What Happened to Forever?

Chapters 29-30

~*~Chapter 29~*~

(A couple of days have passed rather uneventfully. Luke and the others are waiting for Faison to show up, so they can move to the next part of the plan. Nikolas and Emily have been inseparable and are falling in love with each other.)

Luke is getting anxious. For the past couple of days, all they’ve been able to do is sit around and wait. Until they know where Faison is hiding out, they can’t continue planning Lucky’s rescue, and he was sure that “Herr Krieg” would show up a few days earlier than planned, just like he always did. In the meantime, he’s been trying to occupy himself with club business. Right now, he’s trying to balance the books, but his mind isn’t very focused on the task and he’s making quite a few errors.

He sighs and closes the books. This isn’t working. He lights a cigar and sits back in his chair. ‘I can wait’ he thinks.

A few minutes later his patience is rewarded. There’s a knock at the door and Faison enters. Luke is trying his best not to act any differently towards the man now that he knows his true identity. He reaches under his desk and discreetly presses a button, starting up a recording device hidden in the room.

“Herr Krieg. Early as usual. I’ve come to expect nothing less from you.” Luke greets cheerily.

Faison enters and takes a seat in front of Luke’s desk. “So, Mr. Spencer, do you have an answer for me yet?”

Luke set his cigar down in the ashtray and leans forward. “I must say, you are a persistent, yet patient man, Herr Krieg. Two qualities I look for in a business associate. Your proposition definitely intrigues me. But before I give you an answer, what type of payment are we talking about here?”

Faison smiles. He knew that Luke would waste no time bringing up the money. “All in good time, Luke. Trust me, you will be quite pleased by what I have to offer you in return. I cannot tell you yet, but I guarantee that you will be more than happy with it. In fact, I would even be willing to make you this guarantee: if, once I inform you of my offer, you do not care to take it, our agreement will be terminated right away, no questions asked. Being the shrewd businessman that I know you are, how can you pass up an deal like that?” He smirks slightly and waits for Luke’s answer.

‘He must be talking about Lucky. Why else would he refuse to tell me the payment and then make a guarantee like that? He’s going to expect me to fight him on this, so I have to keep up the act.’ Luke waited a moment to appear like he was giving the offer some serious thought before proceeding. “Now, Herr Krieg, I thought you knew me well enough by now to know that I don’t take blind offers. This is a very important diamond we’re talking about here. I can’t just agree to sell it to you on the faith that you will give me something equally valuable in return.”

“Ah, but Mr. Spencer, you forget my guarantee. If, for any reason, you don’t feel that my payment is equally valuable, if not more so, then I will not hold you to anything. No strings, no questions asked. I only do this because I am not currently in a position to disclose any more information, but I assure you, I will advise you the day before our scheduled delivery date. Will that be sufficient notice?”

‘He looks so smug sitting there. I wish I could just knock that smile off his face.’ Luke decides that he better agree to Faison’s offer now before he loses his temper and blows his cover. “All right, Herr Krieg, you have definitely peaked my interest. I will accept your offer for now, but if I don’t like your payment, I will take you up on that guarantee of yours. When shall we agree to meet next?”

Faison smiles, pleased that everything is falling into place so nicely. “How about a week from today?”

“A week it is. Is this a good place to meet, or do you prefer somewhere more discreet?”

Faison shakes his head. “Here is just fine. I prefer to hide in plain sight, so to speak.” He stands up and extends his hand. “So we have a deal?”

Luke smiles, and shakes his hand. “We have a deal. I await your next call.”

Faison nods and leaves. Luke sits down again and shuts off the recording device. Now all he has to do is wait for Sonny’s men to follow Faison. He’ll have to return to the place Lucky is being held sooner or later, and once he does, they can set their plan in motion. He reaches over and dials the phone.

“Hello.”

“Hey, partner. Faison just left my office. Get as many men as possible on him. He’s so sure of himself right now, he’s probably not being careful. If we’re lucky, he’ll lead us straight to, uh...Lucky.” He chuckles at the pun.

Sonny thanks him for the tip and agrees to get right on it. The man who was watching Luke’s club should be tailing Faison already, and he would find a few more to add, just in case. They hang up and Luke leans back, puffing on his cigar in early celebration.

~*~Chapter 30~*~

Elizabeth is walking along the docks, trying to cheer herself up. Her trip to the mall with Emily had been a welcome diversion to her usual routine of school and work, but it only raised her spirits for a short time, and now she’s back to her former melancholy state of mind. All she can do is think about Lucky. Even after a year she still missed him more and more each day. Everyone had told her that the pain was supposed to go away over time, that it would get better, but it hasn’t. It’s only gotten worse.

Once again, she is so deep in thought that she bumps into someone. ‘I’ve got to start watching where I’m going!’ she thinks to herself as she looks up to see who she ran into this time. She jumps back slightly when she doesn’t recognize the man standing in front of her.

The man bows slightly before speaking. “I do apologize my dear. I didn’t see you walking there. Are you all right?” He asks. His voice has a strange foreign accent that she can’t quite place. He’s being perfectly polite, and although he is still a stranger to her, she doesn’t feel frightened.

“I’m fine, sir, thank you. I should apologize as well. I wasn’t looking where I was going. I’ll be more careful from now on.” She is getting ready to walk away when he speaks again.

“Don’t give it another thought. You must have had something weighing on your mind to have distracted you so much. Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I lost someone I loved recently and some days are just harder than others,” she explains, her hand automatically reaching for her necklace. She isn’t sure why she had just told him that.

He notices her reaction and eyes the necklace. “What is that around your neck? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.”

She looks down, not even realizing she had reached for it. “Oh. It’s an old subway token from New York. It was...his.”

He nods. “The loved one that you lost? I don’t mean to pry, but how did it happen?”

“A fire. It was a year ago, but I guess I’m not dealing with it too well. I should be getting on with my life by now, but I just can’t. So much of me died with him, you know? I haven’t figured out how to go on.” She can’t believe that she’s telling him all of this. Maybe it’s because he’s a stranger and doesn’t know anything about her or Lucky. She doesn’t have to worry about him judging her.

He gently puts a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone handles grief differently. About seven years ago I lost the woman that I loved. It was terrible, and it took me a long time to get over. Don’t fight your grief. Just let it run its course and one day you’ll be able to move on. Trust me, it will happen. Just give it time.” He squeezes her shoulder. “I must be going. I do hope you feel better.”

Liz smiles. “Yes, I think I do. Thank you.” They bid farewell and go their separate ways. She can’t stop thinking about what a nice man he was, and wondering about the woman he lost. Even after 7 years, she could still see the sadness in his eyes when he mentioned her.

The man pauses and turns back to watch the girl depart, congratulating himself on his “caring stranger” act, and smiles. “Poor dear. If only you knew that the boy you are mourning isn’t even dead. No matter. He will be soon enough.” He chuckles and boards the boat that has been waiting for him.

Liz stops and turns back to see if the man is still there, and sees him getting on a yacht. ‘Strange,’ she thinks. ‘Haven’t I seen that boat somewhere before?’ She dismisses the thought, figuring that most boats look the same to her, and continues on her journey.

A short while later she arrives at the church. Ever since that night in the cemetery, she prefers to come here when she needs to feel close to Lucky. She goes inside and sits in the front pew. It feels good to just sit and listen to the silence around her. She finds herself thinking about the strange man she met earlier. She still can’t believe she told him so much, but she was comforted by his words. She looks down and realizes that she is playing with her necklace again. She finds it funny how she’s always reaching for it unconsciously. Maybe it’s Lucky’s way of contacting her. She smiles at the thought. It may be silly, but it’s a comforting thought. She leans back in the pew, mindlessly playing with the token. The church is so peaceful and she’s suddenly so calm, that she slowly drifts off to sleep.