Christmas at Laura's

by Noll

Laura had been busy decorating and cooking. It was evening and the urge to call became undeniable. The house was warm and bustling and festive, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. What was he doing. Certainly not decorating the tree. Probably keeping busy, working. Or sulking. Or is that brooding? She couldn’t stand it any more. She went to the phone.
L: “Were you planning on coming over?” Laura said abruptly as soon as he answered.
There was a hesitation on the other end.
S: “I didn’t wish to intrude on your evening, but I do have gifts for you and LuLu, if you will accept them.”
L: “They better be good. Don’t waste time. I am not keeping dinner for you.”
She hung up and smiled. He was coming.
Laura looked around satisfied. Dinner was right on track. Stefan was on his way. Lesley and Audrey were talking in the kitchen, probably adding their own touches to her meal. Amy was keeping LuLu busy while Elizabeth showed Nikolas how to string popcorn. Laura wished she had something to do so she wouldn’t feel so on edge waiting for Stefan to show up.
When there was finally on knock at the door and she opened it, she was greeted by a wall of packages. The wall was instructed to proceed, and was followed by Stefan who was empty handed. Nikolas, Elizabeth, and Amy, helped the driver with the packages, while LuLu squealed with delight.
L: “You do know that I was just kidding about the presents? And couldn’t you have carried at least one?”
S: “ I am.” Stefan patted his coat pocket.
LL: “Stefan!” LuLu ran to him to be picked up.
S: “Merry Christmas, my sweet. Did you decorate the tree all by yourself?”
LL: “Nooo. Mommy helped. A little.” LuLu showed how much by holding her thumb and forefinger close together.
LuLu went over to Nikolas and Elizabeth, where she would have a better view of the presents.
L: “You are not trying to say that the tree looks like it was decorated by a five year old, are you?” Laura teased him.
S: “A very talented five year old.”
L: “You are pushing your luck, Mr. Cassadine. Now go say hello to my mother and Audrey in the kitchen.” Laura smiled broadly and watched Stefan stoically go to greet them.
Amy: “Is it my imagination, or are you trying to torture him?”
L: “Amy, do you ever take a break?”
Amy: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Amy turned and left in a feigned huff.
Laura wandered if Stefan deserved to be rescued. She could imagine him in the hot kitchen under the even hotter glare of her mother, still wearing his coat. She smiled. When he came back he carried the coat in his hands.
L: “Was it hot in there?”
S: “No, in fact it was rather chilly.”
L: “Ah. Maybe you’d like some…”
Amy: “Eggnog?”
Amy had appeared out of nowhere with a glass of eggnog for Stefan. Laura took his coat and left him to Amy’s interrogation.


As skilled as Amy’s interrogation techniques were, she hadn’t accomplished anything except to give Stefan a headache. A number of times, Stefan was tempted to say ‘don’t you have any work to do, Nurse Wining?’ Except this wasn’t Nurse Wining, this was Laura’s sister, and she was taking full advantage of that. The conversation left Stefan rubbing his temples.
L: “You can help me set the table.” Laura breezed past him and into the kitchen.
Stefan stood for a moment undecided. Did she mean him? He decided she must have since no one else moved to follow her and they all stared at him. Stefan went into the kitchen like a man going to his execution.
L: “Did you get lost?” Laura handed him a stack of dishes.
L: “Don’t drop them.” She instructed helpfully.
Stefan set the dishes around the table aware that every eye in the room was on him.
L: “If you all keep staring like that your eyes are going to pop out of your heads.” Laura said as she came in with the utensils.
S: “If they do can we hang them on the tree? It’s a Cassadine tradition.”
Amy: “Eeeeuuuu.”
L: “Yes.” Laura answered keeping a serious face while LuLu giggled.
Amy: “Double Eeeeuuuu. He is turning you into a regular Morticia Adams.”
L: “Do you know how to fold a napkin into those swan shapes.” She asked Stefan.
S: “No I do not.” Stefan seemed quiet indignant at the suggestion.
L: “Amy can teach you.”
Amy: “Oh sure, It’s easy.”
In the corner Nikolas was keeping a low profile. He didn’t want Stefan to notice that he could barely keep a straight face, and he didn’t want Laura to notice him and put him to work folding napkins.
Lz: “Is it my imagination or is your father I mean uncle doing some serious penance?”
N: “I don’t think it’s your imagination.”
Stefan learned the finer points of napkin folding and demonstrated his proficiency with the craft to Amy’s satisfaction. LuLu watched his finger’s move with rapt attention, as if he was doing a magic trick and applauded after each successful transformation of cloth into swan. When he was finished he was treated to a round of applause from everyone in the room.
L: “Don’t. It’ll go to his head.” Laura said as she, Lesley, and Audrey brought in the food.
L: “LuLu, honey, you sit by me. Nikolas next to her. Liz you can sit there. Then Mom and Audrey and Amy. Stefan you sit here.” Laura pointed to a chair next to her.
L: “I want us all to hold hands to show our thankfulness for this meal, and for those that share it with us.” Laura held Stefan’s hand and LuLu’s and closed her eyes. She thought of Lucky. And she squeezed Stefan’s hand for reassurance: that he was real and that he was there, and that she wouldn’t lose him. Not over this and not over anything.

S: “I haven’t exactly showered you with presents. So these…”
L: “I love them. Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek. She knew the earrings must have been expensive though they were deceptively and exquisitely dainty.
Nikolas had taken Elizabeth and Audrey home. LuLu was in bed and Lesley had retired upstairs. Stefan and Laura sat on the couch.
L: “Did you get your sleeves wet? You have to roll up your sleeves better than that if you’re going to wash dishes.”
S: “You know I have heard of these contraptions that supposedly wash dishes for you.”
L: “Yes, they are called dishwashers and we don’t put our good china in them unless we want it ruined.”
S: “And I thought you just did that to torture me.”
L: “I fed you didn’t I.”
S: “Yes and you also left me to Amy’s mercy.”
L: “Oh she has no mercy.”
S: “I noticed.”
L: “And I noticed what a good sport you were being.”
S: “No one else would ever accuse me of that.”
L: “Well you are. I am so glad you came. I couldn’t have gotten through this day without you.”
S: “This is where I most wanted to be. Thank you for letting me share this with you.”
L: “Oh Stefan.” Laura leaned into his chest.
L: “Don’t ever forget that I love you. No matter how mad I get. These past couple of weeks I’ve felt like I was the one being tortured. I don’t want to be away from you, but I can’t stand how you lied to me.”
Laura raised her head. She let him see the pain in her eyes.
L: “How could you? I asked you for the truth and you swore to it to me and you lied. Don’t you know how much that hurts me?”
S: “That was not my intention, you must know that. I felt as if you wanted me to say that I didn’t do it.”
L: “I wanted the truth.”
S: “I know. But I can’t bare the thought of losing you. Of having you look at me the way you did. As something vile, despicable.”
L: “No. I never thought that. But I am scared.”
S: “Of me.”
L: “For you. I don’t want you to turn into her. There are other ways to fight her.”
S: “Like what? The law? It has failed miserably.”
L: “Then something else. Anything else, that doesn’t hurt you as much as it does her. You must realize that some acts hurt the perpetrator as much as the victim. I know she has to be stopped. And what I said about us having separate reasons to hate her, I know that’s not true. I hate her as much for what she has done to you as for what she did to me. And I know you hate her on my behalf, too.”
S: “I can’t let her hurt you.”
L: “I know. But you can’t protect me from yourself. And you don’t need to. I can handle things much better than you think. Don’t lie to me any more.”
S: “Laura, my first instinct is to lie. I can try to resist it but ultimately, I don’t know if I can truthfully promise that.”
L: “And I can’t always doubt you. I have to be able to take you at your word.”
S: “I want and need your trust. And I realize that if I expect you to believe me I owe you the truth. And from now on you will have it, no matter what.”
L: “Stefan.” Laura’s eyes misted over with tears.
L: “I probably make myself sound like a hypocrite with all this. But I don’t want anything to come between us. I promise to be honest with you and to trust you to be able to handle it. Stefan, we can do anything together, I really believe that.” Laura nestled in his arms again feeling safe and loved, making Stefan feel the same.

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