Chapter 14

Lulu and Ethan walked along the pier holding hands. He had grabbed her hand as they ran across the street and hadn't let go of it since. Lulu rubbed her stomach as they walked, groaning slightly. Ethan had practicaly bought the entire snack bar to keep them fed during the double feature and they had both made quick work of the mountain of candy and popcorn.

"How's that peanut butter cup baby you're carrying?" he teased. It was warm enough for mid-January and the sky was blanketed with stars, lighting up the pier as they walked.

"Oouf!" Lulu exclaimed. "I think I'm having twins."

Ethan smiled and pulled her closer to him. "You are one cool chica Lulu."

"Chica?" she questioned. "Two Almodovar films and now you're fluent?"

"Just trying to impress you" he grinned. "Is it working?"

"So far so good" she nodded.

He stopped and looked out over the water. "I love the water" he said "It holds such possibility."

"That's my house over there" she said, pointing to the lights of Spoon Island.

Ethan did a double take as he peered out over the water. "Really? Are you yanking my chain?"

She shook her head. "Actually it's my brother's house. He lets me live with him and I help with my nephew and stuff."

"Wow" he said, suitably impressed.

"It's pretty cool, though it's a big house when I'm stuck alone in it."

"Where's your brother?"

"He left for Greece last night. He took Spencer, that's my nephew, with him. He needed to get out of town for a while."

"Ah." Ethan understood exactly why her brother had left town. "Well if you have any monsters under the bed you could always call me."

"Oh? And what exactly would you do?"

Ethan stepped closer to her, unable to stop smiling as he looked at her. Leaning in towards her, he hovered just above her lips. "I'd protect you of course."

"Really?" Lulu's voice trembled as she felt the heat from his breath on her face.

"Really" he said before swooping in and gently capturing her lips. Pulling away he slowly let go of her bottom lip.

Lulu stared at him in shock. "You...you kissed me" she said, fingering her lips.

He twisted his mouth into a grin. "I did. And I'd like to do it again - but perhaps somewhere warmer."

She shook the blissful fog from her head. "Ethan" she began nervously "I need to tell you something."

"Well hopefully it's about how handsome I am. But let's go get a drink so I can truly enjoy the moment." He closed her hand over hers and led her up the stairs towards Jake's. Lulu breathed in deeply hoping her courage wouldn't fail her once they were there.

The bar was full and Ethan led her through the crowd of people before finally finding a table. Lulu smiled as he pulled out her chair for her. "Kicking it old school?" she asked. He looked at her in confusion. "Pulling out the chair?"

"Oh" his cheeks flushed slightly. "It's just...my dad always said that you do that for a lady - I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't" she said reassuringly. "It was very nice."

He sat across from her and shrugged off his jacket, looking around trying to get the bartender's attention. Coleman spotted Lulu the minute she came in and watched as she took a seat. He made his way through the crowd to their table. Sizing up the guy with her he made a plan to stick closely to her. "Hey sweet stuff, how are you?"

"Hi Coleman - I'm good. Looks like things are hopping tonight."

"College kids and daddy's money - my two favourite things."

"Coleman, this is my friend Ethan - Ethan, this is Coleman - he owns the bar"

"Nice to meet you Coleman" Ethan said, curious that Lulu knew such a character.

"Yeah. Lulu is a friend of mine" he said pointedly. "She's a special guest here at Jake's and I keep an eye on my special guests."

Ethan nodded taking Coleman's point quite clearly. "Could I get a draft and a..." he looked at Lulu

"Cranberry and soda" she finished for him. Coleman winked at her and headed back to the bar.

"Do you come here a lot?" Ethan asked, reaching for her hand and playing with her fingers. Her stomach continued to flip flop.

She shrugged. "I did during the summer. Coleman is a friend of my dad's so he let me hang out here when I needed a place to chill." Coleman returned with their drinks and shot another look at Ethan before going back to the bar. Lulu leaned forward and taking a deep breath started again. "Ethan, there's something I need to tell you - I've never had..."

Ethan cut her off with another kiss. He teased her lips apart with his tongue and swept it quickly in her mouth before breaking away. "Sorry but you really do have the most kissable lips." Lulu flushed bright red.

"Oh Jesus - it's plague girl - back to spread more of your disease?"

Lulu felt a cold sweat trickle down her back and looking up, came face to face with George, the young man who had rejected her when she had told him about her HIV status. It had been the beginning of a long tumble down a slippery slope that ended with her suicide attempt. Seeing him brought a rush of feelings back. She licked her lips, trying to find her voice but only felt the bile rise in her throat.

Ethan looked from Lulu to George in confusion. "Excuse me? Do we know you?" he asked, holding tight to Lulu's hand even after she tried to pull it away.

George smirked. "No but I know little miss disease" he jerked his head in Lulu's direction. "Has she told you about her game?"

Ethan stood up and towered over George. "Look, dude - I don't know what you're talking about but I'm just trying to have a quiet night with my friend. If you could push off, I'd appreciate it."

"Dude, your friend has the plague - she's going to get you sick" Lulu stood with her jacket in her hands. She knew what was coming next and felt powerless to stop it. She was kicking herself for not telling him on any of their previous encounters because at least when he rejected her then, it wouldn't have been a public humiliation. She put her fingers to her lips again. It was unfortunate it was all coming to an end because she really liked the way he kissed her.

"I think you need to take a step back" he threatened. "I don't know what you're talking about but you better shut your fucking mouth."

George smirked. "Your friend is a little whore, she has HIV..." It was the last thing George said as Ethan plowed his fist into his face. Lulu's eyes filled with tears and she ran for the door. The music was pounding and she couldn't hear Ethan calling to her.

Lulu kept running until she reached the docks and sank to the bench, hot tears tumbling down her face. She couldn't believe there was ever going to be a moment when it wasn't like this - when she didn't have to fear someone's reaction to her. "Plague girl". "Little Miss Disease". She knew they were just words but they were said with such hate that it shook her to her core. She briefly wondered if it would be better if she moved away from Port Charles and started a new life somewhere else, reinvent herself.

"Lulu?"

She looked up in surprise. "Patrick?" she quickly wiped at her eyes trying to hide the evidence of the last few minutes.

He sat down beside her. "Lulu, what's wrong?"

"Nothing" she said brightly. "Just the cold getting to my eyes. I'm waiting for the launch - what brings you down to the pier?"

"I'm trying to wrap my head around a case and I thought a walk would be good for me." She nodded. "And I'm not buying that cold getting to your eyes bit. Why are you crying?"

Lulu blew out her cheeks. "I was on a date but it's ended rather badly."

"What?" he exclaimed, straightening up. "Who is this guy? Did he hurt you? Where is he?" Patrick frantically searched her face for any evidence of mistreatment.

"No - he was a real gentleman Patrick - pulled out my chair and everything."

"Then what happened?"

"George happened" she said flatly.

"George?" he asked, confused. "Who is George?"

She took a deep breath and told the story that she had only shared with one other person. Patrick listened attentively as he finally heard about the night that she tried to kill herself. Instinctively, his arm went around her and he pulled her towards him. He clenched and unclenched his fist several times as she repeated what happened in Jake's and how it ended with Ethan punching George. "But it doesn't matter" she sniffed.

"Why not?"

"Because now he knows - someone yelled it at him - and now that he knows, why would he want anything to do with me?"

The corner of Patrick's lips formed a small smiled. "Did I ever tell you about how I found out about Robin being HIV+?" She shook her head.

"Lulu?" Peering around Patrick, her mouth fell open as she saw Ethan standing next to the bench. He shifted nervously from one foot to another trying not to be jealous about the man who had his arm around her.

"Ethan, you didn't have to come out here, I'm fine."

"I'm not" he offered. "I think I may have broken my hand."

She smiled in spite of herself. "This is my friend, Patrick. He's a doctor."

Patrick sized him up and took it as a good sign that he came after her. Getting up from the bench, he reached for Ethan's hand. "Let me have a look at that."

Ethan let him examine his hand but kept looking at Lulu. "Are you okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice. He winced as Patrick pressed down on the fleshy part of his hand. He looked at him. "Is it broken?"

"No - badly bruised but no break."

"Thanks" he said, trying to pull his hand away.

Patrick held on to it. "Lulu is really important to me" he said quietly. "If you're not man enough, walk away before her brothers and I feel the need to help you walk away." Ethan nodded. Patrick turned his attention back to Lulu. "Sweetie I have to get back to the hospital. Call me if you need anything - actually call me when you get home, I want to know you're okay."

She knew it was useless to protest and truthfully she liked that someone was concerned about her comings and goings. "I will. Thanks Patrick." He glared at Ethan one last time before leaving the docks.

Ethan slid beside her on the bench. "I haven't been in a bar fight in a long time" he said.

"Well I'm sorry it was over me" she said, moving away from him on the bench.

He turned sideways to face her. The hurt and fierceness in her eyes did not escape him and he wondered he much more attracted to her he could be. "I'm not" he said quietly. "That asshole was hateful."

Lulu pulled at her bottom lip. "That doesn't mean he was wrong. I do have HIV but I was going to tell you" she said quickly. "I was trying to tell you but you kept kissing me."

He shrugged. "I like kissing you."

"Don't you mean you liked kissing me - past tense?"

Shaking his head, he reached for her hand. She tried to pull away but he was too quick for her. "I'm not afraid of you having HIV Lulu. I like kissing you and I know you can't get it from kissing."

"Well I didn't get it from sex either - he said I was a whore but I'm not - I've never even had sex!" Lulu blushed madly as she realized what she had just said. "God! I'm an idiot!!"

Touched by her revelation, Ethan moved closer to her on the bench so that their knees brushed against each other. "You're not an idiot - you're gorgeous. And I don't care how you got it - it's a disease, not a punishment."

For the third time that night, her eyes filled with tears. "Why are you being so nice?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ethan was genuinely taken aback by Lulu's question. "Lulu - that asshole is the exception, not the rule."

"There's lots you don't know about me." Her voice was small and she was having difficulty meeting his eyes.

"And there's lots you don't know about me but I'll tell you a few things I do know. Almost everyone I have met while with you has threatened to kill me if I don't treat you well which tells me that you have a lot of people who love you and I'm just beginning to find out why. I also know that you're funny and sweet and you can eat your weight in peanut butter cups." She giggled in spite of herself. "And I also know that I'd like to spend more time with you."

"Really?" she asked in surprise.

He nodded. "Really. This night has kind of been a bust but I do want to see you again - can we meet for breakfast at Kelly's on Sunday?"

She eyed him suspiciously, unsure if he was too good to be true. Deciding to take a leap, a smile slowly broke out on her face. "Okay."

Ethan grinned. "Okay? Great!! Can I take you home?"

"No - the launch is right there." She stood up. "Thanks for an...." she searched for an adjective.

"Fun? Interesting? Entertaining?" he offered.

"I'll go with interesting. Thanks for an interesting night Ethan." She smiled at turned to walk away but he pulled her back to him.

She looked at him in surprise as he brought his lips down on hers and slowly, tenderly, kissed her. Her knees buckled slightly as she pulled away. He stroked her face with his gloved hand. "I really, really like kissing you." He nipped at her lips once more. "Good night Lulu." He relcutantly let go of her hands as she headed to the launch and waited unitl he heard the boat pull from the pier.