Emily stood alone on the terrace at the Quartermaine mansion, looking over the vast estate fondly. She had shared so many memories with her family there, everything from those first days where everything had been so extravagant and awkward to planning a memorial service for the only father she would ever know. As her eyes rested on a beautiful row of crimson roses, she couldn't help but think of Lila.

Her grandmother had always been the one that could break down any walls the family put up between each other. No matter what was going on, they could come together for the sake of their matriarch. After Lila had died, the Quartermaines had looked to her to fill the role. Wrapped up in her own life, she had often ignored what was going on with them. Only now did she realize how much she had missed on by chasing after Nikolas and then Sonny. She had wasted so much time trying to prove a point that she had missed out being with her family.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lucky murmured as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her slender waste. He felt her relax instantly under his touch, the weight of her body comfortably leaning against him. Pressing a soft kiss on the crown of her head, he could feel her working something out in her head. She was trying to make sense of what had happened, wondering how she was ever going to live without Alan.

"He was my father, Lucky," Emily whispered, her voice almost getting lost in the gentle breeze that suddenly whipped through the air. "Until I came to Port Charles, I didn't know what it was like to have a family. It was just my mom and me, and it had always been enough. But when I came here, I suddenly had two brothers, parents, grandparents and cousins all under one roof. They were loud and fought a lot, but they loved each other fiercely. Alan was always at the center of that."

"There is nothing I can say right now that is going to make this any easier," he confessed. "I can't make any promises because we both know that they would be empty. What I can do is tell you that I love you and then hold you really tight. I can wipe away your tears when you start to cry and listen to you until you've said everything you want to say. I don't know if that's enough, but it's what I have."

She smiled through her thin veil of tears, turning around in his embrace to meet his steady gaze. "That is more than enough," she promised. "There's somewhere I want you to go with me."

Lucky nodded knowingly and took her outstretched hand before following her off the terrace and down the stone path toward the garden. The sun shone brightly above them, radiating warmth over his face. It became more and more quiet the further they got from the house. Before he knew it, he could just see the peak of the white mansion's roof behind him. Finally, just ahead, he could see a spacious clearing with a granite fountain at its center. "What is this?"

"This is my favorite place in the entire world," she mused as she jogged ahead, letting go of his hand to reach the destination in front of her. Stepping to the water's edge, she leaned over and admired her slightly disheveled appearance in the reflection. "My grandmother created this spot as kind of a sanctuary. It is the place she would come when she was angry at the family, fed up from their constant bickering and backstabbing. No one was allowed here while she was alive, not even Grandfather, but she shared it with me."

"We used to come out here and drink tea in the afternoon," she remembered aloud. "I would listen to her tell me this old stories of when she first fell in love and the beginning days of ELQ. All of her secrets are floating around in these old trees, and many of mine."

"It's absolutely breathtaking," Lucky admitted. "It's such a serene haven. I can see why she kept this place private. It's truly spectacular."

Emily smiled kindly and nodded. "She chose each of these roses personally, carefully and meticulously planning it so that it would be perfect. Just before she died, we spent an entire afternoon going over how to take care of them. Grandfather has entrusted me to make sure that it is properly taken care of. Between Alice and me, we've managed to keep it just as she did."

"She'd be proud of you, Em, just like everyone else in your family is. No one thinks you have abandoned them. They knew you were living your life. They wanted you to be happy and healthy, to find love that would sustain you for all of your days. I knew Lila and had great affection for her. She'd want you to have the same kind of love she shared with Edward."

"Lucky, I didn't tell you before, but thank you for trying to save my father," Emily mumbled, keeping her eyes fixed on the gentle ripples of the water. "If it hadn't been for your father and you, he would have died out there. I know he didn't live much past that, but at least he got a chance to be with my mother."

"Emily…"

"We should be getting back," she retorted. "It's getting late in the afternoon, and I'm sure my mother is looking for me."

"You don't have to hide your pain from me, Em."

"I'm not, Lucky, I promise. I just want to get through the next few days and then I will feel everything. I know what you're trying to do for me, and I appreciate it so much. I just don't want to cry right now."

"You already are," he murmured, reaching up to wipe the tears away from her flushed cheek. Defeated, Emily allowed herself to be folded into his arm, seeking solace only Lucky could offer. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, inhaling in his familiar woodsy scent. As long as she was there, nothing else could hurt her. She could pretend that nothing had changed and that Alan would be waiting for her in the sitting room once they returned. Even if it was irrational to believe it, it was the kind of false hope a daughter needs when she loses her father.

"Kiss me," she pleaded, pulling her head away to meet his sapphire eyes. Lucky obliged her request easily, capturing her mouth willingly. After he pulled back, she shook her head resolutely. "Okay, I can do this now."

They hurried back to the house, talking about nothing in particular as they trekked through the cool grass. Slipping back into the sitting room, Emily was surprised to find the house still quiet. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know," Lucky retorted. "I'll go take a look around and give you a second alone to pull yourself together. Just yell if you need me."

Emily nodded and watched his retreating back before headed toward the mirror to fix her face. Smoothing away traces of smudged mascara, she adjusted her ponytail and tried to paste a believable smile on her face. "Hello, Princess," a deep voice bellowed behind her.

"Luke," she smiled, catching his eye in the mirror. She turned around and flew into his outstretched arms, reveling in the warmth of a fatherly hug. Emily allowed Luke to hold her for a moment, trying to fight the tears that would inevitably come flooding back. Moving away, she was slightly embarrassed at her sudden display of emotions.

"It's okay," he proclaimed. "No one is going to judge you here. If you need to cry, you can cry with me. I promise I won't tell anyone if you are a little less than strong or slightly imperfect."

She giggled at his awkward but heartfelt display of emotion. Wiping the tears away with the back of her hand, she mustered a smile and looked at him bravely. "You are the last person I would want to cry in front of," she admitted. "Tracy would pounce on this if she caught me here."

"You let me handle Tracy," he grinned. "I can take my wife, but she is having a hard time right now, too. I don't think she is going to be too much of a problem. Despite how they treated each other, she truly loved your father. In so many ways, he was her best friend. No one loved her like he did."

"I know the feeling."

"Jason?"

"Well, him, too," she stated. "Actually, I was talking about your son. He's been my best friend for as long as I have lived her, and I can honestly say, no one has ever loved me like he does. He's been my strength through all this."

"My son has always had a special place in his heart for you, Emily. After you were, you know, raped, I remember how guilty he felt that he had been ill. He kept saying over and over, I should have been there. He was literally on his deathbed, but all he could think about was you."

"Sitting at his bedside was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I felt so helpless. I wanted to save him, to make it better, but there was nothing I could do. I could only sit there and pray that he would hear my voice."

"And he did," Luke remembered. "You are the one that brought him back to us, Emily. No matter what anyone else has said, I think it's your voice that made him wake up. He knew you needed him, and he was determined to make a comeback."

"He saved my life."

"No, Emily," Luke corrected her, "You saved each other."

Lucky paused on the landing, having searched the entire upstairs for anyone in the Quartermaine clan. Dillon's door was shut, but he hadn't wanted to bother him. Lucky was sure that he was in there with Lulu, and although his brotherly instincts were kicking in, there was no way he was about to deny his sister the happiness she very much deserved.

Looking out over the foyer, he listened carefully to see if he could hear anything. In the distance, he could hear Emily speaking to someone. In fact, it almost sounded as though she was talking to his father. Shaking his head in disbelief, he tried to listen for anyone else. Just as he was about to head back into the living room, he heard a muffled cry coming from the dining room. Making his way down the staircase, he knocked softly on the swinging door before slipping into the room. "Monica?"

Covering her mouth, she whirled around. "I'm sorry, Lucky. I didn't realize that anyone else was at home. I just got back from the hospital."

"I think you're entitled to grieve in your own house," he assured her. "Emily is in the other room."

"How is she?"

"She's holding up."

"No, how is she really?"

"She's carrying some guilt and she's undeniably shattered," Lucky admitted. "But I think she is going to be okay. She is determined to be strong for you all, I've tried to tell her that she doesn't have to be. I think she just wants to get through everything before she lets herself feel it."

"She is so much like Alan, I'd almost swear that she was his daughter."

"Monica," Lucky declared, looking her straight in the eye, "Emily was his daughter."

Smiling to herself, she nodded. "Yes. Yes, she was."

"And she is your daughter, too. Emily is an amazing creature, a perfect blend of the three parents that raised her."

"Lucky, Emily is going to need you. I know it's asking a lot for you to watch over her, but I don't know that I could trust my daughter's heart with anyone else right now. Eventually, everything is going to come crashing down around her knees, and someone needs to be there to catch her. I don't think I am going to be able to be strong enough for her, but I know that you can."

"I'm going to be there, I promise you that. I will take care of her throughout all of this and far beyond, if she lets me. I plan on being in your daughter's life for a very long time, forever if I have my way."