Thirty-TWO
Two hours later…
Lucky is staring blankly at the television while Elizabeth is absorbed in a book when everyone arrives. Nikolas is the one that answers the door. All three are surprised to see a small group of people at the door.
"Laura…Luke…what are you doing here?" Nikolas asked in surprised.
"We’re here to talk to Lucky and Elizabeth about what to do about Faison," Luke pushes pass Nikolas.
"Dad?" Lucky gets to his feet. "What is this all about?"
"Yes Luke. Tell us since you refused to tell me so far. What’s this mysterious plan of yours?" Laura glares at Luke.
Robert steps up next to his best friend, his wife by his side. This was a hard request they were about to make and he wasn’t sure if Luke could do it himself.
"Cowboy…Liz honey…set down. We’ve come up with a solution, but it’s not a easy one," Luke sighed.
"What do you want to tell us?" Liz and Lucky set on the nearby loveseat.
"Robert and I have discussed how to deal with Faison and how to protect you…the only solution that we came up with is for Lucky to disappear, along with the Scorpios," Luke swallowed uneasily. This was getting harder for him by the second.
"What? You want me to leave?" Lucky looked at his father in disbelief. But then again, he shouldn’t be surprised. Ever since he came back, he’s been nothing but trouble to everyone.
"No Cowboy. I don’t want you to leave. But it’s the only way to protect you from that sociopath. This is only temporary Cowboy. Once I have a bullet in that man’s brain you can come back home," Luke grabs his son’s hand, trying to keep the tears out of his own voice but failing.
"No!" Laura screams. "No I will not give up my son again! We just got Lucky back and now you’re talking about sending him away?!"
"Laura listen, we’re only thinking about keeping Lucky safe," Anna replied. "I feel for you, I do. I’ve been separated from my daughter for so long too…I know how gut wrenching this is."
"You have no idea! You never believed Robin to be dead for a year and then get her back and then taken away again! You have no idea! And what about Elizabeth?! Is she supposed to put her life on hold and wait for Lucky to return?"
"That’s another thing. Elizabeth…you do have a choice…you can stay here and go on with your life…or you can leave with us. Meaning you have to leave now. Change your name…everything. You’ll have to leave your life here in port charles behind. Can you do that?" Robert grasps the girl’s hand, who looks like she’s about to crumble any minute now.
"You mean I can leave with Lucky?" Elizabeth stares at Robert in disbelief.
"Yes darling. But be aware that if you two do go, you’ll have to leave right away. You won’t have time to say good-bye to Audrey and you can never contact anyone here in port charles unless it’s a special arrangement. Can you do that?" Luke looks at Liz intently.
"But if I stay here, I’ll never see
Lucky again. Right? Is that what you’re telling me?"
Luke and the Scorpios nod somberly.
"Well in that case I’ll go. I can’t live without Lucky again. I won’t. Gram will be fine without me, and besides, you’ll catch Faison soon and then we can come home. Right?"
"Right. Well that’s the Cowgirl’s decision. Lucky…it’s all up to you. Do you want to stay or do you want to go. Like Robert said, you’ll have to leave right away."
"Do I have a choice?" Lucky asked. "It’s either leave or stay and die…and I won’t do that to Elizabeth again…but…I don’t want to leave you guys either."
"Well then stay," Laura speaks out. "We’ll figure out a way to get Faison…there’s no need to go underground."
"Laura…" Luke warned.
"Everything will be fine," Laura ignored Luke.
Lucky smiled sadly at his mother. He wanted to believe her…that everything would be fine, but he knew better. He knew all too well Faison’s powers. There was no way to escape Faison unless disappearing…He had no other alternative. "I wish that was true mom. But we both know from experience that it’s not. The only escape is disappearing."
A life on the run again for her youngest son? It wasn’t to Laura’s liking at all. She swore right then and there that if it was the last thing she ever did, she’ll kill Faison so her son can come home for good. "You’ll come home Lucky. I promise you will," Laura bursts into tears and hugged her son closely to her. "You just stay healthy…and take care of Elizabeth."
Lucky looked over at Elizabeth, who now had tears in her eyes. She was about to give up everything for him…it didn’t seem right. She had a whole life ahead of her. She wasn’t accustomed to life on the run. How can he ask her to do this? He couldn’t. "Elizabeth…you don’t have to come with me. You know that don’t you? You have a whole life here in Port Charles…your studio…your artwork…everything you love is here."
"No Lucky, Everything I love is with you. If you leave without me, then I’ll have nothing. I’m coming and there’s nothing you can say to change my mind," Elizabeth squeezes his hand reassureingly.
"So that’s a yes?" Robert asked.
"Yes," Lucky nodded, looking away from his sobbing mother. He was thankful Nikolas was there to comfort her. "Take care of her Nikolas," Lucky stands up.
"I will. And take care of Elizabeth and yourself. Return to us soon," Nikolas hugs his brother tightly, knowing it was good-bye. "I love you Lucky. I know I never told you that, but I do. I wanted you to know."
Tears spring to Lucky’s eyes at Nikolas’s admission. "I love you too bro. And believe it or not, I’m going to miss you. Say dinner at Eli’s when I return?"
"You’re on," Nikolas pulls away from the hug. He rubs the tears out of his eyes and then hugs Elizabeth. "You take good care of my brother. You both have been through so much."
"I will and thank you…for everything," Elizabeth smiled. "And do me a favor. Look in on Gram every now and then…make sure she’s okay and tell her that I’m safe and that I love her and will always be thinking about her."
"I will," Nikolas nods.
Luke steps up to his son, tears now freely flowing from his eyes.
"Well Cowboy…This is it. They say good-byes are hard, but they didn’t say nothing about it being so painful," Luke pulls his son into a hug. "I promise you Lucky, I will take care of this Faison character and bring you back home where you belong."
"I love you dad," Lucky cries into his father’s shoulder. "Take care of Foster for me."
"You know I will Cowboy," Luke forces a smile. "Skillethead will only want for one thing…his master."
Laura pulls Lucky into a tight embrace of her own. "I’m going to miss you so much."
"I love you mom. Tell Lulu good-bye for me and that I’m going to miss her."
"I will," Laura nods, letting go of her son just as the Scorpio’s move towards the door.
"It’s time for us to go you two," Anna announce. "Luke, Laura…I promise you…we will take care of them. We’ll guard them with our lives."
"You better!" Luke grunts. "See you around Robert?"
"Later old friend," Robert grins and salutes. Tell my brother to stop being a wildebeast and start spending more time with his family."
"Sure thing," Luke nods.
Luke, Laura, and Nikolas stand in a tight circle and watch the two people they love most in the world disappear into the darkness, knowing that they may never see them again.