Part VII
She could hear a conversation playing out in her head. It was a series of questions; "how are you," "are you hurt, "where is Helena." It was two voices overlapping with shock, remorse, sorrow and forgiveness. But all that passed between Alexis and Lucky was silence. Neither of them seemed to be breathing, or capable of any act but staring at the other.
Alexis opened her mouth, shutting it just as quickly. She found herself clutching her robe tighter around her body and shielding herself from his eyes, and from the gun she was afraid was hiding inside his jacket. She began to back away, circling around the furniture until she stood on the opposite side of the room. Every part of her body trembled, from her teeth to her knees. Alexis felt behind her for the telephone, perched on the edge of the desk. She had been seeing him as an intruder and as the man who tried to take her life under Helena's command. But the longer she looked at Lucky, the more she saw a child. The more she saw innocence and a fear that matched her own. Her face crumpled as she bore into his eyes, the eyes of his father. She recognized a part of herself; longing for escape, wise beyond his years and so many other marks of Helena's hold over the both of them.
"I don't want to hurt you," Lucky finally broke the silence between them.
Alexis touched a finger to her lips. She felt as though the words had fallen from her own mouth and offered a slight smile when she realized Lucky had been the one to speak. "I know," she said, her voice gaining strength. "I knew that b-before."
"You're afraid of me." His voice was laced with self loathing.
She shook her head, wet strands of hair falling over her shoulders. Alexis decided to show him how at ease she was in his presence. She let go of the fabric that was clenched between her fingers, removing her arms from around her midsection. She stood up straight and looked directly at him. "I'm not afraid of you," she told him, slowly closing the distance between them as she crossed the floor. "I'm afraid for you."
"Is anyone here?" He asked, and Alexis shook her head. "Will they be?"
"No. Jax is at the Nurse's Ball. I'm not expecting any visitors." She paused, swallowing hard. "Is... are you alone?"
Lucky pursed his lips together. Was he alone? More than he ever had been, yet his life was still not his to live. It was Helena's. "Yeah," he finally answered her.
"Do you need anything, Lucky? Food? Something to drink?"
"Why?" Lucky shouted. "So you can keep me busy while you call the fuckin' cops?"
Alexis flinched at his tone. She shook her head and said, "No. No, Lucky. So I can make sure you're okay. Does Helena know you're here?"
"Helena doesn't know I'm anywhere. And she can't." He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed, "She's going to be so angry with me."
"She let you go?"
He shook his head, dropping his arms to his sides. "No," he said, rolling his eyes. "I escaped. And I have no idea why. I should have stayed."
Alexis' eyes widened. "Stayed with her? Lucky, why would you consider that?"
"She's helped me, Alexis. She was my guardian and helped me understand who I am." He began to sputter and choke on his words. Tears stung his eyes, trembling until they coursed down his cheeks. "She helped me," he said again, as though he was trying to convince himself.
Alexis moved toward him, extending her arms. He stiffened as she grew closer to him, and remained perfectly still as Alexis circled her arms around his body. She pulled him against her chest and slipped her fingers into his hair. Her other hand massaged his back, soothing him. "It's okay," she whispered repeatedly into his ear, her breath tickling his skin.
He loosened inside her embrace, becoming almost limp. Helena's embraces had always been so cold and suffocating, no matter how motherly she tried to make them. Her perfume would always invade his nose and he'd have to stifle a cough or the urge to rub his nose. She was always so small and fragile in his arms. A woman so capable of breaking a man, and yet she was like porcelain. Alexis was different, he thought. Strong and sturdy, but soft and loving.
Lucky slowly wrapped his arms around Alexis' waist, rocking on the balls of his feet. He buried his face inside the thick cloth of her robe, the material absorbing his tears and scratching his skin. He took a deep breath and gasped. He could remember that smell, those soft bubbles and the fragrant soap. Flowers. Steam. Hiding. Water. Blood. Running. It was all coming back to him, and Lucky pushed her away from him. He scrambled to the door, frantically turning the doorknob in his hands.
"Stop," Alexis called out, dashing to the other side of the room. She pulled on his shoulders and managed to slip between Lucky and the door. "Stop."
"That's what you told me that night. I remember. You said, 'Please, Lucky. Stop.' But I didn't. Because I didn't hear you. All I heard was Helena's voice telling me what to do. It was so important to her, you know," he cried, clenching his hands into fists. "She wanted it so badly, for you to be dead. I couldn't let her down. You know?"
Alexis nodded, clasping a hand over her agape mouth. Moisture blurred her vision, scrambling the image before her even more as tears spilled down her cheeks. She dropped her hand and a breathy gasp escaped her lips. She wiped her tears with the backs of her hands and said, "You just wanted to be good, I know. You didn't want anyone mad at you. You wanted to make her proud and accept you, right? I know, Lucky. I know." She wrapped her hands around his face, his tears soaking against her skin. "Let me help you now, Lucky."
He shook his head. "You can't. I'm a terrible person. Helena said that's what would happen if I didn't listen to her."
"What? Tell me what she said."
"She said I'd be horrible. Awful. Hated. Like my father."
Alexis closed her eyes for a moment. "And if you did listen to her?"
"I'd be a good person. I'd never make my father's mistakes and I'd have respect."
"Lucky," Alexis told him, moving her hands to his shoulders and guiding him to the sofa, "please let me help you. I can incriminate Helena for shooting me and for kidnapping you, and you'll be free and safe."
Lucky stared at her. "Kidnapping me?"
"Isn't that..."
"She saved me, Alexis. That's the problem! She saved me! And I disobeyed her and left before it was time, because... well, I don't even know why. To see if you were okay, I guess."
"You left because you knew she was hurting you! You left because a part of you remembers you're life here, and how happy you were. I can help you find that again if you just tell me that Helena faked your death and forced you to follow her command!"
He stood up, moving quickly to the door. He held his hand up when Alexis reached out to him. "Don't tell my dad I was here. Don't tell anyone. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He opened the door, slipping into the hall.
"Lucky... please," she begged. "There are people who love you and miss you! Your mother and your sister. Nikolas! Elizabeth! Your father..."
He looked into her eyes and said, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."
Alexis watched as he virtually disappeared from her sight, as though he were a ghost. A hallucination. She leaned against the door, shutting it. She sank to the ground and hugged her legs to her chest. She was beginning to take all the pieces of the puzzle and arrange them together, making a whole picture. Helena made Lucky believe she was saving him. Helena turned Lucky against his family and everything he used to cherish. The only thing she did not understand was why, why Lucky?
~*~
He didn't have a plan. Stefan knew it was foolish to approach his mother without a plan, but he hoped a spontaneous visit would work to his advantage. He stepped onto the yacht, carefully weaving around to avoid her guards.
He found her where he always did. She was sitting in a large, padded chair. The fabric was crimson and gold, no doubt from China and made especially for her. Her white hair was molded into soft curls and resting just above her shoulders. A black silk robe hung loosely around her body. When she heard feet shuffling on the carpet, Helena sat up and let the robe fall slightly down her body.
Stefan blanched and move to behind her chair. He tugged the robe back up her shoulders and said, "Cover yourself, Mother." He let his fingers graze the tender skin of her neck before pulling back.
Helena stood up slowly, turning to face him. She smiled at her son. She let her eyes roam from his black shoes to the collar of his tuxedo jacket. "My, my," she cooed, nodding with approval. "Don't you look dapper this evening."
"I attended a fund raiser tonight, Mother. I presume your invitation was lost in the mail?" Stefan asked snidely, circling around the room.
"Why are you here?" Helena asked, skipping over their usual banter.
He stopped pacing and faced her, fastening his hands behind his back. "When I saw the yacht, I was rather hurt that you had not bothered to inform me of your return to Port Charles. I am, after all, your son. An unfortunate fact, but a fact nonetheless."
"Get to the point," she ordered, pouring herself a glass of sherry.
Stefan moved about the room as he talked, touching various books and other objects decorating the room. He reached into his pocket and gripped a small knife. "There is no reason to pretend with me. I know you tried to kill my sister and that Lucky Spencer is your captive." Stefan came up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. He pressed the edge of the knife to her throat and spoke in a venomous whisper, "Isn't this how you murdered Alexis' mother? Were you behind her? In front of her, so you could watch the terror in her eyes? When you took Lucky, did you have to hold a knife to him? A gun? How, Mother. How did you do it?"
"I don't know what you are talking about, Stefan. Now let me go before I have to-"
"Have to what? Call for one of your men? I'm not frightened by your threats," he told her, the sharp edges of the knife piercing her skin but drawing no blood. "I want you to know that it would be wise to stay put. If you chose to leave Port Charles again, you will not be alone. I will know where you are. I am not about to let your little charade continue. You will be stopped." He moved the knife away from her neck and pressed his lips against the slightly pink skin. He pulled away, moving out of the room before Helena had time to react.
As he made his way out of the yacht, he could hear his mother cackle, "If you only knew."
Stefan stopped before he reached the door. There was a large trunk pressed against the wall. A white envelope was lodged between the trunk and the wall. He stooped to take the envelope into his hands, stuffing it into his pocket as he sped away from the yacht.
Once he had put distance between himself and the docks, Stefan pulled the envelope from his pocket. He shook his head at the sight of photographs of his mother with Lucky. In one they stood in front of a landmark in Greece, one of Helena's favorite theaters. In another they appeared to be on another yacht. He recognized most of the scenes in every picture as various Cassadine family vacation spots or pieces of land they once owned. He didn't know that he would ever understand why his mother took Lucky, and what kind of hold she had over him. But it was beginning to make sense and he knew that something had to be done.
~*~
Lucky stood outside of Lester's, composing himself. He peered in through the window and stomped his foot against the ground. He had been hoping Lester would have emptied the pub so that Lucky could start his shift without drunk men passing out over the tables he was supposed to clean.
He pushed through the doors and walked briskly to the counter, stepping behind it. Lucky moved into the kitchen and said, "I'm here."
Lester nodded. "You're late."
"I know. I'm sorry." Lucky grabbed a towel and a bucket of soapy water. "You didn't close up on time," Lucky chided his boss.
"I know," Lester laughed. "Go on and start whatever it is you do. I need to make a little more money tonight. So those guys'll just have to be in your way."
Lucky nodded and turned to leave. He stopped when Lester called out, "Hey, kid. Some guy in a Armani suit was here showin' a picture of you."
"What?"
"Yeah. I told him no kid like that would step foot in this place."
Lucky felt his heart race. "Did he have a goatee?" He asked, trying to eliminate suspects.
"Nope. Real dark skin. Dark hair."
Lucky gulped and dropped the towel. The bucket slipped from his fingers, water splashing over his feet and spreading on the floor. He knew it must have been Andreas. He knew they were looking for him, and dangerously close to finding him. Without a word, Lucky turned and burst through the doors. Lester watched as the young man ran to the exit and disappeared. He shook his head, wondering what drives such a young person to run so fast and so far.
~*~
"Alexis," he called out, closing and locking the door. "I'm home." Jax tossed his keys on the desk. He loosened his bow tie and slipped out of the stiff, black jacket. He saw a slant of light shining on the wall, coming from Alexis' bedroom. He stopped outside of the door and tapped his knuckles against the wall. "Alexis?"
When she didn't respond, he pushed the door open with his foot. She was sitting up, leaning against the back of the bed. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, her knees drawn to her chin. "Hey," Jax whispered, shuffling into the room. He tossed his jacket over the back of a chair and moved swiftly to the bed. Sitting down beside her, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
Alexis nodded, resting her head against his shoulder. She sniffled and spread her legs out in front of her. Sighing, she looked up at him and said, "I'm fine."
"I was really worried about you. I'd have come home if I didn't have to be there for the big check presentation," he said, brushing his fingers through her hair.
"I just started to feel a little sick. But I'm okay."
Jax held his free hand against her forehead. "You don't feel warm," he said. "And..."
"What?" Alexis asked, shifting so that she could hug her arms around his waist.
He cleared his throat. Jax shrugged and told her, "I've always thought we had the best marriage. That it was probably better than most people who were married because they wanted to be. I like to think that I know you pretty damn well. And right now I can tell there are a lot of things you're not telling me." He rubbed his hand up and down her arm and added, "I don't want to seem pushy. I'm just concerned."
"You're not being pushy. I care about you, Jax. You're my best friend. If something happened to you..."
"Nothing's going to happen to me."
Alexis rolled her eyes. "No one can be sure of that. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure you're safe from my family's insane history and tendency to kill randomly. As much as I don't want to lie to you about things, if that's what I have to do to keep you alive... then so be it."
"What are you lying to me about?" He asked, trying to hide the hurt in his voice.
"Jax..."
He pulled on a strand of her hair, teasingly. "Alexis..."
"Okay, okay." She looked down at her hands, fastened at his side. Alexis drew in a deep breath and confessed, "I've been talking with Stefan about certain things. Certain things having to do with Helena and Lucky Spencer. I have every reason to believe she was responsible for his apparent demise, not to mention a lot of other... things. And Luke Spencer is somewhat involved." She choked on the last word, images flashing through her mind.
Jax was silent. Too silent. He felt Alexis tighten her grip around his waist. He could understand her need to work with Stefan, but not Luke Spencer. "You don't have to shut me out," he told her, "to keep me safe. I promise not to interfere with your family's business if you don't want me to, and as long as I know you're going to be okay. But locking me out... that's not going to help either of us."
She pressed a kiss into his chest, rubbing her cheek over the soft material of his white shirt. Her words were muffled as she spoke against him, "I don't deserve your friendship, Jax."
He laughed, sliding further down on the bed. He toed his shoes off and pushed them away from the bed. They hit the floor with a thud. He loosened the collar of his shirt. Jax reached down and pulled the blankets over their bodies, never letting go of Alexis. "I'll be the judge of that," he whispered into her hair. "And I've got a suggestion."
"Hmm?" Alexis mumbled, yawning.
Jax reached to the side and turned the light out. "We'll finish this discussion in the morning," he said, listening as Alexis' breathing slowed until she fell asleep.
~*~