| Chapter 13 Alexis watched as they dumped Sonny on the bed. �Careful!� The men paid her no attention. A quick sweep was done of the room and they removed anything that could be used as a weapon. Alexis held Kristina in her arms and looked around. They would lock him in and it would make him crazy. But at least it wasn�t a cell. Actually, the room was the size of the entire first floor of his penthouse. A monstrosity with ornate furniture, a huge canopy bed, if he felt closed in, he was crazy. He was breathing. From where she stood he didn�t really look hurt, just unconscious. One of the guards grabbed her arm and pulled her out into the hall. She started to protest then began imagining the scene if he woke up. No, he needed time to calm down before she spoke with him. Riiiight�.like that was going to happen. �So, how long will he be out? Should I prepare a meal for him tonight?� Adonia stood behind them, hand on hips, the entire matter more of a bother than a shock. The guards shrugged in response to her question. �Ask the doctor.� �You!� Alexis pointed at her. Now Adonia looked shocked. �Me? What about me?� �You�you�why didn�t you tell me Stavros was here?� Alexis exploded. �You are upsetting the baby.� �Answer my question.� �I figured you would find out soon enough and why ruin a perfectly good homecoming?� �Nikolas is here now.� Adonia rolled her eyes, turned around and headed back to the kitchen. �Did you hear me? Nikolas is here.� �I heard you, I�ll bake a ham for tonight.� �Nikolas HATES pork.� Adonia shrugged and continued to make her way to the kitchen. �What is wrong with you? What has Nikolas ever done to you?� Adonia stopped when she reached the butcher block in the center of her domain. She glared at Alexis briefly and then, all at once, grabbed her arm and dragged her off to the pantry, closing the door behind them. �It is not what he has done, it is what he hasn�t done!� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Jason lay under the cover of leaves and slept like the dead. He�d thrown up and finally announced he couldn�t go any further. They found some boulders tucked into the bottom of a ravine. He was pretty well hidden. Brenda sat watch. The first person she was going to tell, was Sonny. Just because he would get such a kick out of her saving his hit man. The next person she was going to tell, was Carly. She imagined she would have to tie her down and gag her to tell her the WHOLE story, but somehow, Brenda wasn�t opposed to that. For now, Jason was snoring and he smelled pretty foul. She sniffed at her t-shirt, so did she. �Jason, wake up.� She shook him, a little too hard. �Huh?� �You�re snoring.� �So.� �So�you are going to get us shot at�again.� Jason groaned. �How long have I been out?� �I don�t know, I left my watch on the boat.� She grabbed his wrist and twisted it painfully so she could view his watch. �Like six hours.� �Huh? I feel like I could sleep another 12.� �We have to move.� �Right, right.� Jason stood up. He felt better, not a hundred percent, but better. �It�s going to be dark soon.� �Ya.� Jason stretched. �You know those cottages we passed?� Jason nodded and started walking. �Well�they looked empty.� �Everyone was out hunting for us.� �..so I went back and checked one out.� Jason froze and whipped around to face her. �You did WHAT?� Brenda cringed. �You were asleep for a really long time.� �What if they had found me?� �Well, so�.what would I have done? Fight them off with a stick?� �I can�t BELIEVE you!� �So anyway�.� �What if YOU had been caught?� �Well I WASN�T so shut up and listen. The closest one is abandoned�. Jason turned around and proceeded walking, �I don�t want to hear it.� �Jason��..� �Just shut up, you�re giving me a headache.� �I�m not sleeping out here tonight!� �Yes you are!� �Oh, no I�m not!� �Brenda, it�s too dangerous. It�s the first place they will look.� �So. What are we going to do? Run around this damn island for the rest of our lives?� �We are going to find the main house, sneak in��.. Brenda stopped and threw her arms out. �Wooooah, you aren�t serious?� �Of course���� �Because you couldn�t sneak into a stadium smelling like you do.� Brenda pinched her nose. �You don�t smell like a rose yourself, sweetheart.� �Well at least I don�t smell like PUKE!� �We�ll find a place OUTSIDE�..� ��there are bugs and dirt���� ��.that�s why it is called OUT� side�� ��and scorpions�� �Pfft. There are no scorpions.� �There was one CRAWLING on you.� �It wasn�t a scorpion.� �Okay, maybe it was just a really BIG poisonous spider! And I saved your ass AGAIN by the way when I killed it!� �Brenda, we will find a place near the beach�..� �No! I�m going back to that cottage.� Brenda turned around and stomped off. Jason stayed still and tried to count to 10 again. �1�2�3�4�� Oh that crap SO didn�t work. �Brenda!� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Nikolas showered, changed, looked for a phone and gave up when his stomach growled. He�d have to go to dinner. The tradition was to meet for 5 or 10 minutes in the parlor before going to dinner. This was to meet any guest and give the servants time to set up. No one wanted to be in their way so everyone waited until dinner was announced which was always promptly at 7:00. Nikolas found a strange assortment of guest in the parlor. He stood in the hall, out of sight, as he tried to remember who everyone was. Lady Brimbrook and her hens. An Asian gentleman. Two cousins he recognized and did not like. A young woman. Several other non-descript business types, an awkward looking little girl, and the Professor, of course. Out of the lot, the Professor was the only one he thought he could tolerate. So Nikolas made his way to his Uncle�s study. He did another quick phone check, he didn�t find one. The place looked exactly the same. Very masculine. His Uncle never smoked but Mikkos must have because there was always the faint smell of tobacco in the air. All the furnishings were large and worn and there was an obscene amount of leather. He felt himself relax a bit. He felt more grounded here, closer to his Uncle. He poured himself a drink. More water than anything else. He needed to keep his wits about him. The door opened and he braced for his father, but it wasn�t Stavros. Xenia She was breathtaking. Her hair had been up earlier but now it was down. Long golden brown waves of it. Her eyes were huge, very blue and had that slight exotic tilt to them that many Russians had. Nikolas felt�pleased. He had the sudden urge to cross the room, present her with something shiny, like a large diamond. He wanted to rub the back of her neck until she puuuuured for him. And no one but a Cassadine male would understand this. Others would find it incestuous but he had no desire to sleep with her. Simply be near her, watch her, dote on her. But he remained still and retrained. It took a great deal of restraint. It took a great deal of restraint not to stop by the brown stone and take Leslie Lu. Take her far away and spoil her unmercifully. Give her anything and everything she ever wanted until she loved him best, most, above all. If his Grandmother Leslie wasn�t there, nothing would have stopped him. Luke didn�t care, Lucky didn�t see her as much as he should. Nikolas would give her a dream life, watch her grow up. Never leave her. He�d seen this in his Uncle as well. Not very often with Alexis because Alexis was different. More of an equal, though Stefan would never admit it. But with Kristina, so briefly, he�d seen the desire to spoil her. But he�d shown restraint. Thought he had time. Nikolas felt a little of it that same day with baby Kristina. The urge to hold onto her, love her too much. But Alexis seemed to throw up a wall. She would only let Nikolas into his cousin�s life so far. But this was the strongest urge he had ever felt. Maybe because she was close to his age, only a little older. He wanted to talk to her, confide in her, learn all her secrets. Watch her toy with men and laugh. Wanted to sit back and know that he was different because he was family and he could know her best. If she�d let him. But she did not appear open to that. She appeared cold�.distant. Why did that make him want it more? �Typically, someone in your position should be receiving guests in the parlor.� She practically slammed the door behind her. �I�m not ready for them.� �That is very rude.� She approached the bar and poured herself a drink. �That may be the first time anyone has ever called me rude in my life. I�m usually considered very polite. Overly so.� �In case you haven�t noticed, this isn�t America. We have standards.� She was haughty and arrogant and had just used one of his Uncle�s favorite phrases. She wanted to piss him off but he only smiled at her. She looked him up and down. He was shorter than she imagined, not as tall as his father. But he was by no means, short. He was in good shape. Nice to know he hadn�t wasted his time in America sitting in front of the television eating chips. But that was not to say that Nikolas didn�t waste massive amounts of time. Usually on things that Xenia found utterly useless. Like managing his model girlfriend�s career. Like kissing his Mother�s family�s ass. The SAME family that hated them, wanted them all destroyed. He routinely ignored the important things. The business. The family. The island. �We were surprised you arrived so soon.� �I was worried about Alexis.� �We thought it would take you a month or more to notice her disappearance. You pay so little attention to her.� Nikolas unbuttoned his jacket and took a seat. She wanted to get under his skin, he wasn�t going to let her. �How would you know how much attention I pay to Alexis?� �You are�the Prince.� She gave him a mocking bow. �You are watched.� �By my father?� �By the family.� He smiled, �By you? I doubt my other cousins care what I do. The only news of my life that would interest them would be of my death, so they could split up the family fortune and squander it.� She shrugged, �What makes you think I wouldn�t want the same thing?� Nikolas stood up, �You are entering dangerous territory, cousin. Some would perceive that as a threat against me.� �Your drink is empty, may I pour you another?� �With or without the arsenic?� She leaned over him and whispered, �Why not live on the edge?� She plucked the glass out of his hand and returned to the bar. �You�d never poison me Xenia, your family loyalties run too deep.� �How would you know? We�ve only just met.� �My Uncle never would placed you in such a position of authority if he did not trust you.� �Stefan gave me Russia because he figured I wouldn�t last the winter.� She poured the vodka, this time there was little water. �How can you say that?� Xenia handed him his glass, �Now drink it all down, because when Daddy arrives, you are going to need it.� �I can handle my Father.� Xenia smirked. She watched him too closely as he sipped from the glass. He didn�t hesitate, she wanted him to. �I think you will find that your Father is very different here than in Port Charles.� �Yes, he lacks Grandmother, but then he has you, you seem to have slipped into the role rather easily.� Xenia startled. Her hand moved before she had a chance to think and she slapped him, very hard across the face. He didn�t flinch. Didn�t move. And that threw her into even more of a rage. Her claws were out, she went for his face and Nikolas was forced this time to defend himself. He grabbed both of her wrists and tried to force her back but from his position on the couch it was difficult. She was stronger than she looked. The struggle knocked both glasses of vodka into the floor. She was gritting her teeth and Nikolas would swear she was about to growl. �What is the meaning of this?� Stavros stood in the doorway. But even that didn�t stop her. |