CHAPTER EIGHT

The next morning everyone woke up bright and early and gathered in the living room at about six-thirty, knowing that the McCoys will be arriving at seven to pick up Lucky.

"I wish you’d reconsider this," Earl sighed, his hands in his pocket.

"I can’t Earl. I want to do for her what you did for me," Lucky sighed, clinging to Elizabeth’s hand, who had tears in her eyes.

Looking at the kitchen clock it was seven o’clock and right on schedule the McCoy’s pull up in front of the house.

"They couldn’t even be late," Elizabeth tightened her hold on Lucky’s hand.

"Well Cowboy. I guess I’ll see ya when you return. You take care of yourself and that little girl. Don’t stay gone too long," Luke hugs his son tightly, fighting the tears welling up in his eyes Lucky had enough to worry about without having to see his old man cry. "And remember first and foremost, no matter what those people say, you’re a Spencer. First and foremost and always. And we Spencers never let them see us sweat."

"Ok dad," Lucky smiled, before turning to Nikolas.

"Luke’s right. Come home straight away. As soon as you can," Nikolas hugged his brother tightly, cursing the fact that so much time was wasted fighting with Lucky than being his brother.

"Look after Elizabeth for me ok? This is hard on her," Lucky looks at his brother. "Keep her happy. And stop taking yourself so seriously. It’s okay to laugh and have fun once in a while. Okay"

"I promise."

Lucky smiles and turns to Laura.

"My baby!" Laura cries, embracing Lucky tightly. "Don’t you let does people talk down to you. You hear!"

Lucky nods and embraces her, burying his face in her blond hair like he used to do when he was little. "I love you mom. And I’ll come home. I promise."

"Take care Lucky. I’m sorry I can’t come with you this time," Earl holds out a hand.

"That’s okay. I can take care of myself now. Just look after my parents for me. I think this may be harder on them than they care to admit," Lucky accepts the handshake.

"I will."

"Lucky don’t go!" Lulu runs to Lucky who kneels down to hug his little sister tightly. "You have to read me story at bedtime!"
"I have to go Lulu, but I won’t be gone long. Nikki here will take my place until I get back. Okay?"

Lulu nods and runs back to her parents. Lucky turns to Elizabeth just as the McCoys began beeping their horn impatiently.

"Lucky," Elizabeth began to cry.

"Shhh Elizabeth, don’t cry. I’ll be back. I promise," Lucky pulls her into a hug. "I’ll hold on to last night to remember you by," He whispered to her, causing her to blush furiously.

"Hurry home."
Lucky pulls away and kisses her tenderly before letting go of her hand. Tears well in his eyes as he looks at everyone who’s ever loved him over the years and fought back the tears. Seeing him cry would only make things worse.

"I love you all. I’ll see you when I get back," Lucky backs down the stairs before going to the McCoy’s car.

"It’s about time!" Calvin McCoy grunted rudely. Looking back one more time at his family, Lucky enters the car. Calvin immediately peels away down the street, wanting to get away from Port Charles as soon as possible.

Everyone stands on the porch looking at the space where the car used to be.

"Luckyyy!!!" Laura screamed, collapsing into Luke’s arms. "No no no! How could you let them take our baby! Our son!!!"

"Laura shhh. Don’t do this," Luke strokes her hair.

Elizabeth’s lips quivers with unshed tears as she watches Laura’s collapse. The realization that Lucky is gone hits her fast and hard. Before she could stop herself, she felt her knees buckle and Nikolas’s arms around her. "Liz are you ok?"

"He’s gone. He’s gone," She sniffed.

"Not for long," Nikolas confidently replied. "Not for long."

Eleven hours later, the car pulls into the driveway of a redbrick farm house. Calvin McCoy turns towards the back, to Lucky who’s staring blankly out the window, wondering what Elizabeth was doing now.

"Rules of the house Lucas. No smoking, no watching tv after eleven. No loud radio music. No girlfriends…even though I have a feeling we won’t have to worry about that one. Curfew is nine o’clock. Wake up call is seven. Dinner’s at five. Lunch at twelve, and breakfast is at seven thirty. You and your sister will be tending the farm and other chores while me and your mother…."

"She’s not my mother," Lucky suddenly speaks up. He didn’t and never would think of these people as his real parents. That title was reserved for Luke and Laura Spencer.

"She is your mother and I am your father and you will address us as such. Do I make myself clear? And if you’re even thinking that we’re going to allow you to go by Lucky Spencer, think again."

"Well too bad because that’s my name," Lucky crosses his arms and stare at Calvin defiantly. Lucky was no longer a five-year-old little boy anymore. He was a teenager that has seen things that many teens should or may never see. He didn’t back down from Tom Baker, nor Helena Cassadine and he wasn’t backing down now.

Calvin bolts out of the car and opens Lucky’s side of the car. He grabs Lucky’s collar and drags him out to face him. "Listen here you little prick, you will go by Lucas McCoy here. If you don’t I’ll…"
"What? Hit me? Come on, I can take it. Or is it that I’m not a little boy anymore? I can take care of myself now? Is that it? Afraid to fight someone your own size?"

"Calvin let the kid go. He’s just blowing steam. Let’s just get inside, tell Beth that we’re home and she can return to her own house and get the kids settled," Paula grabs her husbands hand.

"The kid needs to be taught a lesson."

"Later," Paula pulls her husband away from Lucky. "Besides, he’s right. He’s not a little boy anymore. He can fight back now. I don’t think you’d want that."

Calvin just glares at Lucky before following his wife into the house.

Beth Hanes sets on little Laura’s bed reading her a bedtime story, all the time wishing that she could take the little girl away from this horrible house. Beth couldn’t count how many times she came over to baby set to find the little girl huddled in a corner black and blue from the beatings her parents have given her. Beth’s all time fear was that she’d arrive to find little Beth dead. She looks down at the child and shivers, hoping that her parents don’t notice that the porcelain dolls on the mantle had been moved. Laura had climbed up and gotten the porcelain dolls somehow to play with them. One of the dolls had fallen and broken. Beth had tried her best to repair the doll and moved it behind another, so hopefully the McCoys wouldn’t notice. If they did…Laura would be in for a good beating for sure.

"Laura we’re home!" Paula McCoy announces, pushing Lucky ahead of her, she wanted her son to see that the little girl was real and was indeed his little sister. "And we’ve brought you home a surprise!"
"Really! What is it!" Laura hops out of bed before Beth could stop her and runs into the living room. Both Beth and the little girl stop in their tracks when they see Lucky. "Hello," Laura greets.

"Hi,"Lucky smiles down at the little girl that the McCoy’s claimed was his sister.

"Laura this is your brother Lucas," Paula introduced.

"But everyone calls me Lucky," Lucky ignores the heated glare that both Calvin and Paula threw his way. It’s obvious that he wasn’t going to give on the name issue.

"Lucas?" Beth asked, looking at the teenaged boy that the McCoy’s have brought with them, remembering a Lucas she used to play with when she was five years old, but he had suddenly disappeared. Beth up til now was certain the McCoy’s had beaten him to death and had never forgiven them for it. That was why she was so protective of Laura. She had thought it was what her long dead best friend would have wanted. But here was a boy with similar looks of that same five year old boy with the same name.

"Lucas, you remember Beth Hanes. She was the little girl you used to play with before you were kidnapped," Paula nods to Beth.

"The name is Lucky and I wasn’t kidnapped as I remember it. I was rescued," Lucky turns to face Paula who looked like she wanted to slap him.

"What?" Beth asked, confused. She looked at Lucky. He looked real good for a kidnapped victim and that haunted look that was in her friend’s eyes wasn’t in this boys eyes. This boys eyes was full of kindness and mischievousness.

"You see, eleven years ago, Lucas was kidnapped by the Spencers. We just now tracked him down."

Lucky rolled his eyes, but remained silent. He’ll just have to correct things later, but right now he wanted to get to know Laura better. She was so cute, and so quiet. She was just like Lulu.

"Well welcome home Lucas," Beth stammered, not knowing what else to say. She really wanted to tell him to run for his life and take Laura with him, but she remained quiet. She hoped that Lucas’s return didn’t mean the end of her job watching Laura. She felt she was the only friend the girl had and didn’t really want to be replaced.

"Here’s your pay Beth. We’ll call again when we need you," Calvin McCoy held out a twenty dollar bill.

"What happened to my dolls?" Paula asked, taking out the broken doll. Before Beth could answer Paula strolls up to Laura and backhands her, sending the little girl across the room. "What did I say about playing with my dolls!"

"Mrs. McCoy stop!" Beth protests.

"Calvin your lashing belt please!" Paula holds out her hand.

The man unhooks a braided leather belt from what looked like a coat tree. Paula McCoy took the strap side in her hand and the buckle side facing Laura. "Now tell me what did I say about playing with my dolls?! What did I say would happen?!"

"I’m sorry Mommy! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry!" The little girl screams in terror. huddling in a corner.

"Mrs. McCoy please! It was my fault!" Beth cried out, covering her eyes. She couldn’t bear to see the little girl beaten.

"You know how much that doll costed!" Paula yelled about to bring the belt down, but Lucky got in the way and caught the belt before it could either him or Laura.

"You would think your daughter was more important than a stupid doll," He yanks the belt out of the woman’s hand. He stands between Laura and Paula. If the woman wanted to harm Laura, she’d have to go through him first.

"Get out of the way!" Paula demanded.

"No. We had a deal remember? I come back with you and you don’t lay another hand on Laura."

"I lied," Paula growled. "Now get out of the way."

"I’ll just take her to the shack for the night. That’s suitable punishment," Cal grabs Laura’s arm and pulls her out from behind Lucky.

"The shed?" Lucky asked.

"No not the shed! She’s afraid of the dark!" Beth again protests. "She’ll be scared to death all alone and helpless!"

"Mind your own business! Better yet go home! Your job is done!" Paula growled.

Beth turns to Lucky, tears in her eyes. "Don’t let them hurt her anymore. Please."
"Leave!"Paula shouts before Lucky could answer.

Sobbing Paula darts out into the night.

"And to the shed with you!" Calvin growls dragging the wailing little girl out the back door. Lucky starts after them but Paula stops him. I suggest you move your things upstairs to your old room. You remember where it is. You’ll be sharing that with your sister when she’s not in solitaire. Now it’s late and I’m going to bed. Good night Lucas." Paula disappears up the stairs. Leaving Lucky to his thoughts. He looks towards the back door where Calvin had taken Laura. He shivers thinking of that happening to Lulu. It was quite obvious now that he had to get Laura away from here and back to Port Charles as soon as possible and have the McCoys brought up on charges some how. Sighing he took his bags upstairs, trying to formulate a plan that’ll get both him and Laura out of this hell.

Later that night, once he was sure the McCoys were sound asleep, Lucky sleeps outside and immediately spots the shed. Using the technique for picking locks that Luke had taught him, he opened the door and quickly stepped inside. He found Laura shivering in the dark sobbing hysterically for her mommy and daddy. This reminded him so much of himself when he was that age before Luke and Laura had rescued him. His heart went out to her.

"Who’s there?" She whimpered.

"It’s just me Lucky. You remember me right? Your long lost brother?"

"Go away. You’ll get in trouble," Laura sobbed, unsure if she could trust the strange boy her parents had brought home.

"Hey I’m used to trouble, so don’t worry about it," Lucky laughed comically. "So how many times do they put you in here? It’s pretty dark and scary for a little girl."

"I don’t know. I just want my mommy!" Laura wails again. Lucky goes and places his arms around her in a comforting embrace. "I’m sorry Lucky! I’m sorry I was such a bad girl!"
Lucky choked back tears. He remembered once saying something similar to Earl. "Laura listen to me. You were not a bad girl. You’re just a child. You don’t deserve any of this and I promise you, soon I’m going to get you out of here and take you somewhere where mommies and daddies don’t hurt their children like this. Believe me they do exist. I grew up with two of them."

Laura begins to calm down in the safe confines of Lucky’s arms. "Were they nice?"

"The best," Lucky grins, remembering all the great times he had with Luke and Laura. "We went on all kinds of adventures when I was little. You want to hear about them?"

Laura eagerly nods, getting up to set in Lucky’s lap, where he held her against his chest so she’d feel safe, warm, and secure.

Two hours later, Lucky was recanting how he had found his to Port Charles on his own when he noticed the little girl had drifted off to sleep. He smiled as he began to drift off. He made a silent promise to Laura to get her away from the McCoys. Somewhere where she can fall asleep like this all the time.

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