Thank you so much for your continuing support for this story! Here's the next crazy long installment. I hope it was worth the wait because it took me a couple of days to write!
It's 4 in the morning, and I'm falling asleep here, I wanted to post this because I've promised several it would be posted tonight. I'll edit it in the morning. I'm sure you'll tell me if it's not up to par with the previous chapters.
Enjoy!!
Chapter Five
Returning the Light
While Sam was asleep, Alexis managed to quickly carry her throughout the kid's clothing and shoe stores, the toy store, along with the drugstore. Taking Stefan's advice to heart, she decided to also make a stop at the grocery store; she purchased several boxes of cereal, pop tarts, popcorn, canned and frozen foods that she was certain she would not ruin when attempting to cook for her daughter and herself. She was determined to make the situation work, with or without Mikkos' help; she would not allow the man to have any reason to doubt her abilities as a mother.
When they arrived home, Alexis stepped around the car to the backseat. She reluctantly woke her daughter so that she could more easily carry all the items into the apartment.
--- "Sam, honey, we're home."
The child rubbed her eyes. In her exhaustion, the word home did not register as the place where she had begun to find comfort and solace; not fully aware of where she was, she believed she might have been brought back to the McCalls' home in New Jersey. As she felt Alexis lifting her out of the car, Sam tightly gripped onto the woman. Tears filled her eyes.
--- "Don't leave me, please."
Alexis was shocked by how tightly Sam held onto her; in fact, in the child's need to ensure her mother's presence, by gripping her shirt she accidentally held onto some of Alexis' hair. The woman winced in pain as she attempted to loosen her daughter's hand.
--- "Sweetheart, you're hurting Mommy; you have to let go of her shirt."
As she came to realize where she was, Sam tearfully stared her mother in the eyes. She released her hold and laid her head onto Alexis' shoulder and cried.
--- "I'm sorry, Mommy."
The woman was at a loss for words; she simply rubbed her hand along her daughter's cheek as she leaned against the car. She knew she needed to calm her down before attempting to put her down, so that she would be able to carry all the items into the house.
--- "Oh chipmunk, I told you, Mommy is not going anywhere, okay? We're home, look."
She rubbed Sam's back willing her to look at her surroundings. Eventually when she had calmed down, Sam wiped her face and realized that she was still with her new mother and at her new home. She pressed the side of her face against her mother's as she whispered into her ear.
--- "I was scared you took me back."
Alexis shook her head.
--- "Look at Mommy."
Sam did as she was told and Alexis pressed her forehead against hers.
--- "You, my little pumpkinhead, are a nonrefundable item. There is no return policy on you. I will not let anyone take you away from me. Okay?"
She playfully rubbed her nose against Sam's, who despite her tears, laughed at her mother's silliness.
--- "Okay."
Alexis covered the child's face with kisses before putting her down and opening up the trunk.
--- "Do you want to help Mommy carry all of these inside?"
Sam smiled and wiped her tears. She nodded her head as she skipped toward her mother. Alexis handed her two light bags and carried the remainder of the items; she was grateful that the grocery store had delivery service as she had purchased quite a few things.
--- "That's my good girl."
When they entered the apartment, Alexis could tell that Sam was still quite tired.
--- "Honey, you want to sleep some more?"
While she wanted to tell her mother that she was fine, she had a feeling that the woman would read through her exhaustion and make her sleep. Because she was left to sleep on the rat and roach infested flood of the McCall household, Sam had grown accustomed to restless nights. She would sleep an hour at a time, until a bug or rodent crawling on her caused her to awake; as a result, she often found herself falling asleep at school or other places where she might be more comfortable than the living room floor.
She nodded her head.
--- "Can I go back to sleep, Mommy?"
Alexis gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.
--- "Of course you can! Do you want Mommy to tuck you in?"
Sam bit her lip and looked at her mother, almost afraid to make the next request. Alexis saw the child's hesitation and held her face in her hands.
--- "What's the matter?"
Sam looked away as she asked her question.
--- "Can you… can you lay with me? I have bad dreams. You make them better."
Flashback
It was Alexis' first night in the Cassadine household. Everything seemed strange to the four year old child as this home she was brought to was brand new to her, but everything in general appeared that way; Alexis could not remember anything that had happened the day prior and it scared her. She could not recall where she lived prior to being brought to the dark and dreary castle. She could not recollect what she was doing before she stepped out of the car that drove she and Mikkos through the gates of the Cassadine estate. In fact, Alexis did not even know how it was she arrived into this foreign land where they spoke a language she had never before heard.
Helena, along with a servant, stood in the sparse bedroom she had chosen for the girl. The room was large and empty but for a bed, a desk, and a chair; there was nothing in it that would indicate that it was occupied or would be occupied by a young girl.
--- "Alexandra is to be in bed by nine-thirty each night. I do not care if she is tired or not; she will learn to sleep at that hour. I will not have this child in my face one minute longer."
The servant, who was to be Alexis' nanny, nodded her head and quickly helped the child into the bed as Helena stood aside and watched the woman attempt to make the terrified child comfortable in the hard bed.
--- "That is fine, Olga, she is not a porcelain doll. If she is to break, believe me, it won't be as a result of being tucked in poorly."
The woman gave the child a sympathetic nod, but dared not disobey Madame Cassadine, as the woman was known for her terrible temper.
--- "Yes ma'am."
She quickly left the room, leaving Helena with the child.
Helena walked up to the bed with her arms crossed; she stared at the child for a long while. Alexis dared not return the stare; she simply looked down and away from the wicked woman.
--- "Sweet dreams, little mouse."
Helena turned to leave the room, turning every light off, knowing that the confused child would be left in absolute darkness as the room was located on the heavily forested west side of the castle overlooking the crypt.
As she closed the door, she smiled as she heard the young girl's muffled cries of fear.
End of Flashback.
Alexis playfully lifted her tiny daughter in the air and brought her down to her, planting a kiss on her cheek before resting her on her hip.
--- "I would be happy to, sweetheart. And you know what Mommy bought for you when you were asleep?"
--- "No?"
She reached for one of the bags and carried it into the bedroom with them. She set Sam down onto the bed and laid out several sets of pajamas from the fairytales in the new book Stefan had purchased for her. Sam excitedly jumped up and down on the bed.
--- "Thank you, Mommy!"
Alexis laughed at Sam's excitement. It filled her heart with joy to see the child begin to emerge from her shell and show signs of a personality. She poked the girl in the belly.
--- "So you like it?"
Sam could not contain her happiness over her mother's purchases for her. She jumped into Alexis' arms and gave her a hug.
--- "Yes!"
Alexis smiled and began to help the girl undress. It was only four in the afternoon, and they had evening plans with Stefan, but she thought Sam might enjoy wearing a new set of pajamas during her nap.
--- "So which one do you want to wear?"
Unsurprisingly, Sam grabbed the Cinderella set.
--- "These ones!"
--- "Okay! Put them on, baby girl."
Sam stood up on the bed and dressed herself as Alexis folded the other sets.
--- "I'm done!"
Alexis held her hand to the girl.
--- "That's my big girl! Now, let's go to the bathroom so we don't have another accident."
Sam's mood seemed to turn from night to day as she pouted. Alexis frowned.
--- "Hey! Where did that pretty smile go? Why is my chipmunk upset? Weren't you just happy?"
--- "I'm sorry."
Alexis passed her hands through the girl's hair.
--- "What are you sorry about? Are you still upset about having an accident this morning?"
Flashback
Evelyn wanting to watch one of her stories, as she called soap operas, was fed up with both her son and adoptive daughter playing and laughing in the kitchen. She stormed into the room and took both children by the ears and pushed them each into a separate corner.
--- "You two had better keep your stupid and filthy mouths shut! I'm trying to watch my stories and I can't hear it if you don't shut the hell up!"
Sam, being but six, seemed to enjoy waiting until she could no longer hold her urine before deciding she needed to go, felt the need just as Evelyn put her into her spot.
--- "Evelyn, I have to use the bathroom."
The woman, unfortunately for young Sam, was unconcerned.
--- "Well, it looks like you're going to have to make your bladder expand because you're not leaving this spot until my stories are over."
Sam felt the tears come to her eyes as Evelyn turned toward the living room.
--- "Oh and Samantha?"
Just as the woman did not bother to turn her head to face the child, Sam continued to face the wall, choosing to not take the chance of upsetting her by disobeying an order to face the corner.
--- "Yes?"
Evelyn stopped at the doorway, checking to ensure that the show was still on commercial, before continuing.
--- "You had better pray that your piss comes out of your eyeballs instead of onto your clothes. I swear to you, I will leave you sitting in them for the next week until I drop you off at your mother's house. She'll see what kind of nasty worthless pig of a child she gave up."
--- "Okay."
Sam concentrated for the next hour on holding her urine, and prayed that the week would go quickly; she was sure that her new mother had to be better, even if she thought her worthless, than living with Evelyn.
Unfortunately, Sam's brain and bladder failed to cooperate with one another. Along with a spanking, Evelyn kept her promise.
End of Flashback.
Sam tried to blink her tears away, but with each blink, a tear escaped and quickly rolled down her cheek until she was crying in her mother's arms. Alexis sat on the bed and rocked her daughter against her.
--- "Samantha, what's the matter? You don't have to be upset or embarrassed about wetting the bed. It happens. That's why we call it an accident."
The little girl sniffled and looked up at her mother.
--- "Do you think I'm a pig?"
Alexis knew that that evil woman must have installed such a horrible thought into her head.
--- "You are not a pig, Samantha. Even if you were, I would say that you're the cutest little pig that I have ever seen. And you know what else?"
Sam wiped her face, feeling better; in her heart, she knew that Evelyn was lying to her, but the reassurance from her mother put her mind at ease.
--- "What?"
Alexis smiled at her daughter and began to tickle her on the stomach, causing the child to squeal in delight.
--- "Even if that meanie Evelyn said that you were a pig, I suppose that means you're my little piggy. And do you know what THAT means?"
Sam giggled as she reached up to tickle her mother on the neck, causing Alexis to laugh with her.
--- "What, Mommy?"
Alexis quickly stood up with the child in her arms, playfully dropped her onto the bed and tickled her some more. She lifted Sam's shirt and blew raspberries onto her little tummy.
--- "It means I get to eat you up! Come here, my little piggy!"
Sam laughed as she tried to get away from her mother's ticklish grasp. She had never laughed harder in her life.
As Alexis watched her daughter smile and giggle, she decided that Sam was not going to be damaged or identified by a hateful name as she had been growing up in the Cassadine household. Alexis made up her mind to empower her little girl by destroying Evelyn's evil hold on her.
While Sam napped for the hour, Alexis took the time to clear out two of her dresser drawers, and folded the new clothes she had purchased for her daughter in them. She then put Sam's new pairs of shoes beside her own in the closet, and hung up the dresses Stefan had purchased, along with the jeans and overalls, she had gotten for her that afternoon; for whatever reason, she could never imagine the child in dresses every day.
In the living room, Alexis moved books off her bottom shelf and replaced them with new coloring and reading books. She temporarily put puzzles and toys in the corner until the toy box she had purchased was delivered. Because the only thing she knew for certain was that her daughter loved fairytales, she purchased items related to that theme, along with gender neutral toys that Nikolas might also enjoy (not that he ever really played with toys), while he and Stefan were in town. While she loved and adored her cousins, Alexis refused to allow her daughter to have an all work and no-play upbringing; her daughter was going to have the type of childhood she had clearly been deprived of while with the McCalls.
Finally, she went into the kitchen and stocked her empty shelves with the normal items: popcorn, coffee, chips and pop-tarts. She then filled them with other things she had not ever thought to buy: canned vegetables, Spaghetti-Os, Chef Boyardee, and the like. She bought a loaf of bread, condiments, cold cuts, cheese, and other items that made her kitchen cabinets and refrigerator appear livable. The only thing she was missing, which she would purchase the next day were pots and pans…. along with batteries for her fire alarms and a fire extinguisher.
After she was done, she walked into the bedroom she now shared with her daughter and watched Sam sleep. While most people would have found it difficult to suddenly shift and rearrange their lives in such a short period of time, Alexis welcomed the change.
Flashback
The next morning, Alexis woke up in the large room almost unsure of where she was. Because she had been having memory issues stemming from a lack of knowledge of anything prior to entering the Cassadine grounds, she wondered if this were all a dream.
--- "Hello?"
The room was so big and barren, it seemed as though everything echoed.
--- "HELLO?!"
No one answered her terrified calls.
Not knowing what to do, Alexis stepped off of the bed and walked to the door. She opened it and stuck her head out, looking at the long and dark hallway.
--- "HELLO?"
Still, no one answered her. She took a deep breath and slowly walked down the hall. She was not sure of where she was going, but she thought it better than staying in that scary room alone. When she finally reached a stairwell, she descended them knowing that she was upstairs, and upon hearing voices coming from below.
--- "HELLO? Is anyone there?"
Mikkos and the family were seated for breakfast. He had inquired as to where the new member of their family was, but Stavros quickly informed him that the little mouse, as Helena had begun to call her, had told him that she was not feeling well. Despite not entirely believing his eldest son, and seeing the look of doubt in his younger son's eyes, Mikkos simply shrugged and read his morning paper.
When they heard the child's call, he put his paper down and looked to his wife to handle the situation; the domestics were her domain. Helena annoyingly stood up and threw her napkin from her lap onto her chair and stormed to the stairwell where the little voice was heard.
Alexis stood fearfully at the bottom of the steps tearfully looking up at the tall woman.
--- "Why are you screaming in my house?"
She spoke to the girl in Greek; a language the woman knew she did not speak. When she received no response, she repeated her statement again; this time in Russian.
--- "Why are you screaming in my house?"
Again, the girl looked at the woman even more confused than before. Helena grew more annoyed; she spoke English.
--- "Why are you screaming in my house, you ignorant little field mouse?"
Alexis wiped the tears from her face.
--- "I was afraid."
Helena bent down to close to the child's face so that she could feel her hot breath and spit hitting her skin.
--- "If you scream in this house again, I will give you something more to be afraid of. Now, get out of my sight."
The young girl smelled food, thus prompting her stomach to growl.
--- "May I have something to eat, first?"
Helena laughed in her face before walking away.
--- "Perhaps at lunchtime, assuming you decide to come down dressed and on time. Now, get out of my sight."
Alexis let out a cry, which she quickly stifled upon Helena's glare, and slowly walked the long way back to her room. She hoped she remembered the way.
End of Flashback.
There was nothing she wanted more than to have her daughter feel as though the apartment was her home, just as much as it was hers. Never again did Alexis want her to wake up from a nap unsure of where she was, or fearing that she was back with the people who spent the six years of her life abusing and mistreating her. This was her new home, and she was there to stay.
After showering for dinner with Stefan, Alexis decided to take advantage of the remainder of Sam's naptime to get some reading done for the following week's class assignments. She managed to get an hour of work completed by the time Sam walked into the living room. Alexis closed her book and put it on the coffee table.
--- "Hi chipmunk. Did you sleep well?"
Sam smiled and ran into her mother's awaiting arms.
--- "Hmm-mm."
She knelt on the couch so she was her mother's height and once again began playing with her necklace.
--- "And guess what?"
Alexis was shocked that it was Sam who was now engaging her in conversation, rather than the other way around.
--- "What, baby?"
Sam smiled as she held the necklace in her hands and looked at her mother.
--- "No bad dreams!"
There was nothing that made Alexis happier than to hear that her child had slept well. It had taken two months before a young Alexis had stopped having terrifying dreams that dead Cassadines were coming after her while she slept in the middle of the night. Stavros had made certain that every night, before she went to be, to tell her about gruesome deaths that occurred in the very pitch-dark room in which she slept. Every night, she rocked herself to sleep terrified to close her eyes for fear that the ghosts of the rooms former inhabitants might decide to make their presence known to her.
It was not until Stefan, silently hid in the room waiting for her and spent the night guarding and reassuring her, that she began to feel safe.
--- "Really?! Well, that is wonderful! That makes Mommy very happy!"
--- "It does?"
Alexis nodded and tickled the girl, enjoying the sound of her laughter.
--- "You bet it does! It makes me very sad to see you sad. So, when you're happy and smiling, I know that you're beginning to feel safe with me. And now that your bad dreams left you alone, it makes Mommy even happier because she only wants you to have good dreams."
Sam gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before wrapping her arms around her.
--- "I like making you happy, Mommy. And you wanna know why?"
--- "Why, chipmunk?"
--- "Because I think you're pretty! Pretty people should always be happy. Ugly people make people sad."
Alexis was in absolute awe of her daughter's talkative personality that afternoon; she reveled in her little voice.
--- "You are exactly right. You are my beautiful baby girl who makes me happy in every way."
Sam laughed before looking around the room and noticing the changes. She hopped off of the couch and walked toward the toys and books that were not there earlier in the day, unsure of which she should look at first.
--- "Mommy, are these for me?"
Alexis rested her elbows on her knees as she watched with joy as Sam slowly moved about the room.
--- "Of course they are. I thought you might like some things to play with."
Sam smiled as she knelt in the corner opening the box of legos, and looking at the dolls and puzzles. Her eyes locked onto a cute little bear whose arm was perched onto a box with cutouts in the form of shapes.
--- "Wow."
Flashback
Sam returned home from school on her sixth birthday feeling quite happy because her teacher had gotten her a small teddy bear as a gift. It was the only gift the child had ever received since neither Evelyn nor Cody ever bothered to celebrate her birth. According to the woman, she had no desire to celebrate the birth of a child she had not been around to see come shooting out of some idiotic teen.
Danny, who had only broken toys to play with, smiled when he saw his sister come in with a new item.
--- "Oh Sam, that's a nice teddy bear! Can I play with it?"
Unfortunately, the reason the boy had only broken toys was because he had a terrible habit of breaking them.
--- "No Danny, you always break your toys! This is special."
The boy, known for having tantrums, did not take kindly to the denial. He got up from the floor and tackled the tiny girl to the ground.
--- "Give it to me, Sammy! I want it!"
Sam rolled herself into the fetal position with the bear at her core; she refused to let her brother have a hold of it.
--- "I SAID NO, DANNY!!"
Evelyn and Cody, hearing the ruckus from the two children, tore themselves away from their poker game long enough to tear the two apart. While Cody, letting his cigarette hang from his lips, pulled Danny away from Sam, Evelyn forcefully yanked the tiny girl from the ground.
--- "What the hell is going on in here?"
Cody, seeing that everything was all right, rejoined his friends in the kitchen, leaving his wife to settle the dispute.
Danny pointed to the teddy bear.
--- "She won't let me play with it."
Sam held tightly to the bear and shifted it protectively out of the boy's view.
--- "That's because you're always breaking things! This is mine!"
Evelyn had not heard of the bear and was shocked to see Sam holding one. She grabbed it from girl.
--- "Where the hell did this come from?"
Sam tried to take it back from the woman, but Evelyn held it in the air and out reach.
--- "From school! My teacher gave it to me for my birthday!"
As she continued to reach up for it, tugging Evelyn's shirt to hopefully cause the woman to drop the bear, the woman shoved her to the ground.
--- "Will you stop?! You can run around this place looking like a pig if you want, but I actually want my clothes to stay looking as decent as possible."
Sam's lips began to quiver.
--- "But it's mine. My teacher told me it's for my birthday."
Evelyn took a deep breath as she looked at the little girl who had tears rolling down her cheeks.
--- "Well—"
She held the body of the teddy bear with one hand and the head with the other. She forcefully pulled until the head was detached from its body. She dropped the torn bear onto the floor beside the now hysterical girl.
--- "Happy birthday."
She walked out of the room and back to the game.
Danny crawled over to his sister sorry for what he had done; of anyone in the house, he was the only one who really loved Sam.
--- "I didn't know it was your birthday, Sam."
She brushed the tears from her face as she looked at her destroyed teddy bear.
--- "Me neither."
She moved away from him and sat in the corner trying to figure out how she would mend the innocent bear and make him whole.
End of Flashback.
Alexis walked over and knelt beside the girl who stared at the bear.
--- "You like it?"
Sam nodded her head as she reached for the bear, almost afraid to touch it. She looked at her mother for approval.
--- "Can I?"
She wrapped her arm around her daughter and reached for the bear. She placed it directly in front of Sam, and kissed her on the side of the head.
--- "Of course you may, chipmunk; he's yours."
Sam lifted the bear and held it for some time admiring it. She gave it a soft kiss.
--- "Can I name him, Mommy?"
--- "Baby, he's yours! You can do whatever you want with him."
Sam bit her lip for a moment as she thought of a name.
--- "Danny."
Alexis thought that an interesting name for a bear.
--- "Danny?"
Sam smiled as she stood up and ran to their bedroom to place the bear on their bed. Alexis followed, as she needed to bathe the girl for dinner. She watched as the girl happily crawled onto the bed and put the bear in the middle of the bed.
--- "Yup! That's my brother's name."
Alexis was shocked. She would have never thought that Evelyn would have any other children considering how poorly she treated Sam. She needed to speak to Stefan about this bit of news.
--- "Oh, so you have a brother?"
She opened her arms so Sam could go into them; without hesitation, Sam complied.
--- "Yea! His name is Danny and he's eight. He's my best friend, but he's always getting me in trouble."
She carried her daughter into the bathroom.
--- "He gets you into trouble?"
Alexis slid the glass door of the tub open. She sat down at the edge of the tub and began to fill it as she undressed the girl.
--- "Not on purpose, Mommy! Evelyn won't hit him because he's retarded—"
--- "Baby, we don't call people retarded. It hurts their feelings."
Sam bit her lip once more. Alexis put her hand on her daughter's cheek to calm her nerves.
--- "Its okay, chipmunk, I know you're not saying it to be mean. It's probably something you heard someone else say. It's just not a very nice thing that I don't want you to repeat again."
Sam nodded her head as she wiped a tear from her face.
--- "I'm sorry."
Alexis tickled her belly and smiled as Sam quickly regained her composure.
--- "It's not your fault, Sam. Now, guess what Mommy bought for you?"
Sam did not know what she had done to deserve as many gifts as she had received in the past day from her new family, but she was nonetheless grateful.
--- "What?"
Alexis poked the girl in her little belly.
--- "Close your eyes!"
The child immediately did as she was told. Alexis poured some of the contents of the bible into the tub.
--- "Open your eyes, chipmunk!"
Sam jumped up and down at the bubbles that filled the tub. She had always wanted to have a bubble bath like the people on television.
--- "Thank you, Mommy! This is so cool!"
She wrapped her arms around her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek causing Alexis to laugh at her thrill of having a bubble bath.
--- "Come on Little Miss Nakey, into the tub."
Sam laughed as Alexis playfully swatted her on the bottom and lifted her into the bubble filled tub.
--- "And guess what else I got you?"
Sam happily splashed in the tub as she looked at her mother, wondering what else the woman could have possibly gotten her.
--- "You got me more stuff? You already gave me so much."
Alexis tapped her on the nose and brought a rubber ducky from behind her back.
--- "Well, if you don't want this, then I can take it back."
Sam quickly put out her hand to receive the toy. She smiled widely.
--- "PLEASE!"
Alexis sat at the edge of the tub and handed her duck.
--- "Okay! Now, will you be alright to play in here for a few minutes while I get our clothes together for dinner?"
Sam was so immersed in her duck and the bubbles that Alexis could have left her in the water for hours and it would not have made a difference to her.
--- "Hmm-mm."
--- "I'll be back in a few."
Alexis smiled as she shook her head and walked out of the bathroom. It filled her with joy to know that she had made her daughter so happy. The life she had seen in her daughter's eyes when she had held her the very first time was returning.
Flashback
Sixteen year old Alexis had just spent six hours in labor. Her heart broke with every push of the baby she felt growing inside of her. Knowing that the baby would be taken away from her, almost as soon as she left her, the young girl almost welcomed the long labor.
The doctor had asked her if she wanted an epidural to deal with the pain, but she shook her head; she did not want anything that would numb what she was feeling. In any case, nothing could have been more painful than the thought of what was to come once her baby was fully delivered.
When her daughter was finally out, they cleaned and wrapped her before laying her on her mother's chest.
--- "Meet your Mommy, little one."
Alexis stared at the perfect creature she had created. She took her finger and passed it along her girl's cheek.
--- "Look at you. Your cheeks are as full as a chipmunk's. You're so beautiful."
She kissed the sleeping baby on the tiny lips.
--- "I want nothing more than to keep you chipmunk, but I know I can't; you'll probably be better off with the people Cousin picked out for you. He promised me that they've always wanted children, and they'll love you. I know they will. Maybe not as much as I do…"
She heard her daughter coo as a newborn would; the sound put a crack in her already fragile heart.
--- "No one can ever love you like I do. I don't care if these people buy you every toy under the sun, they could never feel what I feel for you. [ahem] The pain I feel in my heart is like a bottomless pit. No matter how much anyone may try to make me happy, because I won't ever have you in my arms again. Only you, my little chipmunk—"
Mikkos walked into the room with the nurse interrupting her conversation with the child.
--- "Alexandra, it's time."
She shook her head in disbelief.
--- "But I wasn't done, Cousin! I wasn't done telling her goodbye."
He shook his head at the girl.
--- "I'm sorry, but her parents would like to see her. We've allowed you an hour—"
--- "It has NOT been an hour!"
Mikkos pointed to the clock.
--- "It has. Your baby was born at 7:23 a.m. It is now eight-thirty."
Alexis looked at the clock. He was right. It seemed as though time stood still as she held her daughter. An hour felt like a mere minute to the girl.
--- "Please, just another minute!"
He held the door opened for the nurse to leave with the baby.
--- "You've had your time, Alexandra."
She disregarded the man and became hysterical as the nurse left the room with her beautiful daughter.
--- "COME BACK! PLEASE!"
The baby began to cry a gut-wrenching cry, abnormal for a child so small. It was as though she knew she was being taken from the one person who loved her more than her own life. Hearing the child's screams, Alexis made to get up from the bed, but the other nurses held her down.
--- "LET GO OF ME! I HAVE TO GET HER! SHE NEEDS ME! SHE NEEDS HER MOTHER! SHE WANTS HER MOMMY!"
Mikkos signaled to the doctor to give the hysterical girl something to calm her down. Being paid as much as he was by the man to keep the girl happy despite the situation, the doctor quickly filled a syringe and moved to the IV. Just as he was about to fill it, Mikkos stopped him. He walked over to the girl.
--- "Alexandra, you will get over this."
She stared at him with a fire in her eyes.
--- "Don't you dare tell me I'll get over this! I will NEVER forgive you for this. You've broken my heart, Mikkos."
She had never spoken so harshly or disrespectfully to the man. She was enraged that he might insinuate that her daughter was nothing but a lost toy rather than the one person, aside from Stefan, who might love her.
He shook nodded his head to the doctor. The man immediately injected the sedative; her eyes immediately grew heavy. Mikkos passed his hand along her cheek.
--- "Your heart will mend, Natasha."
Fighting the urge to sleep, she gave him one last glare.
--- "My heart… it may heal… but it will never… be whole… without her."
End of Flashback.
It was the little things, such as the girl's laughter, that eased her need to put a steak knife through Mikkos' heart.
At precisely seven forty-five, the doorbell to their apartment rang. Alexis put her earring on and smiled at Sam who sat on the bed playing with Danny the teddy bear.
--- "Hey, chipmunk! Cousin Stefan is here!"
Sam hopped off of the bed excited to see the kind man. She moved behind her mother and pushed her toward the door.
--- "Come on, Mommy!"
Alexis laughed and took Sam by the hand as they walked to answer the door. She looked through the peephole and smiled.
--- "Who is it?!"
Stefan put his finger on the hole.
--- "Cousin, you know what happens when you are late for a Cassadine dinner!"
She chuckled at his ironic humor. She opened the door and pointed a finger at him.
--- "It's very rude to make light of a horrific experience, Stefan."
He playfully grabbed her finger and smiled.
--- "And yet, Alexis, although it is even more rude to point, here you are doing so to your favorite Cassadine."
She gave him a kiss on either cheek and laughed.
--- "But, Cousin, I'm not pointing at this handsome little one standing beside you. HE happens to be my favorite little Cassadine man."
Nikolas blushed at Alexis' reference to him as a man.
--- "Cousin Alexis, I'm not a man. I'm a young boy."
She tickled him on the belly, causing him to laugh, and a kiss on the cheek.
--- "Nonsense, Nikolas! You're my little man."
Stefan held his hand to Sam, who held her mother's hand, happier than he had seen her earlier that morning.
--- "Ah, has our raven taken flight?"
Sam, without hesitation, released her mother's hand and gave Stefan a hug. She whispered into his ear.
--- "Hi Cousin Stefan."
He laughed at the progress she had made.
--- "Hello, Samantha. Don't you look beautiful?"
She quickly stood in front of her mother and wrapped her arms behind her and around Alexis' legs. She was not doing so out of nervousness, but simply because she preferred the comfort of her mother near her.
--- "Thank you."
He looked around the apartment and noted the kid-friendly appearance.
--- "My, Alexis, I love what you have done with the place."
--- "Why thank you, Stefan! Now that I've my little roommate here with me, I figured she might like a few things."
Nikolas smiled at Sam.
--- "Cousin Alexis purchased more things for you?"
--- "Hmm-mm. My mommy got me toys and books, and bubble bath—"
Nikolas frowned. As the heir to the Cassadine fortune, he was not given bubble baths. According to his father, showers were a necessity to remain clean and presentable; it was not a place for games.
--- "Bubble bath?"
She released her mother and ran into the bathroom. She quickly brought back the bottle.
--- "SEE! And she got me a rubber ducky! It's yellow. I named it Mr. Quack!"
Stefan was shocked at Sam's garrulousness.
--- "My goodness, who knew the... what is it you call her again, Cousin?"
Alexis and Sam responded at the same time.
--- "Chipmunk."
--- "I'm her chipmunk."
Alexis bent and gave her daughter a kiss on the top of the head.
--- "That's right, my girl."
Stefan laughed.
--- "In any case, I never realized she could speak!"
Alexis smacked him on the arm.
--- "Of course she can speak. She was just shy. Isn't that right, jelly bean?"
Sam smiled as she leaned her face into Alexis' leg.
Stefan looked at his watch and clapped his hands together.
--- "Alright, ladies and gentleman, I believe if we do not leave right now, we will arrive late. We must never be late for dinner."
--- "STEFAN—"
Alexis went to smack him again, but he put his hands up in defeat.
--- "I apologize, Alexis! How mistaken of me! It would only be highly ill-mannered to arrive late if the dragon were the main course. Unfortunately, that is not the meal to be served."
Sam and Nikolas looked at each other and made faces.
--- "That's nasty, Cousin Stefan!"
--- "There are no such things as dragons, Father."
Alexis rolled her eyes as she took Sam by the hand.
--- "Ignore him, baby."
She looked at her Cousin and shook her head as she spoke to him in French.
--- "You really need to allow this boy an imagination, Stefan. He's too young to not take pleasure in your ridiculous humor."
Stefan held the door open, with Nikolas by his side, for the ladies to exit.
--- "Well, I suppose that you will have to teach him."
Alexis frowned at her cousin as she handed him her apartment keys to lock the door.
--- "How? I don't see you two enough."
He winked at her as he closed and locked the door.
--- "You really are not very bright today, are you Cousin?"
Alexis thought for a moment and jumped in excitement. She released her daughter's hand, and wrapped her arms around his neck; she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
--- "I didn't think this day could have gotten any better!"
***************
When the driver pulled into the parking lot of Little Tykes Pizza, Alexis nearly died from shock.
--- "Tell me this is a joke, Stefan."
He laughed and shook his head.
--- "Who would joke about this?"
--- "You would!"
Nikolas looked at his father in astonishment; he had never been to a place such as that in his entire five years of life. In fact, Stefan had always turned his nose up to restaurants that allowed children to eat with their hands.
--- "Father, we're not really eating here are we?"
He smiled at his son's confusion, but delighted in Sam's obvious excitement.
--- "Yes we are, my son. I thought Samantha might enjoy it."
His instincts were right; the little girl was yanking her mother by the hand to leave the car as the driver had walked around and opened the door for them.
Nikolas sighed as leaned his head against the chair waiting for Sam and Alexis to first step out of the car so that he and his father could follow.
When they were seated, Sam leaned into her mother to question Stefan's curious behavior. It was nothing like what she had been told earlier.
--- "Mommy, I thought Cousin Stefan disapproves of junk food."
Alexis put her finger to her mouth and smiled at the girl.
--- "Shh, baby!"
Stefan tapped Sam on the shoulder. She smiled at him.
--- "You know, Samantha, I disapprove of your mommy eating junk food because she's soon to turn into a great big pumpkin if she does not stop. You wouldn't want that would you?"
She shook her head and looked at her mother.
--- "Does that mean that we'll have to carve you for Halloween?"
Stefan cleared his throat.
--- "If it were up to certain people—"
Alexis pointed her finger at him before giving her daughter a kiss on the nose.
--- "No baby. Don't listen to Cousin Stefan! He's being silly today!"
Suddenly, a waiter approached their table holding a large pizza.
--- "Here you all go! Enjoy!"
Stefan nodded at the man.
--- "Thank you sir."
Alexis shook her head in complete disbelief at her cousin's laidback attitude of the evening. This was nothing like the Stefan she knew. She mouthed a thank you to the man as she knew that he did not want her daughter, who had clearly never been exposed to much in her life, to be embarrassed at a fancy restaurant.
Nikolas, on the other hand, was still not happy about his father's choice of eatery.
--- "May I have a fork and knife please?"
Stefan nodded his head and called the waiter back to their table.
--- "I'm sorry, sir, but you've appeared to forgotten our silverware."
The waiter nodded and returned with four sets of plastic forks and knives.
--- "Sorry about that."
Stefan and Nikolas both stared from each other to Alexis and Sam who had already begun eating their pizza by hand. Stefan shook in disgust as he held the plastic utensils in his hands.
--- "Barbarians, I tell you."
Alexis laughed and threw her straw wrapper at her cousin; there was the cousin she knew and loved.
--- "Relax! When in Rome, Cousin!"
***************
After dinner was over, and the group was ready to leave, Nikolas tapped his father on the arm.
--- "Father, I need to use the restroom."
Stefan was not a fan of public restrooms.
--- "Can you hold it until we return to Cousin Alexis' home?"
The young boy shook his head. Despite his proper upbringing, at five, he knew nothing of holding his urine until he reached a more appropriate facility than one used by the public.
--- "I'm sorry, I cannot."
Stefan sighed and excused himself from the table. He figured it would be worse to allow the boy to urinate on himself than to use the restroom in a restaurant at which he regretted dining. Pizza was not a meal he ever intended on having again, at least not when made with substandard cheap ingredients.
--- "If you'll excuse me ladies."
Alexis smiled at her cousin's discomfort.
--- "Take your time, Stefan."
He scowled at her.
Once her cousins had left the table, Sam crawled into her mother's lap and laid her head on her chest. Alexis wrapped her arms around the girl and played with her hair.
--- "Are you tired, chipmunk?"
Sam's yawn answered the question for her.
--- "Hmm-mm."
She kissed the girl on the top of the head.
--- "Don't worry, we'll be leaving soon."
--- "Are we going home?"
--- "Yes we are. You need to go to sleep, and Mommy needs to do her homework."
Sam closed her eyes and nodded her head.
--- "Okay, but will you lay with me first?"
--- "If you want me to."
Sam sat up and looked at her mother.
--- "I want you to."
Alexis smiled and brushed the hair from her daughter's eyes.
--- "Well then, if it makes you happy, I will."
Sam stared at her mother for a moment and smiled.
--- "You make me happy, too."
Although Stefan offered to carry a sleeping Sam into the house for her, Alexis refused; there was nothing that made her happy than keeping the child close to her. For as safe as Sam felt in her mother's arms, Alexis felt better knowing that the child was with her.
--- "Here, just unlock the door for me, I'll put her to bed. There's something I need to discuss with you."
Stefan nodded. He went to put the key into the lock but realized that the door was already open.
--- "Alexis, stay here. I believe someone has broken into your apartment."
Her heart began to race. In the back of her mind, she knew that it was no break-in; she knew what happened and who was behind it.
--- "Oh God—"
Stefan stepped inside to find a man and woman flipping through the newly purchased children's books.
--- "Explain yourselves!"
He could smell the stench of alcohol coming from the couple.
--- "We've come for our daughter."
Despite his order for her to remain in her place, Alexis, hearing confirmation that her worst nightmares were inside, felt her legs move her to the doorway of the apartment.
Cody, seeing the young girl carrying a sleeping Sam, immediately stood.
--- "Ah, there's my baby girl."
I am going to warn you all from now: HELL (for those out of the loop, I'm in law school) recommences next week, which means that I've got a lot of reading to do before that time. This MAY be your only update for the week.
Once the semester has begun, I will probably (unlike last semester) be updating each story once a week. It really all depends on my schedule as I've a heavier workload.
So, I ask you to please be patient with me.