Risk

Chapter XLIII

Hard Lessons

"We have to get out of here." Liz says frantically. "It isn't safe."

Lucky shakes his head. "I think I've been in the dark long enough, Elizabeth." Lucky doesn't move from the bed. Fact is he adjusts the pillow against the headboard to make it more comfortable. "Why don't you tell me what the hell is going on? What does Carly have on you that has you so freaked? And why in the middle of taking over the world with Nik's lunatic father would she stop to mess with you?"

"Lucky, you don't understand."

Lucky nods. "Exactly. So why don't you explain it to me. Start with why there is such friction between you and Carly. It's been going on since long before the Face of Deception campaign. I get the feeling something happened when I was... dead."

After a sleepless night where she'd fallen off as the sun started coming up, Laura is late for work. Luckily Lesley had been there to take Lulu to school. Luke is still no where to be found and not returning her calls to his cell phone. Course knowing Luke and how much he hated that phone.... it could be at the bottom of a well somewhere. Laura steps off the elevator and can feel the difference in the atmosphere on the executive floor. Normally Elton would be hanging up guiltily as she stepped off the elevator, embarrassed to be caught gossiping-- or information gathering as he preferred to think of it. Instead she is greeted by the site of workmen being directed by Elton hauling boxes out of the the office across the reception area from hers. "Oh Mrs Spencer! I'll be right with you! I have your messages right on my desk."

"My nine o'clock appointment..."

"Don't worry about a thing, Princ... um Nikolas sat in on that one for you." Elton dismisses Laura's concerns. "Quite the go getter your son! He was here before I arrived already hard at work getting up to speed."

"Where is my son now?"

"Down in accounting getting the auditors settled."

"Auditors?" Laura blanches. Scotty had told her about it, mentioned it the night before and while it has sunk in she hadn't realized it was going to be moving so fast.

"They started at 10am." Elton glances over to the clock behind his desk. "Shouldn't take Princ... um Nikolas long to get it them all sorted out. You look like you could use a nice cup of tea. Why don't you go get settled and I'll bring that right in to you."

The workmen with their handcarts filled with boxes are now in the reception area and Laura starts feeling in the way so she goes into her office, shutting the door to close out the noise. Once there she calls down to accounting and tells the secretary there to relay a message to Nikolas that she is in the office and needs to see him. Elton comes bustling in with a cup of tea and a handful of little pink message slips. "Thank you." Laura says gratefully as she takes a dainty sip.

Elton sorts thru the messages. "The glass factory in Italy called... someone must have been working late."

"Is the strike settled?" Laura asks hopefully.

Elton shakes his head. "The news wasn't that good. Same problem as before. Couldn't understand a word they said... only thing that came thru was wildcat strike. So excitable those Italians." Elton tilts his head to the side. "You naughty girl, you didn't tell me your son spoke Italian-- he realized straight off the problem I was having and took it right over. Still have the problem but at least he was able to calm them down! But I'll let him tell you all about that. The company in Turkey called. Wanted you to know that yes, they had an earthquake and it was evidently a doozy but they are getting right on sending you the new numbers for the contract. They just have to find a fax machine that works. I swear those people must be as crazy as the ones that live in California." Elton shudders dramatically. "Earthquakes. The whole idea of them just gives me the heebies!"

Nikolas knocks on the door. "You wanted to see me, Mother."

"I'll just leave you two to catch up." Elton bustles out of the room. He pauses by Nikolas. "Those boxes are all taken care of. You just let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."

"Thank you, Elton." Nik nods and then shuts the door to the office. He can tell by the look on Laura's face that the other shoe is going to drop. "I'll be leaving the office at noon today, Mother. I haven't given notice to Ned over at L&B so I'm... double booked right now." He walks over to the endtable and picks up the weighty crystal award. He looks at the information on it. "Congratulations on this by the way. Did you thank Carly in your acceptance speech?"

"Why would I do that?" Laura retorts. "She isn't part of the company."

"The campaign that won this award... the development notes on it are in her handwriting."

"How would you know that? How would you know it's Carly's?" Laura asks suspiciously.

"I looked at the data." Nik puts the award back down. "The handwriting wasn't yours. And while I don't know Carly's writing... the content is very similiar to her speaking voice. If I assumed incorrectly. I apologize. Was there anything else? I'm still trying to get up to speed on your vision for the next campaign." Nik asks mendaciously. He'd already seen the handwriting on the next campaign too.

"You made the check out to Jason Morgan. The strike in Italy, the contract problems in Turkey... How long have you been planning on taking over my company, Nikolas? How could you?! You could you do this to me?! Why!"

"Oh same old song and dance. I must have done it all after all I am Cassadine." Nik crosses his arms defensively. "You've made your opinion perfectly clear, mother. I had nothing to do with the strike in Italy or the shortage of essence in Istanbul. I also had nothing to do with your failure to make your loan payments to Sonny Corinthos for the last six months-- that so called balloon payment you mentioned yesterday. I didn't come to you, mother. You called me. Just like you always do when your back is up against the wall. And I'm suppose to be grateful to be of service?! Lulu is one thing. This is business."

"But how did you know? How?!" Furious tears stream down Laura's face at being caught in her lie.

"You should have taken better care of Gia." Nik says grimly. "If you had, I would have had no reason to go to Jason Morgan and thank him for protecting the woman I love. The woman who you set up to be raped in a hotel in Atlantic City. Putting her out there like a piece of meat for any drunk conventioner with enough money to bribe the front desk. He told me what you'd done. He told me what you would do. How much money you owed. I hoped he was wrong. That you wouldn't call. But you did. You are a careless woman with little thought save for what you want. You will never be in a position to hurt Gia or anyone I care about again. NEVER." Nikolas grinds out the last between gritted teeth.

A sob breaks thru. "Nikolas, I never..."

Nik interrupts impatiently. "No, you never. Dry your tears, mother. You've made me immune."

"Wait a sec." Lucky comes off the bed. "You told a woman who had just lost a baby that she was going to lose her husband too-- that she'd lost her meal ticket?! Elizabeth, that isn't like you."

"She provoked me! You don't know what she's like, Lucky. She was playing both Sonny and Jason too! Wanting them to dance on her string like puppets."

"They're grown men, Elizabeth! What business was it of yours?!"

"They're my friends! You don't know what it was like when you were gone. She was married to AJ, stringing Jason along and screwing Sonny! She hurt Jason so bad he went off to the boxcar to die! If I hadn't found him and gotten help..." Elizabeth shakes her head. "She's a manipulative slut! I'm not blind to it. I wasn't going to let her do that again-- get away with it again. And poor Michael! The only time she has him around is when she is trying to get another fur coat or diamond necklace from whatever guy she's stroking. Now that Stavros is in the picture, she's up to what? Daddy number four... no wait... five! Look what she did to Dr Jones! When she couldn't get him thrown in jail, she shot him!"

"Tony kidnapped her son and Robin too. I really don't think he's a great example." Lucky counters wryly.

"Ask anyone who knows her, Lucky! Your mother, Emily, Alexis... the only one that can stand her is Gia and that's cause Carly was using Gia to stop me from getting the Face of Deception. She superglued your mother up on the roof. Laura could have been killed-- froze to death up there on the roof with Mac. And the way she sabotaged my shoots."

"Carly got me my job at Deception." Lucky reminds.

"You got the job because you're good!" Liz counters. "But what she really wanted was a war between you and Nikolas. To make your mother choose. And after all that grief, she was never even at Deception. She was always playing hookie. Your mother got stuck doing everything!"

"Maybe she was trying to make her marriage work." Lucky plays devil's advocate.

"Oh yeah, by turning Sonny over to the feds! But Sonny fixed her." Liz smiles at that memory. "He finally figured out what a piece of trash she is and cut her loose. And the first thing she does-- starts looking for a rich man to be Daddy number five. That kid is going to be so screwed up."

Lucky shakes his head. "Okay. I get it. You two don't like each other. But sorry. Nobody deserves to be under Stavros Cassadine thumb. Mom doesn't talk about it much because it was so bad. Calling him a control freak is being kind. Carly won't be able to do a damn thing without his permission. He likes his birds in a cage. Something he probably learned from his mother." Lucky adds bitterly. He'd spent a year in one of Helena's cages. "So why did Gia put the big emphasis on Carly and Stavros knowing we're in Milan. Why would Stavros be interested?"

Nikolas looks down at the address scribbled on the post a note. Nik hesitates and then knocks. He hears some movement on the other side of the door. He can feel an eye on him thru the peephole. There is a long pause that grows longer. He knocks again. "Gia, I'm not here to cause any problems-- I know Elton probably called you by now. I just want to talk." I'm lying thru my teeth-- okay I just want to talk now talking is good. It's better than this damn silence. "Gia!"

The door is opened in a rush. "I don't need my business out in the hall." Gia stands in there with arms crossed. "Well?! You coming in or not?" After Nik comes in Gia goes around the living room switching on every light, turning off the stereo and extinguishing the one candle she'd lit to try to de-stress after talking to Lucky. "I'd offer you something to drink but you aren't going to be staying that long."

"You've got a nice place, Gia." Nik says softly.

"Like it? I signed a year lease." Gia retorts defiantly. It wasn't going to be like before-- sweet talk and quick reconciliation. "I'm going to have to talk to security though. They're suppose to call me."

"I told him I needed to pick up something at Alexis' place."

"Figures." Gia sits down on the couch knowing tht Nik won't sit down until she does. She draws her knees up to her wrapping her arms around them.

"How are you?"

"You said this was business."

Nik takes a seat at the far end of the couch angling his body toward Gia but keeping his feet planted firmly on the floor. "What did Elton tell you?"

"That you bought out half of Deception."

Nik nods. "I reviewed your schedule of appearances. There won't be a repeat of Atlantic City. Elton is working on the revisions."

"What does your mother have to say about that?"

"I didn't ask her. When I heard... I tried to find out where you were staying. Gia, I never..."

"I know it wasn't you." Gia interrupts. She shrugs. "Laura has never wanted me as the FOD. That was obvious from the start. It's just taking her longer to get her way."

Nik opens his mouth instinctively but then sighs. "I know. I remember. I always wondered if she never even considered you because you were with me."

Gia disagrees. "Nah, that would be too easy. She wanted someone just like her."

"Ha!" Nik's laugh contains no humor and his eyes are sad. "Truer words never spoken. Gia, I'm sorry." He can see her shift uncomfortabley on the far end of the couch. "You're no saint. You've never pretended to be. You were always straight with me and I seldom was with you. I love you; I trust you, but I realize you have no reason to trust me. I've betrayed your trust over and over. Never really letting you into the insanity that is my life, my family. And the irony is you deal with them with more grace than I."

"Uh-oh. What happened? Oh man. I bet Laura wasn't happy about you bailing her ass out."

"No."

"Ouch." Gia winces.

"She accused me of sabotaging her in Istanbul and in Italy." Nik watches Gia look away. "But we both know who is behind it don't we, Gia? We both know Carly was in Istanbul before we saw them in Greece."

"What do you want me to say?! Carly might be the biggest bitch in the western world but she backed me! And she got screwed! She found the FOD; she got Lucky doing the pictures. She put together the first campaigns, and she got screwed! Sonny sold her half of Deception to Laura for a dollar. And do you think Laura ever gives Carly credit for anything? But why should it be different? Laura ignored Carly while she was working there too."

"Carly doesn't strike me as the type to be ignored." Nik says wryly.

"Oh you got that right." Gia mutters. here comes the hard part "Carly knows Liz and Lucky are in Milan." She adds defiantly. "And yeah, I told her. She just would have gotten the info somewhere else anyway."

"Good."

"What do you mean-- good?! You should be furious with me! You went ballistic when I told Jason about Liz."

"And you left me for it." Nik holds up a hand. "I know a symptom rather than the cause. Jason already knew Bobbie fired Liz because she was stealing the other staff's tips. Specifically a tip Jason left for Penny. Liz lied. She lied about you, about Bobbie, all of it. I believed her lies rather than your truth. I confronted her. She continues to lie. I advised her not to go to Italy specifically because my father knows."

"Oh hell. He's really not happy about us breaking up. Stavros says he doesn't blame me. He'd never blame you. So who does he blame?"

Both say together. "Elizabeth."

Gia continues. "I called and warned Lucky. That they know I mean. I didn't know all the rest." Everything Nik said sinks in. "That BITCH! She's been throwing up in my face forever that I blackmailed Emily. And she was STEALING?!"

"Elizabeth wasn't the only one. I did it too." Nik reminds. "Gia, I respect your decision to break up with me. I hate it, but I respect it. I don't like lines drawn in the sand, you gave me an ultimatum... and you followed thru on it."

"It wasn't an ultimatum, Nikolas." Gia disagrees. "It is just something... I need. And I know if I don't have respect from the man I'm involved with... it won't work. Better to end it now."

"And there we disagree. I love you, Gia Campbell." Nik looks around to the well lit room and Gia's still defensive posture. "And I think you still love me. I won't let you forget the good things between us but I will change the bad."

"How do you think you're going to do that?"

"I want to start over. Hell it isn't even starting over since our beginnings are probably what both of us need not be reminded of."

"It's called gunnysacking, Nikolas. That's when in each fight grievances that have gone before are brought up over and over again. We could never just let things go and move on."

"I can change it." Nik is adhement. "Gia Campbell will you have... lunch with me tomorrow. Just the two of us-- no family, no friends, no business. It won't be like a first date because you already know you are the most important thing in my life. But we'll go slow... build a foundation this time."

"You're my boss now." Gia shakes her head.

Nik shrugs. "So some of the lunches will be in LA, NYC and Toronto."

The Hotel staffer unlocks the door to the suite and then steps aside. Carly enters the room and starts taking off her coat quickly then she starts opening up doors until she finds the bedroom she wants. "This one."

Stavros carries Michael into the room. Carly turns down the bed. Stavros eases Michael down so that he doesn't wake. This trip was easier since it had been night when they left Gstaad. Michael is already in his pj's and sound asleep. Once again they'd changed location in the middle of the night. Michael would have the thrill of discovery when he wakes. Stavros tucks Michael in and then looking around sees a lamp off to the side in the seating area. He goes over and turns it on low. "There."

Carly goes out into the living area of the suite. She keeps her voice low. "You know he's going to be bummed."

"That we've changed location? He never has been before."

"Yeah, but he'll probably be wishing we'd gone to France. All the times before Michael had a clue of the next place we were going... and a list of things to check out while we were there."

"I'm sure we can come up with something. And if a small token for Sophie is involved..." Stavros shrugs.

"You know I was a lot more comfortable when you were just givin' Michael lessons in manners and not all this lady's man stuff." Carly says wryly. "There are things I just think I ought not know."

"Then you don't want to know what small token I have for you..." Stavros tempts as he brushes a kiss on Carly's temple.

"Oh not fair." Carly starts searching Stavros pockets. "What is it?"

Stavros holds his hands out giving Carly free access to all his pockets. "While I'm enjoying this greatly, the token to which I was referring will not be found in my pockets. But don't let that stop you."

"You are evil! Where is it? What is it?!" Carly grabs him by the shirtfront. "Tell me."

"Even as we speak, my people are searching Milan for Miss Webber. By morning she will be all yours." Stavros takes Carly's hand and kisses the palm.

"All mine. And you won't interfere."

"Or let anyone else interfere." Stavros nods.

Carly steps away and starts pacing. "Got to get Lucky away from her. He can't be involved in it."

"Why not?"

Carly stops in her tracks and looks at him shaking her head. "Well beside the fact he is my cousin. There is the fact that Nikolas kinda likes him. And my mother... she loves him too. You're in the Cassadine family building business. Not having them all out for your blood. Big mess. Lucky's got to be out of it." Then she holds up a finger as a thought occurs to her. "Sorta out of it."

"The wheels are turning." Stavros grins.

"Certain benefits to having been married to an alcoholic. I did my prep work... even hit a few meetings."

"Meetings?"

"AA." Carly says absently. "Course we can't get the whole effect without everyone here with an ax to grind on Lizzie. Gia should so be here. Maybe even Nik too if he's come to his senses..."

"What are you talking about."

"We are going to stage an intervention. But not for Liz. We're going to stage an intervention for Lucky. By the time I'm done... he's gonna know exactly what kind of skank he's got a permenant lock to. Here's what I need you to do..."