End of chapter Seventeen, Please e-mail any feedback by clicking on the mailbox below :)
Nik: What do you mean I'm coming with you?
Luke: Exactly what it sounds like. Get your butt upstairs and start packing.
Nik: Give me one good reason why I should listen to you.
Luke: I'll ruin the surprise that way.
Nik: Luke, I'm not in the mood. Besides, I don't think I'll like any surprises from you.
Luke: Roy, talk some sense into the boy.
Roy(stepping inside and closing the door): Nikolas, trust me, you'll like this. Now, just please, pack your bags and whatever you'll need for the dog.
Nik(shaking his head): I can't believe I'm going to do this, but fine. It's not like I have anything better to do. Where are you taking me? (sees Luke by the coffee table) Hey! Don't touch that! (snatches the picture out of Luke's hands) Don't you ever touch this. Or anything else in this house for that matter.
Luke(shrugs): Sorry. Didn't know you were still sore about Braids bailing out on you.
Nik: Just shut up, all right. Where are you taking me?
Roy: You'll find out when we get there. Please back your bags. You're whole wardrobe and anything else you have an attachment too. And then call for one of your jets to be ready in one hour.
Nik: I have to call people and tell them I'm leaving.
Luke: Already taken care of. Tomorrow morning at 6 all of your loved ones will receive an email from you stating that you will be out of the country for the time being to sort out your bitter, twisted feelings about your lovely wife. You don't know when you'll be back, and they are not to worry.
Nik(sighs): This better be good.
Luke(as Nik's walking upstairs): Oh, it will be.
**********************
A car rental place in Northern France......
Helena: So?
Dectective#1: Sorry, Mrs. Cassadine, they claim to know nothing.
Dectective#2: They say they've never seen Mr. Spencer or Mr. DiLucca before.
Helena(annoyed): Well, this was a total waste of my time.
Dectective#2: Well, we never insisted you come with us, Mrs. Cassadine. We are capable of doing this on our own.
Helena: You're lucky I don't slit your throat right now.
A voice: Hey!
Helena: What do you want?
Voice: You want to know where you can find those men in those photos?
Helena: You know who they are? Tell me.
Voice: For the right price.
Helena: All right, I'll pay anything. Just tell me!
Voice: First I want my money. Five million dollars American in cash.
Helena: I don't have 5 million dollars on me at the moment. But as soon as you share whatever news you have, I'll gladly pay you. Can I see your face?
Voice: No, it would be best if I remained anonymous. Meet me 3 days after Christmas at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Helena: I need to know now! I can have the money for you within the hour.
Voice: Sorry, Mrs. Cassadine. I'm on my way out of town and will be back 3 days after Christmas. Take it or leave it.
Helena: What am I supposed to do for the next 2 weeks, then?
Voice: Enjoy France. Good-bye.
Andreas: Do you want me to follow him, Madam?
Helena: No. He'll pay for making us wait when we meet again. You brilliant detectives have more leads, yes?
Dectective#1: Yes, Mrs. Cassadine, several.
Helena: Wonderful. We will rest at the hotel, for tonight, but tomorrow at first light we leave and continue our search. We're getting close, I can just feel it.
Many, many, many, MANY hours later....
Nik: Are we there yet? Where the hell are we anyway? We've been driving since we got off the plane yesterday.
Luke: Will you shut up? I swear, if you say "are we there yet" one more time....
Roy: Knock it off! I'm trying to drive here. The dog comfortable back there?
Nik: As comfortable as a Great Dane can be in the back seat of a small car. (patting the dog's head) It's okay, Calypso, we should be out of here soon, right?
Roy: Yeah, just a few more miles.
***************************
The cabin......
Gia is laying in bed, staring at the ceiling. For the life of her she can't fall asleep. The baby won't stop kicking her and she misses her Nikolas and the rest of her family. She even misses her controlling, domineering mother like crazy. What she wouldn't give to hear another lecture about school. And what her Mom think if she knew Gia was pregnant? She'd probably flip out at first, but Gia believes that in time, her mother would've accepted her pregnancy just like she had begun to accept Gia's marriage to Nikolas.
Gia is just starting to nod off when she hears noises coming from downstairs. It sounds like people walking in and out of the cabin a few times. Alarms immediately go off inside Gia's head. She wasn't expecting Luke and Roy for a few more days. Besides, even if they did decide to come early, they would've called her so they wouldn't scare her. Gia gets out of bed and starts looking for the gun, until she remembers that it's downstairs, in the cigar box on the mantle. So she grabs the closest weapon she can find, a crowbar. Gia quietly begins to head downstairs.
Nikolas is looking around the living room of this cabin, while keeping a tight hold on Calypso's leash. Luke and Roy helped him carry his bags in and then split, saying they'd be back when they felt like coming back. So now here he was alone, not a clue where he is. Suddenly, he hears the creaking of the stairs and turns to investigate as Calypso starts barking.
Barking? Wait, Gia knows that bark. That's Calypso's bark. Gia walks more quickly downstairs, until she reaches the bottom, shocked at what she sees. She drops the crowbar to the floor and just stares, speechless.
Nikolas blinks his eyes a few times, thinking he's just seeing things. When Gia's image doesn't go away he still doesn't believe what he's seeing. He is staring into the eyes of someone he thought he'd lost forever.
Nik(voice thick with emotion): Gia?
to be continued......
End of chapter Seventeen, Please e-mail any feedback by clicking on the mailbox below :)
