She hadn't expected anyone to be awake, but when Alexis let herself into the house and headed down the hall, she heard Nikolas' voice coming from the study. She headed that direction and found him standing near one of the windows, a wide-awake Kristina cradled in his arms as he described the constellations to her. The little girl had clearly woken him, and Nikolas stood barefoot in his pajama bottoms, a robe haphazardly thrown on and half open.

"Knock, knock," she said quietly, and Nikolas turned and smiled when he saw her, though concern clearly flickered in his eyes.

"Hey...is everything all right?"

Alexis bit her lower lip to try and fend off the wave of fear that ran through as the sight of her nephew reminded her of the conversation she and Stavros had shared. God, if he was right...

She shuddered, and Nikolas moved closer to her. He checked to make sure he had a secure hold on Kristina with one arm, and then reached out with his other hand, touching down gently on his aunt's shoulder.

"Alexis, are you okay?"

Nodding, Alexis pulled away from him, lowering her eyes as she moved to take off her coat. When she was free of it, she turned back, sighing heavily, a forced a smile on her face.

"I just had a bad dream, and I really needed to see her. I hope you don't mind."

"Mind?" Nikolas said, walking over to hand Kristina to her mother, "Alexis, if it were up to me, you'd be staying here with her."

A real smile graced Alexis' features as she cuddled her baby girl against her chest. Kristina's lips curled into a happy grin and her hand instantly began finding things to latch onto--the left one, Alexis' shirt, the right, a lock of her long hair. For a moment, Alexis was mesmerized by the simple joy of holding her baby without a condescending glare at her back or a timekeeper standing over her. Finally, though, she managed to tear her eyes from her daughter and returned them to her nephew.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Nikolas. You really don't know what it means to me to know she's in a place with people who really want what's best for her."

"Alexis," Nikolas said as he leaned over, kissing her on the forehead, "I will always want what's best for her, for both of you. And this is your home as much as mine. You come whenever you like."

"The judge..." she began, but a look she knew he had picked up from Stefan halted her words.

"What Judge McAfee doesn't know won't hurt him. Now, I'm gonna leave you two ladies in peace and go back to bed. Take any guestroom you like, and I'll see you in the morning."

Alexis managed to keep her smile until Nikolas had left the room, but the moment he was gone, the corners of her mouth fell and her heart grew even heavier than it had been when she arrived. Trying to shake off her mood, Alexis walked Kristina back to her nursery, and soon, the two were settled in the antique rocking chair that had resided in the attic until Miss Kristina's arrival in the house.

Looking down at her daughter, whose eyes were starting to grow heavy as the late hour finally caught up with her tiny body, Alexis felt tears well up and begin to spill over. From the moment she'd found out she was carrying her child, Alexis had focused solely on keeping the baby safe. It had cost her nearly everything good in her life. And now, after all of it, after everything, a threat she had never imagined that was far greater than any she could have dreamed was hovering above them, Helena's hand on the axe that waited to fall.

[I]"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."

Alexis stared at her brother in disbelief. What scheme was Stavros cooking up, she wondered, that he would actually say such a thing when having his son inherit the Cassadine empire was all he'd ever cared about?

"Not a Cassadine?" she parroted. "Please, Stavros, what kind of fool do you think I am?"

Stavros watched as Alexis turned from him and walked back over to her couch, sitting down on it. He stood there, just looking at her, until his scrutiny became uncomfortable for her and she glared over at him and said in an exasperated tone, "What?"

"You've never even wondered?" he asked. He was rewarded with a look of utter bemusement.

"Why would I wonder that? We had DNA tests done, Stavros. We know Nikolas is your son. We also know that you and Stefan are full siblings because we had to have those DNA tests done when..."

She had been rambling, but as Alexis realized she was about say "when Chloe was murdered," she froze. Stavros realized instantly what she'd been about to say and he lowered his eyes from hers, giving her time to recover from the terrible memories that had just resurfaced. Turning, giving his back to Alexis, Stavros moved toward the fireplace and leaned against it.

"I've learned a great many interesting things since that day in the tunnels, Alexis. Most of them are... well, let's say, in keeping with the general heavy-handed drama that plagues the Cassadines. And all of it, I'm afraid, leads to very dangerous times ahead for the children we love."

Alexis had kept her head down as she fought back her suddenly renewed and bitter rage over Chloe. Even as Stavros spoke, all she could see was her friend's lifeless body laying on the floor at Wyndemere. She would have stood up and found some way to get him out and away from her, arming herself if need be, had it not been for his mention of the children.

"Why would our children be in danger?"

Stavros slowly turned to face her, hesitant to make eye contact again. He kept his gaze darting around her rather than focused on her as he prepared to try and convince Alexis of just how grave the danger around them truly was.

"After Spencer and I had our little farewell, I ended up a fairly broken wreck. I managed to crawl out of the rubble, and one of my mother's men found me and took me somewhere to recuperate. That was when I uncovered Mother's first little white lie."

Alexis listened intently as Stavros began to open up to her, even though she knew he was carefully laying out the facts he presented to try and sway her to believing his version of the truth.

"Helena had told me that my miraculous return from supposed death was dependent upon this 'medication' I had to have at regular intervals. The compound was destroyed in the tunnel collapse. Needless to say, with mother incarcerated and my having no access to said medication, I was rather frantic."

Stavros paused, waiting to see if Alexis had any commentary on what he'd said so far. When she remained silent, he went on, hoping to tell the story as succinctly as possible.

"My panic increased when, a few days after we settled, I began to become ill. Tremors, nausea, sweats...and then on the third day, I began to experience delusions."

"Delusions?" Alexis questioned. "What do you mean?"

He turned to face her, his eyes clouded with a darkness different from the one Alexis remembered. This wasn't the foreboding black-eyed villain who had so often terrorized her beloved Stefan. This was a man remembering his own fear...his own fight to retain his sanity.

"I saw myself," Stavros admitted. "I saw the things I had done since my awakening. Things I had imagined doing. I had made plans for several people, you see--Carly Corinthos, Gia, Laura, even you."

Alexis couldn't stop the reflexive movement of her body backwards on the couch. She didn't have far to go, the arm stopping her, but a familiar tinge of fright pulsed through her anyway, and she was powerless to stop it. Stavros watched her movement and, again, he lowered his eyes away from hers.

"I'm sorry. I didn't...I didn't tell you that to scare you. I'm just trying to let you know what happened."

Moving slowly but purposefully, Stavros moved as far across the room as he could. The extra space seemed to allow Alexis to breathe again. She cleared her throat and used her fingers to curl her hair behind her ears, the action giving her time to regain her composure. When she felt prepared, Alexis urged her brother on.

"Were you able to recreate the compound somehow?"

Stavros shook his head. "No. We tried, of course. But as it turns out, there was no need. You see, the drugs Helena insisted I needed weren't to keep me alive, they were to keep me acting as she wanted me to act."

Turning back to face his audience, Stavros saw that she didn't fully understand his meaning.

"It seems I wasn't suffering from a deterioration of my condition, I was going through withdrawal. A combination of stimulants used to heighten my already predatory instincts. Because they were addictive, my system would crave them, and so I would have pain or feel sick...which allowed mother to convince me that I needed the injections to survive."

It had been impossible to miss the look of pained remembrance that passed over Stavros' face, which Alexis had seen despite his attempt to hide it. Were he someone else, were the woman in question not Helena, Alexis would have been stunned that a mother could do such a thing. But hooking her child on drugs in order to control him seemed an incidental crime with Helena. Cold-blooded murderer that she was, her sons had proven to be little more to her than additional victims.

"By the time I realized what she'd done," Stavros continued, "mother was already orchestrating her great escape plot. Her allies had found out where I was, and she came to me full of grandiose plans about how we were going to manipulate Nikolas into taking his 'rightful place.' Did you know she sent him a grave marker with my name on it and no end date just to toy with him?"

"What?" Alexis exclaimed. Nikolas had never mentioned it, but back then he had been determined to pretend he could handle everything on his own, including his fears about becoming more like his father.

"Charming, isn't it?" Stavros said, his eyes rolling as he sighed. "At any rate, I was done with her calling the shots, and I told her so. She thought to persuade me otherwise."

"Stavros," Alexis asked, standing, trying to reclaim some sense of control in the room. "What does this have to do with Nikolas not being the legitimate Cassadine heir?"

"Do you remember a man named Anatolii Spalko?" Stavros stared hard at her as she pondered the answer to his question. He knew Alexis had been restricted to certain areas of the house frequently, especially if the family had guests. It was possible she'd never met Spalko.

"He had a scar on his face, didn't he?" she finally said. "It ran down his right cheek."

"Yes," Stavros smiled. "He and Mikkos grew up together. The scar was from a fencing match when Anatolii challenged Mikkos too aggressively for his liking, and so he retaliated."

"But they were friends," Alexis commented, and Stavros nodded.

"Yes...friends who, apparently, shared everything, mother included."

The comment hung there in the air as Alexis' brain scrambled to try and grasp what he was implying. It was impossible. Helena was a lot of things, but foolish enough to pass off another man's child as Mikkos'? Not even she...

"Stavros," Alexis began, her voice shaky, "whatever she said to you, she was just trying to lash out at you, you know that. It's classic Helena. Lie and manipulate where someone is most vulnerable."

"I thought of that, Alexis," he said, "believe me. I laughed at her, told her she was a lunatic if she thought I'd believe her. She laughed back and told me if I really wanted to know, there was an easy way to find out. So I did."

Alexis stepped cautiously toward him, her arms wound tightly around her as if a shield against what she might be about to hear.

"How?"

"You." Stavros answered, and Alexis felt her heart beginning to beat more rapidly in her chest. "You were without doubt Mikkos' child, and so I had one of the blood samples you had taken during your pregnancy stolen from the hospital."

It was self-preservation that fueled Alexis' next words. Because as much as the basic humanity in her felt for Stavros, as familiar as she was with the shock of finding out you weren't who you'd always believed yourself to be, this could not be true...if it was...oh, God, if it was...

"She's lying, Stavros. She's lying!"

Alexis spun around and started across the room. Mindful of the fear he caused in her but needing to finish what he'd begun, Stavros followed, reaching out to stop her. She reacted violently to his touch, flailing her arms trying to get away, but Stavros held her tightly, refusing this time to let her have the space she craved.

"We share no genetic markers, Alexis, none. Stefan and I share them all; you and I share none. You know what that means, Alexis."

"No," she cried, still struggling. "No, I don't want...no, please...please."

"There are no legitimate heirs, Alexis...but there are two illegitimate ones...you and your daughter." [/I]

Terrified she would wake the baby with her weeping, Alexis stood up from the rocking chair and gently placed Kristina down in her crib. Her hand immediately flew to her mouth to hold back the grief-stricken sob that tried to escape from her as she looked down at her child.

She had moved heaven and earth to protect her daughter from the danger of her father's life. Sonny Corinthos, who she knew would have loved this little girl with all his heart, was simply too determined to hold onto his power. He craved it, and the cost of it was often the lives of those he loved. In so many ways, he was more of a Cassadine than Alexis herself. She had never really cared about the money or the power her birthright should have entitled her to. Yes, there had been a time when she thought she needed it for protection...an argument she knew Sonny had used to justify his own actions. But in the end, she'd learned the hard way that money and power were no protection from those who would hurt you...they just found more creative ways to cause injury.

Now Helena had the perfect tool to use if she wanted to devastate Alexis--Kristina. It wouldn't matter that she was Mikkos' granddaughter... that were he alive, he would have stricken down any threat to her. All that would matter to Helena was that Kristina stood between her and absolute control of the Cassadine fortune.

Sinking back down into the rocking chair, Alexis fought to start thinking of solutions instead of dwelling on the terrifying reality. Her calls to Stefan, five frantically placed over the last 24 hours, had remained unanswered. Telling Nikolas before she knew more would only overwhelm him and force him to deal with truths she was not yet ready to burden him with. And the truth was, there was no one else she could turn to for help.

Her lot had been cast, and it meant trusting a man she knew capable of murder and destructive evil equal to that of her enemy.

Crumbling, Alexis leaned forward, head in her hands, and let her grief overrun her. Her life and the life of her child were in the hands of a madman.

*****

The passageways were familiar to him and he easily navigated them to the room he sought. The panel behind the tapestry gave way easily, and Stavros carefully swept the heavy fabric aside and waited until his eyes adjusted to the room.

His son slept, but fitfully so. Nikolas' bed was a mess, his sheets and blankets evidence of the fact that he was not enjoying sweet dreams.

'Like father, like son,' Stavros thought.

It was his own nightmare that had drawn him here. After he'd left Alexis, who was still reeling from his revelations, Stavros had returned to his hideout in the supposedly empty warehouse next door to Spencer's gaudy nightclub. It gave Stavros a sense of satisfaction that once again he had been able to return to Port Charles and, again, exist right under his nemesis' nose, yet it was a hollow victory in many ways. Laura was lost to them both now, trapped in a hell of her own mind's making. She had driven the war between them, far more so than anyone, including Helena, had ever realized. Yes, in the beginning, he had simply wanted Laura and felt entitled to her. But Stavros had grown to love her as much as he was probably capable of loving...and she was Nikolas' mother.

Nikolas. What would the world hold for his son if the truth came to light? Certainly, wherever she was, Helena was plotting even now to use her own adulterous past as a way of bringing down this young man he had helped to create.

Stepping a bit more into the room, Stavros eyed his son. No, that wouldn't happen. That would never happen. Perhaps his child had been no more than an heir to him at birth, but Stavros knew now what it meant to have Nikolas look at him with love and compassion, to ask for his help. That he'd done so despite a lifetime of hearing what a monster his father was spoke volumes about the man Nikolas had grown into. Stavros would not allow that to be ruined, especially not by his faithless mother.

Closing his eyes, Stavros thought about the dream that had awakened him. It was a memory really, at least at the outset. He had been about 18, working with his fencing instructor. The door to the room had opened and after several furious movements, Stavros had enough time to look up and see his mother Helena and his father's friend Anatolii standing off to the sidelines. Eager to please his audience, Stavros had made quick work of defeating his teacher. After a dignified bow, he had prepared to lift his mask and lower his epee when he'd heard Helena's sharp voice call out.

"No. You have another opponent."

Stavros had watched as Anatolii took possession of the instructor's epee and came to face him. He did not pick up a mask nor any protective gear. Instead, he walked straight up to Stavros and prepared to engage him.

What followed was one of the more difficult moments in Stavros' life. Anatolii had attacked and Stavros had defended, but his normally aggressive nature had been tempered by the fact that his opposition was so exposed. He knew his father had given Anatolii the scar on his face. The young prince did not want to add to the collection.

Every attempt to fend off Anatolii was met with a more aggressive assault from the older man. His power and strength soon overwhelmed Stavros, and the man's knee buckled. He reached out to steady himself only to then find that Anatolii's epee was placed flush against the pad that covered his chest, right where his heart was pounding within his body.

The click of Helena's heels as she had approached their position left Stavros' eyes darting from the man who stood above him to her. Finally, she reached them, her hand slashing out and tearing off his mask. As he looked at his mother in a panic, Helena bent down so that her lips were nearly touching his ear.

"Never show your opponent any mercy, Stavros, never. If they have a weakness, use it. If they are vulnerable, move in for the kill. Never let humanity stop you from achieving your goal."

That was the point at which the memory had stopped and a hideous image had taken over. His mother still stood at the side of the young prince, only now it was Nikolas, his eyes wild with terror as a sword, not an epee, pressed against his unprotected chest. And Anatolii was gone. Stavros stood, blade in hand, ready to run his son through on Helena's orders.

He had woken screaming for his child...and though that child was now a man, Stavros had rushed to his side anyway. Creeping carefully, the worried father moved even more into the bedroom and hovered just at the foot of the bed where Nikolas slept. No, he thought, as he looked down on his boy, she would not win.

"I learned my lesson well, Mother," Stavros whispered. "I intend to show you."

*****

The constant clanking of metal to metal was straining her nerves. Of course, he knew that. That was his intention. And though she had fought giving into his childish manipulation, Helena had reached her endpoint. She made certain her approach was noisy, her stiletto's pounding on the stairs, the keys to his cell loudly clanging in her hand.

"You don't really expect this to accomplish anything, do you?" she asked as she rounded the corner. After a moment, Stefan lifted his face to hers, and smiled.

"I missed you, Mother. I just wanted you to come and see me."

"Oh, how sweet," Helena cooed, smiling as she walked a bit closer, carefully keeping a safe distance from his reach.

"Are you planning to simply hold me here indefinitely with no explanation?" Stefan asked, his voice measured to keep her from knowing how angry and increasingly frustrated he was.

"No, my darling, not at all. I intend to tell you everything...when it suits me."

He eyed her carefully, trying to assess her in what little time he had. Helena was confident. She knew something or had something that she felt meant a sure win.

"Your cushion is about to run out, Mother. Alexis and Nikolas will worry after me when I don't check in with the lawyers."

Her smile told Stefan details...cold, terrifying details that meant only one thing. The two people he loved most in the world were in very serious trouble.

"I assure you, Alexis and Nikolas will be far too busy trying to stay alive to care where you are, Stefan."

He bit. He knew he shouldn't, it would give the hag far too much satisfaction, but Stefan's protective instincts won out over his common sense. He strained to reach her through the bars, but even without moving, she was safe from his efforts. Her cackle sounded as she turned then and walked from the room, slamming the door behind her.

Satisfied with Stefan's torment, Helena headed back to her study. Hopefully, it would be to news of her other errant son's whereabouts. Stavros had disappeared, but his course was obvious. No doubt he was somewhere in or around Port Charles trying to think of a way to stop her from wresting control of the family fortune from Nikolas.

It was too bad, really. She had actually carried some genuine affection for Stavros even above his use to her as the supposed heir to Mikkos' holdings. But like all men, he was a disappointment, ruined by love of a woman unworthy of him and sentimentality over a child who wanted nothing to do with him. His letting her down would make it easier for Helena to do what was needed when she and Stavros came face to face again.

After all, what did the misguided fool think he could do to stop her all on his own?

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