The Best Laid Plans-Chapter 47
 
 

Justus is in his office at ELQ, when the phone rings.

" Justus Ward."

" Mr. Ward, this is Ms. Lin."

" Hello."

" I just wanted to inform you that the first stage with the J&J Jacks project in underway. If, you wanted to know."

" Oh, I did. Are you calling from London?"

Mai was amused that he had known that she had left town. " No. I am in Port Charles. Well, of course, you know that her condition is unchanged."

" Yes, I do. But, the show must go on. Isn't that right?"

" Sasha would insist upon it. Goodbye, Mr. Ward."

" Ms. Lin."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bobbie is in Alicia's hotel room.

" No, Alicia. I won't go through with it."

" Bobbie, but now is the time."

" No. To strike now would be obscene."

" Don't let sentiment get in the way. This is the perfect time to act. Stefan has never been more vulnerable. You hired me to do a job, Bobbie."

" I know. But, you still have to ultimately do as I say. And I won't agree to this. I won't do this to Stefan."

" And what about Stefan would do to you? If the tables were turned, would he be so forgiving and generous?"

" Most likely, no. But, that's him and his conscience. All I  know is that I have to live with mine. And it's against everything that I stand for to do this. His daughter is in the hospital. Not only that, we're friends. Don't push to move it up, move for a delay."

" Bobbie..."

" Alicia, this is what I want. I want to win, but not like this. Never like this. Understand?"

" Absolutely. Well, I'll file the appropriate papers. You get back to me when you want to proceed, OK?"

" Fine. I'll be seeing you. I have to get back to the hospital. Bye, Alicia."

" Bye, Bobbie."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bobbie arrives at Sasha's room at the same time that Dr. Hiroshi does. They both go into the room. Nikolas, Alexis, Stefan and Katherine are all present.

" Dr. Hiroshi."

" Mr. Cassadine. I would like to discuss your daughter's case."

" You can proceed, Doctor. Anything that you could say to me, is repeatable to everyone here."

" Well, as you know, your daughter's condition is not improving at all. And, I think that it's time that you think about changing her facilities."

" Changing them? I don't know what you mean."

" Even though General Hospital is an excellent top notch facility, there are other places, not far from here, that deal with patients like your daughter. They have new, innovative methods with which to stimulate coma patients like her. It is their specialty. It is their niche, and they could take care of her very well. At GH, she would just be another coma patient. It is something that I hope that you consider, due to the possible longtime care of your daughter. I wish that I could have better hope for her, but, I don't. I have said all that I had to say. If, you need anything else, please page me. Good day, Mr. Cassadine."

" Thank you, Doctor."

Dr. Hiroshi leaves, and they are all left standing there. Stefan speaks.

" I would appreciate it if you would all leave Katya and I alone. I need some time with her."

They all agree and leave. Stefan goes over to Sasha. He takes her hand and begins to cry.

" I always thought that there would be the right time. For the truth. In my wildest nightmares, I never believed that this would happen."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bobbie walks into Dr. Newman's Office.

" Hi, Megan."

" Bobbie. Hi. What may I do for you?"

" Is she in? I had tests done, and I was wondering about the results."

" Actually, Bobbie, she had to leave out of town for a couple of days. But, I'll be sure to tell her that you came by."

" Please do. She had me retake tests, so I am curious about the results. Bye."

" Bye."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stefan is walking around the ICU corridors when he runs into Bobbie.

" Barbara."

" Stefan."

" Barbara, you heard the Doctor's recommendation. What is your opinion?"

" Well, with all respects to Dr. Hiroshi, I believe that Sasha should stay right here, at GH. What Sasha needs isn't some fancy facility. She needs you, Nikolas and Alexis. THAT is what she needs, because, THAT is what will bring her back. Your love, not some facility with, at best, experimental treatments. You will make her well. I believe that with everything in me."

" Thank you, Barbara. I appreciate your opinion."

" No problem. I'll go check on her now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dara and Jax are enjoying dinner in a private Dining Room at the  Port Charles Grille. Dara looks pensive.

" Penny for your thoughts, Dara."

" It would take a whole lot more than a penny to buy my thoughts. But, let's get back to the bombshell that you dropped on me the other night."

" Dara, I wouldn't call it a bombshell. I haven't been that shy about my feelings, but I didn't think that you could handle the truth from me. Until you forced it out of me the other night."

" Yeah, what was that? You tell me, and then, you just up and leave. No more discussion. No nothing."

" I wasn't the one who was dressed and gone by the time I got out of the shower. I Find that pretty inexplicable."

" Well, what did you expect from me?"

" Well, in my fantasy, I wanted an 'I love you too, Jax.'. I would have even accepted, a 'that's wonderful.' Or, ' I have to think about it.' I did not expect for you to bolt right away. I thought that we had gotten past you running. Guess not, huh."

" I was shocked. And I had to process it. I take those words very seriously, Jax."

" And I don't? Dara, I can count on three fingers the women that I've uttered those words to: Mirander, Brender and you. That's it , Dara. No one else. Because, no one else has come close. But, you want to know what's different about this time? I am a man, uttering them to a woman, who can reciprocate to me. I was a boy with Mirander. Brender, well, I don't want to go into chapter and verse as to why that was a disaster. But, you. You're an emotionally healthy person, Dara. You are your own woman. You're not with a man for any reason other than you want to be. And, I finally realize that's what I need. I've spent my life, since Mirander, trying to figure out what I thought that a woman needed, and then giving it to her, even if she didn't ask for it. And then, I would get upset with her if it wasn't what she wanted. Because, I knew best. I wasn't able to be there for Mirander, when she needed me the most. So, I went searching for women who needed me. Because, if I was their hero, then they'd never get rid of me. And then, you came along. You didn't need me. You just wanted me around. I didn't know how refreshingly free that was in a relationship. And, it got deeper from there."

" Jax. I do care for you. Deeply. The way I feel around you is unlike anything that I've ever experienced. I just think that we have to be practical. "

" I'm in love with you. Love isn't practical. It's love. And, when it's been this healthy, how could you put logic into it."

" Because logic and reality always rear their ugly heads."

" Well, not tonight. That's enough of this topic. I have something to show you." Jax brings out a newspaper.

" What is it?"

" Read this." He has an announcement circled in the entertainment section.

" Koko Taylor? Really?"

" I saw that you have a number of her albums."

" Correction. I have ALL her albums."

" So, do you want to see her live?"

" Is water wet? So, which show are we going to? New York? Philly? D.C."

" Memphis."

" Memphis?!"

" Yes. It says there, that she will be sharing the evening with B.B. King. Now, I've never heard Ms. Taylor, but B.B. King is the best."

" Where have you heard B.B. King?"

" Are you kidding? He's one of Dad's favorites. I saw him, in concert, in Sidney."

" B.B. does the Blues Down Under. What a sight."

" And it was. So, is it a date, Ms. Jensen?"

" Absolutely."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nikolas watches Stefan through the glass. He remembers the estrangement between himself and Stefan. How, they had been so completely at odds over the past year. How strained their relationship was. He remembers the anger. How he was angry at Stefan for lying to him. Sasha, of course,  noticed it, and Nikolas remembers their confrontation. How Sasha had gotten him to Wyndemere and cornered him on it.

[[[[[ FLASHBACK]]]]]]

" Niko. You are too angry. Let’s go out and do some exercise."

They are out there, doing some sort of martial art.

"  Sasha, I am not going to fight you with these."

" Why? Because I am a woman? Nikolas, sex, nor size, has anything to do with whether one wins or not. You want to fight someone, so we will fight."

"  I will not fight you."

Sasha starts the match and Nikolas responds. They have a pretty vicious battle, but Sasha overtakes Nikolas and defeats him.

"  See? I told you that size does not matter. You were unfocused, and coming at me from  the vantage point of anger. And once I saw that anger, I knew that I would win. You lost your concentration, and that anger became your weakness. Now, will you tell me what is the matter?"

"  HOW can you love HIM?"

"  PAPA? Why wouldn’t I love him?"

"  Don’t you know what kind of man he is?"

"  Yes. He is very complicated. Where is all this coming from, Niko?"

" I don’t understand."

"  Understand what?"

"  Him....You.....how can you do the things that you do and still consider yourselves good people?"

"  I never claimed to be a good person, Niko. I only claimed to be Sasha. I thought that we had settled this a few years ago. I love Papa, and you love me despite my frailties."

" “Frailties”? Sasha, when people get on your wrong side, we wind up sending funeral wreaths and writing them off as “Business Expenses”. "

" First, they weren’t choir boys Nikolas.  And there’s been less than a handful. "

" Well, it's still wrong. And it's no way to do business. "

" Ah, there it is. The Errant Prince’s Air of Moral Superiority.

So tell me...Prince Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich...in all your depth and wisdom, how would you get rid of the “lesser elements”? How DOES one rid themselves of Arms Merchants, Smugglers, Drug Kingpins and White Slavers? Invite them over for a spot of tea and Mrs. Lansbury’s scones? NO. It doesn’t work. Now Papa’s methods were to weave and maneuver, negotiate and manipulate. But to use one of his catch words, I found that to be “Tedious”. Why waste your time thinking about such persons when all could be accomplished in a very neat, timed, direct show of force. A little force goes a long way. I’ve found it to be beneficial.

Now you’ll take control of this empire in less than 10 years. And maybe once you’re in control, you’ll be the warm, benevolent “The Cassadine”. But know this, you are only in this position, and can take such lofty, moral stances while looking down on the peasants because of the dirty work that Papa and myself have done to clean up Cassadine, Inc.

Have I ever lied to you Niko?"

"No."

" When everyone else told you that your mother didn’t love you, what did I say?"

" You said that she did love me, she had to. BUT, that she did not love me enough if she chose a man over her own child."

" AND?"

" And that to believe otherwise was an exercise in both hallucinatory delusions and self loathing."

"And was I correct?"

"  Yes....but...."

" No, Niko. There are not ‘BUTS’ to this. You wanted to know the truth about me, and I told you. I also told you that I don’t tolerate people in my life who are constantly judging me and holding me up to some ideal that would completely waste my time even trying to make the effort to pretend. I told you the truth Nikolas, because I loved you.

I wanted you to have someone that you knew would tell you the truth always.....even if it was cold, harsh and brutal. I wanted that for you. I wanted it for the family. That’s my role. Sasha, Keeper of the Truth. Now, I could lie to Gabriel at Heaven's gate if I had to, but I tell the truth to my family. That way, no one can come between us. "

"  How....how could you do it?"

" Nikolas, these weren’t the innocent that I was dealing with. You know why I formed the Pegasus Group....why I helped Papa. Nikolas, it is our fondest wish to hand you, when you are 25, an empire that you can be proud of. And when Papa took over, it was not that. There were all sorts of unsavory characters that the Cassadines had routinely done business with that Papa and I found completely unacceptable. But you don’t get rid of these people quite that easily. We did all that we could, making offers, offering trades and arranging other options for them. But a number of them would not “break” their ties to the Cassadines. And if we could not rid ourselves of the major players, then we were stuck with numerous smaller ones that were even more insidious. But, by handling the situation with just a handful of the larger players, we had no more opposition from the rest as we severed their ties. Business has changed a great deal in the last decade Nikolas. With the exception of The Former Soviet Union, where everything is run by Mob Bosses, and you just grin and bear it....the rest of the world is a better place to do business. You don’t have to involve yourself with those characters who run hugely profitable, but completely moral bankrupt enterprises. Democracy has spread throughout Asia and Latin America, so we don’t encounter dictators there anymore. South Africa is also democratized, and the Arab countries are still under control. I am no saint Nikolas, but I am not one of Satan’s Little Helpers either. And neither is Papa. "

"  OK...then tell me why you are here, in Port Charles. "

"  Alright. I am here to take over ELQ,, and J&J Jacks, Ltd. of Alaska."

"  You think you can do it? "

" I know I can. I have been working on it for sometime."

"  Why them?"

"  ELQ is for Timoria reasons. And J&J Jacks...well, that is a bonus. My own little Timoria. Things have never been this shaky for my favorite Alaskan family. John is completely off his game trying to recuperate. Jerry is completely overworked, and swamped by a Chinese deal that is now coming apart due to the coming takeover of Hong Kong, and Jacks...well between his “wifely” troubles and this drug thing he is not on the top of his game. They have never been this vulnerable before; it is a golden opportunity, and I totally intend to seize the moment. Patience can be a wonderful virtue...in this case, it completely has been used to my advantage. I could have struck at the Jacks’ years ago....but now, they are like ripe fruit..just waiting to be plucked. "

"  And Justus Ward? He figures into your plans?"

" He does now."]]]]

Nikolas thought about what she had said. He realized that she was right. He had been protected and sheltered. But, it was the final part of their conversation that truly disturbed him. For, it raised questions that he had never thought about.  Nikolas had to know the answers to them. Who could he ask? After thinking for several minutes, he pulled out his cell phone.

" Mai Lin."

" Mai, it's Nikolas."

" Master Nikolas, what may I do for you?"

" I need to use Sasha's jet. Can it be ready for me within the hour?"

" Of course. May I ask where you'll be going?"

" I would rather not say."

" Understood. I will call now."

" Thank you Mai."

Nikolas leaves the ICU and is on his way on the elevator when,

" Nikolas, hi."

" Emily."

" I'll ride down with you." They get on the elevator. " So, you seemed deep in thought. Is there something wrong?"

" No. I need to get some answers. And I think that I have found the person that will give them to me. Emily, I am going on a short trip. But, no one knows about it."

" OK. I never saw you."

The door open at Nikolas' floor. He kisses Emily on the cheek. " Thanks, Em. I'll see you when I return."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stefan arrived at the GH Library. Katherine had a private dinner planned for the two of them.

" Well, Mr. Cassadine. I hope that you're hungry. Mrs. Lansbury sent all your favorite foods. You need to eat. To keep up your strength. You know, you and I can just eat in silence. And, for dessert, I have a surprise."

" Thank you, Katherine."

They eat their meal in silence. After dessert, Katherine hands Stefan and envelope with a ribbon around it.

" What's this?"

" I wanted to help you in anyway that I could. So, open it."

Stefan opens it and there are picture brochures.

" What are these."

" Well, they are brochures, and reports of all the facilities in the area that deal with Sasha's condition. I even took the liberty of gathering information for one in California, another in Arizona, that came highly recommended. I knew that you would be busy, and I wanted to make things as simple for you as possible. All I want to do is help you."

Stefan kisses Katherine. " Thank you. This took a great deal of consideration on your part. I will look at the information later. Now, I must return to Katya's room. Good night, Katherine."

" Bye, Stefan."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nikolas was on Sasha's Jet. As per Mai's instructions, it was indeed ready within the hour. He was staring out the window when the phone rang.

" Mr. Cassadine. "

" Yes, François? "

" We have been cleared for takeoff. I have checked the weather patterns. It should be a straight flight to Switzerland. "