"Lucas!" Jack yelled pushing open the door to the garage while Livvie searched the back yard. "I can't find him anywhere." Livvie hurried back into the house. "He couldn't have gotten too far!" Jack assured her. "We can take my car!" Livvie said grabbing her keys before they both rushed out the front door; not even bothering with the groceries that Chris had dropped during the fight with Jack.
"I never should have come back here." Jack looked at her as they pulled out of the driveway before shaking his head. "I guess I foiled your plan finding out that I had a son, huh." Jack quipped as Livvie shook her head. "Jack, it's not about you. I am sorry that I did what I did but it's about this place, Jack! You of all people know how easy it'd be for something really bad to happen to him."
Jack nodded; he'd had the same thought but didn't wanna say it. "Livvie; he's gone! He is decaying in a grave somewhere!" Jack's voice was laced with a mix of frustration and worry. The mention of Caleb Morley and the dark history they all shared with the man was a lingering shadow, a reminder of the chaos and danger that had once consumed their lives.
Livvie's expression was one of fear and resolve. "I know, Jack, but what if there's something else? This town, the things we've seen, the things we've been through... I can't help but worry."
Jack nodded in agreement as they pulled out of the neighborhood; but a few blocks away, Lucas walked through the streets of Port Charles, his Soccer Ball under his arm. "Lucas.." a voice called to him, making him stop in front of an old church. "Lucas, help me." The voice called out again as he dropped the soccer ball; making his way towards the voice.
"Hello!" He called out, finding a window, covered in dust and grime. "Hello." He said again as he peered through the window, the interior of the church dark and forbidding. The sense of unease grew stronger as he heard the voice again, now more insistent.
"Lucas... I'm trapped... Please, help me."
Driven by a mix of curiosity and concern, Lucas found an entryway through a broken window, carefully climbing inside. "woahhh." He yelled; falling off the pane and landing on his side before standing back up. "Hello! Where are you?" He yelled out. The church; once a home of light and faith; now stood in darkness and decay. The curtains and pews; once lively were mildewed and tatered.
"I'm in the basement..please, I can't breathe." Lucas hurried down the long aisle; tripping over the buckled ground which had occured after years of wetness and mildew. He groaned before standing up again; looking in the corner of the church where a door appeared, cracked. Lucas pushed it open finding a long staircase into darkness. "Hello!" He yelled again as the voice, once again appeared. "Lucas, please help me! I don't wanna die!" The voice appeared like that of a child as Lucas slowly descended the stairs, clearly afraid but refusing to coward down.
Livvie breaked at a redlight. "When we find him. I don't even know what I am going to say about why I kept the two of you away from each other." Livvie admitted. "How about the truth?" Livvie huffed looking at him. "Jack, I swear. Why are you always so holier-than-thou! I know that I am a piece of shit, I..." LIvvie stopped seeing the Soccer ball in front of..the St Michaels Church. "No." Jack looked over at her with confussion before following her gaze towards the soccer ball.
"Pull in! Pull the fucking car in, Livvie!" Jack demanded, not even waiting for her to turn the car as he jumped out in the middle of the street, rushing over to the church, getting to the front door, tearing at it for a moment before ripping it open; the boards that were holding it closed, flying through the wind.
Jack burst into the church, his heart pounding with a mix of fear and determination. The silence inside was oppressive, the air thick with the scent of decay and old memories. He called out, "Lucas!" his voice echoing through the abandoned aisles.
Livvie followed closely behind, her eyes scanning the dim interior. The sight of the once-sacred place, now a shell of its former self, sent a shiver down her spine. "Lucas, where are you?" she called out, her voice tinged with panic.
The church, with its peeling paint and broken pews, was a place that neither one of them ever wanted to visit ever again; and sure enough; here they were in the most god forbidden place in Port Charles, desperate to find their boy.
Livvie let out a cough as they rushed towards the basement; quickly descending down the long staircase to see Lucas at the ground floor, an axe in his hand. "Lucas, No!" They screamed as he delivers a final blow on the chained gasket; knocking the padlock and chains off as a gust of dust blows open the casket. "Lucas!" Livvie screamed rushing over, shielding him but he'd already seen the remains; and the amulet resting from his neck.
"Oh my god." Jack whispered, his gaze locked onto the amulet dangling from the skeletal remains in the casket. The sight sent a chill down his spine, a dreadful recognition of a past they thought was long buried. He quickly moved towards Lucas and Livvie, his protective instincts kicking in.
Livvie held Lucas close, her eyes wide with shock and fear. "Lucas, we need to get out of here, now," she urged, her voice trembling.
Lucas, still in a state of shock, looked up at his parents, his eyes reflecting the terror of what he had just witnessed. "Mom, Dad, what is this place? What's happening?" His voice was small and confused.
Jack, keeping his voice steady, despite it being the first time Lucas had called him Dad replied, "It's an old church, Lucas. But we can't stay here. We need to leave, right now."
As they turned to leave, Livvie couldn't help but glance back at the casket. The amulet, a haunting reminder of Caleb Morley. "You can't come back, Caleb! I won't allow it! We damned you!" She said. "Livvie, we have to go." Jack called from upstairs and Livvie rushed to meet him.
Once they reached the car, Livvie hurriedly strapped Lucas into the back seat, her mind racing with fear and questions. Jack started the engine, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
"Mom, I don't feel so good," Lucas murmured, his voice weak.
Livvie glanced at Jack before reaching into the backseat; checking him. "Lucas, your burning up." Jack stared back at him through the rearview mirror as he pulled out away from the church; speeding back to the house. Once the car made it into the driveway, Jack rushed out of the driver seat; tearing open the backseat door and carrying Lucas, who was now drenched in sweat towards the front door, tripping over recotta cheese and other groceries still thrown around the front yard.
"Livvie, the door." He urged as she quickly pushed it open; rushing inside behind him, running towards the kitchen to wet a washcloth as Jack laid Lucas on the couch before disappearing into the bathroom and turning on the faucet. "It's okay, baby." Livvie assured him as she laid a washcloth on his forehead and taking a thermometer, placing it under his armpit.
Livvie waited for a moment till the beep sounded and she pulled it loose, checking it. "Jack, the fever isn't breaking." She called out as he made his way out of the bathroom, scooping Lucas up in his arms and carrying him into the bathroom while kicking off his shoes and stepping into the bathtub; water spilling out around them as he settled in with him.
"aowhh" Lucas cried out as Jack shushed him; rocking side by side with him. "It's okay, buddy. It's okay, you are gonna be just fine."
Jack's voice was a calming lullaby against the backdrop of the running water, gentle yet filled with a father's protective love. He held Lucas close, cradling him in the lukewarm water that filled the bathtub. Their clothes clung to them, drenched, but neither father nor son seemed to mind. The moment was about more than just reducing a fever; it was about comfort, connection, and the unspoken promises of a father to his son.
Livvie, witnessing the tender scene, stood silently in the doorway. Her heart ached with a mix of guilt, love, and a profound sense of what could have been. She watched as Jack tenderly scooped water with his hands, letting it trickle over Lucas's head and back. Each gentle splash was a balm to Lucas's discomfort, and slowly, his whimpers subsided into quiet, tired breaths.
Once Lucas' fever broke; Jack eased up out of the bathtub; his socks creating wet footprints all the way towards Lucas' room. "I'm sorry, Livvie." Jack offered as she shooed him along while shaking her head; walking into the bathroom and cutting off the water. "Jack, there should be night clothes in his second drawer."
Livvie called out before laying a handful of towels on the wet bathroom floor before walking into her father's bedroom, grabbing a pair of his shorts and an old tee shirt, peeking into Lucas's room as Jack finished laying him down in his bed with fresh clothes on. "I brought you something dry to wear." She offered towards him
Jack glanced over at her; he wanted to be angry and to a certain degree; he still was but after all that had transpired at the church; he couldn't help but let his expression soften as he took the clothes. "Thank you." She nodded. "You can leave your wet clothes outside the door; I'll wash and dry them." She offered shutting the door and going back into the bathroom and drying the floor.
Once she was done; she carried the towels out, dropping them in a laundry bin as Jack made his way out of Lucas' bedroom with his wet clothes. "How do they fit?" She asked taking the clothes from him. "There fine. They your dads?" He asked as she nodded. "Jack? What the hell was Lucas doing in that church? and I thought you said that Calebs remains were buried!"
Jack paused for a moment, his mind racing with the same questions. "I don't know why Lucas was there. It's like he was drawn to it... or called to it," he said, his voice tinged with unease. "And Caleb... I thought the same. His remains should have been buried. That church, it's been abandoned for years. There's no logical reason for any of this."
Jack pondered for a moment before speaking. "Maybe we should call Lucy. She's been deeply involved in... unusual events around here. She might have some insight, especially about Caleb."
Livvie raised an eyebrow, skeptical. "Lucy? After everything that's happened between us?"
Jack shrugged. "We're not exactly overflowing with options. And this is about Lucas. Whatever's happening, it's bigger than any grudge."
Livvie sighed, the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "Fine; but I can almost guarantee you that it will end in a screaming match." Livvie promised before grabbing her phone, going into her contacts as Jack peered over her shoulder at Lucy's number under the name "Crazy bitch" Jack chuckled. "Nice..very nice." He shook his head. "You should hear the ringtone I have under her name." Livvie retorted while bringing the phone up to her ear.
"Lucy, it's Livvie. I half expected you to not even answer. no, it's not about the house. no, it's not about mone...When have I ever asked you for money?" Jack quickly pulled the phone away from Livvie as she stood up throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "Lucy, It's Jack. We need your help. It's about Caleb Morley." Jack said as Livvie hurried outside; completely forgetting that she still hadn't picked up the groceries from earlier.
When she finally made it back inside; after throwing away the milk and recotta cheese; Jack was sitting on the couch by the fire, her phone on the coffee table. "What'd she say?" Livvie asked setting down the groceries. "She doesn't know. The last that she had heard; Rafe had perform a consecration on his remains." Jack explained as Livvie shook her head.
"Then something went very wrong, Jack." He nodded in agreement. "I know, but we'll figure it out." He said as they both turned to face the flame of the fire, Livvie easing over, sitting next to him. "Jack, I need to say this. I am sorry. I am so sorry for everything I did and I know that you may or may not believe me but it's true." She began; Jack refusing to meet her gaze.
"I wish you had taken Lucas from me. Jack, I know that I was in no shape to be a mother when I got pregnant but you would have been an incredible father; and will be an incredible father, I am just sorry that I stole that opportunity away from you." She said taking her hand and touching his cheek. "Hey." She said as he turned to face her.
"I really am, I am so sorry that I hurt you and I will spend the rest of my life making that up to the both of you." Livvie finished as Jack stared blankly at her before taking his hand; lightly tracing it along her cheek as he leaned in, his lips inches from hers.