"Q.E.D." Part 7
Alexis Davis shivered despite the warmth emanating from thefireplace. Every time she visited her cousin's home she had to resistthe temptation to open every curtain and turn on every light.
Must it always be so dark? she thought. But then again, the darknesssuited him these days.
She remembered Stefan as a child, how he used to be so unaffected byall of his family's machinations. He was content to be the secondson, and almost reveled in the fact that the onus of familyleadership was not to be his. He was spontaneous and daring in thosedays, always testing the limits of his physical and familialboundaries. In that sad and somber family, he was the one brightlight.
Alexis used to love exploring the island with him. He seemed to knowevery hidden cave and every secret cove. And he made each placespecial by telling his younger, wide-eyed cousin tales of pirates andhidden treasure.
Then one day, after exploring the caves alone, Stefan's carefreechildhood came to an abrupt end. It was as if the shadows of the darkcaverns still clung to him when he emerged into the daylight. Hewithdrew inside himself, to a place Alexis could never reach. And asthe years passed, the darkness took hold of him and was reflected inhis surroundings and his wardrobe.
"Are you cold, Cousin? I could adjust the thermostat, if youlike."
Momentarily startled, Alexis turned to face Stefan, marveling at hisability to make a quiet entrance. Raised in a family where hispresence was purely auxiliary, he had honed his background existenceto a fine art. Helena barely noticed the subtle movements of hersecond son, and he preferred it that way. But to Alexis, her cousinglided like the felted marble pieces in a chess game, silently andobliquely approaching his goal.
"No, it's warm enough," she replied. "Was that Lila Quartermaine andher butler I saw on the way over here?"
"Yes. They were my guests for tea. I thought it best to becomeacquainted with the Quartermaine matriarch." He smiled briefly. "Sheis a delightful woman."
"Yes, I think so too." she said, seating herself on the couch. "So...you summoned me. And here I am."
A look of delight passed across his face as he awarded Alexis withone of his rare laughs. He placed his hand on his chest, like a manwrongly accused. "I 'summoned' you? Do you think that I am capable of'summoning' you?"
Alexis laughed. "Perhaps not. It is your mother who 'summons'... you'strongly suggest'. At any rate, I'm here. What do you want?"
Stefan sat in the adjacent chair and his eyes momentarily wandered tothe fireplace mantle, to the paneling concealing the wall safe. "Iwould like to make arrangements for Nikolas' guardianship, in theevent of my death."
Alexis' posture straightened immediately. "Is there something that Ishould know? Are you all right?"
"I assure you, I am in perfect health." He offered her a smile, whichshe thought was not altogether genuine. "As those of you in the legalprofession are so fond of pointing out, there is no time like thepresent to plan for unforeseen events. Nikolas has dual citizenship,since his mother is an American, and I want to ensure that he willremain in the United States should anything happen to me." He paused,and his smile vanished. "I do not want him to have to return toGreece... to Helena..."
"Well, that's certainly understandable." She produced a notebook fromher briefcase. "As his legal guardian, you have the right to chooseanother guardian for him, but I must warn you, Laura Spencer couldcontest your choice."
He nodded his head. "I understand. However, that possibility seemsremote given the fact that she's clearly chosen to maintain herdistance at her husband's request." He sighed. "That is unfortunate,since she would have been my first choice."
Alexis was clearly taken aback. "Really? I was under the impressionthat you thought she had abandoned Nikolas."
"That's true." he admitted. "But she, as his biological mother, wouldhave the best chance of defeating Helena in a custody battle. Andfrankly, I would do anything to prevent Helena from gaining controlover my nephew." He leaned in closer and lowered his voice, as ifHelena were in the next room. "It is imperative that Nikolas stay asfar away from his grandmother as possible. I would rather that he beraised by wolves than by that woman."
Alexis smiled at the image of the Spencer "wolf pack", a rather aptdescription of that family in her eyes. Although she despised the wayLaura's husband treated her cousins, she had to admire how hedefended his family at all costs. Luke Spencer epitomized thetextbook description of the "alpha male". His irrational antipathytoward Nikolas and Stefan seemed to be based purely on instinct, andshe pictured him poised to attack, with hackles raised, baring histeeth and growling.
Stefan looked up when his cousin started to giggle. "What do you findso amusing?" he asked.
She held up her hand in an apologetic gesture, "I'm sorry, Stefan. Iwas just picturing Luke Spencer as a wolf."
Stefan smiled and added, "Do you suppose that he howls at themoon?"
The two cousins dissolved into laughter, and for a moment, theshadows lifted from the room. The younger Stefan had come out toplay, and Alexis savored every second of his presence. Unfortunately,the child would disappear as quickly as he had emerged, as Stefanreturned to the matter at hand.
"At any rate," he continued, "unless Luke Spencer's attitude towardNikolas miraculously reverses itself, I'm afraid that Nikolas' motherwill be unable to take him in." He moved to the sofa and placed hishand on Alexis' shoulder. "If anything should happen to me, I wouldlike you to be his guardian."
Alexis looked up at her cousin. "I would be honored, Stefan. You knowthat I love Nikolas. But... what about your wife?"
"There are .. facts about our family that I feel unable to share withmy wife at this time. In order to truly understand the importance ofNikolas' position in the family, one should know these things."
"What about Nikolas? Does he know about this?"
Stefan sighed. "I had wanted him to be present for this meeting, buthe... had to leave for a while. I'm afraid he's rather angry with meright now. Naturally, I would like for him to have a choice in thismatter. As long as that choice does not involve returning toGreece."
Alexis closed her notebook and returned it to her briefcase. "Then,perhaps we should wait until he returns to draw up the necessarypapers..."
"No," he replied, "I don't want to wait any longer. I... have waitedtoo long as it is. I kept hoping that Laura and her family wouldaccept Nikolas, and that he could live with his mother if anythingshould happen to me. But it doesn't appear to be possible at thispoint." He sat down beside Alexis and grasped her hand in his. "I'msorry that this seems so sudden. But I'm sure that you willunderstand the urgency in this matter, when you see what I am aboutto show you."
Stefan walked over to the mantle and pressed the button, revealingthe wall safe. He removed Alexie's diary and handed it to Alexis.
"Cousin, there was a time long ago when you used to love to hear thestories I would tell. I have another story for you, but I am afraidit is quite tragic. Fortunately, the ending has not yet beenwritten..."