Will Chambers knocked insistently against the Rodriguez's door. He wanted this exhausting task out of the way so he could focus on other things, namely his own life. This particular assignment had robbed him of hours, days, weeks, and months sparking fights with Alyson. The couch was becoming far too normal a bed for him. The money was good. She hadn't wanted to hear it. He was involved in a custody case. She had whined about him caring more about strangers than he did about her. It was a losing battle every time he opened his mouth or walked in the door or picked up his cell. She didn't care about the exposure, how much this could help his career. The last fight they had had was this morning. The pillow had slammed into his face. What a way to wake up! His nose was still sore. He had left her in tears.
He wasn't sure how Mr. Rodriguez would react to the news he had acquired. Over the last couple of months, they had traded information over the phone, but something had compelled him to come by in person. Alyson had broken his ceramic high school graduation hat just out of spite. It was her fault he had still had the damn thing, her inability to throw anything away.
Opening the door, balancing Majandra on his shoulder, Cruz couldn't help but blink in surprise as he slowly recognized the form of Will Chambers. They literally hadn't laid eyes on each other since he hired him at Christmas. Why was Will standing here this morning? "Mr. Chambers." The formality sounded forced, but what else was he supposed to call him? They weren't friends and didn't feel right to call him "Will."
"Mr. Rodriguez, hello. I'm sorry to bother you so early." Will hadn't glanced at the clock on the wall so he had no idea how early or late he was. Best to cover all his bases and just apologize.
"It's alright. Majandra is an early riser." Cruz stepped aside and gestured towards the living room with the tilt of his head. "Why don't you come inside?"
Will nodded and uneasily walked into the living room. He hadn't realized his client had a baby. Care about them more than his own girlfriend? Alyson was definitely on something. "I found out something and I wanted to tell you first thing."
Sitting down in the chair, Cruz waited until Will was seated before letting himself feel even nerves begin to form in his stomach. "I have a feeling I won't like this."
Will glanced down at his hands, feeling like he was delivering bad news to his high school principal. Gary Olsen had been intimidating but silent, much like Mr. Rodriguez. "As you know, I've been keeping tabs on the Grimes' activity over the last several months..."
"And you've done well. I know Lucky hasn't been in contact much, but he will be grateful for all your assistance once the trial is over and Cameron is home."
"I'm hoping I can be somewhat helpful." Will assured him almost in a squeak.
"You are. You are."
"I was talking to Mr. Grimes' employer, nothing but a few inquiries. I didn't make myself memorable. He was actually the one to bring up Tony Grimes. He said he didn't know what he was going to do without him."
"Without him?" Cruz held onto his daughter tightly for fear he was going to drop her. Had he just heard Chambers right? "What did he mean? Without him?"
"Mr. Grimes isn't sick or anything." Will promised. "He's just put in for early retirement."
"Early retirement?" Cruz blinked in disbelief. This didn't make much sense. The Tony Grimes he knew over the years loved his job. It was the cause of one of the biggest fights Tony and Lucky had ever had, Tony wanting Lucky to join his company and Lucky wanting nothing of it. "He's retiring?"
"And here's the kicker." Will replied as he leaned down to collect one of Majandra's toys and hand it over to her. "His reason for doing it? He wants to make sure his grandson always has someone there to care for him. That's almost a direct quote from what I understand."
Bobbie had given him many lectures about not swearing in front of Majandra. She did not want a repeat performance of Cameron's historic "bitch please." However right now it was a good thing his wife was sound asleep in their bed. "Fuck."
"I had the exact same reaction." Will told him with a steady nod of his head. He didn't go on to say that this would put the Grimes in a much better light than Cameron's overworked single father.
"This isn't good. That filthy bastard. First he somehow gets Elizabeth's parents to testify against them, now this. I underestimated him clearly." Cruz stood up, placing Majandra in her playpen in the corner so he could pace. He needed to move, he needed to think. A full-time, devoted grandfather versus a single father who had newborn twins at home? It wouldn't take even a barely passing legal scholar to see how that won would shake out. What was he supposed to tell Lucky? "There has to be something. Anything."
"Nothing that I've found. Unless you count Lisa Grimes' addiction to the Home Shopping Network." The joke fell flat. "I'll keep looking."
"You bet your ass you will." Cruz nodded in his direction. "No one can play this game perfect and Tony's going to make a mistake. He'll get too cocky. When he thinks he's won, that's when we're going to nail him to the wall."
*****
Florida had Disney World, California had Fan Club Weekend, and the Spencers had their special dinners. They caught up, made fun of each other's life choices in a subtle, understanding sort of way, and then discussed what was coming up next in their lives. The last dinner Maxie could remember being invited to had been almost ten years ago when she and Lulu were moving up in Girl Scouts. She wouldn't even have showed up if her dad hadn't been so insistent. She hadn't known why he was making such a fuss about it, at least not at first. When the invitation extended to Alexis and Kristina, Maxie got the clue. They were still freezing each other out and the Spencer dinner was the perfect excuse to force Alexis into the world with Mac by her side. At least in public they wouldn't cause a scene.
Georgie, always the optimist, had offered her services in the kitchen almost as soon as she showed up at the door. Currently, she and Elizabeth were hiding in there together. Laura was bustling around the house, talking to everyone, smiling. Luke sat in his battered recliner with a very sleepy Majandra babbling into the crook of his arm so Bobbie and Cruz could fix their plates. If the crowd wasn't so big, Maxie had no doubt they would all be expected to sit at the table. Lucky only responded. He didn't start any conversations on his own. His eyes held a poignant stare powerful enough to reach out and touch any of the guests at any given time. Lucas and Lulu were taking turns with the new Spencer twins, but never seemed to be around the other. Dillon was bugging Steven about his movie knowledge and Patrick was staring straight ahead at the mumbling television, not interacting with anyone.
Mrs. Hardy was telling Lance and Kristina one of the many stories that made up Steven and Elizabeth's childhood, purposely leaving out their wicked sister. She and Georgie had had their fights, but Sarah Webber had gone completely overboard. And then there was the matter of Elizabeth's parents. Maxie could sort of relate to the blatant hostility parents showed their children when their real issues had little or nothing to do with them. She often wondered if Felicia had contacted Frisco and told him that she and Georgie weren't really his children, if that's why he had stopped making any sort of contact. Not that she cared.
"Save me." Steven almost ran into the corner after successfully distracting Dillon by pointing out how "paternal" Lucas was looking holding Gracie. He understood fanatical attention to details, but Dillon was quite possibly the most obsessed film person he had ever met. The man could actually name movies he had lensed. Independent movies. Movies even Steven couldn't remember doing. "You have to tell me where to hide."
"Where to hide? In the Spencer house? It's kind of like the song Hotel California. Once you're in..." Maxie's voice trailed off.
"Great. There's no escape." Steven shook his head. "You've seemed to find a nice perch here."
"It helps when people don't like you." Maxie told him.
"I like you. Don't I count as people?"
"You're an out-of-towner." Maxie pointed out. "So your opinion..."
"Is obviously the most important one." Steven cut her off with a smile. Alright so she still had no idea he was really her brother-in-law. It really couldn't hurt to have her on his side whenever it was Georgie decided to let the bomb drop. He promised his wife he could wait, but he still could make a good impression on his in-laws right? And maybe if he could convince himself of the brilliance in this line of thinking, he would actually approach Mac Scorpio instead of staring at him from across the room.
Maxie took a big gulp of her drink and stared into it, not sure how she should respond. When it came to her sister and guys, Georgie was especially protective. Even if they were just friends. She had learned early on to not share friends with her younger sister. "I think I hear Georgie calling me." She made a beeline for the kitchen.
"I wish she would call me." Steven mumbled under her breath.
*****
Patrick glanced up when he realized Lucky was saying something to him. Reaching over to snap off the television, he met his cousin's frustrated gaze. "I didn't hear you. What did you say?"
"Nothing. Nothing important anyway." Lucky sighed as he leaned back against the couch, running his hand through his hair. He should have just listened to his instinct and not come. Let his mother twist the guilt knife. Ever since Cruz's visit this morning with the news of Tony's early retirement, he didn't want to deal with anyone. However all it had taken was just mentioning the idea of skipping his parent's anniversary party to earn him a dirty look from Elizabeth and some pointed remarks he was forever grateful the twins were too young to fully understand.
"Sorry." Lucky could have been proclaiming loudly that Patrick was his inspiration and he still wouldn't have heard him. His mind was somewhere else. Across the ocean. In a tiny flat a few stories up. He had gone to General to pick up the first picture of the baby and been struck with overwhelming sadness at having to make the trip alone. The black and white printout now hung on the refrigerator at the apartment under one magnet featuring Garfield and the other, Odie.
"Not your fault." Lucky shrugged. "I'm just not in a party mood."
"Neither am I." In a quieter voice, Patrick continued, "I didn't think I could handle the guilt if I didn't show."
"If it was just Mom maybe I could handle it. But Mom plus Elizabeth? Dangerous combination."
"Elizabeth told me you got a call from Robin."
Lucky had warned Robin there would be no good to come from Patrick and Elizabeth talking. "Yeah. She didn't say much though. She was more disappointed I wasn't Elizabeth than anything."
"Sounds about right." Patrick wasn't going to admit to not knowing how Robert and Georgie had handled the news of the pregnancy or in Robert's case the pregnancy and the engagement. All he knew was that they had landed and gotten settled.
"You'll be thrilled to hear she is determined to come home in exactly when she is scheduled to."
"I would expect nothing less." Patrick grinned. Glancing down at his empty beer bottle, he gestured toward Lucky. "You want something? I've got to find something stronger than this. I have a feeling they switched the real beer for Corona."
"Damn Cruz and his influence." Lucky stood up and gestured towards the garage with his head. "This is going to call for the secret, secret stash."
*****
"The evening's shaping up rather nicely." Laura said to Bobbie as they walked into the kitchen, neither of them unaware of Georgie and Elizabeth quickly retreating to the living room.
"Really? Any particular reason?" Bobbie recognized the look in her sister-in-law's eye from years of experience. Laura was up to something.
"We got everyone here. I can take little victories." Laura nodded.
"Everyone except Robin."
"Well, she's in another country." Laura reasoned. "I can't exactly be mad at her for not attending."
"So there is a way out of the guilt trip. That is good to know." Bobbie teased her gently.
"What does that mean?" Laura held the tea pitcher in midair.
Seeing her nephews sneak off into the garage, Bobbie pointed in the direction of their retreating backs. "I get the impression those two are only here because of fear of disappointing you."
"Well, it's nice to see them anyway." Laura filled the tea to the rim of her glass before returning it to the refrigerator.
"Why do I get the impression you have your mind on something else?"
"I have a feeling something is not as it seems." Laura nodded toward the door leading to the living room.
"That requires some elaboration."
"I'm not for sure of anything yet, but I'm never wrong about these things. For one thing, I'm used to Elizabeth scurrying away when I come into the room, but why did Georgie?"
Bobbie had to admit she had noticed her niece's skittishness ever since the girl's return from Paris. Georgie had been keeping all her conversations about her trip on the most surface of levels. There was nothing overt, nothing to clue her in just yet as to what was going on in Georgie's mind, but there was something going on. "Maybe it's just the usual tension between her and Lucas. You know how they both love to avoid fights."
"I think they put it past them for the kids." Laura countered, not convinced. Where she created drama, Bobbie did her best to put it off. "No, it's something else. I can't put my finger on it." Smiling as another thought occurred to her, she met Bobbie's stare. "Why didn't you tell me you were renting out your doctor to your older niece?"
"Excuse me?"
"Didn't Mac tell you?" Laura was certain the Commissioner wouldn't spread the news around, but Bobbie always seemed to be in the know. "Dr. Lansing and Maxie are officially dating."
"Well I interpreted something about them seeing each other through Mac's grunts but I didn't know it was official by any means." Bobbie searched through the crowd to spot her niece's blonde hair. "It certainly explains her sudden devotion to work these days."
"She looks sad. Don't you think she looks sad? We should do something." Laura declared.
"Laura. Don't."
"I don't want sadness at my party. We can cheer her up somehow."
"Knowing Maxie, unless you have Ric stashed away in a closet somewhere, she's determined to not be cheered up by anyone." Bobbie pointed out. She loved her niece dearly, but it didn't mean she was blind to the ways the younger woman's mind worked.
"Have you seen Lulu?"
"Wasn't she just here with Jake?" Bobbie looked around the party not spotting Lulu but seeing Steven Webber holding his nephew.
"I thought so, but now I don't see her. Luke!" Laura's tone caused her husband to almost drop the baby he was currently holding. Understandably, Majandra reached for Cruz.
"What? What?" Luke sputtered as Cruz swooped down to rescue his daughter from hitting the floor.
"Do you know where your daughter is?"
"I thought that job ended when she turned eighteen."
It was Lucas who spoke up. "I think I saw her go around back. I'll get her."
*****
"What would your mother think if she caught you like this?" Lucas managed to surprise his jumpy cousin into turning and facing him.
"Like what?" Lulu croaked out, rubbing her free hand up and down her jeans.
"Smoking." Lucas pointed to the death stick in-between her fingers.
"Last time I checked, smoking outside is allowed." Lulu snapped taking a long drag and blowing it directly into Lucas's face.
Coughing, he recovered a moment later. "That wasn't very nice."
"Yeah, well I'm not very nice." Lulu dared him to pick a fight with her. She transferred the half-gone cigarette to her other hand and ran a shaky hand through her hair.
"When did you start this?" Lucas wanted to know.
"Fifteen." Lulu joked.
"Funny. What are you trying to accomplish? Alexis's condition isn't enough of a warning?" Lucas patronized.
"Oh, please stop." Lulu groaned, covering her face with her arm. "I don't want to talk about anyone else's problems. I've got my own and plenty of them."
"Yeah? Tell me about them." Lucas offered.
"No thanks Dr. Phil. I'd much rather smoke this cigarette and think about happier times."
"Such as?"
"Getting kidnapped." Lulu giggled humorlessly. "That was a hell of a lot of fun. I can't quite pinpoint my favorite part. Maybe having the gun shoved in my face. Or being knocked out. So many choices."
Lucas caught her arms and flicked the cigarette into the sidewalk. "What is the matter with you?"
"Me?" Lulu feigned confusion. "Nothing. Nothing at all."
"Something is obviously going on. Why don't you tell me?" Lucas encouraged quietly.
"I already told you," Lulu growled, pulling out of his grasp, "I don't want or need your help. Why can't everyone just leave me alone?" That said, she turned in the opposite direction and headed for her car.
Lucas reluctantly followed. "Where are you going? Your parents are celebrating their anniversary. You can't just drive off."
"The hell I can't. You know, I think I'll drive away so fast the tires squeak and I'm going to smile the whole time." Lulu decided and shut the door, barely missing Lucas' fingers.
"Should you be driving?" Lucas couldn't help but wonder if her behavior could be blamed on alcohol.
"According to the state of New York, yes." Lulu sped backwards, almost hitting a parked car across the street, and zoomed away.