The plane ride back to Port Charles was a quiet one, six individuals tucked into their seats. They were all exhausted from their jaunt across the country but united by the love that had been so evident in the chapel that night. Dillon sat next to Lulu, her head resting in his lap. She had been asleep since takeoff, intermittently waking up to ask how much longer they had until their arrival back to Port Charles. She was nervous about her family session in the morning, dreading having to deal with the repercussions of not telling her father and Tracey about the wedding.

Dillon stroked her hair rhythmically, staring blankly at the velvet black sky outside. He watched the constant flashing of the red light on the end of the wing, wondering what the next few hours would bring. Looking down at her delicate hand in his, he couldn't help but smile at how good even their hands looked together. Their simple bands pressed against each other, it was an image that would forever be in his mind. Thinking about the vows Lulu had said earlier, he knew that this was a moment that would be just his. Closing his eyes, he finally allowed himself to succumb to the exhaustion wracking his body.

"Look at them," Emily whispered to Lucky as she cuddled closer to him, nodding toward Lu and Dillon. His arm was slung across the back of her leather seat absently, her legs thrown across his lazily. They were the only ones not sleeping, whispering back and forth about nothing in particular. The romance of the night wasn't lost on either of them, a familiar pang stirring in Emily's stomach. "Do you think we look that happy?"

"Happier," he assured her. "We could have gotten married you know?" She smiled at him, knowing that he was right but glad that they hadn't. A Vegas marriage on the fly wasn't her style. She was too much of a traditionalist, preferring the long white dress and decked out cathedral to an Elvis impersonator and neon lights. Still, it had been the right thing for Dillon and Lulu, and because of that, it was beautiful in its own way.

"We'll be landing in twenty minutes. Please return your seats to the upright position as we prepare for dissent," the pilot announced over the speaker, stirring Elizabeth and Nikolas from their peaceful slumber.

Elizabeth had been the first to fall asleep, her hands resting on her very rounded stomach. Nikolas was next to her, his hand lying on top of hers. He had watched her fall asleep, a favorite hobby of his these days. Before taking a nap of his own, he had called to check on the boys. Gone less than 12 hours, he couldn't believe how much he missed Cam and Spencer. Now, as his gaze fell asleep on a sleepy Liz, he was suddenly so anxious to see them. It would be a few more hours, at least until the session was over.

"Cameron and Spencer are doing fine," he whispered to Elizabeth as she stretched, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I asked Alfred to send them in a car with Audrey to the hospital to meet us. I figured you'd want to see them as soon as possible, and we can take your grandmother out for lunch to tell her thank you for all that she has done for us over the past month."

"You're right, I can't wait to see our boys," she smiled. "Ouch."

"What's wrong?"

"The baby is kicking," she smiled, rubbing her fingers over her skin. His hand flew to meet hers, enjoying the gentle pushing against her womb. The kicks became more frequent, more insistent at their touch. "I think he knows we're here."

Lucky reached over and grabbed Lulu's foot, yanking it gently to wake her up. "We're about to land," he told her. "You need to buckle up."

Wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she couldn't help but smile to herself as she reached for her brother's hand and squeezed it. "I'm married, and you're still telling me what to do," she giggled. "And I love you for it."

He looked at her knowingly. "I know you're scared, but you can do this, Lu. Nothing can hurt you in there. It's just us, just like it's always been. If you feel yourself slipping away, you just look at Dillon or me; I promise we will bring you back."

"We'll always bring you back," Dillon promised beside her. "We're going to get you through this. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

"Well, if you're offering, then you can be the one to tell our parents," she grinned, satisfied to have pushed that off on him. "I have enough to deal with. I don't know that I can put myself through this."

"Don't use this as a crutch," Dillon teased. "Are there going to be cars waiting to take us to the hospital?"

Nikolas nodded. "I called my driver and sent a limo."

"I called the mansion to make sure that Tracey and Luke know the appointment time," Emily added. "Alice is in charge of making sure that they get there on time. Jason said that he and Carly would meet us at GH."

"Jason's coming too?" Elizabeth asked hesitantly.

"Carly means a lot to Lulu," Lucky replied. "Lulu asked that they both be there. Aunt Bobbie is going to bring Lucas. The entire Spencer clan is going to be in attendance."

"Not everyone," Lulu mumbled, earning a sad look from both her brothers. The entire plane knew who was missing, something that would forever be obvious in their lives. "But that's neither here nor there. I need to focus on what is here, what I do have to live for. I have a husband now, and I have an amazing family. I'm in a good place now."

A half-hour later, the five of them sat in a row facing an empty chair, all waiting anxiously for the rest of their counterparts. Lulu had been whisked away to a private room by Lainey. She would come in to talk to the family before bringing her in to join them. Dillon had been against it at first, worried that she would scare herself the longer that she was alone. Promising that she would be fine, Lulu couldn't admit that he was probably more right than he would ever know.

Finally, a few minutes late, Luke came ambling in, a quiet Tracey a few steps behind. Neither of them said a word as they slipped in next to Lucky, nervous smiles shared between father and son. Dillon moved from his chair next to Liz to the seat next to his mother. Uncharacteristically, she reached for her son's hand. She wanted him to know that she was there for him, even if his words couldn't tell him as such. As he clung to his mother like a young boy, he was glad that he had slipped his ring off his hand and into his pocket.

"Sorry we're late," Carly apologized as she led Jason into the room. Bobbie and Lucas were behind them. Taking charge of the room with a power that only the blonde could possess, she fell into an empty seat, pulling Jason down after her.

"Thanks for coming," Lucky said, leaning across Emily to thank his cousins and aunt. "It means a lot to me, and I know that it certainly means a lot to my sister."

Looking at his sister affectionately, Luke smiled wryly. "Thanks, Barbara Jean," were the only words he could manage, enough to express the sentiment consuming his exuberant heart. Without his sister there, there was no telling what he would do. His gut reaction was always to run, but the vivacious redhead had always been able to get to him when no one else could.

Lainey pushed the door open with her hip, balancing a cup of coffee and a clipboard in her hands. "I'll make this short. I don't want to keep Lulu waiting for too long," she announced. "The more she waits, the more nervous she will become. Stress isn't good for her right now."

"I have a series of five questions that I would like the family to ask her. These questions were carefully selected after weeks of talking with Lulu and then Dillon," she explained, handing out the leaflets. "I have assigned five of you with questions. Lucky, Nikolas, Luke, Dillon and Carly – you are the people Lulu identified herself as feeling closest too. It is for that reason that I think she will be able to communicate with you the best. If, at any point, I feel like she is in danger, I will remove her from the room immediately. Dillon, I will then need you to follow me back to my office. I may not be able to get her back as easily as you seem to be able to reach her."

He nodded with understanding. "Whatever Lulu needs, I can do."

"Great," she smiled, "I'm going to get her now. I want this to be as casual as any normal conversation you would have with her. She's probably going to have trouble answering these questions. They're not easy by any means. In fact, you may have a hard time even asking them. However, trust me when I say, I truly believe that Lulu can handle them.

"Oh, wow," Lulu mumbled as she was led into the room. Perching on the end of her chair, she looked at her family nervously. "I wasn't prepared to see you all together like this. I guess I didn't really think about it."

"We're all here because we love you," Lucky reminded her. "We can stop this at any time, but you need to try to do this."

"I know," she relented. "I'll be better once we start this."

"That's a good idea, Gumdrop," Luke told her. "Why don't you start, Nikolas?"

Moving his chair closer to his little sister, Nikolas glanced at the paper before shoving it in his pocket. Reaching for his hand, he smiled up at her reassuringly, giving her all the emotional support he had in that moment. "What happens when you go inside your head? What do you see? Are you alone?"

She shook her head faintly. "I'm never alone. Each time is different, though there are some constants. I always know someone that is there, usually one of you guys. I don't know what brings it on," she confessed, staring into his eyes. "I'm not scared inside my mind. I feel safe. I see all these things that I like, hear the songs that I love. It's like nothing bad could ever happen there. It's almost like a dream, actually. I don't know any other way to describe it."

"Is Mom there?"

"Sometimes," she answered. "She was there a lot more right after the hostage situation. I think that was the time that I wanted to see her most, maybe even needed her the most…" Her voice trailed off as she felt her mind go slightly fuzzy. A heaviness pressed against her chest as everything around her became darker. She could hear Nikolas calling out to her distantly, and she tried to say something back. It wasn't until Dillon cupped her cheek that she could react. "She was just there."

"You did a good job, Lu," Dillon declared, allowing her to press her face into his shirt. She wrapped her arms around his torso to pull herself as close as possible. "Are you ready to go again?"

"Okay," she drawled. "Who's up next?"

Carly held up her hand as she made her way toward the chair vacated by Nikolas. Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the question assigned to her. "I know the emptiness that you've described time and time again, Lulu. What do you think it's going to take to fill that void in your heart?"

The answer was simple, undoubtedly her biggest regret in life. Her eyes darted around the room, falling upon Lucky and then Dillon. Shifting her gaze back to Carly, she bit her lip as she made her hardest confession to date. Wrapping her arms around her stomach protectively, she missed what was no longer there. Her cousin simply nodded at her, not needing any other explanation. Still, she needed to say it out loud. She needed to admit that there was an empty place that would never be filled by anyone else. "My baby."