Risk

Chapter LXXIV

Riding up in the elevator, Carly straightens and prepares herself for the Monday battle. Nik and Gia had left the evening before on a whirlwind tour of the hottest markets in the midwest. Their schedule was tight but Nikolas had made sure that some of the events were fun... if Deception hadn't been involved they might even be considered dates. Some professional basketball games, some charity galas always making sure that there was a big check for a local charity so there would be plenty of press. In addition to the autograph sessions in the big malls there were stops at the local hospitals and research centers.
This isn't just a PR trip for Deception but a PR trip putting the Cassadine name out there. Nik and Gia were pulling a Charles and Di from back in the good old days before the whole behind the curtain had been revealed. Pumping up the positive press. Lots of birds being killed here so to speak. Sell some products, get some positive PR, and as far as Stavros was concerned getting Nik and Gia in the same room away from all the history in Port Charles. Carly winces. And she gets to deal with the rest. She gets to try to get along with Laura for as long as Nikolas is gone. Hopefully without involving Nikolas. That's the big thing. Whatever is going down would have to be dealt with, without involving Nikolas. Under no circumstances could Nik and Gia be recalled from this trip. Elton would be back soon from Pine Valley. That's a blessing. Cause bloodshed would definitely end up with Nik having to come back to PC.

As the elevator comes to her floor, Carly takes a deep breath and puts on a smile. The door opens and she steps off. "Good Morning."

"Mrs Corinthos! Thank goodness you are here!" The frazzled temp looks up from the phones that are ringing faster than she can put them on hold.

Carly loses the smile and frowns. "What the hell is going on?"

"Mrs Spencer left a message for you."

"Yeah, I can bet what that was." Carly mutters.

After covering for Elton for a couple of weeks, the temp can imagine what Carly is thinking. "No, not that. This." She cues up the voice mail message and puts it on speaker phone.

This is Laura Spencer; I will be out of the office for a few days. Please leave a name and number and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

"Excuse me?" Carly's brows go up. She starts laughing. "Woohoo!" Carly does a happy dance right there in the foyer.

"Um... Mrs Corinthos?" The temp interrupts... trying to get Carly's attention. Finally she catches Carly's eye. "Mrs Spencer didn't cancel any of her appointments."

That stops Carly in her tracks. Laura knew that Nikolas was going on this tour. She is supposed to be picking up the slack as far as the management caseload. "How bad?"

The phone starts ringing again. The temp makes a face. "Bad."

"That bitch. And she always said I was irresponsible." Carly mutters low. "She knew Nik as going out of town." She raises her voice to the normal level. "I need her appointment book. See what I can cover and what will have to be rescheduled to when I'm up to speed. Those phones are probably folks who aren't happy with the idea of leaving a message. Well make them leave a message and tell them I'll get back to them before end of business today. Just give me ten minutes to set my stuff down and pour a cup of coffee. There is coffee right?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Make sure the pot stays full. We're going to need it but we're going to get thru this." Carly detours thru Laura's office to pick up her partner's appointment schedule on the way to the coffee pot. Guess she'd be having lunch delivered today... if she got a chance to eat at all. "Call someone else up from the temp pool. Someone who can handle the phones. I'm going to need you to get me all the information to go along with these meetings. Otherwise I'm going to look real stupid sitting there like a bump." which is probably just what Laura had planned. Carly dumps her portfolio and Laura's appointment book on the desk she shares with Nikolas and sets her coffee down next to it. She hangs up her coat and then rolls up her sleeves to get down to work. She had ten minutes and then she'd have to start dealing with the phones of three people: Laura, Nikolas and her own workload. At least Nik had made arrangements for his absence.

Classical music pumps at an easy level thru the soundsystem of the new Port Charles Cassadine Estate. While there is now a room set aside for Michael's studies complete with full computer system and an expansive library, Michael and Stavros are used to working together. At Carly's house it had been around the dining room table. Now it is in Stavros' study. He is behind the desk working on Estate business while Michael composes a journal entry using his vocabulary words on a laptop at a table by the large bank of windows on the far side of the study.

Kris comes in to the study and hands Stavros the latest information on ELQ and the consolidation as well as the other faxes that had been on hold over the weekend so that everyone could enjoy the new house. Kris hands Stavros the folder and then goes over to supervise Michael. Reading over the child's shoulder. "Is that what you meant to say?" Kris asks pointing to one of the sentences.

"What's wrong with it?" Michael protests with a frown.

"Read it out loud but softly." Kris says in a low voice.

Michael does and then grimaces. He backtracks and starts fixing what Kris had noticed. "Okay that's what I meant." Michael looks over his shoulder to receive Kris' nod.

"Much better. I understand what you meant now."

Michael hits save and throws his hands up. "All done."

"Great." Kris compliments the boy. "And now we are going to do maps. You are already familiar with some versions of maps." Kris calls up a Risk game on Michael's computer. "This is one version of a map." Then he goes over to another table and picks up a globe and brings it back to the table. "And this is another representation, version, of a map. Here is another example of a map." Kris sets a thick hardbound atlas on the table. "Here is another version of a map." Kris sets down a street map of Port Charles.

Michael groans. "This isn't fun."

"Ah but it will be." Kris says mysteriously. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a rolled paper that is bound by a ribbon.

"What's that?"

"A treasure map."

"Like Pirate's TREASURE!!" Michael jumps up. "Let me see!" Kris hands it over. Michael unties the ribbon in a hurry and lays the map out flat on the table. He studies it carefully. For all his protestations, maps are actually fun. Mama and Stavros play with maps all the time with their Risk games. Michael traces the lines of the map carefully holding his tongue between his teeth as he figures it out. He looks up and around him getting his bearings. "This is a map of the house, this house."

"Yes." Kris agrees. "While you were over at Wyndmere visiting Mr Lucas and your Grandmother this weekend I hid some booty somewhere on this property. Note the boundries of the map."

"It's the fence."

"The treasure is not outside the fence. Do you have any questions?" Michael shakes his head. "Very well." Kris looks at his watch. "You have one hour to find the treasure. If you have not found it then I will give the map to Mr Lucas the next time he is over and he will win the spoils. Go!"

Michael goes racing out of the room at a full run. Stavros shakes his head. "Pirates Booty? I trust that there is not a skull and crossbones protecting this treasure. Caroline would not be amused."

Kris grins at his employer. "Who do you think put together the treasure chest? The new digital camera you requested is the main prize but Mrs Corinthos filled the chest to nearly overflowing with chocolate dubloons and other prizes."

Stavros is about to comment when the phone rings. He looks at the caller ID and sees that it is Carly's number at Deception. He waves Kris off and picks up the phone. "Hello Caroline." Stavros answers the phone in a low seductive voice.

"I need the jet." Carly says flatly.

Stavros frowns and sits up straighter. He snaps his fingers to get Kris' attention before the Tutor can leave the room. "What is going on?" Kris turns around and comes back to the other side of the desk.

"Oh you so really don't want to know." Carly says grimly. "I need Elton back from Pine Valley now. I'm doing everything I can to not recall Nikolas but things are crazy here."

"Laura giving you problems?" Stavros says indulgently. He'd been expecting trouble. Had even been looking forward to it as had Carly before she left for work this morning.

"You might say that. She decided that now is the perfect time to go on a little vacation of her own. And she called me a flake. She didn't cancel any of her appointments. I had a full calendar without this bull. I'm trying to run this place with a bunch of temps and get the final projections together for the bath line. I need Elton to run the office so I can get something done. Otherwise I'm going to be going from one meeting to another and not getting a damn thing done. And I hate frigging meetings."

Stavros puts Carly on speaker phone so she can hear his conversation with Kris. "How long to have the jet fueled and someplace called Pine Valley?"

"The jet can be there in an hour." Kris leans in so that Carly can hear him.

"Thanks you guys are great. I got to go. I'll call Elton and let him know you're on your way." Carly hangs up.

"You want me to pick him up?" Kris asks Stavros.

"No. I want you to find out where my wife went and if Spencer is with her. Caroline is too... swamped with work to notice but she actually warned me this would happen."

"What?"

"Laura has gone in search of an ally. And if Spencer is with her... then it is a mutual ally. I'm sure Spencer wasn't happy with his accommodations on the return flight from Milan."

"Sonny Corinthos." Kris makes the connection fast, as he is paid to do. "I'll put our men on alert down there too."

"Yes. But notify the whole network. It is unlikely they would be able to find Mr Corinthos on their first effort. And sabotage would be Spencer's alternate goal." Stavros strokes his beard as he considers all the factors. "Oh and Kris? I have no problem with my wife or her lover going to see Mr Corinthos. They can have as long a visit as they like."

"But Mr Corinthos doesn't leave."

"Exactly. And if I am right... then I wish to be notified when they arrive... depending on my mood... I might not be opposed to delaying their departure."

Carly calls Lucky's extention down in the photo lab. "I need to see you in my office now." She hangs up the phone.

About ten minutes later, Lucky strolls onto the barely controlled chaos of the management floor. He goes into Carly's office and finds her pacing the floor behind the desk with a headset on and talking on the phone. He knocks on the door. Carly looks over and nods. She interrupts the person on the other end of the line. "Look I need to see some numbers and I mean concrete numbers not wishful thinking cause I'm going to be making my projections off of them and running it past operations. Get me the numbers and after I review them I'll get back to you." Carly hangs up the phone.

"Hmm well that sounded good but it also sounded like a dodge. What's up?" Lucky parks himself on the corner of Carly's desk.

"Do you have any idea where your mother is?" Carly says mother like it's slug slime.

Lucky frowns. "No, she had appointments scheduled all day. She's not in her office?" Lucky looks over his shoulder toward the reception area.

"No, she left a fun little note about her being out of the office. Didn't cancel anything."

"It's Stavros! DAMN it! I knew that guy was bad news. I should have let Dad put him in the ground back in Milan." Lucky pops off the desk and starts for the door.

Carly whistles stopping Lucky in his tracks. "A) it's not Stavros and B) if it was you think I would have told you like that and got you all hot? Your mother has flaked probably to make me look bad trying to cover all of her damn meetings."

"My mother isn't like that. It's Stavros I tell you. He's gotten bored with going after the Quartermaines and is back on his original target!"

Carly sighs heavily and rubs her hand against her forehead and then runs both hands thru her blonde hair bringing it off her scalp before letting it fall. "Will you climb out of your Spencer mindset for like 1 minute and tell me who is more important to Stavros... Nikolas or your mother?" Carly answers her own question. "I'll tell you... it's NIKOLAS! And Stavros knows how important this trip is to Nik and he wouldn't do anything to mess it up. Including messing with that bi... your mother. Laura, Laura, Laura! Newsflash, cuz-- the world doesn't revolve around her."

"It doesn't revolve around you either, CUZ!" Lucky snarls back. "And I'm telling you my mother doesn't just pick up and..." Lucky bites off what he is going to say.

"Unless..." Carly starts nodding her head ruefully as she finally realizes what Stavros and Kris had picked up on right away. "...Luke is involved. I should have known. It's so freaking obvious." Carly picks up the phone and hands it to Lucky, daring him to take it. "Call Claude. Find out if Luke showed up to the club today. And when he's not there either I want you to remember this-- This isn't Stavros going after Laura or your father. This is them coming after him. All Stavros is doing is minding his own business."

"And how long do you think that is going to last?" Lucky yells. "Even if Mom is off with my dad. It's always been Stavros goal to get my Mom back whether she wanted it or not!"

Carly nods her head. "Yeah. No doubt about it. That was my understanding when I went off to Greece with him. One of the reasons why I could trust him 'cause I really wasn't feeling the love as far as guys were concerned and I didn't want the headache of a guy on the make."

"Yeah, well how long did that last?" Lucky snarks.

"You are really such a putz. Will you make up your mind? What do you want? Stavros busy with someone else... or Stavros bored? Or how about Stavros really pissed. Cause if I have to call Nikolas back here to cover for Laura and he has to cancel his trip with Gia... Stavros is going to be really, really pissed." Carly hands Lucky a stack of files.

"Hey wait a minute! I'm just the photographer!" Lucky tries to push the stack back toward Carly.

"You are your mother's son. Life sucks. Deal with it. You can use Laura's office. She's not."

Lucky groans and leaves... taking the folders with him.

"Stavros! Stavros! Look at my treasure!" Michael comes racing back into the study caring something that looks like a trunk but is kid sized. Michael puts it up on the corner of Stavros desk and unfastens it, throwing the top up. Mardi Gras style strung beads made with shiny colors and clear crystal spill from the trunk. Michael pushes them aside and comes out with a handful of gold colored dubloons. "These are chocolate, I've had them before in my Christmas stocking." He sets them aside and pulls out a lock with a key on it. "What is this for?"

"So you can lock up your own treasure in the trunk later, I'm sure. Things that you want to be private." Stavros nods. "What else is in there?" He looks over Michael's shoulder.

"What's this?"

"Ah." Stavros opens it up. "I believe this is a compass. Explorers use them so they don't get lost where ever they are."

"Kewl! What else?" Michael keeps reaching. Next thing he grabs is a book. "Treasure Island."

"A book about pirates I believe." Stavros takes it from Michael. It is a much abridged and illustrated version of the tale suitable for a youngster reading on his own.

"A CAMERA!! Look Stavros!! A Camera!!" Michael starts tearing into the box. "It's like the one that I used in the park!"

"It's better than the one you used in the park." Stavros corrects. I believe you can take more pictures before you have to... download them." Stavros carefully studies the contents of the treasure chest knowing that the compass had come from Kris, as part of the map study and the camera had come from him. All the rest of the goodies had come from Caroline. The workings of her brain are still a mystery to him after all these months. Caroline had provided a skull and cross bones... in the form of a Jolly Roger flag. There are a variety of candies, some seeds to plant in the new greenhouse, the gawdy necklaces and glass gems of course to add atmosphere to the treasure chest, a set of watercolors.

Michael nods and holds the camera up to his face like he is taking a picture. "This is the best! Where is Mr Kris? I want to show him I found the treasure."

"He had to run some errands for me."

"Mr Kris hid the treasure really well. It was buried but you couldn't see a bunch of dirt or anything. And you really had to use the map cause if I wouldn't have had it I wouldn't have found it that's for sure. I was right on top of it when I noticed that the grass didn't match." Michael says in a hurry rushing to tell Stavros everything about his treasure hunt.

"Come. Show me how you found this treasure." Stavros stands and hands Michael the map.

"May I help you finds something?" Kristina asks the man that is wandering around her interior design shop.

"You've got a nice little place here."

"Thanks." Kristina smiles and looks around. "I like it. And my sister and friends were getting very tired of me feng shui-ing their places. I do have a book put together if you would like to take a look at my work."

"That would be great." The man follows Kristina to a seating area in the middle of the store. They sit down on the couch. He starts flipping thru the book. "This is really great."

"Thank you again." Kristina pushes her straight red hair out of her way and leans toward the man. "You don't look like the type of guy to window shop... hmm... either you already have something in mind... or you're taking estimates. What's the project?"

The man laughs. "I'm that obvious. Okay. Bought a house on the outskirts of town. It's big. I've always lived in apartments or rooms since I travelled extensively for my job."

"You lived out of a suitcase." Kristina says with a nod.

"Exactly."

"I'm familiar."

"So now I have the tax deduction but it's looking kinda bare." Kristina winces at her potential customer calling a house just a tax deduction. The man grins wryly. "That's what it is right now. You can't call it a home."

"I think I'm your gal." Kristina holds her hand out. "Kristina Cassadine."

The man takes it in a firm but gentle handshake, knowing his own strength. "Kris Windsor."

Oh Sneaky sneaky! We got Cassadine plots; we got Spencer plots... we got buried treasure! Oh wait... what's missing? Oh yeah, that's right... the newleyweds. Let me know what you think and reply either here or to dswanson97123@yahoo.com

Deb

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