Devolution TOC

Chapter 103

Friday Night

Lucky walked behind Tony, carrying his small blue suitcase stuffed with several pairs of blue jeans, teeshirts, and sweatsuits as well as an electric razor, six golf balls and numerous letters and cards that he'd saved. The suitcase seemed heavy to him, and it kept bumping into the side of his leg as he trudged along the brick path that led to the massive front porch of Tony and Bobbie's restored Victorian. Lucky noted the flowers that seemed to spill from the earth and pots in every nook and cranny. Firecracker red and pink exploded in a welcoming blaze of color and added to the homey feel of the property.

Lucky stood on the porch and looked around as Tony fiddled with the front door. A sign caught his eye - it was hanging by the mailbox. Spencer Jones Residence, it read. Lucky smiled and pointed. "Hey,Tony. Did you know that Spencers come before Joneses?"

Tony turned toward Lucky and then moved his eyes to the sign. "Oh," he nodded. "We're outnumbered. There are three Spencers and two Joneses living here. Lucas and I are in the minority."
Lucky nodded with satisfaction. "Think you can handle it? All those Spencers per square foot?"

Tony turned the knob on the front door and called out behind him as he entered. "I'll let you know. I might have to take some self-defense courses. Kung Fu or Judo."

Lucky crossed the threshold and held his breath nervously. He was home. He was finally out of the locked mental ward. I'm going to make this work. There's no way I'm going back. This has to work. As soon as he laid his suitcase down on the parquet wooden floor of the foyer, a little girl's high voice called out happily, and the sound of running feet beat a staccato pace through the house. "Luck-eeeee!"

Lucky exhaled. "Lulu!" he answered with a broad grin. Lucky knelt with one knee on the floor, and Lulu snuggled into his arms. Lucky hugged her back tightly and ran his hand over the long, brown hair that trailed down her back. Lulu placed a kiss on his cheek, and Lucky laughed in surprise. She stroked his cheek with a small hand and said, "You don't have a beard anymore." She frowned and pointed at his head. "You hair is short!" she exclaimed. "It was as long as mine last time I saw you."

Lucky rose up and brushed off his jeans. "I cut it," he explained. "It was simple. Chop, chop, chop." He made a cutting scissors motion with his hand.

"I don't cut my hair anymore," Lulu replied coyly as she swung her head swung back and forth to show Lucky how much hair she had.

Lucky smiled and noticed the large bow placed in his sister's hair to match the pretty outfit that she wore. Aunt Bobbie takes good care of her, he thought. She's happy.

"One hug is not enough," Lucky complained. "Come here, gimme another." Lulu flung herself against Lucky, her head barely reaching his waist. Lucky cupped her head gently and said, "It's good to see you, little sister. I missed you."

Lulu jumped back and smiled brightly. "Me, too. I'm glad you're going to live with us, Lucky. Do you want me to give you a tour of the house?" Lulu grasped Lucky's hand and pulled him protesting through the living room. "But I've already seen the house, Lulu-belle." She shook her head. "I can give you the grand tour - no charge either."

~*~*~*~

"Lucky, I made lasagna - that's your favorite, isn't it? I know it used to be." Bobbie stood at the counter and sliced the steaming dish hot from the oven.

Lucky smiled shyly. "Yes, it's still my favorite. It smells great. Thanks, Aunt Bobbie." Lucky was seated with Tony, Lucas, and Lulu at the round, oak family dinner table in the kitchen. Four pills were lying beside his glass of water, and his hand rested on the table beside his plate. He began fiddling with the green plaid woven placemat resting underneath the tableware.

Lucas was seated beside Lucky and couldn't help noticing that Lucky's hand was shaking with a tremor that came and went as the minutes passed. He tried not to look at it because he recalled the discussion with his mother when she told him that Lucky might look different or do things that surprised Lucas and that he should be casual about it, not stare or bring attention to what he noticed. If he had any questions, he could ask his mother or father later in private.

Lulu swung her legs back and forth. She was seated across from Lucky and kept sneaking shy glances at her brother from underneath her lowered eyelashes. Staring at him was like seeing a living and breathing version of her mother and father combined into one person. To her, Lucky appeared half like Laura and half like Luke. She'd thought he'd looked so much like mommy when he'd had the same long hair at the hospital. She wondered why he cut it off when she'd been anticipating an extended comb and braid session with him upon his return. She couldn't get the hang of doing a braid even though she tried and tried. She wanted a human guinea pig to experiment with. A pang of regret and sadness hit Lulu in the stomach. Something about seeing Lucky up close at home reminded her of mommy and daddy's absence, and her lower lip stuck out a smidgen as she fingered the silverware beside the plate, pushing it with her fingers and watching as her fingerprints appeared on the shiny surface before evaporating and disappearing.

Lucky fingered the pills beside his glass while he waited for Bobbie to finish dishing up the lasagna. He squeezed them repeatedly between his thumb and forefinger. He and Tony had had a discussion about his medications before he left the hospital. Tony was adamant that Lucky take his medications regularly and on schedule. Tony had assured him that he trusted Lucky, but that he was going to personally hand him his medications when Lucky was home to satisfy his own concerns. Lucky remembered how much of a mother hen Tony had been when they'd lived together months ago, and he hadn't said much in response. He knew that he'd been immensely unreliable when it came to his medications. He understood Tony's point of view. He'd basically ditched or OD'd on his medications when given a chance.

It was scary, but he knew that these pills were the only things that would keep him from taking permanent residence in the hospital. Lucky rubbed the top of his head and rested it in the palm of his hand. Sometimes he wondered what was going on in there. Blood flowed, nerves communicated - why wouldn't his brain work right? Kevin had mentioned a genetic predisposition to some problems - affective disorders, depression in his case. And, the traumatic experiences had rewired his brain somehow, made it more susceptible to psychosis. That word really scared him, and the reality of it even more so. There were so many weeks of his life that he could barely recall, but he'd never forget the tremendous fear and confusion that had coldly swirled around him and rendered his life useless. It was like living in a Twilight Zone episode where objects and people warped and distorted beyond recognition and threatened him. It was as bad as living out a dream where you were suddenly naked in public or returned home to find that everyone had changed into someone else entirely and no one recognized you anymore as you slowly disappeared from reality. Lucky scooped up his pills in his hand and shoved them into his mouth, swallowing gratefully after taking a deep swig of his water.

After dishing up the lasagna, Bobbie sat down on the other side of Lucky and folded her napkin over her lap. "Will you say grace, Lucas?" she asked.

"God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen." Bobbie shook her head, and Lulu giggled at the rapid pace with which Lucas recited the blessing and then immediately dug into his piece of lasagna.

Bobbie felt a wave of relief and contentment wash over her with her family sitting down at the dinner table. Lucky was quiet, but that was understandable for his first evening home. She smiled at the way he quickly ate his dinner. The last time they'd fixed him a meal, he'd hardly eaten anything, and then it wasn't long after that he'd tried to kill himself. It seemed like life was coming full circle and the worst of it was behind them. She frowned lightly, unable to remember if Tony had talked to Lucky about not smoking around the children. She preferred that he didn't smoke on the property, believing that it might encourage small children that admired their older brother and cousin to pick up the habit later. She hated to impose a lot of restrictions on Lucky, preferring instead to welcome him with open arms and not insist on the details, but Kevin had made it clear that restriction and rules of the house would help ensure the success of integrating Lucky into the family. A roadmap of expectations would help them to keep on course.

Tony smiled at his nephew's appetite. He knew how desperately sick Lucky had become of the hospital food and the staff constantly pushing it on him. Lucky still needed to gain fifteen pounds to be at his normal weight, but with Bobbie's cooking, Tony had no doubt that would be accomplished within a month or two. Tony certainly had upped his own workout schedule, jogging three times a week now to keep the pounds from creeping up on him. What was the deal with being married that turned a person into a fat magnet? Tony chuckled. Of course they weren't officially married yet. Good luck to his waistline when that happened. Tony glanced at Lucky when the boy yawned loudly. Lucky's head hung over his plate, and his eyelids became hooded. I wish we could have him on a lower dosage of the anticonvulsant, Tony thought. But the other drugs force us to give him a high dosage. It's hard on him, though. He can barely keep awake sometimes. Good thing he's not driving.

~*~*~*~

"I'll help you get settled in your room," Tony offered as he rose from his seat. "You can skip dishwashing duty since it's your first night home."

Lucky laughed. "Thanks. Does that mean I'm on for tomorrow?"

Tony nodded. "Fraid so."

Lucky followed Tony up the stairs with slow, heavy steps, but he brightened up immediately when he entered his room. He set down the suitcase and exclaimed, "Wow," as he turned around, surveying the area. Bobbie had placed yet more finishing touches in this room - matching rugs, more lamps, and best of all, his laptop computer situated on his desk with a new ink jet printer beside it and a telephone. "This is so great," he said with a wide grin and shining eyes.

Bobbie appeared at the doorway and laughed. "Surprised?" she asked.

"You guys are unbelievable," Lucky exclaimed. "I don't know how to thank you - for everything." He sat down on his bed and fingered the bright bedspread that reminded him of the colors in Arizona. "I feel right at home. It's comfortable."

Bobbie walked over to the desk and placed her hand on the phone. "You have your own phone line so you won't tie up the other line if you're surfing the 'Net," she teased. "But you'll have to switch back and forth from the phone to the computer. Sorry."

Lucky shrugged. "That's easy. When I have a job, I'll get a cell phone," he replied.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. Mr. Brain is Mr. Technology Brain," Tony stated. "You're going to have to teach me some of your computer knowledge one of these days."

"You're not that bad," Lucky said. "You didn't mess up the system at the free-clinic, unlike some of those nurses."

Bobbie drew Lucky into a big hug. "I know I should say it more, but I love you, Lucky. You're very special to me. I'm so glad you're here with us. Now I feel like my family is whole."

"I love you, too. Thanks for being a special aunt." He pointed at Tony. "And you have good taste, too. Took you long enough to figure it out. I was running out of hints." Lucky's eyes shone. "Thanks, Tony. You're the best uncle a guy could have."

~*~*~*~

Lucky opened the small blue suitcase that Tony had brought him to pack up his meager belongings. It should have only taken him ten minutes to accomplish that task, but he was dragging his feet and letting his mind wander. He dropped the six golf balls lining the bottom of the suitcase into a desk drawer. He hadn't been out of the hospital for more than a few hours and already his calendar was filling. Saturday mornings were claimed by the free-clinic volunteer work that he'd be doing twice monthly, and Edward Quartermaine had claimed the other two Saturdays for golf lessons. Lucky bent to pick up one dimpled golf ball in his hand and tossed it up in the air, catching it and tossing it again.

Ever since he told Emily he was leaving the hospital soon, he'd been receiving golf balls in the mail from Edward Quartermaine. He wondered what it would be like to play golf with Emily's grandfather. For some reason, he wasn't as terrified of that thought as he'd been when Edward first brought up that subject back in December. In fact, after being cooped up in the hospital for five months, he was looking forward to spending some time in the sunshine - walking over a golf course wasn't so bad - was it? He could always tune out Edward's incessant monologue. Lucky laughed out loud as he remembered their conversation about business strategy and Bill Gates. Lucky wasn't sure why Edward was manufacturing these grandiose ideas about him; however, he was confident that he'd at least make a decent programmer if he could overcome his newly acquired learning disabilities.

But, Saturday evenings were free, and Lucky planned to spend lots of time with Emily. Already they had a date lined up for tomorrow night. Lucky had checked with Tony about going out, and his uncle had given him his blessing. Lucky sat down on the bed beside the blue suitcase and picked up a piece of paper. He frowned as he concentrated on reading it. Lucky had never seen so many rules of the house in his life - especially not spelled out like this in black and white. Growing up, his parents had let him come and go as he pleased, never assigning definite chores to him or asking him where he'd been. His father had believed in working on projects alongside his son. His mother usually wanted him out of her hair in the kitchen, so it was very unusual for him to help with the cooking or clean up. He remembered drying dishes with his dad sometimes if his mother was ill, and when she was pregnant with Lulu, but that's it.

This list outlined a schedule of chores for each of the children - Lucky, Lucas and Lulu. They seemed to be divided fairly among them according to age and ability. Basically, it looked like if you didn't help with dinner, you were placed on clean-up duty and vice versa. Lucky's mind drifted back to the days when he and his parents had first arrived in town, and there had been disagreements between them and his Aunt Bobbie over rules of the house and disciplining children. Lucky swallowed hard as he recalled those days. He'd forgotten how much of a hard-ass his Aunt Bobbie could be.

Lucky was hiding under his aunt's dining room table in the brownstone, shoveling away mouthfuls of cereal and milk.

Bobbie peeked under the table, drawing up the tablecloth and making a face. "Lucky, come out from under the table, please."

Lucky took another mouthful of cereal and talked with his mouth full. "No. I mean, I can't. It's daylight. This is a bat cave."

Bobbie placed her hands on her hips as a look of determination flooded her face. "Honey, it's not a bat cave, it's a table. All right, come on out. We've got to get dressed."

"My mom lets me eat here at home," Lucky replied firmly.

"What is it with you and your family and dining room tables. You've got a thing for them? Honey…This is not your mother's house - this is my house. And, in my house the rule is we do not eat under the table." Lucky screwed up his face and muttered under his breath as Bobbie continued to talk. "Now, I have given you fair warning. I want you to come out now…I'm going to count to three. One, two, three…I'm coming in."

As Bobbie argued with her nephew, Laura entered the room and asked curiously, "Is there a problem here?"

"Uh, Lucky is under the table," Bobbie replied.

"Well, is he hurting anyone?" Laura asked with a trace of annoyance.

Bobbie's face set and her tone turned insistent. "He's eating under the table, Laura. I've asked him very nicely to please come out, but he's refused."

Laura placed a calm expression on her face. "Bobbie? If you have a problem with my son could you come to me directly, and I will deal with it."

Bobbie harrumphed. "Well, you know I would be very happy to do that, but at the crucial moment when he decided he was going to eat his cereal under the table, you didn't happen to be here. I must say he certainly seems to have a strange sense of acceptable behavior. I can't imagine where he got it."

(Note: Dialogue transcribed from GH circa 1993.)

Lucky smiled in spite of himself. Tony was cool, and he was used to living with his uncle. Maybe Uncle Tony could soften his Aunt Bobbie's fervor over chores and discipline. Besides, he was very grateful that his aunt and uncle wanted him to live with them. It would work out - it had to. Still, he felt very nervous about slipping up or making mistakes. He wasn't totally sure where the lines were for being normal or for becoming a problem that needed to be rehospitalized. Kevin had said that the day facility would assist him in modifying his behavior and managing stress. He sure could use some stress relief right now.

Lucky rose from the bed and placed his pants and shirts into separate dresser drawers. He grabbed his electric razor and walked down the hall to the bathroom, pausing to open a drawer in the sink cabinet and stuff the thing inside. He glanced in the long, lighted mirror hanging over the sink and ran a hand over his hair. He was tired of it being short. Maybe he'd grow it out again - not as long as before, but maybe mid-length, almost to the shoulder. That'd be cheaper than haircuts, he told himself. Can't have Tony paying for everything. The bathroom was decorated in a typically Victorian manner with small, neat, diamond shaped black and white tiles on the floor, white painted beaded boarding and light blue paint above. There were several special touches that reminded one of its function as a children's bathroom. There were height appropriate hanging hooks on the wall for towels with the name of the owner lettered above. The two lower hooks came with the names Lucas and Lulu, and one much higher hook had the name Lucky spelled out. Lucky smiled and traced a finger over the letters of his name.

~*~*~*~

"Where's Lucky?" Bobbie asked curiously when Tony entered the kitchen.

"He's unpacking. I suggested that he lie down for awhile until Nikolas comes over. He looked beat."

"We have a wonderful chocolate cake for an impromptu mini-celebration," Bobbie said. She raised the cake topper and allowed Tony to take a fingertip sampling of the icing.

"Marvelous," he complimented. "You've put forth quite an effort to make Lulu and Lucky welcome in our home. I wanted you to know that I noticed."

Bobbie sighed and covered the cake. "I wasn't there for Lucky when his family fell apart. I have to carry that guilt with me, but if I can make a difference now, I will." She turned and leaned on the kitchen counter. Tony walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're a special lady, Bobbie. Don't sell yourself short," he whispered in her ear. "No one is perfect - even Spencers."

Bobbie turned quickly and laughed loudly. "Especially Spencers. We're the least perfect family in the universe." Bobbie wrapped her arms around Tony's waist and stated, "Come here, Jones, quit your gabbing and kiss me silly."

~*~*~*~

Lucky paced restlessly back and forth from his bed to the door. Tony had suggested that he rest until Nikolas came over, but after being alone for twenty minutes, a sense of uneasiness and vulnerability swept over him, taking him by surprise. He wasn't used to being on his own without a routine or people watching over him. Sure, it had annoyed him while he was in the hospital, but now he was at loose ends and felt out of sorts. The structured environment of the locked ward was a distraction that had offered the illusion of protection - protection against the inevitable return of Faison and against his own torturous thoughts. What if Faison came back for him? Who could stop the madman from kidnapping him again? Lucky had already decided if that happened, only one of them would emerge alive. He would fight to the death if need be. He was no one's victim, not anymore. He imagined his fingers around Faison's throat, digging and tearing into his flesh as he felt the man die beneath his angry hands.

Lucky's heart was pounding, and he felt dizzy. He sat down hard on the edge of his bed and placed a hand on his forehead. I was asleep when he nabbed me. I had my guard down. Lucky looked around the room with a cautious precision. There has to be a way to rig the room so I'd know instantly if someone were in here. He yawned loudly and blinked his eyes. I'm so tired. I'll take a rest and scope out the room tomorrow - I'll come up with a good plan. Lucky lay down on his side, curling up protectively and flexing his right hand slightly as he dropped off to sleep thinking, I wish I had my gun.

~*~*~*~

He was standing, but barely. The room was pitch black, and his wrists were shackled together and hanging by a chain over his head. His shoulders hurt viciously as they'd supported his weight for endless hours. He was pulled so far up that he could barely stand on his tiptoes. Periodically he relaxed his cramped calf muscles by relying on his shoulders to hold his body upright. No one would be rescuing him. He was dead to his father, mother, Elizabeth, Lulu, and his friends. He didn't exist anymore. He was a stranger to this world, an imposter in the universe - the ghost of Lucky Spencer. He wasn't supposed to be alive, but yet somehow he was. He was alive and living his hell.

He flexed his fingers, and his wrists roughly reminded him that his nerves were still in working order. He was alive, even if he didn't want to be. Would it ever be all right again? The silence of the room echoed around his being, mutely accusing him of all his sins past and present. One's mind tended to wander while the body was being tortured. A wave of shame and regret washed over him as he recalled his selfish acts - pushing a brother down the stairs and punching him verbally and physically countless times, coldly rejecting a loving father for crimes buried in the past, taking his parents' love and spitting it back at them with words of hate. He would do anything to survive this, to get back to them and make things right, to show them how much he really loved them. I'm losing my place in time. I'm nowhere, I'm nobody. The bright life and love of a boy dimmed, and in the pitch dark, his eyes sadly blinked and closed like a light extinguished.

"Lucky? Wake up." Tony gently shook Lucky's lower leg.

Lucky cried out and scrambled far back on his bed away from the ghost that stood in front of him. He panted with shards of panic attacking him. He was dying. Faison was hurting him.

Tony looked on in surprise at his nephew's reaction. "Did you have a bad dream?" he asked calmly.

"No," Lucky's sarcastic voice answered. "Bad life."

"Huh?" Tony looked confused.

Lucky ran a hand over his face, and his eyes focused on his uncle. "It's a joke, Tony."

"Gotcha. Your brother is downstairs. Why don't you come down and visit with him."

~*~*~*~

Lulu dragged Nikolas by the hand into the living room. "How did you like my doll collection?" she asked sweetly with lips that parted to reveal two missing front teeth.

"It was very nice, Lulu. You have quite a large number of dolls. Where do you find the time to play with all of them?"

Lulu's forehead wrinkled, and she looked up at the ceiling while her brain worked out the arithmetic. "I have one hundred and fifty dolls, but I want three hundred."

"A doll for each day of the year?" Nikolas asked incredulously. He sat down on an ottoman and pulled Lulu onto his lap, giving her a big hug and a kiss on her cheek.

"Sure!" Lulu piped up. "You bought me Mr. Sea Urchin when we went to the movies, but there are twelve other dolls in that collection. I want Mrs. Sand Crab and Senor Otter, too."

"Well, you're going to have to save your allowance, then," Nikolas said. "I can't buy you every doll under the sun. You have to choose which one you want and then save up the money for it."

Lulu's face fell. "That's not any fun," she protested.

"It's not supposed to be fun, Lulu-belle," Nikolas replied softly as he gently stroked her long, brown hair.

"Dolls are silly anyway. Monster trucks are better," Lucas informed his cousin. "If Lulu gets a doll, then I want another monster truck. The last one I got was when we went to the movies and McDonald's." Lucas pulled on his best sad face to impress Nikolas.

"Same goes for you, buddy," Nikolas replied firmly as he stood up and gently deposited Lulu onto a chair. "Presents are for birthdays and Christmas. Saving your allowance is for other toys you want. You need to learn discipline." My God, I sound like my uncle every time I talk to these kids.

Bobbie caught Tony's eye and communicated with him silently as she laughed inside at Nikolas' futile attempts at curbing Lucas and Lulu's mercenary ways.

"Hi Nikolas!"

Nikolas watched as his lanky younger brother bounded down the stairs and jumped down from the last three steps with a resounding bang that made the adults flinch and the children laugh. Lucky approached his brother rapidly and hugged him guy-style with lots of backslapping. Nikolas looked into Lucky's eyes briefly but didn't hold his gaze. Lucky's eyes didn't look the way they used to several years ago when they'd both been in high school, rivals for the affection of girls and a game playing mother. Then, Lucky's eyes had been brightly confident and cocky with a lot of light and fire. Now, they were noticeably duller, haunted almost. Nikolas heart constricted with the new knowledge that he had regarding who was mostly responsible for that light dimming.

"How does it feel to be home?" Nikolas asked.

"Great, great," Lucky replied quickly with a smile. "Still getting used to it - you know how it is."

Nikolas nodded in agreement. He frowned slightly when he noticed that Lucas and Lulu had disappeared.

"Lucky, Nikolas, why don't you come into the kitchen for a moment," Bobbie interrupted.

Lucky shrugged and grinned at his brother. They entered the kitchen, and Lucky's mouth hung open in surprise. "Welcome home," Lucas and Lulu shouted. Lulu clapped her hands and hopped up and down. There was a chocolate cake with a decorative, lit candle situated in the middle of the confection.

Tony held his hands behind his back and explained, "Lucas informs me that you're supposed to make a wish and blow out the candle for good luck the whole year long."

Lucky stood with his hands on his hips, and a lopsided grin crossed his face.

"Better make your wish." Nikolas clapped Lucky on the back, teasing him.

Lucky stepped up to the cake and closed his eyes tightly. Lord, please let Faison be caught and punished. He blew hard on the candle and extinguished its flame. Lucky opened his eyes and smiled. "Thanks, everybody. Thanks Aunt Bobbie."

"I can have one bite of yours," Lucas declared. "Mom said."

"Okay," Lucky agreed. "You can have the first bite. How's that?"

~*~*~*~

"Thanks for suggesting the walk," Lucky said as he and Nikolas stepped off of the porch of the house. "I'm not used to being around so many people at once and having to talk and interact with them. It'll take some time to adjust."

Nikolas pointed east. "Where does this go?" he asked.

"I don't know," Lucky replied. "Let's find out. It's headed in the opposite direction of town. Most of the streets around here are laid out on a square grid, so we shouldn't get lost if we wander a bit."

"I must confess," Nikolas said sheepishly. "I have an ulterior motive for wanting to take a walk." He reached into his pants pocket and drew out a pack of cigarettes. "Bobbie read me the riot act about not smoking anywhere near Lucas or Lulu. I guess I see her point."

Lucky held out his hand. "You're giving me one, brother."

Nikolas placed a cigarette in his mouth and handed the pack to Lucky. "Only two," he said. "I don't want to be responsible for any drug interactions or military moves by Bobbie."

"Aunt Bobbie needs to chill," Lucky said peevishly as he selected two cigarettes and handed the pack back to Nikolas. "I know she doesn't want the kids to smoke or be around it, but if we leave the property, it's our business. We're adults."

Nikolas lit up and took a deep drag. "But as adults we should be more responsible with our bodies," Nikolas admitted. "I'm thinking about going on the patch and quitting. I'm hooked, but you're not. You ought to stop."

"Why did you start anyway?" Lucky asked curiously. "I'm an addict, what's your excuse?"

"My excuse is that every Cassadine male, with the exception of my uncle, is or was a heavy smoker. Most of my relatives smoke. I grew up around it when we were in Europe. They don't consider health matters as carefully as Americans. It's a cultural thing. I started one day when I was seventeen. Uncle didn't approve, but what could he say, really."

"I like to do it," Lucky said. "Do it 'cause it feels good. Gets me in a heap of trouble everytime. Drugs, drinking, cigarettes, women..."

"Women?" Nikolas asked curiously. "What's this about women? I thought you were Friar Lucky, my monk-like younger brother."

"Ha ha," Lucky retorted. "I've had my experiences, thank you very much. Problem is, they've been with the wrong people. Elizabeth and I were close to...you know...but what a raving bitch. I'm glad I got away from her."

"She could be intense at times," Nikolas agreed.

"Intense? Try bitchified," Lucky shot back. "She ditched me royally and for no good reason. I hate her guts. All she cares about is herself. Good thing I found out in time."

"So who are you talking about then, Mr. Experienced?" Nikolas asked.

Lucky shrugged and lit up his cigarette. "I met a girl when I was on the run from the hospital," he explained as he directed the smoke out of his lips. "I'd met her originally when I was homeless. But we met again and hooked up right away. I was living with her."

"Uh-huh," Nikolas said. "What's that mean?"

"It means I was sleeping with her day and night - oh, and afternoons, too," Lucky replied smartly. "We had a thing."

"I'd say," Nikolas commented. "But it didn't last?"

Lucky shook his head no. "Nah. She was underage anyway. I was breakin' the law, ya know?" He pulled repeatedly on his cigarette as his nerves intensified remembering that time not too long ago. "I really cared about her, though. She was a neat person. She helped me out in a lot of ways."

"What about Emily?" Nikolas asked quietly.

"Yeah, what about Emily," Lucky answered bitterly. "That's the question of the hour. I betrayed my girlfriend, and I don't have the balls to tell her."

"Are you going to keep it to yourself?" Nikolas questioned. "That doesn't sound like you."

"It's not like me," Lucky agreed, throwing his cigarette to the sidewalk and stamping out the lit end. "I'm going to tell her tomorrow night on our first date since December. I'm sure it won't be the highlight of her night, but I can't keep it in any longer. I kept meaning to tell her at the hospital, but there were usually other people around, and the few times that we were alone, I chickened out."

Nikolas sighed. "She's going to be hurt, Lucky. Emily is a sensitive girl."

"I know," Lucky replied. "I don't think my dad's 'well a man's blood heads south sometimes' explanation is going to cut it with her."

"Maybe you should tell her gently but briefly - leave out the details," Nikolas suggested. "Then be ready to profess your undying love and have a token of that love handy - a jewel or some other expensive trinket."

"You're a rich man," Lucky scoffed. "Stay within my budget." He placed his second and final cigarette in his mouth and held out his hand to Nikolas for the lighter.

"I have all kinds of odds and ends at Wyndemere," Nikolas stated. "Why don't I locate a piece of jewelry that you can give to her. Something unique - a brooch or a stick pin?"

"Cool," Lucky agreed. "She liked a heart pendant necklace that I gave her for Christmas. It had a tiny ruby in the center of it. I told her that she would always have my heart - and she does."

"I think I know her taste now," Nikolas said. He stopped suddenly. "Look. It's a small park-like area." He pointed straight ahead at a circular area in the middle of the street. The street completely looped around the treed patch of land.

Thoughts of kidnappers emerged from the back of Lucky's mind, and he said, "I'm ready to head back now. We can explore that some other time, maybe during the day."

Nikolas caught his brother's sudden uneasiness and knew where it came from. "I did something after our session earlier this week," he admitted. Lucky looked at him intensely. Nikolas smiled slightly, but it died on his face when he thought about the circumstances of the situation. "The Cassadines were responsible for your kidnapping. They negatively altered your life, and I did something to try to make amends. Nothing can truly do that, but I wanted to make the gesture." Nikolas paused. "Because I love you, brother," he said in a tear-choked voice. "I paid your hospital bill and the cost of your tuition for four years at PCU."

"What?" Lucky asked incredulously, his cigarette bobbing and then falling from his parted lips.

"Let me explain," Nikolas said as he held up his hand to quell any possible objections from Lucky.

"Stefan took away a year of your life. Had he not done that, the hospital wouldn't have been necessary for you. He took away your opportunity for education and the time and ability to earn money for your college. He owes it to you, and I'm paying up with one drop out of the ocean of Cassadine funds. Alexis heartily agreed and approved the financial transactions. It's a fait accompli."

The two brothers walked in silence for a minute as Lucky tried to absorb the enormity of his brother's confession. Finally, Lucky said, "Thank you, Nikolas. I won't protest your gesture. I understand where it's coming from, and I agree with your logic. I accept it and forgive the Cassadines. It's officially over."

Nikolas stopped and touched his brother on the arm. "Lucky, I'm shocked - pleasantly surprised actually. You don't know what this means to me. I've had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach since I found out. I feel responsible. I know it was Stefan, but I still feel that way."

"We agreed that we would stop this stupid feud. It ends with us, and so now it has." Lucky extended his hand. Nikolas gratefully grasped it, pumping it up and down in a handshake between brothers.

Next...

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