Well, here is another chapter! Thanks for the encouragement and everything. I know this tale tends towards the dark side, but when I started it, I did warn about that. I'm all for lovey dovey fics, but I also like one that can grip me, possibly scare me and still give me a warm feeling when all is said and done. Hopefully if done right, this will do that for you. Hope you enjoy, and thank you again for the great replies.

Chapter Forty-Six

Sonny looked at the contraption sitting silently in his palm, wondering what in the world was going on. The landline to Elizabeth's house was currently not working, and after talking with an operator, he discovered a nasty storm had begun to work its way through town. It was something he could understand, considering that he had heard apocalyptic like thunder from her end, for the short time they had actually been connected.

Of course a good storm could prevent him from reaching Elizabeth on a cell phone, but he had hoped that the technology would work for him, especially when he had such detrimental information to pass on.

Torn between acting and reacting, Sonny flopped gracelessly on the couch, massaging his temples, an act with which he was hoping would ward off the oncoming migraine. "Now what?" He mumbled, looking lost and determinedly angry.

On a whim, he decided the only logical coarse of action, was simply going to them. He was worried about their wellbeing, so what better way to calm his twanging nerves. His decision made, Sonny rushed from the room and down to his car. It was going to be a long ride, but no two people meant more to him. Elizabeth as an extension of Jason was beginning to be as big a part of his life as Leticia and Michael.

"If something's wrong, please allow me to be in time, please!" Sonny whispered as he pulled on to the highway, ignoring speed laws. Now that he had made up his mind, he understood that something ingrained within, had been alerting him. Of course he could be completely way off base. His luck, he would interrupt them in the middle of something romantic, but that old saying was still true, it was better to be safe than sorry.

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With Elizabeth close by, Jason began to search the rooms. Making the kitchen his first stop, and with any luck, he would find some candles, stumbling around in the dark was not an activity he wished to partake in, any longer.

Unsure what he would find, the sight of the backdoor open, wasn't one of them. His mind instantly went on high alert. Whatever was going on here, it wasn't just a casual storm. No sooner did the thought hit him, than another barrage of thunder and lightning struck. Illuminating the kitchen in stark detail. A knife sat on the counter, the lightning picking up the red hue on the blade and turning it dusty maroon.

Jason quickly pulled Elizabeth to his side, his fear growing, threatening to over take him. Doing a job for Sonny was different, he could keep his head and do what needed to be done. Emotions didn't factor into his job, but with Elizabeth and his unborn child in danger, everything changed. Suddenly the easiest course of action turned complicated. Fear had seeped into his very soul, a deep penetrating fear that threatened to still his hand.

Jason hand tightened upon hers, moving beyond comforting to painful. "Jason, what is it, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes scanning the darkness.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Jason replied.

"This is nothing?" Elizabeth asked, holding their joined hands up to his face. "This is not nothing Jason. You were fine before we came in here, what's up, don't block me out!"

Wanting nothing more than to lie, to tell her there was nothing to be afraid of, he couldn't find it within himself to do it. She deserved to know the dangers. But before he could explain a bolt of lightning struck the tree in the back yard, the noise was horrendous, but the light it gave off was more than enough, when the tree exploded, what remained caught fire and by the inconstant light, Jason followed where Elizabeth's eyes were trained. No longer did he need to tell her, she saw it too.

He couldn't help but smile, her small hand went to her stomach, rubbing the small bump. Whether giving or taking comfort he was unsure, perhaps it was a little bit of both.

"Jason, that's blood, right?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes wide, fearful.

"It is, whatever is going on here, it isn't just a storm. I need you to stay beside me at all times, okay?" Jason asked, his own fear reflecting in his cerulean eyes.

"Not a problem, a pry bar wouldn't be able to budge me from your side!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

Jason began the search of the kitchen, always keeping his eyes open. He wasn't about to be ambushed, he couldn't afford a mistake like that. They searched all the drawers, hoping fleetingly that one would offer up a candle, perhaps even a flash light. But as the drawers that were left, began to dwindle in number, they realized a simple yet irrevocable fact, they were all empty. The house may be furnished, but kitchen supplies and knickknacks had not been left behind. Cursing under his breath, Jason grasped Elizabeth's hand a drew her towards the rear stairs.

The stairs were a scaled down version of a spiral staircase, which wasn't exactly accurate either, but it fit better than a regular staircase, nonetheless. They turned there way up the stairs, Jason always in the lead. Once they reached the top, Jason turned to look both ways, then favored Elizabeth with a small wan smile. Elizabeth tried to offer a smile of her own, but before the corners of her lips even had a chance to twitch, Jason's strong hand slipped from hers. Somewhat shocked, Elizabeth looked down, but needn't have bothered. Jason was already crumpling to the floor. The slackening of his hand, had been accidental, on his part at least.

Elizabeth meant to turn and run, it would have been what Jason had wanted. He didn't want her in danger. And while running away from the man she loves, who could possibly be injured was the last thing she wanted to do, she realized, she didn't have a choice.

Throwing one last glance over her shoulder, Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat, pale, calculating eyes shone back at her. "Lucky.." She whispered, unable to get her voice any louder. It was in his eyes, madness had taken him, he was no longer sane, it was with that thought that she turned quickly around and dashed as quickly as possible down the stairs. Praying that her feet wouldn't betray her and spill her to the bottom in a heap of broken bones, or worse.

For a brief moment she felt a coldness upon her shoulder, a coldness borne of madness and obsession. Thankfully his fingers lost any purchase before anything could happen. His abnormally long nails scraped the tender flesh as she rushed ahead.

She reached the kitchen with relative ease, the backdoor still stood open, not thinking about where to go, Elizabeth rushed out into the pouring rain, at some point between the time they went upstairs it had begun to rain, nothing so quaint as a brief shower, that belied of the lightning and thunder that had proceeded it, but a full on downpour.

Thunder still cracked the heaven's with its maddening roar, lightning split the sky, causing normal shapes, trees, bushes, to taken on malevolent personas. Cackling faces seemed to arise with purpose as she dashed into the woods.

She tried to chastise herself for her fear, it was one thing to be afraid of Lucky, but to be scared of a simple forest and its inhabitants, that was something all together different. Of course, she was running into a forest or glade, or whatever it was, that she had never stepped foot into before.

Elizabeth didn't slow down as she plowed into the dense woods. She hazard a glance backwards as she slowed to move over a rather large tree that had fallen at some point. She shouldn't have even bothered, she should have just hurried on. Lucky stood on the back porch, a large flashlight held in his hands. When he spotted her, he flicked the object on, training it on her like a spot light.

Unable to help the squeak that escaped her lips, Elizabeth resolutely moved ahead, moved forward into the unknown. Not sure she heard what she thought she heard, Elizabeth decided that she wasn't going to play the ditzy girl in all horror movies, turning around at ever small noise, but she was positive that Lucky had screamed something, her name perhaps, she couldn't be sure, for the noise came out more like a growl of anger, unintelligible. Instead she allowed her feet to carry her further into the darkness, a darkness that was relieved only by the occasional arc of lightning.

Doing what she swore she wouldn't do, Elizabeth turned and glanced backwards, except this time, she kept moving. It wouldn't do for her to continue running in a strange area, if she didn't have to. Against her better judgment, she honestly wished that Lucky would take a tumble down some steep hill, impaling himself on a pointy wooden branch or brain himself on a rock. It scared her to know that something so dark lived within her, but after everything she had been through, how could she not want something horrible to happen.

Elizabeth suddenly felt her left foot going out from beneath her, in her stupidity, she had turned at the exact wrong moment. When she had turned to see where Lucky was, she had done so on the edge of a hill. She couldn't see it as she was running forward, the lightning had eased so she was running blind. She felt the rest of her body falling forward, her previous momentum carrying her down. Somehow, as she was falling she managed to fall on her back, taking the worst of the blow there. It books and movies, this was the time where you started somersaulting down the hill, but that didn't happen to her, she slid on her back, the thin shirt she was wearing, pulling out of the back of her pants. The material was to thin and offered little protection. Small branches and stones dug and scraped at her back, her momentum not slowing. Her elbow struck a larger rock, the pain was instantaneous, but worse than the pain was the sound it made as it connected, she couldn't delude herself, she knew her arm was broken, the cracking sound seeming louder than all the thunder heretofore. Elizabeth was finally slowing down, but when her head impacted the boulder at the bottom, while it stopped her descent, it also catapulted her into unconsciousness. Her last thoughts were of Jason and her child, and how the plan had been designed to lure Lucky to them, she hadn't expected him to find her quite so soon, that seemed like such a monumental problem, a couple weeks, that is what she had thought, what a mistake that was.

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Lucky saw her turn around, whatever part of his mind that still functioned, demanded that he hide. So instead of letting her see him, he dodged behind a tree, that was when he saw her slip, it was almost in slow motion, first one foot slipped, then the other. She had swiveled so as to land on her back, perhaps hoping to protect her child, whatever the reason, it was enough to keep her on her back.

Now that he didn't need to conceal his presence, he raced to the edge of the hill, which in all essence, could be called a gully or something, he saw her sliding further down, heard her scream of pain, but moments, which were actually nanoseconds, passed and before he knew it, he couldn't see her anymore.

Something reflected back in his eyes, the madness was still holding on with a clawed grip, but an awareness that had been previously lacking, for months now, suddenly came back. His eyes were still dark, and he took a perverse pleasure at Elizabeth pain as it reverberated through his mind, but a small, very tiny part of him wanted nothing more than to rush after her and help her.

A brief thought flashed through his mind, he had called his mother, asking if she knew where Elizabeth was, whether chance or good fortune, she did. She had overheard Sonny talking about it to one of the guards. Being the ever loyal mother, she told him, not hearing the madness that was a part of her son, perhaps not wanting to or unable to. Lucky wondered what would have happened if he hadn't made the phone call, what would have happened, if he hadn't shown up, would Elizabeth still be alive, a younger part of himself, baulked at the idea of Elizabeth being dead, but his madness exalted in it. Lucky Spencer was latterly tearing himself apart.

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Jason heard the scream, it was what had jarred him out of his unnatural sleep. It was the scream of the woman he loved in great pain, he couldn't even fathom what was happening to her, but it was enough to shake off the foggy feeling and launch him to his feet.

He didn't have to wonder what was going on, just before darkness took him in its embrace, he saw the madness that was now Lucky Spencer.

His legs were still a little wobbly and the back of his head throb with every beat of his heart, but all in all, he was just happy to be alive. Not willing to wait any longer, Jason dashed down the stairs, hoping he would be in time and dreading the thoughts that spiraled within, he wouldn't make it in time, he was going to fail, because he was doomed to, call it retribution for all the wrongs he had done. With a scream of his own, Jason shook his head as he dashed out of the door and into the woods, for it seemed the only logical place for Elizabeth to run, putting distance and obstacles between her and Lucky.

Jason stumbled his way through the woods, unsure whether he was headed in the right direction or not. He allowed his heart to guide him, but always saving the option to disagree, should evidence prove otherwise. His soul screamed for its mate, the only saving grace was Jason surety that Elizabeth was not gone, if she was, he would feel it, feel the broken bonds of their love, feel an all encompassing emptiness. No, there was no doubt, she was alive and would remain so, it was the only thing that would allow him to continue on, he had to have hope, even in the face of everything that screamed otherwise.

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