Stefan started down the stairs, a confused Nikolas right on his heels. "Why are we on Helena's yacht? When are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"Keep silent, Nikolas," Stefan said impatiently.

Nikolas had the urge to remind Stefan that he was no longer a child and that he didn't appreciate being told what to do, but the tone of his uncle's voice told him that he had best do as he was told. They descended the metal stairs to the very bottom level of the yacht where all of the mechanical equipment was kept. Stefan led, quickly navigating through two different hallways and into a large open room. Nikolas' ears perked when he heard muffled sobs coming from within.

Stefan opened the door, revealing the frantic form of a half-dead Helena Cassadine. The room was illuminated by one dim light bulb in the far corner of the storage space and she hung limply from a thick nylon rope. Her eyes were wide in terror. The only part of her that moved was the big toe of her right foot. It clenched and unclenched as low moans erupted from her constricted throat.

Nikolas was dumb struck. He couldn't move. All he could think was that his grandmother was going to die. That thought filled him with as much misery as it did comfort. He tried to see Stefan's face, but his uncle was standing at an angle where most of his face was bathed in complete darkness.

Stefan moved forward, each step was difficult, almost physically painful, but he continued. He reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulling out a large pocket knife. He kicked the discarded step stool underneath Helena's feet, easing some of the strain on her neck. He climbed up beside her. He readied his knife. Helena eyed him curiously. Stefan avoided eye contact.

Nikolas' couldn't contain himself. "DON'T! My God, what are you thinking? LET her DIE!"

The knife sliced through the rope in one swift motion. Helena tumbled down onto the hard cold floor. She gasped and coughed,  her throat burning as she was once again able to take in breath. Her leg moved slightly in sporadic jerks. Stefan jumped down. He tried to leave, but Nikolas blocked his path. In complete wonderment, he asked, "Why? Why would show her any mercy?"

"I made a promise. I keep my promises," Stefan replied cryptically. "Bring her upstairs to the salon. I will join the two of you shortly."

"Where are you going?"

"Please, move."

"No! I want to know what's going on."

Stefan moved Nikolas out of his way and disappeared around the corner.

Nikolas dragged Helena up the stairs and tossed her on the sofa in the salon. He had to find Stefan. But where was he? Nikolas took out his cell phone and pushed the appropriate number on the speed dial. Just as he suspected, he could hear the  sound of Stefan's phone ringing. He followed the faint sound to the upper deck of the boat. As he entered the room, the ringing cell phone went whizzing by his head, shattering into pieces upon contact with the wall. "Now who's throwing tantrums," Nikolas said, leaning against the door frame.

Stefan smiled slightly. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. He turned to look out at the view of the peaceful Port Charles Harbor. "I couldn't let her die."

"Why? Explain it to me."

"I promised myself that when Helena died, I would be the one who pulled the trigger, or administered the poison, or tied the knot in the rope."

"Does it really matter as long as she's dead?"

"It matters to me!" Stefan burst out. "It has to be me. I'm the only one who has the right. The only one! Damn it!...she was almost dead..."

"Almost doesn't count," Helena said , in a  raspy voice as she suddenly appeared from a door that neither of them had realized was there. "You should know that by now."

"Ah, I see you've recovered," Stefan said.

"Yes, indeed it looks as if I'll live to maim another day. But, I doubt others of us will be so lucky. Your little Chloe, for example, will be found floating face down in the harbor tomorrow."

"You leave Chloe alone!" Stefan snarled.

"I would prefer to leave her in pieces! She tried to kill me."

"WHAT!?" Nikolas asked in disbelief. "Chloe wouldn't do that."

"She did...I was having her followed and the guards alerted me as soon as it became apparent that she was going to commit another murder," Stefan said, his voice strained.

"Another murder?"

"Chloe is the one who killed Emily. I believe that she may also have been involved in the death of Mac Scorpio."

"Mac Scorpio is dead?"

"Yes..."

Helena smiled. "I fear that Mac won't be the last casualty."

Nikolas and Stefan both turned to glare at Helena. "What do you know that we don't know, Mother?"

~*~  ~*~  ~*~ "Hey Chloe...how's it going? That's a real pretty shirt you've got on. Did you design it? I can see that I'm bothering you so I'll just go upstairs. NO! Ummm...I think I'll go outside. Nice seeing you, Chloe," Gia sputtered nervously, starting to back out of the room. She had to get control of herself. If she kept acting suspicious, Chloe would know that she knew. And then where would they be?

"Don't rush off on my account, Gia," Chloe said sweetly. Her hand was still thrust deep down into her purse. She fingered the trigger of her gun.

"I gotta go."

Chloe pulled the weapon, aiming it at Gia's head. "Let's cut straight to the chase. I'm not blind-"

"This week," Gia muttered under her breath.

"I see that book you've got clutched to your chest."

"This old thing? It's just my journal. You know us girls, we just have to release all of those bottled emotions," Gia replied hurriedly. She took another step back.

"Are you trying to fool me?"

Gia looked at Chloe as if she were crazy. Then, she started to laugh when she realized that Chloe was, indeed, very crazy. Wacko. Loony. "Duh, Snowflake! Of course, I'm trying to fool you. You've got a gun. What am I supposed to do? Sit down and have some tea? If you're going to be a psycho, you're going to have to figure these things out on your own."

Chloe nodded her head. "You've got a point. I have got to stop letting people roll all over me, telling me what they think I want to hear. I'm calling the shots now."

"Exactly! You're liberated. I am woman, hear me roar."

" Yeah! Okay, the new decisive Chloe is here."

"You go girl!"

"Yeah! All right, the new decisive Chloe says that Gia dies."

Gia glared at Chloe angrily. "I don't think I like the new decisive Chloe. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, though. There is no reason to kill Gia. I mean,  me."

"Did you read Emily's journal?'

"Yes..." Gia said slowly, the corner of her mouth twitching. She had spent months lying, and now, when it counted, she couldn't lie worth a shit.

Chloe threw her head back, shaking out her hair. She licked her lips before saying, "You know too much. You know that I killed Emily-"

"I don't know that! You yelled at her, shoved her around....all things I have done in the past-"

"Did you enjoy it, too?"

"I sure did. Emily was fun to harass. You should have heard her squeaky little voice when I threatened to---wait! We're getting off track. Nothing in that journal says that you killed Emily."

"But I did!" Chloe confessed cheerfully.

Gia exhaled. Maybe she should just let Chloe shoot her and end her suffering. "Okay, so you did kill Emily. No big deal! I don't care! There's no need to kill me...because, like I said, I don't care!"

"You're the prime suspect in her murder."

Gia bit her lip. She had forgotten. It was time for a new angle. "It'll be our secret!  I'll keep my mouth shut. Nikolas and Stefan will make sure that I don't go to jail. So, I'll forget what I know."

"You don't think I'm very smart do you?"

Gia could hear the ticking of the ancient grandfather clock in the hallway. Time...that's exactly what she needed. She smiled, hoping that she looked honest. "I think you're a freakin' genius. Look at you! You've managed to get away with murder. The police don't even know you did it. And, may I say, you're a pretty good shot. I know hoodlums in Brooklyn who couldn't have even made that shot that took out Emily."

Chloe didn't smile. She moved so close that the end of the gun was actually touching Gia's temple. "You saw?" she said.

"I did," Gia replied shakily. She could see the gun out of the corner of her eye. Chloe stood in front of her with a vacant glare that bordered on empty. Everything about her was steady. Gia knew that Chloe was off her rocker.

"You were there? On the docks?"

"Uh huh...Are you still going to kill me?"

"Yes. Would you prefer I do it now?"

"NO! Why don't we talk about the night Emily died. I saw her on the docks and I tried to catch up to her-"

"Shut up! This has gone on way too long. You have to die!"

"I don't! What about the baby? Stefan will be pretty upset if you kill his grandchild," Gia said thinking quickly.  She needed more time. She needed a plan or a gun of her own or an algebra problem. Something that would take Chloe down a peg or two.

Chloe scratched her nose with her free hand. "That's something to think about. Nikolas would be upset and Stefan is always upset when Nikolas is upset."

"Yeah! So we had better not kill me, huh?"

"Nope...I think I should kill you anyway. Stefan really thinks that Nikolas is too young to be a father. I'd be doing them a service."

Gia suddenly remembered that she had forgotten her antiperspirant. She was sweating like mad. Her palms were wet against the cover of the journal she held so tightly. Great, she thought, I'll be dead and  stinky. The gun felt warm against her temple. "I don't want to die, Chloe! Please...I'm not even begging for me. I'm asking for my baby.  Just let me go," Gia pleaded. A teary film covered her eyes as she thought about the life within her body. A life that it was her duty to protect. "Haven't you any respect for an innocent life?"

"If the baby has to die, it's your own fault. You should have minded your own business," Chloe countered, her voice still inconceivably pleasant. "Now, it's time to finish up."

"No, Chloe..."

"Yes, Gia." Chloe ripped the journal out of Gia's arms and flung it into the fireplace behind them. She slowly moved the gun against Gia's face to the center of her forehead.

Gia was terrified. She had no doubt that Chloe would do it. She closed her eyes, her hand moving to cover her stomach. She hadn't tried to run. She hadn't tried to overpower her. Perhaps, she should have, but Gia decided that destiny was already written. Whatever happened next, was meant to.

The lord is my shepherd, I shall not want... ~*~  ~*~  ~*~

Mrs. Landsbury stood shivering in the foyer when Stefan and Nikolas came barreling through the door. "Mr. Cassadine! I didn't know what to do! Ms. Morgan has a gun."

"Where's Gia?" Nikolas asked, almost breathless from his race across the island.

"With Ms. Morgan..."

Nikolas started to race forward, but Stefan held him back. "You can't just barge in there. This has to be handled delicately."

Nikolas turned furiously on his uncle. " This is all your fault! You are the one that brought that lunatic into our lives. IF she hurts Gia or my baby, I will never forgive you. NEVER!"

"And that would be within your rights," Stefan replied, his features grim. "But I have to think about Chloe, also."

"Chloe! That woman is holding a gun on Gia. Who cares about her?"

"I do! I love Chloe, Nikolas. As I have loved no one but your mother."

"You're a match made in hell. Two psychotics!" Nikolas spat out, marching down the hallway. Stefan followed. They heard raised voices from the conservatory.

"I don't want to die, Chloe! Please...I'm not even begging for me. I'm asking for my baby.  Just let me go,"

"If the baby has to die, it's your own fault. You should have minded your own business. Now, it's time to finish up."

"No, Chloe..."

"Yes, Gia."

Through the crack in the door, Nikolas could see the gun pressed to the center of Gia's head. He willed Chloe not to pull the trigger. He couldn't lose Gia. He wouldn't. He and Stefan exchanged worried glances as they eased the door open. They entered.

"Chloe?" Stefan spoke softly as he walked forward.

A small sound escaped Chloe's mouth when she heard his voice. She looked at the gun in her hand and then at him. "HI!"

"Chloe, what are you doing?"

"I'm protecting us, Stefan. I'm saving us."

"By killing Gia?"

"She knows that I killed Emily."

"We all do, Chloe," Nikolas said harshly. "Are you going to kill us, too?"

Chloe looked disturbed by the thought. Then she shook her head. "Just Gia. I can't shoot you, Nikolas. Stefan wouldn't be happy if I did.  I want him to be happy," she said, smiling at Stefan.

"You want me to be happy, Darling?" Stefan said, standing behind her and slowly stroking the side of her face.

"Yes."

"Then put the gun down."

"I can't. I'm doing this for you. I'm protecting you."

"NO! You're protecting yourself because you're a homicidal lunatic!" Nikolas screamed. Gia whimpered, her eyes imploring her boyfriend to be careful. She had been relieved when Nikolas and Stefan had appeared, but it seemed as if they didn't have their strategies straight.

"Ignore him, Chloe. Only listen to me. I can't let you kill Gia."

"Actually," Chloe said, "Gia and I decided that I was a new decisive Chloe. I'm liberated. If I want to kill Gia, then that is my decision to make. And I have. She's go to go!"

"Chloe! Listen to reason!"

"She's nuts, Stefan!" Gia shrieked. "Bust out some of those kung-fu kicks or something!"

Stefan's mouth narrowed into a sharp line on his face. "While that is a very good idea, Gia, don’t you think it has lost some of its surprise since you've blurted it out. I would think that Chloe would be anticipating it and will now kill you all the quicker."

"Gee, thanks for pointing that out NOW!"

"DO something, Stefan!" Nikolas added.

Stefan kissed Chloe's neck.

"That was not the something I had in mind!"

Stefan pulled her back against him, licking her earlobe. In her ear, he whispered, "Put the gun down."

She started to flush, her hand shaking just a little as his hands moved down the outside of her thigh. "She'll tell, Stefan. She'll tell and then everyone will know. They'll know...and they'll think I'm stupid."

"No one could ever think that."

"What kind of woman loves a man who held her captive? Denied her life-saving medication?"

Stefan ignored the question. He couldn't face what he had done to her. He had pushed her to the brink, and now it was his duty to save her. "I love you, Chloe. You made a mistake when you killed Emily. Everyone will understand."

"Not Lila."

"Everyone will know that it was my fault. They'll forgive you." Stefan's hand moved sensuously down her extended arm. The one that held the gun.  He moved to her side, kissing her cheek. "They'll forgive you."

"I want..."

"What, Chloe? What do you want?"

"I want to be happy! I can't be happy in prison."

"You can be happy with me."

"Are you sure? Because I'm starting to wonder."

"Don't wonder. Believe!" Stefan assured her, his eyes meeting Nikolas' across the room.  His hand was now caressing her elbow. He kissed the naked flesh of her arm. He started with her forearm, but swiftly made his way to her wrist. The only visible sign of stress was Chloe's shaking hand. The rest of her was sedate. Even her joyful cheer had faded away. She was cardboard as she watched Stefan kiss her body. She couldn't feel it anymore. Her earlier flush had receded.

"I think this is the end, Stefan. I can't feel anything," Chloe said listlessly. Her hand tightened on the trigger. She stared at Gia's tear stained face. "Gia's not happy, either. I could help you out. I could end everything. What can you feel, Gia? I don't think I even exist anymore. It's like being a paper doll. I can't feel anything,"  She started to squeeze the trigger, then stopped. She tapped the skinny piece of metal with a long pink fingernail.

"You can feel me," Stefan said, his hand encircling her wrist.  In a coordinated effort, Stefan forcefully yanked Chloe's hand up, the shot firing into the ceiling while, at the same time, Nikolas rushed at Gia, pulling her out of the way. They landed on the floor, a safe distance away.

Stefan held onto Chloe's wrist. They struggled, the gun between the two of them. She held onto the weapon tightly. Stefan tried to hold onto her wrist and pry her hands off the gun with his other hand. "Give me the gun, Chloe!"

"I can't! I can't let it go! It'll all be over then! I'll be sad."

"You can't be happy all the time! "

"Bull-shit!" she yelled, ramming her shoulder into Stefan's hard, well-muscled chest. She tried to jerk her hand back, but he stubbornly held on. He twisted her arm up as she pulled back. She stumbled forward into him. They both fell back over an ottoman and tumbled to the Persian rug below. In the tumble, Chloe's finger slipped on the trigger. ~*~  ~*~  *~

Nikolas rolled over to look at Gia. "If I had lost you..."

"Go help Stefan with Chloe!" Gia ordered, trying to get up off the floor. As they stood and turned, they heard the loud pop of a gun shot. Stefan and Chloe were heaped on the floor. Stefan lay on top of Chloe. In that moment, no one moved. Blood started to seep onto the carpet.

Someone had been shot.

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

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