~~ Apartment over Luke's ~~

Laura stood outside the door waiting for Luke to open his door. She had come to get him to sign the property agreement so that their divorce could go through.

Luke opened the door surprised to see Laura standing there. "Darlin what are you doing here?"

Laura prepared herself to get this over with so she could meet Scott. "I'm here so you can sign these because if you don't we have to start them all over."

Luke: "Come in then. What is that exactly?"

Laura: "The property agreement we need to be agreed so the rest of the papers can be processed. Scott said it needed to be signed with in twenty-four hours or we would have to start everything over."

Luke took the papers and looked at them. "Well I guess it's obvious we both want a divorce or we wouldn't both be here. Signing this this property agreement." Luke said with disgust as he tossed the papers. Luke started to walk around the room. "How do we split up twenty years of life memories. You get all the good stuff and I get what neither of us wants to remember? What about the kids you get Lulu at dance recitals and I take her ice fishing. You remembers Lucky's birth and I'll remember the day he made it all the way across the country alone at age eleven." Luke looked at her his voice filled with emotion. "How do we do this. If after everything we've been through fits on one piece of paper why the hell did we bother in the first place?" Luke looked at her again.

Laura was on the verge of tears as she listened and watched Luke. She waited until he was finished before she began. "Luke you know why we fell in love."

They looked at one another silently for several moments before Laura continued. "You know why we made our vows it was destiny.'

Luke: "It was the 80's."

They both laughed a little bit before Laura started to walk towards him with tears coming from her eyes. "Would you change anything Luke? Would you erase one second of our lives together?"

Luke looked at her as she stood right in front of him. "Tell you the truth yeah I would quite a few things actually."

Laura: "I wouldn't. Not a moment of it."

Luke reached over and wiped the tears from her face and then held her hand for a moment before he started walking around again. Laura followed his movements. "What if we'd stayed on the road?"

Luke: "Those were the best days."

Laura wiped more of her tears. "All you had to think about was your next meal, the next town, or the next continent."

Luke: "We were so damned good at it."

Laura: "All we owned fit into that carpet bag."

Luke: "We lugged that bag around six continents."

Laura: "Yeah and who threw it out of the plane."

Luke: "Darlin I had to the plane was crashing."

Laura: "I jumped didn't I?"

Luke: "I knew you would."

Laura sat down. "Yeah know Luke when we were living in that house together after putting Lucky to bed even before Lulu was born. I used to wonder about that wig, that big black curly wig. Way back when on our very first adventure together."

Luke: "Oh yeah Lloyd and Lucy Johnson on the trail of the left handed boy."

Laura: "Yeah Yeah. I would lie awake sometimes wondering what happened to that wig and try to sleep in that house I had to have so badly. I wish that the road had been enough for me."

Luke: "So do I."

They looked at one another wondering how many more memories they would go through and if they would both sign the papers. Laura spoke first again. "I guess I blame the house yea know for suffocating you. Making our life together smaller."

Luke: "No you had to have a place to raise the kids."

Laura: "Right right right. I knew about Texas and how you used to sneak out at night and listen to that clear channel the blues station that came from Mexico. Just you and the cattle."

Luke looked surprised. "You knew about that?"

Laura: "Yes Luke why do you have a need for that darkness? Why do you have to sneak out alone and jump across the border?"

Luke: "God I wish I knew."

Laura: "Hey its okay. You always came back. Another life time."

Luke: "It's a whole other life."

Laura: "After all the places we've been and even after all the damage we've done how could we end here?"

They both seemed sad like they really didn't want to be doing this. Yet they were doing it because it seemed what the other wanted.

Laura: "When I promised to stay with you forever I meant it."

Luke: "So did I."

Laura: "Till death do us part."

Luke: "Something's dying right this second."

Laura: "Yeah."

Luke started walking around again. "Sometimes I dream about our return to Port Chuck in that old pink Cadillac." Luke came back over to Laura carrying shots.

Laura: "Les and Lulu right?"

Luke: "Yeah Lulu Carmicheal you convinced everyone you were pregnant."

Laura: "Nobody knew us."

Luke: "Almost nobody."

Laura: "I never thought I'd need more then what we had."

Luke: "Most people don't get anywhere near what we had."

Laura: "I guess that's true we were the penultimate."

Luke: "There's a top dollar word."

Laura: "Oh well so I went corporate."

Luke: "You sure did."

Luke handed her a shot. "To penultimate love."

Laura: "To us."

They both clinked shot glasses and took a sip. Luke sat back down. Laura spoke again. "You remember when we got locked in Wyndemes and found the r old clothes and danced all night."

Luke: "That was a time then you were gone."

Laura: "You think I wanted to be gone."

Luke: "I needed you then the mayor's mansion was so big and the walls were closing in on me it was like I was living someone else's life. I had completely given up then one night I walked out onto the terrace and looked into the garden and there you were. In that moment in that flash I felt the purest joy I've ever known."

Laura: "We were blessed. We were golden for twenty years."

Luke: "Give or take."

Laura picked up her shot glass. "Here's to give or take." They clinked glasses again and took a drink. Laura stood up and Luke followed.

Luke: "What happened to us darlin? When did forever end?"

They looked at one another again pondering Luke's well-placed question. Laura broke the silence. "What are you saying Luke have you changed your mind about the divorce and need more time?"

Luke: "What if I do?"

The phone rang once and stopped before Luke could answer it. Laura looked at him. "Could this all be a huge mistake?"

Luke: "I think we need to think about it more Angel. We've been through way to much to not at least think this through again."

Laura: "True we can always start the proceedings over again later."

Luke" "True enough Darlin. What about Baldwin?"

Laura: "He won't like it but he will understand. What about Felicia?"

Luke: "She's with Mac again and she isn't my Angel."

Laura looked at him again. "Can we really try again after everything?"

Luke: "We don't have anything to loose Laura."

Laura: "True and we have had more good times then bad ones."

Luke: "Yes we have. Once the cowboy is better and we work through things do you think we take our princess and the carpetbag and go on a little trip?

Laura: "I'd like that very much."

Luke looked at Laura and closed the gap between him and Laura. He leaned in and touched Laura's face before kissing her softly and looking into her eyes. He broke the kiss and kissed away her tears. "To new beginnings Angel."

Laura trembled a little bit. "Yes to new beginnings."

Luke found the papers and struck a match to let them burn up. Laura smiled at him as they watched the papers disintegrate. Luke wrapped his arms around her and just held her close in his arms knowing they were where they belonged home in one another's arms.

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