She wasn't going to be sick. Elizabeth absolutely refused to throw up on the first day of school. Instead, she was going to stand here, in the middle of her room staring at herself in the mirror, dissecting her outfits. Truth be told, it did wonders for her nerves. Instead of feeling nauseous, ready to blow chunks, she was making herself a little more insane with each outfit change. In an hour and a half her students were going to be taught by a mad woman.

Turning one way, then the other in front of her full length mirror, Elizabeth scrutinized her reflection with an eye of an eagle. The light purple wrap skirt and matching blouse weren't exactly her style, but she seriously doubted the parents or the faculty would appreciate her dressed in a pair of faded jeans and cotton top. So, with the little money she had left after buying her cottage, she'd invested in a few outfits she deemed teacher worthy.

"Well this is it." Blowing out a breath, Elizabeth tried to ignore the queasiness that washed over her again. Luckily the sound of the screen door in the front of the house slamming shut made her momentarily forget her nervousness.

"Elizabeth? You ready?" Lucky called out from downstairs.

"In my room." She answered back and Lucky's heavy footsteps could be heard climbing the stairs and walking down the hall, until he reached her bedroom in the back.

Dressed in a sharp looking Armani and looking rather handsome, Lucky leaned against the doorframe and grinned boyishly at her. "Oh don't you look all schoolmarmish. Maybe you should consider pulling your hair back in one of those buns our ninth grade Algebra teacher used to wear."

"Ms. Kline? You always made jokes about her hair." Making a face at him, Elizabeth said. "And what's wrong with my outfit?"

"You made a few comments yourself. And honestly, there's nothing wrong with what you're wearing." Wiggling his eyebrows at her, he caught the time on her bedside clock. "We need to get going. Mom's already gone through a roll of film and is getting frantic because we're not there to see Lulu off on her first day of school."

"You do realize it's a little weird seeing off Lulu at the bus stop only to be the one to greet her when she gets off." Grabbing a light jacket and her purse, Elizabeth checked the items off on the mental list in her head.

"I think it's a little weird that my best friend is going to be my kid sister's teacher." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Lucky knew it would be a good five minutes before she was ready to leave.

Pausing her mind for a moment, Elizabeth turned to him. "What if I'm a crappy teacher?"

"That's an impossibility." He'd been waiting for this to happen. The pre-school meltdown. Lucky just wished she wouldn't have waited until the first day of school for it to happen. But no matter how he prodded or pushed for her to voice the concerns she'd been keeping bottled up inside. "Elizabeth, your patient and caring. Plus, you have this strange connection with kids that age. It's like you're able to use your Jedi mind tricks on them."

"What if the Force isn't with me? What if I really suck and ruin my student's futures?" That icky sick feeling was coming back. Please dear lord, be kind and skip over the red splotchy hives.

"Well then they'll need several years of therapy, where they'll blame you for everything. Of course you'll be fired and the bank will Foreclose on your new home here. Leaving you and that freaky cat of yours homeless."

"I can't believe I put up with you." Brushing past him, Elizabeth heard him follow her down the stairs. "And my cat isn't freaky."

"You named him after that cat in Pet Cemetery."

"I did not. I liked the name Church, that's all." Elizabeth's tone increased as she defended her cat. Poor baby. "

"No, he looked like the cat from the movie. After he died and climbed out from his grave. There was no other name for that cat." Lucky mocked, laughing as Elizabeth threw him a nasty little look over her shoulder. He knew how to push her buttons, just like any brother would. And if she wanted to be ticked off at him, good. At least she wasn't on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Em, wanted me to ask you if you were free Wednesday night." Changing the subject again, Lucky waited as she poured food into the cat's bowl, then grabbed her lunch off the counter.

"Yeah, why." Judging by her tone she was still a little irked, but Lucky knew by the time the screen door slammed behind them she'd get over it.

"She wanted you to have dinner with us . . ."

"Please don't tell me you two are already trying to set me up." Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth took in his puppy dog eyes and completely forgot her irritation. "Oh God you are. I appreciate it, really I do." Standing in front of him now, Elizabeth looked up at him. "But I'm happy the way I am."

Frowning, Lucky played with his keys. "I didn't say you weren't happy. I just . . ."

"Want me to be as happy as you and Emily are?" And they were. She'd seen it on their faces. They both had that special shine. That glow people had when they were in a heathy relationship. "Someday I will be. When I meet the right guy. But I'm not in any hurry."

"Fine." Not sounding overly convinced, or happy about her words. Lucky shrugged his shoulders in a casual way, making it seem like it wasn't a big deal either way.

"You two already had someone lined up." More of a statement than a question, Elizabeth groaned when he didn't make eye contact. "You already asked he first didn't you?"

"Emily did, because she's trying hard to be your friend." No, Elizabeth wanted to correct him. Emily was doing it because she was having a difficult time understanding how a female and male could have a thirteen-year friendship that never resulted in a romantic fling.

"Fine." Letting out a sigh of defeat, Elizabeth knew it was either endure one crummy night. Or have Emily constantly wondering if she'd moved from Colorado to win Lucky from her. "But promise me. No more blind dates."

Lucky's boyish smile lit up his face. "You won't regret it." The muffled sound of his cell phone came from somewhere in his jacket, and Lucky looked at the watch on his wrist. "That'll be Mom again. Better get your butt in gear, cause she'll be on a rampage if we take much longer."

Opening the door, Jason smiled down at the woman standing on the other side. "Emily." Giving her a quick squeeze Jason stepped back to let her in. As always she was impeccably dressed but she'd been trained from birth to be nothing less. Though there was a time seven years ago when she'd tried her best to buck the system. There were times he really missed that girl.

"Where's the big boy?" Emily's doe like eyes eagerly scanned the livingroom of Jason's penthouse, wishing for the thousandth time her older brother would do something with the place. It was bare. Empty, except for the essential piece of furniture, or a picture here or there she'd put up herself. Other than that, no one could tell that a single father and a five-year-old lived here. The only frivolous thing Jason owned, was the pool table he had in lieu of a dinning room table.

Almost hearing Emily's mentally nagging from across the room, Jason rolled his eyes and leaned a hip against the desk he'd been going over paperwork at since five. She never changed. Though her intentions were always good, Emily had this way of putting her nose into people's lives and turning them upside down. Years ago she'd just been a pest. Now, as a woman, she was deadly.

"Michael's upstairs getting dressed."

"I bet he's excited for his first day of school." Emily watched as her brother shrugged his broad shoulders in that nonchalant way of his. "And how about you? Are you excited about his first day?"

"It's school." His face turned concerned. "I think Michael's excited. I'm having some doubts about Michael's teacher."

"What's wrong with Mrs. Kennedy?" Emily asked. "I thought you were okay with her."

Jason's face darkened. "He's not in her classroom anymore. He was moved over to the new teacher's class." He couldn't seem to keep from frowning at the memory of his little encounter with Miss. Webber. She wasn't quiet the little innocent her picture in his office portrayed her as.

The woman who'd stumbled into him at Luke's, definitely wasn't the fresh off the farm girl he'd pictured. His entire assumption had been blown out the window when he'd heard that throaty laugh.

"So he's in Elizabeth's room now?" Emily's expression turned thoughtful.

"You know her?"

"She's a friend of Lucky's." He did, vaguely. Which explained why she was sitting with him at Luke's the other night. "I told you his friend from Colorado was moving here."

"What is she like?" He could trust Emily's opinion.

"Elizabeth's nice. I like her." Blushing under her brother's steady gaze, Emily ducked her head.

"But?" Pushing the subject, Jason waited as Emily looked at anything but him.

"It's nothing really. She's just so . . . Pretty and funny and creative. Did I say she's pretty?" Walking over to the pool table, Emily played with the pool balls instead of looking Jason in the eye. There were times when it seemed he was able to seeing things in a persons eyes, they wanted to keep hidden.

But Jason didn't need to look in his sister's eyes to know what was going on inside her head. "You think Lucky will leave you for her?"

"What?" That got her attention. "No. Well not really." The truth sometimes sucked. "And this morning isn't about me and Lucky - We're doing wonderfully, thank you for asking - Its Michael's first day of school." Rummaging through the over sized bag draped over her shoulder, she pulled out her digital camera. "I want pictures of this happy day. Lots of them."

Closing his eyes as if in pain, Jason jerked back when she hit him in the chest. "You'll appreciate this someday. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have half the pictures you do."

"I take pictures." Looking insulted, Jason crossed his arms over his chest.

"Sure you do. You keep them in the envelopes, never to be seen again. I, on the other hand, put them in nice little photo albums." He liked the way her eyes sparkled when she teased him.

"You also give the copies to the Quartermains." He snorted. The sound of small feet on the stairs had the siblings stop their banter, as they both looked up at the very unhappy five year old.

"Don't you look handsome?" Snapping a few pictures, Emily swallowed a laugh as Michael gave her a Jason like look. The 'I'll tolerate this only cause I love you' look.

"Do I have to wear these shoes?" As soon as his aunt was done snapping, Michael turned to his father. "There stupid."

"We already talked about this Michael." Over and over again. Usually Jason didn't care what Michael wore. As long as it fit him and was clean. But school had mailed a letter, asking the parents not to buy any black soled shoes because they made scuff marks on the floors. So, because the janitor was lazy and didn't want his over polished floors messed up, Michael had to wear new tennis shoes instead of his favorite boots.

"I hate them." Grumbling under his breath, Michael shuffled over to the couch so he could pout more comfortably.

"Michael -." The ringing of the phone interrupted Jason, and he eyed the obtrusive object grimly.

"Morgan."

"Hey Jase we gotta a problem." Johnny's voice was hard to hear. Sounding like he was talking in a tin can.

Turning his back on Emily and Michael, Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is it Max?"

"Nah. We still don't have anything on him." The phone seemed to fade out, and Jason thought he'd lost the call. " . . . by the warehouse -."

"Say that again." Placing a hand over his free ear, Jason concentrated on the voice. "There was a body found by the warehouse. Cops are crawling all over the place."

"Do we know who it was?" Censoring his words, Jason knew Michael was probably hanging onto every word.

"Nah - Crap here comes Taggert."

"You know the drill. Don't say anything. Sonny and I will be there in a minute." Stress lines marred his features, making Jason look older than his twenty-eight years. Blowing out a deep breath, he tried to block out the disappointment he was feeling.

This was Michael's first day and a small piece of him really wanted the two of them to have a normal time of it. Where he walked his son into his very first classroom. But like so many firsts, he was being called away.

"You have to go, don't you." No matter how she tried, Emily couldn't erase the displeasure from her face. She might be one of the few who accepted him for who he was and his choice of life, but that didn't mean she liked all of it.

"Could you . . ." Looking down at Michael's withdrawn expression. Jason hated himself for having to do this. "If you're not doing anything."

Reading her brother's thoughts, Emily put on a brave smile and sat down next to her nephew. "I'd love to take Michael to his first day of school."

Knowing time wasn't on his side, Jason hurried over and kneeled in front of Michael. "Michael I have to go."

Trying hard to the little man his father and Uncle Sonny always said he was, Michael sucked in his lower lip and nodded.

"I'll pick you up. And you can show me your classroom then."

Lifting his head up, Michael studied his father. "You promise?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Jason wished he could. But there was one thing he'd vowed to himself and to his son five years ago, when he'd first held Michael. There wouldn't be any empty promises. "No. You know I can't. But I will try hard."

Smiling numbly as Alexis Lansing ticked off a list of her daughter's allergies, Elizabeth watched Luke from the corner of her eye mimicking the over protective mother. She'd been going on like this for the last five minutes. In that time four of her other students had been dropped off and she hadn't been able to say a word to them.

"Oh, and she needs to take these." Reaching into her purse and pulling out a clear bag filled with pill bottles, Elizabeth's eyes nearly popped out. Dear lord. The woman had problems. "I have a list of times -."

"Mrs. Davis." Stopping her before she got to the noon time dosage, Elizabeth tried to give the mother a patient smile. "Mrs. Normandy is the school nurse. She takes care of the medication."

"Nurse?" Alexis's eyes lit up and Elizabeth silently apologized to the sweet lady who'd baked fresh cinnamon buns for the staff that morning.

Kissing her daughter on the head and telling her wash her hands at least every hour, Alexis Davis gave Luke a nod of acknowledgment on her way out of the classroom.

"That woman's wound tighter than a Chiwawa on crack." With a large heave of his shoulder, Luke brushed off any further thought of the stressed out mother. "Now about Lulu."

"Luke." Narrowing her eyes in warning, Elizabeth took hold of his elbow and started to pull him out of the room. "We already went through this. You can't bribe me to give her the top grades in the class."

"But."

"No buts." Getting him into the hallway, Elizabeth looked at him with affection. "Thank you for wanting to be here to hold my hand. But I have to do this on my own."

"Pfft. This has nothing to do with you." Waiving her off, Luke couldn't hide the blush creeping up his neck. "Or did you forget this is Lulu's day too?"

"She doesn't even know you're still here. The second she saw the dress up clothes you became an after thought." Looking into the classroom to where the little girl was currently playing, Elizabeth turned her attention back to the man who'd been like a father to her.

"Elizabeth. Luke." Pulling her eyes away from Luke, Elizabeth found Emily a few feet away. A little boy with a head full of thick red hair, held onto Lucky's girlfriend's hand like a life line. While trying to look brave.

"Who do you have there?" Crouching down in front of the little boy, Elizabeth held out her hand. "My name is Miss Webber." She was surprised when instead of him answering her, he gave her a look that eerily reminded her of the look she'd been given Saturday night. She'd been measured and failed miserably.

"Do I have to stay here?"

Emily looked apologetic. "This is my nephew Michael. His Father had something come up this morning."

For some reason, Luke seemed extremely interested in this. Making Elizabeth feel like there was something she was missing. "Do you know where he went?"

"He didn't say." Shaking her head, Emily looked down at Michael before looking back again. "But whatever it was it had to be important."

This time Elizabeth knew there was something going on and she'd be a liar to say she wasn't just a little interested.

"Gotcha." Suddenly anxious to leave, Luke leaned in and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You'll be great. Don't sweat the small stuff and make sure Lulu stays away from that Lansing kid. She's weird." Waiving to the others, Luke was gone in a flash.

"Well." Turning back to Emily and her nephew, Elizabeth didn't know what to say. "Why don't we . . ." Pointing behind her to the classroom, she was relieved when Emily nodded and followed. "Michael, I have a cubby for you." Leading them to the cubbies, Elizabeth watched as Michael placed his lunch inside.

"Why don't you go play with Lulu." Emily suggested.

Making a face, Michael looked over to where the little girl was playing. "She's a girl."

"She also beat you on the swings last week." Emily reminded her nephew before giving him a nudge. When he was far enough away, she spoke. "My brother should be here to pick him up today."

Both girls looked at one another tentatively, almost afraid they'd say something wrong to the other.

"Miss Webber." Alexis Davis voice made Elizabeth grimace and Emily laugh.

"Good luck." Looking like she really meant it, Emily waived and went over to say her goodbyes to Michael.

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth turned. If she could handle the irrational, unhinged parents, the kids should be a snap.

Johnny wasn't kidding. The block surrounding the warehouse was infested with the hardworking officers of the law. Or, as he fondly thought of them, overpaid pricks who couldn't find their balls with a magnifying glass.

It's not that he had anything against police officers. He had a few on payroll. Jason disliked hypocrites. Take Taggert. The man lived his life to bust his hump. Always preaching the 'honest' life. Apparently the honest life included picking up an occasional prostitute and knocking her around for good measure.

Glancing around, he found Johnny motioning to him and he skirted around a group of Port Charles's finest. Keeping his head down, Jason made it to where Francis and Johnny were standing.

"Any word?"

"You ain't gonna like it." Removing the toothpick from his mouth, Johnny tossed it on the ground. "I shouldn't have quit smoking."

Francis snorted. "You quit two years ago."

"Whatever."

"I didn't miss dropping Michael off for this." Jason snapped.

"It was some rich kid." Johnny muttered.

"How old?" Jason looked from one man to the other. Both looked tired and uneasy.

"Sixteen."

It took a moment for Francis's words to sink in. Turning around Jason sucked in a few deep breaths. In his world death wasn't a stranger. But when children were dragged in . . . Everyone had their line.

Turning back, Jason put his hands on his hips. "How?"

"They're saying it was a bad drug deal."

"Fuck." With a dry, humorless laugh, Jason shook his head. "Does Sonny know?"

"Yeah. Taggert took him to breakfast at the station." Francis said.

Checking his watch, Jason knew he'd never make it to the school by one to pick Michael up. This was turning out to be one crappy day. Maybe he could take him out for dinner to celebrate his first day of school.

Swinging his head toward the crime scene, Jason felt pitied the boys parents. Here he was making plans for him and Michael. When they'd soon be having to say goodbye to theirs.

"Make sure the family is taken care of." Without another look, Jason strode off knowing it was going to be one hell of a day.