Lucky stood at the threshold of his former home. He was at a loss as to what he should do. Ring the doorbell or use his old key? What was appropriate, he wondered, and why was *he*, Lucky Spencer of all people concerned about proprieties. He shook his head in amazement as it dawned on him that he wasn't the Lucky Spencer he used to be. He wasn't the boy who was raised to believe that if the act was committed by him or his family, then the ends justified the means. He had since learned that every action had an equal and oftentimes opposite reaction...including turning his back on his parents when he finally saw them without the blinders on.
The revelation continued to stun him and he backed away from the door. His hand reached out for the pole and he held onto it as he caught his breath. The walk from the docks to the old clapboard had given him the time he needed to calm himself after his unexpected meeting with his father. The words they had exchanged had been baffling to him. Thinking back on it now, he knew that there would have been time when the verbal exchange between father and son would have been an affirmation of their love for one another. An affirmation of the close bond they had which extended beyond anything most parents and children would even hope to experience.
Luke and Lucky were best friends, but even more than that, they were an extension of the other. Luke was who Lucky aspired to be and Lucky was who Luke once was. There was a time when just thinking about their oneness would put a smile on Lucky's face and a gleam in his eye, but that time had long since passed. He didn't want to be his father or anything like him, but now he was back. The senior Spencer was back in town. He'd made his presence known for a reason. Lucky wondered what that reason might be and whether or not it was time for Lucky to really put into the use all of those survivalists' skills which had been more ingrained in him and his memory than the simplest nursery rhyme. Had the time of reckoning come? And, if so, what was Lucky's role in it? Would he have the choice to say no and if he did, would he?
"Lucky?"
Lucky swung around at the sound of the familiar, quiet voice. He had been so deep in thought that he didn't hear the squeak of the opening screen door or the footsteps of his mother as she moved to stand behind him. His thoughts had taken him on a journey to the deepest depths of his soul and he could barely speak, but he did manage to choke one word out. "Mom."
"Hi, sweetheart," she beamed through a pair of eyes which glistened with unshed tears. Her arms were opened out to him, but they quickly fell to her side as he backed away and shook his head.
"I didn't come here for that... I just came by..."
"Lucky, are you okay? You seem upset," Laura said. Even if he denied it, which she was certain he would, she knew that her son was hurting. She hoped that he would at least tell her why.
"I am upset," he admitted, "but that's not important right now-"
"Yes, it is!" Laura said with strong determination. "If something is wrong, it *is* important and I want to know about it!"
"No, you don't," he said, shaking his head. "You're not ready to know this."
"Sweetie, your penchant for the dramatic hasn't changed, but it's not necessary. I'm already on pins and needles. I know you're upset. I sensed it last night and I *know* it now. Does it have something to do with me? My going to Nikolas' party? Well, he's my son, too, and I-"
"Mom! Please. It doesn't have anything to do with Nikolas or your attending his party. You've been gone for a while, but he and I have reached an understanding of sorts. We care about the same people, and we know that having animosity between us would hurt them."
"You say 'them', but you mean Dawn, don't you?"
"She's part of 'them,'" he admitted, "but she's not the only part. We share a sister. We also have friends in common, too."
"So, are you admitting...?"
"What? That we're brothers?" he asked, finishing the questioning for her. He held her blue eyes with his as he nodded and said, "We haven't actually come out and said it, but since I have said that I will be the uncle to his and Dawn's baby, well, to me that's enough."
"That's a lot," she said, blindly wiping away the tear which had fallen down her cheek. "So, um, why are you so upset? It is me, isn't it?"
"It's not just you," he answered. As he looked into her blue eyes which were so like his own, he realized that despite the torment of facing the truth about his parents, he didn't want to hurt her. But, he also realized that there would be no way around it. "It's the whole lot of you."
"I don't understand," she said, confused.
"I know, Mom. About everything."
"Everything?" she asked with a small laugh. "What everything? Lucky, what are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about a young girl, a drunken man and a campus disco. I know all about it."
The silence on the front porch was deafening as Laura contemplated her son. He knew, she asked herself. And, no one told her? She shook her head. He thought he knew, but he was still a child and he did not and could not understand what he was talking about. "Lucky-"
"No, Mom," he said, backing off the steps away from her and onto the walkway. "I don't want to hear the denials or any more half-truths or fabrications. I know that the fairy tale romance which you guys force fed me from birth was really nothing more than a horrendous nightmare."
"Lucky! That's not true!" Laura said, coming down the step after him.
"Oh, but it is," he said, the cracking of his voice revealing how deeply his words affected him. He took a deep swallow and raised his hand as she opened her mouth to utter another denial. "I can't do this right now. I just came by to see how it was going. Maybe check on Lulu, but I can't do this now. Give her and Grandma my love and kisses for me. I gotta go."
Lucky turned away from his mother before she could speak again. He walked briskly until he reached the sidewalk and then he broke into a run.
"Incredible!"
Dawn turned away from the mirror with a smile as she faced her husband. She and the others had decided to be uniform as they went to the video premiere. Her white halter top would match their white dress shirts and her long, hip-hugging black skirt would match their black slacks. The black jackets would finish the casual, yet elegant tuxedo look.
She placed her hands on her hips as she sauntered towards him. "You like?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"I more than like!" he told her, pulling her into his arms. "I *love*! You, our baby, what you're wearing...everything!"
Dawn laughed softly and placed her hands on his chest. "You're really excited," she said, stating the obvious.
"You think so?" he asked, teasing her.
"Well, maybe a little," she said, joining in the game.
After discussing the lunch she had with his mother, she and Nikolas had spent the rest of the afternoon talking about the lives they would share. At first Dawn was too engrossed in her feelings of guilt at having broken a promise she'd made to herself on his behalf, that it took Nikolas several attempts before she realized that he wasn't upset by what had transpired between her and his mother. He wasn't pleased, but he wasn't angry with her either. He had half expected it to happen anyway. He was even a little relieved to have it out in the open so that maybe Dawn and Laura would move on.
"I guess I am a little excited. It's not everyday I'll see my beautiful and very talented wife up on the big screen in her very own music video," he said, kissing her soundly on the cheek.
"Oh, you!" Dawn said, swatting his behind as he moved away from her to grab his gray silk shirt. Her eyes devoured him as he pulled his shirt on. He saw how she looked at him and prolonged the moment, slowly buttoning up his shirt and looking into her eyes as he did so. "You are *so* bad!" she said, turning away from him.
"What did I do?" he asked. "I'm getting dressed like you told me to. If I had my way, we'd still be undressed, but who am I to go against the wishes of my wife."
"If you had your way," she said, rolling her eyes as she took a chance to look at him. She was relieved to see that the shirt was buttoned, but her relief was soon replaced by a baser emotion when Nikolas unzipped his pants. She could see the top of his Calvins and knowing that she wouldn't be as strong as she was during his first tantalizing show, she closed her eyes. "You know, you made it sound like it's *my* video."
"Huh?" he asked, laughing softly at the sight of her facing him with her eyes closed. "What are we talking about?"
"The video!" she said, feigning exasperation. "It's not just me up there. It's all of us. And, Nikky?"
"Yeah?" he said, softly. He went to her and lightly caressing her face. He waited for her to open her eyes and then he kissed her. As the kiss ended, he rested her hands low on her hips and held her close against him. "You were saying?"
"Well, the video... I want to tell you a little bit about it."
"I don't want to know. I want it to be a surprise," he said, lifting a hand to run his fingers through her dark brown tresses.
Dawn smiled as she enjoyed the feel of his hand, but she remained firm. "I want to you tell you a little bit. I won't give it away. You know it's a duet..."
"Yeah, with you and Lucky. I know," he shrugged. "So?"
"Well, in the end, we do a dance and it's kinda...well...it's kinda suggestive."
"Suggestive?" he repeated, stiffening slightly.
"Yeah," she said, feeling how his body had changed as he held her. "That's why I wanted to, I don't know, warn you about it. A few endings were shot and the dance was the one, the director decided on. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said, somehow remembering to unclench his jaw as he tried to reassure her. "It's only a video. I know that lewd, suggestive behavior sells records so-"
"Hey!" she said, lightly punching him in the ribs. "I'm not lewd!"
"But you are suggestive," he said, leering at her. "Very much so. Hmm...maybe I should give you a few hickeys just so they'll all remember that you're spoken for."
"'Spoken for?'" she repeated, rolling her eyes as she teased him. "Sheesh, you're doing that medieval thing agai-"
Nikolas interrupted her by capturing her lips in a kiss. A kiss which reminded her just how much she enjoyed his reaction to her sometimes suggestive behavior that she saved only for him.