Lucky had only a moment to allow for shock. Half of that moment was spent realizing exactly what he was witnessing. The next half, realizing he had to do something to stop it.

His feet must have moved, but he couldn’t remember them hitting the ground. Perhaps he’d flown across the carpet in order to grip Jack by the collar and throw him off the struggling form beneath him.

He couldn’t remember any words spoken either. But he must have said something. Or done something to cause the fear that he’d seen rip through Jack’s eyes like a blaze of fire.

A psychotic kind of fear that gripped both of them and said beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jack had gone far past the point of no return. That the edge was somewhere in the distance and he could no longer see it from his vantage point.

He spun around before Lucky could get a firm hold of the collar and stumbled as he ran towards the door, dropping to his knees and scrambling into a crawl. He looked like an animal clawing for an escape. And Lucky remembered thinking he should run after him. Not allow him to escape what he’d done here. It was time he paid for at least one sin, and Lucky hadn’t processed it all yet…but this one – this one looked like the biggest.

The blur and the whir that had filled his senses when he’d crossed over the threshold of the apartment came back to him and he forgot about the man who’d just escaped outside.

The blur had been one of rips and tears and blood, and that whir of sound…a muffled scream, a gasp, a moan behind him now…

Lucky slowly turned in the center of the apartment that now felt so unfamiliar. So cold yet hot at the same time. He tried to send the heat in the blood that rushed through his veins down to his legs to get them moving.

Because even now as he looked, all he could process were silly things…like the bright red blood against the white carpet. If the source of all that blood was still lucid enough to notice it…she’d despise it. She’d have all new carpet laid because stains were unacceptable.

A silly thought to have but the only he was able to process when he saw her face. Yes, the carpet had been perfect…and her face had been too.

He pushed feet that felt like lead into action and knelt next to her. Letting his eyes travel down the length of her body and then up to her face. She breathed slowly, taking in deep breaths through her bloodied nose and mouth. Her left eye was already swollen shut.

Perhaps, she’d still be physically perfect once she got to the hospital. Perhaps that was the one thing he could try and do for her at this precise moment. Get her somewhere…somewhere where people who knew what to do, could help her.

When she opened her mouth to speak, he wanted shushed her. "Don’t try to talk…I’m gonna call the paramedics and the police. I’ll be right –

"No," she said quickly. The word wrenched itself through her throat. "No…I – I already called."

Lucky’s brow knit and she made it out through the blurriness that filled her eyes. "I got away…hid in the closet…long enough to call. I al- I already knew what he was going to do."

Once again, Lucky’s eyes did a sweep of her body. Bruises on her arms, and rips on her clothes, but none of it looked as if it had been removed.

He placed her head gently on his lap. "Are you hurt anywhere that I can’t see?"

She smiled awkwardly through her bloodied bottom lip. "Oh I would…I would’ve let you see it about a month ago Lucky."

"Stephanie come on –

"I’m fine," she whispered. But her voice gave out and he knew she wasn’t. She hadn’t been raped, but she wasn’t fine.

But if she wanted to pass the time with some humor, he could do that too. Especially considering he had no idea what to say at the moment. What the Hell did you say to the woman who’d accused you of the exact same thing you just saved her from?

He took in the bloodstains on her clothes. "Your dry cleaning bills are gonna be a bitch."

A soft laugh rippled through and then she started to cough…blood. Lucky’s eyes widened and his pulse quickened, but he wouldn’t let her see his panic. He brushed at her mouth with his sleeve and propped her up a bit more in his lap.

"Ok…Let’s sit you up, huh?"

Her eyes went a little blank and she started speaking even slower. Lucky licked his bone dry lips and listened close.

"I’ve never seen anyone so mad," she whispered. "He was really…mad."

"He’s a fucking lunatic."

His eyes met hers and she looked away, only to wince at the turn of her head. He adjusted her gently.

"I d- don’t know what’s wrong with me," she went on….I don’t know why I did this to you."

It wasn’t exactly an apology…and he wasn’t sure he wanted one. He wouldn’t know what to do with one. How could he accept it after all she’d put him through. How could he not accept it with what she was going through.

Lucky inhaled. "Stephanie we don’t have to talk about this right now."

Her eyes found his this time. They were sober and sincere. "We might not have another chance Lucky."

He shut his eyes and let her talk.

"He made it sound like…like you d-deserved it and…"

She started to shiver in the middle of her words and Lucky cursed under his breath. Where the fuck was the ambulance? He despised this woman, but another part of him…an obviously stick and deluded part – liked her. And for the briefest of moments in time, he’d liked her a lot.

He didn’t want her to die, no matter what she’d put him through.

Lucky tried to change the subject. "You have any of that Pinot Grigio that you like so much, in the fridge?…I think we both could use a drink right now."

"Lucky what are you doing here?" She asked the question without hesitation or thought. It simply came out.

Lucky shook his head. "Only you would criticize my being here right now, Steffie."

It was the firs time he’d used that nick name for her in close to a year and she got quiet for a minute just to savor it. Whether she lived or died, she knew she’d never hear it again.

Stephanie finally found her voice, "I’m not c…" she coughed again and Lucky grimaced. "I’m not critcizing…" her voice was getting fainter and fainter by the minute. "I just don’t understa…stand why you’re here……I bet you at least wish you’d come a coupla seconds later."

The next coughing fit lasted long enough for Lucky to be appalled that she’d actually think that.

When she quieted and he was certain that he could hear him, he spoke.

"Stephanie if I would have seen on the street with a dog pissing on your leg, I wouldn’t have run up and stopped him……but I’m not about to allow Jack to attack somebody," he hissed. When she looked away, he knew it was because he’d said ‘somebody,’…he corrected himself.

"To attack you……As hard as it may be to believe," he said softly. Pushing a few strands of hair away from her face. "I wish I woulda gotten here sooner."

"So you could watch?"

"Steph –

She started to giggle and then cough again. Hacking this time. There was blood to wipe up with his sleeve again. She was bleeding from somewhere inside and Lucky silently prayed that the paramedics would show up within the next two seconds.

She shivered something awful in his arms. "Ah, don’t look so…serious Lucky…you look like somebody’s about to die or something…or somebody who’s been accused of a horrible crime."

Stephanie had always been kinda funny in a morbid sorta way when she wasn’t too busy being stuffy. She’d often made really bad jokes, and was the only one to laugh at them.

He pulled her a bit closer and held her to his warmth as her body got cold.

"Stephanie just shut the hell up for once," Lucky said, shushing her with a tender finger to her lips.

She smiled and looked up and with soft eyes. "She was right about you…You’re wife…you’re some kind of angel aren’t you?…You’re not even real……I should h-have known I could never be what you wanted."

It was the first time he’d ever heard Stephanie actually refer to Elizabeth as ‘his wife,’ and it was probably the most genuine compliment she’d ever paid him.

"Oh I don’t know," Lucky sighed. Forcing a smile. He had a strong desire not to frown at her right now. The last expression that someone saw on another person’s face shouldn’t be one of hostility.

"It always seemed to me that it was ME who wasn’t what YOU wanted."

"You were everything I wanted to be…and cou – couldn’t be. I hated you f-for that…you’re so damn perfect."

Lucky shrugged and smirked. "Well you helped with my perfection….I mean really. How else do you think I learned how to be a master chef? All those times you forced me to cook for your father so you could pass it off as your own…thank you."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Now someone else is reaping the benefits of all my hard work…sorry I never appre," she coughed hard. "Appreciated you…I still ha-haven’t mastered that."

"You could appreciate me a lot right now…but listening and just shutting up."

"Don’t worry…you won’t have to hear my voice for much longer."

He brushed her hair away from her forehead. "You’re not gonna die Steffie."

Just as she grinned and shut her eyes, a rumble made it’s way up the stairs outside the apartment. Lucky turned and gently placed Stephanie’s head on the carpet.

"It’s about time you guys got –

But it wasn’t the paramedics. It was Elizabeth trying desperately to beat…Evan Davenport to the door. She ran across the threshold and Lucky rose to his feet just as Even came in behind her. Stephanie’s father’s face nearly glowed with fury at his presence…but the fury turned to shock instantly and all the redness of his complexion turned white.

Elizabeth’s jaw dropped as well as she stared at Stephanie’s body on the floor. But she flew into action the second, Mr. Davenport lunged for Lucky’s throat. Lucky pushed her out of the way and accepted what the older man had to give. Being lifted off of his feet by his collar.

She shouted from behind. "Mr. Davenport…No, Lucky didn’t do this! It was Jack!"

Evan Davenport pulled back his arm, ready to hit the young man who’d attacked his daughter not once, but twice, when he heard yet another female voice emerge behind Lucky. It was weak and frail, but somehow he still managed to make it out, behind the roaring in his ears.

"It was Jack, Daddy…Luc – Lucky didn’t do this……"

Still clutching Lucky, by the shirt he peered around him. His face near tomato red once more from anger. "What do you mean he didn’t do this?! Stephanie you’re hurt…you’re –

"Lucky never to – touched me Daddy. It was Jack."

Elizabeth moved towards Stephanie, lifting her head just as Lucky had a moment ago. Stephanie tried not to think about how alike they were. How perfect the two of them were for one another.

He’d actually found someone worthy of all his perfection. Perhaps that’s why she’d hated Elizabeth so much. Why she couldn’t bring herself to accept the fact that this woman had a part of him that she had never been able to fully grasp…his heart.

Mr. Davenport released Lucky and came over to his daughter. Elizabeth moved away gently and took Lucky’s hand in hers.

"Jack did this to me," Stephanie said again. "He did all of this…Lucky never hurt me."

Once more the colors of Evan’s face changed. Going from red to completely ashen.. As if everything inside him had been sucked out. Not only was his daughter close to death, but she was a liar too, and someone else had done this to her…not the man who he’d blamed for weeks.

The man he’d tried to have fired. The man he’d bad mouthed in every social circle he could find.

"The paramedics are on their way," Lucky said then. Pulling at the neck of his shirt. "They should be here any second."

Elizabeth wrapped her arm around his waist to steady them both. "Jack ran right past me on the steps…it was like he didn’t even see me," she said. "I called the cops."

A siren wailed in the distance upon her words and the sound got closer and closer until only a silent whirl of light flickered through Stephanie’s gauzy curtains. Father held daughter in his arms. A daughter who’d passed out cold now. Her breathing thready and slow.

The paramedics rushed up the stairs in a matter of seconds, and loaded Stephanie on to a gurney and then into the ambulance downstairs. Mr. Davenport followed them as Lucky and Elizabeth stood in the middle of the apartment.

Police officers filed in seconds later. Surveying the scene of the crime.

Silently Elizabeth dropped her head on Lucky’s shoulder and he led them both out of the wreckage.

~~~~~~~

Lucinda curled into Wallace’s side on the couch. She felt warm all over and ecstatic that he’d decided to come home from work after lunch. They rarely got to have a day together, aside from weekends and even then, the guy had to make time for his "other" significant other.

She grinned up at him as she popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth and then held one out for him. Instead of scooping it from her palm with his tongue, he picked it up with his fingers.

There was something obviously wrong with her usual horn-dog man…Maybe she needed to break out those shoes he’d wanted to see her in before.

"Hey…what’s up with you?" She asked, glancing at the television screen in front of them. It wasn’t a basketball game, it wasn’t that damn Snuggles commercial with the porcupine that he enjoyed so much…Hell it wasn’t even a commercial for a sex party-line…but he seemed fascinated with the flickering screen none the less.

"Me?" Wallace said, turning to her suddenly. "Nothing. Why?…I’m good."

Lucinda’s brow knit. They’d decided that they’d finally do some catalogue Christmas shopping together, but he wasn’t flipping through any pages. He wasn’t even suggesting the electric nose hair trimmer for his father yet.

"Well…it’s just that we talked about ordering gifts and laying around all day eating popcorn…watching some Home Shopping, but you’re not exactly helping me get into the spirit here…You’re just…sitting. And staring into space," she added, nodding towards the television again.

Wallace pretended not to know what she was getting at. He flipped open a catalogue and pointed to a weed-wacker.

"There. That’s it right there. My grandma could use one of these."

Lucinda peered down at it and scrunched her face. "Hon, no offense but your grandma’s 94…I don’t think she needs a Delux Grandmaster Weed Wacker 2002"

"HA!…Shows what you know.…My grandma would love these," he said bringing it close to his face. Covering it with the catalogue. "But she’s got the bad eye…so we’d just have to not get too close when she’s usin’ ‘em."

Lucinda bit her lip. "Yah…." She pulled the catalogue away from his face. "Listen, are you gonna tell me what’s wrong, or am I going to have to tickle it out of you?"

His face went completely sober. Anything but tickling. The woman tickled with the fervency of an airport dog searching for crack. It was like some weird form of torture that she had a degree in.

He’d nearly pissed himself last time.

"I found something."

Lucinda’s mouth dropped open and then she hit him on the shoulder. "You found your Charlie Brown classic video collection?! Damn it Wallace….Uh, I knew I shoulda told you not to look under the bed last night!"

He lifted an eyebrow. God, he loved her!

"No, I didn’t find it…but thanks Honey! That’s the best Christmas present I’ve ever gotten!"

Her eyes narrowed. "I was kidding…I didn’t get your any Charlie Brown."

"Sure you were….thank you," he said kissing her. She pushed him away.

"Man that Peppermint Pattie’s a crack up…I can’t wait."

"Ok, can we get back to the topic at hand…what is it that you found, exactly?"

Wallace sobered once more and wished they coulda gone back to the potential Christmas presents he might have found. Instead he had to tell her he’d found something else…something she’d absolutely hate.

"Last night…when we were searching for something on Jack…something that could implicate him in anything involving Lucky…I found something."

Lucinda took a deep breath and leaned back against the couch. "What exactly did you find?…and why didn’t you just tell me?"

Wallace chewed at the inside of his jaw and then sighed. "I found a memo…I don’t know why the idiot was dumb enough to keep it. Let alone HERE, of all places. You coulda found it…anybody could I found it…But really, I guess that’s what he wanted, but it’s only going to backfire on that asshole so it doesn’t matter now anyway."

"WHAT, did you find Wallace? What did it say?" She asked, finally cutting him off.

He shrugged. "Just regular Jack idiot stuff…you know. Stupid stuff…not important."

"What kinds of non-important stupid stuff?" Lucinda probed. She could tell by the look on his face that he was still holding back, and the only reason he could possibly be doing that was because Jack had said something about HER in that memo.

Wallace shrugged yet again as he flipped a catalogue page. "Nuthin’ really Babe."

"If it was ‘nuthin’ you would have told me about it in the morning."

He shrugged again. His damn shoulders were about to fall off. "I was gone before you woke up."

"Yes you were…isn’t that interesting."

"Damn it," he groaned. "Stepped right into that one."

Lucinda folded her arms across her chest and leaned back. "So what did it say? Did he point out all my faults or interesting birthmarks?" He was silent and she continued. "Wallace, it can’t be any worse than all the possibilities that are running through my head…just tell me."

Wallace sighed. "Listen…the main thing was, that he gave away some pretty incriminating information about he and Stephanie. He talked about the delays in Road Fury 2 and how he had somethin’ to do with them…then the dumbass went ON to say that he and Stephanie had other ‘big plans for Spencer.’"

Lucinda’s face lit up like the Christmas tree that glittered in the corner. "That is GREAT news! I mean…not great because of what happened," she explained quickly. "But –

"Yeah…I know what you mean, it’s great news," Wallace said. Though not as enthusiastically as expected.

"So where is it?" She asked then. "What are we gonna do with it? Have you shown it to Lucky?"

Wallace sighed again and dropped his head on the back of the couch. "That’s why I’ve been so damn nervous all afternoon. My stomach is in knots…I got duped, Babe."

"Duped?" Her brow furrowed. "By whom?"

"Who else?! That little elfin-duper Lizzi-kins! Baby, she told me that Lucky wanted her to have a copy! That’s what she said! So I made her one – gave her one – because she invited me to lunch at this really HORRIBLE burger stand Baby, you should have tasted these things. They were like cardboard with a piece of meat slapped on and –

"Wallace."

"Ooh…oh yeah.…Honey, I was traumatized though…and THEN she informs me that she’s going over to Stephanie’s to CONFRONT that barracuda."

"Well good!"

Wallace shook his head and was quite certain he’d heard that cartoon music that played on an animated series when the character did a double take.

"Excuse me…good?"

"That’s right – GOOD."

"Ok, I heard ya the first time….please explain."

Lucinda threw up her hands. "Wallace, somebody needs to confront that be-yotch and who better than Elizabeth? Lucky’s got that stupid restraining order holding him back and me…well,…I’d rip her genetically enhanced lips right off of her face, so that counts me out."

"So you think it’s a GOOD idea, that she went there?"

"Yes…I mean…yeah, I’m sure Lucky won’t think it’s such a grand plan, but –

"A grand plan? A GRAND PLAN?" Wallace said, drawing out the words. "Baby, I don’t think you understand the gravity of this situation…he’ll rip my genetically enhanced ASS right off my body, for letting her go there."

Lucinda giggled. "While, I do enjoy your ass and that WOULD be a tragedy, I think you’re being a tad over dramatic – even for you."

"I’m NOT!" He continued, pointing to his butt. "ASS – right off, Lucinda……Lucky will think it’s a horrible idea…and I let it happen."

"Oh stop being such a chauvinist. You didn’t ‘let’ anything happen. She wanted to do it, and that’s that. His wife is an adult…AND if she makes any sort of progress with Stephanie…it will have been worth it."

Wallace looked down at his watch. "I just don’t see what could be taking so long…she was going straight there after our lunch."

"Well, the longer she takes – the better," she said softly. Leaning in to drape her arm around his shoulders. She held another piece of popcorn in her palm and this time he scooped it right up with his tongue. "It means there’s a bigger chance that she’s actually making some headway with the slut-o-rama."

Wallace chewed. ‘Slut-o-rama’. That was a new one.

"I hope so," he sighed finally. "And I hope Lucky doesn’t decide to kill me."

Lucinda smiled up at him and leaned her head on his chest. "How could he kill you when he’ll be indebted to you for life for finding such a valuable piece of info to use against Jack?…You should be rewarded – not killed."

"Ya think so?"

"Oh I know so…you should probably also be rewarded for protecting me from whatever it is Jack said about me in that memo." Wallace looked up and she continued. "You thought I forgot about that huh?…I didn’t."

He opened his mouth to speak and she pressed a finger to his lips. Slowly she climbed on top of his lap, straddling him. His mouth shut right away as she began unbuttoning her blouse.

"I’ll reward you now…and you can tell me later."

~~~~~~~

Lucky was so happy to find Elizabeth still waiting for him in the lobby that he didn’t even mention the fact that he’d asked her repeatedly to go home – to get some rest. She still looked tired, but selfishly he was happy that she’d decided to stay.

He slipped his hands into hers and silently led her back to the chair in which she’d been sitting. He took the one next to her. Keeping their hands clasped on the armrest between them.

"It’s pretty serious," he sighed. Removing one hand to rub at his eyes. It found hers again immediately. "They wanted me in the room so I could tell the doctors anything I knew…and then the cops came back to question me as well…but…unfortunately I don’t think I was much help."

Elizabeth shook her head. The cops had questioned her too, but for Lucky to say he was unhelpful?

"Lucky, you saved her. You were all the help she’ll ever need."

He looked down at his shoes against the shiny linoleum floor. "Elizabeth they don’t even know if she’s going to make it…there was some internal bleeding and…" he broke off, shaking his head.

"I think that she will make it," Elizabeth said softly. She didn’t know where the confidence came from. Maybe he’d given it to her awhile back. If that was the case, it was her turn to bestow the gift.

"But I wasn’t even talking about you saving her life…you saved her from being raped Lucky. Something that would have plagued her for the rest of her life…the exact thing she accused you of," Elizabeth finished. Trying to clear the traces of bitterness in her voice.

The woman was fighting for life and still Elizabeth had to press down her hatred. She wondered what kind of person that made her.

Everyone would know the truth soon, and it wouldn’t matter what Stephanie had done. The public had a notoriously short memory, and she hoped that trend would hold true in Lucky’s case.

Yet she knew it would always matter to the man next to her.

His eyes were still troubled as he spoke. "She couldn’t understand why I was there……Why I helped her…"

"Because she didn’t deserve it," Elizabeth said, ringing her hands as she looked into his soft eyes. "That’s an awful thing to say…I know…especially now…but she’s not stupid – she knew that."

He re-wove his fingers into hers. "I guess maybe she did," he shook his head again. "I think what bothers me is the fact that I don’t even know why I helped her…Elizabeth if you would have asked me yesterday if I would have come to her rescue –

"You would have."

He cocked his head and opened his mouth to decline and she shushed him.

"Lucky, you’d be kidding yourself if you said you wouldn’t have. I know you, and there’s no way you could have let anything bad like that happen to her…no matter what she did to you. That’s not what you’re made of."

Lucky reached out to smooth the back of his knuckles along her soft cheek. Kissing her there.

"I bet I know what you’re made of," he whispered. "Something along the lines of sugar and spice…everything nice," he added the last as he found her lips. They tasted so good. Like water after a long jog.

Her hands tightened on his between them and she started to fall into the kiss when, the clearing of a throat interrupted them. They broke apart instantly.

Lucky looked up and quickly stood at the appearance of Evan Davenport. The man’s eyes looked so sad, that he wanted to kick himself for kissing his wife, as the guy’s daughter fought for her life just a few doors down the hall.

But when Elizabeth stood slowly with him and her hand tucked inside his, he no longer felt bad about it. They’d waited too long for the truth to come out, and now that it was…there was a part of him that wanted nothing more than shout it out to the world.

A part of him, in the midst of all this trauma was very, very…happy. That he would probably feel bad about…later.

The man dropped his gaze to the place where the two people in front of him were connected and took a deep breath. "They don’t…the doctor’s aren’t saying much yet…she’s stable, but not out of danger."

He looked up then and met the boy’s eyes. "I owe you an apology."

Lucky held up a hand to wave him off, but he insisted.

"No, it’s long overdue…and I know I’m not the one who should be giving it to you…but she’s my daughter so I feel partly responsible…and she might not ever be able to…," he sighed again. "I hope you accept it from the both of us. She’s not really like…I don’t know where I went wrong, perhaps it was me…but I know she wasn’t always this…so…she’s my daughter and…

Lucky held up his hand again. "I’ve known your daughter for a long time Mr. Davenport. I know there’s more to her than meets the eye. Somehow we got here to this point…but at one time I knew her pretty well……you don’t have to explain."

He shook his head. "Good, because I can’t explain her actions. All I can say to you is……thank you."

He held out his hand and Lucky shook it. Feeling it tremble inside of his. The guy was really hurting and Lucky felt bad for him. Although this was a completely different situation, Lucky still knew what it was like to feel as if you’d been completely backhanded by someone in your family. He hoped that this man got the chance to fix things with his child.

Like he and his father had. Lucky suddenly had a desperate need to talk to his own father. It was beyond time…he’d been shutting out his family through this whole process.

He’d felt as if he hadn’t needed to add old, bitter memories to the current trauma.

"You’re welcome Mr. Davenport," Lucky said quietly. "Let us know when you hear anything, ok?"

The older man nodded and stopped Lucky and Elizabeth once more as they prepared to leave.

"Mr. Spencer –

Lucky turned.

"Don’t worry about these allegations…the rumors. They’ll be taken care of. I assure you…and you’ll be back at work within the next few days."

Lucky inhaled and slowly nodded. So, he’d been responsible for the president’s demand of his ‘vacation’ time. Without responding further, Lucky clasped Elizabeth’s hand in his a bit tighter and made his way out of the hospital.

~~~~~~~

Lucky shut his eyes and let the feeling of peace wash over him as he and Elizabeth lay on the couch. She asleep on top of him. Her head snug on his chest. Her legs twined with his.

Darkness had fallen on the city in the early evening and the twinkling lights of their Christmas tree was the only light in the penthouse, aside from the ones that glowed from the skyline and into their home.

Snowflakes were falling and Evan Davenport had made good on his promise already. Just moments ago, as Elizabeth slept soundly. The news had reported what had happened to Stephanie, and then had talked to her very controlled father. A man who spoke quickly and calmly about his daughter and how she’d been attacked by a man who was NOT Lucky Spencer, and that the man was still at large. When reporters asked about his daughter’s ‘lie,’ he hadn’t denied it, but hadn’t given an answer either. Merely saying that when his daughter woke, she’d address it.

Lucky had flicked off the TV with the remote control before hearing anymore. Although, the media frenzy would turn, it would turn slowly. They’d want interviews with the man wrongly accused of rape. They’d want to know how he felt.

He didn’t know how he felt about any of it. All he knew was that he desperately wanted things back to normal. Right then, normal felt like lying on the couch with his wife. Rubbing her back and thinking of all the things he still had left to do before Christmas. He hadn’t stepped done any real Christmas shopping yet and the holiday was just a few days off now.

It had sneaked up on all of them. Things being as hectic as they’d been. He thanked God it was almost over…so he could stop being the Grinch and get on with the business of being married and loving every solitary minute of it.

He wondered what he could get for her…nothing he bought would ever be able to repay her for what she’d done for him that afternoon. She’d given Stephanie Davenport – a woman who surely had never earned it – the biggest and most sacred part of her – her trust.

Something that wasn’t easy to attain. Something that had taken him months to get. Something that she’d given to someone else, to save his skin. To save his heart from crumbling that last little bit.

Lucky wrapped his arms tightly around the woman who lay against him, breathing deep in the darkness. He lifted his mouth to her head and whispered "thank you" there. She stirred slightly, and Lucky bit his bottom lip as she started to blink groggily.

"I didn’t mean to wake you," he said apologetically.

Elizabeth glanced at the clock on the VCR and blinked again. This had to be the longest day in history. It was still a few hours before they usually went to bed.

"Oh man," she said, stretching slightly. Lucky watched in appreciation as her sweater pulled taut across her breasts. She smiled when she caught his eyes lingering. "Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?…Now, I’ll never be able to sleep tonight."

A fire crackled in the fireplace and there was a mug of hot chocolate on the coffee table. God, she hadn’t even felt him get up to do those things.

He smiled at her and pushed her hair out of her face as she propped her chin atop her hands. Kissing his chin before she settled again on his chest.

"It was nice," he whispered with far away eyes. "Just watching you sleep…nice and warm with you lying here on top of me…I didn’t want to take the chance of you moving"

She smiled up at him. "No chance of that."

Elizabeth searched his eyes then. The expression had changed since she’d fallen asleep. Certainly since the cab ride from the hospital. There was something peaceful in them.

"How are you?…Did they call yet about Stephanie, while I was sleeping?"

Lucky shook his head. "No…but…the news was on. Her father talked about what happened. He said that I wasn’t involved in it…and never was…that Stephanie would confirm all that when she’s up to it."

Elizabeth wanted to smile, but he wasn’t smiling back, so she didn’t. "That good news right? That’s what we’ve been waiting for."

"Of course it’s good news. I think I’m just…adjusting. I can’t really believe this all happened today."

She sat up then. Realizing she’d never shown him the infamous memo.

"Where are you going? You said you wouldn’t move."

"I’ll be right back," she said throwing a grin over her shoulder as she walked towards the coat wrack next to the front door. She pulled an envelope from the pocket of the jacket she’d worn today.

"This is something you should read…even if today hadn’t happened, we’d still be on the road to clearing your name."

Lucky’s brow knit and then he read the memo once…and then again. His hands dropped to his lap after a moment and he shook his head.

"Jack really thinks he’s above the law, doesn’t he?…I mean he basically admitted to sabotage in an OFFICE MEMO for God’s sake…then talks about Stephanie and big plans for me…

"Although, he added…that could mean anything…Even if they find Jack –

"WHEN they find Jack," she corrected, pulling the memo away from his hands. She placed it on the table behind the couch. Not wanting to see it or discuss it again after this. At least not tonight.

"He’ll confess," she continued. "That man in that emergency room today is NOT about to let Jack Young walk away when they find him. No way Lucky. The anger that he had towards you….it’s going to be 10 times worse for Jack, because he talked her into all of this. No way, he’s going to walk. No way."

Lucky inhaled through his nose and smiled. "I KNEW there was a reason I kept you around…you just keep reaffirming that I am a GREAT decision maker."

She smiled. "I’m happy to help whenever I can."

"In fact," he said. Drawing her close. She snuggled into his side. "You’re not only a great wife…but a fantastic travel companion as well. Better than a Gameboy or a good book."

"I’m touched, but what the Hell are you talking about?"

Lucky turned to her. His eyes suddenly glittering. "It’s Christmas you know?…I don’t either one of us had really noticed. Yeah, we got the tree, slapped some decorations on…but I don’t think with all the crap going on around here that we’ve gotten to enjoy it……

"So I was thinking while you were snoring…

"I don’t snore."

"Whatdya say you and me hop a train," he continued with a grin. It was the first REAL, unabashed grin she’d seen in weeks. There’d been others, but nothing quite this genuine. "So we can have our own private compartment of course…and spend Christmas in Port Charles – with my family…with OUR family…They haven’t seen you since the wedding."

Both of them remembered a time not long ago when the idea of visiting his family had petrified her. When she’d declined several times before going there out of necessity.

"I’d absolutely love to."

His grin got even wider and right when he was about to hug her, he pulled back.

"Oh…and then whatdya say we hop a plane a coupla days after Christmas and spend New Year’s with Jillian and Walter?……As far as my job knows, I’m still a lunatic rapist – thus, I’ve got a lot of time off here…help me be irresponsible."

Elizabeth smiled so big, her cheeks hurt. Not even minding his tendency towards bad jokes lately.

This was it! Things were going back to normal! Things were going back to perfect! Fantastic! Wonderful!

"Yes!" She said holding his face. "Yes, yes, YES!"

Foster jumped up from the corner in all the excitement and came trotting over quickly. Pushing his big head up on the couch. He sat, letting his brown eyes shift from person to person.

What the Hell was going on now? If it wasn’t thing it was something else!

Lucky reached out to give his huge cranium a vigorous rub. "Guess what Foster?…You get to stay with Uncle Wallace again! For Christmas!…Elizabeth and I are gonna go party like it’s 1999."

The dog sighed and removed his head from the couch. 1999 had already passed. What a moron…

Christmas with the idiot…fanfriggintastic. Well at least the idiot was with that Lucinda now…she was nice to look at. No, Elizabeth but she had nice legs to sniff at.

Lucky turned and met her wife’s lips in a long, slow kiss. It felt so damn good he wanted to holler at the top of his lungs. His hands clasped around her waist and slowly he lowered her down to the cushions. Covering her with his own body this time.

Maybe he could keep her warm for awhile…keep them both – very, very…warm.

He felt Foster sniffing around on the edge of the couch and pushed at him with one hand.

"You’ll go to your Uncle Wallace earlier than expected if you don’t get the Hell outta here Foster."

Elizabeth laughed around his lips and squealed when one of his hands slithered up her shirt and the other pushed at Foster again.

"Lucky…"

"What?" He mouthed against her. "I can’t feel you up with him sniffing my ass."

She laughed again. Things really WERE going back to normal.

But as Lucky lifted her sweater off of her arms and over her head, she wondered how long they would stay that way. Now that things were quiet her brain had time to focus on what had happened at the hospital. Not for Stephanie…but for her.

While Lucky had been talking to Stephanie’s doctor, she’d gotten up to go to a vending machine and had nearly fainted while she’d been waiting for her bag of Doritos. A nurse had walked by at that precise moment and suggested she go lie down in one of the empty rooms. The next thing she knew, she was getting talked into a blood test…

A pregnancy test.

She wasn’t pregnant of course. It was just a test, that was all. She’d been a little overly tired lately, and her last period had been a tad strange, so the doctor figured maybe they should just check her out…

But strange cycles and bouts of fatigue were what happened when some women got stressed out. Not HER usually…but hey, this was a whole different level of stress. First the wedding, which was wonderful – but had come with it’s own stressors and then Stephanie’s accusation…that was enough to throw anybody’s system out of whack.

Aside from all that, she hadn’t been eating the way that she should have been or sleeping for that matter with everything going on with Lucky…so her bodies reaction was too be expected.

Yacking on Stephanie’s porch after their confrontation was also to be expected.

Lucky smiled against her stomach as he made his way down to her zipper, and she shut her eyes.

How would he react? They’d talked briefly about having kids when they’d been in that cabin in France…but the conversation had been sort of hypothetical right, hadn’t it? It hadn’t meant ‘yeah, let’s start right now!’ It was too early wasn’t it? People were still reeling over their marriage, let alone…kids.

Hell, up until a month ago she’d thought she’d never even have any! That she wasn’t cut out to be anybody’s mother, after the way her own parents raised her. But Lucky had made her see all kinds of new things about herself. Maybe…

Elizabeth shook her head. She wasn’t going to think about this now. She was getting ahead of herself anyway. The test results wouldn’t be back for a couple of days…and then they’d be in Port Charles. Nothing to worry about yet.

Lucky caught the slight shake of her head and the slow of her hands in his hair. She’d been doing that pulling thing a minute before that made his toes curl.

He looked up. "What’s wrong?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head quickly. "Nothing…I was just reveling in how good you’re making me feel right now."

Lucky licked his lips and descended again. "Oh I’m about to make you feel a whole lot better, Woman."

Sometime during her thoughts he’d removed her pants, and now he drew her panties down too. Not wasting anytime, his tongue sought her special center. Her hips bucked towards his face and her fingers clawed at the couch instantly. Digging them selves little homes inside the cushions as he lifted her closer.

It felt like sheer heaven, and it was the first time he’d touched her in weeks where she hadn’t felt every little bit of tension he carried in his caress. His hands lingered at her hips and roamed her thighs as his tongue found her creamy center.

Every caress was tortuously slow. Nothing hurried or rushed.

Elizabeth’s head rolled to the side on the couch and her eyes connected with Foster’s across the room. She turned her head to the other side immediately, and Lucky grew more intense with his licking, feeling her thrash around up there.

Man, finding your dog staring at you while your husband was giving your oral sex was a bit disconcerting. How the heck were they supposed to do this kind of stuff in the middle of the living room once the baby got here?

‘Ok, stop it,’ her brain demanded. ‘You’re not pregnant…you’re just tired…enjoy this…for God’s sake his tongue is…

Lucky continued pushed his way inside her. Usually she would have come by now. Something was definitely on her mind. But he knew his wife and if she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet…she wasn’t ready.

That was the way she was, and damn if he didn’t love everything about her. From the way she moved when his tongue was inside her like this, to her complete lack of the ability to hide things.

For right now, his goal was to make her forget whatever it was. His penis throbbed within his sweatpants and he reached for his own waistband while pressing one of her thighs down with the other. Continuing to torment her.

Whatever had been on her mind, was gradually leaving. He could tell by the way her hips moved. Like a dancer’s – like her’s. Her breathing became unsteady and Lucky smiled against her moisture as he finally wiggled out of his pants. His head still positioned between her quivering thighs.

He left her a moment later though. Let her hanging off that beautiful precipice of perfection as he smoothed his hands up her body. Feeling her undulate beneath him like the slick body of a shiny snake. Her fingers sought his sweatshirt and tugged at it. He rose to his knees to draw it up and over himself.

Elizabeth’s eyes drank him in. He was absolutely perfect. His skin smooth as it draped it’s way tautly over one perfectly defined ab muscle after another and then along that long torso of his…all the way up to strong shoulders that she could have watched move for days.

Her favorite thing to do was stand behind him in the shower and wash his back. He had a beautiful back. Every muscle under the skin was clearly outlined and shifted like wet satin beneath the water when he moved.

So maybe BEHIND him in the shower wasn’t her favorite position…but there was certainly a nice view to behold when she was there.

Her hands slithered across that beautiful back now as he lay atop of her. Covering her, warming her entire body with his. He moved down a bit to lavish some attention on her breasts and her fingers still dallied at his shoulders. Tripping this way and that way, kneading the tight flesh there.

There were no knots. For the first time in weeks, not a single one.

She knew he was still worried about Stephanie, but all the other tension…the tension of people thinking he was a dangerous rapist. Someone who would hurt them or their children, it was as if he knew that the brunt of that was over.

There would still be residual effects and Lucky knew that, but in his touch…you couldn’t feel it. He touched her as he had before. Completely and totally, with love in every stroke. There wasn’t one part of her body, as she lay beneath him on that couch that wasn’t explored.

There wasn’t one part of his body that wasn’t 150% committed to making love to her.

Her entire body hummed from the touch of his fingertips and she arched forward, tempting his hips towards hers. Wanting him inside. Deep and snug.

Her unspoken request was granted, and he slipped inside her like butter glided against a hot frying pan. They each felt the sizzle.

Lucky took her slowly. Stopping from time to time kiss a spot on her neck that he mistakenly thought he’d missed. Finding her collarbone interesting, he rained kisses upon it as his hips moved. His mouth coming back to her as he did.

He wove his fingers with hers, near her head. Clenching as each of their bodies strained towards one another. Eager to take each other fully. Eager to visit heaven more than just one time tonight. The pacing was slow and steady.

Elizabeth eased her legs up towards his hips, and Lucky slowly pushed them up farther. Slicking his hands over her sexy shins. Easing her hands along her feet. He drew one finger up the sole of her left foot as he pressed down on her and she came. The two sensations coming together to create one powerful orgasmic rush.

He smiled against her neck, and his breath was harsh against her delicate skin. "God, I love it when you come…" he whispered gruffly. "I love every…every single time…you’re amazing."

It was he who was amazing, but she wasn’t about to correct him right this minute. Not when he seemed to be trying to get her there again as he ground his hips into hers…slow, sensual circles.

His hands slipped beneath her bottom and he kneaded the ample flesh there, positioning the backs of her thighs atop of his as he sat up, still buried inside of her like so much treasure.

He sat up and her hands went immediately to his chest, smoothing their way up and over his flat, hard nipples and then back down again towards where they were joined together. Lucky pressed against the armrest behind her head with one hand, to steady himself and the other clamped gently around her knee to keep it hooked over his hip.

Elizabeth moaned deeply and her breathing sped up again as his movements did. She came again in seconds, harder this time. But it wouldn’t stop. As he pumped himself inside of her it was as if he kept finding the same button that triggered one orgasm on top of another.

She sucked in breath and gripped his forearm with one hand. Her fingers wrapping around all that tight sinew and veins that puckered from beneath the skin there.

She couldn’t get enough, and he wasn’t stopping. "Oh God Lucky! Oh God…yes! Yes!"

Lucky smiled down at her and licked his dry lips as he met her eyes. Those tired deep blue desire laden eyes. Her lids closed over them and he demanded hoarsely that she open them.

"Look at me…Elizabeth look at me……I want to see your eyes when you come again...I love that."

Again? She moaned and whimpered and sought his eyes even as her head wanted to turn so that she could bite the cushion of the couch to keep from screaming this time.

But she knew that was exactly what he wanted from her. He wanted to hear it over and over again. He wanted the neighbors to know that Lucky and Elizabeth were free.

Lucky drew one finger across her mouth and she sucked it in for a moment, biting slightly on his flesh, in another effort not to scream. But he took it away, still smiling down at her as he moved.

His hips plunged at hers, faster and faster…and he used that same wet finger to trail it’s way down to her chest. Circling her nipples with moisture.

She came again. Nearly squeezing the life out of him this time. As he tried to watch her eyes but got wrapped up in it him self. His orgasm came swiftly as her hips, her thighs, her inner walls contracted to hold him. It was an orgasm so explosive that it ripped through her and took his entire body with it.

Lucky came half out of pleasure, and half because he had no other choice. Her body literally squeezed the sensation out of him on demand. He held her thighs tight and bore down on her one last time. His head buried next to hers as he roared into the cushion.

Slowly his weight settled upon her, and she tried not to let her body go slack. She wanted to hold him with her arms and her legs and hold him still inside her, but her muscles were too weak now. Too satisfied beyond compare.

Lucky barely had the energy to pull out of her body, but he did slowly and then they lay there. Tired and breathing together. Naked and intertwined on the couch.

A few moments had passed when he asked if she was cold.

"How could I possibly be cold?" She laughed through a throaty haze of euphoria. He rubbed a hand down the side of her body and held her tight. Rolling them over so that she was sandwiched between himself and the back of the couch…just in case she did get cold, he didn’t want her going anywhere.

He’d get up and turn the heater up a bit higher if need be, but there was no way she was putting on any clothes. He wasn’t quite done with her yet.

Doing what she’d done for him today…Sacrificing that part of herself to Stephanie.

There was a part of him that was so turned on by that he didn’t think he’d be leaving her alone for awhile. They’d have to get a hotel in Port Charles. He made a mental note not to let his parents talk them into staying at the house.

He sought her mouth for a wet kiss as his hand slid over the curve of her behind. His mouth found her cheek and her jaw and her neck and Elizabeth felt herself start to pulse all over again.

"Your new job won’t mind you taking off will they?" he mouthed against her. "Before you even actually start."

"What new job?" She barely recalled her own name. What was he talking nonsense about?

"The job…the with the kids…teaching dance…remember?" His mouth was busy in between words. His hands even busier.

"Oh that…yeah…it’s Christmas. It was stupid for them to start the semester before that anyway…they’ll just have to wait for me."

He laughed into her neck at her brazen attitude. "Yeah…we’ll make ‘em wait."

"I’m more excited about being with your family anyway," she whispered, seeking his tush with her hands. "OUR family."

Upon hearing her own words she wondered if maybe ‘our family,’ would come to mean something else soon. She’d never had a real family, and now…possibly…it was about to get even bigger.

Could she handle? Could they? Something whispered ‘maybe so’ in her ear, and she pulled Lucky close. The slight stirrings of another erection pressed against her inner thigh.

Damn...

Lucky pulled her closer and hummed some happy tune into her neck as he snuggled. She tried the words on her lips again and it sounded really nice.

"Our family."