CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
NOVEMBER 1997
Alexis and her teenage daughter Sheila got off the launch at Spoon
Island. Sheila looked around, “Creepy place, Mom. Do people really live
here?”
Alexis laughed, “Of course they do. Lisa, Stefan, their daughter
Anreya and Nikolas all live here. I just need to pick up a couple of things
before we go back to my apartment.”
Sheila looked back towards the water and the town, “Port Charles
looks so peaceful from here.”
Alexis smiled, “Everything looks peaceful from a distance, Sheila.”
As she headed for the house, Sheila didn’t move. “You coming in?”
Sheila shook her head, “Nah. I think I’d rather just stay out here and
enjoy the fresh air.”
Alexis shrugged and smiled, “Okay, suit yourself.” Alexis walked
quickly into Wyndemere, leaving Sheila alone with her thoughts.
Sheila wandered around the dock staring at the water, looking back
at the house, watching the sunrise. A noise behind her startled her back to
reality. Nikolas jogged out of the woods and nearly ran into her. “Excuse
me,” she said harshly.
“Who are you are what are you doing here?” he asked just as
harshly.
She put her hands on her hips defensively, “I was gonna ask you the
same question.”
“I am Nikolas Cassadine and this is my family’s island. You’re
trespassing.”
“Am not!”
“Are too.” Nikolas realized the American pattern of argument
quickly and stopped himself. “You didn’t answer my question, who are
you?”
“Sheila Davis, you gotta problem with it?”
Nikolas nodded, “Well, considering the fact that I don’t know you,
yes, I do have a problem with it.”
“Davis, as in Alexis Davis, your cousin. Is it sinking into your skull
yet, Nikky?”
Nikolas gave Sheila a strange look. “You’re related to Alexis?”
“Duh! I’m her daughter!”
Just then, Alexis came out of Wyndemere. She stopped dead in her
tracks when she heard Sheila’s last statement. “Sheila!” she said suddenly.
“I guess I should introduce you to Nikolas. Nikolas, this is my daughter,
Sheila Davis.”
“So she said,” he said nodding, “Your daughter?” he repeated.
Alexis nodded, “Yes.” Alexis sighed, “Nikolas, no one knows
about Sheila yet.”
Sheila glared at her mother, “Whaddya mean, ‘no one knows’.”
“Just what I said. To protect you from Helena, I thought it best to
keep you a secret. Besides, your father would never allow Helena to
control you the way she controlled the rest of the family.” Alexis looked
beseechingly at Nikolas, “Please, Nikolas. Allow me to tell Stefan in my
own way.”
Nikolas simply nodded, then turned to Sheila. “It was nice meeting
you, Sheila.”
“Yeah, ditto.”
Mother and daughter walked off together, silently, while Nikolas
just watched.
*****
Stefan watched as his wife slept in his arms. He watched her eyes
as they jumped. Lisa was dreaming. He frowned as he watched her. Her
face was contorting as if she was having a nightmare.
Suddenly, Lisa sat bolt upright in bed, screaming. Her eyes looked
like an animal, caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. She looked at
him awkwardly. “Leezia, are you okay?” he asked.
As he reached up to touch her face, she jerked away. Her hands
reached up to cover her face protectively. “Please don’t hit me, I’ll never
do it again, I promise,” she begged pleadingly. “Just don’t hurt me.”
Stefan reached up to pull Lisa’s hands away from her face. Each
time he started to touch her, she cringed and flinched. “Leezia, I would
never hurt you, you know that, don’t you?” he asked softly.
She began to cry. “I’m sorry, I just...”
He pulled her hands slowly away from her face, and softly began to
caress her face. “Shhh,” he said consolingly, “What happened?”
“In my dream, I had done something. I don’t remember exactly what
it was, but you started yelling and screaming at me.” She wiped away a
tear, “Remember when I was six, and spilled the bottle of wine that Stavros
had asked me to get for him?”
Stefan frowned, “Vividly,” he said somberly.
Lisa nodded, “And how he beat me for it? His tone of voice that
day was what I heard, except the face was yours.”
Stefan took at deep breath and smiled gently at his wife. He
wrapped his arms tenderly around Lisa and pulled her towards him. “I
would never do that to you. I think you know me well enough to know that.”
Lisa nodded slightly before resting her head against his chest, “I
know. I love you.”
“I love you as well,” he replied, kissing the top of her head and
pulling her tightly and protectively to him.
*****
Jessica paced nervously on the docks. She kept glancing at her
watch then looking around. 11:55 and still no sign of Lisa. It wasn’t like
Lisa to be late. She wondered slightly whether Caroline had forgotten to
call Lisa, but that wouldn’t be like Caroline, either.
“Fancy meeting a beautiful girl like you here,” Luke’s voice boomed
out from behind her.
Jessica stifled a scream as she jumped and wheeled around to face
Luke. “What are you doing here?” she asked quickly.
Luke pulled a cigar out of his pocket, lighted it and took a deep drag
before answering, “You’re a bit jumpy, aren’t you, Little Sister?”
Jessica looked at him oddly, “Do you ever feel like the world is out
to get you, Luke?”
Luke smiled, “Only when they are.”
“You’re no help,” Jessica said, frowning.
“You’re pacing around here like a caged cat, babe, what gives?”
Jessica shrugged, “I was just here waiting for Lisa.”
Smiling again, Luke said, “Ah yes, my oldest daughter who’s taken
up residence in the ‘House of Usher’. I love her, but heaven help her when
something happens.”
“It’s gonna happen sooner than anyone thinks, Luke,” Jessica said
quickly.
Luke’s face suddenly turned stone serious, “Are Lisa and Annie in
any danger?”
Jessica turned away from him and looked at the ground in front of
her, then quietly mumbled, “I think I sold my soul to the devil.”
Luke laughed slightly, “Steffin? Oh please. He may be pure
Cassadine, but he doesn’t have enough ambition to ever do anything.”
Jessica gave him a blank look, “You weren’t on the island when
Stefan staged the coup.”
“And you weren’t here when our,” he choked out the next word,
“brother, beat the crap out of my daughter while Stefan didn’t do a damn
thing about it.”
“Stefan didn’t know she was here.” After Luke gave her a blank
look, Jessica continued, “Lisa took off on her own after she was told that
Anreya was dead. She would call Stefan, almost every night, but never tell
him where she was. Half of the time she was drunk when she called.”
Jessica shrugged, “It was all part of Helena’s plan,” she said simply.
Luke nodded, “This is when she met Caroline.”
“None of us ever figured that the two of them would be able to
figure out that they were cousins. We assumed that Lisa had given up on
that side of her life. I think Helena hoped she’d end up in a ditch
somewhere.” She smiled, “I guess we were wrong.”
Luke smiled back, “And I’m glad,” he said quietly. “Now, about
Stefan, is he planning to take over the world or something?”
Jessica shook her head quickly, “No, you don’t understand, Luke.
It’s not Stefan. It’s Helena.”
“Helena’s dead, babe. I was there when Steffie pulled the plug on
the bad ass Mama Cass.”
“You’re wrong, Luke,” Jessica replied ominously.
*****
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
Lisa knew that after her doctor’s appointment, Stefan had some
things to take care of at the hospital, so she used to opportunity to go visit
her father. Entering LUKE’S, the only person she saw was Mike, “Hey
Mike,”
He smiled, “Hey to you stranger! Where have you been?” he asked
jovially.
“Around, around. Is my Dad here?”
Mike nodded, “He’s in his office, go on back.”
Lisa smiled, “Thanks Mike.” She walked back to Luke’s office and
knocked softly on the door before peeking her head in, “Anyone here?”
Luke smiled and waved her in, “Hey Sunshine.” He stood up and
gave her a gentle hug. Patting Lisa’s now huge stomach, he asked, “So, how
much longer before that baby sees the light of day?”
Laughing, she replied, “About two more weeks, give or take a week
or two.”
“So basically any day now?”
Lisa nodded, “Whenever she’s good and ready, I guess.”
Luke leaned against the desk as Lisa sat in a nearby chair, “How are
things with Count Vlad?”
She rolled her eyes, “Stefan is fine. I’m happy with him, Dad.”
Luke reached over and patted her cheek lovingly, “I know you are,
Sunshine. I just worry. That’s what father’s do.”
“So I’ve learned,” she replied, smiling.
“I ran into Jessica earlier.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow, “Is that so?”
He nodded, “Yep. Seems she was looking for you.”
Curious, she asked, “Me? Why?”
Luke shrugged, “Don’t know. She thinks that Helena is still alive
and on some sort of power trip where the Cassadines are concerned.”
“No,” Lisa shook her head, “That’s impossible. We were there
when Helena died. That’s totally ridiculous. Jessica doesn’t know
anything.” Harshly, she added, “Never has, never will.”
“Sunshine,” Luke said paternalistically.
Lisa looked up at him, “Well, I’m sorry, Dad, but there is absolutely
nothing that woman could say to me to make up for what she did. And, all
things considered, I wouldn’t believe a word of what she said anyway. We
were there, Jessica wasn’t. Helena is dead. My life is pretty well staked
on that, you know.”
Luke nodded, “Well Sunshine, I hope you’re right. For your sake, as
well as for your kids’. But just in case, I’m going to ask Jason to keep an
eye on things.”
Standing up, Lisa said, “We’ll be fine, Dad. I don’t need
bodyguards. I can take care of myself and my kids. Stefan won’t let
anything happen to us, I promise.”
Luke frowned slightly, but stood up and kissed her on the cheek,
“Okay baby. But you know where to find me if you need me.”
“Yep. I love you, Dad.”
“Me too, Lisa. Me too,” he replied softly.
*****
Later that night, Lisa slept quietly in Stefan’s arms. An intruder to
Wyndemere watched them as they slept. The intruder shook his head, “It’d
be nice if it wasn’t so damn digusting,” Luke muttered aloud.
Stefan sat up like a shot. Lisa sat up more slowly, but quickly at the
same time. She reached over and turned on the nightstand light. “Daddy,
what are you doing here?”
Luke smiled, “I followed Helena here.”
“Helena is dead, you know that,” Stefan insisted.
Luke shrugged, “Sorry, bright boy, but your mama is just down the
hall.”
Lisa reached out and grabbed Stefan’s arm, “Anreya,” she said
urgently.
Stefan was out of bed and down the hall before anyone could say
anything else. Lisa looked up at her father, “Daddy, what does she want
with us?”
“Somewhere along the line, Sunshine, I’d say one of us ticked her
off. She’s hated Spencers for a long time, since what I did to Mikkos and
Stavros. She’s probably not real fond of you because you’re my daughter
and you’re married to the son she hates.”
“Among other things,” Stefan added as he walked back into the
room with a sleepy Anreya in his arms.
“How did she manage to survive?” Lisa asked as Stefan sat down
on the bed and placed Anreya between them. Lisa pulled her daughter
tightly to her.
“I would assume that she was not as ill as she lead everyone to
believe.” Stefan reached over and took the phone off the nightstand.
“Helena is on the island,” he told his guards on the other end of the line,
“Have her escorted off and watched closely. She’s not to ever get within
five miles of anyone in the family, including Alexis.”
“That’s not going to work, Steffin,” Luke said sadly.
“Have you got any other alternatives?” Stefan rallied back.
“I have no doubt that you can take care of yourself and Prince
Nikky,” Luke took a deep breath, “but I want my daughter and granddaughter
to come home with me where I can watch them more closely.”
“No, completely out of the question,” Stefan argued.
Luke had his reasons, “Look, this place is too big, too easy for you
to be spread out and for Helena to get in here. She and I both got in here
without so much as a peep. Lisa and Annie can stay at our place in town.
It’s only got two doors and I can have guards on them if you want. But I’m
not letting my daughter stay here another night if I think that Helena or one of
her minions can get at her or Annie.”
Stefan sighed, then looked over at Lisa, who was holding her head
in her hands. “What do you think, Leezia?” he softly asked his wife.
“I don’t want to leave you,” Lisa started, “But I think Daddy may
have a point. Wyndemere can be holed up like a fortress, but even
fortresses have holes. I imagine his house in town may actually be safer.”
She looked up at her husband with tears in her eyes. “If it was just me, I’d
stay here, but I have to think about Anreya and the baby.”
Stefan nodded, “I’ll get Anreya’s things together.” He stood up,
kissed Lisa on the top of her head, fixed Luke with a hard glare and left the
room.
“You’re doing the right thing, Sunshine,” Luke assured his daughter.
Lisa stood up slowly and begins to gather some of her own things.
After a minute, she looked up at her father, “If there was any other way, I
wouldn’t be doing this.”
*****
