The con was simple. Lulu was a waitress and Ethan was a drunk sitting at the bar. Lulu was going to spill a drink on the people who had Luke, steal the keycard to their warehouse, and transfer it to Ethan at the bar. Ethan would get kicked out of the bar and Lulu would be sent home for spilling drinks for the third time that day. Then they would get Luke and return to Port Charles.
They had tracked Luke's kidnappers to this small bar in a town not too far from Port Charles. Apparently Luke had not been able to come through on the wager of a poker game and was paying the price by being held for ransom. Lulu got the note the day after she had begun working with Ethan to find him.
In the beginning, their mission to free Luke without paying the ransom had seemed impossible and dangerous. Lulu had almost told Ethan that she was pregnant when he had devised a plan that was too dangerous for the baby. However, she stopped herself in favor of creating a safe plan of her own that would bring Luke home safely.
The con they were about to perform had come from Lulu's mind once she discovered the drinking habits of Luke's captors. She looked to Ethan as she prepared to bring the fourth round of scotch to the table.
"Ready?" she whispered.
Ethan nodded and Lulu carried the tray to the table. It all happened quickly and exactly according to plan. The next thing Lulu knew she was in the car with Ethan headed to retrieve her father.
"We work well together, love. We should go on adventures more often," Ethan said.
"We're not done yet. We still have to get my father and get back to Port Charles. Even then, there is nothing to stop those men from coming after him or us," Lulu commented, avoiding Ethan's statement about working well together.
They drove the rest of the short trip in silence. Lulu easily used the keycard to enter the warehouse. Ethan kept watch while she untied him and took the tape from his mouth.
"Cupcake! I'm so glad you came for me. My captors weren't exactly friendly," Luke said.
"Of course I came, dad. Someone had to save you and I didn't trust Ethan to do it alone," Lulu said as she helped him out of the chair and out of the warehouse.
"Mr. Lovett? Who's running my casino?" Luke questioned.
"Relax. You will be running it as soon as we get you home," Lulu answered.
The three drove home to Port Charles and Luke filled Lulu and Ethan in on all of the details about his kidnapping. Luke explained that he had used a large diamond as his gambling wager. The problem was he did not actually possess the diamond and the other men at the poker table hadn't taken kindly to being lied to. Thus, Luke ended up at the warehouse.
When they reached the Haunted Star, Lulu took a seat at the bar and Ethan and Luke began to work. Lulu blankly stared at the two men who were making plans to find a diamond that would get rid of Luke's kidnappers. She became lost in thoughts about Johnny and their baby again.
Why couldn't she shake the feeling that Johnny was close? That he had come back for her? It couldn't be true. There was no way Johnny could already know that Sonny was not looking for him anymore. Even if he did and was back in town, it was not for Lulu. It was for Claudia or someone else.
She left the Haunted Star without bothering to say goodbye to anyone. She walked out on the docks to wait for the launch to Wyndamere. She was so lost in thought that she did not notice the man who was following close behind her.
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Johnny had been trying to forget the image of Lulu laughing with someone else. Not just someone, him. Some guy that she had not known for very long. Laughing like she used to laugh with Johnny when he would drive recklessly fast down the highway.
Driving.
Lulu had not only taken Johnny's heart and soul and everything that mattered when she left, but also his escape. He couldn't drive to get away from her because driving had been what brought them together in the first place.
So, he settled for wallowing in the pain. He went to every place that had been special to the two of them. On this day, he had ended up at the Zacchara garden shed. He sat on the chaise lounge and thought about all of the times he had been there with Lulu. It amazed Johnny how his entire life he had been too tough to cry or show emotion, but now the very thought of his lost happiness with Lulu would make tears stream down his face.
Johnny wiped at the tears on his face and reached into his pocket for the flask of whiskey. He was about to take a drink when the door opened. Claudia looked at him sadly and shook her head.
"Put it away, John. Unless you're celebrating being free, which I doubt because of your red eyes and current location. Drinking won't bring her back to you. Hiding in memories of the past instead of facing the present won't either," Claudia scolded.
"What would you know about it? You always hated Lulu and the fact that I loved her. You are probably overjoyed at the thought of it being over between us," Johnny yelled.
"Why would I ever want anything that would cause you this much pain? I may have hated Lulu before, but I realize now how much you love her and want to be with her. That's actually why I came here," Claudia said calmly.
"What do you mean?" Johnny asked.
"Even though you haven't deemed it necessary to visit me since you have been home," Claudia started, "I thought you should know that Lulu came to see me while you were on the run. She was hoping that I would tell her where you were because she wanted to see you. I didn't know so I couldn't help her, but I could see in her eyes that something important had happened that she needed you for."
"What did she say? Is she in some kind of trouble?" Johnny asked growing concerned. Just because Lulu had ended their relationship didn't mean that he wouldn't protect her with his life if need be.
"She didn't say enough for me to know why she needed to talk to you. But I wanted to find out for you and since Sonny always wants to protect her, I convinced him to let me put a guard on her. I asked the guard to watch her, but he lost her when she went on some kind of road trip. He finally found her when she came home, but he said he got the feeling he wasn't the only person watching her. He kept seeing the same guy at all of the places she was and he is concerned," Claudia explained.
"Who would be following Lulu? Where did she go? Why has it taken you this long to tell me all of this?" Johnny demanded.
"I don't know, not too far and because I kept thinking you would come see me and I wasn't too worried until now. Anymore questions?" Claudia responded, slightly annoyed.
"Just one. Do you think that Lulu could ever give me another chance? After talking with her, did you sense that I meant anything to her?" Johnny asked softly.
"That's two," Claudia said with a smile. "But yes, to the first question. The second is yes and no. You don't mean just anything to her. You mean everything to her the same way she means everything to you. Whether she wants you to or not."
"Thank you, Claudia," Johnny said giving her a short hug. "I'll be in touch soon okay?"
"Where are you going?" Claudia asked, knowing the answer to the question.
"I need Lulu and I'm hoping she needs me. I'm going after her," he said walking out of the garden shed.
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Lulu had the strangest feeling. She felt like she was being monitored at all hours of the day, but she couldn't catch the person who was following her. She was beginning to think that she was just paranoid. But she still couldn't shake the feeling.
She was walking along the docks and constantly looking over her shoulder. She saw Luke coming her way and she smiled at him.
"Hey dad. Have you paid your kidnappers yet?" Lulu asked.
"I think they let it go. I couldn't find anything worth giving them and at first I was worried, but it has been a couple of days and I haven't heard or seen anything," Luke answered.
"That worries me even more. What if they are just biding their time? You need to keep working on finding that diamond," Lulu said adamantly.
"Calm down, Princess. Everything will be okay. I have to get to the Haunted Star, but Tracy wanted me to ask you to dinner at the Quartermaine's tonight. Will you come?" Luke questioned.
"Sure," Lulu answered. "Call me with the time."
Luke agreed and set off for the Haunted Star. Lulu again felt uneasy. She looked around and her eyes landed on the most gorgeous man she had ever seen. Her knees went weak and she felt stupid that Johnny still affected her so much. After a year and a half, the sight of him still took her breath away.
Johnny opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by the sound of a gunshot. Lulu felt a pain in her leg and saw the bullet hole. She fell to the ground and heard Johnny screaming her name. She was losing blood quickly and took one last glance into Johnny's eyes, which were filled with tears.
Then everything went black.