“You can start by yelling at me. Hell throw something if it makes you feel better.” Lucky eyed his lover with anguished eyes. He could see the hurt in her and the thought that somehow he had caused it made him hurt.

Emily sat curled up on the couch, her thoughts racing, trying desperately to hold onto some solid ground in the face of all of her insecurities.

“I will never love anyone else but you. Every other girl will just be a substitute for you.”

“How could I love anyone else after having loved you?”

Sometimes she can hear those words as if they had just been spoken.

“Emily it wasn’t what you think. I don’t love Liz. I used to, I’m not going to deny that. And maybe if Faison had never kidnapped me, who knows? But the fact is that he did. And that changed everything. It changed me. It changed my relationship with Liz. It led me to you.”

“You kissed Liz?”

“I know. And I’m so sorry. So desperately sorry. It was wrong. I knew it was wrong the minute I did it but I can’t undo what I did. I would if I could.” He stopped. “I love you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I mean I know but I don’t know if I can explain it to you in a way that makes sense. I was tired. I hadn’t slept since you were taken. I’d barely eaten. I was scared.”

“So you kissed Liz to make you feel better?” They both winced at the sarcasm in her voice.

“No, I kissed her because I wanted to forget.” Lucky turns and walks over to the fireplace. He picks up the picture of the two of them taken in Arizona. Where they had first made love.

“Me?” Emily can’t keep the hurt out of her voice. “You wanted to forget me?”

“No!” Lucky turns around horrified at what she is suggesting. “I didn’t want to forget you. I never want to forget you. What I wanted was to forget Faison. Forget what he had done to me. Forget what he was doing to you. For just a few seconds I wanted to be a teenager again. I wanted to be the Lucky Spencer that loved Elizabeth, not because I still love Liz, not because I even want to be in love with Liz, but because I wanted to be the Lucky who hadn’t been tortured by Faison, who hadn’t caused Robin to lose any hope she had of finding her parents, who hadn’t gotten his little sister kidnapped, who wasn’t scared to death he was going to lose the most important person in his life, and who could still somehow manage to close his eyes at night and not be tormented with images of brutality and madness. The thought of again being that teenaged Lucky who’s biggest struggle was trying to forgive his parents for something that was none of his business, it was a temptation and for a minute I gave in to that temptation.”

“By kissing Liz?”

“By kissing Liz.”

Emily shudders even as she tries to think hard about his words, to put herself in his position. How many times had she thought of Jason and wished that she was still that young girl who had blindly worshipped her older brother? Or more importantly how many times had she wished that he was still worthy of that adoration? Couldn’t she understand the need to bury the present in the past? She looked up and met Lucky’s eyes, seeing in them both honesty and fear. He’s afraid of losing me, she realizes and it occurs to her that she is walking on egg shells. If she says the wrong word here, he’ll shut himself off from her and the rest of the world. But she won’t, she can’t, let herself be hurt again. She won’t be anybody’s second choice. Not even Lucky’s.

“Do you love her?”

“No.”

Emily breaths a little easier. She believes him. “Do you want her back?”

“All I want is you.”

“Lucky....” Emily hesitates and then plunges on. “I can’t do this anymore. This is my life and its too important to me to spend it playing these kind of games. If you want Elizabeth, than go to her, okay? Don’t string me along. Don’t tell me you love me just to placate me or out of some twisted sense of guilt. I’m a Quartermaine you know. I can handle you’re leaving me. What I can’t handle is you staying with me because you feel sorry for me or because you are afraid of hurting me. The only reason I’m with you is because I love you. If that’s not the only reason you are with me, than I don’t want you with me.” She looks up at him and then lowers her eyes. “Just make sure your decision is final, because if you stay with me I’m never going to let you go. Not to Liz. Not to anyone. So you better be sure of what you want because if you aren’t...”

“Emily Quartermaine you’re rambling.” Lucky says softly, bending down in front of her he forces her chin up so she looks at him. “I already told you, you don’t have to worry about losing me because I’m never letting you go. We are going to be together for the rest of our lives.”

“Are you sure?” Emily hates the shakiness of her voice but she can’t help it.

“More than sure.” Lucky’s eyes gleam. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

There is silence in the living room as the kiss is prolonged, leaving them both breathless.

“Lucky, do you love me? Really love me?”

“I thought we just clarified this. Yes. I love you more than anything else.”

“Then tell me what Faison did to you. Help me to understand.”

“Emily I don’t want to...”

“You need to. And I need to hear you. For both of our sakes.” She kisses his closed eyelids. “I love you and it hurts that you kissed Liz. It hurts a lot. But it hurts even worse that there is so much that you don’t let me share. You know all my secrets and all my burdens Lucky. Let me share yours.”

Lucky sighs. “I want to protect you from my nightmares, not pull you into them. What Faison did, what he forced me to do, Emily I don’t think I could handle it if my past changed how you felt about me. Not now.”

“Nothing could change how I feel about you. Didn’t I just promise that? Yes I’m mad and I’m hurt that you kissed Liz. And I’m thinking a dozen red roses and some jewelry would not be out of line, but the truth is that I love you. I still love you. And I swear to you that no matter what you tell me happened with Faison, I will still love you.”

For the longest moment of his life, Lucky stares into his lover’s eyes and then, making the hardest decision of his life, he nods. “It’s time.” “Yeah it is.”

In her relief, Emily reaches up and kisses Lucky and the phone rings four times before either of them hears it.

And now that you're in my life
Oh, I'm so glad I'm alive
'Cause you showed me the way
And I know now how good it can be
Because you love me

Port Charles International

Frisco sees her as soon as the commuter flight from New York that he is on disembarks. He’d been in New York less than 24 hours and he missed her. Missed her more than he would have imagined was possible before falling in love with her. As angry as he had been since she had taken off in Maine, it hadn’t changed the way he loved her. How much he needed her.

He had a feeling that those two things would never change.

They stared at each other for a long moment, almost alone in the quiet of the almost deserted terminal.

“I’m sorry.” Her words are quiet but he hears them anyway and nods.

“I know.”

“I shouldn’t have left you. I should have told you what Emily said. I should have told you what Nikolas said. I should never have acted on my own. We were partners.”

“We are partners.” He corrects her firmly and Robin feels her spirits begin to lift. “Partners in everything. The thought that you could go off on your own, take those kind of risks on your own...I could have lost you.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. What I did was against everything you have ever taught me and everything we have ever been to each other. There is no excuse.”

“No there isn’t.”

“I just went crazy. Faison...I can’t think rationally about that bastard sometimes. What he did to my parents, to me, to Lucky, to all of us. I just want to murder the bastard you know.”

“I know.” It was the same thoughts he entertained about Jason Morgan every now and again.

“When I thought my mother was still alive...”

“You should have come to me.”

“I couldn’t. I was so confused. I knew it could be a lie but God how I wanted it to be the truth. I just stopped thinking and I reacted.”

“You could have gotten yourself killed. If Lulu or your mother had been there, you could have gotten all three of you killed.”

“I know. I’m sorry.” She pauses. “ Do you hate me?”

Frisco looked shocked. “How could I hate the one person I love more than anything?”

Robin swayed with relief. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought I’d messed up so badly this time that you couldn’t forgive me. You’ve barely spoken to me since and..”

To her horror she starts to cry and Frisco is there in an instant to hold her. “I’m sorry baby. I was angry and I was scared because I came so close to losing you. And then there was the fact that Faison is still out there and he could have Anna but we know he has Lulu and I guess I just went a little crazy for a while myself. I’m sorry I made you doubt my love for even a second.”

“I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I scared you. And most of all I’m really sorry that I betrayed your trust by taking off on my own. You are my partner in everything Frisco Jones and I don’t want to do anything that puts us in jeopardy again.

“Me too Robin.” Frisco reaches down and kisses her passionately, unmindful of the stares of the airline employees at the gate. “It’s going to be okay.”

“I know it will. We’ll find Lulu. And then we’ll make Faison tell the truth about my parents. You and me and Lucky. We’re the WSB’s personal dream team. Faison doesn’t stand a chance.”

Frisco pales and gently pushes Robin away.

“There’s something I have to tell you. Sean wanted to call you but I made him promise that I could be the one to tell you.”

Robin’s heart started beating. “They didn’t...”

Frisco nodded. “I’m sorry, baby. I tried every counterarguement that I could make. But after what you did in Maine, the WSB felt it had no choice. You’ve been suspended for six months for dereliction of duty.”

I believe in things unseen
I believe in the message of a dream
And I believe in what you are
Because you love me

Emily picks up the phone with an apologetic look at Lucky.

“Emily Quartermaine.”

“Em? It’s Sonny.”

“Sonny? Oh my God where are you? I’ve missed you.”

On the other end of the phone, Sonny Corinthos smiles at her excited squeal. She may be an international businesswomen worth millions, but she’s not that far removed from the teenage girl who used to visit him at the penthouse.

“I’ve missed you too. I heard that you managed to rescue yourself.”

“I had some help but I’m okay. Where are you? When are you coming back?”

Emily ignores the jealous expression on Lucky’s face.

Sonny can feel his spirits rise at the welcome in her voice. He’d been frantic with worry over her. Despite the fact that she had chosen Lucky, she was still his closest friend and he would always be in love with her one way or another.

“I’m in Italy.”

“Really? Make sure you visit the Villa De’..” Emily begins but he cuts her off.

“I’m not here on a pleasure trip little one.” He pauses, making sure there is no one who can over hear him. “I found Lulu.”

“What? Where? How?”

“Let’s settle for the where. Verona. Tell Spencer. I’ll keep an eye on the princess until someone gets here for the rescue.”

“Sonny, Faison?”

“He’s here. But the princess is okay.” Physically anyway Sonny amends silently.

“I have to go. Tell Spencer I’ll be in touch.”

Sonny hung up as a dark haired women entered the shop he was calling from.

“Reginald.” She addressed him in a clipped, accented voice as she smiled down at the young girl whose hand she held. “If you are finished with your business, Robin and I are ready to go home.”

“As you wish, Mrs. Faison.” Sonny bowed quietly and put his chauffeur’s cap back on.
With all my heart and all my soul
I'm loving you and I never will let go
And every day I'll let it show
Because you love me
Because you love me
Because you love me