Risk

Chapter XLIV

Intervention

There is a knock on the door. Gia rises to her feet. "Who the hell could that be?"

"Shall I?" Nik offers.

"Nah I got it." Gia goes over to the door and opens it. "Yes?"

"I have a message for you." A formally dressed man who could be confused with an undertaker offers an envelope. "I am to wait for a reply."

Gia looks over her shoulder at Nik and shrugs then opens it. "Uh-oh."

"What is it?" Nik comes over behind Gia.

"Prince Nikolas? I also have an invitation for you." The man extends another envelope.

Nik takes it and opens it. "Well we know that my father has found them."

<<< You are cordially invited to what Caroline calls an intervention for your brother. A plane awaits you at the airport.

Your father.>>>

"What does yours say?" Nikolas asks Gia. He hands his to Gia so she can read it.

"An intervention for Lucky?!" Gia says as she hands her invite to Nik. "What the hell does that mean?"

"I think we'll have to go to find out." Nik suggests. "And when my brother and my father meet... I would prefer to be there."

"Yeah, you got a point." Gia contemplates what her brother is going to say about this one and winces. "Let me go get my passport."

"I'm going to have to meet you." Nik realizes. "Please escort Ms Campbell to the plane."

"Of course, sir."

"I'll see you at the plane." Nik tells Gia. He grabs his coat and heads for the elevator.

Gia makes sure everything is shut off and grabs her coat and purse. She walks with the messenger to the elevator. And is surprised when the messenger hits the up button. "Where are we going?"

"I have other invitations to issue, Miss."

"Oh man. This is going to be a hell of an intervention."

"You're leaving something out." Lucky says quietly. They'd been at it for hours and yeah, it was real obvious why there would be friction between Carly and Liz. Carly didn't exactly collect girlfriends and Liz being friends with Sonny and Jason would have put her right in Carly's face.

Back in the states, Stefan looks up at a knock on the door. "Enter."

"You busy?" Lucas has his backpack stuck on his shoulder.

Stefan glances over at the clock on his desk. "Did you tell your mother you were coming here after school?"

Lucas takes a seat across from Stefan's desk. "Your driver guy called her from the car. I had him call Mrs Lansbury too. So she knows where I am."

Stefan nods. "Something is bothering you."

"I don't like that Thaao guy. He's weird."

Stefan's brow goes up. "He didn't like the horses?"

"Nah, he liked the horses fine. He says he has a string of polo ponies down in Argentina. Thing is all he could talk about was Caroline this and Caroline that. It was gross."

"Caroline."

"Yeah, it took me a minute to figure it out. He means Carly, yeah? I mean that's what you always call her."

"What did he say about her?" Stefan doesn't quite meet Lucas eye... but makes the question casual.

"Well after he got over going on and on and on about her hair and her skin and her eyes. I finally figured out he was talking about my sister. And that's when I got really grossed out. But I don't think he knew she was my sister until I screwed up and agreed that Carly would like horses. That she used to ride competitively down in Florida." Stefan winces. Lucas nods. "Yeah, I realized after I should just lost him in the tunnels. Me and my big mouth." Lucas says glumly.

"Why do you think it's going to be a problem?"

"Well because he's weird. And now he'll never go away. 'Cause he figures he can find Carly if he's hanging around mom."

"And you think if he finds Carly there will be trouble?"

"Don't you? He starts acting so weird around Carly and Stavros will get mad and want to hit him. I was ready to hit him." Lucas admits sheepishly. "And then Carly will get mad cause she always does. And then you and mom will start fighting and it will mess everything up... again."

"What do you think I should do?"

"Can't you tell him that Carly called you from... I don't know... Tahiti? Please?!" Lucas entreats.

"You want me to lie."

"Yeah." Lucas nods earnestly.

"I'll consider it if the subject should come up. But I don't think your mother would appreciate it."

"Nah, it'll just be between us."

Meanwhile at the nurses station. "Could you page Bobbie Cassadine for me please."

Amy's eyes go wide. The finely dressed gentleman in front of her is carrying a bouquet of a variety of tropical flowers that must have cost a fortune. "Bobbie? You mean Bobbie Spencer?"

"Red hair... about this tall..." Thaao indicates.

"Yeah, I'll page her." Amy picks up the phone and presses it between ear and shoulder. "Who should I tell her..."

"Thaao Pappas."

Amy speaks into the phone and then hangs up. There is the sound of the page going out in the hospital. Then there is a ring at Amy's phone. Amy picks up. "Bobbie, there is a Thaao Pappas to see you." Her voice drops lower. "You know what he called you... Bobbie Cassadine" There is a sound of conversation on the other end. Then Amy hangs up. "She'll be right here. So... you're not from around here..." Amy leans over the counter throwing her shoulders back and giving a big smile. "I've known Bobbie forever... maybe we could get together and compare notes."

"Thaao." Bobbie comes up in a hurry. "What a surprise... why don't we go over here." Bobbie tugs on Thaao's arm leading him over to the patient's family waiting area. Bobbie can feel Amy's curious eyes on them. "How did you know where to find me?"

"Jax mentioned it to me last night. These are for you." Thaao offers her the flowers.

"They're beautiful." Bobbie holds the bouquet to her nose and breathes deeply. "What's the occasion?"

"Is an occasion needed to bring flowers to the mother of the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Bobbie looks up from the flowers. "What did you just say?"

"I need to think."

"Lucky..."

"I'm going to go for a walk.... alone. Don't worry I'll be back. I just need to think."

"They don't have anything to do with us, Lucky."

"I know." Lucky nods. "Stay here and lock up okay?" Lucky takes a step aside when Liz goes to give him a hug and kiss.

Nik runs up the stairs to the airplane, the engines are already running and he gets the feeling he's the last one to board. A feeling confirmed as the door is shut behind him. "Gia..." Nik comes into the main cabin and comes to a halt. Inside the cabin, is not only Gia but Jason Morgan, Max and the waitress from Kelly's... Penny.

"It's gonna be a hell of an intervention." Gia says wryly.

"I see."

"Sir, if you will buckle in we have been cleared for take off." The onboard staff directs Nikolas.

Nik takes a seat next to Gia, buckling up efficiently. "A hell of an intervention. If I were not so annoyed at Elizabeth, I might feel sorry for her."

Jax sorts thru the multiple listings rapidly on his laptop. There are few listings in the range that would satisfy Stavros. But there might be something there so he wouldn't have to be going door to door on the loop where the Quartermaines live trying to find something. Port Charles, house, staff, security... that was what Stavros had demanded. There are some houses for sale down there. Excellent timing... the tech stock crash had opened up the market some. People needing some fluidity in their holdings. Jax prints off the top five. As he is pulling on his coat to make the rounds of the houses there is a knock on the door. He opens the door to suite 975 of the Port charles Hotel with his coat already on. "Kristina."

"Hi! Are you busy? Oh you were on your way out. What are you doing?"

"House hunting."

"Really? But I thought you liked the convenience of the hotel?"

"Everyone needs a change now and then." Jax ducks the question. "As much time as I spend in Port Charles. I should have more permenant digs."

Kristina puts out both hands blocking Jax's path as she presses against the door jams. "bull."

"Excuse me?"

"bull." Kristina says quietly. "I'm used to you doing things in a hurry. But residential real estate isn't your thing. This has something to do with my sister. What is going on? What are you and Stefan not telling me?"

"Kristina--" Jax sighs. "I don't have time for this. I need to find a place and I need it yesterday."

"Great then start talking and I'll help."

"Kristina, I appreciate the offer but you help in decorating normally makes things take ten times as long. I need fast not perfect."

"Then stop wasting time and tell me what is going on and what my sister has to do with it."

"Fine! Stavros will release your sister but only if she has suitable accommodations. Where her security is addressed."

"So why isn't Stefan out househunting? Or Nikolas?"

"Because the only suitable accomodations Stavros will accept is with your sister's husband."

"Oh boy." Kristina's jaw drops.

"And the longer it takes me to find a place... the longer Alexis is god knows where."

"Well what's holding you up then?" Kristina steps out of the way. "Let's go."

Stefan walks stiffly out to the nurse's station. Lucas, taking his mother's edict of light duty for Stefan seriously, is lugging Stefan's briefcase. "Amy, has Barbara come out of surgery yet?"

"Oh she's been out forever." Amy nods over in the direction of the family waiting area. "With company."

"Oh damn." Lucas mutters.

"Exactly." Stefan says grimly. He stalks over to the family area. "Barbara."

"Stefan." Bobbie pops to her feet. She takes in his condition with a quick top to bottom glance. "Lucas? What are you doing here?"

"Uncle's driver dropped me off here so I could ride back with both of you. It's time to leave, right mom?" Lucas glares at Thaao.

Bobbie glances down at her watch. "Let me go get my purse and sign out. It was... interesting talking to you, Thaao."

"And with you." Thaao, who'd stood when Bobbie did, nods. "I have taken too much of your time. I hope to speak with you again... soon."

"Right." Bobbie watches as Thaao heads to the elevators.

"What did that weirdo want?" Lucas demands.

"Lucas!"

"Sorry." Lucas offers reluctantly, sheepishly. "But he is." He adds defiantly.

"Why don't you get your things. I will call for the car." Stefan intervenes. Bobbie gives a corrective look to Lucas but then nods and taking her flowers with her goes to get her purse. "It appears timing is everything, Lucas."

"I should have lost him down in the tunnels."

Gia and Penny are curled up in the comfortable seats of the jet. They are only about an hour out from arriving in Milan. Penny is too excited to sleep. This is totally outside of her experience. The only reason she had a passport was because she thought maybe someday... someway... she'd be able to go on to some great vacation. Maybe to Peru or something. It had been still crisp without a single stamp on it, wedged into the mirror in her dresser.
Things had been kinda crazy since Liz had been fired. She'd taken over as the manager at Kelly's.... taken a room upstairs after Liz and Lucky had gone on their trip. So when Jason, Gia and undertaker looking guy had shown up at Kelly's... it had only taken her ten minutes and a phone call to get going-- luckily her relief had already shown up for the afternoon shift. ITALY. She reaches over and pinches her arm. ouch Nope, she's not dreaming.

Jason has his eyes closed and is so still he appears dead. So Nik starts when Jason talks to him still not opening his eyes. "So whatcha going to do about Carly and your mother?"

"Excuse me?"

Jason opens up one eye. "Bailing your mother out. You just jumped into the middle of a turf war. And prolonged the inevitable. Carly's not going to stop coming until she gets what she wants. You're going to have to pick a side."

"And what does Carly want?"

Jason shrugs. "You'd have to ask her..." Then he adds wryly. "But it used to vary daily. She seems to be having a good time with your father."

"I've noticed."

"Used to be that she wanted Deception to prove her worth. Your mother never really got that one. After all the shit your mother put her thru... she'd probably like having Laura sucking up to her for awhile. But I can't see them being in the same room for long without WWIII. And your Dad... well I'm sure he'd like to be able to come to Port Charles now and then but I don't see him settling down there. He's got too many irons in the fire other places... and no problem dragging anyone he wants to see off to him. Sounds to me like if you are going to have any peace at all you're going to have to appease Carly... now or later... but eventually. She'll keep coming otherwise."

"You've seen her plans." Nik realizes. "When we were in Greece before you broke into the computer and saw the plans."

"Unlike you and Stefan, I don't know dick about the way Stavros' mind works. But I do know how Carly's works. And she's the one running the computer." Jason admits.

"You aren't going to tell me what she is up to." Nik says aloud.

"Nope. Just know this, Carly on your side is a situation frought with danger and never boring... Carly against you..." Jason smiles. "Well lets just say I wouldn't want to be in Elizabeth's shoes right now."

Gia leans over Nikolas' chair. "What happened to it's none of my business and I'm staying out of it?"

"I am staying out of it." Jason says rightiously. "I passed everything on to loverboy here. He's the one who has to decide if he'd rather work with Carly... or his mother."

The hinky feeling had started soon after he left the hotel: the lump in the gut, the hair on the back of his neck. He was being followed. Who ever it was was good. He'd doubled back a couple of different times and never been able to actually catch whoever was it. Hell he knew who it was. Had to be Stavros or one of his goons. Damn. Should have packed Elizabeth up and gotten the hell out of here first sign of trouble. Now heading back to the hotel would be leading them right back to her. Lucky stops in his tracks. Unless they already knew where Elizabeth was! The chances of them finding him Milan unless they knew the starting point was about nil. Lucky breaks into a run.

"He's on his way back to your location. ETA about ten, fifteen mintues."

"Relieve Caroline so that she may participate in this little... intervention... she has planned. I will... pick up young Spencer when he gets back here."

"He's good. Almost caught me a couple of different times."

"Almost being caught was part of Caroline's plan. She knew he'd know you were there."

"How'd she figure that?"

"She says it's part of being Spencer. Get back to the hotel. Timing is everything on this little caper." Stavros says wryly. "The delay between me getting Lucky into position and Caroline beginning should be minimal."

"I'm on my way." The Tutor calls for the pickup car. With Lucky on foot, he should be able to beat the kid back to the hotel by a good five minutes. It would give Carly a head start. There were certain advantages to staying at the same hotel.

Stavros blends back into the shadows. Rather than checking out the terrain, Spencer would take the most direct path. Now all he had to do was grab him, silence him, and move him to the proper position for the intervention to begin.

There is a knock on the door. Liz springs off the bed. "Lucky!" Racing over to the door, she opens it without looking. "Did you forget your key..."

"Not exactly-- How you doing, Liz?" Carly steps from the side of the door and across the threshold. "Nice place you have here. Laura went all out for you two. Private cottage in a four star hotel... or is it five? I bet Lucky converted one of the bathrooms into a dark room." Carly looks around the main living area of the suite spotting the french doors. This time Liz would be the one with her back to the door not knowing when someone came in.

"Get out! Get out or I'm calling security!"

"Tsk. Tsk. After everything my mother's done to cover your ass. Here I am just to say howdy and you get all... testy." Carly kicks back on the couch resting on her elbows. "So where's Lucky?"

"He'll be right back." Liz crosses her arms defensively.

"Great! I was hoping to run into him and catch up on everything back in Ole PC. Been so long since I've been back."

"Not so long since you've been on your back." Liz mutters.

"Excuse me? I don't think I heard you right." Carly cups her ear with one hand. "You got something to say to me? Something while it's just us girls?"

Outside the french doors that open to a small private courtyard, Stavros has Lucky in a headlock. His mouth is pressed next to Lucky's ear. "You are really more trouble than you're worth. And like all other Spencer's more lives than a cat--drowning, hypothermia. You should have died in the river."

"Yeah, so why all the talking. Let's just go and get this over with." Lucky fights to try to get loose of Stavros hold on his neck that is holding him immobile.

"But Caroline has gone to all this trouble for you. I must of course provide her with an appreciative audience."

"An audience to what?"

"Shush...." Stavros croons in Lucky's ear. "They've started without us."

"Why would I want to tell you anything?"

"You never had any problem talking behind my back." Carly counters. "How about the way you set Gia up? Or the way you got this trip?"

"Like he would believe anything that came out of your lying mouth. I already told Lucky that you hate me and will do anything to hurt me. You have no proof. Besides Laura is the one that thought that Gia should do some personal appearances."

"Right-- Tell me, Elizabitch-- Has Lucky taken any pictures of you? You been posing for him?"

"We're on vacation. Of course he's taken pictures." Liz ducks.

"So it's not enough to screw Gia out of Nikolas. You want to screw her out of her job too."

"Screw is something you do. What do you care about Deception? You only got a chance cause Laura and Sonny felt sorry for you. And you couldn't even manage that. Laura never wanted Gia. The job was always mine. Gia got the job because I turned it down."

Carly makes a buzzing noise. "Wrong answer. Or maybe you figure you don't have a job now and you won't the FOD back. But come on! It's just us... lets be straight. You backed out of the FOD because Gia found you in Jason's room over Jakes. You didn't want Lucky to find how you were two timing him with Jason."

"I never."

"Oh right. Little Miss Perfect. He was staying at your studio. You told Nikolas you were doing him to get them both all excited, weren't ya? Did you get a little thrill when Nikolas jumped Jason at the Christamas party at GH? Things don't go your way you go running to Jason and if Jason isn't around you go running to Sonny. But it all backfired on you when it turned out Lucky wasn't dead. Then you had to convince him you hadn't been sleeping with Jason after letting everyone thinking you were. Jason was always straight with you. And how did you treat him? You called Jason a liar and a thug. When it was Lucky who was starting stuff up."

"It was Helena's programming!"

"Yeah, and if you had believed Jason... like you should have believed Jason... then Lucky would have been getting help a hell of a lot earlier! But you would rather think it was two guys getting all hot for ya and mixing it up. But I'm going out of order here. If you want to wait for Lucky... I can blow your ass out of the water in front of him just as well. I can tell him about you stealing from Kelly's. Or how about you lying to everyone about it." There is a knock on the door. "You think that's Lucky? Let me go get that for ya." Carly starts for the door but Liz beats her there.

"Luc..."

"Hi Liz. How you doing?"

"Penny? What are you doing here?"

"I've come to collect. I want back the money you stole from me."

"Hi Liz. How you doing?" Another woman joins Penny in the doorway.

"Gia!"

"I think you were saying, Lizzie-- that nobody would believe me. Cause everyone knows I hate your guts. You think Lucky will believe Penny and Gia?"

"You set this up!"

"Oh yeah, And you are so busted."