Anyone who knows me knows that I am not one to typically back down from anything. I hold firm to the ground that I have decided to take. However, as some of you took this decision quite strongly and after discussions via PM and openly (I am concerned only with those who left mature replies), I've decided to continue to post the fic. Although I still vehemently disagree with those who never review, I do see the other side's viewpoint as well. As a person with a voice and quite opinionated (likes AND dislikes), it is not easy for me to understand how people do not have the same desire to share their thoughts. As long as its respectfully done, I am all for giving a full opinion. I do not need a pat on the back. If you hate something, say it. You're entitled to your opinion here; being quite thick skinned, I welcome it.

That said, was it mean to pull the story as I did right in the middle? I do not think so, but I can see why many of you felt as though it was. While I remain unapologetic, I will say that I am a bit more understanding.

Truce.

UNEDITED.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Poison

First wrapping herself, then Sam, in a towel, Alexis lifted the girl into her arms. Carefully stepping out, she leaned against the bathroom wall for a moment; she needed to find the words and the strength to pull herself together. She needed to figure out her next move… figure out how she would keep Sam from falling apart alongside her… figure out how she would keep herself from breaking further into millions of irreparable pieces because in seeing her child afraid of taking a simple breath, she knew they could not continue to live in such a way. She could not do this to her daughter.

- "Do you… do you feel better, baby?"

Sam, who had once again rested her head onto her mother's shoulder, passed her finger along the woman's arm. Seeing the discoloration forming from where she had bitten her, she began to cry. She hated that she had hurt the person who, in spite of the fear that she at times unintentionally caused to fill her, had given her such joy. She did not deserve it.

- "I'm sorry, Mommy."

Setting Sam onto the bathroom counter, Alexis gave her a kiss on the top of her freshly washed head. Using her thumbs to wipe her fallen tears, she cupped her hands around her daughter's face as she then placed a gentle kiss onto her button nose.

- "Mommy isn't mad at you. She knows that you were scared. Okay?"

She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand as she tearfully nodded.

- "Can we…"

Having a request, but already knowing the answer, with a sigh, Sam turned away from the woman.

- "Forget it."

Alexis, however, bent to look into her eyes.

- "Honey, what is it? Tell Mommy."

Raising them to meet the loving ones belonging to her mother, Sam felt the tears once again begin to well.

- "I know you said no, but… can we… can we go hoooome? Plee-eease? He scares me… and you're… you're… scary here, too."

She whispered the final part of her statement knowing how painful the words would be to her mother… but they were true.

- "I don't wanna stay here anymore, Mommy. I just wanna go home!"

In spite of Alexis' continuous tears, sudden gasps of fright, when unbeknownst to the child Stavros had appeared and attempted to touch the woman, and cries for help in her sleep, Sam had never before feared her. The girl, having nightmares and torments of her own, simply thought the woman's own distress overwhelmed her. Where she would uncontrollably urinate on herself, her mother cried and showered more times than the average person; it was normal. But what had happened that night was not; and it terrified her more than words could ever truly convey. She could not continue to stay somewhere that brought about such terrifying actions in her mother. She was afraid of enough things, she could not also be afraid of her.

- "Please."

Alexis let out a sigh knowing that after everything that had occurred that night, for the sake of Sam's emotional stability, she could not deny her request. Regardless of the bad memories the apartment might have held, the trauma she had just suffered was nothing in comparison. Her fears had worsened; they were debilitating. They had to leave.

- "Ok, but—"

Grabbing another towel, she dried Sam's wet hair as she nodded.

- "—we'll go first thing in the morning. We can't leave tonight. Okay? As soon as we wake up in the morning, we'll go home."

While she would have preferred to leave that instant, she accepted her mother's compromise with a hug; after all, the night scared her… it scared them both.

- "Thank you, Mommy."

Alexis kissed the top of her head as she lifted her from the counter and into her arms.

- "You're more than welcome, chipmunk; I would do anything for you, you know that. Now, let's get into our pajamas, okay?"

Knowing they were returning to the scene of the crime, Sam tightened her hold around her mother as she buried her face into the woman's neck.

- "Baby, it's okay—"

Shaking her head, Sam tearfully looked at the woman.

- "You wont leave me? You'll stay with me even after I go back to sleep? You won't let him take me?"

She wondered when the time would come when she would not have to consistently reassure her daughter. She prayed for the day when they could finally be a normal mother and daughter.

- "He's not coming to take you."

- "You promise?"

Walking back into their bedroom, Alexis was shocked to find the mirror that had unlocked every door to her memory, shattered. It was as though the structure in which the false memories and the lies she had been told, had finally collapsed from the weight of the realization that most everything she had thought about the people in her life was a lie. Knowing what she now knew, however, she knew Stefan… her beloved brother… had been the culprit; he had, in a rage of emotion, shattered the mirror. She wondered if he knew. She wondered if his own mirror had come apart… or would she have to do it for him.

- "Baby, I will not leave you for a single minute. He will not hurt or take you. I'm sorry he scared you like that."

Shamefully, tears rolled down the girl's eyes.

- "I had an accident on him."

She could not say she was shocked… and secretly, she was happy; it served him right. But, she could imagine how mortified her daughter had been by the act; it was a horrible déjà vu, except with a complete stranger.

- "Oh baby, don't worry about it. I promise you that he isn't a bad man. He's not going to be mad because he probably knows how much he scared you."

- "Promise?"

She believed every word she told her daughter; her uncle was not the culprit. It was true; Mikkos had his faults, but just as the rest of them were, he was a creature of circumstance… horrible circumstance. He did what he could and what he thought was right. She could no longer fault him because she realized he had only wanted to protect them.

- "I do, chipmunk; I promise you that he isn't mad. – Now, I'm going to put you on the bed, okay? I don't want you to get off of it because there's broken glass on the floor."

Sam nodded.

- "But you won't leave, right?"

As she carried Sam to the bed, Alexis thought of ways she could reassure her. It was a lot to ask, she knew; but she needed her daughter to believe in her.

- "Honey—"

She sat her on her lap. Running her fingers through Sam's dark and still damp hair, she continued.

- "No. I'm just going to go right over there."

She pointed across the room where their bags sat underneath and on top of the desk. It was a mere ten feet from where they sat, but to Sam, it seemed like a mile. Noticing her trepidation, Alexis gave the girl a squeeze.

- "It'll be less than one minute, chipmunk. I'm going to grab our pajamas and then you're going to be a big girl and change into yours by yourself while Mommy does the same. Okay?"

Tightly shutting her eyes, Sam clutched her mother's towel as she leaned into her.

- "What if he comes in when you're over there? You might fall down again and Cousin Stefan, he won't be able to help you. Mommy, don't go… please."

Seeing her daughter continuing to regress further into herself, Alexis decided to put an end to the power the past had taken over their lives. Because of… him… she was broken and abused. And because of that, she was witnessing a downward shift in her six-year-old's already emotional state. He had caused not only her to be damaged, but her baby girl, as well. The cycle needed to end. Seeing Sam, even at her tender age, struggle to gain some form of independence away from her, Alexis resigned herself to finally pick up the pieces of their lives, dysfunctional as they might have been, and fix them… both.

- "Honey, come on, open your eyes. It's just you and me here."

Sam slowly did as she was told; tears once again welled in her eyes.

- "Mommy, I'm scared when you leave me."

Covering Sam's face with kisses, Alexis rocked her in her arms. The stagnant state of permanent dependence in which she had allowed her daughter to remain proved dangerous to her well-being; the house of cards Mikkos had built for them had finally collapsed. The problem was that they were caught underneath the rubble; they were suffocating. Unless she pulled them out, they would surely die. The past had already taken too much from her; it would not take her child for a second time.

- "But, I'm not leaving you, chipmunk. I'm just going to quickly get our pajamas. Okay?"

- "Not a long time?"

She shook her head.

- "You can count to one hundred, right chipmunk?"

The girl slowly nodded her head as she once again reached for her mother's locket.

- "In English and Greek, Mommy."

Removing the necklace for the first time since she could remember, Alexis placed it around Sam's neck. She remembered her parents and the glimmers of the short time they had had together. While she had spent eighteen years without the woman's love, her beautiful spirit had remained; with every snuggle and kiss she shared with her daughter, beyond death, her mother did the same to her. The thought and the memory of the woman made her smile through the tears that filled her own eyes.

- "That's because you're my smart girl! Mommy is so proud of you! But you know what, baby?"

Resting her head against her mother's chest as she fiddled with the locket, Sam shook her head.

- "I'm going to be back by your side before you even reach one hundred! Okay?"

Not having any other choice but to trust her, Sam let out a sigh as she slowly moved Alexis' lap.

- "Okay."

Standing, Alexis bent forward and gave her a kiss on the top of the head.

- "That's my big girl. Now, make sure you stay on the bed."

As she moved to the bags, Sam, having finally opened the locket on her own, called out to her.

- "Mommy?"

- "Hmm?"

Staring at the pictures for a moment, she finally looked at the woman as she rummaged through the bag in search of their pajamas.

- "Can I have Belle, please?"

And the irony of the moment was that the child had no idea how fitting such a selection had been; for Belle had fallen in love with a beast.

- "Of course you can, baby."

Placing his hands onto Nikolas' shoulders, Stefan led the boy to their guest. Bending to kiss the top of his son's head, he stared at the man he had for thirty-four years known to be his cold, disinterested, and uncaring father. And now, he was his cold, disinterested, and uncaring uncle.

- "Father, I would like you to meet my son, Nikolas. Nikolas, this is your grandfather, Mikkos."

Being a miniature replica of his father, the young boy extended his hand to the man.

- "Hello Grandfather. It is a pleasure to meet you."

While, on occasion, he had inquired about the boy, Mikkos had never before seen him; after he had born, Stefan, taking Alexis with them, whisked him from the hospital and into their own home some miles away. Never a day had come when Stefan would bring the child to his parents; and in turn, not once had the unhappy couple requested a visit.

Seeing the gentlemanly manners instilled into the tall child he knew to be five year old, Mikkos gently, but firmly, shook his hand.

- "And you as well, Nikolas. You are quite handsome."

Dressed in a dark navy blue robe covering his striped light blue pajamas, Nikolas smiled gratefully.

- "Thank you, sir."

Mikkos was in awe of the boy's beauty that belonged not to the Cassadine family, but instead to his mother. Staring from Nikolas back to Stefan, the truth smacked him in the face; another brick had fallen from the unsteady structure that was his family's home.

- "He looks every bit like his mother, and still—"

Without allowing him to complete his statement, Stefan smirked at the man.

- "Well, she was in fact quite beautiful. I thank God my son inherited every ounce of her beauty. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to prepare Nikolas a snack. Would you care for anything… Mikkos?"

Before he could respond, however, a knock was heard at the door. Stefan frowned at the late hour visitor, but nevertheless passed his hand over his son's head as he went to respond.

Opening the door slightly, he saw the hotel's security guard standing at the other side of the threshold. He was not surprised to find him there.

- "Good evening, sir."

The man attempted to push the door so that he could see the cause of the noise about which the guests had complained, but Stefan held firm; he had not reserved the most expensive suite along with two others for the children's tutor and Nikolas' nanny, for the worker to invade his space. As calm as he normally was, Stefan did not appreciate disrespect, especially from a subordinate.

- "How may I help you?"

The guard narrowed his eyes.

- "There've been complaints about noise."

Not wanting the man in his family's business, Stefan shook his head in ignorance.

- "Really? Hmm—"

- "Screams and cries, arguments… things being broken. Is everything alright in there?"

Without any indication of invitation into his temporary home, Stefan opened the door a little more so that the man could see there was nothing of concern. The last thing they needed was for the authorities to be involved.

- "I assure you sir, that we are all well. One of the children suffers from night terrors; she awoke in a fit of screams, but as you can see, we have it all under control. However, if it will appease your guests, I will gladly cover the expense for their stay here. Please extend our sincerest apologies to them. Good night."

Taken aback by the gentleman's stern, yet polite apology, the guard simply nodded and returned to the elevator; he would inform the front desk of Stefan's olive branch.

- "Well, that was rather simple."

Closing the door, he turned his attention back to his son and… uncle.

- "Nikolas, how does some toast and a glass of milk sound? Will that sustain you until morning?"

Having taken a seat on the couch as he watched his father speak with the guard, Nikolas stood upon his father addressing him.

- "Yes, Father."

Stefan handed two glasses to the boy.

- "I suppose I shall join you. Our dinner was rather… bland, don't you think? A certain embarrassment to the Greeks, yes?"

Nikolas quickly placed them onto the table before returning to the kitchen for the butter and butter-knife for their toast, as well as the pitcher of milk.

- "I'm still sorry I chose that restaurant. Is Samantha still sick?"

Watching the father and son so comfortably interact with one another, Mikkos could not help but feel a sense of regret that he not only never attempted to engage a young Stefan, but that he played no role in the way he turned out. This man, he had known since conception, was not his son; and in spite of the way he had fought for his life, he nevertheless allowed this knowledge to dictate their relationship. Bitterness filled him.

- "Samantha was ill?"

As his father had done, the boy stood beside him with his hands in his robe pockets. He admired the man more than anyone in the world; he hoped to grow up to be just like him.

- "Yes Grandfather. I wrongly believed that a restaurant in the States might have good food. It did not. Samantha vomited after dinner. I believe she might be upset with me. Do you think she is, Father?"

Noticing that his father… uncle… he had to remember that… and yet he could not, continued to stare at them, Stefan found himself growing increasingly more uncomfortable. It was still a reality that he had not fully been able to grasp. How could he have been so hated, and yet the product of an affair? Why were they both, he and his… sister… hated?

- "No son, she is not, but she might not be herself in the morning; just know that it is not because she is cross with you. Alright?"

The boy had grown accustomed to his cousin's emotional state; she was a girl, after all.

- "Perhaps Cousin Alexis can watch a fairy tale movie with her? I suppose if it will make her feel better, I can join them. I won't tell her how stupid they are."

Stefan laughed at his son's remark; his decision to move to the states was one of his better ones. He could see with every day Nikolas spent with Samantha how wonderful of an influence she was on him. She made him more social, even if it was with only her, and more like a five year old, than thirty year old man.

- "That's because you are a wonderful cousin, agoraki mou. Now, let's eat so that we can return to bed. – Mikkos, have you reserved a place for the night? Actually, how long will you be staying in the States?"

Mikkos knew that he had neglected to inform both Alexis and Stefan of Helena's presence somewhere in the State, but he had already put enough at their doorsteps for the night; seeing as she had yet to make her presence known to them, it did not seem likely she would arrive earlier than the next day. He would speak to them in the morning when things had hopefully calmed.

- "No, in my… haste, I neglected to do so. However, I will go down to the front desk and reserve one right—"

Stefan held up his hand in protest. As disgusted as he was with the man, he was better than him; his chivalry would always trump his repulsion.

- "No, that's quite alright. You may take Nikolas' room—"

Knowing the suite had only two bedrooms, Mikkos objected; he would not put the man out further than he had his entire life.

- "I cannot accept—"

- "Believe me, I have somewhere else I would like to be tonight. Please take the room; I insist."

Watching the man he should have treated as his son rather than a memory of what should never have been, Mikkos reluctantly nodded.

- "Fine, but only for a night. If I remain longer than a day, I will reserve a room."

Stefan simply nodded his head as he turned his attention back to his son; he could not think past the evening to concern himself with what reason the man would have to remain longer than a day. His life had been turned upside-down; yet at the same, the way he had always imagined it to be.

For every moment she was unable to be on the road to clean the taint from her son's memory, she felt a heavier weight of despair fill the part of her heart where she continued to hold him dear. She lied on the bed feeling as though her world were spinning about her, but she could not catch up to it. Everything was moving too fast, and yet too slow. Things she had wished were gone, had thought gone, and never to reappear again, had… resurrected. Why could that not have been the case for her son? Why did he have to die? They, her family… the thought made her sick to her stomach… no, they were merelythe people she was made to share dwelling (not even a home)… they thought only ill-thoughts of him in life, and cursed him even in death; but, they never understood him. He, her husband, never allowed them to; he kept it all hidden on the top of that rickety shelf filled with their family secrets.

Flashback

- "I don't want you to leave again."

He stopped packing his overnight bag to walk over to her. She was fidgety and clearly upset; he had never seen her act in such a way.

- "Layna, I am only leaving for a day. I will return in the morning."

He was leaving for a series of afternoon meetings in the States. He would board his private jet in less than hour, fly across the Atlantic Ocean for seven hours, attend five or so hours of meetings, then, as promised, he would return to her and their son. It had been, despite the heaviness in hours and the toll it would take on his body, discussed and planned that way. Being a man of his word, he would return to her as requested.

She shook like a leaf in his arms.

- "Come on, darling; what is going on with you?"

But she could not tell him. She could not tell him for fear that he might kill his brother; he was the only family her husband had left. She would not put the misguided young man's blood onto her husband's hands.

- "Please, Mikkos? Don't leave. Have one of your partners go in your place. Stay with Stavros and me. We can… we can… go back to the beach house for the weekend. You know how much he loves that, and we haven't been back since Andreus arrived. We can—"

The more she spoke… pleaded… with whom, the more worried he became. His wife was, on a normal day, tough as nails; nothing frightened the woman. And yet, there she stood before him, white as a sheet and on the brink of a breakdown. This was not normal.

- "Sweetheart, you know that I cannot do that; at least not today. As the president of Cassadine Industries, I have to attend these meetings—"

Hearing his refusal, she pulled away from his arms. All he did was leave her; if it were not one week, it was the two weeks after that. She spent more time alone than in his arms. Their son did not know him, not the way he should have known his father. And Mikkos did not know Stavros. As deeply as she loved the man, their home was no longer a home; it was a house, filled with strangers.

- "Fine."

And as much as she needed him to know… to know… she could not find the words.

- "Just go."

End of Flashback

As she lied in the bed, curled into a ball with tears streaming down her face as she waited for daybreak, she wished she had. That night had changed everything.

The evening's emotions had taken its toll on her. Her body not only physically ached, but it was physically exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to have sleep find her, but her daughter's continued awaken state put an end to any such thought. She could not very well shut her eyes and drift into another universe where her world was far less complicated, when the person for whom her world existed remained trapped in their horrible day.

- "Close your eyes, chipmunk."

They had lied in bed for twenty minutes, but in spite of her obvious exhaustion, Sam had refused to make any effort to fall back asleep. Although Alexis had promised her that she would not leave her side for a moment, the child still could not bring herself to face the nightmares that would undoubtedly taunt her; she knew they would worse that night than ever before. She was terrified… of wake… of sleep… of everything.

- "I don't want to."

Laying her head on her mother's chest as she held Danny close to her, she looked up at the woman.

- "Evelyn—"

Alexis shook her head.

- "Baby, she's only in your dream; she's not coming anywhere near you. And remember what you told me earlier tonight? Huh?"

She ran her fingers through Danny's plush fur, as she nodded her head. She whispered her response so that no one, invisible or otherwise, would hear her.

- "You make her go away."

Rocking the girl gently in her arms, Alexis gently caressed the girl's tiny arm. With every movement, she could feel her relaxing; the tension of the evening began to lift from her petite body.

- "That's right, sweetheart. She will not hurt you. She will not touch you. It's just a horrible dream of a horrible person, but you have me to save you… always. And you have Cousin Stefan, too. You trust him, right?"

She did. He had proved that night, when her mother was unable, that he would be there for her. He had earned a place of complete trust with her.

- "Uh-hmm. Danny does, too. And Nikolas… and you, right Mommy? You're not mad at him anymore?"

She thought about the man who had, before Sam's arrival, held the largest piece of her heart. He had, without any cause or reason- that she had known of at the time, immediately taken her under his own fragile wing. He, a twelve-year-old boy, had befriended a terrified and shy four year old. He made her feel as though he were the only friend she would ever need in life. And in truth, he was the only friend that she had ever wanted.

- "I can never stay mad at him, chipmunk. No matter what."

Sam looked up at her mother. The look of fear and craze that had covered the woman's face had disappeared. Instead, she could see, despite the nap she had taken earlier in the day, a fatigue not from a desire to sleep, but… oh, what did she know? She was only a child.

- "You scared him, too."

She leaned forward to give the girl a kiss on her forehead. She was too smart for her own good.

- "I know."

While she wanted to stop for she saw the pain the night had caused the woman, she could not. She was afraid to close her eyes for fear that it would happen again… and again… and it already had. This was just the worst of them all. And that scared her most of all.

- "You were crying a lot."

She wanted to stop the girl from speaking about the horrible night, but she could not; she could not allow Sam, as Mikkos had done to her, to repress it. It happened. And they would work through the pain together. There would be no more hiding.

- "Mommy was very sad. She was remembering something very bad that happened to her."

Sam traced the letters in the woman's t-shirt as she continued to gather her thoughts. Her mother had crawled about the room like a wounded animal, screaming and pleading for the one person she claimed to trust so deeply, not to touch her, and to get away from her. The woman had become something that she, in her six years of life, could not grasp. The word possessed had not yet found its way into her bilingual vocabulary.

- "Why… why did you… take all your clothes off? Cousin Stefan tried to stop you, but you wouldn't listen, Mommy. He was looking at you… and… and then… and then he started crying, too."

If she broke again, who would save her from Evelyn? From Stefan's daddy?

- "Nikolas said Cousin Stefan's not scared of anything, Mommy; but… but you scared him."

She tightly squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears. She was afraid that if she broke… if she allowed even a single tear from escaping, guilt would fill her daughter. And it would handicap the girl into total repression, further regression, and complete regret. Despite the pain of every word, statement, and unanswerable question posed to her, Alexis took a breath as she concentrated on her love for her child, rather than the shame that filled her.

- "I… I … know. I didn't mean to scare you or to scare Stefan, or make him cry, sweetheart. Mommy was just… she was just… scared, too. She… I… I was…"

And then she looked into the girl's confused eyes. How could she explain to a six year old child that all that she had believed in her life had been a lie? How could she tell the girl that the reason she existed was due to a desire of an insane man-child's loyalty to his mother? How could she tell her beautiful little girl that the blood that ran through her veins was concentrated with venom? There was so much she wanted to tell her daughter to help her understand, but she could not. As terribly as Sam wanted to know, and perhaps even help, her, it was not her place to shoulder such a burden.

- "Um… do you remember when you had casts on your arms and your leg?"

Of course she did.

- "Uh-hmm."

Taking Sam's free hand, not the one that gripped Danny, but instead the one had used to trace the letters of her Yale t-shirt, and gently kissed it.

- "And do you remember how Cousin Stefan used to call your arms broken wings?"

As Sam slowly nodded, she continued.

- "Well, right now, baby, Mommy is… she's a little broken too—"

- "But you don't have a cast, Mommy. You can take a bath."

Alexis let out a laugh as she took her daughter's face into her hands and gave her a kiss.

- "No, chipmunk, Mommy doesn't have a cast. And I know that it's a little bit confusing, but she's… she's broken on the inside."

- "Oh—"

Knowing the pain of a broken bone, Sam immediately attempted to move away from her mother, but Alexis held her firm in place. Sam was her cast.

- "It's okay, sweetheart; you're not hurting me."

She smiled in relief as she comfortably relaxed in her mother's arms.

- "Where are you broken?"

Everywhere.

- "Oh, I don't… um… I guess… I guess my heart."

Seeing the look of terror in the girl's face, she quickly continued.

- "But, don't worry about Mommy, chipmunk; with you, and Nikolas, and Cousin Stefan, she doesn't feel so broken. She just needs… I need—"

Understanding in her innocent way, Sam finished her mother's sentence.

- "You need to get better? Like my arms and leg?"

She could see the sleep finally beginning to entire her tiny body. She hoped her night would not be riddled with nightmares for she had already given her one in her reality; her daughter deserved peace. Willing Sam's heavy eyes shut, Alexis caressed the girl's cheek.

- "Exactly like that, baby. Mommy just needs to get better… and she will. She promises you that. Everything will be better."

He watched as the man began to clear the dishes he and his son had dirtied while enjoying their snack. He was so good with the boy, a true father, one that he had never before witnessed; Mikkos wondered from where he had learned such caring and tenderness. It certainly was not from him.

- "May I help you with anything?"

Stefan tapped Nikolas as he pointed to the couch. As much as he hated Alexis' poor habit of falling asleep on a seat meant for visitors, he could see his son was succumbing to his exhaustion.

- "Go rest while I finish here, Nikolas; we'll go to bed shortly."

Not needing to be told twice, the boy immediately stood and sat on the couch. Stefan then turned to the man who had, for thirty years, claimed to be his father.

- "It's quite alright, thank you. You are my guest… of sorts… after all."

After placing the dishes into the dishwasher, he walked into Nikolas' bedroom to retrieve a few items he would need in the morning; Mikkos, of course, followed him.

- "I just want you to know—"

It was late, he was tired, and he needed time.

- "If you'll excuse me, Mikkos, but I cannot deal with this right now; I need to get my son to bed, and I need to check on my sister and niece."

As dejected as Mikkos felt in the cold hotel suite, he knew it was own doing. Despite how well-intentioned he might have been, nothing would make up for the effects his mistakes had had on the children. They had carried the burden of a past for which they were neither present nor responsible because he… he… he did not confront the past in its presence.

- "I'm sorry."

Walking towards the door, with a nod, Stefan turned to look at him.

- "Good night, sir."

And while the man clearly felt he no longer could call him father, Mikkos could see the ice that had formed between them from the moment of his birth, slightly thaw. He could not ask for more.

- "Good night, Stefan."

He walked back into the living room holding his son's toothbrush and a change of clothing for the next day. He placed the items onto the dining room chair before walking over to where Nikolas soundly slept. Sitting on the coffee table, he simply watched him. He watched as his long eyelashes fluttered, his lips pursed slightly, and his button nose flared slightly with each breath he took. While he was handsome in his waking hours, Nikolas was, as he slept, a beautiful boy; as it should have been, inside and out, he was every ounce his mother.

- "Alright, Agoraki mou—"

However, rather than wake him from his slumber, Stefan carefully lifted the mature boy into his arms. He felt as his son comfortably shifted his body into him, wrapping his arms around his neck, and resting his head onto his shoulder. Given the events of that evening, with his son in his arms, he finally felt somewhat at peace.

- "… time for bed"

He slowly walked toward the door where his newfound, but ever present, sister slept. Knocking softly, he waited for a response.

- "Come in, Stefan."

He smiled to himself as he opened the door; she knew him just as well as he knew her. Even the simple way in which he rapped on her door, or how she double blinked whenever tired, they could read each other better than anyone else ever could. Yet despite such a connection, neither picked up the reason. While both realized how hated they truly were by the people with whom they were forced to live, neither had ever attempted to learn why. And even though his mother, on countless occasions, had called him a bastard, unwanted, and even a monster, he had never realized what he was. But now, it made sense.

- "Hi."

She lied on the bed holding a sleeping Sam in her arms. She held his niece the way she should have: as her mother. He admired the way Alexis protected the girl at all costs, even at the detriment of her own well-being. She put her daughter before all; and although he had always done so, that night, he admired her more than anyone else in the world.

- "Hi back."

Seeing as he held a sleeping Nikolas in his arms, she knew their uncle had remained; her brother, even in his anger, was always a gentleman. Careful not to wake her own child, Alexis scooted over to one end of the King sized bed.

- "Need a place to rest your head… brother?"

Already on shaky ground since witnessing her breakdown, the typically strong man found himself, in that moment, unable to say another word. Instead, as a tear rolled down his face, he simply nodded.

- "Stefan—"

Knowing that she would offer him words of comfort, he shook his head.

- "Don't… please… Alexis."

Not wanting to upset him any further, she stopped speaking. It- whatever he knew- was a lot to take in; she did not want to speak more than she should have… just in case.

- "I'm sorry."

He gently put Nikolas onto the bed before slipping in. He watched as Alexis reached over and ran her finger over his face; despite his strong resemblance to his mother, the boy still had some features shared with his slightly older cousin. Stefan knew, when he had taken them both from the Cassadine home, that Nikolas would provide her some comfort in the loss of her daughter. He was right.

- "You… have nothing to feel… sorry for, darling. Nothing."

As she had done, he turned onto his side so that he could look at her for what felt like the very first time.

- "I should have known."

He reached over and held her hand as they locked eyes with one another finally realizing the connection that had drawn them to one another: he was her brother and she, his sister. From the moment he had met her, he had had an inherent need to protect and shield her from harm. For twelve years, he had known the pain and loneliness of living in a loveless home… and then there she was.

- "How didn't we know? How didn't we see it?"

A four year old girl had, with a single tear rolling down her cheek as she was left standing in the library, brought light into his dark world. She was, at that time, the greatest gift he had ever been given… but, as he stared at her holding onto her traumatized daughter while still attempting to keep her own sanity, he knew that he had been the worst gift she had ever received. And for that, he was…

- "I'm sorry."

But for his existence, she would not have been brought to the Cassadine home. She would have been able to stay with the people who had loved her more than themselves. She would have been with people who had wanted her. She would have been happy, normal, and flawlessly whole. If he had not existed, she would have been… perfect, or at least as close to perfection as she could have possibly achieved. She would have been better off not knowing him, than being his companion.

- "I'm so sorry, Alexis."

Her heart broke to see the man who had been her rock for most of her life harbor guilt over something over which he had no control. She wanted to tell him that he was not to blame, that he too was an innocent, but there was no point; he needed to feel whatever it was he was feeling. The Novocain Mikkos had given them their entire lives to numb the pain of the past, needed to wear off; they needed to begin to feel.

- "It's not your fault. It's not."

Holding onto her sleeping daughter with one hand, she stared into her brother's eyes for the first time, with the memories filling her brain, seeing a resemblance she had never once known. Just as she looked like her father, he did as well. And like she had been, he was hated for it.

- "I love you, Stefan… my big, wonderful, handsome, brother."

But, the difference between them was that she finally knew why. Having experienced such a surge of emotion, later quelled by that of love, she finally understood. Lying on the large bed, each of them holding the people who meant more to them than their own lives, poisoned blood flowed through their veins, connecting them forever.

- "I am so blessed to have you."