CHAPTER 1

Nikolas gazed down at the ruined body of the car in shock. He had unknowingly and carelessly hit his stepfather. How this had happened Nikolas wondered even as he tried to put his mind in order. That was a far from easy task right now. The force of the collision had knocked Nikolas out for a short moment. The fear and horror allowed him to regain control of his senses. What was he supposed to do first? Call 911. But the fire… Nikolas wrenched open the smoking door and pulled Luke's broken bleeding body out and placed him on the ground with infinite care. "What have I done Luke?" he asked as darkness again came.

The sense of danger woke him up again. Something was smelling awful and his heart was racing. He looked at Luke's head on his lap and he tried to move as pain shot through his body. "Come on Luke" he whispered. "I always figured you had a thick head but I never thought it would be that heavy. We have to get out of here, stop being a lazy Spencer and help me". Nikolas was joking to try and keep the panic out of his voice. So many times Luke saved his life, he had to remain calm to return the favor. He heard in the background sirens, and he hoped it would be for them, because he couldn't reach his phone. He had a feeling if someone didn't attend to Luke soon, Nikolas would have to tell Laura he killed the love of her life.

He finally saw the ambulance park only feet away from them. "OVER HERE" Nikolas shouted, and showed them he could not move. The paramedics attended to Luke first and said they would ask for another ambulance for Nikolas.

"-No, I'm riding with him. Nikolas said
-Sir, you are in no condition to ride with him. You need medical attention.
-Listen to me! That man saved my lifee more times that I can count. He rode with me while I was dying two years ago. Now, he might die, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him die alone in an ambulance. You want me to get medical attention? Get me to the hospital and I will. But I'm riding with him. Shoot me if you don't want me to"
The paramedics carefully put Luke on a stretcher and Nikolas tried to ignore the dizziness and the hurt he was feeling all throughout his body, and climbed after his step- father. Luke was still unconscious and Nikolas took his hand, trying to fight back the tears.

"-What have I done? Nikolas asked out loud. I didn't mean to hit you, I tried to find a hill where my car would slowly stop. I didn't have any breaks anymore, hardly any control. Luke you've got to believe me, I didn't mean to hit you, not with that force, not ever. I would never hurt you, no matter how much you hate me. You are my mother's husband, my brother and sister's father. Please Luke, open your eyes. Yell at me, anything, to show me you will live"

Nikolas put his head on Luke's bloody hand, and cried. He didn't even feel the hurt of his own body anymore, only feeling he had was desperation. Why did he have to take the wheel? He knew he was upset, he knew he would drive too fast, why did he have to take the wheel? He tried to break at a stop sign and when he saw he couldn't, his first reflex was to accelerate. But that didn't do any good, because no matter how long his foot left the gas pedal, the car still took speed. Nikolas was on his way to the highest road hill in Port Charles, convinced the car would slow down and stop. But on his way, he met Luke. The street was too small for either one of them to get out of the way. And now, Luke was probably dying, while Nikolas would have to live with that guilt for the rest of his life.

"-Come on Luke, wake up and yell at me. Nikolas cried. Wake up and tell me you will kill me for what I did to your precious car. Tell me you will get back at me to have hurt a hair on your head. You know you've been waiting this a long time, a reason to kill me, to hit me. I gave you one and now you are too much of a coward to take advantage of it."

The sobs took control of his body, as the young man put his head on Luke's chest.

"-Please Luke, wake up"

Nikolas' voice broke while he pleaded and begged for his family's enemy to wake up. The truth was, that was all Luke was. His family's enemy. Deep down inside, Nikolas had always hoped Luke would accept him as his own, or if not, at least be civil to him. Nikolas loved Stefan with all of his heart, but he longed for a relationship like Lucky had with Luke, made of laughter and mutual trust. He never had that with Stefan, the relationship was always stoic, formal. Nikolas knew Stefan loved him, but he treated the boy one step higher than he treated the servants, detached, and nearly cold. It got worst when Nikolas turned 10, because he wasn't allowed to be a boy anymore. He had to start learning about his future responsibilities, so Stefan started treating him like a partner, instead of like the kid he was. Lucky's childhood had been of fun, games, love, hugs, jokes, goodnight kisses and morning smiles. Nikolas' childhood had been business dinners, tutors, meetings, nannies, and so on.

When Nikolas decided to give Laura a chance, he was ready to give one to Luke, too. But his step-father hated him from the start. Nikolas knew he didn't hate the boy per se, but he hated everything Nikolas represented. Laura's first born, the Cassadine Legacy, and the fact that a Spencer, even if only by marriage, bore a Cassadine and gave birth to it. And it didn't arrange the matter when Luke found out Laura gave herself freely to Stefan. It only made matters worst, getting Laura and Luke to separate, and therefore, it was Nikolas' fault in Luke's eyes.

"-Luke, come on, I know you wanted Laura to hate me, to disown me as her own, and if you die, it will happen, she will blame me, but Lucky wouldn't have wanted that. He wanted us to be friends. Heck, I wanted us to be friends. I would give my life for you to open your eyes, right now. Come on Luke, show me how hard headed you are. You still have a lot to do to make my grandmother pay for everything she has done, and the last strike in the Cassadine/Spencer war was yours. Don't you want to wait and see what my father has in store, just so you can retaliate? Ok, let's high up the stakes here. Wake up and I give you my word, I'll be your slave as long as you aren't on your feet. Think of everything disgusting and humiliating you can have me do while you are recuperating.
-I'll hold you to that. Luke whispereed"

Nikolas slowly sat up and looked at his step-father's bloody face. Luke had a cruel smile on his face. He had been awake the whole time, listening to Nikolas' agonizing speech, without saying anything to relieve the young man's anguish. Nikolas had a nervous laugh and wiped the tear that was on his mouth. He couldn't believe Luke didn't say anything when he saw how worried Nikolas was. What kind of sick game was he playing?

"-Ok, why didn't you say anything? Nikolas asked nervously
-I was waiting to see if you would telll me something to take Stefan down. Luke joked"

He started to cough as blood came out of his mouth. He was gasping for breath, the hot liquid obtruding the oxygen passage. Luke couldn't breath. The paramedic made his head lie on the side, to try and get the blood out, but Luke continued to cough and gasp for air.

"-WE'RE LOSING HIM! Yelled the paramedic"

Nikolas quickly squeezed his hand, and whispered comforting words in his step- father ears. From the look in Luke's eyes, Nikolas knew he was scared. Everyone in town knew Luke wanted to die since Lucky did, but it was obvious Luke didn't want to die in pain like he was now.

Nikolas didn't understand one word of what the paramedics were saying, or what they were injecting Luke. He only kept saying "Hang in there" over and over again, ignoring the shots of pain going through his own body to be supportive of Luke. Luke was holding his hand so tight he was cutting the circulation out of it, but Nikolas didn't care. He had to do anything he could to get Luke to the hospital alive, so they could fix what was wrong with him.

Luke continued to cough, his heartbeat getting highly irregular and fast. The paramedic looked panicked, and he was urging the driver to go faster, or they would only have a corpse for the hospital staff.

"-Hang in there Spencer, we are almost home. You don't want to die on me, do you?"

Nikolas kept the communication line open even though his voice was only a whisper, not to be in the way of the paramedics' orders. Luke was coughing so loud, Nikolas wasn't even sure if Luke was hearing him anyway.

The paramedic became agitated as the sound from the heart monitor came faster and faster. Nikolas was looking at the green line, his eyes wide open. He knew what that meant. Luke's whole body started moving under the convulsions and Nikolas squeezed his hand tighter.

"We're almost home Luke, come on, don't give up yet"

Nikolas knew Luke didn't hear him as the man's body laid flat and the monotone sound of the heart monitor filled the ambulance.