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When Cassadines Fall ~ The Detour
"What do you mean the plane is disabled?" Stefan doesn't raise his voice but his tone is too controlled to be anything but furious.
"I'm sorry, Mr Cassadine. When I came in to do preflight I found puddles under both of the planes. It's hydraulic fluid. I'm still in the process of doing a full check of the planes. If it's just the lines that have been cut I'll be able to replace the lines and add more fluid. But this bird isn't going anywhere until it's been checked from nose to tail, inside and out. I need a day- or better yet a couple- to really check things out. One plane might spring a leak... but both?" The mechanic has been too long in the employ of the Cassadine to assume that anything is natural or accidental. He didn't like being the bearer of bad news to a Cassadine but at least Stefan Cassadine is... reasonable.
Stefan nods and then replies tersely. "Understood. I want security posted on this hanger. And I want to know why there wasn't already."
Stefan walks away from the mechanic who is shaking his head. He wouldn't want to be in the head of security's shoes, reasonable and Cassadine only went so far.
KC takes one look at Stefan's face as he walks across the hanger toward her and shakes her head. "Your mother?"
"I don't know." Stefan admits reluctantly. "But I find it unlikely. If my mother had sabotaged the planes there wouldn't be puddles underneath the planes. Whatever damaged would only be discovered once in flight... probably over the ocean."
KC shudders. Stefan has made a concentrated effort to insure that she's never met his mother in person while making sure that KC is fully informed of his mother's darker habits. KC's only been in Port Charles for a couple of months. Her primary reason for coming to this upstate hospital is doing the surgery on Laura Spencer and then she'd ended up staying to beef up the neurology department at General Hospital. But she's been in the room on more than one occasion when tales of Helena Cassadine were told: by Stefan, by Luke and by Laura herself. For Laura, they are her most recent memories and freshly horrifying. "I guess the vacation is off. I know how much you love flying commercial."
Now it is Stefan who shudders, but he's resolute. "It is time to pick up the dog. Madeliene will be giving Cinnamon back to her human in the next few days. It is unacceptable."
"Stefan, it's a dog. I get it. It's a well trained dog, one that you've picked out. But the United States is a big country. I'm sure there are other trustworthy, well trained dogs that Maddy can get. There is probably even one in the great state of New York."
"This one has been trained with Maddy's scent for the last three months. It is her dog."
"How did you manage that?"
"Maddy runs when she is working on a problem. It's a trait she shares with Nikolas. Since the weather has turned; she has on occasion used the facilities at Wyndemere."
"The treadmill." KC nods. She'd used it herself on days when she'd been visiting Stefan and the weather too foul to go for a walk around the island. "And then what? You mailed off her sweaty shirts to Poland?!"
"Yes." Stefan replies simply.
"I can't believe you sometimes." KC shakes her head in disbelief. Most of the time.
"KC?"
"V?" KC looks over toward the door of the hanger. "What are you doing here?"
"Jax got a wild hare this morning to fly off to Monaco to play chemin." V gives her old friend a hug.
KC laughs. "You told me he gets those kind of wild hares on a regular basis: polo down in South America, safari in Africa, scuba in Australia. How did he rope you into it?"
"I could say he promised me chocolate and it would be true. But the people we'll be meeting up with I've played against before. It'll be good to see them again."
"You ready to break the bank again, Contessa?" Jax asks cheerfully. "The plane is prepped and flight plan filed."
KC looks over her shoulder at Stefan. "Guess who else is flying off to Europe this morning."
"Really." Stefan walks over.
Dara is waiting at the doors of the L&B building with a white pastry bag when Alexis arrives for the day. Dara winces. She was hoping either Ned or V would be the ones opening up the building. She could still walk away. Go use the public law library. Or even make nice with Justus and use the DA office's law library. Neither option is appealing.
"Jerry left to get the Chows from Hawaii." Alexis unlocks the door. "That is what you're here about right?"
"I didn't know that but it's good to hear. Jerry out of town is never a bad thing."
Alexis laughs as she pushes the door open and turns on the lights. "A feeling you share with my brother."
"No need to get nasty. I brought danishes from Porter's."
"I'll make some coffee in a sec." Alexis says absently she sees the flashing red light on the phone. She depresses the message button.
Alexis, Ned-- it's V. I'm going out of town. Sorry for the short notice but since you're the one that let the Contessa out of the box... See you next Monday."
"The Contessa?" Dara raises a brow not making any pretense about not listening. What a great job V has that she can take off for a week with zero notice.
"Yes, when Jax was trying to earn his stake back after losing everything. He needed a distraction at the table. So V went... undercover... as The Contessa, a bored South American socialite with more money than sense."
"Ah to explain her hooking up with Jax. Makes perfect sense." Dara smiles showing all her teeth. Then she remembers that she needs a favor and holds her hands up in an surrender posture. "Sorry, the Jacks boys aren't on my most favored list after everything that has happened with Maddy."
"I know." Alexis sighs. "And if it will make you any happier... Stefan is out of town too. Cassadine business out of town." Alexis explains.
"Well Hell! Why didn't you say so sooner?! Lets get this party started. You bring the popcorn."
"What do you have going?" Alexis leads the way back to the kitchenette to get the coffee started.
"A little problem that Ricky Robideau dropped in my lap."
Alexis winces. Last time Ricky had dropped the problem in her lap. "Nothing involving his father I hope? I mean we owe Ricky for his good aim back in the courtroom but..."
Dara interrupts and warns, "If I tell you then you're in. Attorney/client. You want in?"
Alexis raises a brow. "Do you need me on this?" Others might think the question taunting considering Dara's winless record against the Cassadine attorney but Alexis' tone isn't. They did owe Ricky and if there is anything a Cassadine believes in, even the bastards, is Timoria. "With Stefan out of town even briefly..."
"You've got your hands full keeping an eye out for the revolt." Dara smirks but she isn't offended by the offer of help... this time. "I'm fine. I need to touch base with the client before I issue any invitations to join the team. Okay if I use your library?"
"No problem." Alexis hands Dara a cup of coffee and then takes a danish from the white bag. "You brought breakfast. I'll take care of lunch."
"Deal."
"So how long are you going to punish Nikolas?" Em asks kicking back in her office at Deception. Even not hanging around Maddy as much as she used to when they were being homeschooled at the mansion she can recognize the signs.
"I'm not punishing Niknik." Maddy shrugs as she tries to not pace Em's office.
"Okay let me rephrase... and it's a rude question but we're all girlfriends here. How long has it been since Nikolas Cassadine has slept alone... besides last night of course."
Maddy sighs. "You know how long it's been. Our trip down to New Orleans to see Granny Sophia."
"Refresh my memory. How long did it take for Nik to show up down in New Orleans?"
"You are really a pain in the ass. Does Johnny know what he's getting into?!"
"Better than most." Em grins and then shakes her head. "Three days. You have three days, probably less to make up on your terms and then things are going to start getting interesting. Let him do the Cassadine version of an apology, let him grovel a bit-- offer to do dishes or whatever passes for the poor sucker chore over at your house."
"His house." Maddy interrupts. "His house. I was sitting at the table last night looking at college applications. Em, I'm in a holding pattern. He's doing it and I'm letting him."
"Letting him do what?"
"Wrap me up in cotton batting like some empty headed doll. He's going all Cassadine and he's being sneakier about it than Stefan."
"You sound paranoid."
"Worse. When Nikolas didn't call yesterday, I tracked him down like something out of a country western song. Emily, that is something my mother would have done. I have got to get out of there. It's not Nik. He can't help the way he is. It's me. This is not my life. I'm not going to go there. Look-- thanks for listening but I have to get going. I have to check on the mall kiosk." Maddy doesn't wait for Emily to say goodbye before she leaves the office.
Em gnaws on the inside of her cheek as she watches Maddy practically flee down the hallway. "I hope I'm doing the right thing." Em reaches for the phone. "Nik, it's Em. I need to talk to you... as soon as possible."
"That was too easy." KC leans over to tell V. "I don't think anyone is fooling anyone." KC carefully buckles up and does a quick glance around the private plane to make sure where the emergency exits are.
After doing her own security check, V first looks over at Stefan who is pouring himself a glass of water in the galley and then toward the curtain where Jax will soon have them cruising over the Atlantic. "You think?"
"On all parts." KC says wryly. "Just so we're on the same page, Jax sabotaged the planes; Stefan knows he did, and we're all along for the ride."
"I've always told Jax I don't approve of felonies. It's one of the reasons I went to work for Ned and Alexis. Ned might cover them up and Alexis might defend them on occasion but neither one of them actively commit felonies... on a regular basis."
"I'm sure that would be such a comfort to your parents. When is Jax going to meet them?"
"Easter."
KC winces. "Throwing him to the lions on that one. Everyone is going to be there!"
"Not my idea." V defends herself. "After the way he acted after I came home after Thanksgiving... there was no way I was taking him to Christmas Dinner and he knew it. He invited himself to Easter."
"I'm sure he'll be on his best behavior."
"Right."
"I must agree with Ms Ardanowski." Stefan interjects himself into the conversation. He takes the seat next to KC and gives waters to both of the women. The buckles his own seatbelt efficiently. "Mr Jacks can be... charming but with an unfortunate habit of speaking, or worse-- acting, before he thinks -- it appears to be a family trait. One that thankfully has not been passed on to Madeliene."
"We'll see, Mr Cassadine. It's... lucky that we're going to Poland rather than Monaco. It'll give Jax some time to practice for my family."
Stefan asks curiously. "Do you speak the language, Ms Ardanowski?"
"No. Not really."
"About as much as I do." KC expands on the answer sharing a grin with V. "Food and swear words."
V smiles and nods her agreement. She and KC had both had their mouths washed out with soap for language that would have passed unnoticed by any censor of the FCC but not by Great Aunt Arminda. "Yeah, food and swear words. KC says you're going to Zakopane to pick up a dog?"
Stefan looks at KC and shakes his head all the pieces coming together. It hadn't made sense before that Jax would sabotage the planes even though he knew the younger man had. But now the motive became clearer. "Yes, a dog for Madeliene. She appears to be comfortable with a canine companion rather than more... intrusive security."
"Stefan has been sending off Maddy's sweaty gym socks to Poland for months so this dog would be used to her scent." KC rolls her eyes.
V nods. "That would work. Must be a hell of a dog. Do you have any pictures?"
Stefan flips open the leather binder that is on the middle of the table. "I don't normally. But yes, I brought all the relevant information with me." He hands two sheets of paper that have the particulars of both dogs written on it. "The parents..." and then another sheet of paper. "... and this is Madeliene's dog."
This is KC's first look at the dog they are going across an ocean to pick up. "Stefan, these dogs are huge! This says the father weights 70 kilos. That's 160 pounds! If Maddy's dog gets as big as this...."
V exchanges pictures with KC. "A Yeti wishes it had that kinda fur coat. This dog is going to have no problem in a New York winter. None at all." She hands the picture back to Stefan. "The Jacks might be impulsive but at least when Jerry bought a pony for Lucas-- he sent along a trust fund."
"Is anyone here?" Agent Ford knocks on the door of the L&B building.
Ned comes out of the backroom. He volunteered without even being asked for receptionist duties. Alexis would blame him for V taking off for the week. V'd been giving her version of a dirty look ever since he'd cancelled more tour dates out of town. "Ford? Right?" Ned frowns at the Federal agent darkening their door. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I received a call from Dara Jensen-- that she is here?" Ford is just as confused but at the same time happy to not have Dara in his office let alone his building. Jensen had his secretary totally cowed and ready to cry just by showing up.
"That explains the danishes." Ned mutters. He hadn't even been upstairs since hearing V's message knowing that Alexis was going to have something to say. "When Dara is here she is normally in the library. Let me ring." Ned goes behind the reception desk and punches an extention. Now he isn't surprised when Dara answers the phone.
"Yeah?"
"You expecting Agent Ford?"
"I'll be right down."
Ned hangs up the phone. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea? Danish?"
"Nah. I'm fine."
Em smiles at Nik's secretary who just waves her through to his office at General Hospital. "Hi. Sorry for the cryptic."
"Are you alright?" Nik looks Em over from head to toe.
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Em sheds her gloves stuffing them in her coat pocket and then sheds the coat. The coat rack is right there but she tosses them over the back of a chair. "Maddy stopped by before going to the mall kiosk." She'd already worked thru all of hesitation about sharing Maddy's confidences with Nik on the way over. Rationalization might be a trick learned at the knee of multiple Quartermaines but if she left it to Nik and Maddy they would screw things up for sure.
Nik's jaw tightens. He'd delayed as long as he could at the Corner Store wanting to clear the air with Maddy. Ever since starting the project she would do her early morning rounds and then go to the Corner store for a few hours before going to the mall kiosk. Today she didn't show up. "Oh?"
Em gets comfortable in the seat across from Nik's desk. She closes her eyes and shakes her head in disbelief. These two. "And I'm going to tell you the same thing I told her. Make up. Now for all of our sakes."
"You are one of my closest friends... " Nik begins. "... But this is none of your business."
Em gives him a yeah right look. "When has that ever stopped me?"
Nikolas laughs. "Never. What was I thinking?"
"Good question." Em pulls the seat up closer to the desk and rests her arms on it. She takes control of the desk and makes it her own in the room power politics; she'd need whatever advantage she could grab to make Nik listen to her and not just dismiss her and pat her on the head and say it would all be better-- something both he and Lucky had an annoying habit of doing . "Whatever happened has got her thinking that she is going to end up just like her mother. She is getting ready to jump. You know it and I know it. She said she's not mad. She isn't punishing you."
"I would never lay a hand on Madeliene!" Nikolas is frostily furious and jumps to his feet. He hadn't heard anything after Em saying that Maddy was afraid of becoming Lisette.
Em does too and shouts back. "I know that! Now sit down!" Em takes her own advice and plops back in the seat. She stares at Nikolas until he does too.
Once seated, Nik repeats. "I would never lay a hand on Madeliene."
Em sighs. "Look, Maddy never really talks about her mother to me. Not the way she did to you. I didn't even know her name until you told me. I know she and Maddy fought like cats and dogs. I know her boyfriend killed her. I don't think that was what she was talking about." Em runs her hands thru her hair in frustration. "We were talking about you and college and houses. Then she said she did something that her mother would have done and had a light bulb moment or something and she couldn't get out of my office at Deception fast enough. It's not you, Nikolas. It's Maddy."
"That is no comfort when it will be I who is left alone yet again." Nik says impatiently not even hearing what he is saying.
Em winces. A year ago she could have blamed that one on Laura Spencer, and Laura alone. Now she could claim a piece of that one for herself. "Maybe I shouldn't have said anything."
"Maybe you haven't said enough." Nikolas focuses on Emily. "What did Maddy do? What did she do that reminded her of Lisette?"
Jax looks over his shoulder to see who has come up into the pilot cabin. "How are things going back there?"
V slides into the copilot's seat. "Why do I think that Fine isn't going to be enough of an answer?" She holds up the lunch that she'd prepared as an excuse.
"V." Jax gives her a look. Making a quick check thru all his instruments he transfers over to autopilot. "Or should I say Contessa." He reaches for his lunch.
"Oh so now I get to be in on the whole scam."
"What did you find out?"
"It's called a Kavkazskaya Ovcharka and don't make any mocking sneezing noises either." V warns.
"I wasn't going to." Jax has already learned that lesson. "That's the dog? The dog that has Stefan flying across the Atlantic and for all we know probably breaking a dozen different international regulations?"
"Right, like you'd worry about a little thing like that." V makes like a dictionary. "Caucasian Guardian dog about a dozen different names for it depending on where you are: Russia, Poland, or even Turkey. Big dog. BIG. Big teeth. Lots of them. Furry looks like a bear."
"And?" Jax says around a mouthful of sandwich.
"Evidently that pitbull that tails Maddy wherever she goes doesn't belong to her but to someone who is going to be taking the dog back in the next couple of days. Stefan realized there was going to be a problem months ago and started shipping Maddy's sweaty workout clothes to this dog's handler for the last three months. Using the clothes to familiarize the dog with Maddy's scent."
Jax grunts. "Okay. That makes more sense then. He's been at this for months not just a flying off to Poland on a whim."
"Right-- that's more your MO." V retorts. "KC drew a lot of information out of him. She knew about the dog but not the details really. Wanted to know why a dog from New York wouldn't be just as good."
"Ha! Like anything made in the States even a dog would be good enough for a Cassadine." Jax smirks as he picks at his Serrano ham and swiss on russian rye with it's slathering of Dutch Groningen brown mustard.
V starts to say something but then shakes her head. "Anyway. The guy wanting his dog back came up suddenly so now Stefan has to get the dog and doesn't want a bunch of strangers handling the dog because it's supposed to be Maddy's dog."
Jax's eyes narrow. "The same technique could be used to make a dog attack as bond."
"Yeah, and if Maddy were getting a dog from Helena Cassadine that might be an issue but that's not what is going on."
"So this herding dog..."
"Guardian dog." V interrupts. It's the farmer's daughter that answers. "Big
difference, Jax. A herding dog is a working dog too but they work for the
herder, doing what they say. A herding dog might take on a wolf or coyote that
was messing with the herd maybe even get some licks in. It would probably even
take off after a threat to run it off.
A guardian dog isn't bonded to people. Doesn't give a rip about anyone cept
maybe one human and some of them not even that. Their only task is protection. A
good one... no matter what the provocation will not leave their flock
unprotected from whatever threat: wolf, coyote, bear, human whatever. It'll make
the stand between the threat and what it's protecting. The threat will either
leave or one of them is going to be dead. And if the threat leaves, the dog
doesn't chase it because that would be abandoning its post."
"So the time I tried to talk to Maddy down on the docks and she cut me cold. The pitbull had it's rough up."
"The pitbull was still heeling by Maddy's side. An Ovcharka would have been in front of her between you and her. You wouldn't have gotten within three feet of Maddy, heck ten feet of her, unless Maddy gave the okay."
"I'm not liking this. And I'm especially not liking that this is a gift from Cassadine. Wouldn't put it past them to train the dog to attack anyone named Jacks!"
"Guess you're going to have to use this time to get the dog used to the idea that you're part of the flock and not a threat."
"Right. Where are they going again after we drop them off in Krakow?"
"Zakopane."
The name sounds familiar to Jax and then he remembers. "Skiing. Looks like we're going skiing, Contessa. The tables will just have to wait."