A Wyndemere Christmas

by Noll

Stefan had toyed with the idea of letting Mrs. Landsbury decorate the place as she had when Nikolas still lived there. But the idea seemed absurdly hopeful. She would not come and the festive decorations would only highlight his aloneness and his foolishness.
When she breezed in with Lulu. Specks of snow on their coats and their hair, presents in their arms, he regretted his decision. The place looked so gloomy.
Laura stood close to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Her lips were cold but the kiss was soft and it lingered.
S: “Thank you.”
L: “I didn’t do it for you.” She said in his ear.
Stefan looked at LuLu, surmising that she was the cause of his good fortune.
L: “No. I didn’t do it for her. I did it for me. You didn’t think I could be without you tonight, no matter how mad I am. And I am mad.” Her voice was only a whisper but she looked at him with love and only a hint of anger that had kept her away.
S: “I am sorry the house is not worthy of your visit.”
L: “Don’t worry, I know what a scrooge you are. We brought Christmas with us.”
A small tree and a box of ornaments were brought in by the servants.
L: “They are not heirlooms or antiques, I’m afraid. What’s more, LuLu picked them out. Be warned, there is an inexcusable number of ballerina ornaments, not to mention cartoon characters. But my daughter knows what she likes. And she picked out the tree too. I wanted something bigger, but she thought it was cute. So here we are.”
S: “And I am more glad of it than I can say.”
LL: “Did Mommy call you a scrooge?”
S: “Did she? I am so happy to have you both here, I didn’t notice.”
LL: “She did.” LuLu confirmed.
S: “I am sure she meant it in the best possible way.” He smiled at Laura as LuLu seemed miffed at her mother for insulting him.
L: “I meant the nice Scrooge at the end of the story, Honey. Remember?”
LL: “Aha. Can we decorate the tree now?”
L: “Sure.” Laura gave Stefan an accusing look.
S: “What is my crime this time?”
Laura turned at the word, which had been used by her so recently.
L: “Poor old Stefan is being attacked by mean old Mommy, boohoo.” Laura mocked.
Stefan laughed and nearly dropped the ornaments he was carrying.
LL: “Careful!” LuLu admonished.
LL: “Mommy, don’t make him laugh. You almost made him drop the ornaments.”
This only made Stefan laugh harder.
L: “I swear between the two of you...” Laura said in mock irritation.

The tree was mostly decorated and LuLu stood back to admire it.
L: “I wish I’d remembered to bring my camera.”
S: “No need. I shall remember every moment of this night, forever.”
L: “I wanted a more objective record.”
S: “Are you impugning the accuracy of my fabled memory.”
L: “Well, I can hardly stick your memory, however remarkable or accurate, in an album. Can I?”
S: “If you want a permanent record, you must always keep me on hand.”
L: “Can’t I just borrow a camera.”
S: “I prefer my solution.”
L: “I am going over your head.”
S: “You will ask God for a camera?” Stefan asked Laura who was already on her way out of the room.
L: “No, Mrs. Landsbury.” He heard her answer as she disappeared toward the kitchen.
S: “I’ll have to explain the chain of command to your mother.”

LuLu smiled up at him sweetly.
S: “Here?”
LL: “No.”
S: “Here?”
LL: “No.”
S: “Why don’t I hold you up and you put it where it should go? All right?”
Stefan picked up LuLu and she hung the mistletoe over the door.
Laura snapped a picture.
LL: “You are standing under the mistletoe.” LuLu observed.
S: “So are you.”
LuLu gave him a sweet little kiss on the cheek. Laura took a picture.
L: “Honey, Mrs. Landsbury wanted you to go and see her in the kitchen. She has something for you.”
LuLu ran off as Stefan and Laura looked after her.
L: “She is a sneak.”
S: “Like mother like daughter.”
L: “Hey.” She took a picture of him, slight smile on his lips a teasing look in his eyes.
L: “That one is going in a frame, mistletoe and all. I am putting it on my desk at GH. Do you know you are wearing a garland?”
S: “What?”
Indeed a gold garland was draped around his neck.
S: “Laura.” Stefan warned.
Stefan reached for the camera.
L: “Don’t even try it.”
S: “You absolutely cannot put that picture on your desk.”
L: “What are you going to say next, ‘you forbid it’”
S: “Would it keep you from utterly humiliating me?”
L: “No.”
S: “I will have to resign.”
L: “Oh please. That’s a bit drastic. First off, you have me followed then you bribe the person developing the pictures to destroy the negatives. If that fails, you steal the picture off my desk and have it destroyed along with the negatives.”
S: “You are correct I rescind my resignation. But if you insist on a photograph to display I have a number of more appropriate portraits.”
L: “Portraits. You mean where you are wearing 10 layers of clothes and look like a bank president.”
S: “They are tasteful and dignified.”
L: “Let’s see them.”
S: “Now?”
L: “Yes. Diner isn’t ready so lets see your dignified self.”


S: “What about this one?”
L: “You’re scowling. Look at you, you’d frighten the teenagers.”
S: “You know perfectly well that nothing frightens teenagers.”
L: “This would. Maybe I can use it to keep them in line, ‘be good or this will happen to you’.” She thrust the picture toward Stefan.
S: “Too late, I’m afraid.”
Laura sat back and looked at the picture. That overly serious, beautiful face.
L: “I didn’t plan on doing this tonight. I thought we could put it aside and just spend time together.”
S: “We don’t have to discus anything now.”
L: “Well Mrs. Landsbury is keeping LuLu busy in the kitchen. I want to clear the air. What you did is unacceptable.”
S: “I know.”
L: “I don’t mean what you did to your mother, I mean what you did to me. I know what you are capable of, including lying. But I am not just anyone and I won’t have you treating me like I am. If you can’t tell me the truth then who? If you can’t trust me then what are we even doing together?”
S: “Are we together?”
L: “Yes. But we won’t stay that way if you lie to me again. I can’t take that.”
S: “Laura, I am a Cassadine.”
L: “Not with me. What do you want from us? How close do you want us to be?”
S: “You know.”
L: “I want that too. We have enough things to deal with including your mother, we can’t add to that by lying to each other. We both do that, though, and we can’t let it happen again. I don’t want to keep anything from you. No matter how hard it is, we have to tell each other the truth and have faith in our love to carry us through anything.”
S: “Can love really do that, Laura?”
L: “Yes, if you let it. Trust that I love you as much as you love me.”
S: “That much?”
L: “Yes. I know you don’t quite believe that yet, but I’ll prove it to you. You just have to let me.”

Despite the short notice, the diner that Mrs. Landsbury laid out was both impressive and elegant. Stefan didn’t really notice the food. He basked in the company of the woman he loved and her beautiful daughter. Laura couldn’t take her eyes away from him. LesleyLu couldn’t keep her eyes from the presents under the tree.
L: “The sooner you finish eating the sooner we can open presents.”
LL: “I’m finished.”
L: “Oh no you don’t. Everyone has to finish. So don’t bother rushing.”
LuLu nudged Stefan under the table with her foot.
LL: “Hurry up.” She whispered to him.
S: “What about your mommy? She is a slow eater?” He whispered back.
L: “Where did you two learn to whisper, in a saw mill? And stop ganging up on me or you’ll find out what slow eating is.”
S: “There is no conspiracy, Laura. Your daughter and I are merely of like mind.”
L: “Oh is that right? Yes, you and a five year old girl have a lot in common.”
S: “Yes. A taste for finer things. A love of the arts. Our love for you.”
LL: “Yeah. We love you Mommy. Are you done eating yet.”
L: “Oh fine I give up. Let’s open presents.”

Stefan and Laura were sitting very close on the couch. LuLu was lying across their laps, asleep.
L: “It’s so late.” Laura whispered.
S: “Do you have to leave?”
L: “No. I want to let her sleep. Maybe we could get her upstairs without waking her.”
S: “I used to be an expert at that particular maneuver when Nikolas was small.”
L: “Boasting? Let’s see it.” Laura challenged.
Stefan supported LuLu’s head in the crook of his arm and scooped her up. He got up carefully and walked slowly up the stairs. Stefan laid her down on the bed and Laura took off her shoes and covered her. After giving her little girl a kiss, she went into the hall with Stefan.
S: “Should I have Mrs. Landsbury make up a room for you?”
L: “What for?”
Laura walked into Stefan’s bedroom. He followed her and shut the door behind him.

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