Queen of the Elven City- Aww, don't cry for him. Okay, if you want to cry for him go ahead, I won't stop you, but he's stronger than that. He'll bounce back again. It's what he does. Yup, what he does. Although maybe he won't be able to bounce back from that one… what's that mean? You'll just have to wait and see.

Story-

Kelly's-

There was something to be said about being able to sleep in a bed that wasn't constantly moving. Sam had gotten used to life on the brig, of course, but that didn't mean that she didn't appreciate the finer moments where she wasn't being surrounded by little more than the constant moving water. To say that it was something that she did not love, however, would be a very incorrect statement. Sam McCall loved the ocean, always had ever since she was a little girl. There were a lot of things that happened in her life that would always make her wonder about her place in the world, but she knew that the ocean would always be there and it would always welcome her with open arms, no questions asked. Even if she didn't have the kind of training that she did, the kind of upbringing, Sam believed that she would have found a way back to the ocean no matter what, it was a calling. She should have been a mermaid.

Getting out of the bed, the young and very beautiful woman walked over to the window of her checked out room at Kelly's. There, she looked out at the world around her. The world of Port Charles. How innocent everything looked from her vintage point in that room. The way that she looked at everything, it seemed like it belonged on some sort of movie or something, the picturesque little town where people knew who their neighbors were, where they didn't need to lock their doors. But they should have locked their doors. They should have lived in fear. Sam knew that while the appearances may have been deceiving, the people knew better. How could they not know that there were people like Sonny and Jason running around their town? Sam didn't even live in Port Charles. She had no intention of ever doing it. She was only there because she was forced into servitude to save someone that she loved more than anyone else. Her brother meant the world to her. If Danny wasn't so special she would have done everything that she could have to make sure that he would have been on the boat with her, but she couldn't do that. Sam knew that her brother wouldn't be able to handle it, and it was because of that knowledge that she made sure she didn't let her yearning for a connection with him override her desire to keep him safe.

How quickly did it change? That was something that Sam wondered. How fast did the people of Port Charles realize that their little safety bubble was gone? How quick did they lock their doors and huddle their children in the moment that they heard something going on, that first gunshot? Those were the things that Sam wondered about the most, how quickly everything seemed to change without any sort of provocation. And it was in those moments that Sam knew Port Charles had something that other towns like it didn't have: the danger. Sam liked danger, but she also knew when she was in too much over her head, and, Port Charles had the kind of danger that Sam tried to avoid whenever possible. Her kind of danger involved battling the forces of nature. Mother nature was more dangerous than a gun, but also a lot easier to deal with.

Some time later, Sam walked down the stairs into the restaurant, showered and changed, looking like the type of person that would turn heads no matter where she went. Maybe that was one of the reasons why she loved the sea so much, because it involved her being alone, and when she was alone she didn't have to worry about being accused of being too attractive. How many times did she have to push someone off of her because they thought that a woman who looked as beautiful as her just had to be easy? It was a double edged sword… beauty. On the one hand it was worth everything that it came with, on the other it wasn't worth any of the trouble at all.

Elizabeth was working at the front as she often did. She had thought briefly of Sam before she closed the night prior, and even when she walked into the place to start working earlier in the morning. Elizabeth always thought about new people, about who they were, what they wanted to do in the town, and if they were going to make it out the same person that they were when they came in. For Elizabeth it was something that she had dealt with personally. After all, how much did she hate being in Port Charles to begin with? All the trouble that she gave her grandmother, even when she knew that deep down Audrey was just trying to help, and yet she resisted.

"Good morning, Sam," Elizabeth called out to the woman as she finished walking down the stairs. "I hope you managed to sleep all right…"

"Yeah, I slept fine. Elizabeth, right?" She watched as the other woman nodded and smiled. "Sorry, I'm pretty bad with names, especially before I've had my morning cup of coffee. Sometimes the brain just doesn't start until it has a pick-me-up. You know what I'm saying?"

Elizabeth grinned, "We're not getting any younger, are we? Sometimes we need a little help from something to keep us going. Caffeine might be a drug…"

"But it's a drug that we really can't be without."

"I agree completely," she poured a cup of hot coffee into one of the cups and placed it on the counter. "Cream and sugar are right there, if you need them. Can I get you anything else? Something to eat? I know we might not look like it, but we make some pretty good breakfasts here."

"I'm not really a breakfast person, Elizabeth."

"How do you know that? You've never even tried one of them here. Come on, first meal for the new tenant is on the house… got to break them in and everything."

Sam looked at Elizabeth and wondered how a woman could possibly be that perky and not render herself into some sort of diabetic shock with her own inner sweetness. It was… quaint… but at the same time it was pretty damned annoying. Sam didn't like the overly happy bouncy people, they angered her. Trying to see the brightness around the world when everything that was there was laced with something dark and forbidding. People like Elizabeth were only destined to have some sort of downer, and when that happened they would need someone to pick up the pieces. "I guess I can't say no to something like that, now can I?"

"I don't think you can, really." Elizabeth grabbed a nearby menu and opened it, "Whatever you want from the breakfast menu and you got it. Mike, the guy that you met last night, he's a great cook. And he's in the back just waiting to make your first full day in Port Charles one of the best days in your life."

"Could you give me a minute, please? I need to decide, there's a lot on the menu," and, while she wouldn't admit it, all the food looked very delicious. Maybe Elizabeth was right, maybe it was worth eating breakfast, especially when it was free.

"Yeah, sure… actually, I see someone that I need to talk with outside. I'll be back inside soon, all right?"

"Easy there, Mary Poppins in training," Sam muttered, "One day you're going to overdose on that sugar you put in the medicine…"

Lucky was standing outside. When he saw Elizabeth he couldn't help but smile. She always put a smile on his face, and she always would. They distanced themselves from each other, but they would always be connected.

"Officer Spencer, is this part of your beat?"

"Considering that I can walk the entire space of Port Charles in less than two hours, from one end to the other, I think it's safe to assume that everywhere within city limits is part of my beat, even some areas outside of it."

"I'm sure we all feel a lot safer knowing that we have someone like you protecting us. I know I sleep easier…"

"You give me too much credit, Elizabeth," Lucky gave her a playful hug. Sometimes it was hard to touch her, like he knew that there was a part of him that would always want something more than what he had. Now was that time. She was with Ric, she was happy with Ric. Lucky understood and respected that, but he wanted something more for himself. He hadn't been with anyone since Summer was killed, and he didn't know if he would ever find the person that would make him feel even a fraction of the feelings that came through when he was around Elizabeth.

"Were you just passing by, or did you want to talk to me about something? Maybe grab a quick bite to eat…"

"I did the nightshift, I am pretty hungry."

"Come on in then." Elizabeth took him by the hand, "We got a new tenant last night. I want you to meet her, maybe you can help show her the ropes." Elizabeth didn't think about any sort of romantic connection between the two of them, although it was impossible to ignore the fact that they were both very nice looking people.

Sam had looked over her shoulder at the two of them as they were talking, although she figured that they were together, especially the way that they were touching each other. Sam hadn't been in love for a long time, either. Maybe never, aside from the love she felt for her brother, which wasn't the same kind of love.

"Sam, this is Lucky. He used to live up in the apartments…"

"I'd suggest that you find a way to make sure you can get into the only bathroom up there as soon as possible. When the morning comes and everyone tries to get inside at the same time it's a madhouse…"

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind," Sam replied. "Thanks for the warning. So… how long have you two been…"

Elizabeth quickly struck the idea down, "We're not together, Sam. We were, once, but we're just best friends now. Lucky was my first love, and I'm just glad that we were able to remain as close as we are now."

Lucky gave a shy and somewhat pained smile. He agreed with Elizabeth, but at the same time he still wanted something else, something more than what he had. "Elizabeth is one of the best people in the world, Sam, you should do everything that you can to make sure that you stay on her good side."

"What, are you telling me that someone like Elizabeth has a bad side?'

Lucky snickered, "Believe me, she does. I've been on that bad side more times than I would care to remember… and let me tell you, it isn't pretty. She likes to use her nails…"

"Lucky!" Elizabeth playfully smacked him on the shoulder, "Now you're just giving her some ideas, bad ideas. I really don't use my nails for anything other than tapping on the counter when I'm bored."

"You should use them for something else, Elizabeth," Sam advised. "Believe me, you'd be surprised at how often a good pain of nails can come in handy." She had personal experience, that she didn't want to talk about.

"Lucky, why don't you have a seat?" Elizabeth had learned that sometimes she could pry into the lives of people when she wasn't necessarily supposed to, and she refused to do that again. It had happened with Damian. In a lot of ways, Sam reminded her of him, at least in the ways that weren't specific to gender or personality. "Do you know what you want yet, Sam?"

"The pancakes and eggs…"

"I'll make sure to tell Mike just what you want. Lucky, your usual?" The man nodded and so she went into the back, leaving the two of them alone.

"So, Lucky," Sam began, "what do you do in this quaint little New York town?"

"I'm a cop."

"A cop…" Sam knew that she needed to pay special attention to Lucky now, because there was a chance that she could have been on his bad side. "Well, I guess that you're one of the good guys, then, aren't you?" Sam didn't believe that, at least not necessarily. She knew how quickly power could corrupt people. She'd seen it before.

"Yeah, I'm one of the good guys."

"Good to know."

Port Charles Hotel-

"Max!" Lois called through the door as she was doing her hair. Sonny's bodyguard had not left her side since he was ordered to stay with her, and she appreciated that, even if it made her feel a little uncomfortable.

Max placed the comic book that he was reading in his jacket pocket as he walked inside. "What is it, Lois?"

"Tell Sonny that I'm ready to check out of the hotel, will you? I'm sure I can do it on my own, but I want him to know that I'm leaving…"

"Are you sure about that?"

"Max… please, I'm sure. After all, I'm not the type of person who needs to be coddled. I appreciate everything that he's done for me… but I really need to face what's bothering me." Lois needed to return to the mansion and deal with her demons. It was the only way that she was going to get over it.

"I guess if you're certain, there's nothing that I can do. I'll make sure to tell Sonny, but, Lois… if you need me…"

"Thank you, Max, but I'm a big girl." Lois looked at herself in the mirror and wondered just how big of a girl she really was.