CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
OCTOBER 1997
Lisa walked into the living room at Wyndemere and sat a video
tape on the nearest table. At first, she didn’t see anyone, then she couldn’t
help but laugh at the sight that met her eyes.
Stefan was in the floor on his hands and knees with Anreya sitting
on his back, holding onto the collar of his jacket. Anreya was giggling as
Stefan made horse noises. When Anreya heard Lisa laugh, she slid off of
Stefan’s back and toddled over to Lisa as fast as she could. “Hi Mama,”
she said, holding up her arms to be picked up.
“There’s my baby girl,” Lisa said as she picked up Anreya.
Stefan stood up and dusted himself off. He walked over and kissed
Lisa, “Good evening, Leezia.”
Lisa just looked at him and laughed. He looked at her with his
normal serious expression, but she just laughed harder.
“What do you find so amusing?”
She slowed down to a snicker. “You. You look so serious, but not
two minutes ago...” she started laughing again and pointing at the floor. “I
wish I had my camcorder.”
Stefan frowned, “I’m glad you didn’t.”
Lisa shook her head, “I know how much you hate mirrors and
cameras, but you’re not a vampire, contrary to all of my father’s
declarations, and playing with your daughter is nothing to be ashamed of.”
Anreya rubbed her eyes on Lisa’s shoulder. Lisa glanced at her
watch, then looked at Stefan. “I’m going to get her ready for bed. I’ll be
back down in a minute.”
Stefan kissed Anreya on the forehead, “Goodnight, Princess.”
Anreya smiled, “Night Papa,” she said slowly.
Lisa took Anreya upstairs as Stefan watched them go. He noticed
the video tape on the table, went and picked it up and took it over to the
VCR.
He looked at the label on the tape. It was dated with today’s date
and had ‘Baby Cassadine’ written on it. He put the tape in the VCR and
started watching the footage from Lisa’s latest sonogram.
He didn’t know how long he’d been watching when Lisa came back
downstairs. She stood behind him silently and watched him as he watched
the tape she had seen earlier. Not realizing she was standing behind him,
he shamelessly wiped away the tears he was shedding.
She smiled and leaned over the back of the sofa and put her arms
loosely around his neck. He leaned forward and kissed her hands. She
stood up and walked around to sit beside Stefan on the sofa. As Lisa sat
down, Stefan put one arm around her and put his other hand on her
stomach over their child that was growing inside her. “Are you upset?” she
asked him.
Stefan looked quizzically at his wife, “Why would I be upset?” then
he realized, “You mean because the baby is a girl?”
Lisa nodded, “I know how much you wanted a son that you could
call your own.”
Stefan sat back. “Is this about Nikolas?”
Lisa looked at him blankly, “Does Laura know that Nikolas is your
son, not Stavros’?”
*****
Stefan stood up suddenly and walked over to the fireplace, “Of
course Laura doesn’t know. You and I are the only ones.”
Lisa continued to watch him from her seat on the sofa. “Don’t
forget Lesley.”
Stefan slammed his fist on the mantle, “Damn.” He turned and
faced his wife, “Does she remember?”
Lisa shrugged, “I don’t see why not, she remembers everything else
we ever told her.” Lisa stood up and walked over to join her husband at
the fireplace, “Do you want me to talk to her?”
Stefan wrapped his arms around his wife, “Can you make her
understand why no one else knows?”
Lisa nodded, “Of course.” She smiled, “I have tons of reasons.
Each one being better than the last.”
Stefan kissed her lovingly. “I knew I could count of you. No
matter what happens, Lasha and Nikolas cannot find out the truth.”
Lisa pulled back and looked at him, “Well, I agree about Nikolas,
but I really think Laura should know.”
Stefan started pacing around the room, “No, absolutely not. It
would endanger my plan.”
Lisa threw her hands up in the air, “What plan? Are you still bent
on winning Laura from my father?” she asked harshly. “Is that what this is
about? Are you still fixated on your perfect little family of you, your son
and his mother?”
Stefan was shocked, “No. I have all the family I need in Nikolas,
Anreya, you and our new daughter.”
“Then what?”
“I cannot tell you.”
Lisa had tears in her eyes, “Stefan, don’t you see how much you
clamming up like this bothers me? You say you love me, but yet you won’t
tell me about these grand plans of yours. Can’t you see how much that
hurts?”
Stefan spoke softly, “I’m sorry.”
Lisa put up her hand to silence him, “Please, I’ve heard enough.”
She started to walk out. Stefan called after her, “Leezia wait.
Don’t go. What about Anreya?”
Lisa spun around. Harshly, she said, “Our daughter is asleep. I’m
not going to disturb her. I just can’t deal with this right now.”
Stefan grabbed her arm, “What are you saying?”
Lisa shook her arm free, “Let me go, Stefan.”
He could only watch as she left him, again; neither of them fully
understanding where she was going or why.
*****
Stefan was still sitting in the living room, rewatching the video of
his unborn daughter when Alexis walked in. “Stefan,” she said.
Stefan turned around at her voice, “Hello Alexis,” He shook his
head, “I still can’t get used to calling you Natasha.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she told him as she saw the look on his
face. “What’s wrong?”
“Have you seen or heard from Leezia?”
Alexis walked around to face him, “She’s sitting outside, looking
just like you do. Terrible. What happened?”
Stefan shrugged, stood up and started to pace. “I’m really not sure.
One minute, we were talking about the baby, and the next...”
Alexis smiled knowingly, “Hormones.”
Stefan’s eyes grew wide, “She was never like this with Anreya.”
Alexis shook her head, “I know. But Leezia has changed a lot since
Anreya was born. She lived on her own and was independent for the first
time ever. I think she became her own person and learned how to stand up
for herself. I think it’s been good for her.”
Stefan sat back down, “You’re right, of course.” Changing
thoughts, he said, “Should I go out there after her? It’s rather damp
outside.”
“No, she’ll come in when she’s ready.”
“What about the baby?”
“Stefan, Leezia’s a grown woman and she’s not going to take any
risks this close to the baby being born.”
“Baby girl,” Stefan said. Alexis just looked at him, so he added,
“It’s a girl.”
“Congratulations.” Alexis looked around the room, “I’d better be
going.”
Stefan nodded absently. As Alexis started to leave, he stopped her,
“Alexis, wait.” She turned to face him, “What was it you came for?”
Alexis shook her head, “It’s nothing that can’t wait.” With that,
she turned and left.
*****
Lisa was sitting on the dock, swinging her legs out over the water,
when Alexis came back outside. Alexis couldn’t help but notice that Lisa
was near tears. She sat down beside Lisa and put her arm comfortingly
around Lisa’s shoulder.
Lisa looked up at her and tried to smile. Instead, she just burst into
tears. Alexis smiled reassuringly and pulled Lisa towards her to let Lisa cry
on her shoulder.
After a few minutes, Lisa regained her composure. “I’m an idiot,
aren’t I?”
Alexis shook her head, “No.”
“Did he tell you what it was about?”
Alexis again shook her head, “I’ll tell you the same thing I told
him....”
Before Alexis could say anything else, Lisa interrupted,
“Hormones?”
“Exactly.” They both laughed slightly.
“Why is this so different than with Annie? With her, I didn’t go
anywhere or do anything. I just stayed in my room for nine months.”
Alexis sat back a little, “A lot has happened between now and then.
You and Stefan aren’t the same people.”
Lisa nodded. After a moment of silence, she changed tracks.
“When was the last time you saw your daughter?”
“Her 13th birthday. Last month.”
“How was she?”
“Still Sheila. She acts just like she always has, more and more like
the typical teenager.”
Lisa laughed at the thought of Sheila Davis running through the
halls of Wyndemere, “I don’t think I’ll make it to when my girls are that
age.”
Alexis and Lisa stood up. Alexis put her hand on Lisa’s shoulder,
“Sure you will. Have you and Stefan thought of a name yet?”
Lisa nodded, “I have, but I haven’t run it past Stefan yet.” She
glanced back at the house, “I need to go apologize to him.”
Alexis gave her a quick hug, “You take care and I’ll see you later.”
As Alexis turned to go, Lisa called after her knowingly, “Say hello
to Sheila for me.”
Alexis smiled, “How did you know?”
“I know that with Helena gone, you can safely bring her to town.
Have you told Stefan yet?”
“I thought about telling him the day I told him that I was really
Natasha, but it didn’t seem the right time, so I waited. But I will tell her
that you said hello.”
Lisa watched as Alexis left on the launch. She walked up to the
door of the house then turned around and sat down, leaning against it. She
wasn’t ready to go inside just yet.
She leaned her head back against the door and closed her eyes
briefly. Despite the dampness, she briefly nodded off to sleep within a few
minutes. A hidden figure watched from the shadows and smiled at her
vulnerability.
*****
CHAPTER FIFTY
Stefan tossed and turned. He couldn’t sleep. He had quickly
gotten used to having Lisa beside him every night. He heard the door
softly open. He opened his eyes enough to see Lisa standing by the bed.
He laid very still, not giving away the fact that he was awake.
Lisa watched as Stefan slept. She wanted to touch him, put her
arms around him and tell him how sorry she was. But at the same time, she
didn’t want to disturb him. She brought her hand down to the touch his
face, then stopped.
He could feel the warmth from her hand just hovering above his
face. He wanted to take her hand in his and pull her gently into bed. He
wanted to assure her that everything would be okay. He started to move,
then stopped.
Lisa stepped back as Stefan shifted in bed. “I love you,” she
whispered. She decided to let him sleep and softly walked out of the room.
As she left the room, Stefan whispered back, “And I love you.”
*****
Stefan woke up before dawn the next morning. He looked over
and sighed when he saw Lisa’s side of the bed still undisturbed. He pulled
himself out of bed, feeling much older than he was. He slowly pulled on
his robe over his nightclothes and walked out in the hall.
Unsure of exactly where to start looking, Stefan quietly stuck his
head in Anreya’s room. She was still sleeping peacefully in her bed. He
walked over and stood next to the crib, watching her sleep. He smiled.
She looked so peaceful.
He walked down the hall and peeked into Nikolas’ room. He knew
that Nikolas wouldn’t appreciate being looked in on like a child, but Stefan
reminded himself that Nikolas was his son. Every time he looked at him,
he remembered that night. The night that he had convinced himself that he
had found the love of his life. He was wrong. Dreadfully wrong. The past
several months had convinced him of that.
A stray thought of where Lisa might be occurred to him. Stefan
walked downstairs and into what used to be the servant’s quarters. He
remembered once that Mikkos and Helena had brought Lisa here, planning
to use her against Luke Spencer. He walked into what was her room all
those years ago. There, on a small sofa that looked as old as the mansion
itself, was Lisa, sound asleep.
Did she still feel no better than a servant to the Cassadines? Had all
of those years ingrained themselves to the point where her self esteem was
below the breaking point? Was all of this tied in to the fact that she tried to
take her own life a few months ago? Too many questions, not enough
answers.
Stefan knelt down beside the sofa. Softly, he brushed Lisa’s hair
out of her face. She stirred slightly at his touch. She shivered. He
touched her arm. Her skin was chilly to the touch. He slipped off his robe
and wrapped it around her. She pulled it around her.
Stefan reached over and kissed her on the forehead. Lisa opened
her eyes and looked at him. He smiled at her, “Good morning, my
sweetheart.”
Lisa started to cry. “I’m so sorry. This whole thing is my fault. I
wish...”
Stefan took his finger and covered her mouth. “Enough,” he said
softly, “this is as much my fault as yours.”
She sat up slowly. “I can’t take back some of the things that
happened in the past. I don’t think I even want to. I also can’t change
who I am, for you, or for my father. I was born a Spencer, raised as a
servant and married you by my own choice.”
Stefan sat on the sofa beside her and wrapped his arms around her
shoulders, “There is so much more to you than that quick summary. I did
not give you a choice about our marriage.”
“It was either that or let Billy kill me slowly.” She winced as she
remembered part of why she married Stefan.
“I could not allow him to continue. If I had known that he was still
abusing you after I banned your excursions, I would have taken you away
before then.”
Lisa looked over at her husband, “Forget it. It’s over now.
Besides, you gave me so much more. You protected me, took care of me
and taught me well. And how did I repay you? By leaving two years ago,
and trying to leave now. I guess running at the first sign of trouble is
genetic.”
Stefan smiled. Taking her hand in his, he stood up. “Let me show
you what you’ve given me.”
He led her to the basement where there a portrait sat on the floor,
still covered up. “What’s this?” she asked.
Stefan walked over to the portrait. “I was going to wait until the
baby was born to give this to you, but this seems just as good a time.”
As Stefan pulled the cover off the portrait, Lisa gasped.
“Well the artist did have to use his imagination on some of it,”
Stefan defended, “but I don’t think it’s a bad likeness.”
Lisa shook her head, and breathlessly whispered, “It’s a very good
likeness.”
Stefan stepped back and wrapped his arms around his wife, “This is
what you’ve given me.”
They both admired the portrait. It featured Lisa sitting in an ornate
chair, proudly wearing her Cassadine pendant and cradling a tiny baby.
Stefan stood on one side with his hand on her shoulder. Nikolas stood on
the other side, holding Anreya.
Lisa wiped away a stray tear, “It’s beautiful, Stefan.”
“You’ve given me the gift of a family. No longer to I feel like the
outsider in my own household. You made me feel worthy of the love that
you freely gave. You taught me how to love in return. I could not be the
man I am today if it wasn’t for you, Leezia.”
Lisa leaned up and kissed Stefan, “I love you. So much it drives me
crazy sometimes.”
“I understand the feeling completely,” Stefan said as he leaned
down to kiss his wife again.
*****
Someone banged loudly on a door at the Port Charles Hotel. After
a few minutes, a still sleepy Jessica Spencer opened the door. Before
Jessica could say anything, Helena pushed her way into the suite.
“I thought you were dead,” Jessica said in shock.
Helena sat on the sofa comfortably, “Why are you here in Port
Charles?”
Jessica was immediately on the defense, “I have family here.”
“You mean your excuse for a brother and sister?”
In a hushed shout, Jessica demanded, “Enough! I’ve always done
everything you asked and more. I’m finished. Find yourself a new
minion.”
“Everything I asked and more,” Helena repeated, “Then why does
Stefan have his daughter? Anreya was supposed to be kept away from
him.”
“Now just wait a minute. That didn’t have anything to do with me.
Alexander brought her to Stefan.”
“Your father was senile in his old age,” Helena hissed.
“I’m not denying that, Helena. But you can’t blame me for his
senility.”
Helena sighed softly, “Watch me.”
Helena stood up to allow the slight height difference make her seem
more imposing. “Stefan is getting soft. I will take over this family again. I
need your support, Jessica.”
Jessica nodded silently, sealing her fate.
*****
Later that same morning, the phone rang in Carly’s room. Carly
rolled over in bed and glared at the alarm clock while smacking at it with
one hand. When it refused to shut up, she finally sat up and picked up the
phone. “This better be good,” she said into the phone groggily.
“Caroline?” the woman asked nervously.
Carly was immediately awake, “Aunt Jessie, what’s wrong?”
“I need to find Lisa.”
“Lisa? What do you want her for?” she asked sharply.
“It’s urgent I find her, Caroline. She’s in trouble.”
Carly sighed and sat up in bed, “I have her number here
somewhere.”
Jessica’s voice was filled with urgency. “Call her Caroline. Tell her
it’s very important that I see her. I need to meet with her alone. Her
future depends on it! Tell her to meet me by the docks at 11:30 am sharp.”
“I will.”
“It’s important, Caroline. I know you won’t let me down.”
“I won’t, Aunt Jessie.” Carly hung up the phone and laid back
down. “I’ll call her in just a sec,” she said to herself, then was soon fast
asleep.
*****
