~*~Chapter 7~*~

Lucky checks his watch again. It’s been two hours. Where could Elizabeth have gone? He had already tried her cell phone a few times, but there was no answer, and he was starting to get worried.

He goes over to the phone and dials. “Hey dad, can you come over here? Thanks.” He paces around the living room, waiting for him to get there.

About ten minutes later, there’s a knock at the door. Lucky answers it and ushers Luke inside.

“Hey Cowboy, what’s going on? Why did you summon me over here like that?”

Lucky sighs and runs a hand through his hair nervously. “Okay, this may be nothing, and I may just be freaking out for no reason, but Elizabeth went to pick up some fabric for Chloe two hours ago, and she’s not back yet. She’s not answering her phone, either, and I’m starting to get worried.”

Luke sits down in a chair to think. “How far away is this fabric place?”

“Maybe five minutes or so, not far. And she swore she’d come right home. She had a hangover from last night, and she wasn’t feeling well, so I can’t imagine why she’d still be out.”

“You’re right to be worried, son. I would be too. Let me call your mother to come over here. She can stay by the phone in case Liz calls, while we go to that fabric store.” Luke stands up and goes to the phone. He calls Laura, who is having lunch at Nikolas and Emily’s house. She agrees to come right over.

A short while later, there’s another knock. Luke answers it this time while Lucky continues to pace nervously. Laura, Nikolas and Emily all rush in.

“What’s going on Luke? Why did you call me over here?” she asks, frantically looking around the room. She relaxes slightly when she sees Lucky. At least this wasn’t about him again.

“It’s Liz. She went to the store and hasn’t come back. She wasn’t supposed to be gone for more than a few minutes, and that was over two hours ago, and she’s not answering her phone. Dad wanted you to stay here in case she calls, while we go to the store,” Lucky explains, his voice shaking slightly. He has a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that just won’t go away.

Laura nods and rushes to hug him. “Of course, anything I can do to help. I’m sure she’s okay. She probably just started shopping and lost track of time.”

Emily chuckles. “Yeah, us girls do that sometimes you know!” She’s worried as well, but is trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

“Em, why don’t you stay here with Mom. I’d like to go with Lucky and Dad,” Nikolas says.

Luke smiles slightly. He still isn’t completely used to Nikolas calling him dad or father. “Okay, let’s get going them. No use wasting any more time chewing the fat here. Come on.” The three men leave the house and jump into Nikolas’s car.

Laura sighs and turns to hug Emily. “She’s fine, I know it. Don’t worry, Laura, they’ll find her. Lucky won’t rest until she’s back here, you know that!” Emily says comfortingly.

Laura nods. “I know. I’m sure it’s nothing. After all, who would want to do anything to her? Our only enemies are dead now.”

~*~

Lucky gasps as they pull into the parking lot of the fabric store. “There’s her car!”

Nikolas parks across from it and they all get out, walking slowly to the car, afraid of what they might find. Lucky makes it there first and looks in the window. “She’s not here.” He pulls out his keys and unlocks the door.

“Wait, Cowboy, use this,” Luke says, handing him a handkerchief. “Just in case.”

Lucky sighs and takes it, not wanting to think about the possibility of his wife’s car being a crime scene. He leans inside and looks around. Everything seems to be normal. He’s about to get out when something catches his eye. He grabs the bag and steps out of the car. “It’s the fabric she came for. She bought it and brought it back to the car, so why didn’t she leave? Where is she now?”

He opens the bag and carefully takes out the receipt. “The time on this is two hours ago. Where is she?” His voice is becoming more and more panicked. Luke takes the handkerchief from him and goes to investigate the car himself, while Nikolas stands back with Lucky, trying to think of something comforting to say.

A few minutes later, Luke gets out of the car. He walks over to Lucky and holds out his hand. “Does this look familiar?”

Lucky gasps and falls back against Nikolas, who grabs him and tries to support his weight. “No! It’s not possible!”

Luke looks at Nikolas and shows him what’s in his hand. Nikolas pales. “Oh, no. That’s the necklace he gave her for their anniversary!”

Lucky starts to shake his head. “No, she wouldn’t take it off. She would never take it off, it’s got to be a mistake!” He sinks to the ground, not wanting to let the reality of Luke’s discovery sink in.

Luke crouches down and takes his son in his arms. “Cowboy, she didn’t take it off. The chain’s broken. Someone took her.” Lucky begins to sob, and Luke looks helplessly at Nikolas, wondering why these things keep happening to his family.

~*~Chapter 8~*~

“Well, well, good morning dear,” Helena says cheerfully as Liz slowly opens her eyes.

Elizabeth gasps and shrinks back against the bed. “What.. How.... You’re dead!”

Helena chuckles. “My dear, no one ever really dies anymore, haven’t you realized that yet?”

“Where am I? Where is Lucky?” Liz asks, looking around the room.

“Well, your husband is back in Port Charles. He’s probably worried sick about you by now, since you’ve been gone for hours. Sooner or later, he’ll go to that store and find your car there, abandoned, with no sign of his lovely wife anywhere. They’ll put out a search, but after a while, when there’s no sign of you anywhere, they will have to accept the fact that you must be dead. After all, you were such a happy family, there’s no way you would have left him. No, death is the only probable outcome to your disappearance.”

Liz shakes her head, her eyes wide in horror. “No, he would never think that! Lucky knows me, he’ll know I’ve been taken somewhere!”

“But who would want to kidnap you? Faison and I are supposed to be dead. Of course, Faison really is dead, such a shame about that. I quite admired him. Anyway, no one has any reason to believe that I am still alive. Who else would want to take you?” Helena asks smugly.

“They’ll figure it out, you’ll see,” Liz says firmly, sitting up and looking out the window. “Where are we anyway?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve heard of this place by now. We’re in Greece, in the same house where Laura spent her years as my son’s wife, in the very same room, in fact. I’m certain that once you’ve learned to accept that you are never going to see the Spencers again, you will come to enjoy your stay here.”

“What? I will never enjoy it here, and I will never give up on my family! They will find me!”

Helena chuckles and stands to leave the room. “If you wish to hold on to that bit of false hope, you go on ahead. For now, get some rest. You’ve had a long day.” She leaves the room, and Liz hears a loud click. She jumps off the bed and rushes to the door, but it’s locked. She’s trapped. She turns and slides down the door, pulling her knees up the her chest, and cries.

~*~

A few hours later, Liz is sitting at the window, staring out at the landscape. She can’t help wondering what Laura went through here, if she would sit and stare out the window as well, what she had done to keep herself sane. Leave it to Helena to do something as ironic as this, to copy the same crime done to Laura, almost to the letter. She was thankful, at least, that there were no more Cassidine heirs for Helena to force her to marry.

She sighs and goes over to the bed. Lucky must be frantic by now, wondering where she is. A tear slips down her cheek as she instinctively reaches for her necklace. She gasps when she realizes it isn’t there. Had Helena taken it? Had it fallen off somewhere during the day? Maybe Lucky would find it and know that she had not gone anywhere on her own. He knew she would never take it off, just like he never took off his own.

What if Helena used the necklace to fake her death, just like she had two years ago with Lucky? No, that would be too obvious. Either she took it after they got to Greece, or it fell off. Maybe it broke while she was struggling with her kidnapper.

The door opens, and Helena comes in with a tray of food. “You must eat, my dear. You wouldn’t want to waste away in here. After all, your husband might find you.” She laughs and sets the tray on a small table.

Liz glares at the woman. “How did you survive that boat explosion? I at least have a right to know that, don’t I?”

“If it will appease your curiosity, fine, I’ll tell you. Faison had been drugged, and was unconscious, so I managed to drag him onto the yacht. Once there, I inspected the diamond that Luke had given him. When I realized it wasn’t real, I know that something was wrong. I immediately left the yacht. If Faison had been awake, he would have left with me, but I was afraid there wasn’t enough time to drag him off, so I left him there. The boat had already started, and was about to leave when I disembarked back onto Spoon Island. Since then, I’ve laid low, waiting for the opportunity to exact my revenge. Be happy that I allowed you to have a year with your husband, I could have easily taken you right after your honeymoon.”

Liz shivers, wondering if Helena had been watching them all that time. “Then, why now? Why am I here, and what are you planning to do to me?”

“Patience, my dear. All will be revealed soon. For now, eat your dinner. I have a big day planned for you tomorrow.” She nods and leaves the room, locking the door behind her.

Liz goes over to the try of food and screams, throwing it against the wall in frustration.

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