AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS. CAN I SAY THAT I JUST MISS JOHNNY AND LULU TALKING TO EACH OTHER. EARLY ON IT WAS THE WAY THAT THEY JUST REALLY TALKED TO EACH OTHER THAT REALLY MADE ME LOVE THEM. THANKS FOR CHECKING IT OUT!

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER: YEAH, NO.

She sighed in frustration when she realized that yet another one of her father's book was completely unorganized. When she agreed to watch over the Haunted Star while her father was in rehab she had assumed that it would be easy enough. She assumed that her responsibilities would mostly include making sure that the schedules were posted each week, Ethan wasn't allowed to drink all of their good stuff, and that people enjoyed their time at her father's precious establishment. She thought it would be like a vacation after working for Kate for three years. Instead she was finding that she couldn't have been more wrong. Not only was the Haunted Star in deep debt, but it seemed as though the staff was nonexistent. She groaned as she closed the book and tossed it on the bar.

"Looks like you could use a drink as badly as me," Johnny noted as he sat down on the stool beside hers.

She smiled weakly. "What are you doing here so early in the day?"

"Michael said you were running this place and I had to see if it was true." He'd been surprised when Michael had reported that Luke had gone to rehab. He could only imagine how difficult it must have been to convince him. "Plus I thought you could use someone to talk to."

"What makes you think I need someone to talk to?"

"Just a hunch," he replied, shrugging his shoulders as if to why don't you tell me.

She got up and walked around the bar. She placed two glasses on the bar and then grabbed her father's favorite bottle of bourbon. She knew this wasn't the kind of visit that they could have without a little liquid courage. She knew that something was going on with Johnny even if he didn't just come out and say it.

"Cheers," Johnny said as he gently tapped her glass with his. He closed his eyes as he relished the first sip.

"We cornered him," she whispered before taking a sip. "He was so defiant, but we just wouldn't stop going at him."

"You were guys were just trying to get him to clean himself up."

"I've been thinking that sobering him up would fix everything, but now I'm not so sure. I was telling Dante about how amazing everything will be when he gets out and then Dante reminded me that just because he agreed to go to rehab that doesn't mean it'll stick."

"No offense to Dante but he doesn't know Luke. He doesn't understand that Luke will do anything to get his life back. The sheer fact that Luke was willing to go is such a victory in itself."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

She'd come so close to saying all of this to Dante. It had been there on the tip of his tongue, but for some reason she just couldn't make herself say it. Maybe it was because she felt like even though they were always kissing and saying "I love yous" it was like every time they got into a disagreement it turned into something that they couldn't handle and they broke up.

"So how big of a mess is this place?" Johnny asked as he gestured to their surroundings with his glass.

Lulu snorted, "Let's just say calling it a mess is the understatement of the century."

Johnny nodded knowingly. When he took over the organization for his father and finally got rid of Trevor he'd been amazed at just how far everything had been run in the ground. He knew part of the blame had to be put on Claudia because she was never afraid to make erratic decisions.

"There isn't a staff and if this has place has made a profit in the last three years I can't find evidence of it."

"Well step one you'll hire Abby to help you. Lord knows she's more responsible and less likely to drink the profits than Ethan."

"Abby?"

"Michael's girlfriend."

"The former stripper."

"I think you've been dating a cop for too long."

"What does that even mean?"

Johnny set his glass down and turned so that he was facing her. "Your entire life you've been surrounded by people of questionable morals, but the way you just called her the former stripper makes me think you've forgotten that. She's a nice girl Lulu who didn't have a lot of decisions and figured that she'd rather dance on a pole to support herself than search for a man to take care of her. I'd think you respect that."

She was speechless. She didn't want to admit it but she knew that he was right. She sighed to signal defeat. "I'm sorry. Can we just chalk it up to me being frustrated with this burden?"

"Always," he said softly. He glanced down at his watch and groaned.

"Got somewhere you have to be?"

He nodded, drained his glass, and then stood. "I'll have Abby come by tomorrow morning at say 9:00. Does that work for you?"

She smiled and nodded, "Thanks Johnny."

"You know I'm always here if you need me."

"Next time you stop by maybe we could actually talk about what's eating you."

He didn't say anything. Instead he just shrugged and made his way towards the front door. Just before he was about to leave he stopped and called over his shoulder, "I'm amazed that you didn't berate me for hanging out with Michael! Dante would be disappointed in you."

She turned around to counter his statement and felt surprisingly sad to see that he was already gone. She sighed and went behind the bar to clean their glasses.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS? I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. IT'LL BE A SLOWLY DEVELOPING STORY I THINK. I DON'T KNOW. HAHA. I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YA'LL THINK. - KRISTINE.