(Author's Notes- I've FINALLY updated!! Wow...Took me forever!!! You might want to read chapter 19 to remember where we left off. (Actually that'll be a good idea.) Well here's the long awaited Chapter #20!!! Please Read & Review!! Thanks! --Am)
Chapter #20- Ultimatums and Surprises
"Well, well, well…Looky who we have here." As Em came face to face with Tom Baker.
"Wha-What are you doing here?" Em stammered.
"I want you to go back to work." Tom stated, with eyes of steel.
"No way!" Emily said boldly, realizing he meant going to back to the strip club. She tried to walk away.
"Hold it! I have something with me that will change your mind very fast." Tom sneered as he pulled Emily back roughly by the shoulder, soon drawing a gun from his pocket.
Emily's eyes went wide.
"See, I can guarantee that you'll change your mind. 'Why?' you ask? Easy. I can simply go up those stairs and kill your kids, right in front of each other. And to make it more fun? I'll be killing them in front of each other and you. I can make it a little bloody - NAH!!! The more blood and cries of pain, the better!!" Tom said.
"Now do you want that?" Tom asked, speaking to Em as if she were 5 years old.
"No. Please don't." Emily begged.
"Then let's go. You have work to do." Tom said.
"Wait! Please, let me just leave them a note or something…" Emily pleaded.
"Fine, hurry up – and I want to see it!" Tom demanded.
Kids –
Went out. I'll be back later.
--Mom
"There. Happy now?" Emily quipped.
"Yes, now let's go." Tom barked and dragged Emily out.
Oasis Strip Club-
Emily never thought she'd have to come here again. But, yet again the people she loved were in danger. If she didn't do as she was told, she'd lose her kids. Em couldn't let that happen.
"Go." Tom told her.
"Aright, alright…I still hate it."
"What makes you think I care? Just give me the money. Go!" Tom commanded.
Nik's Cottage- A few hours later...
Nikolas and Elizabeth were home by the time that Lucky had returned to the cottage. He had a wrapped package in his arms.
"Hey guys. Is Serena home?" Lucky asked, still unsure if Liz and Nik knew the truth.
"No, Emily isn't home right now." Liz said, knowing Lucky knew the truth.
"Wait…how'd you guys know…?" Lucky asked.
"She told us the truth. She couldn't take the guilt anymore." Nikolas quietly said.
"That was probably due to my reaction…I was so mad, but now I'm just happy she's home." Lucky said.
"How'd it go on your end?" Lucky asked.
"Not bad…unfortunately Em didn't tell her kids who she really was either. So they found out, they got mad and it ended up being a face off between the 4 – one of each twin against their own twin. (Boy & Girl vs. their identical twin.) Anyway after some tense moments, they all got sent to their rooms, where I assume their sleeping right now. And apparently Em went somewhere to release her stress."
"I think we're all a little stressed out tonight." Liz said.
Soon the doorbell rang and Lucky answered.
"Can I help you?" Lucky asked.
"Yes. My name is Officer Zander Smith. Is Serena Stevenson here?"
"Not at the moment, would you like to come in?"
"Yes, that'd be great. There's something very important I need to tell her, and I might as well tell you too. Unfortunately I'm the bearer of bad news…"
Oasis Strip Club-
Luke will never know why, but something told him to be here. Call it Spencer intuition or whatever – but something told him it was important to be here.
"Now for all you gentlemen out there, the Oasis Strip Club is happy to announce a return dancer! We haven't seen her in ages but she is our most popular dancer to date!! Please everyone welcome Jasmine!" Said the announcer as 'Jasmine' came out.
Luke sputtered the soda he was drinking when he recognized the girl dancing in front of everyone.
As Emily was dancing, she suddenly made eye contact with Luke.
She froze, all of a sudden becoming aware of what she was wearing, or lack thereof and very self-conscious.
Luke stared into her eyes for all of a few seconds when he bounded up on stage and wrapped his jacket around her.
"Come on Sunshine, you're gettin' out of here now." Luke said.
"Luke…look I can't ok? You don't understand. I can't leave, I have to be here. " Emily said.
"Over my dead body. No way. Go get dressed." Luke demanded.
"Lu—"
"Now Emily." Luke said in a fatherly tone which left no room for argument.
Emily looked down and walked to the back leaving Luke on stage, to take the verbal brunt of the very angry club attendants.
As Emily walked to the back, her arm was roughly grabbed by Tom who was watching in the wings.
"Tom, I'm sorry ok? I tried to stay, but Luke's not giving me a choice tonight. Please, please don't hurt anyone." Emily begged, starting to cry.
"You can go home tonight, but tomorrow you better be here. Understood?" Tom sneered.
Emily simply nodded her head as Tom let her go.
After changing, Emily soon joined Luke by the door as he escorted her to his car.
"You wanna tell me what the hell you were doing up there little missy?" Luke asked.
"Luke, please. You don't understand." Emily said, not sure what to say to the man that has been another father to her all these years.
"Don't even try it Emily. Just don't. I want you to tell me why you were here." Luke said with some authority.
"Because there's no choice." Emily simply said, then proceeded to stare out her window, not wanting to Luke look in the eyes nor have him see her cry.
Luke took Emily's answer for what it was (for the moment) and began to drive Em back to the cottage.
Nik's Cottage-
Emily and Luke arrived back at the cottage, but before going in, Emily had quietly asked Luke not to say anything.
"Fine. For now. But don't let me catch you in there again, got it?" Luke said.
"Yes Luke." Emily complied.
"Hey guys." Em said as she and Luke walked in the door.
"Hey." Everyone said.
"Officer Smith. What are you doing here? I didn't think I'd be seeing you again." Emily asked.
"Hi Serena. You can call me Zander by the way. I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but there's something you need to know." Zander started.
"What is it?" Emily asked, having a strong feeling she knew what it was.
"Um…well there's no easy way to say this…Tom Baker escaped from jail again." Zander said, voice full of sympathy toward Em.
"Okay…not against you personally Zander, but why can't any police department so far keep him behind bars where he belongs?" Emily wondered aloud.
"I wish I knew, but I found out a few hours ago and immediately came to warn you." Zander said.
"Thanks. I'll be more alert."
"And…there's something you should know Zander. My real name is not Serena. It's Emily. I was using Serena as an alias due to Tom." Emily said truthfully.
"Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you Emily. I'm always on your side. Just know that." Zander said sincerely.
"Thank you." Emily said.
"No problem. Well I better be going. Be safe everyone." Zander said as he was about to turn around. However, a picture caught his eye.
"Um, excuse me. I don't mean to be rude or anything but if I may ask, who is that in the picture right there?" Zander asked pointing to a picture of a very young Emily with Paige.
"Oh, that's me ages ago and my mother Paige." Emily said.
"Really? That has to be just a conscience because my mother had the same name." Zander said.
"Really? What was your father's name?" Emily asked, very intrigued.
"Christopher, Christopher Bowen." Zander said.
Lucky barley caught Em in his arms before she hit her head on the floor as she fainted.
"Em!" Lucky exclaimed.
"Zander, I think you might be Emily's brother." Liz quietly commented.
"Well considering Emily just fainted, I think there might be a good chance." Zander quipped.
Nikolas had stepped out of the room and returned a few minutes later with some smelling salts to bring Emily back.
"Wha…what happened." Emily asked, somewhat confused.
"You dropped out on us Em." Nikolas said.
"Why?" Emily asked.
"Well because it looks like Zander is your brother." Liz said.
Emily slowly got up and started to pace.
"It's not that I don't want a brother, biological or otherwise, but why...why didn't mom tell me about you? I don't get it…" Emily said, wanting to cry.
"I think I know why Emily. Let's see how well I do in explaining this…" Zander started out.
"We'll leave you guys alone to talk." Liz said as she, Luke, Lucky, and Nik left.
"Zander, what happened to you?" Emily asked.
"Well, I was 3 years old, when you were born, and I hadn't yet gotten to see you. I knew you were here because dad and Aunt Corrie told me so. Mom was still exhausted. However, I was kidnapped and I never saw you, mom or dad again. They told me that all of you had died in a car crash. And there was no evidence to disprove what I was being told. Plus I was 3 and wasn't sure what to believe. So I believed you, mom and dad dead. I guess mom and dad were told on their end that I had been killed. I guess if mom rarely spoke about me that was probably why. It was probably very hard for her to speak of me." Zander said.
"So, if you were kidnapped, then where did you live? Who raised you?" Emily asked her older brother.
"I was raised by Carol and Cameron Lewis-Smith. I lived in Florida since I was kidnapped. They didn't kidnap me though. I honestly don't know who kidnapped me, nor do I want to know."
"How could someone steal a 3 year old boy away from his parents? How? Why? Was it revenge of some kind against Daddy or Mama?" Emily wondered aloud.
"I don't know Emily." Zander said.
"I mean why would someone do that? And if I remember how emotional Mama got, this must have made her distraught. She had to be…Zander? This is going to sound SO strange, but…what was it like to be kidnapped?"
"Scary as hell. I mean I was only 3 years old at the time and I was watching TV. I remember seeing a commercial for a teddy bear and because I knew that the new baby was a girl, I wanted to get it to give to her. So I heard the frontdoor open andI thought it was Dad or Aunt Corrie coming to pick me up so I could see you. I wanted to tell them about the bear I saw. But when I looked up, it wasn't them. Just a masked man. I never found out who he was…All I really ever wanted to do since then – despite my new adoptive parents who were loving and caring, was go home to Mom & Dad and my baby sister. I didn't even know your name yet!" Zander said, voice rising but soon lowering, tears glistening in his eyes, showing the desperation of a young boy who just wanted to be with his family again.
"So what about you? Please tell me about you." Zander inquired.
"Well…I think dad died when I was about 2. I don't remember him at all. Well with the exception of first meeting him when I was in a coma, but I'll get there I'm sure. Anyway, Mom…uh…well she died when I was 11 of breast cancer. She…she died in my arms. It still hurts so much at times. Anyway, I was stupid enough to get hooked to drugs soon after, which included trying to fly off roofs and overdosing. In addition I was adopted by the Quartermaine family. I didn't want to be at first, but they did become my family after a while. Then I ended up pregnant, and ran away from home…let's just say that's a longer story than I have time to actually tell tonight." Emily said in a reflective but hollow tone.
"So Mom and Dad are…?" Zander said, not willing to finish his question.
"Yeah…they are." Emily said, starting to cry but quickly launching herself at her brother.
Not breaking the hug, Zander looked Emily in the eyes.
"You know, with the exception of some features from Dad, you are an exact replica of Mom."
"Same goes for you, only you definitely resemble Daddy." Emily said smiling.
Znader hugged Emily once more, both of them still crying.
"My baby sister. My beautiful little baby sister." Zander said through his tears as he held Emily close, never wanting to let her go.
And for the first time in Emily's life (not counting her children) she finally had a blood relative in Port Charles.
(Author's Notes- See? I told ya I had something planned for Zander. :-) Hope everyone liked this chapter. Not sure when the next chapter will be up. Hopefully soon. Please Read and Review!!! Thanks! --Am)
