CHAPTER FORTY-TWO Before he could answer, there was a sound in the entry, and the butler announced, "Kristin Cummings."
It was a moment forever etched in time as Kristin walked into the room, a tentative smile on her face.
"Mother?" Laura gasped, looking from Kristin to Stefan. "I don't understand..."
"Say whatever you will," Stefan bade Kristin, who looked at her daughter, both sets of eyes filled with tears. "Tell all. There must be no more secrets. Bobbie, we will speak later. I have to go now-Helena must be stopped. I found out earlier where she was, and I will end this tonight."
"Stefan," Bobbie called, her heart in her eyes. "Be careful."
"I have much to live for," he told her, stark determination warring with love in his eyes. "But I will do what must be done. I will retake control of our lives, will chart a path that will bring us safely into the future……but first, first, I must deal with a particularly dangerous past." Turning to Laura and Kristin, he said simply, "Forgive me if you can." Then, he left.
Helena met Sal at the door, her eyes glinting with anticipation. "Where is the diary?"
"Hey," Sal greeted, imitating Sonny's casual demeanor. "It's nice to see you, too."
"Time is short," Helena ordered. "Now give me the diary."
"I don't think so," came a voice from behind them. Julian stood in the portal to the foyer. "The diary belongs to me. I arranged to have it retrieved. It and its contents belong to me."
"No," Helena argued, turning to him. Her back to Sal, she ordered, "I'm truly sorry, Julian, but you are no longer in charge. There have been certain developments that preclude you from leading the cartel, indeed from leading the rest of your life."
But, Julian just smiled. "Helena, surely you don't think that I didn't know the truth about what happened to Faison, the man you insisted that Anna Scorpio killed. Surely you didn't think that I aided in your escape from the mental institute simply because of our former relationship." He sighed and told her, "You weren't that good. Passionate, to be certain, but you were never passionate about me. Your ruling passion was ever about yourself and your desires. I was simply a stop along the way. You knew about me, about my resemblance to Cesar Faison years ago, and yet you never said anything to me about him, nor to him about me."
"Kill him, Corinthos," Helena ordered. "Kill him now. We can be out of here before anybody finds us and I'll see that you get a larger piece of the action."
Julian looked at Sal who shrugged. "Since you appear to think that I'm merely a mercenary, then maybe I should open myself up to the highest bidder. See, Helena, you're an escapee from the looney bin, and therefore you could possibly welsh on a promise and blame it on your mental problems. Maybe you forgot or something. Julian, on the other hand, has no such baggage hanging over his head, and the guy has yet to screw me over. Seems that I recall you working with the outfit that landed me in jail in the first place."
"We had an agreement, Mr. Corinthos."
Sal chuckled. "Lady, and I use that term loosely, you are entirely too fond of giving orders and expecting them to be followed. Do you think that I don't know what you want with that diary? And do you think for a minute that I'm not going to make use of it myself?" He laughed again and said, "I think that the Cassadine family is going to pay big bucks for this. And, probably keep on paying for some time to come."
Julian held out his hand. "Mr. Corinthos, please give me the diary."
Helena spoke carefully. "Pablo, Rudolpho, take the diary from Mr. Corinthos and give it to me."
"Yes, Madam," Pablo answered, suddenly moving to restrain Sal. Rudolpho wrenched the diary from Sal's hands, and handed it to Helena. "Sorry, Sonny," he said, "but she pays better."
Pushing Sal ahead of them, Pablo and Rudolpho forced Julian and Sal ahead of them and into the foyer where Jade was waiting for them, an inscrutable smile on her face. "Helena, I see that you have the diary."
"Jade, I thought that you'd left already."
"I thought it better if we left together," she admitted. "You do have the habit of vanishing unexpectedly."
Helena smiled, her teeth turning the smile into a snarl. "I keep my promises."
"When it suits you," Jade amended. "But I've thought better of doing business with you, now that I see how you think nothing of turning on your partners in an instant. Julian, take the diary from her. Pablo, Rudolpho, excellent work." She waved them around the room with the rather businesslike looking gun in her hand. "Now, hand me the diary and secure all of them to the chairs. Reece has been making certain that the incendiary devices are set." Turning to Helena, she said, "I am thorough, Helena. There will be a shocking explosion, and by the time the area is cool enough to examine, there will be little, if anything left. Since the house was leased to Julian, it will come as no surprise when his body is found here. He'll be tied to various illegal pursuits when Mr. Corinthos' body is found, too. Let me amend that-when whatever is left of their corpses is discovered. This will be an exceedingly hot fire, and as this house is gas-heated, the explosions should be spectacular." She shrugged. "It's entirely possible that your body may never be discovered. Not that your family will be heartbroken..."
"No," Helena screamed, pushing aside the chair and brandishing a gun. "I've come too far, done too much to allow you to take it from me." With a shriek, she began shooting. Seconds later, amidst answering gunfire, it was over. Helena lay wounded, her wail of insane anguish echoing throughout the house. Jade's white silk dress was covered with blood, and Julian lay quietly. Sal picked himself up off the floor, assisted by Rudolpho. Pablo was busily applying pressure to his leg. Sal's arm was bleeding.
"Thank heavens for bullet proof vests," Sal remarked. "Rudy, help Paul." With his good arm, he pulled out his cellular phone. "It's over. Helena is really out of it, and Jade is…"
"Dead." Suddenly, Reece appeared in the doorway. "Marty? Bring The Seventh Rose in immediately."
At the sound of those words, Julian's eyes opened, and he looked askance, his eyes clouded with pain, the specter of death hovering close.
"The Seventh Rose?" he whispered. "But...."
"She lives."
Moments later, Lila was wheeled into the room where she ordered tersely, "Clear the room. Reece, if you'll stay and assist me."
Helena was carried out, leaving Reece and Lila alone with Julian, who lay dying.
"Answers," Julian asked softly. "Please?"
"Yes," Lila promised, gently. "For the first and last time in your life, indeed, for the last time in my life, I'll tell the story.
"Your grandfather was Alexei, crown prince of Russia, forced to flee his country and hide his identity. He married quite young-to a cousin in Denmark. He lived for only a few months, but long enough to know that he would father a child. That child was your mother. She remained largely unacknowledged, hidden, out of fear of the Bolsheviks. Her grandparents had been killed, along with most of their family, and her mother feared that she'd be killed, too.
"But, you see, there was another reason that she wasn't acknowledged-because they learned that Alexei's real father was Rasputin, not Nicholas. This was kept secret for a long time, but when the child got older, the secret became harder to keep. She was intense, passionate, and very willful. Eventually, she came into contact with Edward VIII, and following a whirlwind but clandestine romance, she and Edward were secretly married. He told his father that he wished to marry her, her name was also Alexandra after her grandmother, but they wouldn't hear of it. They agreed with the representatives of Parliament that this marriage couldn't take place, not knowing that it already had. Meanwhile, George V, the king, died, and Edward became King of England."
"Edward VIII?" Julian whispered as his life pulsed irrevocably away.
"Yes," Lila nodded. Her voice was low and steady, telling him the details that would never make the history books, never leave that room.
"His family spoke discreetly with the heads of Parliament, and it was agreed that no link with Rasputin could be allowed. Rasputin had been denounced as the Mad Monk, and no monarch of England could have the slightest taint of insanity. The country still hadn't recovered from the rumors of royalty being involved in the Jack The Ripper murders from some years earlier, you see.
"So, as a diversion, Edward took up with Wallis Simpson, whom, Edward thought, would make Alexandra appear more acceptable. This wasn't the case, and what ensued, was essentially a coup d'etat. Edward's brothers, who had shared his father's opinion that Edward wouldn't be a good monarch, conspired with a few members of Parliament to wrest the throne from him. It was done quickly, with a forged document of abdication, and a story of romance. The tale was simple-Edward gave up the throne to be with his beloved Wallis. Edward realized that a king with no power was no king at all, and he gave in, leaving England. He married Wallis several months later when it became clear that the throne could never be retaken. Alexandra, who had been banished, came to him in France, and they continued their relationship, the secret marriage, which resulted in the birth of twins. You were the oldest, Julian, and for a while, you and your small family lived quietly.
"But, there were those who feared that the truth would out and shake England to its roots, and Alexandra was forced to flee. She asked for help, fearing for the life of her young sons. I was called upon to insure your survival-and I did what I could. I brought you to the best orphanage I could locate, and hinted about your heritage. Nothing definite, but enough to make certain that they knew to give you excellent care. And, I gave you a medallion from your mother. I never knew happened to her or to your brother until very recently."
"Then I'm...." he whispered, his voice weak as his life ebbed from him.
"Yes," Lila told him, her voice breaking as tears fell freely from her eyes. "Your Majesty."
And then, it was over.
Epilogue
The truth never left that room, never made the history books, and indeed, it is still believed that Alexei died back in Russia in the early 1900s. That Julian Rose died was acknowledged, though it was put around that he died in a tragic accidental explosion in upstate New York where he was vacationing while writing a book. Sonny Corinthos was captured sneaking back into the country, and was put into solitary confinement. Helena was taken into custody and is now confined to an institution for the criminally insane. Escape is unlikely.........
In a party that would have been a media event had the media been allowed in, The Quartermaines were resurrected, returning to the mansion amidst rumors and wild speculation. All that was admitted to was that the Qs had been working on something top secret, and that they regretted having had to fake their deaths, but more than that, that they regretted having caused their friends and loved ones any pain.
Reece was invited to the welcome home party where Reece's relationship to Lila was revealed, much to Edward's consternation, and the delight of the rest of the family. Edward scowled all evening, and did considerable blustering when an elderly white haired man entered the room, kneeling beside Lila's wheel chair, kissing her hand, while she glowed with happiness. The rest of the Quartermaine family reveled in the news, while Ned and Alexis seemed to be keeping some secret of their own. Jillian's entry into the family was greeted warmly, and Emily was ecstatic to have another child in the mansion. Ned and Alexis exchanged more secretive glances and moved closer together, causing great speculation, while Tracy, who was less than graciously admitted by Alan, was bent on, one might expect, mischief. Ned, however, informed Edward that he, Ned, was a Quartermaine, and that no amount of Cassadine blood could change that.
The Cassadine family, however, was another situation, entirely. Helena was, hopefully, out of the picture, but the truth about her infidelities had been discovered, and it was feared that another Cassadine, perhaps even Victor, if he got out of jail, would arrive on the scene to challenge Stefan's leadership. There was great uncertainty as to the legalities of the situation, what with Tracy petitioning the courts for anything she could think of. It would be years before that family would settle into anything even vaguely comfortable. And, it would be years before Carly's baby would make his reentry into Port Charles. Carly admitted that A.J. was the father, hoping that the combined Quartermaine/Cassadine/Spencer families could find her baby, but it became clear that Ryan Chamberlain had vanished along with the baby. In the uproar that followed his disappearance, nobody seemed to notice a man named Adam Newman, and his infant son, Adam Newman, Jr., leaving the country.
The Spencers had a lot to discuss, what with the family having been expanded to include the Cs and the Felicia's family, as well as with the return of Lesley, who was now going by the name of Kristin Cummings. They were forced to acknowledge some vague relationship with the Q family, because of Carly's relationship with A.J. and because of the unfortunate fact that Tracy was Luke's half sister and the fact that she was legally a Q. All things considered, Tracy had decided, she had enough new contacts and possibilities to make her life interesting for some time to come.
The nightmares ended for Kevin and Lucy, and he helped contact former students of Rose Academy making certain that there would be no lingering effects upon their minds. Their families were more than anxious to cooperate, and it was all handled very discreetly, while Julian's estate was used to facilitate this.
Tony Jones stayed under Gail Baldwin's care for many more months, finally returning to life a changed man-and not for the better. Angry, and suspicious, he left town, his life in tatters.
Felicia, her newfound family increasing, married Jamie Jacks, while Frisco watched.
There was a lead on Brenda's disappearance.......but that's another story.
"You killed my mother?" Laura demanded, her hands clinched into fists. "You? Stefan.....you protected me all those years, and yet now you're telling me that you killed my mother?"
