CHAPTER 14

"Sir it's the doctor" his pilot shouted loudly over the whirl of the propeller as he handed the phone over to Valentine. Valentine gripped the phone tightly as he watched the explosion engulfed the mansion causing it to start caving in on itself.

"What are the results" he shouted in the phone as the helicopter began to rise off the ground. He listened to the what the doctor said, he gaze turning murderous as the doctor relayed his findings.

The pilot hesitantly looked at his boss's reflection in the mirror wondering what had caused his reaction and glad that at the moment Valentine needed a pilot or he too would probably be dead.

Valentine hung up the phone as he turned away from the ball of fire thinking about what to do now that the reality of what he suspected had been confirmed. The child was not his.

It had been staring him in the face every time he held the child but he had been so in enamored with his fantasy that he had not been able to see what was directly in front of him. He thought back to the day before when he left the child in Natasha's cell. He had wanted to celebrate the birth of their child together but circumstances had prevented him from being there to tell her in person. Now that he knew the truth he was glad to have been spared the humiliation of having presented the child to Natasha as his own. He slammed his hand against the glass partition cursing that they had not discovered Stefan's betrayal sooner. He held his head, in his now bleeding hand, as he thought back to the moment he'd learned of what Stefan had done.

Valentine had refused at first to believe it, at first thinking this was just some way of Stefan trying to get under his skin. Valentine had demanded more proof than just the man's words. And now that he had received it the child's future was sealed, Stefan's carelessness had signed the child's death warrant just like it had signed Stefan's.

****It had been Philip who had come to him right before climbing into the helicopter, before he set off on his mission, to tell him about Stefan's whispered confession to the child.

Valentine had wanted to test Stefan and see his reaction to his and Natasha's child before he allowed him to live, as part of their family, so he had put him in the nursery with the child after telling him he and Natasha were his parents.

Alone and naware of the camera in the nursery, Stefan had lifted the baby out of the crib to sooth him when he started crying. As Stefan fed the baby and cooed to him and had describe in great detail the deceit he had perpetuated, along with the doctor, on Valentine to fool him into thinking that the child was his and Natasha's.

Philip had been sweating and panting, having sprinted to reached Valentine before he got in the helicopter, as he recounted what he had heard over the monitors. As he heard what Philip told him Valentine couldn't help thinking back to the many times he had looked at the child's features looking at him trying to find any signs that he looked liked him and finding none. It wasn't the brown eyes, that he could chalk up to Natasha having the dominate eye color, but the baby's facial feature were a dead give away. The dimples, smile and nose couldn't be attributed to Natasha and they certainly didn't belong to him.

In those few minutes when realization of the true parentage of the child hit him his pulse sped up in anger and he had trouble seeing beyond the haze of rage he was feeling . He had left the helicopter and headed to the nursery while he also demanding the doctor be brought down to the nursery.

Fueled by anger he raced down the nursery and entered to find Stefan just putting the baby in the crib. If Stefan was surprised by the slamming of the door he didn't show it. Turning slowly Stefan stared coldly at Valentine and moved to stand in front of the child's crib as if to protect him, which only served to unleash the small hold Valentine still had on his anger and lunged at him knocking him to the ground.

Valentine was surprised by Stefan energy as he was able to wrestle Valentine to the floor as he punched him over and over hit after hit landing it intended target. Stefan's hands were bloody and red from the continuous blows and Valentine could hear him gasping for air but still he continued to punish him.

Valentine had, had enough and with a growl was able to push Stefan off hard, causing Stefan to land hard and hitting the back of his head against the bedpost stunning him enough that he was unable to deflect the next punch to the temple that followed by a direct hit to his nose causing blood to squirt out. Stefan's energy all but depleted, was unable to put much more of a fight and as blood rushed into his eyes he was unable to struggle as Valentine grabbed a hand full of hair, exposing his neck to the knife that sliced into his neck causing blood to squirt out pooling down the front of the shirt Stefan was wearing and covering Valentine in it as well. Valentine pushed off of Stefan and went to stand in front of him watching as the last spark of life left Stefan.

That's how the Doctor found Valentine when he walked into the room. Understanding dawned on him and he recoiled at the sight in front of him and tried to back out of the room but the guard behind him kept him still..

Valentine looked at the doctor who looked like he had just been woken out of a deep sleep, his eyes bleary eyes and hair unkempt. Valentine walked away from Stefan's lifeless body his shoes stepping in the pool of blood that had pool around Stefan. He liked the fear he saw in the doctor's eyes and wanted nothing more than to kill him but Valentine needed the man alive for one more test and then he would make him pay for his betrayal. Valentine no longer able to look at the child stormed out of the room stopping in front of the doctor ordering him to perform a DNA test on the baby, he wanted the results as soon as he got them back. Valentine had a moment of pleasure as the truth of his impending death marred the doctor's eyes as Valentine walked out of the room.*****

Now that the he knew that the child was not his, the child was unimportant and would be collateral damage just as Julian and the rest of Natasha's would be rescuers had been. He would use the other two girls as leverage to get Natasha to do what he wanted and under control. He looked back down and for the first time in a long time he smiled as he thought of Natasha's reaction to his next surprise.

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"Julian" he cocked his head barely able make out the deep accented voice of the blond Aussie calling out to him. Everything was hazy and when he tried to get up he felt a pressure on his chest making it hard for him to breath. He tried pushing at the pile of debris that had landed on top of him but it was to heavy to move. All of sudden he remember, the blast, he was in the mansion and Alexis was trapped somewhere in this burning building. He struggled even harder panicked at the realization that she could be hurt and needing is help.

"Julian, mate where are you" someone shouted again.

"I'm over here" he shouted as he tried to drag himself out of the pile. He felt bruised and it hurt to breath but he could tell that nothing was broken.

"I am over here, the hallway to the right". He was able to dig his upper body out but his leg was caught under a beam and try as hard as he could he could not get it dislodged. He could see the smoke beginning to overwhelm the hallway and he lifted his shirt over his mouth and nose to try and keep the smoke from suffocating him.

"Julian" Jax reached him and immediately set to work on getting him free. Julian was confused this was not the brother he was expecting but he couldn't waste time thinking about it.

"Alexis, forget about me go get her" he shouted at Jax.

The blond didn't stop what was he was doing and didn't react to his demand for him to leave.

"Jax," he shouted trying to get Jax to leave him and go after her. "Alexis, Jax. Did Jerry get her out?" frustrated at the man's continued silence he grabbed at Jax's shirt collar and pulled him so that they were face to face.

"She is not here" Jax huffed as he pulled away and continued to work at pulling the beam off Julian's leg.

"What" he gasped in disbelief.

"She is not here. Listen I will explain but first we have to get you out of here" Jax continued to methodically work at freeing him.

Julian could tell something was off with the Aussie and though he didn't care about Jerry Alexis cared about Jax therefore he cared and asked.

"Where's Jerry"

"I can't find him" he could tell that the Aussie was worried but did not want to dwell on why his brother could be missing. And really, Julian was too worried about what Alexis was going through to worry about Jerry. The man was a mercenary he could take care of himself.

"I'm going to lift and I want you to try and slide out. Ready" Julian braced himself and nodded to indicate he was ready. As soon as Jax started lifting Julian slide out from under the pile of rubble.

"Okay" he indicated having dragged himself out" Jax immediately let the debris fall back down turning to Julian he extended a hand helping him up before the two headed toward the exit. As they turned toward the exit Julian saw that Sam was waiting for them. As soon as Julian, Sam and Jax had made to a safe distance they turned just in time to see the mansion sucked into a ball of fire.

"Alexis, where are you sweetheart" he muttered his heart breaking as he saw the mansion go down. If she wasn't in there where was she and how were they going to find her now.

***I had to rewrite this chapter so many times I just didn't think I missing a few details. I actually ended up splitting this chapter into two. Please let me know what you think. I really enjoy your reviews. *****