Night was approaching. Then sun was beginning to set. An orange glow was slowly painting the sky. Moon’s shadow crept out
of hiding and laid faded in the backdrop. It was a beautiful picture. Like a painting on the wall, one that Elizabeth liked to paint.

The two were both on time for this date. Lucky sat in the boxcar, waiting anxiously. Butterflies were swarming throughout his
body.

"Soon," he thought.

Elizabeth was feeling the same. Her walk was slow , then fast. She was in a hurry to meet Lucky. She wanted to tell him tonight.
She would she said. It was only the 174th time today. She smiled. He was in her head. She was glowing, radiant. She didn’t
know what Lucky had planned, but she couldn’t wait.

He took one last look in the mirror. He was checking to see how he looked. He wanted to look perfect for her. He wanted the
night to be perfect. A night to remember he thought. A night to remember it would be...

                    ********************************************************

"And now for the weather," said Jackie Walters. The news had been delayed because of a baseball game that ran into extra
innings. Normally, the news would not be shown, but it was 7, and the news was better than what was supposed to be on.

She turned to Derrick Chase. You could perceive his inexperience. You could see his nervousness. He had never studied
something like Isis in his life. She was something that couldn’t be studied. But he knew his optimistic forecast 24 hours ago was
fatally wrong. Isis would storm through Port Charles. That was being proven right now...

                    ********************************************************

"Hey," Liz said, peeking her head into the boxcar.

"Hi!" Lucky lit up. His smiled was blinding almost. She felt her head go woozy. He was what she wanted. She knew it now
more than ever.

"You look nice," he said. "You always do."

She blushed.

"Thanks."

He was right. She was dressed in a blue gown almost. It was a dress, but it flowed wonderfully over her. Her hair was down,
every strand interweaving with another. She wore earrings and a necklace. She looked like a goddess he thought.

"Thought I told ya not to dress up," he laughed.

"This isn’t dressed up"

"I know," he laughed. She felt her head go light again.

His heart was thumping. He wanted to grab her in his arms now, at that second. He wanted to hold her. To kiss her. To let her
know.

"But you look really beautiful," he told her.

She paused and smiled, almost shyly. She had been told that before, but Lucky meant it and she knew that.

"So what’s this top secret dinner thing you told me to come over for?"

"You’ll see," he smirked slyly.

"OK. Well, when do we start?"

He looked down at the ground. Rising, he extended his elbow, "Right now."

She slid her arms into his. They were like the walking couple, an aura they had given before. People thought they were perfect
for each other. They said it too. Oh how cute they are one said. They are magnificent said another.

But they had never seen that yet. They had seen the friendship, but nothing more than that. But that was changing. He walked
her down the path. The clearness of the evening was extraordinary. They could see the stars later that night. They would.

They reached the tree. It hid the secret. Lucky slowly hoisted it upward. He took her hand and guided her through. She stepped
onto the sand that surrounded the creek. She looked to her left. Candles sitting by a basket. A blanket covering a spot near the
creek where they could see the sky. Her face turned to the right. There was a bucket. It was filled with ice, two glasses and a
champagne bottle filled with Coke.

Elizabeth laughed at the bottle. He had outdone himself she thought. This is so sweet she said to herself.

"Does he feel the same way? He must," she thought.

It was magic for her. She turned to him.

"So, ya like it?"

"Like it?"

"Yeah."

"Are you kidding me Lucky Spencer?" she said. "I love it!"

She meant it. He knew it.

"No one has ever done something like this for me."

She walked over to the basket. It was filled with dinner.

"Did you make this?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said.

Oh my God Liz, what is going on here?" she mind yelled. "What does this mean? What am I thinking?"

Her mind was going berserk. She was at a loss for words. He walked over to her and took her hand. He led her to the blanket
and pointed a finger to it.

"Would you care to have a seat?" he asked.

"Why thank you," she replied.

She was beaming. This was better than the dinner at the No-Name restaurant she said to herself. This was all done from his
heart she thought.

He set her down gently, like a delicate porcelain figure. He sat down beside her.

"Lucky," she started, "Why did you do this?"

"Because I wanted to," he said. "I thought you’d like it."

"I do. A lot."

He reached for the basket. She grabbed the bucket and cups. There were actual wine glasses. She held the glasses while he
poured. The foam reached the top and slowly abated. The basket was between them.

"Well, shall we toast?" she asked.

"Sure."

"OK. To us."

She raised her glass. He raised his.

"To us," he agreed.

The glasses clinked. They each took a sip. She was staring at him while she was drinking. Her eyes stayed transfixed on him.
She watched him swallow. He returned the look.

Noise was coming from the distance. You could hear it clearly. Liz’s head popped up.

"What’s that?" she inquired.

"Oh, that’s just the concert."

"Concert?"

"Yeah, there’s that end of summer concert going on over there. I thought we could have dinner and listen to the music."

"Alone?"

She waited for his answer. "Say yes," she thought.

"Yeah. That OK?"

"It’s more than OK," she thought.

"That’s cool," she said.

"Are ya hungry?"

"Starved," she laughed. "I haven’t had anything since lunch."

"You’re gonna love what I fixed."

"You fixed? Uh, should I be scared?" she grinned.

"Ha ha. Just you wait."

He opened up the basket. He pulled out to plates, blue ones. He brought out this tub of something. She looked inside.
Spaghetti, just the way she loved it, sauce on top, meatballs on the side.

"How’d he know?" she thought.

"Well?"

"I’m saving judgment until I’ve had some," she laughed.

He put the fork into the dish. He rolled the noodles around and placed them on her plate. She was watching his hands, his every
movement. He had cooked this for her, on his own will. Because he wanted to he told her. She was melting. He handed her the
plate.

"Here ya go."

"Thanks."

She smelled the aroma. It smelled wonderful. He fixed his own dish and closed the basket. They looked at each other. She tried
some, it was wonderful.

"Oh Lucky, this is really good! Really!"

"Cool. I worked hard on it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but only the best for you."

"Huh?"

He didn’t me to say that out loud. He looked around. His hands moved, his fork fell. It hit the ground.

"Oh man," he said. "Geez, now how am I gonna eat?"

She was laughing. He looked so cute she thought. He picked up the fork.

"Well, I guess I can clean it off and..."

"No Lucky. That’s gross!" she said.

She showed her fork.

"We can just use this one."

"Share it you mean?"

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" she smiled.

"Nah."

"Good."

She pointed the handle to him. He reached for it.

"Um no. Here, let me do this," she said.

She took the fork and fiddled with the noodles. She twisted them onto the utensil and brought it up.

"Open wide."

"You’re not going to feed me are you?"

"Yeah. I guess I am. I mean, you’d probably drop this one too."

He saw that spark in her again. That spark that was there before the rape. He let her do it. He opened his mouth. She inserted
the food. He finished chewing. She was in heaven.

"OK. If you get to do it, then so do I."

"Go ahead. Just be careful with the fork."

He took the handle and repeated the process. As the fork reached her mouth, his hand was trembling. They weren’t acting like
friends right now he thought. This was more than that. She noticed his quivering hands.

"He’s so nervous," she thought. So was she.

The music from the concert started to get louder. Lucky and Liz had finished eating when "Because You Loved Me" started to
play.

The sky was almost dark now. The clouds were nowhere to be seen. The wind was blowing softly. The moon was shining.
Lucky turned to her. He didn’t know what made him ask, but it did.

"Elizabeth," his voice cracked.

"What?" she said.

He started again.

"Elizabeth, would you like to dance?"
 

                                            Chapter 9

She said nothing. She didn’t have to. Words could not escape her. She used something else to show her feelings, her furor. Isis
was angry. The storm with the mind of her own was not in a good mood. She was trying to overcome a battle, to decimate her
opponent. But no matter how much strength she mustered, she was no match. She was beaten. She was forced to move in the
direction she hesitated to journey before. She was heading toward land. Connecticut. The National Hurricane Center was in
pandemonium. Isis was losing, at the worst time.

                    ********************************************************

Her lips moved. No words came out. She didn’t know how to respond. Her heart was screaming "Yes!" but her mind was
holding her back. She wanted to dance with him. She wanted him to hold her, to hold his hand.

He looked at her. His eyes were centered on her. He was watching her, waiting for a response.

"Say yes Elizabeth," he thought. "Please say yes."

She was looking out at the creek. Rays of moonlight bounced off the water making a reflection. Her eyes were open, wide,
saying what she wasn’t.

His stomach was turning. He was eager to hear her. He just wanted to know.

Her faced turned.

"She’s an angel," he thought. The darkness and the light from the moon carved her beauty. She was his angel, almost his wings
to fly, to experience new things, new feelings, to experience life.

"Yes," she said.

"Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!" his mind shouted.

"OK," he said.

She could feel his nervousness. She could see it too. He stood up, extending his right hand to her. It was shaking. She took hold
and calmed it. Her touch felt so good he thought.

They were facing each other. He slowly reached for her other hand. She gladly volunteered it. They started to dance. The song
was slow. They moved in step. They kept watch on each other. Their eyes never parted. Their bodies were close.

"This was magic," she thought.

"I love her," he thought.

"I love him," she thought.

                    ********************************************************

The swirls were striking. The winds were fierce. The battle was furious, scathing, wicked. Two of Nature’s strongest icons
thrashing each other. Theirs was a battle of stamina and sheer strength.

"What is going on?" asked Wakely.

Jim Jacobs was nervous, extremely. Sweat was popping out of his brow. He was watching the models closely, almost obsessed
with them. He kept watching and reviewing the loops. Her winds curling around her. Her eye still strong, clear, visible.

"Look at this," he said.

Wakely could see his fear. Jacobs placed one finger on the eye at the beginning of the radar loop. That signified 4 p.m. He let it
go thorough its cycle. He froze the image. It showed the storm’s position 15 minutes ago, at 8:37. He placed another finger on
the eye at that point.

"Oh no," Wakely whispered.

The picture was haunting.

                    ********************************************************

The song ended. There was a pause. They continued to dance. They were in their own world. Nothing could bring them back.

Another song began, "What a Wonderful World."

Elizabeth slowly let go of Lucky’s hands and he hers. She brought them up around his neck. She came closer. His hands slowly
drifted around her waist. They were against each other. He hadn’t been aware, it just happened. Neither one said a word, they
were just doing it.

The silence between them continued.

"Lucky."

"Shh," he said.

She placed her head against him, on the upper part of his chest, against his shirt. It felt so soft she thought. Her hair was under
his chin. He could feel her silky gold. He could smell her shampoo, vanilla scented. He inhaled it.

They were in sync. They rocked back and forth, feet in motion, not too fast, not too slow. He lowered his head onto hers.

"This feels so right," she thought.

The moon was their lamp. They could only see each other, and that was how they wanted it to be. Wind ruffled through their
hair. It was a cool breeze. Elizabeth got even closer to Lucky. He could feel her breath. She could hear his heart beat. Both
were abnormal.

                    ********************************************************

The dance was deadly. Jim Jacobs marked the inevitable. His illustration to Wakely confirmed the horrible reality. The final
picture on the loop showed Isis moving northwest.

It had taken the lead. Grabbing her by the winds, the High pressure system battered, veered, controlled, dominated Isis. It was
her commander, her superior. She couldn’t overcome him. His force was too great. She had to bend. She had been gliding to
the north. That track would have missed New York completely. The winds and some rain would have blown through, but no
extensive damage. This was not the case now. She was pushed to the west so slightly that the track was ominous. The
evacuations became mandatory. But it was too late. Isis came too fast for them to prepare. Her unpredictably would be fatal to
those she hit directly. Connecticut braced. With winds down to 135 MPH, Isis reached land at 9:53. The onslaught began.

                    ********************************************************

They had no idea what was happening miles away from them, hours away. They were together and nothing could separate
them.

The song ended 10 minutes before, but they remained dancing, as one. Elizabeth looked up at him. His eyes were closed. He
opened them. She was swept away again. He stared at her. They didn’t flinch. Neither one took the next action first, they did it
simultaneously.

"Elizabeth," he said.

"Shh," she said this time.

His face lowered to hers. Their lips were like magnets. They slowly attracted one another and before they knew it, they had
connected.

"Oh my GOD!!!!!" went Elizabeth’s mind.

They both felt it. It wasn’t odd, it wasn’t weird, it was good. It was nothing fancy either, just a simple kiss, their first. It lasted
only seconds, but it meant more than that.

She pulled away. She was afraid he thought. She wasn’t, but she didn’t know what to feel. She had been kissed before, but not
by the one guy she liked the most, the guy she loved with all her heart. The idea of what had just happened was still logging in
her mind.

Lucky was mesmerized more so than before. The kiss just confirmed what he had known for so long. He loved her. He was
going to tell her, now.

"Elizabeth."

"Uh, Lucky," she said. "I think I better go. I told Gram I’d be home by now."

"Oh, OK." He was confused. Did she not like it he thought. He was getting worried.

"Was I that bad?" he thought.

"Why did I just say that?" she thought. "He must think he did something wrong."

"Want me to walk you home?"

"Yeah, that’d be nice."

They took off together. They walked side by side in silence. Nothing was said during the trip.

"Why don’t you just tell her?" he thought.

"I feel really bad. I bet he’s regretting kissing me now," she thought.

"Good Spencer. You just had to go somewhere she wasn’t ready to go yet," he thought.

"It was better than I thought it would be," she continued in her mind. "Why can’t I just tell him? Why?"

They were tearing themselves up in their mind. So much in fact that they didn’t realize they had been holding each other’s hand
the entire way to Elizabeth’s house. They were completely oblivious to it.

They reached the door.

"Thanks Lucky. I really had a great time," she said, noticing their hands, still connected.

"I’m glad. You know, I’d do anything for you Elizabeth."

"I know."

"I love you. I love you. I love you!!!!"

She wanted to scream it to him, but something stopped her. She was still in shock from the kiss, still coming to terms that it had
happened and that she savored it.

"I guess I better go then," he said.

"Yeah, I guess."

Something was different. Her tone was odd he thought.

She leaned over to him. Her lips were approaching him.

"Oh man, this is it," he thought. "She did like it. Maybe she feels the same..."

Her lips brushed past his and onto his cheek.

"Thanks for that amazing evening."

He was crushed, again. But he flashed her the smile she loved.

"You’re welcome. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I’ll call ya."

"But I don’t have a phone."

"I know! I’ll, I’ll find you or something or whatever. I know where you live."

She laughed when she said that last sentence. Maybe she’s OK he thought.

"Night," she said starting to close the door.

"Good night and sweet dreams."

"I will. You too," she said.

She shut the door.

"I love you," he whispered. He turned down the sidewalk and went down the road. He wanted to hop around in excitement.
But he was more confused about her and his feelings. He sat down at a bench. It was pitch black. He looked at the stars. He
made a wish on one shining bright.

Elizabeth sat at her window. She had watched him walk away. She wanted to run after him, grab him, hold him, kiss him. But
she didn’t. Her heart was yearning for him.

"I can’t take this anymore," she thought. "I’ve got to tell him. Sometime. Soon. I hope."

Lucky remained on the bench. Clouds were oozing through the sky. The breeze had picked up.

"Things changed tonight," he thought. He didn’t know if that was good or bad, but he knew they had changed. He was right.
And in 24 hours, they would never be the same.

Isis was coming...


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