Chapter 103
Lucky glanced up at the clock and sighed. He was supposed to go on in about 20 minutes, and as far as he could tell, Elizabeth wasn’t there yet. He had hoped he would be able to see her before the show, but it was starting to look like that wasn’t going to happen.
The door opened and he looked up expectantly, but frowned when he saw that it was just Rich. “Hey, man. What’s up?”
Rich chuckled lightly and shook his head. “Expecting someone else?”
Lucky shrugged, trying to look indifferent. “Not really. Is everything set out there?”
“Yeah, pretty much. They had some trouble with the amps. We’re not used to setting up in such a small venue.”
“Well, sorry, but Port Charles doesn’t exactly have a lot of stadiums. The Outback is the best we could do. I’m sure they did fine with it.” He paused, studying Rich’s reflection behind him in the mirror. “Hey, you didn’t happen to see Elizabeth out there, did you?”
Rich hid a small smile and shook his head. Charisma was going to love hearing that one. “Not yet, but I’m sure she’ll be here in time for the show. I better get back to the stage and do one last soundcheck. I’ll see you in a few.”
“Later,” Lucky said, looking at the clock again. Fifteen minutes left. Where was she?
~*~
Liz paced anxiously in her living room, looking at her watch every few seconds. Lucky’s show was supposed to start in a half an hour, and she had hoped she would have time to see him beforehand. Unfortunately, Luke had convinced her to ride over to the Outback with him and Laura, and now they were late. She grumbled to herself about how she would kill him later and reached for her purse, ready to just drive over by herself, when the doorbell rang.
“It’s about time!” she groaned, rushing for the door. She swung it open and hurried out onto the porch.
“Whoa there, where’s the fire?” Luke asked with a laugh. “I know we’re a little later, but there’s still plenty of time.”
Liz blushed a little and shrugged. “Sorry, I guess I’m just anxious about seeing Lucky again. I thought I could drop by his dressing room before the show if there was time, since I couldn’t meet him at the airport.”
“Oh, well, I guess we better get cracking then. Come on, I can get us there in ten minutes.” Luke led her over to his car and opened the back door for her. Once she was in, he walked around to the drivers’ side, chuckling to himself about her reaction. It was obvious she was nervous about seeing Lucky again, he just hoped it was the kind of nervous that meant she was finally falling for him.
Luke was right, he did get them there in record time, even though Laura kept yelling at him to slow down. He pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and hurried with them inside. Liz thanked him for the ride and went off in search of Charisma.
“What did I tell you, babe? She’s head over heels for our kid,” he said, wrapping his arm around Laura’s shoulders.
She smiled and followed him to a table near the front, which had been reserved for them. “It’s about time!”
~*~
Alexis saw Liz come into the room and jumped out of her seat to follow her. She had been watching the door for the past fifteen minutes, wondering if she was going to show up. She rushed over to her, hoping she could catch her before someone else did.
“Liz!”
Liz turned around at the sound of her name. “Hey, Alexis. Have you seen Lucky yet?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, but I’ve been looking for you. Here, they’re all ready.” She held out a stack of papers and nodded for Liz to take them.
“Are those....?” Liz asked, her smile faltering as she saw the document in Alexis’s hands.
“The divorce papers,” she said softly, leaning in so no one could hear them. “All you guys have to do is sign by the Xs, and you’re officially divorced.”
Liz frowned and took them from her, wishing she could somehow make them disappear. She wasn’t ready for this yet, she had hoped they’d have some more time. “Um, thanks for being so quick. I’m sure Lucky will be grateful...”
“I take it you talked to him about how you feel?” she asked, looking at Liz sympathetically.
“Not really. I was going to, but then he seemed so happy about the divorce, I figured there wasn’t any point. Why embarrass myself when I already know what his answer will be?”
Alexis reached out to hug her, knowing all too well what she was going through. “I’m sorry, honey, I had hoped things would work out better for you. I really thought the two of you had something there.”
Liz sniffed and let go of her. “Well, that’s what we were trying to make everyone think. I guess he’s just a really good actor, because he made me start to believe it, too.”
Alexis thought for a moment, trying to find some piece of advice that would help the girl. “Why don’t you go see him, see what his reaction is to the papers? The show doesn’t start for another fifteen minutes.”
“Actually, that’s where I was going when you caught up with me. I was looking for Charisma to find out where he was,” she said, smiling guiltily. “Have you seen her?”
“I think she’s by the stage. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Alexis, for everything.” Liz smiled and walked away, searching the small crowd for Charisma. Finally, she found her.
“Hey, Liz,” she greeted, smiling warmly as she approached. “How are you doing?”
“Okay. Would it be possible for me to see Lucky before the show?” She tried to act calm, but couldn’t help being a little nervous. She hadn’t seen him in three weeks, and if that weren’t enough, now she had the divorce papers to worry about.
Charisma chuckled slightly. “Well, since he’s been asking about you nearly every five minutes, I think I better let you back there. Go ahead, it’s right down that hallway, second door on the right.”
Liz was thrown by her statement. Why had he been asking about her? Was it to keep up the charade, or did he really want to see her? She thanked Charisma and hurried down the hallway, pausing briefly in front of his door to collect herself before knocking. She ran a hand over her hair to make sure it was still in place, then looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a slim-fitting pair of black pants with a purple tube top and matching jacket, which hung open. After making sure she was presentable, she took a deep breath and knocked.
“It’s open!” Lucky called out from the other side. She felt her pulse jump a little at the sound of his voice and quickly scolded herself for it. She couldn’t let him see how excited she was, not until she was sure how he felt.
She opened the door slowly and poked her head inside. Lucky was sitting at a dressing table, reading a magazine. He didn’t look up, figuring it was Rich again.
“Hey. Charisma told me it was okay if I came back here,” she said softly.
Lucky jumped and spun around to face her. “Elizabeth! I wasn’t expecting to see you until after the show.” He wanted to rush over to her and hug her, but since there weren’t any “witnesses” around, she might find it strange, so he forced himself to stay seated. He looked her over, amazed at how beautiful she looked. How had he not noticed that before? Sure, he had noticed when she dressed up, but even in more casual clothes, she was radiant.
Liz walked into the room and made her way over to him, wishing Charisma or someone was around so she’d have an excuse to hug him. “I thought you might want to see these.” She held out the divorce papers. “Alexis sort of grabbed me as soon as I walked in. She finally finished them.”
Lucky swallowed nervously as he took the papers from her. “That was fast. I thought it would take longer to process.”
She shrugged, still not sure what to make of his reaction. “Me too, but I guess they don’t call her the best lawyer in town for nothing.”
He sighed and looked down at the document in his hands. “Good point. So what do we do, just sign them and give them back to her?”
“Yeah, that’s what she said. I figured you’d want them right away.” She fidgeted for a moment, not sure what else to say. “I should probably go so you can finish getting ready.”
Lucky looked up at her and frowned. He didn’t want her to go yet, but she was right, he did have to go on soon. The divorce papers had thrown him for a loop, and he wasn’t as focused on performing as he had been a few minutes ago. “So, you think the show’s actually going to happen this time?” he asked with a small smirk, a futile attempt to prolong her from departure. “No one’s been shot tonight?”
Liz laughed and shook her head. “No, we’re not at Luke’s this time. People get shot there, not here.”
“Not true,” he corrected. “Mac was shot here once.”
“Right, I forgot about that. But, that was because of Jason, and he and Sonny aren’t here as far as I could tell, so you’re probably safe to go on.”
He nodded and stood up, setting the divorce papers down on the dressing table. “I guess so. I should go find the band, then, make sure they’re all ready.” He walked over to her and smiled. “It’s good to see you again. You look great.”
She smiled up at him, touched by the compliment. “Thanks. So do you. No leather pants tonight?”
He laughed and shook his head. “No, not for a concert. They’re too uncomfortable.”
“Well, I better get to my seat, then. I think Charisma said she saved me a place at her table.”
“Okay. I’ll see you after the show then?”
“Yeah. See you then.” She started to leave, then turned back to him. “This might sound strange, but I kind of missed you these past few weeks.”
Lucky couldn’t help smiling. “Really? I missed you too. The tour bus wasn’t quite the same after you left.”
She reached for the door and smiled back at him. “Thanks. I better get out there. Good luck, break a leg, or whatever.”
He laughed as she left the room, then looked back at the papers on his table. He had to do something fast, or else he might lose her forever. Getting an idea, he rushed out of the room to the stage and grabbed his band.
“Guys, I want to close with the new song. Do you think you know it well enough to perform it?”
