~*~Chapter 23~*~

Elizabeth is shocked at first by Sergei’s request. “What do you want to know?”

He shrugs. “Anything. Everything. I’ve always thought I was a Cassidine, son of Stefan, but when Helena told me a year ago that I was actually a full-blooded Spencer, not just Laura’s son, I didn’t know what to think. I mean, all my life she had told me about the Cassidines, what it meant to be one, what Stefan was like, what Laura was like. It was obvious she hated both of them, but I still absorbed everything she told me, trying to find some kind of connection with them. Now that I’m not a Cassidine after all, I feel sort of misplaced. I thought that maybe if you told me about my real father and my brothers, maybe I could finally understand where I came from.”

She smiles in spite of herself and sits down on another bench, facing him. “Well, Luke is a very odd man. He can come off as very cold and mean to those he doesn’t know or doesn’t like. I was afraid of him when I first met him, but once I got to know him, I realized it was all a facade, just a front he puts up to keep people out. But once he lets you in.... he’s the funniest, most caring, most loving person. He’ll do anything for his family, even if it means risking his own life.

“When Nikolas first came to town, they hated each other. Nikolas was a Cassidine, the bastard son of his wife, and he hated that he had been the only person able to save their daughter, Lulu. Did Helena tell you about that?”

Sergei nods.

“Lucky didn’t like Nikolas very much at first, either. But, after a while, they managed to accept that they were brothers, and actually became friends. Luke, well, Luke tolerated him, but that was about it. He just couldn’t get past the Cassidine part. Then,” she pauses, a frown crossing her face. “Then, one day there was a terrible fire in the building where Lucky lived. The entire place burned down, and we all thought he was dead.”

“Yes, Helena told me about that. She seemed very proud of it, in fact,” Sergei says, noticing tha she flinches.

Liz shakes her head and continues. “Anyway, a year later, Luke started to uncover the truth about the fire, that Lucky was still alive somewhere, and at the same time, he discovered that Nikolas really was his son. Once Lucky was rescued, they told us all at once, and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed. Nikolas looked like he had finally found his home, and Luke finally was able to love him completely.” She chuckles to herself for a moment. “To look at them now, you’d never know that for the first 18 years of Nikolas’s life, they either didn’t know each other, or hated each other. Now, they’re this perfect little family, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it...” she trails off for a moment, a sadness entering her eyes. She sniffs and looks away, not wanting him to see that she’s crying.

Sergei can tell she’s upset, so he stands up. “Thank you, Elisha. I won’t take up any more of your time.” He turns and walks away, leaving her there, watching him in amazement. Just when she thought she had him figured out, he did this complete 180, showing her that he actually did have a soul in there somewhere.

Liz sighs and looks out at the water, wiping a tear off of her cheek. “Lucky, if you’re out there, please hurry and find me. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”

~*~

Sergei knocks lightly on Helena’s door.

“Come in!”

He opens it and quickly enters. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

Helena smiles and motions for him to sit. “Did you complete your task?”

He nods. “Yes, it went very well. She’s opening up to me already.”

“Good. This may be easier than I thought. The girl might even be weaker than I originally figured. Just keep it up and she will trust you in no time. What did she tell you about?”

“She talked a little bit about Luke, then told me about his relationship with Nikolas. She mentioned Lucky a few times, and started to get sad, so I decided it was time to leave. I can ask her more another time.”

Helena frowns at him. “Don’t get soft on this girl, Sergei. She’ll always be loyal to that husband of hers, remember that. Even if you manage to make her trust you, she’ll never love you, so don’t even entertain the thought for a moment. That’s what went wrong the last time. My stupid son, Stefan, actually believed that Laura could love him more than Luke Spencer, that she might choose him instead. He was kind to her and all she did was run from this island the second she learned that her precious Luke was still alive. Don’t let that happen to you as well!”

Sergei nods solemnly. “I won’t, I promise.”

She nods and waves him away. “Leave me now, I have work to do. I’ll see you at dinner.”

He stands and heads for the door, turning back before he opens it. “Am I to visit Elisha again tonight?”

Helena thinks for a moment and smiles. “No, let her be tonight. She’ll think she has won you over and will trust you even more. Now go.”

“Yes, ma’am. Until tonight.” He opens the door and leaves the room, then walks outside and strains to see if she is still in the garden. After a few minutes of searching, he spots her, standing as close to the water as possible, staring out to sea. He sighs and goes back inside, wondering how he’s going to continue carrying out Helena’s wishes without falling for Elisha in the process.

~*~Chapter 24~*~

A week had passed since Elizabeth’s disappearance, and Lucky had finally pulled himself together enough to go to work. He walks into the studio and smiles slightly as V happily rushes over to hug him.

“Lucky! I wasn’t expecting you! How are you doing?” she asks, holding him out at arm’s length to look at him. He looks awful, his eyes are bloodshot and have dark circles around them, his hair is lifeless, and he has lost so much weight that his clothes are practically hanging on him.

Lucky shrugs and sits on one of the couches. “I’ve been better, but I finally decided that just sitting at home and drinking myself to sleep every night wasn’t going to cut it. If Elizabeth knew what I was doing, she’d kill me!” He smiles a little at the thought, then becomes serious again. “Anyway, I figured coming to work would be the best thing for me. I can just lose myself in the music and try to forget for a little while that my entire life has fallen apart.”

V gazes sadly at him, her heart breaking at the pain he is in. “Lucky, are you sure you’re ready for that? I will completely understand if you need to take some time off. I mean, it takes a while to sell a song, so the ones you’ve written so far will be enough for now.”

He shakes his head. “No, I need to do this. In fact, I’ve decided to take up your earlier offer and record them myself.”

She stares at him in shock. “But you said you never wanted to be a recording artist, that all you would ever feel comfortable doing was writing the songs, not performing them yourself.”

“I know, but that was when.. that was when I had Elizabeth. I didn’t want to have to leave her to do tours, but now that she’s gone, maybe a tour is exactly what I need. I’ll understand if after hearing me at the showcase, you don’t want to do it anymore. I just need something to do with myself, something to take up my time, otherwise I’ll spend it drinking or wallowing in self-pity, missing her.”

“You haven’t given up already, have you? It’s only been a week. She could turn up any moment. What if she shows up while you’re on the road? Lucky, this is a big commitment for you to be making, I won’t do it unless you’re absolutely sure.”

Lucky thinks for a moment and sighs. “What if I just recorded an album for now? No tours yet, just in case. A lot of artists do that, don’t they?”

V nods and smiles. “Yeah, they do. Okay, if you’re sure. I would like nothing more than to sign you to an album deal! I always thought that only you could do justice to those beautiful songs you write, anyway. When do you want to start?”

Lucky smiles, a real smile this time. “How about today?”

~*~

“Nikolas, you’re driving me crazy!” Emily growls in frustration. “I’m only a month pregnant, I’m not fragile! I can still do things for myself, you know.”

“I’m sorry, I just want to do everything I can for you. Maybe I’m going a little overboard?”

She laughs and kisses him lightly. “Just a little. Look, in 7 months, when I’m as big as a house and can’t move, then you can wait on me hand and foot, but for now, I’m perfectly capable of getting my own food. Although, I can’t imagine why I suddenly want peanut butter and pickles!”

Nikolas laughs as he watches her scurry into the kitchen. He feels a little guilty for being so happy while his brother is going through one of the worst times of his life. He sighs and picks up the phone, dialing his number. After a few rings, the machine picks up, and Elizabeth’s voice comes across the line.

“Hi, you’ve reached the Spencers. We’re unable to come to the phone right now. Either we’re out...”

“Or we’re busy,” Lucky breaks in with a chuckle.

Liz laughs. “But leave a message and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.”

The machine beeps, and Nikolas clears his throat, wiping away a stray tear. “Um, Lucky, it’s Nikolas. I was just checking to see how you’re doing. Em and I should be home all night, so give us a call, okay? Bye.” He hangs up the phone and leans back in his chair, rubbing his face.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asks, coming back into the room with a jar of peanut butter in one hand and a can of pickles in the other.

Nikolas looks at her and smiles, pulling her into his lap. “I just tried calling Lucky, but he’s not home. I got the machine..”

She nods and kisses him on the forehead. “Yeah, that happened to me the other day, too. It’s so weird to hear her voice like that. I miss that, hearing them so happy. I hope someone finds her soon.”

“Me too, honey,” Nikolas says, watching her as she dips a pickle into the jar of peanut butter. He makes a face and gently pushes her off of his lap. “Ugh, how can you eat that?”

She stands up and laughs. “Like this,” she says, dramatically biting off the end of the pickle. “Mmm, yummy.”

Nikolas makes a gagging sound and hurries into the kitchen, her laughter trailing behind him.

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