AJ Quartermaine grinned at Carly Benson as they ate lunch together. It was a warm June day, the temperature hitting somewhere in the low 70’s. “Tell me that you didn’t?”

Carly looked at her friend. “What was I supposed to do? He was a jerk. All he did the whole evening was to talk about himself. How great he was. How wonderful he was. He left me no choice but to tell him I was heading to the bathroom and make a fast exit through the backdoor of Luke’s. You should have told me he was a bore.”

AJ laughed. “I did. Several times. Repeatedly. I’ve worked with the guy at ELQ for nine months and I don’t think he’s said one interesting thing in that whole period of time. But you were the one who had to meet him. What did you say he was, a definite 11 on a ten point scale.”

“All right. So I may have put too much stock in his physical appearance. It’s hard to get back into the dating game after everything that happened with Tony,” Carly’s eyes narrowed as Emily came in. “Isn’t that your sister?”

AJ turns and nods. “Yeah. I haven’t seen her in a while. Since Mom married that creep Dorman I’ve been trying to avoid the mansion and every time I call and invite Em over to the apartment she has something else to do.”

Carly looked at her. “She doesn’t look well. What’s she doing here in the middle of a school day.” And what’s with the clothing, Carly thought to herself. Dark colors. Baggy, loose fitting. A sweater on a warm day like this. No make up. What was wrong with the girl?

“She looks sick,” AJ says echoing Carly’s thoughts. “I’m going to go over and say hi.”

Carly nods. She can’t help looking at Emily Quartermaine. There’s something about her manner that reminds her of someone else. Something is wrong. Something is really wrong.

AJ returns a minute later and Carly notices that Emily is quick to slip out almost as soon as AJ turns his back to her.

“How is she?”

“She says she’s just a little tired. Apparently they had a half day at school. She’s heading home now.”

“Do you believe her?”

“Why would she lie?”

Why indeed, thinks Carly but she lets it slide as AJ picks up the check and heads back to work with the stern warning from her that he can only set her up in the future with guys with personality.

Ten minutes later, Carly glances at her watch and realizes she’s late for her shift at GH. She still can’t get that image of Emily Quartermaine out of her mind.

“Hey Tammy,” Carly says as Kelly’s manager comes back in from the kitchen. “I’m surprised you didn’t rope Liz into working this afternoon.”

“How could I do that?” Tammy asks puzzled. “Liz has school this afternoon.”

“Someone told me the high school was out for the afternoon.?”

“Nope.”

“Oh, I must have misunderstood.” Carly grabs a cup of coffee to take back to GH with her. Something is definitely wrong Carly realizes and if I can’t get AJ to listen to me, I’ll have to try Jason after work.”

In the park

Emily stops and finds her favorite place, a secluded patch of grass covered hill that is very quiet and private. She sits quietly, enjoying the solitude and the rare feeling of peace that washes over her. The feeling that for this moment at least she is safe.

She puts her arms around her knees and lays her head down. She can’t keep going like this. She can’t. It hurts too much. There’s no place to hide. The sun is shining and its a beautiful day. She should be in school. She’s supposed to meet everyone at the diner after school to hang out and maybe see a movie. She won’t be there. What excuse do I use this time? Stop it, she thinks to herself. Just stop it. Don’t think about it. If you don’t think about it, it can’t hurt you. He can’t hurt you.

She reaches into her backpack and pulls out the latest Caroline Cooney novel that she’s been reading lately.

She doesn’t hear him approach. Doesn’t see him close. Doesn’t know he’s there until he puts his hands over her eyes.

She reacts without thinking, grabbing the backpack and swinging it backwards .

“Ouch! Hey,” Lucky Spencer rubbed his arm as he looked at his best friend. “What was that for?”

Emily gets defensive. “Well what were you doing trying to scare me?”

“I wasn’t trying to scare you. I was trying to say hi.” Lucky grinned at her. “You didn’t show up in math class after lunch so I decided to come looking for you.”

“Brilliant Spencer. I don’t show up for class so you use it as an excuse to cut.”

“It was only art and history. Liz promised to take notes. Besides, the way you’ve been avoiding everyone these last few weeks has me worried, okay?”

“I haven’t been avoiding you.” Emily shakes her head but doesn’t look up. “I’ve just been busy you know.”

Lucky sighs and tries another tack. “Look Em, I know you’re hurting about Monica’s marriage to Dorman. We both know what a creep he is, but you can’t cut yourself off from your friends. Let us help you through this.”

“I don’t need your help. Everything is fine at home. My mom is happy and I’m okay. So why don’t you go back to chasing Sarah Webber all over Port Charles and leave me alone.”

Lucky looks at Emily, he can’t remember the last time she has been this angry. And to bring up Sarah, when the whole world knew that that was over almost a year ago. He looks closer and realizes that she’s in a lot of pain and trying her best to hide it. She might actually succeed if he didn’t know her as well as he did.

“Emily,” He stepped forward until he was standing right in front of me. “This is me. Lucky remember. We’ve always been there for each other. Just tell me what is wrong.”

Emily looks into the depth of his blue eyes and allows herself to believe, for just one moment. That he can help. That anyone can help. But then she remembers what will happen if she tells and the hope dies as a shutter comes down over her face. She looks away, refusing to even look at Lucky.

In his frustration, Lucky reaches out and grabs her upper arm, his touch is not hard, but Emily cries out in pain and Lucky takes a step back.

“What the hell?” he looks at Emily and his eyes narrow as she bites her lip to keep from crying. “Show me your arm.”

She shakes her head.

“Show it to me now.” Emily finally meets his eyes and sighs, knowing that he won’t give up until she complies. She carefully takes off her sweater and reveals her bare arm.

Lucky’s throat catches and he feels like vomiting. Emily’s pale skin is covered with dark and ugly looking bruises that run up and down her arm.

“Who did this?” His voice is cold and deadly.

“No one.” Emily insists. “I fell down the stairs at the mansion the other day. It was an accident and I fell.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well you’d better because it’s the truth.” She grabs her sweater and puts it back on. “And if you tell anyone else, I’ll tell the same story. I fell. And everyone knows how clumsy I am so they’ll believe it. And they’ll believe it because its the truth. So leave it alone, okay? I have to go.” Emily picked up her bag and started to leave and then turned back. “Lucky, just leave it alone . Please. You’ll just make it worse.” Her voice drops into the barest of whispers.

Lucky watches her go, stunned and speechless. “How the hell can it get worse?” He wonders. He hesitates for a second before taking off. He doesn’t care what she says. He’s not staying out of it and he knows exactly what it is he needs to do.

Jason’s Penthouse

“Lucky Spencer to see you sir,” Johnny announces as he lets Lucky in. Jason and Sonny look up, a frown appearing on their faces when they see the intense look of worry on Lucky’s .

“I have to talk to you Jason.”

Jason and Sonny exchange glances. “I’ll go run these numbers by Benny.” Sonny heads over to his own penthouse but stops at Lucky’s side before leaving. “If you need my help you know how to reach me.”

Lucky nods, but waits for Sonny to leave.

Jason eyes the boy. “All right, how can I help you?”

“It’s not me you can help. It’s Emily. She’s in some kind of trouble.”

Jason’s eyes narrow instantly. “What kind of trouble?”

Lucky takes a deep breath. “She’s been acting strange lately. She’s avoiding her friends, cutting class, spending a lot of time alone.”

Jason shrugs. “She’s having a hard time adjusting to Monica’s marriage to Dorman. All she needs is some space. Emily’s in a difficult position now.”

Lucky shakes her head. “That’s not it. Or at least its not all of it. Emily wasn’t in class this afternoon so I cut myself and I went looking for her. I found her in the park. She was upset and angry and when I touched her arm, she cried out in pain. I made her show me,” Lucky takes a ragged breath. “Her arm...It was covered with bruises up and down. Ugly and dark bruises.”

“Who hit her?” Jason’s voice is cold and deadly.

“She said she fell. But there’s no way.....” Lucky’s voice trails off. “She wouldn’t tell me anything. She wouldn’t talk to me. I’m supposed to be her best friend and she wouldn’t talk to me.”

“That’s what abuse does,” a quiet voice from behind them says. “It makes you good at keeping secrets.”

Jason and Lucky turn behind them and see Carly enter. “Johnny let me in,” she says with an explanation. “I heard what you said about Emily. I was coming to talk to you about her also. AJ and I saw her at lunch and I’m worried about her. She’s not the same Emily she was six months ago.” Carly hesitates and then continues. “Look, I know all the signs of abuse and I’d almost stake my life that someone somewhere is hurting that little girl.”

Lucky flinches and Jason looks into Carly’s eyes before nodding. “Talk to me.”

“She’s avoiding people because she doesn’t want anyone to know the truth. She’s dressing in layers on a warm day to hide the bruises. She’s isolating herself as a form of self-protection. I don’t think there’s a question that someone is hurting her, the question is who?”

“Dorman.”

Carly shakes her head. “Don’t leap to that conclusion Jase. You might be wrong. It could be a friend or a boyfriend. It could even be Alan or Monica. You don’t have to be a sleaze like Pierce Dorman to be capable of physical abuse. Even the most well respected people can live very different lives behind closed doors.”

“How do you know so much?”

Carly sighs. “Some of its nurse’s training. Most of its personal experience. I had a friend in grade school. Her dad used to beat her regularly. I told my mom and dad, but they said it wasn’t any of our business. Then one day my friend’s dad killed her.” Carly’s eyes turn inward and bleak. “She was just a nine year old kid. She’d bring me flowers from her yard. We used to play dress up together. We used to talk about what we would do when we were grown up. Only she never got the chance to grow up. And some of that’s my fault.”

“Your fault?”

“I should have told someone what I knew. I told my parents yes, but when they didn’t do anything I should have told someone else. My teacher at school or a neighbor or someone. That’s what we teach kids today who are being abused. Keep telling adults you trust until you find someone who believes you and helps you. It’s scary how many kids come through the ER as a result of abuse.”

“I can’t do something about those other kids. And I can’t save your friend. But I sure can do something about Emily.” Jason says firmly. He picks up the phone. “I want my sister picked up and brought to the penthouse. Right. Just tell her that I need to see her.”

“She may not want to talk to you. It’s very possible that she’s going to lie to you to protect the person who’s abusing you.”

“Why in the hell would she protect them?”

“They are a dozen different reasons. If it’s Alan, he’s still her father and she loves him. If it’s Dorman, than chances are she’s protecting Monica from finding out the truth. In the mind of an abused child, the abuse becomes the cost she has to pay to keep the family unit together. Better the hell we know than the hell we don’t.” Carly finishes softly. “Listen, it’s better that we not be here when she gets here. If she’s going to open up to you, she has to feel secure and private.” She turns to Lucky. “I’m heading back to my apartment. Can I drop you off?”

Lucky shakes his head, still in a daze. “I need to walk and clear my head.”

Carly smiles at him sympathetically. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

“She’s my best friend.”

“That’s good. Because if we are right, she’s going to need you now more than ever to help her through this.”

Emily carried her back pack carefully as she walked along the wharf. It was getting late and Monica would be expecting her home from school fairly soon. It was the last place, the absolute last place, she wanted to be so Emily stayed where she was. She placed her backpack down and then sat down herself on the edge of the pier, watching the water lap around the pylons.

What was she going to do? She should never have allowed Lucky to see those bruises. She knew him. He was going to keep after her and after her until he found out the truth. And if he found out the truth, if anyone found out the truth, so many people would be hurt. She had to get Lucky to back off. But how?

So deep in thought was she that she didn’t notice Jason’s men approach her.

“Ms. Quartermaine?”

Emily looked up and smiled at Reynaldo. “It’s Emily.”

“All right. Emily.” Reynaldo smiled. “Your brother would like to talk to you.”

Emily face grew puzzled and then she shrugged. Whatever Jason wanted, it beat going home and at least she would have something to think about other than Lucky.

“All right,” she said following his lead back to the car.

Ten minutes later, Emily enters the penthouse and puts her backpack down.

“Jason?” Emily greets her brother who is standing by the mantel. “You wanted to see me?” He turns and the serious look on his face unnerves her. “What’s wrong? Is it Robin?”

Jason shakes his head impatiently. “No Robin is fine. I talked to her this morning. She’s in the middle of exams at Yale but she should be back next week for a visit.”

“That’s good, I know how much you miss her.” Emily sat down on the leather sofa. “So, what’s wrong?”

“That was going to be my question to you,” Jason replied.

“What? Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” Emily replied nervously.

Jason looks at Emily and he knows instinctively that Carly and Lucky were right and the knowledge fills him with an incredible rage that he finds hard to control.

“Tell me about your bruises.” He says softly.

Emily looks at him in shock. “He told you. He had no right to tell you. None at all.”

“He’s worried about you.”

“He doesn’t have to be. I told him I fell down the stairs at the mansion. It was a stupid accident.”

“No. It wasn’t an accident.”

“Yes it was.”

“Emily.”

Emily keeps her eyes lowered.

‘Who are you protecting?”

“No one.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

Emily looks up and her eyes are filled with tears. “Don’t ask me Jason, please. I don’t want to lie to you and I can’t tell you. Just let me go home. Please. Just forget about it. It’s no big deal. Really. I can handle it. It won’t happen again.” Emily’s voice is shaky and bordering on hysteria.

Jason walks over to her. “Come here,’ He pulls his sister in a comforting embrace. “I love you Emily. You can tell me anything.”

Emily’s voice is muffled. “Not this. I can’t tell you this.”

“All right,” Jason breathes heavily. “Keep your secret for now. But I can’t let you be hurt again. You’re the only sister I have and I’m not taking chances with you. You’ll stay here with me for a while.”

“But Monica...”

“I’ll talk to her.”

“You won’t...”

“No I won’t,” Jason nods. “But you have to tell someone, all right. If not me, then someone. No one has the right to hurt you no matter who they are or what the reason.”

Emily nods. “I’m really tired.” She says. “Do you think I can lie down for a while.”

“Use the guest room. It will be yours while you are here. “

“Thanks,” Emily says and grabs her backpack and heads upstairs.

An hour later, Emily awakens, takes a shower, and considers her options. There is only one.

She heads downstairs and is relieved to see that Jason is gone and that its only Reynaldo sitting on the couch.

“Mr. Morgan had some errands to run but he instructed me to stay with you.”

“Thanks,” She hesitates. “Is there anything to eat? Or better yet, any reason why you can’t drive me to Kelly’s?”

Reynaldo smiles. “None at all.”

Ten minutes later they are standing in front of Kelly’s. . “Is it okay if I go in alone. Liz is working and I have to return some books to her.” Emily gestures to her backpack. “Then we’re probably going to sit around and gossip about boy stuff. You’d be bored.”

“And you don’t want a bodyguard interfering with your social life.” Reynaldo concludes. “I’ll stay right out here.”

Emily thanks him and heads inside. She spots Tammy at the counter. Liz is not working. She greets Tammy. “Is it okay if I drop these books off in the back for Liz to pick up later?”

“No problem.” Tammy replies continuing to wipe down the counter top.

“Thanks,” Emily says. She takes one last look at Reynaldo waiting in front of Kelly’s. Then she heads towards the back. A minute later, Emily has slipped through the back door of Kelly’s. Five minutes later, she’s caught the city bus headed downtown. Thirty minutes later she’s on the next greyhound out of town and headed towards Miami

A very long and exhausting 24 hours later, Emily gets off the bus and takes her first look around the exotic city. She shivers a little, even in the heat. She has no idea why she picked Miami, except that it seemed like the city they are least likely to look for her in and in which she can get lost in the easiest. She picks up her backpack and looks around her. She has a couple of hundred dollars, stolen from Jason’s before she made her great escape. Her eyes spot a payphone in the corner of the station. She should call, but if she calls the chances are that Jason will be able to trace the phone call. He’ll want her to come home. She can’t. She isn’t needed and she isn’t missed and if she goes home it will only make things worse. Besides if she goes home, where would she go? The penthouse? Alan’s apartment? The mansion. She shakes her head at the last thought. She won’t go back there. Ever.

All right, so a phone call home is out. No problem. She has enough money for a hotel room for the night at least. She decides to head into the bathroom to freshen up as much as she possibly can.

As Emily heads into the bathroom, she has no idea that from the opposite side of the station a pair of brown eyes have followed her every move.

Thirty minutes later Emily is stretched out on a park bench, her backpack a pillow, staring at the bluest sky she has ever seen and enjoying the novelty of a park with swaying palm trees. She feels a momentary rush of gladness that she can still find beauty in the world after the months of ugliness that her life has become. She wonders vaguely what is happening in Port Charles, but Port Charles seems as if its a million miles away from where she is at the moment. She closes her eyes briefly allowing herself a few minutes of rest before she has to start thinking and making decisions. She will have to find a job, a task that will hopefully be easier since she is 16. A cheap place to live is on her list too, the money she stole from Jason won’t last forever. It might not even last her a week. Then she is on her own. The idea frightens her but it also holds some appeal. No mansions with butlers. No limos with bodyguards. No having to think through every statement she makes in case someone catches her in a lie. She needs this. A breathing space. A time to pull herself together. A time to live a life of normalcy even if it just an illusion.

She wonders if the miss her and if they are worried about her. Maybe Jason is. And AJ. Even Ned. She’d like to think Lucky missed her but considering the on and off (read when he is between girlfriends) nature of their relationship, she isn’t sure. She sighs when she remembers their encounter in the park. The worry in his eyes. The concern in Jason’s. She had known instinctively that if she stayed she would break down and the truth would come out. And people would be hurt. People that she cared about. She couldn’t confess. But she couldn’t continue lying either. Really there had been no choice. Funny how there never seemed to be any choices in her life.

She reluctantly opens her eyes and drinks in again the brilliance of the blue sky. It beat the perpetual fog that enveloped Port Charles during this time of year hands down.

“Did anyone ever tell you that you are beautiful?” A shadow blocks Emily’s sunshine and the slightly husky voice echoes from it.

“Does that line ever work?” Emily scowled trying to see who it was but his face was thrown into a shadow effect from the sunshine.

“All the time.”

“I guess that tells you something about the company you are keeping.” Emily grumbles as she moves to sit up.

“I guess it does,” the stranger smiles and Emily sees that it is a boy, close to her age, with dark brown eyes and brown hair. “My name is Juan Santiago. It is a pleasure to meet you...”

“Emily Bowen...” Emily hesitates visions of the Quartermaines flooding the area with wanted flyers fill her mind. “Emily Bowen,” she repeats firmly.

“Emily,” he says her name as if it is poetry and a chill runs down her spine. “You are beautiful you know.”

Emily shrugs. She has long since given up any illusions of beauty. You could not go to the same high school as Elizabeth and Sarah Webber or hang out with Brenda Barrett and Robin Scorpio and maintain any aspirations of being beautiful when your hair was too straight, your nose too long, your body too tall, and nothing you did seemed to be done in anything resembling a graceful manner. If it sometimes bugged her, Emily was able to pretend otherwise most of the time.

Juan notices her silence and the pensive look on her face and wonder why it bothers him. “So what brings you to Miami?”

“Would you believe one too many Miami Vice rerun?” Emily quips and then her smile fades. “I guess not.”

Juan makes a careful note of the haunted look in her eyes. “I think you are a runaway Miss. Emily Bowen.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I saw you get off the bus at the station.” He confesses softly.

Emily looks at him in shock. “You followed me?” She backs away, mentally moving him up the scale from mildly annoying but cute to potential stalker.

“I can help you.” He says the words confidently. “I know this city better than anyone.”

“If I need help I’ll buy a map.” Emily starts to get up and leave but he puts a hand on her shoulder.

“The name is Juan Santiago. If you need my help, ask for me at the Cafe Del Mar. It is near the bus station. They will know where to find me.”

“I don’t think I will need anything from you,” Emily jerks away from his hold and walks down the park path and away from him.

Juan watches her go as a smile lights his face. For the first time since he arrived from Puerto Rico a year ago, he feels his luck begin to change. “She will be perfect for my plans.” He whistles as he walks away in the other direction.

That evening in Port Charles

Lucky Spencer in his bedroom with the door shut and locked. His backpack, the same one he used when he came to Port Charles from Canada, is on his bed and he is busy packing. A change of clothes. Cash. ID’s. Emergency supplies.

Jason had gotten a lead on Emily. A clerk at the bus station remembered, after some persuasion that Lucky didn’t want to know the details of, that a teenage girl fitting Emily’s description had boarded a bus bound for Miami soon after Emily had disappeared from Kelly’s. Jason, Sonny, and Carly were heading down to Miami on Sonny’s jet to find her.

Although they didn’t know it, Lucky was heading down also. Emily was his best friend and seeing her hurt and hearing that she was missing had made him realize how important she was to his life. He felt like he had helped force her to run away by telling Jason about the bruises. He should have tried to help her on his own, gotten her to start trusting him. He shrugged. He’d failed her too many times over the last few years. Not this time. He knew Emily. She was smarter and stronger than most of her family, Jason included, gave her credit for being. She would be expecting Jason to come after her. She would hide from Jason.

She would never expect him to come after her. And she could never hope to hide from him. He would find her and make sure she was okay. That was the most important thing. After that. who knew what was going to happen.

Checking his backpack one last time, Lucky locks his bedroom door from the inside and heads out the window to make his way to the airport.

To be continued.