It couldn't wait, and their friends agreed to stay with their daughter as they met Mac and Taggert at the ELQ cabin. They were grateful they had both wanted to be there and that maybe just maybe they would be able to take control over what was happening to them. They pulled into the gravel driveway and got out of the car. Mac and Taggart were standing by the door waiting for them as was Kevin Collins. She looked at Ned as soon as she saw him, immediately defensive, "Why is Kevin here?"

"I'm sure it's just procedure for something like this," he reassured, turning the car off. She looked at him doubtfully and they got out of the car. He took her hand as they approached the front door.

"Thanks for doing this, today. We know you're giving up time with your families…"

"No thanks necessary, Ned, we all want to find your son and bring him home," Mac said.

"Kevin, I wasn't expecting to see you here," Alexis said as Ned moved his hand to her back.

"I asked him to be here. You're trying to remember a trauma, Alexis and having him here may help that." Mac assured her.

"All I want to do is help you recover the rest of your memory. I'm not here to judge you, Alexis."

"Ok." She agreed and Mac opened the door to the cabin. They let her enter first, followed by Ned and then Mac, Taggert, and Kevin. She walked slowly into the room, taking everything in, freezing when she eyed the blood-stained carpet in the center of the room. She turned and looked at Ned, "I don't–I.., fear and anxiety about what happened and not being able to help creeping into her voice.

"It's ok, Alexis. Take your time," Kevin said calmly. "What's the first thing you remember?"

She looked at Ned, and twisted the rings that adorned her finger. She knew her first memory included AJ. She knew he wanted to handle him and she was torn about the right thing to do. "I was on the couch. I was dizzy, and it's not really clear, except Jillian. She was standing by the door going through some bags that were on the desk over there." She told a half truth and made eye contact with Ned as she took off her coat, tossed it on a nearby armchair and walked towards the middle of the room. AJ had been there but not more than a few minutes and she decided she didn't want them to waste time on a lead that would only cause tension in her marriage and not help them get Owen back. "It fades after that..until…" She paused and tried to search her memory.

"Honey, it's ok if you can't…" Ned asked concerned as she got quiet. He knew she was pressuring herself to remember. He also knew the drugs she was given had altering effects and she may never get every detail back.

"No, I want to remember. I need to remember." She said as she sat down on the sofa and as she did a cascade of memories surfaced. She froze, lost in the barrage of moments between her and Jillian. They argued. She was incessant in her reasoning that Ned was unhappy with their life together. She goaded her, and Jillian tried to gaslight her. She was weak, but she was able to stand. She was going to leave and Jillian seemed to let her and then the contractions started…

"Do you really expect me to believe this?" Jillian said, approaching her, not buying her sudden descent into labor. "After lying about kidnapping your daughter, trying to have me charged for the car accident where I saved your child and your husband–"

"Jillian–" She interrupted and then tried to stand and as she did she felt another contraction and reached for the desk, and pleaded, in pain. "I'm not faking this. Please. I need your help."

"Alexis, where did you go just now?" Kevin asked as Ned looked concerned that she had frozen, that she seemed a million miles away.

Alexis looked at Mac and Taggert, and then Ned as she spoke. "She didn't believe me. She thought I was faking the contractions and she left. I don't know where she went. I begged her for help."

"So you went into labor, and Jillian left. Do you remember if or when she came back? You were certain you weren't alone when you gave birth." Taggert said, trying to get the timeline straight.

Alexis stood and walked across the room. "I–I'm not–"

"It's ok Alexis, you're doing a good job. Just stay in the moment." Kevin assured.

She stood and paced as she went over the events up to that point again in her mind. She looked again at the stain on the carpet, where she had given birth and the barrage of memories of that night continued to flow. Her water had broken, that was the turning point. Jillian had no choice. She had no choice but to let Jillian deliver her baby. Jillian had let her hold him, she had almost seemed human in that moment. And her son, he was perfect. It was then that she froze again, reliving the fear of that moment, stopping her train of thought as Helena came into clear view in her mind. Ned watched her carefully and moved to place his hand on her back, trying to give her some comfort as she relived the trauma. When he did, she tried to fill in the details for those in the room, "Helena arrived shortly after the birth. She forced Jillian to take him from me and for a brief moment I thought she wasn't going to do it. She hesitated and I had this small glimmer of hope, but she took him from me. And then…" She took a few steps forward as she reached to regain the entire interaction between her and Helena.

"You and your Mr. Ashton, do make beautiful children, Natasha, there's no denying that." She said as she ran her hand down the infant's face.

"Don't touch him!" She screamed, fear stricken. "Why? Why are you doing this?" She turned to Jillian, "Please, don't let her take him." She pleaded, trying to sit up, as her mind raced to find a way to stop them from taking her son, completely blindsided by the fact that they had somehow joined forces.

"Oh, it's been quite amusing watching my foolish little girl here wreak havoc on your pathetic life, Natasha, but she had to go and ruin it, her own deficiencies getting in the way and now–"

"She's–" She started to put the pieces together.

"That's right," she said amused as Jillian held the newborn and looked on, trying to figure out how to get herself out of this mess.

"Oh god. No. No. All of this because…It's can't be.." She repeated as she reached for the side table to steady herself and Ned rushed to support her, holding her as she slid to the ground. She couldn't breathe as panic, fear, every emotion she had felt that night became clear and her body remembered.

"Honey, you're ok, you're safe." He whispered as he held her.

"Helena."

"What about her? What did you remember, Lex?"

"Jillian. Helena. Jillian is Helena's daughter. And I tried to stop them. I tried, but her men. They overpowered me and I couldn't protect him. They got away and I couldn't stop them. I needed to stop them."

"Hey, hey, look at me, you had just given birth. You did everything you possibly could." He said as he wiped her tears and pulled her close. They sat for a minute, as she calmed and steadied her breathing. He held her before they stood and he stayed close, placing his arm around her waist.

"Ned's right, Alexis. This isn't your fault."

She nodded, "Just find him, Mac, Taggert. Find my son."

"I'm issuing an APB for Cassadine now," Taggert said as he started to step away.

"Wait–" She stopped him. "Right now she thinks I'm delusional. That I've lost my mind and that everyone believes he's gone. If she thinks even for a second that we're on to her…"

"So what do you suggest they do?" Ned asked.

"I don't know. But I need to call Stefan. He needs to know what he's dealing with." She insisted.

"Alexis, I agree that we don't want to tip off Helena or Trainor. But, did they say anything that might indicate where they took your son?"

She paused and looked at Mac, they hadn't and although she now knew the connection she feared they were no better off. "No. Helena indicated that something didn't go according to plan. I don't think they anticipated that I'd go into labor that night. And Jillian, leading up to the birth, all she could talk about was how much she wanted Ned. About how he was unhappy and only with me out of some sense of obligation."

"None of which is true." Ned added adamantly.

"I know." She assured him as her phone started to ring. Ned picked up her coat off the arm of the chair and passed it to her and she took it, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She looked at the caller id, at the 3 men in the room, who were trying to help them before turning to her husband, "Ned…"

"Honey what is it?" He asked, concern evident in his voice as she showed him the phone. He took it from her and answered the call himself. "Ashton," he said to no reply on the other end. "Jillian, if this is you, you're not doing yourself any favors here. Just tell me where you are." The silence on the other end worried him, "Is he there with you? Do you have my son?" He asked again. "Jillian I'm giving you one last chance before I hang up…"

"Wait." She said on the other end. "Where's your wife?"

He looked at Alexis, he needed to keep her talking, play her game. And as he got her talking, he put her on speaker, so that everyone could hear what was going on. "She's not here."

"I don't believe you," she said simply.

"Well you should. You're the one whose calls drove her over the edge."

"And so now you're answering her calls?"

"I just want my son. Tell me where you are and I can help you get out of this mess." He said as Mac nodded.

"And he is a beautiful baby boy, but I need assurances."

"I'll get you whatever you need." He replied and then asked again. "Where are you?"

"Like I said, I need some assurances first. I want to cut a deal, but I need to see you in person, and you need to come alone. You have 24 hours," she said as she hung up. They were leaving for Greece the next morning and if she was going to get herself out of this mess, it would have to be now.