Written Feb. 9th - Mar. 26th '08 Part Eight

The Letters Continue!!

Lily had remained very quiet as she drove her mother back to Jack and Sharon's. Lily had let her mother dominate the conversation about the plans for Lilys' baby shower. All the while the words from the letter kept running through her mind...

'Do you think this is over? Did you really think that I would let you get away with it? Foolish girl - you will get what you deserve. I promise...'

Lily pulled up infront of the Abbott mansion. "Earth to Lily... Lily, are you even listening to me?" Dru said as she waved a hand in front of Lilys' face.

"What? Oh, yeah of course Mom. That sounds great. Infact I am looking forward to it."

"Mmm...Hmmm," replied Dru. "Ok then what did I just say?"

Lily blushed because she couldn't answer that, her mother was right she hadn't really heard a word. "Sorry Mom. I am sure that what ever you have planned will be great. I was just thinking about umm... the photo shoot and how it had went."

Dru wasn't completely buying it but she let it go. "Well alright then if you're sure that's all it was... You're ok though right?"

Lily did not want to worry her mother so she put on a bright smile and said, "You bet Mom - never better."

Dru accepted that for now but vowed to herself that she was going to keep a closer eye on her daughter. "Ok sweetie. Call me later ok?" Dru kissed her tenderly on the cheek, still overcome with emotion that she could actually touch her daughter again.

"I will Mom. I love you."

Dru smiled, "I love you too." And with that she got out of the car and headed into the house.
Lily watched her go not realising that she was holding her breath until she let out a large gasp of air. Lily had to figure out who was threatening her. Who would want to threaten her? She decided to put it out of her mind for now after all she figured it was probably just some over zellous fan. Putting her mind somewhat at ease she put the car in gear and headed back to the apartment...

Lily checked the rear view mirror for the tenth time. Nope she wasn't imagining it - there was definately a dark blue sedan following her from about 30 yards back. She couldn't make out who was driving but there seemed to be only one person in the vehicle. Every turn she made - they made. Lilys' heart started to race and she gripped the steering wheel tighter. She kept chanting in her head 'almost home, almost home' over and over again. When she reached the entrance to the parking garage and was turning to enter that was when she heard the dreadful sound of tires squeeling as the sedan sped up and headed right towards her. Lily shreiked as the blue sedan grazed her bumper - jolting her as they continued down the street at a reckless speed...

Lily, her heart racing and her breathing heavy, gripped the steering wheel with white knuckled hands. This was more than just a coincidence and this was more than just some over the top fan. Lily was in grave danger...

When she reached the apartment and had safely locked herself in. Her moment of safety fled for there at her feet was another note waiting for her...

Scared!!

Lily sat huddled on the couch, her arms wrapped around her stomach protectively. When the key turned in the lock and the door opened Lily jumped even though instinctively she knew that it was Cane...

Cane walked in and saw Lily on the couch looking pale and frightened. He immediately went to her. Crouching down beside her and grasping her cold hands he said with concern, "Lily? You look absolutely terrified. What's wrong? Is it the babies?"

Lily shook her head no but her eyes filled with tears. Canes' gut twisted into knots and he knew without a doubt that he was not going to like what he was about to hear...

In between sobs Lily told Cane about the first note she recieved at the photo shoot and the suspicious sedan that had followed her home and how it had clipped the back of her car as it sped off and finally the note she had found when she had gotten back to the apartment.

Lily wiped the tears off her cheeks as she watched her husbands face become filled with rage...

"Where are the notes?" Cane said with a quiet calm his face did not show. Lily grabbed her bag and pulled out the crumpled pieces of paper and handed them to him.

Cane read them both as his face became more molten and his eyes glittered. The second letter was similar to the first except with the added threat of...

'You see there is no where to run - I know where you live. And you will get what is coming to you -'

"That is it I am calling the cops. No one - and I mean absolutely no one threatens my wife in this way."

Cane got up to get the phone but Lily grabbed his arm to stop him. "Cane wait, please. What if calling the cops makes it worse? What if that is what this lunatic wants?" Lily pleaded.

Cane let out a deep breath and rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know about that Lily. But if it would make you feel better I'll agree to talk to J.T. about it and see what he says. Now I want you to listen to me if J.T. says to go to the police right away I will not hesitate to do so and if anything else happens no matter how minor you think it is we will go to the police. I will not let anything or anyone hurt you or our children. Even if I have to hire security for you - I will."

"Thank you Cane. And I will agree to do what J.T. suggests. I just don't want to make all this public - I am just not sure that I can handle anymore scrutiny right now. After all the press is just starting to settle down where my mother is concerned and well I guess I don't want everyone to know about this - my family has enough to deal with right now without this too."

Cane sat down beside her and wrapped his arm protectively around her. "I don't know Lily. You have a wonderfully supportive and strong family - they would be there for you - they would want to be there for you." He kissed her tenderly then said, "I am really glad that you were honest with me and didn't try to keep this from me. I love you so much."

Lily gazed at the man she loved, she touched his cheek softly and said, "I am glad that I told you too. I learned a long time ago not to keep secrets from you and I won't." Lily leaned in and kissed him again. "I love you too," she whispered against his mouth.

When they finally pulled apart Cane said, "Well what ever we decide to do about this, go to the police or not - you will be taking precautions from now on. If I am not with you, you will not go anywhere alone." Lily gave him a look. "I mean it Lily. I am not trying to be bossy here - I am trying to keep you safe."

"Ok, ok. I promise I won't go anywhere alone."
Soon everyone was to realise that precautions were just not going to be enough. To Canes' horror something terrible was about to happen to his beloved wife...

The Baby Shower!!

Drucilla was all in a flutter. She was so excited about Lilys' shower today. All the plans were coming together so nicely and Sharon and Jack had been such dears to allow her to hold it at the mansion. Neil and she were making strides to rebuild there relationship but they were no where near ready to move back in together. Besides their apartment never would have been big enough to accommodate all the guests that were to arrive shortly. Lily had wanted to include everyone so this was going to be an untraditional men/women baby shower, which in Dru's opinion sounded a lot more fun anyway.

Sharon was so ecstatic to have her best friend back that she gladly volunteered to help decorate and arrange the food preparation. They chatted and giggled like old times about everything and anything while they worked...

A little while later the doorbell rang and Jill and Katherine were the first to arrive followed closely by Neil, Devon and his girlfriend Roxanne. Neil exchanged a tender look with Drucilla and he kissed her softly hello. It did not go unnoticed at how close they were starting to become again - much to everyones delight. Guests continued to arrive carrying all sorts of lovely and essential gifts that Drucilla placed on a table thinking how her daughter and son-in-law would appreciate everyone of them.

Drucilla looked at her watch again and thought Colleen should be arriving at Lilys' place to pick her up and bring her here. Cane should also be arriving shortly, after having gone into the office for a bit to tie up some loose ends...

Meanwhile over at Lilys' apartment...

Lily was finishing getting ready, expecting Colleen in about twenty minutes. She placed a hand at her back and arched a bit trying to relieve the dull ache that seemed to be ever present now that she was a little over seven months along now. She smiled warmly at the memory of Cane's latest massage just this morning. Oh how she loved that man she thought, chuckling to herself. He hadn't wanted to leave her alone but she had assured him that Colleen would be there soon and she promised not to leave by herself.

There hadn't been another letter for the past few days and J.T. had told them to just wait and see, which Cane hadn't really cared to hear but J.T. had said the cops wouldn't be able to do much at this point anyway. He had just cautioned them to be extra careful right now - which they were.

The doorbell rang and with a last check in the mirror Lily went to open it for her friend...

Except it wasn't her friend at the door and before Lily could even utter a sound the masked gunman struck her in the head with the butt of the gun. Lily collapsed unconscious into the arms of her assailant. She was then dragged from the apartment, the door left ajar...

Meanwhile at Canes' office...

Cane was trying his best to get through the last of his paper work as quickly as possible. Worried at leaving Lily alone even for a short while he was anxious and excited to see her at the shower. His secretary came in just as he was wrapping things up. She handed him a note and told him that it just arrived for him...

Cane thanked her and tore it open, his face paled as he read...

'By the time you read this I will have your precious wife and you will never see her or your child again'

Canes' gut twisted and he filled with rage. He crumbled the note in his hand and bolted from his office heading as fast as he could to his SUV. As he reached it his cell phone rang and he answered it all the while praying that it was his wife...

But it wasn't. It was a frantic Colleen telling him how she had arrived to pick up Lily only to find their apartment door ajar and Lily's purse on the floor along with an overturned table.
Cane took a deep breath and said, "stay put Colleen. I am on my way." ...

Captive!!

The first thing Lily noticed was the searing pain pulsating from the left side of her head. It was enough to almost make her lose consciousness again but she fought against the awaiting blackness because she knew she had to stay awake to save her life...

Keeping her eyes closed she took a mental check of what she felt. Her mouth was duct taped shut. Her arms were bound above her head and her legs were tied together at her ankles. She gingerly opened her eyes to look at her surroundings and what she saw wasn't much. There was a single lamp on the other side of the room that cast it in shadows. It was sparsely furnished with only a table, single chair and the bed she was tied to in it. Lily tested her restraints but to no avail, they were securely fastened. Just then her capture entered the room...

Lily tried to see who had done this to her but with the dim light and the fact that the person now standing before her still wore a mask, it was of little use...

Clearly using a mechanically altering voice devise, Lily couldn't even tell if it was a man or woman when they began to speak...

"So did you think that you could out smart me? Did you think that I would let you get away with how you treated me?" Came the altered voice.

Lily's eyes filled with fear and confusion her reply inaudible thanks to the tape sealing her mouth.

Her capture leaned in close to make sure that Lily missed non of their next words...

"First I am going to let you give birth to that brat. Then I am going to kill you." And laughing hysterically her capture continued, "then I am going to take that baby of yours and get a handsome price from a couple desperate to adopt a child - by any means necessary. And finally I am going to destroy that handsome husband that you love so much."

Lily's eyes filled with terror and tears that spilled over and slid into her hair unchecked. She struggled uselessly against the bonds that held her cuts forming on her wrists and ankles from where they rubbed against the ropes.

All the while her capture continued to laugh - the mechanical voice making it sound more evil than you could imagine. "Struggle all you want but you won't escape and no one will be able to find you..." And with that her capture left the room.

Lily swallowed the bile that threatened to rise. Taking deep breaths through her nose she tried to calm herself enough to figure out away out of this horrible nightmare. God she began to pray please, please God let Cane figure out who has done this. Please let someone rescue me before it is to late. And with that Lily slipped back into unconsciousness...

Everyone Finds Out!!

Cane arrived at the apartment, thanks to a call from Colleen the police were already there. Maggie was questioning Colleen as he approached...

Colleen spotted Cane first and launched herself into his arms - sobbing she said, "thank God you're here. I was just telling Maggie what I had found when I arrived to pick up Lily but I don't know anything else other than that."

Cane gave Colleen one more comforting squeeze before letting her go. "Thanks Colleen I know you've done everything you can but there is more to this than you knew." Turning to Maggie he continued, "Detective Sullivan thank you for getting here so quickly and I will gladly give you all of the information that I have - whatever it takes to find my wife."

"What can you tell me about this, Mr. Ashby?"

"It's Cane, please." And he went on to tell her about the threatening letters and Lily being followed home and lastly the letter he received just before Colleen had phoned confirming his worst fears.

Colleen listened to it all in shocked silence.

"Do you still have the notes?"

"Yes, hold on a second while I grab the other two but here is the one that was sent directly to me." Cane explained then he stepped into the apartment to retrieve the other ones.

He handed them to Maggie and as he did Colleens' phone began to ring. She looked at the call display with dismay, "it's Drucilla. What do I say?"

"Give me your phone and I will talk to her." Cane said. He grabbed it and answered. "Drucilla?... Colleen and I are at the apartment. Umm... yes there is something wrong... No as far as I know the babies are ok... Listen can I just meet you at the mansion and I will explain everything to you when I get there...Yes...No I am sorry but I think it best that I not get into it over the phone...We'll be there shortly...Bye." Cane hung up the phone and looked at Colleen with despair and said, "how am I going to explain this to everyone?" He rubbed a hand over his pale face and continued, "how am I going to explain to them that Lily has been kidnapped?"

Colleen squeezed his arm in support and said, "I will be there with you when you do."

"Thanks Colleen." Turning back to Maggie he said, "is it alright if we go now? I need to tell everyone that is waiting at a party that isn't going to happen now what is going on."

Maggie being sympathetic to their needs agreed saying that she would be in touch if she had anything new to tell them. And with a nod in thanks, Colleen and Cane headed to the mansion together...

Drucilla was the one to open the door when they arrived she looked around them for Lily but seeing the stricken look upon their faces she knew something horrible had happened. "Where is Lily?"

Colleen and Cane stepped inside. Cane looked around at all their friends and family gathered for such a happy event and fought to control his tears as he told them all what was going on...

Amongst gasps, upset and outrage were shouts of 'who could have done this?' and 'what can we do to help?'. Cane raised his hands for silence and said, "listen everyone I don't know who did this or why but the police are doing everything that they can to find her." And turning to Neil and Drucilla who clung to one another he said, "and I promise you I will stop at nothing to find her and bring her home safely - you have my word."

Everyone in the room was understandably upset but Jill had turned ashen during her sons emotional words. Katherine noticed and said to her daughter, "Jill I am sure that they will find Lily and she and our granddaughters will be safe." More to herself she mumbled, "but just who on earth would want to harm that sweet girl."

To her shock she heard Jill reply, "I think that I have an idea of who would." And Katherine watched as Jill walked purposefully over to her son...