"Okay Sweet Pea, time for bed," Lulu said, pulling up the covers and tucking them around Amelia. They were the little second bedroom of the suite, which had become Amelia's during their stay in Port Charles.
"Oh no! Not yet!" Amelia protested, tugging on Lulu's arm. "One more story, please?"
Shaking her head, Lulu couldn't help but laugh. "No. Not tonight. You've had a busy day and it's time to go to sleep."
Amelia sighed, settled herself back on the pillows when she knew that her mother wouldn't budge. "Okay…"
Lulu angled her head, studied her daughter. "You did have a fun day today, didn't you?" She was suddenly worried that she wasn't spending enough time with Amelia.
Amelia shook her head quickly, her smile bright. "Today was so much fun! I got to spend the night at Josslyn's and play all day with her and then I got to see Aunt Maxie!"
Letting out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, Lulu leaned down, kissed the little girl's brow. "I'm glad. I'm sorry that I haven't been spending a lot of time with you though. But I'm happy that you get to see Josslyn."
Amelia reached for her mother's hand, squeezed it tightly. Lulu's throat constricted. How did she get so lucky to have a child like this? "Its okay, Mama. I have had a lot of fun. And we get to spend all the time together back home. It's fun to be with Josslyn."
"Goodnight, sweetheart," Lulu said, kissing Amelia's head again. "I love you." She rose, patted the bed and tucked Amelia's favorite stuffed animal, an elephant named Daisy, under her arm.
"I love you too, Mama," Amelia replied, her voice sounding drowsy. No matter how hard she tried to stay awake, Lulu could tell that sleep was becoming her. "See you in the morning."
"See you tomorrow," Lulu said, flipping the light-switch off and ensuring that the little nightlight was on. She glanced back at Amelia one more time before walking out of the room and closing the door.
She sighed as she made her way back to the main room of the suite. All was well, she thought, everything was in its place.
It was just as it should be.
GH*GH*GH*GH*GH
A knock on the door caused Lulu to glance up from her computer screen. She set the computer aside and rose to answer it. Even as she opened the door, Maxie breezed through, carrying a rather large overnight bag.
Lulu grinned and shut the door. "Maxie, what are you doing here? We just saw each other two hours ago."
"I'm staying over. Sort of like when we lived together. It'll be fun," Maxie replied, dropping the bag on the couch.
"Do you have enough stuff?" Lulu asked, her eyes dancing. She managed to keep from laughing.
Maxie's rolled her eyes. "Like you know how to pack light."
"Well, I can pack quite a bit lighter than that. And that's only for one night," Lulu quipped, smiling still. She was glad that Maxie was there.
"Whatever," Maxie threw up a hand. "Besides, I brought wine." She bent down, unzipping the bag and drawing out a shiny bottle of a very expensive French wine. Holding it up for Lulu's approval, she grinned. "The perks of having international clients. I designed a very beautiful…and very little dress for a lovely French woman. And believe me, it was small. I think I used, like, a yard of fabric."
Laughing, Lulu grabbed two wineglasses and lowered herself to the couch. She tucked her feet underneath herself, she held up the glass while Maxie poured them both wine. When Maxie had curled herself on the opposite chair, Lulu spoke, "I'm glad you're here, Maxie."
"I was always here, Lulu. Even when you didn't want me to be."
Lulu sighed, "I know. And I'm sorry. I'm just so glad that I could count on you. That Amelia could count on you."
Maxie grinned. "I'd do anything for that little girl." It was said almost wistfully.
Lulu angled her head, studied her friend. Maxie was successful in her chosen career. She'd gained the Editor-in-Chief position at Crimson and had foraged her career as a designer. She had managed to be successful at both and was considered the up and coming designer of the decade.
And yet, she'd never married, dated sparsely and rarely took lovers.
While Maxie didn't discuss her personal life—even with Lulu, who was one of her best friends—Lulu knew that she had regrets about the hand life had dealt her.
"Do you ever think about what it would be like if things had worked out between you and Spinelli?" Lulu spoke quietly. Maxie jumped slightly as if startled. True, she'd been startled. But it hadn't been Lulu's voice that had made her that way.
It was the question itself.
Maxie raised her gaze from where she'd been studying the label on the wine bottle. She locked eyes with Lulu, thinking of how many times she'd asked herself that one question.
"Always."
Lulu reached for Maxie's hand, which had suddenly grown cold. "Do you ever want to go back and change things?"
"I loved him, Lulu." Maxie glanced away with great interest in the painting on the wall. Then she forced herself to look back at her friend. "And I still do."
It wasn't a shock for Lulu. She'd known always, from the moment the wedding was called off. Maxie was stupid in love with Damien Spinelli. Six years ago, they'd been kids. Both had wanted different things and had had different dreams. The love was there. There was no question about that.
But in the end, sometimes even love isn't strong enough to withstand life.
"I know," Lulu answered quietly.
"I know that my decision to not marry Spinelli six years ago was a good one," Maxie began, her gaze not wavering. "I wasn't ready. We both wanted different things."
"But you have regrets."
Maxie nodded. "Yes, I have regrets. I regret that I let go of him. That I hurt him. And now we aren't together now. Because I think if I were in the same situation now, I would marry him in a heartbeat. I'm ready to settle down, to be married, to have a family."
She lowered her head, stared intently at Lulu. "You are very lucky, you know. You are lucky that you have Amelia. Despite the circumstances, you are very lucky to have such a beautiful little girl."
"I know. I think that every day. I wonder sometimes, how I got so lucky. How did I get such a child like her? She's smart, quick-witted, gorgeous."
"And so much like her father."
That statement caught Lulu off-guard. Even though she herself said that so often. She rose from the couch to pace the room. Maxie said nothing, knowing she'd hit a nerve.
Although in her opinion, it needed to be nicked.
Finally Lulu turned back, stared at Maxie. "Yes, so much like Johnny. Some days I don't know how to handle it. When she started piano lessons and took to it like a fish to water, I just wanted to run."
"But you didn't."
Shaking her head, Lulu ran a hand through her hair. "No, I didn't. But I just wanted to yank her out of those lessons. Every time she practices, all I can think of is when Johnny used to play for me."
"You do know that she will ask someday. She will want to know who her father is. And what will you do then? Lie to her?"
Sighing deeply, Lulu dropped back down on the couch. "I will tell her. I will tell her what happened. I will tell her the truth."
"And what if she wants to know her father?"
Lulu closed her eyes, feeling the tears that threatened. She shrugged. "I don't know. I honestly don't know. I can't deal with that now. Not with everything else going on."
Maxie rose, and walked to gather her friend in her arms. "I know. I just want you to realize that your decision will someday have repercussions."
Yawning widely, Lulu laid her head on Maxie's shoulder. She'd missed this, she realized, missed having a girlfriend to talk to. One who understood everything. One who didn't live five thousand miles away.
Lulu was beginning to wonder if her world would ever be completely whole. Just a week ago, she was content to live on the Cassadine compound on a beautiful Grecian island in the Mediterranean. She had her work and her daughter to keep her busy. And she was more than satisfied.
But now she was back and having to face the problems she'd run away from in the first place.
She felt as though her world as she'd known it was crumbling into pieces. She didn't know how to stop it or how to protect herself. She just wanted things to be back the way they were.
And it was scaring her more and more because she was realizing that nothing was the same anymore.
I hope that you enjoyed chapter 11. I'm sorry for those who wanted to see Maxie and Lulu at dinner. I hope that their talk in this chapter makes up for it. Don't worry, I have big plans for when Johnny will see Amelia for the first time. As always, please review! I so enjoy reading what others think of my work.
