Chapter 17 Luke left the island and headed to his club. As he walked into the club, just being there energized him. He walked to the bar reached behind it grabbed a bottle and glass. �Ah, pardon me? What are you doing?� the bartender said as he walked out from the kitchen. Luke smiled at the guy and said, �What does it look like?� �Ah, we are closed,� the bartender said again. �I gathered that,� Luke said with a sheepish grin on his face. The office door opened right then and Robert came out. �About time you got here,� Robert said grinning at Luke. �I needed some sleep. Ah, tell this guy who I am,� Luke said pointing to the dumbfounded bartender. �Claude this Luke. Your really boss,� Robert said with grin. �Boss,� Claude said suddenly figuring it all out. �You got it,� Luke said and then him and Robert headed into the office. Once there, Luke got settled behind the desk and sighed like two lovers coming together for the first time in years. �Better?� Robert asked as he sat in the chair across from the desk. �Much. Here,� Luke said sitting up sticking his hand in his jacket and pulling out a piece of paper. �What is it?� Robert asked. �A map of the island and you might be interested to know that Mikkos has his yacht docked under the house,� Luke said with a smile. �Under it?� Robert said opening the paper. �Under it. I don�t read Russian. So, what is in those crates are mystery to me but I figured an WSB man like you can figure out what is in them,� Luke said. �Why didn�t you look?� Robert asked. �Victor was behind us and I didn�t want to give the guy hid anything,� Luke said with a smile on his face. �Same old Victor,� Robert said. �Yeah, the guy don�t change. He is still protecting his brother but from what? And why did them open their arms to me?� Luke asked. �I don�t know. You talk to Ruby yet?� Robert asked. �My next stop. I need to know if she is lying and if not why didn�t she tell me before this,� Luke said, his voice growing a little sadder all of sudden. �Go easy on her. She hasn�t been feeling to hot and this hasn�t helped any,� Robert told Luke. �I won�t push it to far. I am just going to talk to her,� Luke said promised. �Good. You need anything from me?� Robert asked. �Going somewhere?� Luke asked with a knowing smile on his face. �To see your sister, she has the day off and I haven�t been spending time with her. I have working on getting you of prison,� Robert reminded Luke. �Go have fun. I�ll go see Ruby and then maybe look around town. I am sick of being in doors. I need to be free from awhile,� Luke told him. �Stay out of trouble,� Robert said smiling at Luke then he left. Luke left soon after that and headed to Kelly�s. ************************************************** Lucky was finally allowed to leave. He was dragging himself up stairs when Stefan appeared suddenly. �Where are you going?� Stefan asked. �Bed,� Lucky muttered. �No, you will sleep to night,� Stefan said. �Why don�t you go riding with Nikolas and Zander. Lucky turned to face to Stefan and said, �Look. I have done what asked of me. I go to those dumb classes. I don�t leave the island with bodyguards. So, get off my back.� Lucky then turned around and headed back up the stairs. Stefan closed his eyes and stood there trying to remain calm. �How is going?� Alex asked as she walked up behind Stefan. �It is going,� Stefan said to her curtly and then he started off. �Can we talk for a minute?� Alex asked him before Stefan got too far. �As you wish,� Stefan said bowing to her slightly and they headed off to one of the side rooms. Alex looked at Stefan and said, �This must be frustrating. Have people tell you what to do in your own home.� �This is not my home. It my fathers and I do what he tells me,� Stefan said. �Yes, you do. I just want to say that I�m grateful for you to open your home to my husband, my son and myself. You have been very generous,� Alex said. �Alex, like I said this isn�t my home any more. It is my fathers. He gives his brother and his family the same respect as he has given my son and me. We are all guests here. Some of us know how to appreciate it more then others do but we are still guests,� Stefan said. �You mean Luke and his children,� Alex said. Stefan didn�t comment. He just looked away. �You know, Lu is a child that is used to plain things. It might be a suggestion to tell your father to adjust her menu. It might help her warm up to all of us if she feels us going that extra mile.� �Do you think it would work?� Stefan asked her. �It might. You never know. It also might help if Lucky knows that his friends are welcome here. He can�t leave but I see no reason why they can�t come over. It would help Zander as well. He doesn�t get to know kids his own age and I feel that is necessary in a rounded up bring,� Alex said. Stefan thought about this for the moment and said, �I will bring this to father�s attention. I know he wants to make his grandchildren feel at home here.� �Yes, he does and he wants to make his children feel the same way,� Alex said and then she left. Stefan watched her go with this smile his face. He liked Alex and knew what she was doing. He was grateful for her attempted and wished some of the others would try a bit harder. *********************************************** Luke stood at the backdoor of Kelly�s and watched as Ruby worked the grille. After a few moments in passing, Ruby got this feeling she was being watched and she turned around looking with a startled look on her face at Luke. �I wondered when you were coming here,� She said finally. �I thought you would come to me,� Luke said. �I didn�t think you would want to see me,� Ruby said as she moved toward him. �I would always want to see you,� Luke said and he pulled his aunt toward him. �How you feeling?� �Alright,� Ruby said as she pulled up two stacks of milk crates and sat down on them. �You are lying. I see it in your eyes. You work to hard,� Luke said. �Work is good for you. You remind your kids of that. You don�t want them to grow soft living on the island,� Ruby said. �I will. Don�t worry about,� Luke told her and he took several deep breaths before speaking again. �Ruby, did Mikkos threaten you or what you have saying is the truth?� Ruby looked at her hands and she stayed that way for awhile then she looked up and said, �I wish it was a threat and that all of it was made up but sadly no. Luke, Mikkos Cassadine is your father.� Luke felt like he had been hit in the gut. It took him while to regain control of his senses. He then asked, �Why didn�t you say something before this?� Ruby laughed and asked, �When? When you were small and you asked me why your father couldn�t love you? Or when, you were a teenager full of hate and rage toward the world? Or when you hated every Cassadine that was ever born for what they did to Laura and your family?� Luke nodded and said, �I guess there was never a good time. Part of me wishes that Mikkos had never said a word either.� �I know. Now, you are a bigger threat to Helena then you were before,� Ruby said sadly. �I don�t want what Mikkos has,� Luke said to Ruby. �No, but Helena does. She has ever since she first met him. She has done a lot to get that it and Mikkos is preventing her from keeping it. She has killed before Luke and she will again. You have to be ready for her,� Ruby warned him. �I�m always ready for her,� Luke said with a cold smile on his face. �Good. I always told you never hurt a woman but never think of her as a woman. The moment you do the moment she has you,� Ruby said. �I�ll remember,� Luke promised. �You sound like you know her. What in Mikkos story the truth and a lie?� �A lot is the truth but some of it he did twist around a bit. He also left a lot out,� Ruby said. �Like what?� Luke asked. �Like the fact that Helena was one of his father�s lovers. She never once slept with his friends,� Ruby said. �Why didn�t he just say it?� Luke asked. �Maybe because he doesn�t want anyone to know it was a big possible that Stavors was his brother,� Ruby said. �You�re joking,� Luke said almost to stunned to think about it. �No, I�m not. It fits what I know. Helena and Mikkos never liked each other. In fact, I�m surprised that they lasted as long as they did together. He hated her as much as she hated him,� Ruby said. �Helena always said Mikkos was her true love,� Luke commented. �Luke, Cassadines are good at lying. They would never admit to an outsider what is going on inside the family. They fight to keep things hidden,� Ruby warned Luke. �I�ll remember that. So, if Stavros was Mikkos brother. Why did Mikkos father even allow Helena to pass her son off as Mikkos?� �Because he didn�t think Mikkos was worthy in being the prince. He thought he was to soft,� Ruby said. �Mikkos? You got to be joking right?� Luke asked. �No, I�m not. Mikkos shared what he had with brothers and sister! His father didn�t approve of it. He thought Mikkos should be more singled minded. He thought that Mikkos should run with iron fist. He didn�t and they fought a lot about it,� Ruby said. �I bet they did. What does my real mother have to do with this? How they hooked up?� Luke asked. �Your mother and I were pen pals. I got out school and was spending the summer with her. We were in town and she ran into Mikkos lithely. He took one look at her and loved her. His father didn�t approve because she wasn�t from the right family. Her family worked for a living and he thought Mikkos should marry someone in his class,� Ruby said. �Helena wasn�t in his class,� Luke laughed. �Yeah she was. She was the daughter of one of Mikkos� father�s friends. He took her in after her father died. Of course he put her in his bed but that didn�t matter. She was still their class,� Ruby said. �That sounds like that family. Go on,� Luke said. �Mikkos refused to listen and they got married in pure Cassadine style. He even gave Christina�s family a home to live in and money to live on,� Ruby said. �That doesn�t sound like the Mikkos I know,� Luke said. �You never met Mikkos in love. He would do anything for your mother. He treated her like a china doll and when you were born. Mikkos was on cloud nine. He was so sure that thing would finally work out,� Ruby said. �What happened?� Luke asked. �Helena and Mikkos father plotted against him. Mikkos was protective of his brothers and sister. He got violate when one of them was hurt. Mikkos father used that against his son. He had Helena try to make moves on Victor. Mikkos found out and he went after her,� Ruby said. �After her how?� Luke asked. �He raped her. It didn�t start out that way but that is how it happened. Of course, Mikkos father made sure that Christina found out. She got so mad that she ordered me to pack some things and we left with you,� Ruby said. �If Mikkos raped Helena then how did she kill my mother?� Luke asked. �She didn�t. It was Mikkos father that killed her,� Ruby said. �How?� Luke asked. �He drove her off the road. We were going to her parents� house and got behind us. Christina did her best to out run him and she did for awhile. She stopped long enough at bend in the road to let me out with you. That was when he caught her, I don�t think he realized weren�t in the car. It happened so fast and the car blew up as hit the rocks that no one even realized there were two missing bodies,� Ruby said. Luke thought about this and then asked, �Ruby, how do you know all of this?� �Victor told me when he came for you when you were in your twenties,� Ruby said sadly. �Victor? Why would Victor come for me?� Luke asked. �He wanted to use you to bring down Helena. He had this grand plan,� Ruby said coldly. �How did you talk him out of it,� Luke asked. �I gave him Bobbie,� Ruby said looking away from Luke. �You what?� Luke said raising his voice the first time since she started talking. �He was at the house trying to sweet talk me into his plan. I wasn�t going for it. Bobbie came in about that time. He looked her and wanted her. I told him to forget his plan and he could have her. He could teach her how to,� Ruby said. �I got it. You don�t have to finish it,� Luke said cutting Ruby off. �You sold Bobbie to save me? Why?� Luke asked with his teeth clinched. �Because I owed it to your mother. I promised her that I would protect you. I failed her when I turned you over to my sister and her so called husband. I couldn�t do it again,� Ruby yelled. �You couldn�t do it again?� Luke yelled jumping to his feet and kicking the crates he was sitting on backwards. �You treated Bobbie like a piece of meat! Ruby, I can take you lying to protect me but when you sale the people I love to trash like the Cassadines that I can�t forget or forgive.� Luke stormed out of the diner. Ruby ran after him but Luke was way ahead of him by the time he got to the steps. Luke was already turning the corner. �Damn it, Luke. You don�t understand,� Ruby said with tears filling her eyes. She stood there for awhile then she turned around and headed back inside. ****************************************** Luke walked around town for awhile but didn�t help him cool off. All it did was ware him out. He ended near Jake�s so, Luke went in for a drink. He stayed for five hours. It was near closing time and Jake was trying to persuade Luke into telling her where he lived. At the moment, nothing worked all Luke wanted to was get drunker. �Luke, come on. I want close up. Where do you want to go?� �No where, leave. I�ll watch the place,� Luke said and he reached for the bottle. �Oh, no. I wouldn�t leave you here in my place with all this liquor. Come on. Tell me,� Jake begged. Victor�s limo just pulled up and Carly got out. She looked inside and noticed Jake sitting at the bar begging with a drunk or that how she took it. �It looks like Jake has a problem,� Carly commented. Victor looked in the window to see Luke grab for another bottle. �That�s Luke. Let�s go find out what is wrong,� Victor said and the two of them went into the bar together. �Luke, no,� Jake said pulling the bottle out of his hand. �Come on Jake. One for the road,� Luke said as he tried to stand up but his legs refused to support him any more. All he could do was drop back down onto the barstool again. �Luke, I think the lady wants to go home,� Victor said as he walked toward the other man. �Go away,� Luke, said shoving Victor but as drunk as he was he might as well be swatting at a fly. �Let�s go,� Victor said pulling on Luke�s arm. �I said go way,� Luke yelled and he tried to take a swing at Victor but all he ended up doing was loosing his balance and hitting his head on the barstool. Braking the barstool and knocking Luke out cold. Victor shook his head at Luke reached down and pulled him over his shoulder. �I�ll see you tomorrow,� Victor said to his daughter �Yeah,� Carly said smiling at Luke hanging over Victor�s shoulder dead asleep. �Ah, you are taking him home?� Jake asked the stranger. �Yeah, I�ll take him home,� Victor said and he walked out with Luke�s arms swinging back and forth behind him. Chapter 18 Back to A Father's Love |