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Two Days LaterCoffee. That was the one thing Alexis had missed most when pregnant with Kristina. It had been so hard to stay from the boldly flavored caffeinated liquid. Now up to her eyeballs in evidence from the fire not to mention all the other old cases she inherited Alexis had a physical need for coffee. Thankfully Kelly's was on the way from her apartment to the ruins of the hotel.
Penny, bless her heart, had the coffee waiting. "Been reading the papers," she informed Alexis. "I figured you'd need this."
"Penny you're the best," Alexis replied taking the to go cup from her. She laid a ten on the table. "Keep it." When the younger woman started to protest she added, "You've saved the tax payers time and money. Trust me you earned it," Alexis said flashing a smile.
Exiting Kelly's as quickly as she entered Alexis was almost out of the courtyard when Ned called out her name. She stopped, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She had been waiting for this she reminded herself. Putting on her professional demeanor Alexis turned and faced the man she had once loved. Looking back on her relationship with Ned, Alexis had often wondered what went wrong exactly. Ned hadn't been her first adult relationship but certainly her first serious relationship. She had loved him, enough to truly consider spending the rest of her life with him, but she had backed out at the very last second. In all honesty she never figured out why. She and Ned were perfect for each other. So very much alike and that she supposed had been their downfall. "Ned," she greeted. "How's the family?"
He smiled politely. Right now he wasn't Alexis' friend but the family gatekeeper. "Emily's being released tomorrow, but Grandfather will be in for a few more days. It could be worse," he admitted, "but it could be better. You know that."
Alexis sighed, "Ned, if this is about the investigation into the fire …"
"It could destroy the family," Ned said earnestly. Both intent on their conversation neither noticed Lorenzo stopping short of entering the courtyard.
"I know," she replied. As a fellow gatekeeper Alexis felt for him, but in her new position she couldn't allow her history with Quartermaines – the good and the bad – to influence her.
"Then help me?" Ned asked.
Anger flared inside her. Help him? Alexis scoffed. Oh that was rich considering how when he last helped her she almost lost her daughter. "People died Ned. Cameron was one of them and so was Zander for all we know …"
"I'm well aware of that Alexis," Ned cut her off. "And I'm sorry for it and you," he said stepping closer. "I know you cared about them both."
She shook her head. Alexis knew she couldn't let Ned get to her. She wasn't on a personal quest for vengeance but she had to do right by Cameron and Zander, and all the others whom the fire traumatized. "Ned someone has to be held accountable. You know that. I can't help it that your family owns the hotel. If there was negligence then the Quartermaines will have to deal with it."
"Edward is too weak to handle this Alexis," Ned said fury in his eyes. "It could kill him and his company."
"What about the treasure?" Alexis asked.
"That won't save ELQ and no amount of treasure is going to keep Edward's heart strong," Ned spat. "Alexis I have to hold my family together. I need your help to do it, please?"
"Ned …" What? Alexis wondered. Even if she weren't the DA she wouldn't have helped him if the Quartermaines were guilty of negligence. They had put her family and the people she cared about in danger. "I can't help you."
"You mean won't," he replied bitter.
"Fine. I won't help you," she repeated and started to leave.
Ned grabbed her arm. "You know me better then that Alexis," he seethed. "I'll do whatever, and, I do mean whatever, I have to, to save my family. That includes revealing your secret if it comes to that."
Her eyes widened, "You can't," she breathed out. She had barely gotten Carly to agree to keep her secret from Sonny and now Ned was pulling the rug out from under her.
"I will," he threatened.
Having heard enough Lorenzo stepped forward. "A real gentleman wouldn't threaten the mother of his child," he chided Ned.
"This is none of your business," Ned informed Lorenzo even while he let go of Alexis.
Lorenzo considered this for a moment, half expecting Alexis to jump in and agree. When she didn't he remarked, "Seeing how I saved her life I guess I'm responsible for her now."
"Now that's just stupid," Alexis said speaking up. "I don't need your help," she informed Lorenzo. "Do your worst," she challenged Ned before leaving them in the courtyard.
"I'm sure I don't have to warn you against taking her up on that," Lorenzo commented.
A strangled laugh escaped from Ned's lips. Alexis always managed to get caught up with the wrong kind of men, first Sonny and now Lorenzo. Her life, he thought, he had his family to protect. "I guess we'll just have to see how it all plays out," he said cryptically.
Lorenzo watched him as he walked out of the courtyard. He hadn't meant to interfere but not only had he seen the fear glaze over Alexis' eyes he felt it – that's how powerful it had been. What the hell kind of secret was Alexis Davis keeping? And why the hell did he care?
~*~
"You can stop at any time," Emily informed Elizabeth.
Turning from rearranging some of Emily's flowers, "Stop what?" Elizabeth asked.
"Acting like everything is all right. I know it's not Elizabeth," Emily told her friend. "And I know you're trying to be strong right now because I'm here in this stupid bed in this ugly gown," she said fingering the hospital robe. "You don't need to be strong for me right now. I'm strong enough … for the both of us."
"Oh … Em …" tears that Elizabeth had been fighting back flooded her eyes. She hurried over to the chair beside Emily's bed; by the time she sat down she was bawling. "I just … I don't know what to do anymore?" she said through her tears.
Emily reached out to her and pulled her into her arms. "Shh …"
"I've been here before, when Lucky … well when we thought – I should know," Elizabeth hiccupped. "I've lost the man I loved before but … oh God this isn't fair."
"No," Emily agreed rubbing Elizabeth's shoulder, "it isn't."
"Then why?" she moaned in pain.
"I don't know," Emily replied her heart going out to her friend.
The honest answer did more to soothe her then any of her Grandmother's words of wisdom or Lucky's wisecracks or Nikolas' offer to handle the service. Still Elizabeth cried until she had no tears left. Leaning back she wiped her face, "Sorry about that."
"Don't be. Friends are supposed to be able to cry on each other's shoulders," she reminded her with a smile.
"I didn't want to do this to you Em, at least not now."
"But you need me now," Emily pointed out. "So I'm here. Again that's how it works."
"Oh stop being right all the time," Elizabeth said exasperated. A smiled touched her lips for a second before she remembered her husband was dead and she shouldn't be smiling. "I miss him. So much. We finally got our second chance …"
"Third," Emily reminded her.
"Right. Third … I know everyone thought I was crazy to give it to him," Elizabeth paused, "but I just loved him so much. I wanted a life with him more then I wanted it without him. I only wish I had realized that sooner, so that we could have had more time. I'm alone now."
"No," Emily said a bit more harshly then she intended. "You have me. You have Lucky and Nikolas, your Grams. Elizabeth we love you. We're going to stand by you, and help you, and love you and your baby. I know it's not the same or even what you wanted but …"
"It will have to be enough," Elizabeth finished for her. "I get that. Maybe one day that will even be enough."
"Elizabeth …"
"It's all right Emily. I know what you were trying to say," Elizabeth assured her. "I'm not really alone. I'm just not part of an us anymore. It's never going to be Ric and Elizabeth Lansing again. But I still have family and the best friends in the world. And that helps," she sighed. "Until I'm able to figure out what happens next having you guys helps."
~*~
"Thank you for meeting me here," Alan said standing up from behind his desk. He leaned over and shook the other man's hand.
"Not a problem," the younger man replied. "So what can I do for you?"
Alan looked over the private investigator. His olive skin was tight over his broad boned faced. He had a rough and tumble look at him, agile, he thought. But there was also a cool charm that would allow him into the places AJ was no doubt hiding himself. "I need you to find my son, AJ. Alan Quartermaine Junior," he supplied handing over the most recent photo of son.
Aloof dark eyes scanned the picture. "You said he disappeared with family fortune?" he asked.
"Yes," Alan growled.
"What exactly do you want me to do when I find him?" the PI inquired.
Alan took a deep breath. It was the moment of truth. He'd thought it over for the past two days – a decision had to be made. Steeling himself, he answered. "Tell him to keep the money. It doesn't matter anymore. Make it clear that we don't want him coming back … in fact, tell him that if he ever thinks about coming back to Port Charles that I'll kill him myself."
~*~
"You think the wind would have carried away the smell by now," Brian remarked.
"Beck what the hell do you think you're doing here?" Lucky asked as the other cop approached the ruins of the Port Charles Hotel.
"My job," Brian replied. He scanned the scene taking in the rubble of the building. Everything was covered in dark soot. And for a good three blocks in every direction it still smelled of smoke.
"You're pushing yourself," Lucky scolded eyeing him with concern.
"I've got nothing left but the job," Brian said. Courtney had made the perfectly clear. With Ric gone, Brian wasn't even sure if his investigation into Sonny and Jason would be a high priority for the new DA. Considering her past ties to them Brian doubted it. Still, he became a police officer to project and serve and that's what he was going to do. Bullet wound or no. It's all he really had.
"Look Brian …"
"I've cleared it," he cut Lucky off. "We're still shifting for evidence right?"
"Right," Lucky answered. He'd seen the look on Brian's face in the mirror enough to know he couldn't talk the other cop out of leaving. "Not that the smoke eaters are happy about that."
"I'll be sure to stay out of their way," Brian replied. He dug into his pockets for some plastic gloves. "Which side?"
"I'm up on the left," Lucky said handing Brian some bags.
"So I'll go right."
Lucky watched him go and considered the odds of him having to haul Brian off the scene after he keeled over. 50/50 he decided grabbing more supplies for himself. Stuffing the bags into his pockets he made his way back to where he'd been working. There were still three people missing, along with Zander, but the search for survivors was over. His heart went to the families who were stilling waiting and hoping.
He now had a better understanding what his family went through when the bike shop went up in flames. Watching the hotel burn, knowing that his father and brother were inside, had a new sense of terror claim him. He had waited helplessly for the go-ahead for the helicopters to land. For a while there, he'd been terrified that he would have to tell Lulu that their father and brother were dead. He'd never been more grateful for anything when both of them had landed safely and he was saved from facing that horrible responsibility.
Careful to follow the path of his pervious footsteps back into the scarred ruins of the hotel Lucky hunched down when he got to where he'd last been. A light whiff of soot floated up towards his face from the force of the air he displaced. He held his breath until it had settled again.
Breathing again, his trained blue eyes went back to work. Being impartial was difficult. A part of him wanted someone to blame for putting his family in danger, the other thought about Emily and what would happen to her and her family if the implications were true. Lucky was fighting divided loyalties and instincts.
Something glinted up into his eye. Carefully, so not to disturb anything more then necessary Lucky pulled out a chain. Though tarnish by fire and smoke he could see that it was a silver chain, whatever had been attached to it was missing now.
His jaw flexed. It had been chain around a body's neck that he been used to help determine his death. Lucky didn't like remembering that time of his life, trapped and at the hands of a madman. It hurt to recall the boy he'd been, so in love with Elizabeth.
Some things didn't change though. Years later Elizabeth still mattered to him and he still worried about her. Elizabeth was still so much apart of his life and who he was; considering all that had happened Lucky was thankful for that. But she was hurting again and it didn't seem fair that one person should have to suffer so much.
Lucky would give anything to see Elizabeth happy again. He knew it would take time but he was determined to help her find her way.
"I've got something," Brian called out. Lucky could hear the pant in his voice. "What?" he called back.
"A body!"
~*~
He wanted to kiss her. Bad sign Luke admitted to himself. They had met at Haunted Star to talk business and after all of five minutes together in the same room all he wanted to do was get his hands on her. Well he always knew Skye would be trouble, but not that particular kind of trouble.
"Since we've been closed we're going to have a surplus of stock," Skye said. For the past two days things had been strictly business between her and Luke. Even at Cameron's memorial she'd done her best to be there for him as a friend and nothing more. After her nasty realization with Jax, Skye knew it was the smart thing, to do. Getting romantic, or anymore so, about Luke would only lead to heart-ache and she'd had more then enough of that for one life time.
"I don't think that will be a problem Blaze," he drawled. "People are going to want a good time after what's happened."
Skye nodded, "I don't doubt that. It still feels like it's too soon to open the casino back up."
"We can't stay closed forever," Luke pointed out. He was a man who noticed things and he certainly noticed that when he moved closer to her, Skye found an elegant way to put more space between. She probably didn't realize that she was tempting him all the more by doing it, but she was and Luke didn't know what to do about it. He supposed he could make a scene and chase her way – but he didn't like the thought of her not being there tomorrow. Which left option B but Skye wasn't letting him close enough to kiss her.
"I know it's just that …" she stopped when Luke successfully boxed her in. "Luke? What are you doing?"
He liked the way her eyes widen slightly and her breath caught. "Have you noticed that there is definite potential here?" Luke asked leaning closer to her.
"We're not talking about the casino are we?" she asked.
"Nope."
He was going to kiss her. Skye could read the intent in his eyes and for the life of her she couldn't remember a single reason why she didn't want him too. "If you two can't lay off the kissy, kissy long enough to handle business, I'll do it myself?" Faith threatened with distain breaking the spell.
"Well if ain't the Black Widow," Luke said cheerfully maneuvering himself between Faith and Skye. Though he wanted to strangle Faith himself he wanted to prevent another catfight. "Alive and well, what a pity."
"Trust me I feel the same," Faith countered. "Now before you let your libidos distract you, I believe our reopening was being debated."
"That's none of your concern," Skye snapped.
"Wrong. I'm losing money and well," Faith drew out the word as she let her fingers trail down Luke's arm, "I don't like losing money. We'll be opening tonight."
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Previews of part two: Sam and Brenda come face to face, Sage wants to leave PC, Courtney/Jason/Carly living together under one roof – what were they thinking? and more … Revised: Just editing, cleaning up typos and such. Also, hard at work on part two, which I hope to have up by the end of the week.