A new face after the race

Chapter 48

Lucky stared at Emily, now really confused. "Excuse me?" He screeched, in shock. Of all the people, he didn't expect to hear those words coming from her no matter what how angry she got at him or how much of a jerk he was, not that he didn't have it coming.

"Excuse me?" Emily questioned him back. "I order you to break up with me and you say excuse me?" Emily asked, just as shocked at Lucky's response to her as he was shocked at her statement.

Lucky was once again speechless, not knowing what to say, again. Emily waited impatiently for an answer that he didn't have. She waited for a few more seconds until her patience was dismissed with Lucky and threw her hands up the air as a sign of exasperation.

"Never mind" She told him and picked up her school bag, her new one. The one he got for her "I don't need this. I'll call a taxi." She turned to go and made it a few steps before Lucky became active again and called after her.

He ran after her and stopped right in front of her, stopping her exit. "Emily where did you get that I'm going to break up with you?" He asked, looking for information into the woman's mind. He really needed to get and understand it.

Emily put her hands on her hips. "Well, aren't you?" She asked, annoyed at him.

Lucky immediately rejected her observation. "No!" He said a little louder than he liked. He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her towards a corner, where they could talk about this privately, discreetly. He spoke again, lighter in tone this time. "I'm not breaking up with you, okay?" He told her.

Emily didn't look nor was convinced. "You're not?" She asked, she continued. "Then what was with that hesitant, vague act in the hall?"

"I was thinking and was scared of your reaction to my question." He told her.

"Okay…" Emily said, confused greatly. "And this question is?" She asked him, not getting what was going on with Lucky. It was like he was a totally different person.

Lucky hesitated for a bit, unprepared to actually ask it. He went through so many reactions Emily could have and there was only one way to find out which one it was. He has to ask and find out her feelings on it. Well here goes nothing…"How do you feel about marriage?" He asked finally.

Now Emily was speechless. "Marriage?" She asked him, incredulously. "You're thinking marriage?" She was shocked, now she really needed to know who she was speaking to.

When she commented on children a few weeks back he looked totally freaked and not interested, and now he's pouncing on her with the subject? She really needed some answers here.

"Yeah, why not?" Lucky asked finding out of all his made up reactions, Emily's reaction wasn't one of them. "It makes sense; I mean we've been dating three years. Couples usually get engaged around that time." Lucky knew he was going to regret those words as they came out of his mouth.

Emily's eyes narrowed at him. She was nearly at her wits end with her boyfriend, whoever this imposter was. "Actually, it four years, and beside the point: I'm the one who had to tell you we've been dating three years!" She argued.

"What does me not remembering how long we dated and forgetting our anniversary have to do with this?" He asked, wondering why she brought that into this discussion, almost turned argument.

Emily took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. Why of all the times, does he drop this issue now? She tried speaking calmly, knowing if she got angry she'd use some of her much needed strength up. She really didn't need this now, but she couldn't walk away either.

"Lucky" she started. "You couldn't even remember our anniversary or how long we have been going together, how are you going to remember marriage anniversaries, dates and years?" She challenged him.

Lucky didn't have a real answer to that. He knew those past mistakes would haunt him. "This is different." He objected like a lawyer on defense.

"How Lucky?" Emily wasn't going to take that answer. "You better answer or else I'm walking away and we're over as soon as I leave this hospital building." She threatened when silence followed.

Lucky pounced at that threat. "Emily, this is just different, more permanent. I mean if I see a picture of a bride and groom maybe it'd be a good reminder." He explained, wrongly he found out as Emily's narrowed more.

Okay, Spencer, backtrack or else you're going to be single again in a matter of seconds…

Emily beat him to the punch. "What difference does a photo make? What's the difference between a wedding picture and one of us from last summer?" Lucky had no answer to that either. She continued though. "Lucky, you're not supposed to need a reminder that you have a girlfriend of three years. That's supposed to considered common knowledge. You don't need a reminder if she means anything to you, at all." She lectured him.

Lucky resorted to begging to get him out of this mess. "Emily, you do mean everything to me." He insisted.

Emily's eyes darkened. "Then you'd better start acting like it." She instructed him.

Lucky found a point of argument with that statement. "Hey, I bought you food, visited you daily, went around and got all your work from your professors." He argued.

"Your right, you did, and I thank you for that, but the only thing those things show is that you feel obligated to me. Like you think I'm a duty more than a girlfriend." Emily informed him.

Emily's vile comment stunned Lucky. Where did Emily go off feeling like she was a liability? When did she start feeling that way? All unanswered questions of the female mind.

Lucky took the stiff, angry Emily in his arms. "Emily, you're not an obligation to me." He told her, and Emily leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're so much more than that. You're my love, the reason I get up in the mornings, you're my reason to live. I like, no correction, love spending time with you. You're my first priority, nothing else will match you. Ever." He told her from his heart.

Emily took time in answering. "That's sweet Lucky, but you don't have to lie. I drive you nuts, take everything the wrong way, and turn everything into an argument." She muttered into his shoulder.

Lucky laughed in response. "You do drive me nuts, but I love every moment of it anyway." He told her and Emily gradually relaxed.

"I guess I pretty much blown up the marriage issue." Emily commented.

"I wouldn't say that." He told her and lifted Emily's head from his shoulder, to look at him. "I'd say you had a few points. I really shouldn't need reminders of how long we've been dating, or the exact date of our anniversary, it is supposed to be common sense." Lucky reassured her.

"Too bad you lack the common sense." Emily teased him, but turned serious. "Lucky, when did marriage come in? I mean, a few weeks ago when I commented on the kids at the park, you looked like you wanted to run screaming because it involved being married first." Emily asked him.

"I don't know, it just happened, but I think your death encounter helped it a bit. I mean, the thought of you dying just seemed crazy, but when I thought of what we could have lost, our whole possible future, I realized I'd rather lose you when you carried the Spencer name. Give me better memories." Lucky, leaving one thing out that he was unsure of again.

"Children?" Emily caught on. "You can say it Lucky, you really can't scare me like that again." One surprise today was enough though, she had to say. Marriage really threw her off.

"So you're not completely against it?" Lucky asked, to be sure, to be warned at another rant.

Emily took his hand. "No, not completely against it. I mean, Lucky, I love the idea of having you as my husband, a kid or two, a two story house with a picket fence. I've wanted it as a child, but I'm still in school. I have so much ahead of me before I can even consider those types of things." Emily explained to him.

"So, it's one of those things of not the right time?" Lucky asked.

Emily nodded. "Yeah, one day we'll have all that, just not now, in the near future. I mean, now that were on the subject, even before we think of it, we still live with our families! How can we go jump into marriage, still living with your parents, or Jason?" She asked, challenging him again.

"About that…" Lucky got interrupted though, as Jason came running to them, out of breath.

Emily frowned and let go of Lucky. "Jason? Is something wrong?" Emily asked as she saw the worry on his face.

Jason nodded. "Yeah, when I went to pick up Melissa, she never came out. I looked in the school, asked her teacher, but I was told she was gone already." Jason explained the mystery.

"Did you check Kelly's? My house? Maybe Lulu and her had a play date you didn't remember?" Lucky tried, a little worried that if Melissa is gone, and maybe Lulu was.

Jason shook his head. "I checked Kelly's and asked around, she didn't go there. I called your place, but she wasn't there, there was no play date. Lulu and Melissa didn't have plans today." Jason reported all his sites and encounters.

"Did Lulu know where Melissa was?" Emily asked, worried for her little sister. Something could have happened.

Jason shook his head again. "No, Lulu left early from school for an appointment Melissa didn't say anything that would help. I was hoping she came here on her own to see you." Jason replied.

"Did you check the penthouse yet? Maybe she walked home." Lucky tried a few suggestions.

"I looked there too. I don't know where she is, what if she's hurt?" Jason stressed openly about his missing daughter. She was only six, still to young to be considered secular. She wouldn't know what to do on her own.

"Jason, don't go there just yet. I'm sure she's fine." Emily comforted him, but she knew it wouldn't work, and Jason would stay worried until Melissa was returned to him, safe. "I'm sure there's a good explanation." She reassured him unsuccessfully.

Jason didn't believe her, but she didn't expect him to. She probably just said that to calm her and comfort her. She really didn't want to think Melissa was in trouble, but somehow she knew she was.

"Why don't we split up and search, she couldn't have gone too far by herself. Start at the school and go from there?" Emily suggested, worried, but probably not as much as Jason.

Jason nodded and formulated a quick plan. "I'll take the west side of the school and anything within a few miles, Emily takes the middle, look around the docks, Lucky try the east." He instructed.

Jason left without an agreement from either of them, and Emily was about to follow and do her area of search when Lucky stopped her from doing so.

"Lucky, let me go. I need to find Melissa." Emily urged him with urgency.

Lucky's answer was a solid, "No."

Emily glared at him. "No? My little sister is missing, and you're stopping me from finding her?" She demanded; worry turning to anger towards Lucky again.

"Emily, you just got out of the hospital, what? Five minutes ago? You're not going to search for Melissa, you're going home to get some rest and I'll take over your direction, while your being a good girl and resting like an injured person should do." He explained, and while Emily appreciated the concern, it was not needed.

She pushed him away. "Are you insane? As much as I appreciate your concern for me, my sister, who I remind you is only six, is out there? Scared, alone and in trouble, most likely, and you want me to sit around while that's happening?" Lucky didn't get time to ask Emily to be reasonable, her cutting him off. "I think not." She tore away from him.

Lucky followed her, calling for her to stop. He trapped her in the elevator, as much as she'd like to crush his fingers when he stopped the doors from closing. He obviously wasn't going to get her to agree with him, so he'd have to negotiate.

"Emily, fine, you can look, but you're not going alone. If you're searching, were doing it together. We're not splitting up." Lucky told her firmly.

Emily crossed her arms in defiance. "Fine, but don't expect me to be happy about it. If you weren't so arrogant, we could cover more ground individually, find Melissa faster." She resorted.

Lucky took her by the shoulders. "Emily, don't be so damn bull-headed. I have a reason for what I'm doing. I know we could find Melissa faster if we split up, but you know what happened the last time we were split up?" He demanded, a bit angry with her insolence. She said nothing, just stared at him with angry eyes. "First you got hit by a car, left to die (thank god Sarah was there) and nearly died. The second time someone broke into your hospital room and attacked you and you had to resort to throwing another vase." He told her right into her face. "I'm sorry if I'm being paranoid, but it's obvious you attract trouble when you're alone and I'm beginning to get really sick of it." He continued. "You try being the boyfriend, seeing all these things happen to you and going through that torture!" He finally finished his lecture.

Emily looked away as he let go of her. "It's not like I mean to." She disagreed slightly. He made it sound like it was all her fault.

Lucky took a deep breath and calmed down. He was really being a jerk today, his roughness and blame was uncalled for. "Emily, I know that, but you have any idea how hard it is to see that and not be there to help? I'm your boyfriend; I'm supposed to protect you and I'm always elsewhere when it happens." Lucky said rationally, but Emily said nothing in response.

They drove to Melissa's school, parked and walked, searching in Emily's assigned section. She didn't say anything in response to him, there was complete silence between them. They were searching near the many abandoned warehouses when she said her first words in minutes. "What's that?" She asked, sure she heard something.

Lucky stopped walking and looked at her. "What's what?" He asked, curious and lost. He didn't see anything, or hear anything for that matter.

"I heard something…" She cut off as it came again, ordering him with a hush. There was a small sound, he caught it too. Like footsteps maybe.

"Okay, I wish I could say someone could be checking it out, wanting to buy it, but I can't. Something's really up here." Lucky accused the sound, his Spencer instincts tingling.

Emily nodded and said "I know." She couldn't help the goose bumps that grew on her arms. She was a little freaked out herself.

Lucky took her firmly by the shoulders. "I'm going to check it out okay?" Emily nodded in response, a little afraid to be by herself. "I want you to stay here, out in the open; nothing should harm you if you're out in the open." Emily nodded numbly again. He kissed her gently. "Don't worry, okay? I'm handling this, if you need me, the fastest way your going to get me here is to scream and feel free to do that. Everything will be alright." He promised her with a small, uncertain smile. He kissed her again and left her alone, in the open, as he checked out the small sound.

He entered one building with a hesitant look out inside and entered, again leaving her alone and vulnerable given her injured state.

Author's note: Lucky! How could you leave Emily like that? I mean, that was Plan B! He needed you separated from her! He needed her alone! You fell for it! Hehehehe…