Lucky slowly released Elizabeth and leaned back looking deep into
her eyes. He reached up and cupped her face in his hands. He couldn't
believe how beautiful she was. How much she meant to him. He would have
been lost without her. With everything he had learned, she had been the
only thing that had kept him grounded. He watched her closely, his eyes
saying all the things he wanted so desperately to say, but simply didn't
have the words to express.

        Lizzie gazed up at Lucky, captivated by his stunning blue eyes. He
said so much with them. She knew that he would always be there for her, and
that he would protect her with everything in his being. She knew that he
would always support anything she wanted. She knew that he loved her, and
that he depended on her. On her! She could see everything within those
eyes, and she had never felt so safe and secure in her life.

        Lucky brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. He wanted so badly
to kiss her, but he had promised that the next move would be hers. He ran
the back of his hand gently down the side of her face reveling in the silky
feeling of her skin. He drank in the sight of her, so beautiful, so
tempting, yet so fragile. A small shiver ran through her body at his gentle
caress. He was so close, so warm, so comforting. So strong, so daring, so
dangerous. She had never been in so much danger in her life, yet she had
never felt so safe. He was a contradiction, and he was everything she had
ever wanted. He was her knight in shining armor that wasn't afraid to admit
that he needed her as much as she needed him.

        She leaned closer, hypnotized by his eyes, wanting so badly to be
as close to him as humanly possible. Wanting to be a part of him. She
reached her hands up and lovingly caressed his face. So beautiful. He was
so beautiful. His brilliant soul shimmered in his eyes. It was the thing
that drew her most to him. His soul was so loving, so loyal, so pure, and
so gentle.  He took so much on himself. He wanted so much to take away the
pain that those close to him felt. He would do anything for anyone that
mattered to him.

        His eyes closed at her gentle caress. She was so close and she was
getting closer. He felt his need for her multiply as he drank in her subtle
fragrance, and felt her warmth surround him. She wrapped her arms around
his neck. He started in surprise as she gently pulled his head down to meet
her's, and then he was lost. They're lips met gently, barely brushing
together, but the contact was electrifying. The kiss deepened as
electricity coursed through their bodies. They separated, shocked at the
power of the kiss. Their bodies tingled, as they gazed into each other's
eyes. Surprise was written all over their faces. They had never felt
anything that compared to this and in that moment they realized that what
they had was something special. Something that would last. Something
eternal. It was as if in those few moments when their lips had met, their
souls had fused, never to be parted. For the first time in his life Lucky
understood the meaning of a soulmate, and he knew that his was standing in
front of him at that very moment. Regardless of what happened in their
lives, he belonged to her and she belonged to him. He knew and so did she.

        They smiled slightly not needing to say anything. It was as if they
no longer needed words. They simply stood entranced by each other, neither
wanting to break eye contact. They were still staring at each other when
Luke and Laura arrived. They separated, slightly embarrassed.

        "You alright, Cowboy?" Luke said.

        "Yeah dad, I'm fine."

        "Nikolas?" Laura asked.

        "He's inside with Sarah and Audrey. She isn't looking very good,"
Lucky said, suddenly remembering his reason for being there. He felt a
little guilty that it had slipped his mind, seeing as how Sarah had been
hurt because of him.

        "Oh, Lucky, what were you thinking about going after Helena alone?
You know better than that," Laura said, her fear obvious.

        Lucky guilt intensified with the addition of his guilt about making
his mother worry. He was beginning to feel like he couldn't do anything
right. Laura saw the self condemnation in his eyes and immediately
regretted her words. She realized that he was already feeling guilty for
getting Sarah into this situation in the first place. "Oh, Lucky, it's
okay," she said. "You did what you had to do. I just worry that's all." She
held out her arms and and Lucky gave her a hug.

        "I'm sorry, Mom. There just wasn't time. We knew as soon as we
heard that Sarah was gone that it was Helena. We also realized that as soon
as she realized that she had the wrong Webber, Sarah's life would no longer
matter. We had to get there as soon as possible."

        "How did you know that Sarah was missing?" Laura asked confused.

        "I called here to make sure that Lizzie was alright. I was thinking
about Alexis' accident and there was just something about it that didn't
fit. Besides, it was too obvious."

        "I see what you mean, Lucky," Luke said. "The method was too unsure
for Helena. She would have slit her throat." Luke smacked himself on the
forehead. "Why didn't I realize that?"

        "Because we were meant to think that it was Helena," Laura said.
"But who, besides Helena would want Alexis dead?"

        "I don't know," Luke said. "But it seems that there's a new player
in town and the the game is about to get a whole lot more interesting."

        "It was bad. I mean she had the guy killed right in front of Sarah.
Sarah hasn't moved since. Also, she said something that worried me. I think
that she's going to make another move soon. I don't know who against but
she told Ari to send us a message making it clear that next time we
wouldn't be so lucky. I think we're running out of time dad."

        Luke nodded. He wasn't surprised. He had realized that once this
got started things would start happening like lightning. The feud had been
slow moving for years, and all it had needed was a small nudge to explode.
"First things first Cowboy. We gotta get Sarah to the hospital and then we
can think about the next step. Jason's guards should be here pretty soon.
The ambulance..." Just then they heard sirens. "The ambulance is here. I'm
gonna go into the house and call Mac, and ask him to meet us at the
hospital." Luke headed inside. Jason's guards arrived at the same time as
the ambulance.

        Laura, Lucky, and Lizzie watched as the paramedics wheeled Sarah
by. Nikolas followed them out. He went over to his mother, who in that way
of mother's gave him a quick once over with her eyes to reassure herself
that he was alright before giving him a tight hug. Audrey went in the
ambulance with Sarah, while the rest of them followed in cars. They left
one of them to guard the house, while the other two, along with the man
that had been put on Elizabeth, went to the hospital with the ambulance,
one car in front of it one behind it. They got to the hospital and for the
second time that night they found themselves in the emergency room waiting
room.

        Bobbie was shocked to see her family enter the hospital again.
"What happened this time?" She asked.

        "I'd like to know that myself," Mac said from behind them. Luke
swung around.

        "Good, your here," Luke said. "I have to report a kidnapping and a
murder."

        "WHAT!?" Mac said.

        "Helena made a move for Elizabeth Webber tonight. She got her
sister instead and let's just say that she wasn't pleased with the man that
she hired to do the job, so she killed him right in front of the girl."
Bobbie gasped and went over to see Lizzie. She had a soft spot for the girl
and she was horrified that Helena had almost gotten her hands on her. The
old witch.

        Mac sighed. "Great, I just get this job back and you and Helena
have to start working on each other again."

        "Sorry Bubba. The Spencer/Cassadine war is about to heat up and if
we're not careful a lot of the people that we care about are going to be
taken down in the crossfire. This little lady was lucky. She'd be dead if
Nikolas and Lucky hadn't gotten there when they did. We need to take
precautions and I just wanted to warn you. One person's dead, another is
critical and a third is in a coma or something and it's bound to get worse."

        "Great," Mac said. "Just what I wanted to hear. Should I have Robin
leave town? They don't care for my family much more than they care for
yours."

        "Have her stay with Jason. He lives in a fortress and you can rest
assured that he'll protect her with his life." A sour look crossed Mac's
face, but he had to agree that Luke was right. Jason's penthouse probably
was the safest place for her right now. He might be right about it, but
that didn't mean that Mac had to like it.

        Mac thought about Luke statement for a minute and then asked, "Wait
a minute, who's the third victim? You mentioned a murder and a kidnapping,
where does the third one come in?"

        "Doesn't your department keep you up to date? Alexis Davis was run
down by a car earlier. She's in critical condition. They're not sure if
she's going to live."

        "Helena again?"

        "I'm not sure."

        "Huh?" Since when did Luke *not* blame a Cassadine for an act
against his friends or family?

        "It just doesn't feel like her. It's what I thought at first, but
then Lucky mentioned that he had an uneasy feeling about it which is why he
called to check on Lizzie in the first place. Once he said that I realized
that it just wasn't Helena's style. She tends to like to have the
"punishment fit the crime" type of thing. Alexis would have had her throat
slit if this were Helena and we'd be talking about two murders. No this was
someone else, I just have no idea who. Vlad isn't too happy with her right
now, but even I don't think he'd hurt her. I'm at a loss. There must be
someone knew in town that we don't know about."

        "Great!" Mac said. "Well, I guess that all we can do right now is
get prepared for the siege."

        "No, Bubba, that's all that you can do. I, on the other hand, have
quite a few things that I'm going to do."

        "Luke promise me that you're not going to go after her on your own.
You'll just get yourself killed!"

        "Don't worry about me Bubba. I've got everything under control."

        "Sure," Mac said, not sounding too sure. "I'm going to go call
Robin. Don't do anything stupid."

        "I promise," Luke said holding up his hands. Mac left the room.
"What was stupid was waiting so long to kill the old witch. Killing her is
smart," he said to himself. He went over and rejoined his family. Bobbie
had finished speaking to Lizzie and had gone to see what was going on with
Sarah. Lizzie was sitting, trying to comfort Audrey and Lucky and Nikolas
were talking quietly with Laura, telling her everything that they had heard
on the yacht. Luke listened as they described how Helena had had the man's
neck broken, right in front of Sarah.

        They had just finished telling the story when Joe Scanlon entered
the room. "Nice to see all of you again. Didn't I already send you home
once today?"

        "Yeah well, when you have the Cassadine's as enemies, innocent
people tend to get hurt," Luke said.

        "How is she, Joe?" Audrey asked.

        "Sarah isn't doing so well. There doesn't seem to be any medical
reason for her state, so most likely the cause is psychological. What
exactly happened?"

        "My Grandmother had the man that kidnapped Sarah killed right in
front of her," Nikolas said. "She had his neck broken."

        "That certainly explains it," Joe said, looking at Nikolas. Great
family the kid had! He gave his head a small shake and explained Sarah's
condition. "She's unresponsive, it's almost like a coma. We're not sure
exactly when, or if, she'll come out of this. We're going to refer this
case to a psychologist, who will have more information on this and the
treatments required to help her. I'm sorry, Audrey," He said squeezing her
hand. Just then Joe was paged. "I have to go, but if you need anything,
just ask."

        "Thank you, Joe," Audrey said.

        "You're welcome. I'll see you later." Joe walked off. Audrey looked
shocked, not sure exactly what she should do. "I...I suppose that I should
call your parents," she said to Elizabeth. "What are they going to think of
me? You and your sister come to stay with me and I can't keep either one of
you safe."

        "Gram, it's not your fault. It would have happened whether my
parents had been here or not. Do you think they'll come, if you call them?"

        "I don't know if they can," Audrey said. "I'm not sure exactly
where they are, and there's always the chance that they won't be allowed to
leave. I'm not sure if I can even get in touch with them. It could take
months."

        Lizzie nodded, her parents were rarely around. Sometimes she
wondered if they cared about them at all.

        "What are you going to do tonight, Audrey?" Laura asked. "Are you
going to stay here with Sarah?"

        "Why, yes, of course I will. Why?"

        "I was just thinking that Lizzie could come with us, so that she
could sleep in a real bed and not be home alone. Lucky and Nikolas are
still staying at the cabin so we have room."

        "Oh, if it wouldn't be too much trouble," Lizzie said relieved. She
didn't want to stay in the hospital overnight, it was just too depressing
and the thought of being home alone didn't appeal to her either. She looked
at her grandmother. "Is it all right with you if I stay at the Spencer's?"

        "Oh, yes, dear," Audrey said. "Go on. I'll see you in the morning."
Audrey gave Elizabeth a hug and went to see how Sarah was doing. The
Spencer's, Nikolas and Lizzie left the hospital for the second time that
night, once again leaving behind a casualty of the Spencer/Cassadine war.

*HELENA'S YACHT*

        Helena watched as the Spencer's left the hospital with the Webber
girl and her grandson. She reached out and caressed the monitor. Her
wonderful grandson. Soon he would be with her, she would make sure of that.
He was what made all of this worth it. She could make him see reason, she
was sure of that. She picked up the phone as she continued to watch the
people on the monitor.

        Helena could see the pain and anger written on all of their faces.
She could also see the determination written all over Luke's. He was ready
for the end. They all were. They were getting too anxious, too ready to
come after her. She should have realized that after waiting this long to
kill her that it wouldn't take much to push Luke over the edge. It was too
late to think about that now, however. He was already over the edge. She
had to make her move, and make it now. She dialed a number, and received a
curt, "Hello?"

        "Doctor Jones?" she said.

        "Yes."

        "Helena Cassadine. The time has come for you to pay your debt. Meet
me on my yacht in three hours, or you will die, as will your charming
little boy, Lucas isn't it?"

        "I'll be there," Tony said. He had known he would have to pay for
his freedom, and he was sure that he wasn't going to like the price.

        Helena hung up the phone a slight smile on her face. Tonight was
the night for her success, or her final defeat.

Chapter Forty-Two

*AT THE CABIN*

        By the time Lucky and Nikolas reached the cabin they were
exhausted. They walked slowly into the cabin and collapsed on the couch. It
had been a long day for both of them. "I can't believe how much can happen
in one day," Nikolas said. "It feels like we left North Carolina a week
ago, instead of this morning."

        "I know," Lucky said. "I think we need to get some sleep. I have a
feeling that tomorrow's going to be just as interesting as today."

        "Great," Nikolas said. "If I could move, I'd get ready for bed."

        Lucky laughed. "I know what you mean." Before long they were ready
for bed and both feel asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.

*THE SPENCER'S*

        Laura was getting Lizzie settled, and she noticed that Lizzie was
looking at her with a strange look on her face. It was like she wanted to
ask her something, but didn't quite have  the nerve. "You can ask you
know," Laura said.

        "Huh?" Lizzie said.

        "Whatever it is you want to ask me, it's okay. I won't mind."

        Lizzie sat down on the bed. "Was it that obvious?"

        Laura smiled at her. "To me it was. I know that Lucky confided in
you, and I hope that it's okay with you that he told me what happened to
you. I knew that there would come a time when you'd want to ask me about
it, and I want you to know that it won't offend me if you ask."

        Lizzie thought for a minute, and then asked quietly, "How could you
do it? After what he did, how could you forgive him, and marry him, and
have kids with him? I just can't understand it. If...if the man who raped
me ever came close to me again, I would try with everything in my power to
kill him. I just want to understand."

        "I know you do, and I could see how it would be hard for you, most
of all, to understand it. You realize that every rape is unique to the
woman that experiences it, right?" Lizzie nodded. "Luke and I, well, we got
beyond that night. I was in love with him before it happened, and I still
loved him afterwards. I forgave him, because I understood that certain
circumstances collided on that night, that made him act in a way that was
totally out of character for him. He loved me, and he thought that he was
going to die. He was drunk, and I refused to leave him. He tried to get me
to go, you know? He knew what would happen if I stayed, and so did I, but I
stayed anyway. He made a mistake that night. The man that raped you is a
rapist, he wants it that way. He wants to take women by force. Luke made a
mistake, one night, out of a lifetime of love. He's been paying for that
one night ever since. He has felt remorse and anger and hatred for himself
ever since that night, and that is the thing that separates him from the
man that raped you, and the other man that raped me. Stavros Cassadine.
Stavros never felt a moment of grief for all the times he forced himself on
me and beat me. Luke has never laid a hand on me in anger, or forced
himself on me, since that night. Do you understand the difference?

        Lizzie nodded, "I guess so. Just like no one has a right to
question how I feel about the man that raped me, or how I deal with my
anger towards him, no one has a right to question the decisions you made
with your life. I can see a difference between Luke and the man that raped
me. I might never fully understand how you reached a point where you could
marry him, but I realize that there is a huge difference between what
happened to you and what happened to me." Laura smiled at this young girl,
glad that she understood to a point. She would come to deal with the
experience in her own way, and she would accept the way that Laura dealt
with it. She was glad that Lucky had found someone like Elizabeth.

        "I think it's time for us to go to bed, don't you?" Laura said.

        "Yeah," Lizzie said. Laura got up and headed for the door. "Oh,
Mrs. Spencer?"

        "Yes," Laura said, turning to look at Lizzie.

        "Thank you for talking to me about this. I really appreciate that
you tell me all this, and listen, without telling me that I should forget
about it, and forget about him. That means a lot to me."

        "Your very welcome, Lizzie," Laura said. "And it's Laura." She
smiled at Lizzie one more time before leaving the room. Lizzie smiled back,
and watched her go. She was glad that she had talked to Laura. She got
ready for bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

*AT THE CABIN*

        Lucky woke not long after he had fallen asleep. He could sense that
something wasn't right. He wasn't sure what it was, but years on the run
had taught him to trust his instincts. He got slowly out of bed and quickly
got dressed trying to be as quiet as possible. He snuck by Nikolas who was
still sleeping soundly. Before they had gone to bed Lucky had checked to
make sure that the guards were there. One of them had been stationed at the
front door. Lucky walked quietly over to the window. It was too quiet, and
where was the guard? Just as he was about to turn to wake Nikolas up the
world exploded with gunfire. He ran to the back where he knew there was a
rifle. "Nikolas get back here!" He shouted to his brother. Nikolas had
woken immediately at the sound of the gunfire and headed towards Lucky just
as the front door burst open. Lucky grabbed the shotgun and aimed it at the
door as Nikolas got behind him.

        "Go out the side door," Lucky told him.

        "But..." Nikolas started.

        "GO!" Lucky shouted. Nikolas ran out the side door, while Lucky
waited for the first few men to come through the front door. He only had
two shots so he made sure that they counted. He saw two of the men fall
before he followed Nikolas out the door. He ran outside to find Nikolas
surrounded by a group of men, all of whom had guns.

        "Lucky, GO!" Nikolas yelled. Lucky didn't hesitate. He knew that
one of them had to get out of there to get help, and those men wouldn't
hurt Nikolas. He sprinted quickly away from the cabin.

        Nikolas watched his brother run away hopeful that he'd get away. He
saw one of the men raise his gun as the others pushed him towards the car.
It was like the world had slowed. He struggled, wanting to stop the man,
but he couldn't reach him. The man aimed carefully and pulled the trigger.
Nikolas turned to look to where Lucky was a scream of denial issuing forth
from his mouth, "Nooo!"  The last thing he saw as the men pushed him into
the car was his brother falling to the ground, where he lay unmoving.

Chapter Forty-Three

        The men got into the car with Nikolas, leaving one behind to go
check on Lucky and finish him off if he hadn't been killed. The drove away
from the cabin as quickly as possible, knowing that there was a chance that
one of the guards had had time to get off a call to Jason.

        The man that had been left behind walked cautiously towards Lucky.
He had heard of the Spencer's and he knew better than to underestimate this
kid.

        Lucky knew that the best thing for him to do would be for him to
lay as still as possible. They would probably only leave one person behind
to check on him so he bided his time. The bullet had only hit his arm but
he had fallen when he felt it hit, knowing that it was the best thing to
do.

        He heard someone approach him slowly. This was no dumb hitman. He
didn't trust for a second that Lucky was badly injured or dead. Lucky was
patient, and he felt the man come right up next to him and nudge him with
his foot. That's when Lucky made his move. He rolled hard into the mans
legs. The man fell forward, over Lucky. The gun that he had had in his hand
went flying across the ground. Lucky scrambled to his feet and went after
the gun. The man recovered quickly and grabbed Lucky before he could get to
the gun.

        Lucky focused his attention on the man. He made the first move
breaking free of the man's grip, but instead of going for the gun as the
man had expected he delivered a right hook. The man was impressed. This was
kid no stranger to fights and how to win them. He knew as did many others
that to many fights were lost due to people preoccupation with getting the
gun. To get the gun, you often had to turn your back on the enemy, which is
something that you *never* did.

        The man returned the punch, and was surprised as Lucky moved
quickly out of the way so it only grazed his face. They got into it in
earnest then. Both landing punches, but eventually the man's added height
and weight began to give him a distinct advantage, and Lucky began to take
a real beating. Lucky knew that he'd have to do something quickly or he was
done for. He got in the position so his back was to the gun and made it
look like the man was forcing him in that direction through his punches.
When he felt one of his heels bump the gun he made his move. The man landed
an especially hard punch, so it wasn't much of a stretch to fake having
been forced to his knees. He reached quickly for the gun and pointed it at
him before the man even realized what was happening. "Surprise!" Lucky said.

        The man stopped dead. "What? Are you going to kill me? Somehow, I
don't think so. Boys like you, they don't kill people. You just want to
turn me in. Well let me tell you something kid, I'm not going to jail, so
if you're going to shoot me, shoot me. Otherwise, just give me the gun."

        "Don't tempt me," Lucky said flicking off the safety. "I've had a
really bad day, and your friends just drove off with my brother. You tried
to kill me and a number of my friends are laying in hospital beds because
of you people. I don't exactly *like* you."

        The man quieted down. This kid was no stranger to guns either, but
the man wasn't about to go on without having finished his job or having
died trying. He knew that what Helena would do to him would be considerably
worse than a gunshot wound. He watched as Lucky got to his feet, trying to
decide what to do. Lucky could tell that this man wasn't going to go
peacefully, but he wasn't looking forward to shooting him. He had no choice
though as the man made a move for the gun. He pulled the trigger twice and
the man dropped to the ground screaming in pain. Lucky turned and walked
toward the cabin. He had shot him in the knees. Not deadly wounds, but very
painful ones. The guy wouldn't be going anywhere.

        Lucky jogged cautiously to the cabin, keeping on the lookout for
more of the men. He saw none. He went to check on Jason's guards and was
relieved to find both of them breathing, though neither one of them was
conscious. He went quickly into the cabin, stepping over the two men he had
shot as they had come into the cabin. His stomach turned at the thought of
what he had done, but he didn't have time for that. He called an ambulance
and the police and then ran out to the guards and did what he could for
them until the ambulance got there. He turned it over to them and left the
cabin just as the police pulled up.

        Mac stopped his car and ran over to the paramedics, "Was that Lucky?"

        "Yeah," one of them said. "He said to tell you that if you wanted
to talk to him he'd be at home. He had to go to check on his family."

        "Where's Nikolas." Mac said.

        "They got him," the paramedic said. "Lucky said that they got what
they wanted so they took off with him leaving only one behind. He's over
there," he said nodding towards the man in the woods. "The kid was pretty
beat up."

        "Hey Mac," Garcia yelled. "We got a couple of dead ones in here.
I'd say that they're perps, not guards."

        "Damn," Mac said. He turned and saw Taggert bringing a man over
from the woods.

        "Shot in the knees," Taggert said, with a smile. Damn, he liked
this kid. "Nice and painful, but not deadly."

        "Yeah well, I'm glad you're enjoying this. I think that the two
Garcia found inside can be attributed to Lucky as well. Taggert, you come
with me to the Spencer's. Garcia?"

        "Yeah, Mac?"

        "You're in charge here. We'll be back soon." He and Taggert got
into the car and drove off after Lucky.

*THE SPENCER'S*

        Lucky drove up to his house, relieved to see that it was looking
normal. He approached the front door cautiously, knowing that the guards
would approach him at any second. "God, Lucky, What happened to you?" one
of the guards said, rushing over to him, looking around to make sure that
Lucky hadn't been followed. The other knocked loudly on the door, alerting
the inhabitants that they were needed.

        "They attacked the cabin," Lucky said. "They got Nikolas."

        The door opened and Luke and Laura flew out. "Oh, god!" Laura cried
as she caught sight of her son, bruised and bloody. She searched
desperately behind him hoping for a glimpse of Nikolas. She looked at Lucky
who shook his head.

        "They got him, Mom. He's alive, but I imagine that by now he's with
Helena." Lucky was beginning to feel a little woozy.

        Laura noticed him start to sway. "Luke," she said.

        "I got him," Luke said grabbing Lucky by the arms, quickly letting
go when Lucky cried out in pain. Luke looked at him more carefully, "God,
Lucky. Why didn't you tell us you were hit?" Laura gasped. Hit?

        "It's just a flesh wound Dad." Lucky said, trying to reassure his
mother.

        "The hell with that!" Luke said angrily. Helena was really going to
pay for this one. They got Lucky into the house and sat him down on the
couch. Laura went to get the first aid kit.

        Lizzie came down the stairs and was horrified at what she saw.
"Lucky?" she said.

        He turned toward her quickly. "I'm okay Elizabeth," he said. "It's
nothing serious. Just a slight flesh wound and a pounding. Nothing I won't
bounce back from."

        "Lucky..." Before she could say more than his name there was
another pounding on the door. This time it was to announce Mac and Taggert.
Lucky reached out his hand to Liz and she went over to the couch and sat
beside him, holding his hand.

        Laura came back into the room and started to tend to Lucky as Luke
went over and opened the door. "Hey Bubba," Luke said.

        "Hey Luke," Mac said. "We need to talk to Lucky."

        "No problem, Bubba," Luke said. "But Laura and I would like to tend
to the gunshot wound first, if you don't mind?"

        Mac sighed, rubbing his temples, "He was shot?"

        "Yeah." Luke said. "We haven't even heard the story yet so as soon
as we get him cleaned up, you can listen to the story with us."

        Mac and Taggert followed Luke into the living room and got their
first good looks at Lucky. "My god!" Mac said.

        "Hey Mac, Detective Taggert," Lucky said wincing as Laura helped
him take off his shirt. "I can talk at the same while Mom works on my arm,"
he said. Laura gasped at the sight of his chest and stomach. The bruises
were already beginning to show. Before morning he's be black and blue all
over. She felt her anger towards Helena grow. The old witch thought that
she could take one of her sons and beat the other to within an inch of his
life? She shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if Lucky
hadn't gotten the upper hand in the fight, or if the man who had shot him
had been a better shot.

        "Thanks Lucky," Mac said. Geez, the kid was a mess. Taggert tensed
at the sight of Lucky. He hated people who beat on kids, and he was more
happy then ever that Lucky had shot the guy. Maybe *he'd* give the guy a
visit once they got him into holding.

        They listened as Lucky began his statement. Lucky started with how
he had woken up, feeling that something was wrong. He outlined how he had
been checking the front window when he had heard gunfire. How he had sent
Nikolas out the side door while he aimed a shotgun at the front door, and
how he had followed him out...after shooting the two men. He closed his
eyes, trying to forget the surprised looks on their faces. He told how he
had exited the cabin to find Nikolas surrounded by men with guns, and how
Nikolas had told him to run, which he had done. How he had heard the shot
and fallen when he felt the bullet graze his arm. How he had 'played dead'
until a man had come to check on him. He told them about the fight, and
about how he'd had to shoot the man, not by choice, but by necessity. "Then
I called the ambulance and you guys. That's all I know."

        "Thanks, Lucky," Mac said. "We have to get back to the cabin. Don't
go anywhere for a while. We may have more questions for you." Lucky nodded.
He didn't really mean it though. If Helena had Nikolas, he would go
wherever she was in order to get him. There was no way that he was going to
just sit around.

        Mac and Taggert left, and Luke quickly called Jason. "Get a man
down on the docks right away," he told Jason. "Tell them to keep an eye on
Helena's yacht. Nikolas was kidnapped tonight, and your guards are on their
way to GH. Lucky was, well, lucky. He got shot but managed to get
away...Flesh wound to the arm...Uh huh...I need to know if Helena leaves on
the yacht...We're going after her as soon as we get Lucky fixed up...Yeah.
Thanks Jason." Luke hung up, and turned to face Lucky and Laura. "Okay,
it's time to end this."
 

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