The message surprised him, to say the least. Her calling him seemed about as likely as him waking up tomorrow back at home in his Manhattan apartment, where'd he'd been years ago, before his need for revenge had finally driven him deep into a world he learned quickly...the world of his brother and men like him.

Ric Lansing should have never been a part of that world. Nothing in his life foretold of it...nothing except the wrong he felt rooted in his soul. He didn't care how many shrinks told him it was irrational or how much his father had tried to tell him revenge wouldn't help...he needed to destroy Sonny Corinthos to find peace...he knew it.

Which was why he'd been sitting at home, plotting the next step in his revenge, when the phone rang. He almost dropped the cold beer he'd held in his hand when Alexis Davis' voice reached out to him across the line.

"Mr. Lansing," she'd said after introducing herself quickly, "I have a proposal for you."

"What," he teased, somehow propelled by the fascination he felt at the unexpected call, "no secret messages written in lipstick this time?"

There was a slight pause, and Ric wondered if he'd lost his chance to find out the "why" of the call with his jesting. Then he heard Alexis clear her throat.

"I doubt your mirror is big enough for this particular message. You're familiar with Wyndemere I'd imagine?"

Ric knew of the house on Spoon Island and of Alexis' connection to it...it was her family's home.

"Yes."

"The launch can be at the dock for you in half an hour if you think you can be there. If you're interested in the proposal, of course."

He smiled. Everyone in town kept talking about how being near Sonny Corinthos had broken Alexis' spirit, but Ric could hear in her voice that the attorney he'd read so much about in his research was still quite formidable and definitely capable of piquing his curiosity.

"I'll be there," he replied finally. The clicking of the phone on the other end was the only sound he heard.

Ric looked down at what he was wearing, deemed the slacks and button up shirt suitable enough, grabbed a blazer from the closet, and then headed for the door. It only took him 15 minutes to reach the parking lot for the docks and another 5 to walk to where he knew the Cassadine launch moored. That left him with 10 minutes to wonder what on Earth Alexis Davis wanted with him.

It was doubtful it had anything to do with Sonny. Ric had been uncertain how he could drive a wedge between his brother and his best friend and trusted attorney when he'd first started formulating his plans, but thankfully, his brother's own ego and his consistent manner of stepping all over the people who cared for him had done the job for Ric. By the time he'd arrived in town, Alexis and Sonny's relationship had lain in shambles, and that had suited him well.

He hadn't given much thought to Alexis past what she could do for him in his quest. He knew she was a phenomenal attorney, perhaps the best he'd ever seen. Ric couldn't deny he'd enjoyed the slight flashes of "are you crazy" he'd seen in Sonny's eyes every time he had managed to work in a thinly veiled barb against Alexis, which he'd done just to upset his brother. It worked...always...and so he had done it frequently, reminding Sonny at every turn that HE was his only legal option. Ric knew that on more than one occasion, Sonny had been willing to risk her rejection to go to Alexis for help...it had taken quick thinking on Ric's part to make sure that didn't happen.

What he hadn't imagined, what no one could have, really, was what Alcazar's presence would do to Alexis. Ric had gone to the Port Charles Hotel that night to kill his "old friend" himself. No one was going to put Sonny Corinthos in the ground before Ric had the chance to exact his revenge, and besides, he'd owed Alcazar for getting him thrown in that damn South American jail. But he'd never gotten the chance...Alexis had beat him to the room.

Had he not been so mired in trying to manipulate Sonny, Ric knew he would have done more to help the woman. He could have used his in with Scott to get him to go easier on her, could have helped in her defense. After all, she'd done him and the rest of the world a favor in taking out Alcazar. But every time he thought about doing something to lend aid, Ric's mind had come back to the threat doing so might pose to his plans. And so he had done nothing.

It was just as unlikely this meeting was about that as it was she wanted to talk about Sonny. He doubted very much that she even knew of his connection to her former lover, a status Ric was certain of. The rest of the world could buy their denials, but he had seen it in the tension between them...Sonny had taken Alexis to his bed, and then, for some reason Ric found wholly inexplicable, had cast her aside in favor of Carly.

Carly Corinthos...God, what a disaster she was, both literally and figuratively. There were days when Ric thought the worst thing he could do was simply to maroon Sonny with Carly somewhere for all eternity. He imagined without the distractions of his business and his "family," Sonny would last about two weeks before he killed his harpy wife with his bare hands. That he'd even had to pretend he'd touched her made Ric cringe. Never would a Lansing man lower himself to such a woman.

The sound of a small boat motor drew Ric away from his thoughts and instead pulled his eyes toward the water. The launch was nearing the dock and Ric looked at it with anticipation. He was so focused on it, he almost didn't see the small, sudden movement behind and to the left of him, but somehow it caught his eye and Ric turned in time to see Elizabeth racing back up the stairs. She had seen him and was running away.

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth!" he called out, but she wouldn't stop. Ric sighed and turned back toward the boat. He couldn't say he was proud of what he'd done to his brother or the people Sonny loved, but in a sense, Ric felt they all had it coming, Sonny for his past sins and all of them for being blind to them. But Elizabeth...he regretted her so much, and he doubted there was anything he could ever do to make it right.

The boat pilot came about and Ric climbed down into the launch. He sat as the older European man nodded to him, and then restarted the engine, heading out toward Spoon Island. Ric's thoughts drifted as they cut across the water, jumping from his mother to Elizabeth to his father to his hated brother. His life was built on extreme emotion...anger toward Adella, hatred of Sonny, love of his father and...need...he needed Elizabeth. But she was lost to him now.

The boat docked and a rather officious looking man named "Henri" greeted Ric once they arrived at the island. Henri led him up the pathway to the imposing estate and then showed him inside where a woman named Mrs. Landsbury waited for him.

"Ms. Davis is in the study. I'll show you in."

Ric followed the older woman, his eyes scanning the elaborate and ancient works of art that filled the house as they traveled. He stopped walking, however, when he caught sight of a portrait that hung at the end of what was clearly the main hallway to the most used rooms in the home. It was a portrait of Alexis, a woman he recognized as her late sister Kristina, and of two men. One he recognized as Nikolas Cassadine. The other, he didn't know by sight, but he assumed it was Nikolas' uncle, Stefan. The portrait was beautiful, but Ric noticed a drape was hanging partially over the canvas. When Mrs. Landsbury, who had noticed he was no longer following her, returned to his side, she nodded at the portrait.

"We're moving it to the library."

She said no more, but Ric imagined that the picture was simply too painful for the family to see routinely. He understood. Ric felt the same way about the photographs of his mother that his father had given to him.

Mrs. Landsbury urged him forward, and Ric resumed his walk, falling in behind his guide. She knocked softly on a door they reached within two minutes, then pushed the heavy oak open.

"Mr. Lansing, ma'am."

"Thank you, Mrs. Landsbury."

Ric heard Alexis' voice even though he couldn't see her. Mrs. Landsbury then cleared the doorway, allowing him to enter. He found Alexis seated behind the large desk in the room, a fire burning behind her to ward of the unexpected chill of the late spring night.

"Mr. Lansing, good of you to come," she said as she stood and extended her hand. Ric took it, and smiled at her as they shook hands.

"I admit to being very intrigued by the call, and it's Ric, please."

Alexis motioned for him to sit down in the chair opposite the desk and Ric did so as Alexis returned to her seat.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Good," Alexis said, lifting a pair of glasses Ric hadn't noticed before and sliding them onto her face, "I'd prefer to get right to business."

"And that business is?" Ric asked.

"Do you know much about my family's interests?"

Ric quickly ran through what he did know, and then shook his head. "Not much. I know it's a fairly vast array of holdings and that your nephew Nikolas Cassadine is running things."

"Yes, well," Alexis cleared her throat and leaned forward, her forearms on the desk, "obviously, what I'm about to say to you is to be held in the strictest confidence. My stepmother, Helena Cassadine, did a great deal of damage to the family enterprises during her last scheme. My brother, Stefan, is back and is helping Nikolas negotiate his way clear of said problems."

"But?" Ric asked, knowing there was one.

"But that will require some intricate legal maneuvering, and frankly, what we don't need is a team of family lawyers with, shall we say, questionable loyalties, working on these particular matters."

"And you can't because of your suspension," Ric said, beginning to see why he was here.

"Right," Alexis agreed. "Now, I've obviously checked you out. You have a good record at corporate law, that's important. But frankly, Ric, the reason you're here is because you have another quality we need right now as much as legal acumen."

"Which is?" Ric asked, this time, smiling a bit.

"You're a player," Alexis stated plainly. "You're not above breaking rules to get what you want, and you're not likely to go running to the state bar telling them that I'm doing more than just visiting my family when I come here to Wyndemere."

"Ms. Davis," Ric began, and when Alexis didn't stop to correct him on the way he addressed her, he took note of it and went on, "I'm not going to be a front for anyone. I'm too good a lawyer for that."

That earned him a wry grin, but Ric held back the urge to respond to it.

"Confident, I see," Alexis quipped. "Well, good, you'll have to be. My brother can be very difficult to work with, and I don't want you to be a front. I'm here acting as an interested party with my family and to be a legal resource to them and you. Yes, you'll have to actively handle the legal work, but no, I'm not expecting you to simply do my bidding. We need and want an outside opinion, but as I said, there are other concerns."

Ric nodded. She was as good as he knew she would be, and Ric didn't doubt for a second that Scott Baldwin's suspicions were right. Alexis Davis was no more insane than he was...but she was damn cunning, and he appreciated that. He also knew that if she didn't know who he really was, she would soon enough, and if he were going to take this job to help solidify his position in Port Charles, then he needed to make sure he didn't endanger that by getting caught later on.

"I'm definitely interested, Ms. Davis, but I need to ask, do you know all about me or just about my legal background?"

Her eyebrows raised and Ric saw a tension come into her neck that hadn't been there. "I had you checked out. No alarm bells went off, other than your history with Alcazar, but then, that just makes you more qualified for what I'm asking. Is there something else I need to know?"

Ric leaned forward, looking at her intently. He knew what he was about to reveal could cost him this opportunity, and frankly, it was one he wanted. Working for a prominent family would help him better disguise his movements against Sonny, and it might help him win back Elizabeth's trust. He knew she liked Alexis, working for her couldn't hurt his chances. But the truth of who he was might...and so Ric took a deep breath before he spoke.

"My mother was Adella Corinthos. Sonny is my half brother. I came here to Port Charles because I owe him a debt and I intend to repay it. He'll have nothing when I'm done. I know you have a history with him. I felt it only fair to tell you."

Alexis felt him watching her as she took in what he'd said. She had been so focused on her fight for Kristina and the mess her family was in that she hadn't paid any attention to the goings on in Sonny's life. It seemed he'd acquired a new enemy...one that had a personal grudge.

"You understand that nothing about your brother or his way of life can touch me or my family? If it ever did, you'd be gone."

"There's no reason for it to," Ric assured her. "I did use some contacts in his world to get to him, Faith Roscoe being the primary one, but that's no longer necessary."

"And I should take your word for that?" Alexis asked. She could see him growing nervous as he tried to think of an answer to the question.

"I don't know what else I can give you," Ric finally said. "I'm a target for Jason Morgan and my brother, that's not going to change as long as I pursue my agenda, which is to see my brother ruined, in case you were wondering, not dead."

He was a risk, Alexis could feel it. His hatred of Sonny was palpable, visible in his eyes as he spoke even briefly about his brother. Brother...Alexis couldn't help but wonder what Sonny must think of that. But he wasn't her concern, Ric Lansing was. He was definitely what they needed, legally sharp, personally living in a gray area, and clearly brazen if he was willing to openly take Sonny on. But was he too dangerous? Could he somehow get the Cassadines stuck smack in the middle of a war with Sonny, or worse, draw Alexis' name back into connection with the mob, which Edward could use against her when it came to Kristina's custody.

"I'm going to have to think about this a bit more, Ric, but I do appreciate you telling me now," Alexis said, then she stood, signaling to him that the meeting was over.

Ric stood himself, nodded, then extended his hand to her. He felt his mouth go dry as a sudden surge of fear ran through him. Something in his gut was telling him not to screw this up...and his instincts had served him well most of his life.

"I am the man you want for this job, Ms. Davis. And I have to promise you, if you give me the chance, I will never even discuss my brother in your presence again, that's how far away I'll keep him from you and your life."

Alexis took his hand, shaking it. She sensed his sincerity, but she knew she couldn't afford to be rash. She had to find out more about Ric's connection to Sonny before she could give him the job.

"I'll be in touch, soon, I promise."

Ric took that as a dismissal and headed for the study door. Seemingly out of nowhere, Mrs. Landsbury came around the corner, prepared to lead him back out of the house. As he followed her, Ric glanced back over his shoulder toward the room he had just been in.

Yes, he wanted it...he wanted this job...and he wanted to be a part of this. He wasn't sure why, but Ric was certain of that.

*****

"So?" Stefan asked as he stepped in from the passageway that led into the study. Alexis turned, leaning on the desk as her brother walked up to her and fixed his gaze to hers.

"He's connected to Sonny. I hadn't counted on that."

"There was nothing in the dossier?"

"No," Alexis answered, "which bothers me, and we'll need to speak to the investigators about that."

"Alexis, I know you have valid concerns, but we don't have much time to waste," Stefan said, and Alexis nodded.

"I know. I just need someone who knows the situation. If Benny were still alive, I could have called him and he would have told me if I was in any danger, but now..." An idea struck Alexis then, one she wasn't entirely comfortable with. It meant asking him to associate with people he was better off without, but it also meant she had a reliable, trusted friend to go to. Realizing she had little choice, Alexis picked up the phone and dialed his number.

"Hello."

"Zander, it's Alexis."

"Hey, Alexis," he said, his voice brightening when he realized she was calling. "What's up? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, but, um, Zander this going to sound ridiculous coming from me after all the grief I've given you about your life, but I...I need help, Zander, and you may be the only person I can come to with this."

"Hey, this is me...there's nothing I wouldn't do for you," Zander assured her. "Just tell me what you need."

"I need information. Ric Lansing is connected to Sonny, he's his brother."

"Yeah, I heard," Zander shared.

"Well, he's also potentially going on the Cassadine payroll, and I need to be sure that what's happening between him and Sonny won't touch my family."

"I'll see what I can find out."

"Zander," Alexis said, a tone of urgency in her voice, "you be careful and do not take any chances. If anything happened to you..."

"Alexis," he said, laughing, "all I'm gonna do is have a few beers with some guys I used to work with who still hang out with me, okay? No worries."

"Zander, I mean it," she reiterated, unconvinced.

"I'll be fine. Ric Lansing, chapter and verse, soon as I can, okay?"

"Okay," Alexis said, and then they said their goodbyes and ended the call. She looked up to see Stefan's disapproving face looking back.

"The Smith boy? Alexis, really..."

"Look, you," Alexis pointed at his chest as she stood up, taking her full height to meet his, "Zander may be the only solution we've got right now, so I'd behave if I were you."

Stefan smiled. She was herself today. There had been several days in the short two weeks he'd been back when that was not the case, her mind too taxed with worries over Baby Kristina or, sadly, the grief they had finally shared together for the sister they had lost. But today, today she was the sister he remembered...vibrant, vital, ready to take on the world.

Still, Stefan cautioned himself, he had overestimated her strength. He had left Alexis unaided too long, and it had cost her. She was not, as he might have thought, invincible. No, his treasured sister was all too human. He made a mental note to do his own investigation into Ric Lansing while they waited to hear back from Alexis' juvenile delinquent protégé. If there was any chance this man might bring more harm into her life, they would have to find another solution.

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