***************

Chapter 57

***************

“I don’t believe this,” Nikolas Cassadine decreed, pacing the lobby of General Hospital. He had been summons down here by a call at dawn to hear. . .this! His uncle’s confession of things that were completely mind boggling, even for a Cassadine. “So Lucky’s long lost brother is not his brother after all. Instead, he is your son.”

“Correct,” Stefan assured.

“Stefan, you have to see how Nikolas and I have trouble with this,” Alexis pressed. “I mean, there is this woman who you married sixteen years ago and never told anyone about.”

“Would you like the long version of the story?” he inquired, sitting for the tale and indicating for them to do the same. “Laura had been gone for a long time, Nikolas. I still loved her, but I was starting to feel that she would never return to us. I had given so many years to running the Cassadine Empire so you could proudly inherit it. I was raising you and fighting Helena at the same time. . .It was turning me into her and I detested it. I went to New Orleans on business, and then I met Ann Norris. Melanie Jackson, if you so please. She was. . .vibrant. She was full of life and beauty and this carefree spirit. I was drawn to her. She constantly scolded me about being so serious all the time. I spent nearly two weeks getting to know her, but it could have been a lifetime for I think I learned all her secrets in that brief span of time.

“She said she had known this couple back in her hometown who had loved one another so passionately,” Cassadine shook his head at the memory. “I suppose the irony there is that she must have been referring to Luke and Laura. She had decided that she wanted the same thing that they had. But she knew she wouldn’t find it in Texas. So she moved to New Orleans to start over. She had been there only a few weeks when she had taken a job as a waitress and met me. She was so spirited. I adored that about her. And impulsive. One moment she had me splashing in the surf with her. . .and then the next thing I knew, we were on a plane to Las Vegas. We were married there by this dreadful man who kept trying to sing for us. But to her, it was perfect.”

“An Elvis impersonator conducted your wedding to a waitress?” Alexis stated in disbelief. “Don’t you see how hard that is for us to accept?”

“I told you she was impulsive. And much like Daniel, she had such a charm about her. She could talk me into doing all sorts of wild and foolish things,” Stefan recalled with a smile. “Of course, I still had business to conduct. So I combined my honeymoon and my business. I took Ann with me to London that summer. And I sent for you, Nikolas, to join me there.”

“I remember that,” Nikolas agreed. “But you never said anything about having gotten married.”

“Helena joined us in London,” Stefan reminded. “When she found out about Ann, she was furious. She ordered me not to tell you. She said it would upset you too much. I agreed with her to some small degree. I thought I should prepare you for the news before actually introducing you to her.”

“You kept talking about the possibility of you marrying one day and how I would feel about it,” Nikolas suddenly recalled.

“Ann was hurt and disappointed with me that I delayed telling you for so long,” Stefan admitted. “And once she meet Mother. . .Well, she began seeing a different side to me, I suppose. She saw what it meant to be a member of our family. She was unhappy with the animosity between Helena and myself. She felt such an environment was not one she could live happily in. And then I was called away on business for a few days. When I returned to London, she had left me.”

“Just like that?” Alexis asked in disbelief. “You just never saw her again?”

“No, I located her. She was still in the city. She had just moved from the penthouse I was renting and into some cheap little hotel. She told me that she thought our marriage was a mistake. She felt that we had been foolish and reacted without thinking. She wanted to return to the States and she asked me for an annulment. I suppose that was the best recourse of action. A divorce would public and messy, and since Ann was not asking for any of the Cassadine wealth, it was easy to arrange. Our marriage was annulled. She left and returned to New Orleans, and I took Nikolas and went back to Greece.”

“And she never told you about Daniel,” Alexis shook her head in disbelief.

“No,” he sighed. “It pains me that she did not. I cannot believe that she would rather have Daniel on the streets, living in poverty and working for a criminal than to have me support them. Did she really think that low of me?”

“Maybe she was afraid you would take him away or something. Or. . . Stefan. . .what if it where Helena?” his sister hesitantly asked. “She could have pushed Ann away from you.”

“No, I asked her that point blank in London the day she asked for the annulment. I demanded to know if my mother was the reason she was leaving me, and she insisted no.”

“Here is a suggestion neither of you seem to be considering right now,” Nikolas interrupted. “What if he isn’t even yours?”

“He is,” Stefan insisted. “I feel a connection to him. He is mine, Nikolas.”

Hurt and jealousy flashed briefly in the eyes of the youngest Cassadine. “Whatever you say,” he snapped. “Now what?”

“Now I take Daniel back to Wyndemere with me. Dr. Jones will release him as soon as his last test results come back. I just wanted you to hear this from me.”

“Thanks,” Nikolas snapped.

“This changes nothing, Nikolas,” Stefan assured, resting a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “Nothing will ever change my feelings for you. I love you and I always will.”

He nodded then, stating, “I have to get to L&B.”

“Stefan,” Alexis waited until Nikolas was out of ear shot to begin, “I think it is great that you have found your son and you are obviously so happy, but there is something we need to discuss. Someone tried to kill him. Twice, actually. First with the bomb at the Grille and then the shooting. You need to be very careful--”

“Cordova’s ‘friends’ will never touch my son again,” he decreed. “And neither will that criminal.”

“I think you are over-looking something here. Whoever tried to kill him didn’t get the job done. Furthermore, he was taken to an estate and looked after for six months. Cordova’s associates would *never* do that. They would not have left him alive.”

“I disagree,” he stubbornly insisted. “They attempted to kill him, but fortunately, they failed.”

“If Cordova’s people wanted him dead, he could be dead!” she declared. “Besides, who looked after him for those six months? Who paid for his medical care?”

“Cordova,” he suggested.

“Look a little closer to home,” she disagreed. “Helena.”

“No,” he disagreed.

“Listen to me, Stefan,” Alexis insisted. “To shot him and then lock him away for months. . .that is something sick and twisted. That is Helena’s trademark.”

“Helena knows nothing about him,” he insisted. “If Ann managed to keep him a secret from me, then she certainly kept his existence from Mother.”

“How can you assume that?”

“Because he is still alive,” Stefan pointed out. “My mother would never have let him be this long if she knew. She would have seen him as a threat to Nikolas. Besides, she thrives on hurting me. She lives to make my life worse. She knows that a child of my own would have made me happy. She would never have left him and Ann alone for all these years if she knew about them. She would have killed them both years ago. If for no other reason than to spite me.”

“You’ve got a point,” she sighed.

“I would think that whoever tried to kill him did it because of James Cordova.”

“And then what?” she demanded. “Some kind stranger came along and cared for him all this time? That is ludicrous!”

“We may never know what happened,” he sighed. “Especially if he never regains his memory of that night. All I can do now is care for him and see that he never finds himself placed in danger again. Now, I am going to see about my son. Would you like to join me?”

“Sure,” she agreed. But this topic, she silently vowed, was far from over.

***************

Chapter 58

***************

“Are you up for visitors?” Maxie Jones asked, peeking around the door of the hospital room.

“Hey,” Daniel smiled in greeting, moving away from the window he had been staring out of to walk towards her. Belatedly, he noticed the suitcase she was carrying. She set it down and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and kissing the top of her head. “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” she shyly admitted.

“Did you miss me?” he teased.

“Between periods of worrying over you and being furious with you for leaving without a word,” she laughed. “I thought you had just bailed on me and left Port Charles.”

“No. More complicated than that,” he ruefully stated. Glancing down at the suitcase, he asked, “You running away?”

“It’s your stuff,” she answered. “Mac told me some of it what happened to you, by the way. And Luke told me the rest this morning. He dropped by to see Mom and he had your stuff with him. I offered to bring it over for him.”

“I guess he is avoiding me, huh?” Daniel asked.

“I think he feels like trying to see you will start a fight with Mr. Cassadine. Speaking of which,” she hesitantly asked. “Is it true that you are Stefan Cassadine’s son? Everyone is town is talking about it. . .”

“Did he take out an ad in the newspaper announcing it?” he asked.

“No, actually, he’s in the lobby handing out little blue cigars with ‘It’s A Boy’ written on them,” she stated, smiling at his groan. “Danny, I’m kidding. Actually, it is the town gossip. Someone overheard him and your friend Mr. Cordova arguing about it yesterday.”

“Great,” he muttered.

“So it’s true, then?”

“I guess so,” he sighed.

“Are you okay with that?”

Daniel thought about it for a long moment before admitting with a smile, “Yeah. I think I am. And I also think I am sick of this place. Come on,” he insisted, taking her hand and reaching for the suitcase on the floor. “Let’s find Dr. Jones and get me paroled from here.”

***************

Chapter 59

***************

“What are you doing out of your room?” Melissa Bedford demanded when she turned around at the nurse’s desk to see Daniel and Maxie walking towards them. “And where is the guard Stefan posted at your door?”

“I sent him on a run for some decent food,” Daniel admitted. “Besides, I am so ready to get out of this jailhouse.”

“And then you will enter into another sort of prison. One without bars and one that you will never escape from,” the voice of Chloe Morgan interrupted their conversation.

Daniel turned to the woman, stating, “No offense, but I don’t recall sending you an invite to this gathering.”

“I am here to help you. Or warn you,” she insisted. “Word around town is that you are Stefan’s son.”

“Yes, I am.”

“You should be careful. Your father is a vicious, sick, twisted man,” Chloe decreed. “He will hurt and destroy you in the end. It is what he does to everyone who makes the mistake of getting to close to him. I should know. He tried to do it to me.”

“Take my advice,” he offered. “Butt out.”

“I am just trying to help you,” she stated. “I think someone should warn you. Oh, he doesn’t start out as a controlling man. Or maybe you just don’t see it, at first. No, at first, you see him as this flawed, but good man who has been hurt by his past. You think there is something decent and salvageable about him. That you can change him if you just let him know that you care. . .But it isn’t that simple. Being ‘loved’ by Stefan Cassadine is like having a poisonous snake for a pet. Maybe it doesn’t mean to hurt you, but it always does. I don’t want to see you be this next victim.”

“Do I need to tell you again to stay out of my business?” Daniel snapped.

“No. I’ve heard it before: When you want my opinion, you will ask for it.”

“No,” he released a short bark of laughter. “When I start feeling like I want *your* opinion, I will get therapy first. Now--*Butt out*.”

Chloe turned and walked away from him then. He was about to speak to Maxie when he heard the sound of hands clapping from behind him. He turned to see Helena Cassadine watching him. She moved in his direction, her manservant following her.

“Well done,” Helena congratulated. “You handled her beautifully. With Cassadine spirit, but a little of your ‘street wise’ edge. You impress me, Daniel. Perhaps you would allow me to polish away some of your rough edges.”

“What do you want?” he suspiciously asked.

“Why, I am your grandmother,” she pleaded innocence. “I merely wanted to greet you in such a fashion.”

She reached out to embrace him, but he pulled away from her, surprising even himself with his reaction. He didn’t trust her, he realized. He didn’t know why, but something deep inside warned him about her.

“Are you cross with me?” she asked, looking hurt. “Why, Daniel, we barely know one another. I just learned about you--”

“Daniel!” Stefan shouted in concern, moving to his side and placing himself between his son and Helena. “What do you want, Mother?”

“Just to greet the new member of the family,” she replied, twirling her pearls around her finger.

“You will leave him alone,” he ordered. Turning to Daniel, he inquired, “Why did you leave your room? I was worried about you.”

“I want to get out of his place,” Jackson insisted.

“Dr. Jones has already signed your release papers,” Melissa intervened then. “You can leave at any time.”

Daniel glanced at Maxie then, reluctantly releasing her hand as he promised, “I will call you later.”

“I’ll be home,” she promised, stepping away from him.

“Let us leave then,” Stefan insisted to Daniel and Alexis. “Good-bye, Mother.”

“Is being a Cassadine always like this?” Daniel asked as they walked away.

“No,” Alexis assured. “This is an unusually slow day.”

“How quaint he is,” Helena decreed, watching as Daniel Jackson walked away from her.

“Are you still concerned about him, Madam?” Andreas inquired.

“No. You see, Andreas, I realized something recently,” she confided. “When he came searching for his father, and actually believed that the man was Luke Spencer, it occurred to me that he did not known all of his mother’s secrets. You see, his mother and I came to, shall we say, an *understanding* before he was born. And she has obviously kept a part of our agreement. The important part, at least. She was not to tell anyone her greatest secret, which I see she has not.”

“But, Madam,” he stated in confusion, “I thought the identity of Daniel’s father was her greatest secret.”

“No. She held one even greater than that. And, for the sake of her son, she kept it all these years. She was supposed to keep Daniel a secret, as well. But in her death, I imagine she feared for his well being and sent him here in search of Stefan. Unfortunately, she broke our agreement, and a prince must be paid for that.”

“So the boy is still a threat to you.”

“No,” Helena sighed heavily. “Since I know that he does not hold the same knowledge that she did, he is no longer a threat. Just a mild annoyance now. But Stefan. . .Well, my insipid son will now start searching for answers about Daniel and Ann and why his child was kept a secret from him. And that will make him the main threat to me. And, as you well know, Andreas, I don’t allow threats to me to last long.”

***************

Chapter 60

***************

“I think I am gonna need a road map just to find my way around this pad,” Daniel Jackson stated in awe as he walked into the mansion that was Wyndemere.

“You will learn your way about soon enough,” Stefan promised. “I will give you the grand tour, if you would like.”

“That’ll be cool, I guess,” he nodded.

Stefan smiled at his “American slang”. It would take him some time to get use to hearing words like “cool” and “pad” around Wyndemere. “I am going to check with Mrs. Landsbury and see if she has had a room prepared for you.”

Daniel watched him leave the spacious sitting room before turning to Alexis and asking, “Mrs. Landsbury?”

“The housekeeper,” she explained, smiling fondly at him. “I guess this is a little overwhelming for you, isn’t it?”

“Kinda,” he agreed.

“Give it time,” she insisted. “You will get settled in and be very happy here. I just know it.”

“I will give the old man one thing,” Daniel announced, glancing towards the stereo system in the corner. “He’s got good taste in some departments. Check out that sound system. I could rock this place with that.”

She laughed at that, the mental imagine of Stefan coming home early from a business trip to interrupt a wild teenage party filling her mind. Oh, her brother was in for the challenge of his life with this one. Daniel was going to be more than a handful.

“Why don’t you put on some music?” she asked, clearly detecting his uncertainty. “Go ahead. He won’t mind. In fact, he’d probably like to see that you are making yourself at home here.”

He nodded then, walking to the sound system and turning it on.

“Opera, opera, opera,” he mumbled, picking up the stacked CDs and flipping through them. “Mood music. Classical. Classical piano. . .Oh, God, my father is boring, isn’t he?”

She laughed at his horrified expression, assuring, “Far from it.”

“So what? He plays this stuff to bore his unwanted guests to death?”

“Here, try this,” Alexis offered, pulling a CD from her briefcase and handing it to him.

“Def Leppard,” he praised. “At least someone in this family has good taste in music.”

She smiled knowingly, not bothering to mention that she had taken it from Zander’s room that morning. Her charge was about to drive her insane with the music. She would let Stefan suffer now as well.

“I am going to talk to my brother for a moment,” she stated, quietly excusing herself.

She found Stefan in his study, giving a few last instructions to Mrs. Landsbury. The housekeeper stepped from his study then and he turned to her and asked:

“What is it, Alexis?”

“Let’s talk about Daniel for a moment.”

“He’s wonderful, isn’t he?” he asked proudly.

“Yes. But Stefan,” she hesitated, “he is going to need you in so many ways. I don’t even know where to start advising you. He has been through so much and just this last year alone has probably been overwhelming. He lost his mother and then he lived with Roy for awhile and then Luke and then the shooting. He. . .He will need you to make him feel secure and loved and wanted here. But he will also need you to give him some space from time to time. He won’t be the same as raising Nikolas. He’s much different than Nikolas. Danny is extremely head strong and stubborn. You will have to know when to hold on and when to step back and most of it will just be guesswork on your part. This won’t be easy. ”

“I know,” he admitted. “But I won’t give up on him. Even if I make mistakes, and I know I will, I will never give up on my son.”

“I knew that,” she ensured. “But it was nice to hear you say it. Just hang in there. He will have his tough times adjusting to this and to you. He probably still has some residual anger at you because of everything that happened in the past and because you were not there for him when he was younger.”

“I never knew about him,” he confided. “I would have been there if his mother had only told me.”

“I know. And he knows that, as well. But there is still this small, childish part of him that is angry with you. He will try you, you know? At ever turn he will test you just to see how far you will let him go.”

“What is that infernal sound?” Cassadine suddenly asked.

“That is rock-n-roll,” Alexis stated with a knowing smile. “Get use to it.”

“Is this him trying me already?” he asked.

“No, that is him just being a regular, American teenager. Loud music comes with the territory. As I was saying, you should try to make him feel as secure here as possible. Find something that the two of you have in common or something that he wants and bond with him over it.”

“But how do I know what he wants?”

In answer to the question, the loud blaring of music picked up a notch as the singer decreed, “*What do you want? What do you want? I want rock-n-roll. Yes, I do*.”

“I believe he wants rock-in-roll,” she stated with a smile.

“But how can I be certain?” he inquired.

Alexis laughed then, hugging him, “If Nikolas is any judge of your parenting skills then I have all the faith in the world in you. You will do fine with Daniel.”

“It was very different with Nikolas. I had him from birth. With Danny. . .we just dropped into one another’s lives. I don’t even know what to talk to him about. Aside from that hideous music.”

“It’s Def Leppard,” she supplied.

His brow furrowed in thought and he asked, “How can you tell?”

“Tell what?”

“That a leopard is deaf?”

“On second thought, finding something other than his music to bond over.”

“I intend to,” he promised, reaching for the phone. “And hopefully Nikolas can help me with that.”

***************

Chapter 61

***************

“Are you settling in with ease?” Stefan Cassadine asked from the doorway of the bedroom that now belonged to his son.

Daniel looked up from unpacking his suitcase. assuring, “I think so.”

Stefan started to say more, but the object setting on Daniel’s dresser drew his attention. He walked to the jewelry box, his hand caressing the wood.

“That was Mom’s,” Jackson stated.

“I know,” Stefan assured. “*I* gave it to her as a wedding gift.”

“You?” he asked in surprise. “But. . .but she said that she bought that. . .Ah, who am I kidding? She lied about everything when it came you. I guess it makes sense that she would lie about that, too.”

“I suppose it would have been difficult for her to explain the origins of the box without talking about me,” his father agreed. He reached for the lid, asking, “May I?”

“Sure,” he nodded, watching as his father opened the box and looked inside.

Cassadine smiled as he withdrew the gold locket. He moved to sit down beside Daniel on the bed, stating, “She always wore this.”

“I know. That is what threw me when it came to finding you,” Daniel admitted. “She told me that the truth about my father was inside the locket. If she wanted me to find you, I wonder why she mentioned the locket and not the jewelry box?”

“I do not know,” Stefan admitted, opening the locket and starting at the two pictures inside. “Perhaps. . .You see this photo of her? It was taken the day we married. Maybe that is what she wanted me to see to recognize her.”

“Maybe,” he agreed.

“Is this you?” Stefan inquired asked, pointing to the photo of the baby.

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“You were a beautiful child,” his father praised. “I am so sorry I never had the chance to know you then.”

“Don’t hate her for that,” Daniel softly pleaded. “I don’t know why she didn’t tell you, but she must have had her reasons.”

“I don’t hate her,” Stefan assured. “I do not understand her decision not to tell me about you, but that doesn’t mean I hold ill feelings toward her now.”

“Thank you.”

“You are very welcome,” Cassadine stated. Deciding to change the subject, he inquired, “Where is the key to the jewelry box?”

“I don’t have it. Mom didn’t, either,” he admitted. “Maybe she lost it or something.”

“It’s possible. It was very tiny, as I recall,” Stefan stated, standing to his feet. “I will let you finish unpacking. I will be downstairs if you need me.”

Daniel nodded, moving to replace the locket back into the jewelry box. Yes, Melanie Jackson had kept more than a few secrets from him over the years and he was starting to suspect that she had taken even more to the grave with her. Like why she had kept this jewelry box for so long. . .and why had she considered the locket as the key to finding his father?

***************

Chapter 62

***************

Daniel Jackson breathed a sigh of relief when he heard voices coming from the end of the hall. This was not a home, it was a maze! After unpacking, he had taken a short nap. He had woken up hungry and had went in search of a snack.

It had taken him ten minutes to find his way from his room to the kitchen. Not surprisingly, there wasn’t much “junk food” here. He had to settled for an apple before going in search of Stefan. And that had been another five minutes of long hallways and taking wrong doors. He was starting to think he was really lost. And then he had heard the sound of voices.

He started to step through the door and into the main parlor, but the angry words of Nikolas Cassadine gave him pause. He stepped back into the shadows and listened to the argument.

“I still do not believe in the convenience of all this,” Nikolas declared. “You have no real proof that this boy is yours!”

Stefan argued, “What would inspire him to pretend to be my son? Most of our relatives have strived to be free of the Cassadine family, not to join it.”

“Look around you, Uncle!” he shouted. “He wants to be a ‘Cassadine’ because he sees your money and your wealth and your power. He sees a meal ticket.”

“He is not like that.”

“How can you be sure? I mean, really, really sure? Just look at his past, Stefan. His mother was arrested for drugs more times than I can count. He worked for a mobster! He was friends with some very dangerous criminals. Who is to say what he did for them? Or what he is still doing for them. He could be using you and this place to finance more of their criminal activities. Like I have already said, you don’t even know if he is really yours!”

“He is,” Stefan insisted. “I can just feel it.”

“You had a brief fling with his mother sixteen years ago. That alone is not substantial proof of anything.”

“I believe him,” he insisted. “And it would pain me greatly if you and he did not make an effort to become friends.”

“I’ll try,” Nikolas grudging nodded. “I will be nice to him at the art exhibit. Just make sure he checks his crack-pipe at the door before he goes in, okay?”

When Stefan made no comment, Daniel chose that moment to step from the shadows, startling them both. “What’s up?” he casually asked.

“Daniel,” Stefan greeted. “Just in time for your surprise. In honor of your first night here, I thought we would do something special.”

“Like what?” Daniel suspiciously asked.

“Nikolas has acquired us tickets to this evening’s art show. His friend Elizabeth Webber will be displaying her work.”

“And you honestly think I *want* to see that?” Daniel taunted. “I would rather watch Barney. . .on crack.”

“This event has been sold out for weeks. Do you know how hard it was for me to get two extra tickets for you and Uncle?” Nikolas demanded.

“Your brother is shacking up with the chick who painted the junk,” he reminded. “I don’t imagine it was that much trouble.”

“Elizabeth’s art is not ‘junk’! She has an excellent painting she is going to exhibit tonight.”

“Would that be the one of the three-ring circus?” Daniel asked with obviously fake sweetness. “On second thought. . .I’d rather go see Barney on crack at the Icescapes.”

Nikolas took an angry step in his direction, but Stefan intervened. He quietly ushered Nikolas from the room. Daniel stood rooted in place, catching only bits and pieces of their argument. Finally, Nikolas left. With a sigh, he propped his arm on a nearby statue. He glanced briefly at it, and started at the sight.

“What are these god-awful things?” Daniel asked when Stefan returned, wearily eying the statures.

“They are gargoyles.”

“Why are they in every room?”

“You don’t like them?”

“No,” he sweetly replied. “They look like Granny Helena on crack.”

Stefan frowned then, stating, “I take it you over-heard Nikolas’ comments. He was not trying to insult you.”

“No, he was just suggesting that I am a junkie or a drug dealer, right? I may have known some not-so-nice people back in New Orleans and maybe Mom screwed up herself alot, but I am not some--”

“I know,” Stefan calmly interrupted his tirade. “I know.”

“Then why didn’t you tell him that?” Daniel demanded.

Stefan sensed the underlying hurt there and apologized, “I should have. But I am trying to refrain from fighting with Nikolas as much as possible. But I was wrong, and I apologize. Now, do you really dislike my gargoyles?”

“They look. . .I don’t know. . .depressing, I guess.”

Cassadine chuckled then, admitting, “You sound like Chloe Morgan.”

“No-No,” Daniel shook his blonde head at that. “Let’s start some ground rules right now. First, the next time Nikki calls be a ‘crack head’, I get to kick his ass. Second, you don’t ever compare me to Clueless Chloe.”

“Please, do not speak about my acquaintances in such a manner.”

“Okay. I will just call her ‘Chloeless’ instead,” he volunteered.

“Daniel,” Stefan warned. “What have you against Ms. Morgan?”

Jackson was quiet for a long moment before admitting, “I don’t like the way she talked about you this morning.”

The admission started Stefan into silence for a moment. It was not what he had expected and it still touched him deeply. Resting a hand on the shoulder of his son, he stated, “That means more to be than you will ever know.”

“Rule Three, no mushy stuff,” he bargained, looking a bit uncomfortable. “We are dangerously close to having an Oprah moment here.”

Stefan laughed, agreeing with a nod, “No ‘mushy stuff’.”

“At least not right off the bat,” Daniel corrected.

“Agreed. We could stand to become better acquainted, though. I know so little about you, save that you don’t like art, opera, or gargoyles.”

“Oh, I can feel it coming,” Daniel groaned. “You’re getting ready to compare me to Chloeless again, aren’t you?”

“*Chloe* always said my statues looked sad.”

“And she didn’t bring her colors and draw smiles on their faces?” he joked. “Or, even better, we could hire Liz to paint you a portrait of Giggling Gargoyles!”

“Daniel,” Stefan scolded again, but this time the corners of his mouth twitched with the smile he was trying to hide. “Since the art show is off, what would *you* like to do tonight?”

“I am kind of tired,” he admitted.

“So you would like to call it an early night, then?”

“No, I just don’t want to go out. I’m hungry, though. How about we order a pizza and play poker?”

“Pizza and poker?” Cassadine repeated. “I don’t believe I have ever spent an evening that way.”

“If you don’t want to--”

“No. I want to spend time with you, son,” he insisted. “You will just have to explain the rules of this game to me.”

“Sure, no problem,” Daniel agreed. “I will teach you poker.”

“And maybe you will let me teach you chess someday,” Stefan wagered.

“I guess that would be okay,” Daniel nodded. “I will go order the pizza.”

“Daniel,” Stefan called then. When the boy offered him a questioning look, he inquired, “Maybe--over poker--you will tell me who Barney and Oprah are. . .”

***************

Chapter 63

***************

Stefan Cassadine leaned back in his chair and smiled at the sight of his son sprawled across the floor, flipping through old family photo albums. An empty pizza box and a deck of cards lay on the coffee table. They had had their “pizza and poker”, but Daniel had not been too interested in teaching him the game, after all. Instead, his son had mostly asked questions about their family history.

He had sought out the old photo albums to appease the boy’s curiosity.

Daniel picked up the book then and moved to kneel beside his father’s chair. He handed him the book and pointed to a photo, asking, “Who is this guy with you?”

“This would be your Uncle Stavros,” he answered. “My older brother.”

“And this guy?”

“Mikkos. Your grandfather.”

Daniel frowned at the photographs, pointing out, “Not much of a family resemblance between you, Mikkos and Stavros is there?”

“No, I don’t suppose so,” Stefan realized.

“Where was this taken?”

“On our family’s island in Greece,” he stated.

“Island?” Daniel asked in surprise. “You mean you *own* a private island?”

“Yes,” he assured. “It is lovely. I will take you there some time. I was raised there, with my brother, of course.”

“Stavros. And he is Nikolas’ father, right?” Daniel continued, making the connections in his mind. “Making him the Prince?”

“Yes. A title he has never been too happy with, I am sorry to say.”

“You’re kidding me?” Daniel laughed in disbelief.

“I rarely joke, Daniel,” he stated seriously. “Least of all about our family.”

Jackson shook his head in disbelief then, muttering, “Maybe Nikki’s the one smoking crack.”

“Pardon me?”

“Why would he not want to be a prince?”

“There is much you will learn about this family. Not all of it good. It is that legacy that Nikolas wishes to be no part of. But it must be him. Stavros had no other children and my brother was the heir. Without his child, the Cassadine dynasty will go to waste.”

“It is important to you, isn’t it?” Daniel inquired. “The family stuff and all.”

“Very. It is who I am. All that I am. I have devoted my life to preserving that dynasty and giving Nikolas a legacy he can proudly inherit. Unfortunately,” Stefan sighed, “I never stopped and asked Nikolas if it was something he wanted. As it turns out, he doesn’t. He has no wish to be the heir.”

“That’s a shame,” Daniel stated. “All that tradition. . .Your whole life could be flushed down the can just because Nikki decides to toss being a Prince.”

“You have an interesting way of putting things,” Cassadine stated.

“Yeah, well, you talk funny, too,” he agreed, rubbing his weary eyes.

“You look exhausted,” Stefan pointed out. “Perhaps you should consider calling it an evening.”

“But I haven’t even shown you how to use a crack-pipe yet,” he replied.

“Please, don’t be so resentful of Nikolas.”

“Maybe I am because he is right in some ways,” Daniel grudgingly admitted. “You have no real proof that I am your son.”

“What do you suggest we do about that?” Stefan inquired.

“A DNA test.”

“Daniel, if you are offering this because you think you have to prove something to me then allow me to assure you that you do not,” he insisted. “I do not need this test to know that you are my child.”

“Maybe I do,” Jackson admitted. “Maybe I need to know for sure.”

“If you want that then I will arrange it,” Stefan offered. “But not tonight. Come on, let’s call it an evening.”

“You’re not going to tuck me in again, are you?” he warily asked.

“If you wish me not to, then I won’t,” Stefan assured.

“Actually. . .it’d be cool, I guess,” Daniel shrugged. “Just what ever you want to do.”

Stefan smiled at that. Putting an arm around his son, he decreed, “That would be ‘cool’ with me, too.”

Daniel laughed at that, decreeing, “You’re alright.”

“Thank you. . .I think.”

***************

Chapter 64

***************

Daniel could barely breath. He supposed it was a good thing that he was already at General Hospital because, if the crushing hug didn’t loosen up soon, he would be in need of a doctor. He patted his father on the back, whispering, “Lighten up a little. You’re killing me.”

“Forgive me,” Stefan requested on an emotional voice, reluctantly loosening his son from his crushing embrace.

He had not realized just how worried he had been until the moment that Dr. Tony Jones had given him the results of the DNA test. Jones had taken a son from him once, standing in this very spot, the day he had told Stefan that Nikolas was not his child. Today, he had given him back a child with this very different set of results.

Daniel was his. As close to perfect as a DNA match can get, Jones had told them. He had been so relieved all he could think to do was hold his son. And never let go, he silently vowed. He would never let him go and nothing would ever take his son away. He wouldn’t allow for it now.

Stefan glanced around then, realizing that Dr. Jones had quietly excused himself. Only Melissa Bedford remained. She smiled at them, genuine happiness in her face.

“Let’s celebrate,” Cassadine declared. “I can get us reservations at the Grille.”

“You sure that is a good idea?” Daniel laughed. “Last time I was there, someone tried to kill me.”

“Lightening never strikes twice in the same place,” Melissa reassured, hugging Daniel. “Go and celebrate with your father.”

“You will come with us, right?” the teen asked. “I mean, we kind of owe it to you because you helped push the test through so quickly.”

“I agree,” Stefan declared. “We want you to join us.”

“I have to finish my shift,” she reminded.

“Go ahead. We will wait,” Cassadine assured. “Besides, I have to call first and get our reservations made.”

“Sure,” Daniel agreed, watching him leave and move towards the nurse’s desk to use the phone. He glanced around the hospital then, stilling at the sight of Nikolas Cassadine watching him.

He moved towards his cousin then, stating, “Hello, Nikolas.”

“I hear congratulations are in order,” he replied back.

Daniel saw it then, the hurt and jealousy that burned in the other man’s eyes. He supposed he finally got why Nikolas had never liked him that much. It was about Stefan. Nikolas loved him like a father, but Nikolas wasn’t Stefan’s son. He was. And that had to hurt Nikolas.

“It doesn’t change anything for you,” Daniel spoke after a long silence. “Stefan will always love you like you were his own. In fact, I may be his son, but he loves you most. He probably always will.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Nikolas asked.

“Because we don’t have to be enemies. I ain’t suggesting we exchanged friendship rings or anything. We just don’t have to be on bad terms with one another all the time. For Stefan’s sake.”

Nikolas nodded, extending his hand, “For Stefan’s sake.”

He accepted the hand without hesitation, shaking it. “You want to join us for dinner? I know Stefan would love it if you did.”

“I can’t,” Nikolas admitted. “I already have plans with Gia.”

“Some other time then,” Daniel suggested.

“Sure,” he agreed, turning to walk away. He stopped then, seemed to hesitate a moment, but then turned and advised. “You seem like a nice guy, Daniel. Nice guys don’t last long in the Cassadine family. Watch your back and don’t underestimate anyone. Even Stefan. I love him, but I’m not blind to him. Don’t be, either.”

***************

Chapter 65

***************

“I just got your message,” Chloe Morgan stated as she rushed into Felicia’s office. “What did you find? Something I can use to send Stefan Cassadine to prison for the rest of his miserable life?”

“Chloe,” Felicia sighed in warning. “Are you sure you about to do this? If you start down this road, you can’t take it back.”

“I know,” she assured. “He has to pay. Someone has to make him pay.”

Felicia sighed then, reluctantly handing over a file. “I can’t promise that this will send him to prison. It will depend on varying factors. But. . .”

“But what?”

“This will do worse than just get him in trouble with the law. This will cost him Daniel. Daniel will never forgive him when he sees this.”

***************

Chapter 66

***************

“Have you started back to school yet, Daniel?” Melissa asked, sipping her wine.

“I am having him tutored for the time being,” Stefan replied. “He missed so much this year and he was just too far behind to try and catch up with public school.”

“Stefan suggested the tutor,” Daniel added. “This way I can pass and not have to repeat next year.”

“So you are going back to Port Charles High next year?”

“I guess. . .” he answered, his voice trailing off as he saw Chloe Morgan strolling in their direction. There was a look in her eyes that he didn’t like.

“Good evening,” she smiled smugly, interrupting the group.

“This is a private dinner,” Melissa snapped.

“Are you jealous?” Chloe inquired. “You shouldn’t be. You can have Stefan. You can visit him in prison every weekend. That shouldn’t be a new experience for you, though. I am sure you got use to it with your brother--”

“I have just about had enough of you!” Daniel decreed. “Lady, I don’t know what your problem is--”

“My problem is your father,” Chloe interrupted. “And all of his sick, twisted, devious stunts. Did you know that he kidnapped me once and put my health in serious risk?”

“I don’t believe that,” Daniel shook his blonde head. “There is no way anyone would willingly abduct *you*.”

“He took me to his little island in Greece. With any luck, maybe he will take you on a ‘vacation’ with him some day. To his place in Greece. Or London, possibly. Or maybe just to his estate. . .In Canada.”

“W-What?” Daniel demanded, his eyes flying to Cassadine’s. Something akin to guilt flashed in his face before he looked away.

“Yes, he owns a lovely estate in Canada,” she announced, tossing down a file before him on the table. “There are some interesting facts in there, as well. The past few months, he has made multiple money transfers from his personal bank account to the private one of a Josh Manier. Does that name ring a bell?”

“You son of a bitch,” Daniel whispered softly, his eyes flaming in anger as he recognized the name of the man who had kept him at the estate for all those long months. “How long did you really know about me? A few weeks? Months? Years?!”

“Danny, please,” Stefan began.

“I don’t want to hear it,” Jackson swore, standing abruptly and walking from the restaurant. Melissa stood as well, racing after him.

Cassadine turned his rage to Chloe then, and she took a nervous step back at the hatred she saw in his glare.

“You will regret this,” Stefan vowed.

“He had the right to know the truth about you,” Chloe argued. “And maybe it can be used to send you to prison where you belong.”

“Even if it happens, you won’t live to see it,” Cassadine decreed, turning and racing after his son.

He found Daniel and Melissa in the parking lot. He moved to his son, reaching for his arm. The boy jerked away from his mere touch, hissing, “You knew all along, didn’t you? All this crap about how you married Mom and would have taken care of us--What a pile of bull! Man, you must have been laughing your ass off behind my back!”

“No,” Stefan desperately whispered. “Listen to me, please. I did not know you were my son--”

“Of course you did!” Daniel screamed back. “You’re a figgin’ Cassadine! How could you *not* know?! You sent Mom away when she got knocked up, didn’t you? You sent her away and you never thought twice about it until the day I showed up here. That whole deal with helping me out when I got arrested, it was really about covering your tracks, wasn’t it? You thought if you gave me a place to stay you could control the search for my father. My search for *you*! Hell, you probably even arranged for the doctored birth certificate that said I was Luke’s kid! And when all that failed, you just had me shot and carted away to your little prison where you could really keep tabs on me!”

“No,” he desperately pleaded. “It was never that way. I vow to you, Danny, *I never knew*. Not until the day that your friend Cordova--”

“James,” Jackson realized. “He blew your big plan, didn’t he? He found out your dirty little secret and he talked it. You had no choice but to claim me then. Save face, right?”

“Would you listen to yourself,” Stefan insisted. “You logic makes no sense. If I didn’t want to claim you, I would not have! You gave me that out in the hospital, but I refused to take it. If I did not want you in my life, then why didn’t I have the DNA test doctored to say you were not mine? Do you truly believe I have faked these last few days of learning to know one another?”

The boy faltered then, finally admitting, “I don’t know. . .”

“You were very upset that night on the docks,” Stefan reminded him. “You asked to be left alone with Cordova, but I hesitated because I did not completely trust the man. Finally, I left, but I had second thoughts about it. At the boat launch, I decided to come back and assure myself that you were okay. Only I heard the gunshot. By the time I got there, you were floating face down in the water. You had been shot in the back and I think you must have hit your head on the docks when you fell. I pulled you out of the water and I took you to General Hospital.”

“Why should I believe you?” Daniel asked in suspicion.

“Because he called me,” Melissa revealed. “He called me from his car and I was waiting in the parking lot. He told me what had happened. He explained that he had left you alone with your mobster friend and, ten minutes later, you were face down in the water with a bullet in your back. I told him that we couldn’t take you into the hospital. If we did, the police would be called and Cordova would know that he had not succeeded in killing you and he would come back and finish it.”

“James?” he shook his head in confusion. “He did not--”

“Then who else would have!” Stefan demanded in ire. “I left you alone with him, Danny. Cordova was the only other person on the docks that night when you were shot! You don’t remember who did it so am I so far fetched in my belief that it was him?!”

“Daniel,” Melissa tried to reason, “my brother was associated with the mob as well so I knew some of his friends. And working in the medical profession, I knew some doctors whose services could be bought for the right price. I pulled all my contacts and Stefan used his money to have you seen by a surgeon. I am a nurse. I helped in your surgery, actually. With Stefan’s money and my connections, you were treated by the best, kiddo. Only you slipped into a coma and we had to find some place you would be safe. When you were stable, Stefan had you moved to his estate in Canada.”

“To be his prisoner,” Daniel accused.

“I never meant for you to feel that way,” Stefan insisted. “You saved my life once and I wanted to return that favor to you. I wanted to protect you from the people who were trying to have you killed so, yes, I took security measures. You were only suppose to be there until you woke up and could tell the police who had tried to kill you. Only. . .only you couldn’t remember anything when you came out of your coma. I did not know what to do then. I finally decided to let you stay there until you were fully recovered. You must understand, the reports that I was receiving from Manier said that you could not walk without assistance and you were still weak and ill from your injuries. I. . .I was just trying to protect you. You were never a prisoner, Danny. I swear it. I ordered them to give you full reign of the estate, but Manier said that you never asked to leave your room.”

“Asked?!” he shouted in disbelief. “You mean to tell me all I had to do was *ask* and they would have let me out of that dump?”

“Yes,” Stefan assured. “All you had to do was ask and Manier would have taken you anywhere on the estate you wanted to go. You just weren’t allowed to wander off on your own and you were not to be told of the shooting. The doctors said it would not be wise to press the issue. You were to remember it on your own. No talk of the shooting or of me and you were not allowed to wander the estate alone That was the only standing orders I left with them.”

“I don’t believe you,” Danny announced. “I think you’re lying to me.”

“No!”

“Go to hell, *Dad*,” he stated mockingly, glancing towards Melissa. “And take your girlfriend there with you.”

“Danny,” Cassadine whispered brokenly, watching as his son turned his back on him and walked away. “Wait!”

“Let him go,” she insisted. “He is angry right now. When he calms down, you can take to him again.”

“I have lost him,” he groaned. “I know I have.”

“Someone should kill Chloe Morgan for this,” Melissa spat. “And maybe that someone will be me.”

***************

Chapter 67

***************

“I can’t believe you have done this,” Felicia Jones stated, nervously pacing the floor of her living room as she listened to her friend’s tale. “This could backfire on you, Chloe. What if Stefan keeps his threat?”

“He won’t,” Chloe shrugged. “He’s not that foolish.”

“Chloe, he has nothing left now!” Felicia stated in disbelief. “You have just taken his son from him. He is angry and desperate and desperate people do desperate things!”

“I suppose we both know that,” she reminded. “Just look at what you did to keep Luke. That is really what you are worried about here, isn’t it? You are worried that if things get out of hand with Stefan and Daniel, some of your lies might be uncovered, too.”

“Yes, I am worried about that!” Felicia assured. “Approaching Daniel with that information in a crowded restaurant was not a good idea. Anyone could have overheard.”

“It won’t matter by tomorrow,” she shrugged. “By tomorrow, I am hoping Daniel will have pressed kidnapping charges against Stefan and we see him land in prison.”

“Oh, God,” Felicia groaned in worry. “Do you really think he will go to Mac?”

“I don’t know about Daniel, but I know that I certainly am. The first thing tomorrow, I intend to take everything I know to Mac. Let him deal with Stefan’s underhanded deeds.”

“No, I won’t let you do that,” Felicia insisted, her voice desperate. “If you do that, then Mac will dig deeper into the investigation of Daniel’s shooting and his disappearance. And then he might uncover what I have done.”

“Maybe that would be for the best,” Chloe advised.

“The best? You think it is best that I lose the man I love?!”

“Love can’t be built on a lie,” Chloe reminded. “Just look at what Stefan did to me. He tried to force me to love him and it was all based on a lie. Tell Luke the truth now. If there is a real chance for you, then he will forgive you.”

“No,” Felicia disagreed. “I won’t let you do this Chloe. I won’t let you destroy my life like this. I will stop you first.”

***************

Chapter 68

***************

Claude set the shot of whiskey in front of the man, watching in concern as he took it and tossed it down.

“Give me another,” Stefan Cassadine decreed. “Now!”

Claude reluctantly nodded, doing as bided. He poured another shot of the strong liquor.

“Where’s DiLucca?” Stefan inquired.

“He went out of town for the weekend.”

“Then what about Spencer?” Stefan asked the bartender, tossing back the shot of liquor. “Tell him to come and drink with me. Celebrate my ability to destroy the best things in my life.”

“Luke’s not here tonight,” he answered.

“Get me another, then. I will just drink with you.”

“How about a deal?” Claude bargained. “I will just leave the whole bottle with you but, in return, you have to hand over your car keys.”

“Sure,” Cassadine agreed, slamming the keys down on the bar.

“Thank you,” Claude stated, handing him the bottle of whiskey. “Feel free to drink all you want, pal. You just won’t be driving tonight. I don’t want you killing yourself.”

“Now why would I do that when there are so many other people I could kill instead?” he inquired. “Like Chloe Morgan.”

***************

Chapter 69

***************

“I need a gun,” Daniel Jackson declared, pacing the floor of James Cordova’s penthouse apartment.

“Sure,” Cordova gave an uncaring shrug as he stood and walked to the nightstand nearby. Danny had shown up at his place an hour ago, full of anger. Perhaps the most fury he had ever seen in one person.

He had listened to the boy recant the story of how Stefan Cassadine had been the one who kept him in Canada for all those months. He had not interrupted or asked any questions. He had just let the boy rant. He supposed he had earned the right.

Besides, he knew Danny Jackson better than the kid knew himself sometimes. There was none more passionate in anger. Or more docile when the anger subsided. He would let Danny have his fury for the moment, and, when it passed, he would reason with him.

But, until then, the kid wanted a gun. If he didn’t give him one, then Danny would just find another way. He’d prefer it on his terms as opposed to the kid getting one off the streets.

He unlocked the nightstand, reaching inside and fishing out a handgun. He checked to ensure it was loaded before handing it to Jackson. “It is all you need. I picked it up in South America from a manufacturer there. It’s never been used before. There are no serial numbers and it’s not traceable back to me. Just make sure you don’t leave any fingerprints on it when you’re done. What do you need it for, by the way?”

“I’m going to kill someone,” Daniel calmly replied, tucking it into the back waistband of his jeans and pulling his jacket down to hide it.

“Anyone I know? Anyone you know, for that matter.”

“Chloe Morgan,” he decreed.

“When you are done with her maybe you will want to go for the other little annoying blonde. Your girlfriend’s mother.”

“Felicia Jones?” Jackson asked in surprise. “What do I want her for?”

“She is the one who started all your problems. She’s the one who told Chloe Morgan about your father’s misdeeds. And she is also the one who changed your birth certificate to make you think Luke was your father.”

The news seemed to take some of the air out of his sails then. “But. . .Stefan did that to cover up the fact that I was his son.”

“Did he tell you that or did you just assume it?” Cordova challenged. “It was the little blonde woman, Jones.”

“How do you know for sure?” he pressed.

“Oh, Danny Boy,” James half-laughed, half-groaned. “She was asking around about one of my people in my town. I knew every step she took from the day she starting asking questions about you. She doctored that birth certificate. I don’t know why, but she did it.”

“For Luke,” Daniel realized. “She did it to keep Luke. She knew he was getting back with Laura and making me his long lost son was the only means she had of breaking them up at the time.”

“Whatever,” Cordova shrugged. “I just thought you should know that you were blaming the wrong person for that dirty deed. Your father was completely innocent of it.”

“Innocent?!” Daniel shouted, his ire returning with full force. “He *lied* to me! He kept me in that. . .that prison for months!”

“He took care of you,” James disagreed. “When I wasn’t here and didn’t even know you were in trouble, it was him that cared enough to look after you. Danny. . .there was a contact out on you. I just found out about it.”

“You’re serious,” he realized.

“Quite. I have, shall we say, handled it since then. But there was an associate of mine who wanted you dead. It wasn’t by my order, mind you, but someone else did put a bullet in you. So maybe your father wasn’t so wrong in what he did. Had he taken you to General Hospital and the people who tried to kill you got wind that you were still alive, they would have come back and finished the job. They probably would have killed Cassadine, too, just for good measure. Maybe it was dishonest, but his motives were true. He knew you were in danger because of me and he kept you alive and protected. You would be dead otherwise.”

“I don’t believe this,” he shook his head in amazement.

“I know,” Cordova sighed. “But rest assured that I have it under control. The hit is off, permanently. Can you believe that the man who had the contract out on you thought he was doing me a favor? He even had the audacity to lie and tell me that his hitman had not even made it to Port Charles yet when you were shot. I know he was just trying to cover his own--”

“No, I don’t believe you,” Daniel interrupted. “I can’t believe that you are defending Stefan to me!”

“You are so young,” James decreed. “And so stupid sometimes. Do you honestly think the world is black and white? What do you think I do for a living?”

“I know what you do,” he mumbled, studying the toe of his shoe.

“Yes, you do. Racketeering. Embezzling. Money laundering. I sell ‘protection’ to people. Of course, I am ‘protecting’ them from me half the time. And I do something else, don’t I? I sell drugs. And you’ve helped me.”

“I have never dealt for you,” Daniel hissed.

“No. You just unloaded my cargo on the docks. What did you think was in half of those crates?” Cordova asked, watching in anger as the boy turned away from him. “Don’t walk away from me now! You want to talk about truth and honesty, then by God, we talk about it! I deal drugs and they are shipped to me from South America and I paid you to unload them on the docks. I found you when you were nothing. You were a skinny, uncared for, starving street kid who would have been dead within three weeks had *I* not taken you in when I did. And you know why you were on the streets--You were there because your junkie mother spent all her money on drugs! Heroine that I shipped in and had people like you unload while others like you were selling it to people like *her*! Did it ever cross your mind just once that I was paying you to unload my drugs that, in the end, she would buy with your hard-earned money? I suppose there is some irony in that, isn’t there?”

“What did you expect me to do!” Jackson shouted back in anger. “You offered me that job and it was a hell of a lot better than the alternatives! I didn’t want to be on the streets anymore. I was sick of going hungry! I was tired of being scared and cold and alone all the time. You offered me a way out and at the time I didn’t give a damn what I had to do just as long as it got me off the streets. I knew you dealt drugs but I didn’t do them myself or deal them or force *anyone* to buy them from you!”

“If that is what helps you sleep at night, then keep telling yourself that,” Cordova shrugged.

“Why are you saying this?” he asked, his voice heavy with regrets.

“I am trying to make you see your own hypocrisy,” James admitted. “You expect your father to walk the straight and narrow and be the perfect man with no regrets and no mistakes. How can you expect that of him? You’re not even capable of that yourself. You are not a bad person, Danny, but you’re not perfect, either. Neither is Stefan. Besides, he did save your life. He took care of your for six long months when half the town--myself included--didn’t know or didn’t care that you were missing.”

“And your point is?” Daniel snapped.

“My point is that if you want to be treated like a man--Then grow the hell up! Start acting like one! Because that is what your father had to do. He had to be a man and that meant making difficult choices! And he is just a man, Danny. One man. That is all he will ever he. And I don’t know what you were expecting, so type of super hero maybe, but you won’t get that. Not with Stefan or Luke or me. With anyone, for that matter. Superman is a cartoon. Lancelot is a legend. And Santa Claus is a myth. But Stefan Cassadine. . .He is real. He’s solid and he’s here and he *cares* about you! He can offer you a better life than the streets or working for me. And he will do it *because* he cares. But, in the end, he’s just a guy, Danny. As capable of screwing up as you are.”

“Great,” he muttered. “Next you’re going to tell me the Easter Bunny isn’t real, either.”

Cordova smiled at that, knowing his point had been made. “I figured I would leave that up to Stefan to explain. Go home where you belong, Danny. Sort out your problems there.”

“Okay,” Jackson nodded. “I’ll call you later.”

“You better,” Cordova called to the retreating boy’s back.

Daniel left the penthouse apartment and took the elevator back down to ground level. It was only after he had stepped onto the pavement that he remembered the gun. It seemed heavier now, pressing against his spine almost painfully. He would give it back, he decided. But later. Right now all he wanted was to find Stefan.

That task, however, was not as easy to do as it was to say. He stopped at a payphone and called Wyndemere, but Mrs. Landsbury said he wasn’t there. He wasn’t answering his cell phone. Next he tried Nikolas, but his cousin had not seen him, either.

By the time he made his way around town and back to the docks he had a splitting headache. He sat down on the steps and was rubbing his throbbing temples when he heard the sound of heavy footfalls above him.

“Stefan,” he breathed in relief as his father walked towards him, looking more than a little unsteady on his feet.

“Hello, Danny,” Cassadine’s words were slurred and his son belatedly realized he was drunk. “Come in search of another argument with me?”

“No,” he admitted, grabbing his father’s arm as he swayed on his feet. “You are so wasted.”

“You sound amused,” Stefan returned. “Well, here is something you will find even funnier. I was drinking at Luke’s. Yes, I was served some fine, cheap whiskey.”

“Come on, I will take you home,” Daniel insisted.

“But I haven’t done what I set out to do this evening,” Cassadine insisted. Lowering his voice, he confided, “I am going to kill Ms. Morgan. I am going to destroy her miserable life like she destroyed how you felt about me.”

“No, you’re not,” Daniel wearily sighed, rubbing his pounding head.

“Where have you been, by the way? I was worried about you,” Cassadine continued on with his drunken ramblings.

“I stopped by James’.”

“Ah, yes, the mobster,” Stefan decreed, swaying on his feet.

His son reached out to support him. He put an arm around the boy to try to balance himself and that was when he felt it. The hard, metal object against his hand. A gun, he realized. That worthless trash Cordova had given his son a weapon. Now that was something he could not have.

Daniel turned to saw something and nearly doubled over when a shattering pain raced through his skull. The intense headache was so bad this time it literally made him sick. He caught hold of the banister, gritting his teeth and trying to block out the agony. He had had these episodes since the fractured skull and the steal plate had been put in his head. Usually, he would lay down and sleep it off. But instead he was having to grit this one out.

Later, he would look back on this night and wonder how he had not felt the gun being pulled from the waistband of his pants. A part of him would think he must have blacked out for just a moment because when the pain finally dulled enough that he could think straight he would realize that the gun was gone. And so was Stefan Cassadine.

***************

Chapter 70

***************

Commissioner Mac Scorpio and Detective Marcus Taggert quietly slipped into the main office of L&B. Mac had been on his way home when the call had screamed though the police radio in his car. A report of gunfire by a maid cleaning up the office of L&B after hours. The words had left him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach for some reason and had turned his car around and raced over here. Taggert and the other officers had been arriving just as he pulled in.

He and Taggert crept through the dark building, stopping outside of an office. A light was burning under the door. This was where the maid had said she had heard the shots.

He nodded to Taggert, who kicked the door open then, calling, “Police! Freeze!”

Mac peaked around the door then, stilling in horror at the sight that greeted him. A woman stood over a body on the floor, a gun in her trembling hands and a look of disbelief on her face.

“Felicia?” he whispered in horror.

“Mac. . .I didn’t. . .I swear,” she stammered. “When I got here. . .”

Taggert raced forward and knelt beside the body, pressing a finger to the still neck. “She’s dead,” he decreed when he got no pulse.

“Oh, God,” Felicia whispered.

“Mac, I’m sorry,” Taggert sighed before turning to Felicia. “Ms. Jones, I am going to have to place you under arrest for the murder of Chloe Morgan.”

***************

Chapter 71

***************

Stefan Cassadine awoke to a blinding pain in his head. He had had a few hangovers in his life, but this one made the previous look tame. He was lying in an uncomfortable spot in his bed as well. His back ached painfully and he tried to roll over to relieve the pain and--

He yelped in surprise when he fell instead, landing on the hard floor with a groan. He finally forced his eyes to focus on his surroundings. This was not his room, he realized. This was not Wyndemere.

“How does it feel to wake up in a strange place and not know where the hell you are?” Daniel inquired.

He looked up from the floor then to see his son standing over him, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand. “It feels terrible,” he groaned.

“Good. Now, try doing it for two straight months.”

“Your point is made,” he assured. “Now, please, stop shouting.”

“I’m not,” Daniel stated, setting the cup of coffee on the table and taking his father’s arm. He helped him back onto the couch.

“Where am I?”

“We’re at Roy’s apartment,” Daniel admitted.

“Roy’s?” he asked, rubbing his throbbing temples.

“How much do you remember about last night?” Jackson hesitantly asked.

“Very little,” Stefan replied after a thoughtful pause. His mind was hazy and unfocused but he did recall encountering his son on the docks and--“You had a gun,” Cassadine suddenly recalled, anger returning to his eyes. “I recall that you had a weapon. And I took it from you and I was going to toss it into the water. But I can’t remember if I did-- ”

“You did,” Daniel assured, sounding irritated. “You left me on the stairs and by the time I caught up with you, you were at the boat launch. You threw the gun in the water.”

“Good,” he replied.

“Not good,” his son disagreed. “It wasn’t mine. I was going to return it.”

“Let me guess--To Cordova.”

“You should be nicer to him,” Daniel insisted. “If it wasn’t for the talk I had with him last night, you would still be in my doghouse. He. . .made me see certain logic. You saved my life, in the end. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a little mad over the way you did it. But last night made me see things differently, I guess.”

“That makes me very happy,” Stefan smiled. “I will explain everything to you and make you understand.”

“You already did,” he stated. “Last night. After I found you on the docks and I brought you back here.”

Cassadine’s brow furrowed as he tried to recall what his son was referring to, but his mind drew a blank. “Why did you bring me here? Why not take me to Wyndemere?” he suddenly asked.

“I didn’t think Mrs. Landsbury would like me dragging you in, stinking drunk, at two in the morning. Besides, Roy’s place was closer and he’s out of town and he said I could use it if I ever needed to crash.”

“So we can here and talked things over?” Stefan inquired.

“You really don’t remember, do you?” Daniel pressed.

“I am afraid not.”

“Well, that is great,” he drawled. “Just great. I spill my guts to you for hours and you don’t even have the decency to remember it the next morning. Thanks, Dad, you’re real good on the old ego.”

A pleased smile drifted across Cassadine’s face as he pointed out, “You just called me ‘Dad’.”

“I call you that all the time,” Daniel shrugged.

“No, you don’t,” Stefan insisted.

“Well, I mean to,” he shot back, looking embarrassed.

Cassadine smiled then, resting a hand on his son’s shoulder as he inquired, “Does this mean you have forgiven me?”

“I guess,” Daniel nodded. “Just no more stunts like the deal with Canada.”

“No more secrets. I promise,” Stefan vowed. “Agreed?”

Daniel refused to look him in the eye then, and Cassadine had the strong feeling that there was something his son was not telling him. Something about last night. . .

“You ready to go back to your castle?” he changed the subject.

“I--” Stefan began, but then glanced, noticing for the first time that he wore only his T-shirt and boxer shorts. “Where are my clothes?”

“I burned them.”

“What?!” he shouted, but then winced at the pain in his head when he did.

“You puked all over them,” Daniel crudely stated. “You’re a lousy drunk. I’ve seen guys my age hold their liquor better than you.”

“That was a five thousand-dollar suit! And you *burned* it! Why didn’t you try to clean it beforehand?”

“Do I look like Martha Stewart?” he asked.

“Who?”

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. Slapping the man on the shoulder, he decreed, “You need to get out more. Besides, Roy probably has something you can borrow.”

“I would not wear anything Roy DiLucca could afford!”

“Fine. Then walk home in your underwear for all I care!”

Cassadine sighed then, reluctantly accepting, “I will wear something of DiLucca’s.”

“Buck up, Dad,” Jackson called, slapping him on the shoulder. “It’s K-Mart clothes, after all. A new experience for you.”

Stefan scowled at that. Something was not right here, he thought. But he would press the subject matter at a later date. Preferably when he was back at Wyndemere and wearing his own clothes!

***************

Chapter 72

***************

Mrs. Landsbury had been shocked to see her employer wander in late that morning, clearly hung over and wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. Daniel had found the whole thing amusing, while all Stefan had wanted was a shower and to crawl into his bed and sleep for hours.

He managed part of his wish. A shower had cleared his mind some, but by the time he finished and dressed, he was told that his sister was waiting to speak with him.

“Alexis,” he greeted with a smile, joining her in the setting room. “You look upset. Has something happened?”

Alexis Davis blinked back tears as she moved to embrace her brother, revealing, “I have to tell you something very disturbing. Chloe Morgan is dead.”

“What?!” he exclaimed in disbelief. “When. . .how. . .?”

“Last night,” she sighed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “She was shot to death.”

The words sent a cold chill though him. Danny had had a gun last night. . .No, he refused to even entertain that thought. “The police think she was murdered?” he forced himself to inquire.

“Yes,” she nodded. “They have already arrested a suspect. Felicia Jones.”

****************

Chapter 73

***************

Daniel nervously paced the police headquarters, having accompanied his father and aunt here to see about the investigation into Chloe Morgan’s murder. He wasn’t too heartbroken over it, especially considering the stunt she had pulled on him last night. But he was nervous.

*I am going to kill Chloe Morgan.*

Stefan’s words drifted thought his mind, haunting him. God, how he prayed that--

“The evidence is substantial,” Detective Marcus Taggert interrupted his thoughts. “We found Felicia Jones at the scene of the crime. She was holding the weapon when we arrived. And hers are the only fingerprints on it.”

“What about the gun?” Alexis inquired.

“No serial number,” Taggert sighed. “We can’t trace it. Of course, we will run a ballistics report to see if it has been used in a different crime.”

“What about security cameras?” Alexis pressed. “I know L&B has top-notch security.”

“That’s the kicker. The tape is missing.”

“Has Ms. Jones said anything?” Stefan demanded.

“Just that she didn’t do it,” Taggert replied. “She says she walked in and the room was dark. She stepped on something on the floor and bent to pick it up. When she realized it was a gun, she turned the lights on. And that was when we arrived.”

“That is a convenient tale,” Stefan spat.

“Why would Felicia kill her best friend!” Luke Spencer demanded, storming across the headquarters. “No, there were other people who had more motive than Felicia. Like you, Stefan. Where were you last night?”

“With me!” Daniel raised his voice sharply.

Luke eyed him for a minute, muttering, “I guess he’s already turned you into one of his kind, huh, kid?”

Daniel walked to the desk then, glancing at Taggert long enough to state, “My father was with me last night. I will swear to it before any court, judge or jury. Understood?” He didn’t wait for an answer before he turned to Spencer, stating, “You and me need to talk. Excuse us.”

Luke reluctantly obliged the kid, stepping away from the desk to hear what the boy had to say. “Make it quick,” he barked. “I only have a few minutes to visit with Felicia.”

“Well, while you are in there, why don’t you ask her about the birth certificate she forged that named you as my father,” he suggested.

The news floored Spencer. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“It’s true,” Daniel assured. “Cordova found out. He had her followed when she started snooping around about me.”

“But. . .why. . .?”

“To keep you. Why else?” he replied. “She knew that you and Laura were getting back together and she also knew that if I were your son that would never happen.”

“I don’t believe this,” Luke shook his head.

“Fine,” he shrugged. “Be a sucker. But at least have enough sense to *ask* her about it.”

Luke eyed him warily before turning and walking away. Taggert lead him to the interrogation room. Daniel’s words raced though his mind. Could it be possible? After all, he had hired Felicia to find proof of Daniel’s paternity, one way or the other. And if the likes of a James Cordova could trace Danny’s past, a seasoned investigator like Felicia Jones certainly could. So how was it that Felicia had never uncovered the truth about Daniel’s parentage when Cordova had done it so easily? Was it because Felicia had never really intended to tell him the truth?

The door opened and Mac and Dara entered, leading Felicia. Scorpio frowned darkly at the site of his wife’s visitor. “I will leave the two of you alone,” he offered.

“No,” Spencer snapped. “Stay. Felicia, did you lie to me about Daniel’s paternity?”

“W-What?” she stammered at the words.

“Did you forge the birth certificate saying that he was mine?!” Luke shouted. He saw her wavering before his eyes and knew that he had his answer. “Don’t lie to me because I already have the proof.”

“Yes,” she admitted, her face crumpling into tears.

“Felicia!” Mac exclaimed in disbelief.

“What else did you do, Ms. Jones?” Dara pressed.

“Luke,” she whispered tearfully, “I am so sorry. I. . .I love you. I was just trying to keep you in my life.”

“By lying to me!” he angrily demanded. “By deceiving Daniel, too?!”

“You were a far better father to him than Stefan would have been. I knew that. Everyone did, including Chloe.”

“So the deceased knew about your misdeeds?” Dara asked.

“She helped me a little,” Felicia spoke, her eyes clinging to Luke, begging him to understand. “I took the information from Cordova that you threw in the trash and gave it to Chloe. She delivered it to Laura for me.”

“That was your doing!” Spencer exploded. “Why?”

“Cordova was determined to make Daniel go with him to South America. And I over heard you saying that you would never forgive the person who told Danny the truth--”

“So you arranged for that person to be Laura,” Luke hissed.

“She never deserved you,” Felicia insisted. “She never loved you like I did. Like I still do right this moment. I need you, Luke. I know that I should have told you the truth from the start. Chloe kept insisting that I should--”

“Good-bye, Felicia,” Luke stated, standing to his feet.

“Luke, don’t leave me!” she screamed as he left the room. “Luke!”

“Just how much did Chloe Morgan know about your crimes?” Dara suddenly pressed. “Was she threatening to tell? Is that why you killed her?”

“I didn’t do it! I swear,” she insisted. “Mac, you have to believe me. Please, listen. Chloe was going to come to you with the information she had on Stefan Cassadine because she wanted you to prosecute him. I went there to try and talk to her because, yes, I was afraid she would tell you and Luke what I had done. But there were two people talking in the parking lot. And I thought I recognized them.”

“Who do you think they were?” Scorpio hedged.

“Daniel Jackson. He was there with James Cordova. He was giving Cordova something. It looked like a videotape. . .”

***************

Chapter 74

***************

“Believe me now?” Daniel asked as a somber Luke Spencer left the interrogating room and walked towards him.

“Yes,” he sighed. “Felicia did it all to keep me and Laura apart.”

“So where does that leave you and Laura now?” Luke asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “No where, maybe. But I am sorry for what this has done to you. If she had not told that first lie, you would have been with Cassadine all along. Where you belonged, I guess.”

“Yeah,” the weary teen sighed. “This is such a mess.”

“Take care of yourself, kid,” Luke proclaimed, lightly tousling his blonde hair.

“I always do,” Daniel muttered, his eyes drifting to his father’s back. Mac Scorpio stepped from the interrogation room then, his eyes drifting to Daniel. The stare made him nervous. It was almost like. . .Jackson shuddered at the mere thought.

It was almost like he knew.

***************

Chapter 75

***************

“It’s going downhill fast,” Daniel Jackson proclaimed, stepping from his spot in the shadows and startling Stefan Cassadine.

It had been nearly a week since the murder of Chloe Morgan. The police had searched her office, finding the file she had on Stefan. Taggert now knew that Cassadine was the one who had kept him in Canada and paid doctors to tend to his wounds.

“You were eavesdropping on my conversation,” Stefan scolded, lowering the phone.

“How else am I going to get a straight answer from you?” his son returned. “They found your good doctor, didn’t they?”

“Yes. The authorities have located the doctor who operated on you. In return for lighter charges, he is cooperating with them.”

“Scorpio is doing everything possible to take the heat off his little wife,” Daniel sighed. “He’s determined to nail someone else for this. Surprising, really, that he would be so loyal. Especially considering that Felicia was nailing Luke all this time.”

“Daniel,” Stefan scolded. “Your language is becoming deplorable.”

“I’m worried,” he admitted. “They could charge you with something here.”

“Not likely,” Stefan assured. “Considering the circumstances and the fact that I am your father, Alexis can plead with an understanding judge to make him see I was only protecting you. Besides, you would have to accuse me of kidnapping before I could face any serious charges.”

“I’m not going to do that,” he stated. “Still. . .Let’s just blow this town for a little while. At least until this mess is over.”

“Daniel, I cannot leave just yet,” Cassadine insisted.

“Why not?” Daniel argued. “We could just slip out of the city. Tonight, even. You could show me Greece or something. Please.”

“I cannot,” Stefan stated regretfully. “Nikolas is here and I will not leave him to my mother’s manipulations. And that is final.”

“Fine,” he sighed. “I’m going for a walk.”

***************

Chapter 76

***************

Finding Nikolas Cassadine was not as hard as he had thought it might be. A few calls and Daniel had learned that he was at Kelly’s for the day. He caught up with his cousin as Nikolas was leaving the diner, stating simple, “I want Stefan to leave the country for a time.”

“Then you two leave,” Nikolas encouraged. “No one is stopping you.”

“*You* are stopping us,” Daniel stated. “He is staying out of some foolish, blind loyalty to you. He won’t leave Port Charles unless he thinks you are safe from Granny Helena. So, do me a favor, tell him you’re safe. Even if you don’t believe it yourself, just say it. For his sake.”

“I think I know what this is about,” Cassadine sighed. “You’re jealous.”

“Oh, not that stupid argument again,” he snapped in frustration.

“But you are. You think that I will somehow stand in between you getting close to Stefan. Be assured, I won’t. You are his son,” Nikolas stated simply. “I admit that I had trouble accepting that at first. But I thought we agreed that it didn’t have to be a sparing match between us. It doesn’t have to be a case of who Stefan loves more.”

“For once we agree,” Daniel admitted. “This isn’t about who Stefan loves more. It is about who loves him more. And, right now, I think that would be me.”

Nikolas shook his head in confusion, watching as the boy walked to the phone outside and dialed a number. He spoke with the voice on the other end for a few minutes, finally declaring that they should meet.

A half an hour later, he was pacing the length of the docks when James Cordova appeared. “I don’t like being summoned,” the man stated.

“I am not in mood to pacify your ego right now,” Daniel snapped.

“Temper, temper,” Cordova scolded, a dark anger flashing in his eyes. “And to think you use to have such promise. Who knew you would turn out to be a fool?”

“I guess this is about what happened, right?” the teen sarcastically shot back.

“You should show me a little gratitude right now,” Cordova hissed. “I’m putting my neck on the line for you on this one.”

“Consider it payback for all the time I put *my* neck out there for you,” Daniel reminded. “I get that you’re mad at me right now. But you--”

“Well, isn’t this interesting,” Mac Scorpio interrupted.

“We were having a private conversation,” Cordova stated. “It is not polite to eavesdrop, Commissioner.”

“A conversation?” Scorpio mocked. “Some might call this loitering. That is against the law.”

“Then write me a ticket,” Daniel snapped, “and then get the hell out of my face.”

“My, my, what a rude little boy Stefan is raising,” Mac scolded. “Or maybe it is just a guilty conscience. Tell me, have you talked to Maxie lately?”

“No,” Daniel sighed, refusing to meet the other man’s eyes.

“I know. In fact, you haven’t made any efforts to see her since Felicia was arrested. Strange, really. I would think you would try to be supportive in this tough time for her. After all, your own mother was arrested quite a few times, wasn’t she? And you understand what it means to grow up without parents--”

“Is there a purpose to this or are you just talking to amuse yourself?” Cordova inquired.

“Of course there is a point. You see, Felicia seems to think that she saw two people talking outside of L&B the night Chloe Morgan was murdered. She insists that it was the two of you. A tape is missing from the security cameras and she seems to think that one of you took it. Perhaps because it implicated one of you in Chloe Morgan’s murder.”

“Interesting,” James agreed. “And I don’t suppose this would have anything to do with your desire to free your wife, would it?”

“I wonder what a search of your apartment here in Port Charles would reveal?”

Cordova laughed at that, stating, “I’d like to see you try.”

“Oh, I don’t think a search warrant would be that hard to pull off. Especially considering that it is you in question,” the Commissioner assured.

Daniel traded a knowing look with his friend before turning back to Scorpio with a sigh. “That won’t be necessary. There is something I need to say.”

“And what would that be?” Mac asked.

“I killed Chloe Morgan.”

***************

Chapter 77

***************

Stefan Cassadine stood quietly for a moment and watched the sight before him. His son behind bars. It was gut wrenching.

Daniel restlessly paced his small cell, startled when a voice called out:

“Why are you admitting to this crime?”

“Because I did it!” Daniel insisted, staring at him through the bars of his cell.

“No, you did not,” he insisted. “It isn’t in you.”

“You don’t think so?” Jackson asked mockingly. “Well, here goes my big confession: I caught up with you on the docks that night and you still had my gun. I took you back to Roy’s and you passed out. And then I had my chance. I left you, went to L&B, and killed her. I wiped the gun clean of prints and left it on the floor. It wasn’t my fault that Felicia stumbled along and picked it up.”

“Why?” Stefan asked. “Why would you kill Chloe?”

“Because she was about to ruin my ride,” he shrugged.

“You are not making any sense.”

Daniel laughed bitterly at that, replying, “Then I will explain it in simple terms and I will talk really slow so you don’t get confused. I grew up on the streets, *Dad*. If it was out there, I did it or saw it. I ate from garbage cans and stole and picked pockets. Hell, I even beat up a homeless old man once for half a sandwich. I cheated and lied and did whatever it took to survive. And half the time I cursed your name while I was doing it.

“And then James Cordova took me off the streets and gave me a job. Yeah, maybe it was being one of his lackeys, but it was better than the alternatives. I made a vow to myself that I would *never* go back to that. I didn’t care if it meant working for a gangster for the rest of my natural life. It didn’t matter because I was warm and had food on the table and a roof over my head.

“Then it changed. James was being hounded by the FBI and he wanted me to disappear for awhile. And then Mom told me about you. Of course, I thought she was talking about Luke, at the time. Luke wasn’t too bad as far as that went. He was nice enough and he didn’t slap me around or come home drunk or waste the grocery money gambling somewhere. That didn’t play out. . .But then I learned the truth. My old man was a Cassadine. He had more money than I had ever dreamed of.”

Daniel laughed then, a cold, harsh sound. “I was looking at easy street for the rest of my life. Of course, I could only play the ‘You Walked Out On Me’ card for so long before you got tired of it. But then you dealt me the perfect hand. You’re little scheme to keep me in Canada for all those months was just perfect. Do you know how long I could have milked that one? I could have gotten anything out of you then because you felt so guilty. But then it occurred to me: What if Chloe went to the cops? You could go to prison and I would lose my meal ticket. So I took care of it. I killed her. And your little drunken episode that night played out perfectly. I wasn’t giving *you* an alibi for that night! I was giving *me* one. If I was babysitting you, then there was no way I could be off killing Chloe Morgan, right?”

“I don’t believe this,” Cassadine shook his head, hurt and disbelief reflecting in his eyes. “We had already talked about why I was not a part of your life and you had forgiven me--”

“Do you think redemption comes that easily!” he shouted back. “Do you think all it took was an apology and years of hating you just disappeared?! I used you and your guilt let me. And it would have been perfect if Chloe Morgan had just stayed out of it! She forced my hand and, unfortunately, I screwed up and got busted. But let’s face it. . .You’re not going to leave me here, are you, Dad? Your guilt is going to get the best of you and you’re going to bribe a judge to get me off. Pay a cop to blow the investigation. Or a guard will forget to lock my cell one night and I will just disappear, right?”

“If that is how you want it,” Stefan nodded, struggling to control the emotions that raged inside of him.

“But that is a double-edged sword,” Daniel reminded. “You could get busted, too. So I am guessing that, after you get me out of here, you will probably take a long vacation to Greece, won’t you?”

“And where will you go?” Cassadine asked.

“Where ever the money you give me will take me to,” Danny stated. “I figure a couple of million will hide me out forever, don’t you?”

“And that is all you want from me?” Stefan forced himself to ask. “My money?”

“That is all I ever wanted,” he assured coldly.

“Fine,” Cassadine nodded, struggling to keep the devastation out of his voice. “I will arrange it.”

“Good,” Daniel shot back, watching as his father turned his back on him and walked away. His hands gripped the bars of the cell until his knuckles turned white. He leaned his forehead against the cold steel bars, groaning under his breath. If only he had never gone to James that night, he wouldn’t be in this mess. None of them would.

The sound of hands clapping startled him and he turned to see Cordova step from the shadows.

“Bravo,” Cordova applauded, walking to his cell. “You should have considered a career in acting, Danny Boy. That was the best performance I have ever seen you give. You have him completely convinced that you never cared.”

“What do you want, James?” he asked, a tired sigh escaping his lips.

“I was going to pay your bail,” James admitted. “But since you’re planning to skip out on it anyway, I figure why waste the money.”

“Did you take care of things for me?” Daniel asked.

“Yes,” Cordova assured. “And I’m making the arrangements to get you to South America just as soon as Cassadine comes through with the money. It’s a hell of a plan you’ve got going here, kid. I hope it doesn’t blow up in your face.”

“You won’t let that happen,” Jackson threatened. “Because you know that I could bring your whole organization crumbling down with a few words to the cops. You won’t back down on our deal. I’m not protecting *you* any more, James. If I fall on this one, you’re going down with me.”

Cordova reached through the bars then, none too gently grabbing the teen’s chin as he spat, “Don’t ever threaten me, boy. You *owe* me. Especially considering what I am doing to get your sorry butt out of prison. You’re becoming a loose cannon, Danny Boy. And I don’t like loose cannons. Straighten up now. Or the next hitman won’t miss.”

Jackson jerked away from his touch, anger flashing in his eyes.

“It’s not a nice feeling to be threatened, is it?” Cordova pointed out. “Relax. If I wanted you dead, you would be. I’m still so very disappointed in you, Danny Boy. You use to be so much smarter than this.”

Jackson looked away, reminding, “We made a deal. I just kept my end of it with Stefan. Now you keep yours.”

“If I feel like,” Cordova stated as he turned to walk away. “*If* I feel like it. . .”

 

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