CHAPTER 19

"I want to talk about Lucky," Stefan started, uncaring about the possessive look Luke threw at him. "He is too stressed, it is not good for him"

"And he would care what you have to say about it because...." Luke taunted Stefan. It was public knowledge that Nikolas was accepting and acknowledging his true paternity, while Lucky was not. In fact, Lucky was denying it, in his actions, in his rudeness towards Stefan, in his refusal to stop thinking of himself as a full fledged Spencer.

Stefan sighed and walked nearer to Luke's bed, his eyes never leaving his enemy's. "The man that I love as my son saved your life by giving you his kidney," Stefan growled. "I put aside my hatred for you so that I could talk to you about saving the boy you raised who became a really wounded man in the year he was missing. Or is it that now that he is my son you just don't care?"

"Listen to me, you walking commercial for boring 'r' us, I told you the first time you walked into my room that I will not discuss Lucky with you! He is off limits to you! When will you get that into that thick, bat-like head of yours?" Luke growled at his enemy. It was bad enough that he was stuck in this bed, but Stefan taunting him was worse than anything else.

Stefan threw his hands up in the air in defeat. Luke would never accept Stefan as a part of Lucky's life, as Stefan had learned to tolerate Luke in Nikolas'. Seeing his enemy and the man he always thought of as his son was more painful than anything else Luke could've put him through, but he did that for Nikolas' sake, because he had asked for a chance to know his father.

But how could Stefan help his own son when the boy's surrogate father would not listen to reason and try to get through to him? Lucky had a one way ticket to disaster and no one saw it but the father he hated so much. "No, Luke, you shut up for one second and listen to me," Stefan tried the arrogant approach, since nothing else had worked. "Lucky is hurt. Maybe you did not see it because you were not paying attention, but he is about to snap from the pressure. Surely you do not believe his tale about needing to get away from you and the family way you wanted to impose on him! Lucky always was your son, he always wanted everything you had to offer him, and he was never a coward, so why would he have gone to all the trouble of faking his death just to get away from you?"

"Don't you think I know that?" Luke snapped. "I know that something happened to him, and I would bet my life that it has to do with that charming mother of yours! But whatever she did to him, whatever she used on him to make him stay hidden for more than a year, obviously she still has it. Whatever leverage she has on my son's head is still there! He won't talk to me, nor to Elizabeth and surely not to Nikolas! But I know Lucky better than you ever will, and when pushed, he pushes back. The more you are gonna make him feel you know something awful happened to him while he was away, the more you ask him to tell you what happened that was so horrible, the more you are gonna drive him away, which is EXACTLY what you are doing!" Luke took a sip of water, and he felt dizzy all of a sudden. The doctors had told him to take it easy after the surgery and to try to avoid any stress. "I have people who are working on retracing every step Lucky took from 2 weeks before the fire, to when he came back here. They will come up with something, they will tell me, and THEN I will confront Lucky about what happened to him and what does Helena has on him!"

"Helena was not working alone," Stefan said and Luke shot him a look of pure disgust. They both knew Helena never dirtied her hands by doing the deed herself, but Stefan needed Luke to know that he knew about his mother's way of acting. He had been in them all of his life. "I have been doing some work on my own, and I know my mother paid someone to take care of Lucky. He has been taken to different places throughout the year, but they released him. Whatever the reason, he did not escape, they freely let him go"

"That doesn't make any sense," Luke said as he shook his head, but something inside him knew that Stefan was telling the truth. Why wouldn't they have come back for Lucky? He had been back for a couple of weeks and yet he was walking around freely, trying to act as if he didn't have a care in the world. Helena would not have risked Lucky talking about the treatments he received, he held the key to her one way trip to prison and yet, he wasn't using it. Lucky wasn't talking to anyone. "Why would they let him go?"

"Like you said, they have something on him that is scaring him into silence," Stefan told his enemy. For the first time in history, they were working on the same side, they weren't friends, but they weren't enemies either. They both wanted the same thing, and it was taking the bars off of Lucky's prison, his faked freedom. "Whatever it is, it has something to do with either Elizabeth, or Lesley Lu."

"Why do you figure?" Luke asked, unable to believe he was actually seeking information and thoughts from a Cassadine

"Because he would not defend Laura. Not anymore, not after everything she has done to everyone. If it had to do with you, or Nikolas, he would come to you for help, he would not handle it on his own. That only leaves Elizabeth and Lesley Lu. They can not defend themselves like you or Nikolas could, and before Lucky even had time to talk to you so you both can decide on a plan, Helena would have them hurt."

"You give too much credit to that mother of yours, Stiffen!" Luke said as he took a sip of water. "Helena doesn't work that way. She would give him warnings before she would strike because she kidnapped him for a reason, and she released him with a purpose. She wants something from Lucky and I can't figure out what it is!"

Stefan shook his head. He, too, had tried to figure out what Lucky had that was so important to his mother. Why take the risk that he would outsmart her and she would end up in prison for a long time? What did Lucky have, other than being Stefan's son, that was would force his mother to set him free after her plot of faking his death worked so well?

***************

"Really, Helena, your business of doubting me is really getting old," a really insulted Faison told his partner, as he sipped a brandy.

"That's because you screw up too often!" Helena hissed as she looked at his hideous face.

"When have I screwed up, Helena?" Faison asked in the calm voice she hated so much.

"When you played with Nikolas' brakes! You were suppose to make sure that he would have an accident that would take his life! Instead, he is walking around, very much alive, and now he knows about his true paternity! Do you realize what a mess of things you've made?" Helena was sick of Faison. She had to find a way to get rid of him and fast, but she also knew Ari didn't have the stomach to handle most of what Faison could. Ari was too gentle to work as Helena's killer, but Cesar was getting lazy in his work, and sooner or later, his laziness would get both of them in prison!

"You really need to calm down," the man told her. "All this agitation has got to be bad for a woman your age!"

Taunting her was a sport. Cesar loved baiting Helena with his screw ups. Nikolas didn't die because Faison didn't feel like it. Why kill a Spencer? He may need him later as a weapon to hurt Luke Spencer. Helena thought that, even when the man knew Nikolas was his son, he wouldn't care for the boy as much as he cared for Lucky. Somehow, Luke proved her wrong, and Nikolas was gaining in hurting power for his old man. Besides, Lucky was not to be used against Luke. Not since the plan changed. "I don't know why you are so stressed, love. At this very moment, Lucky is smelling the little gift I left for him at the cottage. He knows we are watching him, and that one mistake could take his precious sister's life away."

"Never underestimate Lucky Spencer. He may not be Luke's, but he was raised by him. He has more resources than most of the men you fought over the years." Helena told her partner seriously. "We need him to willingly cooperate, not force him into it!"

"And now how do you suppose we do that, my sweets? Do you forget what you put him through when he was our guest?"

"You say it as if I raped him. I showed an eager student how to please a woman. Unlike you, I didn't beat him into submission. He was more than willing to come to me after an afternoon with you. But enough of that nonsense. I have someone I want you to meet. He will be our weapon against Luke Spencer."

"Oh really?" Faison answered, doing his best to look bored. "And what will he do?"

"He's Luke's best friend. Luke has a paranoia about not trusting people. But when he does put his trust into someone, it never dies. Unfortunately for him, his trust will be his demise. Years ago he was supposed to be used to destroy Luke Spencer, but he failed. He promised me he wouldn't fail me now." Helena turned around and pushed the button of the intercom. "Ari, please be kind and show Mr. DiLucca in"