Chapter 1: Many Happy Returns?!

Port Charles, New York

"How do I look?" Miranda asked, walking out of the dressing room at Wyndham's. She wore a long, soft purple gown with expertly strung black beading around the bodice and skirt. The dress was strapless, showing off her more than perfect tan.

"Well?" She prompted when none of the trio of women said anything. "Does it look awful or what?"

"You made me speechless for a moment there," Bianca Montgomery admitted. "My goodness, you look amazing."

Celia Fitzgerald nodded her agreement. "I totally agree with your Mom," she said with a super bright smile. "You are going to take everyone's' breath away tomorrow night."

Miranda smiled. There was truly only one person's breath she wanted to take away and he seemed far too busy lately with that Heather Kent girl. Miranda sighed. In fact, for the last six months he had been so embroiled with her that Miranda felt rather invisible in comparison. "Thanks."

"Hey, why the long face?" Bianca asked as she moved over to her eldest daughter and took her by the shoulders. "This is supposed to be fun, shopping for your eighteenth birthday party dress." Bianca sighed herself but was smiling. "I cannot believe I'm the mother of an eighteen year old and a fourteen year old. I feel so old."

Gabi piped up from her seat on the chaise lounge. "Well, you look well-preserved to me."

This caused a snicker to ripple throughout the small group. Bianca feigned a disgruntled expression. "Well, thank you, Gabrielle." She was then smiling again. "So, Miranda, is this the dress – is this the one you want?"

"I think so," Miranda said. She twirled once, testing out how the soft gauzy fabric felt on her legs. It felt smooth as silk. "You're all sure it will knock some socks off?"

"Clean off," Celia enthused.

"I guess I'll take it then," Miranda said. A sales lady came over and smiled widely at Miranda's words. With a three-hundred-fifty-dollar price sale in the bag now, of course she was happy.

"Excellent choice," the woman said. She had bright blonde hair and impossibly large, plump lips. Collagen much? Miranda mused.

She then turned to her group. "I'll change back into my old clothes and then we can pay and go," she said.

The three women in her party nodded as Miranda scurried back to the dressing room. She shut the door and then carefully removed the dress. She looked at herself in the mirror, wearing only white cotton panties and a tiny matching padded bra. Not that she really needed a bra. At a day away from being eighteen, she still had very little going on up top. Not like Heather, she thought sadly. Heather was a bean pole but had big, seemingly magically bouncy breasts. It was no wonder AJ liked her so much. They had been an item for months now and it still hurt Miranda. Just when she'd begun to look at AJ like the great catch he was, he was scooped off the market. It was just her luck, really.

Miranda hung up the dress and then yanked back on her denim jeans and pink tank top. She grabbed the dress off the rack and then pushed open the door.

"Are you finally ready?" Gabi asked. "Because I'm kind of bored. And hungry."

Miranda rolled her eyes at her little sister. "You're always bored and definitely always hungry," she said sort of snippily. Then she regretted it. Gabi was on the chubby side and was sensitive about it. Miranda walked over and hugged Gabi. "I'm actually really hungry too. I saw a place called Kelly's Diner as we were pulling into town. We can eat there if Mom says its okay."

"It sounds great," Bianca said. "I'm a little famished myself after this long trip."

"Me too," Celia agreed. "Very famished actually."

"Sorry I kept you all waiting so long," Miranda said. "I just wanted to find the perfect thing. Something that will look good on my shapeless body."

"Better no shape than this one," Gabi muttered, gesturing to herself. Bianca hugged Gabi to her side.

"You're all so beautiful – each and every one of you. Please don't forget it." She flashed them all smiles. "Now let me pay and we can go to that diner on the way back home."

Gabi trotted after her mom as Miranda and Celia lingered behind, chatting in low voices. "I just bet all the guys at your party will think you look amazing," Celia said. "I kind of don't want to bring Pete for that reason."

Miranda smiled. "I highly doubt I'm a threat to your relationship with Pete. I am so glad you're still together. You make the perfect couple… I wish I had someone special."

"You will find the right guy, Miranda, I promise. It sometimes takes time, that's all."

"The truth is I don't just want any random guy."

Celia nodded. "I know. And I don't blame you. AJ is so sweet and cute. You'd be amazing together."

Miranda sighed. "He's got Heather and she's all he talks about now. 'Heather this, Heather that.' Ugh I hate it."

"I still believe one day AJ will wise up and see you for the gem you are. Like I said before, I always thought he had a crush on you anyway."

"If he did, he wouldn't be with her," Miranda said. She crossed her skinny arms and grimaced. Celia, sensing it was a delicate subject, tried to change topics.

"So what did you ask your Mom for?"

"A car," Miranda said, smiling now.

"What kind of car?"

"A Camaro or a convertible. But she is so protective of me she would probably get me an old Volkswagen with really huge bumpers."

"Well, she loves you," Celia said. "It's got to be nice to have that kind of relationship."

"We butt heads sometimes," Miranda said, "but I am lucky. I wish you had –"

"My parents? Me too," Celia said. "But you don't mind me sharing your Mom with you sometimes, do you?"

Miranda smirked. "No, but only on Thursdays and alternating weekends."

The girls laughed. Celia hooked her arm through Miranda's as they moved to the door of Wyndham's to wait for Bianca and Gabi to finish up.

XoXoXo

"Please fasten your seatbelts," a disembodied voice said over the intercom. "We are about to land in Pine Valley."

Ryan Lavery looked over at his daughter staring out the window of the plane as it began to lower in the sky. "Good old Pine Valley," Ryan murmured.

Emma nodded and looked at her father. "Yes, Podunk Pine Valley. I remember it well," she said. Of course she did; they had lived there for years before Ryan and Greenlee had gotten the bright idea to move to New York City. It had seemed like a nice place to just be, but things hadn't exactly turned out so great after all.

Ryan looked at his hand, noting once again the pale shadow where a wedding ring used to reside. He sighed and then looked at his daughter again. "Thanks for tagging along. I know this isn't your ideal place to be."

Emma shrugged. "It isn't but at least I'll be close to Mom again."

Ryan grimaced. Annie. He had managed to put her out of his mind for such a long time but now it made sense. Why Emma had been so willing to return to "Podunk Pine Valley". She wanted to see her mother. Ryan understood it on some level but Annie – she was Annie. She wasn't the best influence – far from it actually. Ryan had hoped that one day Emma would learn to like Greenlee but she really never had. In fact, Emma had resented Greenlee for trying to "Mother" her.

"About that –" Ryan started.

Emma shook her head. "I know. You don't want me to have anything to do with her. But I'm eighteen now and I can make my own decisions. I want to see my mom. I've missed her."

"Emma, you don't understand-"

Emma cut her off. "I do understand. She's like the Big Bad Wolf and she eats babies for breakfast, right? Except not. I don't accept that. I remember she always was so good to me."

"She kidnapped you. More than once."

"She loved me and you and Greenlee –" she grit her teeth –"kept her away all this time." Emma crossed her arms and glared at her father. "I will never forgive Greenlee for destroying our family."

"She didn't," Ryan said. He was so quick to defend Greenlee. It was just a case of old habits dying hard. He had loved her for so long that it was almost second nature to side with her, no matter what she'd done to hurt him and vice versa.

"Are you going to defend her after what she did? She used you up and then spit you out," Emma said acidly. "Don't forget that."

"The point is that I don't want you seeing Annie."

"Well we can't always have what we want," Emma said.

"Emma –" He broke off as the plane began to taxi down the runway and the pilot announced the weather – it was cold and rainy tonight – and then wished them well. "We'll discuss this later," Ryan said.

They moved out of their seats in first class to beat the rush of other passengers coming their way. Ryan opened the overhead compartment and pulled down two bags. He followed after Emma, who was halfway down the tunnel already.

"Hey wait up," Ryan said. "You aren't going to make your old man chase after you, are you?"

Emma slowed down. "Please. You're not that old. You're probably in better shape than you've ever been."

"Well thanks for saying so," Ryan said with a smile. "Now come on let's go get our bags and hail a taxi."

Emma nodded. "Fine, whatever."

XoXoXo

"We're back on Pine Valley soil," Kit remarked, almost in wonder, as they walked out of the jet-way.

"So we are," Jackson said. He looked at his little sister. "How do you feel about all of this?"

"The same way I answered you every time you've asked. I'm fine."

"Just fine?"

"Yes, just fine."

Kit stopped to look out a window for a moment. "Looks the same," she said. "Same 'ol Pine Valley." It didn't feel the same though. She felt oddly discombobulated, like she was stepping into enemy territory.

Jackson came to stand beside her. "The more things change, the more they stay the same," he murmured.

They stood side by side at the window looking at the lit skyline for a long moment. Jackson looked at her and finally asked, "Do you want to catch a cab and check into our rooms at The Valley Inn?"

"Sure," Kit said and she rubbed her hands down her arms like she was chilled to the bone before turning away from the window.

Just then they heard a commotion coming from about twenty feet away. A huge entourage of people flashing cameras and holding microphones surrounded someone in the thick of things.

"Who the-" Kit started.

Jackson rolled his eyes, placing his hands on his hips as he watched the crowd moving forward at a stilted pace. "There's only one person in all of Pine Valley who could cause such a stir. Erica is back."

"Erica, as in your ex Erica?"

"Yes, that Erica. I don't know what she's doing here."

"It's her granddaughter's birthday…"

"Yes, and I see she brought the whole crew to make it all about herself," Jackson said darkly. "Well I'm going to put a stop to this right now." He left Kit where she was standing and stalked towards the group of reporters.

Kit smiled in spite of herself. Jackson was so transparent; he just wanted an excuse to talk to Erica after all of this time. "I'll be waiting in baggage claim," she called after him.

She then turned and walked towards the escalator.

XoXoXo

"Be on the lookout for our bags," Ryan said as they approached the turnstile where suitcases of all sizes and shapes were falling out of a duct onto the conveyor belt.

Emma nodded and walked around to the other side of the loop to take a look. Ryan watched his daughter for a moment. She had grown up and much too fast in his mind.

He tore his eyes away as she spotted a familiar black rolling suitcase drop down. He started over to it and reached for it.

"Nuh-uh," a voice popped up beside him. "I do believe that's mine." He froze in his tracks, hand still locked around the handle of the bag. He would know that Southern drawl anywhere. It had haunted his dreams for years, particularly of late, for whatever reason.

He turned to look at her. "Kit."

One word but it said so much.

Kit's brown eyes went wide as she spotted him. "Ryan Lavery… As I live and breathe…"