WonderLust

Summary: Michael didn't arrive in time to stop Claudia from stealing his sister. Now, eighteen years have passed and a girl who goes by the name Lexi arrives in Port Charles to visit Jake Webber, the friend that she made online before heading to college.

Author's Note: Perrotti is the maiden name of CLaudia's mother, Domenica. I tried to look it up to see if we ever got one, but we didn't so I just made one up.

Part One

Lexi Perroti let out a sigh as she stepped into the Metrocourt hotel with a yawn, eager to get a room so she could get a shower and some rest. The flight had taken a lot out of her, more than she would've thought.

She slowly stepped up to the front desk and smiled at the blonde woman in the vibrant green dress that stood behind it. "Hi, I'm Lexi Perroti. I'd like to get into my room please?"

Carly's eyes were wide in shock as she stared at the teenager in front of her as if she were a ghost. The young woman looked familiar and it made her breath catch in her throat as she took in the long, dark blonde hair that was in a high ponytail. Her skin was fair and she seemed rather tall. Probably around Carly's height.

Lexi frowned in confusion at Carly's behavior. "Excuse me? Are you alright?" She wondered, voice gone soft.

Carly shook herself out of her daze and tried to smile reassuringly at the girl. "Sorry." She answered before she grabbed the key card, handing it to her. "I hope you enjoy your stay with us."

"Thank you?" The girl answered, brows furrowing together before she shrugged it off and headed towards the elevator. She couldn't help but think to herself that that weird interaction wasn't a sign of things to come.

Meanwhile, Carly had forgotten to breathe. Her hands clenched at the counter, knuckles turning white as she stared after the girl. If she didn't know any better, she could swear that that teenage girl was her daughter, Josslyn. But it was impossible. She'd been kidnapped right after she was born. But still. Alexandria or Lexi as she called herself looked so much like Carly had always imagined her little girl would look.

"Mom?" A soft voice asked.

She felt cool hands go to her bare arms, squeezing them gently. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and met with Michael's. He was staring at her worriedly, frown set upon his lips. "Hey, honey. What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Well. we were supposed to meet up for dinner, remember? What's wrong, anyway? You look like you've seen a ghost." He wondered curiously. He'd never seen his mother behave like this before.

Carly swallowed. "We have a new guest staying at the hotel. She's about eighteen and her name is Lexi Perotti. She reminds me so much of Josslyn."

Michael swallowed hard at the mention of the little girl who had been stolen from them. The baby sister he hadn't been quick enough to stop Claudia Zacchara from taking.

It had happened almost nineteen years ago and yet, it was still fresh in his mind. Their family had never recovered. It had torn Jacks and his mother apart, both mourning their little girl. They had searched for over a year, even using illegal means. But to no avail. When that happened, Jacks and Carly had divorced and he left for Australia. The memories in Port Charles too painful.

"Well, it can't be her, mom. If Claudia kept her, I doubt that she'd allow her to come to Port Charles. What if she ran into us?" Michael tried to reassure his mom, though in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder if she was right. He'd never seen her act like this before. Slowly, he determined that he'd get to the bottom of this entire situation and figure out what was going on.

Lexi sighed as she came out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her slender frame and another wrapped in her hair like a turban. She felt refreshed after her shower and she figured it was about time to call her mother. Slowly, she headed back to the bedroom of her suite and quickly got dressed, grabbing her laptop, she sat it on her lap and got her mother on Skype. She waited for her mother's voice to show on screen and smiled when she saw her. "Hey, mom." She grinned, flashing her brilliant white teeth. "I just figured that I'd tell you that I got here, safely.

Her mother smiled, some dark hair fell from her bun and her glasses slipped down her nose slightly. "That's good. How was your flight?"

The blonde groaned and ran her towel through her hair. "Boring. I feel exhausted and I had to get a bath immediately."

Claudia Perotti murmured sympathetically at her. "You know, I already miss you. The house is to quiet."

Lexi wrapped an arm around her leg and smiled sadly. "I miss you, too." She answered. "But I'll be back before you know it. It's not time for college, yet so we'll have the whole summer together when I get back in two weeks."

Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted their conversation and Lexi looked up, furrowing her brow. "Um...I gotta go, mom. I think a maid brought some fresh towels up or something."

"Okay. Call me tomorrow morning, okay? I love you." Claudia then hung up.

Lexi shut her laptop, got up, and opened the door, coming face to face with a tall man with dark blonde hair. She raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Um...who are you?" She asked, slightly weirded out by how he was staring at her, similar to the way the hotel manager had.

And Michael found himself unable to respond, absolutely sure now that he'd seen her, that this was his baby sister. THIS was Josslyn.