The Two Dimitri's: Part One The Molly Gambit.
Terry Randolph smiled at her young patient as she handed him a peppermint candy. "There you go Timmy, thanks for being such a help this morning."
Nurse Felix DuBois smiled. "Hey Timmy, think you can help me this afternoon with some of the younger kids?"
"Sure Mr. Felix" The boy said sitting up in the bed. "You just come and get me, and we will whip those little carpet roaches into shape."
"Carpet Roaches?" Terry said. "Where in the world did you hear that term."
"My Dad."
Terry shook her head and said. "Keep that one to yourself okay pal."
She left the room and stood in the hall reviewing the boy's chart. Felix came out a moment later. "Are his results good?" Felix asked hopefully.
Terry sighed. "Given the type of cancer, his results are stable, which right now at this minute is as good as we can get."
Felix nodded sadly.
"Can you page me if Mr. Jacobs comes in to see him?"
"I will, he is normally here a little after eleven if he did not get arrested again."
Terry sighed. "Wonderful" She patted Felix's arm and headed down the hall. She was at the nurse's station reaching for the chart of her next patient when she heard the General Hospital Chief of Staff Tom Hardy call her. "Terry, do you have a minute?"
"Sure, boss what's up?"
"What will Carol's family think of me?"
Terry smiled. "Well you get right to the point" She touched his arm. "It is hard to picture any one not liking you, but frankly I never met them."
Ken Murray looked at his watch, he hated when people ran late, he especially hated it when it was people who worked for him. And despite leading in the polls for Governor of New York, there was no doubt that Charlie Holt worked for him. He was in Kelly's diner; he vaguely remembered this place from his youth. He watched the pretty little foreigner who was working the counter and wondered if she was here legally, she was Morgan's girlfriend and it would disrupt his plans if she were a problem
Ken was reflecting on that when a red-haired woman sat down across from him. "Excuse me are you Ken Murray?"
He smiled, she was a year or two older than him but very attractive. "Yes. Can I help you?"
"I'm Bobbie Spencer" She said. "Your Aunt Jesse was my mentor, and my friend." She paused and smiled. "And really my savior."
Ken smiled. "Aunt Jesse was a treasure that I did not appreciate when I was younger. My sister and I were not kind to her. "
Ken looked out the window of the restaurant and saw Jason Morgan approaching. He thought for a moment of Nurse Jesse Brewer and how hard she had tried with he and Carol and how awful the two of them had been to her. Carol had expressed her regret about it over and over again, but Ken rarely spoke of it.
He looked again at Bobbie. "We didn't even have the nerve to show up at her funeral. I…." He stopped. Then said something he had never said before. "I don't even know where she is buried."
Bobbie smiled. "That is kind of one of the reasons I came over. Jesse was cremated, I have had her ashes all these years. They are laying the foundation stone for the final wing of the Jesse Brewer School of Nursing next Monday and I was going to put your Aunt's ashes, in the corner stone."
"Oh My" Ken said giving what may have been his first genuine smile in years. Morgan enter the restaurant and gave a double take at Murray and the Nurse speaking but went to the counter to speak to his paramour without stopping.
Bobbie smiled at Ken. "Would you like to attend?"
Ken happily shook his head. "Yes, yes I would."
"And your sister?"
Ken sucked in air as he thought. Sooner or later the town would find out that Dr. Carol Cressman had been Carol Murray, the question was did it fit his political plans for this to happen.
He was about to say I will call her when a dark-haired man entered the diner and yelled. "Bobbie!"
Bobbie Spencer turned around and saw the face that Jerry Jacks had not worn in decades and screamed.
Ethan Lovett looked at the gate of the estate from the safety of a rented car across the street. He looked at Sam McCall and said. "So, everything we know says my aunt is in there."
Sam McCall nodded they were in Brazil to find Ethan's Aunt Paloma and return her to St. Priscia so that she could collect Summer in Provence from Ethan's mother Holly and return it to her Aunt Ava.
Simple.
Right.
"The estate is called Timoria" Ethan said. "That sounds so familiar."
"How do we get in?" Sam asked.
Ethan nodded his head towards a flat roofed garage. "Have you ever been on a hang glider?'
"So, you swear to me that damn painting is not here?" Molly said.
Dimitri nodded. "I had it, then I sent it with a young woman who captured my fancy to St. Prescia."
"Do I know the woman?" Molly said.
"Unlikely"
She looked at the video feed. She knew that Ethan and her sister Sam were hunting Summer in Provence for Ava Jerome. She had thought that somehow the painting was here. But Dimitri was swearing it wasn't.
Bad enough that Nicholas had somehow picked up Lucky Spencer on his travels and that she as responsible for Lulu being along, now she would have to deal with yet another Spencer in Ethan and worse her judgmental older sister.
To be clear Molly loved Sam, she loved all of her family. But Sam and her mother Alexis had a habit of seeing Molly as a child. And after so many years of being seen that way by them, there was a part of Molly that reverted a little when they were around.
We all do it, she knew. When Mom is around, we are needier, more demanding. We like to be cuddled and coddled. But for what Molly was planning she could not take the chance.
She looked at Dimitri. "They are either here for the painting or the woman"
"Neither of which is here." He replied, "I assure you."
He looked and pointed to the screen. "They are driving off."
"They will be back" Molly said shaking her head. "Okay forget them for now. Valentin's plane as landed and TJ will bring him directly here."
"And Nicholas?"
"The clues we left should have Nicholas and the Spencer's here in less than a half an hour."
"Are you ready?"
Molly smiled. "Yes."
Soumia Al-Fayheed looked at her Husband and said. "What are you thinking?'
Lucky Spencer held his wife's arm and let them fall a step or two behind his brother Nicholas and Sister Lulu. "That this is all too simple."
Soumia nodded. "A Trap?"
"Of a kind, I don't get any danger feelings."
"Oh…. you have a Spider-Sense, now, can you stick to walls?"
"It's a Spencer-sense, I can stumble into trouble that is none of my damn business with the greatest of ease."
"And?"
"And Molly is walking us down a path. Nicholas doesn't see it because he still sees Molly has a kid."
"But Molly would not hurt us" Soumia said softly.
"No, she may be more Cassadine every day, but she would not harm us, no. Still there is something up."
They walked a bit heading towards the estate. Lucky said softly. "Let's try this, give Hajar a call and see if she knows where Valentin is."
Soumia nodded and fell back a little more.
"I must admit I thought you were trying to forget that we were friends Henny" Annie Donnelly said to Peter August.
"Oh? I'm the one who has been neglectful? I thought it was you."
They were in Charlie's Annie's least favorite Port Charles watering hole.
Annie smiled. "Maybe a little. "
"You can make it up to me."
"Oh? And how and why should I do that?"
"Because it may benefit the WSB."
Annie sat back and looked at the man she had met years ago drowning his sorrows at a bar in Dublin. "I'm hunting some problems within the WSB, if this ties in then I am interested." Annie said
"Oh"
"Tell me what you got."
Peter smiled and lied. "I was reviewing some of my father's papers and found a note to Helena where he referred to the progress of his sons."
Annie shrugged. "And so?"
"And so, Fasion did not know that Nathan was his son."
"Maybe he meant just you"
"No Fasion was very precise in how he phrased things, you know that."
"So, you think he has another child out there?"
"I just want to know for sure."
"Have you spoken to Obrecht?" Annie asked.
"We are not exactly friends, and truthfully with Nina out of town I don't even know how to reach her."
Annie took a swig of her coffee and said. "I do. " She thought for a moment then said. "If Fasion has another son out there, he may not know who his father is."
Peter nodded.
"Is it fair to tell him?" Annie asked.
Carly came down the duel staircase of the house that Jax had given her and sat down on the bottom step. It was afternoon and she was just pulling herself out of bed. She glanced up the stairs and hung her head in her hands.
She was sitting like that when the door opened and Josslyn came in. "Mom" She said seeing her mother "Are you okay?"
Carly picked up her head and smiled. "Yes. I'm fine. How are you honey?"
"Puzzled. Did you get a text from Dad?"
"I may have my phone is upstairs, why?"
"He texted me and said to meet him here, that he had something important to tell both of us."
In her head Joss could hear Jesse yelling: Your Uncle is back in town. But she ignored it.
Carly looked aghast "Meet him here?"
"Yeah" Joss looked at her watch. "At two"
"What time is it?"
"One Forty-Five'
Carly mumbled a curse under breath. "Honey why don't you do make some coffee for Dad when he gets here."
"What? Dad never drinks coffee after eleven, you have heard him say that a dozen times."
Carly got up and glanced up stairs. "Yeah but well…"
"Carly?" Came a voice from upstairs.
Joss looked at her Mother as Charlie Holt, barefoot, in an undershirt and a pair of slacks appeared at the top of the stairs. "Carly would you like to grab lunch?" He spotted Joss and said. "Oh. I am sorry"
Carly buried her face in her hands as she said. "Joss, you remember Mr. Holt, don't you?"
Joss mumbled a hello while in her head Jesse roared with laughter.
Hajar Garshallah put her cell phone in her pocket and looked out across the balcony of her new room at the Metro Court.
She liked the room. It was hers. After several months of staying at Lucky and Soumia's Spy house she was glad to have a place of her own again. She sat down outside despite the chill and thought about her next move. Unlike her oldest friend Soumia, Hajar was not a full-time employee of the WSB, with the Ice Princess Project behind them her services were not needed at the moment.
Not that she needed the job, her family was wealthy, and she was secure. But she was growing bored. Valentin had been an interesting distraction for a while, and the idea that Nicholas may be returning here to Port Charles had a certain appeal. But she was unsure if either of those things were enough to keep her in town.
She mused about Soumia's phone call. She had thought that Soumia and Lucky were at her father's estate in Tunisia but apparently, they were with Nicholas, and Lucky's sister, what was her name again, Zulu? In Brazil. And wondering where Valentin was.
All she could tell Soumia was that Valentin was not in Port Charles, but other than that she was clueless.
Her phone buzzed again interrupting her thoughts. She smiled when she saw the number. "Father" She said. "How are you?"
"Just ring the bell" Lucky said as they approached the large mansion that they had been led to.
"Are you insane, these people have kidnapped Molly and attacked the Cassadine holdings all around the world. They are either some unknown enemy or some gambit on the part of Valentin" Snapped Nicholas.
Lucky sighed. "Ring the bell."
Nicholas pushed the foursome back along the wall of the mansion's stone fence and said. "Lucky you need to pull it together, there are lives at stake."
Lucky looked over at Soumia and smiled. Then said. "I'm going to ring the bell"
He moved out from the wall. Nicholas reached out to grab him. As he did Soumia kicked Nicholas hard in the shin. "Just wait Prince" She said.
"Lucky are you sure?" Lulu asked torn between her feuding brothers.
Lucky flashed a thumbs up sign and hit the buzzer.
"May we help you?"
"Lucky Spencer for Molly Cassadine."
Lucky was no fool. He accepted that there was an outside chance he was wrong and as such his hand reached behind him and rested on the gun tucked into his belt. His eyes darted around spotting a potted plant to leap behind for cover. He knew Soumia was armed and assumed that Nicholas was as well leaving only Lulu vulnerable. Training would kick in and Soumia would get the "civilian" Lulu to safety. Given the width of the driveway, a car could come barreling down, but with the scope of the mansion Lucky could not see more than a dozen or a dozen and a half armed guards. If he could take down eight of them in the first wave, then he and Nicholas had a decent chance of either a stalemate or a retreat.
He was relieved however when a friendly voice came over the intercom and he could discard his plans. "Lucky aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?" Molly said.
"And miss a Cassadine-Spencer family party?"
The gate began to swing open as Molly said. "Is Nicholas with you?"
"Yes, and Lulu and Soumia."
"If you come around back, you will see a large glass enclosed indoor pool, it blocks the humidity, I will meet you in there."
Nicholas came up and grabbed his brother's shoulder. "You are going to get us all kill!"
Lucky stepped back away. "No Nicholas, I am not. You need to trust me."
"We are being set up"
"Yes, we are" Lucky said with a smile. "No doubt about it, but whatever the plan is it is not to harm us, otherwise the six guards on the roof would have already taken shots at us since we are standing having this conversation in the kill zone."
"What?" Lulu said looking up wards.
"It's okay Lulu, they are not going to hurt us" Lucky said then yelled louder "Are you guys?"
From behind a column on the roof a voice answered back "Just here for your protection Mr. Spencer,"
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Lucky said. "In about a minute my brother is going to take a swing at me. I got it under control okay?"
"Right-o"
Anger flared in Nicholas' eyes "Okay I have let this go on long enough. We are here to rescue Molly and we are going to do it my way."
He drew his gun, as fast as he did Lucky snapped his hand out grabbed the barrel and pulled the gun down and away and out of Nicholas's hand. He casually tossed it over his shoulder to Soumia who caught it and said. "Got it."
Lucky smiled. "Nic, look you need to stop thinking of Molly as a little girl and me as an incompetent idiot. She grew up and this Shark got smarter. "
Nicholas took a looping swing at Lucky who stepped back out of range. Nic dove at him and Lucky side stepped grabbing his older, taller, heavier brother by the neck and slipping him into a choke hold. "Calm down "
Nicholas continued to struggle. "Damn it Nicholas stop. Molly has a plan; we need to see what it is and then we need to be ready when it goes wrong."
"Goes wrong?" Lulu asked as Lucky released Nicholas "Why would it go wrong?"
Soumia laughed as Nicholas caught his breath. "Because sooner or later these things always go wrong Lesley Lou."
Anna Devane paced around the suite at Wildwind where she was being held hostage by her ex-husband David Hayward, former Brother-in-law Dimitri Marick and madman Grant Putman. A so-called family dinner that Dimitri had insisted on was approaching and she wondered what that meant.
There was a knock on the door, and she heard the bolts being thrown. "Come in" She said.
David stepped into the room looking more haggard and worn then she had ever seen him.
"Anna, how are you?"
"Fed up and ready to leave, would you like to come with me?" She said with a wane smile.
"I can't I am so close Anna, so close to bringing the girls back, to restoring them to life"
"To being God?' Anna said cutting him off. "David you know what you are trying to do is impossible."
"Why? Because I am not as brilliant as Liesel Orbrect? Or as much of a genius as Robin?"
"Because none of the people that Orbrect or Robin worked with were truly dead they were in deep comas or frozen solid, but they had a spark of life." She stopped and looked out the barred windows. "Leonora, our little girl, has no spark of life in her David." Her voice cracked.
"NO!" He screamed. "I can do this. I can. Only me. I can."
Anna turned away.
It took David a moment to regain composure.
"David?" Anna said slowly. "What do you want?"
David looked around the room with paranoid eyes. Then walked closer to Anna and whispered. "I don't trust Dimitri."
Anna shook her head and thought. I don't trust any of you.
Ken Murray leapt up and stood between Jerry Jacks and Bobbie Spencer. "Look buddy I have no idea who you are, but you are upsetting the lady."
"The lady was my fiancé "Jerry said. "I just want to talk to her."
"How…. How?" Bobbie stammered. "Your face?"
Jerry took a step towards Bobbie saying. "Let me explain"
As he stepped Murray shoved him. Jacks came up swinging and hit Murray in the jaw sending him reeling. He reared back to hit again when Jason appeared from no where grabbing Jacks arms from behind.
"Look Buddy settle down." Jason spun him around and stared at him "Jacks?"
"Jason, my God, you got old."
Jason punched Jerry in the stomach then grabbed him by the collar and shoved him across the diner smashing him into several tables.
He took three steps towards Jacks who lay on the floor when Rovena appeared with a baseball bat and banded it in a wide swing. "Okay that is enough. For Christ's sake could you people not bust up my diner every goddamn week?" She tossed a glance towards Bobbie. "How in the hell did your Aunt Ruby stay in business with the damage idiots do in here on a regular basis."
Jason snatched the bat in mid swing. "Honey that is Jerry Jacks"
"The terrorist?" said Ken Murray
"Yes" Jason replied.
"No" Jerry said from the floor. "Well yes, I am Jerry Jacks, but I am not James Craig, he has been holding me hostage all these years."
"You expect us to believe that?" Jason said.
Rovena leaned on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Says the man who was held for five years?"
Jason looked at her and sighed. "I am going to call the police"
"Please do" said Jerry getting up slowly and keeping his hands out in front of him to protect himself from the swinging bat. "They just ran all the tests and released me."
"What?" Bobbie said.
The door to Kelly's opened and Alexis Davis walked in. "Oh my God. Jason put the bat down, that is not who you think it is?"
"It's not?' Bobbie said.
"No, I'm not." Jerry pleaded. "I swear Bobbie."
Terry Randolph could not help but snicker a little at Tom Hardy. The older man was visibly nervous as he spoke. "It is such a strange thing, Terry, I disagree with her on almost every topic I mean bot just politics but simple things like football."
"Is she still a Browns fan?"
"Yes."
Terry shook her head. "No taste, just no taste."
Tom laughed. "Well being a Bills fan I have to agree."
"Bills? Oh Lord, Cardinals" She said. Then she smiled at her boss. "Look Tom, there is much to admire in Carol, and if you are one of those people who can resolve her politics with who she is, then I wish you both a lot of happiness."
"No grudge?" He asked.
Terry laughed. "You know I was ten the first time my father caught me dressed like a girl. He beat my ass. When I was seventeen, I went to the prom with Elizabeth, who was a cigarette smoking tough talking freshman, as much a misfit in her own way as myself and came home raving about how much I liked her dress. Her dress, Tom, not her, her dress. Like every other 'boy' on prom night I wanted to get into my date's panties, but I really wanted to get into them"
Tom laughed.
"My Dad stopped hitting me for being who I was, when I was twenty and hit back. But I still let them send me to conversion therapy. I still married Carol and faked a whole life, through a good chunk of medical school."
She looked at him. "Today my Parents and I have a good relationship, not great, but good. And they damn well love that I am dating a millionaire, but if I held a grudge well, we wouldn't even be here. So no, no grudges against Carol and the lawsuit."
"She truly believes that she was doing right by that family."
"That is the other thing with Carol. She is not a knee jerk racist or an unreflective fundamentalist. She looks at this stuff with a logic that is consistent, that she does not mind having challenged and which she can defend pretty damn well. Hell, she convinced me out of heels"
"I kind of lied when I said I was concerned about her family; I am concerned about mine."
Terry smiled. "Ahh Elizabeth?"
"Yes" Tom said. "and Hayden to a lesser extent. I spent most of my life away from Liz, I never even knew her boys till I came here. My own son and I are not as close as we should be. "
He stopped and looked away.
"And you find you like having family?" Terry asked.
"Yes."
Terry pursed her lips. "Dr. Hardy are you asking me to run interference with Elizabeth for you?"
"She is your best friend." Tom said sheepishly.
"God, you suck at this father stuff, you never go to your kid's BFF for help" Terry said laughing.
Tom looked dumbfounded. "I….I….."
Terry put her hand on his arm. "Tom, I got your back."
"Thank you." Tom said. "You know that Aidan's birthday party is next week."
"Isn't his birthday Saturday?"
Tom nodded. "Yes, but Lucky asked Aidan and Liz if they would hold off till he got back from his honeymoon."
"Good." Terry said. "He missed far too many of that boy's birthdays to begin with. The only think worse for a kid like Aidan than a father that does not understand you is a father that ignores you."
Tom thought of his own son and sighed.
"So, I will see you later?" Charlie Holt said kissing Carly as she ushered him out the door.
"Yes, yes I promise"
He glanced over her shoulder to the divan where Joss sat waiting for a conversation with her mother. "Will she be alright?"
Carly smiled. "Yes, I just wish I had, had the opportunity to explain things to her properly."
"Explain what?" Said Jax stepping onto the stoop behind Holt.
Carly cringed. "Charlie spent the night."
"Ahh cool did you bring your own sheets? And Hood?" Jax said with a grin.
Holt turned Red. "That is not amusing Mr. Jacks."
"I wasn't trying to be." He shook his head. "But never mind right now I need to speak with Carly and our daughter. Have a nice day."
The two men stood toe to toe for a moment then Carly gave Holt a light peck on the cheek and said. "I will meet you at campaign headquarters, okay?"
"Yes"
"Bye Bye" Jax said giving a little wave as he stepped inside. He turned to Carly and said. "Really?"
"Like you have room to talk. Carly snapped. "This is the first time we are both sleeping with men, right?'
"Enough!" Yelled Joss, the voice of Jesse screaming in her head to get out.
Carly and Jax looked at each other both mortified by their behavior. "Sorry Honey" Carly said.
"I was out of line, Joss, I am sorry" Said Jax.
Joss smiled and changed the subject away from her parent's love lives. "Dad, what did you want to see Mom and I about?"
Jax sighed. "I wanted you to hear from me, that your Uncle Jerry is in town."
Before Jax could say anything, else Carly said. "Are we safe?"
Jax nodded. "Apparently safer than we have been in years. It seems that the man we knew for all of Joss' life as Jerry was in fact not him."
"Please" Carly said waving her hand
"Jerry, with his old face showed up at the Metro Court. He claims that James Craig, the man who has been holding Jerry all this time, is the Jerry Jacks that we have been dealing with."
"And you just believed him." Snapped Carly.
"The PCPD and the WSB have both confirmed that Jerry is indeed who he claims and that the photographic evidence he had that he and Craig are two separate people is authentic."
"The PCPD and WSB?" Said Carly. "So, Mac and Lucky, there is a two some to trust and believe. What does Jason say?"
"How the hell should I know Carly, I don't call Jason to find out how my bacon should be cooked."
Jason shook his head at Alexis. "I'm sorry Alexis but I don't believe it."
Rovena looked at Alexis, a woman she was not a fan of and said. "Ms. Davis, do you have a copy of the proof?"
Alexis shook her head and took a file from her briefcase. She handed it to Rovena who walked over and stood next to Bobbie so they could both read it.
"My God" Said Bobbie.
Rovena closed the file and looked at Jason. "Jase, everything in here, indicates, that Ms. Davis is telling the truth. This man is Jerry Jacks and the guy you have been battling all these years is not."
Jerry held out his hand and said. "Jason for whatever damage Craig has done to you, and I am sure it is a lot, I am really sorry that I was unable to stop him."
Jason stared at the man's hand. Rovena smiled. "Can I get you a cup of coffee Mr. Jacks?"
Jerry nodded. "Yes. Thank you." Then he turned to Bobbie. "Can we maybe talk?"
Bobbie nodded silently and then turned to Ken Murray who was still standing there and said. "Mr. Murray, can we finish talking later?"
"Of course, of course." Ken said. He touched Jason's arm and said. "Maybe you and I could take a stroll over to Devil's?"
Jason hesitated he looked at Jerry and then over to Rovena.
"Jason, go. I will be fine" Rovena said.
Anna stepped close to David. She had searched the room a dozen times and did not believe that there were any listening devices but she was not taking chances. She half whispered. "Why not, trust Dimitri?"
"I think he has lost his mind. He does not seem like the same man I knew."
Anna tried hard not to laugh out loud. Neither of them seemed like the men she had known. David had continually had run ins with the law, and Dimitri had always had the haughtiness of aristocracy but neither man had been what she would term villains. Yet here they both were acting like them.
Anna mused there was more going on here then met the eye
She was about to say more to David when there was a knock on the door and the guard outside said. "Dinner is served."
Anna smiled at David and followed him slowly out of the room and down the corridors of Wildwind. Two guards close behind them.
They entered the main dining room. At the head of the long elegant table sat Dimitri which was no surprise.
Nor was Anna at all surprised to see her twin Sister Alex sitting to his right. "Alex" She said. "I really should have known. How badly have you damaged my life?"
"Ahh do you think I have been posing as you?" Her sister said grinning.
Anna shook her head. And turned to the second woman at the table. Sitting to Dimitri's left the thin framed woman with short cropped hair smiled at her.
"This seems out of character, even for you, Holly" She said.
The woman smiled. "Paloma, Agent Devane, Holly Sutton is my sister."
Nicholas held his arm out straight to hold Lulu and Soumia back from entering the glass enclosed pool area before he and Lucky.
Lucky looked at his more than capable wife and smiled as she rolled her eyes.
Lucky took a step in front of Nicholas and said loudly "Hey Molly?"
Molly entered through the far door and smiled. "Hey Lucky."
She came forward and kissed Soumia. "I am so sorry that your honeymoon got interrupted. That was not my intention."
Soumia smiled. "No problem, I guess now I can tell people I honeymooned in both Tunisia and Brazil"
"Yes" Said Molly smiling. She turned to Nicholas and Lulu. "I'm sorry to have worried you and I never meant for them to put you at risk Nicholas, but I needed you here and I knew you would not come voluntarily."
"Why am I here?" Nicholas said harshly. "What little girl games are you playing cousin,"
"I do not play games, Prince, the dynamics of our family have placed us here."
From the doorway came a cough and They turned to see Gerasimos standing there. "Princess"
"Yes"
"Your other guests are early"
"Wonderful send them in."
"Molly" said Valentin as he TJ and Spencer entered. "I know you have a good explanation for this, but I cannot say I am please."
"I am sorry Uncle" Molly replied. "I tried to find some other way."
Spencer stepped over towards his father. "Father, it is good to see you."
Nicholas hugged his son. "How are you?"
"Confused."
"As am I" Nicholas said "Molly! I demand answers"
"Who are you to demand anything" Snapped Valentin
"The rightful heir and Prince of the Cassadines."
TJ stood next to Molly his arm around her waist. In his pocket his phone buzzed again.
"You got this?" He asked her.
"Yep" she said then turned to her Uncle and cousin. "Both of you stop."
They looked at her. "If everyone could grab a seat. And give me a chance to explain." Molly said.
Reluctantly they all sat around the pool.
Molly gave TJ a quick kiss and then began to speak. "Several months ago when Uncle Valentin shared with me the family books and assets, I noticed two things."
"You shared what?" Nicholas demanded looking at Valentin.
He shook his head and said. "Go on dear."
Molly smiled. "I noticed that not only were we losing money, and had been losing money for years, but that the pace of the losses had accelerated. "
"I knew that as well" Said Nicholas. "That was why, I was searching for Regeneratsiya. I had this under control."
"Yet it was not till I steered you towards Dr. Garshallah and eventually to here that you even got close" Molly said.
"Steered me?"
Soumia rested her head on Lucky's shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Oh, your brother is going to be pissed."
Molly went on "Yes, Nicholas. It took me only a matter of days to find out that Timoria was being run by our long-lost cousin Dimitri."
"That vile con artist." Said Valentin.
"Yes, I then had you send me to London Uncle, accept I never went there, I came here. And "Molly paused. "Convinced Dimitri to be our ally instead of our adversary. I now have control of all his assets"
"Wonderful, so turn them into the family trust and I will assume control of Cassadine enterprises again." Nicholas said.
"It is not that simple" said Molly. "The other thing I observed is that we have spent generations fighting amongst ourselves, and I know that once you returned, there would be war between you and Uncle Valentin. That would have cost us, far more than money."
"It has been our way" Said Valentin sadly.
"Yes" Molly said. "But no longer. Nicholas, you are the Prince of the Cassadines, and heir to the family titles, land and lineage. Spencer will inherit after you as the eldest son of the eldest son of Mikkos. But Valentin is a prince in his own right as Stefan was. I am still figuring the royal title that Charlotte inherits."
"She does not need one" Lulu chimed in.
Valentin shook his head at her and Molly ignored her. "There is a two-fold problem with Cassadine Enterprises, which is an entirely different matter from the Cassadine royal title, First we are too diversified and second we fight too much amongst ourselves."
"Well we can stop the in fighting" Nicholas said warily
"No, you can't" Said Molly. "You and Uncle will be fighting over Hajar nearly as soon as we get home. No there is no way to keep Cassadines from fighting amongst themselves. But there is a way to keep us from destroying the family business in doing so."
Both men looked at her. Soumia smiled, having figured out what was coming.
"Once I got our funds back from Dimitri, I began moving all of Cassadine Enterprises into the Energy business, we are now the third largest energy company in the world."
"What?" Valentin said with a smile. Proud of his niece
"Yes, Sir. Moreover, I have used your personal fortune to invest, as well as the family money which Nicholas controls and the funds I recouped from Dimitri which I personally control as the Cassadine Princess."
Nicholas waved his hand. "Very well-done Molly but since I control the family fortune I will determine the future."
"No, you will not, Cousin See each company I invested Cassadine Enterprises in I also invested Uncle Valentin's funds and my own. I own the smallest share but, my interest in each compared to the other two gives me controlling stock. If you pull the family monies out, then you bankrupt us all. "Molly paused. "And Frankly with much love Nicholas, Uncle and I have been poor…. or at least middle class, we can survive, you on the other hand will find shopping at Wal-Mart to be tedious at best"
Valentin began to applaud and then walked over and kissed Molly on the cheek. "Katya would be proud, you are now the head of Clan Cassadine my dear, wonderful."
"Not wonderful I will not have my birth right stolen." Nicholas snapped.
"It doesn't seem like she has stolen your birth right, Prince of the Cassadines" Soumia said. "Just positioned your family for the future"
Nicholas was about to respond when the skylight above the pool area came crashing down. Soumia pushed Lulu to the side while TJ shielded Molly. Lucky shoved his nephew to the side, as he, Valentin and Nicholas all drew their guns.
Down repelling ropes came two figures all dressed in black. As they hit the floor Ethan and Sam tore off their head gear and Ethan said. "All right Cassadine, give me back my Aunt!"
