Chapter 11   Earlier that evening, at the Port Charles Police Station... Two maintenance men, properly outfitted and ID'd, had been in to do some routine work on the ventilation system. Things were quiet. Suddenly, the squadroom was filled with a thick, foul-smelling mist. "What the - ?" the desk sergeant cried. It was pouring through the vents. Covering their faces, the policemen in the room ran for the door. Taggert and Garcia remained behind, going room to room, floor to floor, holding handkerchiefs to their mouths and noses, getting people out. The fumes smelled awful enough, but did not seem to be knocking anyone unconscious. They did make it hard to see, though. There were only a few prisoners currently in the holding cells... a drunk, passed out before the fumes even hit, a waterfront hooker, and Helena Cassadine. Correction, Taggert realized as he stared at the swinging door of the one cell. They had a drunk and a hooker. Helena Cassadine was gone. Alexis was in the penthouse study, luxuriating in the time to read the daily newspaper. Kristina had made dinner - a simple vegetarian stirfry that was surprisingly good - and was now insisting on cleaning up. The coverage of Stavros' 'miraculous' survival had dwindled to nothing, and Port Charles and its press had turned to other news, but Alexis wondered if the story was really over. She talked to Stefan every day and so far there had been no incidents, nothing to indicate that Stavros was hiding an agenda, another scheme of revenge or domination... he was settling into Wyndemere, spending time with Nikolas, had just started outpatient therapy with Dr. DaSilva... Although he did not say so, Alexis wondered if he was starting to believe that Stavros had truly lost his memory, was honestly starting over again... or maybe Stefan, who had always secretly yearned for a reason to love his brother, merely wanted to believe it. In spite of all she had suffered as a child under Stavros, Alexis found she wanted to believe it, too. And she wasn't sure why. Kristina came into the study. "I'm going out for awhile..." "Have a nice time." "Don't you ever want to go out, Alexis? There's a whole world out there." "Believe it or not, Kristina, I've seen a good bit of the world. And will undoubtedly see even more of it." "But don't you ever - ?" They were interrupted by an urgent hammering at the door. Both sisters got up and went to answer it. Jax stood there. He looked breathless, as if he had run from his hotel. "Helena Cassadine has escaped from jail." Stefan stayed on the phone for a long time, talking angrily with the police. Finally, he peered into the dining room long enough to apologize and excuse himself and went into the study, where he made several more calls. After half an hour, there was a quiet knock at the door. "Come in," he said, expecting Mrs. Lansbury. Instead, it was Nancy DaSilva who held the tray. "Your brother is in the solarium. Miss Ardanowski is taking a phone call in her room. Nikolas and his girlfriend slipped off together... Since you didn't get to finish your dinner, I thought you might be hungry." Stefan shook his head. "No... my mother has a way of destroying my appetite." "Do you want to tell me what happened?" "Somehow... in spite of all assurances, she has managed to escape from her cell." "That must terrify you." "Yes," he said heavily. "Not so much for myself... there is so little that she can do to me now. But for Nikolas. And Kristina. We managed to keep her away from Kristina before." She subtly pushed the tray towards him. It held a sandwich and a glass of wine. He ignored it. "Tell me about her, Mr. Cassadine." He glanced at her. "You are not my therapist, Dr. DaSilva." "Well, apart from the fact that it might help me help my actual patient - your brother, in whom your mother clearly takes an interest - I was hoping..." She caught herself. "Never mind." "No, what were you hoping?" "I was hoping we were sort of becoming friends." "I am a Cassadine, Doctor. Friendship is not... an easy option." "Do you think you're above it? Immune to it? Or just ineligible?" "I think... perhaps ineligible." "Well, you're not. You're a man like other men." She curled up on the chair and said, "That's the basic problem, probably. You were raised to believe the opposite." "I was raised to believe many things, Doctor." "Such as?" "Such as that there was one, indisputable Prince in each generation of Cassadines, that ours was my brother, and however cruel, arrogant and destructive he might be, he was still the Prince and I was... worthless." He smiled, a dry ironic smile that Nancy DaSilva realized was very similar to one Stavros used. "Stavros' various deaths have never dimmed his luster or increased my worth." "In your mother's eyes..." "Yes. Though I am beyond needing her approval now, and have been for some time." She wasn't sure about that, but decided not to push the point. "Tell me about her..." "My mother? She is beautiful and brilliant and utterly selfish. She does not... think the way other people think. She dreams of world domination the way you might dream of... what is it you dream about, Doctor?" "It varies. Sometimes it's as complicated as wanting to find the cure for schizophrenia, other times it's as simple as wanting a really good piece of cheesecake, the way I remember it from when I was a girl." He smiled at that. "Once, not too long ago, when Stavros and Helena held me captive, I told him that I did not totally blame him for the hatred between us, that she had fostered it, had wanted it that way... that he and I should put our differences behind us and work together to bring her down... At the time he correctly saw it as a ploy against him, but now I wonder if I was not telling the truth almost in spite of myself." "It would make it easier for you to be close to him now if you could believe that your mother was the true cause of the problems between you..." "Are you saying that I am making excuses for Stavros? Or for myself?" She shook her head. "It may well be that your mother was a malignant influence on you both." "To say the least." She got up. "Well, I'll leave you alone..." She started for the door. "Dr. DaSilva?" "Yes?" "Did you finish your dinner?" "Um... no." Stefan smiled at her. "In that case, would you help me with this? As usual, Mrs. Lansbury has overstuffed this sandwich." She returned his smile and sat down again. He extended the plate to her and she took half the sandwich. "Thank you, Mr. Cassadine." V made her way down yet another one of Wyndemere's passageways. Jax's words were echoing in her mind. "Helena Cassadine is on the loose. I have no faith in the Port Charles Police to regain custody of her... I want you to stay very close to Stavros Cassadine. Either he is her accomplice, and has been faking his amnesia, or he is in a perfect position to be her tool, as Lucky Spencer was. Either way, I want you to make sure it does not happen..." She would do her best, of course. For Jax, who was her friend, and in honor of Chloe... But she had never been on a case where she had so few moorings, so little sense of what she was doing. Was she keeping Stavros Cassadine from harming others, or was she keeping him safe from them? She knew what Jax thought, but she was having trouble connecting the slightly bewildered man with the warm smile and soft brown eyes with the embodiment of pure evil so many people seemed to see. Well, she thought, I was hired to be eyes and ears, as well as... muscle, and that means looking and listening and drawing my own conclusions. And right now, I don't have nearly enough information to do that. What was it like to be raised from the dead? To come back to a strange world, not once but twice? The first time, because you've been in a kind of sleep for nearly twenty years, the second because your mind has been - "Miss Ardanowski?" Speak of the devil. Or, well, maybe not. "Mr. Cassadine..." "Do you know what is going on?" "A little," she said. She was never good at lying, well, in Monte Carlo, the whole Isabella thing, that was a lie, but a different kind of lie. This, she doesn't think she can do. If he doesn't press, she'll be all right, but if he does... He did. "That may be more than I know. So I would be grateful if you could share." "Your mother has escaped from jail. No one seems to know where she is. There seems to be some concern that she's going to come after you..." "Come after me?" "To claim you, I think." He nodded. "Thank you. There is so much I do not know... I do not know why I am so important to her, apart from the fact that I am her son. But the truth remains... she brought me back from the dead." He shuddered slightly. "You're having trouble dealing with that, aren't you?" "Wouldn't you?" "At the beginning, sure. But after awhile, I think I would start looking around and saying, 'Wow, I'm alive,' and taking in all the stuff around me that I could keep enjoying." "It is a thought," he admitted. "I was just in the solarium. It was pleasant to sit there, enjoying the flowers, a good book... Reason enough to be alive, one might think." "You might, yes. But there's always something more around the corner." "Yes... And I cannot help but wonder what might be around the corner for me." "Curiosity is good." He was standing very close to her. She was terribly, almost painfully aware of him. "Do you think so? I think it might be dangerous." "I think if you're not curious, you might as well be dead. Anyway, you strike me as someone who doesn't worry about danger much. Maybe you even enjoy a little of it." "Do you think so?" He seemed to consider it, and then laughed. "I think, perhaps, you might be right. Of course, it is hard to test your theory out here. Everything is so... protective." "You just got out of the hospital. Your brother is thinking of your safety." "No... I think he must be like this. Careful." He held her gaze. "I do not think I am careful." She didn't think he was either... "I want the two of you out of Port Charles," Jax was saying. "No," Alexis said. At his look she added, "First of all, what makes you think Helena can't find us outside of Port Charles?" "She doesn't have the resources she once had. Stefan has cut her off." "We don't know what she has. Or who's with her." Jax frowned. "You're not making me feel better." "That's not my job. Secondly, I'm tired of running from Helena, from Stavros, from whatever craziness is surrounding the Cassadine family. I like it here. My practice, which I love, is here. I am not going to be this scared little bunny rabbit anymore. Now, as for Kristina..." "Oh, no you don't! You don't get to decide for me." "I'm just trying to look out for you." "So is Jax. He's trying to look out for both of us. And what you just said to him, goes double from me." Alexis looked at her. "You have no idea how little sense you just made. I talked about my roots, my career, everything I've been building here for the last few years." "And I'm talking about my roots, too. About the sister I love, the brothers and nephew I'm coming to know, the friends I'm making. I'm not a rabbit either, Alexis. If you stay, I'm staying." As Alexis opened her mouth, Kristina said, "Even if you don't stay... but I think we both should. I think the Cassadines need to make a stand." "A stand?" Jax stared at her. "You have no idea what you are talking about." Kristina said, "I know exactly what I'm saying. We've started something here... It started with Alexis and Stefan, then I came here and became part of it... then Nikolas and Gia became part of it and now we're trying to bring Stavros into it. A whole... reconception of what it means to be Cassadine. And we can't do it if we all flee at the very thought of Helena. We have to stand together and make it count." She looked at her sister. "Alexis knows I'm right." "Actually, I'm thinking you've watched too many old movies. But... I don't want to run either." "If anything happens to you, to either of you... I brought Kristina here." Kristina threw her arms around him. "And I'll love you forever for it. But you can't watch over us forever." "Want to bet?" He looked at both of them. "Just promise me you will be careful. Very, very careful." "We will be," Alexis assured him. And Kristina said, "You keep forgetting something, Jax. We beat Helena once already. That makes it easier to beat her again..." Andreas opened the door to the small cottage outside of town he had rented. Helena went in and looked around. "It will do for now," she decided. "First... I need a bath. A long, hot bath. And a change of clothes." She motioned at the orange jumpsuit. "I want this burned." "Very well, Madame. I will draw your bath. There are clothes in the larger of the two bedrooms. I trust they will be suitable." She was sure they would be. Andreas knew her tastes as well as her sizes. And he knew better than to displease or disappoint her. It was gratifying to know that she could still count on him. He had bought her favorite bath salts and there were thick, cotton towels hanging nearby, as well as a luxuriant robe. "The money is more than enough to meet your immediate needs, Madame. The only reason we are still here is that there was not time to discreetly obtain a better address." "There will be time for that," she assured him. "You have done as I required. The most important thing was to get me out of there." She dropped the hated jumpsuit on the floor. Andreas helped her into the tub and, as soon as she was reclining in the warm, sudsy water, he started to rub her shoulders and back. She closed her eyes and began to relax. But her mind, as fierce and regular as a good machine, never relaxed, never completely. "The most important thing remaining is the return of my son. That is next, Andreas. Bring Stavros to me." She sighed with pleasure as he massaged the knots, deeply embedded during her weeks of incarceration. "Stavros," she whispered, lovingly, caressingly... "His Highness has been at Wyndemere for the past two weeks," Andreas reported to Helena, who was relaxing - or at least as relaxed as she ever was - in the cottage's small backyard. She was wearing rose-colored linen slacks and a pink silk blouse, and sipping at a glass of white wine. Freedom definitely suited her. "He never leaves the island. The young Prince and Miss Campbell are there as well." Helena was not surprised, not since Nikolas' behavior during the final confrontation in the underground lab. "So, Stefan thinks he can gather the family together and reforge it to suit his fantasies..." "There is something else.. Mr. Stefan has hired a personal assistant, a woman named V Ardanowski. She has a background in law enforcement, and a strong connection to Jasper Jacks." "Jax was a terrible disappointment to me. But that information could be significant," she mused, as close to a compliment as Andreas was used to receiving. After a moment she said, "I must find a way to see Stavros. In the hospital, he was still in a state of shock. I know that once we are together again, everything will go smoothly." "I do not recommend an invasion of Spoon Island," Andreas said. She glanced at him to make sure he was not being insolent. "Obviously, the best course is to get him off the island... And I know how to do that. Tell me, Andreas..." She stretched sinuously. "When you were retrieving the access disks for the offshore account, were you able to get some of the Cassadine letterhead as I asked?" "Of course, Madame." She smiled at him. "Excellent. I will be making use of it later... after we've rested." She looked at him significantly. He reached out to help her out of the chaise, and they entered the cottage together. "Stefan only thinks he is in control of events now," she was saying. "But he is overconfident. And he does not know his brother. Or me. All he knows is his own inadequacy. I am certain that, underneath, it continues to torment him."   Chapter 12   Stavros Cassadine was getting restless. It was kind of Stefan to offer him house room as he continued his recuperation. He was enjoying the time he spent with Nikolas and Gia. The library was extensive and fascinating... But he knew he should be doing more. This was a kind of vacation, but sooner or later vacations ended. He could see Stefan running around doing all sorts of business by telephone and computer, sometimes leaving the island to take care of something. Gia was a model, going back and forth for shoots and appearances. Even Nikolas seemed to have a job, at a record company in town, though he was taking a leave of absence for the moment. I should be doing something, he thought. I am a grown man, I should be out in the world, conducting some sort of business... but what? With no memory, with no experience, what am I qualified to do? At the hospital, and his first few days at Wyndemere, he was still too stiff and sore from his injuries, too bewildered by his surroundings, to feel like this. But now there was energy surging through him like an electric current. He wanted an outlet for it, before it split him apart... At the Port Charles Grille, AJ Quartermaine was finishing his lunch when he saw Alexis Davis come in with a slender, redheaded younger woman. Normally he gave the attorney a wide berth - she had been instrumental in Sonny Corinthos' theft of his son, and her intimacy with Ned, though long over, was another reason to be wary. But she was a Cassadine. She might have useful information about her freakazoid brother. He went over to their table. "Hi, Alexis." "Hello, AJ," she said, a little warily. "Looks like you were right about Chloe... that Stefan didn't kill her." "That's right." "I hope you and he understand why we... the evidence was pretty convincing." "Evidence often is. That's why the court system is a little more... complicated than just looking at evidence." Kristina looked at them both expectantly. AJ smiled at her politely and said, "I'm AJ Quartermaine." "This is my sister, Kristina," Alexis said, eyes narrowing almost involuntarily as Kristina smiled back and said it was a pleasure to meet him. "AJ, what can I do for you?" "I just wanted to, you know, let you know we were sorry... it must have freaked you out when you found out your other brother was alive again." "Which time?" Kristina asked him. Alexis wanted to kick her under the table... "Ah, both, I guess." "Well, we're not an ordinary family," Alexis said. "You should know about that kind of thing..." "I certainly do. So... I hear he's got amnesia. What are you guys going to do with him?" "We... guys are going to - I don't know, AJ. Don't you have something to do? Somewhere? Somewhere else?" He could tell she wasn't going to tell him anything. "Sure. Have a nice day, Alexis. Nice to meet you, Kristina." He left the Grille, frowning when he got outside. He was no closer to avenging Chloe's murder than he'd been a month ago. Maybe his family was right about him. Maybe he was useless... Stefan and V were in his study at Wyndemere, going through a large pile of mail. "Put this in the folder to take with me to the hospital... send these people the standard reply... this I will deal with myself..." V picked up one cream-colored envelope and said, "Here's something for your brother. Want me to take it to him?" He looked up. "Why would anyone write to Stavros? May I see that, please?" V handed it to him. There was no return address, but the sharp, cursive writing was easily identified - he had seen it all his life - and the envelope itself, excellent stock, with the Cassadine Crest embedded in the flap.... "Mother," he whispered. He reached for his letter opener. "Um, I don't need to tell you that's a federal offense, right?" V said. "Miss Ardanowski, my mother is the most dangerous woman alive. She has escaped from jail and what is in this envelope is undoubtedly meant to cause as much damage and pain to my family as possible. As trustee of the Estate, as titular head of the family, and as Nikolas' uncle... I have an obligation to open this letter." He did so, with a sharp slash of the dagger-like letter opener... Stavros found Nikolas in a large, mirrored room. His son was stripped to the waist, executing a series of slow, intense moves with fierce concentration. Stavros watched. What Nikolas was doing seemed very familiar to him. After awhile, he removed his own shirt and shoes and went into the room, standing near Nikolas during a pause in the movements. He nodded to his son, who nodded back and picked up the sequence again. Stavros followed him, noting that Nikolas was starting very slowly, but as his father showed that he could follow, began to pick up his pace. Stavros took pleasure in the controlled movement. He found the coiled energy within him finding expression in the sequences. He also found that he was proud of his son, of the athletic grace and focus Nikolas was showing. He looks like me, he thought to himself. He thought about what Stefan had said, that while he had been frozen in his mother's underground fortress, his son had grown into manhood. I missed it. And even if I had not, I would not remember it now. But if I had not spent those years in frozen solitude... would the other have come to pass? The underground conspiracies, the murders and other crimes, the inevitable confrontation and plunge into the harbor? He would never know. But there were things he did know, those things that he felt viscerally, knew in his heart. He loved this boy, this fine young man... his son. They finished. Nikolas turned to him and said, "That was very good. How did you know what to do?" "I think I must have known how to do it... before. Dr. DaSilva has explained it to me. The part of my brain that holds certain kinds of skills and abilities was not affected. That is why I have no speech defects, and remember things like languages." "I didn't know you did Tai Chi. I learned it a while ago. It's... helpful." Stavros nodded. "It turned out to be just what I needed right now." Nikolas said, "I generally come here at the same time most days. If you wanted to join me... it would be nice to have a partner." "Gia does not do Tai Chi?" Nikolas laughed. "Definitely not her thing." Just then Stefan, followed by V, came striding into the room, holding a piece of cream-colored paper. "Stavros." "Yes, Stefan?" He held out the paper. "Would you care to explain this?" Stavros took it from his brother's hand. "My darling Stavros," it read. "Freedom is delightful. Soon I hope to share it with you. Now that you have gained the trust of your brother and the rest of the family, you are in perfect position to continue with the next phase of our plan. It is urgent that I speak with you at the first discreet opportunity. If you can elude Stefan - and when have you not been able to do that? - come into town. I will find you. As always, your loving Mother." He read it twice, then handed it back to Stefan. "No, I can not explain it. I have no frame of reference that could possibly - " "I cannot believe that I was such a fool!" Stefan exploded. "Uncle, please..." Nikolas said. "No, Nikolas, not this time. I wanted to believe that he was being honest with us for once - for the only time in his entire misbegotten life - that it was possible to bring him into this family under the right terms. But we were being played." "You don't know that," he insisted. "Don't I?" He showed Nikolas the letter and said to Stavros, "I don't know what you and Mother have planned, or what resources she has at her command, but know this, brother. Every weapon the Cassadines have - every weapon we can commandeer or borrow from any ally we can muster - will be pointed at the two of you." "I am telling you, Stefan, I have no idea what that letter means. If there was a plan, it was knocked out of my mind with everything else. The only time I have seen our mother since I woke up was when she came to my hospital room that day. You were there. There was no conspiracy. She scared me to death..." "So you would have us believe." When Nikolas opened his mouth, Stefan said, "You don't know him, Nikolas! You never did. I wanted this to be different, for your sake, for all our sakes... but it can't be. Because someone this evil is incapable of change." Stavros drew himself up, straight and tall. "I am so tired of having a past I do not remember thrown in my face. If I could erase history as well as my memory, believe me, I would do so. Do you think it is easy for me to stay here, knowing I murdered the woman you loved? I came because I did not know where else to go... and because Nikolas seemed to want me." "I did," his son said. "I do." Stavros continued as if he had not heard. "But now I see that I have imposed on your hospitality long enough - perhaps too long. I will get my things. If you will order the launch to be readied, I will be out of your house - and your life - in half an hour. I will sleep in an alley before I take anything from you again." "I would like to see that, but I doubt that Helena will allow it to happen." Stavros looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he just shook his head and strode from the room. "Uncle, how could you?" Nikolas said. "Nikolas, trust me on this. I lived with his cruelty and abuse for too many years..." "But he's not like that now. Whatever he did, whoever he was... he's not that person now. All you have to do is look at him to know that." "The fact that you want - need - to believe something does not automatically make it true." "I thought you had more respect for me than that." His eyes were cool, his tone cooler. "I have great respect for you, Nikolas. But I also have some experience with that kind of need. And the disillusionment that follows." "Will you listen to yourself? God, the two of you... he has no past and you're living there." "I - " He looked at V. "You're very quiet, Miss Ardanowski." "No one has asked me anything." "Does that usually stop you?" "No," she admitted. "But these are special circumstances." "Well, go ahead. Tell me exactly where you think I have been unjust to my poor, wounded brother." She shook her head. "I don't know if you have or not. My gut tells me he was totally surprised by what was in that letter. But my gut wouldn't hold up in a court of law. Anyway, that's not the point." "Then what is the point?" "The point is, however you two got there, he's headed out the door, and back into town..." She tapped the letter in Nikolas' hand. "Which is exactly where your mother said she'd know how to find him." There was a moment of terrible silence as Stefan realized what she was saying... how he had played right into Helena's hands... his mother had always had a demented but effective grasp of psychology. Especially his. "You may be right," he said to V. Nikolas nodded. "What do I do now?" he asked them both. "Ask him to stay," Nikolas said. This time V nodded. "He won't. He's proud and stubborn. And right now he's very angry." "How do you know he's proud or stubborn? I agree that he's angry," Nikolas conceded. "I know because Dr. DaSilva said his basic nature wouldn't change." Suddenly, he took out his cell phone. He did not see V slip out of the room. "What are you doing?" Nikolas asked. "Dr. DaSilva... she's his therapist. She'll know how to handle the situation." Nancy DaSilva had just finished with a patient when her secretary told her Stefan Cassadine was on the phone. She picked up. "Yes, Mr. Cassadine?" "Doctor, a.. situation has emerged." Nancy knew that 'situation' was a Stefan Cassadine code word for problem. "What's up?" "Stavros and I had words, and he is preparing to leave." "And...?" "It has been pointed out to me that I may have been in error, and that in any event, I may very well have exposed this family - and possibly Stavros himself - to grave danger." "Um, Mr. Cassadine, I could be more helpful if you would stop speaking in circles around whatever the problem is." "I lost my temper with Stavros and accused him of deceiving us, and he said he is leaving. The problem is, I may have fallen for a trick of my mother's, and she is almost certainly watching for him to leave the island so that she can meet with him." "And you don't want him to now." "No. I think it is safer for everyone that he stay here." "Okay. I'm still not sure where I come in." "I need to know what to do now. I need your professional advice." She smothered a small giggle. "Mr. Cassadine, my professional opinion is... apologize." "What?" "Apologize. Tell him you're sorry. That you spoke too hastily and you want him to stay." "I see. The only problem with that is... it is not in the Cassadine nature to apologize. Certainly Stavros and I have never done it." "Didn't you say you and Nikolas were trying to establish some new Cassadine traditions? This could be a really good one to start." There was a pause. "You are right. Of course. Thank you, Doctor. I will see you when you come for the next session..." It was unspoken between them that they hoped they would all still be there at Wyndemere. Stavros did not have much to pack. The clothes Nikolas had bought him, a few books. He remembered he had left his shoes and shirt in the mirrored room... well, he had another pair of shoes, and a few shirts. Perhaps Nikolas would send them to him when he settled in somewhere else. He wondered where it would be. He fingered the Cassadine medallion around his neck. What had it meant to him? What would it mean in the days to come? He thought about his sessions with Dr. DaSilva and wondered if they would continue. He thought about Nikolas, and wondered if he would be able to see his son anymore... The door opened. For a moment, he thought it might be Nikolas, but it was V Ardanowski. He smiled at her - she had been kind to him. Her first words surprised him. "You know, just because your brother is being an *******, doesn't mean you have to make it a matched set." "Excuse me?" "He lost his temper. I think your mother terrifies him and, based on what I've heard about her, I think it's a reasonable reaction. He also hates not knowing what's going on around him. I get the feeling you're the same way." Stavros nodded. "That is one of the most frustrating things about my... condition." "Look, I know this place is a little... overimposing. And no one likes feeling that they're taking charity. And I admit I don't even begin to understand the issues between you. But if you leave now, I believe you'll be playing right into your mother's hands." "I am not even sure I know what that means." "She scared you, didn't she? When she came to the hospital to see you. I heard about that." He nodded. "With all her talk about raising you from the dead and world domination... you just want to find out who you are." "Yes..." "Well... this may not be your idea of home, but I think it's where you can start to figure out those answers." "Even if you are right... Stefan does not want me here." "That's not true." Stefan stood in the doorway. "But it is." Stavros faced his brother calmly. "Stavros, I spoke too quickly. Out of anger - some of it at Helena, some of it at myself, some of it at what you used to be. But now... I've had a chance to think it over. We've been getting along pretty well, haven't we?" "Yes." "I think we can do even better. But only if you stay." He hesitated. "I'm sorry I assumed the worst." "I understand. And I accept your apology." They shook hands. Suddenly, Stefan drew his brother into a hug. When it broke, Stavros said, "You might be angry again when I tell you what I think." "I promise I'll try not to be." "Well... I really think I should see her."   Chapter 13   Stefan stared at his brother. "Excuse me? You what?" "I really think I should see her," Stavros repeated. Stefan shook his head. "That is... unacceptable," he said, then realized he had just used a phrase that had been one of Stavros' favorites. "Why?" "Because she's a very dangerous woman." "She is our mother." "That," Stefan said, "is an unfortunate reality." "Stefan.. when she came into my hospital room that day, I knew who she was... the same way I knew you, and Nikolas, and even Gia. I knew what our relationship was. That she was my mother, and that we loved each other... But there was something else, too. I didn't understand right away, but when she started to talk to me... told me some of the things we had done, what she had done for me.... I realized it was revulsion. Here she was, telling me that she had loved me so much that she brought me back from the dead, and she... revolted me?" It was strangely comforting to Stefan to know that one of Stavros' 'visceral' reactions had been disgust at their mother. Had he always been so ambivalent about Helena? Stefan had certainly seen his brother treat her with arrogance and cruelty over the years but he had always assumed that Stavros was just acting as he did with everyone, and in any event, Mother had seemed to get perverse enjoyment out of it. "She revolted you?" he asked. "That might be a sign of growing mental health." Stavros shook his head. "How can I make you understand? There are so many things missing, so many things I do not know..." "And you think Helena will tell you? She lies, Stavros. She lies to everyone. It's one of the things she does best." "Well, perhaps... she might not lie to me. There may be things she needs to tell me. Stefan, she brought me back to life - I must matter to her." "In some ways, Stavros, you are the only one who has ever mattered to her," Stefan said, with a trace of the old bitterness. V interjected, "I think we need to stay on topic, gentlemen." They both looked at her, then Stavros said, "I need to know. Whether or not she tells me the truth, I may be able to discern some things for myself. In any event, my going to her might give us some control over the situation. If I do not... she will find another way. That seems clear." Stefan started to nod in agreement. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "It is simply too dangerous, Stavros!" "I do not believe that she would hurt me. Not after all she did to bring me back." In mounting frustration, Stefan said, "It is called brainwashing, Stavros! Mother is a mistress of it." "Brainwashing?" "Yes... she took Lucky Spencer and turned him into a zombie. Convinced him that he no longer loved the young lady he was engaged to, and very nearly induced him to murder his own father. There was considerable other damage as well..." "You are afraid she will do that to me... but I fail to see how she can - my brain has already been thoroughly washed," he said wryly. "Yes. And I would rather Mother did not fill it with her dreams of world domination." "There are so many reasons I need to do this, Stefan..." He looked at V. "You understand, don't you, Miss Ardanowski?" "Actually, I understand how both of you feel. You want answers, and a sense of your place in things, and you're starting to feel strong enough to deal with them... And your brother, who probably understands better than anyone what the risks are here, the dangers, is worried that you might end up in over your head." Stavros turned back to Stefan. "Is that true, Stefan? You're actually afraid for me?" "Hard as it might be for anyone to believe, Stavros, especially the two of us - yes, I'm afraid for all of us, and that has come to include you." An hour later, Gia came home from a local appearance to find a rather upset Nikolas. "He's going into town," he told her. "He's going to meet with my grandmother." "Who is?" "My father." He was pacing around the room. "He doesn't understand. He doesn't remember her, not really. He thinks he can handle her. I guess he always did. But now... he can't handle her now. He doesn't have the... equipment." "You're telling me that Stavros, with about half his brain left, wants to go up against Psychogranny?" Nikolas nodded. "Whoa..." "He has no idea how dangerous it is." He shook his head. "I didn't know I would care about him this much, Gia." "Well, that's because, under all those Princely trappings..." She put her arms around him. "You have a tender and kind heart. People like me look for the fairy tale ending, but aren't sure we believe in it. People like you... believe in giving it to other people." He kissed her. "I love you, Sparky. And I don't think I've ever loved you as much, watching you deal with my whole crazy family..." "Well, if you can handle my mother and brother, I can put up with Psychogranny, Uncle Stef, and the Dad who won't stay dead. I think it's a fair exchange..." He laughed and kissed her again. "These are the only acceptable terms," Stefan said. "We will all go into town together. I have business at the hospital anyway. Miss Ardanowski will stay with you at all times - " "I do not need a bodyguard," Stavros said. "And I'm not acting as one," V said; though she was prepared, she hoped it wouldn't come down to that. "You will have three hours - if Mother does not contact you in that time, we will have to give it up as a bad bet, at least for now." Stavros opened his mouth and Stefan continued. "We will meet at the launch - if you are not there, I will start a search." "A search?" "I will contact the police, if necessary... Stavros, this is a terrible risk. I should probably have my head examined for allowing it." "I am sure Dr. DaSilva could fit you in," Stavros said dryly. "Never mind that... let's just get this over with..." A Harbor Patrol officer assigned to keep track of the Spoon Island launch, called Marcus Taggert and let him know that Stavros Cassadine had accompanied his brother to shore. He also alerted him that V Ardanowski was with them. "Wonderful," Taggert groaned, and had the nearest reliable man get to the docks as soon as possible with orders to stay on Stavros Cassadine. "Be discreet, and be like glue on him. Sooner or later, whether he means to or not, he's going to lead us to his mother..." Meanwhile, a fisherman in a green slicker, took out a cell phone and made a brief call. Andreas got off the phone. "His Highness has arrived on shore, with his brother and Miss Ardanowski. It is possible that the police are watching." "Of course it's possible," Helena said. "Even with those idiots, it's almost a sure thing. You know what to do, don't you?" "Yes, Madame. Separate him from the others, and from any police surveillance." She favored him with a thin smile, and went into the bedroom to change her clothes... Stefan got into the waiting car and said, "Do you have a plan or are you just going to wander around?" Stavros said, "Miss Ardanowski think she will want to contact me as soon as possible, before there is a chance of things going wrong." "Something will go wrong, count on it," Stefan said grimly, more to V than to Stavros. He then signaled his driver to take him to the hospital. Stavros and V walked along the docks. A cool breeze came up. She shivered... He took off his jacket and, very casually, put it around her shoulders. "Thank you," she said. He nodded. "So... tell me, Venus. Is this what you expected your job to be? Babysitting a mentally defective man?" "In the first place, please don't call me that. In the second... you're not mentally defective." "I believe having a large blank spot where most people have memory is a significant defect..." "Oh, will you listen to yourself. I think you're enjoying this." "On the contrary, I am not." "Oh, please, your whole life seems to revolve around it. It's most of your conversation." "It is the only conversation I seem to have." "Try asking people about themselves." When he stopped and stared at her, she said, "If you hadn't lost your memory, I'd want to ask you if you were always this self-involved." "You have an enormous amount of nerve..." She shrugged. "I just think it's better to be honest. You don't waste as much time, and you don't have to worry about where you stand with people, or keep track of a lot of lies... and it's just nicer." "Nicer..." He laughed gently. "You are an interesting woman.... So tell me. Why don't you like your own name?" "I just don't think it - " They were interrupted by a loud explosion, just down the docks from them. V's first instinct was to shove Stavros down and cover him, but, to her shock, she found that he'd had the same instinct, but more quickly. She was on the ground, and he was covering her body with his own. There were shouts, and sounds of people running in all directions, but she did not think anyone had been hurt. It was hard to tell from under Stavros, however. "Um, Mr. Cassadine... are we being shot at?" "Not that I can see or hear." "Is anything else blowing up?" "No." "Then I think you can get off me. But thank you." He got up carefully, then reached down to help her up. She checked to make sure nothing had twisted wrong or hit too hard. She was fine. "Are you all right?" "Yes. Thank you." A police officer and an EMT approached them. "Are you folks okay?" the officer asked. "We're fine," V assured him. "Aren't you V Ardanowski?" he asked her. She nodded. "I'm Cal Robbins. You don't remember me, but I sure remember you... what're you doing back in Port Charles?" She smiled. "I took a new job." "Well, we'll have to catch up, but right now I need to take your statement..." While he was talking to her, the EMT took Stavros aside to see if he was all right. V didn't have much to tell Robbins, and she kept straining to keep Stavros and the EMT in sight. Finally, the cop thanked her and walked away. She started towards the EMT, but when he turned around she saw it was a different one. "Where's your partner?" "Partner, Miss?" "The other EMT... he was examining my.. friend." He pointed down the dock. V went over and saw, before she was even up close, that he was not the man who had started to examine Stavros. "D**n!" she said. Just then Marcus Taggert pulled up, jumping out of the car as soon as it came to a stop. "V? V Ardanowski? What are you doing here?" "Why is everyone asking me that?" she said impatiently. "I'm in town to do a favor for a friend..." "Were you here when this went down?" "Yes, and I was with someone and now I can't find him..." She looked around frantically. "Marcus, we'll have to play catch up later. Right now I need to find - " "Stavros Cassadine? You're working for the Cassadines now, I heard about that. And you brought him ashore." "Yes! And now I can't find him! Which means..." "That Helena has him. One way or the other." "What do you mean by that?" "Either she's snatched him... or she didn't have to." "Marcus, you don't know s**t about this case." "I've been dealing with the Cassadines for years, V. Don't tell me what I know and don't know. My sister is entangled with them..." "I know. I've met her. Marcus, really, can we save this for later? Really? Because if Helena Cassadine did snatch up her son... this could be really bad." "You don't have to tell me that." "Yes, well if your Officer Robbins hadn't sidetracked me... no, I can't blame him. This is all my fault." "Officer Robbins? We don't have an Officer Robbins." This time V's curses against herself were considerably more colorful... The EMT-who-was-not-an-EMT had whisked Stavros out of sight of the chaos. "If you will come with me, Your Highness." Stavros looked at him. "You are from - ?" "Your mother, yes. You will come with me?" He wondered what had happened to V. But he also knew what he was there to accomplish. He had to see this woman who had given him life, not once, but twice. To look into her face and listen to her words, now that he was prepared to hear them. And then, perhaps, he would know what he had to do. He nodded. "Where are we going?" "Not far." They walked quickly and quietly down the docks and into an alley. The man took out a key and led Stavros into a back door, and up a staircase. He knocked on the door at the top of the stairs. The door opened slowly. Another man, very muscular and almost pretty, stood there. "Your Highness," he said. Stavros nodded. "Come in, please." When he went inside, his first thought was that it seemed a strange setting for what was about to happen. It was one room, a studio apartment... he assumed there was a store below. But then the woman sitting on the couch stood up, and the surroundings seemed to catch a kind of glow from her. He felt that same confusing, visceral pull, both towards her and away from her. "Mother," he said. "Stavros," she said, smiling beautifully. She put out her arms towards him. "My darling..."   Chapter 14   "Sit down, my darling," Helena said. "Andreas will bring us some tea. Or would you prefer something... else?" Stavros shook his head. "Nothing, thank you." He sat down opposite her. "You look well, Mother." "No thanks to the Port Charles police. I could have shriveled away in that cell and they would have shrugged it off." "Somehow, Mother, I doubt that," he said. The force of her personality was so strong, it was palpable. He felt stroked, caressed by her gaze. "You seem more yourself, Stavros," she said with a smile. "I am relieved to see that. I knew, in my heart, that you couldn't be dead. It was not for Luke Spencer to kill you." "And yet he did. Eighteen years ago. And you put me in that frozen box and revived me just this past year. Why did you do that?" She looked surprised. "Why, because I love you, my darling. Because you are my son. Because I could." "Would you have done it for Stefan? He is your son, too." She laughed. "Stefan is worthless. He always has been." "Stefan has been kind to me. Although he does not like me." "That is because he thinks he can manipulate you. Turn you against me." She looked at him. "Has he succeeded, Stavros?" she asked softly. "Why don't you tell me what you have in mind, Mother?" He said it coolly, with a touch of imperiousness. He felt as if he was playing a role, but the role did not feel completely uncomfortable...   In the waterfront cafe a couple of blocks from where V had lost Stavros, she sat with Marcus Taggert and pretended to be interested in a cup of coffee. "Marcus, I know you want answers, but so do I, and honestly, we aren't going to get any sitting here like this. And I need to be able to find Stavros Cassadine without an official police presence on my heel." "You're not going to," he assured her. "I have a responsibility here. Stavros Cassadine could lead me to his mother, who happens to be a fugitive from justice. And I'm not sure he's not a co-conspirator." "Well, I am. I'm sure. He's starting his life all over again." At his skeptical look, she said. "Well, he is." "And your evidence is...?" "It's in my gut, Marcus." "I can't take your gut to Mac. Or to the DA." She looked at him. "The truth is, you've always been able to trust me before. I'm asking you to trust me on this." "I don't know, V... this is different. This is the Cassadines." "No, Marcus. This is me. Asking you to trust me. I have never steered you wrong, not on anything important." "Why is this important? Why is he important to you?" "It's not him, not the way you mean. I just believe that he's lost, and trying to find his way, and he needs this. He isn't a co-conspirator, he's a lost boy trying to connect with his mother." "That's very touching, but his mother's a rattlesnake who's wanted." "And you don't think that - even if we find them - that if you storm the door, Helena Cassadine hasn't prepared for that possibility?" He had forgotten just how sharp she was. "What do you recommend?" he said, just a little sarcastically, letting her know he still wasn't thrilled. "Let it go for now. Pull your men. Let me try to find him... I won't let him get away with anything. And if I find anything that will help you track Helena, I'll turn it over to you." He knew V, knew that she was unconventional but totally honest. She dealt from her heart, but her heart was rarely wrong. "You really think you can handle the Cassadines?" "I know I can handle Stavros." He thought about it. He thought long and hard. "I don't like it, V. I don't like it at all. But it's you. So you have now. You have... an hour. After that, I'm issuing an APB on Stavros Cassadine." "And so, my darling, they think they have defeated us... but we still have resources. And we still have each other." Helena smiled at him and watched as Andreas refilled her tea cup. He offered some to Stavros, who shook his head. "Let me see if I understand... you have some money hidden that Stefan did not know about.. you used it to secure your escape and a series of hideaways... and now you want me to sue to be... reinstated..." "To re-ascend, my darling. To be the Prince you have always been. To take your rightful place at the head of this family." "Re-ascend..." He shook his head. "Once you have the Cassadine Estate firmly under your control again, we will be able to avenge ourselves on our enemies and continue with our grand design..." "And what design is that?" "Unfortunately, the lab and its contents are lost to us... But some of the formulas are still available and the rest can be reconstructed." "Formulas... enemies... designs." He looked at her. "You are free... don't you want to find someplace safe and celebrate your freedom?" She said, "I am celebrating. With you. With the one person I have truly loved." He studied her face. Her eyes were glowing with affection. She was utterly beautiful, completely commanding. She reached out her elegant hand and touched his cheek. He flinched. "What is it, Stavros?" He wasn't sure. It was a simple enough gesture, probably innocent. She was his mother. She had brought him back from the dead. Then lost him again. Then found him again. "Lost and found," he whispered. "What did you say?" "I was lost.. then found... then lost again... not quite found, I think." "Stavros, you are not making sense." It distressed and irritated her. "From what I can piece together... what people have told me... when I came back the first time.. I spent my time in the shadows, watching others... haunting them... I flirted with Nikolas' girl friend..." "Yes... I warned you against that. And some of your other hobbies." "There was a plot... Stefan was not sure what it was supposed to be originally, but I suppose it had to do with those biotoxins you just told me about. We were all in that underground lab of yours. I don't remember any of it, but they have helped me... reconstruct... plots and mazes..." "Stavros, you are starting to alarm me." "I can not believe that all that.. that this... is enough reason to bring someone back from the dead. There must be more to a second - or third - chance than that. There must." "Stavros!" "I don't... I'm sorry. This time, I do not think I can be what you want." Before she could respond, before she even knew what he was doing, he had walked away from her, out the door and down the stairs... "Stavros!" she cried. Andreas, who had been in the kitchen, came in. "Why didn't you stop him?" she asked angrily. "His Highness has left?" Andreas asked. "Yes, you idiot. His Highness has left." She strode to the window. "You must find him and bring him back." "And if he does not wish to come back?" "That is not acceptable. He will come back to me. He must." There were tears in her eyes. "I did not go through all this to see him turn to... to Stefan!" "Madame, it is possible that His Highness is no longer the man he was." "He will have to become that man again. It is the only way... I will have him at my side. No matter what I have to do..." "May I remind you, Madame, that the Ice Princess is lost to us?" She stood at the window, staring out into the alley below. "There are other methods, other ways... I will have my son back. No matter what."     Chapter 15   V went back to the area where she had lost Stavros. She started scanning the alleyways - she didn't know what else to do. She didn't call his name; she didn't know how many people Helena had in place. In fact, if Helena had spirited him off someplace she was s**t out of luck. Taggert's one-hour time limit was weighing heavily. Suddenly, a waitress emerged into the doorway of one of the waterfront bars and said, "Miss?" V looked at her. "I think you left something here." Before V could deny ever being in the bar, the waitress looked at her and said, "Really, Miss. We're holding something for you." V followed her into the bar, hoping she was understanding the woman correctly. She was. Stavros, looking little the worse for wear, was sitting in a small back room of the bar. He rose when he saw her, and she resisted an inexplicable urge to put her arms around him. "What happened?" she asked. "Well... Mother and I spoke." he said wryly. "I figured that out. How did you end up here?" "I left. And I think she may have sent someone after me, so instead of going to the launch, which might have left me too... open, I decided to stay in the area, but discreetly. I knew you would be looking for me." She nodded. "I promised the bartender, who happens to be the manager, a hundred dollars if he would let me stay back here, have someone keep an eye out for you - I described you in detail - and not let anyone else know." "That was a good plan," she acknowledged. "I gave him my medallion as security. Do you have a hundred dollars with you?" She laughed. "Yeah, right." He frowned slightly. "I have no money with me. Stefan does not give me any money. I should talk to him about that....I would hate to lose my medallion." When she took out her cell phone he said, "What are you doing?" "I'm calling your brother." As Stavros opened his mouth, she said, "He needs to know you're all right, that you've seen your mother and that you... need a hundred dollars." Stavros nodded. V dialed Stefan's private number and waited for him to pick up. "It's V," she said. "Your brother made contact with your mother, and I'm with him now and he's all right." "What happened between them?" Stefan asked. "I don't know." She looked at Stavros. "He wants to know what happened." Stavros shook his head. "Not now. Not on the phone." There was something about his face, his eyes. He had been strong and sensible, improvising a good plan, but there was strain and confusion creeping into him now. "He says not now... maybe we should try to get back to Wyndemere..." "Is he truly all right, Miss Ardanowski?" "I think so. Mostly anyway." Something in her tone alerted him. "Stay with him. Give me the address." She got it from Stavros and relayed it. "We will be there." "We?" "I am going to get Dr. DaSilva." Nancy DaSilva was going over some case notes when Stefan walked into her office. "Did we have an appointment?" she asked. "Stavros saw our mother today. He seems to have gotten away from her intact, but we need to find out what she did - or tried to do - to him." "And?" "He and Miss Ardanowski are waiting for us in a bar - a dive, I suspect - on the waterfront. It would be best if we got there quickly." "You keep saying 'we'." "Yes, of course. Stavros will need to be properly... debriefed. There may be things that need to be cleanly and thoroughly addressed." "Mr. Cassadine, I believe I told you at the beginning of this... adventure that I was not going to be your personal employee. I have other patients besides your brother. I can't just get up and go at a moment's notice. I thought we established that." He frowned. "Dr. DaSilva, this is not a whim. My brother has just spent the better part of an hour with a woman who is a mistress of manipulation and a genius at brainwashing. His own brain is, shall we say, somewhat compromised. It may be crucial to find out exactly what she has done to or with him during that hour. And there may be no time to waste. Now... will you or will you not come with me?" She sighed as she got up. "All right." She grabbed her jacket and reached into her pocket, then frowned and started to search her desk. "Wait a sec... I just have to..." Stefan's eyes wandered, lighting on a candy dish on the sideboard. He picked up the brass key ring nestled among the Hershey's Kisses. "Are you looking for these?" She frowned. "How did you - ? Never mind." She reached for them and he dangled them a little higher. "My keys, Mr. Cassadine..." "What do you say?" She glared at him. Then, realizing he was not going to give them to her otherwise, she said "Thank you," biting off the words. "You are welcome." He gave her the keys and smiled. Her annoyance seemed to soften. "I'll... meet you in the parking lot." "What an excellent idea," he said to her. "Your car will make us less conspicuous, in case one of Mother's spies is out." They left. Nancy was wondering how she'd gotten involved in a case that was half science fiction, half spy movie, Stefan wondering how unethical it was to consider kissing one's brother's psychiatrist... They arrived at the waterfront bar without incident. Stefan paid the bartender the hundred dollars and retrieved Stavros' Cassadine medallion. They left immediately, and soon were in the launch, headed for Spoon Island. Stavros was very quiet on the trip. Nancy studied him from a slight distance. Stefan, who had just made a phone call, came up behind her and said, "Well?" "I can't do instant analysis, but... he seems stressed, certainly. And he seems to be working through some things in his mind. Which may, in fact, be a very healthy response to whatever happened." "We will know more when we get to Wyndemere," Stefan said. He had asked Stavros at the bar, and all his brother would say was, "Not here." "I have called Alexis and asked her to join us. I think it is time for a family meeting..." "Shouldn't I go, too?" Kristina asked. "No," Alexis said. "Why not? You said it's a family meeting. Aren't I part of the family? Aren't I a Cassadine, too? You can't protect me forever, Alexis." "I can try," she said grimly. "Nothing will happen to me. You'll be there.. Stefan... And frankly, so far nothing I've seen in Stavros makes me think he's going to eat me for dinner." Alexis started to argue, but realized that, first of all, Kristina was right about being a Cassadine. Once you were in the family, you were in, and there was no such thing as halfway, as she had learned... And secondly, in the weeks that he had been at Wyndemere, Stavros had given no sign that he was his old, deranged self. Which didn't mean he wasn't lying in wait, biding his time. Except that waiting, biding of any sort, had never been Stavros' style. "I have the right," Kristina insisted. She was right. And there would be plenty of 'good' Cassadines around to look after her if things did get hairy. Hell, Mrs. Lansbury could probably be counted on to wield a mean frying pan if necessary. "All right. But we're leaving now." Stavros was sitting in the study, looking out the window, when Nikolas found him. "Alexis and Kristina are on their way. Uncle has called a family meeting." He nodded. "I will be down in a minute." He fingered the medallion around his neck. "Family meeting," he repeated. "What is it, Father?" "To be part of this family... is a complicated thing." Nikolas smiled. "That's putting it mildly." "You must feel disoriented sometimes. A father back from the dead.. an uncle who was a father to you... a grandmother who... how do you feel about your grandmother?" "I try not to think about her." "I do not think we have that luxury." "She's caused an incredible amount of harm," Nikolas said. "And so have I." As Nikolas started to speak, he shook his head and said, "Do not deny it." "I was just going to say that it's different now. You're different. At least, different from everything I ever heard about you. And different from the time we did spend together, before you... before we thought you died... again." Stavros nodded. "I do not remember any of that. But I know enough, from you and others, to understand it, to know what I must have been. It.. haunts me." "You can't let it. Otherwise, you'll never move on from it." "Can I? Can I really?" "You're different," Nikolas insisted. "The man you were... never heard of guilt, let alone felt it. If you were still that man, none of this would matter. So... you have to accept it, deal with it, and decide what you want to do with your life." Stavros nodded and smiled. Just then, Gia came in and said, "Alexis is here. And Kristina. Stefan says we're all meeting in the living room." Stavros had told them everything that had happened from the moment he had walked into the shabby little apartment and received Helena's affectionate greeting. Everything that was said. After describing her 'grand design' for world domination and revenge he said, "She is mad." When the others nodded, he said, "Perhaps I am mad, too." "No," Stefan said. "Perhaps once, Stavros. But not now. Now you are... sane. As sane as any of us can be." Alexis, moved by Stefan's declaration of faith, nodded. Kristina smiled at him. "She will not give up on you," Stefan warned. Stavros, remembering the way she'd screamed his name as he left, nodded. "I am aware of that." Kristina said, "So you just walked away from her? You didn't argue or play any games with her? You just walked?" He nodded. "That was pretty brave." He smiled and shook his head. "No, because I did not know any better." "You knew enough," V said. He smiled at her. He had known she would come for him. He had known that. "I do not think we can afford to wait for her next move," Stefan said. "The authorities are desperate to find her, and even without much confidence in the Port Charles police, I think that, along with what she sees as Stavros' desertion, will only push her to more extreme action." Nikolas shivered slightly. Gia put her arm around him. "What do you think we should do, Uncle?" "I think... we should throw a party."