Earlier…1979

Alexis watched as her roommate packed her suitcases to leave the campus of Briarton Griggs Academy to head on home for the Thanksgiving holidays. She sat at her desk organizing her notebooks and papers preparing to study for finals over the break and start working on her big term paper for Russian history.

Not that she needed much help in that class. Her cousin back home in Greece, Stefan had helped her study up on what was part of their familial history. But her midterm grades had dipped a bit so she wanted to spend the next few days catching up so she'd her straight As before fall term ended.

It's not like she had any place to go for Thanksgiving anyway. It was too short a vacation to head back to the Cassadine estate, not that she felt bothered by that.

More like relieved. Aside from Stefan, she'd miss no one there. She resided with some aunt or cousin she was never quite sure in their convoluted family tree. Mikkos was busy with his family business whatever that was, quite secretive to most of the family.

Helena the witch, Alexis had always been scared of her since…since well before she could remember. Stavros was much older and bullied her every chance he'd gotten. Then there were her uncles who she saw only in passing, Tony and Victor who barely noticed anyone besides their parents.

No, she most definitely didn't want to go back home to the Cassadine Island.

"Alexis…"

She looked from her desk to see Carla looking at her from where she was packing.

"What…?"

"You sure you're going to be all right? You can come and stay with my folks…"

Alexis considered it. It might be nice to spend a few days among a normal family doing normal things. She really didn't know what families did for Thanksgiving except that they'd sit around tables and eat a lot of food. The women cooked and the men watched football, she couldn't imagine that. But…she had to stay here and study. She'd fallen behind, since she hadn't been able to study late at night the past several weeks…she'd been tired, more tired than she'd ever felt.

"No thanks Carla but I have to stay here. I've got so much studying to do…"

Carla put a hand on her hip.

"You feeling all right? Cause I notice you haven't been eating much lately. Coming down with something?"

Alexis shook her head.

"No…just stressed out over those last midterms. That's all."

Carla shrugged.

"Okay…but try to have some fun…all that studying, it'll wear you out even more."

Alexis watched as her roommate packed up and left the dorm room before leaving her desk to curl up on her bed, wrapping her arms around a pillow. She felt better than she had this morning but still…she must have just been studying too hard allowing herself to feel rundown.

She was a good student, who studied hard. Her father rarely paid attention to her but he did praise her when she did well in her classes. There'd been that one night not long after the term had started…just to know what it was like to be someone else.

Someone not a Cassadine. That wasn't her last name but she knew somehow…she was one. So she'd done what the other girls had done. What Carla had dared her to do. Dressed up to avoid getting carded in the bar and there, she'd drunk some vodka and met a good looking guy.

She'd enjoyed it, not being Alexis, the girl who lived on an Island where she felt almost hidden away from view.

Not that she ever ventured to the bar again. She'd had enough adventure to last her for a while. Beside she had been lucky enough to not get caught, busted for sneaking out and violating curfew.

She might not be so lucky next time and if her father found out…


Julian hated the damn hospital gown they'd given him to wear. That went without saying. He didn't like hospitals and preferred to stay away from them though that wasn't always possible. But saving the life of his grandson…absolutely his first priority. So when Silas had told him to go to admissions and have an attractive nurse help him, he'd gone there.

Alexis had wanted to walk him out and that was perfectly fine with him. He'd enjoyed spending time with her including dinner at the Floating Rib. He'd coaxed her course by course to move from appetizers all the way to dessert…just making his cutoff of midnight. She'd loosened up a bit by then but the woman had a lot of defenses…he found himself wondering what made her that way.

But then she'd been looking at him in the hallway and he called her on it. He knew she'd seen him when he'd been hugging his daughter. That had been so different than he'd ever imagined…being a father…wasn't on his list of things to do in PC.

Being a grandfather and holding Danny had been…but he couldn't think that way. He had work to do, a promise to fulfill, a family's honor to regain and restore.

He knew he'd have to get up and find his clothes around here somewhere. Unless he planned on walking down the hallways of GH in this damn gown.

No, he would find his clothes first. He extricated himself from the hospital bed and went to find them.


Alexis ran into Carly in the hallway by the nurse's station. She'd left Sam to go check in with Olivia who'd left a message on her phone. The woman was a wreck no doubt about it and Alexis couldn't blame her. But she had no idea where Sonny had disappeared off to…if he had told anyone it certainly hadn't been her.

"Alexis…"

She looked up at the woman approaching her.

"Carly…what brings you here?"

The other woman smirked.

"I'm here to see Danny…and Sam."

Alexis tilted her head.

"Really…"

Carly tossed her hair back.

"Yes really…believe it or not I do care about Jason's son. He was my best friend…"

Alexis sighed.

"Yeah right I remember you saying that quite a few times," she said, "Well it's a nice…gesture. Sam's with him right now. He'll be getting some chemo which will make him sicker for a while until the marrow transplant takes hold."

Carly smiled.

"Ah yes…you know it feels like déjà vu since you went through this with poor Kristina..."

Alexis folded her arm.

"It must be the Cassadine curse. But Danny will be like his aunt, he'll do just fine."

Carly clucked her mouth.

"I hope it does work out," she said, "by the way how's Derek Wells doing?"

"Doing…?"

"You know the donor," Carly said, "I think it's incredibly generous of a perfect stranger to help save a little boy's life don't you think?"

"Yes it is…but he's more than happy to do that. Some people are just like that Carly."

Carly smiled.

"I hope he gets out of here soon because he's helping me with the Metro Court…the marketing campaign."

"That's nice…well I have to be going now," Alexis said, "I've got to go check on my cat…"

She walked away leaving Carly there in a state of confusion. She didn't know Alexis even had a cat.


Julian had found his clothes finally and was getting dressed to get on out of there. Ava had texted him several times on his phone which was with his clothes. He wouldn't rush off to meet with her, he'd check in on the family first, to make sure everything was fine before heading on out.

His phone rang. He glanced at it.

Ava.

He sighed answering it.

"Why are you calling me now?"

Her voice purred. She must be in a contemplative mood.

"Nice to talk to you too Julian. Once you're done doing your charitable deed for your…grandson…"

She sounded as if she found the whole thing distasteful. He cut to the chase.

"Ava what do you want?"

"I want us to get started on our plan," she said, "I told you not to get sidetracked by Sam and her baby. You're here…we're here to get the job done. Not to get sidetracked."

"I'm aware of that…listen I got to go. But I don't need any lectures from you on not letting recently discovered family get in the way."

She bristled at that.

"See you later. I'm finishing up the dossiers. I think you should read them."

"I will do that when I'm finished here."

"By the way has Alexis Davis remembered any details of your night together…or is she still in the dark?"

"Goodbye Ava."

He clicked off his phone and then started getting dressed, not realizing that the door was opening…