Chapter 1


Katherine Bell is nursing her third martini of the evening. She put the filet mignon down. Her eye wasn’t hurting as much. There was a time when she would have put on airs about the eye...not to be seen until it had all healed. Putting tons of makeup on it, as if that would mask the awful bruising that she had gotten at the hands of Bobbie Spencer..

Bobbie. UGH. She couldn’t believe the scene that had happened between them.

[[[[ FLASHBACK ]]]

Katherine was knocking on Nikolas’ door at the Brownstone.

" He’s not there.", Bobbie barks.

" Oh, Bobbie...well, will you tell him that I stopped by?"

" Hell no."

" Is there a problem, Bobbie?"

" Yeah, there is. You."

" Excuse me?"

" Tell me Katherine, did your feeble mind come up with the scheme, or did you have help?"

" I don’t know what you mean?"

" The hell you don’t. You’re sniffing around a 18 year old boy. Don’t you have any shame?"

" Ohhh...I see. Someone has informed you of my relationship with Nikolas."

" RELATIONSHIP? You have the audacity to sit up and call it a RELATIONSHIP? What? Have you started taking drugs?"

" Bobbie, you know, I don’t really think this is any of your business. When you see Nikolas again, please tell him that I stopped by." Katherine moves to leave, but, Bobbie gets in her face.

" I don’t think so, Sister. I’m making it my business. When Nikolas was just a young man that I loved dearly, I tried to keep my tongue and was doing sorta well. But, now that he’s an official part of my family, the blinders are off. What the hell kind of pitiful excuse for a woman are you?

You’re old enough to be his mother? And, that’s NOT a figure of speech...it’s the literal truth. You WERE going to be his STEP-MOTHER. My God, it would be like if I was sleeping with Nikolas."

" I doubt that."

" What?"

" I mean, Nikolas never saw you in THAT way. You were always so matronly."

" Pardon me?"

" You just didn’t appeal to him like that."

" Is that your way of telling me that this sick relationship was going on, even back when...Even back when I actually defended Nikolas’ relationship with you to Stefan? Oh, boy, was that ever a mistake. A true one. He had you pegged from the beginning. Though, his guilt over plugging you got in his way."

" What Stefan and I shared, you never understood."

" Never understood? Sugar, you didn’t get it either. When I was with Stefan, he never tried to turn me into a Live Action Barbie Doll of his Laura fantasy."

" You know that it was more than that...you saw the power of our relationship..that’s why the two of your broke up."

Bobbie laughed. " Well, I hate to break your illusions, but, I seem to be on a roll today. Sorry, Kitten, but, the reason Stefan and I broke up had absolutely NOTHING to do with you. Not in any way, shape or form. I could list 10 reasons the marriage ended, and you wouldn’t show up on the list. Didn’t Stefan ever tell you why we broke up?" Katherine is silent. " I guess not, then. I suspected something between you, but, Stefan had been quite upfront when we got married. He told me that Cassadine Men had mistresses. I just accepted that you would be his mistress. After all, you fill that role quite fittingly."

" Shut up."

" Oh, no...truth hurts, doesn’t it? You had this illusion that you had this grand love and passion with Stefan. When the fact of the matter remains you were his knock-off version of Laura. More than one dress of hers. Her hairstyle. Her ring. Why I bet that he even thought of her while you two.."

" Shut up, Bobbie!"

" Why ? It stings , doesn’t it? But, you came back from the dead, didn’t you? You came back, and you wanted revenge...and what better way to get revenge on Stefan than through Nikolas? There isn’t anything on this Earth that Stefan loves more than Nikolas, and that includes Laura. No...you had your means for revenge. And, you could use an innocent boys infatuation for you to your advantage."

" Nikolas is no boy, I assure you."

" Oh, please. How disgusting you sound. You know, you and my daughter should sit down together. The two of you can compare notes. Oh, I know you’ve probably convinced yourself that you actually care for Nikolas. Hell, Carly convinced herself that she was in love with Tony. But, the bottom line was that she wanted to get back at ME through Tony...and you want to get back at STEFAN through Nikolas. And, the objects of your affections, have needs that the two of you completely stroked. But, you know Katherine, comparing you to my daughter, actually makes Carly look good. She did it because she was a confused angry young woman. What’s your excuse? My daughter is a decade and a half younger than you easily? What pathetic rationalization did you give yourself that it was OK to mess with Nikolas and his emotional makeup."

" Nikolas is an adult."

" IN AGE ONLY? He barely passed the 18 mark when you started banging him. Just cause he has the years, doesn’t mean that he was ready for you? His last girlfriend was Sarah Webber, for Christ’s sake. And, now, he’s gone from her to a skank who wants to get back at his Daddy?"

" You know, Bobbie, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were jealous."

" Jealous?"

" Yes. Your own record with men isn’t too hot. I mean, you lost Tony to your own daughter, and you weren't amusing enough to keep Stefan’s attention. What, are you scared that I might look Jerry Jacks’ way too?"

" In your dreams, Katherine. Jerry’s into real women, not pseudo-pedophiles."

" Well, you, Laura and Stefan better treat me right....or risk losing Nikolas from your lives.."

" You would actually stand here and threaten to take Nikolas away from his family. You disgusting bitch!" And, with that, Bobbie Spencer delivers her patented left hook to Katherine Bell’s eye, leaving her dazed and on the ground.

" Never mess with a Spencer, Kitty. Get outta here before I call the cops on you for trespassing."

Katherine had thought her day couldn’t get any worse, until she returned back to her hotel sweet. She had an ice pack on her eye when Nikolas came in.

" Nikolas", Katherine went to him and tried to hug him, but, he pulled away.

" Nikolas, what’s wrong?"

" You’re what’s wrong."

" Nikolas, I don’t know what you mean. Oh, I bet you spoke to Bobbie and she twisted things about me. She told you lies about me. Nikolas, whatever she said about me, isn’t true."

" It’s all true. I didn’t need to have Bobbie tell me anything. I heard the entire conversation. i never put it all together, but, Bobbie was right. What I was doing with you is exactly what Dr. Jones did with Carly. And, I did have my own reasons. Reasons that I’m not particularly proud of. I heard how vicious you were with Bobbie."

" ME Vicious with Bobbie? How about Bobbie’s viciousness to me?"

" But, the best part, was hearing you threaten Bobbie with ruining our relationship. You know, Helena told me that you told her that she had better be nice to you, or you would ruin anything between Helena and me. At the time, I just thought it was part of her manipulations..and, I didn't have a relationship with her anyway. But, now...I see you for who you are. I am a weapon against my parents. Against Stefan, whose only crime was loving a woman too much.."

" What about Stefan’s lies to you? How he’s hurt you."

" I will never discuss Stefan, or any other member of my family with you again. In fact, I won’t discuss anything with you again. Goodbye, Katherine."

Katherine plopped the last of her olives in her mouth for this round of drinks. Dumped by an 18 year old. How humiliating is that? How ridiculous and pathetic had her life become? Hadn’t she learned anything?

" Hey! Waiter! Get over here!" Katherine said, with an edge to her voice, not quite slurring, but definitely alcohol influenced. " Hey! Waiter!"

" I think they’ll get to you as soon as possible...But, if you’re in that desperate need of a drink, here, have mine.", Tony Jones says. Katherine takes the drink, a scotch on the rocks, and gulps it down.

" Thanks."

" No problem."

" You know what? It sucks to drink alone. Pull up a seat."

" Best invitation I’ve had in 6 months."

" If that’s true, then your life is more pathetic than mine."

" i don’t doubt that. So..Katherine, why all alone tonight? I thought you and the former Cassadine Prince were keeping company."

" You know?"

" Well, aside from my own observations...Amy Vining observed the two of you at the Docks."

" I know..I know...Amy...the Walter Winchell of GH."

" You got it."

" But, you’re late with the information. Nikolas and I are no longer a couple...If you could ever call us that. I got dumped by an 18 year old. That is pathetic."

" Ah-ah...I got dumped by a 22 year old who happened to be my stepdaughter. I think that tops you."

" Ah-ah....But, you didn’t know who she was. To you, she was just a sweet young thing. I knew exactly who Nikolas was when I let him in."

" True...but, you weren’t exactly thinking straight. You were recovering from harsh trauma."

" Ever the doctor, Tony. Sympathy for the patient?"

" Trying to give sympathy where it’s most needed heaven knows that not a lot of it has been coming my way."

" I thought I heard you were back on staff at GH. You have your job back."

" A title, full of paper shuffling. That’s it. And, all the shuffling I’ve done, doesn’t bring me any closer to what I want most in my life." Katherine looks puzzled. " My son."

" Oh." Katherine takes the latest round of martinis from the waiter and takes a sip.

" I’ve done the community service. I’ve straightened my life out. I’ve gotten a job at GH, and I’m doing it. And, I still can’t get within 500 yards of my son. Do you know how much I miss him? It’s like an ache that won’t go away.I’ve lost it all, but, the hope that I could be a part of his life again, is what gets me going through the day."

Katherine studies his face. She looks at it for any hint of phoniness. Seeing none, she begins to cry. Tony notices and is shocked. " Katherine, I’m sorry if I upset you. I didn’t mean to. What did I say that disturbed you....I take it back."

Katherine looks at him, her eyes brimming full of tears. " Don’t you dare take back anything you’ve said. I was looking at you...really looking at you, for the first time, I think in months. I mean, I had read all the stories. Tony the lunatic. Tony the babynapper. Tony the pervert. But, they’re wrong...aren’t they?"

" I wouldn’t know..I’m hardly objective."

" Your voice tells the truth. You just want to be loved. You trusted in something, or someone. You risked it all. And, in the end, it wound up being not only a fairy tale, but, a nightmare." Katherine takes his hand. " And, then, you get blamed for the nightmare, while the one who orchestrated it, just goes on with life, as if nothing happened..."

Tony sighs. " And, you try to get through the nightmare, but, none of your friends wants to talk about it. They only want to smile in your face and pat you on the head, and tell you how good you’re doing...as if this was the science fair and they were a judge walking around giving out honorable mention ribbons and you’re getting one. "

Katherine strokes his hand. " I don’t think that I want to continue this here. I have a suite upstairs." Tony looks bewildered, and so Katherine get up and takes him by the hand. She signals to the waiter to put things on her room tab. They ride up in the elevator in silence, with Katherine still holding his hand. She opens the door and they go inside. Tony stands, not knowing what to do. To tell the truth, Katherine didn’t know what to do either. " Why don’t you make a fire while I get more comfortable?" Tony nods and goes over to the fireplace and gets the fire blazing. He pulls up a chair in front of the fireplace. He takes off his jacket and sits down. He looks into the flames, and just sits there, saying nothing.

When Katherine returns from the bathroom, she is dressed in a white silk nightgown and robe. She finds the room completely dark, except for the fire. Tony’s silhouette is visible, lit from the fire. She goes up behind him and places her hands on his shoulders.

" Penny for your thoughts?"

" Wondering why I’m here."

" Isn’t it obvious?"

" No. We were downstairs talking and then we wound up here. How?"

" You made me cry. I do a lot of that lately. "

" I didn’t mean to."

" I know...that’s what was touching about it. You didn’t want to hurt me. "

" And I did?"

" No. Compared to the last people I let in my life, you were completely innocuous."

" What I always wanted to be...innocuous....Katherine.."

" Yes?"

" I haven’t been with anyone since..."

" Her? No one?"

" No. I couldn’t allow anyone else in. I admit that I helped her along. I mean, I was in the midst of a mid-life crisis and she told me everything that I wanted to hear, and more. I was needed. I was wanted. Everything was new. Everything that Bobbie wasn’t, she could be. I could fix her. I had been in freefall since BJ’s death. In a wierd way, she was the daughter that I didn’t have anymore. Sick, twisted, huh?"

" No....not at all...You fell for a young woman who told you all that you wanted to hear. When I was shot, it was the same thing with Stefan. I mean, he shot and paralyzed me, but, I just glossed over that because we had this ‘cosmic connection’. I couldn’t walk, but, had convinced myself that he was the reason I was getting better, when HE was the reason that I was in a wheelchair in the first place. Then, I knew he was married, but, I didn’t care, because, I knew him better than his wife ever could, and somehow I was in the right, even though I was skulking around him. Then, Stefan humiliated me in front the entire hospital board, but, I knew better. I was in love. I gave and gave. Over and over. More and more. And, after all the travails and obstacles that we went through, in the end, he offered me a pair of earrings and his guesthouse. In that instant, I was my mother...but, I couldn’t see it. Just change it to the servant’s quarters and I would have been my mother. But., I kept on. And, then, Stefan asked me to marry him....and, I thought all my dreams would come true. All the miserable relationships that I had...I was going to get a family..one of my own..and a place where I was welcome. And, to boot, I was going to get all the fairy tale life too.

Then, I met Laura Spencer and it all came crashing down. Talk about quicksand. There was no love. In fact, I wasn’t even the one he wanted. He was living out his fantasies of another woman through me. Do you know how utterly frustrating and humiliating it was to find out that you were just a substitute and that you weren’t the object of the affections?"

"Sadly, yes...I do."

" It all came clear to me in an instant. The instant right before I nearly lost my life. Sitting there, all those months, getting better...I had time to think about every sign I missed. In retrospect.."

" They were glaring."

" Ain’t that the truth. Everything I never saw became glaringly obvious."

"And, the answer to ‘Why me’, is so apparent, you feel like a child, for not seeing what was right in front of your face."

" I know. And, when you feel that used and abused, you want to strike back. But, even in vengeance, you try and keep something..ANYTHING of your sanity. To save face. To believe that it couldn’t possibly be as bad as you thought it was. You know, even after I read all the coverage of his trial. Even after it was laid out, in detail about what I was to Stefan, I still had my delusions. I needed them. I went to him and told him that I’d take him back? I know...I know...whatever semblance of self-respect I thought I had was gone. I was just so desperate to be RIGHT. To be right in some corner...like if he came to me, then all the hell that I was put through would be worth it in the end...I basically threatened him into coming back to me."

" Did he?"

Katherine laughs as she moves the other chair next to Tony and takes his hands in hers as she stares into the fire. " You kidding? He was in the beginning of his full court press for the object of his desire- the fair maiden Laura. No. I was left there, alone, when a knock was on my door. I opened to find Nikolas there. He was there...with his brooding looks..and innocent,but lustful eyes. And, all that adoration was focused on me. Here he was, telling me that I was beautiful, and desirable, and deserving of the love that I gave out, but, never received. When his lips touched mine, someone wanted me..for me. Not as a substitute, but, for me. "

" That youth, looking to you..making you feel like you’re on top of the world. That you can do anything."

" The belief in you that you had lost in yourself and that it had been years.."

" If ever..."

" That someone believed in your like that. And, then...the young arms, the young body.."

" Telling your body that the years did not matter. Telling you that they appreciate all that you can teach."

" And, the power...the power of being the teacher....of being the seducer.."

" Even when they believe that they were the ones who were calling the shots..their youth is something that you can mold..."

" If I couldn’t have the love of the Father, I was going to get it from the son.."

" I had long lost the love of the mother..I didn’t know that I was searching for it with the daughter.."

" But, the problem is...is that you can’t fool them forever. You can’t keep them from seeing the truth.."

" Of the bitterness, the coldness...the emptiness..."

" That dwells inside."

" And, now, I have nothing but my son. Not even that. I clinged to the fact that Michael was mine. I needed SOMETHING to show for the disaster that had become my life. When it was revealed that he wasn’t mine..it was like I looked into the mirror and there was a zero where I used to be. I had no home. No daughter. No wife. I had a son, part-time. I had lost the respect of most of my friends and colleagues...and NOTHING to show for it. I was a walking disaster and a gangster and a lying tramp had the most precious of gifts, and they had no idea of how to appreciate it."

" I’m fascinated by listening to you. I grew up with a man who not only wasn’t bothered by having his child around, but, didn’t care. He spit in my face everyday that I grew up on his estate and he treated me like garbage. The man I thought was the love of my life, said he loved a child, but, used it to further an obsession. And, here you are, just wanting to be a father. Desperately. Wanting to connect. You’ve paid enough dues, but, they won’t let you back into their club, will they? Those hypocrites who judge you and want you to crawl on your hands and knees to get their approval.."

" But, it never comes."

" No. I’ve been climbing in this town since the day I got here..and it’s never come. I run a business, but, never get invited anywhere. I’ve sponsored their events, but, get only a pat on the head, as they take my check. I’m NOT that bastard child...I’ve gotten beyond that.."

" Of course you have. You’re a beautiful woman. Full of spirit. You’ve had a lot of hard knocks, but, you’ve come through. You survived two traumatic physical events....most people would not have survived one. I admire you."

" That’s nice of you to say."

" Only cause it’s the truth." Tony releases her hands and gets up to go over to the fireplace and stoke it some more. Katherine comes over to him and faces him.

" I’m not anyone’s prize, Katherine. You have more money. I doubt I’m even good company. And, I can’t compare to a young stud."

Katherine kisses him on the lips. " Thanks for the warning."

" I don’t even know if the plumbing’s any good any more.", he says as Katherine undoes his tie and begins unbuttoning his shirt.

" And, I don’t have to hide anything from you, because you have no expectations. I like that." Katherine takes his hand and leads him to the bed. " We can do anything or nothing at all."

" I’d like that."



------------------------------------------------------------------------



Nurses Station, General Hospital


Barbara Jean Spencer is exhausted. She’s just finishing up a double shift. She has problems with her family, and she doesn’t know when she’ll be going him. Bobbie is filling out charts for some OR patients when..

" Hello, Bobbie."

Bobbie looks up momentarily from her charts. " Katherine. I see your eye is healing well."

" Yes. You’d almost never know that I was the subject of a violent attack."

" Attack? Katherine, you keep on bothering me and you’ll learn the meaning of attack."

" You know, Bobbie, some people may not appreciate keeping a child in the care of someone so violent."

At that, Bobbie looks up from her charts. " What? What are you blathering about, Katherine? In case you hadn’t noticed, some of us have to work around here. Now, I have better things to do than to be bothered by you. So, scram."

" Well, Bobbie...spreading your special brand of sunshine today?"

" Oh, Tony. How can I spread sunshine, when you have the market cornered?", Bobbie says, dripping with sarcasm.

" Well, I see you and Katherine have been talking." Tony speaks to Katherine. " How did things go, Darling? Did you share our good news?"

Bobbie looks up. " DARLING?"

" No, Darling, I didn’t feel it was right to tell her without you here."

" Tell me WHAT, Tony?"

" That, your days of having our son all to yourself, are just about over. Circumstances have changed Bobbie. I have something to offer our son that you can’t now."

" And, what’s that?"

" A loving, caring TWO-parent home." At that statement, Katherine flashes her ring finger in Bobbie’s face.

" You....You MARRIED her?", Bobbie stutters.

" That’s right. And, when the judge looks at the fact that I can provide Lucas with not only a father, but, mother who can help raise him, I think he’ll look more favorably on me.."

Bobbie looks directly at Katherine. " There is no way in HELL that you will EVER raise MY son!"

Katherine smiles. " We’ll see.." She looks at Tony. "Darling, we have to go see the realtors..we have to get the kind of home that expresses that a child is welcome there. Shall we?"

Tony takes her hand and begins to walk away, but turns around. " See you in court.", he says with a sneer.



------------------------------------------------------------------------



The Penthouse

Carly comes down the stairs of the Penthouse.

" Is Michael asleep?", Jason asks, not looking up from his papers while sitting at the desk.

" Yeah. He’s so sweet when he sleeps. Not a care in the world. Doesn’t know the hell that is breaking loose around him."

" Let’s keep it that way, Carly."

" Jason, I know that. I know what my son needs. And, what he needs is for the two of us to be on the same page. "

" I’ve been talking with the lawyer. I’ve got it handled."

" That’s not good enough anymore. You had it handled when you opened your mouth and told Robin about Michael."

" Carly, I don’t wanna year you ragging on Robin."

" Well, tough! Because, if you hadn’t opened your mouth about it, your little Angel wouldn’t have had the ammo to go to AJ with when you had the nerve not to choose her over Michael and me."

" Don’t you have that wrong, Sugar? Isn’t it your mouth, or other parts of your anatomy that’s gotten this whole thing started?", Sonny chimes in as he walks through the door.

" If you don’t mind, Sonny, Jason and I are in the middle of a conversation."

" Are you? I thought I was in the middle of a broken record...you know the one. Where the tramp blames her problems on everyone else?" Sonny walks over to Jason. " We have to talk."

" EXCUSE ME!", Carly shouts.

Jason turns to Carly and dismisses her with his hand. " Later."

Carly stands there for a moment, then turns and goes upstairs.

" So, what’s up?"

" Moreno will be making his move soon. Jason, you gotta get deeper and deeper into legitimate stuff. For this custody thing, for when Carly turns her back on you."

" Carly woudln’t turn her back on me. She wants us to be a family."

" Jason, wake up. You thought that Robin would never turn on you. And, look how that turned out. Carly will turn on anyone at anytime."

" Carly said she loved me."

" Jason, come on. You can’t believe that."

" I do."

" Well, how do you feel about it?"

" I dunno. I never thought that Carly could feel that way about me. I knew she wanted to have sex with me. She told me that. And, I knew that she wanted me as Michael’s father. She told me that. But, love. That’s something different from Carly."

" She doesn’t know the meaning of the world. Mark my word, my friend, she’ll turn on you. She’ll betray you in a minute. The minute that she can get herself ensconsed with the Q’s and into the money trough, she’ll be there."

" Sonny, Carly woudln’t turn on me."

At that moment, Carly, dressed in her coat, comes down the stairs carrying Michael. He’s ready to go. Latecia is also coming down the stairs, with a couple of Michael’s bags. Carly walks over to the door and opens it.

" Johnny, will you come in here, and get Michael’s stuff, please? There’s a cab waiting downstairs for us."

Johnny takes the bags and Carly gives Michael to Latecia. She turns to Jason.

" Better say goodbye to your son, now." Jason gives Michael a kiss.

" Latecia, take Michael downstairs and get him settled."

Once Michael and Latecia have gone, Jason bursts out..

" What the hell do you think you’re doing?"

" I’m leaving."

" I can see that. What....the Quartermaines give you a better offer?"

Before Jason could get the sentence out, his face connects with Carly’s hand.

" Is that what you think? Is that really what you think? Then, maybe I was wrong, as I defended you to Tony, your precious Robin, your Darling Sonny and the Quartermaines. Maybe you are nothing but a brain-damaged idiot who can’t put three sentences together. You better start thinking for yourself, Jason Morgan. You better do some SERIOUS self-evaluation about what you want and who you are and who your REAL friends are. And, then, you better go over in your head as to why I’m out the door. And, when you’ve done THAT, you can come see Michael. Cause, you’ll know where I am."

Carly is nearly through the door when she turns around,

" Oh, by the way, Sonny? You can kiss this tramp’s ass till hell freezes over."

Sonny puckers up his lips and sends Carly an air kiss.