Part 5:
Why History Repeats

January 15,
2000

Mercy Hospital:
AJ's ICU Room

She didn't even notice the noises...the whirrings and hissings and beepings. They were all so normal to her now, so typical. It was all she seemed to hear anymore, machines buzzing and blipping and doctors making notes and talking abjectly. It was as though the goal of all doctors was to never say anything that could be considered close to definite. They told her nothing.

And gray and white, she had decided, were the dullest colors ever found. Was that why they put them here? Wouldn't want to confuse people by making the place look the tiniest bit cheery? Must be the reason why there weren't any windows either, to let any sunlight in.

And every fifteen minutes a nurse would come in, or twenty when the dark-haired, pointy-nosed night-nurse was on duty because she was never on time. And the nurse, whether it be the night nurse, the cheery, blond morning nurse, the soft-spoken, older, gray-haired afternoon nurse, one of the two, silent, dark-haired weekend nurses, or an interim nurse, she would write down his blood pressure and other vitals and then go on her way, the click-clacking of her shoes echoing through the room.

His vitals never seemed to change. She'd become almost adept at reading the machines herself by now, bringing back a few fragments of knowledge she'd picked up in nursing school. His face was expressionless, and his eyes never opened. Coma...what an ugly word that was.

She herself was fairly expressionless by now. The first time she'd come, she'd nearly passed out. Shock, disgust, disbelief... A thousand emotions had all run through her at once. She'd literally been ill. But, like a child who'd fallen off a bicycle, she'd come back. And now it hardly seemed to affect her.

Carly sighed, rubbing her temple gently. She hated hospitals, absolutely hated them. But she had an obligation to be here. This was her place. She owed him that much, not that she was doing him any good. In fact, nothing seemed to be doing him any good.

"Good morning, Mrs. Quartermaine. He's looking stronger today," the optimistic, flaxen-haired morning nurse said with a cheerful smile. "How can you tell?"

"Well," she considered, "his vitals are getting better." She told Carly, smiling. "And I think he's got a little more color."

"His blood pressure is up a bit. It's making him less pale," Carly said simply. "But his vitals have been fluctuating. It could be nothing."

"Well, the doctor should be in around noon to take a look and check the chart. He'll figure out what it means." She said, smiling and finishing her notes. "I'm sure he's going to be just fine."

Carly sighed and rolled her eyes. The doctors were going to come and warn impending doom a breath before commenting that he could wake up any minute and be just fine, the morning nurse had way to much caffeine and was going to drive her nuts, and soon she'd have to deal with the sympathetic afternoon nurse, and then the snotty night nurse. God, she had to get out of here, or she was going to scream.

She picked up her bag, cast one last look at AJ's unconscious form, and hurried out of the ICU.
Alexis'
Office

"You couldn't get onto Melpomene then?" She asked into the phone. "Uh huh." She bit her lip and set her glasses on the desk. "What prevented you from getting there?" She asked. She narrowed her eyes. "I don't understand. Were you prevented or not?" She asked. "Okay. You were stopped. We've got that clear. Now, by what means were you stopped? How did they stop you?" She said slowly, growing annoyed. "There was a "virtual blockade."" She repeated. "What does that mean, exactly? What's a virtual blockade. It's either a blockade or it isn't." She sighed. "Look, I don't need to peruse Webster's dictionary. I just need for you to tell me how they stopped you." She said, now completely exasperated. "Did they block off the port?" She asked, slowly. "Okay. So it was blocked off. How did they block it off?" Her eyes blazed. "Yes. I'm asking how. You know, were there big, naval barges they rented or what?" She clenched her teeth together. "No, I didn't really think no one would notice big, naval barges surrounding Melpomene. I was being sarcastic."

There was a knock on her door then, and Jax poked his head in. "Hi. Are you busy?"

"Yeah, but come on in," she said covering the mouthpiece on the phone. "This should be done soon...or I'll have lost my sanity." She sighed. Into the phone, "So, it was merely blocked off. Was the whole island blocked off or just the main docks?" She asked. "Uh huh. Is it blocked off for twenty-four hours?" She asked. "You don't know? Well, that's a surprise," she muttered sarcastically. "Find out, please." She said simply. She looked annoyed at something they said next. "You'll get paid when your report is complete, that's when you'll get paid." She replied. "I'll contact you day after tomorrow. I'll expect the information then." She hung up and turned to Jax with a sigh.

"Bad help?"

"It's been that kind of day," she said with a sigh, looking up at Jax. "Now what can I do for you?" She asked.

"I had these drawn up." He said simply, setting down a manila envelope holding divorce papers. "But, before we sign them, I'll have to tell my parents and Jerry what's really going on. I don't think Jerry's said anything to Mom and Dad, but he did see us with our respective dates on New Year's." He paused. "I'd really like it if you'd help me, at least with my parents."

"Are we telling them the truth?"

"No. What good will it do? Why tell them I lied? And I guess, it's just too late. I just want to cut it off quietly. Simon and V won't tell anyone, and no one else really knows. They're going to be disappointed enough in me, for losing you," he said with a wry grin.

"I don't think they could ever be disappointed in you," Alexis said softly with a smile. "But thanks." She paused. "What are we going to tell them then?"

"That's where I need your help," He admitted.

"We're not going to try to say I was after your money again, are we? Because then they'd hate me, not that they won't already."

"They'll never hate you, Alexis, but we'll skip that," Jax said simply. "I think we're past...that...the point where that...works. You know what I mean?" He asked softly, and after a moment she nodded a little. "What was your phone call about?"

"Oh, nothing, it's just...family stuff. Cassadine stuff." She said simply. "One of the Cassadine Islands is being used, apparently."

"And Stefan asked you to do some checking?"

"No, not Stefan," Alexis said, shaking her head. "Nikolas did. We actually can't seem to reach Stefan."

Island
of Melpomene

"We haven't located her, but we did locate a portion of the vessel she stole," Stefan alerted Faison, just after hanging up the phone. "It washed up on Thalia this morning. Apparently, there were some pretty bad thunderstorms just offshore. There was a lot of damage to everything South of here, mostly Calliope, because Terpischore and Euterpe are undeveloped. There are some docks and a few cottages on Terpischore, but nothing was surveyed yet. It'd be no great loss."

"Anna would be." Faison said, sounding almost worried. "We must keep looking for her. She could still be out there."

"If she is, then she's escaped, and that's not a good situation either," Stefan pointed out.

"Could she have landed on a nearby island?"

"If she did, we'll know soon. All of the nearby islands are owned by the Cassadines. I'm having them surveyed."

"And what about the security conditions? Has anyone found anything suspicious?"

"Someone tried to get onto Melpomene this morning, but they were turned back. They didn't get very close. My men don't know why they came."

"And the servants? Have you done the proper checks on them?" Faison asked, narrowing his eyes. "I'm sure there's a security breech somewhere."

Danielle's blue eyes flashed as her quick ears followed their every word. She didn't look worried. She wasn't. She knew she'd be the last one to be suspected, and, besides, she didn't have time to be worried. This was her job.

With quiet feet, she moved swiftly to her room. She checked it with ease and found that there were no cameras or recorders. She sunk down to her knees and tilted her head to look under the bed; she moved a suitcase, pulled up part of a floor board, and took out a small, locked box. She took the key from the chain that she wore around her neck, opened the box, and took out one of the items inside, a cell phone. She dialed the numbers quickly.

Sean Donely's
Office

"How are things on the island, Danny?" He said, knowing automatically it was her. It was a special phone line.

"Volatile. Faison is suspicious, but Anna got away...to somewhere. There was a large thunderstorm. They found part of her boat. She may be on an island, or..." Danielle's voice trailed off. All traces of the French accent she'd previously used had disappeared. "And I can identify his partner."

"I thought we found out that he was working with Helena." Sean commented, sounding confused.

"We were wrong." Danielle said simply. "He's working with a Cassadine, but not her. He's dealing with her son, Stefan."

WSB Headquarters,
Paris: Lobby

"They know more than they're telling me," Mac complained, sighing. "I know they do. Something is going on."

"Maybe they do. But they're doing their best to get Robin back. That's what matters."

"I could help." He insisted, and Felicia sighed.

Alexis'
Office

"So, I can invite them to dinner tonight?" Jax asked Alexis. "You'll be able to make it?"

"I'll be there," she promised softly. "I hope they don't hate me."

"I hope they don't hate me," Jax quipped lightly, with only the slightest note of seriousness in it, and she smiled, knowing that could never happen. And, looking at her, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was, especially when she smiled like that. He'd miss her. He was missing her already. The penthouse seemed ten times lonelier without her.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ned's voice came from the doorway. He looked stressed and overworked already. There were so many things that the Quartermaines needed, with the recent tragedy, and he'd been taking care of most of them; though, part of him had to admit, Justus had actually been of help and Reginald and Leticia certainly had.

There was a moment of silence, before Jax spoke up. "No. I should be going now anyway. I'll see you tonight," he told Alexis. To Ned, "Um, I'm sorry about AJ. If there's anything you need..."

"I'm fine." Ned said firmly and quite a bit gruffly. Kinder, "But thank you, Jax," he added after a second.

"Anytime. Bye." With that he was gone, shutting the door behind him.

"What does he mean about tonight?" Ned queried as Alexis got up and walked to the doorway where Ned stood.

"We're going to come up with a story to tell his parents... Break the news, gently, that our marriage is over. I'm sure they have all sorts of questions if Jerry told them about seeing us on New Year's Eve."

"So, you have plans for tonight?"

"Is that a problem?" Alexis asked softly. "I can call Jax and tell him I can't do dinner tonight if you need me."

He shook his head. "I have work to catch up on anyway. No one's been tending to L&B, because I haven't had time, and V and Simon won't be back in Port Charles again until they get everything from London; she probably won't be interested in doing the same job anyway, even if she stays." He added. "Besides, in this case, divorce is good news."

"Ironic, isn't it?" She smiled a wry, half-smile. "And are you here on some sort of business?"

"No, I'm here for something much more important," he said charmingly, smiling a little. "To give you this." He walks towards her pulls a single, long-stemmed, scarlet rose from behind his back and hands it to her. "And this." He kisses her gently. "I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks."

"You haven't." She said simply.

"I know," he said softly. "And I'm sorry for not calling either. Things were just so...hectic."

"That's all right. I understand."

"You're the only one who would." He said softly. He paused. "There's something else..." He started slowly. He hesitated before handing her an envelope.

"What's this?"

"Me delivering on a promise." He answered simply, and she narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Just open it. You'll understand."

She did, and her eyes widened. "Tickets to Rome?" She asked softly. "Can we go? I mean... aren't you too busy?" She paused. "And I understand that perfectly, really, I do. And you promised me someday, not right away."

"I am busy, but I need to get away. ELQ's a mess, quite frankly, and to be perfectly honest, there is some business in Europe I have to tend to... After our vacation." He paused. "I could only arrange a few days," he warned. "But I probably need it more than you." He confided. "You're not too busy, are you?"

"I'll move some things around." She promised.

General
Hospital

"Bobbie," Jason said softly, approaching her from behind. "Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah. Things are slow. Why?"

"It's about Carly," he started slowly. He paused. "I just want... She's okay, right?" He asked softly.

"I'm sure she will be," Bobbie said softly. "You know Carly," she said, with affection. "She always lands on her feet."

"Yeah." He looks away for a moment. "Will you make sure and tell me if you think I can help her with anything?"

"I will," Bobbie promised. "And thank you, Jason. You're a good friend to my daughter. The best she could have."

Mercy Hospital:
Lobby

Carly runs into Monica, literally, as she's leaving. The two women lock eyes for a long moment.

"You're still here?" Monica asks, looking surprised.

"Yeah... I didn't want to leave until someone could come to replace me, but..." She paused, choking a little. "It's just horrible in there."

"I know," Monica agreed. She paused. "I think it's an amazing thing that you stuck around this long---and I'm not saying that to mean that I never thought that you personally could do it. It's not a barb directed at you. It's amazing how you've been throughout this whole thing. You've handled it as well as anyone could... And I admire that."

Carly looked at her mother-in-law for a long moment. "I haven't done anymore than anyone should." She said simply. "But thank you, Monica."

"Thank you, Carly," Monica replied very softly, touching her daughter-in-law's shoulder gently. "For doing the right thing. I know you stopped seeing Jason." She added, pausing. "I know what it's like---being in love with one man and committed to the other. It's not easy. I couldn't do it. In the end, I lost them both." She paused. "They were brothers, too."

"Who were they?" Carly asked, softly. "If you don't mind me asking, I mean. You don't have to tell me."

"I know I don't," Monica said softly. "But I will. Why don't you sit down," she suggested. "We'll talk for a minute." Carly nodded, and they sat down in the chairs. "I was an orphan. Did you know that?" She asked, and Carly shook her head. "Well, I was. The closest thing I had to family were the Webbers. A boy named Rick Webber was my high school sweetheart. I really loved him. He loved me too. And he understood me."

"He was your Jason." Carly said softly. "Your first love?"

"Yes. I suppose he was." Monica said, nodding. "We all thought he was dead, and then I... I married Jeff. The Webbers were the only family I knew, and Jeff really loved me. And I was fond of him. And he was safe. And I thought we could have a good life." She paused. "I guess that sounds familiar?"

Carly nodded. "Yeah. Very much so." She paused. "I'm surprised. I never would have guessed."

"Guessed what? That I could understand?"

"I never would have guessed that anyone could understand. I thought I was this horrible person, the only person who'd ever--" She trailed off. "What happened?"

"He wasn't really dead," Monica said, nodding. "He came back, and I started seeing him, behind Jeff's back. He said we couldn't do it. We couldn't hurt Jeff like that. I wanted to divorce Jeff, to just be with Rick; but he only conceded to go behind Jeff's back." She paused. "Meanwhile, he met Lesley Webber, then Lesley Williams or Faulkner... I'm not really sure. It was a long time ago. She was like...the Robin in our situation." Monica explained. "She was sweet, perfect, everyone loved her... Except me. I hated her. I thought she was an awful goody-goody, and I couldn't imagine what he could see in her." She paused again.

"How did you lose them both?"

"Jeff found out about my affair with Rick, and he shot himself. Rick swore never to touch me again if Jeff lived---and Jeff did pull through." She paused. "Rick did come back to me again, but that was later, when I was married to Alan; and it was never the same." She said softly. "And Jeff... Jeff and I tried to make it work, but he realized that I would never see in him what I saw in his brother." She paused. "And I just...lost them both."