~@~@ Complicated Ch. 10
I disclaim
~~~
She wanted to be home. She wanted to be sitting in her in her living room in her pajamas eating a pint of Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, watching Titanic, but no she was sitting in at the bar of a very crowded Luke's waiting for Lucky.
Today was one of the worst days in her short history in Port Charles, right up there with day her they had to put Raulo to sleep. It had started off well, Alexis was in a great mood, the Carlos case seemed to be shut and close. PCPD arrested him without probable cause, and had to release him, but then a witness came forward and put him at the scene, causing them to arrest him again. And as Alexis so nicely pointed out, he was her client so she was sent back to the PCPD precinct, where she ran into Jagger or how he will always be known to her from this point on 'the jerk'.
Then she had gotten stuck in the elevator with him, for not one hour, but two, and sure they had spent the first fifteen minutes talking, and the next hour necking, but the last forty-five minutes had been spent fighting. She couldn't really remember what had been said, but the phrases like 'spoiled brat', and 'aging lothario' stuck out in her mind. " Arrogant Sonofa…."
" Hey Little Darlin'."
" LUKE!" Leaving her anger behind she leaned over the bar and hugged her very first crush. Luke Spencer was everything that a hero looked like in her dreams, tall, blonde, handsome, and charming was it any wonder that his namesake managed to rank as her second and forth crush. " You haven't changed a bit."
" You're flirt I look horrible, but you look like twice what ELQ's worth." He took her hand and placed a gentle kiss across her knuckles. " Does Eddie know that you're loose in Port Chuckles, breaking hearts and causing a fuss?"
Emily lowered her voice and spoke into Luke's ear." No, I overthrew the guard and ran."
Luke faces broke into a large grin, as he slapped a hand on the bar and laughed. " See it's like I've always said, there's some Spencer in you."
" Dad, stopping hitting on my date."
" Ignore him, Luke if he was really interested in being my date, he wouldn't be fifteen minutes late, or have left me in the company of such a handsome man."
Luke shook his head, and catching the look of discomfort on his son's face moved closer to whom he hoped would one day be his daughter-in-law, winking. " I'm single."
" I'm legal."
" Then let's skip all the small talk, and head straight for the chapel." Luke took her hand and began walking toward the door, when Lucky stepped in front of him pushing him back slightly. " Now Son, there'll be enough time later to talk to your new step-mother."
" Okay Luke." Emily kissed his cheek laughing at the look of annoyance of Lucky's face. " We've tortured him enough, go play with your friends, and I'll handle the Luckster."
" If you say so, but the offers still out there." Giving one final wink Luke walked off toward the back.
" I really hate it when he does that." Lucky couldn't really say what annoyed him more, the easy way that Luke flirted with women he was interested in, or the way the way they flirted back. " Do you know how damaging it is to watch that?"
" But you love him."
" Unfortunately." He turned and took a minute to study her unobserved; she was wearing simple white long sleeve slip neck polo, and a short navy blue skirt. " Forget about him, how are you doing this evening?"
She though of her encounter with Jagger, before giving him a fake smile." I'm okay, you?"
" I'm doing okay, but I have a problem." He took her hand and moved her toward a secluded table in the corner. " I was wondering if I you could help me out?"
" Anything Lucky, you know that." Emily leaned in and took his hand, she listened half hearted, her attention focused on the dark haired man walking into the club.
" Okay it's like this, I have this friend, that I've know a really long time, like forever. Anyway lately I've noticed that this friend is pretty special to me, I mean I've always cared for them, but now it's in a different way, and I wanted to know how I should tell this friend that I'm interested in them in a different way."
Emily snapped back to Lucky, she hadn't heard everything but knew he needed to tell someone something. " Just tell them."
" Emily, I like you."
~~~
" Zander could you help me hang this?" Liz pointed to an empty spot on the gallery wall, and turned toward her boyfriend, who leaned against the widow staring out the window. " ZANDER."
" Yeah." He pushed himself off the wall, and took them painting form her hand, before setting himself up on the steeping stool. He placed the nail in the wall and raised the hammer to strike.
" I want this opening to go off perfectly, I 'm thinking of inviting Emily."
Hearing his ex's name, Zander stopped mid strike. He didn't even know that Emily was back, but he supposed it would have been silly to expect Jason or the Quartermaines to inform him that she was back. " I didn't know she was back, how long is she visiting for?"
" She's not visiting she staying, joined Alexis' firm and got herself an apartment." Liz watched him carefully, looking for residual feelings. " Amy says that the Q's are in an uproar."
" Really why?" He steadied the nail and began hammering again.
" Apparently the only reason Edward supported Emily's interest in the law, was because he thought she would become the company lawyer, and of course her moving out is a great disappointment."
" Well they were always pretty protective of her."
" Yeah, how do you feel about that?"
" Not my family, they can be as anal as they want."
" Zander, I meant about Emily returning?"
" I don't know, it's not like we ended things as friends, I guess one more person in this town disliking me is okay, as long as they don't start stoning me."
" Zander, you know what I mean?"
He dropped his head against the wall; he didn't understand why she always had to question his feelings, and their relationship. They both knew that theirs was the greatest romance, they were together because simply put Liz needed someone and he needed to be needed. " Liz not now."
" I'm just trying see if what I'm competing with?"
" You're not competing with anyone, and certainly not Emily." ' But only because Emily probably still hates me.' He stepped down form the stool, and pulled her in his arms. " I'm with you, there is no one else."
"Good, I don't want to lose you."
~~~
A.J. walked toward Kelley's quickly, Courtney had been putting him off all week, but tonight he would get answers. He stopped outside the door, and looked through the window, she was breathtaking. After two years, he still couldn't believe how he lucked out, what started as revenge ended in love, and he couldn't be happier. He put his hand on the door ready to open it, when another person entered his line of vision. " Jason."
He still hated the 'golden boy', it never ceased to amaze him how no matter what Jason did, he still remained the family favorite. However what annoyed him currently was the friendship that he shared with his wife, sadly Courtney, like his little sister, felt that Jason was misunderstood, ' a sensitive soul that keep his feeling under wrap'.
Stepping back form the door he watch the tow talk, he hadn't ever seen Jason Morgan smile, but he appeared to be doing it now, and not only that but Courtney was also smiling, something he hadn't seen her do since before the miscarriage. They were standing close to each other, too close for his comfort, and even when they weren't talking it looked like they were communicating.
A.J. turned away from the scene, he could feel her slipping away from him and he'd be damned if he lost her, and would died before her lost her to Jason. " This time you won't win."
~~~
" What?" The simple phrase brought Emily crashing back into the conversation.
" Emily Ann Bowen Quartermaine, I. Like. You."
" I'm guessing that you mean in a romantic sense, and not the 'hey buddy, pal o' mine' kind of way."
" Yes, I've been trying to find a way to tell you for a while."
" Lucky I…" She closed her mouth, once again she could think of nothing that quite grasped the situation.
" Now hold on, and let me state my case. I've been thinking about this for a while honestly since Liz and I broke up. See she was angry and yelling, and she said 'not everyone can be like Emily', and she was right ever since my mom lied to me all those years ago about Nikolas, I had a vision in my head of what the woman I wanted to be with was like. She was honest, loyal, funny, and had a sense of adventure, and all those things I said you are, except you're more, you're Em. You've know me forever, all my greatest and worst moments and you still love me, but what really got me was when I saw you at the hotel the other night." He picked up her hand and brought it to his heart. " Do you know what happened that night?" Emily could only nod. " Until, then I thought it was all theoretical, sure on paper you seem like my perfect women, but in reality it might not work, but I saw you in the lobby and all I thought was. Wow, I do anything to be able to kiss her right now."
" Lucky…."
" Shh, just give me a minute." He leaned across the table, and brushed his lips against hers before settling them there firmly.
While across the bar Jagger Cates and another man watched the scene with very different reactions. Jagger's was one of fury, and jealousy, as he hand tightened around his beer bottle. The other gentleman however simply smiled, almost overjoyed at the public display.