Chapter 40 Nikolas sat in his father�s room listening to the ventilator breath from him. �Father, grandmother is gone. Luke killed her or she killed herself. It really doesn�t matter with way it was. The only thing that matters is that she is out of our lives forever. So, when you wake up, we have the freedom to do what we want,� Nikolas said. The door opened and Laura walked into the room. �How is he?� Laura asked. �I don�t know. He looks so weak,� Nikolas said with tears in his eyes. �Nikolas, I know this is hard right now but if we hold on to hope then maybe things will work out,� Laura told him as she wrapped her loving arms around him. �Mother, he is proud man. What if he can�t walk again? What if what Alex told us last night will be true and can�t even sit up by himself without aid? What can we then?� Nikolas asked. �I don�t know Nikolas but I do know we will face it together when that times comes. We are going to help your father deal this together,� Laura promised him. ***************************** Luke told Lucky to go back to the Port Charles Hotel and tell Lu that she had a date a six with her daddy but first Luke had something to do. It wasn�t until Sonny dropped Luke off at the docks near the launch that the group figured out what he was up to. �Ah, dad? What are you doing?� Lucky asked his father. �Facing Mikkos. My way,� Luke said as he got out of the car. �You are leaving him alive? Right?� Robert asked. �Yes, I�m not planning on going back to prison,� Luke said and he closed the door and headed for the launch. The group in the car sat and watched him go. �He�ll be ok,� Lucky said not sure if believed it or not but then he had no choice. He had to give his father a chance to deal with this mess on his own. Luke didn�t want to be announced. So, he took one of the secret passages to the den. He opened it slightly and spotted Mikkos sitting alone reading a paper in one of the two high back chairs. There was two cups of coffee on the table near by and this told Luke that Victor had to be somewhere. Luke wasn�t to worried about old Victor. He slipped out of the passageway and moved towards Mikkos. Luke raised his gun and placed it on the side of the guy�s head. �Get up,� Luke ordered without any greeting at all. �Luke, where have you been?� Mikkos asked. �None of your business! Now, get up!� Luke ordered again and he shoved the gun right against Mikkos head. Mikkos stood up with ease and then asked, �Where are we going?� �You�ll see,� Luke said and together the two men walked out of the den. Luke guided Mikkos� to Stefan�s secret room and when they got there Luke pulled out a key and held it out in front of him. �Take it!� Luke said. �How did you get this? Victor hasn�t even managed to get in this room yet,� Mikkos said shocked to find this out. Luke smiled and said, �You be surprised what I can do.� The two men walked into the room and Luke put away his gun. The moment Luke turned on the light, Mikkos let out a gasp of disbelief at what he saw. �What in hell is this?� Mikkos asked. �I asked that myself at first then I started getting noise and looked a little deeper. I found a reason for Stefan�s madness,� Luke said as he walked around the room. �Down here you have the history that people know about. The tails that been passed down from one generation to the other,� Luke said waving his hand around the room at all the old relics that lined the walls. Luke then moved to the stairs and started to move up them with Mikkos close behind him. �But up here! Stefan has the truth. The truth about sick family�s past,� Luke said. �I don�t get it. Why?� Mikkos asked as he looked around the den like area. �Why not? You wouldn�t tell him what the truth was? He had to find it out some way and maybe this is his way of staying sain. I mean who would want to wake up in this family? I wouldn�t? I�m still hoping this is a nightmare!� Luke said as he walked to Stefan�s desk and picked up two pictures. �Stefan, got to a point then he hit a brick wall of in way. He got to you and your father and things ended. �Why?� �I don�t know,� Mikkos said still not understanding why Luke brought him here. �Mikkos, don�t play me for a fool! I am giving you one shot that�s it. You can either lie to me again and I�ll leave or tell me truth and get a chance at staying in Lu and Lucky�s lives,� Luke said as he lit a cigar. �Luke, I don�t get what you want? I told you everything,� Mikkos said. Luke looked at Mikkos with cold contempt and said, �Right and Lu thinks there is an Easter Bunny, Santa Clause and that you are great person. One of those is about to loose it�s luster in her heart.� �What do you want?� Mikkos asked finally. Luke looked at Mikkos and said, �I want to know why all this happened? I want to know why Ruby lied for long? I want to know why Alexis is near falling a part? Why Helena hates Stefan with such zeal? Tell me Mikkos, tell me why this family is an the edge of eruption?� Mikkos got up and walked to the desk. He noticed the pictures that Luke was holding and he took them. Mikkos looked at the pictures and placed his picture back on the desk then he looked at Luke holding up the picture. �This is my Uncle Merck. When about I was about three and Victor was just a baby. He killed my father and made it look like an accident. The only person that knew the truth was my mother. She was to frighten of what he would do to Victor, her, or me to protest to loudly. She went along with his story that his death was an account. He took over the family and married my mother. He told the others it would be easier if Victor and I thought that he was our father. So, they never said anything. He of course paid them well for their silence,� Mikkos said and he ripped the picture in half. �So, Tony and this Angelic are you half siblings?� Luke asked puffing away on his cigar. �Yes, but to me they are just as much my family as Victor is,� Mikkos said. �So, when did you learn the truth?� Luke asked. Mikkos sighed moved to a chair near by and sat down. He looked at Luke and asked, �Is that really important?� �I think it is. You want me to let you near my children but I don�t know anything about you besides being my enemy. So, don�t you think telling me about why you lied might help win me over a bit?� Luke asked blowing smoke in Mikkos direction. Mikkos sat back and smiled at Luke. �You sure you want to hear all of it? You want to know why this family is as messed up as it seems?� Mikkos asked. �Not for me, but I need to know because of my kid? I need to know how to protect them,� Luke said. �Ok, let�s start with Merck! My loving Uncle or father depends on your point of view. He was a tyrant! He ruled over the family with iron fist. He even told me whom I was going to marry even before I met Ruby. Helena was going to be my bride. I hated her with a passion! I always knew in one way or the other that Helena was more to Merck then just the daughter of his old friend,� Mikkos said. �So, they were lovers back then. The story you cooked up about your passing her around was a lie,� Luke said. �Yes, they wouldn�t have her. Oh, she tried but it seems that no matter what she did her true heart would come through. It wasn�t until I met Ruby that I found out what love was and I defied Merck to have it. He wasn�t happy about my marriage but couldn�t do anything about it or so I thought,� Mikkos said. �You were young and stupid,� Luke said almost laughing at him. �Yes, I was. I was about twenty-one. I thought I could take on Merck and win. I didn�t realize what the price of failure was going to be. I didn�t realize that I would loss you and Ruby,� Mikkos said. �Question? Did you rape Helena?� Luke asked. �Yes, I did but that isn�t what I had planned. I was so angry at Merck that I wanted to hurt him and knew the only way to get him was through her,� Mikkos said. �What happened? What got you so upset?� Luke asked. �It wasn�t what I told everyone that first day. You see I found out that Merck had killed my mother. Oh, he didn�t do it out right. He didn�t even hire someone to do it. He just didn�t give her all the information she needed. My mother died of cancer and could have lived if he would have let the doctors treat her. He didn�t and she died,� Mikkos said his voice filled with angry still at this fact. �So, you went looking for Helena to hurt her,� Luke said. �Yes, but it was set up. Merck had arranged that I would find out the truth. Helena nagged me on until I went past control and I attacked her. Merck even had Ruby show up at the right time to see me in the act,� Mikkos said shacking his head at how dumb had been back then. �Oh, that was slick of him. Ruby took off with me giving him a chance to get rid of her and me and giving an excuse for you to believe that Stavors was yours,� Luke said. �Yes and to start this family into a hell that took a long time to get out of,� Mikkos said. �What do you mean?� Luke asked. �When I married Helena, I told her that I would never love her. I would never share a bed with her and I would never love a child of hers and I hadn�t all these years,� Mikkos said sounding a little regretful. �Hold it! If you and Helena hadn�t slept together as husband and wife then where did Stefan come from?� Luke asked puzzled. �Stefan isn�t Helena�s son. Alexis wasn�t the first child that I had out of wed lock,� Mikkos said. �He know this?� Luke asked. �No, he doesn�t that was part of the deal. I was allowed to have Stefan with me but until I showed some love for Stavors. I could never love him. The same went with Alexis and or course the same fate for Alexis�s mother went for Stefan�s mother as well,� Mikkos said sadly. �She killed them,� Luke said flatly. �Yes, she killed them. Oh, she bragged about it and I should have killed her but Merck wouldn�t allow it. He promised me that if Helena died then did my children,� Mikkos said. �Loving man,� Luke said starting to wonder if he really wanted to know all of this. �Yes. Very loving,� Mikkos said in a cold empty tone of voice. �Helena was match for him.� �I�m starting to realize that but I one question. You weren�t allowed to love you own children but why did you let Helena hurt them?� Luke asked. �I didn�t. It was evil cycle that wouldn�t go away. Helena would hurt Stefan and/or Alexis. I would hurt Helena. Merck in return would hurt Victor, Tony, or Angelic,� Mikkos said. �And I thought my childhood sucked,� Luke muttered wondering if it wasn�t a good idea to keep Mikkos and all the Cassadines away from his kids forever. Mikkos smiled at that and said, �Yeah, It was very messed up and if I would have know the real dark truth behind everything. I would killed Merck.� �What he do?� Luke asked figuring it couldn�t get worse. �I can�t tell you that part this story belongs to Alexis and Angelic. I can�t tell you without hurting them,� Mikkos said. Luke listened to the pain in Mikkos voice and relented. �How did Victor find out that Ruby was alive?� Luke asked. Ruby walked up the stairs at that time and said, �Merck, always knew that I was alive. He even knew about you. He told me that if I ever told you the truth that he would keep both of us.� �So, you stuck me with that bastard to keep me safe,� Luke said his voice laced with hate. �No, that wasn�t planned. I never met for you to get hurt,� Ruby said her eyes filling with tears and she saw the rage in Luke�s eyes. �Well, it happened,� Luke said. �Yes, it did and I tried to prevent it,� Ruby said trying to find the words to tell Luke the truth to tell him why all of this happened in the first place. �You did a hell of job,� Luke said sarcastically. �Enough,� Mikkos snapped and he went to stand by Ruby. �You don�t know why it happened. So, don�t judge her like that.� �Why then? Tell me? Why did all happen?� Luke said in a cold cynical tone. Ruby patted Mikkos� arm then looked at Luke. �I was paying the Spencers to raise you. They thought they couldn�t have a child and your nanny was James�s sister. He saw this agreement, as a way of getting money and shutting is wife up. I didn�t know what he was like until things were set up. I warned him that if he hurt you that I would take you way and not pay him. The treat worked for awhile until my parents died and the money getting from them stopped coming. Merck must have found out about the deal and figured on making things worse. This is when you started to get hit,� Ruby said with tears falling down her cheeks. Luke found it hard to stay cold towards Ruby with the tears falling. You could see in his face that he was slowing warming up to her but he still had his arms across his chest to keep her away from him. �Why didn�t you take me then?� Luke asked. �James found out that I couldn�t prove that you were my son. He managed to get birth certificate and without that proof I didn�t have a leg to stand on. We did come with agreement that as long as he got his money. You wouldn�t get hurt. I paid him. I sold my body to pay him. Sometimes it wasn�t enough and took it out on you,� Ruby said. Luke knew that his father or who he was, was a bastard but this proved it. Luke moved towards Ruby slowly lifted her head and said with cocky grin on his face. �Well, I ended up with you anyway.� �Yes,� Ruby said and she wrapped her arms around Luke. �But a price,� said after pulling away from him. �What price?� Luke asked puzzled at what she meant. �James asked me for more money. He didn�t tell me why needed it. I was angry with him because you had just healed from having braking your collarbone. I told him that I would pay him and when he came to get the money. I killed him,� Ruby said the last words were almost inaudible. Luke was shocked. He never saw Ruby as a killer before this and it took Luke a moment to understand what she was getting at. When he did Luke felt as if someone had hit him right in the gut! Chapter 41 Back to A Father's Love |