CHAPTER TWO: LUKE'S WINTER GAMES WITH THE ICE PRINCESS


Luke was destroyed by Laura's betrayal. Taken into jail on protective custody, he squatted in his cell, abandoned and forlorn, sighing in anguish, "Why, Baby. . . ?" He was suicidal, demanding to be released, though he knew the mob waited to get him. When he heard Scott had left town and Laura wanted to see him, he assumed the worst. "So—the prince left her and now the princess is ready to swim the damned moat to get back to the toad!" he yelled, refusing to see her. Convinced Laura was ashamed of him for his background, he went "Elm Street" with a vengence as soon as he was released, sitting around Ruby's place unshaven and drinking. The notion of reward, of job offers, proved to be a big joke. The only person who would hire him was Rose Kelly who ran a waterfront diner. He was a cook again, humbled, and embarrassed to have been betrayed by his own emotions and determined to once more pursue his dream of power and money. Laura, meanwhile, realized minutes after her betrayal just what she had done and was cured forever of living her life by other's opinions. However, when she set out to apologize to Luke and make things right, he rebuffed her, and left her as devastated as he had been. But Laura had matured and instead of caving in, she set out to establish herself as an independent woman. She got a job, found a cheap apartment and refused all help. Surely Luke would recognize her as the resourceful, grown-up woman he needed! Luke had met a fascinating, glamorous woman, a niece of the wealthy Quartermaines, and she hired him to do some investigative work for her and her uncle Edward. The assignment: find some business competitors named Cassadine who may or may not be in town under assumed names. Luke was skeptical, certain he had been hired because of his shady reputation, but Edward assured him the job was legitimate and the pay excellent. It was obvious Alexandria Quartermaine had more on her mind than business, but Luke was not sufficiently recovered and could not work up much interest in her blatant overtures. When she followed him home one night, he stopped her cold with "I know what you want Alex, and you ain't gonna get it tonight." That was crude enough to put off most women, but Alex was not deflected. The more he learned of her, the less Luke liked her. Each chance encounter with Laura aroused his old feelings, but he was hurt and stubborn and determined never to be hurt again. Both of them in fact, were determined to show they could get along fine without the other—attitudes that made it difficult to patch things up. Luke threw himself into his job with the Quartermaines although he was sure Alex was Iying to him about the job being safe and legal. His suspicions were confirmed when he came home one night to find a man with a gun waiting for him in his apartment. The man was suave, quietly menacing, spoke with an Australian accent, and asked an number of puzling questions about an Ice Princess. Luke was left unconcious with a lump on his head. Later, he stormed into the Quartermaine offices at ELQ International, ready to quit, only to discover Laura sitting behind the receptionist's desk. That nearly caused him to forget what he was there for. Fully enraged, he told off Edward and Alex in royal style. Edward knew how to counter, however. He had appraised Luke correctly as a young man eager for position and prestige, and he presented his hot-headed employee with a lavishly furnished office, complete with brass name plate on the door. Luke tried to appear blase, but a couple of tongue-in-cheek remarks from Laura caused him to sink into the plush desk chair and announce he would be staying—for awhile. Compulsive as ever, Luke lost himself in a flurry of activity, running down leads, staying too busy to think of Laura. But fate wouldn't let it alone. On the night of the Quartermaine Christmas party. Luke discovered he and Laura were living one floor apart in the same waterfront tentement. Both were outraged when the landlady suggested they had "arranged" this proximity, but by the time they had fought it out, Luke was driving Laura to the party and and uneasy truce had been formed—to the secret delight of both. Knowing where Laura was night and day eased the pressure on Luke and he could concentrate on the job. Laura had not missed a flutter of Alex's eyelashes in Luke's direction and was feeling jealous and hurt that Luke had excluded her from his work. Luke, meanwhile, had been receiving some chilly looks from her father, Dr. Rick Webber, and had resolved to keep her out of danger—and out of his life. His digging uncovered the identity of the Australian who knocked him out, one Robert Scorpio, an international financier and wheeler-dealer, and Luke never liked to let a slight go by. He set out to get even for that rap on the head by waiting with a gun in Scorpio's place, just as Scorpio had waited for him—and he learned enough to know the Quartermaines had been Iying and were underpaying him as well! Though he was not ready to take her back, Luke was ever aware of Laura (as she was of him), and when he saw her doctor father leaving her apartment that night with his medical bag, Luke wondered if she might be pregnant. But he learned Rick was there to treat a friend of Laura's, a male friend, he had a new worry. Laura, impatient with Luke's aloofness, decided to pursue the jealousy tactic. She had met an attractive Australian (helped him, in fact, the night Luke had returned the knock on the head), and she arranged to dine with him where she knew Luke was meeting Alex for dinner. Luke was dumbfounded to see his Laura seated beside the handsome, continental Scorpio in the elegant Versaille Room. She was radiant, glowing under the attentions of Scorpio and it was more than Luke could bear. He managed to make a shambles of the evening and a petty ass of himself. His reaction was just what Laura was hoping for. She continued to date Robert Scorpio. Then Scorpio made Luke an offer bring him the Ice Princess statue and Scorpio would pay him $50,000! Luke was finally able to force the Quartermaines to admit their lies and confess that the Ice Princess was actually the largest diamond in the world, a diamond Alex had painted black and shipped from Rio to Pt. Charles where it had been stolen off the docks. Scorpio and the Cassadine brothers were after it, and somehow Luke had to recover it before the others found it —for a huge fee, of course. The Quartermaine's constant Iying made him dubious, but Luke couldn't change camps and leave Laura behind. He decided to take her out and persuade her to quit ELQ. Laura flatly refused to quit, but she startled Luke by admitting she realized the rape had not been rape, and it was that fact she had not been able to face that day in the police station in front of everyone. Further, she had tried to serve Scott divorce papers, but he had completely dropped out of sight. Luke was a bit overwhelmed by all this straight talk, but he was not ready to start the romance again. He had loved her too much, had lost a part of himself in his obsession with her and he felt he had to gain more control if they were ever to be together. Let down, Laura told him she would wait. Alex used Laura to find and rent a secluded apartment for a visiting scientist, Kurt Wheeler, (who was actually named James Duvall) who had created the formula which made diamonds— and the Ice Princess. Together Alex and Duvall had stolen the stone from the Cassadines and there was good reason for Duvall to fear for his life. Robert infered to Luke that Alex was a thief, and while Luke didn't know if he could trust Robert, he had formed a grudging sort of admiration for the man. Lead after lead turned dead end, and Luke found himself sharing some unexpected adventures with Scorpio. When Laura spoke to a handsome stranger at the Pt. Charles Day parade, Luke was livid. Obviously she was flirting to get to him. He slammed into her apartment to call her on it, and found himself hauling her into his arms and kissing her passionately. Nothing had been lost; they were as warm as ever. Still, Luke was holding back from a total reunion with her. He was willing to have breakfasts with her, drive her places, spend time with her, but he knew what the Webbers and the Baldwins and her other friends thought of him. Still, he had the notion money would make him respectable enough, money would make him accepted. He had to get the big bonus from the Quartermaines before he could have Laura and a decent future. Laura was bewildered, but patient. Her patience was sorely tried when Luke took up with a shapely blonde flooze named Emma Lutz. Emma was the wife of a cabbie who moonlighted by heisting shipments off the docks. Sure that Emma had the Ice Princess, Luke charmed his way into her apartment only to come up empty-handed again. He turned up at Laura's door so discouraged her heart went out to him and she attempted to cheer him and restore his confidence. "Oh, you're better than dial-a prayer" he accused, seeing through her brave pep talk. Still, he had to admit this new strong, independent Laura was a wonder; she had adapted to life in the slums, to hard-work and self sufficiency, in a way he wouldn't have believed a year before. She dazzled him, tantalized him. He had to have that bonus—soon! Emma did have the Ice Princess all along and when Lila Quartermaine sponsored an art auction to benefit General Hospital, social climbing Emma donated the ugly, modern, black sculpture. It turned up in a picture on the front page of the newspaper and sent several people into a panic: Alex, Edward, Luke, Robert, and Robert's new "partner," Anthony Cassadine, who had been living on his yacht and calling himself Tony Castle. All made plans to snatch the Ice Princess at the auction. His own plan seemed a cinch and Luke couldn't wait—he went ahead with taking Laura out for a big evening. While violins played, her eyes sparkled at him over the champagne and he knew at last their love was equal. Never comfortable for long in surroundings like the Versaille Room, Luke moved their celebration to the docks where he set up candles and glasses on a crate. They danced and he finally declared his love for her. Laura was estatic. When they reached her apartment, she made no attempt to hide her desire for him and invited him to stay with her. Luke was still determined to keep in control, feeling that the night they spent together before was what had made her turn from him in shame all those months ago. After some hours of very warm kissing, he amazed himself by saying goodnight—but not before he had asked her to marry him. Her answer was a delirious "yes."

CHAPTER THREE
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