Chapter 53

Kyle stepped back and admired his work, before beginning to clean up his work
station. Suddenly he turned around, hearing a familiar voice.

"Hey you. Nice work," Liz said, walking by and looking at the canvas. It was
an elaborate mixute of eye-catching, brilliant colors.

"Hey," Kyle responded, greeting her. He hadn't seen Liz since the scuffle
he'd gotton into with Lucky at her birthday party and he wondered when they'd
get around to talking about it.

"So how's the lip?" Liz asked pointing to the stitches that sinched up the
nasty gash.

"Aw, it's alright," Kyle said, grinning lop sidedly.

"I really wanna apologize for that again," Liz said sheepishly. "I invited
you to my party and you didn't deserve that."

"Well, I have a feeling that your husband's fist would disagree."

Liz laughed nervously at Kyle's attempt at levity. Kyle picked up on her
tension.

"Really Liz...it's ok. I mean, if I were Lucky, I probably would have reacted
the same way...your husband's a lucky man...no pun intended."

"Kyle - "

"Sorry..."said, Kyle realizing he was once again flirting. "Old habits die
hard I guess."

Kyle began closing the lids on various paint jars as he searched for
something to say that would dig him back out of the hole he'd just stepped
into.

"Um, I hear from my uncle that your first day at the gallery was a major
success."

"Well...I don't know about that, but I did have a really good time yesterday.
I actually sold a painting."

"Jeesh...see," Kyle said laughing. "Well there you go...your first day and
already you're makin' your mark."

Liz smiled. He really was a sweet guy when he wanted to be. When he wasn't
trying to charm her. "Anyways," Liz said upon hearing her professor dismiss
class. "I just wanted to say thanks again for the opportunity."

Kyle nodded his head slightly. "Your welcome Liz."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hi Sam," Laura said as she walked into Kelly's with LuLu in tow.

"Hi, Mrs. Spencer," Sam replyed, looking up from her magazine. "Hi LuLu...if
you aren't just the cutest thing ever..." Sam continued, touching the little
girl's cheek.

Laura simply smiled. She was unaware of all of the drama Sam had caused at
Liz's party. Of course she'd seen her walk in, wearing the same dress and
shoes, but she had brushed it off as mere coincidence.

"Sam," Laura began, sitting down at one of the bar stools. "Do you happen to
know where my son is...LuLu wanted to see her big brother, and I wanted to
see him too," she asked smiling.

"I'm afraid not Mrs. Spencer," Sam answered. "I saw him leave a little while
ago. I think he went on his break, but that was over a half an hour ago.
Little Amber's been stuck running the place all by her lonesome."

"Hmm," Laura said, drumming her fingers against the coutertop. "Well that
doesn't sound like Lucky...I hope nothing's wrong."

"I don't know Mrs. Spencer, Lucky's not really in the habit of confiding in
me lately. I'm afraid he's a little upset with me."

"Why is that?" Laura asked, turning to her.

Sam sighed, putting on her best depressed face. "Well...I think it has
something to do with Elizabeth...Mrs. Spencer, she doesn't seem to like me
very much...and I'm afraid me showing up at her party in the very same dress
didn't help matters much."

Laura shook her head. "Well Sam, I'm sure it's all just a misunderstanding. I
can't imagine that Liz would be that petty."

"Mrs. Spencer I think it's more than that. You see I accidentally caused a
bit of an arguement between Liz and Lucky by telling Lucky that this
guy...Kyle I think his name was...left a message for Liz about some job at an
art gallery...You see, I guess Lucky didn't want her to take the job because
he got terribly upet about it - "

"And that's what caused the fight at the party." Laura finished.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Sam said, looking down. "I wish I could do something to
make it up to them."

"Honey, " Laura said, patting her arm. "I'm sure everything will be
fine...they'll come around. You'll see."

Sam smiled then. "Thank you Mrs. Spencer."

"Call me Laura," she said, rising from her stool. "Well, I have to be going
now. LuLu here has a playdate with her friend, Georgie, but please let my son
know that I stopped by."

"I will Mrs. - uh, Laura...and you just let me know if you ever need anyone
to watch that adorable little girl of yours. She is just too precious."

"Oh, I might just take you up on that." Laura said as she opened the door.
"Goodbye."

"Toodles."

Chapter 54

Emily glanced at Nikolas' eyes behind her in the mirror as he combed his
hair. She'd come over to his cottage to get ready for Liz's dinner party, and
had sensed Nikolas' distraction since the moment she'd walked in the door.
Suddenly she sat her lipstick down on the countertop.

"Honey, what's wrong...you look really tense."

"Nuthin'," Nikolas replyed, combing the same strands of hair yet again. No
matter what he did he couldn't seem to get his conversation with Lucky out of
his mind, and having dinner with he and Liz wouldn't make matters any better.

"Nothing huh?" Emily asked, moving the rose colored lipstick from side to
side over her lips. She pursed her mouth together and closed the metal tube
of Jax Cosmetics. "Mr. Cassidine, I do believe you are hideing something from
me," she said teasingly, inching her way between the edge of the sink and his
body. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You wanna tell me about it?"

Nikolas sighed and stepped back, sitting on the edge of the porcelin tub. He
wanted to tell Emily everything, but would he be betraying his brother? 'No,'
Nikolas thought. 'Emily's known my brother longer than I have...maybe she can
help.'

Nikolas looked up at her. "I think that maybe I gave Lucky some horrible
advice the other day."

Emily pushed back, hopping up on the countertop to sit down. "Advice about
what?"

Nikolas covered his mouth with his hand for a moment and then let it slide to
his chin. "Emily...you know how you're always saying how you hate that girl
Sam?"

Emily tossed her long locks over her shoulder. "Yes...I'm familiar with the
bitch, yes...what has she done now?" she asked.

Nikolas smirked slightly at his girlfriend's bluntness. "More like whom has
she done now," Nikolas muttered flippantly.

"Huh?" Emily asked, not understanding the comment.

Nikolas took a deep breath. "Emily...Lucky slept with her."

Emily hopped off of the countertop and stood up. "What?" she asked, knowing
very well that she had heard him perfectly. She shook her head. "Yeah right
Nikolas...why would Lucky - Nikolas this has gotta be some kinda mistake.
Lucky would never - "

"It was the night of the party," Nikolas continued. He stood up walking into
his bedroom. Emily followed. "Lucky doesn't really remember everything, but
he knows it happened...he was just too drunk to - "

"Wait a minute! Wait just a minute!" Emily said, her mind reeling. "What - I
mean - how, how could he? This is - This is...what about Elizabeth?"

"Emily as far as I can tell, this is not something he planned. It just
happened."

"It just happened?! It just happened!?...Nikolas you don't just accidentally
have sex with someone...I can't believe this. You mean to tell me that when
Liz was at the hospital with Reese and Kyle...Lucky was...ugh...I can't
belive this Nikolas. I just can't. I mean there's no way..." Emily shook her
head. She suddenly got quiet. "So what about Elizabeth?" she asked. "How is
she taking all this?"

Nikolas looked up at her then, just staring her in the eyes for a long
moment. Emily sighed, it finally dawning on her that Liz didn't know yet.

"Oh my God," Emily said softly, sitting down on the bed. "So that's why Liz
is throwing this dinner party like nothing is wrong...because she doesn't
know that anything IS wrong?"

"Yeah," Nikolas answered flattly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"This just gets better and beter," she sighed. "So when does my oldest and
dearest friend plan on telling her?" she asked, beginning to feel a bit
bitter towards Lucky.

"Never," Nikolas wispered, his guilt beginning to overcome him again.

"Come again," Emily said.

Nikolas blew some air threw his lips. "Emily I - I told him not to tell her."

"You what?!" Emily yelled, jumping up from the bed.

"Emily what good is it going to do? All it's gonna do is destroy them!"

Emily shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. "Nikolas, that's
not your decision to make! How could you tell him that?! She has to know! He
has to tell her!...Nikolas their relationship is based on truth and
honesty..first and foremost. Honey, that's the glue that keeps them
together...and to take that away from them -

"I didn't take it away from them Emily. Lucky did."

Emily sighed. "Yeah...you're right. BUT, Nikolas...it's your job as his
brother to sit him down and say ' Look Man, tell her the truth.' "

Emily sat down then, her own guilt beginning to surface. 'Why didn't I warn
Lucky about Sam sooner? Why didn't I warn Liz from the very beginning?' She
suddenly cut the silence that had eveloped she and Nikolas. "If he doesn't
tell her...I will," she stated, looking up at Nikolas.

"Emily No!" Nikolas yelled. "I told you this in confidence. You can't tell
her!"

"Nikolas do you understand that I'm caught in the middle of this? I'm caught
in the middle of doing what's right for my oldest friend, doing what's right
for my bestfriend, and doing what's right for the both of them."

Nikolas sighed. "How about just doing what's right for your boyfriend?"

"What does that mean?" Emily asked defiantly. "Nikolas...please don't make me
choose here...that's not fair."

Nikolas sighed again. "Ok," he said slowly sitting down beside Emily and
taking her in his arms. "Just promise me you won't say anything tonight."

Emily pulled back, glaring at him. "Nikolas, I can't promise that...I - "

"Ok, ok. How about this? How about we don't go tonight? I think we both need
to take a moment and just think about this...Em...this isn't something you
can just blurt out like 'Happy Birthday.' "

"You're right...Ok. I'll call Liz and tell her we can't make it."