Chapter Fourty-Six:
Family Friction

Emily's room.

Emily listens to the yelling coming from down the hall. Considering how much everyone seemed to want her home, her return seemed to be causing an awful lot of distress. There had been yelling downstairs, and now her parents were having some sort of argument in their bedroom. She sighs and picks up the phone, dialing Lucky's number almost without thinking about it. She listens to it ring, then the machine picks up. She hangs up without listening to the message. She opens her history book, and tries to study. There's a sudden explosion of noise, and she hears something get knocked over. They're not fighting about her anymore. Something, she'd suspected it for a long time, was really wrong with her parent's marriage. Another affair, she guessed. She picks up her book and walks over to her bed, sitting cross-legged against the mountain of pillows, her book open in her lap. Things quiet a little and she rests her head on her hand and starts to read. Suddenly she hears a larger crash, this time from another part of the house. Edward can be heard bellowing. AJ's voice matches his, and Emily frowns. This is a new one. She hears the bedroom door and slam and her parents come down the hall. She puts her book down and goes to the door. Up the stairs voices float, this time indicating an ELQ disaster, apparently at AJ's hands. Emily listens a moment, then heads back into her room. She goes to the phone again, and dials another number. She's greeted with a recorded message about the cellular customer being unavailable.

Em: Lucky, come on. Where are you? (She sighs heavily, and answers her own question) The club. (She hears another screamfest erupt downstairs, all voices melding together. She cringes, and hangs up the phone) Two hours, Emily. Your tolerance has gone down. (Emily walks across the room, grabs her coat off of the back of a chair, and walks out the door.)

Hannah's apartment.

Nikolas stands in the doorway to the bedroom, facing off with Lucky, who stands in front of Hannah by the door. Lucky stares at Nikolas, taking in the anger in his brother's face. He forces down his own annoyance... not just with Nikolas, but also with Hannah for not making Nik's presence clear immediately, and a mask of cold detachment falls over his face. He rolls his eyes.

Lucky: I should have known

Nik: What do want to say, Lucky?

Lucky: Nothing you need to hear. (Turning to Hannah) Remember what I said.

Nik: Lucky! (Lucky sighs and turns back to Nikolas, the picture of tolerance. Nikolas narrows his eyes at him)

Lucky: Do you have something to say?

Nik: I was about to ask you the same thing.

Lucky: Not to you. (Nikolas walks towards him)

Nik: (tense) If it's about my family, it's my business. (Lucky looks over at Hannah)

Lucky: What do you think, Hannah?

Hannah: (paling) Lucky, just go.

Lucky: I'm on my way. (Nikolas glowers at Lucky as he turns his back. Hannah steps out of his, way, and goes to Nikolas. She takes his hands, which are hanging limply at his sides)

Hannah: (under her breath) Please let this go. (Nikolas doesn't appear to hear her, seething as he watches his brother leave. Lucky pauses in the door, looks back at him, then to Hannah)

Lucky: Don't turn your back, Hannah. (Lucky closes the door, and heads down the hall. Nikolas pushes Hannah asides, and goes to the door)

Hannah: Nikolas, don't do this! (Nikolas pulls open the door angrily, slamming it behind him. At the elevators Lucky hears the door slam and groans)

Nik: Spencer! (Lucky leans back against the wall and watches the lit numbers slowly climbing towards their floor, attempting not to notice the tone Nikolas is using... the one that always makes him feel like his brother is summoning some errant servant. Nikolas comes towards him) You want to explain that remark?

Lucky: You're a college man, Cassadine (he over-enunciates the word). You figure it out.

Nik: Emily approve of you threatening her aunt?

Lucky: (heavily) I don't know, Nikolas. Why don't you ask her?

Nik: Back off of this, Lucky.

Lucky: I've heard this song, man. I didn't like it the first time.

Nik: (grabbing Lucky's shoulder) Look, I don't care what kind of Neanderthal theory of manipulation you're playing with, you're leaving Hannah alone, got it? (Lucky looks pointedly at Nik's hand, then back at his brother)

Lucky: Watch it, big brother. (The vicious, mocking way he says those words hits Nikolas harder than he's admit) You're going to get yourself in trouble.

Nik: (through gritted teeth) With who? (Lucky brushes Nik's hand off his shoulder).

Lucky: Lulu, for starters. (Nikolas shakes his head)

Nik: Don't bring her into this, Lucky.

Lucky: It's the only thing that's stopped me from knocking your block off, Nik, on more than one occasion.

Nik: This isn't about Lulu. This is about Hannah.

Lucky: (incensed) This is about you and me, and you know it. Hannah's just the latest excuse, right? Thank God we don't have to pretend to be civil anymore! We can fight about your mistress. Isn't that the Cassadine term?

Nik: (darkly) Don't you even talk about her.

Lucky: (laughing bitterly) Ok! It's been fun, but you're clearly not thinking with you're brain right now, so if you'll excuse me... (Lucky pulls open the door to the staircase, and starts the walk down the Eighteen stories... or at Least enough to get him away from Nikolas. Nikolas curses under his breath and starts after him)

Nik: Lucky!

Lucky: Bye, Nik. (He continues down the stairs. Nikolas follows at an impressive speed, which Lucky refuses to acknowledge... He's leaving, not running away... until his brother is nearly on top of him)

Nik: We're not finished here. (Lucky sighs heavily and stops on the landing. He leans against the wall, looking at Nik with complete insolence) You had something to tell Hannah about my family.

Lucky: That was a private conversation, Nikolas. Believe it or not, Hannah and I have things to say to each other that have nothing to do with you. And in case you didn't notice, I didn't threaten her.

Nik: You told her not to turn her back.

Lucky: That wasn't a threat, Nik. That was a warning. And while I'm feeling generous, let me give you one too...

Nik: Save it

Lucky: You want me out of this, you encourage your girlfriend not to make any rash decisions, Ok?

Nik: What has you so interested, Lucky? What the hell can she do for you? (Lucky's cool facade crashes without warning)

Lucky: Go to hell! (Nikolas jerks back, aware that he's hit a nerve) I don't CARE about what she can do for anyone! I care about the fact that after one two minute visit to Emily, she was so torn up she couldn't see straight. Do you hear me? She's supposed to be your friend, right? Well, Hannah's ripping her apart. I've seen the havoc she caused, man, and I'm not standing for it. If Emily decides she wants to see this woman again... and that's a big if... I will not let her do what she did to her the other day.

Nik: Hannah isn't going to hurt her.

Lucky: Yeah, yeah, she told me that too. BEFORE I spent three hours trying to get Emily to stop shaking, so you'll excuse me if I have my doubts.

Nik: You're still not answering my question, Lucky.

Lucky: And you're changing the topic. You can't condone what she did, Nikolas. You know you can't. (Nikolas tenses at Lucky's remarks... hitting way too close to the truth than he likes to acknowledge) And the more time you spend with her, the more it's going to eat away at you. What are YOU trying to do here? Repeat a pattern? (Nikolas turns away, seething. Lucky, unable to back off, keeps pushing) Does she have the family history? Know the whole sad story about your terrible mother?

Nik: I have nothing to say to you about Laura.

Lucky: Hey, she's my mother, too.

Nik: (deadly quite) Where do you get off talking to me about her? Yeah, Lucky, you were so hard done by. I've seen that house. I've seen the pictures of your tragic childhood, with your parents and your God damned DOG. You've been crying foul from the day I showed up. Well, guess what Lucky? I was here first, and if anyone has the right to be angry...

Lucky: You know NOTHING about me!

Nik: I know you're delusional. I know you think the whole world is out to get you. I know it's a novel thing for you to EVER think of anyone before yourself... what, I'm supposed to be impressed that you're here to protect Emily? I can't believe she still buys that. You're here to bully and intimidate a woman who is already scared out of her mind! That's really noble, Lucky

Lucky: (shaking with anger) You don't want to push this.

Nik: Why not? Because you're so fragile? Do you know how often I've been fed that line from Laura? Don't push him, he's not as mature as you, he's not...

Lucky: SHUT UP!

Nik: Can't take it Lucky? Am I getting too close to the truth? (Lucky closes his eyes and will his breathing to return to normal. It's an impossible task, but he does manage to get a tenuous handle on his emotions. He opens his eyes again, and looks at Nikolas with calculated contempt)

Lucky: I'm not fifteen anymore, Nikolas. You want to fight, find yourself another target, I'm tired of this game. (He turns and starts down the stairs. Nikolas lets him go, then turns and follows again)

Nik: You're not going to hurt Hannah, Lucky, or so help me...

Lucky: (stopping on the next landing) I'm the least of Hannah's problems.

Nik: (starting after him) What's that supposed to mean? (turning to face him)

Lucky: Think about it.

Nik: (tense) I know you Spencers think you can solve anything with violence.

Lucky: Right, Nikolas. And you don't have a history of that, do you?

Nik: I don't need to prove my strength by...

Lucky: By what? By taking over the world? By kidnapping a woman away from her family, and then behaving like the child that she conceived in captivity has more rights than the child she had with a husband who loved her, of her own free will? (Direct hit. Nikolas doesn't move, but is thrown for an emotional loop. He grits his teeth so hard, his jaw may very well snap, his chest tightening.) You say you were here first, Nikolas. Hang on to that, if that's what gets you through. But you don't know what family is. And if you gave a damn about Hannah, you'd be turning the other way.

Nik: (determinedly, almost a whisper of rage) I will not let anything touch Hannah.

Lucky: Yeah? Is that what your Uncle told Katherine Bell? (Out of nowhere, and without thinking, Nikolas hauls off and hits Lucky's jaw hard. Lucky is thrown backwards, hitting the wall. He's reeling, but manages to stay on his feet out of sheer tenacity. Nikolas, a bit dazed, stares at Lucky, as Lucky waits for his vision to clear. The lights dim on him, but he blinks rapidly, and manages not to sink into the darkness. He looks up at Nikolas, attempting to stay focused. Nikolas can see, however, that he's hurt him. Unable to determine which blur is his brother, Lucky closes his eyes, and leans his head back against the wall)

Lucky: Are we done now? Or do I have to hit you back? (Nikolas is hit by a wave of remorse, watching his brother desperately try to hang on to his pride. He can't bring himself to answer, and instead turns his back on Lucky and heads up to the nearest floor exit, letting the door swing shut behind him. Lucky, hearing the door close, lets himself slide down to the ground, eyes still closed, and waits for the stars to stop spinning around him.)

Luke's Club.

Emily enters tentatively, and breathes a sigh of relief when she sees that some nondescript blues quartet are on stage. She walks across to the bar, eyes still on the stage, barely noticing Luke watching her with a frown until he speaks to her.

Luke: Hey, Princess. (Emily jumps, and turns to look at him, putting a hand to chest in relief).

Em: Hi, Luke.

Luke: Looking for Lucky?

Em: Yeah... He's not here?

Luke: No. I assumed he was with you.

Em: Absolutely not. I just came from the mansion.

Luke: Ah. Lucky told me about that. Trouble at Casa del Loco? (Emily finds herself laughing. She sits down heavily on the barstool) Drink?

Em: (groaning) Yes!

Luke: Diet Coke, straight up.

Em: I need something a little stronger. Like ginger ale.

Luke: Whatever the little lady wants. (He pours the drink and sets it in front of Emily) You still staying with Jason?

Em: I went home this afternoon. (She smiles to herself as she takes a gulp of her drink) I'm not sure how long it'll last, though.

Luke: Always said you were the one thing in that house that didn't need a warning label. (Emily frowns)

Em: Oh, I don't know about that. Lucky probably wouldn't agree. (Luke laughs)

Luke: Ah, he needs the excitement. Besides, now that he's got disapproving parents to deal with, you don't have to worry about him getting bored. (Emily frowns. One day, she tells herself, she'll get used to conversations with Luke Spencer. She takes another swig of her ginger ale.) Last few days been a bit rough, huh?

Em: (slowly) Yeah... He told you?

Luke: Well, he explained why he had to take off for a few days. (Emily puts a hand to her forehead)

Em: The club! I didn't even THINK about that! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mess things up.

Luke: Ah, I survived. Besides, sounds like you had some pretty heavy stuff going down.

Em: Yeah, well... I should be used to that by now. (She sighs) Would have helped if I'd had a hint, you know? But even if I had, it was so "out of right field" I wouldn't have picked up on it. (She shakes her head) I haven't really decided what I'm going to do about it.

Luke: Well, these things take time. Caroline, for instance... she took a lot of time. She's still taking time.

Em: I noticed. (she swishes the ice in her drink around) Anyway, thanks for letting me have Lucky for a couple of days. It helped. (Luke smirks that "my son, I think I'll keep him" smile). It WAS kinda weird.

Luke: I can imagine.

Em: (taking another sip of her drink) I meant for you. (A flicker of confusion passes over Luke's face, but, in typical Spencer form, he quickly vanquishes it, and smiles slightly)

Luke: I'm used to weird.

Em: I almost didn't come here tonight, because I thought she might be here. I mean, I can't even think of how many times I've come here and she's been here practicing, or whatever. And all that time she knew... (She shrugs, fighting off the bitterness creeping into her voice) Well, who cares, right? She had a job to do.

Luke: Yeah. (He leans back against the bar, ultra-cool) Well, her people skills aside, she's a great singer.

Em: Yeah... (she drowns the rest of the drink and slams it down on the bar, smiling at Luke ruefully) But I don't think I'll be coming to hear her sing for a while. (She stands up) Oh! And I knew Lucky would tell you, but... I don't want anyone else to know, Ok? (Luke smiles, making a grand gesture with his hand)

Luke: My lips are sealed.

Em: Thanks, Luke. (She stands up) I better get home before everyone completely freaks out.

Luke: Good luck.

Em: I'll need it. (She fortifies herself, and gives him a small smile before turning and walking out. Luke watches her leave, shaking his head)

Luke: Ok, Cowboy. What's this about?