A/N: Sorry for the delay with this chapter… after that amazing JoLu love scene that we got, I was inspired to make a few music videos and the story took a backseat for a few days but I'm back! (But if you're into watching GH/JoLu music videos, you should check out mine :) I'm very proud of how they've turned out)
Chapter 20 – Demons
Carly hated how quiet the car was. Morgan was fast asleep, Michael was too engrossed in his portable electronics, and Lulu was just staring out of the window, watching other cars zoom by, not saying a word. Carly folded her arms and sighed heavily.
"Lulu…" Carly started.
"What?" Lulu muttered.
"If you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't help you…" Carly said.
"I don't need any help." Lulu quipped.
Lulu felt Carly reach over and curl a piece of Lulu's blond hair around her ear. Lulu felt like she was going to explode. Keeping everything inside was killing her. There was a time where she could tell Carly everything. She was more than a cousin or a mother figure to Lulu. Carly was one of her very closest friends. Carly knew Lulu inside and out and a part of Lulu wished that Carly could just read her and figure it out so she wouldn't have to say the words.
"Lulu… come on… just talk to me…" Carly whispered, gently caressing her back.
Lulu sighed shakily and clenched her teeth. She wasn't going to break. She wasn't going to let herself break. She turned to face Carly and looked up at her cousin.
"I'm scared…" Lulu murmured.
Carly nodded and took Lulu in her arms. Lulu closed her eyes and laid her head on Carly's shoulder as she ran her fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her worried young cousin. What Lulu was scared of, Carly didn't know but letting her know what she was feeling was a start to uncovering everything that happened between Lulu and Johnny Zacchara. The car slowed down and Carly looked ahead and saw that they were approaching a toll. Suddenly, shots rang out, shattering the glass in the front seats. Lulu shrieked and Carly immediately covered Michael and Morgan.
"Get down!" Carly screamed.
Lulu, Michael and Morgan immediately hit the floor and covered their ears. When the gunfire stopped, they heard shuffling of feet outside of the car.
"Get rid of the driver and the other guard…" a voice muttered.
The car door opened and the two lifeless bodies were dragged out of the seats and tossed onto the side of the road carelessly. Lulu could hear Morgan whimper in the back seat and heard Carly try to calm him down. Her hand immediately went to her stomach and she sighed nervously. She closed her eyes and prayed that everything was going to be ok for her, her family and her baby.
"Take them down to the piers… the boss wants them alive…" the same voice said cruelly.
Two new men entered the car and started up the engine. The car then made a wide u-turn and headed back towards Port Charles. Carly sat up first, surveying all that happened. Lulu sat up next but then found herself staring into the barrel of a gun.
"Don't even think about trying to stop us…" the man in the passenger seat said.
Spinelli got to the hospital as fast as he could. Georgie had called him and asked him to meet her there and that it was a matter of life and death. As soon as the elevator doors opened, he saw Georgie and she immediately grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall.
"Hurry up, Spinelli!!" Georgie hissed.
"Wh—where are you taking me?" Spinelli whined.
Georgie rolled her eyes and shoved Spinelli into Johnny's hospital room. Johnny was sitting in his bed, his head in his hands. Spinelli clutched his computer bag close as he looked at Johnny and for the first time, Spinelli regarded Johnny as a human being… someone who felt and had real emotions because as soon as Johnny lifted his head and looked Spinelli dead in the eye, he knew that everything that he had ever heard about Johnny Zacchara was completely untrue.
"Spinelli… we need to know where Jason and Sonny sent Lulu…" Georgie said softly.
"I'm—I'm afraid that the Jackal doesn't know where Stone Cold and Mr. Corinthos Sir sent fair Lulu to…" Spinelli muttered.
"But can't you try to find out where they went?" she pleaded.
"Even if I did, the Jackal would evoke the most unpleasant wrath of Stone Cold and—" Spinelli started.
"Spinelli!" Johnny yelled.
Spinelli quickly shut his mouth and looked down at his black converse sneakers. Spinelli's unusual methods of communication weren't for everyone and Spinelli understood that his ramblings may not have been the best thing for Johnny at the moment.
"Look at Georgie…" Johnny said softly.
"The Jackal is most confused by the young Zacchara's request…" Spinelli said.
"Just look at Georgie…" Johnny said firmly.
"But—" Spinelli sputtered.
"Just look at her!" Johnny yelled. Georgie looked from Johnny to Spinelli, not sure what was going on. Spinelli nodded and he looked up at her.
"The Jackal's gaze is upon fair and wise Georgie…" Spinelli muttered.
Johnny looked down at his hands, twisting his wedding band around on his finger. His bottom lip was trembling, thinking about Lulu… hearing her voice in his head like a haunting whisper. He exhaled deeply and looked back up at Spinelli.
"Do you love her?" Johnny asked.
"What?" Spinelli asked.
"Do you love Georgie?" Johnny asked, his tone rising.
"Yes! The Jackal loves fair and wise Georgie with all of his heart and soul!" Spinelli cried and Georgie covered her mouth with her hands as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Would you die for her?" Johnny asked.
"If Georgie were to be in any sort of danger… yes, the Jackal would not hesitate to give his life to save the woman that he loves…" Spinelli said.
"And now imagine… she disappears… and you have no idea where she is, who she's with or if she's safe… what would you do?" Johnny asked.
"Stone Cold assured the Jackal that fair Lulu would be safe from any harm!" Spinelli cried.
"That's not what I asked!!" Johnny screamed.
The entire room fell silent at his outburst. Johnny held his head in his hands and doubled over, hiding the tears that were falling from his eyes from Georgie and Spinelli. His father had lectured him on weakness so many times in his life. Despite the fact that his mental health was deteriorating at the time, there was some truth to his speeches. His father told him to never let a woman so close so that she could hold the power to destroy him. It amazed Johnny because it was like his father was aware that he was sick and that his mother… rather his obsessive love for his mother did this to him… and the worst thing about it was that Johnny realized in that moment how he wouldn't be any different. He could see himself heading down that long spiral downwards if he lost Lulu.
"What would you do?" Johnny asked, calming himself down.
"The Jack—no—I would do everything in my power to assure that I bring her home safely…" Spinelli said.
"You would?" Johnny asked.
"Yes! I would move heaven and earth for Georgie… which is the same sentiment that the young Zacchara feels about fair Lulu… the Jackal guesses." Spinelli said.
"Lulu… Lulu is the air in my lungs… the blood in my veins… she's what keeps me alive… I—I can't—I don't know what I would do if she—" he started but his voice broke off and he covered his mouth with his hands, unable to finish his horrible thought.
"Lulu is going to be fine, Johnny…" Georgie whispered.
"You don't know that!" Johnny cried.
"Stone Cold promised to keep fair Lulu safe from any harm… Stone Cold loves Lulu like she was his own…" Spinelli said.
"I don't give a damn about Jason! Lulu is my wife! It's my job to protect her and our family and I failed her… if anything happens to her… I'd never forgive myself…" Johnny said softly, clasping his hands together.
Georgie looked to Spinelli, pleading with him to help Johnny find Lulu with her eyes. Spinelli quickly pulled up a chair next to Johnny's bedside and took his laptop out of his bag. Georgie smiled and sat beside him.
"Ok… let's find the blonde one…" Spinelli said, typing furiously.
Jason opened the door to his empty penthouse and sighed heavily. The apartment felt so empty and cold without his wife and son there. He bent over and picked up Danny's favorite stuffed frog. He smiled sadly and thought about how Danny was going to miss "Froggie". He set down the stuffed animal on the desk and flopped down on the couch. Suddenly, a violent knock came to the door.
"Come in!" Jason called.
Max stumbled into the penthouse, completely out of breath. Jason looked up sharply at Max as he rushed over to the couch.
"Jason… there's—there's…" Max stammered.
"Max… calm down…" Jason said.
"Ok…" Max exhaled.
"Now, tell me what's wrong…" Jason said calmly.
"Something went wrong with transporting Carly, Lulu and the boys…" Max muttered.
Jason's stomach dropped and all of the color completely vanished from his face. He couldn't believe that this was happening.
"What do you mean? What the hell went wrong?" Jason asked, standing up.
"Someone overtook the SUV that was carrying them and…" Max started.
"Damn it!" Jason shouted, slamming his fist down on the desk.
This couldn't be happening. Lulu, Carly and the boys were not only Sonny's family but Jason's as well. Carly was his best friend in the entire world, the one who stuck by him through everything, Michael and Morgan were wonderful boys and were always around him and Sam, and Lulu was like his little sister. He loved them all and it killed him that he couldn't keep them safe. Sonny entrusted him to protect his family and he failed.
"Jason… what do you want to do?" Max asked.
Jason looked up at Max and sighed heavily. There were so many thoughts that were running through his mind. He tried to not let his emotions appear on his face.
"Ok… I want you to get as much information as you can about what happened… I want to know every single thing that happened." Jason said.
"Should I inform Mr. C?" Max asked.
"No… not yet… I don't want to upset him until I have some idea how to get Carly, Lulu and the boys back… also I need you to check on Sam and Danny for me… I need to know that they're safe… I'll call Spinelli and see what I can find out from him…" Jason ordered.
Max nodded and exited the office. Jason slumped back into his chair and felt like screaming. He pulled out his cell phone and immediately punched in Spinelli's phone number. His mind was in a thousand different places… was Morgan scared? Were Sam and Danny safe? Was Michael staying calm?
"Stone Cold?"
Jason snapped out of his thoughts and sat up straight.
"Spinelli… don't freak out… but I need you to do something for me…" Jason started.
Johnny knew that the phone call that Spinelli received from Jason Morgan couldn't have delivered good news. Spinelli's face went completely white and he was too much in shock to go into one of his panicked rants. Spinelli slowly snapped his phone shut and turned to Georgie.
"Spinelli? What is it?" Georgie asked.
"The—the car… the car that was supposed to be transporting the Valkyrie, the two Corinthos offspring and fair Lulu…" Spinelli started.
"Oh no…" Georgie gasped.
"What? Finish, Spinelli!" Johnny barked.
"The car that was taking them to their place of departure to leave the country was hijacked and no one knows where they are…" Spinelli said, looking up at Johnny.
The words hit Johnny like a freight train. This couldn't be happening. He shut his eyes and felt his throat closing in on him. All he could think about was the last thing that he said to Lulu. He was so awful to her… he couldn't believe the things that he had said… and he just couldn't shake the fact that perhaps that was the last time he was ever going to see her. He might never get the chance to apologize to her for being horrible to her… he might never get the chance to hold their child in his arms…
He might never see his wife ever again.
"Oh my god…" Georgie whispered.
"Stone Cold has asked the Jackal to investigate…" Spinelli said, turning to his computer.
Johnny just sat there on the hospital bed, completely motionless. His eyes were completely glazed over with grief, worry and regret. Georgie knew that Johnny was blaming himself for what had happened to Lulu. It was written all over his face.
"Johnny… Lulu wouldn't want you to blame yourself…" Georgie said softly.
"Why? It's my fault… if I hadn't—if I hadn't yelled or said those awful things to her… she would be here… she would be lying right here next to me… safe and whole…" Johnny started.
"You were upset… your sister just died and it was only natural that you had some negative reaction…" Georgie said.
"That's no excuse, Georgie! I did this! I did this to her!" Johnny cried.
Johnny buried his face in his hands and tried hard not to cry. Besides Claudia, Lulu was the only person that had ever seen him cry and he couldn't let himself cry in front of Spinelli and Georgie. If he did, that would mean that Lulu was truly lost to him forever.
"Oh! Oh my—Georgie!! Look!!" Spinelli screamed. Georgie stood up and rushed over to Spinelli.
"What is it?" Georgie asked.
"It appears that three hundred thousand dollars was just wired from an account that used to belong to Lorenzo Alcazar to an offshore account." Spinelli said.
"But Lorenzo Alcazar is dead… Jason was the one who killed him…" Georgie said.
"But if Lorenzo Alcazar's accounts are still active… maybe he or some other family member may have access to the account." Spinelli said.
"The Alcazars have every reason to hate Sonny and want him to suffer…" Georgie said.
"And everyone knows that Sonny's weakness is—" Spinelli started.
"His children… oh my god… I have to get out of this hospital…" Johnny said, kicking back the covers.
As if on cue, Dr. Patrick Drake walked into the room to see his patient that was just recovering from brain surgery attempting to get out of bed. Georgie Jones, the young cousin of his wife Robin was trying to restrain him and Patrick went to help her.
"What are you doing?" Patrick asked, gently pushing Johnny back down onto the bed.
"I need to get out of this hospital and find my wife…" Johnny said, pushing Patrick's hands away.
"No… you need to sit back and rest…" Patrick ordered.
"No, you don't understand…" Johnny said.
"What am I going to tell Lulu when you walk out of here and you die? How am I supposed to tell Lulu that she's a widow?" Patrick asked.
"I need to find Lulu… you can't stop me… I have a right to refuse medical treatment." Johnny said.
Patrick let Johnny go and sighed heavily. There was no stopping him from leaving this hospital room. In a way, Patrick admired Johnny's determination to find Lulu… there was something tragically heroic about it… willing to risk his own life to look for his wife… as reckless and stupid as it was medically, it was surprisingly beautiful and refreshing to see as a human being.
"Johnny… listen to Patrick… you can't leave the hospital now! You just had major brain surgery." Georgie said.
"I don't care… Lulu needs me… she's in trouble, I know it…" Johnny protested.
"Fine, Johnny… if you want to leave, you're going to die… simple as that… I can't make you stay but just so we're clear, when Lulu comes to me and yells at me for letting you leave the hospital because if you leave, it's not a matter of if you'll die but a matter of when, I'm going to tell her that I tried and she's going to be angry at you for leaving her…" Patrick said.
"It'll be worth it if I can save her life…" Johnny muttered.
Lulu could hear her heart pounding in her chest as the man who drove the car down to the warehouse tied her hands around her back. Carly was screaming as they took Michael and Morgan into a separate room.
"Quiet!" the man that was tying up Lulu yelled at Carly.
"Careful! The boss might not want you speaking to Corinthos' wife like that!" another guard said.
"I don't give a damn how you speak to me… just give me my boys back!" Carly screamed.
"The boss is the one who wants them all dead… he doesn't give a damn about Carly or her family…" the first man said, walking towards Carly with a sinister look in his eye.
"You can do whatever you want with me… just let my kids go! Let Lulu, Michael and Morgan go!" Carly shrieked as she struggled to free herself from the rope that was tied around her hands.
Lulu understood the fear in Carly's voice now. Lulu looked down to her own stomach and thought of her own baby. She couldn't lose this baby. Johnny was counting on them to be a family… they were his chance at having a normal life. They all had a chance to be happy and if she lost this baby, he would be devastated and she couldn't do that to him… not after losing everyone important in his life. She bit her bottom lip and tried to stay calm.
"Well... well…. well… isn't this a wonderful surprise?"
Carly and Lulu perked up at the voice coming from a shrouded corner of the warehouse. The man stepped out of the shadows and Lulu's blood instantly went cold.
"You…" Lulu exhaled.
"It can't be…" Carly gasped.
A cruel smile curled upon the man's lips. A smile that Carly knew all too well but it belonged to a man that was supposed to be gone. That smile belonged to Lorenzo Alcazar.
"Missed me, Carly?" Lorenzo asked, coolly.