After Alexandra

By Annette Zoaps

(Written June 2017, while Valentin was still incarcerated in The Hague. I believed he would be released, and it was logical that Nina would hire Nelle to work at Crimson. But I was sure Nina would decide not to take him back, and that their divorce was final, neither of which turned out to happen.)

Chapter 1

Anna sits alone at a small table in the Metro Court restaurant. She scrolls through an endless list of phone texts and makes a few scribbles in a notebook.

She glances to her left as the elevator doors open, and Valentin enters. She gives him a half-smile and a slight wave with her pen.

Her face falls as he blows her off, pointedly looking away as he approaches the hostess.

Anna sinks down in her seat and goes back to her task. With her reading glasses on, she makes a determined effort to be oblivious to everything – and everyone – in the room.

Minutes later, a presence startles her. Valentin looms next to her chair and kneels at her eye level.

"Hey, please forgive me," he whispers. "I'm sorry. That was very rude. Certainly not in keeping with my daughter's image of me as a prince charming."

Anna blinks, hoping the tears that formed moments before aren't betraying her.

"I understand," she says softly. "I imagine I'm the last person you want to see."

"May I join you? I don't want to interrupt if you're working on something." He gestures toward her note pad.

"It's just thousands of texts from Griffin I'm trying to make sense out of." She flicks through the list for him. The phone pings again and she checks the latest message.

She enters a reply, speaking aloud as though Griffin can hear her. "Yes, Griffin, I am going to have breakfast and take my pills on schedule!"

Valentin slips into a seat across from her. "Have you ordered yet?"

"Not yet. I haven't had a chance to look at the menu."

"Allow me," he says, as a member of the wait staff hurries over. Valentin holds up two fingers, and the server nods.

"What was that?" Anna perks up with curiosity.

"I ordered my usual for both of us. I think you'll enjoy it."

She gives him a crooked smile. "As long as whatever it is comes soon, Griffin will be happy."

He glances at her notebook. "Are you all right? Your health, I mean? It looks like some serious business there."

His grave expression makes her rush to reassure him.

"They say I'm doing well," she says, calmly. "My tests seem to be within the normal ranges, and I have my blood-lettings on schedule."

"Sounds barbaric."

She shrugs. "Griffin and Robin are taking good care of me. Nothing gets by them, and they seem satisfied with all my test results."

"Then why do you appear so, so burdened by all of this?" he says, indicating the work before her.

"It's not my health – it's the two of them! You know, they're medical professionals, and I'm quite happy leaving everything in their capable hands and following their instructions. But that's not enough for them!" she laughs. "They want me to understand everything. And you know me, that's not my thing. I'm not, I'm not …" she searches for a word.

"An analyst?" he finishes for her, a hint of a grin playing over his lips.

"Exactly! I don't need to understand it, I just need to know what they want me to do, so I can take action and move on."

"Like a typical field agent."

They share a smile.

"May I?" he asks, scooting his chair closer and reaching for her phone and the pad.

"Of course," she replies.

The server arrives at their table with a pot of tea and a full breakfast tea service, complete with egg-and-sausage tarts, fresh fruit and pastries.

"Since when does the Metro Court serve English tea?" Anna asks, suddenly hungry.

"It's my personal order," he says, flashing the disarming smile she's witnessed on rare occasions. "When I want tea, I call ahead and they have it ready."

"I hope you don't mind if I start eating while you work. Griffin's orders." She makes a face.

He smiles again, and her heart skips a beat as he moves his attention to the texts.

Pouring himself a cup, he continues studying the phone, making occasional notes on a fresh page. His concentration gives her the opportunity to quietly observe him.

She realizes she feels renewed in his presence, which surprises her. For months she's thought of him as a villain, or at the very least, a nuisance, popping up in her hospital room or at her door, challenging her at every opportunity, speaking her name in a way that feels all too intimate.

Back then, all she wanted was to get to the bottom of the Valentin mystery, to learn why he was in town, how their paths had crossed years before, and finally why he bore such a grudge against her.

It must have been wrenching when he discovered that her only wrong against him was a refused kiss on her birthday when they were friends at the academy.

"Oh, how sweet is this!"

A voice startles them out of their concentration. Nina stands at their table, with Nelle close behind, holding a portfolio.

"Good morning, Nina," Valentin says, his eyes as cold as ice.

"How many times did you tell me there was nothing between you and Anna Devane? But here you are, finally together – just as you always wanted!"

Anna opens her mouth to apologize to Nina for, well, everything – including her sister Alexandra's crimes – but she feels a nudge against her foot and stops herself, saying instead, "Nice to see you."

Valentin addresses his ex-wife's protégé. "Nelle, I hope the severance check I sent reflects my gratefulness for your excellent care of Charlotte. I'm sorry it was late in coming, but it was delayed by – a number of circumstances."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Cassadine. It was beyond generous!" Nelle takes a step back, apparently hoping her boss will decide to move on from Anna and Valentin's table.

Nina persists, noticing that Valentin has Anna's phone.

"Looking through all your couple's selfies? I'm sure they're adorable!"

She leans in as though she wants a peek, and Valentin quickly clicks the phone off.

He says nothing, and Anna elects not to utter a word in the face of his evident hostility.

As awkward silence hangs in the air, Nina says, "I'll leave you to it." She gives each a glaring look, turns and leads Nelle to their table.

"That was a little cold, don't you think?" Anna accuses. "What happened to prince charming?"

"Shhh," he says, lifting his teacup. "Smile and look at me. Laugh as though I'm saying something devilishly wicked." He raises an eyebrow and gives Anna a knowing smirk.

She plays along.

"Good," he says, finally placing his cup on its saucer. "You think I'm cold? No, I care for Nina very much. Better for her if she thinks me a beast, so she can move on without looking back."

"So you're being cruel to be kind." Anna sighs. "I get it. But what made you change your tune with me and apologize?"

He stirs his tea, hesitating before giving an answer.

"You're a harder addiction to break," he finally confesses. "I told your sister – when I thought she was you – that I was finally cured. But then you came back into the picture and I knew that was a lie. But I'm working on it." His voice trails off.

Anna's phone pings, saving her from a reply. Valentin looks at the device, still in his possession.

"It's Griffin again, asking if you've eaten." He hands it to her. "Is he always such a pest?"

Anna launches the camera, takes a snapshot of her half-finished plate and texts it to her doctor and might-have-been stepson. Immediately, another text alert rings out: "Who are you eating with?"

Anna takes a closer look at the photograph and notices Valentin's hand is visible.

"An old friend," she texts back, and shuts off the phone.

Anna circles back to the painful subject Valentin raised – getting over something, or someone.

"I don't know how you would feel about this, but I've been seeing a mental health professional about some of the, the issues I've been going through."

Valentin raises an eyebrow in curiosity. "Issues? You mean the stress of the whole chimera thing? Or is this about your cancer diagnosis."

"All of those things, yes. But the last straw was arresting you and watching you get taken away." A pained expression comes over her face, but she recovers quickly.

His eyebrows furrow, but he remains closed-mouthed.

"I think it's helped a little," she says.

"So you're saying I should spill my soul to a shrink, too?" he scoffs. "And whom would you suggest?"

"I'm seeing Andre …"

Valentin laughs. "I can hardly talk about you to the dear, devoted Dr. Maddox. He's half in love with you!"

"I don't think so!" Anna shakes her head and spreads her hands in disbelief.

"He is! Trust me, I'm all too familiar with what loving you looks like." He glances away.

Anna feels her face flush a little. "What about Dr. Collins?"

"I accidentally shot the man last year."

"Right, right. Well, I hear Franco Baldwin gets wonderful results with art therapy," she offers, halfheartedly.

"Nina's ex? I have doubts about his mental health. Besides, didn't his mother once kill someone with a crowbar?"

Anna ponders for a moment. "She has killed before, several times. But I think you're confusing her with someone else."

"Then I guess it's Dr. Maddox or no one." He gives her a half-smile.

"You're serious? Maybe since my, our, issues are largely about each other – would you think about joining me at my appointment this afternoon? I see him at 1 o'clock." She looks down, fully expecting an outright rejection.

"I'll think about it," he says softly and segues into a new subject.

"So, are you ready to hear my analysis of all this?" He indicates the notes he's been taking.

"You have a solution? Don't tell me you've figured it out over breakfast."

"It's simple. You don't have to understand everything they tell you. Griffin and Robin adore you and they're desperate to keep you well. It's for their peace of mind that they need you to be engaged, to be an enthusiastic participant in managing your condition. They don't see that they're piling all their concern on you. So the answer is to fake it and just tell them what they want to hear."

He shows her what he's written.

"When your test numbers fall into this range, you say this." He indicates a couple of sentences he jotted after the numbers. "This range? You say this. And so on."

"All I have to do is memorize your script and they'll be happy?" She looks at him in amazement. "It seems too easy."

"Try it, and tell me if it works." He pats her hand lightly, awkwardly, and pulls away.

"I'm almost looking forward to my next interrogation!" She winks.

.

See Chapter Two

.

If you love Anna and Valentin as much as I do, be sure to check out my other General Hospital-based story:

"Anna Devane and Valentin Cassadine – Anna's Birthday."

Thank you for reading!

Annette