~*~Chapter 41~*~

A few minutes after Kimber left, there’s another knock on the door. Still stunned from her sudden kiss, and somewhat disgusted, Lucky opens the door, smiling when he sees V.

“Okay, what happened?” she asks, walking into the house. “You look way too happy to see me!”

Lucky chuckles and closes the door. “Do you have food?” She holds up a bag. “Well, there’s your answer. I’m starving!”

“Oh, so you’re just using me for my pantry? I see how it is now,” she says, pretending to be insulted, but laughing at the same time.

They sit down at his kitchen table to eat. There’s obviously something other than food on his mind, but V knows better than to push him, so she waits patiently while he inhales the sandwiches she brought.

She looks around the room and spots the empty vodka bottle on the coffee table in the living room. “I thought you said you stopped drinking,” she says, looking disapprovingly at Lucky.

He sighs. “I wasn’t, but after today, I didn’t know what else to do. I guess that’s why I asked you to come here tonight, because if I had to sit here by myself any longer, I would probably have ended up going out to look for more alcohol, and that would have been dangerous.”

V nods. “Yeah, you’re right there. Lucky, I don’t mean to sound like I’m lecturing you, but alcohol isn’t the answer to your problems.

“I know, I know. But, I can’t always help it. It’s in my genes to do this, you know! It’s how my dad deals with his problems, too. I’m trying, believe me, but sometimes it’s just too hard to avoid it. Especially at night, when I’m here by myself, and everything around me reminds me of Elizabeth.”

“Then why stay here? Why don’t you try staying with your parents, or your brother, or even a friend for a while? Maybe this house is what’s making this so hard for you,” she suggests, truly worried about his mental state.

“I can’t stay with my parents because they’d drive me crazy in less than a day. Nikolas and Emily have too much to worry about with the baby right now, I couldn’t intrude on them, plus seeing them all happy about the baby usually just reminds me that Elizabeth and I may never get the chance to have one.” He sighs, looking down at the remains of his sandwich. “As for friends, I don’t really have any anymore. Ever since I’ve been back from the dead, I’ve been so focused on Elizabeth, I haven’t really spent much time with anyone else.”

V chuckles at his “back from the dead” comment. “I wouldn’t say that. I’d like to think I’m your friend, and I’m sure if you took a look around you sometime, you’d see there are tons of people in this town that care about you.”

Lucky shrugs. “Sure, they care about me. I’m Luke and Laura’s son, it’s probably required around here. But aside from my family, which has to like me, most people here don’t really know me any more.

“What about Sonny and Jason? I know you were always pretty close to them. I can think of a lot of worse places to stay than one of their penthouses!”

Lucky thinks for a minute. “Well, Jason’s with Carly, and they’ve got that whole family thing going with Michael, so I don’t think I could deal what that. Sonny, on the other hand, has possibilities. Maybe you’re right, maybe getting out of this house for a little while isn’t a bad idea.” At least at Sonny’s, Kimber can’t drop in on me again, he thinks.

“Well, great then! Sounds like you’ve got a plan. And if that doesn’t work out, you’re always welcome at my place. I’ve got a guest room that I made up for Brooke Lynn to stay in when I baby-sat her the last time she was visiting Ned. But don’t worry, it’s not all girly or anything,” she adds with a laugh, seeing the look of distaste that crossed his face.

Lucky smiles. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, V. Not just for the food, although that was one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in a long time, but for being a good friend. I’m sorry I drug you out here so late. I just didn’t know what else to do to stop myself from self-destructing tonight.”

“Are you going to be okay now, or would you like me to stay here? Or, if you still want to get out of the house, you can stay with me tonight, then go see Sonny in the morning.”

“You wouldn’t mind me barging in tonight?” he asks, not wanting to impose on her. She shakes her head. “Well, then I guess you’ve got yourself a roommate, because if I have to stay here one more night, I think I might scream. There are just too many memories, and it gets pretty hard to sleep with them floating around. Thanks again, V.”

“Hey, it’s nothing. Go ahead and pack some stuff, I’ll clean up in here,” she says, grabbing their plates and walking over to the sink. Lucky hurries into his bedroom to throw some clothes into a bag. When he’s done, he pauses in the doorway, gazing back at the room where he and Elizabeth used to sleep every night in each other’s arms. He sighs sadly, then closes the door before joining V in the living room.

“All set,” he announces, holding up his bag. They leave the house, turning off the lights and locking the door. Since he’s still not in a condition to drive, he climbs into V’s car, figuring he can come back in the morning for his.

~*~

“Well, it’s not much, but it’s home,” V says, opening the door to her apartment and standing aside so Lucky can enter.

“It’s nice,” he says, admiring her decorating style. “Clean, too.”

“Oh, you’re surprised at that?” she asks with a laugh, leading him to the spare room. “Did you think I’d be a slob?”

“No, it’s just that being so unannounced, I figured there would be a little disorganization or something. There’s nothing wrong with being neat, I usually am, too.”

“Well, here’s the room. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. The bathroom’s right across the hall. I’ve got my own in my room, so you won’t have to worry about hogging it or anything. That one’s all yours.”

“Thanks again, V,” Lucky says sincerely. “This means a lot to me. I feel better already.” Impulsively, he reaches out and hugs her. “You look tired. Why don’t you go to bed, I’ve kept you up long enough!”

Smiling at his kindness, V nods and leaves the room, suddenly noticing that she really is exhausted. She changes into her pajamas and crawls into bed, falling asleep instantly.

Lucky takes a quick shower, trying to finish sobering up, then goes to bed. Usually, it takes him hours to fall asleep. The images and memories of Elizabeth are always strongest at night, but this time, they don’t come. Being in an unfamiliar room manages to keep them at bay, and he falls into a deep sleep within minutes.

~*~Chapter 42~*~

A few days later, Helena came back from her business trip, and was thrilled to hear that Elizabeth had bought Sergei’s story about Lucky being shot and killed. Elizabeth was doing everything she could to avoid her, not wanting to hear her gloat over his death.

Most of her time was spent either painting the nursery or walking around the grounds. It wasn’t the most exciting life, and she was almost always depressed, but at least it wasn’t stressful, which was good for the baby, the only thing she had to look forward to anymore.

“Sergei,” Helena says, letting herself into his study. “Give this to Elisha today, it’ll help endear yourself to her a little more. I think she’s growing bored with the limited activities on the island.” She sets down a small CD player on his desk, along with a small box of CDs. “I’m sure the wife of Lucky Spencer likes music.”

“I’ll do it this afternoon,” Sergei says, waiting to see if she has anything else for him. Helena nods, then exits the room. He leafs through the CDs, not sure what any of the groups are, but assuming that Helena had done enough research to choose something Elisha would like.

~*~

Liz walks slowly along the beach, letting the water wash over her toes. She’s thickening about the mural she’s doing of Kelly’s, absently rubbing her stomach, trying to keep her mind off of Lucky.

“It really is pretty here,” she sighs, looking out at the water. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d even call it paradise.” She laughs bitterly, throwing a glance over her shoulder at the mansion. She looks down at her stomach, which is starting to show, and smiles.

“I wish you had a chance to meet Lucky,” she mutters. “He was the best. You would have liked him.”

She gazes out at the horizon, lost in her thoughts for a moment. “He would have liked you, too, because you’re mine. He was good that way I mean, sure, at first he might have been bothered about Sergei, but he would have understood. I know he would,” she whispers, trying to convince herself more than anything.

“Anyway, I shouldn’t be dwelling on this. Lucky’s gone, I’m here, and you’re on the way, so I have to concentrate on that now. I’m going to be the best mother to you that I can. You’re all I have left, you know. I still haven’t figure out Sergei. One minute he seems like a nice guy, then the next, he turns back into Helena’s whipping boy. I’m trying to see some good in him, after all, he’s a Spencer. That has to count for something, right?” She sighs, sitting down in the sand, leaving her feet near the water so the tide washes over them. “Maybe I’m totally wrong. Maybe being a Spencer isn’t something you’re born with. Maybe it’s something that comes from being around them. I mean, I consider myself a Spencer just as much as if I was their real daughter, and Luke is always telling me that I was meant to be one.”

“But then again, Nikolas wasn’t raised around them, he was raised by Cassidines, but he still turned out good. He’s kind and generous, despite everything he’s been through. Oh, I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t really matter anyway. You’re still a Spencer, and I’m going to make sure you are reminded of that every day of your life. I’ll tell you stories about them, I’ll paint pictures of them for you if I have to. I refuse to let my child grow up as a Cassidine, no matter what Helena tries. You’re all I have left, and I’ll be damned if I let her take you, too!”

Suddenly realizing what she is doing, she laughs. “Oh God, I’m talking to my stomach, this can’t be good. If I’m already going crazy, then I’m in big trouble.”

“You’re not crazy,” Sergei says quietly from behind her. She jumps up and whirls around to face him.

“Sergei! Were you just listening to me?” she accuses, angry that he was lurking around during such a private moment.

He shakes his head. “No, I just got here. I swear, I wouldn’t eavesdrop on you like that. Actually, I came to give you something, but it you’d like me to leave, it can wait.”

Sighing, Liz shakes her head. “No, you might as well stay. Before you show me what you brought, at least warn me if it’s something bad, okay?”

“It’s not, I promise. I think you might like it, in fact. I know how boring it can get here, especially when you do the same thing every day, so I thought you might like this.” He pulls the CD player out from behind his back and smiles.

Liz takes it gently, not sure what to think. “Um, thanks, but I don’t have any CDs.”

“Yes, you do. They’re inside, I didn’t have enough hands to carry them out here as well. Do you like it?”

Deciding not to read any more into the gift, she smiles, nodding her head. “I do, thank you Sergei. This was sweet of you. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to listen to music.”

“I’ve also read that it’s good for the baby, especially classical. Most of the CDs in there are popular stuff, but I’m sure Helena has some classical ones laying around somewhere. Or if not, I can always get some the next time I’m on the mainland.” He smiles, happy to see that she liked the gift.

“Um, I think I’ll go up to my room and try this out. Thanks again.” She hugs him quickly, figuring it’s the least that she can do, then hurries back into the house. Sergei stays on the beach, watching her retreating figure with a small smile on his face. Once she’s inside, he shakes his head, muttering to himself.

“Sergei Cassidine, you can not be falling in love with her! She’s always going to love Lucky Spencer. Don’t fall into the same trap that Stefan did, you won’t be able to get out of it!”

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