It seems when things start to get normal, something else has to come up. Thankfully, it was nothing overly serious, well to most at least. The memory stick that I was using while I was away, was misplaced for a few days, and while that isn't cause for immediate alarm, it was enough so for me… Seeing as how I almost had another chapter finished and key notes that I need, so as to remind me which direction I was taking the story, among other things…. Anyway, here is the update, I thank you all for your wonderful feedback and your kindness, there truly is not a better fan base, Liason fans truly do rock! Enjoy
Chapter Forty-Nine
Sonny hadn't expected to see Lucky there, or that is to say, he had hoped that he wasn't there. Now that he could see him with his own eyes, he knew that, for once, he had made the right choice. Sonny moved into the room, edging closer to Lucky, ready to do what needed to be done, although at that moment, what needed be done eluded him. He understood that he had to save Elizabeth and possibly Jason, the fact that Jason wasn't anywhere to be seen, either meant that Jason was hurt, out of commission or maybe even dead. But like his friends, he wasn't allowing himself to think like that, even if Sonny couldn't admit, he was nothing without Jason, the business wouldn't be a booming enterprise if it wasn't for Jason…
Sonny advanced on Lucky, taking him by surprise was no longer an option, but he had to do something, Elizabeth looked to be in pain. Sonny reached Lucky, the younger man wasn't bothering to run but there was something about him that almost bled his intentions. Elizabeth and her child were not going to make it out of this situation, so long as Lucky got his way, but no sooner did Sonny think that than he saw Jason coming down the stairs, he saw what the other man intended, so without giving away Jason's presence, Sonny moved a step closer and readied himself. Timing was going to be key, now he just hoped he could be the man for the job and not mess it up.
There was no time to question or debate, Sonny rushed Lucky as Jason rushed him from behind, but as soon as Sonny reached for Elizabeth, she was no longer there. Lucky, must have sensed something was going on, whatever the answer, it no longer mattered. Lucky fled with Elizabeth slung fireman style over his shoulder, into the darkness and into the raging storm.
Sonny couldn't stop the momentum he had set in motion. As he reached the location that Lucky had just vacated, Sonny slipped on the rug that was covering the hardwood floor. He tried to catch himself, pin wheeling his arms, hoping to gain a little ground, but as he motioned with his arms, the carpet slipped more, obviously damp and causing the hardwood to be even more slippery.
He tried to throw his weight away from anything that could potentially hurt him or kill him, but the fall was so unexpected that he really didn't have time to contemplate much. All thoughts raced through his mind in a matter of moments and as his body crashed to the floor and his head connecting solidly with the coffee table, Sonny's last look on the stormy skies, was the rapid flash of lightning highlighting Lucky and Elizabeth as the younger man dashed out of the house and into the torrential down pour.
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Instinct was what was driving Lucky, he didn't see Jason rushing him from behind, nor did he see Sonny moving in on him either. An inane sense of self preservation was what directed him to run, and since thinking wasn't very high on his list, he ran into the storm, perhaps running directly into his own inescapable peril, but he cared not, he had the prize and no one was going to take her back.
Lucky moved in a stumbling gait, the extra weight of Elizabeth slowing him down and her constant struggling causing him to weave. Twenty yards from the house, Lucky stumbled and was unable to stay upright, Elizabeth threw her svelte weight in the right direction at the right time, causing Lucky to fall to the ground, his balance non-existent. She landed on him, knocking the air from his lungs, but not slowing him down, it was like he was possessed or something…
Lucky didn't bother to rush, he moved with a sickeningly, animalistic calm. Reaching behind him and into the waistband of his pants Lucky pulled a 9mm pistol. With practiced ease, emotion void, he pointed the pistol at Elizabeth, but instead of pointing it at her head or at her heart, where a kill shot would be most likely, he pointed it at her stomach. With cat like agility, Lucky covered the small distance, before she even knew what was happening, he was shoving the barrel of the pistol into her stomach, ripping a scared, pained cry from her lips.
Elizabeth's eyes were glued on the gun, she couldn't seem to tear her gaze away, Lucky laughed, a morbid sound that sent fresh Goosebumps all over her body. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the rain, glistening with every lightning strike.
Suddenly the pressure of the gun was gone and so was Lucky. He lay on the hard packed ground, Jason mere inches away. Lucky looked unconcerned, already he was struggling to his feet, his breath merely knocked out. Jason on the other hand was not fairing so well, he lay crumpled on the ground, his right hand cradling his left shoulder.
Elizabeth wanted to go to him, to help him, but the gun that had been in Lucky's hand was no longer there, in between lightning strikes, Elizabeth searched the steadily dampening ground. After a multitude of lightning strikes Elizabeth located the gun. Turning her gaze back on the sight before her, Elizabeth saw Lucky advancing towards Jason, that insane and unstable look was back in his eyes, although, she couldn't be sure it had ever left.
Elizabeth didn't allow thoughts to cloud her thinking, she raised the gun as she watched Lucky advance towards the man she loved. Having seen enough TV shows and having Jason's help and skillful teachings, she knew how to hold the gun. Inhaling then exhaling, she tried to control her breathing. But the immanent danger that Lucky posed to Jason, was causing her breath to come in short, quick bursts. Elizabeth raised the gun to eye level, tried to steady the shiver that ran through her body, tried to control the movement of the gun, but with everything that was going on, it was hard to control her emotions. She couldn't risk shooting Jason, but she also couldn't afford to not do anything and lose Jason forever.
Lucky bent over Jason, his arm raised, his fist clenched. Elizabeth took that moment to fire a single shot, she went wide, but was hoping that Lucky would understand the danger he was in and know that he had to give up this crazy obsession.
Lucky moved away from Jason, slowly stalking towards Elizabeth, his demeanor belied the pleading in his eyes. His body was rigid and ready, his fists clenched so tightly Elizabeth was sure he would be drawing blood from the palm of his hands. His left hand loosened, he stretched it towards her, the movement and the look in his eyes almost thawed Elizabeth's heart, but she couldn't deny the madness, thick runnels of blood spilled from the moon shaped indentations on his palm, coating his normally tanned skin in a growing layer of blood.
He half stumbled have shambled the last three feet between them, as his hand reached out to touch the gun, Elizabeth fired. The agonizing scream that ripped from deep within his chest, both shocked and disgusted Elizabeth. Nevertheless, even in her revulsion she brought the gun back up, looking at the hole, which almost obliterated Lucky's hand.
The shot had slowed him down but he didn't stop, his right hand reached for her, with lightning quickness Lucky's left bloody hand shot out of the darkness, all the while as his right hand grabbed the front of her shirt. His bloody hand connected with her face, her cheek bloomed with searing heat, but even as she was stumbling back from the blow, she raised her hand with the gun in it, not willing to be Lucky's punching bag any longer, nor his next victim, she slipped her finger on to the trigger, took moderate aim and squeezed the trigger. Jason had once mentioned something about squeezing the trigger not pulling it, something about how it gave you better aim. So while that thought ran rampart through her mind, she expended the magazine in the gun.
Lucky spun around, facing away from her. As numerous bullets punched into his pliable flesh, Elizabeth groaned in sick revulsion, but she also took a momentary sense of relief and satisfaction. She had been beaten down by him one too many times, it was nice to be exacting some revenge but even as she swooned from the freedom, her stomach betrayed her. The world began to grow dark, her legs loosened, spilling her to the ground. Except, she never did connect with the ground, Sonny grabbed her just before she could hit the uncompromising hard-packed floor.
The darkness was complete, but lasted mere moments. Warm, achingly familiar lips settled upon hers and as her mind gave up the self-imposed darkness, she shared in the perfection that was Jason's lips and the comforting feeling of his hand on her abdomen. Now that she was able to think, she scrambled from Jason's arms, there was something she needed to do, she only hoped that she had the strength to do it.
Sonny looked on as the couple shared a brief yet passionate kiss, saw the wound that Elizabeth had sustained when Lucky's hand had connected with her face and saw the other mans blood mingling with her own, but what shocked him the most was where the small brunette was headed. For just the briefest of moments, Sonny loathed Elizabeth. Once again she was rushing to Lucky's side, even though Jason was injured and could use her help, she bypassed him and went to her previous lover, with not a single thought for the man she claimed to love.
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Sonny's head ached and his neck felt like someone had punched a hot poker into it, but other than that, he was none the worse for wear. He had defeated the coffee table, albeit, he hadn't known he had until he had come to, the continual lightning strikes jolting him out of his unnatural sleep.
He no sooner reached the back yard, when he saw Elizabeth slowly crumpling to the ground. His legs were unsteady, but they held him as he rushed across the soggy ground.
But once again he had to wonder what Jason saw in her, for now that this terrible mess was over, she was once again moving towards Lucky, what her intentions were, Sonny didn't know, but his anger instantly raged, Jason deserved better than this. He just couldn't fathom what she saw in the younger and unstable man.
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Elizabeth dropped to her knees beside Lucky. She took his hand for a moment, looking beseechingly into his eyes. Whatever she saw there, must have made up her mind. Sonny couldn't be sure, but he could have sworn that Lucky had said something to her. Before he had a chance to question that, he saw Elizabeth bring her small delicate fist back, and with surprising speed, she connected solidly with Lucky's face.
Lost in a sea of emotions, her mind foggy from everything that happened, Elizabeth began raining down punches on Lucky's flesh. Her voice was raw with emotion, but her eyes blazed with hatred.
Neither Jason nor Sonny was sure if Lucky was still alive when she finally managed to get a hold of herself, but neither one actually cared. It was Jason's strong, loving arms that encircled her, drawing her away from the bloody lump that was Lucky.
She collapsed instantly into his strong embrace, taking comfort from his presence as his hands searched her body for injuries, seemingly taking comfort from her. Jason tried to asked her a little later on what Lucky had said to her, but she was beyond words for the time being.
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Sonny called the local police and also made a phone call to Alexis as well as Mac Scorpio. This was out of his jurisdiction, but the man might be of some help, should someone decided to claim this was an act of malevolence.
He urged Jason to take Elizabeth into the house, and after the briefest of hesitations, Jason carried her into the house, setting her carefully on the couch, waiting the endless hours of interrogation and accusations. As he tried to calm and soothe her, Sonny went in search of candles, three times he came and went and each time he came back with a handful of candles.
Illuminating the room seemed to offer Elizabeth some semblance of normalcy and slowly she became reanimated, no longer a shivering mess, sitting on the couch. Her hands traced Jason's face and neck, her lips soon followed, kissing everywhere she found exposed flesh. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, her lips found his, craving, demanding and absorbing his strength, his love and his constant support. Their lips stayed locked for many long minutes, it was only the clearing of a strange person's voice that tore them apart.
Jason looked at the newest arrival and realized that the man wasn't alone, in point of fact, four men stood in the doorway, watching the displays of their affection. The suddenly livid glare of Jason was enough to still all the men, their eyes suddenly down cast, all seemingly unable to say a thing.
It was Sonny who managed to get the ball rolling, so to speak. He entered the room, took one look at his friend and realized the newcomers had probably walked in on something very personal.
"Listen gentlemen, this has been a very long night, so what do you say we get this thing started. The young ladies is pregnant and needs her rest, especially after going through such an ordeal. What do you say?" Sonny asked, looking each man in the eyes.
"Yes, that's fine. When you called this in, you said there was a body, where is this body?" The oldest gentleman asked.
"Follow me!" Sonny said, leading the police officers out of the house and back into the raging storm.
Just before disappearing with the officers, Sonny hazarded a glance back at his friends. Elizabeth wasn't paying attention, but Jason was. He mouthed the words thank you, as Sonny merely nodded his head, disappearing out of sight.
Jason held Elizabeth tightly in his arms, whispering words of comfort and promising her that their nightmare was over. Keeping his voice low and his tone calm, he soon discovered that she had fallen into a sleep, but this sleep wasn't peaceful or restful, it was fraught with anger and animosity, her small form tossed and turned. He contemplated awakening her, just once, but decided, even a little sleep was better than none. He placed a soft kiss to her eyes and then one to her lips. For awhile, that was all he knew, darkness had closed over him and had taken him deeper into his mind than he had ever gone before. This darkness was fraught with evils and insanities. This unnatural darkness was the core of something, something that was lurking, waiting…
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