The meeting is in full swing, and Ned looks ready to scream.
Alexis is sitting in her chair, looking straight at him, twisting her hair around her fingers like a little kid, a move that she knows is a turn-on for Ned.
Edward: �...And I can expect that deposition when, Alexis? Alexis? Alexis?�
Alexis: �Huh? Oh yeah, I�ll give it to you by the end of the week, if that�s okay.�
Edward: �That will be fine. Ned, is that alright with you?�
Ned: (still watching Alexis) �What?�
Edward: �What is it with you two? Between you two and Alan the space case, I feel as if no one is even listening to me.�
Alan: �I am not from space!�
Edward: (throwing his hands up in the air) �I give up. This meeting is adjourned.�
Ned and Alexis smile at each other.
They are the first two people out the door, and they race to Ned�s office. As soon as Ned closes the door, he backs Alexis up against it. She wraps her legs around his waist and they fall to the floor.
Just then, the phone rings.
Ned: �Unfortunately, I�m expecting an important call.� He gets up and goes to the phone, leaving Alexis sitting on the floor, staring up at him.
Ned: �Ned Ashton... yes, I�ve been expecting your call... now about that merger...� he drones on and on, a pained expression on his face as Alexis watches in amusement.
She gets up and goes over to where he is sitting, and standing behind him, begins to massage his shoulders. Her lips begin to travel down Ned�s neck and he fights to keep from moaning.
Alexis, fully aware that she is driving Ned crazy, continues to kiss his neck, as she unknots his tie and takes off his shirt. Her hands come to rest on his abdominal muscles.
Ned: �Uh, a fax is coming in for me now, so can I get back to you about a meeting time? Okay, I�ll call you tomorrow. Thanks. Bye.� He hangs up the phone and turns in his swivel chair to face Alexis.
Ned: (pulling Alexis onto his lap) �You�re terrible.�
Alexis: (innocently) �Terrible? I was under the impression that you liked it.�
Ned doesn�t say anything. He just lifts her up onto his desk, and after removing her clothes, joins her, where they proceed to make mad, passionate love.
A week later.
Ned and Alexis are having lunch at the Port Charles Grill, when the same waitress that had wanted to know about Stefan when Alexis was there with Avery, comes over to take their order.
Waitress: �May I take your order?�
Alexis: �I would like a chicken Caesar salad, please.�
Ned: �I�ll have a BLT, with the bread lightly toasted, please.�
Waitress: �Aren�t you the woman who was talking about Stefan Cassadine last week? I think I saw your picture in the newspaper a few weeks ago.�
Alexis: �Yes, I was in the paper after the Nurses Ball.�
Waitress: �You really don�t know who I am? Alexis?�
Ned: �How did you know her name?�
Alexis looks carefully at the woman. About five foot seven, she has a slight build, brown eyes and auburn hair. She has no clue who this woman is.
Waitress: �Alexis, it�s me. Your mother.�
Alexis� eyes get huge as Ned glares at the woman.
Ned: �What are you talking about? Her mother died thirty-two years ago.�
Waitress: �I am Arianna Davis Cassadine. I survived the boat crash, Alexis, and ended up on a small island north of Greece, and I have been looking for you for years.� She smiles wistfully. �It would have been easier if I had realized that you�d changed your last name to Davis, and then gotten married.�
Alexis: (her voice trembling) �I don�t know if I believe you.�
Waitress: �Than let me prove it to you.�
Ned: �Don�t bother. You�re making this up, and you can go get our food now.�
Alexis: �Ned! Let her talk!�
Ned: �Alexis, you can�t possibly believe that this is your mother.�
Waitress: �Do you remember this song? I used to sing it to you at bedtime.� she begins to sing a song in Russian, but trails off at the last sentence. �I can�t remember the end.�
Alexis: (softly) �Dasvidanya, ezz au vout, prevete, prevete.� Her eyes fill with tears. �Mother.�
Waitress: �Alexis, my darling daughter. I have waited for this moment.� She holds her arms out and Alexis collapses into them.
Alexis: (sobbing) �I�ve dreamt that you would come back to me.�
Ned watches in disbelief as they embrace, Alexis crying into Arianna�s shoulder.
That night.
Ned: (coming into their bedroom) �Alexis, do you really think that she is your mother?�
Alexis: (an edge in her voice) �Yes, I do. She remembered me, and I know that she is my mother. Since when are you so skeptical?�
Ned: (sitting down on the bed with her) �Alexis, I just don�t know about this. I mean, if she�s been alive all this time, why did it take her thirty two years to find you?�
Alexis: �She explained that, remember? My mother was on that island for years, and she when she finally made it to the states, she couldn�t locate me because I had changed my last name from Cassadine to Davis.�
Ned: �I can�t figure out why it took her so long, regardless of what you just said. If your mother, or whoever she is, had come to the conclusion that Alexis Cassadine no longer existed, than it would only be obvious to look under the name Alexis Davis.�
Alexis: (getting mad) �Does everything have such an obvious answer for you? Why can�t you just be happy for me?�
Ned: �Because I honestly do not believe that this woman is your mother. Alexis, I don�t want you to get hurt if it turns out that she isn�t.�
Alexis: �Just because you have a terrible mother who ignored you your whole life, doesn�t mean that you have to be jealous that I found my mother, who is a wonderful person.�
Ned: �JEALOUS? You think that I�m jealous? Alexis, I don�t think that you could get any farther away from the truth!� he glares at her. �Remember, in Bali, when you told me that the thing you love the most about me is the way I protect you...�
Alexis: �And your point would be?�
Ned: �I am trying to protect you now.�
Alexis: (icily) �I do not need your protection, Ned. I am a grown woman.�
Ned: �Well, you�re certainly not acting like one! You�re acting like a three-year-old who totally believes in Santa Claus.�
Alexis: �I really don�t want to hear this.�
Ned: �Fine. Consider the subject closed for now.� He slides into bed next to her and turns off the light.
When Ned leans over to kiss Alexis, she pulls away and turns on her side. Ned sighs and closes his eyes. Soon, they are both asleep.
Meanwhile, across town in a small motel.
Arianna enters her room to find Helena waiting for her.
Helena: �How did it go?�
Arianna: (smugly) �Perfectly. Alexis totally believed that I am her mother. She did the whole sobbing thing, she was shocked... it was really kind of amusing.�
Helena: �So, she�s completely sold on the idea that you are Arianna Davis Cassadine?�
Arianna: �Yeah.� She grimaces. �But there is one potential problem.�
Helena: �A problem? What?�
Arianna: �Her husband, that Ashton guy? He sure is protective of her, and he doesn�t believe that I am her mother. With the bucks they have, I�m sure he�ll hire a private investigator or something.�
Helena: �As long as you stick with your story, you should be fine. I had the real Arianna�s death certificate removed from the Athens medical examiner, so there is no proof that she died in that boating accident.�
Arianna: �So when am I supposed to kill Alexis? And why do you want her dead again?�
Helena: �First of all, you have to make her truly believe that you are her mother. Talk about the past, about the things I briefed you on. And secondly, do not ask me about my intentions.�
Arianna: �Sorry, but I have a right to know. I am going to kill her after all.�
Helena: �Alexis is the bastard child of my husband and Arianna. They were having an affair, and because of her, the line of succession is messed up. If you need another reason, I never liked Alexis. She thought she was so great, Stefan�s sidekick, but really, she was just an insolent little brat.�
Arianna: �And that�s why you hired me?�
Helena: �I know that you, Vanessa Mancinni, are one of the greatest foreign assassins in Europe, and you are so good that no one knows about you. Besides, you even have a Russian accent.�
Arianna: �Please, I prefer to go by Arianna, since that is who I am supposed to be.�
Helena goes to the bar and pours them both a glass of vodka. She hands one of the glasses to Arianna.
Helena: �To the utter demise of Alexis Davis-Ashton.� They clink the glasses together.
The next morning.
Alexis and Ned are eating a silent breakfast before Avery gets up, when the doorbell rings. Ned gets up to let Mackenzie in.
Mackenzie: (breezing into the kitchen, dressed in a white suit) �Good morning.�
Alexis: (in a tight voice) �Good morning.�
Mackenzie gives Ned a funny look, but he just sits down and resumes eating his toast.
Ned: (formally) �Alexis, what are you doing at work this afternoon?�
Alexis: �I�m not sure. Why?�
Ned: �I need you to come see me about signing some contracts.�
Alexis: �Fine.� She gets up and leaves the room.
Mackenzie: �Not to pry, dear brother, but what is going on here?�
Ned: (sighing) �I shouldn�t be telling you this, and you have to swear to not say anything...�
Mackenzie: �I swear.�
Ned: �We were at lunch yesterday, and it turns out that one of the waitresses at the Grill is Alexis� long lost mother, Arianna.�
Mackenzie: �Wow! Alexis must be thrilled!�
Ned: �She is. And that�s the problem. This woman�s story seems to have a few holes in it, and to tell you the truth, I don�t believe that she is who she says she is.�
Mackenzie: �This is just a guess, but you told Alexis this and she got a little angry?�
Ned: �And accused me of being jealous that our mother is such an ogre.�
Mackenzie: �Ouch.� She smiles a half smile. �But I�m sure you can see where she�s coming from.�
Ned: �I can, and I wish with all of my heart that this woman is Alexis� mother. But I have this genuine feeling that she isn�t, and the feeling isn�t going to go away. I want to keep Alexis from getting hurt but she�s ready to kill me.�
Mackenzie: �She�s going to be mad for a while. Just give her time.�
Ned: �I guess that�s all that I can do.� He smiles. �I like having a sister that I can talk to about these things.�
Mackenzie: �I�m glad that you confided in me.�
Ned: �Me too. I just hope that the next time you see me isn�t my funeral.�
Mackenzie: �Meaning?�
Ned: �Hopefully, Alexis isn�t going to kill me this afternoon. There won�t be any witnesses around so she may be tempted.�
That afternoon. ELQ.
There is a knock on Ned�s office door and he looks up from his computer.
Ned: �Come in.�
Alexis comes into the office, and sits down in the chair in front of the desk, not making eye contact with Ned.
Ned: �And just how long are you going to not speak to me?�
Alexis: �I am here to sign the contracts, Ned, so where are they?�
As Ned hands her a sheaf of papers, their wrists brush together, causing Ned�s pulse to speed up. Alexis glares at him and begins looking through the papers.
Alexis: (devoid of any emotion) �I could have sworn that I signed this one last week.�
Ned: �You did. But we needed to make a few revisions on the final.�
Alexis: �Fine.� She scrawls her signature on it and moves onto the next one.
Ned: (watching her carefully) �Are you planning on being home for dinner?�
Alexis: �Actually, I�m going to see my mother.� She waits for him to say something, but he remains silent. �Is that alright with you?�
Ned: �Why are you asking me? You made it clear last night that my opinion counts for pretty much nothing.�
Alexis: �I�m asking you because you seem to want to have the final say in everything I do. Is it okay with you?�
Ned: �It�s fine.�
Alexis: �Good.� She turns back to the documents. �You know, I expected you, of all people, to be happy about this.�
Ned: �Alexis, I will be happy for you if this turns out to be the real thing. You can�t blame me for being a little wary.�
Alexis: �A little wary? You pretty much told me that you think that she isn�t my mother.�
Ned: (challenging her) �Have you compared her to any pictures?�
Alexis: (after a minute, in a low voice) �I don�t have any.�
Ned: �You don�t? Why not?�
Alexis: (not looking at him) �Because as soon as the funeral was over, Helena had our entire house cleaned out, and everything burned.�
Ned: �So, you have nothing of your parents?�
Alexis: �Nope.� She stops writing. �Well, one thing.� She picks up her purse and takes out an earring. �This was left behind. I talked Stefan into going back to my home with me one day, and we found this under the carpet.�
Ned: �May I see it?�
Alexis hands the earring to him, and he turns it over in his hand in amazement.
Alexis: �It�s really something, isn�t? I�ve never seen anything like it.� The earring is a drop earring with a single diamond at the bottom of the tiny pearls. �I tried to have a jeweler in New York make me another one, but he couldn�t. He made me the closest thing he could, but it wasn�t the same. I�ve carried this earring with me my entire life.�
Ned: �Alexis, I am so sorry.�
Alexis looks at him, her eyes filled with tears. Suddenly, she shuts down emotionally.
Alexis: �Do you have any more contracts for me to sign or can I go?�
Ned: �You can go, but first, I need to tell you something.�
Alexis: �What?�
Ned: �I love you, and I always will.�
Alexis: (not quite sure what to say) �I�ll see you later.� She gets up and leaves the room.
Out in the hall.
Alexis: (whispering) �I love you too.�
That evening. The Outback.
Arianna walks in to see Alexis sitting at a table waiting for her. She rises when she sees her coming.
Alexis: �Mother, I�m glad that you could join me.�
Arianna: �Anything for my only daughter.� She smiles. �So, Alexis, tell me everything about your life since I last saw you.�
Alexis: �Well, Helena and Mikkos took me in after you died, and they raised me until I was eighteen.� She grimaces. �Life with Helena was something else.�
Arianna: (trying to not laugh) �She always did have an attitude problem.�
Alexis: �I decided that I wanted to go to law school, so I ran away from home when Helena forbid me to go. I ended up going to Harvard, and am now a defense attorney. When I was going there, I met a woman my age named Kimberly, who is still my best friend and she lives here in Port Charles. I ended up graduating tops in my class.�
Arianna: �So, how did you meet that handsome husband of yours?�
Alexis: Well, Stefan and Nikolas, that�s his son, moved here in 1996, and he asked me to come be his lawyer when he bought General Hospital. I moved here and ended up meeting Ned in the PC Hotel bar on Christmas Eve. We automatically were drawn to each other, became best friends, and the rest is history.� She smiles. �He�s the greatest thing that ever happened to me.�
Arianna: �And that little girl with you last week is your daughter, I take it?�
Alexis: �Yes, that�s Avery. She�s five. We also have a four-month-old named Hannah.�
Arianna: �How sweet! You four must be the perfect family!�
Alexis: (looking sad) �I guess you could say that. I hope that you can come over to the house and see them sometime soon.�
Arianna: �I would love to meet my grand-daughters. When?�
Alexis: �Well, Kimberly, her husband and their two kids are staying with us for the rest of the week, so how about Saturday night? Dinner?�
Arianna: �That sounds wonderful.�
Alexis: �I can�t wait.�
Saturday afternoon (early evening)
Avery: �What do you mean, I have a grandmother? I thought your mommy and daddy were dead.�
Alexis: �Well, I thought so too, because when I was your age, my parents got into a accident on a boat and I thought they drowned. But it turns out that my mommy is alive!�
Avery: �I don�t know how to have a grandmother.�
Alexis: �Just treat her like you treat me and Daddy and Uncle Stefan and Aunt Mackenzie.�
Avery: �Did you know that Aunt Mackenzie is coming for dinner too?�
Alexis: �She is? Who said that?�
Ned: (coming down the stairs) �I did.�
Alexis: �And that would be because?�
Ned: �Because I invited her. She�s my sister, what�s so strange about having her over for dinner?�
Alexis: �On this particular night? I suppose that you told her about my mother.�
Ned: �Yes, I did. Just like you told Kim.�
Alexis: �But Kim isn�t coming for dinner. Are Stefan and Christabel coming too?�
Ned: �Nope, just Mackenzie.�
Just then, the doorbell rings. Ned goes to let Mackenzie in.
Avery: �Aunt Mackenzie!� she jumps into her arms. �Did you know that I have a grandmother?�
Mackenzie: �Yep. Your dad told me. Cool, huh?�
Avery: �Well, Serena has a cool grandmother. I hope mine is too.�
Mackenzie: �Alexis, I hope you don�t mind me being here.�
Alexis: �Of course not.�
Just then, the doorbell rings again.
Alexis gives Ned a dirty look as she goes to open the door.
Alexis: �Mother!�
Arianna: (hugging her) �Alexis, thank you for having me.�
Alexis: (ushering her inside) �Mother, you remember my husband Ned, and this is our daughter Avery, and this is Ned�s sister, Mackenzie Cisnaros.�
Mackenzie: �It�s nice to meet you, Mrs. Cassadine.�
Arianna: (shaking Mackenzie�s hand) �Please call me Arianna. It�s also nice to meet you. I believe that I�ve seen a picture of you in the newspaper for something.�
Mackenzie: �Yes, there was a picture of me and my boyfriend in there after the Nurses Ball. I�m dating Alexis� brother, Stefan.�
Arianna: (bending down) �And who is this little one?�
Avery: �My name is Avery, and I�m five.�
Arianna: �It is very nice to meet you, Avery.�
Avery: �Do you like the Spice Girls?�
Arianna: �Who are they?�
Alexis watches as Avery�s face falls.
Avery: �You don�t know who the Spice Girls are? They sing the song that goes, �If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends, make it last forever, friendship never ends...� don�t you know that song?�
Arianna: �I�m sorry, but I don�t.� she turns to Alexis. �I thought that you have two daughters.�
Alexis: �Yes, Hannah is asleep.�
Arianna: �You let your daughter take naps so close to dinnertime? She must keep you up all night long.�
Alexis: �Maybe we should move her naptime up.� She smiles. �Mother, if you�d like, you can come upstairs with me so I can get her up.�
Arianna: �That would be wonderful.� She follows Alexis upstairs.
Avery: (to Ned and Mackenzie) �Is she serious? She doesn�t know who the Spice Girls are? I thought everyone did!�
Ned: �Well...� he turns to Mackenzie. �So, Hannah is going to be taking earlier naps now?� he rolls his eyes. �Interesting.�
Mackenzie: �I don�t know what to think.� She lowers her voice. �But there is something about her that seems phony.�
Ned: �See? That�s what I meant!�
A half hour later.
Ned: (trying to be polite) �How are you liking Port Charles so far, Arianna?�
Arianna: �It�s very interesting. Quite different from Greece, or Italy.�
Alexis: �When were you in Italy?�
Arianna: �I lived there for a short time before I came to the states to find you.�
Ned: �And are you planning on permanently residing here?�
Alexis gives Ned a nasty look and turns back to her mother.
Arianna: �I haven�t made any concrete decisions yet. I�m staying in a motel for now.�
Alexis: �A motel? Where?�
Arianna: �The Shady Brook Motel on Cortland Street.�
Alexis: (appalled) �Oh mother, you can�t stay there! That is where the drug dealers and prostitutes live.�
Arianna: �That�s sweet of you to worry about me, but I will be fine.�
Alexis: �Why don�t you stay in the ELQ suite at the Port Charles Hotel?�
Arianna: �That�s a very nice offer, but I�m a little strapped for cash right now.�
Alexis: �No, no, I don�t think you understand. Ned owns the hotel. The company we work for, ELQ Industries, has a suite there. You�re more than welcome to stay there until you get a place of your own.�
Arianna: �I would love that.� She looks at Ned. �Do you mind, Ned?�
Ned: �Of course not. You�re my mother-in-law after all.�
When Alexis turns away, Arianna gives him a fake smile and he gives her one back.
Avery: �Can I call you grandma? That�s what Serena calls hers.�
Arianna: �Who�s Serena?�
Avery: �My best friend. Her mommy is my mommy�s best friend.�
Arianna: �I suppose that you can call me that.� She looks momentarily uncomfortable. �Your mother tells me that you take ballet lessons. Do you want to be a ballerina?�
Avery: �No. I want to be a supermodel who has a band.�
Ned and Mackenzie look amused. Arianna and Alexis exchange a look.
Arianna: �Don�t you want to be something a little more solid? Like a lawyer?�
Avery: �Nah, I don�t argue as good as my mommy.�
Arianna: �And, Mackenzie, you�re a lawyer?�
Mackenzie: �Yes, I am the head council for Cassadine Industries.�
Arianna: �Cassadine Industries? When did the family start a business?�
Alexis: �Sometime after Mikkos died trying to freeze the world.�
Arianna: �Ah, and who runs it?�
Alexis: �Stefan.�
Arianna: �Your brother is running the family fortune?� she laughs. �I remember Stefan as Stavros� shadow.�
Alexis: �Mother, I was wondering if I could speak with you off the record.�
Arianna: �About what?�
Alexis: (looking at Ned and Mackenzie) �Well, about my father.�
Arianna: �What about Thaao?�
Alexis: �I meant about Mikkos.� She pauses. �Ned, Mackenzie, could you please excuse us for a moment?�
Ned: �Sure.�
Alexis and Arianna head into the living room to finish their conversation, as Mackenzie lurks around the kitchen door, trying to eavesdrop.
Alexis: �Why didn�t you ever tell me that Mikkos was my father?�
Arianna: (grasping for straws, since Helena never mentioned this to her) �Well, uh, I didn�t think that you needed to know. You were just a child. How did you find out?�
Alexis: �Helena told me. She was threatening me before my wedding, and when I flew to Greece to confront her, she told me all about your little affair with Mikkos.� She smiles cynically. �She ended up crashing the wedding and telling everyone.�
Arianna: �Alexis, please forgive me for my untruth about your father. Thaao was your father in every sense of the word.�
Ned: (in the kitchen) �Mackenzie, what are you doing? Spying on them?�
Mackenzie: (hissing) �Shh. I can�t hear what they�re saying when you talk.�
Ned: �What are they talking about?�
Mackenzie: �Something about a guy named Thaao being her father even though Mikkos was her biological father.� She goes over to the counter and sits down on a stool as Ned puts dishes in the dishwasher. �Isn�t that Stefan�s father?�
Ned: �Yeah. He and Arianna were having an affair.�
Mackenzie: �You know, when Alexis just brought that up, Arianna seemed to waver a little. You were right, Ned. Something is going on here.�
Ned: �I�m glad that someone believes me, even if Alexis doesn�t.�
Mackenzie: �Do you want me to follow Arianna home and see what happens?�
Ned: �Mackenzie, you heard her say that she is staying on Cortland Street. I refuse to send you there. I don�t want anything to happen to you.�
Mackenzie: �Ned, I am twenty six years old. I can take care of myself. Besides, Alexis is my sister, well, my sister-in-law, but let�s just call it sister. Anyway, I don�t want her getting hurt either.�
Ned: �I have a feeling that I�m not going to be able to talk you out of this, so I�m going to tell you to be careful and call me as soon as you get back to Wyndemere.�
Mackenzie: �Yes, sir.� She grins. �So this is what it�s like having a pesky older brother.�
Later that evening.
Mackenzie watches from her BMW as Arianna gets out of her rental car and goes into the Shady Brook Hotel. She follows her from a safe distance up to the fourth floor.
Arianna goes into her room to talk to Helena, who is waiting, as usual.
Arianna: �You�ll never guess what Alexis offered me.�
Helena: �Her husband?�
Arianna: �Nope. The ELQ suite at the PC Hotel. She wants me to get out of this dive.�
Helena: �You should. Take her up on her little offer.�
Arianna: �But won�t it be a little obvious for you to be coming in and out when Alexis could just stop by at any moment?�
Helena: �We could have a code or something. I could call you on my cell phone before I came up pretending to be room service.�
Arianna: �Okay.� She grimaces. �That was a long evening.�
Helena: �How so?�
Arianna: �Well, Ned�s sister, Mackenzie, was there.�
Helena: �Oh really? I blackmailed her into helping me kidnap Alexis last time.�
Arianna: �Well, she�s with Ned on the distrust thing about me, and their daughter is a little brat.�
Helena: �The baby or the kid with the boys� name?�
Arianna: �The older one, Avery. She was shocked that I didn�t know the Spice Girls.�
Helena: �Remember, you have to be nice to her. You�re her grandmother.�
Arianna: �I�m beginning to see why you dislike Alexis so much.�
Helena: �I�m so glad that she�s going to be dead soon.� She laughs. �Than I can take the reigns of the Cassadine fortune.�
Out in the hall, Mackenzie stands there in shock, and then flees the scene before anyone can see her.
Arianna: (as Mackenzie walks away) �Maybe we can kill Mackenzie too, for fun. I don�t like her.�
Helena: �Be my guest.�