Chapter 7

Liz looked at her reflection in the mirror and pulled at the tight, red
v-neck sweater, revealing a bit more cleavage than necessary. She then pulled
at the waistband of her skirt, making the black mini-skirt, even shorter than
it had been a moment ago. She was 18 years old, but the reflection that
stared back at her was that of a 15 year old by the name of Lizzie Webber.

**** "What's your name?"
"Lucky."
"We'll see." ****

She sighed then and ran her fingers through her chestnut brown hair, fluffing
it a bit more. She was spending Christmas day with Nikolas at Wyndemere.
She'd agreed to it after blowing him off for Christmas Eve.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. "Come in," Liz said, applying a fresh
coat of Passion Red to her lips.

Nikolas walked in then and stopped suddenly in his tracks, seeing the image
that stood before him. He swallowed hard as his eyes moved up and down her
tiny body.

"What?" Liz asked, noticing Nikolas' stunned face. She sauntered over to him
seductively. "You like what you see?"

Nikolas was taken aback. How many times had he wanted her to ask him that
question? How many times had he wanted HER, period?

"Cat got your tongue?"Elizabeth asked sweetly, sliding her finger along
Nikolas' jaw.

**** "You're just too beautiful you know that?" ****

Nikolas, reached up suddenly, stilling her hand. "Liz what are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing?" Liz asked, Lucky's voice still blaring in
her head. He was making it hard for her to concentrate. He was making it
extrememly difficult for her to accomplish her goal. She needed to forget.

"I mean this, " Nikolas said pointing to the clingy ensemble that she wore.
"What's this about Liz?"

"Oh not you too!" Liz yelled, backing away from him. "Gram came in here a
while ago and acted like she'd just seen a ghost or something...and then -
and then she left the room crying!"

"Liz, this isn't you," Nikolas said, trying to make her understand. As much
as he wanted to respond to her advances, he knew that they weren't genuine.
She was spinning out of control and he had no idea how to stop it.

"Don't tell me what is and isn't me Nikolas! You don't know me!...This - this
is me. This is exactly who I've always been ...and don't look at me like
that! Don't look at me like I'm some charity case, ok?! I swear if I hear one
more person say 'Poor Liz or 'poor Elizabeth...she sure has had it tough...'
I'm gonna puke. I'm not crazy Nikolas! I know who's here and who's not. I
know who's dead and who's alive. I don't go around talking to dead people
either!" Liz lied, knowing that was exactly what she had done the night
before while sitting in the snow.

"Ok, Ok," sighed Nikolas, taking her hand in his. "Calm down ok?..I just
think that maybe what you're wearing is a little...inappropriate for
Christmas dinner at Wyndemere..."

"Oh, so now I'm not good enough for Wyndemere?" Liz asked, snatching her hand
away from Nikolas. "I'm good enough for you to lust after everyday, but not
good enough for your precious uncle - father, whoever the Hell he is!"

"Liz that's not - and I don't lust after you Liz....I love you. How many
times do I have to say that to convince you, huh?" Nikolas asked, touching
her cheek softly.

Liz jerked away from his touch. "Oh come off it Nikolas! You think I don't
see the way you look at me? That's not love Nikolas. That's lust...oh, don't
feel bad about it. I'm used to that look. I used to get it all the time back
in Colorado...used to get it here in Port Charles too, before....come on
Nikolas," she said walking towards him again. "Come on - Gram's gone...we've
got the whole place to ourselves," she added, glancing at her bed.

Nikolas grabbed her hands forcefully then, forcing her to look him in the
eye. What he saw there almost broke his heart. "No," he said sternly,
watching as she began to crumble.

***** "You know, you're one of the strongest people I've ever met." ******

She collapsed then, taking Nikolas with her to the floor. The memories were
beginning to bombard her all at once. She managed to choke out "I'm sorry,"
through her tears.

"It's ok," Nikolas wispered, stroking her hair. "You're gonna be ok."
~~~~~~~~~~
Lucky took out her picture once again and held it to his lips. He was losing
the feeling. The sensation of her lips against his own, starting to
disappear. In the beginning he'd been able to feel it constantly, even when
he wasn't trying to think about it, but now things were changing. He hoped
against hope that his father had gotton his message. It was a long shot and
he knew it, but he had to believe that miracles still happened.

Suddenly the heavy, metal door slid open, allowing entrance to his captor.
"Merry Christmas Lucky," Faison said, taking a long drag from his cigar.
"Sorry...but I forgot to bring you a present," he chuckled.

'Christmas?' Lucky thought, allowing the news of the holiday to sink in,
while visions of Christmas Angels and glittering guitars atop trees danced in
his head. 'She told me she loved me a year ago today,' he thought silently.

"Oh, I suppose you'd like to know about Ms. Webber..." Faison stated, waiting
for a response.

Lucky looked up then, dieing to hear anything at all about her, yet wishing
he could hide it.

"Well," Faison continued, the look in his young victim's eyes betraying him.
"I believe she's spending the holiday with your brother...probably just the
two of them...some romantic setting." Faison knew it wasn't true, but he
loved torturing Lucky. "Anyways," Faison said, after gauging Lucky's
reaction. "The reason I came was to tell you that your father has made a
move. I do believe that idiot is ready to do business with me...finally. He
called me this morning. We're meeting in two days. Ahhh...this is the first
time he's taken the iniative...a happy day indeed, Lucky. Your father
certainly has come a long way...I was beginning to wonder exactly how stupid
he was..."

Lucky smiled inwardly. 'No Faison...the question is: Exactly how stupid are
YOU?'

Author's Note: **** = Flashback.

Chapter 8

By the time Nikolas and Elizabeth arrived at Wyndemere dinner was already
being served by Mrs. Landsbury. Silver domed plates sat, uncovered in front
of Laura, Stephan, and LuLu.

"Good evening, everyone," Nikolas announced, making his presence known as he
entered the room. He tightened his grip on Liz's hand, reassuring her that
she was exactly where she belonged.

"Good evening Nikolas...Liz. I was beginning to wonder whether you were going
to show up." Stephan said, obviously surprised that his son had brought Ms.
Webber with him.

"Well..we got a little distracted." Nikolas quipped. Trying not to think
about the "episode" that had just occured at Liz's house. He so desperately
wanted to believe that she was fine. That time would heal her. That time
would make her love him genuinely.

Nikolas had told Stephan that he had been spending a great deal of time with
the Webber girl as of late, but inviting her to Christmas dinner at Wyndemere
was definitely an unexpected turn for Stephan. Stephan's life had been full
of unexpected turns recently.

Laura turned from her seat and grinned widely at the two in front of her. Her
breath caught in her throat when she saw Liz. The girl looked haunted,
troubled. She remembered that look. Even as Liz plastered on that one in a
million smile, she knew it was only a mask. A mask she herself knew only too
well. A mask that failed to hide the pain behind one's eyes. Laura hadn't
seen Liz in quite awhile. The girl had cut herself off from most people,
unfortuneately. She looked different, her style of dress not exactly what
Laura was used to seeing her in. She wore a tight, mini-skirt, and an all too
revealing v-neck. Laura sighed inwardly, wishing that Liz had let someone
help her after Lucky's death.

Laura rose from her seat and hugged Nikolas. "Merry Christmas, honey." She
said, pulling away. She then hugged Liz, letting the embrace linger as she
felt Liz tense. She eventually felt the young womans' arms tentatively wrap
around her. She finally pulled away and watched as Nikolas eyes shifted
towards Liz. He smiled at her, watching her. Laura had suspected weeks ago
that Nikolas had a crush on her, but now she could see that it was much more.
Nikolas was in love. She didn't know how to feel, what to think. Should she
be happy that her oldest son had finally found someone? Or upset that the
someone happened to be the love of Lucky's short life. Did Liz return those
feelings? Laura simply smiled at them and asked them to sit, it wasn't
exactly the most appropriate time to bring up such matters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dinner passed slowly...and quietly. Laura tried her best to make small talk:
asking Nikolas about his job at Deception and asking Liz about school. The
latter was answered by a series of "uh-huhs" and "fines." Liz seemed more
interested in pushing her food around with her fork from one side of her
plate to the other.

***** "Oh...it's creepy."
"It's not creepy."
"Yeah it is...what if it means my fortune is too horrible to print?"******

Stephan watched the four of them: Laura, Liz, Nikolas, and LuLu and thought
about how he had the power to change all of their lives. Helena hadn't
admitted it at first, but once Stephan acquired the proof he needed, she had
no choice but to admit that Lucky was indeed alive.

One of Stephan's men had seen Helena and Faison conspiring together on the
docks about two months earlier, and Stephan immediately began digging. An
alliance between Helena and Cesar Faison was definitely something that needed
looking into. He had Helena followed on one of her many trips to Cairo. That
trip had proved very successful. His informant had discovered Faison's
compound and inside....a very much alive Lucky Spencer, via video camera.

The news had come as a shock to Stephan. He remembered denying to Laura that
Helena had anything to do with the death of her son, and now her suspicions
had been confirmed. Yet Laura was still in the dark. Stephan had thought
about telling her, but what good could have possibly come of it? It certainly
would not have proved fruitful for him. Stephan now had everything he had
ever wanted. Sure, Laura had not yet agreed to marry him when her divorce
from Luke was final, but that would happen soon enough. Now that Laura was in
his life, he had no plans of giving her up.

Nikolas also had finally gained the full attention of his mother. The
attention he so richly deserved. He had also finally found someone to love.
Stephan wasn't exactly thrilled by his choice of female companion, but he did
see that for some reason the girl made him happy and that was enough to keep
Lucky in Cairo indefinitely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikolas watched Liz closely as she once again began to take in her
surroundings. They had all retired to the sitting room after dinner. She
seemed happy chatting with LuLu and playing with her hair only moments ago,
but now she seemed far away again. Liz stared off into space as LuLu's hair
passed through her fingers. She stared absently into the candles on the
coffee table, the white roses in the crystal vase and she seemed transported
to some other place.

***** "You have my heart Lucky. That's a permanent lock." ******

She mouthed the words softly aloud, seemingly to herself. "A permanent lock."

"What?" Nikolas asked, touching her hand. "What did you say Elizbeth?"

She looked at him suddenly, still very much in a haze. "I love you Lucky,"
she said to him, brushing his hair away from his forehead.

Everyone's eyes darted towards her and then to each other's. No one knew what
to do or what to say. Laura slowly got up and walked over to Liz. She sat
down, telling LuLu to run upstairs and play with the doll that Stephan had
bought her for Christmas. She had a feeling that this wouldn't be pretty. She
knew first hand that it wouldn't be. She'd been there herself.

"Elizbeth," she said softly, smoothing her hair away from her shoulder.
"Honey...I think maybe we should go home. Would you like to come over to my
house?"

Nikolas stared wide-eyed, not knowing what to do and hoping that his mother
did. Liz turned towards Laura, smiling brightly. That was the biggest smile
that Nikolas had seen from her in months. "Is Lucky there?...at your house
Laura?" she asked.

Stephan looked down at the floor, knowing he had the power to end the girl's
torment. He listened as she babbled uncontrollably.

"You know," she continued. "We're going to New York City Laura...did you know
that? We are...we already picked out the street we want to live on and
everything...I gave Lucky a token," she said reaching towards her own bare
neck. "A subway token......." her words trailed off suddenly, as if someone
had flung her back into that night. The charred remnants of the once golden
symbol of their future dangling before her, then her body sinking to the
ground in someone's arms. Who had it been? Sonny?

Suddenly her eyes began to glaze over with unshed tears as she saw three sets
of horrified eyes gazing at her. She suddenly realized what she must've done.
She must've "talked" to Lucky in front of them. She got up quickly, grabbing
her purse. "I have to go," she said, frantically walking towards the door.
She was gone before anyone could say anything calming. Anything to take the
sting of embarrassment away.

"Go after her Nikolas," Laura instructed softly, her own eyes shedding heavy
tears. She put a hand to her mouth and shook her head, as Stephan came to
comfort her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Go away Nikolas!" Liz shouted as she lit yet another cigarette with
trembling fingers. She stood by her window, letting the smoke filter out into
the night.

Nikolas shouted through the door. "Liz...I just came to check on you...I just
wanna make sure you're ok."

"I'm fine," Liz said flattly. "Go away Nikolas...please just leave me alone."

Nikolas swallowed. "Liz, please let me in."

"Nikolas. I'm fine ok! Just go away...I promise...I'll call you tomorrow."

Nikolas knew he'd have to be satisfied with that for the time being. There
was no getting through to her when she got like this. "Goodnight Liz."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucky Spencer went to sleep that night with a smile on his face, knowing that
his father had indeed received his message, and that he'd come soon. He knew
it wouldn't be that night, or even the next day, but he knew his father would
not give up until he found him. He'd have his life back. He'd have his
Elizabeth back. That thought carried him into dream land. He went willingly
to the place that his dreams always took him to: the docks. The night cold
and foggy. She stood before him, more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. He
reached out once again, thinking that maybe this time would be the time he'd
get to touch her before she vanished.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Liz woke with a start, wiping at the cold sweat that glistened on her brow.
She turned on her lamp, and slowly took her journal out of the drawer of her
nightstand. She picked up her pen, took a deep breath and began to write.

     The dream came again tonight. Same dream as always. The same one I
painted a few weeks ago. It was dark, yet light. It was cold, but I could
feel his warmth. It was foggy...but I could still see him so clearly. He
stood there, looking more handsome than I'd ever seen him, but I still
couldn't touch him. I still couldn't speak. I can't take this anymore. I
really think I'm starting to lose my mind and I'm so scared. I humiliated
myself at Wyndemere today. I don't know how I'm ever going to face Nikolas or
Laura again and LuLu must have been scared out of her mind. I have to stop
wishing he were here, and more than anything I have to stop believeing that
he is. I think about going back to Gail, but I don't think I can. I can't
stand it when she asks me how I feel about it or says to me that it will
'only take time.' I don't want it to take anymore time! I want it to be over.
I'm going to try and forget...move on...start over.