by Sherry
The sky looked as if a black velvet curtain had been drawn across it and studded with millions of sequins. Stefan Cassadine saw none of its beauty as he sat on the stone bench overlooking the water. He was lost in a spiral of pain that threatened to suck the very life out of him. Once again a Cassadine had caused Laura insurmountable pain and anguish. Stefan had never hated his name, his family, his family's so-called honor, more than he did now. Helena was now a fugitive, trying to escape the authorities.
Luke had discovered Helena and Cesar Faison had kidnaped Lucky and faked his death. Luke had rescued his son and brought him home. How would Laura ever be able to look at him again without seeing his mother and all the anguish she had caused her? Not that it mattered, Stefan hadn't seen nor heard from Laura in seven days, three hours, and eleven minutes, the last time he checked his watch, just moments ago. Nikolas had called tonight from the Spencer home and Stefan could hear the happy laughter in the background. It only served to remind him of the emptiness he was feeling. The darkness and despair stormed in his soul and he thought he would never be able to breach the light again. Stefan was so lost in his misery, he didn't hear the sound of someone approaching.
"A penny for your thoughts," a voice teased.
Stefan closed his eyes in agony, thinking he was starting to hallucinate her voice.
Laura came around and sat down beside Stefan on the bench. She almost gasped when she saw the drawn, agonized face before her. "Stefan? " Laura touched his arm. "Are you all right? "
"I thought you would never want to see me again, " he rasped. "After what Helena did to you, I thought you would never want to see my face again, " he replied, his eyes downcast in shame.
"But that had nothing to do with you. Helena did this, not you, " Laura protested.
"I should have listened to you. Do you remember when you tried to tell me Helena did this and I refused to believe you? It's all my fault. I should have killed her years ago, then none of this would have ever happened. "
"Stefan, " Laura asserted gently. "You said yourself that she would want to gloat and let me know she had murdered Lucky. Who was to know she would change her tactics? "
"You did, " he countered.
"Well, " Laura shrugged, "I was grasping at straws then. I was still in denial that Lucky was dead, and I saw conspiracies around every corner. But don't blame yourself, I don't. Even Luke was fooled by her. We all were. "
"Now that you've come and forgiven me, shouldn't you go back home to your husband and family? " Stefan managed to say coldly.
Laura studied him for a moment. "Luke left hours ago. What you heard when Nikolas called were Lucky, Elizabeth, Lulu, Emily, and Nikolas having a coming home party for Lucky. I'm sorry, I didn't call you, but I was so overwhelmed having Lucky home, I couldn't think of anything else. It was all so unbelievable. And at night, I kept getting up and checking to see if he was really there. Watching him sleep was such a joy. I just couldn't believe I had my baby back home. "
"I understand, " Stefan acknowledged.
"No. I don?t think you do, " Laura declared slowly. "Do you remember the day I left the island? "
"It's burned into my soul, " he whispered.
"I really meant to come back. Not only to my baby, but to you. When Luke saw me, I knew I was lost. If I had left then, he would have followed me back. He would have fought for me. One of you would have been killed. I...I couldn't live with that, " Laura whispered, her voice trembling. "So I lived a lie. I let Luke drag me all over the world. The danger, the excitement made me forget. Oh, I thought about Nikolas all the time, but you....I didn't allow myself to think of you. If I had, the whole illusion of what I was living would have shattered. But I dreamed of you almost every night. And in those dreams we could be together with our son, no recriminations, no guilt, only the love we had for each other. I did love Luke, but not in the way I loved you. Then Lucky came and that eased my pain, then Lulu. When you came back into my life and made it possible for Nikolas to save Lulu's life, I hated you for reopening all my feelings for you. You see, I had become comfortable living a lie, " Laura confessed. "But when I saw you, I knew what a cheat I was. I knew how I had lied to you and to Luke, but most of all to myself. I hated that, I hated to face my imperfections. "
Stefan started to protest.
Laura raised her hand for him to stop. "No. Let me finish before I chicken out, " she pleaded. "Do you remember the day on the island when you asked me if it was possible for a dream to come late? "
"I remember everything, " he whispered.
Laura nodded. "So do I, every word we spoke. I lied that day in the park when I said I didn't remember. Do you know why I jumped up and left that day on the island and didn't let you tell me your dream? "
"No. "
"I knew that you were going to tell me you loved me. As long as it lay unspoken between us, I felt safe. But if we had spoken the words, I don't think we could have kept up the pretense. They would have found out and killed you and I couldn't live without you. " Laura moved closer to Stefan. "Luke slept on the sofa downstairs this week and I slept alone. We talked and decided to get a divorce. There is nothing between us now except our children. When you called tonight, Lucky was the one who told me to come to you. He told me he had learned in these long months not to take anything for granted, especially not love. I love you, Stefan, " she confessed, as she caressed his cheek. "And I've wasted all these years, but no more. "
Stefan felt the tight bands constricting his heart relax and for the first time smiled. "I have always loved you, from the moment you ran into my arms that night in the wild garden. Without you I'm half a man. I've been sleepwalking since you left the island. If I hadn't had Nikolas, I would have gone mad without you. "
Laura kissed him lightly on the lips and then deepened the kiss. Stefan wrapped his arms around her, reveling in the feel of her body pressed up against his. Laura broke off the kiss and pulled him down to the ground. "Make love to me, " she begged, as she unbuttoned his shirt.
"Whatever Laura wants, she gets, " he grinned.
Afterwards as they lay wrapped in each others arms under the stars, Laura voiced what they had both been thinking, "See, it is possible for a dream to come late. "
THE END
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