Chapters 87 & 88
Chapter 87 Never Saw It Coming
Emily is towel-drying her hair when there is a knock at the door. She puts down the towel and tightens the robe around her body before answering the door. "Reggie!" She gasps in surprise.
Reginald smiles shyly."Hello, Miss Emily. Mrs Quartermaine sent me up, she's hoping you'll have breakfast with her."
Emily looks down at her state of undress. "Uh.. sure! Tell Grandmother I'll be down in a few."
With lightening speed Emily dresses and races downstairs. "Sorry I took so long Grandmother," She says, placing a kiss on Lila's powdered cheek.
"No reason to apologize, dear. In fact, I should be the one to apologize, dropping in on you uninvited." Lila smiles conspiratorially. "But I am hoping you won't be too upset with me when you see the surprise I brought you."
Emily is confused. "Surprise?"
Lila exchanges glances with Reginald. "Yes, a delightful surprise. Reginald, will you show Emily the surprise outside?"
"I'd be happy to, Mrs Quartermaine," Reginald says with a smile. He opens the door for Emily to lead her outside. "It's right this way."
Completely puzzled, Emily follows him outside. "What kind of surprise would Grandmother have for me out here?"
Reginald points to a sleek new sports car, a forest green Maserti convertible. "This is Mrs Quartermaine's surprise."
"What?!" Emily runs over to the car and strokes the smooth lines. "It's gorgeous!" She starts to cry and opens the door to sit in the driver's seat. Her hands caress the leather upholstery and wood trim interior adoringly.
Meanwhile Reginald fetches Lila from the diner. "Do you like it, dear?" Lila asks hopefully.
"Like it?!" Emily says, the happiness bubbling out of her. "I LOVE it!" She jumps out of the car and runs to hug Lila tightly.
"Oh, I'm so glad," Lila says as she hugs Emily back. "I think a young lady needs to her own transportation these days. Reginald and I went shopping for it early this morning, and I fell in love with it immediately! It reminded me of my roadster when I was in college. Oh, the stories I could tell! But those will have to wait until you're a little bit older."
"Oh Grandmother, it's perfect! Thank you!" Emily says, the happiness bubbling out of her. She turns back to the car and eyes it lovingly. "Can I go for a ride?"
"Only if you take me with you," Lila demands gaily.
Emily opens the trunk for the wheelchair as Reginald settles Lila in the passenger seat. "I wouldn't want to share my first ride with anyone else!"
When they are both settled in the car, Lila says with great authority. "Let's see what this baby can do, shall we?"
Laura fixes breakfast for Lucky while he sits at the table reading the newspaper comics. Laura turns to address him. "I'm glad you can spend some time with Lulu today. She really needs the extra attention."
Lucky glances up from the comics. "She's still having problems? I thought she was getting better."
"I thought so too." Laura sighs inwardly, last night's nightmare and ensuing tantrum had been one of Lulu's worst. She was thankful Lucky hadn't been home to hear Lulu's tearful screams for Stefan. Then this morning Lulu had been sullen, even her usual healthy appetite had been absent. "Just promise me you'll give her some extra TLC today. I think Nikolas being gone on his honeymoon is wearing on her, she's used to seeing him several times a week. She woke up listless this morning and hardly ate breakfast."
Lucky moves the paper aside for the plate of eggs and toast Laura puts in front of him. "Don't worry, Mom. Just enjoy your day with Amy. Emily and I will keep Lulu happy."
Lulu enters the kitchen, carrying the stuffed pony Nikolas gave her as a toddler. Laura smiles encouragingly at Lulu. "Would you like an egg before I go, honey?"
"No thank you, " Lulu mumbles sullenly, pulling out a chair and plopping down in it without making eye contact with either of them.
Laura gives Lucky a helpless shrug. "Okay then, I'm off to spend the day with Aunt Amy." Laura hangs up her apron and kisses the top of her children's heads before leaving. "Have a fun day."
"Bye Mom!" Lucky muffles, his mouth full of eggs.
After finishing his breakfast, Lucky takes his plate to the sink and retrieves the milk carton from the fridge. In typical teenage fashion, he drinks straight from it.
Lulu looks up at him curiously. "Why do you hate Stefan?"
Lucky chokes on the milk, a large amount of it spewing against the kitchen wall. "What?! What kind of question is that?"
"You don't hate him?" Lulu asks, brightening with hope.
"He's a bad man, Lulu," Lucky says in a firm tone. "Stay away from him."
"But he's nice to me," Lulu argues. "He made me a headdress for the wedding and took me to see Mama in Switzerland. I think he's nice."
"Well he's not!" Lucky yells back, then calms down to try and reason with her. "He's bad, Lulu, you have to trust me on this."
"You're wrong!" She shouts back, tears brimming in her eyes. "Nikky and Timmy love him! Why do you hate him?"
"Who the heck is Timmy?!" Lucky bellows, completely bewildered. "Nikky loves Stefan because Stefan's his family. But I'm telling you, Stefan's no good, he'll destroy us all if we give him the chance. I hate him because he's hurt Aunt Bobbie, Dad, Mom.. lots of people I care about."
"How?" Lulu asks through her sniffles.
Lucky brushes off her question. "You're too young to understand, Lulu. Just trust me on this."
"Am not too young!" Lulu protests. "I understand lots of stuff."
Lucky shakes his head. "Forget it, Lulu. You're too young. Stay clear of him when you're at Wyndemere, okay?"
Lulu throws her stuffed horse at Lucky. "NO! I won't! I hate you, Lucky! I hate you!"
She dashes out of the room leaving him dazed. "Now what the hell was that about?" Lucky shakes away his confusion and runs after Lulu. "LULU! Get back here!"
His only answer is the slam of the bathroom door, followed by the click of the lock. "Lulu, let me in!" Lucky demands.
"NO!" She screams through her sobs, "LEAVE ME ALONE! I hate you! Go away!"
Wild thoughts of what could happen to Lulu run through his head. "Let me in now or I'm picking the lock!"
He hears the crash of the wastebasket against the door. "I HATE you Lucky! Leave me alone!"
Lucky, his panic rising by the second, slams his body forcefully against the door causing it to break open. "Lulu---" His words are cut off when she launches herself at him in a violent attack.
A kicking and screaming Lulu struggles against Lucky's attempts to restrain her. "I hate you, it's all your fault! I want Stefan!" She sobs with helpless rage. "I want Stefan!"
After exchanging several hugs with Lila, Emily climbs the stairs to her room. There is an extra bounce in her step that wasn't there earlier. She turns the key in her lock and opens the door.
"What's this?!" Emily is stunned as she gazes at a large oak rolltop desk that wasn't in her room before. "ANOTHER surprise, Grandmother? This is too much!" Emily crosses the room and picks up the white envelope on top. Opening it, she reads note written in broad strokes.
Dearest Granddaughter Emily,
I thought you would need the proper tools to excel in college come fall. Enjoy this housewarming gift and make us all proud.
With all my love,
Grandfather
Emily gasps in surprise. She opens the rolltop desk to find a small but powerful desktop computer underneath. "Oh Grandfather, you really shouldn't have!"
Chapter 88: Long Overdue
At Wyndemere, Cassidy sits with Stefan at the dining room table, picking at her lunch. Stefan looks at her plate and then her pale face and frowns. "You need to eat something, Cassandra."
"Why? I'm not hungry and when I do eat, I throw up." Cassidy shoves the plate away angrily. "I didn't come here to eat, I came to ask you for help."
"And I told you I'd listen after lunch. If you keep this up, you will become seriously ill." Stefan wipes his mouth with the cloth napkin. "You are too stubborn for your own good. Very well, let's retire to the living room."
Once they are settled in the living room, Cassidy begins. "I didn't tell the WSB about spying for the Cassadine."
Stefan studies her carefully. "I gathered that when I learned you hadn't been arrested."
Cassidy looks at the floor. "Well, I've only postponed it, that's all. Because I found out the man I'm in love with is missing. He's overdue... he hasn't checked in for days, and no one knows where he is."
"He's disappeared?" Stefan asks.
"Yes, I couldn't go to jail not knowing if he was alive or dead, I just couldn't!" Cassidy begins to cry. "I was hoping you could help me find him, use your resources in Europe and the Middle East to find him."
"How did he disappear?" Stefan asks gently.
"He had some business in Tehran." Cassidy's voice quivers. "I have to find out if he's okay! I can't live like this."
Stefan sits next to her on the couch and puts his arms around her shoulders. Cassidy breaks down, sagging against him as she cries. "I will do everything in my power to find him, Cassandra, you have my word."
Cassidy pulls herself together, brushing the tears away. "Thanks."
He rubs her back gently. "I need to know who he is and what he was doing in Tehran."
Cassidy hesitates, picking her words carefully so as to keep Jerry's agent status secret. "His name is Jerry Jacks. I'm not sure what business he had in Tehran. His company, J&J Jacks of Alaska, has a lot of business in the Middle East."
"He must be Jax's brother. " Stefan gets up and walks over to his desk, writing a few key words down. "I have one condition for doing this."
"What's is it?"
"You promise me you will make a concerted effort to eat and rest. And..." Stefan looks her directly in the eye. "You make an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible."
A very pregnant Alexis waddles into Emma Goldstein's office. Emma helps her up on the table. "Hi, Alexis." She says cheerfully. "How are things going."
"Other than the fact that I can't get out of bed by myself, I can't get through normal sized doorways, and I feel like I'm carrying a VW bus in my stomach, I'm doing fine!" Alexis voice drips with sarcasm. "Tell me this baby is coming soon!"
Emma grins at her and listens to the fetal heartbeat. "Everything seems normal and healthy. And most women who are 9 months pregnant feel like you do."
"Like I care about anyone else, I want to see my toes again!" Alexis complains bitterly. "Tell me when this is going to be over?"
"Soon, very soon. You remember how I warned you that a due date was just an approximation? Well it's perfectly normal for you to be two weeks past your due date. Although in some cases, when we're concerned that the baby is getting stressed due to the cramped quarters, we induce labor."
Alexis lights up. "Oh, that sounds like a good idea. I'm stressed, does that count?"
Emma laughs as she measures Alexis' tummy. "We'll see. Everything seems normal. If you don't go into labor by the end of next week, we'll talk about it then. You do realize induced labor is usually more painful? Some women even call it excruciating."
Alexis sighs in resignation. "You would have to dash my hopes, wouldn't you?"
Lucky and Emily cuddle on the couch at the Spencer home watching a movie coming to an end. Lucky kisses the back of her neck as she dabs tears from her eyes. "What a great movie," she says with a sigh.
Lucky massages her shoulders. "My dad would call it a 'chick flick'."
Emily rolls her eyes, then closes them as she starts to relax. "I suppose it wasn't a good choice for Lulu though."
Lucky frowns at the thought of Lulu. "I don't think there's one she'd want to see today. I thought taking her to rent a movie would bring her out of her funk, but she refused to even get out of the car. I'm really starting to worry about her."
"Well maybe she's feeling better now that she's had some time by herself. I suppose we should go up and check on her." Emily moans as Lucky's hands knead her back. "That feels soooo good, keep going."
Lucky grins. "My pleasure."
Stefan answers his phone on the first ring. "Cassadine residence."
A quiet young voice says, "Hi."
Stefan becomes alarmed. "Angel, is that you? Where are you?"
"I'm at home. Please don't be mad at me for calling." Lulu pleads, her lower lip trembling.
Stefan relaxes slightly, his worse fear put to rest. She is safe. "No, of course not... is your mother there?"
Lulu settles herself on her mother's bed. "No. Since you're not mad, are you happy I called?"
Stefan grimaces slightly at the question. Yes, he was happy, but also worried. "I always love to talk to you, Angel. But if your mother isn't there, who is with you?"
"Lucky and Emily are downstairs watching some dumb movie," Lulu answers in a glum voice. "I hate them."
He frowns a little at her vehemence. "No you don't, sweetheart."
"If Lucky can hate you, I can hate him!" Lulu yells back.
Realizing the conversation is going to take a while, Stefan sits down at his desk. "You overheard your mother's conversation with me, didn't you?"
"Yes." Lulu answers, embarrassed at getting caught for spying. "Why does Lucky hate you?"
Stefan sighs. "Angel, it is very complicated. I'm not sure I can explain it to you."
"Nobody 'splains anything to me." Lulu's lower lip juts out in a prominent pout.
"I'll try very hard to explain it..." Stefan begins. "Many many years ago, there were some very bad people in my family and they tried to hurt a lot of people. Your Daddy stopped them. Ever since, our two families have hated each other. Nikolas, Lucky, your mother and I are trying to end it, but it's very very hard."
Lulu fiddles with the cord as she take what he says in. "Do you hate Lucky?"
"No, Angel, I don't hate Lucky." He answers. "Not when so many of the people I care about love him."
"You mean like me?" Lulu asks, relieved, and a little hopeful.
"Yes.. you, your mother, and Nikolas."
"So why can't Lucky try too?" Lulu's brows knit in a frown as she tries to figure it all out.
Stefan smiles at her childlike logic, if only it were that simple. "He does try. He had to work very hard to be friends with Nikolas. They didn't always like each other, you know. It's just harder for him to like me because I made some terrible mistakes in the past. So we both have to be patient."
There is a long silence as Lulu thinks. "Can I call you again?" She asks after a while.
Stefan winces and tries to let her down gently. "We can't disobey your mother's wishes, Angel, as much as we may want to."
Lulu starts to cry. "It's not fair!"
"I know it doesn't seem fair," He says to try and soothe. "But you mustn't be mad at your mother, she is trying to do what's best for you."
Tears stream down her face. "Then you think she's right?! You don't want to see me?"
"No, I don't think she's right," Stefan tries to explain. "But sometimes Mommies and Daddies make mistakes even when they try to do what's best for you. You still have to obey her, Lulu, as hard as that may be right now."
"But I miss you!" Lulu sobs brokenly. "I miss Nikky! I want Nikky."
Stefan closes his eyes as the pain in his heart intensifies. This little girl needs him. Why can't Lasha see that? "He will be home soon. Very soon. And I promise you that I will do everything in my power to change your mother's mind. But I need a little time to convince her."
Lulu seems to calm at hearing his promise. "Will you hug Timmy for me? I miss him too."
Stefan swallows the lump in his throat. "Absolutely Angel."
"I love you... " Lulu hugs the phone to her ear. "Bye."
"Angel?" Stefan calls out to get her attention.
"Yes?"
"I love you too."
