Absolution Chapter 29 The glass came down with a clatter in the quiet of the room and Stefan held on to the bar for support as he remembered the dream. A dream that felt so real it was tangible. He staggered to the sofa and sat down to relieve the shakiness of his legs. It had been that summer of 1981 and he had been ill with what the doctor’s had said was food poisoning. For a week he had been unconscious and when he had awakened he was in the hospital. Prudence told him it had been another attempt on his life by Helena. The doctor’s all said food poisoning since several of their guests had taken ill from the food also. Stefan had never been sure. It would have been so like Helena to have poisoned them all to kill him and throw off all suspicion. There had been many sensations while he was unconscious: movement, whispered conversations, the heat of a blistering sun, and then the dream. Stefan sucked in a deep breath as he recalled a dream that had felt so real he could remember every moment of it. The body that was tucked into the crook of his arm was molded to the contours of his body as if they fit together. Stefan opened his eyes and looked around the dim room in confusion, not remembering how he got there. Everything looked familiar. His few possessions scattered in Spartan fashion around the room. Then he felt the weight of a body and realized he was not alone. Glancing down he looked in disbelief, her golden hair fanned across his chest and her beautiful face was nestled in the bend of his arm. He cautiously touched her face, so afraid she would disappear as she had so many times before in his dreams. As his fingertips made contact he realized she was solid, was substance and he wondered at this fantasy. If he had envisioned her in his arms so many times she had finally come to be physical for him. Laura had been gone for months now and all he had were his dreams and in them she loved him and him alone. “Lasha,” he whispered longingly. Laura eyes opened and she gazed at him in languid confusion. “Stefan?” Her hand came up and met his half way, palms up, they pressed their hands together in wonderment, entwining their fingers together joyously. “Is it really you?” she asked softly as she searched his face. “Yes,” he rasped as he kissed the palm of her hand. “But how...?” she trailed off looking around the room. “It’s a miraculous dream we both are having at the same time,” he rationalized. “Yes,” she breathed. “I have dreams too, but before I always woke up and you were gone,” she murmured sadly. “I won’t disappear this time,” he promised. He bent his head down and brushed his lips against hers in an exploratory kiss. Laura’s lips were as soft as he remembered and he held back the passion that had been burning for her for months to take their reunion slowly. When her lips parted for him, he gently thrust his tongue into her mouth to savor her sweetness. Her soft, warm lips stretched to give him more access and he deepened the kiss gradually until their tongues were cavorting and fencing in a hot, wet cotillion of motion. When he broke the kiss, Laura moaned at the deprivation. He moved across her face with his tongue and lips feasting on the delicacy of her skin, wanting to graze every inch of her body with his mouth. The one thing he had to do was breathe in the scent of her hair and he immersed his face into her long tresses and inhaled deeply. It was as he recalled, full of sunshine and the faint scent of flowers. Laura’s hands were busy rediscovering his body. She always marveled at the physical condition of him. His taunt, lean muscles rippled under her canvassing hands. Stefan stopped for a moment and took her face in his hands, looking deep into her eyes. It was time he told her what he had never felt free to say. “I love you, Lasha,” he whispered achingly. “I will love you until the end of time,” he murmured as he brushed her lips reverently with his own. Laura’s eyes darkened in response to his declaration. The smile that curved her lips would have brought him to his knees had he been standing. It was resplendent in it’s joy and reassurance. A single tear rolled down her cheek and he captured it with his tongue. “I have loved you for so long, Stefan. I thought we had said the words, but hearing them aloud I know now that we hadn’t,” she confided breathlessly. “We will never be separated, even apart we will be connected,” she vowed. He lowered his head and kissed her with all the passion he had held back, as she met him with the equal force of her love. He was breathing harshly as he moved to the nape of her neck to trace the depression between her collar bone and neck. She shivered with desire as he found one of the places that made her passions soar. Stefan smiled against her neck as he heard the purr coming from her throat. He brushed his fingertips, then his lips against her arms as he made his way down to her fingers where he took them one by one and caressed them gently with his mouth. The different sensations of his fingers, lips, tongue and goatee against her skin made Laura feel as if every nerve ending they touched was electric. Switching sides Stefan did the same thing with his mouth and fingers going up to her neck, determined to taste every inch of her flesh. Fastening his lips on her throat, he found the spot that made her moan with pleasure. His mouth trailed down her neck as his hands found her taunt breasts that begged for attention. Rubbing his thumbs across her pink tipped nipples he watched as they hardened into nubs and unable to contain himself any longer took turns licking her nipples up and down until Laura was squirming under him in agony at his teasing. “I want to feel you inside of me,” she begged wildly, her eyes flared with passion. “Not just yet,” he said softly as he made his way down her stomach. Laura’s legs parted automatically as he settled between her legs. He looked into her eyes that begged and pleaded with him like a silent prayer. His fingers delicately caressed her inner thighs, working his way down until he touched her center and she thrust up against him. The scent of her overwhelmed him and he could hold his passion in no longer. He parted her lips and stroked her up and down with his tongue. Laura bucked up to meet him as he nibbled and teased her, taking her to the brink then backing off until she was almost mad with desire. Laura ran her fingers into his hair pulling him closer to her. He inserted his middle finger into her and she moaned breathlessly as he teased and tormented her. His lips found her swollen bud and sucked and licked as he stuck two fingers inside her pumping slowly and with increasing speed as he felt her start to orgasm. She screamed his name over and over again as her body convulsed into spasms of ecstasy. When she caught her breath, he covered her body with his. Laura could feel his hardness pressing into her stomach and she wanted more. She pulled his head down and licked her essence off his lips, her tongue dived into his mouth as their tongues coiled and lashed at each other in a torrid skirmish. Laura reached down to caress his length, running her fingers from the tip down to cup his balls in her hand. He trembled in her arms as she guided him into her. Slowly he encased himself into her heat, closing his eyes at the feeling of being sucked deeper into her. Stefan took her hands in his as he started moving steadily trying to make the moment last as long as possible. After a few minutes his thrusts became quicker and more forceful as Laura moved her hips to match his rhythm. “I have to touch you,” Laura begged and he let her hands go. She reached around and pushed his toned butt forward so he would penetrate her even deeper. He was moving faster and more furious in her as she clenched her vaginal walls around him tightly and he could feel himself falter. “Lasha,” he warned. His control was slipping quickly. He stroked her unmercifully as she mashed her hungry loins into his. His firm strokes became uneven as he finally buried himself deeply into her as he spilled his seed into her, calling out her name. Laura came as she felt him gush his milk into her, clutching his body to hers as the tremors overtook her. Their sweaty bodies collapsed together in completion. Stefan cupped her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly. “I love you so much, Lasha,” he whispered against her mouth. Laura smiled into his eyes, “As much as I love you.” They had made love again almost immediately, Stefan recalled. He had always been able to make love several times in succession, but that night he had been superhuman. He and Laura had spent the whole night making love and pleasuring each other until they had finally fallen asleep from exhaustion. He had always thought that the malevolent laugh he thought he had heard from his mother before he fell asleep had been some deeply buried scar that had manifested itself at the time to put a damper on his happiness. Now he was unsure of it all. The dream had seen so vivid and real. At the time he thought the dream was just the hallucination of a man who had been denied his one true love. And the drugs the doctors had pumped into him had caused the dream to seem like reality. Could it have really happened? He trembled when he thought of the implications his thoughts were taking. Lucky could be his son! Was that why when he had spent time with the boy he had felt such a connection to him? He drew a deep shuddering breath and buried his face in his hands. If only it could be true..... No, he pulled himself back to reality. He would not speculate on the dream until he had the cold hard facts. He rose and went to his desk and pulled out a thick file. Donning his reading glasses, he went down the list of possible suspects. There were three companies he discovered that were experimental drug companies that his father had bought and used for his research. One of the companies was the one he had used to get the drug to paralyze Helena. He had gone through their records shortly before he had given his mother the drug. They had no such hallucinatory drug in testing years ago. Another company he dismissed outright. The last one was the one that seemed to have the most promise. He picked up the phone and called, requesting all their records from the time his father took over the company until 1983. After being assured they would be messengered to him the next day, he turned his attention back to his computer. There was no doubt in his mind his Mother would try to destroy the evidence he had against her. Stefan made a copy of the files and put them on a disc for safekeeping and while the files printed for Alexis, locked the disc in his safe. As much as he tried not to think about Lucky, he couldn’t help but wonder if he finally had a son and what the consequences would be if it were true. He walked back over to the window and gazed out into the darkness. Helena always had a failsafe, a backup plan to use in case her original plan didn’t work. This one was brilliant. He had to admit. When Luke Spencer found out Lucky wasn’t his, but Stefan’s, he would go mad with anger and grief. Luke would come after him with a vengeance, guns blazing, consumed by blind hatred. The Cassadine/Spencer war would start up all over again until one of them killed the other. He smiled darkly. The plan was masterful. Either he or Spencer would be dead and if Helena was fortunate they would kill each other, or one would be incarcerated for the crime. Either way it left Helena clear to Nikolas. Getting rid of Laura would be easy for Helena. She would probably meet with some unfortunate accident that couldn’t be traced back to his Mother. He felt a brief surge of admiration for his Mother. She had out done herself this time. Then his thoughts turned malevolent. Helena had gone too far when she threatened all he loved and cherished. And if Lucky did turn out to be his son, she would pay for taking his son away from him. He was going to enjoy seeing the cold light die in her eyes when he squeezed the life out of her. ********** The salon was back to its usual spotless elegance. What hadn’t been broken, Andreas had place back in its usual position. Helena smiled. He had even managed to go out and get fresh flowers to replace the ones she had dashed to the floor. The dear boy, she thought with fondness. It was going to be a real shame when she had to dispose of him. The object of her thoughts strolled into the room and Helena looked at him with appreciation. He was really quite magnificent with that pretty face and those broad shoulders. Helena sighed, business before pleasure. “Andreas, I have a job for you,” she told him briskly. “Yes, Madam,” Andreas replied eagerly. “My sniveling son has some information I want destroyed. I want you to go to Wyndemere tonight and run this in his computer.” She held up a disc. “There’s a virus encoded in this disc that will destroy everything he has and he will not be able to retrieve the information. I know there is a safe so check it for a copy,” she commanded. “How will I be able to get into Wyndemere without being seen, Madam?” Andreas inquired. “There are ways,” Helena returned smugly. “The whole island is crisscrossed with tunnels and plenty of them give access to Wyndemere. I’ll tell you where to go,” she said confidently. Andreas looked at her in admiration as he bent over her hand. “You are brilliant Madam,” he whispered as he caressed her hand with his lips. Helena was flattered by the attentions and praise of the younger man. “I will have another errand for you to run in a few days.” “What do you want me to do, Madam?” Helena knew she could trust him so she hinted at her secret. I have a tape I want delivered to Luke Spencer and I trust only you to put it directly into his hands,” she confided in him. Andreas bowed. “I am honored that Madam trusts me to do her work for her. I won’t disappoint,” he promised. “You are such a dear,” she touched his face fondly. She handed him the disc. “Here it is, and don’t get caught,” she warned. “Cesar gave me a map of the tunnels, so let’s go look at it and I’ll tell you where to go.” ********** Stefan continued to work on the files. He printed out copies for both himself and Alexis and made another backup disc to hide in a safe that only he knew about. The information was all there, how Helena and Fasion had planned and faked Lucky Spencer’s death and her step-by-step instructions on brainwashing him. There was enough in the file to convict his mother and incarcerate her for the rest of her life. But it wasn’t going to work that way. When Lucky regained his memories Helena would flee. That’s what he wanted. Until then he would hold on to the information he had, using it as a threat to contain Helena if need be, and after she was gone he would give the information to Commissioner Scorpio. By then it would be too late. Helena would stay one step ahead of the authorities until he could find her. Then he would finally take his own Timoria. He was going to kill Helena himself. That would be the only way he would know for sure she was really dead and no longer a threat to those he cared about. No coming back from a drug or faked death this time. It would be for real. He would make sure of it. ********* Laura had finally been allowed to see her son. Dr. Rosenthal had been adamant that she nor Luke see him while he was awake since their presence set him off into a wild frenzy of threats toward them. Lucky seemed so small against the white sheets of the bed and she cringed at the restraints that bound him prisoner. Even with a sedative he was restless and his hands tried to reach toward his throat. Laura wondered about the medallion they had taken from him. Was that what he was trying to do, check to see if he was still wearing it? Laura’s eyes narrowed in thought. It would be just like Helena to play some mind game with the Cassadine crest to taunt her and Luke. Alexis had taken the thing though and she had every confidence that if there was something to find Stefan would leave no stone uncovered. He had promised to help her and she knew he would, no matter how he felt about her. Stefan wouldn’t let her children suffer. Lucky was Nikolas’s brother and Stefan would do everything in his power to return Lucky to Nikolas whole and free from Helena’s evil grasp. Laura bent over her son and smoothed his hair off his forehead. “I’m here, baby. Mommy’s here and she won’t let anyone hurt you again,” she whispered as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “You have to fight to come back to us. We will help you as much as we can, but it’s you that has to be strong. Only you can break free from her,” she urged softly in encouragement. Lucky moaned in his sleep and twisted restlessly in the restraints. Laura caressed his face, kissing him gently on the cheek, and sat back to keep vigil over her son. ********* Andreas found the tunnels. They were exactly as Madam had shown in on the map. Finding the right tunnel and the secret panel leading into Stefan’s study was harder. It took him longer than expected and he was relieved when he came through the opening to find Stefan still working. Stefan removed his reading glasses and eyed him speculatively. “I was wondering when you would show up,” he commented casually. Andreas was startled. Had Helena set him up? Was this a test? “I don’t know what you mean,” he stammered. Stefan gazed at him in amusement. “I knew Helena would want to get her hands on the information once she knew I had found out the encryption. What does she want you to do?” Andreas pulled the disc out of his pocket. “She says there is a virus on this and that it will destroy all the information on your computer. I was also instructed to search for copies,” he admitted. “Are you ready to help me now?” Stefan inquired softly. Andreas’ eyes darkened with hatred. “Helena killed my brother. I checked out the information you gave me and it was true. She told me lies,” he spat. “You know when she is finished with you, your fate will be the same as his?” Stefan reminded. “Yes. I know,” he replied tersely. “I want revenge for my brother and protection from Helena. Can you give me both?” Stefan looked him in the eyes and smiled malevolently. “Yes, on both accounts,” he promised ruthlessly. Andreas took a breath. “Then I will trust you to destroy her and save my life.” Stefan walked up to him and took him by the arms. “That’s the most rational decision you have made since you started working for Helena.” He dropped his arms and walked to the bar and poured himself a glass of water, sipping it while he thought for a moment. “First, we must protect you from Helena’s wrath. I will make a copy of the information for you to take to her. Then we will pretend that you inserted the virus into the computer.” He turned and looked at the younger man. “Helena will visit me tomorrow to see if I am suitably chastised from losing the information. The computer will be gone, since with the virus it will be useless to me now. And I will make sure she knows how disappointed I am,” he smirked. “Since I’m sure she has destroyed all copies of her correspondence and dealings with Fasion she will think she has won. And I will let her think she has the upper hand,” he replied. Andreas was nervous. “You’re sure she will believe you? My life is on the line and I don’t want to end up like my brother,” he replied apprehensively. “Yes.” A small smile played across Stefan’s face. “She will believe me, because she is arrogant enough to believe she will win in the end. It will be her downfall. Her conceit will destroy her,” he promised. “Helena has underestimated me for the last time,” he asserted in a coldly sinister voice. Andreas couldn’t help but feel a twinge of fear at the look on Stefan’s face. It was a look of unscrupulous malice. He wondered if he had left one devil and sold his soul to another. There was really no choice. He knew too much to live and it was only a matter of time before Helena got rid of him as she had his twin. Taking a deep breath he replied, “Give me the disc and I will take it back to her and tell her the job is done.” Stefan slipped another disc into his computer and typed in the commands. “Do you have your story ready to tell? It has to be convincing. She will notice if you are nervous,” he observed. “I can do it,” Andreas insisted. Stefan sat down at his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing rapidly. “I am writing out a list for Alexis to check. This note will suggest that Alexis has not seen the file since it has decoded and I am instructing her what to look for. This way Helena will not go after my sister in the belief she knows too much. Helena will believe that what happened to Lucky today would have unnerved me. She will believe that I would be frantic over Laura and Nikolas. Tell her you heard me making distraught phone calls to both Nikolas and Laura and they rebuffed me.” Stefan’s smile was like ice. “Mother will believe I would fall apart over anything happening to Laura. She will think I’ve been so upset I’ve not thought about the file since I found out about Lucky. And if she thinks they blame me, then she will be more confident than ever.” Andreas nodded. “Yes, Mr. Cassadine.” Stefan finished the note and pulled the disc out of the computer. “Here’s your present for my Mother. If you feel she has discovered your betrayal, leave and come here immediately. I will see that you are protected from her,” he promised. Andreas paused before leaving and turned back to Stefan with a frown. “There’s something else I forgot to tell you. Madam said she had something that she wished me to do for her in a few days.” Stefan’s interest was piqued. “And what was that?” “She wants me to take a tape to Luke Spencer and place it in his hands personally,” he confided. Stefan became still. “I must get on the yacht and find this tape,” he said slowly. “When Helena leaves the yacht you must call me and help me replace the tape. Luke Spencer cannot see the tape,” he insisted urgently. “Madam has a dinner engagement tomorrow night. I will call you as soon as she leaves,” Andreas promised. After Andreas left, Stefan remained in his chair not knowing if he could trust his legs to carry his weight. He was still reeling from the information the man had given him. A tape? Then it could be true, Lucky could be his son. Stefan didn’t know what to feel, joy because he might have a son, or sadness for all the years lost. When Lucky was whole, would he still feel the same about him, or would he go back to being Luke Spencer’s son? The thought of Lucky looking at him without regard made his heart fill with pain. He could gain and lose a son in the matter of days. All the years lost and he hadn’t even known. He hadn’t seen Lucky take his first steps, heard him say his first words, nothing, he had experienced nothing. All because his Mother had used his love for Laura to try to destroy them all thru their child. Helena was truly a monster. Any feelings of love for his Mother died in Stefan in that moment and he was consumed with hatred he had never experienced before. “Enjoy what’s left of your life, Mother,” he whispered insidiously. “Because it’s about to end.” Absolution Chapter 30 Andreas paused on the deck of the yacht and look a deep cleansing breath before going inside. He had to be convincing and make Helena think he had accomplished the job she sent him to do. He thought about his brother, Ari and how he had been cut down in the prime of his life. Squaring his shoulders he knew he could do it for him, for Ari. He walked briskly into the yacht and made his way to the salon. Helena was immersed in a book and looked up at him expectantly. Andreas smiled triumphantly as he pulled the disc and piece of paper out of his coat pocket and held them out to her. “I believe this is what Madam required?” Helena closed the book with a thud and beamed. “Andreas, dear, you did it.” Andreas smiled and bowed. “Yes, Madam.” Helena took the disc and the paper from him. “This was all there was?” she questioned. “Yes, Madam. I checked the safe, his desk, the whole room,” he confessed. “Good,” she commended as she started reading the paper. Helena laughed softly when she finished. “So, Alexis hasn’t seen any of the file. Only Stefan knows what was in it and without proof, it’s my word against his.” “Madam, when I arrived, I had to wait behind the door for Stefan to leave. He was very distraught,” Andreas told her eagerly. Helena’s interest was titillated by this fact. “And why was that?” she inquired. “He was on the telephone with Master Nikolas at first and from what I could understand Master Nikolas blames him for Master Spencer’s collapse. He was begging and pleading for Master Nikolas to listen to him, but from what I gathered he hung up on your son.” Helena chuckled in delight. “Nikolas will be mine. It’s already started and Stefan won’t be able to do a thing about it.” “That’s not all,” Andreas offered. “He also called Mrs. Spencer.” Helena sat up and listened intently. “Really?” “Yes, Madam,” Andreas nodded. “He tried to tell Mrs. Spencer that you were involved with Master Spencer, not him and it ended in an argument. He was quite upset after the two calls. It sounded like he was crying,” Andreas admitted. Helena howled with laughter. “Poor Stefan. He can’t even keep the love of a peasant.” She shook her head in disgust. “What he ever saw in that tramp, I’ll never know. And then after she has betrayed him time and time again, he still wants her.” She clicked her tongue in contempt. “Stefan was always weak from the time he was born. I never thought I could have a child so pathetic as him.” Helena brightened. “But not for long. Soon I’ll bring Stefan and all the rest of them to their knees.” She glanced back at her manservant. “Anything else happen?” “Stefan seemed dispirited after the telephone calls and only stayed in the room a short time and then retired. I had no problems.” “You did an excellent job, Andreas,” Helena praised. Andreas bowed over her hand and kissed it, looking up into her eyes as he whispered adoringly, “It was all your plan Madam. You are magnificent.” Helena preened. “I’m tired.” She took one of his hands in hers. “I love your hands, Andreas. They are so big and strong,” she looked at him passionately. Andreas smiled devotedly. “Would Madam like for me to come and rub her shoulders so she can relax?” “That would be wonderful,” she purred. Andreas watched her walk away and all his hatred bubbled to the surface. It wouldn’t be long now. He promised himself. Until then he had to do what he had to do to get his revenge. He followed her to her bedroom. ********** Details, every detail had to be thought through. No stone could be left uncovered. Stefan went over every minute aspect of what he had to do to ensure his plan worked. First thing in the morning he would call Dr. Rosenthal and ask for a blood sample from Lucky and have a DNA test performed to rule out him being his father. Whether or not he ever claimed Lucky as his son, he had to know for his own peace of mind. There was an old friend who ran a lab who would do the test, no questions asked. Helena would have someone watching General Hospital, so he would have to be careful not to raise suspicion. It was paramount that his Mother never knew he suspected her little secret. There was a new man who would start working next week. Perhaps he would be the one to send. He would speak to John about it. Neither Andreas nor Alexis could know his complete plan. Andreas he wasn’t sure if he could trust and Alexis would not go along with it if she did. Alexis was safer not knowing. Stefan rose and went to the bar and poured himself a glass of water. The next thing on his list was a tape to replace the one his Mother had hidden away. He sat the glass down and went to the cabinet and found a new tape. He would substitute the blank tape for the one she had. After a moment’s thought he decided to put something on the tape. If Spencer saw immediately that it was a blank tape, he could contact Helena before she left and ask what she meant by the empty tape. Then Helena would know he was on to her game. No, he had to put something on the tape that would make Spencer watch for a while. Opening up the TV cabinet, he flicked through the channels trying to decide what to put on the tape. Suddenly a sly smile lit his face as he stopped on one channel. He chuckled lightly as he inserted the tape and started recording. “That should be just about Spencer’s speed,” he grinned in a rare fit of humor. After turning off the television and closing the cabinet doors his good mood disappeared as quickly as it had come. Stefan let himself think about what he had put off all night. What would Laura think if Lucky turned out to be his son instead of Luke’s? Would she think it was only another evil Cassadine plot he was involved in? Stefan closed his eyes wearily. He might finally have a child with the woman he had loved the moment he had laid eyes on her, but what would that knowledge do to them? Could it bring them together or drive them farther apart? Nothing would ever change the fact that he loved Nikolas as his own son, but to actually have one that really was his own flesh and blood, and with the only woman he had ever truly loved would be a dream come true. The only thing was he wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to acknowledge the fact, and knowing and not being able to claim him would eat him up inside. All those years of thinking Nikolas was his son and then finding out he wasn’t had hurt him worse than anyone could have imagined. Then to have it happen all over again and go through the same thing would be a slow torture. He would have to weigh the pros and cons of telling Laura if it were true. And if he did tell her, he knew he would abide by her decision whether or not to tell Lucky and Luke. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for Laura and Lucky, if it turned out he was his child. Even if it meant it would break his heart to keep the knowledge to himself, he would do what was best for them. Stefan twisted around in the chair and grimaced. The wound in his side was almost healed. It was only when he turned his body at an angle that he was reminded of the injury. He rubbed it thoughtfully. It seemed like it had happened a lifetime ago instead of just a few weeks. His life had been complete and happiness had seemed just within his grasp and then in an instant it had all been taken away. He scowled, and all because of his Mother. Soon, he promised himself, he would make her pay for every hurt, every pain he had ever suffered, his and everyone else’s. With single-minded determination he got back to the details. ******** The next morning Stefan briskly strolled back into his study after a shower. Wanting to look demoralized for his Mother, he had only gotten a couple of hours of sleep. He felt tired, but he knew it wasn’t from lack of sleep but from the job he had to do. Nothing could go wrong. This time he had to kill Helena. Nothing less would be disastrous. While waiting for Mrs. Landsbury to bring breakfast he made a phone call. “Is there any news this morning?” he asked without giving a greeting. “Lucky had a restless night even with the sedative,” Dr. Rosenthal replied. “Mrs. Spencer sat with him most of the night,” he added. “I see. Is she still there?” Stefan asked. “Yes,” the doctor sighed. “I can’t get her to go home and rest,” he complained. “Laura’s a good mother. She won’t leave him now that she has him back in her life,” Stefan replied quietly. “I know,” the doctor admitted. He hesitated. “I’m worried about her. She had a slight episode not long ago and I’m worried not only about her physical health but mental health as well.” “I know what happened to Laura,” Stefan acknowledged. “But she is stronger than you think. She survived living on that island of hell with my mother and brother. Living through that was test enough and she has survived much more. If you make her go home, she will only worry.” He thought for a moment. “Offer her a room to sleep in, an empty patient’s room. I will pick up the bill. She need never know.” “She needs to know what all you’ve done for her and your concern for her well being,” the doctor insisted. “No,” Stefan replied harshly. “Laura would only get angry and think I was either interfering with her life, or the cause of all her family’s problems. It’s best she stays unaware,” he argued. “If you insist.” “I do,” Stefan asserted. “I want you to do something for me doctor and not ask any questions.” “And what is that?” Stefan could hear the frown in the man’s voice. “It’s nothing that would discredit you, don’t worry. I need a sample of Lucky’s blood to do a lab test.” “I see. If you suspect drugs or something that might help me I wish you would tell me now,” the doctor requested. “I suspect nothing, but just to be sure I want to have some tests run somewhere other than General Hospital,” Stefan replied smoothly. “You think the hospital is compromised?” he asked in surprise. “I know my mother has someone watching. She would be a fool if she didn’t, and we know she’s far from being a fool. I will send a man to pick up the sample and no one should know of this but you and me for the time being,” Stefan warned. “I understand. Send him in a couple of hours and I will have it waiting.” “Thank you, doctor. You won’t regret this,” Stefan promised. After Stefan hung up the telephone, he glanced around the room to make sure all evidence of the work he did last night on the files were put away. His computer was now gone and his desk cleared of any incriminating evidence of work. Mrs. Landsbury brought in the tray and sat it down on its usual spot on the bar. “Mrs. Landsbury, I will call you soon to come and pick this up. Mother should be arriving within the hour and I wish her to think I wasn’t able to eat or sleep last night.” “Yes, sir.” Stefan poured himself a cup of coffee and took two scones back to his desk to eat. As he started eating, he remembered Lucky sitting across from him just a few days ago eating voraciously with crumbs all over himself. Stefan smiled sadly. If he had the chance, he would teach Lucky how to eat the biscuits without leaving half of the food on himself. His appetite left him but he forced himself to eat and drink several cups of coffee. After Mrs. Landbury took away the tray, Stefan poured himself a vodka and set it on his desk and proceeded to make himself look as if he had been up all night in a panic. He messed his hair a little and unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. Just a bit of a change, but far from his usual unruffled appearance. He didn’t have to wait long. Helena paraded regally into the room, smug and arrogant. Stefan made sure he was taking a sip of the vodka as she came in. “Isn’t it a lovely day?” Helena gleefully cried. Stefan gave her a sour glance and said nothing. “What? Are you going to be boorish again, Stefan?” she asked as her eyes surveyed the room, immediately noticing his computer was gone. “What do you want Mother?” Stefan inquired in a voice full of irritation. Helena’s eyes narrowed at the sight of her son drinking so early in the morning. “I fully expected to see you working on Cassadine Industry business. If you are neglecting Nikolas’ legacy then perhaps someone needs to step in and take over,” she suggested. Stefan jumped up in agitation and walked toward her until he was in her face. “I am doing my job as regent,” he protested. Helena looked him over and noticed his bloodshot eyes and his slightly disheveled appearance. “Then what’s wrong with you? Are you drinking this early because you miss your Lasha?” she sneered. Stefan’s eyes flared with anger. “You know what’s wrong, Mother,” he growled. Helena looked innocent. “I have no idea what you mean,” she insisted. “When I got up this morning, my computer was down.” He walked over to his desk and pulled out a disc. “This was in it.” He strolled back over to her and waved it in her face. “What was on the disc, Mother?” Helena smiled. “Why would I know? I know nothing about the things.” She shuddered at the thought. “Did you leave something in your computer that you shouldn’t have? Perhaps you got carried away by your dreams of your lost love?” she jeered. Stefan feigned bravado. “I will get the information back.” Helena laughed with delight and reached to touch his face. Stefan stepped back, his face a mask of revulsion. She shrugged in indifference. “Well,” she said softly with a hint of contempt. “When you play with mommy, you’re bound to get burned.” She laughed softly. “You know what your problem is Stefan?” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “You let sentimentality get in your way, love,” she scoffed. “A real Cassadine would have destroyed Laura a long time ago for daring to leave him behind.” She sighed dramatically. “Instead of going after her and taking what you thought was yours, you’ve mooned over her for twenty years. And when you finally had her in your grasp, you lost her yet again.” Her eyes flashed in scorn. “Stavros didn’t sit still and wait around.” “Yes, and look what happened to him,” Stefan replied silkily. “He’s dead.” “Only because that tramp lured him to Port Charles and had Luke push him down those stairs,” Helena returned angrily. “My Stavros was more of a man than you’ll ever be Stefan. You’ll always be ineffectual, unimportant, and useless,” she sneered. “Tell me how you really feel, Mother,” Stefan goaded. “You were always a disappointment to me, Stefan. From the time you were born I knew you were weak, not worthy of the Cassadine name.” Stefan smiled and shook his head. He had heard it all before. Helena clicked her tongue. “What? Has mommy hurt her little boy?” She ridiculed maliciously. Stefan stepped closer until he was inches from her face. “You won’t win, Mother,” he taunted. “You think you have, but in the end I’ll see you pay for every crime you’ve ever committed,” he vowed darkly. Helena didn’t like the dark undertones of his threat, but dismissed them as show. “Stefan, you will never beat me and it’s time you finally admitted it,” she laughingly mocked. Stefan struggled to keep the despair and hopelessness from showing on his face. Like a vulture Helena spotted it and laughed in amusement. “Nikolas will be mine soon. Wait and see,” she promised as she walked out of the room, sure that she had defeated her son. Stefan stood in the middle of the room and smirked. Sometimes his mother took things at face value far to easily. “Sticks and stones, Mother,” he whispered. “Sticks and stones.” Stefan smiled evilly and if Helena had seen it she would have had second thoughts about her surviving son. Stefan was just getting off the telephone when Alexis arrived. She halted in the middle of the room in shock over the barren appearance of Stefan’s desk. “Where’s your computer? I thought I would find you completely immersed in the files when I arrived,” she explained. Stefan smiled. “I had a visitor.” Alexis sat her briefcase down and came and sat in the chair across from him. “Are you going to tell me or is it going to be like pulling teeth to get it out of you?” she grimaced. Stefan thought about her statement for a moment, marveling at the unique way Americans had of saying extracting information from someone. “Helena sent Andreas to destroy the evidence last night.” Alexis sat up in her chair. “Did he?” she held her breath. “No, but Helena thinks he did,” Stefan smirked. “She paid me an early morning visit to gloat.” “So you do still have the information and is it hidden in a safe place?” “Of course,” Stefan gave her a look of disbelief that she would doubt it. “Good,” she sighed in relief. “We need to take the information to Commissioner Scorpio now,” she suggested. “No. Not yet. Not until I’m ready,” Stefan insisted. “What are you waiting for?” Alexis cried. “If Helena thinks you no longer have the information, she may go after Lucky.” Stefan shook his head. “No. She thinks no one will believe either Lucky or myself since I have no proof and you told me that in court a psychiatrist could discredit Lucky. Helena thinks she is untouchable. When Lucky remembers the truth then we present the information to the Commissioner, and not before.” “I don’t like it, but I guess I have no choice but do what you insist.” “It will all work out in the end Alexis, trust me,” Stefan urged softly. “I do trust you, but something tells me you have other plans you aren’t telling me,” Alexis said suspiciously. Stefan looked at her innocently. “All I want is for mother to pay for her crimes and when Lucky remembers the details of his kidnaping she will,” he promised. “Right,” Alexis replied in disbelief. She stood. “I have court again this afternoon and I’d like to go and see Nikolas at the hospital before I go.” “I have a copy of the file for you to take,” Stefan said as he opened the safe and took out a stack of papers. He walked over to her and handed them to her. “Make sure you look irritated and upset when you leave here. Mother is sure to have someone watching to see your reaction when you arrive on the docks.” “I can do that,” Alexis returned. “I’m irritated almost every time I leave here,” she quipped. Stefan eyebrows rose. “Not at me I hope?” he teased. Alexis grinned. “What do you think?” She started out the door and then turned around. “I promised I would return the medallion to Laura when you were finished with it. If you have then I’ll take it back with me.” Stefan was reluctant to give up the medallion. It could be the only thing of his son’s he would ever have. “I’ve not made any progress with it,” he lied. “A few more days and then you can take it back to Laura.” “I also forgot to tell you, she said if you could help Lucky she would appreciate it. Sorry for not telling you before.” Alexis sighed. “I guess I had too much on my mind.” “It meant nothing,” Stefan reassured her. “Laura came to me a few days ago and asked me to help Lucky and I said I would. We argued and I’m sure she expected me not to keep my promise,” he said bitterly. “I see,” Alexis returned. She wished she had been a fly on the wall for that conversation. “I’ll be back tonight.” “No need,” Stefan asserted smoothly. “There is nothing really to do but wait on Lucky to regain his memory. Go out with Ashton and enjoy yourself. When Lucky has recovered you will be busy.” Alexis had the distinct impression Stefan was trying to get rid of her, but the idea of another free night was too appealing to pass up. “All right, you talked me into it,” she grinned. “Call me if you need me,” she voiced as she breezed out the door. Stefan returned to his chair. Alexis was out of the way. He didn’t need her to show up at Wyndemere tonight. He didn’t want her to know about the tape and what he suspected. He had been informed that the data from the pharmaceutical company had arrived and was on its way. He had instructed it be brought by boat to the other side of the island to keep prying eyes from seeing anything suspicious being delivered. His security man was on his way to the lab with a sample of his and Lucky’s blood. One good thing about having Mrs. Landsbury as a housekeeper, the woman had been a nurse’s aid before she decided to work for his father and she had drawn the blood without anyone else knowing. His DNA was on file, but he had decided just to be safe to send a new sample. Stefan pulled the medallion out of his desk drawer and ran his thumb over the raised shield. This was the crest of the heritage he both despised and was proud. This was who he was, the fruit of his family’s years of decay and corruption. He clutched the medallion tightly in his fist. Soon he would let go of his self-control and claim that dark birthright. Absolution Chapter 31 Laura felt like she was having an out of body experience. It seemed that her body was in one place and her mind in another. Tired wasn’t the word for what she felt. Numb, drained, and just completely spent, she closed her eyes and wished she could just go back to earlier times when all that she was concerned about was what to cook for dinner. It seemed as far back as she could remember her life was overshadowed with pain, anxiety and fear. Just for someone to tell her that everything would be all right was what she needed to hear. She needed Stefan’s reassuring touch. She sighed. If only he could be there and fold her into his arms. Resting her head on his chest and hearing the steady beat of his heart, she would know that everything would be all right. But he couldn’t come even if he wanted to be with her. If he came to the hospital he would be in violation of his bail release and be taken back to the Port Charles jail. Laura looked around the waiting room and felt so alone. Nikolas had gone to get them something to eat and she didn’t know where Luke had gone. She didn’t know when or if she would get to see Lucky again. Dr. Rosenthal had warned her she could only see him when he was sedated and didn’t know she was with him. The footsteps of someone entering the room made Laura open her eyes. Alexis stood there staring at her. Alexis hesitated for a moment before coming and sitting down beside her. “I came to see Nikolas before I was called back into court,” Alexis explained as her eyes swept over Laura’s exhausted face. “He went to find us some breakfast,” Laura replied. “He should be returning soon.” The silence between them was deafening. Neither could think of anything to say. “How is Lucky?” Alexis finally asked. “He was coming out of the sedative when they made me leave his room,” Laura said dispiritedly. “The doctor won’t let me be with him while he is awake,” her voice broke slightly. Alexis grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Dr. Rosenthal is one of the best psychiatrists in the world. He will be able to help Lucky. I’m sure of it.” “I hope so,” Laura replied dully. Alexis changed the subject. “Stefan still needs the medallion for a few days. He hasn’t found out anything about it yet, but he assures me he will return it to you as soon as he is finished with it,” Alexis explained. “I don’t care if I ever see it again,” Laura whispered. “If that was the object that made him like this then tell him to keep it.” Laura rubbed her burning eyes. “Did you tell Stefan what I said?” she asked suddenly. Alexis didn’t know what to say and hesitated. Laura saw this and smiled sadly. “Did he say he didn’t care about my son or what happened to him?” Alexis looked startled. “No! He said you asked him to help, but you didn’t believe that he would.” Laura nodded. “I said some horrible things to him so I thought he wouldn’t help Lucky after all.” Alexis gave her a knowing look. “Do you really think that?” Laura started to reply, but was interrupted by the arrival of Dr. Rosenthal. She jumped up and looked at him anxiously. Dr. Rosenthal took one look at Laura and knew if she didn’t rest soon he would have two patients instead of one. “Lucky is calm at this moment and I feel I can start therapy with him this afternoon if he continues to do this well.” Laura smiled in relief. “Can I see him?” “No. As I said before, I think you or your husband’s presence will upset him and impede the progress he has made.” At Laura’s downtrodden face he added. “As soon as I feel you can see your son I will let you, Laura.” Laura looked shocked at his use of her first name. He had always called her Mrs. Spencer. Dr. Rosenthal shocked himself. Her first name had just slipped out. He recovered and continued. “You must get some rest. There’s an empty patient’s room just down the hall and I want to go and get some sleep.” When Laura started to protest he became firm. “Either you rest or I’ll ban you from the floor.” Laura looked shocked. “You can’t do that,” she protested. “Yes I can,” he insisted. “I can’t have you collapse here in the waiting room. Lucky may be here for days, even weeks. He will need you when he recovers. How do you think he will feel if his mother is in the hospital because of him?” he demanded. Laura pursed her lips together in annoyance. “Okay, you made your point. I’ll go and try to sleep.” The doctor chuckled. Laura Spencer was one stubborn woman, but he had the upper hand and he would see that she followed his instructions. Laura raised an eyebrow at his soft laughter. “Come with me.” He motioned. Laura turned to Alexis. “Would you tell Nikolas where I am and tell him to come and get me if anything happens?” She cut a look at the doctor. “I don’t trust him to wake me.” “Yes, Laura. I’ll tell him,” Alexis assured her. Laura followed Dr. Rosenthal to an empty room not far from the waiting room. “I will come and get you if anything significant happens,” he said quietly. “Now get some sleep,” he urged with a smile. The bed did look inviting and Laura decided to humor the doctor and sleep for a little while. After a few minutes she was asleep and fell straight into a dream she had years before. Luke had been in trouble in Mexico for the past few weeks and she didn’t know when or if she was going to see him again. The ranch was lonely with only herself for company. She was strangely tired and sleepy after dinner and went to bed early that night. The warmth of a body nestled close to her woke her up. It had been something she dared not even think of and keep her sanity. Stefan was looking down at her in astonishment and she in turn gazed at him wondering how this had happened. When he explained they were having the same wonderful dream she had accepted her phantom lover’s explanation that was the only way possible in her mind it could be happening. All the feelings she had kept buried deep inside for fear she would slip up and reveal came tumbling out. Here and there, just the two of them she could let him know how much she loved and missed him. When he had spoken the words they had never said aloud, she knew then the mistake she had made not going back. But there in the dream it was all right, they were together and no one else mattered. They had made love over and over again, neither of them ever satisfied, each craving the other’s touch and re connection of their bond. Each kiss and caress had meaning. Each whispered word of love adhered them closer. It was as if they knew they only had that one night to live a lifetime of love and they had, until finally exhausted they had fallen asleep in one others arms. She hadn’t woken up until late the next afternoon, tired and lethargic, sore and aching. The dream had been so vivid she had almost blushed at the details she remembered. Luke had returned a few days later and she had returned to her life with him. A month later she found out she was pregnant. Suddenly Laura could hear Helena’s laughter and she fought her way to consciousness. Laura sat up in the bed with a gasp, Helena’s evil laughter still echoing in her mind. She looked wildly around the room fully expecting to see her. Her heart finally slowed down when she realized she was alone. What had made her think of that dream, she wondered? It had been years since she had thought of it. Strangely, it was still as clear in her mind as it was the day after she dreamed it. Laura frowned. What did it mean? Was she just under so much stress caused by Helena she recalled the dream because the last thing she remembered before she had gone to sleep in the dream was Helena’s horrible cackle? She shuddered and then tensed when she saw the door to her room ease open. Nikolas poked his head around the door and saw she was awake. “Alexis told me you were trying to rest but I thought I would see if you were still awake,” he explained and came in the room with a bag. “By the time I got downstairs breakfast was over so I went and got lunch. Are you hungry?” he asked hopefully. Laura really wasn’t hungry, but knew she needed to eat to keep her strength. Besides she didn’t want to be alone. Thinking about the dream from long ago and Helena had frightened her and she wanted Nikolas to stay with her. “Starved,” she replied with a smile. “What did you get us?” Nikolas smiled ruefully. “The old standby, burgers and fries.” “Anything sounds good,” Laura admitted. “Come and sit on the bed and we’ll have a picnic.” ********* The stack of papers on Stefan’s desk resembled a small mountain and he dug into them with a determination tempered by years of scrutinizing monotonous financial reports and knowing his answers could very well be buried somewhere in the dry scientific notes. There were many such drugs and trials of substances and the reading was tedious and time consuming. After two hours he had barely had a dent in the mounds of paper. Mrs. Landsbury brought lunch and it sat on the bar untouched. All Stefan could think about was finding out if it was possible that the dream he had was real or just a fantasy. He worked steadily and didn’t even look up as Mrs. Landsbury came and removed the tray, giving him a disapproving look for not eating. After finishing a file he stretched up and rubbed the ache in his neck. Glancing down at his watch he was surprised that he had worked all afternoon. Soon he would have to stop and prepare for tonight’s little trip to Helena’s yacht. One more file he promised himself and he would take a break. This file was different from the others. There had been a lot more experimentation on the drug and there looked to be more drug trials. The drug was named lot 2310. Stefan’s eye’s narrowed. His mother and father’s wedding anniversary. A surge of hope ran through him. The drug was a hallucinogen. He continued to read. It was derived from a red mushroom found growing in Europe. Psilocybin was the active ingredient. Stefan frowned as his eyes moved down the page. It looked like some type of synthetic product was added to the natural plant extracts to enhance the drug. He scanned the report. Effects: This is a drug that radically changes a person’s mental state by distorting the perception of reality to the point where that person believes what he has seen or felt is merely a dream or hallucination. Large doses of the drug made patients hallucinate and even caused death. The drug regulates the midbrain, that part of the brain that controls primitive drives like sex and feeding. When drug lot 305 was added, test subjects sexual performances increased significantly. The patient’s reported heightened tactile sensations, intensification of feelings, increased sexual appetite, and increased self-insight. Heightened sensory perception was also reported. Physical effects included increased blood pressure, dilated pupils, higher body temperature, and increased heartbeat. NOTE: Drug lot 305 could be useful and lucrative to market for the control of impotence in men. Higher doses of the drug caused hallucinations, mood swings from ecstasy to terror. The patient’s reported headaches, fatigue, depression, physical lightness or heaviness, vivid perceptual distortion, numbness, nausea, shivering, feelings of unreality, and the inability to concentrate with the higher dosages. Dosage: It was found that a dose of 4 to10 mg (depending on weight of subject) was appropriate. Initial effects of this drug were felt in approximately half and hour and usually lasted up to twelve hours. After effects: Higher doses caused “flashbacks.” Subjects reported fatigue. Some had marked physical exhaustion coupled with anxiety. NOTE: With lower dosage, subjects were unable to differentiate between whether what they experienced had been a dream and/or hallucination, or if it had been an actual experience. Pregnancy: Test subjects that were used who were pregnant delivered full term babies. All were slightly underweight, but fully developed with no sign of abnormalities. However, testing was not fully completed and mothers and babies will have to be followed for years to do complete study. It would appear there would be increased risk for spontaneous abortion, higher risk for congenital abnormalities among their babies, and possible chromosome damage. Further studies are needed for confirmation. Stefan reread one sentence. ‘With lower dosage, subjects were unable to differentiate between whether what they experienced had been a dream and/or hallucination, or if it had been an actual experience.’ Stefan closed the file with a snap of frustration. Still, there were no clear cut answers. Helena could have given him the drug and he could have dreamed the whole thing. There was no way of knowing without proof. The tape was more valuable than ever now. Without it he might never know the truth. The DNA results would tell him, but how would he know that Helena hadn’t had Laura artificially inseminated and given him the drug to make him think it had really happened to torture him? He laughed harshly and then slammed his fist down on his desk in anger. The tape was going to be in his hands tonight even if he had to force his mother to open the safe and hand it to him. He wasn’t coming back to Wyndemere empty handed. ******** Laura managed to make lunch stretch into part of the afternoon. She took her time eating and Nikolas glad to be out of the waiting room and out of Luke’s line of fire stayed on to keep her company. It wasn’t until she stifled a yawn he decided to leave and let her get some rest. “Where are you going to be?” Laura inquired anxiously. Wanting to know just in case something happened with Lucky and also because she was still spooked by the realness of Helena’s laughter. “In the waiting room,” Nikolas assured her. “I’ll come and get you if the doctor says there’s a change.” He walked to the door and paused. “Get some rest.” “Nikolas?” Laura called out. He had the door open and stopped. “Don’t let Luke intimidate you. You are Lucky’s brother and you have just as much right to be here as anyone,” she encouraged softly. “Lucky would want you here and I need you.” Nikolas smiled. “Luke can’t hurt me and I’m not going anywhere.” Laura smiled at him as he left, then the smile faded as she thought about Helena. Why had she heard Helena’s laughter? It had been so knowing and so..... Laura searched her thoughts for the right word....gleeful. She shivered in dread. Was this a premonition or was her imagination just working overtime? Laura laid back down on the bed and covered herself with a blanket. She felt so cold. Laura went back to the dream. That was the only dream she had ever had that she remembered every detail as if it had just taken place. It was as clear today as it had been years before. Laura could still remember how every nerve ending in her body had felt electrified as Stefan’s lips and hands had worked his magic on her. The taste of Stefan’s lips on hers, the taste of his masculine skin, every little caress and tender word he spoke was seared upon her memory. She moaned softly as she went over every little detail of their night in her mind. Her body responded to her thoughts and she could feel her nipples harden and she became wet and excited. In reaction to her need for him, she stroked her body as she remembered the weight of him on top of her and the driving masculinity that always filled her up completely. She could feel his furry lips brush the spot on her neck that always made her ache for him and his lips and tongue in her secret spot that drove her wild. It didn’t take long for her to cry out softly in release. “Stefan,” she breathed in a longing sigh. Laura rolled over and the last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the velvety softness of his lips on hers and the husky timbre of his voice as he proclaimed his love. ********** Andreas handed Helena a glass of champagne and she took a sip. “Hummmm,” she murmured appreciatively. “Very good year, Andreas,” she complimented. Andreas bowed his head slightly. “Thank you, Madam.” Helena was in a good mood. “The bankers will make me Nikolas’s regent when they hear what I have to say. I doubt if Stefan has told them he is under suspicion for Lucky’s kidnaping.” She smiled gleefully. “They’re a stodgy old bunch of men. One hint of scandal and they will run for cover.” Her smile was self-congratulatory. “After tonight I will be in charge of the Cassadine legacy and Nikolas will be mine.” She raised the glass in a toast to herself and took a deep drink. Helena had been gone for what seemed to be forever to the anxious Andreas before Stefan arrived. Stefan strolled into the salon nonchalantly and looked with slight amusement at the look of panic on Andreas’ face. “My mother is gone?” Stefan questioned softly. “Yes,” Andreas burst out. “What took you so long? I thought you weren’t coming?” Stefan patted him on the face. “Calm down, Andreas. I wanted to make sure she didn’t see me.” “Madam is having dinner with the Cassadine bankers,” Andreas offered. Stefan laughed. “So, mother thinks she will take over the reins tonight?” He smirked at the hapless manservant. “I informed them some time ago what was going on and they assured me they would rather work with me on any level than Helena. She’s wasting her time,” he dismissed. “Please, Mr. Cassadine,” Andreas pleaded. “You must get what you came to get and leave. Helena has the habit of returning unexpectedly.” Stefan’s face darkened. “I will get it even if I have to pry it from her dead fingers.” Andreas rushed over to a painting on the wall and pulled it back to revel the safe. “Here it is. I don’t know the combination.” He looked stricken. “I hope you do?” he whispered. Stefan sauntered over to the safe. “I have an idea,” he admitted confidently as he pulled on a pair of gloves. He tried a combination of numbers and the safe popped open. He turned and looked at Andreas with a knowing smile. “And mother tells me I’m sentimental.” On the very top of the stack of papers was a tape. Andreas reached to grab it and Stefan stilled his hand. “No so fast,” he warned. Andreas looked at him in confusion. “Mother will have everything placed just right. If anything is disturbed, she will notice it immediately.” He looked at the younger man. “We don’t want that now, do we?” Andreas swallowed hard. He had almost made the mistake that could have cost him his life. He stepped back to let Stefan take care of the business himself. Stefan noticed his deference and smiled. “Years of knowing Helena have made me wary. If you manage to live long enough around her, you come to know her little idiosyncraticies. It’s a prerequisite for survival,” he added ominously. The younger man couldn’t help but shudder. His brother hadn’t been so lucky. The man in front of him was his best hope of surviving Helena. He had to make sure Stefan won so he could live to see a future. Stefan took his time looking into the safe for hidden wires, bugs or anything that would tip Helena off that someone had been in her safe. When he was satisfied there was nothing, he noted the position of the papers and the exact angle of the video tape. “Details, mother. You always derided me for seeing to the details, the little mundane facts,” he whispered softly. Stefan carefully lifted out the video tape and slid the tape out of its sleeve. When he was assured there were no markings or labels on it he pulled a tape out of his pocket and inserted the substitute into the cover. Carefully he placed the tape back in the exact position it had been in and closed up the safe. “There,” he turned to Andreas. At that exact moment they heard Helena scream, “Andreas!” Andreas’s head jerked to look at Stefan in shocked disbelief. Stefan pulled the painting back over the safe and grabbed the tape off the bar. Sinking down behind the bar he whispered, “Don’t panic just get her out of here so I can leave,” he urged sternly. Andreas nodded. Helena swept into the room in a fury. “There you are,” she fumed. “I was beginning to think you had gone.” “No, Madam,” Andreas replied nervously. Helena noticed the slightly crooked painting immediately. “Why is that painting like that?” she asked suspiciously. Andreas’ heart sank and Stefan hidden behind the bar held his breath. Would the younger man be able to lie convincingly? “A short time ago a large vessel came by and almost upset everything on the yacht. The swells were so big,” Andreas lied smoothly. Helena sniffed. “Well, I need to contact the harbor master and let him know I won’t stand for my possessions being smashed.” Andreas changed the subject. “Madam returned early. I wasn’t expecting you for a while.” Helena gave him a dark look. “Those silly old men. They were perfectly satisfied to keep Stefan as regent. I wasn’t going to stay and listen to them sing Stefan’s praises,” she complained. “When I take over, they will pay,” she promised with an evil smile. She turned to the younger man. “What difference is it to you when I return?” she asked haughtily. Andreas smiled adoringly. “I wanted to have caviar, oysters, and champagne on ice for you when you returned.” Helena glowed. “You sweet boy,” she gushed as she caressed his face. “Why don’t you get them ready and bring them to my boudoir and you can help me forget how disappointing tonight was?” she flirted giving him a kiss. Stefan grinned from his hiding place. Andreas deepened the kiss until Helena was purring contentedly. “Hurry,” she whispered as she made her way out of the room. Stefan stood up and smiled smugly at the younger man. “You shouldn’t keep mother waiting. She gets impatient,” he smirked. “Just get out of here,” Andreas whispered urgently looking over his shoulder. Stefan grabbed him and looked into his eyes. “You performed well tonight. I’ll be in touch,” he whispered as he patted Andreas’ face. “Go get her,” he urged with a slight chuckle and ambled from the room. Andreas watched him leave and wondered why he had put himself between the two Cassadines. One seemed almost as bad as the other. Helena called and with a grimace he left the room to go to her. A short time later Stefan stood in front of his VCR with the tape in his hand. With his hands shaking he inserted the tape and pressed the play button. Absolution Chapter 32 The tape was so clear and of such good quality Stefan was momentarily stunned, but realized Helena would have hired only the best to make something so important. The setting seemed to be his room and he held his breath as the camera panned to his face as he woke. The breath exploded from his chest as he saw the blond head on his chest and then Laura’s face. It was exactly as he remembered, the looks of surprise then pleasure as they realized they were together. Stefan’s mouth moved silently along with them as they spoke the words. Every kiss, every caress he anticipated and he could only watch in wonder at the beauty of their lovemaking. It crossed his mind briefly that his mother had been watching and had known all these years how much he had loved Laura. He watched mesmerized. There was no way he could look away from their expression of love for one another. As he continued to gaze at the couple on his television screen tears rolled down his cheeks for the spectacle Helena planned with what was a beautiful night of passion and love between himself and Laura. The depth of his mother’s hatred for him was bottomless and all consuming. A gamut of emotions ran through him: joy, happiness, love, tenderness, passion, relief, pain, anger, loneliness, and hatred, for all that he saw. How could he not feel expressions of love and joy when he saw the woman he loved more than life itself convey how much she loved him? And then with Helena, when he knew what she had done, the anger and hatred for all the pain and loneliness he had suffered all these years because of her? Stefan watched the whole tape. He couldn’t turn away from seeing Laura’s love for him expressed so passionately and beautifully. When the tape finished, it was only then he realized he had been standing in the same spot for hours. He moved over to eject the tape. As he held the tape in his hands, he stared down at the object that was meant to totally destroy himself and Laura. The anger started to build as a dreadful truth came to mind. Helena had no idea what the drug would have done to Laura while she was pregnant. He recalled the drug trials weren’t conclusive and thorough. Lucky could have been born deformed or had other birth defect. Anything could have happened to either Laura or his son. Stefan paused, the idea truly sunk in, Lucky was his son! He gasped for a breath. The son he had never held when he was a baby, never seen take his first steps, the one who would go back to being Luke Spencer’s son when Helena’s hold over him was broken, the son he had been denied. The pain in his heart bent him over and he held on to the sofa to keep from falling. Then another idea rocked him and stopped him cold. The thought horrified him. What if Lesley Lu’s condition had been brought on by the drug? What if her aplastic anemia had been the result of his mother’s manipulation of Laura? A moan of anguish rumbled out of his chest. He felt as if he had been kicked in the stomach and then something snapped inside of him. His rage became uncontrollable. The offending object in his hand was hurdled against the wall in an explosion of fury. Stefan staggered to the bar, his knuckles whitened at the attempt to hold on to something to keep from smashing the whole room. His hand came down on top of a glass in a storm of temper that he could not contain. The glass shattered cutting his hand. Stefan felt nothing but the anger of what he had lost. With a roar of outrage, he swept the glasses and decanters from the top of the bar and howled in grief. Sinking into the floor, he was bent double lost in a wave of total anguish. All the years of holding back the rage and pain finally took its toll. The iron self-control of Stefan Cassadine collapsed and he started his decent into the Cassadine madness. “Mr. Cassadine?” a quiet voice questioned. When he didn’t look up, the voice became more insistent. “Mr. Cassadine. Are you all right, sir?” Stefan looked up in a daze to see Mrs. Landsbury standing in the doorway in her robe and looking at him in concern. The woman gasped when she saw his face. She had never seen the master look so devastated and so upset. Then she saw the blood dripping from his injured hand. “Sir. You’ve cut yourself.” Stefan looked dully at his hand. He didn’t feel a thing. His whole body felt frozen and empty. “It’s all right. I cut myself on a glass,” he whispered hoarsely. Mrs. Landsbury came into the room and helped him get to the sofa. She did a cursory examination of his hand. “I need to get the first aid kit. This is a bad cut. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Stefan didn’t respond and Mrs. Landsbury gave him a worried look before leaving the room. *********** Laura sat beside Lucky as he slept. Luke sat over by the wall and stared at his son as if that would somehow make him whole. Lucky looked so small and vulnerable asleep, Laura thought as her hands touched his still face. She couldn’t keep her hands off her son. She was in constant motion caressing his face, holding his hand, straightening out non existent wrinkles in the sheets. Laura was pushing Lucky’s hair off his face when she sat up and a small gasp hissed from between her lips. Something was wrong. Stefan? Her heart questioned. Laura stood and looked at Luke. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said urgently. Luke nodded and watched her hurry out the door wondering what was wrong with her. Laura walked briskly to the waiting room and peered inside. Nikolas was sprawled out on the sofa asleep. She took her cell phone out of her purse and called home. Lesley answered sleepily. “Hello.” “Mom? Is everything all right there?” Laura questioned. “Yes, baby. Lulu is sleeping with me. She’s fine,” Lesley replied puzzled. “Is anything wrong?” “No. I just had a feeling, that’s all. It’s nothing,” Laura dismissed. “I’ll be home in a little while to see Lulu off to school.” “Okay. I’ll see you then. Bye” “Bye.” Laura hung up the phone and then stared down at the object. Everyone else was fine. Was it Stefan? Did she dare call and see? Laura hesitated then knew she would worry if she didn’t call. She dialed the number and waited anxiously. The private line in Stefan’s study rang and rang. Stefan sat still wrapped up in his own private world of anguish was apathetic to the ringing. Mrs. Landsbury bustled back into the room and seeing the state Stefan was in, walked over to the phone to answer. “Laura?” Laura jumped and turned around to see her ex-husband. She hurriedly cut off the phone. “Is something wrong, Laura?” “No,” Laura replied, making herself busy putting up her phone. “Who were you calling then?” Laura sighed. “I called home, okay? I had a weird feeling and when I came out to check on Nikolas and found he was asleep I called Mom to make sure they were all right.” Luke nodded toward Nikolas. “Well, your Cassadine spawn has nine lives so I wouldn’t worry about him.” “Don’t call Nikolas a spawn,” Laura demanded angrily. “He’s my son.” “He’s a Cassadine. He’s one of the scum of the earth,” Luke replied flatly. Laura got in Luke’s face. “Let me make one thing clear right now Luke Spencer. Nikolas is my son. He may be a Cassadine, but he’s part me and I love him as much as I love Lucky and Lulu. I may not have shown it in the past, but he is every bit as important to me as our children. He’s a good boy. Stefan did a wonderful job and raised a beautiful child. Don’t you forget that Luke. I won’t cut Nikolas out of my life again for anyone, including you. If I have to choose between my children and you, they will win every time. So, if you want to keep hanging around my house, then I suggest you remember that,” Laura threatened. Luke drew a deep breath and held his tongue. Laura wasn’t going to tolerate anything said about the reptile prince. She had changed so much the last four years that he didn’t know her anymore. Laura was becoming a stranger to him. “I came to tell you Lucky was waking up so the nurse ran me out,” he informed without replying to her statement. “I’m going back to the club for a while. Call me if anything happens.” Laura watched as he walked away. The man made her so angry. Just when she thought he had accepted Nikolas, Luke went off on a tangent again about the evil Cassadines and blew away all her perceptions. Luke would never fully accept Nikolas as her son and all because he was a dreaded Cassadine. Well, she thought. It’s his loss. He would have had his family and her too if he had just been understanding. Laura shrugged. It was water over the bridge now. She quietly went into the waiting room to wait for an update on Lucky’s condition before going home. As she waited, she glanced over at her eldest son and smiled. Nikolas had been her rock without Stefan there to comfort her. There was no way Luke or any other man would take what she had with Nikolas and make her give it up now. All of her children were precious to her and the one in the room perhaps even more so because she had lost so many years of his life and now had the opportunity to make it up to him. Laura thought of Stefan with a worried frown. No one answered the phone at Wyndemere. She hoped nothing was wrong. She was just being silly. She told herself. Stefan was probably asleep. ********* Mrs. Landsbury had heard a click when she picked up the telephone and then heard a dial tone. The person had hung up. She replaced the phone and took the first aid kit back over to the sofa where Stefan was sitting as if in shock. The cut was full of slivers of glass. Stefan never flinched or acted as if any of her probing was felt in the least. The older woman cleaned and bandaged the cut and then looked at the shattered glass and the stains on the expensive oriental carpet. “The cut should heal without any problem, but you probably should have a doctor come and see it just to make sure,” she told Stefan. When she got no reaction from him, she began to really get alarmed. “Perhaps I should call Miss Davis?” Stefan responded with a slow shake of his head. “I want to be alone,” he whispered. “I should clean up the glass and stains before they ruin the carpet,” she rejoined. “No, leave if for now,” Stefan said tiredly. “I can always buy a new rug.” The woman stood. “Can I do anything else for you sir?” She asked in a disturbed voice. Stefan gave her a trace of a smile. “No. If I need you, I will call.” “Yes sir.” Mrs. Landsbury paused briefly at the door to give him a worried frown then closed the door. Stefan waited until she had gone and closed his eyes in relief. When he opened them, they were full of steel. He struggled to his feet and walked over to his desk and sat down. Coldly he analyzed the tape in his mind. His mother had gone to a lot of trouble and expense to carry out her plan. Laura would have been missed had she disappeared from the ranch for any length of time. He on the other hand was ill for a week and presumably in the hospital. It would have been easy for Helena to have moved him. Apparently she had moved or gotten copies of his furniture and made the room look like his bedroom. Helena had thought of everything, he thought with admiration. The only thing Helena hadn’t counted on was her so called weak-minded son discovering her secret before she was ready for it to destroy all of their lives. In the end it would destroy Helena and not her intended targets. All he had to do was wait for Lucky to remember the truth and then his game with his mother would begin. What else could she have done, he wondered? Were there any other hidden surprises waiting in store for him? He thought back over the past months for any clue or sign of another plot Helena could have instigated. It came to him almost immediately and he cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. He had been so wrapped up in trying to win Laura back after she had found out he had given his mother the paralyzing drug and then to return Lucky he had become inefficient. He made a phone call and was assured it would be seen to immediately. He had always checked and rechecked results and now he would get the proof and would know the truth once and for all. There was one person who would know, but would he have dared to do it? Stefan’s eyes narrowed. Give a person enough incitive and put them in the right place at the right time and sometimes they would surprise you. And the man had already proven he would do the unexpected so the idea was not so far fetched as it seemed. Stefan remembered the tape and went over and picked it up. The casing was shattered but the tape looked intact. He softened for a moment wanting to keep the tape of his sons’ conception, but it was too dangerous. It had to be destroyed. Every detail of that night was burned into his subconscious anyway. He told himself. In the hands of an enemy it became a tool for destruction. He lit a fire and savagely pulled the tape out wishing it were his hands around his mother’s neck instead. As the tape melted and burned his thoughts of revenge grew darker. ********* The next morning Alexis paused in the doorway of Stefan’s study. There was an undercurrent in the room, ominous and frightening and she hesitated uneasily for a moment. Stefan was busy on his computer and didn’t acknowledge her presence until she was standing in front of him. “Alexis,” Stefan greeted aloofly. Alexis frowned. Her brother was different this morning. Her first thought was disaster and what she had to do to avert it. “Has something happened?” “No,” Stefan replied and looked at her fully. Alexis was stunned at the coldness in Stefan’s eyes. Gone was the man she had been helping the last few weeks. In front of her was a harsh, cold stranger. “You’re different,” she whispered in disbelief. Stefan’s smile was unamused. “There’s a battle to be fought and won. It’s time to get serious about Helena’s threat.” “Are you working on the files then?” she questioned in relief thinking that was why he was so severe. “There is nothing to work on. When Lucky remembers what Helena did to him that’s when we will strike,” he dismissed. “Then what...?” “I’m working on the Cassadine estate,” he interrupted. “I’ve been neglecting Nikolas’ legacy and I’m rectifying it.” “I see,” she replied, still not believing him. “Have you seen Nikolas?” he asked, changing the subject. “Yes. I went to the hospital yesterday and saw him. He’s holding up well under the circumstances. I saw Laura and told her about the medallion. She said to keep it if it was the trigger that set Lucky off this time. She also wondered if you would help Lucky.” Alexis looked at him curiously. “She said you argued and she didn’t think you would keep your promise.” Stefan’s lip curled in disdain. “That sounds like Laura. She thinks of me as she should think of her ex-husband, as a man without honor.” Alexis tried to be fair to Laura. “Stefan, we were interrupted before she really got a chance to answer.” Stefan shrugged indifferently. “It would have been the same. I gave her my word I would help her son and still she doubts me. Some things never change.” Alexis couldn’t believe this was the same man she had spoken with yesterday. Not even during the dark days of the island had Stefan been this cold and unfeeling. It was almost if he had become soulless. She shivered at the thought. What kind of havoc could a man like Stefan wreak if he suddenly had nothing to ground him, if he had nothing to lose, if he had lost everything? Alexis became afraid, not only for her brother but for them all. She had seen first hand what the Cassadine insanity could do. It not only destroyed the person, but those around them too. Stefan watched Alexis dispassionately as the emotions flitted across her face. He knew she loved him in her own way. But she had Ashton and when this was all over and done she would return to her own life and he would be alone again as he had been for most of his life. He had nothing. All the dreams that Laura had so carefully instilled in him had been shattered. He had a son he couldn’t claim, Nikolas hated him, and the woman he had loved his whole adult life loved another man. All he had was his hunger for revenge against the woman who had made his entire life a living hell. If he had to sacrifice his empty life for those he loved, it wouldn’t bother him in the least. He had a brief taste of happiness with Laura and Nikolas as his son the past year. He found that his possible death held no fear for him. It was living without them in his life that scared him. “What happened to your hand?” Alexis asked, suddenly noticing the bandage. Stefan grimaced. “I broke a glass last night and cut myself.” “I hope it’s not bad.” “Mrs. Landsbury bandaged it for me, but insisted a doctor come look at it today,” Stefan explained casually. Alexis nodded. It was not like Stefan to be clumsy. Something else happened last night. She wondered if she would get the housekeeper to tell her anything. She stood. “I need to go. Court again later,” she made a face. “Cornithos?” Stefan inquired with a hint of distaste. “No,” Alexis returned smartly. “Not all my cases are for Sonny. This is a custody case I’m working on now.” “I see,” Stefan dismissed callously. “Keep me apprized about Nikolas. Dr. Rosenthal calls me with updates on Lucky.” “Anything yet?” Alexis asked. “Nothing, but it’s early yet. It will happen,” Stefan replied confidently. “And we will be ready when it does,” he reminded her darkly. “Yes, right,” Alexis returned. A knot of fear was beginning to form in the pit of her stomach. She wondered just what Stefan planned to do. She suspected he hadn’t told her the full truth. “I’ll call you later,” she called as she breezed out the door. Stefan’s lips twisted in satisfaction. It was a good thing he hadn’t told Alexis his full plan. He could see she would have never participated if she had known. It was better this way, if anything went wrong his sister couldn’t be blamed. ******* When Laura returned to the hospital that morning she found Nikolas returning to the waiting room. “What happened to your arm?” she asked, noticing the bandaid on the inside of his arm. “Nikolas shrugged. “A nurse came and asked me if I would give them a blood sample. Something about a patient having the same blood type as me and they needed to see if we were compatible. I told her I had just given blood last week, but she said they needed a new sample. I don’t know,” he replied. “It seemed like such a small thing I couldn’t refuse.” Laura smiled at her oldest son and patted his cheek. “It might help someone, who knows?” she replied softly. Nikolas grinned. “Yes. That’s what I thought. How was Lulu?” he asked. “Frisky,” Laura moaned. “She has more energy and I just wish she could give me some of it.” Nikolas searched his mother’s tired face. “You should have stayed home and rested for a while,” he said in concern. “Elizabeth should be here after her morning class.” “I’m fine. No need to worry. I got Lulu off to school and I took a long hot bath. I feel a lot better.” She grinned. “I’m famished. Let’s go and get some breakfast before we go up.” “Lead on, I’m starved,” Nikolas agreed. ********* “It’s done,” Stefan replied. “Good.” Dr. Tony Jones knocked on the open door and Stefan motioned for him to enter. “And it’s on it’s way. Let me know when it arrives.” Stefan hung up the phone and appraised the doctor cooly. Tony Jones watched as Stefan rounded his desk and walk purposely toward him. Stefan projected the image of a tightly coiled panther ready to pounce and it made Tony nervous “Mrs. Landsbury called about an injury, I think?” Tony inquired. “Sit down,” Stefan pointed to the sofa. “Yes, I broke a glass last night and injured my hand and she was concerned the wound needed to be seen by a doctor.” “I’ll look at it.” Tony unwrapped the bandage and looked over the cut. It’s deep, but I don’t think it needs stitches. She did a good job cleaning it up,” Tony remarked. “Yes. Mrs. Landsbury is a loyal servant,” Stefan returned ominously. Tony felt like he was under siege and didn’t know why. He hurried with his instructions. “Here’s an antibiotic to put on the wound three times a day. If any redness develops let me know immediately.” Stefan took the tube from the doctor and didn’t comment making Tony even more uneasy. As he re wrapped the wound he looked up to see Stefan watching him with a sardonic smile twisting his lips. He busied himself with the wound. “Do you have the copy of mine and Nikolas’ DNA results?” Stefan questioned suddenly. Tony looked up to see Stefan staring intently at him. “Yes. They are filed away in the records room,” he acknowledged and went back to his work. “No,” Stefan voiced softly. “The real results.”

Chapters 25-28

Chapters 33-36

Absolution Index