What Happened to Forever?

Chapters 41-42

~*~Chapter 41~*~

Helena is trying to wake Faison. She’s slapping him on the face, whispering his name, but nothing is working.

“Damn him! They must have drugged him with something.” She mutters. As she tries to hoist him up and carry him out of the room, she notices something in his hand. She manages to pry it from his fingers, and her face lights up as she realizes what it is.

“Well, well. Luke, you never do fail to surprise me. Maybe this whole thing wasn’t a complete waste after all. How thoughtful of you to leave this little parting gift.” She whispers, admiring the diamond. Sticking it in her pocket, she returns to her prior task of lugging Faison’s dead weight across the room.

~*~

“Dad!” Lucky shouts, breaking the silence, and runs into his father’s arms. They’re both crying fiercely now, unable to believe this is finally happening. Luke hugs Lucky tightly, never wanting to let him go. He finally pulls back to look into his son’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I didn’t figure it out sooner!” He can’t say any more because he starts crying again. Lucky hugs him, forgetting all of the hate and anger he once felt towards his father.

Finally, they part. Luke takes a god look at his son for the first time in a year. He hasn’t changed much. His hair is down to his chin and he looks like he hasn’t shaved in days. He’s a little underweight, but that’s all.

Lucky is also looking his father over, something he thought he’d never be able to do again. He gasps. “You’re hurt!”

Luke looks down at his arm. “Nah, just a flesh wound. I’ll be fine.” He wipes his face and smiles. “We better get out of here. Helena’s still loose somewhere.”

Lucky looks at his father in shock. “Helena?”

Luke nods. “Yeah, she was working with Faison. I’ll explain it all later. Right now we gotta get out of here. Your mother will kill me if I don’t bring you back as soon as possible. She’s probably torn out all her hair by now.”

“Mom?” Lucky asks softly. “She’s here?”

“Yeah, she’s on the shore. Let’s go!”

They both head out, tears still running down their faces. Lucky can’t believe this is all happening. For the first time, he sees the control room where Faison spent so many hours watching him. He looks at the wall of monitors, and a lump forms in his throat.

Luke follows his son’s gaze, and squeezes his shoulder. “It’s all over, cowboy. I’ll make sure they pay for this.” Just as they’re about to go, Luke notices something on the table where Faison had been sitting. He grabs it quickly and stuffs it in his pocket as they leave.

Sonny and Jason are waiting in the doorway, trying to hide their emotions, but failing miserably. Even Jason is crying. They envelop Lucky in welcoming hugs as Luke leads him out of the building.

“Welcome back, son” Sonny whispers.

Jason takes his walkie-talkie out of his pocket. “Felicia. We’re on our way. Call Mac and get the police down here. We think Faison and Helena are still inside somewhere.”

A happy voice comes back. “Did Luke get him? Is he out?”

“Yeah, we’re going to the boat now. Call Mac!”

“10-4!”

They all board Luke’s boat and head out for shore. Lucky is shocked to find that he had been in Port Charles the whole time, and at Wyndemere, no less! He turns to his dad. “I was here all along?”

Luke nods sadly. “Yeah, I couldn’t believe it myself. But none of that matters anymore. You’re out now, and that’s all we care about.” He hugs him again, relishing the feel of his son in his arms. He had thought that he would never have this chance again.

~*~

Helena finally manages to drag Faison out to her yacht, through a secret hatch that she had built for just this reason. He may have underestimated Luke, but she never did. She knew there was a chance he would try to rescue the boy, and she wanted to be able to escape in one piece if she had to.

Once they are on the yacht, she dropps Faison onto a chair, weakened and out of breath from pulling him so far. She sits down at her desk and pulls the pouch out of her pocket. She takes out her loupe, positioning it over her eye and begins to look over the stone. After a moment, she throws the stone down on the floor in anger.

“Luke Spencer, you’ll pay for this! No one takes me for a fool like this and lives!”

~*~

Finally, the boat docks and they climb up on shore. Lucky looks up and finds himself looking into his mother’s tear-stained face. He suddenly loses all control of her emotions and bursts into tears. “Mom” he chokes out, rushing towards her. Being in his mother’s arms again is like a dream come true. He can’t believe this is all happening.

Laura can’t stop crying. She’s finally holding her son again. She smoothes his hair, whispering, “My baby. Oh, my baby’s finally home!”

Their reunion is cut short when Felicia suddenly shouts, “Luke! The yacht!”

They all look to see Helena’s yacht edging away from the island. They must have escaped out another secret door.

“What do we do?” she asks, wishing that Mac would get there already.

Luke just holds his son and wife tighter, and whispers, “3.....2.....1”

Right on cue, the boat explodes, throwing flaming debris all over the water. They all watch in disbelief, all of them except Luke, who just smiles.

“It ain’t no Fourth of July, but it sure is purty! Man, I love fireworks!” he exclaims, causing everyone to laugh.

‘So that’s what his last-minute business was this morning.’ Laura thinks, full of pride.

Lucky turns to his parents, hugging them again. “Thank you. I knew you’d figure it out sooner or later.”

Luke wipes away a tear. “Yeah, cowboy, but I sure wish it had been sooner. Anyway, don’t thank me, thank Felicia here. If she hadn’t recognized Faison’s voice, we may not be here right now.” Lucky nods and gives Felicia a hug, causing her eyes to water.

He looks back at his parents. “There’s something I’ve got to do, but I promise I’ll be home later, okay?” They nod through their tears, not wanting to let him out of their sight now, but also knowing exactly where he’s deading, and that nothing will stop him from going. He hugs them both again and runs off.

Sonny and Jason decide to leave before the police show up and Taggert tries to pin this on them. Felicia gives Luke a quick kiss on the cheek and hugs Laura before going to find Mac, leaving the two happy parents alone.

Laura suddenly notices Luke’s arm. “You’re bleeding!” she exclaims.

“It’s okay. It just grazed me. I’ll be fine.”

She gasps. “You were shot? Oh, Luke, we need to get you to the hospital!”

He laughs. “We will, later. I just want to stay here for a minute and let this all soak in.”

They just stand there, holding each other and crying for a few minutes before Laura speaks. “You know, I saw a shooting star last night.”

Luke smiles. His wife isn’t normally a superstitious person, but there are a few things the she does religiously. She never walks under ladders, she keeps a horseshoe over the front door, and she always makes a wish on a shooting star. “Well, don’t tell me what you wished for or it won’t come true,” he warns.

She grins through her tears. “It already did. I wished to have my family back, and now I do. I have three wonderful children, and they’re all alive and well.”

“What about your wonderful husband?” he says hesitantly.

“You’ll come back?” she asks incredulously.

“If you’ll have me.” He says, watching her face light up. She’s too caught up in her emotions to speak, so she nods vigorously, causing him to laugh. He pulls her back into his embrace. “Oh, Angel, I’ve missed you so much!” He looks into her adoring eyes. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too, Luke. I never stopped, not once.” He pulls her close, bringing her lips to his. They share the most passionate, tender kiss they’ve ever had, filled with all of the love, hope, joy, and relief that they are both feeling.

~*~Chapter 42~*~

(the following events happen kind of simultaneously.)

Elizabeth is finally calming down. “Thank you.” She says, smiling for the first time since Nikolas has found her on the floor.

He smiles back at her. “For what?”

“For picking me up, literally, and listening to me babble on for the millionth time about how much I miss him.”

“Forget about it. That’s what friends do.” He says, reaching out to stroke her hand reassuringly.

“Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?” she says, remembering why he was there.

~*~

Out of breath, Lucky runs up to Kelly’s, stopping at the window. He had figured that she’d be working today, so he came here first. He spots her right away, sitting at a table talking to Nikolas. She’s facing the window, so he is able to get a good look at her. She’s even more beautiful than he had remembered. His heart aches as he watches her, but for the moment he is unable to move, so he just stays there, watching.

~*~

“It can wait. I don’t want to upset you again.” Nikolas says.

“Nonsense. You sounded really excited on the phone, so I want to know. If you’re happy about it, then so am I. Now out with it!” she says, poking him on the shoulder teasingly.

“All right, but you asked for it.” He takes a deep breath and pulls a small box out of his pocket, setting it on the table in front of her.

“For me?” she asks jokingly. He laughs. “Is this for Emily’s birthday, by any chance?”

“Yeah, I got the idea the other day when you were telling me about you and Lucky. I hope you don’t mind.” He explains, as she opens the box.

Her eyes widen when she sees what’s inside. It’s a gorgeous sapphire ring set in white gold with small diamonds around it. “Oh, Nikolas. This is beautiful!” She stops suddenly when a thought hits her. “It isn’t....”

He laughs before she can finish, realizing what she was about to say. “No, no, it’s not that. It’s just a...what do you call that?” he asks, pointing to the ring on her left hand, “a promise ring, right?”

She nods and looks down at her hand at the ring Lucky had given her, remembering the moment as if it were yesterday.

~*~

Lucky can see Elizabeth smiling and remembers how her smile had always lights up the room. He is about to go inside, when he sees Nikolas put something down on the table in front of her. It’s a small box, and his heart almost stops when he realizes what it is.

He watches in horror as she opens it, her face lighting up when she sees whatever is inside. He’s not the best at reading lips, but he’s able to make out what she says next.

“Oh Nikolas, this is beautiful”

‘This can’t be happening,’ he thinks.

~*~

“Do you think she’ll like it?” he asks expectantly. “I had wanted to get her birthstone, but since her birthday is in April, well, that would make it a diamond, and I didn’t want her to get the wrong idea, you know?”

Liz laughs. “Yeah, I could see how that might be misleading.” She looks at the ring again. “Trust me, she’s going to love this! Although, Emily is so head-over-heels for you, she’d probably love a cracker jack ring, as long as it came from you!” They both laugh at the thought of Nikolas Cassidine giving someone a cracker-jack ring.

He gets serious again. “Okay, there’s another reason I wanted to show this to you, but if you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to do it.”

Now she’s confused. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m not sure about the size. I couldn’t ask Em what to get, because I wanted it to be a surprise. Anyway, your hands look about the same as hers, so I figured if it fits you, it’ll probably be okay for her. Would you mind trying it on?”

Liz smiles at how nervous he seems about this. “Sure, but only if you put it on me. You look like you could use the practice.

He laughs, “You’re right. I wouldn’t want to break her finger or anything. All right, give me your hand.” He tries not to burst out laughing when she holds her right hand out, ring finger extended. She’s such a ham.

He slides the ring on her finger, and she twirls it around a little. “Perfect fit. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Emily’s definitely going to be surprised”

~*~

Lucky is still frozen in place as he watches the couple. They talk for a few minutes, but he can’t read what she’s saying this time. Then, she puts her hand out and Nikolas slides the ring on her finger. He can see, even from outside, that Nikolas is shaking, although he doesn’t realize that it’s from laughter. Liz twirls the ring around on her finger for a moment and smiles back at him.

~*~

“Oh!” Nikolas says, “I don’t think I told you yet: Emily told me that she loves me yesterday!” He face breaks out in a huge grin at the memory.

She jumps out of her seat. “How could you forget to tell me something like that!? So, what did you say?”

He feels silly sitting down while she’s standing, so he stands up as well. “I told her that I love her too.”

Liz squeals and lunges at him, giving him a huge hug. “I’m so happy for you guys!” She hugs him tightly as her gaze falls on a strange man standing outside. At first she thinks he’s just some bum looking for scraps, because he’s sort of disheveled. He’s got longish hair and hasn’t shaved in a while. She freezes as she meets his startled eyes. Those eyes....

~*~

Lucky continues to watch in disbelief as Elizabeth jumps out of her chair. Nikolas also stands up, and she beams at him, throwing herself into his arms. He can only make out part of what she says before she turns her face away.

"I’m so happy..”

He’s about to leave when he suddenly finds himself staring straight into her eyes. He could always see everything about her in those eyes. This time is no different. First shock, then, slowly, realization. He doesn’t know what to do, so he does the first thing that comes to mind: he runs away.

~*~

She stares into the man’s blue eyes, immediately lost. She’d know those eyes anywhere, but how is it possible? It can’t be....

Before she can finish the thought, he bolts. She gasps. She can’t lose him again. She tries to tell herself that it was probably just some homeless man that got frightened, but if there’s even the slightest chance that it wasn’t....before she can finish the thought, she’s out the door, running after him.

Nikolas just stands there, shocked. “Liz, wait!” he shouts after her, but he’s too late. She’s already long gone. He looks down at the table and picks up the small box. “The ring....”