Elizabeth awoke to sunshine streaming through the windows for the first time since Lucky had returned. The dark, oppressive days of rain and wind from the previous week were finally over and she felt a sense of contentment and a feeling of hope for the future that she had not felt since Lucky first went away.
She smiled as she remembered the night before. She remembered the way her heart had raced as she waited in the bathtub and the way it skipped a beat when she heard the doorknob turning and he entered the bathroom. She had loved that Lucky told her he was scared. She had been scared, too, and knew that both their fears stemmed from the rape she had endured several years before. Lucky had found her that night in the park, broken and bruised and barely able to stand. He had taken her to his parent's house and from that night on had become her protector, her savior, her best friend. They had become best friends and eventually had fallen in love. But if the truth were known, she had loved him since the first time she met him, when she was still young and sometimes insolent. They had not always gotten along so well, but after the rape, he always gave her the space and time she needed to heal, yet was also always there to catch her when she felt she was going to fall.
They had discussed making love many times, but each time they had decided that the time wasn't right and she knew it was because they both had fears of those old demons coming back to haunt her. But Lucky had erased all of those fears last night by being so gentle and showing her the most incredibly pure love she could ever have imagined.
She stretched as she reached for Lucky, only to find his side of the bed empty. Her heart skipped a beat, maybe even stopped for a moment when she realized he was not there. God, please don't let this all have been a dream, she thought. As she reached for her robe and started to get out of bed, the door opened and Lucky walked in, carrying a tray with food.
He smiled at her. "Good morning." He set the tray down on the table by the bed and leaned over to kiss her lingeringly on the lips.
"I was afraid you were gone."
He sat down on the bed in front of her, taking her hands in his two. "Only to get you some food." He pushed a piece of hair off her face. "You look so happy today."
"I am happy. I mean, look at the sunshine, Lucky. It's so beautiful, and it makes me feel like everything is going to be okay."
He was not as hopeful as she, but didn't want to ruin her mood. "I hope you're right. The sunshine gives me hope, too." He looked at her, his expression turning serious.
"What is it, Lucky?"
"Do you know how grateful I am that you waited for me? I mean, I never dared hope that you would. You thought I was dead."
"Lucky, I told you, I never felt it. In my heart I knew someday you would come home to me. I never gave up that hope. I would have waited forever."
"I just want you to know that I'll always be grateful for that; that you never gave up on our love."
She reached up and touched his face, wiping away the one tear that was falling down his cheek. "And I never will, Lucky."
He reached over and took a strawberry off the tray and held it to her lips. "Are you hungry?"
She smiled and nodded. "I am…but not for food."
He put the strawberry in her mouth and she took a bite, held it in her mouth, then kissed him and put it in his mouth. He pulled away for a minute, eating the strawberry, and looked at her with such tenderness, she thought she would cry. "Do you know how beautiful you are in the morning? Do you know how much I love you?"
"Why don't you just show me? Just so there won't be any doubts in my mind."
With that he put his hand on the side of her face and kissed her deeply on the mouth, his other hand finding her breast. She reached for the top of his jeans, frantically trying to unbutton them. "These will have to go, you know." He stood up and removed his jeans quickly and she pulled him down to the bed with her.
Now they were lying side by side, holding hands, both looking up at the ceiling.
"Lucky, do you feel different?"
He turned to look at her. "Yea, I do."
"Me, too. I feel…I don't know how to describe it…like we're more connected now than ever before."
He nodded. "That's how I feel, too." He put her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Do you want to know why I really left you this morning?
"Why?"
He turned on his side and raised up on his elbow to look at her as he spoke. "I had a great idea, and I needed to call my dad. He has a cabin up in the woods and I wanted to ask him if we could go there for a few days. Just you and me."
"Oh, Lucky, that would be so wonderful. But will it be safe?"
"Elizabeth, I've decided I don't want to live my life in fear anymore. I'm just going to live my life and try not to worry about when or if Faison decides to retaliate against me." He knew that was not possible, but he wanted to be positive, and he decided he could worry enough for both of them. "But a few of Sonny's men will have to go with us. Just because I'm not going to live in fear doesn't mean we don't have to be careful."
"Lucky…"
"Trust me, you'll never see them unless you need them. They can be very discreet. Did you know Sonny has had someone on you since the night of the fire?"
Her eyes widened. "He has?"
"See, you didn't even know. I saw them when I came to the window that night. So you see, they'll stay out of sight."
"But you saw them."
He laughed. "It's that Spencer blood, Elizabeth. We always watch our backs. I learned that at a very young age."
"Okay, you win. When will we go?"
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "We can go as soon as you want. I was thinking about tomorrow morning. I'll need to go back to the room where I was staying and get the rest of my things. I don't have much, but I need more clothes. We can leave as soon as I get back. Dad has a car I can borrow, too."
He could see the excitement on her face. "Oh, Lucky this will be so good for us. Is there any reason why we can't go today?"
He smiled and kissed her before responding. "We can't go today because, well, it's already after noon, and I don't plan to leave this bed for the rest of the day."
Across town, Faison and Stefan Cassadine were again sitting in the monitoring room. Stefan spoke first. "So, your plan is set?"
"Yes, all we need do now is wait for the perfect opportunity. I feel certain it will present itself in the next couple of days. I look forward to ruining young Mr. Spencer's life. And make no mistake, this will ruin his life."
"You're not going to tell me what you're planning?"
He shook his head and gave Stefan a sinister look. "No, this one is all mine."