Secrets Revealed
Chapter 4


Somewhere between Miami and El Paso

Jonathan grabs the first empty seat that he can
find, not paying attention to the other passengers around him.
Not that anybody is paying much attention to him, they are
too busy reading their newspapers or working on their laptops
or in some cases just sleeping to notice him. He prefers it that
way. He closes his eyes and settles down, prepared to take a
quick nap before they get to El Paso. Once he gets to El Paso,
he’ll have to figure out a way to contact Jason. Or maybe
even Luke. Both numbers are preprogrammed into the cell
phone he has, but the cell phone is in the beach house on the
island. He knows the number of the beach house, but if he
knows his Dad, Lucky and Emily have probably already gone
deeper undercover. He hopes so anyway. He is scared to
death for them at this moment but is fighting his hardest to
not give in to that fear and panic. His mom is tough. Lucky is
smart. Between the two of them, they’ll be okay. He hopes.

“You sneaked onto the plane, didn’t you?” The
voice in his ear draws his complete attention and his eyes
open wide and he is suddenly completely alert. He turns to
face the owner of that voice.
It is a young girl, maybe a year or so younger than
him. She has blonde hair and blue eyes that are full of life,
strongly at odds with the fact that she is dressed all in black.
“You did, didn’t you? You sneaked onto the
plane. What’s the term- stowaway?”
“I didn’t sneak in ,” Jonathan whispers . “They let
me in.”
“So, where’s your ticket ?” The girl asks.
There is silence.
The girl giggles. “See, I was right you did sneak onto
the plane,” She gave him a conspiring smile. “Don’t worry. I
won’t tell. I think it would be fun to sneak onto a plane.”
“It’s not,” He answers her.
“Has to be more fun than flying with your
grandparents.” The girl replies, not at all daunted by
Jonathan’s lack of response.
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never met my grandparents.”
“That’s sad,” The little girl’s face turns pensive. “I’m
on vacation with my grandparents. They took me to
Disneyworld for a few days and now I’m going home with
them to Texas to spend time with my cousins and aunts and
uncles.”
“Where are your grandparents?” Jonathan asks.
“They are sitting up front. In first class. I was
supposed to have a seat up there with them but there was a
mistake in the ticket so I’m back here. I don’t mind. Ever
since my mom died a while ago, my grandparents have been a
little overwhelming.”
“Your mom died?” Jonathan asks, not sure why he is
encouraging her conversation. He should be sleeping or
planning what to do next.
She nods, her eyes becoming large and sad. “I miss
her a lot. But my father says I look just like her. He misses her
a lot. And my baby brother. He died to.”
“I’m sorry,” Jonathan says simply.
The girl shrugs. “It’s okay. I still have my dad, my
grandparents, and my grandma. That’s more than enough
family some days. How about you? Are you going to meet
your parents?”
“In a way,” Jonathan says carefully. “We got
separated in Miami so I’m hoping to reconnect in Texas with
my mom and my dad.”
“Then I guess its a good thing you sneaked on the
plane.”
“I guess it is,” Jonathan smiled.
“My name’s Stephanie,” The girl held out her hand.
“Stephanie Cassadine. What’s yours?”
Jonathan doesn’t respond for a moment. Cassadine?
How common of a name can that be?
“Is that your grandparents’ name?” If Stephanie
thinks its a strange question she keeps that thought to herself
and shakes her head. “No my grandparents’ name is Stewart.
My mother was their daughter. My grandfather’s name is
Nikolas Cassadine.”
Jonathan’s head is spinning. He feels like the world
just threw him a curve ball of the highest magnitude. Nikolas
Cassadine was her father? Did that make her his sister? His
sister? He shook his head. It was too much to think about
when he had other more important things to think about. If
she was a Cassadine though, he would have to be careful of
what he said around her for the rest of the flight.
He knew better than to trust Cassadines. Even young
and seemingly innocent Cassadines.
He looks her over to see if there is any resemblance
between the two of them and finds none.
“My name is Jonathan. Jonathan Maine.” He says.
“It’s nice to meet you Stephanie Cassadine.”

Port Charles
The Quartermaine Mansion

Emily sits on the couch next to Lucky and waits for
the dam to burst. She has just finished, with Lucky’s help,
telling her family the whole story. About the one night stand
with Nikolas. The pregnancy. Helena’s threats. How she has
spent the last thirteen years of her life.
The dam doesn’t merely burst, it explodes.
Michael looks at his aunt with awe. “Wow. What a
cool adventure. Getting shot, then kidnapped, then tortured,
and then having to shoot your way out to survive...”
“Michael,” His father’s sharp rebuke stops the young
teenager but his eyes still glow with excitement and
admiration as he looks at his aunt.
Alan looks at Emily with a combination of regret and
respect. “Why couldn’t you come to us? We’re we that
terrible of parents that you couldn’t tell us you were
pregnant? We’re you afraid of us?”
Emily looks down at her hand and plays with the solid
gold band on her finger. She hesitates a moment. “It wasn’t
that. It wasn’t you. At first I just wanted to tell Nikolas first.
It seemed the right way to do it. And I guess I was little afraid
to tell you. I had disappointed you before. I didn’t want to let
you down.”
“Emily, you’ve never been a disappointment to us.”
Monica.
Emily shoots a look at Lucky that clearly says she
doesn’t believe Monica but lets the statement go when Lucky
squeezes her hand.
“You mean to tell me that Luke Spencer knew all
along that I had a great grandson out there and didn’t see fit
to tell any of us about him? Typical Spencers. Think only of
themselves and no one else. Ned, I want you to contact my
lawyer in the morning and have him sue Spencer. Call it
alienation of affection or something but that man will pay for
keeping my great grandson away from me. Jonathan? What
kind of name is Jonathan? You might have at least named
Edward. Or Alan III.” Edward howls as Reginald tries to
calm him. “And to think my beloved Lila died without even
knowing her own great grandson.”
Lucky can feel the shudder pass through Emily at this.
He starts to say something, but Emily puts her arm on his
shoulder to stop him. She smiles as if to say this is her family
and her fight. He wants to protest that its his fight now too,
but doesn’t.
“Grandfather.” Emily moves closer to the old man and
grabs both of his hands in hers. She is shocked to see how
frail he really is and her heart is suddenly fearful. “I am so
sorry that grandmother never met Jonathan. But I am
convinced that she is watching over him now. She and my
mother are keeping him safe from Helena. I believe that. I
have to believe that. As far as Luke Spencer goes, if you are
going to blame anyone for keeping Jonathan away than blame
me. Or blame Helena Cassadine for threatening my child in
the first place. I know I was gone a long time. I know that
hurt you badly. But I’m back now and I need your help. I
need all of yours help to find my son and bring him home
safely.”
Monica looks at her daughter. She is sick at heart to
realize all that her daughter has been through. She imagines
her daughter shot and almost dying. She closes her eyes
against the harsh image that comes to mind. She nods. “No
more recriminations about the past.” She shoots a subdued
Edward a look “What can we do to help? Do you need
money? A ransom? Anything.”
Jason steps forward from where he has been silently
watching the family drama unfold. “My men are searching for
Helena. Luke’s contacting the WSB. Helena’s been on the
WSB most wanted list since her men killed Sean.”
Monica’s gasp and Alan’s what stop Jason’s
explanation. Emily looks at her brother. She had deliberately
skipped over the murder of Sean Donnelly because Monica’s
past with Sean. Sometimes the fact that Jason remembered
nothing of his life as a Quartermaine was damned
inconvenient.
Briefly, Emily explained about the shooting of the
hotel room that had cost Sean his life. “He died protecting
Jonathan,” Emily added gently.
Monica’s hand shook at the notion that her former
lover had died trying to save her grandson and she had never
known it.
“Are you okay?” Alan asks his wife gently. Monica
nods yes and motions for Jason to continue.
“Like I said, my men and the WSB are looking for
Helena and Jonathan. Either separate or together. Every
known location is under surveillance of some type. It’s only a
matter of time before someone comes up with something.
Once we have a location, we go in and get Jonathan out.”
“Do we have time?” Ned asks from the chair where he
has silently been digesting all of this.
This time it is Lucky who nods. “We believe we do.
Whatever Helena wants of Jonathan it isn’t to kill him. She’ll
try to use him as a pawn, maybe as a threat over Nikolas’s
head, but I don’t think she will hurt him.”
“Have you told Nikolas yet?” Ned wonders. “I saw
Alexis last week at a board meeting at GH and she mentioned
that Nikolas was taking advantage of his daughter’s visit to
her grandparents to fly to LA on business. He isn’t expected
back for a few days.”
Emily shouldn’t be relieved by the news that Nikolas
is out of town. She should be disappointed that she won’t be
able to tell him the truth. But all she can think is that they’ve
been given a few days reprieve.
“We haven’t told Nikolas yet so please don’t mention
anything to Alexis. But if there’s anyway you can ask Alexis
about Helena without raising suspicions.....” Lucky lets his
voice trail off.
Ned nods. “Consider it done.”
“Is there anything else we can do to help?” Monica
asks. “And I assume that you and Lucky are going to stay
here. I’ll have Reginald fix up a guest suite for the two of
you.”
Emily shakes her head. She is suddenly weary and
tired. She wants nothing more than to go to sleep in her
husband’s arms. “I’m sorry Monica. But we’ve already made
arrangements to stay at the Spencer house. Lucky wants to be
in close contact with Luke in case any news comes in,”
Monica nods clearly disappointed. “Is there anything
else we can do to help?”
Lucky looks at Emily’s pale face and answers the
question. “Do you know any good ob/gyn doctors at GH that
you can recommend?”
“Ob/gyn doctors?” Alan stunned face is reflected on
the faces of the other Quartermaines, except Jason. “You’re
pregnant?”
With a resigned glare at Lucky, Emily nods.
And with that piece of good news, the Quartermaine
clan indulges in its second group hug of the day.
Thirty minutes later, Emily is snuggled against Lucky
in the back seat of the limo Edward has lent them. Jason has
left for his own estate and to check in on the search for
Jonathan.
“I should be mad at you for telling them I’m
pregnant.” Emily says in a tired voice. “Good thing for you
I’m too tired to work up anything beyond a mild annoyance.”
“Should I remind you to be really angry at me when
you wake up tomorrow morning?”
“Don’t bother,” Emily says as she falls asleep. “I’m
pretty sure that I’ll find something else to be mad at you
about.”
Lucky smiles at his sleeping wife. This has been the
longest 24 hours for both of them. They need to take a few
hours of rest before they face the crisis to come. He is looking
forward to a few hours of relative peace and quiet in the
Spencer home.

The Spencer House
Port Charles

“Luke Spencer,” Laura’s rage filled voice fills the
house. “How dare you lie to me after everything we have
been through.” The dish flies through the air and misses, only
because Luke has become quiet good at ducking.
“That’s fifteen,” Ruby Spencer counts from her hidden
perch on the stairs. At almost 14, Ruby is a replica of her
mother, physically at least. Although her mother and father
might never believe it, those who know her best would
definately say she has her father’s personality. “Ten dishes,
two cups, two bowls, and that vase Aunt Bobbie gave us for
Christmas last year. I guess this means a shopping trip to
Wyndham’s tomorrow.”
Ruby has heard most of the argument between her
parents and although she doesn’t quite get it all, she gets
enough to know that her brother is back home which makes
her happy. And apparently makes her mother mad. And they
say teenagers are hard to understand.
“Darling, it was either lie to you or risk Jonathan’s
safety. I made a promise to myself that I would keep your
grandson safe for you.”
“That’s exactly right. My grandson. My family. My
right to know.” Three more crashes against the wall.
“!6-17-18.” Ruby continues to keep count. “I bet she
expects me to clean it up.”
There is silence from downstairs. Ruby smiles. Her
father must have found a more effective way of apologizing.
Luke Spencer was always better at action than at words.
“That bitch has my grandson. My grandson. And she
killed Stefan. And she tried to kill Lulu. If she hurts my
grandson...”
Ruby can hear her mother’s soft cries. She wants to
go down and find out what happened, but she is afraid to
intrude.
She waits a few more minutes and as the silence
continues, Ruby Spencer heads back up to her stairs to wait
for her parents to stop making up before she goes to them and
demands to know what is going on. By her estimation, that
means at least an hour of waiting. She might just end up
having to do her science homework after all.

El Paso airport.

Stephanie’s grandparents are busy getting the luggage.
Stephanie is busy looking around the terminal to see if she can
spot Jonathan. He’d been very quiet and reserved for the rest
of the plane ride, but there was something about the tall and
quiet boy that she found reassuring. He reminded her of
someone, although she didn’t have a clue who.
She spotted him heading down the walkway.
“Jonathan!” She called out to him.
He looked around and spotted her. Reluctantly he
moved closer to her.
“Were you able to reach your parents?”
Her question puzzles him until he remembers the
cover story he told her.
He shakes his head. “They must still be in the air. I’m
going to try again a little later.”
“What will you do in the meantime?”
“Hang out here.” He says calmly, not wanting to be
impolite but wanting very much to go use those pay phones
over against the wall.
“Why don’t you come to my grandparents with me?”
Stephanie suggests. “You can call your parents from my
grandparent’s house and my grandparents will help you figure
out what to do next?”
Jonathan looks at Stephanie. The thought is tempting.
He is far too public a target to wait in an airport for Jason to
come for him. He knows that Jason will come for him.
Besides, he has an unexpected curiosity to get to know his
sister a little bit better. Even if she doesn’t have a clue that
they are related. Besides, what was it his mother and Lucky
were always telling him- know you’re enemy. Stephanie
probably wasn’t his enemy, but her family was. Through her,
he could find out more about the Cassadines. Including his
father.
His mind made up, Jonathan nods his head in
agreement.

45 minutes later, Jonathan, Stephanie, and Mr. and
Mrs. Stewart pull into a driveway of a lovely old house in the
suburbs of El Paso. The Stewarts were not easy to convince,
but Jonathan was good at “convincing” people so the elderly
couple had agreed that the young boy could spend the day
with their daughter while he waited for his parents to arrive in
El Paso. They had made Jonathan tell his story to the airport
security and Jonathan had a few scary moments where he was
afraid the security guard would catch on, but everything had
turned out okay.
Once inside the house, Stephanie raced up the stairs to
the bedroom she used when she visited to put away her
souvenirs. She wanted to show Jonathan the tree house and
all the other neat things in the neighborhood.
When he was alone in the living room, Jonathan
picked up the phone. After asking information for the area
code, he called the Port Charles operator and asked to be put
through to the home of Luke Spencer.

Back in Port Charles
Luke swore as the phone rang. Lifting himself up from
Laura, he reached for the phone by the couch.
“Spencer. This better be good,” he said.
“Luke?” The voice asked.
“Jonathan? My God! Jonathan?” Luke grabs the
receiver and reaches for a piece of pen and a paper. “Where
are you son?”
“I’m in Texas. El Paso.” Jonathan hurriedly recites the
memorized street address. “Some lady grabbed me but I
escaped at the Miami Airport.”
“Was it Helena?”
“No. It was another lady. She was about fifty or so.
She reminded me of a dragon. Cold and scaly. She said she
knew my mother.” Jonathan’s voice shakes. “Are my mom
and dad all right?”
“They’re fine Jonathan. They’re both fine.” Luke’s
voice is reassuring. “You hang in there and we will come and
get you. You remember Jason. Jason and I will come and get
you.”
Jonathan’s voice is suddenly soft and scared. “She
killed my dog. She killed Diablo.”
Luke closes his eyes at Jonathan’s anguish. “I know. I
know.”
“I’ve got to go,” Jonathan whispers. “Hurry and get
me please.”
“We will,” Luke vows as he hangs up the phone and
meets Laura’s hopeful gaze. “We know where he is. Now we
go get him.”

In a private jet headed from Miami to New York.

Katherine Bell cannot remember being this angry in decades
at least. Not since Nikolas broke up with her before Stefan
died. She needs that little boy. Helena needs that little boy and
Katherine is determined to get Jonathan
Quartermaine-Cassadine-Spencer whatever his last name was
back for her boss. She had spent over a year tracking down
the child. Using her contacts to trace the movements of Lucky
Spencer and Emily Quartermaine. She had always been one
step behind them until she had caught them in the Virgin
Islands. She should have killed them both. But she had settled
for taking the child. Something about wanting Emily
Quartermaine to suffer.
She would find Jonathan again. She would have him in
her grasp again. And when she did she would turn him over to
Helena. Helena who was dying. Who longed for her
great-grandson to turn the Cassadine empire over to. The part
of it that Helena controlled which was the largest part of the
splintered kingdom. And if she found the boy and brought him
to Helena, Helena had promised to appoint Katherine as the
boy’s guardian after Helena died. As the guardian of the
underaged prince, as regent, Katherine would have access to
unimaginable power and money.
All she needed was the boy.
Her assistant walked in to the small plane office. “The
New York offices just sent this. They thought you might be
interested. It came from the wiretap on the Stewart house in
El Paso.”
“The Stewart house?”
The assistant nodded. “Mrs. Cassadine has had the
house tapped since their daughter Kimberly married Nikolas.”
Oh, that bitch Katherine thinks to herself. She nods to
the assistant and looks over the papers.
Written on them, is a word for word transcript of the
conversation between Jonathan and Luke.
Katherine smiles. A purely evil grin. She knows where
he is. Now she has to grab him. She tells the assistant to have
the pilot change course. Then she leans back and imagines
how she will begin to spend all the money she is soon to have.