Mind
Games 2 (videotape), a
It
was the work of a moment for
Mental
imbalance must run in the family.
She
swept into his office and closed the door behind her in a graceful movement. He
looked up at her, startlement in his expressive sherry eyes. She paused, partly
for effect and partly to admire the man in his clothes. He'd been impressive
nude; with his professional mien in place, he was still quite lovely. She
sighed happily. Beautiful men suffered beautifully. It was a maxim she'd seen
proven over and over in her adventurous life.
He
was politeness personified, but his eyes were wary. "Mrs. Cassadine, how
may I help you?"
"On
the contrary, my dear doctor," she cooed sweetly. "I am here to help
you."
His
wariness increased tenfold. She smiled in genuine enjoyment. Laying the
innocuous videotape box precisely in the center of the desk blotter in front of
him, she continued with precisely gauged mock-concern, "It would be in
your own best interests to ensure that you are not, once again, involved in a
professional case that has a clear conflict of interest. The Board would not be
so forgiving a second time."
"What
are you talking about?" Still in control, still calm, but she saw a
betraying quiver in his hand as he reached for the box.
"I'll
leave you to watch in private, Dr. Collins. Do think seriously on what I've
said." With that she turned and swept back from the office as grandly as
she'd entered it. Pausing in the hall outside the door, she was gratified to
hear movement. Slow, but discernible.
As
the mouse reached out for the cheese ... the trap snapped shut.
Kevin
stared at the images cavorting across the screen in sick disbelief.
It
had been Mac. It had to have been.
But
the body moving over his was twenty years younger, thinner and fairer than Mac
Scorpio, by far. It was unmistakably Lucky Spencer handcuffing him to his bed,
making love to him, leaving him shaking and spent. Kissing him, uncuffing him,
pulling the covers over him, and leaving him asleep.
Guilty
as sin.
Completely
innocent.
Well,
he knew he was the latter, but the tape was an incredibly strong case for the
former. And he knew Helena Cassadine. This was a copy, not the original.
He
managed to get up, turn off the machine, walk across the hall and make it into
a stall before he vomited. That was a major victory. On his knees on the cold
tile of a men's room floor with his head hanging in the toilet, Kevin knew
without a doubt that his life couldn't get worse. Even when his psychotic
murderous twin Ryan was playing with his head, it hadn't been this bad. Eve was
catting around on him with Ian, Lucy was close to getting back in his life and
screwing it up all over again, Grace was tormenting his dreams, Livvie was
complicating his days, Mac ... Mac hadn't come to his bed.
A
boy under his care for severe mental complications following mind games of the
worst possible kind had come to his bed. A boy he had no chance in hell of
helping now.
Dragging
himself up to the sink, staring at the haggard face staring back at him from
the mirror, he seriously considered putting his head through the glass before
catching himself. It had to have been
It
was all
Before
he talked to anyone at the hospital, he had to talk to Mac.
He
moved like an automaton, going through the motions, nodding and greeting people
in the halls, in the elevator, driving through the streets of Port Charles on
automatic, simply grateful to arrive at police headquarters without running
over anyone. Knocking firmly on the commissioner's door, he stared down at the
videotape in his other hand.
This
was going to be ... difficult. Besides the whole ethical question, there was
the undoubted fact that
For
Lucky's sake.
"C'mon
in." Mac sounded distracted. Kevin popped his head around the edge of the
door.
"Is
this a good time?"
It
was gratifying, after as awful as the past few weeks had been, to see the way
Mac's face lit up at seeing him.
"Kev!
Bring yourself in. It's always a good time for you."
He
found himself smiling, relaxing for the first time since
It
was a fight to stop himself from clinging. Mac felt that something was wrong before
Kevin could say a word. The hug tightened, then loosened, and he found himself
drawn over to a comfortable couch, settled in the corner with Mac sitting
beside him.
"What's
wrong, mate?" Mac asked quietly.
"Everything,"
Kevin found himself responding honestly. He shook his head at Mac's concerned
look. "Priorities, though. Some things are much worse than others, for the
innocent bystanders, at least."
Now
Mac looked confused as well as concerned. Kevin smiled against his will. Mac
had always been ridiculously cute. This close, and as shaky as Kevin felt at
the moment, it was almost impossible not to kiss him. The thought sobered him,
and he took a deep breath.
"What
I'm about to say impinges on doctor-patient confidentiality, and involves the
threat of a crime that I have no intention of pursuing charges for because it
would harm my patient. I need you to know that right up front, Mac."
Blue
eyes narrowed at him, and a measuring look displaced the previous concern.
"If a crime's been committed, Kevin, I can't promise not to go after the
criminal," Mac warned.
"If
you don't, I can't come to you for help," Kevin told him quietly. Mac
looked frustrated, and about to explode in a temper, as expected. Kevin reached
out and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Please. Just listen."
Mac
took a deep breath and nodded. Reassured, for the moment at least, Kevin
launched into a carefully edited account of Lucky's experience as
"That's
not the worst of it. Her control over his actions hasn't yet been broken."
Kevin took a deep breath then rose and inserted the tape into Mac's VCR,
detouring on his way back to the couch to lock the door to the office. Mac
raised a brow in question. Kevin shrugged uncomfortably. "You'll see why
in a moment."
He
pressed play, then waited, watching Mac's face instead of the screen. His old
lover's expression was an open book, and it was depressing reading. Disbelief,
a touch of arousal, shock, disapproval, puzzlement, understanding, and anger
followed one another in swift progression. As the moans and sighs faded away to
the deep slow sound of a sleeper's breathing, Kevin stopped and ejected the
tape.
"She
made him do this." Mac sounded completely convinced. That was heartening.
"I
thought he was you." It was one of the most difficult things Kevin had
ever had to say in a lifetime of saying difficult things. Mac's eyes met his,
understanding and heartache in them.
"Because
of Felicia," he said softly. Kevin nodded. "Wish it had been, mate.
Then this never would've happened."
Kevin
swallowed around the lump in his throat. "But it did, and now we need to
deal with it."
Mac's
hand settled over his, and he turned his own so they met palm to palm, fingers
entwining. "I take it you don't want me to go after the old bitch for
blackmail?" There was a note of hope in Mac's voice. Kevin shook his head.
"If
you did, she just might trigger Lucky to do something even more destructive,
targeted against someone less able to take care of themselves than I am."
"Then what d'you want me to do?" It was a singularly frustrated cry.
Kevin could sympathize.
"I
want you to know what's happening, and keep an eye on
Mac
nodded. "Keep me informed. And Kev?" Fingers tightened around his
reassuringly. "I trust you. She's not gonna get away with it."
Then,
in broad daylight in the middle of the police headquarters, the commissioner
leaned over and kissed him. There was faith in the contact, and strength, and
determination to win, and a fierce desire he'd missed. When they broke apart
again, he could still feel Mac's mouth moving on his, still feel the pressure
of his shoulder against him, still feel the warmth radiating from him. He
brushed a kiss over Mac's knuckles before he reluctantly let go of his hand.
Kevin
left the office feeling much better than when he'd gone in. Stronger, like he
could fight dragons, or beard lions in their dens. Funny, how a little faith
and a simple kiss could make a man ten feet tall and loaded for bear. Laughing
to himself at all the hunting analogies that were crowding his mind, he drove
back to the hospital and looked up Gail Baldwin.
What
she had to tell him wasn't reassuring.
"Luke
was positive about this deeper conditioning? Did
Gail
shook her head sadly. "No, only that it would cause him to lash out at
those closest to him."
Kevin
stared off into space a moment, mentally tracing the complexities of
"I
need to ask a favor of you, Gail." She looked askance at him. "I
can't go into details without betraying a confidence, but ... will you be my
beard?"
She
smiled at him irrepressibly. "Does Eve know about this?"
He
grinned back, as conspiratorially as possible. "I can't let
It
was a long, intense stare-off before she reluctantly agreed. "I prefer to
have things aboveboard, Kevin, as you well know. But we're dealing with a very
tricky customer in Helena Cassadine, and if this is the only way we can help
that boy, then I'm with you."
"Thank
you, Gail. I'll do everything I can to prove your confidence isn't
misplaced."
"I'm
sure you will," she replied dryly. "Just do what you do so well,
Kevin, and help Lucky Spencer get his life back."
end mind games 2