AUTHOR'S NOTE: YEP I'VE TRIED NOT TO KEEP YOU WAITING AS LONG! - KRISTINE.

RATING: PG

DISCLAIMER: UH, NO.

- J - & - L -

"Michael's been so worried," Abby admitted as she linked arms with Lulu and they briskly made their way to the warehouse that Michael had texted her the address to. She had been hesitant about leaving Ethan to close up, but she figured Lulu would care about more about getting a chance to talk to Johnny than the Haunted Star. Plus she was able to leave one of the guards to supervise just in case Ethan decided not to complete the checklist she'd quickly written down for him. "He was actually in the middle of a meeting when he got word from about Johnny finally locating a secure phone to get a hold of you."

"Has he had to fill in for Johnny a lot?" Lulu asked, surprised to know that Johnny would have left Michael such a big job despite his relative newness in the Zacchara organization. While she knew the two of them had grown close she hadn't realized that Johnny valued and trusted Michael this much. Then again Johnny had always claimed that it didn't take him long to decide how he felt about a person. Good or bad, it only took him a relative short time to make his opinion. Once it was made it was nearly impossible to change.

"More than I think he imagined," Abby said as they neared the docks. She always found it interesting that despite there being over forty warehouses in Port Charles, the majority of them were owned by Sonny Corinthos and Johnny. In fact Michael had once told her that there were probably only three that were used to for legal and upstanding businesses. "Then again I think everyone else had a defined niche and Michael just sort of seemed the obvious person to take the meetings."

"I wonder how Jason and Sonny will react when they get wind of that."

"Carly left a winded message on his phone last night asking why he was so insistent about putting his life in jeopardy so I'm sure they're both already aware." If Johnny hadn't been such a decent guy Abby probably would have agreed with Carly. After all, she hadn't exactly meant to date a mobster when she started seeing him. Still that was where she was in her life now and honestly Johnny had done more the two of them in a short time than anyone could have guessed. "They're all so concerned for him, but it's sad that they don't understand that trying to control him does nothing but push him further away."

"It's easier to see when you're on the outside," Lulu murmured thinking back to her anger towards Johnny for being so willing to take Michael under his wing. She had thought she knew so much better for her cousin then. Only now did she realize that the life they wanted for him was not the life he wanted for himself and that that should count for something even if they didn't want it to. "Remember you're talking to the girl who agreed with Dante that he should admit to killing Claudia."

"You couldn't have known what would happen to him. No one could have," she reminded her. "And anyway you're supporting him now which should count for something. I know he really appreciates having you on his side. I think it makes him feel like he's at least not fighting against the wishes of his entire family."

"You know what's weird is I don't know how we could have thought Michael would end up doing something different with his life. Does that make sense? He was never exposed to anything different. Dante acts like being in Michael's life for a year should have made a difference but I think that's ridiculous. If you grow up learning how to fight the law then the last thing you can do is turn around and work for it."

"Unless you're your brother," Abby pointed out.

Lulu chuckled softly. "I think that had more to do with getting back at my father and less to do with an actual desire to be a cop. Then I think he continued doing it because I think it fit the lifestyle he was trying to live with Elizabeth."

"This is it I think," Abby said.

Lulu glanced at her nervously. She always thought this part of Port Charles was a particularly terrifying place late at night. It didn't help that Sonny and Johnny paid to keep it dark so that it was harder to identify whatever it was that they were shipping in and out of the small harbor town.

Abby tentatively tapped on the door just like Michael had instructed. She held her breath and waited until she heard the sound of a lock being removed. Michael smiled and quickly ushered both of them in before closing and locking the door again. "Sorry we just can't be too precautious with Dante lurking two steps behind every time we look over our shoulder. Did you have a hard time convincing him to let you leave?" He asked as he quickly pecked Abby's check and draped his arm her around her shoulders.

"No. He offered to go to the Haunted Star with me, but I was able to convince him otherwise." Lulu explained, glancing around and taking in a basically empty warehouse. There was a man in the corner that she recognized as being Vinnie. He was reading a magazine and had his gun sitting on the table beside him.

"We have someone tailing Dante just in case. Vinnie's job is to let us know if Dante's tail says he leave the apartment in the next hour. Johnny stressed that he didn't want you to be put in danger all in the name of a phone call." Michael told her, reiterating the words the caller had said twice for emphasis only an hour and a half earlier. "Here the phone is in here," he said, motioning for her to follow him to a small office. "He said he would call at exactly 1:00 a.m. which is in," he paused to glance at his watch, "two minutes."

"Thanks Michael," she said, noting just how much older he looked in the navy long-sleeve shirt he was wearing. If Carly could have seen him now she would have pointed out how much he looked like Sonny. "You know your Dad might not like what you are doing, but I'm sure he would be proud of how good of a job you are doing."

"That's debatable," he said briefly sporting a small smile. "I think my not working for Johnny is the only thing he and Dante could ever agree on."

She started to make a joke about how she never would have guessed that would happen when the phone started to ring. She glanced at Michael and only picked it up when he nodded. "Johnny?"

"It's Paul. I just wanted to make sure we didn't get intercepted. I'm handing the phone to him now."

She paused and heard a soft rustle as the phone was exchanged and Paul more than likely urged Johnny to be careful just in case Dante figured out a way to tap this call. She remembered Johnny saying the only way to really protect a secret is to not sure it with anyone, not even yourself.

"Hey Lulu," Johnny said, his voice soft.

She smiled thinking for a moment that if she hadn't known better she would have guessed there was a sleeping child in the room that he was trying not to disturb. "Hi."

"I'm sorry I couldn't call sooner. There have been a lot of moves."

"I know. I've been kept in loop." She assured him. It was always a little startling when one of his henchmen would show up at the Haunted Star to pass on a message before leaving as suddenly as they arrived. Still their news always put her at least at ease. "I miss you."

"I miss you too. Believe me this whole running business isn't as glamorous as they make it seem in the movies. Then again you already know that."

She bit her lip and thought back to their time in New York. If she closed her eyes she knew she could still hear the beauty he would bring to life right there in their small apartment. If she was honest she had always thought that maybe if they could have made that life work then they would have both been happy. Then again she knew that was the dreams of a naïve girl. Now she understood what she hadn't then. Johnny would never be able to be someone other than a Zacchara.

"You still there?" He asked after nearly a minute of prolonged silence.

"Of course," she said. "I was just thinking about our time on the run together. You never looked more at peace than you did at the piano."

"I've been playing again to pass the time. I think it's driving Paul up the wall, he doesn't exactly appreciate classical music." Johnny joked. Paul had been begging for something more along the lines of Bon Jovi or even Boston. "I wrote you another song."

She gasped softly. "I wish you could play it for me."

"I will."

"How long do you think I'll have to wait for that?"

Johnny swallowed and paused knowing that she wouldn't want to hear this news. "It might be a while. I know that Paul's wife is due in the next two weeks so a replacement is coming."

"I wish I could come with them," she admitted, not caring that it made her sound needy.

"I wish you could too, but then he'd really never give up this intense search to find me."

She frowned thinking back to his indignation at her question only an hour ago. "I've never seen him this obsessed."

"Neither have we which is why I want you to be careful Lulu. Listen people think well there are rumors that it might have been him who-" Johnny started.

Lulu was listening intently when the door to the office flew open. She glanced at the door and saw that Michael looked almost frenzied.

"Dante just left the apartment and is headed in the direction of the Haunted Star. You need to leave now." Michael demanded.

"I can just tell him that I went to Maxie's after," Lulu said not wanting to get off the phone. She wasn't ready to say goodbye to him yet.

"That won't work. He already seems suspicious of you. We can't chance him finding out that you came here to talk to Johnny. There's no telling what he'll do."

She frowned and returned to her phone call. "I need to-"

"Go," he finished for her. "I know. I heard. I'll call again soon."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Before I go what were you saying?" She asked thinking back to the discussion they were having right before Michael burst in. He'd sounded more intense and serious than usual.

Johnny sighed. "It doesn't matter. Not right now at least. I'll call again soon. Please take care of yourself. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you Lulu."

"Says the guy on the run," she pointed out smiling despite the fact that her heart felt like it breaking.

"Just be careful. I love you Lulu and I can't wait until you can say that back to me."

She bit her lip and frowned when she heard the dial tone. She glanced at Michael who seemed an odd mixed of alarmed as well as sad.

"Vinnie is going to take you a shortcut and you should beat him there since he is on foot." Michael instructed as he lead her back to where Abby was waiting.

"Before I go Johnny was saying that there were rumors concerning Dante."

Michael stared at her for a minute contemplating whether or not it was his place to tell her. "It doesn't matter right now," he assured her knowing that she would never be able to live her life normally with Dante if she knew what everyone suspected, that Dante had been the one to shoot Johnny in the first place.

She paused, sensing that he was hiding something. Still she knew that there was a reason he was keeping it from her.

- J - & - L -

"Detective Falconeri," Ethan greeted in surprise as he continued to wash glasses. His tone bordered just on antagonistic. "To what do we owe such a late night visit? Not trying to shut us down are you?"

Dante rolled his eyes silently wishing as usual that he cared for Lulu's family more. "Where's Lulu?"

Before Ethan could say anything Lulu emerged from the back along with Abby.

"Dante what are you doing here?" Lulu asked, focused on making sure that her tone was more surprised and less irritated.

Dante shrugged as buried his hands in his pockets. "I thought I would walk you home. You know how dangerous it is out there."

"I could have managed. I do every night."

"You know you two can go ahead and go. Ethan and I can finish closing up." Abby suggested mostly because she needed Dante to leave. She couldn't even stand being in his presence. All she wanted to do was lash out at him. There was so much that she couldn't tell Lulu all because she knew that it would make Lulu just as angry at Dante as she was. That would be fine if Lulu didn't have to continue to pretend she was in love with him in the name of protecting Johnny.

"Are you sure?" Lulu asked not wanting to leave with him.

"They can handle it. It's just a damn casino Lulu. I'm sure even Ethan could count the money you brought in tonight."

Again Lulu wondered how she had fallen under his spell in the first place.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: WHAT'D YOU THINK? I WILL TRY TO UPDATE AGAIN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. YA'LL ARE SIMPLY AMAZING? IS ANYONE WATCHING ANY OF THE NEW FALL ABC SHOWS? I'M IN LOOOOVE WITH REVENGE AND ONCE UPON A TIME! - KRISTINE.