October 1999
"Lucky?" Came the soft-shocked voice from across the table. "Is that you? I must be going insane. It can't be you. You are…."
"Em?" Shock and surprise filled his voice.
"You are alive? How? Lucky?" She tried to speak as the tears rolled down her face.
"Shhh. It's okay. Please, sit down." He said softly. He didn't want to draw attention.
"Sit down? You are alive and you want me to sit down? Lucky I want to jump up and down. I want to cry from the rooftops. I can't just sit down." Emily said excitedly.
Lucky began to panic. This couldn't happen. "Emily, sit down!" He demanded firmly.
The look in his eyes left no question. He was ready to bolt. She took her chair. "What's going on? Please Lucky, talk to me."
Lucky looked around. It wasn't safe. "Not here." If somebody saw them together her life would be in danger.
"Where? I need to talk with you." She said in a pleading voice. He stood up.
"I'll be in touch." He said cryptically before heading out the door.
--
Emily paced her floor nervously. He'll be in touch. What was that supposed to mean? How would he find her. He didn't know where she lived. He didn't know where she went to school. He didn't even know why she was in California.
"What do I do? Do I call Luke? Do I wait? Do I go back to the restaurant? Do I stay here?" She mumbled the questions as she paced. It had been two days since her encounter with Lucky. "He is probably half way around the world. Why did I let him out of my sight?"
"Because you knew he would come back." Came the familiar voice.
Emily almost screamed. For two days she hadn't heard anything and suddenly his voice was in her room. She began to turn and stopped. "I am hallucinating, right? I am going to turn around and find an empty room."
"I guess you have to take that chance." Came the reply.
It sounded so much like him, a little softer maybe. "Don't disappoint me, Spencer." She said as she spun on her heel. Her face lit up when she saw him standing in front of her.
"I already did that once. I would hate to do it again." He tried to smile.
She stared into his eyes. His brilliant blues were like old friends. The hollow look they held was new. He sounded like Lucky, He looked like Lucky, he even dressed like Lucky. Still, she couldn't shake the feeling that the man in front of her was a shadow of her former best friend. "Then don't, Spencer. Talk to me."
He wasn't ready for this. "Wouldn't you rather ask how I found you?"
She decided to play it safe. She wasn't going to let him leave again. "Okay, how did you find me?"
"Well, it wasn't easy. What are you doing in California?" He stalled.
"Monica and Alan sent me to boarding school. Can I have a hug?" She wanted to reach out for him. Fearing the action would spook him, she asked instead.
Lucky walked towards her timidly. "What did you do wrong?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her. Holding her, he felt an emotion he barely remembered.
Emily smiled. Lucky felt weak. However, he was alive. She could deal with, weak, afraid, tired, and hurt. As long as he was breathing, as long as he could hold her she could deal with anything. "You don't want to hear this story." She said softly. She wanted to help him. Telling about herself was only wasting time.
"Please, go first. Please, I need to hear you." Telling her would be hard. He needed time.
Emily nodded. "As you wish." She told Lucky all about Juan and being sent to camp. "Then when summer was over he was still around. They sent me off to boarding school. It isn't so bad. I don't really miss him." She admitted. The only person she ever really missed was holding her.
Lucky felt weak. Slowly he pulled away from the hug. He continued to hold her hand. "Sit with me." He motioned towards the couch.
"Of course." He seamed weak. She feared he would pass out. "Can I get you something to eat?" She knew food was as much as he would accept.
He held her hand tighter. "NO. Don't go. Please." He pleaded. "I need to hold on to you right now."
Emily slid closer to him. "Okay." She said soothingly as he wrapped his arms around her. "Can you tell me about it?"
Lucky nodded. If he couldn't tell Emily, he couldn't tell anybody. She took it well. The shock and horror in her eyes were quickly replaced with love and understanding. She let him hold her. She didn't speak. She wiped his tears as he spoke. She was perfect. "Help me, Em." He said softly as he finished his story.
Emily caressed his face warmly as he finished his story. She ached for him. She wanted to make everything better. He needed so many things. For now, she would focus on the basics. "Stay here tonight. I will make you dinner. We will discuss everything else in the morning."
Chap1
October 2004
Emily tried to watch the scenery as she rode in the back of the cab through the little town she had once called home. She never expected to see any of it again. Now that she was looking at the town it seemed so different and yet the same. Kelly's outside seating area expanded she could see the quaint little tables in front from the road. The hotel looked older, more run down but the sign on top of it glowed like new.
She smiled sadly as she tried to note the changes. She was avoiding thinking about Lucky. It was almost five years from the day he walked through her door. Five years ago he brought hope back into her life. He dashed it a week later when he vanished as mysteriously as he had appeared.
Emily felt responsible. It was her fault. Lucky came back. He fought his way out of the cell, found his way back to civilization, and reached out to Emily. He wanted help. He wanted to heal enough to go home. She should have been able to give him that.
She promised him so many things. She promised she could help. She swore she would stand by him. Of all the promises she made that week she only kept one. Now she was, in a cab, on her way to break that too.
Emily sighed. "Please forgive me, Lucky. I have no other choice." Emily said softly when she reached her destination. Emily breathed in deeply as she walked through the door. Of all the places in Port Charles this was the one place she dreaded the most. How could she do this? How could she look Luke in the eye and tell him she had known Lucky was alive for five years?
Emily calmed her nerves with a quick drink and a chat with Claude. When she thought of Luke's she thought of Claude. However, she was surprised to see him. She always imagined he would have his own place by now. It was probably best that he didn't. Luke needed him.
"Thanks Claude. I owe you." Emily said as he opened the door to Luke's office.
Luke looked stunned. The last time Emily set foot in Port Charles was Christmas vacation five years ago. Seeing her brought back so many memories. She and Lucky were inseparable as children. When Lucky grew up they grew apart. Luke understood. Boys rarely ended up living happily ever after with their first crushes. Luke, however, still thought of Emily as family. Not seeing her had been hard. He missed watching her grow up. Seeing her was harder. She was all grown up. Lucky would be too, but he never got that chance.
"Hey Luke." Emily said shyly. After all these years he still intimidated her a little. He looked older, more warn, but he was still Luke Spencer.
Luke smiled. "Hey Darlin', are they selling long johns in Hell? I didn't expect to see you back until then."
Luke always managed to express himself. "If I were you, I would buy stock in electricity and gas." Emily answered with a smile.
Years away from home had made her much more self-confident, Luke noted. "I'll look into that. In the meantime, what brings you to Port Chuckles?"
Emily sighed. She knew she needed to tell him. That was her whole reason for coming back. However, she hoped she would have more time to prepare for this. Deciding stalling wouldn't buy her anything she began. "I need help."
"I didn't think you were here for the fries." Luke answered "What do you need, kid?"
Emily smiled. Somehow she knew she would be getting a lot of that. "I am 21 years old and you are calling me kid? Thanks, Luke." She said sarcastically.
"You still are to me, Kid. However, since your legal I will buy you a drink." Luke said with a smile. He had a terrible time thinking of Emily as an adult.
Emily smiled. "I had one with Claude. I shouldn't have another." She replied. This whole day seemed surreal.
"Okay enough stalling. What's up?" Luke asked with a smile. He might as well cut to the chase.
"First of all I need guards." Emily waited for Luke's reaction.
Luke looked concerned. "What? What kind of trouble are you in, Emily?"
"Can you get the guards or not?"
"You mean business. I can get you men, although, I think Jason would a better person to ask." He answered.
"I am asking you." Emily said. She wasn't ready to face her family. After leaving Port Charles Emily gave up all direct contact with her family. News from the society page told her of the family's triumphs and follies. However, that had been her only contact.
Luke nodded. "Done. What else?"
"I need help finding Lucky." Emily said softly and waited for Luke's reaction.
Chap2
Luke looked hurt. "What are you talking about? You know where Lucky is buried." Luke answered. What did she mean coming in here asking him to find Lucky. Unless…. He dismissed the thought before he allowed himself to hope.
"No Luke. The boy buried there is not your son. Lucky is alive." Emily watched Luke's reaction. She hoped this wouldn't be too much for him.
Luke looked stunned and worried. He couldn't count the number of times he dreamed that Lucky was alive. He often thought he saw his son. Once in a while he embarrassed himself by calling Lucky's name. He never got so bad that he told another person. What could have caused this? "Emily he is gone."
Emily shook her head. "Lucky came to see me. He is alive." She said plainly.
"Darlin' I saw his body? Why are you doing this?" Emily's insistence was really beginning to hurt him.
Emily looked annoyed. She knew Luke would have a hard time accepting this. However, she hoped Luke knew her well enough to know she wouldn't hurt him. "I am not playing a game. Lucky is alive. I need to find him." She looked deeply into his eyes as she spoke. She hoped her sincerity would be visible.
Luke decided to humor her for a moment. "You said he came to see you. When was this?" Luke asked. Maybe if he heard the whole story he could find a way to convince Emily it was all in her head.
A look of guilt appeared on Emily's face. He was going to kill her. "I saw Lucky five years ago." She said softly. She promised Lucky she wouldn't tell Luke until he was ready to come home. Even knowing she had no other choice, Emily felt she betrayed Lucky.
"Darlin' he died five years ago." Luke answered. Suddenly everything was beginning to make sense.
"I saw Lucky in October. He "died" long before that." Emily responded. Luke didn't believe her. "I am telling the truth. Lucky is alive."
Another situation seemed far more likely, Luke thought. "You were going through a rough time. Alan and Monica didn't trust you. Nikky boy was too busy knocking up the Kitty Kat to be the friend you needed. Elizabeth couldn't decide if she wanted to moon over Vlad Jr or Jason. The only person listening to you was Juan. You were taken from him. You needed a friend." Luke explained harshly.
"Are you saying I invented Lucky?" Emily asked indignant.
"I do it too. When I am hurting, I see him. I want to see him so badly that I imagine him. It seems real, for a while." Luke responded. He understood Emily's reaction. He didn't understand why her hallucination stayed with her so long.
Emily shook her head. "I am not making this up. I am not crazy." She stood to leave. She could find help elsewhere.
Luke panicked. He wanted to help her. He wanted to show her the truth. He didn't want to admit he hoped she was right. "Tell me about seeing him. Was it from a distance? Did he speak?"
Emily softened. This couldn't be easy for Luke. She should give him a break. "I saw him on the street. A couple of days later he showed up in my apartment. He stayed for a week. Then he disappeared."
A week? His hallucinations never lasted for that long… Maybe… No. Luke wrestled in his mind. "Why didn't you call me then?"
Emily blushed. If she had it to do over again she would. "He asked me not to. He wanted to tell you himself."
Luke glared. "He didn't. Why are you telling me now?"
Emily breathed in deeply. "I need your help."
It was like pulling teeth. "About?"
Emily sighed. She had to tell him the whole story. "Lucky's death was faked by a man named Caesar Faison. He worked with Helena to hold Lucky. They were going to use him as bait. Lucky escaped before they could do that."
Luke looked at Emily. It seemed far-fetched. However, Faison worked with Luke. Could he have wanted Lucky to insure that he would receive all the diamonds? Was it something else? Did he really believe all this? "What did he do to my son?"
"You don't want to know." Emily said softly.
Luke nodded. He wanted to know. He needed to know. But he needed to prepare himself mentally for what he would hear. He knew that much. "You said you needed to find Lucky. Why now?"
"Faison started sending threatening letters. He shows up wherever I am. I have gotten away so far. I don't know how long I will be able to do that. Lucky needs to know Faison is after him. I also need to remain safe."
Luke looked concerned. "Why would Faison go after you? You spent a week with him five years ago. Why does he think hurting you will help him get Lucky or me?"
"It isn't me he is after." Emily said as she leaned over and hit button to page Claude.
Luke was dumbfounded. "Who?"
Chap 3
Emily looked down at the ground trying to decide how best to answer Luke. She had rehearsed the scene over and over again on the trip. Now that the scene was actually happening, she had no idea how to play it. "Faison wants you for the diamonds he never received. Originally he saw Lucky as the ultimate bait to reel you in. However, now it is more personal. Lucky hurt his pride, among some other things, when he escaped. Faison wants revenge. He will stop at nothing to get it."
Luke watched her carefully. "Why is he after you, Emily? You haven't explained that part to me." He still wasn't ready to accept his son was alive. There seemed to be huge gaps in Emily's logic. If she hadn't seen Lucky in five years, why would Faison want her? Why wouldn't he be after somebody more closely related to Lucky?
"I told you he isn't after me. It isn't that simple." Emily sighed. She hated repeating herself. It wasn't getting them any closer to finding Lucky.
"And I asked you who he was after. You avoided the question." Luke retorted. "Maybe because you don't have an answer?" Luke tried to help Emily out of her delusions. He knew confronting her with the truth was hard, cruel even, but it was the only way she could get better. Lucky wasn't alive and he had to help her realize that.
Emily gave a small dejected laugh. "God, Spencer, you really are stubborn. You can't trust me."
Luke laughed. He couldn't trust anybody. "Give me a reason to start."
Emily nodded. This was as good a time as any. She leaned over Luke's desk and hit the intercom to page Claude. "Send him in." She said simply before returning to her chair.
Luke looked from Emily to the door and back again. What could she possibly have? She said send him in… A person? She wanted help finding Lucky it couldn't be him. Somebody else who had seen him, maybe? "Going to give me a hint, Darlin'?" Luke asked still perplexed by what her evidence might be.
"You will find out soon enough, Hon." Emily retorted smugly.
Luke couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from turning up. He always knew the kid had spunk. He was about to comment on that situation when the door opened. Luke looked up and saw Claude. He didn't see the person with him. "Weren't you supposed to be bringing somebody to me?" He asked his manager.
"What am I, invisible?" Came a small cocky voice four feet off the ground.
Luke leaned over his desk. He wasn't expecting a midget. The sight of the boy took his breath away. The kid was young, maybe four, he had really light sandy brown blond hair… The color Lucky's was before it started changing. Dressed in blue jeans and a flannel shirt thrown over a black tee-shirt, the boy more than reminded Luke of Lucky. "Cowboy." He whispered softly then shook his head. No that wasn't his son. "Who is he Emily?"
Emily smiled as she called the boy towards her. "You don't see the resemblance?"
"I see it Emily, I am not blind. You just brought a very small Lucky impersonator into my office. I see it. I don't see the point." Luke wasn't ready to admit the feeling he had in the core of his heart. He couldn't give in that easily. He couldn't bare it if he was wrong.
Emily pulled the child into her lap. "Sure you do, Luke. Look at him."
Luke tried not too. The image hurt too much. He wanted to throw them both out of the office. He would get a drink, a bottle, and stop the pain. He promised Lesley Lu he would cut back. And he had… but this was too much.
Emily saw Luke reaching for the bottle at the edge of his desk. "Don't Luke. We need you clear for this, Lucky needs you clear."
Luke was about to go into a tirade. Who was she to tell him what Lucky needed. She could come in here with all the children she wanted but it didn't change the fact that his son was dead. However, before he could start, he took a good look at the young man in Emily's lap. It wasn't the hair, the clothes, the cocky attitude, or the charming smile… They weren't what bothered him. It was the eyes. The boy was staring at him with Lucky's eyes.
Emily saw Luke's pause and understood what he was thinking. "Are you okay?" She asked him, unable to read his emotions.
Luke blinked, refocused on the boy, and blinked again. "Is he?" Luke started but chocked up he couldn't continue.
Emily thought of making some snappy comeback but thought the better of it. "He is your grandson. Lucky's son." She said simply.
Luke nodded. "Lucky, he really is alive."
"And Faison is willing to do anything to capture Lucky, including harming his son." Emily finished.
"So all we need to do is hide you and the kid, kill Faison and find Lucky." Luke said with a broad grin. "My kind of game."
Emily laughed. "That is why we came to you. How do we play?"
-----
Chap 4
Luke picked up the phone and ordered around the clock guards for Emily and her child. "You need to catch me up to speed." Luke said going into survival mode. He had to know exactly what he was dealing with if he had any hopes of keeping Emily safe and finding Lucky.
"I thought I had done that." Emily smirked. "I need help finding your son while protecting your grandson from Ceasar Faison."
"I need to know more than that. I need to know everything." Luke replied.
"I don't know what else to tell you." Emily's voice betrayed her fatigue. Coming home had taken a lot out of her. She went into hiding as soon as she received the first letter from Faison, but as his threats continued to find them she decided it was time to find help. She hadn't really rested in months. She wasn't ready for an interrogation.
Sensing Emily's hesitation Luke decided to pick a safer subject. "Tell me about him." He said nodding to the boy.
The boy stared at Luke. "I am not deaf and dumb, you know? You can talk to me."
Luke laughed, he couldn't decide if the child reminded him more of Lucky or himself. "Yes I can. What is your name?"
The boy looked up at the ceiling for a moment. He wasn't sure of what to say. In the last few months he and his mother had changed names almost as often as they changed their socks. He knew the name he was supposed to use that day, however, the man had called his mother by her real name, maybe he should give him his real name as well.
Emily sensed the reason for her son's confusion. "It is okay, he is our friend, you can tell him the truth."
"Our friend? You told him a minute ago that I am his grandson. Is that true?" The boy questioned his mother. He wasn't about to trust anybody unless he was sure that it was okay.
Luke intervened. "That is true. I am your grandfather." Saying the word brought it home to him for the first time. He swallowed hard to clear the emotion from his voice. For years, memories were the only thing he had to remind him of Lucky. Now, at the very least, he had the boy. Luke still wouldn't allow himself to believe that he would see his son again. He couldn't handle the pain of losing him again. If he didn't believe it wouldn't hurt so much if they didn't find him.
The boy was unmoved by Luke's emotion. "How do I know?" He asked. He wanted Luke to come up with something good. He wanted to believe him. But he couldn't allow his mom to trust this man if he wasn't legit.
Luke laughed. The boy was so much like them. He may have never known his father, but he certainly was a Spencer. Luke took the picture of Lucky that always sat on his desk and handed it to they young boy. "That was your dad when he was little."
The boy studied the photograph. His eyes ran back and forth reading the image, trying to find features of himself in the child whose picture he was holding. He tried not to betray any emotion as he scanned the image. The eyes, the hair, and the smile they all were what he saw when he looked in the mirror. It reminded him of the computer game he played with Emily sometimes, where you take one set of eyes and put them on top of a different nose. It was like this man had taken part of him and combined it with part of the kid in the photograph.
Emily held her son tightly as he looked at the photograph. He had always
reminded her of Lucky but she had forgotten how striking the resemblance really
was. She wanted to tell her son that it was okay to trust Luke. However, the
child was stubborn, and he only ever really accepted anything when he was
ready.
"How do I know the picture didn't come with the frame?" The kid asked
skeptically.
Luke laughed. "Why do you think that it did?"
The boy looked at him. "I asked you first." He said stubbornly.
"Why would I lie to you?" Luke asked trying to figure out what he could do to convince his grandson that this wasn't a plot.
"Why would anybody try to hurt us? Why is that man following us? Why did we have to leave our home?" He asked trying hard not to show how afraid he really was.
Luke came around his desk and knelt so he could look into the child's eyes. "I don't know. But I promise that I will help you find out."
He really wanted to believe the man. "If I try to trust you now do I have to trust you always?"
Luke smiled. "Nope, if I do anything to betray your trust you don't ever have to trust me again."
"Okay." He offered his hand out for the older man to shake. "But if you hurt my mommy I will never ever speak to you again."
"Fair deal. Now that we are friends, think you can tell me your name?" Luke asked curiously. In the entire course of the conversation, Emily had never even given a hint about what the child's name was.
"Yes I can." The boy answered smugly.
Luke laughed. His grandson wasn't about to make anything easy on him. "Will you tell me what your name is?" He tried again.
"What's in it for me?" The kid asked with a cocky grin.
-----
Chap 5
"Luke's specialty of the house, cheese fries." Luke said with a smile. All Spencers' liked cheese fries. They had to bring the kid around.
The boy scrunched his nose. "I'll try them." He didn't want to start off on a bad foot.
Luke ordered a plate for his grandson. "Trust me on this, you will love them…. It would really be easier for me if you had a name."
"After I try the fries." He said with a smug grin.
"Emily, darlin' want to help me out here." He tried to give the boy a guilty look as he appealed to Emily.
"This is a game between Spencer's. I would be remiss to interfere." Emily laughed. She wasn't trying to make things harder for Luke. However, it was her best way of telling if her son really trusted Luke. Once he offered his real name, Luke was in, for life.
"Fine." Luke rolled his eyes in defeat. "Let's get down to business. I need to know everything in order to protect the nameless wonder." Luke hated admitting he rather enjoyed the game.
"Where do you need me to start?" She had no idea how far back to go. She didn't really want to give Luke the details of her relationship with Lucky.
"I need to know about when the Cowboy was with you. You can leave out the kid's conception, but I need to know how he acted, what he said, and why he left." Luke said as he took a seat on the edge of his desk. "I need to know what was going through his head when he took off."
Emily looked at her son. "Can we start someplace else." She didn't want him to hear what his father had been through. "It isn't G rated, Luke."
Luke winced against the pain. He knew it was bad. At least he could protect his grandson from hearing. "Hey, Silent one…. Why don't you go sit at the bar and have your cheese fries. Keep an eye on Claude for me."
"Silent one? You can do better than that, Gramps." The kid said with a grin. "Already trying to get rid of me?" He collected his bag full of toys before he left the room. "Of course you stayed with me longer than my daddy did. Everybody tries to get rid of me eventually."
"Hey, you know better than that." Emily told her son.
"Whatever." He shot back before leaving the room.
"He could write a book on how to make me feel guilty." Emily sighed. "I don't really believe he is four. I was so innocent and polite at that age."
Luke squeezed Emily's shoulder. "It is the lifestyle. Lucky was the same way at the boy's age. He just wants to keep the two of you from being hurt. He is trying to be good."
Emily smiled. "I don't want him to worry about things like that." She said softly. "I guess that is why we came here. I didn't know where else to go. I haven't talked to Jason since…." Emily stopped as she cleared her throat. She had a hard time believing her brother and Elizabeth could have done that to her, to Lucky. "Are they happy?"
Luke smiled slightly. "They don't really come in here, however, from what I hear, yes." Luke admitted. "But apparently my son had enough sense not to go to her for comfort." Luke couldn't describe the pain he felt, knowing that his Lucky hadn't come to him. Luke always imagined that if Lucky were ever really in trouble, he would find his father.
"He was too hurt, Luke." Emily said sensing Luke's thoughts. "He wanted to be well for you. He didn't want to see how much pain he was in."
"What did he think? I wouldn't love him? I wouldn't help him?" Luke interrupted with anguished questions. "I would have given my life for him, without hesitation I would have given anything for him. I still would."
"I know." Emily wished she knew how to ease his pain. "He didn't come looking for me. He didn't even know I was in Paris. Alan and Monica sent me there after Juan came. They wanted to get me away from him. From what I hear, their instincts weren't too bad about him. Anyway, I was in a café people watching and I saw him. A couple of days later he showed up in my room. I don't know how he found me. He just appeared."
Luke weak smile showed a glint of pride as he poured Emily a glass of water. "He is a Spencer. Spencers' can find anything."
"I hope you are right, Luke." Emily said as she sipped her water. "He was so gun shy, so hurt… The entire time he was around I was afraid he would bolt. He constantly looked over his shoulder, and never really relaxed. I never pushed him to talk, but little by little he told me his story. God, how he survived that, I will never know." Emily sighed. "I didn't know how to help him. I wanted to bring him home. He just wanted somebody to hold on to. The morning after we made love, he was gone. No note, no goodbye, not a single scrap of evidence to prove he was ever there. Honestly, I thought I was imagining it, until the morning sickness started.
"When I came home for Christmas, it became obvious that I couldn't stay in PC. I couldn't go back to school either. Exclusive boarding/prep schools don't really accept knocked up students. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do. I couldn't get rid of my child, Lucky's child. I went back to Paris and lived hand to mouth for a while, until I lucked into a job modeling maternity clothes.
"I thought about coming back after he was born. It seemed like I should have family around. By then I didn't know how to explain everything. Then Jason and Liz threw their engagement party. I don't know why the idea of them bothers me so much. I slept with him. I had his child, but I was never his girlfriend. It isn't like I was innocent in all of this. But I still feel like they betrayed him. Does that make any sense?"
"A little. Yet, it was time for them to get on with their lives. Liz needed somebody to fill the void Lucky left. Jason needed somebody to fill the emptiness he experienced when Carly married AJ, then Sonny. I thought they were a rebound relationship, at first. But who am I to judge?"
Emily smiled. "You never minded judging anybody before."
Luke laughed. "Do you have any idea where Lucky might be? Do
the threats give any clues?" For the first time in almost six years Luke had
some connection to his family. He had no intention of letting it slip away.
---
