GENERAL HOSPITAL #026

(reader minder…Anna Devane has been replaced by her twin sister Alexandra…no one knows this…and who is behind this has yet to be revealed as well…)

Anna/Alex Devane opened her front door and was greeted by Mac Scorpio.

"Well howdy stranger," Mac said with a look of befuddlement on his face.

Anna/Alex let her former brother-in-law inside and closed the door and before she could respond, Mac continued.

"We were supposed to meet at my place yesterday to talk our strategy concerning Paul Hornsby," Mac told her.

Anna/Alex (Alexandra of course) nodded her head. In her mind, Alexandra thought real quick for an answer, one she hoped wouldn't make Mac suspicious of her true identity.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry Mac," Anna/Alex came back with, flashing an innocent smile. "With all that happened with the disaster at General Hospital, I totally lost track of time, in fact," Anna/Alex said as she grabbed her purse and keys, "I was going down to the police headquarters. Apparently they want my advice on the investigation as to what happened at GH."

Mac nodded his head.

"Alright," Mac said, "but what about Paul."

Anna/Alex had no idea what Mac was talking about, specifically, and would have to make a call to someone who could give her some clue.

"Let's take it easy, at least for today," Anna/Alex came back with. "We'll deal with Paul when things calm down."

Mac sighed, but, it was Anna/Alex's deal so he backed off.

"Sounds good to me," Mac said, "but if you're right about Paul, just be careful. If he even gets wind that you're on to him," Mac said with concern in his voice, "he might try something."

Anna/Alex patted Mac on the shoulder as they both headed out the front door.

"You and Robert worry too much about me," Anna/Alex said. "I'm a grown woman and I can handle myself against the likes of Paul Hornsby."

"It's because we both love you," Mac said as they both headed toward their separate cars.

"I know," Anna/Alex replied with a genuine tone to her voice, "I know."

And with that they got into their cars and drove off.

Paul Hornsby parked his car outside the home of Julian Jerome. With the file Grant Putnam provide to Paul about Jerome's life as a mob informant inside his briefcase, Paul got out of his car and strode up the walkway.

When he reached the doorway, he knocked on it and was slightly startled when the door opened on its own. Paul pushed the door and watched as it swung open, and then he stepped inside.

Every inch of furniture, and anything else that indicated someone had lived in the home, was no longer there; it was as if no one had ever lived in the home…Julian Jerome was gone.

The home of Sonny and Carly Corinthos…

With afternoon daylight coming through the partially open blinders, Sonny was sitting on the couch of the living room. He was reading the newspaper when suddenly a spike of pain radiated from his right leg.

Sonny keeled over in pain, and rolled off of the couch. Max, who had been in the other room, rushed in when he heard Sonny yell a four letter word that starts with an "s".

"Sonny!" Max said, upon seeing his boss on the ground.

Sonny put up a hand, waving off his trusted personal guard. Max stopped his approach and watched as Sonny, slowly but deliberately, stood up on his own two feet. Sonny smiled at Max.

"I'm baaccck," Sonny said with a playful fiendish look on his face.

At that instant, Carly and Elizabeth came into the room. Carly, upon seeing Sonny standing for the first time in months, rushed over and hugged him. The force of her exuberance was too much, and with Sonny not at full strength, they both fell over on to the couch, laughing like kids.

"When did this happen?" Carly asked Sonny, with a broad smile across her face.

"Just now," Sonny replied. "I was sitting here reading the paper and then there was a sensation of pain, and," Sonny said, "there I was standing a moment later." He noticed Liz smiling at him from the other side of the room.

Sonny knew that Carly and Liz were not exactly the best of friends, in fact, they hated each other.

"Do you mind," Sonny said to Carly, "telling me what is going on?"

Carly stood back up as Liz came over and stood next to her.

"We think something may have happened to Laura," Carly explained the most of the situation to Sonny.

"After we couldn't find her at the hotel," Liz added, "we went over to the police station and talked to Dante. They are going to put out a missing person's report, but Sonny," Liz said before Carly cut her off.

"With what happened yesterday," Carly interjected, "and Laura being Nikolas's mother, maybe it's connected."

Sonny was about to say something but…

"Dante said," Liz continued, "it would take 24 hours until the matter was given top priority."

Sonny thought for a moment, and then he looked over to Max.

"Max," Sonny said to his trusted personal guard, "put a word out to all our interests in Port Charles to be on the lookout for Laura.

Carly put her hands on her hips.

"Is that all you can do?" Carly asked with a look of doubt on her face.

"No," Sonny said. "I'm going to make a call to a certain someone," he said directly to Carly, and she could read the hidden meaning in his words.

Sonny was going to call his new silent partner in all this; Robert Scorpio.

Continued… if you have a facebook account, I am posting this story over there which will also include pictures of the cast of this story AND places where this story takes place.

Anyone can currently join and you can even create a character for the story and get credit! It is called General Hospital 2016 and my name there is Robert Benson. I hope to see you there