Dawn Before the Darkness - 5

Luke's**********

Blues music emanated from hidden speakers in the
main room of the club, creating a low-key yet
intense atmosphere. The din of regular patrons
drifted at different levels,  and it being a Friday
night, the alcohol and good cheer flowed freely.
Waiters and waitresses moved hurriedly between
tables, avoiding knocking over food and drinks. The
recently added dance floor spilled over with bodies,
laborers and business professional alike, trying to let
lose some penned up stress in the seductive
euphony.

The party of three Spencers and one soon-to-be-
Spencer entered the club, laughing and enjoying
themselves. Luke looked appreciatively at the
crowded restaurant.

"Looks like we'll have a good take tonight," he said.
Strolling up to the bar, he spoke to Joe while the
rest of the partiers talked.

"So, have you guys thought of where you want the
wedding?" asked Laura, genuinely curious.

Lucky and Liz just looked at one another. "No,"
they said in unison.

Frowning her brow a little, Laura asked, "Okay.
Well, have you thought of what type of wedding you
want?"

"No."

"How big? How small?"

"No."

"How many bridesmaids? Ushers?"

"No."

"The cake? The photographer?"

"No."

At this point, Laura was becoming extremely
annoyed. Heaving an impatient sigh, she asked,
"Well, have you given any thought as to when the
blessed event will take place?"

At this question, Liz began shaking her head.
However, before she got far, Lucky responded,
"Yes. I think the wedding should be on November
12, Liz's birthday."

"But why? I mean, its a sweet idea, but I don't
understand your reasoning," Liz said.

"Well, you're seventeen. With your grandma out of
town for an indefinite length of time and your
parents in Europe, we can't obtain permission.
However, it'll be legal when you're eighteen, and
frankly, I'm going to have a hard time waiting that
long," Lucky said pointedly.

Liz just smiled at him. He returned her stare. They
remained like that, lost in the oblivion of one
another, for several minutes. Laura cleared her
throat, pushed at Lucky, and did everything short of
actual physical violence to get their attention, but
nothing worked.  By this time, though, Luke had
returned.

"All right. Joe cleared away a table in a back corner
away from all the noise. Let's go eat," he said
eagerly. His stomach was beginning to growl.

However, then he noticed the mannequins.
Confused, he turned to Laura.

"So, how long have they been in that state?"

Laura, peeved, replied, "Oh, only seven minutes.
Come on, let's go sit down. They'll snap out of it,
eventually."

Grabbing Luke by the arm, she pulled her husband
towards their table. However, Liz and Lucky
continued staring into one another's eyes, that is,
until a waiter tripped and sent five glasses of wine
spilling over the engaged couple.

"Whoa! What the hell--!"

"I'm so sorry!" pleaded the mortified waiter. "I'll go
get you some towels."

The waiter disappeared in the crowd. Lucky glanced
at Elizabeth. Her entire front was wine soaked, and
because she wore a thin, silky tank-shirt, it clung to
her like a second skin. Instantly, he felt desire flood
though him. 'Damn, she's so beautiful.' He honestly
didn't know how he'd survived two and half years of
not being able to touch her. 'Patience, Lucky,
patience. You don't want to scare her.' Trying to
slow his breathing, he frantically searched the
crowd, looking for any sign of the waiter.

While Lucky did this, Liz assessed the damage.
'Well, there goes twenty bucks.' Not only was her
shirt ruined by the white wine stains, so were her
Levi's. Casting a look at Lucky, she noticed he
wasn't in much better shape. His black T-shirt was
plastered to his broad shoulders. Like with Lucky,
immediately she felt the heat coursing through her
veins. A fuzzy, liquid feeling settled in her stomach.
'Control, Liz, control. Jumping the poor guy here
and now would not make a good impression on
Luke and Laura.' However, she couldn't help but
wonder what his touch would feel like. She imagined
his hands to be rough, callused from his various odd
jobs. But at the same time, she thought those hands
would touch her, cherish her as they would a fragile
flower. 'Okay, girl, you've read too many romance
novels.' Blushing at her wanton musings, Elizabeth
joined Lucky in his scouting out the waiter.

Ten minutes passed when Lucky said, "Why don't
we just go join my parents? It isn't as if standing
here is drying us any faster."

Shouting above the din, Liz agreed. Hand in hand,
they maneuvered the crowd until they spotted Luke
and Laura's table. Moving towards them, Luke
looked up from his menu, shocked at the soaked
teenagers.

"Now, cowboy, you know there are laws about
underage drinkin'," Luke said.

Lucky made a face. "Yeah, Dad. Well, how about
laws against clumsy waiters? One of your guys has
two left feet. He dumped an entire tray of wine on
Lizzie and me," he complained.

Laura smiled sympathetically at Lucky, then noticed
Liz's predicament. "Oh, my! Lizzie, it appears more
wine got on you."

At first, Lizzie and Lucky didn't realize what she
was talking about. Then they both looked down at
her blouse. In the better lit area where they were
sitting, it became apparent that the soaked shirt
revealed a bit more than deemed appropriate by
conventional standards.

"Oh, God!" Liz gasped, and frantically crossed her
arms over her chest.

Lucky only grinned.

Looking up at her fiancé, Liz glared.

Lucky's grin deepened.

Noticing Liz's growing mortification, Laura
suggested, "Liz, Luke has some extra clothes in his
office. Why don't you back there and out on some
dry things?"

Gratefully, Liz smiled and dashed off into the back
of the restaurant. Lucky stared longingly after here.

"Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, I cannot believe you
stared at her that way!" Laura scolded at her son.

Embarrassed, Lucky said defensively, "What?!?!"

However, before any of them could finish, the waiter
arrived. Luke ordered a hamburger, Lucky the fried
chicken, and Laura ordered Caesar salads for herself
and Liz.

"So, cowboy," Luke began, "how much did the ring
set you back?"

Shifting a bit uncomfortably, Lucky said, "Well, not
much. I mean, its not cheap, but she deserves better.
I only spent about a thousand."

At that figure, both his parents started, shocked that
their son had so much money.

"And where did you get that kind of money? Did
you save some up from when you were on your
own?" Laura questioned.

Luke, however, had a more devious thought.
"Lucky, did you have money left over from when
you worked for Helena?"

Still uneasy, Lucky said, "No, not really."

Expectantly, both parents said, "Well?"

"I, uh, got lucky at a couple hands of poker. No big
deal. Besides, it was over a year ago."

Neither Luke nor Laura were expecting that answer.

"Gambling? Lucky, how could you? Does Elizabeth
know?" Laura asked.

"No. She thinks I saved up my money from all my
jobs. I told the ring wasn't much more than one
hundred dollars."

"Well, Lucky---" Laura began.

"Now, now, honey. Its his money. Besides, it was
over a year ago. Nothing can change it," Luke said.

Lucky began to smile gratefully. However, he
faltered at his father's next words.

"---but if he ever gambles again, Liz will certainly be
made aware of it."

Deflated, Lucky suddenly ached for Lizzie's
presence. She made everything all right. Like a
balancing force, she made him feel like he could do
anything, survive everything.

Getting up from the table, Lucky said, "Liz's been
gone awhile. I'll go check on her."

With that, he started towards the back office.

Luke's office***********

While Lucky was being berated by his parents, Liz
was busy in her future father-in-law's office closest,
desperately searching for something that didn't look
like it would swallow her. 'Ah, here's something
promising.' She pulled out a large, flannel shirt that
was at least five sizes too big and a pair of jeans that
were definitely too long.

Clad only in her underwear, she turned to the full
length and held up the clothes for a closer
inspection. 'I guess these'll have to do.' Trying the
shirt on first, she concluded that her original guess
to its size was close. Ending just above her knees,
the shirt had sleeves that hung well past her
fingertips. The shirt also was missing the top two
buttons, so the collar kept slipping off one of her
shoulders. 'Oh, well.' Then she looked at the jeans.
She could make them shorter by rolling up the pants
legs, but fitting them around her waist would be
difficult without a belt. Looking back into the
closest, she noticed the end of a rope hanging over
the edge of the highest shelf. She stretched to her
fullest height, desperately trying to reach it.

At this point, Lucky had made it to the office.
Noticing the door ajar, he glanced in. The sight
before him was out of some dream: his beloved, clad
only in an ill-fitting shirt. Because she was reaching
only with her left hand, the collar had plunged,
revealing a tantalizing view of her shoulder and part
of her back. On tip toe, her legs were flexed to their
fullest advantage, and the shirt had ridden up to just
above mid-thigh. Lucky felt his earlier desire return
full force. Giving into temptation, he entered the
room.

Liz, meanwhile, was so consumed with reaching the
rope that she never realized someone was in the
room with her until she felt Lucky's body align
entirely with her back. He casually reached up and
grabbed the rope. For a few moments, he merely
stood there, taking in  her scent and the feel of her
against him. He gently kissed her hair, the perfect
shell of her ear. Kisses continued to trail down the
delicately-sloped column of her neck, and onto her
shoulder. Liz reveled in the sensation. She moaned,
and abruptly, Lucky spun her around. Capturing her
mouth with his, he sunk into her, almost devouring
her. Using the rope, he pulled her tightly into him.
Both of them drowned in the liquid fire boiling
around them. Lucky continued his manipulations
down her neck, along her collarbone. Liz laced her
fingers through his hair, and she tenderly pressed her
lips to his head. However, when Lucky reached the
very top of her breasts, she hesitated.

Pushing away from him, Liz panted,
"Lucky...Lucky, we'd better stop."

Reluctantly, Lucky moved away. Breathing heavily,
he said, "God, Liz, I'm sorry. I don't want to
pressure you."

Caressing his face lightly, she said, "I know. But I
think we should wait. Okay? You're not mad?"

"Of course not, baby. I want our first time, and
every time, to be special. I'm not mad," Lucky gently
reassured her.

Pecking a light kiss on her lips, he said, "Finish
dressing now. I'll wait outside."

With that, he turned to go. However, his legs hadn't
quite revived, and he stumbled. Elizabeth began
giggling uncontrollably. Lucky, quite humiliated,
recovered his balance and went outside the office.

Scrambling for the rope, Liz hitched up the jeans
and belted the waist. She rolled up her sleeves and
found a safety pin to secure her shirt. That done, she
joined Lucky, and wordlessly they proceeded hand
in hand to their table.

Luke's--the table**********

Worriedly, Laura scanned the crowd. "Luke, where
could they be?"

"Darlin', they're good kids. They won't do anything
stupid," Luke reassured his wife.

"Well, what do you really think of their getting
married?"

"Honestly, I wish them the best of luck. Its obvious
Lucky loves her very much. You can see it in the
eyes: a sort of wistfulness. People tell me it was the
way I looked, and still look, at you," Luke said,
smiling.

Blushing, Laura replied, "The same way Liz looks at
Lucky. Oh, they've grown so much. They deserve
happiness."

Anymore love talk was interrupted by the DJ,
announcing a special request.

"This next song isn't blues, but its a chart topper. A
little romantic ditty for all the lovebirds out there
tonight.

He began to play the song.*.

 When the rain is blowing in your face,
 And the whole world is on your case
 I would offer you a warm embrace
 To make you feel my love.

Luke rose from his seat and walked in front of
Laura. Holding out his hand, she took it and rose as
well. Luke lead her onto the dance floor. Embracing
one another, they began to dance.

 When the evening shadows,
 And the stars appear,
 And there is no one there,
 I could hold you for a million years
 To make you feel my love.

Entering the main room of the club, Liz and Lucky
walked to the dance floor, taking in all the couples.

Turning to Liz, Lucky said, "My lady? Would you
do me the honor of sharing this dance?"

He did a little bow, and she feign a curtsey. Lucky
took her arm, and they approached the dance floor.
Taking her in his arms, he pulled her close. She laid
her head on his chest, and they drifted around the
dance floor, as if they lived only for each other. No
one could invade their world in this moment.

 I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
 But I would never do you wrong.
 I've known it from the moment that we met.
 No doubt in my mind where you belong.

Picking head up, Liz whispered in Lucky's ear,
"That's they way it was, you know."

"What was?" he murmured softly.

"Us. I knew the moment I saw you, we'd be like this
someday. Of course, then you went and ruined the
picture by lecturing me on the evils of smoking."

Laughing quietly, Lucky said, "Well, I was so
overcome by your beauty that it was the only thing I
could think of to say."

"Lame, Spencer, very lame," came the sardonic
reply.

Sheepishly, Lucky said, "I know. I know. Honestly,
looking back, your shenanigans, as Ruby puts it, is
what endeared you to me. I just didn't know it at the
time."

Looking up at her fiancé, Liz seriously asked, "Is it
because I was raped that you stuck around?"

Lucky examined her eyes for any sign of jest.
Realizing her gravity, he replied emphatically, "No!
Elizabeth, I stuck around because of you. You
amazed me. Everything you said, everything you
did. It was...pure magic. I loved your strength, your
courage, your wit, your passion. The rape
emphasized these qualities, yes, but its not because
of that incident that I was drawn to you. Its those
qualities."

Leaning down, he intensified his words with a kiss.
Liz returned it fully, and they lost themselves once
more in the beautiful music.

 I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue.
 I'd go crawling down the avenue.
 No, there's nothing I wouldn't do,
 To make you feel my love

 The storms are raging on the rollin' sea.
 Down the highway of regret.
 The winds of change are blowing wild and
free
 You ain't seen nothing like me

 Nothing that I wouldn't do,
 Go to the ends of the earth for you.
 I could make you happy, make your dreams
come true,
 To make you feel my love.

As the song winded to an end, Liz whispered in
Lucky's ear, "You are my dreams. Our children, our
grandchildren. Our past, our present, our future.
Everything is you."

Lucky smiled down at her and said, "Ditto."

Leading her off the dance floor, they made it back to
the table. All the Spencers ate their meals, and it was
a wonderful celebration.

Unfortunately, viscous eyes watched, waiting, yet
again.

The Hardy's---near midnight**********

'Dammit!' Liz said to herself as the keys slipped from
her hands. She bent down in the pitch blackness,
groping for them. The Spencers had offered to walk
her up, but she had insisted they go. Now, she
regretted her decision. Finding her keys, she fumbled
with the right one, and jerkily inserted it in the hole.
Sliding the deadbolt, she entered her home.

Closing the door behind, Liz took off her coat and
hung it up. 'Damn you, Sarah.' Her inconsiderate
sister not only hadn't turned on the porch light, she
also hadn't left on any house lights. Flicking on the
living room light, Liz flopped down on the couch,
thinking of her and Lucky's interactions in his dad's
office. She felt the languid edges of that all-
consuming warmth return. She had stopped Lucky
not because she didn't want to make love with him,
but because she wanted their first time to be in a
special place, preferably on their wedding night.
'Well, if that's gonna happen, you don't need to be in
the same room, perfectly alone.' Banishing these
thoughts, though, was her notice of an odd, but
pleasant smell coming from the kitchen.

Rising from the couch, she headed for the kitchen.
Upon entering, her eyes beheld a shocking sight.
Lining every available surface area were what
seemed dozens of roses. Bright, blood red roses,
their perfume creating a sickly sweet scent. 'Who
could have done this?' Gazing around, she was
completely bewildered. She then spotted a white
card amongst a pool of red. Picking it up, she read
the note:

  A small reminder of my presence.

'What presence?' The note didn't tell her damned
thing. All she had to go on was, well, nothing. She
honestly didn't think it was Lucky, but who else?
Her musings, however, were forgotten as a loud
crash came from the front area outside the house.

Running to the front window, she looked out and
saw that the entire stack of firewood had been
toppled. Puzzled by the mess, she couldn't think of
any reason why it would fall. Then she heard
mewing on the porch.

"Gatsby!" Liz yelled.

Jerking open the front door, she looked down and
saw the wayward cat, sitting on the front steps.
However, he was startled by the sudden noise and
ran off into the woods.

"Stupid cat!" Liz muttered under her breath. She
ventured to the far edge of the porch and looked
into the trees. Calling out his name, she walked a
little further. However, she had come out with no
coat, and though it was only early September, the
night air held a chill edge.

She moved towards the front door, but as her hand
reached for the knob, she heard the deadbolt slide
home from inside. Looking up frantically, she saw
the lights flicker out through the window. Thinking
Sarah was playing a prank, she began banging on the
door.
However, she received no response.

'Fine. I'll go to the back.' Making her around the
back of the house, she silently wished Sarah all the
little torments she could think of. 'Maybe Chinese
water-drop torture.' Though she didn't know exactly
what it was, she had heard it was extremely painful.
She reached the back door, but it was locked as
well.

'Great,' she thought. 'What am I supposed to do
now?' Deciding to head back to the front, she turned
on the path. It was then that she saw the figure.

Standing at the end of the path, it was tall, wearing a
black duster and a black ski mask. Bile rose in her
throat as she realized it wasn't some juvenile prank.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed at the
figure.

Instantly, she ran into the nearby forest. Branches
scraped at her face, and leaves rustled under her
feet. Running was difficult because the ground was
still slick from the previous night's rain. However,
when she heard the belabored breathing and heavy
footfall of her pursuer, she ran faster and harder.

Suddenly, though, her feet slipped from under her,
and the world tilted. She felt her head make contact
with something hard and jagged, and consciousness
began drifting away.

The last thing she saw was a black-clad figure
bending over her. It said, "Not one word."

Then the darkness consumed her.
 
 

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