The Best Laid Plans -Chapter 45
 
 
 

" Goodbye, Mai."

As Alexis hangs up the phone, " Alexis, was that Mai?"

" Yes. She wanted to say that she had completed everything in London, and would be returning to Port Charles in the morning. Stefan, you need a break. I'll sit with her."

" Yes, Stefan. Alexis is right. Why don't we go back to Wyndemere and I'll have Mrs. Lansbury fix us some dinner that we can before we go to bed."

" Alright. Alexis, you will call."

" Of course. Goodnight, cousin." Alexis kisses Stefan and he and Katherine leave.

Alexis goes into Sasha's room and sits down.

" It's so painful to see you here, Sasha. You're usually so full of life, and vitality. And to see you helpless, is painful indeed. Mai called. Whatever you have planned for Katherine is going to come to fruition. You were going to tell me everything once you came back from the retreat. But, you never did come back, did you? Considering your many talents, I can only imagine what you have planned for Katherine.

She's still as insufferable as ever. Stefan doesn't even have a divorce from Bobbie yet, and she's prancing around as if she's Mistress of Wyndemere. It's a sad sight. How could Stefan be so blind to that , what did you call her...'that vapid, insipid woman'? And that was only after one meeting with her. Well, let me tell you, it gets worse after that.

Stefan and Nikolas barely leave you. Only when forced to. But, I doubt that their devotion would surprise you, would it?

Mai is taking care of the Pegasus Group for you? You've set it up so well, that it practically runs on it own. Well, that's not true. But, it is a great operation. And why not? It's your brain child.

The Cassadine women have been taught, from birth, to be seen and not heard. Now, Helena was always an exception to the rule. And then, there were the two of us, we were exceptions, because of Stefan. Because he wanted both of us to live up to our potential. He would tutor me when I was a child, when Helena said that girls didn't need lessons. They wouldn't have to use their brains. And then, he fought for me, and paid for me to go to school, and to find my own way. As he did for you. You were accorded as good an education as Nikolas. Stefan fought Helena bitterly over it. But, he won. And, you never disappointed him. You were always a quick thinker, and an excellent student. I would love to see you tear through topics. You would read and read, until you had exhausted a topic. I should have known something was happening, when you continued on the topic of "Great Men", for entirely longer than usual. You read biography after biography on Men in Power. And one day, you sat me down, and told me the idea of The Pegasus Group.

How, you had discovered that most 'Great Men' became megalomaniacs who lost their way. And you, had concluded, that this happened, because they didn't have people around them that would tell them the truth. That, for the most part, they were surrounded by people who wanted something from them. And, eventually, they could not trust anyone, because they were always questioning their motives.

You didn't want that to happen to Nikolas, thus the Pegasus Group was born. How, anyone so young could think up something like this, I will never know, but you did. You designated that you, Stefan and I would be Nikolas' brain trust. You would work at making all three of us independently obscenely wealthy, with our own power. That way, Nikolas would know, that when we told him something, that we had his best interests at heart, and we weren't looking for anything from him. That what we told him, was out of love. So simple a plan, yet superb. And with that fierce determination that you have, you went about and did exactly just that. As always.

I know that you thought that I felt saddled with you when you were at Harvard. But, you'll never know, just how much those visits meant to me. I was very lonely, away from the family, as you were. I took great pleasure in mentoring you. You were not only my cousin, but my friend. My little sister. After Marina's death, I was surprised that you opened up to me. But, I was very pleased. For so long, I saw the family as the four of us: Stefan, Nikolas, you and me. It was us against the world. All of us joined in to protect Nikolas, and in the meanwhile loving and supporting one another. You're part of my human connection, Sasha. The one that sustains me.

Your irreverence and wit both exasperate and charm me. I don't do much 'female' stuff, at all. Only with you. There are so few people that I love in the world. I don't want to lose any of them. So, I am ordering you back here. You heard me. You make it, and I'll even go shopping with you. I'll even do Rodeo Drive. Who's going to help me keep this family together? Who will crack a most sarcastic joke at the worst time?  Who would be the only positive female presence in my life? I need you, my friend."

Alexis holds her hand, while a single tear runs down her cheek.

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Carly had moved into Jason's place. She was in the middle of decorating things when she heard Renaldo call out to her.

" Ms. Roberts? You have a visitor."

Carly walks to the door and opens it. It's Keesha.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

" Just to take a look at a piece of human trash."

" You can go Renaldo. I'll be fine."

" OK, Ms. Roberts."

" So, what, you couldn't save any sinners this morning, so you decided to come and cast stones?"

" You know, you're really something."

" Am I?"

" Yes. It's bad enough that you duped poor Tony into leaving his wife, you drug AJ, and now, you say that that was for nothing, because you're pregnant with Jason's child?"

" Yes. It's Jason's child. Do you have a problem with that? And why is it any of your business?"

" Because you attacked AJ. And because Robin is my friend."

" Yes, you and Saint Robin. Why am I not suprised."

" And, because, in your quest to slash and burn in this town, you seem to leave no stone unturned, do you?"

" Why not? What would be the fun otherwise?"

" I have met some morally bankrupt people in my life, but, to find it in one so young, really does take the cake."

" Don't get to close, you might wind up with icing all over you."

" This is a joke to you, isn't it? You don't care who you hurt, cause they better not get in your way."

" Well, why don't you take the hint, you self-righteous prig."

" Self-righteous? Why, because I call a tramp a tramp? A skanchy 'ho a skantchy'ho, as they say in my Philly neighborhood."

" Why, Ms. Ward, do the Quartermaines know that you are acquainted with such language?"

" You'd be suprised at what I know. But, no this, you wench. You come after anyone else that I love, and you'll deal with me. And not you, the sociopath, or the crime lord is going to stop me from protecting me and mine. God help that child. They'll be measuring it for prison pinstripes before it's a year old."

" MY baby and I will be just fine. Now, get the hell out of here. RENALDO!!"

Renaldo comes in. Keesha heads towards the door.

" No need to show me out. I know the way. I leave you here with the Devil's Spawn."

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Dara was face down on the bed. She moaned slightly as Jax ran his hand up and down her back, nice and slow.

" Ready for another round, Ms. Jensen?"

" No." Dara rolled over and sat up in bed. She gathered the sheet around her. Jax could tell from the change in her face that something was serious.

" Dara. What's wrong?"

" Nothing. So Far. Jax, don't you get the feeling that we're rushing things?"

" And what are we rushing?"

" THIS!?! You and me. I mean, really, what do we know about one another?"

" Enough to know whether it is real."

" And is it? Or, are you some sort of fantasy for me. And am I some sort of thrill for you?"

" Why in the bloody hell would you think that you are a thrill?"

" Well, I've never asked before, but have you ever been with a Woman of Color before?"

" I've dated women from all over the world."

" Yeah, well did the plane ever land in Africa before?"

" For one night. And it was a mistake."

" Oh. Is that all she was good for?"

" Dara, sleeping with her was a mistake. One that had nothing to do with her being Black. The circumstances were all wrong. All right, you want the brass knuckles off, Dara. Let's have them. Have I ever been in an interracial relationship with a Black Woman before? No. Do I lose sleep over it? No. Did I plan this? No. Do you make me feel whole? Bloody Hell, YES! I feel alive with you, Dara. When you walk into the room, I can't even remember what it looked like before you entered. I find myself thinking of things for us to do. Simple things, like Frisbee in the park. To more elaborate things, like the trip to Chicago. I feel alive, with you. Like, finally I've done something right with my life, outside of the Boardroom. You wanna know how I feel? I love you, Dara. There,  I said it. Now, I guess you can analyze it with your legal brain, and tell me why we won't work out. Or, you can start running. But, I won't take it back."

Jax gets up and goes into the bathroom and starts the shower, leaving Dara stunned.