Nisi
by Paradise
Author's Note: Title is Greek word for Island
October 5th, 2000
Cassadine Island
Laura, in the middle of the night, appeared on the island, the island she had fought so hard not to remember. She stepped off the boat, the man helping her, and as soon as her feet hit the sand, she felt her knees buckle. Stavros’s abuse, his hatred, Helena, and the way she could never escape. But it was twenty years later, and she had more than suspicion that something wasn’t right. Why did nothing seem to make sense, and why did she so completely believe Luke didn’t kill Stefan?
Early the next morning, Laura awoke by the breeze and the creature’s noises around her. She’d slept on the sand, she remembered twenty years ago how much more comforting that was than the room she could see clearly from where she was lying now. The room she hated to walk into every night. Laura’s hair was full and loose, blowing in the wind as she looked through the trees at the waves. And there he was. Alive, looking out at the sea as she had everyday, twenty years ago. He was alive…she wasn’t even surprised. Anger flowed through her.
Laura knew Stefan, knew at this hour of the morning, he would stand there for an eternity. She wasn’t afraid to approach him, she’d waited for it. In one of the floating dresses she still had, she walked very quietly over the sand to speak to him again. He didn’t hear her, the sand protecting the sound of her steps. She was right behind him, she knew he was thinking about something, something incredibly deep.
Laura enclosed her arms around him, wrapping them around his chest, her chin on his shoulder. Without thinking, Stefan touched her hand, not looking at it.
“You’re up early, Chloe,” he said.
Laura’s mouth dropped close to his neck so he would feel her breath.
“I’m not Chloe,” she whispered to him.
Stefan looked down at her hand, and fear drew up within him. He grabbed her arm painfully and turned around to face her. He was shocked, but she wasn’t. She had a slightly evil smile on her face, her eyes large and intense, her hair blowing in the breeze. Her wrist possibly being bruised by his grasp, but she felt only anger.
“Chloe,” Laura said matter of factly. “Chloe Morgan? Alexis’s best friend who’s been missing along with Jasper Jax? The Quartermaine’s Chloe?”
He said nothing, for once he was at a loss for words.
“Oh and you,” she said with fake happiness. “You’re here, alive, perfect as usual. Manipulating, lying…doing exactly what you held against me for years.”
She smiled, shaking her head, her eyes never leaving his. She broke her hand free of his grip and touched his face.
“You lying bastard, you’re really here? You’re really alive. You’ve been here, on this island, with Chloe, faking your death after you saw what faking mine did to our son. You leave me a letter, telling me Luke killed you? And you decided to come here and…what? Recreate something, seek revenge…on everyone?”
Laura took her hand away from his face.
“How did you find out?”
“If anyone else knows, it’s not because of me. I didn’t know until I showed up here. But I needed to come here, see for myself. It never quite fit together. But you’re alive.”
“I assume you’re disappointed as ever.”
“Oh forget about me for a minute! What the hell are you doing?”
“Did you tell Nikolas?”
“I didn’t have anything to tell because up until ten minutes ago I hadn’t seen you alive! I hadn’t seen your face or seen you breathe since that night on the docks.”
“Oh yes, the night on the docks. You telling me that because I protected you from Lucky and what Helena did to you that your love was suddenly turned off. As if you ever did love me.”
Laura sighed a little. “You have such a beautiful way of always making everything my fault, and worse than that you take history and rewrite it to make me look bad, and make yourself the victim.”
“Are you saying I wasn’t betrayed?”
“This is not a time to take moral high grounds, Stefan. Not when you’re standing here in front of me, on the island where we fell in love, when everyone including your sister and your son think you’re dead. And I am standing here, and I find myself wanting to understand.”
Stefan touched her face, specifically to overpower her. She let him, her face cruel and hateful.
“My mother murdered me. How unusual. I survived, I knew it was going to happen, and I allowed her to think I was dead.”
“And…”
“And I am through with my mother, I am through with her games. I am through with her hurting everyone and anything she can. Chloe is helping me finish Helena, though she doesn’t know it.”
Laura nodded, completely understanding. “So…you’re making her a prisoner, and what, Helena is the one actually holding you both captive?”
Stefan looked at Laura with equal hatred. “No harm will come to her.”
Laura smiled. “Funny, Stavros said the same thing to me.”
Anger nearly exploded inside Stefan.
“Well,” Laura said casually. “I guess I should leave, and let you get back to whatever you’re planning.” She began to walk away and then turned back. “Oh, there is just ONE more thing, are you planning to return ever? Do you know your son loves you more than anything, do you know your sister misses you, do you know-“
“That Luke is framed for my murder.”
“That’s not what I was going to say,” she said, unaffected by his attempts to make her crazy.
“Nikolas grieves for me now?”
“What the hell does that mean? Of course he does!”
“Really? When he couldn’t forgive me for the same thing you didn’t. He believed like you that I had schemed against his mother.”
“You didn’t tell me my child was alive, Stefan, that’s a pretty big thing to keep a secret.”
“Unlike telling your husband you had a son at all.”
Stefan just proved her point. “And I’m paying for that for the rest of my life, aren’t I? Look, what does Chloe think is going on? Where is she?”
“She’s asleep, it is very early. She has dreams of Helena, she can see from Helena’s eyes, therefore I have an advantage.”
“Well then why did you need to abduct her? Why not tell her what was going on and she could help you?”
“I have to withhold her medication from her for her to continue having the dreams.”
Laura looked down, amazed. “Oh my God. You really hate everyone so much you would do this?”
“Yes, I hate my mother enough to do anything to stop her. She is a threat to Nikolas, to Alexis, to Lucky, to you.”
Laura felt sympathy towards him. Helena would murder her own son.
“Why did you even come here,” he asked her.
“What kind of brain dead idiot do you think I am? That I wouldn’t doubt it from the beginning?”
“That your husband would kill me, how unbelievable is that?”
“Very! Why would you need a letter to me attempting to make me believe if it were so obvious? Or was that just one last way to punish me?”
“Think of it as equal to your kiss goodbye before walking into an exploding building.”
Laura looked at him without any regret. She wasn’t going to allow him to make this about her mistakes.
“Were you planning to come home? Were you planning to see Nikolas again?”
“I was planning to stay here as long as it took. Send her home eventually, but I had no reason to return.”
Laura licked her lips. “Without any consideration for Chloe?”
“Chloe is in no danger, she is treated with every care. And Nikolas, well, that lies in your hands doesn’t it?”
“I never taught Nikolas to hate you! And he doesn’t hate you, he’s dying inside because he hurt you! And when you do come back, I will do anything I can to lessen his pain, include defend your love for him. Though God knows why I would. But just as the mistakes I’ve made are all at my feet for eternity, so are yours. You cannot blame me for anything anyone will think, because when I was in your position, I had no side either. No reason. I hate that I loved you and I was going to marry you and you can stand here, looking at me like you’re completely in the right. For doing exactly what you hated me for the most.”
She turned away and he gripped her arm, then turned to the house and realized they could be seen.
“Let me go,” she said firmly.
“Laura-“
“I said let me go!”
She broke her arm free of his and tried to leave but he caught her and pulled her along with him along the coastline.
“Let go…of my ARM!”
“Be quiet and walk, we are far from finished with this conversation.”
Laura looked back at the compound she had hated so desperately, and here, as she walked by Stefan’s grasp, was where she once felt safe. Outside, as far away as she could get. She saw where Stefan was taking her now, that cave. By the cove, past the gardens, that cave she used to lean against and scream. She would run here when she was in pain, which was often, she didn’t want to go back there.
“No, let go of me!”
He shoved her to the entrance of it, nearly knocking her to the wall. She had rarely known Stefan to be so physically controlling. She turned to him, her eyes flashing with lightning.
“You tell me I’m just like you’re mother, and then you hold a woman here against her will?”
“Chloe is not here against her will.”
“What is that? Is that an illusion, Stefan? The only reason she’s not fighting you is because apparently she doesn’t know you’re the one holding her! It is burned inside me that you can compare me to your mother. You shouldn’t ever want her love because she has no love!”
He couldn’t believe she said that when he’d told her she was just like Helena.
“You wanted her love, you wanted her acceptance, the reason she never gave it to you is because you were a beautiful person. She wanted you to be like Stavros, was Stavros ever loved by anyone but her?”
Stefan said nothing.
“And you fake your own death and tell me I’m just like her and I’m supposed to what…trust you?”
“You’re the one who plays the victim, Lasha.”
Laura’s eyes filled with moisture, that he could say that to her when she stood on this island, where she was a victim, but desperately tried not to be by surrendering. Stefan realized how cruel that was to say. Laura forced her tears to recede.
“Thank you,” she said, turning to leave. He reached to hold her. “Get…away from me,” she said as he forced her to stay.
“I did not mean to say that, I apologize.”
Laura yanked his hands off her shoulders. “Just like you didn’t mean to lie to me since the first day you came to Port Charles? Just like you didn’t mean to tell me what a whore I am or how much I’m like your mother or how much I never loved my son? Or what a faithless person I am to never know what’s real, how I never open my eyes to the real world?”
“No matter how much I loved you, you refused to believe me. And I think that’s because you wanted to not believe me.”
Laura’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Excuse me? I have loved you forever. I never loved anyone the way I loved you. But lie after lie after lie suddenly makes you wonder what is real! And what is real is you’re alive, on this island, the island I was on with you, and you’re holding Lila Quartermaine’s cousin captive so that she can help you defeat Helena…through her dreams, while everyone in Port Charles thinks your dead. And that sounds sane to you?”
“And you are here for what, your own revenge?”
“Oh you’d assume that.”
Laura remembered that empty feeling, the feeling of being in shock for over a year. When nothing mattered, she saw nothing, and he saved her, he kept her sane and alive. That was then, now he was completely different, and so was she. He hated her, he had hated her nearly twenty years. And she hated him.
“I won’t tell Nikolas anything, you will. I’d be a liar if I kept this from him, so don’t make me lie or else you will ruin your own chance and I won’t let this be my fault. I am giving you a chance, if you don’t take it, don’t blame me for whatever happens,” she said, beginning to leave.
Stefan reached for her and pulled her further into the cave, and as she refused he kissed her. She instinctively raised her hands to push him away, he knew she would and took her hands in his, forcing them down. The kiss was angry, he teased her lips before opening her mouth just enough to let his tongue inside. He then stopped the force, and the kiss turned gentle.
Laura was completely startled, but felt the energy between them again, the tension. Stefan let go of one of her hands to hold the back of her head, pressing his mouth further against hers. She yelled through the kiss for him to let her go. Delicate strokes of his tongue and the motion of his lips against hers. She was not aggressive, but unless she completely broke the kiss, there was no way not to participate. The kisses grew more desperate, more intense, and Laura changed her mind and didn’t pull back.
She was proving that to him. Proving she wouldn’t draw him close and push him away. Even though she hadn’t drawn him close at all. He would still use it against her if she did pull back. She inhaled quickly and he began to kiss her again, then he pulled back.
“Thank you for showing me exactly what you think of me,” she said moving aside.
He reached for her and she slapped his hands away. “Don’t you even think about it! Let go of me!”
“Laura, let me explain-“
“Like you let me explain? Like you let me have a chance! I give up! You’re right, you’re always right. I’m just a terrible person but you have every excuse in the world! Let me go!”
“No! Laura-“
“I hate what you’re doing, I hate that you think it’s just fine, so you go ahead and do what you want! And then you can really give Nikolas a reason to hate you!”
“Like you do?” he said still holding onto her shoulders.
Laura looked straight at him. “Yes. I hate you for trying to hurt all the people in your life! I somehow naturally seem to hurt everyone I love, but you work at it! And I hate you for hating me and Nikolas enough to do this-“
“I could never hate Nikolas.”
She shrugged free of his grip. “Fine. Then come back and tell him your alive before I have to.”
She began to walk away and he grabbed her arm again as she turned.
“Let go of me, Stefan. Now that I know you’re alive I don’t want to know anything else. It’s enough for me to know that there’s a set of rules for you, and another set of rules for some stupid bitch like me.”
His grip on her arm was forming a bruise and he knew it so he just slammed her lightly against the wall again. She closed her eyes, completely annoyed, but exhaled.
“What is it exactly that you think you’re doing? What is the larger goal here, Stefan?”
“Proving a point,” he said.
“Oh I will make sure you comprehend exactly what I’m talking about. I’m not going to stand here with the betrayals I feel as strongly as anytime I have turned away from you.”
She began to walk away. “Like you’re turning away from me now?” he questioned her.
She turned back, her lips still swollen. “I am walking out of a trap, I’m not going to be set up, you have another woman here being set up. Concentrate on her before she finds out what you’re doing.”
Laura turned back to the entrance and saw the cave close up, almost magically. There was now very little light left in the cave, and she felt fury rise up in her so much she uncontrollably shook.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Closing the cave, so you have no way to run.”
Laura turned to Stefan, walked back to him. “I never knew that existed! Some way to close the entrance?”
“I never had a need to use it before if you recall.”
Laura’s eyes filled with hatred. Using the romance of the past against her, how typical. Laura hadn’t seen how Stefan had closed it, she was facing the other way. And now, with it as dark as it was, she knew she had no chance. He won.
“What is it that you hope to accomplish? Or what is it that you want me to do to gain my freedom,” she asked.
“Gain your freedom? I did not drag you here, Laura, if anything you came here to seek revenge on me. So you’re not going anywhere until this is finished.”
Laura closed her eyes, frustration and pain coming over her, along with pure hate.
“You know, every time I think you can’t top making my life HELL, you always seem to. Now, you’re going to keep me in a cave on an island I haven’t been on in twenty years when you KNOW all the things that I feel when I come back here.”
“You are not going anywhere!”
She exhaled. “Fine,” she said quickly.
Laura walked a little closer to Stefan, pressing her hands against his chest and backing him up harshly against the wall. There was enough light left for him to see her face as she looked at him. She lifted her hair up with one hand so she could pull her dress down her shoulders and reached out to touch him. She slid her hand under his shirt and felt his torso, running her fingers along it. She curled her hand around his neck, putting his hand on her.
She began placing kisses on his neck, trailing down his throat to his chest, her hands massaging his shoulders and holding her against him. He pulled her mouth to his to kiss her as she moved her hands lower to where his shirt met his pants. She untucked his shirt, unbuttoning the top button of his pants so she could slide her hand down and feel him. Stefan’s hands were holding her arms lightly, he couldn’t see her eyes. He saw her eyes before she began to lower herself and he tore her hands from him.
“What, Stefan? What’s the matter,” she whispered with anger. “You always loved having control over me, in a place where I had to shut my mouth and do as you say. You didn’t have the joy though of controlling me this way, did you? But I will. And I did it before, right on this island, twenty years ago.”
“Not on your life,” he said, seeing the pain in her eyes.
He backed her up against the wall, holding her arms over her head. She felt pain at the impact of the wall against her, but she didn’t care, she was too angry to care. Stefan held her hands above her head.
“What is it that you want? You want to hold me in a place we were so many years ago, where we were in love for the sheer joy of making me pay? For leaving? For lying? For existing? And you want me to lie down for you.”
“No. Laura, stop it. Don’t you know that when I stepped onto this island I see you everywhere? I came here, knowing I would, and yet finally I see you and I know you’re real because of the anger in your eyes.”
She tried to move but he slammed her against the wall again.
“Well I’m not going to let you take away a chance to make you listen to me! I’m not going to let you leave me because you are the only woman in my whole life I’ve loved and if you ever loved me back then stay here! And if you didn’t, show me once again how easily you can walk away from me.”
Laura’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Easily? Are…are you nuts? I hate walking away from you-“
“Then don’t now! You faced memories you never wanted to relive when you stepped foot on this island, and so did I. But I love you and you’re here. And I can’t let you go so easily when we have both traveled across the world to face the past!”
“You tell me that you love me when you faked your death to frame Luke to punish me?”
“I did not do that to punish you-“
“Stop lying!” she cried out in rage. “Stop it! Yes you did! You wanted to hurt me because I hurt you. And now you’re keeping me here because you want me to submit to you!”
“No! This isn’t rape, this isn’t about power, this isn’t to make you feel fear or anger, I don’t want you a prisoner and I’m not trying to make you one. I am not here, holding you for some revenge to make you feel dominated.”
“Oh really,” she said disbelieving, her hands still held above her head.
“You hate me,” he said obviously. “Well, we have both been through hatred before. It’s not a surprise. The last time we hated each other you faked your death to get away from me. You are the one who pushed me away, I never ever wanted to let you go. Don’t ask me to now.”
Laura’s eyes saw his, and she felt his love and felt hers pour over her. It hurt her, it stabbed at her instead of giving her relief. “Stefan,” Laura said, uncomfortable now and trying to move her arms.
“I want you,” he said to her. “I still want you.”
“No,” she said pathetically. “You’re the one who can’t forgive me. You’re the one who…” the tears began to fall. “For marrying Luke, for marrying Stavros, for abandoning my son as you so often remind me, for leaving the island twenty years ago, you never forgave me for that. You are the one.”
He shook his head. “That’s not true.”
He loosened his grip on her hands but held onto her arms, holding them against the wall, not trusting her to stay.
“The first time I saw you on the docks on Spoon Island, it took me a few minutes but I finally understood that you hated me. You blamed me and you hated me. And you should’ve.” Laura closed her eyes, the tears slipped and she breathed heavily in pain. “But I can’t think about you looking at me like that, for what you hated me for all those years ago or for what you hated me for yesterday.”
“I was afraid I would hurt you,” he said and she didn’t comprehend what he was talking about. “Stavros made you feel hatred, and fear, and revulsion. And when I finally held you, I was afraid to make you feel any fear. The fact that you let me touch you at all makes me wonder, but I never wanted to make you feel the way he did, or frighten you-“
“Stefan, you know you didn’t. You made me feel love and passion. And you gave me hope because I knew someone cared. Someone looked at me and loved me. You loved me just by what you saw, I didn’t have to feel guilty about anything, I felt safe. I felt accepted and loved despite everything. Despite what I did. And I want you to look at me that way now. I want you to forgive me so you can trust me so you can love me. Really love me. You have loved me because you wanted me not to betray you again, but I need you to forgive me. I can’t feel the guilt, I can’t hear you tell me one more time that I abandoned my child and I don’t want to tell you anymore that I hate you because I don’t want to!”
She looked at him with such need, such desperation. “I want you to look at me the way you did the last time we were here. That I was okay no matter what. I know where I’ve been and I know what I’ve done, that I lied down for the devil and I made my son feel unloved and I lied about pretty much everything and to the people I loved. But I want to forgive myself and I can’t look at you and know that you don’t forgive me.”
Stefan touched her face. She inhaled when he did, wanting him to love her the way he did twenty years ago, not the way he loved her a month ago, when he wouldn’t tell her the truth because he didn’t trust her, because he didn’t forgive her for leaving him the first time.
“And I wanted to you to love me, I wanted you to want me to love you. I wanted to keep you beside me, I wanted you to forgive me for not helping you the way I should have twenty years ago. For letting you be a possession of my brother’s. I should’ve done something. Anything but watch you and then dare to touch you when I did nothing else. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at him.”
Laura was caught off guard and her first question was who? She realized who he meant, and couldn’t believe that was in his thoughts right now. He wasn’t in hers. Laura’s eyes were filled with love and regret. She reached for Stefan’s face and held it in her hands. Her thumbs running smoothly along his cheeks as her eyes lit with tears.
“Stefan, I wanted Luke to forgive me. I wanted him to forgive me for the lies and having a baby I never mentioned, I wanted him to forgive me for loving you, for not regretting being with you. I wanted him to forgive that because I thought if he could, anyone could. And I thought above anyone else you would be the one to understand because you were there, here! You saw me crying at the waves, you saw the bruises on my arms, you saw the blank expression I had in my eyes for two years because they took from me anything they wanted and I was left with nothing inside of me. I thought you would be the one.”
She shook her head. “But you weren’t. You hated me most. I accepted that, but I didn’t deserve the years of pain I was forced to endure by the people who loved me! Everyone but my son, I deserved his hatred. But not Luke, not my other children, and certainly no one else because I never betrayed them! I couldn’t touch my son for nearly seventeen years because I dared to come home! And they blamed me, looked at me like I was insane. I had loved Luke most of my life, how could he doubt that I loved him? And the more he didn’t, the more I needed him to, I couldn’t allow him to think of my life with him as a lie, or that I didn’t trust him, or that I didn’t love him.”
Laura sighed.
“But he didn’t. And he still hasn’t, and he probably never will. I haven’t expected him to love me again or come home, but I EXPECTED him to forgive me! And he won’t, I told too many lies. So I’m going to stop trying because I’m not only not going to try to make someone forgive me, I’m not going to demand something that should’ve been forgiven long ago!”
Stefan placed his hands on Laura’s waist, holding her firmly.
“And I’m not going to ask you to anymore either. I’m not going to ask you not to throw every mistake in my face for the rest of my life! I can’t do it anymore, I’m not gonna feel the guilt from you when you want me to trust you and love you. How the hell is that fair? I do love you, and I trusted you with my secrets, with my life, with the part of me I’m afraid to open to anyone. I gave my faith in everything to you right here twenty years ago and I know I shattered it, but I’m through apologizing…I can’t. I’m not going to anymore. I don’t feel I betrayed Luke when I was on this island in love with you and I certainly don’t feel I betrayed him last year! But I see the doubt in your eyes and I’ve seen it every minute I’ve been with you off of this island. And I’m not going to beg you to forgive my betrayals and mistakes anymore because I want to deserve better.”
Laura looked up and the tears grew larger in her eyes. Her lips clenched together as she tried not to cry.
“Here of all places, I don’t want to feel guilty. And I’m afraid now for you to open the cave because then I’ll have to see it again, all the times I tried to run and I-“
“Shh,” he said pulling her to him.
She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and he held her. She knew he must be thinking that she was once again using him for her fear she felt towards his brother and his mother. She tightened her grip and the tears slipped uncontrollably, she wiped her nose and tried to keep her sobs under control but it was harder than she expected. Stefan cupped the back of her head, holding her firmly against his shoulder to comfort her.
“I don’t want you to let me go,” she said softly. “Not today, tomorrow, or ever. I want you to hold me for the rest of my life.” She hugged him closer. “Oh God,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.” Her eyes were closed tightly as she hoped he wouldn’t let her go. “I love you, I’m in love with you and I always have been,” she said softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.
His arms tightened around her, he could feel her guilt. He felt her body against his, and he could feel the cry in her breaths. He took hold of her arms and pulled her off of him, against the wall. Her eyes were intense in color from her tears, her lower lip quivered in her own guilt and fear.
“Stefan,” she said. “Tell me what you’re thinking. Do you still love me?”
His hand went to her face. His thumb gently caressed the left side of her face. He then traced his fingers lower, reaching her mouth. He ran his finger around the outline of her mouth, very slowly, several times. He ran his thumb very firmly over her lips, separating them. He dipped his thumb just barely inside before enclosing his mouth over hers. He opened his lips to trace hers with his tongue. She breathed in quickly, the air she took from his mouth made him need her more. He felt the hot air she exhaled, and he drew her closer.
Laura’s hands lowered a little to slip her hands underneath his shirt, and draw it up very slowly as they kissed. She didn’t want to go too quickly, she never wanted him to think she was using him. He released his hold on her momentarily to help her rid him of his shirt. He gripped her arms tightly, as if to hold her there with him, in this moment. Laura was mesmerized. Her hands touched his torso, and she lightly stroked her hands up and down his chest, caressing him. Stefan’s breathe was caught in his throat and he couldn’t move. She leaned into place soft, wet kisses all over his chest. She tormented his skin, lowering herself to unbutton his pants very slowly.
She began to touch to him and caress him. Laura knew exactly what she was doing. She drew herself up, touching his skin and running her lips along it. Stefan remembered that she knew where to taste him and where to touch him. She’d always known. He would return the favor.
Stefan grabbed her hands and drew her up. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and brought her mouth to his to kiss her. He pushed the straps of her dress down, relieving her arms of it and pushing it down slowly over her swollen breasts. Stefan pulled free of her lips so suddenly she was confused.
Stefan pulled her body from his, the cool air against them made them both ache for more. He leaned down and took a hard, pink nipple into his mouth. Laura’s body clenched harshly, she ached and felt confined with her need. Stefan pulled fiercely at her flesh, his tongue encircling her nipple and then suckling it almost to sooth it. It didn’t sooth her, it was too intense for it to sooth her.
Laura felt his hands circle to her back, he massaged her skin softly as he lowered her to the ground while still holding his intense grip on her breast. Laura’s hands went to his hair and she slid to the ground with him. Before they reached the ground, Stefan’s hands placed her beneath him on the ground.
His hands touched the skin of her stomach and then lowered to her legs. He gently parted them to accommodate him. He poured soft kisses over her, then gave short, light strokes against her opening, barely touching her. He deepened the strokes, teasing a little as he leaned up to clasp her core between his lips.
“Stefan, stop,” she said insistently. But he didn’t.
He suckled gently at first, but quickly increased the pressure, the suction forcing Laura to grab his face and pull him over her and stopped him. She was breathing extremely heavily, not wanting to be so close when she wanted to make love to him too. She wrapped her arms around him, lightly pressing her nails into the skin of his back. Stefan cupped her face as she tried to regulate her breathing again. Taking her by surprise, as soon as she felt she could calm down enough to touch him, he slid very slowly inside her.
She moaned, tilting her head back, revealing the line of her throat to him. He kissed her neck, lowering to her breasts again, scraping lightly over her nipple increasing the strain she felt for his touch. Laura tried to push him off of her a little and began to kiss his body, his neck, his chest when he stopped her, pressing her arms to the ground. She lifted her head a little, telling him she wanted to touch him, but he wouldn’t let her.
“Laura, just let me have you, that’s all I want.” He leaned down to her. “Just let me have you,” he whispered.
Stefan gathered her in his arms and entered her again in one swift motion, hearing her moan against him as her hands clutched to him. He gripped her thick hair, pulling her face in front of him and she leaned in forcefully to kiss him. Stefan pulled out of her almost completely and as Laura opened his mouth to tease his lips, he thrust into again, slowly, and achingly. She whimpered into his mouth as his arms tightened their grip around her body with each increasing thrust. Finally, she felt her release and felt his with her.
As they lowered themselves back to the ground, she pushed him to her side a little, wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him. He was out of breath but that didn’t stop her. She whispered that she loved him, then stopped kissing him and caressed his face. She realized just then that her dress was still on, but hung at her waist. She felt the cool air chill her and slipped the straps up over her shoulders.
“Stefan, you didn’t tell me you loved me, was that a hint, or payback?”
He reached up for her face, gripping it in his hands. “No, of course I love you. I’ve always loved you.”
He pulled her into an embrace, his hold on her as tight as hers on him.
“What are you going to do?” she asked. “You going to stay here and use Chloe’s dreams to fight Helena while I go home? Do you expect me to not tell Nikolas you’re alive? I’m not gonna lie to him, Stefan. I’m also not going to lie to Monica and tell her Chloe’s still missing. I love Nikolas too much and Monica was always there for me-“
“I’ll come back, and I’ll tell Nikolas. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to allow Nikolas to feel his anger that he will, but I’m not going to let him think you don’t love him.”
“Are you going to tell him you came and found me,” Stefan said, and Laura pulled back from the embrace to look at him.
“Yes, I will. I’m not going to keep anything from him anymore, but I want you to take your chance to tell him yourself. Tell Chloe yourself.”
Laura felt the betrayal and closed her eyes, touching his face. “And I’ll be there. Angry, but I’ll be there.”
“Stefan? Are you out here?”
Laura jumped hearing Chloe call for Stefan. Stefan felt excruciatingly uncomfortable. Laura reached and handed Stefan his shirt. He gave her an annoyed look as she gave him crap with her glance.
“Can I…take a back way out of here,” Laura said, knowing Chloe couldn’t hear.
“Absolutely. Give me a day, and I’ll be back. Get out of here.”
Stefan stood up, held his hand out to her, which she took. He walked with Laura deeper into the cave where there was a slight opening out towards the waves. She looked back. She leaned in and held him. Her hand in his hair, a look of worry on her face. What was going to happen next? Did he really forgive her? Could she forgive him once they were off this island where they always seemed to feel the trust and love and need? She would if he would. She pulled back and Stefan took her hand, kissed it. She smiled at him.
“I love you,” she said and slipped out of the cave.
Airport at Athens
Two Hours Later
Laura’s cell phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Laura! It’s Amy! You won’t believe it!”
“What,” Laura said, slightly annoyed.
“Luke’s trial starts today! For Stefan’s murder! How’s North Carolina?”
Laura was too confused to be pleasant. “What? Luke is on trial? I didn’t even know he came back.”
“Oh yeah…that’s old news. Scotty’s representing him since Alexis was called to testify against her wishes because she is Stefan’s sister.”
“Oh God,” Laura said.
“I know, but it was so exciting I had to tell you!”
“How does it look for Luke?”
“I don’t know…it was terrible for him the first go round. Mac testified and it was awful. Luke told everyone not to tell you because he didn’t wanna upset you and ruin your vacation but I just had to call-“
“Amy! Luke is in prison, right now?”
“Yes! I’ve told you that.”
“Where are my sons?”
“They’re both distancing from this as much as possible. Scotty’s amazing to do this, I mean for the man his first wife dumped him for-“
“Amy, shut up. Listen, thanks for calling, I needed that information. Try to shut up about this-“
“Where are you?”
“Goodbye Amy,” Laura said hanging up the phone.
“Laura,” Stefan said and Laura jumped.
Laura turned to see him and Chloe, Chloe was furious, apparently Stefan told her.
“H-hi…” Laura said, a little uncomfortable.
“I told her,” Stefan said, as if Laura didn’t already know.
“I came to the island myself, Chloe, I apologize for all of this,” Laura said.
“It’s not your fault, you didn’t lie to me for months,” Chloe said to Laura.
Laura looked at Stefan, then back at Chloe.
“I was planning to go back to Port Charles, I’d like you both to join me. Unless you are planning to go somewhere else,” Laura said to Chloe.
“No, I’m going home,” she said firmly.
“Let’s take my jet,” Stefan offered.
“Not a chance in hell,” Chloe said.
“Chloe, we’re in an airport with hundreds of people, it will take far less time to take the jet. You will be home much faster-“
“I’m not believing a word you say, and I am never going to be alone with you again.”
Laura tried to ease this a bit. “Well, Chloe, I’ve had my share of being lied to by Stefan, but I would really like to just get on his stupid jet and get home so this can be set right. I will be there, if…that helps.”
Laura’s face looked a little frightened, for Chloe’s look was not pleasant.
“If you knew he wasn’t dead and you came here and found him, then you have a lot more brains that I did, Laura. I’ll go with you.”
“Great. Stefan?” Laura said.
“I’ll go have it set to go.”
Stefan left their sight as Laura and Chloe stood together, face to face.
“How did you stand him, with his lies?” Chloe asked Laura.
“I didn’t. But I always knew that his lies were to protect me. Now that’s not an excuse, I hurt him with everything I had in me when I found out, but I…” Laura didn’t finish.
“Knew it was because he loved you,” Chloe stated. Laura didn’t know what to say. “It’s all right. I always knew it. You were trapped on that same island with him, probably doing the same things we did together. But I was a tool to hurt his mother. He sent Jax away, he lied to me day after day after day.”
“I understand. And I am very sorry. And I know he is too. Not that that’s an excuse or reason for you to forgive him, but he knows he was completely wrong. And harmful and what he did was ugly. He knows all of that.”
“It was because of you he told me the truth, because you showed up.”
Laura nodded. “I know he would’ve told you himself eventually, but I was furious, and I told him if he didn’t, I would tell Nikolas and then he would lose his chance with his son forever. Because I wouldn’t lie to my child to protect his plans.”
“And he listened to you. But how can you defend him now?”
Laura licked her lips. “I’m not defending him. But I know what I’ve done, and I have hurt him terribly. And I was wrong. And I want to be forgiven.”
“You act as though it was your fault, Laura.”
“Oh no,” Laura said shaking her head. “No I didn’t say that. This is not all my fault, our breakup was not all my fault, our hatred was not all my fault. But I was very wrong. And I’m giving him a little bit of credit because of my mistakes. I’m not saying you should and I’m not saying I’m still not furious. I hate to think of what he said to you about me.”
“I don’t believe it,” Chloe said. “I won’t believe him. Everything he’s said was a lie.”
“I know you feel that way. And I don’t blame you.”
Laura stopped there.
“Well, thank you for rescuing me,” Chloe said.
“Do me a favor, put in a good word about me to Alexis,” Laura said with a smile.
“Excuse me,” Stefan said, coming back to them. “If you’ll follow me, the jet’s ready.”
Stefan looked at Laura’s eyes and knew he should just start walking. When he turned, Laura looked at Chloe, and took her hand proving she wasn’t going anywhere.
The flight was extremely quiet. Chloe and Laura sat together, Stefan sat across. Neither of them were hungry, they both fell asleep in their chairs. He covered them both with blankets and wondered if what he’d done could be forgiven. Would Laura stand by him? Did Nikolas really love him? Unanswered questions, and he almost wanted to leave it that way.
October 6th, 2000
Court Room
Laura knew the trial was proceeding today, she had to find out where Luke stood. Where were Lucky and Nikolas? She assumed in the courtroom. And Alexis and Scotty would be there too. Laura opened the door to the courtroom slowly. Felicia was on the stand. Mac stood a little in front of Laura but didn’t see her.
“Felicia,” Scotty said. “Please tell the court how you know for a fact that Luke did not kill Stefan Cassadine, on the night of June 9th.”
Felicia licked her lips guilty, even though she saw Laura, she spoke.
“Because Luke was with me…all night.”
Laura understood it all now. Didn’t matter. “Felicia!” Laura called out and all eyes turned on her. “Don’t say anything else! You don’t have to!”
All eyes saw Laura reach for someone, she pulled Stefan Cassadine into view. Gasps exuded from people’s mouths, and Laura firmly held Stefan’s hand. This was not a pleasant moment for him, but Laura felt no fear.
“Stefan Cassadine is not dead, I found him, he is alive. Get Felicia off the stand and end the trial,” Laura demanded.
“Order!”
Luke and a few others stood up, amazed to see Stefan. Bobbie and Roy leaned to see Laura with Stefan.
“Never ending surprises from her,” Roy said, admiring Laura.
“Hmm,” Bobbie said, glad Laura ended the trial but a little jealous still at how tightly Laura held the hand of her ex-husband.
Mac began to walk towards Stefan as if to kill him, but Laura intervened.
“Mac, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry about what you just heard. Please…it’s not Stefan’s fault and killing him won’t make you feel better. All right?”
She touched Mac’s face supportively, he would only listen to Laura. Luke and Felicia caught that. Mac looked back at Felicia, then at Luke, and left. Laura called after him, trying to stop him.
“Apparently, with Mr. Cassadine’s present state of…health, this trial is over. Mr. Cassadine, I request your presence in an hour, I assume you have a few faces to see,” the judge said.
“Where is Alexis,” Laura said to Scotty.
“I’ll get her, Laura. And then may I ask some questions?”
“Absolutely, you and half the town.”
Scotty turned to get Alexis.
“Scotty?” Laura said. He turned back. “Thank you,” she said breathlessly, showing how absolutely she meant it.
He smiled and left. Bobbie was talking to Luke, hugging him. Alexis came running out within seconds. She caught her breath when she saw her brother. She walked closer to him, many eyes on the three of them.
“Stefan…where…where have you been?”
“I found him,” Laura said. “He’s alive, he’s all right,” she said purposely to give Stefan a chance to explain himself.
Alexis hugged Stefan, he was amazed and wrapped his arms around her. She held him so tightly.
“God…I thought Helena took you too.”
“No, I’m all right. I missed you.”
“Where have you been?!? Laura found you?”
“Yes. Come with me and I will tell you.”
Alexis turned back to Laura. “Thank you, for saving him. I guess I owe you an apology.”
“It’s accepted. Thank you for trying to help Luke. Go, go be with your brother. And Alexis, listen to him.”
Stefan took Alexis’s hand and led her out of the courtroom. Bobbie was now hugging Felicia, who was in tears. Luke stared at Laura with a stunned expression. She walked over to him.
“I’m glad it’s over. I knew you were never guilty,” she said.
“Where did you find him? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Actually, I’m better than fine.”
“Where did you find him?”
“On the island.”
“Which one?”
Laura looked at him snidely. “The one I was held on. I did what I had to do to prove you innocent, and apparently so did you. I hope it was worth it on both our parts,” she said angrily.
“Laura-“
“No, it’s all right. Because I know it’s not my fault. I never drove you to do anything and I hope you don’t regret it. Then maybe you’ll understand me,” she said, realizing it was over, and there was no need for hatred between them.
His face was overcome with guilt, and she felt it.
“It’s all right. It really is. People aren’t puzzles, I couldn’t add the rest of the puzzle to the life I chose which was to be with you. And now I realize that all that’s happened between us that was painful isn’t a fault. I didn’t deserve what you said to me and you didn’t deserve what I didn’t say to you. Our marriage was not a mistake, not on my part. I had the time of my life with you, but the man who is not dead is someone I can look at now and not feel like I’m betraying you. Because I’m not.”
“Laura please listen-“
“To what,” she said softly. “It’s all right, in a way being with Felicia is a way of relieving my pain. Forgive yourself, know that I don’t regret you, know that I did love you, but that I accept the way it all turned out, and maybe it happened for a reason.”
She cupped his face and kissed him softly on the lips. Tears were swelling in both their eyes.
“Almost nineteen years. I’ll never forget a moment. Thank you, believe in yourself, and be happy,” Laura said softly.
Laura gripped his hand and smiled at him, then walked out. What the hell had he done, and for what purpose? To see her be the angel she always was and not blame him? Bobbie walked over to him.
“You all right?”
“I’m better than I should be but I hurt all the more. She was perfect, she was an angel. She was right.”
Bobbie placed a supporting arm on Luke. “I’m sorry, I know what happened just now, and I know what it feels like. And I saw her, she was amazing. Did she mention how Stefan is alive?”
“No, it didn’t matter. I assume he framed me, but it doesn’t matter. She saved my neck, but she was holding his hand. And I have no ground to stand on.”
Bobbie bent Luke to her, holding him.
Outside the Courtroom
“Alexis-“
“No! No! You did all this and you kidnapped my best friend and then you come strolling back in here as if-“
“I admit I was wrong-“
“Oh yes, of course you are. And that makes it all right.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Well good!”
Laura came up to them. “Alexis?”
“You knew about this?”
“No! No, of course I didn’t. But I never believed in my heart he was dead, but I believed I was crazy so I went to the island to say goodbye, and he was there. I was beyond furious. And I told him either he would come back here and tell the truth to everyone himself, or I would and the consequences would be even worse.”
“Where is Chloe, Laura?”
“She’s fine. I stayed with her on the plane ride, she’s with the Quartermaines.”
“Well, I never thought I’d say this Laura, but why are you defending Stefan?”
“I’m not defending him, I’m giving him my support.”
“That’s a first.”
“Alexis-“ Stefan said.
“No, no, it’s all right. I can take care of myself. I know what I’ve done,” Laura told Stefan.
“My God, you found him and convinced him to come back, you brought Chloe, you made him tell Chloe the truth?”
“Yes she did,” Stefan said before Laura could.
Alexis was overwhelmed. “Thank you, Laura. But this is not something to just forgive-“
“I know that. I’m not over it either,” Laura returned.
“Good, then maybe he’ll listen to you and not hurt the only family he has left just to get even with Helena!”
Alexis walked off. Stefan didn’t expect anything less. Laura looked at him.
“Her reaction was surprisingly generous, for what you did, but I know she loves you.”
“Why do I get the feeling Nikolas will be worse?”
Laura smiled. “Because he will. Would you like to find him and tell him before someone else does?”
Stefan saw Nikolas in the distance. “I don’t think we have to find him.”
Laura saw him and her heart lit up. Elizabeth and Lucky were with him. Nikolas stopped cold, asking Stefan to be real, and then ran into his arms, overwhelmed and Laura saw the tears in her son’s eyes, which caused tears in hers. Lucky and Elizabeth came over to Laura.
“Well, I guess dad’s free of charges,” Lucky said to Laura and made her smile.
She placed an arm around Lucky, then remembered he hated her, and reached for Elizabeth.
“I missed you both,” she said.
Elizabeth held Laura in her arms.
“I heard about Luke’s testimony, are you all right, Laura?”
Laura cupped Elizabeth’s beautiful face. “Yes, I’m all right. It hurts me because everyone knows how I felt about Luke, that I loved him, but I’m choosing to believe it all happened for a reason. Actually I know it did.”
“Mom,” Lucky said and Laura looked to her second son. “I think it’s long over due for a hug.”
Laura looked a little unsure, and reached a little bit for Lucky. He clamped her against him. He ran his fingers through his mother’s long blonde hair, holding her close as Nikolas held on to Lucky. Both sons and parents had tears in their eyes. Nikolas was much more exuberant, obviously.
“Mom,” Lucky said. “I was wrong to be angry. I can’t believe I hurt you and Dad like that-“
“Shhhh,” Laura said.
“It’s not all right. I have never seen two people love each other the way you guys did and I helped tear you apart.”
Laura couldn’t deny that in her heart, Lucky’s hatred forced Luke and Laura to draw conclusions about why, both of them lashing out at each other like first class idiots. She cupped Lucky’s face.
“I love you, and your father loves you. Luke will do anything for you and I don’t want you to hate him. He needs your love and he deserves it. He has loved you every minute of your life and he would give more than his own life for you. And if I can forgive him for something, if I found there was nothing to forgive, please listen to me next time.”
“I will, I was wrong. I had the illusion I knew what I was talking about. Is dad all right? Did Felicia really testify she was there that night?”
“Yes, but do not hate your father-“
“I won’t. I was wrong to hate him at all. He’s just human, he screws up.”
“And so do I,” Laura said. “And when you think about our family, forget the bad times. Don’t consider those as real, because they weren’t. The good is what lasts, even if the relationship doesn’t. Your father and I never lied to you about our love, we never ever degraded our own love until recently when the trust was lost. But the trust is not the end to our relationship, it’s just the end of our marriage. But we did love each other as much as you saw everyday of your life. Remember that.”
“Even though it’s over,” Lucky said, frightened of his parents divorcing.
Lucky looked at Stefan, who was holding Nikolas. His brother, his mother’s other son. His mom loved Stefan, dad was with Felicia. Adjusting was necessary, he’d always hoped his parents would get back together, but he had no right to degrade any other choices his parents made. He’d already degraded something he never understood and was none of his damn business in the first place.
“Even when a door closes, you remember what was inside it. You have to close it to keep the good memories real. The more you try and open a door that wants to close, the more pain you cause. I loved your father, I will always care. But whenever a door closes, a window opens.”
Lucky looked at his mother with such pride, such admiration. “You’re an amazing woman,” he said holding her again.
“Uncle, where have you been, my God, are you all right?”
Laura pushed Lucky away. “I need you both to go, this is a private conversation, is that all right?”
“Of course, Laura. I’m glad you and Stefan are both safe. Please let us know when you can what happened,” Elizabeth said, taking Lucky’s hand and walking away.
“I love you both,” Laura said.
“We love you,” Elizabeth replied.
Laura turned back to her son and Stefan.
“Nikolas, listen to me. Your father loves you very much, I was wrong to lash out at him the way I did before he disappeared. I want you to know that if I can realize that you should too. He tried to save Lucky-“
“He should’ve told you, but know I was wrong to turn on him. But I have a second chance…” Nikolas said softly.
“Yes, but your father always protected me from what he thought would harm me. I’m not making excuses but there was a reason. He loved us both. Please listen to him now.”
Nikolas cupped his father’s face with tears in his eyes. “I’m just so glad you’re all right. I do apologize for hurting you so badly before you…disappeared. Where were you? Who did this?”
Stefan swallowed. “I did.”
“What?”
“I did it, Nikolas. Your grandmother attempted to murder me, nearly succeeded. I made a very poor choice and decided to let her think she’d won and I escaped. I went to the island, where I made several more mistakes. I brought Chloe Morgan with me. Chloe has had dreams, she can see through Helena’s eyes. With her I could stop my mother from hurting you and everyone else I loved. I felt empty and abandoned, and I told no one I was alive because I felt it didn’t matter. Your mother never believed I was truly dead apparently, came to the island, and brought me back.”
Nikolas had trouble processing this. “W…what? You’ve been alive, you faked your own death to kidnap an innocent woman for revenge against Helena?”
“Yes,” Stefan said.
Laura didn’t defend, she was furious also.
“Mom, he did this to hurt you too.”
“I know that,” Laura replied.
“You framed Luke for your own murder?”
“Yes, I did. That way no one would lash out at Helena and make things worse-“
“Oh right!” Nikolas said. “You are such a liar. You did that because my mother hurt you and you wanted to hurt her back, it was one last payback before you went to the island kidnapping a woman to what, recreate whatever it is you had with my mother?”
“Nikolas, that is completely inappropriate to say-“ Laura said.
“He put you through hell, I was actually blaming you for not mourning him when all along you never felt he’d left in your heart, did you?”
Laura shook her head. “No.”
“When you faked your own death, Mom, you were gone for only a few days, and you came to me yourself! He was gone for months after he blamed you for doing the exact same thing!”
“Nikolas, my mistakes have nothing to do with what’s going on here,” Laura said, not wanting to compare whose mistakes were worse.
“Why is it all right for you to blame faking your death on Helena but not my mother?”
“Nikolas, please stay in the present,” Laura said.
“He’s right, Laura. It’s not all right. I was angry at your mother but I didn’t want her in danger from Helena. No matter what I did, the God’s honest truth is I would never let my mother hurt her again. No matter what.”
“But it’s fine for you to,” Nikolas snapped. “And why wouldn’t you tell me? I loved you so much and I couldn’t bare the thought of you dying without knowing how much I loved you…shows how much you love me, to let me think I’d betrayed you.”
“I wouldn’t put you in Helena’s reach,” Stefan said.
“Well, forgive me, but Helena arranged to have me put in an insane asylum, so you didn’t succeed in protecting me, anymore than you did for my mother-“
“Nikolas, stop it right now. You will not use Stefan who by the way DID protect me all those years ago just to express your anger. That is my heart your hurting too, and you can blame Stefan for a lot of things, but protecting me then is not one of them. I’m not telling you not to be angry, but don’t use me. I would’ve died without Stefan then. He kept me sane, he made me feel love.”
Nikolas understood that and regretted saying that. “I’m sorry, mother. But he certainly didn’t mind betraying you this time, did he?”
Laura didn’t say anything.
“What is going on?” Nikolas said. “Why are you on his side?”
“I’m not! I don’t think what he did was all right, acceptable, or even forgivable. But I said and did things I shouldn’t have too. And I want to be a better person than he saw me as. I know what I’ve done and I’d like to be more understanding towards his mistakes than he’s been to mine.”
“Why the hell do you owe him anything? Why the hell do I owe him anything?”
“I don’t owe him anything, I owe it to myself. Mark me well, this is far from forgiven, but I’m not going to treat him the way he treated.”
“Mom, you are confusing me. Where the hell did you even find him and what happened?”
“I went to the island. And I found him, and I told him either he come back here and face you himself, or I would tell you myself.”
“And how did you get the part where you believe in him protecting you, and loving you? Or was it just the setting?”
Laura tried not to lash out at her son for saying that.
“No matter what you may think of me-“
“I love you, mother, I’m just extremely confused at your loyalty.”
“You act as though I’m not furious at all and I’m siding with him against you! Have I told you once not to be angry? Not to be furious? Hell, you can walk away from him if you want, but I hope for your sake someday you will forgive the way you forgave me.”
“Now-now that’s different! You came back, of your own free will. I was the first person you came back to see! You didn’t know you were going to explode and be presumed dead, you thought you were going to leave town and get your mother help! That’s different than kidnapping an innocent woman to go back to the island he fell in love with you on to use her…dreams as a way to pay my grandmother back!”
“It still caused you pain,” Laura said. “That’s the point.”
Nikolas looked at Stefan.
“Nikolas, I know I have hurt everyone I’ve ever loved, I didn’t care who I had to hurt to stop my mother. I saw what she did to Laura, I’ve seen what she does to you and everyone else who doesn’t fit her opinion perfectly. I was tired of attempting to change her, she needs to be stopped-“
“So you kidnapped a woman and made me, the son you were supposed to love with all your heart think you were dead and that I had been too foolish and insensitive to see how real your love was? How demented is that?”
“Extremely,” Stefan replied.
“I don’t want to be here, I don’t want to have anything to do with you. Mother, I want to be a part of your life and I want to be your son, but don’t ask me to forgive this! He raised me to hate you! Filling my head with lies about how you left me without a second thought and that you never loved me. What a heartless woman you were and I saw you and I knew that was a lie. I knew it was all a lie. And ever since I’ve met you, I have found lie after lie through Stefan. I loved him more than I could ever express, but he raised me to believe my mother never cared about me. When all along he had proof in more ways than one that you did! What kind of love is that?”
That hurt Laura still that Stefan would raise Nikolas like that after he swore he’d have her every loyalty. Even if she did deserve it, Nikolas didn’t.
“Nikolas, that has nothing to do with Stefan’s love for you, that has to do with his hatred for me. His intention was to hurt me, not you.”
“So he used me as a pawn to get even with you for leaving the island? Kind of like he used Chloe Morgan to seek revenge on Helena-MOM! When will it stop? When will he learn? Never.”
“I’m not defending him, I am explaining that he has wanted to hurt people, and yes he has used people he loves to do so, but the goal was to hurt others, never you.”
“Well, even if that’s true, he still does hurt me. And there is no excuse for that. When you hurt me it was because you were torn between worlds or people who all wanted you to do something different and you tried hard to make everyone happy. Your intentions were good even if you made terrible mistakes. Stefan faked his death, kidnapped a woman, all along knowing how much it would kill me. And I…I can’t stand the sight of him.”
Nikolas shook his head and walked off. Stefan watched, tears in his eyes. Laura didn’t expect anything differently, but of course it still hurt her. She reached for Stefan’s hand.
“What do you say we go talk to what’s her face judge, sign whatever she wants you to sign so we can get out of here?” she said happily.
He was amazed she would distract him like this. To make him momentarily forget his pain. He walked with her to the judge, and took care of the legal issues regarding this. As they left, an hour later, Laura told him she had to go home.
“I have to go home and do a few things, but I want you to remember that Nikolas hated me for a very long time, and when I gave him room, he came to me. He forgave me. I’ll call you in a while,” Laura said softly.
Stefan didn’t want to go back to Wyndemere, that huge house with nothing inside of it. He felt like he’d lost everything. He was right back where he was a few months ago. Why did he come back? Nikolas hated him, Alexis hated him, and Laura is telling him not to give up?
Laura’s House
45 Minutes Later
Laura unlocked her front door and was surprised to see Nikolas sitting on her couch.
“Hi, honey.”
“All right, Mom, what’s really going on?”
Laura came further inside and sat down across from Nikolas.
“Which part do you have questions about?”
“You and Stefan. What is he doing to make you defend him like this?”
“He is your father, he loves you. I betrayed him and I turned against him-“
“What?”
Laura sighed a little. “I believe Stefan when he said he was trying not to destroy me by having to see Lucky die twice. Stefan was going to bring Lucky to me. Stefan tried desperately, and I refused to listen to him. After my initial anger calmed down, I remembered how much I loved him. And I still do. I love your father.”
“Even with the lies?”
Laura turned away, a little guilty. “I don’t think I deserve to have you defend me over him. I have loved you so much but I hurt you so badly-“
“So did he. He raised me to believe you never loved me. You made mistakes, I understand, but he didn’t need to raise me to make me feel unlovable because he hated you for leaving him.”
“Um, well, he and I have had a lot of intense hatred that has inflicted a whole lot of people we love and we will never need to stop apologizing but you forgave me, and I hope you forgive Stefan. He is your father, he loves you, he’s an idiot, but aren’t we all.”
Nikolas reached for his mother and she came to him, hugging him.
“I love you so much,” she said to him.
“He framed your husband for murder.”
“Yeah, and that’s not something I’m happy about, which is why I made Stefan show his face at the courthouse immediately before he even saw you. He left me to deal with that, he was going to fix it. And he did.”
“Because you made him.”
“Yes, well, life is full of fun tactics.”
“How are you dealing with the other thing that saved Luke?”
Laura smacked her lips together. “Well, it’s never pleasant to hear that, but I’m not exactly surprised. I told enough lies that Luke couldn’t forgive me and I know we’ll always love each other but I deserved better than that, and maybe he did too.”
“You gave Luke everything.”
“I know you think he controlled me, another thing your father taught you, but I disagree. Honestly, I pretty much did everything Luke told me not to do our whole marriage,” she smiled at the memories of always driving him nuts. “He used to wonder why he was surprised, he told me to do something and I did the exact opposite, he learned that quickly.”
“I’m sorry,” Nikolas said.
“It’s all right,” she said squeezing him tighter. “You need to take time to forgive your father, I understand. And if you can’t, then you’ll have to get used to me with him. And I hope you don’t turn away from me because I love him. Because I am here, and I love you, and I will do anything for you.”
“You gonna bring Lu back up?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, well, I’m gonna go, I take it if you’re not here in the future you’re at Wyndemere?”
“Um, maybe,” Laura said. “I might just be at the grocery store but yeah, I’m going over there now.”
Wyndemere
35 Minutes Later
Laura snuck through the revolving shelf, surprising him as he sat as his desk.
“Hi, I’ve been looking everywhere,” she said happily. “And I would’ve been here sooner but Nikolas wanted to talk with me.”
“How much does he hate me?”
“Hi Laura, come on in,” she said, expressing he should’ve said that. She walked in. “I’m not an expert but if Nikolas could forgive me, he’ll forgive you. He loves you. And I made it clear that he’s gonna have to get used to you in general if he can’t forgive you because of me. He wants Lesley Lu and my mother to come back and so do I. Nikolas is a beautiful person, he will be fine.”
Stefan stood up and Laura walked around the desk and hugged him. She felt his fear and her eyes were worried for him. It was gonna be all right, she wanted to tell him.
“I love you,” she said cupping his face to look at him. “And I’m even glad you’re alive,” she said with a smile.
He smiled. “Thank you.”
“Can I cheer ya up?”
He took her hand. “When are you gonna yell at me for all this?”
Laura pretended to think about it. “I don’t know, not right now. I think you’ve had enough of people yelling at you for a day. Don’t look at me like that, Stefan. Don’t push me away, and don’t act like I don’t know you. I know what you’re afraid of. I’ve been there. But I also remember when I was afraid to never have either of my sons love me, you took my coat and you wrapped it around me and kept me safe. There was a storm that night.”
She ran her fingers through his hair and she spoke. “Would you like to do something…I don’t know, really American?”
He smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
“Oh…I don’t know, marry me?”
He looked at her like she was crazy. “You’re still married.”
“So what? Don’t you know I always remarry before I finalize my divorce?” she joked. “No, I meant, will you agree to marry me after I get divorced?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I think you’re the one who has doubts and will have doubts.”
“About what?”
“Well,” Laura thought. “What happens when Lesley Lu wants to see Luke and he comes over and I’m in the same room with them? Or, he tells her a joke and I think it’s funny so I smile. I mean I’m not about to not work very hard to make this comfortable for everyone in any way I can but I want you to trust me.”
“I was never the one who couldn’t accept your feelings for Luke,” he reminded her.
This wasn’t working, Laura didn’t want to make Stefan feel something else painful. She had to change the subject.
“Come with me,” she said with a mischievous smile on her face.
She held her hand out to him.
“Come on!”
He smiled, still knowing he would follow her anywhere.
What Stefan knew next was that he was on Helena’s yacht, behind the door, while Laura went in.
“Hello, Helena.”
“Ah, Laura. So nice of you to join me. Are you here to let me know how your husband’s trial is going,” Helena mocked.
“Yes, actually. It went beautifully for Luke.”
Helena smiled that hideous smile. “Is that because that little tart who is such an imitation of you came to his defense?”
“Imitation of me,” Laura asked.
“Well, Felicia is so much like you, dear.” Helena came and took hold of Laura’s hair, feeling it. “With her long, silky blonde hair. Her large blue eyes and she’s married, let us not forget that. Felicia is much like Katherine Bell was, a recreation of you.”
Laura didn’t even bother replying, but she clamped Helena to her, hugging her roughly. One arm around Helena’s back, firmly holding her in her grasp, Laura’s other hand on Helena’s face, her finger nails deeply into Helena’s skin.
“Did I ever tell you how much you influenced me, Helena,” Laura said hatefully against her ear. “Did I ever tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve ever taught me,” she said digging her nails into Helena’s flesh, causing Helena to attempt to struggle.
Laura gripped her harder. “No, Helena, don’t be afraid of me. Just listen, I have a secret I want to share with you. A very long time ago I was your daughter in law, and I am here to tell you that I’m about to be again.”
Laura pulled back and looked into Helena’s cold blue eyes with equally furious eyes. Stefan came up behind Helena, touching her shoulder. Helena immediately turned.
“Stefan,” Helena said, stunned.
He hugged her while choking her neck. “I missed you mother, I’m all right, you don’t have to worry. I wasn’t really dead and I’m back. Your son’s alive.”
“W…where have you been?”
“Oh we were on the island, recreating 1982,” Laura said.
“You knew Laura? You’ve both been in on this?”
“Think what you will, Mother,” Stefan said, taking Laura’s hand.
“Will you be at the wedding,” Laura said.
Helena was still shocked. Laura laughed at her, making fun of her and she and Stefan walked out.
________________________________________________________________________
Wyndemere
Twenty Five Minutes Later
Laura and Stefan laughed together at how shocked Helena was. They reached the living room, where they fixed themselves a drink and toasted.
“I haven’t felt so good in a long time,” Laura said.
“Must admit, you do know how to cheer me up, all you have to do is drive my mother insane.”
Stefan looked at Laura, ripped the glass from her hand and kissed her harshly. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She felt the pain he was still in, she knew he was using her to take away the pain. She didn’t care, he thought that’s all she’d ever done with him, she wasn’t going to push him away when she wanted him possibly to numb her pain too.
Laura held the back of his head and pressed him to her as he pressed her against the wall with his hips. He didn't bother with the buttons on her blouse, he just tore it open with one swift move. Stefan slipped it from her shoulders, never removing his lips from hers. Laura returned the favor, ripping open his shirt and taking it off while she kissed him more aggressively. Her hands slid over his chest, touching it delicately forcing goose bumps, as he removed her bra.
Stefan slipped inside her without gentleness yet not forcefully or painfully either. It was intense and though it would usually have been uncomfortable, his passion left her feeling nothing but equally ready.
“Put me on the floor,” she said, realizing it would be easier there.
They slid down together, limbs entwined. He placed her delicately on the ground, supporting her head as they made love. Afterwards, Stefan felt a little guilty.
“I apologize, Laura. That was uncalled for.”
She leaned over on him. “Excuse me, do you see me complaining?”
“Still-“
“No, no still. I was hoping you’d kiss me and more. Like the night with the frogs.”
They smiled just at how humorous the memory was.
“That was a beautiful night,” she said. “And so was this. You think I mind being spontaneous? For God’s sakes Stefan, that would be my life.”
He chuckled a little.
“All right, come on, get up,” she said sitting up, her hair tangled and unruly.
“My goodness, you are dominating.”
“I know, put me behind bars, I am so terrible. Come on, get up.”
Stefan got up, knowing he would still follow her anywhere.
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