Wyndemere

Stefan, Alexis, and Emma enter the conservatory. They all look anticipatory, but for completely different reasons. Stefan is concerned that Nikolas may be upset at not having been told about Emma; Emma is excited and nervous about meeting her cousin; Alexis is pleased about Emma's obvious anticipation, but notices how odd she feels, standing in Wyndemere again, after the last conversation she had here with Stefan. In fact, she notices, she's standing only a few feet from where she was when he told her she was dead to him. That was less than a week ago, and so much had changed for her in that time. She sighs to herself at the mere thought of it all.

Stefan: I'll go get Nikolas, he should be in his quarters at this time of day.

Emma: His quarters? Just how big is this place?

Stefan: Wyndemere is a moderately spacious estate; you will have your own set of rooms to do with or decorate as you wish.

Emma: (looking to her mother) Set of rooms? I'm thinking you weren't very accurate when you said your cousin was ‘well off.' If this is ‘well off,' then I can't wait to see the rich people in this town!

Alexis: Yes, well...I didn't really see the benefit to letting you compare the two environments. The Norwoods have a lovely home, and you've always had everything you could have ever wanted there.

Emma: I know, you're right, but....(looks around) wow - I can't believe I'm going to be living here.

Nikolas has just entered the conservatory and he evidently caught the tail end of Emma's last sentence.

Nikolas: Living here?

Stefan: Ah, Nikolas, I was just coming to get you. I want you to meet someone.

Nikolas approaches and waits expectantly, assuming the girl is the child of a servant, or perhaps a - well, he really doesn't know what else she could be.

Stefan: Nikolas, this is Emma Norwood.

Nikolas: It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Norwood.

Alexis: Nikolas....Emma is going to be taking lessons with you after Christmas. That is, if you're still planning on leaving high school at the end of term.

Nikolas: (confused) Well, yes, but....I'm sorry, I don't understand. (To Emma) Why are you not going to public school with the other teenagers?

Emma: I've never been to a public school....I've always had tutors too. I guess we have something in common.

Nikolas: (even more confused) Yes, it would seem so. (To Stefan) I think I've misunderstood Miss Norwood's place here.

Stefan: Yes, I imagine you have. But then, that is to be expected. Nikolas, Emma is a Cassadine; she has been raised privately, here in North America for her own safety.

Nikolas: What? Good Lord. (To Emma) But who are your parents? Stavros and all of Mikkos' siblings are dead, and (realization occurs to him - he looks to Alexis)

Alexis: That's right. Emma's my daughter.

Nikolas is visibly shocked, but not angry as Stefan had feared he might me.

Nikolas: Why were you in danger? Does Helena know about you?

Suddenly Alexis realizes immediately where this conversation is headed. Emma is likely to have overheard Helena's name in her conversations with Debbie and Mark. Desperately she tries to stop the line of questioning before Nikolas reveals any more. She will have to talk to him alone later. Alexis begins to open her mouth, but she is too late.

Emma: Helena? How do you know about her? She's the one I've been hiding from all my life. (To Alexis) Mom, you said they didn't know about me - how could they know my grandmother would be a threat to me?

Alexis: No no, Emma. You misunderstand. Nikolas is talking about his grandmother, the woman who raised me. She is also a vindictive woman.

Emma: But I'm sure I heard Mark say that Helena was my father's mother....

Alexis: You must have been mistaken. Emma is becoming more sure of herself as she turns back to Nikolas, who is, himself more and more curious about what exactly is going on.

Emma: You say this Helena is your grandmother -

Nikolas: That's right - she's my father's mother.

Stefan: (jumping in, trying to help Alexis out of this mess before it goes to far) I really don't see the merit in discussing this any further, clearly there has been a misunderstanding -

Emma: No kidding. (To Alexis) Mom, what's going on? Why would Nikolas assume that Helena cares one way or the other about me if she's only your aunt?

Alexis: Well, I wasn't exactly her favorite. Having a child out of wedlock would not have gone over well with her.

Emma: That's your reason for leaving me to be raised by strangers! Because your aunt would be disappointed in you! I can't believe this! All this time, I think that I'm in mortal danger from this woman and come to find out that I'm just your dirty little secret!

Alexis is horrified by the turn of events and tries to reassure her daughter....to no avail.

Emma: There never was any evil grandmother was there? I can't believe it...all this time. Why didn't you just let the Norwoods adopt me and let me live a normal life? Obviously you cared more about your reputation than my happiness! I can't believe I loved you - that I waited breathlessly for your letters and your visits!

Emma's anger has lost the ability to be put into words and she flies out of the room, back towards the entrance and the launch to the mainland. Alexis panics, kicks off her heels and takes off after Emma. Stefan picks up the phone and orders the launch not to leave the island.

Meanwhile, Alexis has caught up to Emma at the dock. Tears are streaming down her daughter's cheeks and Alexis' heart breaks at the pain she knows the girl is in.

Alexis: Emma, please, listen to me.

Emma: NO! I don't want to hear you say anymore! Has everything you've ever told me been lies? Did you ever even love me?

Alexis (begining to cry herself) How can you say that? I have always loved you, more than anything or anyone else. You are the most important thing in my life. Emma, I did lie to you, but not for the reasons you think. Please, come inside and I'll tell you the truth. It's ugly and it's going to be hard for you to hear, but if that's what you really want....

Emma's anger has begun to subside, but the tears are still flowing freely down her cheeks. Instead of a response, she just looks at her mother for a long moment, and then turns and walks back to the main house. Alexis turns and follows her, all the way to the conservatory where Nikolas and Stefan are sitting, trying not to look conspicuous. Obviously they saw the two of them returning to the house.

Alexis: Emma, come upstairs with me. (Emma looks hesitant) I promise I'll tell you everything.

Emma: Ok....but I want to hear that I have the right to call Debbie if I don't believe what you tell me. Will you let me go then....home to live with Debbie and Mark?

Alexis: Promise me you will hear me out, and then...whatever decision you make, I will abide by it.

Emma nods her head and they proceed up the stairs to Alexis' suite. Nikolas, meanwhile, looks pointedly to his uncle.

Nikolas: I presume you know what she's going to say to her.

Stefan nods his head solemnly

Nikolas: Well? Go ahead....I'd be very interested to learn why she's been led to believe that Helena is her grandmother.

Stefan slouchs in his chair and sighs, resignedly.

Stefan: Very well....but for you to know and understand everything, I have to go back quite a while - to when I was 7 years old. One night, Stavros and I were summoned to my father's office where we found my father and mother, Isabella and Edmond, and a terribly shy 4 year old girl.....

As Stefan and Nikolas are talking downstairs, Alexis is about to begin a much more painful discussion with her daughter. She walks to a drawer in her desk and removes a picture. She brings it over to the bed where Emma is sitting and hands it to her. It is a reproduction of a portrait that was painted of Stavros, Laura, and Nikolas. Emma looks at the picture, confused.

Emma: I don't recognize any of these people - who are they?

Alexis: Well, the baby is Nikolas, whom you just met. The adults are his parents, Laura and Stavros.

Emma: The man looks a little like Stefan, but more....I don't know....I can't describe it.

Alexis: That's alright, I know what you mean anyway. Stavros was Stefan's older brother - 6 years older to be exact. Everything good about Stefan was contradicted in Stavros. He was raised by Helena and Mikkos to be a cruel and domineering future head of the family. He arranged for the woman in the photograph to be kidnapped and brought to Greece to be his wife.

Emma: What? How could he possibly get away with that.

Alexis: Emma, our family has wealth and power the likes of which you could never imagine. Using and manipulating outsiders for the family's purposes is a tried and true family custom.

Emma: Go on.

Alexis: Well...The woman in the photograph, Laura, eventually escaped and returned to the United States. This happened shortly before I returned from University for Christmas in my fourth year. When I got home, Stefan told me what had happened, and that Helena had decided that I would replace Laura as Stavros' wife.

Emma: No way! You're his cousin!

Alexis: Technically, yes....biologically, no.

Emma: Huh?

Alexis: I was adopted into the Cassadine family when I was four. My parents, your grandparents were killed in a plane crash. They had been friend's of Stefan's aunt Isabella and so she and her husband took me in.

Emma: Oh. I guess that's ok then....still a little wierd though.

Alexis: Not in Russia it wasn't. The family had relocated to Greece but their ways were still heavily embeded in the traditions of Russian nobility. There it was common for second and even first cousins to marry - it kept the titles and wealth from being divided up among different families over the generations.

Emma still looks unbelieving at her mother's validation of intermarriage.

Alexis: (decides to move on) Anyway, when I was adopted, it was agreed that I would one day be Stavros' wife. That way they could mold me into exactly who they wanted Stavros to marry. I took dancing lessons, music lessons, singing lessons, everything I needed to be a cultured and sophisticated wife. What they didn't count on was that Stavros would fall in love with someone else before I reached the age of marriage.

Emma: Laura.

Alexis: That's right. Anyway when Laura escaped, the obvious decision was for me to fill her place.

Alexis narration slows as she reaches the point in the tale which she is the least comfortable with. She seriously reconsiders her vow to tell the truth, but then realizes that Emma may never trust her again if she isn't honest with her now. The thought occurs to her however, that what she says is going to lead Emma to believe that Nikolas is her half-brother, and not her cousin. Deciding that she will just have to wait for Stefan to come clean with Nikolas before they straighten that kink out, she continues her story.

Alexis: Stavros was a cruel man, and over the years I had grown to despise him. He had never shown any interest in me and so, I had assumed that he would just choose not to marry me.

Emma: Wait a minute - are you telling me this asshole is my father!?

Alexis is thrown by her adamant interruption and isn't quite sure how to continue.

Alexis: Well....yes, actually....I'm sorry Sweetheart, I know this is difficult for you to hear.

Emma: Why would you marry him? Why didn't you just leave?

Alexis: They would have found me - our family is unbelievably resourceful when it comes to that sort of thing. That's why I've had to be so careful with you. (Lies to protect Stefan's secret) Helena always favored Stavros, and she did so with Nikolas as well. But, as a girl, you would have been raised, as I was, without freedom, without an education -

Emma: Mom, you're a lawyer.

Alexis: Stefan smuggled books in to me and tutored me on his own. When I was of age he pleaded with Helena to allow me to go to University, he even paid for it himself. My time away made me realize how restricted and harsh my home life had been - I became rebellious and independant. Helena would not make the same mistake twice....you would have been even more sheltered that I was. I couldn't bear to see you raised like that - I knew that, with the Norwoods, you would at least have a somewhat normal life...you could have an education, friends -

Emma: You think I have friends? I'm so terrified to talk to strangers that I'm practically an outcast in the neighborhood! Not to mention that everywhere I go I check for cars that may be following me, or people who could be watching me. I get freaked out by door to door salesmen for God's sake!

Alexis: I know honey, and I'm sorry that you've had to live this way, but believe me - it's better than the alternative. Maybe now, living here, you can start to relax a bit, make friends, get to know Nikolas.

Emma: Oh my God! That means Nikolas is my brother! Does he know about this? No, wait, of course he doesn't...are you going to tell him?

Alexis: I'm relatively certain that he's having the same conversation downstairs with Stefan that you're having with me.

Emma sighs and tries to take all of this in. Alexis watches her closely and tries to guess what her final reaction will be. She sees Emma begin to settle down and is silently grateful that she didn't push for further details about her conception. Finally, Emma looks up at her mother.

Emma: I beleive what you've told me -

Alexis: It's the truth.

Emma: I also believe that you did, not only what you thought was best for me, but what actually was best for me. Thank you for not letting Helena find me.

Alexis' sense of relief is almost palpable as she moves to her daughter and folds her into her arms intensely. They stay, unmoving in that position for a long moment before Emma finally moves out of her mother's embrace.

Emma: How did my father die?

Alexis: (hesitantly) He was killed trying to retrieve Laura.

Emma: So, even though he married you, he was still in love with her? No, wait a minute...you said I was born out of wedlock - that that was why Helena would have hated me.

Alexis is impressed and saddened by her daughter's reasoning skills, and resolves to tell her the rest of the truth. God knows that if she made it this far, she deserves it.

Alexis: That much was true...Stavros and I were never married....

Emma: But....Wait

Emma pauses as she tries to make sense of everything she has heard. A terrible realization occurs to her as she begins to put all the pieces together: Her mother's self-acknowledged rebelliousness, her hatred for Stavros, the fact that even Stefan didn't know that she had a child.

Emma: Oh my God....he raped you didn't he?

Alexis' face falls as she sees the look of horror on her daughter's face.

Emma: That's it, isn't it? I'm a product of rape. Oh my God

Emma begins to shudder and Alexis moves to comfort her.

Emma: (starts to cry again) Don't (pushes her away)....How can you love me? How can you not see him every time you look at me?

Alexis: Emma, listen to me (takes her daughter's face in her hands). You are nothing like your father. Everything you are is good and wholesome - and I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you. (Alexis begins to cry as well) You are a part of me, and I love you more than life itself. Nothing about you reminds me of your father, it never did. You are perfect in every way and I wouldn't change anything about you. When Stavros raped me he had no idea that it would result in the most precious thing I have ever been given. And that's what you are - you were given to me by fate, not Stavros. His contribution is long forgotten, and I never even think about it - because I have you to think about instead. Sweetheart, don't ever think that I regret you for one second - you mean everything to me. I love you so much....

Emma: (dissolves into her mother's arms) I love you too mom...

They stay in a fixed embrace for what seems like an eternity. Finally, simultaneously, they rise from the bed.

Alexis: (wiping her eyes) Well....should we go see how the boys are doing?

Emma: (still struggling to comprehend it all) I can't believe I have a brother. An older brother at that. Someone to look out for me, teach me stuff, help me with my schoolwork...

Alexis: Nikolas is a wonderful boy - he'll make a fine brother.

Emma: Yeah....I think he will.....

They walk slowly towards the stairs.