Nikolas and Elizabeth were still in the office five minutes later, neither of them having said a word. Her ankles crossed, Liz was trying to figure out where to go from there, knowing that she had to give Jason time but wanting answers immediately. Nikolas was leaning against the wall in the corner, carefully watching every movement of every muscle in her tense back. Finally, pacing over slowly, he rested his hand on her shoulder. She cringed involuntarily for a moment before turning around to meet his dark, gentle eyes. "We should probably go."

Milo knocked on the open door and stuck his head in. "Mrs. C asked me to come make sure you had a car home," he announced formally, looking between the two inconspicuously.

Nikolas nodded kindly. "We brought my car."

"Thank you, Milo," Elizabeth replied, standing up and gathering her things. Nikolas helped her into her coat and wrapped the long wool plum scarf around her neck. Holding out matching mittens, she shoved her hands in the holes and followed Nikolas out of the room.

Putting her into the car, Nikolas was worried about Liz's quite reaction as he made his way to the driver's side. Sliding the key into the ignition, he sat silently, not turning on the engine. "Well, what do you think?"

Liz didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say. Reaching over, she cupped the back of his head and led it toward her. Kissing him deeply, she prayed that her touch would express everything that she couldn't. When he pulled back, she could see the questioning look still in his eyes. "It could have been worse."

"That doesn't say much really," he pointed out. "Carly and Jason?"

"I know, right?" she laughed. "Although, I guess it's not any stranger than you and me. Something is definitely up with the universe, everyone is getting turned upside down. Lucky and Em, Jason and Carly, Lulu and Dillon, you and me."

"I see a pattern forming. It looks like the hostage situation could be the universe's way of putting best friends together. I've always believed you should fall in love with your best friend, and I thought I had. I guess I just forgot that there was another option in our incestuous foursome."

"That we are," she sighed. "Since I have to wait for Jason to figure out some stuff, maybe you and I should talk about the living situation now. I'd like to have a plan to bring to him when we talk to him again."

Nikolas put the car into gear and reversed out of the warehouse parking lot. Turning onto the wide boulevard, he reached over absently for her hard. He just needed to touch her. "Tell me."

"I don't want it to confuse Cameron. He might think that you are going to take Lucky's place. That is the first thing we will need to take care of," she rambled. "And I want you to know that we're not technically going to be living together, more of just sharing a house. I mean, that's really important. We aren't ready to do that, to like actually have a life together. But maybe it would be better if we did, I don't know. Jason might be more willing to let me keep the child if he thinks it would have a real family. I guess we could do that, the two of us and the boys. We do love each other, and I love Spencer. I know you're crazy about Cam. It could work."

"Whoa," Nikolas said, shocked that so much could come out of such a little woman. Liz smiled nervously, shrugging nonchalantly. "Look, first of all, it doesn't have to be that hard of a decision. I don't think that we need to dissect every part of this."

"It's not that easy," she protested.

"Yes, it is," he countered. "You will have your wing, and I will have mine. Eventually, the two will come together and we won't need to differentiate between the two. Until then, we will share a house and a life. Maybe someday we'll even share a house."

"You just simplified my entire life into three or four sentences," she sighed. "Why can't everything be that easy? Why can't love and relationships be so easy?"

"I love you," he said.

She smiled, "I love you too."

"See, that was easy," he declared. "Now, say you'll move in with me."

Elizabeth looked out the window as Nikolas pulled to the shoulder of the road. "I can't."

"Say it," he implored as he opened the door. A vibrant breeze filled the vehicle as she watched him come to her side. "Say it, say it, say it!" he called, her voice clear even through the closed window. Pulling the passenger door open, he knelt on the black pavement beside the car. Placing his hands on her knees, he leaned over and whispered into her ear seductively. "Say it."

But she didn't, she just nodded instead.

"I can't believe how beautiful it is outside," Emily called over her shoulder as she ran ahead of Lucky. Cameron was galloping next to her, his tiny folded inside her fingers. His dark hair glinted in the sunlight as they padded down the grassy hill and toward the sparkling lake.

"I know, it's an amazing view," he agreed, not referring to the scenery but to the image of the two most important people in his life racing along together hand-in-hand. He swung the picnic basket next to him gingerly, its weight seemingly nothing as he remained focused on his son and Emily.

"Daddy, can we do it here?" Cameron pleaded, choosing a place between the lake and a small duck pond. "I want to feed the ducks. Please, please, please! Can we?"

"Yes, can we?" Emily asked excitedly, jumping and clapping like Cameron. If it were possible, Lucky fell a little more in love with her just then, seeing her act as happy and innocent as a small child. He knew it was all an act, but it was an act for his son.

"I think here looks perfect," Lucky agreed, handing Emily a blanket to spread over the cool grass. Placing the basket on the ground, the first thing he pulled out was a small brown paper bag Mike had added into the goods. "Mike sent some day-old bread for you, Cam. Just so you can feed the ducks."

"Yay!" he cried, pulling a hard roll from the sack before discarding it on the blanket. Sitting down near the water's edge, he started to meticulously tear it into tiny bits and throw it on the glassy surface.

"Look at him, he's so happy," Lucky boasted proudly while he helped Emily unpack the rest of the food. Fried chicken, pasta salad, chips, soda, cookies and carrot sticks were the day's menu, perfect picnic dining. When everything was finally set out, Lucky stretched out on his stomach, pulling Emily down next to him. A wide grin was plastered on his face as he propped his head up on his fists, wanting to not miss a moment of Cameron's fun.

"It looks like he's not the only one," Emily acknowledged, laying on her back so that she could look up into his eyes. Neither of them said anything for a moment. "I'm so happy right now. It's been a long time since I could say that. Probably not since the…"

Lucky cringed as her voice trailed off, knowing how to finish the thought. He had seen firsthand how long it had taken Emily to get through the rape. When Lucky was in his coma, she had sat by his bed and pleaded for him to come back to help her. He would always believe that her needing him was what did it, just as Nikolas had saved her during her fight with breast cancer. Rather than retracing a journey neither of them should have ever had to trek in the first place, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "You're safe to be happy again, Em. I won't let anything take it away from us."

"Emily, come look at the ducks!" Cam ordered.

"Duty calls," Emily murmured to Lucky before rolling off the blanket. Sitting down next to the toddler, they took turns tearing away at the bread and tossing it toward the floating birds. Just as he was about to join them, two people came up and ruined what was looking to be a perfect day.

"Lucky," Carly said quietly behind him. He turned to look at his cousin, surprised to see Jason with her. "Jason is here to talk to Emily."

"Emily," Lucky called. "I'm going to take Cameron for a walk."

"What?" she asked exasperated without looking over your shoulder.

"Em?"

"Jason?"

"Come on, Cam," Lucky ordered.

"I have a better idea," Carly announced. "Why don't Jason and Emily take a walk, and we'll stay here. Cameron looks like he is having a good time feeding those ducks."

Emily handed Cameron the rest of her bread and joined the three very tense adults. "Stay here, Lucky," she said to him softly, holding onto his elbow. She searched his eyes, trying to reassure him that everything was going to be fine with just a look. All she could see was a vacant hurt staring back her. "I'm going to go for a walk with my brother. You should go feed the ducks with Cameron and try to stay focused on him. I'll be right back."

He didn't say anything more, he just kissed the top of her head and headed toward Cameron. Jason and Carly exchanged a few inaudible words before Jason and Emily wandered off in the opposite direction. Curiously, Carly decided to see if Lucky would talk to her. They were family, after all.

"So, you and Emily, huh?"

"You and Jason?"

Carly nodded before she said, "He knows."

"And I know. She told me two days ago."

"I didn't see that one coming."

"Heh. Yeah, me neither."

"You know, I think this is the most we have talked in the past two years," she stated bluntly, surprised at how true the comment was. "I mean, you are close to Bobbie, and I've become close to Lulu. Yet, we never see each other. Why is that?"

"You hated my wife, and I'm a cop."

"Oh, yeah, there's that," she laughed. "Well, I don't think we should let that come between us. I mean, seeing as I am going to be with Jason, and you seem quite smitten with his little sister, our lives are probably going cross paths more often now."

"Carly, what's your angle?"

"For once, I don't have one," she admitted. "I just think I'm finally starting to realize how important family is, and I don't just mean my children. I mean all of it, the uncles and the cousins and the crazy Spencer drama. I want to be a part of it."

"Lulu will be glad that you're going to be around more. She really looks up to you."

"And I have no clue why," they said in unison before bursting into laughter.

"So, how do you feel about all this?" Lucky asked Carly.

She looked out across the water. "To be honest, I hate the fact that Jason is going to be tied to her forever, but I know that it really doesn't matter in the long run. He is going to be a great father, and I would never begrudge him this opportunity for anything," she retorted. "He already loves this baby, even if he can't admit it to himself yet. For him, I am willing to put aside all my anger and help make this situation as good as possible. The lies aren't his fault, just like they aren't yours."

"I was going to be a father," Lucky said emptily.

"Look at Cameron," Carly remarked. "He acts just like you. You already are a father."

"I'm afraid he won't always see me that way."

"Michael isn't Sonny's child biologically, but I have never seen a kid act so much like his father. He idolizes Sonny, mimics his movements, looks up to him more than anyone else in the world. Even after everything that has happened between Sonny and me, I would never take Michael out of his life. That is his father. Somewhere in your heart, you need to believe that Elizabeth would do the same. I don't have any use for her, you know that, but she seems to be a good mother."

"Are you actually sticking up for Elizabeth?"

"Hardly," Carly laughed, "but I am sticking up for you. You're a good father to Cameron. I've seen the way his face lights up whenever you enter a room. She might have been able to take this baby away from you, but she can't take away your son. You won't let her."

Emily kicked a rock a few feet of her and tried to think of something to say. Thankfully, Jason filled the silence with his own words. "I don't know what to do, Em."

"Do you want to be a father to this child?"

Jason stopped and thought for a moment, pondering the weight of such a question. It finally hit him, he was going to be a father. "More than anything in the world."

"Then, be a father to this baby."

"She seems intent on raising it with…"

"It's okay, I know. They told us a few days ago. The four of us aren't exactly talking at the moment. The scene wasn't pretty," Emily said. "I don't think you should take the baby away from Elizabeth, she is the mother. But I also don't think you can give up your rights. If Liz and Lucky can make the situation work with Cam, I think you can do it for this baby. I will help you in any way that I can."

"I don't want you to be forced to choose sides."

"I wouldn't, Jase," she promised. "And even if I did, you're my family. That comes first."

"And what about Lucky?"

"He's angry, but he's finding a way to deal with it. He has Cam to worry about, and we've been spending a lot of time together. He'll find a way to be okay with it."

"So you two are together or whatever?"

"Yeah, we're together," Emily told him. "And you and Carly? You're together or whatever?"

"Or whatever," Jason laughed. "You never really know what's what with Carly and me. Even when we were friends, it didn't seem to make sense but it did. I know that there are going to be people out there that won't like it, that will say I belong with Sam or that Sonny was the love of her life. Let them think what they want, I've never cared before."

"I don't know what you see in her," Emily admitted, "but I know that you see it. You fell in love with her a long time ago, and somehow, that love never left either one of you completely."

"I'm lucky," he remarked. "I got to fall in love with my best friend twice. I used to say that Sonny had taught me everything about how to live again, but I don't think that's really true. I mean, Carly was the first woman I was really with after the accident. She taught me how to be with someone, how to make love, how to fall in love. She gave me a best friend, she gave me a family, she gave me a son, she gave me a life."

"That's what I want to do for Lucky."

"By the way I saw him looking at you, Em, I think you already have."