Chapter 5 Afterwards, shivering from both the chill of the air and the feelings coursing through her body, Emily pulls herself up, holding her dress across herself modestly. Nikolas made love to her. He'd held her, and kissed her as if she were the only woman in the world. She'd never felt such. . . . joy, and love, and completeness in her life. Reaching out with a shaky hand, she touches Nikolas' shoulder tentatively, hoping to convey some of her love and wonder to him. "Nikolas?" She winces as he flinches at her touch. "Emily." Choked with emotion, Nikolas finally turns to face her, his face drawn in an expression of agony. "Dear God. What have I done? Oh Emily, I never meant to hurt you. . . .I can't tell you. . . ." At a loss for words, Nikolas can only gaze at her in abject misery. "If I was thinking clearly," swiping a hand over his face, Nikolas sighs with self loathing. "If I were thinking at all, I'd never have done this. I never thought I could force a woman like an animal. . . . ." Letting his voice trail away, Nikolas drops his head into his hands. "Please, forgive me." "NO! Nikolas!" Unable to bear the disgust in his voice, Emily pulls his face towards hers. "You didn't force me. I knew what I was doing every minute Nikolas." Seeing the doubt written plainly on his face Emily grasps his shoulders and gives him a harsh shake. "How can you call what we just shared rape? I wanted to be with you, here, like this for so long. You could never hurt me Nikolas. I know that with all of my heart." Emily drops a kiss on Nikolas shoulder. "Please Nikolas. Don't do this to yourself." Without a word Nikolas slips Emily's dress over her head, carefully buttons her back into it, and swiftly tucks his shirt in. "Nonetheless, this never should have happened, Emily. I received a terrible blow tonight, you caught me unaware and I had no right to take advantage of you." Lightly rubbing a finger over her swollen lips, Nikolas continues in a softer tone. "I was all alone, and all of a sudden, out of nowhere you came right into the middle of my misery. If I were half the man I like to think I am, I would have sent you away. But instead like a sick barbarian, I took what you offered." "But Nikolas. . .I . . . . ." Emily is embarrassed. Her voice lowers to a mere whisper. "I understand. You didn't want this to happen. You don't want me, and you never did." With her heart in her stomach, She turns away from Nikolas, then finding her voice once again, she continues. "We can just forget this ever happened Nikolas. Really. I mean, people make love all the time." Brushing away stray tears, Emily forges on in spite of the pain tearing her apart. "Look at my family. . .they do this all the time. It doesn't have to mean anything at all." Reaching out his hands, Nikolas takes hold of her shoulders, and slowly turns her to meet his eyes. Seeing the utter devastation and loss of hope in her big, expressive brown eyes rends his heart in two. This was Emily. His dear friend. The one who'd lifted his spirits and tolerated his moods. The one who'd made him speak after the shooting that robbed him of his speech. Now unable to find the right words to ease her pain, Nikolas simply pulls her into his arms, feeling her young body go stiff at first, then melt into his arms as she begins to sob against his chest. All the while a litany in his head keeps repeating. "Emily. My Emily. What have I done?" Returning to the present, Nikolas pours himself a stiff drink, trying to drown the sound of her muffled sobs. Emily had done nothing but care for him, and he'd leveled her in his own grief and anger. The memories are always just below the surface, threatening to break free. The nights in Paris had been the worst. Knowing she was so close, yet so totally out of his reach. He'd wanted to see her. To speak to her, somehow to make amends for the past. Yet he could never find the nerve. Returning to Port Charles, to the scene of the crime, would be like walking through the gates of Hell. Lifting a small picture frame from beside him, Nikolas looks at the most compelling reason to do so. So that he can walk out the other side and move on with his life without the anger, guilt, and confusion hanging over him like the sword of Damacles. Kelly's. "So Emily, have you given any thought to what you're going to do now that you're back in Port Charles?" Ned asks before finishing off his cup of coffee. "Will you go back to school?" Seated next to her husband, Alexis steals half of a blueberry muffin off of Ned's plate. Watching the two so close, Emily marvels at Ned and Alexis. But most especially at the change in her cousin since his marriage to Alexis. Where as before Ned was kind, hardworking, and definitely too wound, he was now more relaxed. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders from the moment he said "I do." And though Emily was initially wary of Alexis as a wife for Ned, she'd been slowly won over simply by virtue of Ned's own happiness. He'd confided in her that as much as he'd loved Lois, she never really understood where he was coming from, or how he got there. Alexis on the other hand was the perfect partner, and perhaps the one person who could understand the inherit pressures of being the family's gatekeeper. Dragging herself away from her private musings, Emily smiles and pushes away her plate, with most of the scone still there. "I don't know. Next term I'll probably go back part time. But right now I'd really rather have a job of some sort. I'm not sure what, but I'll figure out something. I mean I really need to have something to do while Michael is in school." "The hospital is looking for volunteers in the wellness program." Alexis offers. "Unless you'd rather not be so close to enemy territory." She adds as an afterthought, remembering the unpleasant scene at Jason and Carly's funeral. "No, that sounds good to me." Emily smiles. "In fact I think it's exactly what I need. I'll have to talk over the security side of it with Rinaldo though." Glancing over his shoulder Ned shakes his head at the all too familiar sight of Rinaldo looming close by. "Can't you get rid of him? I thought when you brought Corinthos back from the Bermuda Triangle that it was to keep you and Michael safe." "He does keep us safe." Emily explains for the millionth time. "Rinaldo and the others keep Michael and me as safe as possible. Just because Jason's. . .gone, doesn't mean that the threat is." "As long as you're sure." Ned answers skeptically. Checking her watch, Alexis frowns. "Ned, we've got to get going." To Emily she explains. "Stefan is throwing an engagement party at Wyndemere for his new fiancee." "That's right. I let you bully me into it." Ned teases playfully. "Now Ned. This is one of those compromises that we discussed a few months ago." Alexis returns staunchly. "Yeah and look where compromise got you." Ned chuckles warmly, helping his very pregnant wife to her feet. Unable to resist their joyfulness, Emily rises to her feet to hug both of them. "So this is where babies come from. . . .compromise." Kissing Emily's cheek Ned invites. "How about if you bring Michael over in the next week and we'll take him and Brooke to the zoo?" "Sounds wonderful." Emily's answer is enthusiastic as she walks Ned and Alexis out of Kelly's. "Have a good time tonight, and please give my congratulations to Stefan." A clap of thunder greets Stefan as he opens the front door to Wyndemere to allow his guest in. A young woman in an expensive but drenched raincoat dashes into the hall to avoid getting further soaked. "What a night!" She exclaims. "I am glad you could make it, despite the violence of the storm," Stefan murmurs in her ear from behind as he helps remove her rain-drenched coat. "I am anxious for you to meet my Nikolas." His hands linger briefly on her shoulders, communicating the comfortable intimacy between them. "I trust the ride over on the launch wasn't too difficult?" The woman gives a slight shudder as she smooths out her dress and tosses back her shoulder length brown hair. Her simple blue silk dress hugs her slim figure, showing every curve to it's advantage while somehow remaining modest. "It was positively terrifying, although the launch operator did his best to smooth the ride. I'm afraid I won't ever be at ease on the water. But I'm here now, safe and sound." She turns to give him a warm smile. "And I wouldn't miss meeting your nephew for the world. I know how important this is for you. And I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous. You speak of him so highly, what if he doesn't like me?" Stefan smiles back at her, rubbing her upper arms in reassurance. "That is an impossibility, Rina. Nikolas is a perceptive young man with excellent taste; I am certain he will adore you..." He pulls her towards him until she is as close to his chest as she can be without touching, then lowers his voice to a gruff whisper. "This latest separation has been much too long for my taste. Tell me that you have arranged for your belongings to be moved here." Rina flushes pink and looks around nervously, hoping no one walks in on their conversation. "If you are trying to fluster me, you're succeeded. This isn't at all like you... to act like this when we might not be alone; what if Nikolas walked in?" In one of his rare playful moods, Stefan's eyes twinkle as he brushes her dark hair off her shoulder and pulls her still closer. "Nikolas hasn't arrived yet... and while Alexis and Ned are here, I have it on good authority that they will be upstairs for another ten minutes. That gives me enough time to greet you as a proper fiance should." Stefan lowers his mouth to kiss her with slow deliberateness, deepening the kiss only when he hears her groan with pleasure. Her arms wind around his neck as she gives herself up to the kiss. At a sound on the steps, the breathless couple quickly end their embrace and busy themselves with straightening their clothes. Stefan looks up to find Alexis slowly descending the stairs. Clearing his throat , Stefan extends his hand to Alexis. "Alexis, I would like you to meet my fiance, Corrine Gibbons-Lance."   Chapter 6 Spoon Island. Climbing out of the launch, Nikolas takes a deep breath and savors the familiar feel of the air over Spoon Island. It smells as it always did during a brief break from a storm. Despite his assertions to the opposite, he'd been homesick these past years abroad. Making his way up the foggy steps to the house, he tries to put his thoughts into some semblance of order. Stefan was getting married. It had been too many years apart. Maybe now was the time to put down all the burdens of the past and rebuild the family. "Master Nikolas!" Mrs. Lansbury opens the door and motions the strong young man before her into the house. "You look well." Fighting the urge to take the boy in her arms as she had done when he was younger, Mrs. Lansbury instead fusses. "Mr Cassadine has been anxiously awaiting your arrival. The family has gathered in the study." Nikolas enters the study unnoticed at first, taking a moment to survey the congenial scene before him. To one side of the fireplace is Alexis and Ned Ashton. Privately Nikolas had always thought Alexis could do better, but she appeared to be happy. On the other side, is his uncle with a beautiful brunette. The two are not touching, yet somehow there is the illusion that they are much closer than they seem. Without a word, Stefan's eyes are drawn to the door of the library. Somehow he 'knew' Nikolas would be there. "Nikolas." Attempting to keep the emotion out of his voice, Stefan simply says, "Welcome home." Crossing the room to stand in front of Stefan, Nikolas takes a deep breath and decides that if he is going to rebuild bridges, he must begin with this man. Nikolas embraces Stefan. "It's good to be home... Father." Spoken lowly enough so that only Stefan can hear the words that begin the healing process. "My son." Refusing to ruin the moment with an unbridled show of emotion, Stefan clamps firmly down on his joy and breaks the embrace. "Nikolas Mikkosovich Cassadine, I would like to present to you my fiancee, Corrine Gibbons Lance." Taking his soon-to-be stepmother's hand in his own, Nikolas makes a gallant bow. "Welcome to the family, Ms. Lance. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Searching the older woman's face, Nikolas sees a cascade of emotions flit across her face. Haughtiness, intelligence, secretiveness, old wounds buried deep, a weariness around the eyes, and a deeper sadness. But also amid these emotions is a strong will and determination not to be intimidated by him, or anyone else. The dinner party celebrating the upcoming nuptials and Nikolas' return is well underway. The banter is lighthearted and almost jovial, an unusual occurrence at Wyndemere. Rina takes a brief break from the conversation Stefan and Nikolas are engaged in to walk over to the window to look out into the stormy darkness. After a minute, Alexis leaves Ned to join her. "Despite the rumors, Spoon Island isn't always this gloomy." Rina turns to face Alexis and gives her a polite smile. "Oh, I'm sure it isn't. In fact, I'm looking forward to investigating the gardens when the weather is nice. I hear from Stefan that they are exquisite." "They are," Alexis replies. "At the time that Nikolas and Stefan relocated to Port Charles, Stefan had some of the more hardy roses from the Cassadine gardens back in Greece brought here. An expensive proposition, but after careful tending, they have thrived. I think that's when Wyndemere became home, rather than a temporary residence." Rina sips her wine. "I look forward to making it my home too. As I think back on the last several years, I realize I really haven't had a place to call home, or family to be a part of." Alexis looks down at her glass, as if she's considering something, then raises her eyes to confront Rina. "Would you mind if I was blunt for a moment?" Rina's eyes narrow slightly, sensing from Alexis' tone that she should be on guard. Automatically slipping into her elite socialite persona, her voice is cool and reserved, in contrast to her polite words. "Please... be blunt. How will we get to know each other if we aren't?" "My brother is pragmatic and brilliantly intuitive in most things, but love isn't one of them." Alexis looks Rina straight in the eye. "I would do anything, and I mean ANYTHING to keep him from making the mistake of marrying a woman who would hurt or betray him. Women just as beautiful and intelligent as you have tried to snare him for his money or position and have failed." Rina nods in understanding at the same time meeting the challenge in Alexis' eyes. "And you see it as your job to protect him from such fortune hunters. Is that how you see me? As a fortune hunter?" "I hope you aren't, Rina. For Stefan's sake, as well as yours." Alexis looks over at Stefan who is still deeply engrossed in his conversation with Nikolas. "I want nothing more than to see finally him happy. I just want you to know that acceptance into this family is contingent not on your marriage to him, but in your unwavering loyalty to him and to this family." After saying those words, Alexis softens her tone. "Please understand, this isn't meant as a threat, but as advice. If you care for Stefan as you claim to and you want to be his wife and make him happy, you would do well to heed it." Rina suppresses the urge to bristle, but can't keep the chill from her tone. "I think I understand your position perfectly, Alexis." "Good. Now that we have that behind us... " Alexis raises her glass for a toast. "Let me welcome you to the family. I wish both you and Stefan only happiness." After a momentary pause, Rina clinks glasses with her. Meanwhile, across the room, Ned joins Nikolas and Stefan after making an important phone call from the study. "Oh Stefan. Emily wanted me to offer her congratulations on your upcoming marriage." At the mention of Emily, Nikolas' fingers clench imperceptibly around the delicate stem of his crystal wine glass. "That was very kind of her." Stefan returns, ignoring the sudden tension in his son's stature and stance. "How is she?" Pausing for a drink of an excellent Bordeaux, Ned nods. "She's managing. In fact I've been meaning to ask you if there is still an opening as director for the Wellness Center. Emily doesn't feel quite ready to go back to school so soon after Jason's death, and working in the hospital with cancer patients and their families would be something she'd be good at. She certainly has the experience." "The position is still vacant. She should come to the hospital and interview as soon as possible though." Stefan muses seriously. "I would like to fill the position promptly." Trying to control his curiosity, Nikolas asks nonchalantly. "Then she's not returning to Paris?" "No, not now that she's Michael's legal guardian. She feels that after the death of his parents, it would just be too much for the poor kid to move on top of all that." Ned sighs sympathetically. "I don't blame her. Michael's going to have a rough enough time as it is." "How is Emily adjusting to living with her family again?" Nikolas asks before he can stop himself. Looking at the younger man quizzically Ned shakes his head. Could it be that Nikolas has more than a passing interest in Emily's life? That doesn't make sense since they hadn't seen each other in years. "At the mansion?" Emily hasn't set foot in it since she came home. She's staying at the penthouse." "She must be feeling Jason's loss deeply." Nikolas remarks. "I remember that she was very close to him." Coming to her husband's side, Alexis slips an arm around Ned's waist. "I think she is, Nikolas. But she's so . . . different than when she left for school. More stoic, if that's the right word for it." "That's right." Ned responds sadly. "I don't know, she's just not the same." Stefan's private bedchambers Stefan exits his private bathroom wearing his black silk robe and a pair of silk pajama pants. Rina sits on the bed wearing the matching pajama shirt. "Tonight was a rousing success, wouldn't you agree?" Stefan asks. "It was obvious that Nikolas took to you immediately." "Do you think so? He seemed warm and welcoming, but he's so much like you it was hard to tell. He plays his feelings close to the chest." Rina holds out her hand to Stefan as he joins her. "Your family is fiercely protective of you, you know. Neither Alexis or Nikolas would tolerate anyone taking advantage of you. They both adore you." A small but proud smile plays across Stefan's face; it's obvious that he's pleased to hear this. "I assumed Alexis would give you the family loyalty speech full of dire warnings, despite my admonitions to her to the contrary. But Nikolas as well?" "Alexis was polite and to the point," Rina replies. "Nikolas didn't actually say a word. It was more in the way he looked at me and at you when he didn't think he was being watched. The message was clear, he's just more subtle about it. I came away with a very strong feeling from the dinner party, that loyalty is everything to this family. I know you told me, but I didn't really feel it until tonight." Stefan takes a stray lock of her brown hair and rubs it between his fingers, focusing on the silkiness of it and how it shimmered in the low lit room. His eyes get a far away look, as if he's thinking of another time and place far away. The next moment he fixes his eyes on hers with deep intensity, trying to read her soul and determine it's sincerity. His piercing gaze causes the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. "Yes, loyalty means everything," He whispers vehemently. "Everything. Without it, there is nothing. Every critical point in my life has come down to that single truth. Loyalty. There is no trust, no family, no love, no future without it." Rina touches a finger to his chin, stroking his goatee tenderly down to his chin. "I will try not to give you or your family any reason to question my loyalty, ever." Stefan takes her outstretched hand and presses his lips into the palm of her hand. "Alexis will accept you in time, I am certain of it. Nikolas will accept you readily, if he hasn't already. As for me, I have seen your loyalty first hand." The mood in the room changes suddenly as Stefan rolls her onto her back with practiced efficiency, her hands pinned on either side of her body. "Have I expressed to you my pleasure that you've decided to spend the night?" His hand trails the edges of the partially opened pajama top, causing her to gasp at his teasing. His eyes darken with unconcealed desire. "I have to concede that you look better in my clothing than I do." "And you look better without." Rina tugs playfully at the tie of his robe to bring his body down on top of her. They share a deep sensual kiss that leaves them both breathing raggedly. "Are you ready to finish what you started in the foyer earlier?" "That and much more," Stefan vows before capturing her mouth again with his.