UNEDITED as I'm lazy… I know I'm on vaca, but if you want many updates you'll have to stick with first draft work! LOL! While I'm lying in bed… eventually… I'll reread it. Until then, I'm going to apologize in advance for any errors (my brain has been on my shelf for the week so take that into consideration; I'm still recuperating).
Chapter Fifteen
Their Father's Children
Helena stood silent at the graves of her beloved children, wishing that instead of them rotting in the ground, it would have instead been Alexis and the wretched Stefan. If those two, more Stefan than that whore, had never existed and God had instead allowed her Sofie to live, everything would have been different; it would have been better. Unfortunately, that was not the case and this was the life she was meant to live.
She heard his footsteps approaching from behind her; she did not welcome the intrusion.
- "What do you want Mikkos?"
His eyes moved from her onto their daughter's grave then onto their son's. He hated to have an argument in front of his little girl, but certainly a child born still was long ago at peace. Stavros, on the other hand, was not in his life ever one to strive for such solitude; there was no point in attempting to give it to him in death.
- "Why would you do such a thing to Stefan? Why would you try to kill him over something I'm sure you're fully aware had occurred. You and I both know that you have always known what Stavros did to that girl."
She, never turning to face the man, hugged her arms to herself to fight the chilly evening air. She continued to stare at her children's graves.
- "Did you come down here to argue with me about that bastard, Mikkos? If that was the purpose of your trip, you certainly wasted your time. I do not regret what I have done to protect Stavros, I do not regret nearly killing Stefan, but I do regret not doing so when I had the chance."
Mikkos put the coat he carried out with him over his wife's shoulders.
- "Stefan is not the guilty one here, Helena."
For the first time she turned around; there was anger in her eyes.
- "You're right. The guilty party is YOU. You brought that girl into this house, you brought Stefan home from the hospital, you… You… YOU, Mikkos! Stavros did nothing to that girl. She is a bottom-feeding whore; the apple did not fall far from that tree. The fact that you would believe someone such as her and allow something such as Stefan to taint the love you should have for our son in proof of your allegiances."
He took a deep breath as he looked at her wondering if her denial was one of actual belief or repetitive false thoughts or hopes of reality. Their son was capable of all that he had been accused throughout his life. He was an untamed, brutish, child who became a feral man. He treated everyone, aside from his mother, as he though they were lower than the dirt underneath his shoe. He drank to the point of intoxication, gambled until there was no money left in his pocket, and cursed as though it were a natural part of his language. Stavros Cassadine was an animal of which the world, Mikkos was sorry to say, was lucky to be free.
- "Helena—"
She saw the hatred in her husband's eyes as he looked at her son's final resting place. She did not need him poisoning the atmosphere with such contempt.
- "I will say this again, Mikkos. If you are here to taint my son's memory and turn him into something he was not, I assure you your time would be better spent elsewhere. Now, if you don't mind, I would like a moment alone with my children."
There was no convincing the woman. Mikkos knew the truth. If his wife wanted to continue to live in her land of denial, he would not stop her, but he would certainly be damned if he allowed Stavros to further damage Alexis' life.
She was in her hospital room with her head bandaged. She clutched the teddy some kind nurse had purchased for her upon hearing of the deaths of both of her parents; the woman felt sorry for the confused child.
- "I want to go home."
- "And you will, Alexandra—"
She shook her head as she whispered to the kind nurse.
- "But I don't know him."
The woman sat on the bed beside her. She passed her hand along the child's cheek careful not to touch the butterfly stitched cut on her high cheekbone. She was a beautiful little girl with deep dimples and big brown eyes. The nurse could see the sense of loss within her; if she could have, she would have taken the girl herself.
- "Alexandra, this is your uncle. I know that this must be difficult for you to understand and accept, but he was right when he told you that your Mommy and Daddy were gone—"
Tears continued to stream down the girl's cheeks as she stared at the man who returned her stare from the corner of the room.
- "I don't remember them."
The nurse nodded her head.
- "That's because you've hit your head rather hard, darling."
Being four years old, she was quite intuitive; she could sense that while he was not a horrible man, he certainly did not want much to do with her. If this were true, why was he there?
- "Can't I stay here?"
Mikkos was losing patience. He needed to take her to the cemetery to say he final goodbyes to her parents before it closed; he vowed never to return to London.
- "Alexandra, the nurse has other patients she must attend to. I am your uncle and before they died, your parents left you to my supervision. I will take you to see them, but you must allow the nurse to dress you."
Seeing the glimmer in the child's eyes at the thought of seeing her parents, the nurse stared at him disapprovingly. She could not believe that he would bring the child's hopes up only to dash them when she would come to realize that she would never see her parents again; it was cruel, but what else could she do but get the child dressed.
- "Alright Alexandra, will you allow me to help you put this dress on so that you may leave with your uncle?"
What choice did she have but to nod and allow this woman to help get ready so that she could start her new life apart from the parents she could not remember and with her uncle she did not know.
She was still asleep, but she felt her daughter sound asleep on top of her. She unconsciously held the girl so that she would not fall off of her. She mumbled in her sleep.
- "My uncle—"
Even in her sleep it did not seem right.
- "Mikkos is my uncle?"
She felt a hand on her shoulder, but she kept her eyes closed hoping the dream might return to her so that more answers could be had.
- "Alexis."
Mikkos was her uncle; that did not make any sense. He was her cousin… her distant cousin. He had to be. Why would he lie to her? Why would he lead her to believe all of her life that she was some charity case? Why would he do that to her?
- "Alexis?"
Finally, hearing the voice of the one person who might not think her crazy, she opened her eyes. There he was worriedly gazing down at her.
- "Stefan."
He leaned down so that he could give her a kiss on the forehead.
- "Good morning, darling. I see the little raven has made you her nest?"
- "Doesn't she always?
Alexis carefully sat up on the couch while continuing to hold Sam in her arms; she would always be grateful that her six year old were the size of a just-turned four year old.
- "Let me put her down in the room with your son."
- "Why didn't you put her there in the first place?"
She rolled her tired eyes at him and responded in French.
- "Do you think it was my first choice to sleep on the couch with this little one on top of me? She didn't want to share a bed with him, Stefan, and she had had a bad dream; those happen a lot."
- "Well then, why didn't you put Nikolas on the couch and you remained in your bed with Samantha?"
She laughed at the suggestion from her proper cousin.
- "Are you kidding me? As much as I would have LOVED to do just that, I thought better of the idea for two reasons: one, you would've walked in here this morning and told me that no person should sleep on a couch, let alone your child, who by the way HATES the park. Second, being that your son is just like you, I figured I'd save myself the energy of arguing with him about sleeping on the couch and just sleep on it myself."
Stefan could not argue about either point; it was true, no person in their right mind should ever sleep on something they spend time sitting on in clothing they had worn in the streets. It was a disgusting and common habit he was certain his cousin had picked up even before Samantha returned to her. Nevertheless, he knew he would not break the woman of her laid-back demeanor; he liked this side of her.
- "You need a new sofa, I'll place an order for you—"
- "No, I need a new apartment. I can't stay here anymore, and Sam's sill having a hard time being left alone for too long. Goodness, do you see her right now? This is my kid right now, Stefan. She thinks if I'm out of her sight for longer than ten minutes, those idiotsgot a hold of me, killed me, and will take her back. I'm lucky if I get a few minutes of privacy to take a shower each day because she's not only scared of them, but she's comes in to check on me to make sure I haven't offed myself seeing as she's well aware that I'm crazy."
Stefan smiled at his cousin before passing his hand along the sleeping child's back.
- "She doesn't think you're crazy, Alexis."
Alexis scoffed as she gave her daughter a kiss on the side of the head. She could hold the girl in her arms forever.
- "I'll take your word for it, Stefan, but in the time that I've had her with me, I've come to know my child; she thinks I'm nuts and she's waiting for the other shoe to drop before she's returned to those assholes. I'll be back in a minute."
He watched her leave the room. He could see that she had not slept much that night; it seemed to be even few hours (or minutes) than she had any other night. He wondered whether he should, discuss the contents of the envelope with her; perhaps it would have been prudent to wait until later.
He walked into the kitchen to unpack the two cups of tea and pastries he had purchased on the way to her apartment. It was seven in the morning, an hour earlier than either child typically awoke; despite his apprehensions concerning the envelope, he wanted a chance to privately speak with his cousin.
She walked back into the room and immediately wrapped her arms around him.
- "You have no idea how much I've missed you."
He held her as tightly as she held him.
- "I've been gone a day; you could not have possibly missed me that much, Alexis."
But she had, and she found herself crying as he held her. There was so much swirling through her brain, but she had not a single idea as to how to make sense of any of it. And then there was Stavros haunting her all day and all night, causing her to terrify the only good thing he had ever given her. She needed Stefan. She needed him to reassure her that she was not losing it one piece at a time.
- "You have no idea—"
He held onto her as she continued to sob knowing that she was dealing with the horrific memories of his brother, but unaware of the other memories that had flooded her mind. He comforted a woman who knew nothing of who she was or from where and whom she came. He sensed a heavier pain within her.
- "Enlighten me."
She released him and sat at the island. She took a sip from her cup of tea and a bite from a croissant as she gathered her thoughts. There was so much on her mind, but she was not sure how to broach the subject. It was bad enough that Stavros was haunting her as often as he could, but now these thoughts of parents she never knew, an uncle who was supposed to be her distant cousin, and a traumatized daughter, it seemed to be much for an early morning conversation. She was not sure she wanted to have it, not even with Stefan. Instead, she smiled as she thought about the previous day's events with her two favorite children.
- "You know what? We have more than enough time for all of that. Nik and Sam are quite the pair together—"
Stefan smiled at her.
- "I suppose that explains why you look worse today than you did when I saw you two days ago?"
She shook her head and patted his face.
- "My cousin, again, you NEVER cease to amaze me with your impeccable Cassadine manners; you truly are one of a kind."
He placed his own hand onto her cheek. He gently passed his thumb along the visibly bags underneath her eyes.
- "You aren't sleeping, Alexis—"
She interrupted him as she did not want to hear yet another lecture from the man.
- "Did you not see how I slept last night? I dare you to attempt to get a wink of sleep with a six year old on top of you on a couch, Stefan! I assure you, it's impossible."
- "No, I don't think that's it. Are you seeing him more frequently? Is that why you believe Samantha think you're crazy? Is she aware of—"
Alexis made a face at the man.
- "Are you insane? What kind of mother do you think I am? Why the hell would I ever tell my six year old: 'Baby, you know the reason mommy takes three and four showers a day is because she's seeing the asshole that raped her and produced you because of it.' No, she's not aware that I'm being haunted by that bastard."
She noticed a shift in Stefan's demeanor. She did not like what she saw and the knowledge that came from knowing everything about her cousin.
- "You went after them, didn't you?"
He put his cup back onto the island.
- "Yes, I did."
She shook her head in agitation; he did just as she would have preferred him not to do.
- "Stefan—"
He interrupted him before she could continue.
- "I'm sorry I lied to you, but I knew you would never have allowed me to go if I had told you the truth."
And she would not have. She could not bear the thought of losing him, but that was the reality when confronting a lion about her cub. Alexis was furious with him.
- "How could you do that? You KNOW how much she hates me… how much she hates you… how much she LOVES him, Stefan! Why would you tell her something like that? Do you even realize how STUPID that was? She would not have hesitated to kill you!"
He thought about the letter opener in his mother's hand and how close he had come to losing his life. He could never tell Alexis about the confrontation, but from the looks she gave him, he could tell that she already knew.
- "Alexis—"
He took her hands into his own, but she snatched them back from him. The tears once again welled in her eyes and Stavros made himself comfortable at the opposite end of the island stirring the thick red contents of his own mug. Dressed in a black suit, equally black shirt, and red tie, with his hair cut perfectly with sideburns aligned down his face. He had a goatee that was as impeccably maintained as his hair. He looked as handsome as he had been when he walked the earth. He watched the scene unfold between the beloved cousins, taking a sip from his mug, wiping the thick liquid from his lips thereby leaving stains on his dark fingers. He smiled once he caught her eye.
- "Mother will always protect me, darling."
She backed away from the island and away from him… them… both Stavros and Stefan. She tried not to raise her voice too loudly so as to not wake up the children, but she was filled with so much emotion having the worst thoughts swirl through her head and materialize before her in the form of her worst nightmare.
- "You see! She did… she tried to kill you, Stefan! You went over there on a suicide mission, and for WHAT reason? To rub it in her face that her son was an animal? That he RAPED me? That he BEAT me? That he keeps telling me that my beautiful little girl is a monster whom I shouldn't love because she's his. Was it worth it Stefan? Was it worth having her try to kill you and leave that boy without a mother or a father? Do you even know how horrible that is? What would you have liked for me to tell him, huh? Do you think he would remember you?"
Stefan grabbed a hold of his quickly becoming hysterical cousin. At the mention of parentage, he knew that this was no longer about Nikolas; this was very much about her. He was shocked to hear her mention such a thing as she had never made any indication to him concerning them. Like everything in her life, his father placed it on a high and unreachable shelf. It seemed that the shelf of his beloved cousin's memory was collapsing on top of her and there was nothing he could do to prevent the ensuing damage.
- "Alexis, what do you know about your parents?"
She shook her head as she pressed her face into his chest and sobbed.
- "I don't know anything Stefan! I don't know who I am, who they are… were, who you are, who Mikkos is! I don't know! Everything is whirling in my head and I don't know what to do with it."
Stavros leaned against the back of the sofa smiling at her with his perfectly aligned, yet unusually oddly color-stained teeth. He lifted the mug in her direction.
- "I can tell you who you are."
Stefan, feeling her tremble in fear, rubbed her back as he held her to him. This would have been the best time to speak to her about the file his father had given him for her, but he knew the children would only interrupt them. He decided it would have to wait until that evening when they were put to bed.
- "Shh… we have a lot to discuss, cousin, but it will have to wait until later tonight."
Stavros moved closer to the cousins and ran his free hand through her hair causing her to jump back from Stefan's hold.
- "Please be so kind as to inform him that the evenings belong to you and me, Mommy."
Seeing her increased agitation, Stefan knew that Stavros had appeared once again to her. He reached out to her, but Alexis agitatedly shook her head. He was watching her break further into pieces.
- "Alexis, it's only me."
She backed away from him.
- "No… [ahem] Stefan, I… I, uh, I'm going to go check on the kids, okay? Why don't you—"
Stefan reached for her arm before she entered the room. Stavros stood smiling behind him as he took sips from his mug. Seeing the dead man, Alexis flinched to Stefan's touch; he immediately held his hands up in front of him.
- "Why don't you allow me to take Samantha to breakfast with Nikolas and me? In that was you can have a few minutes of repose to yourself? Take a nap? Take a shower?"
She squeezed her eyes together for a moment in the hopes that Stavros might disappear when she reopened them; she was successful. Being that they stood in front of the bedroom door, she whispered at Stefan, still furious at him for having left her to provoke his mother over something that neither one of them could or would ever change.
- "You don't think I can take care of my daughter?"
He heard the hurt in her voice. He had in no way meant to insinuate such a thing, but it was evident that her lack of sleep was not helping her current predicament. He wanted nothing more than to have her see a psychiatrist for her issues, but she would have no part of it; she was, after all, a Cassadine.
- "No darling; I meant exactly what I stated. You are about to collapse, Alexis. I know you want to be super woman, but it's not possible. You cannot take care of Sam if you're acting this way right now. She needs you… I need you, too… but you aren't you right now."
Her tears flowed freely as she stared at him in disbelief.
- "So you ARE saying that I can't take care of my daughter."
He slowly walked to where she stood and wrapped his arm around her. He removed his handkerchief and wiped away her tears. He spoke to her as gently as he had the day he learned of her pregnancy and she cried in his arms.
- "I'm saying that you need sleep, cousin. You can't survive like this, my love; you can't. You're doing no one any favors by running yourself ragged. That child has been through enough and she's looking to you to keep her safe; let me keep you safe."
- "You always have—"
He sighed deeply as he once again held her close to him.
- "If only that were true. Nevertheless, I will promise you this, Alexis: I will be damned if I fail to do as I promised you that first day you came into my life—"
She looked up at her protector. She finished his sentence.
- "You'll never allow me to be lost."
He smiled down at her before giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead.
- "Exactly. You are my family, the first I ever had; I would give my life before I see you hurt again by another member of that family. You mean the world to me."
Alexis laid her head onto his shoulder as they stood in their spot wondering how Stefan would save her quickly sinking ship.
Mikkos sat at the dinner table at nine thirty that evening, over an hour later than typically served in the Cassadine household. However considering the earlier disruption and Helena's trip to the graveyard, dinner was understandably delayed.
- "Excuse me sir?"
The servant appeared at his side.
- "Yes, Madeleine?"
The woman wrung her fingers together unsure of how to deal with the man who signed her weekly checks, but with whom she had never, in her five years of work in the house, before had a conversation.
- "The staff has been waiting for over an hour to serve both you and Mrs. Cassadine—"
He placed his napkin onto his lap. He did not bother to look at the woman when he spoke; she was below him.
- "Is it not her rule that if you are not at the table by eight o'clock that you are not eating?"
- "Yes sir."
- "Well, seeing as I am the breadwinner of this household, her rule does not apply to me. However, it applies to her. She has shown zero mercy for any person, guest, or otherwise at her table, and I will certainly do the same in regard to her. Now, I am hungry and have waited long enough to be served."
The woman quickly nodded and left the room leaving Mikkos to curse his brother's name for dying and leaving disaster in his wake.
After a few minutes, Alexis and Stefan walked into the bedroom shocked to see that Sam had awoken. She lied in the bed clutching Danny close to her while Nikolas slept soundly beside her; she had been crying. Alexis immediately rushed to her side.
- "Baby, what's wrong?"
Sam looked at her mother then over to her Cousin Stefan. She immediately blushed before burying her face into her bear. Alexis could hear her sniffling. She attempted to lift her from the bed, but Sam refused to budge from her spot. Alexis frowned in confusion.
- "Sammy, talk to Mommy. What's the matter?"
The little girl lifted her head slightly from the bear to look only into her mother's swollen and red eyes, ignoring the sleeping boy behind her, and wonderful man with concern written all over his face. She reached and tugged at her mother's shirt so that she would come closer to her. Alexis complied. She brushed the curly hair from her daughter's ear and whispered softly so that only she might hear.
- "What's going on with my little chipmunk?"
Sam, with tears still rolling down her cheeks, covered her mouth as she then whispered into the woman's ear.
- "I had an accident. I'm sorry Mommy."
It seemed that her daughter had one at least every week. When she was completely silent and immobile due to the trauma and her casts, bed-wetting had become fairly frequent. Alexis would be so engrossed in coaxing the girl to speak or communicate in some way, she would forgot she could not walk. In fact, she would not realize Sam needed to use the facilities until the girl began to cry into her bear. Alexis always kicked herself for being so daft as to not have the sense to know upon waking, her child might like to relieve herself rather than speak to a woman who had betrayed her.
Alexis gave her a kiss on the cheek.
- "It's okay, sweetheart."
Seeing that her daughter was embarrassed over what she had done, Alexis knew Stefan and Nikolas' presence in the room further aggravated the young child's upset.
- "Stefan, I packed Nik an overnight bag when I picked him up from the hotel; it's in the living room. If you want to take the kids for breakfast and out for the day, perhaps you should wake him up now and get him ready? He can brush his teeth in the powder room."
Stefan gave her a curious look, but decided against questioning her. He simply moved to his son and lifted him from the bed rather than waking him; it was evident his cousin was attempting to rid him from the room.
- "And Samantha? Is she alright?"
She smiled at her daughter before turning her attention back to the man.
- "She just wants her Mommy, right Sammy?"
Sam buried her face into her teddy bear from the embarrassment of having yet again wet her mother's bed. She did not know when she would stop proving to the woman that she was not as disgusting and worthless as she had been accustomed to hearing from Evelyn. She might not have seen the woman in some time, but she came to her every night in her dreams to either snatch her away or to tell her that she was a monster. She would not have believed her otherwise, but she could sometimes hear her mother and Cousin Stefan talking when they thought she was asleep. She heard the word being tossed around in mentioning her. It had to be true.
Alexis held the girl's tiny hand and gave it a kiss.
- "She's fine. I'm just going to get her ready. She'll be out shortly. Okay?"
Stefan nodded and took his son, who in only his sleep appeared his tender age, from the room.
Once they were out of sight, Alexis pulled the blanket back and held her hand out to her daughter.
- "Come on chipmunk. Let's get you in the tub."
Sam wiped her eyes and put Danny on her mother's side of the bed before taking her mother's hand. They walked into the bathroom. Alexis sat at the edge of the tub as she filled it while Sam began to remove her soiled clothing.
- "I'm sorry."
Turning to look at her petite daughter, she could tell the girl was still visibly upset.
- "Honey, accidents happen; Mommy is not mad at you. I know you were probably scared, right? Evelyn is bugging you in your dreams?"
Sam nodded her head as she moved to lean into her mother. She rested her head onto the woman's lap.
- "Am I a monster?"
The young woman was completely taken aback. She shut the running water off from the tub wondering if she had heard her daughter correctly.
- "What did you just say, sweetheart?"
Sam lifted her head and looked at her mother.
- "Am I a monster?"
Alexis gasped and shook her head furiously. She moved from her seat on the tub's edge and sat on her knees so that she could be at least closer to the girl's eye level. She held her daughter's hands in her own.
- "Where'd you hear that?"
The child looked away from the woman.
- "That's what you told Cousin Stefan—"
Alexis was shocked; her daughter had heard everything that had happened between her and Stefan. It made her sick that not only was Sam aware of how unraveled she was becoming due to Stavros' presence, but now she had allowed her girl to have yet another horrendous belief about herself, one due to circumstances of which the child had no control. Stefan was right, as it stood, she was doing more harm than good to her little girl.
- "No baby, I said you weren't a monster."
- "Does Cousin Stefan… does he, does he think I'm one?"
She took Sam's face into her hand matching her big brown eyes with her own.
- "No, no of course not! Mommy was… well, you know how she has been… she was having a really rough time and saying stuff she shouldn't have. But, I would NEVER call you a monster or any other horrible name. Remember what I told you? You are my little chipmunk?"
Sam nodded as she wiped her face and rubbed her eyes.
- "I didn't hurt you?"
Alexis shook her head.
- "You could never hurt me baby."
- "It's not my fault you have all those things on your stomach and on your back?"
Alexis felt tears welling into her own eyes as she realized how she had damaged her daughter.
- "None of it is your fault, sweetheart. You are not to blame for any of it. Mommy is going through a very rough time right now, but she loves you soooo much and she doesn't want you to think that anything that she's gone through or when she cries or takes long showers, that any of that is your fault. It isn't. Do you understand?"
Sam nodded as she went into her mother's embrace. Alexis held her for a moment before releasing her. She covered her face with kisses before sticking her hand into the tub water to ensure that it was still warm.
- "Okay, into the tub."
She lifted the child into the tub and handed her the rubber ducky she now affectionately referred to as Duckbert, and loved almost as much as she loved Danny, her teddy bear.
- "We're going to do things a little bit differently today, baby."
Sam looked up from her playing.
- "How?"
- "Cousin Stefan is going to take Nikolas and you to breakfast this morning, then Agatha is going to tutor you at the hotel with Nikolas instead of here."
Because Sam was not emotionally fit to be in school, Alexis had asked Stefan to arrange for her to be tutored as Nikolas had been all of his life. The woman would come by the apartment five days a week and spend three hours teaching Sam math, English, and Greek. The child did not particularly care for the studies, but it helped that her mother stayed in close proximity if ever she felt overwhelmed.
She released the duck and grabbed her mother's hand. In the time that she had lived with Alexis since the accident, she had never had her mother out of her sight for longer than a few minutes. While she spoke to a psychiatrist twice a week for an hour, she refused to allow Alexis to leave the room; she was six, privacy, of any kind, was not at the top of her short list of priorities. In Sam's young and fragile mind, there was too much that could have happened without her mother near; too much has already gone wrong without the woman around her. As a result, she found herself growing upset at the thought that Alexis might want to leave her.
- "Why? What if I need you?"
Alexis wiped the wet hair from her daughter's face.
- "Then I'll come get you."
Sam pouted as she looked up at her mother.
- "You don't want me around you?"
- "That's not it, chipmunk; Stefan just thinks I need some time to sleep. I think he might be right. You see how crazy Mommy is getting. It's because she's not sleeping enough."
Sam stood up and reached for her mother's face. She too could tell how exhausted the woman appeared.
- "I don't think you're crazy, Mommy; I think you're tired. I won't bother you, I promise. I'll be a good girl for Cousin Stefan."
Alexis smiled at the girl before lifting her from the water and onto her lap, not caring that she was wet. She covered her face with kisses.
- "I love you so much, baby. You are never a bother to me. If you feel that you need me close, you tell Cousin Stefan and he'll bring you right to me or I'll come to you. Either way, I'm always here for you."
- "I love you too, Mommy."
She hugged her mother tightly.
- "And you promise I'm not a monster?"
Alexis held her daughter tightly in her arms.
- "You're not a monster at all."
When Mikkos finally returned to their bedroom, he already found Helena lying in their bed. He was grateful to see her there, as he wanted… needed to finish the earlier conversation. There was so much to discuss and so much to resolve. There were years of bad feelings, poor choices, regrettable mistakes, and things that simply could not ever be taken back. He knew he could never make amends for the things that he had done, should have done, and perhaps could have failed to do, but he certainly needed to try; there were innocent lives at stake.
He quickly undressed and changed into his pajamas before making his way into their bed. He ran his fingers through her hair as he had done each night when they first married… when they were once in love. Unlike then, however she pulled away from him.
- "Don't touch me."
He not in any way attempting to turn her on as he knew that their days of impromptu love-making were long gone. Such acts were reserved for Monday nights or whatever day he returned from his business trips. Despite the love lost between the couple, they still retained some form of marital union: he, for the sake of tradition, and she, to fulfill the one wifely duty she had. He ran his fingers through her hair simply because he wanted to calm her from her rage. He wanted to, for once since their son died, to have a bit of a cordial conversation with the woman.
- "Helena—"
She turned around to face him. He had the face of a stranger. For thirty years, she had been sharing her bed and her life with a man she barely knew. She was not sure if she was willing to do it any longer.
- "I meant what I said, Mikkos. I will not sit, or in this case lie, idly by and allow you to disparage my son's memory. Now, unless you care to make this your last conversation, darling, I suggest you let the situation drop."
She made a gesture to him that caused him to look downwards; she held a knife to his genitals.
- "Are we understood?"
Mikkos simply nodded his head and allowed his wife to roll back to her side of the bed. There was no point in attempting to change a leopard's spots.
Stefan and Nikolas waited patiently for Sam so that they might leave. His father had informed him that they would spend the day with the girl as Alexis had done the previous day with him. The young boy simply nodded his head in agreement.
- "Father?"
Stefan put his arm around his son. As a child, he would have loved for his father to allow him to sit so closely to him, and for him to wrap his arm around him. He would have enjoyed a moment in which he might be able to speak with the man without fear of rejection. It would have been nice to know that his father had, even if for a second in his busy life, loved him or even less, cared for him. He never realized until that moment how bothered he was about his childhood, and how deeply his parents' words to him had wounded him.
- "Agoraki mou?"
Nikolas loved when his father referred to him as 'his little son.' He worshipped the ground on which the man walked. He wanted to grow up to be his father, or at the very least, someone virtually close to the man.
- "Are we staying here? In this country, I mean?"
He looked down at his son hoping that he was not expressing a desire to leave the States. If his son's happiness meant returning to Greece, Stefan would not hesitate to do just that; it would come, however, at the sacrifice of his own joy.
- "Why do you ask?"
Nikolas enjoyed spending time with his cousin as for so long he had had no real companion aside from their servants' children who were allowed to spend the day on Sundays. It would have been enjoyable but for the fact that they stood aside and served, rather than, played with him. They referred to him as Master Nikolas, as their parents had, and did exactly as he asked without question. Sure it seemed as though it were any five year old's dream, but Nikolas was different.
He was not the type of child who played at parks or in the sand. He did not particularly care for outdoor games where he might get himself wrinkled or dirty, but he loved to color, make up stories about destruction, and watch movies concerning such things. Sam, despite her disinterest in Greek myths outside of stories about Aphrodite and ironically, Persephone, played along with him and challenged the authority he had while living alone in Greece. She was a welcomed companion to the lonely boy.
- "Because I do not want to return. I like it here with Samantha and Cousin Alexis. I miss her when we're away."
Alexis and Nikolas had a strong bond as she provided him with everything Stefan never could: motherly love.
- "You do?"
Nikolas nodded his head.
- "I know when we're away I speak with her every night, but it's not the same as seeing her everyday. And I like Samantha as well, even though she's bossy."
Stefan laughed at the thought. His cousin's daughter was as meek as a lamb; there did not, at least in his presence, appear to be a single bossy bone in her petite body.
- "Is she?"
The young boy's face lit up as he turned to his father.
- "Yes! She does not like that I do not enjoy the park, or pizza, popcorn, and cereal, or movies about fairy tales. Father, she only ever wants to watch and eat those things, and she will not allow me to read quietly when I'm with her and Cousin Alexis."
- "Is that right? And yet you want to remain here?"
Nikolas smiled.
- "But she's fun, I guess… even though…"
Stefan noticed his voice trail. He tapped the boy on the chin.
- "Even though what?"
He shrugged and leaned back into his father embarrassed to say what was on his mind, and afraid that once it left his lips that he might become upset. He never liked to cry in front of a man as strong as his father. He simply waited until he returned to his room and after his father read his bedtime story before he shed any tears from what his ailing his young heart.
- "It's alright Father. Forget it."
Stefan wanted to question the boy further, but Alexis holding a shy Sam's hand entered. Stefan and Nikolas immediately stood from their seats. She smiled at their gentlemanly mannerisms.
- "I'm sorry for taking so long. I had a difficult time letting go of my baby for the day."
Stefan smiled.
- "It's quite alright, Nikolas and I were simply having a chat. Samantha, don't you look beautiful."
She wore a purple and yellow overall dress with a white top and white stockings, along with black Mary-Jane shoes. Alexis had braided her hair into two French braids. She was a far cry from the pitiful looking child who was all but dumped at this woman's doorstep.
She returned the smile all the while refusing to detach herself from her mother.
- "Thank you, Cousin."
He held his hand out to her so he could properly greet her. She appeared to be hesitant at first, but she nevertheless released her mother's hand to go into Stefan's embrace.
- "How I've missed you, little raven."
Nikolas, seeing a clear moment, approached his favorite cousin.
- "Good morning, Cousin Alexis."
Alexis pulled the boy into her arms.
- "Good morning, little man. I hope my bed was comfortable?'
The boy blushed.
- "Yes it was, thank you. I apologize for putting you out."
She put her hands on his shoulders and gave him a kiss on the forehead.
- "You may put me out anytime you like, alright? I love having you here with Sam and me."
He looked over to Sam who was now in his father's arms with her head rested onto his shoulder. Nikolas copped her emotional state to being a girl.
- "What about Samantha? She needs you."
Alexis squeezed the boy's chubby cheek.
- "Do you no longer need me?"
While he shrugged his shoulders, she noticed the sadness in his eyes. She pulled him to her.
- "Well, I've got to say that I need you Nik. Okay? So you're always welcomed because you bring so much light to my day just as you always have. Nothing will ever take that away. I don't love you any less."
He gave her a single kiss on the cheek before pulling himself from her embrace; he once again blushed. He fixed his polo shirt and khaki pants; he once again regained his composure.
- "Thank you, Cousin Alexis. I am grateful for the invitation."
Seeing that he was embarrassed by his sudden show of affection, Alexis simply messed up the top of his perfectly combed hair, and allowed him to move toward his father.
- "Okay, I think you should all get going. Stefan, may I have my daughter back for one moment, please?"
Sam immediately lifted her head from his shoulder to smile and reach for her mother.
- "I don't have to go, Mommy?"
Stefan poked the girl in the belly.
- "Hey, do you not want to spend time with your Unc-[ahem] Cousin Stefan?"
He had always looked upon the child, from the moment he knew of her existence, as his niece. He loved Alexis as though she were his sister, and yet but for his brother, the beautiful girl in his arms would not be in existence. While he cursed the man's name, he thanked him all the same.
- "Would it be so horrible to spend time with the snail man?"
Sam made a face at the man; she had already made clear her disgust for the delicacy when she spit it out on her plate at the dinner table.
- "Is that what we're having for breakfast?"
Before Stefan could jokingly answer, Alexis took her daughter from his arms.
- "No sweetheart, Cousin Stefan is not going to make you eat snails for dinner OR lunch. Okay?"
She glared at the man whose face shone with a wide smile. She chastised him in French.
- "You know she's sensitive, Stefan! Don't start making ridiculous jokes that'll make her upset. If you want me to sleep, I suggest you think before you speak."
He leaned forward and kissed her on either cheek.
- "She will be fine, darling. Please ensure to pack an overnight bag for both you and the little one tonight."
- "Why?"
He smiled at the woman.
- "Have I ever steered you wrong?"
She rolled her eyes at him.
- "No."
He held his hand out for Sam; Alexis put the girl down and gave her a kiss and hug.
- "Well don't doubt me now, Alexis. I will have the car pick you up at seven this evening. We will see you for dinner, and then we will discuss what needs to be discussed. Children, say goodbye."
Nikolas waved, but Sam released the man's hand and ran to her mother pressing her face into her leg. The woman knelt to face her.
- "Remember what I told you?"
Sam nodded and whispered into her mother's ear.
- "If I need you, you'll come for me?"
Alexis returned the whisper.
- "And I meant every word."
The little girl kissed her mother's cheek before returning to her cousin. They walked out of the apartment before Sam stopped to turn around once more to look at her mother who stood at the door watching as they left.
- "Mommy?"
Alexis smiled at the little girl.
- "Yes baby?"
- "Have a good nap. Don't forget to snuggle with Danny; he likes that."
- "I won't sweetheart."
She watched as Stefan helped the children into the car and finally was driven away. For the first time since her daughter arrived in her life, Alexis felt lonely. The apartment was quiet and she was without a child to hold. She was not sure this was a great idea after all. However, Stavros chuckled behind her.
- "It's not so bad, now is it? I'm here with you."
Without attempting to see in what form he decided to reappear, she ran into her bedroom locking the door behind her. Perhaps it was sleep that she needed to rid herself of her demon.
He laughed as he lied onto the couch awaiting her return.
- "It's not that easy, my dear, it's not that easy. I'll see you when you awake."
The next morning, Helena stared out of the window lost in her own thoughts. She imagined all of the ways in which she could have murdered Stefan with her bare hands for the deplorable things that he had said about her son. What did he know about love… Stefan? Who was he to dare call her son a monster? Stefan was the last person who should sit in judgment of the one person in her life who had ever given a damn about her… truly given a damn. He had no right… to anything.
And then there was Mikkos; that son of a bitch lived in his own cold and unfeeling world. He had shown her long ago that his pride was far more important than her happiness and well-being. He had proven to her that nothing mattered outside of himself. He did nothing for her… nothing to protect her… nothing to show her that he loved her. Nothing. He was the reason behind it all and yet he pointed fingers elsewhere. Mikkos Cassadine was a poor excuse of a man who could never teach her son what it was to be a man who stood up for the woman he loved. How could he when the only person he loved stared back at him each day in the mirror?
Stavros. Yes, her Stavros… he was a true man. Only he thought only of her. He always put her first. She had raised a proper man, one whom Mikkos never, even in their early years, could be. Stavros.
Flashback
She watched as he strode into the library with a look of pride and absolute arrogance on his face and in his eyes. She knew her son like the back of her hand; she knew the look. She could see the sense of accomplishment well within him as he walked toward him with his head held high. He was filled with such pride, but she was not certain whether his acts were praiseworthy. She had seen this before.
- "Stavros, what have you done?"
He smiled as he took the final steps to approach her.
- "Hello Mother."
He leaned down to kiss her cheeks.
- "Why do you presume that I have done anything?"
Her eyes followed him as he walked to the chair across from her and had a seat. She knew him. She knew him too well.
- "Where have you been, son? I haven't seen you since yesterday for breakfast. Mariska has informed me that you did not make it home last night."
He rolled his eyes at the thought of his wife. He never wanted to marry the woman, but his father had informed him that he was approaching his thirties and it was inappropriate for him to remain single for much longer. Mikkos reminded the brutish man that he would soon be inheriting his grandfather's empire and would need an heir to whom he would later pass the reigns. Although Stavros, unlike Stefan, had very little interest in work and instead preferred to spend his days at the local bars, Mikkos had no interest in affording Stefan the right to fully inherit Cassadine Empire Steel. As a result, he was given her, Mariska, the daughter of Dmitri Stanislav, the owner of a competing steel company, so that they might merge the two companies thereby eliminating any further competition. There was no love to be shared between either party.
- "My, my mother, why so suspicious? I was simply visiting out little mouse. I wanted to make sure that she was well-acclimated in her new American environment. You can't possibly fault me for that."
She felt her heart's pace increase ten-fold within her; it beat so hard she thought it might burst through her chest. She swallowed hard as her son gave her a knowing look.
- "What have done?"
Stavros leaned back into the chair with a smile on his face as his mind recalled the previous evenings events. He thought about the look of terror on her face, the tears that rolled down her cheeks, and the blood on the sheets on which he left her lying naked and bruised. He chuckled as the sounds of her sobs escaped her lips and could be heard through the bathroom door as he showered, and continued to hear as he closed the door behind him and walked out of the room. He had allowed her to keep it for the night.
- "I have given little Alexandra exactly what she had deserved."
She closed her eyes as she shook her head. Never before had she felt such disgust and anger towards her son. This was the very first time in her life as his mother that she felt disappointed and ashamed to call him her son.
- "Stavros—"
She opened her eyes so that she could look at him; his smug demeanor terrified her.
- "Why would you do such a thing? God, I didn't raise you to… to… do… that! How could you?"
He frowned at the disdain he noticed in her eyes; he had been certain that she would have been proud of him. This was not the reaction he had expected.
He immediately rushed to sit beside her.
- "Mother, you know very well why I did it! You hate her… and with just cause! She stole my sister's name—"
She shook her head.
- "Believe me, that was not your sister's name. Alexandra is a far cry from Sophia Alexis."
- "It's close enough, Mother. And worst of all, she came here… unwelcomed. She did not need to be here. She certainly was not wanted. Can't you see, I did it for you!"
Helena took the man's face into her hands; he looked exactly as a young Mikkos had. She could look into his eyes forever and always be comforted and remember the love they had once shared. She stared into them and gained a newfound understanding of her beloved boy. Her heart filled with more love than she had ever thought imaginable. Alas, she could not accept and ignore what he had done.
- "Never this way, Stavros."
He stared back into her green eyes unsure of the emotion they were attempting to convey.
- "Mother, really; you cannot be upset over this! That girl—"
He stopped speaking when she released his face. He saw her attempts to recompose herself before speaking. He allowed her just that.
Helena took a deep breath before speaking once again to her son. She felt the wave of shame wash through her just as the love for him flooded her heart; the former could never be in competition with the latter. Her love for him would always win.
- "I don't condone what you did, Stavros. It was cruel, but I will support you one hundred percent. You are my son. I will not allow her to attempt to ruin you by telling lies…"
She stressed the final word so that he might understand that as far as she was concerned none of this had occurred. Her son was not capable of such an inhumane act.
- "So, where were you last night?"
He smiled at his mother before kissing her gently on the forehead.
- "I was visiting my dear Grandfather Komensky; he had asked me to come by for a visit. What better time than an August in the always beautiful Prague? I'm certain he can vouch for this, Mother. He sends his love."
And it was true, Cristof Komensky would do anything for his daughter and the son whom she adored.
Helena nodded before moving toward the console table.
- "I will call him right now."
End of Flashback
From that moment onwards, she vowed that she would protect her son. In death, she would protect his honor.
- "Ladies and gentlemen, we are now preparing to board flight 354 destined for Newark International Airport. Will passengers holding first and business class tickets please begin boarding?"
Helena took a deep breath as she picked up her carry-on bag and approached the counter. She handed the flight attendant her boarding pass. The woman pleasantly smiled at the mysterious woman.
- "Good evening Miss Komensky. Please enjoy your flight."
Helena nodded curtly and walked through the door towards her awaiting plane.