| �You�ve shown little interest in her so far.� �Well that was before Alexis decided to kidnap MY great grandchild!� Edward grumbled. Ned collapsed back on the couch. �She could be anywhere.� �We have to be ruthless about this. We have to be cunning and diabolical��.in other words, we have to think like a Cassadine!� �Again with the Cassadine talk, you sound like Faith. Alexis doesn�t think that way.� �Ha! Well, now I know how she managed to steel that kid right out from under your nose. What were you thinking Ned? Our family is all over that hospital. Why didn�t you have someone keeping an eye on things?� �Because I THOUGHT Alexis and I had worked this all out.� �Well you were wrong. You never could read that woman, or any woman for that matter.� �Enough! Are you going to help me find her or not?� Edward gave him an evil grin, �Well someone has to find them.� �How?� �Pay attention my boy, you just may learn something.� Edward picked up the phone and began to dial. �I need the tower please.� There was a pause, �This is Edward Quartermaine, I need to speak to Linda Meyers.� Edward pulled the phone away, �Sometimes it helps to make nice with the little people.� Ned shook his head. �Well, hello my dear! How are you? I�m just fine, just fine�����how are the kids?� Ned made a rolling motion with his hands signaling for Edward to get on with it already. �Yes, yes my dear, fourth grade can be a very trying time.� Edward rolled his eyes. �You remember that little favor you owe me? Well my dear, all I need is a flight plan�����spare me your FAA regulations speech! I need to know where the Cassadine jet took off to.� There was another pause, �Need I remind you���.fine.� Another pause and Edward grinned at Ned, nothing like threatening a perfectly innocent woman to brighten Edward�s mood. �Yes, yes. I know when they left, where were they going?� Edward pulled out a pen and pad of paper from the desk. �Repeat that?� Edward dropped the pen and shook his head, �No, no, I understand.� He slammed the phone down. �Well, where did she take her?� �Afghanistan.� Edward glared at him. �Whaaat?� �Ya, they seemed to get a kick out of that one up in the tower as well.� �So back to square one.� Edward crossed his arms, �Oh hardly, that little joke is going to cost her, dearly.� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ �What the hell are you wearing?� Brenda sashayed out of the bathroom towards the couch, �What? You don�t like it?� �What the hell IS it?� Jason frowned. �It�s a sarong.� �It�s a scarf and you�re supposed to wear it around your neck��� with a coat.� �If I need fashion tips on jeans and black t-shirts, I�ll give you a call.� �You wanna tip on jeans? When you�re underwear is showing, that�s a sign their too small.� �I�m surprised you noticed.� �I didn�t, Michael asked if you were stealing his underwear.� �Ha-ha.� �I shouldn�t complain, at least with the jeans����you wore underwear. We need to keep a low profile, you can�t wear that when we get to Athens.� �I�m changing before we land.� Brenda took a seat and grabbed a magazine off the side table. �So why bother changing now?� �I felt like it.� She shrugged. �So this scarf thing is for Sonny�s benefit.� Brenda put the magazine down and gave him a haughty look, �Contrary to what you and CARLY would like to believe, everything I do is NOT to snag Sonny.� �So you put that on for me? Riiiiight.� �Women dress for themselves.� �Women dress to impress other women or for men to look at them. You�re the only woman on this flight so����..� �Maybe I thought the pilot was hot.� �He�s like���� 75.� �Oh shut up. What do you care?� �It�s kind of tight around your neck. I�m just wondering if there is a possibility that if you move wrong, that thing could cut off the circulation to your head and you�d pass out, cause then, it�s the best thing I�ve ever seen you wear.� �Insulting me is not going to make me go away.� �Ya, I know. But somehow I just can�t seem to stop myself.� �Bite me.� �Will THAT make you go away?� �No, and you�d enjoy it too much.� Jason sighed and rose from his chair, �Save your kinky crap for Jax.� �I know, I�ll put on a tight little sweater and jeans and pull my hair back in a sweet little barrette���� Jason ignored her and headed toward the other cabin to check on Sonny. �����and a Kelly�s apron���.� Jason froze. ����I draw the line at dying my hair blonde.� Brenda smirked. Jason slowly closed the door between the two cabins. �How long have you known?� �Well I didn�t for sure until just now.� Brenda smiled. �Brenda���� �Are you brain damaged or something? Oh wait����.sorry!� �Brenda���� �If you tell me to shut up�� �Brenda��.� �Stop saying my name! Sonny is going to kill you!� �Just let me explain.� �Explain what? You�ve been boning his baby sister? Jesus����she�s like 12 or something!� �She�s 21.� �She�s too young for you and too sweet and too���..� �What?� ��.too Blonde!� �Brenda, this is none of your business.� �You�re my husband.� �Until I KILL you, do we part.� �Pfft.� �Keep your mouth shut.� �Or what?� �Or I�ll throw you and your scarf off this damn plane!� �There�s a plan. What the hell are you thinking? Sonny is going to be best man at your wedding or something? You picturing a nice family Christmas gathering with you and Sonny and Carly and Michael and Sonny�s sister all gathered around the tree��..behind the bullet proof glass?� �It�s not anything you have to worry about. � �What the hell am I supposed to do when Sonny kills you?� �Sonny is not going to kill me!� �No, it�ll be worse, he�ll fire you, and you�ll just wish you were dead. Can you even function without Sonny telling you what to do because if you can walk away then I say, do it! Go marry Barbie and pop out a few Kens����.that�s the only way Sonny will ever accept you as a brother in law.� �This is between me and Courtney and Sonny.� �Makes for an awful crowded couple Jason. You can�t even be in love with a woman without Sonny being involved.� �I�m not talking to you about this.� �Fine. If you can�t discuss your extra-marital affair with your wife����� �You�re not MY WIFE! Not really, not in the way that matters so just knock it off.� �I don�t like you right now.� Brenda squinted at him. �I don�t care right now. All I care about is that you keep your mouth shut. Let me tell him.� �When?� �When this is over. Okay?� Brenda shrugged, picked up her magazine and started flipping through it again. �Brenda����.you owe me.� She didn�t stop flipping through the magazine, �Tell me you like the sarong.� Jason gritted his teeth, �I like the scarf.� �Close enough, I�ll keep quiet.� �Thank you.� He let out a long breath. She stopped with the magazine and looked up, �Is this really that important to you?� �Yes.� �Okay.� �Good.� Jason opened the door and proceeded into the next cabin. �Too young, too sweet, too blonde������.too boring.� Jason was making the biggest mistake of his life, and it didn�t have anything to do with Sonny. ~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Xenia noticed the light flashing on the phone, a call from the pilot? She picked up the receiver. �Yes?� �Ms. Cassadine, we have a problem.� Words that would strike fear in the hearts of most passengers, Xenia just sighed. Going down in flames would just be the perfect end to the perfect day. She had a headache, Alexis�s baby talk was turning it into a migraine. �What is it? We should be landing in less than an hour.� �There is some confusion over the flight plan we filed, we sent up a red flag somewhere. The tower in Athens just radioed��..seems they got a call from the US.� �Right, patch them through, I�ll handle it.� �What is it?� Alexis asked. �Nothing, don�t worry about it.� Xenia waved her off and continued on the phone. �Hello, what is the problem? Are you sure? That stupid pilot����Afghanistan? Why on EARTH would anyone want to fly to Afghanistan? It must be a computer error. The pilot said we should be landing soon, please feel free to board the plane, we have nothing to hide. Check the log, we made no stops along the way it was New York to Athens, one shot. Yes, of course. We are hardly terrorists! I�m simply bringing my cousin and her very sick child home�����Unless you can use diapers as a weapon, we�re completely harmless.� She laughed lightly, the flirt never left her voice. �Of course. As I said, please feel free to meet us at the gate����.I look forward to it as well.� She giggled, hung up and nearly choked. �Idiot.� �Afghanistan?� �It was supposed to be a joke.� �A very poor one, considering.� Alexis shook her head. �I was told no one ever paid attention to the flight plans filed at the Port Charles airport.� �They usually don�t.� �Well, your baby�s FAKE daddy did.� Xenia smirked. Alexis went pale. �And you told them we were landing in Athens? What were you thinking? Now he knows exactly where we are!� �Oh relax. It�s already taken care of.� �Meaning what?� �Meaning he may come after you, but he won�t get far.� �Xenia, I don�t want anyone killed. That�s why I�m doing this.� �You�re doing this because you�re too weak to stand up to the men in your life.� �You don�t know what you�re talking about.� Alexis walked back over to look down into Kristina�s incubator. �I know exactly what I�m talking about. You want Ned gone? It�s as simple as telling him to go to hell!� �And then he goes to Sonny.� �A two bit hood in a one bit town. Sonny�s about as powerful as a flea in our world.� �You have no idea.� �I have every idea, I know exactly what I�m talking about and you know it! Living in that provincial little burg has given you a provincial little mind! You come from one of the most powerful families in the world and you cower like a mouse from a common criminal.� �Don�t. Call. Me. That. Again.� Alexis gritted through her teeth. �What? Mouse?� �I mean it Xenia, shut up.� �Well, well, it�s nice to see you can at least pretend to be angry and threatening.� �I�m not pretending.� Xenia and Alexis glared at each other for a moment neither one willing to break eye contact or back off but something finally caught Xenia�s eye and she looked down. It was pink and squishy and fluffy. Some sort of stuffed bunny and the sight of Alexis with her hands around it�s neck was just hysterical to Xenia. This once brilliant, strong capable woman was reduced to running away from her problems and the only threat she posed anymore was to a stuffed pink bunny. She looked ready to snap it�s head off. �Why don�t you take care of your daughter and let me take care of the mess you�ve made of your life.� Xenia lifted her chin and crossed her arms. A shadow of a smile, a moment of something����.recognition. Alexis relaxed her hand and the bunny would survive the flight. �You think you have all the answers, don�t you?� �I think I have some control over my own life.� Xenia grabbed a stack of papers next to the fax and began filing them away. �Control isn�t everything.� �To some of us it is.� Alexis turned around and looked at Kristina sleeping peacefully. �Maybe. Until you find something more important.� Xenia made a point of ignoring her as she picked up the phone again. �Right.� She hung up. �Fasten your seatbelt, we�re about to land.� ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ �Athens.� Edward hung up the phone. �Greece?� Ned set down his glass. �No, Georgia. OF COURSE GREECE!� �Alexis hates it there.� �This has Stefan written all over it.� Edward grumbled. �Stefan is in Milan.� �Well maybe he is or was but I�d be willing to bet he�s the one who set this up.� �He didn�t even come for Kristina�s funeral.� �Well are you going to sit here all night or���..� �Right, the jet is ready.� �Get going. Bring my great granddaughter home and show that Euro-trash whose boss!� �Don�t worry, I�ll be back in two days at the most.� �I�ll call our lawyers. She won�t be pulling this stunt twice.� Edward picked up the phone as Ned headed out the door. |