Sonny had left a note for Lucky and Elizabeth that he would be away overnight and would return the next morning sometime. Elizabeth had turned on some music when they returned to the penthouse after dinner at Luke and Laura's. She sensed that Lucky was deep in thought or upset, or depressed. He hadn't said much in the car on the way back. She sat down beside him on the couch put her hand on his arm, and said, "Are you okay, Lucky? You've been so quiet since we left."
He looked at her and took her hand in his two. "I'm okay. Just thinking. It was pretty emotional for me to see Nikolas and Emily, and Aunt Bobbie and Lucas. It made me realize how much I've missed them. But it also makes me realize how many people I've put in danger by coming back here. I wonder if it wouldn't have been better to just stay away."
"You did the right thing, Lucky. You did."
"You don't understand how evil this Faison guy is. He hasn't made a move yet and it's been almost four days. That worries me."
"Maybe he doesn't have any use for you anymore."
"I wish that were true, but I don't believe that, not for a minute."
"Well, I think we should just live our lives and try not to worry about it. Sonny is making sure we're all safe."
He loved her naiveté', her innocence. "Honey, he can't keep us completely safe. No one can do that. Safety is just an illusion, you know. Faison could strike at any time with no warning. That's what I'm afraid of."
"Well, let's try not to think about it tonight. Sonny is gone and we have the whole place to ourselves."
He smiled at her. "Okay. It was good to be back home tonight though, especially with my parents back together. It's been a long time since I've felt that security and sense of family in that house."
"I know. I think Nikolas nearly had a heart attack when he answered the door and saw you standing there."
He laughed, "Yea, he did go kind of pale, like he'd seen a ghost."
"Well, he did, sort of."
"But he was happy to see me, don't you think?"
"Lucky, he loves you. You'll never know how much he missed you. I think he really missed all your tormenting."
"Good, I'll have to think of new ways to torment him now."
"Listen, this is the song that we danced to the night of the fire."
She stood up, then and took his hand, "Come here, I want you to dance with me now."
He stood up and pulled her close and they danced, holding each other tightly. When the song ended, she looked up at him and kissed him deeply.
He smiled, "That was nice."
"I'm going up to take a nice, long, hot bath."
She smiled at him and turned to walk away, but he grabbed her hand. "Don't be long."
Across town in the basement of an old abandoned warehouse, Faison was sitting at a large conference table in his monitoring room. On the screen he could see the stark, metal room that had been Lucky's cell for so many months. It had been well stocked with books, music, clothes, a computer and a comfortable bed. Now it was empty save for a small cot.
Two men sat with Faison. He spoke to the first man, the one who had stood outside Sonny's penthouse two nights before in the rain. "Who else has young Lucky Spencer seen besides his family, the girl, and Mr. Corinthos?" He was asking as if he didn't know the answer, but of course he knew. He knew every move Lucky had made in the past four days.
"Tonight he saw his aunt, Bobbie Jones, and his nephew, Lucas." He turned to the second man, "And your son, sir."
Stefan Cassadine looked concerned, "He's seen my son? And my grandchild?"
"Yes. At the Spencer's house."
Stefan turned to Faison. "You must guarantee me that my son will be safe."
"I do not deal in guarantees, Mr. Cassadine, but young Nikolas is the least of my concerns right now. It will soon be time to teach our friend Lucky a lesson in loyalty. And there are others whose demise would hurt him much worse than your sons."
"Thank you. May I make one more request?"
"You are trying my patience, Mr. Cassadine. I do not take requests; you should know that by now."
"The little girl, Lulu. Please don't hurt the little girl. She is innocent in this."
"As I have told you before, I make no guarantees. Suffice it to say that I have something very special in mind for our young friend that will teach him about loyalty and the high price of betrayal. It will be a very painful, yet valuable lesson, I assure you."
Back at the penthouse, Lucky went upstairs to the bedroom he and Elizabeth had been sharing. He removed his shirt and shoes and lay back on the bed, his thoughts drifting to Elizabeth. He wanted to be with her, to make love to her and show her how much he loved her.
They had waited so long to be together. She had been in the bathroom for so long, and he was starting to really miss her. He needed to be with her, and he needed to be with her now. He got up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom door across the hall. He listened and could hear soft music coming from the other side of the door. He should just leave her alone; it had been a stressful few days for her, for even though he knew she was doing her best to put up a brave front, she was just as scared as he was about Faison and wondering what he had planned for them.
He turned away from the door, and started back for the bedroom, but his desire for her was strong, and he could only imagine how she must look, naked in the bathtub. He turned back to the door and put his hand on the knob, relieved to find that it yielded to his touch and he turned it slowly. He opened the door and saw only the flicker of candlelight in the room; then he saw Elizabeth, lying against the back of the tub full of bubbles, her eyes closed. He could see just the tops of her breasts above the bubbles. She looked so beautiful.
He approached the tub quietly, thinking she may be asleep. Finally, he whispered her name, "Elizabeth?"
She turned toward him then, and opened her eyes as he sat on the edge of the tub. She reached up and put her hand on the side of his face and said, so softly he could barely hear, with a slight shake in her voice, "I thought you'd never get here."