"Well, well, well," Craig announced angrily from the doorway. "I'm glad that you two have gotten cozy because I am going to have to make good use of you. It seems that a few of your friends have disappeared, severely limiting the number of hostages I have to use for leverage."

"What do you mean disappeared?" Emily asked, her body shaking. Lucky wrapped his arm around her protectively, moving his battered body in front of hers. He wasn't sure what was going on, but his first instinct told him that he needed to protect Emily. "Who is missing? What have you done to them?"

"I haven't done anything to them, Dr. Emily," he remarked smartly. "But apparently someone is helping them get out. We can't have any of that. Now, Prince Nikolas, Baby's Breath and Little Lulu are all gone. I guess you two will have to do."

"Leave Emily, take me," Lucky offered. "I'm a policeman, the men outside will listen to me. There is no way they would ever shoot one of their own."

"Oh, I'm counting on that, Officer Spencer, just like I'm counting on the fact that they would never shoot a woman. And something tells me that this is especially true for Dr. Emily. Many people seem to care what happens to her."

"What are you going to do with us?" Lucky asked through gritted teeth. He was acutely aware of Emily's hands around his waist, resting on his hips. He brought one down to cover hers, entwining their fingers tightly.

"I'm glad that I could bring you two together," Craig taunted with a hearty laugh. Emily gaped up at him as he stared at their hands. "Before all this, you were only worried about what happened to the prince, and I believe you cared about Baby's Breath."

"Funny how things change," Emily spat. "Let's just get this over with. I'm tired of you terrorizing all of us. Just do what you are going to do."

"Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Emily. Now then, you and Officer Spencer will be serving as our human shields when the vault opens. It should be any time now, so we should probably take you to the lobby to get your prepared on the plan. Besides, you can show your young love in all its glory for the world to see. It's likely the last time anyone will see you alive anyhow."

Emily was suddenly no longer afraid of him. In fact, looking at Lucky, she knew that he wasn't either. "Fine, whatever," she muttered as she stood up. She reached for Lucky's hand absently, showing that she wasn't afraid. "Come on, Lucky."

Craig pressed the cold gun against bare skin just above the neckline of her dress. "Seriously, there is no need for that, we're going," Lucky groaned with a bored tone. "Why not threaten me some more? I figure it's more of a challenge that way."

"Or I could get another gun so that I could shoot you at the same time."

"Fine by me," Emily retorted, acting as though she wasn't really paying attention. Inside, she was slowly calculating what she was going to do next.

"Yeah, me too," Lucky said. "That way, I don't have to watch Emily die. That's about the only thing I don't think I could stand."

"Although, you would die like a minute later, so it probably wouldn't be that hard, Lucky," Emily pointed out. "I mean, you would be with me again within a matter of moments."

"Well, that's true," he sighed. "I guess it doesn't really matter. We're going to die anyhow. We know how it ends for us, it's predictable. I wonder how it's going to end for him, though. I mean, there is no way they are going to let him go, even if they have us. I'll tell them to shoot to kill as soon as we get out that door."

"And you know Mac, he never misses," Emily giggled. "Cruz is out there, too. It seems like he'd have an axe to grind in the situation. I'm sure Ric will want to come out looking like the hero. Not to mention the fact that Jason is out there, and there is no way he is going to let his sister's murderer go free."

"Jason Morgan is your brother?" Craig asked. "What an interesting twist…"

Emily nodded. "And Luke Spencer is Lucky's father there. He's pretty well known for exacting revenge however he seems necessary. I don't really see how you're going to live past this night. And you know what, no matter how bad you think it's going to end for us, it going to end even worse for you."

"Well, that is if you believe in God," Lucky stated plainly. "And I saw the crucifix you had in your pocket, so I'm going to go with Catholic. You're obviously not very devout, but I'm sure you know enough to figure out how the whole heaven and hell thing works. One of your men shot a priest, and you've terrorized women all night. You threatened a pregnant woman and shot a doctor who does AIDS research."

"Not to mention the fact that you kept two teenaged girls hostage in all this. And you shot Max over there. Add all the mental terror, threats and overall abuse you've bestowed on us tonight, and you have to know which way this is going to go for you," Emily rattled off.

By that time, they were back in the lobby with the other hostages. Sonny and Carly were huddled together with Sam tending to Max's arm. Father Ruiz was crumpled beside her, having been shot after killing one of Craig's men. She looked around at the other masked men until her gaze rested on a familiar pair of blue eyes. Jason. How did that happen, she wondered silently. He nodded silently, prodding her to go on. Their tirade was distracting Craig and the others. He just needed a little more time.

"I think I've heard enough," Craig threatened. "Another word and you die."

"Okay," Emily smiled. "Killing me cuts down on your human shield count, so go ahead. I should warn you though, I don't think that anyone else will have the same kind of leverage I do. I mean, you mostly have mobsters left in here and a few hotel staff members that no one even knows. I'm a doctor and a member of one of the two wealthiest families in town."

"And the other wealthy family," Lucky added, "happens to be a part of my family. And you know she was married to my brother – the rich one – so that might help too."

"So, the rich doctor's life matters more than Sweet Sam over there?" Craig asked, aiming his gun at where Sam was crouched over Max.

"Do I think that personally?" Emily inquired as if to actually ponder his question. "No. But that's not the way the world works, is it, Mr. Craig? We both know that money talks and power walks. No one cares if she dies. She has no family here."

Everyone in the room knew that wasn't true, that Sam had the Cassadine family as her own and that she was the love of Jason's life. However, Craig had no idea what her value was. "You do raise an interesting point, Dr. Emily," he agreed. "Alright, for the sake of human shield you stay alive."

"Great," she deadpanned. "So, now what?"

For the first time all night, Craig was quiet, and it was clear that even he didn't know what was next.

"Lulu?" Dillon asked as he came back to where she was sitting. "Do you think you feel up to talking to Mac yet? He really wants to ask you some questions."

The blonde looked at Elizabeth and then her brother. She nodded slowly, trying to muster the courage to relive the past 10 hours. "Okay," she relented as she took his outstretched hand.

Nikolas put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Lu, just answer what you can. If you start to feel like you did earlier, stop for a second and take a deep breath," he told her carefully. "If it is still too hard, Dillon will get you out of there. If Mac gives you any trouble, he'll come get me."

Dillon nodded. "I won't let you fall away," he promises, leaning close so that he could whisper the words into her ear.

Elizabeth smiled up at her supportively. "Good luck, honey. We'll be right here if you need us."

Nikolas took Lulu's place next to Elizabeth as they watched her walk away with Dillon. The young girl seemed brave on the outside, but they could both see through it. They knew that she was still terrified inside, praying that she wouldn't become like her mother. She had seen things tonight that no one should ever see, and with her family's medical history, the fear that she could become catatonic was very real.

"I hope she's okay," Liz murmured as she leaned against Nikolas. He encircled his arm around her back and laid a kiss on her hair.

Nikolas looked back across to the Metrocourt. "We'll find a way to make it okay," he said. "The only thing I'm worried about is if we lose anyone tonight. If Lucky or Carly doesn't make it out, Lu could lose it pretty easily."

"And Emily," Liz added. "I don't even know how I'd react…but Lulu is so fragile. She lost a part of her strength when she had the abortion. I recognize that empty void in her eyes. It's the same one I felt after I lost both of my babies through miscarriage."

"She had the hardest time of any of us when my mom went back to Shadybrook," he remembered. "I just lost Laura all over again. I'm not going to lose Lulu, too."

"You won't," she promised with a long yawn. "I know I wanted to stay here and wait for them to come out, Nikolas, but my body has had it. For the baby's sake, I really need to go home and rest."

"You should get some sleep. It's what they would both want," he declared, jumping from the vehicle. He went and talked to Epiphany, informing her about Liz's departure. As he came back, he watched as she closed her eyes and leaned against the ambulance door.

"Come on, Baby's Breath," he murmured, taking her hand. "I'll drive you home."

"You should wait here for Emily."

"It's what Lucky would want."

"And what about you? What do you want?"

"I want to take you home," he answered. "This is what I want."

"I know this is hard, but can you go through it one last time," Mac asked. He scanned his notes on Lulu's testimony, well aware of its many holes. "How many gunmen were there? What hostages are left? Were there any other injuries?"

Lulu answered his questions slowly, going through the motions without feeling anything. After a few more questions, she felt her insides starting to shake. Dillon noticed the shift immediately, grabbing her hand and squeezing it with support.

"Lulu, do you know what was in the briefcase? Did Craig ever mention it?" Mac asked.

Images of a gun pressed against her forehead flashed through her mind. She could feel the cold metal, smell the distinct aroma of the weapon. She could hear Robin's cry as she was shot, could feel the aftershocks of the gun firing. Then, as easily as the memories had come, her mind went blank. She stared ahead, unable to say anything.

"Lulu?" Mac repeated.

Dillon pushed Mac away gently and stepped in front of her. Kneeling on the ground before her, he placed both hands on either side of her face and stared into her empty blue eyes. "Lulu, look at me," he stated. Still, no response. "Lulu, it's me. I'm here, look at me." He thought he saw a flicker of familiarity but she still wasn't there. "Lesley Lu Spencer, look at me!" he implored, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Look at me, baby, look at me!"

Finally, she looked at him, her eyes shifting back into focus. Tears started to fall easily down her face as she collapsed against him, hiding her face in his sweater so that no one could see her cry. Dillon looked over her shoulder at Mac. "Get Nikolas," he mouthed.

"Things inside the Metrocourt seem to have quieted down for the time being," a reported recited on the screen. "Four hostages have been able to flee to safety. While their names are not being released at this time, officials say that they are being isolated for questioning. All four appear to be in good health. There still has been no update on the two earlier releases, Dr. Robin Scorpio and Dr. Alan Quartermaine. They were rushed to General Hospital in critical condition, suffering from a gunshot wound and a heart attack respectively."

"Shut it off," Robin barked, tired of hearing them constantly replaying the night's events for the entire world to gawk at. She had always hated television news, but this had only solidified her bad feelings. No one would understand what happened in there other than the hostages, and she had been one of them. Knowing that everyone was glued to their televisions, living vicariously through the gory details, it sickened her.

"Do you think we could talk for a minute?" Patrick asked once he had flicked off the television set. She nodded earnestly as he took his chair next to her bed. The nurses had been a few minutes before to change her dressing and set up another blood transfusion. "I feel like there are a few things I should say to you now that you're awake."

"What is it, Patrick?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I really am in love with you," he said. "I know that you doubt it sometimes, and maybe a part of me did too. But from the moment I found out that something had happened to you, I knew what you meant to me. I'm sorry that we fought before, that I refused to get tested. I should have realized that what happens to me doesn't just affect me. It has everything to do with."

"I want to share my life with you, Patrick," she said softly. "All of your life, all of you. I can't have you running away when things get hard. I need to know that you're going to be there with me through everything. I don't want to doubt that I have your love anymore. It's too hard."

"I've been selfish in so many ways, and we both know how blind I've been. Robin, you made me believe in something that I was so scared to recognize. You made me know that there is such thing as true love. Many women have tried but only you were able to get through all the façade to make me realize just how much I need you."

"I was scared too," she pointed out. "But you convinced me that I could trust you. In time, I did trust you, more than anything. I don't want to have that thrown back in my life."

"I am so sorry," he wept, leaning across the bed to kiss her sweetly. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," she said. "Just don't do it again."

"Never," he whispered as he reached into the pocket of his blue scrubs. Fingering the object, he took her hand and looked into her eyes. Seamlessly transferring it from his finger to her left ring finger, he kissed her again. "Robin Scorpio, will you be my wife?"