GH Fic: Chaos Theory - Chapter 16/?
Title: Chaos Theory
Author: Normative Jean
Fandom: General Hospital
Characters/Pairings: Robin, Patrick, Lulu, Sam, Anna, Robert, Mac, Faison, original characters; main pairing is Robin/Patrick, with Lulu/OC and Sam/OC later
Rating: PG-13 (for language, situations, and thematic elements)
Timeline: begins March '06, after the bet debacle. AU after that.
Summary: The epidemic was just a experiment, and it was deemed a failure; its mastermind is now targeting the only doctor he believes can make the experiment a success: Robin Scorpio. Robin finds herself trapped in the middle of an international mystery, on the run from an old family enemy she believed long dead. Patrick Drake is determined not to let anything mess up his chances at happiness with Robin, even if it means going along for the ride. Along with old friends and unexpected allies, can they keep Robin safe and stop a plot to take over the world?
Chapter 16 - Secrets
"Field ops is reporting a positive hit. The target was destroyed, and local law enforcement is on the scene."
"Excellent. And the WSB?"
"We have positive IDs on Special Agents Scorpio and Devane, just as you anticipated."
"No one else?"
"No, sir. Comm. intercepts indicate that WSB superiors have not deemed any of this significant proof of your existence, or of the DVX's involvement."
"And there have been no signs of Robin Scorpio?"
"No, sir."
"That old fool is more gullible than I remembered."
"Sir?"
"I believe they will be sufficiently preoccupied, Takada. Excellent work."
"Thank you, sir. Here are the new files you requested."
"Hm. Still no progress in the labs?"
"None, sir. Dr. Howard reports that attempts to isolate useful components from Crylium's virus prototype have proven unsuccessful, and that a viable delivery system for any completed weapon is therefore untenable at this time."
"That is quite unfortunate, but it proves we must be successful in obtaining Dr. Scorpio for our work."
"Yes, sir."
"And the other matter I asked you to look into?"
"The second file, sir. The woman's name is Samantha McCall."
"McCall...McCall...I don't believe I've ever crossed paths with another person bearing that name. Is this all the information you have been able to acquire?"
"Yes, sir. It appears she came to Port Charles three years ago, and hadn't had a permanent address for many years prior to that."
"I've seen her eyes before, Takada. Dig deeper. Focus on all of her connections in Port Charles and work backwards from there, and be creative. Sometimes the answers we seek are found in the most surprising places."
"Yes, sir."
"Very well, then. Dismissed."
***
Robin surveyed her lab, running through her mental checklist of everything she needed to have done so she could sneak away to London without causing too much suspicion. When she and Patrick had arrived in Alan's office earlier that morning, the chief-of-staff had merely looked at them for a moment, rolled his eyes, and asked how much "personal time" they were requesting. Robin had instinctively opened her mouth to protest that she and Patrick were not taking a vacation together, but Patrick had pinched her lower back and smoothly talked over her, thanking Alan for the "Obvious discretion with which he was treating their leave time." With any luck at all -- and at this point she wasn't holding her breath for that -- Robin, Patrick, Lulu, and Bobby would be on a plane out of the country before anyone thought to ask why the Robin would suddenly up and take a holiday with a man she was barely dating.
She and Patrick had parted ways a half-hour ago, agreeing to finish up only the most important, immediate reports and patient files, before handing everything off to the doctors covering their respective cases and sneaking back out of the hospital. Robin yawned; she had been awake for most of the night, packing and talking strategy with Bobby, who was just as chatty at three o'clock AM as he was at three o'clock PM. She flipped through one of her files, guilt momentarily overcoming her at the thought of abandoning her patients. But, as Patrick had taken to reminding her all morning, she was no good to her patients if she was kidnapped and forced to work in some secret lab for an evil spy agency. Robin snapped the folder shut; that particular patient was not critical, and she knew he would be just fine in the hands of Dr. Anderson. With a last glance around her research laboratory, Robin realized that she had taken care of everything she needed to. She stood up to leave, when the lab door was pushed open.
"Robin?" Sam called, peeking her head around the edge of the door.
"Hey," Robin said, confusion coloring her face. "What are you doing here?"
Sam entered the lab and closed the door behind her. She shifted nervously from one foot to the other, a large shoulder bag hanging by her side. Sam looked everywhere except at Robin. "Do you have a few minutes?" she finally asked, seemingly fascinated by the machines along the wall.
"Well, actually," Robin started to say, but stopped when Sam finally looked at her. Robin gasped slightly; the other woman looked like death warmed over. "Sam, what's wrong?" she asked urgently, her desire to get out of GH temporarily pushed aside.
"I..." Sam trailed off. Her eyes were wide and her skin looked white; she looked the opposite of how she had the night before, when she had been teasing Robin about jumping back into a relationship with Patrick. Sucking in a deep breath, Sam continued. "I need you to run a DNA test."
Robin blinked. "Another one?" she asked. "Is this about your brother again? Because the first test was conclusive--"
"No, it's...it's a new one." Sam lowered the bag onto the work table and looked at it like it would jump up and bite her at any moment. "I...I have something in here, and I need you to run a DNA test on it."
"Sam, look," Robin interrupted. "It's not that I don't feel for you; I do, and I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you to find out you were adopted the way that you did--"
"Alexis Davis is my mother."
Robin's jaw dropped. There was no way Sam had just said what she thought she said. "Huh?" Graceful, Robin chided herself.
"I know," Sam grimaced, a trace of her normal personality finally seeping back into her tone. "That was pretty much my reaction. Followed by violent cursing and the throwing of heavy objects at the wall."
Robin gave a shaky laugh. "Yeah, I'd imagine. But that doesn't make sense. I mean, I've known Alexis for years, and she's never said anything--"
"Oh, believe me, I know!" Sam spat. "She never even looked for me. She's a lawyer, for God's sake! It only took me and Jason a few days to find out she was my mother; she could have found me!"
"Sam!" Robin grabbed the woman's arm and steadied her; Sam's anger was palpable, and she had nearly knocked a stack of patient charts right off the table as she slammed her fist into the metal.
"I'm sorry," Sam said, her mouth dropping as she reined herself in. "I didn't mean...This is making me act crazy." She looked over at Robin and gave a mirthless smile. "Alexis has a unique talent for doing that, which I guess is proof that she's my mother."
Robin just shook her head, bringing her fingers up to massage her temples. "You're going to have to explain this to me. Go slowly and use small words, please."
Sam nodded and crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to protect herself from the words she was speaking. "You already know how I found out I was adopted," Sam said. When Robin nodded, she continued. "Jason and I traced my adoption records through what we knew about my birth: the date, and where I had grown up. Stan, Jason's computer guy, tracked the records of baby girls born in clinics on my birthday in Maine, and we came up with a name. Long story short, we tracked down another woman who gave birth to a baby boy the same day at that clinic, and she remembered seeing a teenage girl in a school uniform. We tracked down the school, and found a yearbook from the year I was born."
"Sam..."
"I'm getting there," Sam replied. "Anyway, we found a girl who had taken off the entire semester I would have been born in, and she was the only girl who did so. It was Alexis Davidovich." She looked pointedly at Robin.
Robin nodded mutely, not entirely trusting herself to speak. It was completely outlandish and completely impossible; there must have been something Sam and Jason had missed.
"What did your birth records say?" she finally asked. "Your birth certificate?"
Sam just shook her head. "There was nothing," she shrugged. "I guess Alexis was pretty thorough about destroying any evidence that I'd ever even existed."
Robin's head snapped up at that comment. "Wait...You said that Alexis was still a teenager, right?" Please, Robin thought, let me be wrong about this...
"Yeah, she was in boarding school." Sam frowned. "What of it?"
"Oh my God," Robin murmured, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Sam, if Alexis was still so young, do you really think she could have handled this all on her own?"
Sam shrugged again, but her face turned thoughtful. "Well, I guess her parents must have helped her, but still--"
"Sam!" Robin hissed, running over to slam the lab door completely shut. Whirling around, she grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her deeper into the room, finally stopping when they were next to a DNA sequencing machine that was nearly as tall as the two women. "Do you have any idea what this means?"
Yanking her arm out of Robin's grip, she stepped back in shock. "So her parent's helped her hide the unfortunate accident that I was," Sam scoffed.
Robin shook her head furiously, the reality of Sam's accusation burning in her chest. "Sam, do you know who Alexis's father was?" When Sam slowly shook her head, confusion coloring her face, Robin's heart sank. "Please at least tell me you and Jason were quiet and circumspect in your search?" she pleaded.
"Robin, what the heck is going on?" Sam asked. "What's suddenly got you so worried?"
"Sam," Robin said insistently. "Alexis's father was Mikkos Cassadine. As in the head of the Cassadine empire?" She looked questioningly at Sam. "None of this is ringing a bell?"
The other woman shook her head, although she was now clearly fascinated. "How is it you know more about my family than I do?" she asked.
Robin slumped back against the wall. "My family has something of a...bloody history with the Cassadines, particularly those from Mikkos' generation. I sort of grew up hearing horror stories about what a monstrous family they were." Robin smiled ruefully at the memories of her father's 'bedtime stories,' complete with kidnapped maidens and evil plots to take over the world; if only he had been exaggerating any of it. "Sam, you need to be very sure that Alexis is your mother before you go announcing anything."
"Robin," Sam frowned uncertainly. "You're making it sound like my adoption was some sort of evil plot." She laughed slightly. "You can't be serious about this."
"Sam, the only thing I can tell you for certain right now is that the Cassadines would never just let one of their own go. Helena Cassadine murdered Alexis's mother right in front of her, rather than allow the women to produce anymore children with Mikkos, but she couldn't touch Alexis on Mikkos' orders," Robin said. "If a Cassadine is lost, then they're lost for a reason."
Sam didn't say anything, but reached into the bag she had come in with. "I was in Kelly's this morning," she said nervously. "And Alexis was there with Nikolas, and I was just..." She trailed off, but Robin didn't need the words to imagine how Sam must have felt. "Anyway, after they left, I got to their table before the waitress could, and I..." Sam stopped speaking again, and reached into the bag, pulling out a coffee cup with distinct lipstick marks on the rim. "This was Alexis's. I need to know for sure, Robin." She looked pleadingly at the other woman. "I just need to know."
Robin did not immediately reach out for the cup. "You know that what you're asking me to do is completely illegal, right?"
"You just told me that I was apparently born into a family of devils," Sam responded with a raised eyebrow. "If everything you said is true, then I'm in more danger if I don't know for certain, right?"
"All right," Robin sighed. "I'll do it."
***
"So what has Jason suggested as far as protection if you turn out to really be Alexis's daughter?"
Sam turned her head to look at Robin. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Robin said thoughtfully, "If we confirm that you are Alexis's daughter, we're also confirming that you're a direct heir to Mikkos Cassadine, as well as a legitimate challenger to Nikolas's inheritance."
"How?" Sam frowned. "I don't want anything to do with that."
"I doubt Helena Cassadine will care," Robin replied. "Neither will any other Cassadine who'll come out of the woodwork, claiming that since you're older than Nikolas, you could technically be considered the first-born heir to Mikkos' fortune. I'm just saying, there are probably a lot of distant relatives in that family who would love to manipulate you into disputing Nikolas's claim."
Sam dropped her eyes to the floor. "Actually, Jason has been pretty preoccupied by the whole Sonny and Emily thing," she said quietly. "He's been getting pretty upset whenever I bring up Alexis and whether or not I should tell her. I finally decided to get irrefutable proof, so that if I do say anything, Alexis can't deny it."
"Well, I'm so glad to be your partner-in-crime." Robin rolled her eyes. "But after this, you're on your own, at least for a little while."
Sam looked up. "What's going on?" Her jaw dropped as a thought occurred to her. "Oh my God," she breathed. "What happened last night to the Haunted Star...tell me that didn't have anything to do with you."
"We don't know," Robin grimaced. "I mean, it's a pretty powerful message to all our families, so it is pretty likely that Faison --that's the guy who's doing all of this -- was behind it. Actually," she added, "If this test proves you're Alexis's daughter, you could be in danger, too."
"So even though those guys made a mistake in going after me," Sam concluded, "This guy could go after the Cassadines, anyway?"
Robin nodded. "He has just as sticky a history with that family as he does with mine. I'm just saying, the results of this test could change your life in ways you weren't anticipating." She frowned. "I'm surprised Jason isn't more concerned. I mean, he knows how dangerous the Cassadines can be."
Sam didn't say anything to that. Instead, she merely asked, "How much longer until the results of the test?"
"Not much--" A buzzer went off, indicating the sequencing test was complete. "Okay, then. The comparison of your DNA to the DNA I extracted from the coffee cup -- by the way, you so owe me for this -- should be printing out now."
Robin walked over to a different machine, where a series of transparencies were appearing. Robin took them over to a light box and put them up, looking at the two elongated and computerized strands of DNA. She frowned at what she saw, and went over to another computer, quickly typing something in. Another printer spat out a series of papers, and Robin grabbed them and walked back to the light box display. Sam watched Robin work and held her breath. She couldn't figure out what Robin's expression meant.
"I don't...This doesn't make any sense," Robin muttered.
Sam walked over to her. "Why? What is it?"
Robin turned to Sam. "Are you certain that was Alexis's cup?"
"Yeah. I saw her drink from it, and I grabbed it before anyone else touched it. Why?"
"Because according to these results," Robin said, waving a hand towards the transparencies, "Alexis is not your mother."
The air rushed out of Sam's lungs. "What?" she gasped. "That's impossible! I'm positive of what we found out--"
"Sam, I'm not finished," Robin said urgently. "If she was your mother, you'd have identical mitochondrial DNA strands, but you don't. According to this comparison, you and Alexis are related, you're just not mother and daughter." She held up the papers she had printed. "I ran a statistical analysis of the protein markers on your DNA strands, and according to this, the two of you are most likely related through a close male relative."
"I don't understand," Sam breathed. "What...How..."
Robin snapped the papers she was holding in frustration. "I'd need the DNA of a man related to both of you to figure out how closely you're related. But since I can't even say which side of Alexis's family you come from--"
"Robin," Sam interrupted, reaching for her bag. "About that..." She extracted a second coffee cup.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Robin groaned. "You stole Nikolas's cup, too?"
"I did not steal," Sam retorted. "I...took it without anyone knowing."
"Yeah," Robin sighed. "That's also known as stealing."
"Whatever," Sam waved it off. "Can you use this?"
"You mean can I commit two acts of medical malpractice instead of one?"
Sam just looked at Robin and held the cup out. "You're down for the count, anyway."
Robin huffed out a breath and snatched the cup from Sam's hands. "You know, I'm having more and more trouble remembering why I moved back to Port Charles." She didn't wait for Sam to respond, and just walked over to her workbench where she performed the necessary steps to extract enough saliva from the coffee cup to insert into the sequencer. "I repeat," she said under her breath, "You owe me so big for this."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Fine. Jason and I will name our firstborn child after you."
Despite the situation, Robin snickered. "That oughta send Carly to an early grave."
Sam laughed in kind. "All the more reason, then."
Robin finished setting up the sequencer and walked back to the light box. "This won't take long."
The momentary humor drained away, and the two women waited in silence as the machine ran a DNA comparison on the three samples. After what seemed like an eternity, new transparencies began printing, as well as a second statistical analysis. Robin took the new printouts over to the light box and put them up. She gasped sharply at what she saw, and immediately looked to the computer printout for confirmation. She turned to Sam, her eyes wide open in shock.
"What?" Sam asked nervously. "What is it?"
"I...This..."
"Robin!"
Robin forced herself to shake the stupor. It didn't matter how beyond belief it was, she knew how to read a DNA comparison. It didn't matter that it didn't make sense. "You..." Robin trailed off, shook her head, and tried again. "You need to come with us."
Sam blinked. "Huh?"
"I'm going out of town for a while," Robin said quickly. "Me, Patrick, Lulu Spencer, and Bobby Donoley. There's something we need to investigate in London that might hold the answer to what Faison is after me for, and it's probably safer if we split up our families right now. You need to come with us."
"Robin, what on Earth is--"
"You are related to Alexis and Nikolas," Robin gulped. "You and Nikolas have too many DNA sequences in common, except for your mitochondrial DNA. You don't have a mother in common, but you do have--"
"Robin, you can't be serious."
"Sam, this is about as accurate as it gets." She looked up Sam, fear for the other woman shining in her eyes. "According to this, the most likely conclusion is that you and Nikolas have the same father. Stavros Cassadine."
"Wait," Sam shook her head, trying to absorb everything. "You just said that because I'm older than Nikolas, I could be considered a threat to--"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Robin nodded. "Assuming your birth date is correct, you are the first-born child of Stavros Cassadine, not Nikolas. It doesn't matter who your mother is. This is enough reason for Helena and every other Cassadine left alive to want you dead. You have to get out of Port Charles."
Author: Normative Jean
Fandom: General Hospital
Characters/Pairings: Robin, Patrick, Lulu, Sam, Anna, Robert, Mac, Faison, original characters; main pairing is Robin/Patrick, with Lulu/OC and Sam/OC later
Rating: PG-13 (for language, situations, and thematic elements)
Timeline: begins March '06, after the bet debacle. AU after that.
Summary: The epidemic was just a experiment, and it was deemed a failure; its mastermind is now targeting the only doctor he believes can make the experiment a success: Robin Scorpio. Robin finds herself trapped in the middle of an international mystery, on the run from an old family enemy she believed long dead. Patrick Drake is determined not to let anything mess up his chances at happiness with Robin, even if it means going along for the ride. Along with old friends and unexpected allies, can they keep Robin safe and stop a plot to take over the world?
Chapter 16 - Secrets
"Field ops is reporting a positive hit. The target was destroyed, and local law enforcement is on the scene."
"Excellent. And the WSB?"
"We have positive IDs on Special Agents Scorpio and Devane, just as you anticipated."
"No one else?"
"No, sir. Comm. intercepts indicate that WSB superiors have not deemed any of this significant proof of your existence, or of the DVX's involvement."
"And there have been no signs of Robin Scorpio?"
"No, sir."
"That old fool is more gullible than I remembered."
"Sir?"
"I believe they will be sufficiently preoccupied, Takada. Excellent work."
"Thank you, sir. Here are the new files you requested."
"Hm. Still no progress in the labs?"
"None, sir. Dr. Howard reports that attempts to isolate useful components from Crylium's virus prototype have proven unsuccessful, and that a viable delivery system for any completed weapon is therefore untenable at this time."
"That is quite unfortunate, but it proves we must be successful in obtaining Dr. Scorpio for our work."
"Yes, sir."
"And the other matter I asked you to look into?"
"The second file, sir. The woman's name is Samantha McCall."
"McCall...McCall...I don't believe I've ever crossed paths with another person bearing that name. Is this all the information you have been able to acquire?"
"Yes, sir. It appears she came to Port Charles three years ago, and hadn't had a permanent address for many years prior to that."
"I've seen her eyes before, Takada. Dig deeper. Focus on all of her connections in Port Charles and work backwards from there, and be creative. Sometimes the answers we seek are found in the most surprising places."
"Yes, sir."
"Very well, then. Dismissed."
***
Robin surveyed her lab, running through her mental checklist of everything she needed to have done so she could sneak away to London without causing too much suspicion. When she and Patrick had arrived in Alan's office earlier that morning, the chief-of-staff had merely looked at them for a moment, rolled his eyes, and asked how much "personal time" they were requesting. Robin had instinctively opened her mouth to protest that she and Patrick were not taking a vacation together, but Patrick had pinched her lower back and smoothly talked over her, thanking Alan for the "Obvious discretion with which he was treating their leave time." With any luck at all -- and at this point she wasn't holding her breath for that -- Robin, Patrick, Lulu, and Bobby would be on a plane out of the country before anyone thought to ask why the Robin would suddenly up and take a holiday with a man she was barely dating.
She and Patrick had parted ways a half-hour ago, agreeing to finish up only the most important, immediate reports and patient files, before handing everything off to the doctors covering their respective cases and sneaking back out of the hospital. Robin yawned; she had been awake for most of the night, packing and talking strategy with Bobby, who was just as chatty at three o'clock AM as he was at three o'clock PM. She flipped through one of her files, guilt momentarily overcoming her at the thought of abandoning her patients. But, as Patrick had taken to reminding her all morning, she was no good to her patients if she was kidnapped and forced to work in some secret lab for an evil spy agency. Robin snapped the folder shut; that particular patient was not critical, and she knew he would be just fine in the hands of Dr. Anderson. With a last glance around her research laboratory, Robin realized that she had taken care of everything she needed to. She stood up to leave, when the lab door was pushed open.
"Robin?" Sam called, peeking her head around the edge of the door.
"Hey," Robin said, confusion coloring her face. "What are you doing here?"
Sam entered the lab and closed the door behind her. She shifted nervously from one foot to the other, a large shoulder bag hanging by her side. Sam looked everywhere except at Robin. "Do you have a few minutes?" she finally asked, seemingly fascinated by the machines along the wall.
"Well, actually," Robin started to say, but stopped when Sam finally looked at her. Robin gasped slightly; the other woman looked like death warmed over. "Sam, what's wrong?" she asked urgently, her desire to get out of GH temporarily pushed aside.
"I..." Sam trailed off. Her eyes were wide and her skin looked white; she looked the opposite of how she had the night before, when she had been teasing Robin about jumping back into a relationship with Patrick. Sucking in a deep breath, Sam continued. "I need you to run a DNA test."
Robin blinked. "Another one?" she asked. "Is this about your brother again? Because the first test was conclusive--"
"No, it's...it's a new one." Sam lowered the bag onto the work table and looked at it like it would jump up and bite her at any moment. "I...I have something in here, and I need you to run a DNA test on it."
"Sam, look," Robin interrupted. "It's not that I don't feel for you; I do, and I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you to find out you were adopted the way that you did--"
"Alexis Davis is my mother."
Robin's jaw dropped. There was no way Sam had just said what she thought she said. "Huh?" Graceful, Robin chided herself.
"I know," Sam grimaced, a trace of her normal personality finally seeping back into her tone. "That was pretty much my reaction. Followed by violent cursing and the throwing of heavy objects at the wall."
Robin gave a shaky laugh. "Yeah, I'd imagine. But that doesn't make sense. I mean, I've known Alexis for years, and she's never said anything--"
"Oh, believe me, I know!" Sam spat. "She never even looked for me. She's a lawyer, for God's sake! It only took me and Jason a few days to find out she was my mother; she could have found me!"
"Sam!" Robin grabbed the woman's arm and steadied her; Sam's anger was palpable, and she had nearly knocked a stack of patient charts right off the table as she slammed her fist into the metal.
"I'm sorry," Sam said, her mouth dropping as she reined herself in. "I didn't mean...This is making me act crazy." She looked over at Robin and gave a mirthless smile. "Alexis has a unique talent for doing that, which I guess is proof that she's my mother."
Robin just shook her head, bringing her fingers up to massage her temples. "You're going to have to explain this to me. Go slowly and use small words, please."
Sam nodded and crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to protect herself from the words she was speaking. "You already know how I found out I was adopted," Sam said. When Robin nodded, she continued. "Jason and I traced my adoption records through what we knew about my birth: the date, and where I had grown up. Stan, Jason's computer guy, tracked the records of baby girls born in clinics on my birthday in Maine, and we came up with a name. Long story short, we tracked down another woman who gave birth to a baby boy the same day at that clinic, and she remembered seeing a teenage girl in a school uniform. We tracked down the school, and found a yearbook from the year I was born."
"Sam..."
"I'm getting there," Sam replied. "Anyway, we found a girl who had taken off the entire semester I would have been born in, and she was the only girl who did so. It was Alexis Davidovich." She looked pointedly at Robin.
Robin nodded mutely, not entirely trusting herself to speak. It was completely outlandish and completely impossible; there must have been something Sam and Jason had missed.
"What did your birth records say?" she finally asked. "Your birth certificate?"
Sam just shook her head. "There was nothing," she shrugged. "I guess Alexis was pretty thorough about destroying any evidence that I'd ever even existed."
Robin's head snapped up at that comment. "Wait...You said that Alexis was still a teenager, right?" Please, Robin thought, let me be wrong about this...
"Yeah, she was in boarding school." Sam frowned. "What of it?"
"Oh my God," Robin murmured, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Sam, if Alexis was still so young, do you really think she could have handled this all on her own?"
Sam shrugged again, but her face turned thoughtful. "Well, I guess her parents must have helped her, but still--"
"Sam!" Robin hissed, running over to slam the lab door completely shut. Whirling around, she grabbed Sam's arm and pulled her deeper into the room, finally stopping when they were next to a DNA sequencing machine that was nearly as tall as the two women. "Do you have any idea what this means?"
Yanking her arm out of Robin's grip, she stepped back in shock. "So her parent's helped her hide the unfortunate accident that I was," Sam scoffed.
Robin shook her head furiously, the reality of Sam's accusation burning in her chest. "Sam, do you know who Alexis's father was?" When Sam slowly shook her head, confusion coloring her face, Robin's heart sank. "Please at least tell me you and Jason were quiet and circumspect in your search?" she pleaded.
"Robin, what the heck is going on?" Sam asked. "What's suddenly got you so worried?"
"Sam," Robin said insistently. "Alexis's father was Mikkos Cassadine. As in the head of the Cassadine empire?" She looked questioningly at Sam. "None of this is ringing a bell?"
The other woman shook her head, although she was now clearly fascinated. "How is it you know more about my family than I do?" she asked.
Robin slumped back against the wall. "My family has something of a...bloody history with the Cassadines, particularly those from Mikkos' generation. I sort of grew up hearing horror stories about what a monstrous family they were." Robin smiled ruefully at the memories of her father's 'bedtime stories,' complete with kidnapped maidens and evil plots to take over the world; if only he had been exaggerating any of it. "Sam, you need to be very sure that Alexis is your mother before you go announcing anything."
"Robin," Sam frowned uncertainly. "You're making it sound like my adoption was some sort of evil plot." She laughed slightly. "You can't be serious about this."
"Sam, the only thing I can tell you for certain right now is that the Cassadines would never just let one of their own go. Helena Cassadine murdered Alexis's mother right in front of her, rather than allow the women to produce anymore children with Mikkos, but she couldn't touch Alexis on Mikkos' orders," Robin said. "If a Cassadine is lost, then they're lost for a reason."
Sam didn't say anything, but reached into the bag she had come in with. "I was in Kelly's this morning," she said nervously. "And Alexis was there with Nikolas, and I was just..." She trailed off, but Robin didn't need the words to imagine how Sam must have felt. "Anyway, after they left, I got to their table before the waitress could, and I..." Sam stopped speaking again, and reached into the bag, pulling out a coffee cup with distinct lipstick marks on the rim. "This was Alexis's. I need to know for sure, Robin." She looked pleadingly at the other woman. "I just need to know."
Robin did not immediately reach out for the cup. "You know that what you're asking me to do is completely illegal, right?"
"You just told me that I was apparently born into a family of devils," Sam responded with a raised eyebrow. "If everything you said is true, then I'm in more danger if I don't know for certain, right?"
"All right," Robin sighed. "I'll do it."
***
"So what has Jason suggested as far as protection if you turn out to really be Alexis's daughter?"
Sam turned her head to look at Robin. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Robin said thoughtfully, "If we confirm that you are Alexis's daughter, we're also confirming that you're a direct heir to Mikkos Cassadine, as well as a legitimate challenger to Nikolas's inheritance."
"How?" Sam frowned. "I don't want anything to do with that."
"I doubt Helena Cassadine will care," Robin replied. "Neither will any other Cassadine who'll come out of the woodwork, claiming that since you're older than Nikolas, you could technically be considered the first-born heir to Mikkos' fortune. I'm just saying, there are probably a lot of distant relatives in that family who would love to manipulate you into disputing Nikolas's claim."
Sam dropped her eyes to the floor. "Actually, Jason has been pretty preoccupied by the whole Sonny and Emily thing," she said quietly. "He's been getting pretty upset whenever I bring up Alexis and whether or not I should tell her. I finally decided to get irrefutable proof, so that if I do say anything, Alexis can't deny it."
"Well, I'm so glad to be your partner-in-crime." Robin rolled her eyes. "But after this, you're on your own, at least for a little while."
Sam looked up. "What's going on?" Her jaw dropped as a thought occurred to her. "Oh my God," she breathed. "What happened last night to the Haunted Star...tell me that didn't have anything to do with you."
"We don't know," Robin grimaced. "I mean, it's a pretty powerful message to all our families, so it is pretty likely that Faison --that's the guy who's doing all of this -- was behind it. Actually," she added, "If this test proves you're Alexis's daughter, you could be in danger, too."
"So even though those guys made a mistake in going after me," Sam concluded, "This guy could go after the Cassadines, anyway?"
Robin nodded. "He has just as sticky a history with that family as he does with mine. I'm just saying, the results of this test could change your life in ways you weren't anticipating." She frowned. "I'm surprised Jason isn't more concerned. I mean, he knows how dangerous the Cassadines can be."
Sam didn't say anything to that. Instead, she merely asked, "How much longer until the results of the test?"
"Not much--" A buzzer went off, indicating the sequencing test was complete. "Okay, then. The comparison of your DNA to the DNA I extracted from the coffee cup -- by the way, you so owe me for this -- should be printing out now."
Robin walked over to a different machine, where a series of transparencies were appearing. Robin took them over to a light box and put them up, looking at the two elongated and computerized strands of DNA. She frowned at what she saw, and went over to another computer, quickly typing something in. Another printer spat out a series of papers, and Robin grabbed them and walked back to the light box display. Sam watched Robin work and held her breath. She couldn't figure out what Robin's expression meant.
"I don't...This doesn't make any sense," Robin muttered.
Sam walked over to her. "Why? What is it?"
Robin turned to Sam. "Are you certain that was Alexis's cup?"
"Yeah. I saw her drink from it, and I grabbed it before anyone else touched it. Why?"
"Because according to these results," Robin said, waving a hand towards the transparencies, "Alexis is not your mother."
The air rushed out of Sam's lungs. "What?" she gasped. "That's impossible! I'm positive of what we found out--"
"Sam, I'm not finished," Robin said urgently. "If she was your mother, you'd have identical mitochondrial DNA strands, but you don't. According to this comparison, you and Alexis are related, you're just not mother and daughter." She held up the papers she had printed. "I ran a statistical analysis of the protein markers on your DNA strands, and according to this, the two of you are most likely related through a close male relative."
"I don't understand," Sam breathed. "What...How..."
Robin snapped the papers she was holding in frustration. "I'd need the DNA of a man related to both of you to figure out how closely you're related. But since I can't even say which side of Alexis's family you come from--"
"Robin," Sam interrupted, reaching for her bag. "About that..." She extracted a second coffee cup.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Robin groaned. "You stole Nikolas's cup, too?"
"I did not steal," Sam retorted. "I...took it without anyone knowing."
"Yeah," Robin sighed. "That's also known as stealing."
"Whatever," Sam waved it off. "Can you use this?"
"You mean can I commit two acts of medical malpractice instead of one?"
Sam just looked at Robin and held the cup out. "You're down for the count, anyway."
Robin huffed out a breath and snatched the cup from Sam's hands. "You know, I'm having more and more trouble remembering why I moved back to Port Charles." She didn't wait for Sam to respond, and just walked over to her workbench where she performed the necessary steps to extract enough saliva from the coffee cup to insert into the sequencer. "I repeat," she said under her breath, "You owe me so big for this."
Sam rolled her eyes. "Fine. Jason and I will name our firstborn child after you."
Despite the situation, Robin snickered. "That oughta send Carly to an early grave."
Sam laughed in kind. "All the more reason, then."
Robin finished setting up the sequencer and walked back to the light box. "This won't take long."
The momentary humor drained away, and the two women waited in silence as the machine ran a DNA comparison on the three samples. After what seemed like an eternity, new transparencies began printing, as well as a second statistical analysis. Robin took the new printouts over to the light box and put them up. She gasped sharply at what she saw, and immediately looked to the computer printout for confirmation. She turned to Sam, her eyes wide open in shock.
"What?" Sam asked nervously. "What is it?"
"I...This..."
"Robin!"
Robin forced herself to shake the stupor. It didn't matter how beyond belief it was, she knew how to read a DNA comparison. It didn't matter that it didn't make sense. "You..." Robin trailed off, shook her head, and tried again. "You need to come with us."
Sam blinked. "Huh?"
"I'm going out of town for a while," Robin said quickly. "Me, Patrick, Lulu Spencer, and Bobby Donoley. There's something we need to investigate in London that might hold the answer to what Faison is after me for, and it's probably safer if we split up our families right now. You need to come with us."
"Robin, what on Earth is--"
"You are related to Alexis and Nikolas," Robin gulped. "You and Nikolas have too many DNA sequences in common, except for your mitochondrial DNA. You don't have a mother in common, but you do have--"
"Robin, you can't be serious."
"Sam, this is about as accurate as it gets." She looked up Sam, fear for the other woman shining in her eyes. "According to this, the most likely conclusion is that you and Nikolas have the same father. Stavros Cassadine."
"Wait," Sam shook her head, trying to absorb everything. "You just said that because I'm older than Nikolas, I could be considered a threat to--"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Robin nodded. "Assuming your birth date is correct, you are the first-born child of Stavros Cassadine, not Nikolas. It doesn't matter who your mother is. This is enough reason for Helena and every other Cassadine left alive to want you dead. You have to get out of Port Charles."