What Happened to Forever?

Chapters 31-32

~*~Chapter 31~*~

Luke is attempting to do the club's books again, still to no avail. He gives up and starts pacing the room. His meeting with Faison has left him uneasy. He has a good feeling that his "payment" is going to be his son, but since he still strongly suspects that Helena is involved, he knows that it won't be a fair trade. If she has her way, Lucky will most likely be returned seriously injured, psychologically altered, or just plain dead. They have to get to him before Faison's deadline, which leaves less than a week to find him and execute some sort of plan. The only problem is that Faison may not lead them to Lucky in time. For all Luke knows, he has someone else holding his son, and is orchestrating the whole thing from afar. He slams his fist down on the desk in frustration. He hates being so close and so far at the same time.

Sonny enters, having heard the loud bang, worried that Luke is in danger. He sees his friend pacing, and realizes he is just anxious. He clears his throat to announce his presence.

Luke turns around suddenly and relaxes when he see Sonny. "Hey there, partner. Any news?" he asks hopefully.

Sonny smiles and says simply, "We got him."

Luke whoops in victory and slaps Sonny on the back. "I knew you would find him! All right, spill it. Where is the slimebag holding my boy? Greece? Some tropical island? Come on, I'm dyin' here!"

Sonny shakes his head, amused by Luke's sudden outburst. "You'll never believe it. He's at Wyndemere."

Luke's grin disappears and his face turns crimson. "That son of a -" he cuts himself off, "You mean to tell me that for the past year we've been mourning him and he's been literally right under our noses? Man, it's going to take a lot of restraint to keep me from going over there right now and strangling the snot out of Cassidine!"

Sonny reaches out on grabs Luke's arm. "Don't go flying off the handle now. Your boy needs you to be calm about this. If you go over there all in a rage, you'll endanger his life. We need to do this by the plan, okay? The hardest part is over. We know where he is, and we're familiar with the place, so it'll be even easier. Now sit down. You're making me dizzy with all that pacing."

He obeys, knowing that Sonny is right. It wouldn't do the cowboy any good to deviate from the plan now. Once he was seated, Sonny continued. "There was one other thing that Benny told me. Our man told him that he saw Faison talking to Elizabeth on the docks."

Luke immediately tenses up. The last thing he wanted was for her to get drug into this. "He didn't hurt her did he? Cause if he even touches one hair on that girl's head, I'll kill him. Granted, I'm going to kill him anyway, but I'll make it more painful!"

"No, as far as I know he just talked to her. Benny said she was walking along the docks and bumped into him. He couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he said she seemed almost at ease with him. Whatever he was saying made her smile. He even reached out at one time and touched her shoulder, like he was comforting her. From what I hear, she seemed almost happy as she walked away. She even looked back and watched him get on Helena's yacht."

Luke was shaking with anger at the thought of Faison being near Elizabeth, but he forgets all about that as soon as he hears that last part. "Helena's yacht? So they are working together? I knew it! Wait, you said Liz saw him get on? Do you think she recognized it? I know she used to go to the docks with Lucky when he was working for the old witch, so I'm sure she's seen it before. Man, I hope she doesn't make the connection. I don't need any more people knowing about this."

"I don't know. She just watched him get on, and then went to that church. The guard we have on her last reported that she was just sitting there in the front pew. I told him to keep an close eye on her now that she has had contact with Faison. I'm sure the only reason Lucky hasn't escaped yet is because he has threatened to hurt her. Don't worry, she'll be safe."

Luke calms down a little knowing that there are guards on her. It still makes him nervous that she was so close to that monster, but it sounds like he didn't harm her.

"Well, thanks for everything. Keep me informed of his whereabouts, though. I'll let you know when we decide to put the plan into action, okay?" He stands up and walks to the door with him. Sonny extends his hand, and Luke takes it, then pulls him into a hug. "By this time next week I'm going to have my boy back," he says emotionally. Sonny hugs him back then leaves.

Luke takes a moment to compose himself, wiping away a stray tear, then goes to the desk and picks up the phone. He dials, waiting for someone to answer. Finally, she picks up.

"Hello?" His knees still go weak when he hears her sweet voice.

"Hey there angel. How are you and my princess doin'?"

"We're good. She's still taking about yesterday." Luke had stopped by to take LuLu and Laura out for the day. They had gone to a carnival and plied LuLu with cotton candy and ice cream. She was in heaven all day. Laura smiles at the memory and adds, "I enjoyed it too."

"Me too, darlin', me too. Anyways, I had some good news and some not so good news for you. I'd ask which you want first, but they're both the same thing. And before I tell you anything you have to sit down, because if you faint again, I won't be there to catch you!"

Laura is confused and slightly worried. "What do you mean?"

"Well, part of the good news is that we know where Faison is hiding out. The other good news is that it's right here in Port Charles, which is also the bad news, because he's hiding at Count Stiff's place. Oh yeah, and Helena is in on it."

Laura decides this would be a good time to take his advice and sit down. "You mean...all this time..."

"...he's been right here," he answers.

Her hand flies to her mouth, "Oh my God! I've even been there! After the fire, Stefan invited me over for dinner a couple of times. He even asked me to move in there once! How could he do that, knowing that Lucky was in the same building?"

Luke is stung by her words. He hadn't known about Stefan inviting her to live with him. At least she hadn't gone. Although, he couldn't help wondering if she had moved there, would she have stumbled upon their son? Would she have sensed him nearby? He stopped himself and shook the thoughts out of his head. No use wondering about the past. There was too much in the future to worry about right now.

"Laura, baby, I learned a long time ago that Cassidines do whatever it takes to get what they want. They have no conscience and no morals. Don't waste your time worrying about Stefan. He's not worth it. I promise you, once the cowboy is back with us, we'll start working on Nikolas. Stefan won't have a hold on him any more."

Laura smiles, happy that Luke is accepting his other son so quickly. "I'm so happy to hear you say that."

He grins, amazed that he's about to say this. "Yeah, well, believe it or not, I think I actually see a lot of Spencer in that boy. I used to think it came from you, but now that I know better, I realize there's a lot of me in him too.” He chuckles. “I'll bet you never thought you'd hear me say that!"

They both laugh. They share a few more pleasantries before agreeing to speak again tomorrow about the rescue plans.

~*~Chapter 32~*~

Nikolas stands in the doorway of the small church, unsure if he should go inside. The place feels sacred to him, and not just because it was a church, or because it held memories of Lucky’s funeral but because it was *their* church. He remembers how he had helped Lucky set it up for Valentine’s Day. He was so in love with Elizabeth, it was almost frightening. Nikolas had wondered that day if he would ever find love like that. Now, here he was, completely in love with Emily. He finally understands how Lucky felt that day. He takes a deep breath. opens the door a crack and peeks in. He’s surprised to see someone inside, so he walks in quietly, in case they’re praying or something. He takes a few steps before realizing the person in the front pew is Elizabeth. She’s sleeping peacefully, with a smile on her face. He doesn’t want to wake her, so he sits down a few rows back and just takes in the atmosphere.

***Liz’s Dream***

She’s dreaming about Valentine’s Day, about the church. It’s the first time in ages that she’s had a dream about Lucky besides the one where they’re dancing that ends in fire.

The church is beautiful, filled with candles and flowers. It’s a bit chilly, but being with Lucky makes her feel warm inside, so she doesn’t notice.

They’re talking about their future, and Lucky is saying how he can’t envision one without her. She feels a tear run down her face and responds. “I'd go anywhere with you. Because it's the same for me. I look ahead and the one constant is you. You are always there, taking my hand, pulling me back when things get too intense and I start obsessing over something. Giving me kisses that taste like chocolate. “

The dream jumps ahead slightly. Lucky tells her to close her eyes. He puts a bouquet of flowers in front of her and she smells them.

“Roses?” she asks.

“You win, you get to keep ‘em”

She opens her eyes and sees the most gorgeous white roses in front of her. “Lucky, they're beautiful!”

He grins. “You put them to shame.”

The dream jumps again. They are in front of the altar, and Lucky is talking about how he doesn’t remember who he was without her.

“I never want to know another day that doesn't include you. I don't even know how it happened. I couldn't tell you the exact day, or moment when I realized that I love you, but when it did, it happened big.” He laughs, then gets serious again and looks into her eyes. “You've got my heart. That's a permanent lock. Everything I am is in love with you. My soul, my mind, my body, my spirit. That will never change. I pledge myself to you, Elizabeth, today, forever.”

She feels like she’s going to cry, but manages to speak. “This is so amazing. That you and I would be standing here, and you'd be saying these things to me. I am so honored to be who you love. This time last year, I couldn't find a way out of the pain, and the shame. I never thought I'd smile, or laugh again. And then I looked up, and you were there, and you took my hand, and made me walk right back into the rest of my life, all the way to here. A place that's good, and pure, and safe, and I am so full inside, it hurts. You've got my heart. That's a permanent lock. Everything I am is in love with you. My soul, my mind, my body, my spirit. That'll never change. I pledge myself to you Lucky, today, forever.”

He moves her ring from her right hand to her left, and tells her that it is his promise. She leans in for the kiss that she knows comes next, but feels nothing but air on her lips. She opens her eyes, and finds herself alone. The candles are all burnt out and the flowers are dead. She feels frightened, not knowing what happened or where he went.

***In the Church***

Liz is whimpering. Whatever she is dreaming about must have taken a bad turn. Nikolas gets up and walks gingerly over to her. He kneels down on the floor so that he’s eye-level with her. Her face is kind of scrunched up, like she’s confused. He doesn’t want to scare her, so he just whispers her name softly, hoping it will bring her back.

***Liz’s Dream***

Liz is scared. Lucky couldn’t have just disappeared. Not like this. Not after the promises they just made. She’s looking around the room frantically, for any sign of where he might have gone. Suddenly, she freezes. She hears something, a voice. It sounds so far away. She strains to hear it, and realizes it’s calling her name. Who is it?

“Lucky?” she whispers. “Is that you?”

Elizabeth, I’m here. It’s okay.

“Lucky? Where are you? Why can’t I see you?” she asks, louder this time. She feels a hand on her shoulder and spins around, looking right into his eyes, as though he never left. “Oh Lucky!” she exclaims, throwing herself into his arms and kissing him.

***The Church***

“Elizabeth, I’m here. It’s okay.” Nikolas is trying desperately to calm her down. She’s becoming more and more agitated now. He remembers Lucky telling him about the nightmares she used to have after her rape, and how she would wake up and attack him, because she would still be in her dream.

He doesn’t know what to do. He’s afraid that if he touches her, she might freak out on him, but he can’t just sit here and watch her suffer like this. He takes a deep breath, and reaches out for her shoulder, gently shaking her. Her eyes fly open. She looks at him, but he can tell she’s not seeing him. ‘This must be what Lucky meant. No wonder it freaked him out so much!’

A look of utter joy flashes across her face as she whispers “Oh, Lucky!” The next thing Nikolas knows, she’s kissing him.

***Somewhere else***

“Oh, Miss Webber, you’re making this too easy.” Faison chuckles, turning off the monitor in front of him and ejecting the video tape.