Chapter 10

Jax, Ned, and Nikolas showed up to meet with Ric. Jason was going to meet with Lorenzo. Ric and Jason decided that the criminals should act together, and the others would work together.

"Okay, so, is there anything in particular about the dream that you remember? I mean, did she say anything that stood out?"

Ric smiled, "We only talked for a few minutes."

Ned made a face. He remembered 'not talking' with Alexis. That was the best part of their relationship.

Jax just laughed, "Seriously Ric, what makes you think that it was 'real'? I mean, it was a dream … what if Manny put them somewhere …"

"We found Manny's body right where she told me Jax. I know it was real … I just know it."

"Okay Ric … so, when you two were talking … what did she say?"

Ric tried his hardest to remember the entire conversation.

When they were finally alone, Alexis pulled Sam close to her and didn't let her go.

"What's going on Ale…Mom?" Sam asked.

Alexis smiled. "You can call me Alexis. The whole 'Mom' thing is still a little…new."

"Yeah, it's still awkward, but I do want to call you Mom eventually, and only that."

Alexis let go of Sam and motioned for her to sit with her on the huge balcony. They both sat in silence for a while. Sam was enjoying the sunlight. She looked over at her mother and saw the tears.

"Alexis, what's wrong…I mean…I know what's wrong, but, are you okay?" Sam didn't know how to ask her mother to tell her everything that was running through her mind.

"Was your father nice to you? I mean, did he tell you he loved you and that you were beautiful, smart, wonderful?" Alexis asked looking into the distance.

Sam cleared her throat and laughed a little, "He wasn't around much when I was young. He took me when I turned fifteen to "work" with him, and he was nice enough. I loved him and I knew that he loved me. He was proud of me."

Alexis smiled, "Good. I'm glad you felt loved." She looked over at Sam, "You are still loved, you are beautiful, and smart, and wonderful."

Sam blushed and felt even more awkward, "Thank you. What's going on Alexis?"

Alexis let out a long breath, "I just…I didn't have that. I mean, I thought that my father was dead until I was thirty-something. "Uncle" Mikkos showed me little affection and praise, mainly because Helena was always lurking around…but…I found out a few years back that he did love me. It's just…so…" Alexis began crying "so…weird, for lack of a better word…yeah, weird, unusual, bizarre to have him in my life again. I just, I don't know, I want to just run in there and hug him forever, but then again, I want to run to him and beat him to the ground." She laughed.

Sam looked sadly at Alexis. She reached her hand over and took Alexis' in hers, "I felt the same way with you at first." They both laughed hard at that.

"Sam, I want you to know that I never stopped thinking about you. I knew that you would have dark hair and dark eyes because you did the day you were born, but I always wondered if you would wear it long, short, shaved off…if you were stubborn like me. If you had panic attacks and needed a little brown bag…if you liked popcorn, or knew how to cook."

Sam smiled, "Long, very stubborn…like you…" Alexis smiled "I've never had a panic attack to my knowledge, I love popcorn, and I burn water."

"Just like me."

"Just like you."

Kristina was very upset. She'd been waking up with bad dreams for the past three days. "Mommy!!" Ric ran in the room, leaving the three other men to think.

"Hey baby…hey," Kristina looked up at her Daddy Ric and yelled at him, "I want my MOTHER! Where is she? She told me, no, she promised me that she would never ever leave me and she did!"

Ric sat down beside her, "Sweetheart, Mommy would never, ever leave you, but she had to go away for a little while and…"

"Where?" Kristina interrupted, not wasting any time with his made up stories.

"Um…well, sweetie, she wouldn't even tell me."

"Did she tell my daddy? Did she tell Nikolas? What about her boss? She would have to tell her boss…"

"Well, she's kind-of her own boss…"

Kristina was very upset now. She got up from bed and looked exactly like Alexis. She stood in front of Ric and pointed her finger at him.

"I don't ask for toys, I don't ask for more dessert, I am a good girl, and I want my MOMMY!" Her breathing started to speed up and she was holding it for as long as she could. Ric kneeled down to the well-spoken five-year-old.

"You know what…me too. I don't ask for much either, I love your Mommy with every single piece of my heart, baby, and I want her back more than anything, but…I'm not sure if it's going to happen..."

Kristina looked like she just saw a ghost, "She…might not come back?"

"Oh, no…she will…oh, she will Kristina, I didn't mean that, it just might not happen tomorrow, or next week. You know how much your Mommy loves you and Molly…"

"and you …"

"… yeah, and me." He had to smile.

"Kristina," Ric explained as he picked her up, sat her in his lap and began rocking her to try to sooth her a little, "you're going to have a baby brother or sister again…did you know that?"

She looked up at him and instantly smiled, "It's gonna be a boy…I know it! Is that why she's gone? 'Cause … she left to have Molly…"

"No…she'll definitely be back before the baby's born. Kristina, I promise you that you will have me forever, you will have your Mommy forever, and Sam, Molly, and this baby boy…which I still think is a girl…"

He looked down at his beautiful little niece? Stepdaughter? No, she was his. Completely his. He looked down at his beautiful daughter asleep finally in his arms and whispered, "You're my little girl forever. I will always put you and Molly and Sam and the new baby and your beautiful Mommy first. I will never hurt you. I will never disappoint you…well, I'll try not to." He smiled and put her down in the bed. She was his little Alexis while Alexis was gone.

Sam had gone inside to sleep. She had an appointment to get fitted for her "ball gown" early the next morning. Mikkos had planned a very extravagant ball for the two women to be introduced to the people of the island. Sam still wasn't sure where they were exactly. She assumed Greece.

Alexis was staring out at the ocean view and leaning her elbows onto the balcony. She missed Ric. She missed Nikolas. Most of all, she missed Kristina and Molly. She knew that Kristina would think that she left her, that she would never come back, but Alexis relied on Ric to calm her and assure her that she would be back. Alexis' mind drifted to Stefan. She wanted him back. The old Stefan, the thirteen-year-old who took care of her and loved her more than anyone had ever loved her. She then thought about her sister. They were full-blooded sisters. Kristina's face drifted into Alexis' thoughts when she closed her eyes. That beautiful smile, that red hair.

"Nata…Alexis?"

"Why do you call me Natasha, father? You never did before?" She looked angrily at Mikkos who had decided to join her on the balcony, "You lied to me…my entire life was one huge lie. You let me think that my baby sister was dead. You made me think that my parents were dead. You let Helena MURDER my mother!" Sam's eyes grew wide. She was listening from upstairs out the window.

Mikkos was silent. He knew that his daughter had to get this off of her chest. "How could you look at me every day…the seven-year-old, the nine-year-old, the twelve-year-old, and NOT hug me, not tell me that I was…SPECIAL, that I was loved?" Alexis was sobbing. She fell onto the lounge chair and looked away.

Mikkos didn't know what to do or say. He wanted to say that he was sorry, but he knew that it wouldn't help.

Alexis, still sobbing, continued to look away. She said, with no expression on her face, she whispered, "He raped me."

Mikkos' jaw dropped ever so slightly, "Wha…"

"Mom, mom…" Sam called as she ran onto the balcony. She came down to catch her mother after she fell with Mikkos and decided to interrupt after that last phrase, "Come on, we're going to bed." Alexis was still sobbing, but she took Sam's hand. Mikkos just stood there. His baby girl was raped. Was that how Sam was conceived? …Helena…Helena knew what happened, he was sure of it. He stormed off of the balcony and went into his study to call someone he hadn't wanted to talk to ever again.

Ric walked into the living room to see the three men obviously frustrated. Jax was yelling at Nikolas, "Well it was OBVIOUSLY Helena! Who else…"

"Guys…" Ric interrupted, "There is an angry-five-year old and a probably angrier infant in there…so shut up."

Jax and Nikolas both looked apologetically at Ric, "Look, I think that we're done for the night, if there is anything you can think of Nikolas, you especially, please, call me…I'll probably be awake. I don't like to sleep much anymore."

Jax and Nikolas said goodbye and left. Ned walked up to Ric. "You have to sleep. What if you dream again?"

"It's been three nights since my last dream and it hurts when I wake up and she didn't come," Ric said, feeling childish.

Ned smiled sympathetically, "Alexis isn't easy to get over. She isn't easy to live without, Ric, but you can't give up. Even if you get angry at her when she comes back and you've been married for ten years, you can't give up on her. She's stubborn, and crazy at times," Ned smiled, "But believe me, you'll miss her when she's gone. You know that now. It's very hard…to live without her in your life."

Ric just nodded. He wasn't used to sharing like this with anyone besides Alexis or Sonny…Sonny, he had to remember to check on him later. Was he still even missing?

Ned said goodbye after offering to stay and get up with the girls so Ric could sleep, but Ric assured Ned that he was fine. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to be completely alone with his two girls and the thought of their mother and his unborn child.

Sam helped Alexis into her pajamas. Alexis was so very tired. She hadn't realized that she hadn't slept in almost twenty-eight hours. Sam helped Alexis into her bed and tucked her in. The sobbing had stopped, but the tears still fell. Sam made sure that Alexis was looking at her…

"You, mother, are supposed to do this for me. I'm the kid here…"

Alexis let out a little laugh, "I'll tuck you in tomorrow night."

"Okay, I'm going to hold you to that. Look, tomorrow, we're going to talk…we're going to talk about how we're gonna get home, about how to get Mikkos to stay in our lives when we get there, and we're going to talk about what you said on the balcony."

"He's not your father," was all Alexis said before leaning up, kissing Sam on the forehead, and drifting off to sleep.

Sam just watched her and ran her fingers through her mother's hair, helping her fall asleep, "It doesn't matter…I don't need a father…all I need is you," she whispered before sliding in next to Alexis and wrapping her arms around her. For the first time … ever … Sam felt completely safe and loved. She had all she needed.