So, when will this end? It goes on and on
Over and over and over again
Keeps spinning around, I know that it won’t stop
‘Til I step down from this for good
I never thought I’d end up here
Never thought I’d be standing where I am
I guess I kind of thought that it would be easier than this
I guess I was wrong now one more time
– Sick Cycle Carousel, Lifehouse

---

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Webber House: Living Room

“Are there any other toys you want to take to Daddy’s house?” Elizabeth asked Cameron, crouching down to find Jake’s sneakers.

“No. I gots my trucks and Legos.” Cameron dragged the bag full of toys next to his Spiderman suitcase. “Where you go again?”

“Italy. To see the gondolas. The long skinny boats.” Elizabeth tugged one sneaker on Jake’s foot, then the other, leaving him to play with the Velcro straps. “And the light.”

“The light?” Cameron looked up at the light fixture in the ceiling. “We gots light here.”

“The sunlight reflecting from the canals,” Elizabeth said, but she was smiling. She heard a car in the driveway and got to her feet. “I’ll take lots of pictures to show you when I get home. That’s Daddy now.” She headed for the door, grimacing when she pulled it open and realized Lucky wasn’t alone.

He’d brought Sam.

Her mouth settled in a thin line. Why did he constantly have to push— “We talked about this.”

“You talked, and I ignored you.” Lucky slid past her and caught Cameron as he ran towards his father. “Hey, buddy. You ready for a whole week with me and Sam?”

Cameron peered over Lucky’s shoulder, his tiny dark brows drawn together. “Who you?”

“I’m a friend of your dad’s. Sam—” Sam stepped up behind Lucky, and lifted her hand to shake Cameron’s, but Elizabeth pulled Cameron out of Lucky’s arms, angled him away from Sam whose hand fell back to her side. The smile faded from her face.

“We talked about this, and you agreed. I told you if you pushed me on this, we’d go to court and make it official,” Elizabeth said.

“You really want to get into this in front of them?” Lucky asked, nodding to the boys. Jake was standing on the sofa, hanging back. Unlike Cameron, the toddler hadn’t run towards Lucky — in the year since their divorce, Lucky’s visits with the boys were infrequent and short. Never more than one night, and even that was rare these days.

“We could. But I don’t know why I have to in front of a police officer,” Elizabeth said, smiling sweetly at Sam who just rolled her eyes. “Considering one call to Amelia Joffe would lead to some very difficult questions for you.”

“And I’m not the only one who knows about that—” Lucky began.

“You’re the only one who knows and still wants her around. She’s not staying at the house with them. I’ll cancel my entire trip right now and go straight to Mac.”

“Mommy?” Cameron asked. “You wanna see the lights.”

“I do, honey. Go sit next to your brother.” Elizabeth set Cameron on his feet, then looked to her ex-husband with his sour expression. “And don’t think you can get around me by waiting for me to be gone. I’ll find out and I’ll go straight to the courthouse when I get back.”

“It’s fine, Lucky. I’ll just stay at my place this week,” Sam said. “Let’s not waste time on something that doesn’t matter.” She shot Elizabeth a nasty look. “And you won’t be in control of this situation forever.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t bet on that.” Elizabeth curled her hand around the edge. “Agree, Lucky, or I’m closing the door.”

Lucky muttered under his breath. “Fine. Fine. Sam won’t come near them. But I need to talk to you and unlike you, I don’t want to do it in front of the boys. So can we compromise? She’ll take the kids to the car, put them in their seats. You can watch her the entire time. Or I’ll be the one to walk and you can find another babysitter—”

“You’re not a babysitter, Lucky. You’re their father. At least, that’s what you keep telling me. Fine. She can take them to the car. But she stays outside. I don’t want her talking to them, either.”

Elizabeth went to the sofa, knelt down. “Hey, you’re going to go with Daddy’s friend, Sam. She’ll put you in the car,” she told Cameron. “I need you to make sure Jake is belted in nice and tight. You know just how I showed you.”

“I got you, Mommy. Me ‘n Spiderman.” He held up his plastic figurine. “We go to the rescue.”

“That’s right.” Elizabeth hugged and kissed them both, then reluctantly handed them over to Sam. She stood in the doorway, watching like a hawk as the other woman put them into car seats in the back of Lucky’s SUV. “Damn you for this, Lucky. I don’t ask for much—”

“Since I’m currently playing daddy to two kids who aren’t biologically mine—”

She snapped her head back around, her eyes flashing. “Say the word, Lucky, and we’ll end it now. No more child support. No more visits. No more Daddy. Go ahead. Keep using that against me.”

“You figure you got Jason in the wings, you don’t need me anymore?” Lucky demanded. “You think I don’t know who you’re going with? Spinelli let it spill to Sam Jason’s going out of town, too—”

“I think that I get to do whatever I want in my free time because I’m not dating someone who put my kids in danger. You said you wanted to talk, Lucky. Talk.”

“Fine. I didn’t come here to argue.” And now his tone shifted, softened. ” I know you’ve gone to see Lulu. Thank you. For doing that. For bringing pictures of the boys. It’s—it’s helped keep her thinking about the good that’s out here.”

“Lulu doesn’t have to be another casualty in all of this,” Elizabeth said. “I love her, too. I hate that she’s going through this, but she’s getting better, isn’t she?”

“No. No—” He dragged a hand through his hair. “She’s not. She keeps slipping away just like Mom. Nikolas is working on a deal for her with the DA, no charges if she gets treatment. But Shadybrooke isn’t the answer. We’re moving her. And my mother. As soon as Nikolas gets the go ahead.”

“Back to London?” Elizabeth asked. “I thought you said you wanted to keep Laura close—”

“We do. That’s the deal we’re making. There’s a doctor in California. Berkeley. They’re familiar with Mom’s condition, so we’re moving there. Nikolas and me. Sam, too. She’s coming out there with me.”

Elizabeth stared at him for a long moment. “You’re—you’re moving to California. That’s just—it’s a done deal? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“Yeah. I know it seems sudden, but it’s not. We’ve been talking about this since it all went down. But he heard back about the open spots, and he thinks with Baldwin out of town, we might get some movement on this.”

“But—” She exhaled slowly. “The boys. You don’t even see them regularly as it is, Lucky. And now you’re going three thousand miles away?”

“We’ll work something out. Maybe a month in the summer. Holidays. Cam’s in school now, right? So he’ll have breaks. You can bring them out, and I’ll bring them home. We can iron all of that out—”

“We’re not even going to talk about it? They’re one and four, Lucky. I can’t just—” Her eyes burned as she stared at the car with Sam standing next to the back seat, looking through the windows. “Sam’s going with you, so you’re telling me she’d be living with my boys when they’re there.”

“It’s no different than you taking them to see Jason—”

“Jason didn’t stand by and watch someone walk away with Jake,” Elizabeth cut in sharply. “Jason didn’t keep quiet and refuse to help find him—”

“She did that because of Jason—now they’re not together—”

“You think I care why she did it? I didn’t press charges, but I should have. God, I should have. And I swear I will. If you let her anywhere near my children, that’s the first thing I’ll do. I’ll go right to the PCPD—”

“What do you want me to do? My family needs this. Okay? I wasn’t there for my mother, and I haven’t been there for Lulu. I’m not going to be like my father—I’m not going to let my sister down—”

“Your family needs this.” Elizabeth waited a moment, then nodded. She stepped back inside the house. “All right. Fine. Go take care of your family. Thanks for looking after the kids this week.”

“You’re not going to fight about Sam anymore?” Lucky asked, almost warily. He looped the strap of the toy bag across his chest and picked up the suitcases. “Why?”

“Because I’m not taking a single day off from my life to fly the boys out to see you if she’s with you. You’ll have to come get them. And we both know how likely that’ll be.” She held the storm door open for him. “Call Patrick if you need me this week. He has my contact information.”

“I have to do this—”

“I know you believe that, but you’re the one choosing that woman over the boys you say that you love as your own. And if you think I’m out of line, we’ll just take it to court, Lucky. Have a good time with the boys this week.”

Then she closed the door.

Morgan Penthouse: Living Room

Jason set his suitcase at the bottom of the stairs and went to the desk where Spinelli had left the plans for the church. “Did Cody or Francis check in?” he asked, looking through one of the drawers for his passport.

“Loyal Second Sir of Security called ten minutes ago. The Godly One will allow your security entrance an hour earlier than Mister Sir indicated. He and —” Spinelli frowned. “The Jackal cannot think of a nickname for Sir Francis, so, uh—”

“Spinelli, I have a thousand things to do before I leave for the church, and I’m not coming back here.” Jason arched a brow. “What did I tell you about nicknames?”

“Go simple or ditch altogether,” Spinelli muttered darkly. “Stone Cold should be in a better mood. Mister Sir is marrying the Glacial One, and my Yoda embarks on a voyage of love with his lady—”

“Spinelli.”

“Cody and Francis will be at the church starting at two. Guests start coming in at four, and the ceremony begins at four-thirty.” The younger man made a face. “Stone Cold sucks all the fun out of life.”

“Trying to care. Can’t.” Jason tucked the passport into the outer pocket of his suitcase, glancing up as the door opened. Maxie came in, two huge garment bags over one arm. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Kate?”

“On my way, but you were my first stop.” Maxie shoved one bag at Spinelli and the other at Jason’s. “You need to put these on right now to make sure the final fittings are perfect—”

“We’re sitting in the pew, it doesn’t matter—”

“Okay, look, pal—” Maxie blew a piece of white-blonde hair out of her eyes. “Kate hasn’t turned into Bridezilla yet because it’s my job to nag everyone. So when she asks me if you tried these on, I get to tell her yes and not lie. So hop to it and strip. Don’t be a prude, I barely notice you’re a man—” She frowned at the suitcase. “Who’s going somewhere?”

“The tuxes are fine, Maxie.” Jason took her by the arm and steered her towards the door. “Go bother someone else—” He opened the door and shoved her out of it.

“How rude—” But he closed the door, cutting off her retort.

“Maximista is going to make me pay for that later,” Spinelli said with a wince.

“Trying to care about that, too. Still a no.” Jason took the garment bag, lifted the suitcase. “I’m going to the coffee house, then the warehouse. I have to stop in with Sonny, too. But this is the last time I’ll see you until the church. Tell Cody and Francis to call if they need me.”

“Aye, aye, Stone Cold, sir.” Spinelli saluted him. “And if we do not have a moment to speak before you must flee to airport, have a marvelous time and tell Fair Elizabeth the Jackal sends his most felicitous—”

But Jason had closed the door on that, too, and Spinelli broke off with a scowl. “Methinks my sensei could stand to loosen up. Party pooper.”

Howard Estate: Foyer

Maxie hustled through the door, marking off another item in her list and heading straight for the voices in the living room. She stopped short when she saw a woman she didn’t recognize standing near Kate. “Uh, did I miss something somewhere?”

“No, Maxie. This is Olivia.” Kate’s smile was warm, but her eyes seemed a bit panicked. She traded a look with the dark-haired woman. “My cousin from New York.”

“From Bensonhurst,” Olivia said, the hint of Brooklyn in her voice hitting Maxie’s ears and making her wince. “And if you think I’m calling you Kate, you’re freaking out of your mind—”

“So glad Sonny brought you all the way here,” Kate said tightly. “Really, we ought to get together more often.” Her face clean of cosmetics and clad in a silk robe that matched the wrap around her hair, Kate focused on Maxie. “Did you go to the Towers?”

“Delivered the tuxes, and just left Sonny’s. All systems are a go. We just have to get you ready, get Lulu—”

Behind Maxie, the front door opened again, and Maxie hurried out to the foyer, squealing when she saw Lulu. “You made it! You’re going to love the dresses I picked out!”

“Johnny said you’d take care of everything,” Lulu said, some of the usual sparkle in her eyes, but she moved a bit slower than normal. As if she were a step behind everything else.

“Lulu.” Kate’s eyes glistened. “I’m so glad you could join us.” She came across the room, squeezed the blonde’s hands. “Thank you for being here with me on this day.”

“Thank you for inviting me. I’m so glad to see you.”

Nikolas stepped up to Maxie, touched the side of his mouth with his index finger. “Stick to her like glue,” he warned the other woman. “And only let her out of your sight when Johnny gets here.”

“You’re actually trusting him with Lu?” Maxie asked. She lifted her brows. “Are you sure they got all of that tumor or are you crazy again?”

“Funny. Johnny has his marching orders. He screws up today, he’s cut off and he knows that. Same to you, Maxie. Anything happens to my sister today, I’m holding you both responsible.”

Maxie made a face. “But no pressure,” she called out to his disappearing back. “Good riddance,” she muttered when the door closed behind him. She pasted a bright smile on her face. “Okay, where do we start?”

Greystone: Living Room

It was just before noon when Jason finally made it out to Sonny’s. After a few minutes spent in the foyer with Max going over the schedule for the rest of the day, he headed into the living room where he was relieved to find Sonny drinking nothing harder than a glass of water, which was a bit of a relief.

“Hey. I didn’t expect to see you until the church,” Sonny said, setting the water on the desk. “Maxie come by to harass you, too?”

“Yeah, but you know, I don’t really pay attention to her.” Jason set down the folder with the floor plans for the church. “Father Coates agreed to the extra hour, so I thought I’d try to change your mind about checking in the invitations at the door—”

His friend shook his head. “I know all the reasons you’re worried about it, but the guest list is small. We’re doing a bigger party for Kate’s side in New York next month.” Sonny came forward, closed the folder. “Put it away. You’ve gone over everything a thousand times. You got your extra hour. You know, why don’t you go find Elizabeth? Spend a few hours with her—”

“She’s got her own list before we leave—”

“Yeah, but you could do that together. I mean, you don’t have to come to this, you know. I know you’re cutting it close with the boarding time.”

Jason squinted, looked at him. “What?”

“The wedding. You don’t have to come. It wouldn’t bother me. You don’t take a lot of time for yourself. Especially—” Sonny’s mouth tightened, and he picked up the water again. “Especially this year. When I dumped the business on you.”

“I agreed to it—”

“Because you thought I’d lost my edge. That I was reckless. Maybe you were right,” Sonny said when Jason didn’t deny it. “Maybe I just didn’t want it the same way I used to. The power, you know? I needed it. Needed to always be the one in charge, to run the room. It’s kind of nice, you know, not feeling that way anymore. Kate—you know—she reminds me of who I was before all that. Before my mother—” He looked away. “Before I got in too deep.”

“You ever regret it?” Jason asked. “Going to work for Joe Scully? Ending up here, going against Frank Smith?”

“Regret’s an interesting word. Do I ever wish I’d taken a different road? Finished school, learned a trade?” He considered it. “Could have gone into cooking. My mother wanted to get me a job in the kitchens at Carmine Cerullo’s restaurant.” Sonny sipped the water. “I think about that sometimes. Maybe I should have done that. But you know, my mother died. And I wanted to make sure Deke couldn’t get away with it. No, once I got into it, I didn’t regret it. I still don’t. That surprise you?”

“Maybe. After Michael—” Jason shook his head. “I don’t know. Sometimes I wish I’d never said yes when you wanted to do the coffee warehouse, take the territory back from Moreno.”

Sonny looked at him for a long moment. “You’re good at this. Clear-headed. Focused. It’s why I wanted you back. But now and again, I think about you not having your kid with you—and I feel the weight.” Sonny rolled his shoulders. “Anyway, all I meant was that I’m okay if you decide to skip out on this today. Go to the airport with Elizabeth. Go to Italy.” He paused. “Why Italy anyway?”

“I’ve wanted to take her there for a long time.” Jason picked up the folder. “I’ve made her a lot of promises I haven’t kept, but I’m keeping this one. I need to. But you’re still my best friend, and I want to be there today. Elizabeth—she understands. And as long as I’m at the gate on time, it’ll be fine. But thanks. I—I appreciate it.”

Crimson Pointe: Foyer

Claudia sauntered down the steps, trailing her fingers along the banister, then made her way into the main living room where she found her father perusing a newspaper and sipping his coffee.

“Good morning, Daddy,” she said, plucking a croissant from a basket on the table. She ripped off a piece. “How are the legs?”

“Still dead,” Anthony Zacchara muttered. “You gonna ask me that every day, Jezebel?”

“Oh, well, if you’re going to call me a whore every day, then—” she shrugged, tearing off another piece of the croissant. “Let me have my fun.”

“Shows how much you know. Jezebel was a traitor,” Anthony sneered. “You being a whore is just an added mark against your character.”

“You know, Daddy Dearest—” Claudia leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table. “I’m not sure you want to have a discussion about character. Aren’t you the one that drove one wife insane and murdered the other—”

Anthony hissed. “Don’t tempt me—”

“What are you gonna do, Daddy? Wheel really fast after me?” She just smiled when his scowl deepened in her direction. “You find a way to drag Johnny home by his hair or are we letting him off the hook?”

Anthony picked up his coffee. “And keep him away from the wedding of the century? Where’s the fun in that?”

“Please. That stick wouldn’t know how to plan anything worth attending. Johnny’s just going to spend his time trailing after that lunatic. You know, in hindsight, the first sign of mental instability should have been a grown woman using the name Lulu.”

Her father’s lips twitched, but he refused to let any sign of true amusement show. Claudia sighed. “Well, this is boring. I’m going to go find a small child to steal candy from.”

When she was gone, Anthony tossed the newspaper on the table, then rolled back.

He rose to his feet, stretched out his legs, wiggled his toes, then grinned. He danced a few steps.

Then he sat back in his chair and wheeled himself out of the room.

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