Luke,
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Sixteen
"Everything going according to plan?" Ria asked Nikolas in French.
"Yes. L planted the documents for his father to find. He will undoubtedly show up around seven thirty." Nikolas replied, also speaking in French. "Perfect."
"Why thank you!" Nikolas laughed.
"I'm not Miss Webber. You aren't getting any compliments like that from me!"
"So you saw it too."
"Anyone in a fifty-foot radius saw it!"
"I've been trying to slowly break up with her for about a month."
"Just get it over with already!"
"I can't until little brother's taken care of."
"What do you mean?"
"L had quite a thing for Ms. Webber, but now I believe he has transferred his affections to another Miss Webber."
"Uh, Nikolas, isn't Webber our mother's maiden name?"
"She took her stepfather's last name. The Miss Webbers in question are the daughters of mother's stepfather's brother."
"Nikolas, I must have you draw me a family tree sometime." The elevator dinged as they stepped out into the parking garage.
"Tree? More like a jungle!" He replied, opening the door of the limo for her.
"Thank you for your help, Barbara. I'll see you tomorrow." Bobbie smiled and walked out of the club.
Luke looked around him slowly. Still no sign of Lucky. Laura told him that he had one more week to find Lucky before she came down herself. Luke walked absently into the office.
"What's this?" He walked over, fingering the large manila envelope. He listened for ticking and gingerly opened to envelope.
Nothing exploded.
"That's a good sign," he commented to himself. He looked inside. A few sheets of paper.
Luke pulled out the papers and began to read.
A few seconds later, he had taken the contents of the envelope and stalked out of the club.
Ria was sitting with her back to the French doors opening to the patio. Nikolas was on her right and Stefan was directly in front of her. Nikolas glanced casually towards his watch while reaching for his glass. He looked meaningfully at Ria. She nodded ever so slightly that Stefan didn't even notice.
"So, Miss Dubois-" Stefan began.
Suddenly the French patio doors flew open.
Nikolas and Ria looked at one another.
Phase Three had begun.
Chapter Seventeen
"Spencer! What is the meaning of this!" Stefan shouted.
"What is the meaning of THIS?!" Luke yelled back, not noticing Ria as he threw a piece of paper in front of Stefan.
Stefan stared at the paper.
"Where did you get this?"
"It was a gift!" Luke retorted.
"From whom?"
"I don't know, why don't you ask someone from your vampire clan, Vlad?"
"I don't know whom you are referring to. How do you know that it was not your vengeful son who did this?"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHO DID THIS! Just answer me this, so I don't have to waste my frequent flyer miles carting myself to see my wife. Is it true?"
"Yes." Luke's jaw clenched. He put another paper in front of Stefan.
"And this?" Stefan read it quickly.
"Yes."
"Only one more, Your Darkness. Is this one true?" Stefan read the paper. He stopped. Then he read it again. He glanced down the table.
"I think it is." Stefan gasped. Luke cursed under his breath and punched Stefan.
Ria and Nikolas looked at each other.
"Now." Nikolas whispered. Ria flew out of her seat and ran to the brawling men.
"Hey! HEY! HEY!" she shouted, pulling Luke off of Stefan. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but this is a man's home and you just can't come barging in like that! It's called breaking and entering and assault and battery, understand?"
Luke whirled around, his arm raised as if he were about to slap her. Ria stood there, unblinking. Luke gasped, his arm dropping.
"Laura?" Luke's eyes widened.
"Excuse me? First you assault my host and then you call me a laura? I don't understand. Nikolas, what does this word, this 'laura' mean?"
"It's not a word, Ria. It's a name. Luke, what is wrong with you? You are taking this grudge way too far. Now leave me and my Uncle alone!" Nikolas walked swiftly over to them.
Luke laughed unhumorously, a short bitter laugh.
"So you haven't told the little prince have you?" Stefan watched in terror as Luke handed Nikolas the papers.
Chapter Eighteen
Nikolas read the papers. He had never seen them, just had been told about them. The first one was a letter from a hospital in Greece telling Stefan that he was determined to be the father. With shaking hands, he put it down on the table and read the second one.
It was a page from Laura's journal. Man, Lucky was good. Nikolas had no idea how Lucky had gotten a hold of that. It was talking about her twins being born, and her grief that the girl, Valéria, had been stillborn. Nikolas put that one on the table also.
He read the third paper. It was a letter addressed to someone whose name was blacked out, but the address was still clear, the Cassadine Compound. It read "Thank you for sending us Valéria. My new husband, Jean Dubois, was thrilled." It was simply signed "JC". Nikolas realized that Ria had known more than she was telling, but decided not to stray from the plan.
He slammed his fist onto the table, making Ria jump. He spoke quietly and strongly.
"An understanding. This does not leave this room lest it enters the ears of Helena. Agreed?"
Stefan nodded. Nikolas looked at Luke, who was hesitating.
"She won't go after me first. You know who she'll go after first." Nikolas met Luke's eyes.
"Agreed." Luke replied, walking onto the patio and vanishing.
"Nikolas-" Stefan began.
"Don't you even attempt to speak to me. You should have learned from Lucky's situation not to keep secrets from your family. I am going out now. Goodbye." Nikolas grabbed Ria by the arm and walked angrily out the door.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he whispered.
"Tell you what?" she whispered back, her accent once again absent.
"That you were raised by Janna Cassadine."
"How did you find out?"
"The note revealing your identity was signed JC."
"Crap."
"She could take over, you know."
"From Helena?"
"Yes. She has more right than Helena does."
"She did, you mean."
"What?"
"Janna died. I found out the night of her funeral."
"Found out what?"
"Who I was."
Chapter Nineteen
Previously on Lifelike:
"Lucky, I am not your mother and you are not your father!" Elizabeth cried.
"How can you be so sure? Ever since I was born, I have tried to be a duplicate copy of him! How the hell do you know I'm not?" Lucky yelled. Then it hit him. "I don't even know if I am," he whispered softly.
"Lucky, look at me. Look at me!" Lucky sighed and looked up at Elizabeth obediently. "You... are... not.... your... father. Understand me? You are not Luke Spencer."
"As much as I'd love to believe that, I can't." Lucky replied. "I am his son. Everyone who has ever met me has remarked on how similar I am to my father. Even Scotty Baldwin!"
"Who's Scotty Baldwin?"
"My mother's first husband. He absolutely hates my father. Now I know why."
"What? I don't understand."
"June 1979. Laura Webber, aged seventeen, married a young law student, Scott Baldwin," Lucky began, reciting the facts as though they were a memorized speech or something from a history textbook. "To help pay their bills, the young Mrs. Baldwin got a job at a local club, a disco if you can believe it. Her manager was new in town, running the club as a mob front. October 8th, 1979, her manager raped her. Three guesses as to what her manager's name was."
"She was seventeen?"
"Two years later, they married."
"Lucky, I'm sorry. I know that sounds pretty stupid, but I really am."
"I know." Before either one could say anything more, Lucky's cell phone rang shrilly.
"Spencer." He answered. His face dropped. "How did you get this number? . . . . I don't really care what Mom has done . . . . . Oh well it's all in the past isn't it? . . . . . At least we know why Nikolas always insisted his father never- . . . . . Oh, Shut up. And never call me again!" Lucky slammed his phone shut.
"Who was that?"
"Luke. Listen, can you come to the Quartermaine gatehouse tomorrow around one? I'll explain everything then."
"The Quartermaine gatehouse? Uh, sure, I guess." Lucky shocked himself and Elizabeth by kissing her on the cheek.
"Thanks. See ya!" With that he was gone.
Elizabeth smiled to herself and absently touched her cheek with her fingertips. She slowly walked over to her dresser and put on a worn flannel shirt, holding onto the fabric.
The incessant knocking jerked her out of a state of the past. She shook her head, as if to
clear her mind, and stood up, smoothing down her skirt.
Laura walked swiftly over to the door of her home and peered through the peephole.
Nothing but darkness.
"Remove your hand," she barked sternly.
He hadn't even realized he was covering the eyehole. He had been leaning against the door,
and absently had covered the hole. He removed his hand and stood back obediently.
Laura gasped, partially in shock and partially in confusion. She opened the door and let him
in.
"What are you doing here?" She had never seen him in such a state before. He seemed
older, yet younger at the same time, as though something had taken years of worry off of his life
while worrying him just the same. His eyes were red and there were bags under them, yet his
face was light and nearly smiling. She didn't know exactly what to do.
"She's alive," Stefan whispered. Laura stared at him, trying to understand what he meant.
"Who?"
"Valéria." Laura exhaled sharply as if someone had punched her in the stomach. Her hand
flew to her mouth and she eased herself into a chair.
"How - Who told you?" She choked on the words, her voice breaking as she willed the
tears back into her eyes.
"That doesn't matter right now." Stefan kneeled next to her, knowing that she would break
soon. "I've seen her."
"Where? I want to see her."
"She is in Port Charles. She was raised with a French family, the Dubois. Lasha, she looks
exactly like you, but with dark hair and eyes. She's beautiful."
With those words, Laura reached her breaking point and began to cry, her face in her
hands, sobs shaking her body, as she mourned the daughter who was not dead and rejoiced the
daughter was alive.
And Luke silently watched from the open door. As he turned to leave, a single tear fell
unnoticed down his worn cheek.
Chapter Twenty
Elizabeth knocked politely on the door of the Quartermaine gatehouse. Lucky opened the
door.
"Hey, Elizabeth."
"Uh, Lucky, isn't this trespassing?" Elizabeth asked as Lucky led her inside.
"Nah. Emily said I could stay here while her cousin's out of town." Elizabeth smiled, slightly
jealous at the mention of Emily's name. She sat down next to Lucky on the couch.
"So what is it that you are going to tell me?"
"You've heard of the Brady Bunch, right?"
"Who hasn't?"
"Probably Nikolas. Well, think the Brady Bunch, about five times larger - The Cassadine
Clan."
"I thought you hated the Cassadines."
"Well, I do, but mostly only the dead ones... and Stefan and Helena. And Nikolas can be
annoying sometimes. Elizabeth, can you keep secrets?"
Elizabeth gave him a look.
"Stupid question, right? OK. Well, as fair warning, you're probably going to be shocked by
most of this."
"Lucky, don't worry about me. This is your problem, so let me help you through it, OK?"
Elizabeth placed a hand on his arm.
"Tell me what you know about the Cassadines."
"Uh, not much," Elizabeth began, removing her hand as she tucked a loose strand behind her
ear. "Helena is Stefan's mother and Mikkos, I think, is his father and Stefan's brother Stavros is
Nikolas' father and, uh, Alexis is a cousin or something."
"That was basically my view until recently. Here, hand me that piece of paper." Elizabeth
reached behind her and handed Lucky a large sheet of computer paper. He grabbed a pen from
the coffee table.
He wrote five names at the top of the paper, with large spaces between each.
"Once upon a time, there were the five Cassadine siblings: Janna, Marianna, Anthony,
Victor, and Mikkos. Janna and Marianna left in the 50's because a new person had entered the
family." Lucky wrote one word, next to Mikkos' name. "Helena Roskovich. Now, Helena and
Mikkos had three sons, Stavros, Stefan, and Alexander. But, Alexander died soon after birth, or
so they thought." Elizabeth peered over his shoulder as Lucky wrote Stavros, Stefan, and
Alexander on the paper and began to create a family tree.
Ria drew in a shaky breath and glanced nervously at her brother. She wiped her sweaty
palms on her jeans and tried to calm down. Her stomach felt like it was doing flipflops.
"What were you thinking, Laura?!" an angry voice shouted. Ria and Nikolas looked at one
another.
"Luke," Nikolas whispered to his sister.
"It was a long time ago," a female voice replied.
"Laura," Nikolas whispered again.
"A lot of things happened 'a long time ago' that still matter. Let's see, we were married, that
still matters, doesn't it?" Luke retorted sarcastically.
"Of course it matters! Luke, it's in the past. It doesn't change the present. Why are you so
angry? What difference does it make?"
"I'm just not so sure it's in the past, that's all."
"What?!"
"He obviously still feels the same way, how am I supposed to know that you don't?"
"You can be very cruel, Luke. You know I love you! You know!"
"Do I? You've been lying so much, how do I know the truth? You never even told me
Nikolas or Valéria existed until I already knew! Got anymore children I should know about?"
"No! Luke, I still love you. Any so-called lies I told were only to protect my life or my
children's lives!"
"Convenient isn't it?"
"That's it," Ria muttered, flinging open the door and storming in despite Nikolas' protests.
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