A/N: This chapter is SO incredibly late, I know… I've just been super busy with school and then I had writer's block like nothing that I've ever experienced before. Wow, so this is the last chapter (story-wise, of course) of Broken Vow! I'd been going back and forth with the ending of this story and I finally decided to merge the last two chapters into this installment and I think that it works better this way and another plus (for you guys) is that this chapter is MASSIVE :) So, after this chapter is the epilogue which ties up some loose ends and puts the proverbial bow on top :) Happy reading and don't forget to leave a comment!!

Chapter 12 – Back at Your Door

Sleep eluded Johnny that night.

When he closed his eyes, all he could see was the life that he should've had with Lulu, tormenting him. So he opted to stay awake because at least he wouldn't want to launch himself off his balcony in agony of what wouldn't and couldn't happen. He watched the fan above his head spin slowly until the sun broke on the horizon, coloring the sky with brilliant orange and pinks. With a long sigh, he threw back his covers and rolled out of bed. The staff had come in sometime during dinner the night before and cleaned up the broken shards of the mirror that he broke and replaced it with another antique mirror that he would undoubtedly smash to bits again when he thought of another man holding the woman that he loved.

It would just be the same vicious cycle.

He shrugged on his silk robe and headed downstairs. It was slightly comforting to have the same routine that he had in place before he went to Port Charles. Any sense of normalcy or stability was greatly welcomed. The cook had already assembled an elaborate breakfast spread for him with all of Johnny's favorites: sliced fruit, freshly baked rolls with different types of jam, and a piping hot cup of coffee. He took his seat at the head of the expansive dining table and picked up the newspaper next to his plate and unfolded it.

"Mr. Zacchara?"

Johnny looked up from his reading material at one of the guards who was clutching a cordless phone in his hand.

"Who is it?" Johnny asked.

"It is your sister, Miss Claudia…" the guard replied, holding out the phone to him.

Johnny let out an exasperated sigh and took the phone. Whoever answered the phone clearly didn't do their job since they weren't supposed to give any inkling to anybody about his whereabouts. However, Claudia was very skilled in intimidating people so he couldn't be too harsh on whoever let it slip that Johnny had arrived the night before.

"Yes, Claudia?" Johnny groaned.

"If you weren't in Milan right now, I'd smack you right now!" Claudia screeched.

"Well, good thing I'm in Milan but what did I do to invoke such a violent action?" he drawled, reaching over to grab a large roll from the basket in front of him.

"How could you not tell me that Nikolas held Michael Corinthos' shooting over your head?" she cried and Johnny sighed heavily as he pictured Claudia tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for an answer.

"What would you have done, Claudia? If you had known that Nikolas was the real reason why I didn't marry Lulu, what would you have done?" he asked, spearing a slice of cantaloupe with his fork.

"I wouldn't have married the guy in the first place and then—" she started.

"And then you would've been just as miserable as me." Johnny cut in.

He heard her sigh heavily on the other side of the line, acknowledging the truth in her brother's words. The last thing that he wanted was to have Claudia feel the same kind of pain and regret that was plaguing Johnny's mind at that moment. He wouldn't wish the torment that he was going through on his worst enemy.

"Claudia, listen to me… I have seen you unhappy for most of my life and when I heard that you had gotten together with Nikolas, I wasn't happy but I saw how happy you were and I didn't—I just didn't want to ruin that for you…" he said.

"Well, Nikolas managed to ruin us all on his own when he decided to lie to me about what he did to you…" she said.

"Claudia…" he warned.

"But forget, Nikolas… we're not going to talk about him… what I need you to do is to tell Marco to set up the bedroom in the east wing for me because I'm coming over on a commercial flight tomorrow morning." Claudia prattled off and Johnny shook his head.

"Absolutely not…" he said before popping another slice of fruit into his mouth.

"What? Why not? I can basically handle the divorce or annulment over the phone with a lawyer in Port Charles and then—" she started.

"You're not divorcing Nikolas, Claudia…" he said.

"And why not?" she asked.

"Because you still love him! You can be mad at Nikolas for as long as you think it's necessary to do so but you need to forgive him…" he said.

"How can you, of all people, tell me to forgive Nikolas?" she asked.

He had wasted so much time being angry at himself and at other people for his situation with Lulu. It was always someone else's fault, either Nikolas was the one that had started this whole mess or it was Dillon that was in the way when neither of those mattered. The truth was he should've fought for Lulu like he always had. He had wasted so much time not fighting for her when he could've and she would've been with him right now. She would be sitting across the table from him, laughing as he hand-fed her strawberries. But he had just given up, letting the one thing that he wanted more than anything else in the world to be pulled from his grasp.

"I walked away from Lulu, thinking that it was the right thing to do, and I've regretted it every single day since… and I don't want you to go through the agony that I went through, Claudia…" he said.

There was a long pause between the siblings. Johnny could feel that his words resonated with Claudia, as if she was contemplating what he had just said. She had to know that he didn't tell her about Nikolas' involvement in the whole ordeal because he knew how much she loved him and how devastated she would've been if she found out about it.

"I hate you sometimes…" she sighed and Johnny managed to chuckle.

"Only when you know that I'm right…" he laughed.

"Speaking of Lulu…" she started.

"Don't, Claudia… just don't…" he whispered.

The last thing that he wanted was to hear about Lulu's marriage to Dillon. He would rather be the target of a firing squad than to hear the words that the woman that he loved was someone else's wife. The thought of it made him nauseous. Picturing Dillon's hands all over her, whispering in her ear, and hearing her tell him how much she loved him was like being punched in the stomach repeatedly.

"But John… she didn't marry Dillon." Claudia said.

But that was something that he didn't expect to hear.

"What?" he managed to squeak out.

"That's why I was trying to tell you last night but you wouldn't answer your phone!" she cried.

"Lulu didn't—she didn't marry Dillon?" he asked, still in disbelief about what his sister had admitted.

"No, she didn't, John…" she reiterated.

"I—I have to go…" he stammered.

His hands were shaking as he hung up the receiver. His mind was in a blur, trying to comprehend what his sister had just told him. Lulu hadn't married Dillon like he thought that she did. His breath quickly became shallower as Claudia's words echoed in his mind. He looked down at his plate and shoved it aside, letting a few of its contents fall to the floor. How could he even think about eating at a time like this?

She didn't marry Dillon.

That changed everything.

"Delivery for you, Ms. Spencer!"

Setting down her magazine, Lulu went to the door of her suite at the MetroCourt. She pressed her fingertips to her temple as she opened the door. She was greeted with five large moving boxes and two three smiling members of the concierge. She let the three men inside and thanked them for delivering the rest of her stuff from the apartment. Turning around to face her boxes, Lulu sighed heavily.

Back to square one.

Perhaps she would call Carly in the morning to help her find a new apartment because she couldn't afford to live in the one that she and Dillon shared on her pay from Crimson. Of course Carly would insist that she could stay at the MetroCourt for as long as she wanted or needed but she needed to stop depending on others and start making her own way in the world. She took one of the lighter boxes, most likely filled with clothing, and she broke the seal on top. Once she pulled back the flaps on the brown box, she gasped.

It was her wedding dress.

The very same one that she had packed away, hopeful that she would never see it again. She took out the garment bag and unzipped it slowly, revealing the dress. It was still as beautiful as she remembered. It wasn't gilded like all of those wedding dresses that she saw in the bridal magazines that Dillon bought her in preparation for their wedding but it was simple and beautiful. Her mind began losing itself in those positive memories that she had in that dress, twirling around in her bedroom, anxiously anticipating the moment when she would become Mrs. John Zacchara.

"Lulu! Open up! I need to talk to you!"

Lulu jolted out of her daydreams, failing to hear the knocking from the other side of the door. Setting the dress down on her bed, she went to the door and opened it, revealing her possibly soon to be ex sister-in-law.

"I found Johnny…" Claudia said and Lulu's eyes widened.

"You found him? Where?" Lulu asked.

"He's in Milan… at the villa…" Claudia said.

Claudia strode into the room and Lulu whirled around on her. Did she just hear her correctly? Claudia actually knew where Johnny was? Lulu let out a sigh of relief, as if her prayers had been answered, and went to her sister-in-law beseechingly.

"Claudia… please, will you take me to the airport? I've never asked you for anything and if you do this for me, I will never ask you for anything ever again." Lulu begged.

She was desperate. Lulu knew that Johnny was in Milan, completely broken and emotionally devastated and she was the only one who could fix it. She wanted to fly to be with him and to tell him that he was right about everything. She wanted to feel his arms envelop her and hold her close as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him. She needed to be with him and Claudia knew it. She could see the pity in Claudia's eyes as she looked at her.

"I'm going to Milan to be with Johnny anyway so I'll take you to the villa myself… but under one condition." Claudia insisted.

"What?" Lulu asked.

"You have to talk to Nikolas before you leave…" Claudia said.

Lulu rolled her eyes and huffed. Her brother was the one who had brought this mess upon her and Johnny in the first place. There was no way that she was going to listen to anything that he had to say and Claudia should've been the last person to stick up for Nikolas.

"Why should I have to hear what he has to say? And why are you advocating for him?" Lulu asked, folding her arms across her waist.

"Regardless of what he's done, Nikolas loves you… you're his little sister. I'm not asking you to forgive him on the spot… but just talk to him, Lulu." Claudia said.

"Nikolas loves you too, Claudia… you two planned a life together… you, Nikolas and Spencer were going to be a family…" Lulu said.

Claudia folded her arms across her chest and pouted, irritated that Lulu would bring up her own situation regarding Nikolas. However, if she was going to make Lulu talk to Nikolas, there was no reason for Claudia not to do the same.

"What's your point?" Claudia asked.

"If you're making me talk to Nikolas, you have to as well…" Lulu said and Claudia let out an exasperated sigh.

"No wonder you and Johnny work… you're both so incredibly stubborn. Come on, let's go…" Claudia grumbled.

"Oh! Miss Claudia! You're back! I'm so glad to see you! And you brought along Miss Lulu as well!"

Alfred was uncharacteristically ecstatic to see the two women and he quickly ushered them inside. Wyndamere looked even gloomier than usual. Perhaps it reflected the state of mind of its owner. Most of the large windows were covered with the thick drapes, causing the hallways to require the dim lights from the chandeliers above their heads.

"Is he here?" Claudia asked and the butler nodded somberly.

"He hasn't left the house since you left…" he said.

Lulu looked at Claudia and she could see that she was distraught at the prospect of her husband hurting. No matter how angry Claudia was at Nikolas, she still loved that man so much and it still hurt her to see or hear that he was hurting. Claudia's eyes met Lulu's and she quickly tried to cover up her concern and plaster a look of indifference on her face.

"Where is he?" Lulu asked.

"He just put Spencer down for a nap so he may be in the study, catching up on some work." Alfred replied.

Lulu thanked Alfred before taking off down the long corridor. Claudia was behind her as they walked right into the study. Just as Alfred had said, Nikolas was sitting at his desk, pouring over paperwork from Cassadine Industries. He looked up from his desk and his eyes widened at the sight of the two women that he had betrayed.

"Well, this is a surprise…" he exhaled, rising to his feet.

"Is this a bad time?" Claudia asked and Nikolas vehemently shook his head.

"No! Of course not… you don't need an excuse to come see me, Claudia… same goes for you too, Lulu…" he insisted.

He pushed his chair back and began to walk towards the two of them. He hesitated for a moment, coming towards them apprehensively, not knowing when to stop because the last thing that he wanted to do was to scare them off. He was clearly not expecting to see either of them and he didn't want to screw his chances up for a reconciliation.

"I can't—I can't stay for long, Nikolas…" Lulu started.

"I understand…" he said, nodding.

"I just—I just needed to clear the air between us… before I left." Lulu said.

"Of course… you can—you can tell me anything, Lulu…" he said.

She swallowed hard as she thought about what she needed to say to her brother. There were so many things that she needed to tell him. He needed to know how his choices completely derailed his entire life and how he had no right to do so. She was angry and sad and confused. A part of her still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that her own brother, the brother that would give his life for her, had done something to destroy her own life.

"What you did was inexcusable…" Lulu started.

"And completely unforgivable…" Claudia interjected.

"I never ever meant to hurt you… either of you… Claudia, you're—you're the love of my life. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I know that I've lied and kept secrets in the past but never once did I lie about how much I love you and how much I need you in my life." he said.

Lulu saw the tears form in Claudia's eyes at his overture. The love that Nikolas had for Claudia was evident in the emotional tone in his voice and in his eyes. It was as clear as day how much he loved her. He reached out and threaded his fingers through the ends of Claudia's hair and she closed her eyes at his touch. He was definitely getting to Claudia. Nikolas then turned around to face Lulu and sighed heavily.

"Lulu, you're my sister… my only sister and I love you. All I want for you is to be happy and at the time, I thought that I was protecting you but I now know that I was wrong to keep you and Johnny apart… and I'll say that I'm sorry for as long as it takes for you to believe me…" Nikolas said.

"I know that you're sorry… I'm just—I just can't forget what you've done, Nikolas." Lulu said.

"I know and I don't expect you to… but you did tell me that love allows people to forgive so whenever you do decide to forgive me, I'll be right here, waiting…" he said.

He seemed to be sincere and willing to give her the time and the space that she needed in order to forgive him. Even though she was furious with him for what he had done to break her and Johnny up, he was still her brother and that would never change. But there was a more pressing matter at hand and he was sitting on the other side of the world.

"I have to go… Johnny's in Milan and I have to go and see him." Lulu said, softly.

"You can take the jet if you'd like… I was planning on taking Spencer to France to visit mom and to give you and Claudia some space but we can take a commercial flight." Nikolas offered.

"Thank you, Nikolas…" Lulu said appreciatively.

Nikolas gave her a small smile and she turned to walk out the door. She had to get to the airport as fast as she could. However, she looked back and saw that Claudia was not following her to the door. She was standing in between Lulu and Nikolas, with her eyes transfixed on her husband, clearly conflicted about her next move.

"Are you coming?" Lulu asked and Claudia, with tears in her eyes, shook her head.

"Give John my best, ok? I—I need to stay here for now…" Claudia said, wiping her eyes.

Lulu nodded and turned around to walk out the door. As she closed the door, she saw Nikolas and Claudia standing close. Her hands were in his and they were talking in hushed voices. She could hear him repeatedly say the words "I'm sorry" over and over again as his voice broke. Instead of shoving him away like Lulu thought that Claudia would, she enveloped him in her arms, gently stroking his dark hair and whispering that they were going to be ok. Lulu felt something inside of her chest warm at the sight of these two people who truly loved each other reconcile. He was truly sorry and she was willing to forgive.

Maybe there was a chance for Johnny to hear her after all.

She didn't marry Dillon.

Claudia's words echoed in Johnny's head. It consumed him for the rest of the day and kept him awake that night. The cynical side of him didn't want him to hope for too much. Just because she didn't marry Dillon that night didn't mean that she wasn't still planning on it. Perhaps she had just decided that the elopement was just too drastic.

But he couldn't help but to hope.

He stared at his half unpacked suitcase, contemplating his next move. A part of him wanted to get on the next flight to Port Charles and see Lulu to figure out where they stood but he had been burned so many times and he knew that one more heartbreak would be the end of him. He groaned and put his head in his hands.

He was truly at a loss.

He was snapped back to life by the sound of his phone starting to ring. Looking down at the small screen, he saw a picture of Claudia, indicating that his sister was calling him. He sighed and pressed his phone up to his ear.

"Yes, Claudia?" he asked.

"You'll be happy to know that I took your advice and made up with Nikolas…" Claudia whispered.

"That's good… but why are you whispering?" he asked.

"Because Nikolas is asleep right next to me…" she giggled and Johnny grimaced.

"Ugh, Claudia… too much information!" he said.

He didn't need to hear the details of his sister's romantic entanglements or her sexual exploits but as long as Claudia was happy, then he was happy. No one deserved it more than Claudia. She had been through so much that it just seemed to be unfair to subject her to even more pain by tearing her and Nikolas apart out of spite.

"Ok, fine… I'll stop… I was just calling to check up on you… it's what sisters do…" she said.

"Thanks… I appreciate the call…" he sighed.

"You sound horrible… is everything ok?" she asked.

"I've just been thinking…" he started.

"About Lulu?" she asked.

He chuckled slightly. She didn't miss a beat.

"Yeah…" he breathed.

"She's not already there?" she asked.

Johnny's brow furrowed. What did she mean by that? Was Lulu supposed to be in Milan? A small part of his heart soared at the idea of Lulu coming to Milan to be with him but he couldn't allow himself to get his hopes up. Just because she had called off the wedding to Dillon didn't mean that she was automatically going to come and be with him.

"What're you talking about?" he asked.

At that moment, he heard the faint rumble of a car engine outside. With the phone still pressed to his ear, he opened the French doors that looked over the front courtyard. A black town car had pulled up to towards the front door and his heart stopped as he saw Lulu climbing out of the car.

She had chosen him.

After all that has happened, she had chosen him.

"Claudia, let—let me call you back…" he stammered.

He didn't even give Claudia a chance to say goodbye because he hung up so fast. He tore out of the room, discarding the handset on his bed. His heart began to race with every single step that he took. He nearly ran over two guards as he ran across the foyer and he threw open the front door. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears and he could feel the tears springing to his eyes. The small suitcase in her hand fell to the ground and she ran to him. He caught her as she flung herself into his arms, holding her so close that he could feel her heart beating as fast as his own.

If this was a dream, he wanted to sleep forever if he could just continue to hold her like this.

They didn't even need to say a single word to each other. Everything that could be said with words, they said with their eyes and with their hands.

With every tear that fell from her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry."

When he pressed his forehead to hers, he said, "I forgive you."

He had waited his whole life for this moment. He had waited for her to come back to him and she had. She pulled his lips down on hers and he responded eagerly. He scooped her up into his arms and the feeling of her in his arms drove his senses mad and he practically kicked the door to his bedroom in. She was never going to leave him again because he wouldn't let her. For as long as he could remember, he had always said that he never needed anyone. He was content on his own because that's how it had always been. But now, as he looked down at this beautiful blond that was in his arms, he knew that he had been so wrong. He needed her like his lungs needed air because that's what she was. She was the one thing that kept him alive, physically and emotionally. Without her, he was completely lost. As soon as he set her down, she began to peel his clothes off and she did the same, leaving a trail of kisses in her wake. And when he finally entered her, she cried out his name and clung to him like a lifeline. Their lovemaking was everything that they were. Passion mixed pain but underneath it all was a true and abiding love that they both knew had always been there and being with each other that day was acknowledging something much bigger.

This was it.

This was forever.

"Are you awake?"

Lulu smiled as Johnny pressed his lips to her forehead. His fingertips were gently threading through tendrils of her blond hair, brushing them out of her face. She could feel the love that was in his heart emanating from every single touch that he left on her body and every word that he softly whispered. It was his love that made her whole again.

And to think that she almost gave this all up.

"I'm awake…" she whispered, tracing the outline of his lips with her index finger.

"I never thought I would get to do this again…" he murmured.

"What?" she asked.

"Hold you…" he said, tilting her chin upward with his fingertips.

His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to him. She could feel his apprehension to trust this as he held her, like he was afraid that she was going to leave him again. Her hands slid up his chest and wrapped around his neck, allowing Johnny to hold her closer. His heartbeat was beginning to calm, accepting that she wasn't going to leave him like she had before.

"I'm not going anywhere, Johnny…" she said.

"I know… and when I saw you getting out of that cab… my heart just stopped and all I could think about was if it was just another dream…" he said.

The tone of his voice was so sad and wistful and Lulu could see two tears roll down his cheeks. She kissed his cheeks ever so softly on the tracks where they had fallen. For as long as she lived, she was going to never make him doubt her love for him. He reached out and touched her face, smoothing over her eyebrows, cheeks, and lips.

"And then I held you in my arms and felt you when we made love… and I knew that this was real and you had finally come back to me…" he whispered.

"After I found out about what Nikolas had done, I just—I just had to find you and make things right…" she said and Johnny gave Lulu a surprised look.

"You know?" he asked.

"Yes… Nikolas told me everything about how—how he made you leave me on the day of our wedding." Lulu said, pressing her forehead to his chest.

He took her hands in his own and kissed them softly, trying to reassure her. She had been so afraid that he was going to leave her again as he did before. The memory of their wedding and the pain that went along with it was still raw, especially when Johnny was near her but she knew that being with him, loving him and having her love returned would be what would heal the wound.

"I never wanted to leave you… I wanted to marry you and to have a life with you more than anything... walking away from that and from you was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do. I just felt like I didn't have a choice and that I would never be able to have you." Johnny whispered.

"I never thought that I would be able to be with you ever again. The first time that you left completely destroyed me inside and when I went to Crimson Pointe to find you but you weren't—you weren't there, I nearly died… being without you is not an option. I have you now and you have me… and it's going to stay that way for the rest of our lives…" she said.

His lips crashed down onto hers and she held his face in her hands as they kissed. His tongue greedily invaded her mouth, making her tremble out of sheer want, and when he pulled away, they were both gasping. His eyes were dark when he looked at her, saying that he wanted to have his way with her again, and he cupped her face in his hands.

"I love you, Lulu… I love you so much and I'm never going to walk out of you ever again…" he said and Lulu smiled, running her fingers through his hair.

"After everything that's happened between us… the lies that Nikolas told, you leaving and then coming back into my life, me pushing you away… after all of that, I love you still…" she said.

His eyes widened and softened and it dawned on her that it had been the first time in two years that he had heard her say that she loved him.

"I never realized how much I missed hearing those words come from you…" he said, smirking.

"Well, get used to hearing them because I'm going to keep saying them until the day that I die… I love you, Johnny Zacchara… I love you so much…" she whispered.

She almost didn't get that last 'I love you' out because Johnny had pulled her on top of him and kissed her so fiercely that she could barely even think straight. She realized that she had to lose him in order to figure out how much she really loved him and needed him. This entire ordeal had been a test. They had been young and foolish once upon a time, thinking that they could just be married and have a picturesque life but that's not how it worked. She realized that loving someone was about fighting for them, through the good and the bad, and that's what he had done for her. She and Johnny had been through hell and back and she knew that this time they would be stronger than ever.