CHAPTER 4

"-Grandma, this was Robert Jackson. He wasn’t my father. My father died before I was born!"

Laura turned to her 8 year old granddaughter and smiled.

"-Lu Ann, sweetie, why don’t you go inside see Tammy

-You just don’t want me to hear and report everything back to my mom, do you?

-Exactly squirt, now move! Said Lucky

-Ok, ok. Said Lu Ann

-Lucky, sit down. Said Laura. We didn’t tell you everything about the night your father "died". You see, he and Elizabeth were suppose to get married the next day. But Faison was back in town and no body knew. Your mother called your father and told him she was being held hostage and he rushed over where she said. There was a struggle and the gun went off. The only thing Elizabeth remembers before she blacked out was your father, my Lucky, lying in a pool of blood. Faison sent a picture of him, floating in the water down at the docks. His face was nearly all gone from the impact, and the police never found his body.

-That man, Kiara’s father, Robert, he doesn’t look a thing like me. Mom keeps saying I look like him

-Your mother wants you to look like Lucky. But you are the perfect blend of your two parents Lucky. Someone who doesn’t know you can’t tell who your parents are, because you don’t look much like either of them, but at the same time, you look like both of them. But Elizabeth needs to keep the memory of Lucky alive. She needs it as much as she needs to breathe.

-I understand all of that. But still, my father is dead Grandma

-No he isn’t. He may had plastic surgery because his face was really bad on the picture, but I know what I saw in that man’s eyes. And he ran when you told him your name. Your father is very much alive and living in the identify of this Robert. You have to tell me where he lives before he can pack up and leave"

Lucky quickly gave the address to her grandmother, not thinking about the implications. Laura opened the restaurant’s door and yelled at Lu Ann to go home immediately and wait for them there. Lucky followed her to the car and they left, without saying anything.

Kiara was laying on her bed, thinking about ways to convince her father to let her be with Lucky, when her bedroom door flew open and Robert barged in, out of breath. He took the suitcase out of her closet and started filling it.

"-Dad, what are you doing?

-We have to get out of here Kiara. I’ll explain in the car.

-Wait -- she said, following him in the room as he filled the suitcase up-- is this about Lucky?

-Kiara, we had an understanding. If one day I said we had to go quickly you would help. Now move, it’s a matter of life and death"

Kiara helped him. She remembered when he told her that, she was 8 years old. At that time, he explained to her his past could catch up with him and they had to be ready to move quickly if that happened, and she agreed not to ask any questions, he would tell her everything if the time came. The time was now.

Kiara was ready in 10 minutes, and she was waiting downstairs by the door. Robert went outside and told her to stay in until he said it was OK. Kiara was scared to death, she didn’t know what to think or do. Robert put everything in the trunk of the car and yelled at her the coast was clear. She was in the middle of the lawn, half-way between the house and the car parked in the driveway, when she saw a car slowing down and completely stopped in front of the house. Robert quickly moved and positioned himself in front of Kiara, his arms spread like he was trying to prevent her from passing. Kiara saw a woman get out of the car, and she saw Lucky. She started to move towards him but Robert stopped her, urging her to stay behind. The woman came on the lawn and stopped feet away from them.

"-Please Lucky, Laura said. Don’t look at me like a frighten animal.

-My name isn’t Lucky. Not anymore. I’m Robert Jackson and get the hell away from here.

-All right. Robert it is. Let me just look at you, we thought you were dead. For 17 years we thought you were dead.

-Lucky Spencer is dead. He died that night on the docks. He doesn’t exist anymore"

Lucky was looking at this strange exchange between his father and his grandmother, Kiara looked totally terrified behind Robert. Lucky heard her say "Dad what’s going on?" and then it hit him. He had been kissing, dating, hitting on his own sister! Lucky felt his heart being ripped from his chest and he fell on his knees before he threw his guts up. Kiara left her dad’s side and ran to him, kneeling by his side and passing a hand on his back.

"-Lucky are you ok?

-Get away from me. He muttered, his jaw tightly close to prevent him from throwing up again."

Kiara didn’t have time to say anything she flew from the floor into her father’s arms. He put her gently on her feet, telling her to go wait in the car. She tried to protest but with the look he gave her, she obliged. Robert waited until her car door was closed to turn to Laura.

"-You, he said pointing to her, him, he said, pointing to Lucky, and everyone else in Lucky’s old life stay away from her. She doesn’t need you, I don’t need you. We were fine without you. We were alive without you"

Robert started to walk towards the car but Laura quickly made him turn around.

"-Don’t you walk away from me! I haven’t seen you in 17 years and all you have to say to me is to stay away from you? Don’t turn your back on me, on your own son. He’s your own flesh and blood Lucky!

-I’M NOT LUCKY! I don’t want to have nothing to do with that life you hear me? It nearly got me killed, more than once. I won’t put my daughter in that kind of danger and if I get associated with the Spencers again her life will be over!

-My God! You talk about us as if we were monsters. We are your parents. Luke has been going crazy with what happened because of him.

-Don’t you understand mom? Robert said, for the first time acknowledging he was indeed, the old Lucky. That is exactly what happened. That WAS his fault. He was so eager to save the world it cost him his only son. It won’t cost me my daughter.

-What about Lucky? He is your son too. You’re gonna leave him in this world of danger you seem to fear so much?

-He’s not my son. Robert answered, trying to hide the pain these words were causing him. He’s Nikolas’. Oh don’t look so shocked. If there is one thing I kept from my life with you and dad was keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. I don’t have any friends, so it was easy to keep tab on my enemies. The Spencers. All of them. I know all about how Nikolas married Elizabeth only three months after my death. And how Lucky was born 8 months after my death. I didn’t know it at first, because for the first year I didn’t have my memory, but when I remembered, I came back for her. But she was already married with two kids. Lucas and Stefan. They are a year and a half apart aren’t they? And then came Lu Ann, 6 years after Stefan. So don’t tell me he is my son.

-HE IS YOUR SON!

-I don’t care OK? If I have to get a restraining order to keep you and your family away from here I will!"

Robert turned around and went to the car. He leaned down and Lucky saw him say something to Kiara and he saw her get out of the car. The look she gave him as she walked in the house killed the last piece of his heart. He really was alone. Like he had been all his life.

Lucky felt Laura’s arm around his shoulder and he got up. It was time to go home, she said. On their way to his apartment Lucky looked at the window, trying to digest his father’s harsh words towards him, his grandmother and his mother. The wonderful man everyone told him his father was wasn’t the same man he met. Robert was right. His father was dead, replaced by a man with a really cold heart.

Robert was sitting on the couch, a bottle of scotch in his hand. The knot of his tie was undone and his shirt was half-way unbuttoned. He took a mouthful of alcohol as Kiara came in the living room. She had never seen him like this. He was always cold, emotionless, but now he looked like a broken man. Kiara took place next to him and for the first time in years she saw tears in his eyes. She gently reached to touch his hand but he got it away from her.

"-Baby, I need to stay concentrated if I want to go all the way.

-That’s ok dad. No problem.

-Remember I said one day I would tell you all about my life before I met your mother? Robert saw her nod. Today’s the day. I don’t know where to start so let me start by saying this. The woman you saw outside is my mother. Your grandmother and, according to her, Lucky’s my son. That makes him your brother"