~*~Chapter 81~*~

Liz stands up, her knees starting to hurt, and backs up, sitting down heavily on the opposite bed. “Waitress?”

Lucky sighs and stands up, walking over to her. He sits down next to her, turning to face her. “Her name was Kimber, and she gave me a ride home one night when I had drunk too much. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, I just thought she was being nice, but she came back a few nights later to see how I was doing, at least that’s the excuse she gave me, and when I refused to let her in, she kissed me before leaving. It was totally uncalled for and uninvited. I didn’t kiss her back, I swear!”

Liz shakes her head, not sure what to think, but remains silent so he can continue.

“Anyway, I did everything I could after that to avoid her. I didn’t go to Jake’s anymore, and I even moved into Sonny’s penthouse so she couldn’t find me. Well, actually, the main reason was because living in our house had gotten too painful, every time I turned around, something reminded me of you, and I was always depressed.”

She sighs and takes his hands, her anger fading away when she hears the anguish in his voice. “I’m sorry,” she says quietly. Lucky shakes his head and squeezes her hands, then continues with his story.

“I may have run into her a few times after that, I really don’t remember. V booked my release party at Jake’s, which I tried to get out of, but she wouldn’t budge, so I just did a really short set. Unfortunately, Kimber was working that night, and she cornered me later. Luckily, Dad came over and rescued me, so I managed to avoid any confrontations with her that night. I thought it was the last time I would have to see her, since I was determined to avoid Jake’s at all costs from then on out.”

He takes a deep breath while he collects his thoughts, then looks up and meets her gaze. She’s looking at him intently, trying to figure out what he’s about to say, not sure if she should be upset or not.

“Everything was fine, until Emily had her baby. We were all at the hospital, and I was doing all right, I was actually feeling happy for her and Nikolas, trying not to dwell on the fact that we might never get the chance to have a baby. I guess I was wrong, but back then all I knew was that no one could find you, and everyone had pretty much figured that you were dead. I was trying not to think about it, to just be happy for them, but then Emily asked if they could name her Elizabeth, and something in me kind of snapped. I told them they could do it, then went for a walk. Somehow, I ended up at Jake’s, but since it was the middle of the afternoon, I didn’t think Kimber would be working.”

“Was she?” Liz asks quietly, a knot forming in her stomach at the direction his story is taking. Lucky nods and looks down into his lap.

“Yeah, she was covering for someone. Anyway, like an idiot, I stayed and drank too much again, and she offered to drive me home. I was too far gone to argue. Since she didn’t know about Sonny’s place, she brought me back to our house. I don’t remember how, but we ended up in...” he swallows, knowing this is going to be hard. “in the bedroom...”

Liz gasps and releases his hands, sliding back on the bed. “Our bedroom?”

“Yeah, but nothing happened,” he says quickly. “I mean, at least, not what you think. I was too drunk to even walk, so she had to help me to the bed, and I don’t know how it happened, but I... I kissed her. Or she kissed me, I don’t remember. All I know is that I was depressed and lonely and missing you so much that I couldn’t even think straight sometimes, and I guess I was just weak, but then V showed up and kicked her out, so that’s all that happened. I swear, Elizabeth, nothing else ever happened, and I regretted doing it right away, I knew it was wrong, I knew, but I just didn’t have the strength to stop it.”

Liz thinks for a moment, trying to sort out her feelings. She’s relieved that nothing more happened, but at the same time, there’s something nagging at her, something that he hadn’t said, but that she needs to know. She looks up into his tear-filled eyes and takes a deep breath. “I need to know...if V hadn’t shown up...would you...would you have stopped anyway? Or would you have kept going?”

Lucky is silent, thinking back to that night, not wanting to lie to her, but not really sure what he would have done.

Unnerved by his silence, Liz asks him again, her voice trembling. “Lucky, please tell me the truth. Would you have slept with her if V didn’t find you?”

Lucky rubs his face, wishing he could, in all honesty, say no, but he can’t. “I don’t know. I really don’t. I...I...I might have.”

Liz jumps off the bed and backs towards the stairs. “You might have? I don’t believe this...”

He stands up and hurries over to her, trying to explain, to defend himself. “Elizabeth, wait! I’m sorry, I wish it never happened, you don’t know how much I wish that. I love you, and I would never do anything to hurt you, you have to know that!”

She shakes her head and dodges away from him, her eyes blazing. “How could you stand there and act like I betrayed you, when you had done the same thing? I begged you to forgive me, to give me another chance! How could you...?” Unable to look at him any longer, she turns and runs up the stairs, slamming the door behind her. Lucky leans against the wall and slides down to the floor, burying his face in his hands as his tears begin to fall.

~*~

Liz bursts onto the deck and runs to the bow of the boat, sobbing. Laura glances at Luke with concern before following her, wondering what her son had done this time.

“Liz, honey, what’s wrong?” she asks softly, coming up behind her and gently touching her shoulder. Liz turns around and falls into her arms, her body shaking. “What happened? Is he still mad?”

She shakes her head and sniffs, trying to calm down enough to speak. “No, he forgave me,” she says in between sobs.

“Then why are you so upset?” Laura asks, rubbing her back.

“He told me about the waitress...the woman he almost...” she sobs harder, cutting off her words.

“Kimber?” Laura asks, surprised that he had told her so soon, but also surprised at her reaction. “Oh, honey, nothing happened with her, not really. He loves you so much, and he was so heartbroken and lonely....”

Liz shakes her head again and pulls back. “But he was so horrible to me before, when he found out about Sergei. How could he have been so mean, made me feel so guilty, when he hadn’t been any better?”

“I don’t know, I think he just reacted without really thinking about it,” she answers, smoothing Liz’s hair away from her face. “I know you’re angry, but just try to remember that he loves you, and that he was acting that way because he was confused and hurt. When he found you on that island, he never expected to find out any of that, he was taken by surprise, and he reacted the only way he knows how, by pulling away.”

“I still can’t believe he kissed her,” she says softly, still trying to process everything.

“Liz, if it makes you feel any better, he wouldn’t have done anything with her,” V says, stepping forward. “As soon as she was gone, he passed out.”

Liz smiles slightly, almost laughing. “Thanks, V,” she says, walking over to hug her. “Thanks for watching out for him.”

“Anytime,” she says, hugging her back. “He was hurting so much, I just wanted to see him happy again. Now I see that he’s only happy when he’s with you. Why don’t you just agree that you both did something that you normally wouldn’t have, and leave it at that?”

Liz steps back and nods. “Maybe you’re right.”

~*~Chapter 82~*~

Luke walks over to the three women, cradling the baby in his arms. “So, are you going to go down there and let him off the hook?”

Liz shakes her head and sits down next to Sergei. “Not yet. I know it’s probably mean, but after what he put me through before, it seems only fair to make him suffer a little longer.”

Luke chuckles and puts her son in her lap. “Well, I can’t say I blame you. It might even do him some good to sit down there and think for a while. I should warn you, though, this Kimber person is pretty persistent. She’s probably still skulking around, waiting for Lucky to come back. Don’t let her get to you, okay? She’s nothing to him, just a nuisance, a fly he has to keep swatting away.”

“Thanks, I’ll try to remember that,” she says, rocking the baby in her arms. “But if she tries anything when we get back...”

“I’m sure she will,” Laura says. “But I also know that you’ll put her in her place, and hopefully she’ll finally leave him alone.”

“Oh, if she does so much as breathe on him, I’ll do more than just put her in her place!” she says adamantly, already feeling a strong hatred for the woman, even though she has yet to meet her.

Luke laughs and pats her on the back. “It’s good to have you back, Liz. Now maybe things can go back to normal.”

“I bet Sonny will be happy to have his place to himself again,” V says with a laugh. “Lucky’s been living with him for months now, he must be getting sick of him!”

Luke shakes his head. “Nah, I’m sure he liked having the cowboy around. That penthouse is too dark and dreary to be by himself all the time. He was probably relieved to have some company for a change.”

The boat begins to slow down, and everyone looks up to see that they’re edging towards the dock. “It’s about time!” V says with relief. “I swear, if I never step foot on another boat, it will be too soon!”

“Who’s going to go down and tell Lucky that we’re here?” Laura asks, looking towards the door.

Liz shakes her head. “I’m not ready yet. Luke, can you do it?”

“Of course, darlin’,” he says, then turns to go downstairs. When he gets to the bottom, he sees Lucky on the floor, his knees pulled up to his chest. He looks up when he hears Luke’s footsteps, hoping it’s Elizabeth. His face is red and tear-stained, and he quickly wipes his eyes and stands up.

“What do you want now?” he asks bitterly, wanting to be left alone.

“Thought you’d like to know the boat’s docking. We’re leaving for the airport in a minute.”

“Oh, okay.” He looks down at his feet, not sure he’s ready to face everyone yet. Luke sighs and turns to leave, taking his silence as a sign that he doesn’t want to talk about it. “Wait, Dad?” he asks, looking up at him miserably.

“Yeah?” Luke asks, turning around.

“How is she? Is she really mad?” he asks softly, his voice cracking.

“Well, she’s pretty upset,” he answers, watching as Lucky’s face falls. “She’ll come around, just give her time. Frankly, I think she deserves to be a little angry, after what you put her through. You let that Spencer pride get the best of you, and now you’re paying for it. Maybe next time, you’ll think before you lay judgment on her.”

Lucky nods, knowing he’s right. “I will, believe me, I will. You go ahead, I’ll be up in a minute.” He waits for Luke to leave, then goes over and picks up the stack of letters he had been reading. He grabs the bag he had packed for Elizabeth and puts them inside, then scans the room for anything he may have forgotten before climbing the stairs, bracing himself for whatever is waiting for him.

He comes up on deck and looks around. The boat has already docked, and everyone except Luke and Jax have left. He can see Liz standing on the pier, holding their baby and talking to Laura, her back turned to him. He sighs and heads for the ramp, then turns back to his father.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“In a minute. We have to get the rest of our luggage,” he answers wryly. “Go ahead with the rest of them.”

Lucky nods, having forgotten that Helena was in the bowels of the ship somewhere, and that they were bringing her back with them. He leaves the boat and walks over to the small group on the dock.

“Hi, honey,” Laura says sadly, reaching out to hug him. “How are you?”

“Okay,” he answers simply, looking over at Liz, admiring the way she held their child. “Elizabeth?” he asks softly, wanting desperately to reach out to her, but afraid of her reaction.

She looks up at him, her eyes filling with tears. Closing them, she turns her head away. “Not now, Lucky.”

He flinches at the anger in her voice, then looks up as three cars pull to a stop next to them. He looks over at Laura. “Can you guys take the first one?” he asks, motioning at V and Sergei. She nods and ushers them to the car, leaving him and Liz alone.

“We have to go to the airport,” he says softly, reaching out to take her arm. She pulls away, then walks ahead of him, getting into the second car. He quickly follows, determined to make things right between them. Once they’re inside, he turns to her and sighs.

“Elizabeth, what do you want me to do? I’m sorry for what I did, for what I almost did, for the way I treated you before. I’m sorry for everything. I acted like an idiot, I let my pride get the best of me, and I probably don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m asking for it anyway. Please, Elizabeth, let me back into your heart, and I promise I won’t ever break it again!”

Liz finally looks up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Lucky, how can you think, even for a moment, that you’re not in my heart? You always have been, and you always will be, no matter what happens.”

He smiles and reaches out to touch her face, praying this means she’s willing to take him back. “I love you so much, I can’t stand the thought of ever losing you again.”

She adjusts her hold on the baby, freeing one of her arms, then gently touches Lucky’s cheek, catching a tear as it falls from his eye. “You’re not going to lose me, I don’t think you could, even if you tried. I love you too much to let you go.”

He wipes away one of her tears, then leans forward, pulling her close to him and gently kissing her. She responds instantly, wrapping her free arm around his neck, losing herself in his kiss, feeling her body slowly come alive for the first time in nearly a year. Suddenly, the baby lets out a small cry, and they break apart, breathless. Liz immediately begins to rock him, trying to soothe him back to sleep, while Lucky watches in wonder.

“You’re good at that,” he says softly, once he’s asleep again. “I always knew you’d be a good mother.”

She looks up at him and smiles, her face glowing with happiness. “And I always knew you’d be a good father. Um, this may not be the right time, but we should really think of a new name for him. I don’t know about you, but I can’t call him Mikkos any longer.”

Lucky shakes his head, looking over her shoulder at his son. “You’re right, we need to change it right away. Did you have any ideas?”

“One. Lucas Lorenzo Spencer III? I just don’t know what we’d call him. All the nicknames are taken already!”

“I think it would be okay if we called him Luke, don’t you?” he asks, still gazing at the baby.

Liz smiles at him, then looks down at her son lovingly. “I think it would be fine, and your father will be really touched.” She then lays her head on his shoulder, finally at peace, her family back together, the way it was meant to be.

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