Chapter 4
From across the table Nikolas watched his younger brother pick at his food. Andresj' had been quiet since they'd left Laura's house earlier that evening. It wasn't unusual for him not to say much, but this silence was different. And it bothered Nikolas.
"Hey, lighten up!" Nikolas playfully ordered.
Andresj' gave him a wan smile. "Sorry, Nik. I guess I'm just not very good company tonight."
"With all this quiet, I feel like I'm having dinner with Father."
Andresj' laughed, despite his mood. He recognized that Nikolas was trying to cheer him up, so he responded with an appropriate facial expression.
"There, you see! You even have that eyebrow thing of his down pat. You are more like Father than I am."
"So you're finally admitting that I am the better son?""In your dreams!"
All in all, it had turned out to be an enjoyable evening. In time 'Dre's mood had brightened and he spent the remainder of the meal doing wicked imitations of everyone they knew. Even as they waited for the car to come around, he practiced another.
"Nikolas, darling, you've been misled by Stefan. I only want your happiness."
"You know if Helena ever heard you, she'd -"
"Well, well," Luke interrupted, "who do we have here? The little bastard prince and the deluded Pretender . . . Hands off, fellows." This last comment was directed to the bodyguards who prepared to physically remove him from the area.
"Go away, Mr. Spencer," Nikolas ordered.
"You know, I would, but I need to talk to the boy. So, what is it gonna be, boy? Do we talk somewhere private or do I spill my guts to little prince Nikky, here?"
Nikolas stepped forward and replied, "Andresj' is my brother, Luke. I know everything about him. Including the fact that he considers you a nuisance."
"Your mouth is moving, but I swear I hear Stuffin."
"No, Spencer. Now you hear me." Stefan stood directly behind Luke, arms crossed and looking dangerous. At some silent signal from him, the bodyguards released Luke.
"What 'cha doing, Cassadine?" He turned around to face Stefan. "Running scared that I might talk some sense into the boy?"
"As always, you overestimate both your importance and your influence."
"That's why you and the little prince there keep running interference, right? 'Cause the boy's so free to make up his mind about what I'm saying?"
"I am tired of you acting as though I'm not here," Andresj' spoke up from behind Nikolas. He walked toward Luke until they were only a foot or so apart. "You say you want to talk to me, but you only talk at me, or about me. Now it's my turn to talk. You obviously think that I am too stupid to make decisions for myself, or that Stefan controls my thinking. Well, you won't believe this, but I have decided for myself that I don't want to hear what you have to say about who is my real family and who isn't."
"You've been manipulated so long, kid, that you honestly believe you're thinking for yourself." Luke shook his head in apparent sympathy. "I am giving you the chance to see how wrong you've been about the bloodsucker you call your father."
"Don't you understand? There is nothing you can say that will change my mind. Stefan is my father - in every way. Whether I succeed or fail, he will always be the one I look to. And when I'm lucky enough to have a family of my own, Stefan is the man I want my children to know and love. The way I do."
Clap, clap, clap "Beautiful speech, boy. How much of it do you really believe? You can only fool yourself for so long, you know. Then truth has a way of opening your eyes, whether you want it to or not."
"I hope that you are correct, Mr. Spencer. The sooner your eyes are opened, the better for us all." Andresj' paused, then stepped forward until he and Luke were eye-to-eye. "And for the record, my name isn't boy. It is Andresj' Mikhail Stefanovich Cassadine."
"You know, Cassadine," Luke said as he watched the two young men leave, "you can change his name and teach him your phony European royalty act. But the time will come when he has to admit who he really is."
Stefan threw his head back and laughed. "Ah, Luke, you are a true delight to me! You attribute my vigilance where Andresj' is concerned to some fear of your influence on him. In truth, your every encounter with him only serves to reinforce the already considerable bond we share. So, I thank you. And now I must return home to comfort my son concerning your unwanted disruption of his life."
"You're awfully quiet, 'Dre. Am I going to have to cheer you up again?"
"Is this how my life in Port Charles will be, Nik? Unable to go anywhere without expecting to see Luke Spencer lurking in the bushes? Or having you or Papa defending my place in the family?"
"It is going to get better. Luke will have to accept that he cannot destroy us."
"I wish I could believe you . . . I'm tired. Will you say 'goodnight' to Papa for me?"
"Of course. Goodnight, little brother."
"Are you snacking alone, Nikolas?"
"Yes. Andresj' asked me to wish you 'goodnight'. He has gone to bed."
"I see. So, how was your outing?"
"It was really nice. I think Andresj' wanted to spend more time around Lulu, but he was really uncomfortable in Laura's house."
"Did Spencer follow you from the house to the Outback?" Stefan asked.
Nikolas put down the cluster of grapes he held. "No, he wasn't there while we were, but it was obvious that Andresj' kept waiting for him to show up. I think I did, too. 'Dre was so quiet I could tell that he wanted to leave Laura's. So we took the long way to the Outback." Nikolas suddenly smiled. "By the time we got there, he had finally relaxed. You should have seen him, Father. He was so funny, imitating our tutors, and Alexis. And you." Stefan's eyebrow rose. "That's exactly what he did!"
"I must remember to ask for a repeat performance tomorrow."
"I wish you could have been there. It was the first time in a while that 'Dre seemed like his old self. Too bad Luke had to ruin everything."
*General Hospital and its characters are not mine. I make no profit from this. The characters Andresj' Cassadine, and Diane Jennings are my creation.*
