Chapter 3
The man slipped into a hospital closet and tried to slow his breathing. He had been dangerously close to discovery by Alexis and had nearly stopped breathing when she appeared to see something beyond his disguise. Thankfully, the vacant room that he had ducked into was a utility closet and she had not followed him. "I can only save Stefan if I work alone." His richly accented voice permeated the comfortable darkness of the closet. Small spaces had bothered him greatly as a younger man but with maturity came both an acceptance and challenge to his fears. After everything that he had been through, his fears appeared to be mere trifles.
"How fares he?" The other voice in the closet came as a complete shock to the man. He whirled in surprise, reaching for his weapon even as the voice became familiar to him.
"You were nearly killed!" The man didn't know if he should throttle his companion or hug her.
"You would have known it was me." The teasing note in the woman's voice was a welcome moment of levity. "I'm just shocked that you didn't realize it when you stepped into the room. My perfume is rather distinctive."
He sighed rather dramatically and pulled the female form into his arms. "Stefan is in the throes of her poison now. There is nothing we can do but wait for the moment."
"Then we wait." His companion expelled a breath and pressed closer. "You are just a man. You are not responsible for everything that happens to Stefan Cassadine."
A long silence ensued as the man absorbed the truth of his companion's words. "Perhaps, but this time I failed and Stefan will die."
~*~
Helena Cassadine looked around her yacht before settling into a warm bath that her loving servant had prepared. "Andreas, you are a prince among men." Her voice was a near coo as the warm water relaxed tense muscles and calmed her senses.
"Thank you madam." The young man's reply conveyed his distraction. Helena spared him a sharp look, her mood turning dangerous, as he did not react to the changes in her.
"Andreas?" Helena's voice had taken on a distinctive edge. She hated being second to anyone or anything. "Andreas, answer me!"
Her voice was finally a screech that he could no longer ignore. "Yes madam?"
"I require your services." She seethed, bearing her back to him. "And I do suggest that you keep your mind occupied with my needs. I would hate to see you make a mistake and meet the same fate as your dear twin."
Andreas' hands clenched around a bar of soap until the gooey matter oozed out of his palm and dripped into the water. Someday he would make her pay... Unable to act on his most fervent dream, Andreas instead turned to the unpleasant task of washing the Cassadine matriarch's back. If only her beautiful evil could be washed away so easily!
Helena's mood brightened as the young man did her bidding. She really did like him and it was a pity that he was not more receptive to her hints. She had always wanted a more intimate relationship with this particular assistant but he was so shy. His twin had been a spark of passion but Andreas was more of a thinker instead of a man of action. She mentally scrolled through her staff, wondering which man she should invite to share her bed after her bath.
A burst of cold air pulled Helena out of her musings as one of her favorite bed partners entered the chamber. "Mikhail, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Madam." The handsome Slavic blond nodded in deference and gave Andreas a small smile in greeting. "I have found photographs that will interest you." Pride puffed the young man's chest out; he knew that this discovery would solidify his position in Helena's employ.
Surprise caused her eyes to widen as she rose from the ornate bathtub. "Andreas, dry me and find my robe please." She inclined her head to young Mikhail. "You may make yourself comfortable in my room. I will meet with you there."
The young man bobbed his head obediently and left the room.
"He is quite like a puppy dog is he not, Andreas?" Helena observed. The soft chamois cloth tantalized her skin before the warmth of the robe enveloped her. She suddenly felt particularly charitable toward Andreas. "You may go to the mainland and stay in my suite at the hotel, Andreas. Just be certain to clean up here before you leave."
Andreas offered Helena a smile at these words. "Thank you madam." She glided out of the room, and he bent over the tub. As soon as she had disappeared, though, he abandoned all pretense of cleaning to move to a hidden panel in the wall. "What are you up to?" he asked. It took only scant minutes to set up the spying devices that had been present since Luke Spencer owned the yacht.
"Hello Mikhail." Helena greeted. She gave her loyal man a deep kiss, but was shocked when he pulled away. What spirit of independence had gotten into her staff?
"Madam I have something very interesting for you." Helena hated the way he was preening and prancing about as if he was a peacock.
"Well then, on with it." Her patience was gone and her good nature eroded even further as the young man made a show of pulling some photographs out of the manila envelope in his hands.
"Do these people look familiar to you madam?" The man's excitement caused the pictures to tremble in his hands.
Helena stared at the photos in absolute shock. After a few long moments she traced the masculine curves of the man's face. There was an air of sadness to her touch. After a time, she looked up to Mikhail with tears glistening in her eyes. "How and why did he choose to betray me so?"
Mikhail was uncomfortable with the emotions Helena was displaying. Andreas ' function was to take care of her when she got morose but of course, he was nowhere to be found! "I don't know." He said sullenly. Wasn't she going to reward him for finding the photographs?
"Well, you must find them Mikhail. Find them and kill them both." Helena let out a brittle chuckle as she held the photograph up to the light.
Andreas pressed his eyes against the small peephole and tried to strain to see the photograph. This was something big; he could tell that by the emotion in Helena's voice. He felt a sense of impending doom as she and Mikhail spoke.
As the photograph caught the romantic light, everything suddenly became clear to Andreas. "I have to warn them," he exclaimed softly before hurrying off the yacht.
~*~
Damon willed his hands to stop shaking as he absorbed the news. Their family was falling apart and this was no time for him to lose control. He had to stay strong for Alexis, for Stefan, For Nikolas, and even for Alek. Times of stress aggravated his brother's severe asthma and Damon knew that the transatlantic flight would be a trial at the best of times for his sometimes weak twin. He would have to be the one to direct and manage this crisis for them all.
"Zeus?" Damon's head snapped up at the sweetest of female voices. It was his compadre, his lover Liana. He started to move toward her for comfort then pulled up and skidded to a stop. She wasn't alone. She was beyond not being alone; Luke Spencer hung on her arm. On her other side was a younger man, most likely Lucky Spencer. His life was getting more interesting by the moment.
"Hi Li." His voice sounded raspy to his ears. Between the emotion of the phone call, a day of interviews and a night of performing in front of thousands of people, his voice was weak and it showed the stress of his emotions, even as he tried to paint a carefree expression on his face.
Liana studied him carefully. "Are you all right?" Though he looked physically well there was certain grayness to his complexion that alerted her to some intangible problem.
Zeus closed his eyes for the briefest of moments. "We'll talk later. Why don't you introduce us."
Liana frowned. She wanted to pursue whatever was bothering her boyfriend but could not think of a way to get rid of her father and brother. They wouldn't likely leave anyway, she realized. "Dad....Lucky, this is my boss. This is Zeus Taylor. Zeus, my dad, Luke Spencer and my brother Lucky Spencer."
Zeus extended a hand to the older and younger men. As Damon, he studied them critically; taking in Luke's tired expression and imagining what circumstances had been like when his elder brother and father had died at his hands. As Zeus, he sized Luke up, wondering what he suspected if anything about his relationship with Liana.
Luke watched the younger man carefully. There was something very familiar about him, something that tugged at the edges of Luke's consciousness with warning bells but he couldn't figure out why. Zeus was a good looking enough guy and his body language was far from menacing. Maybe he was just reacting as a father looking out for his daughter's health and safety. He made a mental note to figure out what about the guy bothered him, before greeting him.
"So, you're the guy that has his paws all over my little girl. " he drawled before taking the other man's hand in a crushing grip.
"Daddy!" Liana's eyes flew wide open. "It's part of the act that's all." She gave Zeus a panicked glance. "Tell him Zeus."
Zeus was so tired. He extracted his hand and shook Lucky's next before sinking to a nearby chair. "It's part of the act." His voice was absolutely devoid of emotion.
Lucky nodded swiftly. He was willing to trust the guy, for the moment anyway. He and Liana had a policy. They cared about each other without intruding in romantic matters. If Liana needed some advice, he was willing to give it, but if she didn't he wasn't about to parcel nuggets of advice out unsolicited. "Yeah we know that." He offered. "Dad just overreacts to everything." He wanted to like the guy for Liana's sake.
"So your act means you can fondle my little girl?" Luke pressed onward.
"Daddy that is enough!" Liana was getting worried about the look on Zeus' face. "If you can't be nice, then go get a bite to eat and we'll meet you at our hotel in a short while. The surroundings are a lot more plush to harangue my boss." The old Spencer sarcasm was present in every word. She handed the men a room key and a map.
Luke chuckled. "All right I'll give you two some alone time, but you better be there in a half hour or I'm sending out the dogs."
Lucky placed an arm on Luke's shoulder and guided him away. "Dad, you're starting to sound like a Cassadine. Enough is enough." With a final wave to Zeus, he guided his father out of the room.
Zeus watched them leave and managed a small smile. "Your father is singularly over the top Li."
She nodded a reply, then sank to her knees in front of him. "What's wrong, my love. I haven't seen you like this before. Was meeting my dad that much of a trial?" Her hands wound around his neck, and she started to massage the rock hard muscles there. "You're so tense. Trust me, Zeus, my dad isn't a pussycat but he's easily controlled, as long as you're not a Cassadine. He has no time for them, not even my brother Nikolas." She pulled away to brush Zeus' cheek.
He watched her for a few moments. How could he tell her his news? She wasn't ready for it; no she might never be ready for such a revelation. His deception would kill their relationship, would twist and turn it into something feral and unknown. Still, circumstances conspired against his schedule for telling her in the right way. He was stuck with the here and now.
"Zeus what is it?" his continued silence set a ball of fear into the depths of her stomach. It was so unlike him to be quiet, generally she and Alek were shushing him constantly. "Come on, talk to me, honey."
"I have to go home."
He sounded lost. "Home?" Liana echoed. They had never discussed their homes, but she assumed that he based himself out of London and New York. "Why do you need to go home? We're in the middle of a tour!"
Zeus looked at her with pleading eyes. "Family emergency, Liana. Will you come with me, please? I can't do this all alone. My mother has struck again and she wants to destroy us all."
~*~
Zander's eyes widened as the knife pressed against the delicate white skin of Emily's throat. "Don't, " He pleaded, looking into a set of eyes that he knew very well. "If you let her go, I'll do whatever you want."
The man gave Zander a long look. "You're in no position to bargain right now, Alexander. You will do whatever I say or she will die . It's that easy."
Zander took a step closer. "What do you want? I'll do it...now. Please don't hurt her." He reached a hand out, brushing Emily's fingertips before her assailant pulled her out of his reach.
Emily tried to steady her heartbeat and regain her balance. Her eyes bored into Zander's and she wondered if she could gain an advantage over the man that was holding her. Something about him seemed familiar to her in some way, a whisper of some long forgotten memory.
"You want me." Zander asserted. "I'm here. Take me with you. Like I said, I'll do whatever you need."
Emily felt him turn her around to face him. The ski mask obscured everything but his laughing mouth. "Go. Get lost. Get out of my sight or I'll kill you now."
Emily stumbled to freedom. "Zander?" She wasn't about to wander off and leave him in danger.
"It's ok Emily. He doesn't want to hurt me. Family doesn't kill family do they, dad?"
The man shook his head, then pulled off the ski mask and shook his dark wavy hair out.
"It's you." Emily gasped in horror as his face became visible.
The man slipped into a hospital closet and tried to slow his breathing. He had been dangerously close to discovery by Alexis and had nearly stopped breathing when she appeared to see something beyond his disguise. Thankfully, the vacant room that he had ducked into was a utility closet and she had not followed him. "I can only save Stefan if I work alone." His richly accented voice permeated the comfortable darkness of the closet. Small spaces had bothered him greatly as a younger man but with maturity came both an acceptance and challenge to his fears. After everything that he had been through, his fears appeared to be mere trifles.
"How fares he?" The other voice in the closet came as a complete shock to the man. He whirled in surprise, reaching for his weapon even as the voice became familiar to him.
"You were nearly killed!" The man didn't know if he should throttle his companion or hug her.
"You would have known it was me." The teasing note in the woman's voice was a welcome moment of levity. "I'm just shocked that you didn't realize it when you stepped into the room. My perfume is rather distinctive."
He sighed rather dramatically and pulled the female form into his arms. "Stefan is in the throes of her poison now. There is nothing we can do but wait for the moment."
"Then we wait." His companion expelled a breath and pressed closer. "You are just a man. You are not responsible for everything that happens to Stefan Cassadine."
A long silence ensued as the man absorbed the truth of his companion's words. "Perhaps, but this time I failed and Stefan will die."
~*~
Helena Cassadine looked around her yacht before settling into a warm bath that her loving servant had prepared. "Andreas, you are a prince among men." Her voice was a near coo as the warm water relaxed tense muscles and calmed her senses.
"Thank you madam." The young man's reply conveyed his distraction. Helena spared him a sharp look, her mood turning dangerous, as he did not react to the changes in her.
"Andreas?" Helena's voice had taken on a distinctive edge. She hated being second to anyone or anything. "Andreas, answer me!"
Her voice was finally a screech that he could no longer ignore. "Yes madam?"
"I require your services." She seethed, bearing her back to him. "And I do suggest that you keep your mind occupied with my needs. I would hate to see you make a mistake and meet the same fate as your dear twin."
Andreas' hands clenched around a bar of soap until the gooey matter oozed out of his palm and dripped into the water. Someday he would make her pay... Unable to act on his most fervent dream, Andreas instead turned to the unpleasant task of washing the Cassadine matriarch's back. If only her beautiful evil could be washed away so easily!
Helena's mood brightened as the young man did her bidding. She really did like him and it was a pity that he was not more receptive to her hints. She had always wanted a more intimate relationship with this particular assistant but he was so shy. His twin had been a spark of passion but Andreas was more of a thinker instead of a man of action. She mentally scrolled through her staff, wondering which man she should invite to share her bed after her bath.
A burst of cold air pulled Helena out of her musings as one of her favorite bed partners entered the chamber. "Mikhail, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
"Madam." The handsome Slavic blond nodded in deference and gave Andreas a small smile in greeting. "I have found photographs that will interest you." Pride puffed the young man's chest out; he knew that this discovery would solidify his position in Helena's employ.
Surprise caused her eyes to widen as she rose from the ornate bathtub. "Andreas, dry me and find my robe please." She inclined her head to young Mikhail. "You may make yourself comfortable in my room. I will meet with you there."
The young man bobbed his head obediently and left the room.
"He is quite like a puppy dog is he not, Andreas?" Helena observed. The soft chamois cloth tantalized her skin before the warmth of the robe enveloped her. She suddenly felt particularly charitable toward Andreas. "You may go to the mainland and stay in my suite at the hotel, Andreas. Just be certain to clean up here before you leave."
Andreas offered Helena a smile at these words. "Thank you madam." She glided out of the room, and he bent over the tub. As soon as she had disappeared, though, he abandoned all pretense of cleaning to move to a hidden panel in the wall. "What are you up to?" he asked. It took only scant minutes to set up the spying devices that had been present since Luke Spencer owned the yacht.
"Hello Mikhail." Helena greeted. She gave her loyal man a deep kiss, but was shocked when he pulled away. What spirit of independence had gotten into her staff?
"Madam I have something very interesting for you." Helena hated the way he was preening and prancing about as if he was a peacock.
"Well then, on with it." Her patience was gone and her good nature eroded even further as the young man made a show of pulling some photographs out of the manila envelope in his hands.
"Do these people look familiar to you madam?" The man's excitement caused the pictures to tremble in his hands.
Helena stared at the photos in absolute shock. After a few long moments she traced the masculine curves of the man's face. There was an air of sadness to her touch. After a time, she looked up to Mikhail with tears glistening in her eyes. "How and why did he choose to betray me so?"
Mikhail was uncomfortable with the emotions Helena was displaying. Andreas ' function was to take care of her when she got morose but of course, he was nowhere to be found! "I don't know." He said sullenly. Wasn't she going to reward him for finding the photographs?
"Well, you must find them Mikhail. Find them and kill them both." Helena let out a brittle chuckle as she held the photograph up to the light.
Andreas pressed his eyes against the small peephole and tried to strain to see the photograph. This was something big; he could tell that by the emotion in Helena's voice. He felt a sense of impending doom as she and Mikhail spoke.
As the photograph caught the romantic light, everything suddenly became clear to Andreas. "I have to warn them," he exclaimed softly before hurrying off the yacht.
~*~
Damon willed his hands to stop shaking as he absorbed the news. Their family was falling apart and this was no time for him to lose control. He had to stay strong for Alexis, for Stefan, For Nikolas, and even for Alek. Times of stress aggravated his brother's severe asthma and Damon knew that the transatlantic flight would be a trial at the best of times for his sometimes weak twin. He would have to be the one to direct and manage this crisis for them all.
"Zeus?" Damon's head snapped up at the sweetest of female voices. It was his compadre, his lover Liana. He started to move toward her for comfort then pulled up and skidded to a stop. She wasn't alone. She was beyond not being alone; Luke Spencer hung on her arm. On her other side was a younger man, most likely Lucky Spencer. His life was getting more interesting by the moment.
"Hi Li." His voice sounded raspy to his ears. Between the emotion of the phone call, a day of interviews and a night of performing in front of thousands of people, his voice was weak and it showed the stress of his emotions, even as he tried to paint a carefree expression on his face.
Liana studied him carefully. "Are you all right?" Though he looked physically well there was certain grayness to his complexion that alerted her to some intangible problem.
Zeus closed his eyes for the briefest of moments. "We'll talk later. Why don't you introduce us."
Liana frowned. She wanted to pursue whatever was bothering her boyfriend but could not think of a way to get rid of her father and brother. They wouldn't likely leave anyway, she realized. "Dad....Lucky, this is my boss. This is Zeus Taylor. Zeus, my dad, Luke Spencer and my brother Lucky Spencer."
Zeus extended a hand to the older and younger men. As Damon, he studied them critically; taking in Luke's tired expression and imagining what circumstances had been like when his elder brother and father had died at his hands. As Zeus, he sized Luke up, wondering what he suspected if anything about his relationship with Liana.
Luke watched the younger man carefully. There was something very familiar about him, something that tugged at the edges of Luke's consciousness with warning bells but he couldn't figure out why. Zeus was a good looking enough guy and his body language was far from menacing. Maybe he was just reacting as a father looking out for his daughter's health and safety. He made a mental note to figure out what about the guy bothered him, before greeting him.
"So, you're the guy that has his paws all over my little girl. " he drawled before taking the other man's hand in a crushing grip.
"Daddy!" Liana's eyes flew wide open. "It's part of the act that's all." She gave Zeus a panicked glance. "Tell him Zeus."
Zeus was so tired. He extracted his hand and shook Lucky's next before sinking to a nearby chair. "It's part of the act." His voice was absolutely devoid of emotion.
Lucky nodded swiftly. He was willing to trust the guy, for the moment anyway. He and Liana had a policy. They cared about each other without intruding in romantic matters. If Liana needed some advice, he was willing to give it, but if she didn't he wasn't about to parcel nuggets of advice out unsolicited. "Yeah we know that." He offered. "Dad just overreacts to everything." He wanted to like the guy for Liana's sake.
"So your act means you can fondle my little girl?" Luke pressed onward.
"Daddy that is enough!" Liana was getting worried about the look on Zeus' face. "If you can't be nice, then go get a bite to eat and we'll meet you at our hotel in a short while. The surroundings are a lot more plush to harangue my boss." The old Spencer sarcasm was present in every word. She handed the men a room key and a map.
Luke chuckled. "All right I'll give you two some alone time, but you better be there in a half hour or I'm sending out the dogs."
Lucky placed an arm on Luke's shoulder and guided him away. "Dad, you're starting to sound like a Cassadine. Enough is enough." With a final wave to Zeus, he guided his father out of the room.
Zeus watched them leave and managed a small smile. "Your father is singularly over the top Li."
She nodded a reply, then sank to her knees in front of him. "What's wrong, my love. I haven't seen you like this before. Was meeting my dad that much of a trial?" Her hands wound around his neck, and she started to massage the rock hard muscles there. "You're so tense. Trust me, Zeus, my dad isn't a pussycat but he's easily controlled, as long as you're not a Cassadine. He has no time for them, not even my brother Nikolas." She pulled away to brush Zeus' cheek.
He watched her for a few moments. How could he tell her his news? She wasn't ready for it; no she might never be ready for such a revelation. His deception would kill their relationship, would twist and turn it into something feral and unknown. Still, circumstances conspired against his schedule for telling her in the right way. He was stuck with the here and now.
"Zeus what is it?" his continued silence set a ball of fear into the depths of her stomach. It was so unlike him to be quiet, generally she and Alek were shushing him constantly. "Come on, talk to me, honey."
"I have to go home."
He sounded lost. "Home?" Liana echoed. They had never discussed their homes, but she assumed that he based himself out of London and New York. "Why do you need to go home? We're in the middle of a tour!"
Zeus looked at her with pleading eyes. "Family emergency, Liana. Will you come with me, please? I can't do this all alone. My mother has struck again and she wants to destroy us all."
~*~
Zander's eyes widened as the knife pressed against the delicate white skin of Emily's throat. "Don't, " He pleaded, looking into a set of eyes that he knew very well. "If you let her go, I'll do whatever you want."
The man gave Zander a long look. "You're in no position to bargain right now, Alexander. You will do whatever I say or she will die . It's that easy."
Zander took a step closer. "What do you want? I'll do it...now. Please don't hurt her." He reached a hand out, brushing Emily's fingertips before her assailant pulled her out of his reach.
Emily tried to steady her heartbeat and regain her balance. Her eyes bored into Zander's and she wondered if she could gain an advantage over the man that was holding her. Something about him seemed familiar to her in some way, a whisper of some long forgotten memory.
"You want me." Zander asserted. "I'm here. Take me with you. Like I said, I'll do whatever you need."
Emily felt him turn her around to face him. The ski mask obscured everything but his laughing mouth. "Go. Get lost. Get out of my sight or I'll kill you now."
Emily stumbled to freedom. "Zander?" She wasn't about to wander off and leave him in danger.
"It's ok Emily. He doesn't want to hurt me. Family doesn't kill family do they, dad?"
The man shook his head, then pulled off the ski mask and shook his dark wavy hair out.
"It's you." Emily gasped in horror as his face became visible.