May 15, 2004

Christmas came and went with little or no incident. Jason attended both brunches though it was somewhat uncomfortable with Courtney and Brian there as well. He watched Sonny say goodbye to his boys and keep his distance from Carly. He didn’t trust himself around her and Jason wasn’t sure he ever would again.

He’d given Carly her freedom though. The day after Sonny began his sentence at Ferncliffe, a set of papers was delivered to her door. Divorce papers giving Carly all of his proxy at the warehouse and splitting the profits of it between her and the boys. There would be no taint of his illegal business on his family. That money he’d given to Jason who had put into one of his accounts and forgotten about it.

Sonny had made provisions for Courtney but his sister did not need his help. She was the office manager at the insurance company she’d applied for in December and was running for the town council in Hayes Landing. In the small town, she’d found the niche that she’d been unable to in Port Charles.

Her friendship with Brian thrived and the two were inseparable. Karen’s family had accepted her with open arms, despite her past and her family. It was clear they thought of him as a son rather than their daughter’s widowed husband.

She still kept him at arm’s length. The divorce had been final in March and she had little contact with her ex-husband, only news of him from Carly. But she was still getting used to living her own life and supporting herself and wanted to be that way a little longer.

Courtney made the attempt to keep her friendship with Carly strong and made sure to call at least once a day. Lorenzo and Sage had moved in with Carly and both she and Michael were thrilled to have them there. Michael was wary of Lorenzo but was slowly warming up to him. And he figured it was only right that his older sister Sage now lived there.

Sage now wondered how she’d ever survived not living in Port Charles. She and Maxie were inseparable, Georgie had warmed up to her and Lucas–they’d just celebrated their six month anniversary and it amazed her since she hadn’t spent six months anywhere before much less with the same person.

Through Sage, Carly had developed a somewhat relationship with her half-brother and it wasn’t unusual for Bobbie and her son to join Carly and her family for dinner on the weekends or for Lucas and Sage to watch the boys while Lorenzo took Carly out for dinner. It was the closest Carly had ever come to a normal life and she relished every moment of it.

Even Jason and Elizabeth’s lives had started to follow the trend. Though it had been rocky from the moment they’d moved in together–with Jason trying so hard not to fail her that he ended up irritating her by always being around. Her hormones were all over the place and one day, she’d told him to get the hell out and stop hovering. He’d taken it literally and had retreated to his own penthouse for a week, making Elizabeth just as miserable. She hadn’t realized how much she’d come to count on having him around or finding excuses to touch him.

Even the sight of his clothes in the dresser depressed her.

She said nothing and neither did he so Emily took it upon herself to straighten them both out by locking them in a room together at the new apartment. A lot of yelling commenced. Jason finally lost it and was telling her how selfish and spoiled she was acting when her hormones got the better of her and she jumped him.

Which of course led to a rather embarrassing situation when Emily came into check on them and found them passionately kissing on their way to the bed.

Jason put the penthouses up for sale the next day and officially moved in with Elizabeth, making everyone sigh in relief.

The end of the school year was approaching and Maxie had talked Sage and Georgie into performing at the high school talent show which Sage wondered if she’d been drugged into agreeing. She was nervous enough with Lucas graduating from PC High and heading off to the college. She didn’t need to add the extra pressures of performing in front of the whole student body–most of whom didn’t like her.

But Maxie could talk a priest into breaking his vows and she’d talked her shy sister and reluctant best friend into doing some girl group song.

And now here she was in the bathroom, trying not to poke her eye out with her mascara wand, as Michael was perched on the toilet next to her. “Why do you wear that gunk anyway?” he asked distastefully.

“Because it makes my eyes darker.” Sage slid the wand back inside the tube. “Why do you play in the dirt?” she teased back.

He shrugged. “Do you think Mom and Lorenzo will have another kid?” he asked curiously.

Sage frowned. “Morgan’s not enough for you?” she asked. She fished through her makeup bag to find her charcoal eye shadow.

“Well, I want a little sister,” Michael replied. “I mean, you’re awesome and it’s cool having an older sister but all boys should have a sister to look out for you know? Morgan won’t need me forever.”

Sage quirked an eyebrow. “You are an odd duck, Michael, my boy.” She clucked her tongue. “I dunno if Carly and Uncle Zo will have a baby. They’ve barely been together.”

“But maybe that would break them up,” Michael said hesitantly. “Mom and Daddy were okay until Morgan was born and then Daddy went away.”

“A lot of marriages end in divorce.” Sage shrugged. “And some people don’t wait long enough for the divorce to be final.”

“Your mom didn’t?” Michael questioned.

“Nope. Took off when I was a kid. My father got a divorce a few years later when he met Brenda.” The love of her father’s life. Whom she had never met.

Carly stepped up to the doorway, a letter in her hand. “Sage, this was in the mail today.” Her forehead was creased in confusion as she handed it to her. “Post marked London.”

London. She’d written Brenda Barrett ages ago hoping the former model would tell her that Luis Alcazar had mentioned his teenaged daughter. She set her make up down and ripped it open.

Dear Sage,

I can’t tell you how surprising it was to hear from you. It’s been almost two years since Luis died and I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t think about you much. But to answer your question — Luis did talk about you. You were a painful subject because you look so much like your mother but he carried a picture of you with him.

It would be just like Luis to assume that you knew he loved you and never tell you. He kept you away for your safety. I know you must know your father led a dangerous and at times, reckless life and he never wanted that to touch you. He thought it safer if he kept his distance.

My memories of my time with Luis are not good ones, Sage, I can’t sugar coat it to make you feel better. But in his own way, Luis loved you. I can only hope that brings you some peace of mind.

Sincerely,
Brenda Barrett

“What is it?” Michael demanded, standing on the tips of his toes to see the letter.

“I wrote Brenda Barrett a few months ago, asking about my father,” Sage whispered. She raised her eyes to Carly. “He told her about me.”

Carly exhaled slowly. “He did.”

“Brenda says he kept me away to keep me safe but that he loved me in his own way.” Sage’s hands were trembling but she struggled to keep her tears in check.

As much as she loathed and despised the brunette, Carly sent her a silent thank you. Whether Brenda was lying or not, she’d given Sage something no one else could have.

Her father.

There was something else in the envelope. A photograph with a post-it note attached. In Brenda’s messy scrawl, she had written. Luis gave this to me once and I saved it because I wanted to remember something good.

The photo was of her father, holding a young Sage. She couldn’t have been more than five or six in it. He was wearing one of his trademark suits and sitting in a chair, his arms wrapped around his daughter’s waist. Her long dark hair was pulled into a set of pigtails and she wore a blue and red sailor dress.

Sage turned it over and a little sound left her throat as she read her father’s handwriting. Luis and Sage. 1993.

Her hands were shaking now and she shoved Michael aside to sit on the closed toilet. “He gave her a picture of us. I didn’t—I didn’t even know this existed.”

Carly took it from her and smiled. “It’s a beautiful picture. Maybe we should get it blown up and framed.” She handed it back.

Sage smiled hopefully. “Yeah?”

“Sure. Now–finish getting ready. Michael, go check on Morgan,” Carly ordered. “And stop bothering Sage.”

Michael pouted but raced out of the room to play with his little brother who was getting more and more interesting by the day. Carly smiled at Sage before leaving the bathroom.

Sage clutched the letter and picture in her hand and closed her eyes. Her father had loved her.

Jason and Elizabeth’s Apartment

“I’m fat,” Elizabeth pouted. “My fat coat doesn’t even fit me anymore.” She gave up trying to pull the lightwight material over her pregnant abdomen and glared at Jason. “This is all your fault, you know that?”

“I seem to remember you being present for it,” Jason replied. He peered inside the closet. “Did you pack that bag like I told you too?”

She scowled and yanked her coat off. “I’m not a child,” she began but broke off in the middle of it and winced. “Ow.”

“Are you okay?” Jason asked immediately. He settled his hands over her belly and peered at her anxiously. “Are you having contractions?”

“No—” Elizabeth winced again. “But this kid has one mean right hook.”

“You’re only a week away from your due date. I’m not sure if we should be going out tonight,” Jason fretted.

“Once we have the baby, I’ll be lucky to see daylight. Besides, I promised Carly and I promised Bobbie to go see Maxie and Georgie since she’s stuck at the hospital.” She kissed his chin since she couldn’t quite get on the tips of her toes to reach his lips. “And you promised her you were accepting Lorenzo and Sage.”

“I am. Sage is a very nice kid and Michael likes her.” Jason frowned. “I tolerate Alcazar.”

“And all Michael has done for the past few weeks is chatter on and on about Sage being in this. It’s important to him, too.” She gripped his forearms and smiled up at her. “So we’re going.”

“I have a bad feeling about this.”

“You have a bad feeling about opening the refrigerator door,” Elizabeth grumbled as she hung up her coat. She was hit with another little pain but kept it out of her eyes.

Port Charles High: Backstage

Maxie hummed as she fluffed out her freshly curled hair. She adjusted the strap of her tank top and examined her panty hose for runs.

Next to her, Georgie was trying to remember how to breathe. She must have lost her mind, letting her sister talk her into this. Just wait until this was all over–she’d make her pay.

The door to the stage area opened and Sage entered, Lucas behind her. He kissed her a few times and seemed reluctant to leave but he finally did and Sage was still a little dazed when she joined them.

“I can’t believe it’s finally here,” Maxie said excitedly. “Kyle drove all the way from Yale to see us.”

“To see you,” Georgie said moodily. She shot her sister a dark look. “If we make asses of ourselves, I’m coming for you.”

“We’re not going to. We’ve practiced until our brains and our feet hurt,” Maxie said reasonably. “We’re going to win.”

Sage snorted. “As long as we don’t come in last place, I’m not sure I really care.”

“We come in last place and I’ll cut your hair off while you sleep and dye the rest of it green,” Georgie threatened.

Port Charles High: Audience

“So I’ve never heard Georgie sing,” Dillon began. “What if she’s bad? How do I tell her she rocked without getting nabbed for lying?”

He asked Kyle because he figured Kyle had more experience about lying to girls than he did. Plus–Lucas was so far gone over Sage he’d probably think her burping was melodic.

“Tell her you’ve never heard anything like it,” Kyle suggested helpfully. “She’ll take it as a compliment and you’ll know the truth.” He shifted in the uncomfortable wooden chairs. “I hope they’re on first.”

“I hope they don’t suck,” Dillon muttered.

“You think Sage would marry me?” Lucas asked.

Kyle blinked and Dillon gaped. “She’s seventeen,” the former sputtered while the latter continued to gape.

“So?” Lucas asked defensively. “Haven’t you ever looked at Maxie and just known?”

“Sure. I know I’ve got something special with Maxie but…I’m nineteen years old. She’s seventeen.” Kyle’s face paled. “Do you know what her dad could do to me?”

Dillon’s face was drained of color. “Do you know what Sage’s uncle could do to you?” he asked Lucas.

“He likes me. He thinks I’m good for her.” Lucas shrugged. “I’m not saying we’d elope tomorrow or even before we’re done college. I’d just like to know she wants the same things.”

“I’ve heard about this,” Dillon nodded. “Temporary insanity. I’ve had it myself. Don’t worry, buddy, this will pass.”

Lucas glared at him.

Across The Room

To her credit, Courtney barely blinked as she sat in the empty seat next to Elizabeth. Brian took a seat next to her and Courtney was pleased that she felt nothing but disinterest in the pregnancy of the woman next to her.

For a while, the thought of it had stung but she thought she was finally reaching a better phase in her life.

“Hey,” Elizabeth greeted, trying to pretend there was no reason to be awkward.

“Hey. How are you feeling?” Courtney asked warmly.

“Fat,” the other woman grumbled sending a nasty look to what she called the cause of the problem.

Courtney laughed. “You’re due any day aren’t you?”

“May 21,” Elizabeth said.

“Should you be out?” Courtney replied, a little concerned.

“That’s what I told her,” Jason muttered. Elizabeth shot him a look that told him what he could do with his opinion.

“I’ll go into labor whether I’m locked in my room or sitting at Kelly’s.” She winced. “This kid is going to learn that kicking his mother is not nice.” She cleared her throat. “It was nice of you to drive all the way here for Sage.”

“She means a lot to Carly,” Courtney told her. “And Carly’s my sister.” She grimaced. “Though I hope at least some of these kids aren’t tone deaf.”

“Ssh,” Carly hissed. “It’s starting.” She looked to Lorenzo. “I’ve got the digital camera. You got the video?”

Lorenzo held up the camcorder. “Ready to go.”

 Port Charles High: Stage

The girls were on fourth from the last, making their friends and family sit through almost an hour of kids who ranged from talented the downright scary.

The lights dimmed and as they began rise, the music for That Don’t Impress Me Much by Shania Twain began to filter through the speakers. Carly grinned. “Nice choice.”

Their performance consisted of nothing more than some decent dance moves and each girl taking a turn strutting across the stage as they belted out the lyrics of each verse. What Maxie lacked in talent, she made up for in enthusiasm and surprisingly, Georgie could carry a decent tune. But it was Sage that swept the audience off its feet as her clear soprano echoed in the cavernous room.

When it was over, everyone was on their feet, clapping and hollering. Georgie was glad she didn’t have to follow through on her threat to her sister or that Dillon wouldn’t have to fumble for a lie. Poor boy.

Four groups later, they announced the winners and it came as no surprise that their girls had captured first place.

Maxie let out a loud whoop as Georgie threw her arms around Sage in her excitement.

Sage hugged Georgie tightly and somewhere in the back of her mind, she saw the picture of herself and her father.

The Cellar

“A toast,” Carly said, raising her glass of champagne. The others in the room held up their own glasses, the kids and Elizabeth dutifully drinking juice. “To the three most talented kids in Port Charles.”

“I object!” Kyle called from the back. “I have talents.”

“Yeah, too bad none of them can be shown in public,” Dillon cracked.

“Most talented girls,” Carly qualified.

Kyle snorted. “Well that clears me and Lucas.”

Carly rolled her eyes and motioned for Sage to come towards her. “We have an announcement to make. I got a call just before we left for the school and I was hoping to celebrate it tonight.” She smiled at Lorenzo. “The adoption’s final, Sage.”

Sage’s brown eyes lit up and she looked from her uncle back to Carly. “Yeah?”

“Carly has adopted Sage,” Lorenzo qualified to the rest of the surprised crowd. Sage threw her arms around Carly before going to her uncle and hugging him too.

After that, Carly turned on the music and let the party loose. Elizabeth escaped to the bathroom after a little while.

Courtney was in there and for a moment the two women just looked at each other hesitantly. “Some announcement huh?”

“Yeah.” Elizabeth rested her palms against the marble sink counter and closed her eyes. “He sure is active tonight,” she murmured, rubbing her belly.

“So it’s a boy?” Courtney asked.

“We wanted to be surprised–” Elizabeth gasped and clutched the counter. “Okay–that hurt a little more than a kick to the ribs.”

Alarmed, Courtney approached her. “How long have you been having these pains?” she asked intently.

“He’s just kicking–but on and off for a couple of hours I guess,” Elizabeth shrugged.

Courtney bit her lip. “Could you be in labor?”

As if on cue, a rushing sound broke the silence and Elizabeth looked down with some dread. “Since my water just broke, I think it’s a pretty safe bet.”

May 15, 2004

The Cellar: Bathroom

Elizabeth bit her lip. “Okay, I think I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to have a baby.”

Courtney laughed nervously. “A little late for that. Listen–I’ll just go get Jason–”

Elizabeth’s wrist shot out to catch her before she could leave. “No, no, don’t leave.” She closed her eyes. “Oh, God, this hurts.”

“Okay, let’s sit down.” Courtney held out her arms. “Grip me, and I’ll help you sit. Just until I get back with Jason.”

Elizabeth grabbed her and Courtney gently lowered her to sit on the floor. “Just—breathe, okay?”

Elizabeth nodded and Courtney rushed back into the main room. She grabbed Brian’s arm as she went past him, dragging him to Jason.

“Elizabeth’s water just broke,” she said in a rush of breath. “In the bathroom.”

Jason took off without another word and Courtney looked to Brian. “Find Carly–she’ll know who to call.”

“Okay,” Brian agreed but he was talking to her back as she was rushing in the other direction.

Elizabeth’s face was dripping in sweat by the time Jason reached her. Her breathing was labored and silent tears were streaking down her cheeks. “It hurts so much,” she choked.

Jason swung her arm around his shoulder and lifted her into his arms, bracing her extra weight quite easily. “It’s okay, we’re going to the hospital.” He nodded to Courtney who was holding the door open for them.

“I think I’ve been in labor all day.” She admitted as he moved quickly down the hallway and back into the main club.

“Carly pulled the car around already,” Lorenzo said rapidly as they used the second entrance. “She called Elizabeth’s grandmother and Sage has the rest of the list going now, okay?”

“Thanks,” Jason remarked moving towards the car. He helped Elizabeth into the back before climbing in after her. Carly took off, the brakes of the car squealing.

Inside the club, Sage was handing out numbers for the teens to call. “I’ll call Emily,” she said, “Georgie, call Lucky Spencer. Maxie, you call Nikolas Cassadine and Lucas, call your mom.”

“What about us?” Kyle asked, almost pouting.

“You and Dillon go get your cars. We’ve got some people who need to get to the hospital and it’d be easier if the cars were right outside when we were ready to go.”

“Right.” Kyle left the club, Dillon in tow while Sage and the teens called Elizabeth’s friends and family. Courtney and Brian hurried to close down the club before the entire entourage adjourned to the hospital.

General Hospital

Audrey was already on shift at the hospital and was waiting for them at the emergency room doors. “How far apart?” she asked Jason quickly.

“About five minutes,” Jason answered. He helped Elizabeth into a wheelchair. “Her bag’s at the apartment,” he told her.

“She won’t need it right now anyway.” Audrey kissed Elizabeth’s forehead. “How are you feeling darling?”

Elizabeth clutched at the front of her grandmother’s sweater. “Drugs,” she panted as another contraction hit. “Now.”

“Well, that answers my question. Jason, let’s get you scrubbed up and ready for the delivery room,” Audrey took his arm but he was reluctant to leave Elizabeth. He kissed her forehead before following her grandmother.

Three hours later, the entire group had assembled in the waiting room. Carly was pacing like a nervous mother, muttering something about muffins and babies that Lorenzo couldn’t quite catch.

Lucky and Nikolas were arguing over godfather rights while Emily was smugly gloating at already having been picked godmother. Bobbie and Audrey were sharing pictures of their children–Bobbie had Lucas, BJ and Carly while Audrey showed off Tommy, Sarah and Elizabeth. Monica had arrived not long ago and was showing off her own three children’s pictures.

The teens were standing by the vending machine placing bets on which bag of potato chips had been in there longer. “This is a trick game,” Kyle decided after choosing the bag of Fritos.

“It is not. You can tell the Doritos have been in there longer from the dust,” Georgie defended.

“Yeah, but how you gonna tell who’s right?” Kyle pointed out. “Any bag can be dusty. Someone’s going to have to try it.”

“That’s right,” Sage nodded. “And the only fair way is to choose one person to eat one chip from each bag.”

“That’s disgusting,” Lucas remarked. “Who would do that?”

All eyes turned to Dillon who scowled. “You eat one chip off the floor and suddenly you turn into Mikey.”

“Mikey?” Sage echoed.

“Yeah, the Life cereal commercial,” Maxie said. “‘Give it to Mikey, he likes everything.'”

“I wonder whatever happened to Mikey,” Georgie pondered.

“He got sick because the people he trusted kept giving him bad food to be funny,” Dillon pouted.

Jason entered the waiting room and seemed surprised by the crowd that had gathered. “Carly–can I see you for a minute?” he asked, raising his voice over the many shouting inquiries about Elizabeth and the baby.

Carly followed him back into the maternity ward and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“The baby–” Jason hesitated and looked away, swallowing hard. “The baby’s in the wrong position. They’re trying to turn her but Elizabeth may have to have caesarean.” His worried blue eyes met hers. “I don’t know anything about those. I read about everything else but–”

“They’re common and they’re safe,” Carly immediately. “A lot of women have them and go on to have more children.” She touched his arm. “Elizabeth is stubborn and she wants this baby. She’s going to be fine.”

“D-Don’t tell anyone. I don’t want them to worry until we know for sure she has to have one.” He took a deep breath. “I should get back in there.”

She kissed his cheek. “Tell her we’re out here and that we love her.”

“You do?” Jason asked with a hint of humor in his eyes.

“On certain Sundays, sure.” Carly grinned. “Get back in there and get your kid out here.”

When Jason got back into the delivery room, Dr. Meadows informed him that they’d been successful in turning the baby. He hurried to Elizabeth’s side and brushed her sweaty hair off her forehead. “Carly says you’re going to be fine.”

Elizabeth gritted her teeth, “Oh well if Carly says it,” she panted.

“Okay, Elizabeth, you’re dilated to ten,” Dr. Meadows told her. “When the next contraction hits, you can start pushing.”

Elizabeth’s held fell back and she closed her eyes. “I think the epidural is wearing off.” The monitor next to her started to beep, signaling an oncoming contraction. Elizabeth clenched Jason’s hand more tightly.

“Okay, push!” Dr. Meadows called. Elizabeth bit down hard and did as she was told.

“Never again,” she choked out. “You. Are. Never. Touching. Me. Again.”

“They all say that,” a nurse told Jason with a comforting smile. “They never mean it.”

“The hell I don’t!”

Waiting Room

Dillon stared at the Doritos. “No.”

“Dillon,” Georgie began cajolingly.

“No,” he repeated.

“But how am I supposed to win?”

“I am not a Mikey.”

Lucas rolled his eyes at their bantering and grabbed Sage’s hand, pulling her down the hallway. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She tensed. “Yeah?”

“Relax.” His thumbs moved across the back of her hands in small circles. “I just wanted to talk about graduation.”

“Okay.” Sage nodded. “Graduation is next month.”

“And I’m going to Yale in the fall,” Lucas continued. “Kyle and I are getting an apartment together.”

Sage raised an eyebrow, her amusement clear. “You and Kyle.”

Lucas grinned and looked away. “He’s not a total loser.” He cleared his throat. “So, I’ll just come down the same weekends he does. It’s worked for him and Maxie.”

Some of the tension left her shoulders and she brightened. “You mean a long distance relationship?”

He nodded apprehensively. “I know how difficult they can be and I understand if–”

“Lucas,” Sage interrupted with exasperation. “I love you. Don’t be so stupid.”

He exhaled slowly. “Good. That makes this next part easier.”

“Next part?” Sage repeated mystified. “Lucas, are you feeling all right?”

“I love you, Sage,” Lucas began, “And I know you’re only seventeen and that I’m only eighteen and that your uncle can have me working some freighter in Antarctica with a snap of his fingers–”

Sage rolled her eyes. “Honestly.”

“–but,” Lucas continued, “I know how I feel about you and I think I just want to make it clear that I want to marry you someday.”

Sage blinked and went very still. “Marry me,” she repeated softly. “You want to marry me.”

“After college and everything,” Lucas hurried to explain. “There’s no hurry.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “You really love me.”

“Well–yeah–didn’t I just say that?”

“And you want to marry me.”

“Are you okay, Sage?” Lucas asked with some concern.

“I just–” she took a deep breath. “I’m fine. This–this is just so out of blue, Lucas. We’ve never talked about this.”

Lucas swallowed hard. “We’re talking about it now.”

“Right.” Sage tugged her hands from his grasp and clasped them behind her back. “Lucas–”

“If this isn’t what you want, then you just have to say so,” he said sharply.

“Lucas, come on–I’m seventeen years old. I love you but we have years before we have to think about something like marriage,” Sage protested. “I’m not ready to make that kind of promise–”

“I thought we were on the same page,” Lucas remarked. “That we felt the same. Obviously, this was just a way to pass the time for you.”

“Don’t be like this, Lucas,” Sage said quietly. “Don’t be someone I have to pretend with. We’ve been together for six months. I’ve never lived anywhere for six months much less dated the same guy for that long. You were the first person here that I trusted and I love you. But that does not mean I have to sign my life over to you because you say so. Because you’re ready to do that.”

“If you think I’m asking you to do that, then you don’t know me at all,” Lucas stated coldly. “Plenty of people get engaged in high school.”

“And plenty of people decide that it’s not what they want,” Sage said, her voice just as frostbitten. “People leave. People change their minds. And I don’t see marriage as just the next logical step. My parents did that. My father decided he wanted a family. He picked my mother and marriage was just a logical step for him. Having a child was a logical step. That is not the way I’m going to live my life.”

“It’s pretty clear that we’re not on the same wavelength here. I’m not asking you yet. I love you, Sage. I know you had a rotten childhood. I know–”

“And I’m supposed to jump into your arms because you tell me that?” Sage asked. “Especially when you sound so patronizing like I’m a child that needs to be soothed?”

“Stop being so defensive. I wasn’t planning on actually asking for a while. I just wanted you to know how I felt.” Lucas grimaced. “Though I’m beginning to have second thoughts.”

Sage kept her face blank, her eyes clear. He wasn’t going to see how much that hurt her. He just wasn’t getting it. “Fine. You stay here and have your second thoughts.”

Waiting Room

When Sage re-entered the waiting room, Audrey and Emily were gone. “Did she have the baby?”

Maxie nodded, excitedly. “A little girl. Just a few—” the smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Sage said quickly. “So she’s healthy and Elizabeth is okay?”

“Yeah.” Maxie shook her head. “No something’s wrong, What did my cousin say?”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Sage promised.

“Sage–”

“Later,” she hissed.

Delivery Room

Elizabeth’s eyes were drooping but she forced them to stay open. “She’s the most beautiful baby in the world, isn’t she?” she glanced up at Jason who was looking at his daughter almost in awe.

“Her fingers are so small,” Emily marveled. She leaned her head against her brother’s shoulder. “What are you going to name her?”

“Lila Emily Morgan,” Elizabeth said. She looked to her grandmother. “And our next daughter is going to be Audrey, I promise Gram.”

“What happened to your husband not touching you anymore?” the attending nurse joked as she gently lifted Lila from Elizabeth’s reluctant embrace. “I’m bringing her right back, Mom, just got to take some vitals and write some things down. Besides, you’re moving to your own room and you can take her in there with you.”

“Just as long as you’re both healthy, I don’t care if her name is Gertrude,” Audrey said with a warm smile. She kissed Elizabeth’s forehead. “Emily, let’s go back into the waiting room and give them a few moments alone before the herd comes in.”

When they were gone, Elizabeth closed her eyes and leaned back, a tired smile on her face. “I can’t believe she’s finally here,” she murmured.

“She doesn’t seem real,” Jason replied. He brushed his lips across her forehead. “You’re incredible, Elizabeth.”

“I love you so much,” she murmured. “For giving me the life I didn’t think I’d ever get.”

He took her hand in his and kissed her palm, watching as she slid into a painless sleep brought on by the drugs. “I love you, too,” he said. “For giving me the life I didn’t think I deserved.” 

June 15, 2004

Carly and Lorenzo’s House: Sage’s Bedroom

Men–quite simply–were pigs.

All of them. Young and old. Short and tall. Thin and fat. Ugly and handsome.

Pigs.

It had been a full month since that night at the hospital and Lucas was avoiding her. He was eating lunch in the library, didn’t hang around her locker before or after school. He didn’t pick her up, take her home.

She wasn’t sure why it hurt so much to realize how easily he could dispose of her. People had treated her that way all her life – why should some guy be different?

She sighed and stretched out on her bed. She’d decorated this room when they’d moved in two months ago and it looked like any normal teenager’s rooms.

And normal teenagers got to sulk when their boyfriends dropped them without a word after proposing marriage.

Marriage. It still rocked her world knowing he’d brought that up–though it was obvious they never would have made it. Not if Lucas was going to solve all their problems by ignoring her.

Maxie had suggested that she make Kyle beat him up but Sage had shot the idea down. Doing that would let Lucas know he’d hurt her and she wasn’t about to give him that satisfaction.

No, revenge was better served iced cold. Sage’s lips curved into a humorless smile.

And Sage could handle ice.

Elizabeth and Jason’s Apartment: Living Room

“Mom dropped me off,” Michael said solemnly. “I needed to talk to you and she said Sage needs girl time.”

“Okay.” Jason stepped aside and let the redhead enter. Elizabeth was in the nursery with Lila and he knew she’d been trying to get their daughter to sleep all afternoon.

Michael sat down on the couch. “Uncle Jason, I’ve been doing some really serious thinking.”

Jason perched on the coffee table in front of him. “Really.”

Michael nodded. “Mom and Lorenzo are pretty happy together and that’s cool because Sage is my older sister now and it’s neat having a sister.”

Jason nodded. “I like my sister, too.”

“And I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not fair Lila’s an only child.”

Jason sat back and swallowed hard. “Michael–”

“Since she and Morgan are kind of the same age, I thought maybe I could be Lila’s brother,” Michael continued hesitantly. “Just until you and Aunt Liz give her one.”

His throat was tight. “Michael…”

“Sage is really awesome and she looks after me and Morgan. I try to look after her too only it’s harder because she’s older and her problems are a lot worse. Like her boyfriend hasn’t called in a month and I feel bad because she cried a lot at first.”

“It’s natural to protect the people you love,” Jason murmured.

“Exactly. I can’t beat up Lucas because he’s older than me and would probably hurt me but Lila needs an older brother, Uncle Jason. She’s too little to take care of herself.”

“And you think you’re the man for the job.”

Michael nodded. “Clearly since I’m the only candidate. So, can I?”

“Well…” Jason sighed. “You know me and Elizabeth, we’re partners. She’s gonna have to have a say, too.” He was teasing Michael now but the boy nodded as though he were serious.

“Definitely, Uncle Jason. I think that’s where my daddy went wrong. He never ever asked my mother what she wanted and Zo always asks so I think if you want to keep Aunt Liz loving you, you always gotta ask.”

Jason nodded and patted Michael’s knee. “Let me go see if she’s put Lila down for her nap and we’ll talk about it.” He stood and went to the nursery.

Elizabeth was sitting by the window, cradling a still very much alert Lila in her arms. She was rocking back and forth, slowly and speaking in low whispers to their daughter.

He’d come across this sight a dozen times at least since they’d brought her home from the hospital and it still amazed him. “Hey.”

She looked up and smiled. “Hey. I don’t think Lila’s up for a nap right now.”

“Well, that’s good then since Michael’s here and he wants to talk to us both. I’m sure he’d like to see Lila.”

Elizabeth frowned. “Is he all right?”

“He’s fine. He just wants to talk to us about something.” He watched as she stood and then readjusted the baby in her arms. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as she drew closer to him.

“That’s the third time you’ve said that to me today,” Elizabeth remarked. “I used to have pry stuff like that out of you with a crow bar.”

“Well, you are beautiful,” Jason said simply. “When I see you holding Lila, I’m just amazed that this is my life now.”

Touched, Elizabeth reached up and kissed him softly. “When I hold Lila, I’m amazed that this is my life, too,” she told him.

“Are you guys kissing in there?” Michael called. “Because that’s icky.”

Elizabeth smirked and handed Lila to her father. “Oh, he’s Carly’s all right.”

Jason followed her into the living room and he set Lila in Michael’s arms. “Careful,” he cautioned. “Watch her head.”

“Hi, Lila,” Michael greeted. “You might not remember me from the hospital but I’m Michael.” He looked to Jason. “Did you tell her?”

“I thought you might like to.” Jason sat in the armchair and pulled Elizabeth into his lap.

Michael grimaced–girls were still icky in his point of view. “Lila’s really little and she doesn’t have any brothers of her own to take care of her so I thought maybe I could be her brother,” he blurted out.

Elizabeth blinked. “Oh, Michael.”

“I already talked to Mom and Zo and they said it would be okay,” Michael hurried to explain.

Elizabeth stood up and kneeled in front of him. “I’ve known you most of your life,” she began with a smile. “Jason always had you at the garage when you were a baby. Did you know that?”

“Jason took care of me for a whole year,” Michael said with a look towards his uncle that was so full of love and respect, Elizabeth could feel a lump begin to form in her throat.

“He loves you so much, Michael, that it spills over sometimes and I know that I love you just as much but I want you to know that you never had to ask,” she told him. “Lila would be so lucky to call you her brother.”

“Really?” Michael’s eyes lit up. “Even though I’m not blood?”

“Blood doesn’t make a family. Love does. It makes Jason Carly’s family. It makes Emily my sister. It makes Sage your sister and Morgan her brother. Of course you can be Lila’s brother and you can count on that even if we have a boy of our own. You can be his brother too.” She kissed his forehead. “My family is your family, Michael.”

Jason knew she’d find a way to put it better than he could but she’d blown even his expectations out of the water. That she welcomed Michael as part of her family, letting him play brother to their daughter–he wasn’t sure if he could ever love her more than he did right now.

And then she proved him wrong.

“Are you going to have more kids?” Michael asked curiously.

“As many as possible.” She squeezed his hands. “Especially now that I’ve got Jason to share my life with. He’s the best isn’t he?”

“Definitely,” Michael agreed, grinning widely–showing off his missing front tooth. “He’s better than ice cream.”

Elizabeth laughed and leaned in as if sharing a secret though her hushed voice was still clearly heard to him. “He’s better than painting and ice cream rolled into one.”

Club 101

Lucas sipped his soda and scowled as Dillon danced with a girl they knew from school. “He has no business dancing with that girl.”

“Oh, be quiet. They’re friends.” Kyle leaned forward. “Look, I got a confession to make.”

Lucas looked at him warily. “What?”

“I said Sage wouldn’t be here tonight but there’s a possibility that she might.”

Lucas scowled. “What the hell?”

Kyle dragged a hand through his hair and made an attempt to look apologetic. He wasn’t fond of sandbagging one of his friends like this–even if that friend was Lucas. But he loved his girlfriend and he agreed with the general plan. Make Lucas realize that Sage was not going to come crawling back.

And she shouldn’t have to. Lucas had sprung marriage on her too quick–he should have given her time to adjust. Marriage at seventeen wasn’t common anymore and Lucas needed to emerge from the dark ages. The man was miserable without Sage and if tonight helped him to see what he was missing, Kyle could deal with that.

Maxie had made him promise not to breathe a word of any of this to anyone else but he knew that Sage had spent the first two weeks of Lucas’s absence crying herself to sleep and the second two weeks, she’d been stonily silent. He liked Sage–thought she was funny and had a lot of backbone. She’d been good to Maxie and Maxie wanted to help her.

Which meant Kyle wanted to help her.

“I know you’re still a little sore after the break-up,” Kyle began, choosing his words carefully. He knew Lucas liked to think that they had just out of touch for a while and the thinking of it as a break up was sure to put him in a foul mood.

“We didn’t break up,” Lucas muttered.

“But Sage is a very pretty girl and she’s ready to move on–”

“The hell she is,” Lucas declared.

“Maxie wanted me to set her up with a friend,” Kyle continued. “So I did.” At Lucas’s glare, he held up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, when the girlfriend makes a command, the boyfriend listens.”

“You set my girlfriend up on a date with a college guy?” Lucas demanded, rising to his feet. Seeing that plan had been set in motion, Dillon abandoned Holly Jackson and joined them.

“What’s wrong?”

“I knew you were a jackass,” Lucas remarked angrily. “But–”

“But what?” Kyle tossed back. “You had a great girlfriend but you tossed her aside because she wasn’t ready to do things your way. You’ve ignored her for the past month. Did you think she was going to sit around and wait while you realized what a idiot you were?”

“I didn’t think my own best friend was going to sell me up the river,” Lucas retorted.

Dillon frowned. “Well, you were pretty hard on her,” he began to recite the speech Georgie had written for him.

“Stay out of this, Dillon,” Kyle said surprisingly. Dillon frowned. This wasn’t in the plan.

“Listen, Radcliffe–”

“No, you listen,” Kyle interrupted “I’ve watched Maxie tear herself in two because she loves you both and I’ve had to watch Sage be so miserable she barely leaves the house. She’s seventeen years old, she’s had a crappy life and one of the few people she counted on not to abandon her did exactly what everyone else in her life has done. You stopped calling, Lucas. You stopped going to her locker, eating with them at lunch, picking her up. You dropped her cold, you son of a bitch, and I can’t think of anyone who deserved it less than Sage.”

Lucas glared at him. “You think I haven’t been miserable? She hasn’t exactly called me either–”

He stopped abruptly at the sight of Sage being lead into the club by someone he’d never seen before. He was taller than Lucas with skin the color of rich dark chocolate and eyes to match. He was laughing at something Sage had said and her own expression was amused.

She was wearing a white tank top with lace straps and a black miniskirt. Her heels were the spiked kind that she loved because they put her at an even height with him.

She was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen. He narrowed his eyes and started across the room.

When Lucas was out of earshot, Dillon looked at Kyle oddly. “That wasn’t the script.”

“No, that was one friend giving another a firm kick in the ass.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lucas demanded when he’d reached the other couple.

Sage froze for a second before finding her voice. She smiled warmly and kissed him on the cheek. “Lucas, I feel like it’s been forever. This is Jamie, one of Kyle’s friends from Yale.” Sage looked up at Jamie. “Jamie, this is a friend of mine–Lucas Jones.”

“Nice to meet you,” Jamie said, extending a hand. He was not surprised when Lucas gave him a scathing glare before turning his full attention on Sage.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lucas repeated.

Sage blinked innocently. “Lucas, you’re acting awfully strange. We broke up.” She sighed heavily. “I was hoping we could still be friends.”

“Friends?” Lucas repeated incensed. “And we did not break up!”

She bit her lip and struggled to keep it together. “Lucas,” she said softly. “Don’t make a scene.”

His face was beat red and he was sure his heart was going to explode at any minute. A scene? The love of his life had waltzed into the club with another man and she didn’t want him to cause a scene? The hell with that.

He grabbed her arm and started to pull her towards the entrance. Somewhat concerned, Jamie followed but stopped when Kyle shook his head. This was supposed to happen.

He had her on the steps before she managed to claw her way out of his iron grip. “Get your damn hands off me,” she hissed, smacking him hard across the face.

Her ring cut into his cheek and opened a small river of blood. “Watch it!”

“I don’t want you to touch me!” Sage cried.

“Sage, damn it, you proved your point.” He gripped her shoulders and shook her a little. “I’m sorry, okay? I know I’ve been ass–”

“You think that makes it okay?” Sage nearly popped a blood vessel. Whenever her temper really let go, she’d start swearing in a few different languages, most notably Spanish and French. She let out a long string of many colorful words and he was sure she’d cursed every part of his anatomy. “You break my heart, you throw me away and you think an apology makes it better?”

“I did not throw you away,” Lucas retorted. “We had a fight.”

“I lived my whole life hoping to win my father’s love,” Sage said testily. “I will not live the rest of it doing what you say when you say. I marry when I am ready. And I get engaged when I damn well feel like it. And I will never marry someone who throws away six months when I don’t do what they want.”

“Sage–”

“We are over, Lucas. Over,” Sage slashed her arms in the air to emphasize her point. “I came here tonight thinking that I would make you jealous–so you would see what you’ve been throwing away but now I realize I don’t want you back at all.”

Lucas paled. “You don’t mean that.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I do mean that. I hope you choke on your own pride, you son of a bitch. I have a date to get back to.”

Before she could get two steps away, Lucas grabbed her arm to pull her back. She whirled around and slugged him in the nose. “Son of–” Lucas yelped.

“Keep your hands off me,” Sage warned.

Inside

Maxie and Georgie had joined Kyle, Jamie and Dillon when Sage stormed back in. She sat next to Jamie and glared at the three men at the table. “Men are pigs.”

“Where’s Lucas?” Georgie asked, her face falling. “Didn’t it work?”

“It worked.” Sage cursed again in Spanish, leading Dillon–who spoke the language–to cross his legs protectively.

“Um…” Maxie traded looks with her sister. “I’m confused. Then where is he?”

“Outside bleeding to death I hope.”

Jamie shifted in his seat. “You’ve got some temper on you, huh?”

Sage smiled at him, the murderous look in her eyes contrasting with the expression. “Just a little. Glad you have a girlfriend?”

“Immensely,” Jamie nodded. “Kara’s never gonna believe all the new Spanish I’ve learned.”

Dillon coughed. “We’re off target here. I thought this was supposed to get them back together,” he told Georgie.

“It was,” she murmured. “Sage, what’s wrong?”

“I got what I wanted and realized I didn’t want it anymore.” Sage took Kyle’s soda and sipped it. “If he can ignore me for a month and treat me like I’m the one who was wrong, then maybe I never knew him at all.”