Homecoming Day

Ned is sitting on the couch in the gatehouse. ‘Where is Chloe? ‘We have a meeting with important L&B clients. I'll call her cell phone.’ He listens impatiently as it rings several times. He finally gives up. ‘I hope its not another horse accident.’ He frowns and realizes, ‘Maybe Chloe is not okay...’

***

Emily is on an airplane. She is so happy to be going home to Port Charles. ‘I can't wait to see Juan. I hope he didn't go home yet.’ she thinks.

***

Carly had just returned from Hawaii with her new family from her honeymoon. She sat alone in the garden holding the rebel rose. ‘Hmmmm it smells so good.’ She thinks about how she and Jason had so much fun before she started this mess. ‘Why did I give him up? I must get over him. I really want this to work from me and Michael. It all I have now. Oh I just can’t think of him now. I think I'll go spend some money... maybe visit my mom. I have to get out of this house or I'll scream.’

***

Jason stood over the pool table at Jake's, aiming to take his shot. After he sunk the eight ball in the left corner pocket, he took a sip of his beer and sat at the bar. He looked over to where the pool table was. Every time he came here his thoughts drifted to Carly. He could still feel her soft hair against his cheek, when they danced so many times. Every dance had become more and more special to him, and now it was all over.

“Hey. You want another beer?" Jason heard Jake ask him in the back of his mind, but he was focusing on Carly. "Jason?"

He turned to her.

"Hey! Anybody home?" Jake asked jokingly. "You seem really lost."

"I am lost," he said solemnly. Jason sat down at the bar and placed his head in his hands, as he waited for another beer. ‘Why am I letting myself get like this? Over what? Carly. She's married! And to AJ of all people.’ He couldn't understand why, but it bothered him so much to think about her with anyone else. He felt like his heart had been ripped out when Sonny told him that Carly, Michael and AJ were going to Hawaii. ‘Why couldn't it be me?’

Jake placed a beer on the bar in front of Jason. She leaned over to him. “Thinking about your girlfriend?"

Jason looked at her, "She's not my girlfriend, just a friend."

"You missing her?"

Jason sighed, "Yea...yea I am." Jason got up, put a wad of cash onto the bar and walked out the back door to his motorcycle. He sat there for a few minutes before speeding off into the night.

***

Liz looks at a picture of Lucky, a tear falls from her eye. She quickly wipes it away. ‘Stop it Liz. You're being ridiculous. Any right person should be over him by now,’ she thinks to herself. She slams down the picture face down. Gets up and walks outside. ‘Maybe I need some fresh air.’

A strange man walks by, he looks at her, stops and asks her for the time.

She tells him.

He thanks her and walks slowly away.

‘What a strange man.’ Liz walked down the street her eyes toward the ground. She needed to talk to someone. Anyone really. Liz began to remember Lucky again, but tried to shove the memories from her mind. "This isn't going to help, Liz" she told herself. "You've got to think of other things.”

As she walked, she began to hear faint footsteps behind her.

Their pace quickening as though they were trying to catch up to her.

Suddenly she felt a hand grab her elbow. Liz whirled around and shouted, "Let go of me".

In the dark she couldn't see the face of the brooding figure that still held onto her. Her heart began to race. A million thoughts rushed through her head at once.

***

Emily sits in her room thinking about Juan as she unpacks from camp. ‘This is so dumb. The summer is almost over and I had to waste most of it at camp. What a mess! I hope Jason gave Juan my message that I said goodbye. I wonder why I didn’t get a letter from Juan. I wrote him one before I left. Maybe Jason forgot to give it to him.’

"EMILY" someone shouts from downstairs.

‘UGH!’ thinks Emily. ‘What does she want now?!?! Hasn’t Mom already ruined my life enough!’ Emily pulls another shirt out of the suitcase and runs downstairs to see what Monica wants.

***

Laura sits on the porch of her vacation house in North Carolina, gazing out at the beautiful sunset, with a cup of hot coffee in her hand. As the sun set deeper into the horizon, Laura’s thoughts turned inward. ‘I can believe that I am here alone. What happened to my life? Last year, I might have been here with Lucky and Luke might have come to visit us. How did I ever come to be alone? Stop it, Laura!’ she admonished herself. ‘I have been working on all of this with Gail. I have to be strong.’

The sun was almost below the horizon now.

‘I wonder if Luke is watching the sunrise? I wonder if in heaven you can see a sunrise? Can you Lucky? I miss you, Lulu misses you, too.’

A tear falls from her eye.

‘Will I ever feel complete again?’ Laura stands and walks back into the house slowly.

***

Walking through Port Charles, Carly sees a motorcycle speeding really fast past her. She looks down the street and realizes she is near Jake’s. ‘That must be Jas. I can’t believe how fast he was going. I hope everything is okay. Maybe I'll just stop by and see if things are okay...’

***

Brenda sat on a huge commercial jet and stared out the window.

The clouds shifted back and forth in front of the crescent moon.

She wondered how she was going to explain to everyone that she was alive. She would just tell them the truth that’s all. She couldn't wait to see Robin again, as well as Ned. Then her thoughts shifted to Jax. And then to Sonny.

‘What am I going to do?? Who am I supposed to go to?’ She loved them both just as much as the other, and wanted to be with them both. But she had to decide, and fast, because her plane was only 20 minutes away from Port Charles.

A man came over and sat down in the empty seat next to her. "Excuse me?" he asked.

"Yes?" Brenda said turning toward him.

"Aren't you that model Brenda Barrett??"

"Yes, I am."

"Woah, aren't you supposed to be dead?!" the man asked shocked.

"Yes. But not anymore." She said smiling, then turned back to the window. Brenda figured she would be getting a lot of that from now on.

***

As Liz struggled with her attacker, she managed to break free and she began to run. As she ran, she heard a motorcycle approaching. She stopped, then, began to wave and scream "STOP! Help me! Help me!" Suddenly a huge shove from behind sent her right into the path of the on-coming motorcycle.

Luke is enjoying a nice summer’s evening stroll on the dark streets of Port Charles. He is remembering good times with Laura, wondering just where it all went bad. He is thinking of his son, and missing him so very much.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he hears a woman’s scream. ‘That sounds like Liz!’ He races in the direction of the terrifying sound. As he closes in, his only hope is that he is able to get there on time. ‘Hang on Liz, my son isn't here to protect you, and I'll be damned if I will let anything EVER happen to you. I can be here for him! Oh, please, help me out son!.’

As he approaches, he sees the bright lights, and hears the roaring sound of a speeding motorcycle.

A figure in the dark is barely recognizable.

'What is that person doing?' "ELIZABETH!" Luke shouts, "NO!!!!!!!" He races toward the body on the street, and scoops Liz up into his arms, tears streaming down his face. She is alive, though badly bruised and scraped.

Out of the corner of her eye, Carly sees a couple fighting. ‘That girl is going to be hurt...’ Carly starts to run toward her to help, when the girl suddenly lands in the street.

***

Liz gasped and screamed. It seemed as though her feet were glued in place. Like a bad dream, a nightmare. She could see the lights heading towards her, but she was frozen in place. Immense pain suddenly overtook her body and she could feel herself being thrown through the air. Her body fell with a thump against the cement.

A voice in the distance screamed her name.

"Luke, is that you? Where are you? Can't you hear me?" she then realized that no sound was coming from her mouth. Strong arms lifted her up. "Lucky is that you? I knew you weren't dead." She leaned her head against her saviour's shoulder. Suddenly all went black.

Standing in the shadows, Hannah sees what has happened and recognizes the man on the motorcycle. ‘I don't know who's been hit by "HIM" and I don't even care. All I know is I have to get out of here before someone sees me...or before "HE" comes back and finds me here. Can I go to Sonny's? Will he be able to protect me? What if I put him in danger?’

Jason saw a motorcycle speed off after hitting someone. He stopped his bike and rushed over to see if he could help. He found Carly crouching next to Luke, who was holding Liz's unconscious form in his arms. Jason pulled out his phone and called 911, as his heart still pounded from fear.

***

Chloe knocks on Jax's door.

He opens it and sees she's been crying.

"Jax... I can't do this anymore. My company's winter line has failed miserably. I just...just can't do it. I can't handle the stress!" With that she bursts into tears.

Jax takes Chloe's hand and pulls her inside the suite. He closes the door and wraps his arms around her, cradling her head against his shoulder.

"Shhhh..." he says. "Everything will be alright. Everyone has setbacks now and then. When your spring line comes out and knocks everyone's socks off, it won't matter. My advice is to stop worrying about the winter...it's usually cold and dreary anyway...and plan ahead for spring...think light, warm, new..."

Jax looked down into Chloe's eyes to see if she had stopped crying. His eyes sparkled as he smiled infectiously.

***

Brenda was sitting in a cab. She had left the airport twenty minutes ago. She was deep in thought when the car stopped and she heard the driver's voice.

"This is it, Miss."

Brenda handed him a crumpled $20 bill, grabbed her bag and stepped out. She was standing in front of the Port Charles Hotel. She went inside and got onto the elevator, until it finally stopped on the top floor. Brenda got off and walked over to Jax's door.

Hesitantly she knocked, waiting for a response.

Just as Chloe was about to tell Jax the entire story someone knocked at the door. Chloe watched as Jax headed to the door and opened it. She gasped. Brenda heard Jax's voice yell, "Coming!" She thought about backing out but it was too late.

Finally Jax opened the door and stared at her in shock.

"Hi...I’m home," she said warily.

***

Luke looked down at Liz's limp body laying in his arms. "Jason, did the dispatcher give you any idea when the ambulance might arrive? Oh, hang on Liz, be tough, your gonna be alright. Dammit!!!! WHERE IS THAT AMBULANCE!!!!”

Luke’s mind raced almost faster than he could speak. “Carly, would you see if you can find a coat or a blanket to cover her. I am afraid she’s in shock...and she is unconscious.”

Carly stands over Luke and Liz wondering if Liz is going to be alright. “Yes, Luke I'll go look for an ambulance. Liz looks bad. I hope she’ll be okay.”

“Could you direct them to us when they get here? Did you guys get a look at the driver? And I saw the shadow of someone pushing her into the street!!! Did you guys see anything?? Oh, I can hear the sirens, good they are coming...hang on Liz, honey, your gonna be alright. Oh, God...please let her be alright.”

As she stands out near the corner, Carly looks down at her watch. "Shoot," Carly says “What am I going to tell AJ? I’ve been gone so long. Never mind I'll worry about that later.”

***

‘Could it be?’ Chloe thought to herself. ‘Is that Brenda Barrett?’ Jax's face turned ashen. He could not believe his eyes or ears. He bit his lower lip and fought back tears.

"You're alive?!?!?! How? Where have you been? We searched for your body, but it wasn't in the car. Did you wash up on shore?" Chloe couldn't believe her eyes. Could it be possible? Is this really the same Brenda Jax loved so long ago? Jealously began to creep up in Chloe and she softly whispered, "Jax".

Jax looked back at Chloe and saw the pain in her eyes. He couldn't bear to see her hurt so... He felt as though his heart was trying to burst through his chest. Here before him stood the two women who he had given his heart to. How was he supposed to deal with this situation. This was even worse than having his other supposedly dead wife show up on his wedding day.

'Nothing to do but introduce them,' Jax thought.

"Chloe...I want you to meet Brenda Barrett. Brenda...meet Chloe Morgan." Jax held his breath, anticipating the worst.

***

Jason watched as the paramedics put Liz on a stretcher and placed her into the ambulance.

Luke was holding her hand, and he looked over at Jason.

"Go!" Jason told him.

Luke nodded his head and got in the ambulance with Liz.

Jason stood back, as the ambulance sped away. He turned around and saw Carly standing there. "Let's go." He started back to Jake's, but saw the look on Carly's face. "I am gonna get my motorcycle, so we can get to the hospital. Come on Carly." He took her hand, waiting for her to follow him.

Carly looks at Jason, she is sad. "Jason I cant go with you, If the Q's are there they will want an explanation. I can't tell them what happened and why I was here, and AJ is going to have a fit. I have to get back to Michael anyway. It’s almost time for his bedtime story."

Carly takes out her cellphone and calls a cab.

"I just called for a cab. You go and see if Liz will be ok. Oh tell my Uncle not to say a word about me being here. Of course ignore his wisecracks, ok. He tends to ooze with contempt when it comes to me. But I think he'll cover for me. God, He'll probably bust my chops for weeks about this too. Uh, well you go. I'll see you later, right?"

***

Mac comes home from work exhausted. He puts his sport coat in the closet and lays down on the couch. His eyelids close heavily as he starts to say, "I'm hom..."

Felicia was in the kitchen when she heard Mac come home. She walked out to see him lying on the couch. Before he could finish his sentence she was kissing him. "Hi honey. I thought you'd never get home." She said. "What's wrong, you look upset."

Mac opened his eyes and sat up on the couch next to his wife. He let out a long sigh and put his head in his hands. "I don't know how I am going to do it, but I will put Faison behind bars. Having him walk the streets a free man is driving me nuts!"

Mac looked up at his wife and told her "...And, as if that weren't enough, we've got a man in the drunk-tank that swears he was on a plane next to Brenda Barrett."

Mac tried to make light of the situation. "If the dead keep popping up like this, Port Charles may literally become a ghost town."

***

Ned is at the gatehouse with his daughter, Brooke Lynn. As he helps her get ready for bed, he tries to explain his situation with Chloe and Alexis to her so she will understand.

"Brooke Lynn, Chloe is your step-mom. We got married last month. Do you like her? Ah, honey, I knew you would. Did you know that Jax and Alexis are my very best friends? I love Alexis... and Jax very much, I know you will like them too."

Brooke Lynn smiled.

"Do you want me to read to you? OK. Pick out a book and lets get started," Ned said lovingly.

As Ned is sitting with Brooke Lynn upstairs, Alexis walks into the Gate house she looks upset. She heads upstairs to talk with Ned. Alexis stood outside Brooke Lynn's door, watching and listening to Ned read a story to his daughter. In all of her life, nothing had affected her more profoundly.

She had no conscious memories of her own mother. She had not known who her father was when she was growing up. She didn't know if either of them had ever read her a story the way Ned was now.

Alexis smiled as Ned finished the story and put the book down on the night table. She could feel his love for Brooke Lynn as he kissed the sleeping child softly on the forehead and whispered softly in her ear. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as Ned turned and looked at her.

***

Liz couldn't open her eyes. She could hear the concerned voices calling her name. She couldn't even open her mouth. The shock of the near-accident seemed to have paralyzed her body. Soon after Liz could hear the ambulance sirens screaming and the voices of the EMTs as they scrambled to get her into the van.

Images of Lucky passed through her mind. She could see Valentine's Day...Lucky singing and holding her...comforting her. It seemed so real. Suddenly, with a gasp she woke from her dream.

"Lucky?" she whispered.

Glancing around the room, she realized she was in the hospital and doctors were working over and around her, taking her temperature and muttering medical terms.

"What? Where am I?"