Author's Note: Well, it took me long enough. LOL! Here's the sequel to If Tomorrow Never Comes. Only a few weeks have passed since our "family" was attacked. What are the repercussions of that? Will Carly ever wake up? How will Sonny go on without his anchor? Will Alexis (yes, I know we hate her but in this fic she is too cool and so not played by you know who lol) and Johnny admit their feelings? Will Lucky be able to help Gia heal? Will Luke seek revenge and at what cost? Will Zander and Emily find their way to each other? Will anyone discover Jason's evil plans? The answer to that and much more lies ahead. Buckle your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy sequel...

The Space Between

Chapter 1: Reprecussions

Luke Spencer stared blankly at what remained of the restaurant he'd come to love so much. Luke shook his head a few times. The shock was still there. It seemed unreal that less than a month had passed since the attack that had devastated his family and friends. His son had almost lost the woman he loved. Tammy, his friend, had been killed and Mike was inconsolable. The number of injured still astounded him. And Carly... He pushed the thought of his niece out of his mind for the moment. She was never far from his mind most days but...

It was time to concentrate on getting his business back up and running. To bring some semblance of order to everyone lives. Once that was done, he could dedicate his time to finding the bastards that had hurt his niece. God help them when he did.

"Luke?"

All thoughts of revenge came to a halt as he heard that voice. " He turned to Laura. "Hello darling."

Laura hugged him quickly. "How are you holding up?" He'd been avoiding her calls. She knew he needed time to heal, to come to terms with what had happened. But she needed to see him. She felt his arms envelope her and smiled into his shoulder. After a minute, he pulled away, not looking at her.

"I'm hanging in there."

"And Sonny? I was at the hospital to see Carly today and the nurse told me Sonny had just left. It seems he's spends almost all his free time there." Laura recognized the look on Luke's face. It was defeat. "You think he's wasting his time, don't you?"

No response.

"She's a fighter Luke."

"I know that. But..." Luke sighed, rubbing his newly shaven head. He finally faced her. "I don't think she's coming back. God knows I hope I'm wrong about this like I am about everything else."

Laura smiled sadly at him. "You're not always wrong, Luke. However, this time I'm going to have to bet against you."

"I hope your right, sweetheart. For Michael sake. For all of our sakes but mostly for Sonny's. He's not even letting himself believe she won't make it. What if she doesn't Laura? I don't know how or even if Sonny could handle that." He recalled the emptiness in his friends' eyes since that fateful night. "I don't think he could at all."

"You got everything there, babe?"

Shari looked up from the bag on the bed and smiled at Juan. "I think so." She turned her attention to the task at hand. She needed to keep busy. Then, she wouldn't think about Tammy or Mike. Or Gia. Or Sonny and Carly...

The tears she was trying so hard to fight spilled over. She sniffled quietly, wiping at her cheeks, not wanting to let Juan know how much she was hurting. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she felt his arms circle her waist. She closed her eyes and leaned against him.

"It's okay, baby. It' going be okay." He kissed her temple softly, turning her in his arms to face him. "Come here." He hugged her tightly. "I know this is hard but I have faith. Everything will work out. And you know when I say something, it so is going to happen." He smiled at her muffled laugh.

Shari pulled back, looking up into his face. She felt the familiar stirrings of guilt. Juan was so good to her and she loved him so much it hurt at times. She hated keeping anything from him but she couldn't tell him...or anyone. Not yet.

"Hey?" Juan tipped her head up. "Are you all right?" He asked concerned.

Shari shrugged, distancing herself from him. "I'm better. Thanks to the best boyfriend a girl could have."

"Don't."

Shari looked up, startled at the sharp tone of Juan's voice. "What?"

"You always do that Shari. You keep shutting me out."

Her response was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. "Anyone here?"

Juan stared at her for a long moment before calling out to Lucky. "We're upstairs Lucky. Gia's room." He eyed Shari. "We're not done."

They heard Lucky's footsteps and turned to the door.

Shari felt more tears spring to her eyes at the sight of her friend. He looked...lifeless. "Lucky. How are you doing?" She asked, knowing how ridiculous that question was.

Lucky smiled cynically. "Well, aside from my cousin in a coma, her husband and my friend in an insurmountable amount of pain, and the woman I love hating my guts, everything's peachy-keen? You?" Seeing the hurt look on Shari's face, Lucky softened. "I'm sorry, Shari."

"It's okay. It was a stupid thing to ask."

"No. It wasn't. Don't let the fact that I'm a jerk make you feel bad. Thank you for the concern. It means a lot to me."

Juan came forward, squeezing his friend's shoulder lightly. "She doesn't hate you Luck."

"Oh yes, she does. I don't blame her."

"Lucky, it's not your fault that Gia's..." Juan choked on the rest of the sentence. It was still unbelievable to him.

"Say it Juan. That Gia's paralyzed." Lucky snapped. He ran his hands through his hair. "God, Gia's paralyzed." He sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. After a moment, he composed himself and looked up at his friends. "You should get going before visiting hours are over."

"Lucky...

"Just go."

Shari and Juan glanced at each other than back at Lucky. "Listen, why don't you come over to my place tonight?" Juan offered.

Lucky shook his head. "It's okay. I'll be fine. You guys go." He waited until they were at the door before calling out. "Can you tell her..." He stopped, thinking better of it.

"I'll let her know, Lucky." Juan stated quietly. The door closed behind them, leaving him alone in her room. He glanced around, smiling in spite of it all, as his eyes fell on the cloths strewn all over the floor. Lucky's eyes fell on her favorite pair of shoes and his smile fell. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Tammy was supposed to be at Kelly's. Carly should be home with her husband and son. And Gia. Gia should have been with him.

Lying back, he closed his eyes, his mind going back to the day had Gia woken up. He had been so happy when she had fluttered her eyes open that he'd run down the hall, practically carrying Tony back to her room. Lucky hadn't been able to keep his eyes off of her the entire time. And when she'd smiled at him...

He laughed warmly at the memory. He'd been so happy for that instant. She's woken up and he believed that everything would work out. They would get a chance to finally be together. His smile fell, remembering the events that followed. Lucky wished to God he hadn't let Tony convince him to go home that night. Maybe he could have held on. Maybe if he had been... He rubbed hard at his face/...Yeah...Maybe.../

//Lucky closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath, tightening his grip on the flowers in his hand before pushing the door open. His eyes fell to the woman lying on the bed. The soft light falling on her ebony hair and caramel skin. His heart skipped a beat like it always did when he looked at her. He sat down next to her bed drinking in the sight of her.

Gia opened her eyes slowly, staring into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen. She suppressed the need to smile at him. She stiffened her shoulders and stared hard at him. "What are you doing here?"

Lucky furrowed his brow, confused at her tone. "I wanted to see you. And I wanted to bring these." He held out the bouquet of yellow roses.

Gia ignored them, looking behind him at the window. "Leave."

Lucky's hand fell to his side. "What?"

She turned cold eyes toward him. "I want you to leave."

"Like hell." Lucky bit out angrily. "Why in God's name are acting like this Gia?"

"Oh, you haven't heard then?" She didn't wait for a response. "It seems that I have no feeling in the lower part of my body." She turned away from his shocked expression. "Yep. I can't walk. They don't know if I ever can again."

"When...how...?" Lucky stammered.

"They confirmed it this morning. I'm a cripple."

Lucky snapped out of his disbelief. "Don't say that."

"It's true." Gia glanced at him. "You can leave anytime. I won't stop you." She laughed bitterly. "Hell, I can't, can I?" She stiffened as he moved closer, closing her eyes briefly when she felt his hand on her head. After a long moment of silence, she tilted her head to look at him.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't need your pity, Lucky."

"Good cause I don't pity you." He stroked her hair. "We can get through this together. You and me."

Gia held back the tears at his words. God she loved him so much. He deserved better than to be held down by her. Tony told her that she might never regain the use of her legs. She couldn't put Lucky through that. She had to make him leave.

Gia jerked her head away from his caress. "And what the hell makes you think I'd want anything to do with you? You're the reason this happened."//

Lucky blinked back the tears, wiping at his eyes. He still didn't have a clear memory of what happened after that. All he remembered was Gia yelling at him to get the hell out of her room and her life. He remembered leaving the room and walking the halls aimlessly. Gia's words ringing in his head.

/ "You're the reason this happened." /

As much as he wished it weren't true, it was. He had brought her into his life. It was his family that had been targeted and Gia got caught in the crossfire.

/"You're the reason this happened." /

The guilt ate away at him slowly. This was his entire fault. He glanced at her room again. She wanted him out of her life. It was the least he owed her.

"You're a grown woman for Christ's sake. You can knock on his door. You've faced down ENTIRE courtrooms." Alexis Davis muttered. She adjusted her sling, raising her good hand and giving the door two quick raps.

Johnny O'Brien looked up from his desk at the sound of knocking. He stared at the door intently. He knew that knock. He's been avoiding this conversation for as long as he could but it was time to get it over with.

Gathering up his strength, he went to the door, pausing for a second before flinging it open.

"Ms. Davis."

Alexis stared at him mutely. It was so good to see him.

Johnny would have found it amusing to see Alexis Davis, Esq. speechless, if he hadn't been having a similar reaction. His fingers itched to touch her. He clenched his hands tightly. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Alexis pulled herself out of her trance, his polite, cool tone taking her by surprise. "I needed to talk to you."

Motioning for her to enter, he stepped back, making sure to keep his body as far from hers as possible. "What do you need to talk to me about?"

He watched her take in his apartment. He realized it was the first time she'd ever been inside. Johnny watched her, a ridiculous need for her to like it springing to life in him.

Alexis took in the dark green and burgundy colors, the masculine yet sophisticated line of the furniture, and the warmth that seemed to radiate from the room. She smiled sadly. "Carly helped you decorate it."

It was a statement not a question.

She met his astonished look, answering the question in his eyes. "It feels like Carly."

He nodded. "Yes it does."

She came to stand in front of him. "Why are you avoiding me?"

He swallowed past the lump in his throat. "I haven't been."

"Really? So you haven't received any of my messages?"

Johnny stepped back from Alexis, needing the room to think straight. "I got them but I've been a little distracted recently." He made a vague motion to his desk, which was piled with paperwork.

"I see."

He avoided her eyes. "Well, if that was all..." He turned his back to her, dismissing her.

"No, that wasn't all." Alexis asked, her voice tight with anger. "I want to know about us."

Johnny closed his eyes, preparing to do what he had to. He turned to look at her. "There is no us."

Marcus Taggert rubbed at his reddened eyes, pulling another sheaf of paper from the pile in front of him. He studied the suspect list of the attack. A long list of Sonny's "associates", former employees and enemies. It wasn't jiving for him. He knew there was a piece he was missing. Something so obvious that he was overlooking it.

"Taggert."

He glanced up at Mac Scorpio before turning his attention back to his desk. "What can I do for you Commissioner?"

"You can go home and sleep, Lieutenant."

Taggert glared at his superior. "I don't mean any disrespect, sir, but I'll leave when I'm damn good and ready." He reached for another file, slamming hard on the table. Mac leaned over his desk, placing his hand firmly on the file.

"I know this is hard, Taggert, but if you're going to be any good to us, we need you to be functional. Which means you need to eat and sleep. When was the last time you had a decent night's rest? If you're not at the hospital with Gia, you're here looking over these files."

Taggert wiped his head in frustration. "I can't just go home and do nothing. Mac, they attacked my sister. My sister."

"I understand that."

Taggert held his hand up. "It's not just that." He sighed, staring intently at the wall. "You know how I feel about Corinthos. But as much as I hate to admit-"

"You admire Carly." Mac finished the sentence. He smiled at Taggert surprised look. "Hey, I'm not blind, Taggert. Carly is a brave, strong, determined woman. She's crazy as all hell and she been he cause of a lot of headaches but her "take the bull by the horns" attitude is worthy of admiration. Of course I'll never admit to saying that."

"Ditto." Taggert replied.

They laughed the action strangely comforting to them. After a moment, they fell into an easy silence and Mac picked up Taggert's notebook, looking over the scribbles and thoughts. "You know, there's just something I can't place my finger on. Something that just beyond my reach."

Taggert nodded. "I know. It's the...tone of the attack if that makes sense. It was ruthless, perfected yet very-"

"Personal." A female voice replied.

Mac and Taggert glanced up to see Felicia approaching the desk. She smiled, pulling a file from her bag and plopping it on the table. "It was revenge. As cold and ruthless as it was there was rage behind the acts. And rage usually stems from real emotion." She studied Taggert's notes. "But you already knew that."

Mac shook his head. "No."

"I didn't ask."

"Well, good because the answer is no."

Taggert shifted his gaze from one to the other. He raised his hand cautiously." Sir? What are you prohibiting her from exactly?"

Felicia glared at Mac. "From helping. But he knows that's stupid because I'll just do it on my own if I have to."

Mac held back a growl. "Felicia..."

"It couldn't hurt sir."

Mac turned to Taggert, his eyes hardening."Don't encourage her, Lieutenant." He turned back to his ex-wife and halted when he saw the stubborn set of her jaw. She wasn't going to take no for an answer. He shook his head and sighed in defeat. He had a feeling this was going to get worse before it got any better.

Michael stared thoughtfully down at the drawing he was working on. He was going to have his Dad take it to his Mommy. Maybe the picture of them in the park would make her feel better and he could get to see her. Smiling at the idea, his chubby little fingers gripped the red crayon he held tighter. He rubbed on the paper hard and the crayon suddenly broke in half.

Michael held it up, his lip quivering as big fat tears rolled down his cheeks. A small hand waved a new crayon in front of his face and he looked up to see his cousin Lulu.

Lesley Lu smiled softly at him. "You can have mine, Michael."

Michael took the crayon and wiped his eyes. He didn't want anyone to think he was a baby. He was four years old. He was a big boy.

Lulu sat on the floor next to him, crossing her legs. She studied the picture carefully, trying to find a way to make her little cousin feel better. She was only six but she understood a lot more than the grown-ups wanted her too. And she knew Michael probably did too. She knew her cousin Caroline was hurt.

She liked Caroline. She was pretty and funny and she would always give her a big hug and candy when she visited Aunt Bobbie's house. She missed her a lot. She knew Michael missed her more because she was his Mommy.

"Can I help?"

Michael shrugged his shoulders but made room for her by his side so she could reach the drawing better. He looked at it again.

"I think it needs a doggie." Lulu suggested.

Michael smiled a little. "A doggie." He looked at Lulu. "Okay but I can't draw one. Can you?"

Lulu nodded and picked up a black crayon, tracing the shape of a dog. "It's my specialitity." Michael laughed at that and she smiled in return. They turned back to the drawing together and began the finishing touches.

"He's sleeping through the night now." Sonny spoke quietly to the still figure of his wife. "It's getting easier for him, I think." He watched her face for any change but there was none.

Sighing, he took the picture frame out of the bag he's brought and set it on the bedside table. It held a new picture of him and Michael. "He's wanted to see you but I thought it might be a little too confusing for him. He's a little young to understand it completely, you know?" Sonny smiled angrily. "Hell, I'm nine times his age and I still don't get it."

Sonny took a deep breath, rising from his chair and going to the window that overlooked the garden. Earlier that week, Tony had moved Carly to private room. She was physically out of danger. Her wounds had almost all healed. The black and blue marks on her face had faded to yellow and her arm was still encased in a cast but for all intents and purposes Carly was making a full recovery. Her ribs had healed well. Tony had been monitoring her lungs since the operation and they seemed to be holding up well despite his fears.

/But you still won't wake up./

Sonny surveyed the immaculate lawn and tears, watching the red and gold leaves turn gently in the cold air. Snow would be coming soon. He spoke suddenly into the quiet of the room.

"Why don't you want to come back, Caroline?"

Sonny turned back to the bed, walking slowly towards his wife. "What's keeping you inside your head?" He traced her wedding ring. "I know you can hear me. I don't know what's keeping you away but you need to fight. You need to fight for our family. You need to fight for us."

No movement. No response.

Sonny felt a sudden rush anger. "Damn it Carly! Snap out of it! You're stronger than this thing. I know you are!" He pushed away from the bed before he gave in and gave her a good shake. Rubbing his head gently, he stared at the wall. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired." He looked down at his watch. "I need to pick up, Michael."

He came round the bed, picking up his coat from the chair. After a slight hesitation, he leaned down to kiss her head. "I'll see you tomorrow." He stared at her for a moment then moved towards the door. It closed silently behind him.

The fading sunlight fell across the bed and glinted off her wedding band as Carly's hand began to move slowly...