The words echoed starkly, full of import yet curiously devoid of
emotion, the sound ricocheting about the room looking for a home
upon which to alight but none was found.
Cameron lay holding Alexis, her body stiffly immobile as if both
her body and mind were paralyzed with dread. He felt her shiver
lightly as if trying to shake off the fear that began to creep into
her, its tendrils winding about her mind until it overran her like
the purple phlox that creeps and mutates and overtakes a garden.
He had no idea what to do but he knew he was right where he belonged.
He felt her body contract and shudder, the sigh of her warm breath
ruffling his beard as she turned worried eyes to look at him.
"Cameron, I really want you to…"
He raised his palm in front of her face and gruffly replied, "Don't
even say it. You are without a doubt one of the most bullheaded
individuals I've ever known, Alexis. Well, meet your match because
I'm about as recalcitrant as they come and when I dig in my Western
toe boot heels I can beat your 5-inch Manolo Blahnik stilettos any
day of the week. No, I am not going back to Port Charles so for
heaven's sake please stop talking about it! Repetition is boring
as well as annoying. Remember the file room?"
She sighed and simply looked at him, her intense eyes gauging how
much he needed to know about the whirlwind they were headed into.
She wanted to protect him but he needed to know how to protect himself
if something happened to her. She knew even harboring that thought
made her vulnerable and being a Cassadine she should know better.
So with a determined sigh, she refocused her energy on strategizing
Helena's moves and above all protecting the loving man who had flown
thousands of miles to throw himself unsuspecting onto a Cassadine
landmine.
She looked at him, so strong and brave and incredibly obstinate.
For some miraculous reason, he seemed to care about her more than
anyone in her life ever had, at least since her Mother. It was almost
as if the gods finally looked upon her with favor and plunked him
right down in the middle of her chaotic world, all 6 feet 2 inches
of him, and he just took it from there. She felt the warmth of his
hands as he caressed her arms, slowly and gently, as if massaging
into her his own sense of calm. It was nice, this feeling of being
always nestled in his sturdy arms. She even felt him when she was
asleep, alone. Journals write of phantom limb syndrome where the
mind still senses the presence of a limb that was severed. How strange
and wonderful that he always seemed to be with her, her very own
phantom, the feel of his arms surrounding and warming her even when
he is far away. She never wanted to lose that connection.
Cameron's hand grazed her cheek. "It would help if I know what
to expect."
Alexis pursed here lips. "You shouldn't be expecting anything.
You should go home and let me deal with this."
He sighed. "Let's not go there. Please explain why Luke can
help you but you seem to believe I can't."
"Because Luke has spent years surviving Helena and the more
vicious members of my Machiavellian family almost as much as I have
and he understands them, how they think and the risks when you decide
to face them down."
"So because I am not a member of yours and Luke's 'exclusive
club' I can't possibly understand? Well, try me, you may be surprised."
She looked at the determination in his eyes and decided in that
moment fighting him was simply a waste of energy. He wasn't going
to change and since she was going to need every advantage she finally
gave in to him.
"Fine, you win. If you want membership in our "exclusive
club" as you call it you are going to have to leave your ethics
and high moral standards at the door. They don't function in the
rarified world of the Cassadines and if you need to fight one, you
need to be able to do so unrestrained. I just hope you find it worth
the price of the dues your membership will inevitably exact."
Cameron wasn't certain exactly how he felt about that last part
but whatever would be required of him he would somehow do in order
to protect Alexis. He felt her delicate body clinging to his and
his first thought, as egotistically macho as it may be, is to shield
her from those things with which life has chosen to test her. She
was a strong woman, brilliant and focused, but the last year took
an emotional toll on her and even in his short acquaintance knew
she wasn't at her best. Her best was hidden, regaining strength
and purpose, as the world made light of her personal pain. He knew
the strain and how she fought against it, her determined nature
trying desperately to overcome the circumstances surrounding her
and her daughter. He knew she would come back into her own, she
was too stubborn not to and wanted to be by her side when she did.
He marveled at her now but the renewed Alexis would probably knock
his socks off and he'd love every minute. He had a suspicion that
the part of Alexis that feeds her strength comes from the very part
of her she runs most swiftly from - her Cassadine heritage. This
trip may allow him insight into that Alexis, the one who faces all
comers with strength and fortitude.
The thought excited him.
Cameron placed a finger beneath her chin and tipped her head up
so she was looking directly into his eyes. "Talk to me."
"First things first," she said as she reached for the
cellular phone. She dialed and waited. "Luke, she's on the
move. Two hours at max before she reaches Paris, probably less.
Leo's man, Philippe, will call when they pinpoint where she is going."
She listened and nodded. "I agree, the banks are closed and
most offices for the holiday. We'll talk more when you get here."
Alexis settled back into Cameron's arms and with nervous trepidation
revisited her past.
She spoke to him of her childhood and life before her Mother died,
the joy of a child the expression on her face. She smiled as she
once again built sandcastles on the shore, rode across the meadow
on Starlight only to fall asleep under a tree, danced with her Father
in the ballroom, her patent-leather clad feet standing on his shoes
to follow his steps. Her fingers danced as she described the soft
beauty of the deer that wandered out from the forest to forage,
the elegance of the swans and the silly ducks that lived in the
little pond and McTavish, the silky Irish Setter her Father brought
to her after her tonsils were removed. Better than ice cream, he
laughed, McT will not melt away and always be with you. She once
again climbed the rickety wooden ladder to the loft high in the
stable, her quiet place to lay and dream her dreams, the scent of
hay mixing with the ever-present scent of roses that engulfed their
home. Her Mother loved roses and her Father assured they were everywhere
to be found and no two alike, just as unique as her Mother. And
everywhere there was music, so much so it seemed to be part of the
very structures, the lake, even the sighing of the trees sang of
her Mother's music. Memory was a precious gift but also a terrible
curse for minds are often porous filters, the good merging with
the bad until one does not know where happiness turns to sadness,
what should be remembered and what needs to be forgotten.
Cameron listened quietly as he held her in his arms, allowing her
to ramble in remembrance as his heart bled for the little girl whose
life was so magical and complete, so filled with love and laughter,
one violent moment shattering its looking glass into shards of pain
and loss.
She looked at him with faraway eyes as if she was unwilling to pull
herself back to an uncertain present. Her only stability ended in
childhood and he could understand her wanting to stay there and
wrap its security around her like a cozy blanket. Memory was like
that, its pull often addictive. That is where Laura Spencer was
and on many days he could not blame her for wanting to remain there,
away from stress and the twists and turns of family that threaten
to tear her apart.
Cameron watched Alexis's eyes turn dark as night, their warm brown
pools cold as marble as she spoke of Helena's appearance at their
home, the spiriting away of her sister to the stable and the fateful
decision she made that day, to return to protect her Mother, a decision
that changed all the rules, savaged her memory and put her life
on a precarious path she walked even today.
"Helena that day took away not only my Mother and caused me
to lose my sister for most of my life but she also stole away my
Father, the man my mind forced me to forget, the one who I know
in my heart loved me very much. When I finally started to remember
who I was, I couldn't help but think that my Father was a coward,
a small man who didn't have the backbone to stand up to the person
who destroyed his family. It was only later that I understood the
sacrifice he lived each day to protect me, the solitary reminder
that remained of that family. Looking back, I found him to be not
a coward but a brave man with perhaps the biggest broken heart."
Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think you may be romanticizing
him just a bit? He did allow Helena to persecute you for years and
from what I gather never intervened."
"I choose to believe he did that to protect me from her. He
knew she killed my Mother without remorse and his fear led him to
make compromises no person, no Father, should ever have to make.
He had to sacrifice me as a daughter to keep me alive as an orphaned
niece. A terrible choice but he had the fortitude to make it and
I believe it saved my life. With memory comes understanding, Cameron,
and I remember the man that loved me, taught me Shakespeare and
music and how to ride a pony, took me on picnics and tours of art
museums and made me feel like the very center of his universe. That
man was my Father and in the time it took to slip a blade across
a throat, Helena took away his soul and his mind and fashioned him
into her own image. Grief can do terrible things to a person, the
life my Father led after my Mother was murdered was a prime example."
Cameron watched her with tears pooling in his eyes for the gentle
child that was forsaken but somehow managed to grow into the strong
woman before him. "I'm so sorry Alexis…"
"And you see after all the death and separation, that was somehow
the final indignity - she even took away the memory of my Father
and forced him to live a lie. So when I tell you that she is the
personification of evil, perhaps you have a better understanding
now."
Cameron held onto her tightly as she pulled her body closer to his,
so close he could feel their hearts beating as one. The truth was
she overwhelmed him. The story she told with such devastating directness
frightened him by its very intensity and even more how it has now
come rumbling out of the past to touch their present, perhaps even
their future. He marveled at how she manages against all odds to
focus her life with such dignity and grace, the way she remains
so very loving despite such a destructive past. After journeying
with her to what her life was, he loved her even more if that was
possible.
He nodded slowly trying to adsorb it all. "I believe I do understand
more now and I know that I am meant to be here with you, to face
whatever comes beside you."
Alexis captured her lower lip between her teeth and gnawed it nervously.
"You have been so wonderfully generous to me since the day
we met. I feel closer to you than any other person and that truly
frightens me. Not that I don't want to be close to you, Cameron,
because I do. It is because of Helena and the life I was forced
to live that I am afraid to believe and invest too much in anyone
or anything. The rug has been pulled out from under me so often
I bear the permanent scars of rug burn."
"I won't be going anywhere, Alexis, I'm in for the long haul.
You're a smart lady. Haven't you figured that out by now?"
She looked up into warm eyes that gazed into hers with so much promise
and gentleness. "I think perhaps I have. Just be patient, this
is all new to me."
"Alexis, I will be patient the rest of my life as long as you
are with me."
The words reached out and touched the very core of her heart, the
place where happiness and love exist side by side in their eternal
dance waiting upon the gifts life may bring in offering. But they
also touched upon the hard edges, darker recesses where fear and
regret are cloaked in silence and live in endless suppression. Her
heart wanted to hope but it felt the tug of loss and lonely despair
and the fear that comes from wanting too much and never having.
She looked deeply into his eyes and whispered as softly as the evening
breeze. "I want to forget sadness and loneliness, I want to
forget the past and I want to forget fear. Please make love to me,
Cameron. I want to feel you and touch you and love you. We don't
have much time."
He looked at her with worry, she sounded so resigned. "Alexis,
you sound as if this is the last night on earth and you want to
…"
She tightened her arms around him. "I am not thinking that.
I just want to be close to you."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Quelle surprise," she said softly. "Surprise
me."
Cameron uncoiled her arms from around him, rose and took her hand
as he helped her to stand in front of him. She was so incredibly
beautiful, her eyes reflecting the desire coursing through her body,
its intensity a mirror image to his own. He grasped her face between
his two hands and kissed her, the passion slowly building as their
tongues danced and whirled in breathless anticipation. He slowly
began to undress her, his lips not far behind as each section of
soft flesh was uncovered, his kisses barely restrained in their
passion. She took off his clothes in turn, each piece removed only
to be replaced by her soft moist lips and after nothing was left
but flesh and bone and the beating of hearts, he laid her back on
the bed and slipped in beside her. He pushed back her hair from
her face and fanned it along the pillow, a dark silky drape that
hinted of flowers and herbs and he buried his face in its softness.
His lips grazed her cheeks as he worked his way down her neck to
stop at her throat. He ran his finger over her collarbone and across
her chest, his fingertip drawing tiny circles as she shivered in
want and desire. He shifted her body and settled his behind her,
kissing her neck and shoulders, his hand running along the length
of her body as his fingertips painted her image in the pastels of
his heart. He reached over and pulled her over to him and settled
her back, his body hovering over hers as he gazed at her beauty
and the love flowing to him from her eyes. He felt in that moment
he was the most blessed man in the world to have found someone like
Alexis to love.
"Do you know how much I adore you?" he asked as he caressed
her cheek.
She laughed softly. "I have a pretty good idea but I may need
more data."
"Oh, the scientific method. That is right up my alley."
She pulled him to her for a kiss. "Well, science waits for
no man."
"Or woman," he countered hungrily pulling her to meet
the length of his body, all variables controlled save for the pulsing
rhythm of their hearts.
Suddenly, the door banged open against the frame and Luke tumbled
in dropping two heavy bags to the floor. They jumped quite startled
at the interruption and held onto each other.
"Whoa!" Luke said hiding his eyes behind his hand, "I've
always believed there are some things best left to the imagination.
Not you, Natasha, 'cause frankly I've had those kinky fantasy dreams
about you for a long time but the Doc here, well not so much."
Alexis pulled the sheet up but Cameron was damned if he was going
to cover up. "I know you like to consider yourself above it
all but don't you understand the concept of knocking first?"
"Well forgive me Dr. Quack but the concept of 'if the van is
a' rockin, don't come a' knockin' is a bit tough to apply here.
I thought I told you two to get some rest not exhaust yourself doing
the monkey dance."
Alexis started to say something sarcastic when he sauntered over
to the desk chair on the side of the bed and sat down and smirked
at them.
"Look I hate to interrupt what looks like a nice time being
had by all. Hell, if it was any other time I'd dive right in and
join ya but we got work to do." He leaned back in the chair
and lit up one of his smelly Cuban cigars and watched them placidly
through the haze of smoke.
"Do you mind?" Alexis snapped indignantly holding the
sheet to her chest with her right hand as she batted Cameron's hand
away underneath the covers as he drew lazy circles on her thigh.
She gave him her most impressive glare and he smirked as he moved
his hand away.
"Mind what, Tash? I always did like good dinner theatre. Or
was that good porn theatre? Sometimes it is tough to keep them straight,"
he snickered as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"I'll rephrase. Do you mind getting your butt out of this room
until…"
"You finish? Well, darlin', given the fine Doc's reputation
with the ladies, I'm sure that I'll be back before you can say Wee
Willie Winkie."
"Luke…" Cameron growled.
"What? I'm a Shirley Temple movie lover - so sue me."
With that he walked out into the hall chuckling all the way.
"Did he just impugn by manhood?"
She patted his arm like a child. "Don't mind him, he's just
jealous. He always wanted me for himself."
"Over my dead body…"
Hearing the words reminded her why they were here, and the concerned
look returned to her face. "And mine."
She kissed him deeply, her lips drawing strength from his to hold
in reserve until the moment she could love him again. She gazed
at him longingly as if casting all that he encompassed in that moment
- the man, the lover, the friend - into memory. It was a sad look
as if this was to be an ending instead of a beginning. Absently,
she ran her fingers along his body before she turned away to drop
the sheet and rise from the bed. She retrieved her clothes from
where they had fallen to the gaudy Marilyn Monroe tapestry rug and
walked off into the dingy red bathroom and closed the door.
Cameron lay there listening to the water running in the bathroom.
He was unhappy about the interruption but maybe it was not a bad
thing. He wanted more than anything to make love to Alexis all day,
every day and every night, but they were here to take care of business,
her business, and he wanted to be sure that the next time they make
love it would not be in the shadow of the past.
Luke knocked on the door and popped his head around the corner.
"Is it safe or is Natasha still channeling a Stalinist vibe?"
Cameron, now dressed, was sitting at the desk making notes and tossed
his head in the direction of the bathroom. "She's freshening
up. Gives us a chance to talk."
Luke sat down on the bed and bounced up and down. "Mighty springy…
like a lumpy trampoline. Lucky you and Tash didn't get too frisky…
with the play in this mattress you could have bounced right through
the ceiling into the roof garden and down into the street in your
birthday suits."
Cameron rolled his eyes. "Then I guess your rather rude and
unexpected entrance saved us a trip down Embarrassment Lane or at
the very least the emergency room, huh?"
Luke chuckled. "Didn't even get a full head of steam up did
ya, Doc? Sorry but tracking the Queen of the Damned leaves little
time for whoop-di-doo. As a matter of fact, her rather astringent
presence has been known to make grown men…well… shall
we say less grown - if you get my drift."
Ignoring that remark, Cameron gestured to the bags Luke dropped
so quickly. "So, what's in the bags?"
"Weaponry," he said with a wink.
"That sounds rather medieval. What kind?" Cameron had
a vision of a mace or a jousting pole.
"Oh, the usual… pistols, plastique, Uzi, AK-47, a crossbow,
some wooden stakes…"
"If you say holy water and silver bullets I may have to commit
you like Renfield in Dracula."
"Doc, we're dealing with bloodsuckers here, Natasha's beauteous
presence very much excepted. When you deal with the Devil you gotta
fight the flames anyway you can. Just consider me Die Hard with
a bit of Buffy The Vampire Slayer thrown in."
Cameron shook his head. He was beginning to get that tumble-through-the-looking-
glass feeling again that occurs whenever he talks to Luke. "What
can you tell me about Helena?"
He looked into his eyes and the emotion Cameron saw startled him.
"She is a nasty piece of business. She is vicious, very goal-oriented
when she wants something or considers it hers and has a sadistic
yet rather charming side. She is quite beautiful but cold as the
Siberian wilderness with ice running through her veins. She fancies
herself a femme fatale and enjoys the chase but you don't ever want
to find yourself her prey. As cliché as it is, she is like
the black widow spider, she reels you in, has her way with you and
eats your entrails for breakfast. She is relentless and has committed
crimes against people I know, people I love and humanity at large
and seems almost indestructible though many including myself and
our dear Natasha have tried to rid the world of her fetid charms."
Cameron was fascinated and almost didn't hear the last sentence
about Alexis and ridding the world of Helena. He must be saying
it to impress me, Cameron thought as he quickly glanced at the bathroom
door. She killed once in self-defense, she would never deliberately
try to harm someone. Or would she?
"Come on, Luke, you talk a good game. Alexis try to kill someone,
even someone she hated? I doubt that she has it in her."
Luke shook his head. "They've all got the killing gene, Doc,
except our Natasha hides hers and controls it better than the rest
of the gothic horde."
The thought disturbed Cameron on so many levels he chose to ignore
it for the time being and changed the subject.
"What about her Father?"
"Ah, Prince Mikkos, first son of the first son and heir to
everything he surveyed. He was a genius and like most geniuses,
Doc, danced along the lip of the volcano between rationality and
madness all his life. I believe when wifey offed the diva, he finally
stepped across the dividing line and dove headfirst into the lunatic
lava. He and I had issues and it didn't end well - hence my ongoing
war with the Cassadines."
Cameron looked very interested. "So he was quite mad?"
Luke looked uncertain. "At one time, Doc, I would have said
without a doubt. But I've seen firsthand what grief can do to you,
the way it twists the knife and messes with your head. I think when
he lost the diva, the one person who seemed to keep him on the straight
and narrow, something inside him that kept all the marbles in place
just went off like a pinball machine on tilt. Don't tell Natasha
I said this because it will ruin my rep as chief Cassadine hater
but losing Laura makes me understand how a person, even a person
like Mikkos Cassadine, can go down in flames inside and rise again
a bitter and vengeful Phoenix from the ashes."
"Alexis has fonder memories of him."
"She is remembering a person that was wiped out in one fell
swoop by his wife's dirty deed. He died that day and it was all
due to the psycho broad he married. He was complicated and a complication
and for the good of humanity he had to go. I just lucked out and
picked the short straw."
Cameron was trying to put all the pieces together and was concerned
by the picture that was forming in his mind. It was clear Helena
was a threat to a great many people, Alexis and Kristina two of
the most vulnerable.
He set his shoulders and looked at Luke. "She has to be stopped."
Luke looked seriously into his eyes as his hands played with the
coverlet. "Absolutely, Doc, because now she knows she has the
means to terrorize Tash - that little baby of hers."
Alexis walked out of the bathroom and rolled her eyes when she saw
Luke lounging on the bed. "So, you're back."
"Nothing gets by you, sweetcheeks. Yeah, brought some armaments
and my car's parked in the back alley."
She looked surprised. "The French nation allows you to drive
here? My, aren't they brave."
"Tsk tsk, Tash. Don't be insulting me or you'll be out there
raising your skirt trying to flag a taxi on a national holiday and
the Ice Queen will be far, far away by the time you get from here
to there."
The cellular phone chimed and she picked it up on the first ring.
She listened and responded in French. She grabbed a piece of notepaper
and a pen and wrote down directions. "Merci", she murmured
as she clicked off the phone.
"Philippe said she entered 15 rue Vicienne, a street near Notre
Dame, a few minutes ago. It seems to be a commercial building. His
people have her under watch and will keep us advised."
Luke rubbed his hands, "About time the game is afoot."
They walked down the stairway of death, as Alexis called it, and
Luke took them through the back entrance to the building to pick
up his car.
Cameron stared at it and asked, "Luke, are you sure the circus
isn't in town and you mistook the clown car for yours?"
"What? It's a Renault, famous in France," Luke said as
he spit and shined the hood with his shirtsleeve.
Cameron rolled his eyes. "I can see that but what era? 1902?"
"Look, it runs. That is my criteria. Just because some of us
drive $50,000 cars…"
"Will the both of you just stop with the car guy posturing,
shut up and get in so we can actually get to where we are going?
Can you two do that?" she grumbled as she got in the front
seat.
They looked at each other, shrugged and got in. It was a tight fit
and Alexis thought how close to the mark Cameron's clown car comment
was. She felt like she was four years old again. At least they were
on the road and getting closer to dealing with this mess.
Cameron thought that the taxi driver of this afternoon was death's
emissary but nothing compared to Luke Spencer behind the wheel on
a mission. They scrambled in and out of traffic, sideswiped a trashcan
or two and more than once Cameron saw his life flash before his
eyes. They arrived at the target neighborhood and parked down the
street. It was a dark street filled with old commercial buildings,
now silent in celebration of the holiday and as they walked up the
sidewalk, a man strode from the shadows and put out his hand.
"Mademoiselle Davis? Philippe Genet. Come quickly, we do not
have much time. The driver of the Cassadine automobile has gone
to retrieve it."
They walked single file hugging the building as they headed toward
No. 15. Philippe pulled a gun from his waistband as they stealthily
approached the front doors. As they reached the entrance, the frosted
front doors were suddenly thrown open and a blonde woman walked
out into the sidewalk, turned toward them as if she knew exactly
where they stood and smiled slyly.
Luke and Alexis stared at the woman, their voices lost. It was Cameron
who finally found his voice.
"That's not Helena."
The woman smiled an icy smile, "Helena whom?"
Alexis stalked over to her and grabbed her arm. "Where is she?
You were a decoy."
The woman looked into her eyes and laughed. "She said you were
bright for a little mouse."
Luke walked over, put his arm around her neck and whispered into
her ear. "Well this little mouse fell into a mighty nasty trap
so you better start squeaking before the trap snaps your neck. Where
is she?"
The woman struggled to breath but Luke kept up the pressure. Cameron
moved to say something but the words were stilled in his throat
by the look in Luke's eyes. He looked at Alexis and was shocked
to see her standing calmly next to the woman, a set expression on
her face, one he had never before seen grace her beauty. The woman
clutched at her chest and nodded.
Luke released the pressure and she croaked, "Far away by now.
She has what she came for."
"And what exactly did she come for - the clearance sale at
Givenchy?" he asked as he lit a cigar.
She looked directly at Alexis and smiled that Cheshire cat smile.
"Why, for the past of course."
Alexis was getting angry. "Riddles? Answer me. What past could
there possibly be here in Paris that required a body double?"
A car screeched up to the curb and two rather large men appeared
to stand on either side of her. They opened the door and she slid
into the back seat. She leaned out and looked at each of them as
she answered.
"Which past, my dear? The one she tried to kill."
She began to laugh so very like Helena that it chilled Alexis to
the bone. The car door slammed and the car sped off down the avenue.
Cameron looked at both of them, puzzled and very worried. "What
the hell just happened?"
Luke exhaled a rung of smoke. "Damned if I know. The body double
I get because that is Helena's MO but the riddle stuff, annoyingly
new. The past she tried to kill? Well she's tried to kill a lot
of people who all have pasts so Lord knows what is going on in that
psycho brain of hers."
Philippe walked over to Alexis with an embarrassed look on his handsome
Gallic face. "Mademoiselle Davis, I am so very sorry. We followed
the car direct from Le Havre, there could be no error yet there
is."
Luke clapped him on the shoulder in consolation. "Philip, dude,
you're dealing with the Queen of the Damned here - there is no how-to
manual and she'll always trick you because you'll never be able
to think like she does. Which is nothing to be worried about, pal,
only means that you are human."
Philippe looked at Alexis again and she touched his arm. "You
were out of your league but you did find us The Blonde Riddler and
Helena always has a purpose and this decoy had one. We'll figure
it out. But we may need you again so please stay around."
He kissed her hand and sadly intoned, "Oui, Mademoiselle."
He walked off into the night and was joined by three other men who
melted into the street from the shadows.
Cameron was watching Alexis who now had her arms wrapped around
herself as she looked down at the pavement. She appeared to be deep
in thought and as he went over to stand by her, she looked up suddenly
and said, "Luke, get the car."
He squinted at her through the smoke of his cigar. "Got a hunch?"
She nodded. "Yes and it is not a good one."
They sat in the car outside the small apartment house on a side
street off the rue Justine. It was an old building, very nondescript
and sported eight apartments. There were lights in five of them
and the rest were darkened. Alexis got out of the car and stared
up at the top floor corner apartment, its windows dark. Luke and
Cameron got out of the car and stood watching her as she gazed upward
lost in thought.
Cameron looked at Luke and shrugged. "Alexis, where exactly
are we going?"
She pointed up to the corner apartment and started walking into
the building. The small lobby was faded with time, the soft peach
walls blending into the gray threadbare carpeting. They went to
the elevator and ascended to the top floor and walked down the hall
to the last door on the right. Alexis reached the door, looked at
the locking mechanism then at Luke.
"What? You're making me work on a holiday?" he whined
as he pulled out a kit from his pocket. He set to picking the lock
but found it wasn't necessary as the door swung open into the room.
He walked in and turned on a lamp.
They looked at furniture covered with sheets, their stark whiteness
now discolored by age and dust. They walked around the apartment,
its echoing silence a scream in their minds. Alexis stopped in the
doorway of the bedroom and her breath caught in her throat. The
coverlet was turned back, the light from the street lamp streaming
over its ragged silk. She walked in and lit the lamp and saw the
wall picture askew and the wall safe door hidden by it ajar. She
walked over and opened the safe to find it empty. She looked over
at the bed and squinted in the half-light. She bent over and touched
the silk embroidered handkerchief that lay on the pillow and a small
wounded sound escaped her lips. She found her breathing was out
of control and she sat down quickly on the bed, afraid if she passed
out she may never awaken.
Cameron walked in and found her heaving and stepped quickly across
the room to rub her back. He had no brown paper bags but hoped massaging
her would stop the hyperventilation. He held her in his arms as
he tried to calm her.
"Alexis, be calm. I'm here and I'll take care of you. Breathe,
Alexis, breathe."
He felt her start to calm her breathing and she held on to him like
a lifeline. When she was under control, she still held onto him
as if she thought he would disappear and he disengaged himself enough
to lean back and look into her face.
"What happened in here?"
"I was looking in the wall safe and turned to the b-bed and
saw something l-laying on the p-pillow and I bent to see what it
was and I f-found this." She handed the small silk square to
him.
He looked at it and back at her puzzled. "Whose is it?"
"Mamma's."
Cameron looked at the Irish lace and fine embroidery, the intricate
sapphire roses and interlocking initials KB - Kristin Bergmann.
My God, he thought.
Alexis stared at the handkerchief. "This is one of the properties
my Father owned privately that the English barrister told me about.
This apartment has been empty since my Father died. I was here about
two years ago and there was nothing here of my Mother, certainly
not one of her handkerchiefs."
Luke walked in, heard the conversation and his expression changed.
"The old bat was here and left you a present, huh? She must
have picked it up when she was nosing around Rosewood. But to come
here just to leave you a present, seems like a wasted trip to me
and unlike Helena."
"But it wasn't a wasted trip. The safe has been opened."
Cameron asked, "What was in the safe?"
"I don't know. I didn't have the combination so I just forgot
about it."
Luke pursed his lips and whistled. 'Well, seems Helena knew what
was in there and the combination. Seems strange since Mikkos tried
to hide this place from her."
Alexis traced her Mother's initials as Cameron held the handkerchief.
She looked up at each of them as she rose from the bed. "It
was a message. I need to get back to Port Charles, to my daughter."
Luke looked after her as she strode from the room. He turned to
Cameron who was smoothing the coverlet nervously with his fingers,
a pensive look on his face.
"I have a bad feeling about this, Doc." He shook his head
sadly as he walked out of the room.
Cameron rose to leave, picking up the small object he found between
the pillows and holding it in his hand. He felt a shiver run down
his spine as he caressed the small pink bootie that lay nestled
in his palm. He put the bootie into his pocket as he looked around
one more time.
