Destiny's Child

Chapter 2

"The bat? Why the bat?" V asked, finally smiling. "Mr Cassadine seems like a nice enough man so why refer to him as the bat?"

"The Cassadines are not nice, V. Don't ever underestimate them. They ruin lives!" Jerry exclaimed this with force and stalked over the window. When V turned to look at him she met his stiffly held shoulders.

"Jerry this is personal isn't it?" V asked gently. She had never seen him this angered by people she referred to as strangers. While the thought of Jerry in pain hurt her she was also compelled to help him. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"No V. Just go back to the couch." Jerry's voice sounded strangely thick to V's ears. When she felt his shoulder tremble under his hand she realized he was either crying or attempting to hold back tears. She moved to hug him, watching him tense up further, then finally backed away.

"All right I'll be over there." She said studiously examining the medallion, worried to death about Jerry. Finally she couldn't take the silence anymore. "Jerry if you ever want to…"

"I don't. I can't." he interrupted her, gaze fixed somewhere in the backyard of the brownstone.

"Ok." She replied, sympathy brimming over in those two letters. Never had she wanted to reach out to Jerry so much. He had always annoyed her but this was a new side to the man, a vulnerable side, a side she wanted and needed to get to know better.

It took fifteen minutes for Jerry to turn and regard her. "I won't speak about that." He said in a low voice. Looking closely, V could see the faint tracks of his tears. Jerry was not a man given to emotion, and knowing that he'd cried forced another wave of sympathy for him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We can't continue this." Bobbie moaned as Stefan's mouth found her breasts and his goatee teased her sensitive flesh.

"And why not Barbara?" he asked, the hint of a smile on his face.

"Just because." She smiled back at him. "Lucas would be confused."

"And where is Lucas now?" Stefan asked, amused.

"With Felicia for the night." Bobbie admitted, smiling as his lips descended on hers.

"Very forward thinking of you Barbara." Stefan replied as he broke the kiss. "And what time are you due in to the hospital?"

Bobbie shook her head. "Tomorrow at 11 PM. Felicia has Lucas until Tony comes to get him. He spends the weekend with Tony now."

Stefan moved back, resting his head on his pillow. His eyes met Bobbie's. "And this displeases you given his history?" he surmised.

"Yes it does." Bobbie twined her hand in Stefan's before turning to gaze into his eyes. "He isn't the man he was at the Nurse's Ball last year, but he also isn't the man I loved. The unpredictability concerns me, even though it's good for Lucas to have a male influence in his life again."

"He cared for that rapscallion Jacks didn't he?"

Bobbie nodded. "The breakup was hard on him. Plus you and Nikolas, when we broke up he missed you both terribly."

Stefan sighed, gathering her close. "I will make it up to him Barbara. My behavior was reprehensible with regard to young Lucas."

"I hope you can." She sighed, leaning back against Stefan. "He's a wounded little soul."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

V watched Jerry moving about the small apartment. He's a wounded soul she thought, wondering what caused such a private man to break down as he had. When he had retreated from the window, V had been hoping he'd sit with her but instead he'd gone into the kitchen, putting on a pot of coffee and basically ignoring her. It was better that way though, V realized. After all Jerry wasn't ready to share his pain with her or anyone else. Still, she had an almost overwhelming desire to help.

"Jerry, maybe going over there, to Wyndamere isn't such a good idea. I don't need to find out why all of this jewelry is showing up at my front door. I'm probably the only person in the world who would be suspicious enough to question why a diamond tiara shows up at her door. It could just be someone being nice or thinking that I'dappreciate it. Even if it does have something to do with my birth parents, the Ardanowskis are my family, and that's all I need to know."

"Listen luv," Jerry said, coming up next to her. "If it has to do with the Cassadines, you can bet there is an ulterior motive. For them to tip their hand in any way means they want something from you. It's up to us to figure what it is, before you walk into their trap."

V interrupted him. "I'm not a child Jerry, nor am I a gullible person. I'm a trained police officer, who can take care of herself. I'm not going to walk into someone's trap, especially one I know is waiting for me."

"V, you can say that now, but I have seen that family crush stronger, better prepared people then you. People on the inside, who are well aware of the consequences of not playing the game by the Rules of Helena. You need the help of someone with first hand knowledge of the inner Cassadine workings, and in that respect, baby I'm your man."

"Jerry, I have no doubt that you can help me. I'd just rather not drag up what are apparently some awful memories and emotions that lay to close to the surface to be healthy in the kind of case. I'll have Flea do some checking for me, and I have a few people who owe me, that can do the dirty work for me. I'll know in the matter of days what this is all about."

Jerry shook his head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "Using someone, unfamiliar with the family will get you exactly what they want you to know Venus. And I wouldn't suggest bringing in someone you care about. It would be a shame if someone who you liked got their throat slit. This has Helena's name all over it, and she doesn't take kindly to people sticking their noses into her families business.

"Helena, she tried to kill Jax and Alexis. What could she possibly want with me? She knows that we're all friends, and that I would never be after her family's money. So what's going on exactly. Jerry is there anything you can tell me?"

Jerry nodded firmly. "We have to watch our backs Venus. I can tell you that much. And we have to trust each other. Do I have your trust? If not, tell me what I need to do to earn it. We can't enter into this as anything but equal partners, no holds barred."

No holds barred, V thought wondering how she could ever get to the point where she could trust Jerry Jacks for anything, much less her life.