Two updates in one week? Miraculous! –Probably because this is just the preview chapter adjusted for grammar (I hope) and it's place in the actual story, but I won't tell if you won't. Seriously, this timing is very close to a miracle, so don't get used to it, guys
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"Shawn, I'm taking my break," Ethan called up the boardinghouse steps, as he approached the newly arrived Kristina with a fresh pot of coffee.
After getting over her initial shock as his reappearance three weeks earlier, Kristina had embraced his presence gratefully, and quickly enough the two had restored their old camaraderie as if they had never been apart. She was now in the habit of visiting the diner almost daily. Alexis had shown concern at the reattachment, but Shawn put her at ease. After all, he was starting to see a light in Kristina's eyes—dim as it was—for the first time in a long while.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome," Ethan replied, before his face broke into a teasing grin. "You know, this stuff will stain your teeth, not to mention stunt your growth, and you can't afford that, can you, love?"
Kristina made a face at him. "I'll take my chances."
"So have you decided what you're going to do?" Ethan asked. He knew all about Trey and Kristina's planned relocation to LA, and had suggested that she get away from Port Charles and her memories by following her original plan to spend a year studying aboard.
Kristina shook her head. "No go. Mom's in hovering mode right now, she'd never let me go as far as Florence."
Ethan couldn't blame Alexis for her worry, and although he would personally handle the situation by allowing the woman some distance, he was not a parent.
"But maybe if I told her I was staying in Rome with Brenda and Alec…do you think that would work?"
But before Ethan could answer, the overhead bell rang.
"Goddess-in-Training," panted Spinelli, as the door to Kelly's closed behind him. "I am fortunate to have found you."
Kristina turned around in her chair. "Why is that?" She studied the private investigator with the beginnings of a furrowed brow. "Sam had you tail me in case I was with Ethan, didn't she?"
"No, my Reluctant Mob Princess, neither Mr. Sir nor any of your fellow goddesses sent me to extract you from your beau."
"Good, because I am an adult. My life is my business, and please never use the phrase 'mob princess' again."
"I second that," voiced Sam from the doorway. "Hey, you two. We were hoping you'd be together."
"Just so we're clear, I'm not Kristina's…does anyone other than Spinelli even use the word 'beau' anymore?"
"Molly," chorused the sisters.
Ethan nodded in concession of the point. "Still can't believe she has one of those. So, to what do we owe the pleasure?"
Sam sighed. "I don't know exactly how pleasant you'll find a speedy exit, but that's what we're working with here."
"Wait a minute, why does he have to leave?"
"Krissy, Spinelli has intelligence that says one of the Cassadine private jets is in the air and headed this way. We've contacted Sonny, he's going to send some men to help smuggle Ethan out of the country."
Kristina barely suppressed a growl. She was still furious at Sonny for making a mockery of Trey's memorial.
"Helena?" Ethan guessed.
"Yeah, we…we think so." Sam replied.
"Oh shit."
"But you can't go. I…I just lost Trey. I can't loose you too."
"Unfortunately, we can only assume that Her Royal Sadist has nothing pleasant planned for the son of the Proud—" He trailed off with a grimace as Sam's elbow connected with his side. "You have…excellent aim, Fair Samantha."
"Remind me to never piss you off," Ethan added pulling a chair out for Spinelli, who sat, and continued to massage the offended area. Sam ignored both of them and held her little sister's shoulders.
"You know Ethan won't be safe in Port Charles if Helena's really after him. She's twisted, and she doesn't know when to stop."
"That's putting it lightly," came a distinctly humorless laugh
"Gracious greetings, Mother of the Goddesses " said Spinelli directing everyone's attention to the descending attorney, whose appearance brought forth another gusty sigh from her middle daughter.
"Let's make this a family event while we're at it! Molly's got to be around here somewhere, right? I mean she's never too far away from TJ."
"Oh, cheer up, Kristina," Ethan joked. "You've just achieved full deity status in the last five minutes."
"And to answer your question, honey: no. Molly is at the house looking after Daniel. She is safely away—thank God—from any scenario involving TJ and the empty boardinghouse. I know this, because Shawn and I have been making use of the empty boardinghouse all afternoon. You really are too easy, Cookie," she added handed the spluttering girl a napkin. "Can't you tell when I'm kidding you by now. Besides if we were doing anything, there is nothing that would ruin my mood quite as quickly as hearing that old shrew's name. How much time until she descends."
The last question was directed at Sam, who found her voice with a sharp cough. "No way to tell."
"Is there at least time for me to say goodbye to Luke?" Ethan wanted to know.
The private investigators shared a skeptical look.
"It would be prudent to vacate the premises immediately," Spinelli replied. "Our job is to escort Ethan to the Metro Court, and into the care of Max and Milo."
"Safely," added Sam, "bring him safely, but not directly, Ethan deserves to say goodbye to his father. For God sake, they've only seen each other once since Dante got the American ambassador to Turkey to negotiate Luke's release, but I can handle this if you'd rather go back to the office…"
"It would be unwise to risk the wrath of Mr. Sir and his associates by allowing you to transport and guard three civilians by yourself, not to mention ungentlemanly."
Sam smirked. That was exactly what she had expected him to say. "So you've made your choice. Good, let's go."
Spinelli looked so taken aback by this turn of events that Alexis had to laugh. "Sam, my darling, you really should have been a lawyer."
0o0o0o
The five of them were squeezed into the ascending elevator, because Spinelli had insisted—as condition of the detour, and a way to expedite the process—that the remaining four would pack Ethan's belongings while he said his goodbyes to Luke and Carly. The former was not too hard to find, he happened to be approaching just as the elevator doors slid open.
"Ladies, Dodge," he greeted, acknowledging Spinelli's presence with a nod. "Is there a party I didn't know about?"
"Not in less the guest of honor is…what's that pet name you have for Helena, Dad?"
"There were a few actually…good times…"
Alexis snorted. "As someone who has personally had the misfortune of watching you flirt with the old hag, I have to tell you it was truly nauseating."
"Are we a little jealous, Natasha?"
"Funny. You're a regular comedian, aren't you?"
"You know you love me." Luke gave her his most charming smile.
Alexis ignored him, but her eyes were sparkling. "Goodbye, Ethan. I hope you stay safe. We'll wait for Max and Milo, and send them your way."
"They've been here," Luke called, as Ethan released Kristina from a hug. Sam—who had already turned halfway around—spun on her heel.
"'Been here," she repeated slowly. "As in been here and gone."
"Yep."
"What the hell, Luke?"
"This is indeed a most distressing turn of events," Spinelli commented, quailing slightly under Luke's glare.
"The Dodger isn't in any danger, so I saw no reason for a guard team."
Alexis scoffed. "Right, because to you, Helena is just a fluffy little pussycat. It was one of the nicknames…Pussycat. Don't look at me like I'm insane, I am your mother!"
Sam and Kristina immediately rearranged their expressions into masks of neutrality, while Ethan pursed his lips in consideration. "I think Spinelli's moniker fits her better."
"Believe me, if Helena had any actual claim to the throne, Europe as we know it would cease to exist. Which brings me to join my daughter in asking why you, Luke, would send away your son's best chance at protection."
"Plenty of people could be in possession of your family jet, Natasha."
"What are you talking about?"
"Let's say, for the sake of argument, that one of your other relatives was making a glorious return."
"Like Nik?" Kristina spoke up hopefully.
Alexis's heart dropped. She knew how dearly Kristina missed her cousin, and the bond they had developed in Kiefer's wake. "Oh, honey, while nothing would delight me more than a visit from my nephews, I'm positive Nikolas and Spencer have said goodbye to Port Charles for good. And they—aside from the four of us—are the last of the Cassadine clan."
"Yes, but you know as well as I do that are several coward Cassadines who could be hiding out on some other private island…ducking charges, perhaps."
"Mom?" Sam raised her eyebrows.
"He's blowing smoke, though I have no idea why."
"Can't see I'm surprised you're reacting like this. It's an unbelievable story, and I've hardly done it justice."
0o0o0o
Kristina glanced around the Metro Court dining room, trying unsuccessfully to find something besides clinking cutlery to fill the silence "Okay, this is got to be the most painful meal I've ever sat through, and that includes those dinners with Dad."
"Well, that's because Luke has yet enlighten the rest of us as to the identity of this redeemed Cassadine," Alexis replied. "Who is it?"
Luke set down his fork and lifted his head to meet her gaze. "Your darling brother, Stefan."
"Your mum has brothers?" Ethan whispered. Kristina nodded, holding up two fingers. She was too worried about her mother's current expression of shock to respond verbally. Finally, Sam asked the question on everyone's mind. "What's the story there?"
"Stefan and Nikolas are apparently on good terms again, and Nikolas's position as CEO of General Hospital puts him in touch with Monica. She told him…"
"Told him about Jason's death," Sam supplied in a whisper.
"How dare you!" Her voice was calm, but as biting as winters chill showing her Cassadine roots in every syllable.
"Natasha?"
"No, you don't get to do that! You will not call me that in the same breath as you are mocking my brother's suicide, and my son-in-law's death!"
Luke seemed—it appeared to the onlookers—genuinely sad for the pain he was causing his friend. "The plan wasn't supposed to go this well."
"What plan would that be?" Alexis snapped.
"Look in Helena's her mind Nikolas was the perfect heir. As long as nothing threatened her influence over Nikolas, as long as she could groom him as she liked, Helena really had no use for Stefan…until Emily Quartermaine came along. You're aware of the history between the Quartermaines and the Cassadines…how your uncle Tony was engaged to Edward's niece, Alexandria? Until, they accidentally walked into Mikkos's ice chamber and froze to death, that is. Mikkos never did like Alex and Tony…well he was what they call collateral damage."
Kristina paled. "Mikkos didn't mean to kill him though, right? I mean even Dad wouldn't kill Ric or Courtney."
"The Cassadines have an entirely different moral code," Ethan explained as gently as he could.
"Which is exactly why I don't what I don't want my daughters exposed to their antics. They've already heard enough. Sam why don't you follow Kristina home? Daniel is probably missing his momma by now."
"Home, that's a good idea, I've just about lost my appetite anyway. Come on, Kris."
Alexis was relieved to see her daughters (accompanied by Spinelli, who had taken the same car as Sam) depart from the sight of such as macabre conversation. She would have gladly joined them, but for the fact that the idea of Stefan's "resurrection" held as much power over her as Stefan himself had enjoyed in person.
If nothing else, the way she just jumped to his defense—even in death—was proof that she had missed him, missed even the uncaring incarnation of her beloved brother that had returned from Milan. This was something Alexis resented as fully and completely as she would have welcomed any other emotion that set her apart from the notoriously cold and unfeeling Cassadines. But perhaps Luke held the answer to her brother's downward spiral, an answer she had been wanting for almost a decade now.
And so she stayed…
"Alexis?" Ethan's voice brought her out her musings. "Alexis, are you all right?"
"Fine," she insisted. "I'm just…hot, really, really hot." And in order to keep up the illusion that this was her only problem, Alexis began to fan herself with the placard that advertised the Metro Court's specials. "You were talking about the Quartermaines?"
Luke nodded. "Helena tracked Stefan to Milan after she found out through one of her many lackeys that Stefan had allowed Nikolas to become involved with Emily."
"Involved?" Alexis parroted. "If—in keeping with your theory—Helena had someone keeping track of Nikolas—"
"And she did," Luke repeated.
"If that were the case than she would have known that he was engaged to Gia Campbell at the time."
"Do you really think Helena cared whether or not they had a love connection?" asked Luke. "Bottom line, she made quite clear to Stefan that if he didn't make it his mission to dispose of Emily, he wasn't worth the breath he took."
"Color me shocked," muttered Alexis. It disgusted her that Stefan who had been a beacon of steadfast resistance against Helena in his youth, could ever acquiesce to such a blatant manipulation. However, she knew the Cassadines saw strength in the trait of self-preservation, and Stefan was no different…apparently at the expense of everyone else, including she and Nikolas, the family he had claimed to love. "I fail to see where you fit in, Luke."
"Moi, well I saved the parasite, of course."
"Saved him, right," Alexis drawled. "As I recall you were second only to Helena in your desire to dance on his grave."
"Okay, you got me, I hated Count Vlad with every fiber of my being, but I love my children and I would've do anything to protect Lucky from being re-traumatized, even it meant helping Stefan make Helena think he was dead, so she wouldn't come back and do it herself. She actually congratulated me at the funeral, you know?"
"Oh, I bet she did!" Alexis snarled. "What about the stabbing, and Stefan falling off the cliff?"
"All staged," Luke admitted. "Lucky had already called a boat for Stefan to swim out to when he landed. Of course he still had to arrest me to make everything seem on the up and up."
"And you told me none of this while I was defending you?"
On his own from the age of fifteen, Ethan had seen and done so many amoral and illegal things that very little shocked him. This however… "You defended the man who supposedly killed your own brother?"
"The charges were dropped after Stefan's death was ruled a suicide," Alexis informed him.
"Forging that sure came in handy." Luke grinned bitterly. "Common enemy or not, I knew the little weasel would try and frame me for his 'murder', and it looks like I was right, wasn't I?"
Alexis had never experienced such a pounding headache when sober. She stood up, massaging her temples, and took her coat off the back of the chair. "I have better things to do than stand here and listen to you gloat. In fact, what I really want to do is spend the rest of the night with my daughters, and my grandson, so if you'll excuse me."
"Do you want me to give you a ride home?" Ethan offered.
"No, I mean thank you, Ethan, but no. I just wanted…I want to apologize for what Helena's done. You have no place in this Spencer versus Cassadine nonsense, and I'm just glad this ended up being a false alarm."
He grinned crookedly. "You and me both."
Pretty please spend the thirty seconds it takes to send an actual review. I'd appreciate it, even if it's CONSTRUCTIVE criticism.
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