NOTE- All the reviews are greatly appreciated.

Chapter 19

Thursday

LAINEY knocked on the door of the mansion. Alice answered and told her Ned was at the gate house. Dillon offered to walk her down there.

When Ned didn't answer the door of the gate house Dillon opened it.

"Should we just walk in uninvited?" Lainey asked

"Quatermaines don't wait for invitations. We'd never go anywhere if we did. Ned is probably recording. Let's check out his studio." Dillon told her

They walked down to the basement and saw a red light on over the door to a room.

Dillon put his finger up to his mouth, telling Lainey not to speak, and then they slid into the recording studio.

A dark skinned man, with a bald head, sat at the mixing board, he nodded at Dillon.

Ned was behind glass, singing into a microphone. His eyes were closed as he crooned,

"I look in the mirror and all I see
Is a young old man with only a dream


Am I just fooling myself
That she'll stop the pain


Living without her
I'd go insane..."

Ned opened his eyes, and within a moment they connected with Lainey.

She shivered as he sang on, "Feel her breath on my face
Her body close to me


Can't look in her eyes
She's out of my league


Just a fool to believe
I have anything she needs


She's like the wind..." ( Patrick Swayze)

When the song ended he stepped out of the booth and said, "Lainey," his eyes shone with happiness.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said quickly

"Interrupt please! His life could use it." Dillon said

"Thanks," Ned told his brother "I love you too."

"That's because I'm very lovable." Dillon said

Ned turned back toward Lainey and introduced her to his producer, "Tyson Campbell."

"Hi there," Tyson said to her then looked at Ned "Take five?"

"Yeah, thanks, man." Ned said. "I could use some tea."

Lainey and him walked back upstairs and into the kitchen. He put a kettle of water on the stove.

"Do you still tour, Ned?"

"I play small clubs sometimes but nothing like the old days."

Lainey said, "I would love to see you perform sometime."

"I was working on a cover song today but I usually do my own stuff."

"You still write?"

"Sometimes. Why?" He met her eyes "Would you like me to write you a song?"

The way his words were softly spoken made her feel like they were speaking to each other in bed instead of over a breakfast bar.

Lainey asked, "Don't you have to be inspired to create like that?"

He whispered, "You inspire me, Lainey."

Her mind slipped into a fantasy of them rolling around on white sheets, his mouth next to her ear, softly saying those exact words to her before his lips met hers and she lost all sense of reality.

The kettle screeched, Lainey jumped.

ROBIN ASKED NIKOLAS, over the phone, "You want to get together with me tonight?"

"I was hoping Kelly would agree to see me again," Nikolas said "And I thought it might be slightly less pressure if you and Cruz joined us. Maybe a dinner at the Metro Court?"

"Sounds fine to me. I get off around six. Do you think we could get reservations this late in the afternoon?"

"On a Thursday they shouldn't be that busy."

"Thursday." Robin repeated "Sorry the Metro Court is out then. Cruz doesn't go out on Thursdays. He has to watch Grey's Anatomy."

"Grey who?"

"Meredith."

Nikolas imagined it must have to do with a strip club. "And you have no problem with this? That he watches this other woman's anatomy?"

"It's a television show, Nik. Don't you watch TV?"

"Of course I do!" he said, a little too forcefully. This was one of those issues that made him stick out with Americans. He preferred reading classic literature.

Robin chuckled. "Okay what do you watch?"

"The history channel and ..." he grasped for something else to say.

"And?" she prompted, amused.

"The Real World!" he said, thinking of a one time when Lucky, Liz and Emily had a day long marathon of watching that show, years before.

Robin laughed, "Okay, okay, I believe you. Why don't you come over to my place tonight and we'll have a viewing party."

"You call it a party to watch a TV show?"

"It can be fun. Trust me."

"I suppose I'll have to. I'll ask Kelly if that sounds agreeable to her. If so, I'll bring take out for dinner."

"Okay, Nik, see you tonight." Robin hung up and called Cruz.

JASON spent a long moment staring at Milo, as they stood outside Greystone.

"Sir," Milo started

Jason held up his hand.

Milo closed his mouth.

"You dating my sister?" Jason asked, not only had her heard about it from Carly the same night as the Ball but the rest of the guards were whispering about it, too.

"Yes." Milo answered.

Jason asked, "You think that's a good idea?"

"Yes, I do."

Jason raised his eyebrow. "You sure that's the answer you want to give me?"

"Yes, sir."

Jason met his eyes, studying him.

Milo said, "I swear to you Emily will be as safe with me as she is with you. I won't bring her any closer to all of this than she is now."

After a full minute passed, Jason nodded. "That is my little sister, Milo. You understand what that means, right? What she means to me? What her safety means to me? I trust you to protect Carly and her kids. I put their lives in your hands when I am not around. I would never do that if I didn't have complete faith in you and Max. But I'm still going to say this, and hear me good."

Jason paused. "Don't let any harm come to my sister, you understand?"

"You have my word." Milo said

After another minute passed, Jason let his features relax and asked,

" Now what do you know about The Five?"

LIZ was at her studio. Cameron slept on the couch nearby. She used charcoal to sketch a picture of her child.

Her cell phone rang. She hurried to answer it, before her son woke up. "Hello," she whispered.

"Hi, it's me."

Me? she wondered. Oh isn't he getting familiar.

She found herself smiling as she joked, "Me. I know so many people named that. Got a last name?"

"You love messing with me, don't you?" Pete asked

"Favorite hobby these days."

"Elizabeth."

She swallowed. "Yes, Pete?"

"Tell me if this sounds realistic. Okay, in a scene in my novel the main character wants to give the woman he is in love with a Christmas present. But he can't afford diamonds or anything like that. So he gives her a poem. Is that too cheesy?"

"Not at all. I think it's sweet."

"Maybe he should just steal some diamonds."

"Pete!"

"I don't know. This character isn't like me. He actually wants to settle down and marry this woman. Maybe I should kill her off and then he can be all brooding and mysterious instead of romantic."

"Now you are chickening out of a fictional romance? Is it really that scary?"

Pete let out a breath and said softly, "For some people, yeah."

"I'm a utter failure at love, Pete, but there is no way I'm giving up. One of these days I will get it right. But you have no chance unless you actually get in the game."

"Let me just get my character to the alter then I'll worry about me." he said "So you working on that painting, Elizabeth?"

"Right now I'm just sketching. But it will be ready long before that novel of yours."

"I should get back to work."

"Have fun with your fantasies."

"If you only knew..." he said softly, causing images of them kissing to pop into her mind.

She stood there, lost in thoughts, as the dial tone filled her ear.

NOTE- Coming up in the next chapter Emily and Milo, Ned and Lainey.