Over the next month or so, life began to fall into routine. Every
morning, Luke would get up early, and snoop around. He had broken into
the Marco's home on several occasions to plant bugs, but he never learned
more than he already knew. Luke also hid in inconspicuous locations to
overhear the workers talking. He had just about figured out which men were
spies, and which were just ordinary workers. It wasn't that hard to figure
out. Luke should have figured that only young attractive men would be Helena's
employees. Most of the men who had wives and children, or were past their
prime, were the most knowledgeable workers. Most of the younger spies spend
a lot of time observing the others, trying to figure out what was going
on so that they could blend in. Luke also often saw Marco's daughter, Kristina,
while he was snooping - though she never saw him. The first time he had
seen her listening at a keyhole, he took notice, but didn't think much
of it. However, Luke noticed her doing this a lot, and realized that she
probably knew more about what was going on with the Cassadine spies than
her father did.
Luke would return home around noon most of the time, and he would have lunch with his family. He would fill Laura in on everything he had seen, and describe the people she should pay particular attention to. After they were done eating, they would put their son down for a nap. Luke and Laura would use his nap time as their special time together. They loved to take long walks around the ranch. They would find places that were well hidden, and decide to use them as meeting places, should they ever need them. Some afternoons were spent talking about anything and everything, some were used as "drills" should an emergency ever arise, some were used for exploring, and some used for loving each other. However the time was spent, they would always return around 3:00. Around this time, Kristina, would come calling to see if she could play with the Spencer's little boy. Laura took an instant liking to Kristina, but was still very hesitant to allow her son around her. She would allow Kristina to play with Luke Jr. out in the main room while she kept a close watch. However, over time, Laura learned to think of Kristina as a little sister. One day, Laura decided to ask Kristina if she knew why they were staying there. She immediately clamed up, and quietly said that she wasn't allowed to talk about that. If anyone heard her say anything, she would be punished. Laura decided that it wasn't a good idea to push the subject. All she could do was hope that Kristina would let something slip, but she didn't want to use her. Luke had told her that he had seen Kristina snooping around, but figured she was right about the fact that if anyone heard her, it would lead to danger for all of them. Besides, Laura figured she didn't know a whole lot more than they had already discovered.
That's where Laura was wrong. Kristina was almost as good a snoop as she was. By listening at doors, and picking up phone extensions, she learned that the Spencers would only be staying there until Helena was ready for them. Until that time, her mother and little sister would remain prisoners. It seemed that right now, Helena was busy tracking down Natasha's mother - the opera singer. An illegitimate daughter of her late husband was of greater importance than the Spencers - but not by much. It was only a matter of time until Helena could put her full concentration on exacting her revenge on the people who were responsible for the death of her husband and first born son.
After dinner, Luke would stay home with their son, and make emergency arrangements - such as calling banks, travel agents for background info, writing down information he had learned so he wouldn't forget it....... Evening was Laura's time to try to worm information out of people. From Luke's descriptions, she pretty much knew which workers were legit, and which weren't. After supper, she would go out on the back lawn, where she learned the workers often gathered in small groups. One of the older workers would always bring a guitar out, and people would sing along, tell stories, and laugh a lot. Laura loved the atmosphere, and looked forward to going out and mingling with these people. Whenever she noticed one of Helena's men there, she would be sure to only make small talk, and only stay a short time. However, most nights, she was lucky, and got a chance to talk to the people. They were very friendly when it came to story sharing, but clamed up whenever Laura mentioned why they were staying there. While it was still relatively early and not many people were out yet, Laura could usually strike up a friendly conversation, while later on, she would fall back into the din. After dark, lots of people were out. Through overhearing, she found out that most of these people despised the situation the Spencers were put in, but they couldn't do anything about it. They also made spite of the new workers because it was obvious they were clueless to the work that was expected of them. The most useful information Laura learned was about the ranch, and how it was run. She knew which places were carefully tended to and which were overgrown or abandoned. She learned which of the horses were gentle, and which were dangerous to inexperienced riders. She learned what times Marco would come out to supervise, when he, himself, would be working, and when he would be inside resting. Most importantly, she learned which of the people were most sympathetic toward her family, and wouldn't turn them in if they were ever seen trying to escape - and might even help them.
Later on in the evening, after little Luke Jr. was asleep, his father would come out and join his wife, often followed by Kristina, and sometimes even Alejandro Marco himself. All were welcomed editions to the festivities, and they usually had a very good time dancing, singing, drinking, and talking. As the night wore on, Luke and Laura would return home, and try to get enough sleep so that they were always alert during the day. However, Kristina was often one of the last to leave. She was very popular with her father's employees, and she thought of them as family - which she desperately wanted since most of hers was taken away from her.
Kristina knew exactly who the Cassadine spies were because she had known all of the people who had worked on the ranch before the Spencers came. Any new faces were spies, and she knew those were the people she should make sure she knows about, but keep out of their sight. She was becoming very good at sneaking into their quarters and rummaging through their belongings for important information. Usually, the best she could ever find would be weapons, but one time she was lucky enough to find a letter from Helena. That letter, combined with all the letters she had received from Natasha, lead her to realize exactly what Helena had planned. Everyday, Kristina got more and more nervous - thinking that today would be the day everything went down. Every day she grew closer to telling the Spencers what was really going on, because, in the month they had been there, she learned to love them all. Laura was like a big sister, the little boy was just adorable, and she was starting to develop a little crush on Luke. He was so smart, so loving to his family, and so full of life and energy. She would had to see them torn apart from each other - which was exactly what was going to happen if they weren't careful. Finally, she vowed to herself that she would fill them in before it
