Chapter Two Hundred One:
The Tempest

The Mansion Foyer, Cassadine Compound.

Lucky enters the foyer from the West wing, his heart pounding. He's been everywhere. Twice. Working on adrenaline he's managed to comb twice the territory he did this morning, refusing to stop and think for more than a moment. He didn't want to think, because when he did, he felt himself get pushed right to the edge of panic. Something wasn't right here. For the second time in one day... Something was seriously wrong.

Lucky moves over to the staircase and starts up it, heading towards his quarters. He hears a sound behind him and turns to see Mariah coming out of the dinning hall and moving across the foyer.

Lucky: Mariah! (Mariah stops and Lucky turns and dashes back down the stairs, crossing to her and grabbing her arm) Emily. Have you seen her? (Mariah blinks)

Mariah: (nervous) Emily?

Lucky: (taking a breath) My wife. Have you seen her?

Mariah: I brought breakfast to your room and checked again at lunch -- you were not there. (Lucky lowers his head and takes a breath)

Lucky: You didn't see her at all. Today.

Mariah: No. (Lucky looks up at her, his expression pleading)

Lucky: What about anyone else? Could anyone else have seen her?

Mariah: I only attend to the kitchen and your quarters. I know the Prince is gone --

Lucky: (Dropping her arm) What?

Mariah: (stammering) Th-th-the Prince. He left --

Lucky: (unbelieving) You told me you didn't know where he was!

Mariah: I did not. When you asked. (Lucky backs up)

Lucky: And now?

Mariah: My brother told me --

Lucky: Your brother.

Mariah: Please, Mr. Spencer. (Lucky, hearing her tone, turns back to her and stares. She looks terrified. Great, he thinks. All this and I'm turning into a bully, too)

Lucky: I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mariah. I'm just... (He takes a breath) What did your brother say?

Mariah: That Prince Nikolas went to the mainland. That he had private affairs to tend to and I would be informed when he returned. (Lucky stares at her)

Lucky: (after a moment) Unbelievable.

Mariah: I am sorry, I did not see you. I should have come and --

Lucky: (Turning to walk away) Not your job. (He starts back up the stairs, then stops and turns around) Your brother. Josef. (Mariah nods. Lucky gives a short laugh) Perfect. (he looks down at her) Where is he now?

Mariah: I do not know.

Lucky: Yeah, that's becoming a theme here. (He covers his face with his hands and takes a deep breath) Just tell me the last time you saw my wife. (Mariah shifts her weight uncomfortably)

Mariah: I... I believe last night. I brought water to your quarters. (Lucky sits down on the stairs)

Lucky: (heavily) You take care of the upstairs, right?

Mariah: Yes.

Lucky: Do you check all the rooms? All of them?

Mariah: They are not all in use.

Lucky: And the ones in use? (he looks at her) How many times did you go into our "quarters" today.

Mariah: (shakily) I ... I made the bed. I came back to see if you were there at lunch. I brought water in the afternoon --

Lucky: And you never... (He puts his head down. This doesn't make any sense. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the ring. He stares at, still trying to fathom it's meaning) Did you see anything today, Mariah? (Lucky's voice is detached, very quiet. It makes every hair on Mariah's body stand on end)

Mariah: No. No, please sir. No I did not. Just my brother. And the guards. (Lucky looks up at her)

Lucky: You know I'm the prince's brother, right? (He looks at her, his eyes liquid. She swallows hard.)

Mariah: Yes, Mr. Spencer.

Lucky: What does that mean?

Mariah: I'm sorry?

Lucky: To you. What does that mean?

Mariah: It... It means.... It means to please you is to please the Prince.

Lucky: You're not just saying that.

Mariah: I... No. No, Sir.

Lucky: Stop calling me that, Ok? It's Lucky. Just Lucky. (Mariah nods, utterly high strung at this point)

Mariah: Yes sir. (Lucky sighs)

Lucky: You want to know what would please me? (Lucky stares down at the ring in his hand.) If someone could tell me how to get in touch with my God Damned Royal Highness Prince Brother. (He looks at her) Right now? That would please me a lot. You think you can help me do that? (Mariah backs up)

Mariah: No. No, I don't know. I... I don't --

Lucky: (standing up) No. No, you wouldn't. What about your brother?

Mariah: I don't know. (Lucky looks over at her. She looks like she's about to run screaming at the room with the slightest provocation. He forces a smile that, while painful, is still a little disarmingly sad)

Lucky: I believe you. (Mariah's eyes widen at the statement)

Mariah: I would not lie --

Lucky: Yeah, well. You're alone on that one. (Lucky gets up. His head is spinning. He starts up the stairs again, then stops, realizing something. He turns around again) Mariah! (Mariah, who was watching him in stunned silence, starts)

Mariah: Sir?

Lucky: (holding up the ring) You see this? (Mariah squints up at him)

Mariah: No... Sir?

Lucky: It's a ring. It's my wife's wedding ring. Have you seen it before? (Mariah blinks)

Mariah: I may have --

Lucky: Where?

Mariah: (Uncertain) On her hand....?

Lucky: Not when you made the bed. You didn't put it on the pillows, did you? (Mariah looks stunned)

Mariah: No! No, I did not! I promise you. (Lucky takes that in)

Lucky: Ok. (He turns and starts up the stairs, though he can't quite feel the ground beneath him. He ascends and, reaching the top, stops and sways. Only one thing makes sense. One thing he's refused to believe. His eyes scan the top of the staircase. The wood panels on the wall, the ornate wall paper... He shakes his head, dizzily and tells himself to take another step, move away from the top of the marble staircase. He turns, looking down the foyer beneath him. Rich Oriental rugs, the grandiose paintings... Even at the top of the stairs, there are paintings, vases and busts on pedestals. Lucky's gaze falls on a bust at the top of the stairs, just to his right. He moves towards it, and turns it towards him by the chin. Stavros. He can't help but laugh. He glances down the staircase to see Mariah looking up at him, with huge doe eyes. She stands tentatively on the bottom stair.)

Mariah: Mr. Spencer -- (Lucky just shakes his head at her and looks back at the bust. He runs a hand over the face, the vacant marble eyes. Then, without giving it any real consideration, he pushes it. Mariah lets out a cry and starts up the stairs, only ascending a few when the bust crashes down on the marble floor of the foyer. The noise is incredible -- marble hitting marble -- and seems to shake the house. She covers her ears, and backs up against the bannister. Lucky blinks, the noise seeming to shake him. He looks over to see Mariah. He opens his mouth to say something, then turns and runs out of sight. Mariah, feeling her heart pounding hard in her chest, tears up the stairs after him. She reaches the top of the stairs to see that he's gone down one of the corridors. He hits the first door and wrenches it open, looking into the room.) Mr. Spencer! (Lucky shakes his head at her) Lucky: Emily! (he starts down the hall, throwing open every door he passes. Mariah starts to follow but only gets part way down the hall when he hits the end. He swears violently at the final door and turns and faces her, his eyes wild) EMILY! (Mariah begins to walk backwards down the hall, her eyes fixed on his. Lucky starts down the hall again) She has to be here some place. She has to. (Mariah, seeing the look of agony on his face, turns)

Mariah: Yes... (she starts to run and dashes out of that corridor and down the next one. Lucky stops at the end of the corridor and sees her hurriedly running to the next door and throwing it open. She looks at Lucky tentatively, then shouts) Mrs. Spencer! (Lucky's expression is blank a moment, then he turns and starts down the remaining hallway the one leading to their quarters. The quarters are the first door. Nothing. He feels his heart beat quicken, his guts twisting)

Lucky: EMILY! (The desperation is obvious in his voice.) EMILY! (HE starts to move quickly down the hall, throwing open more doors, going into rooms, looking in closets and screaming her name, his voice getting more and more ragged, more emotional. His heart is pounding so loud he can barely hear himself as the reality of this crashes down around him. Gone. Gone like Nikolas. Gone and not by her choice. No. There was a sign this time. Someone had left him a sign -- Lucky stops and doubles over, convinced for a moment that he's going to be sick. Oh God. Oh, God... He grabs onto the door knob of the door he just opened and pulls himself back up. He shakes his head, looking into the empty room) God, Emily. Don't do this. God, don't do this to me. You can't. You can't -- (He shakes his head, his throat closing up. He turns, abandoning the room, and stumbles as well as he can down the hall. He reaches it and sees Mariah coming down the other hall towards him.)

Mariah: She is not here -- you see? I told you --

Lucky: (looking past her) What's that room? (He points to the door at the end of the hall, the only one not standing open. Mariah looks back)

Mariah: That is the study.

Lucky: The study is downstairs. (Mariah nods)

Mariah: Yes, but he uses that, he -- (Lucky looks at her, then moves past her, running down the hall. Mariah turns and follows) No one is to go in there unless the Prince requests it! I was told the first night -- (Lucky ignores her, reaching the door and pulling it open. His eyes move quickly around the empty and darkened room. He heard Mariah come up behind him) Please! You can't -- (Lucky ignores her, going into the room and closing the door behind him. He'd guessed she would be stopped dead by that, and he hears nothing. He twists the lock anyway, and grabs the chair in front of the desk, bracing it against the door. He moves over to the desk and flips on the light. He looks around the room)

Lucky: Ok, Nik. Lets see what you've been keeping from me.

The Pappas House

The same Rolls Royce Stefan had taken to the house a week ago crawls along the road, followed by another car. It winds its way up the drive and stops in front of the house. The car has barely stopped when Luke gets out of the second car and looks up, scowling at the heavens. Rain is beginning to fall in large drops.

Luke: Man, is this stuff following me around?

Alexis: (getting out of the Rolls) And everywhere he went, the heavens wept... (Luke gives her a look, and starts over to her as the rest of the company gets out of the cars)

Luke: I'm flattered, counselor -- (he's stopped when the door to the house opens and George Pappas appears, under a large umbrella)

George: Mr. Cassadine! (George hurries down the stairs) Oh, I'm relieved you made it in before the storm, you must get inside, we're expected --

Alexis: Storm? (George stops, having approached them and smiles)

George: Miss Davis. How lovely to see you again. (Alexis bows her head respectfully)

Alexis: Thank you, George. (She glances over at the non-Cassadines of the party) You remember Mrs. Spencer and Katija, yes? (George smiles thinly, then, absorbing the second name, his eyes widen)

George: Katija! My God... (he crosses to his cousin) I... I never expected --

Katija: Neither did I. (George takes her hand and smiles at her warmly)

George: Many years. It's good to see you again.

Luke: Uh yeah... Not to interrupt the lovefest, but shouldn't we be getting gone? As in off this rock on onto that demon isle you guys call home?

George: (dropping Katija's hand) The Island? (he looks at them) Are you planning on going to the Island tonight?

Stefan: We don't wish to waste anymore time. (George moves over to him, sheltering Stefan with the umbrella as the rain begins to fall harder)

George: A bad storm is approaching. We could try to ready the boats, but by the looks of things --

Luke: By the looks of things?

George: The danger would be notable. I'm ... I would not suggest going out tonight.

Luke: Yeah, well you can take your suggestion and stuff it -- I'm not staying away from that place another day.

George: (Looking around) I am uncertain why this is of so much importance... My son and daughter are over there, yes -- but that is not unusual.

Luke: You been over there yourself lately?

George: No. No, my son Josef, he takes care of the maintenance of the house --

Luke: So he could be housing Cirque de Soliel over there, you wouldn't know. (George furrows his brow)

George: I'm sorry sir, I don't think I caught your name.

Luke: Luke Spencer. (Stefan glances away. George's jaw drops)

George: L.. Luke... Mr. Spencer.

Alexis: (Dryly) You can see your reputation proceeds you.

Luke: Yeah, well that's not news. (there is a crack of thunder and Luke looks up at the darkened sky.) Ok, we better move now. (Katija hunches her shoulder, and looks at Stefan in confusion)

Stefan: Yes, we should make an effort to cross at the very least -- Katija go inside. You needn't join us. (Katija nods and turns, heading up to the house. Stefan turns and looks at George) The lightening has started, we'll be taking a great risk by crossing.

Laura: Raise your hand if you don't care. (Luke, Alexis and Stefan all look at her. She is staring at the ground, her arms crossed. After a moment, she looks up) I'm going. Now. (She pushes herself off the car she has been leaning against and turns, moving down to the dock. After a moment, Luke, then Alexis and Stefan, follow).

The Study.

Lucky throws a pile of papers across the thoroughly trashed study. He's torn the place apart. Picked every lock, pulled books off shelves, gone through everything he could find and nothing -- NOTHING -- has presented itself. He sinks into the chair behind the desk, at a loss. He'd even found one of those damn medallion locks, but he wasn't bothering with it. He didn't have one, and he knew from that damn Faberge egg thing that you couldn't pick the damn things open.

Lucky stands in silence and listens to the rain that is pelting against the darkened window. There is nothing more for him to do. Nothing. Nothing, but stop and think.

No. No, thinking was impossible. Even trying it hurt too much. It was like someone had shredded his insides. He was finding it hard to breath -- knowing he was standing right on the edge of sanity. It was going to be so easy to just step off. Just give up and let himself panic. His body and mind were willing him to do it. You lost her, his mind screamed at him. You lost her this time, and you don't know if you're ever going to get her back.

Lucky squeezes his eyes shut and comes right up against the image on Hannah, head against his chest, eyes closing for what must have been the last time. Immediately his brain twigs on just a few hours earlier, when he'd been holding Emily almost exactly the same way on the crest of the hill. Oh, God, no... This not happening.

Lucky gets up and paces the short width of the room. No. No. He needs to do something. He needs to do SOMETHING.

God damnit, Nik. God... He'd do anything for Nikolas to barge in here right this second, just so that he could look at someone who knew what was going on and say "Make me stop". Anyone. ANYONE -- he didn't care who. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do this anymore, this was too much. This was the end of the line. He had to find one of them. He had to. He couldn't do this alone!

Lucky turned around, his breath quickening, and his eyes fall immediately on the phone on the edge of the desk.

Phone.

He moves towards it as it he's in a trance. He'd seen it, he just... Never occurred to him to pick it up. He does so, lifting it to his ear.

Dial tone.

Lucky stares at it, then gives a slightly hysterical laugh. The laughs quickly starts to twist on him, trying to drag him down into tears, and he shakes his head hard, refusing to listen.

Lucky's fingers fly over the numbers, punching in the country code for the US. He puts a hand down and leans on the desk, his brain unable to comprehend what he's doing. The phone rings... Several times. Then an answering machine picks up and a familiar gruff voice fills Lucky's head.

"You got Luke Spencer's line at the office. It's that time of year again -- I'm gone until I decide not to be. If you don't know that -- then what the hell are you doing with my private number? Beep's coming."

Lucky slides down the desk to the floor. Ohhhhhhh, he should have known. He just should have known. The beep sounds with him still laughing.

Lucky: God, what am I doing? (he shakes his head) How's this for desperate, Dad? I'm actually calling you. You know Emily tried to get me to do that in New York -- God, I didn't think there was anything to get me to do this. (He closes his eyes) I messed up Dad. I messed up worse than I did when I was home. I know... I know you don't want to hear this. I know I'm the reason you're gone, huh? I don't blame ya, I didn't want to stick around for that freak show either. (Lucky puts his head down) I think I lost. Already. Knocked out in the first round. It's pretty pathetic, Emily kept saying that I was doing this to redeem myself to you or something. And I just shut that down, but I'm looking at this right now and... (Lucky swallows painfully) I don't know if I'm going to get out of this. (He closes his eyes and leans back against the desk) I don't know if I want to anymore. Not if Em... (he stops, unable to finish the sentence) I don't think I'm coming home. Ok? So you don't have to worry about that. I... I'm sorry I let you down. I'm sorry I didn't... What am I saying? What's the point of apologizing, right? (He laughs a little) See, I don't even need you here to have this conversation. (he sighs) If I said I love you, would you even believe me? (Lucky wipes the back of his hand across his face, realizing he's starting to cry. Damn...) I don't know what to do. I don't even know what you'd do. Probably 'cause you'd never get here in the first place. The only thing I could think of was to call you. Even though I don't have a right... (Lucky puts his head down and drops the phone, giving into the tears that are demanding to come out. He shakes his head and reaches over, taking the base of the phone and ripping it out the cord. He stands up, wiping his eyes and looks around at the trashed room. He just stares at it, unblinking, until he's jarred by a knock on the door. He looks up, staring at the door, then clears his throat) What?

Josef: (through the door) Mr. Spencer. (Lucky blinks. Oh good. Josef. He moves across the room and throws the chair aside, unlocking the door. He doesn't need to be in here anymore anyway. He turns and walks across to the window. Josef opens the door and stops, taking in the room. He stands in the doorway. After several moment, Lucky turns and looks at him)

Lucky: Yes?

Josef: Is there a problem, Mr. Spencer? (Lucky stares at him. He cocks his head to one side)

Lucky: I don't know, Josef. Why don't you come in and we'll talk about it.