CHAPTER 3

-Well, I didn't know your age sir, are you saying you don't know this kid?

-Oh I know him, Lucky answered, lookingg at Jeremy and he saw the boy was begging him with his eyes. He is my brother! We just moved here and you are already getting into troubles? He said to Jeremy. What are the charges?

-Well, Leann decided not to press chargges, this time.

-Thank you, I'll make sure he is punishhed. Have a good day

-You too sir and kid, it's better if yoou don't go to the store again"

Lucky closed the door and looked at Jeremy. The boy was smiling, and Lucky started to melt into a puddle.

"-Thank you so much Richard, I owe you, twice!

-What kind of trick are you trying to ppull here Jeremy? Lucky just asked

-I couldn't tell the officer I was a ruunaway! And I wasn't even stealing. I SWEAR! Look, he said, taking money out of his pocket, an old lady gave me a dollar. I just put the chocolate in my pocket so I could arrange my shoe, but then this guy grabbed me and said I was stealing. I didn't know what else to do, so I blabbed the motel out.

-That's OK, but Jeremy, please stay outt of trouble, Candice and I, we are trying to keep a low profile here

-Why? Are you criminals?

-NO! Answered Lucky, laughing, we leftt home and we don't want to be found.

-You are runaways like I am right?

-You can say that. But now that the offficer know you are with us, you better behave!

-I will, thank you so much Richard!

-OK, well, we're going to get some breaakfast, wanna come?

-Well, if that's not too much trouble -Let's go!"

During breakfast Lucky saw how Liz was looking at Jeremy, with a mix of pain, pity and understanding. She once was a lost child too. Granted she had a roof over her head, and her belly was always full, but she didn't have more love than Jeremy did. Now, she had Lucky, her savior, but who was there for Jeremy? Lucky could hear her thoughts, and he knew what she was about to say to him, but to be honest, he feared it from the moment she laid eyes on the kid, last night.

"-Jeremy, why don't you go wash up while Richie pays the bill? Asked Elizabeth

-Sure, I'll be right back

-I know what you are going to say and wwe can't! Said Lucky

-Please? Only for a little while? Thaat way, he'll take some pounds under his skin, and he would have a warm place to sleep. Only until we leave? You said we would stay here a while!

-Elizabeth, he said whispering. We aree supposed to keep a low profile, how are we supposed to do that when people will see 2 teenagers, raising a kid by themselves?

-Well, you already told the officer he was your brother. Oh come on Lucky, you like him, admit it, and it's killing you that he is alone, outside at night.

-Yes it is, that's not the point, but ttaking him in with us can get us killed!

-Candice? They heard in the back of thheir heads, thank you for your concerned, but I will be OK, really. Thanks for the meal Richard"

Jeremy ran out of the diner, and Lucky went after him. When he caught up to the child, Lucky could see he just wiped tears from his little eyes. Lucky took the kid by his little hand, and took him to his motel room. Elizabeth was there, waiting, and Lucky asked her if he could speak with Jeremy, alone. Elizabeth said she would go down the street, and shop for a while. After she was gone, Jeremy told Lucky not to worry, he was out of there, he didn't want to get them in trouble. He thanked him again for getting him out of trouble with the officer. Lucky took him by the shoulders and made him sit on the bed, next to him.

"-Jeremy, listen to me. It's not that I don't like you, I really do, but Candice and I are here, hiding. We are in danger, and if you stay with us, you are too

-What kind of danger? They want to putt you in a shelter too?

-I can't tell you, you are still too yooung to understand. But the point is, our lives are in danger, and so will yours. You have to forget about us. As much as I like you and I want to take you with us, I can't.

-I understand, hey, no sweat, really. See ya around"

Lucky saw this little ball of courage go, and he felt tears falling down his face. When Elizabeth came back, she told Lucky she understood why he did what he thought he had to, but she told him she wanted him to take her to his shack, she bought him a winter coat. That way, he would at least be warm. Lucky told Elizabeth he would take the coat to Jeremy, he knew she would only cry.

"-Lucky, you have to get out of here, quick!

-What? Why? And why do you call me Luucky?

-I know about you and Elizabeth! She ttold me! But I saw a man at Leann's store today, he showed your picture to her and said you were his children and that you had run away from home and he was here to get you back. Lucky, I think he is working for that woman! Get out!

-Jeremy, where is Elizabeth?

-She is at the restaurant

-Go get her, tell her to come here. Huurry Jeremy, please!"

While the kid was gone, Lucky put all their stuff in their bags, and ran out. He put them in the car, and he saw Elizabeth running towards him. Jeremy was watching them from the restaurant door, and Lucky waved his hand to him, and showed their motel room. Jeremy nodded his head, and waved back.

Elizabeth was crying, scared to death. Lucky's knuckles were white, his hands were crisped around the wheel. Not once he looked in the mirror. He didn't see Jeremy run for the car, stop, and go in the motel room to find the pile of cash Lucky had left on the bed for him.

"-How could you Elizabeth? How could you tell him who we were, and what we were running from? Do you realize that if that man knows he knew us, he'll kill the little boy?

-Lucky, he loved us, and he wanted to kknow why you didn't love him. I just told him we were in trouble and that a woman was trying to find us. Why did we didn't take him with us?

-ARE YOU MAD? I'm sorry, I didn't meann to yell but honey, we can't take him with us! I have enough trouble as it is to keep you straight in line, you almost got him killed, how would you like us to explain living with a 7 year old?

-You can ask the man that does the falsse identity to make you a birth certificate for him, or adoption papers

-Ok, suppose I do that, I'll have Luckyy Spencer adopt him? I can't, Lucky's a minor!

-What about Richard? Richard could adoopt him

-And when we go back to Port Charles? Him living in the street in a little town he knows is one thing, but Elizabeth, as soon as we get back in Port Charles, the child services will take him away from us and put him where he hates it the most. We are minors Elizabeth, we can't take care of a kid, we barely can take care of each other. I know you love that kid, I do too, but they will take him away from us as soon as they know Richard doesn't exist!

-Well, I'm sure your mother would take him in as soon as we got back

-You want Jeremy to grow up in the samee kind of crap I did? Elizabeth, as much as it pains me to say this, he is better off in that little town than with us!"

Lucky knew she was probably hating his guts right now, but what else could he do? Put the kid's life in danger? Get him killed? The thought of Lulu came into his head, and he saw her, shivering from the cold wearing only sweat pants and a sweat shirt, her stomach growling from all the meals she skipped. Tears started falling down his face when Lulu's face were replaced by Jeremy's, his little face full of tears when he waved goodbye, by the restaurant door.

Jeremy was on his "bed", really nothing more than a blanket on the ground, and he was crying, and shivering but, for the first time since the winter got in, he wasn't shivering of cold. He wasn't even feeling the cold. Snow was coming from the hole in the ceiling, but he didn't even see it. Why did he accept their diner invitation? He knew better than to hook up with strangers, because every time, when they left him behind, he would cry. But this time it was worst. He really loved Elizabeth and Lucky. Especially Lucky. He reminded him of his brother, before he died. Jarred died of aids, Jeremy was 5, Jarred was 18. That was why he got in the center, that's why he got beaten up by the older kids, that's why he ended up on the street. Lucky was like Jarred, generous, funny and smart. And now, both he and Jarred were gone. Forever.

Jeremy got scared when he heard a banging on the door. He held his breath, so that the person on the other side wouldn't know he was there. Then he heard;

"-JEREMY? You have 5 seconds to get your stuff or Elizabeth and I are leaving without you"