~*~Chapter 17~*~

“Good morning!” Helena says cheerfully as she opens Sergei’s door. “How was the honeymoon?”

Liz looks at her sleepily and groans. Last night really had happened. She rolls off of the bed and quickly gathers up her clothes before a servant can come and take them. Her two most precious possessions are in there: her wedding ring and the letter she had written to Lucky. “Can I go back to my room now?”

Instead of responding, Helena merely walks away from the room. Assuming it’s her cue to follow, she does, walking behind her to her room. She opens the door and goes inside, sighing as she hears it lock behind her. “I never thought I’d be so happy to see this room,” she mutters to herself, quickly looking for a good hiding place to store her ring and letter. Finally, she notices a loose floorboard under the bed. She finds an old envelope in the writing desk and seals her ring inside, then slides both it and the letter underneath.

Bored and tired, Liz lays down on the bed and quickly falls asleep.

~*~

Sergei knocks on the door and waits for a response.

“Enter.”

He opens the door and walks inside, taking a seat in front of the large desk.

“So, did everything go as planned?” Helena asks, folding her hands in from of her.

Sergei nods. “Yes, she argued at first, but I was able to convince her that it was in her best interests to cooperate.”

Helena smiles, pleased with the news. “Good, good. You will go to her every night unless I tell you otherwise. The sooner we accomplish the next part of my plan, the better. Is that understood?”

Sergei smiles and nods. “Of course, ma’am. I will do as you wish.”

“Well, it’s not like this is an unpleasant task. I’m asking you to sleep with a beautiful woman every night. Many men would kill for such an opportunity.”

“I understand,” Sergei answers simply.

Helena nods and shoos him away. “You’re free for the rest of the day, but I expect you to return promptly for dinner. Go on.”

Sergei stands and leaves the office, shutting the door quietly behind him. He learned early in life that the best way to deal with Helena was to just agree with her on everything. Part of him was sickened by what he was being forced to do, but at the same time, his new wife was very beautiful, and he had been confined to this island for most of his life, with very little human contact. He’s lonely, and Elisha is everything he has ever dreamed of in a woman. He vows that sooner or later he will make her love him, no matter what he has to do. For now, though, he would carry out Helena’s wishes, even if it meant alienating Elisha further. His fear of Helena overpowered everything else.

~*~

Helena enters Liz’s room and groans when she sees that the girl is asleep. “Elisha! Wake up!”

Liz stirs and squints at her. “What do you want?”

“Now is that any way to talk to someone who literally holds your life in her hands? No, I don’t think so. Get up, I have a surprise for you.”

Liz sits up in the bed and throws her legs over the edge, standing up. “What kind of surprise?” she asks warily.

“Since you cooperated so well last night, I though I would reward you. Follow me.” Helena turns and leaves the room. Liz quickly follows, wondering what her idea of a reward will be.

Helena leads her outside, to a lush garden overlooking the sea. “The more you cooperate with me, the more time you will be allowed to spend out here. Don’t get any crazy ideas, there are guards posted all over the island. As long as you stay in the garden, they will leave you alone. Just remember, I can make this easy or I can make this hard. It’s up to you. The less you fight me, the more freedom you’ll be given. It’s that simple.” With that, she leaves the garden.

Liz sighs and looks around. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say she was in paradise. There are beautiful flowers everywhere, huge trees casting shade over her, a small pond, and a gorgeous view of the Mediterranean. She sits down on one of the benches and gazes out at the water, trying to let the peacefulness of it wash over her. Maybe, even for just a moment, she can forget where she is, forget the events of the previous night. She closes her eyes and inhales the sea breeze, but nothing she does can erase her memories or make her forget where she is. She stands up and walks to the edge of the garden, knowing that if she takes another step, a guard will probably jump out and grab her. She stares longingly at the water, wishing she could just walk into it and never turn back.

“Stop thinking like that,” she scolds herself. “Lucky would never want you to give up this quickly. Don’t let her break you so easily.”

Liz walks over to a rosebush and picks a flower, twirling it between her fingers as she studies the horizon. “I miss you, Lucky. I miss seeing your face every day, hearing your voice. I miss the way you kiss me, the way you hold me at night.” She sniffs and wipes away a tear. “Lucky, I can’t do this without you.”

She sits on a bench and stares at the rose in her hands, unaware that she isn’t alone.

A few feet away, Sergei is watching the entire, heartbreaking scene. “My darling, Elisha, I will make you forget Lucky Spencer if it’s the last thing I do. You will be mine. In time, you will learn to love me.” He backs away, leaving her to her sorrow, for now.

~*~Chapter 18~*~

Luke and Laura had spent the night at their son’s house, and had spent the morning cleaning up the mess in Lucky’s living room. As they are finishing, his phone rings. Luke rushes to answer it, hoping it didn’t wake him.

“Hello?”

“Luke! I didn’t expect you to answer. Did I dial the wrong Spencer?” V asks, confused.

He chuckles. “No, Legs, you got the right one. Lucky’s sleeping. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Sleeping? It’s almost noon! Wake him up, I’ve got great news!” she says excitedly.

“Actually, that’s not a good idea. Haven’t you heard?”

There’s silence for a moment. “Heard what? Did something happen?”

“Yeah, Liz disappeared the day after Lucky’s show. We think she was kidnapped, but there’s no evidence yet, no clues at all to tell us where she is. Needless to say, Lucky’s a wreck, and now that he’s finally sleeping, I’d rather not wake him.”

V gasps. “Oh, no, don’t! I can’t believe this. How could someone do something so horrible? Lucky must be devastated.”

“Pretty much. Look, why don’t you just tell me what this good news of yours is, and when he wakes up I‘ll let him know.”

“Well, it doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore,” V says reluctantly. “I just wanted to tell him that one of his songs was just bought by a major label.”

Luke smiles. “That’s great. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear that He could use some good news for a change. Which song was it?”

“One of the ones he wrote for Elizabeth, ‘Flying.’ He sang it the other night, remember?”

“Right, that was a good one. Well, I’ll make sure to tell him. Thanks, V.”

“Let me know if you need anything, okay? I’ll make sure to stop by later to see him. Bye.” V hangs up and Luke looks at his wife.

“That was V. He sold a song,” Luke says quietly, knowing that Lucky is too distraught at the moment to care about his songwriting career.

Laura smiles sadly. “That’s great. It’s a shame that the only news he wants to hear right now is that we found Liz. Where could she be?”

He shakes his head and goes over to sit next to her on the couch. “I don’t know, baby, I don’t know.”

“I thought I heard you guys out here,” Lucky says groggily as he staggers into the room. “What are you doing here? Who was on the phone?”

“Um, that was V. She wanted to tell you that some big record label bought one of your songs. I think she said is was ‘Flying,’” Luke says, jumping up to go over to him. “How are you feeling?” Lucky looks at him for a moment, then goes into the kitchen and digs around in the refrigerator.

“I’m fine, Dad,” he mumbles, pulling out a beer and popping off the cap. He downs half the bottle in one gulp, then walks into the living room and flops down on the recliner.

Luke and Laura exchange worried glances. “Honey, are you sure?” Laura says softly.

Lucky glares at her. “Yeah, Mom, I’m just dandy. Oh, except for that little thing about my wife disappearing without a trace. That was a bummer, but once I get over the fact that I don’t have a reason to live without her, I’m sure I’ll be just swell.” He takes another swig of beer and stares at the ceiling.

Laura flinches and sits back, not sure how to handle this. She looks at Luke, hoping he can do something. After all, who would know better how to handle this than someone who grieves in pretty much the exact same manner?

Luke just shakes his head, knowing that when he’s like this, the last thing he wants is people trying to talk to him. The best thing to do is leave Lucky alone to sort through his feelings. He motions for her to get up. She stands and looks one more time at her son, a tear rolling down her cheek for him, then joins Luke at the door. “We’re going to go, okay? Let us know if you need anything?” she says as he opens the door for her.

“Yeah, sure,” Lucky grumbles, not even turning to watch them leave. Once he hears the door close, he sighs and finishes the beer, then looks at the empty bottle. He starts to throw it, then stops himself, remembering that it was the sort of thing his father would do. He sets the bottle down on the table in front of him and laughs.

“I sold one of my songs. What perfect timing, huh Elizabeth? Yes, I think this calls for a celebration.” He gets up and goes back to the kitchen, getting another beer, then drinks the whole thing right there. He leaves the empty bottle on the counter and rummages around in the liquor cabinet for something stronger. “Come on, where are you?” he mutters to himself. “A-ha! Hiding from me, huh?” He pulls out a bottle of scotch and grabs a shotglass, then goes back into the living room. “Like father, like son,” he says, raising the glass in the air in a mock toast, then swallowing the contents before refilling it.

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