Earlier…. May 1982

Alexis walked up the steps on her way to the coffee spot after her last class. She'd just finished her midterm in Russian history, a subject she knew in her sleep. In fact, she'd spoken in class discussions about it impressing her professor. He'd asked her out for coffee but she'd declined, saying she had a meeting with the pre-law club.

Studies took all of her time as she was halfway through her coursework at Yale. She was of course majoring in history and poly sci but fully intended to continue her education in law school. It hadn't taken her long to make it to the top of her class and to get her membership in the honor society. She didn't know when she'd decided on law school but her cousin Stefan had helped persuade her.

"You need to get a law degree to help the family," he said, "and you're smart enough to do it."

She smiled at him, thinking of how he'd always encouraged her. He'd been the only kind Cassadine on the island after all. The only one who hadn't treated her as if she were a bastard child to be hidden away from Helena or worse.

He'd gotten her off the Island before either Helena or her son Stefan could harm her. There had been no one to shield her from the wrath of either one of them after Mikkos' death. She didn't know much of what happened only that armed police officers had raided the compound on Cassadine Island. Mikkos and brother Tony had been killed along with a woman named Alexandra Cassadine. The circumstances of their death remained unknown to her.

Victor had been taken to jail and some of the others had slipped away in the night. Helena had been left to wreak havoc and had gone to a wedding and cursed the couple. Not that Alexis paid any attention to that. She'd just been so glad to get away.

Far away.

Stefan had helped her come up with a plan to stay alive and maybe just maybe find some peace. So she'd applied to and gotten into Yale and for the first time in her life, she enjoyed herself.

Of course he'd talked her into changing her name, shortening it to Davis and so that person she became. She wanted to be someone else so she did just that.

"Alexis…you going to the mixer with Harvard tonight?"

She looked up at Lucille who'd been in her history classes and shook her head.

"Got to study for that exam…and finish up that term paper."

Lucille rolled her eyes.

"All you do is study, don't you ever want to have some fun?"

Alexis shrugged.

"I really want to make honor roll," she said, "so I got to study…"

She couldn't say the truth, that she avoided the mixers. She'd had her night when she'd pretended to be someone else and paid the price. God just to think about it, she just couldn't make herself or let herself do it. Else she'd break more than she'd already been broken.

These girls like Lucille didn't know anything. They didn't know what it was like to hold tightly onto their own flesh and blood and say goodbye.

Mikkos had told her that the baby died. He'd showed her the birth certificate and a part of her had died. But Stefan had gotten her back on her feet, telling her what was hers if she'd just claim it.

What could belong to both of them.

So she'd finished high school with a tutor and then gone to Yale to try to start over.

"You should really get out more Alexis," Lucille pushed, "There's a good party tonight. Plenty of guys."

She couldn't be less interested.

"No thanks…like I said got to study."

"Whatever…"

Lucille walked away and Alexis just thought about her books waiting for her. They were safe, they couldn't hurt her, they'd set her free.

She blinked her eyes.

"Who are you?"

The young man with the dark hair looked down at her before helping her up.

"You okay?"

She looked at him. He looked handsome. Not like the other guys who wore sweaters. He wore a jacket and jeans.

"I'm fine," she said, "I could have handled him."

She'd been walking back to her dorm with another student who she met up with at the coffee joint. She'd avoided the party to study and he'd seemed so nice. So interested in her and she'd wanted to forget.

Every year around this time she missed her, the baby wrapped in pink that she'd held for too short a time before she'd been taken from her arms.

Never to see her again. But she'd hoped her baby girl would be happy in her life…only it hadn't lasted long. Who could end a baby's life so short after she'd been born?

The guy hadn't bought her coffee, she'd been drinking brandy. She'd just wanted to forget what today was…what she hadn't told anyone.

"You're from Harvard aren't you?"

He nodded as he helped her on her feet. The guy had taken off after the man in front of her had punched him.

"Yeah…I'm on the rugby team. We'll be heading out later."

He brushed the hair out of her face without thinking.

"I want to make sure you're okay."

She nodded.

"I'm fine…really," she said, "but thanks…I don't know why I left with him. I didn't want what he wanted. I just wanted to forget…"

"What?"

She sighed, knowing she could never tell the man in front of her about her life and what she'd lost.

"It doesn't matter."

He looked at her for a long moment, looking rough around the edges, more so than most guys she'd seen at Yale. She wondered about him

Like she'd wondered about the man long ago.

"I guess I'd better be heading back now…"

He nodded.

"I'll walk with you to make sure you get back safely…"

She started to say he wasn't going to hurt her but she knew it wasn't true. If it hadn't been for this man…

"Okay…"

They walked together back to her dorm.

"So what are you doing here?"

"I'm with the team," he said, "A reserve player…"

"From Harvard?"

He nodded.

"That must be nice."

"It has its advantages…I'm in the MBA program."

They reached the dorm building but she didn't seem in a hurry to go inside.

"Thanks…I'm okay now…"

He stood there looking at her.

"You sure? If you don't mind me saying, you look sad…"

She shrugged.

"It's nothing. Just this time of year I think…"

He frowned.

"You should be happy…that it's almost the end of the school year."

She looked down at her hands.

"Yeah…I suppose…"

She looked back at him. He seemed nice enough and concerned but she really had to be going.

"I'll be fine…soon…"

Meaning like tomorrow when another anniversary had passed or at least better.

"Okay then…I'd better be going back to my teammates…"

She nodded.

"Goodbye…"

Before she slipped inside again.

He watched her as she went inside the dorm, thinking her very pretty but marked by something she'd been thinking about even before he'd come across her. He wondered what it might be that would cause the sadness he'd seen in her eyes that she'd tried to hide with a smile.

But he couldn't dwell on it, his bus would be leaving soon with his teammates.

"Hey we're leaving now," one of them said, "are you coming Julian…?"

He blinked his eyes and then turned to go.