July 2013
Quartermaine boathouse
Alexis walked into the Quartermaine boat house, not believing the sight in front of her. She'd gone looking for the man she loathed for one specific purpose.
To save her grandson's life.
No doubt about it, Franco was a monster, hidden inside a rather insignificant looking man. Such evil barely contained behind this supposedly mild mannered, misunderstood exterior he now showed the rest of the world. The conflicted but talented artist, the man who'd used any such talents to terrorize other people before he killed them.
She'd wanted to kill him. After what he did to Sam and Danny, she wanted him dead, her own hands itching to do it.
It wouldn't take a gun or a knife.
Instead now, she rushed into save him. The sight of Shawn punching him out on the ground while Sonny oversaw it, she knew she had to act quickly.
But it wasn't her who rushed to intervene, seeing Franco lying twisted on the ground and blood spilled everywhere. At least not the woman who'd methodically gone looking for him to get him tested at GH, so her daughter wouldn't have to face him.
It was the part of her who'd come from a fractured family that despised her, who'd do anything to protect her own. Even if it meant saving him.
She got her cellphone out to call for an ambulance. Sonny bellowed behind her.
"You're not calling anyone…Alexis he's fine…"
She yelled back at him, more determined, that Franco had been beaten to a pulp by his hired thug as she got on her feet.
"Grab her phone…"
Shawn moved towards her to do just that.
"Alexis give me the phone…"
She didn't back down.
"Don't you dare…"
Sonny got in the act, lunging for her.
"Give me that phone…"
She'd handle the both of them and she locked eyes with Shawn. When it came to family, Natasha never backed down.
"Is this what it's come to? Go ahead…you going to take me out too?"
General Hospital
She stood in the background watching carefully as doctors and nurses tended to Franco and stitched up his face until it resembled a patchwork quilt.
A curious chain of visitors dropped by to speak with him. Kiki, his daughter along with Morgan…followed by Dante there on police business. But with one glance, she and Franco had decided to keep quiet.
Dante asked what she was doing here, if she were his lawyer…or something. Indignation filled her met by revulsion.
Still she so badly needed him and she hated herself for it. She put on her disdainful face, not that difficult.
"Oh god no….I brought him here… I found him."
Franco insisted he'd walked into a door, over and over again…but Dante thought it had a name.
Sonny Corinthoes.
Still neither Alexis nor Franco would break their silence. God she'd loathed being forced to protect him and Sonny. But Danny's life might depend on it and that trumped everything else.
Then the icy blonde woman sashayed in, who seemed to cozy up to him but Alexis didn't buy it.
Ava Jerome.
Something in her said otherwise despite the concern lining her face, the sweet talk. The tight grip she held on Franco's neck, the venom in her eyes painted a different picture. Both reminded Alexis of a rattlesnake, coiled up and hissing poised to strike. But if Ava had homicidal designs on him, they'd have to wait until after his DNA sample was removed for testing…and possible use.
The woman had mistaken her for the nurse, then her eyes brimmed with sympathy as she said all the right things about Danny's illness. Alexis had thanked Kiki along with the other blood relatives who'd been tested.
The other woman had smiled in return, absently stroking the back of Franco's neck with manicured fingers.
But underneath it all, Ava calculated to her advantage. Make no mistake about that.
Metro Court
Derek Wells sneered at the woman blasting him with his handling of employee Maxie, who he'd caught listening in on his phone calls.
The one where he'd been called by his real name, Julian.
He had disguised his tracks carefully, devoid of anything leading back to his old life while he rebuilt his empire, focusing years on crafting the perfect legitimate front what was not. But in a moment of carelessness, he'd nearly been caught in his own perfectly crafted duality.
Unmasked so to speak, by a young girl, an airhead really who worked for Crimson under Connie Falconeri without hardly doing any actual work. He figured she'd been hired as a favor by Connie to someone else. Just one of the many employees he'd have Connie pink slip before the week was out.
He knew before this latest interloper in his office opened her mouth, she was part of the collection of women belong to Sonny Corinthos, his harem of molls. He'd done his homework after all.
Olivia Falconeri. Loudmouthed and opinionated, he wished he'd had a pair of earplugs while she shrieked at him. He knew she lacked intellectual gifts and sophistication, just the way a man like Sonny liked his women, particularly the ones he married. All bark and no bite, it hadn't taken much to disarm her without breaking a sweat. Too bad she didn't realize who she was playing with…not that he'd tip her off.
A doormat and bed warmer most likely, or one on deck in case he tired of that head case in high heels, Connie. Sonny went through his molls like some men went through cigars, though some of them returned for more of the same.
She put her hands on her hips clearly thinking she had the upper hand with him, once she'd called him mook and ranted at his treatment of her grandchild's baby mama.
"If I ever catch you putting your hands on Maxie again, you will regret it."
He reared back in barely concealed mirth. Swat her away like a gnat and move on with the rest of his busy day. He chuckled but not in glee.
"Is that a threat?"
"No I'm flirting… Yeah it's a threat, you mess with Maxie, you mess with me…"
He cleared his throat. Her snide attempt at joking, at keeping up with him failed, he had her number and it was all he could do to suppress laughter. Time to dismiss her and send her running back to the enemy.
"I'll make you a deal then…"
He watched her arch her brows, listening.
"Then nobody will mess with nobody…capiche?"
She stared at him speechless, essentially defanged as he returned back to his office and closed the door. He returned to his research on his computer and brought up another file. He clicked on a photo and dossier attached and focused on it, shutting everything else out.
General Hospital
Alexis tried to relax on a worn sofa in the waiting room of GH, where she spent so much of her time these days. Sam had been nervously pacing, the wiry strong woman fading as the weeks spent fighting for her son's life took its toll. She'd finally walked off to check on Danny before heading to talk to Silas about the results of Franco's DNA test.
"My grandson's life could depend on that sick freak…"
Alexis listened to the angst in her daughter's voice and then watched as her youngest Molly, who'd put on a brave front crumbled in front of her eyes. Sweeping her in her arms, she listened to what Molly told her.
Life had sorely tested her family but they'd remain strong, she'd make sure of that. Even the ripple effects of what she'd shared about Sam's father. Not that she'd remembered much about him and the night she'd conceived her daughter…and the embarrassment, no shame of not being able to provide more details to Sam…still haunted her.
She didn't even remember the man's name. Molly had given her an initial, the letter "J" from of all places a Ouija board, which meant nothing right? Still she held onto that because it was all she had, her memories failing her when she needed them.
A faceless man with messy hair and a leather jacket. Not much to help her find him in time to save her…their grandson's life.
She picked up a copy of the newspaper, seeing the latest chapter of the Quartermaine saga on the cover. Something about a pivotal vote due to take place soon involving the latest power struggle on its corporate board.
Ava Jerome's name again. During her brief tenure in PC, she'd managed to weave herself into the fabric of its undercurrent. Her interest in the Q Empire couldn't be casual…but she didn't give it or her much thought.
The more ordinary world had slowed nearly to a halt for her once Danny took ill. Still as she casually leafed through the tabloid style newspaper, she caught up on some of the more lurid episodes. The new publisher obviously had his spin on the news in this town.
Sam had tossed out the idea of approaching Connie at the newspaper to do an article on Danny's bone marrow drive. So far, she hadn't ventured over to the headquarters at the MC to talk to Sonny's latest girlfriend.
There had been rumors that the newspaper's circulation had fallen since Todd's departure as publisher. Some media mogul from New York City had snapped it up for a song in the past month. She hadn't caught his name.
Not that it mattered, her focus remained elsewhere.
Metro Court
Derek leaned back in his desk, listening to Ava lecture him on the importance of their plan to retake the Jerome family territory, now dominated by Sonny's organization.
He'd reminded her that she had to wait until he approved her plans before carrying them out. She'd bristled at that but after the ELQ debacle….
Connie had promised him the story of the year to save Crimson from being shut down and her employees from being thrust on the unemployment lines. She cared deeply for her fashion magazine, an angle successfully used against her as his pawn of choice this week.
The reality that he played one of Sonny's own molls for the cause made it all the sweeter. He had shut the file open on his desk to deal with his younger sister.
Her bloodthirstiness didn't shock him anymore. He listened to her discuss her involvement with the Qs as if it'd been a success…even as it had crumbled around her. No matter, he had his fix in place and Connie had proven to be key though she didn't know it yet.
Move a few pieces around the board, getting them into position. He'd found his queen already and Ava didn't need to know that. Some things were best kept close to the chest…
He didn't trust this sister any more than he had the other. When Ava had chosen to reinvent herself years ago, she'd borrowed from her own family…the one she'd discovered and embraced.
They circled each other while plotting strategy until the one person stormed into their midst who'd change everything…
General Hospital
Alexis prepared to make her rounds to Kelly's and the Floating Rib among other hangouts in PC to talk people into getting tested for the bone marrow drive. Sam had headed off to the MC to talk to Connie about running an article, promoting it.
She wouldn't return without a commitment from her. Alexis had watched her daughter carefully after Silas had told them that though Franco was a match…he'd never be able to donate his marrow to Danny.
Too risky…given the cancer cells lingering in his blood from his own illness. So the drive was back on in earnest.
Damn, Alexis had pinned her hopes on the sociopathic killer, far more than she'd realized until Silas' news delivered in that clinical fashion of his destroyed their hopes. Sam recovered quickly enough to move onto her next strategic step…to get the word out on the donor drive.
Alexis would do her part. She'd make the rounds, talk to Mac at his eatery to help her get the word out even further.
Somehow between her and Sam and all of them, they'd find the means, the match to save Danny's life. She'd failed in remembering enough about Sam's father to save her grandson's life. She'd find another way.
Fate as it turned out had other plans.