Chapter 38

Nik and Erin sat off by themselves in the back of the plain.  “About you moving in…” Erin started once she was sure most everyone was either asleep or out of hearing rang.

“It’s okay, I understand.”  Nikolas cut in softly.

“You do?”  Erin asked hopefully.

“Yah, things have been really hard for you.  I understand if you want some space.  I’ll get my things packed and be out once we get back.”

“If that’s what you want…” Erin said sadly.  Before Nikolas could respond Erin rolled over and closed her eyes so that she had her back to him.

Liz stirred and turned her head to look at Lucky, he was awake.  “How long have you been watching me sleep?”

“Ever sense you fell asleep.”  Lucky said with an innocent smile.  “You’re awful cute when you sleep, you know that?”

Liz smiled up at him, “Thank you, but I think you’re cuter when you are awake.”  She teased.

“You think I’m cute?”  Lucky joked poking her in the side.

“You bet, not to mention, sweet, loving, caring, a wonderful boyfriend…”

“Don’t you go telling anyone that, you might ruin my reputation.”  Lucky said cutting her off playfully.

“Fine, if you don’t want me to tell you your best quality then I won’t.”  Liz crossed her arms in moc-offendedness.

Lucky put a hand on her face and turned her so that she was facing him.  “As long as it’s only one more.”

“No, now I’m not going to tell you.”  Liz teased.

“Please?”  Lucky pouted.

“No fair, you know I can’t resist when you give me those sad puppy eyes.  Come closer,”  Liz beckoned.  Lucky leaned over into her chair and Liz whispered into his ear.  “I was going to say sexy.”  Liz said the word so softly that Lucky could barely hear her, but what she said was unmistakable.

Lucky pulled away just slightly and leaned his forehead against hers.  “You know what?  I think you’re pretty darn sexy too.”  He pulled back and gave her a cocky half-smile.

The plain landed in Port Charles the next afternoon.  Everyone agreed that it would be best for them all to just go home and get some rest none of them had slept very well.

Erin looked up at Nikolas, “Are you going to pack right away?”  Her voice carried the slightest bit of hope.  She hoped that Nikolas would say that he would do that tomorrow, that would mean that she would get one more night of him just sleeping down the hall from her.

Nikolas misinterpreted the hope he saw in her eyes and heard in her voice.  “Um no, I think I can do that tomorrow.  Is it alright if I just stop by in the morning and get started?”  It killed Nikolas to think that she no longer wanted to live with him.

“Stop by in the morning?”  Erin repeated questioningly.

“If that’s alright with you.  I’m to tired to pack and deal with it today so I’ll just go back to Windimeare tonight.”  Nikolas wasn’t looking forward to moving back into there, but he figured now that Katherin was living in the main house he could move into the guesthouse.

“Sure, just give me a call and I’ll make sure that I’m out of your way.”  Erin turned around quickly and walked away.  She kept walking and didn’t look back.  If she had, she would have seen Nikolas look after her shocked and once she had turned the first coner he hung his head and walked lonely back to his Jag.
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She had walked all the way to the docks before she realized where she was.  The docks were deserted so Erin sank thankfully onto one of the benches and let out the tears that she had been fighting to hold back.  She had left quickly because she didn’t think she could hold back her tears any longer, and she didn’t want Nikolas to know just how much it killed her to let him leave. 

“It’s over.”  She thought to herself.  “It really is over, he’s leaving me.”  She hung her head and cried even more bitterly into her hands.
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Lucky and Liz had watched Nik and Erin part and go off in different directions.  “I wonder what that’s all about?”  Liz asked looking up at Lucky.

“I don’t know.”  Lucky followed Nik with his eyes until he had driven off.  “How about we say I take you home?”

“I would say I’d love you to.”  Lucky slipped his arm around her waist and they walked off.
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Nikolas drove around; he could bring himself to go to the launch.  All he could think about was how Erin wanted him to move out of the cottage.  He ended up parking his car near the launch and getting out.  He looked out at the island and walked in the opposite direction, towards the park, he needed some time alone to think.
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Lucky dropped Liz off at Ruby’s.  She told him that she was just planning on going up and taking a nap, and told him to go home and do the same.

Liz went in and told Ruby that she was back and then headed up to her apartment, she still had to call her Gram.  When Liz called Audry wasn’t home so she just left a message for her.  She sat down on her bed and looked at her bag, all of a sudden she was to awake to take a nap.  Her mind went back to what she had seen between Nikolas and Erin, she knew something was wrong but she hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to either of them.  First she tried to call Erin at the cottage, but there was no answer, “They must not be there yet.”  She mused aloud.

Still not feeling like sleeping she decided to take a walk along the docks.  She scribbled a note for Lucky incase he dropped by again wile she was gone and headed out the door.

She traced the walk that she and Lucky had taken so often from Ruby’s down to the docks.  She could feel a spring storm coming in and a fog was closing in giving the docks an eerie feeling.  Liz pulled her coat closer to her body trying to drive out the chill that was settling in.  She hear a sound from one of the far benches, she turned and saw someone curled up crying.  Concerned Liz walked over to see if she could help.  She got there and touched the girl’s shoulder.  Her eyes were red and puffy, mascara running, tear streaked cheeks and her hair was disheveled, she was a mess.  “Erin?  Erin what the wrong?”

Erin looked up at her lost.  “What isn’t wrong?  My whole life is falling apart.”  New tears streamed down her face.

“But what’s the matter?  I thought you would be happy, your father’s back.”  Liz brushed some hair out of Erin’s face.

“Oh, that,” Erin scoffed.  “I was, until I found out he isn’t my father.”  Erin bit out.

Liz’s jaw fell open and she just looked at Erin in shock.  She paused a moment and quickly sat down next to Erin and prompted her to continue.  Erin related everything that had happened up to finding out that Sonny was her real father.  Erin paused before finishing.  “And on top of all that Nikolas is leaving me.”  There she had said it.  Erin stood up and walked over to the edge of the dock and looked down at the black angry water.  Just then the storm let loose the icy rain pelted down.  “Nikolas told be he was going to move out tomorrow.  He wouldn’t even stay at the cottage with me tonight.  He said he was to tired to deal with it.  I’ve lost him Liz, I’ve lost him for good.”

  Liz walked over to Erin, they were both soaked all the way to the bone.  “What happened?  Did you two have a fight?”  Liz asked tentatively.

“No, I don’t know what happened.  O was just about to ask him if he would consider moving in permently but he stopped me before I could finish and he said he was going to move out.  I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Liz reached out and Erin fell into her comforting hug and cried all over again.  The wind wiped around them as Liz tried to sooth Erin.
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Nikolas ran down the dock to try to make it to the launch.  The wind had picked up and he had a bad feeling that the launch wouldn’t be there.  When the weather go like this it was to rough to safely navigate the small boat, but he just wanted to check and see, he wasn’t too prone to the idea of going to the Port Charles Hotel that night.  Nikolas made it to the launch’s dock and found that his guess had been correct it wasn’t there, which meant it had been taken in until the storm was over.  He looked down the dock and saw two people, one of them was talking, he could tell she was upset but he couldn’t hear her over the wind.  Then all at once the other one pulled her into a hug and they just stood there letting the wind and rain pelt them mercilessly.  He was about to go over and ask if they needed any help, but then he thought better of it they obviously were dealing with something important and the last thing they needed was a stranger interrupting them.

Nikolas headed between two buildings to get protection from the wind and rain.  He pulled out his cell phone.  “Hey Lucky, you doing anything tonight?…No?  Good, do you mind if I come over for a wile, I kind of need to talk to you…Thanks, I’ll be over in a few minutes.”