Chapter 1 A New Place to Start
All Aly wanted was a normal life. A normal life was one thing she had never had. Did she do without? No, she wasn't poor, she was provided for and cared for, but normalcy was something she didn't know. Aly had a decision to make, a big decision that could give her the "normal" life she had longed for. She could either stay where she was, or move to a place where no one knew her, and she could become whoever she wanted. She packed her things and moved.
Aly thought to herself, "Port Charles, here I come."
She knew where she needed to go. She moved into what had been her family's estate, Fox Hollow. It had been a summer and weekend home away from New York's hustle and bustle of the Upper East Side. It was about an hour the outside of town, tucked away in a peaceful setting. She'd find a job and keep things low key. She wanted something completely different from the city she just left. She remembered that there was a great coffee shop; maybe she could get a job there.
As she drove up to Fox Hollow, the excitement and anticipation was starting to get to her. 'Did I make the right choice? Can I do this up here on my own, without knowing anybody?' She had forgotten how big her parents' estate was.
She parked the car and got out. Her thoughts, fears and sense of adventure were bubbling up to the surface, and she could hardly contain her excitement. Before unpacking anything out of the car, she walked up to the door, put the key in and turned the lock.
Once she walked in, she started remembering the times that she spent up here with her parents. Even though it wasn't a whole lot, she had some good memories. She was hoping that Fox Hollow would be good to her as well.
'Time to get things moved in and unpacked,' she thought. It took about an hour, back and forth from the car and to various rooms in the house (kitchen, laundry room, bedroom, dining room and bathroom) but finally it was all inside. She decided to take a ride and see the town.
She drove around and went past Sonnybucks. After another drive around town, she went back to the coffee shop, spoke with the manager and was hired. She briefly met Sonny. The manager figured it was best that she was introduced and knew who he was. Things were going just as planned. Everything was normal.
After talking with the manager, Aly sat down and got a coffee. While she was there, she made an unusual friend.
"Greetings, new girl in town. What brings you to the town of Port Charles?" he asked from the next table. He had quickly befriended Aly.
"Just needing a change of scenery. Would you care to join me?" she asked him.
He got up from his table, picked up his laptop and case, and moved over to her table. He dropped his case on the floor, put the pc down and started talking with her.
"My name is Aly," she said to him.
"Nice to meet you. My name is Spinelli, but I'm known as The Jackal in the internet world."
"It's good to meet you, too," Aly said. They sat and talked for a few minutes. He was a little on the quirky side, but Aly took a liking to him right away. She loved his strange, but unique language, one that was all his own. She understood him completely. Spinelli, who worked for Mr. Corinthos, was frequently at the coffee shop.
The more time she spent at the coffee shop getting to know Spinelli and working, the more she liked him. A few weeks had gone by, and she was finally settled in at Fox Hollow and loving her job.
She was at the coffee shop when the news of Leticia's murder broke. Leticia had been Mr. Corinthos' nanny for several years. He and his ex-wife Carly were stunned when Leticia was found strangled to death. Aly, who was at the counter, overheard a conversation between Sonny and Carly about who would care for the boys, and she offered a suggestion.
"Forgive me for interrupting. I couldn't help but overhear that you are in need of a nanny?" she asked.
"Do you know of anyone?" Sonny asked.
She raised her hand. "Me," she simply said.
"You?" Carly was stunned. "I don't know you. What makes you think you are qualified?"
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Jacks, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Aly Russell. I'm new to Port Charles. I've only been working here in the shop for a few weeks. As far as qualifications go, I have a degree in child development," she lied. It wasn't a complete lie. She did know a thing or two about child development. She was creating the normal life she had dreamed of.
After Carly raked Aly over the coals, she finally decided that she would be good enough to take care of Michael and Morgan.
Aly was very excited. This was a very normal job. She had always enjoyed being around children. She was quickly cued in on what Sonny's job really was and why there was a need for guards.
"Does this concern you at all?" Sonny asked.
"Mr. Corinthos, I grew up on the Upper East Side of New York. My parents are from Russia, and my father looks like he could be part of the Russian Mafia. I've been well educated about it all, and I have learned the less you know the better." She didn't want to give him her life story, but the mob wasn't unfamiliar to her.
"Ok, I'm glad. I'd also be glad if you'd stop calling me Mr. Corinthos." He flashed that grin of his. She agreed, from now on he was Sonny.
Carly asked her to come by the house the following day to introduce her to the boys, and for them to get to know each other. Since she was starting to watch the boys, it took all her time, so she quit the coffee shop. Besides, Sonny thought it was best. He could always get another waitress, but he needed someone dependable and trustworthy to take care of his boys, and a girl like Aly doesn't come along often.
Aly was so excited; she was looking forward to spending time with children again. The next day, she found herself outside of Carly and Jax's house.
The day with Carly and the boys went well. She was going to work there five days a week, and whenever else Carly and Jax needed her if they had to stay late at the Metro Court. It was the highlight of her week, spending time with them.
The more time Aly spent with the boys the more she fell in love with them. She found herself playing games of flag football and even though they weren't babies, she'd sing them to sleep.
It's
not that unusual The sky knows when it's time
to snow
When everything is beautiful
It's just
another
Ordinary miracle today
Don't need to teach a seed to grow
It's just
another
Ordinary miracle today
Carly enjoyed listening to Aly sing the boys to sleep. It was something that Carly herself couldn't do; she didn't have a good singing voice. She could see the bond forming between Aly and the boys, and this made her very happy. Carly and Aly became close; Carly began to consider her part of the family. There was something about Aly that people were drawn to. She had a way of making people smile. Everyone she met liked her.
When the invitations to the Black and White Ball at Wyndemere arrived, everyone was talking. With the Text Message Killer on the loose, Carly was insistent upon Jason's attendance to the Ball. Aly was at Carly's, waiting for the boys to come home. Jason had stopped by as well.
"Jason, you have to go to the Ball. Everyone is going to expect you to be there, and you need to go, for your sister's sake," Carly pleaded with him.
"Carly, you know I hate things like this," Jason told her.
"I know but it would mean the world to Emily if you went and besides," she paused and looked at Jason, and then at Aly, "Aly needs a date," she smirked.
"What? No, I don't need to go to the Ball. I don't know that many people, and who will watch the boys?" Aly asked. Sure she knew Jason pretty well by now and they had that brother-sister kind of relationship. But Aly was hesitant. Going to the Ball reminded her of her previous life, something she was trying desperately to forget.
She looked back at Aly again. "Of course you need to go to the Ball! Bobbie can watch the boys that night." She turned back to Jason. "So, Jason, what do you say?" Carly was never reluctant to be pushy.
Jason thought for a minute and gave Carly a look of resentment before agreeing. "Emily will be happy, and you will get to meet her boyfriend, Nikolas. His home is more of a castle than a house. Aly, you should go and do something fun, but don't expect me to dance with you, I don't dance."
Aly laughed. "Ok, Jason. I'm looking forward to it."
"Then it's a date," Carly smiled.
It was all set. Aly would attend the Black and White Ball at Wyndemere with Jason. She was nervous to meet half the town of Port Charles at such a fancy event.
Aly went shopping for a dress and found a nice one. This Ball was hitting too close to home; it reminded her of her previous life, the one she was trying to escape. But since Jason wanted to go for Emily's sake, how could Aly say no?
Finally, it was Halloween and the night of the Black and White Ball. Aly and Jason arrived at Wyndemere on the launch. Aly was blown away. Wyndemere was unlike any place she had ever seen before. She immediately fell in love with the castle.
Jason was a perfect gentleman and did agree to one dance before introducing Aly to his sister.
"Emily, this is Aly Russell, Carly and Sonny's new nanny," Jason said.
"It's so nice to finally meet you, I've heard so much about you from the boys," Aly said, as she held out her hand to shake Emily's hand.
"It's nice to meet you as well, I'm so glad you could come. I do believe you have one of the best escorts in town." She looked at Jason and gave him a loving smile. Aly could tell that they were close friends, not just brother and sister. "Let me introduce you to the host of this Ball." She turned to Nikolas. "This is Nikolas Cassadine," Emily said to Aly.
"A real Russian Prince," Aly said as she bowed.
"It's very nice to meet you. How did you know that?" Nikolas asked.
"My parents moved here to the states from Russia and when I was younger. I was curious about my heritage and did a lot of research," Aly told him. "I ran across the Cassadine name and read up on it." She smiled at Emily and Nikolas.
"Well, don't judge me by the Cassadine name," Nikolas said with a smile. He walked over to speak with one of his other guests.
"Of course not," she smiled back. There was something about both Emily and Nikolas that Aly liked immediately. They seemed to fit perfectly together and seemed so right for each other. Aly could only wish that she could find that kind of love someday.
"How long have you been in town?" Emily asked Aly.
"Only a few weeks. I'm enjoying it so far. Your brother has been a very good friend to me. I can see that you both have such a great connection and love for each other. I admire him very much."
"Thank you, Aly, that was really sweet," Emily said. "Jason means the world to me, and I love him very much." She leaned towards Aly and said, "He doesn't show his emotions too much, but underneath it all, he does care."
Aly was curious. "Nikolas seems like a great guy. How long have you two been together?"
"We have been friends since I was a kid. We've had our ups and downs – together, apart, back and forth -- but we have remained close. He really is my only true love, my fairytale love."
"That's so sweet, Emily."
"We should get together sometime and get to know each other. What do you think, Aly?"
"I would love it. I'm going to mingle around. I'll be back in a little while," Aly said to Emily.
The night continued on with dancing and a very big announcement. Nikolas announced his engagement to Emily and everyone was happy for them. They did a waltz across the floor. They looked so happy together. Whatever happened in their past, Aly knew that they would have nothing but great times ahead of them.
Aly didn't go unnoticed at the Ball. Wearing a magnificent black gown, she had caught Logan's eye. After finding a way to ditch Maxie, Logan made he was toward Aly and asked her to dance. The two danced and chatted for several more songs. Aly thought that maybe this could be the start of something new for her, something else she had never experienced before, a relationship.
Several hours later is when all hell started to break loose. When Alexis found Ric pinned to the wall with a sword, Aly's adrenaline took over. She quickly assisted in getting Ric help. By stopping the bleeding, Aly was able to prepare Robin and Patrick for what would lie
ahead. Little did Aly know that Maxie was watching her, and taking notes. After Logan had ditched Maxie, she became suspicious of Aly. She was curious about who Aly was and just how she knew what to do in a medical emergency.
After it became apparent that there was a killer on the loose, Jason quickly started taking people to the stables for safety. This included Aly and before she knew it, Aly found herself alone with Elizabeth Webber. She had met Liz briefly before but didn't know much about her. She did know one thing.
"You're the one he really loves," Aly said to Liz after Jason had left to bring more people down to the stable.
Liz looked at Aly curiously, "How do you know that? You don't even know me, and I'm not sure you know Jason as well as you think you do."
"I may not know Jason as well as I'd like and I most certainly don't know you but I know love when I see it. He loves you. It's in his eyes, and you love him. You seem like a perfectly wonderful person, and I know I don't know all of the details but why are you fighting the truth?" Aly asked.
Before Liz could answer, Sam entered the stable like a tornado. After a heated argument between Sam and Liz and after Jason finally told Lucky who Jake's real father was, Aly found herself in the back with Spinelli and Nadine.
While Aly was safe, the next few hours would be hell on earth for Jason and Elizabeth.
With Anthony Zacchara roaming around, the Text Message Killer out and about, it didn't keep anyone calm. At the end of the night, Nikolas had lost the only true love of his life, Emily, and it was the start of endless nightmares for Nikolas, as well as for everyone else who knew and loved Emily.
The holidays for some in Port Charles were not as merry as they had anticipated. With the death of Emily Quartermaine and the text message killer still on the loose, everyone was a little on edge.
Aly was particularly on edge but for other reasons. Logan was pursuing her and she was uneasy due to her lack of experience. He asked her to meet him at Kelly's for some coffee and while she waited, she ran into Elizabeth.
"Hi," she said shyly.
"Oh, hi, Aly. How are you?" Liz inquired.
"I'm doing ok. How are you?" She asked, knowing how close Liz had been with Emily.
"I'm ok. Listen, about the night at the ball…." Liz trailed.
"Look, I was out of line. I should have never said anything to you about Jason, especially since I didn't know all of the details," Aly offered.
"You were right," Liz told her.
"I was?" Aly asked.
"You were, and I've stopped fighting the truth. Well I mean, it's all out there now so there isn't much to fight."
"So you and Jason can be together now?" Aly asked.
"Not exactly," Liz noticed Logan walk in, "Look, I gotta go, I'll see ya," she grabbed her things and left.
Logan and Aly spent sometime getting to know each other. Aly was reserved, careful to not let Logan know too much about her.
From afar Maxie quietly watched the two, still suspicious of Aly and jealous that Logan was giving her so much attention. She may have had Coop back in her life but that didn't mean much. Finally she decided to stir things up a bit, true to Maxie form.
"Hey Logan, ready to make a new bet?" She glared at Aly.
"No Maxie, go bother Coop or something, I'm not up for your games," Logan said with an annoyed tone.
"You could at least introduce me Logan," she smirked.
Cursing her under his breath he introduced her to Aly.
"You were great at the Ball with Ric. How did you know what to do with someone who was bleeding to death?" she asked coyly.
"Lots of first aid training," Aly said with a smile. She knew Maxie wanted more but she wasn't giving it to her.
"Sure, whatever you say," Maxie said then left the diner.
"Pay no attention to her, she's hateful," Logan said to Aly.
"No, she's just lonely," Aly said. She wasn't a fan of Maxie's after their first encounter but she wasn't going to let Logan trash her.
Aly may be inexperienced in a lot of things but she could read people very well. She had Maxie pegged, just as she had Jason and Liz figured out. Logan on the other hand, she wasn't so sure about him yet.
Song: "Ordinary Miracle" By Sarah Maclachlan