Nikolas Cassidine was afraid. In the darkness that felt as if he were drowning, he wanted to scream in frustration, yell for help. But no one could hear him. He could barely hear himself as he lay on the flat cold gurney in the General Hospital Morgue. At least they hadn’t put him in a refrigerator. He shivered inwardly at that thought. What was going to happen to him? He could only imagine as someone brushed a hand through his hair.
“How does it feel, Nikky,” Stavros taunted in his ear. “How does it feel to know you are going to be buried alive? I’ve got such interesting plans for you. This is going to be one of the most intriguing deaths to go down in Port Charles History, to say nothing of the torment of poor Stefan and Alexis.” Stavros was still dressed in scrubs. With his surgical mask on, it didn’t appear at all unusual for him to be in the morgue. He had taken the sheet off of Nikolas’ face. Gazing down at the young man, he saw only a stone image of the man who had been alive just a short time before. Stavros pinched Nikolas’ arm. Nikolas didn’t react.
“It’s time for our next phase,” he informed his victim, for that was what Nikolas was, a victim of Stavros’ crazed mind. “The next injection I give you will keep you paralyzed for three days. After that, you're on your own. When you can finally move, it will be too late. You’ll be six feet under, your casket sealed, six feet of dirt piled on top of you.”
No! Nikolas screamed to himself. He thought of the letter he had written Stefan and Alexis, to the people he loved. He also thought of the legal papers that Stefan would find requesting he be buried at Wyndemere and not in Greece if anything should happen to him. He had shared that information with both Stefan and Lucky. Lucky! Nikolas wondered where his brother was. Was he dead? Stavros’ breath whispered in Nikolas’ ear, his words a malicious potent of what was to come.
“There, Nikky. I just gave you the last injection. I gather you didn’t feel it which is a good sign. It means our plans are right on target. I’ve been planning this for quite some time, Nikolas, almost since Mummy dearest woke me from my own sleep. Of all the people who deserves to know how that feels, you seemed the likely candidate, not only because of your suffering, but because so many people give a damn about you. Why I’ll never know.” Stavros put Nikolas’ arm back under the white sheet. The sheet went over Nikolas’ face, but somehow he didn’t even feel that. He could barely feel his heart beat, or his own breath.
“I’ll see you later, Nik. Don’t go anywhere,” Stavros laughed diabolically. Nikolas was alone, his worst fears confirmed. Stavros meant to have him truly dead, no matter what. He couldn’t fathom being buried alive. Surely no one would be that cruel. Nikolas tried not to think about what was going to happen next. He wished he could move, wished he could strangle Stavros with his bare hands. The thoughts that went through his brain were enough to drive anyone crazy. Sadly, Nikolas knew this was just the beginning. Just when he was starting to let the fog take over his internal restlessness, he heard a voice.
Lucky Spencer stood at his brother’s side. As Stavros had done, he pulled back the white sheet. His mind was dizzy with disbelief and anguish. Knowing his brother was dead and seeing him lying there were two different things in his mind. Behind him, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, fully expecting Stavros to be there. Instead, he was shocked to see Luke.
“Dad! What are you doing here?” Lucky cried as Luke put his hands up in the air in mock defense.
“Whoa there, Cowboy! I came down with your mother to see Nikolas.” Luke hesitated. “She wanted to see him, but as soon as she walked into the hospital, she lost it. She was completely hysterical. They called Kevin Collins. He’s admitted her to the hospital. She’s just not able to handle this.” Luke’s face was pale, worried that he was adding more bad news to his son’s already full plate. Lucky clenched his fists in an enraged reaction. He looked from Nikolas to his father as his emotions threatened to boil over.
“I don’t think I can handle it, Dad,” he told Luke, his voice raised, stricken with tones Luke didn’t like hearing. “Stavros killed Nikolas, Dad. I don’t know how, but I know he did. Do you know I was with Nikolas this morning? Stavros had us both held hostage on the docks.” Luke grabbed Lucky’s shoulders as Nikolas silently cheered his brother on.
“What?” Luke cried. “What are you saying. You saw Stavros kill the Prince?”
“Nooo!’ Lucky wailed. He explained the abduction, and how he was knocked unconscious only to find himself sinking in the river. He was able to get himself untied and get to the surface, but he could easily have drowned. Luke pursed his lips together, trying to keep his anger intact.
“That’s attempted murder my boy. We can get him on that,” Luke pondered. He looked over at Nikolas with Lucky.
“I want Stavros for murder,” Lucky insisted in a deadly snap. “He gave Nikolas something, a drug, you name it. He killed Nikolas.”
“Why?” Luke asked, noticing for the first time how young Nikolas was. What was an old codger like him hanging around for when a handsome, actually good man like Nikolas could cough it up so quickly. “Why would Stavros kill his own son?”
“Cause Nikolas isn’t his, Dad!” Lucky exclaimed passionately. Nikolas listened, trying with all his might to move. His muscles just didn’t respond. His eyes remained closed. The darkness was maddening when Luke and Lucky were inches away. He didn’t care about his parentage any more. All he wanted was to get out of this nightmare.
“What?” Luke repeated in confusion.
“Stavros told us. Stefan and Alexis are Nikolas’ parents. There’s more to that story, I’m sure of it, but Stavros said he had nothing to lose by killing Nikolas or me.”
“Damn the man,” Luke expostulated. “Lucky, we have to get you into hiding. If Stavros sees you…”
“I’m not going to put the family through my disappearance,” Lucky cried. “Let Stavros rot in hell.” Lucky turned to view Nikolas who lay so deathly still. He started to touch his face, but then pulled back. He couldn’t touch Nikolas’ body. He couldn’t, Lucky told himself choking back the bile that rose in his throat Lucky wished more than anything to wake Nikolas, to talk to him one more time. He trembled as he spoke to Nikolas, believing he was talking only to a dead body.
“I’m sorry, Nikolas. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop Stavros. We should have been more careful.” Lucky turned to his father, his blue eyes filled with grief, filled with the devastating loss. “Dad, he was my brother. No matter what you think, we had gotten to be good friends. This can’t be true. Tell me it’s not true.” Even standing next to Nikolas’ body, Lucky couldn’t believe it. Luke hugged his son to him, feeling Lucky’s pain mix with his own. God knew it took him a long time to accept Nikolas, but once he did, he found he liked the Prince. Luke gently put the sheet back over Nikolas, seeing the wind blow Nikolas’ hair just a little. It was such a shame. He put his arm around Lucky who still shook and led him away as he spoke.
“I wish I could, Lucky, I wish I could.” Their voices dissipated as Nikolas called after the men.
“It’s not true, Lucky. It’s not! I’m not dead!” But the words went unspoken, and unheard. Nikolas lost consciousness before the door to the morgue closed, his mind resting despite his turmoil.
Nikolas didn’t know that Stavros’ drug was slow acting, and released certain chemicals every few hours, keeping him paralyzed, and sometimes unconscious. It was a blessing really, but as the effect wore off, Nikolas would always wake up to the insanity that was now his life, or death whichever way you looked at it.
*****
Stefan Cassidine stood in Nikolas’ cottage with Alexis. They hesitated in the doorway, not wanting to invade their son’s privacy. Alexis felt as though she would burst into tears again as they walked down the three steps into the living room. Alexis picked up a sweater that Nikolas had casually thrown on the back of the couch. She held it to her face, cherishing the sweet scent of the son she had never acknowledged until it was too late. Stefan seemed frozen, not certain which way to move or how to act in Nikolas’ home, knowing that Nikolas would never walk through the front door again.
“I can still feel him,” Stefan murmured. Alexis looked at him, seeing that Stefan was barely holding it together. She put the sweater back on the sofa, and walked over to him.
“Stefan, listen to me. We’re going to get through this. I promise.” Stefan’s eyes were filled with his anguish as he let Alexis hug him.
“How?” he asked. “How can we? He was everything to me. I raised him. He was my son, even though I didn’t admit it to him. I should have told him.” Alexis pulled away, holding back her own tears.
“You couldn’t, Stefan. Nikolas was never ours to acknowledge, not while he was young. We should have in the last year or two. He was of age. We could have helped him to protect himself against the family, but when he was young? There was no choice.” She looked around the room, then back at Stefan, taking a deep breath to get her emotions under control.
“Where is Nikolas’ safe? You said he had papers in it?”
“Yes. He told me once after Helena had made threats on his life…after…” Stefan stuttered his words, unable to get them out. “He told me he had specific wishes about his funeral arrangements. He kept the papers in a metal safety box in his bedroom in a special nook in the closet.”
“I’ll go and get it,” Alexis said. “I know where that nook is. Nikolas told me about it once. Said it was the best place to keep secrets, even from Gia.” Stefan nodded. He walked over to the front door, looking outside. Gia. Where was she? Had she heard about Nikolas yet? He didn’t know. Some part of him wanted to just run away. Another part wanted to go to find Stavros, and to kill him, because he knew instinctively that Stavros had killed Nikolas. As surely as Stefan was breathing, he knew Stavros had ended Nikolas’ life. And his brother would pay with his own life if he could ever find the man.
“I’ve got it,” Alexis said coming up behind Stefan. Stefan turned around. He took the envelope that was sealed with his name on it. The name was written Stefan Cassidine in Nikolas bold script. He stared at the envelope, not sure what to do with it. He looked back into the cottage, hearing Nikolas’ voice, seeing him with his friends. Why was it that Nikolas had never invited Stefan over for dinner or just to talk? That wasn’t their relationship. Though Stefan adored Nikolas, he had so much trouble showing his emotions to the boy. He put his hands over his ears to block out the sounds of Nikolas’ voice talking echoing through the room. Alexis, puzzled, gently pulled Stefan’s hands away from his ears, and kissed each palm.
“What?” She asked softly. “What is it?”
“I have to get out of here,” Stefan growled. “I can’t be here.” Alexis, her own body a lead weight nodded.
“Let’s go. We’ll come back, later, when it doesn’t hurt so much.” Stefan let Alexis out the door first. He pulled the door closed behind him and locked it with his key. He gazed at the cottage for a moment, then shook his head. He drew Alexis close as she held back her tears, but let herself melt against Stefan. He was the only thing that made sense in her life at that moment. Stefan stroked her hair, and closed his eyes in pain, verbalizing only what he knew to be true.
“It will never stop hurting,” he intoned solomnly.
*****
Stavros talked to the Port Charles Funeral Director in the basement of the funeral parlor. The man had been working on embalming a body when he suddenly found an intruder standing just feet away from him.
“What the? Who the hell are you and…” His words were cut off as Stavros stepped forward and grabbed the man about the neck, shoving him up against the wall. The man was instantly terrified by the icy look in Stavros’ wild eyes.
“That’s better,” Stavros nodded. “You ready to listen to me?” The man couldn’t move much but his silence was enough for Stavros.
“They’ll be bringing in a young man. Nikolas Cassidine. You know him?” Stavros released his grip on the funeral director. He stood rubbing his neck, and nodding. The news of Nikolas Cassidine’s death was all over the radio and the news. Who hadn’t heard of him?
“Well, he met an unfortunate demise today. They’ll send him here for embalming. Then, if I know my brother, he’ll have the body removed to Greece or to Wyndemere. Under no circumstances are you to embalm Nikolas.”
“But…” the funeral director started. Stavros made a threatening move. The Funeral Director stepped back, holding up his hands in defense.
“If you touch a hair on Nikolas’ head, I’ll see that you are the next one who needs to be embalmed.” Stavros threatened. “You understand?”
“There may be problems…” The funeral director tried to tell Stavros. Stavros smiled.
“You let me worry about that,” He replied. “Have a good day.” Stavros left as quickly as he came with the stunned man watching after him. He shook his head. He knew the Cassidines were odd, but this was by far the most bizarre request he had ever received from a family member. It wasn’t a request though and he knew it. He vowed to have as little to do with Nikolas Cassidine’s body as possible. No body, and in this instance, no dead body was worth getting killed over. He went about his work, praying this was one incident that would pass quickly out of his life.
Outside the funeral home, Stavros disappeared into his limousine. There, he came face to face with the one person he knew could spoil his entire plan. She leaned forward, her hand gripping Stavros’
“Stavros, tell me the truth. Where is Nikolas?” Helena Cassidine demanded. Stavros merely gave his mother his most malicious smile. Then he leaned forward, his other hand applying pressure to her slender neck.
“If I were you, Mother, I would let go, else you find out what it’s like to join Nikolas in the grave.”