AN: Okay, I know it's been like forever and three days since I updated (actually more like three months), but seriously, there like aren't enough hours in the day! LOL. I just joined this Baby-Sitter's Club RPG, so if any of you guys are a fan of the BSC, go check it out!!! It's on GreatestJournal, just look for the community new bsc (with an underscore in between). I play Lindsey DeWitt, the evil one. One of them, anyway. LOL. It's fun. But anyway… that's one of the many reasons that has kept me away from this ficcie. That and the fact that I am boycotting GH (actually, I don't have time to watch it) because it's being STUPID! No Journey, no Nem, no SLye (not much anyway, not that I know of), blah. So I have found better things to do.

Speaking of SLye, you get a little in this chapter. YAY! =D And I apologize for the long wait, again. But to make up for it, I have made this chapter especially long! I hope to get all my subsequent chapters to this length or longer. Don't worry. I haven't given up on this story. I have plot running for a while. Yes, Luke and Stefan were real. They weren't a dream. You'll see them later in the story. =D I just don't have a lot of time. Hopefully when August comes, and I'm finally out of school (I'm taking summer classes), I'll have time to write a lot. But for now, this will have to do. Sporadic updates. So don't expect me to update this for a while.

That means, enjoy! And review, 'cause I miss them. =D

Golden Child

Chapter Sixteen

When our adventure at Spoon Island was done, the sun was still shining – but barely. There were so many questions I needed answers to, and I was realizing that though I was trying to find myself on my own, I still missed my adopted family. It had been only about a week since my world blew apart and then repieced back together, but somehow, in that span, so much had happened. Still, though, there was a lot more that I needed to know.

I woke up the next morning with a groan.

"What's wrong?"

I looked around to find Loren looking up at me, and smiled slightly. "My whole life is wrong. It's so complicated."

Loren nodded. "I'm sorry. So who are you going to visit and badger today?"

I looked strangely at him. "How did you know I was going to visit and badger someone today?"

He shrugged. "'Cause that's all you've been doing since you got here."

Laughing, I gave in. "Fine. If you must know, I'm going to the Quartermaine estate."

Loren's face suddenly twisted into an interesting expression. "Why? I thought you never wanted to step foot in that house again."

"I don't," I said, more forcefully and more angrily than I intended, "but I have to. I can't believe they haven't done anything yet, but I'm still under Ned and Skye's custody."

"You are, aren't you? Even if your great-grandfather doesn't want you in there, I'm sure Ned and Skye still love you. You were the picture of perfection before you found out about your real parentage, all poised and ready to become the next great Quartermaine heiress."

"Don't remind me," I sighed. "That was before they found out about me, though. Sometimes I wish I could still wake up in that house, with a stable family who loves me… okay, as stable as the Quartermaines can be," I revised, after Loren shot me a look that said, 'stable? Yeah right.' I continued, "I mean, they're a crazy bunch, but we always looked out for each other, in some horrible, twisted way. And now, I'm just a compilation of blood relations and adoptive love, and I really don't know who I am. I loved being Kristina Ashton, but… living like that, knowing who I am now, I would be living a lie, and I couldn't do that."

"Kristina, I know. You've told me this over and over again. I'm just saying that maybe Ned and Skye miss you, too, and that it would be a good thing to see them, that's all," Loren said, soothingly. "But do I have to come?"

I thought about it for a moment. "Nah. I can give you the day off."

"Will Sonny let you give me a day off?"

"Whatever. He's not here with me all the time, is he? Sometimes I just want to be able to walk by myself, you know? No offense to you, of course, you're lovely company." I grinned at him. "But I just don't want to feel like I must be watched all the time."

Loren laughed.

"What?"

"You sound like Carly."

I made a face. "She doesn't know about me too much, does she?"

Loren shrugged. "You'd probably know that more than I would. But she won't be happy at all when she finds out. That's the irony of it."

"Oh well. I'll deal with one problem at a time."

Smiling, Loren nodded. "That's my girl. You sure you don't want me to come with you, just for moral support?"

"I'm sure. Take a break. Do something you want to do for once. You don't have to live my life with me so much."

"Okay. Just… promise me you'll be careful?"

I softened, and then kissed him. "Sealed with a kiss."

Loren's smile widened. I loved looking at his smile. It made him look so… happy, so carefree. "Loren, you have so much to deal with, too, but all you're concerned about is me. Let me know if you need me. I'm always here for you."

"Yeah, I know. I just… don't worry about me, I'll be okay."

"Promise?" I looked into his blue eyes, concern written across mine.

He leaned in and kissed me again. "Promise."

The day was absolutely glorious – I loved summer weather with a passion. I enjoyed walking through the winding paths so much that I nearly forgot all my cares and worries about being safe and what not. Nearly, that is, until a hand grabbed me roughly by the arm.

I was whirled around to face a woman who looked about my uncle Dillon's age. "Who are you?"

"That doesn't matter right now, pretty girl. Just make sure you watch your back. You don't have your little friend here to protect you right now. Imagine what might happen to you. I may just have to take you someplace you don't want to be."

I narrowed my eyes at her, while trying to pull my arm free. "What have I ever done to you?"

"It's not what you've done. It's just who you are. So watch it, sweetheart, or else you just might find yourself in a spat of trouble you can't get out of." She smiled sickeningly at me, and I was disgusted. "Well, whoever you are, you can just get out of my way and let me be."

"I can't believe you don't know who I am, what with your father being who he is and everything," the woman continued, as if she didn't even hear me.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" I countered.

"If you go running to your daddy and tell him that Sage Alcazar-Rosco gave you trouble, I'll find out. And if I find out… next time we meet, it may involve more than just idle banter. So tata for now, little Kristina. Remember to watch your back. You never know when someone's watching you." With that, she released my arm and I nearly stumbled with the force. Fuming, I walked away, rubbing my upper arm absentmindedly. "What a witch," I muttered. Something troubled me, though. How would she know about my connection to Sonny? Just who was she? The name Alcazar sounded familiar, but I didn't know from where.

Sooner rather than later, I found myself on the stoop of the Quartermaine estate, hesitating whether or not to ring the doorbell. I then realized that I still had a key – of course, being the ditzy girl that I am, it wasn't on me. But I remembered the secret hiding place of the spare key; yes, even rich families like the Quartermaines need spare keys. I smiled sadly at the memory of the first time I discovered it – it was still when Emily was alive and she was showing me where it was.

Flashback

"Emily? What are you doing?"

I was watching, puzzledly, my older cousin upturn a plant on our front stoop. My six year old mind was boggled seeing a classy, pretty lady like Emily dumping a ton of soil onto the bushes next to the plant. She turned, wiping her sticky bangs away from her face, and smiled at me. "Oh, nothing, Kristina. I just wanted to get in without disturbing anyone, and this is where we keep the key."

"Why do we keep a key there? Won't people be able to get in if we keep a key outside?"

"That's why we hide it in here." She dug around in the half-empty pot of soil, the plant sadly collapsing in its pot, and then produced something metal and shiny. "If you ever need to get inside and don't have a key, this is where you look."

"Okay." I smiled. "But if you need to get in, the living room door is open if you want to walk in that way."

Emily smiled her pretty, sweet smile. "Thank you, Kristina." And with that, the two of us walked back into the house.

Real time

She was so sweet. I sighed sadly. I missed my older cousin. I wished that she were still alive to talk to, and to help me.

I let myself in and, unsurprisingly, no one was in the silent foyer. I tucked the key into my pocket and proceeded to find Skye, but as I was deciding which way to go to find her, someone found me.

"Kristina! What are you doing here?"

I turned around, my long curly hair whipping behind me, to face the speaker. I relaxed when I saw that it was only Brooklyn staring back at me. And then my expression turned to one of shock. "Lynn! What in the world are you doing here?!?!"

Brooklyn Ashton and I grew up as sisters, but she's the same age as our uncle Dillon. Strange, huh? Anyway, she and I were never especially close, but we were close enough. It's probably because she kinda drifted in and out of my life—one year we were at the same school, next we were across the country from each other. But every time we see each other, it's always good times.

"I'm back in town, baby sister. Business brings me here, but of course I have to see my family." She grinned, but I could detect a trace of sadness in her eyes. I just nodded, not needing to complicate my mind further, and asked, "Have you seen Skye?"

"You mean Wicked Stepmother?" Brooklyn and Skye had never liked each other very much, obviously.

I rolled my eyes. "I mean Skye."

Brooklyn nodded. "Yeah, I think she's in the sitting room."

"Thanks, Lynn." I turned to leave, but my sister's voice called me back. "What, you're not even going to give your favorite sister a hug?"

I rolled my eyes. "You're my—" From habit, I was used to calling her my only sister, but now, it wasn't so true anymore. I smiled to cover my hesitation and finished, "my only sister." Lynn and I embraced each other, but somehow, it just wasn't the same anymore, not for me, and I could sense, not for her.

"Skye?"

I poked my head into the sitting room, finding my… well, Skye, on the phone. She didn't seem to hear me (I did speak rather quietly), so when she hung up and turned around, she gasped audibly. "Kristina! What a pleasant surprise!" She rushed up to embrace me as well, and I smiled. "Hi, Skye."

"What brings you here?"

I went straight to the counter where the crystal decanters of brandy and scotch stood, and took the glass pitcher of water and poured myself a drink. "I just wanted to talk to you, about… about a lot of things."

"Like what?" she asked, curiously, sitting down on the couch and patting the seat next to her.

"Everything, from Alexis to Sonny and about Loren and… my life has been so crazy the last week."

Skye just looked expectantly at me, and I began, "Well, everyone knows about me being Sonny's daughter. That's gotten me into some fishy situations."

"Are you alright?" she asked, I guess kind of instinctively. I smiled. "Well I'm here, aren't I? I'm okay. Just… a little unnerved. I didn't ask for any of this. I live with a guy named Loren now. We share a trailer."

Skye's eyebrows raised quite high. "Really. Is there anything going on with you two?"

I smiled and blushed a little. "Um, yes?"

"Just be careful, Kristina. That's all I'm going to say."

"Okay." I grinned again. "Oh, and yesterday, I was at Spoon Island, in the catacombs—"

"What were you doing in the catacombs?" Skye asked, sharply.

"The secret passage door was open, I went in. Simple as that. I told Nikolas next time to leave those things closed. Anyway, I was in there, and guess who I saw?"

"Who?"

"Stefan Cassadine and Luke Spencer."

Skye, who had been taking a sip of her water, immediately started choking and spit whatever water she hadn't swallowed out, narrowly missing my face. She took another sip to stop her coughing and then asked, "Luke Spencer?"

"Yeah. Loren's grandfather. I know it's kind of shocking, since no one's seen him for ages."

Nodding, Skye responded, "Yeah… that is shocking. Why would he show up after all these years? I thought… I thought I had lost him forever," she said, quietly and slowly, as if she was talking to herself.

"Wait. What was that?" I questioned. That came out of nowhere! "You knew Luke?"

Skye nodded, and I could see something in her eyes, a light that I don't think I had ever seen in them before. "Luke and I, we were very close. To give you the short story, we had ventured into a romantic entanglement right before he disappeared. Those few months were the best of my life. A few weeks after he was gone, I discovered that I was pregnant."

"But I thought… I thought you could never have kids."

"That's what I thought, too. I was overjoyed. Luke had meant so much to me and this was just incredible… but I lost the baby, and I was devastated. You helped me through it, though. You were such a happy little girl, totally oblivious to the world around you, and your innocence and your ability to find happiness in the little things taught me a lot. I soon fell in love with your father and help raise you, but I didn't feel nearly as much for him as I fell for Luke. He's always been in my heart."

I sighed. "Wow. I… I didn't know that."

"I didn't think I had to tell you about it. But now that he's come back, and you're not mine anymore… well… we'll see."

"You're going to divorce Ned?" I asked, shocked.

Skye shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. It's just… things have changed, circumstances have changed. We'll just have to wait, okay?"

I nodded. "But about one thing you said… about me not being yours anymore… that's not entirely true. And that's another reason why I came here today."

"What are you talking about?" Skye asked.

I sighed. "I'm talking about custody. You and the Quartermaines still have legal custody of me, and I wanted to do something about that."

Skye nodded in understanding. "Of course. That's entirely plausible. Do you know your options, though? Who would you want to have custody of you? So many people could claim you."

"I don't want anyone to have custody of me. I want to be my own person."

"Like an emancipated minor?" Skye suggested, before I could finish. My hopes lifted. I didn't think there would be a solution to this, but… here it was, presented in front of my face. "Emancipated… minor?" I repeated.

"Yes. Basically, you can sign your own papers, you don't need parental consent for anything, but you have to fulfill some requirements. What exactly, I'm not sure, but I'm sure we could get Justus in here to help you."

"Oh, would you? That would be awesome."

Skye smiled. "Of course, Kristina. As much as it pains me to 'officially' lose you, I'll still do anything for you. I love you as if you were my own daughter. Up until a week ago, you were." I could see her tearing and I gave her a hug. Sigh. Why does everyone have to love me? And even worse, why do I have to love everyone who does? Can't we all just share?

"Thank you so much, Skye. It really means a lot to me." I smiled back at her, a little shakily, and watched as she made the call that would determine my future.

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