Skyfall

Part II

Pain isn't an illusion. Its there and demands to be felt. If we could choose whether to feel it or not, I know a great majority of us would choose not to. Then...but then we have others that would choose to feel the aches, the bruises, and the overwhelming sense of despondency. All of that makes a person feel alive and being alive is better than being…..well dead.

Time seemed to stand still or was it going by at warp speed and they just couldn't tell. They all stood huddle in a group, backs to backs, as they waited to be attacked. Staring down the surrounding forest like it was their assailant. While the true predators hid just within it, hiding behind masks of blood and decay. There was a intriguing mystery behind the men in masks. In this moment that wasn't their biggest concern. No. Their biggest concern was making it out of this alive and hopefully in one piece.

Patrick's shoulder brushed against Lucky's arm. Lucky was too enthralled by what was coming to move his foot off the large rock digging into his shoe. Sweat slid down Carly's back. She was distressed by everything that was happening, but not willing to die. Lulu was out of breath and feeling a bit of hopelessness at this point. Were they really going to make it? Luke stood between his daughter and son confused by it all. Not one Cassadine that came by boat was there. Not a single one.

One hour earlier

Valentin watched her as she slept. Peacefully and silently she was. The doctors had to finally sedate her after hours and hours of unending crying. She was distraught. The delusions of her stillborn was too much for her to handle. He didn't understood her plight. His mother would never leave him alone.

"Why are you here?" She grumbled, from her spot in the corner. Her arms were firmly crossed, as she stared at him with her unnerving black eyes. "I told you that you didn't have to come." Valentin said, over his shoulder. She snorted. Which caused the sagging skin that hung from her jaw to sway. "As if you can do anything without me." His jaw tightened and he shut his eyes. It took all his willpower to restrain himself from strangling the old bitch. "I don't need this. Not today. Now begone you miser…." Her eyes were open and she was staring at him with an expression that was confusion and annoyance. Her small brown eyes reminded him of an innocent doe. She was adorable and she was his. She cleared her throat to speak. "Who were you talking to?" Sam asked, fully awake now.

She was still a bit out of it, but with each minute her awareness grew. She turned her attention to the corner on the right side of her bed. Hoping she wouldn't see and hoping she would. Alli….Lila wasn't there. Nothing was.

Her heart ached as she felt her stomach. She felt a kick and tear fell from joy. Her baby was still alive. She had to come to realize she had not once thought about her unborn child for awhile now. That would change. She was tired. Tired of running. Tired of fighting. She wanted her life back. Her family, but she could feel herself slowly giving up.

"You will be there, won't you? She heard him say. He had been talking for sometime and Sam had caught bits of it. Sam let her eyes fall onto the man that stole her away and held her captive, with a sigh she sarcastically said, "I wouldn't miss it. Who are you marrying, uncle?"

Kristina didn't know what was up with Patrick and Luke. Luke kept giving Patrick this knowing look as if the two of them shared a secret and Patrick stayed completely silent. Which scared Kristina. His tall lean body was tense, like he was waiting for something to happen and was fully prepared to end it. "I don't know what we're looking for." Kristina said, breaking the silence between them. They had started on the first floor of the mansion. Looking for any and all clues to where Molly, Sam, and Ethan could be. The house was a lot larger than they had first thought so it took up some time. Patrick was getting frantic by the minute. "Fuck this. I'm going to the second floor." He mumbled. He wasted no time and got to the bottom of the grand spiraling staircase. Luke stopped him. "Are you out of your mind? We don't know what's on the second floor let alone the third and so on. You really want to risk dying before you even get to Sam?" Patrick pushed his way past Luke.

"I don't remember asking for your permission."

Luke grabbed him back. Swinging his body backwards. Patrick was caught off guard by this and lost his balance. Falling off his temporary prosthesis. Kristina ran to his side. "Are you okay?" She asked helping Patrick stand. "What the hell is wrong with you Luke?!" Patrick no longer could tolerate Luke's presence. The mere sight of him made his blood burn. He didn't even think when he pushed Kristina away and pulled his gun out. Placing the muzzle of the gun under Luke's chin. He had it perfectly aligned with a clean shot through his jaw and straight to his brain. He knew with one swift pull of the trigger he could end his life. A part of him loved the power he held. That part of him also was itching to pull the trigger and watch the blood from his brain splatter across the wall. The fear was clear as day in Luke's eyes. Patrick had become a loose cannon. He wasn't bound by some silly oath. He did what he want. Walking this dark path was a heavy burden, but one he was willing to go down barefoot if it meant he got the love of his life back. "Oh, my God! Patrick where did you get that?" Kristina asked, not knowing what to do. She couldn't put herself in between them and risk getting shot. It wasn't like she was afraid Patrick would shoot her, but accidents happen. This is not what they came for. "No one is going to get between me and finding Sam. You try that shit again, Luke, and I will kill you." Patrick slowly lower his weapon. He holstered his gun and turned to faced a perplexed Kristina. "Don't worry about where I got it from. Its for protection. And I wasn't going to shoot him." He lied. It came so natural for him. Kristina still looked confused, but not as uneasy as she just did a few minutes ago. "You could've fooled me!" Luke yelled from behind them both.

Patrick noticed another reflection in the window behind Kristina. A tall figure wearing what looked like a mask dripping blood, stood in the blackness just outside. He could almost be mistaken for the night. He was dressed in all black, making sure he blended in well, but Patrick saw him as clearly as he saw the night sky. The man lift the shotgun he had facing the ground. It was now pointed directly at them. The man tilted his head and placed his finger on the trigger. "GET DOWN!"

Valentin entered the room where he had his guest waiting. He smiled once her eyes met his. "Hello, Sophia." She immediately became reserved. Her back stiffened and her eyes shot daggers at him. "Where is my son? And why are we on this Godforsaken island?" She knew he was the one that had all the answers. She didn't bother wasting her time with any of the little boys that had dragged her in here. They would pay dearly for separating her from her precious Nikolai and for even touching her with their revolting, blood stained grimy paws. She would make them all regret ever coming after a Cassadine. "One question at a time." Valentin said, sitting across from her. The small room was just down the hall from Sam's room, off to the left. They were in the east wing of the enormous mansion. Very secluded and very quiet. It was the perfect place for a reunion. "Fine." Sophia sighed. Not at all happy with the control he held over her. "Where is my son?" He knew she would ask that question first. Her little obsession with her only child was something Valentin had come to see was a big part of her life. He had watched them for years. Practically watching the boy grow into the weak bitch he was today. She definitely held his balls in her purse and the boy was satisfied with that. As long as she paid for his drugs and lavish lifestyle. Which she of course did.

Valentin leaned in closer to her. Making sure their identical black eyes met one another and whispered, "He's right here, mother." In that moment a wave of clarity came over her. She stared back into the eyes she created and then turned her head in disgust.

"You should be dead."

Her words didn't bother him one bit. He lived with a woman for years and years, who said far worse. He was use to it. "I should be. Shouldn't I?" He asked her the question not expecting a response and she didn't bother to give him one like he knew she wouldn't. "I mean that's what you wanted. Giving me to the woman who drowned her first son." He continued. "You gave me, an innocent baby, to a monstrous woman like Claire Caulfield, because…?" He really wanted to know. His whole life was leading up to this moment. He was finally face to face with the woman who abandoned him and left him to die. He deserved an answer.

Her eyes shifted around the room for a second. Trying to think of what to say. She never expected this to happen. She had gave her bastard son to Claire with strict instructions: Make sure he doesn't see the next sunrise.

He was suppose to be dead. He was to her all these years. She had started over and made a better life for herself. Now her past was 6 feet tall, staring back at her with eyes of black destruction.

She shook her head. She wouldn't let him pull her back into the past. "I don't know what you're talking about. I only have one son and you're not him." She declared. She was firm in her statement, so much so he laughed. "I heard you seduced your own brother and then got him beat by your father. The great Ivan, mutilated his own son because his daughter was a manipulating whore." His crassness shook her. She faced him and yellled, "I was raped! Mikkos raped me!" It came easily to her. She had told the same story to her father. He believed his hysterical daughter and grabbed a handful of Mikkos' hair, tearing them apart from one another. Sophia watched in horrifying amazement as their father cut the swollen head of Mikkos' penis off.

You dare lay your hand on another Cassadine.

Their father was harsh and brutal and she idolized him. Some could even say she was in love with him.

Valentin shook the chair she was in. "You're lying. You're lying. You're lying." He chanted. He swung her chair around repeatedly, faster and faster he made it go. Causing her to fall ill. "Stop!" She screamed, as she regurgitated whatever she still had inside her. "Of course, mother. I have something to show you anyway." His hands stop the chair mid swing, causing Sophia to jolt forth in her seat. He had her facing a black flat screen TV. He picked up the remote and turned it on. "You still don't want to tell me why you gave me to Claire?" He was giving her one last chance to be honest. One last chance to give her side of the story. He had heard one side of the story as to why he came to live with that woman he was forced to call mother all those years. He didn't believe any of what she said to be true. So he needed for Sophia to give him a response.

She looked up at him and said absolutely nothing. He nodded and took her silence as his answer. "Okay, then." He clicked on the TV and gave her the show of her life.

Nikolai strung up by a noose, his hands bound and his mouth gagged. He had only a stack of thick old leather books to keep him from strangling himself. Sophia released a horrific scream at the sight of boy. "Remove a book." The person behind the camera stepped forward and did as he was told. He removed the largest book at the top. Nikolai's eyes widen in horror, as he struggled to keep from falling. "Another." Valentin ordered. The man concealed by a black hoodie and ski mask removed another book. This time Nikolai almost tipped over, but by the grace of his pinkie toe he held on. Tears streamed down his face, making streaks through the blood that covered his face. "Sorry for how unkempt he looks. I never had a pinata growing up." Sophia was now sobbing uncontrollably. She shook her head slamming her hands against her head. "OKAY! Okay. I tell you!" She shouted through a blurry vision. Valentin smiled. Satisfied. He turned her away from the TV screen and from the sight of her struggling child. "You were the reminder that I laid with the wrong Cassadine. I wanted my father, but he wouldn't touch me. He loved me, but not the way I loved him. When I found out I was pregnant I tried everything in my power to get rid of you." Her eyes were so full of hate. He could feel it burning him. "You just wouldn't die. Even when I beat my growing stomach to the point where my fists bled, you still wouldn't just die. So I gave you to Claire and told her to kill you like she did her son, but for some reason she kept you alive. You are a blight on this world. An abomination." He took a deep breath and released it. It felt good finally getting the truth. "And here I thought you just wanted me live a miserable life with a woman who hated men. I mean at least you want me to go out peacefully." He bent down and kissed her tears.

"I love you too, mother. So I will give you want you wanted so badly...just to your favored son. Kill him." His order came out slowly and clearly. Which of course his man followed through with.

He sat with his mother as they both watched Nikolai convulse under the pressure of the rope around his neck. His face turned a nice shade of purple as he tried to fight against it and breathe. Valentin blocked out the keening from Sophia. Excited by such a slowl painful death his dick hardened. He released it from the confines of his pants and swiftly stroked his hard member to the very bitter end.

Patrick rushed down the hall carrying an unconscious Kristina. Everything was pure chaos. He didn't know what to do. He had willfully abandoned Luke in the hopes his body would slow down their pursuer, but more just came out of the woodwork ready to kill them. He didn't know how they would escape this. He just knew they had too.

Molly shook the cage she was in. "Let me out! Please!" She screamed at Vincent, who seemed very unsettled by all the noise they heard coming from above them. "I can't." He finally said, after regaining some of his cool persona. "My brother would kill me and if not him, our father." He let out this piece of information accidentally. Molly really looked at him this time. Seeing the parts of his face that were from him and taking in the other parts that were obviously from his mother. "Valentin is your father?"

Sam didn't move. She lay still in her bed as the little girl stroked her hair. A tear escaped and she let it slide down her face. "Don't worry. You won't need me anymore." Lila whispered, gently rubbing her mother's head. "I will always need you." Sam replied back, crying softly. She found some peace in the child's presence. It soothed her. "No you need to be strong. The wolves are coming for you. You need to run. Run now!" The will inside Sam grew and she rolled off her bed. Just in time to miss the hammer that came forcibly down on her pillow. Sam was shocked to see a partially blind Gia stand before her. "I'm done waiting. That baby is mine and Nikolas. You don't deserve it. You don't deserve none of it." Gia rushed toward Sam, holding the hammer high in her arms. Sam held her ground for as long as she could, then dropped to her knees. Forcing Gia to go flying through the glass doors behind her. Her speed was too great and she lost control. She couldn't stop herself from going over the balcony.

You're finally awake, sleeping beauty.

The voice whispered inside her head. Sam smiled sadly. Ripping the IVs from out of her arm, she made her exit. No looking back as she ran down the hall away from the gray room and its four gray walls.

She didn't see them at first, and her body felt them before her eyes could register their faces. There before her was her husband holding her sister. They all fell to the floor from the collision. Sam couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Is this an illusion too?" She asked him, reaching her hand out to touch his cheek. The tips of her fingers brushed across the smooth warmth of his face and she jumped. "No, baby. This isn't an illusion. I'm here." Patrick suddenly became choked with emotions. "Thank you." She threw her arms around him. "Thank you, for coming. I've missed you." The tears now fell freely. She squeezed him tightly. Afraid if she let him go he would shift into some rotting corpse or just cold empty air. He didn't seem to mind. He was holding her just as tightly. "I've missed you too, adventure buddy." His heart was once again full. He had his soulmate back. She was alive and they were together. This is all he ever wanted.

"Sorry to break up this little reunion, but we have a couple dozen men behind us and they don't look like they want to play witness to this." Luke interrupted their moment, causing them to release one another. Patrick gripped her face in between his hands. Looking her over for one good minute. She looked exhausted and a bit wan, but she was really here. This wasn't a dream. He had his Sammy back with him. "Okay." he said to Luke. Patrick helped Sam get to her feet. "Grab Kristina." Patrick demanded. Luke didn't hesitate and picked up the still very unconscious girl. "Is she okay?" Sam asked, fully looking at her little sister. Patrick placed his hand underneath Sam's legs. Lifting her body up to his so he could carry her as well. "Everything's okay now. Don't worry, Sam. Everything's okay." Sam settled her head against his chest and relaxed. Feeling safer than she had in weeks. "Yes. It is." The chase was on.