Chapter Fifty-Seven:
I Don't Know That Guy

Luke's Club, a few days later.

Lucky sits at a back table, doing the books. He's having a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. He's feeling tense, and he hasn't had nearly enough sleep over the past few days. This whole thing with Jason is just getting to be a little extreme. He pushes the ledger away from him, and rubs his eyes, then puts his head down on the table a minute. He's aware of someone entering the room, but can't bring himself to care, even as they approach him.

Jason: Hey. (Lucky look up.)

Lucky: Hey. (he quickly scans the room ensuring no one's in ear shot). What are you doing here?

Jason: Checking in.

Lucky: I said I'd call.

Jason: (leaning across the table) How're you doing with what I gave you.

Lucky: Going through a list of murders and career criminals to pick out the one with the loyalty issues? (he smiles slightly) I'm flying blind.

Jason: What do your instincts tell you?

Lucky: I still don't like your driver.

Jason: (squinting) Because of Hannah?

Lucky: I told you.... Ok. Look, the only reason I looked into Hannah was because something didn't add up, you know? And look how that turned out.

Jason: So I take it you've already looked into Jacob.

Lucky: Yeah, yeah.... Nothing, except that he was arrested for drug possession in New York. (He frowns) You stay away from that stuff.

Jason: Yeah.

Lucky: So why'd you hired this guy.

Jason: It was eight years ago. Minor infraction, there are about half a dozen guys on the list with that kind of information.

Lucky: (heavily) Yeah, I noticed. Just this guy knows Hannah.... That makes me nervous.

Jason: Cause of the Cassadines.

Lucky: Look.... This is kinda out there, Ok? (Jason nods) I mean if this somehow... (Lucky can barely bring himself to say this, it's so extreme). Is there anyway this connected with the Cassadines, too?

Jason: What?

Lucky: Yeah, I know. I'm a Spencer, and this is our answer for everything. I just don't like the connection. You look at that and the fact that someone's messing with bank accounts.... Reporting pickups to police, but you never get caught.

Jason: No.

Lucky: Right. And stuff is generally getting messed up but nothing so blatant that it's actually going to cause trouble. It's annoying, it's confusing, it doesn't serve any obvious purpose... this sounds familiar to me. You're asking me about my instincts? Bank accounts in Puerto Rico aside, Jacob knew about all this stuff, right?

Jason: Jacob, Renaldo, Johnny.... A couple of others, too.

Lucky: Where are things standing with you and Stefan these days?

Jason: (shrugging) He still wants me dead. But he hasn't exactly been a problem.

Lucky: (smirking) No. He's been pretty much useless to everyone, from what I hear. He barely even shows up at the hospital. Alexis is running everything now.

Jason: Yeah, well. Works for me.

Lucky: (distantly) Yeah... It's pretty convenient for us, too. (He sighs) You know, I never thought he'd let go of you getting Nikolas hurt. (Jason looks at Lucky blankly, but some small flicker in his eyes causes Lucky to back track) I mean, Nikolas getting caught in the crossfire.

Jason: What's he going do? He can't touch me.

Lucky: Well... I think I'm suggesting he has.

Jason: Lucky.....

Lucky: I know how nuts it sounds. Trust me. Stefan is completely out of it. I know that. My Dad keeps his fingers on the pulse of that situation. He'd let me know if the Vamp was up to something. But I'm telling you, this makes sense to me. And nothing else does.

Jason: So what do you suggest?

Lucky: Hey, it's your business.

Jason: But you don't like Jacob.

Lucky: No. I don't.

Jason: I think I can work around that.

Lucky: Hey. Who's on Emily?

Jason: Don't worry. Not an issue.

Lucky: No one new.

Jason: Lucky. She's my sister.

Lucky: I know.

Jason: And no one's tried anything.

Lucky: Good. (Jason sits down and mulls over what Lucky's telling him)

Jason: So... you think this is some Cassadine head game?

Lucky: I don't know what it is. But Stefan Cassadine hates you just about as much as he hates my Dad.

Jason: But we both agree that he's out of it.

Lucky: But Helena isn't. She's already got one spy in town. Maybe she's got two. I'd keep a real close eye on Jacob.

Jason: Ok. But what would she want?

Lucky: I don't know. Whatever it is, we probably much time to figure it out.

Jason: Well, first we better make sure this is what we're dealing with.

Lucky: Get rid of Jacob. That's the most direct approach. This stuff with the deliveries, if it keep up after he's out of the loop, then you have a bigger problem than you thought.

Jason: This still makes no sense to me.

Lucky: Look. I'll do what I can from here. You're right, we gotta know what's up.

Jason: If you're right... Things get messy for you.

Lucky: Yeah, I know. (The conversation is cut short when Lucky sees Luke enter. Jason, noting the look on Lucky's face turns to see Luke heading over to them, an odd look on his face. Lucky subtly turns the ledger around to face Jason, and leans back in his chair, fixing his eyes on the far wall.)

Luke: Hey partner. (he sees the ledger) You're keeping a close eye on things these days.

Jason: I was in the neighborhood.

Luke: Anything I can do for you?

Jason: (standing up) No, I saw what I needed to. I'll be back around at the end of the week.

Luke: (nodding) Sure. Nice to know you're keeping an interest. (Jason nods curtly, and leaves, without another word to Lucky. Lucky turns the ledger back around and pulls it back to him)

Luke: So you made it. I thought I'd see you this morning.

Lucky: (pouring over the ledger, though the numbers are swimming in front of him) Uh, yeah. Sorry.

Luke: No problem. You're here now. (he sits down) How's it going?

Lucky: Fine. I'm almost done.

Luke: Good. Nice to know the paychecks won't bounce.

Lucky: (tense) I said I was sorry.

Luke: Hey, hey, hey.... Calm down. I'm just making conversation.

Lucky: Yeah well... I have to finish this up, Ok?

Luke: Uh huh. (he sits back in his chair and studies Lucky as he continues with the books.) You know, the books can wait fifteen minutes if you have something else you want to talk about. (Lucky stops writing and stares at the book a moment. He starts again, without looking up)

Lucky: I don't.

Luke: Uh huh. So we're back to thinking your old man is terminally stupid, or blind or something.

Lucky: (sitting up) Do YOU have something you want to talk about? (Luke laughs)

Luke: That's good. Good, turn tables on me. No, Cowboy, this is about you. (Lucky sighs, and sits back in his chair)

Lucky: What now?

Luke: (after a moments pause) Nikolas was at the house the other day. (Lucky shrugs, as if to say "so?", expertly hiding the wave of relief. Luke frowns) Look, whatever it is going on with you two, that's between the two of you. I know that. But --

Lucky: You're going to ask me about it anyway.

Luke: Would there be any point?

Lucky: No.

Luke. Then I guess I'm not asking. And I'm not asking about Miss Quartermaine either. And I guess I won't ask what it is you're losing all this sleep over.

Lucky: (quietly) I'm not losing anything.

Luke: You sure about that?

Lucky: (defensively) What?

Luke: You seem a bit high strung these days.

Lucky: Nope.

Luke: You coming out to the house this week?

Lucky: You know why I haven't been out, Dad.

Luke: I don't know why you're letting Cassadine keep you away --

Lucky: (firmly) It upsets Lulu.

Luke: Well, she'll have to get used to it at some point.

Lucky: Not when she's four, Dad.

Luke: Yeah, I know. Just seems hard to say which is worse for her -- You and the Young Prince tearing each other apart, or her brother disappearing from her life for weeks at a time.

Lucky: ONE week. One.

Luke: Check the mirror, cowboy. You don't look any worse for wear. At least nothing a few hours sleep wouldn't cure.

Lucky: Yeah, well. I have some stuff to take care of for school.

Luke: School?

Lucky: Yeah, remember that?

Luke: Barely. Even less than I can remember you ever caring about it.

Lucky: You've made your point, Dad. (Luke sits back and looks at Lucky critically. Lucky looks up and catches the end of the look) What?

Luke: Nothing. (Luke stands up) Bring the ledger back to the office when you're done.

The Park

Emily sits curled up on a park bench, watching pigeons cluck around a few feet away. She hears someone coming towards her, and smiles slightly as Hannah appears.

Em: Hi.

Hannah: Hey. (Regarding pigeons) Anything interesting going on?

Em: Huh? Oh, not really.

Hannah: What about with you?

Em: (distantly) I'm fine.

Hannah: Ok.

Em: I'm lying through my teeth, or course,

Hannah: I figured. But like I said, I won't press.

Em: Thanks. (Hannah wracks her brain for some sort of possible question to ask. She can't come up with anything that sounds even slightly innocuous, so she just joins Emily in watching the birds. After a moment, Emily speaks) I guess you got my note.

Hannah: Yeah. Thanks.

Em: (frowning, but not looking at her) Thanks?

Hannah: I don't know, I guess I still feel like I should be extremely grateful for every chance you give me.

Em: Not to me.

Hannah: I'm sorry?

Em: Don't be grateful to me. Like I said, I'm running out of other places to go. (Hannah regards Emily cautiously.)

Hannah: I... Is there something you want to talk about?

Em: I need something else to do with my time. (she sighs heavily) I'm taking two courses right now, which is half of my work load last semester. I've spent the last three days doing nothing but homework, and I've actually hit the point where there is just nothing else to do. And I don't just mean today. I mean, for the foreseeable future. All my essays are written, proofread, I've studied for every test I have coming up... I don't have anything else to do but sit in my room and stare at my phone.

Hannah: I see.

Em: So, basically, don't be grateful to me, because you're my last ditch attempt at staying away from someone else.

Hannah: I can live with that.

Em: I can't. (she looks at Hannah out of the corner of her eye) I don't know if this is a good thing. I mean... Probably, if this was a different situation, we'd have some social worker or something telling us what to do, and what to avoid. That's how they usually do it.

Hannah: I wouldn't know.

Em: Well... there were lots of social workers during the adoption... and even when Mom got sick. They aren't much help, but they have all these rules, you know? Like you have to go through emotional channels. It gives you a guide line. You can say "Oh. So this is what I'm supposed to be feeling right now". I guess that can be comforting if you're feeling confused.

Hannah: Are you feeling confused?

Em: (flatly) I'm not feeling anything.

Hannah: You sure about that.

Em: Sometimes it's easier not to think too much about stuff. (Hannah stares off at the pigeons a moment)

Hannah: Right.... So then it's like it's not happening.

Em: Kinda.

Hannah: You're not feeling like--

Em: Not yet.

Hannah: I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked.

Em: It's Ok. No one else ever does, I think they like to forget it happened. And Lucky and I have an agreement, that if I ever was really seriously considering doing drugs again, I'd tell him. (She frowns) Granted, I shouldn't take any agreements I have with Lucky too seriously. (Hannah looks over at her, and bites her tongue short of asking about him. Emily makes no move to explain the comment. Finally Hannah takes a deep breath and dives in)

Hannah: Emily... I don't know if this is the right time to say this, but... I just wanted you to know something. (Emily tears her attention away from the birds and looks over at Hannah) I know we've had no real time together. But I want you to know that if you need anything, if I can do something to help out, I'll do it. No questions asked. I owe that.

Em: Because of Mom.

Hannah: And you. And your father. We were family once, and it was my fault that we aren't anymore. And if you can find it in yourself to grant me a chance for redemption, I'll take it.

Emily: Thanks. (she looks down at the ground, her brow knit) I don't even know what I need right now.

Hannah: I know that feeling.

Em: I have absolutely no one to talk to about this.... It's pretty sad, really.

Hannah: About us?

Em: (laughing bitterly) Well, now that you mention it -- (she looks up at the sky, fighting back tears) Lucky's being.... God, I wish you didn't know him.

Hannah: I saw him last night. He seemed.... Preoccupied. But I think that's his latest way of dealing with me. He doesn't acknowledge my presence.

Em: I haven't talked to him in three days. (She looks at her watch) Huh. Three days and two hours. (She looks over at the trees) The sun's starting to set.

Hannah: Yeah....

Em: I can't remember the last time I watched a sunset.

Hannah: Emily?

Em: So how long do you think I should wait before I just go over there and strangle him?

Hannah: You guys had a fight, I'm guessing.

Em: I don't even know what we had. It was vintage Lucky, whatever it was. And I told him... Every time we fight, or whatever, he says "You know where to find me"... And it drives me crazy. It just sticks with me until I go find him. Well, he's not trying to find me. In fact, I'm probably doing him a favor.

Hannah: Are you worried about him? (Emily presses her lips together. She nods silently) Well, going to see him couldn't hurt, could it?

Em: Anything's possible these days.

Hannah: I'm not the person to ask about this. I've never had a one year anniversary with anyone. Ten and half months was as close as I got, and that was because I was stoned half the time.

Em: (smirking) Well, this is the only relationship I've ever had. (Hannah considers this) This is the part where you tell me that there's a whole world out there and I should broaden my horizons.

Hannah: It's hard to imagine a broader horizon than Lucky. (Emily laughs. Hannah can't help but smile) From what I've seen.

Em: Well, my parents don't see it that way.

Hannah: What about your friends? (Emily rests her chin on her knee and stares down at the ground)

Em: My friend. She gets the Lucky thing, probably a little better than I'd want her to.

Hannah: Excuse me?

Em: (looking up) No, it's not like I have no friends. I do. I have people I hang out with at school and stuff, but they're not close. And I don't want them to be. My friend Lizzie, though, she was always the person I told about stuff.

Hannah: She's not around anymore?

Em: Last call was from Oregon. She's a little... lost. But in a good way.

Hannah: Well, maybe you should call her.

Em: No... This isn't the sort of thing Lizzie could help me with. (She stretches her legs out in front of her) I guess it's just me and logic.

Hannah: Can I ask what that means?

Em: Oh, I give up. I'm going to see him.