Bloodlines
Part Seven
Laura wrenched open the door to Stefan's office at General Hospital.
"Laura? Is something wrong?" Stefan asked in concern.
"Is what Luke told me the truth?"
Stefan sat back in resignation. "I am certain Luke has told you many things. Which particular thing would you like me to explain to you?"
"Is Andresj' adopted?"
"Yes, I adopted him into my family."
"He is so much like you, Stefan. He looks like you and acts like you . . . I always assumed -"
"That he was truly my son? No, there is no blood relation-ship between us. But he is no less my son because of that fact. Surely that is not all you came here to ask, Laura."
"Did you adopt Andresj' because you were responsible for the death of his parents?"
"Yes."
Stefan's simple answer caught Laura off-guard. She had expected any response from him but this.
"What could they have possibly done to you that would have cost them their lives?"
Stefan shook his head. "How righteously you hurl accusations at me, Laura. But you are as much to blame for the deaths of Andresj's parents as anyone."
"Me? How? I was nowhere near Greece when it would have happened."
"Precisely." He rose and quietly shut the office door. Turning, Stefan stared at Laura, debating whether he should continue. His decision made, he invited her to sit. "The best - and worst - moments of my life occurred when those private paternity tests showed that Nikolas was indeed my son. The joy I felt at knowing that there existed living proof of our connection was immense. You and I shared a child, Lasha. I wanted to announce it from the mountaintops."
Turning from her, he replayed painful memories inside his mind. "Just as quickly I realized that I would probably never know the joy of hearing my child call me 'Father'. That I would endure each day watching Stavros and Helena try to mold that helpless little being into their own images. Still, I took comfort in the knowledge that you would be there to provide the child the kind of love Helena never chose to give me. I harbored no long-term fantasies where you and I were concerned, but I never thought of my child's future without you in it."
Stefan suddenly looked at Laura, his gaze seeming to touch her very core. "When you deserted Nikolas-"
"I didn't 'desert' Nikolas! I entrusted him to you!" Laura cried.
"When you deserted Nikolas," Stefan repeated quietly, "I was unprepared. I had made plans for every eventuality, or so I thought. I knew what I would do if Stavros or Helena discovered the truth about Nikolas; how I would protect you both. But what I had no plan for was you walking away from him."
"Stefan-"
"My life became consumed with Nikolas and his safety from Helena. Each day I cared for him I walked the fine line between keeping the secret of his paternity and acknowledging that he was my son. Each day I sat across the table from my mother and wondered if that would be the day the secret was exposed and his life made forfeit." He paused, lost again in memory. "One day one of my men informed me that Helena was quietly making arrangements concerning a local child. I was afraid for Nikolas. Were these reports genuine, or a ruse designed by Helena to provoke me into action? Ultimately I realized it did not matter. I could not react, regardless. So I did nothing - but watch. And my mother's quest brought her closer to me and the few servants whose loyalty to me was unquestioned. It was only a matter of time before she sought Piotr out."
"Andresj's father?" Laura asked.
"And my loyal servant for many years. We were nearly the same age. I suppose that under different circumstances we might have been friends. Nonetheless, I knew that Helena would look for answers there."
"He knew?"
"Of our alliance? I am certain he did, though we never spoke of it. If you will recall, Piotr was always with me during those moments you and I 'happened' to meet."
"What happened?"
Stefan crossed his arms, unconsciously shielding himself from the painful memories. "It had become my custom to allow Piotr to return home during dinner each day to be with his wife and child. That particular evening he was to return with his small son, so that he might see the horses in our stable. We had agreed upon the visit earlier in the week. Piotr was punctual, almost to a fault. So when he did not return as planned, I became concerned. Thoughts of Helena's ruthlessness were never far from my mind. I know now that I should have followed my instincts and gone to check on him, but at the time I could not justify such action for an employee who could simply have forgotten my casual invitation to make use of the stables. So I waited. When several hours had passed and Piotr still had not returned, I quietly dispatched Spiros to check. He returned shortly, distraught and out-of-breath."
- flashback -
"Mr. Cassadine, you had better come with me!"
"What is it, Spiros?"
"It is horrible! Piotr and Ariana are dead, murdered in their home."
- | -
"I knew before Spiros spoke that Piotr was dead, and that Helena was no doubt responsible. But even I did not anticipate the extent of her determination to discover the truth of Nikolas' paternity. Helena had sent me a message. By killing not only Piotr but his wife as well, Helena served notice of both her determination and her anger."
"That is horrible story, Stefan." Laura rose and walked over to the desk where he stood. Sympathetically, she placed her hand softly on his arm. "But what happened wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault but Helena's."
"How easily you absolve me of responsibility, Laura. And yourself. But then, you were not the one to see them lying there, throats cut, covered in blood. Nor did you have the constable tell you that Piotr's dying words were directed toward you. Or that dying, he struggled to calm his young son who was distressed by the bloody scene he had stumbled into." Stefan continued mercilessly, "How fortunate for you, Laura. You were here, with your true family."
Laura jerked her hand back as if she had been burned. "I am sorry for what happened, Stefan! But I had to do what was best for us all, and that included you and Nikolas."
"So you have said many times before," Stefan agreed wearily. "Go home, Laura. Luke is no doubt waiting."
Bloodlines
Part Eight
Visitors to General Hospital agreed that the Michael Cates Wing, with its open courtyard, was the among the most beautiful pieces of architecture to be seen. For the staff, the courtyard was a place to relax and regroup during breaks, or to sit and enjoy nature while they ate.
Andresj' liked going there because the guards were able to allow him more personal space. From their point of view, the courtyard was the most secure area within the hospital's grounds. And it wasn't that he disliked Anton or Arman; but every now and then he enjoyed the sensation of being on his own.
Like now. Closing his eyes, he raised his face toward the afternoon sun and enjoyed its warmth on his face. All too soon, though, a shadow blocked the source of his pleasure. Sighing, he opened his eyes.
"What a handsome man you have become."
"Hello, Grandmother," Andresj' replied, pushing back from the table and rising from the elaborate metal chair in which he sat. Obediently he kissed the cheek Helena presented to him. "Are you here to see Papa?" he asked.
"No. I have come to see you."
As Andresj' prepared to pull out another chair from the table, he was forestalled by his two guards. They had returned to his side immediately upon Helena's approach.
"Mrs. Cassadine will not be staying," Arman stated. Turning to Helena, he continued. "Mr. Cassadine has ordered it so."
"See, your papa wishes to turn you against me though I have done you no harm," Helena pointed out to Andresj'. "I only wanted to give you your birthday present. I have no doubt now that I will not be allowed to participate in this milestone in your life."
"Papa does what is best for me," Andresj' replied uncomfortably.
"Some day," Helena replied cryptically, "you may change your mind about that." Handing him the small box, she turned and allowed Anton to escort her back to the hospital.
********************
"Another pointless confrontation with Laura," Stefan remarked to himself. It seemed that their every conversation lately followed the same pattern. Laura would accuse him of some horrible deed while he was left to defend himself time and again. How amazing that she demanded complete loyalty of him, while at the same time watching -and sometimes abetting - Luke as he regularly tried to destroy the Cassadine family. Stefan wondered, not for the first time, just what had bound him to Laura all those many years ago. What had he seen in her that had driven him to obsession, willing to sacrifice anything and everything for her? Willing to sacrifice anyone. What an appropriate choice of words . . .
-- flashback -
Blood was everywhere, on the walls and on the floors. It was as if someone had taken a giant pail and simply splashed it haphazardly throughout the room. After his initial glance, Stefan tried to ignore the two bodies lying lifeless before him. While the constable put forth his theory regarding the murders, Stefan concentrated on surreptitiously looking for any sign that Helena - or her henchmen - had been there.
He realized that the constable's conversation had ceased, so he forced his attention back to their discussion. "I am sorry, Constable. You were saying?"
"I said that it looks like the woman was killed first. The blood near that slash across her throat is pretty sticky." The Constable noticed Stefan's wince at his graphic description. "I understand that this is not pleasant for you, Mr. Cassadine, but the sooner we gather information the better chance we'll have to catch whoever did this."
"Yes, of course. How may I be of assistance?"
"I was asking if you knew of anyone who would wish to harm your employee and his wife?"
Stefan answered carefully, "I am not privy to all the details of my employees' personal lives. But I am not aware of anyone that Piotr or Ariana might have harmed."
"Is there someone who might have wished to send a message to you or your family with this act?" the constable delicately inquired. He had no desire to alienate the man standing before him. To be on the wrong side of the Cassadine family was a dangerous thing.
Stefan felt a prickle of apprehension. "What would lead you to ask such a question?" he asked, as neutrally as he could.
"Your employee's last words were intended for you, it seems. My officer arrived on the scene moments before Piotr Leonivich died. He would not answer questions about his attacker, but instead insisted that you be given a message."
"What was the message?"
The constable made a show of consulting his pad, as if he hadn't studied the words many times over. 'Tell Stefan I didn't betray him.' "What do you think he meant by that?"
********************
Diane had lost track of the number of books on the large wooden table. Anyone observing from across the room would have trouble locating the person using them, so high were they stacked.
'It's been almost twenty years,' Diane thought, pushing back a stray lock of hair from her face. 'How am I supposed to find him? It's one thing to search for someone here in the United States. Looking for him in another country is a different matter altogether.'
"May I help you?" a confident young voice inquired. Looking up, Diane saw a dreadlocked young man smiling at her. "I'm Kris. I volunteer here during the summer."
"Was it so obvious that I needed help?" Diane asked.
"A little."
"Well," she began, "I am trying to locate the son of a friend. She is deceased now, and the only information I have to go on is very vague. I have the boy's first name and one or two other family names. But I don't know where to begin searching for him. I'm afraid these books weren't very much help."
"Greece, Italy, Europe . . . " he read aloud. "You're looking for someone overseas. That changes the game plan." Kris began gathering an armful of books. "Let's put these on the cart to be re-shelved. Then I'll introduce you to our library's latest resource - the internet."