Chapter 67


Kevin drove home, the entire time, thinking about Lucy. Why was he feeling this way? He loved Eve. But if that was true, why was it that being with Lucy made his heart pound? The effect she had on him confused him.

When he reached the lighthouse, he knew Eve wouldn't be home, yet. Glad that he had a while to be alone and think made him feel better. He needed to get what was going through his mind straight before he dealt with either woman.

As he opened the door, he was suprised to be hit from behind. Someone shoved him into the lighthouse and shut the door behind them.

"I want some answers, Kevin. And I want them now."

Turning, Kevin was shocked to find Ryan standing by the door.

***************

Victor and Mary sat on the sofa, watching TV. Lucy and Serena had been asleep for a while, and they were enjoying a little peace and quiet. Lucy really hadn't been up to Serena, and Victor and Mary had played with her after Lucy had fallen asleep. Not that they minded, but they were both exhausted.

"Kevin sure left in a hurry."

Victor smiled. "You might say he ran out of here a little too quickly."

"What do you mean? I know that look, Victor, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that Kevin's not so sure how he feels anymore."

Shaking her head, Mary stared at him. "Well, you'd better not say anything to Lucy. She's very sure how she feels."

"I know. And I also know that my son, whether he wants to admit it or not, still loves her. He's just so stubborn! Haven't you noticed that every time things get intense between him and Lucy, he practically trips over his own feet getting away from her?"

"But that doesn't exactly help Lucy. He gets close, he pulls away. Then he accuses her of shutting him out. Personally, I know he's your son, but what he's doing to that woman isn't fair. She wants him to be a big part of this. But he tells her he can't be, then gets angry at her for not including him."

"Exactly!" Victor nodded. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. I don't think he knows what he wants. He cares for Eve, he thinks he loves her. But then he sees Lucy, and he feels all those things he thought he was past where she was concerned. I can see it all over his face. As badly as he wants to be a part of this, I think Lucy actually scares him." He told Mary about the look on Kevin's face when he'd watched them on the sofa. "I know my son. And right now, he's confused. And he doesn't like it."

"You seem highly amused by it."

"In a way I am. I don't like the way it's affecting Lucy, but I have to admit it's almost fun to watch him squirm. He likes to be in control, and when he's anywhere near Lucy, control is not the word I'd use to describe his situation." Victor laughed. "The effect she has on him does amuse me. She gets to him, she's under his skin, and he can't do anything about it. No matter how hard he tries to convince himself otherwise."

*****************

"Okay, Ryan. What do you want me to answer?"

"Don't play shrink with me, Kev. I've had more than my full share of that. You tried to make sure of that, remember? I want to know who the hell you think you are, taking my children away from me!"

"Your children?" This was the moment Kevin had known was coming, and he hoped he was ready for it. "Lucy's children are not yours."

"I'm supposed to believe you, what? Knocked her up?" Ryan laughed. "Oh, yeah. A hot, steamy, one night stand. Then you ran back to Evie, and suddenly Lucy shows up at you door pregnant? Do I look that stupid to you?"

Kevin knew the correct answer was not ‘yes'. "Maybe I did. Maybe after what you did to her, I tried to help her. I ended up making love to her, and she got pregnant."

"Okay, I can buy that." Ryan smiled. "It's not exactly hard to believe you could end up in bed with her. I mean, she really does love you, and she is a very hot number. Man would have to be an ice cube to turn that down." Ryan's smile faded and his eyes took on a deadly glare. "But even if you did, then, at best, there is a question as to which of us gets the Father's Day card."

Finally, Ryan shook his head. "But, I don't believe you did. See, I know Lucy. A whole lot better than I did. She wouldn't let you anywhere near her twins if you'd slept with her, then broke down her door to get back to Evie. I saw what she thought of sharing. No." He leaned against the wall next to the door. "You thought the only way to keep me away from MY children was to take them yourself."

"They are not your children." Kevin tried to sound convincing. "Lucy and I did make love, and she did get pregnant. By me. I am their father."

"I'm not really believing you. You need to sound a little more convincing. Better yet, why don't you take lessons from Evie in being believable."

"Eve? What does she have to do with this?"

"Relax, Kevin. I haven't done nearly as much with Eve as I have with Lucy. I just talked to her. Of course, she thinks you went to the hospital to make up with her. But she told me that she knows how important it is that ‘the bad twin' never finds out about his children. MY CHILDREN, KEVIN!" Ryan screamed at him. "Those babies are mine, and you are NOT going to take them away from me."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you still trying to hurt her? Haven't you done enough to Lucy?" Kevin wanted to find out what he had in mind.

"What makes you think I want to hurt her? As I remember, you're the one that hurt her. I was the one that gave her the ring back, remember? You're the one that ripped her heart out and threw your new little toy down her throat." Ryan smiled again. "Still so protective of her. Running to her rescue, claiming her children to protect them, and look at you now. Almost territorial. Makes me wonder if you really love Eve as much as you claim to. Or if it just bothers you that much that I HAD your woman."

"You lied to her, used her, manipulated her, and now you're trying to kill her children."

"What?! Who in the hell do you think you are? Okay, so I told her a few big ones to get her in the sack. What man hasn't from time to time? I know for a fact that I'm NOT the first man to lie to her to get her clothes off." His eyes met Kevin's, and his voice grew quiet. "But I would never hurt my own children."

"What do you think is going to happen if you keep tormenting her? You say you know all about her. She's had three miscarriages, Ryan did you know that? You are the reason her pregnancy has already been compromised! She's already almost lost them."

Ryan looked uncertain.

"You know she's been admitted to GH twice. Why do you think that is? Because you've been calling her, going to her house," As he spoke, Kevin stepped closer to Ryan. "Keeping her upset and terrified. And stress can bring on a miscarriage. It almost has, and YOU'RE the one causing it! You've done enough to her! I would like to see you suffer for what you've done. But, I swear, Ryan, she loses those babies, and I'll kill you myself!" His whole body was shaking from the building anger in him.

Kevin's rage actually suprised Ryan. "That was good. Didn't know you had it in you. Feels pretty good, doesn't it. All that anger. The intense desire to rip my throat out." He smiled. "And all over Lucy. I bet she doesn't know you feel that way, huh. Maybe I'll call her and tell her."

"You stay the hell away from her!" Rushing Ryan, he grabbed him and bounced him off the wall. Both of them fell to the ground.

Using his legs against the wall, Ryan pushed himself away from Kevin. "Why's that? Because you... what? Care about her? Or is that because you want her for yourself? That's what she wants, you know. For some reason, after everything you've done to her, she still loves you." Standing, Ryan leaned on the bannister and the bottom of the staircase. "Why are women like that, Kevin? After everything you put her through, I could actually be a break for her. At least I admit I have a few... issues. I don't pretend to be the poster child for mental health." Now Ryan's rage started to take control of him. "Why is it? When she thought I was you, she adored me, she told me how much she loved me."

Kevin stood, waiting for the Ryan to lose control.

Ryan saw it, and his voice got quiet again, while he stared at Kevin. "You know what she's like. That look in her eyes when she looked at me. The hundred times she told me she loved me. The look on her face when I put her ring back on her finger. It was really nice, you know. For a few minutes there, I could actually believe she loved me. The things she did to me....." His eyes grew hard again. "Well, let's just say a lot of men pay big bucks for what she did to me because she loved me. But, see, it wasn't me. Every time I even started to forget, you know, get caught up in the role, I'd try to make it really good for her. It was, I'll tell you that. I know that because she screamed YOUR NAME at the top of her lungs."

Kevin stared at Ryan, stunned by what he was saying.

"You want to know what I want? That's what I want. I want the life I should have had. My children with a woman that loves me like that. Maybe a little quieter. Half the time I wondered how in the hell you walked away from that woman. The other half I wondered how you walked away from her without killing her." Ryan stepped towards Kevin, now almost whispering. "She gave up everything she had for you. I even think she'd give her life for you. And you don't have a clue, do you. You're either a real idiot, or you just don't give a damn. Either way, you don't deserve the way she loves you."

With no warning, Ryan punched Kevin, knocking him to the ground. Standing over him, Ryan whispered. "That's for everything you did to her. The only reason I'm not going to kill you is that it would hurt her. And, if you're telling the truth, hurt MY children. And don't think I'm going to let you have them. One way or another, I'm going to have MY children." And he was gone.

It took Kevin a few moments to get to his feet. By the time he reached the driveway, Ryan was gone. In a panic, he checked his watch. Eve was still on duty. Running back to lock the door, he jumped in his car and dialed Mac while he drove. It was late, so he dialed the home number.

"Hello?"

"Mac! It's Kevin. Ryan's finally making his move."

"Ryan contacted you?"

Nodding to the phone, Kevin was almost shouting. "He went to GH! He tricked Eve into telling him about Lucy."

The other end of the phone was silent, and Kevin heard Felicia in the background, saying. "No! He knows, doesn't he."

"Mac! Lucy doesn't know, yet. I'm afraid to tell her. She's had enough complications-"

"It's not good, either way, mate. Either you tell her, and risk the stress factor, or you don't tell her, and risk him showing up at her door." Mac's voice was quiet. "Look, I'll send a car to GH to keep an eye on Eve, but if he's already talked to her, I don't think he'll go back to her. I'll tell the car that's cruising Lucy's to be ready. What do you think he'll do?"

Stopping in traffic at a light, Kevin put his forehead on the steering wheel. "I don't think he'll do anything to Lucy until the babies are born. Now that he knows they're his, he wants them. But he wants them alive, and he knows she's already almost lost them. But I'm beginning to wonder if the twins are all he wants."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he punched me and told me that it was for Lucy. It's like he has these moments of fantasy about a family. I don't know how to explain it. One minute he..... First he asked me how I walked away from the way she loves me, and then he asked me how I walked away without killing her." The light turned green and Kevin hit the gas, passing the cars in front of him and continuing to speak to Mac. "He was back and forth. First it was how wonderful Lucy is, then how she irritated him. He went on and on about what I'd done to her, and that he'd be a break for her. He actually told me I didn't deserve her."

"Sounds like he's really out of control. That's bad."

"I know." They were both thinking the same thing. About when Ryan had a similar fixation on Felicia.

"I don't get it. Lucy doesn't fit his history. Except that she's close to you."

"I know that, too. Maybe..... I think it was how she treated him when she thought he was me." Kevin's voice got quiet. "Believe me, Lucy can make you feel like you can walk on water. You look in her eyes, and you feel like she's looking at your soul. Everything else in the world disappears, and all you can think about is her. The way she gave herself to me, no question, no hesitation, just opening herself up and giving me everything she had inside. I-" A horn honked, and Kevin realized the car was drifting into the next lane.

Mac listened to Kevin, stunned. The voice speaking to him sounded like the voice of a man that was still in love with Lucy.

"He's never had that. He's never had anyone love him like that." Kevin looked around. "Look, I'm at....." When he realized where he was, he shook his head. He'd intended to go to GH, and call Victor, but he hadn't been paying attention, and now he was sitting at the end of Lucy's street. "I'm at Lucy's. Make sure your guys know I'm here. I'm going to tell Luke's friends what's going on, and then I'm going to talk to Victor and Mary. We need to figure out what to do about Lucy. I'll get back to you."

The phone went dead, and Mac actually smiled. Turning to a curious and worried Felicia, he shook his head. "He still loves her, you know that? I don't think he knows it, but I'm telling you, Kevin Collins has a lot more feelings for Lucy Coe than he'll admit."

*****************

Once again, Luke's friends were quick to get to Kevin, but as soon as he showed them his ID, they backed off. After telling them about Ryan, he went to the door. He continued to knock softly on Lucy's door until a bleary-eyed Victor opened it.

"Monk?"

"We need to talk." Brushing past him, Kevin turned on the living room light.

"What happened to your face?"

He'd forgotten all about it. Stepping to the mirror hanging on the wall, he took a look at the bruises Ryan had left on him. "It's not bad. But Ryan's the one that did it."

"Ryan?" Victor tried to keep his voice down. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine, Victor. But we have to tell her. He knows."

"We thought he did."

"No, we thought he suspected. He told me tonight. He caught Eve at the hospital. She thought he was me, and...."

"And he got it out of her." Victor finished for him. "How is Eve?"

"I need to call her. I was just afraid this would be his next stop. But then, I still don't think he will until after she delivers."

Staring at the stairs, Victor shook his head. "I don't know if we should tell her or not. She's already so upset. We don't want her to panic."

"I know that." He took out his cell and dialed Eve's pager. "I also know she can't be left alone here, waiting for him to make a move."

A noise on the stairs caught both men's attention. Lucy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, tears running down her face.

****************

"Eve!" Chris half jogged down the hallway to get to her. "Planet Earth to Eve!" Reaching her, he stepped in front of her. "Hey! Are you here?"

"Yes. Sort of."

"Do I have to guess what's on your mind? Dr. Stalker, perhaps?"

"Don't call him that!"

Chris feigned hurt. "Why not? You did!"

"Well, that was before I knew him." She remembered how embarrassed she'd been when he been standing right behind her. Wincing at the memory, she shrugged. "You don't understand. I mean, like today. We had lunch, it wasn't great, but it was nice. Then he came here to try to talk to me, and I got really-" Her pager vibrated against her hip. "That's me." Checking the number, she went to the phone without a word to Chris.

****************

"Lucy! We didn't hear you."

"Obviously, since you were discussing not telling me that MY children are in danger." Slowly, she approached them. "You're sure Ryan knows the truth? There's no chance he could still-"

"He knows he could be the father. Right now, he's not entirely convinced that I'm not a candidate. And, since requesting a paternity test is out of the question, given the current circumstances...." Kevin stopped.

"He's just going on the assumption that he's the father, right?" The color had drained from her face and she was starting to shake. "I will kill him myself before I let him anywhere near my babies." She stared at both men, and her voice was quiet.

Going to her, Kevin took her arms. "He's not going to get near you. I'm going to do everything I can, you've got guys out there. Big guys, with no sense of humor. A squad car from the PCPD. He can't get anywhere near you." Gently, he led her to the sofa. Sitting with her, he pulled her into his arms. "I'm the reason he did this to you."

"Kevin, don't. You're not responsible for every evil move Ryan makes." She took a deep breath. "Or every stupid one I make." Before he could interrupt her, she shook her head. "It's done. What we need to do right now, is deal with it. Ryan's out there, and now he wants them." Still crying, she put her hands over the babies.

Putting his hands over hers, Kevin squeezed them gently. "He's not going to get them." His eyes met hers, and he became aware that her face was only a few inches from his. Just as the thought of kissing her began to overwhelm him, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"You beeped?" Eve's voice was cheerful.

"I take it you haven't seen Mac's men, yet?"

"No. I mean, other than the one that's been periodically checking on me since this whole thing started. I.... Kevin, what's happened."

"I need you to not panic. But I need you to tell me exactly what you said to me this afternoon at the hospital."

"What do you mean what I said? Kevin you......"

Chris saw the blood drain from Eve's face. "Eve? What's wrong?" Taking her phone, Chris yelled into it. "What the hell did you say to her, Collins?"

"Chris?" Kevin sighed. "It wasn't me at the hospital. It was my brother."

"Your brother? The one that's dead?"

"That's the one. It's a long story, but the most important part is that Eve could be in danger."

"Not as long as I'm around."

"Good. But you need to get a good picture of what you're dealing with, Chris. He's a killer. I don't think we'll ever know how many people he's killed. Don't try to deal with him alone, I'm telling you, Chris. This has nothing to do with you, or what I think of you. This has to do with the fact that Ryan is deadly. PCPD is on the way, and they're going to watch her."

Reaching out to take Eve's hand, Chris shook his head. "If she's in that much danger, where the hell are you?"

"I.... I'm at Lucy's. Tell Eve to explain everything to you. I honestly believe this is where he'll eventually end up, but I don't want to risk Eve's life on a hunch."

"You know what, Collins? You go take care of your girlfriend and your babies. I'll take care of Eve."

The line went dead in Kevin's hand. "Eve's with Chris. And he knows what's going on. Eve will tell him the rest of it."

"How is she?"

"Fine. He didn't do anything to her except get the information he wanted."

Suddenly, Lucy felt uncomfortable this close to him. Pulling away, she stood. "I want to do something, but I'm not sure what. I mean, this sitting around, waiting for him to make his move will drive me crazy, but I know there isn't much else I can do."

Standing, Kevin followed her around the room. "It's not ‘I', Lucy. You're not alone in this. I told you I would take care of them, and I will."

Lucy stared at Kevin for a moment, wanting desperately to go to him and have him hold her. But it wasn't real. Pretending it was would only hurt more in the end. Trying to ignore the feelings inside her, she walked to Victor.

As Victor pulled her into his arms, he looked at Kevin over her shoulder. Kevin turned and looked out the window, but not quickly enough. The look on his face almost broke Victor's heart, and he wondered how two people that loved each other so much could get so far apart.

*****************

"You're kidding, right? This can't be real." Chris was shaking his head.

"It's real, alright. Kevin never cheated on me. Ryan went after Lucy to get to him."

"So, now that Ryan knows, what happens?"

"He'll probably wait until Lucy delivers, then try to kill her to get them. At least that's what Kevin always thought. That's why he was going to put his name on the birth certificate. Maybe now that Ryan knows, he'll let go of this, and be the uncle."

"You sound like that's more wishful thinking than fact."

Eve sighed. "I don't know, Chris. I mean, I do think this started out to be about Kevin feeling guilty, and about protecting the twins. Now, I don't know what he's going to do."

"You're afraid he's going to want to play Daddy now, regardless of what Ryan does or doesn't know, right?"

The look on Eve's face told Chris everything he needed to know. "Do you think Kevin would leave you for Lucy?"

"I know she wants him to. At first, she didn't even want to see him, but she's had so many complications, he feels like he has to help."

Chris shook his head. "I know you don't want to hear this, but you gotta feel for Lucy. I mean, I know she's done a lot of lousy stuff to you, but what he did to her, man, nobody deserves that. I mean, it's never been a secret that Kevin ended the relationship, and that Lucy still loved him. And for Ryan to use her like that….."

"I know, Chris. I really do. And I'm sorry it happened to her. But that doesn't mean that Kevin wants to go back to her, or that he and I don't love each other."

"But right now, it's Lucy he's protecting." It wasn't that Chris wanted to hurt Eve. He just wanted her to take a good look at what was going on. "And if he still wants to be the Daddy, what will that do to the two of you?"

Tears came to Eve's eyes, and she shrugged. "I'm afraid it will end us, Chris. I'm not prepared to take a back seat to Lucy. I was ready to help Kevin protect the babies, but if Ryan knows the truth, there's no reason anymore. So, if he still intends to go through with this….."

"You'll know exactly where you stand." The hurt flashed across her face, and Chris sighed. "I'm sorry, but someone needs to be the voice of reason, here. You can't pretend to not know there will always be some connection between them. Twins or not. So, now he's tied to her forever, whether he claims to be the father, or just plays Uncle Kevin. You know if they don't have a father, Kevin's going to be the doting uncle. He couldn't walk away from his fatherless nephews or nieces."

"I'm not asking him, to, Chris! Family is very important to him. I would never tell him he can't see them. I just hate the fact that Lucy Coe is part of the deal."

"Then walk."

"What?!"

"Eve, Lucy is part of the deal. You know that. If it's going to be like this for you for the rest of your life, it's time to cut your losses." Chris took her hands and looked into her eyes. "You don't deserve to be with someone with this kind of baggage. The kids are going to come before you or Lucy, and you'll always wonder if Lucy comes before you. So, at best, you spend the rest of your life 3rd or 4th in the food chain for Kevin's affection. And you deserve better."

Eve couldn't answer. She knew Chris was right, and if she were thinking with her head, she would run back to the lighthouse, pack her things, and get out. The problem was that her heart was in charge at the moment. And her heart refused to give up on Kevin.

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