CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

THE GATEHOUSE, THE QUARTERMAINE ESTATE:

Ned(went on the attack the minute Alexis came through the door)Where have you been all night? Were you with Stefan all this time? Just what were you doing all that time?

Alexis: I love you, too, honey. Yes, I was with Stefan all that time. Things got a little hairy. What are you doing back here? Aren’t you supposed to be on tour.

Ned: I left.

Alexis: Again? You didn’t leave because when I called you about Chloe I told you I was going to drop by and see Stefan, did you?

Ned: Just what were you doing with Stefan all this time? You were with him all night long and you don‘t look like you got any sleep, either.

Alexis: Thanks for the compliment. You can’t really think something is going on between Stefan and I of a romantic nature, can you? Ned, you can’t possibly be jealous of me and Stefan and of our relationship. (but she can see that he is) You are? Eew, Ned! Ned, how can you think something of a romantic nature might be going on between Stefan and me. I was raised thinking Stefan was my cousin, then I thought he was my brother. You think after all that I’d ever see him as a lover. Eew, Ned. It’s disgusting me just thinking about it.

Ned: You still haven’t told me what you were doing with him all night long!

Alexis: We were stopping the Sex Toy Stalker from killing Bobbie. Then I was at the hospital with Stefan as he waited to hear news about Bobbie and I was down at the police station giving Mac and Detective Taggart my statement.

Ned: What were you and Stefan doing messing with the Sex Toy Stalker? I don’t want you anywhere near that whacko.

Alexis: Stefan has a theory that that whacko is really Helena and he may be right.

Ned: So he sucked you in to helping him. Wonderful! Alexis, you’re not a Cassadine. There’s no reason you should even be associating with those people any longer.

Alexis: Ned, Stefan and I have a bond that my not really being a Cassadine isn’t going to break. It’s not a romantic bond. It’s just a bond that will never be broken no matter how many rotten things we do to each other. I was able to fulfill my dream of becoming a lawyer because of Stefan. Stefan was the only good thing in my life while I was growing up in the Cassadine household. So if Stefan needs my help I will always go to him and that’s something you’re just going to have to live with, Ned. (she put her hands on his shoulder and steered him to the door)Now why don’t you go back on your concert tour and stop having wild delusions about Stefan and me.

Ned(dug in his heels)I’m not going back unless you agree to come with me.

Alexis: Ned, you can’t be serious.

Ned: I am. Unless you agree to come with me, I’m not going. So what’s it going to be, Alexis. Are you coming with me or do I stay here?

Alexis: That’s blackmail.

Ned: What’s it going to be?

Alexis: All right, I’ll come with you. I have a little vacation time coming. But I’m warning you, Ned. I’m only going to give into your jealous paranoia this one time. If you pull this macho jealous act on me again, you and I are going to have problems.

Ned(pulls her into his arms) I promise you, Alexis, I’m going to show you the time of your life. So why don’t you go upstairs and pack. (as she heads upstairs he mutters under his breath)NOw I’ve dealt with Stefan I can tackle this business of Sonny helping you find your real father next.

PLANE EN ROUTE TO ENGLAND:

Carly(sipping a non-alcoholic drink)You never told me how things went with AJ?

Sonny: Actually, as it ended up, AJ gave me a good idea on how I could have a little bit of sweet revenge on him since I wasn‘t able to carry through with my original plan of revenge against him.

Carly: Just how did he do that?

Sonny: The little weasel started going on about how he was going to send me up the river and get you back.

Carly: Talk about alcoholic delusions. The day would never come that I’d go back to him. Especially not after I had such a hard time of finally getting free of the little leech.

Sonny: Anyway, he started talking about how he would get his job back as CEO of ELQ once he had you back as his wife and that’s when it struck me on how I could make him pay in some small way for what he did to our son. I didn’t tell you this, but before Jax left town he gave me ELQ.

Carly: Why would he do that? I thought he hated you?

Sonny: He does. It was his idea of a cosmic joke on me and the Quartermaines. I had no real plan to do anything with the company. But when AJ started yapping about being CEO again I told him that I now owned the company and I was going to appoint myself as CEO. It’s not the revenge I had in mind, but when you think about it it’s kind of appropriate in a way. AJ married you to get his hands on Michael so Edward would appoint him as CEO. Now I have you, Michael and his job. He took from us the life we had planned for our son, and I’ve taken from him the life he had planned for himself. A life for a life.

Carly(cuddled up next to him)And a good life it’s going to be. They say living is the best revenge. Maybe they’re right. Let AJ eat his rotten little heart out watching how happy we are. There’s nothing he can do to ruin it.

Sonny(leaned down and kissed her)Damn straight there isn‘t.

BOBBIE’S ROOM, GENERAL HOSPITAL:

Bobbie: Just what are these strings that are attached to freeing Roy?

Stefan: It’s nothing you haven’t done in the past. In exchange for me setting Roy free, you’ll move into Wyndemere and be my courtesan.

Bobbie: Are you insane? If I do that I’ll lose Roy.

Stefan: Barbara, one way or another you’ve already lost him. If Roy goes back up the river for assaulting me, you’ll lose him. If Roy learns about the times you availed yourself of me behind his back, you’ll lose him. Look at it this way. This way you can lose him in a noble fashion. You’re sacrificing yourself on the altar of my lust to free the man you love. Why the townspeople might even erect a statue to you in the park to honor your noble sacrifice to me once they learn about it.

Bobbie: Why are you doing this to me?

Stefan: You don’t honestly think I’m going to let you get away with all you’d done, do you? All for the sake of your jailbird gigolo you played Russian Roulette with my health, you were planning to barter our daughter’s kidney to me to obtain his release and you’ve neglected your son horribly. You have to pay a price for all that and I think it’s appropriate that price be losing the cause for all your actions. You were willing to sacrifice the father of your child and your two children for Roy. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for him, as well? Just how much do you really want Roy DeLucca released from jail and how far are you willing to go for him?