Sequel to "Alexis the Surrogate". I think it took longer to write the summary than the story. :(

Chapter 1

The Cassadine Islands renovation was finally complete. The main villa was a luxurious smooth white brick-the deceptive picture of innocence and peace. It sat atop the hills overlooking the sea below it and the caves surrounding it. Its openness required more security when word spread around the island that Stavros Cassadine was out there waiting to pounce again.

Though it required even more security, Alexis demanded her own corridor away from the prying ears of Nikolas and Stefan. Her massive office overlooked the tranquil and endless pool of water that flowed into the sea. Only one with the best of swimming skills could enter her balcony uninvited.

Alexis left the main house to retreat to her office for quiet. Her external wounds had healed but she refused to admit to everyone that would ask that she was still severely broken and even more suspicious then before. On the way to her office, she stopped by the apartment that housed Kristina and Molly. Uncle Stefan wooed himself back into the girls' good graces when he suggested they have a space of their own as long as they agreed to share.

She rested her ear to the door to hear the girls playfully arguing. It was satisfying to hear them getting back to normal. "Knock knock." Alexis said before she took her key and unlocked their door.

"Come in!" They shouted with laughter that followed.

Alexis walked in to Kristina and Molly huddled around the laptop. "You have a long day of travel tomorrow back to Port Charles. You both should get some sleep."

"Do we have to go Mom?" Molly whined. "Why aren't you coming too?"

"Sam would like you to be there to help her prepare for baby Max."

"And I miss Dad." Kristina said.

"Don't we all." Alexis said with a breathy laugh. "I guess I should check on my little buddy Mikkos now."

Alexis left the apartment and signaled the guards that the girls were in for the night. She continued her stroll through the villa and though she was close to her office, she thought it best to check in on Mikkos. She detoured back to the main house and noticed Stefan on a call in his office. She poked her head in and waved to him. He acknowledged her with a nod and proceeded with his business. She closed his door and continued down the hall to the double doors of Mikkos' nursery.

"Good evening Ms. Cassadine." Andreas, Alexis' delicious and trusted guard of Mikkos, grabbed the doorknob and opened the door for her.

She found Calista, Mikkos' nanny, putting him down for the night. "Ms. Cassadine, I waited for you. Kristina said you were going back to your office so I got him ready for bed."

"It's alright. I was hoping he'd already be asleep."

Calista looked down in the crib. "Nope. Wide awake. And ready to party."

"Of course he is." Alexis rolled her eyes with dread. She hated bedtime with Mikkos. Neither of them could sleep. It was hard to tell if she kept him up or him her. "I'll take over from here."

Calista left the nursery and right on cue Mikkos let out his deafening cries. Alexis turned out the light and walked away from him. She slumped down in the rocking chair. She rested her head on the chair and tried to take comfort in the breeze flowing through the nursery window.

Stefan walked into the nursery. "You think perhaps if you picked him up, maybe he'd stop."

Alexis rubbed her tired eyes. "I thought maybe he'd grow tired and fall asleep."

Stefan sat down and touched her forehead with the back of his hand. "Are you feeling ok Alexis?"

"I feel great." Alexis stood and picked up Mikkos from his crib. His sobbing continued. "See. You're wrong." She passed Mikkos off to Stefan as if she was afraid of the child. "Goodnight." She left the room and hurried away from the noise.

Back in Los Angeles in Lorenzo's oceanside home he waited in his office at his desk for Ric Lansing's return. He picked up his cell phone from his desk and flipped through the numbers to Alexis'. He started to dial, but gave up when Ric walked in with two brown bags.

"Chinese for a late night or early morning?" Ric offered.

Lorenzo leaned back in his chair. "Only if you got me shrimp fried rice."

Ric tossed his tie behind his back and pulled out a white box and handed it to Lorenzo with chopsticks. "You pay me enough to know your usual order."

Lorenzo lifted the box as his thank you. "Have you spoken to Alexis?"

"Nope. I'm supposed to fly to Greece later in the morning to pick up Molly. You wanna join me?"

"Stefan and I aren't exactly on speaking terms." Lorenzo couldn't eat anymore. He put down his box of food and got up from his desk frustrated.

Ric searched Lorenzo's desk. "Alright. Sore subject. Let's talk about your stake in ELQ. Didn't you forgive Stefan of his debts to you?"

Lorenzo leaned on his fireplace. "Where do you think Stavros is?"

Ric dropped his notepad annoyed. "Can we focus on what's going to make me and you money here?"

Lorenzo couldn't focus. "Sam isn't taking my calls. I can't see Lila Rae. While Alexis is grateful for returning Kristina, she doesn't trust me. That was the second time she or one of her children was put in Franco's way because of me."

Ric grabbed Lorenzo's rice and devoured it. "You're too hard on yourself. I just wanna know why they're keeping that freak show alive at GH. If they're not careful, Alexis will get her hands on him. And the last thing Alexis needs is to add to her body count."

Jason opened his door to Brenda standing outside. "Get in here." He rushed her inside.

"Is Sam here?" Brenda asked as she playfully reached out to Jason for a hug.

"Yea. She's on bed rest. And she's actually handling it well." He hugged her. "You are the woman Robert and Anna want to see. Do you know anything about Operation Virgin Mary?"

Brenda took a seat on Jason's dining room table and handed him a file. "Franco was Operation Virgin Mary. Helena calls it Project Virgin Mary or Project Protect Your Queen."

Jason took the file. "Are you serious? So this is real?"

Brenda nodded. "Yea. ASEC has been all over this for years. Children stolen at birth and bred to be serial killers with specific targets. Helena's heavily involved if not the ringleader. She actually has tactics that she uses."

"You didn't have to come all the way here. I don't mean to take you away from Alec." Jason said.

"No. When I heard what happened around here, I felt terrible. I needed to know that Sonny and Alexis' kids are ok. Are they?"

Jason looked concerned. "I'm heading to Greece tomorrow. I can drop you off in Rome if you want to talk about this some more."

"What's in Greece?" Brenda asked.

"My son Mikkos. I'm meeting him for the first time. And I admit I'm a little nervous about it."

Ned entered the family room to Edward reading the newspaper. "Hey Grandfather." He poured himself a glass of juice.

Edward pulled his paper down from his face. "I brought you here to protect my assets." He grumbled.

Ned sipped his juice. "What's the problem Grandfather?"

"The Jakarta account is missing $40 million dollars."

Ned spit out his juice. He leaned on the counter. "What? How?"

"How about you tell me that?" Edward stood up and wagged his finger at Ned. "And don't even think of blaming Michael and the interns."

Alexis sat down at her desk and flipped on her computer. She waited for the screen to come up and dialed in to her remote office. "Are you there?" She asked.

Michael sat down at Alexis' desk in her Port Charles office. His eyes were circled with bags. His hair was messy and he was still in his pajamas. "Do you know what time it is?"

"I never said being my intern was easy work." Alexis took a sip of her coffee. "Any word on Franco's progress?"

"Uh…" Michael bit his tongue.

"Michael, if you're not up for this, I understand. Please tell me now and I can get someone else."

Michael rubbed his eyes. "Can we just talk about another ELQ account Spinelli thinks he can hit? And someone tipped off Ned to the Jakarta account. He's going to grill me about it. Any chance you'll come back to PC and help me deal with the fall out?"

Alexis buried her face in her hands. "I don't have a trip scheduled there for another week or so. I need Dr. Jackson to clear Mikkos to be able to travel. I can't leave him again."

"Alexis, I'm feeling the heat." Michael sat back in the chair and crossed his arms. "I can barely go to GH for my therapy knowing Franco is just a floor away."

Alexis felt for Michael. She knew he wanted to help. "Just stay calm. This will all be over soon. Didn't you tell me that you wanted to prove yourself to Sonny? I need you."

"I don't know how this could possibly be over with the security they have surrounding Franco. It's like Fort Knox in that part of the hospital."

"Michael, I didn't graduate from Yale with a law degree because I was stupid. I've got this. Go home and get some rest. Call in sick. Maybe I'll send Nikolas to deal with Ned."

Alexis shut off her computer and rested her head on her desk. Though darkness fell, the shimmer from the reflection pool gave her light that she loved because it didn't strain her eyes. She could hear the music of her wind chimes on the balcony hung up by her favorite, nagging housekeeper, Korina. She heard footsteps and hoped it was Korina joining her for a nightcap as she often would. Instead, Nikolas walked in. Alexis lifted her head and stared at him. "You came to apologize."

Nikolas loosened his bow-tie as he had returned from an evening of entertaining business investors. "You really want to talk about this right now?" He held up his phone. "I've got ten missed calls from you."

Alexis sat up. "You lied to a little boy about who his father was. And then you pass him off at random like he's a hot potato game."

"He's with Sam and Jason. He's in good hands Alexis."

Alexis stood up and approached Nikolas. "What happened to you? How did Helena talk to you into it? How did she convince you to lie?"

"You act as if you've never lied about a child's paternity before. Don't get self-righteous on me."

"I did it to keep my child safe. You did it for selfish reasons and you did it at Helena's instruction."

Nikolas couldn't argue with Alexis anymore. He watched her curl up on her makeshift bed on her sofa. "Still having trouble sleeping?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Yes Alexis. I want and need an heir. And yes, if Helena is the one to help me get there, she's my grandmother."

"She's the devil. Fall in love with someone that loves you back unconditionally. Changing paternity tests to get what you want is not acceptable."

"Cassadines seem to have trouble in that love department. The only person that loves me unconditionally…it's not possible. Looks like you and I are one for one on the paternity tests."

"Nikolas, don't patronize to me."

"You're not my mother." Nikolas reverted to a boy after being chastised by the only mother he'd ever known. He stormed out of Alexis' office and slammed her door behind him.

Jason tucked Sam into their bed. She looked up at Jason and smiled. "I heard a woman's voice. Is Robin here?"

Jason kneeled down by the bed. "No. Brenda is here. She's staying in Spencer's room."

"Good luck with that. He has not been sleeping well." Sam closed her eyes as the imminent birth of their baby drained her of every bit of energy. She couldn't imagine that she was the same person that saved her mother from the tunnels of doom.

Jason sat down by the bed and leaned his tired body against the night-stand. He thought out the case as Brenda explained it to him. Children used as assassins. He thought he couldn't imagine such a thing, but he remembered the first time he went to Sonny after his accident. It was a simple transition. Sonny took Jason under his wing and taught him how to kill. Sonny helped Jason void himself of any emotion which seeped into his personal life and caused him to push his family aside. Anything that allowed Jason to feel got in the way of the job.

Johnny walked into Sonny's restaurant and up to Max and Milo waiting outside of Sonny's office door.

"He called me." Johnny pointed to himself.

Max and Milo stepped aside. Johnny walked in to Sonny hanging up from a call.

"Just the man I wanted to see." Sonny stretched out his hand to Johnny.

Instead of accepting, Johnny slipped his hands into his pockets. "What do you want?"

"What's with the attitude?" Sonny chuckled. "You want a drink?" Sonny poured himself a glass of Scotch.

"I got a flight to catch. You're gonna have to make it quick."

Sonny sipped his drink. "Where you headed?"

"Greece." Johnny touched his face. "Working on my tan."

Sonny almost chocked on his Scotch. "You Alexis' boytoy now?"

Johnny waved his finger. "Oh no you don't. Don't go making assumptions and getting your goons out there to pump a bullet in my ass because you're jealous. It's none of your business. I don't kiss and tell."

"Well how about working for me? You know I'm in the market for another #2."

Johnny was a bit shocked by the offer. "You trust me enough to offer me the job?"

"You trust me enough to take it?"

Johnny raised his brow and grew serious. "I need time. Can it wait till I get back from Greece? It's a quick trip."

Sonny nodded. "I need to know ASAP."

At GH, Robin spotted Lucky coming out of Franco's room in the intensive care unit. He grabbed his badge and flashed it to her. "I'm on duty I swear." Lucky said with his boyish grin.

"It still hasn't hit me." Robin took Lucky's hand. "What's going to happen to him?"

"I gotta be honest Robin. If he survives, he has a right to a fair trial."

"He wasn't born in the states."

"He is a citizen. He has a right to an attorney and those wonderful rights we all get."

Robin sighed. "That means a lengthy trial."

"He will be held in a maximum security prison."

"Lucky do you remember what happened to you?"

Lucky pulled Robin to a bench and sat down. "I just remember the fire and being drugged and taken from my bed. I remember being beaten to a bloody pulp. I remember Faison and sometimes Helena was there. There were two triggers that made me crazy, fire and chess boards. Faison would force me to play chess with him by candle light in the dark for hours. It was like hypnosis."

"Sounds creepy."

Lucky nodded. "I came back here and I was so damn angry at the world. I wanted to kill someone. It's like the idea of it felt so cathartic. And then I discovered drugs. I knew it was wrong to have those feelings so popping pills numbed all of that. I thought getting rid of those bad thoughts would be a good thing so the more bad thoughts, the more drugs I took till I realized I could barely get up in the morning to live."

Robin held tight to Lucky's hand. 'That's what Helena wanted. If she knew she couldn't control you, she was going to destroy your life. She did it to Franco. I wonder if there was ever a time when he was like you; just a normal guy living a normal life."

Lucky played with the ring on his finger. "I want to figure that out. More than anything I want to help Alexis. I know she's going through a hell right now that no one will understand unless they've been through it themselves."