Emily Quartermaine groaned as the familiar buzz of the alarm clock by her bed penetrated her sleep. Pulling the blankets closer around her, she tried to ignore the annoying pull of reality in favor of slipping back into dreamland.

Only to find that the alarm clock wasn’t as easy to ignore as her grandfather’s ranting and raving.

She grinned. Either of her grandfather’s.

A thought that reminded her of something and she closed her eyes thinking one single thought.

And the alarm stopped.

One eye opened as she realized that that had been much too easy. And closed again in dismay as she realized that not only was the alarm silent, but the entire clock itself was dark. Groaning, she moved over to try to turn the clock back on to no avail. It wasn’t working anymore at all.

She held up the recently deceased clock with a sigh. “Why don’t supernatural powers come with directions?”

“They do.” Cupid zapped in behind her nibbling on a pop tart with reckless abandon. “I can yell for dad and have him zap you down a set of directions.”

“Great.” Emily grinned at her brother, so delighted by his offer that she forget to yell at him for just popping himself into her room uninvited.

“The only problem is that they are written in Greek.” Cupid paused for effect. “Ancient Greek for that matter.” He nibbled some more of the pop tart uncaring that Emily was about to throw a pillow at him. With a casual wave of his hand, the pillow disappeared. “These are pretty good. You don’t suppose Reginald could give Hera the recipe.” He finished the first pop tart and started a second.

“What?” Emily stopped and stared at the God of Love. “Actually there isn’t really a recipe. You just buy them at the store and pop them in a toaster...” She gave up with a sigh as the winged god continued to stare at her blankly. “Yeah. No problem. I’ll have Reginald write it down for her.” She looked at her now empty hand. “Can I get my pillow back?”

“Promise not to throw it at me?”

Emily thought about it for a moment. “Nope.”

“Then I won’t bring it back. Besides,” Cupid shuddered with a teasing grin. “There’s something almost cannibalistic about sleeping on feathers.”

“Oh please...” Emily frowned. “You were in the breakfast room? With my grandfather? With my parents? With AJ?”

“Of course I was. Where else would I be? After all the Quartermaines are my family.”

“Uhmm. Cupid? Reality check? You are only pretending to be a distant relative.” Emily sat down on the bed next to the winged God who was currently wingless. “I still don’t understand how you managed to get them to believe that you and Strife were both cousins.”

“It wasn’t that hard. After all they accepted Chloe as your relative, didn’t they?”

“But Chloe is my relative.....wait. Don’t tell me. I really don’t want to know.”

“All right. I won’t.” Cupid grinned as he finished the second pop tart and began a third. “I like your family but then I’ve always had a soft spot for your grandmother.”

“You know my grandmother?”

“Ever since she met your grandfather. I’ve never felt a more true connection between two people as the one between them. As rotten and arrogant and everything else he is, one look from her levels him. She makes him try to be a better person. Not because she expects it or wants him to change, but because he can’t bear to hurt her or disappoint her. That kind of love has always been rare but these days.....it’s rarer still. Too many people today think of love as a kind of convenience. When it works they embrace it but when it becomes a struggle, they throw it away.” Cupid sighed softly. “Real love takes work and most people have this foolish idea that if it doesn’t come easy it isn’t love. So they give up and move on, never really understanding what they’ve lost.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

“The god of love in love?” Cupid teased softly before replying. “Once. I thought I was anyway. But it wasn’t real. I needed to be loved so I made myself believe that I was in love. We do it all the time. Sometimes we don’t even know we are doing it.”

“Is that what I did with Juan?”

Cupid was silent and Emily sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Juan and I are over and if I didn’t know it before last night, I know it now. I can’t believe how rude he was. He made me want to ......”

“Strangle him?”

Emily nodded as Cupid laughed softly. “It’s okay you know. You’re bound to have some of Dad’s temper in you.” He paused for a second. “Just watch yourself, okay? You have a pretty powerful talent for a demigod. One wrong thought....”

“Something worse than a dead alarm clock?”

“Something worse than a dead alarm clock.” Cupid agreed. “Which by the way, isn’t dead. You can’t stop something from working forever, it will come back on sooner or later.”

Emily smiled in relief. “Good, I wasn’t looking forward to spending my allowance on a new alarm clock. I was kind of hoping to pick up the new In-Sync album.”

Cupid shook his head. “Someday I’ll make Strife pay for unleashing boy bands onto the unsuspecting world. However today is not that day. What are your plans for today?”

“I don’t know. I was planning .... to do nothing I guess.” Emily finished softly as she sat down. “I guess I don’t have any plans.”

Cupid took a long look at the teen. “What about your friends?”

Emily laughed, a sad little laugh. “Lucky probably has plans to spend the day with Elizabeth. Nikolas is probably out with Gia doing something or another....” She closed her eyes briefly. “Everyone has somebody to spend the day with.”

“Self-pity to the extreme here.” Cupid shook his head. “Are you sure that you’re Ares’ daughter?”

“Look, maybe you don’t understand how these things work but I’ve had one hell of a summer and I’m entitled to a little self-pity now and then.”

“A little maybe. You however are swimming in it.”

Emily started to glare at him and then ended by sighing. “I just want someone to love me you know.”

A wicked smile crossed Cupid’s face as a bow and arrow appeared at his hand. “You name him and you’ve got him. Let’s see Brad Pitt....a little too old for you....Johnny Depp...a little too strange.....Leonard DeCaprio...we won’t even go there.....oh wait a minute you like InSync don’t you? a little arrow aimed right at Justin Timberlake....”

Emily’s jaw dropped. “You could do that.....” She shook her head. “Wait a minute. What am I thinking? Justin isn’t even my favorite member....”

“Lance Bass? I agree that he has better hair than Justin so if you...”

“No not Lance.” Emily resisted the temptation. “I want a guy to fall for me because of me, not because you shot him in the rear with some arrow.”

“Fine.” Abruptly the arrows were gone. “Do it the hard way if you insist.”

“I insist.” Emily stopped. “But thank you for the offer.”

“What are big brothers for?”

Emily stared at him for a moment. “You are aren’t you? You’re my big brother.”

“You just now figure that out.” Cupid shook his head slowly as his tone turned mocking. “And here we all thought you had inherited the family brains. I’ll have to tell dear old dad to stop planning on Harvard and start thinking McDonalds...”

This time he didn’t have time to wave the pillow away as it him straight in the chest. He was still staring at the pillow at his feet when Emily spoke up.

“I can’t believe I did that.” She started to back up.

“Oh I can....” Cupid grinned slyly. “And turnabout is definitely fair play...”

“What are you going to do....” Emily began when she glanced up. “Oh no.”

Cupid smiled as he looked at the twenty or so pillows suspended in the air above her. “You don’t want to get in a fight with a god. Especially a pillow fight.”

“Wait a minute. This isn’t fair. I can do the zapping thing you do....”

“Oh but Emily you know what they say.” Cupid released the pillows. “All’s fair in love and war.”

Whatever reply Emily was going to make, was muffled by the pillows she was now buried under.

Ten minutes later:

“You know, I think you destroyed what would have been a good hair day.” Emily complained as she brushed stray feathers and bits of down off her.

“So..”

“I thought you didn’t like feather pillows anyway.”

“I lied.”

Emily sighed. “Was there something you wanted or is making my life miserable sufficient?”

Cupid grinned. “Under normal circumstances I’d say making your life miserable was sufficient, but it seems that you are wanted by your mortal grandfather. Something about a speeding ticket...”

“Great.” Emily headed for the closet and stared at her clothes. “I don’t suppose you know what one should wear to one’s own beheading do you?”

“No, but I’m sure Strife does if you want me to ask him...”

“No thank you.” Emily frowned as she grabbed a skirt and a shirt and headed into her private bathroom. “Where is he anyway?”

“Jogging I believe.”

Emily stopped and poked her head out the window. “Jogging?”

Cupid nodded. “He says it clears his head.”

Emily shuddered as she emerged from her bathroom. “I don’t think I want a clear headed Strife hanging around.”

“He’s not that bad once you get to know him. He just likes....to make things happen.”

“Things happen enough on their own in Port Charles.” Emily took a look in the mirror. “I like the outfit but the color is terrible. This shade of blue does nothing for me.”

Cupid grinned, waved his hand, and in a moment the blue was replaced with a deep gold that brought out the flecks of gold in Emily’s eyes. He’d also changed the style slightly, giving her a look that was a tad bit more mature and elegant, but he wasn’t about to bring that to her attention. He grinned at her look of stupefaction. “You can’t be the God of Love for as long as I have and not learn something about woman’s fashions.”

Emily stared at him for a long second before a brilliant grin lit her features. “I don’t suppose you do shoes too?”

Cupid laughed. “No but I do credit cards.” He handed her the plastic card that materialized in his hand. “I’ve got dad’s plastic. What’s say we spend the day shopping?”

“Is this real?” Emily looked at him with a huge smile as he nodded. “And what’s his credit limit?”

“High enough that I don’t think you’ll get close to hitting it.” Cupid put an arm around his little sister. He liked to see her smile and if shopping for new stuff at the mall made her happy... he supposed he could endure. “But we can have a lot of fun trying.”

As Emily skipped ahead to ask the Q’s permission to spend the day with her “cousin”, Cupid was busy making plans of his own. If the god of love couldn’t help his own sister find love..... A little matchmaking never hurt anyone.

Or at least it never hurt anyone permanently.

And from his viewing point on Olympus, Ares saw that look on his son’s face and silently groaned.

The docks

Strife turned the corner and in a flash the jogging suit he had put on earlier disappeared, to be replaced with something close to his normal black leather and studs but not too close. He grinned to himself. Yeah that plan had worked perfectly. He had been dying to explore this town on his own ever since they had zapped in the night before. The whole place seemed to buzz with mischief, more mischief, and the potential for mischief. It was his kind of town and he looked forward to exploring it.

Which had meant losing Cupid, who for a guy who had feathers and carried a bow and arrow was still sometimes okay most of the time a drag. And just as he had hoped the mere mention of physical exercise... a sincere “I’m going jogging Cupid would you like to come?” had earned him a rapid refusal and the excuse that he was needed to keep an eye on Emily.

Strife grinned. Predictability made his job so much easier and so much more fun.

Of course the fact that he was also scoping out the town to see if any wannabe time traveling wizards intent on destroying the gods of Olympus were hanging around meant that he was earning brownie points with his Uncle. something that would come in handy the next time he got in a jam that he needed his uncle to help him out of.

And there would be a next time....after all he was a very hands on god of Mischief.

Very hands on.

Strife grinned as he entered Luke’s.

And grinned even wider as he saw the blond sitting at the bar.

It was her. He resisted the urge to snatch her away and take her to Mt. Olympus where he could worship her as she deserved to be worshipped. Instead he allowed himself to feast his eyes on her beauty even as he felt the waves of trouble that emanated from her in every direction.

Oh yeah. Carly Roberts or Carly Corinthos or Caroline Benson or Caroline Spencer or whatever she wanted to call herself was mischief personified. He’d been her watching her off and on since she was a teen- shoplifting at the local mall, missing curfew, cutting class, playing pranks on her classmates... He’d reveled in every single act. Hell, he’d even inspired some although he found that what she came up with on her own was more impressive than any he could inspire her to. He’d been in awe when she had come to Port Charles with her delicious plan to sleep with her stepfather and steal her mother’s family. He’d worried a little bit when the whole fiasco with Baby M had happened but he should have known that his girl would come out on top by latching on the to the nearest brain damaged mobster. The fact that had she routed the Scorpio chit, a huge favorite of his Aphrodite’s, at the same time had made it even more fun to watch. Mischief beating love. He’d filled pages and pages of his diary with the details of Dite’s temper tantrums over the next few days.

And now here he was. In her presence. And he knew, he knew, that she was planning something. He grinned. Her current relationship with Corinthos was fine and dandy, but it wouldn’t last. Sooner or later his Carly would become bored with Corinthos’s angst and melancholy and look for a new challenge.

No, there was only one true match for a goddess of mischief such as Carly.

And that was him. The god of mischief.

He approached her slowly, his dark eyes glinting.

“Excuse me?”

Strife frowned when he heard the words sure that he was capable of thinking of a better pick up line than that when he realized that he hadn’t spoken the words, he’d heard them. Sigh. Speaking. Hearing. Telepathy was so much simpler.

Either way he watched with dismay as his golden temptress slid from the bar and headed towards the exit.

He turned, about to give who ever had stopped him from fulfilling his destiny a bad case of poison ivy in places that would raise the eyebrow of even the most liberal of doctors when he found himself staring into a pair of familiar blue eyes.

The kid from last night. Emily’s friend. What was his name? Let’s see...Chance..no..Bingo no...oh yeah..

“Lucky isn’t it?”

The youth nodded and Strife took the time to really look at the kid. Not bad looking, hair needs cutting, but otherwise.... He could feel the potential for trouble in the kid’s genetic make up and just the sense of it made him smile. He remembered how he had stood up for Emily last night. Loyal. Street smart. His kind of kid. And perfect for the daughter of the god of war....

“I was just wondering if you knew if Emily had any plans for today?”

And obviously interested in my cuz even if he doesn’t know it yet. Even as he answered the boy, his eyes went beyond the youth to the young girl standing, almost lurking, in the doorway. She obviously viewed the youth as her property and he could almost see the “No Trespassing” sign she had hung.

But that was the good thing about being a god. You didn’t have to play by the rules. Emily and this Lucky were destined to be together. They just needed a little help.

Wyndhams That afternoon

Emily held the edges of the golden dress as she whirled in front of the mirror, admiring her reflection. The dress was gorgeous, with timeless lines and a silken fabric that made her feel incredibly beautiful. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a loose knot that drew attention to the long and slender neck and the huge eyes. She stared at her reflection in disbelief. This wasn’t her. This couldn’t be her. She felt like a princess about to go to a ball.

“All you need is a prince...” Cupid whispered from where he stood admiring her.

Emily shook her head and was about to tell him that there was no such thing as Prince Charming when she heard a voice and felt her heart race.

“Emily?”

Emily turned, blushing furiously.

“Nikolas.” She looked up to find him staring at her intently, almost as if he had never seen her before.

And Cupid, who had watched all of this silently, began to smile.

From his viewing mirror in his temple at Olympus, Ares shook his head in dismay. Great. They’re suppose to be protecting her and now they’ve decided to play matchmaker. He moaned and reached for a couple of aspirin. He stared at the two aspirin in his right hand and after a moment shook out a couple of dozen more and swallowed them.