| Chapter 16 He stood over the grave, watching as shovel after shovel full of dirt was tossed on the coffin. He held his speaker loosely at his side, listening with sheer ecstasy as the sounds of Helena's screams mixed with the swooshing of shovel and dirt. "She screams....." he said devilishly, his dark eyes glowing in villainy, "as if she fears her own death. Can you imagine...Helena Cassadine fears the very thing she dishes out so freely...." He moved to the edge of the hole. "She fears it and, since I am the one who delivers her to the hands of death, she fears me, as well." The hired men kept to their work, knowing that the words their employer spoke were not really directed at them. From the evil aura around him, they knew he was talking to himself only. He lifted the speaker to his mouth, whispering, "Do you fear me, Mother?" The loud demanding screams stopped immediately after the question had been posed. The workers stopped, transfixed by the silence and their employer's haunted eyes as he clutched the speaker. From inside the partially covered coffin, a raspy, yet defiant voice said, "NO." He smiled, saying, "How like you to be so brazen...." He dropped the speaker on the ground, squashing it beneath his foot. He started to walk away back through the clearing, but stopped. He returned to the edge of the grave, staring down into the dark thick dirt. Inside his head, he could see the woman trapped inside. Ever so elegant, even in a terrifying situation... "Alas, Mother, I find you still own pieces of my heart..." He sighed, clasping his hands behind his back. He looked up at the silver moon that lit up the night sky. In a silent whisper, he muttered, "Dig her up." When the men continued to shovel, he was enraged, yelling at the top of his lungs, "DIG HER UP!!!!!!!!" The workers looked horrified and completely shocked. He smiled again, calmly saying, "I've changed my mind. She lives...for now." * * * * * "Oh, no, she didn't!" Gia snapped, propping her hands on the edge of the table in front of her as she watched Celine descend the stairs. "I know she did not just come down the stairs wearing the exact same shoes as me!!" "They're similar," Nikolas smiled, shoving half a scone into his mouth. "They're more than similar!" "Good morning, Children!" Celine greeted, flouncing across the room, her hips sashaying beneath the delicate georgette of her lime green dress. The bit of ruffles bounced playfully at her knees as she slid into an empty chair. "I hope you both slept as well as I did..." Nikolas cracked his jaw, looking down at his plate as he waited for his anger to pass. How could he have possibly slept well knowing that his brother and closest friend were lost to him? That after the countercommando attack, everyone he loved was a target? That no one was safe? He couldn't imagine why his uncle had seen fit to marry such a uncaring, inconsiderate, rude woman. Gia put her hand on Nikolas' thigh, giving him a look of sympathy. Celine caught the look, saying, "My, you two are a depressing bunch, aren't you?" She took a piece of cantaloupe, dropping it on her plate and then licking the sweet juice from her fingers. "Do try to cheer up before Stef comes down. Your dour little pumpkin faces will kill the good mood I put him in last night." "Ick..." Gia said slowly, staring at Celine with disgust. "Ick?" "Ick...as in...Ick...as in you are the ickiest woman I have ever met." Gia looked at her coldly, smoothing out the fabric of her lime green Capri pants as she leaned back in her chair. Celine turned to Nikolas, shrugging as she responded, "What am I supposed to say to that? Icky? Well, I just can't fight icky...But you know, icky seems to be going around. I have to say that I'm not the only icky person in this room. You're icky too, aren't you, Nikolas?" "No, I do not believe so," he replied dryly, long since tired of Celine and the direction the conversation was taking. "Nikolas is NOT icky!" Gia stormed. "Oh, yes he is!! He's icky...He's Icky Nikky!" Celine smiled proudly, starting to laugh, "Why, I'm having breakfast with Icky Nikky and his dime store Dame." "There's nothing dime store about me!" Gia bit off, her lips forming a sneer. "Not even those plastic shoes of yours?" "Plastic?! Damn you, we're wearing the exact same shoes!" Celine uncrossed her legs,. propping one foot dead center in the middle of the table between the scones and the pitcher of orange juice. She pointed to the bright green sandals on her feet. They were open-toed leather with a platform sole and long straps that criss-crossed up her long slender calves. "You see these, Hon? These are four hundred dollar Prada originals purchased in Milan less than seventeen days ago. Hand crafted leather...Now, those things on your feet...couldn't be more than twenty dollar knock-offs that you got off the clearance rack at Wyndhams..." "Hmmm...how interesting that you're going to walk around town in some sandals that could so easily be mistaken for plastic clearance shoes. And, while it doesn't matter to me one way or the other whether people think they're Prada or the finest Pay Less has to offer, you have to live with the fact that all the little Port Charles yokels are laughing their asses off thinking Stefan Cassadine's wife is walking around in cheap shoes...Really, you could have bought the ones at Wyndhams and used the left over cash to buy some more fabric for that dress...you know, so that it would actually fit," Gia said, shoving Celine's foot off the table. Celine stood up slowly, the smile fading from her lips. "Some people," she started, her voice hard, "just don't know how to take a joke." Gia stood up, too, holding her head high as they squared off over the breakfast table. Nikolas grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back down beside him, but she jerked her arm out of his grasp. "Some people," Gia replied crisply, "don't know when to shut up." "You'd know..." Celine looked the girl over, mildly angered by the fact that Gia was dressed in the exact same color that she, herself, had chosen to fit her mood for the day. Lime green...the color of enthusiasm...Gia was clad in a white v-neck sleeveless tank that was edged in lime green velvet piping. She wore lime green Capri pants with her matching sandals. Celine didn't like the outfit anymore than she liked the girl wearing it. "Are you trying to start something with me, Celine? If you are, then bring it on! You may be Nikolas' aunt, but I am from Brooklyn and we believe that whup@ss knows no relation!" Celine opened her mouth to answer back, but was interrupted by Nikolas' getting out of his seat and dragging Gia away from the table. "Come on..." "Hey!" she cried out, glaring at Celine over Nikolas' shoulder. "What do you think you were doing? I was in the middle of something!" Celine flipped her hair back triumphantly, sitting back down to the table to eat her cantaloupe. Nikolas pinned Gia against the wall beside the fireplace, turning her head his way. "Please, Gia," he said, his voice lowered so that it wouldn't be heard across the room, "don't ever do that again. Don't provoke Celine." "Why not?" she pouted, "I can handle myself! I'm from Brooklyn!" Nikolas shook his head in dismay. "What does being from Brooklyn have do with anything? Celine is dangerous." "I can take her!" "Did you forget that she killed a man last night at Alexis' penthouse? She shot him dead, and now, less than twenty four hours later she's buzzing around like nothing happened...." Gia took another glimpse at Celine, who was, once again, licking her fingers. "Maybe," she said slowly, "you have a point. Although, I was pretty vicious last night, too." "Oh, of course! the way you handled that mace..." he lowered his lips to her neck, kissing it softly between his words, "I was...definitely...impressed." "Impressed?" she purred, "Is that it?" "I was much more than impressed...you saved us....I was very...very...very grateful...and I would have showed you last night had Stefan not forced us to spend last night here...in separate rooms...." Gia grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his lips to lock with hers. On the other side of the room, Celine groaned at Nikolas and Gia's unrestrained show of affection.. There was a knock at the door and she got up, muttering to herself, "This is exactly what I need out of life...Kiddy Porn with breakfast...." She opened the heavy door, scowling as Luke and Alexis pushed past her. "And to add to the festivities...Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Duh..." "Which one am I, Darling?" Luke asked, looking around the Conservatory. When his eyes landed on Gia and Nikolas, he winced, turning his back to the sight. "Do they ever give it a rest?" Alexis smiled, saying, "I don't think so..." Celine slammed the door shut. "Can I offer you guys anything? Scones, orange juice, coffee, cantaloupe..." "Where's my brother?" Alexis asked, ignoring Celine's question. "... grapefruit, honey dew, strawberries..." "Got any Cocoa Pebbles?" Luke sat down at the table, poking the butter with a fork he found beside a plate. "...bacon, toast, eggs...scrambled, over easy, omelets..." As her sister in-law continued to prattle off the menu, Alexis tried not to grimace. Her brother must be nuts. "Nothing, Celine. We're fine." "....jams and preserves....peach, boysenberry, apple, blackberry..." Celine continued as if she hadn't heard Alexis. "...blueberry, kiwi..." "Good God, woman!" Luke shouted, "Are there Cocoa Pebbles in this house or not?!!" She stopped, looking at him quizzically, "Cocoa Pebbles?" "Cereal! Little pieces of chocolate flavored sugar that you put it milk..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Luke Spencer, but we don't have any Cocoa Pebbles." Luke nodded in disappointment. “Cocoa Pebbles, no...Probably got Count Chocula, though...” "I don't care!! I want my mother found, NOW!!!" Everyone turned at the sound of Stefan's angry shouts. He came down the stairs, the cordless phone pressed tightly against his ear. "Excuse me?! Oh, no, that is unacceptable. Do you hear me? UNACCEPTABLE! If Helena's left the country, then you will answer to me!....do more than try....of course....Don't make me wait too long!" Stefan ended the call, dropping the phone on the table behind the sofa. His face was red and he looked incredibly irritated. "What's going on, Stefan?" Alexis asked. "Helena's disappeared. No one's seen her since last night." Luke slammed his fist into his open palm. "Last night...she could be anywhere by now! You said you had someone watching her!" "I did, but they didn't see her leave. Her limousine hasn't been moved, nor has she taken any of the private jets. There's no trace..." "She's not a magician," Celine said, "there has to be a trace. Someone must have seen her." "Do you think she took Lucky and Emily with her?" Nikolas asked, coming over to join the group. "For all we know, she could be going *to* Lucky and Emily. We haven't the slightest idea where they are. I'm having every piece of real estate Helena owns randomly searched, but there have no been leads..." Stefan answered. "We've been sitting around twiddling our thumbs when we should have been out there finding the Cowboy!" Luke burst out, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "That's it...Alexis and I are going out to look. The rest of you can either follow our lead or be content to do nothing." Nikolas nodded, "Luke's right, we have got to get out there and look." Stefan disagreed, "No, no, no...that's what Helena wants. For us to go traipsing around aimlessly. We don't even know where to start looking. Lucky and Emily could be anywhere. Our best strategy would be to decode those documents we found. They seem to be the key to everything." "You decode all you want, Count...but I'm going to search! “Luke replied, heading towards the door. Alexis went after him, tugging on his arm. "I think Stefan's right, Luke. Helena tried to grab you last night. It's not safe to be out in the open. Besides, it would be a waste of your time to just search any random site. Helena is way too deadly to underestimate. She's playing with us. Isn't that what she wrote on the back of that photograph? That this is hide and seek? She wants us to find them...and I think the best way is to find out what those documents say." "What could they possibly have to do with what's going on now?" "A whole lot if she's willing to go to these lengths to get them. They could be our only chance to find the children." Luke sighed, knowing that Alexis was making sense. It would be foolish to go searching without a plan or even an idea where Lucky and Emily could be. "Okay, Natasha...I'll stick around for awhile..." "So, how do we go about decoding these papers?" Gia asked. "There are two copies..." Stefan pulled his copy out of his coat pocket, "so Celine and I will work on this one and Alexis and...Spencer will work on the other one." "Celine?!" Nikolas protested, "What about me?" Stefan put his hand on Nikolas' uninjured shoulder, saying, "Nikolas, I'd like you to try and rest. You're still recovering from your gunshot wound, add to that the stress of having your brother and Emily missing...you're bound to exhaust yourself if you attempt too much." "So...what? Gia and I just sit around and do nothing?" "Hardly....I've had every phone call Helena's made in the last six months chronicled and cataloged. I'd like you to review them and see if you find any patterns...any one destination that she called with frequency. It may be key to finding out if she has any allies in this." "You might as well just give us a coloring book and some Play Doh!" Nikolas griped, shrugging Stefan's hand off his shoulder. "I'd wager to guess that you've already had those phone records analyzed and found nothing. This is just something to keep us occupied while you and Luke do the real work, right?" "That's not it at all! I want you to go over them because you are more aware of Helena than any of my men-" "And Celine? This doesn't involve her! Why is she working on the documents?" Stefan sighed heavily, "The papers are in Greek, which Celine speaks fluently-" "So do I!" "AND she is familiar with the possible encryption methods of the language." Celine went to stand beside her husband, licking her lips as she coldly said, "I've got experience with things of a devious nature, kid, and I intend to help Stefan in any way I can. Now, what you need to do is figure out what's important? Your big dumb ego or finding your brother." "Finding Lucky, of course, but I should be helping! I know Greek much better that Luke and just as well as Celine, there's no reason I should be shut out." "Would you feel better if I made you a badge that says I'm A Grownup? Then you wouldn't have to worry your pretty little head about anyone forgetting that, though you act like you're six, you are, indeed, a big boy," Celine asked in the most degrading manner possible. Stefan shot her a silencing look and she stepped back, pursing her lips in annoyance as she turned to walk across the room to the fireplace. Luke found himself watching the sway of Celine's hips as she walked away. Alexis noticed, giving him a sharp elbow to the ribs. Afterwards, she turned to Stefan and Nikolas, saying, "Why don't we take shifts? We'll work on them for awhile, then Nikolas and Gia can take a stab at it." Stefan smiled in compromise. "That sounds very fair." Gia rolled her eyes. "Whatever...where are those phone records? We should get started." "Upstairs in my study." Nikolas and Gia headed up the stairs, leaving the adults behind. In the hallway outside of Stefan's study, Nikolas drew her aside, saying, "You do realize that this is pointless, don't you? My uncle is just trying to keep us out of their way." "Yes, I realize that, but what can we do about it? They have the documents and they certainly didn't offer to go down to Kinkos and make copies. Whatever is on those papers must be more than Stefan's letting on if he doesn't want you anywhere near them." "I was thinking the same thing...but I can't imagine what it would be. Nor can I imagine how something written over twenty years ago is going to help find Lucky and Emily today. I think they're wasting their time..." "Maybe they are or maybe they aren't. I just think that there's room enough for all of us to help..." Nikolas smiled, embracing her. "You're a genius, Gia. There is certainly room for everyone. They can have their secret documents and we can go out looking for clues." "You want to go out? You know we can't just leave! They'd never let us out the door." "They don't have to know." "What about the goons that were trying to grab you last night? They might try again." "I'm going, Gia. Are you coming with me?" he asked crisply, squaring his shoulders in determination. Gia could tell by his stance that he was not going to listen to reason. As much as she thought it was a horrible ideas, she agreed. "Okay, we'll go look. The only problem is that we have no idea where to start." Nikolas moved, opening the door to the study and ushering Gia in. He closed and locked the door behind him. "That's not entirely true." "It's not?" Gia asked, her eyebrow arching as she watched him locate a secret door behind a bookshelf. The door screeched open, revealing a dark black opening. He took her hand, leading her inside the secret tunnel. "No, Stefan said that Helena is gone..." "Yeah?" "Well, if the yacht's still there, then there's a chance we can find something...anything that will lead us to Lucky and Emily.." "A tiny chance, Nikolas." "That's all we need...." * * * * * Lifeless blue eyes, accentuated by the dark black circles that hung so conspicuously underneath them, stared back at him from a pale and sallow face. This was a Lucky Spencer that he did not know. Gone was the rebellious sparkle that always seemed to surround him and, in its place, was the heaviness of pure exhaustion. He was tired. That was all. Trying to label any of the other emotions that had come and gone through the long dark night would be too difficult a task. Now, he was content to focus on easy things. After leaving Emily in the bed, he had slipped into the bathroom and taken a shower. He had then dressed in the clothes the guard had given him, his body crying out in agony as he tried to maneuver his battered body into the jeans and shirt. He had finished brushing his teeth, replacing the brush in the holder beside the sink. That was when the reflection in the mirror caught his attention. It stilled his heart to look up a see a stranger. Someone who had kneeled before a hideous monster and handed over his will. His first instinct was to yell at the reflection, to brow beat it, to belittle it...but he found that he couldn't do it. It wasn't a decision he wanted to make, but had done it out of love for Emily. He would protect her at all costs. That was his duty. Because he loved her.... And all that mattered to him was that she survive this whole mess. Lucky knew that he wouldn't, that Faison wouldn't never let him get away a second time. He resigned himself to his fate, accepting that this was the end for Lucky Spencer. All he wished was that the mad man be merciful and kill him...because the other option...living his life as Cesar Faison's "pet" was far more terrifying than having the barrel of a gun pressed against his temple. If Emily were freed or rescued, then he could die in peace. There was a knock at the door and panic streaked through Lucky. Faison? No...no....no... Not again...not so soon.... Please...just let me be.... "Lucky? Lucky, are you in there?" Lucky raced to the door at the sound of Emily's voice. He stopped before opening it, trying to force some semblance of normalcy. He turned the knob, a lopsided, plastic grin springing to his face. "Uh, hey, Em, do you need to use the bathroom? I'm done..." She felt the tears immediately spring to her eyes when she saw his face. He had been traumatized and tortured, yet, he still managed to smile just for her sake. How like Lucky. She waltzed past him, turning her head so that he wouldn't see she was about to cry. "I was just checking on you. I was worried when I woke up and you weren't there." "No need to worry. I'm fine." To Emily, the words sounded like something her friend would say, but it didn't seem to be her friend saying them. His voice was rather low and unassuming. He appeared to be something Lucky had never been...shy and detached. She composed herself, stopping beside the shower and turning to face him. The room was still steamy and smelling of whatever fragrant soap their captor had provided. "I worry, Lucky. No matter how much you tell me not to, it's still going to happen because I care about you." "I care about you too, Emily." He looked around the bathroom, then over at her. She wore yet another silk gown she had found in the dresser. It was a soft pink that clung to her hips. Suddenly embarrassed, Lucky turned to leave. "I'm sure you need to clean up before today's activities start..." "Wait, Lucky!" she said, moving to him and putting a hand on his arm. "I don't think you were quite done in here..." "No, I was...it's okay, you're not kicking me out." "Have you looked in the mirror, bud?" Lucky looked at the furry rug at her feet. "I know I look like crap..." "I'm sorry!" she gushed, feeling like a major jerk for putting it like that. He must be aware of how haggard he looked. She'd only made it worse. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that. I meant, have you noticed that you've turned into a lumber jack." Lucky looked puzzled, but then understand. He rubbed his chin, the bristles of his fledgling beard feeling foreign underneath his palm. "You don't like my new look? Prisoner of War meets Paul Bunyan?" Emily laughed, then quickly clapped her hands over her mouth. "That's not funny, Lucky!" she cried. "Then why are you laughing?" he asked, the hint of a genuine grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'm not!" She walked over to the sink, opening the medicine cabinet. She poked around until she proudly produced a plastic razor and a can of shaving cream. "Faison thought of everything." "Didn't he, though?" "Are you going to shave?" "Why, Emily? Who do I have to impress? Faison? You think hairless cheeks are going to keep him from shoving my face in the dirt? Heck, it might just be an incentive..." Emily set the items on the sink ledge, cheerfully saying, "Well, I always liked my Lucky clean shaven, and since I have to sleep with you...." she looked away, a bit of red coming across her forehead, "I mean, sleep in the same bed with you, I would prefer no more scratchy whiskers rubbing against my arm." Lucky gave in easily, shrugging as he went to the sink. Emily moved out of the way. He prepared his face for the shave. She watched on, eyeing him carefully. When he picked up the razor, her heart started to race. His hands shook. She had noticed when he was applying the shaving cream and had almost dropped the can. Now that he was bringing the blade to his face, she watched as the yellow plastic wobbled back and forth in his unsteady grip. "You know what? You don't have to..." she started. Lucky shook his head, knowing what she meant, but not quite able to release the last bit of control he had. "No, I should shave." Emily grabbed his wrist as it neared his face. "Lucky," she said honestly, "your hands are shaking and you're going to cut yourself if you try." He closed his eyes, defeatedly whispering, "I know..." "Will you let me?" "Shave me?" "Yeah," she smiled. "I know how. I shave my legs all the time!" He shrugged and she took the yellow Bic. She turned, propping her rear on the edge of the sink. She pulled him closer until there was barely any room between them. She laid one hand on his shoulder, clutching the razor with the other. "This is going to be painless, Lucky." She took her time, cautiously bringing the blade over the lather covered skin. When she was done, she cleaned his face up with a towel. "How do I look?" Lucky asked. Tossing the towel over her shoulder, she smiled widely, "Not too bad..." She put her hands on either side of his face, allowing her fingers to glide over the smooth flesh of his cheeks. She lifted her eyes to find that he was staring at her. Their eyes met, locking, connecting. She knew it was wrong, but she felt grateful that she wasn't alone. Her lips parted as she said, "Thank you, Lucky." "For what?" "For saving me..." "I didn't..." He felt himself drawn to her. Without knowing it, his hands moved, circling around her back and bringing her against him. "I wish I could..." "But you did, Lucky. Faison was going to kill me and you stopped him. I'll never forget what you did for me..." Emily held onto his face, and gently, she lifted her full lips to softly touch his. And, before either of them knew it, they were kissing... * * * * * Nikolas stood in the elegant salon of Helena's yacht, rooting hastily through the safe behind a large Rembrandt. It had been easy to crack. Her combination had been his own birth date. He was hoping that Helena would be sloppy one more time and leave him some evidence that pointed to where she had Lucky and Emily hidden. He peered inside, flipping through papers and tossing unimportant ones aside. "I don't think there's anything in this one, Gia." When she didn't respond, he stopped, turning around to the desk, where, just minutes ago, she had been rifling through the drawers. But she was no longer at the desk, or even in the room. "Gia?" "Gia? Where are you?" He walked out into the hallway, looking around. "Gia!" he raised his voice a bit. The boat seemed to be empty, but one never could be certain. "Gia!" He started down the corridor, opening doors and checking for her. He had no idea where she could have gone, nor why she would go without telling him. He had the sudden fear that something had happened to her. Lucky and Emily had already been taken, what if Helena decided she needed more leverage? She had to be desperate if she had sent those helicopter goons after Luke and her own grandson. His heart began to race and his pace quickened as he yelled out, "GIA!!!!" "GIA!!!!!!!" He ran up the stairs, throwing open the door at the top and getting onto the deck of the yacht. "GIA!!!!!" he yelled, as the mid-morning sun assaulted his sensitive eyes. "Are you missing something, Nikolas? Or, should I say, someone?" Nikolas turned around at the sound of the heavy male voice behind him. He was about to say something, when he stumbled back, his eyes opening in disbelief. "Who are you?" "Judging by your reaction, you already know." Nikolas took another step back, his palms becoming clammy. He wiped them off on the side of his pants. "Where's Gia?" "She's safe," the dark-haired man replied, smiling gently. It was genuine, much like the smile he had given Helena before he shoved her in the dark coffin the night before. "Where is she?!" Nikolas demanded, knowing that this couldn't possibly happening. He couldn't possibly be talking to who he thought he was talking to... "I need you to come with me, Nikolas. I know this comes as a shock to you, but we must talk in private...where it's safe." "No...I need to find Gia." "I told you she was safe and she is. In fact, she's waiting in the limousine for the both of us. She wandered out here unprotected and I had no choice but to take action to protect her. She put up quite a fight when my driver placed her in the car, but I personally assured her that you'd be along shortly. You're not going to make me out a liar, are you, Nikolas?" Uncertainly, his head spinning and his heart pumping rapidly, he asked, "She's in your car?" "Yes..." His mouth was incredibly dry. THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!! "Are...are," he sputtered, "are you who I think you are?" "Yes, I am, " the man nodded, moving to guide Nikolas off the yacht and across the pier to the idling limousine. Nikolas followed, his eyes glued to the side of the man's face. He was older than in the pictures, his hair graying at the temples and small lines creasing the corner of his eyes, but, there was no mistaking who it was. Nikolas was completely dumfounded, although he couldn't understand why. Everyone he knew had already been resurrected from the dead, what difference did one more person make? Most likely, he was the last sucker left in Port Charles. No matter how many times someone came back from the dead, Nikolas was still surprised. Every time! The man opened the door, stepping aside so that Nikolas could get in before him. "Gia?" Nikolas called, standing away from the car. "She can't hear you from back there. Just get inside so that we'll be protected." Hesitantly, Nikolas moved towards the car. He looked the man in the eye for a long second. The dark brown orbs that peered back were much like his own. Nikolas got in the car, aware of the man sliding in behind him. "Gia, I was so worr-" The words died on his lips as he saw that the back was completely empty. The doors locked and the limousine peeled away from the curb, speeding off down the street. Nikolas went to try and open his door, but found that it wouldn't budge. Immediately, he turned to the man beside him, his face red with anger. "You told me Gia was in here!" Stavros Cassadine shrugged, nonchalantly replying, "What can I say, Nikolas? I lied." * * * * * Gia came out of the yacht's kitchen carrying a half gallon of ice cream and a spoon. "Look, Nikolas," she said running into the salon, "I scored us some fancy smancy ice cream!" The salon was empty. She stared at the abandoned safe, her forehead scrunching as she wondered where the heck Nikolas went. * * * * * "Well, if you would get that damn stick out of your @ss," Luke yelled, "then maybe you'd notice that the whole world doesn't live by your stupid little rules!!!!!" Stefan sprang to his feet. "That's it! I knew there was no possible way we could work together! I want you out of my home, NOW!!" "I will gladly get as far away from Spook Island as possible!" Luke and Stefan glared at each other angrily, as Luke ordered, "Come on, Natasha. Get those papers and lets go back to the penthouse." "Luke-" Alexis started to protest, pushing her chair back. "Don't you dare order my sister to do anything!" Stefan interrupted. "She does not answer to your every beck and call!" "I'll order Natasha to do whatever I want to order her to do... If I wanted to order her to do something, that is! What we do or do not do is none of your business, Vlad!" Stefan stepped around the table. Luke came to stand in front of him in a show of macho confidence. Stefan sneered. Luke's hands clenched into fists at his side. Alexis exhaled slowly, wondering why she put up with either of them. She tapped her pencil on the stack of papers before her. Across the table, Celine rolled her eyes, standing up. She maneuvered herself between the two of them. She was about to speak, but paused, a stray thought of what it would be like to be with both of them at the same time chugging through her mind. She put one hand on Stefan's chest and the other on Luke's to hold them apart. She smiled sensuously, wondering why her dreams could never come true. "You guys are both complete and total MORONS! You need to stop fighting and start thinking about saving those kids. Helena Cassadine is...from her reputation around Greece...deadly when she's out to get something she wants. Right now, she wants these papers-which WE have. That means that those kids are in a lot of trouble. Frankly, I don't know them and I really don't care if my dear mother in-law spills their blood, but I'm wagering to guess that everyone else in this room does. So, let's end all this squabbling and get back to work!" Luke took Celine's hand off his chest, holding a little longer than necessary, his thumb rubbing over the top. "That's some feisty wench you've got there, Vlad." Stefan pulled Celine's hand out of Luke's. He held on to it, bringing it to his lips. "Thank you for handling the situation, Douchenka," Stefan said to her. "It's my job to keep you focused." "It's a job you do well..." Stefan turned to go back to the table, but stopped, lifting the black framed glasses from his nose and folding them into his pocket. "I have to take a short break. Those endless streams of words are making my mind go blank..." Luke opened his mouth to make a reply, but Alexis slapped her hand over it tightly, preventing him from talking. "Are you about to say something mean, cruel, or degrading to my brother? Are you about to ruin the tentative peace Celine just established?" Luke nodded his head slowly. Alexis kissed his forehead, saying, "I'm going to move my hand and I'm hoping...HOPING...that when I do, you'll have rethought saying whatever it is that you were going to say. Now, if you haven't, I think it's only fair that I tell you that, immediately after you say it, I'm going to be forced to strangle the life out of you." Alexis moved her hand. Luke kept his lips shut, winking at her as he turned back to his documents. "I ain't got nothing to say, Natasha. I'm keeping my mouth shut. I'm going to let that one float right on by...I mean, he left me wide open...about his mind being blank...but I'm not going to say anything...." "Excuse me?" Mrs. Landsbury said timidly, entering the conservatory. "What is it, Mrs. Landsbury?" Stefan asked. "There's a man at the door who said he has a package for you. He says you have to sign for it yourself." "Are you expecting anything, Stef?" Celine asked. Stefan shook his head curiously, "No, nothing." Everyone exchanged knowing looks, each recognizing that this could be Helena making her move. "Alright, I'll sign for it. You're excused." Stefan started down the hallway towards the front door. Luke, Alexis, and Celine trailed behind him. Stefan accepted the clipboard from the overweight man in his entryway. "Thanks, man," the delivery man said, holding out his hand for a tip. Stefan smirked, pointing to Luke, "He'll handle the tip." "You little-" Luke started, fishing a dollar and twenty seven cents out of his pocket and tossing it into the man's hand. The man shot Luke a scathing look, turning to leave. "Where's the package?" Stefan asked. "It's outside. It wouldn't fit through the door, so my men left it in the little garden to the side. Is that okay?" "Why are you still here?" Celine snapped, glowering at the man as she pushed him backwards through the door. They all moved past the man, following Celine into the rose garden. "Oh my goodness!" Alexis shrieked immediately. They all gathered around the filthy coffin situated amongst the bright red roses. On top of the lid, was taped a note, that read: Happy Belated Birthday, Stefan. I've sent you the best gift possible. Revenge. Enjoy. Love, Stavros p.s. Have you seen Nikolas lately? |