Chapter Two

"Oh come on, Blaze, don't chicken out on me now! I thought you wanted to live dangerously!" Luke Spencer planted his hands on his hips mockingly and dared Skye Quartermaine with wide eyes and waggling eyebrows. If he knew anything about the red-haired woman before him, it was that she couldn't back down from a challenge. Skye retorted, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Luke, please. Shirking our jobs at the casino and running to the Pier Carnival is not what I call dangerous. It's called playing teenager and I will have no part in it."

"God, I love it when you get all huffy," he grinned. "Now let's go. I know you're dying to let loose on a coaster or two, scarf a corn dog and win a purple elephant from the arcade. If you're gonna be with me, you're gonna have to play along with my whims."

"Oh yes, loads of fun," Skye rolled her eyes sarcastically. "How classy- high cholesterol food and cheap imported toys. I will not bend to your every whim, Spencer. Besides who said I was with you? In any sense of the word? You're my business partner and I think we've gotten much too close these days. Now shall we go to the casino or not?"

Luke hated hearing the words 'business partner' but decided not to push the issue. He shrugged, not even trying to disguise his downcast face.

"Fine, Blaze. If that's what you want."

Without another word he started walking, leaving Skye to trail behind him, her mouth agape. She couldn't believe he hadn't put up a fight. It was so unlike him. Why, he must not be feeling well, she mused, following in his footsteps. Watching his straight back in front of her, she felt her heart sink. Why couldn't she just admit what she wanted? When had her fear gotten the best of her? Staying a few feet back as they made their way to the docks, she began to sing.

Skye: Used to believe that I believed in something

Used to be that I believed in love

It's been a long time since I've had that feeling

I could love someone

I could trust someone

I said I'd never let nobody near my heart again

I said I'd never let nobody in

But if you asked me to

I just might change my mind

And let you in my life forever

If you asked me to

I just might give my heart

And stay here in my arms forever

If you asked me to

Walking about two paces ahead of Skye, Luke shook his head at himself and sang under his breath.

Luke: Somehow ever since I've been around you

Can't go back to being on my own

Can't help feeling darlin' since I've found you

That I've found my hope

That I'm finally home

I said I'd never let nobody get too close to me darlin'

I said I needed, I needed to be free

But if you asked me to

I just might change my mind

And let you in my life forever

If you asked me to

I just might give my heart

And stay here in my arms forever

If you asked me to

Skye and Luke: Ask me to, I will give my world to you baby

I need you now

Ask me to and I'll do anything for you baby, for you baby

If you asked me to, I'd let you in my life forever

If you asked me to

As the two neared the dock of the Haunted Star, without a word or nary a glance, they slipped their hands together.

~*~*~*~*~

Courtney Morgan walked along the pier, her gloved hands tucked into her leather jacket, keeping the cold from her body. It did nothing for her heart though. She felt as if she had betrayed everyone and no one could seem to understand her reasons for it. They saw it as being traitorous, every last one of them. They didn't see what it had cost her to leave that life. Even worse, what living that life had done. She took a seat on a lone bench on one of the piers she now owned and sang to her reflection in the water, picturing the faces of those that had come and gone in her life.

Courtney: I've often wondered if there's

Ever been a perfect family

I've always longed for undividedness

And sought stability

The image in the waves of the ocean became the face of her mother…

A flower taught me how to pray

But as I grew, that flower changed

She started flailing in the wind

Like golden petals scattering

And I miss you dandelion

And even love you

And I wish there was a way for me to trust you

But it hurts me every time

I try to touch you

But I miss you dandelion

And even love you

Thoughts of her first husband, A.J. Quartermaine , followed.

I gravitated towards a patriarch

So young predictably

I was resigned to spend my life

Within a maze of misery

Sonny and Carly, her brother and sister…

A boy and girl befriended me

We're bonded through despondency

I stayed so long but finally

I fled to save my sanity

And I miss you sis and big brother

And I hope you realize I'll always love you

And although you're struggling

You will recover

And I miss you sis and big brother

Tears sparked in her eyes as she saw Jason's face in her mind's eye and felt the love that would never stop haunting her.

And I missed a lot of life

But I'll recover

Though I know you really like

To see me suffer

Still I wish that you and I'd forgive each other

Cause I miss you Valentine

And really loved you

I really loved you

I tried so hard

But you drove me away

To preserve my sanity

I found the strength

To break away and fly

She ended on a sad, sweet note, and stood with a sigh that weighed two tons. Life would forever be changed for her. And sometimes she wasn't sure if it was a positive change or a change for the worst.

~*~*~*~*~

"Throw him in the river," Faith ordered one of her nameless goons distastefully. She nudged the young man's dead body with one of her stiletto heels and pursed her ruby-red lips. Such a waste of talent, she thought. He could have been so useful to her business but no, he had to go and get all morally righteous. He just didn't have it in him to kill someone. She sang sneeringly,

Another hero, another mindless crime

Behind the curtain in the pantomime

On and on-----Does anyone know what we're living for?

Whatever happened, we leave it all to chance

Another heartache, another failed romance

On and on-----Does anyone know what we're living for?

Walking away from the pale-faced body that seemed to mock her with his empty eyes, she stood tall and defiant.

The show must go on-----the show must go on

Outside the dawn is breaking

On the stage that holds our final destiny

The show must go on- the show must go on

Inside my heart is breaking

My makeup may be flaking

But my smile still stays on

Razor-edged, it split across her beautiful face and she stalked back, her heels clacking wildly across the dock planks. Even her guards cringed at the expression on her face. She drove her foot into the stomach of the dead man as if trying to murder him all over again.

I'll top the bill

I'll earn the kill

On with the, on with the, on with the show

The show must go on

With that ignoring the requests of her thugs, she shoved the body into the river herself, an almost maniacal smile on her face. Then she stood, brushed off her hands and checked her manicured nails. Then she walked away as if she were stepping on clouds.

~*~*~*~*~

The songs are:

*If You Asked Me To by Celine Dion

*Petals by Mariah Carey

*The Show Must Go On- originally done by Queen but the version I used comes from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.