Chapter 1
Backgorund: Most of the background will be explained throughout the story. The main things you might need to know is that this takes place a few years in the future, when Lucky and Elizabeth are about 22 years old. Everything up until the Valentine's Day dance happened, but all the stuff afterwards didn't. (The rape, the fire, etc.)
Lucky stepped out of the car and smiled. "Home sweet home," he muttered, looking at the building in front of him. It felt good to be back, to be in a town where he wasn't "Lucky", the international superstar/rock singer. Here he was just Lucky Spencer, son of Luke and Laura. Here, there were no screaming fans, no drivers, no bodyguards (unless Sonny had one on him - Sonny's guards were the only ones he had never been able to spot), and no agents.
He could have gone to his parents' house first and surprised them, but he was hungry, and he figured it was tradition for him to come here. The very first time he came to Port Charles, he went straight to Kelly's. Granted, Ruby wouldn't be there waiting for him this time, but who was he to break tradition? Maybe his other aunt, Bobbie would be there instead.
Before he could go inside, his cell phone rang. "Now why didn't I just turn that darn thing off?" he groaned, flipping the phone open. "Yeah?"
"Hey, Spence. You in Port Chucky yet?"
Lucky laughed. Since his stage name was Lucky, everyone he worked with called him 'Spence' instead. "Rich, you just can't live without me, can you? I've been gone for a day and you're already calling?" Richard had been his road manager for the past year, and they had become close friends. He missed his company, but he needed to do this, to reconnect with his family and friends at home.
"What can I say man? You're my meal ticket! I still can't believe you left me like that. Didn't what we have mean anything to you?" he joked.
"Oh, knock it off. I needed this vacation, and you know it. I can't tour non-stop! Don't worry, I'll be back out on the road before you know it. I just need to catch up with the family, remind myself who I really am."
"All right, Spence. I know better than to try to change your mind. Keep it touch, okay?"
"You got it. Later, man." He closed the phone and looked up at Kelly's again.
"Here goes nothing!" he muttered, opening the door to the diner. He walked inside, smiling at how it hadn't changed a bit. The same tables, same curtains, even the centerpieces were the same. He could still picture Ruby behind the counter, growling at people, giving out advice, always ready to give him a hug. His eyes misted up a bit at the memory. He shook his head and looked around.
'Wow, this place is dead!' he thought. The diner was totally empty. He didn't even see any employees loitering around, unless they were all in the kitchen. Then again, it was the middle of the afternoon, too late for lunch, but too early for dinner. Kelly's was always pretty slow around that time of day. As far as he knew, Tammy and Bobbie were still running it, but it had been so long since he spoke to his father, he wasn't sure who took care of it now.
Lucky wandered over to the jukebox and scanned the song list. There were some older, more nostalgic songs, as well as the newer stuff. And yes, a couple of his more recent hits were there as well. "Something tells me V was behind that."
"Can I help you?" a female voice asked from behind him. He spun around, startled for a moment. As soon as he saw her, he froze.
~*~
Elizabeth sighed and grabbed a new sponge. The diner had been pretty slow all day, and she was using the lull in business to get some much-needed cleaning done. She was tackling the oven, something that had obviously not been done for a very long time.
"Four years of art school, and here I am, squatting on the floor, cleaning an oven. Who would have thought?" she mumbled to herself. She had been more than happy to take over Kelly's when Tammy left, but there were days like this one where she found herself wondering what was going through her head when she agreed to do it! But then, she would remember that she was the only one Luke and Bobbie trusted enough. She had worked there as a waitress ever since she moved to town at the age of 15. She left for four years to go to art school, but always came back on her breaks and helped them out.
One day, Tammy decided to move to California and try her hand at acting, leaving Luke and Bobbie without a manager. Bobbie was too busy at GH to do it full-time, and Luke had too much with his own club, so they asked Liz if she could fill in until they found someone permanent. That was a year ago, not that she minded. She loved running Kelly's, most of the time. It still gave her time to paint, and the money was good.
She chuckled to herself. "If Ruby could see me now!"
The bell over the door jingled, signaling that someone had come in. "Ugh, right in the middle of this, too."
She sighed and stood up, quickly washed her hands, and went out into the restaurant to see who was there.
A man about her age had walked in and was busy inspecting the jukebox. He had short, light brown hiar, that fell a little bit over his eyes. He was wearing sunglasses, which struck her as strange, since they were indoors. Figuring it was a tourist, she smiled and approached him.
"Can I help you?" she asked politely, hoping he wouldn't want anything to eat. Her cook had gone home early, and she still didn't quite have the hang of making half the things on their menu. Plus, there was the issue of the oven being out of commission while she cleaned it!
The man turned around to face her, obviously startled by her sudden presence. His smile immediately faded as soon as he saw her. They stood there for a moment, not moving. She had a feeling she knew him, but couldn't place him without being able to see his eyes. As if on cue, he slowly removed his sunglasses.
She groaned in recognition. He rolled his eyes.
"You," they said, in unison.
I seem to recognize your face
Haunting, familiar, yet I can't seem to place it
Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name
Lifetimes are catching up with me
All these changes taking place, I wish I'd seen the place
But no one's ever taken me
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away...
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away...
I swear I recognize your breath
Memories like fingerprints are slowly raising
Me you wouldn't recall, for I'm not my former
It's hard when you're stuck upon the shelf
I changed by not changing at all, small town predicts my fate
Perhaps that's what no one wants to see
I just want to scream...hello...
My god its been so long, never dreamed you'd return
But now here you are, and here I am
Hearts and thoughts they fade...away...
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away...
Hearts and thoughts they fade...away...
Hearts and thoughts they fade, fade away...
Hearts and thoughts they fade...
[Song Credit: "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" by Dave Abbruzzese, Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder. (Pearl Jam) © 1997 Jumpin' Cat Music, Innocent Bystander, Pickled Fish Music, Write Treatage Music, Scribing C-Ment Songs, PRI Music, Inc.]
