(Author's Notes- Hi everyone!! We're glad those who are reading are liking this story and hope that new readers enjoy this story as well!!
Warning: The evilness in this story is DOULBED!! Why you ask? Because Cleopatra1 and I are co-writing this story!! (Evil Laugh) Please Read and Review!! Thanks!! --E.B.F.R. and Cleopatra1!!)
Chapter #2-
In the auditorium seating section-
Everyone gathered to meet their family and friends who were in the play below the stage, near the many seats in the auditorium.
Lucky and Liz waited anxiously at the side away from everyone else for Emily to come out.
Nikolas went ahead of them because he knew Juan was around and no doubt would come to find Emily after the performance. To Nikolas, something didn't seem right. That knowledge didn't sit well with anyone actually.
Nikolas had said he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, after the three saw Emily's parents leave her dressing room, talking quietly.
He had a strong dislike of Emily and Juan in the same room as did everyone, but no one was sure what Emily thought of it.
Lucky & Elizabeth saw Juan come out a minute or so after Emily's parents did. Nikolas was no where to be found. Comforting thought or not, they didn't know. However when a big crowd came through them rudely, Liz and Lucky got separated. Juan saw this and sauntered up to Liz, a smile on his face.
"What do you say we ditch the others and go back to my place?" Juan said attempting to be smooth while Elizabeth gave him a dirty look – part of shock and part disgust.
"Excuse me?" Liz asked incredulously. Her best friend's boyfriend didn't just hit on her, did he?
"I asked if you wanted to ditch the alpha males and go back to my place." Juan repeated, as if he was doing nothing wrong.
"I know what you said you idiot! I just can't believe you would repeatedly hit on me, given that I'm Emily's best friend!" Elizabeth said outraged.
"I did not." Juan argued, denying he ever flirted with Elizabeth.
"Yes you did! You hit on me! I can't believe you hit on me!" Liz yelled while giving Juan a hard shove in which propelled him backward a few steps, nearly falling on his rear.
"What's going on here?" Lucky said jogging up with Nikolas when he saw Liz push Juan roughly.
"Juan just hit on me!!! How stupid can you be?! You're dating my best friend! You're trying to cheat on her aren't you? I swear to you Juan if you are, there's no way in hell it's gonna happen with me! I won't let you break Emily's heart like this!!" Liz yelled, angry for Juan thinking about using her to hurt Emily.
Nikolas lunged at Juan slugging him in the eye as soon as he heard Liz accuse Juan of trying to hurt Emily and using her (Liz) to do it.
"You're just asking for me to pummel you tonight aren't you Juan?" Nikolas said as he pinned Juan hard against a wall, fury flaming in his eyes.
"Nik calm down." Lucky said, trying to not attract attention. They'd be in major trouble if the principal, security, or even the police came in. They shouldn't, but you never know.
"No way in hell. Not after what he implied to Emily." Nik growled, not caring if he got into trouble. He wasn't a student – what does he have to worry about? A night in jail? If anyone should be in jail right now it should be Juan for his implications to his (Nik's) best friend.
"You had no right to be…" Juan said, choking a bit with Nik's tight hold on him.
"I had every right to be there, especially what I walked in on." Nikolas replied, being the ever protective friend.
"Nikolas, come on." Lucky tried getting Nikolas to let go, though reluctantly. He wouldn't mind beating him up a bit himself.
"Lucky no! Trust me, you'd want to hurt him too if you knew what I heard and saw." Nikolas didn't budge an inch, nor second thought his actions.
"What you heard and saw? Nikolas, what do you mean? Is Emily okay?" Liz asked worried.
"She'll be fine as long as we give her some time and don't let this creep near her anytime soon." Nikolas answered, not letting his eyes wander from Juan who was still struggling in his strong grip.
"Nikolas? What'dhe do?" Lucky said, his temper rising at the numerous ideas running through his head.
Lucky now understood why Nikolas was attacking Juan now. In fact he might just want to join him.
"Cassadine…" Juan started to create a threat, but Nikolas didn't give him a chance.
"Shut up Santiago! You think you own Emily? You think she has to obey you when you give an order? Bruising her skin when she disobeys?" Nikolas asked, stating his abuse.
"She likes it that way!" Juan accused.
"JUAN you're knuckles were WHITE! So don't you DARE give me that! You were holding Emily so tightly that anyone who was around could tell Em was in pain. You should have known, she flat out told you to let her go, but you didn't. Only when I arrived did you loosen your hold on Emily, still not letting her go completely until you tried to shove me away from her. Its bad enough you weren't just physically harming her, but the fact that you were about to kiss her clearly against her will just really pisses me off! And now you're hitting on Elizabeth?" Nikolas yelled with rage, voice starting to go hoarse.
Nik was about to continue his verbal rant when Lucky suddenly came from the side and slugged Juan in the face. His hand hurt like the dickens, but he was too angry to notice. Much like Nikolas, he didn't like someone hurting his best friend.
Nikolas let Juan fall to the ground as a result of that blow and stepped back, in addition grabbing his brother by the arms who was ready to continue what Nikolas had initially wanted to start.
"Lucky, wait, let's take this outside, for Elizabeth's sake." Nikolas suggested and Lucky nodded in agreement.
Nikolas grabbed Juan's collar, dragging him behind him as they left. Lucky followed, but stopped momentarily. He turned to Elizabeth who was shocked at the violence Nikolas and Lucky had displayed.
"Check on Emily, would you?" Lucky asked, and Elizabeth nodded and Lucky left following Nikolas, who was no doubt dragging Juan somewhere no one would find them.
Elizabeth quietly climbed up the stairs, weaved through the halls and politely went through the crowds that were gathering on the stage and in the back halls. Finally after some effort, Elizabeth got to her destination. She knocked, minding Emily's privacy. Emily didn't answer, and Elizabeth frowned.
'Maybe she left.' Elizabeth thought as she tried the doorknob, and found it was unlocked. She walked in, but found no sign of Emily. She checked all the enclosed parts, but still found no one. Emily was nowhere to be found.
Elizabeth left, assuming she left to meet them, only for Emily to find them gone. She went to the place where she was before, but Emily was no where.
A little worried, Elizabeth asked some of Emily's co-stars and cast members if they saw Emily come out. Some said they didn't notice, being too busy with their friends and families, and the others answered with a "no."
She debated whether to look in the back again or not. She felt it would be better to wait for Nikolas and Lucky to return, so they all could look and therefore get more ground covered.
A minute or so later, Nikolas and Lucky came back along with bruised knuckles, but Elizabeth ignored that feeling there was more pressing matters.
"You didn't find Emily?" Lucky asked, as they approached.
"No, I looked in the back but she wasn't there." Elizabeth answered.
"Maybe she left and came out here." Nikolas suggested.
Elizabeth shook her head. "None of Emily's acting friends saw her come out."
"So where is she then?" Lucky asked.
"I don't know, I was thinking we could split up when you came back, cover more ground." Elizabeth explained her waiting.
"That's not a bad idea." Nikolas said. "I'll take the back stage area, Lucky you look around the rest of the auditorium including the front of the stage, Liz take the halls. Maybe she's waiting for us there."
With that they left and agreed to meet back in 5 minutes.
Five minutes came and went with only Lucky and Elizabeth now present.
"Maybe we should check out the back." Lucky suggested, getting more worried. First Emily disappears and now Nikolas. Lucky hoped he or Liz wouldn't be next. It would be better to stick together if that happened.
Elizabeth agreed and Lucky and she explored the back of the stage, which was rather dark. But the lighting was concentrated on the front, so that made sense.
"Lucky, are you sure this is a good idea?" Elizabeth asked, grabbing Lucky in fear that he may too disappear.
"Do you have any other suggestions?" Lucky asked and continued looking around.
"What if someone is lurking around, waiting to attack?" Elizabeth panicked at the thought.
"Elizabeth, no one is going to……" Lucky told her, but stopped after seeing an approaching figure.
Elizabeth dug her fingernails in Lucky's arm, waiting for them to show their face, full of fear.
Lucky winced, but stayed calm, but lost the calmness as the figure got closer.
When the figure was two feet away, Elizabeth screamed, near Lucky's ears. He felt a headache coming on, that was for sure.
The figure laughed. "Geez, Elizabeth. Maybe you should have been an actress too. That scream sounded like one from a horror movie."
The figure was Nikolas, and Elizabeth hit him for scaring her.
"You scared me!" She accused him.
"Not only you, but Lucky too." Nikolas replied.
Lucky ignored the statement. "Did you find Emily?" He asked.
"No, but the back door was open." Nikolas responded.
"That's supposed to be closed at all times." Elizabeth answered. The cold air wanted to be kept out. For it was October, and the wind was mighty cold. The weatherman said this year was to be a brutal, cold winter.
"Yeah, I know. That's why I thought it was noteworthy." Nikolas told them.
"Emily wouldn't have gone through the back." Lucky said.
"No, she wouldn't have, at least not by herself." Nikolas observed.
"What are you trying to say?" Elizabeth asked, confused.
"Nikolas is trying to say Emily probably went through the back with someone." Lucky translated.
"Her guard was with her, right?" Elizabeth suggested.
"No, not her guard..." Nikolas answered gravely. "He's still in the front."
"Then who? She wouldn't leave with a stranger unless she was taken…" Elizabeth finally got the message. "You mean, you think that Emily was…kidnapped?"
Nikolas didn't deny it, and Elizabeth suddenly felt sick.
To be kidnapped twice in a month?
It wasn't possible.
Was it?
(Author's Notes- We hope you all liked this chapter!! Please Read & Review!! Thanks!!! --Cleopatra1 and E.B.F.R.)