Author's Note: Forget about Jason catching Johnny. I want to put more men
in the mix, and it's easier to use characters you already have a mental
picture of, so Johnny and Max have gone to work for Lorenzo and Faith.
hr
Johnny stood watch over the car and the courthouse, waiting for Miss Davis
to finish her business inside. He'd had an early and very busy morning.
Acting on a tip, Alcazar had had just about every man who was on his
payroll crawling all over the courthouse before Mrs. Rosco's release.
Johnny and Max had found one shooter waiting on the roof of the building
across the street, and another team had caught sight of a second shooter
waiting in an abandoned apartment in the next building over. Both shooters
were now dead, just two of the growing number of deaths on both sides that
had occurred since Soleto's men had shown up in the city. This was a
dangerous time to be in the business, and Johnny and Max had been assigned
the riskier posts. All those years of seniority with Corinthos meant
nothing now. He was back on the bottom rung. The only upside was that
Alcazar paid better than Corinthos had.
hr
Alexis finished her business at the courthouse feeling a bit foolish about
the guard that was following her around and was just grateful that it
wasn't two men. When she returned to the car, she found that Johnny had
been keeping an eye on the building and the car while she was inside. Even
during the short time when Sonny had kept a guard on her, there had been
only one guard who also acted as the driver. Apparently, Lorenzo was a belt
and suspenders kind of guy when it came to security.
"Hello, Johnny. It's nice to see you again," Alexis said brightly as Johnny
opened the door for her.
"It's nice to see you, too, Miss Davis." Johnny closed the door and was
gone, back on the other side of the divider.
Alexis couldn't help wondering how Johnny had come to be working for
Lorenzo. Although, when she thought about it, she supposed that he had to
work somewhere now that Sonny was gone, and Lorenzo was probably hiring.
Then it hit her. Sonny was gone. She no longer needed to be afraid of Ned.
She couldn't help but feel a certain sadness for her daughter. Kristina's
biological father was dead and the man her mother had Ichosen/I to be
her father had betrayed her, denying her months of her mother's love. Just
because Ned had done the right thing in the end didn't change the months of
anguish he had caused her. She would never forgive him.
Alexis realized that she could demand another paternity test and challenge
Ned's claim to be Kristina's father. Unfortunately, the case law was not in
her favor. Courts were in the business of declaring paternity, not
nullifying it. Without an alternate candidate to replace Ned's name on
Kristina's birth certificate, the courts would simply accede to his wishes.
Alexis sighed. She would deal with Ned later. Now she had more important things to worry about. Upon her return to the compound, Alexis found Elizabeth playing with Kristina in the garden. The mother in her suddenly worried about the unfenced pool and the possibility that Kristina might drown. "How's my girl?" Alexis said, leaning down so Kristina could walk forward into her arms. Elizabeth had been worrying about this moment all afternoon. She had eavesdropped on Skye and Lorenzo in the next room and knowing that Skye had genuinely loved Kristina and would never have children of her own made Elizabeth feel awful for her. She knew she had to let Alexis know that Skye was living with them, but she hated to be the catalyst for the confrontation that she feared would follow. "Elizabeth? Are you all right?" Alexis could see that Elizabeth was tired and worried. Elizabeth forced a smile. "I'm fine. Gia watched Kristina for an hour so I could take a nap. I've been so tired lately." Alexis nodded. "When I was pregnant, I'd have these sudden tired spells. You really do need more sleep now." Elizabeth grimaced. "I hardly got any last night." What little sleep she'd gotten before Ric and Tracy woke her up hadn't done her much good, and she hadn't been able to fall asleep once she arrived at the compound with Zander. Fortunately, Zander had taken her by Kelly's to pick up her toiletries and what maternity clothes she had bought. She wasn't in the same position as Alexis and Gia, both of whom were dying to make a run for hair and skin products. Alexis was concerned. "I'll take care of Kristina now. You need to go and get some sleep." Elizabeth looked relieved. "That would be great." Alexis turned to go take Kristina inside. Elizabeth reached out a hand to stop her. "I figure you should know that we have two new guests. Skye Quartermaine and a girl named Sam McCall." Alexis's jaw dropped. Of all the people for Lorenzo to bring here, Skye was quite possibly at the bottom of her list, right ahead of Edward. "Please tell me you're kidding." Alexis's brain was working overtime, trying to think of another place they could stay on short notice. Kristina started to fuss in her arms in reaction to her mother's mood. "No, I'm serious." Elizabeth hoped Alexis's silence was a sign that she was O.K. with this. "Did she touch Kristina?" Alexis snapped. There was no way in hell Alexis was going to work all day knowing that Skye was playing mommy to her daughter again. "Kristina recognized her and ran to her. But Skye gave her back to me." Alexis was furious. She was angry that Kristina had cause to recognize Skye Quartermaine at all. Alexis was convinced that if Skye hadn't been whispering in Ned's ear, he would have done the right thing and returned her daughter to her a lot sooner. There was no way Skye was going near Kristina. "Can you watch Kristina for a few more minutes? I have a few things to say to Skye." Elizabeth's forehead knotted. "She's not here. She took a car to go get her things. Apparently someone was shooting at her on the docks today." "It's too bad they missed," Alexis snapped. hr Faith and Zander walked into Lorenzo's warehouse after their guards gave the all-clear. Faith took a look around, thinking that with just a few renovations, it could be their new headquarters. "I want a team inside the Morgan-Corinthos coffee warehouse tonight. Let's see if there are any records left." Sonny may not have been into drugs or prostitution, but that still left loansharking, extortion, bribery, stolen cars, illegal guns, fencing, arson for hire, and illegally obtained government contracts, just to name a few. If she was going to take over the territory, she needed to know who owed money and what they had on each and every person who had illegal dealings in the city. Corinthos and Morgan had been taking a cut of all of it. Now that money, and more importantly that power, needed to fall into her hands. Faith listed off the things the warehouse would need to Zander, who was busy trying to write on a notebook he was barely holding in the hand of his broken arm. When she was done, she was ready to go back to Lorenzo's little love nest for dinner, before she began her evening rounds of visits to the city's purveyors of less savory services. "Um. Faith?" Zander had been putting this off all day, knowing exactly how well this would go over. "Yes?" Faith said impatiently. "Spit it out, Zander, I don't bite. hard." "Elizabeth Lansing is staying at the compound." "What the hell does Lorenzo want with little miss priss?" Zander decided to throw out a bone for Faith to chew on before he gave her the real news. "Ric is in Tracy's pocket. Elizabeth heard them talking last night. Tracy told him to let you walk so they could nail you when you walked outside. That's where this morning's tip came from." Faith was quick as a whip to guess what the scenario had been: Elizabeth's life had probably been hostage to Ric's cooperation. "I'll have to thank the little brat for selling out her husband," Faith said, then grabbed Zander's chin. "What aren't you telling me." "Elizabeth is pregnant with my kid. That's why she came to me." Faith stepped closer to Zander, then grabbed him by the balls. "Are you trying to tell me that you brought her into this without consulting me first? That Iyou/I made this Alcazar's business?" Zander stood frozen in agony. He nodded silently. Faith gave a vicious little twist before releasing him. Zander managed not to scream and tried not to double over but couldn't stop himself. This was not going well. "She needed someplace to hide in the middle of the night. The hotels are full." Faith couldn't believe Zander had the nerve to try and explain himself. "Do you really think I give a damn about wittle wizzie's problems?" "She's carrying my kid," Zander groaned. "So you knocked up another man's wife. Pay for a fucking abortion." Zander looked up at Faith with narrowed eyes. "No. That's not how this is going to go down. Elizabeth's going to have the baby." Faith slapped Zander hard across the face. "You don't shit without my O.K., Zander." They both knew this wasn't true. Zander was both fearless and unpredictable, two things that normally turned Faith on. "I won't leave Elizabeth twisting in the wind, Faith. You can accept it, or I can quit." Faith slapped Zander's other cheek hard enough to split his lip. "So now you think you can tell me what to do? Who gives the orders around here, Zander?" "You do, Faith," Zander answered grudgingly. He just hoped that Faith was taking out her anger on him and wouldn't subject Elizabeth to it. "That's right, Zander. Remember it." Faith looked around. The inside guard was pointedly not looking at either of them. "We're out of here." Faith started toward the door. "Are you coming, Zander?" Zander knew that she was done venting. This was a good sign. Chances were fair that she would accept Elizabeth's presence in his life, as long as it didn't interfere with their extracurricular activities. "Yes, Faith." Zander answered, struggling to stay upright as he walked Faith to the car. hr Skye had spent the afternoon recovering from her reunion with Kristina. She had even had a good cry, remembering her Princess Brat. That nickname would have to be her little secret now, and somehow that made Skye even more maudlin. Not that she would show her weakness again; after some visine and make-up, she was almost good as new. Skye breezed into the living room as two guards struggled with suitcases behind her. "First bedroom on the left upstairs, boys." Alexis was sitting in the shadows waiting for Skye to return. As Skye was putting he sunglasses in her purse, Alexis spoke. "Skye. I understand that we will both be living at the compound and I want to be absolutely clear about one thing." Skye rolled her eyes as Alexis spoke. "Wait. If you're going to get all macho with me, shouldn't you be wearing your moustache?"
Alexis ignored the barb. She was going to make her position absolutely clear to Skye. "Keep your baby-stealing hands off my daughter" Gia and Elizabeth had been in the kitchen snacking on the hors d'ouerves Esmerelda had prepared, but with a nod between them, they snuck over to the doorway to listen to the fight. "Now will she always be your daughter, or will you be pulling out your red wig and playing her auntie, too?" Gia looked at Elizabeth and mouthed, "Score." "Don't pretend to be worried when you're the one who proved that it was all a ruse." "Did it ever occur to you that you did a disservice to people with real mental illnesses when you faked crazy to get out of a murder charge?" "I was innocent." Skye scoffed. "So instead of proving your innocence using the justice system you are sworn to uphold, you make a mockery of it?" "I did what I had to do." "And you blame Ned for believing your lie? For protecting his child from her insane mother?" "No, Skye. I blame you. Ned never would have cut me out of Kristina's life unless you pushed him to do it." "Do you know why? I grew up with a mother who was in and out of insane asylums. It's not something a child gets over. Why wouldn't you want better for Kristina, if you really were crazy?" "And you think you count as "better"?" "I was a good mother to Kristina. Just look at her." Lorenzo had seen the women fighting through the windows from his office across the courtyard. He entered the kitchen and spoke to Esmerelda in Spanish. "What is happening?" Esmerelda smiled a knowing smile. "You know, my English must not be so good. I think one of them was accusing the other of being a transvestite. The other one said to keep her baby stealing hands off the baby. Then there was something about not wanting the baby to grow up with a crazy mother. They are really going at it." Lorenzo nodded. "I will require dinner for two in my quarters." Esmerelda nodded and Lorenzo went to intervene, but neither of the women acknowledged his presence. "What Kristina knows about love, she learned from Ned and I, not you, Skye. No one who has the slightest clue about motherhood would separate a mother from her baby." "Only someone who actually gave a damn about Kristina would understand protecting her from an insane mother." "But I'm perfectly sane, and you knew that and kept Kristina from me anyway. You didn't give a damn about what was best for Kristina. You just wanted a child of your own. Just because through some kind of cosmic justice you can't inflict your brand of "motherhood" on your own child doesn't mean you should try to steal somebody else's." "Enough!" Lorenzo shouted at last. Both women looked at him, shocked to see him there. "Nobody is stealing anybody's child. What's done is done." Skye backed off immediately. This hadn't been a fight she wanted to have, and she didn't want to alienate Lorenzo. In fact, she planned to make herself indispensable to him. Alexis was still out for blood. "You can't possibly expect me to allow her near my daughter." Lorenzo gave Alexis an amused look. "If you would prefer, you and your daughter can move to the east wing. With Mrs. Rosco." Alexis blanched. Skye was infuriating, but she would never harm Kristina. Faith, on the other hand, reminded Alexis of Helena. There was no way she wanted her daughter anywhere near her. Alexis found that her anger had spilled over to Lorenzo as well. "I would prefer Skye to stay the hell away from my daughter." "Kristina is always in the company of a caregiver. I am certain that if you make your wishes known, contact between them can be minimized. However, as we are all sharing living space, it is unrealistic to believe that you can prevent all contact between Ms Quartermaine and your daughter." "I can damn well try," Alexis said angrily. Lorenzo shrugged. "That is your prerogative," Lorenzo said, and turned to Skye. Taking her elbow, he led her towards the stairs and away from Alexis. "Ms Quartermaine, would you have dinner with me in my quarters at seven?" "I'd be delighted to," Skye said, ignoring Alexis's glare and proceeding upstairs. Alexis fumed. Lorenzo's attitude infuriated her. Worse, he was apparently taken in by Skye. Alexis found herself remembering when Skye had orchestrated Lorenzo's appearance at the Quartermaine mansion during her visitation. What other relationship had the two had? She remembered the attraction she had been feeling with disgust. "Alexis." Lorenzo began. "I hope that there are no hard feelings." "Why should there be? You only came in and called a halt to our discussion. I just love it when a man tells me to shut up." "That was not my intention. I merely wanted to put an end to your "discussion" before either of you said anything that would make it impossible for you to live in the same house with some semblance of harmony." "Oh, you're a great champion of harmony, aren't you," Alexis said sarcastically. "Within my home, yes, I am. I am certain that some sort of compromise can be achieved between you and Ms Quartermaine. It will require you to put aside your animosity for the good of your daughter." "Don't you dare bring my daughter into this." "Very well, then for the well-being of the other residents of the compound." Alexis hated this, and hated him for putting her in this position, but she didn't hate it as much as she feared Helena. Only a fool would ignore the attempt on the lives of herself and her daughter. "Fine. I think I'll have a drink before dinner," Alexis said, excusing herself from the conversation. She knew she needed to calm down. She was still itching for a fight, but she knew she needed to choose the time and place more carefully. hr an hour later. Esmerelda had prepared a veritable feast for them. Kristina was up from her nap and attacking her food with enthusiasm. Zander and Elizabeth were discussing her pregnancy, and Alexis and Gia were discussing Faith's case, while trying to see that Isome/I of Kristina's food actually made it to her mouth. Sam was eating quietly, getting a feel for the group dynamics. Faith had decided to try and grab a plate of food without being sucked into some kind of communal dining hell. Esmerelda graciously offered to serve her meals in her quarters from then on, and as Faith waited for her food, she found herself drawn to the dining room, almost as she might be drawn to a car accident. "Here comes the airplane." "So I'm actually nauseous most of the day." "They never covered that in criminal procedure." "Oh, I just hurt my. back." This was just Itoo/I funny for words. The intellectual level of conversation at Lorenzo's table had taken a cataclysmic drop. Faith breezed in and laid her hand on the back of Zander's chair. "So, I see that you started without me. And where is our gracious host? Has he abandoned his wayward women to dine alone?" Conversation had come to a dead halt. Looking around the table, it hit Faith. Lorenzo had assembled a harem. Her laugh rang out. "You all must be the harem. and Zander, that makes you the eunuch," Faith said, running her hand over Zander's hair possessively. "But where is the almighty man of the house? Oh, wait, it seems that one of the little wives is missing. Hmmm. What Icould/I they be doing?" Alexis bridled at the assertion that she was a member of some. harem. "If this is a harem, then you're living in it, too, Faith." "Oh, gee. You're right. I guess that makes me the first wife. the one from whom you should all cower in fear." Gia piped up, "Yeah, when hell freezes over." Faith looked her over. "Oooh, the feisty one. For when Lorenzo wants it rough." Gia glared. "I'll show you rough." Baby Kristina started to fuss. "I'll let you get back to tending the baby, tiger. Don't have too much fun without me." Faith walked back to the kitchen, listening to Zander talk Gia down. Good. They all knew who was Ireally/I in charge. Sam watched Faith leave and wished there was a way she could follow Faith without alienating the entire table. The whole meal was too Norman Rockwell for a sailor's blood, and she needed to find a way to get close to Faith. hr in the meantime. Skye had changed for dinner. She was wearing a sexy little dress in her favorite shade of lavender. She walked down the hallway and found a door open and opera music playing softly in the background. There was a sitting room adjacent to Lorenzo's bedroom, where a table for two was set. The only thing it lacked was dimmed lights. Skye wondered if Lorenzo was trying to seduce her, or if she was going to have to do all the work. Skye was running her hand along the back of her chair when Lorenzo came in. He was without his suit jacket and the collar of his shirt was open. Skye couldn't help but notice that his shirt was the color of freshly-picked blueberries, a color that made his eyes appear almost cobalt blue. "I thought that after the tensions of today, that you might prefer a private dinner to dining with the group," Lorenzo said, pulling out Skye's chair so she could sit. "It's a lovely end to a very long day," Skye said, laying her napkin in her lap. Lorenzo went to pour Skye some wine but she held up her hand. "I don't drink, but I don't mind if you do." Coming from a woman of Skye's breeding, Lorenzo assumed that she was alcoholic and put the wine aside rather than drink in front of her. "No, it's a lovely wine. I think I'll save it for another time," Lorenzo said smoothly, seating himself across from Skye. "Shall we see what Esmerelda has prepared for us?" Skye took the cover off her plate. Lorenzo interpreted. "I believe we have a Sicilian menu.some kind of rustic soup, pasta with eggplant, artichokes, and bell peppers, and grilled shark with pesto trapanese." "It looks delicious." "Esmerelda is a very good cook. With this many guests, I am certain that she prepared a chicken dish as well, if you prefer." "No. This is perfect," Skye said, taking a bite of her pasta. "Very well," Lorenzo said with satisfaction. Skye tried a bite of the shark and found it delicious. When she had finished chewing, she broached the subject of Alexis. "After our last encounter, I was surprised to find Alexis here." "Alexis is an excellent attorney. I can provide a safe haven for her, and she can ensure that Mrs. Rosco and I are not burdened by the attentions of the local police." Skye nodded. "I see. I am more than willing to put aside my personal biases for the sake of peace in the household." "I appreciate that." "I feel like I should explain, about Kristina." "No explanation is required, but as you wish." "My adoptive mother was insane. She was in and out of asylums throughout my childhood. I know the damage having a crazy mother can do. When I believed that Alexis was insane, I pushed Ned to keep Alexis away from Kristina. I truly believed it was in her best interests." "And by the time you had uncovered her deception, you already loved Kristina. I, too, have gone to extraordinary lengths to have the one I loved." "Then you understand my loss," Skye said softly. Lorenzo covered Skye's hand with his own. "I understand that you are still in pain, and that living with Kristina will be bittersweet and will probably prolong that pain." "But I can't help myself. Seeing her is the only joy in my life right now." "I understand better than you might think." hr After dinner, Sam headed straight for the bar in the living room and poured herself three fingers of whiskey. "The company was that dull, eh," Gia said with a chuckle. Gia poured herself a brandy. "I'm a hard drinking, hard living salvage captain," Sam said, repeating a line she had used on Jax. "I don't know how long I'll be able to take all this togetherness." "How does a hard drinking, hard living salvage captain hook up with Jasper Jacks?" "Not very happily. Jax likes to pretend he lives life on the edge, but those millions are an awfully big cushion to fall back on. You must know what I mean. Didn't you used to be engaged to Nikolas Cassadine?" "Yes. That feels like another lifetime now," Gia said thoughtfully. "So you've already rebounded," Sam said knowingly. "Oh, yeah. I rebounded hard, right into Zander." Sam smiled at Gia over her whiskey. "Sounds like you need a new man." "No way. I made my life about Nikolas for too long. Now my life is going to be about me." Sam offered her glass up in a toast, "To living life on our own terms." hr
Alexis sighed. She would deal with Ned later. Now she had more important things to worry about. Upon her return to the compound, Alexis found Elizabeth playing with Kristina in the garden. The mother in her suddenly worried about the unfenced pool and the possibility that Kristina might drown. "How's my girl?" Alexis said, leaning down so Kristina could walk forward into her arms. Elizabeth had been worrying about this moment all afternoon. She had eavesdropped on Skye and Lorenzo in the next room and knowing that Skye had genuinely loved Kristina and would never have children of her own made Elizabeth feel awful for her. She knew she had to let Alexis know that Skye was living with them, but she hated to be the catalyst for the confrontation that she feared would follow. "Elizabeth? Are you all right?" Alexis could see that Elizabeth was tired and worried. Elizabeth forced a smile. "I'm fine. Gia watched Kristina for an hour so I could take a nap. I've been so tired lately." Alexis nodded. "When I was pregnant, I'd have these sudden tired spells. You really do need more sleep now." Elizabeth grimaced. "I hardly got any last night." What little sleep she'd gotten before Ric and Tracy woke her up hadn't done her much good, and she hadn't been able to fall asleep once she arrived at the compound with Zander. Fortunately, Zander had taken her by Kelly's to pick up her toiletries and what maternity clothes she had bought. She wasn't in the same position as Alexis and Gia, both of whom were dying to make a run for hair and skin products. Alexis was concerned. "I'll take care of Kristina now. You need to go and get some sleep." Elizabeth looked relieved. "That would be great." Alexis turned to go take Kristina inside. Elizabeth reached out a hand to stop her. "I figure you should know that we have two new guests. Skye Quartermaine and a girl named Sam McCall." Alexis's jaw dropped. Of all the people for Lorenzo to bring here, Skye was quite possibly at the bottom of her list, right ahead of Edward. "Please tell me you're kidding." Alexis's brain was working overtime, trying to think of another place they could stay on short notice. Kristina started to fuss in her arms in reaction to her mother's mood. "No, I'm serious." Elizabeth hoped Alexis's silence was a sign that she was O.K. with this. "Did she touch Kristina?" Alexis snapped. There was no way in hell Alexis was going to work all day knowing that Skye was playing mommy to her daughter again. "Kristina recognized her and ran to her. But Skye gave her back to me." Alexis was furious. She was angry that Kristina had cause to recognize Skye Quartermaine at all. Alexis was convinced that if Skye hadn't been whispering in Ned's ear, he would have done the right thing and returned her daughter to her a lot sooner. There was no way Skye was going near Kristina. "Can you watch Kristina for a few more minutes? I have a few things to say to Skye." Elizabeth's forehead knotted. "She's not here. She took a car to go get her things. Apparently someone was shooting at her on the docks today." "It's too bad they missed," Alexis snapped. hr Faith and Zander walked into Lorenzo's warehouse after their guards gave the all-clear. Faith took a look around, thinking that with just a few renovations, it could be their new headquarters. "I want a team inside the Morgan-Corinthos coffee warehouse tonight. Let's see if there are any records left." Sonny may not have been into drugs or prostitution, but that still left loansharking, extortion, bribery, stolen cars, illegal guns, fencing, arson for hire, and illegally obtained government contracts, just to name a few. If she was going to take over the territory, she needed to know who owed money and what they had on each and every person who had illegal dealings in the city. Corinthos and Morgan had been taking a cut of all of it. Now that money, and more importantly that power, needed to fall into her hands. Faith listed off the things the warehouse would need to Zander, who was busy trying to write on a notebook he was barely holding in the hand of his broken arm. When she was done, she was ready to go back to Lorenzo's little love nest for dinner, before she began her evening rounds of visits to the city's purveyors of less savory services. "Um. Faith?" Zander had been putting this off all day, knowing exactly how well this would go over. "Yes?" Faith said impatiently. "Spit it out, Zander, I don't bite. hard." "Elizabeth Lansing is staying at the compound." "What the hell does Lorenzo want with little miss priss?" Zander decided to throw out a bone for Faith to chew on before he gave her the real news. "Ric is in Tracy's pocket. Elizabeth heard them talking last night. Tracy told him to let you walk so they could nail you when you walked outside. That's where this morning's tip came from." Faith was quick as a whip to guess what the scenario had been: Elizabeth's life had probably been hostage to Ric's cooperation. "I'll have to thank the little brat for selling out her husband," Faith said, then grabbed Zander's chin. "What aren't you telling me." "Elizabeth is pregnant with my kid. That's why she came to me." Faith stepped closer to Zander, then grabbed him by the balls. "Are you trying to tell me that you brought her into this without consulting me first? That Iyou/I made this Alcazar's business?" Zander stood frozen in agony. He nodded silently. Faith gave a vicious little twist before releasing him. Zander managed not to scream and tried not to double over but couldn't stop himself. This was not going well. "She needed someplace to hide in the middle of the night. The hotels are full." Faith couldn't believe Zander had the nerve to try and explain himself. "Do you really think I give a damn about wittle wizzie's problems?" "She's carrying my kid," Zander groaned. "So you knocked up another man's wife. Pay for a fucking abortion." Zander looked up at Faith with narrowed eyes. "No. That's not how this is going to go down. Elizabeth's going to have the baby." Faith slapped Zander hard across the face. "You don't shit without my O.K., Zander." They both knew this wasn't true. Zander was both fearless and unpredictable, two things that normally turned Faith on. "I won't leave Elizabeth twisting in the wind, Faith. You can accept it, or I can quit." Faith slapped Zander's other cheek hard enough to split his lip. "So now you think you can tell me what to do? Who gives the orders around here, Zander?" "You do, Faith," Zander answered grudgingly. He just hoped that Faith was taking out her anger on him and wouldn't subject Elizabeth to it. "That's right, Zander. Remember it." Faith looked around. The inside guard was pointedly not looking at either of them. "We're out of here." Faith started toward the door. "Are you coming, Zander?" Zander knew that she was done venting. This was a good sign. Chances were fair that she would accept Elizabeth's presence in his life, as long as it didn't interfere with their extracurricular activities. "Yes, Faith." Zander answered, struggling to stay upright as he walked Faith to the car. hr Skye had spent the afternoon recovering from her reunion with Kristina. She had even had a good cry, remembering her Princess Brat. That nickname would have to be her little secret now, and somehow that made Skye even more maudlin. Not that she would show her weakness again; after some visine and make-up, she was almost good as new. Skye breezed into the living room as two guards struggled with suitcases behind her. "First bedroom on the left upstairs, boys." Alexis was sitting in the shadows waiting for Skye to return. As Skye was putting he sunglasses in her purse, Alexis spoke. "Skye. I understand that we will both be living at the compound and I want to be absolutely clear about one thing." Skye rolled her eyes as Alexis spoke. "Wait. If you're going to get all macho with me, shouldn't you be wearing your moustache?"
Alexis ignored the barb. She was going to make her position absolutely clear to Skye. "Keep your baby-stealing hands off my daughter" Gia and Elizabeth had been in the kitchen snacking on the hors d'ouerves Esmerelda had prepared, but with a nod between them, they snuck over to the doorway to listen to the fight. "Now will she always be your daughter, or will you be pulling out your red wig and playing her auntie, too?" Gia looked at Elizabeth and mouthed, "Score." "Don't pretend to be worried when you're the one who proved that it was all a ruse." "Did it ever occur to you that you did a disservice to people with real mental illnesses when you faked crazy to get out of a murder charge?" "I was innocent." Skye scoffed. "So instead of proving your innocence using the justice system you are sworn to uphold, you make a mockery of it?" "I did what I had to do." "And you blame Ned for believing your lie? For protecting his child from her insane mother?" "No, Skye. I blame you. Ned never would have cut me out of Kristina's life unless you pushed him to do it." "Do you know why? I grew up with a mother who was in and out of insane asylums. It's not something a child gets over. Why wouldn't you want better for Kristina, if you really were crazy?" "And you think you count as "better"?" "I was a good mother to Kristina. Just look at her." Lorenzo had seen the women fighting through the windows from his office across the courtyard. He entered the kitchen and spoke to Esmerelda in Spanish. "What is happening?" Esmerelda smiled a knowing smile. "You know, my English must not be so good. I think one of them was accusing the other of being a transvestite. The other one said to keep her baby stealing hands off the baby. Then there was something about not wanting the baby to grow up with a crazy mother. They are really going at it." Lorenzo nodded. "I will require dinner for two in my quarters." Esmerelda nodded and Lorenzo went to intervene, but neither of the women acknowledged his presence. "What Kristina knows about love, she learned from Ned and I, not you, Skye. No one who has the slightest clue about motherhood would separate a mother from her baby." "Only someone who actually gave a damn about Kristina would understand protecting her from an insane mother." "But I'm perfectly sane, and you knew that and kept Kristina from me anyway. You didn't give a damn about what was best for Kristina. You just wanted a child of your own. Just because through some kind of cosmic justice you can't inflict your brand of "motherhood" on your own child doesn't mean you should try to steal somebody else's." "Enough!" Lorenzo shouted at last. Both women looked at him, shocked to see him there. "Nobody is stealing anybody's child. What's done is done." Skye backed off immediately. This hadn't been a fight she wanted to have, and she didn't want to alienate Lorenzo. In fact, she planned to make herself indispensable to him. Alexis was still out for blood. "You can't possibly expect me to allow her near my daughter." Lorenzo gave Alexis an amused look. "If you would prefer, you and your daughter can move to the east wing. With Mrs. Rosco." Alexis blanched. Skye was infuriating, but she would never harm Kristina. Faith, on the other hand, reminded Alexis of Helena. There was no way she wanted her daughter anywhere near her. Alexis found that her anger had spilled over to Lorenzo as well. "I would prefer Skye to stay the hell away from my daughter." "Kristina is always in the company of a caregiver. I am certain that if you make your wishes known, contact between them can be minimized. However, as we are all sharing living space, it is unrealistic to believe that you can prevent all contact between Ms Quartermaine and your daughter." "I can damn well try," Alexis said angrily. Lorenzo shrugged. "That is your prerogative," Lorenzo said, and turned to Skye. Taking her elbow, he led her towards the stairs and away from Alexis. "Ms Quartermaine, would you have dinner with me in my quarters at seven?" "I'd be delighted to," Skye said, ignoring Alexis's glare and proceeding upstairs. Alexis fumed. Lorenzo's attitude infuriated her. Worse, he was apparently taken in by Skye. Alexis found herself remembering when Skye had orchestrated Lorenzo's appearance at the Quartermaine mansion during her visitation. What other relationship had the two had? She remembered the attraction she had been feeling with disgust. "Alexis." Lorenzo began. "I hope that there are no hard feelings." "Why should there be? You only came in and called a halt to our discussion. I just love it when a man tells me to shut up." "That was not my intention. I merely wanted to put an end to your "discussion" before either of you said anything that would make it impossible for you to live in the same house with some semblance of harmony." "Oh, you're a great champion of harmony, aren't you," Alexis said sarcastically. "Within my home, yes, I am. I am certain that some sort of compromise can be achieved between you and Ms Quartermaine. It will require you to put aside your animosity for the good of your daughter." "Don't you dare bring my daughter into this." "Very well, then for the well-being of the other residents of the compound." Alexis hated this, and hated him for putting her in this position, but she didn't hate it as much as she feared Helena. Only a fool would ignore the attempt on the lives of herself and her daughter. "Fine. I think I'll have a drink before dinner," Alexis said, excusing herself from the conversation. She knew she needed to calm down. She was still itching for a fight, but she knew she needed to choose the time and place more carefully. hr an hour later. Esmerelda had prepared a veritable feast for them. Kristina was up from her nap and attacking her food with enthusiasm. Zander and Elizabeth were discussing her pregnancy, and Alexis and Gia were discussing Faith's case, while trying to see that Isome/I of Kristina's food actually made it to her mouth. Sam was eating quietly, getting a feel for the group dynamics. Faith had decided to try and grab a plate of food without being sucked into some kind of communal dining hell. Esmerelda graciously offered to serve her meals in her quarters from then on, and as Faith waited for her food, she found herself drawn to the dining room, almost as she might be drawn to a car accident. "Here comes the airplane." "So I'm actually nauseous most of the day." "They never covered that in criminal procedure." "Oh, I just hurt my. back." This was just Itoo/I funny for words. The intellectual level of conversation at Lorenzo's table had taken a cataclysmic drop. Faith breezed in and laid her hand on the back of Zander's chair. "So, I see that you started without me. And where is our gracious host? Has he abandoned his wayward women to dine alone?" Conversation had come to a dead halt. Looking around the table, it hit Faith. Lorenzo had assembled a harem. Her laugh rang out. "You all must be the harem. and Zander, that makes you the eunuch," Faith said, running her hand over Zander's hair possessively. "But where is the almighty man of the house? Oh, wait, it seems that one of the little wives is missing. Hmmm. What Icould/I they be doing?" Alexis bridled at the assertion that she was a member of some. harem. "If this is a harem, then you're living in it, too, Faith." "Oh, gee. You're right. I guess that makes me the first wife. the one from whom you should all cower in fear." Gia piped up, "Yeah, when hell freezes over." Faith looked her over. "Oooh, the feisty one. For when Lorenzo wants it rough." Gia glared. "I'll show you rough." Baby Kristina started to fuss. "I'll let you get back to tending the baby, tiger. Don't have too much fun without me." Faith walked back to the kitchen, listening to Zander talk Gia down. Good. They all knew who was Ireally/I in charge. Sam watched Faith leave and wished there was a way she could follow Faith without alienating the entire table. The whole meal was too Norman Rockwell for a sailor's blood, and she needed to find a way to get close to Faith. hr in the meantime. Skye had changed for dinner. She was wearing a sexy little dress in her favorite shade of lavender. She walked down the hallway and found a door open and opera music playing softly in the background. There was a sitting room adjacent to Lorenzo's bedroom, where a table for two was set. The only thing it lacked was dimmed lights. Skye wondered if Lorenzo was trying to seduce her, or if she was going to have to do all the work. Skye was running her hand along the back of her chair when Lorenzo came in. He was without his suit jacket and the collar of his shirt was open. Skye couldn't help but notice that his shirt was the color of freshly-picked blueberries, a color that made his eyes appear almost cobalt blue. "I thought that after the tensions of today, that you might prefer a private dinner to dining with the group," Lorenzo said, pulling out Skye's chair so she could sit. "It's a lovely end to a very long day," Skye said, laying her napkin in her lap. Lorenzo went to pour Skye some wine but she held up her hand. "I don't drink, but I don't mind if you do." Coming from a woman of Skye's breeding, Lorenzo assumed that she was alcoholic and put the wine aside rather than drink in front of her. "No, it's a lovely wine. I think I'll save it for another time," Lorenzo said smoothly, seating himself across from Skye. "Shall we see what Esmerelda has prepared for us?" Skye took the cover off her plate. Lorenzo interpreted. "I believe we have a Sicilian menu.some kind of rustic soup, pasta with eggplant, artichokes, and bell peppers, and grilled shark with pesto trapanese." "It looks delicious." "Esmerelda is a very good cook. With this many guests, I am certain that she prepared a chicken dish as well, if you prefer." "No. This is perfect," Skye said, taking a bite of her pasta. "Very well," Lorenzo said with satisfaction. Skye tried a bite of the shark and found it delicious. When she had finished chewing, she broached the subject of Alexis. "After our last encounter, I was surprised to find Alexis here." "Alexis is an excellent attorney. I can provide a safe haven for her, and she can ensure that Mrs. Rosco and I are not burdened by the attentions of the local police." Skye nodded. "I see. I am more than willing to put aside my personal biases for the sake of peace in the household." "I appreciate that." "I feel like I should explain, about Kristina." "No explanation is required, but as you wish." "My adoptive mother was insane. She was in and out of asylums throughout my childhood. I know the damage having a crazy mother can do. When I believed that Alexis was insane, I pushed Ned to keep Alexis away from Kristina. I truly believed it was in her best interests." "And by the time you had uncovered her deception, you already loved Kristina. I, too, have gone to extraordinary lengths to have the one I loved." "Then you understand my loss," Skye said softly. Lorenzo covered Skye's hand with his own. "I understand that you are still in pain, and that living with Kristina will be bittersweet and will probably prolong that pain." "But I can't help myself. Seeing her is the only joy in my life right now." "I understand better than you might think." hr After dinner, Sam headed straight for the bar in the living room and poured herself three fingers of whiskey. "The company was that dull, eh," Gia said with a chuckle. Gia poured herself a brandy. "I'm a hard drinking, hard living salvage captain," Sam said, repeating a line she had used on Jax. "I don't know how long I'll be able to take all this togetherness." "How does a hard drinking, hard living salvage captain hook up with Jasper Jacks?" "Not very happily. Jax likes to pretend he lives life on the edge, but those millions are an awfully big cushion to fall back on. You must know what I mean. Didn't you used to be engaged to Nikolas Cassadine?" "Yes. That feels like another lifetime now," Gia said thoughtfully. "So you've already rebounded," Sam said knowingly. "Oh, yeah. I rebounded hard, right into Zander." Sam smiled at Gia over her whiskey. "Sounds like you need a new man." "No way. I made my life about Nikolas for too long. Now my life is going to be about me." Sam offered her glass up in a toast, "To living life on our own terms." hr
