| Chapter 27 Steven left the brownstone the day after Ruby's death in a huff. Bobbie, and just about every other friend the Spencer family, had an opinion on what to do with Lucky. He thought that the kid was fine, especially after what he had been through the last few months. So, he wasn't crying or showing any emotion. Maybe he had nothing left to show. After looking at the destruction at the club, Steven wouldn't doubt it. His opinion on this matter was ignored and now Tony had ordered and talked Lucky into taking some nerve pills. Lucky didn't want to take them, but he was sick of fighting with them. He took the pills and like Steven, thought they put Lucky right to sleep. Drugging the kid up wasn't going to help him. Talking to him and not smothering him was the way to go, but so far not one person in this messed up family would listen to him. Carly was on his side ,but she had little pull when it came to her mother. She was just as much a black sheep as he was. Steven needed to cool off and so, to get his mind off of his so-called new family, went to the diner first to check if the repairmen had gotten the new window up yet. As he neared the building, he noticed that they had indeed fixed the window. The diner was back exactly the way it should be, but of course, without its pervious owner. Steven had to admit that inspite of the little time he had spent with Ruby, he was going to miss her. She was the first person that truly understood his point of view on things and guided him into making the choices he had made. If it wasn't for her, he might not have found a life outside the confines of being a Cassadine. It wasn't the name Spencer that meant anything to him but the fact that his life was now his own. He didn't have to care about any one's past or what affect his decisions had on others. He could just be himself and make a life for him and his son. The only person beside Nikolas that Steven cared about right now was Lucky. He did look after the kid like a big brother and what his family was doing to him was wrong. He just didn't know how he was going to change things. Maybe when Laura landed in a few days that she could get them to listen or other wise Steven was going to have to start fighting even more for what was right for his brother. Steven was thinking about this problem when he got to the club and noticed that the front door was unlocked. He knew the repairmen weren't do to fix up the place for at least a few days more. The club was on the bottom of the list of things to take care of for a while. Ruby, and making sure that she had the best final resting-place was first. The club could wait, at least for the time being. He had other things more important then the club, but now with the door unlocked, Steven was a little concerned and he moved slowly as he walked inside. At first, he saw nothing but the broken wreckage Lucky had left the place in just yesterday. Then he spotted a man leaning heavily on a cane walk from the office and into the main part of the bar. "Cassadine, what in hell are you doing here?" Luke Spencer demanded as neared the other man. Luke was beyond upset. He arrived home knowing that he would take some slack for not getting in touch with his family sooner to inform them that he was alive, but so far, he had found no one. His first stop was the house, but the place looked like it hadn't been lived in for a while and on his way to the club he had found Ruby's closed up tight. His biggest shock came when he walked into the club and found it ripped apart. So, you can say that Luke was more then a little worried! He was frightened and now things had just gotten worse. His worst enemy had just walked into the club like he owned the place. Steven stood there in absolute shock at the sight of Luke Spencer alive. He had this dumb founded look on his face as he stared bug-eyed at the man. Luke noticed this and ignored it for the time being. He wanted to know where his family was and ,by God, Stefan was going to tell him. "Cassadine, close your mouth and open your brain. Where is my family?" Luke demanded. He knew that the Count knew most things his family did anyway so why would this be different? At first, Stefan didn't even acknowledge the fact that he had heard Luke. Having a man that you thought was dead and gone suddenly appear had a way of throwing you for a loop. But slowly, Stefan's brain began to work and then he had another problem. Luke was his father or at least his biological father. Now, what was he going to do? They didn't exactly get a long before his death. How were they going to do it now? "Your family," Steven said finally shaking his head as if to get the fog that set in over him to go away. "Yes, MY Family," Luke said getting more and more upset as time went on. Stefan was acting very weird so far. It was then that Luke looked at how the man was dressed. Yes, he had black on but the suit was gone and in its place was a very casual outfit. He wore a tight turtle neck sweater and dark pants and that was it. No tie? No starched white shirt? No finely tailored jacket and pants? Did he, Luke, walk into the twilight zone or was he really dead? He didn't know and part of him didn't want to find out. Steven realized that beating around the bush about some of this would just make matters worse in the long run. So, he decided to come clean and tell Luke at least most of what he was missing. "Well, Lucky is with Bobbie at the brownstone with the rest of your family and friends. Except maybe Laura. Who is landing in a few hours for the Carolinas," Steven told him. "Why is my wife in the Carolinas?" Luke asked him coldly. "Why do you think?" Steven snapped at the man. He remembered why he and Luke didn't get a long and it was how he talked to people or at least Steven in particular. "She just lost her husband and needed time to grieve for him." Luke thought about this and realized that the Count wasn't lying. Laura would have taken his death hard and she would have need time to get things lined up right, but there were still unanswered questions that Luke needed answers for. "OK, I'll take that about Laura. But what happened here? And why is Kelly's closed?" Luke snapped. Steven had trouble saying what had to be said next and Luke knew it. His cold stare just got colder the longer Steven was quiet, but finally he found the words to tell Luke about Ruby. "Lucky trashed the club and in fact he is at Bobbie's right now on a strong sedative," Steven said, not hiding the tension in his voice on what he thought about the sedative. Luke noted it but he didn't say anything at that moment. He wanted to hear the rest of what Stefan was telling him. "He did it right after watching Ruby .die in front of him from a heart attack." Luke stood there frozen and unmoving for along time. He didn't expect to hear that and it took him off guard, but not enough to note the sound of regret in Stefan's voice. "Ruby's gone?" Luke said, finally looking around for a place to sit down before he fell. Steven noticed this and pulled one of the few unbroken chairs off the floor and placed it near Luke. "It happened so fast that no one could have predicted it. We found out later from doctor that she had been having problems for a while, but she never told anyone. She was trying to protect . everyone," Steven said pausing slightly at the end of the sentence because he was going to say 'all of us.' "Why are you involved in this, count and why are you in my club?" Luke asked as the news of Ruby's death started to sink in. He wanted to grieve her, but right now, his mind was yelling at him to keep going. There were still things that he needed to know and he had to go to Lucky, because from the looks of this place the kid wasn't doing too well. "Ah, Why don't we talk about this later? How about we go see Lucky," Steven said not wanting to tell Luke about that just yet. "No, Lucky can wait. Bobbie can look after him for me. I want to know what you are hiding," Luke said as his cold, steel eyes burned deep into Stefan. Luke did note that Stefan squirmed in place and this was new for the count. Whatever it was had to really be something. Luke wasn't sure he wanted to hear it, but something told him that he had to hear it. Steven paused for a long time trying to find the right words to tell Luke the truth, but there were no right words. So, he finally dug deep within himself and started to talk. "When we got back from Greece, Lucky was bad. Helena had given him some kind designer drug to make sure that she had her way with him. She didn't, but it still affected him. While we were trying to get Lucky better, I found something else out. My loving mother had one major secret and that was me. You see, I'm not a Cassadine and Mikkos and she knew it. They kept this from all of us in exchange to let the other's bastard children live. I was raised as a Cassadine and so was Alexis. She was the daughter of one of Mikkos lovers just as I am the son of one of Helena's." At first, Luke didn't know what this news had to do with Lucky and him. but then he remembered that Helena had given birth to Stefan while they were lovers. It hit Luke hard then. "No. No way in hell that we are related," Luke said finally. Steven took this wrong and he got very defensive. "You think that I like the idea of having you as a father? Guess what Luke, I don't like it and in fact, I wish that it wasn't true. But I have choice, do I? My mother was an evil witch and my father's a gigolo. What a family tree," Steven said coldly. "Hey, it could be worse. Your other choice was Mikkos and look at what he did?" Luke snapped at him. "Some choice, you both got screwed by Helena but he got her money. What did you get? What was the price of your soul?" Steven asked Luke. "Go to hell," Luke snapped. "You first Luke," Steven snapped as he headed for the door but then stopped suddenly and turned around. "I took your last name because of my son. He needed a name that at least had an ounce of respect behind it. Helena's name sure as the hell didn't, but if it was up to just me. I say that both of you can go to hell. The only person named Spencer I give a damn about right now is Lucky and if I were you. I would go tell him you are alive. He needs his father, why is beyond me, but he does. Oh, and one more thing. My name isn't Stefan or Cassadine or even Count. It's Steven Spencer and since I'm your son, I'm Dracula and you are Dracula." And with that said, Steven stormed out of the club slamming the door behind him. Luke stood up and threw the chair he had been sitting on across the room. "You bitch!" He yelled cursing Helena and everything she stood for. "No. He isn't. He can't be." Luke thought over and over again, but there was still part of him that said it was possible. He was hardly seventeen when Stefan was born and from what Luke knew from Laura, they were closer in age then they were. If Stefan or Steven or what ever the hell his name was now was his son then Nikolas was. No, he couldn't think about it. The one thing that Luke knew was true about what Steven had said was that he had to go see Lucky. The kid did need to know that he was alive. Luke grabbed the cane he had let drop when he got up a moment before. His leg was paying him back at this moment and a voice ran through his head as he walked. "Lucas, one of these days you are going to break your leg jumping from that window," Helena's superior voice said. "Well at least, I didn't brake my neck," Luke muttered, "And Helena, I hope you are enjoying hell." Seeing her unstaring eyes just moments before Ari shoved him into the tide was the most pleasing thought in the world. He knew then that he was free of the old bat for good and so was his son. He just didn't know if it was both his sons' that were free of him? Steven was still a question that Luke needed to answer. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' Luke noticed the cars parked around Bobbie's brownstone and knew that he was going to walk right into a room full of family and friends. He walked past Francis and Johnny who just stood there, their mouths open wide as he walked by. "You're not seeing a ghost." Luke said as he walked past them. "I'm hard to kill." Neither one of them said a word as Luke went inside the building and closed the door behind him. He walked to Bobbie's door and not stopping for anything, walked right inside and faced them head on. The moment Luke walked inside, the room went dead silent. Bobbie dropped the tray full of coffee cups that she was carrying and Amy fainted. It was Carly that spoke for all of them. "You worthless creep. Do you know what you put us through?" Carly snapped at him. "I love you too, Caroline," Luke said coldly. It was the voice that got to Bobbie. Anyone could fake Luke's face but his voice was totally different. She had known her brother long enough to know it was him standing in front of her. She ran to him and almost knocked Luke off his feet. She wrapped her arms around him, refusing to let go. Tears fell down her cheeks as she squeezed the life from Luke. "Ah, sis. I know you missed me, but if you don't let go, I'm going to stop breathing," Luke said as he patted his sister on the back. Bobbie pulled back right then and demanded, "Luke Spencer were in hell have you been?" "Bobbie, it is a long story and I'll tell it to you. I just need to sit down before I fall down," Luke said grabbing his leg as the pain shot through it. Bobbie noticed that he wasn't joking and started to grab him to help, but Sonny and Jason moved first. "Easy partner," Sonny said, glad to see that Luke was alive and well or at least alive. "Thanks man," Luke said and without missing a beat he asked, "What is this about Stefan being a Spencer?" as he was showed to the nearest seat. Bobbie, who was checking out her brother's leg and the rest of him for any sign of damage, said, "So, you met Steven." It was clear what she thought of the guy, but to Luke's surprise Carly was the one that stood up for him. "Mother, ease up on the guy. He did get me free from the Quartermaine's and he kicked AJ's butt in the finance world," Carly said with a sly smile on her face. "Carly, he was just trying to play you for a fool," Bobbie said as pulled on Luke's pants leg. It was a little too hard for him and he winced and said threw clinched teeth. "Bobbie, I didn't say it. Your loving daughter did. So ease up on my leg." "Sorry," Bobbie muttered as she more gently started to cut his pants leg. "So, talk," she said as she worked. "Fine," Luke said wanting to tell his sister that his leg was fine beside the fact that he was still stiff, sore, and it hated him when he was on it for more then a few moments at time, but arguing with Bobbie when she was being nurse was a useless argument. "After Ari pushed me off that balcony. I had one shot and that was to hit the water straight and pray that Mikkos hadn't changed the natural curve of that place. You see, I used to jump from that same window back when I was a teenager. I did it once for fun then from that point on I did it to drive Helena crazy." Luke said with a laugh. "You fool, you could have broken your leg," Bobbie snapped at him. "I did brake my leg, Barbara Jean," Luke said coldly, "and I didn't jump this time I was pushed. I had the wind knocked out me this time around and before I could get to the ledge Ari showed up. He took one look at Helena and lost it. He grabbed the nearest poll and started to shove me out to sea. I couldn't do much but to keep afloat because of my leg. I was forced to just keep above water and hope that someone would see me, but that didn't happen." "How did you manage to survive in the ocean?" Carly asked, wondering how many lives her crazy Uncle Luke had left. "I almost didn't. I was bleeding a little bit from the break in the leg and a shark came by wanting me for lunch. Lucky for me, a dolphin came by and pulled me to safety. I held on to him for a while until a small fishing village came into sight. I pulled myself onto the beach and they found me. I have been living with them ever sense and before you ask, no, they had no phone. No nothing! They are just plan, simple people that fight to survive. It took me all this time to heal enough to make it back," Luke told them. "Not enough," Bobbie said coldly as she looked at her brother's leg. "It's still broken and it should be in a cast right now." "The leg is fine," Luke said, "I just have to watch how long I stand on it and not move around too much." "You are one suborn mule," Bobbie snapped at him. "Jackass is more like it," Carly said with a cold smile on her face directed right at her uncle. "I love you too, Caroline," Luke said with the same cold smile. "Okay, you two. Back to your own corner," Sonny said, "So, partner how much do you know?" "You mean, how much did Steven tell me? I know about Ruby. What really happened?" Luke asked looking at Bobbie and it was clear to her that the pain in his eyes wasn't because of his leg. Every one moved away and left Bobbie and Luke alone to talk. Bobbie pulled up the other stool and sat down on it. She looked at her brother with tear filled eyes and started to talk. "She had been sick longer then she let on. You know Ruby, no complaining allowed. She just got up and dealt with it. She had everything planned out long before your so called death. The only thing she didn't plan on is dying in front of Lucky." "So, the kid watched her die?" Luke asked, wishing that was the one part that Steven/Stefan was lying about. "Yes, and he didn't take it well. Lucky threw a chair and broke Kelly's window and then trashed the club. He hasn't talked much since Steven brought him here. I asked Tony to do something and he gave him some sedatives," Bobbie said. "You asked crack pot bro in-law to look after my kid?" Luke asked her in a sarcastic tone of voice. "Luke, he isn't a crack pot. He was a good doctor before BJ's death. "Oh, yeah, was is the key word here. Bobbie, he had a mental break down after old Caroline got done with him or have you forgotten that?" "No, Luke I haven't forgotten. I watched a man that I once loved fall apart because of Carly's little games. I have forgiven her for those lies and I have forgiven Tony and I am helping him get back on his feet. What we did for Lucky is for the best for him," Bobbie said. "Bobbie, don't take this wrong but I'll decide what is the best for my kid. You might have forgotten Carly little games, but I haven't. She got pregnant with one man's child and because Jason was in love with Robin, she tried to destroy you and get the Q's money all at the same time. Well, guess what sis, your daughter is a Spencer and I don't trust her or your crazy ex. So, do me a favor and keep them away from me and my son." "Thanks, Uncle Luke, that is the nicest thing you ever said to me," Carly said coldly. "Caroline, sweetheart, I knew that your marriage with Junior would fall apart and you couldn't handle it. I just wasn't going to help you out because you earned all of it," Luke said coldly. "Luke," Bobbie pleaded. "For you, I'll drop it. I have my own past to live down," Luke said and with that he got up and headed for Lucky's room. Bobbie watched him limp off with a pain filled heart. She knew that he was right. Carly had played games with all their minds, but she was her daughter and she had earned a second chance. The problem was, if she gave Carly a second chance, did that mean that she had to give Steven one as well? Chapter 28 Back to Luke's Secret Past |