Time had frozen. No, it had more than frozen. It had frozen, taken them back in time, and reminded them of what should have been. And Emily was the first to react to it, she was the first to break its spell.
"Zander!" Emily exclaimed. She ran forward, her arms opened wide.
And, as he had been in the past, he responded naturally to her, and his arms opened to wrap the long gone Quartermaine into a strong embrace.
"Idiots," Rinoa muttered under her breath. With a cross look on her face, Rinoa marched into the suite, and firmly closed the door behind her. "Emily, you promised me you would stay inconspicuous and quiet. Do you think shouting Zander's name in a hotel hallway is a good way to stay hidden?"
"Rinoa!" Skye growled. She jabbed an accusing finger at Rinoa. "Why the Hell did you bring Emily back? She was supposed to stay away from Port Charles!"
"I'm so sorry," Emily cried. "I never meant to hurt you, Zander. I'm not in love with anyone else, Zander. I never was, Zander. There was never anyone but you." She had lied to him, did what she could to hurt him for hurting her brother and taking away his son. They had both hurt each other, but all that didn't seem too important anymore. Time had healed the hurt and pain they had put each other through, but Time had not been strong enough to erase their love for each other.
Since Emily had left, Zander had never felt whole. He had accepted Sonny's orders about watching over Carly, and, in time, in the most superficial of ways, thoughts of Carly had replaced thoughts of Emily. But now that Emily returned…
"You're walking," Zander said in a choked voice. He smiled proudly at Emily. "I knew you would walk again. I knew you would beat it."
"No, no, no!" Skye ranted at Rinoa. "What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what Sorel's, Roscoe's, men would do to Emily, regardless that she's my sister? How could you bring her back?"
"I told her," Rinoa retorted. "And that only made her more determined to come back and help you."
"This is crazy, this is insane," Skye growled. She could literally hear all her hard-thought plans unraveling.
Zander's hand cupped Emily's cheeks. "I missed you so much," Zander whispered tenderly.
"Rebecca? Zander?" Michael asked softly, tentatively. "What's going on?"
Rinoa sighed. Arguing with a raging Skye wasn't going to get her anywhere. Rinoa squatted down to her knees. She'd prefer talking to a kid than to a furious Skye. "Hi, I'm Rinoa. What's your name?" For that matter, who was Rebecca?
Zander unwillingly pulled away from Emily. But he never let go of her. His hands fell from her face down to her hands. He didn't want to let go of her, he didn't want to risk the chance that she would disappear from his life again. "Emily, your sister has lost her mind. She's allied herself with Sorel's people, and they had Michael, Carly's son, kidnapped and then they staged his death to trick everyone into believing he had died."
"He's AJ's son?" Rinoa gasped. Carly only had one child, and this child was the one she had with AJ.
"I did not kidnap him," Skye denied vehemently. "If you would just listen to me and let me explain what happened-"
"Rebecca didn't kidnap me," Michael said quickly, supporting his angel of darkness. His eyes flared with anger, creating a striking likeness to his biological father. "She's the one who cut the ropes off me and took me here away from the bad people."
"And now she's confused him with her lies," Zander said loudly.
"I did not do anything like that!" Skye exclaimed indignantly. "All I did was save the boy!"
Emily tenderly turned Zander's face so that he looked at her only. "Skye is telling the truth, Zander. Please, listen to her and what she has to say."
"Emily, you're not, you can't… you don't believe Skye, do you? You know Skye, Emily. All she does is lie," Zander said desperately. His life was finally coming back together, and he wanted it to stay that way. He wanted Emily to stay with him, he wanted to return Michael to his mother, and he wanted to take away the pain that Carly and Sonny were in.
"That's not true," Emily said resolutely, a similar fire burning in her eyes the way Michael's eyes shone. "Have you forgotten all that Skye did for us?"
If Skye was Scarlett, then Emily was Melanie.
"Did you forget that she was the only one who tried to help us stay together?" Emily demanded. Despite the harsh and accusing words, the love and closeness she shared with Zander never wavered. "What? Did everyone in Port Charles convince you she was evil? Was it Grandfather or Mom or… or Carly? Who was it, Zander? Who made you forget that Skye had been the one who supported us and helped us stay together? Who was it that made you forget how she never betrayed us?"
"Skye helped us because she had her own agenda," Zander reminded Emily.
"She didn't try to hurt us. Yeah, maybe she did want me gone so that she could have Dad to herself," Emily admitted. "But she didn't have to help us. She didn't have to do anything to help us, but she gave us money, when we asked her, she gave us a way out, she gave us everything we needed."
"Look," Skye said sharply. "We can stand here all day and argue about my past intentions, or we can actually try do something about this situation."
"Good idea," Zander retorted. "I'll go and call Sonny."
"No!" Michael shouted.
"You call Sonny," Emily warned, her voice hard with an edge of steel, "and I won't forgive you, not ever." As it was, she shouldn't even have forgiven him for what he had done to AJ. Or, allowed done to AJ.
Rinoa watched silently; she was trying to fit together the pieces of every character's role in this play.
"Please listen to me," Skye said quietly, sincerely. "Please don't call Sonny. Listen to me first, and then make your decision."
Zander's fingers brushed temptingly over his cell phone. He owed Sonny so much. Sonny had been the only one who had believed in him, the only one who had given him a chance. Well, besides Emily. And to her he owed a lot, especially his love and loyalty. "I'm listening," he said grudgingly.
Maybe Emily's arrival into Port Charles had been a blessing. "I wasn't the one who kidnapped Michael. Roscoe was. He did it without my knowing, and without my consent. When I found out, I was horrified. Michael, he was… he was all tied up, and he couldn't move, and he couldn't see or hear or talk," Skye said, her voice cracking. This was something that she was much too familiar with, but that had been her past, something she had buried long ago.
"Yeah, they tied me up," Michael said, his face wrinkling with fear. "I was so scared, Zander, but then Rebecca came and cut me loose and took me here away from the bad guys."
"Rebecca?" Zander repeated. He looked accusingly at Skye. This was yet another lie she had created.
"I- I couldn't tell him my real name," Skye admitted. She looked apologetically towards Michael. "I'm sorry, Michael, but, I was scared your mommy told you about me, Skye, and that you wouldn't trust me."
The name Skye didn't make Michael flinch. It hadn't made him flinch this entire night, and thus it was obvious he knew nothing of the name.
"So I said my name was Rebecca." She chose not to give the reason on why she had chosen the name, though, that Rebecca would have been her name had she never been kidnapped and that was why it had seemed so fitting to use the name then. "I convinced Roscoe that if he kept Michael tied up, my nep-… he would become scarred, both physically and mentally. I convinced him to let me take Michael somewhere safe, to keep him there until Sonny was, well… you know," Skye hesitated. She didn't want to admit to Michael that she had been a part of a vendetta against Sonny and his ex-wife.
"This was that night you came over to my room," Rinoa realized aloud. "This was it, wasn't it, Skye?"
Skye nodded. "I took Michael away from Roscoe, and we came here. I snuck him in, and, just in case, got a new suite for the two of us. After he fell asleep, I ran over to Rinoa's and asked her to deliver a letter to Emily."
Skye bit her lip. "The only person I trusted with Michael, the only person I trusted could take care of him, was you, Zander. But I knew you wouldn't agree to help me unless someone like Emily asked you to."
"Rinoa told me what Skye had gotten herself involved in," Emily spoke up softly. "And I knew I had to come back to Port Charles to help her, Zander, just like how she tried to help us in the past."
Zander looked away. He knew Skye was gifted in the field of lying, and right now he couldn't detect any trace of insincerity in her voice. Was she telling the truth?
"I don't trust Roscoe, not one bit," Skye confessed. "He killed an innocent kid so that he could trick everyone into believing Michael was dead. I didn't approve of that, or of the kidnapping. Roscoe hates Sonny, and he hates everyone who is related to Sonny. I had to get Michael away from him. Michael has to get out of Port Charles, period, to be safe. And that's where you come in, Zander."
"You want me to take Michael away?"
"Yes!" Skye replied instantly. "The two of you know each other. You guys are friends. You'll do anything to protect him, right? Sonny loves him like a son, and he's Carly's child. You'd lay your life to protect him, wouldn't you, Zander?"
"And if you wouldn't lay your life down for him or agree to help Skye," Emily added quickly, "would you do it for me?"
"Emily?" Skye asked, confused. "You don't play into this at all, Emily. You're supposed to be rehabilitating at the center."
Emily gestured at her legs. "Well, as you can see, I'm done rehabilitating." She turned back to Zander. "Whether or not you agree to do it, I'm going to do it. I'm going to help Skye, and I'm going to take Michael away to safety. Well, that's if Michael lets me. So what do you say, Michael?"
"I didn't ask you to take Michael away," Skye interrupted. "I don't want you getting involved, Emily."
"Too late," Emily said with a small shrug. "You helped me and Zander when we needed it, Skye, and I'm going to return the favor. So, Michael, it's your call. Are you going to trust me?"
Michael looked uncertainly at Skye and Zander. They seemed to trust her. Heck, they both seemed as if they needed her. "Yes."
"This is crazy," Skye announced. "Emily, you're not exactly the type of person I'd want to play the role of protector."
"Because I don't know how to fight and I'm not exactly street smart?" Emily asked. "I agree. But Michael is better off with me than with no one."
"Well, here's an idea," Zander interrupted. "What if he went back to Carly and Sonny?"
"No!" Michael said vehemently. "Then the bad people will hurt them."
"If Roscoe finds out I betrayed him and sent Michael back to Sonny," Skye told them, a frantic note in her voice, "then he'll come after us all. He'll go after Courtney, he'll go after AJ, he'll come after all the Quartermaines and he'll still come after Sonny. What would be the point in sending Michael back to Sonny now?"
"Because that's where he belongs."
"I don't want to go back," Michael said with great resolution. "Rebecca, I mean Skye, said that if I go back, people would get hurt."
"Skye was lying," Zander replied.
"No she wasn't," Michael said stubbornly.
"Then she was mistaken," Zander changed.
"No, she wasn't," Emily shook her head. "Look, Zander, if you don't want to help Skye, then, fine don't. But I will." Emily stooped down so that she was at face level with Michael. "Where would you want to go, Michael?"
Rinoa massaged her tongue with the upper row of her teeth. Maybe she should come forth with her Cassadine connections now. That could easily solve the problem. But then, that would admit that she had power, and that she had been raised by the Cassadines, and that was something no one could find out… yet. "Why can't we just have Roscoe put away for kidnapping?" Rinoa asked. "Isn't that a federal offense or something?"
"Yeah, there, prison," Zander pounced on Rinoa's words. "Problem solved, and Michael can go back home."
"No, problem unsolved," Skye retorted. "Roscoe goes in prison, another of his men strike out at us. We need all of them to be put away in prison, and permanently without any chance of bail."
"That's true," Rinoa commented. She'd prefer them dead than permanently locked away, though. She wouldn't want to chance them breaking out of prison and retaliating against them.
"And how are we going to put them away in prison?" Zander asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
"I've taken steps to ensure imprisonment," Skye said vaguely. She and Chris Stamp would be working together now, and, with her assistance, Roscoe and the remained of Roscoe's men should be sent away for good. "I've worked a deal out with a federal agent."
Rinoa studied Skye's posture and facial expressions carefully. Was she lying? Was she misleading them?
"What federal agent?" Zander demanded suspiciously.
"None of your business. The less anyone knows about it, the better."
"Zander, if you're set on not going, and if you're set on calling Sonny," Emily said sadly, "then go ahead. Go and call. I dare you."
"I second that," Rinoa added. "Make your choice already, Zander. I'm not going to waste my breath trying to reason with you."
"Don't call him," Michael pleaded.
Skye watched Zander silently. Rinoa, Emily, she, and Michael stood against him. He was seriously outnumbered, but that didn't matter. He had a say in this, and if he decided to call and tell Sonny, well, then, there was nothing they could do about it.
Zander shook his head, sighing. He really had no choice. He dialed Sonny's number.
*******
Later…Skye's new suite…
Zander stood awkwardly in front of Skye. She had once been his savior, the one who had seemingly selflessly sacrificed herself to help him and Emily. It was for this, Emily, and Michael that he was agreeing to go along with the plan. "Sonny's going to have other men following Courtney and AJ around now. If Sonny ever tries to snatch Courtney away, that means that the showdown is about to begin," Zander informed Skye. "When that happens, get as far away as you can from Roscoe."
"I won't be anywhere near him," Skye promised. "But that might never happen. If I can just get some more information on Roscoe for the agents, then we're in the clear."
Zander rubbed his neck with his right hand. "I told Sonny that Emily was in trouble and needed me," Zander admitted to Skye. "He won't suspect a thing."
"And Rinoa's going to make sure no one finds out that Emily left the center," Skye said softly. "So yours and Emily's escape should work fine. You've got the alibis, the money, and the means."
"The money and the means?"
"I have a bank account open for you," Skye said softly. "Bank of America. There's a million in the account, and you can access it anytime you want, anywhere. I gave Emily an envelope with several thousand in cash, just in case you need it. And the suitcase she's carrying has three hundred thousand."
Zander nodded curtly. Skye meant business. She wasn't leaving much to chance, and was ensuring that his trip with Emily and Michael would be well funded. "And the means? The transportation?"
"Use the money to buy whatever car you, Emily and Michael want," Skye replied softly. "If you guys get tired of running, then go to Pine Valley in Pennsylvania and look for a man named Adam Chandler. Have him contact me and I'll vouch for you two, and I'll tell him to take care of you guys."
Zander nodded. He looked to the side, and was greeted by the sight of the briefly reunited sisters sharing a tight hug. "Soon as everything settles here, we're coming back. And Michael's going straight back to Carly."
Skye nodded unwillingly. Zander hadn't been willing to discuss joint custody, despite the fact that she had saved Michael from Roscoe. "Agreed. Just remember that, for now, no one, not Sonny or Carly, can know he's with you and Emily. They might say something or do something to stir suspicion in Roscoe, and then Roscoe will come after us all in a flash."
Zander nodded. It was going to be difficult to keep such a secret from Sonny and Carly, but, for Emily's sake, he was going to have to.
Skye gave Zander a half smile. "You take care of Michael and Emily, okay, Zander? I've grown fond of the little guy, and, well, Emily's, you know, Emily. Hurt her, and all the Quartermaines, me included, will come after you."
"Got it," Zander nodded.
*******
Later…And so, the past had been revisited. Instead of two people running away this time, however, there were three. Like the time before, the trip had been funded by Skye Chandler Quartermaine. Like the time before, Roscoe and his men were the threatening enemies.
But, unlike last time, no bus crashed into them, and no bus crippled their plans. The three left Port Charles safely, with no one the wiser what road they had elected to take.
Rinoa crossed her legs and reclined backwards in her chair. Skye had refused to tell her anything more than what she had said to Zander and Emily, and Rinoa was still in the dark about the federal agents business. But one thing she did know was that Skye was in charge, and, now that Michael and Emily and Zander were gone, she seemed back in control, with minimal worry.
And that was good enough for Rinoa. She didn't have the time to get involved with Skye's business, and she trusted that Skye would turn to her if she needed the assistance, especially since Rinoa now knew so much about it.
No, Rinoa's time was better spent on better things, like protecting her beloved little brother from all those who would hurt him.