"I don't know. Just wanted to...see a friendly face, I guess." She sighed and
looked up at him. "You don't mind, do you? I mean, maybe I should have called
first, or..."

"No. No." He shook his head. "It's fine. What's wrong?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Brenda's funeral was today. That's where I
came from. Actually, I walked the docks for awhile first..." She trailed off
and shrugged.

He nodded. And then, on instinct. "Do you ride? Horses, I mean."

"Not well."

"That's what I do when I'm upset." He explained. "How about it?" She narrowed
her eyes. "Or a lesson if you're really that bad. It might cheer you up."

She shrugged. "Why not?" She nodded. "Yeah. That sounds... nice." She stands
up and they walk out of the room. The envelope is still on the floor.

~~

Jagger and Eve are talking and, now, laughing. Scott Baldwin walks in and
almost stops dead, seeing them. His mind was spinning. He could only see the
back of the guy's head, but the way she was looking at him was more important
than who the guy was... Eve was on a date? No, maybe she wasn't. She had to
be. I mean, look at the way she's looking at the guy...

He shook his head and almost walked out when she looked up and saw him. She
smiled slightly, but quickly turned her attention back to the guy she was
with. He glances at the bar and saw Veronica. Instinctivly, he approaches her.
"Hi."

She spun around. "Oh. Hi. I remember you."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. Remembering what they'd talked about over coffee, "How's your
little girl? Is she doing any better?"

"She's learning." Scott said with a nod. "She's pretty handy with a cane now."

"That's good." Veronica nodded and then sighed.

"Hard day?"

"Yeah. Well... Brenda's funeral was today."

He nodded understanding. "Oh."
 

Eve glanced up and almost cringed. Jagger followed her gaze tio Veronica, not
Scott. "You know Veronica Barret?" He guessed. Shaking his head, "She's a
card."

"Hmm... really?" She glanced back at Jagger. "No, actually. But she...ah...
looks vaguely familiar."

"You'd remember her. She calls walls Harlan. Or doors, or chairs, or
officers... she's not really particular."

"So, she's a fruitcake?" Eve asked, feeling less threatened by the moment.

"Sometimes. Others, she acts perfectly normal. It's odd really. Remember
earlier, I mentioned Brenda Barret? That's her mother."

"Hmm...."

~~

Carly watched as Jason talked to Michael. She smiled and silently handed him
the bottle, allowing him to feed Michael. She sat back, onto the couch and
watched them interact. Michael knew Jason. It was blatantly obvious from the
look in his eyes. Oh, he knew Carly too, but it wasn't the same. She smiled
and sipped a glass of tea she'd been drinking.

~~

AJ dropped Keesha off. She leaned against the door. "It's been a long time
since I was back." She said softly.

"Yeah." He nodded. "I'm... sorry about your father. I mean, I know I told you
over the phone, but..."

"Yeah." She nodded. "I know. My mother is doing better now, though. And Aunt
Naomi is staying with her for awhile."

"I'm glad you're back." AJ smiled slightly at her. "I missed you." He leaned
in to kiss her gently.

Just before their lips met, she said softly: "I missed you too."

~~

Alexis laid her head on Ned's shoulder. They were sitting on the couch. Her in
a skirt and top, without the matching jacket. And him without his tie or
jacket, and the first two buttons of his shirt undone. "Do you want me to stay
tonight?" She asked him softly. "Or would you rather be alone."

"Do you even have to ask?" He raised his eyebrows. "But if you don't want to,
I'll understand..."

"I want to." She assured him. "Are you going back into New York tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." She said softly. "How is your daughter doing?"

"Pretty well." He answered softly. "She... she's awake. Or she was. She's
probably sleeping by now..." Pause. "She's going to be okay. No permanent
damage."

"That's good." Alexis nodded.

Softly, "Yeah."

"Oh..." Alexis sighed slightly. "You missed it. Katherine is back from the
dead. Supposedly, at least."

It managed to tear his mind away from everything. Shocked,"She is? Wait, what
do you mean 'supposedly?' She isn't Katherine?"

"Not unless you take Helena's word as gospel." Alexis sighed. "Though she was
thurough. She even replaced the fingerprints on the police computer somehow.
It's a long story. Most of it's blank anyway."

"It won't be for long." Ned commented. "You seem to be dead-set on proving
that she's not Katherine."

"She's trouble." Alexis sighed. "With a capital T." Pause. "But you have
enough on your mind. Forget I said anything."

"Quite frankly," Ned replied. "I'd rather worry about your problems. Than
think about things that I can't change." Pause. "But if you can't tell me..."

"There's not much to tell, really." She lifted her head off of his shoulder
and looked at him for a moment. "But if you want to hear it..." He nodded.
"Well, "Katherine" *convienently* popped up on the day of Helena's
arraignment. Clue number one. Besides that, she thinks that she knows
Cassadine secrets that don't exist."

"That don't exist?"

"Yes." Alexis shakes her head. "And they're pretty far out there too."

"Like...?" He asked, not sure if it was that he was curious about the answer
or whether she'd trust him with it.

She looked at him a moment. "Helena and Katherine are dead-set on getting
everyone to think that Stefan is Nikolas' father. It doesn't make any sense.
It's just..." She shakes her head. "Odd."

Neither said anything for a moment and then he spoke up. "Maybe he is."

She looked up at him, shocked. "W-what?"

"Isn't it possible?" Ned asked. "I mean, what if he is? What if Helena and
Katherine are telling the truth?"

"They can't be." Alexis said softly. "He-he couldn't...He wouldn't keep
something this big from me..." She looked away. And he sighed, sorry he'd
thought of it, pulling her into his arms gently. She pulled away, slowly
reflecting. "No." She was pacing now. "No. He couldn't..." She shook her head.
"It's... it's not possible. I mean, it's possible, but..."

~~

Bobbie and Jerry sat on the stoop of the Brownstone after their date. "Come
home with me tonight?" He asked softly.

"My daughter is expecting me back." She said and leaned in. "And so is my
son."

"I'm sure that your daughter will understand and fabricate a good story."
Jerry said, with a shrug.

"Prompting my daughter to fabricate a story could be a deadly mistake." Bobbie
replied. "Trust me." She kissed him gently, slowly. "Not tonight."

He sighed as she went in. "Not tonight." He echoed.

~~

Stefan entered the main room. He went to the table to pick up some papers and
accidentally dropped a few on the floor. He leaned down, scooped them up and
spotted an envelope with the words "Nikolas" on it, written in Helena's hand.
He opened it the rest of the way, and found another envelope. He studied it
curiously, opened it and gasped. "She wouldn't... she couldn't... I..."


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