“The course of true love never did run smooth.” William Shakespeare
Chapter 22
It is early evening, and Katherine is walking up the main path to Wyndemere. She
can see Stefan looking out the window. When she gets to the door, he is there to
greet her with a smile. They rush into each other's arms and kiss passionately.
He pulls her inside, still kissing her. They stop kissing, but he continues to
hold her tightly and looks longingly into her eyes.
S: I have yearned for you, my love.
K: I’ve missed you, too.
S: I apologize for the pain I caused you. If you’ll let me, I will spend the
rest of our lives making up for it. Promise to *never* abandon me again. I
couldn’t bear it.
K: I promise.
S: I love you. I will always love you.
K: I have always loved you.
They begin to kiss again, and they make their way to the couch. They sit, he
pulls her legs over his, she sinks slowly back, and he presses into her. As they
kiss she begins to unbutton his shirt. While she does this, he is fervently
working her jacket off. She begins to loosen his belt, but stops when she hears
crying in the distance. He keeps hungrily kissing her neck and lips.
K: (breathless) I can hear the children crying. Where are they?
S: (looking into her eyes) The governess is taking care of them. (Taking her
face and kissing her hard) I want you… now.
K: I want you, too, but I should go check on them.
S: (disappointed) Yes, of course. I’ll go with you.
They ascend to a room down the hall from Stefan’s. When she opens the nursery
door the room is cavernous in size, and there are pink and blue bassinets as far
as the eye can see. Stefan is standing behind her, arms around her waist,
nuzzling her neck. Katherine’s mouth is agape and her eyes are wide with shock.
K: (inquisitively) Just *how many* children do we have?
S: (low and sexy) One for each time we’ve made love.
K: (astounded) Oh, boy…
S: (chuckling) And girls.
K: (dumbfound) But… But… I, I, I… I *can’t* take care of THAT many children.
S: Of course you can. (Unbuttoning her blouse) And I’m in the mood for more.
He spins her around and plants another austere kiss on her. Katherine is torn;
she wants him and the pleasure she knows he will bring her, but she can’t help
wondering about all the babies. She pulls away from him, then gingerly
approaches one of the bassinets. In it there is a baby that looks exactly like
Nikolas. As she scans the other bassinets, she sees other faces she recognizes.
Ned, Edward, Lucy, Alexis, and Jerry. Her heart begins to beat faster as she
sees one that looks like Laura.
K: (puzzled) How can that be?
S: (lovingly) Isn’t she beautiful? She’s my favorite.
K: (softly) No. You said you were over her.
Stefan approaches the bassinet, and lifts the baby Laura up. He looks
affectionately at her.
S: (smiling and talking in a baby voice) Yes, I think she’ll *always* be my
favorite. Yes, I do.
K: (angrily) NO! You…
Katherine tries to escape by running into the hallway, but a huge, alloy robot,
with barbed blades where the hands should be, blocks her path. It is moving
slowly toward the nursery, emitting a green light and scalding steam as it
approaches. As Katherine glances upward she can see it has a twisted version of
Helena’s face. The eyes are glowing red; the mouth has enormous ragged metal
teeth.
H: (in a hissing, robotic, Helena voice) Move aside Laura proxy. I’m here for
the children of my impotent son’s cheap courtesan.
A panicked Katherine blocks the door with her body.
K: (defiantly) No! You can’t have them. They’re mine.
H: They are bastard Cassadines from the lowly cook’s daughter. I must destroy
the undeserving whelps.
K: NO! I won’t let you!!! Stefan, help!
Stefan is still holding the baby Laura, cooing and smiling at her. He doesn’t
seem to notice the robot. As the robot enters the room, it swings its massive
arm to shove Katherine aside. She jerks awake and sits up. Jerry awakens and
sits up with her.
J: (sleepily) What’s wrong, Lois? Another bad dream?
K: Yeah. (Bewildered) Helena was a robot and she was coming for the children.
She said she had to destroy them… It seemed so real.
Jerry reaches over and runs his hand over her firm, round belly.
J: (yawning) Nope. They’re still there. (Patting her belly) No more schnitzel
for you, young lady. (Kissing her on the cheek) Tell yourself it was only a
dream, and go back to sleep.
Jerry lies down again and makes himself comfortable. Katherine remains upright,
trying to remember the dream.
K: (sadly) And Stefan said he was sorry. He loved me and couldn’t live without
me, but Laura would always be his favorite.
Jerry gently pulls her down to him, so she is resting her head on his chest. He
begins stroking her hair.
J: Shhhhhh. It was only a dream. Go back to sleep.
K: Yeah. Only a dream.
Katherine peers around the room and realizes she is not at home.
K: (agitated) Where *are* we?
J: Innsbruck, Austria. (Wryly) The one that *doesn’t* have kangaroos.
Katherine giggles, sighs as she relaxes, then closes her eyes and drifts off to
sleep again.
Nikolas is standing on the dock waiting for the launch to visit Helena. It has
been nine days since his final altercation with his uncle. He always knew his
uncle was keeping secrets from him, but as each one was revealed, Stefan
convinced him either it was for his own good or turned it around and made him
believe another lie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S: They are your siblings.
Nikolas stood staring at his uncle for several minutes trying to take in what he
had just heard. Then he began to laugh. It was a long, loud laugh that puzzled
Stefan.
S: (perplexed) Do you think I am joking? (Adamantly) You know I would not jest
about such a matter.
N: (still laughing) You are incredible! You just can’t stop lying, can you?
S: It is the truth.
N: Oh, of course it’s the truth. It’s not like you would LIE to me. I mean, not
about something *important*. Nooooo, when I asked you point blank, “Were you in
love with my mother?” You said, “No. It was just *pity* I felt for her.”
S: (earnestly) I *did* feel pity for her. That was not a lie.
N: (laughing in frustration) How do you do it? How can you stand there and try
to twist everything around when I KNOW the truth? How do you always manage to
come out smelling like a rose? When, my *whole* life, you’ve fed me nothing but
BULLSHIT!
S: Nikolas, I had my reasons for not telling you…
N: Yes, I know… You’re a habitual liar. But you’re NOT just any *commonplace*
liar. Nooo. (Aristocratically) *You* are the Prince of Prevarication. The Count
of Canard. The Earl of Evasiveness.
S: (impassioned) THAT is enough! I AM your father. I couldn’t tell you, because
your protection, and future as head of the Cassadine empire has *always* been my
priority. (Controlling his emotions) Think about it, Nikolas. Having learned
what you did about my past feelings for your mother… Is it *that* preposterous
an idea?
N: No. No, you telling me anything BUT lies… THAT is a preposterous idea.
(Shaking his head with disdain) I just realized something. I can’t stand the
sight of you anymore. I’m leaving. DON’T try to contact me EVER again.
Nikolas stormed out of the room, leaving a crestfallen Stefan to initiate
emergency procedures.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nikolas spent the week trying to decide what he wanted to do with his life. He
was not accustom to being on his own, and he wished he had someone he could
trust to talk to, but he was still unsure of Bobbie’s and Alexis’ integrity, and
Katherine was out of the country. He decided to call his grandmother. His uncle
may have lied about her, too. When he called, he told her his sole purpose of
visiting was to ask questions, and that she shouldn’t expect a reconciliation
between them.
Helena was ready for him when he finally arrived.
H: (smiling) My darling Nikolas. I’m so glad you came.
Her arms are outstretched to greet him with a hug, which he deftly avoids. She
shakes off her chagrin, and smiles broadly at him.
N: I’m sorry it had to be so late.
H: Nonsense. I’m happy to see you no matter what the time is. I’ve waited so
long for a moment such as this. Let me look at you. (Concerned) You look thin;
have you been eating?
Nikolas glares at her. He is not in the mood to be mothered.
H: (with realization) Oh. I’m sorry. In my excitement to see you, I forgot about
your loss. Please, please accept my deepest sympathies at the death of your
sister. It should never have happened to one so young. How is your mother
holding up? I, too, know the pain of losing a child…
N: (disgust) Don’t. There is only so much hypocrisy I can tolerate in one
lifetime. I came here for one reason and one reason only.
H: Yes, of course. You want explanations. Something you don’t trust your uncle
to provide you.
N: Yes. I’m not saying that I’ll believe a word that you say. However, you were
right about him and his feelings toward my mother. That is the only reason I’m
willing to listen.
H: (with sincerity) That is all I have ever wanted. Just a chance to let you see
my side of the story. Come, let us go and sit in the living area. I’ll have Ari
serve us some tea and cookies. Ari!
Ari enters the room. His usual eagerness to please, and the youthful sparkle in
his eyes are gone. They have been replaced with dispassionate dutiful movements,
and a rather morose expression, as if something in him had died.
N: I’ll just have a soda. In an unopened can.
H: I see your uncle *has been* telling you stories. Well, I am willing to take
the time to earn your trust.
Helena waves Ari off, then she and Nikolas move into the living area.
Stefan is sitting on the bench by the bluff. He is staring off into space, as if
transfixed by something he sees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katherine is sitting up in his bed. The door opens and four little children, two
boys and two girls, run into the room. Katherine collects a kiss from each of
them, as she helps them onto the bed.
K: Good morning, my angels! Did you sleep well?
The children all smile and nod.
Boy: Where’s Daddy?
Katherine points to the bathroom.
K: In there. (Slyly) Do you want to scare Daddy?
All: YEAH!!
K: (smiling) Shh. Shh. OK, hide under the covers, and when Daddy gets back in
bed… you can scare him. All right?
The kids clamor to get under the bedspread. Katherine tries to smooth it out
over the children’s squirming bodies. They are giggling noisily.
K: Shhhhhh.
Stefan enters and sees all of the wiggling lumps in the bed. He smiles at
Katherine, and she winks at him.
S: Did I hear voices?
K: (innocently) Nooo. It must be your imagination.
S: (sternly) Because if I did… There will be a severe price to pay. Do you know
what I do to small children I find in my bed?
As he is saying this he walks over to the bed, and takes hold of the covers.
K: No, what?
Stefan yanks the bedspread off to reveal the children.
S: I EAT THEM!!!
With that the children scatter off the bed screaming and squealing with delight.
Stefan chases them and collects them in his arms, then begins to “bite” them,
much to their delight. Katherine gets out of bed and begins to straighten the
covers. Stefan gets a mischievous look in his eyes.
S: (stage whisper) Let’s capture your mother.
Katherine turns around, smiling, to see the horde descending on her.
K: (laughing) Oh, NO! Leave me out of this.
Stefan grabs her around the waist, and drags her onto the bed. The children
climb on her and begin to tickle her, soon she is giggling uncontrollably. The
door swings open and Nikolas enters the room with a stern look on his face.
N: (mock angry voice) What is going on here? Can’t a guy get some sleep?
K: (almost breathless) Get Nikolas! Get Nikolas!
One of the boys jumps off the bed into Nikolas’ arms. Nikolas staggers backward
and “falls” to the floor. The other children run to join their brothers in a
tickle fight. Stefan and Katherine are sitting on the bed happily watching the
children’s battle. Stefan turns Katherine’s face toward him and looks lovingly
in her eyes.
S: I am blessed.
K: (smiling) *We* are blessed.
He nods in agreement, then they begin to kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ralston: Mr. Cassadine. Mr. Cassadine.
Stefan shakes off his trance, regains his business like demeanor, and looks at
Ralston.
R: I’m sorry to disturb you, but you asked to be notified when he was with her.
S: How long has he been there?
R: About an hour, Sir.
S: Fine. Let me know when he leaves, and where he goes.
R: Yes, Sir.
S: Did you locate Mr. and Mrs. Jax? Are they still in Spain?
R: We located them, but they are now in Austria. The city of Innsbruck, to be
exact.
S: Keep me apprised of their whereabouts. That is all.
R: Yes, Sir.
Ralston retreats down the path. Stefan longs to return to his dream, but there
is still work to be done.
S: (to himself) Someday Katherine. Someday I *will* hold you again, and we; you,
our children, Nikolas and I; we will be a family.
Stefan stands up and walks back down the path to the house.
Ned is preparing to leave Alexis’ suite. He has a brief case in one hand and an
arm around her waist. They are slowly kissing.
N: Mmmmm. Thank you for your help, Counselor.
A: (smiling) I’m not sure that taking a bath with you qualifies as “helping”.
*Not* for tomorrow’s presentation, anyway.
N: Ohhhh, but it is. The last time you “helped” me before a presentation it went
wonderfully. And having your friendly *face* there to look at, really relaxed
me.
A: Yes, but you were a little too relaxed. If you’ll remember the day in
question…
N: I love it when you talk legal. It makes my “briefs” tingle.
A: AS I was saying… You were so busy picturing me naked that instead of saying,
“this company has *burst* onto the market.” You said, “this company has *breast*
onto the market.” I thought Edward was going to choke on his coffee.
N: Welllll, these things happen. Besides, I couldn’t think of a way to work the
words, “warm”, “moist”, and “thighs” into a sentence. Speaking of which…
He reaches up and tries to nudge her robe open, but she breaks free from his
embrace.
A: (smiling) I think you should go now. You need your sleep.
N: (wiggling his eyebrows) I could sleep here.
A: You won’t *sleep* here. Good night, Mr. Ashton.
She opens the door, and he steps out. Stopping for one last kiss.
N: Good night, Counselor.
She shuts and locks the door after he walks away. She walks toward the bedroom.
The phone rings. She smiles, thinking it is Ned making one of his routine,
obscene phone calls.
A: (happily) Hellooo.
Helena: (curtly) I’m glad you’re still awake. I have another job for you. It
involves Nikolas. He will soon be coming to you, and I’m faxing over what I want
you to say in response to his questions.
Alexis’ smile fades. It is replaced by a scowl. As Helena speaks, a fury wells
up in Alexis. A fury so intense that she begins to tremble as it takes hold of
her. She suddenly has a strength, a resolve so strong, that won’t allow Helena
to order her around any longer.
A: (flatly) No.
H: (annoyed) What? I don’t have time for this. You will do as you’re told.
A: (firmly) No.
H: Surely you understand what will happen if you disobey my orders.
A: (defiantly) I don’t care. After what happened to Lulu Spencer… I won’t help
you. *Especially* if it involves Nikolas.
H: (snidely) Are you saying the thought of dying the same way your mother did,
doesn’t bother you?
A: (angrily) You’ve played that tune for the last time Helena. I don’t give a
damn what you do to me. I *won’t* help you.
H: I see. Well, I suppose I’ll have to teach you a lesson. To prove I’m serious.
A: (antagonistically) Take your best shot, Helena.
Alexis slams the phone into its cradle, still trembling from the rush of anger
that swept over her. She decides that if she dies tonight, she will have died
happy. She’s accomplished more than any other Cassadine woman ever did. She just
made love to the man she loves. The one who understands and loves her more than
any other man ever did or ever could. Death would also mean she would be out
from under Helena’s thumb. Yes, she could die happy.
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