Where Will All Come Home?

Chapter 11
Sunday morning dawned clear and cold in Port Charles. The
busy snowplows bustled importantly down the streets pushing
the snow aside. Disgusted churchgoers bundled up and made
their way down their drives, shovels in hand, to clear away the
snow blocking their driveways. The irreligious congratulated
themselves on their lack of piety, and settled back under the
covers as the noisy snowplows lumbered away. Their driveways
could wait until afternoon.

Luke Spencer devoutly wished that he were one of those people settling back under the covers. Tammy was too ill to open Kelly's and Bobbie had been called to the hospital to assist in a surgical emergency. The waiter and waitress scheduled for the morning shift lived out of town, and couldn't get through on the unplowed roads. That left him to open Kelly's on his own.

Lesley Lu skipped along beside him, her cheeks rosy in the frosty air. Luke shook his head in wonder at her energy. He still felt half-dead after yesterday's ordeal, probably because he'd spent most of the night fitfully sleeping in a chair in Lulu's room. She skipped once more, a little too energetically. He caught her as she started to slide across the sidewalk, and righted her.

"Sometimes," he warned her, "you have to tamp down your enthusiasm. Or you end up on your butt on the ground looking up at the sky wondering how you got there."

"Is that the same saying as 'discretion is the better part of valor'?" Lesley Lu asked curiously.

"Kind of. Of course, sometimes you end up on your butt, and you weren't even enthusiastic to begin with," Luke mused. "Still, some things are always risky, and skipping on a slippery sidewalk is one of them."

"But you caught me, Daddy." Lesley Lu grinned.

"Yeah, I did," Luke grumbled.

"So skipping on a slippery sidewalk is mostly dangerous when your daddy isn't with you." She began to hum a tune. Halfway down the block she forgot and skipped again, and Luke took her hand to prevent another skid.

They reached Kelly's and Luke opened the door with his key. He turned on the lights as he shut the door, and directed Lulu to turn the sign around to read 'open.'

"What are we selling today, Daddy? Are you going to cook?"

"I guess so. I'll get started in the kitchen. Look at the sign by the cash register, Princess, and see what today's special should be."

Lulu carefully read the notice and had started on her way to the kitchen when the door opened. "Daddy!" she called. You have reinforcements! Lucky and Liz are here!"

Luke came out of the kitchen and smiled at the sight of Liz embracing Lulu.

Lucky scratched his head. "Well, you've got a waiter, a waitress and an all-purpose munchkin. Now you need a cook."

"Maybe people will stay home," Luke muttered. "Like they oughta."

"You eat breakfast here yourself every Sunday. Lots of people do." Lucky asserted. "By the way, where's Alexis? Shouldn't she be a part of your slave labor pool?"

"Gone when we got up. She left a note. Had to catch up on something at her office, I guess. The woman's too career-driven."

Luke snapped a towel at his son and laughed as Lucky easily dodged. "I'll have to make do with what I've got. Why don't you start the coffee, son? And Liz, will you show the munchkin how to set tables? I'll start cooking."

"What?" asked Lucky and Liz in unison. Startled at themselves, they laughed.

Luke looked hurt. "None of you have ever starved while in my care." He stalked into the kitchen with mock dignity and began to bang pans.

"It's okay, Lucky," said Lulu. "I already arranged for more reinforcements. You will like it too." She pranced off to help Liz, leaving Lucky to shake his head while he measured coffee.

"One word, Dad," shouted Lucky into the kitchen. "Pop-tarts."

"That's two!" yelled Luke. Lucky effortlessly dodged again as Luke hurled a plastic plate frisbee his way. It flew over the counter and clattered harmlessly to the floor at the feet of a shocked Laura, who had just walked in the door.

"I got an SOS," she laughed. "I didn't expect to be greeted by missiles!"

"Yes, a cook!" shouted Lucky. "This diner's in business!"

He hugged his mom, and then grabbed Lulu. "You rock!" he exclaimed.

"Thank you," Lulu said modestly. She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I have tasted Daddy's cooking." Lucky nodded conspiratorially.

Laura relieved Luke in the kitchen. What's the special posted for today?" she asked. "I'll get started."
__ __ __

On Spoon Island, Stefan Cassadine was quietly moving through the stables, checking the horses. He had great faith in his stablemen, but enjoyed this quiet movement through the stables, checking each animal's welfare for himself. He and Sergei had been out early enjoying the new snow. The infant rode snugly in a backpack on his father's back. He crowed with pleasure and leaned forward to eagerly grab for the nearest horse.

"Not yet, my son." He caught a chubby fist and kissed it, and Sergei gurgled with pleasure. Stefan continued, "This spring I will take you on horseback with me for the first time. But I cannot allow you to eat the horse's mane. It looks far better than it tastes." Sergei wrapped his small arms around his father's neck in order to give him an enthusiastic baby hug.

The stable door opened behind them. Stefan turned, and greeted their visitor.

"Alexis? What brings you here on such a cold morning? Are you ill?" he asked sharply. Her eyes were shadowed, her hair wind-tossed, and her cheeks too red. He wondered if she had slept the night before.

"Alexis, are you still concerned about yesterday? Lesley Lu – was there another problem? Did something else happen?"

"No, she slept well. Better, I think, than either Luke or I."

Stefan crossed the stable in a few steps, and stroked her hair once before he asked gently, "What brings you here so early?"

"I've been out walking." She hesitated. "I'm not sure how long I've been walking.... Alexis crossed her arms over her abdomen, shivered, and rocked back and forth slightly.

"There was blood. So much blood." She started to cry.

He held out his arms, and she walked into them.
__ __ __

As Lucky had predicted, the regulars at Kelly's were not disposed to break their Sunday morning routines merely for an early snow. They did a brisk business for most of the morning. Lucky, Liz and Luke were kept busy tending to their customers, and Laura called Lulu into the kitchen to help butter bread for toast and crack eggs.

About 11:00, business slacked off. Laura sat down for a cup of coffee at Ruby's worktable, and Lulu emerged from the kitchen. She exclaimed with delight, "Look, Lucky! There's my customer from the bar, Mr. Stu."

She started toward his table, but Lucky caught her by the collar. "Since when did you wait on customers at the bar, little sister?"

"Last Friday night when people in the kitchen were cursing and throwing things, Daddy let me take care of Mr. Stu. He is a very interesting customer. I want to talk to him."

Lucky didn't relax his grip on her collar. "Okay, I'm sure he's a great guy, but, look, he's just here to have breakfast, not to visit the Spencer family. If he comes over here, you can talk to him from behind the counter, but you can't go over to him. He's a stranger."

Lulu set her jaw and glared at Lucky. "Why does everyone in this family except Sergei think they are the boss of me?" she complained. "Besides, Mr. Stu is a stranger to you, not me. He and I are acquaintances."

"So, what's his last name, and where does he live?" Lucky inquired.

"At the bar, we don't ask customers their last names. Daddy says it's bad manners." Lulu added self-righteously.

Looking up from his menu at just that moment, Stu caught sight of Lesley Lu. He smiled, got up and walked across the room. "Good morning, Lulu. You seem to be the hardest working girl of my acquaintance. Does your family have a monopoly on the bar and restaurant business in Port Charles?"

Lulu shot a triumphant glance at Lucky before answering. "Well, so far as I know, Spencers only own Luke's and Kelly's, but if we count cousins, it could get confusing, because some of them are Quartermaines, and they own the Port Charles Hotel and a bunch of other places."

"I'm Lucky." Lucky put his hand out. "Older brother of the chatty munchkin."

"And, as I was telling you, Lucky, this is my customer, Mr. Stu." Lesley Lu completed the introductions to her satisfaction as the men shook hands.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young man. You have a look of Luke about you, and a big smile, I might add, which Lulu tells me is characteristic of your mother."

Lulu looked toward the kitchen. When she didn't see Luke, she leaned over the counter, and said "If you would like coffee this morning, it's okay. Lucky made it."

Stu smiled. "I would like coffee very much. Perhaps I could eat here at the counter, so we could chat – that is, if you can spare the time."

Lesley Lu's eyes danced with mischief. "I would be glad to talk to you, Mr. Stu, and so would Lucky, if Elizabeth weren't over there by the juke box making cow eyes at him."

"Stay behind the counter. If you move one inch, I will see you," Lucky warned.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, sir, but my girlfriend wants to dance. What can I say? I'm her slave." Lucky grinned and shrugged helplessly.

"Go right ahead. If you will provide a cup of coffee, I'll chat contentedly with your sister. And she won't move. I promise."

Lucky found himself warming to this new acquaintance. "I'm a little uneasy today. She took an unauthorized hike yesterday, and we're all a little bit on edge. You understand?"

Stu nodded, and thanked Lucky for the cup of coffee he placed in front of him. He watched Lucky walk over to Liz. The two of them bent over the juke box in whispered consultation.

Stu turned back to Lulu. "I wanted to tell you that I enjoyed our conversation the other night. I came to Port Charles on rather sad personal business, and chatting with you, your father, and stepfather the other night was a welcome relief."

"We enjoyed it too, Mr. Stu. Does this mean that you're leaving town? I thought perhaps you lived here."

"No, I only came to take care of some business, as I said. I lived here for a time some years ago, but my home is in Massachusetts. That is where my family has lived for many, many years."

"Were they Pilgrims?" asked Lulu, who was studying Plymouth Colony at school.

"More or less, yes. But that was long ago. I'm sure I look quite old to you, but any Pilgrims in my family were many, many great, great-grandfathers ago." Stu smiled at her.

"It sounds like you have an interesting family," Lulu offered.

"We are a large family. I have two brothers, a sister, and many nephews and nieces. And, what about you? You have one brother, I know. You also mentioned cousins, I think."

"I have three brothers in all," asserted Lulu. "Nikolas and Lucky are older than me, and Sergei is our baby. Lucky and Nikolas are adults, of course, but they still think they are young. I don't know why."

"From your perspective, I suppose they do look quite old, but from my own, I must say that Lucky looks quite young. Is he the eldest?"

"No. Nikolas is the eldest. Mommy calls Nik and Sergei her bookends. Lucky and me are in the middle."

"So, Luke has three children."

"Hmm," said Lulu. "This gets complicated. Daddy is the father of Lucky and me. Papa is the father of Nik and Sergei. That's why they're the bookends. Her first and last, she says."

"In that case, I think we both have interesting families," Stu smiled easily again.

"Would you like the breakfast special today?" Lulu asked. "I can put the order in for you. If you wait for Lucky and Liz to come up for air, you might not get breakfast for several hours." She pointed to the couple, who were slow-dancing, oblivious to the needs of their customers or the passage of time.

"The special will be fine. Thank you, Lulu. Is Luke cooking?"

"No. Tammy is sick and Aunt Bobbie is busy, so I called Mommy first thing this morning, and she came. Mommy is a good cook, but Mrs. Lansbary, our housekeeper, only lets her cook once a week. I thought she would enjoy a chance to cook, and when I called her, she came right over on the launch."

Stu looked perplexed. "That was fortunate, then. But, I'm confused. Why did she come on a launch?"

"Because, we live on Spoon Island, of course, and the only other way to get here is by helicopter. We don't usually do that."

"Oh," Stu responded. "Of course, I just didn't think. I remember seeing a house on Spoon Island, now that you mention it. Many years ago, I went to that island on picnics, now and again."

Mr. Stu was quiet, seemingly lost in thought, so Lulu decided to take his order to the kitchen. Besides she needed her Daddy out front. Lucky and Liz really had forgotten everyone else.
__ __ __

When Lesley Lu had left the kitchen to go out front, Laura had heaved a sigh of relief. Phone call or not, she would have found a way to see Luke this morning. She couldn't think of an easy way to broach the topic of her concern, so she poured coffee for both of them, asked Luke to sit down with her, and simply began.

"Did Alexis talk to you about what happened at the brownstone last night? After you found Lulu with me?" she asked.

"No, not really. She was very upset, Laura. With me and herself." Luke took a sip of coffee, and waited. He had a feeling that Laura was about to say something he didn't want to hear.

"I'm really glad that you took Lulu straight back to your place without stopping in at Bobbie's. The two of you needed time alone. But, Vicky Jamison took me aside, as a favor, and told me that she had referred this case to the Child Welfare authorities. It's a standard procedure in cases involving runaways."

Luke exploded. "Child welfare! Because of a misunderstanding? I didn't ask the police to stick their greasy snouts in my business!"

Laura raised her eyebrows, but spoke quietly. "Calm down. If you get angry and defensive, it won't help. From what she said, it's even more complex than the usual case. She says that there are significant allegations of neglect and possibly, emotional abuse. I don't have a clue what she's talking about. Do you?"

"A lot of garbage, that's what! I left Lulu at the bar for five minutes the other night, while I straightened out a fight in the kitchen. She was inside the counter talkin' to some customer, a friend of Dom's. She was perfectly safe.

"This," he added grimly, "is your husband at work. He told the police that Helena was watchin' Lulu at the bar when he came in, and that's why he called 'em."

"I hadn't heard this," Laura's eyes narrowed. "You didn't see her there? If she's following Lulu again, Stefan has every right to be concerned!"

"I'm not so obtuse that I can't follow your line of thought," Luke spat out. "She won't be left alone again. I'll find out what Helena was up to."

He stood up and turned his back on Laura.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Laura asked quietly.

Luke began wiping the counters near the sink. "I'm sure ol' Stefan will tell you anything else that could help erase me from Lulu's life."

"That's not what I want, Luke." Tears welled in Laura's eyes. "But, these people are thorough. Before they are finished, they will talk to everyone: you, Alexis, Lulu, your neighbors and ours, the staff at Lulu's school, possibly to other family members too. I don't think they have grounds for any sort of action, but you need to cooperate with them.

"You and I," she shrugged, "well, we've been embarrassed before. That's all this should be. A little embarrassment."

Laura pushed back the hair from her face, and stood up as Lulu walked into the kitchen with an order slip in her hand.

"Hello, sweetie. Are you taking orders now?" she asked quickly.

"Yes, mommy. This special is for my favorite customer, Mr. Stu."

Luke pivoted. "He's here?"

"Yes, Daddy. Outside at the counter. I'm so glad he stopped by. He's leaving...."

Lulu stopped in confusion. Luke was already gone.
__ __ __

Luke noted Lucky and Liz's total immersion in each other as he strode toward Stu, who sat at the counter equally lost in his own thoughts.

"Stu," Luke began. "Let me warm up your coffee. I'm glad to see you again."

Stu glanced up absent-mindedly, smiled, and pushed his cup toward Luke without speaking.

Luke poured the coffee slowly, while he decided how to begin. " I have to ask you a favor," he began apologetically. "Do you remember if anyone else came into the bar Friday night? While I was in the kitchen?"

Stu added sugar and cream to his coffee, stirred it, and answered thoughtfully. "I can't be completely sure that no one else entered, but to my recollection only two people came in. The first one I didn't see until after you left. I heard the door and could tell by Lulu's face that someone else was there behind me, not close, but perhaps back in a corner. Then, of course, her stepfather came in and chatted until you called Lulu away. They are the only people I recall coming into the bar before you left."

"You didn't see the first one until after Lulu left. Is that what you said?"

"Indeed," smiled Stu. "That was an introduction I'll never forget. Fortunately, I'm sound of heart for a man my age, and I lived through it." He chuckled and smiled down into his coffee cup.

"A blonde woman?" Luke asked anxiously.

"Yes. She walked across the room, pulled back the curtain covering the painting, and introduced herself. 'I am Helena Cassadine,' she said. We spoke for several minutes before my friends arrived. Our conversation was memorable, to say the least."

"Helena Cassadine showed you a portrait of her in the buff by way of introduction?" Luke reached up to rub the back of his neck. "Have you ever met her before? Done any business with the Cassadines?"

"No, I have heard of them though, now that you mention it. One of my businesses was tangentially involved several years ago with one of their satellite firms, if they are the Cassadines of Cassadine Industries, but it was a brief arrangement. Both firms made money, and we shook hands and parted company. I never met Mr. Cassadine or his mother though. All our business was conducted through the officials of the company with which I was dealing. It was quite routine."

"Did she tell you why she was interested in meetin' you?" Nothing he had heard so far made any sense to Luke.

"She was quite specific. She said that I was clearly of interest to her son, and therefore of interest to her."

Luke nodded. "So, what was the upshot of your little chat?"

"I fear she found me disappointing. I had been unsuccessfully attempting to remember why the name Cassadine struck a bell with me, when I recalled a fund-raising letter from General Hospital. I drew it out of my appointment book and showed her the signatures. I suggested that if her son were the CEO, perhaps he wanted me to make a donation.

"In reality, I don't believe her son could have known my name and certainly wouldn't have known my face. I think that she was merely mistaken about his degree of interest."

"She's no fool." Luke poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned back against the counter to think. "Maybe Stefan stayed, because he saw her there, and there's ample reason not to trust her. But why was she in the bar to begin with?"

"A remarkably beautiful woman," Stu mused, "Unmistakably a predator. If I were a younger man...." He shook his head, then laughed.

"I'd just as soon bed down with a boa, but you're right. She's a looker. Even now." Luke added.

Stu sighed. "It's of no importance at any rate," He shrugged. I am leaving Port Charles today. I must make one more stop before I make my way home to Cambridge. I have postponed a final errand of some importance for far too long."

Lulu came out of the kitchen carefully bearing a small plate with butter, syrup and jelly, while Laura followed with the Sunday special: a short stack of pancakes, eggs and sausage. Luke took the plate from her hands and placed it in front of Stu, while Lulu reached up and put the smaller plate beside it.

Laura looked around and said, "We have only one customer. No wonder I'm not getting any orders back there."

"Yes!" said Lucky, looking up at the sound of his mother's voice. "At last! I've got one more quarter. Mom and Dad, dance with Elizabeth and me. Just this once. Okay?"

Luke looked uncertainly at Laura. She smiled and held out her hands.

"Okay, but put somethin' good on. We aren't geriatric cases yet." Luke took Laura's hands and led her out by the jukebox.

"Come sit on a stool, munchkin, and learn from your elders," Lucky called as he put a quarter in the jukebox.

Lulu obediently came out to watch her parents dance. Lucky and Liz joined them, while Stu began his breakfast, swiveling a little to watch the fun from his vantage point at the counter. All four were good dancers. Partway through the song, Luke and Laura suddenly swept across the floor and pulled little Lulu into the dance. She laughed, and tried her hardest to imitate her parents.

Just as the music ended, a tall, almost exotically handsome young man walked in the door.

Lesley Lu literally jumped for joy before throwing herself at the young man calling "Nikolas, you're home! You're home!" Laura ran to his side as well, followed by Lucky and Liz.

Luke returned to the counter and poured more coffee in Stu's cup.

"You seemed to have a wonderful time dancing," Stu remarked thoughtfully, glancing at Luke's shadowed face.

"Yeah, until Nikolas showed up." Luke picked up a rag and scrubbed at the counter with sudden fury. "If you hung around here long enough, you'd know that Nik's arrival usually coincides with the end of good times."

"I've seen that boy before!" Stu said suddenly. "Recently. That's why I recalled the name Cassadine. Not from that deal with their subsidiary or the business of the fund-raising letter.... This week at my niece's engagement party.... They were going to introduce me. A Prince or some type of royalty. Greek or Russian. I couldn't follow. The girls were so pleased that he had come."

Luke stopped scrubbing, and took a deep breath. "You were at a party with our Princeling last week?"

"Yes," said Stu. "Now that I see him again, I am sure of it."

Luke leaned across the counter and lowered his voice. "One question. Did all the guests survive the party?" he asked with a careful, sideways glance toward his children.

Stu followed Luke's glance toward the happy group at the door. "No," he said, astonishment evident on his face and in his voice. "Not all of us. But how did you know?"