A/N: (Monique White) I do have some other chapter fics in the works where some of or all five of them will be included (not to mention one-shots)! Stay tuned! :)
Valentin stood in the doorway, Charlotte's hand in his as his heart melted at the sight before him. Irina laid snugly in the hospital bed, a nasal cannula on her face as she rested. Valentin frowned sympathetically at his nephew from the back. The young man slept on top of his crossed arms, resting by his mother's side. His breathing was soft yet present, and Valentin did his best to resist the urge to approach the bed.
"He's been out for the past couple hours."
Valentin looked to his left, raising his eyebrows. Wallace leaned against the window, legs crossed at the ankles.
"Doctors gave him the all-clear," he continued, "The heart attack was minor, thankfully. He just needs to take it easy."
"He'll have to take it easy for the rest of his life," Valentin remarked, "The damage Victor did is practically irreversible."
"Yeah…"
"Thanks for getting rid of him, by the way."
"Of course."
"How's Irina?"
"Doctor said she'll make a full recovery."
"That's good."
"Papa," Charlotte whispered, tugging on his hand. Valentin looked between her and the man nearby.
"You must be Charlotte," Wallace approached her, dropping to one knee. He held out a hand, "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Who are you?" she stared at him.
"This is Wallace Heller," Valentin replied, "He's your cousin Dexter's father."
"Oh," she took the man's hand, dropping her father's, "nice to meet you, then. Is that Dexter over there?"
"Mhm," Wallace stood up, walking over to his son. He laid a hand on Dex's back, gently shaking him, "Dex, hey, Dex. Wake up."
"Mm…" Dex groaned, shifting in the bed. He lazily ran a hand across his face before sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He blinked a few times before his vision cleared, fixating on Irina, "Mom…?"
"Dex," Wallace tugged on his shoulder. The young man turned around, raising his eyebrows at the visitors.
"Uncle Valentin," Dex looked between father and daughter, "and…?"
"Charlotte," the girl responded, walking over to him. She held out her hand, "Nice to meet you, Cousin Dexter."
He took her hand in his, "Call me Dex."
"How are you doing?" Valentin stepped closer.
"I'm alright. I mean, I spent the last few days here, in my second favorite place, recovering from the second heart problem I've had in at least a week."
Valentin rolled his eyes, trying not to smirk.
"Heart problem?" Charlotte asked.
"Long story," Dex replied, "Here, um, why don't we head to the cafeteria and I'll tell you about it."
"Okay," Charlotte nodded as Dex got to his feet. He looked down at Irina, gently grabbing her hand. He looked between the two men, nodding at them before exiting.
"What happened?" Charlotte asked as they got onto the elevator.
"Your…our…grandfather did some pretty terrible things. To me, to our parents, to a lot of people."
"Like what?"
"Too many things to really name," Dex replied as they walked into the cafeteria.
"But you said-"
"I know, but it's just…not worth talking about in detail. Our grandfather did heinous things, and thanks to my dad, he's gone," he looked around the room, "Do you want anything from the vending machine?"
"Surprise me," Charlotte took a seat at a nearby table as Dex stepped away. He grabbed two bags of chips and sat down with her, passing her a bag.
"So," she began as she tried opening the snack, "tell me about yourself."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything."
"Ask me something."
"Where are you from?"
"Seattle. Well, I was born in Amsterdam, but moved to Seattle when I was five."
"Why did you move?"
"Our grandmother: I don't think I need to elaborate."
Charlotte gave him a small smile, "So you and your parents moved?"
"Um…no. Just me and my dad."
"Aunt Irina didn't go?"
"No. She…stayed behind."
"You were without your mom for a long time. I'm without my mom too."
"I'm sorry," Dex frowned.
"She has a brain issue the way you have a heart issue. She's getting care elsewhere in the state."
"Have you gone to see her?"
"No…no," Charlotte shook her head, feeling tears well up. Dex laid a hand on her shoulder.
"I hope she comes back to you someday. You deserve to have her in your life again."
"Thank you," Charlotte smiled.
"C'mere," Dex said softly, opening his arms. Charlotte held him tight in response. He ran a hand down her blonde hair in an attempt to comfort her. Eventually, she pulled back.
"So, um," she cleared her throat, "are you Dutch?"
"Nope. German."
"Can you speak it?"
"Fluently."
"Can you teach me a few things?"
"Um…" Dex looked around, noticing a pack of cards left on another table. He swiftly got up and grabbed the stack, returning to his seat, "How about a game?"
"What game?"
"Mau-Mau. It's a game my dad taught me as a kid. Ever played Uno?"
"Yeah, often."
"Well, this game is pretty similar to that, just with a few different rules."
Charlotte's smile lit up the area, "Teach me everything."
"You made it!"
Anna beamed as Valentin walked through the front door of Charlie's Pub. Sam and Dante smiled at him as well, seated at the table.
"We couldn't start without you," Anna replied, her hands on his shoulders.
"I'm glad you didn't," Valentin grinned.
"My mom sends her regards," Sam said, "She's still working on getting The Invader to 100%."
"And Robert and Laura are trying to fix the mess Eileen Ashby left," Anna followed with.
"I wish them the best," Valentin nodded as he and Anna took their seats.
"Where were you?" Dante asked, an arm laying on Sam's chair.
"I went to see my sister at the hospital."
"How's Irina doing?" Sam asked.
"According to Wallace, the doctors think she'll make a full recovery."
"Thank God," Anna sighed, "And Dex? How's he?"
"He's fine. He's spending time with Charlotte."
"He's not with his mother?"
"Oh, he was when Charlotte and I arrived. Wallace was there too."
"We were going to invite him," Dante said, "but we assumed he'd rather be by her side."
"Your assumption is right."
"Hopefully she wakes up soon…for Dex and Wallace's sake."
"And then what?"
Everyone looked Sam's way. She looked at them in return with raised eyebrows.
"What?" she asked.
"And then what?" Anna repeated.
"I mean, she'll recover, and then what? What's the next step for her? What's the next step for all of us?"
"Well, what's the next step for you?"
"Continuing my PI work and Dante and I raising our kids."
"Obviously, I second that," Dante raised his hand, "And now that I have my badge back, I can get back to work on the force."
"What about you, Anna?" Sam questioned, "Now that Victor's gone, what's next?"
"I…was thinking of going to see Robin. I'd spend a month or two in Berkeley with her and her family, and I'd certainly get Robert to join me," she looked to her right, "Valentin?"
"I'd stay put," he responded, "I'd focus my time on ELQ and Charlotte the most, and then on whatever comes after."
"And the rest of the Cassadines?"
"That's their issue. Sam, Alexis, and I have our next steps figured out."
"Nikolas and Spencer are one thing, but Dex and Irina…?"
"Well, I'd certainly like to keep them around. Maybe they can find something here."
"Maybe," Anna nodded, "thought for Dex, it'll be fairly difficult."
"He'll find a way," Valentin shrugged, "He found a way with his plot against Victor."
"Yeah…"
Valentin raised an eyebrow, "You have something?"
"I'm not sure how practical it would be, but…why not get him into the bureau?"
"You think he's capable of being an agent?"
"Well, he needs a purpose, and something tells me working for his father is no longer an option."
"But wouldn't his heart…" Dante gestured around his chest, "y'know…"
"Not if he takes care of himself," Valentin replied, "He'd start the same way we did: no special favors. The more he trains, the more his body will adapt and he'll be able to handle the stress."
"So you're on board with the idea," Anna said.
"It's worth offering to him, but it's his decision in the end. I'm not going to pressure my nephew to say yes, even if I think he should."
"And what about Irina?"
"She's got plenty of opportunities and paths to take, not to mention how she has her own family in Wallace and Dexter."
"And you and Charlotte…" Sam followed with.
"What about Wallace?" Dante asked.
"He has his…business."
"So…pretty much everyone has something to look forward to now that Victor is six feet under."
"Thankfully," Anna smiled as the waiter came by, delivering four glasses of water.
"Water?" Valentin raised an eyebrow.
"It's the chaser," Dante replied, shrugging and grabbing his glass. The other three followed suit.
"To new beginnings," Anna declared, raising her drink. The couples clinked their cups together, wide smiles and effervescent joy present in their postures.
"Cheers!"
"Well, liebling," Wallace sat on the stool, his thumb rubbing against Irina's hand. There was a glimmer in his eye as he studied her face, calm and relaxed, "it's just you and me now."
He glanced at her unmoving hand, "Words can't express how elated, how grateful I am that you're going to survive. Your father tried his damndest to get rid of you, but you won out, as we…as I knew you would."
Her skin was smooth as his thumb continued to run by it. He leaned in closer to her, his face firm as the words came out: "I killed Victor Cassadine."
His voice was stern yet quiet, "After he shot you, he had his goon manhandle our son. He…aimed his gun at Dex, and before he pulled the trigger, I got to him," he pressed two fingers to the side of his neck, "Straight shot through the veins and cords from his right. Works every time."
Wallace cleared his throat, "Y'know, when I noticed how unstable and disjointed your stance was with the gun, I was a bit disappointed that you forgot what I taught you. But it's you: you were undercover and you meant to look that way. Shame on me for assuming the worst of you at all…and shame on me for frightening you after you shot me."
He held her hand in both of his, "I'm okay. Dex is okay. Victor is gone. We're able to live our lives and do what we please. We can go to Seattle; you can see where he and I stayed all those years. You can find your place in the world now that you're free from the demons in your family."
Wallace briefly bit his bottom lip, "Your family…maybe I was a bit too prejudiced against them because of your mother. I mean, your father was as wicked as they came, and Nikolas certainly isn't much of an upstanding citizen, but the others? They're alright, Valentin being the best behind you, of course."
Tears burned his brown eyes, "Just…wake up, Irina. Come back. Come back to me, to our boy, to the members of your family that love you. Don't let Victor take away the second chance you have. Please, liebling, please. I love you."
Wallace pressed his hands against his forehead, trying to suppress his sadness. He then felt something move against his palms. Blinking, he lowered his hands back down to be level with the bed and watched in amazement as Irina began to move.
"Irina," he choked out as her eyes fluttered open, "Irina, it's me, it's Wallace."
"B…" she stuttered gently, squinting as she adjusted to the light, "B-Baby…"
"Liebling…"
"Baby," her voice was clearer, "Where…Where is my baby?"
"Dex-" Wallace cut in, "Dex is with Charlotte in the hospital cafeteria. He's okay, love. He's okay."
"...Wallace…" she groaned, "dearest…"
"I'm right here," he held her hand tight, "I'm right here."
"You're…alive…I…I shot you…oh God-"
"Hey, hey, hey," Wallace cooed, "it's okay. You didn't hurt me. You did nothing wrong."
"I…" Irina felt tears sting her eyes, "Oh Wallace…"
"It's okay," he pulled her hand up, gently kissing her knuckles.
"Victor…he did this…"
"That he did, and luckily, he's gone."
"Gone?"
"I got rid of him."
"You…killed my father?"
"I did. He can't wreak havoc on any of us anymore. None of them can."
Tears flowed from the woman's eyes, streams running down her cheeks. Wallace scooted closer, pulling her into a tight hug.
"You're free," he gently whispered, her sobs mostly drowning him out, "You're finally free, liebling. You don't have to hide or isolate yourself, you don't have to play the part your parents forced upon you."
He held her close, "You and I and Dex…we can finally be a family. We can finally be together again. We won."
"Wallace…" she cried as he pulled away. She gripped his arms tight, holding him in place. Their faces were inches apart, and he smirked at the hesitancy in her eyes.
"Do it," he said.
Her lips were soft as she pulled him in to kiss them. Her hands cupped his cheeks, keeping him still while pulling him deeper into the feeling. Wallace ran his hands down to her torso, keeping them on either side. They moved in sync with one another the longer the kiss went on, with Wallace pulling away first.
"I missed you," Irina whispered, "All those years we spent apart…unbearable."
"I missed you too," he replied in the same tone, "God, I missed you too. I love you."
"I love you too."
"Mom?"
Irina pulled away from another kiss to look past Wallace. Dex stood in the doorway, eyes wide with surprise.
"Dex?" Wallace asked, "Where's your cousin?"
"Laura…picked her up…Mom…"
"Hi, baby," she beamed as Wallace pulled back, "come here."
"Mom-" the young man rushed over and wrapped his arms around her.
"My boy," she cooed, running a hand through his hair. She kissed the side of his head, "you're here, you're really here. Thank God you're okay."
"Thank God you're okay."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"We're all here," Wallace cut in. Dex pulled away from Irina and sat down on the stool. She grabbed his hand, haphazardly intertwining his fingers with hers, "We're all together."
Dex sucked in his lips, glancing away from the man. He cast his eyes towards the bedding as Wallace continued: "The Cassadines, the ones who were evil, anyway, are no longer a threat. All those years that we spent apart are finally in the past. No longer will we have to hide out or break our own hearts to escape death. We're…we're finally a whole family. We got what we've always wanted; we won."
A silence hung over the family, looks being traded with one another. They remained in place for a few moments until Irina broke the ice. It was the question on all of their minds: "So…what's next?"