What is Mine
~ Sixteen ~

Stefan gripped the glossy photo so tightly that it began to crumple. “How is this possible?” he breathed.

Adrian did not respond. He did not think at that moment that Stefan would have heard him if he had.

“They did not survive,” Stefan insisted, shaking his head. “All your investigative work said that they did not survive!”

“All the evidence indicated that they didn't.” Adrian's gaze was level. “But when I went over all the details of the accident, I found a tiny break in the chain.” He tapped the dossier on his lap. “I have spent the last two months retracing my steps and going over everything at least three times.”

Stefan tried to process what he had just been told. Somewhere out there his son was alive and well. “Where is he?”

“California.”

“ He is in the United States?!” Stefan struggled to leave his seat, but was brought up short by his seatbelt. “We must turn this plane around and retrieve him!”

Adrian stuck out a single strong hand and clamped it down gently on the other man's shoulder. “This is why I waited until we were in the air to tell you what I discovered.” He saw that he held Stefan's grudging attention. “Mr. Cassadine, the threat that originally endangered your son still exists,” he reminded Stefan pointedly. “If you ever hope to establish some kind of security for him, you have to deal with that threat before you do anything else.”

The young spy's subtle reference to Stefan's mother was the cold splash of reality that Stefan needed to tear his mind away from the miraculous news that his son did not perish in the accident that took Ariana, but in fact was alive and thriving.

“Your son is safe. I give you my word on that. My mentor, Jeremy Hunter, will protect him until you return to the States. But it had better be soon,” he added. “His adoption by these people becomes final in a less than a month.” Adrian finally handed Stefan the dossier he possessed. “That's how long you have to figure out what you are going to do about the person who tried to kill him.”