"Sonny, how did you get Helena's KGB file?" Alexis sat at Sonny's desk, her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose. Everything on the desk had been put back in order. All the papers had been returned to the desk in neat piles. Alexis had put herself back in order. When Kristina arrived she would have no idea what had just transpired.
"You'd have to ask Benny. He got 'em. Although as an officer of the court, I'm not sure you really want to know the details." He was standing behind her, his hands massaging her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head. She smelled incredible. He wanted to be with her again. Hell he always wanted to be with her, but he would wait until later tonight. If he was to keep Alexis safe, he needed as much information about Helena as possible. "The question is, can you translate it?"
"I think so. It's not in code." She picked up a page filled with tiny script. "Let's see. Here's her biography. Birth date . . . Ooh, she is OLD! I should tell Luke her age. He'd love to torture her with that bit of information. As old as she is, why isn't she dead by now?" She continued to scan the handwritten notes of some unnamed Soviet bureaucrat. "Family history . . . She's the great granddaughter of Nicholas and Alexandra! She never told me that."
"Who?" Sonny was a little short on Russian history.
"The last of the royal family to actually rule Russia."
"So she's actual royalty?" Sonny always thought she lived in the reflected glory of the Cassadines.
"Oh yeah, it says here she's a direct descendant of the royal family. If she weren't female, her claim to the throne would be stronger than Mikkos'." Alexis did some quick calculations. "She and Mikkos are 4th cousins!"
"Isn't that a bit incestuous?"
"Well they couldn't legally marry in this country, but within royalty the marriage of cousins not that unusual. You'd think she would have lorded her heritage over me." Alexis turned the page over.
"Oh my!" Her mouth dropped as she stared at the page.
"What is it?"
"I know why Helena didn't speak of her heritage. Her mother was illegitimate, a bastard just like me."
"Alexis don't speak that way about yourself!"
"Why not? It's what I am. I'm not ashamed. At least I know I was conceived in love. I'm not sure Stefan can say that. I know Nikolas can't." Sonny bent down, nestled his head in her shoulder and gave her a quick hug. Alexis continued to scan the documents before her. "Hmm, let's see who was able to sneak into the royal court and beguile the Tsar's daughter . . . Oh my God!" Alexis read the name of Helena's grandfather. "Grigori Yefimovich Novykh! No wonder that bitch won't die!"
Sonny stood over Alexis and tried to make sense of the script in front of her. "Grigori Yefi . . . Nova-what? Who is he Alexis?"
"Also know as Grigori Rasputin, The Rasputin Sonny, The Debauched One, The Mad Monk."
"The Russian guy who wouldn't die?"
"That's the one. He held great influence over the royal court. So much influence, that some members of the royal family conspired to kill him. First they poisoned him. Then they shot him. Finally they tied him up and threw him in the river. They say he drowned, but now that I know he's related to Helena, I wonder if even that worked." She continued to read for several minutes. "Sonny, Mikkos grandfather was involved in the plot to murder him. My great-grandfather killed Helena's grandfather!" Alexis was thoughtful for a moment. The wheels in her mind were turning. She sifted through more pages and assimilated the new information she just read. Then she smiled, the deep dimpled one that Sonny loved to see.
"Sonny, it all makes sense now. How Mikkos could love my mother and stay married to that woman. Why she hates me so much. Why she keeps trying to kill me. She's not protecting the Cassadine bloodlines. She's protecting her own."
Sonny wasn't sure why that would make her so happy. "Alexis, I'm just a simple coffee importer, explain all this royal intrigue."
"Simple my behind. You're the smartest man I know." She looked back over her shoulder and kissed him. Sonny beamed. "Look it's all about power and line of succession. Helena's connection to the royal family is more direct than Mikkos, but it's not legitimate. That means she's last in the line of succession. She'd have to kill off the rest of the royal family before her children would have a chance at the throne. For a while that was her plan. Look here . . . " She pointed to a passage in the file.
"Alexis, I can't read Russian."
"Oh yeah, right. Well it says she spent her twenties working her way across Europe eliminating the competition. There were a whole series of 'accidents' involving exiled Russian Royalty. Then she met Mikkos. My father was a smart man, Sonny. He knew she was a danger to him and any children he might have. So he proposed an alliance. Mikkos' bloodlines were legitimate, but not direct. Helena's bloodlines were direct but not legitimate. Individually their claims to the throne were weak. But their children would be first in the line of succession."
"And Helena wouldn't try to kill her own children. He thought they'd be safe."
"Well that's what he thought. We know better. Stefan certainly does."
"It was an arranged marriage." Sonny saw the implications that fact held for Alexis.
"Yes, my father never loved Helena. He only loved my mother."
"Excuse me." Johnny called from behind the locked door. "Ms Cassadine is here for Ms Davis."
"Sonny, I've got to go." She rose from the chair and turned to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. "I'm so glad you showed me this!"
"Tell me again why you have to go." He held her face in his hands. "Why can't we just stay here?"
"I promised Kristina we could have a girls' night out. We're going to Lukes."
"You're not going to Lukes looking like that!" He aimed a predatory eye at her legs.
"I thought you liked my outfit." She backed away. She intended to spend the next part of the evening with her sister. She wasn't going to give him a chance to change her plans.
"I love it. Did Kristina play dress up with you again?" He was about to corner her against the wall.
"Don't start, Corinthos! I'm going out with my sister . . . " Sonny's lips crushed hers.
"Alexis, hurry up!" Kristina pounded on the door.
"Kristina I'll meet you at the limo in two minutes max. I promise." Alexis shouted through the door.
"Two minutes Alexis or I'm coming back and I'll make Max break down the door!"
Alexis was locked in Sonny's arms. "Sonny I've got to go."
Sonny reluctantly released her. "You WILL come back tonight, right?"
"I will." She ran toward the door laughing. "But you better come up with a good reason to see your lawyer at 2am."
"You'd have to ask Benny. He got 'em. Although as an officer of the court, I'm not sure you really want to know the details." He was standing behind her, his hands massaging her shoulders. He kissed the top of her head. She smelled incredible. He wanted to be with her again. Hell he always wanted to be with her, but he would wait until later tonight. If he was to keep Alexis safe, he needed as much information about Helena as possible. "The question is, can you translate it?"
"I think so. It's not in code." She picked up a page filled with tiny script. "Let's see. Here's her biography. Birth date . . . Ooh, she is OLD! I should tell Luke her age. He'd love to torture her with that bit of information. As old as she is, why isn't she dead by now?" She continued to scan the handwritten notes of some unnamed Soviet bureaucrat. "Family history . . . She's the great granddaughter of Nicholas and Alexandra! She never told me that."
"Who?" Sonny was a little short on Russian history.
"The last of the royal family to actually rule Russia."
"So she's actual royalty?" Sonny always thought she lived in the reflected glory of the Cassadines.
"Oh yeah, it says here she's a direct descendant of the royal family. If she weren't female, her claim to the throne would be stronger than Mikkos'." Alexis did some quick calculations. "She and Mikkos are 4th cousins!"
"Isn't that a bit incestuous?"
"Well they couldn't legally marry in this country, but within royalty the marriage of cousins not that unusual. You'd think she would have lorded her heritage over me." Alexis turned the page over.
"Oh my!" Her mouth dropped as she stared at the page.
"What is it?"
"I know why Helena didn't speak of her heritage. Her mother was illegitimate, a bastard just like me."
"Alexis don't speak that way about yourself!"
"Why not? It's what I am. I'm not ashamed. At least I know I was conceived in love. I'm not sure Stefan can say that. I know Nikolas can't." Sonny bent down, nestled his head in her shoulder and gave her a quick hug. Alexis continued to scan the documents before her. "Hmm, let's see who was able to sneak into the royal court and beguile the Tsar's daughter . . . Oh my God!" Alexis read the name of Helena's grandfather. "Grigori Yefimovich Novykh! No wonder that bitch won't die!"
Sonny stood over Alexis and tried to make sense of the script in front of her. "Grigori Yefi . . . Nova-what? Who is he Alexis?"
"Also know as Grigori Rasputin, The Rasputin Sonny, The Debauched One, The Mad Monk."
"The Russian guy who wouldn't die?"
"That's the one. He held great influence over the royal court. So much influence, that some members of the royal family conspired to kill him. First they poisoned him. Then they shot him. Finally they tied him up and threw him in the river. They say he drowned, but now that I know he's related to Helena, I wonder if even that worked." She continued to read for several minutes. "Sonny, Mikkos grandfather was involved in the plot to murder him. My great-grandfather killed Helena's grandfather!" Alexis was thoughtful for a moment. The wheels in her mind were turning. She sifted through more pages and assimilated the new information she just read. Then she smiled, the deep dimpled one that Sonny loved to see.
"Sonny, it all makes sense now. How Mikkos could love my mother and stay married to that woman. Why she hates me so much. Why she keeps trying to kill me. She's not protecting the Cassadine bloodlines. She's protecting her own."
Sonny wasn't sure why that would make her so happy. "Alexis, I'm just a simple coffee importer, explain all this royal intrigue."
"Simple my behind. You're the smartest man I know." She looked back over her shoulder and kissed him. Sonny beamed. "Look it's all about power and line of succession. Helena's connection to the royal family is more direct than Mikkos, but it's not legitimate. That means she's last in the line of succession. She'd have to kill off the rest of the royal family before her children would have a chance at the throne. For a while that was her plan. Look here . . . " She pointed to a passage in the file.
"Alexis, I can't read Russian."
"Oh yeah, right. Well it says she spent her twenties working her way across Europe eliminating the competition. There were a whole series of 'accidents' involving exiled Russian Royalty. Then she met Mikkos. My father was a smart man, Sonny. He knew she was a danger to him and any children he might have. So he proposed an alliance. Mikkos' bloodlines were legitimate, but not direct. Helena's bloodlines were direct but not legitimate. Individually their claims to the throne were weak. But their children would be first in the line of succession."
"And Helena wouldn't try to kill her own children. He thought they'd be safe."
"Well that's what he thought. We know better. Stefan certainly does."
"It was an arranged marriage." Sonny saw the implications that fact held for Alexis.
"Yes, my father never loved Helena. He only loved my mother."
"Excuse me." Johnny called from behind the locked door. "Ms Cassadine is here for Ms Davis."
"Sonny, I've got to go." She rose from the chair and turned to him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. "I'm so glad you showed me this!"
"Tell me again why you have to go." He held her face in his hands. "Why can't we just stay here?"
"I promised Kristina we could have a girls' night out. We're going to Lukes."
"You're not going to Lukes looking like that!" He aimed a predatory eye at her legs.
"I thought you liked my outfit." She backed away. She intended to spend the next part of the evening with her sister. She wasn't going to give him a chance to change her plans.
"I love it. Did Kristina play dress up with you again?" He was about to corner her against the wall.
"Don't start, Corinthos! I'm going out with my sister . . . " Sonny's lips crushed hers.
"Alexis, hurry up!" Kristina pounded on the door.
"Kristina I'll meet you at the limo in two minutes max. I promise." Alexis shouted through the door.
"Two minutes Alexis or I'm coming back and I'll make Max break down the door!"
Alexis was locked in Sonny's arms. "Sonny I've got to go."
Sonny reluctantly released her. "You WILL come back tonight, right?"
"I will." She ran toward the door laughing. "But you better come up with a good reason to see your lawyer at 2am."