Chapter Two





Elizabeth had to talk to Jason.


The destruction of the diner made Nikolas Cassadine shake his head as he let go of the door and walked inside. Chairs were overturned, tables were broken, and while some still stood – Nikolas knew that his brother and Jason had just caused a fight that would cost thousands of dollars in repairs. Only now the thing they couldn’t repair was the damage done to each other. The citizens of Port Charles, including Mike, had seen the two men fighting. It would be weeks, maybe even months before people would come to Kelly’s again without thinking of what they had witnessed happening here today.

Nikolas nodded to Mike and walked around Diego Alcazar and Dillon Quartermaine to get to the counter. “How much,” he said pulling out his wallet. He knew this would be the last time he would be getting his brother out of trouble.

Mike put his hand up and shook his head. “I got it covered,” he said, his voice hard with anger but managing just a bit of respect for the younger man. “Don’t worry about it Nikolas.”

“Mike this is going to cost you a lot of money that you do not even have,” said Nikolas. “At least let me help you with some of the damage.”

“The damage has already been done. Lucky is upstairs in room three,” he answered before returning to work.

Nikolas sighed and closed his wallet putting it back in his pocket. He knew Mike had pride and wouldn’t take his money. Even though he wanted to help, Nikolas knew the man needed time to calm down before he could ask again. Stepping over broken glass he walked to the stairs and ascended them, two at a time. He didn’t bother knocking – he just opened the door. The sight that was revealed to him made Nikolas shake his head in disgust.

This was going to be a long day.


************


She didn’t even bother knocking. Carly Corinthos knew she could be thrown out of the apartment at any time, but she didn’t care. Opening the door she walked in, slamming the door and turning on the light. She watched her best friend close his eyes at the glare of the light and knew he was drunk. That’s when she shook her head. Not again.

“Please tell me the call I got from Mike was some kind of joke to get back at me for what I said the other night,” she said walking over to the couch, her phone still in her hand. “Jason, tell me you just didn’t beat the hell out of my cousin.”

When Jason moved his hands from his face, Carly closed her eyes with a groan. “Jason…you idiot!” she whined, walking to sit next to him on the couch. “What were you thinking?”

“I wasn’t,” was all he said and for once Carly wanted to punch him. How could he do this? She knew it was about Elizabeth and from the look in his eyes she knew that he had fallen for her. That was what hurt Carly the most. They hadn’t been together in over ten years but she didn’t want someone taking her place, especially Muffin Face. God, how did she know this was going to happen? She had seen it over six years ago – had even slept with Sonny because of it. Jason had been in love with Elizabeth all along.

Carly finally gave into the urge and hit him on the arm. “You stupid…stupid…stupid man!” she yelled. When she went to hit him again however, the look on his face made her stop. “You did this because of Elizabeth?”


**********


Lucky looked at his brother as he continued to pace the small room in front of his bed. He closed his eyes and groaned, bringing his hands to his head. “Nikolas will you please stop doing that?” he growled low in his throat.

“The hell I won’t!” yelled Nikolas as he turned on his brother. “What the hell were you thinking? No wonder Jason pounded you in the face. I swear Lucky, if you had even hurt Emily…”

“You’ll what,” asked Lucky, looking up at his brother. “Punch me too?”

Nikolas growled before turning away and walking to the window. “I told you what would happen if you hurt Emily or Elizabeth again. And you did it.”

Shaking his head, Lucky moved to the edge of the bed. “It wasn’t me Nikolas. It was Jason…” he started.

“I told you time and time again what would happen if you got addicted to pain medication or even took an ounce of alcohol,” Nikolas continued, not even listening to his brother. “Spencer is a little boy and he is the most important person in my life, and so is Emily. Spencer is at an age where he is beginning to remember faces, remember actions. He is beginning to know you and I do not want him knowing his uncle like this.”

Lucky frowned. “Nikolas what are you saying?” he asked.

Turning from the window, Nikolas looked his brother in the eye. “Cameron is a little older and he cries for you, but when he sees you, he is so scared of what you have become that he can’t stand to look at you. I do not want my son or nephew around that! From now on…you are on your own.”

“No…Nikolas wait…I’m sorry, I just…”

“I’m sorry too,” said Nikolas as he turned away. “Mother would be so ashamed of you if she saw you now. She wouldn’t even recognize you.”

Lucky got up and then cried out as pain ran down his spine, making him fall to the bed. “Nikolas, please! Don’t walk away from me!” he yelled.

Nikolas closed his eyes. “I’m sorry Lucky…I can’t be around a person that is addicted to pain killers and drinks himself drunk. I will not allow my son to be around that,” he said walking to the door. Opening it, he turned – taking one last look at the man that was no longer his brother. “Goodbye Lucky.”

“Nik!” yelled Lucky as he watched his brother leave the room. “Nikolas don’t do this to me! DON’T WALK AWAY FROM ME!”

When there was only silence in Nikolas’ departure, Lucky let out a choked breath as tears fell down his cheeks. The only sound in the room was the sound of his tortured sobs.


************


“Elizabeth?”

The sound of her best friend’s voice made Elizabeth jump, a gasp falling from her lips. Standing, she turned to see Emily standing there with her arms wrapped around herself, a look on her face that almost mirrored hers – almost.

“Em?” she asked. When the other woman nodded, Elizabeth moved first before wrapping her arms around Emily.

Her own sobs mixed in with Emily’s soothing voice telling her it would be all right.


***********


What had happened today had gone blurry. It had taken Jason longer than usual to remember what had led him to sitting on his couch and drinking himself into a drunken stupor. All of it came rushing back at once and Jason barely managed a moan and had to swallow the instant bile that wanted to erupt from his throat. He wouldn’t give that the satisfaction. Carly had said something to him that brought it all home and he couldn’t help but think about it.

Had he attacked Lucky because he had hurt Emily, or had he attacked Lucky because of Elizabeth? Jason knew the answer but he didn’t want to think about it. All he wanted was to be left alone – and at this point he wasn’t getting anything he wanted.

So he had allowed Carly to give him a cup of the most retched coffee he had ever tasted and had barely gotten down on the first sip. Her look only made him drink some more and again, he had to swallow the bile that reared its ugly face and reminded him of the damage that he had caused today.

He turned his eyes to Carly and saw her lips moving, but for the life of him – he couldn’t understand what she was saying. All he knew was that his head was hurting and he wanted to be left alone. That’s when she slapped him and this time, instead of swallowing bile, he was swallowing anger. “What the hell…” he growled.

“Were you even listening to me, or did you just zone out there?” asked Carly. Now he knew why he got all those frequent headaches from time to time. Carly had the loudest voice he had ever heard in his life – next to his father and Grandfather whenever he saw them.

If he really thought about it, Carly did remind him sometimes of his Grandfather Edward when he was drunk. The man didn’t know when to shut up, and either did his best friend that was quickly becoming a nuisance in his so called life.

Jason managed to push himself off the couch, swayed, and then straightened. “Carly,” he said as he made his way to the stairs.

“Yes?” snapped Carly as she got to her feet.

“Go away,” he said before disappearing up the stairs. He smiled when he heard his friend’s yelling as he slammed the door of his bedroom shut and collapsed on the bed.


***********


Elizabeth sat down on the bench wiping at the tears that had fallen down her cheeks. “And that’s what happened,” she said with a nod at her best friend. She could see the shock written all over Emily’s face.

“So…” said Emily as she tried to get a bearing on what was happening. “You and my brother…”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yep.”

“And you and Lucky are…”

“Yep.”

“Let me get this straight. You and my brother are doing the humpty dumpty?”

“The what?”

“Elizabeth!”

“Emily!”

Both of the women sighed in exasperation and looked forward, trying to figure out what was happening before them. It took them minutes before they could talk. Emily turned her head slightly. “So…was the sex good?”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened as she turned to Emily. She hadn’t expected to hear her friend say that. Not that she expected anything except the old ‘You and Lucky belong together. You love each other!’, so needless to say she was surprised that she wasn’t getting into another fight. “Emily…” she said blushing.

Emily smiled. “I guess you just answered my question,” she laughed.

Talk about waking up in the twilight zone. Elizabeth was surprised that Emily wasn’t furious at her for sleeping with Jason. “Okay…correct me if I am wrong. For the past two months you have been wanting me to get back with Lucky.”

“Right.”

“So…why the change all of a sudden?” asked Elizabeth. “Why are you suddenly okay with this?”

Emily sighed and looked down. “Today I met a stranger that I used to call my friend – a second brother. All I felt around him was fear and sadness. I don’t want you around that and I don’t want Cameron around that either,” she said. “My brother has been depressed since Sam left town…”

“Please,” said Elizabeth as she stood. “Can we not talk about Sam?”

Reaching up, Emily pulled her friend down. “No. You will listen to me,” she said, her voice hard but gentle. “My brother was miserable for months. Then something wonderful happened. I couldn’t figure it out until today, but I now know that wonderful thing that happened to my brother was you. Elizabeth it has always been you. Every woman that has walked out of Jason’s life…Robin, Carly, Courtney…and now Sam – they have all left Jason in a deep hole that he has always managed to get out because of you being there.”

Elizabeth looked at Emily in shock. Hearing her words made Elizabeth’s heart begin to race. She didn’t know how true it was, but Elizabeth began to realize that with each relationship she had been in and then lost, the one person she could always count on, the one person that had always been there – the only one that was always there – was Jason. “Oooh…God…”

Emily rubbed her back. “The only question I have for you is…do you love my brother too?” she asked.

Looking at Emily, Elizabeth smiled. “Humpty Dumpty?”

The two women burst into laughter.




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