Chapter 7

When Laura opened her eyes, she couldn't recognize where she was at. She didn't know if she was near Ice Princess Island or if Valentine had her shipped somewhere. It was dark and misty. It was similar to being in a cave. She could hear a waterfall near her. Her hair was becoming damp and her body was soaked with sweat. When Laura attempted to look at her watch, she noticed that she was strapped to a chair with wires all around her. She began to pull and tug at the wires, but quickly stopped. She became afraid that if she pulled two hard that it could trigger something that would kill her. "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Help! Someone help! I'm tied to a chair with electrical wires on me and around me! Please! There are wires ready to electrocute me! I need help! I'll do anything! Someone please, help me! Valentine! Your own daughter is my granddaughter! You don't want to kill her beloved grandmother! I don't want to die! Please! Luke! Robert! Jean Claude! Anyone!", Laura yelled out with tears forming in her eyes.

Laura remained screaming for help until her throat began to become sore. Laura realized that she was probably well hidden and no one would find her. She was either going to die in here due to malnutrition or something due to these wires. She was going to die at the hands of a Cassadine. "Helena Cassadine cursed and tortured me for decades. It's only fitting that a Cassadine takes me down. But, I don't want to die in here. I have too much I still need to live for. I just got married to Kevin. Oh, Kevin. Kevin, if you could hear me I would tell you that you are the greatest gift I could have ever received. You have brightened up my life in so many ways. You love me and accept my past decisions without judgement. You allow me to be me and you don't want to change me. When I lost Nikolas, I didn't think I would be able to live again, but there you were. Holding my hand and loving me until my days weren't so dark anymore. Thank you for stepping up for Spencer. You will do an excellent job raising him. I believe in you", Laura said to herself with tears rolling down her face.

"While I'm at it, LuLu, if you could hear me I would tell you how strong and wonderful you are. You have gone through so much and still came out strong. You are the best qualities of your father and me incarnate. You are not only my daughter, but my best friend. I love you more than you will ever know. I would want you to know that you were loved from the moment I found out I was pregnant. I know your father and I weren't present enough in your primitive years, but you were always wanted and loved. You are an excellent mother. Never doubt yourself. You will always be my little, Lesley Lu."

Laura continued her goodbyes by saying, "Lucky. Oh, my Lucas Lorenzo Jr., what can I say about you that I haven't said before? You have taught me so much. Every day I learned something new because you were my son. You taught me what unconditional love really was. I know we had rough spots, but we needed them. We probably had a too perfect relationship for the universe to allow. Mother son relationships shouldn't be perfect all the time. But, you will always be my little boy who had Al the spider, Foster, and sold ant farms with Emily Quartermaine and Sly. You are not your father. You are your own self. You are better than your father and I ever could be. I will love you forever".

Laura said her goodbyes out loud to everyone who has touched her heart like Spencer, Luke, Robert, Bobbie, her other grandchildren, her mom, and even Tracy. Laura's gut told her that she was going to die here. Her brain told her that no one can hear her from where she is at. She knows Valentine put her here for that exact reason. He didn't want anyone to find her. He wants her dead. He's wanted her dead from the moment on Cassadine Island when he almost shot her. Laura doesn't really understand what Valentine has against her, other than being a Spencer. She understood why Helena, Stavros, and Stefan hated her. She played a part in Mikkos's demise, left Stavros numerous times even though he never had a claim to her, and broke Stefan's heart. They all had viable reasons to want her dead, but Valentine's hatred is a mystery. She only knew he existed because Helena told Luke that he was the only Cassadine she was afraid of. She was going to die at the hands of a Cassadine. How fitting.

But, something in her heart told her to keep believing that someone was going to find her down here. Laura has always had the inner turmoil of choosing her heart or her mind. Laura began reminiscing of the ending of her and Scotty's marriage and when she and Luke began a relationship. When she was young and naïve, her brain told her to remain married to Scotty. He was the golden boy. The law school boy who had come to her rescue before Luke was even in the picture. Then, there was her heart nagging at her to choose Luke. The man who made her heart skip a beat since the first day she met him. Their relationship was very complex, with many different puzzle pieces to put together to understand it. But, he would and did move heaven and earth for her. He made her feel wanted and loved. So, she followed her heart. Yes, Laura realizes that her relationship with Luke didn't last forever, but it gave her more than she could have ever imagined. They had two beautiful children together and shared a life that had its amazing moments. She wouldn't change a single thing about their good days and even some of their bad. It made her into the person she is today.

Laura knew the only way she could survive being trapped was to trust in her heart. She had to believe in her heart or she would drive herself crazy. Someone was going to find her and save her. Laura ceased her crying and took a deep breath. "Come on, Laura. Just trust your heart. Someone will find you. You'll be fine. You'll make it out of here alive. You'll go home to Port Charles, hug Kevin like there is no tomorrow, hold on to LuLu for hours upon end, visit the grandchildren and watch them play, and skype Spencer and tell him you love him one million times. Everything will be fine. Trust Luke. Trust Robert. They know what to do. They'll figure it out. It's going to be okay", Laura said while trying to raise her spirits.

While Laura was attempting to keep her spirits up, Luke was trying keep his spirits up while solving Valentine's impossible riddle to Laura's location.

After Luke dashed out of the control room, he began to think what Valentine's clue meant. Somewhere near and far. "What the fuck could this bastard mean? Laura is somewhere near and far. That makes absolutely no sense. I've dealt with the Cassadines for years and once they explained their madness, most of the time it made sense. This makes no sense! Where can she be? Laura! Laura!", Luke exclaimed as he ran through the building.

Luke remained yelling out Laura's name as he ran around the building. Luke checked every room, under furniture for open floor boards to lead somewhere. He touched every wall to see if the wall would open to a secret passage way. Luke came up with nothing. He hated to admit it, but he was getting too old for this. He craved adventure, but having Laura's life on the line was never worth it. She never asked for this kind of life. She finally found herself a good man, who gives her everything she wants and needs. She shouldn't be trapped in these kind of situations anymore.

Luke exited the building and sat on one of the boulders outside the building. "Think Luke. Think. Where is somewhere both near and far? It has to be near here because Cassadine called Robert and I in the room not too long after he called Laura in. He couldn't have taken her far away. She has to be on this God forsaken island. But where? And where does the far clue come into play? This island isn't that large. We've only been on here twice and I don't think it has changed in forty or twenty years. Wait! That's it! She's both near and far. Near meaning she's still on the island and far meaning she's somewhere on the island where we were forty years ago! Come on, Spencer! Think! We were already in the control room and she wasn't there. I checked every room. I checked Mikkos' old room where Laura slept after defeating him all those years ago and she wasn't there. Where else plays a part in our history on this island?", Luke spoke out loud.

Luke sat and thought about where Laura could be for a few minutes. He was so close to figuring out Laura's location. He could save her and they could help Robert take down Valentine. It's time these evil Cassadines are put away for good. Luke knows that it is up to the three of them to rid the world of the evil, demented Cassadines. They did it before and they will do it again. All Luke has to do is find Laura. "Where on this horrific island is a part of our history? Where on this island is special to us? Laura was sick half of the time we were here the first time. She built a hut next to the waterfall. The waterfall! She's at the waterfall!", Luke said as he jumped off the boulder and started running.

Luke couldn't believe it. He practically figured out Valentine's clue in a few hours. He was going to save Laura and they were going to rush back to help Robert destroy Valentine. They were going to survive this man's torment and go home to their families. This man put their families in an unsurmountable amount of pain by making them believe they were dead. Luke began to think about Lucky and LuLu and how they were coping. Lucky was probably in shock and roaming around a foreign country clearing his head. He assumes LuLu is absolutely heartbroken. All his little girl ever wanted was for him to be a present father and for her mother to be healthy and living in Port Charles. Luke realizes he will never be as present as he should, but he shows up when it matters. And LuLu finally got her mother back and living in Port Charles. Valentine took so much from his kids already, he wasn't going to take him and Laura from them as well.

Luke arrived at the waterfall, but he didn't see Laura anywhere. "She has to be here. I know she's here. Think. Luke. Think. Laura! Laura, it's Luke! Can you hear me? Please answer me! Angel! Come on! Are you anywhere around here? Make some kind of noise!", yelled Luke.

Luke continuously screamed for Laura. He knew she was near here; he just didn't know where. He dug multiple holes in the sand to see if there was anything buried, but nothing. All he got was sand. Luke knew she had to be here. The waterfall was where they built their hut and where he and Robert nursed Laura back to health. "Please. I don't really believe in God, but I know there is something out there that controls this wacky universe. Please. Big guy upstairs. If you can hear me, please give me a sign that points to where Laura is. I need to find her. I need to bring her back to her family. They need her. She is so important to so many people. She deserves to live for many more years. Just give me a sign. For Laura", Luke prayed out loud.

Luke looked around the premises and couldn't find anything that would lead to anywhere Laura could be. He attempted climbing one of the trees, but his age was holding him back a bit. He wasn't leaving this area. His gut was telling him she was near here. She had to be near the water fall. "That's it! She's not near the waterfall. She's in the waterfall! I have to go under the waterfall. There's probably some type of cave opening that leads me to Laura! Angel, I'm coming for you!", Luke exclaimed.

Luke hopped into the water and began walking towards the waterfall before he had to start swimming. He swam right in front of the waterfall wondering how he was going to get through the pressure and amount of water falling above him. He knew it was dangerous, but who is Lucas Lorenzo Spencer without danger? Luke knew he would do anything for Laura, even risk his own life. "Here goes nothing!", Luke said before taking a breath and swimming through the pressure of the water falling above him. Luke pushed through the pain and danger and made it through the waterfall.

When he got to the other side of the waterfall, he saw a cave opening. He swam to the ledge and hopped up onto it. His clothes were soaked and he lost a shoe in the process, but he didn't care. He was on the hunt for Laura. When he reached the cave's entrance, he noticed a pin pad to enter a code to open up the door inside the cave. "Dammit! What the hell? I'm so close! What's the pin to open the door?!", Luke said. "Let me try… 1981. The year of the original Ice Princess. Nope. Denied. Umm. He's married to a woman named Nina. So, 6464. Nope. Denied again. Think. Think. Charlotte was born in 2009. So, 2009. Nope. What could it be? Laura said this guy loves mind games. What code could be a mind game for me? He had to know I would be the one to search for Laura. This code is about something that has tortured me for years. I got it! Rape. He wants me to think about that horrible moment in mine and Laura's past. It has to be it! 7273. Accepted!", Luke said.

The door opened and Luke ran into the dark cave yelling out for Laura.