Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 50

The early morning light through the richly colored autumn leaves made the world glow. The beauty of upstate New York in fall awakened Anna Devane's spirits even more than the double-shot latte she was sipping. She looked over at Stefan Cassadine in the driver's seat with a radiant smile. He smiled back and gave a quick caress to her face.

Anna and Stefan were driving out to the Lake George region for a romantic fall weekend. Stefan had suggested taking the back roads, which would make the trip a little longer but much more interesting. Leaving before daybreak, they followed close to the Lake Ontario shore part of the way, and were just getting into Oneida County now.

Anna sighed contentedly, and took a bite of her cider doughnut, with its coating of cinnamon and granulated sugar. It was a perfect autumn treat.

“I needed this,” Stefan said.

“Needed what?” Anna asked.

“Getting away,” Stefan replied. “Between moving the mobile health clinic along and launching the family health center, it's been busy. And now, it looks like I'll be called on to referee catfights.”

Stefan told her of the ugly scene between Carly and Courtney.

“Oh, good lord,” Anna said in disgust. “Look, I completely understand why Carly wouldn't like Courtney. God knows I wouldn't like her in those circumstances. But Carly's sense of entitlement is boundless. Everything's all about her, including hospital business.”

“What, you missed that bulletin?” Stefan asked sarcastically.

Anna laughed. “I have to say, Courtney played it pretty smart,” she said.

Stefan raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“She knew what she was doing,” Anna said. “Remember, part of my job is understanding people's agendas. Courtney knew that if she got into it with Carly, she'd be the bad guy no matter who started it. By walking away, she made Carly look out of control. Score one for Courtney.”

“You're good,” Stefan said with a grin. “I would've loved to have seen you handle my mother.”

Anna rolled her eyes.

“Other than locking her in a lead-lined jail cell, I really wouldn't handle her,” she said.

“Nice, but I like where she is now even more, as horrible as that may sound.”

“Considering all that she did to you and others, you are completely justified in those feelings,” Anna said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

“Thank you for understanding,” Stefan said.

“This is such a pretty stretch of road,” Anna said, sensing Stefan's desire to change the subject. “I like getting back out in the country. Especially this time of year.”

“We're very lucky to live in a place like this in the fall,” Stefan said.

“And very lucky to have each other to enjoy it,” Anna said with a gentle smile. Stefan took her hand and kissed it.

“I hope to get even luckier when we get to the Sagamore,” he said with a smile that was as close as a Cassadine could get to a leer.

* * *

Lucas Jones looked furtively around as he waited for the morning train at the Port Charles Railway Station, then checked his watch. Another five minutes before the train to Albany arrived.

His heart was pounding, from anticipation, fear and guilt. He was eagerly anticipating the romantic weekend his boyfriend, Brandon Chambliss, had planned. But, being in the closet, he was afraid of being found out. And there was the guilt over all the lies he'd told his parents about what he was doing this weekend.

Lucas hated all the lies. Each one was like another weight tied to him, tangling him so much he was afraid he'd trip. But it was the only way. Telling his parents he was gay would destroy them; he knew it. And what about all his friends?

There was a low humming in the distance. Slowly, it got louder. The train! Lucas' hands clenched tighter around his duffel bag as the train pulled into the station. With a deep breath, he boarded.

No turning back, he thought, when the train began moving. As city streets gave way to country fields and woods, Lucas forgot about Port Charles and everyone there and focused on what was coming closer each second – Brandon.

* * *

Lulu and Brooke Lynn had a fun day's shopping, taking off early to go out for breakfast at a nearby diner.

They made their way around Manhattan, hitting a few places in the Garment District as well as stores ranging from Century 21 to Daffy's before heading to Fifth Avenue. Laura's assistant, Elton Herbert, was waiting with the limo outside Barney's on Madison Avenue so they wouldn't have to schlep all their bags on a bus. After a quick, effusive greeting, they were on their way to the apartment, where Elton left them.

Lulu and Brooke settled in, resting their feet and doing homework in the spacious living room done in soft golds and greens, overlooking the beauty of Central Park.

“It's so pretty out there, I keep looking out instead of doing my trig,” Brooke said, turning her back on the window.

Lulu bent her head over her history textbook, reading about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the start of World War I.

Laura came home about an hour later. The apartment was normally so quiet at the end of a workday, it was pleasantly jarring to have someone to come home to. She hadn't realized just how much she'd missed having Lulu living with her.

She hummed “Fascination” – which she often did when she was happy – as she cooked supper. Lulu and Brooke continued their homework, stopping just before dinner to set the table.

“Where are you two off to tonight?” Laura asked, as she passed the herbed pork chops.

“Bootleg Coffee,” Lulu said. “Want to come?”

Please say no, please say no, Brooke thought as she speared a piece of roasted sweet potato. Her prayer was answered.

“Thanks, sweetie, but I think I'll stay in,” Laura said. “It was a pretty busy day, what with getting ready for the buying trip to Paris. Mike has a full itinerary for me, too – interviews with European style media and such.”

“I wish I could go with you,” Lulu said. “I haven't been in soooooo long!”

“Where do you stay?” Brooke asked.

“We have an apartment in the seventh arrondissment,” Laura said. “It's on Avenue de la Bourdonnais – basically, you look out the living room window, and there's the Eiffel Tower.”

“No luxury hotel?” Brooke asked, disappointed.

“I'm there for more than a week,” Laura said. “It's so much more relaxing than a hotel. We can have small meetings at the dining table. I can work at home without being claustrophobic in a hotel room. I can do my own laundry. The neighborhood is so nice. I can go to the market and keep stuff in the fridge and live a Parisian life, like Luke, Lucky and I did when we were on the run. It's wonderful!”

“It sounds good when you put it that way,” Brooke said.

“Maybe Brooke and I can go after I graduate,” Lulu hinted.

“Maybe,” Laura said with a smile.

* * *

Hills ablaze in fall color and the sapphire blue of Lake George was the view that greeted Anna and Stefan as they looked out the window of their luxury suite at the Sagamore resort.

“Oh, my,” Anna breathed. Stefan, standing behind her, put his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him and they stood silent for several minutes, just looking at the loveliness.

Anna reached up and ran her fingers through Stefan's hair as he kissed her neck and nibbled her earlobe. His fingertips slowly trailed up her stomach to her ribcage to her breasts. She gasped in delight. After a few minutes, she turned to him for a passionate kiss. Lips locked and hands fumbling at clothes, they found their way over by the bed.

Anna slowly ran her fingertips just under the waistband of Stefan's pants, then deftly unbuttoned them. As slowly as she could, she lowered the zipper. Locking eyes with Stefan, she got on her knees and pulled down the pants. Stefan spent the next several minutes in a haze of delight and desire.

Finally, he lifted Anna into his arms and set her on the bed. She held out her arms to him. He wasted no time getting into them, kissing his way down her body, lingering to make her moan and writhe under him, then back up again. He buried his face in her hair as they made love.

Emotion surged through Anna, smashing through her last emotional barriers. She felt herself soaring as she spoke what was in her heart for the first time.

“Stefan!” she gasped. “I love you! I love you! Ohhhhhhh!”

She arched her back with her final cry of delight as her words released a flood of emotions in Stefan.

“I love you, my Anna!” he cried in a trembling voice, tears springing to his eyes as he groaned in ecstasy.

* * *

Lucas looked around the unfamiliar Albany train station as he followed the other passengers off the train. Many were going to another track to catch the train to New York City.

As he broke away from that crowd, a voice called out.

“Lucas!”

Just hearing that voice say his name set Lucas' heart to pounding. He saw Brandon striding towards him, even more gorgeous than Lucas remembered. He was stunned when Brandon enveloped him in a hug, and instinctively stiffened. What if someone saw?

“Relax, for cryin' out loud,” Brandon whispered in his ear. “I'm not going to molest you right here. I can wait until we're in the car.”

Lucas laughed. “Wiseass,” he said, as the hug ended.

“You waiting long?” Lucas asked as they walked out of the station towards Brandon's car.

“Left a little early, in case there was construction on the Mass Pike,” Brandon said. “But I had the paper to read, and checked my Crackberry. You hungry?”

“Yeah,” Lucas said as he slid into the passenger seat of Brandon's 10-year-old Volvo wagon. His parents were old-money types, who believed buying children fancy new cars was vulgar and overindulgent. So they gave Brandon their old car, and he paid the maintenance and insurance through summer jobs such as working at the diabetic camp. The back panel of the wagon was plastered in skiing-related bumper stickers, from Killington to Whiteface, Stratton to Sugarloaf.

“We'll go to Grandma's up by Colonie Center for lunch,” Brandon said. “They have kick-ass pie. It's about an hour or so to the inn. Nice drive.”

“Works for me,” Lucas said.

After lunch, pie and a quick insulin check for both of them, they were on I-90 heading east into the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Brandon rested his hand on Lucas' leg, slowly inching upward, then retreating and creeping up again. Anticipation was pounding in Lucas' veins by the time they reached the Lee exit of the Mass Pike.

The inn Brandon selected looked like any other quiet New England country inn – a large, stately Federal style home painted white, with black shutters and a brick red front door. Only the rainbow flag flying by the door stood out.

Inside, the décor was the classic hodge-podge of Colonial and 19^th-century antiques with vintage and new pieces combining to create a comfortable, homey look. A man sat by the fire, reading Yankee magazine. Two women played backgammon at a table in a corner of the living room. A golden retriever greeted Brandon and Lucas at the front desk with a grin and a paw-shake. A striped Maine Coon cat dozed on a wing chair in a pool of sunshine. The smell of fresh-baked bread wafted over them when the owner stepped out of the kitchen to check them in.

After Brandon generously tipped the bellboy and asked for a phone call for dinner, he and Lucas were alone.

“Finally,” Brandon said, putting his arms around Lucas' waist. Lucas looked in his eyes, and Brandon felt him trembling. His hand reached up to stroke Lucas' cheek.

“It's all right, Lucas,” he whispered. “You're safe here. Let go of it all and just concentrate on us.”

“I think I can do that,” Lucas said as he leaned in to kiss him.

Two hours later, Lucas rested his head on Brandon's chest, feeling Brandon's heartbeat return to normal.

“We'd better get moving, they'll be calling us for dinner in a few minutes,” Brandon said, leaning down to kiss Lucas' hair.

“I'd rather have room service,” Lucas said drowsily, slowly drawing a circle with his index finger on Brandon's stomach.

Brandon guessed why he said that.

“I told you before, Lucas, it's all right,” he said patiently. “This is a gay-friendly place. It's run by gays, 99.9 percent of the guests are gay – what's there to be afraid of?”

Lucas hugged Brandon a little closer. “I can't just ... turn it off,” he said. “I'm trying, Brandon. But being open, it's just not my life.”

“It can be,” Brandon replied.

“Brandon, I'm not ready,” Lucas said.

“Baby steps, Lucas, baby steps,” Brandon said. “Start with dinner. Go from there. It's just dinner. I''ll order in an early breakfast in bed for tomorrow before we go for a hike.”

“Getting up early for a hike?” Lucas groaned. “You sound like my cousins Lucky and Sly. I can think of much more fun ways to spend a morning, and get a workout, too.”

Brandon laughed. “I've created a monster,” he said. “Come on, get dressed.”

* * *

Lulu and Brooke hurried out of the apartment building towards Bootleg Coffee.

“I can't believe you invited your mother!” Brooke said.

“What?” Lulu said, confusion on her face. “We go there a lot together.”

“I thought you said this was a cool place,” Brooke said.

“Yeah, and my mom's cool,” Lulu replied. “Everyone hangs out there – people our age, students, grown-ups. It's a great place.”

Brooke saw she was right when they walked into Bootleg Coffee. It was bigger than Brooke thought it would be, then her eyes lit up. There was a stage! And a sign saying tonight was Open Mic Night!

“I like it,” Brooke said. Lulu noticed the sign.

“You gonna sing?” she asked. Brooke shrugged.

“Maybe,” she said.

They got lattes and desserts – a pear and cranberry tart for Brooke, a chocolate fudge cake for Lulu – and sat down at an open table.

People wandered up on the stage as the whim struck them. One man read his hip-hop poetry. A woman sang a Joni Mitchell song. A young man in dreadlocks down to his waist played an original composition on the piano. Another young man did a short stand-up comedy skit.

“Either get up there and sing or stop looking at the stage,” Lulu finally said in exasperation.

“I don't know ...” Brooke said, glancing again at the stage.

“You won't know anything unless you try,” Lulu said, giving her a playful shove. “Go on, do it!”

With a deep breath, Brooke stood up and walked on legs that felt wooden to the stage.

“Hi, I'm Brooke,” she said into the microphone as the crowd turned to watch her. “Brooke Lynn, to be precise.”

The audience groaned.

“Hey, wasn't my call!” Brooke protested with a laugh. “My mom just had a little too much Bensonhurst pride.

“Anyway, here's a little something I wrote a while back about a trip with my dad.”

Brooke sat down at the piano and played an up-tempo song she and Ned had written, based on her spending part of a summer on the road with him during his Eddie Maine heyday. Brooke was the protagonist, racing towards the horizon, wanting to get over the next hill as fast as possible, and Ned was the voice in the seat beside her urging her to slow down and enjoy the ride because it ended faster than she thought.

The audience was impressed, especially a quietly dressed middle-aged man in the corner. He made notes in a little pad he kept tucked in the chest pocket of his tweed sports coat. He noted the audience's warm applause for Brooke, and the calls for an encore. She obliged, with a song she'd written a few weeks before about watching Diego Alcazar and Stan Johnson at the Labor Day party, wondering if guys like that would ever notice her. It, too, was well-received.

Brooke walked off the stage flushed with pride over her success. Lulu squeezed her hand.

“Told you!” Lulu said softly. Brooke looked down, almost overwhelmed by her feelings.

“Wow,” she whispered. “I really felt like a musician up there. No one knew my family, but they liked me anyway.”

“Of course they did!” Lulu said. “You were great!”

“Thanks,” Brooke said. “But let's not tell your mom about it, all right? I don't want my mom to know. She'd just try to stop me.”

“Sure,” Lulu said. Just then, the man approached.

“Excuse me, ladies, may I join you for a moment, please?”

Lulu was instantly on guard. “Who are you?” she asked bluntly, in a cold voice.

Tough cookie, the man thought. I'll have to be careful with her.

“I'm Chip Savage,” he said. “I have a small record label here in town. Always on the lookout for new talent, and I think I found some tonight,” he said, with a friendly glance at Brooke. He took out his business card and handed it to Brooke. Savage Records, the card said, with the logo of a CD with jagged teeth.

“I recognize this,” she said. “You worked with Jimmy B. Badde.”

“That's right,” Chip said smoothly.

“Whatever happened to him?” Lulu asked.

Chip shrugged. “Typical Behind the Music stuff,” he said vaguely. “Got too big too fast and blew it. I think he's out of the business now. That's why I'm looking for more disciplined talent now. I have to know that whoever I sign has the drive to not let stupid stuff get in their way.”

Brooke rolled her eyes. “I know what you mean,” she said. “There are a lot of people out there who want to be stars, not musicians. Please, join us.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Now Brooke and ...”

“Lulu,” Lulu supplied.

“Nice to meet you, Lulu,” Chip said. “You too, Brooke. Sounds like you're pretty driven.”

“I am,” Brooke said.

“Want to prove it?” he asked. “You could audition for me.”

“Audition?” Brooke asked, surprised.

“What, did you think those two songs were enough?” Chip asked.

“No,” Brooke said, a bit flustered. “I'm just surprised you want an audition based on just two songs.”

“I do,” Chip said. “When can you come?”

“Well, I'm from out of town,” Brooke said. “So I'll be going back home – Port Charles – on Sunday. I come down once in a while to see my mom's family in Bensonhurst.”

“Will tomorrow morning work?” Chip asked. Brooke thought quickly. She could tell Mrs. Spencer that she was meeting a cousin for breakfast and leave early, and tell her relatives she was going out with Lulu in the morning ...

“Yeah, it'll work.”

* * *

After a short nap to recover, then a quick shower, Stefan and Anna went down to dinner at Trillium Bis, one of the restaurants in the Sagamore.

“I am starving,” Anna said.

“Glad to know you still have an appetite,” Stefan said with an arched eyebrow and loving smile.

“Oh, I most definitely do,” Anna said with a sparkling smile as the waiter approached. Anna ordered a first course of warm mozzarella curds poached in olive oil and basil, a main course of Muscovy duck breast glazed with honey and smoked Spanish paprika and served with roasted pears and lentils, and a dessert of warm dulce de leche crepes with marsala ice cream, cocoa crunch and limoncello molasses. Stefan ordered a first course of baked littleneck clams done casino style with king crab and boiled wasabi aioli, goat milk butter-roasted chicken with savoy cabbage choucroute and garden herb spaetzle for the entree and a flight of custards – white chocolate and pistachio crème brulée, raspberry mint panna cotta and biscotti with a micro mint salad – for dessert.

After that delicious dinner, they went back up to their suite. Stefan had brought a bottle of port, and they sipped it by the roaring fire while playing strip poker. Stefan won.

“I think we're both winners tonight,” Anna whispered as she drew him to her.

After more lovemaking, they fell asleep cuddled together.

Stefan awoke to find himself alone in the room, a strange white light in the window.

“Anna?” he called softly, looking towards the bathroom.

“Sorry, it's just you and me,” said a voice from the light. Stefan turned swiftly towards the voice and was shocked and a bit scared to see Chloe Morgan, his first great love, who had been murdered on the orders of his mother Helena almost five years ago.

Stefan stared dumbly for a moment, then found his voice. “Am ... am I dreaming? Dead?” he asked.

“Relax, you're dreaming,” Chloe said with a playful smile. “This is a way we dearly departed get to visit.”

“Forgive me, Chloe, but you don't exactly look ... angelic,” Stefan said, taking in Chloe's designer jeans, fitted white silk blouse, silkscreened jacket, chunky ethnic jewelry and pointy-toed stiletto pumps in purple alligator skin.

Chloe laughed. “Did you think we all got stuck wearing boring white robes?” Chloe asked. “I'm in Heaven, Bub. We can wear what we want. And what's great is it all fits perfectly. These shoes? I've been wearing them since 2003 and they don't bother me a bit. Part of the advantage of walking on clouds, I guess.”

Stefan looked gently at her, tears stinging his eyes. “You are still breathtaking,” he whispered. “Do you know how much –”

Chloe floated over and sat on the bed. She put her fingertips up to his mouth to shush him. He was stunned to kiss her fingers and feel them, and smell her Chanel No. 5, but he went with it.

“I know,” she said gently. “I've missed you, too. I've watched over you all these years. You've done so wonderfully, Stefan. You broke free of your mother and stopped her sick plans –”

“Not soon enough,” Stefan said, bitterly and guiltily.

“What Helena did to me was not your fault,” Chloe said. “As I was saying, you've really done a lot since then, when you could have just curled up in your unhappiness. Nikolas wouldn't be able to handle running the empire if it wasn't for you, and Alexis. God, I miss her so much.”

Stefan felt the prickling of tears again. “She misses you, too,” he said. “You were her first real girlfriend.”

“You've made a wonderful life for yourself, darling,” Chloe continued. “I was so proud of you, the way you let everything go and traveled. You're doing great things at General Hospital, you have wonderful friends and family around you, and now you have Anna.”

“Do ... do you mind?”

“No,” Chloe said, a radiant smile on her face. “I'm happy. The love you have to give, Stefan, I was lucky to see and have that. I have no regrets about that. The world needs your kind of love among the living. And your loving Anna now doesn't take away anything of what we had. She's a heck of a woman, to get you to open your heart again. I know it wasn't easy, darling.”

“I wouldn't be able to be happy today if it wasn't for you, Chloe,” Stefan said. “It was your loving me that helped me become a better man.”

“I just saw what was already there, Stefan,” Chloe said, rising from the bed. “Now, I have to go.”

“No, not yet!”

“Sorry,” Chloe said as she retreated towards the window. “Heaven is pretty much perfect, but the powers that be are sticklers for schedules. I still have to haunt Stella McCartney's dreams tonight. Don't worry, Stefan. We'll see each other again. When you need me, I'll be here in your dreams. And someday, we'll all be together. Except for your parents, uncles and brother, thank God. Have faith.”

“Chloe ...” Stefan said. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Chloe said with a smile as the light enveloped her. “Goodbye, dearest.”

“Goodbye,” Stefan whispered, watching the light fade from the window. He found himself opening his eyes in the dark bedroom, Anna's head resting on his chest. He lay in the dark for several minutes with tears streaming from his eyes. Then he smiled, quietly wiped the tears away, and, with a gentle kiss on the top of Anna's head, fell back asleep.

* * *

Anna didn't feel the kiss. She was downstairs in the glass-enclosed veranda. She wondered if she was down there for tea, then saw a white light in the window. In the light, sitting at a table, were her two late husbands, Robert Scorpio and Duke Lavery, playing cards.

“I knew I shouldn't have had that second glass of port before bed,” she said teasingly. Robert and Duke looked up at her, both smiling warmly.

“You used to be able to hold your liquor much better,” Robert said, sipping a Courvoisier.

“Well, getting older kinda stinks that way,” Anna said.

“Not that we'd know,” Duke said with a wink and his winning smile, playfully hoisting a glass of Macallan. “We're still young and virile.”

“Ouch, sorry,” she said.

“Hey, it's your dream, Luv,” Robert said. “We're just your subconscious brought out to play.”

“What, you're not angels on a heavenly mission?” Anna teased.

“If you want, we can be,” Duke said. “But you brought us here tonight, Anna.”

“I did?”

“Yes, you did,” Duke said. “And you know why.”

“You want our blessing to move on with Cassadine,” Robert interjected.

“I've never needed a man's blessing to do anything!” Anna said huffily.

“Then why are we here?” Duke asked.

Anna looked away, a puzzled expression on her face.

“I ... I don't know,” she said, sitting down at the table with them.

“Is it Robin you're worried about?” Duke asked.

“Well, she didn't take the news of my relationship with Stefan very easily,” Anna said.

“You and Robin are both moving on,” Robert said.

“It's not easy,” Anna said.

“Never is, Luv,” Robert said. “I don't think it's our blessing you want, or even Robin's. It's your own.”

“That makes absolutely no sense,” Anna said.

“Why not?” Duke asked. “You've got someone you love next to you in bed right now, and you're dreaming of your two dead husbands.”

“Then, fine! Dream over!” Anna said impatiently, waving her hand and closing her eyes. She opened them, and she was still at the table with Robert and Duke. She sighed.

“It's not that simple, Anna,” Duke said gently. “Face whatever it is you've got us standing in for. You've stared down mobsters and terrorists, you can stare down your own psyche.”

“Robin wasn't the only one who held out hope for me, right?” Robert said.

Anna looked over at him, tears in her eyes.

“I couldn't help it, Robert,” she said. “After all, I lived. But ...”

“But,” Duke prompted.

“But you're not here,” Anna said to Robert, then turned to Duke. “And, tried as you did to escape, the past caught up with you.”

“What-ifs are no way to live a life, Luv” Robert said.

Anna shook her head, wiping away tears.

“We're also safe compared to Stefan,” Duke said. “We can't surprise or hurt you anymore. Stefan ... what happens with him has yet to be written. You could grow old together, or not. What's needed now is a leap of faith.”

Anna nodded.

“Embrace the adventure, Anna,” Duke said. “That's the spirit you've always had, the one I fell in love with.”

Anna looked over at Robert, who nodded.

“All right,” she whispered, closing her eyes to hold back more tears. When she opened them, she was back in bed, Stefan's heart beating in her ear. She smiled and sighed, then fell asleep.

“Think those two will be all right?” Duke asked as Chloe sat down at the table.

“They're both strong, loyal, passionate people,” Chloe said. “Should be one hell of a ride, whatever happens. Now deal me in.”

* * *

Brooke barely felt the bed under her as she lay in the guest bedroom of the Spencer apartment. Then there came a knock at the door.

“Wow,” Lulu said. “I can't believe you're going to do this! A real live record producer –”

“Shhhhhhhh!” Brooke hissed, then whispered, “Don't let your mother hear! I don't want any of the adults to know about this!”

“Well, what are you going to do if he decides he wants to sign you?” Lulu whispered.

“I'll figure it out,” Brooke said. “Now promise me you won't tell anyone. This is too important for anyone to interfere with it.”

“I promise,” Lulu said.

* * *

Zander Lewis got off the T – the Boston-area train line – in Brookline. He walked out of the station and hailed a cab to get to the Prestash house.

He'd left Port Charles after classes the day before with a college friend, and was staying with the friend's family near Worcester for the weekend. The family had a luxury suite at Gillette Stadium, and had invited Zander to the Patriots home game on Sunday.

Today, he was running an errand for his little sister, Kristina, delivering a birthday present to her best friend, Molly Prestash. Zander knew the family from their Maine vacation this summer.

The cab pulled up in front of a large brick Tudor house on a spacious lot. A bunch of purple and pink balloons tied around the lamppost by the driveway and the muted girlish squealing from inside the house both told Zander he was at the right place. He paid the cabbie and walked up to the front door.

“Zander, hi!” Ron Prestash, Molly's father, said loudly over the party noise. “Come on in. Molly, Zander's here!”

Molly came running in from the party. Zander lifted her for a hug, which earned him a painful squeal of delight in his right ear. He set her down, and opened the shopping bag. “Kristina felt really bad that she couldn't come,” Zander said.

“I miss her!” Molly said. “Give her big kisses for me!”

“I will,” Zander said. Molly waved and ran back to the party, carrying the wrapped present to be opened later.

“Got a while, Zander?” Ron asked. “I could use an excuse to escape. Diane and the grandparents should be able to keep control.”

“Sure,” Zander said, and followed Ron into the den off the foyer.

“I wanted to discuss something with you,” Ron said. “Have you made any career plans for after graduation?”

Zander shook his head. “Nothing definite,” he said. “We've got some job fairs coming to school later this month, I figured I'd take a look and see what's out there.”

“The reason I ask is, have you ever considered the sports business?” Ron said. “We talked a lot in Maine about it, and you seemed really into it. We're going to have an opening starting right after the holidays. It's at the bottom, but there's a lot of opportunities to do different things. You'd be helping our agents represent players in contract negotiations and endorsement deals. Eventually, if things work out, you can be an agent yourself. Are you interested?”

“Wow,” Zander said blankly. “I ... I don't know what to say, other than, yeah, I'm interested! I'd like to hear more about it.”

“Good,” Ron said. “Want some coffee?”

* * *

Lulu looked out the train window as the Hudson Valley streamed by. Sometimes she'd scribble something in her notebook.

“What are you doing?” Brooke asked.

“My mom gave me an idea for that project Mr. Marquez wants me to do,” Lulu said. “I'm just putting down some thoughts on it. Hey, did you tell your grandparents about Chip Savage?”

“Hell, no!” Brooke said. “Please tell me you didn't tell your mother!”

“I told you I wouldn't and I didn't,” Lulu said.

“Good,” Brooke said in relief. “This is mine – something for me to do without my family controlling me. I'm going to make it on my own without them, then maybe they'll stop hounding me about college.”

“Don't you have a visit in Boston next week?”

“Yeah,” Brooke said. “I'll play along for now. But come spring, they'll see that I'm ready to be a musician. Either way, they can't stop me.”

“So he really liked you,” Lulu said.

“You sound surprised,” Brooke said sarcastically.

“No, no!” Lulu hastily replied. “I just want to hear more about the audition.”

“Not much to tell,” Brooke said. “It was him, me and one of his production staff there. I did a couple of original songs, and some covers.”

“Must've been comfortable, with your experience at L&B,” Lulu said. “Did you tell him about that, to show that you're experienced in music?”

“God, no!” Brooke exclaimed. “I don't want him to know about my family. I want to do this completely on my own.”

“So what are you going to do about a contract?” Lulu asked. “You're a minor.”

“Chip gave me the name of a lawyer he knows who can help me out,” Brooke said. “I'll make it work.”

* * *

Chip Savage sat in a studio, listening to the recording of Brooke's audition. Good voice, good looks, good presence – the three things he wanted. Everything else was just polish.

“You gonna sign her?” the producer who sat in on the audition asked.

“As soon as I can,” Savage said.

“How you gonna work around the age thing? She does have a family, I take it.”

“They're no great shakes, judging by the way she avoided mentioning them,” Savage said. “God, a name like Brooke Lynn Ashton! Can you get any more trailer park? We'll have to come up with good packaging to counter that. I pointed her towards our legal man, so we'll be covered.”

“Nice songs she sang today,” the producer said.

“Get this – she says they're her own work and she's got dozens more at home!” Savage said. “We've got a potential gold mine here, my man. And she's totally malleable – push the rebellion button here, the vanity button there, and she'll do whatever we want.”

Savage smiled, and took a drag off his cigarette. This little pop-tart was just the ticket for replenishing the coffers. Club acts kept him fed. But recording artists who could make some nice scratch in songwriting royalties? He hadn't had that since Jimmy B. Badde. That was the difference between an 8-year-old Lexus and a shiny new Escalade.

“Back in the saddle again,” he mumbled.

* * *

The water around the lighthouse was an incredible sapphire blue. Jason Quartermaine marveled at the beauty of the scene as he parked his car.

Kevin Collins waved from the deck as he finished sweeping it. The deck furniture was gone, put in the garage for the winter.

“You awake today?” Kevin said as Jason stretched and yawned as he walked into the house.

“Long day yesterday,” Jason said. “Saw all the Star Wars movies back-to-back at the PCU theater.”

“That's right, you missed the prequels,” Kevin said. “Have a good time? Who'd you go with?”

“Dillon, Stan Johnson, Georgie Jones and Serena Baldwin,” he said. “A bit younger crowd, but we had fun. God, who came up with that Jar-Jar Binks?”

Kevin laughed. “Everybody hates Jar-Jar,” he said. “Is Stan Johnson one of the friends of the Spencers who came up from New Orleans?”

Jason nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Nice guy. You'd never know what he's been through. He never complains.”

“He's got a good support system,” Kevin said. “His family, old friends in the Spencers and now new friends.”

“That's true,” Jason said.

“How did you like being out with younger people?” Kevin asked.

“It was all right,” Jason said. “In some ways, I'm closer to their age in my mind than I am in reality. I was about Stan's age when AJ put me in the coma.”

Kevin nodded. “You're still adjusting,” he said. “That's a perfectly normal way to feel.”

“But what I really like is that there's no expectations of me,” Jason said.

“What do you mean?”

“None of them really remember me,” Jason said. “Dillon wasn't even around. Maxie and Georgie Jones were little girls. Since they don't remember me, they don't get upset if I'm not exactly the way I used to be.”

“Who gets upset?” Kevin asked.

“Mom and Dad, mainly,” Jason said. “It's not so much upset, it's that they're hurt. But they've got no one to blame but AJ.”

Kevin noted the bitter tone at the mention of AJ's name, and filed it away for future discussions.

“Do you feel pressure to be something you're not?” Kevin asked.

“Not something I'm not so much as something I'm not anymore,” Jason said. “I don't feel like the same guy who went into the coma.”

“So it's not just an adjustment for you, it's an adjustment for your family and friends,” Kevin said.

Jason looked thoughtfully out the window for a few moments. “I hadn't thought about how it is for them, but, yeah, must be weird for them, too,” Jason said. “I just get so wrapped up in myself and my new life ...”

“You've had to do a lot since you woke up,” Kevin said. “How is the rescue squad training going?”

Jason perked up.

“Good,” he said. “Frank Scanlon's still riding me pretty hard, but everyone else has been great. I don't know how I would've gotten through all this without Sam.”

“Sam McCall?”

“Yeah,” Jason said. “She's helped me study, practiced technique with me, drilled me for tests. She's terrific.”

“You knew her in your dream, right?”

Jason nodded.

“She wasn't like this in the dream,” he said, telling of Dream Sam's tawdry past as a con artist and grifter, her affair with Sonny, the birth and death of Lila Adella, the way he and Sam slowly fell in love and she became his ride-or-die, guns-blazing partner who totally accepted his life as a paid killer.

“Yeah, that's definitely not the real Sam,” Kevin said. “I think if someone asked that of her she'd knock his block off.”

“True,” Jason said with a laugh. “I think I like the real Sam better. A lot less crying. I'll be going by her new house tonight to bring her home to Kelly's.”

“It's good to see you branching out socially, Jason,” Kevin said. “A lot of people in your situation would stay with the familiar, but you've jumped at new opportunities and people. It's good to see.”

“Thanks, Kevin,” Jason said. “It's kind of a chance to be my own person, instead of having to be the Jason Quartermaine I was.”

“What was wrong with the Jason Quartermaine you were?”

“Too soft,” Jason said. “I didn't stand up for myself or to other people as I should have. But not now. The family needs a new diplomat – I'm out of that for good. From now on, I'm going to say what I want and go for it.”

* * *

Lucas huddled in his seat on the train heading west for Port Charles. Leaving Brandon was so hard. It wasn't just already missing him with a cold, hollow ache. It was having to put on the facade again and take up the big, heavy lie that was his life.

He and Brandon had made plans to get together Thanksgiving weekend at the same inn. Lucas wondered what tale he'd concoct to tell his parents about that trip.

The leaden feeling in his stomach first became noticeable after the train pulled out of the Syracuse station. Lucas realized he hadn't felt it since he left Port Charles on Friday. The train pulled into the Port Charles station. Glancing around, Lucas was grateful to see no one he knew. He quickly got off the train and darted to his car.

I don't want to do this, he thought as he turned the key in the ignition. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to fill the gas tank, drive to Brandon's dorm and never come back. Oh, God, I'm so selfish, he thought morosely. As if Mom and Dad didn't go through enough losing BJ. He sighed and pointed the car towards the brownstone.

Lucas parked in the garage off the alley behind the brownstone. He hoped to come home quietly, unpack and have a few minutes to decompress. No dice.

Bobbie was raking her planting beds as Lucas walked towards the back door. She looked up and saw him, her eyes wide with delight.

“Lucas! Welcome home!” she said, flinging her arms around him and giving him a squeezing hug.

“How was your trip? I hope you had fun! How are your friends from camp?”

Lucas felt so overwhelmed he could barely breathe. “It was fine, Mom,” he said in a small voice.

“You sound tired,” Bobbie said, concern in her voice. “Are you sure your blood sugar's all right?”

“Yes,” Lucas said, keeping a lid on his impatience. “I checked it on the train. I'm fine.”

“Good!” Bobbie said. “Let me know if you want any of that stuff in your bag washed today. Jerry's here, he's in the living room on the phone with his mother. We were talking about going out to dinner, but we can stay in and I'll make you something nice for supper ...”

The leaden weight felt heavier in Lucas.

“Okay, Mom,” he said shortly. “I'm gonna go unpack and study.”

He fled into the house. Bobbie's gaze followed him, hurt and bewilderment in her eyes. What did I do wrong? she wondered.

Lucas gave a friendly wave to Jerry Jacks, who was chatting with “Mum.” Jerry grinned and waved back. Lucas headed upstairs. Maybe Jerry would distract his mom for a while. He dumped the contents of his duffel on the bed, sorted it into his laundry baskets, and put his travel insulin kit back in the bag. Then he got out his cell phone. “HUNY IM HOME,” he texted to Brandon.

Bobbie put away her gardening tools and walked into the house. Jerry had finished his conversation with Jane, and was reading the Sunday Port Charles Herald.

“Did you see Lucas?” Bobbie asked.

“Went upstairs,” Jerry said. “I guess our weekend debauchery is over,” he added, sidling up to Bobbie and putting his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. Bobbie giggled and playfully smacked his head.

“Yes, it is,” she said, slipping out of the embrace. “I think I should stay in tonight, with Lucas just home. He didn't look well.”

“He looked fine to me,” Jerry said, puzzled. “He smiled at me as he went upstairs. Mum was talking my ear off about Jax and Brenda's possible adoption, so I couldn't really say anything to him. But his color was good and he didn't look sick or anything.”

“Something's not right,” Bobbie insisted. “A mother knows these things.”

Jerry rolled his eyes and sighed. He knew he was on the losing end of any discussion where Bobbie invoked parental instinct.

“Look, how about we just order Chinese food and eat it in here?” Jerry suggested. “We can ask Lucas what he wants and he can join us if he's not busy. I'll go ask him.”

Bobbie kissed him. “Great idea,” she said. She watched him go upstairs, grateful for his understanding and how well he got along with her son.

* * *

“How much longer?” Serena Baldwin demanded.

“They won't let us in for another few minutes,” Dillon Quartermaine replied. “Relax, Serena. You'll be reunited with Cap'n Tightpants soon.”

Serena bounced excitedly, grabbing Georgie Jones' arm. “I can't wait!” she said. “I know Joss will make it awesome! Where the heck is Maxie?”

“Someone mention me?” Maxie called out as she strode towards them. Stan caught his breath.

Maxie was wearing a long, fitted leather coat she'd picked up in a thrift shop last year on one of her family's visits to her great-grandmother in Texas. Once deep brown, the leather had worn to a delicious deep amber. Maxie had it nipped in in the waist just a bit for a more feminine fit. She wore a pair of skinny jeans, brown kitten-heeled ankle boots and a fitted v-neck chocolate brown long-sleeved t-shirt under the jacket. Her hair was artfully messy, her eyes smoky and sexy.

“Leave it to you to come as a Browncoat!” Dillon said. Maxie laughed, noticing Stan's admiring glance. What she didn't notice was Diego Alcazar walking across campus, wanting to join them but afraid of rejection after his last conversation with Maxie. He also felt insecure seeing the looks passing between her and Stan Johnson.

“Beats dressing up for Rocky Horror,” Maxie was saying. “At least I didn't have to bring any toast.”

Just then, the doors to the theater at Port Charles University opened. “God, I hope Spinelli isn't here tonight, too,” Georgie whispered to Serena as everyone headed in.

“Me, too,” Serena whispered. “So far, so good.”

* * *

“Sam?” Jason called from the front door. It was open, and the new doorbell had yet to be connected.

Sam walked down the hall from the bedrooms. “Hi!” she said. “I'll be ready in a minute. I'm just checking Danny's room. The closet rods and shelves are going to be installed on Monday and I have to make sure the walls are painted. Be right back.”

Jason followed her down the hall.

“This is nice,” he said, noticing the finished paint job. “Danny pick the color?”

“He picked a general color,” Sam said. “He'd be too overwhelmed with all the color choices to make one. So I asked what color he wanted the walls and he said he wanted light blue. So when I found the bedding, I matched the light blue paint to the light blue in the bedding. Once the closets are done, the bedrooms are pretty well set until the furniture arrives. This is good. Ready to go?”

“Sure,” Jason said. “Lock up. I'll be by the car. Want to grab dinner somewhere on our way back? I'm a little hungry.”

“Sounds good,” Sam said. “You pick the place. I'm too beat to think.”

Jason thought about it as he walked out to the car. He remembered seeing a little Italian place in the Waterfront District. It looked fairly casual, so he and Sam would fit in. And it'd be a cozy place to talk.

He noticed the gentle sway of Sam's hips as she walked towards the car. Got one thing in my dream right, he thought, as he opened the passenger door for her.

* * *

Serena was morose as she left the theater.

“I can't believe they killed Wash!” she exclaimed for the fourth time.

“So we've heard,” Dillon said dryly.

“Makes a sequel hard,” Maxie said. “Who's up for a bite?”

“I have to get home,” Serena said. “School tomorrow.”

“Me, too,” Georgie said, with a kiss for Maxie. “See you sometime this week!”

“I have to drive everyone home,” Dillon said. “Ready, Stan?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Stan said, wishing he could come up with an excuse to stay and hang out with Maxie on the campus, but not having a car made it difficult. “See you soon?” he asked Maxie.

“That'd be great,” Maxie said warmly, deciding to plan later how to make that happen. “See you guys!”

She turned and walked back towards her dorm. Her roommate wouldn't be back until Monday morning. Her studying was done, so she had the rest of the night to kill.

“Now that's a kick-ass coat,” Maxie heard Jesse Beaudry say behind her. Just in time, she thought as she turned around.

“Like it?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “You know what it'd really look great with?”

“What?”

“Nothing at all,” he said with a wicked smile. Maxie laughed in appreciation.

“My roommate's gone until tomorrow,” she said. Jesse pulled her to him tightly and kissed her long and hard.

“Let's make the most of it,” he whispered urgently. Maxie ran her fingertips down his shirt, to his belt buckle and below.

“Excellent idea,” she purred.