Chapter 3: Once You Love Somebody "I love you, Lucky, with all my heart. But I can't marry you. Not now."
Lucky stares at her bedspread in stunned silence. She won't marry him, she doesn't love him. He's alone, truly alone. And cold, more cold than he'd ever been in his entire life.
"Lucky, please say something!" Emily begs, fighting desperately to be in control of her tears. His silence is scaring her.
With one quick movement he picks up the ring and stands. "Then that's it then. Good bye, Emily. Have a nice life."
He turns to go to the door, but Emily is off the bed just as fast grabbing him by the arm. "Oh no you don't! You aren't leaving here until we talk this out!"
Lucky wrenches his arm away, his face emotionless and his voice dead. "There's nothing to talk about. You don't want to marry me."
"There's a lot more to say!" Emily retorts hotly. "Like why I decided I can't marry you. And where do we go from here."
"The reasons don't matter," Lucky says with a shrug. "You aren't marrying me and we don't go anywhere from here. I'm leaving town and you get to do whatever you want. End of story."
"My reasons DO matter, Lucky Spencer," Emily argues. "And I listened when you told me all your reasons for wanting to marry me. So you're going to listen while I tell you why I can't marry you right now. You owe me this, because you love me."
Emily waits, desperately praying he'll give her a chance to explain. The idea of Lucky walking out of her life just like that terrifies her like nothing else has. She can't lose him like this. She has to make him understand that she loves him despite her decision not to marry him.
After what seems forever, Lucky shrugs noncommittally and sits back down on the bed. "I doubt it'll make any difference, but go ahead."
Emily sits back on the bed, facing him and tries to take his hands but he pulls away. She's hurt him so much, she can see it now. "There are a lot of reasons why I can't marry you right now. The first one being that I'm underage. I'm only 17, Lucky. If I married you, my dad would go nuts, he might even try to kill you and he certainly would have the marriage annulled at the first opportunity. He could bring charges of kidnapping down on you, and given his plans to take me to court to force me back home, I don't think he'd hesitate. And while you might be willing to take that risk, I can't. I love both of you too much to take you being at each other's throats. When I marry, I want it to be with my family's love and support and if I married you right now I couldn't have that."
"If you loved me as much as I love you, it wouldn't matter," Lucky replies quietly. "All that would matter would be marrying me."
"Please, just hear me out, okay? I have other reasons," Emily takes a deep breath. "It was just a few months ago that I moved out the mansion on my own. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done and I couldn't have done it without you and my brother, Jason. For the first time in my life, I started doing what EMILY wanted, not what my family wanted or expected. I'm going to college because I want to. I have a job that pays my bills. I'm the happiest I've ever been."
"What's your point?" Lucky asks impatiently.
"You're asking me to give up everything I've worked so hard for to marry you. You're asking me to give up school, my own apartment, my first real job and my freedom. And you're asking me to walk away from my family." Emily's eyes beg him to understand. "Walking away from Port Charles is easy for you, Lucky. You're used to bouncing place to place. Add to that the problems you're having with your family and I can see why leaving is appealing to you."
"So what you're saying is all that is more important than your love for me," Lucky replies in a cold voice.
"Lucky, we've never even discussed our future before and now you're asking me to marry you on the spot and leave everything and everyone I love! Can't you see how unfair that is?"
Lucky is quiet as he considers her words. "I can see how it would be hard for you to leave your life here. I know how much your family and your freedom mean to you, I'm not completely insensitive. But don't you see? If I stay in Port Charles, I'm going to die or go insane. I can't be in Port Charles anymore. And call me selfish for wanting the woman I love more than anything to marry me and spend her life with me. Leaving Port Charles is a matter of survival for me. So I either take you with me or I go alone."
Emily's eyes fill with tears again at hearing his avowal of love. "I know that. I know you feel being in Port Charles is killing you. All the bad memories, all the betrayal. But if I leave with you.... and let go of everything I've built here, a part of me dies. And I'd resent you. I don't want to hate you, Lucky. I love you and I love what we have together too much to have it ruined by a rushed marriage that asks me to give up too much."
Lucky reaches out to cup Emily's cheek lovingly, tears streaming down his face. "Then I guess this is it. I love you, Emily, I always will. You are my first and only true love. Don't ever forget me."
Afraid if he kisses her, he won't be able to leave, Lucky rises from bed. A crying Emily grabs his hand and holds onto it tightly, trying desperately to keep him with her. "Don't leave, Lucky. I know it's selfish, but I need you," She pleads with gasping sobs.
"I have to, Emily," He struggles to pull his hand out of her tight grasp and finally succeeds. "Goodbye, Sweetheart."
Emily brushes the tears away futilely, for they are flowing faster than she can brush them away. "Where's Foster going to stay?," She asks, grasping for hope. "Let me him stay with me, please. Then I'll know you're coming back."
Lucky turns back from the door one last time to look at Emily who's now in a heap on the floor. "Foster's coming with me. I'm not coming back, Emily. Not ever. Good bye." He closes the door behind, standing for a moment to catch his breath, forcing the tears and the large lump in his throat down. Inside the room he can hear Emily's broken sobs which tear at his own broken heart.
He hears her call out to him. "Lucky, please don't go! Not yet! Nooooo! Please, Lucky!" Gritting his teeth and squaring his shoulders he walks away, knowing his heart will never be the same.
Two young hearts lost in love they vow to stay,
Running wild they believe they've found a way
Filled with hope...
She's the dream, she understands you
Now this time he'll hold on, she'll never leave him
They'll never let go 'cause...
Once you love somebody, (once you love)
There's no turning back (turning back)
It can burn forever, it can haunt you, haunt you in the night
How can lovers just turn and walk away
Loneliness is an edge that cuts both ways
So easy to fall...
So hard to get over
Once you love somebody, (once you love)
There's no turning back (turning back)
It can burn forever, it can haunt you, haunt you in the night
* From.... Once You Love Somebody by Journey
Chapter 4 Consequences Emily's apartment, a distraught Emily lies huddled in the fetal position on her bed with a pillow over her head. The phone rings over and over, insisting to be answered. "Go away!" Emily yells at the phone after about the tenth ring.
The phone keeps on ringing and ringing. "Why oh why didn't I get an answering machine?!" She complains through her sniffles as she rises from the bed and grabs the phone receiver. "WHAT?!"
"Emily?" Lois asks with alarm.
Emily collapses on her bed with fresh tears. "Lois, he left... I told him I couldn't marry him, and he's never coming back! I've lost him forever! Why did I have to say no? Why?!"
"Nedly and I will be there in an hour, two hours tops. Okay?" Lois says in a firm voice. "You don't need to be alone right now, Honey. Not when your heart's just been broken." She waves down Ned. After Ned gets a gist of the conversation, he pulls out his cell phone and makes arrangements for the ELQ jet to pick them up and take them back to Port Charles. His next call is to Gloria to ask her to watch the kids.
"Can I come stay with you and Ned for a couple days? I won't be any trouble. I just don't think I can handle being in this apartment right now, not with all the memories of Lucky..." Emily's face crumples at her last words.
"I woulda insisted if you hadn't asked, Hon. And you're never any trouble to us. So you just sit tight till we get there and let Nedly and I take care of the rest."
Top executive offices of the WSB in NYC. Cassidy strides purposefully through the doors and past the receptionist without pausing. The shocked receptionist tries to stop her from entering the boardroom. "Miss Corbin, you can't go in there! There's an important meeting..."
"Yes, I know. And I have every intention of being a part of it," Cassidy replies without hesitating in her stride. Before the receptionist can physically stop her, she's in the board room. The wiry built middle aged man with silver gray hair standing at chalkboard stops mid sentence. All eyes in the room are on her. Her direct supervisor, who's present in the meeting, scowls at seeing her.
"Cassidy! What are you doing here?" The man at the chalkboard asks in surprise.
"I'm sure in your haste to have my partner Jerry rescued, it slipped your mind to inform me of the meeting, George," Cassidy says to the man at the chalkboard as she grabs a chair from the corner and places herself at the table with the rest of the WSB staff. "No harm done, since I'm here now. Proceed with your presentation."
George coughs uncomfortably and glances at the boss for direction. The boss gives him a slight nod to continue. "Okay, as I was saying. The operative is here..." George points to a building. "Jerry is being held here..." He points to another building approximately half a block away. "From the surveillance done for the last week, Jerry's guarded by six terrorists during the day and early evening, and four terrorists at night. He's restrained in chains for a majority of the time, except around midnight when they take him out of them briefly to allow him to stretch before he sleeps. That is the time we want to move."
The boss speaks up. "How long until your men can be in place?"
"24 hours, Sir," George replies.
The boss nods. "Okay, we move in on the terrorists in 48 hours. Simultaneously, Kyle's men will move on the weapons cache. That way they have no chance to plan a counter attack." A man at the table, who's obviously Kyle, nods in agreement.
Cassidy pipes up. "I understand from our sources that Jerry is in pretty bad shape? Where will he be taken after the rescue? I would guess from previous operations like this, he would go to the hospital in Zurich, Switzerland to recover?"
The boss answers her. "Yes, once he's physically stable enough to travel by plane. Obviously we want to have access to him for debriefing purposes while he's recovering." He addresses the rest of the group. "Okay, unless any of us have concerns about the specifics of the rescue mission, I think this meeting is adjourned." He looks around briefly and when he sees no one step forward, says. "Meeting adjourned. We all have a lot to do. Cassidy, I want to see you in my office." Cassidy's direct supervisor gives her a sympathetic smile, for they both know, being summoned into the boss's office under these circumstances didn't bode well for Cassidy.
Cassidy follows the boss into his plush office, taking a seat in front of his desk. He takes his time getting settled behind his desk, first pouring himself some water from a decanter on a side table. Cassidy refuses his offer of water. "Let me get right to the point, Cassidy. I am not pleased with your behavior today. People in our employ do not interrupt meetings they aren't invited to." When Cassidy tries to say something, he stops her. "Let me finish. I know why you did it. Your personal feelings for Jerry have been evident since his disappearance, which is the very reason you were excluded. It is not good practice to have an agent with a personal agenda working on such a sensitive case. You could easily make mistakes that could cost lives. Which is why we have strict policies about agents becoming involved with other agents." The boss pauses to study her carefully. "How far along are you?"
Cassidy gulps involuntarily. "I'm almost six months."
"I think you should seriously reconsider your involvement with the bureau. Your actions in recent months make me question whether you are suited to this work. That is not to say you haven't been a fine employee, Cassidy. You've been one of our most promising young agents. But your priorities don't seem to fit with the job any more."
"I suppose that's true," Cassidy replies softly. "Honestly, I've been thinking of resigning for some time. But with Jerry gone..."
"You wanted to have the inside track," He finishes for her with a gentle smile. "Certainly understandable. In your shoes, I would most likely do the same. Am I guessing right that you will be waiting for Jerry in Zurich?"
"With all due respect, no one could stop me from being there," Cassidy says with determination. "So don't ask me not to."
The boss chortles. "I wasn't planning to. In fact, I was going to mention a short term position that's available in our computer lab in Zurich. Would you be interested?"
"Yes, that would be perfect."
"Good. The position is only available for about three months, long enough for you to reconsider your commitment to us and be assured of Jerry's recovery. At the end of three months, you and I will meet again to revisit the issue of you working with the Bureau. Deal?" The boss stands and offers his hand across the desk.
Cassidy rises and shakes his hand firmly. "Deal, and a very generous one. Thank you."
Late at night at Wyndemere when the whole house is asleep, Lulu slips into her mother's room for a visit. She walks to the head of the bed and watches her mother sleep. A frown crossing her face, she tugs on her mother's sleeve. "Mommy? Mommy!"
"What?" Laura answers groggily. "Oh, Lulu. Couldn't sleep again, Sweetheart?" Laura parts the blankets to invite Lulu in. "Come on in."
Lulu shakes her head. "Why aren't you sleeping with Stefan?"
Laura shakes the sleep out of her head and sits up. "Where did that question come from?"
"I thought when you're married you sleep in the same bed. You and Daddy slept in the same bed." Lulu crawls onto the bed next to her mother.
Laura sighs. "It's kinda complicated, Sweetheart..."
"Don't you love Stefan, Mommy? That's why you married him, right?" Lulu persists.
"You don't have to worry about me and Stefan. We're just fine. I just had trouble sleeping earlier and didn't want to keep Stefan up tonight. Now, I think it's time you went back to your own bed." Laura swats Lulu on the rump. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."
Mike is behind the bar at Luke's, polishing beer glasses before opening time when he hears a set of keys hit the bar counter, He looks up to see Lucky a few feet away.
"It's all yours, Corbin," Lucky says with a sneer. "Sell, burn it down, drive it into the ground, I don't give a damn. I'm outta here." He turns around as quickly as he came in and starts to walk out.
"Wait a minute!" Mike protests. "What the hell is this about? You can't up and leave just like that!"
Lucky opens the club door and looks back at Mike. "Sure I can. I'm leaving this sorry excuse for a town. From now on, it's the open road for me. Enjoy the club and have a nice life."
Lucky swaggers out, not stopping despite Mike's loud protests. He hops into his pink Cadillac, slips on a pair of shades, revs the running engine, pats Foster on the head and grins widely "Just you and me, Buddy. America, here we come!" Lucky screeches out the parking lot and jets out of Port Charles in true Spencer fashion.
