Caroline "Carly" Cassadine rolled her eyes as she listened to her
advisor/lawyer go on. Finally she sat up in her desk chair and snapped.
"Listen, Al, I don't have time for this. I'm late for lunch with my
parents. Yes, both of them at the same time. It was their idea. I'll call
you when I get back and you can finish nagging my head off then, alright?"

She didn't wait for an answer before disconnecting the call and slipping
off her headset telephone. She pulled out her compact to make sure her long
blond hair was still perfect. She needed a haircut but she barely had the
time. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear and stood up. Grabbing her
light blue suit jacket, she quickly strode out of her office.

She stopped at her secretary's desk. "Elizabeth, I'm going to lunch now. If
Al calls back, take a message."

As usual she didn't wait around for a reply and started to walk off. Her
mousy little secretary Elizabeth Webber quickly got out of her seat and
rushed after her boss. "But Ms. Cassadine, the contracts you requested
earlier have been sent up. I thought you wanted to look over them before
you went to lunch?"

Carly raised her eyebrow. "I *did* however they didn't get here in time,
now did they?"

"But-but…" Elizabeth stammered. Her employer always made her nervous.

"Elizabeth," Carly sighed wearily and pressed her hand to her forehead,
"just do your job. Also call Jason and let him know that I have to cancel
dinner tonight. We'll reschedule."

"Yes ma'am." Elizabeth nodded.

"If Brenda Ashton calls, tell her again that I won't be performing in this
years Nurses Ball and I would appreciate it if she stops trying to persuade
me to. My usual donation will have to suffice."

"Yes ma'am." Elizabeth nodded again.

"And when Al calls don't mention the contracts. I'll take care of them when
I return." Carly checked her watch. "That's it. I'll be back in an hour
and a half." This time she quickly made her way to the elevator without
being stopped again.

Taking extra long lunches was just one of the privileges that Carly enjoyed
as vice president of Cassadine Inc. Her father, Stefan, was president and
CEO but he was grooming Carly to take his place one-day. Even though she
was a female, Carly was considered the heiress to the Cassadine fortune,
thanks to her father who fixed it so that she would inherit it all.

Stefan was the eldest and only living son of Mikkos and Helena Cassadine
and Carly was his only child. Mikkos had been dead for years and Stefan
currently held the title as head of the family. The way the Cassadine
fortune had been originally set up made it impossible for Carly to inherit
and become the "Princess". Females simply did not inherit such a powerful
position. The title would have passed from Stefan to the son of his younger
brother Stravos. Unfortunately due to the "incident", as the Family called
it, Stravos was dead and his son had died at childbirth. Stefan was the
last of the line. He was determined to not let what he worked his whole
life for be broken up and spread throughout the Family. So he used his
influence and worked to get the tradition changed. Though it took years to
accomplish, Stefan was triumphant in his task. Carly would inherit all.

Carly's car was waiting for her at the curb with her driver holding the
door open. He'd been holding the door open for the last fifteen minutes but
he knew the second he closed it and relaxed his guard Ms. Cassadine would
come out and catch him. So he waited and waited. Carly breezed past him
without acknowledging his presence and climbed in. She occasionally liked
to drive herself but that day she decided to take her driver. It was easier
that way.

"The hotel." Carly said sharply. The driver nodded and closed the door
behind her. Carly pulled out her appointment book. She flipped through the
pages and sighed. She'd forgotten that she was to have lunch tomorrow with
the Charity Guild. She was not in the mood for that.

She pulled out her cell phone and punched in the numbers. Before the second
ring the phone was snatched up and a voice said efficiently, "Caroline
Cassadine's office, Elizabeth Webber speaking. How may I help you?"

"Cancel my Charity Guild lunch for tomorrow." Carly said without preamble.
She pulled out a red pen from her purse and crossed it out.

"Yes ma'am." Elizabeth said. Carly could practically hear her nod. "Ms.
Cassadine?"

Carly was just about to hang up. "Yes?"

"I called Dr. Quartermaine. He wants to know if tomorrow will do? If not he
request that *you* call him personally to reschedule. I think he was a
little upset." Elizabeth murmured the last part.

"Did I ask you what you think?" Carly snapped. "Tell him—never mind, I'll
do it myself." She promptly hung up on Elizabeth and closed her eyes. Jason
could be such a pain when he wanted to.

She and Jason Quartermaine had been engaged for six months. They'd been
dating for 2 years prior to that. Their families assumed that they would
get married and so they just went along with it. There were times though
that Carly doubted her feelings for Jason. He just didn't do things for
her. He was nice but too nice. If she wanted to, she could walk all over
him. There were times that he did stand up to her but they were rare. He
usually went along with whatever she wanted. It wasn't like she wanted to
but it was in her nature and he let her do it.

He did get upset with her at times. He held her to a high standard and was
disappointed when she "let him down" as he saw it. She knew he would be
upset when he found out that she canceled on the Charity Guild. It was
important to him that she be a part of it. All Quartermaine wives were
members even Brenda Ashton. But Carly had no time for those people. They
spent most of their time gossiping and talking about the latest fashions,
not exactly her cup of tea. Carly was prepared to be a good doctor's wife
but she wasn't doing that.

She punched in his number; hopefully he would still be in his office at
General Hospital. Thankfully he was. "Jason, it's me."

"Who else would it be? Your secretary perhaps." He grumbled as he studied a
chart. "I'm surprised you took time out of your busy schedule to actually
call me yourself."

"That time of the month, dear?" She snapped.

He sighed. "Is it wrong for me to want to see my fiancée?"

"I told you—"

"Yes, yes, I understood about your two week trip to Japan but you are back
in Port Charles now and I would like to see you."

Carly pressed her lips together. There was no need to even bother arguing.
"Tonight is out of the question Jason. Tomorrow, later in the week, maybe?"

He was silent for several seconds. Finally he said reluctantly. "Fine.
Tomorrow is fine with me."

"You're a sweetheart." Carly said cheerfully.

"It'll be with my parents at the house." He added.

Damn, not his parents. "Excuse me?"

"My mother wants to have dinner with you. She'd appreciate it if your
parents would join us also."

Carly laughed bitterly. "Number one, it's too short notice for either of
them. Number two, my parents cannot be in the same room together."

"Your secretary said you were having lunch with them."

Carly's eyes narrowed. She had to remind Elizabeth not to divulge any of
her personal information to any one, even Jason. "Yes but you have to
understand that this is one of those rare occurrences and I highly doubt
either one will want to repeat it tomorrow…with your parents."

He sighed. "All right, forget I said anything. I'll see you tomorrow then.
I love you."

"Love you too." She obligingly said.

Carly hung up just as the car pulled up at the hotel. The hotel had been a
gift from her father. Stefan brought the Port Charles Hotel from the
Quartermaines shortly after he and Carly relocated to Port Charles. She and
Jason first met through the purchase of the hotel. It was also her
opportunity to prove herself to her father. Leaving the name as it was, she
completely renovated the inside of the hotel, taking it from old-fashioned
elegance to cutting edge. She added larger suites and made even the most
inexpensive room look fit for a king. She also began advertising for a more
upscale clientele. She also redid the Port Charles Grille. She changed the
name to Caroline's. Instead of the dining room being visible to the bar
patrons she closed it off creating a smaller, more intimate space. She
added another room off the main dining room that was available only to
VIPs. It was nicknamed the Back Room. She was able to double her profits
barely a year after she took over.

Her driver held the door open for her and the doorman hurried over to help
her out. Though she considered herself a fair employer she was aware that
her employees feared the possibility that they would suddenly lose their
jobs if they didn't jump to attention whenever she appeared. It was a
belief she didn't bother to dissuade.

She tossed over her shoulder to her driver as she strode towards the open
door. "An hour and a half!"

She nodded to several workers who caught her eye and made her way to
Caroline's. The maitre d' jumped up when he spotted her. As usual he gushed
over her. "Ms. Cassadine! It's a pleasure to see you today. As it always
is, of course."

"Right. Are my parents here, Henri?" She asked.

"Yes, they are waiting in the Back Room. And as you requested it has been
cleared." Henri paused and then said nervously. "They already ordered. Mr.
Cassadine ordered for you? Your usual?"

"It's alright, Henri." Carly could see that he was nervous. She actually
liked Henri. He tried so hard. She started in the direction of the
exclusive room then stopped. "They weren't fighting were they?"

Henri hesitated. "Uh…no." Fighting was the last thing the couple had been
doing when he last saw them.

"Thank goodness." She muttered before crossing the room. Several people
called out her name in hopes that she would stop and chat but she ignored
them. She did pause at one table. "Emily, hello."

Emily Quartermaine looked up and smiled at Carly. "Hello. I didn't know you
were back."

"I got back a couple of days ago."

"Have you seen Jason? He missed you." Emily told her.

"We're having dinner with your parents tomorrow."

"Maybe Lucky and I will join you." Emily said.

"Good. Maybe then they'll talk about your wedding instead of ours." Carly
looked around. "Speaking of Lucky, where is he? Are you eating here all
alone?"

Emily shook her head. "Oh no, Lucky's meeting me here."

"Okay." Carly narrowed her eyes and studied the girl. She touched her
shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Emily smiled weakly. "I'm fine. Weren't you on your way to the Back Room? I
saw your mother go back there a little while ago."

Carly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded. "I'll talk to you
later then."

Like Henri, Carly really liked Emily Quartermaine. She couldn't explain why
but from the moment they met the two hit it off. Emily was like the little
sister Carly never had. The youngest child of Alan and Monica Quartermaine,
her birth was an attempt by the two to hold their failing marriage
together. It worked for a few years but things soon went back to normal
including loud fights, temporary separations, and the customary affairs.
Things did quiet down four years ago after two tragic incidents. Their
eldest son A.J. drove drunk, wrapped his car around a tree, and died. The
death of Lila Quartermaine from a heart attack a few months after that
brought the fighting Qs to a standstill. However over the past couple of
months they were starting up again. The reason for that was Emily's
engagement.

They all thought Emily was too young to think about marriage and everyone
was against her choice for husband. They'd hoped that Emily would grow out
of her childhood infatuation with Lucky Spencer but it never did. They went
from childhood friends to first loves to engaged. Her parents objected to
the marriage but soon realized that Emily wasn't going to budge on her
stance. She was marrying Lucky Spencer and no one could change her mind.

Carly entered the Back Room and spotted her parents waiting patiently for
her in the empty room. One waiter hovered over them. Her mother had already
started in on her salad. Carly approached her father first. She kissed his
cheek. "I'm sorry for the delay Father."

"Quite alright, Caroline." Stefan murmured. "I knew you would be here. I
trust your trip went well?"

"Of course."

He nodded slightly. "I had a feeling it would."

She beamed at him. Any amount of praise from her father delighted her.
She'd been always very close to him. Her mother on the other hand… She and
Barbara Spencer Cassadine had never been close and it was all Barbara's
fault in Carly's eyes. She gave her an air kiss. "Mother."

"Carly." Barbara said simply.

One waiter hurried to pull out Carly's chair for her while another appeared
to slide a salad in front of her. He filled her wineglass and then faded
into the background. Carly smoothed out her napkin and studied her parents.
Something was going on between them but she couldn't quite put her finger
on it.

When Carly was young she always thought of how her parents met as a fairy
tale. It wasn't until she was older that she realized how tawdry the story
actually was. A young Stefan Cassadine went to Florida on a business trip
where he saw a teenage redheaded hooker named Bobbie. It was love at first
sight or at least that's what Carly had been told. Later she realized that
it was lust at first sight. When she was a teenager and understood the
story better it was the first time Carly actually was disappointed in and
disgusted by her father. He fell for a hooker and made her his constant
companion during the rest of his stay in Florida. When it began clear that
she was pregnant with his child he did the honorable thing and married her
despite his parents' objections. He was supposedly in love with the girl.

So he married her and brought her back to the Cassadine Island in Greece,
where he molded her into the perfect Cassadine wife and they raised their
only child, Caroline. Though Barbara left the island many times to visit
her brother Luke in his adopted hometown of Port Charles Carly was always
left on the island. It was Stefan's way of protecting the child and he was
also attached to the girl as she was to him. Carly brought new meaning to
the phrase 'Daddy's girl.' Carly never became attached to Barbara because
of her many trips off the island.

Though the beginning of their marriage was idyllic things changed for the
young couple. Barbara tried hard to fit into the Cassadine lifestyle but
she stubbornly insisted on holding onto a few old habits. She and Stefan
fought many times and the marriage began strained. When Barbara wanted to
go to Port Charles for a few months to help Luke get over the death of his
wife Laura, Stefan wouldn't let her take seven year old Caroline with her.
They argued for days about that until finally Barbara calmly packed her
bags and left the island. She stayed away for almost a year.

She was about to come back when she and Luke discovered that Laura had been
alive all the time and held by Stefan's younger brother Stravos on island
not far from the main Cassadine island. While Luke rescued Laura, Barbara
demanded to know if Stefan was aware of Laura's abduction. When Stefan
admitted that he did know Barbara divorced him and returned to Port Charles
to become a nurse, leaving Carly behind for good. Carly didn't see her
mother again until she was thirteen. Stefan had gone to America for a
conference and ran into Barbara. They conveniently forgot why they split in
the first place and remarried. At first Carly resented her mother's
reappearance in her life but when realized that her mother wasn't going to
try to resurrect some past mother-daughter bond she relaxed and let her
into her life.

Unfortunately marriage number two ended just like the last time. The
differences between Stefan and Barbara were too much to overcome and petty
disagreements became major arguments. Their relationship deteriorated to
the point where they couldn't stand to be in the same room. They divorced
when Carly was eighteen. Barbara once again returned to Port Charles. This
time Carly and Barbara managed to stay in contact, forging a long distance
mother and daughter relationship. With Stefan however, a relationship was
hard.

It wasn't until a few years ago that they were able to be civil to each
other. Carly's cousin Lulu was in need of a bone marrow transplant and
Barbara requested that Carly be tested. Both Carly and Stefan flew to Port
Charles for the test. While there Stefan and Barbara took steps to
repairing their relationship. They still fought but they tried to not do it
around Carly. Carly was impressed by their restraint but she did tell them
that it was too little too late. She knew the truth about the way they felt
for each other which was why she was surprised when Stefan informed her
that he'd brought Spoon Island and he was staying in Port Charles. She
couldn't believe that he would be able to stay in the same country as her
mother let alone the same city. Carly decided to move along with him. She
enjoyed life on the island but she wanted to be close to her father. So she
and Stefan moved into Wyndemere.

While he set up an American branch of Cassadine Inc. in Port Charles, she
went about becoming closer to her mother's family. Her relationship with
Emily Quartermaine helped with Lucky. The fact that she saved Lulu's life
brought her closer to Laura. And Luke…Luke pretended he didn't like her but
that wasn't true. He claimed to see a lot of Barbara in her, which she
hated. The last thing she wanted to be was like her mother.

Carly cleared her throat and folded her hands on the table. She looked at
them. "Well? Why are we here? All three of us?"

Stefan hesitated and Barbara laid her hand on his arm. Carly immediately
noticed. Barbara rushed out. "Your father and I are getting back together."

Carly blinked rapidly, the only indication that she was shocked by the
announcement. "Excuse me?"

Stefan continued for Barbara. "Your mother is moving into Wyndemere."

"You…you're *not* getting married again, are you?"

Barbara shook her head. "Oh, no. We discovered that we rushed into marriage
both times and that's why things didn't work out."

*Right*, Carly thought doubtfully. "So *you* will be moving into
Wyndemere."

"That's what your father just said dear. It'll be," Barbara paused to take
a sip of water, "fun."

"I'll bet." Carly muttered.

"Caroline," Stefan said gently, "I want you to know that we want your
blessing on this. I know how my relationship with your mother has hurt you
in the past and this time I won't do anything without knowing you support
me in this."

"That's why you waited to present this to me as fait accompli." Carly
looked at him with betrayal in her eyes.

Barbara sighed and picked at her salad. She never did approve of how close
father and daughter was. Carly picked up on Barbara's annoyance. She
pressed her lips together and said. "You two want to ruin your lives again?
Fine with me. But when it all falls apart I *will* be the first to say, 'I
told you so.'"

"Haven't you heard, Carly? Third time's the charm." Barbara told her.

"Barbara." Stefan hissed.

"No, let Mother talk. She's absolutely right." Carly said. She raised her
wineglass and toasted. "To my parents. The third time's the charm! May this
mistake not be the biggest one either of you make this year. Just the
stupidest."

~*~*~
A few hours later Carly made her way down to the docks. She was on her way
to Spoon Island to supervise the packing of her things. She loved her
father but she couldn't stay in the same house and watch as her mother made
his life miserable again. Instead she was moving into one of the vacant
penthouses at the hotel until the wedding to Jason.

It was getting dark and Carly hurried towards the launch. She had a feeling
that someone was watching her and she knew from past experience to clutch
her purse close to her. She suddenly heard footsteps and she speeded up.
Fortunately the launch was in sight. She glanced behind her once and
breathed a sigh of relief when she realized who it was. She stopped and
waited for him to catch up.

"Thanks for scaring a year off my life." She snapped.

"I thought you weren't scared of the docks. Isn't that what you told me?"
He walked over to her. He ran his hand down her arm, grabbed her hand, and
pulled her closer to him. She went willingly.

"Oh was that supposed to teach me a lesson?" She asked, her mouth inches
away from his.

"It was a…reminder. Never let your guard down." His eyes roamed over her
face and ended at her lips. "I can't always be here to look out for you."

"I can look out for myself." She insisted.

"That's why I had to save you that night." He stroked the side of her face.

She leaned her head into his hand. "I would have gotten my purse back
myself. Eventually. If the girls had helped me instead of standing around
like fools."

Carly's mind drifted back to the night she first came face to face with
him. Ever since she arrived in Port Charles she heard stories about the man
but she never met him. He was dangerous, he was bad, and she really wanted
to meet him. She got her chance three months ago, when she and two
girlfriends from college were walking across the same docks. They were out
for a night on the town and Carly promised to take them to all the hot
spots. The last thing they expected was the purse-snatcher who appeared out
of nowhere and made a grab for Carly's purse.

Her two friends stood in shock as Carly tried to fight off the thief. Carly
yanked at the handle. "Get the hell off my purse!"

"Lady, just let go!" The attacker muttered as he pulled back. That was the
last thing he said before a shot rang out and he dropped to the ground
holding his shoulder that now sported a fresh gunshot wound. Carly smirked
as she readjusted her purse and kicked the man savagely in the stomach. It
made her feel better, a little.

"Kicking a man when he's down? Tsk, tsk." Said the shooter.

Carly turned to thank the man and her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Finally, she meets the man. "He deserved it."

"He got what he deserved." The man said. Behind her the thief scrambled to
his feet and ran off.

Carly whirled around. "Damn, he's gone."

"I'll take care of it." He promised as he put away his gun. He nodded at
Carly's friends in dismissal. He looked Carly up and down in an
appreciative manner then quietly walked away.

Carly's friends rushed over to her. "What just happened here?"

Carly stared after him. She didn't know why but she had to see him again.
No one had effected her like that before. "Change in plans ladies. We're
going to the Paradise."

"The what? Carly, who was that?"

"That was," Carly slowly smiled, "Sonny Corinthos."

An hour later Carly and her friends were sitting a booth in the back of the
smoky disreputable club, Paradise. One of her friends coughed delicately,
"Really Carly, must we stay here?"

"A little longer, alright?" She snapped and searched the room. He had to be
in there somewhere.

"God, I hope you find him fast so we can get out of this…place." She eyed
the place with distaste.

"You don't like my club?" Sonny appeared behind them.

"My friend doesn't but I…I think it holds a certain charm." Carly said
smoothly.

"But not on par with Caroline's of course?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Perhaps
you wouldn't mind giving me a few pointers?"

"You know who I am?" She said slightly surprised though she shouldn't be.
Everyone in this small town knew everyone else's business.

"Who wouldn't know Caroline Cassadine." Sonny said.

"Carly." She corrected. "Only one man calls me Caroline, my father."

"Then you're going to have to add one more to that list, sweetheart," He
rubbed his finger across her bottom lip, "me."

They locked eyes and electricity crackled around them. The noise of the
club faded around them as they stared at each other.

"Ahem." One of Carly's friends cleared her throat breaking the spell.

Carly glared at the woman. "In a minute." She smiled slyly at Sonny. "Maybe
we should go somewhere private and I could give you that consultation?"

"I have an apartment upstairs." He suggested.

She stood up. "Slow down, big boy."

He smirked. "Then I have an office in the back."

"Lead on."

"Carly!" Her friend snapped.

Carly raised her eyebrow. "You know you can leave or you can wait just a
few minutes for me."

Her other friend murmured. "What about Jason?"

"Who?" Carly said pointedly. Jason was the farthest thing from mind. He had
nothing to do with what she was about to do. They weren't married yet. She
glanced at Sonny. "Weren't we going somewhere? See you in twenty minutes
ladies."

Sonny paused. "Twenty? It'll take an hour at least."

"Promises, promises." Carly said. Sonny placed his hand on the small of her
back to guide her through the club to his office. Carly could feel his hand
burning through her thin silk shirt. A tall man in a suit stood guard over
his office. Sonny paused to tell him, "Let no one in."

Carly stalked into the middle of the room and threw her purse down on his
desk. She looked around at the dark office. Heavy blackout curtains hung at
the windows. A large black leather sofa dominated the room. Sonny crossed
over to it and sat down. He threw his arm along the back of the couch.
Carly hoisted herself up on the desk and slowly crossed her legs. She
leaned back on her elbows and studied him.

"I supposed I should thank you for what you did at the docks but shooting
the boy was a bit over the top."

"You kicked him, Caroline."

"But I didn't shoot him." She pointed out, ignoring the fact that he called
her Caroline.

Sonny shrugged. "He was a punk. He's been trying to uh, get in on some
action for a while now. I don't like when babies try to pull that so I had
him roughed up a little bit last month. Obviously he didn't learn his
lesson. He learned it now."

Carly sighed and shook her head. Sonny cocked his head to the side and
looked at her through heavy lidded eyes. He patted the space beside him.
"Come here."

"I'm comfortable over here." She countered.

"This leather is softer than that desk." He murmured.

"You want me? Come get me." She uncrossed her legs.

Sonny waited a beat before lazily unfolding himself from the couch and
slowly walking over to her. Carly parted her legs and he stepped in between
them. He cupped her face and smirked. "You're a rich little good girl
looking for kicks."

"Correction, I'm rich little *bad* girl looking for kicks." She grinned and
began unbuttoning his shirt. He helped her slip his shirt off. She licked
her lips and ran her hands over his bare chest.

"You go right for what you want." He observed.

"Of course." To prove her point to unbuckled his belt and undid his pants.
She slid her hand into his briefs and cupped him. She grinned up at him as
she slowly massaged him.

"So do I." He lifted the hem of her blood red silk shirt and drew it over
her head. It joined his shirt on the floor. He then unzipped her short
black leather skirt and tugged it down. She lifted herself up and he tugged
it off of her and tossed it to the floor. He stepped back and let his eyes
roam over her. He lifted an eyebrow. "Pink lace?"

"Underneath it all I like to pretend I'm a good girl." She laughed and
hooked a finger under her lacy bra strap. "Now drop the pants and get over
here, Corinthos."

"Yes ma'am." He removed his pants and his briefs.

"God, don't call me that. You sound like my secretary." She groaned.

"When you're with me, Caroline, you won't be thinking about anyone else."
He grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist, pressing his
erection against her. The lace of her underwear scratched against it. She
moaned in response to his grinding. She wrapped her arms around his neck
and pressed herself closer to him. She rubbed herself against his hardness.
This time it was his turn to moan, "*Caroline*."

"What makes you think this isn't a one time thing?" She murmured.

"Because neither of us won't let it be." He tangled his hands in her hair
and covered her mouth with his. The kiss was long and hot. His tongue
plunged into her mouth and dueled with hers. Carly groaned in the back of
her throat and gave herself up to his kiss. He broke off the kiss gradually
alternating between soft quick kisses and sharp nips at her bottom lip. He
trailed his mouth down her neck and across her chest. He nuzzled the valley
between her breasts.

Carly cupped his head and he looked at her. She looked back at him through
dazed eyes. "Maybe I was wrong about the twenty minutes thing."

He reached behind her to undo her bra. "I like to take my time."

"Don't take too much time, my friends are waiting." She reminded him.

"Then they are just going to have to wait. This desk is too damn hard." He
swept her up and carried her over to the couch. Carly didn't return to her
friends until three hours later. She wore a thoroughly satisfied smile on
her face.

Three months later their secret affair was still going strong. That fact
that Carly was engaged to Jason didn't faze either one. In fact the subject
of Jason rarely came up when they were together. Carly saw no need to talk
about him and Sonny didn't like to talk about the man he was sharing her
with.

Now he brushed his lips across hers. He murmured against her lips. "Thanks
for calling and letting me know you were back in town."

"I didn't know I had to check in with you." She told him.

"No but it would have been courteous."

She sighed. "Are you going to lecture me on manners all night or what?"

"Looked to me you were on your way to the island." He nodded towards the
launch.

"I could be persuaded into staying elsewhere for the night." She said
coyly. She leaned against him and traced his lips with her tongue. When he
went to kiss her she quickly leaned back and smiled teasingly at her. He
tried to frown but couldn't help smiling back.

"Something could be arranged I'm sure." He wrapped his arm around her waist
and led her away.

~*~*~
The tall Greek youth with the long scraggly brown hair took a final drag on
his cigarette as he scanned the cheap Brooklyn bar for the old woman.
Spotting her, he studied her for a few minutes. He wondered why she would
pick such a place to meet at but he didn't let it bother him that much.
*She* was the one that looked out of her element, not him. He thrived in
environments such as this. He had a feeling that she did too or had at one
time at least. However now she sat regally in the middle of the dismal bar
with her hands folded gracefully on the dingy table. Her ever-present
manservant stood behind her, protecting her and exposing her for the
obviously important person that she was. The young man didn't know who she
really was but as long as she was helping him he didn't care.

It was through the manservant that he met the old woman. Five months ago he
came to America only with the first name of his birth mother, an old faded
picture of her, and the knowledge that she came from New York. He knew he
was searching in vain but he wouldn't let that detour him from his quest.
He was determined to discover who he really was.

All of his life he knew that there was something different about him, that
he didn't fit in with his family. His parents held him to a different
standard. He was the "chosen" one. They were poor but always had enough
money for whatever he wanted. His brothers and sisters had to do without
while he had all the advantages in life. When he discovered that he was
adopted all the pieces fell into place. He confronted his parents who
informed him that they were paid to take care of him. By who they wouldn't
say. It was plain to see that they were scared to death of whoever that
person was. He demanded any information that they could give.

After many heated debates they finally told him the only things they knew
about her: her first name, where she was from, and the fact that it was she
who named him. They also pulled out the picture of his mother: young and
blond but incredibly unhappy sitting in the middle of a garden and
obviously pregnant. He'd clutched the picture in his hand and studied it
over and over. At first he felt an overwhelming feeling of love and
connection to the sad woman staring back at him but after awhile the
feeling slowly turned to hatred. Why would his own mother leave him behind?
The question consumed him until he had to leave Greece in order to discover
the truth.

One month after he arrived in New York he was approached by the old woman's
manservant. He steered the youth in the direction of the woman. She claimed
that she'd been searching for him and that she could help him with his
quest for his mother. He didn't believe her until she handed him a picture
of his mother. It was similar to the picture he had. It was his mother in
the same setting as his and still unhappy. The woman told him that she knew
his mother when she pregnant with him and that she wanted to help him find
her. He was doubtful of her at first but agreed to let her help. Any help
was better than no help at all.

After that initial meeting she dropped out of sight only to appear every
few weeks. She doled out stories and old pictures of his mother. She filled
his head with stories of his mother and he began to realize that his mother
wasn't a very likable person when she was young. But the stories were all
he had of his mother. When he pressured the woman to tell him the name of
his father she shut down and said only that he was a "great man".

That morning he got a call from her manservant who instructed him to meet
her at the bar. The woman had some important information to give him.
Information that he would greatly appreciate.

He tossed his cigarette to the ground, ignored the angry look from the
bartender and strode over to the table. He gestured to the waitress for one
beer and sat down.

The old woman smiled. "Isn't it a little early to drink, my dear?"

"Do you have my information?" He asked instead, flicking a lock of hair
back.

She pursed her lips. "And that hair. Mr. Markopoulos, you really should cut
it."

The waitress brought over his beer. He guzzled down half of it and slammed
his glass onto the table. He stood up. "If you're going to waste my time,
then I'm leaving. I can find my mother on my own."

"You know you can't without my help or you would have found her by now."
She said matter-of-factly. She reached into her purse and pulled out an
envelope. "She's been practically under your nose this whole time."

He sat down. "If she has, why didn't you tell me this weeks ago?"

"Because, Mr. Markopoulos, I needed assurance that you were the one." She
said mysteriously.

"My name is Nikolas." He corrected. "I'm not a Markopoulos and according to
my adopted parents that's the name *she* gave me."

"Of course…Nikolas." She slowly smiled. She slid the envelope across the
table. "Inside is all the information you wanted and more."

He stared at it for a few seconds and didn't reach for it. He narrowed his
eyes at her suspiciously. "Why are you helping me with this?"

"Because like you I want to see justice done!" She pushed the envelope
closer. "You have been wronged, Nikolas, and it's time to correct this
vicious mistake."

"Who *are* you?" He'd asked that question before without really expecting
an answer but today he wanted to know.

She picked up the envelope and started to put it back in her purse.
"Obviously you aren't as ready as I thought. Perhaps some other time then?
I thought you wanted to truth but it seems I was wrong."

"I want the truth." He growled. "But I want the truth from you also. I'm
barely in New York before you descend on me saying you can help me with my
search. You claim you knew my mother but you won't say in what way. You
have all this information about her. Why?"

She reached across the table and curled her finger beneath his chin. "I was
there when you were born. You had such life in you. You cried louder than
any other child I've ever heard did. You wanted to *live* and you needed
your mother but even at birth she abandoned you. She fainted from the
strain and left you all alone. I was there, Nikolas, from the beginning and
I will be there at the end. I want to help you. Let me help you."

She held the envelope in front of him. She whispered. "Take it. Step up to
your destiny."

Nikolas stared into her eyes for a long minute before snatching it out of
her hands. He tore into it and scanned the papers. The old woman watched
with barely concealed excitement as he went through the information. He
looked up at her in amazement. "Is this true?"

She nodded. "Yes. All of it, true."

He pointed at the page. "This says that I'm some sort of an heir? That I'm
a…Cassadine?"

"Not just a Cassadine. *The* Cassadine." She corrected. "A prince."

"What…what does that mean?"

"It means you have power. Incredible power." Her eyes glowed.

"Power?" He repeated, cocking his eyebrow. "I just wanted to find my
mother."

"And you have. And you've also found your true self." She said. "You are
The Cassadine. All you have to do is go to Port Charles and claim what is
rightfully yours."

"Port Charles? According to this my mother's in Port Charles."

"Yes, yes." She nodded. "But you must go there very soon."

He stared down at the papers. This was his past and his future all in one.
He finally knew who he was. "I will."

"Oh and you might want this." She pulled out a photo from her purse and
passed it to him. "She has moved on with her life, Nikolas, with her new
family. She's forgotten about you."

His eyes hardened as he looked at the new picture. It was a family
portrait, his mother, her husband, and their two kids, smiling in front of
a two-story house. She was happy here. In all the pictures he had of her
she was never happy. But here with her *family* she was happy.

The woman said disdainfully. "Don't they make the perfect family? It's a
shame there doesn't seem to be any room for you."

Nikolas finished off his beer and stood up abruptly. "Thanks for the
information." He quickly strode away. He had things to plan; he had to get
to Port Charles soon. It was time he saw his mother. Too damn bad if he
messed up the perfect family that Laura Spencer made for herself. And when
he was done with her he was going to claim the other half of his legacy,
this Cassadine thing whatever that was.

"Please keep in contact, my dear. I want to know if everything goes alright
with you." She called out after Nikolas. She murmured to herself. "And
don't forget who helped you when you needed it."

Her manservant spoke softly and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Is Madam
pleased?"

Helena Cassadine grinned wickedly to herself and stroked the back of his
hand. "Madam is very pleased. Everything is going according to the plan.
Soon *I*, not that weak kneed son of mine, will be in charge of the
Cassadine family. Through my delightful, newly discovered grandson of
course."