Edward Quartermaine has not been having a good day. In fact, he hasn't been having a good week, a good month, or a good year. His granddaughter Emily, although not blood related, had been sent away for her own protection. Another granddaughter, Skye, had entered his life and had literally made his life a living Hell. She lied, manipulated, twisted and stole ELQ from him. He had been ostracized by his family when he had tried to extract revenge against the twisted granddaughter and her younger brother, and had even been at the receiving end of precious Lila's displeasure. It wasn't until the heart attack that he had been taken back into the family fold, and, although Skye was still not welcomed to live at the household, Edward simply wasn't satisfied.
Skye was the CEO of ELQ, and he was nothing.
And he didn't have to be nothing. Lila, his wife, now possessed the power to determine the CEO of ELQ. His wife now had the power to strip Skye of her position and return Edward to his rightful place.
But Lila had done nothing of the sort. Skye's power and position at ELQ had remained, and nothing Edward had said to his wife had convinced her to change the hierarchy at ELQ.
But, despite Lila's refusal to remove Skye from her position, Edward was determined to see to it that Skye was taken down, and that he was her replacement. ELQ had been his creation, and no one, especially an impertinent upstart like Skye Chandler Quartermaine, was going to keep ELQ from him.
*******
Outside the Quartermaine estate…Rinoa slowly counted to a hundred. She took several deep breaths. She clasped her hands together and then stretched them, starting from the front of her body, then up high into the sky, and, finally, behind her back. It was time for her Oscar winning performance to begin.
With an innocent and hopeful look glued onto her face, Rinoa knocked on the door. She was nothing more than a long lost daughter seeking out her roots. Nothing more, and nothing less.
It was an agitated, old man that answered the door. Rinoa recognized him from the pictures as Edward Quartermaine, the dethroned CEO of ELQ. She shared no blood with this man, and that was fine with Rinoa.
Edward glared grumpily at the young woman in front of him. It had been bad enough Skye had haunted his sleep the previous night, and that for the entire morning he had been obsessed with the thought of purging his life of Skye. But now? Where was Reginald or Alice? Why hadn't either one of them, or any of the other staff members at the mansion, answered the door? "Well, what do you want?" he asked crabbily.
"I'm looking for Monica Bard Quartermaine… does she live here?" Rinoa asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. She knew perfectly well that Monica lived here, but the plan was to feign innocence and ignorance. Rinoa wanted the upper hand in this relationship, and getting those around her to underestimate her couldn't possibly hurt.
*******
Skye's suite…"Look, Courtney's waiting for me," AJ told Skye. "So can you hurry it up? If you want to apologize for locking me up in the closet, then go ahead and apologize."
"I am not going to apologize for trying to save your life," Skye snapped back irritably. "I will, however, try to talk some sense in to you. AJ, you can't continue using Courtney like this. What Zander did last night was just the beginning. They'll draw more blood next time, you'll be sent to the hospital or maybe something even worse! You're playing with fire, AJ, and you're going to get burned."
"Hey," AJ said in a wounded, offended tone, "have some faith in your younger brother. I know exactly what I'm doing and there is no way Sonny's going to do anything to hurt me. Didn't you see the way Courtney yelled at him last night? If he does anything else to me, Courtney will tear him out of her life for good. Sonny is not going to risk that."
"If you keep pushing Sonny," Skye retorted, "he'll force you out of her life for good. You'd be buried in cement before the next sunrise."
AJ wagged his finger triumphantly. "And that's where you're wrong, Skye. Sonny had the perfect chance to kill me without any witnesses, but he let me go. He can't touch me, Skye. He can't set me up for an accident, and he can't have me murdered. Courtney would know Sonny was involved if I got hurt. And he doesn't want to lose Courtney, Skye. I, we, have Sonny exactly where we want him- at our mercy."
Skye shook her head. "Sonny won't allow this to continue, AJ. You know it, and I know it. He will sacrifice Courtney's love if only to have you permanently leave her side. In Sonny's eyes, cleansing her from your influence is worth her eternal hatred for him, AJ. And I don't have the power to protect you, AJ. As much as I wish I could say I did, I just don't." Skye looked away. "I used to have it, but it- he left. And there is no way he's going to come back and help us if- when- Sonny comes after us."
AJ's expression softened. He had always suspected that his sister had harbored stronger feelings for the Aussie than she admitted. "I don't need you or Jax to protect me, Skye. Never have and never will." And, if AJ had his way, he'd be the one to protect Skye from the deviled charm of Jasper Jacks.
"Sonny won't allow it," Skye lamented again. "AJ, Courtney and Michael are not worth it. No one's worth losing your life for, AJ."
"How would you know?" AJ demanded gruffly. "You've never even met Michael, Skye. But I'm going to change all that. I'm going to win everything, Skye, just you watch. I'm going to end up with both Courtney and Michael, and there won't be anything that Sonny can do to stop it."
"He'll just kill you. And me," Skye added coldly. "He'll kill the two of us without blinking an eye. Is that what you want, AJ?"
"He won't kill us," AJ smirked. "Since when did you get so melodramatic, Skye? I swear you were never this bad before."
"I am not being melodramatic," Skye retorted. "I'm telling the truth."
AJ shrugged his shoulders. "What you believe is the truth," he corrected her. "And that's something I don't agree with you. If you really think that Sonny's going to do something, then go run to Jax and tell him. Tell him that you're against me, and that you've tried to reason with me, but that I refuse to listen and you're at your wit's end. Tell Jax that you're afraid that Sonny's going to come after you because he thinks it's only fair since I have his sister, and that you need him to protect you." AJ smirked. "It's a pretty good idea, don't you think? Jax will come running back to play knight in shining armor."
Skye grimaced slightly. Somehow, she doubted that AJ's prediction would come true. For Jax to come running back, he'd first have to trust her. And that was something that Skye simply didn't have anymore- Jax's trust. But that was something Skye was determined to rectify- she just needed some time to earn it back.
"Forget Jax," the words tumbled out of Skye's mouth. Jax was her concern and not AJ's. "We're talking about you, AJ, and about what Sonny's going to do to you."
"What he won't do to me," AJ countered. "He can't and he won't."
*******
Quartermaine Estate…"I still don't see why Lila doesn't give Edward control of ELQ again," Monica said brusquely to her husband. "Skye couldn't possibly be better than Edward at running ELQ."
"Skye is a very capable young woman," Alan said defensively. Although he wasn't always proud or approving of Skye's actions, he was damned proud of his daughter's success at running ELQ so far.
"She's capable of lying and manipulating," Monica said viciously, her eyes flashing with hatred. "And that's all I'll ever have to say about her."
I wonder what my father was thinking when he chose her. He couldn't possibly have been in love with her. He was in love with another blond… my younger brother's mother.
Edward cleared his throat. His eyes danced with mischief. "Monica, Alan, please, take a seat."
Monica rolled her eyes. What right did Edward have to offer her a seat when this was her home, not his? "This had better be good, Edward," Monica growled. "I canceled a hospital board meeting for this."
"Oh, it'll be good," Edward promised vaguely. "Rinoa, my dear, why don't we take a walk around the garden until the rest of the family shows up?"
Monica turned her suspicious glare from Edward over to the unfamiliar new girl. What new plan had Edward schemed up now?
Rinoa shook her head slightly. "I want to stay here and talk to them," Rinoa whispered to Edward. "That woman's my mother, Edward, and she and I have over twenty years of catching up to do."
"Trust me, my dear," Edward patted Rinoa's arm gently, "it'll be best if we wait for the entire family to be together. We're a tight-knit group, and whenever something happens to one of us, we all want to know." Edward smiled charmingly at the young woman. Of course, they all wanted to know so that each person could take advantage of the other's bad luck, but that was something Edward didn't feel he had to tell to Rinoa.
"If you say so," Rinoa nervously smiled back. She accepted Edward's offered arm and, together, the two of them left the main room.
"Hundred bucks says she's Edward's new plan to get ELQ back," Monica said as soon as Edward and Rinoa left the room.
"If he hasn't seduced her," Alan muttered, his mind briefly recalling the image of Janine Matthews.
*******
Jax's room…"Look, I said no," Jax repeated, "and my answer isn't going to change even if you ask me a thousand times more."
"And why not?" Ned demanded. "Alexis is your friend, isn't she? Shouldn't her happiness mean something to you?"
"I am not going to trick her into thinking I have feelings for her when I honestly don't," Jax shot back. "And why? Cause she's my friend and her feelings do mean something to me."
"So you're just going to let Sonny break her heart. You're just going to sit back and let Sonny destroy her life the way he destroyed the lives of everyone else?" Ned yelled. "The Jax I know wouldn't let his friends, let alone his ex-wife-"
"We were married under special circumstances," Jax interrupted. "We weren't in love with each other."
"Ah!" Ned exclaimed, holding up his index finger. "The two of you weren't in love with each other, but the two of you definitely loved each other. And the two of you still do. Now, are you going to let Alexis, another person you love, get hurt by Corinthos?"
Jax frowned. That had been a low blow by Ned, and Ned knew it.
"Besides," Ned added, "I'm also asking this for you."
"For me?"
"I want you to do this favor for me and Kristina so that we can save Alexis from Sonny, and so that we can save you from Skye," Ned said, point-blank.
*******
Alexis's place…"Really, Alexis, Ned and I are scared for Jax. You were too busy last night restraining Sonny from attacking AJ to see it, but Ned and I saw it," Kristina told her older sister.
"Skye Quartermaine is a crazy stalker and is stalking Jax?" Alexis said, a disbelieving smile on her face. "Kristina, that's ridiculous. Skye is out there, I'll grant you that, but she isn't a stalker."
"But you didn't see her last night!" Kristina insisted. "The woman was obsessed, Alexis. She kept following Jax, and she kept trying to talk to him even though it was obvious he didn't want anything to do with her- it was pathetic. And, and, it was kind of scary the way she was acting."
"Jax is not in danger from the crazy stalker Skye," Alexis reassured her sister. Alexis couldn't help but roll her eyes as she spoke the words.
"But stalkers are insane," Kristina persisted. "And unless we send Skye a clear signal that she has to give up on Jax, she's going to get worse and worse and then, well…"
"Well what?" Alexis suppressed a grin. Kristina certainly had a knack of playing the drama queen.
"One day Skye is going to go ballistic and she's going to hunt him down and kill him because if she can't have him, then no one can," Kristina sputtered. "And Jax's death will be all your fault because you could have helped prevent it, but you chose not to. Alexis! I'm serious, stop laughing!"
Alexis's body shook with laughter as Kristina gave her argument. "Kristina, that's absurd. First of all, I highly doubt Skye would go that far. Secondly, Jax is a very capable man and I'm sure he can defend himself if Skye ever decided to attack him."
"But Jax is a man," Kristina exploded. "And he's got this silly notion of protecting all women, even snakes like Skye Quartermaine. Shouldn't we, because Jax is our friend who's helped us so many times before, help him now when he needs it?"
"I don't hear Jax asking us for our help."
"Oh, fine," Kristina took a step back away from her sister and leveled her gaze at Alexis. "We'll just wait until Skye comes up with another crazy lie about Sonny threatening her so that Jax will get re-entangled in her web of lies once again. Is that what you want, Alexis? For one of our best friends to live a yoyo of a life with a crazy barracuda piranha woman?"
"A yoyo of a life?" Alexis frowned.
"So maybe I did exaggerate," Kristina conceded. "Skye's not a stalker- not yet. But she shows symptoms of becoming one. And I refuse to stand by on the side and watch Jax's generosity be exploited over and over again by that heartless piranha. But Ned and I can't do anything on our own. We've tried, but Jax has deaf ears when we try to talk to him about Skye."
"Well, for the record, I haven't had much success in convincing him that Skye isn't good for him, either," Alexis informed her sister.
"What Jax needs," Kristina implored, "is to be reminded that there are other women out there. Women who are a hundred times better than heartless piranhas like Skye Quartermaine. And, you, Alexis, are the perfect candidate for doing just that."
"And why am I the perfect candidate?" Alexis sighed.
"Because Jax happens to think you're in need of rescuing. And, as we all know, Jax has a soft spot for women like that," Kristina pointed out.
"And just what do I need protection from?" Alexis asked.
"From Sonny," Kristina answered. "From getting your heart broken by Sonny."
*******
Later that day…Quartermaine Estate…
"About time," Monica growled as Ned entered the room. "What took you so long?"
"I have a life, Monica," Ned said with a pleased grin, "and, as of two hours ago, it's looking pretty good right now."
Ned Ashton. Record business or something, I forget. The former fiancé of Alexis Davis and the current beau of Kristina Cassadine. Very possibly he will become my uncle if he ever decides to marry either one of my aunts. What a disgusting notion.
"Good, we're all here," Edward said excitedly, his hands rubbing against each other in apt anticipation. "It took us a few hours to all get here, but the important thing is that we're all here together."
"Get on with the show, Grandfather," Skye said, her voice filled with sarcastic contempt. "Unlike you, I have a business to run."
Ooh- I like her. She's snappy and won't take any bull from her family. Skye Chandler Quartermaine- current CEO of ELQ and daughter of Alan Quartermaine and Rae Cummings. Like me, she was a long lost daughter and she only entered Port Charles as of last spring. She caused quite a stir with her arrival, stirring up a bee's nest or however it is that saying goes. Monica hated her the most- how would she react to me being her long lost daughter? How will her husband react when he finds out I was the product of a secret affair?
Edward ignored his granddaughter's venom-filled comment. "Rinoa, my dear, why don't you introduce yourself to the family?"
The Quartermaines wearily turned their eyes towards the stranger. Edward had used many tricks in the past, and, no doubt, Rinoa was the newest one.
"My name is Rinoa Lockhart," Rinoa said nervously. Seemingly unconsciously, Rinoa began to twirl her hair with her fingers. "And I'm, um, Monica's daughter."
Edward smiled gleefully. Let the backlash begin. He turned away from Rinoa and eagerly watched Monica's look of suspicion turn to one of horror.