This was written as a birthday fic for my friend Cat. Victoria Cassadine is my original character.



Scott Baldwin was used to fairly shady dealings, but being summoned in the middle of the day by a woman whose voice he didn't recognize, well, even he was smart enough to know he could be headed into trouble. Caution would have been the better choice here. He should have demanded she meet him in a more public place. But the flat out truth was, Scott was a little intrigued. A mystery woman making phone calls asking, not demanding, for a meeting...how could he not come and find out what was up?

She was standing right where she said she'd be. She had long hair, and as he got closer he found himself guessing as to the color...dark brown sometimes, red as the light changed. Curious. He was about two feet away when she turned and smiled at him, dark sunglasses covering her eyes.

"Ah, Mr. Baldwin. Right on time."

She reached up and removed the glasses. Her eyes were large and dark and they fixed upon him with such intensity that Scott faltered a step. She was young-ish...early to mid 20s, but she had a bearing about her that struck Scott as oddly familiar; regal but tempered with a shock of extreme intelligence. He was immediately on his guard.

"And who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" he asked. She extended her hand toward him and smiled.

"Tori."

Scott took her hand and shook it.

"Tori..."

"Just Tori for now. Lovely day, don't you think?"

As she spoke "Tori" began to stroll toward a bench that sat in the public garden secluded from view by a large oak tree. Someone had to have known it was there in order to head toward it, which meant this woman had at least scouted the gardens as she planned this meeting. Scott followed and sat down beside his curious companion when she sat down at the opposite end of the bench, legs crossed.

"I'm a busy and important man, Tori, so if you don't mind..."

"Ah, yes, Mr. Baldwin, I know all about your assumption of 'power' and the way that you throw it around at anyone who gets in your way. Your reputation, such as it is, precedes you."

"Impressed are you?" he asked, sitting up straight like a peacock preening. Tori turned and looked at him as if she'd encountered a bad odor.

"By a lawyer who hasn't won a case in, what, nearly a decade?" She laughed, a long, continuous stream of laughter, and Scott's face soured at the sound.

"What do you want? I got things to do."

Tori stopped laughing and leveled her gaze on Scott once more.

"I'm here to give you a lesson in real power, Mr. Baldwin. For instance, the power to destroy your life in two words."

Scott rolled his eyes at her threat and waved his hand in the air.

"Ooh, I'm shaking," he said, standing up to walk away.

"Theresa Carter."

The words hung in the air and Scott froze. He turned and looked at her cryptically, though he forced an arrogant smile onto his face.

"What does an unfortunate murder victim have to do with me?"

"Everything, Mr. Baldwin," Tori replied, smiling, "because you killed her."

Scott's smile dropped as he rushed back toward the bench and loomed over her menacingly.

"Look, lady, don't mess with me."

"I know how to kill a man with my bare hands, Mr. Baldwin, I suggest you are the one who needs to not mess with me. Now, would you like to sit down so we can continue our discussion?"

Defeated, Scott sank onto the bench, but he looked at her defiantly a second later.

"You got nothing on me, lady."

"Au contraire, Mr. Baldwin. I have the late Ms. Carter's skull. I have a photograph of you covered in her blood in the Webber attic. I have a witness who saw you and Rick Webber digging up said skull in the backyard that now belongs to the Scorpios and, of course, the piece de resistance."

"What?" Scott asked, venom dripping from his voice.

"I have located a rather trustworthy gentleman, far above reproach, who will swear that he heard you declare just weeks after Theresa Carter disappeared that you had 'made sure that tramp could never hurt Laura again.'"

"That's a lie," Scott said, "I never talked about it..." Tori's laughter cut him off.

"I never said it wasn't a lie, Mr. Baldwin. But it'll be a convincing one. So what do you think? Were I to allow Commissioner Scorpio, who doesn't like you anyway, to find all of this evidence, would he believe that poor, sweet Laura Spencer killed Theresa Carter, or would he jump to the very logical conclusion that you were the killer and that you used her unfortunate condition to hide your crime? And wouldn't Luke Spencer just love the chance to try and help him prove it?"

"It would never stick."

Tori shrugged. "Maybe not, but it would cost you your job, to be sure. Can't have a man who would cover up a murder serving as D.A., now can we?"

Fuming, Scott stood and paced off to the side of the bench.

"What do you want from me?"

Tori stood and walked over to him, smiling as she reached out and straightened the collar on his unfortunate bright purple shirt.

"You are going to re-evaluate the evidence in the Luis Alcazar murder trial and come to the quite reasonable conclusion that Dr. Lewis is correct. Ms. Davis is suffering from DID, and it would be a waste of everyone's time and money to go through yet another unsuccessful trial. You will construct a plea agreement wherein Ms. Davis receives court-ordered counseling and probation, and then you will personally write a letter of support for her stating that she is not a danger to her daughter or for that matter to anyone else. You will do all of this by 5:00 p.m. tomorrow, or I will deliver my package to Commissioner Scorpio at 5:01. Are we clear?"

"So," Scott began, a smirk on his face, "Alexis put you up to this? Well, what if I decide to call your bluff?"

Tori snapped her fingers and a man stepped out of the shadows with a large envelope. He handed it to Tori and she opened it up. Inside was the original print of the photo that showed him in his bloody t-shirt in the Spencer attic.

"Only losers bluff, Mr. Baldwin. And you lose."

*****

Sonny was pissed. Sonny was beyond pissed. Somehow someone had managed to buy out his interest in the Puerto de Santos resort and casino. Benny swore he didn't authorize the sale and his lawyers were jumping through hoops trying to explain what had happened. Furious, he walked into the Port Charles Grille to wait for Carly so they could enjoy their dinner. The maitre 'd seated him at the best table in the restaurant and Sonny ordered a scotch to enjoy while he waited. The drink had just arrived when the dark-haired young woman sat down across from him.

"Ruined your day, did I?"

He looked over at her, curious because something about her seemed familiar, and yet he couldn't place what it was.

"Excuse me?"

"I hear you're very upset about my recent business acquisition."

Sonny picked up his drink and swallowed it down in one gulp. He then slammed the glass down on the table and glared over at his uninvited guest.

"How did you manage to steal my property? And more to the point, are you insane or do you not know who I am?"

She laughed. Her laugh also seemed familiar to him.

"Mr. Corinthos, I am well aware of who you are. As for how, you have far too many lawyers working for you now. It's easy to confuse them. A phone call here saying the deal's been approved, a fax from one bank, a hand-delivered memo from the other...with the right amount of planning and patience, I could have taken you for far more than just the Puerto de Santos."

Sonny refused to acknowledge her, but he knew she was right. His business had been in knots since Alexis had resigned...and no 10 attorneys could juggle what she had managed alone.

"Why that? I have property that's far more valuable." Sonny leaned forward on his elbows, genuinely curious what this woman could say that she thought would keep him from ordering Jason to kill her the moment she left the room.

"You didn't deserve it anymore."

That was an answer he hadn't been expecting.

"Excuse me?"

She smiled and leaned onto her forearms, mirroring his posture.

"You didn't deserve it anymore. You see, you shared that place with someone very special. I couldn't let you taint it by taking someone...unworthy...there and so I took it away from you so that it could remain in the hands of someone who remembered how valuable it really was."

Sonny lowered his eyes as memories of the Puerto de Santos under a November sky flooded him. Alexis and him, dancing, talking, growing closer...the possibilities of what could have been ripped away by a phone call from the "real world."

"What makes you think you have the right to judge me or anything I've done?" Sonny asked, suddenly angered by the bittersweet memories this woman had stirred. He was surprised when she stood and walked over to him, leaning close so that her lips were near his ear.

"I'm the woman who knows that you are the greatest fool to have ever lived...a man too frightened to grab what life offered you...and so you lose, Mr. Corinthos. You lose."

*****

Ned walked toward the gatehouse door, a smug and satisfied smile on his face. His "date" with Faith had been quite enjoyable, and now he was looking forward to a good night's sleep. He had hired a nighttime baby nurse so that he never had to get up in the middle of the night with Kristina anymore. So it was off to dreamland, and he couldn't wait.

Once he was inside the door, Ned flipped on the lights. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the attractive young woman who was standing in his living room, body leaning back against the back of the couch, her arms and legs crossed in a relaxed pose.

"Well, it's about time you came home."

Glancing around for any signs of something wrong, Ned slammed the door and walked further into the room.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, stopping in front of the woman.

"Tori," she said, hand extended toward him. She was not at all surprised when he ignored her offered hand.

"What the hell are you doing in my house? Where's my daughter?"

She laughed, and Ned felt a chill run down his spine.

"You mean Alexis Davis' daughter? She's gone home."

"Home?" Ned asked. "This is her home."

"No, her home is at 4589 Chestnut. You know, the apartment she will be sharing with her mother shortly."

"I don't know who the hell you think you are," Ned bellowed, "but you better get my little girl back here right now."

She laughed again, and Ned felt his irritation level raise ten fold.

"I think we both know that there isn't a chance in hell Alexis slept with you again after Sonny Corinthos, so let's drop the 'my little girl' shtick right now, shall we? In fact, let's drop it forever."

Ned watched as the woman rose from her position and walked over to the desk. She pulled what was clearly a legal document from a briefcase and handed it to him.

"What is this?"

"That is the form you're going to sign to eliminate all of your so-called parental rights to Kristina Davis, effective immediately."

Ned threw down the paper. "The hell I will."

Tori turned and withdrew an envelope from her briefcase, extending it toward him.

"I knew you'd say that, that's why I brought you this."

He ripped the envelope from her hand and tore it open. Tori watched gleefully as his eyes widened while he read what was listed on the pages. In a fit of rage, he tore the papers to shreds and stared at her with wild eyes.

"Get out!"

She laughed again, shaking her head. "Very macho, Mr. Ashton, but you see, unfortunately for you, I used to sleep with the head of the Organized Crime Bureau. Very influential man to have as a friend. And all I have to do is call him and tell him to pick up the package I left for him that's, oh, a mere two blocks from OCB headquarters, and he's going to discover the very same evidence you just tried to destroy. The proof that you used ELQ funds for mob activity...hence, a violation of the RICO statutes, hence, the end of your life as you know it. So what do you say? Sign the paper, yes?"

*****

Alexis lay in her hospital bed staring toward the window, her heart heavy. She missed her daughter. She missed her freedom. And she wondered, honestly, if she would ever know the joy of either again.

"Good morning," Cameron said as he walked into the room.

"That's debatable," Alexis retorted as she sat up more in the bed.

"Oh, I think I can convince you. I just got a call from Scott Baldwin. He's agreed to plead you out. Court-ordered counseling, two years of probation and you're done."

She looked at him with absolute shock on her face. "Wh...what? Are you, are you serious?"

"I swear, Alexis. He's having the papers messengered over so I can release you. He also said he'd put a letter in your file indicating that he did not consider you a threat to anyone, including Kristina."

Alexis felt the weight of a thousand burdens ease off her shoulders as she took in Cameron's words.

"I get to go home? I get to see my daughter?"

He smiled at her, his eyes bright. "Yes and yes."

Alexis could hardly believe it. Everything seemed so incredibly wonderful suddenly...and yet just as quickly as her happiness had grown, it evaporated under a fear she had managed to forget for just a moment.

"What if Ned won't give her back to me?"

Again Cameron smiled.

"I don't think that's gonna be a problem."

Cameron walked to the door and opened it. In walked a lovely dark-haired young woman who held a smiling and happy Kristina in her arms.

"Victoria?" Alexis said, stunned at who stood before her.

"One and the same, and I think my beautiful young cousin here is very anxious to be back in her mother's arms, so..."

Alexis rushed to her cousin and took Kristina into her arms. For several minutes, Victoria stood silently as Alexis drank in the essence of her daughter. During this time, Cameron slipped quietly from the room, and only when Alexis, her face stained with tears, sat down on her bed with Kristina held snuggly in her arms did sound return to the room.

"Victoria, did you do this?"

The young woman shrugged and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Nothing you haven't done for me. Alexis, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even be alive."

"But Victoria, you know how dangerous it is for you to be here," Alexis said, caution in her voice.

"I'm a big girl now. I have a law degree from Harvard, I have a fortune and all the protection it can buy thanks to my mother's family and your wise protection of her estate. Helena can't hurt me now, Alexis. And even if she could, it was time for me to protect you the way you have always protected me. Besides, you clearly did not inherit enough Cassadine evil. Someone had to come save you."

Alexis looked at the very grown up young woman before her and smiled.

"Victor would be very proud of you. He was always my favorite of Mikkos' brothers, you know?"

Victoria smiled at the reminder.

"Yes, I know, and thank goodness for me since Stefan didn't want to have anything to do with me."

"Stefan felt his duty was to Nikolas," Alexis said, defending her brother as always.

"Yes," Victoria agreed, "and you had me. And now you have Kristina."

Alexis looked over at her cousin again and shook her head.

"Victoria, what exactly did you do?"

Victoria shrugged. "Nothing much. But you don't have to worry about the D.A. anymore, nor do you have to worry about Ned. Oh, and I took the liberty of drafting a temporary custody agreement making me Kristina's guardian until you finish your counseling, and Ned seems fine with that. And I bought us a great resort! You'll love it!"

Just then the door opened, and both women looked over and saw Nikolas and Cameron standing in the doorway.

"Tori?" Nikolas said, genuinely stunned to see his cousin. "I haven't seen you in, what, 10 years?"

Victoria stood and walked over to Nikolas, her arms embracing him lightly. "About that. Actually, I've been looking forward to seeing you. You and I need to have a little talk, Nikolas."

"Oh, about what?" he asked.

"Let's just say...attention; where it's paid, who it's paid to. We'll definitely have to talk about that."

Nikolas wasn't sure why, but the tone of his cousin's voice caused a knot to twist in his stomach.

Alexis rolled her eyes at her cousin's tone of voice, and sighed for Nikolas knowing he was in serious trouble. One thing Victoria had always been good at was digging in the dirt. That her childhood activity had grown into a very valuable skill in adulthood, the dirt now metaphorical, had sometimes made Alexis cringe. But this time, it had saved her. And as she glanced down at her baby girl's beautiful smile, Alexis said a silent prayer of thanks that Victoria Cassadine had known exactly where the bones of her enemies had been buried.

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