Sam stared out at the water with the wind blowing her hair into her face. Sam didn't bother to push it back. She just looked out on the black water, wondering if she really was able to do the thing that she had planned. Could she really kill someone, even a person as hideous as Helena Cassadine?
Technically, it would be in cold blood. Sam had no intention of waiting for Helena to make the first attack. She planned to kill her the moment she saw her. If she had to go to court, she was pretty sure she could argue that she had killed her in defense of a third person, though that would require some proof of Helena's nefarious intentions. Of course, that was all beside the point because Sam never planned to be caught. The only people who would know what Sam had done weren't likely to go to the police.
She couldn't just stand by and let this woman terrorize them, though. Sam knew that Helena would never quit. She would press on and on until she found a moment of weakness. She would keep going until she had what she wanted, and that was to make Nikolas suffer and to have all of the power. Helena had held too much power over her family for too long. Sam was going to end that, one way or another.
Sam was glad to have Jason there with her, someone who understood what needed to be done and wouldn't try to stop her. How many people had Jason killed in the defense of those he loved? Nikolas and Alexis both knew what needed to be done, but could either of them really condone her actions? Yes, Alexis had killed before, but her actions had been filled with emotion and, had she thought about it first, Sam didn't believe that Alexis would have killed Luis Alcazar. And Nikolas… He wanted to be rid of his grandmother, but Sam couldn't imagine him holding a gun on the old bag and taking her out. She couldn't see him standing over his grandmother's body and watching her die. Sam could do that. She thought she could do that. She could look at that old bitch and watch the life drain out of her, because that is what had to be done. Jason understood that. Jason would help her do it.
If he ever came back, that is.
Sam knew that Jason was doing important work, but she selfishly wanted him to be there. Her mind should have been solely on getting rid of Helena, but as she watched the lights twinkle across the harbor, she knew that she was waiting to see the launch as it brought Jason back. She would run to him, meet him at the docks, and when she put her arms out, he would hold her. Jason would wrap her in his arms and, for a moment, Sam would forget about the danger and Helena and would only be happy that she had finally gotten back the man that she loved.
"Later," she muttered to herself. Sam slid her hand into her hairline and pulled it back through her hair. Her face was free for only a second before the wind blew it back into her face and left her looking through a wispy curtain of black.
She's out there, Sam thought. She crossed her arms over her stomach, her fingers reaching out to touch her hips, then going further. Within a few seconds, she was hugging herself. Helena was out there somewhere, and Sam had to admit, if only to herself, that she was afraid. Helena Cassadine's evil was legendary. She almost wished Luke were around to give her some pointers. He'd been fighting the bitch for years. Though, would Luke really help her if he knew she planned to kill Helena? He was pretty attached to his decades long rivalry with the Cassadine matriarch.
No, no, Luke wouldn't save her. There were children involved here and Sam couldn't believe that even Luke would be that selfish. He would probably sit back with a drink and laugh, throwing out witty commentary.
Sam's phone rang, buzzing in the depth of her pocket and vibrating her thigh. She scrambled for the phone, and out the corner of her eye, she saw a light in the distance. She pulled the phone free and said, "Yeah?"
"She's already here." Jason's voice was faint, distant over the bad connection. As he spoke, the launch grew closer, and the sound of its engine grew louder. "I got a call from Spinelli on my way back to Spoon Island. Helena is already in Port Charles."
"Damn it!" Sam pulled her hair back and this time, she was annoyed when she let go and the wind sent it sailing back into her face. "How long has she been here?"
"An hour? Maybe more, but at least an hour." He shouted over the engines at the driver, "Can't this tub go any faster!" Some answer was given that Sam couldn't hear, but whatever the answer, it left Jason grumbling. "For all I know, she could already be there. Are you inside?"
"No," Sam said. "I'm out at the cliffs. I can see the launch coming up now."
"Get inside," he told her. "Get inside and lock yourself in. She may already be on the island and I don't want you searching for her until I get there."
"Jason…"
"Just do it, Sam, please." Though his voice was faint, the exasperation was clear. "Nikolas may be able to guide you through the tunnels, but he's not good back up. Just get inside. I'm almost there."
The line went dead and Sam's arm fell to her side. She heard someone coming up behind her, dirt and rocks being kicked as the wind blew. "She's here, Nikolas," she said. "We have to—" Sam stopped when she was halfway around, turned now away from the water.
"You are your mother's child, aren't you? You are meddlesome and head strong, all things I might have been proud of if you were any relation to me. As your relation is only to Alexis, I find them much less appealing."
Helena's back was straight, and as the wind kicked up, she managed to keep her steady stance. She didn't rock with the blowing gusts. Her eyes were hard. She was a fierce woman, nothing like the harmless old lady that she had convinced others she was to be in the past. Standing before Sam was a monster, one that needed to be destroyed. Slowly, staring at the witch that had terrorized her family and killed the grandmother Sam had never known, Sam slid her hand to her hip.
"You could have been a very worthy adversary," Helena said. She didn't shout, but as the wind kicked up and the sound of the launch's engine grew closer, Sam could still hear her clearly.
"Could have been," Sam said with a grunt. "More like I am."
"Perhaps," Helena nodded. "Or perhaps you need a few more years to grow."
"Why are you standing here talking to me?" Sam's hand clutched the butt of her gun. Her fingers slid down, making sure the strap was unfastened. The last thing she wanted was to pull and the gun be stuck inside. "Why didn't you just push me over the side?"
"In due time," she said. "I prefer to look a person in the eye before I kill them. It's much more satisfying that way."
"Is that what you did to my grandmother?"
The humor in her eyes was insulting enough, but when she laughed… Oh, God, Sam's teeth gritted and she wanted to scream. "Yes, actually," Helena said when her laughing was done, "I stared into her eyes and watched her die. Her blood was warm as it fell over my hands, and unlike Lady MacBeth, there were no haunting spots to follow me after."
A monster, she was. Pure evil. Sam felt a shiver travel down and then back up her spine. She pulled her gun and held it steady. Her hands were tight around the grip, and her her arms were rigid. Sam had to concentrate to keep her arms steady as the wind picked up more and more. The wind was awfully convenient for Helena. Maybe she really was a witch and had worked the weather to help her. Or, she was just a very lucky bitch. The latter was more likely.
Helena let out a harsh bark of a laugh. "Are you going to shoot me? Kill me to save your new family." She took a step closer and Sam felt the trigger slowly moving beneath her finger before she even knew she was pulling. "It's better for you, really, if you die quickly. Should you survive, Nikolas will never forgive you."
"There won't be anything to forgive. I'm getting rid of you once and for all." The wind was cold, and her finger was stiff. That was the only reason Sam had for why she'd not yet pulled the trigger. She wouldn't allow herself to think that she couldn't do it, that after all of the bad things she'd done in life, she would fail when a bad thing was really good.
Helena moved, a quick blur, and Sam fired. The bullet missed her. Damn, that woman was fast! Sam turned to the left, trying to catch the blur. Something hit her hands and her gun went flying over the cliff. Instinctively, she looked over her shoulder, watching her gun fly over the bluff, and even as her head moved, she knew that it was the wrong thing to do. Instinct was supposed to help, but in this instance, it had betrayed her. Sam's moment of distraction was all Helena needed. She grabbed Sam's shoulders and took only a moment to look her in the eyes.
"Yes," Helena said, "much more satisfying." And then she shoved, and Sam was falling backwards, down into the abyss, and she could only curse herself for her failure. It was better than thinking of how much it would hurt when she hit the sharp rocks below.
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