Absolution Chapter 41 Laura looked down on her sleeping son as he slept. With his hair tousled, he still looked like her baby boy. “Lucky,” she whispered softly. Lucky slowly opened his eyes to see Laura staring down at him with all the love she felt for him mirrored in her eyes. “Mom?” he questioned as he sat up. “Is something wrong?” Laura sat on the side of the bed. “No. I wanted to see you before I left. With Faison alive, I want you to be very careful. Who knows if he will try to kidnap you again,” she worried. Lucky smiled. “We are all perfectly safe. I found out today I have a bodyguard.” Laura looked startled. “What?” “We all do, I’m sure,” Lucky assured her. “I caught a man following me today and I recognized him as one of the security men I saw at Wyndemere. I’m sure Stefan has security on all of us.” Laura nodded. “It would be just like Stefan to make sure we were kept safe.” “Where are you going?” “I know where Stefan has gone and I’m going to see if I can persuade him to return to Port Charles,” she explained. Lucky yawned and ran his hand through his hair making it stick up even more. Laura smiled at the sight and gently smoothed it back down. “Where is he?” “The island.” Lucky grinned. “I thought so. Alexis called there this afternoon and the housekeeper said he wasn’t there, but I had a feeling she was lying.” “It’s the logical place for him to go,” Laura asserted. “It has been his home for most of his life.” Lucky nodded. “Mom, Alexis said Stefan had changed before he left town.” Laura frowned. “How?” “She said he had turned into a Cassadine.” Laura paled, remembering her dream. Lucky cupped her face in his hands. “Mom, if anyone can reach Stefan it will be you. He loves you. Always remember that no matter what he says or does, he can’t push aside his feelings for you.” Tears welled up in Laura’s eyes. “I’ve hurt him so badly,” she whispered. “Then it’s up to you to make him see how you really feel and convince him he is the man you want in your life.” As Laura looked lost and unconvinced Lucky urged, “I know you can do this, Mom. You’re strong and if you really want Stefan he hasn’t got a prayer in resisting you.” Laura smiled through her tears. “I only hope you’re right and I’m not too late.” “It’s never too late,” Lucky promised and then grinned broadly. “Go knock the man’s sock’s off,” he whispered with a wink. Laura had to laugh and give him a hug. Lucky had bolstered her confidence and it made her feel warm inside that her son recognized the goodness she saw in Stefan. “I won’t return without him,” she promised. “That’s the Mom I know,” Lucky encouraged. *********** Stefan unlocked the door to the Cassadine crypt and walked inside the dank, musty room. The lantern he carried cast shadows in the darkness as he lit the torches inside to bring in more light. At the very back of the room were the burial vaults lined up against the wall on either side. His father and brother’s spots were marked with their names and dates. The place next to his father was empty, but not for long, Stefan promised himself. Helena didn’t deserve to be buried here along side his father, but he would give her the honor, nevertheless. No one would look for her here. The authorities would be too busy combing the globe searching for a living Helena and all the time she would be safely put away not to harm anyone else he loved. Stefan’s musings were interrupted by the sound of footsteps and he turned to see the head grounds keeper waiting patiently for his orders. “Stafilos, good you’re here,” Stefan acknowledged. “Mr. Cassadine,” the old man bowed his head deferentially. “Is the box completed?” “It will be finished today,” the man promised. “Excellent,” Stefan smiled ruthlessly. “I’ve decided my Mother’s new accommodations will be beside my father after all.” “Yes, sir.” “You may proceed in getting her new home ready.” The old man’s watery eyes glittered in excitement. He fell to his knees in front of Stefan and reverently took his hand in his and pressed his lips against the Cassadine ring. “My family is yours master. Whatever you want, you have only to ask of us. My Ionnis will finally be able to rest in peace.” Stefan felt a surge of power over the old man’s prostrations and found he liked the feeling it gave him. This would be what he would know every day when he became the prince, The Cassadine and welded his power and influence all over the world. “I will give you your Timoria for your son, Stafilos and in turn I will expect your every loyalty,” Stefan demanded. “It is yours,” he promised. “See that it is,” Stefan reminded with a hint of reprisal if the man didn’t do as he promised. The old man watched Stefan stroll away and gave thanks for the cold, harsh man the master had become. Finally his son would be avenged. At last the witch who had taken his life would pay for it with her own. His beautiful boy whom she had so carelessly dispensed because he had refused her advances and preferred the innocent girl he had been to marry would at last be able to rest. Stafilos eagerly went back to his work making Helena Cassadine’s home for eternity, a simple wooden box. Stefan took the path past the diving cliffs and walked along the cliffs until he reached the cove. It was deceptively peaceful there. The winds were gentle and the music of the waves should have been soothing, but it wasn’t. Stefan’s thought’s had returned to the past and all the pain and humiliation his Mother had given him ever since he could remember. He had adored his Mother when he was a boy. She had been like a goddess to him, always beautiful, always unapproachable. He had done everything he could think to make her love him. He was always well behaved, did well with his tutors, and followed her around like a lost puppy, relishing every little scrap of kindness she threw his way. For weeks Helena would cruelly ignore him and then lavish attention on him, only to reject him again. He was in constant turmoil wondering what was wrong with him that his Mother couldn’t love him as she did his older brother. Stefan had watched jealously as Stavros got Helena’s every attention and devotion. He had resorted to following his brother’s lead to make her see he loved her just as much as Stavros, but all it won him was her disdain. She would accuse him of plotting against Stavros and trying to manipulate her. Then came the touching that he had welcomed, but made him so uncomfortable. She would summon him to her room while she was still in the bed and invite him to snuggle against her and all the time her hands would be roaming over his body, making him feel unsettled. When he had been thirteen, he had been lured to her room one night. And in that one night all his innocence had been shattered. She had seduced him before he knew what was happening to him. He had felt shame for them both and carried the guilt around with him, becoming more withdrawn and secretive. It had only happened that one time, but it had been enough to almost destroy him. Stefan clenched his fists as the rage built up inside, recalling her attempts to lure him back to her bed. The scanty clothes, the times when she cornered him and ran her hands across his body alluringly. She had become angry when all her attempts at seduction had failed and had intensified her belittlement of him, never missing a moment when she could embarrass or humiliate him in the presence of others. Stefan had grown so angry he had to move. Walking back to the house, he found himself standing in front of his Mother’s bedroom. He pushed open the door and let it swing wide, standing in the doorway. The room was as she left it, ostentatious and totally Helena. Stefan walked inside and his eyes were drawn to the portrait of her above the fireplace. Her smile seemed to mock him and he seethed inside. Stefan took the portrait down and laid it on the bed, grabbing a letter opener on her desk, he smiled maliciously at her reflection. His hand came down, the instrument buried in her heart. Stefan didn’t finish until the whole portrait was completely shredded. Nothing could be seen of her. Stefan was breathing heavily. “That’s what will become of you, Mother. You will become nothing,” he promised furiously. His eyes swept the room. This was the place where she had hurt him so badly, the bed the one where she had so callously stilled his heart. The one where he had seen his brother on top of their Mother enjoying himself, much to Stefan’s horror. Their laughter still rang in his ears as he recalled how he had fled at the sight of them together. The bed was also where she had her men tie him up to the bedposts and beat him unconscious while she watched in apparent enjoyment. Here was where he had found Alexis and had taken her place and suffered the greatest humiliation of all. It all had to go, he decided in an instant. Stefan summoned the housekeeper and ordered her to remove all of Helena’s furniture and belongings from the room and take them outside. He then when systematically through the house and had them remove everything that belonged or reminded him of his mother. It took all afternoon for Thea, Stafilos, and two of the guards to carry out his orders. When they were finally finished Stefan burned it all, taking savage satisfaction in destroying all evidence of his Mother’s existence. All that was left now was removing her from the land of the living. After dinner that night he went into his study and made a few telephone calls to the states checking to see that Alexis was staying on top of the Cassadine estate, then he did what he did every night, he went to the wild garden. The winter had been mild and the bushes still had flowers and carried a fragrance that reminded him of long ago. There had been a time when he had known whom and what he was, and then she had come with her golden hair and brilliant smile and had turned his world upside down. He had never been the same after he met Laura. Before he had always been logical and cautious. His path had been clear. She had made him irrational and imprudent. Laura had made him dream things that were impossible, and the rest of his life had been spent chasing the implausible. Laura had turned him into the fool his mother had always said he was. “Stefan.” He heard her voice softly call his name, and he smiled bitterly to himself. She wasn’t really there, and he wasn’t about to turn around and watch her disappear as she always did. Only when he felt her hand on his back did he know she was not some figment of his imagination, but was substance. He turned slowly and drank in her face, memorizing every line, every nuance. Laura looked into his silent face and wondered what he was thinking. His expression was bleak. “Stefan,” she whispered again softly. “Why are you here?” he asked her, the woodenness of his voice frightened her. “I came to ask you again to forgive me for believing you could ever hurt me.” “But that’s what Cassadines do, they hurt people,” he ground out bitterly. “Isn’t that what you said? Haven’t you had enough of our brand of pain?” Laura took a conciliatory step toward him, and looked up at him. “You’re not like them,” she insisted. His faced darkened. “That’s not what you said.” He looked around the garden, then back into her face. “You’re the worst one of all. Isn’t that what you said?” he questioned sharply. Laura flushed, feeling guilty about what she had said to him. “I know what I said, but I didn’t mean it,” she replied in a low voice. “I was angry and upset. I spoke before I thought things through,” she said contritely. Laura didn’t know what to else say. She was already losing ground. “I’m sorry,” was all she could whisper. He took a menacing step toward her, his face twisting in anger. “You’re always sorry Laura. Is that supposed to make it all right? Am I to always forgive you every time you make a mistake? Should I turn the other cheek, and let you denounce me again and again? You must think me a fool.” Laura took a step backward, his anger frightening her. “I’m not perfect, Stefan. You know that I make mistakes.” “Why are you allowed mistakes, but I must be exemplary?” Laura didn’t know what to say. She knew he spoke the truth. She had lied and tricked him, and Stefan had forgiven her, but she had not been as magnanimous as he. Only after he had pleaded, proven himself, or been exonerated, had she found it in her heart to forgive. Laura stammered, “All I know is that after Luke, I wanted a relationship with you that didn’t include lies. You lied to me about your mother, and that colored my feelings about Lucky’s kidnaping. I thought you had lied to me all over again.” “Lied about kidnaping your son?” he asked incredulously. “How could you think I would ever harm one of your children?” “I wasn’t thinking. That’s the problem. But I do love you,” she whispered. His eyes narrowed into slits. “Love rolls off your tongue with such ease Laura. You don’t know the meaning of the word,” he ground out cynically. Laura protested. “I do love you. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t.” His eyes blazed in outrage, and he walked toward her until he had her backed up against the stone wall. “When did it start, years ago when you used me to cuckold the husband you despised? Did you think by using me, I would somehow get you off the island? You never planned to come back to me or your son when you left the island. You knew Nikolas was not mine, but you made me think he was, so I would raise him. Or did you plan your revenge that day in the park when you told me you were a Cassadine too? Was that when you decided to make me pay for coming back and upsetting your perfect little life? Or did you come back here because Luke wouldn’t take you back this time? I’ve always been second best, the one you have waiting in the wings when everything else doesn’t work out the way you planned. Only now I’ve seen through your manipulations, and I won’t play your games anymore,” he grounded out savagely. Laura was frightened of this cold, harsh man in front of her. In the moonlight he looked a little like Stavros. She shivered at the thought. Stefan saw her fear and enjoyed it. “What, Laura, have I finally discovered the real you?” he goaded scathingly. “No, you’re wrong,” she whispered brokenly. “I do love you.” She reached out and put her hands up against his chest. “What do you want of me that I haven’t already given?” he asked harshly. “Nothing, you’ve given me everything. All I want is to prove my love to you,” she murmured. He put his face down close to hers and insidiously whispered, “Run, Laura, run.” She looked up into eyes that glittered with icy contempt, but she looked deeper and saw the pain and hurt she had caused. “I love you Stefan, let me prove it,” she whispered seductively. His arms came down on either side of her trapping her against the wall. Against all rational thought, he wanted her more than he had ever wanted her before. “Did you come ready for me?” he growled, remembering how she had always come to him with the minimal amount of clothing. Laura’s answer was to unbutton her dress and let it slide down to the ground. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath. His eye’s were immediately drawn to the medallion she was wearing. Passion flared in his eyes as he realized she wore his symbol of his family on her body. Laura sucked in a breath as his fingers trailed down the length of the chain and pressed the medal into her skin, branding her as his possession. As Stefan’s smoldering gaze raked her body, she reached out and pulled his sweater over his head. Laura gasped in confusion when she saw he wore another medallion and her hands slid up his chest to investigate. The soft touch of her hands on his bare skin made him lose control. In one swift move he grabbed her tightly and crushed his lips against hers, pushing his tongue into her mouth, not asking, but demanding, and taking. Laura kissed him back just as fiercely, until she could taste the slight tang of blood in her mouth. Their assault on each other’s mouths went on and on until they had used up all the oxygen between them. They broke apart panting for breath. Stefan lowered his head to ravaged her neck and breasts with his lips and tongue as Laura feverishly unbuttoned his pants. Stefan stepped out of them and Laura saw he was fully aroused and ready for her. She reached down and cupped his balls, sliding her hand upward to squeeze his length. Stefan moaned and ground his hard, powerful body against her soft curves. He reached around to caress her soft round bottom. Laura dropped her head and found his nipple, teasing it with her tongue until it contracted and hardened. As his furry lips nibbled on her shoulder, Laura found the place between his neck and collar bone that always sent him into a frenzy. She playfully nipped him and used her tongue and lips to make him moan out her name. “Laura,” he rasped. Stefan lifted her up and thrust himself fully into her, making Laura clutch his shoulders and gasp as he filled her completely. “Yes,” she whispered to him. She wrapped her legs around him, throwing her head back in abandon. “I want you, Stefan,” she panted. Her words inflamed him. His strokes were deep and strong, and Laura welcomed the punishment. She wound her fingers in his hair and pulled his head back to kiss him deeply as he buried himself into her. She trailed hot kisses all the way down his neck and bit him on the shoulder to urge him on. Laura could feel her orgasm start to build and she raked his back with her nails as she felt the waves of ecstasy consume her. She screamed out his name over and over as she came and he exploded as he felt her walls constrict around his length. Stefan leaned against her, his face buried in her hair, as he tried to catch his breath. “Stefan, I love you,” Laura whispered as she nuzzled his ear. He held Laura for a few minutes then gently eased her down. Laura’s legs were so weak she sank to the ground. Stefan put on his clothes, seeming oblivious that Laura watched him. He picked up her dress and handed it to her. “Cover yourself,” he ordered coldly, and then he turned and walked out of the garden without a backward glance. Laura stared after him for a long time and then slowly got up and put on her dress. She sank slowly back down to the ground as the sobs racked her body. She had turned Stefan into that dark man in her dream. Absolution Chapter 42 Stefan came downstairs the next morning to find Laura’s bodyguard waiting to see him. It seemed the man had taken one of the other Cassadine jets and followed her to the island. After getting a report from the man, Stefan gave him orders to stay on the island until Laura left. The housekeeper took him to his quarters in the building in the compound that housed the other security men that worked on the island. Stefan made a telephone call to try and repair the damage both the guard and Laura had made by showing up unexpectedly on the island. “John.” Stefan awakened his head of security at Wyndemere. “Your man, Colbert has done an excellent job staying close to Mrs. Spencer. She is with me and your man arrived shortly after her. I am sending the Cassadine jet he used back to Port Charles and I want it understood the pilots do not speak about where they have been.” “Yes, Mr. Cassadine,” John replied quietly. “Will Colbert remain with Mrs. Spencer?” “Yes, but they will be returning to Port Charles tomorrow. I will send him back on the same jet as Mrs. Spencer. I am trusting you to make sure neither my sister nor my nephew finds out where the jet landed.” “I will see to it,” John promised. “Good. Nothing to report out of the ordinary?” Stefan questioned. “No. Everything’s been quiet.” “I will be checking back with you when Mrs. Spencer leaves.” Stefan clicked off his phone and immediately dialed a number that activated a recording. He listened and then smiled ruthlessly. The bug he had planted in Luke Spencer’s telephone at the club and it had just given him information that could be useful in the future. He walked over to the large window that overlooked the water and stood with his arms folded tightly across his chest in contemplation. So Cesar Faison was still alive and bent on destroying Helena. His mother should have been more careful about choosing her henchmen. Faison wouldn’t be satisfied until he had gotten revenge on Helena for her double cross. If Faison reached Helena first it would save him the trouble and then his conscious would be clear if he was asked about her death by Laura or Nikolas. He would be able to tell them the truth that he was not involved. Although he relished the idea of killing Helena himself, how she came to her demise wouldn’t make any difference to him. As long as she was dead and not a threat to his family was all that concerned him. Stefan stroked his goatee and smiled caustically when he thought of Luke’s dilemma. Faison would go to Spencer and demand his payment whether he killed Helena or not. He would take credit no matter who killed her. Luke wouldn’t give up the ice princess diamond and then Fasion would try to take it by force, perhaps even destroy Luke in the process and save him the trouble. Stefan was gratified. Everything was falling into place. The morning stretched into the afternoon and still Laura hadn’t appeared. Not able to contain himself any longer, Stefan went to check on her. When his knock at the door went unanswered, he let himself into the room. As he approached the bed Laura moaned in her sleep and he could see the shadows of exhaustion under her eyes. It was still amazing to him how his heart quickened each time he saw her face. She would be forever be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He watched her sleep for a while, savoring the moment. How could she still look so innocent when he knew how treacherous and manipulative she really was? Yet with all he knew about her, she could still exploit his weakness for her. She was like a malignancy that needed to be removed, a cancer that was eating him alive. Had he invented her out of his loneliness, had he only seen what he wished to see, or had she fabricated herself into his vision of herself in order to delude him? The delusion had been a part of his life for so long, he didn’t trust himself to be able to tell the difference. And he certainly didn’t trust Laura to tell the truth. She hadn’t told the truth her whole life. Her past twenty years were based on lie after lie. He doubted if she even knew how to tell the truth anymore. Laura had to go, and the quicker the better. He could feel himself falling back into the same pattern with her. Once he had taken care of Helena then he would set out to win her back, but on his own terms. Laura was restless in her sleep. She pushed impatiently at the sheets covering her. Stefan’s breath caught in his throat as Laura pushed the offending covering down, exposing her bare breasts. He hadn’t realized until then she was sleeping in the nude. Once again his eyes were drawn to his medallion nestled in between the valley of her breasts. There was something provocative about knowing the one thing on her body belonged to him that it was always touching her, in effect he was always contiguous with her. His passion for her flared. Without thought he bent over her, his fingers gently skimming her skin down the length of the chain. Laura moaned and rolled over away from him and Stefan was stunned to see the abrasions on her back. He cursed himself under his breath for being so brutal with her the night before. Tenderly he kissed the blemishes his passion had marked on her. Laura moaned and rolled back over on her back, instinctively spreading her legs for him. The sight of her unconsciously offering herself to him was too much. With a growl he undressed and slid into the bed beside her. His fingers lightly journeyed the length of her body as his lips nuzzled her breasts. Laura sighed in her sleep, as his fingers found her heat and she pressed up against them. She was wet and ready for him and Stefan couldn’t wait. His body ached to be surrounded by her velvety heat and to be pulled once again into the oblivion of total bliss that only Laura could give him. Sliding over her, he was poised to enter her when the horrendous revelation crossed his mind. If he took Laura this way, he would be no better than Luke when he raped her. He briefly fought his lust and dark nature and rolled away from her with a groan, rubbing his face in frustration at how close he came to lowering himself to Luke’s level. Laura whimpered and rolled over to find him, pressing her body against his, her hands playing across his chest. Stefan closed his eyes and tried to ignore the throbbing fire in his loins. If he couldn’t take his pleasure then he would give Laura hers, he decided. Gently he rolled her over on her back and slowly suckled her breasts while his fingers worked their magic. Her explosion was so violent, he was surprised when she didn’t awaken. After he dressed, he covered her and tenderly kissed her lips before leaving her to her dreams. Laura slept until almost dinner time. Between her sleepless nights and jet lag she had been totally exhausted, and had slept deeply for the first time in weeks. Laura stretched languorously in the bed and smiled at the dream she had, Stefan making love to her with his hands and lips. She sighed in contentment. There was nothing like a good wet dream to keep you satisfied until you got the real thing, she decided. By the time she bathed and dressed it was time to go down. Laura looked at her reflection in the long mirror in the room. She had put up her hair and left a few tendrils to caress her face and nape of her neck. Laura smirked, it would just make Stefan want to take it down and run his fingers through her hair or kiss her bare neck. One or the other, it didn’t matter as long as he did something. The long black gown fit her like a glove. She had bought the dress right after they had made love and had wanted to knock the unflappable Stefan Cassadine for a loop when she wore it. One thing after another had happened and they had never gone out to dinner when she could have worn the dress for him. It was slit up the side almost to the crotch and plunged down in the front almost to her navel. It hinted at the delights underneath, and screamed, “take me.” Laura smiled to herself, wondering what Stefan’s reaction would be. She took off the medallion and placed it in the tiny black silk draw sting purse and slipped the strings around her wrist. She wondered what she would face downstairs. Had Stefan softened? Somehow she had to get him to come back to Port Charles. There they could work out their problems at whatever pace it needed to be. Here she was pressed for time. She couldn’t stay forever, she had children to think of, and a job she had to return to. Stefan needed to reconnect with Nikolas. Her son needed his father, and she knew Nikolas would never be the same if Stefan was not a part of his life. Walking down the marble staircase reminded her of all the occasions in the past when she felt like she was going to face a firing squad. But this was worse. The man who had been her ally and her lover was now her adversary. Somehow she had to convince him otherwise. Stefan was waiting for her in the salon. He turned, sensing her presence and struggled to hide the blaze of hunger that washed over him. From that one glance, he knew she didn’t have on a stitch underneath the gown and wanted nothing more than to find that out for himself. Stefan was thankful for his ability to cover his emotions and quickly concealed his passion with a neutral expression. Laura slowly sashayed toward him, as he eyed her, knowing the game she played. He silently handed her a glass of sherry. Laura searched his face for any clue that he had a change of heart since the night before. She struggled to hide her disappointment when all she saw was indifference. The dress seemed to not have made any difference. He was still just as cold as he had been the night before. This was going to be harder than she ever thought. She had counted on his love for her to break down the barriers between them, but she realized she had been wrong. Had she finally destroyed his never-ending love for her this last time? He had absorbed more hurt and pain than any other man would have been willing to endure and still love her. She knew she only had herself to blame. What she needed was time, and that was one thing she didn’t have. She had to prove to him that her love for him was real and that he was the one she wanted to be with for the rest of her life. Laura’s eyes threw out a challenge and Stefan smiled silkily, taking her on, feigning disinterest. Stefan turned away. He might be able to hide his emotions, but he couldn’t hide his physical attraction for her. Laura was crushed, but recovered, more determined than ever to bring Stefan Cassadine to his knees. Stefan stared silently out the window while he drank his sherry and Laura didn’t have a clue how he felt until he turned and she saw the bulge in his pants. She was elated. At least he wasn’t as uninterested as he made out to be. He at least desired her and that was something. Laura frowned, trying to recall something he had said to her once. When he had asked her to give them a chance a long time ago, he had said she wanted him and that was a start. They could build their relationship from that and go forward. That’s what she would do. Make him want her so badly, he would want to go back home with her and work on the other parts. He held himself aloof from her during dinner, only answering her questions in monosyllables. Laura was at her most seductive during dinner. The table was lit with candles and she was magnificent in the soft light. The muted light gently caressed her hair and skin and he couldn’t take his eyes off the vision across the table from him. The candles cast into shadow the valley where all he wanted was to bury his head. Laura ran her tongue over her lips each time she took a sip of her wine, leaving Stefan almost trembling with need, but anticipating the next tantalizing gesture eagerly. Everything she did throughout the meal was designed to drive him mad with desire. And it worked. Stefan was uncomfortably aware all through the long meal the throbbing hardness he had tried so hard to quell. Laura waited until they were having brandies in the salon to open the purse and give Stefan its contents. “Nikolas gave me something to give to you,” she announced, as she sat the brandy down. “He wanted you to have this back,” she explained gently. Stefan stared at the medallion as if it was the most repugnant thing in the world. “I don’t want it,” he replied abruptly, turning away. “But Nikolas will be hurt if you don’t accept this back,” Laura insisted. “He needs his father. He feels guilty about what he said to you, and you need to go home and see him. If you don’t, he will think that this time you’ve abandoned him.” She grabbed Stefan by the arms and turned him around. “You have been the only constant in his life, think what this will do to him.” “He is better off without me,” Stefan said bleakly. “I will destroy him, as I have destroyed everything else.” “Why? What makes you say that?” Laura cried in frustration. “I’m a Cassadine, and Cassadine’s destroy everything they love,” he told her, his voice raw with pain. “But Nikolas is a Cassadine too. He won’t destroy. You brought him up differently than all the other Cassadine princes. You told me that when you first came to Port Charles,” Laura argued, determined to make him change his mind. Stefan looked her squarely in the eyes. “He may be a Cassadine in name, but I raised him to be your child. Nikolas will escape the Cassadine curse, because I raised him not to be one. He will be better off without me there to corrupt him.” “I don’t believe that,” Laura argued. Stefan’s face hardened. “Believe it, because I won’t go back.” “Then I will have to ask him to come here,” Laura shot back defiantly. “No, you won’t, because you won’t be here.” He glared at her. “Tomorrow morning you will be on a boat back to Athens, and then on your way home.” “No,” she whispered, as she turned her back on him. She had to do something. Laura eyed the sniffer of brandy. It was now or never, she decided. Taking the sniffer she turned back to him. “If I’m to go tomorrow then we must toast to your freedom from us all,” she ground out bitterly, as she walked to him, then pretending to trip, spilling the brandy down the front of her dress. “Oh my,” she breathed. “Do you have something to wipe this off?” Stefan sat his brandy down and pulled out his handkerchief and started wiping the brandy off her skin. Before he knew what he was doing, his fingers were more on her skin than the handkerchief. He stopped the pretense and looked into Laura’s eyes. She swayed toward him, her lips inviting his touch. With a muffled groan he pulled her to him and kissed her softly once, then again. “You’re a witch, Laura Spencer,” he murmured against her mouth. “You’ve bewitched me.” Laura’s hands traveled up his chest and then around his neck to pull him deeper into her embrace. Stefan became lost in the taste of her lips and the familiar feel of her body pressed against his own. His tongue trailed down her neck as he pushed aside the offending garment from her shoulders, exposing her breasts for his mouth and hands to palm and nuzzle. Laura made herself busy getting him out of his jacket and then her fingers feverishly worked to strip him of his shirt. She paused in her exertions as the sensations of her body overwhelmed her. “Take us back. Love me, Stefan,” she whispered. Stefan was stopped cold. They couldn’t go back. Laura wanted something from him he couldn’t give her. The past was gone and buried. All he could give her was a future, but only when he was ready and on his terms. He fought his desire for Laura and stepped back from her. Laura was stunned. He reached out and pulled her gown back up to cover her. “We can’t go back, Laura, “ he ground out. Do you want to go back to all the lies, the betrayals? I’m not the same man I was years ago or even a few months ago. You saw to that,” he told her bitterly. “But can’t we try again?” she pleaded softly. “Put the past behind us and start fresh?” “No, it’s too late. There’s nothing for you here. You killed all the feeling I ever had for you. There’s nothing left. Go, before it turns to hatred,” he said brutally, as he walked away from her and out the door. Laura stared after him. No, she couldn’t accept that this was the end. Not after she finally knew her own heart and mind. He had always been in her heart, she had only denied it to herself all these years, and she wasn’t about to let him go. She would win him back. She couldn’t find him anywhere in the house, but she had an idea where to find him. The wild garden was where he went every night while she was on the island. But Stefan was no where to be found. She called out for him, but she was met with silence. He would come, he would be drawn there just as she was, and she sat on the stone bench to wait for him. Memories came flooding back wave after wave. So much had happened there to change her life. The first time they met, when he had lied to the guards. She had been so confused that he, a Cassadine had shown her some kindness. After being on the island for months, his compassion had been a balm for her weary spirit. He had baffled her, until she had seen how he was treated by his mother and brother. It was then she realized that he was as much a prisoner as she. Perhaps worse, because they were his family. They should have loved him, but they didn’t. They despised him as much has he did them. Their friendship had built slowly over almost a year. If it hadn’t been for him, she would have gone mad in that time. It was he who snuck her out of her room at night and listened to all her stories about her life, her hopes, and dreams. How he must have gotten tired of listening to her glowing accounts of Luke. But he had never shown anything but interest in her, her opinions, thoughts, and well-being. It wasn’t until the wedding, when she noticed his trembling hands exchange the crowns between her and Stavros, she had known he felt more than friendship for her. Looking into his green eyes, she saw his misery before he was able to hide his feelings. And when they had their dance together, she had felt it too. His hands had been so tender as he held her as they danced across the room under the watchful eyes of Helena and Stavros. When she and Stavros had gone up the marble staircase, she had turned and seen him standing in the shadows, the pain and longing stamped on his face. Two weeks later he found her in the wild garden crying. Being with Stavros was worse than she could have imagined. She was repelled by him. Stavros always smelled of liquor, he treated her as if she was property instead of a person, and her skin crawled every time he touched her. When he made love to her, she had to mentally think of something else. That something was Stefan. She tried to imagine it was him making love to her that was the only way she could get through it without screaming. It was strange, but she had never thought about why she thought of Stefan and not Luke. She had been so busy building Luke up into this mythical god that she hadn’t realized she had fallen in love with Stefan. In her mind no one could be better than Luke, and she had been deluded enough to convince herself of that idea. Perhaps it had been self preservation. The realization of the futility of a relationship with Stefan. Sooner or later they would have been found out. It had made it easier not speaking words of love out loud, then she had been able to convince herself that it was merely a physical relationship they both wanted. They were able to pretend to be virtual strangers in front of others instead of the lovers they actually were. They had rarely spoken to each other in front of others, and that had been during dinner. Stefan had been totally different in public, stiff and formal. She remembered being astonished at the mask he wore in front of his family. The Stefan she knew was warm, casual, and had a dry wit. Even though he had just returned home from school, he had been relatively innocent. She had seduced him. He found her on the bench sobbing. She told him that Stavros had come to her in one of his drunken rages and accused her of embarrassing him at dinner. When she had protested he had slapped her and then tried to make love to her, only passing out in the process. It was when Stefan took her in his arms and quietly comforted her, she had kissed him. He had looked like a startled boy when the kiss ended. Laura knew what she wanted, and when she asked him to make love to her, he at first refused. But Laura had pressed herself closer and unbuttoned his shirt, running her hands across his chest and suckling his nipples until he trembled so hard she thought he would collapse. He had called her name over and over again as he pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. She had pulled him to the ground and taken off her clothes. He hadn’t been able to resist. Laura had never been so fulfilled. He had been a tender and considerate lover, always seeing to her needs before his own. Stefan satisfied her in a way that she had never known before. After that, she used every excuse to be away from the house during the day. At night she snuck out of the house while Stavros lay passed out in a drunken stupor, to lie in Stefan’s arms. Day and night they made love, never able to get enough of each other. Even after she found out she was pregnant, they continued to make love several times a day. Their passion for one another was unending and never fully quenched. When she had put Nikolas in his arms, she had prayed he was his father. And when Stefan had told her of the paternity test, she had been relieved. Facing Nikolas with the truth had been frightening, more so for Stefan than her. Then the revelation that Nikolas was not Stefan’s, but Stavros’s son had shaken her. She realized now how selfish she had been, more worried about how she felt about Nikolas being the son of the man she despised than Stefan’s feelings of losing a son. They had really only talked about it once, when Nikolas confronted Stefan. The man who had raised her son and loved him, never got any more support after she found out he had lied to her about drugging Helena. All she had been thinking about was how Nikolas would feel about her and her true feelings about Stavros. After all she had said about Stavros, she had been worried he would distance himself from her knowing how she detested his father. Stefan had been left all alone to mourn the loss of the boy he had thought for nineteen years was his child. It was almost as if Nikolas died in a way. Laura sucked in a breath. All Stefan’s hopes of a family had been dashed. Losing a child was the worst thing that could happen to a parent, and it had happened to Stefan. She had been oblivious to his pain. She had to make this right. Stefan had to see she was thinking clearly now, and that he was the one she loved, not Luke. Laura looked at her watch. She had been there for a couple of hours. He wasn’t coming. Well, she thought, if he won’t come to me then I’ll go to him. She wasn’t going to leave tomorrow without one last ditch effort. It was time to pull out all the stops. Absolution Chapter 43 His wandering had done nothing, except make him think more of her. The wild garden had been off limits. He knew Laura would wait for him there, and he didn’t want to see her again before she left the island. Stefan walked on blindly and before he knew it he was at the cove. He wanted to believe her when she pleaded she loved him, but he knew she was just as likely to turn around tomorrow and say something different. He was finished getting his heart torn apart by her. Tomorrow she would leave and he would be left with his demons. Even that was better than wondering when she would leave him again. When he had taken care of Helena, he would return to Port Charles and obliterate Luke Spencer’s very existence from Laura’s thoughts. She would turn to him and love only him. Laura wanted him. She craved his touch. She was a sensual woman and he would use this to his advantage to bend her to his will. When he was finished molding her into his woman, the thought of another man would never cross her mind again. His thoughts of her grew darker, more obsessive as he imagined how it would be for Laura to love only him. He wanted to possess her, to rule her every thought, to grant her every breath, to control the beating of her heart, to enslave her body. The madness was spiraling out of control as his preoccupation with Laura grew more insidious. His thoughts grew irrational and unrestrained as he fantasized about kidnaping her and taking her to another island where they would disappear and live forever. Let Helena rule and leave the children to fend for themselves. All that mattered was he have Laura and possess her totally. He could give her another child, more children and then she would forget the ones she left behind. The weight of all his darkness was crushing him, pushing him toward dark oblivion. Stefan found he couldn’t breathe. His heart felt like it was constricting, shriveling into a blackened piece of ice. The pain was so intense it drove him to his knees. He was bent over double struggling to suck some air into his lungs. This was what it felt like to die, he thought. His last conscious act was to lift his head and wail, “Laura!,” before falling unconscious in the sand. Stefan opened his eyes to a vision. Laura was coming up out of the water. She was dressed in white and although she had just come from the sea, her clothes were dry. There was an aura of light surrounding her, all innocence and purity. Stefan in his evil and darkness shrank from her. “It’s spring, the season of renewal,” Laura told him in her gentle melodious voice. Laura put out her hand for him to take. “Let me show you the way,” she urged. Stefan was almost afraid to touch her, fearing he would corrupt her perfection. Then she smiled at him and the brilliance of it almost blinded him with its radiance. Stefan reached out to take her hand and gasped at the withered hand Laura took in her smooth one. “Don’t be afraid. Look.” Laura turned, looking out at the water and Stefan followed her gaze. He could see himself coming out of the water as Laura had before him. Stefan got to his feet and faced his double, marveling at the other man’s innocence. He realized that this was himself twenty years ago when he met Laura. Had he ever been this young and uncorrupt? “Yes,” Laura smiled at him. “Look closer, Stefan. This is your true heart. This is your true self.” Stefan stared at his reflection and shook his head, “No. That’s impossible.” Laura smiled softly at him. “Believe it and see.” Stefan stared at her for a moment then looked back at himself, reaching out a tentative hand to touch the other Stefan’s face. The other Stefan grabbed his hands and pulled him into his embrace. “Free me,” he whispered. Stefan sagged in his arms and the other Stefan disappeared. Stefan turned to Laura in shock. “Where did he go?” he demanded. Laura smiled as she caressed his face. “He’s right here. This is what you want to be, this is what you can be, this is what you were meant to be.” Her gaze was steady and certain. Stefan searched her eyes and saw the truth. “You are right,” he whispered. “This road is harder, but it is the only one I could travel.” He lifted her hand caressed in with his lips. “Thank you.” Laura shook her head. “I did nothing. The light was inside you. It had only grown dim. You had faith in yourself.” Stefan pulled her into his arms. “I love you, Laura.” Her smile was jubilant. “And I love you, Stefan.” Their lips melted together in a kiss that held all the promise in the world. Stefan opened his eyes and expected to see her. “Laura?” he murmured. He sat up and looked around in confusion. It had all been a dream, he realized, but one that had opened his eyes and made him see the truth. It was gone, the rage, the darkness. What had he been thinking? He shook his head to clear his thoughts and was appalled to remember all the malevolent things he had planned on doing. His plans for Luke made him flinch in horror. How could he ever have thought of something so vile and so corrupt? And what of his plans for his Mother? Where he had once relished the thought of killing her, now he faced the deed with dread. But it had to be done. Only when Helena was gone could Laura and her children live without fear. Stefan picked up a hand full of sand and watched the grains pour from his hand. He could never tell what he knew. Nikolas would stay Stavros’s son and take his position as prince and lead the family into a new direction. And he could never claim Lucky as his son. It would hurt too many people. When he destroyed Helena, would the darkness descend down on him again? And even if it didn’t, would Laura love a man who could murder his own Mother? He shook his head, no. He would take the threat of Helena from their lives and then disappear. The chance that he might become the dark man he had been was too much of a threat to the ones he loved. He would watch from afar and make sure they were always protected, but he couldn’t be a part of their lives. Stefan watched as the last grains of sand fell from his hand. It had never been his and Laura’s time, and it never would be. Laura loved him, he knew that now, but losing her had almost destroyed him. He would leave things as they were. If he lost her again, it would be the end of him. Stefan looked out over the water, his vision blurred by the tears that cascaded down his cheeks as he thought of all he had gained but couldn’t claim, and all he had lost and could never have. Stefan walked wearily back into the house and went to the salon to have a brandy before going to bed. The house was quiet and he assumed Laura had gone on to bed when she found he wasn’t in the wild garden. Tomorrow he wouldn’t see her off, he decided. It would be easier to make himself scarce when she left. Laura had a hold over him, it was a weakness, he knew that, and the best thing to do was retreat. Once she was gone, he would try and put her out of his mind forever. He went upstairs to his bedroom, not bothering turning on the light. The moonlight was bright enough he could see without a light. As he removed his jacket, and pulled his shirt out of his pants, he noticed something shiny on his dresser. It was his Cassadine medallion. He picked it up for a moment and stared at it. Nikolas had only removed it a few weeks before, and yet it seemed a lifetime ago. Stefan’s thumb gently caressed the shield as his heart squeezed in pain. He reverently laid it back on the dresser and started unbuttoning his shirt. A slight sound made him turn. Laura was sitting up in his bed watching him. “What are you doing here?” he growled, angry with himself he hadn’t noticed her when he first came in the room. “Well, if the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, then you go to the mountain,” Laura quipped, trying to make him smile. Stefan struggled to calm his anger. “Get out.” “I want something,” Laura announced, watching him closely. “You always want something from me. You are the most grasping woman I’ve ever known. I have nothing left to give you,” he replied coldly, determined not to let Laura know how he really felt. Laura slid out of the bed and walked to him. In the moonlight he could see through the thin material of her gown, she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. One of the straps had fallen and left her pale shoulder bare. He clenched his jaw to keep from groaning. When she got to him, she gazed up into his eyes. “I want tonight. If I am to leave tomorrow, I want one more night with you,” she appealed, her voice husky with desire. Stefan closed his eyes in surrender. It was as if she was one of the sirens singing her song of seduction. He knew she would make him crash into the rocks, but her song drew him on until he didn’t care, he only knew he had to have her. “Give me a night to remember,” she whispered, as she touched his chest softly with her fingertips. She bent her head and licked his nipple, while sliding her arms around his back, and gently caressing his taunt muscles. As she continued to do her magic with her tongue and mouth her hands wandered down to his toned butt. She pulled him up against her softness, reveling in the hardness of his body, and how it fit so well with her own. Stefan slid his fingers into the thickness of her hair and pulled her head back to stare into her eyes. “It won’t make a difference, tomorrow you go,” he taunted. “I know,” she agreed calmly, looking deep into his stormy eyes. “Say it, say it, Laura,” he commanded hoarsely. “Say the words.” She gave him a searching glance, then murmured softly, “I love you, Stefan.” He took a deep breath and smiled bitterly. He was weak just as his mother had said. Laura was in control, she always had been, and he had always been her willing slave. His insides burned for her and he couldn’t deny himself one last night with her. And why shouldn’t he take what she was willing to offer and savor the moment? Tomorrow she would be out of his life forever and all he would be left with were his memories. Remembrances he would wear a path to until they were so exhausted, they would be as intrenched in his mind as the ones from twenty years ago. Stefan bent his head and took possession of her mouth. Laura parted her lips eagerly as he thrust his tongue into her mouth. His hands slipped down the length of her body, and he pulled her tighter into his arms. Laura reached up and pulled his shirt off in one fluid motion, rubbing her body against his. She moaned as his hands fondled her rounded cheeks, grasping them and grinding his hips against her. His hands slid their way back up her body to eased the straps of her gown down off her shoulders. Leisurely he worked his way down the side of her neck, nibbling and tasting her skin. Laura felt like she was kindling to his fire. She wanted nothing more than to burn up in his embrace. Her hands went to his pants, and she feverishly unbuttoned and drew them down for him to step out. She grasped his hard length in her hand and caressed him, as her lips tenderly kissed the bruise on his shoulder she left when she bit him the night before. Stefan trembled as she stroked him. His hands went to her full breasts, teasing them through her gown. Laura gasped as his tongue flirted with her hardened nipples. He suckled one, as his hand grazed the stiff nub of the other. Laura threw her head back in blissful agony, moaning his name. Stefan’s hands extended up to caress her throat. Laura slowly peeled the gown down past her breasts where it dropped to the floor. She gazed hungrily into his eyes. “Make love to me, Stefan,” she urgently demanded. He swept her up in his arms and laid her on the bed, consuming her with eyes that burned like coals. He walked around to the foot of the bed and lifted her foot. Not breaking eye contact with her, he unhurriedly sucked her big toe in his mouth, his tongue swirling around it. Laura exhaled with lustful pleasure. He crawled his way up her ankle and leg, her hand and arm, his lips and tongue exquisitely skimming her sensitive skin. His goatee’s soft bristles tantalized her flesh, until she thought she would explode. “I want you now,” she pleaded. Stefan glided over her, as she parted her legs for him. He drove deeply into her. His guttural groan mingled with Laura’s gasp, as she thrust her hips up to meet him. For once his medallion bumping against her chin didn’t distract her. They moved furiously together in unrestrained lust, Laura matching him with every stroke. They heaved together, calling out the other’s name in a shuddering orgasm. Stefan allowed his body to settle fully on Laura’s, staying inside her as he caught his breath. She wrapped her arms around him and massaged the bunched up muscles of his back. Laura couldn’t resist running her hands over his body. He had such a beautifully compact frame, every muscle defined, and in harmony. Stefan nuzzled her neck, breathing in her scent. His lips found the hollow between her neck and collar bone and he brushed it delicately with his tongue. Laura threaded her fingers through his thick hair, gasping at the sensations he was making her feel. She could feel him becoming engorged again, and she tightened her vaginal walls around him, drawing him in deeper. He lifted his head and she pulled him down, her lips parted for his kiss. They kissed slowly, exploring the others mouth, their tongues swirling around one another in a leisurely ballet. His lips brushed the side of her mouth, moving delicately down her jaw to her ear. There Stefan traced the contours of her ear, his warm breath and tongue making her shiver with need. He continued his gentle exploration of her face, shadowing her hair line, then down to her eyes, where he softly grazed her closed lids with his velvety lips. Laura lifted her lips up to him, and their mouths melted together in a lingering kiss. She moved restlessly under him, running her hands down his back to his butt. Her hands grabbed his cheeks and she pushed him against her. He pressed himself into her with long unhurried strokes, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Laura’s hands played over his chest, rubbing his nipples and lifting her head to plant feathery kisses on his chest and shoulders. Her actions inflamed him and he drove into her deeper and a little faster. Capturing her lips with his, he shoved his tongue into her mouth urgently, relishing her instantaneous surrender. Laura moaned into his mouth, as his tongue demanded and took all she had to offer. He bent down and cupped her breast, circling the nipple with his tongue, then sucking the nipple into his mouth, slowly increasing pressure until she ached for him, instinctively curving her body to fit with his driving masculinity. As he felt her tremors, he slowed the pace down, pulling part of the way out of her. Laura whimpered in disappointment. His hand toyed with her nipple, pinching it between his fingers, then feasting upon it with his mouth. Her breath was ragged as she strained against him, needing to be filled up again. He took his time sliding into her then pulling almost all the way out. Laura grabbed his back with both hands and when he pushed into her she arched herself to take all of him deeply. His exquisite torture was driving her wild, and she made little noises in her throat as he continued his slow ravishment of her body. Laura writhed against him, lifting her head to pull his head back down to hers, savagely grounding her lips against his desperately, sucking his bottom lip, then plunging her tongue into his mouth, rousing the response she wanted from him. With a primitive growl, he thrust deeply into her. Laura bucked her hips up to meet each thrust. She could feel the quaking in her body building with each stroke. Stefan could detect the change in her body, and he pumped her harder until he felt her start to come, and they exploded together in an earthshattering orgasm. Stefan rolled over taking Laura with him. He wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head on his chest. Laura’s heart felt as if it was going to pound out of her chest and she felt as weak as a newborn baby. Stefan was the only man who could ever arouse such carnality in her. She allowed her hands to softly explore the hard contours of his magnificent chest. It didn’t hurt that he was hung like a horse, she thought with a grin, glancing down at his huge length. Even after making love to her two times, he was still half hard, she noticed in awe. He had the resilience of a stallion too, which she was grateful. As she had grown older her sexual appetite had increased. Stefan had only gotten better with age, more than she could say with Luke. One time and Luke rolled over and went to sleep, leaving her frustrated and wanting more. With Stefan just having him inside her was almost enough to make her explode. He knew just what to do and what she liked, and took joy in giving her pleasure. Laura lifted her head up from his chest to look him in the eyes. “I love you,” she whispered. “Yes,” he whispered, with a slight smile. It pained him that he was unable to express his love for her, but if he did, she would never leave in the morning. He couldn’t make himself say the words, and he could sense her disappointment. To soften the blow, he cupped her face in his hand and tenderly kissed her. Laura sighed as she snuggled on his chest. She would make him believe she loved him, she had to, she couldn’t imagine her life without him now. Stefan kissed her forehead gently, as he stroked her arm lightly with his fingers. They cuddled together in companionable silence as their hands lightly touched the other. Laura raised herself on one elbow and touched the medallion Stefan wore. “Why are you wearing the medallion Helena put on Lucky?” she asked curiously. Stefan thought for a brief moment, not wanting to raise Laura’s suspicions as to why he really wore his son’s medallion. “Remembrance.” Stefan sighed, “When Lucky left Wyndemere that last time, I should have listened to my instincts and sent a guard with him. Instead, I let him convince me that he could handle my mother if he saw her.” He gazed into Laura’s eyes. “I guess I wanted to believe it as much as Lucky did. I was wrong. The programing was stronger than we both had imagined. When the medallion came to me, I wanted to wear it as reminder of my promise to him to free him from Helena’s grasp.” “And you did help him,” Laura replied, her eyes shining thankfully. “Lucky told me all you did for him.” She shivered. “I don’t want to think about what would have happened to my son if he hadn’t had you, not to mention you saved his life.” Laura gently touched the scar on Stefan’s side, then lowered her head to softly kiss the mark. “You would have died for Lucky, and that tells me all I need to know. I love you, Stefan,” she whispered as her voice broke. Laura moved on top of him and lowered her head to gently take his lips. She brushed her face against his goatee, loving the feel of the soft bristles against her skin. “I’m going to make love to you until you will never think of any other woman again,” Laura promised breathlessly against his mouth. “You’ve already accomplished that feat,” Stefan rasped before she silenced him with a deep kiss. Laura explored his face with her lips and tongue as his hands slid down her back to cup her cheeks and press them against his hardness. Her hair falling around his face filled all his senses with her perfume. She sprinkled his face and neck with delicate kisses that made him moan with pleasure. Laura stared into his eyes, a mischievous smile played across her face as she lowered her head and bathed his chest with her hot tongue. She could feel him jerk against her abdomen as her mouth glided downwards. Laura pressed her breasts together trapping his rigid shaft between them and pumped him up and down. A guttural groan rumbled deep from Stefan’s chest. Laura smiled to herself. She was going to drive Stefan wild tonight. Moving down she grasped his shaft gently, massaging it lightly, then with a little more force. With one had she pulled him tightly at the base and the other she cupped his scrotum and rolled his balls in her hand. Her tongue fluttered up and down him with feathery, teasing touches while his hands convulsively grasped at the sheets in blissful agony. The tip of her tongue swiped across his tip, then she outlined it with her tongue before drawing him into her warm mouth. Instinctively he reacted, bucking his hips and reaching to weave his fingers in her hair as he gently matched her bobbing rhythm. She brought him to the brink again and again until he was gasping. When she stopped, he groaned in disappointment and she grinned at him as she straddled his chest. Laura eased herself down on him taking him in slowly until she was buried to the hilt. His hands spanned her cheeks as she moved up and down on him pushing her down harder with each movement. “Sit up,” Laura commanded. When he was facing her, she wrapped both legs around his back pressing the soles of her feet together. Stefan exhaled in a hiss. Never had he been so deep inside her. The sensations were all new. He was aware of everything, the way her nipples bushed against his chest, how she was alternately squeezing and relaxing her muscles around his length, and how the touch of her fingers ignited the sparks into an inferno that was burning inside of him. They could barely move, but each shift of Laura’s hips in a rocking motion drove him wild. He cupped her bottom to help her push into him as she grasped his shoulders to give herself leverage. Their lips met in a gentle kiss that soon became hungrier and more insistent. Laura’s movements became quicker and he pressed her down harder until with a deep cry she exploded against him. The force of her orgasm brought him crashing over the edge with her. Stefan arms crushed her to him as he buried his face in her hair. They held each other quietly for a long time. Stefan pulled back from her and smiled into her eyes. “Where did you learn this?” Laura grinned at him. “I know a few tricks,” she teased. Stefan shivered, his body still sensitive from his orgasm. “I don’t know if I can take many more of your ‘tricks.’ That one was mind blowing,” he teased back as he brushed her hair over her shoulders. He gently rolled her over, putting his arms around her and making a pillow on his chest for her head. The last thing Laura remembered was hearing the steady beating of his heart as it lulled her to sleep. Laura was dreaming. She and Stefan were in the house of many windows, happy and laughing then Helena walked in and immediately all their happiness evaporated in an instant. Laura woke up with a jerk. Stefan feeling her move, intuitively tightened his grip on her, moving his lips to nuzzle her hair with a deep sigh of contentment. She lay there for a while unable to go back to sleep, wondering why Helena had intruded on her thoughts at this moment. Carefully she uprooted herself from Stefan’s arms and walked over to the big window facing the sea. Laura opened the window and took a deep breath of the salty spray that filled the air. Leaning against the window she wondered if she could keep Stefan from sending her way the next morning. She turned and watched him sleep for a moment debating her options. Stefan had said he would send her away, but she had never promised to go. Would he forcibly put her on a boat and send her back to Athens? He was a different man tonight than what he had been earlier. The man she first met on the island had been cynical and cold. After he had returned from his walk, his rage seemed to have disappeared. If anything he seemed resigned, and a sadness lurked just under the surface. Stefan wouldn’t say he loved her, but his eyes and actions told her differently. Why wouldn’t he come back to Port Charles with her? There had to be a reason. He loved Nikolas and she couldn’t believe he could abandon Nikolas after all he had done for him over the years. His love was too strong for his nephew. That meant there was something else bothering him. What could it be? The possible answer hit her and made her feel sick. He wouldn’t come back because he thought she was telling him she loved him and would leave him for Luke yet again. He had lost all faith and trust in her. No, she shook her head. That wasn’t it. Stefan could come back home and never seen her again if he so wished. Why did she have the uneasy feeling if she left, she would never see him again? What would drive him from their lives forever? Laura’s eyes widened in shock as the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. Stefan was going to kill his Mother! Laura moaned softly. He couldn’t do it. It would destroy him and Stefan knew it. Once again he was going to sacrifice himself for her and her children. Laura eyed him for a moment, her eyes filled with love, then despair. She turned away to stare out at the water. How could she convince him not to follow through on his plans? Once Stefan had set his course, would she be able to change it? Tears streamed silently from her eyes as she pondered what to do. An arm wrapped around her waist and she leaned back into his warm embrace. Stefan moved her hair and nuzzled the nape of her neck. “I missed you,” his voice was low and rough. “I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep,” she whispered, as she remembered another night long ago on the island. “We stood here just like this that last night I was on the island,” she recalled. “I remember.” “I was going to come back. All I wanted to do was see if Helena was telling the truth and that Luke was really alive.” “I know,” Stefan soothed. Laura turned to face him and he saw she had been crying. “Do you really?” she asked desperately. “When Luke saw me, I was lost. All the guilt came back and I couldn’t leave him.” Laura started sobbing. “I left my little baby for that man and you have never forgiven me for abandoning Nikolas.” Stefan was startled. What did she mean by guilt? “Shhhh,” he comforted as he pulled her into his arms. “No one blames you anymore. Not I, not Nikolas. You must let this notion go that you must carry this guilt with you forever.” “But you said...,” Laura started. “I said what I said, to hurt you,” Stefan replied regretfully. “Then it’s true. You have forgiven me?” she asked hopefully. “Put it out of you mind forever. I know you love Nikolas. You made a mistake once. You can’t castigate yourself forever for something you cannot change and no one blames you for any more.” Laura smiled at him though her tears. “I love you, Stefan,” she whispered as she tenderly kissed him. “Everything will be all right, Laura,” Stefan promised as he gently wiped away her tears. “Will it?” Laura’s voice broke, as she thought of her suspicions about Helena. “You have my word,” Stefan vowed, as he cupped her face in his hands. Laura swayed toward him and their mouths met in a kiss that seared their souls together forever. Stefan glided his hands down the length of her body and pressed her against his powerful body. Laura’s hands played up his chest to wrap themselves around his neck and then into his hair. He picked her up and gently deposited her on the bed. He took his time loving her so tenderly that Laura ached with love for him. Stefan’s every gesture, every caress, and kiss made Laura feel cherished and loved. She had only to look into his eyes to know how much he loved her. When everything fell away in their mutual orgasm, they were connected in heart and soul as they had never been before. As Laura slept in his arms, Stefan was determined to stay awake. He wanted to relish Laura being his arms this one last time. She loved him, really loved him. For the first time in his life he knew he wasn’t Laura’s second choice, but that she had chosen him. Stefan could only curse the gods for the injustice of it all. Laura loved him and he couldn’t accept her love. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled, imprinting the scent and adding it to all the other memories of her he guarded jealously. The musk of their lovemaking, the purring sound Laura made in the back of her throat when he made love to her, and how her eyes glowed when she told him she loved him. All these and more he would carry with him until the end of his days. They would have to last him a lifetime. Stefan watched her sleep, smiling at how her hands unconsciously caressed his chest and how her lips were swollen from his kisses. He knew he could never get tired of the sight of her in his arms. This was the first and last time he would ever see the morning with her in his bed and he willed the sun to stay away to keep her with him longer. The gray dawn of morning ignored his plea and he watched as the sky turned orange, seeing his dream die with the rising of the sun. Stefan rose silently and showered, coming back into the room dressed and determined to see Laura go home. He hesitated for a moment then picked up his medallion from the dresser and placed it over his head. It was only right that he wear his own medallion, and he would wear Lucky’s as a remembrance for the son he could never claim. Stefan stood at the foot of the bed and watched Laura sleep. He didn’t want to leave her. “We came so close, Laura. We almost made it,” Stefan whispered to her. If it hadn’t been for Helena, they could have had a life together. It was better this way. He couldn’t stand the thought of looking into Laura’s eyes and seeing the condemnation there if she knew he killed his mother. All he had ever wanted was a life with Laura and children to love. He had two sons and he couldn’t claim either of them. Everything he had ever wanted had been snatched away by his mother. Stefan’s eyes were lined with tears. Already he felt the grief of separation from Laura. But he had to love her and his children enough to let them go. When he made them safe from Helena, the Cassadine madness could return and he could destroy them next. His legs felt heavy as stone as he walked over to Laura. He bent down and ran his fingers over her face tenderly before kissing her lips reverently. “I love you, Laura. Even if I am not there, my love will be with you forever. I won’t let anyone harm you or your children ever again,” his voice finally breaking. Stefan kissed her one last time and hurried from the room before he could change his mind. Absolution Chapter 44 Stefan had been restless all morning, prowling the compound waiting for word that Laura was ready to go. He had already been down at the docks and saw to it that the yacht was ready and waiting when she finally put in an appearance. The thought of her going filled his heart with dread. How would he face the long years of his life without her, he wondered? Instructions had been given to the guard and crew to make sure Laura was protected at all costs, since he hadn’t had any word from Andreas and had no idea where his mother was or what she was doing. It was early afternoon before Thea told him Laura was awake and dressing to leave. He was caught unaware when she stood in the doorway with her suitcase. Stefan cursed himself silently for lingering in the salon so long. He had meant to be gone when she left, now he would have to somehow find the strength to let her go. Laura’s expression was lost and she looked close to tears. “Are you sure you want me to go?” she asked. Her eyes pleaded for him to ask her to stay. Stefan swallowed convulsively and closed his heart. “Yes. It’s best you go.” “What will I tell Nikolas?” she asked plaintively. “Tell him what you like,” he replied as his expression hardened. Stefan turned away from her to stare out the window. Laura knew he was trying to drive her away and it made her angry. “Then I hope you’re satisfied in this prison you’ve built for yourself,” she hissed. Stefan couldn’t look at her. He knew if he did he would beg her not to leave him. “This is what I want, solitude. Your presence intrudes on my meditations,” he told her brutally. Had Stefan turned he would have seen the disbelief and determination on Laura’s face. “Have it your way then,” she replied bitterly. He listened as she stalked off and the sound of her footsteps grew faint. When he was sure she had gone he turned and slumped, completely drained from his exertions. He sat on the sofa and buried his face in his hands, willing her to return. After a while he knew he had done his job thoroughly, Laura had left him for good. And yet he still couldn’t give her up. He wanted one last glimpse of her as she left the island. There was a way to see her one last time and he hurried to get there in time. Stefan stood on the diving cliffs and waited for the yacht. Years ago he had stood in the same spot with Nikolas and watched as she sailed out of their lives. Laura had been standing on the back of the boat crying as she left the island and he had stood there until the boat disappeared over the horizon. Would she remember, he wondered? The yacht sailed into view and Laura was no where to be seen. Stefan was crushed. Had he made her hate him? He scrutinized the vessel waiting for some sign from her and she never showed. When the yacht finally disappeared from sight, his world went dark with despair. He started walking, not seeing or hearing anything. Lost in his misery he walked for hours, stumbling over rocks and roots that lay across his path and never stopped until he found himself at the cove. Stefan stared out at the sea. Everything reminded him of her. The blue of the sky brought to mind the pools of her eyes that he only wanted to drown in. The sea served up memories of them caressing each other underwater and then struggling to the beach to make love in the sand as the waves washed over them or to their secret cave under the overhang of the cliffs. The wind reminded him of the way it sculpted her clothes to the curves of her body as she waited for him to come to her. The yearning for her was an ache that went deep into his soul. He felt as if he would go mad without her. Arms reached around his waist and hugged him to her softness. Stefan closed his eyes and smiled. His phantom Laura had come to comfort him as she had so long ago. He turned and smiled down at her. “I knew you would come,” he whispered. “You’re not angry with me?” she questioned, looking at him oddly. “How could I ever be angry with you? You are my life. You are my breath and my heart.” Laura pulled his head down and kissed him gently, then again until they became lost in each other. When they broke apart, Laura nestled against him and they stood framed against the sky, content to just be in the other’s arms. “I have a surprise for you,” she whispered with a grin. He smiled back at her. “What is that?” “Come and see.” Laura pulled him by the hand and he was content to follow her. She lead him to their secret spot in the bushes. There she had laid down a blanket and had a basket filled with food and wine. Laura sat down. “Come on,” she urged. “Lay your head in my lap and I’ll feed you,” she teased. Stefan happily did as he was told and savored her making a fuss over him. She took a drink of the wine and then tilted the glass for him to take a drink, giggling when she spilled some on him. Laura bent her head and with her tongue licked off all the drops of wine that had spilled into his goatee and onto his neck. He sighed with pleasure and reached for her. Laura pulled back and teased, “Not so fast Buster. I am not finished with you yet.” Laura pulled something out of the basket. “Close your eyes.” Stefan did as he was told with a grin. “Open your mouth,” she ordered. Stefan bit down on the tart sweetness of a blueberry. He half opened his eyes to smirk at her. “I should have known, your favorite.” Laura nodded. “And yours too.” She gave him a quick kiss, relishing the taste on his lips. She alternately fed him bits of cheese, bread and blueberries along with occasional sips of wine. After each bite she caressed his lips with her own. Stefan found he couldn’t wait for the next bite so he could taste her lips another time. Her hair tickled his face each time she bent down to kiss him and he breathed in her scent, marveling how wonderful she smelled. Laura ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her hands combing his hair and scalp. The sun, lack of sleep, stress, and Laura gentle ministrations put him to sleep. Laura brushed his face gently with her fingers as he slept. She hadn’t realized at first he thought she wasn’t real and then when she had, she had been afraid to tell him. There had still been a chance he could have gotten in touch with the yacht and they could have returned for her. She had stashed her suitcase and gone to the yacht and in her most imperious Cassadine demeanor informed both the guard and crew that Mr. Cassadine had changed his mind and they were to leave without her. She had done her job well. They had believed her and had gone without her. After going back to the compound and not finding Stefan, she had changed into a lighter dress and had raided the kitchen for the basket. Instinctively she knew sooner or later Stefan would show up at the cove and she had waited for him there. At first she thought Stefan was teasing her, then she realized he thought she was not real. Had Stefan gone mad, she wondered? What would he say when he found out she hadn’t left the island? She wasn’t going to leave him. She knew now he loved her and no matter what he said from now on she wouldn’t budge. When he woke, she would tell him the truth and face his anger and whatever else came their way. Laura tenderly gazed at his sleeping face that was relaxed and happy. She would convince him of how much she loved him, no matter what she had to do. Stefan Cassadine was going to find out she could be as tenacious as a bulldog when she wanted something. “Hold on to your hat mister,” she whispered. “I love you and I mean to have you in my life forever.” Stefan reached for Laura as he was waking up and groaned in disappointment when his arms came up empty. He opened his eyes to darkness and sat up, looking around in search of her. The basket was gone. All that was left was the blanket he was sitting on. He frowned. She had seemed so real. Had he gone completely mad? Even the taste of blueberries lingered in his mouth. Was this what he could look forward to for the rest of his life, stolen moments with a fantasy Laura? With a disgusted shake of his head he headed back to the compound. In the salon he poured himself a glass of vodka. After one long drink, he gazed into the glass with a look of self-disgust. He was drinking more and that was unlike him. Would losing Laura turn him into the pathetic drunk his brother had been? His cell phone rang and he answered. Andreas was hurried and panicked. “Mr. Cassadine, I have only a minute. Your mother has kept me by her side almost the whole time since we left Port Charles and when I had the opportunity to call I was unable to get through to you.” “Calm down and tell me where you are,” Stefan replied unruffled. “We are on our way to the island. We should be there shortly,” Andreas whispered. Stefan could hear Helena’s voice call Andreas and the connection went dead. He clicked his phone off and took a deep breath. Now it began. Now he would see if he had the strength and courage it took to kill his mother. He smiled grimly down at his casual clothing. Murdering his mother called for something appropriately dark and Cassadine. He went upstairs to change into something more elegant to welcome and then say good-bye to his mother. A short time later Stefan came back downstairs in the obligatory dark suit and shirt. He stood at the window and looked out at the water trying to draw back on the rage and malice he had felt when he had spiraled out of control. It was all gone and he couldn’t seem to conjure up anything but a cold detachment he felt for Helena. One way or another that would have to be enough. He was determined to see his plan through to completion. There wasn’t any way he was going to let Laura and his children live out their lives in fear of his mother. He smiled darkly. He was sure when Helena arrived, her smugness and goading would make it easy for him to kill her. So focused on his thoughts of his mother, he didn’t hear Laura walk into the room. It was a sense of her presence that made him turn around in astonishment. Laura hesitated for a moment, then moved determinedly to stand in front of him. Stefan was incensed. How dare she not leave when he had sent her away? Then the realization hit him that she had been real this afternoon, not a figment of his imagination. His anger deepened. Laura had made him out to be a fool. Laura watched silently as the emotions flitted across Stefan’s face. She knew he was furious with her and that couldn’t be helped. More important was that she stop him from doing something he would regret for the rest of his life. “Why are you still here?” Stefan demanded harshly. “You wanted one night and I gave it to you. What else do you want?” His thoughts were going around in circles. He had to get rid of Laura before Helena arrived. She couldn’t be there to see him murder his mother. “I know what you have planned,” Laura admitted softly. “And I’m not going to let you do this.” Stefan laughed grimly. “You can’t stop me.” Laura touched his arm tentatively and Stefan’s gaze locked on her hand and then back to her eyes. “You told me once there were other ways to deal with your mother. Surely we can figure out a way to neutralize her without killing her,” Laura urged. “Nothing that is permanent,” Stefan growled. He shook off her hand and paced the room. “Helena is capable of anything and I won’t have you and your children live in fear of the threat from that woman again. She must be totally eliminated.” Laura watched him, trying to decide what to say. “I know what she did to you,” she admitted. Stefan was stilled and turned around with narrowed eyes to stare at her. “And what do you mean by that?” he questioned bleakly. Laura stood in front of him again. “Alexis told me everything,” she confessed. Stefan closed his eyes in pain, afraid to open them and see the pity in Laura’s eyes. She had to think him less a man for what his mother had put him through. “Stefan? Look at me,” Laura requested softly. Stefan reluctantly opened his eyes, not to pity, but understanding. “I always wondered why you were so understanding and comforting when I told you what Luke did to me. I only wish I had known what you had gone through. Neither of us were responsible for what others did to us and yet we still carry the scars. Maybe we could have helped each other and I would have discovered myself a long time ago.” Stefan frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?” Laura sighed. “I was a mixed-up teen, always in trouble. I ran away and joined a commune and got involved with the leader. Then there was David Hamilton. You know what happened with him. I never had any self-esteem, or self-worth.” Laura smiled ruefully. “I covered it up with bravado and no one knew. Then I married Scottie Baldwin. I did love him,” she admitted. “But I think it was more the idea of being in love. We were too young and then Luke came into our lives. I was fascinated by him. He was older, funny, and dangerous. I was attracted to him, but I would have never acted on it being married to Scottie. Then came the night of the rape,” Laura sighed. “After that night I felt I had lead Luke on and it was my fault. I didn’t want to turn him in because I felt like the blame rested on me.” Stefan was shaking his head. “No, Laura. How could you ever think that?” Laura smiled sadly. “I thought I didn’t deserve anyone but Luke. Once we started having adventures it just seemed right me being with him. As long as I was with him, I didn’t feel the guilt. And I think he felt the same way. We fed off of the other’s feelings of inadequacy and pain. It felt like love and I fooled myself for almost twenty years in believing that’s what it was. When I was kidnaped by your family, I was already so intrenched with Luke I had no idea how to live without him. Then you came and you were everything I ever wanted in a man. But I couldn’t let you know that. I felt I didn’t deserve a man as good and kind as you.” Stefan snorted in disbelief and Laura laid a finger on his lips to quiet him. “When I left the island, I had every intention of returning to my son and to you. But when Luke saw me, I was sucked right back into the guilt. I thought what we had on the island was fleeting that you would soon see through me and it would be over between us. I knew you would do as you promised and take care of Nikolas for me. I was weak and let my feelings rule me. I tried only once to see Nikolas and you know the results. Had I not been a coward, I would have thrown caution to the wind and come home to my son. I let my fear color my judgement. I knew Luke would come after me this time and I was afraid of what he would do to you. I also knew he would despise me for bearing a Cassadine child and he was such a crutch for me I couldn’t stand the thought of losing him. Better to lose my child than lose the man who thought I was perfect, who put me on a pedestal,” she whispered in shame. “When you came back into my life, I fought my love for you. I denied its very existence for a long time. You saw me as a real person, flaws and all, and somehow you still loved me,” Laura said in wonder. But I was still afraid. As long as I held you at arms’ length, you still wanted me. I was so scared that once I admitted my feelings for you, you would discover there was nothing to Laura Spencer. That she was unworthy of your love and devotion. I never thought I was good enough for you or any man other than Luke. I settled for what I thought I deserved, not for what I thought I could have. I wasted all these years with him, never knowing the real me. It was only when I thought I had lost you for good, I realized what I had been doing with my life for so long. I’ve always loved you, Stefan. From the moment we met and forever. There will never be another man for me, only you. I know I’ve hurt you time and time again. And I’m willing to be anything in your life you want me to be: friend, lover, wife. I’ll even be your whore,” she whispered brokenly. Stefan gasped and cupped her face in his hands. “How can you say that? Have you no pride?” he rasped. Laura smiled through her tears and shook her head. “No. It was my pride that made me wait so long to tell you I knew you didn’t kidnap Lucky. Pride is over rated,” she whispered. I love you and I need you to be in my life.” Stefan stared into her eyes, the eyes he always said never lied. Her love wrapped around him with its warm glow and he relaxed. She had bared her soul to him and he knew she truly loved him. Laura was everything to him. At last he knew they could have a life together and he surrendered his heart. “I love you, Laura,” he whispered to her. Laura gave a gasping sob and he wrapped his arms around her and held her until she stopped crying. Laura lifted her head from his shoulder and ran her finger across his lips as he wiped her tears away. “I love you, Stefan,” she whispered against his mouth as she brushed her soft lips across his. “I love you,” he rasped back as he took her lips with his. They were lost in the pleasure and delight of the other. Their lovemaking was even more special since they truly knew the other’s heart. They were so close to losing control they never heard Helena come into the room. “Well, well. Nothing ever seems to change, does it?” Helena voiced sarcastically. “My second son always kissing his brother’s widow.” She sighed dramatically. “I tried to warn Stavros, she wasn’t worthy of him, and it’s a lost cause to tell you.” Stefan pulled Laura tighter into his embrace and ran his hand down Laura back possessively. “What do you want, Mother?” he asked warily. “Nothing, other than to pay you back for ruining my plans,” she replied casually. Helena tapped her gloved finger against her chin in contemplation. “Now, how can I do that?” She smiled maliciously as she opened her purse and took out a gun. “I think removing the love of your life should compensate me,” she smirked. Stefan pushed Laura behind his back and stood protectively in front of her. “Now why would you want to do that, Mother?” Stefan asked calmly. “Killing Laura won’t solve your problem, only create more. Nikolas would never forgive you for murdering his Mother.” “I’ve already lost Nikolas, thanks to you. So I will take the very thing you want most. And since it seems you’ve reconciled, it will be even more painful for you.” “You will have to kill me first,” Stefan replied softly. Helena shrugged. “Whatever. Killing you will be just as satisfying. It will leave her alone, as I am,” she hissed. Helena leveled the gun at Stefan. “Good-bye darling second son,” she mocked. “I never loved you anyway.” Laura didn’t think, she just reacted, stepping in front of Stefan as Helena pulled the trigger. The sound of the shot was deafening and the force of the bullet pushed Laura into Stefan’s arms. For split second Stefan was stunned, then lowered Laura to the floor where he cradled her head in his arms. “Laura?” he called out softly. Her head rolled back and he saw the thin trickle of blood coming out of the side of her mouth. Glancing lower to her chest, he saw the spreading spot of red on the front of her dress. “Laura?” he repeated louder. He got no response. Stefan felt for a pulse in her neck and couldn’t find one. He bent his head down to listen to the sound of breathing and there was silence. Grabbing her wrist, he felt for a pulse there. There was nothing. He stared into her face in horror. It was ashen and her lips were starting to turn blue. “Laura?” his voice broke in pain. Helena laughed gleefully. “Well, who would have ever known the little tart would save your life. I guess she did love you.” She tossed the gun carelessly on the sofa. “The authorities will think you and your paramour had a fight and you killed her in a jealous fit of rage.” She smirked, “I guess I win after all.” Helena was totally unprepared for the look her son gave her. His eyes were like hard emeralds. They caught and captured her in their glare. Helena had never been afraid of anyone, especially Stefan, but she found herself wanting to look away from the malevolence in his eyes, but couldn’t. “You had better pray Laura doesn’t die, because if she does, you will never have another day on this earth where you will be free from worry. I won’t send assassins to cut you down, I will come myself and I will follow you to the ends of the earth to find you,” he vowed sadistically. “You will never know when I’ll come and you will always live in fear,” he goaded quietly. Helena tried to laugh, but the sound stuck in her throat. She looked at the sofa and wondered if she could grab the gun and shoot him before he could reach it. Stefan followed her glance and taunted her with a savage smile. “Go ahead and try. If you kill me, it will only put me out of my misery. But I warn you, once my hands are around your neck they won’t leave until you have breathed your last breath,” he promised viciously. Helena’s hands went up to her throat and she swallowed in alarm. In killing Laura she had unleashed the Cassadine in her second son, something she had thought wasn’t there. She realized too late the mistake she had made in underestimating Stefan, and fled the room in terror. Stefan turned his attention back to Laura. “Laura?” he begged. “Please don’t leave me. I can’t live without you,” he pleaded brokenly. She was limp in his arms and the stain of blood covered the whole front of her dress now. Stefan looked at his hand and all he saw was crimson. There seemed to be blood everywhere. “Laura!” he howled in anguished grief.

Chapters 37-40

Chapter 45-Conclusion

Absolution Index