~*~Chapter 53~*~

“Kimber, I’m glad you enjoyed the show, but I’m with my family right now,” Lucky says, hoping she’ll take the hint and go away.

Kimber smiles and looks around them. “I don’t see anyone else here. Just you and me.”

He sighs and looks behind him, making a mental note to kill V later for letting Kimber get to him. “They’re over there, but they’re coming back. If you’re not working anymore, why are you still here?”

She flashes him a seductive smile and leans across the table. “I wanted to see you, is that so bad?”

Lucky shakes his head in disbelief. “Look, I’m sorry if I’ve done something to lead you on, but I’m a married man.” He holds up his hand so she can see his ring.

“Then why were you spending so much time here, drinking every night? Where is this wife of yours?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but she’s been out of town for a while,” he answers, trying to keep his anger in check. Granted, it wasn’t the complete truth, but it wasn’t really a lie, either.

Kimber sits back, not sure what to say in response. “She’s been out of town all this time? I’ve known you for months, Lucky. That’s a pretty long trip.”

Lucky shrugs, hoping she can’t see the tears that he can feel welling up in his eyes. “Maybe it is, but the point I’m trying to make is that I’m not available. You’re an attractive woman, and I’m sure you’re very nice, but you’re wasting your time with me.”

She smiles at the compliment. “Am I? I mean, what if this wife of yours doesn’t come back? Then what are you going to do?”

Lucky doesn’t move for a moment. Her question had just been a last-ditch attempt to get his attention, but what she didn’t realize was that it had hit on one of his deepest fears. He clears his throat nervously and looks up at her. “She’ll come back,” he says, his voice shaking. “She has to.”

~*~

“Oh no,” V says under her breath.

“What?” Luke asks, noticing the look on her face. “Is something wrong?”

“Um, yeah, could you do me a favor?”

Luke smiles devilishly. “Well, that depends on the favor. What will my wife think?’

V rolls her eyes at him. “Luke, this is serious. I promised Lucky that I would keep that waitress away from him, and she’s over there bothering him right now. I can’t leave the table, so could you go take care of it for me?”

Luke turns around to look at the table he had just left. There is a very beautiful, blonde woman sitting across from Lucky, who looks very intent on him. Lucky, on the other hand, looks like he wants to run away, but is too polite to do so. He turns back to V and nods. “It will be my pleasure.”

“Thanks Luke,” she says, watching him walk towards his son’s table.

“Hey, cowboy,” Luke says cheerfully, walking up behind Lucky. “Who’s your friend?”

Lucky turns around and glares at him, not in the mood for his teasing. “Her name is Kimber. She works here,” he says simply.

Luke smiles at her and hold out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Kimber. I’m Luke Spencer, Lucky’s old man.”

Kimber smiles sweetly and shakes his hand. “It’s good to meet you too, Mr. Spencer.”

“So, how do you know my kid?” he asks, ignoring the angry looks he’s getting from Lucky.

“He used to come in here a lot,” she says, smiling at Lucky.

Luke leans forward and grins at her. “Bet you didn’t know he’s underage.”

Kimber’s eyes grow wide as she looks from Luke to Lucky. “Then how did he get in?”

Luke stands back again and shrugs. “Jake’s a good friend. She lets him in for me, keeps an eye on him. We figure he’s old enough to be married, might as well let him drink too. This way, we know he’ll be safe here, rather than some other seedy dive.”

She nods, not quite sure she understands this strange man in front of her. “Oh, well, that’s very progressive of you, I suppose.”

Tired of listening to them, Lucky stands up from the table. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go home now. It’s been a long night. I’ll see you later, Dad. Kimber.” He nods to them both and walks away.

“So, he really is married?” Kimber asks once he’s gone, hoping that maybe there’s still a chance.

Luke nods. growing serious. “Yep, he sure is. Look, I’m sure you’re a great girl and all, but my son is probably the most un-available guy out there. You’re wasting your time on him, so I suggest you find someone else to set your sights on.” He nods to her again and follows his son out of the bar.

Kimber watches him leave, shaking her head. “This isn’t over yet. Until I see this phantom wife of his, I refuse to give up.”

~*~Chapter 54~*~

Sergei steps into the nursery and smiles when he sees Elizabeth standing over the crib, staring at Mikkos. “I thought I’d find you in here,” he whispers, walking up behind her.

Liz turns and smiles slightly, then looks back at the baby. “I just can’t stop watching him. He’s so perfect.”

“He is, isn’t he?” he says, looking down into the crib. Mikkos looks up at them and gurgles quietly. “Have you been up here all morning?” he asks, turning back to Liz.

She nods, her eyes still focused on her son. “Yeah, I came in here to feed him, but I just couldn’t bring myself to leave. I can’t believe he’s almost a month old already.”

“Me neither. It seems like just yesterday that he was born.” He looks down at Mikkos, then back at Liz. “Motherhood definitely becomes you,” he says softly.

Liz blushes, tearing her eyes away from the baby long enough to look up at Sergei. “Thanks, but I don’t really think I’m any different now than I was before he was born. Maybe a little thinner...” she chuckles, then reaches into the crib to pick up Mikkos.

“It’s nothing major, just subtle things. You sort of glow whenever you’re around him, and you smile a lot more.”

“Well, he makes me happy,” she says, grinning down at the baby in her arms. “I’m going to bring him outside, for a walk in the garden. We could both use some fresh air.”

“Sure. I’ll see you at dinner, then.”

Liz leaves the nursery and heads downstairs, then out the back door. She knows Sergei means well, but now that she is so certain that Mikkos is really Lucky’s child, she has trouble being in the same room with him for too long.

Once she’s in the garden, she takes a seat on one of the benches, cradling Mikkos in her lap. He looks up adoringly at her, reaching up with his little hand, curling his fingers around some of her hair.

Liz giggles. “What are you doing?” she asks, pulling the hair out of his grasp. “You know, you remind me of your father more and more every day. He would have been so ecstatic to know he has a son. I bet he would have called you ‘cowboy’ like his dad called him.”

She sighs and looks out at the water. “Lucky would have been an amazing father, Mickey. I’m sorry you won’t have a chance to know him. I’m not saying Sergei is terrible, but he’s too close to Helena, and no matter what I do, I just can’t bring myself to trust him too much. He acts like he has the best of intentions, but I don’t love him. I never will. I just hope growing up with parents who don’t love each other doesn’t hurt you too much. I do believe he loves you, and for now he thinks you’re his, although I’m sure at some point, Helena will do a paternity test to make sure.”

Mikkos squirms slightly in her hands, causing her to bring her attention back to him. “I promise you, no matter what she does, I will make sure she never harms you. You’re all I have anymore, and I won’t let her get to you. I don’t care what I have to do, you will be raised in a happy, healthy environment. At least, as happy and healthy as you can get locked away on some Greek island.”

She pauses, letting her mind wander for a few minutes. “You know, Sergei brought me a new CD the other day, and it had one of Lucky’s songs on it. I guess they sold it before he died.” She sighs, trying to keep her tears from coming. “It’s a beautiful song, one of the ones he sang at his showcase before I was taken, although I have to say I liked it better when he sang it. Not that Mariah Carey isn’t any good, but I’ll never like his songs sung by someone else. I’ll have to play it for you sometime. Your daddy was very talented, you know. He wrote me a song when we were kids, it was so beautiful. I wish I had it here, so I could play it for you.”

Liz sniffs, a tear running down her cheek as the melody of the song begins to play in her head. Even though it had been ages since she last heard it, she could still remember every word, every note. She begins to hum the tune softly, rocking Mikkos in her arms. Without realizing it, she starts to sing, staring out at the ocean, lost in her memories.

~*~

“All I want is this, Elizabeth.” She finishes the song, tears flowing down her face, her voice choked with emotion, unaware that she was no longer alone.

“Did Lucky write that?”

Liz spins around, surprised at the sudden voice behind her. “Um, yeah, a long time ago. I thought it would help Mikkos fall asleep.” She looks down at the baby sleeping in her arms and smiles sadly. “It worked.”

Sergei sits down on the bench across from her, noticing the sadness in her eyes. “You still miss him, don’t you?”

Liz laughs bitterly at the question. “I always will. He was a part of me, and no matter how far apart we are, he always will be.” She thinks for a moment, then looks up at him. “Have you ever heard how people who have had limbs amputated can still sometimes feel them, as though the arm or leg or whatever it was is still there?”

Sergei nods, not sure where she’s going with the analogy.

“Well, that’s how Lucky is to me. Even though we were separated, and even though he’s dead, I can still feel him with me. He was my other half, he made me whole. Most of the time, I can feel the void that his absence causes, but other times, he’s there, and I know that no matter what I do or where I go, he always will be with me. It’s sort of comforting.”

“I never realized...” Sergei says, trailing off when he couldn’t think of anything to say. He couldn’t help feeling guilty that he had lead her to believe Lucky was dead, but then again, Helena left him no choice, and if he dared to tell her the truth now, the consequences would be dire.

Liz shook her head. “It’s okay, I’m sure most people don’t realize how deep our love really went. Actually, I kind of liked it that way. It was like we had this secret, something that only we knew, that only we understood. I miss that. I miss him.” She sniffs as another tear rolls down her cheek, falling onto Mikkos’s blanket. She wipes it off, then holds him out to Sergei. “Can you please take him inside for me? I need to be alone for a little while.”

“Sure,” he says, reaching out for the baby. “Take your time.” He retreats to the house, leaving her alone in the garden, her heart breaking all over again for the love she lost, the love she knew she would never find again.

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