"You are cordially invited to the engagement soiree of 
 

Dr. Kevin Collins 
and 
Dr. Evelyn Lambert. 

Please join us on Saturday, December 17th, at 8 o'clock in the evening at the Port Charles Country Club. 

R.S.V.P to Dr. Collins. We hope you'll attend..." 
 

Dr. Chris Ramsey stared at the invitation for the umpteenth time. He'd gotten it weeks ago, and the 17th was two days away. He sipped his martini again, staring at it. Deciding to just toss it, it was snatched from his fingers just before he crumpled it. 

"I can't believe you were even invited," chided Dr. Matt Harmon snidely. "I mean, you don't have any friends. It must've been a pity invite. You are the most pathetic loser in this town. I just wish more people could see it. You're just so good at pretending and faking everything, Ramsey. No wonder you've got Kevin and Eve snowed." Lucy Coe walked in just as Matt began his little speech. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You awful, awful man," she glared at Matt. "Just because you don't think Dr. Ramsey is a nice guy doesn't give you the right to insult him the way you did." Matt just bugged his eyes out at Lucy, amazed she spoke to him in that manner. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Why don't you just run along now, hmm? Go on. Just run along, run along," she grinned sourly. Matt looked at Chris and Lucy with utter contempt in his eyes and rolled his wheelchair away. Lucy looked after him and sighed heavily. "Scotch!" she exclaimed to the passing waiter. Taking a seat opposite Chris at his bar table, she slipped the invitation out across the table. "Well, at least you got invited," she commented wryly, setting her drink down from the waiter. 

Chris half-smiled at the precocious older woman. "By the way, thanks for intervening. One day, someone's going to get really tired of that condescending, high-and-mighty attitude of his and knock his block off." Suddenly chuckling, he added, "Hell, might've been me tonight if it weren't for you." 

Lucy smiled back coyly. "Well, thank you Dr. Ramsey." Gesturing to the invitation, she continued, "So are you going to this little shin-dig? Pretty much anybody who's anybody is going." Chris gazed blankly at Lucy until suddenly his eyes lit up. "Would you like to go, Lucy? You know, to their party?" Lucy got a confused look on her face and crinkled her nose. "No. First off, I wasn't invited, and second, I would never give them the satisfaction." 

"You don't really expect me to go alone, now, do you, Ms. Coe?" Lucy could see the wheels turning behind Chris's sparkling brown eyes. "Hmmm. Now how could I resist that charming smile of yours, Dr. Ramsey?" Chris smiled even brighter. "I'll be your date only if you promise that it'll be a night that Kevin and Evie never, ever forget." "It's a deal," Chris grinned. "Now, pick out your sexiest Christmas party dress, and I'll pick you up at 7 Saturday night." Chris got up to leave. "Gotta go. See you then, Ms. Coe." 

"See you then, doctor." 

Lucy stood in front of her mirror in yet another dress. It must've been the fourteenth dress she'd tried on. "Well what do you think, Siggy? Does this scream ultra sexy or what?" Sigmund her duck quacked once. "No, you're right. It screams whore, whore, whore!" She threw the purple dress down, and picked up another. "No, orange is so not right for this event. This one? Well, green is right for the season, but not this green." She picked up the seventeenth dress of the pile on her bed and pulled it on. Carefully lacing up the front, she looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was almost conservative, except for it's passionate red color. The English barmaid-inspired dress clung to her figure amazingly. The off-the-shoulder satin gown hanging to the floor with a simple, boned, velvet bodice accentuated the body she'd worked so hard all these years to keep up. "Oh, yes. This is definitely the one." She ran over to the vanity table and did her hair and applied her make-up to perfection. Adding all the final touches, she finished just as Chris knocked on her door. 

"Good evening, Dr. Ramsey," she answered the door, posing sexily in the doorway. 

Chris whistled loudly. "My, my, Ms. Coe! Don't you look ravishing. They'll never know what hit them." Lucy took Chris's arm, and they went down to his car. 

Along the way, Lucy began trying to formulate a plan of attack in her mind. "Okay, so what shall we do. Hmmm." Her eyes wandered over to the tuxedo-clad Chris. 'He certainly does look sharp,' she thought to herself. 'I bet he looks good in a towel.' Lucy smiled and almost laughed. "Oh, I know! We can separate them and get them alone and then tell them how we really feel about them!" 

"Nah," Chris responded. "For one thing, it'll be too hard. For another, the direct approach doesn't always work. Sometimes, it just hurts more that way for the losers." Chris chewed on his lower lip, thinking of another idea. "Say, why don't we just go with the good ol' stand-by?" Lucy crinkled her forehead, showing her confusion. "You know, show off with each other and make them insanely jealous?" A huge grin spread across Lucy's face. "Of course. What's more effective than a little old fashioned jealousy?" 

"And then we keep it up until we can do your idea. Non?" 

"Oh, oui, oui, doctor." 

Chris and Lucy walked into the country club on each other’s arms, receiving some shocked stares from the other guests. They both smiled in satisfaction at the response. They knew that they were probably the most disliked people in the room, but that was the whole point of this, wasn’t it? Moving further into the room, a waiter brought them champagne, which they both delighted in taking. 

"Look at these sheep," Chris whispered. "You’d think they just seen Mother Theresa walking in on Satan’s arm." Lucy smiled brightly back and moved herself closer to Chris as she saw Eve suddenly take notice of them. 

"And lookie, lookie. Little Evie just spotted us. This is going to be the most fun." Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy caught Eve starting to come over. "Mmm. Eve is headed this way. I’m going to go powder my nose. Ta." 

Lucy kissed Chris lightly on the cheek before she walked off, making sure that Eve couldn’t miss it. Eve swallowed hard as she approached Chris. ‘What is he doing here with her?’ she thought to herself. ‘He’s supposed to be my friend. If he was my friend, he wouldn’t have brought the tramp of the century along with him. Besides, he’s far too good for her. He needs someone who actually could love him. Someone that could take care of him. Someone to laugh at his jokes. Someone to appreciate his martinis. Someone like—.’ Eve’s thoughts came to a quick halt when she realized she had almost said, "Someone like me." Chris wasn’t the man for her; Kevin was. She bit down on her lip and sped towards Chris. She just had to save him from Lucy’s clutches. "Chris, hi. I’m so glad you could make it." 

"Wouldn’t miss it for the world," he answered. "I hope you don’t mind, but I really thought I should bring a date. You know, nothing’s sadder than a true bachelor at an engagement party." ‘God, she looks beautiful,’ he noted to himself. ‘This thing with Lucy had better work. I just can’t lose Eve forever to Kevin.’ Chris sipped his champagne and added, "Congratulations, by the way. I’m looking forward to a great evening at this party of yours. I brought the funnest person I could find." Just then, Lucy reappeared at Chris’s side, coyly slipping her arms into his. 

"Yes, congratulations, Eve," she forced. "I know I wasn’t invited, but I could never resist our charming Dr. Ramsey. He is one of the most terrific men in this town. When he invited me, well, how could I say no?" She grinned like the Cheshire cat, watching Eve’s face turn a lovely shade of green. ‘Oh, she definitely has something for Chris,’ Lucy thought. ‘She’s already exhibiting those little signs of jealousy. Hmmm. It’s going to be much easier to change her mind than changing Kevin’s.’ Lucy sighed. She hadn’t seen Kevin yet and was beginning to wonder if he’d noticed her with Chris yet. 

Kevin was standing on the other side of the room when Lucy and Chris had arrived, and he had most certainly made note of their entrance. Victor had as well. "My, Lucy does look so lovely tonight, doesn’t she, Monk? And with that Dr. Ramsey. They make a handsome couple, don’t you think?" Victor asked. Victor was still advocating for Kevin and Lucy to reunite, but it had never happened. And now Lucy was with Chris. ‘This is going to turn out to be a lemon of a party if Monk and Eve show their jealousy,’ he reflected. Suddenly, a giant grin spread across Victor’s face. ‘Ah-ha! So that’s what she’s up to! Lucy, you’re brilliant! If Monk and Eve realize that they’re really in love with you and Dr. Ramsey, then they’re sure to break up. And that means Lucy and Monk will finally be together. Oh, this is going to be an excellent party,’ he smiled in thought. 

Kevin on the other hand was steaming. ‘Why is Lucy here with Chris Ramsey?’ he thought. ‘What could she possibly see in him? She doesn’t belong with him, she belongs with—.’ He stopped himself from adding "me," and chewed on his tongue. Could he still have those same feelings for her after all this time? "No, Victor," he said, "I don’t think they make a handsome couple. Stop meddling." 

Chris and Lucy had taken to the dance floor along with several other couples, including Joe and Karen Scanlon, who had since married. Joining them also was Frank Scanlon and his new wife, Courtney. It had been discovered that Frank was actually Courtney’s son Neil’s real father, and since Frank had fallen in love with Courtney after Julie had been put to death in prison, he married her. Joe still hated Chris, but was glad that Courtney quickly removed him from her life when she found out Frank was Neil’s father. He glared at Chris and Lucy enjoying themselves, and Karen frowned at him. "Joe, come on. Chris and Eve are still friends, and he’s no longer interfering with anyone’s lives. Just ignore him," she offered. 

"That guy is still scum," Joe muttered. 

"I think they look cute together," Courtney added to Karen’s and Joe’s conversation as she and Frank swung by them. "They seem like they’re actually having fun." 

"And who could blame them?" Frank joined in. "Both of them are officially losing the loves of their lives. I think they’re entitled to a little fun." 

"Frank, let’s not forget the fact that Chris still had you and DL-56 for a year under our noses," Joe snarled. He shot Chris a death look that Chris let bounce right off of him. 

"And let’s not forget, Joe, that he was also the only one who was actually able to get me off the stuff. I owe him my life. If he hadn’t kept me on it and then weaned me off the way he did, I would be dead today." Frank caught Chris’s eye and nodded in his direction. 

The music stopped, and Kevin and Eve stood in front of the guests on a small stage. "I’d like to have your attention please," announced Kevin. "Thank you. I’d like to thank all of you for coming today so that I could announce Eve’s and my engagement to be married. We hope you all share in our happiness. And well that’s all I have to say right now, so everyone just enjoy yourselves at our party." The music began again, and the couples returned to dancing, this time joined by Kevin and Eve. Victor stood next to his long-time girlfriend Mary off to the side. 

"So, you see, I think Lucy and Dr. Ramsey are trying to make Kevin and Eve jealous!" he whispered excitedly. Mary chuckled and put her head on Victor’s shoulder. 

"Oh, Victor. You say the funniest things sometimes. Eve and Kevin seem so happy together. Why are you trying to figure out a way to change all that?" she questioned with a twinkle in her eyes. 

"Mary, I’m right about this. And furthermore, I think it’s working. 

Now, look. See those longing looks at Chris and Lucy in Kevin’s and Eve’s eyes? Eve can barely take her eyes off Chris." 

"But look at Chris and Lucy," Mary interjected. "They’ve barely taken their eyes off each other’s." 

"Precisely! Don’t you see? That’s how it works. Lucy and Chris pretend to be very interested in each other, but are much better at checking Eve’s and Kevin’s reactions by making it not seem as obvious as their counterparts. I believe that it’s part of the Schemer’s Handbook." Victor paused for a small reflection. "They would’ve made very good spies back when our country needed them." 

"Oh, Victor," Mary laughed. She turned her eyes back to the dance floor where she caught Lucy waving to Victor and then quickly turning her attention back to Chris. 

"This is working so well," Lucy squealed softly. "Eve has been staring at you all night!" 

"You’re telling me," Chris chimed in. "Kevin’s eyes have practically been popping out of his head. He’s definitely falling for our little scheme." 

"But Kevin is much more difficult to fool. Perhaps we should step it up to the next level." 

"And that is?" 

"A seemingly excluded area to steal a kiss. But not so out of the way that Kevin and Eve won’t surely see us." 

Chris smiled. "I can tell you’ve done this before. Where do you suggest our make-out session take place?" 

Lucy pinched Chris’s shoulder resulting in a wince of pain from him. "This is not a make-out session. We’re on a mission." Lucy looked around the room and spotted the doors leading out to the terrace. "Perfect," she murmured. "Look over there at the terrace. I figure standing right by the railing, just at the edge of the light should set the right mood. Come on." Lucy took Chris’s arm and cuddled closely to him as she led him from the dance floor. She glanced at the reflection in the terrace doors’ windows and saw Eve’s eyes bulge. Chris opened the doors but slowly enough for him and Lucy to see Kevin’s and Eve’s reaction. Eve looked as if she was saying something about not feeling like dancing right then and Kevin left her to speak to Scott, who had just arrived. 

They walked out onto the terrace and stood there just at the edge of the light. "This is perfect! Did you see how upset Eve was? She couldn’t even dance with Kevin anymore," Lucy announced triumphantly. "We are very good partners, Dr. Ramsey." 

"You got that right," he smiled. He put his arms around Lucy in an embrace. "Don’t look now, but guess who’s standing by the terrace doors pretending to just sip champagne and look content?" 

Eve stood there, trying to watch the crowd on the dance floor, but mostly giving her attention to Chris and Lucy outside. ‘I can’t believe this,’ she thought. ‘What is going on? Chris is my friend. I should be happy that he’s found someone. But, God, why Lucy? Couldn’t he have found someone else? He’s my best friend, and she’s just—a bitch. Why am I acting like this? I love Kevin. I’m going to marry Kevin.’ Eve slowly found herself wondering if that was what she really wanted. She had always found herself attracted to Chris, but the timing was always so wrong. And now that he was with Lucy, she just couldn’t help thinking that maybe she’d made a mistake. 

"She looks really upset, Lucy," Chris said. "Or should I say, jealous?" 

"Then now would be the perfect time. Is she still looking?" Chris nodded. "Then kiss me, Dr. Ramsey," she said, smiling a devilish grin. Chris bent his head down and slowly pressed his lips against Lucy’s. Although it was supposed to be acting, Chris found himself getting into it. Lucy was reacting similarly. Chris and Lucy no longer were kissing for Eve’s benefit. They were kissing each other because they liked it. Their kiss deepened, and Eve was falling for the whole job. Tears started welling up in her eyes, and she ran from the ballroom. Finding her way outside, she found herself behind the terrace and saw Chris and Lucy still kissing. The tears began sliding down her face. She couldn’t contain them any longer but she didn’t know where to go. Running further from the country club, she found herself standing in the sand next to the 18th green on the golf course. She looked around and saw that she was all alone. Finally, she flopped down onto the sand, put her head in her hands and cried her heart out. 

When Chris and Lucy broke their kiss, it was just in time to see Eve running towards the golf course. "Well, I think we’ve made her sufficiently jealous," Lucy commented. She had to run away from her own engagement party." Putting her hands on Chris’s cheeks, she added, "You’re not a bad kisser, doctor. Much better than I could’ve hoped for." 

"You’re not so bad yourself, Ms. Coe," he responded. Lucy leaned in and kissed him again, without even knowing that Kevin had come to the terrace doors and was now watching them. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Lucy and Chris were kissing, and it didn’t even seem like they were doing it for anyone else’s benefit except their own. Suddenly, Kevin burst in between them and pushed Chris back. 

"Leave her alone, Chris," he tried to defend. 

"She’s my date," Chris stressed. "Why are you defending her instead of enjoying your fiancée?" Chris walked back into the ballroom and closed the doors to the terrace. ‘Okay, Lucy,’ he thought. It’s your turn to do your work.’ He walked outside, leaving Kevin and Lucy alone, to look for Eve. 

"Kevin!" Lucy baited, smacking him in the chest. "Dr. Ramsey invited me to be his date to your engagement party. The least you could do is show your guests a little courtesy. Why did you do that, huh?" 

"Lucy, I couldn’t let him kiss you! What was I supposed to do? Just stand there and pretend like I didn’t care?" 

"Yes! That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do! Did it ever occur to you that I might like kissing Chris? That I might want to kiss him? Why couldn’t you just leave us alone?" 

"Because I still love you!" Kevin shouted back. Kevin was as shocked at his own words as Lucy was. 

"You still love me?" she asked. "Then why are you marrying Eve?" "I don’t know," he answered. "I don’t know what to think. All I know is that I still love you, and that I can't marry Eve now." Kevin looked over at Lucy and took her hand. "Oh, Lucy. God help me, I still love you." 

"Oh, Doc." She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. ‘I knew it all along,’ she thought to herself. ‘I hope Chris is having the same luck. Thank you, Chris Ramsey.’ 

Meanwhile, Chris had followed the loud sobbing to the 18th green. "Eve?" he called out. "Eve? Where are you? Eve?" 

"I’m over here," she said just above a whisper. Chris found her sitting on the edge of one of the sand traps facing the green. "What are you doing here?" she asked. 

"I came to find you. I saw you run off from the party." 

"Lucy didn’t mind?" 

"No, actually, Kevin pushed me away from Lucy and ran me off." "Figures." Eve heaved a huge sigh. "You know, I knew he always loved her. You know, that we weren’t really right for each other. He was like Scott. I just convinced myself that they were the one for me at the time. And all along, you stood by me, encouraging me, but telling me that they weren’t really the ones." 

Chris dropped his head down then brought his eyes up. Eve put her hand on Chris’s and leaned in closer to him. "You have never left me. When I thought my world was falling apart, you were there to help me gather all the pieces. You have always been there for me. I could never get through my life without you." She moved her head in and brushed her lips across his lips. "I love you, Chris." Chris stood up and held out his hand for Eve. She took it and they walked back to the country club with their arms around each other. 

As they came up to the building, they saw Kevin and Lucy looking down from the terrace. Kevin and Eve gave each other knowing looks, and they all met on the terrace. "Kevin—," Eve started. 

"Eve—," Kevin cut her off. "I love Lucy." 

"I love Chris," she smiled back. 

"I’ve always wanted to marry her." 

"I’ve always wanted to marry him." 

"No hard feelings?" 

"Never." 

"Shall we—?" 

"—Announce it to everyone." 

They walked back in, Chris and Eve, Kevin and Lucy. Victor stood up smiling and began clapping. The rest of the room followed suit, except Matt and Scott. "Wait a minute!" Scott exclaimed. "Just what the heck is going on here?! I thought Kevin and Eve were getting married!" "Can’t you see?" Matt told him. "Chris has convinced them all that Eve should marry him and Kevin should marry Lucy. It’s part of his plot to take over the world! He’s trying to brainwash us! What are you, Chris? The Antichrist?!" 

Ellen smacked Matt on the back of the head. "What’s the matter with you? Chris isn’t trying to take over the world, and he’s certainly not the Antichrist. Get your priorities straight, mister. Can’t you see that they’re all in love? Kevin and Eve realized the mistake they were making by getting married to each other. But they’ve corrected it now. They’re with the ones they really love. You and I have a great love, and you shouldn't try to stop anyone else from following their hearts. We deserved that chance, and Chris deserves it, too. We should be happy for them. For all of them." 

Frank broke off from the rest of the guests and went up to Chris. He took his hand and gave it a firm shake. "Congratulations, man," Frank smiled. 

"Thanks, Frank," Chris returned. 

Victor followed suit and hugged Kevin and Lucy together. "Oh, Monk, I knew you and Lucy’d get back together! I knew it!" he gushed. Everyone else went through the same routines congratulating the new couples. Afterwards, Victor yelled for everyone’s attention: he’d changed the sign that read 

"Congratulations Kevin & Eve" to "Congratulations Kevin & Lucy and Eve & Chris."