Author's Note: I know, it's been quite a while since I've posted a new part to this story. I've been caught up in some other stories that I started, and so this one has been quite neglected. I've also been unsure what to do with it, and I'm still a little unsure. I'm sort of feeling around, so if this chapter is not as good as the previous ones, it's because I'm less confident about this one as I have been some of the others. Hopefully, I'll get my rhythm back, and this story will be updated more often.

Alexis was frustrated. Stefan had told her little else, only to trust him. And she did. But when she saw Irisa, bag in hand, look of sadness on her pretty face, she just had to find out what was going on.

"I take this to mean that you and my brother are parting ways?" Alexis stood with her hands behind back, fingers laced together. She puckered her lips and released them. Her head bobbed slightly as she rocked back and forth on her heels. "Is this something I should worry about?"

"Is all part of the plan, Alexis," she said softly. Irisa rose a hand to her forehead and bumped back a lock of hair with the back of her hand. "A part that Stefan must do the telling of, as it is his plan."

"And you're just going along with it." She pursed her lips again. "Why?"

Irisa sighed and shook her head. "Stefan told me that you were very untrusting right now, and is understandable. You have been through much. However, please trust me when I say that what I do is for your betterment."

"And why, again, do you care about my well-being?"

"Because Stefan cares, and I care about the things that he holds dear." Irisa let out a heavy breath and closed her eyes. Her bottom lip shook as she let out another breath, then opened her eyes. She tilted her head to the side and looked at Alexis with a soft smile. "I should be leaving now. If others were to find that I was staying here, then the plan would be destroyed. So I will leave, now, and the next time you will see me, your life will be where you and your brother will it to be."

Irisa left without another word, and Alexis stood, watching her go. If she had been confused before, she was even more confused now. She had no idea what this woman could have done that not only involved leaving Wyndemere, but also, apparently, denying any connection to the Cassadine family. She had to have been doing something that required anonymity, obviously, but just how anonymous she had to be… That was the question.

Alexis didn't expect to get any answers until the end. She knew Stefan well enough to know that he would be holding some details close to the vest. There was a time when she would have been offended by his secrets, but with current circumstances, she could understand why he felt the need to do so. Alexis didn't trust herself to go through with this half the time. It was no wonder that Stefan didn't trust her to carry through, either. Besides, he was probably doing something that, as an officer of the court, she probably shouldn't have known about. Not going to the extreme measures that his mother would have chosen, of course, but there were other things that were just as illegal, that could have ended her up just as disbarred.

The whole situation gave her a headache, and it did nothing for the baby that was growing inside of her. Massaging her temples, Alexis crossed the room and sat down on the sofa. Wyndemere had gone so long without occupation that, were it not for the excellent housekeeping that Mrs. Lansbury did regardless, Alexis was sure that there would have been dust everywhere. She leaned back and let her hands fall to her stomach.

It was when she felt her child move that wondered what she truly wanted. Ric's betrayal was painful, but it had been one night. One drunken night, as he would try to explain to her. Everyone made mistakes. Alexis had made more than a few of her own. But, it wasn't the sex that stopped her from telling Stefan that she did want Ric in her life. It was the lie.

He could have told her. Alexis wasn't completely unreasonable. Okay, so she could be unreasonable at times, and she probably would have thrown a fit if he'd told her, but she believed that she would have forgiven him. She loved him. Even now, after knowing about his betrayal with Reese Marshall, she still loved him. Touching her swelling belly, she loved him even more.

She could have told Stefan to change his plans. She probably could have convinced him to alter it enough so that instead of ensuring her a proper divorce, he ensured her a proper marriage. But anger boiled inside of her at just the thought of the pictures taken of them, and she kept her mouth shut. Maybe she would change her mind later. There was such thing as remarriage. But, for the moment, she couldn't deny the strong desire to rid herself of the marriage.

Taking her ring off could have been the first step.

Alexis sighed and looked down at her hand. Nothing elaborate, nothing too expensive. His brother was the one with the money to lavish large diamonds on his wife. His brother's wife was the one who would have wanted the large diamond. Ric was just a former District Attorney who owed more money to Lorenzo Alcazar than he actually had. He couldn't afford large diamonds. Alexis didn't need large diamonds. She just needed Ric. She thought she needed Ric.

"If your thoughts are of your husband, I would advise removing the ring. It will only be a reminder of what you know is beneath you."

Alexis sighed and leaned her head back. Stefan stood behind her, looking down. His arms were folded. "Don't you make noise when you move?" Stefan gave a small grin and Alexis groaned. "Whether Ric is beneath me is up for debate depending on my mood. But what isn't up for debate is that, whether I remove the ring or not, I'll still have a reminder of my husband."

Stefan looked down at her with disappointment and she sighed. Though she expected him to understand better, she knew that he never would. When she tried to prove that Katherine Bell was beneath him, he banished her from the family. Had he listened to her, he could have been saved a lot of heartache and grief. The similarities that they saw in each other's situations were astounding, and yet, neither would admit to the other the truth in those similarities.

Stefan walked around the sofa and sat down beside her. His arms unfolded and his left hand drifted to her rising belly. "This child is a Cassadine," he said softly, "just as the one still sleeping upstairs. This child will be a reminder of you, of your strength. This is a child that survived at a time when it most surely should have died. Cassadine blood is strong, and this one will have the strength that I know is inside you."

Alexis put her hand over Stefan's and sighed. "This is all very strange, Stefan," she said. "I never expected to see you again, and here you are, trying to fix my life. And even if I did think I'd see you again, I would have expected your wrath. Some Cassadine curse, or maybe a tainted glass of wine. This… It's all something that I never thought I would have from you, again."

Stefan laughed lightly, barely more than a chuckle. "Now, Natasha, have I ever been able to turn my back on my family for long?"

"No, but you should give it a try. Apparently, it's easy enough for the rest of us to do." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm going to ask you a question now, because I can't get it out of my head and it needs to be said. Well, two questions actually. What is this plan that involves your girlfriend sneaking off of Spoon Island and when are you going to let Nikolas know that you're alive."

Stefan went still for a moment. His hand slid from Alexis's belly and he leaned back. He crossed his legs, left over right. His hand moved thoughtfully to his chin. "Irisa will ensure that your marriage ends. When she comes back to Wyndemere, Ric Lansing's lack of worthiness will be evident."

Alexis didn't like the sound of that, but this wasn't the time to delve farther into that part of the plan. "And Nikolas? You can't tell me that you don't love him, Stefan. You may be angry with him, and you may be hurt, but he's still your nephew. He's still the son that you wished were your own. You can't leave him in the dark forever. Hell, I can't leave him in the dark forever. He's going to want answers."

"And you will find answers to give him. We've already discussed this, Alexis."

She sighed. "I know, but it's worth discussing again, and I need something to discuss. You won't tell me your plans for Ric. You won't tell me how we're going to keep Sonny away from Kristina. You have to tell me something, Stefan. I can't just wait here. I'm too high-strung. You know that."

"And that is exactly why I haven't given you any details. If you're worrying over what you do know, then what you don't know will cause you even more stress. All you have to do is remain calm and know that I have everything under control."

Alexis groaned. "Why don't I like hearing you say that?" Stefan laughed and Alexis liked the laugh even less than the words. Though, what she liked the least was that he still hadn't given her an answer about Nikolas. But, he was Stefan, and he probably wouldn't give her an answer. Besides, he was probably right. More than likely, she wouldn't like the answer. But still… "About Nikolas, Stefan…"

"He'll know when I think he's ready." He sobered and rose from the sofa. He stood with his hands clasped behind his hands and sighed. "Or when I believe that I'm ready. There's much there to be healed, Alexis."

"It can't be healed if he doesn't know that you're alive."

"Neither can it be healed if he's not ready to know I'm alive." He shook his head. "Go to your daughter, Natasha. Play with her, let her know that she is loved. Let her know that she is safe."

"And then?"

"And then, once you're rested and she's awake, we contact our attorneys and have the papers delivered."

"What papers?"

"The ones letting Corinthos know that his visitation rights have been revoked, of course. What do you think I've been doing all this time, Natasha? You know that I am nothing if not productive."

He smiled at her, then turned away. Alexis turned on the sofa and rose to her knees. "Stefan!" He continued to walk, but waggled his fingers at her as he moved to the small set of stairs that led further into the mansion. "What were the terms! On what grounds! Stefan! You can't just…"

He was gone, and she was getting no answers. Groaning, Alexis turned back around and plopped back into her seat. "…leave me with the shock of the day," she finished in a mutter. She shrugged. "Of course, he can. He's Stefan Cassadine. Apparently, he can do whatever he wants." She sighed and rested her hand on her belly, then whispered, "And lucky for me, he's on my side this time."