"Would you get that please? I have to find my silver heels for tonight!" Lindsay's voice was muffled, a combination from being half under the bed and the pound of clothes that separated her from Ronnie thrown across the floor. The pair had only just arrived back home barely two days ago and the small apartment now looked as if a tornado had ripped through it.

Rolling her eyes, Ronnie made her way through the maze of shoes, clothes, and other assorted boxes they had shipped from various places during their tour of Europe. If Georgie was going to go off and elope under the Eiffel Tower, then the least the two of them could do was buy out all of the most fashionable cities they had decided.

Opening the door, Ronnie's face immediately broke out into a wide smile. It had been far too long. "Well, if it isn't Mrs. Webber. Does your husband know you're out with your bad influence single girl friends?"

"Shh." Georgie giggled, half-expecting the rest of the Webbers to be hiding behind the door.

"Shh nothing." Pulling Georgie inside the door, Ronnie closed it with her hip. "Linds! Forget the shoes! Georgie is here!"

"Georgie?" The question was met with a muffled "oof!" and both Ronnie and Georgie dissolved into giggles as they imagined Lindsay moving too quickly and banging her head. A sheepish looking Lindsay rubbing the back of her head did little to stop their laughter. "Oh shut up and get over here. I need a hug."

Georgie barely had time to take in a full breath before Lindsay squeezed it out of her. "I missed you!" She managed, closing her eyes. It was so refreshing to see her friends and, even more, that she didn't have to lie to them. They knew. They had known from the beginning. They loved Steven just like she did. She didn't have to convince them of anything. As the family dinner drew closer, she found herself more and more desperate.

"Well it all could have been avoided if you had just stayed with us after the last exam. But no....you had to go home to be with your husband or something." Lindsay teased.

"For reals." Ronnie chimed in with a smile. "Wanting to be with the man you love. Psst on that."

"It's so good to see you too." Georgie could barely keep from crying.

Catching sight of the unshed tears in Georgie's eyes, Lindsay took charge and ushered all three them over to the somewhat uncovered sofa. "Hey. What's with the waterworks toots? Can't be that happy to see us."

"You have no idea. Lying to everyone is so hard." Thank God that was almost over.

"I know this will do serious damage to my rep as a brilliant woman but duh." Ronnie nudged her with her shoulder. "I'm going to guess you two haven't told anyone yet."

"Of course they haven't. We didn't hear about her dad killing Steven yet." Lindsay remarked dryly.

"Alexis knows." Georgie pointed out.

"Oh well you're stepmother. That changes everything." Ronnie rolled her eyes. "Georgie you know you've got to tell them."

"We're telling them tonight." Georgie replied with a smile.

"Tonight? As in later on today when you leave the sanctity of this space?" Lindsay questioned. "Oh my effing God. Details."

"For example do we have the police on standby and maybe an ambulance?" Ronnie chimed in, resting her hands on her knees.

"My dad is the police." Georgie pointed out. "And it's not going to be that bad. I hope. We're having dinner with my dad and Alexis. She offered to help us break the news."

"Yes. Good move. Have him focus on how his daughter told his fiancé over him is always a wise one." Lindsay nodded sagely. "They can start that fight and then you and Steven can just sneak out the back."

"She's not going to tell him; we are. She's just going to help hold him down so that he doesn't hurt himself." Georgie chuckled despite her worry.

So the plan is you guys tell your dad and then what? Tell his parents?" Ronnie wondered. "I mean I'm guessing you haven't told them already..."

"I honestly don't know what to do about them. Elizabeth has no use for them and, from what Steven has told me, I don't think it'd be so bad if they were the last to know."

"Oh so you're the one that got the wicked in-laws." Lindsay nodded. "Got it. Ok we must strategize. How exactly are you going to tell your dad?"

"Maybe slip it into the conversation."

"Something along the lines of, 'Why did I invite this random guy I barely know and never talk about along to a family dinner? Why funny you should ask that Dad?'" Ronnie shook her head. "Georgie please. Not going to work."

"Well I don't know. What would you guys do?"

"Maybe start with telling your dad that you met this really great guy while you were in Paris? Like maybe before Steven shows up?" Lindsay suggested.

"And then after he's met him, that's when you drop the m-bomb." Ronnie finished. "You have to work him up a little bit."

"Okay. I think I can do that." Georgie set her teeth on edge. "Tell me about your trip." She easily changed the subject.

"Oh well you know how it goes. Boys to flirt with, clothes to buy. But I personally would much rather here about how you and Steven have managed to sneak all over town right under your father's nose." Lindsay smiled sweetly as she leaned back, kicking her denim clad leg over Georgie's.

"Yes. After a while it was predictable. Cute clothes. Cute boy. Boy turns out to be a Euro trash prick. Same old same old. You, on the other hand, are all sneaking around and being all romantic and stuff." Ronnie leaned her head on Georgie's shoulder. "Please let us live vicariously through you."

"Well, at first, it was pretty difficult to be get alone time. I had to sneak over to his grandmother's, where he's been staying, to borrow recipes and such. I can't scramble eggs. Eventually, we started running into each other all over town and somehow managed not to get caught." Georgie explained.

"Well I guess when you have the goody-goody reputation no one would suspect you of having a secret husband." Lindsay nodded sagely.

"I never figured we'd keep it a secret this long," Georgie admitted. "But we did finally get some time together. It was so sweet. We signed in under false names..." She broke off, noticing her friends practically foaming at the mouth. "You know, romantic."

"Totally. And now you're going to tell your father you eloped while in Paris. I'm telling you that hack bastard ruining our show could never top this." Ronnie nearly jumped up from the couch in her excitement. "You know what this means right?"

Georgie looked startled. "What?"

"Hello! Wardrobe consultation. When one plans on completely changing her father's world view, one must be appropriately dressed."

"And aren't you lucky we just happen to have an entire apartment filled with the most fashionable clothes one can afford on a college student's budget."

"Must not have come from any current Hollywood TV shows. Did you see what they were wearing on 90210?" Georgie teased, knowing her friends had kept up-to-date with it.

"Oh hush. We will not speak of the travesty that is Naomi's wardrobe." Ronnie held up her hand.

"Dylan." Georgie muttered unhappily. "Are we sure the same hack bastard that writes Ronnie's show didn't happen to take over 90210?"

"Silence. We do not speak of his evil or his evil power grows stronger." Lindsay covered Georgie's mouth easily with one hand. "Now I'm thinking simple, elegant with an understated sexy edge. Ronnie?"

"Yes. Something that says not so innocent school girl anymore but still the same old Georgie you know and love."

"I'm in your hands." Georgie gave in, wondering what she was getting herself into.

*****

"Please. Please, just get me there." Steven whispered to his grandmother's dented silver Buick. It was twice her age and a constant pain in his ass, but it would have to do because his was in the shop for repair. The clock on the dashboard screamed that he had fifteen minutes before seven which meant twenty minutes later than Georgie had wanted him there. He didn't want to disappoint her, not when this particular dinner was so important.

He never should have left Port Charles to begin with. The car simply couldn't handle the multiple locations in one day. He wished he had just left it well enough alone. By the time he got to dinner, the daisies would probably be dead anyway. He looked at the speedometer, snuck a glance in every direction, and then slammed his foot on the gas.

This would never have happened to him if the night weren't so important. And it was. God it was the most important night of their lives. There would be more, if her father didn't strangle him first, and he didn't want to start off their first official meeting like this. He slammed his fist into the steering wheel and the car coughed in protest. He hit it again and it came to a screeching halt ten miles from the restaurant. Well hell, he thought miserably as he stepped out of the car. Having no experience with cars, he didn't bother to do the guy thing and check under the hood. Any idiot could tell the engine was shot when smoke blew from under the hood. NO! This couldn't be happening! Not tonight!

Steven turned just in time to see something bright coming toward him. And fast. It was a car, he realized, and it was swerving madly. He tried to call it out to the driver, get their attention, but they didn't seem to notice him at all. The road was too dark and even the lights on the car weren't turned on. It was only by chance that the moon hit the passenger side at the right angle allowing him to see the car at all. The sound of metal on metal caused him to go temporarily deaf; he didn't have time to dodge both the Buick and the other car. He had to jump. But he misjudged and caught his left foot on a hidden branch sending him skidding toward a dangerous incline into the pitch-black forest below. His last thought before the rearview mirror slammed into the back of his skull was that he didn't want to leave Georgie a widow. He never knew what happened to the Buick or the other car and it was quite possible no one would ever know what had happened to him.

Previews:

Dillon pressed the numbers, double-checking against the paper he had hurriedly scribbled them on after his last visit to Elizabeth's. Everything was crashing and burning and it was high time someone did something. And this situation called for subtly, sophistication, a calm cool rationale. Naturally he was perfect for the job.