What Happened to Forever?

Chapters 87-88

~*~Chapter 87~*~

Elizabeth smiles as she unlocks the door to her new home. Lucky had given her a key before she left to go shopping with Emily. She could she a light through the front window, so she knew he was already there.

"Hi honey, I'm home!" she shouts jokingly as she opens the door.

"I'm in here!" he yells from her right. She follows his voice into what will be their bedroom, and slowly opens the door, not sure what she's going to find.

"Lucky!" she gasps, looking around the room. There are candles everywhere, and he has a blanket spread out in the middle of the room, covered with food. He stands up and walks over to her.

"Welcome home," he whispers, and then kisses her passionately. She feels like her knees are going to give out, but he has his arms wrapped securely around her so she can't fall. She pulls back and smiles at him.

"Are you always going to welcome me home like that?" she asks breathlessly.

He smiles and brushes some hair out of her eyes. "You can count on it. Come on, let's eat before this stuff gets cold. There aren't any appliances in the kitchen yet, so we can't reheat anything!"

They sit down on the blanket and dig in. He has all of their favorites foods, including Eli's ribs and cheese fries. When they're done, they clean up together, throwing everything in a garbage bag that he brought along.

"That was delicious, thank you," Liz says, kissing him softly.

"Mmmm, you taste like ribs," He says, licking his lips. She giggles and punches him lightly. He grins and pulls her close. "So what do you want to do now?"

She looks up at him with a glint in her eye. "Did I see sleeping bags over in the corner?" she asks innocently.

He nods. "Well, you said you wanted to sleep here, and I figured since we didn't have a bed yet, at least we could lay out some sleeping bags. It'll be like sleeping on your floor all over again, except this time you'll be right there with me."

She giggles and nuzzles his ear. "Sounds good, but I'm not tired yet."

He looks at her in mock surprise. "Why, Elizabeth Spencer, what are you implying?"

She grins. "I think that's the first time anyone's called me that. I like it."

"I like it, too. Come on, wife of mine, let's go unroll those sleeping bags."

~*~

"Where were you?" Laura asks worriedly as Luke comes in the front door.

"I just made a quick visit to the PCPD," he answers, sitting down on the couch.

"Why? Luke, you didn't...."

"I had to, baby. He messed with us one too many times, and I just couldn't let it go this time. Don't worry, I didn't rough him up or anything. I just talked to him, put a little scare in him for once."

"Luke..." she says warningly, afraid of what he did.

He pulls her down on the couch next to him and wraps his arms around her. "It's okay, really. We don't have to worry anymore. He was the last Cassidine that posed any threat to us, and he'll be behind bars for a long time. We're finally free, we've won."

"Oh, Luke, it wasn't a competition," she says, cuddling up against him.

"You're right, it wasn't. It was a war, and we won, with no casualties, thank goodness. Our son is alive and about to have the wedding he deserves this weekend, our other son is happy and in love, our daughter is perfect, and we're more in love than ever. Life is good, don't you think?"

She smiles. "Yes, life is very good, which is what scares me. Any time we feel like we're finally at peace, something terrible happens. I just can't let myself get too comfortable with it yet."

He hugs her close. "Oh, baby, I'm sorry you have to feel like that. I wish we could all just relax and be happy for once, and not always be waiting for the other shoe to fall. I really think that this time there's nothing left to worry about. The Cassidines aren't an issue anymore, Faison is dead, Lucky's okay, and I'm sure we're all going to stay away from airplanes for a while!"

She laughs and kisses him. "Thank you. You always know the right thing to say. Do you think we forgot anybody today when we sent out those invitations? It all went so fast..."

"Angel, we invited the entire town! We couldn't have forgotten anyone, so stop worrying, okay? The wedding is going to be perfect." He sighs and thinks about how happy Lucky is. "So when do you think we're going to be able to see this dream house of theirs?"

"I don't know, but I still can't believe that Nikolas gave them the down payment! It was so sweet of both of them to do that for Liz. I wish I could have seen the look on her face when Lucky brought her there today." Laura smiles at the thought.

"Yeah, well, Nikolas has all that Cassidine money to play with now. I'm glad he's using it for a good cause. And, I'm sure Elizabeth is thanking Lucky for it right now."

Laura sits up and hits him playfully. "Luke! That's our son you're talking about! I don't want to think about that!"

He laughs. "Sorry babe, but he's a married man now. He couldn't stay our little boy forever."

"Still, let me keep the illusion a little while longer. It was hard enough to know that Nikolas was sleeping with Katherine a few years ago, but Lucky's my baby. I just can't imagine....that."

He laughs again. "I guess now you know how he felt all those years growing up with us being so mushy all the time. Anyway, before we drop this subject, did you finish taking care of their gift?"

She nods. "It's all set. I hope they like it."

"As long as they're together, they'll love it. That's what I admire about them. All they need to survive is one another. Everything else is just filler for them."

"Do you remember when we used to be like that? Sometimes I think we still are, deep down. Things just got more complicated as we got older and had kids."

He smiles. "You're right. I love you, baby."

"I love you, too." They kiss, finally at peace, knowing that all of their children are happy and safe.

~*~Chapter 88~*~

"Nervous?" Nikolas asks. Lucky shakes his head.

"Not at all. This is the day I've been waiting for ever since I fell in love with Elizabeth. I'm excited, but not nervous." Lucky says, straightening his tie.

"How is the house working out?" Nikolas asks, checking himself in the mirror as well. They're at the cottage, getting ready for the wedding. Lucky and Liz had been spending a lot of time at their house furnishing it and moving their stuff, but after that first night, they agreed to stay in their current homes until the wedding, so that it would be truly special when they could finally move in for good.

"It's pretty much done. Like you said, she works fast when it comes to furniture. She's already planning on where she wants to do murals. I guess this means that you're finally going to get your bachelor pad back." Lucky says, smiling.

Nikolas shrugs. "Hey, I like having you around. It gets too quiet when I'm by myself."

Lucky winks. "Then maybe you should ask Em to move in with you. I'm sure she'd jump at the chance to get out of her crazy house."

"Oh, and I'm sure Alan and Monica would love to hear that their only daughter is going to shack up with her boyfriend!"

Lucky laughs. "Shack up? I guess you've been hanging around with me too much. You're starting to sound like me!"

"Then maybe it's good that you're leaving," he laughs. "Hey, we should get going. The guests are going to start arriving at the church soon."

"Lead the way," Lucky says, taking one last look around the cottage.

~*~

"Oh, honey, you look beautiful," Laura says, admiring Elizabeth's dress..

"Thanks Laura. You think Lucky will like it?" she asks hopefully.

Laura chuckles. "Elizabeth, Lucky would think you were beautiful in a paper bag, don't you know that by now? Trust me, you're going to take his breath away."

Liz giggles and hugs her. "Thank you so much, for everything. You've become like a mother to me, and I'll always be grateful to you for everything you've done for me. Especially for bringing Lucky into this world. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Laura smiling, a tear running down her cheek. "Oh, Liz. You know you're as much my daughter now as LuLu is, don't you? I should be thanking you for loving my son so completely. The two of you were obviously meant for each other. It's so good to see you happy again."

There's a knock at the door. "Come in!" Liz shouts. Luke pokes his head in.

"Wow, Elizabeth, you look like an angel," he says, smiling. He walks in and gives her a hug. "I just wanted to let you know that Lucky's here. He looks like he's about to jump out of his skin, he's so excited."

She smiles. "Thanks, Luke. I'm glad you're here. I wanted to ask you for a favor."

"Sure, darlin'. Whatever you need, I'll do it."

"Well, since my parents couldn't be here, I was wondering if you'd give me away."

He smiles and hugs her again. "Oh, sweetheart, I'd be honored. You know that we tried to reach your family, though, don't you?"

She nods. "I know, but they're still in Bosnia, and I didn't really expect anyone to be able to get a hold of them. It's okay, though, because you two are my parents now. I love you both so much!"

Luke and Laura both hug her before Emily pushes them out of the room. "Okay, now get out there. I still have some finishing touches to do with her."

They laugh and start to leave, but Laura turns back. "Oh! I almost forgot the reason I came here. Elizabeth, I don't know if you have anything borrowed yet, but I'd like you to wear this today." She hands her a string of pearls. "They were my mother's, and they've been passed down from mother to daughter for many generations. I'm going to give them to LuLu on her wedding day, but I'd like you to wear them today."

Elizabeth's eyes begin to tear. "Oh, Laura, these are beautiful. Thank you. I'd be honored to wear them." She gives her another hug, and Laura leaves the room with Luke. Liz turns to Emily. "Okay, what are you up to now?"

She grins. "Nothing. It's just that as the maid of honor, I'm in charge of the 'something old, something new....' thing. Laura just did the borrowed part, which is good, because I just had a cheesy barrette to give you. Anyway, the dress is new, so here's the blue part." She hands Liz a blue garter and they giggle.

"I can't believe I'm going to wear one of these things!" Liz says, sliding it on her leg.

"And here's the old part," Emily says, handing her a pair of antique earrings. "They're from Nikolas and me."

Liz gasps. "They're gorgeous, Em! Thank you so much! How did you know that I needed earrings?"

She grins. "Lucky guess? No pun intended, of course"

They both laugh as Elizabeth goes to the mirror and puts on the earrings and Laura's necklace. She sighs and stands back to look at herself. "I guess I'm all ready. Oh, wait! The veil!"

Emily takes the long veil out of it's box and goes over to Liz. They pin it into her hair carefully, and Emily arranges it down her back. "Liz, this dress is so beautiful. Lucky's probably gong to pass out when he sees you coming down that aisle."

Liz laughs. "I hope not! It's hard to get married to someone when they're unconscious!"

"Okay, now you're done. Ready to go?" Emily holds out her arm, and Liz takes it. They leave the room, arm in arm.