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Cassadine tng 11

Because Uncle Stefan is in LA the schedule had been tweaked.

6:00am Tai Chi in the park with Uncle Stefan
7:30am Breakfast at home.
9:00am Casting Call for CW pilot.
Noon Lunch with Uncle Stefan at the beach.
3pm- 6:30 back to the house for lessons
8pm Curtain theater.
11pm home and asleep.

The early morning schedule is a lock unless she gets a call from Friday or Bic Levins office. And Friday had found a spa type place where Baba could go to get her hair and nails done but where she could still get “done.” It’s not a place that caters to the rich or infamous. Just a nice place doing good work that sometimes has Friday or Aunt Brittany rotating in.

“This Casting thing? You nervous?” Baba asks as she passes a bowl of fruit to Fancy. She loves all the fruit and veggies available out here in California and makes daily use of them.

“Yes and No. I know I allowed three hours for it on my schedule but it is actually only going to take about two minutes. Walk in. Hand them my head shot with my very short legitimate resume on it. Answer any question they may have and then leave. I might be done at 9:05 or I might not get out of there until noon.”

“Are you bringing a book?” Stefan inquires. He’d been properly impressed with the Tai Chi group Faith found in the park. Of course he wouldn’t actually say so. He’s used to doing Tai Chi alone or maybe with one other. It had been interesting to be in the group and out in the sunshine. It reminded him of Greece.

Faith nods. “Never go anywhere without one. Cell phone’s charged.”

“I’ll be going with you, dropping you off.” Stefan announces. “Mouse contacted me last evening he wants me to check on his latest... start up.”

“What’s up?” Fancy asks.

“A woman contacted Mouse with an idea for providing services to out of town basketball players. The woman was the one who was contacted about procuring basketball tickets for the Philadelphia game. The service will be computer based and he wanted to make sure that all the encryption is in place. Security will be a priority if this woman intends to keep her clientele.”

“Well if you or Mouse can’t hack it... then I’m sure it will be fine.” Fancy nods.

“And since Mouse is the one who developed it....”

“You have to be the one to try to crack it. Got it. What are you going to do, Baba, with your free morning?”

“Frankie get me gig.”

“Excuse me?” Fancy asks jaw dropped.

Baba nods. “I go to UCLA-- Russian studies. Make sure the students sound like they from St Petersburg not Moscow. I talk to professor on the phone he studies imperial Russian history. He weak with Soviet studies. This I know first hand. And he was very excited when I tell him my husband posted to Cuba too. This is audition like you. If he like then I come back some more. Maybe work with the children on their accent like we do on the movie. Frankie goes with me. Maybe he find nice girl on campus.”

“Maybe why Frankie was on the campus in the first place?” Fancy suggests.

“Maybe.” Baba nods.

When Mona opens the door to her new office, somebody is already sitting behind her desk with the brand new computer that she hasn’t even gotten to play with yet. “Excuse me? Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my office?!”

“Your external security is woeful.” Stefan answers. “You will need increased security on the front door and on the windows as well. If you are going to be dealing with confidential, black mail worthy material, your clientele must be confident that their information did not come from you. I have already informed Mouse.”

“You still haven’t said who the hell you are!”

“Stefan Cassadine.” Stefan gets to his feet and extends a hand.

Mona’s eyes go wide as she’s shaking his hand. “Oh my gawd. You’re him. You’re Uncle Stefan. Faith Monroe’s tutor. I read all about you on her journal.”

“Really.”

Mona can tell that Stefan really doesn’t like that idea. “I’m CSMC; I worked one of the clubs back in New York. And I don’t go telling people nothing. But she gets to go to all the Hollywood parties and met all these important people in the music business. I’m still working on the Montaigne. It’s good stuff but I have to take breaks... you know to figure out where the hell he’s going. Are you really a chess master?”

“I play chess, yes. As does Mouse. Do you?” Stefan asks dismissively.

“Never have. But I got a book. So it’s on my list of things to do. I have to learn basketball first. Watched it plenty of course, but that’s where the business is going to be.”

“At least at first.” Stefan agrees. “You do not need to be the expert at what your clientele does. You need to be expert at what you do. They are hiring you for your skills, not theirs.”

“Ouch. Good point. So what the hell are you doing?”

“Attempting to break through the encryption Mouse put in place on your system. I would still recommend keeping all client information on a computer that does not connect to any other or go out to the internet. Also have back up secured in an offsite location.”

“You think it’s that important.”

“If you are doing this right you are going to know everything about your clientele. How else are you going to be able to address their needs in one phone call? One breech of that confidentiality and your business is over.”

“Class, I would like to introduce you to Sofia Koslov. She was born and raised in St Petersburg, then called Stalingrad, and only moved to the United States eight years ago.”

“Call me Baba.” Mrs Koslov says from the front of the class. “Such smart young people and you all speak Russian yes? Some maybe more comfortable with the writing than the speaking?” She sees the nods. “This is okay. I still more comfortable with Russian than the English. You.” Baba points to a girl in the front row. “You be my translator. Just a little while then I pick on someone else.”

Luckily people who sit in the front row are notorious for being suck ups and the girl does fairly understand Russian. Baba tells what it was like to be born in Soviet Russia and going to the state schools. Marrying a military man. Traveling to the duty stations including to Cuba. Losing her son and her husband, only her grandson left.

Someone about three rows back raises a hand, and asks with a little disbelief. “Your grandson... he wouldn’t happen to be Josef Koslov?”

“Dah? You know of my Josef? He is the reason why I am in this country.” Baba has the girl change places with another. “You did a fine job. Maybe your teacher give A+ for today.” Baba looks over at the professor with a raised brow. The prof nods and chuckles.

“How did you get in this country?” One of the other students asked.

“When I first come very illegal.” Mrs Koslov says in a low tone as if telling a great secret. “My Josef was negotiating the Balkan pipeline... You know this pipeline? Very important project for Eastern Europe, like your alaska pipeline but many country throw in their how you say... two cents. Nobody knows this only you.” She waves a hand to the classroom. “Nikolas Cassadine also negotiate but he is kidnaped from his hotel in the middle of the negotiation. Nobody knows. His family puts out story of bad fish to buy time. Everyone at the table worried now who will be next. Josef he knows he has only me. So it is arranged for me to go to America... very quiet to stay with Kristina Ashton. She is cousin of Nikolas. She trusts that my Josef will be able to find Nikolas while she keeps me safe. This is unfortunate business and still true. Too much kidnaping. Too much poisoning. You see this in the news. Josef worries too much and knows I’m safer here in USA. So when the negotiation done he makes nice with State department to get me visa.”

“Didn’t he go to jail for like two years because he ticked off the president of Russia? He was on amnesty international’s list as a political prisoner.”

“Dah.” She looks over at the student doing translation. “You switch now. Good job.” She waits for the next student to come up. “Two years. Penal colony in Siberia. No contact with outside– only his attorney. Maybe some letters but we never know if the letters are getting through. When he come from colony he 20 kilos... 45 pounds lighter and he has very bad TB. He released two years ago, and he is still thin. Kristina and I very careful make sure he get better. I have been legal alien– have green card-- for last four years. The day they arrest my Josef, Kristina file for emergency papers for me because I cannot go back to Russia.”

“They gave you asylum because you could be used against your grandson.” One of the students doesn’t bother raising his hand. He is leaning in and totally enthralled with the story.

“This is true. Kristina, because she is US citizen, she can still travel in Russia and did for most of the time Josef in the colony. But she very mad at them and took out everything first before government could get hands on it. After a while she couldn’t go to Russia either. Josef when he released; he goes to Greece to get rid of the TB. The Greeks they like him, especially if he put his money in their banks, so they say he be Greek citizen.”

There is a round of laughter that starts as Baba finishes what she says and starts up again as the translator finishes it up in english.

“You, bad boy who doesn’t raise hand, you translate next. Come, come.” Baba waves the guy down. “You did good job– didn’t bury punchline on my little joke, dah?” She gives the girl a pat on the shoulder. “So now you know about me, can probably guess what I know. Maybe you have question for me?”

The hands go up in the air. The professor steps to the front and starts calling on people.

There is a rap on the door. “Hello?” Fancy opens the door. “Uncle Stefan?”

“He went down to talk to Maureen about getting new door locks.” Mona looks at the doorway. “I was hoping I’d get to meet you. I’m Mona Dupree. I’ve been reading your journal since you went to the release party for the Michaelson’s down in Boston. You know when Anna Holtz did that interview on Mayday.”

“Well that is scarcely fair unless you’re keeping a journal too.”

“I probably should. Things have definitely been happening but your uncle has been letting me having it left and right about confidentiality.”

“Isn’t he a pill. He’s the reason why my legal name is Faith. He hated my real name and harped on it until I finally gave in.”

“Some of your replies call you Fancy.”

“That’s my birth name.” Faith nods. “But now I kind of keep it on the DL. If someone knows me well enough to call me Fancy...”

“Ah got it.”

“Ms Dupree, the security system will be installed tomorrow. Hello, Faith.” Stefan announces as he comes in the door only realizing that Mona is not alone as he enters the room.

“Looks like you’ve been busy. How soon are you going to be ready to go live?”

Stefan looks over at Mona. “I wouldn’t recommend it until the security measures are in place. As soon as they are in place then Mouse will begin transitioning the CSMC helpline to you as your first client. You’d be providing cover age during his sleeping hours. Mouse informs me these are actually his slow hours, if there is going to be assistance needed it is normally at 2am.”

“Mouse’s normally sleeping hours?” Fancy frowns. “Doing the timezone thing that has you starting work at about 3am and going to 11am. Definitely going to have to have calls forwarded to the home phone or cell and have a computer set up there too.”

“I’ve been doing it by cell so far. And it will be a relief to have it actually be my job rather than worrying about if I’m going to get fired for taking a phone call.”

“Faith, we should be going. Ms Dupree, I will be by tomorrow after the installation to test the system.”

“I appreciate all the help you’ve given me today, Mr Cassadine.”

On their way out to the car, Fancy gives Stefan a sideline glance. “She seemed... interesting.”

“She reminds me of my wife.” Stefan finally says.

“Your ex? Bobbie Spencer?”

“Barbara Jean also had... street smarts to spare and was frequently underestimated by people who gauged her intelligence as being inversely proportional to her bust size.”

“Wow. You really liked her... Mona, I mean.”

“I don’t know her.” Stefan grimaces as he slides behind the driver’s seat of the Challenger. The last thing he’d ever expected was to be behind the wheel of an american muscle car. Porsche, Ferrari sure but this.

“Stanley picked it out for me. It’s perfect.” Fancy reads him with two years practice. “It’s young, price appropriate and will go when you hit the gas. I start driving around in an Italian racing car nobody will think I need a job.”

Frankie is leaning up against the wall in the back of the classroom. He knew Baba would be a hit. She loves young people. Whether it was Pavel or Fancy or Baby she’d boss them all. Frankie glances over at the Prof and gets his eye and then taps his watch. The Prof glances over at the clock and winces. “We’re going to have to stop there. Unfortunately, we’ve already run over. If there would have been a later class in this room we’d have known it. Mrs Koslov, Thank you so much for coming in today.” The prof starts the applause but it is soon taken up by the students who are gathering their supplies.

Frankie calls from the back of the room. “Anybody who needs to get hold of Baba her email address is baba at courtland street.com and spell out the street. She has her email set up to take both English and Russian if you need the practice.”

“Dah! Emails are very good.” Baba agrees. “Very good questions you keep me on my toes. Don’t forget to eat lunch or your brain will go to sleep in afternoon class. And your other professors be out for my blood.”

“Let me take you to lunch. At least over at Ackerman.” The prof offers. “I have a few questions of my own.”

Baba looks over at Frankie who shrugs. “That will be fine.”

Over at the Union, over coffee, soup and sandwiches the Professor asks the questions. The Russian studies department is part of the Humanities program and that is the way he’d come to the study but many of the students are there because they are interested in business or government. The fall of the Iron Curtain back in the 80s with the break off of the republics had just made things more... interesting.

It soon gets out that Baba hadn’t left campus and is still over at the union and there are more students there who didn’t have a class until later. The conversation is a mismash of English and Russian. Baby would feel right at home. Frankie grins at the thought. He loses the smile though when one of the students asks a mob question. “You know questions like that really kind of piss me off. Went through that myself. Italian so I must be mafia.”

“Nyet, Frankie. Is okay.” Baba shakes her head. “Last month me and Fancy, Kristina’s daughter, we were up in Idaho working on a movie. We help the actors get the voice right. The movie all about Russian mob. Cops and robbers, cowboys and indians. It’s always something, dah? Shoot ‘em up. This is consequence of the fall. Democracy is very good but it is also very dangerous. Take down the government and then don’t take care of the military? Don’t take care of the pensioners– people who give their whole life to mother russia and then get a pension that doesn’t buy medicine? Doesn’t buy food? Don’t pay the people who have guns, who know secrets and how to use them? It is more basic than democracy. Either you live... or you die. Americans see this too, dah? Russia already had a blood nose from Afghanistan. They give you one too. Not so different.”

The student who’d asked the question nods chastened by being called prejudiced. “So how did you get by?”

“My husband was killed in Afghanistan. He’s high up in the military so we have nice place in St Peterburg and a dacha– country house. I was doing well on my pension. My son and his wife, they both work so they live with me and I take care of Josef. Always under Soviet there is a shortage of something. Is not flexible is not free market. One week it would be shoes, next bread, then maybe heating oil. Always something.”

“Black market.”

Baba nods. “Dah. No harm. You have this, I need. I have this, you need. We work a deal. My son is a wheeler dealer and he makes more money making deals than going to work everyday. But he goes to work.... until there is no more work. Then he starts making deals full time. Because now he is only one with money coming in. My pension...” Baba shakes her head. “His wife’s job...” Baba shakes her head. “He makes wheeler dealer and buys small bakery. His wife work at the bakery and he keeps wheeler dealer. He makes enough money so that his wife can hire someone to work with her in the bakery and it takes over the store next door.”

“Let me guess? He was paying taxes on the bakery but not on the wheeler dealer?”

Baba gives a sly look and a wink. “Now how would I know that?”

“There are times I just want to go straight up the coast.” Fancy leans her head back. “It’s so beautiful. The water is different from the island. It’s not the same blue. And it’s definitely different than the Charles. Where are we heading?”

“Malibu. Kristina indicated there is a ... hole in the wall... which offers excellent seafood.”

“Malibu was one of the places that Mouse considered for me getting a place out here.” Fancy remembers. “Lots of show business folks have houses out here.”

“Fire, mudslides...”

“Yes, and besides that Baba picked West Hollywood.” Fancy nods. “It’s a great house, close to everything but not so much as to make anyone uncomfortable.”

Stefan nods. “It does have something for everyone. The only thing it doesn’t seem to have is a place for horses.”

Fancy laughs. “Yeah, they would kind of stand out.”

“I think I shall follow the old practice.”

Fancy blinks and wonders what the hell he is talking about. So her response is hesitant and questioning. “Dacha?”

“There will be times when being in the city will be... tiresome.” Stefan nods. “A place out of town with room for horses. A Cassadine property somewhere Tasha and Zander could come to visit and still have space.”

“Or Baby and Josef... especially if it’s not in either of their names.” Fancy nods. “It’s a great idea. Otherwise they’d be staying with Uncle Dillon. Which is great of course but it’s not exactly... private.”

“Excellent point. I have already notified Maureen of the specifics. She will contact me with potential properties.”

“I kind of get the feeling that Maureen wasn’t too happy about the project Mona Dupree is doing?”

“The converted walk in closet your first inkling?” Stefan’s retort is dry. “She has underestimated Ms Dupree, and the backing she has from Mouse.”

Okay I'm counting this one as a miracle that it's even coming out. The only reason why is because of the back ups I sent to Sue for the website. THANK YOU SUE!!!! Because of those I'll still be able to do a treat for those who reply. My access to the internet is definitely limited thanks to the infamous virus incident of 2009 with my laptop. (see the missive over on the community board) I have zero access with it and I'm working off a very very very old desk top. Did I say very? I meant VERY old. I've managed to back up my fiction to an external harddrive... and my itunes library too. So if I end up having to start from scratch well it won't be like last time. But you know this very very very old desktop? No USB port. LOL Can we say it again? THANK YOU, SUE!!!!! Who wants a treat? I've got treats.

Deb