Author's Note: This is the final chapter-thanks to everyone who took the time to review. I'm intending to pick up this story in the future, but we'll see how I feel after I take a break from it. There's a sneak peek below though.

-"OK, Mom." Kristina pulled her napkin from her lap, folding it on the card table Sam had brought over as a stop gap until their furniture was delivered. "We're fed. So the breakfast portion seems to have ended. I guess all we have left is the 'something I need to discuss with you' part."

-"Who needs more coffee?" Alexis asked as she stood.

-"You sit down, Mom. I'll get it." Molly grabbed her mother's mug as Sam gave her the thumb's up.

Sam looked at her mother. "No more stalling. Spill."

Alexis gave a sad smile. "I'm not stalling, per se. I'm just enjoying a meal with my girls."

Kristina interceded. "And you can continue to enjoy it as you tell us your story."

-"Right." Alexis took a deep breath. "So I've made a career decision, and I wanted to tell you before you hear about it elsewhere."

Molly's eyes lit up. "Are you retiring?" She quickly recoiled from Kristina's smack on her arm. "Ow. Krissy. Really?"

-"How old do you think she is Molly?"

-"Retiring isn't a sign of age. She's got more money than she knows what to do with. I mean look around you Kristina."

Alexis had her eyebrow raised. "You two done?"

-"Yes," Molly sulked.

-"Molly, I didn't take it as an insult. I could retire if I wanted to. I just don't want to."

Sam gave her a smile. "You're going to run for DA again, aren't you?"

-"No. I'm not." The interruptions were making it harder for Alexis to get her story out. "I'm leaving my private legal practice, but not to run for public office. I'm actually joining Cassadine Industries."

Molly smiled. "Wow, Mom. That's great. I'm happy for you. It's a way to stay tied to memories of Nikolas and Stefan. Plus there must be so many legal issues now that...well. You know."

-"There are a lot of legal issues, Molly. But...I'm not going over as the General Counsel. I'm actually joining as the new CEO."

Sam's eyes went wide. "Whoa, Mom? CEO? That's amazing! I mean I know you helped Nikolas and Stefan and you've basically been running it the last few weeks, but CEO? You said your interim role was only going to be temporary because they had a succession plan. How did this even happen?"

-"There have been rumblings since Nikolas's passing. I guess when the idea of a succession plan came up everyone in the family agreed in principle to a plan that had a non-Cassadine in charge. Probably because they thought Nikolas would live forever...or at least until Spencer was of age."

Molly prodded her. "But now…?"

-"But now they're not so amenable. Turns out the thought of the first non-Cassadine running the company is far less appealing in practice. I was approached about it last week."

Kristina spoke for the first time. "So this all happened in a week? You were offered the CEO job and you took it?"

Alexis nodded. "Yes. I know it seems sudden, but...I've always wanted this. Years ago, I fought like hell for my stake in the Cassadine fortune. It's my birthright. But it wasn't worth the eventual costs. Putting my family at risk was silly."

-"So what's different now, Mom? Aren't we still at risk?" Kristina pressed.

-"No. The threats are gone. Helena's dead. And the rest of the family is *asking* me to take the job."

Molly looked over at Sam. "Mom, you know you don't have to decide this now. It's a huge responsibility and, well…"

Sam joined in, "...and you've had a lot of changes across the last month or so. This isn't something you need to rush into. You can give it a few months-even weeks-and see how you feel." She stroked her mother's back.

Alexis looked perplexed. "Girls, I'm not sad about this. It's not a hardship. It's a reason to celebrate."

Kristina eyed her skeptically. "Then why all the secrecy. Why haven't you brought it up before this?"

-"You think I'm *lying* Kristina?"

-"No. I think you're not telling us everything. Out with it. What's the catch?" Kristina pushed hard.

Alexis glared, "I'm still your mother, Kristina. Watch it."

Sheepishly, Kristina sank into her seat and took on a more conciliatory tone. "I'm sorry, Mom. I really am. But there's obviously more to this or you would have brought it up sooner. You wouldn't have been so resolute about this breakfast being just us."

Her mother sighed. "I know. I didn't bring it up because, well...there *is* a catch. It really doesn't bother me, but I think it may bother you girls."

-"What is it?" Molly asked.

-"Well, for starters...I'd need to spend about three months of the year in Greece. I'll also be spending a lot of time at Wyndemere when I'm not abroad."

Sam looked at her sisters and tried to sound encouraging. "Well, that's not ideal, but we'll still see you often. I mean with Molly and Kristina in school, it'll really just be time away from Danny and me. And it'll be hard but we'll manage."

Kristina looked confused. "But I don't get it, Mom. Why buy this house then? Why not just have us all move to Wyndamere."

-"I thought about that." Alexis added silently to herself and immediately rejected it. "At the end of the day, Wyndamere is Spencer's birthright-we'll always be guests. And I wanted us to have something that represented us. I wanted you girls to have a homestead. This house isn't even in my name."

-"What?" Sam asked.

-"I put it in your names. You all own it. I mean...I pay for it, but it's yours."

Molly jumped in, "Mom, that's so generous but...but why would you do that?"

Alexis looked at her youngest and smirked as she lied. "Because I felt like it."

Kristina added, "Well...the going away part is hard, but none of this seems like a deal breaker, Mom. I still don't get why this has been a secret."

-"Yes, well…" Alexis cleared her throat. "It was very important for many members of the family that a Cassadine take the reins, which is why I was offered the job, even though I'm a woman. I'm perceived as Spencer's regent, so it's viewed as a temporary assignment. That is, if you consider a decade temporary...But…"

Sam raised an eyebrow, "...but…?"

-"But Alexis Davis is the name of a distant cousin. Of someone not within the family. So a condition to my taking this offer is to...become more Cassadine-like."

Kristina got there first. "Oh my God. You're changing your name."

-"Well if we're being *technical*...it's not a change really. It's always been my name."

-"Holy crap, Mom," Sam's eyes were wide.

-"Wait," Molly interjected. "You're really doing this. You're really changing your name to Cassadine. To Natasha Cassadine."

-"Actually," Alexis added sheepishly, "I've already signed the paperwork. It's done."

-"So then when does your new job start?" Kristina asked.

-"Officially, tomorrow. But the press release should be going out this evening."

Alexis gazed across the room at the stunned faces of her daughters. She watched them look at each other before Molly stood up and came over to hug her. "Congratulations, Mom. I'm so proud of you." Soon she was joined by Kristina and Sam went to the fridge to pull out a bottle of champagne.

-"I got this for mimosas but forgot about it. I guess we're going straight for the toast now." She poured out a small amount for each of her sisters and the new head of a multinational conglomerate. Raising her cup, she toasted, "To the new CEO of Cassadine Industries. You can change any name but the only one that matters: 'Mom.'"

-"Is she gone?" Kristina asked.

Sam nodded. "Yup. She went to drop some papers off at Wyndamere."

-"OK. I'm not the only one wondering, am I? What was that bullshit?"

Molly took a deep breath. "I know it seemed odd, but she's been through a lot Kristina. Maybe she needed to do it."

Kristina shook her head. "Nope. No way. Mom changes her name to Cassadine? That's flag number one. And you know what? Maybe she has always wanted to be closer to her family. But Mom quits the *law*? Absolutely not."

Sam chewed the inside of her lip. "I admit it's out of character, but...honestly, Krissy. Between the stuff with Ric and me and now Julian...maybe she needs a break from it. I mean, I know there's a part of her that wanted to be a Cassadine at one time. Maybe now that Helena's gone, she feels like it's the time to claim it."

-"I'm not buying it."

Molly nodded, "Sam is on to something. I mean, think about it, Krissy. The only people Mom had in her life for years were Stefan and Nikolas and now they're gone. And all that's left is Spencer. Maybe she's doing the name thing so Spencer doesn't feel so alone."

-"And you know she loved Nikolas like he was one of us," Sam added. "Maybe taking over is a way of holding things for Spencer...of giving something back to Nikolas. You know how guilty she feels about his death."

Kristina sighed in frustration. "It just doesn't make sense to me. If she wanted to be a Cassadine she could have done it the moment Helena died. Nikolas would have given her anything."

-"Right," Molly said. "Which makes me think this is more about doing right by Spencer than it is about the legacy. He's an orphan now. God, Mom must feel such an urge to protect him like Stefan protected her."

-"I know you're right. I know it makes sense on paper," Kristina said. "But she could have said that. Why didn't she say that?"

-"Like Mom's going to tell you how she feels about something, Krissy." Molly rolled her eyes at her sister.

Sam gently said, "She did. She told me something."

-"What?" Kristina and Molly jumped on her so quickly, Sam physically took a step back.

"OK, OK," Sam said. "She told me that she's heartbroken by Julian. I mean, I know we *knew* that already."

-"But it's a start," Molly sighed.

Kristina acquiesced. "Fine. I give in. I just can't shake the feeling that something's not right. But everything you're saying makes sense. She's probably just not willing to talk about it because it takes her back to all the old Cassadine stuff."

Sam put an arm over her shoulder. "Look, you should trust your instincts, Kristina. But just-what else could it be?"

-"I don't know."

Molly joined in. "I just don't want to look for new reasons until we've ruled out the obvious ones first. We could end up making things harder for Mom needlessly. She needs us to support her now-not fight her."

-"You guys are right. Thanks for indulging me, though."

Molly hugged her, "Of course we would." She pulled away, "OK. But can I ask a serious question?"

Sam nodded, "Sure."

-"Ummm, when is the first Davis Girl house party?"

-"And how's the prisoner today? You look ready to be arraigned in that suit."

Julian eyed his handler warily. "The sooner we get started, the sooner this ends, right? So let's go."

-"You really are impatient, Jerome." Robert smiled, "But I have news that may change your mind."

-"Really? What's that?"

-"There's a new CEO of Cassadine Industries. Care to guess who it is?"

Julian raised his eyebrows. "Well based on your shit-eating grin, I'm going to assume it's Alexis. You wouldn't be smiling like that if it was anyone else." Julian tried to keep the exasperation in his voice to cover the doubt he was feeling. If it was Alexis, why would she do something so drastic? Take over a company? Give up the law? It wasn't the Alexis he knew.

-"Well, *technically* you're wrong, Julian."

-"What do you mean *technically*?"

-"It turns out that Alexis Davis has decided that it's time to reclaim her birthright."

Confused, Julian asked impatiently, "What the hell does that mean?"

-"It means that the new CEO of Cassadine Industries is Natasha Cassadine, formerly known as Alexandra Davidovitch, recently known as Alexis Davis."

-"She changed her name?"

-"She has."

Julian took a moment to let the information sink in. He was puzzled. Alexis really only liked Stefan and Nikolas, but they were both dead. Why take on the name Cassadine when she never liked the association? It didn't make sense. He had to assume she was doing it for a different reason. Was she under pressure? Was she in danger?

As Julian began to pace his cell, Scorpio's voice cut into his thoughts. "You can always take a deal, Jerome. You'd be out of here in a month-tops."

-"Quiet," Julian snapped as he resumed his pacing. If she was in danger, why wouldn't she tell him? He'd kill anyone who tried to touch her-she had to know that.

His pacing stopped, and he smiled begrudgingly. Alexis *did* know that. She knew that he'd respond instinctively, and she couldn't plan for that. For more than any person he'd ever met, Alexis Davis had a contingency for everything. Whatever was happening to her on the outside, she had a strategy in place to handle it. Alexis had taken into account that he was going to fight the charges. And she had planned for it-she was now counting on it.

Every instinct told him to punch Robert, grab the keys, flee to the Penthouse and steal Alexis far, far away. But he needed to slow down. He had told her he trusted her. He told her he meant what he said. Julian sighed as he looked at Robert, "I'm not changing my mind."

-"Really? You looked fairly perturbed. Like you were thinking about it anyway."

-"Your plan hinges on me getting close to her, right?"

-"Yes."

-"Well, I don't get within three miles of her unless I can atone for my crimes and keep her family safe. Cutting a deal gets me the first, not the second. A trial gets me both."

Robert grimaced. "But a trial could also get you in jail for life."

Julian shrugged. "I thought that's what Diane was for."

Alexis had the papers lined up and ready to go. She had walked Victor through them numerous times, but he continued to pepper her with questions. As much as he controlled her, he still didn't trust her.

-"What is it exactly you think I'm going to do, Uncle? Defraud you *now*? On our first deal?"

Victor stared at her. "I'd considered it."

-"If you honestly think I'm that stupid, why are we even going through with this? You basically hold all the cards and I'm not willing to lose anything. I've already thrown myself on this altar-fucking you over at this point would be an amateur mistake unworthy of the head of the family. Even if that title *is* in name only."

He smiled. "So I should expect you to try and betray me later."

She shrugged, "You're a Cassadine, I'm a Cassadine. So: yes."

-"I'll be on high alert then," he smiled charmingly before his expression became more serious. "And Alex-I'm sorry. *Natasha*, dear. I realize the bulk of your adult life has been spent in the beds of various mobsters and other undesirables, but that language is unacceptable for a princess and the head of this family..." He smiled as he added, "...even if it is a title in name only."

Alexis smiled sweetly as she overlooked the insult. "My apologies, Uncle."

-"Of course, my dear. And look!" He clapped his hands together as he pointed to the clock. "It's after midnight." He lifted his shot of vodka, "to the new head of Cassadine Industries. May her reign be long and prosperous." They clinked their glasses together and downed the cold liquid. "Shall we?" he asked, pointing to the pile of paper in front of them.

Alexis took the first contract and looked at it. She knew the terms of the deal by heart as she'd been the chief architect. The minute she signed it-and the documents under it-she would be violating any number of international laws. Her uncle would have the seed money required to implement whatever nefarious scheme he had planned. Natasha Cassadine would be at his mercy. Signing those documents was the first step into an abyss.

But as she picked up the pen and exhaled slowly, she reminded herself that it was also the first step out. There was no way around Victor; she had to go through him. And it would take her years, but she would do it.

By the time she was finished with Victor, he would regret the moment he decided not to kill her following Nikolas's death. That moment of sentiment and curiosity would cost him everything. Alexis vowed she would show no such mercy.

She signed her name to the contract: "Natasha Cassadine." She turned to Victor and smiled sweetly, "Would you hand me the next contract, Uncle?"

Three Years Later

He found the mirror in the elevator and checked to make sure his bowtie was straight. Julian had always been terrible at tying them in the first place, but he had twice caught himself idly trying to loosen it. The orange jumpsuit he'd worn for three years at Pentonville may not have been the most stylish of ensembles, but it wasn't constrictive-the one piece of freedom he could enjoy within the prison. The tie was unfamiliar and his body was rejecting it.

The doors opened to the ballroom of the MetroCourt. Olivia and Carly had redecorated since he was last here. The din of the party masked the sound of the elevator doors opening, and he was able to slip through into the crowd. The party was to celebrate the opening of the new Nikolas Cassadine Neurosurgery wing of the hospital. A man with an earpiece and a gun underneath his tuxedo jacket held out his hand expectantly. Julian pulled out his invitation and was waved through.

He took a step forward and scanned the crowd, smiling as he spied his daughter sitting at a table by herself.

-"Who would leave such a beautiful woman unattended?" Julian asked as he slipped into the chair across from her.

Sam rubbed her pregnant abdomen. "My prince is fetching me a lemonade. And I needed to get out of these shoes for a bit."

Her father winced, "They look painful."

-"Fashion, Dad, never function." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "So...what are you doing here?"

-"I'll have you know I was invited."

Sam nodded her head, smiling at him. "Reaalllyyy? Now I know the hostess wouldn't do that. So who did?"

Patrick approached the table, saving Julian from having to lie to his daughter. Noting his fiancee's companion, Patrick nodded towards him. "Julian."

-"Patrick." Julian stood, "I didn't mean to take your seat. Just decided to keep your betrothed company. We've got two weeks to go, right?"

-"Yup," Sam nodded. "I'm glad you're going to be there, Dad."

-"Me, too." Julian kissed her hand. "Well, I'm off to reacquaint myself with Port Charles society." He turned and nodded to his future son-in-law. "Patrick."

-"Julian."

As her father walked away, Sam turned to Patrick and noted, "You're pretty effusive tonight."

Patrick smiled. "I'm sorry. It's just going to take me a while to trust him."

Sam reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "He's done with the mob stuff, Patrick. He went to jail so we wouldn't be in danger, and you saw him with Danny this week."

-"I know. And I will tell you that I completely trust that he loves you and Danny. Which is a coincidence, because it just so happens that *I* love you and Danny." Patrick stretched across the table to kiss Sam on the lips. "What do you say we cut out early and go get some ice cream?"

-"You are so sexy when you are offering me mint chocolate chip, you know that?" She kissed him, before abruptly ending it and sitting back down. She took a sip of her lemonade from her straw and said, "I'm not leaving."

Patrick's face was completely confused. "Wait. What did I miss? I thought we had our vibe going…?"

-"We did, baby. And you are sexy as hell. If I could rip those clothes off you right here, right now? I totally would. But I think the room would find it tacky, you know?"

Patrick responded slowly "Which is why I suggested we leave…"

-"I'm not leaving now, Patrick. You can't be serious."

-"Well, I was…"

-"Patrick. My mother and father haven't seen each other in over three years. The last interaction they had was him firing her by messenger….there's no way I'm leaving now."

Her fiance sighed. "It's gonna be ugly. Remember his face when Danny mentioned the Baron?"

Sam's eyes lit up. "He was so pissed and jealous. This is going to be great! How can we leave?"

-"Look Sam, I know you hate your step-father…"

-"...do not call him that, OK? He's a business deal. Believe me. I know when a marriage is a con, my love. The Baron and Baronness? Not the real thing. And five seconds with my Dad will prove it."

Patrick sighed. "So we're staying?"

-"Yup."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys, tossing them to her as he stood. "Then you're driving. If there's gonna be a show, then I'm gonna need that two-drink minimum."

-"Go for it. Oh, and Dr. Drake?"

-"Yup."

-"Get the Macallan. Your kisses are intoxicating when you're sipping on Macallan."

-"As you wish." He kissed her on the forehead and headed for the bar.

Alexis saw him the moment he got off the elevator and headed for their daughter. She knew he was paroled-Victor made sure he told her the moment it happened. But he had left Port Charles, and Alexis had been blissfully unaware he was back until Danny told her he had seen Grandpa. She had expected their paths to cross, but she had not expected it to happen tonight.

-"Natasha, my love. You look flushed. Can I get you some water."

-"No, Karl. It's fine. But I am going to go get some air for a moment."

-"Do you need me to join you?"

-"No. I think that you should stay. Would you mind terribly doing the host duties in my absence? I'll just be a few minutes."

-"Of course." He leaned over and kissed her lips. "You go. I'll be here."

She nodded. "Thank you."

Alexis headed to the balcony, grabbing a glass of champagne off a waiter's tray as she passed him. Opening the door, she breathed deeply the cool air, filling her lungs and calming her. She just needed five minutes alone. Time to take every thought, feeling, memory and ache that surged through her at the sight of him-and bury them.

Because his presence? Her reaction? This was not part of the plan.