Chapter 12

A few more weeks have passed. The doctor confirmed a heartbeat and now Kristina is about 11 weeks along.

Kristina was leaving for work. She locked her apartment and left for a meeting at Crimson. She was back at Crimson and was about to start her classes again in another couple weeks. She still felt a hole in her heart from losing Brady and lying to him but she was pushing past it making this baby her top priority. She walked out of her building, into her car, and pulled away for her meeting. She didn't notice the man across the street watching her leave.

Since it had been a few weeks since Helena had checked on Kristina she had one of her guards stop in to check on her. This time Helena had him looking for more than the basics. She told him to do a thorough check of her apartment. He searched the bathroom and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He started to search her bedroom and found a picture of Brady Black in her dresser drawer. It struck him as odd if they broke up and certainly if the Spencer boy was staying there in the apartment with her. He started to get an odd feeling like he stumbled onto something. He found nothing else in her room that stuck out so he moved onto the kitchen. He was about to call it a day when he stumbled upon a drawer that had prenatal vitamins in it. Jackpot. Alright, the Corinthos girl is pregnant, now the question is who is the father? It stood to reason that it would be Spencer however the photo of Brady Black in her dresser still made this seem off. Time to report to Mrs. Cassidine.

Ethan knocked on Johnny's door.

"Hold on!" John yelled as he made his way down the stairs. He opened the door to his friend. "Hey Ethel."

Ethan walked in. "Hey mate. How is it that you always seem to be getting dressed when I show up?" Ethan teased his friend as he pulled his shirt on.

"Jealous?" Johnny replied back.

Ethan smirked. "Yeah, but what you have in muscle, I have in height." He joked back.

"Well, I've got a job for you Ethel so try to not let your height be a problem when I have you do some snooping for me. It's in Chicago though, but should only be a few days to a week max."

Ethan thought for a second but really didn't want to leave Kristina for that long. Helena hadn't been an issue for a few weeks now but he still wasn't comfortable with her being alone in her apartment. "Sorry mate, I'll have to pass on this one."

Johnny looked at him confused. "What do you mean pass? You love heading out of town for work."

Ethan shook his head. "Not this time mate. Sorry, I've got some things going on where I can't be away that long."

Johnny looked at him. "Things going on or Kristina going on? You still keep avoiding the topic of why or how you got to be staying with her now."

Ethan shook his head. "Look mate, it's just a little complicated right now." He tried to choose his words carefully because under normal circumstances he'd confide in Johnny but there was too much at stake. "Let's just say we're trying to figure some stuff out."

Johnny walked over to get a drink. "Well, I've got to hand it to you Ethel, I really thought Brady had her swept off her feet. I thought you waited too long and missed your shot."

"There's no shot with Kristina mate. She's special." As hard as Ethan tried to suppress his feelings for Kristina they were still there and he knew it.

"You don't have to tell me, I know how you feel about her. Hell, I've known before you admitted it to yourself."

"Yeah, I know." Something that Ethan still regrets. He has laid awake many nights wishing he had handled things differently with Kristina, but he couldn't change the past now. All he could do was be there for her now and make sure she and the baby were safe no matter what.

Johnny took a sip of his drink and stared at his friend. "So, why do I get the feeling you aren't telling me something here?"

"I don't know mate, maybe because you're paranoid." Ethan tried to joke his way out of this conversation.

Johnny could tell that whatever Ethan was hiding he wasn't wanting to divulge it to him. "Ok, Ethel, I'll leave it alone. If you need my help just call me."

There was a silent thank you exchanged between the two friends. Johnny knew Ethan was into something here and Ethan knew Johnny knew that and appreciated his offer. Hopefully he would never have to take him up on it.

Wyndemere

Helena sat in one of the offices in the inner tunnels. She was contemplating what her guard told her. 'So, Kristina is pregnant. This isn't surprising considering they had messed with her birth control, so it would stand to reason it was Ethan's now, however, there is the matter of the picture of Brady in her top drawer. By the way her guard described it, it wasn't even hidden underneath or to the side, it was laying right on top. Now, this isn't the behavior of someone in love with the man that is living with her. Now, it's possible she's still carrying a flutter in her heart for Brady but to be so blatant when Ethan is living there with her and supposedly sharing the same bedroom. It was odd.

She thought back to when her guard said he found proof she was 'not' pregnant a while back in her bathroom, but now she wondered if that could have been from spotting or possibly a ruse. Could the girl or the Spencer bastard be on to her? Could Brady or Victor be onto her? No, the latter isn't possible. If Victor suspected her plan she'd have had a clear sign from him by now.

"Andreas, just to be certain, make a call and check to see the status of Nikolas and Spencer. I want to make absolutely certain they are well." She walked over to the mantle and picked up her dagger. She spun it slowly in her hand allowing her fingertip to feel the sharpness of the blade. There was no possible way that Kristina was clued into her plan on her own. The only place a word had even been uttered was here at Wyndemere. This raised her eyebrow. The Spencer boy may have been snooping around. It was possible. She sat back down at her desk.

There was two avenues to pursue. If this child was Brady's then she had what she wanted the heir, so by taking Kristina her plan would be back on track. If the child was a Spencer then that had its own possibilities as well. Oh yes, she could easily just kill Kristina and be done with her, but she could also raise a Spencer child as a Cassidine. The thought of raising Luke's grandchild to hate him and then possibly allow it to be in a position where Luke would kill the grown child on his own, and then let him in on the fact that he killed his own grandchild. The thought brought a wide smile to her face. Either scenario was ripe with possibilities.

She had to be cautious now, since it was a possibility her original plan was found out, she had to throw them off and make them feel secure. Andreas came back in the room.

"Madam, Prince Nikolas and young Spencer are well in Italy at this time. They are on a trip and the schedule appears to be for at least another ten days, then the itinerary is believed to be to return to Greece." He reported.

"Very well. Place two guards at a good distance just to keep an eye on them. Nikolas is observant so ensure they blend in to the surroundings. I will not take any chances with Victor." She sat back down behind the desk. "Now, regarding young Ms. Corinthos-Davis, I want her to feel safe and secure. I want her to believe she has nothing to fear from me. Leak to Luke that I've found something in Rome to capture my attention. I will make a trip and wait a few weeks and circle back around. We will make our move then. Whomevers child she is carrying will be mine."