"You're...you're dead."

Stavros was standing a mere two feet from Alexis, and he could see her trembling...and fighting to hide the fact that she was. Her chin jutted out and her shoulders squared as Alexis mustered every bit of Cassadine within her to defy the terror his presence had ignited inside of her. He smiled at her effort. The smile made her step back, though she didn't have much room to run...she was only a few inches from the desk.

"How are...you 're dead," she repeated, and Stavros couldn't suppress a small laugh.

"Spencer really needs to find a new way to kill me. Dropping me doesn't seem to be working."

She paled, and Stavros sighed. Once, the sight of a woman terrified by him would have made him gleeful. The cowering excited him, and the glint of panic in their eyes...

He had never really engaged Alexis much during her childhood. She was a weapon for him to use against Stefan and little more. A menacing look thrown her way, a mention of her name and Stefan had been willing to endure almost any torture in order to spare the girl child he had adored. Had Stavros known then who Alexis really was...had he known the role she would someday play in the Cassadine family dynamic, that might well have been very different. Another rival, another heir...and even worse, a child Mikkos actually loved.

There was no doubt, he would have hated her...and he would have made her life a living hell.

"What...why are you...what do you want?"

Her voice was filled with fear. That she couldn't hide. Stavros sighed. As much as the sound of her panic might be triggering a familiar buzz of satisfaction for him, tonight he needed Alexis to hear him. He stepped back, giving her breathing room.

"I need to have a word with you. I didn't come here to hurt you."

Alexis moved her right hand slightly behind her, her fingers wrapping around the edge of the desk as she squeezed hard against the wood. She needed something tangible in her grasp, something to tell her this wasn't just some bad dream she might wake up from momentarily. Even considering that would mean her guard was down...and with this particular monster that would be a fatal mistake.

"You don't believe me?" Stavros asked as he walked closer to the fireplace mantle and noted her lack of response. "I didn't come here to hurt you, Alexis. If I had wanted to do that, do you think we'd still be talking?"

"Considering you murdered my best friend in cold blood, I doubt your word is going to be good enough here," Alexis said, finding the voice she used to humble opponents in court. Stavros felt a small surge of pride at the sound.

"I'll make you a deal," he said, smiling at her once again. "I will stay here, and you can walk over to the door and stand right by it, phone in hand if you like. That way, if it turns out my motives are less wholesome than I've implied, you can get away long before I can get to you."

Alexis felt his eyes on her as she considered her options. She could just make a break for the door now, but she sensed he would run after her, and memories of Chloe and her poor, broken body were vivid in Alexis' mind. She had to get out of whatever this was in one piece. Her daughter was waiting for her.

"Even if I agree, why should I believe anything that you say to me, Stavros? You're hardly a trusted source of information."

"Ah, but I'd think I was quite high on your list right now. I mean, I did leave you all that helpful dirt on your enemies, didn't I?"

Her eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed in doubt. Stavros turned and crossed his arms in front of him as he leaned his back into the mantle.

"Padded envelope, six files. File one contained phone records, file two contained some rather intriguing bank records belonging to the local D.A. and..."

"You?" Alexis questioned, cutting him off. "You gave me the files?"

Stavros nodded and Alexis gripped the desk again, this time to keep her from swaying.

"Why would you...the last time I saw you, you wanted to destroy anyone and everything standing in your way, why would you help me?"

"The answer to that lies in why I'm here. So does this mean you're ready to listen?"

Alexis kept her eyes focused on her once-again reincarnated sibling as she reached into her purse and retrieved her cell phone, then snatched her keys up off the desk. Keeping her gaze locked on Stavros, she stepped backward until her body pressed against the door. She looked to the door only long enough to place the locks, then she undid them all, pulling the door slightly open.

"Start talking."

Stavros nodded.

"I helped you because I need your help, Alexis, it's that simple."

"My help?" she asked incredulously, "with what? I don't know if you've heard, but I'm not allowed to practice law right now, so if you were thinking I could somehow erase the numerous charges against you, including murder, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed."

"I don't need a lawyer because no one is going to find out that I'm alive."

The statement held an ominous edge in Alexis' interpretation. For Stavros to say those words, and do so with so much confidence, it meant he either had a way to ensure her silence or he intended to make certain she wouldn't live to tell anyone. Both options made her blood run cold.

"What the hell do you want?"

Stavros stood taller, pulling his body away from the marble mantelpiece behind him, but he did not step closer to her.

"A simple trade, a child for a child."

The words left Alexis staring at him, her mouth gaping open as she tried to fathom what he meant. Stavros willed himself to drop the façade he wore so easily...that of the brooding, domineering prince, and instead looked at her like what he was...a man desperate to protect his son.

"I helped you protect Kristina because I need your help, Alexis...to protect Nikolas."

"Nikolas is a grown man, Stavros. He can protect himself."

Stavros turned to her, his eyes riveting to hers as he walked toward her for the first time since giving her space to adapt to his presence. He froze mid-room when her hand gripped the doorknob and he saw the door inch open.

"Not from Helena, he can't." The words were called out, almost in desperation as Stavros sensed Alexis preparing to run. She stopped though when she heard the dreaded name spoken aloud.

"Helena is in prison."

He moved to her desk, picking up the receiver of the standard phone that sat there.

"Call Luke Spencer and tell him you need to see him. When you do, ask him why he didn't tell you Helena was free. He'll deny it, of course, but tell him you know about the switch. I'll give you 24 hours to meet with him, and then I'll be in touch with you."

Stavros sat the receiver down and then started to walk toward the door. Alexis moved quickly, taking several steps toward the back of the couch in an arc away from the door. Stavros shook his head as he pulled open the already ajar door.

"Our children's lives are at stake. No matter what you think of me, I suggest you remember that."

The moment the door closed, Alexis dissolved into a puddle on the floor. Her body hugged against the back of the couch as the ghosts of her past flooded her senses, the sounds of Helena's evil promises and sinister laugh overwhelming her.

"Oh, God," she whispered, "please, not again...not again."

*****

Luke poured a small bit of brandy into his steaming hot cup of coffee and then he took a healthy swig, ignoring the burn on his tongue. No doubt Natasha wanted to talk about her bratty nephew, and Luke had decided he needed a drink to fortify him. Who the hell cared that it was only 9:00 in the morning? Hell, considering all this insanity he was wrapped up in...fighting Laura's son for the right to care for her, fighting his own son over a woman he trusted less than Nikolas Cassadine now given all the lies she'd told...it was enough to make a man want to stay drunk all day.

The back door to his office flew open, and Alexis stormed in, slamming it shut behind her.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Alexis watched as Luke knitted his brows together in curiosity. She had decided to come in here on fire, acting as if she knew everything she wanted to know. Stavros had left her lacking in details, and a sleepless night wondering what his vague clues really meant had put her in a terrible mood despite the amazing turn her life had taken 18 hours ago.

"Natasha, I'm not really in the mood to hear you tell me how I've upset the prince so..."

"Luke, I don't give a damn about you and Nikolas or this stupid war the two of you are trying to start over Laura. You should both, BOTH, be ashamed of yourselves. That woman loves you, why, I have no clue, but she does, and Nikolas is her son and you should both have more respect for her than this."

It was rare that anyone left Luke feeling taken aback, but Alexis had accomplished it. She was really and truly outraged at him...and he had a feeling it had nothing to do with Nikolas or Laura or anything they had yet to talk about.

"Well, darlin', if that's not what's got you all riled up, then I suppose you're gonna have to tell me what has."

Alexis threw her purse down in the chair and then walked to Luke's desk, leaning on it, her weight going into her hands.

"Helena. You look me in the eye, Luke, and you tell me how you could not let me know that that witch was running around free to hurt me or my child. How could you do that?"

Her voice dripped with fury and it wasn't an act. Alexis knew in her gut Stavros wouldn't have sent her here on a wild goose chase, not if he was really trying to prove something to her. That Luke could have known Helena was out there in the world somewhere, lurking, free to plot any vengeance she wanted, it made her sick with anger.

"Someone's been telling you tales," Luke said, trying to deflect her accusation. He stood and walked to the filing cabinet he actually didn't use for filing anything and opened the drawer, trying to look like he was doing work. Alexis crossed to where he stood and slammed the drawer shut.

"I know about the switch, Luke. I know."

Luke watched the way Alexis' body moved as she declared herself and her knowledge to him. Natasha was a damn good poker player, but Luke could see that she was bluffing...her hand wasn't nearly as pat as she wanted it to appear. But his perusal had uncovered something else...and it was that brief glimpse of the Alexis Helena had wrought with her constant mistreatment and menacing that made Luke decide it was time to give his sometime-ally the information she didn't have.

"So you know that Hells recruited some distant relative to play her?"

"And that's who's sitting in Pentonville?" Alexis asked, her voice cracking from the dryness that had swept her throat.

"Yeah," Luke confirmed, nodding as he walked back to his desk. He pulled out the bottle of brandy, poured another swig into his coffee cup and then extended the liquor toward his visitor. "Need a drink, doll face?"

"I need you to tell me where she is, Luke. Where is Helena?"

"Well, last I knew," he began, pausing for a drink, "she was in Antarctica, spreading the gospel to the Catholic penguins."

"What?" Alexis asked incredulously.

"Laura and I found the queen of the damned hiding out in a convent. I arranged for her to get shipped off to the edge of the world to keep her out of everyone's hair."

"Did it occur to you, for even a second, Luke, to tell the police?"

"Oh, right, the cops who locked up the wrong person in the first place?" Luke slammed his coffee cup down. "Sorry, Natasha, but your love of the justice system hasn't served you very well whether you want to admit it or not, not with Hells and not with this Alcazar disaster."

"And that lame argument is supposed to excuse you?" Alexis placed her hands on her hips as she stared at him, her fury evident in her eyes. "I have an infant, Luke, one you and I both know Helena wouldn't hesitate to kill just because it would amuse her. How could you do this?!"

"She was out of the way, Alexis. I didn't see any reason to upset things by sending anyone after her." The words were barely out of his mouth before Luke registered how weak a defense it was, and if he had any doubts, Alexis was about to put them to rest.

"No, she was out of YOUR way, yours and Laura's and to hell with everyone else. Well, good for you, Lucas Lorenzo, bravo. You protected your own and who cares if Alexis' little girl ends up as Helena's next victim, right? Well, fine, I can play that game, too. From now on, I won't lift a finger to help you, not with anything. Next time your world falls apart because you crossed Scott Baldwin or you need me to try and talk reason to Nikolas, you do me a favor and go take a flying leap. I'm done with you, Luke. Done."

Alexis turned, snatched up her purse and stomped from the room. As the door slammed, Luke felt something he rarely felt unless it was associated with his marriage or his kids, but it was too late. He had a feeling Natasha had meant what she said, and regret wouldn't do him a damn bit of good now.

*****

Stopping in one of the mammoth hallways of Wyndemere, Alexis leaned against the wall and drew in a deep breath. She let it out slowly as she ran her hand through her hair and tried to calm her nerves. The morning had been beyond horrific. First, Luke had confirmed Stavros' dire pronouncement about Helena, and then she had gone to her session with Cameron where her inexplicable nervousness had puzzled her shrink and drawn a litany of questions from him. Alexis understood...as far as Cameron knew her life had turned on a dime and all that had seemed so wrong this time yesterday morning was at least on the road to right. He had no idea that her life had turned once more last evening, and she certainly couldn't tell him.

What would that explanation sound like? Gee, Cameron, my oldest brother, who I thought died 20 years ago who ended up being alive, and who I thought died again a year and a half ago, well, he's not dead and he needs my help. Halfway through that longwinded diatribe, Alexis had no doubt Cameron would have decided he'd been wrong all along and that she wasn't faking DID after all.

Keeping her silence had cost her...Cameron knew she was hiding something and he wasn't pleased. He assumed, correctly, that it had something to do with the files that had shown up in her apartment, and while he believed her when she said she'd played no part in gathering the information, he clearly sensed that she was leaving out a pivotal detail.

Stavros...the living, breathing definition of a "pivotal detail."

Alexis cleared her throat and righted herself. There was little she could do about it right now. For the immediate future, her priority was one very small and beautiful baby girl. She found her daughter in Nikolas' study. Her nephew was seated on the sofa holding Kristina in his arms as the baby stared up at him with pure adoration.

"She'll be here, soon, and you can sit here and just be with your mommy and love her as much as you want, okay?" Nikolas dipped his head and kissed Kristina on her forehead. "You are so lucky to have her, Kristina, you know that? You have a mother who will fight anything and anyone to be with you. That's...that's a blessing. And I promise you, I'll always be here for the both of you. I won't let anyone separate you from your family ever again."

Tears gathered at the rims of Alexis' eyes as she listened to Nikolas pledge his allegiance to her little girl. He was an incredible young man. Flawed, to be certain, but Stefan had raised him to be a good man, and nine times out of ten, Nikolas did him proud. After months of struggling, it seemed Nikolas was finally beginning to settle into himself, into being the head of the family, and Alexis sighed as she kept silent watch over him now. A chill ran through her body as she remembered the foreboding tone of Stavros' words. "...our children's lives are at stake..."

"Hey."

Alexis heard Nikolas' voice reach her and she realized he had seen her lurking in the doorway. She brushed away the remaining tears on her cheeks and stepped into the room.

"Hey, there."

"Look who's here, Kristina," Nikolas said softly as he stood and stepped closer to Alexis. She quickly shrugged out of her coat and opened her arms up to receive her daughter into them. "You could have come in any time, you know?"

"I know," Alexis answered as she cuddled Kristina close, "but I was enjoying watching you with her. You're a very good cousin, and you're going to be a wonderful father someday."

Nikolas laughed bashfully. "Well, I think that's a ways off, but it is kind of fun having a baby around."

"Really?" Alexis said, smiling despite the heavy weight on her heart. "Was it fun at 2:00 this morning?"

"Well...not fun maybe, but it wasn't terrible." Nikolas agreed, and then he leaned over and kissed Kristina one more time. "Okay, so the order says I have to be here, but it doesn't say I have to hover over you, so I'm going to go sit in my big chair here and turn around and read some hideously boring contracts, and you two ladies enjoy yourselves. Mrs. Landsbury will bring in lunch in a little while."

Nodding, Alexis moved to the sofa and sat down, her whole being now focused solely on the baby in her arms. Kristina rewarded her mother's attention with a pair of pursed lips and a spit bubble that earned her a giggle from her mama.

"Oh, angel, how did I ever live before you, hmm? Mama can't even remember life without you now. I love you so much. You are my heart. And no matter what I have to do, you will always be safe. No one's ever going to hurt you."

Four hours flies by when a mother knows she has to leave her child behind when it's over. Alexis knew Nikolas would let her stay longer, court order be damned, but as much as she wanted to stay with Kristina, Alexis needed to go home and think--think about Stavros and Helena. Exhausted from days worth of emotional highs and lows, Alexis opened her apartment door. She jumped, but only slightly, when she saw she was not alone.

"Can you please stop doing that?" Alexis asked as she closed the door behind her.

"Alexis," Stavros countered, "it's not as if I can just come up and knock on the door."

She shook her head, ignoring him as she took off her coat and deposited her purse and keys in their usual spots. Stavros stood and walked to the fireplace, turning to stare at her as she folded down into the living room chair on that put her directly opposite him.

"So what did you learn today?" he asked.

"That you were telling the truth about Helena. She's out there...and she's probably planning to strike knowing her."

"Oh, she's planning, believe me," Stavros said, raising his eyebrows on the final two words for emphasis. He waited as Alexis leaned back in her seat, contemplating him for a moment.

"Why didn't you go to Stefan? You know what Nikolas means to him."

"Yes, my brother does adore my son," Stavros stated, a tinge of bitterness in his voice, "but he loathes me and he probably would have killed me on first sight. You and I, however, share the bond of parenthood. You and I have a mutual interest."

"See, that's where you lose me." Alexis stood and took several steps closer to him. She seemed unaware that her concern for the two younger Cassadines was overruling her fear of the returned man in front of her. "Helena would use Nikolas, would manipulate him, but hurt him? She's obsessed with him, Stavros, almost as obsessed as she is with you."

"Was."

The word hung there between them and Alexis looked at him curiously. "Was? I assume you realize you have to elaborate on that."

Stavros had come to Port Charles, come to her, knowing that at some point he would have to surrender all of his secrets in order to secure what he needed. It seemed tonight was to be the moment when he gave up his third revelation.

"Nikolas is no longer of use to my mother. She has deemed him an unsuitable heir."

"He's your son, Stavros," Alexis argued, but he waved off her words quickly.

"Yes, he is my son. But you see the problem is this...being my son doesn't make him the Cassadine prince. In fact, being my son means that Nikolas isn't a Cassadine at all."

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