Chapter 6 – Comfortable

"Spinelli, hurry up," Lucky demanded.

He and Nikolas had found Spinelli and issued him the task of finding Lulu. They had been sitting in Lucky's living room for over an hour and Spinelli still couldn't track her. Lucky was pacing and yelling at Spinelli and Nikolas was sitting calmly and trying to remember anything Lulu had ever told him that might be a clue as to where she was.

"Spinelli, you have to have something," Lucky begged.

"The Jackal has found the route the Blonde One took," Spinelli replied.

"Well where is she?" Nikolas wondered.

"The Jackal will be unable to provide the results that are sought," Spinelli answered. "Fair Lulu headed to the dangerous woods near the Overlook. Even the Assassin of the Internet can not penetrate the density to find the Blonde One."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Lucky questioned. "Comb the woods for hours to see if there is a chance she is still there?"

"The Jackal feels it is likely the Blonde One did not escape the Ferocious Forrest before the torrential downpour of the evening," Spinelli explained. "Perhaps he can search the nearest highways for information regarding those who have entered the woods most recently."

"Do that, Spinelli," Nikolas said softly.

Spinelli found footage of every highway that surrounded the woods. He watched hours of footage as cars drove by and did not stop or turn off. Finally, he watched a yellow car head into the woods. He froze the frame and wrote down the license plate. He continued to watch the film to wait for the exit of the yellow car, but it never came. However, a black sedan entered the woods and Spinelli retrieved the license plate number from it as well. After he finished with all of the footage, Spinelli traced the two cars and his results worried him.

"Both of the mysterious vehicles are most suspiciously registered to the Enemy Evildoers," Spinelli informed Nikolas and Lucky.

"English, Spinelli," Lucky said, annoyed.

"The infamous Zacchara family," Spinelli explained.

"The Zaccharas?" Lucky asked angrily. "What would they be doing so close to Port Charles?"

"Perhaps they sought to use the Blonde One as leverage against Mr. Sir," Spinelli suggested.

"I don't think they went looking for Lulu," Nikolas interjected. "But if they found her, she is in danger."

"Do you think they kidnapped her?" Lucky wondered.

"I think it is a definite possibility," Nikolas nodded.

"So what do we do?" Lucky questioned.

"We go to the woods," Nikolas answered. "And hope for the best."

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Lulu didn't know what had come over her. All of her reservations about relationships didn't seem to apply when it came to Johnny. She trusted him with her life in a matter of seconds and now she felt like she could trust him with her body. When she kissed him, it felt so natural. Like his lips had been made to caress hers. He had pulled back briefly and that had been her chance. If she was going to stop, that is when she should have done it. But she didn't.

She kissed him again and this time they hadn't stopped. Her hands were in his hair and his roamed her back holding her close. She wanted him and she could feel that he wanted her too. It was in the way his tongue moved with hers so passionately. The way he trailed his fingers over the exposed skin on her back. She ran her hands down his chest and around his back to the hem of his shirt. She broke her lips from his to kiss his neck.

"Lulu," Johnny breathed and Lulu tried to inch his shirt up his body.

Johnny suddenly pushed her off of him and climbed out of the sleeping bag. Lulu had obviously misread his actions and she felt so embarrassed and stupid for thinking someone as wonderful as Johnny would ever want her. She sat still in the sleeping bag and watched Johnny, who had his back to her. Lulu rolled in the sleeping bag to face away from him and closed her eyes tightly to keep the tears from falling.

She heard Johnny call her name, but Lulu didn't answer. She was deep in thought. Her mind trying to single in on the reason no one found her good enough. Starting with her father who hadn't found her worth staying for and the pattern had continued. Logan had wanted someone else all along and now Johnny was turning her away. She was broken from her thoughts as she felt Johnny enter the sleeping bag and place his arm around her.

"I'm really sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I know you don't understand and I don't know how to explain it to you."

"Don't apologize," Lulu replied, moving his arm. "It's not hard to understand. I shouldn't have thrown myself at you like that."

"Lulu, I didn't pull away because I don't want you," Johnny said, trying to get her to face him. "Will you look at me please?"

"What?" Lulu asked rolling onto her back and looking up at him.

"I want you, Lulu," Johnny admitted. "More than I've ever wanted someone. But I know that one night isn't enough. Especially not in these circumstances. I'm not a saint and I won't lie to you and say that I never have sex with girls the first night I meet them. I have done that on several occasions, but I refuse to do it with you. I don't know what's going to happen when we leave this tent. I don't know if we'll ever see each other again. I do know that if I ever get the chance to make love to you that's what I want it to be. Not some one night stand or someone you regret. You are different from anyone I've ever known and I want to treat you different. Please say you understand."

Lulu looked into his eyes and she knew he was telling the truth. She already cared about Johnny in a way that she never would have expected and he felt the same for her. She wanted more than one night with him, too. The only difference between them was he had more self-control. Lulu smiled and brought her hand to his face. He leaned his head into her touch and smiled.

"I do understand," Lulu replied. "And you're right, it wouldn't be right to sleep together now. But you are wrong about one thing."

"What's that?" Johnny wondered.

"We'll see each other again," Lulu said with a smile. "If I remember right, someone promised to give me their number."

"You still want my number?" Johnny questioned.

"Yes," Lulu nodded. "And one more thing."

"Anything," Johnny responded.

"Can you hold me again?" she asked.

"With pleasure," Johnny answered.

Johnny moved to get situated and Lulu curled into him once again. He immediately began running his hand up and down her arm and she relaxed. It was amazing how she could lay in the arms of a virtual stranger and feel so comfortable. Of course, Johnny wasn't really a stranger. She may not have known what his last name was or what his parents looked like or even what town he grew up in, but she knew him.

From spending a few hours together in a tent, she knew that he preferred the smell of onions to cantaloupe. That his favorite meal was his mom's spaghetti. That he would rather be alone in the woods than in his house with his family because he felt closer to his mom outdoors. Lulu knew that Johnny was a good, honest man and she knew he would protect her with his life if it came to it. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

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Johnny felt so comfortable. Lulu had fallen asleep in his arms and she was smiling in her sleep. He knew he had done the right thing by pulling away, but it hadn't been easy. Kissing Lulu was the most amazing feeling and he could only imagine how it would feel to be with her.

He continued to watch her sleep and he let himself dream. Dream about what it would be like to hold her like this every night. What it would be like to wake up to her smile. To get to know every detail about her and to kiss her. He wanted to be able to kiss her whenever he felt like it. He just wanted to be with her for as long as he could. A part of him felt ridiculous for feeling that way about someone he barely knew, but a bigger part of him knew he did know Lulu. Maybe not some of the things that most people would see as important like her age or her birthday.

But he knew that she could pick any lock she wanted to. That she liked to watch the sunset because it reminded her that there was always a new day coming and that she could start over when it came. That her favorite day of the week was Monday because everyone else hated it. He also knew that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on and that he would remember this day for the rest of his life as the day he changed for the better. He felt sleep coming and he pressed a light kiss to her hair and then rested his head against hers and closed his eyes.