The Missing Link

Chapter Two

"Michael and Andrea slept together." Kristina told Spinelli, folding her arms under her chest and looking straight at him, dark eyes fixed intently on green ones.

Spinelli nodded and pointed to a chair for Kristina to take a seat. "I know. Drea told me that she did. She was afraid that she'd messed up and slept with your boyfriend because she could hear you two talking on the phone."

"I just can't believe that my brother and your sister---who no one even knows about, by the way---actually had sex." She shook out her dark hair as she leaned back into the chair and crossed her slender legs, setting her hands on her lap.

"The Jackal can hardly believe it either. I mean...I never even expected to see my sister again." His eyes flickered down to the floor and he looked at the Converse sneakers that he wore on his feet.

Kristina shifted in her seat uncomfortably and chewed on her bottom lip. "Andrea mentioned that you two weren't allowed to see one another." She commented softly, swallowing hard as she awaited his reaction.

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"Michael...hey." Andrea said, giving him a nervous smile that flitted from her lips almost immediatly. A small hand went to run over her braid as she stared at the young, blond man infront of her. "What are you doing here?"

The young man shrugged and averted his eyes from her. "I'm here to visit my Grandpa Mike and to get some lunch."

"Oh." Her voice squeaked out pitifully as she began to chew on her nails, a sign of just how out of her element she felt.

"Look...I am so sorry for taking advantage of you last night. I don't blame you for leaving." Michael said, licking his parched lips and shuffling his feet.

Andrea's eyebrows rose dangerously. "What?" She hissed out, green eyes widening at his words. "You didn't take advantage of me!" She denied with a forceful shake of her head. Where was he even getting such an idiotic idea from? She took a deep breath to calm herself and then said, "Look...I was there too. I could've stopped it just as well as you could've---but I didn't want to. That's the thing Michael."

He met her familiar green eyes with his blue ones. "Yeah...but still. I never even learned your last name or got to know you really before we were---" He trailed off, his pale cheeks turning a bright shade of pink as he thought of what had occured between them the night before in that hotel room.

"Listen...how about we start over, okay? A totally fresh start? We can pretend like last night never happened---and if we so choose---once we get to know eachother---we can do whatever we want." She told him carefully, before she held out her hand. "Hi, I am Andrea . Who are you?" She asked of him playfully yet nervously, eyes sparkling.

His eyes widened at the fresh chance she was giving him. He took her hand in his carefully, her small hand disappeared in his own. "Nice to meet you Andrea. I'm Michael Corinthos."

Drea grinned and nodded torwards a table. "You wanna sit down and get something to eat? We can talk if you want."

Michael nodded positively and took a seat across from her at the table that she'd led him to. He was glad for this. It seemed that since he'd awakened from his year long coma, he'd been ruining everything. Atleast something was going right. Atleast he didn't ruin a chance of a friendship or even a romance with this mysterious girl by sleeping with her.

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Spinelli's eyes squeezed shut tightly as he remembered the night he and his sister were seperated. They'd spent the night at a group home after their last set of foster parents had been arrested. Andrea had finally had enough one night after she'd seen them hold him down and pressed a hot iron against his chest, burning it. She'd called the police once they'd left the closet that they'd locked the two children in. Andrea had seen alot of things happen. Things that he'd protected her from. He'd taken the broken glass in his arms and hands for her. He'd taken beatings for her and he let himself go hungry for her. That next morning at the group home, he'd watched his sister be taken away---still screaming for him, telling him she didn't want to go with these strange people. But he'd known that his sister needed parents. And Tony and Sue Roswell could provide that. He'd let himself lose the only family that he knew of at the time for Andrea's own good.

"Spinelli?" Kristina's voice was full of concern as her hand fluttered up to caress his face.

His eyes shot open and met a pair of concerned brown ones. "No." He muttered breathlessly. "We were never allowed to see one another or talk to one another. Every letter written was a secret between us. Every email. Only our granny knew. The Jackal was always so afraid that she'd end up accidentally calling Sue and Tony and telling them but she never did."

The teenage girl's eyes filled with tears at his words and she leaned in to hug him, slender arms wrapping around him in a comforting hug. "I am so sorry. I couldn't imagine not being allowed to see or talk to my brothers." She whispered in his ear.

Spinelli hugged her back, clinging to the young girl as if she were his lifeline. "It's good that you don't have to think about it. Your parents really love you."

Kristina giggled bitterly. "I don't know. Dad never pays attention to me. I mean...he's in the mob and he is all powerful. If he truly loved me...he'd come and see me no matter what my mom said." She told him as she pulled away and looked up at him.

"Your dad does love you Krissy. Maybe....maybe Mr. Sir just doesn't know how to show it." He told her carefully.

"Maybe." She said doubtfully before wiping the bitter tears from her eyes. "You know what? I am really hungry! You wanna go to Kelly's and get something to eat?" She asked hopefully.

Spinelli smiled and stood up, taking her hand. "The Jackal could indeed go for some sustanance." He said.

The two headed out the door, shutting off the lights that led to the PI office.

As soon as they were outside, a cold voice said behind them, "You know Krissy, you really are a slut. So I guess you lied to this loser just so he'd fuck you?"

Kristina froze in terror. She knew that voice. It belonged to Keifer. The guy who'd hit her. Her boyfriend. She whirled around and met his eyes with the meanest glare that she could possibly muster. "What do you want, Keifer?" She spit out angrily.

The dark haired boy laughed and took a step closer to them, pulling something out of his pocket--something long and gleaming. "Why Kristina, I want you." He hissed as he raised his hand revealing that he held a knife.

She shut her eyes, expecting to feel a piercing pain shoot through her. Instead she felt nothing. Just the sound of something--or someone hitting the ground, cold laughter, and footsteps running from the scene. She opened her eyes only to see Spinelli lying on the ground, bleeding from the chest. Blood soaking up his shirt, face ashen. And she screamed.

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"So what can you do around here?" Andrea asked of Michael, taking a bite of food.

Before Michael could answer, Michael's cellphonesstarted ringing like crazy. Michael gave Andrea an apologetic look as he answered the phone.

"Kristina?" Michael asked, voice filled with alarm. "Krissy, what is it? What the hell? Keifer did what?"

Andrea looked at him startled when he met her eyes and she felt fear fill her. "What is it?" She asked

"It's Kristina. She said that she and Damian Spinelli were walking out of his PI office and were stopped by Keifer. Her asshole boyfriend." His fist clenched as he said this. "Apparently, he had a knife. He was going to stab Krissy and she shut her eyes and when she opened them---Spinelli was lying on the ground bleeding from the chest. But the strange thing is---she was calling me so I could see if I could find you. To tell you that Spinelli was being taken to the hospital and that she was going with him. I don't mean to bug...especially since I just met you, but why would you care about someone you never met?" Michael asked in confusion.

"Because he's my brother!" She blurted out as she began to sob, standing so fast that her chair fell to the ground as she ran out the door leaving Michael staring after her....

To be continued....

Next Chapter: Michael takes Andrea to the hospital and Kristina, Andrea, and Michael talk as they wait for news on Spinelli....