Trying to Figure it Out

A WEEK LATER

Liz sat in the conference room next to her lawyer. Across the table from her was Lucky and his lawyer.

She picked up the pen. Her hands were shaking so bad that she dropped it. It rolled across the table and Lucky grabbed it.

Their eyes met.

"I don't want to do this..." Liz gasped out.

For a long moment it felt like no one else was there. And she was sure something big was about to happen. Lucky gave her a look that was so reminiscent of him as a teenager, him singing her songs as he strummed his guitar, him falling in love with her after she already loved him with her whole heart.

"Either do I," said Lucky softly. He let out a breath. "But we need to."

The pain had to stop and this seemed to be the only way to do it.

He handed her back the pen. She signed the papers and then left without looking at him again.

Neither of them could say they believed it was over forever, but it was done, for now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Milo loved his life. For the first time in years he could honestly say he didn't want anything in his world to change.

In was the middle of the afternoon, he was on his lunch hour and she didn't have to work until 3 o'clock in the afternoon. They had made plans to meet at her place.

When he rang the bell she opened it, wearing only a towel and a smile.

He stepped inside and pulled her into his arms. After slamming the door closed his hand moved to the knot it the towel, undid it, and it fell to the ground in a white heap.

"I knew clothes would only slow us down..." she said as she moved close to him.

"I like the way you think, Em."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Liz showed up at Pete's home for the first time ever, in tears. He had told her all about the house he bought on Maple Avenue. He had joked that it was a sure sign that a slacker like him was finally growing up.

When he opened the door and saw her tear stained face, Pete immediately brought her into a hug.

Liz couldn't even speak. But he didn't need words. He knew what she had went to do today and knew the fallout might be brutal.

He led her inside and over to the couch. He set her down, pulled her into his arms, leaned back and prepared to stay there as long as she needed.

There was nothing to say, right now. Just pain to get through, together, the same way the did everything these days.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lucky was sitting in the box car when he heard someone outside. Tears were on his cheeks when he climbed out to investigate.

"Liz?" he called

But as he came around the side of the metal structure he saw it wasn't his ex.

"I thought you might be here."

"I don't want to talk about it," he said

"That's fine. Talking is completely overrated anyway," Melana replied.

He had told her about this place when they were in bed together. Laying there naked they had been trying to not feel too much for each other, so they started talking about why love never worked out. No matter how perfectly it started.

Melana reached out her hand to him. He stared at it for a long moment.

Finally she said, "I could use a ride home, Officer Spencer."

He took her hand and they walked away from his past. Not healed but not alone, they would hold onto each other and ride out this storm.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Lainey and Ned were in bed the next morning. His lips were on her body and she was drifting toward ecstasy when they heard "Dad! Are you home? Hey, Dad!"

"Oh my god," Lainey gasped, yanking the covers over her body.

Ned moved off the bed and started to throw clothes on.

"That's your daughter," Lainey said

"Sounds like it."

Just then there was a knock on the door. "Dad?"

"Be right with you, Brooklyn," he called out as he hurried into some pants.

His daughter heard the tone of his voice and, after a moment asked, "I'm not interrupting, am I? Are you...alone in there?"

When she didn't get an answer, she asked "Lainey?"

"Hi, Brooklyn."

"I'll be downstairs," Brooklyn said

Lainey crawled out of bed and put on a robe. "Oh no. Do you think she's mad?"

"About what? She knows we are together."

"Be that as it may, you are her dad and that means she's always going to be very invested in who you choose to spend time with. Maybe I should go. I don't want to make her feel awkward or like she shouldn't be here."

Ned took her hand. Softly he said, "Please try not to worry. My daughter will like you. She'll love you, like I do."

"That might be too much to hope for."

"Have faith."

"Just like that?" Lainey asked

"Yes. You taught me that one. When I didn't believe I would ever find something this perfect, find someone like you, then you came here and asked me to the Charity Ball. And just like that my life changed, for the better. I have faith that it will keep doing that because I really do think that me and you... we are right. In a way I have never been right before... we are right together. Brooklyn will see that and she'll be happy for us."

Lainey sighed. "I really want that to be true, Ned. Because you are my family now and I want your family to feel like that about me."

" I think my daughter will. If not now then in time. As for the rest of the family, well, " he smiled "the Quatermaines are notoriously close ranked and cliquish. Unless you have a grand baby to offer."

Lainey couldn't help smiling at that thought. "It's probably too soon to think about that."

"Probably."

"But... I was thinking...Ned...do you want more kids?"

"I want to see you as a mother. The mother to my kids. As many as you want."

She threw her arms around his neck. "Three! I want three kids. No four. No five. Yes, five should be just about right. Three girls and two boys."

"Well, grandfather is going to fall in love with you when he hears that."

"Is five too many, do you think?"

"I don't know," Ned gave her a sweet and soulful kiss "but it should be fun trying to figure it out."

They kissed again, cementing their future with their lips, and then she said "You should go talk to your daughter. I'll shower and then be down."

He stared at her for a long minute. "Five, huh? With me? Are you sure?"

Lainey kissed Ned and then told him his own words, "Have faith."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Noah brought Patrick home from the hospital.

"Are you sure you are going to be okay here alone?" the father asked his son

"Fine. Don't hover. I'm getting better every day."

What they didn't say was that neither of them knew if he would be alone. Robin had been by his bed side everyday, and Cruz had been in the hospital too, by her side.

There was no talk about what the exact nature of Cruz and Robin's relationship was or if Robin might come back to Patrick. Instead she encouraged him to focus on his recovery and getting back to full strength. The world needed a surgeon like him, and she needed him to be whole again, back to his cocky self.

But Patrick had no idea if she needed him, back in her life and her bed, or was her heart already given away to the cop who was there for her when Patrick wasn't?

Did Cruz take her from me? Patrick asked himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kelly walked into the living room of Wyndermere and noted how silent the whole house seemed.

Alfred said "Master Nikolas should be home shortly."

He left her alone. Kelley walked over to the desk and glanced at the pictures. There was an adorable one of Spencer. One of Stefan and Alexis, in their younger days. One of Lucky, Liz and Cam. There was one of Emily. And one that had Molly and Kristina.

Her eyes widened when she saw the last one. She picked it up and stared at it.

It was her and Nikolas, from their trip in Paris, holding each other under the night sky. The Eiffel tower was in the background.

She was smiling when he walked in.

"Sorry, I kept you waiting," he said in his normally formal tone.

She flew across the room and nearly knocked him over with her hug.

He ran his hand down her hair, "Wow. Some greeting, Kel. I'd love to come home every day to this."

She whispered, "That could be arranged."

Note- Okay, I have once again decided to take a new tack with this story. I want to get it finished. So I am dropping some of the ideas I had before ( like Carly and Max, switching up some of the couples, etc). Instead I am just going to post one chapter for each of the women-

Liz, Lainey, Kelly, Emily, Robin and maybe Melana -

that shows their future. Then, possibly, a epilogue chapter. So if you are still interested in this story expect to see it concluded within a few weeks.

I mainly write J and C, and Milu, because I am inspired most by them. I find it a little harder to get my muse interested in other ideas but this story was still fun for me to create and to get to share with all the great people who took the time to review.

So five or six more chapters to go until we see the fates of the women in this story.