~*~Chapter 19~*~

The guard walks up and unlocks his cell. “Mr. Cassidine, you have a visitor.”

Stefan stands up in shock. No one has ever visited him, he didn’t even think it was allowed after the whole poisoning thing with Lucky last year. He warily follows the guard down the hall to the visiting room, wondering who this visitor would be. The guard stops and opens the door, waving him inside. He steps into the room and freezes.

“Nikolas!” he says in surprise, rushing to the table and sitting down across from him. He reaches out for his hand, but Nikolas draws it back quickly. “This is such a pleasant surprise! I never expected to see you here.”

“This isn’t a social call. I need to ask you something, and I want you to answer me honestly.”

Stefan sits back, ashamed of himself for getting his hopes up like that. Of course Nikolas wasn’t there to see him for personal reasons! He was a Spencer now, so why would he want to visit him in prison unless there was an ulterior motive? “What do you want to know?”

Nikolas shifts in his chair and fixes his gaze on Stefan’s face, studying it for any sign that he is lying. “Do you know anything about Elizabeth’s disappearance?”

Stefan tilts his head questioningly and frowns. “Lucky’s wife? I was not aware that she was missing. No, I don’t know anything about it.” He was angry that Nikolas would think such a thing, but then again, why wouldn’t he? After all, he was behind so many other atrocities that had befallen the Spencer family in the past. Kidnapping Elizabeth would have fit right in. A perfect revenge. Lucky must be beside himself right now.

Nikolas sighs and leans back in his chair. He wanted to believe him, but this whole thing just had “Cassidine” written all over it, and since Stefan was the only one left, it had to have been him. “You’re sure about that? You didn’t leave any instructions with someone last year or anything? Just tell me the truth! Elizabeth has nothing to do with this feud of yours, she shouldn’t be the one paying for it now. If you know where she is, then tell me. Please.”

Stefan feels a pang of sympathy for the pain Nikolas seems to be going through. “I swear to you, Nikolas, I know nothing of this. I understand why you suspect me, and am sorry that it took something like this to merit a visit from you, but it is still good to see you again. I heard you were married to Ms. Quartermaine. I hope you have a happy life with her.”

Nikolas rolls his eyes and stands up. “I can see I’m not going to get anywhere with you, so I think I’ll leave now. Good-bye, Stefan.” He turns and quickly leaves the room. Stefan watches in resignation, knowing that this was most likely the last time he’d ever see the man that he still thought of as a son. Once Nikolas is gone, he turns around and waits for the guard to lead him back to his cell.

~*~

Emily drove to General Hospital, singing along to the new Miguel Morez song on the radio, remembering when she had met him the year before at the Nurses Ball. She stops singing abruptly, thinking back to that night, when they all thought Lucky would die. Everything had been so perfect after that. Lucky lived, he married Liz, then Nikolas and her were married, they were all a big, happy family. Now, Liz was gone, and Lucky was probably tearing himself apart over it. She shakes her head, trying to get rid of such terrible thoughts.

A few minutes later, she pulls into the parking lot and jumps out of the car. She walks into the hospital and goes up to the nurses’ station. “Hi, Bobbie. I’m here for my check-up.”

Bobbie turns and smiles warmly at her. “Hey, Emily. The doctor will be with you in a minute. Have you heard from anyone yet about Elizabeth?”

She shakes her head sadly. “Not yet. I just hope they find something soon, because from what Laura’s told me, Lucky isn’t taking this well at all!”

“Well, if he’s anything like his father, and we both know that he is, I have a feeling that’s about right. Luke doesn’t deal well with grief, and I don’t think Lucky would either.”

“I know. I’m glad they’re watching out for him, and I was planning on stopping by after this, just to make sure he’s okay, see if he needs a friend to lean on,” she chuckles, “or a sister-in-law, I guess!”

“Mrs. Spencer?”

Emily turns and smiles at her doctor, then waves at Bobbie quickly before following him into the exam room.

The doctor runs some standard tests and does a basic examination. Once it’s over, he asks her to wait outside for the test results before going home, just to make sure everything’s in order. She gets dressed and goes out to the lobby. Bobbie is gone, so she sits on a couch and waits, leafing through an old magazine. A few minutes later, her phone rings.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Em, it’s me,” Nikolas says, his voice flat.

“Nikolas, what’s wrong?”

“I just got back from visiting Stefan.”

“What? Why would you do that? He’s dangerous, Nikolas!”

“I know, I know. I just had this weird feeling that he was somehow behind what happened to Liz, and I had to see for myself. He denied it, but I still feel like something’s off, you know? Like we’re missing something.”

Emily sighs and switches the phone to her other ear. “We’re all taking this hard, honey, but it’s like Mac said. Everything is pointing to a random kidnapping. Whoever took her didn’t do it out of revenge for our family. Not everything that happens in Port Charles is a direct attack against the Spencers, even if Luke likes to make it seem that way!”

Nikolas chuckles on the other end of the line. “You’re right, maybe I’m just being paranoid. Where are you anyway? I tried you at home earlier, but you weren’t there.”

“I had my check up today, remember? I’m just waiting for the test results.”

“Tests? What kind of tests. Are you okay? Is there something you’re not telling me?” Nikolas asks, trying to remain calm.

She laughs. “No, nothing like that. They’re all just routine things, nothing to worry about. I’m just staying to save the doctor a phone call later. He should be back any minute with them, so I’ll see you at home in a little while, okay?”

“I’m heading there right now. Hurry home, I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I love you.”

“I love you. Bye!” They hang up and Emily leans back, waiting for the doctor to show. Finally, he appears and motions for her to join him in his office. She follows, trying to think of what they should have for dinner that night.

She walks into the office and sits down, waiting as he closes the door and comes around his desk. He sits and looks at her seriously. “Mrs. Spencer, one of your tests showed something that we weren’t expecting.”

Suddenly, she feels faint, afraid to hear what he is about to tell her. She nods and leans forward, hoping it’s not too terrible. “What is it?”

Seeing her sudden change in demeanor, he smiles reassuringly. “You’re pregnant!”

~*~Chapter 20~*~

Liz crawls into bed, exhausted from being outside most of the afternoon. All she can think about is falling into a deep sleep and dreaming about Lucky. Just as she’s drifting off, there’s a knock on the door. It opens before she can say anything, and Sergei walks in.

“Oh God, not again!” she whispers to herself, clutching the blankets around her. She clears her throat and looks up at him in annoyance. “What are you doing here?”

Sergei smiles and walks around to the other side of the bed. He sits down on the edge. “I’m your husband, why do you think I’m here?”

“Well, I’m sorry, but I’m really tired, and I think I’m getting a headache,” she says, praying that he would leave. No such luck. Sergei pulls off his shirt and gets under the covers, scooting closer to her. She backs away until she’s at the very edge of the bed.

He pulls her close to him and begins to kiss her. “Sergei, no!” she says, pushing him away roughly. “I don’t want to do this tonight.”

“Helena will be very upset to hear that,” he says slowly, watching as her expression changes from defiance to horror to resignation. He smiles at his small victory and kisses her again, trying to ignore the fact that she never returns any of them. He pulls her nightgown over her head, admiring her perfect body, raining kisses over her skin.

Liz retreats into herself, trying her best to block out what is happening. When Lucky did this, it would set her on fire, but now, with Sergei, she was cold, sickened. She lays back, letting him do whatever he wants, knowing that the less she fights, the quicker it will be over with.

What seems like an eternity later, Sergei is getting dressed while she huddles under the blankets. He leans over and kisses her, then leaves the room, locking the door behind him. She stays there, trembling, for a few minutes, trying to forget what had just happened, knowing that she never would. Once she stops shaking, she crawls out of bed and pulls her nightgown on again, then goes to her desk. Thankfully, there is some paper in it, as well as a pen. She sits down and begins to write, some of the words becoming blurry and smudged from the tears that are freely falling.

Dear Lucky,

I can’t believe that I’ve only been here for a few days. Every hour feels like an eternity without you. I’m not sure what Helena has planned for me, but whatever it is, she’s made it perfectly clear that I will be staying here for a very long time. I don’t know if I can do that. For now, I’ll hope and pray that you find me, but sooner or later, I’m going to give up, and once that happens, what’s the point? Without you in my life, there’s no reason for me to live, especially not in this place!

I was allowed outside today. Helena claimed it was a reward for sleeping with Sergei last night. There’s this really beautiful garden out by the water, and she let me stay there all afternoon, on the condition that I didn’t try to escape. There are guards everywhere, so I know not to test her on that. It was very serene out there, and for a moment, I could almost forget where I was and picture myself with you, in our garden. I miss you so much! I just hope you don’t let what has happened cause you to self-destruct. I’ve seen how Spencer men handle tragedy, and it’s not healthy. I’m trying my hardest to keep going for you, so please do the same for me!

Sergei came to my bedroom tonight. He’s taking this husband thing way too far, but I know that if Helena found out that I wasn’t cooperating, she would easily make my life here even worse than it is already. She keeps threatening to hurt someone that I love as well, and I can’t take that risk. She’s tried to get me to believe that you’re dead, but I refuse to fall for that again! I can still feel you out there, I know you’re still alive. I just hope you can find me soon, because I’m not sure how much more of this I can take. Every time he kisses me, I feel like I’m going to be sick.

I’m going to try to sleep now. I’ll see you in my dreams, my darling.

Love, Elizabeth

She begins to dream that she is back in Port Charles, reunited with her family at last.

“Elizabeth,” a voice says quietly from behind her. She whirls around happily, flying into Lucky’s waiting arms.

“Oh, Lucky, I missed you so much! Thank you for finding me!”

He hugs her back, kissing the top of her head. “You know I would never give up on you. I would have searched for you for the rest of my life if I had to. Elizabeth, I love you so much, I can’t live without you!”

She pulls back and looks into his familiar blue eyes. “I love you too, Lucky. I was so afraid I’d never see you again, that I would have to keep living with those horrible people. Please, promise me we’ll never be apart again!”

He kisses her tenderly. “I promise. I’ll never let you out of my sight again.” They kiss passionately, and suddenly they’re in their bedroom. Lucky lays her gently on the bed, kissing her the entire time. He begins to make love to her, slowly at first, then with growing intensity. She sighs happily and opens her eyes, then gasps when she sees that the man in front of her isn’t Lucky anymore. Nikolas? she thinks, confused at the sudden change.

“Elisha,” he moans softly, opening his eyes to look at her.

Liz sits up in bed, drenched in sweat, her breathing labored. She looks frantically around the room, then realizes it was just a dream. A horrible, horrible dream.

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