Dance with the Devil: Chapter 55

When Jack and Starr got home, Todd and Blair were already there getting dinner ready, with Sam trying to help.  Todd looked up at his children and saw Jack’s mood was markedly different.  “Everything okay with you?” he asked.

Jack smiled.  “Yeah, Molly and I had a talk and we’re cool.  It’s just, well, Mr. Lansing caught us kissing at Kelly’s and I don’t think he like the idea at all,” Jack told him. 

“Well, Lansing a pain in the ass, and he’s the father of a daughter.  I do kind of know where he’s coming from with suitors for his daughter,” Todd said, throwing a look at Starr. 

She rolled her eyes at her father’s insinuation, then decided to say, “Michael and I had a talk about that today, especially in light of Uncle Victor’s return.”  As she took a bite, she continued.  “I gave him a brief rundown of what Cole and I were put through with Victor.”

Todd looked up curiously at his daughter.  “And what did this brief rundown include?” he asked.  All the time since he’d gotten back, he hadn’t gotten a completely straight answer about what had happened with Starr and Victor.  He knew that he hadn’t approved of her relationship with Cole Thornhart.  He was aware of the mess that had happened when Hope was born and one of Jessica’s alters had switched her dead daughter for Hope.  But there was a lot for him to learn.  He figured now was as good a time as any.

Starr looked up at her father like a deer stuck in the headlights of an oncoming car.  “Dad, now may not be the time,” she tried to dissuade him.

Todd stared at her for a minute, deciding how to play this.  “Fine,” he said.  “We’ll table this discussion for now.  We have other matters to discuss.  First off, Victor should be released from the hospital tomorrow.  He is going to be staying with us.  Also, I want all of you to be extra cautious.  The cops, they think all of this craziness is related to the Delgados.  But there’s too many ties to my family.”

“You still think this has to do with the Lord’s?” Jack asked.

“Well, look at how this whole mess began.  Who gave Tomas Delgado the order to snatch me in the first place?  My mother.  Who hid another of Victor Lord’s sons, practically from birth? Irene Manning.  Who was named by brother’s heir, despite the belief that she was dead for years?”  Todd asked.

“Irene Manning,” Starr answered.  “Here’s the only thing that has never made sense to me.  How does a single mother of an eight-year old and a newborn get hired by the CIA?  Or did that come after she ‘died’ and left Aunt Tina in Llanview?”

“I have no idea,” Todd said, after pondering it for a few minutes.  Everything was so disjointed, from his birth until today.

Then, Starr had a thought.  “I was reading something about the police commissioner, Anna Devane.  It seems that at one point, she herself was a spy.  Maybe she worked in a similar program as Irene?”  she offered.

Blair thought it over.  “It’s a possibility.  We can go have a talk with her, ask her if maybe there’s a connection there.”  As she finished her comment, the doorbell rang and she got up to answer it.  When she returned, Viki was with her.

“Hey, sis,” Todd said as he looked at his sister.  She had that same pained expression on her face that she generally gave him.  “What did Victor do now?”

“And how do you know it was something he did?” Viki asked.

“Cause that‘s the look you usually give me when you’re pissed at me,” Todd smirked.  “Plus, I’ve been a good little boy today.  I didn’t even pick a fight with my brother.”

“Well, I’ll give you that.  Anna Devane and John came by the hospital after Sam left to ask Victor some questions,” Viki began as she took a glass offered to her.  After taking a sip, she said, “When they finished, not that Victor had much information to give, John questioned him about having Liam’s paternity test and Victor was being a smart-aleck about them.  So much so that John paid you a compliment to me.”

“Victor was being his usual charming self,” Blair said under her breath.  It had been only since she and Todd had begun their reconciliation that Blair had really appreciated the differences between the two.  Looking back, she wondered how she had fallen so much for the illusion of Todd that Victor had been made into.

Todd shook his head in disgust.  He could see with absolute clarity in the first minute of being in Victor’s presence that his twin was nothing like him.  He was the most shocked to see the people he loved, the people who were supposed to be smart, fall into thinking that this other guy was Todd Manning. 

Viki saw the expression on her brother’s face.  She chose to ignore it, as nothing good ever came of arguing with Todd.  She instead turned her attentions back to Blair.  “They had a confrontation, but John held onto his control.”  She took another sip of water.  “But he did warn Victor about Natalie’s wrath to come.”

Todd rubbed his hands together in absolute glee at that thought.  Sure, he and the redhead never really got along, but he’d make sure he was there with popcorn when she handed his brother his ass on this topic.  He turned to Blair.  “We should have a welcome home dinner for Victor tomorrow.  Invite the whole family that’s in town,” he said, almost too giddily.

Viki and Blair both threw him a look.  They knew his exact motivations for having the family over.  Neither chose to respond to Todd’s childish attitude.

This gave Starr an opening to ask her aunt a question.  “We’ve been talking about everything that’s been going on for the past year, dad’s return, Irene’s reappearance.  I know it’s not your favorite topic, but maybe you can shed some light on it.  What was…our grandmother like when you knew her, when you were in school together?” she asked.

The table fell quiet, partly due to the question asked, but also because it was the first time any had referred to Irene Manning as Starr, Jack and Sam’s grandmother since she had made her reappearance.  Viki, especially, was taken aback.  Todd saw his sister’s expression and worried for her.  “Starr, maybe this is another discussion to table,” he suggested.

But Viki shook her head.  “No, no, it’s a valid question and quite alright.”  Viki composed her answer in her head before she began.  “Irene was always a very sweet girl.  Never a bad word about anyone,  kindhearted.  I always thought she would be a wonderful mother, quite honestly.”

Todd made a gagging sound, but was again ignored.

“How did you meet and how did she meet your father?” Starr asked next.

“Well, we were roommates in college and I brought her home to visit with me the summer after our first year.  She was quite intimidated meeting Father, but that wasn’t very unusual for people.  She didn’t come from any great wealth like I did, so that made her rather unsure of herself,” Viki commented.  She looked at Todd.  “Actually, the way she was when she returned last was exactly the opposite of her demeanor all those years ago.”

“Yeah, but she was in the CIA.  That would change a person, right?” Jack offered.

“Yes, it would, but so drastically?  And she was befriended by the Quartermaines, yet she struggled to raise two children,” Viki said.

“There also eight years missing there from the year I was born to the year that she ‘died’,” Todd said, working through the facts.  “Where was Victor all that time, because Tina didn’t remember him being around.  Where did she dump him?’

The family looked around the table, trying to find answers to questions that had never even occurred to them.

It was the late shift at General Hospital and if you were to ask Luke Spencer, the perfect time for Helena Cassadine to walk the halls.  The Greco-Russian matriarch usually wanted to make herself scarce and now, as the hospital operated on it’s night shift skeleton crew, was the perfect time.  She skulked through the halls until she found the room she was looking for.  Entering, she noticed the man in the bed was asleep.  “Well, it’s good to see you survived your trip out of the compound.  And in one piece, if I’m reading these monitor’s correctly.”  She ran her hand down the cheek of Victor Lord Jr. and just as she was about to pull her hand away, her wrist was grasped in his fingers. 

“For a nurse, you’re really overdressed,” he said as he turned on the overhead light.  “Who the hell are you?”

Helena smiled sinisterly.  “I’m an old friend of your mother’s.  We’ve…worked together over the last few years,” she replied.

“Well, if that’s the case, get the hell out of my room,” Victor said, turning away from her.

“Oh, I think you’ll want me to stay,” came Helena’s reply. “I think you want to know what I know.”

“And what would that be, lady?” came Victor’s snide remark.

“The name, dear boy, is Helena Cassadine,  And the information I have for you is about your family.”  She saw that she had his attention.  “But the information comes at a price.”

Victor heard her mention his family but was so caught up he didn’t hear the last part of her comment.  “Where’s my family?  Do you have them?  Because if you do, Mrs. Cassadine, I will kill you!”

Helena merely laughed.  “So many have tried that but all have failed.”  She walked over to the windows as she continued.  “No Mr. Lord, you will give me what I want if you want to see your wife and son again.”

Before she could continue, Elizabeth Webber came in to check on the patient.  “You’re up late.  Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.  When she saw his attention was at the windows, she turned and was faced with the Spencer family nemesis.  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I’m merely visiting the son of a good friend.  I learned he’s been through a terrible ordeal and wanted to check up on him, for old time’s sake.”  Helena turned her heels and made her way to the door.  “We’ll talk again, when we can be alone.”  With that, she left as quickly as she had appeared.

Elizabeth turned to Victor and Victor looked at her.  “You know that woman?” he asked.

Elizabeth nodded.  “She’s the grandmother of a friend of mine.  How does she know you?”

Victor shook his head.  “I don’t know, but I think she may have my family.”  For the first time since he had returned to the land of the living, Victor Lord Jr. was frightened, for himself and his family.

Helena’s exit had not gone unnoticed by just Elizabeth Webber.  Dr. Ewen Keenan had lost track of the time while going over notes.  He was just walking up to the elevators in time to see the older woman step onto one.  He turned around and went back to his office.  Pulling out his phone he waited until the other end picked up.  “Sorry about the late hour, but you should know, I just saw Helena Cassadine leave the hospital.  Probably here to see Victor Lord.  Well, knowing her, she would want as few witnesses to her comings and goings as is possible.  Yes, well, I believe he’s going to be released tomorrow, but I will try to get in to see him.  Certainly, I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”  He ended the call as he said aloud,  “What are you doing here, Helena Cassadine?” 



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