Dance with the Devil: Chapter 44

Early the next morning, the moving van arrived and Blair began directing the movers as to where everything went as Todd got the full scoop from Jack about his encounter with Helena Cassadine.  “She gave me the same look your mother gave me at Victor’s house last year.  Like I was something she would want to get her hands on, not, you know, in that way, but a tool to use,” was how Jack had described it. 

Since there wasn’t a lot to ship they managed to finish quickly and Blair and Todd had the afternoon to get to work at the Sun.  When they arrived there, Sam Morgan was waiting for them, since she had been called by Todd.

“You wanted to see me?” she asked.

“Yeah, has Spinelli found out anything in Llanview?” was Todd’s response . 

“Yeah, actually, he found out that Heather was resident of Llanview for a few years in the late 1980’s.  She was at St. Ann’s, a mental health facility,” Sam told them. 

“My mother was there but she only arrive in the early nineties,” Blair said.  “It’s a long shot but maybe Momma remembers her.” 

“Anything else?” Todd returned.

“No, unfortunately.  Both Heather and Allison seem to be able to slip in and out of view.  We’re still looking.  Is there anything else?” Sam got up to leave.

“Yeah, actually, there is.  I need any information you have on a woman named Helena,” Todd told her.  “She’s a relative of yours or something?”

Sam let out a sigh.  “Just barely.  She‘s been causing trouble in town for thirty years, if Luke Spencer is to be believed.” She sat back down.  “What do you want to know?”

“Any information you have on her.  Jack encounter her out on Spoon Island yesterday and stepped into something between her and you mother and I want to know how much trouble that can cause for him,” Todd explained.

“Well, where to begin.  Within my own family, she was married to my grandfather. And by him had two sons, Stavros and Stefan.  Stavros is my cousin Nikolas’ father, but he died when Nikolas was a baby.  Stefan raised his nephew and they eventually moved here with my mother following them a short time later.  And within a year, Helena showed up,” Sam told them.  “It was just before then that my mother learned the truth about her parentage.  Mikkos Cassadine was her father and her mother was his longtime mistress, a nanny turned opera star, Kristin Bergmann.”

“I remember reading about her,” Blair said as she turned to Todd.  “She committed suicide over the man she loved.”

Sam rolled her eyes.  “No she didn’t.”  Looking up at Blair, she began, “After my grandmother had her second daughter, Kristina, Helena learned of both daughters and confronted my grandmother.  In the ensuing fight, Helena slit Kristin’s throat and left her for dead.”  Sam looked away as she felt a tear coming.  “My mother was eight, maybe nine and witnessed it when she went back into the house after hiding her baby sister.  My mother went back to look for the baby, but she too had vanished and Alexis didn’t find her again until a few years ago, right before my aunt’s own tragic death.”

Blair let out a gasp.  “Oh, my God, your poor mother.”

Todd’s face darkened.  He knew a thing or two about bitch mothers but Helena really took the cake.  After a minute, he said, “Bottom line, how much danger will my son be for defending your mother?”

“I really don’t know,” came Sam’s honest answer.  “But make him aware of her and keep an eye out.  You may want to talk to Luke Spencer.  They have a mutually antagonistic relationship.”  After thinking about it, she added, “Helena may just push him aside like he was a gnat.  Usually she has much bigger fish to fry.”

With Sam gone, Todd turned to Blair.  “You know what I’m crazing?  A BLT from Kelly’s.  I hear they’re the best.”  With that, the two headed to the diner. As luck would have it, Luke Spencer was behind the counter.  Because it was so slow, he personally waited on them.

“Hi, yeah, I’ll have a BLT and fries, Blair, you just want a salad and any information you have on Helena Cassadine.  Oh, and we’ll take that for here,” Todd rattled off.

Luke smirked as he left to place the order and came back a few minutes later with the food.  He placed the dishes down and pulled a seat up.  “One salad for the beauty,” Luke flirted, “and one BLT for the man in need of info.  So, you’ve encountered Hells?  Glad to see you’ve made it out alive.”

Todd narrowed his eyes at Luke’s tone towards Blair, but chose to focus on his last comment.  “I haven’t but my son did yesterday.  He was over on Spoon Island with my nephew at the invitation of Molly Lansing-Davis.”  He took a bite of his sandwich.  “Apparently, she showed up out there and had a confrontation with Alexis Davis, which my son, displaying a bit of chivalry, stepped into the middle of.  Now, I don’t know her, but Jack described her in the oh-so-glowing terms of comparing her to my mother.  And if you know anything about me, you’d know that I shot my bitch of a mother when I thought she killed everyone I cared about, and my sister Tina.,” Todd explained.  “Sam Morgan mentioned you have some kind of relationship with this woman.”

Luke chuckled.  “Well, if you describe relationships in terms of murder attempts, yes, we do have one.”

Blair’s eyes grew wide.  “Look, Mr. Spencer, I don’t like what I’m hearing here.  How dangerous is this woman?”

“Not so much to the general population.  Helena has a domineering nature when it comes to her grandson and his boy.  She’s been playing cat and mouse with Alexis for as long as I’ve known the two.  But for the most part, she’s ignored the Davis daughters.  Helena views Alexis as a nothing due to her being Mikkos’ daughter by a mistress and therefore, her daughters are less then nothing,” Luke told them.  “Just tell your son to keep an eye out  and don’t try to play hero.  That will egg her on more.”  With that Luke left to tend to business. 

“I’m liking this relationship with Molly less and less,” Todd said.  “She’s a nice girl and all, but if she’s got a crazy family, I’m sorry, but, we’ve got enough between the two of us.”  He let out a sigh.  “But I also don’t want to tell him to stay totally away, because that always works out so well.”

Blair ran her hands through her hair.  “Then what do we tell him?” she asked.

As is on cue, Jack walked into Kelly’s with Molly.  He saw his parents and the look they shared and girded himself.  Then they approached.  “Hey, you ordered already?” he asked nonchalantly as he and Molly joined them.

“Yeah, but if you want some, go ahead and order it,” Todd said. 

When Jack placed the order, he came back and eyed his parents.  Whatever it was wasn’t good, as he could see the look his parents were giving Molly.  She shift in her chair as Jack finally said, “Okay, just say it.”

“Say what, Jack?” his mother asked.

“You don’t want me to hang out with Molly because of what happened yesterday.  Look, I get it, her mom is super cautious and that lady did help matters--” he began.

“Look  Jack, it just, we’re worried.  We’ve talked to some people today about this Helena woman, and quite honestly, we don’t like what we heard,” Blair said as she turned to Molly.  “Don’t get me wrong, you’re a lovely girl.”

“If I may interject here,” Luke came back, “I will give you my word that I’ll keep an extra pair of eyes out for her around your boy and I’ll have a talk with the little baklava and warn her off your son.  She doesn’t generally mess with me and I’ll give her a warning about Jack.”

“And your warning will back her off?” Todd sarcasm laced tone was evident.

“Well, it has worked in the past.  Look, don’t worry.  If these two kids want to hang out, let’um.  I’ll deal with Helena,” Luke assured them.

“Mr. Manning, look, she’s never even been a problem for me.  My mom just worries about her.  We’ll make sure we stay in public places and will get away from her if she come up to us,” Molly pleaded.  “Jack’s become a very good friend  and I would hate to lose that over her.”

Blair looked at Todd and Todd looked at Jack.  Finally, he caved.  “You better be very careful.  You see her approach, you run in the opposite direction, you hear me?  That goes for the both of you.”

Jack let out a breath and nodded in agreement.  The he decided to move his parents onto another topic.  “So, school starts tomorrow and we have our first game.  Will you guys be there?”

“What time is it?” Todd asked, seeing what his son was doing. 

“Four o’clock,” came the answer.

Blair looked at Todd.  “We should be done with the doctor by then.  We’ll get Sam and bring him, see if Starr and your aunts want to come, we’ll have a cheering section for you,” she said, lightly teasing him.

Jack’s face got flushed at the fear of his family embarrassing him in front of his new teammates.  He and Molly finished up their food and prepared to leave when his cousin Natalie walked in with her son.  He nodded an acknowledgement and left.  Natalie saw her uncle and was ready to walk out when Liam got away from her.

Blair saw the boy come in and scooped him up.  “What are you doing?  Are you being a bad boy, huh?” she cooed.

“McBain can’t have a bad kid.  He’s so upright and true,” Todd teased as he faced his red-headed niece.  “We’ll, I guess it comes from your side of the family.”

“That would include you, Uncle Todd,” Nat retorted, but was ignored.  Then she saw her uncle interacting with her son.  Liam had the biggest smile on his face.  “So, it true then?”

“What is?  What are you talking about?” came the question.

“You really are good with kids.  Mom and Jess, hell, even Tina, have always said you got along great with your nieces and nephews,” Natalie explained.

“Well, not all my nephews.  Joey sometimes, but Kevin…couldn’t stand him, still can’t.  Thank God he’s across the ocean,” Todd mumbled.  When he saw the look he was getting he shrugged.  “What, I do have some good points.”    

“Then why have you always hated me?” she asked, taking a sip of water from a glass that had been brought for her.

Todd turned away from his grand-nephew.  He had thought about it for some time, and he finally realized the answer.  “I think we’re too much alike.  Look, we came into our family not thinking we’d be accepted.  I didn’t really care if I was but you…you fought for it.  Maybe I just resented that you were accepted for actually fighting for it.  I don’t know.”  He looked at his watch.  “Look, Blair, we have to get going.”

Blair handed Liam back to his mother and said her goodbyes.  As they left, Natalie thought she saw a new leaf turning over in her relationship with Todd Manning.



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