The young girl walked into Luke's Club, tucking her long black hair behind her ears. She looked around for someone seeming remotely responsible. She spotted a young man, about her age, over by the bar, behind the bar actually. Naturally assuming he worked here, she sauntered over, taking note of his handsome features.
"May I help you?" Lucky Spencer asked, barely glancing up at her.
"I certainly hope so. I'm looking for Laura Spencer," she stated. Lucky's back visibly stiffened automatically at the mention of his mother's name.
"Why are you looking for her?" Lucky looked up from his homework and stared straight at the girl, shocked at how beautiful she was.
"Frankly, I don't think that's any of your business. My business is with Mrs. Spencer, not the bartender." The girl replied haughtily, tossing her hair out of her dark eyes.
"I'm not the bartender. I happen to be 'Mrs. Spencer's' son, I'm watching the bar for my father, Mr. Spencer. Now why are you looking for her?"
"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl began, laughing nervously through her embarrassment as she lost her snobbish undertones. "My name is Lasha Peters, and, well, it's a long story. Could you just tell me where she is?"
"Lasha Peters? Never heard of you. Hold on, maybe my father has." Lucky, eager to bail out of responsibility for revealing family information, and knowing that Luke would snap him back into reality, turned and called his father.
"What's up?" Luke stuck his head out the door of the back room where he had just finished a conference with Jason Morgan.
"Uhh, I'll be right back, okay," he told Lasha. Lucky walked over and talked with Luke. Lasha sighed, sitting down at the bar and running her hands through her hair. Lucky walked back, knowing how much information he was allowed to reveal and struggling to control his attraction to the girl.
"My mom's not here right now-"
"Well, do you know when she'll get back?" Lasha replied quickly.
"Well, not exactly-"
"Can I call her sometime tonight?"
"Actually, I'm not sure-"
"Mr. Spencer?" Lasha yelled towards the back, annoyed with Lucky's inconclusiveness.
"Yeah? Who called me?" an annoyed Luke reappeared, wondering who would have called him "Mr. Spencer".
"I did." Lasha gestured in the air. "Could you please come here? Your son is being very unhelpful." Lucky threw his hands into the air in exasperation.
"Dad, I'm going to be late for work. I'll talk to you later." Lucky left for Kelly's through the back room.
"What can I do for you, sweetheart?" Luke asked, closing the door to the back room and walking over next to Lasha.
"I need to know where your wife is so I can talk to her, as your son probably already told you, Mr. Spencer," Lasha was beginning to get annoyed.
"Please, call me Luke. What do you want with my wife?"
"What is wrong with you people? Can't I just talk to someone without getting cross- examined?" Lasha was getting sick of the Spencers already.
"I suppose you could talk to her. What time is it?"
"What? Uh, it's five. Why?"
"Do you have some cash on you?"
"You're charging me to talk with your wife?!"
"If you were calling long distance, you'd want money too!"
"She's not here?! I travel across the country and-" Lasha stopped speaking and reached into the pocket of her jeans. "Fine, here's a twenty. I'll be on for a while."
Luke took the money and dialed Laura's number, concealing the digits from Lasha's peering eyes.
"Hello?" Lulu answered the phone.
"Who is this?" Luke asked, not prepared to hear the strange voice on the other end.
"That's not your business. Who are you?" Lulu replied. Luke could hear Laura laughing in the background.
"Lulu, give me the phone!" she laughed, taking the phone away from her young daughter.
"Hello?" Luke yelled into the phone. Lasha looked at him, wondering whether she had the wrong family, half-hoping she had the wrong family.
"Hello?" Laura picked up the phone.
"Laura? Who was that on the phone?" Luke was worried about his wife, especially with Helena on the prowl.
"Luke? Oh, that was Lulu. She learned how to answer the phone in kindergarten today." Laura said into the phone. "Lulu, that was Daddy," she called off to the side.
"Is she that old already?" Luke asked. Lasha cleared her throat pointedly. Luke sighed. "Laura, I have this girl who wants to talk to you for some reason."
"Oh. Okay." Laura was confused. Luke attempted to hand the phone to Lasha, who shook her head and gestured towards the closed door of the back room.
"Wait, she wants to talk to you in the back room." Luke sighed, annoyed with this demanding girl.
"Hello? Is this Laura Vining Webber Baldwin Spencer?" Lasha asked, once Luke had let her into the back room and left her alone, hoping her twenty dollars hadn't gone to waste.
"Yes. Who is this?" Laura was shocked that someone young enough to be called a girl by her husband knew all of her previous names.
"My name is Lasha Peters. I'm looking for my father. My mother was Nicole Cardino. I was told that you knew her."
"Oh my God. You're Nicole's child! And you're in Port Charles?!" Laura gasped, clutching the phone tightly.
"So you did know my mother! I've been looking for her, and I thought my father would know where she was. But, I can't find him either." Lasha's face brightened at the news.
"Thank God." Laura said to herself, relieved that she was the first one the girl had successfully contacted.
"What?"
"Um, I know your father... very well. Do you have any money?"
"Excuse me? What is it with Spencers and money?"
"Never mind. You need to come to North Carolina. Let me talk to Luke. Don't leave, Lasha, I mean it. Don't leave that building," Laura warned, nervous and frightened.
Lasha called for Luke, agitated after Laura's warnings. Luke kept nodding and looking at her, making Lasha even more nervous. Hanging up the phone, Luke made another call.
"Elizabeth? You still employed there? Nevermind. Is Lucky there? Thanks... Lucky? Come over here, kid. Just tell Ruby that I have a job for you. She'll let you go. Okay. Bye." Luke hung up again and turned to Lasha.
"What?" Lasha asked, afraid of what was happening, especially after Laura's extreme warnings.
"Lucky's going to take you to see Laura. He'll be here in a few minutes. She says for you not to talk to anyone except me and Lucky. Lucky will drive you to the airport and the two of you will leave for North Carolina immediately. I'll be right back. Don't move." Luke walked out, leaving Lasha alone in the back room. "God, they're multiplying," Luke muttered to himself.
Lasha sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. She hated waiting. Waiting for her birth certificate from the safe deposit box in the bank so she could get her drivers license. Waiting until her sixteenth birthday to leave her adopted parents and find her real ones. Waiting- The door opened, jerking her out of her train of thought. It was just Laura's son from before.
"You still here?" he asked, shutting the door before the room got too cold for Lasha's dark short-sleeved shirt.
"Not for long. When this guy gets here I'm leaving." Lasha replied, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes.
"What guy?" Lucky asked, curious.
"Uh, Lucky something. I don't know. Your dad knows him."
"I hope so!" Lucky smiled.
"I'm only supposed to talk to Luke and that Lucky guy." Lasha reminded him before he could say anything.
"So talk!"
"Luke told me not to talk to anyone but him and Lucky. What are you deaf?" Lasha opened her eyes to see Lucky grinning at her.
"No, I'm Lucky Spencer. Nice to meet you." Lucky laughed and walked by her as Lasha buried her face in her hands from embarrassment, shaking her head.
"Hey there, cowboy. Want to visit your sister?" Luke said.
"Why am I taking that girl to Mom? You're the one who told me not to tell her anything."
"Well, Laura overruled me. You're to drive her to the airport and fly her over to visit Laura. I already made reservations for you in your full name."
"Why do I even have a nickname?" Lucky sighed
"Straight there, straight back, you hear me?" Luke ignored him.
"Uh, school, Dad? What about school?" Lucky asked.
"You're still in school? Um, I'll call Barbara, she'll know what to do. Just go there, okay?"
"Okay, but why?" Lucky wanted to know.
"I have no idea. Tell me when you get back, okay?" Luke lied.
"Okay, Dad."
"Lasha!" Luke called.
"What?" Lasha replied, emerging from the back room.
"Lucky will take you, but make sure he doesn't decide to stay there too long. He's got school, you know." Lasha looked at Luke strangely.
"Yeah, I gathered. Let's go, Lucky." Lasha began to walk toward the front door.
"Back door." Luke said.
"Okay, okay!" Lasha said, doing a 180. Lasha and Lucky were off.
"Buckle up," Lucky said, sliding into the drivers seat.
"Do I need to?" Lasha asked, eyeing Lucky up and down.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucky asked, pulling out of the back lot of Luke's club.
"Are you a good driver?" Lasha asked.
"I got my license didn't I?"
"So did I. Can I drive?"
"I'm not letting some strange girl drive me around!" Lucky exclaimed.
"Oh, and I'm so fond of being driven to see some woman I don't know by some guy I don't know. It sounds like one of those made-for-TV movies."
"Then why did you agree?"
"Because your mother scared me half to death with her warnings about leaving the building. It freaked me out."
"Whatever. Here's the airport. Let's go." Lucky pulled into the parking lot. Locking the doors of the car, he checked his watch.
"Hurry up, the flight leaves in ten minutes!"
"How do you know?"
"My dad told me." Lucky responded, grabbing Lasha's right hand in his left one to pull her along.
"This is getting weirder every second!" Lasha laughed as she ran through the terminal.
"Two round trip tickets to North Carolina, please. Under 'Lucas Lorenzo Spencer'," Lucky instructed the representative as he and Lasha arrived at the airline counter.
"There's an option here. First class or coach?" the man asked.
Lasha and Lucky, still attached at the hand, looked at one another and grinned.
"First class." Lucky said.
"Just sign here, Mr. Spencer. Thank you, and have a pleasant flight." The man smiled as Lasha and Lucky walked to their seats.
"Nice name," Lasha commented as they sat down in the recliner-like seats of first class.
"Thank my dad. It was a gift from him when I was born."
"Why would he do that to you?"
"It's his name too" Lucky sighed, annoyed at his full name.
"Well, it's no Lasha Helena, but I guess it's okay." Lasha and Lucky laughed as the pilot came over the loudspeaker.
"Hello, welcome to flight 9430 direct to Charleston. We're ready to takeoff so buckle up!"
"Hey, I like first class. We can understand the pilot!" Lasha smiled.
"I'm going to try and get some sleep. Wake me up when we reach NC, okay?" Lasha yawned a few hours later. Lucky nodded as Lasha began to fall asleep.
"Lasha! Lasha!" Lucky said, jerking Lasha out of her sleep.
"God, I was having the worst dream." Lasha panted, out of breath.
"You said 'Nikky'." Lucky looked concerned.
"I know. The dream was so strange. I was about five in it! And someone was yelling at me 'Lasha! Run for the boat! I'll catch up!'. I said 'Nikky! Where's my mama?!'. A woman yelled 'I'm right behind you, Lasha! Hurry!' I was in the boat and someone started the motor, but when I turned around I was alone and I could see a two taller figures and a small one standing on the shore. That's when I woke up." Lasha was rocking back and forth in her seat, her arms gripping the sides tightly. Lucky reached over the seat and put his arm around her.
"It's okay, Lasha. Try to figure it out. Who could 'Nikky' be?" Lucky looked down at her.
"Well, my mother's name was Nicole, so 'Nikky' could be short for 'Nicole'," Lasha began, calming down a bit. She loosened her grip on the side of her seat. "But then why would I also say 'Mama'?" She turned to look up at Lucky in confusion. Slowly she stopped rocking as she stared into his eyes.
"Sometimes if I can't get my dad's attention I say 'Dad! Dad! Hey! Luke!'" Lucky offered.
"I just don't like it at all," Lasha said softly. Lasha and Lucky's heads came closer and closer together.
"Attention!" the pilot said over the loudspeaker, jerking Lasha and Lucky apart. "We will be descending into North Carolina soon. Please fasten your seat belts. Thank you!"
"How long has it been since you've seen your mother?" Lasha asked.
"Too long," Lucky replied. As the flight jerked to a stop, Lucky continued. "You know, you might want to tell my mom that dream."
Lasha's eyes met Lucky's. "Yeah. I-I'll do that."
"Thank you for flying flight 9430 Port Charles to Charleston!"
Lasha and Lucky stepped slowly off the plane and into the airport. Lucky looked frantically for the sight of Laura in the strange surroundings.
"Lucky! Over here!" Laura called. Smiling, Lucky raced over to his mother and gave her a hug. Lasha lagged behind a bit.
"He- hello, Mrs. Spencer," Lasha inserted, nervous to meet this beautiful woman who knew her mother.
"Nicole?" Laura gasped before coming to her senses. "Lasha, of course. You look exactly like your mother. It's almost eerie." Laura shook her head, as if to remove the memory of Nicole Cardino. "Let's go."
After sending Lucky out with Lulu and Lesley, Laura sat down with Lasha. Taking a deep breath, Laura allowed herself to remember her times in Greece.
"How much do you know about your history?" Laura asked.
"Uh," Lasha was startled by the seriousness in Laura's voice. "Not much. I know that my mother's name is Nicole Cardino. And I was adopted by the Peters family in Greece and we moved to California when I was about ten. When I was fifteen I wanted my birth certificate so I could get a driver's license. I saw the certificate and noticed that not only did it just say 'S.C.' under father's name, but my mother's name was Nicole Cardino and I was born in Greece. My adoptive parents said that my mother had died, but they wouldn't say when or why. So, as soon as I turned sixteen, I began to look for her. One thing led to another and I found your name listed in some old records with my birth certificate. They appeared to be kind of like references for a resume, but they weren't. Your name was the only real one, because I checked the others out first. It said 'Laura Vining Webber Baldwin Spencer, Port Charles, New York. Husband Luke Spencer.' It didn't list any children. That's all I knew when I arrived at Luke's Club."
"What were the other names?" Laura asked, wondering if there was some code in it.
"Uh, Lucy Whittaker Walter Johnson and Lloyd Johnson, Beechers Corners, New York. Um, Nicholas Stefanme, Mount Helena, Greece. And, oh, there was one more... David! David Greyson, Bewerr, Greece. Wife Laura Savore Greyson." Laura sat, deep in thought for a few minutes before she realized the coding of the message. Lucy and Lloyd Johnson had been fake names she and Luke had used years before. Nicholas must be Nikolas and Stefanme must be Stefan and me. Mount Helena could mean Helena. David Grey was who Luke thought had kidnapped her. Bewerr must be beware and Savore might be Save her! So it was Laura and Luke. Nikolas, Stefan and me, and Helena in Greece. Beware Greece. Save her.
"Nicole would want you to know the truth, Lasha. I guess I'll begin with my side of the story. Now, Luke doesn't even know all of this, and Lucky knows even less. Please don't interrupt me because this is hard for me to say.
"Shortly after I married Luke, I was kidnapped, but the boat I was on hit stormy water and I fell overboard, but I was rescued by a young man named Stavros Cassadine. Stupid me, I was happy at the sight of him before I knew his identity. Luke had accidently killed Stavros and his brother Stefan's father, Mikkos, a year or so earlier during his attempt to freeze the entire world. So, naturally, Stavros and his family wanted revenge. After saving me, Stavros held me captive on the Cassadine Island in Greece. He quickly wanted me to marry him, because he fell in love with me. I hated him, but I found myself liking his younger brother, Stefan, who was much kinder than Stavros. Now, what no one must know is that I discovered I was pregnant shortly before I was kidnapped. I knew that Helena, Stefan and Stavros' mother, would kill my child if it wasn't a Cassadine, I slept with Stefan. A few days later, I told him that I was pregnant. He knew that Helena might kill his child because Stavros was her favorite and she wanted an heir from him. So, he arranged for Stavros to become extremely drunk until he passed out. Then, Stefan carried him into my room and put him next to me on the bed. The next morning, Helena found him in my bed and me in my bathroom taking a shower. She told me that I had to marry Stavros now. The Cassadines enjoyed overlooking the fact that I was already married. Then I told Stavros that I was pregnant. About six months into my pregnancy, Stefan left for Italy until I gave birth. When he returned, he was married to a young girl named Nicole Cardino."
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