Risk

Chapter LXXIX

Life Sucks

Zander finishes up work at the warehouse for the day and can't figure out what to do with himself. Going home alone to his little room over Jake's didn't sound like fun. Couldn't really say that Em has been avoiding him but she hasn't been seeking him out either. They'd done a few things together but it's only when Em didn't have any plans. She isn't cancelling anything to be with him. Zander sighs. Distance. Em seems as far away now as when she was in therapy. Em is about the only tie left to Port Charles. Well her and Alexis. Kristina wasn't too bad, even if she thought she knew it all and raced into things without looking both ways. Zander winces. who am I to talk?

"Good work again this week." Jason drops an envelope on Zander's desk getting his attention. "You start taking some business classes and the warehouse will pay the tuition."

"You been talking to Alexis?" Zander shakes his head and jokes.

Jason doesn't find it funny. "No." He walks away.

Zander winces. He knew better than one. Just another moment of his mouth running faster than his brain. Even though everything seemed to be going fine with Carly and that Stavros Cassadine, Jason Morgan wasn't one to forget a grudge-- could be why he and Carly got on so well. Zander opens the envelope and sees that Jason has given a share of the profits from the coffee warehouse again this week. Yeah, Morgan might give him a bonus but they'd never be to the *giving up a kidney* stage. Even if there was a chance in hell of him and Em getting back together. Ah hell he might as well drop by Alexis' and see how she is doing. She'd get a great laugh out of Morgan telling him to go back to school too. Zander glances over at the clock. He had just enough time to get to the bank before it closed. Do a little laundry. Grab a beer and burger. This is life. And in general, well, life sucks.

Gia falls back on the firm mattress with her eyes closed and her arms outstretched. Finally she opens her eyes again. "Where are we?"

"Nicollete Inn, Minneapolis Minnesota."

Gia looks around, she balances her weight on her elbows so she is half off the mattress. "Pretty nice."

"Traveling with you has been an experience." Nik says wryly.

Gia turns over so that she is resting on her stomach and looking at Nikolas how is glancing thru his messages. "Are you complaining?"

"No, being honest. If I would have been traveling with my uncle, or even my father we would be staying at five star hotels, a minimum of twenty stories up."

"If you were with your uncle or your father you'd never be to the Twin Cities. Come on. Their idea of things to see in the US is probably DC, New York and thats it. The only reason they came to Port Charles is because the Spencers were there. Otherwise good old PC wouldn't have even been on the map."

Nik shrugs. "Probably. Instead I am in a boutique style Inn overlooking the Mississippi. I like it." Nik sets aside his messages to look at the information that is set by the phone of the attractions that the cities offer. "So this is a leg of the trip where we actually get an extra day. Do you want to go to a Twins game? To the farmers market? Rent some bicycles and check out the sites? Take a cruise on a riverboat?"

"All of the above?" Gia grins at him.

"Let me just check in and then we can have some fun." Nik promises. He calls into Deception but Carly has already left for the day. He glances at his watch and realizes how late it is getting. It's already after five there. Just for the heck of it he asks for Lucky and is soon connected. "I'm surprised you are still there." Nik quips after Lucky comes on the line.

Lucky growls. "You're a riot."

"How are things going between Carly and Laura? I can never get hold of Laura but this is the first time that Carly hasn't been in the office when I called."

"They work at never seeing each other." Lucky crosses his fingers although he is telling nothing but the absolute truth. "Carly's been working hard on the bath line... getting at least the salts on the market. Figures she can get the coordinating items on the market by say... Mother's Day. And yeah, somebody put his foot down. Carly's only in the office now from 1-5, but if you need to get hold of her-- Elton is forwarding her calls to Stavro's house. She's working out of there and only taking meetings when she is in the office. Hey! While I have you on the phone... Elton has been pulling his hair out trying to track down an audit you ordered? I found the folder but there was nothing in it? You know anything about that?"

Nik swears under his breath. He knew this one was coming and he could only hope that Laura had replaced the missing funds. Otherwise things are going to get very interesting around the office. "I know about it. Look is Laura still there?"

"Um no." Lucky winces. The cat is so out of the bag.

"I'll try to get her at home. Talk to you later, Lucky."

"Nik wait!" Lucky swears under his breath but catches his brother before he can hang up. "Carly and I were trying to keep this on the QT so you could have this trip with Gia... but Mom split. She's off somewhere with my dad probably trying to track down Sonny. Carly and I have been covering Deception. It's the real reason why Elton was recalled. Not just you going on the business junket with Gia."

"I really wish you had told me that earlier." Nik grinds out tight jawed. Gia has been listening to his end of the conversation and the looks on Nik's face has her sitting up on the bed and making no pretense of minding her own business. "I'll call you back, Lucky." Nik hangs up the phone.

"What's up?" Gia asks curiously.

Nik makes a face. He really doesn't want to get into this with Gia. But then he shakes his head. This is proof that things have changed. He has to be open with her or he might as well pack it in now. Nikolas grabs one of the high back chairs and angles it toward where Gia is sitting on the bed. "When I bought into Deception I was... annoyed with my mother."

"Yeah, kinda. Don't think you would have given Carly a quarter of the company if you hadn't been."

"Before I gave Carly the 23%... the contract that Alexis drew up between me and my... Laura... well it had provisions for audits."

"That sounds reasonable." Gia nods in encouragement really wanting Nik to get to the point. But then she realizes that was the point. "Oh no, don't tell me that this audit you ordered actually turned up something? I don't really like your mother, it's kind of reciprocal but she's not that stupid."

"Well I didn't think she'd be as careless as to send you off on a personal appearance without security either." Nik reminds.

"How bad." Gia demands flatly.

"About thirty thousand dollars. While Laura was still partners with Carly. Remember when she remodeled the house?"

"Oh man you are kidding me."

"I buried the audit but Lucky found the request for it. And now Elton is looking for the results it's just a matter of time before Carly finds out."

"You BURIED it! Why?! How could you do that?!"

"She's my mother! I told her to put the money back and there would be no proof of wrongdoing. But I warned her that if Carly found out..." Nikolas defends his actions.

"You betrayed Carly. Oh man." Gia jumps up and starts pacing. "You better figure out now what you're going to do. This is horrible. This is impossible!"

"Gia, lets not blow this totally out of proportion here. It's a glitch." Nik tries to calm her down.

"It's embezzlement and you know it! You can bet if Carly had been the one to take the 30G Laura would have been front and center calling to have her hauled off to jail. No better than that! Laura would have used it to get Carly out of the company even sooner! And you covered for her! Isn't that like aiding and abetting after the fact?? I should have become a lawyer! You don't get it, do you?" Gia shakes her head. "You have just put Carly in a corner. You supported your mother in stealing from her. You lied to her about it. You betrayed her. And what is she suppose to do about it? Go to the cops? Go to your father?! What happens when Stavros takes your side? If he takes Laura's side? When Carly figures this out on her own don't you think all of that is going to cross her mind? And Carly isn't a best case girl she goes straight to the worst possible thing that could happen and deals with things from there!"

Nik winces. "It's bad."

"It's very bad." Gia sits down across from Nik. "How are you going to get out of this one?"

"It gets worse, Sparky. According to Lucky, Laura took off with Luke the same time we did. Lucky thinks they are looking for Sonny."

"What in the hell are you going to do?"

Zander pulls up to the huge mansion that Alexis is now living in and walks up to the door. Others might have some trepidation but since he was involved with the wedding and all the preparation as well as moving all of Alexis belongs here he's got a comfort level that others might not have. Giving the bell a ring he looks out over the front yard while he waits for the door to be answered. His car looks like a poor relation. Probably should have parked it around back. Course his car would look like a poor relation next to the garage of this place.

"Zander!" Alexis greets him warmly.

"Hey." Zander turns around. "Sorry I didn't call. I took a chance that maybe... You look like you're going out though. I can come back."

"Get in here. I'm not going anywhere." Alexis grabs his arms and pulls him into the house. "How are you?"

"Doing good."

"Really?" Alexis brow goes up.

"Yeah." Zander makes a face. "I can't complain. Still working at the warehouse. Haven't been arrested lately. Got a bonus."

"Sounds good so far but why do I think there is a but in there somewhere?" Alexis walks with Zander to the family room, the most casual room in the house and where she figures Zander will be the most comfortable.

"No, really I'm doing great. In fact you'll love this one. I got another bonus cause the warehouse is doing so well. Everyone must be drinking coffee. I have a wedding present for you out in the car. Dang I should have brought that in. But anyway the latest is that Jason Morgan said if I took some business courses at PCU that the warehouse would pay for them."

"Are you going to do it?" Alexis settles in on the couch and pats the cushion next to her.

"Thinking about it." Zander sits down next to her. Then he really looks at her. "How are you doing?"

"Me? I'm great. Doing fine." Alexis realizes she is protesting too much but can't seem to stop herself. "Don't I look like I'm doing fine?"

Zander takes his time and actually looks at his ex roommate, lawyer and as close to a mother figure as he's had since he left Florida. "Honestly?"

Alexis winces. "Give it to me straight."

"You look like a Stepford wife. The only thing missing are the pearls."

Alexis grabs him by the sides of the face and plants a kiss on him. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Why are you the only person that gets that?"

"Cause I used to live with you? I mean come on, Alexis. What the hell is going on?" Zander glances down at his watch. "Normally by this time at night you'd be in your jeans, barefoot or socks only, wearing a really ratty tshirt that dated back to law school days and your place would smell like burnt microwave popcorn." Zander zeros in. "Why? Why this... I mean the wedding is one thing. Even I was wearing a suit then but why are you dressed like you're going to some charity tea or something?"

"Madam, May I get you and your guest some refreshments?" Andreas says from the door, stopping Alexis from answering.

"Yeah, why don't you just do that." Zander stands up between Alexis and Andreas and puffs up defensively.

"Zander." Alexis hisses. "Knock it off."

"What is this guy still doing here?"

"He's running the house." Alexis shrugs. "It's not like I could. You've tried my cooking before. Yes, Andreas, please bring some refreshments. Zander will be staying."

"Of Course, Madam." Andreas bows and leaves the room.

"That guy is seriously creepy." Zander mutters keeping an eye on the closed door. "Wasn't he the guy that was with you the whole time you were on that project for Stavros?"

"Yes, he was. Now am I going to get my present or not?" Alexis tries to change the subject.

"Sure, I guess. I'll go get them. I have some DVDs out in the car. I figured it would be a good wedding present for you and Jax-- some Hepburn and Tracy."

"My favorite! I'll come with you." Alexis accompanies Zander out to his car and doesn't say anything until they are outside. "Zander, you can't do that. It's not safe."

Zander is busy reaching in to the open window of the passenger side of his car to grab the DVD's. Alexis comment startles him and he come up fast bumping his head on the roof of the car. He laughs as he rubs his head. "Gees Alexis you're talking like he's a CO or something."

"Prisons come with all kinds of uniforms, Zander." Alexis says cryptically.

Zander picks up on it fast. Blue might have been his color before he spend all that time in the Port Charles Jail. After that he couldn't even look at the color blue without breaking out in hives. "You wearing yours?" Zander says grimly. "Where the hell is Jax?"

"He has business. And business really shouldn't be conducted here."

"Otherwise Stavros will know right? Damn this is worse than the Quartermaines! At least Old Man Quartermaine never did cut down that tree outside Em's window. She could escape now and then. Look. I can get you out of here. Anywhere you want to go. I'm there. Just climb in and we'll go. Jason gave me a bonus. I got money."

"That's sweet. But not a good idea."

"I'm not leaving you here alone!"

"Zander, I'm not alone and Andreas wouldn't hurt me." unless Stavros ordered it. "In fact, Andreas is very protective of me."

"Yeah, the guards in jail were real protective of me too. At least the ones that worked for Sonny. Made sure I knew all the rules. Well it's bull****."

"I'm fine with the way things are."

"You're protecting someone. You're good at that. You always put yourself on the line for someone else: Me, Chloe or Kristina. Jax. That's it. You'd be telling Stavros where he can stick the twin set and Lurch but he's got you over a barrel. What is it? Who is it?!"

"Cassadines don't divorce." Alexis says softly. "Jax and I are married until one of us dies. And Andreas pointed out to me that I might not like my next husband near as well as I like Jax, so it's in my best interest to keep him healthy."

Are you saying that if you don't play along that Jax is dead?! Zander's eyes ask the question. For once he is biting his tongue and not saying the first thing out of his mouth. "Yeah, right." He finally says. "So you're playing happy homemaker."

"I am still a newlywed afterall. And it's not like I have to work. Jax is an extremely wealthy man."

Zander shakes his head. "Who is buying that pile of crap? Not anyone that knows you! Okay I get it. You have to represent when you are out there." Zander points down the drive. "But come on-- you have to get a break some time."

"I'm getting it now." Alexis says softly.

Zander thinks about it and nods. "Yeah. Yeah, you're getting it now." He goes around to the trunk of his car and pops it open. He grabs a pair of jeans and one of his warm flannel shirts and sorting toward the bottom of the laundry basket grabs a pair of athletic socks. He hands them all to Alexis. "Don't worry; they are all clean. The last load was drying while I was picking up the DVD's."

"Zander..."

"I won't tell. The legs might be a little long on the jeans but they have to be more comfortable for watching movies than... that." Zander indicates with a nod toward Alexis in her feminine suit.

"Thank you."

"Come on. Lets watch some movies. If you don't want to open your present until Jax gets home I picked up Alien for me. Classic suspense horror." Zander suggests hopefully.

"Grab it. I'll go get changed."

Carly is curled up next to Stavros on the couch in the study. She reaches across his body to give him a hug. "This is what you were missing wasn't it?"

Stavros slowly smiles. "And if you hadn't agreed, then Michael and I would have moved into the Deception offices for the duration if only to prove to you that business can be done anywhere."

"Oh that would have gone over well." Carly leans up and gives him a kiss. "Not that you could have gotten anything done with Elton around. Prince Stavros this and Prince Stavros that." Carly grins at him.

"Yes, some show me the proper respect." Stavros says grandly.

Carly blows a raspberry. "Right."

Michael comes racing in dressed in his PJ's and dives over the arm of the couch so he is laying across both Carly and Stavros. Kris comes in a half step behind his young charge. He is carrying a package the size of a pack of papers. Looking at the label he announces to the occupants of the couch. "Carly, it's for you from Deception."

"That's fine. Put it on the desk. Elton said he was sending over some audit that Nikolas requested before he left." Carly gives Michael a cuddle. "Well Mr Man! What are you doing tomorrow while I'm at work hmmm?"

"I think I should go riding with Uncle Lucas over at Grandma's." Michael decides to go for it.

"Oh no. You're suppose to be working when I'm working. You're not goin' riding if I don't get to too-- so there."

"But Mama! Uncle Lucas has to go to school. It's not fair. It's dark not long after dinner. We only get to go over on the weekend." Michael protests.

"Them's the breaks. You weren't riding at all back in Greece. Once a week is plenty. Besides I want to talk to your grandma about you signing up for t-ball. She said something about Lucas signing up soon." Carly goes for the diversion. "Now come on. Let's get you tucked in for the night." Carly rolls Michael off her lap since he's getting too big for her to carry him and still get up from the couch. Michael and Carly head up stairs leaving Stavros and Kris in the study.

"Are the results back yet?"

"Kristina's DNA?" Kris questions. "Not yet. But we are using the General Hospital lab."

"You think that Stefan would tamper with the results."

"It's possible." Kris admits. "But I have no idea which way he would tamper with it. Would he guarentee her being a Cassadine and justify his support of her? Or would he guarentee her not being a Cassadine and thus believe her outside of your interest?"

"Your father did hide the baby."

Kris nods. "On Prince Mikkos orders, But he never told anyone where before his death, not even in his journals."

"Madam, Phone for you. It's Prince Nikolas." Andreas comes into the family room with the cordless phone.

Alexis frowns but takes the phone. She straightens from where she is sitting in the corner of the couch with her denim clad legs curled up beside her. "Nikolas? How are you? I thought you were busy with your business trip." Alexis snaps her finger and pantomines writing. Andreas goes over to the desk and gets a pen and pad of paper. Zander puts the pause on the movie. "She did what?! What the hell was she thinking?! What do you want me to do? Call the police for you?" Alexis covers the mouthpiece. "Zander, I'm going to have to take this."

Zander looks at the coffee table and picks up his glass. He rises to his feet from where he'd been sitting on the floor with the couch supporting his back. "I need another beer anyway."

"Don't take off. This will not take long." As soon as Zander has left the room and Andreas closes the door leaving Alexis alone in the room, Alexis continues. "Wait a minute... run that by me again. You buried the report? Why?! Oh that is just fabulous. Wonderful! And did she ever put the money back? I have just one question for you, Nikolas Cassadine. Did you want Carly to find the report? That's the only reason I can figure that the report would ever come back to light." Alexis scolds her nephew. "What do you want me to do about it now? What do you mean there is more?!"
Alexis closes her eyes and starts shaking her head. "Okay that one really doesn't surprise me. Shame that Luke didn't come talk to me or Jax. I figure that Sonny is down somewhere around Puerto Rico. Carly was dealing with him on some island that is under Sonny's control. Course if Luke is thinking Cassadine then he'll probably go to Switzerland, Istanbul, Greece and Venezuela first. Jax could have made the travel arrangements for him. I'm sorry you don't feel that was helpful. Perhaps you can leave messages for her in all of those places. Did you want Laura to come back or stay away?" Evidently the last snarky comment had been the last straw with Nikolas.
Alexis holds the phone away from her ear. "You'll have the results of my research when you get back, Nikolas." Alexis waits for Nikolas to hang up first and then disconnects the phone. Frowning she contemplates the doodles that she'd made on the pad of paper. It would be so easy. Counsel Nikolas the right way and Stavros and Carly's little alliance would blow apart in nuclear fashion. Paybacks truly are a bitch. All it would involve would be a little bending of her professional ethics. And with Carly, sure to overreact, there wasn't even much of a bend.

"You off the phone?"

Alexis nods looking over her shoulder toward the door. "Coast is clear."

"Nik didn't sound happy." Zander put his fresh beer on the coffee table along with another glass of wine for Alexis.

"No, he isn't. But that is what you get when you don't consult an attorney ahead of time." Alexis replies as she curls back up on the couch. Zander gets comfortable in his spot on the floor and starts the movie again. Alexis reaches over and brushes his hair from his neck off his collar. "You need a haircut. Andreas could take care of that for you."

For all of you worried about Alexis... well Merry Christmas. Do let me know what you think. Truly hope you guys have a happy one! And all things going well you'll have another chapter on New Year's eve.

Deb

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