A Love to Last a Lifetime

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A Love to Last a Lifetime 14
Chapter 74

Emily had just stepped out of Jason’s room and nearly collided with Nikolas. Embarrassed she said “Oh Nikolas, I’m sorry, I forgot we were going to meet here.”

Nikolas saw that Emily was distracted and immediately moved to comfort her. “It’s alright.” He nodded towards the door Emily had just exited “No change huh?” Emily smiled into his eyes amazed at his understanding.

“I know this may sound strange, but for some reason he seemed even more distant today. I know it must be my imagination, but before I always knew he could hear me. Today I just felt as if I were talking to a wall.” She sighed heavily and her eyes filled with tears.

Nikolas pulled her into his arms and let her cry on his shoulder. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. “I feel so guilty being this happy, Jason has always been there for me through everything with the family and school and oh, just everything.” Emily broke down again and Nikolas comforted her.
“Emily, I know this is difficult for you, but you have to believe that Jason is going to wake up and be there for you again. If you don’t believe it, he will know and he won’t fight as hard as he should.” He tightened his hold on her.

Emily calmed again and lifted her head. “How did I get so lucky to find you? Thank you Nikolas. I love you.”

Nikolas smiled. “I know, I love you too.” He kissed her softly. “Why don’t we get out of here and get some air?” Nikolas wrapped his arm around Emily’s waist and led her down the hall.

<Luke’s>

Lucky had just finished explaining to his father his need to find the man responsible for hurting Elizabeth. He wanted Liz to be free, and the only way that was going to happen is if this guy was behind bars.

Luke had been listening carefully and seriously debated turning his son away. He knew this would be dangerous and didn’t think he wanted his son involved. On the other hand, it would give father and son a chance to get reacquainted. He would be there every step of the way to protect his son and knew that he could keep him safe. “Well, coincidentally that is what I was working on. It’s pretty clear that Jason knew who this guy is, but he is pretty much out of commission now. His guards aren’t cooperating with the police, but I got Reynaldo to give me some surveillance photos of you and Liz. So far I haven’t turned up much.” As he was finishing the timer on the desk dinged. “Nothing except this one lead. Let’s go take a look.”

Intrigued once again at the way his father’s mind worked Lucky followed him into the dark room. Hanging on the line was a picture Lucky recognized from the day of the bombing. Luke tuned on the light and they both approached the picture. Lucky gasped in shock at what he saw. Luke merely said “well, well, well, looks like we have an answer.”

AJ had been watching Liz, Laura and LuLu. It was time to put his plan into action. He was going to have Elizabeth with him forever starting today. He only had to wait for the moment when she was alone, then he would strike.

Liz was sitting next to Laura on a bench watching LuLu play on a near by carousel. She had thoroughly enjoyed her ice cream and the sugar rush made her eager to expend some of the energy. Laura and Liz had been having a companionable conversation and Liz was feeling truly happy. LuLu’s ride was over and Laura rose to go retrieve her daughter. Liz took the opportunity to excuse herself and head back to Kelly’s for the rest of her shift. With a quick hug for both Laura and LuLu she was on her way.

She was almost Kelly’s when she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She was about to turn around when she felt the hand clasp over her mouth. Fear spread immediately through her body when she registered the familiar soapy smell and heard the familiar voice utter “Not a word.”

She felt a blinding pain on the left side of her head and everything went black.

Chapter 75

Elizabeth woke to a pounding headache and a stench like no other she had smelled before. Her first thought was that a skunk had sprayed outside their window. She rolled over to tell Lucky to close the window when she felt the wetness of the ground beneath her. She wasn’t in her bed, in fact she didn’t know where she was. Suddenly it all came back to her. She had been walking back from her “date” with Laura and LuLu when everything had changed. Her eyes opened suddenly and the fear she felt surfaced as she screamed.

She attempted to move to sitting position but found that her hands and feet were tied. It was dark and it took her a moment to focus in on her surroundings. She felt rather than saw the prying eyes and heard the scurrying of the rats that surely surrounded her. She realized that whoever had done this had taken her deep into the sewer system beneath Port Charles. She thought about Lucky and knew he would come for her, she only hoped that it was soon. To keep her sanity she thought about only the pleasant memories she had made with him barely keeping the fear at bay.

It seemed like she had been awake for an eternity, but it was probably only fifteen minutes. She was used to the dark enough now to see the ladder next to her and the river of sewage flowing a few feet away from her. She could only hope that a sudden shower didn’t decide to hit or she would become part of that river. She heard approaching footsteps and felt the panic overcome her. To quell her fear she reached for the locket that was always around her neck only to find it was missing.

Laura was taking LuLu home when the child started to cry. “Honey, what is it? Do you have a tummy ache?” Laura immediately started beating herself up for letting her have the cookie dough ice cream she had begged for. “No mama, Lucky.” Immediately Laura understood, the child missed her brother. On an instinct Laura changed courses and headed for Kelly’s once again.

They were holding hands and talking about Liz and the ice cream they had shared when a bright flash caught Laura’s eye and she stopped to investigate. She moved closer to the boxes on the side of the dock and she saw it. She recognized it instantly, Lucky had been so proud when he had shown her the beautiful picture of he and his love inside. Her heart sank as she bent to pick up the locket engraved with their love. She knew something was terribly wrong, Liz cherished this necklace and surely would have noticed if it had fallen off. She tried to remain calm for the sake of her daughter. “Mama, what is it?” the small voice behind her inquired. “Nothing darling.” Laura pocketed the locket and increased their pace toward Kelly’s.

<Luke’s>

Luke ripped the picture off the line and examined it closer with his magnifying glass to make sure they weren’t making a mistake. As he placed the glass over the photo the face came into clear view. There was AJ Quartermaine watching from the sidelines with an ominous grin on his face.

Lucky had already run out of the dark room to examine the other photos on the table. “Oh my God! Dad, he is in a lot of these pictures. No one thought it was unusual because Liz and I both know him. That’s why Jason’s guards weren’t able to come up with anything. I wonder how Jason knew.” Lucky had a look in his eye that Luke recognized from experience: rage. “Son, calm down. We have to wait until he does something again, then we can catch him in the act. He isn’t stupid and he isn’t going to be easy to catch, we need a plan. First I think we need to pay a visit to Jason Morgan.”

Lucky knew deep down that his father was right, but that didn’t change his desire to kill AJ with his bare hands. “Alright, but first I want to check on Liz and fill her in. I made a promise to her that when I found anything she would be the first to know. I don’t intend to keep her in the dark on this dad.” Luke knew better than to argue. It went against his better judgement to tell Liz the details, but this was Lucky’s show. “How about I meet you at the hospital in two hours, that will give me time to pick Liz up at Kelly’s and fill her in on the new developments.”

Luke smiled, “That’s fine, I’ll see you then.” That will also give me time to check out a few things on my own Luke finished silently.

Chapter 76

Nikolas and Emily were walking on the grounds of the Quartermaine estate when they came upon the boathouse. This was the place Emily had always loved. When she had first come to live with the Quartermaine’s this had been her haven. Still when she needed to be alone this is where she came and now she wanted to share it with Nikolas.

“Well, this is it, nothing like your sanctuary, but my spot nonetheless.” Emily had been referring to the beautiful bluff with the view of the bay that Nikolas had shown her earlier in the day. He had named it as his alone spot, the place no one knew about until he had shared it with her. Emily had been flattered that he thought she was worthy of sharing in his solitude and was even more flattered when he asked to see her special place.

“It’s beautiful because you make it so.” Nikolas was amazed at the place. There was nothing like it on Wyndemere. The small outbuilding took on a life of its own and became completely separate from the rest of the Quartermaine estate. “I see why you chose it, it is almost remote. Is it used?”

Emily smiled wistfully as she thought of the few times she had been here with Jason that first summer she had lived here. “Not so much anymore. It was really Jason’s haven, and after his accident the rest of the family stayed away.” Emily and Nikolas made their way inside.

Emily walked toward the far side of the room where she usually watched the water lap against the dock. She was about to tell Nikolas about how she spent hours here after her mother died when she tripped over a black bag in the middle of the floor. Nik caught her arm just before she hit the floor. “Em, be careful, are you alright?”

Emily looked up at him and then down at the bag. “Yeah, fine. Funny I don’t remember ever seeing this here. She bent towards the bag and slowly unzipped it. What she saw made her gasp. “Oh my God. Nikolas, look at this. These are pictures of Lucky and Liz. And look, Lucky’s image has been mutilated in all of them. This must belong to the guy that has been stalking her. Probably the same guy that stabbed Jason.”

Nikolas saw everything and quickly zipped the bag and led Emily out of the boathouse. When they reached his waiting car he finally spoke. “Em, we have to get to Lucky and Mac. They need to know this. The thing is if whoever owns that bag comes back they will get away. One of us has to stay here.”

Emily smiled at Nikolas. No problem. I’ll stay here and you go find Lucky and Mac. I’ll watch the boathouse but won’t go in. If I see something before you get back I’ll use my cell phone to call 911.”

Nikolas didn’t want to leave Emily behind, but he knew there wasn’t another option if they were going to catch the lunatic that almost killed his brother and put hers in the hospital. “Alright, you just be careful. Remember not to go in and call 911 right away if you see anything strange.” He took her face in his hands, “I mean it anything.” He looked her deep in the eyes and gave her a quick kiss before starting the car. Emily got out of the car and waved as she watched him drive away.

<Kelly’s>

Laura was frustrated. She had hurried back to Kelly’s only to find that Lucky hadn’t returned yet. Stranger still, Liz wasn’t there either. On a sigh she went to retrieve LuLu from the kitchen where she was surely driving Ruby to an early grave. She walked into the kitchen just in time to see Lucky rush through the back door. He was about to brush past her when she reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hi mom. Sorry, but I just don’t have time right now. I need to find Elizabeth.” When his mother tightened her grip he stopped. He bit the sarcastic comment when he took in the look on her face. “What is it?”

Laura led Lucky out of the kitchen and away from LuLu. She took the necklace out of her pocket and handed it to Lucky. She began to explain when Lucky looked up at her with a puzzled look on his face. “LuLu and I came by to invite you to get an ice cream cone with us. We got here and you were out. Since Liz was here we invited her to join us. We had a lovely time. Then Liz said she had to come back and finish her shift.” Laura paused and squeezed Lucky’s hand as much for her own comfort as for his. “I was taking LuLu home when she mentioned you again so I decided to bring her back by in case you had returned. It was on the way back that I found that. Ruby says that she hasn’t seen Liz since she left with LuLu and I.”

Lucky felt the sick sense of dread creep its way through his system. “I’m too late” was all he said.

The footsteps got closer and Liz was in a full panic. Her eyes were welling with tears that she had no control over. She saw the beam of a flashlight round the corner and approach. Then it was in her face blinding her. She ducked her head, but it didn’t help, so instead she squinted into the light. “Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

At her voice the figure spoke. “If you had just accepted us, it wouldn’t have come to this. You never did acknowledge the beautiful evening we shared. You have been so ungrateful. Everything I have done has been for you, but you aren’t even polite enough to thank me properly.”

Liz thought the voice sounded vaguely familiar but she couldn’t place it. She was sickened by what she had heard. “The beautiful night we shared? Excuse me, but are you referring to the night you raped me? That wasn’t beautiful, it was a violation!” Liz was close to hysterics, but she tried her hardest to rein in her emotions.

“I’m hurt you feel that way, I’ve always thought that we had a special bond.” Liz still couldn’t see the face behind the voice. “I’m sure in time you will come to feel the same way my angel.”

Liz was sickened. “If that’s the way you feel, then why don’t you let me see your face?” Liz watched as the light moved from her eyes and up to his chin. Suddenly the face was in full view. Liz gasped. “You? You did this to me and then you talked to me like nothing happened? You raped me! I will never forgive that!” Liz saw him step closer to her and in her struggle to avoid him she hit her head on the concrete floor and blacked out.

AJ bent down and ran his hand across her cheek. “Soon my angel you will feel differently.”

Chapter 77

Emily was waiting near the boathouse for Nikolas to return. She was staring out at the water and thinking about Nikolas when she heard a loud crash. Startled she immediately came out of hiding forgetting her promise to Nikolas about calling 911 if anything happened. She saw shadows in the boathouse and approached cautiously. She opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw AJ there packing his boat. “Oh, it’s just you.” Emily let her guard down and waited for AJ to acknowledge her.

AJ stood slowly and dropped the black bag he had just lifted into his boat. He turned towards his sister and smiled. “Hey Em. What brings you down here today?” For some reason Emily had always liked him, but he had always looked at her as nothing but a pest. Of course he never let it show.

Emily knew she could trust AJ, and may even be able to enlist his help with the situation. “Well I brought Nikolas over here earlier and we found some thing that may belong to the man who has been stalking Elizabeth Webber. It’s right over there.” Emily pointed to the spot where she had last seen the bag. She got a puzzled look on her face. “Funny, it was just here, I hope we didn’t miss him.” She turned to face AJ and saw what he was holding.

“Would this be what your were looking for sister dear?” AJ was dangling the bag in front of Emily’s nose. He was enjoying the look of shock and disbelief that crossed her face. “Yes sister, it was me, I am the one everyone is looking for.”

“But, but. How could you? My own brother, a rapist and murderer? How could you!” Emily immediately sensed danger and tried to run out of the boathouse. She wasn’t quick enough though. AJ grabbed her and put a hand over her mouth. “If you scream you will regret it. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will. Do you understand?” Emily nodded as the tears began to flow. AJ released his hold on her mouth and she asked “Why?”

AJ merely laughed. “If you have to ask, you would never understand the answer. I never fit in here, in fact I have never even liked it here. You self-righteous Quartermaine’s always pretending to do what is best for the community, while really only doing what is best for you. I simply cut out the pretending. I am looking out for me and doing what I want.” Emily was about to speak when she heard a car door slam. She decided to take the risk and opened her mouth to scream. AJ was too quick and she hit the floor before a sound could escape her lips. AJ smiled at the baseball bat he had hidden behind his bat. “Now sister dear we need to leave.” Quietly AJ looked out the window in time to see Monica heading away from the garage towards the house.

Luke was waiting in Jason’s room when Lucky quietly opened the door. Luke noticed immediately the ashen appearance. “What is it? Did something happen on your way over here.”

“Mom stopped by Kelly’s looking for Liz. Apparently she and LuLu took Liz out for ice cream earlier. Liz left first, and when mom was on her way back she found the locket that I gave Liz. She stopped by Kelly’s to return it to her but she wasn’t there. She never made it back after their meeting.” Lucky was doing his best to reign in his panic.

Luke knew this wasn’t good news. He could only hope that they found her before it was too late. “I talked to the guard outside. He said the only visitors were Robin, Mac, Monica and our friend AJ. I can only wonder what sick reason he had for visiting the brother that he put here.” At the sound of movement coming from the bed both Lucky and Luke turned.

Jason had heard them and he began his fight once again. It felt as though he was gaining strength from their knowledge. If only he could open his eyes this time.

Laura had just gotten LuLu settled for her nap when she heard a knock on her door. She hoped beyond hope that it was Lucky. She was so worried about Elizabeth that she couldn’t think about anything else. To her surprise Nikolas stood on her porch. The look on his face immediately told her that this was not a social call. “Nikolas, what is it?”

Nikolas hadn’t wanted to come to his mother, but when he didn’t find Lucky at Kelly’s or Luke’s he came here. “I don’t mean to bother you, it’s just you were the only person I knew for sure would help me.”

Panic immediately went through Laura. “You know I will. What is it?” She watched as Nikolas sighed with relief and listened as he spoke. He told her of his relationship with Emily and how they were at the boathouse and what they found there.

“I left Emily there to watch for the creep with strict instructions to keep her distance and call 911 if anything happened. I went to the police station and Mac and V were out in the field. Taggart was there, but he can be so condescending I just left.” Nikolas finished and finally met his mother’s eyes.

Laura sighed, she could only hope she was doing the right thing. She led Nikolas into the house and told him about Elizabeth’s disappearance.

Chapter 78

Liz awoke in pain. Everything seemed to hurt. Her head, her arms, her legs, her neck, but most importantly her heart ached. It ached for Lucky. She knew he would be going out of his mind with fear and could only hope that he found her soon. She knew he would never give up on her, but she couldn’t help being afraid. What if AJ raped her again? What if he killed her and she never got to see Lucky again? Her poor Gram would have no one to visit her and would definitely lose all hope of ever recovering. She stifled a sob and closed her eyes trying to tune out the pain.

Her eyes flew open at the sound of approaching footsteps. She told herself to be strong. She saw the single beam of the flashlight and could barely make out AJ’s form. He seemed to be dragging something with him that Liz could have sworn was a body.

“Well angel, it looks like we aren’t alone anymore. I hadn’t planned on visitors, but it’s only temporary, we will be leaving soon and this one won’t be a problem for long.” Liz watched as he dumped the body next to her. She was praying it wasn’t Lucky.

It wasn’t, but what she saw hurt nearly as much. It was Emily. Her beautiful face looked so serene and peaceful, then she saw the gash above her left eye. Elizabeth instantly felt anger and protectiveness well up inside of her. He had killed her sister, raped her, put her grandmother in an asylum and now he had beaten and kidnapped her best friend. “What have you done! Oh my God! Emily! Emily wake up!”

AJ watched the display and started to laugh. It was a raspy hollow sound that certainly didn’t impart happiness. It was pure evil. Liz didn’t look up at him as he walked away, but the sound of his laugh stayed with her.

It had taken all of his strength, but Jason finally opened his eyes. He watched as Luke consoled his son. “I promise, we will find her. It may take some time, but we will find her. Just don’t lose hope son.” Jason tried to speak but it felt like he had a mouth full of cotton. Finally he got one word out. “AJ.”

At the sound of his voice both Lucky and Luke turned. “Thank God! Lucky go get a doctor!” Lucky was at the door when Jason uttered his second word. “No!” Lucky turned confused and looked to Luke for help.

“Jason, you have been in a coma for approximately six weeks. You need a doctor.” Luke watched as Jason’s expression went from panic to stubbornness. “No doctor. You will never catch him if he knows I am awake. He will hurt more people.”

Luke was momentarily confused, but then he remembered, the doctors had said that Jason wasn’t waking up because of a psychological reason. The officer outside the room had said that AJ had visited several times. Obviously AJ was the reason for Jason’s coma.

Luke nodded and the three sat quietly discussing their options. An hour later both Luke and Lucky left Jason never mentioning to anyone that he had woken up.

Nikolas had been unable to find Lucky or Luke and he didn’t want to leave Emily alone any longer so he stopped by the boathouse on his way to General Hospital. He thought that if Emily could talk to Jason, maybe it would be the catalyst he needed to waking up and helping them find Elizabeth.

He walked all around the building searching for Emily. She hadn’t responded to his calls and he was beginning to get worried. On his third trip around he noticed a small object nestled in the grass. He bent and picked it up. Panic set in when he realized that it was Emily’s earring. Quickly he forced the door to the boathouse open only to find no sign of Emily or the black bag. He ran out of the building and made it to his car in record time. His only hope now was Jason. He knew the cops would wait forty-eight hours before starting their search, he didn’t think Emily had that long.

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