Johnny sat at an empty table with a tumbler of scotch and a laptop as he recorded last night's profit for the Haunted Star. He was so pleased with the consistency of the growing income that he didn't bother to look up when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Hey, mate. Did you miss me?"
The raspy accented voice caused Johnny to breath out a deep sigh accompanied with a smile. His head cocked to the side as he leaned back into his chair. "Well if it isn't my old friend Ethan Lovett. Tell me, has your wild adventure abroad finally led you back to its starting point?"
Ethan showed his signature crooked smile. "For now."
"Well I got to say, whatever the reason, it's great to have you back." Johnny stood up and gave the Aussie a firm hand to the shoulder. "Come on, let me pour you a drink. You can tell me about all the adrenaline highs you had while the rest of us were stuck here having to deal with real life." Johnny headed to the bar where he poured his friend a double shot of his finest bourbon.
Ethan hurdled one leg over the bar stool and sat forward with his arms folded across the bar. "Now now old friend, last I remember Port Charles is not known for its subdued residents. Quite the contrary actually."
Johnny grinned at Ethan's accuracy. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Port Charles is definitely not lacking in its own adventures." Johnny raised his glass and the two men tapped them together before taking down a large swallow of their favorite liquor.
Ethan let himself enjoy the subtle burn as the bourbon began to warm up his body. "What the hell have you done to the Haunted Star?" He looked over the drastic changes that have happened since he left.
"Just a few renovations." Johnny smirked.
"Just a few?" Ethan's eyes widened. "It's purple and black with glass chandelier things hanging everywhere." He swiveled his stool around. "What the hell? There's a stage for god's sake. Johnny, why is there a stage in the Haunted Star? This is so wrong."
"Have you seriously not kept in touch with anyone while you were gone?"
Ethan swung back around to face him. "No, only Luke on occasion when he would let me know if Helena or Robert were getting hot on my trail. He only mentioned that you and Lulu had partnered up to run this place in our last conversation to let me know that I probably didn't have a room to come back too."
Johnny threw his hands up in the air. "Welcome to the new Haunted Star Lounge. Port Chuck's newest experience in entertaining the adult crowd."
"Well please tell me there's a card table or two stashed away in a back closet somewhere that you take out after all the club goers have gone home?" Ethan pressed his hands together in a praying position.
Johnny laughed. Sure he would've loved nothing more than to be able to accommodate a few high rollers after hours, but Lulu was firm that this partnership was only going to work if it stayed completely legit and he was trying his hardest to stay on the right side of the law these days. "Nah man, the Haunted Star is running completely legitimate these days."
The news was heartbreaking for Ethan to hear. "The Star was not meant for frilly drinks and karaoke, Johnny. If you don't allow her to live on the edge once in awhile, she will surely sink from mere boredom."
"Believe me, I wish I could, but I promised Carly…"
Ethan cut him off mid sentence. "Carly?"
"Yeah, Carly. We've been together for several months now and it's pretty serious. I promised her that I was no longer participating in any illegal activity and I want to keep that promise to her."
Ethan knew that life would go on without him in Port Charles and he'd be walking into some changes, but never in a million years did he expect his past partner in crime to be walking straight on the right side of the line. "Man, I think I'm gonna need a minute." He stood up. "Maybe if I go throw some cold water on my face, I will wake up from this god awful nightmare."
"Fine, but when you get back I want to hear how you managed to dodge Robert and Helena and come back home. I hope that crazy bitch didn't follow you back."
"Safe for now, bro." Ethan rounded the end of the bar and disappeared threw the doorway that led to the restrooms.
Johnny was preparing the two tumblers back up when his name being called pulled his head in the woman's direction. It didn't surprise him in the least that Kristina would show up here not even an hour after Ethan's return. These two were like magnets when they were in the same city. Denial from Ethan or not, the undeniable force between the two of them was nothing but evident in Johnny's eyes. "Kristina, what brings you here?"
"My life is hell, but then again what else is new? When is it not?" She plopped down on a bar stool and grabbed the glass of bourbon Johnny had just poured for Ethan. "Oh thank you." She threw back the drink in two giant gulps. Her soured face showed her lack of experience with even the smoothest of liquors. Whenever he had witnessed Kristina have a drink since she became twenty-one it surprisingly had always been a beer or a glass of wine during her dinner. Never any hard stuff so when she signaled for another before her face had even settled back down, he knew something was really wrong. "Keep them coming Johnny." She demanded.
He poured her another, but this time only a third of a shot. "Why don't you slow down a bit and tell me what's got you begging for a hell of a hangover?"
Kristina picked up the glass and briefly stared at the brown liquid as she tried to think of a word that would best describe her current state of mind. The alcohol reached the back of her mouth and her throat fought against entry, but quickly lost the battle. She slammed down the glass. "My husband!" She shouted.
"Husband?" Ethan paused at the end of the bar. "Kristina, you're married?"
"Ethan? You're… you're back?" Her first instinct was to run right up to him and throw her arms around him and tell him how much she has missed him. But before she could let the impulse set in, reality struck. She was pissed at him. Really, really pissed at him. She whipped her head back at Johnny and gave him a death stare.
"Hey, I had no idea he was coming back until he showed up here." Johnny declared before the wrath of Kristina set in.
"You didn't answer the question." Ethan started again. "Are you married?"
"Does it really matter, Ethan? Why would you care if I was married or not?"
"Maybe because I'm your friend." He slowly began to approach her.
"Ha!" She shouted. "A friend doesn't take off out of the country and not even call once to say their okay."
Ethan knew not keeping in touch with anyone was going to be hard, but it was what he had to do. No one could know where he was. He had wanted to call her, in fact he had thought of and missed his friendship with Kristina about a thousand times while he was away, but in his heart he thought it was best for her to finally get over him. "Kristina, I'm sorry, but you were away at school. This kind of just happened. Believe me, I didn't want to have to throw some clothes in a bag and jet off all in an hours time. There really was no time for goodbyes. Damn it, Kristina, Helena was going to kill me."
Kristina looked towards Johnny. "Are you buying this crap?"
Ethan's fingers ran firmly through his hair as a sign of frustration. "Unbelievable."
"Hey leave me out of this little spat." Johnny conceded.
"Fine, but pour me another drink. This night just keeps getting better and better." Kristina rested her face in her hands.
"Kristina! Kristina, you've got to talk to me!" Trey hurried down the stairs and over to Kristina at the bar.
"Oh god!" She rolled her eyes. "Trey, I told you that I don't want to talk to you. The annulment papers are being processed while we speak."
"So this is your husband?" Ethan asked as he found himself sizing up the bloke.
"Yeah and who the hell are you?" Trey countered.
Ethan's eyebrows rose when he didn't like the tone he was getting. Kristina noticed the quick shift in the air. Testosterone was now clouding the Star. She made her way in between the two. "Trey, this is Ethan. Ethan, this is Trey."
"Her husband." Trey continued.
"My soon to be ex husband." Kristina corrected.
Trey regained his attention back on Kristina. "Please, just talk to me. I know we can work this out."
Kristina shook her head in annoyance. "There is nothing that we need to talk about. I cared about you, Trey, but it was all a sham to you."
"It started out that way, yeah, but things have changed. I love you, Kristina."
Kristina stared at the man before her. He was the man who helped her move on from the one that stood behind her. She let the walls down for this guy. After everything she had been through in the past, Trey was the one who allowed her to feel wanted again, beautiful again and loved again. But this was also the man who admitted that it had all been a scam to get her money, even with his sudden pleas that he had really fallen in love with her. Kristina would not allow herself to be the victim anymore. She had spent way too much of her life feeling weak. Nobody was going to make her feel that way again. "Trey, I have nothing to say to you. I want you to go."
"But you'll stay and talk to Ethan? The man who had all of your heart once, but repeatedly made you feel like you weren't good enough for him."
"Hey, you bastard! You know nothing about my relationship with Kristina." Ethan managed to scoot Kristina's small body out of the way so he was only inches away from Trey. Johnny made his way from behind the bar, fearing he would be breaking up a fight any minute now.
"Really? I know that she loved you, but you only threw it back at her every chance you got."
Never taking his eyes off of Trey, Ethan directed a question at Kristina. "You really married this piece of shit, Krissy?"
"Don't you think it's a little too late to be playing jealous protector? She's over you now. You're nothing but a regret Kristina refers to now."
"Johnny, please do something!" Kristina begged as she knew this was not going to be getting any better.
Johnny took one step forward, preparing to separate the two, but it was too late. Ethan pushed Trey just far enough to allow his arm to cock back and force a fist to connect with the side of his jaw.
Johnny pushed Ethan against the chest to try to keep him from continuing his attack on Trey. Kristina hurried to Trey, who was trying to get his senses back while he was laid out on the floor. "Ethan, what the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled.
"He's just a punk, Kristina. He doesn't know a damn thing about our friendship!" Ethan said as Johnny finally managed to push him onto a chair.
Trey pulled himself back up, but instead of going after Ethan, he turned to Kristina. "Please, come with me. Look, I'm sorry. I just want a few minutes to talk to you."
In this moment she was feeling no sympathy for the man with a bloodied lip. She felt he deserved it for all the pain he had caused her. But she wasn't feeling any gratitude for the man who delivered that pain either. She wasn't sure how it was possible, but she was now ten times angrier than when she had arrived at the Star. "Trey, not tonight. I promise, I will talk to you another time. But right now… right now I have nothing to say."
"You heard the lady, get out!" Ethan shouted from his chair that was being guarded by Johnny.
Kristina shot her head his way. "Shut up, Ethan!"
"Trey, I think it's better if you do what she asks. Obviously nothing is going to be solved tonight." Johnny suggested.
Trey reluctantly headed up the stairs. "I'll call you tomorrow." He directed Kristina's way before walking out of the Star.
"I'm sorry, Krissy, but that guy is a piece of work." There was a small laugh behind his words.
The fact that Ethan found humor in all of this really pissed Kristina off. "Who the hell do you think you are?" She stomped in front of him.
"What?"
"I haven't seen or heard from you in over a year and not even ten minutes after you return, you're punching out my husband."
"I believe you referred to him as your soon to be ex."
"Has Johnny filled you in on my marriage?" She asked.
"Well, no."
"Then you had no right interfering the way you did."
"He obviously has hurt you."
"Here's the thing you're missing, Ethan. I don't need you to protect me anymore. I know how to handle things on my own now."
"Old habits die hard, I guess." Ethan said as he finally took the time to take in the beauty before him. She was much the same, except a few small changes. She hadn't grown any taller that was for sure. Her hair was slightly longer and there were small changes in her body as well. She must have added about ten pounds that had been distributed to all the right places. Ethan caught himself staring and quickly cleared his throat and turned away.
Kristina noticed his stare, but was in no mood to start trying to analyze Ethan Lovett's feelings for her again. "Listen, Ethan. I appreciate that you still have the instinct to save me, really I do, but you just can't act like you never left. You did and things have changed. I have changed." She walked back over to the bar and grabbed her purse. "I got to get out of here."
"Come on Kristina, don't go. The three of us have a lot of catching up to do." Ethan requested.
"Some other time. I wanted a night to just forget about things and I'm not going to be able to do that here." She turned toward Johnny. "Sorry I brought some drama."
Johnny's life had been too squeaky clean lately, he welcomed some excitement. "Don't worry about it."
"Ethan…" She paused. "I guess I'll see you around."
"Yeah… see you around." He wasn't used to getting the blow off from Kristina.
After both of the men watched their once young friend walk out, they headed back to the bar. "So what's the story on that?" Ethan asked.
"Apparently Kristina met Trey while she was away at school." Johnny began.
"Which is another question. What happened with school?"
"Apparently Sonny bought her way in and it didn't take long for Kristina to find out about it. Needless to say that it didn't set to well with her. Anyway, she brought Trey back home with her and somehow he managed to convince her that running off to Vegas and getting married would be the best way to stick it to Sonny and Alexis."
"Vegas?" Ethan could feel the fury start to build again.
"Yeah and honestly they looked like they really cared about each other. I just happened to hear through the grapevine something about Trey really being a con man and had his mind set on Kristina's money since day one. Tonight was the first I have seen or heard from her since then."
"Damn that girl can't catch a break. I think I need to go find that Trey character and have another little chat with him." Ethan stood back up.
"Hey, Ethan, you heard Kristina. She can take care of herself now. Plus, I don't think entering round two will help get you back into her good graces."
"Yeah, I think your right. You know, I would've liked to have run into Kristina say at Kelly's or on the docks, not like this." Ethan flashed back to all their conversations, both good and bad, his favorites being at Kelly's. There he knew their talks would never get out of hand because of all the people around. When they were on the docs, he always had to be afraid of where she would take the conversation. Usually trying to make him come to terms with his feelings for her. A few times he felt close to saying something he knew he would regret, but was able to control himself just in time. Kristina was too young and too inexperienced for him. He was doing her a favor. He was just a wandering con man and she deserved better than that. "Alright, I think I'm gonna take off."
"Well listen, we turned your old room into a banquet room, but you're more than welcome to stay at the penthouse tonight. Carly's coming by, but…"
"Thanks man, but I made sure I had arrangements before I came here."
"Alright, well, if you need some work, we're always looking for some help here behind the bar."
It didn't take long for Ethan to ponder the offer. "You know, I just don't think I could do it." He smiled. "Not if you want to keep this place legit."
"See ya later, man." Johnny shook his head at Ethan's never ending need for an adrenaline rush.
"Alright man." Ethan left the Star and headed on his way to his new place. Running into Kristina tonight kept replaying in his head. She had said that she didn't need him anymore, I mean he didn't like it when she said that she did before, but no matter how much he tried not to be the knight in shining armor for her, it was their thing. It just always worked that way. When Kristina left for school, he knew there was something more between the two of them. He would never admit it of course. She was going to go off and she would meet someone worthy of her. But seeing her tonight and finding out that she had been hurt by that jackass and that he hadn't been able to protect her killed him. Even if she said that she didn't need him anymore, he still had this overwhelming need to keep her safe.