"What is your relationship to MS Davis?"
"She's my aunt."
"Did MS Davis contact you on February 3rd of this year?"
"Yes, she wanted to borrow the Cassadine jet, she said she was taking Kristina for a vacation."
"Did you tell her she could use it?"
"Not then, my fiancée Gia had taken the message, I didn't call back until the next day."
"And did you speak to MS Davis then?"
"No she wasn't home so I left a message with Ned." Nikolas explained looking guiltily at his aunt. He could never have imagined how much his mistake would cost her.
Alexis came back from taking Kristina to the park, happily humming as she entered the nursery. Soon she and Kristina would be on their own again, away from Ned and his guards.
"You sound happy." Ned commented once Alexis was in the room. Startled she turned to face him.
"I didn't realize you were here." She told him.
"Here? You mean home? You never call it that, always the house, or the mansion, never home."
"I don't really consider this my home." She answered honestly, wondering what she had done wrong this time. He always seemed to be angry with her for something, nothing she did was ever right.
"Well you're free to leave anytime." He told her.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe you would allow Kristina and I to just walk out of here?" She challenged knowing he was hiding something.
"Not Kristina," he corrected her. "My daughter will remain here in her home, with me her father. You however are free to leave."
"You know I would never leave my daughter."
"Really? Well then you must have been planning on taking her on your little get away. Nikolas called to tell you the jet is ready whenever you want it. I explained you wouldn't be needing it after all." Alexis stood there, knowing Ned's calm facade was going to crack at any moment. Her only thought was the little girl in her arms and the need to get her as far away from Ned as possible. She put Kristina in her crib and began to walk towards her bedroom, knowing Ned would follow, he was too angry to worry about Kristina.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" He yelled but she did not turn around until she was in the other room.
"I thought we should discuss this in private," she calmly explained once they were both in the room.
"You were going to take her away from me, weren't you?" He yelled ignoring her attempt to calm him. "How could you do that, she's my daughter?"
"No, she's not." Almost before she could finish the words Ned backhanded her across the face, causing her to stumble slightly. She looked at him, disbelieving, he also looked like he couldn't quite believe it had happened. However when she opened her mouth to speak he again struck her, this time with enough force to knock her to the ground. Then he took her arm, twisting it until she cried out in pain.
"She's mine Alexis, never forget it." He warned her before again twisting the arm. "I am her father. Say it. Say it." He demanded repeatedly, twisting with more and more force as she remained silent attempting to escape his grasp. "Who is her father?" He yelled angrily.
"Sonny."
What had possessed her to give that reply she would never know. Perhaps it was her way of admitting the mistake she had made in thinking Ned would be a better father for Kristina than Sonny, or perhaps it was her pride. Either way it was the last thing Ned wanted to hear. When it was over she had a broken arm and several bruises, but she had not changed her answer.
"Mr. Cassadine when was the next time you spoke with your aunt?"
Nikolas glanced guiltily at Alexis before answering.
"It was about a month later, after... after Zander brought her to the hospital." He admitted his eyes fighting back tears as he thought of the difference one visit could have made. It wasn't that he didn't love her, he had reasoned, it was just that he had been so busy with work and Gia... He told himself this as he looked into the eyes of the woman he had betrayed. This woman who had spent so many years protecting their family from themselves and others, who had suffered repeatedly at his grandmothers hands simply for having been born, who defended him without question even when he didn't deserve her defense, who had been closer to him that his own mother... It wasn't that he didn't love her he was just so busy...