Chapter One Hundred Fourty:
A New Location

Hotel Raphael, Rome, Italy.

Nikolas stands on the balcony of his room, overlooking the Piazza Navona. It is already mid afternoon, and it feels like, between New York and Rome, a whole day disappeared. He's used to plane travel, however, so it's not clear to him why this is so disconcerting. Day one. That is all he needs to know. He doesn't have to do anything, he doesn't even have to think if he doesn't want to. He just has to wait.

Ah, yes. Identification of problem. Waiting. For what, he isn't certain. Lucky had not exactly been communicative at the tearoom, and that wasn't sitting well. First of all, he looked like he was worn out. From all accounts Lucky thrived on the road, so that was not what he'd been expecting. Secondly, there was the fact that he had been so utterly cold and different than he had been when they'd last seen each other in Port Charles. He'd picked up from the tone of the phone conversations that Lucky wasn't exactly in a great place right now, but then… was he ever? God, it had to be exhausting to be that tense about everything all the time.

Nikolas shook his head and turned back into his room. It was appropriately inviting… charming was the word used in the brochure. He'd chosen it for several reasons, not the least of which being that it was NOT the finest hotel, or the most impenetrable, as would have been his father's preference. It was odd, he was certain this sort of hotel… smaller, quiet, littered with antiques… would be more the type of place Stefan would have stayed if he was to spend time in Rome himself. But then, Stefan did many things differently then he would have otherwise, if not for Nikolas.

Nikolas runs his hands through his hair, and sinks onto the bed, sitting forward with his elbows on his knees. If these were the places his mind was going to go, then this was going to be the longest three days of his life. He just wished he KNEW, concretely, what Lucky was going to do. He had a suspicion, however, that whatever Lucky was deciding, Nikolas was going to be the last to know.

He had to figure out how to proceed without Lucky's assistance. That wasn't going to be easy. But it had to be possible. Somehow. He wasn't going to stay here endlessly, he wasn't going to loose track of his purpose. He'd told Lucky three days. No more. He had to stick to that. Regardless of what decisions his brother made, this was going to come to an end.

Marquis Hotel, Manhattan.

Lucky watches Emily stand and pace the length of the room, her hand still on her abdomen, and feels an immediate wave of regret. She doesn't want to do this. Not really. Feeling a need to provide a loophole, he stands up and takes a tentative step towards her.

Lucky: Em. (Emily turns around, dropping her hand and gives him a smile that is a little too convincing. It makes him nervous. He's not sure WHAT to make of this. She starts back towards him)

Em: (up beat) Ok. So we know what we're doing. Now what?

Lucky: (slowly) Well… There's no point in staying here.

Em: No… (She glances over at the clock) Check out time is 11:00. We've got two hours, that can be done.

Lucky: Yeah.

Em: Fine. Ok. (She claps her hands together) I should get dressed. (She starts across the room, but Lucky grabs her elbow, catching her. She allows him to pull her towards him)

Lucky: Emily.

Em: (looking up at him) I'm fine.

Lucky: You don't have to do this. (Emily rolls her eyes)

Em: I already told you, I'm going where you go. And I'm NOT going home. I'm not going back to that house.

Lucky: You could go to Jason's.

Em: (pulling away) We've done this! I made my choice. I choose you.

Lucky: I want you to be sure. (Emily wraps her arms across her stomach again)

Em: You don't want me to come with you, do you? (Lucky looks at her, in shock. He shakes his head, pulling her back to him, and looking her in the eye).

Lucky: No, Em… (He takes her face in his hands) I want you to be safe. I don't want anything to happen to you. But I can't predict what Helena will do, and even Jason's… There's too much strange stuff going on there. He has a leak. Or had. (Lucky shakes his head, sliding his hands around the back of her neck) It's hard to tell. Either way, Em… I do want you with me. It just feels… Better. (Emily smiles, ruefully).

Em: I was wondering why you didn't fight me harder on that. (Lucky presses his face into her hair).

Lucky: Just do me a favor and take a deep breath.

Em: Done. (She closes her eyes and breathes and out, then pulls back to look at him) Ok. Now what? (Lucky laughs).

Lucky: You're really anxious to get going, aren't you?

Em: The idea of getting out of this country is pretty appealing, yes.

Lucky: (nodding) It can't hurt. (Emily reaches up and takes his hands, leading him back to sit on the bed)

Em: All right. So come on. You're the expert. We have to… pack. (She laughs) That much I can figure out. And seeing as we never unpacked, it shouldn't take too long. And what else? (Her eyes widen) Money? What do we do about that?

Lucky: Well… We can't just take a bag of money onto a plane with us.

Em: So what do we do with it?

Lucky: Convert some of it. But the rest… We'll figure it out. (Emily stands up and walks over to the night stand where she's stashed the bag)

Em: How much is there?

Lucky: I don't know.

Em: (looking back at him) You don't KNOW?

Lucky: I don't know, I never really paid much attention.

Em: (picking up the bag) I see… (She holds the bag a minute, getting the distinct impression they are headed into dangerous territory once again. She closes the door on the table and stands up) So I guess we better find out then. (Lucky stands up and crosses to the window, looking immediately uncomfortable. Emily watches this, then decides to continue with the task at hand. She sits down cross-legged in the center of the bed and unzips the bag) Ready? (Lucky turns around, reluctantly)

Lucky: Emily…

Em: Come on. We have to find out. (She picks the bag up and dumps the contents onto the bed, shaking the bag to make sure she has everything). Ok. (She looks up at Lucky, who is leaning against the window) Do you want to help me, or what? (Lucky shakes his head)

Lucky: Go ahead. I don't care.

Em: (opening the first envelope) You have this avoidance thing down to a science… (She stops, pulling out the money) Oh. (She stares at the bills a moment, then takes a deep breath, shaking off the sinking feeling she's getting) Ok. One. (She looks up at him and smiles, and lays the bill on the bed. She lowers her head and starts counting again) two, three, four, five… (She stops, dropping her hands) Is this all hundreds or is some of it…

Lucky: I don't know. I don't know… I never checked.

Em: So… You worked for my brother for months… And he just kept giving you money, and you never opened the envelopes to get even the roughest idea of how much money you were making.

Lucky: (shrugging) It wasn't about the money.

Em: I know, but… Well, you said… it's a fringe benefit. Did you EVER…

Lucky: Look. The first time I spent any of it was after I had it converted to Canadian funds. I didn't even… (He exhales heavily) It didn't MATTER.

Em: (putting the money she's holding aside) It must have. Or you'd know how much there was. (Lucky shakes his head. He doesn't want to get into this. Too many questions he's not sure if he knows the answer to).

Lucky: (heavily) Look. I didn't do it for the money. I've told you that. I knew whatever he was paying it was probably fair… but it wasn't the point. (Emily stares at him a really long moment, then looks back at the money. It makes her feel nauseous. Every single bill here represents some kind of errand, favor, "job" he did for Jason. She knew it wasn't about the money, she never expected it was. But at this moment, it's hitting her, just how much it was about hurting himself. Hurting Luke, Laura, or anyone else who found out about it. It feels like penance to her, now… that's why he can't handle the fact that he got something besides punishment in return. She picks up the bills again, a little shaky, and count them quickly. She puts them in a pile in front of her, then pushes the other envelops into a pile beside her. She looks up at Lucky and catches his eye for a moment before he looks away from her. He looks ashamed. She turns back, feeling her face flush. She hates this. When she sees him like this, it twists her into knots. She takes a deep breath and picks up the next envelope and pulls out the money. She begins to count it, a little more quickly, fifties this time. She sets the money down once she hits 1,000, making a series of piles in front of her, before moving on to the next envelop. Her mind slowly shuts out the rest of the room, concentrating only on the act of counting, quickly moving from envelop to envelop, not keeping the total tally in her head. Lucky watches her from his place by the window, his shoulders hunched as if he's being tortured. He never wanted to face what was in those envelopes. There had been a point, briefly, where he'd tried to convince himself that working for Jason made sense… because it made it easier to leave when the time came. It was freedom from his parents, from the house they lived in. It was a way out, as soon as he could leave. But that never really washed for him. In the end, he felt, it was like he was doing it because he was weak. Because it gave him something else to think about, something else to worry about, something else to DO besides regret every single decision he'd made in the last two years. He couldn't handle his life without the distraction. Without the windows it opened for him. There was no other way.

Emily stops, when she realizes she's run out of envelopes. She looks down at the money in her hand and recounts it, making sure she has the numbers right. She then looks at the bedspread in front of her and catches her breath. She hadn't been considering how many piles she'd set out. She counts again, gathering the money back into piles, and putting it back into the envelopes, setting them beside her. She stops, when she reaches the last pile, holding it and the left over bills in her hand. She laughs slightly, then looks up at Lucky)

Em: Uh… There's 43,700 dollars here… (She drops the money in her hand again, then rakes her hands through her hair several times, before looking up at him) How many… (She stops, shaking her head) You don't know. (She looks back down at the money, feeling more than a little off center. Something occurs to her, and she sits up on her knees, quickly going through the envelopes. Lucky watches her, confused, then the meaning of the action dawns on him. Emily quickly sorts through all the envelopes, then stops, staring down at them).

Lucky: (quietly) How many?

Em: Twenty-eight. (She closes her eyes, pushing her hair out of her face.) When did you start working for him?

Lucky: Some time in July. (Emily silently counts through to January. Seven months. She does the math quickly. It comes out, almost perfectly, to an envelope a week. Her eyes fly open, and she stares at him).

Em: You said… When we got back together, to when you told me, you only worked for him twice… So that means… (She counts again.) That's like, twice a week, or something… (Lucky looks away from her. It was sort of a blur at the time. It was just something to DO. He doesn't know how to explain it to her. It was a way out. A way out of a life that was choking him. And he was willing to do about anything not to have to think about her. Not to have to deal with not having her anymore. He shakes his head silently, as Emily soaks this in. She doesn't like to think about the time they weren't together… what he was doing, how he was getting by… she knows it was dark enough for her, and her support system had been a little more intact. She stares down at the envelopes again. She feels like everyone is a symbol of how much she hurt him, and the guilt is almost crippling. As much as she knows she had every right to be upset that night, she's had, ever since they reconciled, a hard time thinking about what she said to him that night. It's unthinkable to her now… to be so hurt that she would tell him she didn't love him anymore. Nothing could push her to that. Emily sits up, quickly, and scrambles off the bed, moving to him. She wraps her arms around his waist, feeling tears start to spill from her eyes, and holds him tightly. Lucky, startled, hesitates before returning the embrace. He pulls her closer to him, resting his head on the top of hers. Emily takes a moment to find the words.) Did it hurt that much? (Lucky closes his eyes, not wanting to think about it.) I mean… You said when you told me… That you just didn't care, you…

Lucky: (tightly) It hurt more than that. (Emily holds him firmly. She takes several deep breaths before looking up at him)

Em: I never want to hurt you like that again.

Lucky: It wasn't your fault, I…

Em: Lucky. (Lucky sighs, letting the sentence die, and looks down at her.) I never want to hurt you again. Ever. (Lucky stares down at her a long moment before nodding. He reaches down and slides his hand through her hair, slowly).

Lucky: You will. (He smiles at her crookedly) You break my heart constantly. It's your gift. (Emily laughs, her eyes filling with tears. She knows what he means, though. She feels the same way… like a part of her aches when he's upset, or moody, or hurt. She doesn't blame him for it. She just feels he's too much a part of her not to cause her pain when he's IN pain. She reaches up to kiss him, deeply, her hand massaging his neck gently as they kiss. She pulls back and takes in another deep breath).

Em: Just promise to stick around to break mine a few more times, ok? (Lucky makes a face)

Lucky: I have this sinking feeling I'll probably make good on that. (Emily lays her head against his chest and listens to his heart beat)

Em: Ok. We have to figure out what to do with that money.

Lucky: I know what to do… It just takes legwork.

Em: (with a fortifying breath) I can do that. (Lucky reaches down and takes her hand in this, threading their fingers together).

Lucky: Ok… We just have to convert it. That's all. But we can't do it all at once. (Emily closes her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that having this much money on the streets of Manhattan makes her incredibly nervous).

Em: (nodding) Makes sense. What else do we have to do?

Lucky: That's pretty much it. We'll check out, go to the bus depot and throw our stuff into a locker, then take care of the money… After that, we just go to the airport and get to Rome.

Em: Ok. I'm not worrying about Rome 'till we're in Rome.

Lucky: I wouldn't recommend it. (Emily smiles and reaches up to kiss him again).

Em: (pulling back) What about Nikolas?

Lucky: What about him?

Em: Well.

Lucky: He's in Rome. We worry about him when we get to Rome.

Em: Ok. I just… I don't know. He was making me nervous. And if he's not sure you're coming then maybe…

Lucky: Yeah. I know, I thought of that.

Em: Is there any way you can reach him before we leave? (Lucky frowns. That had occurred to him. He shakes his head, finally).

Lucky: No. Don't worry, I'm sure everything's fine. (Emily laughs)

Em: Wow. How completely out of character of you. (Lucky lowers his head and kisses her one more time)

Lucky: Come on. We have a lot of stuff to do.

Wyndemere Docks.

Alexis stares at Stefan, already well aware of where this conversation is going. She's prepared for it. She's been expecting it for years. She is only pushing it now because she does not like the actions Luke has been making lately.

Alexis: Do you think the words will offer themselves now?

Stefan: They must. This goes back to Katherine… To the time of her death. Before you came back to the island.

Alexis: I see.

Stefan: Katherine had… Developed suspicions. About Nikolas. About my relationship to him.

Alexis: Stefan.

Stefan: Yes.

Alexis: He's your son, isn't he?

Stefan: I didn't realize I was that transparent.

Alexis: You aren't. I just know you. (She sighs) And I know this family. (She looks back at him) I always suspected. I mean, from our arrival in Port Charles, I became aware… There must be a chance. But it's confirmed?

Stefan: Yes. He can't be Stavros' son.

Alexis: (closing her eyes) And Luke knows.

Stefan: Laura informed the night he visited the main house. (Alexis shakes her head and walks away from him, rolling this over in her head).

Alexis: (turning back) Does Nikolas know?

Stefan: Regrettably, yes. In fact… (He shakes his head) It is more complicated than that. Apparently Spencer's son has known for several years. (Alexis is visibly taken aback)

Alexis: Lucky? (Stefan nods) Ohhh, this is messy.

Stefan: This is why I consented to Nikolas leaving.

Alexis: Yes. It's probably best, considering.

Stefan: He's well protected. I have six operatives watching his every move. The calls to his room will be closely monitored… If Spencer makes even the slightest move against him, I will know about it immediately and will have him moved. I do not want him to be a part of this.

Alexis: What about Helena? (Stefan looks surprised)

Stefan: We have located her, have we not?

Alexis: Yes. She's returned to the Black Sea, appropriately enough.

Stefan: The yacht is still moored?

Alexis: For the time being. (She shivers slightly) I hate that thing. (Stefan frowns with distaste).

Stefan: Yes, the Chimera is particularly formidable. It was never one of my favorites.

Alexis: I've never been very fond of any of them. (Alexis sits down on one of the posts, bringing her coat around her.) Now that we have that out of the way, do you want to explain to me how this happened? (Stefan looks at her, catching the edge to her voice).

Stefan: Perhaps, but not if you plan to admonish me.

Alexis: (meeting his gaze) This is sloppy. It's unlike you.

Stefan: (coldly) I do not take responsibility for Laura's actions.

Alexis: What about the fact that Laura knew? How could she have found out?

Stefan: (angrily) I made the decisions I believed to be in Nikolas's best interests at the time! (He turns away from her. Alexis closes her eyes, trying to center herself again).

Alexis: (taking a deep breath) I'm not criticizing you. I'm just questioning…

Stefan: Do you think this is easy for me? To look at this, to see the destruction that has been wrecked already, and know I could have stopped it?

Alexis: Of course not. No. (she stands up and goes to him) Stefan… This is not a black and white issue for me. I know what it was like for me to discover my parentage when I did. And to have Helena breathing down my neck because of it! I don't want to see Nikolas go through anything like that.

Stefan: (turning back, quiet and unmovable) I will lay down my life before I allow anything to hurt him.

Alexis: I know. I just… I have to adjust to this. (She laughs slightly) Nikolas, I was prepared for… Luke, Laura and Lucky… that's another matter. (She looks up at him) I need the whole story, Stefan. Where does this start?

Stefan: It began… I suppose it began with Laura's "death". I was determined not to allow her to hurt him so callously, so deeply… Ever again. I was blinded by rage, by a deep need to protect my son. And so I did the only thing I could imagine… I had Laura leave. On threat of disclosing the truth of our past to Luke.

Alexis: (floored) And that WORKED?

Stefan: In her desperation to keep her secret, she fled. I was a little surprised myself. But there you have it.

Alexis: How did Nikolas find out?

Stefan: Katherine.

Alexis: (more than a little offended) KATHERINE knew?

Stefan: That was not my choice.

Alexis: I don't understand.

Stefan: She went into Nikolas's hospital records. The HLA results were readily available, of course… even if they hadn't, she knew that he was an exact match with his sister. She came to me and asked if he was my son.

Alexis: Why would she DO that?

Stefan: I have never truly understood that. We fought bitterly over it, over what it meant… (He stops and clears his throat) The issue was complicated, you understand. And Katherine was… She didn't understand. It was that simple, she didn't understand.

Alexis: Understand… (She stops) Why Nikolas has to be the heir… regardless. Is that what she didn't understand? (Stefan says nothing) Was it not understanding, or was it just the fact that she was now carrying…

Stefan: (sharply) Do not even say it! (He looks back at her, trembling) Do not even suggest it!

Alexis: I know you loved her. I know you cared for her, Stefan, but I can't…

Stefan: She would never have hurt Nikolas like that. Not for anything. She just didn't comprehend what she was asking. She didn't understand.

Alexis: (letting it go) All right, Stefan. You're right, she cared for Nikolas, I know that. (She reaches out and takes Stefan's hand. He looks at her, deeply shaken. This is not a topic they have ever pursued. And it had taken the pulling of every string known to man to hide the details of Katherine's autopsy from the world, from Nikolas. They simply could not afford to have police and lawyers mucking about in that side of family business. Even without the confirmation she now has, Alexis realizes, she has behaved, for years, as if Nikolas' position in the family was threatened. At least she now understands why.) It's obvious to me, immediately, that this is simply the way it must be. Nikolas was raised the heir… he is the future of this family. We all know that. I'm not questioning your decision.

Stefan: I have always known there was a chance he was my son. I did not pursue it because it was of no matter! I didn't change how I loved him! And it didn't change what he was.

Alexis: It would have meant his life. If Helena had known.

Stefan: That was a possibility. One I couldn't ignore.

Alexis: It was more than a possibility. She frowns on illegitimate children. I'm proof of that. How Mikkos managed to spare my life, I'll never truly know. But she would have killed me with my mother if she'd had the chance.

Stefan: Nothing has changed now, for you, then.

Alexis: No. I support you, you know that. Nikolas is the heir. He always has been. And he always will be. We… you and I… we are the only Cassadines left. I've always thought of us as the revolutionaries… the ones who make the change. Nikolas IS the change. I want that as much as you do.

Stefan: Then we are still in accord.

Alexis: (smiling) I know my job. I'm not walking away from it now.

The Spencer House

Luke and Laura stand, faced off, in the center of the kitchen, Stefan's name still echoing. Finally, Luke turns away.

Luke: (quietly) What do you want me to say Laura?

Laura: (frustrated) At this point? Just about anything. I know you're upset about Lucky… we both are. But Lucky isn't here. We have to figure out what he's coming back to.

Luke: I can't answer that until I talk to him.

Laura: Luke, this isn't about him! (Luke shoots her a look) No. Not this part. I know I hurt Lucky deeply. And I don't know how to begin to make it up to him! I knew… When I saw what he was going through, when he finally let me in enough to know just what he felt, I knew things had to change. And that is why I did what I did. But we have to figure out WHAT changed!

Luke: You want the short answer? Everything.

Laura: I know. The question is, when? With that one sentence… Stefan is Nikolas's father… or is that just what made it impossible to pretend anymore?

Luke: This isn't about games. This is about what you told me… what you let me believe…

Laura: Luke…

Luke: Do you want to know what kind of pictures are going through my head, Laura? Do you? Do you know how many years I struggled with the image of you and STAVROS, of him… Of him touching you, owning you… (Laura pales, turning away from him)

Laura: (hoarsely) Don't.

Luke: You said you wanted me to talk, make up your mind, baby.

Laura: (shakily) Just leave… Stavros is… (She shakes her head) He's not the issue.

Luke: What IS the issue? Are you saying we got to follow some kind of rules here? I'm allowed to be upset about Lucky but not Nikolas… Stefan, but not Stavros, I don't WORK like that!

Laura: I KNOW! (Laura catches herself and lowers her voice) I know you don't, I just don't… I can never describe to you what existed between Stavros and I… I can't even start. (She looks at him, hopelessly) I tried. I tried to tell you, and you'd… You'd look at me with so much fear, like the idea of me… With him. The thought of me being with him, under duress, when I thought you were dead… I could see how much it hurt you. And I know I don't ever, EVER want to think about you and anyone… anyone else. (She leans against the counter, putting her hand over her heart) I know you love me. I know you love me, but how… I don't even know how to ask you to forgive this, Luke. I don't know how to do it. (Luke turns away from her, tears in his eyes. After a long moment he finds his voice)

Luke: (softly) Did you love him?

Laura: Not like I loved you. (Luke flinches, feeling like she just stabbed him. He turns around, covering it with anger).

Luke: But you DID love him?

Laura: Luke, it wasn't the real world! None of it was! I… I was a captive. I don't know what I felt, I don't know what was real…

Luke: No? Well, how about now? How about right here? Do you love him now? (Laura takes a long moment to answer)

Laura: It's not the same as you.

Luke: That's not what I'm asking.

Laura: I'm not going to lie to you! I know you want me to say I didn't care about him… I don't care about him. Luke, when I look at him, I don't know who he is. He is NOT the man I knew on the island. But sometimes, I see a part of him and…

Luke: and WHAT? What, Laura?

Laura: I don't hate him. I can't. I can't hate the man who fathered my son. I just can't do it!

Luke: What if it had been Stavros.

Laura: That's different. (Luke stares at her, then leans over the table, his hands supporting his body)

Luke: You did love him. (He lowers his head, tears running down his face)

Laura: Luke! (She starts towards him) God, Luke… not anything like I loved you. Nothing, it wasn't the same thing. It couldn't touch it! But I was alone, and I was scared and he helped me! (Luke straightens up and walks away from her. She follows) Luke, LISTEN to me, please! I thought about you every minute I was there. I ached for you. It was too much! It was too much to try to live with. So I tried to find ways to hurt less. You have to know, I never stopped loving you. And I've never loved anyone the way I loved you. You have to know that! (Luke turns back to her, pained).

Luke: How can I know anything? I knew you'd never hurt our son, but then I watched him fall apart in front of me because he thinks I can't know this and love him at the same time. (Laura dissolves immediately into tears. Luke's voice begins to shake, as he presses on) I don't know what to believe anymore. I don't understand how you did this, Laura. I can't understand any of it. You say you don't love him…

Laura: Luke…

Luke: You chose a Cassadine Spawn over the child you loved and raised from birth… over MY son. You expect me to understand that? To excuse it? How do I do that, Laura? Tell me! How do I get over that? How do I forget the look on his face, how do I forget him telling me over and over again that I don't know him? And… How… How do I get the picture of that man… With his hands on you… With you wanting him, encouraging him… How do I… I've tried, Laura. I drink until the sun rises, and it's still there. It just gets more vivid, more detailed… I thought I could handle it. I thought… You had a child with another man. You never told me about it. I never questioned that. I never asked… I tried to swallow it down when you told me he didn't force himself on you… I tried to stomach the way you let your guilt lead you around without a fight. But I never thought you were still lying to me. I never thought you would. You told me that truth, I thought, for our whole marriage. But you never told me this.

Laura: I didn't know…

Luke: You knew he was… You knew he had been your lover.

Laura: And how was I supposed to say that to you? (Laura's face flushes with emotion, shaking, just as distraught as he is) How was I supposed to admit that? I felt like I was loosing everything. My daughter had almost died, and I just wanted to grab everything and hold onto it so tight that it would just stay… I didn't care HOW, I didn't care about what changed, just as long as it was all still here. I've been trying to do that for almost four years now. It took me that long to loosen my grip and see what was right in front of me. And believe it or not, I'm trying to fix it. But I don't know how. I don't know how to tell you to accept it, I don't know how to make Lucky not hurt anymore. I don't have the power. I can't do anything more than say "I'm done with secrets." I'm done with lies. I never wanted my life to end up in this place. And I don't know what to do now that it has. But I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted to hurt anybody. (Luke stares at Laura, not moving from his place. He can't bring himself to take a step towards her or away from her. Finally, his shoulders sag, and he looks away).

Luke: I know, baby. But you did.

New York City Bus Depot, Manhattan.

Lucky slips the key to the locker into the pocket of his jeans and takes a quick look around. He still feels slightly conspicuous being out in public, though no one has approached or given him any trouble. He glances down at his watch. He and Emily had decided it made the most sense to split up and meet at 11:30 in the hotel lobby to take care of the last of the errands they had to attend to. She was more than a little nervous to be handling the bag of money in this city, but she'd taken it on, all the same. This part of the errand has turned out to be a minor exercise, at best, and he realizes he has a small window of time.

Lucky reaches into his back pocket and pulls out the prepaid phone card he'd picked up at the station's tack shop. He didn't want to get into this with Emily, it was unnecessary. But she was right… Nikolas' behavior at the tearoom had left him a little uneasy. It wasn't what had Emily concerned, though. It was the fact that Nikolas had said he was going to the airport… and that didn't make any sense. First of all, he couldn't be back at the airport before the credit card went through… and he must have been smart enough to know that. God, he HOPED he was smart enough to know that, or else they were all in big trouble. Secondly… He'd had the distinct impression Nikolas WANTED him to know he wasn't going to the airport. Why, he wasn't sure. If not, the guy was just a fantastically bad liar in which case… again… they were all in big trouble. This was making him tense. The fact that he really didn't know how to answer these questions for himself. He just didn't know how to predict that guy.

Lucky flips the card around his fingers again. He should just let this lie. There was no reason to do this. He'd told Emily not to worry, he should just take his own advice. There was no way in hell Nikolas was still in New York. Unless he was playing some kind of game with him.

WHAT kind of game? Lucky shakes his head. No. That makes no sense. But then, when has Nikolas ever made sense to him? Now, see… This is why this is all a bad idea. When he was on the run with his family, he didn't have to play these guessing games. He knew what his father was going to say, usually, before the words even came out of his mouth.

Lucky shakes himself hard. This was not his father. This was not a Spencer odyssey. This was him, by himself. With Emily. And he wasn't going to take chances. Lucky's eyes fall on a pay phone. It would take five seconds. Just check to see if he was still in area with the cell phone. Just to get some kind of clue of whatever Nikolas was planning on doing after he left the tearoom. Otherwise the questions were just going to drive him nuts, and he didn't want to go there.

Lucky head over to the pay phone and dials the access number on the card. Once that's taken care of, he takes a deep breath and dials Nikolas's cell phone number.

In her room, Lulu is curled up on the bed, holding her stuffed horse, and burying her head in the pillow, trying not to hear the noises floating up from downstairs. She squeezes her eyes shut, and cries silently. It's quiet now. She has no idea what that means. It goes like that, loud, then quiet, then loud again. They've forgotten about her. She doesn't want to go downstairs. She doesn't want to ask if they're done. She just wants it to be over.

The sound of Nikolas' phone ringing cuts through the room and Lulu starts. She sits up and reaches under her pillow… the place she's been keeping the phone at night. She opens it and stares at the buttons, trying to remember what Nikolas showed her. Finally she hits one and answers it.

Lulu: Hello? (Lucky freezes, then looks down at the receiver in his hand in confusion. He puts it back to his ear, his heart pounding. What the hell has Nikolas done?)

Lucky: Lulu?

Lulu: Lucky!

Lucky: Lulu, where are you?

Lulu: (confused) I'm at home.

Lucky: Home, where?

Lulu: In my room… where are you?

Lucky: In your room… Lulu, what's going on here, is Nikolas there?

Lulu: No. Nikolas said he was going to see you. (Lucky feels the ground drop out from beneath him. What is WRONG with him? He's not thinking straight. For some reason, when Nikolas gave him that picture, he never stopped to think of what it meant. That Lulu must know… Was he out of his mind?)

Lucky: (Tense) Nikolas… Nikolas told you that?

Lulu: He gave me the phone. He said you might call. (Uh huh. Lucky shakes his head. A game. A stupid game. How the hell was he going to work with this guy?)

Lucky: Yeah, well…

Lulu: Did you see him?

Lucky: Yeah. Lulu, who knows about that?

Lulu: Just me. He said it's a secret.

Lucky: It is, Lu. A big secret. (He cringes. Secrets were something he was trying to avoid making Lulu keep.) Just for a little while, ok?

Lulu: I'm not going to tell anyone.

Lucky: Good.

Lulu: Nikolas said when he comes home it won't matter.

Lucky: He's right. (Lucky closes his eyes and leans against the phone) How are you, Lu? (Lulu curls up on the bed again, bringing her knees against her chest).

Lulu: Ok.

Lucky: Truth?

Lulu: Are you ok? Is Emily?

Lucky: Emily is good. She's doing really great, she's better now. She can walk, and… Everything else. And I'm ok too… but what about you? IS everything all right?

Lulu: Mommy and Daddy are fighting.

Lucky: They are?

Lulu: Yeah. Downstairs.

Lucky: Right NOW?

Lulu: Yeah.

Lucky: Oh, man.

Lulu: I want them to stop.

Lucky: Lulu… You gotta listen to me on this one. The only thing you can do is stay out of the way, ok? Take a walk or something, just get away from it.

Lulu: Why? How will that make them stop?

Lucky: You can't make them stop. They have to do that. Trust me on that one.

Lulu: I don't WANT to do this!

Lucky: Lulu…

Lulu: when are you coming home?

Lucky: Not… Any time soon.

Lulu: Can you call me again?

Lucky: No. I can't.

Lulu: (starting to cry) I want you to come home.

Lucky: Lulu… Come on, kiddo, don't make this any harder on me than it already is.

Lulu: I miss you. I want you to come back.

Lucky: I will. I will, I just have to… This is all going to be over soon, I swear to you. I just have to make sure that everything's safe.

Lulu: (sniffing) For Emily?

Lucky: For everyone. For you too.

Lulu: What about Nikolas?

Lucky: Nikolas is fine.

Lulu: He is?

Lucky: Yeah. (For the time being, Lucky thinks. At this exactly moment, he can't guarantee he's not going to have his head for this)

Lulu: He said he'd make sure you were safe…

Lucky: Oh, he did, did he?

Lulu: yeah. He said you'd come back together.

Lucky: Well, he's just making all kinds of promises, huh?

Lulu: Are you?

Lucky: Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am.

Lulu: Good. Soon?

Lucky: That's hard to say.

Lulu: Ok.

Lucky: Just hang in there, kid. I know it's hard, but you can do it. You're tough.

Lulu: (unconvinced) Yeah…

Lucky: And everything is going to be ok.

Lulu: Promise?

Lucky: Things have a way of working out, you know? Might not be the way you think, but… It always happens.

Lulu: Lucky?

Lucky: Yeah?

Lulu: Nikolas hasn't called.

Lucky: What?

Lulu: He said he would, but he hasn't. Is he ok?

Lucky: I just told you, he's fine?

Lulu: Is he with you?

Lucky: No. Not right now. But listen, I know where he is, and when I see him, I'll make sure he talks to you, ok? He… He'll be able to. (Lucky frowns) He should be able to. But listen, when he calls… Be careful. Just… Try not to mention me.

Lulu: Why NOT?

Lucky: I know this is confusing. But… You just have to sort of play a game. He'll know what's going on, I'll make sure he doesn't push anything.

Lulu: I don't understand.

Lucky: (Heavily) Look, ignore me. Forget all of it. Just… Don't worry, ok? I know it's hard, but… (He stops, shaking his head. He can't do this. Every word he says to her is just echoing all the stuff that got him so messed up in the first place. He leans his head against the phone and takes a deep breath).

Lucky: I'm running out of time, Lulu, so just… Remember what I'm saying now.

Lulu: Ok.

Lucky: I love you, ok? And I know I gotta get back to Port Charles. So… Nikolas promised we're coming back together? I promise that too.

Lulu: He promised he'd make sure nothing happens to you.

Lucky: Ok. Ditto.

Lulu: What?

Lucky: I won't let anything happen to him. And Mom and Dad… If they get to be too much, just scream or something. They might stop. Just don't let it… Don't let it twist you up in knots, ok?

Lulu: Ummm ok.

Lucky: I'm not making any sense, am I?

Lulu: No.

Lucky: Ok. Then go with this. I love you. Nikolas loves you. Mom and Dad love you. And as soon as we can, we're all going to be back in Port Charles. And we can all be one big dysfunctional family again.

Lulu: With Nikolas?

Lucky: I love you.

Lulu: Ok. I love you too.

Lucky: Do me a favor. Go play with Foster for me. He needs it.

Lulu: Ok.

Lucky: See you soon.

Lulu: Ok. Bye bye.

Lucky: Good-bye, Lu.