Tommy watched as Nikolas opened the door for Dawn. He saw her smile at him and lightly caress his arm. He heard Nikolas laugh as he carefully closed her door. He looked away as Nikolas leaned over to kiss her and looked again as the engine roared and they drove away. Someday, Tommy thought.
Someday, he’d have a girl with eyes only for him. And maybe someday, he’d have a nice car to drive her around in. They’d hold hands, laugh at private jokes and share sweet kisses. Someday. But not today. Today, he had to do something about getting his mother back. Once she was back safe and sound, then his someday could begin.
Tommy headed for the sidewalk. His mind on finding the guys with the guns. After he had the guns, he would formulate a plan to go back into hell and make it burn.
As he rounded the corner, he was surprised to see his cousin and a guy rushing toward him.
“Tommy!” Lizzie said, smiling at him. The boy from the other night stood silently beside her, watching him.
“Hi, Lizzie,” Tommy said with a smile. After their talk, he felt a closeness to her that he’d only ever felt with his mother.
“Tommy, this is Lucky,” she said.
“Hi,” Tommy said, his hazel eyes wary.
“Hey, man, what’s up,” Lucky replied.
Tommy shrugged and Lizzie continued, “I had the afternoon off and I thought we could hang out.”
“Oh…um…I was on my way somewhere…” Tommy began.
“We could walk with you. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about something, and it would be better if we weren’t in the house,” she said.
Tommy didn’t plan on having company, but he sighed and said, “Okay.”
They walked in a silence for a few minutes until Lucky said, “Listen, man, I’m sorry about the other night. I thought you were a burglar.”
“It’s okay,” Tommy said quietly.
A few more minutes of silence passed. Out of the corner of his eye, Tommy saw Lucky nudge Lizzie. Then, she spoke.
“We want to help you get your mom back.”
“No,” Tommy said.
“Why not?” Lucky asked.
“It’s too dangerous. I won’t be able to do what I need to if I’m watching out for you two,” he answered.
“You won’t have to watch out for us. I know how to take care of myself and Elizabeth’s pretty resourceful, too,” Lucky replied.
While the two young men went back and forth, Lizzie noticed their surroundings. They were heading for the seamy side of town and Tommy was purposefully leading them there.
“Where are we going?” Lizzie asked.
Tommy stopped and took a good long look at both of them. They said they wanted to help but did either of them really understand what that meant. Were they ready? Could he really trust them, he wondered.
“I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Dawn looked at Nikolas and saw that he was deep in thought. She wondered if he realized that he spoke aloud. She placed her hand on his as it rested on the gear shift.
“What’s not a good idea?” she asked softly.
“Lunch with your family,” he answered. He had been going over it in his mind since she mentioned it in the catacombs. He wanted to go to make her happy, but his instinct told him that it wasn’t right. Not yet.
“Oh,” she said, removing her hand and placing it back into her lap. No wonder he’s been so quiet, she thought. She had put him on the spot with the lunch invitation.
A red traffic light gave Nikolas the opportunity to look at his quiet companion. He took her hand and held it. When she raised her eyes to his, he said, “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I want to meet your mother and maybe get to know Dara better, but I don’t think now is the right time.”
“But…” she began, but was silenced when Nikolas placed a gentle finger to her lips.
“Let me finish. I’ve given this considerable thought and I think my presence today would not do any good. They haven’t seen you in days, and I’m sure you have plenty to talk about…like staying in Port Charles instead of going back to New York.”
She sighed and smiled into his caring, brown eyes. She said, “You’re right.”
Nikolas laughed and said, “Was that painful?”
“More than you’ll ever know,” she laughed.
Just one quick kiss, he thought, as he leaned towards her. Her lips parted as his lips covered hers. His tongue brushed against hers and they were overcome with their desire for each other.
Their passionate kiss consumed them and they forgot that they were stopped at a traffic light. Blaring horns and a few choice words from the cars behind them caused them to end the kiss much sooner than either of them wanted.
Nikolas reluctantly raised his head. A quick glance into her eyes showed him that she was just as upset about the interruption as he was. After brushing her lips with another quick kiss, he sat upright, shifted the Jag into first and took off.
“She’s unbelievable,” Dara said as she viciously attacked the carrots with the peeler. She was frustrated and the salad she was preparing was taking the brunt of that frustration.
“Dara, relax. Her note said that she needed to go out and clear her head. We know she’s with that Nikolas boy. She’ll be back,” Carrie said, as she sliced the potatoes for her special home-made fries.
“Mama, I can’t understand how you can be so calm about this. She’s been gone all morning. I would think after her disappearance you would want her here with us instead of fooling around with some boy,” Dara replied, as she rinsed the carrots off.
Carrie placed the knife on the corner and with hands on her hips, turned to her daughter and said, “Dara, cut it out. You can’t begin to understand how I feel about Dawn’s disappearance so don’t even go there.”
Dara paused for a brief moment at her mother’s words and continued speaking as she set the carrots on the cutting board. “But what about all the time she’s spent with Nikolas? Aren’t you concerned about that? She may be making you a grandmother as we speak.”
“Dara Louise Jensen, you are working my last nerve. Please, give her more credit than that. You’re beginning to sound like your father,” Carrie said. She moved to the stove and began lightly placing the sliced potatoes into the hot oil.
“And where is Daddy?” Dara asked quietly. “Have you heard from him at all?”
Carrie placed the last slice into the skillet and began to shift the potatoes with a spatula. Satisfied that the potatoes were evenly distributed, she place the spatula on the counter and washed her hands at the sink. When her hands were dry, she faced her oldest daughter.
“Mama, what’s going on? You have heard from him, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I have. He came back last night. Right after you called, the second time,” Carrie replied.
“He came back? So, where is he?” Dara asked, confused.
“He’s gone. Maybe he went back to New York. I don’t know and I don’t care,” she said, as she began to shape the ground turkey into patties.
“Daddy left you?” Dara inquired quietly.
“No, sweetheart,” Carrie said with a little laugh. “I kicked him out. To the curb as your sister would say.”
“But why? You and Daddy have a few problems, but you love each other. Kicking him out because of Dawn’s running away isn’t good,” Dara replied, her attention fully on her mother.
“Dawn is not the main reason why I told him to leave, but she is part of it. I haven’t been a good mother to her, and I thought it was time that I started being one.”
“I don’t understand. You’re a wonderful mother. Her running away…” Dara began, but stopped when her mother raised her hand.
“If I had been a better mother to her, she would never have run away. For years, I sat silently by as your father pretty much tried to kill her spirit. She was strong and fought him, but she shouldn’t have had to put up with any of his mess. For some reason, he never liked her. I mistakenly thought I could ignore it, Dawn could ignore it, and it would go away. It didn’t and she ran. While she was gone, I realized that if I had done what I was supposed to do, she never would have left. I love my baby girl. I love both my girls, and I’ll be damned if I sit idly by while someone hurts them,” Carrie finished quietly.
Dara allowed her mother’s words to sink in and she found a new admiration for her that she never had before. Meanwhile, unknown to either of them, Dawn stood on the other side of the kitchen door. She had heard her mother’s words and for the first time, in a long time, she felt loved.