Ned is reading a file for work in bed. Alexis is laying next to him, reading the latest issue of Cosmopolitan. They aren�t speaking to each other.
Ned looks over at Alexis, who is deeply immersed in her magazine, her glasses perched on her nose. A lock of her hair falls into her face as she reads.
Automatically, Ned pushes the piece of hair back, causing Alexis to look up and give him a half smile.
Ned: �You look like you�re enjoying your magazine. What are you reading?�
Alexis: �I�m reading about this test they�re doing on different types of lipstick.� She grins. �I know it sounds stupid, but it�s actually interesting. You?�
Ned: �I�m just going over a chart for work before I have to call the manager of this company tomorrow.�
Alexis: �What company is it?�
Ned: �Bastis International. We�re thinking of doing business with them.�
Alexis: �Oh.� She moves a little closer to him, since she was sitting as far away from him as possible before, almost falling off the bed.
Ned looks down at her and smiles.
Ned: �Avery seemed to like your mother a lot.�
Alexis: �I�m glad. Avery deserves a grandparent or two.�
Ned: �Alexis, I don�t want to fight about this.�
Alexis: �Neither do I.� She snuggles against him so that her head is propped up in the crook of his arm.
Just then, the phone rings, and Ned reaches over to get it.
Ned: �Hello?�
Mackenzie: �It�s me. I just got home from my little adventure.�
Ned: �What happened?�
Mackenzie: �I don�t know where to start- the part where Arianna was telling Helena how much she hates you, me and your kids...�
Ned: �Helena!?! She�s behind this?�
Alexis looks up at him and raises her eyebrows.
Mackenzie: �Ned, I need to tell you something. Arianna, or whoever she is, is planning to kill Alexis. Helena hired her.�
Ned: �What? Are you sure?�
Mackenzie: �I�m positive. I heard it through the door of her room.�
Ned: �Thanks, Mackenzie. I�ll talk to you later, okay?�
Mackenzie: �Good luck with Alexis.�
Ned: �I�m going to need it.� He hangs up the phone and turns to Alexis. �Alexis, I need to talk to you about something.�
Alexis: �What?�
Ned: �That woman is not your mother.�
Alexis: �This again? Ned, I�m starting to get tired of the same old story. Give it up.�
Ned: �I�m not kidding.� He looks her in the eye. �Mackenzie heard Arianna talking to Helena about killing you. Helena hired her.�
Alexis: �You got Mackenzie to follow her? What are you two? Nancy Drew and one of the Hardy Boys?�
Ned: �She�s going to kill you. Alexis, you have to believe me.�
Alexis looks down at the bedspread for a minute. When she looks up, her face is filled with rage.
Alexis: �You bastard! How dare you!�
Ned: �Alexis, I�m trying to protect you!�
Alexis: �Ned, I do not want your protection, or your sister�s!�
Ned: �Alexis...�
Alexis: �I don�t want to see you right now. Leave!�
Ned: �This is not just your bedroom. It is ours.�
Alexis: �Get out right now!�
Ned: (getting angry) �No, you get out!�
Alexis: �Fine.� She gets out of bed and stomps from the room.
Ned can hear the guest room door slam. He sighs and turning off the light, goes to sleep.
The next morning.
Alexis is walking into the Starbucks by ELQ when she runs into Gregory.
Gregory: �Alexis!�
Alexis: �Oh, hi, Greg.� She sounds like she hasn�t slept in a month.
Gregory: �Alexis? Are you okay?� he looks at her closely. There are bags under her eyes and she looks pale. �Do you want to talk about it?�
Alexis: �Not really.� She thinks for a minute. �Actually, could we talk?�
Gregory: �Sure.� He gestures towards the counter. �Do you want to get something first? We can go talk in the park.�
Alexis goes to the counter and buys herself a venti French vanilla latte with extra whipped cream. She then goes outside and they go across the street to the park.
In they park, they sit down on a bench, and Gregory turns to Alexis.
Gregory: �Now, Alex, tell me what�s going on here.�
Alexis: �My mother is alive.�
Gregory: �You�re kidding! I thought she died when you were four.�
Alexis: �It turns out that she survived the boat crash, and ended up on some island for several years.�
Gregory: �That�s great that she�s alive. You must be so happy.� She looks at him deadpan. �Aren�t you?�
Alexis: �Ned doesn�t believe that she�s my mother. He had Mackenzie, his sister, follow her home and Helena was supposedly there.�
Gregory: �Do you believe him?�
Alexis: �No. Ned said that Helena hired this woman to pretend she�s my mother, get close to me, and then kill me.�
Gregory: �And I take it that you and Ned had a disagreement about this?�
Alexis: �More like a major blowup. I know that he wants to protect me from harm, but I know that this is my mother.�
Gregory: �You�d know better than anyone. Ned is just paranoid.�
Alexis: �I�m beginning to think that.�
Just then, Ned comes walking out of Starbucks. He sees Alexis and Gregory sitting in the park. He watches Alexis laugh at something Gregory was saying, and he frowns.
Ned: (to himself) �Hmm. Gregory is getting cozy with my wife. I�ve got to do something about this before they get any closer.�
One week later.
The phone at the Ashtons� house rings.
Alexis: �Hello?�
Ned: �It�s me. I�m just checking up on you and the kids.�
Alexis: �I don�t understand why you had to fly off to Phoenix for a week.�
Ned: (rolling his eyes) �It�s not by choice. It�s for ELQ, as you are well aware of.� He pauses. �Can I speak to Avery?�
Alexis: �Just a minute.� She puts the phone down. �Avery, Daddy is on the phone.�
Avery: (picking up the phone) �Hi, Daddy! I miss you!�
Ned: �I miss you too, Tigger. Are you behaving yourself?�
Avery: �Yeah. I wish you were here though. I think Mommy misses you.�
Ned: �How do you know that?�
Avery: �Cuz I saw her in the hall staring at your wedding picture. She looked like she was going to cry.�
Ned: �I miss all of you. How is Hannah?�
Avery: �She still cries every night.�
Ned: �Have you seen Aunt Mackenzie or Uncle Stefan?�
Avery: �No. Mommy is mad at Aunt Mackenzie. I heard her tell Aunt Kim. Grandma has been over here though.�
Ned: �Is she nice to you?�
Avery: �She ignores me and Hannah. She keeps telling Mommy how she should do stuff. Daddy, when are you coming home?�
Ned: �Three days.� He looks at his watch. �I�ve got to go, Av. I love you.�
Avery: �I love you too, Daddy. Bye.�
Ned turns his cell phone off, and sighing, heads out of the building.
Meanwhile. Wyndemere.
Mackenzie: �Stefan, we have to do something. I heard Helena saying that Alexis is not going to be alive to celebrate her birthday.�
Stefan: �Mackenzie, I don�t know what I can do. Alexis is not going to listen to me.�
Mackenzie: �You have to do something. She�s your sister.�
Stefan: �All right, I�ll see what I can do about finding out who this woman is.�
Mackenzie: �Thank you.�
The next night.
Avery: (running into the kitchen) �Mommy, I can�t get the remote to work.�
Alexis: (on the way up the stairs with Hannah) �Mother, can you take care of it? I�m going to get Hannah in bed.�
Arianna: �No problem. Avery, where are you watching your tape?�
Avery: �In here.� She leads her into the living room, where Arianna fixes the remote.
Arianna: �There. Now watch your little show.�
Avery looks surprised as Arianna walks out of the room and goes upstairs. As she walks
down the hall, she removes a small gun from her purse.
Alexis has her back to the door as she stands over Hannah�s crib. Arianna licks her lips as she prepares to raise the gun.
Just then, someone tugs on her legs.
Avery: �Grandma, what are you doing?�
Arianna: (caught off guard) �I was asking your mom if we could go get ice cream.�
Avery: �Oh. Can we?�
Arianna: �Yep. Let�s go.� She holds her hand out to Avery and they walk out of the house and get into Arianna�s maroon Acura. They pull out of the driveway.
Avery: �Where are we going?�
Arianna: �Shut up, you little brat.�
Avery: (starting to cry) �Why are you being mean to me?�
Arianna: �I said shut up. Now if you don�t, I�m going to put you in the trunk.�
Avery: �I want my Mommy!�
Arianna laughs cruelly as she heads back to her motel.
When they get there, Arianna, carrying Avery in one arm, her hand clamped over her mouth, opens the door, to reveal Helena and Leo.
Helena: �What the hell are you doing with that child?�
Arianna: �She got in the way.� She pushes Avery towards Leo. �Watch her. She�s our ransom money.�
Helena: �You can�t stay here with her! The PCPD will be over here faster than you can say kidnapped.�
Arianna: �That�s right. That�s why you and Leo are going to take her, and I am going to stay here and play the concerned grandmother.�
Avery: (screaming) �I WANT MY MOMMY! TAKE ME HOME!�
Leo: �Loud little brat, isn�t she?�
Arianna: �Avery, I�m only going to tell you this once. If you don�t shut up right now, I�m going to go back and kill your little sister.�
Avery: �You can�t kill her! Hannah is a baby!�
Arianna: �Than pipe down.�
Avery starts crying again and sits down on the chair.
Helena: �Where do you suggest we take her?�
Arianna: �Somewhere where you�ll fit in together.� She thinks about it. �Las Vegas.�
Helena: �Vegas? You want us to take her to Vegas? And then what?�
Arianna: �After I take care of Alexis, I�ll fly out to join you, and we�ll wait for Ned to post the ransom for his little princess.�
Twenty minutes later.
Arianna has dropped Leo, Helena and Avery off at the Cassadine Industries jet, and they have departed for Vegas. She returns to the Ashtons� house without Alexis knowing she had left.
Alexis: (coming down the stairs) �Sorry that took so long. Hannah was fussy again.�
Arianna: �No problem.�
Alexis: �How about some ice cream? Avery, do you want any ice cream?� she looks around. �Avery, where are you?�
Arianna: �I thought she was with you.�
Alexis: �Avery? Avery?� she begins looking around the room. �Avery Madelynn Ashton, you come out right this instant!�
Arianna: �Avery, where are you? Your mommy is getting worried.�
Alexis: (about to panic) �Maybe she�s upstairs.� She races off.
An hour later.
Julia, Jax and Mackenzie have turned the house upside down looking for Avery, who is not there. Arianna left to �go to the police station� but she really went back to the motel.
Alexis: (sobbing) �Where could she be?�
Jax: (putting his arms around her) �Have you called Ned yet?�
Alexis: �No.� she starts to cry again. �I�ll go in the study and do it. Julia, could you go check on Hannah?�
Julia: �Sure.� She and Jax go upstairs.
Mackenzie: �I�m going to call Stefan.�
Alexis heads into the study and calls Ned�s cell phone, still crying.
Ned: �Ned Ashton.�
Alexis: (sobbing) �Ned, you have to come home.�
Ned: (forgetting that he�s not speaking to her) �Baby, what happened?�
Alexis: �Avery is gone. She�s been kidnapped.�
Ned feels like someone has just kicked him in the stomach.
Ned: �How could that be?�
Alexis: �I went to put Hannah to bed, my mother was in the kitchen and Avery was watching TV. When I came back, she was gone.�
Ned: �Could she have walked over to Kim and Scott�s house?�
Alexis: �They�re not home.�
Ned: �I�ll be home as soon as I can. Try to hang in there, Lex.�
Four hours later.
Ned walks into their house to see Alexis sobbing on the couch. She looks up at him as he goes to her, and stands.
Ned: �Any word?�
Alexis: �Nope. She just vanished.� She collapses into his arms and they both start crying.
Ned: �It�s going to be all right, Alexis. We�ll get her back.�
Alexis: �The police were here... they said that since she just vanished... they�re considering it a kidnapping... who would do this...� she sobs into his chest like a child.
Wyndemere.
Stefan: (in his study, hanging up the phone) �Damn you, mother!� he picks up his glass of port and throws it at the wall. The glass shatters into a million pieces.
Mackenzie: (coming in) �What did your investigators say?�
Stefan: �They said that a plane left Port Charles about seven hours ago and headed west. This has my mother�s m.o. written all over it.�
Mackenzie: �What about Arianna?�
Stefan: �I have a feeling that she�s part of this too.� His face is twisted in pain. �I can not imagine what Alexis and Ned are feeling right now.�
Mackenzie: �I hate Helena.�
Stefan: �If she did kidnap Avery, than she won�t be around long enough to stand trial. I will kill her myself.�
The Ashtons� house.
The phone rings at three a.m. PC time.
Ned: (grabbing it) �Avery? Is that you?�
Helena: �Missing your little girl, are you, Ned?�
Ned: �Helena? What did you do to her?�
Helena: �Don�t worry, she�s safe. For now. But if you don�t forward two hundred million dollars in cash to my Swiss bank account by Friday morning, she may not be so safe.�
Ned: �Two hundred million? I don�t exactly have two hundred million in cash lying around.�
Helena: �Than you had better start thinking fast of ways to get it.�
Ned can hear Avery crying in the background as the phone slams down.
Alexis: (coming into the room) �Who was it?�
Ned: �Helena. She�s got Avery.�
Alexis: (gasping) �She does? Where?�
Ned: �She won�t say. She did, however say that if we don�t have two hundred million dollars in cash for her by Friday, which is two days from now, they�re going to kill her.�
Alexis: (sobbing) �How... we don�t have...�
Ned: (going to her and putting his arms around her) �We�ll find a way.�
The next morning (actually, later that morning)
The Ashtons� house. The guys are talking.
Stefan: �So, do we have any leads?�
Ned: �No, and I have no way of getting my hands on two hundred million dollars in the next forty eight hours.�
Jax: �What if we helped out?�
Scott: �I�m sure that all of us could put a few million in. Look at what we have here, members of the Cassadine, Quartermaine and Jacks families. And the rest of us have good money too. Our little family is comprised of some of the richest people on the eastern seaboard.�
Ned: �I can not imagine what Avery is thinking right now.�
Jax: �She must be scared to death.�
Ned: (lowering his voice) �I didn�t tell Alexis this, but I have a feeling that Arianna is the one who abducted her from the house.�
Scott: �But I thought that Helena has her.�
Stefan: �My mother is to lazy to do the dirty work herself.�
Just then, his cell phone rings.
Stefan: �Stefan Cassadine... you got the file... wait a minute, can you call me back on my brother-in-law�s phone so we can all hear it... okay, it�s 753-0285... thanks.� He hangs up and turns to Ned. �My private investigators have something on Arianna.�
Just then, Alexis, Julia, Mackenzie, and Kimberly come into the room.
Alexis: �What did you say about my mother?�
The phone rings and Stefan picks it up, and turns it on the speaker phone.
Stefan: �Stefan Cassadine.�
Helena: �Stefan, I wasn�t aware that you�re into answering your sister�s phone.�
Everyone falls silent.
Stefan: �Where is she?�
Helena: �She who?�
Stefan: �Do not play games with me mother! Where is my niece?�
Helena: �She�s right here, safe and sound.�
Stefan: �You heartless bitch.� He starts to yell. �WHERE ARE YOU?�
Helena: �I can�t tell you that.�
Background noise: �Welcome to the Mira...�
The phone goes dead.
Stefan: �I will kill her for this.�
The phone rings again.
Stefan: �Stefan Cassadine.�
Voice: �Mr. Cassadine, this is Anthony Shaw. I have some information on Arianna Davis-Cassadine that you may want to hear.�
Stefan: �Go on. My sister and brother-in-law are here now.�
Anthony: �The woman who is going by the name of Arianna Davis Cassadine is really Vanessa Mancinni, a European assassin.�
Alexis gasps and Ned goes over to her, putting his arms around her.
Anthony: �It seems that Ms. Mancinni has been hired to kill several prominent Europeans in the last few years. She was recently brought into the states by Helena Cassadine.�
Stefan: �Are you aware of her intentions with Ms. Mancinni?�
Anthony: �No, but we�ve been tailing her ever since she left Italy.�
Stefan: �Do you know where she is now? We think that she kidnapped my niece.�
Anthony: �Some of my men saw her with a man and a child a few hours ago. They were walking down the street in Las Vegas.�
Alexis: �Vegas? They took my daughter to Vegas?�
Stefan: �Is there any way to find out where they are staying?�
Anthony: �We believe that they are staying at the Mirage on the strip.�
Stefan: �Thank you for the information. Please call us if you get anything else.� He turns the phone off and looks at Alexis, who is crying into Ned�s chest. �Alexis, we�ll get her back. I promise you.�
Alexis: �But she�s an assassin. And she has my five-year-old.� She sobs. �Avery�s just a little girl.�
Jax: �Why don�t we go to Vegas to track her down?�
Ned: �Too risky. I�m sure that Helena has a trace on Alexis and I, since she�s demanding ransom money.�
Jax: �But what about the rest of us? I would be more than willing to go to Vegas to look for her.�
Julia: �Me too.�
Ned: �We can�t ask you guys to do that. You have jobs, lives of your own.�
Julia: �You guys are our family. If we can get Avery back, let us take the chance.�
Stefan: �I will go as well.�
Mackenzie: �Stefan! You can�t do that! If Helena catches sight of you, she�ll kill you.�
Stefan: (to Jax) �Are you sure that you two can take care of this?�
Jax: �I�m positive. We just need a recent picture of Avery.�
Kimberly goes and gets him one off the refrigerator.
Julia: �We�ll leave tonight.�
Alexis: �You have no idea what this means to us.�
Julia: �I�m sure that you would do the same for me.�
Alexis: �In a heartbeat.�
Las Vegas. McCarran International Airport. That evening.
Julia and Jax step off of the J&J Jacks of Alaska jet and get into the limo.
Julia: �First step?�
Jax: �Go to the Mirage. We need to find out if they are still there.�
Julia: �And then what? I don�t want Helena to see us.�
Jax: �I think you should leave Helena and Arianna to me. I don�t want you to get hurt.�
Julia: �Jax!�
Jax: �Hey, I love you. I don�t want anything to happen to you.�
Julia: �I�ll be careful. I promise.� She leans over and kisses him.
Meanwhile, in Port Charles.
Alexis is sitting on the stairs, her head in her hands.
Ned: (joining her) �You okay?�
Alexis: (lifting her head, tears running down her face) �Ned, I can�t believe what I�ve done. You were right about her, and if I had listened to you, our daughter wouldn�t have been kidnapped. This is my fault.�
Ned: �It is not your fault.� He takes her hand. �It�s easy to see why you would believe that she was your mother. Every child wants parents. And it�s easy to get caught up in the fantasy when it has a chance to become reality.�
Alexis: �I�m so sorry, Ned. You must hate me after this.�
Ned: �Hate you?� he smiles cynically. �I couldn�t love you more.�
Alexis: �You still love me?�
Ned: (looking into her eyes) �I remember a verse in a poem that I once read, �doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun does move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt that I love you.� Think about that, Alexis.�
Alexis: (crying) �I love you too.�
Ned: �And now we just have to pray that Julia and Jax will bring Avery home safely.�
Las Vegas. The Mirage Hotel.
Julia and Jax walk inside, and head to the front desk.
Jax: (holding Avery�s photo up) �Have you seen this child?�
Receptionist: �I believe so. She was with a couple. Why?�
Julia: �This is our niece. She�s been kidnapped. We need to know what room she�s in.�
Receptionist: �I�m sorry, but I can not give out that information.�
Jax: (pulling out a wad of bills) �Let�s see if we can make a deal.�
Five minutes later. The elevator.
Jax: �That was too easy. I can�t believe what people will do for money.�
Julia: �Room 3158, right?�
Jax: �Yep.� The elevator stops and they get out. �Right this way, Ms. Barrett.�
They go down the hall and stop in front of room 3158. Jax presses his ear against the door. He can hear the sound of cartoons. He nods at Julia.
In a swift move, Jax kicks the door open.
Sitting on the bed, dirty and disheveled, is Avery. Leo is asleep in the chair.
Avery catches sight of Julia and Jax, and races over to them, jumping into Jax�s arms.
Avery: �Uncle Jax...�
Jax clamps a hand over her mouth and they race out the door. Once they are in the elevator, Jax gives Avery a long hug, and then Julia does. Both of them have tears in their eyes.
Avery: �How did you find me?�
Julia: �Uncle Stefan tracked you down. Where�s Helena and Arianna?�
Avery: �In the casino. They want money.� She starts to cry. �They were mean to me. She isn�t my grandma.�
Julia: �We know. How did you find out?�
Avery: �She was talking to the other bad lady Helena. They made me stay inside and they made that stupid guy Leo watch me, and he has a really bad accent.�
Jax: �Well, we�re going home now.�
Julia: �Avery, did they say anything else to you? Or do anything to you?�
Avery: �They said they would kill Hannah if I kept crying. Did they?�
Jax: �Nope. She�s at home with your mom and dad, who have been worrying about you a lot. They were going to pay twenty million dollars to get you back.�
Avery: (impressed) �That�s a lot of money. I�m important, huh?�
Julia: (picking her up) �Very important.�
They head out of the hotel and get into the limo, heading for the airport.
Arianna and Helena walk back into the hotel room to find Leo still asleep.
Helena: �Where is the kid?� she shakes Leo. �Where is she?�
Leo: �I don�t know. She was watching cartoons and...�
Arianna: �You let her get away? You moron!�
Leo: �Madame Helena, about that other matter?�
Helena: �Now is fine.�
Leo pulls out a gun and shoots Arianna in the chest, killing her immediately.
They get their things together and leave, headed back to Greece.
Four hours later. Port Charles.
The limo pulls to a stop in front of the Ashtons� house and they get out, Jax holding Avery�s sleeping form. They go into the house.
Ned and Alexis are asleep on the couch.
Avery: (opening her eyes) �Mommy! Daddy!�
Jax sets her down and she races over to the couch, throwing herself on top of her parents.
Ned: �Avery!�
Alexis: �Avery!� she hugs her hard. � We were so worried.�
Avery: �Don�t worry. I told that dumb guy Leo that I would kick him if he called you names again.�
Ned: �We were so scared that we would never see you again.� He hugs her tightly.
Julia: �We�d better get going.�
Avery gets up and goes over to Julia and Jax, hugging them around the knees.
Avery: �Thank you for finding me, Uncle Jax and Aunt Julia.�
Jax: �Anytime, Shortie.�
Alexis: �Thank you so much, Julia and Jax.�
Ned: �If we can every repay you...�
Julia: �Not necessary. We were happy to help.�
Jax: �We�ll see you later.� They leave.
Avery: (going to sit on Ned�s lap) �Is Hannah here?�
Alexis: �Did you miss her?�
Avery: �They said they were going to kill her.�
Ned: �They did? You know, those two women are very sick in the head.�
Avery: �I know. They didn�t know who the Spice Girls were.�