Stefan stood at the window. He was amused as he watched a myriad of police officers disembark from their boats and swarm Spoon  Island. "They're  here," he said dryly, turning to Alexis.

She smirked as she poured a tiny bit of Vodka in her coffee to take the edge off her nerves. "They know, Stefan. They know what we did. They're going to find Nikolas and Gia and we're all going to jail.  I can't believe I was a part of this."

"Calm down! "

"I can't! I'm an officer of the court. I could lose my license to practice law! What was I thinking! "  she said anxiously. She knew  that a  full blown panic attack was on the horizon.

Stefan went to her, taking the coffee cup from her hands. He poured more Vodka in the mug before handing it back. Soothingly, he said, "Pull yourself together."

She took  a deep breath. She took a huge sip. "You're right. I'm losing it...I'll just sit down and be calm. I'm Alexis Davis, damnit! I'm good under pressure."

"Exactly!" he encouraged. 

By the time Mac come traipsing  into the room, Alexis had  finished her "coffee" and was reclining comfortably  in front of the fireplace. "Mac!  You should have told us you were coming by."

"Yes, Commissioner,  you should have called first. It's common courtesy," Stefan remarked.

Mac's face was filled with disgust as he tossed  a search warrant on Alexis' lap. "We have a warrant to search this island from top to bottom. If Gia is here, you might as well just send her out."

"Gia?" Stefan asked, feigning confusion.

"You remember her. The one you busted out of prison yesterday morning."

Stefan smiled slightly. "Ah, I did hear about that. What makes you think we had anything to do with it?" "The fact that Nikolas and Gia are a couple. The fact that there were reports of a group of  armed commandos seen in the vicinity."

"Armed commandos?" Alexis tapped her finger against her empty mug. "I don't know anything about armed commandos. Do you, Stefan?"

"No...maybe someone was confused. I heard that there were quite a few police officers standing around in the middle of the street yesterday. That's probably what the reports were about."

Mac grabbed Stefan by the lapels and slammed him against the wall. "This whole situation reeks  of Stefan Cassadine. I know you were the one who helped Gia escape. I also know that  you were the one who blew up the police station."

Stefan pursed his lips. Viciously, he replied, "You don't know anything! Take your search warrant. Instruct your guards to scour the premises. They won't find anything or anyone. Now, unhand me before I  file a harassment complaint against you."

Mac Scorpio's face was bright red as he released Stefan. "This isn't over! Gia is a fugitive from the law and a murderer-"

"Alleged murderer, Mac," Alexis reminded him in a lawyerly tone.

"She'll be brought to justice."

"And then she'll be promptly released," Alexis added. "I really don't see how she can be convicted without any evidence. It sure is too bad that the police station  was destroyed. That's really going to throw a wrench in Dara's case."

Uniformed police started filling the house.

"So, where do you want to start looking for Gia?" Stefan said, leading Mac and several police officers upstairs. "How about my sock drawer?" ~*~  ~*~  ~*~

Underneath Wyndemere, in a luxurious suite of rooms that the bumbling PCPD had no hope of ever finding, Gia languished in the marble bathtub. Her braids were tightly bound up, yet a few aberrant  ones escaped the elastic band and dangled freely about in the mountain of  sudsy bubbles  that surrounded her.  For the first time in over a week, she felt truly clean. 

As the knots of tension flooded out of her body, she began to sing softly.

When all the world is a hopeless jumble And the raindrops tumble all around Heaven opens a magic lane When all the clouds darken up the skyway There's a rainbow highway to be found Leading from your window pane To a place behind the sun Just a step beyond the rain...

She leaned back, her hand rubbing her stomach. She was experiencing pure joy. She was renewed with strength as she thought about the baby growing inside her. If only she could find a way to tell Nikolas. She didn't want  him to feel trapped. If he chose to forgive her, she wanted it to be because he loved her. Not just because of the baby.

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true

~*~   ~*~  ~*~

Nikolas stood with his back against the door. He listened to the sweetness of her voice, and somehow, he knew she was singing to their baby. His chest felt tight. He loved her so much at that moment.

His love for her had never been in question, though. He was still reluctant to believe that she actually loved him. The night before, he had lain on the sofa, the knowledge that Gia was just in the bedroom down the hall  keeping him awake. He wanted to be with her,  but he had allowed her betrayals to cement him to the sofa cushions.

Some day I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me Where troubles melt like lemon drops Away above the chimney tops That's where you'll find me

On a blind impulse, he eased the door open. He had to see her.  He felt  hot as he watched her so unaware. Her voice wound around his heart, redirecting the blood flow away from his head. He was caught up in the magic of the moment. He pushed the door open farther. 

There was a slight creak and Gia turned her head. Upon seeing Nikolas, she stood up, only to remember that she was in the bathtub. Her voice faltered. Her face was speckled  with little red spots of  embarrassment. She looked for a towel.

Nikolas' eyes roved sensuously down her body.  For all intents and purposes, his brain had ceased to function. He  walked into the bathroom, pulling a towel off of  the rack. He stepped up to the tub. 

She fixed her eyes on the bubbles that gathered  around her knees. Her long eyelashes fluttered as he brought the towel  up behind her, placing it underneath her armpits and closing it over her soapy breasts. His nearness sent shivers through her limbs. Gia avoided his eyes as long as she could, but finally she looked up into the pooling  orbs of fudge.  He held the towel together, his fingers straying  a bit from the terry cloth to the bare flesh above it.

In a near whisper, he said, "Sing to me like you sang to our child."

"You know?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded. "Will you sing to me?"

Her lips opened to protest, but found  that the words had abandoned her.  In  a raspy voice, she picked up the song.

Somewhere over the rainbow way up high There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby Somewhere over the rainbow skies are blue And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true

While she sang, he lifted her out of the bathtub, and down onto the tile floor. And when she finished, he discarded the towel.

After he discarded the towel, he discarded his clothes. After he discarded the towel and his clothes, he discarded his anger. After he discarded the towel, his clothes, and his anger, he discarded any notion he had ever had about living a life without his one true love. ~* ~ ~*~  ~*~

Helena tenderly put her hand on his back. "It has to be done. How long are we, as concerned  and loving adults, going to let her destroy our families?  She's a menace."

He closed his eyes  to the beautiful blue sky. He didn't want to see anything beautiful if she couldn't see it , too. Helena's words  were stirring the fire in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to do something. He needed to do something. And if Helena was right, if this girl was the one, well then he would make her pay.

Almost as if she could see the hatred building, Helena  pushed . "My son has helped her escape. With Stefan's resources, she'll never be found. Neither will I be able to see my grandson again. That little wretch has stolen the light from both of our hearts. Should she be allowed to escape unpunished?!"

"Absolutely not!" he grumbled in outrage.

"I've been coming here to see you for months, now. At first, I just wanted to express my sympathies. But after all this time, I really do consider you my friend. We've shared a lot, including our mutual pain. You know that I would not suggest this if it weren't  appropriate...We have to do this!" Helena said.

He breathed in deeply, exiting the terrace and walking to the desk.  Helena followed. She pressed a torn scrap of paper into his hand.  He dialed the phone number printed on the paper.  A man answered.

"Sorel speaking."

The man felt  Helena squeeze his shoulder. "Do you remember what we discussed earlier?"

Joseph Sorel immediately recognized the voice. "I thought you had changed your mind. Do you still want my services?"

"Yes. I want Gia Campbell taken care of."

"What about my money?"

"You'll get it when she's dead," Edward Quartermaine said, slamming down the phone receiver.

~*~  ~*~  ~*~

"So?" Taggert asked as Mac came stomping into  Sonny Corinthos' coffee warehouse. Thanks to Sonny's generosity, it  was now serving as a make-shift police station.

"Nothing. Spoon Island is clean."

Taggert sank down into a nearby chair. "Why would Gia run off like that? She's making things worse for herself. Especially since..."

"Since what?"

"Since she's not guilty."

Mac leaned on a giant sack of Kona coffee. "Truthfully, I don't think she's guilty either. She was so adamant...but she's a fugitive and it is my job to bring her in."

"I understand. Do what you have to do."

"Why don't you go home? This has got to be hell for you."

"It is, but it will be even worse for my mother. I'm hopping the next flight to Florida. I want to tell her everything in person. She'll be devastated."

"It's been over a week. Are you sure she doesn't already know?"

"Positive. Up until now, it's been local news. With what happened, it's only a matter of time before everything leaks out," Taggert replied, worry  creasing his face.  "Mac, I know she's innocent. Can't  you...I don't know...look again."

"Taggert, it's useless.  Alexis thinks she can get the case dismissed because most of the evidence was destroyed, but there are a lot of other charges piling up.  She's already been branded as a killer."

"She' s not!  I know this is crossing a line, but as my friend, can't you scope out some other angles?"

"You're putting me in a tough spot..."

"Mac, I wouldn't ask if I wasn't certain."

"I'm not going to make any promises, but I will  see if I can help." 

Taggert   was about to thank him when a rookie came bounding in. The young man held a large rifle covered in plastic.

"What have you got, York?" Mac said.

"We found this assault rifle under the spare tire in the trunk of Gia Campbell's car. We dusted it on sight and ran it through the system in Rochester."

"And?" Taggert demanded.

"The prints on the gun match Campbell's."

A bolt ran through Mac. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach.  Why didn't you guys find this the first time we searched the car?"

"I guess we weren't looking hard enough."

"Maybe it wasn't there," Taggert replied, stalking from the room. "Put that in the evidence room-" Mac stopped abruptly, remembering that there was no evidence room. "Put that  in the evidence room in Rochester and start a trace on it. I want to know exactly where it came from."  He watched as York left.

Mac was starting to think that he had missed something along the way. He just hoped that it hadn't disappeared in the meanwhile. ~*~  ~*~  ~*~

End of chapter Twenty Five, Please e-mail any feedback by clicking on the mailbox below :)

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