You all crack me up IMMENSELY! I think Nikolas might be Pinocchio.
Many thanks for your reviews. They are incredibly inspirational. Please keep them coming and share your thoughts!
UNEDITED!
PART ONE
Chapter Sixteen
Bastards
--- " So you're coming here from Greece, Ms. Komensky?"
Helena sat in the car feeling slightly jet-lagged, but anxious to reach her destination. The drive was proving to be traffic-filled and the driver had some notion that she was interested in partaking in dialog with him. Clearly he was unaware that she was not one to socialize or make small talk with the help; and for the next hour to two hours, depending on how long the drive would take, he was her help. Whatever he needed to say, she had no interest in listening or engaging in conversation with him.
--- "Sir, please keep an eye on the road rather on my heritage. If you don't mind, I think our time together would be best served in silence. I assure you that you and I have nothing in common."
The man looked at her through the rear-view mirror. He had been working as a driver for nearly ten years; she was neither the first, nor would she be the last rich and conceited passenger he was charged to drive.
--- "Whatever you like, ma'am."
She shot him a glaring look toward the same mirror in which he viewed her. He quickly shifted his gaze back onto the road.
Helena looked out her mirror to the filthy streets of the state of New Jersey; she hated the States and anticipated her return to the country she had called home for thirty-two years. Alas, she was on a mission; she would not return home until she accomplished it.
Flashback
She walked into the girl's room to find her on her bed lying on her back staring at the ceiling. The woman smirked at the sight.
--- "My, my, my, it seems that must have been the position you took when the bastard inside of you came to be created."
Alexandra had just been told that under no circumstance would a girl of 16 be allowed to raise a baby. She was told she would need to finish her education, be successful in her career, and then she could begin a family. By that time, Mikkos assured her, she would surely have forgotten about the first child she had given away. She knew, however, that this could never be. There was no way she could ever forget her baby. The child growing inside of her would always have a piece, if not all of her heart.
She sat up in the bed to look at the woman.
--- "She's not a bastard, Hel—ma'am."
Helena eyes her evilly; she wanted terribly for the girl to have called her by her first name. It would have given her much pleasure to smack her name from the pregnant girl's mouth. Instead she calmly spoke.
--- "Do you know what the term bastard means, Alexandra?"
The girl looked to the floor knowing that according to the definition, her child was just as Helena described. Her feelings of knowing that the definition was inapplicable were of no consequence to the evil woman.
--- "Um… well…"
Helena shook her head in agitation.
--- "You shut up right now!"
Having zero patience for the girl's stalling techniques, Helena walked to the bookshelf and grabbed a dictionary. She threw it onto the bed without any care that it might hit the pregnant teen.
--- "Look in there, you ignorant bottom-feeder, and you read to me EXACTLY what is written as the definition of bastard."
Alexandra, keeping her eyes averted from the woman's deathly gaze, opened the book. She flipped to section B and quickly found the word 'bastard.'
--- "Bastard, a—"
The woman interrupted her.
--- "And I want every single definition, not just those you deem less fitting for that thing inside of you."
The teen slowly nodded her head and read.
--- "Bastard, a person born of unmarried parents, an illegitimate child. Bastard, a vicious, despicable, or thoroughly disliked person. Bastard, something irregular, inferior, spurious, or unusual."
Helena sat at the girl's desk with her eyes closed as the definitions were read. She opened her eyes once Alexandra had finished. She turned to her.
--- "You see. According to the definition, regardless of whether you believe me or not concerning everything written after the first definition, you must admit that you, even in this deplorable condition, are not married. Am I right?"
Alexandra nodded silently. Helena stood up from her seat.
--- "I am speaking to you, Alexandra! I demand a verbal response!"
For the first time, the girl looked at the woman, but ensured to not make eye contact.
--- "Yes ma'am; you are correct. I am not married.
Helena smiled threateningly as she approached the girl.
--- "And if you are not married, what does that, per the definition, make that thing growing inside of your pathetic body?"
The teen did not want to repeat the word, so she kept her head bowed low. Helena, on the other hand, wanted to hear them; she had a point to prove. She grabbed Alexandra's chin as tightly as she could and brought her face as close to hers as was possible without making contact. She sneered at the girl with such venom, the teen could feel the older woman's spit hit her face with each word spoken.
--- "You will answer me when I ask you a question! For the second time: if you are not married, what does that, per the definition make that child?"
The tears rolled down Alexandra's cheeks as she finally locked her brown eyes with the woman's green ones. Her voice was shaky, but it was nevertheless a voice that would for what she intended to be the first and the last time since she fell in love with the growing life, be used to disparage her baby.
--- "A bastard."
The older woman smiled, but did not put any distance between her and the girl.
--- "Repeat it in a full and complete sentence, Alexandra. My family's money is not being used to send you to a fancy private boarding school in the States so that you can only have sex with whatever boy offers you an ice cream cone. No, you will use that fancy education right here and right now! For the third, and what had better be the last, time: what, per the definition, is that thing inside of you?"
Alexandra began to sob from the pain with which the woman held her, and the distress of what she was being made to say. She could not wait to be put out of the misery of living in the Cassadine's abusive household.
--- "She is a bastard. My baby is a bastard!"
Helena felt a wave of satisfaction run through her body. She released the girl and moved about the room.
--- "Exactly. Your child is a bastard, and don't you DARE forget that Alexandra. She is a fatherless bastard."
She stopped pacing to once again lock eyes with the girl.
--- "Are we understood?"
Alexandra's mouth hung open. She knew. She knew what her son had done to her and yet she stood in her room threatening her. She had always feared the woman to the point of paralyzation in her presence, but hate had never truly had a place within her; the fear was too great. However, as she endured the woman's menacing glares of absolute disdain at her pregnant state, hate replaced the fear in the teen's heart.
She dried her eyes and stood so that she could face the woman. She knew it unwise, but she could not help herself.
--- "You don't even care about what he did to me, do you?"
Helena turned in shock at the girl's audacity to question her. Her icy glare focused on the girl's belly. She would have preferred the proof of her son's poor lapse in judgment not come into being. She had no desire for anyone to associate her son to such a disgusting and uncivilized act.
--- "I suggest you sit back down before you do anything that might harm that child."
The teen's mouth remained uncooperative in remaining silent.
--- "How could you protect him! He beat me and raped me!"
Helena moved quicker than the girl had anticipated; the blow to her face came without warning. She held her face in shock, but refused to cry for the woman's pleasure. Using one hand, Helena grabbed her by the top of the shirt and brought her threateningly close with her other hand balled in a fist at the girl's stomach.
--- "I suggest you learn to keep your mouth shut otherwise I will not hesitate to end the pathetic life of your precious bastard. Do NOT test my patience, Alexandra; you don't know what lengths I will go to protect my child."
Suddenly the door, without prior notification, opened to reveal her youngest and quite inferior son standing there. He appeared to be foaming at the mouth at the scene before him.
--- "You let go of her this instance, you reckless shrew!"
Helena, not in the mood to exchange dialog of any kind with the worthless man, released the girl and shoved her backwards; she fell onto the bed. Stefan ran to her side.
--- "Did this bitch hurt you?"
Alexandra could feel the woman's eyes on her. She protectively placed her hands onto her belly; her baby kicked her. She said a silent prayer of gratitude under her breath before turning to her cousin.
--- "I'm fine. She was just reminding me that I'm nothing but a charity case and my baby will not be living in the same luxury. She just wanted to rub it in my face that my baby will be someone else's burden as I am to her and Cousin Mikkos."
Helena smiled at the girl.
--- "Well, I'll leave you two… things… to have a conversation concerning your hate for me. And Stefan—"
The young man glared the woman who had given him life.
--- "What do you want?"
She pointed a finger at him.
--- "You mind your manners when you speak to me! Although she's already knocked-up, there are condoms in her bedside drawer. Please be sure to use one this time."
She walked out of the room completely certain the secret would remain just that, a secret.
End of Flashback
And so she was wrong. She overestimated the bottom-feeding bitch's intellect; she had done the worst thing possible in letting that man know what had happened to her. She did not understand why the girl felt the need to test her patience. Surely she must have known she would never win.
Helena shook her head in disgust as the car finally, after four hours of bumper to bumper traffic, arrived at her destination.
--- "Mommy, can you tell me a story?"
The woman, a beautiful blond with green eyes, smiled at the recently turned four year old girl.
--- "Anything for my baby. Which story do you want?"
Her voice was of a soft English accent. She passed her fingers through the child's curly dark brown hair.
Before the child could respond, a man stood in the doorway watching them.
--- "Natasha, I'm hurt!"
The sleepy little girl took her thumb from her mouth. She smiled at her father.
--- "Why Daddy?"
He walked into the room and sat on the other side of the bed. The girl was now between both of her parents.
--- "Because you promised Daddy that he could tell you a story tonight."
She looked at the dark haired man with the equally eyes; her father was the most handsome man she had ever, in her four years of life, seen.
--- "I forgot!"
He acted as though he were hurt by her forgetfulness.
--- "Very well then, Natasha. It's fine; I'll find some other little girl who'll want to hear my stories."
His wife smacked him on the arm when she noticed her daughter's eyes begin to well with tears.
--- "Will you stop it, Andy? Natasha, Daddy is being silly; ignore him."
Natasha nodded and looked at her father.
--- "I'll always want to hear your stories, Daddy; you too, Mommy."
Unfortunately for the little girl, when she turned to look at her mother, the woman was gone.
--- "Momma? Daddy, where did she go?"
She did not receive a response from the man; he was gone.
--- "Daddy? Momma! Where did you go!"
She looked around. Holding the hand of the man who claimed to be her uncle, she stared at two shallow graves belonging to Andreus Alexander and Elizabeth Natasha Cassadine. She did not know them. They were two strangers; and they were dead.
Alexis jolted from her sleep. She looked at the clock. It was five in the evening; she had slept for eight hours straight. She could not believe that she had accomplished such a feat. The last time she had slept so long, it had perhaps been the night her daughter had been returned to her; there was nothing that could have made her sleep more sound than holding her sweet child in her arms. And despite having the child with her for weeks, she lied in the bed feeling more rested than she had been in weeks; she almost felt guilty because of it. The one night (or day in this case) she managed to get hours worth of sleep, it was because her daughter was not with her. What kind of mother did that make her?
She never wanted to feel as though her child was to blame for her exhaustion; that simply was not the truth. And yet, there was Stavros, sitting at the end of her bed nodding emphatically at her that Sam was to blame. She threw her pillow in his direction, but he quickly disappeared before it touched him.
--- "It isn't true and you know it!"
She cursed his name. It was her love for the girl, the memories she clearly repressed, and his constant presence, that remained the primary culprit. Sam was not to blame for any of this.
Thinking of the dream she had just had, she sat up and turned on her bedside lamp. She opened the nightstand drawer and quickly grabbed the journal she kept. Finding and empty page, one of the final remaining in the book, she jotted down the names on the tombstone's she had seen in her dream: Andreus Alexander and Elizabeth Natasha Cassadine. There was no Davidovitch. Perhaps it was her mother's maiden name? It could not have been a coincidence that the man who appeared to be her father in the dream, had the name she carried until she was sixteen years old. Mikkos must have named after her parents, or at the very least, after her father. But that did not explain why she remembered him introducing himself as her uncle, or why she had apparently been called Natasha, or why her name had been changed in the first place, and why her true identity was hidden from her. None of this made any sense.
She unlatched her locket and opened it to look at the two people she knew to be her parents. She saw the resemblance. They were truly hers. And there she was, perhaps two or three years old, being held in their arms. While she had some features of her mother's particularly with the dimples cheeks, the shape of the face, and the eyes, there was no mistaking it, she was her father's spitting image. This was the first time she ever noticed this. In fact, this was the first time she looked at the image and truly saw the people who gave her life; her anger with them for leaving her with the Cassadines, had always seemed to outweigh any love she should have had for the strangers. But now, after 18 years, the people in the photograph had names, and they were her parents.
She then turned to the picture on the other side of the locket: it was of her newborn baby girl. When her cousin… her uncle… Mikkkos… ripped that child from her arms, she had been certain that she would never see her again. And yet, sitting on her nightstand was a more recent picture of the girl taken the previous week while sitting for lunch in Sam's new favorite cafe up the block. She had just gotten the final cast removed from her leg and was therefore all smiles. Alexis loved the girl's sweet smile. She needed to speak to the bright light of her life.
She reached for her cell phone so that she could check on Sam, but she noticed that there were five missed calls; they were all from Stefan's number. Her heart beat faster than she had thought possible as she prayed nothing bad had occurred to her daughter. She hit send and listened as the phone rang.
Ring.
She could not believe she had slept through five calls after she told her daughter if she needed her she would come to her. What if she had?
Ring.
She could not have possibly let that child down again. Not after what had occurred the last time. God, things had been going so well for them. Sam was laughing, smiling, and becoming quite the chatterbox. Alexis prayed that she did not ruin this once again.
Ring.
Finally, he answered.
--- "Hello Cousin. Did you sleep well?"
She attempted to speak despite the feeling that her heart was beating in her throat.
--- "Stefan, is she… is she alright?"
He flagged Sam to her side.
--- "Yes, she's fine dear. Why do you sound so… unrested? You have been sleeping for quite a few hours—"
She let out a deep aggravated sigh.
--- "God Stefan, what do you expect? I had FIVE missed calls from your number! How do you think I'm supposed to react?"
He smiled at her concern; she was a wonderful mother in spite of the poor example she was given growing up in the Cassadine household.
--- "Darling, did you listen to the voicemails? Samantha simply wanted to make sure that you were doing well and wanted to tell you about her day. She was an angel, Alexis; there were no emotional breakdowns. Don't worry."
--- "Is that my Mommy, Cousin Stefan?"
--- "Yes darling, one second alright?"
She nodded as she leaned against the man. He put his hand on her shoulder, while she wrapped her arm around his leg.
Upon hearing her daughter's calm voice, Alexis' heart finally slowed down and returned to its place in her chest. Sam wanted to speak with her; she must not have been distressed when she had called.
--- "No, I didn't listen to the voicemails, but I hear my baby. May I speak to her, please?"
--- "Of course you may although I'm feeling quite neglected, Alexis—"
She rolled her eyes.
--- "You know how much I love you Stefan. I just happen to be in love with a three foot tall little girl with dimples."
He shook his head as he chuckled on the line.
--- "Understandable dear, she is rather adorable, although my four foot tall boy is quite handsome."
--- "There's NO question about that, cousin, look at his father!"
Stefan smiled as he looked at his son who sat quietly coloring his image of his favorite Greek God: Ares, the Greek God of War. His son was truly his pride and joy; he was the spitting image of his mother. She was a beautiful and petite olive-colored woman with long, straight jet-black hair, beautifully arched eyebrows, a straight nose, full lips, and strikingly beautiful hazel eyes. In addition, she had an identifiable mole on her neck that added to her exotic look. Aside from her height, Nikolas inherited it all from her, including the mole, which sat slightly away from the corner of his lips. His eyes were the only things that identified him as a Cassadine child.
--- "You really are quite flattering, Alexis; but you certainly should not insult the child. It isn't kind. Now, let me pass you to the little raven who has held firm to my leg as though she were perched onto a tree branch."
He looked down to the child who barely stood at his mid-thigh; she really was quite petite.
--- "Samantha, would you like to speak with your mother?"
The child smiled widely as she looked up at him. She immediately unlatched her arm from his leg.
--- "Yes, please Cousin Stefan."
He handed her the phone.
--- "Here you go, my raven. Take as long as you like, but please be sure to remind your mother that she must pack a bag for you both."
Sam nodded and took the phone.
--- "Hi Mommy!"
Alexis' heart melted at the sound of the girl's sweet voice.
--- "Hi chipmunk! How are you? Are you having a good time with Cousin Stefan and Nikolas?"
Sam turned to look at her cousin who had returned to the coloring he had been doing with her and Nikolas.
--- "Yea, we went to the diner you took me to when you took me back from Evelyn, Mommy."
She remembered.
--- "And whose suggestion was that?"
Sam pointed to herself.
--- "Mine! I wanted to go someplace I liked and I knew—"
She whispered into the handset.
--- "…didn't have weird food."
Alexis laughed into the phone. Her daughter had an adorable personality; she wanted to just eat her up, or at the very least keep her that little forever.
--- "Yes, well I believe you chose well, sweetheart; the diner doesn't serve weird food. What did you have for breakfast?"
--- "Um, I got cereal—"
While Sam certainly loved cereal, Alexis knew Stefan would never have allowed her to have only that. In his mind, cereal was an inadequate meal… if one even had the nerve to refer to it as such.
--- "Baby, surely you ate more than cereal!"
Sam nodded as though her mother could see her.
--- "Cousin Stefan made me get scrambled eggs and toast! AND I had strawberries with whipped cream for dessert! Nikolas, of course, said he didn't like the food; he didn't even want to try, Mommy!"
Nikolas, having overheard his cousin on the phone, pouted in her direction.
--- "That isn't true, Samantha! I tried to eat the eggs, but they tasted fake! There was something wrong with them; Father also agreed! And strawberries aren't even in season yet! The ones you had were disgusting!"
Sam quickly stuck her tongue at him while Stefan's patted Nikolas on the head to calm him down. She returned to her conversation with Alexis.
--- "Mommy, he's listening to me talk to you! He's not supposed to do that!"
Nikolas quickly slipped off his chair to approach her.
--- "NO! Cousin Alexis said I mustn't listen to ADULT conversations, Samantha! You are a child, you don't count!"
Stefan, although amused by the banter Alexis had informed him occurred between the children while he was away, did not tolerate any form of rude behavior. His son's constant interruptions of his cousin's conversation were ill-mannered.
--- "Nikolas! Allow Samantha to speak with Cousin Alexis. Come sit down and finish your coloring with me. I believe Ares needs more gold for his armor."
The boy scowled at the girl before returning to his seat without argument.
Alexis could sense her daughter was gloating at the boy's mild scolding; she did not like that side of the child's personality. It reminded her too much of… No… she would not have him think he was getting to her. She took a deep breath before speaking; from the corner of her eye she could see him materialize. He would mock her soon enough. She did not want him to do so while she was on the line with her daughter.
--- "Samantha?"
Sam's ears burned; her mother only called her 'Samantha' when she was being serious, which typically meant she had done something bad.
--- "Yes Mommy?"
--- "I know you stuck your tongue out at Nikolas—"
Her eyes began to fill with tears at having been found out.
--- "I'm sorry, Mommy."
Alexis could hear the change in her daughter's voice; she did not want to dim her bright light.
--- "I forgive you, chipmunk; but you must apologize to Nikolas."
Sam nodded and turned to her younger cousin.
--- "I'm sorry Nikolas for sticking my tongue out at you. It was rude."
The boy looked up from his picture and smiled at her.
--- "It's quite alright, Samantha. I forgive you."
Alexis chuckled as she listened to the exchange. Despite the children's profound differences, they were the very best of friends. They reminded her of the relationship she shared with Stefan.
--- "I just want you to remember your manners, okay? It's not nice to stick your tongue out at people. Do you understand?"
Sam turned her back to her cousins; she did not want them to see her cry.
--- "Okay Mommy."
Alexis heard her baby sniffling.
--- "No tears, alright sweetheart?"
--- "Okay Mommy."
--- "That's my good girl. Now, what else did you do today?"
Sam wiped with her sleeve the final tears that fell to her cheek as she thought about the day's events.
--- "Um, we went to the museum."
Alexis rolled her eyes. Only Stefan would deem the museum a fun pastime for two children.
--- "And how did you like that?"
She once again whispered into the phone. Stefan snickered to himself as he heard every word; children were not the greatest whispers.
--- "I didn't, but don't tell Cousin Stefan that, Mommy; he and Nikolas liked it. Nikolas showed me all the Greek statues and they were all naked, Mommy! Uncle Stefan said that's art! That's not how they look in the coloring books he bought us- they have clothes on in those. I like that art better."
Alexis laughed at the girl's exclamation.
--- "I think I agree with you, chipmunk."
Sam continued her recount of the day.
--- "And Nikolas knew all their names. He's smart."
It was true. Nikolas was a highly intelligent. He had begun speaking when he was barely two years old. By the age of three, he had mastered not only Greek, but also spoke Russian fluently, and was quickly on his way to speaking English as a native. As it stood, and as was her last calculation, the boy should have been learning Italian; they decided to hold off on the French, as Stefan and Alexis wanted the ability to continue to have private conversations without the child's comprehension.
--- "And so are you honey. You're getting very good in Greek!"
She stated her final sentence in the language.
Sam smiled and continued to speak to her mother, but unconsciously so, in Greek.
--- "Uh-huh. And Agatha told me that I might be better than any other student she's had. She said I'm learning fast, Mommy!"
And she was. It astounded Alexis how quickly Sam had picked up the language despite only learning it for less than a month. However aside from the hour Agatha spoke to her in Greek each day, Alexis and Stefan did the same for most of the day; they each split their time. Where Alexis spoke to her in English in the morning, Stefan spoke in Greek; they switched roles in the evenings. Nikolas too, would join in the language by speaking to the girl in only Greek except when they argued; in such circumstances, he wanted her to understand every word her spoke. It seemed the immersion was working quite well.
--- "Mommy?"
--- "Yes, baby."
Sam bit her lip before speaking.
--- "Did you miss me today?"
Alexis looked over to Danny the Bear. If ever there were a more graciously received and cherished gift than the Statute of Liberty, it was this bear. Her daughter could not sleep without him near her. Alexis smiled at him.
--- "I missed you more than you can imagine, sweetheart."
The little girl smiled to herself making the dimples on her cheeks quite pronounced.
--- "I missed you too. I called you to tell you that, but you didn't pick up the phone. Cousin Stefan said you were probably sleeping and that's why you couldn't hear the phone. Did you have any bad dreams?"
She hated that her daughter knew so much.
--- "No baby; I slept just fine. I just missed you beside me, but Danny kept me company."
--- "Good! I told him to Mommy! And when you take a bath, you can borrow Duckbert! I told him to make sure to help you get all cleaned up."
The rubber duck was the second best gift she'd gotten the girl.
--- "I will chipmunk. Now, I'm going to get myself ready so I can come to you."
Sam jumped up in excitement. She did not think she would have been able to survive one more hour without her mother near; she missed her more terribly than she had even let on.
--- "Good."
Alexis heard her excitement. She, ignoring the freshly rotting corpse standing beside the drawer watching her every move, opened the girl's bottom drawer filled with pajamas.
--- "Which pajamas would you like for me to bring for you?"
She thought for a moment.
--- "Ariel please! And Mommy?"
Alexis, after grabbing a pair of sweats, t-shirt, and underwear for herself, picked out the pair of pajamas requested and threw them onto the bed with matching underwear. She walked into the closet to grab a duffle bag and an outfit for herself and for Sam.
--- "Yes baby?"
--- "Don't forget Danny, okay?"
She walked back to the bed with the bag. She smiled at the bear before placing him into the bag.
--- "I'd never forget him; he means too much to you. I'll see you soon, okay?"
--- "Okay. Bye Mommy, I love you."
--- "I love you too, chipmunk! Bye."
She hung up the phone and sat on her bed staring at her daughter's picture; she felt incredibly blessed. Unfortunately, Stavros approached her with thoughts set on ruining her happiness. With each step, his clothes threatened to slip from his emaciated and decaying body; he did not seem to notice. She, on the other hand, was repulsed at the thought that she might see the state of his flesh after the maggots and arms got to him.
--- "Please leave."
He moved to sit beside her, but she quickly moved to the spot near the dresser he had previously occupied. He shrugged at her dismissal.
--- "What a precocious little girl we have in little Samantha! But really Alexis, you must cut the umbilical cord! A Cassadine child should not be allowed to be so soft and attached to you. My goodness, that child is at your breast more than a nursing child! It's unnatural."
She threw her hairbrush at him. She missed.
--- "God Stavros; you are vile! If anyone spent an unnatural amount of time attached to his mother's teat it would be you! You were the biggest mama's boy I had ever seen. I'm quite certain she was nursing you until someone did us all the favor of killing your sorry ass!"
He laughed at her bravado.
--- "Such a voice on someone like you, Alexis. You know, Even in death I can still harm you, gumdrop. I suggest you keep that in mind when speaking so lowly about me. Now, I'm certain you want to shower prior to filthying yourself with the lot you call a family. Well, I suppose you all are made for each other after all. I'd stay and watch you undress, but for some reason your body no longer interests me—"
She wanted to vomit.
--- "It never should have! I was your cousin!"
He shrugged his shoulders before standing up from his spot. He shook his leg of the creatures that had attached themselves to it. She watched as they quickly scattered upon hitting the floor; she wondered if she would need to call an exterminator. Perhaps not; surely the bugs were as much of a figment of her imagination as he.
--- "Yes, well nevertheless it has gotten so… what is that word I'm looking for? Unattractive! Yes, that's it! Your body has gotten so unattractive since you had the little bastard. It's a shame, really; you have such a pretty face."
He smiled as he stood in front of her, pinning her against the wall. He pressed the side of his face most eaten by the bugs against her impeccable skin; he wanted her to feel the stinging of the bites he felt day in and day out.
--- "Leave me alone! Why can't you rest in peace? Why are you tormenting me like this?"
She felt as though the bugs crawling all around him had attached themselves to her as well. She could feel them making their way, with their numerous feet, down her shirt. She needed a shower.
--- "Because I can… because I won't dare let you forget what that child is and from whom she comes. There is nothing you can do to escape that reality. Despite what you say, you can't possibly love that girl… that thing… when you hate me so much. Whose personality do you think she has? Yours? Certainly not. She's all me, NATASHA. And you will ALWAYS remember that."
He forcefully grabbed her face and shoved his tongue down her throat sending maggots, worm-filled dirt, and all formed of animals that feasted on his body for dinner, crawling into her. She gagged to his touch, crying as she willed him out of her mind. He removed his tongue from her mouth and rested his forehead onto hers. He smiled at the sight of her tears; he licked them as they streamed down her cheeks.
--- "I'll see you soon, Spawn."
And then he was gone. She sunk to the floor in tears tearing her clothes off and throwing them across the room feeling as though the bugs might still be making their home in the fabric. If sleep did not rid her of his evilness, she wondered what could.
That evening, Mikkos walked into the library after a rather unproductive workday at his office expecting to see his wife awaiting the clock to hit the eight o'clock hour. He was shocked to find her missing. Well, missing was not exactly the appropriate word as he had not a clue as to where she was in their rather large home. However, in their thirty-two years, he had always found her, when he returned from his office, in the library either reading a book, doting on Stavros, or sneering in Stefan's direction. When he brought Alexis into his household, Helena could be found, on most nights, standing over the girl as she watched her write the most astounding and sometimes cruel lines: I will not inconvenience another family with my worthless waste of life.
He would have, and perhaps should have, put a stop to such punishment, but long ago he and his wife had designated the roles of the house: he was the breadwinner and she, the disciplinarian. In the way in which he would not allow her to overstep her boundaries in the spending of the money, he would not undermine her role as she ran the household. It was only fair.
He glanced at his watch; it was seven-thirty. He walked into the dining room wondering if the woman might be in there. It would have been odd for her to enter the room prior to the hour at which dinner was served, but she had a tendency to oversee the setting of her table when in a poor mood. She happened to be the servants' worse nightmare at such times.
--- "Good evening Christine."
The woman looked over to the man shocked that he was addressing her.
--- "Good evening sir."
He noticed that she had set the table for one. He frowned in her direction.
--- "What is the meaning of this? Why is there only one place-setting?"
Christine placed the final piece of silverware onto the table.
--- "Sir, Mrs. Cassadine is not here."
--- "It is seven-thirty; surely she will return for dinner."
The woman shook her head.
--- "No sir; she left early this morning with her luggage in hand. She asked that you be given this."
She handed him the letter that she had been keeping for him. He brusquely ripped it from her hands, angered that his wife would leave the house for God knows where without any mention to him. He tore the envelope open.
Mikkos,
Seeing as you were not manly enough to do as should have been done years ago, I have taken it upon myself to rectify the situation myself.
Lovingly Your Wife,
Helena
He read the letter three times over before storming from the room without another word spoken to the servant. He needed to make a phone call.
Sam held her picture of the Goddess Hera up for Stefan to see. She had colored the image with brown hair, red robes and matching nail polish, along with a golden crown. She smiled at her accomplishment.
--- "Look Cousin Stefan!"
The man looked across the table at his young niece's picture.
--- "My goodness Samantha, you are an artist! What a wonderful picture!"
The child nodded in agreement as she turned the image so that she could look at it herself.
--- "Thank you. It's for my Mommy."
Nikolas looked up from his coloring to look at his cousin's. He frowned slightly at the image.
--- "Samantha, those are not supposed to be roses in her hand. The Goddess Hera is known for the peacock; she is holding the feathers. You should have made it green and blue, not green and red."
Before Stefan could speak to his son about his criticism of his cousin's coloring, Sam spoke up in defense of herself.
--- "It doesn't matter what you think it's supposed to be NIKOLAS, my Mommy will like it because I made just for her! Besides, who holds feathers in their hands? That's stupid."
Nikolas groaned in annoyance at the girl as he resumed his coloring.
--- "If you want to give Cousin Alexis an incorrect picture, that's fine. I just thought you should know."
--- "I DON'T CARE!"
Sam threw her crayon onto the table and ran into the bedroom of the suite Stefan had told her she would be sharing with her mother that evening. She curled into a ball on the bed hoping her mother would arrive soon.
Stefan let out a sigh as he looked at his son who remained unphased by the way in which he had hurt the sensitive girl's feelings.
--- "Nikolas."
The boy's ears burned; he knew he had done wrong. He put his crayon down and looked over to his father.
--- "Yes Father?"
Stefan stared at the boy for a moment before speaking; it was as though he were looking at a fourteen year old young man rather than a five year old boy. It terrified him how mature his son could be; how he had raised his child, but allowed him to bypass such integral formative years as childhood. He envied Sam's innocence and wished it for Nikolas.
--- "That was uncalled for—"
Nikolas interrupted the man.
--- "But she did it wrong!"
Stefan put his hand up to stop the child from continuing to speak out of turn.
--- "Nikolas, what difference does it make whether or not Samantha believed the feathers to be roses, or whether she chose to paint them red instead of green? She has not corrected you on the colors you've chosen to depict Artemis or Ares—"
--- "That's because she couldn't, Father; she doesn't know the Greek Gods as I do! I just wanted to make sure that if she was giving Cousin Alexis a picture she had done that it was done appropriately and perfectly… just like her."
The man nodded as he leaned back into his chair. His son was jealous.
--- "You know son, your Cousin Alexis loves you."
The boy bowed his head.
--- "I know, Father. She told me that she did."
Stefan nodded in agreement. He tapped the boy's chin.
--- "Nikolas, look at me."
He lifted his son's head; there were tears welling in his eyes. Stefan took him by the hand and led him to the couch. He put his arm around the boy and held him close.
--- "What's troubling you, agoraki mou? Why are you so upset?"
Nikolas could not believe that he had been unable to keep his tears under control. Unfortunately, once they escaped from his tear ducts, there was no controlling them; they quickly rolled down his chubby cheeks.
--- "Nothing Father. I simply do not like it when the Gods are misrepresented."
The older man shook his head. Although they spoke in Greek, he switched to Russian; he did not want to risk the bright little girl listening to their conversation and misunderstand anything that might be said as she was quickly becoming fluent in the language. He would speak to her shortly.
--- "No, that isn't it. There is something more that is troubling you. Are you jealous of Samantha and her relationship with Cousin Alexis?"
Nikolas looked away from his father. For the first time, Stefan saw the five year old child in the boy emerge. He sighed.
--- "You know, son, Alexis has more than enough love to give to both you and Samantha—"
--- "But Samantha needs her more than I, Father! And she needs you! And Cousin Alexis needs you as well!"
Stefan finally understood.
--- "Are you feeling left out, Nikolas? Do you think that because Samantha is with us that you are not as loved by Cousin Alexis and me?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders.
--- "It's just that… it's… I don't know Father. I love Samantha, but I miss spending the afternoon with Cousin Alexis just by myself, or with you at the museum where we can make up stories about the paintings and the sculptures. I miss Cousin Alexis when we're away, but I miss her now that we're here too. I don't want Samantha to go away again and then be hurt, Father; I want her to stay with us forever—"
He sighed.
--- "I suppose I should learn to share."
Stefan kissed the top of the boy's head.
--- "That's my boy. Even though Samantha is going through a rough time right now, your feelings are still very important to me. I don't ever want you to feel as though because she needs me, that you cannot as well. You must never forget how much you are loved by me and also by Cousin Alexis. I am so very sorry for making you feel as though you mattered less than you do. I guess I have been spending much time with Alexis and Sam right?"
Nikolas nodded his head.
--- "I know how much they need you. I don't know, I just missed you when you went away, Father. And now you're back, but it isn't that same."
--- "That was my first trip without you, wasn't it?"
He nodded his head once again. Stefan knew he would and could never have taken his son to the Cassadine home. Therefore, he had to leave him behind.
--- "I'm so very sorry, my son. Well, seeing as Samantha and Alexis will be staying with us, it looks to me as though you and I will be roommates. I suppose that means we should watch manly movies and eat some of those chips I brought with me from Greece you love so much?"
Nikolas smiled widely before wrapping his arms around his father.
--- "That sounds wonderful, Father! May I apologize to Samantha now?"
Stefan kissed his son's forehead.
--- "Yes you may."
The boy hopped off of the couch. He ran to the table and grabbed the picture Sam had made for Alexis before making his way into his Father's room where the girl had escaped.
--- "Samantha?"
Sam turned her head away from the boy.
--- "Go away Nikolas."
He ignored her request and climbed onto the bed. He laid his hand onto her shoulder.
--- "Samantha, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. I think this is a lovely picture and I'd like to help you sign it for Cousin Alexis in Greek, if you like."
Speaking the language was one thing, writing was another; Sam might have attained high-level fluency in verbal communication, but she had found it difficult to write the language. She found the different characters confusing to master.
She turned to face him.
--- "You will?"
Nikolas held out the picture and a pencil to her.
--- "I think Cousin Alexis would love it."
She sat up and smiled at him.
--- "Thank you, Nikolas. I forgive you… but I still think those are flowers."
The little boy groaned at his cousin's doubt of his knowledge of the Greek Gods he adored. He decided not to bother arguing with the girl; he could always return the favor when she forced him to endure one of her fairy tale activities.
--- "Whatever you like, Samantha."
Stefan stood in the doorway smiling at the interaction between the children. His phone began to buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out; it was Mikkos. For the fourth time that day, he sent the man to voicemail; he would respond after speaking with Alexis.
He continued to watch the children as Nikolas helped the little girl, who looked so much like her mother, write a lovely note to the woman. He thought about the file and knew that in no way could it be fully accurate; Samantha was in every way his cousin's child.
She walked into the room in complete shock to see her waiting for her. She narrowed her eyes at the woman.
--- "Hmm… look at what the cat dragged in. I'm shocked to see you."
Helena rolled her eyes.
--- "You called me, did you not?"
Evelyn shook her head.
--- "I called you WEEKS ago! You left me sitting in there for WEEKS, Helena!"
The older woman scoffed in disgust at Evelyn's lack of gratitude. She very well could have allowed her to remain in the prison cell. But for the smallest sense of obligation she paid the woman's bail, she would have let her rot there until the backlog of pending trials in that God-awful state was resolved and her case was finally tried.
--- "One would think you'd be a bit more grateful seeing as I'm getting you out of this filth, but I suppose it isn't much different than the place you call home."
Evelyn eyed the woman what truly brought about the change of heart. Whatever it was, it could not have been good.
Please stay tuned for Part Two (Contingent on this site upon reviews). In the meantime, please review! I'm SURE you've questions! LOL.