Lucky’s Return Chapters 6-10

 

Chapter 6

 

Lucky stood in the dark at the window in Sonny's penthouse staring out at the rain. It had started to rain just after Luke and Laura had arrived at the penthouse, a fierce rain with thunder and lightning and high winds that gave no indication of letting up any time soon. He couldn't help but feel that this was a bad omen, a portent of something terrible to come. And he knew that whatever it was he would be responsible for it.

The events and emotions of the past day were still fresh in his mind. There was the joy of seeing his parents and Lulu again after two years. He thought of Lulu then. She had been five when he left and she was nearly eight now. He was amazed that she still remembered him, even though Elizabeth had told him that she still talked about him every day. In fact she had cried out his name and run to him as soon as she had seen him enter the living room. He had caught her in his arms and picked her up, holding her close to him, overcome with the emotional impact of seeing her and realizing how much he had missed. He thought of that as he stared at the rain, and his heart felt heavy with the fear he felt for her now.

And there were his parents. He had seen Luke first, had seen that first look of shock, then amazement as he had whispered his name, "Lucky?" Luke had stood back, watching as Lulu ran to him. Lucky watched Luke intently, as everything unfolded, not sure where he stood with him. Things had not been good between them for a long time before he left, and although they had been on good terms the last time he had seen him, he knew there were still unresolved issues between them. But none of those things seemed to matter to Lucky now. He just wanted to be home with his family and Elizabeth and feel safe again.

He wondered if that were really possible. Faison was such an evil force, and a man with no conscience; he wondered if they would ever be free of him. He thought of Laura, and the things Elizabeth had told him about her problems after he was kidnapped. She had told him of the nervous breakdown she had a month or so after he was gone, and of her long, slow battle back to sanity and back to Luke and of the pain she still dealt with daily because Lucky was gone. He thought of these things as he put Lulu down and turned to his mother. There were tears streaming down her face as he reached out his arms to her and pulled her close, holding her for a long time, just letting her cry. He looked at Luke and saw the tears in his eyes as he nodded slightly to Lucky, a wistful, but sad, smile on his face.

Lucky was rocked by the realization that he still could tell what Luke was thinking, that after all the time that had passed, they still had that connection, that strange sense of always knowing what the other was thinking. He knew that Luke's nod was a nod of approval that he had returned to face whatever demons lay ahead. And he knew the wistful, sad smile meant that he was resigned to the fact that they were all in danger now and that life would never be the same for any of them again.

Laura held onto him for a long time, looking into his eyes, wiping the tears from his face. He said to her, softly, "It's okay, Mom. I don't want you to cry. I'm home to stay." It had always hurt him to see his mother cry, and he had witnessed it so many times growing up. Seeing her cry had always made him cry, too. Her emotions were always so raw, and he could not help but feel her pain each time she cried. But this time he knew they were tears of joy.

Finally she pulled away from him and said, "This is the happiest day of my life, Lucky. I've prayed for this every day since you've been gone."

He smiled, "So have I. I've missed you so much."

Laura kissed him on the cheek and pulled away from him then and turned to Luke, stepping aside as she did. Lucky looked at Luke and the look that passed between them spoke volumes. There were so many unspoken understandings of love, and happiness and fear of the danger lurking.

Finally Luke spoke, in barely a whisper, as he put his hand over his heart, "Son, you've come home to us?"

Lucky nodded. "I have to know; are we okay, Dad?"

Luke smiled, "We've never not been okay, don't you know that?"

Lucky felt the tears starting again, and did nothing to stop them from spilling down his face. He went to Luke then and they embraced, holding onto each other for a long minute. When Luke pulled away he put his hands on either side of Lucky's face. "It is damn good to have you back here. He was smiling, as he turned to Sonny, "I think this calls for a celebration, don't you, partner?"

Sonny had fixed a feast for all of them and they celebrated Lucky's return. After they ate, they sat in the living room, Elizabeth on one side of Lucky on the couch and Laura on the other. She held onto his hand as if she were afraid if she let go he would vanish again. Lulu was lying on the other couch with her head in Luke's lap, sleeping.

Lucky began to tell them of his ordeal during the past two years. He told them everything he had already told Sonny and Elizabeth.

"Dad, it was Faison who took me."

Luke looked shocked. "But he died in the explosion with Anna and Robert."

"That's what he wanted you to think. He's very much alive. He's been tormenting me for two years, over some ridiculous vendetta against you. He was always threatening me, but never seemed to follow through on the threats. I gained my freedom by making him think he had been successful at brainwashing me. But of course, I'm not free of him. The price of my freedom was to never see any of you again."

Luke was having a hard time believing Faison was still alive, and was the one responsible for putting his family through two years of hell.

"You know, Dad, there is one other thing that I just thought of. It was right after he took me that he told me you knew him as someone else. That you still thought he was dead. I was never sure if he was telling me the truth or not."

"Who did he say I knew him as?"

"He never gave me the name; just that he sold you those little cigars you used to smoke."

He saw the look of realization and horror wash over Luke's face, "Krieg. My God, Sonny, it's Herr Krieg. He's had Lucky all along."

Sonny finally spoke, "This is great news, Lucky. This will make it easier to find him. He's been here in Port Charles for over a year." "Dammit, I should have known. I should have been able to tell."

"Dad, how could you have known?"

Luke just shook his head. "All I can say is he had better be watching his back. When I get my hands on him, there will be nothing left of him."

Lulu had awakened then and they said their good-byes soon after. Luke, Sonny and Lucky made plans to meet with Jason the next day to plan their strategy on finding Faison. For now, Lucky would not contact him, and Sonny would do everything in his power to protect them.

Elizabeth came up behind Lucky and put her arms around him. He turned enough to put one arm around her waist and his other hand in her hair as he laid her head against his shoulder. "It doesn't look like this storm will end anytime soon."

"I know. Lucky, let's go upstairs."

"You're staying?"

"I don't plan on leaving you for a minute, Lucky."

He looked down at her, kissed her softly on the lips and said, "I'm so afraid for them, Elizabeth. I'm afraid for all of us."

From the street corner a man in an overcoat carrying a large umbrella watched the window as the two figures come together in an embrace. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a number. "It is as you suspected. He is with the Webber girl and the Spencers were here earlier. Yes, that is good; let them have their fantasy of believing they are free for now. I will keep you informed." He then hung up the phone and turned his back to the window, and walked away.

Chapter 7

Luke entered the bedroom and found Laura sitting on the side of the bed, holding a picture of Lucky in her hand.

"Is Lulu asleep?"

"Yea, she went right out. It was big day for her, getting her big brother back."

As he sat down beside her and put his arm around her, he looked at the picture of Lucky and smiled,. "Pretty amazing, isn't it, Darlin'; after all the pain of the past few years, our boy is home."

Laura looked into his eyes, questioning, almost pleading. "He's going to be all right isn't he, Luke? You have to promise me that he's going to be all right. I couldn't bear to lose him again"

"I promise you he's going to be okay, Laura. Sonny and I will find Faison and put an end to all of this."

"I hope you're right." She leaned into him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I feel so happy, and so scared at the same time."

"I know, baby, I know."

She looked up at him. "Elizabeth never believed he was dead, you know. She always told me she could never feel it, that she would know if he was. They have something so strong, Luke, we can't let that be taken away from them again."

"Yea, they kinda remind me of another young couple I used to know who thought they were indestructible."

She smiled and kissed him on the lips. "They were, Luke…we were. Look at us, after all we've been through and here we are, together and as much in love as ever."

"More, baby." He returned her kiss and pushed her slowing back on the bed, pulling her into his arms, and grinned at her. "Let me show you just how much more."

The next morning Luke got up early. He dressed quietly, and tried not to wake Laura, but as he was leaving she stirred. He leaned over to give her a kiss.

"Are you going to Sonny's?"

"Yea, the sooner we set a plan in motion, the sooner this nightmare will be over. Will you be okay here?"

"With Sonny's eight guards? I think so"

"I'll call you in a little while and we'll make arrangements for you and Lulu to see Lucky again. I don't know if it's a good idea to have you going to the penthouse again, just in case someone is watching, and never assume for a minute that they aren't."

She nodded. "I'll be waiting for your call."

"I love you, Laura."

"I love you too, Luke. Be careful."

"Always."

When he arrived at the penthouse, Sonny and Lucky were sitting on the couch.. "Luke, Jason will be here in a few minutes and we can sit down and work on our plan."

"Good." He looked at Lucky, "How you doing, Cowboy? I can still call ya that, can't I?"

Lucky laughed. "Dad, I'd be offended if you didn't."

Luke shook his head, smiling. "Damn, this is just about the happiest day of my life, son, having you back here where you belong. Where is the fine Ms. Webber, by the way?"

"She'll be down in a little while. She's really worn out."

"When did you first see her, son?"

"It was two days ago. I saw her in the park. At first I wasn't going to say anything to her. I just wanted to see her, to see for myself that she was okay. Then I saw Nikolas's kid, and for a second, I thought…well, anyway, I called to her and told her to meet me at the church later. So I saw her in the church and when I left her I had no intention of seeing her again for a long time."

"That was the night Sonny brought her to our house."

Sonny nodded, remembering the pain he felt for her that night, how he had wanted to take away her pain; would have done anything to take the pain from her.

"So what made you come back?"

"Elizabeth. I couldn't stay away from her. I love her so much, Dad. I came to your house that night, to my old window and she let me in. I spent the night there."

"In our house?"

"Yea."

"Man, I swear I felt your presence so strong that night. That was the night we decided to have Elizabeth move in with us."

"It was the next morning I decided to come to Sonny for help."

"You made the right decision, Lucky."

Sonny was pacing the floor when the door opened and Jason came in. "What's up, Sonny?"

"There you are. I need your help, Jason. You ain't even gonna believe what's going on."

"What's going on? What's got you so wired?"

He heard the voice from behind as Lucky came down the steps. "I guess it's me that's got him so wired."

Jason spun around, recognizing Lucky's voice. "Jesus. Lucky."

Sonny said, "I believe those were my exact words."

"Hi, Jason. As you can see, rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Jason was still in shock. "It's great to see you, Lucky. Where the hell have you been all this time?"

"Well, that's why Sonny called you here, Jason."

"Come on in, this may take awhile to explain."

Jason left and Luke turned to Lucky, "Why don't you sneak over to the house later to see Lulu and your mother? If Faison is watching, and I have no doubt he is, he'll know you've seen us. I know this guy pretty well, Lucky, he ain't gonna make a move yet."

"Dad, should I let anyone else know I'm back? I'd love to see Aunt Bobbie and Lucas. And Nikolas. By the way, are you two still enemies?"

"Nah, the kid's okay. I knew if I didn't accept him, your mother and I would never have a chance. He's such a big part of her life, and she loves him so much. We get along great now. He's been really good to Liz and to your mother and Lulu."

"Well, at least that's one less thing for me to worry about."

"He really cares about you, son. I think it would be okay to see him. We could invite them all over for dinner tonight."

Elizabeth came down the steps then, "Hi, Luke."

"Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing?"

"I've never been better." She went to Lucky and he put his arm around her, and kissed her on the cheek.

"You two. Man, it just does my heart good to see you together again. I'm gonna get going, got some stuff to do at the club and I'll call your mother about tonight."

"Okay, dad, we'll see you a little later."

Sonny spoke, "I'll have my driver take you and Elizabeth over there. That way no one sees you leave, hopefully."

"Okay. Thanks, Sonny. Thanks for everything, man."

"I told you, no thanks is required. Now I gotta go take care of some business. Will you two be okay alone here?"

They looked at each other and laughed. "I think we can find something to do to keep us busy."

"Well, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Sonny, that leaves us a wide open range."

Sonny just smiled walked to the door and left.

"I heard you and Luke talking. You're going to see Nikolas?"

"Yea, tonight at my parents house. Aunt Bobbie, too. I guess I feel better about seeing everyone since my dad and Jason are helping Sonny. I just wish I knew where Faison was keeping me. For all I know he had me right here in Port Charles. I know one day he had ribs from Eli's. That was right after he took me. They were still warm, but he could have had them flown in and microwaved them. My gut feeling tells me this is where we were, though."

"Lucky, how long do you think it will take to find him? I mean, before we can feel really safe again?"

"I wish I knew. But I know if anyone can find him, Sonny and my dad can."

"I hope it's soon. I just want him to leave us alone so we can live a normal life."

"Oh, Elizabeth, haven't you learned by now, especially from my father, that life with a Spencer can never be normal."

She smiled and reached up to kiss him, "Yea, but life with you is the only one I want."

"Good. Cause I think you're stuck with me."

He pulled her close and kissed her, and said, "Soon, Elizabeth. I promise, it will be soon."

Chapter 8

Sonny had left a note for Lucky and Elizabeth that he would be away overnight and would return the next morning sometime. Elizabeth had turned on some music when they returned to the penthouse after dinner at Luke and Laura's. She sensed that Lucky was deep in thought or upset, or depressed. He hadn't said much in the car on the way back. She sat down beside him on the couch put her hand on his arm, and said, "Are you okay, Lucky? You've been so quiet since we left."

He looked at her and took her hand in his two. "I'm okay. Just thinking. It was pretty emotional for me to see Nikolas and Emily, and Aunt Bobbie and Lucas. It made me realize how much I've missed them. But it also makes me realize how many people I've put in danger by coming back here. I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just stay away."

"You did the right thing, Lucky. You did."

"You don't understand how evil this Faison guy is. He hasn't made a move yet and it's been almost four days. That worries me."

"Maybe he doesn't have any use for you anymore."

"I wish that were true, but I don't believe that, not for a minute."

"Well, I think we should just live our lives and try not to worry about it. Sonny is making sure we're all safe."

He loved her naiveté', her innocence. "Honey, he can't keep us completely safe. No one can do that. Safety is just an illusion, you know. Faison could strike at any time with no warning. That's what I'm afraid of."

"Well, let's try not to think about it tonight. Sonny is gone and we have the whole place to ourselves."

He smiled at her. "Okay. It was good to be back home tonight though, especially with my parents back together. It's been a long time since I've felt that security and sense of family in that house."

"I know. I think Nikolas nearly had a heart attack when he answered the door and saw you standing there."

He laughed, "Yea, he did go kind of pale, like he'd seen a ghost."

"Well, he did, sort of."

"But he was happy to see me, don't you think?"

"Lucky, he loves you. You'll never know how much he missed you. I think he really missed all your tormenting."

"Good, I'll have to think of new ways to torment him now."

"Listen, this is the song that we danced to the night of the fire."

She stood up, then and took his hand, "Come here, I want you to dance with me now."

He stood up and pulled her close and they danced, holding each other tightly. When the song ended, she looked up at him and kissed him deeply.

He smiled, "That was nice."

"I'm going up to take a nice, long, hot bath."

She smiled at him and turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand. "Don't be long."

Across town in the basement of an old abandoned warehouse, Faison was sitting at a large conference table in his monitoring room. On the screen he could see the stark, metal room that had been Lucky's cell for so many months. It had been well stocked with books, music, clothes, a computer and a comfortable bed. Now it was empty save for a small cot.

Two men sat with Faison. He spoke to the first man, the one who had stood outside Sonny's penthouse two nights before in the rain. "Who else has young Lucky Spencer seen besides his family, the girl, and Mr. Corinthos?" He was asking as if he didn't know the answer, but of course he knew. He knew every move Lucky had made in the past four days.

"Tonight he saw his aunt, Bobbie Jones, and his nephew, Lucas." He turned to the second man, "And your son, sir."

Stefan Cassadine looked concerned, "He's seen my son? And my grandchild?"

"Yes. At the Spencer's house."

Stefan turned to Faison. "You must guarantee me that my son will be safe."

"I do not deal in guarantees, Mr. Cassadine, but young Nikolas is the least of my concerns right now. It will soon be time to teach our friend Lucky a lesson in loyalty. And there are others whose demise would hurt him much worse than your sons."

"Thank you. May I make one more request?"

"You are trying my patience, Mr. Cassadine. I do not take requests; you should know that by now."

"The little girl, Lulu. Please don't hurt the little girl. She is innocent in this."

"As I have told you before, I make no guarantees. Suffice it to say that I have something very special in mind for our young friend that will teach him about loyalty and the high price of betrayal. It will be a very painful, yet valuable lesson, I assure you."

Back at the penthouse, Lucky went upstairs to the bedroom he and Elizabeth had been sharing. He removed his shirt and shoes and lay back on the bed, his thoughts drifting to Elizabeth. He wanted to be with her, to make love to her and show her how much he loved her.

They had waited so long to be together. She had been in the bathroom for so long, and he was starting to really miss her. He needed to be with her, and he needed to be with her now. He got up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom door across the hall. He listened and could hear soft music coming from the other side of the door. He should just leave her alone; it had been a stressful few days for her, for even though he knew she was doing her best to put up a brave front, she was just as scared as he was about Faison and wondering what he had planned for them.

He turned away from the door, and started back for the bedroom, but his desire for her was strong, and he could only imagine how she must look, naked in the bathtub. He turned back to the door and put his hand on the knob, relieved to find that it yielded to his touch and he turned it slowly. He opened the door and saw only the flicker of candlelight in the room; then he saw Elizabeth, lying against the back of the tub full of bubbles, her eyes closed. He could see just the tops of her breasts above the bubbles. She looked so beautiful.

He approached the tub quietly, thinking she may be asleep. Finally, he whispered her name, "Elizabeth?"

She turned toward him then, and opened her eyes as he sat on the edge of the tub. She reached up and put her hand on the side of his face and said, so softly he could barely hear, with a slight shake in her voice, "I thought you'd never get here."

Chapter 9

He held her hand tightly in his and leaned over to kiss her on the mouth. "Then it's okay that I'm here?"

She nodded as tears welled in her eyes. His eyes never left hers as he stood up and removed his jeans, and she held his hand as he climbed in the tub with her. He saw that her cheeks were flushed, and her hands were shaking. After he sat down, facing her, she raised up on her knees and climbed onto his lap, wrapping her legs around his back, and her arms around his neck. She could feel his desire for her against her stomach, and he could feel the warmth of her skin against his, the intoxicating feeling of her warm, wet breasts against his chest. He could feel her heart beating wildly, like his own. "You're shaking, baby," he said as he pulled her close, "Are you okay?"

She looked at him, nodding, "You're shaking, too, Lucky." She put her hand to his chest, over his heart, "I can feel your heart beating," And in what may have been the most exquisite moment of his life, she leaned over and kissed him on his chest, over his heart.

He whispered her name again. "Elizabeth."

They had waited so long for this. He wanted it to be perfect and above all he didn't want to hurt her. It was the first time for both of them, and he had imagined this moment so many times over the past three years, but the reality of it was overwhelming. He didn't want to disappoint her. She raised up a little again and placed her lips on his, kissing him softly at first, but soon he caught the hair at the back of her neck and returned her kiss with a desperation he had not felt before. Never in all of his imaginings had Elizabeth been so aggressive, so full of the need to please him; he had always imagined that he would be the one to take the first step, to lead her. That it was the other way around made his desire for her even stronger.

They kissed for what seemed an eternity, both of them content with just holding each other. Finally he pulled away from her just a little, and his hand found her breast, cupping it tenderly, rubbing her nipple gently with his thumb. He leaned down and took it in his mouth, sucking on it and flicking his tongue over it. Just as he had done the night he had returned, but this time he didn't stop. He continued and heard her small sighs of approval as her hand reached down to touch him and hold him so tenderly in her hand. She whispered, "I don't want to hurt you."

His voice was thick, "I promise you won't hurt me, Elizabeth. You could never hurt me." Her hands were like feathers on him, her touch light, but so effective. As she began to perform her magic on him, kissing him at the same time, he lost himself in it. But only for a moment because he was more concerned about making this night special for her.

He gently covered her hand with his and pulled it away, as she looked at him questioningly and he said, "It's okay, Sweetie, let's go in the bedroom." He began to stand up, pulling her up with him. They stepped out of the tub and he grabbed two towels and they began to dry each other off, slowly, kissing each other as they did. He reached behind her head and undid the clip in her hair and let her long, soft curls fall around her shoulders..

He then picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom. As he laid her gently on the bed, she pulled him down so that he was lying on top of her.

He put his hands on either side of her face, in her hair, "You're still shaking."

"Just a little."

"Are you cold?"

"I'm never cold when I'm with you, Lucky. You make me feel warm, and safe."

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Elizabeth? We can stop anytime. I mean, I don't want to do anything if…." She silenced him with a kiss and he traced his kiss down to the hollow of her neck, then to her breasts, where he lingered. He raised himself up enough to look up at her as his hands covered her breasts again, and whispered, "Is this okay?"

She answered, breathlessly, "Oh, yes, please."

He kissed her deeply then, and finally, while still holding her, he turned them over, so that he was half sitting up on the bed, and she was on his lap, her knees on either side of him, just as she had been in the bathtub.

They continued to kiss each other for some time, until finally he reached down to guide himself inside her. He was surprised when she covered his hand with hers to help him. He entered her slowly, and gently, so afraid that he would hurt her or that she would suddenly not want him, afraid that the demons from her past would begin to haunt her.

He whispered, "Tell me you're a little scared. Cause I am."

She nodded, "Yes, but it's a good kind of scared,"

"Are you okay? Am I hurting you? We can stop if it doesn't feel right."

She shook her head, biting her lip a little, "Lucky, I want you. It's okay."

He pulled her to him then and kissed her as they began to move together, their eyes locked, with everything between them unspoken, yet understood.

He spoke in the softest voice she had ever heard, "Elizabeth, you are so beautiful and I love you so much." He gently leaned her back on the bed, so that she was lying beneath him. He kissed her deeply as she put her hands on his face, wiping away his tears, even as she felt her own welling in her eyes, even as she felt herself giving over to the intense pleasure and he felt himself finally letting go. When at last their breathing became less labored, there was no need for words between them. They both understood that what they had just experienced would bond them together for the rest of their lives.

Finally, he started to pull himself away from her. She put her hands on his shoulders., "No, wait, I want to stay like this for as long as we can." She pulled him down to her and cradled his head in her shoulder, until they both fell asleep.

Chapter 10

Elizabeth awoke to sunshine streaming through the windows for the first time since Lucky had returned. The dark, oppressive days of rain and wind from the previous week were finally over and she felt a sense of contentment and a feeling of hope for the future that she had not felt since Lucky first went away.

She smiled as she remembered the night before. She remembered the way her heart had raced as she waited in the bathtub and the way it skipped a beat when she heard the doorknob turning and he entered the bathroom. She had loved that Lucky told her he was scared. She had been scared, too, and knew that both their fears stemmed from the rape she had endured several years before. Lucky had found her that night in the park, broken and bruised and barely able to stand. He had taken her to his parent's house and from that night on had become her protector, her savior, her best friend. They had become best friends and eventually had fallen in love. But if the truth were known, she had loved him since the first time she met him, when she was still young and sometimes insolent. They had not always gotten along so well, but after the rape, he always gave her the space and time she needed to heal, yet was also always there to catch her when she felt she was going to fall.

They had discussed making love many times, but each time they had decided that the time wasn't right and she knew it was because they both had fears of those old demons coming back to haunt her. But Lucky had erased all of those fears last night by being so gentle and showing her the most incredibly pure love she could ever have imagined.

She stretched as she reached for Lucky, only to find his side of the bed empty. Her heart skipped a beat, maybe even stopped for a moment when she realized he was not there. God, please don't let this all have been a dream, she thought. As she reached for her robe and started to get out of bed, the door opened and Lucky walked in, carrying a tray with food.

He smiled at her. "Good morning." He set the tray down on the table by the bed and leaned over to kiss her lingeringly on the lips.

"I was afraid you were gone."

He sat down on the bed in front of her, taking her hands in his two. "Only to get you some food." He pushed a piece of hair off her face. "You look so happy today."

"I am happy. I mean, look at the sunshine, Lucky. It's so beautiful, and it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay."

He was not as hopeful as she, but didn't want to ruin her mood. "I hope you're right. The sunshine gives me hope, too." He looked at her, his expression turning serious.

"What is it, Lucky?"

"Do you know how grateful I am that you waited for me? I mean, I never dared hope that you would. You thought I was dead."

"Lucky, I told you, I never felt it. In my heart I knew someday you would come home to me. I never gave up that hope. I would have waited forever."

"I just want you to know that I'll always be grateful for that; that you never gave up on our love."

She reached up and touched his face, wiping away the one tear that was falling down his cheek. "And I never will, Lucky."

He reached over and took a strawberry off the tray and held it to her lips. "Are you hungry?"

She smiled and nodded. "I am…but not for food."

He put the strawberry in her mouth and she took a bite, held it in her mouth, then kissed him and put it in his mouth. He pulled away for a minute, eating the strawberry, and looked at her with such tenderness, she thought she would cry. "Do you know how beautiful you are in the morning? Do you know how much I love you?"

"Why don't you just show me? Just so there won't be any doubts in my mind."

With that he put his hand on the side of her face and kissed her deeply on the mouth, his other hand finding her breast. She reached for the top of his jeans, frantically trying to unbutton them. "These will have to go, you know." He stood up and removed his jeans quickly and she pulled him down to the bed with her.

Now they were lying side by side, holding hands, both looking up at the ceiling.

"Lucky, do you feel different?"

He turned to look at her. "Yea, I do."

"Me, too. I feel…I don't know how to describe it…like we're more connected now than ever before."

He nodded. "That's how I feel, too." He put her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Do you want to know why I really left you this morning?

"Why?"

He turned on his side and raised up on his elbow to look at her as he spoke. "I had a great idea, and I needed to call my dad. He has a cabin up in the woods and I wanted to ask him if we could go there for a few days. Just you and me."

"Oh, Lucky, that would be so wonderful. But will it be safe?"

"Elizabeth, I've decided I don't want to live my life in fear anymore. I'm just going to live my life and try not to worry about when or if Faison decides to retaliate against me." He knew that was not possible, but he wanted to be positive, and he decided he could worry enough for both of them. "But a few of Sonny's men will have to go with us. Just because I'm not going to live in fear doesn't mean we don't have to be careful."

"Lucky…"

"Trust me, you'll never see them unless you need them. They can be very discreet. Did you know Sonny has had someone on you since the night of the fire?"

Her eyes widened. "He has?"

"See, you didn't even know. I saw them when I came to the window that night. So you see, they'll stay out of sight."

"But you saw them."

He laughed. "It's that Spencer blood, Elizabeth. We always watch our backs. I learned that at a very young age."

"Okay, you win. When will we go?"

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "We can go as soon as you want. I was thinking about tomorrow morning. I'll need to go back to the room where I was staying and get the rest of my things. I don't have much, but I need more clothes. We can leave as soon as I get back. Dad has a car I can borrow, too."

He could see the excitement on her face. "Oh, Lucky this will be so good for us. Is there any reason why we can't go today?"

He smiled and kissed her before responding. "We can't go today because, well, it's already after noon, and I don't plan to leave this bed for the rest of the day."

Across town, Faison and Stefan Cassadine were again sitting in the monitoring room. Stefan spoke first. "So, your plan is set?"

"Yes, all we need do now is wait for the perfect opportunity. I feel certain it will present itself in the next couple of days. I look forward to ruining young Mr. Spencer's life. And make no mistake, this will ruin his life."

"You're not going to tell me what you're planning?"

He shook his head and gave Stefan a sinister look. "No, this one is all mine."