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HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEMON!!!!

Chapter Two

In the Moment

When Alexis woke the next morning, she had almost begun to wonder whether or not it was all a dream. But when she saw her beautiful daughter asleep with her little head resting on her chest, her heart filled with joy as the realization hit her: this was her new reality.

She passed her fingers through Sam's natural ringlets before leaning forward to give the sleeping child a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "Good morning my beautiful girl."

She carefully moved the child's head onto the bed. She then attempted to get up, but her heart instantly broke as she realized that Sam's little hand grasped firmly onto her shirt; it was evident that the girl was afraid that she might be left in the middle of the night.

Alexis passed her finger along her daughter's knuckles.

--- "Oh sweetheart, Mommy's not going anywhere. She's not leaving you."

She carefully opened her daughter's hand and gave it a gentle kiss. She walked into the bathroom and began to brush her teeth as she thought about how she would get through her busy day now that her welcomed, but unexpected, arrival was asleep in her bed. While she was happier than she had ever been in her life, she could not exactly say that she was not stressed or worried.

She finished brushing her teeth, undressed and got into the shower. Her thoughts were heavy of how she was approach this delicate subject with her 'parents.' She was not sure of the consequences of Sam's presence in her life. As she stood there, allowing the water to run through her hair, she realized that she simply did not care what they had to say; it was not as though either of them had ever shown any real interest in her daughter anyway.

She thought about Mikkos and what he might say about the situation; she had a feeling that he would not take too kindly to her daughter being in her life. She never understood why he seemed to care so much about her; it was not as though he ever really spoke to her. Aside from the courteous (Cassadines were, after all, known for their impeccable manners) morning, afternoon, and evening greetings, the man hardly ever looked in her direction. And yet, there he was, when she was fifteen and pregnant, then sixteen and giving birth, dictating to her his expectations for her life, and his wish, or demand, that she continue on in her education without allowing this mistake to ruin her plans.

Then there was Helena. The woman never hid the fact that she not only hated her own son, she absolutely loathed the freeloading orphaned burden of a waif, he husband had the audacity to bring into her home. She made no effort to provide the tiniest bit of comfort to the girl. If there was a bed that was as hard as, if not harder than, rocks, Helena ensured that Alexis slept on it. She had no desire in dressing the young girl as a mother would dote on her daughter; instead, she found the itchiest and most uncomfortable wool dresses, and failed to replace it until the poor child had no more room to grow in it. If ever there were a child she hated more than her own son, it was that little mouse who took away from the money that could have been spent on her beloved Stavros.

However, it seemed possible that when Alexis was pregnant, Helena's hatred for both her and Stefan was outweighed by her disgust for the child growing in the orphan's belly. There were times when Alexis felt as though the distance of both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean was not enough to shield her or her defenseless baby from Helena's revulsion.

Flashback

Mikkos had come into town, for what he claimed to be a business trip, and stopped by the boarding school to visit Alexis. He wanted to speak with her teachers and the headmistress to ensure that she was keeping up with her schoolwork and getting the proper nutrition for her and her baby; it seemed that while the girl was away from Cassadine island and the menu approved by him, she had grown fond of things such as popcorn, pop tarts, and cereal. He was not pleased with her new eating habits.

When he was informed that she was following the appropriate regime, he decided to stop by her room and pay her a visit.

--- "Hello Alexandra."

Alexis was shocked to see the man standing in her doorway. She immediately stood and quietly greeted him from her place.

--- "Good Afternoon Cousin."

He awkwardly walked around the room and noticed that aside from her normal schoolbooks, she was reviewing several books concerning what to expect during her pregnancy. It always amused him how meticulous the shy and quiet girl was. As he looked around the room it perplexed him how it was she managed to become pregnant in the first place; nothing seemed to interest her expect books… and Stefan.

--- "Have you been taking care of yourself?"

She watched him walk around, wondering what it was that he wanted; he never visited and hardly called. The only thing she ever received were short notes wishing her well accompanied with the monthly allowance he sent for her.

--- "Yes, Cousin."

He nodded his head before walking over to her desk. He placed his briefcase onto her desk and opened it.

--- "Helena has asked that I give this to you."

Alexis reluctantly took the box from him; if she had learned anything in the years she lived in the Cassadine household with that evil woman, it was to not trust anything given her from Helena.

--- "What is it?"

He frowned at her.

--- "I don't know Alexandra. Perhaps you should open it and find out."

She lowered her eyes from him and slowly opened the gift. Inside was a small stuffed maggot, with a note attached to it.

"Here is a token for your fellow bottom feeder."

Alexis shook her head and closed the box. She looked at Mikkos.

--- "Please send her my regards."

Mikkos simply nodded his head, uninterested as to the gift his wife had purchased for her and walked to the door. As he grabbed the doorknob, he stopped and reached into his coat pocket and handed her an envelope.

--- "Here is your monthly allowance. Please do not spend it on that American garbage you've grown accustomed to eating."

Alexis shyly took the envelope from him.

--- "Thank you, Cousin."

End of Flashback.

And that was the extent of their conversation. In fact, the longest conversation they had ever had with one another involved the decision of whether or not she would be allowed to continue with the pregnancy. Even in that instance, it was not as though Alexis was given an opportunity to speak; Mikkos simply told her what was to be done, and that was it.

This time, however, things would be different; Alexis would have been damned if he thought for one moment he would dictate her life. She was no longer the little mouse she once was; and her daughter, was certainly no bottom feeder.

In appearance, Sam slept soundly in her new mother's big and comfortable bed. She awoke several times in the night terrified that she was back in the McCall house, asleep on the floor amongst the roaches and rats that cohabited the home and feasted on her tiny body. Each time she awoke; she scooted closer to the woman until she could move no further. She laid her head onto her new mother's chest and for safe measure, she held onto her shirt; Alexis' arms automatically wrapped around her. As she lay there listening to the sound of her mother's heartbeat, she quickly fell asleep; she did not awake for the rest of the night.

As she slept in that warm bed, she dreamt that Evelyn had come back to take her home. She dreamt that the woman was once again drinking, as she had been before dropping her off at Alexis', and had of course, taken her drunken rage out on her. Sam dreamt that Evelyn was chasing her with a brush, comb, or anything she could find with which to hit her little arms, legs, or bottom. The poor child trembled in her sleep and grasped her new mother's shirt even tighter.

Flashback

Sam had just finished pouring two bowls of cereal for Danny and her breakfast, when the boy, in a fit of rage over not having the toy from the bottom of the box, threw the bowl onto the roach-filled floor.

--- "DANNY! Why did you do that?" Sam jumped from the chair and began attempting to clean up the mess.

Evelyn, hungover from the previous night's binge, stormed into the kitchen upon hearing the shattering of the bowl. Without any question as to who was at fault, she picked up the tiny girl attempting to clean up the mess, and carried her to her bedroom.

She opened a drawer and took a brush out; Sam immediately became frightened knowing what was to come.

--- "Do you know how much that bowl of cereal cost me, Samantha?"

At only five, the child had no sense of prices; in her little world, a quarter was a big deal. Actually, considering the state of squalor in which the family lived, a quarter was welcomed change.

--- "No."

Evelyn pulled Sam to her and held the brush in the air.

--- "Well, little girl, this will teach you to not waste the food that me and Cody work hard to put on that damn table. When I'm done with you, you won't be able to sit for days."

And so, the woman beat the skin and boned child until she had no more tears to cry. Afterwards, she dragged her back into the kitchen, handed the unbroken bowl to her mentally challenged son, and forced Sam to eat every bit of the spilt cereal from the filthy floor.

--- "Enjoy it, Samantha, that's all you'll be getting for the rest of the day."

For that reason, Sam ensured to take her time, despite the crawling roaches, to eat the cereal. At such a young age, she had begun to learn survival skills that would enable her to get through any obstacle thrown her way.

End of Flashback.

Sam, even at six, was aware of the good fortune that had just landed in her lap by having been virtually abandoned by Evelyn. While Cody had always been kind to her, he was frequently absent from the household, and therefore quite unreliable. Seeing Alexis, she felt she could be happy with her. Therefore, Sam slept comfortably in the arms of a friendly stranger she was told was her mother.

Unfortunately, she woke up to an empty bed and was shocked to find that she had wet herself. Sam immediately sat up and looked around. She did not know what to do as she had undoubtedly ruined her new mother's sheets. She wanted to cry, but she figured that it would be easier for her to simply admit to what she had done and take her punishment; perhaps in that way, it would not be as rough.

She crawled to each corner of the bed and removed the fitted sheet. She then hopped off the bed and dumped the soiled sheet in the corner. She bit her lip wondering what to do next. Normally she would have washed the sheets herself, but seeing as this was a new place, she did not know whether or not she was allowed to rummage through her new mother's things in order to find the detergent. She decided instead to find her.

She heard the shower running, so she knocked softly on the door before entering the bathroom. Being six, she simply had no sense of privacy.

--- "Mommy?"

Alexis was shocked, and slightly embarrassed, to see her daughter standing there; she opened the glass door and grabbed her towel. She smiled at the tiny child who, in many ways, resembled her.

--- "Good morning, Sam."

She wrapped the towel around herself and knelt down in front of the apprehensive girl; she gave her a kiss on the cheek.

--- "Did you sleep well?"

Sam nodded her head.

--- "Yes, thank you."

Despite having known her daughter for less than twenty-four hours, Alexis could tell that something was weighing heavily on her mind.

--- "What's the matter, chipmunk?"

As hard as she attempted to not cry, Sam was six after all, and the tears rolled down her cheeks.

--- "I wet the bed. I'm sorry."

She almost flinched expecting a blow to come from her new mother when Alexis reached to wipe her fallen tears. The young woman's heart broke at the sight.

--- "It's alright sweetheart. We'll just put the sheets in the wash and change the linen. Don't worry; accidents happen."

Sam's tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she hiccupped.

--- "It's okay if you don't want to give me breakfast—"

Alexis felt her own tears well into her eyes as she looked at her daughter. She tightened her towel around herself and opened her arms to Sam.

--- "Come here, chipmunk."

Sam immediately went into her mother's arms. Alexis wrapped her arms around her and gave her a kiss on each cheek and forehead. She held her face and stared her daughter in the eyes.

--- "Samantha, I want you to listen to me very clearly, okay?"

She nodded her head as she attempted to gain her composure.

--- "Yes, Mommy."

Alexis loved to hear the little girl call her 'Mommy.'

--- "Remember what I told you last night? You don't have to work to eat in this house. Remember I told you that?"

--- "Yes, Mommy. But I wasn't working. I had an accident."

Alexis used her thumbs to wipe the tears from Sam's face.

--- "The same rules apply, honey. Sam, you will never be denied food in this house. NEVER. No matter what you do, and no matter how mad I get, you will always have clean clothes, water, and food. Do you understand me?"

Sam nodded once again, although she was slightly skeptical.

--- "Okay."

She gave her daughter another kiss on the cheek.

--- "Now, can you let Mommy finish showering? I'll give you a bath right after, okay? I don't want you to stay in your wet clothes."

--- "But I don't have anything else to wear."

Luckily, Alexis had not put the rags back onto her daughter, but had instead given her the oversized t-shirt, and put the underwear back on her after it was washed and dried.

--- "Well, we can put your clothes on from yester—"

The doorbell rang. Alexis' face lit up; she had a very good idea of who was at the door. She took Sam by the hand and walked with her to the living room. She looked through the peephole and smiled at the sight. She immediately unlocked the door to find Stefan standing there.

--- "Hi Cousin!"

Stefan shook his head at seeing his cousin answering the door in her towel. He gave her a kiss on either cheek.

--- "Alexis."

She smiled at him amusingly; she put her hands on her hips.

--- "That's how you greet me, Stefan? No hug?"

He shook his head; despite their closeness, he still held onto the formality of a Cassadine male.

--- "Perhaps if you dressed I would be able to greet my favorite cousin appropriately. In addition, she would be able to greet my son as well."

Her smiled widely as she smacked him on the arm.

--- "You brought Nikolas with you, you sneak!"

Stefan chuckled; American life was agreeing with the girl who was once shy and quiet. He stepped outside and held his hand out to the tall five year old boy who entered smiling at Alexis; while Sam appeared to be the size of a tall four year old, Nikolas was the height of a seven year old.

--- "Hi Cousin Alexis."

She held her towel tightly around her and bent forward to give the boy a kiss on either cheek, as she had previously done to his father.

--- "Look how tall you've gotten, Nikolas! You're quite handsome."

The boy blushed at the compliment and at seeing his cousin undressed.

--- "Thank you."

Stefan cleared his throat. He had not expected Alexis to have her child already, but it was a welcomed surprise.

--- "Would you care to introduce us to this pretty little creature hiding behind you?"

Sam hid behind her mother's towel, unsure of the people she was meeting. Alexis laughed and turned around; she held the towel securely around herself.

--- "Sam, baby, you can't hold onto Mommy's towel. Come on, this is your family."

Alexis held her hand out to Sam; the child immediately took a firm grasp to it as she stood beside her new mother, leaning her head onto her leg.

--- "Samantha, this is your cousin Stefan. Stefan, this is my daughter, Samantha."

He knelt down and held his hand out to the girl. Sam looked up at Alexis who nodded her head, encouraging her to take the man's hand.

Stefan, knowing and seeing that the child had been through a lot in her short life, simply gave her little hand a kiss.

--- "It's very nice to meet you, Samantha."

She blushed and pressed her face her into Alexis' leg. Alexis rubbed her daughter's back.

--- "And Sam, this is your other cousin Nikolas, Cousin Stefan's son. Nikolas, this is Sam."

Nikolas, having grown up in the Cassadine fold, mimicked the formality of his father.

--- "It's very nice to meet you as well, Samantha."

Being that the boy was not as intimidating as the man, Sam smiled slightly at him.

Stefan looked at the child and shook his head; he spoke to her mother in French, a language that Nikolas had not yet mastered.

--- "She's tiny."

Alexis nodded her head in agreement.

--- "There's so much that we need to discuss, Stefan. I can't tell you how angry I am with that asshole father of yours."

Stefan had a few choice words he would have enjoyed using on his father at the moment, but he knew that both he and Alexis needed to be strategic in their approach of the situation.

--- "I don't blame you one bit, Alexis."

He held out the bag that he had been holding.

--- "Knowing that you would not have had anything for her when she arrived, I purchased some clothing for this little one. I apologize however as I had not anticipated that she would be so small. I'm afraid they might be too large."

She could not have been more grateful for Stefan; whenever she was in need of anything, it truly amazed her how he always anticipated that need and provided for her.

--- "Thank you, Stefan! I was going to go out after I finished showering, and after bathing Sam, but here you are, saving me once again."

She looked into the bag and found cute dresses, skirts, tights, and the like. She knew that they would never fit, but nonetheless, they were more appropriate for leaving the house than the things Sam was wearing when she was brought to her.

She looked up at her mother.

--- "Mommy, can I go take a bath now?"

--- "Yes, baby. Stefan, if you'll please excuse Sam and I for a few minutes? I'm sorry, I was not expecting you this early. So, please make yourselves comfortable."

He smiled at his cousin… he smiled at them both. It eased his heart to see how attached the little girl had grown to her mother in such a very short time.

--- "Take your time Alexis."

She leaned in and gave him another kiss on the cheek and squeezed Nikolas chubby cheek.

--- "Twenty minutes."

After trying on several of the outfits Stefan had purchased for her daughter, Alexis was shocked to find one that fit quite well, but for the long sleeves.

--- "Look how wonderful you look, my love."

Sam smiled at her mother.

--- "Am I as pretty as you?"

Alexis lifted her daughter up and held her in her arms as she balanced her on her hip.

--- "Are you kidding me, Sam? You're sooo much prettier than your ugly duckling Mommy!"

Sam wrapped her arms around her mother's neck.

--- "You're not ugly. I think you're beautiful."

She tickled her daughter's side causing her to squeal in delight. Alexis was astounded by the resilience her daughter was showing; it warmed her heart that she trusted her as much as she did after knowing her but for less than a day.

--- "You do? Well, I guess I have to believe you, now don't I?"

She put Sam down so she could change. Although she was typically a shy person in regard to her body, she quickly realized that her love of privacy went out the window the moment her daughter came into her life; the child would not let her out of her sight. Alexis shook her head in both sympathy and empathy, at how insecure a young child such as Sam could be so as to be afraid that she might leave her if she was not within reach at all times.

Although she did not know how the day was going to pan out, Alexis decided to change into her suit. She knew that regardless of anything, she had to get to her internship; it was a form of income for her, and now Samantha, that she could not afford to lose if Mikkos decided to cut her off financially. She figured that even if she had to bring Sam with her, she was going into the office.

--- "Mommy?"

--- "Yes, baby?"

Sam bit her lip for a moment.

--- "Is it true?"

Alexis was almost afraid to ask, but she knew she had to.

--- "Is what true?"

--- "You never wanted me? Evelyn said you gave me away because you knew that I wasn't worth keeping."

Alexis was not sure what was more shocking: the fact that the child called the only mother that she had known for six years of her life by her first name, or that the woman could be so cruel as to tell as young child such horrible things.

She buttoned her shirt up, and sat beside her daughter.

--- "Let me tell you something, Samantha; none of that is true. I love you."

Sam moved away from her slightly. To this child, words were lies and empty promises. Cody told her that he loved her on few occasions, but disappeared soon afterwards and left her to Evelyn's mercy. When he returned days later, he patted her on the head, apologized, and promised he would never leave her again. A few weeks later, he would be gone again.

Alas, actions and words are two different things. Sam found that it was easier to believe the former, as they could never disappoint her as the latter had time and time again. Actions were in the moment and indicative of how a person felt at the time; she believed in what actions meant. She could not be disappointed in the happenings of something for which she had no expectations; they simply occurred.

If Cody protected her from a beating, it was because he was being kind at the time; Sam would not have expected that the next time Evelyn came after her again, that he would do as he did the time before. In the same respect, her new mother's actions did not mean that she necessarily loved her, but simply in that moment, she wanted to be kind.

Of course, there was something to be said about a person's character, and being a child, Sam had an intuitiveness that allowed her to see who was likely to treat her poorly or kindly. When she looked at Alexis, she felt in her heart that the woman was kind, but that did not necessarily mean that she loved her.

No one loved her.

--- "Ok."

It was as though Alexis were looking into a mirror of her past. The child may have been tinier, in stature, than she was, but the face was the same. Most of all, the look of sadness despite any showing of kindness, was apparent. It was clear to her that in her six years on this earth, Sam had been met with nothing but disappoint. Alexis knew that she needed to change that.

She pulled Sam onto her lap and kissed her on the top of her head.

--- "I know that it's hard to believe, Chipmunk, but I do love you. I love you more than anything in this world. I have loved you since the minute I found out that I was going to have you. I know that it's hard to believe me because if I loved you, why would I give you to those awful people—"

She needed to stop speaking so that she could compose herself of the emotions that threatened to escape from her throat.

She turned Sam around to face her.

--- "I was very young when I had you, sweetheart. I could not take care of you. I wanted to, but I could not even take care of myself. So, the person who was raising me decided that it would be best to send you away to someone who could make sure that you were well taken care of."

Sam played with her mother's necklace as she listened to her. Alexis lifted her chin so she could look at her; if she had not heard anything she had said previously, she needed her to hear this.

--- "Samantha, if I would have known that the people you were given to would treat you the way the McCalls have treated you, I would have found a way keep you and raise you myself. I know that this might now mean much to you now, but I hope in time you will believe me when I tell you that I'm not letting you go. I will not leave you. I will not let anyone take you away from me again. No matter what anyone says, don't let them tell you any different than this: You are worth everything to me."

Sam stared at her mother, who had tears rolling down her cheeks, for a moment. She passed her little hands on Alexis' and wiped away the fallen tears. She wrapped her arms around her neck and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She had no words to convey to the woman; that was simply how she felt… in the moment.