For your sanity and my own, for both LAEE and UMR, updates are going to be every 1.5 to 2 weeks alternatively, unless the muse strikes whereas one story's update is pushed back to accommodate the other. Nonetheless, it takes quite a bit of time to write the updates, time that I don't have, so I can't promise that they'll always be up in that timeframe. Therefore, I ask that you continue to be patient.

Thank you for reading, and many thanks to those reviewing.

I started to edit this, but realized the time and I've still quite a bit of work to read for next week's classes. I'll reread this later and make edits when I've the time. So, UNEDITED.

Chapter Ten

Broken

One Week Earlier

Mikkos sat in his office absolutely perplexed as to what was going on with Alexis. Aside from the slight hiccup in her teenaged years, which he had managed to fix (he made a conscious effort to never refer to this hiccup as her teen pregnancy; he had created for her a new life with a new name and refused to turn back to such an unexpected and disappointing chapter), she had never been one to give him any problems. And yet, much as the mistake of her youth snuck upon him unannounced, the call he had just received managed to do the same.

Present Day

Alexis slowly crawled into the bed with her tiny daughter. Every time she walked into the bedroom they shared, it never ceased to amaze her how the bed appeared to swallow the child whole. Sam, being as small as she was, seemed to disappear under the sheets and pillows. For a child of six, she had the stature of a four year old, and yet the weight of three year old; it was easy to quickly glance at the bed and fail to realize that she was in it. In fact, it would not have been too far from the mind to think that what was actually in the bed was a life-sized doll rather than a quiet child who had simply lost her will.

--- "Sam, don't you want to talk to Mommy?"

It had been two weeks since the accident and Sam had not said a single word except those that may have escaped her lips in her sleep. The doctors had run tests to ensure that the concussion had not been misdiagnosed whereas she had suffered from a brain injury, but when the scans returned unobstructed and clear, they informed Alexis that she was fine and suitable for discharge. Knowing that there was nothing the doctors could do for her daughter, after receiving temporary custody of Sam, Alexis took her home.

She laid her head onto her daughter's pillow as she wrapped her arms around the little girl.

--- "Baby, I know you can hear me, and I know that you can speak to me. Please, let Mommy know what's going on in your head. I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them away; she did not want her already clearly traumatized daughter to see her crying.

--- "You know, the doctors told me that you'll be able to have the casts on your arms taken off next week. I can tell they're starting to bug you and itch a little bit, right?"

She hoped for a response, but she knew she would not receive one. From the moment she lied in the bed, Sam had turned her head away from her and looked out the window; it was the same reaction she received every time she approached her. Nevertheless, she refused to give up; she knew that Sam was awaiting the moment when the other shoe dropped and she would be back with the McCalls. She needed to prove to her daughter that those days were long gone.

--- "I'm sure that you can't wait to be able to take a regular bath again, right? A nice bubble bath with Ducky?"

The only sign that Alexis ever received from her daughter that she was not only hearing what she was telling her, but also comprehending her, were the tears the rolled down her little cheeks. She knew that her daughter was hurting physically as no one, and certainly not a child, would be comfortable with two broken arms and a leg, unable to move or scratch when need be; but the emotional pain Sam suffered, appeared for worse than the physical.

Hearing her daughter sniffle, Alexis sat up and pulled her into her arms. She felt Sam stiffen to her touch, but the child did not attempt to push away from her as she had done previously. She took this as a good sign.

--- "Oh my little baby, I remember the day you were born; you were perfect: 10 fingers, 10 toes, beautiful black hair, the chubbiest cheeks. You were the best thing that ever happened to me despite everything horrible that life threw my way. You were the one thing, outside of Stefan, the one good thing that I had ever received. I don't know, in some ways, you were a blessing in disguise."

Sam sat quietly, leaning her head against Alexis' chest, as she listened to her heartbeat as she spoke; she did not know or understand what it was about the beating of the woman's heart, but it soothed her. In fact it seemed there was much that she did not understand: Alexis' words, Alexis, herself, nothing.

She listened as she was called a blessing, but she did not understand what that word meant either. From the way Alexis was speaking to her, however, it appeared to be a good thing, as though something she wanted. She called her a good thing and yet there she was in pain, and broken in more ways imaginable. She might have been good, but she clearly had not been good enough.

The tears rolled down Sam's cheeks as she thought about the amount of times she had called out for Alexis, and she never came. Alexis told her that she would never leave her and that she would always be there for her; she lied to her. She had claimed that the McCalls would never take her again, that she would fight for her, that she would always care for her, but when the time came, she was not there to help her. She was terrified as she sat in the back of a car she did not recognize, with two people whom she had hoped she would never again see, afraid that she would vomit all over herself because of the heavy stench of alcohol in the air; she wanted Alexis to come rescue her, but she did not.

Now, here she was holding onto her, hardly ever wanting to leave her side for a moment, aside from taking a shower or bringing in her meals. Sam felt like an idiot for having believed all that Alexis had told her within a day of knowing her; she would not allow her to do that to her again. It hurt too much to believe in her.

Hearing Sam sigh to her words, Alexis rested her cheek on the top of her daughter's head.

--- "I'm sorry, baby girl. I don't know what else I can say that will make all of this better for you. I wish I could take this pain away from you and have everything from the past couple of weeks erased, but I can't. All I can do is tell you that Evelyn and Cody are not going to be able to hurt you again."

Two Weeks Earlier

Alexis walked out of Sam's room more determined than ever to keep the likes of Evelyn and Cody away from her daughter. Her heart broke at the sight of her tiny child lying in the hospital bed with bruises and cuts all over her little face, and casts on her arms and leg. She needed to ensure her safety.

She saw Stefan standing across from the room on the phone while he waited for her. When he saw her he immediately ended the conversation and held his cousin in his arms.

--- "How is she doing?"

Alexis shook her head, as she stayed enveloped in his embrace.

--- "She's broken, Stefan. She's literally broken into pieces. I knew the moment I let go of her she would break. I knew it, and yet I did it anyway."

She began to sob.

As he held onto her, Stefan looked into the room and saw his raven's wings practically paper machéd in place. This was not right.

--- "We're going to make her whole, Alexis; she's not going back to those people."

She wiped her tears and let go of Stefan.

--- "You're damned right! If I didn't know the law, Stefan, I swear to you I would kill those bastards for doing this to her. How are they safe and basically unharmed, while she's mangled in there? She's so small, and yet she's got these broken bones, cuts and bruises to add to those that that bitch already put on her body! And you know what? I already know that those aren't the worst she's had—"

Just then, the doctor approached her daughter's room with a woman holding a file that was clearly just made for Sam. They spoke low, but Alexis knew exactly what was going on; she was not going to allow it.

--- "Stefan—"

She pointed toward the people talking.

--- "They want to take her! They can't have her."

Before Stefan could respond to her, Alexis rushed over to the doctor and social worker; she would be damned if her daughter was taken from the pot and thrown into the fire. The foster care system was no place for a child who had a family to care of her, a family that wanted her, a family from whom she should have never been separated. No, Alexis was not going to allow this to happen to her girl; she would not give her away again.

--- "Excuse me, but whatever arrangements you think you're coming up with for my daughter, you can cancel them; she's going to be going home with me."

The social worker looked at the young woman, who clearly had been a young teenaged mother, with disgust. She had not yet completely read Sam's file, but knew that she would not allow her to go back into the custody of her abusers.

--- "I'm sorry miss, but until you can prove that you're fit to raise—"

Alexis shook her head in disbelief. She wanted nothing more than to fly off the handle at the woman for being so presumptuous as to think that she would ever lay a hand on her child, but she knew that doing so would only do more harm than good.

--- "Miss, clearly you have me confused with someone else. My name is Alexis Davis, and I am Samantha McCall's biological mother. If there is anyone more fit to raise her, it would be me—"

The social worker looked through her files.

--- "You're the child's mother?"

--- "Yes. Look, I know that you're looking at me as though I were some irresponsible teen and probably an irresponsible adult, but I assure you that I was not and I am not. I was fifteen when…[ahem] I was fifteen when I found out I was pregnant. My family—"

She nearly choked on the final word.

--- "My family didn't think I was suitable to raise my baby, and despite my objections, they took her from me and she was given to those animals who didn't love her the way she was supposed to have been loved, and didn't treat her with the respect she deserved."

She went on to explain to the woman everything about how she came to become a part of Sam's life. She poured her heart and soul at the woman's feet, imploring her to realize that she was the only person Sam needed.

When she was done, Stefan took her hand into his and smiled at the social worker; he was prepared to kidnap Sam from the hospital that evening if this woman thought she would take her from his cousin.

--- "I assure you, madam, that my cousin, while she is young, is more than capable of caring for her daughter. She has the money to do so, has already bonded with Sam, and the girl knows Alexis as her mother. You would only be doing more harm than good by taking Alexis away from her."

The woman nodded as she took notes.

--- "I am going to have to research this."

Alexis smiled graciously. There was nothing to research, nor decide further; Sam was going home with her regardless of what these people thought. She was tired of people thinking they could make decisions in regard to her daughter without her input. She was putting an end to this idiotic notion that everyone, but her, knew what was best for Sam.

--- "Sure."

She pulled Stefan to the side; however before she could say anything, Stefan seemingly read her mind.

--- "Alexis, Samantha is not going anywhere near a foster home or back in the clutches of those bastards. My only hope right now is that Evelyn is being used as a punching bag in prison, while her husband's crutches are being placed in the most inopportune—"

Alexis covered her eyes at the images that invaded her thoughts.

--- "Please stop—"

He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a slight shake.

--- "I've already called in several favors; Sam is as good as yours—"

She looked at him in disbelief. If Cassadines were anything, they were indeed efficient.

--- "What do you mean as good as mine?"

He pulled his handkerchief out and handed it to her to wipe her tear stained face.

--- "Wipe your tears Cousin and go be with your daughter. I have to take care of a few more things."

She smiled sadly at him before looking back into the direction of the room.

--- "Um, I'm going to stay here with her; I don't want her to wake up in the middle of the night alone and wondering where she is and why I'm not with her. I won't fail her again."

He gave her a kiss on the forehead.

--- "Alexis, you have never failed a day in your life; it's others who have failed you and your daughter."

He wrapped his arm around her and walked her into the room. He passed his hand along Sam's chubby, but cut and bruised cheek.

--- "Little raven, you hurry up and heal so that we can once again see that pretty smile."

He gave her a tender kiss on the cheek before turning back to his cousin.

--- "Now, tend to this gentle bird so that she may fly again."

She loved how sweet he was with her little girl; it was as though she were reliving her childhood through a new set of lenses. She felt like the luckiest person on earth to have him in her life.

--- "Geez Stefan; must you ALWAYS speak like a poet?"

He smiled back at his cousin and gave her a kiss on either cheek. He whispered in her ear,

--- "Nevermore!"

With that, he left her for the evening.

One Week Later

Helena sauntered into her husband's office with a knowing smile plastered onto her face. She shook her head at the man's shock concerning the news he had just received.

--- "Really, Mikkos, I don't know why you're sitting here with such a stupid look on your face. I simply don't know why you invested so much time and energy into that girl. She's proven that she doesn't respect or is in the least bit grateful for all that you've given her."

He took a sip of his scotch and looked at his wife. She never liked Alexis; from the moment the girl entered their home she treated her worse than the dirt underneath her shoes. He shook his head at the memory of the countless times he saw inexplicable bruises… well, such is an understatement as it was evident from where and by whose hand they had come… on the girl's face and arms. He regretted never doing anything to stop the abuse inflicted upon Alexis… or Alexandra, as she was known then.

--- "She's had a tough life, Helena—"

She recoiled at her husband's asinine statement.

--- "Yes, difficult indeed: private tutors, private schools, private jets! Mikkos, you need to cut that spoiled waif off and let her stand on her own two pampered feet—"

--- "You know what I mean. You weren't the kindest person to her, and God knows Stavros—"

Helena jumped up from her seat and nearly onto the desk to reach her husband. Her heart hurt everyday that her son was rotting underground. She grabbed the letter opener from its holder and held it toward his neck precisely where the carotid artery was situated.

--- "Don't you ever speak poorly about my son! He was the sweetest child you ever would know. He knew what it meant to be loyal to one's family and would never lay a hand on someone who didn't deserve it. He was protective of those he loved!"

Her hand shook as she held the letter opener against Mikkos' flesh. As she held him, inches from her own face, with more strength than he had ever imagined she had, he stared at his wife with bewildered eyes wondering whether or not she knew about what and whom she was talking. Then again, she had always appeared to be quite blinded to the evilness that filled the boy.

Regardless of anything that he had done, be it broken arms, legs, ribs, or the less serious, yet most frequent, black eyes, Stavros was always the innocent victim in her eyes. He could do no wrong.

--- "Helena, I assure you that I was not attempting to speak ill of our dear son; I loved him."

She shook her head.

--- "Mikkos Cassadine loves no one but himself and his money."

It was true that he was not the most loving or emotive person, but he certainly treasured his family. He may not have approved of their acts, but everything that he had ever done in his life was for their well-being; he did what he thought was right.

--- "That's not true, Helena. I love you and our children—"

She dug the knife into his neck piercing his skin causing him to scream in pain.

--- "And that tramp?"

He closed his eyes at the insult against Alexis. The girl was an innocent, and yet she took her pent up frustrations with him, on her; it was not fair.

--- "You ask me about Alexis, yet you treat Stefan like some leper in the street. I should be asking you if you love him."

Helena dug the knife in further calculating the centimeters remaining before she hit the artery; he winced in pain.

--- "We're not talking about that bastard. I asked you about that good-for-nothing bottom feeder. Do you love her, Mikkos?"

He answered her… honestly.

--- "I do love her. I have to—"

He wanted to finish his thought, but Helena released him from her grasp and she stabbed the bloodied tip of the letter opener into his desk planner. She stormed out of the room without a glance backwards knowing that her husband was not gravely injured by her actions.

[b][i]Present Day[/b][/i]

Sam breathed in deeply as she attempted to control the wave of sobs that threatened to come to the surface. Since the accident, despite her lack of desire to speak with anyone, she had, at least once a day, a breakdown in Alexis' arms. She did not want to feel so vulnerable to the woman so that she would not become accustomed to her comfort, but she could not help herself; the uncertainty life threw her way seemed more painful to her than everything she had endured in her short life and that scared her.

She tried to move from Alexis' lap, but since her leg was casted up above her knee, it proved difficult. Not wanting to ask for help, she covered her face with a portion of Alexis' oversized t-shirt and cried.

Alexis held her daughter tightly as she rocked her gently.

--- "It's okay, sweetheart, it's okay. You might not believe me, but I will keep telling you this until you do: Mommy loves you more than you will ever know. You are my heart; if I ever lost you again, I couldn't live. That's how much I love you. There is no one more important to me than you. No one. So even though you're not ready to talk to me, I will never give up on you. I'm going to wait for you."

As the two sat in silence for some time, Sam not willing to say anything, while Alexis was finally at a loss for words, the doorbell rang. Alexis was unwilling to move from her spot, but she knew that Stefan was more than likely at the door. She gave Sam a kiss on the top of the head.

--- "Chipmunk, Mommy has to go answer the door."

Without having to say anything further, Sam released her and allowed Alexis to fix her in the bed. Alexis placed the teddy bear into her daughter's arms.

--- "Danny will keep you company, Sammy."

Sam gave her bear a squeeze as she averted her eyes away from her mother. She wanted to smile or thank her, as the bear was one of the most precious gifts she had ever received, but the words would not come out of her mouth. She simply gave the bear another squeeze and closed her eyes. Alexis took this as her daughter's sign of gratitude.

She smiled and gave her uncasted little foot a squeeze.

--- "You're welcome, my love."

Seeing that her shirt was wet from her daughter's tears, Alexis quickly went into her closet, grabbed and changed into a new t-shirt before going to answer the door.

As she had predicted, it was Stefan who had brought Nikolas along with him.

--- "Hi Cousin."

He saw the tears forming in her eyes as he stepped into the house. He gave her a kiss on either cheek before handing her his handkerchief while he placed the food he had brought with him onto the kitchen counter.

--- "Alexis, you don't have to be so emotional every time I come by for a visit."

Nikolas smiled at his father's humor. Despite the obvious stress his father and cousin appeared to have been under, he enjoyed living in the states and the prospect of seeing Alexis more often. He missed her terribly whenever he was home in Greece; he knew his father did as well.

--- "Hello Cousin Alexis."

She wiped the tears from her rolling eyes before giving the handsome child a kiss on either cheek.

--- "I've missed you, little man. How have you been?"

While she had spoken to the boy over the phone every night before he went to bed, she had not actually seen him since the night Evelyn and Cody broke into her apartment. Stefan did not want to bring him by to see Sam as the child was not only sleeping for most of the day, but he did not want his son to see her with the cuts and bruises all over her face from the accident.

--- "I've been well, thank you. May I see Samantha? I have a present for her."

He held up a gift bag so that Alexis could see that he had been courteous.

She smiled as she took his hand into hers.

--- "Of course you may! I'm sure she'll love it."

Stefan cleared his throat.

--- "Excuse me, but am I allowed to see the little beauty as well? Or because I have not brought anything for her as my well-mannered son has clearly pointed out, I'm not worthy?"

Alexis looked at Nikolas.

--- "What do you think, Nik? Can Father come see Samantha?"

The little boy rubbed his chin as though he were thinking.

--- "I suppose it would be alright."

Stefan balled his fist and gave his son a playful punch in the chin.

--- "You suppose?! Perhaps I should tell Cousin Alexis who exactly purchased the gift—"

Nikolas smiled at his father before turning his attention back to Alexis.

--- "Cousin, Father purchased the gift for Samantha because I am only five and I haven't a job."

Alexis feigned disappointment.

--- "He did?!"

He nodded his little head, but put his hand up to indicate that he had not yet finished his point.

--- "However, it was my thought that went into choosing the present. Father did not have an opinion on the manner. I believe that's more important, no? It is the thought that matters."

Alexis laughed as she gave her young cousin a kiss on the top of the head before punching Stefan in the arm.

--- "It certainly does, Nik."

They walked into her bedroom to find Sam still clutching the bear and looking at nothing in particular. Alexis stood at the foot of the bed to allow Stefan and Nikolas to approach her daughter.

--- "Sammy, look who've come to visit you."

Sam acknowledged Stefan's presence by giving the bear a hug. She had grown accustomed to seeing him as he stopped by everyday, but Nikolas was an almost welcomed change; she gave him a small smile.

Stefan gave her a kiss on the forehead.

--- "And how are the raven's wings mending? Is your mother taking care of you? She has not tried to feed you something that she has cooked herself, has she?"

The last statement earned him the tiniest smile. He was always good at easing her heart. He caressed her cheek.

--- "Ah, look at that. Soon enough, you'll be chirping and singing in a tree. Well, I'm sure you and Nikolas don't want your mother and me in here, so we will leave you to catch up and get reacquainted with one another."

After helping her into a sitting position, he moved aside to allow Nikolas to greet the girl.

--- "Be careful with her, son. If she appears to be getting tired, please come back out and allow her to rest."

He boy nodded his head.

--- "Yes father."

Stefan took Alexis by the arm and led her out to the living room so that they could talk.

Two Weeks Prior

Stefan walked into Cody's hospital room to find the man lying in evident pain. He smiled as he noticed the handcuffs around his wrists.

--- "My, my, sir, it appears that you've gotten yourself into quite a predicament."

Cody groaned at the sight of Stefan in his room. He was already waiting for the drugs to kick in, so dealing with such a pompous and arrogant jackass as he found Stefan to be, was not on his list of a pick-me-up.

--- "What the hell do you want?"

--- "I thought you might like to know that I'm all fixed up after my little… fall."

Stefan took a piece of gauze from the box on the table. He rolled a stool over to the side of Cody's bed and sat down. He pressed the gauze to the back of his recently stitched head and showed the man the drop of blood that he wiped from his hair.

--- "You see, sir… [ahem] do you mind if I call you Cody? I suppose we know each other well enough at this point that we should be on a first name basis. If you're comfortable, you may in fact call me Stefan."

Cody incredulously looked at the man who sat beside him with his legs crossed.

--- "Whatever."

Stefan nodded his head.

--- "Wonderful! We're starting this conversation on a great foot… oh, no offense, Cody! I see you're in some pain there. How's that going for you? Have the doctors neglected to help you out on the medication? I'm so sorry."

The drunkard scowled as he noted the sarcasm in the other man's voice.

--- "Again, what the hell do you want… Stefan?"

He stressed the man's name as a sign of feigned compliance and cooperation.

Stefan, being disgusted with the sight of the man, however could no longer tolerate being in the room with him longer than necessary. He feared of what he would do to Cody with his leg severely broken and in a tight case with so many sharp medical instruments at his disposal. He imagined breaking his right leg to match his left, and perhaps both of his arms so as to make the man be in far more pain than that beautiful child on the pediatric floor. With such thoughts running through his head, he knew he needed to make this visit quick and to the extent he could muster, painless.

--- "Alright, let's cut to the chase here. I want to know who the hell you are, how you got a hold of Samantha, and what I can do to ensure that neither you nor that wretched wife of yours ever come near her again."

Cody began to fidget in the bed.

--- "How else do couples who want a kid get a kid when they can't have one? They adopt! And that's what we did—"

Stefan balled his fists as he placed the on his knees; he concentrated on keeping them there.

--- "You and I both know that no adoption agency in their right minds would EVER give the likes of you a child. You and your wife are by far the most reprehensible people I have ever met, and despite the situations in which that child was given up… no, TAKEN from her mother six years ago, I have to believe that you were not the logical or presumptive choice for raising Samantha."

--- "Believe what you want, guy! Like I told the princess—"

Stefan was furious of the way Cody though he could speak of his beloved cousin. It disgusted him how a person so useless to society could judge someone such as Alexis without realizing the torment and pain she suffered throughout her life. He could not contain the anger he felt welling in his heart at the grief he caused not only Alexis, but her child; they did not deserve it… they did not deserve any of it.

He grabbed the man by his hospital gown bringing him within an inch of his face.

--- "Her name is Alexis you insolent waste of your father's tainted sperm. I want to know how the hell you got your hands on my cousin, and why you thought it alright to abuse her—"

Cody was terrified; never before had he seen such wrath in the eyes of another person. Her was certain that he was looking into the eyes of death.

--- "I'm telling you, Stefan, I NEVER laid a hand on her!"

Stefan angrily shook his head.

--- "I assure you, sir, that I suffer no fool. You may think that you never touched her, but seeing at that evil wench of a wife of yours had the nerve and audacity to lay her disgusting hands on that innocent child and you did NOTHING to stop her, you're just as guilty as she! What kind of man ARE you?!"

There was no point in continuing his interrogation of the man; he would not help him. Stefan knew that if he wanted any information, he would have to attain it himself.

He forcefully pushed the man onto the bed, causing him to hit his elbow hard against the railing; he screamed out in pain convinced that he suffered a fractured, if not another broken bone.

--- "You son of a bitch!"

Stefan laughed as he fixed his suit.

--- "You have NO idea."

He reached for the call button and pressed it before leaving for the hotel; he figured Cody might need a doctor.

***************

The Next Day

***************

Stefan walked into Sam's hospital room to find her awake and in her mother's arms. He smiled at her while putting his finger to his lips so that she would not wake Alexis.

--- "And how are you, my dear."

She hid her face in the blankets that surrounded her. He was saddened to realize that she had regressed to not speaking; he hoped that she would once again take solace in her mother.

--- "Aww, why would you want to hide that pretty face of yours? You're far to gorgeous to hide under these subpar hospital linens; they aren't of your caliber, little raven."

He moved the sheet from her face causing her to smile slightly. He was thrilled to be getting through to her.

--- "Ah, there's that beautiful smile I like to see."

He stared at her for a moment amazed at how much she looked like her mother, but there was this mysteriousness to her young beauty. He knew once she became older, she would be a knock-out, and a bit of a problem for her mother in that respect. Nevertheless, he adored the little girl.

--- "Are you really not going to speak to Cousin Stefan? Even after he brought you your new pajamas and…"

He pulled the bear he had found in his cousin's bedroom from the bag that carried a change of clothing, toiletries, and pajamas for Sam and Alexis. He handed her the bear and watched as she snuggled with it and her mother.

--- "So, that WAS your bear? I was convinced that your Mommy had not yet grown out of such things; between you and me, Raven, Mommy had this little mouse—"

Alexis had given up on any notion of sleep from the moment her daughter was taken from her for the second time. She took short fifteen-minute naps every hour, terrified that if she were to allow sleep to take over, she might awake to find her daughter gone. She held the child close and listened to her soft breathing, passing her hand along her chipmunk-like cheeks assuring her that she was still beside her and would not leave her again. Several times during the night she awoke with nightmares and murmured a call for her Mommy; Alexis whispered soothing words into her little ear, at which point Sam immediately calmed. She could not rest until she was assured that her daughter would always remain beside her. Therefore…

--- "I never owned a stuffed animal, Stefan, let alone a little mouse."

He smiled at her. He knew his cousin well enough to know that she had not been asleep; she was too protective of her child to have suddenly, after years of being a light sleeper, become a sound one.

--- "Yes! I suppose you're right, Alexis; it is this little lovely who owns one. Please excuse my confusion!"

He took the mouse Nikolas had purchased for Sam from the bag and placed it on the bedside table. She rolled her eyes at the man before turning her attention to her daughter who had not yet said a word. She gave her a kiss on the forehead.

--- "Good morning, chipmunk."

Sam, not having any space on the bed to hide, resigned herself to turn her face into the woman. Alexis' heart broke as she looked up at Stefan; she spoke to him in French.

--- "I was hoping that she wasn't speaking to just you."

He pulled a chair up to the bedside and sat down.

--- "Give her some time, she'll come around. Look how quickly she adapted to you the other day."

She wanted to believe what he was saying, but she knew that he was wrong; this was not like the day Sam was dropped into her lap. They had a clean slate then. Now, she had to find a way to clean the blood stains that covered the slate that had been given to them. This was not the same at all.

She gave Sam another kiss on the top of the head.

--- "I'm going to go brush my teeth and take a shower, baby. Can you stay with Cousin Stefan?"

Sam squeezed her bear tightly and allowed Alexis to easily move from the bed. It was clear that she was no longer concerned with whether or not she stuck to the woman like glue; it did not seem to matter anymore.

Alexis felt the change.

Present Day

Nikolas stared at his new cousin for a moment before realizing that it was rude to stare. Instead, he showed her the bag in his hand.

--- "I've brought you another present, Samantha. Would you like to see it?"

Sam looked at him then down at the bag before slightly nodding her head. He grinned widely as he realized that despite his father's cautionary words that she may not respond to him, he had made a slight chip in Sam's solid wall of silence.

--- "Good!"

He handed her the bag and watched as she slowly attempted to extract the gift. The task proved quite difficult as both her arms with casted (her right up passed her elbow, while the left was just below). Nikolas climbed onto the bed, and crawled so that he was sitting beside her.

--- "May I help you?"

With a tear rolling down her cheek she nodded her head. He took the bag from her hand and removed the gift and showed it to her; it was a teddy bear dressed in a hospital gown and a broken leg.

--- "I know that it isn't just like you, but Father said that not too many people have a broken leg and two arms at the same time."

Sam sighed as she held the bear on her lap.

Nikolas, not knowing what to do, continued to talk.

--- "I've never had a broken bone before; I suppose when you begin to talk again, you'll tell me what it's like? I do, however, think that it's very nice that you were able to choose a color for it. I suppose it isn't too prudent to give a child a white one, as it'll get dirty rather quickly. I think the purple is nice on you? Did you choose it?"

Sam shook her head slightly. She liked that she was not being willed to speak, or was being told that everything would be fine. She appreciated the fact that her cousin was just speaking to her.

Nikolas once again smiled. He took his shoes off in order to make himself more comfortable on the bed.

--- "I think I would get either a blue or green cast if I ever had a broken bone. I think it is somewhat cool to have a cast. Does it hurt?"

Sam once again nodded her head. Nikolas rethought his last statement.

--- "Well, I guess I could get father to buy me a pretend cast? Does that sound silly to you? I don't think a young man should have such things; I will have to ask father. I know that if I were to ask Cousin Alexis, she would tell me that it was fine, but she isn't a man, she would not know the appropriate… um, I forget the word that father uses. He says that Cousin knows only how to be a girl, woman, and lawyer. But she's not yet an attorney, so I suppose she can pretend?"

Nikolas took the bear from Sam's lap and looked it over for some time.

--- "He has crutches. I guess if your arms were not broken, you would have them, but you can't hold onto them right now. Father says that you'll have two of the casts removed shortly, are you excited?"

She shrugged her shoulders. She could not say that she was excited about anything these days. Everything was uncertain in her life. People kept telling her that everything would be fine, that she would always have a family, that she was loved, that she had nothing to worry about, but she knew that no one knew.

On most nights Sam awoke to Alexis' increased heartbeat and quickly paced breathing as she cried when she thought the child was asleep. Sam heard her mother sobbing in the shower, in the living room and the kitchen, anywhere out of her view; she knew that despite the amount of times she attempted to reassure her of her safety, Alexis had no reason to believe anything she told her was true.

Sam turned to her cousin and laid her head onto his shoulder.

--- "I'm scared."

Several Days Prior

Having interned at the District Attorney's office, Alexis was familiar with many of the detectives, sergeants, and the Commissioner of New Haven. As a result, she was able to have several favors given so that she could pay a very special visit to the woman who had set all this hell into motion.

--- "Hello, Evelyn."

The woman sat on the bottom bunk of the prison bed. She appeared to have been staring into space, but was quickly ripped from her thoughts at the young woman's arrival. She did not bother to respond, which caused Alexis to laugh to herself.

--- "Ironic that that's your response; Sam isn't talking either. But you know what? The difference is that she isn't talking because she is so traumatized over everything that has happened in the past day, while you're not saying a word because you're just a pathetic piece of sh!t who feels sorry for yourself."

Evelyn sighed as she listened to Alexis speak. She wished that she would go back to her comfortable life and leave her alone; she had quite a bit more things to be concerned about than a child she never wanted.

--- "I don't know why you're here, kid. You've got the brat; you can keep her. I've got my own problems: I'm stuck here because my bitch sister refused to come to town and post bail so I'm stuck here until trial…"

Having run x-rays and a physical examination on Sam, the doctors discovered that she had had a series of fractured bones that had gone untreated, bruises unassociated with the accident, malnourishment; each of these a clear indication of ongoing child abuse. As a result, while she was not the driver that night, she was taken into custody by the New Haven police department for her acts against Sam, and transferred to the New Jersey prison where she had been imprisoned for the passed two weeks.

--- "…my kid is stuck in some foster home, and Cody is going to jail for about ten to fifteen years because of that kid—"

Alexis gripped the prison bars. It astounded her how these people appeared unable to take responsibility for their reckless actions. The reason Cody was in prison for so long, was because he decided to not only drive under the influence of alcohol, but he left his jurisdiction while criminal charges were pending against him in New Jersey.

--- "Are you kidding me?! How the hell is any of this Sam's fault? You two idiots thought it smart to take her from a loving home… now, let me start from the beginning; you two assholes decided to adopt her—"

Evelyn went to object, but she kept quiet. Alexis noticed this.

--- "What were you about to say?"

The imprisoned woman rolled her eyes.

--- "Why don't you go home and take care of the kid? I hear she's got a few broken bones. Why are you here bothering me?"

Knowing that it was because of several huge favors that she was able to see the woman, Alexis kept her temper at bay. Instead, she pulled out a picture from her bag and threw it into the cell.

--- "You're right, I do have to get home to take care of her, something that you clearly have not done in all her life. But, I do want you to look at this picture of what you did to her… what you and your husband did to her."

Alexis had taken a picture of her daughter while in the hospital with tears rolling down her cheeks as she attempted to sleep through her pain and discomfort.

--- "She hasn't spoken a word since that night."

Evelyn picked up the picture and tore it in half before crumpling it into a ball and throwing it at Alexis.

--- "Consider yourself lucky, kid, that brat doesn't know how to do anything but whine. Now get the f*ck out of here."

Alexis bent down and picked up the two pieces of the picture. She opened them to look at her child holding on to the teddy bear she had named Danny after the brother she loved dearly.

--- "You know, I love my daughter more than my own life. When I see her lying in bed broken, unable to move comfortably, or to play and color, or have the DESIRE to do any of those things, I feel as though someone has stabbed me in the gut, right where I felt her kick for the first time. Do you know how that feels? I mean, I know that you aren't a person who seems to give a damn about your children, but you have to feel something when you see that they're in pain, otherwise you're just not human—"

Evelyn crossed her arms across her chest as she looked defiantly at the woman.

--- "I guess you're right… I'm not human after all."

Alexis shook her head. She walked up to the prison bars and smiled sadly.

--- "Well, a mother would feel that way for a child regardless of whether or not she gave birth to him. I think about Danny and I feel as though I've been punched in the stomach because I realize that my baby is home with me, and in my arms every night, but he doesn't have that. That poor boy is—"

For the first time, Evelyn approached Alexis.

--- "Don't talk about my kid, you hear me, you little bitch! He may be retarded, but he's not some poor boy. Just because Danny isn't the brightest bulb in the packet, you got no right to pity him. He'll be fine. Yea, good for Samantha snuggling in your bosom day and night, but lemme tell you something, kid, life isn't like that. She's not going to have you to run to every time she gets a 'booboo' or whatever, she needs to learn to fend for herself. Danny is in a better position than your spoiled brat. I survived the household I grew up in, he'll survive wherever he is until I get him back."

Alexis had no other words she could tell the woman. She would have liked to tell her that her son was placed in a specialized school meant to meet his needs, but she saw no point; Evelyn was a lost cause. She needed to leave; Sam was home waiting for her.

Present Day

Knowing that he would never drink a cup of her coffee, Alexis put the teakettle on to boil before having a seat beside him on the living room couch. He took her hand into his.

--- "So, without lying to me and telling me that you're fine, how are you really?"

She attempted to get up and move back to the kitchen area, but he pulled her back down.

--- "Alexis, for the past two weeks you have done nothing but avoid this question. I know you're not fine—"

She pulled her arm from his grasp and glared at him; she hated the way he was always able to read her. When she wanted to swallow her emotions and smile for the world, he was always there to have her regurgitate everything that she was feeling. There were a few times when she had been able to keep him in the dark of what was going on in her brain, but they were few and far between.

--- "Well, if you KNOW I'm not fine, STEFAN, why ask me?! What exactly would you like me to tell you? That my daughter won't talk to me? That she won't talk to anyone at all, and it's because I lied to her and told her that I would always protect her—"

--- "You couldn't do anything to stop Evelyn and Cody from taking her Lex. My goodness, they smacked us BOTH in the backs of the head with something and took her."

She shook her head. There was nothing that could be said to excuse her responsibility for what happened.

--- "No. Had I stood up to Mikkos, and Helena, and… and… told them them… told them that I didn't care what they had to say, that I would raise my baby with or without their help, and that I would love her the way she was supposed to have been loved, none of this would've happened. If I weren't so concerned with how keeping her might have affected me, or you, my daughter would not be on the path, at six years old, to having a complete emotional breakdown. I set this all into motion."

Stefan wanted to defend her against herself, but he knew that it would be a lost cause. In her heart of hearts, she knew, as well as he, that this was not her fault, and that there was nothing that she could have done to change the path that led Samantha to the position in which she was. He looked at Alexis with bags and dark circles under her eyes, clearly not sleeping as she worried about what would happen to her daughter; his heart broke into a million pieces. He wanted nothing more than to mend this hurt that filled her.

--- "You know what, there is nothing that we can do about the past; what's done is done. Now, we have to look toward the future. What are you going to do to ensure that Samantha remains safe? What are you going to do to get her to emerge from her shell? Because I've got to tell you, Alexis, you look like crap."

She covered her face knowing that what he said was true; she had not had a decent night's rests since the first night her daughter was in her arms. Since that time, she has spent the time almost keeping watch at the door, and holding her traumatized baby. While Sam refused… or was unable… to speak to her since the incident, the child still slept with her arms around Alexis, and her little head resting on her chest listening to the calming sounds of the woman's heartbeat. It was as though hearing the sounds ensured to the child that Alexis was real, and that she was alive, and still with her.

--- "Thank you, Stefan. It is very nice of you to point that out to me. I certainly appreciate your candor."

She moved to tend to the whistling teapot as he stood up and followed her.

--- "I'm not saying anything to you to be mean, Lex, but you need to take care of yourself. I'm quite certain Sam can tell that you aren't exactly yourself. And now that you've—"

She filled the cups without looking up at him; she knew that he was not pleased with what she had done.

--- "Don't lecture me again, Stefan. I know that you're not happy, and that's fine, but you know what? This isn't about whether or not you're happy. This is about Sam, and what she needs."

She slid the mug toward him and walked back to the couch, where she sat.

--- "I don't want to talk about this again, Stefan."

He followed her to the couch.

--- "Fine, you don't want to talk about it, but I don't think you have much of a choice in the matter, Alexis; you're going to have to address this."

She gave him a puzzled look.

--- "What?"

Her phone began to ring. Stefan reached behind him and answered it for her.

--- "Hello? … Yes… One moment."

He held the phone out to her.

--- "It's time."

A Day Earlier

Stefan and Nikolas walked into their hotel suite after having dinner at a local restaurant. The child was exhausted as they had spent time visiting the museums in the area, as well as searching for an apartment appropriate for them.

--- "Alright, Nikolas, please have Aristea give you a bath and have you get ready for bed. I will be in shortly to read you the next chapter of The Iliad."

--- "Yes Father."

Nikolas walked out of the room toward his nanny's bedroom.

As Stefan was pouring himself a drink, his phone began to ring. He looked at the display and rolled his eyes.

--- "Hello Father."

Mikkos cleared his throat on the other line. Outside of business, he only called Stefan when he needed to find out what was going on with Alexis; the last time such a call was made, the girl was several months pregnant, and the school contacted Mikkos with questions to the matter.

--- "Stefan, I must say that I do not appreciate finding out that you have been out of town for nearly two weeks from the driver who took you to the airport."

Stefan took a sip from his drink.

--- "I'm surprised you noticed so quickly, Father."

Mikkos heard the note of sarcasm in his son's voice, but dismissed it; he had no patience for the man's inferiority complexes. He was not one of those fathers who returned home from a day of work in search of his sons to play catch outside on the front yard. Mikkos Cassadine was a tough man who worked hard all day so that his wife and children could live comfortably with maids, butlers, and nannies. His love for his family was shown in what he could provide them.

--- "I am not in the mood to deal with your nonsense Stefan. Where are you?"

Stefan knew his father suspected that he was in New Haven with Alexis. His heart began to beat quickly as the man must have realized that Alexis had regained custody of her daughter. He was not ready for the conversation that would ensue from such a sudden change in the girl's life.

--- "I am exactly where you have already assumed and know that I am."

Mikkos' suspicions were confirmed.

--- "Good, now, you may tell me what your cousin has gotten herself into with—"

Stefan was interrupted his father.

--- "With all due respect Father, but I must interrupt you to inform you as to something you have clearly been unable to tell: I am not Alexis."

--- "I know that you are not Alexis, Stefan—"

He interrupted the man once again.

--- "No, I do not believe you do know this. I am no longer going to be used as some form of carrier pigeon for you to Alexis, nor am I going to tell you her business. If you want to find out what has happened, I think you may want to speak to her yourself. She is a very intelligent girl, Father; you might be able to figure that out if you ever took the time to speak to her. Now, if you'll excuse me, my son is waiting for me to read him a story before bed."

Mikkos was shocked by the way his son had spoken to him. Yes, he had a tendency to pass messages through to Alexis from Stefan, but that was due to a matter of expediency; being that he spoken to his son every so often in regard to his grandson and business, it seemed much quicker to kill two birds with one stone by telling the man anything for which Alexis needed to be aware. It was simply… efficient.

--- "For a man living off my dime—"

Stefan was enraged. Never had he expected anything to be handed to him; he worked hard for the company even if he were to receive only the tiniest bit of recognition from his parents. He was nothing like his good for nothing brother who did nothing but squander everything that was given to him.

--- "You know what, sir, I'm going to end this conversation with you right now before I disrespect you. However, I will say this to you, when you speak to my cousin: please realize your hand has played an integral part in the recent happenings in her life. Good night, Father."

Mikkos slammed the phone shut; he did not appreciate being left out of his family's loop.

Present Day

Alexis took the phone from Stefan's hand and put it to her ear. She did not need him to tell her who was on the other line.

--- "Hello Cousin."

Mikkos took a deep breath before speaking to the girl; this was the first time, in his recollection, that he had ever spoken to her over the phone.

--- "Hello Alexis. Would you care to explain to me who gave you the right to drop out of school in your final year?"

The sound of the man's voice on the other line made her sick to her stomach as she reflected on the years of mistreatment her daughter was made to suffer because of him.

--- "I didn't realize you cared so much."

He was taken aback by her attitude. While he was used to Stefan's sarcasm, Alexis had always been quiet and respectful to him and his authority; perhaps the American life had gotten the best of her manners.

--- "I suggest you remember with whom you are speaking, young lady; I will not hesitate to cut you off financially."

Alexis began to laugh uncontrollably taking Stefan by surprise; he knew there was nothing his father said on the line that would ever cause the girl to laugh, especially at a time such as this.

--- "Let me explain something to you, Cousin, I don't give a sh!t about the money. You've done far worse to me than this threat to cut me off financially; if ONLY that was what you had done to me all those years ago."

Mikkos was at a loss for words; this was not the Alexis that he knew.

--- "What are you talking about?"

She grabbed Stefan's hand and gave it a squeeze before she responded to the man's question.

--- "Did you forget about my little bastard? You know, the one you threw by the wayside six years ago?"

Mikkos stood up in his spot and began to pound on the table. He was not the type of person who lost his temper often (that was Helena's personality), instead, he usually remained quite calm and cold all at once. Alexis' behavior, however, managed to take him to a level of anger he had not expressed since the night his eldest son died.

--- "You were a CHILD, Alexis! You had NO reason to raise that baby!"

Alexis' anger began to mount.

--- "I had no REASON? The reason was that she was an innocent child, and I was her MOTHER! THAT'S more reason than ever to have allowed me to keep my baby."

--- "I gave your daughter to a family that could give her what she deserved."

She could not believe that he had the audacity to say those words to her again; he was either delusional, or more evil than his wife.

--- "Yes, and we know what you believed she deserved: beatings, bruises, and malnourishment. You threw my child to a pack of wolves!"

It was as though someone had thrown water over the raging fires that filled within Mikkos; he immediately calmed.

--- "You've seen her?"

Alexis could not believe what she had just been asked. She turned to look at Stefan whose mouth hung open from the level of disrespect he had witnessed from his exceptionally well-mannered cousin.

--- "That's your response to me, Mikkos?"

Stefan just about fainted at hearing Alexis refer to the head of their family by his first name.

She released his hand and walked about the room as she continued to speak as though she were in some form of trance unconcerned with the paled look on her cousin's face.

--- "My kid has spent the past six years of her life practically tortured and living in absolute squalor because of you, but all you ask me is if I've seen her? That is amazing, even for you."

This was not right; he needed her to understand.

--- "Alexandra—"

Hearing the name associated with the most difficult part of her life by this man who caused history to repeat itself was like a stab in the heart.

--- 'Don't you DARE call me that! You killed her! You killed Alexandra when you ripped my daughter from my arms! You have NO RIGHT!"

She felt a sob attempt to escape from her throat, and her legs collapse underneath her, but Stefan was by her side in a flash to catch her. He took the phone from her hands.

--- "Father, I think you need to call back later."

Without waiting for a response, Stefan hung up the phone, thereby displaying his own level of disrespect for the man who caused his cousin such pain. He held onto her as she sobbed the deeply rooted tears she had stored for the day she released the anger that filled her against Mikkos for everything he had done and everything he could have prevented.

--- "I've got you, Lex. It's okay, I've got you."

I hope you enjoyed this chapter... See you in 1.5-2wks for the next update. Until then, considering the amount of you all who read this, I would love to hear from more of you. It doesn't take much to take a minute to share your thoughts; you will never know how inspiring and motivating such a gesture actually is to a writer (anyone, not just me) who's taken the time out of their schedules to write updates for your pleasure. It's give and take.

;o)