?" Sam asked, her voice icy. She felt a wall close around her as she sipped the water Jason had given to her.

"Elizabeth wanted what was best for the child - a two parent home away from my lifestyle," Jason explained. "She asked me to give the baby up. I thought so long about it, Sam." His eyes sought hers, needing to show her how much this decision had cost him. "I decided that she was the baby's mother, she had to know what was right. My lifestyle almost cost you your life. It cost Sonny so much agony when it came to the boys. How could I put my child and Elizabeth through that too?" Sam's eyes narrowed but she remained silent as she gazed at Jason. Jason took that as a sign to continue. "When the baby was born, I agonized over my decision. She was so perfect, so beautiful. But when the war with Lorenzo heated up, and Skye's daughter almost paid the price, I couldn't change my mind."

"Why are you telling me all of this now?" Sam asked, sensing there was still a piece of the puzzle missing. She didn't comment on anything else. She wasn't ready yet - her mind was still whirling.

"Diane is delivering papers today to Lucky. I'm suing for custody of Heaven," Jason said quietly.

Sam couldn't say a word. She almost couldn't breathe. The whole situation overwhelmed her for so many reasons. His affair with Elizabeth, lying to her about it. The child they'd conceived, when Sam herself couldn't even get pregnant due to being shot by one of Jason's enemies. Jason's suing for custody of the child Sam would never be able to give him. Covering her eyes, Sam shook her head and took several deep breaths, needing to calm down. "Custody?"

Jason wanted to reach out and take Sam into his arms, but he didn't. He'd hurt her enough already. He watched the pain and anguish overcome her and felt himself close off. This reaction was what he'd feared all along. Yet, how could her reaction be anything less than what she was experiencing right now. "Yes, full custody," he whispered. Then, because she wasn't saying anything, he continued. "I know Lucky's already lost his wife and son. Losing the only child he has left ... but Sam, Heaven isn't his child. She's my daughter, and I want her with me. With us."

Sam lowered her hands and looked Jason squarely in the eye. "Too bad you didn't think of that when Elizabeth was alive. At least then, Lucky would've had her and Cameron to fall back on. Now you're hitting him when he's already down." She stood up. "I need to get out of here." Jason nodded, saying nothing to stop her. Her words echoed every feeling he'd already felt. Yet his desire for his daughter was stronger than his empathy for Lucky. Sam stared at him for a long moment before grabbing her purse and keys and walking out the same door she'd come in only moments earlier.

Jason stared at the door for a long time after it shut, his heart constricted with pain. Picking up the phone, he called his best friend, the person who proclaimed to stand beside him no matter what he was going through. He called Carly
Jacks.