When Cassadines Fall

Jason stares off into the distance. His hand is firm on the railing of the boat that is easing up the third longest river in the world-- the Yangtze river. Not one of the huge commuter ferries or the tiny skiffs that the local fisherman went out in but a nice medium sized boat. There is nothing to see really. The lights of the towns and cities along the river but the river itself is murky and dark barely contrasting with the night air.

The leads in Shanghai had been a bust. Nobody was talking... some of them might have even not known anything. Even with Jerry there and the guy from the embassy doing translations, and doing his best to read the body language of those interviewed; it was screwed. Everyone told him-- needle in a haystack. Worse than that... they'd picked up a tail. Jerry had seen it first. Sorry to say they all pretty much looked the same to him.... nothing to pick out of a crowd but the SOB had done it. There was only one more name on the list Maddy Reynolds had given him-- an old school mate of Yuen Chow, the wife of the missionary. They were heading that way now but it wasn't simple anymore. They had to provide distractions and excuses for being where they were going. Playing tourist for sure. And he could feel by the hair on the back of his neck that they were within days, maybe hours, of having a very polite gentleman inviting them to go play tourist in somebody else's backyard.

"Gees those guys would bet on the number of grains of rice in a bowl." Jerry grouses.

"They beat you at Mahjongg again?" Jason smirks.

"Hey I'm keeping up my end being friendly with the natives. I'll send ELQ a bill for my losses. And damn handy it will be."

"Oh."

"Seems old man Xing does a little trading The Party knows nothing about. Has a compartment on the boat which wouldn't be considered plum digs but would be workable if we can manage to find the ladies."

"If this one doesn't work out..." Jason hates admitting it. "We're going to have to get back to The States... see if any leads come in eventually. But with a tail on us... and like Carly said going in... it's not exactly like we blend."

"I know." Jerry sighs. He leans up against the railing next to Jason. He is momentarily distracted by a fish jumping. "Always hard to admit when she has a point. She never lets you forget it." Jason snorts in agreement. "But this is actually the best lead. It's got some distance to it. Distance from the crime as it were."

"It's a longshot." Jason says flatly. This looking for the silver lining crap is just another way to lie.

"Yeah, the kind that pay off big when they come in." Jerry reminds. "I'm going to turn in.

Jason frowns into the distance. There had to be a plan B if this didn't work. But what the hell was it? Reaching into his pocket he pulls out a cell phone that uses satellites to bounce signals and calls Sonny. "We need a plan B."

"Plan B? What plan B?" Sonny protests. He isn't even surprised to hear Jason's voice.

"Exactly. I'm getting nowhere fast and not having near as much fun as checking out the Nile and the pyramids. See who you can leverage."

"I'll make a few calls."

"I got one more thing here to check out." Jason hangs up.

Home Invasion

****Warning!! This chapter includes FOOD. DO NOT READ WITHOUT CHOCOLATE or OTHER SWEETS.****

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Audrey Hardy and Averille Lansbury descend on Wyndemere Lite at the same time. Audrey is caring a box of supplies and Mrs. Lansbury has a tote of her own. Liz, who had been in the kitchen getting some coffee, sees them coming. Her plan for the day was to study for her finals and work on her final project for her still life class. She'd gotten the day off from Kelly's. "Gram? Mrs. Lansbury? What are you two doing here?"

"We both had the day off, dear." Audrey explains. "And this kitchen is centrally located."

"I think it was Master Nikolas' intention when he purchased the house." Mrs. L. agrees. She hands Liz her keys. "There are more in the trunk." Audrey hands Liz her keys as well.

"More what?"

"Cookie making supplies. While the cafeteria at GH is making most of the cookies for the Christmas party I'm sure a little help wouldn't go amiss." Mrs. Lansbury spots the tea kettle and puts it on. Then she reaches into her tote and pulls out the heavy duty Krups mixer with various attachments.

"How many cookies are you guys planning on making?" Liz looks at the mixer aghast.

Mrs. L looks at Audrey who shrugs. "Oh 50 or 75."

"You brought over a huge mixer like that for 75 cookies?"

"Dozen. 75 dozen. The cookies themselves won't take long. It's the decorating that takes forever." Mrs. Lansbury looks over at Audrey. "I'm thinking basic butter cookie then top them with toasted almonds or preserves-- I brought apricot, raspberry and Cook put up a wonderful gooseberry this summer."

"I don't know." Audrey disagrees. "The gingerbread men always go over so well with the children. I think we should do at least a couple of batches of them as well." She pulls out a large jar of molasses from her box of goodies. "And the children never seem to mind if the men are missing arms, legs or eyes. I think they like them better that way."

"Of course they do. Why else would those kind be in the hospital?" Mrs. Lansbury says wryly. She looks over at Liz who is kind of staring at the two of them with her jaw dropped.

Liz snaps her mouth shut and heads for the back door. "I guess I'll go get the stuff."

As soon as she is gone. "I'm glad you called me." Mrs. L says to Audrey.

"I think the children need to be occupied while they are waiting for the results. And making cookies has a routine to it that will keep their hands busy. But I think we should be the ones keeping an eye on the oven just in case."

"This will also give me time to make up another shopping list for them as well."

Liz runs sliding past the two cars and heads to the carriage house. "LUCKY!!!"

"Wha?" Lucky protests half awake climbing from bed and reaching for his robe, wondering where the fire is as Liz comes dashing up the stairs.

"It's Invasion of the Grandmother Types. Gram and Mrs. L are both up at the kitchen in the main house and they're going to be making mass cookies."

Lucky perks right up. "Really? Tell me they are going to make snicker doodles. I love snicker doodles."

"Lucky, I have to study for my finals. You can't leave me alone with them. I'll not only not get any studying done but I'll get fat too. Where is Nikolas?"

"He went out to the stables after Maddy left for work and then school." Lucky glances down at his watch. "He should be back any time. Maddy might check in at noon depending on her schedule. I'm going to have to take off here in a couple of hours to go check on the motorcycle shop. You think they'll have some done to take with me?"

"Are you going to help or not?"

Lucky laughs and going over to his dresser pulls out some jeans and a flannel shirt to wear over his t-shirt. Dressing swiftly he pulls on some wool socks and then stomps into his boots. "I'll help until I have to go. Maybe Nik will be back by then. Study while you can, Babe. You know you are going to be roped into decorating. Go ahead back up to the house. Let them know I'll help while you hit the books for a few hours."

"You won't leave me alone with them?"

"I just have to call the hospital and see if Mom has woke up from surgery yet."

"Okay." Liz does a whole body shake to loosen herself up and then straightening her shoulders marches back down the stairs.

Lucky picks up the phone and dials the number he has memorized. Liz on her way back to the main house stops at her Grandmother's car and pops the trunk. It is stuffed with supplies. She groans and grabs the first box. Balancing it carefully she backs into the kitchen. "Gram, did you bring your whole kitchen with you?"

"Just the baking supplies, Dear." Audrey examines the recipe for the gingerbread men. She is going to do the first batch to give Averille time to do a grocery list for the house. "I don't need them at my house anymore now that it's just me and Gatsby. I think they'll have much more use here."

"True, true." Mrs. Lansbury looks up from the fridge. "And a well seasoned pan is much better than the new things they are putting out. Although I am hearing good things about the air cushioned cookie sheets-- browning without burning. Your grandmother told me that you've mastered the basic brownie recipe."

"It comes in a box and you add egg, water and oil. It's not that hard." Liz disagrees. "Add a couple extra eggs if you want cakelike rather than fudgey. Lucky likes the fudgey ones better."

Averille sighs. These children and their boxes. Didn't they see the value of real food? "I brought you another cookbook to go with those." She points to the place next to the coffee maker where the starter collection of cook books stand. Closing the fridge, she goes over to her purse and pulls out a spiral bound hardback. 365 Great Cookies and Brownies. "You never know when you're going to want to whip up something sweet."

Liz takes it and is unable to resist glancing through it. "Oh Maddy would Love this one. It's a marbled cream cheese brownie that is flavored with Kahlua... isn't that a coffee Liquor? Oh wait here is another one made with espresso powder. What's espresso powder?" She looks up at Mrs. L who has just added the espresso powder to the list.

"Just what it sounds like. A more intense coffee flavor than you would get than adding either coffee or instant coffee crystals to the mix."

Lucky comes into the kitchen not only carrying a box from the trunk but after setting it down pulls out a CD case from his pocket. "Well Ladies, if we're in the mood to do the Christmas thing... Lets really get in the mood." He goes over to the boombox and drops in A Very Special Christmas and cranks it. Giving them a thumbs up he heads back out to the cars for the next load.

Audrey goes over to the CD case and looks through it sighing. "No Perry Como."

Lucky comes back in with another box. "Nope, but I do have A very Motown Christmas; it's a compilation I burned off myself. And if you prefer instrumental a little Manheim Steamroller. You guys are going to make snickerdoodles right?"

Liz snorts then mutters. "And they had the nerve to call me a Christmas Nazi." Her voice gets loud enough to be heard by everyone. "I'm going to go borrow Nik's study for a couple hours to cram." She picks up her American History text and then unable to resist-- the new cookbook and ducks out.

Lucky goes back out to the cars starting in on Mrs. Lansbury's vehicle. Mrs. L looks at Audrey. "Cram?"

"Last minute studying for tests. Since her history final isn't until next Tuesday it isn't truly cramming. Traditionally it's done the night before right up until the actual test."

"Ah." Mrs. L moves on from the fridge to the cupboards. "You know if we are going to make snickerdoodles too... we might as well make up a couple of tins of shortbread."

"Oh I love shortbread-- especially the kind with just hint of lemon." Audrey pokes at the butter that Mrs. L had left on the counter to warm to room temperature. Deciding it is close enough she starts tossing the ingredients into the Krups and begins the first batch of gingerbread. Both the gingerbread and the butter cookie dough would need to be refrigerated before it could be formed and baked. They'd timed this perfectly with the kids' fridge being mostly emptied. Lucky finishes bringing in all the supplies about the same time as Audrey is finishing up the heavy dough. He drops the box on the table and races over to hold the heavy bowl and it's contents while Audrey scrapes it out with a spatula onto some plastic wrap. She wraps the dough ball in the plastic wrap and sets it into the fridge. Quickly cleaning up her utensils she starts all over again.

Mrs. Lansbury hands Lucky the grocery list. "Here you go."

"Un-uh." Lucky shakes his head. "Nik and I did it last time. It's the girls turn. I'll go fax this list to Maddy over at the mansion. Reggie will give it to her before she leaves." Lucky sneaks a fingerful of gingerbread dough from the mixing bowl before he leaves. Which earns him a hand slap from Audrey.

"At least it doesn't have raw eggs in it." Audrey shakes her head. So predictable. Steve, Tom and Tommy all used to do just the same.

"Considering Mr. Lucky's idea of a proper diet... I don't think a little raw egg would phase him."

The beeping of the fax alerts Reggie who goes over to the machine. He snickers as he reads the cover sheet. Seems Wyndemere Lite is under attack.

"What is it, Reginald?" Edward looks up from the files he is examining. "Is that from the office?"

"No, it's for Miss Maddy. Mrs. Hardy and Mrs. Lansbury are over at Nikolas' house on a cookie baking binge. Lucky just faxed over a shopping list for Miss Maddy to fill before returning to the house." Reggie holds up the second sheet of paper.

"Cookies." Edward gets a greedy glint in his eyes. "Chocolate cookies? Are they making candy too? There is nothing better than homemade Christmas candy."

"Lucky didn't indicate." Reggie shrugs and leaves the room to take the message to Maddy.

Edward practically tiptoes to the door and looking both ways shuts the door and locks it then goes back to the phone. "I need you to pick me up in front of the mansion. Up by the gates... I'll meet you there. Just get over here. I'll explain everything when you get here."

"Lucky, you ready to head out?" Larry asks. He and Partner walk in the back door into the kitchen after a brief rap on the door. "I can only give you a quick look see but it should be enough for you to tell Morgan how much it's going to cost him to heat the building." Larry sniffs the air.

Lucky looks up from where he is rolling out the second batch of gingerbread. The first batch is cooking. Mrs. Lansbury is still mixing up the dough for the butter cookies. Luckily there is plenty of counter space for all of the people. Everything that had been on the kitchen table had been put away except for the wire racks that were going to be used for cooling the cookies before they could be frosted. "Yeah, Let me go get Elizabeth to cut these out and we can leave." Lucky wipes his hands on a hand towel. "Mrs. Hardy and Mrs. Lansbury, this is Larry and his partner. They renovated the house for Nik."

"So you're responsible for this wonderful kitchen." Audrey compliments as she slides on an oven mitt to pull out the first batch of cookies and slides in another and sets the timer again.

"Actually I think all compliments should go to you two." Larry sniffs appreciatively again. "Ah that brings back memories. First house I ever built wasn't made out of leggos but of Gingerbread. My father considered it the macho side of baking."

Partner laughs. Liz comes in the kitchen with Lucky. Liz studies him carefully. "What's up? What's happened?"

"I got the nomination!" The words explode from Partner. "The award dinner will be on the 28th."

"That's great!" Liz gives him a hug.

Larry rolls his eyes. "It's black tie."

"I feel for you, man." Lucky slaps him on the back and then goes over to grab his coat. "I'll be back after I close up the shop at two. You want me to stop and pick up some ribs? You guys aren't going to want to cook after all this." Lucky waves his hand and then heads out not waiting for an answer. Larry leaves with him.

Liz shakes her head. "It's his night to cook anyway." Liz looks at Partner. "Okay, Mr. Worrywart, What is bothering you now."

"As soon as all of the nomination went out all the members received a list of the nominated buildings. They have to check them out before they vote. That means there are going to be a lot of people, a lot of critical people, driving by. They can't stop-- tell Nikolas that. Not unless you have an open house but they will be checking the place out. Everything has to be perfect." Partner worries.

"I thought you were going to lose my number, Old Man." Ricky bitches as Edward climbs into the passenger seat.

"And I told you there are things I have to get done and Reggie and Lila can't know about them or it will ruin everything."

"Fine. But this is the last time." Ricky is about to pull out onto the road but pauses. "Where are we going?"

Edward gives him the address.

"So what set off the baking binge at the house?" Larry asks as he makes a few notes in his book. "Or is it just the season?"

"GH Christmas Party for the kids. I don't think Mrs. Hardy trusts the people down in the cafeteria to do it right. And Mrs. Lansbury works for the Cassadines... they own the hospital now."

"Oh right." Larry says absently. Turning to a clean sheet he starts sketching.

Lucky comes over to look over Larry's shoulder. "What's that?"

"Oh nothing." Larry flips the book shut.

"What was it?"

"A sketch of General Hospital."

"What are you thinking, man?"

"What would you think of making a Gingerbread house shaped like General Hospital for this party?" Larry supposes. "Nah, nevermind it's a silly idea."

"Can you do it? I mean really?"

"Please. Of course I can. It's a gingerbread house. It would just be bigger than any one I've built before." Larry shrugs.

"Okay. I can understand a candy store but a candy making store?" Ricky pulls up at the address Edward indicated.

"This will just take a minute." Edward pops out of the car and walks in straight up to the manager. Ricky trails in behind him, looking around and shaking his head. "I want a candy making kit... top of the line. With everything to make... divinity, fudge, peanut brittle, almond roca, bonbons and pralines... yeah, pralines." Edward is practically drooling by the time he gets to the end of the list.

"And this is suppose to be a present for your wife? Ha!" Ricky twirls one of the racks of recipes.

Edward looks a little guilty. "Well actually this is a present for Maddy."

"A rather self serving gift. You planning on sampling whatever she makes? Isn't it easier to just go over to Porter's?" One of the free handouts catches his eye and he snatches one and folding it in half puts it in his pocket.

"He makes cookies and cakes." Edward says petulantly. "Not candy. Not pralines like Maddy got for me in New Orleans."

"Maddy didn't make those... she bought them over at the corner store." Ricky reminds. "If you want Maddy to make you something-- have her make you some cannoli. My Grandmother taught her how to make those. It's where she got in the habit...."

"What? What were you going to say?"

"You almost done? We got one more stop to make."

"Oh Where?"

"Just give the woman your platinum card and lets go."

"Am I doing this right?" Nikolas looks over at Mrs. Lansbury.

Mrs. Lansbury comes over and checks out what Nikolas is doing. "They look wonderful." Mrs. Lansbury checks out the looped butter cookie dough. Half of it had been dyed red and the other green and Nikolas had twisted them together to form wreaths. Audrey is on the other side of the breakfast bar. Plain circles of cookie dough have been cut out and placed on the sheets now in assembly line fashion she is pressing a whole almond in the center of all of them. As soon as this row of sheets were finished the next ones that were ready to go would be topped with a teaspoon of apricot preserves. Over at the kitchen table, Liz is using tubes of frosting gel to decorate the gingerbread men and women. Mrs. Lansbury alternates between taking racks in and out of the over and putting the finished cookies into the airtight containers and sealing them up carefully labeling each tin with the contents.

"You guys so owe me for this one." Maddy declares as she walks in the door. She has plastic bags strung up both arms. "You and Lucky got to do this as a team. You know how crazy the grocery store was? And Cinnamon was no help at all." She finally looks at the controlled chaos of the kitchen. "I'm not cleaning this up."

Audrey laughs. "We'll clean up when we're done." She promises.

Maddy drops the bags off in an unused corner of the kitchen and heads back out to the van. Nik washes off his hands and heads outside to help. "I didn't invite them over."

"Don't mind me. The grocery store was a bitch. The best time to go shopping is 2am not 2pm although it could have been worse. It could have been at 5p when most people get off work. Then the lines would have been all the way back to the meat department rather than just halfway there. I'm going to find someplace that delivers I swear."

"Works for me." Nik gets more of the bags. Maddy picks up the last of them and slams the van door shut following him back into the house.

"A liquor store? Now, young man, I know I've been asking for drives as a favor but that doesn't mean I'll be contributing to the delinquency of a minor." Edward says gruffly.

Ricky reaches into his pocket and pulls out the free list he'd taken from the candy making store. "If you know Maddy at all then you know she cooks with booze."

Edward remembers the bread pudding with whiskey sauce that Maddy had made back in New Orleans and snatches the list from Ricky. "Amaretto balls, Apricot amaretto balls, Bailey's Irish Cream truffles, Bourbon balls, Bourbon bonbons, Brandied chocolate truffles, Cherry cordials, chocolate covered cherry cordials, chocolate pecan rum balls, chocolate bourbon bites... I didn't know there were so many different candies with liquor in them." Edward continues to check out the list.

"And you might get Maddy to make you some of them... but you have to provide the booze."

Edward looks at the list and then looks at Ricky. "Are you trying to get me arrested?"

"Would I do that?" Ricky laughs with mocking malevolence then twirls his nonexistent moustache before getting serious. "Maddy's mom was a lush. She isn't. She cooks with booze; she doesn't drink it. If she was a lush, she'd be bagged all the time. There was always liquor in Lisette's house and in Granny Sophia's. Maddy is too into control to fall for that trap."

"Wait here." Edward climbs out of the car.

"Oh hell no." Ricky climbs out. "Someone is going to have to carry it to the car."

The women stand back as Nik, Lucky, Partner and Larry all gather around the Kitchen table. Larry rolls out a sheet of butcher paper. "It's GH." Nik realizes.

"Right." Larry agrees as he points out the features. "I think I have the eyeball dimensions... it doesn't have to be perfect just representational."

"Why are you making a blueprint of GH?" Nik asks.

"It's not GH, man. It's a gingerbread version of GH." Lucky explains. "For the Christmas Party. It'll knock the kids on their collective asses.

"How are you going to do the windows?" Partner asks.

"Crushed up peppermint hard candy. They won't be clear but it will give the impression." Larry explains. "Cut the windows into the dough, fill the openings with the crushed hard candy... it'll melt into a thin sheet of candy almost transparent as the sides bake. Do the same thing for the emergency room doors. Use the piece of dough we cut out as the ambulance port and cantilever it with candy canes." Larry points to another part of the plan. "For the heliport on the roof we'll use..." he looks around the table. "... some of this." He grabs a couple of tubes of frosting and make the landing lights out of gum drops."

"Oh I like it." Partner exclaims with a nod. "It'll be fabulous."

Liz looks at Maddy and swallows a laugh. Her voice is choked up trying to restrain herself. "I think they've forgotten all about dinner. I didn't see any ribs did you?"

"Not a rib in sight." Maddy shakes her head. She turns to Mrs. L and Audrey. "You guys want to go out tonight? I can call Em see if she can sweet talk Johnny into getting us a table at Porter's."

"What about them?" Liz points at the guys.

"Boys and their toys. You think they'll even notice we're gone? Come on, we'll Pick up Granny Lesley on the way since she's over at Elm St. Clinic. Ladies night out... my treat."

Audrey and Mrs. L nod in agreement. Not making any effort to be quiet they gather their coats and bags and head out to Maddy's van. Maddy is the last one out the door. She pauses only long enough to write a note on the dry erase.

Hungry-- went out for dinner.
Took Liz, Mrs. H and Mrs. L with me.
XOXO
Maddy.
PS. I'm not cleaning up the kitchen.

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