Love Will Find A Way...Chapter 1
LOVE WILL FIND A WAY.... a General Hospital/Glee fic (slight crossover with One Life to Live in earlier chapters
Follow Up to Find Yourself
“W-we need to talk,” Artie’s voice rang out as Kristina Davis’s thoughts flashed back to the night slightly less then a year ago underneath the Gazebo outside of her mother’s wedding reception.
“I love you Kristina, you know I do.”
"But…right…but your breaking up with me…at my mother's wedding! Classy."
A tear ran down her cheek and he reached over to wipe it away however she swatted it back.
"No, Artie don't."
"I'm not breaking up with you…. theoretically."
"Well then what are you doing."
"I'm just saying that you'll be in New Haven, I'll be in Boston and while those two places are just a stone throw away from one another….well I don't want to hold you back."
"You don't want to hold me back?"
Artie nodded.
"I don't want you to have to worry about your boyfriend when you should be living your life."
Kristina took what he said and let it sink in.
"So your saying you want to take a step back…just be friends."
Artie nodded.
"At least until we graduate…..”
Kristina let out a sigh as she snapped back to the present.
It was true; she and Artie Abrams did remain friends, at least for a while.
The first semester of Freshman Year was good and although they never once visited one another on a face-to-face basis, they called, e-mailed, and texted one another at least twice a week, sometimes even more.
Then, Thanksgiving Break happened and little did they know it was the beginning of the end as Artie was spending the holiday with his grandparents in Florida while she was heading back to Lima for her first ‘real’ thanksgiving with Burt Hummel as her father (the two Thanksgivings where the mechanic was living in sin with her mother so didn’t count).
They continued to talk, however the calls became less frequent…more like once a week instead of twice and after coming home from a Christmas break where he’d once again stayed behind (this time in Boston) while she went home she knew something was up.
And then the letter came when she arrived back on campus in January that pretty much confirmed her suspicions… a letter, which she held in her hand in this very moment.
Dear Kristina-
Writing this letter hands down has to be the hardest thing I think I’ll ever do however it’s for the best. I know I said last summer that we should stay friends and we’ve been doing pretty good at that for the past few months however something has come up and I regret to inform you that I’ll be going off the radar for an undisclosed amount of time. Before you think its do to me finding a new girlfriend let me reassure you this is not the case. You are smart, funny, and extremely beautiful and seriously sometimes I think miles out of your league. All I ask of you is that you not dwell in the past, that’s not to say that I want you to forget the good times we’ve had because I don’t, I simply want you to move forward with your life to become the brilliant lawyer that you’ve always wanted to be. Hopefully the fates will see it fit for us to one day meet again… until then remember you’ll be in my heart aevitas ac aeternum forever and always.
- Artie
A fresh tear fell on the letter as if she’d been reading it for the first time.
Letting out a sigh she adjusted herself on the bed she’s been lying on at the moment when light suddenly flooded in the room and a voice filled the air.
“You’re not going to stay haled up in here the whole time we’re here are you,” the man asked.
Turning to face the perfectly sculptured abs of Mike Chang she simply nodded as he reached over to tug at the blanket that was covering her.
“Mercedes would kill me if she heard I wasn’t taking good care of you.”
A devilish smile crossed her lips.
“I still can’t believe that Mercedes let you come to Greece…alone…with me…for an entire month.”
Taking a seat by Kristina’s side, Mike wrapped an arm around her.
“She was worried about her friend,” he said with a smile, “and besides she was heading to a family reunion and Tina’s spending time in the studio, working or her portfolio…translation…the Providence Loft was looking kind of lonely, and besides who would pass up a month on a private island in Greece?”
Kristina wanted to raise her hand.
She would of rather been at her loft in New Haven despite the fact that her roommate, one Quinn Fabray, and her brother Michael would be acting like the pair of love sick young adults that they were causing her to wallow even deeper at the loss of Artie from her life.
“If I put on a swimsuit and head to the beach would that make you happy?” Kristina asked as Mike nodded.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Fifteen minutes later Kristina’s bare feet moved along the warm sand as her eyes shifted to the glistening waters of the Aegean Sea Mike nowhere to be found.
Her friend’s absence caused her to let out a little laugh as she thought that the young man better have a good excuse for not being on the beach like he told her he would be.
Letting out a sigh she began to slowly approach the water, the wait of the necklace that sat around her next weighing heavily on her shoulders. Said offending necklace, a simple gold chain with Artie’s class ring resting on it.
Closing her eyes she remembered the moment he’d given it to her.
It was in the spring of their senior year right after they’d won their second straight Regionals on a set list that included an epic solo by Brit of all people as well as a moving duet of the seminal Disney Classic ‘A Whole New World’. she had been making her way toward the makeshift greenroom backstage when Artie’s hand gently grabbed her arm.
“Kristina wait,” his soft voice said causing her to turn around to gaze into his soft blue eyes. She didn’t have to verbally reply, she simply smiled as a response as he went on, “I couldn’t wait till later at Rachel’s party to give you this.”
Reaching into his pocket Artie pulled out a long black velvet box and handed it to her.
“Open it,” he directed and she did to reveal the chain that held his class ring upon it.
“I know we’ve been dating exactly two years and two months to the date so I kind of know the answer is yes but….would you wear my class ring?”
Kristina smiled as she perched herself on his lap, allowing him to clasp the chain around her neck.
“So I take this action as a yes,” he responded as she leant over to kiss him gently on his lips.
They pulled away from their lip lock however almost instantly Artie leant back inward.
‘aevitas ac aeternum,” he seductively whispered in her ear.
She loved it when he spoke Latin to her and the way he said forever and always truly made her think that he’d meant it.
Boy was she naive, she thought as she ripped the chain from her neck and got prepared to toss it into the water, however a hand on her wrist stopped her.
“Stop! Kristina,” Mike said and she did, turning to face him, the ring clenched tightly in her fist. His hand cupped hers as he gave her a half smile. “is it really worth going all Titanic with Artie’s class ring?”
Kristina couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’ve seen Titanic?” she asked, a serious look in her eyes as she continued to snicker.
“Yes, I’ve seen Titanic, it’s one of Mercedes’ favorite movies….anyway you’re laughing…that’s a good sign.”
Kristina's smiled.
“Yea, I guess I am laughing,” she said as Mike helped her affix the necklace back round her neck as they began to play around on the beach and for a while they were in a good place. For a few blissful days in fact until Kristina noticed the date on the calendar and reverted to being reclusive, however at least this time she didn’t stay in bed and instead was sitting on the beach with her knees pulled up to her chin, crying her eyes out.
“I thought we were making progress,” Mike said taking a seat by Kristina’s side causing her to lean to the side and rest her head on his bare chest while he gently ran his fingers though her hair to calm her down.
“I was until I saw the date.”
Mike paused trying to figure out the date’s significance. He knew it wasn’t Kristina or Artie’s birthdays, and it wasn’t the anniversary of when he’d split with her either as that was the day of her parents wedding and they’d be in Lima on that day.
“June 14th? What does Flag day have to do with things.”
“If we didn’t split up today would mark three years and four months that Artie and I would have been together.”
Mike just nodded.
“It’s just…well it’s been getting me thinking back to the good old days you know. When things were simpler how Artie would play 72 hour long Halo marathons with you and Matt but it would be ok because I’d go to Cleveland and shop up a storm with Mercedes and Kurt.”
Mike let out a laugh.
“and how the six of us would go on triple dates to the Movies.”
“and the daggers Kurt shot us when we dragged him to see Newsies.”
“I know it’s not a REAL musical by his standpoint but as a strait man even I think Christian Bale looked hot in it.”
Kristina just nodded and silently leaned against Mike so more as he gently began to hum the tune of ‘Santa Fe’ in a lullaby-esque tone while she closed her eyes and let the cool wind wash over her.
“I already have four brothers,” she spoke in reference to her father’s ‘sons’ Michael and Morgan, her step-brother Kurt, and Noah Puckerman who in working as a PI partner to her sister Sam as well as being the biological father to Sam’s daughter Danielle made him like a surrogate brother, “but I’d gladly have you as a fifth.”
Mike simply felt touched by that statement.
“I’m flattered you’d hold me to such high esteem, I just hope you still fell that way when you hear my proposal.”
Opening her eyes she looked into his.
“Why don’t we head inside, get ourselves all fixed up and head out dancing on one of the main islands.”
All she need do is flash Mike a smile before he helped her to her feet and lead her back into the compound.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Looking at the small calendar that hung on the otherwise bland walls of the Pennsylvania clinic that Artie Abrams was a patient in, a soft tear went down his cheek.
If things had been differently today he and Kristina would have been celebrating their three year four month anniversary however he decided to ruin things by breaking off with her in the first place…at her mother’s wedding of all places.
He let out a soft sigh thinking that everything happened for a reason, especially in that moment as he began to wiggle his toes for the first time in eleven years….
--
TBC