~*~Chapter 11~*~

“I can’t believe this is happening!” Emily says as she walks into the house. “How could Liz be gone like that?”

Nikolas shakes his head. “I don’t know. Haven’t the two of them been through enough hell already? It’s like they’re cursed or something!”

“I just hope she’s okay, wherever she is. Even so long after the rape, I know she still gets nervous around strangers. She must be terrified right now.”

Nikolas wraps his arms around his wife and kisses her on the top of her head. “She’s tough, though. If anyone can get through something like this, she can. The love her and Lucky have for one another is like a force of nature. It can probably sustain them through anything, even this.”

She smiles sadly at him. “Reminds me of us. I love you so much, Nikolas.”

He kisses her tenderly. “I love you too, Em. I always will.”

~*~

“Oh, Luke, why is this happening to them? Why can’t they just be happy?” Laura asks, closing the front door behind her.

“I don’t know, babe, but I’m not going to rest until I find the scum that did this. Do you think Stefan could be behind this somehow? I know he’s in a high-security place, but he’s struck out at us before from jail, what’s to say he won’t try again?”

“No, they watch him too closely now, and he has no phone privileges at all, so how would he contact anyone?”

Luke thinks for a minute. “But what if this was somehow all set up way before he was put away? I mean, that poison thing was, remember? What if he gave some old lackey of Helena’s instructions to kidnap Liz, and told them to carry them out if he ever got thrown in the slammer?”

“Maybe, but then why wait until now? Why not do it as soon as he was found guilty? He’s been in that jail for months now! Anyway, this isn’t Stefan’s way of doing things. He’s not into kidnapping innocent women. No, if he were going to strike against us, he’d go straight for you or Lucky. I think Mac and Taggert were right when they said it’s probably just random.”

Luke shakes his head, not wanting to think about that. “No, nothing is random with this family. Any time something happens to a Spencer, it’s always been methodically planned out by some evil monster somewhere. The question here is, what evil monster? All our enemies are dead, right?”

“Maybe that’s what we’re missing. What if one of them isn’t?” Laura asks fearfully.

“Oh, man, I don’t need to be thinking about that now. I think I’m going to call Lucky, make sure he’s all right. I’m kind of nervous about leaving him alone like that. He’s got my temper, and you know what I do when I’m upset!”

Laura smiles sympathetically as Luke goes to get the phone.

~*~

Lucky wanders aimlessly through the house, remembering the day he gave it to her. She had been so happy, and so surprised. They already had tons of memories in it, and were supposed to make many, many more. How could she just vanish like that? He sighs and walks out to her favorite place, her garden, and sits on one of the benches.

“Elizabeth, where are you?” he whispers, staring at the sky, praying for an answer, any answer. When none comes, he puts his head in his hands, trying to fight the feeling of helplessness he suddenly has. The phone rings inside, and he jumps off the bench and sprints into the kitchen.

“Elizabeth?” he asks breathlessly into the phone.

“Sorry, Cowboy, it’s just me,” Luke’s voice comes back sadly. “I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

Lucky sighs and leans against the counter. “Yeah, Dad, I’m just peachy,” he answers sarcastically. “Is that all you needed?’

“Um, I guess. You’ll call if you need anything, right?”

“Sure. And Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“I’ll be okay. I just miss her like crazy. We’re going to find her, right? I mean, I don’t think I can live without her. She’s what kept me sane when Faison had me, and she gave me hope when everyone thought I would die from that poison. I need her so much. How can she just be gone?” Lucky’s voice cracks as a tear runs down his cheek.

“Oh, Cowboy, I don’t now. I wish I did, really. I promise you, I’m going to do everything I can to find her. And remember, wherever she is, she’s probably trying her damnedest to get back to you, too.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Any time. Now why don’t you take a nap or something, get some rest?”

“Maybe. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, son.”

“Bye, Dad.”

~*~Chapter 12~*~

After Helena’s “announcement,” Elizabeth is speechless. How sick could one woman possibly be? Was she really going to make her relive what Laura went through here? With Nikolas’s twin brother?

Helena chuckles at the horrified expression on Liz’s face. “Yes, you heard me correctly. You will marry Sergei and live here as his wife. The more you behave, the more access to the house you will have. It’s that simple. I’m sure once you accept that you’re never going to see Port Charles or the people in it again, you’ll learn to love your new life here. If not, well, I could really care less about that.”

Liz glares at her, then at Sergei. How could he be related to Nikolas and Lucky, and be willing to go along with something so evil? Sergei merely gazes back at her, looking her over. She feela like she’s being mentally undressed, and she shivers.

“Now, there is one more matter to attend to. You need a new name, one that is more... Cassidine-worthy. Let’s see... Elisha. Yes, that sounds much better.” Helena smiles proudly.

“What’s wrong with Elizabeth? How is Elisha better? They sound the same to me!”

“If you are to cut all ties with your past, that includes your name. Trust me, it makes the transition much easier. From now on, you are not longer Elizabeth Spencer, you will be Elisha Cassidine.”

Liz shakes her head. “I’m not marrying him! I don’t care what you say, Lucky is still alive somewhere, so you can’t make me marry Sergei!”

“Of course I can. Haven’t you learned yet, I can make you do anything I want. You’re under my control now, and you’re never leaving.”

Liz stands up and begins to pace. “Why are you doing this? What kind of sick pleasure are you getting out of it? I mean, all you’re doing is forcing me to marry another Spencer, not a Cassidine! No matter what you name him, he’s Luke’s son. How is that revenge?”

“My dear, I did not bring you here to question my motives. Now, Sergei will bring you back to your room. I suggest you get some sleep, because you will be getting married this afternoon, and you’ll want to be well-rested for your wedding night.” She leers at Liz as the horror creeps over her face at the prospect of having to sleep with another man.

“No, you can’t make me do this! If you must force me to marry him, fine, but I will not sleep with him! I won’t cheat on Lucky like that, I can’t!” Liz says, her voice filled with desperation. Just the mere thought of another man touching her fills her with fear. Lucky was the only one who could ever reach her like that after the rape. She couldn’t even fathom being with anyone else, and now Helena’s telling her she’s going to have to sleep with this carbon-copy of his brother?

Sergei reaches out for her hand, but she quickly rips it away. “I’ll follow you, but don’t touch me,” she says coldly. He shrugs and walks out of the room. She trails along behind him reluctantly, wishing she would just wake up and realize this was all a big nightmare. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be happening any time soon. A few minutes later, they arrive at her room. Sergei unlocks it an ushers her inside, then locks it again.

Liz sits on the edge of the bed and looks around the room. Someone had cleaned her mess from the previous night already. She lays down, still unable to believe this was all happening. How was she supposed to marry another man, when Lucky was the only one she would ever love? Even if Helena was right, and he was dead, she would rather spend the rest of her life completely alone than marry another.

To make matters worse, she was expected to marry Nikolas’s twin! Not only was it like cheating on Lucky, but it would feel like betraying Emily! She wonders if maybe, somewhere under that cold, Cassidine exterior, Sergei might have some of the Spencer compassion that is so abundant in Lucky and Nikolas. Maybe he could turn out to be an ally, maybe even help her get off of this island.

Standing up quickly, she starts to formulate a plan. “What would Lucky do if he were in my position?” she mutters to herself, pacing the room. “Well, he would use everything to his advantage. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? Since there’s no way I can get away from Helena on my own, and there’s probably no hope of me being rescued, I might as well make myself at home, let her think she got the best of me. I can even try to befriend Sergei. Sooner or later, he’ll get as tired of the phony marriage as I am, and he’ll be willing to help me escape.” She smiles, thinking that Lucky would be proud of her.

~*~

After catching a few hours of sleep, Liz is roused by a knocking on her door. She sits up as a servant enters, carrying a garment bag. “Madam says for you to put this on.” She drops it on the bed and hurries out of the room, locking the door behind her.

“I can’t believe she expects me to do this,” Liz mutters to herself as she unzips the bag. Inside is a lavish wedding gown. She rolls her eyes and steps into it, figuring the faster she does this, the sooner it will be over with. She runs a brush through her hair and sits on the bed to wait. While she’s sitting, she starts playing with her wedding ring. Afraid that Helena might take it away, she reluctantly removes it, something she hasn’t done since her wedding day. Her eyes fill with tears as she kisses it and gently tucks it into her bra, keeping it close to her heart. She’s afraid to leave it in the room for fear that one of the servants might take it, and she doesn’t have a chain to put it on.

The door opens slowly and Helena enters. “You’re ready, that’s good. You’ll learn early on that it’s better for all of us if you just obey my orders the first time around. You keep me happy, and your life here will be much easier. Now, your groom is waiting, so let’s go.”

Liz rolls her eyes and reluctantly follows Helena out of the room. How did her life become such a nightmare?

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