Chapter 37

Nathalie returned to the table with a pitcher of beer and three glasses. Filling each glass, she passed one to each of her friends. "So what shall we drink to?" she asked.

"Me being a coward?" Lulu offered.

Both Robin and Nathalie scrunched up their faces in disapproval. "Um how about to a pintful of beer helping the medicine go down?" Robin asked.

"Are you channeling Mary Poppins?" Nathalie asked giggling.

"Perhaps."

"Wait, wait, wait." Lulu interjected. "I know why I need the 'medicine' but what is up with the two of you?"

"Hello?" Nathalie said waving her hand. "Have you met my parents? I'm the only kid growing up who thought Attila the Hun would make a better father than the one I had."

"And my best friend broke my father-in-law's heart while breaking her own – which is quite a feat really."

"Okay then – you are both making me feel much better about my plight" Lulu teased.

"Great!" Nathalie raised her glass. "To a night of beer helping the medicine go down" The three women clinked glasses and burst out laughing.

"So Lu…" Robin began. "Nathalie tells me you had a bit of a scare at Ethan's."

She nodded slowly. "I cut myself and freaked out."

"Tell the truth now" Nathalie encouraged. "Did he have his tongue down your throat while you were chopping vegetables because it's very dangerous to julienne while kissing."

Lulu blushed. "Not while I was chopping…"

"Oh I see – just before" Robin finished. "Look Lu" she said, taking the young girl's hand. "There is not right or wrong way to handle this and it's completely normal to be freaked about cutting yourself. It's scary but you did all the right things…"

"I ran out on Ethan"

"You didn't let me finish" she teased. "You did all the right things except for running out on Ethan. You ran because you were afraid that once he saw your blood it will fall in to place with him and he would reject you – and you didn't want to give him that chance."

Closing her eyes, Lulu nodded. "Shouldn't he be more freaked out by this?" she asked quietly. "I think I'm more freaked than he is."

"Lulu, you are dealing with it beautifully – no one could ask for more from you. As for Ethan, he sounds like he's a smart and compassionate guy. There is so much information out there now that there is no excuse for anyone – and I mean anyone – to be ignorant about the disease. Neither Jason nor Patrick were remotely put off."

Lulu looked up at the two women, eyes brimming with tears. "Is there ever going to be a time when I'm not afraid?"

Moving her chair closer to her, Nathalie put her arm around her. "Lulu, I'm afraid every day and I don't have HIV. Fear is a natural part of life."
She looked at her incredulously. "You? What are you afraid of?" Dropping her head as her cheeks flushed. "I mean besides Gracie."

Nathalie inhaled deeply. "I'm afraid of lots of things – being alone – having my heart broken, breaking someone else's heart. I'm terrified of being a bad mother and well considering a court has already called me one, that's not been so good for the self-esteem," she said lightly.

"Okay number one – that court was so very, very wrong – I think you're an awesome mom" Lulu said as she looked at Nathalie intently. "And number two, you don't ever seem to be afraid – you always seem so calm and in control."

Nathalie smiled as she finished her first beer. "I follow two philosophies in life" she said sagely. "Fake it until you make it and feel the fear but do it anyways."

Robin's eyes lit up. "Me too!"

"Seriously?" Lulu questioned "You both do that?" Both women nodded. "I had no idea."

"There is no playbook Lulu" Robin said "Not for life and not for dealing with HIV. You are going to have moments when you freak out and then you just have to get on with it. I was shattered when I first found out that Patrick was Rian's father because it was so late after exposure that there was no protocol available to him. We just had to wait and hope he tested negative. It ate at me so much and there was nothing he could say or do that would take that away."

Lulu swirled the end of her beer around in her glass. "I should probably call Ethan and apologize."

"Later" Robin said. "We need to blow off some steam – all of us."

"You know what we need?" Nathalie asked excitedly. "Shots! And lots of them! COLEMAN!!" she called the bartender over.

"Yes darlin'" he said walking to their table. "What can I do for you three lovelies?"

"Coleman, my friend – we need some shots – we actually need a lot of shots. Could you set up three of each?"

"What kind of shots?" he asked in amusement.

"Well I think it's important that we have drinks that match a certain aspect of our personalities so therefore my friend Robin will take three shots of Sex on A Beach." Robin giggled. "Young miss beside me here will take three Orgasms"

"NAT!!" Lulu protested.

"And I will take three Blowjobs."

Coleman smirked. "It would be my pleasure." He winked as he returned to the bar.

Nathalie looked at Lulu, smiling. "What?"

"Orgasms?? Orgasms Nathalie?"

"Well Lulu, every girl needs them and if you're not having them with Ethan at the moment, then you'll have to pay for them."

Lulu put her head down on the table. "Oh my god – you are certifiable – you know that?"

"In fact, I do," she said brightly. Standing up, Nathalie grabbed her wallet and pumped the jukebox full of quarters, selecting song after song. Returning to the table, she looked at Robin. "Okay, now that we've solved Lulu's crisis – what are we going to do about Brenda and Noah?"

Lulu shrugged. "Smack Brenda upside the head? 'Cause seriously, if Noah were like 10 – no wait, make that 20 years younger, I would SO make a play for him"

"LU!" Robin shrieked, laughingly. "You little vixen."

"What?" she shrugged. "He's sooo hot."

"I'm leaving for Rome in a couple of days" Robin said as Coleman set the shots down in front of them. "And I hope to talk some sense in to her."

"Poor Noah" Nathalie remarked. "He's still completely hung up on her."

"I think she is on him" Robin said. "But Brenda is so afraid of love – so completely afraid to trust it that she did what she has always done. Protected her heart and ran."

"Sounds familiar" Nathalie sighed.

"Yup" Robin concurred.

"I hear ya" Lulu said. "But this is getting to be far, far too serious of a conversation." Lulu picked up her shot glass. "Here's to my first orgasm!"

"Here's to my ….er….here's to sex on the beach!" Robin cheered.

"And let's not get into the numerical value of me and blowjobs, okay? Bottoms up ladies!"

The women knocked back shot after shot, screaming with laughter. Coleman watched from behind the bar and allowed himself a small smile while raising a shot of whiskey to them. All three women had been in his bar on more than one occasion, often sad or angry or having been treated badly. He had come to like and respect all of them and was thrilled to see them letting loose and having fun. Like he did with all those he cared about, he vowed to keep an eye on them. Good people, truly good people were rare and if he couldn't be one, he could at least protect them.

Playing a very loud and drunken game of pool, Robin had just fired a pool ball off the table when Nikolas, Ethan and Patrick came through the door. Hearing the ruckus, the three men didn't have to look very far to find the women.

"Looks like we got here just in time boys" Patrick said firmly.

"They so need our help" Nikolas confirmed.

"Lulu is going to kill me" Ethan muttered under his breath.

Dragging Ethan with them, Patrick and Nikolas carefully approached the pool table. "Hello ladies" Patrick drawled.

Robin and Nathalie scrunched up their faces. "What are you doing here?" Turning to Nathalie Robin tried again. "What are they doing here?"

"Crashing our party by the looks of it" Nathalie groused. "What are you doing here?"

"Supervising" Nikolas grinned.

"Shuper, shuperin –what?" Nathalie slurred

"Looking after the women-folk – making sure you don't get into any trouble" Patrick clarified.

"Women-folk?" Robin narrowed our eyes. "Where is our shon?"

"With his nanny" he said, nodding in Nikolas' direction.

"I've had five orgasms!" Lulu announced loudly, causing Ethan's eyes to bug out. She blushed immediately. "I meant I've had five shots."

"And why are *you* here?" Nathalie asked waving her hand at Ethan.

"Uh" he shifted "They made me come? I don't actually think you need to be supervised."

"Traitor!" Nikoas hissed.

"Oh dude – whipped already" Patrick shook his hand.

Robin slapped his chest, harder than she expected to. "That's not niccce" The alcohol was coursing through her body.

"Owww!" Patrick rubbed his chest. "If she's had orgasms, what have you been having?"

"Sex on a beach!" she proclaimed loudly. "Actually, I could go for some sex on a beach – do we have any beaches around here?"

"Yes there are" Patrick said, grabbing hold of Robin as she swayed. "But they're covered in snow."

Looking up at him cross-eyed, Robin touched his face. "You're shober."

He grinned. "I really am."

"Well that's no good!" Nathalie declared. "COLEMAN!!!"

"Yes darling?"

"Drinks – the men-folk have showed up uninvited and are sober – it's all bad."

"Coming right up" he laughed.

Nikolas snaked his arm around Nathalie's waist. "Dare I ask what you've been drinking?"

"Blowjobs" she said in her best sing-song voice. "And if you play your cards right you might just get one too"
Nikolas grinned, blushing slightly. He shook his head. "You are a naughty girl."

"You have no idea" she purred.

Shyly, Ethan made his way to Lulu. "Hey" he said softly.

"Hey" she replied, leaning against the pool table. "Nathalie said I had to have orgasms since I wasn't having any with you."

Blinking several times, a slow smile crept across his face. "We can arrange for you to have orgasms with me if you'd like." Closing the distance between them, he ran his hands through her hair.

"You don't want so shle…she…sleep with me"

"I really do" he said seriously. "More than you know."

"Are you mad at me?" she asked in small voice.

He shook his head. "Are you okay?" She nodded. "Then how can I be mad at you?" Leaning in, he nuzzled her neck gently. "I could never be mad at you Lesley Lu."

"HEY!" Nikolas exclaimed. "Get your lips off my sister."

Both Lulu and Ethan froze where they were, cheeks reddening. Nathalie put her lips near Nikolas' ear. "Remember that blowjob? This is not playing your card right."

Nikolas swallowed thickly. "Um, uh, as you were."

"Good boy" she whispered, pressing her lips to his cheek.

Coleman dropped off a round of drinks for everyone, on the house. The boys made quick work of their beers and returning with the girls to the table, ordered a second round. Lulu and Ethan sat glued to each other's side, hands linked together and his arm draped protectively around her shoulders. It was not lost on him what happened the last time he and Lulu had been at Jake's and he wanted to protect her in whatever way he could.

"Hey!" Nathalie said loudly. Everyone looked up startled. "Oh crap – I was yelling wasn't I?"

"Just a touch honey bear."

Robin mouthed 'honey bear' to Nathalie and she rolled her eyes. "Patrick Drake – you owe me a song!"

"What?" he asked disbelievingly.
"The night of karaoke you owed me three songs of my choosing and I only got two!"

"Because you left" he protested.

"Because people said nasty things about me – anyways, stop changing the subject. You owe me a song!"

"I'm not singing"

"Really?"

"Really. I am not and will not sing karaoke." He crossed his arms across his chest to make his point. Pulling him closer to her Robin whispered in his ear and Patrick groaned, rolling his eyes. "Fine, what song?"

"Hmmm" Nathalie mused, pursing her lips. "Can't touch this – MC Hammer"

He groaned again. "Really?" Robin waggled her eyebrows. "Fine" he grumbled, walking to the karaoke stage.

Leaning across the table, Nathalie motioned for Robin to lean in too. "Dare I ashk what you did to convi..cons…make him do it?"

An evil smile crossed her lips. "Let's just say I told him he'd be flying solo for a long time if he didn't." Both women shrieked with laughter. The bar quieted down as the opening strains to the song filled the air.

Patrick shuffled from one foot to another, his face red from the neck to the roots of his hair.

My, my, my, my music hits me so hard
Makes me say oh my Lord
Thank you for blessing me
With a mind to rhyme and two hyped feet
Feels good when you know you're down
A superdope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I'm known as such
And this is a beat uh you can't touch

The girls got up from the table and started to dance, singing along at the top of their lungs.

Can't touch this
Can't touch this
Can't touch this (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Can't touch this (oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh)
Can't touch this

"That's my husband!" Robin yelled. "I can TOUCH that any time I want!"

Patrick shook his head as he finished the song, slinking from the stage and returning to the table. He slid in to his seat and promptly downed another beer. As the jukebox returned to the forefront, Nathalie could be heard squealing over the crowd at the song. The women bounced around the room to "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones. Grabbing Robin and Lulu by the hand, she lead them to the bar where with Coleman's assistance, they danced along the top of the bar to the hoots and hollers of the patrons.

"Our women are dancing on a bar" Nikolas remarked.

"I guess you guys are bad supervisors" Ethan remarked dryly, enjoying the sight of Lulu dancing freely.

Patrick watched the scene for several minutes before turning to Nikolas. "That's her" he said quietly.

"Who?" he asked in confusion.

"That right there is the Nathalie I met almost 10 years ago. Free spirited, happy, full of life. I know you love her but the woman you met last year is only a shadow of the woman she was before Drew's death." Patrick smiled broadly. "Looks like she's back"

Nikolas felt his chest swell as he realized they had indeed turned a corner. Though she was still burdened by the situation with her children, she was glowing more, happier and freer. He loved her more than he had before.

As the song ended, Lulu scrambled down from the bar and ran to the jukebox to select the next song. Hurrying over to the table, she grabbed Ethan by the hand and pulled him to the dance floor.

"Interesting choice" he said as Marvin Gaye's "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" came on.

"I really like you" she said cross-eyed. "And one of these days, very soon, I want to show you how much."

Ethan inhaled sharply and lowered his head to capture her lips in hot, wet kiss. "Very soon" he repeated against her mouth.

Robin crawled into Patrick's lap and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck. "I love you" she said seriously.

"I know" he nodded. "I of course am not as drunk as you are so I only like you…" he teased.

"Shut up and kiss me" she said, seizing his lips.

Nikolas walked to the bar and held his hands up to Nathalie. Taking them she slid down from the bar and into his arms. They started to sway to the music, her hips brushing against his, her head resting on his shoulder. He ran his hands down her back, enjoying the feel of her body. Everything about her excited him – emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. He knew she was his match. Lifting her head, she stared into his eyes for several minutes, not speaking. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

"Nikolas, I have a question to ask you"

"Go ahead" he said, staring at her full, soft lips.

"Will you marry me?"