Thank you for your kind words, they mean the world to me. Hope you enjoy this latest update. Here is the next chapter, and hopefully, I will have another one ready tomorrow, Wednesday at the latest.
Chapter Forty-Three
Carly woke up on the floor, at first she was unsure how she ended up there, but the memory of Lucky's fist shooting out and connecting with her temple, suddenly came back and with a glaring, painful absolution.
"What in the world is wrong with you?" Carly asked, glaring hotly at Lucky, except where she expected him to be standing, he was no longer there. At some point while she had been lying unconscious, Lucky had moved. As she pulled herself to her knees, she allowed herself a moment to gain her balance. She was surprisingly dizzy, but after a moment she managed to get to her feet, swaying slightly as she stood completely up.
Her eyes scanned the small dismal room, looking for Lucky, except everywhere he eyes paused to look, showed her the facts, the room was empty, Lucky was nowhere to be seen.
"Lucky Spencer, where are you?" Carly shouted. Her hand instinctively went to her head. The very sound of her voice causing her head to beat in a nauseating rhythm, the knock she had taken to her head, had not done her any good. She wondered briefly if one could cause serious brain damage from the sound of your own voice.
Feeling more steady on her feet, Carly moved towards the only door in the room, the only door that wasn't the main entrance. Standing in front of the bathroom, Carly contemplated being polite and knocking on the door, but after the cadence that was playing between her ears began to beat louder, Carly discarded any countenance of politeness, slamming into the frighteningly small space, only to discover that Lucky was nowhere to be seen. Of course, she hadn't believed that he would still be around.
Unsure why Lucky had acted the way he had, Carly resigned herself to a lonely night. She had thought Lucky would have been grateful for the knowledge that she was bringing, but was sorely mistaken, obviously. She sat on the object that masquerade itself as a bed, disgusted that she had to remain in a cockroach, disease infested dump, but thanks to her cousin, had no other choice.
"Lucky Spencer, when I get my hands on you…" Carly said to the empty room, already wondering how she could pay him back for what he did.
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Marco watched as Elizabeth fumbled for her keys. He had never seen her this broken, it was almost as if Lucky had taken another go at her, but even then, when he and his friends had found her, she had not looked like this, like she was losing here best friend…
"Elizabeth, would you like me to help you?" Marco asked, his tone nervous and concerned.
"I am not a child, I can do things for myself, although I am sure no one believes that." Elizabeth chided, knowing that taking her anger and her frustrations out on Marco was petty, but it was something that she couldn't help it.
She was hurt, frustrated and angry. Trapped on an emotional roller coaster of her own making. Life was not playing fairly. Never mind the fact that the plan, in all honesty, was hers, one she had thought out and convinced Jason to agree to.
It was now something that was stealing her spirit and making her question the veracity of her insane ideas. Was she using the plan as a way to remove Lucky completely from her life? Knowing that Jason's life was fraught with unexplained deaths and violence. Could she honestly sit idly by while Jason, perhaps killed Lucky? Whether it was right or wrong, she honestly believed she could. Lucky was not even a spec on her radar anymore. So her question was answered, yes, she could sit by and allow Jason to do what needed to be done. She was against murder in general, but the compunctions she should have felt at the thought of Lucky buying the farm, well, it didn't faze her, with a sad and sickening glee; she looked forward to the day that Lucky would be forever gone from her life, their life.
"I wasn't trying to presume anything, I just wanted to help you out." Marco explained.
"Thank you, and yes your help would be greatly appreciated." Elizabeth said, ducking her head so he wouldn't see what was clearly written upon her face.
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Jason walked aimlessly through the park, unsure what he should do next. His heart screamed at him to go to Elizabeth and make her see that he hadn't meant anything that he said, but he knew, whether he wanted to or not, he had to stay away. The plan hinged on everyone believing that their fight was real; otherwise, someone might let it slip that it was all a sham.
Before he knew what he was doing, his feet had carried him to the elevator at Harborview Towers. With a heavy heart and much inner turmoil, Jason turned from the elevators. Doing the only thing he could think of, he hopped on his bike, he needed to go nowhere and quick. He needed the speed to forget, if that was even possible, which at this point and time, he didn't believe it was.
His bike tore through town, dismissing the enforced speed laws, for his own personal release. Once he hit the open highway, he cranked it up a little faster, not willing to risk his life with the speed, but enough to allow him a stupor from the constant pain that wanted to wash over him and tear him down.
He couldn't head to the hotel that they had arranged, it was too soon for that, but he could disappear for a few days, if nothing else, it would help to add to the believability of the plan. The damn plan that could possibly tear his and Elizabeth's world apart, before it even had a chance to begin.
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Sonny knew things were going to be hard for his friend, but if everything went the way it was suppose to, then the means to the end was worth the effort.
But Jason was the least of his worries. He had just had a one-night stand with his new lawyer, and while Sonny wasn't accustomed to questioning his sexual endeavors, this affair though, was causing him more moments of pondering, pondering the rightness of his choices. Except, Sonny never questioned his actions, but since Alexis made an appearance in his life, he had done nothing but question himself and his actions.
In regular Sonny fashion, he hurled a glass tumbler at the mantel, taking a perverse satisfaction as the crystal shattered on the hard marble. Cussing under his breath, he grabbed a new tumbler and pored a generous helping of brandy. He swirled the amber liquid before raising the glass to his lips and taking a generous gulp. His throat burned as the liquid flowed down his gullet. If he wasn't careful, he was liable to start drinking the moment he woke up and not stop until he went to bed, preferably with Alexis.
"Stop that, right now!" Sonny cursed himself, wondering why this beauty had so enamored him.
"Mr. Corinthos, is there something I can help you with?" Leticia asked, looking curiously around the room. She had become used to his insistent chattering, the way he had taken to talking to himself since Mrs. Corinthos had left, but it seemed the longer that she was away, the more he did the eccentric things that people had whispered about for years.
"No, nothing. I am fine!" Sonny replied, looking sheepishly at his nanny. "I tripped and dropped a tumbler, nothing more."
"I understand, if you need anything, please let me know." Leticia said, turning and retreating up the stairs.
"Be careful using such indirect phrases, you might get more that you hoped for." Sonny mumbled to himself. He really needed to find a woman to date; his libido was getting the best of him. His body wanted nothing more than all the joys that sexual relations offered and if he was lucky, he would completely forget Carly.
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Elizabeth allowed Marco to help her inside, but once in, she gratefully turned and said, "Thank you for your help, there will be nothing else this evening."
Marco looked like he had something to say, but instead, bit his tongue, nodding as he shut the door behind him. Whatever was going on wasn't any of his business, he cared about Elizabeth, like a sister, but it was not his job to worry extensively.
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief once Marco had resituated himself in front of the door. The last thing she wanted to deal with this evening was a concerned bodyguard. He was a great man, but there was only one man that she wanted with her, but now that they had took actions in their plan, she couldn't have the man she loved and longed for.
If she wasn't pregnant she would have taken great satisfaction from a very large bottle of tequila. But seeing as how she was, she settled for a large glass of milk. Unable to stand the silence and the disquieting, obtrusive fact of being alone, Elizabeth took her milk and headed for the room that she had been sharing with her fiancé.
Just walking into their room was enough to set her into a fit of crying. Jason's scent, that of leather and soap permeated the room, it was something she had become so used to, that she had been taking it for granted.
Her emotions were getting the better of her, the fits or crying, causing her normal morning sickness to be anything but. She fled the room and dashed into the adjoining bathroom.
As she pushed the door open, she had a moment to wonder, why the door was closed to begin with, but as she opened it and saw what awaited her, she couldn't help but smile through her tears. It was completely a Jason-like thing to do, at some point, which was obviously not that long ago, seeing as how the tub was filled and the water within still had small sections of steam rising from it, which proved it was still warm. A note sat on the counter, on top of a brand new housecoat. Beside the housecoat sat a pair of black boxers and a sapphire blue t-shirt, obviously Jason's. Unaware she was going to do it, she lifted the clothes to her nose, her smile growing as she smelled his familiar and welcome scent. It broke her heart, but it also gave her hope.
She shed her clothes, discarding them every which way, all she wanted at that moment was to be in the tub, soaking her weary bones and reading the letter from, Jason she hoped, it had to be him.
"My Dearest Elizabeth,
First and foremost, I want you to remember that I love you and can't wait to start our life together. These next few weeks are going to be hard, perhaps harder than we ever thought possible. I only pray that these events come to a close within a couple weeks… Whatever I said today, I apologize for; it was not my true feelings. We needed words and feelings to be raw, for others to see our fear, anger and pain, so for that, I am truly sorry. I love you and only you, please never doubt it.
In two days I will be heading for the hotel, which in all honesty should be classified as a motel, because I have seen seed motels, but nothing to match this fleabag accommodation that has hopes of grandeur, calling it a hotel is merely a cover, of what, I am not sure.
Whether it is wise or not, I will meet you at the house, when you arrive. I will make sure that I am well hidden, so that should someone be watching, they will not see me. I can't be away from you for long, just the thought of two days is enough to cause my nerves to twitch. You are like a drug, my drug, and one that I hope I never have to live without… You are everything to me, my first, my last, my always, forever and always.
All my love,
Jason"
Thankfully she was in the tub, her tears of sadness, of loss and of the impossible what ifs, swirling together, hitting her once again, his kind words offering her hope, but at the same time, breaking her heart. She had been a fool, she could see that now. Lucky was not the most important fool in her life; she had given him mythological stature, without even realizing it.
He was the boogeyman in the night that could tear her dreams apart; he was the monster under the bed that wanted to tear her love from her. He was the epitome of evil, she understood that now, maybe more than she ever had, because he had finally succeeded in, if not destroying something so pure and beautiful, he had at least managed to postpone it. He was once again dictating her life, and for the first time in a long time, that girl who had first come to Port Charles, the girl with steel in her spine and a fiery spirit, Little Lizzie, she was back and ready to take back what belonged to her!
Carefully setting the letter aside, a memento from this horrendous period in their lives, one she would forever treasure, because, for the most part, it was the most Jason had ever said in one sitting.
Once the letter was safe; Elizabeth smashed her fists into the water, sending up geysers of warm liquid. It was childish and stupid, but it did for her, what her tears couldn't, it gave her back her will, her hope, her freedom. While even though there were obstacles to pass, she knew, Jason and her were going to show Lucky, just how unlucky he was. Love was her driving force, love for her Fiancé, love for her unborn child and self-love. She no longer wished to be Lucky's scapegoat, she wanted all of her life back, and while she couldn't erase all the bad things, she could place those things where they belonged, they no longer held her in there power, they were nothing more than her past.
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Carly sat for hours in front of the TV, staring at mindless sitcoms that had little sense and even less comedic value. Daytime television had become an insistent mess of talk shows and court drama's. Disgusted with the selection, Carly tossed the useless remote back on the bed.
And it seemed to her, at the very least, the longer she waited for her cousin to return, the angrier she became. With the passing of each minute, each second, Carly's temper reached a shorter leash, almost as if it was a dog, who had wound his leash all around the yard, only to find out in the end, that it was stuck with a mere inches to move, instead of the blessedly long one it had previously had to begin with.
Just as she was sure she would go mad from boredom and her increasing anger, Lucky stumbled into the room. Moving directly into her path, but drunk beyond recognition, Lucky glared at her with half lidded eyes.
At that moment, what he saw was not his cousin, but Elizabeth, heavy with his child, and her ready and willing to raise it with Jason Morgan of all people. Hi arms, his hands moved with a bleary speed, of their own violation, until finally exhausted and nauseated, he collapsed to the dirty carpet. His eyes closed as he crumpled and within moments he was unconscious.
He awoke to the feeling of his head banging out an increasingly loud cadence. Even his eyes seemed to vibrate with the noise. He tried to sit up, but discovered he was on the floor, giving into a moment of panic, Lucky tried to move, but it felt as if he was weighed down by a thousand tons. Finally using every ounce of energy and digging into the deep recesses of his inner self, he managed to raise his arm a short distance from the floor, with that feat accomplished, he then slid his hand beneath his head, only to discover that his cheek and now his hand was covered in some sticky glue, that smelled wrong somehow.
With agonizing slowness, he forced his eyelids to follow his commands. Once fully open, Lucky saw what he was laying in, but for some reason, had no clue as to who it was. But when he made it to his knees and then feet, his eyes surveying the carnage, he saw who had been the cause of the mess. Carly, his cousin, he had somehow lost control again, but this time, murdering one of his own. No that wasn't correct he had killed two people in his family, because even as he stared at Carly with unfocused, uncomprehending eyes, he noticed the small telltale bump. She had been pregnant, "Oh God, what had he done again?" The question wouldn't stop; it kept repeating itself, demanding he examine everything, denying him the bliss that was ignorance.
"NO!!! This cannot be happening!" Lucky bellowed, before collapsing on the bed.
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