Unsettling Realizations

By Didi

Disclaimer: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful think, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it was, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.

Summary: Cruz gets a warning, Coop makes a decision and Lucky gets a surprise.

Timeline: Nowhere on the map. Just keep reading.

Author's Note: Okay, I'll admit to the fact that Johnny has kind of grown on me, I'll even allow that a pairing between Johnny and Lulu wouldn't be such a bad thing. At least Johnny's intents have always been clear and he doesn't play games with Lulu as far as where he stands. Johnny might be one of the most honest characters on the show right now; no pretenses no lie, he tells it like it is. (Basically he's Jason at the very beginning.) I think the show tried too hard with the Lulu/Logan thing, putting the Romero/Juliet act together too fast and now it's kind of falling apart. I still think that Coop and Lulu would have made an interesting pair… if nothing else than to mess with Maxie's head. But currently, I'm firm on the belief that the show are currently trying to recreate the Carly/Jason friendship in Lulu and Johnny. Strong, independent girl with good heart but makes rash and bad decision meets mobster with some good in him and the ability to tell it like it is. See where the parallels lies? Oh course, they could go the romantic route and I wouldn't complain. Johnny is a great deal more interest (not to mention the actor is pretty damn good too) then any of the cast of newbies they added in the last year.

As far as my story goes…everything is still up in the air and anything goes. And, just to warn you all now, I may even try to fold Johnny into this in the future. But for now…

Rating: T

Key: "Spoken," "Thoughts." Any questions?


Chapter 11 – Major Change, Minor Acts


Fingering the cross around his neck, Cruz silently gave a prayer and called himself an idiot. He should have never agreed to this, it was too dangerous and just plain stupid. Nothing good could come of this; he knew that in his head, but his heart… his heart told him to wait. Some times, he really needed to tell his heart to listen to his head and shut the hell up.

"Hermano," Enrico greeted as he silently approached the pensive younger man.

Cruz may have been expecting him but he still managed to be shocked by his brother's appearance. And on the heel of that shock came the deep rooted resentment that he had thought long buried, along with his past. Enrico Rodriguez had inherited their shared father's good looks, much the same way Cruz had, but he had also inherited their father's face; the same devil-may-care face that charmed more than one poor senorita into his bed… and then carried his child.

"What are you doing in Port Charles?" Cruz wanted to know. Given what little he remembered of his father's business and if his brother had gone into the same line, he could only assume that sooner or later he's going to come into conflict with them.

"That is a question I wanted to ask you," Enrico replied in that smooth whiskey voice of his. "Cómo es tu mamá?"

"She's fine. And don't even think about going anywhere near her," he warned refusing to revert to a language he had vowed never to speak. The journey his mother made from South America to the United States had been a painful and treacherous one; but one necessary to ensure the safety of her only child. Cruz honored his mother sacrifice by being the son she wanted and not the one she had been forced to bear.

Enrico smiled, that tiny little smirk of a smile that Cruz knew all too well from any convenient mirror; it was the same one he inherited from their father. "Boston must be agreeable to her."

Blood running cold, Cruz fought the urge to do something violent.

"Relax, brother," Enrico said reassuringly seeing the sharpness in those familiar eyes, "I haven't seen her and I have no plans to do so. I was under the impression that you were in Boston with her."

"Get your intel. updated, Enrico. I haven't been in Boston for two years."

"You're still listed there."

He didn't answer. It had been a deliberate act upon his part.

With a sigh, Enrico shook his head at Cruz. "I am not watching you. I am not following you. I had not expected to see you here."

"Like I ask before, what are you doing in Port Charles?" Cruz didn't want to drag out this conversation any longer than must be. He didn't want to see the brother he had left behind twenty years ago when he and his mother fled 'The Compound' under the cover of night.

"Business," Enrico sighed, wishing this meeting wasn't so difficult though it was understandable. He didn't blame his little brother for his hatred of him, he had seen it too often with the others. Enrico's mother had been their father's wife, his true wife, and Enrico was the gold child: the preferred son, and treated as such. Enrico, for his part, never treated his numerous illegitimate brothers with anything but brotherly sentiments, despite their father's harsh partiality.

"Business," Cruz repeated with grave concern. "And what kind of business brings you here."

"The kind you don't want to be involved in," Enrico replied cryptically, "especially given your occupation."

That set Cruz's teeth back. "And what do you know about…"

"Father would be horrified to know that you have turned in a policía."

Cruz couldn't stop himself from answering, "Good."

"Still so angry?"

"For my mother's sake," he replied neutrally.

Enrico understood. He wished he didn't but he understood. "You need to let Corinthos and Alcazar handle the current problem with the shooters."

Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, "You have anything to do with Lulu Spencer getting shot?"

"Is she well?"

"No thanks to you."

"I had nothing to do with the shooting. And no one under my command had anything to do with it either," he assured his brother with a sigh. "But things are becoming difficult to control."

"And who exactly do you…"

"Do not ask questions that you do not want answers to," Enrico warned, knowing where little brother Cruz was going. "It is best you stay out of this."

"Not when someone is shooting at my partner's sister."

"She is being protected."

"Like she was yesterday?"

Enrico felt his cheeks burn. "That was unforeseen." He had failed. It was as simple as that. And despite his friendship with Lorenzo, he was not a nice man when things go wrong. "It will not happen again."

Cruz didn't make detective on his charm alone. "Someone else is moving in on the territory?"

"Not exactly," Enrico admitted. "And they are sloppy," frowning as he said the word. It was a strangely appropriate sounding word for the situation. "People can get hurt in this, innocent people that should not be involved."

"Like Lulu Spencer?"

"Exactly like her."

It galled him not to be able to ask but he didn't. Deniability was necessary and he didn't want to go there with Enrico. "How bad is this thing going to get?"

"It will be under control in a few days," Enrico ensure him with a quick smile.

Cruz shook his head slowly, hating this situation.

"It's good to see you again, mi hermano. It has been too long." And he met it, every word of it. Family was important to Enrico and he despised his father for alienating so many of his brothers from him. He's seen what Lorenzo and Luis meant to one another and what they were willing to do for their father; Enrico envied them of that relationship, craved it for from his own family. His father, Jorge Rodriguez, was a cruel man that treated his children like chattel, except for Enrico. Enrico was heir and therefore special, unlike his less fortunately siblings. It was times like this that one can only count on family. And Enrico had none that allowed him into their lives. A decade after his father's death, Enrico was still trying to make amends to those of his blood that Jorge sold off into virtual slavery.

It took a moment for Cruz to steel his heart but he did. He had to remember who Enrico was, who he answered to… or probably answered to. But a part of him couldn't help but remember the children they had once been, locked in the house that their father had guarded like a prison. They were close at one point when they were children, closer than the others were given those few months of age difference between them. But Enrico… Enrico had seen what their father was, what he did to the other children. And though he had too been a child, he always tried to protect the others, even their older sisters: taking the blame when things were broken, throwing a tantrum to re-direct their father's attention hid the others when their father came looking for them in a towering rage. Enrico Rodriguez had been a kind and loving to his siblings.

That was the brother that Cruz remembered, the one he missed, not the sleek mobster that stood before him, a frightening carbon copy of their honey-tongued father whose good looks belied a dark and twisted heart. Cruz shook his head and steeled his resolve. "I'm not your brother. I have no family but my mother."

-&-&-&-

Coop clinched his teeth and held his tongue. The last thing he should be doing was commenting but it was an effort. And it was an effort that he didn't particularly want to exert.

"The blond one does not require such frivolous…"

"A smoothie is good for her, it had all the nurturance of…"

"There's nothing wrong with Lulu's diet that she need to add to…"

"Her beauty needs no enhancement from sugar infused…"

"I'm not saying that she need anything on a regular basis but she's recovering and her body need extra nourishment to…"

"That's what the doctors are here for, Milo. She doesn't need you to be playing…"

"I'm trying to make sure that her recovery is…"

"The blond one's über cool paternal unit has been specific in his desires not to see…"

Coop kept waiting for Lulu to lose her cool and order the three would-be suitors out of her hospital room but she was silently watching the argument while violently sucking on the thick smoothie Jason's guard had brought in for her. The light twinkle in her blue eyes said that she was amused and not unaffected by the interplay between the boys. He saw a great deal of gratitude in her eyes, softened by her fondness for each man in their own special and unique way. But right now, Coop just wanted them all to shut up and go away.

"What is going on in here?" Luke Spence demanded as he stepped pass officer Barrett and into the room, an array of Garber daisies in his hand. "And why exactly are you Stooges yelling in my daughter's sick room?"

Milo stammered a moment, "We weren't exactly yelling, sir."

Spinelli jumped in quickly, "We were merely expressing ourselves in manner to which would convey our most devote and sacred admiration of the most fair…"

"Do you ever just shut up?" Dillon asked in completely disbelief before turning to Luke. "Look, we were just discussing whether or not a smoothie is good for Lulu while she's still on the mends."

"I think that's for the doctors and Lulu to decide," Luke replied as he leaned over and kissed his daughter on crown on her head. "Hello Daughter, how are you feeling today?"

"Tired," she replied finally giving up on actually drinking the smoothie. The stuff had the consistency of mud and sucking it with a tiny little straw just wasn't cutting it.

"Than my baby need peace and quiet so that she may rest," Luke concluded before turning to the Three Stooges. "Boys, nice of you all to drop by but you gotta go now."

"But…"

"But…"

"But…"

"OUT!" Luke shouted.

Coop almost didn't move out of the way fast enough to avoid being trampled by the three retreating and frightened suitors. It didn't say much about him to find great satisfaction in watching the three get thrown out of Lulu's room.

"Cooper!" Lulu called out.

"You need something?" he asked, returning the smile she flashed his way.

"How's the leg?"

Hurt like hell. "Fine," he replied.

Lulu rolled her eyes. "You, Boy Scout, are a really lousy liar."

Instead of answering, Coop shook his head and shut the door to give the father and daughter some privacy. God knows privacy is the only thing Cooper could give them right now for he certainly couldn't give them the assurance that someone isn't out to kill Lulu. The investigation was going nowhere from what little Cooper's been able to gleam from the patrolmen in the hospital.

"Barrett," Jason Morgan made his way over slowly, his eyes glancing down the hall at the three uniforms that were stationed along the corridor.

"Mr. Morgan," Cooper glanced down the hall and lowered his voice, "I don't think it's a good idea for me to be seen talking to you."

Jason ignored the suggestion, "Sonny wants security doubled here and at the house. Carly and the kids are in the air as we speak with twice the security. How is Lulu?"

"She's fine," Coop answered seeing that Jason wasn't in the mood to play nice… or play at all. He could see how Jason Morgan would be the key factor in No. One's downfall that night at the Metro Court. Morgan doesn't mess around and he was extremely good at his job. "Her father is in with her now."

"The doctors say that she'll be able to leave the hospital tonight."

"That's what I hear."

"Has the department assigned her bodyguard yet?"

"Me," Coop replied firmly. He didn't mention that he had been pretty firm with the commissioner as well in regards to that particular assignment. Maxie had been just simply thrilled with that decision but Coop couldn't tell her why he needed to be the one to watch Lulu, especially not after everything Maxie had done for him.

"Good," Jason replied and opened the door without knocking. "Come inside, I want to talk to you and Lulu together."

"Greetings, Jason," Luke said with a gleam in his eyes and a quick cold smile. "What brings you by?"

"Security," Jason waited until the door was closed. "Alcazar's requested a meet and he's got at least six men watching the hospital and house. There were more at the airfield when I sent Carly off. They're not even making an effort to hide anymore." That little detail said a great deal to Jason about Alcazar and he wasn't sure he liked it.

"How Carly?" Lulu asked anxiously.

"Pissed," Jason answered with a quick nod toward Coop. "Barrett is going to be watching you and I think it would be smart to move you to Carly's as soon as we can. There's better security there."

"I know, I know," Lulu grumbled, "Lock and key for me."

"More than that," Jason frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. "Alcazar isn't behind the shootings but he probably knows who is. The fact that he's got men on you and Carly means something."

"That he's still obsessed with Carly?" Lulu offered cheerfully.

Jason didn't look like he cared for that suggestion. "He's moved Skye and his daughter off the continent as well."

"This is serious then," Luke said quietly, troubled by the implications. His lined face was stern with consideration. "What about Lulu?"

"She's can't fly yet," Coop reminded them. "It's still too dangerous."

"Once she's secured in Carly's house, we're going to move her under the radar and keep up the appearances there," Jason elaborated quietly. "Coop will stay with her but I don't want the department knowing where she is. Cops are easy to buy, we cannot afford a leak."

"How am I going to explain this to the commissioner?" Coop asked, not angrily but calmly and with a great deal of thought already. The plan was sound, and it will afford Lulu a better chance at survival. Anyone willing to engage in gorilla warfare wasn't someone that Lulu needed contact with and Coop was going to make sure of that. If nothing else, he owed her for everything he put her through in the damn hotel heist.

"You don't," Jason replied easily. "As far as anyone else is concerned, you're doing your job. Once Lulu is properly secured in another safe place, we'll move you back to Carly's house to keep up appearances and you can…"

"No," Coop interrupted firmly. "Lulu goes nowhere without me."

Luke's eyes narrowed on the young man. "And why is that?"

Feeling just a tiny bit hot under the collar, Coop cleared his throat nervously under Luke Spencer's steely gaze. "My job is to protect Lulu at all costs. I'm no good to her if I'm not with her. No offense Mr. Morgan, but your people can be as easily bought as any officer on the force and I think I've proven my worth in safeguarding Lulu."

Jason considered this a moment. Cooper Barrett made a good point. And it also helped that the younger man had a personal stake in all this. "You do understand that if we were to move Lulu without PCPD's knowledge and you stay with Lulu, you could end up compromising your position in the police force."

"I'll have Lucky cover for him," Luke replied, his eyes still on the clean cut young man who was watching his daughter with a great deal more concern that was professional. And for Jason to even consider this… there was obviously more going on than meets the eye. This bears some watching.

"Hey," Lulu interjected, "Don't I get a say in this?"

Jason sighed, already knowing that she was going to have her say anyways.

"No," Coop replied rather casually.

"Well too bad," Lulu let him know in no uncertain terms, "because you're going to hear it anyways."

"Lulu," Cooper said quietly, "Don't you get that this is your life?"

"And don't you get that this is your career?" she retorted with the same exasperation.

Coop was having some trouble believing what he was hearing here. "My career is a pretty tiny price to pay compared to your life." There was a moment of silence as Lulu silently thanked him with her soft blue eyes, the shiny look of gratitude making Coop feel a little weak in the knees. He closed his eyes to block her out. "We're not going to argue about this."

"Nothing I can say to change your mind?" Lulu asked sweetly.

"No."

"Not even if I call Maxie?" she offered.

"You're not allowed phone privileges," Coop countered just as nicely.

"Since when?"

"Since now," Coop replied firmly and opened his eyes. The look of outrage on Lulu's face was worth the hell he was going to get from her later. "Get some rest, Lulu, Mr. Morgan and I will discuss the details outside," looking toward Jason.

Jason's eyes swiveled between the two for a moment. A smart man knew to back the winning horse. And in this case, it was Coop. He was going to hear about this later from Lulu… and probably Carly as well. But he nodded and headed for the door.

"I hate cops," Lulu muttered as Coop and Jason left.

On any other day, Luke would agree with her in a heartbeat. But today… Leaning over, Luke kissed his little girl on the head, "Be right back, Cupcake."

Lulu grabbed his arm. "Are you going to talk Coop into dropping this stupid plan of his that's going to get him kicked off the force?" He gave her a trademarked Luke Spencer look. "I didn't think so," and tugged hard enough on Luke's arm to topple him. "Let Jason handle it. He knows what he's doing."

"Boy, you and Jason have actually become friends now, haven't you? How the hell did that happen?" curious now.

She gave him a look and rolled her eyes.

Luke made a face. "I knew Caroline was going to be a bad influence on you."

-&-&-&-

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jason asked, his eye on the cops down the hall. So far, they were doing their jobs but they still hadn't caught onto five of his people also roaming the halls.

"I'll protect Lulu," Coop replied quite confidently and without any hesitation. "So we're set for tomorrow?"

"I'm going to go check on the new safe house now," Jason shook his head. "Lulu isn't going to make this easy for you."

"Lulu doesn't make anything easy for anyone."

If it were anyone else, Jason may have smiled in reaction. But he hadn't forgotten Cooper Barrett's role in the Metro Court hostage situation or the death of his father; nothing was ever going to make him forget that. But he'll give Cooper his due; the kid has done a bang up job protecting Lulu to date. And if the way Coop was looking at Lulu earlier was any indication, the young man would put his life down for the youngest Spencer. And at the moment, that's all that mattered. "I'll call you with the details."

Coop nodded his agreement.

Jason leaned in closer, "Sonny isn't going to be happy if you mess this up. Lulu is important to him and if anything happens to her…" he let that hang in the air.

"Tell Sonny that nothing is going to happen to Lulu," Coop replied seriously, not even blinking an eye. "And there's no need to threaten me, I'd do this even if my life wasn't on the line here. Lulu is a good person and someone I consider a friend."

There was a short silence as Jason stared at him for a moment, taking his measure. Then the tiniest smile graced Jason's usually emotionless face. It was like watching a train wreck: inevitable and you can't turn your face away from it. "Another one bites the dust. She's collecting them like marbles." With a shake of his head, "I thought as much," then walked away.

Not knowing what to make of that statement, Coop watched the Corinthos Organization's Enforcer walk away… just as Maxie Jones came around the corner in a huff. If Coop was a smarter man, he'd turn and run in the other direction. Nothing good was going to come of this.

"Please tell me," Maxie started with eyes blazing, "that I had gone completely crazy and you didn't just accept another assignment to protect Lulu Spencer."

The same old song and dance was about to commence. Glancing briefly at the closed door to Lulu's room, Coop moved the conversation far enough not to be heard but close enough he could be effective when anyone came at the guarded room. "Maxie, please…"

"No," she shook her head angrily, "Coop, I can accept a lot of things in this world. But for you to purposely put yourself in harm's way because of Lulu…"

"It's my job, Maxie," Coop repeated with a sigh. "Why can't you see that Lulu is no threat to you?" he started at that obvious lie, wondering how he could say it so easily without thought. On the other hand, he could never ever cheat. He wasn't that kind of man.

"No threat?" Maxie repeated in disbelieve, wondering if Coop was really that naïve or thought she was. "I'm not stupid, Coop. I have eyes."

"Colored by something of a grass color?" Coop retorted with exasperation and just a hint of anger. "There's nothing going on between Lulu and me."

Crossing her arms across her chest, Maxie eyed her boyfriend carefully. "But you wouldn't mind if something did, would you?" She didn't need to be a genius to see that, as usual, Lulu Spencer has managed to get her hands on another man. "And really, who can blame you for rushing to poor little helpless Lulu's rescue, right?"

Coop closed his eyes for a minute. "Maxie, this isn't about Lulu or about my assignment. This is about trust. If you can't trust me, how are we suppose to keep going?"

"Trust?" Maxie fairly screeched. "I haven't seen you in weeks and I'm suppose to be okay with the fact that you practically begged to spend more time alone with your so-call assignment?"

Grabbing hold of his patience, "Lulu is a friend."

"Since when?"

"Since we spent weeks locked up together trying to keep her alive," Coop replied, "You know, kind of like when you and I were locked together in that vault."

"And look where that ended up," Maxie pointed out.

He hadn't been headed down that line of thoughts. "I have you; I don't need anyone else. You need to let this go."

"YOU need to let this go," Maxie countered angrily and without thought. "You need to choose: me or her."

"That's not fair, Maxie," Cooper protested even as he realized what she was doing and what his answer was going to be if she pushed this.

"No, you have to choose," Maxie insisted, dangerously close exploding like she usually did. "You can either walk away from this senselessly dangerous assignment and meet me at Kelly's tonight or you stay here with your precious Lulu and we're over. You can't have it both ways!" and then stalked away.

-&-&-&-

Lucky closed the door to his hotel room with a weary foot and sighed. The dark room smelled like flowers and lemon cleaners. If nothing else, Carly knew how to run a comfortable place where anyone can easily convert to a temporary home. Two hours of arguing with Mac about putting him on the new case had been without fruition; Commissioner Scorpio was putting his food down on this one. Lucky was too close to the case.

"Of course," he mused quietly, "that doesn't mean I can't look into it on my own time. Cruz would probably share info with me if I asked nicely… and get the next hundred rounds of coffee."

With a sigh, he shrugged off his jacket and shoulder harness, folding one into the other carefully before setting it on the side table and headed to the bathroom for a shower… just as the knock came at the door. He hoped to god it was someone he didn't want to see. He could use a release on his pent up frustrations.

Simon Dubois smiled at Detective Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Jr. and resisted the urge to give the good policeman a thorough look over. It's a crime that all the good looking men in this town were straight and emotionally stunted. And Simon has also learned in the two weeks at Metro Court that you don't mess with the owners' family, it's bad for one's health, especially if one of said owner is named Carly Roberts Quartermaine Corinthos Alcazar. When one's name is graced with both Corinthos and Alcazar, one is to be obeyed. "I'm sorry to be a bother, detective, but I was told to report to you of any unusual activities at the hotel."

Lucky's brows furrowed for a moment before it cleared. Carly had mentioned something about a shortage of security at the hotel just before she sternly told him to watch his sister and threatened him with bodily harm if anything happened to Lulu while she was away. She had then promptly disappeared in the dead of night. Though he hated to admit it, and would probably only do so only under extreme torture, he was actually beginning to appreciate Carly and her affectionately abrasive ways.

The least he could do for Carly, after everything she's done for him and Lulu was help out around the hotel. "Yeah, what's the problem?"

Relaxing a bit, Simon replied easily. "The maintenance workers have reported that there have been noises coming from the basement. There's not much there but storage materials, some banquet hall equipment and the furnace." He made a face. "No one is supposed to be down there right now. We're not expecting to host any major events."

For a moment, Lucky hesitated before he relented. If someone had been more diligent in guarding the Metro Court way back when… all the chaos the followed, Alan's death and even his own miserably messed up life might not have occurred. "I'll go check it out now."

"Thank you, Detective," Simon smiled and silently sighed as Lucky Spencer pulled his gun holster on again and slipped into the well worn leather jacket that smoothed itself over those lovely board shoulders. "I'll show you the way."

"No need," Lucky nodded his head and grabbed a flashlight behind the television unit. Carly had very specifically had those installed after living through the blackout and inferno that was once the Port Charles Hotel. "I know where how to navigate through the place. Thanks."

Somewhat disappointed, Simon inclined his head and retreated back to his station at the front desk. His assignment, as Mrs. Corinthos has instructed, was completed.

Flicking on every light switch as he made his way down into the bowels of the Metro Court, Lucky made a mental list of all the things he needed to do in the coming weeks to get his life back in order. Family has always been important him, no matter where and what he was doing. He had to find the people that was causing trouble in Lulu's life and put an end to that. To that end, he was going to have to start asking some questions from people that Mac didn't want him talking to. But this was his sister's life; he wasn't going to comprise on that; he wasn't going to fail his baby sister again. Another thing, he had no desire to give up his place in little Cameron's life; blood or not, Cameron was his son and he was going to make sure he had some rights in the boy's life. Seeing Alexis about drafting divorce papers would be a good starting point to move on without Liz and his children… his son. Lucky had to remind himself that the baby Liz carried wasn't his… would never be his.

The painful wave of sadness and despair washed over Lucky for a moment and he had pause to pull his thoughts away from the dark and dangerous place it wanted to go. Dwelling on the pain didn't make it better, didn't fix the problem. He has to fix this and move on… get pass all the dangerous things that tempted him back into that dark place in his life. And he's got to learn to hold onto his anger and think rationally. He couldn't let his emotions endanger him and his loved one anymore.

The clicking of something hitting metal pulled Lucky's attention back to his task at hand. The weird concierge guy was right; there was definitely something besides furniture and banquet equipment down here. Reaching over, Lucky hit two of the four light switches on the wall, dimming the long halls that bisected the basement. Flipping on his flashlight, Lucky aimed high and was thankful for his superior height. Assailants tend not to look up at the big bright flashlight when they attack.

A sharp sound echoed through the halls again. Holding himself perfectly still to gage direction, Lucky slipped his gun out and flicked the safety off with his forefinger. The sound came again, this time closer and a little louder as he approached a closed door. The light beneath the door gave Lucky pause and he watched it for a moment until a shadow passed through.

Glancing briefly at the "Furnace" plaque glue to the wall, he turned the flashlight off and set it silently to the side. Bracing his feet, Lucky reached out slowly and placed his hand on the handle of the door. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the heavy metal insulated door open with one hand and brought his gun point into view with the other. "Freeze, PCPD."

Still holding the match she had been attempting to light the candle in front of her with, Liz slowly turned her head to look at her husband. "Hello Lucky."

Lowering his gun, his finger automatically switching the safety on, Lucky stared in disbelief. Liz had turned the Metro Court furnace room into a sea of softly scented white candles; various sizes and shapes were scattered on almost every conceivable surface in the room. A bottle of sparkling cider and two crystal flutes sat on the ground along with a pale yellow book, one he recognized only too well. "What are you doing?"

Touching the still lit match to the wick of wide pillar candle, Liz smiled serenely. "I thought it would be nice to remember so good times that we had together." She blew out the match with a quick poof of air and smoothed out her dress discreetly. The pale blonde lace dress she wore was made to flatter and hide her growing girth. "It's time, don't you think?"

Surveying the room, Lucky noted that she had lit the room entirely by candle. "Are you crazy?" holstering the gun and coming into the room at last. "This is a furnace room, there are gases in here."

Holding her breath, Elizabeth watched as the heavy metal door closed behind Lucky with a little thump. Lucky didn't even react to it but moved toward cautiously toward the far end of the room, to the industrial size furnace used to heat the luxurious hotel above them. Knowing that he was here and he cared, Liz felt something warm inside of her. "I checked the coverings and measured the gas emissions. Carly had installed two fail-safe lockdowns if there is a gas leak. We're perfectly safe."

Staring at her in stunned disbelief, it took a moment for Lucky to register what she had just said. "How did you know… Did you ask Carly about this place?"

"How did you think I arranged all this?" she asked with a quick mischievous smile as she picked up the sparkling cider. "Thirsty?"

Lucky backed away slowly. He didn't trust himself. "What do you want, Elizabeth?"

Cautioning herself to take it slow, she had all night, Liz kept her continence. "I just want to talk, Lucky, somewhere where we won't be interrupted or…"

"Liz…" he closed his eyes and tried to remain calm. And in the space of one breath and the next he suddenly remembered something else. Opening his eyes, he stared around the room with the hundred glowing candles. It reminded him of another place and time, another Lucky and Liz – young and hopeful and so very much in love, they had the whole wide world in front of them and, more importantly, they had each other. Elizabeth had recreated that little chapel in the woods where they took shelter that beautiful, perfect winter when they were together and took their vows under stars and in god's house with a hundred candles lighting their way.

Where had those bright eyed innocent kids gone? How had life turned so terrible wrong for them when they had everything – including the perfect love?

"I have to get out of here," Lucky muttered as he turned around.

"Lucky please?" Liz pleaded. "Just give me ten minutes to say my peace."

"I can't do this," he replied in anguish, a torrid of emotions rushing through him. All the memories he and Elizabeth had built, all the promises and vows of love and forever. "I just can't do this." He reached the door and pulled hard.

The door didn't give.

He yanked at it again.

It was locked.

He turned and stared at Liz. She didn't say a word, she didn't need to; it was all in her eyes as she watched him sadly. "Where's the key?"

"There isn't one," she replied softly. "And the intruder door locks behind you to trap you in here on the off chance that someone came to mess with the furnace. We're trapped here - together."

To be continued…

Feedback anyone?