Hi! New chapter! More rising action and setting up for what is to come. Also, don't call me subtle. A new character decided to come in, earlier than expected and I think anyone here can figure out who he is. Hope you all enjoy and please, reply. It offers the best encouragement I can get to continue.
Chapter 3
It was much later when Mickey Villianov returned home. Angela was lounging on the couch with a glass of wine and a book. She raised her head at the sound of the door. "Welcome home."
He moved towards her and gave her a passionate kiss. She returned it with an embrace. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?" she asked.
He gave her a dazzling smile. "I can't just be happy to see you?" he inquired.
"Yes, you can but you may want to hear my news first." She brought him over to the couch. "Grandfather wants to reveal all to Mama and Nikolas tomorrow morning."
Mickey let out a sigh. "We knew this was coming. However, my news I would never have guessed in a million years. I've even spoken to my father for confirmation and he will be arriving in town tomorrow afternoon with that confirmation."
Angela looked puzzled. "What happened?"
Mickey got up and grabbed his briefcase. He removed the bag with the necklaces and handed them to Angela. She looked at them, noticing the coat of arms on them. "Family crests, never to be removed. Whose are they?"
Mickey took them out of the bag and turned them over to reveal the LMC and LAC on the back. "These were for the sons of Victor. He seemed to have fallen in love years ago and fathered twin sons with his married lover. However, she was never able to leave her marriage, but he had them made up for his sons, in the hope of one day welcoming them into the family. These medallions are for those sons, named Luis Antonio and Lorenzo Miguel. They carry the name Alcazar, but are in fact Victor's sons."
Angela looked up at him with shock. "Luis and Lorenzo Alcazar were gunrunners, drug dealers. How could they have been Cassadines?" Then it occurred to her. "The island was off the coast of Venezuela."
"Yes, it appears that it had been owned by their supposed father. He sold the island to Mikkos and his brothers for them to conduct their research. While the deal was being worked out, Victor was carrying on an affair with the man's wife." He fixed himself a drink. "I don't know the full story but it will be coming tomorrow. Father and I are meeting with Lorenzo. Father said he would be bringing more information, but didn't specify." He looked at her intently. "You know what this means."
"We shall stand united, arm in arm, as brothers and sisters, to defend the one who leads us. We shall never raise a hand in anger or violence against each other. We, the Cassadines, put our God before us, and our Tsar after us. Yet, we must always stand together, defend each other, because the truth is we are all we have." Angela recited the family oath, which had been drilled into her head by her grandfather and Aunt Eugenia. They had taught her that the family had never attacked each other, that the stories of poisoning within the family were just another myth created by Helena Villianova. "Luis killed Kristina in the blast and my mother killed him. We have broken our sacred vow."
Mickey sat down and kissed her. "Angela, none of this was known when that happened. How would Luis have known Kristina and Alexis were his cousins? How would Alexis know? Besides, even Lorenzo admitted to me that Luis was a madman." With that comment, Angela looked up at him. "Yes, both Lorenzo and his son know about this. I had to tell him."
"How did he react?" she asked.
Mickey looked away. He really could not think of an answer and told her so. "There is little we could do. I will meet with everyone and we will figure out what this means. In the meantime, I say we not think about it." He kissed her. "Tell me about your day."
Angela considered telling him about what Melanie thought she saw, but thought it was too difficult to get into, in light of Mickey's information. "I have a better idea. With our little world about to come to an end in less than 24 hours, I say relax in, say, a bubble bath. Then I'll tell you about my day." She arched her eyebrow and was met with a mirrored expression. They took each other's hand and proceeded with their relaxing evening.
Skye Quartermaine returned from her spa day to find Lorenzo and Diego playing with Lila Rae on the floor. She was lying on her back playing with a jungle gym toy. When Lorenzo noticed her, he got up and kissed her. As she returned the kiss, Diego cleared his throat loudly. They broke apart, both blushing slightly. Skye went over and picked up her daughter. "And how did you enjoy a day with the boys? Now, I promise you, we'll do a spa day, but you need to get a little bigger." She turned to Lorenzo, whose loving smile had turned serious. "Lorenzo, what's wrong?"
He looked over at Diego, who took his baby sister into his arms. "You and Dad need to talk. He received some information that impacts all of us." With that, he went upstairs.
Skye swirled towards Lorenzo, but he put his finger to her mouth. "Before you start, I am alright, Lila Rae is alright and Diego is alright." He led her to the couch. "I received what can charitably be called a shocking piece of news about my family. It turns out that my father was not my father."
Skye smiled at him. "Lorenzo that comment begs for me to say been there, done that."
"Yes, but my new family tree comes with many complications. From your dealings with Luke Spencer, has he ever mentioned the Cassadine family?" Lorenzo asked.
"Yes, he has had some run-ins with them. Obviously, Nikolas being Laura's son has led to conflicts, but he has used Alexis as his attorney when needed. I know he flirts with her all the time," Skye explained. "What does the Cassadine family have to do with you?"
Lorenzo smiled thinly at her. "It seems that my mother had an affair with one of them, one that produced twins, Luis and myself. My father, it seems, was Victor Cassadine, Mikkos' brother and Alexis' uncle."
Skye looked at him with a shocked expression. "How...what?" She was left speechless.
"Yes, Mickey Villianov came here today with copies of my birth certificate and Luis'. He did not know. I, obviously, did not know. He even called his father, who is on his way here with the confirmation." Lorenzo walked over to the wet bar. "Mickey turned absolutely pale when we pieced together what little information we had. There is more to this than family relations." He turned back to Skye. "I realize this isn't what you had bargained for, so if you wish to walk away..." He left that sentence to hang.
Skye stood next to him and took his hand in hers. "I want to be there with you tomorrow. Whatever the future holds." She smiled at him. "You do realize that if this is true, your family is more dysfunctional than mine?"
Lorenzo thought about it for a moment and laughed, kissing her and saying a silent prayer of thanks for her and both of his children.
Even at this late hour, the Port Charles Self-Storage allowed access to those who had units. So Mikkos Cassadine's driver pulled up in front of Unit 108 and Mikkos got out. He pulled the keys from his coat pocket and opened the door, turning on the light as he entered. No one would suspect the priceless artifacts that were stashed away in the unit. The temperature controls protected the items from the cold of the winter months. He had figured that the unit would be emptied by the summer; not wanting to rush his way back into his daughter's life. But by the summer, he had felt he could return the items to places of honor at his home, be it Wyndemere or another estate he would buy for himself, one near to his family.
There were boxes and crates packed inside, but Mikkos was looking for an item in a tarp. He searched for a few minutes until he found it. He removed the tarp to stare at the image in the portrait. It was of a beautiful blond, her hair done up in a twist and a tiara of diamonds and sapphires adorning her head. She smiled serenely back at Mikkos and he held his hand out to touch the portrait. If he closed his eyes, he could feel the silkiness of her hair, the softness of her skin. However, it was just paint on canvas he touched. His eyes dampened. "Soon, my dear. Soon you will be taken out of this darkness and brought back to those who loved you, those who remember you. Your daughter will be given all she was denied and I will put an end to the crone who destroyed you, destroyed us all." With that, he replaced the tarp, turned off the light and closed the door.
Ric Lansing sat at the bar in the MetroCourt, contemplating his next move. Dr. Trent had confirmed that Alexis' cancer was in remission, so he had lost that angle. And, as much as he hated to admit it, Mickey Villianov was right. He had pissed off a lot of people in Port Charles, enough for a battery of character witnesses for her and against him. As that unhappy thought crossed his mind, he saw his sister-in-law Carly Corinthos approach him. Knowing her, she would be at the front of the line to damn him, if for nothing else than spite. It was then that he noticed her coming his way.
"I guess you heard the good news. Alexis is out of the woods with the cancer, which mean you have no chance of getting custody," she said cattily.
Ric turned to her and glared. "Carly, not that this is any of your business, but understand I am glad Alexis is cancer-free. My concern is still that she favors Kristina over Molly."
Carly smiled smugly. "I think you are still confusing mothers, Ric. Maybe that's how you perceived Adella's action. That, however, is not Alexis. And that's what I'm saying in court, how your whole life has been to make up for the fact that your mother was given the worst choice a woman can be forced to make. How you have always tried to get in Sonny's face, alternating on being his hero or opponent. Ric, get over the pity party you've been throwing your entire life." With that, she left.
Ric shook his head. "Right again, Lansing. Should have known I'd see her in court," he mused aloud. With that thought, he threw cash onto the bar and left, now dreading the custody battle ahead. He figured he may be able to talk to Mr. Cassadine, maybe he could broker talks between him and Alexis. Tomorrow, I'll see him. Maybe then my reputation won't be dragged through the mud.
Alexis looked in on her sleeping daughters. They reminded her of Angela and Melanie sometimes. Kristina looked after and protected Molly, like Angela did the same for Melanie. They were a set of mirrors, her daughters, and she cherished all of them. Her musings were interrupted by the front door. She went into the family room and saw her father come in.
"The little ones are asleep?" Mikkos asked.
"Yes," she replied. She turned back to the bedrooms. "They remind me of when Ang and Mel were little. Kristina looks after Molly just the same way." She turned back to her father. "Where did you go?"
Mikkos sat down, a glass of vodka in his hands. "I wanted to check on some items I had in storage."
She nodded. "Have you thought about taking that stuff out of storage? I've actually thought about doing some redecorating. Maybe having some of your things here can make you feel at home."
He smiled at her. "My daughter, wherever you are is home to me. My things hold little meaning to me, they are unimportant." He stood, kissing her on the head. "You need your sleep. The cancer may be gone, but you still need to regain your strength."
Alexis also stood. "You're right. Good night, Father." With that, she went to her room.
Mikkos watched her go. When he heard the door close he whispered, "Tomorrow, my Princess. Tomorrow." He finished his drink and went to sleep as well.
Helena sat in her yacht, holding a picture of her beloved son. Stavros was gone and she had finally admitted that she lost Nikolas. She still held out hope that she would gain custody of her great-grandson and he would continue with the family. "Tomorrow I will exact my revenge on all of them. For you, my darling son, for you, I will do this."
The receptionist at the Metrocourt looked up from his computer screen to find an elegantly dressed man in front of him. He smiled at him. "Welcome to the Metrocourt. How may I help you?"
"My name is Carleson, Darius Carleson. I have a reservation," the man said.
The receptionist looked up the name. "Yes, Mr. Carleson. You are booked into suite 510." The key handed over, Mr. Carleson left to retire to his suite. He entered it and set down his bag and briefcase. Opening his cellphone, he dialed a number. The other end picked up. "Did she call? What did you tell her? Very well. When you speak to her next, continue with that story. No one can know. I will be in touch." The call was ended and Mr. Carleson reached into his briefcase. Taking a picture out, he looked at it. It was a picture of five women, ages one to middle age, all beautiful. He had failed them, each and every one, many times. Now he made a silent vow to never fail any of them again.
