Total Eclipse of the Heart

OK so I just want to say I am defiantly taking my creative liberties with the whole drug storyline and I hope you approve and keep on reading. Still don't own GH and all resemblance to other works is strictly coincidental

The following day Claire was sitting in her living room getting ready to pull a double shift when Kyle came in from his jog.

"God I hate you."

Her roommate looked at her and rolled his eyes.

"I am so sorry that I don't have to pull a double today, if I could trade places I totally would, but anything to keep your mind off of your latest fling right."

"Fling, Milo Giambetti is not a fling Kyle."

Wiping the sweat from his brow he swung back some of his water and looked at Claire knowing something was up. Though they only became friends when they started their internship at General Hospital it was like they knew each other forever and could read each others expressions.

"Claire."

"What, I decided to give him another chance...I mean I talked to Maxie..."

"Maxie, the best friend's girl, the commissioner's daughter..."

Claire nodded.

"She gave me some perspective, told me if my sole concern was my fear of him being shot down would it be any different if I dated a cop."

"I never thought of it that way."

"That's because you're still a guy."

"Gee thanks."

She smiled at him as she finished getting ready.

"So, when is the big date?"

"Thursday he's picking me up after work."

He simply nodded.

"Anyway I never got a chance to tell you I met someone."

"You did."

Kyle nodded.

"Maxie's Cousin Lucas."

Claire smiled. She would have given him a hug if he weren't so sweaty.

"Good for you," she said as she headed out of the apartment and he headed into the shower.

--

Spinelli entered the apartment that Milo shared with his brother Max. It wasn't all that glamorous but it was home for the two bodyguards none the less.

"I'm sorry we don't have any orange soda," he said entering the living room with two bottles of water.

"That's alright," the young man said running his fingers through his hand to pull his bangs out of his eyes before sitting down on the sofa, "anyways why is it that you wanted the Jackal to come to your humble abode."

"It's about Claire."

"Did the fair nightingale come to her senses and finally decide to give you a second chance."

Milo nodded as the younger man clapped causing the bodyguard to smile.

"It's amazing isn't it?"

Spinelli just looked at him with curiosity in his eyes.

"How far we've come I mean."

Spinelli still was at a loss.

"I mean a year and a half ago we were fighting a loosing battle to win over Lulu and now we both for the most part are in a relationship."

"You know for a while I never thought I'd get over the Blonde One."

"Neither did I..Anyway so how is Maxie?"

"Maximista is well words can not describe how amazing she is."

Milo smiled as he held his bottle up.

"To our ladies."

Spinelli smiled back.

"To our new blonde ones."

Letting out a chuckle Milo let his plastic bottle clink with his friends.

--

Maxie headed down the stairs of her house and saw Lucas sitting on the couch.

"Mac let me in I hope that's alright."

Maxie grinned and wrapped her arms around him. She was too busy with Spinelli and work for

Kate that she never got a chance to visit her cousin at his mother's house the past evening.

"Lucas I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, I still am so sorry I couldn't fly in last year finals and all but how are you doing."

"I still have days where something happens and I'm all oh my god Georgie has to know and I go to her room and well she's not there Matt is."

"Mom told me Robin and Mac rented out the room."

Maxie nodded before a smile crossed her face.

"So, how's the love life been, any British Hotties catch your eye."

"Actually no but..."

"Good...wait did you say but."

"Yes," Lucas said blushing, "I kind of already met someone."

"Someone here, in Port Charles..."

Maxie wondered, it couldn't be Kyle could it.

Lucas grinned.

"Yes, I met him when I was visiting my mother at work yesterday."

"His name wouldn't happen to be Kyle Julian would it."

"How did you..."

"Saves me some work..."

"You were going to set us up."

"Heck yea I was."

Lucas chuckled.

"So what about you Max, how goes your love live as of late."

"Real good, I'm seeing someone...his name is Damian and he sees me as more then the skanky screw up that I am."

"You're not a skanky screw up."

"You have to say that because your family."

Lucas grinned.

"No, I'm saying it because it's true."

--

Across town at the Emily Bowen Quartermaine Clinic Nadine was standing behind the counter filling out some paper work as Matt entered and winked at her causing her heart to flutter. Ever since the incident in the supply closet the day before Nadine had been thinking more and more about the mysterious doc who came on the scene at the height of the drug running. Only now did she know he was trying to stop it which made her that much more into him and out of like with the charming prince who she was way out of his league.

"Afternoon Nurse Crowell," he said.

"Dr. Hunter," she replied smiling at him as she he headed behind the desk reaching over her shoulder to grab a file and quite intentionally grazing her neck with his fingers.

As they locked eyes they knew that this whole love hate relationship thing was about to lean more toward the love.

--

The next few days passed by pretty good. Maxie was working and would meet Spinelli on a daily basis on her break. She was impressed on his new cool and confident swagger and improved wardrobe. Lucas had popped up at the hospital one or two more times chatting with Kyle as a budding relationship began to form. Matt and Nadine couldn't keep hiding there attraction and for once in her life Nadine was thankful that she wasn't burdened by any roommates, not that they were sleeping together, no she wasn't that kind of girl, no her colleague and her would sit sipping wine and talking about her family back in Ohio and her comatose and Crazy sister and he'd talk about his late mother and deadbeat dad though he never mentioned the fact that he knew his father was Dr. Noah Drake and that Patrick was his half brother. As for Milo and Claire both were nervous wrecks thinking about their second chance.

--

At this particular moment in the afternoon Lucas was sitting with Maxie at Kelly's.

"So where is your better half?" Lucas said smiling. He had met 'Damian' and his cousin was right when she told him he was a far cry from the typical men she used to date though could also see why the young woman was in love with him.

"Spinelli, I don't know. I hope he's not doing any work for Jason..I mean I know that's his job but that usually means something dangerous is afoot and..."

"Relax."

Maxie took a deep breath.

"What day is it?"

"Thursday why."

"Oh then he's probably with Milo...you see he and his well I guess you could say girlfriend are trying it again and I'm sure being his friend Spin is helping him out."

"By girlfriend you mean Kyle's roommate Claire."

"Yep."

Lucas just nodded as the door to the diner opened and the young doctor stood in the doorway.

"And speak of the devil," Lucas said his lips turning up into a smile.

"Kyle."

Lucas nodded as the young doctor headed over.

Maxie let out a wave and smiled.

"I was just leaving,' she said winking at her cousin.

Lucas shook his head as Kyle took the seat previously occupied by Maxie.

"Maxie means well."

Kyle smiled and nodded.

"So, I've been gone from this town for two years so what's there to do now in this town."

"Probably the same things that there have been when you used to live here."

"Translation here or Jake's."

Kyle let out a chuckle.

"Actually I do remember Claire mentioning some kind of Night Club...catacomb I think if you wanted to I don't know check it out."

"Like a date."

Kyle shrugged.

"I guess you could call it a date."

Lucas smiled.

--

Milo was wearing a hole in the coffeehouses linoleum floor as Spinelli watched him.

"Dude your getting me dizzy."

"Sorry," Milo said stopping, "It's just that it's a rare thing to get a second chance at a first impression."

"I don't know man; with Maxie I had so many chances I lost count."

"You mean that because when you first met you couldn't stand each other."

Spinelli nodded.

"Yep, we've had our ups and our downs and well when you find the one you're meant to be with the universe will find a way to keep throwing them in your orbit."

"Since when have you become the relationship expert?"

"I'm far from it man, the Jackal is simply a romantic."

Milo just nodded as his friend stood up and placed his arm around his friend.

"Don't' worry man, all will work out fine."

Milo smiled hoping that his friend was right.

"So, if the Jackal may be so bold what is it that you have planed for the evening?"

"Well she's coming off of her shift so she's probably kind of tired so I was thinking a simple dinner at this place downtown that Max told me he and Diane simply love, then maybe a walk around the park.

"Sounds like she'll love it."

"That's what I'm hoping for."

Milo looked at his watch realizing it was getting late and he needed to get ready for the date.

"Wish me luck."

"Luck,' Spinelli said as Milo headed out of the shop.

--

Back at the Hospital Nadine had been standing by the hub all a glow.

"What brings you all smiley Nurse Crowell?"

Matt walked by on his rounds and Claire turned to him and then looked back at the nurse.

"Matt Hunter."

Nadine nodded.

"How, when, I thought you thought of him as an egotistical jerk."

"I did but..."

"Say no more."

"So I hear you and Milo are trying again tonight."

Claire nodded looking at the clock.

"Which reminds me, shifts over I should really head to the locker rooms to freshen up and change."

Nadine nodded and smiled.

--

Outside the hospital Jerry Jacks looked at his watch.

"Showtime," he said entering the hospital.

-

Maxie entered the coffee house and say Spinelli and threw her arms around him.

"Congratulate me."

"Congratulations Maximista, wait why is the Jackal congratulating you again."

"Because my cousin Lucas gust got set up."

"With the younger Julian brother."

Maxie nodded.

"I feel like celebrating, Spinelli do you have plans tonight."

"Not that I'm aware of other then a classified work in progress."

Maxie looked at him longing for him to tell her what it was as he looked back at her. He could tell her the side project was the search for a correlation between Ian Devlin and Andre Karpov in hopes of finding who was behind the drug ring.

"Don't worry Maximista it's totally Jackal PI business meaning its legal and on a need to know basis."

"But I'm a member of the Jackal PI team so I need to know."

"In time Maximista," he said kissing her cheek gently, "so what is it that you have planed."

"I was thinking Kelly's."

He smiled.

"Kelly's it is."

She linked her arm into his and headed to the diner.

--

Claire checked herself once over in the locker room mirror and smiled as she looked at her reflection. She had a cream colored ribbon tied as a headband in her wet blonde hair while she had on just a simple cream and black dress and a light jacket.

Making her way down to the lobby where she was to meet Milo all so a sudden she felt like she was being followed in the stairwell.

She turned.

No one.

Continuing walking she thought she was just paranoid until she felt a hand wrap behind her and felt something covering her mouth.

"Shhhh," she heard an accented voice say, "It'll all be over soon."

--

TBC

I hope you liked reading all the inter connections of characters as I did writing them. Lots more still to come you know what to do.