Chapter Fourty-One:
New Dawn

Lucky's room.

Emily is asleep in Lucky's bed, curled up in one of his flannel shirts. Lucky is "sleeping", if it can be called that, in the arm chair across the room. The shrill sound of his cell phone, ringing in the pocket of his jacket, which is flung over a chair, wakes him instantly. He glances at the clock -- 5:10 AM. He stumbles across the room, and, with some effort, silences the phone on the third ring.

Lucky: (sliding down the wall to the floor) Spencer.

Hannah: (hushed) Hi.

Lucky: What?

Hannah: Did you find her?

Lucky: (Looking over at the sleeping Emily) Yeah.

Hannah: Where was she? (Lucky coughs, but doesn't answer. She waits a moment) Is she Ok?

Lucky: Yeah.

Hannah: She's with you, isn't she?

Lucky: Yeah.

Hannah: I don't... Will you give her my number?

Lucky: (sleepily) Yeah... NO. No, can't.

Hannah: What?

Lucky: Bugged.

Hannah: Damn.

Lucky: That's should be something you make an effort to remember.

Hannah: Look, no one ever calls me. Except, like, your Dad to give me my schedule.

Lucky: Well, guess there's no chance of you slipping in front of him.

Hannah: I just... I don't know what to do next.

Lucky: She'll find you.

Hannah: (heavily) I guess so. Do you -- (Lucky, seeing where this conversation is going, hangs up on her, then turns the phone off. In Nikolas's darkened apartment Hannah puts a hand over her knotted stomach and hangs up the phone. She looks around, and makes sure that the room is still silent. She walks soundlessly to the door, and leaves. Back in Lucky's room, he flips down the cover of the phone and slides it back into his jacket pocket. He closes his eyes, and leans back against the wall.)

Em: Are you staying all the way over there so that you won't get sick, or are you just avoiding me in general? (Lucky's eyes fly open to be met with Emily staring at him, from her place on the bed. He shakes his head)

Lucky: Just giving you space.

Em: I don't want space. (Lucky nods and literally crawls across the floor to her. He rests his arms on the mattress, his chin on his folded hands, so that their eyes are level. He studies her thoughtfully)

Lucky: How are you feeling?

Em: (voice sleepy) Like death warmed over. (Lucky nods slightly) My throat hurts.

Lucky: I can't believe I didn't think of the ravine. Were you out in that stuff long?

Em: I don't know. (she closes her eyes) I like rain sometimes. I was thinking about the first time I went to the ravine, it was raining too. After that fight you had with Nikolas? (Lucky groans. She opens her eyes) I know, you hate that story. But I think that was the night I fell in love with you.

Lucky: (sarcastically) Was that why you ran away? (Emily laughs quietly, remembering her abrupt exit)

Em: Yeah. It was. It took me awhile to put a name on the feeling. It freaked me out. (She looks at him, thoughtfully. She's feeling so awful that it's incredibly tempting just to forget about the last few days and remember problems long since resolved.) YOU didn't have time to freak out.

Lucky: I was too busy trying to figure out how to get you not to hate me anymore.

Em: And mooning over Sarah.

Lucky: Who?

Em: (smiling) Good answer. (Lucky leans over and kisses her softly. He pulls back and smoothes her hair away from her face)

Lucky: Your fever's gone. (Emily swallows painfully)

Em: You'll get sick.

Lucky: (leaning forward again) I'll take the risk. (He kisses her again. Emily rolls over onto her back, accepting his kiss, sleepily. Lucky slips his hands under her, and pulls himself up onto the bed, rolling across it, pulling her with him, so that he ends up lying on his back in the middle of the bed, Emily on top of him. She looks at him dreamily, sliding her arms around his neck. They kiss, soft, pliant, lazy kisses, ignoring everything else for a moment. The kissing comes to a natural end, and Emily nuzzles his neck.)

Em: (whisper) This is a nice way to wake up. (Lucky closes his eyes, and runs a hand through her hair)

Lucky: In four months, we get to wake up this way every morning. (Emily feels her stomach flip flop at those words. Four months, and he still expects them to be gone. She fells incredibly reassured by that)

Em: Yeah...

Lucky: You should go back to sleep. (Emily gives an audible sigh)

Em: I almost am.... (Lucky feels her eyelashes flutter against his neck) When did you figure it out? That we weren't just friends anymore?

Lucky: I don't know. (Emily, forcing herself back to consciousness, lifts her head slightly)

Em: You don't KNOW?

Lucky: (barely awake) I just couldn't stop thinking about you. I didn't know why I was feeling that way, I just knew I was.

Em: AND you'd kissed me.

Lucky: Well, yeah. That was a hint. (Emily smiles to herself)

Em: I never got over that. (She raises her head, now back in the world of the waking) Lucky. (Lucky moans slightly) Lucky, come on. (Lucky forces his eyes open) I still love you.

Lucky: Good.

Em: I'm glad you told me about Hannah. (Lucky sighs, and shifts under her, moving her to his side, and rolling over to face her)

Lucky: You sure? You haven't had much time to think about it.

Em: Thinking doesn't help.

Lucky: I know.

Em: God, I don't know how you did it.

Lucky: Ummmm... Huh?

Em: With Nikolas. At least I knew that I had an Aunt Corey, you know?

Lucky: Yeah.

Em: You didn't have that kind of warning. (She gently brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes) I can't even imagine that. I don't think I could handle anything more than this. (Lucky looks away, fending off the guilt surrounding the stuff she still doesn't know.)

Lucky: She was worried about you last night. (Emily frowns)

Em: (tiny voice) She was?

Lucky: Yeah. (They fall into silence. After a long moment, Emily clears her throat)

Em: Do you know how much I think about my Mom? (Lucky forces himself to wake up a little more. He looks at her attentively)

Lucky: No.

Em: Every day. Somehow, every day, I think of her. Maybe it's just a little flash of something she taught me, or it might be a memory. It might just be a moment, but I think about her every day of my life. I'm used to that. Do you know how much I think about Corey? (She looks up at him. He looks back at her, waiting) I don't. When I became a Quartermaine, I pushed her out of my life. She wasn't a person to me anymore. She was kind of an idea. An idea that didn't work out. (She shakes her head) I just don't know how to put together Hannah with my Aunt. Hannah who is a living, breathing person I've talked to, with my aunt.

Lucky: Would it help to know why I decided she had to tell you?

Em: (confused) Ummm... Maybe.

Lucky: Because you told me that there were things you don't know about your Mom. Well, Hannah knows some of those things.

Em: Is that what we're going to call her? Hannah?

Lucky: That's up to you.

Em: I don't know.

Lucky: You don't have to decide anything now.

Em: I have to go home. Or back to the Penthouse.

Lucky: No, you don't. You can stay here.

Em: Ok.... Are you leaving.

Lucky: Not right now.

Em: Later, I mean.

Lucky: I should go see Lulu. She called. You can stay here, get some sleep.

Em: Mmmm... (She moves closer to him, pulling close to his body, wrapping herself in his warmth and tenderness. Lucky hugs her close.)

Lucky: I'm going back to sleep now.

Em: (fading) Ok...

Hannah's Apartment.

Hannah leans against the window, cupping a mug of tea in her hands. Despite this, she is shivering involuntarily as she recounts the previous day in her mind. She has to stop doing that. Since that night in the park, every visit to Nikolas ends up the same way. And frankly, that's probably the reason she keeps going to see him. It had been so long since anyone had looked at her the way he did. With this sort of awed respect, coupled with lust... She doesn't know why it is so effective. Just having someone who would hold her without question, who claimed not to care -- even if she knew it wouldn't last. At some point, he'll find out and she'll get to see just how unconditional his adoration is. Hannah tries to shake it off. This is ridiculous. How on earth, despite everything, did she let herself get sucked in by Nikolas Cassadine? And how is she supposed to spend time worrying about that when she has her niece and her psycho boyfriend to contend with?

There is a knock at the door. Hannah looks up. She can't even summon the energy to be nervous about who might be on the other side. She walks over to the door and pulls it open, revealing a very tense Nikolas.

Nik: (entering) Do you want to explain what's going on here?

Hannah: What do you mean? (She pushes the door closed)

Nik: Sneaking out in the middle of the night --

Hannah: I had something to take care of.

Nik: Before six in the morning?

Hannah: Nikolas.... Look.

Nik: You're doing it again.

Hannah: What?

Nik: Running hot and cold. I thought that was over.

Hannah: (agitated) Nikolas... Being with you, as wonderful as it may be -- those are just moments out of a whole lot of time where I have other things to deal with.

Nik: Which you won't explain to me.

Hannah: You said you understood that.

Nik: I said I understood that you have something you don't think you can tell me now.

Hannah: (staring at him with sudden understanding) Oh my God. You thought I'd change my mind, didn't you? You expected I would have broken and told you by now.

Nik: I thought that at this point, I'd know you a little better, yes.

Hannah: Because I slept with you?

Nik: Don't do that.

Hannah: What?

Nik: You always make us sound so... casual.

Hannah: (muttering) Well, what am I supposed to say?

Nik: At SOME point you're going to have to open up to me.

Hannah: No. That wasn't part of the deal.

Nik: Is that what this is? A deal?

Hannah: Don't expect ME to explain this. You made these choices all alone, and they never made any sense to me. Why would you do this on the off chance that maybe I would open up to you? And why do you want that so badly? You don't even know what I am -- (She stops short, suddenly, and takes a step back) Or... You've known all along.

Nik: What?

Hannah: (horrified) Lucky keeps saying I'm naive.

Nik: What the hell does Lucky have to do with this?

Hannah: (accusingly) I thought you said you didn't care! I thought you had no problem just keeping this between us.

Nik: (slowly) Why do I sudden get the feeling I'm being accused of something.

Hannah: You don't make any sense to me!

Nik: Well, we're even then.

Hannah: I could accept this -- all of this -- if I thought it was just about sex. But if it was, you wouldn't be here right now. Hell, you'd be thrilled that I'd had the decency to sneak out on you before sunrise.

Nik: There's something else going on here.

Hannah: (finally losing it) WHAT! What they hell is going on here! Give it a name, please, because I don't know how to fit the pieces together. Unless-- (she freezes as something occurs to her.) Get out, Nikolas.

Nik: Why are you acting like this?

Hannah: (shaking) I shouldn't have come to you last night. But who else do I have? You know that. You know exactly how alone I am. AND on the docks! I knew that was too easy. (She quickly descends into near hysteria) Oh my God, oh my God, I'm so stupid. I can't believe I let you get to me like that!

Nik: (reaching out to grab her arm) Hannah!

Hannah: Get AWAY from me! I want you to stay away from me and stay away from Emily! I want your family to just leave me alone.

Nik: What are you talking about?

Hannah: I never cared what happened to me. For some dumb reason, the only thing I can come up with that's worse than my life is death. If I could just make myself not care about dying, then none of you would be able to get to me! (Nikolas stares at her, in shock, while she cracks open) AND now I have to worry about my sister's child, who I don't even know, who doesn't want me anywhere near her -- but every time I close my eyes, I keep seeing her when she was a baby and my heart just aches. (starting to cry) I don't WANT to feel like this! I hate all the lying and all the pretending, and trying to stay quiet and still so that I won't spill all over the place. So that Lucky won't figure out how scared I am, and you won't figure out how completely dishonest I am!

Nik: I don't know what you're telling me, Hannah.

Hannah: (looking at him through a veil of tears) You don't, huh? Why should I believe you? When this suddenly makes sense, finally. (She wipes her eyes) You're a Cassadine. (Nikolas's face darkens)

Nik: And what does that mean to you?

Hannah: It means I die. (Nikolas's jaw drops)

Nik: Hannah, whatever Lucky told you --

Hannah: Lucky! You'll excuse me if I don't take your opinion of Lucky very seriously. I don't know if anyone has any idea just how cold that kid is. Of course you don't have to worry about him. He'd never lay a hand on you.

Nik: He pushed me down the stairs! (Hannah laughs, psychotically)

Hannah: GREAT! So if he'll push YOU down the stairs, I guess I really am dead.

Nik: Hannah! (He grabs her by both arms, intently) Tell me what's going on! If Lucky is threatening you, I can help, but you have to tell me why.

Hannah: Because of Emily! (Nikolas shakes his head)

Nik: What about Emily?

Hannah: She's my niece! (Nikolas, in shock, drops her arms, and takes a step back)

Nik: What?

Hannah: (coming back down to earth) You didn't know....

Nik: How is that possible?

Hannah: (sinking into the chair) My sister's daughter. Emily Bowen. (Nikolas starts to turn away, then looks back at her)

Nik: Does Emily know?

Hannah: Lucky made me tell her yesterday.

Nik: Lucky...

Hannah: You really didn't know?

Nik: How would I have known! You told me you'd never met her.

Hannah: I didn't think I had! It wasn't until I saw her at the club that I figured out who she was.

Nik: The docks.... That's why you came looking for me.

Hannah: (wiping away tears) I tried to get Lucky to tell me something, but he got all suspicious -- that's probably how he figured it out. (she covers her face with her hands) He's so cold. I can never figure him out. I don't even know if he's good to her, or just completely possessive.

Nik: (oddly defensive) He loves her. (He shakes his head) I don't understand. How did this happen? You didn't come looking for her?

Hannah: No. (She studies his face, and realized that she nearly blew everything. Nikolas is just as in the dark as she'd thought he was. She leans back against the chair) I didn't want to find her. But I did. It was an accident. (Nikolas stares at her)

Nik: You didn't.... (He stands up suddenly) Ok. Emily is your niece. And you didn't want to find her, but somehow Lucky figured out that you were related and he made you, have I got that right?

Hannah: (quietly) Yes. (Nikolas stares out the window, trying to digest this. He suddenly turns and walks out of the apartment, the door slamming behind him. Hannah sits up, startled. She gets up and starts after him, then stops) It's for the best. It has to be. (She turns and heads back tot he bathroom in search of an aspirin.)