CHAPTER 12
NEXT MORNING: CIA
"Let's keep this short, huh?" Sark says as they enter the conference room and sit down
"We will." Dixon assures looking at the girl "How did you find out about your Grandfather's dealings?"
Alexa pulls her knees to her chest and takes a deep breath, "About two years ago when he was drunk he admitted a lot of things to his head of security."
"And what exactly did he admit?" Dixon inquires
"He admitted a lot of different things." Alexa goes through all she learned over the years leaving out her Grandfather's admittance behind her Mom's death wanting to tell her Dad on her own.
HOUR LATER
"Is that all you found out over the years?" Dixon asks
"Business wise, yes."
"Who helped you by sending us that information?" Jack asks
"I have no idea. I never met the person. I just sent him the information and he sent it to you." Alexa shrugs "No way for him to find out I took the information."
"Pretty good for a teenager." Dixon states
"He deserved it."
"We're done here." Dixon announces "But there will be more questions once we're done talking to him."
Alexa nods
Once the three are out of the conference room Dixon looks at the others. "Lauren, Vaughn I want you two to debrief Cassadine. I do not want Sark near him with out security being nearby... I have a feeling once he talks with Alexa things are going to happen."
"What about Cassadines contacts?" Weiss questions
"Track all of them down as soon as possible. Once they realize he is in custody, I fear they will go into hiding. I want to get as many as we can before that happens." Dixon says
LATE EVENING: HOUSE
"What's wrong Sark?" Sydney asks as the two are left alone downstairs while Niko sleeps and Alexa sits alone in her room.
Sark sighs running his fingers through his hair, "There's a lot I want to ask her Sydney"
"So go ask her."
"I don't know if I should... or can."
"Are you afraid of the answers?"
"A little." Sark admits
"I never thought you'd be scared of anything." Sydney remarks
"Normally I'm not but this involves Alexa. I know all that has happened over the years has traumatized her but what if asking makes it worse?"
"What if not asking makes it worse?" Sydney challenges. "She can't hold all of it in and you can't keep wondering and blaming yourself. Getting her to talk about that night and since will benefit you both. Just get it over with Sark... don't torture both of you. I know it may be hard for you to ask her about it, but what is it like for her? She's a kid who has never had anyone to talk to."
"I know." Sark closes his eyes "I guess I shouldn't put it off."
Sydney watches him walk away, "Good luck." She whispers 'I hope whatever it is Alexa knows won't hurt him more than not knowing does.'
Sark stops before the door and takes a deep breath before knocking on the closed door
"Come in." Alexa calls.
Sark enters the bedroom to find Alexa sitting on the bed staring out the window. "Are you OK?" He questions sitting beside her.
"Just feels weird."
"What does?"
Alexa glances at him then out the window, "To not be on the island."
"It will take you a while to adjust."
"I know." She rests her chin on her knees.
Sark regards his daughter then asks the foremost question, "What happened Alexa? What happened after I left that day?"
Alexa stares out the window hugging her knees. "I don't remember."
"What do you remember?" Sark demands
"I can't go there." Alexa mutters blinking back tears. "Don't ask me to remember it. It took me years to deal with it." She wipes at the tears
"I need to know Alexa." Sark says gently. "Whatever your Grandfather did I need to know about it." He pauses "What happened after I left Alexa?"
Alexa closes her eyes knowing she needs to tell him, "I took my nap" she drifts back to that night.
/TEN YEARS EARLIER: LONDON
Eva crouches before her daughter "We have an errand to run."
"Where Mama?" Alexa asks rubbing her eyes still groggy from her nap.
Eva smiles "Mama has a surprise to tell Daddy when he gets home. And you are going to help me." She taps her daughter's nose.
"What surprise Mama?" Alexa asks happily liking the idea of helping her Mama.
Eva picks up her daughter "You are going to be a big sister soon."
Alexa grins "Yeah" She bounces up and down happily.
"Now all we have to do is find a way to tell Daddy."/
Sark closes his eyes, "She was pregnant."
"She was going to tell you when you got back. We went shopping that afternoon and we came home." Alexa bites her lip, "I was playing when I heard the doorbell."
/Alexa looks up from her playing to see her Mama walk to the foyer then looks back at her toys. She frowns when she hears her Mama's voice rise.
"What are you doing here?" Eva demands "Alexander won't like you being here."
"Get the girl and let's go."
"No! I am staying with my husband."/
Alexa shivers remembering the raised voices "She was angry."
/"We're not going anywhere! We belong here." Eva says angrily, "This is my family now... Alexander and our children."/
"Then everything went quiet. I thought he had left and I went back to playing until he came in."
/Alexa looks up at the unfamiliar man warily, "Where's Mama?"
"Come on its time to go." He picks her up.
"Teddy" she squirms reaching for her bear./
"We left."
Sark closes his eyes running his hands over his face, "So she didn't die in a car accident."
Alexa bites her lip then continues, "I overheard him talking with his head of security once when he was drunk. He was saying that killing her was useless that I was a disappointment and that he should have killed me and taken her." Blinking back tears Alexa hugs herself tight.
Seeing her shake Sark gently pulls her into his arms ignoring her brief moment struggle, "I'm not going to hurt you. You know that." He says softly as he strokes her hair. "I'm sorry sweetheart... I never should have left you and your Mom. If I hadn't left he wouldn't have done this... he wouldn't have tried." He closes his eyes as he hears her sobs, "I'm sorry."
HOUR LATER: HOUSE
Sydney looks up as Sark walks into the kitchen looking pained, "Hey what's wrong?"
Sark leans against the counter taking a deep breath trying to calm down.
"Sark?" Sydney steps up to him her hand on his arm, "What's wrong?"
"Lexa and I talked."
"About?"
"That son of a bitch killed them."
"Who?" Sydney looks at him confused.
"Cassadine. He killed Eva and staged her death as a car accident." Sark says calmly his voice holding a hint of rage. "He destroyed my family. He beat my child." He slowly lifts his head looking at Sydney. "Eva was pregnant... she was going to tell me when I returned."
Sydney winces at the pain and anger raging in his eyes, "She remembered that?"
Sark rubs the back of his neck and nods "Didn't really want to tell me but it came out. Eva had told her so they could both surprise me."
"How is she?"
"Fell asleep after crying about 10 minutes. I have just been sitting there trying to keep from going over there and killing him for what he did. He killed her in the house while Lexa was there. She doesn't remember everything about that night or isn't ready to face it. She overheard him admit he killed Eva one night when he was drunk." He turns and walks out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to see him."
"No you aren't." Sydney grabs his arm
"Yes I am! You are NOT my bloody mother so don't tell me what I can or can't do!" Sark strides out of the house to the car.
Sydney stands between Sark and the car door, "Just don't do anything stupid Sark."
"I should kill him for what he did."
"And if you do you won't get anymore answers. If you do, you will end up in lock up again. If you're locked up how will that affect them?" 'And me'
"I won't kill him."
Sydney nods stepping away from the car, "Fine."
"I'll be back in a while." Sark promises getting into the car.
Sydney stands there watching as he backs the car out of the driveway, 'Don't do anything stupid... you have two kids now.' She rubs her arms then slowly walks back to the house heading straight to the phone she dials her Dad's number.
"Bristow"
"Dad"
"Sydney what's wrong?" Jack asks concerned at his daughter's tone.
"Sark's on his way in to see Cassadine."
"For what reason?"
"He talked to Alexa and he's really angry. I don't want him left alone with Cassadine."
"Do you think he'd kill him?"
"After what he just found out it wouldn't surprise me if he'd do it. He said he wouldn't but..."
"You don't know"
"Dad I've never seen him this angry. You know how calm he usually is."
"All right I'll keep an eye on him."
"Thanks."
30 MINS LATER: CIA
Sark silently groans as he sees Jack outside the door of lockdown, "She called you?"
"She's worried you will do something stupid."
"As much as I would love to kill him I can't... despite all he's done to me and Lexa I did promise Eva I wouldn't kill her father. Regardless of the fact he murdered my wife and took my daughter from me I'm not going to kill him because I promised her I wouldn't." Sark removes his gun handing it to Jack, "Make you feel better?" He enters the lockdown ward going over to the Plexiglas cell where Cassadine is sitting at the table, "Just were you belong."
Cassadine scowls, "Where's Sasha?"
"She is somewhere where you will never hurt her again."
"I never hurt her."
"You killed her mother! You thought she would forget... you thought that years of lying would prevent her from ever remembering." Sark says angrily.
"You took Eva from me."
"You could have killed them both that day. I should have killed you then."
"All I had was Eva until you came into our lives. You caused all of this!"
"I wasn't the one who tormented Eva. I wasn't the one who tormented Alexa. You did." Sark retorts. "You killed your own daughter Cassadine... your pregnant daughter, you not me." When he sees Cassadine's expression he nods, "Eva told Alexa... she was going to tell me when I returned." Sark shakes his head, "She was safe with me because I kept you away from her. I loved her and she loved me... you couldn't accept that could you? You couldn't accept that I had what you wanted." Sark rests his hands against the Plexiglas, "You are never getting out. If there is ever a chance they let you out, I will kill you. I will go against my promise to Eva... and I will make your death very painful. You are never going near my daughter again Cassadine." He warns his voice cold and deadly.
Cassadine scowls watching as the man walks away, 'Bastard.'
COUPLE HOURS LATER: HOUSE
Sydney looks up from her reading as Sark walks straight to the kitchen, "What happened?"
"He's unfortunately still alive." Sark grabs a glass and reaches above the refrigerator grabbing a bottle of vodka. He pours himself a drink then downs it carrying the bottle into the living room he sits on the couch pouring himself another drink.
"Where have you been?"
"Driving around... thinking." Sark downs the drink
Sydney watches him down two in a row as she sets her book aside, "On your way to getting drunk?"
"Don't Sydney" he warns
"Don't what? Your trying to get drunk Sark. Do you really want Alexa to wake up and see you drinking?"
Sark glares at her "I'm not like him when drunk."
"No you aren't." Sydney acknowledges.
"I'm just"
"Feeling guilty." Sydney states
Sark closes his eyes not wanting to admit that feeling that is tearing at him. "So what if I am?"
"Why are you?"
"She's dead. If I had kept my distance like I was supposed to none of this would have happened... she'd probably be alive." He rubs his forehead. "Why didn't she just tell me... I wouldn't have left that day if she had just told me."
Sydney carefully removes the glass from his hand setting it on the coffee table, "She obviously was going to tell you."
"I just..." Sark sighs. "I miss her"
"I know but getting drunk isn't really something you need to deal with right now. You have Alexa to worry about, she needs you sober Sark. As much as you want to wallow in your own pain... she needs you." She laces their fingers.
"When I was told about the accident the first thing I thought was that I was alone again. The other thing I thought about was why did I argue with her about another baby?" He takes a deep breath, "I shouldn't have left."
"You can't change it... as much as you want too you can't."
"I know."
MIDNIGHT
"NO"
Sydney and Sark bolt awake on the couch at the scream. Sark jumps off the couch and runs up the stairs while Sydney follows to check on Niko. Sark enters the dark bedroom to see Alexa sitting up on her bed. Sark turns on the lamp "Lexa?" He frowns when he sees her rocking back and forth tears falling. He sits on the edge of the bed, "Nightmare?"
Alexa glances at her Dad then rests her head on her arms closing her eyes.
Sark reaches out gently brushing Alexa's hair behind her ear pleased when she doesn't flinch and pull away. "Its OK Alexa, I'm not going to hurt you... no one is ever going to hurt you again." He moves closer and gently pulls her into his arms.
Alexa stiffens slightly then relaxes finally feeling safe. "Daddy"
Sark closes his eyes inwardly smiling at her whisper, "You're safe now. No one is going to take you from me again." He strokes her hair.
Sydney sticks her head in Niko's bedroom to find the boy still asleep, 'Thank God.' She closes the door then passes the guest room that is now Alexa's to find Sark comforting Alexa. 'He loves his kids so much.' She takes a deep breath then walks to her own bedroom.
TBC…