fic: a simple twist of fate (gh/ghtng, ric/elizabeth, lanaverse)
Title: A Simple Twist of Fate
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 71 - Fate
Pairing/Character(s): Molly/Cameron, Nikolas/Elizabeth, Maxie/Lucky, Alexis, Ric
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. All original characters do.
Word Count: 1140
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lanaverse.
Summary: "Did you ever think that this was how it was supposed to be? That maybe this was our fate? For our children to be blissfully happy together, for us to share a grandchild through them?"
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
They all crowded into Molly's hospital room.
Molly was sitting up in her bed, looking exhausted but radiant, cradling a small bundle, swaddled in blue, while Cameron sat at the edge of the bed, beaming at the two of them, reaching out to stroke the baby's head, as if he needed the physical contact to reassure him that it was real.
Molly looked up at all of them and said, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Alexander Lucas Spencer."
"Oh, that's perfect," Elizabeth sighed happily. She squeezed Nikolas's hand, remembering how it had felt when she'd held each of her babies for the first time. "Just perfect."
"We named him for you, Mom," Molly said, looking at her mother. "Is that okay?"
Alexis's eyes filled with tears, and she stepped closer to the bed. "It's more than okay. I don't think I've ever been more flattered in my life."
"Good," Molly said happily. "Because we weren't really going to change it."
Everyone laughed, and the baby let out a small wail, and Molly instinctively started rocking him to soothe him. She glanced up at Lucky. "And of course the Lucas is for you."
He nodded. "I'm honored." He clasped Cameron's shoulder. "You did good."
Cameron smiled. "I think she did most of the work," he said wryly.
"And she'll never let you forget it," Nikolas warned.
Elizabeth turned to him with an indignant expression. "Excuse me?"
Nikolas bent to kiss her. "Just some advice."
Molly looked at her father who had been strangely silent. "Are you alright, Dad?" she asked. "You're so quiet."
Ric smiled wistfully at her. "I just can't believe you had a baby is all, sweetheart. It seems like just yesterday you were born."
Tears sprung up in Molly's eyes. "Dad..."
He took a step closer to the bed and kissed the top of her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get all sloppy." He stepped back. "I think I'm going to get coffee. Should I get it for everyone?" Without waiting for an answer, he ducked out of the room.
Elizabeth watched him go with worry in her eyes. "I'll be right back," she whispered to Nikolas, slipping out of the room after him. She looked down the hall, and saw him walking quickly away. "Ric!" she called after him. "Wait!"
He didn't slow.
"Damn it," she cursed, looking down at her high heels as she took off after him. "Ric!"
He sank down onto one of the couches in the waiting area, still seemingly oblivious to her presence.
When she reached him, she sat down next to him. "Did you hear me calling after you?" she demanded.
He blinked, looking at her in confusion. "No. I'm sorry, Elizabeth."
"You should be," she sniffed. "Now what's wrong?"
"Excuse me?"
She reached out to take his hand. "Ric. It's me. I know you, I know when something is wrong. You couldn't stand to be in that room for another second. What's wrong?"
"I was just overwhelmed," he evaded. "It's not every day your daughter has a baby."
"I understand that," she said gently. "But that's not it." She studied the man she'd once loved so much, that she still did in a different kind of way. If her life had taught her anything, it was that there were many types of love. She'd found a new one today, that of a grandmother for a grandchild. And to see Ric so out of sorts just wasn't something that she could bear today. "Ric, just say it."
Ric hesitated, and blew out a heavy breath. "I thought I was prepared for it," he said slowly. "I had nearly nine months to get used to the idea, after all..."
"To get used to the idea of a grandchild?" Elizabeth prompted.
"Well, yes." He shot her a look. "And to get used to the idea that I would share one with you."
"Ric..." she sighed.
He smiled sardonically. "I know." He squeezed her hand. "Believe me, I know."
"I didn't know you still felt that way," she said carefully.
He shrugged. "I'll always love you, Elizabeth. I've spent most of my adult life in love with you."
She frowned. "But you and Alexis seem happy together, content."
"We are," he assured her. "We are happy in the life we've made with each other. And I love Alexis. But I'm no more in love with her than she is with me. We live together now out of habit, because we wouldn't know how to not live together any longer. What started out as an arrangement for the benefit of our children took on a life of its own, is all." He shrugged. "It's just how it turned out."
"Yes," she said, a hint of sadness creeping into her eyes as it always did when the subject of that long ago Saint Patrick's Day that had changed all their lives came up. "I understand that."
He looked at her quizzically. "Do you still love Morgan? I thought that you and Nikolas..."
"I love my husband," she said firmly. "Deeply. Forever. But yes, a piece of me still loves Jason. Just as a piece of me still loves Lucky. Still loves you."
They sat quietly together, hand in hand, for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts.
Ric thinking of how he was doomed to love one woman that would always be a part of his life, but never in the way that he wanted.
Elizabeth looking back on her life, her loves, how she'd learned from each of them. How each of them had helped make her who she was today.
"You know, you don't look nearly old enough to be a grandmother," Ric said finally, breaking the silence, a teasing glint in his eyes.
Her draw dropped. "Ric!"
"Well you don't," he protested. He smiled at her. "You look as young as the day that I met you."
"You are a terrible liar," she said, standing and pulling Ric to his feet along with her. "But thank you."
"Any time."
They started back down the hall to Molly's room, still hand in hand.
"Ric," she said slowly. "Did you ever think that this was how it was supposed to be? That maybe this was our fate? For our children to be blissfully happy together, for us to share a grandchild through them?" She shrugged. "Maybe it's not how we pictured all those years ago, but maybe it's what was meant to be."
"Maybe," he allowed as they reached the hospital room. He bent to press a kiss to her cheek. "Maybe it was."
He let go of her hand and together they stepped back into the room.
Maybe it had been fate, maybe it had been something else.
But their grandchild, Alexander, was what was.
And that was all that really mattered.
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 71 - Fate
Pairing/Character(s): Molly/Cameron, Nikolas/Elizabeth, Maxie/Lucky, Alexis, Ric
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. All original characters do.
Word Count: 1140
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lanaverse.
Summary: "Did you ever think that this was how it was supposed to be? That maybe this was our fate? For our children to be blissfully happy together, for us to share a grandchild through them?"
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
They all crowded into Molly's hospital room.
Molly was sitting up in her bed, looking exhausted but radiant, cradling a small bundle, swaddled in blue, while Cameron sat at the edge of the bed, beaming at the two of them, reaching out to stroke the baby's head, as if he needed the physical contact to reassure him that it was real.
Molly looked up at all of them and said, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Alexander Lucas Spencer."
"Oh, that's perfect," Elizabeth sighed happily. She squeezed Nikolas's hand, remembering how it had felt when she'd held each of her babies for the first time. "Just perfect."
"We named him for you, Mom," Molly said, looking at her mother. "Is that okay?"
Alexis's eyes filled with tears, and she stepped closer to the bed. "It's more than okay. I don't think I've ever been more flattered in my life."
"Good," Molly said happily. "Because we weren't really going to change it."
Everyone laughed, and the baby let out a small wail, and Molly instinctively started rocking him to soothe him. She glanced up at Lucky. "And of course the Lucas is for you."
He nodded. "I'm honored." He clasped Cameron's shoulder. "You did good."
Cameron smiled. "I think she did most of the work," he said wryly.
"And she'll never let you forget it," Nikolas warned.
Elizabeth turned to him with an indignant expression. "Excuse me?"
Nikolas bent to kiss her. "Just some advice."
Molly looked at her father who had been strangely silent. "Are you alright, Dad?" she asked. "You're so quiet."
Ric smiled wistfully at her. "I just can't believe you had a baby is all, sweetheart. It seems like just yesterday you were born."
Tears sprung up in Molly's eyes. "Dad..."
He took a step closer to the bed and kissed the top of her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get all sloppy." He stepped back. "I think I'm going to get coffee. Should I get it for everyone?" Without waiting for an answer, he ducked out of the room.
Elizabeth watched him go with worry in her eyes. "I'll be right back," she whispered to Nikolas, slipping out of the room after him. She looked down the hall, and saw him walking quickly away. "Ric!" she called after him. "Wait!"
He didn't slow.
"Damn it," she cursed, looking down at her high heels as she took off after him. "Ric!"
He sank down onto one of the couches in the waiting area, still seemingly oblivious to her presence.
When she reached him, she sat down next to him. "Did you hear me calling after you?" she demanded.
He blinked, looking at her in confusion. "No. I'm sorry, Elizabeth."
"You should be," she sniffed. "Now what's wrong?"
"Excuse me?"
She reached out to take his hand. "Ric. It's me. I know you, I know when something is wrong. You couldn't stand to be in that room for another second. What's wrong?"
"I was just overwhelmed," he evaded. "It's not every day your daughter has a baby."
"I understand that," she said gently. "But that's not it." She studied the man she'd once loved so much, that she still did in a different kind of way. If her life had taught her anything, it was that there were many types of love. She'd found a new one today, that of a grandmother for a grandchild. And to see Ric so out of sorts just wasn't something that she could bear today. "Ric, just say it."
Ric hesitated, and blew out a heavy breath. "I thought I was prepared for it," he said slowly. "I had nearly nine months to get used to the idea, after all..."
"To get used to the idea of a grandchild?" Elizabeth prompted.
"Well, yes." He shot her a look. "And to get used to the idea that I would share one with you."
"Ric..." she sighed.
He smiled sardonically. "I know." He squeezed her hand. "Believe me, I know."
"I didn't know you still felt that way," she said carefully.
He shrugged. "I'll always love you, Elizabeth. I've spent most of my adult life in love with you."
She frowned. "But you and Alexis seem happy together, content."
"We are," he assured her. "We are happy in the life we've made with each other. And I love Alexis. But I'm no more in love with her than she is with me. We live together now out of habit, because we wouldn't know how to not live together any longer. What started out as an arrangement for the benefit of our children took on a life of its own, is all." He shrugged. "It's just how it turned out."
"Yes," she said, a hint of sadness creeping into her eyes as it always did when the subject of that long ago Saint Patrick's Day that had changed all their lives came up. "I understand that."
He looked at her quizzically. "Do you still love Morgan? I thought that you and Nikolas..."
"I love my husband," she said firmly. "Deeply. Forever. But yes, a piece of me still loves Jason. Just as a piece of me still loves Lucky. Still loves you."
They sat quietly together, hand in hand, for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts.
Ric thinking of how he was doomed to love one woman that would always be a part of his life, but never in the way that he wanted.
Elizabeth looking back on her life, her loves, how she'd learned from each of them. How each of them had helped make her who she was today.
"You know, you don't look nearly old enough to be a grandmother," Ric said finally, breaking the silence, a teasing glint in his eyes.
Her draw dropped. "Ric!"
"Well you don't," he protested. He smiled at her. "You look as young as the day that I met you."
"You are a terrible liar," she said, standing and pulling Ric to his feet along with her. "But thank you."
"Any time."
They started back down the hall to Molly's room, still hand in hand.
"Ric," she said slowly. "Did you ever think that this was how it was supposed to be? That maybe this was our fate? For our children to be blissfully happy together, for us to share a grandchild through them?" She shrugged. "Maybe it's not how we pictured all those years ago, but maybe it's what was meant to be."
"Maybe," he allowed as they reached the hospital room. He bent to press a kiss to her cheek. "Maybe it was."
He let go of her hand and together they stepped back into the room.
Maybe it had been fate, maybe it had been something else.
But their grandchild, Alexander, was what was.
And that was all that really mattered.