Lucky’s Return Chapters 1-5

Chapter 1

He stood about one hundred feet from the park bench where she sat sketching in a large sketch book. He watched the familiar tilt of her head as she sketched and he longed to reach out and touch her. It had been nearly two and a half years since he had seen her, the longest years of his life. He was wearing a long coat and dark glasses in hopes that no one would recognize him. He knew that by being so close to her he was putting her in grave danger. He watched for a long time, trying to memorize everything. The memory of her was what had sustained him the past two years. He could barely stand the thought of turning from her to leave, so strong was his desire to touch her and hold her again. He watched until he knew it was no longer safe to be so close to her. He looked one last time at the back of her head, her long brown hair that he longed to touch, to smell, and to breathe in the scent as if it were the very breath of life. He put his fingers to his lips and kissed them and reached them out toward her and whispered, "I love you Elizabeth".

He was turning to leave when out of the corner of his eye he saw a small boy run up to her. "Daddy is taking me for ice cream, wan go?"

She leaned over and touched his face, "No sweetie, you go ahead. I'll see you when you get back". He reached up to hug her and she kissed him tenderly on the cheek before he ran off.

He was struck by emotion at the sight of the child. He felt tears welling in his eyes knowing that his next act was wrong, knowing he may be condemning himself to the worst possible hell by doing so, but he simply could not stop himself. The emotion was so strong, his voice came out as a whisper, but it was loud enough for her to hear. "He looks like his father." He looked like Nikolas, the brother he missed more than he had dreamt possible.

She had started sketching again and was startled by the voice she heard from behind. It was deeper than she remembered but unmistakably his. She was afraid to turn and look at him, afraid to believe that it could really be him. Finally she started to turn toward the sound of his voice and said his name, "Lucky?"

"Elizabeth, please don't turn around, just keep drawing as if you don't know I'm here. Please…"

It is Lucky, and a rush of emotions took over until she felt dizzy, as if she were falling into an abyss. "But I need to see you...Lucky, please let me look at you." She was crying uncontrollably now.

"I want to see you, too, but we can't take the chance, not here. Can you meet me at the church?"

Her heart was racing wildly, her voice weak as she answered him. "I'll be there."

"I don't know when I can be there. Will you wait for me? After 7?"

"Yes."

She leaned back on the bench, her head in her hands, reliving again that horrible night when he was presumed dead from the horrible fire in his apartment. She relived that night over and over in her head, every day of her life, wishing they could just go back to that day so she could tell him to be sure to blow the candles out before he goes to sleep. The strange part is, she had never felt in her heart that he was dead. It had never seemed real to her, and now she knew why. He had been alive all this time.

She arrived at the church early, needing time to sit and reflect on the past two years she had endured without him, about the times they had spent together. She thought of how he had been the one person who had literally given her life back to her when she felt it was no longer worth living. What a cruel twist of fate it had been to have him ripped away from her so soon. Some days she felt that she would never get over it and be able to move on with her life, yet she had enrolled in art classes at night. It was something she felt she owed Lucky because he was the one who had convinced her she had the talent to do so.

It was nearly 8:30 when she realized he probably wasn't coming. She walked to the altar and lit a candle and prayed that he would be safe, feeling the tears come, tears of frustration at not being able to really see him, mixed with the joy of knowing he was alive. Wherever he had been and whatever he was going through now she knows he was risking his life, and perhaps even hers to see her. But she didn't care; she wanted only to see him, to hold him and help to erase whatever nightmare he had been living.

As she was gathering her purse and coat to leave, she heard the door open and turned to see him standing in the door.

"Lucky…I was afraid you weren't coming,"

"Nothing could have kept me from seeing you."

She stayed apart from him, afraid to believe that he was really, finally there in front of her after all this time, afraid that if they touch, he would vanish and it would all have been a dream. She could not keep from crying at the sight of him. He was wearing a long trench coat, and sunglasses, even though it was night. His hair was much longer, falling around his shoulders, and he seemed taller to her. But he was still Lucky, her Lucky.

"I'm so afraid to believe you're really here."

"I'm here, Elizabeth. The child, that's what made me call to you. I thought…"

"No, that was Lucky, Nikolas and Emily's child."

"Nikolas and Emily? They named their child after me?"

"Yes. Nikolas misses you so much, Lucky. He wanted to honor your memory."

"He's beautiful. He looks so much like him."

She walked toward him then and stopped in front of him. "Lucky, please take off the glasses, please let me see you." She reached up to remove them and he grabbed her arm, "No, I can't…I don't want you to see." She pulled away and reached up again to remove them. "Trust me Lucky." He didn't fight her that time.

She removed his glasses and saw that his right eye was swollen and bruised, "Lucky? What happened?"

"It doesn't matter, Elizabeth; all that matters is that we're here together now". She was crying softly as she reached up, and holding his head in her hands she kissed him tenderly around his eye, tasting his tears, whispering that everything will be all right now that they are together.

He pulled her arms away gently. "Elizabeth, I can't stay. I wish I could tell you where I've been and why I can't stay, but I can't put you in that kind of danger. I shouldn't even be here now."

She was desperate now, "Lucky, why can't we just run away together?"

"We can't, Elizabeth."

"Yes we can, we can call Sonny. He'll know what to do. He'll help us." He looked at her sadly, shaking his head. "Don't you see, it's not that simple. I don't even really know what this is all about, but I know that if I run, everyone I love will die. Oh, it wouldn't happen all at once. It would be a gradual thing. Do you understand, everyone I love and the people they love will die; you, my parents, Nikolas, Emily, little Lucky, my aunt Bobbie, my cousin Lucas, Sonny, your grandmother, the list is endless. It may even take years, but they would start with the one person whose death would hurt the most people."

He saw the terror in her eyes as she whispered, "Lulu".

"Yes. I can't take that chance. You know I can't."

She nodded her head.

"How is my little sister?"

"She's incredible Lucky. She still talks about you all the time. No one has let her forget you."

"And my parents?" His voice was strong with emotion.

"They're back together and they miss you so much."

He smiled, tears falling from his eyes, "I've prayed for that so many times while I was gone. And Nikolas? He's taken care of you?"

"He and Emily have been there for me since the beginning. I don't know where I would be without them."

"I miss them all so much."

"And they all miss you. You are still very much a part of their lives…you know I've always felt you were still alive, Lucky. I'm the only one who has."

"How?"

She reached inside his shirt to pull out the subway token she knew she would find on a chain around his neck. "Because there was never any trace of this, and I knew you would never take it off."

"No one else would have known that." He removed the chain from around his neck and placed it around her neck. "I want you to keep this for me, for the day we'll be together again for good. You know I write you letters everyday, Elizabeth. I hope one day you'll be able to read them, and put this chain back around my neck."

He was acting nervous, jittery. "What is it, Lucky?"

"I should be going. I should never have come; I can't bear that I've put you in this danger."

"I'll be all right, Lucky."

"You can't tell anyone you've seen me. Promise me, no one. I'm working every day to find a way to come back to you."

"I promise."

He pulled her close and kissed her full on the lips and finally pulled away, looking into her eyes. She whispered, "I'll always love you, Lucky, and I'll always wait for you. I know it can't be God's plan to keep us apart forever."

He nodded, unable to speak, and put his hands on her face, speaking so softly she could barely hear him. "I love you so much, Elizabeth. Remember the vows and the promises we made in this church?"

"I think of them and honor them every day."

"They're still true. We will be together again Elizabeth, that's my promise to you today."

Chapter 2

Elizabeth sat alone in the church for a long time after Lucky left her, crying, wishing with all her heart that things could be different. She was deep in thought when she heard her cell phone ring. It took her a few seconds to answer it. "Hello?"

"Elizabeth, it's Sonny. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Sonny."

"No you're not; you sound terrible." He could hear her crying. "Luke and Laura started to worry when you didn't show up for dinner. It's almost 11:00. Luke called to see if I had seen you. They're very worried. Did you forget?"

"I'm sorry, I did." He could hear her crying. "Where are you? Let me come and get you."

"Could you? I'm at the church."

"I'll be right there, Elizabeth."

Sonny hung up the phone and thought about the pain Elizabeth had endured for the past two years. Lucky's death had ripped her life apart, and sometimes it seemed to him that she would never move on from it. He had felt an instant empathy for her that night of the fire, when she had broken down at the realization that he was gone, and he had caught her as she fell to the ground. He had vowed to himself then to honor Lucky's memory by personally taking care of her. She didn't know that he had never trusted that the fire was had been an accident and that he constantly looked out for her and to make sure that was safe.

He had his driver take him to the church and wait while he went inside. He found her sitting quietly in one of the church pews. He sat down silently, looking at her, his eyes questioning. "Elizabeth?" She didn't want to look at him. She wanted so desperately to tell him that Lucky was alive, that he was in trouble and she knew he could help him. But she had promised Lucky, and she would never break a promise to him. How could she not tell Luke and Laura, or Nikolas and Lulu that their son, and brother, was still alive. How could she possibly keep that news from them?

She looked at Sonny as he cupped his hand under her chin, "What is it, sweetheart?"

"It's Lucky." She began to cry again, even though she thought there were no more tears left in her to cry. "It's so unfair that he's gone. Do you think I'll ever get over him, or be able to love someone else?"

He spoke gently to her, "I can only speak for myself, but when I love someone, it's forever. Love doesn't just go away because someone dies. I think you'll always love Lucky, in a way you'll never be able to love anyone else. It's that way for me with Brenda. She'll always be right here, in my heart. But I was able to love again, and even find happiness with someone else. But that doesn't take away from what I felt for Brenda. She'll always be a part of me. And I think it will be the same for you and Lucky. You shared something so special, Elizabeth, something few people ever find. Hold on to that."

She smiled sadly and put her arms around him and he held her for a moment. "Thank you, Sonny. Somehow you always manage to make me feel better." "Good, now let me take you to Luke and Laura's. You shouldn't be alone tonight. I'm sure they'll let you stay in the guest room." She nodded as he helped her up and led her to his waiting car.

Later, lying in the bed in the room that used to be Lucky's bedroom, she was still awake, long after everyone else had gone to bed. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:30. She had to get some sleep for her early class the next day, but all she could think about was Lucky and all the things she had forgotten to tell him. She wished that they had had more time, just to be together and hold each other. Now she didn't know if or when she would ever see him again, or where he was. She wished she could go with him; she didn't even care if it was dangerous. Her thoughts wandered to the night they had spent in New York City, just before the fire; the night they had almost made love. How she wished now that they had. She thought about the fun they had in New York and all the plans they had made for the future, and as she held the subway token in her hand, she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

She was awakened some time later by a noise, a tapping sound. She sat up in bed, frightened, not remembering at first where she was. There it was again, a light tapping noise. She looked towards the window and then ran to it to open it, "Lucky…"

Chapter 3

 Lucky and Elizabeth lay together on the bed that he had slept in as a child. He knew that his parents and sister were asleep down the hall and he wanted nothing more than to run to their rooms and wake them and tell them that he was alive, that he hadn't died in the fire more than two years before. He watched Elizabeth as she slept in his arms. He knew she was exhausted from the events of the day. He wished they could stay this way forever, to always be safe in each other's arms and not have to deal with the very real evils that existed outside this room.

Elizabeth stirred and he kissed her on the forehead, stroking her hair. She spoke dreamily, "Lucky?"

"It's okay, I'm right here. Try to get some sleep."

He had pulled her into his arms as soon as he had climbed in the window, putting his hand on the side of her face and whispering, "I had to see you again, Elizabeth." His lips had found hers and he had kissed her, gently at first, then more desperately, his tongue finding hers. They had tasted each other's tears as they released all of the emotions of seeing each other earlier in the church. He had been afraid to kiss her this way then, afraid that he would never be able to leave her if he did. And as he had kissed her in his old bedroom, he had known that he was right; he would never be able leave her again, and that everything was about to change for both of them.

They had kissed and held each other and cried for the time they had lost and the love they still felt so deeply for each other. Elizabeth had pulled away slightly and looked up into his eyes and whispered, "Lucky, please make love to me."

He wanted to; God, how he wanted to; in fact he had dreamt of this moment every night since he had been gone. Every night since the night they had spent in New York just before the fire, and had almost given in to their feelings. But the time hadn't been right then; they had both known it. And he knew it now, even as he kissed her again; even as his hand reached under her shirt, an old John Lee Hooker T-shirt of Luke's that he recognized. He knew it even as his hand covered her breast and he felt the warm, soft skin that he had so often imagined in his dreams. His longing for her was all consuming. He had pulled the shirt up over her head as she fought with the buttons of his own shirt. He had pulled back for a moment to help her. He had removed his shirt and pulled her close, their bodies touching, her skin warm against his, and he had felt her heart beating against his. The feelings had overwhelmed him. He had gazed at her, tears welling in his eyes, and had no effort to stop them. "You are so beautiful, Elizabeth." They had continued kissing for some time, content just to be together, until finally she had taken his hand and led him to the bed. She had lay back on the bed and pulled him down as he had continued to kiss her, his hands in her hair, their breathing becoming more erratic. His lips had moved from her mouth to her neck. He had traced a line to her breast until his lips covered her nipple and he tasted the sweetness of her. He had thought he would drown from the emotions of being with her like this.

Suddenly, he had pulled away from her and stood up, picking up her T-shirt as he did. She had sat up as he handed her the T-shirt and watched as he ran his hand through his hair and said, "You should put this back on." She had pulled the shirt to her chest, but did not put it on. "Lucky, what is it? Don't you want me? Did I do something wrong?"

He had paced in front of her for aa moment and then had knelt down on the floor in front of her and looked up at her, and had taken her hands in his. "No, sweetheart, you didn't do anything wrong. How could you even think that? This just isn't the right time or place for this. You deserve so much more than this. Our love deserves more than this."

"But we've waited so long to be together. We may not see each other again for a long time."

"I'm doing everything I can to get back to you for good. I made you a promise and I won't break it. I want our first time to be special, and it can't be special here in my old room, with my family asleep down the hall, thinking I'm dead. It just isn't the right time Elizabeth, though God knows I want nothing more than to make love to you right now."

She had smiled sadly and put her hands on the sides of his face, "I know you're right, Lucky." At that she had pulled his head to her naked breast and he had put his arms around her waist, and they had stayed that way for some time, with her stroking his hair and whispering that it was all right, she really did understand. Then she had looked down at him and whispered, "Will you stay with me tonight?"

He had nodded, and picked up the T-shirt again, and smiled, "But you had better put this back on." She had taken it from him reluctantly and pulled it back over her head.

After they had gotten in bed they had talked about what Elizabeth was doing now; about her classes at the art school in Port Charles, about how she just hadn't been able to bring herself to go to New York without him. She had told him how close she was to Luke and Laura now, and how they thought of her as their daughter. She had told him about Sonny and how he had caught her as she had fallen to the ground the night of the fire. She told him that since that night Sonny had been her guardian angel, her protector, and had always been there when she needed him, and had seemed to have an uncanny way of making her feel better.

Lucky had already known that. He had told her that after he left her at the church, he had waited outside until she left to be sure she was safe. When he had seen Sonny arrive at the church, and then followed the car to his parents' house, he knew that Sonny had taken it upon himself to watch over her. What he had not told Elizabeth was that he had seen one of Sonny's men keeping a watch on the house when he had climbed up to the window.

Lucky was unable to sleep. His mind was racing in a million different directions. He knew what he wanted to do, what he had to do. but was unsure how to do it.

Elizabeth stirred again as the morning light shone through the window. She cuddled closer to Lucky as he kissed her softly on the lips. "I didn't mean to fall asleep. I didn't want to waste a minute."

"It's okay, you needed the sleep. And I loved watching you sleep."

She smiled, then looked serious. "You haven't told me anything about where you've been, Lucky. I want to know."

"It's such a long story, and I don't have time to explain all of it. But the man who took me is named Faison. He has this old vendetta against my father. He took me to use as bait against him, though I never was able to figure out how I could be used as bait when no one knew I was alive. He is just a sick and twisted man, and he derived a lot of pleasure out of hurting my father by making him think I was dead."

"Did he mistreat you? Is that what happened to your eye?"

"I was insolent and he struck me. But for the most part, he didn't hurt me, at least not physically. His particular brand of abuse is mental. He was always taunting me with threats of hurting you or Lulu, or my mother. But he never did. I wonder now if her ever really would."

"But how is it that you're free? I don't understand."

"Oh, I've been a model prisoner. I learned a lot from my father you know. I learned how to never let them break you, no matter what.. He tried to brainwash me, to make me depend on him and hate the people I had loved. So I played along, and fought it with by thinking of you. He thinks I have no feelings for anyone in Port Charles anymore, that I am totally devoted to him. So I am allowed my freedom with the stipulation than I never contact anyone from my past. I don't know if he trusts me or not. But I'm sure he has someone following me. " He smiled, "I learned how to lose a tail from my father, too. I wish I could wake him and my mom up, let them know I'm okay."

"They would be so happy, Lucky. You have no idea what they have been through. Your mother especially. She is just now starting to act like her old self again. Your father has dealt with his grief more privately, but it's been just as real."

"Hopefully it won't be long before I can tell them. But for now, I really have to be going. I should never have stayed this long. And I have to check in with Faison by noon every day, see what kind of dirty work he wants me to do for him. That's one of the conditions of my freedom."

"What kind of dirty work?"

"It's best than you not know right now."

He got up from the bed and headed for the window. She followed him and he pulled her close, his face in her hair, "It won't be long, Elizabeth, I promise."

"You're going to do something aren't you? I can see it in your eyes."

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her goodbye. "I can't go on living like this. Now that I've seen you and been with you like this, I know I can't live without you. For awhile I really thought I could let you go, let you get on with your life, as long as I knew you were safe and I could see you from afar. But I know I can't now. I want to be with you. I need to be with you."

He opened the window and climbed out, and turned back to her as she called his name.

"Lucky? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see Sonny."

Chapter 4

Lucky looked around before jumping from the roof of his parents home into the yard. It was still early morning and he hoped none of the neighbors were awake to see him. He had taken a dangerous risk staying with Elizabeth for so long, but it had been worth it. He knew now that he had to risk whatever it would take to be with her everyday. And he knew Sonny was the one person who could help him. He wished he could tell go to his parents to let them know he was alive but he didn't want to put them in that kind of danger just yet. It was bad enough that Elizabeth's life was in danger now.

After jumping, he turned to look up and saw her standing in the window. She waved and mouthed the word, "I love you". He did the same, then blew her a kiss and was gone.

Elizabeth crawled back into bed and tried to sleep, but sleep would not come. She had dreamt of this day for so long, it was hard to believe it was real, that Lucky had really been there, that he was really alive. She wondered how she would be able to look at Luke and Laura and not tell them, knowing how elated they would be to know that Lucky was alive.

She lay there for an hour or more, remembering every word they had spoken, every kiss they had shared.

Sometime later there was a soft knock on the door. "Come in."

Laura entered the room and sat on the bed beside her. "I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I've been awake for awhile. I need to get up and go to class."

"Elizabeth, Luke and I are really worried about you. You were so upset last night; do you want to talk about what happened?"

She shook her head and smiled at Laura, "I'm okay now, really. Yesterday was just one of those bad days for me. You know, how one day you start to feel like it's getting a little easier, and then the next day you fall back even further into your grief."

"Oh, I know only too well. Was it because you went to the church?"

"Probably. I don't know. It's just so hard for me to believe that he's really gone, Laura, I've just never felt it in my heart."

"I know, I feel the same way. I think it's because he is still in our hearts and always will be."

Elizabeth nodded, feeling guilty that she could not tell Laura the truth.

"Will you come back here after your class? I mean for good. Luke and I would really like it if you moved in with us. You shouldn't be alone in that little room at Kelly's."

"I don't know…wouldn't it be an imposition?"

"Of course not, darlin', why would you think that?" Luke was standing in the doorway. "My wife is a lot more subtle than I am. I don't mince words. You're moving in with us. It's already a done deal; I've made arrangements to have all your things moved here."

She could not help but smile at Luke. She had grown to love Luke and Laura as her own parents and she knew they loved her as much. She put her arms around Laura, and said, "I don't know what I would do without you two."

"Well if you two are going to get all mushy, I'm going to get my daughter up for school."

Across town, Sonny was in his penthouse drinking a cup of coffee when his guard opened the door and said, "This guy says you'll know him, wouldn't give me his name."

"Send him away, I don't see anyone who doesn't identify himself." He turned away from the door and heard the voice behind him, "Sonny, it's me." Sonny spun around and looked in disbelief at the sight before him.

"Jesus…Lucky…" He waved the guard away. "No interruptions, none, understand?." He turned to Lucky, " What the hell?"

"I know this is a shock, man."

"You might say that, but damn it is good to see you, even if you do look like shit."

"Thanks a lot, Sonny."

"Come here, kid." Sonny hugged him then and was overcome by emotion. He let go of him and turned immediately to the phone. "Look, I'm going to make a call, get some people on your family. They're no doubt in danger now."

He nodded. "Especially Lulu; can you put extra protection on her?"

"Goes without saying." He turned from Lucky to make the phone call and Lucky listened as he gave instructions to guard everyone he knew, no questions asked, just guard them every minute of every day until further notice. He hung up the phone and turned back to Lucky. "Jesus, you look like shit, kid. Are you hungry? Thirsty? What can I get you?" Lucky shook his head. "I assume you've come to me for help?" Lucky nodded. "I'll need to know everything. Are you being followed?"

"Probably, I may have lost the tail."

"Where in the hell have you been?"

"It's a long story and I'll get to all of that in a minute…but first, I need you to promise me Elizabeth will be okay."

"Lucky, I've had men on her since you've been gone. Nothing will happen to her. You have my word."

"If anything happened to her…"

"Wait a minute…you've seen her haven't you? You saw her at the church last night."

"Yea. First at the church, then I spent the night with her at my parents house. They didn't know I was there. Elizabeth is the only one who knows I'm alive and like it to stay that way for now."

"I understand. That's why she was so upset. I guess you know I picked her up and took her to your parents house."

He nodded, "I followed your car from the church. I don't know how to ever thank you for taking care of her, Sonny."

"What's to thank? I love her, Lucky, just like a love you. She's family."

He nodded and Sonny thought to himself that Lucky would never know how much he really loved Elizabeth. The reality of his love for her was something he dealt with every day since Lucky had been gone. From the night he had found her at the fire, broken and wounded nearly beyond repair, he had known he would have to take care of her forever, even if it was from a distance. He had to do it for Lucky and he had to do it for himself. Since that night, he had made sure that she was safe every moment of every day. He knew that she thought of him as an older brother, and that her heart belonged to Lucky and always would, even if he had really been dead, and hadn't been standing here alive in front of him. His heart felt full with happiness for her that Lucky had come back, that he was alive and wanted to make things right. And Sonny would do everything in his power to make that happen.

Sonny put his hand on Lucky's shoulder. "Come, sit down and tell me everything."

Lucky proceeded to tell him the events of the past two years. He told him of the kidnapping in the middle of the night, and of the cold metal cell that had been his home for too long, and of the gradual trust he had gained of his captor, and finally, of the agreement to let him go free so long as he vowed to never return to or contact anyone from his life before the kidnapping. In exchange for his freedom, he was expected to do odd jobs for his captor, Faison, who Lucky explained was an old enemy of his father.

Sonny nodded, "Yes, I know of Faison. So, you managed to convince this creep that you hated everyone in your past life?"

"Yea, but he couldn't break me you know. God knows he tried."

"Guess he didn't know, you can never break a Spencer."

Lucky grinned and Sonny spoke softly, "It may take awhile, Lucky, but I'll make it safe for you to come back here. I promise you that. And I think you should stay here."

"I'm not sure, Sonny. What if my dad comes over here?"

There was a knock at the door and Sonny yelled, "I said no interruptions."

"It's Miss Webber."

Lucky nodded and Sonny said, "Let her in."

The door opened and Elizabeth flew into Lucky's arms. They held each other for a long minute, both of them remembering the events of the night before. He pulled away and put his hands on the side of her face, "Elizabeth, you shouldn't be here."

"I had to see you, Lucky. I couldn't concentrate in class. I had to know what was going on. I'm not afraid you know."

She looked at Sonny and he touched her on the shoulder, "You okay, Sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Sonny. You can help us can't you?"

"Yes, I can help you, but it's going to take some time, and it could be dangerous. You two can't see each other anyplace other than here, you understand?"

Elizabeth looked up at Lucky, "Are you going to stay here?"

Lucky nodded, and Sonny said, "Could you leave us alone for just a minute, Elizabeth?"

"Sonny, it's okay, she knows everything. I don't want any secrets from her."

"Okay. I think he should stay here and not report back in to this Faison guy; see what the fall out is from that before we proceed. At some point I'm going to have to let Luke and Laura know you're alive, if only for their own safety. For now I'm just going to tell Luke to be sure and watch his back."

"Sonny, my dad always watches his back, you know that."

He smiled, "Yea, well, I'm going to tell him to really watch it this time. Listen, I gotta go out for awhile," He turned to Elizabeth, "You're welcome here anytime, you know that don't you?"

She hugged him and said, "Thank you, Sonny."

"No thanks necessary. The happiness I see in your eyes is thanks enough for whatever I do. I'll be back in a little while."

Lucky led Elizabeth to the couch and sat down, and pulled her down on his lap and kissed her tenderly. They didn't speak for a few minutes. No words were necessary to convey what they both were feeling. Finally she pulled away a little and said, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about how much I love you, and how much I've missed you, and how I can't wait for the day that I can make love to you when this nightmare is over I love you so much, Elizabeth. I never stopped, not for one minute while I was gone."

"I never stopped loving you either. Everyone told me I needed to get on with my life, that I should find someone else, but they couldn't understand I didn't want anyone else. I only wanted you. I never believed you were dead; I just knew in my heart that you would come back one day."

Chapter 5

When Sonny returned later that evening, Lucky was sitting on the couch staring out the window. "Elizabeth left?"

Lucky got up and walked toward Sonny, "She's asleep, upstairs in the guest room. I think she's just worn out. She's had kind of an emotional shock."

"You might say that. She's never been the same since you were gone, Lucky. It's good for her that you're back."

"I love her so much, man, I don't know if it was such a good idea to come back."

"You couldn't live the rest of your life like you were. We'll get this guy Faison, Lucky. But I think I'm gonna need Luke's help." "We have to tell him I'm back don't we?"

"I think we do. He can fill me in on a lot of background stuff. And I need you to tell me where this Faison creep is."

"That's part of the problem. I never know where he is. I never see him anymore. I don't even know where he was keeping me. When he let me go, he blindfolded me and drove somewhere and put me on a private plane. The plane landed in New York; I have no idea where it came from. We were in the air for a long time; but that could have been a ploy, too."

"The guy is slick, there's no doubt about that. Let me call Luke."

"God, I do want to see them, I want them to know I'm alive, but I've already put yours and Elizabeth's lives in danger."

"Lucky, they have to know. Do you understand they need to know the danger they're in, especially for Lulu. I'd like to let Jason know, too; he can be an incredible help with all of this."

Lucky thought for a minute. "I'm so tired of running, Sonny. Tired of not being able to be with Elizabeth, tired of not being able to live my life and do what I want to do. You can call them, but let's wait until morning. Let Elizabeth sleep for awhile. She's supposed to go back to my parent's house tonight. They want her to move in with them."

"That's a good idea. It will be safer for her there. For tonight, I'll call Laura and tell her she came by to let me know she was okay after last night and I fixed her dinner and she fell asleep."

"Okay."

"You must be exhausted, too. Did you get something to eat?"

"I can't eat, Sonny."

Sonny nodded, understanding, "Why don't you go on upstairs, get a shower, and get some sleep. We'll call Luke and Laura in the morning."

"Thanks, Sonny, for everything."

Sonny nodded and waved him away and Lucky went upstairs.

After his shower, he went into the bedroom where Elizabeth was sleeping and slumped down In the chair by the bed. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept since seeing Elizabeth at the park, only the day before. It seemed a lifetime had passed since then. He leaned his elbows on his knees and ran his hands through his hair. Could he ever really be rid of Faison; was it really possible to get his old life back and be happy again with Elizabeth. They had been so young when he had left, so full of hopes and dreams. They had simply been on top of the world, and thought that nothing could destroy them. Now he knew that danger lurked everywhere and real safety was just an illusion

He watched Elizabeth as she slept; sorry for all the pain his absence had caused her the past two years, sorry for the danger she now faced. Tomorrow he would go gather his few belongings and bring them to Sonny's. In his belongings were all of the letters he had written to Elizabeth while he had been gone. It was important that she read them, so she would know that she was always in his thoughts and that he had never stopped loving her.

He leaned back in the chair and tried to doze off. Just as he was dozing he heard Elizabeth stir. "Lucky?"

"I'm right here."

She looked over at him. "What time is it?"

"It's about 9:00. Sonny called my mom to tell her you were spending the night here."

She nodded. "Are you staying?"

"Yea."

She sat up a little in bed and put her hand out to him. "Come and lie down with me, Lucky. I need you to hold me." He smiled and got out of the chair, took her hand and let her pull him down on the bed beside her. He gathered her in his arms.

She put her hand on his chest and said "You feel so tense and look so tired, Lucky. Let me take care of you. Let me help you relax so you can sleep."

"Just being here with you helps me relax. It feels so good just to hold you like this."

"I can make it better. Take your shirt off and turn over on your stomach. I'm going to give you a back massage."

He looked at her questioningly.

"Just do it. Trust me. It will help."

He removed his shirt and turned over on his stomach. She straddled his back and began to knead and massage the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He didn't realize how tight his muscles had become, but he felt them loosening and giving in as Elizabeth worked her magic. After a few moments she leaned down and kissed him on the back of his neck. "Does this feel better?"

"Oh, yea…you have incredible hands, Miss Webber."

"Why, thank you Mr. Spencer."

"I think you might have a future as a masseuse."

"Oh, I only do this for a select few clients."

"Can you add me to that list?

"You're the only one on the list."

She leaned down so that she was lying on top of him, her face in his hair kissing him and massaging his back as she did. Suddenly he turned over, pulling her to him and kissing her deeply on the mouth, his hands in her hair. She pulled away, breathless, and looked down at him. They both began to laugh. "It's not going to be easy to wait, is it?"

'It may be impossible. God, I want you so much. It's going to be so beautiful and special, Elizabeth."

"It'll be worth the wait, Lucky."

She settled down beside him again and said, "Do you think you can sleep now?"

"Maybe. I do feel better, thank you. I even think my heart rate has slowed down some. Sonny's going to call my Mom and Dad tomorrow morning. He wants them to know."

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"At first I didn't. Now I think it's the right thing."

"So they'll know the danger they're in?

'Yea, and because they deserve to know that I'm alive."

"They need to know it, Lucky."

He nodded and she could see that he was relaxing, so she cuddled into him and listened to his breathing become more normal and soon he was asleep. Tonight it would be her turn to stay awake and watch him sleep.

The next morning, Laura had just come down to the kitchen and was fixing Lulu's breakfast when the telephone rang. "Luke, can you get that?"

He picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

"Luke, it's Sonny."

"Hey, what's up, Son? It sounds serious."

"It is serious. Do you think you and Laura could come over here right away?

"Laura, too? What's up, man?"

"Just come over as soon as you can, okay?"

"Okay, sure, we'll be right over."

He hung up the phone and looked at Laura, puzzled. "He wants both of us to come over right away."

"Is it Elizabeth? Is she all right?"

"He didn't say what it was about."

"Well, we'll have to take Lulu. I don't have anyone to leave her with on such short notice."

"Okay. Well, come on, let's go, then. Come on, Lulu, we're going to see Uncle Sonny."

At Sonny's penthouse Lucky had paced the floor as he listened to Sonny talking to Luke. He continued to pace after Sonny hung up. "They'll be right over."

Elizabeth went to him and put her hand on his arm, "Lucky, are you all right?"

"Yea, I think, I don't know. I'm not sure this is the right thing to do, but I want to see them. Do you know how much…."

She reached up and touched her lips to his. "It's okay, Lucky, I know…"

"I think I should wait in the other room. You can talk to them first."

There was a knock at the door and Sonny nodded to Lucky. He waited the time it took Lucky to go into the kitchen before telling his guard it was okay to let them in.

Lulu came in first and ran to Elizabeth. Luke came in behind her. "What's up, Sonny? Elizabeth, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You will be, too, in a minute."

"Luke, Laura, brace yourselves; you're about to witness a miracle."