Chapter 11

Elizabeth took a deep breath. It felt so good to be back in Port Charles. She picked up her bag and weaved through the airport, looking for a cab. An hour later, she was standing on Audrey's front porch. So many memories flooded back to her, she had to sit down on the step for a moment. Lucky was everywhere she looked. Ever since she got back, she couldn't stop thinking about him. No matter where she looked, she saw his face.

She sighed. "This is why I went to New York," she muttered to herself, standing up and digging out her keys. Audrey was at the hospital that day, so she had the house to herself for a while. She went upstairs and dropped her bags on her bed. Her room was just as she had left it. The pictures of her and Lucky were still on her mirror, all the little momentos were everywhere. She gazed at the window, a tear sliding down her face. She knew coming home would be hard, it always was. The first few minutes were always the worst, though. She had gotten used to being in New York, away from the constant reminders of him, so now that she was here, she was in sensory overload. No matter where she went, they had shared a memory there.

She sighed. Not wanting to stay in her old room for too long, she decided to visit Luke. She brushed her hair quickly and left the house.

~*~

Lucien was walking along the docks, looking at the water. He had spent most of the day with Nikolas yesterday, trying to figure out what was going on with their grandmother, but they hadn't been able to think of anything. He was supposed to meet him later in the afternoon, but until then, he couldn't stay cooped up in his hotel room, so he decided to take a walk.

"Hello, Laura," he heard suddenly from behind him. Recognizing the name, he quickly darted behind a wall. He couldn't see the people anymore, but could hear them clearly.

"Tony, it's good to see you," a soft female voice answered. As soon as he heard it, he felt at peace. He didn't know why, but the sound of her voice instantly calmed him.

"What brings you out here?" Tony asked.

"Oh, I promised Stefan I would stop by this morning and discuss Nikolas. He doesn't see him much now that he's moved out, and I think he's going through withdrawal." She laughed gently.

"What does Luke think about this?"

"He's fine with it, as long as I'm not there all day. He knows that Stefan is Nikolas's father, and because of that, I have to see him sometimes. It took him a while to accept it, but I think he finally has."

"Well, you look very happy, so I'm glad that you could finally come to an agreement. I'm off to the clinic, so I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye Tony."

Lucien waited until he heard the launch departing before he left his hiding place. He caught a glimpse of Laura as the boat sped off, but she was facing away from him, so all he could see was the back of her head. He couldn't get the sound of her voice out of his mind.

He started to walk away when he nearly ran into Carly. She laughed. "Well, this is the third day in a row that I've run into you. It must be fate."

He smiled. "Hello, Carly. How are you today?"

"I'm good. Please, let's sit down. Tell me how things went with your cousin."

They sat on a bench. He was glad that he had been able to make some friends here that didn't mind who he was. "It actually went rather well. He was surprised at first, of course, but he agreed to keep my secret for now. We're having lunch later this afternoon."

She smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you. I told you he was a good guy."

"So where are you off to today?" he asked, trying to get the conversation off of himself.

"Oh, I was just going to the warehouse to see my husband. I'm going to try to convince him to meet me for lunch. He's been working a lot lately, and he could use a break." She looked up, past Lucien, and smiled. "Hey, Sonny."

Lucien turned around to see who she was talking to. There was a small flicker of recognition in his mind, but he dismissed it immediately. He had heard about Sonny Corrinthos many times from his grandmother.

Sonny stood there, momentarily frozen in place. This must be the kid Luke was talking about. He was right, he definitely looked like Lucky. Not at first glance, but once he looked into the boy's eyes, it was like he was seeing at a ghost.

"Sonny, this is my friend, Lucien. He's new in town. Lucien, this is my husband's partner, Sonny Corrinthos." Carly said, not noticing the way Sonny was staring at him.

Lucien stood up and smiled. "It's good to meet you, Mr. Corrinthos. I've heard a lot about you." He extended his hand, and Sonny slowly shook it, finally snapping out of his shock.

He smiled back. "All good things, I hope."

Lucien laughed. "Well, not really, but I don't pay attention to gossip. I prefer to draw my own conclusions, and if Carly here likes you, then you must be a decent man."

Sonny nodded gratefully. "Thank you, although she didn't always like me. In fact, she used to despise me."

Carly laughed. "Yeah, well, I did a lot of stupid things back then. I'm more sensible now. Sonny, is Jason still at the warehouse?"

"Yeah, he's been there all morning. Why don't you go rescue him? He could use a break."

"That's exactly what I was telling Lucien just now." She turned to Lucien and smiled. "It was good to see you again. I'm glad things went well yesterday. Say hi to your cousin for me."

She rushed off to the warehouse, leaving Lucien and Sonny alone. Lucien cleared his throat. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but I have an appointment to get to. Have a good day, Mr. Corrinthos."

"You too." Sonny said as he left.

"Sonny!" He turned around to see who was calling him and grinned.

"Well, well. If it isn't Elizabeth Webber! What brings you back from the Big Apple?" he asked excitedly, giving her a big hug.

"I'm on a break, and thought I'd come see everyone. It's been a while since I was home. How are you doing?"

"Can't complain. How about you?"

"I just got some of my paintings into a gallery, so I guess things are good for me, too." She smiled, happy to be back again. She had missed everyone so much. After Lucky's death, she had become close to Sonny. He had comforted her after the fire, and they had talked about what it was like to lose someone close to you. He told her about how hard he had taken Lily's and Brenda's deaths, and it made her feel better to know she wasn't the only one who had to deal with a loss like that.

Sonny was secretly relieved that she hadn't come across him a minute earlier, while Lucien was still there. She would have recognized the resemblance instantly, and he hated the thought of her reliving the pain of losing Lucky again. "So where are you off to in such a hurry?"

She smiled. "I wanted to surprise Luke. Is he at the club today?"

He nodded. "He's always at the club, sweetheart. He'll be happy to see you. Laura and him both miss you very much. You've become like a daughter to them, you know."

"I know. They're like my surrogate parents. I love them to pieces. I don't know what I would have done after the fire if they hadn't been there...." she trailed off, remembering how distraught they had all been.

Seeing her sudden sadness, he quickly hugged her. "It's hard to come back here sometimes, isn't it? You probably see him everywhere."

She nodded sadly. "How did you know? That's exactly what I was thinking earlier."

"The same thing happened to me when Jason brought me back here after Brenda died. No matter where I went, there was a reminder of her. Trust me, once you're back for a day or so, it gets easier. Maybe you just get numb, I don't know, but at least it stops hurting so much."

She sniffed. "Thanks, Sonny. You always know how to make me feel better. I think I'm going to go to Luke's now. I'll see you around later, though, okay?"

He smiled warmly at her. "You better. Have a good time, sweetie." They hugged again, and she left the docks, heading for Luke's.

Graphics Courtesy Of: