Chapter Twenty-Nine:
Archives

PCU Library, periodicals.

Lucky stares at the screens flashing by in front of him, beginning to get frustrated. He's been at this for hours, starting with Los Angeles and now moving on To New York. He's not getting anywhere -- except to say that there is no trace of Hannah Hargreaves or Sophie Clark in either city over the past two years. In other words, whoever this girl is, she's not telling even a fraction of the truth. Regardless of that piece of non-information, Lucky's got a headache, and his patience has run dry. He stops the flow of pages, and stares off into space, attempting to get his eyes to focus again. He blinks when he sees Nikolas enter the room. They lock eyes, but Lucky turns his attention back to the microfiche. Nikolas heads to the main information desk and returns a folder tot he unimpressed woman behind the counter. He turns to leave, stops, and looks back at Lucky. Lucky's total focus has returned stubbornly to the microfiche screen. Nikolas takes a deep breath and walks across the room. Lucky senses this and leans back in his chair, flipping the screen to a nondescript page that has nothing to do with what he's looking for. He casually traps a pencil on the table. Nikolas stops at his table and waits for Lucky to look up. He doesn't.

Nik: Hi.

Lucky: (distractedly) Hey.... (he continues to tap the pencil, staring at the screen. Nikolas clears his throat)

Nik: How's Emily?

Lucky: (still feigning disinterest) You haven't talked to her?

Nik: Not since I dropped her off at your place.

Lucky: Well, you wouldn't have been able to reach her anyway. She's staying with her brother.

Nik: I thought he was in England.

Lucky: Other brother. (Nikolas considers this)

Nik: Again?

Lucky: Yup. (Nikolas watches Lucky continue to stare at a two year old news story about El Nino Weather Projections. He frowns)

Nik: Studying up on water currents? (Lucky sighs, and flips the switch, sending the microfiche into rewind. He look up at Nikolas)

Lucky: Did you want anything else?

Nik: I was just trying to find out if Emily is feeling any better.

Lucky: Yes. She is.

Nik: Well, say hello to her for me.

Lucky: (putting on his coat) Yeah. Sure. (He flips off the microfiche, and stands up. He takes the film off the feeder, and puts it in the box. Nikolas watches unsure of what to say. Lucky looks over at him) I'm done here.

Nik: Yeah... I think I am too. (Nikolas turns. Lucky attempts to let him walk away, but can't stop himself from speaking up)

Lucky: Hey! (Nik turns back, expectantly) No words of wisdom about my sister?

Nik: What? (Lucky walks towards him).

Lucky: You told Lulu that I'd forgotten about her. (Nikolas feels the tension in the air increase.)

Nik: (calmly) That wasn't what I said.

Lucky: That's what she heard.

Nik: Then I guess she misunderstood me. Look, Lucky. She wanted to know why you weren't coming to see her. What am I supposed to say?

Lucky: Repeat after me: "I don't know".

Nik: Look, there's a simple way to avoid this. Go see her.

Lucky: Haven't we already discussed what I think about you and advice?

Nik: I assume it's pretty much what you think of me and everything else.

Lucky: Pretty much. (Lucky turns and walks out of the periodical room, into the main entrance area of the library. Nikolas watches him leave with the same knot of tension in his stomach his brother always inspires. He remembers, ruefully, what Lulu said to him. He wishes, that just for a second, Lucky made some sort of palpable sense to him. Frustrated, he finds himself following Lucky out of the library. He reaches the top of the steps as Lucky is about to head up the street.)

Nik: Lucky! (Lucky stops and looks back to him, brow furrowed. Nikolas walks down the stairs.)

Lucky: What?

Nik: What do you want from me? (Lucky is caught off guard by this, but quickly shrugs it off)

Lucky: From you? Nothing. (Nikolas shakes his head bitterly)

Nik: Yeah, I thought so. (Nikolas sets his jaw) Just try not to ignore your sister. For some reason she wants to see you.

Lucky: (acidly) Do me the favor of not telling her your theories on my visiting schedule, Ok? You're not helping her. That's the important part, isn't it, Nikky?

Nik: It is. (He turns his back on Lucky, gritting his teeth. He really wants to lash out at him, shake him, get him to react to him something -- anything -- other than this caustic detachment. If Lucky has any feelings towards him that aren't steeped in bitterness, it's been a long time since he's shown them. He starts to walk away. This time, Lucky does nothing to stop him).

Luke's.

Hannah's first set is coming to an end. Emily enters just in time to hear the last few lines of "Dolphins", the song Emily first heard her sing at the club. The crowd begins to clap, and Emily, out of habit, joins in as she scans the bar with her eyes. She doesn't see any of the faces she was hoping for. Nevertheless, she walks over to the bar.

Em: Hi, Curtis. (The bartender looks up at her)

Curtis: He's not here.

Em: Figures. Ok. (She looks over at the stage again. Hannah is coming over to the bar. She sees Emily and stops. Emily frowns. Hannah seems to sway on spot for a moment, then continues to walk over, smiling at Emily weakly. Emily returns the gesture, purposely being more friendly, simply because she doesn't understand Hannah's behavior. She turns back to Curtis) Is Mr. Spencer here?

Curtis: Better not call him that to his face.

Em: I know. I still feel strange calling him "Luke", though.

Curtis: Well, he's not here either. I'm in charge tonight.

Em: Does that mean I have to show ID or something?

Curtis: If you showed ID, you'd have to leave. (Hannah leans over the bar and grabs an ice cube. She puts it on the back of her neck, and appraises Emily. She doesn't look quite as high strung as she had the last few times she saw her, but she still seems stressed. Emily sighs heavily.)

Em: Well, I walked all the way over here. Can I get a coke?

Curtis: Sure thing. (Emily slips onto the bar stool. Hannah looks over her shoulder, then back at Emily. She tells herself again that the safest thing to do is turn around, but she can't shake the urge to know this girl. She takes a deep breath)

Hannah: Do you want me to forward another message? (Emily glances up at Hannah. Aware of Lucky's suspicions, she's not entirely sure what to do. She smiles again)

Em: I'm sure I'll catch up with him. It's not a big deal.

Hannah: Ok.

Em: Thanks though. For offering. (Hannah nods and sits down one stool over from Em. She looks out at the club, contemplating. After a moment she looks over at Emily)

Hannah: How long... do you know how long this has been here? (Emily looks over at her questioningly)

Em: This?

Hannah: The club. (Emily frowns. Strange question, but not one that isn't easy to find out the answer to through a myriad of other methods. She picks up her drink, and stirs it with the straw absently)

Em: Longer than I've been here. At least six years. I guess since Luke moved back here.

Hannah: It just feels like it's been here forever. Like it's... established. Unmovable. It feels like it has history.

Em: I guess it does. I mean.... (she bites her lips, thoughtfully) Time is relative, right? Six years is really measured by what you experience in those six years, not in how long they actually took to pass. (she takes a sip of her drink) That was the way my Mother talked about it. (she smiles slightly) She never thought my age was a good way of explaining me to people. She always qualified it. (Hannah stares out at crowd, stunned that Paige has come up. She feels nervous again.)

Hannah: Your mother.

Em: (distantly) Yeah. (She stares off into space a moment, letting herself remember her mother, unaware that Hannah is doing the same thing. Emily shakes her head) Anyway, it's not that old. Less than ten years, I guess.

Hannah: What?

Em: (confused) The bar.

Hannah: I'm sorry. I... I'm not thinking straight tonight. (Emily nods).

Em: You have to watch that here.

Hannah: (suddenly suspicious) What do you mean?

Em: Luke. You have to keep your wits about you.

Hannah: I noticed that. Lucky too.

Em: Two things you have to remember about Lucky. Don't tell him what to do, and never underestimate him. If you remember that, you shouldn't have any problems with him.

Hannah: I haven't... had problems. (she frowns, wondering if this is a veiled warning) Should I expect problems? (Emily turns to look at her, surprised)

Em: Oh, no, that's not what I meant. Just that... I don't know. I guess I know him too well. Sometimes people tell me that they don't understand him, and I always think it's really not that hard. He's pretty easy to get along with as long as you don't insult his intelligence. Which, for some reason, happens a lot. (She puts down her drink on the bar) I think I should get back. Have a good set.

Hannah: Thanks. (Emily stands up and looks at Hannah again, trying to subtly appraise whether or not Lucky is overreacting. She smiles at Hannah, as naturally as she can manage.)

Em: Bye. (She turns away, deciding that Hannah seems, basically, harmless. But then, she's not the expert on these things).

The Docks

Nikolas, partially out of habit, and partially out of an intense desire not to go back to his new "home", walks down the docks, looking up at the snow that has started to fall. The water on the lake is rough, as the snow falls white onto a black void that swallows it up. Nikolas lets himself get caught up in watching this, while he attempts to freeze out all thoughts of Lucky and Hannah. The one place in the world where he is accepted, and then mostly because of his "rank", is the place he can't be anymore. Even standing here, looking out of it, he can't help but remember the night, last winter, when he and his uncle came up the path to find Katherine's body lying there, dumped as if by some cat leaving a mouse as a prize on the doorstep. She had been beaten, then stabbed repeatedly. She had been dead hours before they came across the scene. To this day, Nikolas was unsure what gave him a greater shock -- the sight of Katherine's body, or his uncle's reaction to it. Stefan had coldly handled the death as if it was a matter of business. He reluctantly allowed the police onto the property to collect the body. He endured their vicious questions. He arranged for the burial and a service which he then did not attend. After the death had been seen to, Stefan had slowly begun to crumble. The grief he had kept at bay so successfully for the first few months after Katherine's passing descended on him, and the house became, if it was possible, even more quiet and morose. Alexis, once again a part of the family fold, due to her assistance in the banishment of Helena, came to live at the house once again, simply because Nikolas had asked her to try to bring Stefan back from wherever it was he had gone. Nikolas couldn't do it himself. Alexis had no luck either. Alexis, however, could bear the house better than he could, and it was only with the assurance of her continued presence that he was able to leave, to get away from everything he had experienced there.

The utter desolation and sadness that draped Wyndemere has been serving to make Nikolas even more envious of the Spencer home. That warm and happy home he's never been welcome in. He finds himself, for the millionth time since his visit with Lulu, recalling what she said about Lucky not liking it there. Was there anything Lucky liked on this earth? He seemed, if it was possible, more miserable every time Nikolas saw him. Nikolas didn't know why he had even attempted to talk to him today. He supposed that one time, he expected Lucky to be something besides angry and vicious to him. It had happened before. Always under a veneer of cool detachment, Lucky rolling his eyes like he could be a million other places, but there nonetheless. That attitude had driven him nuts. He'd tried to do everything to break it down, but it didn't budge. In the end, he'd resorted to pushing Lucky's minimal overtures of -- friendship? It was hard to tell-- whatever they were, he'd rejected it, hoping to get at least a reaction out of him. Lucky, in exiting his life, had been just as cool and detached as ever. And he hadn't done much besides the occasional word of appreciation for something he'd done for Lesley Lu, since. There was no point to any of this. Lucky Spencer might be his mother's son, but there was no way he would ever be anything to Nikolas besides a halfhearted adversary. They aren't at war anymore. This is a detente. Nikolas realizes, surprisingly, that he misses the passionate hatred Lucky used to breath at him. At least it was a powerful emotional response. All he inspires these days is mild contempt.

Tossing another look out at the lake, Nikolas digs his hands into the pocket of his coat and turns and walks away.