Lulu didn't go back to Carly's. Instead, she headed toward the hotel, calling Carly from her cell phone.

She needed to be alone tonight. Added to that, there was no way to explain what had just gone on between her and Johnny. She didn't understand it herself.

She'd made up her mind. Had done it six years ago. She and Johnny, no matter the feelings, couldn't be together. Right now, she just wished that he would understand.

When she was alone, in her hotel room, she tried to put Johnny out of her mind. All she needed was a goodnight's sleep. Then she could think clearly in the morning. Deciding that that was the best medicine, she turned the light off and lay on the bed.

But sleep didn't come easy. She tossed and turned, dreaming of Johnny and the way he still made her feel.

It would be a long time before she could completely put him out of her mind.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

She woke jittery the following morning and decided to work off the sexual frustration by doing actual work. Unfortunately it wasn't manual, which would have made it that much better. Taking her coffee, she sat down to answer the dozen emails she'd received since her arrival. Just as she was finished replying to her publisher regarding the release date of her newest book, there was a knock on the door. Sighing, Lulu rose to answer it. She opened the door to a petite blond in designer heels.

"Why the hell didn't I know you were back in PC?" the blond asked, brushing past Lulu and walking to the coffee pot.

Lulu turned, shut the door, not knowing how to answer. "Well…it was a quick decision." She was surprised to see Maxie, knowing that Crimson kept her in New York quite a bit.

"You've been here for nearly a week."

"You know now though," Lulu replied, taking a sip of her own coffee.

"Only because I was talking to Carly and she mentioned that you were here for Luke," Maxie shot back. She eyed Lulu over the rim of her cup as she took a sip. She frowned, swallowing slowly and set the cup on the table. "Who made this coffee? It tastes like hot mud."

Rolling her eyes, Lulu motioned to the little sitting area. "I did. It tastes fine."

"Lulu." Maxie's eyes widened in surprise. "You're staying in a hotel. You have room service." Deciding to fix the issue herself, she reached for the phone and relayed her request.

"Then why would the hotel put a coffee pot in the suites?" Lulu asked pointedly.

"For looks," Maxie scoffed, walking to the door to answer it when there was a knock. After she accepted the tray of coffee and Danishes, she turned back to Lulu. "For aesthetics."

Rolling her eyes, Lulu reached for one of the Danishes. Cherry, her very favorite. Breaking it in two, she handed half to her friend. Maxie made a face and backed away.

"No, no thank you," She frowned. "Do you know how many grams of fat and carbohydrates are in one of those revolting pastries?"

Lulu pressed it on her again, her eyebrows raised now. "It's half a Danish. You'll work it off running around for Kate in no time."

Sighing, Maxie accepted the pastry, took a small bite. Lulu bit into hers, savoring the flavor. Even the Greek Baklava that the chef liked to make at home couldn't compare to this.

"So…" Maxie began, wiping her fingers off with a napkin. She took a sip of the coffee she'd poured out of the room service carafe.

Lulu angled her head. "So…"

"How does it feel to be back?"

Sighing, Lulu dropped into the chair. "Weird. That's all I can say. Strange. I was away for so long and yet, so little has changed."

"Johnny has pined for you this entire time."Maxie was quite surprised to see Lulu merely nod at that little tidbit of information. She cocked her eyebrows. Then it occurred to her. "You've already seen him."

Lulu nodded. "Seen him, cried over him…kissed him," she added. And then the whole story came pouring out. She told Maxie of the first time she'd seen him on the pier and the run-in just the night before outside Jake's.

Maxie listened without saying anything. When Lulu finished and sat back in the chair, she angled her head, as if trying to wrap her mind around everything. "Okay, so let me get this straight. You told Johnny—point blank—that you two couldn't be together. Several times in fact. And then you turned around and let him kiss you. You reacted in a way that told him you were lying about not wanting him. And then you said that if the two of you were to ever have sex again, it would be on your terms."

Lulu nodded miserably. "In a nutshell," she managed.

"That in itself is a stupid move," Maxie said quietly.

"I know. And now, looking back, I know that it was a mistake to even allow him to kiss one—even for old time's sake."

"What are you going to do now?"

"Ignore him—avoid him. Even after all these years, I still don't know how to handle it. As long as I can leave Port Charles and have my daughter still unknown to her father, I will be fine."

Maxie nodded, rising and walking over to where Lulu sat. She bent down, gathered her friend in her arms. "I will support you however I can. I love you Lulu."

Smiling, Lulu laid her head on Maxie's shoulder. Over the years, she'd proved to be a great friend and god-mother to Amelia. "Thanks for that. Now I really need to get ready to go."

Maxie stepped back, allowing Lulu to move off the chair. Lulu walked into the master bedroom and slipped a cream colored sweater over her teal tank top. Fixing her hair in the mirror, she gathered her purse and coat. She glanced back at her friend as she reapplied blush to her pale cheeks. "You know, Amelia would be just tickled to see her favorite aunt and god-mother. How about having dinner with us tonight?"

Maxie's eyes lit up. As she didn't have children of her own yet, she spoiled Amelia mercilessly. "Of course. What time?"

Lulu walked toward the door, held it open for Maxie to pass. "Would six work? I'm going to the hospital this morning and then to get Amelia at Carly's later."

"Six is perfect." Maxie glanced at her watch. "Now I really need to get to the office. Kate's going to kill me." She eyed Lulu, grinning. "Or worse: fire me."

Lulu rolled her eyes as she pushed the down button on the elevator. "She would never fire you. You are her best employee. Much better in the world of fashion than I ever was."

All Lulu heard in response was Maxie's laugh as she headed down the hall towards Crimson's office.

Lulu chuckled to herself as she stepped inside the elevator and waited for it to descend.

No matter how much life changed, best friends always stayed the same.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

Lulu spent most of the afternoon at her father's bedside. Luke was stable, the doctors said, but no change was a good change. And it was coming to the point where there was concern if he didn't wake up.

She was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of not having her father around.

When she couldn't sit in the silent room any longer, Lulu left and drove aimlessly toward Carly's house to retrieve her daughter. By the time she got Amelia, thanked Carly profusely and drove back to the hotel, it was ten minutes to five.

"Okay Mel, we have a dinner date in an hour," Lulu said as she opened the door to their suite. Amelia ran in ahead of her, dropping her backpack on a chair. She looked back expectantly at her mother.

"Who's coming to dinner?"

Lulu smiled, knowing that seeing Maxie could possibly be better than spending all the time in the world with Josslyn. "Aunt Maxie."

The little girl's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "Really?"

Laughing, Lulu nodded. "Really. Now you need to get cleaned up first though. How fast can you get into the bath?"

Amelia narrowed her eyes. It was a game she and her mother played for things like bath time. She gave her usual answer. "I can be done before you count to one hundred."

"Really? Well, you on. I'm starting now!" she replied as Amelia ran toward the master bedroom. "One, two, three…"

"Slower!" Amelia yelled back and Lulu could hear the water running.

Knowing that she couldn't let her bathe entirely by herself, Lulu walked into the bedroom and began stripping off her clothes. Opening the bureau, she perused her options. As she settled on a peach colored filmy chiffon blouse over black slacks, she heard her daughter call out for help rinsing the soap out of her hair.

When she got Amelia out of the tub and was helping her decide on what to wear, Lulu saw that it was nearly twenty minutes to six. "Okay, Peach. We've got to hurry. Do you want to wear the purple dress or just the jeans with the blue shirt?"

Amelia pursed her lips, trying to make the decision. Knowing her daughter, Lulu handed her the dress. She would never be able to make a decision in time. Amelia tugged the dress over her head and Lulu reached for the brush to comb the tangles out of her light brown hair. It was, Lulu thought as she worked the brush through it, right in between her own hair and Johnny's.

It was just one more daily reminder of who Amelia's father was.

Sighing Lulu tied Amelia's hair back into a ponytail and gave her a pat on the butt. "Okay, we're ready!"
"Yeah!" Amelia yelled, running out of the bedroom toward the door.

"Wait!" Lulu bellowed and Amelia stopped short, inches from the suite door. "You will walk with me, young lady!" she ordered.

Amelia glanced back sheepishly, but did as she was asked. Lulu opened the door and took her daughter's hand. Together they walked toward the elevator. Lulu liked to think of the two of them as a team.

Together, they could do anything.

So I hoped that you liked this chapter. This story is moving along rather quickly. I hope that you don't think it's too rushed. I don't want to draw it out. I'm thinking that I can finish it in less than 20 chapters. What do you think so far? I really enjoy reading the reviews. I don't care if they are good or bad, but please review. Thanks for reading!