Chapter 48 Ned and Alexis sit in the parlor at Wyndemere, while Alexis fidgets nervously. Ned: She's not going to be a four-headed dragon, you know. Alexis: I know, I just don't handle other people organizing things for me very well. Ned: She's not "organizing things," she's just organizing the wedding. You'll thank her a million times over in a few weeks. These things can get out of hand, I should know. Alexis: But it's just not the way things are done, where I come from. Ned: No, darling, where you come from, the only people you wanted watching a kidnapped bride walk down the aisle were on security detail. Alexis: Oh shut up. Ned: Although the way you're squirming now, one might think *you* were the kidnapped bride. Alexis: (indignant) I'm not squirming. Ned: (condescendingly) Of course you aren't. They stare at each other awkwardly for a moment. Ned: You know, it could be worse. Katherine Bell plans a mean wedding. Alexis: That's not funny. Ned stifles a snicker. He rises from his chair and, takes her hand and pulls her up to her feet. Burying his face in her neck, his words are stifled. Ned: I love you. Alexis: (totally distracted as his kisses ravage her throat, her shoulders...) You know, we could have a small wedding. It could just be a few family members. Ned: (pulling away from her) Honey, it doesn't take many family members to be a Stephen King novel. Alexis: I'm going to be sick. Mrs. Landsbury enters the parlor and announces Ms. Trellia Von Pickelstein and entourage. Alexis: (to Ned) "And entourage?" Ned: They'll grow on you. Ms. Von Pickelstein sails in, wearing bright blue eye shadow and some... silky, billowy thing in bright, magnificent colors. Minions follow closely behind. She makes a disapproving sweep of the room with her eyes. Trellia: Dah-links, tell Trellia zat ze vedding is not to be in zis nightmare. Alexis stares, wide-eyed and dumbstruck at the woman, so Ned moves forward to answer. Ned: No, the reception will be in the gardens outside, and the ceremony will be at St. Olav's. Trellia: Olav's? AH! Trellia adores a mahvelous Russian vedding. (she takes his face in her hand, and turns his chin each way as she studies his bone structure) BUT, you, you are not ze Russian, yes? (she squints her eyes as she gazes past him to Alexis, who imperceptibly shrinks away under the scrutiny) Yes! Zis, zis is ze Russian. (She approaches Alexis, who steps backwards) Fine cheekbones. Da, da. (she turns away abruptly and waves toward Alexis) Trellia can vork vit zis. A trial, but nuh-zing is impossible for Trellia. The entourage is spreading fabric and china everywhere, color schemes and swatches laid out all over the furniture in the background. Trellia approaches Alexis again, who is feeling overwhelmed. Trellia: Da, ve have a not-so-blushing bride, don't ve? Ve vill have to find a gown suitable for your age. Hm. (she turns breezily toward some over-sized pattern books, while Alexis rolls her eyes. Trellia browses through the patterns, with little comments here and there, looking up to Alexis, and back down at the book periodically. Trellia: (to herself) Nyet, too vite. (she turns the page) Too young. (Next page, she looks up and surveys Alexis' chest) Too... zmall. (Next page) Too floral... (she continues) Andreas! (she summons a minion) Measure ze bride. (the minions keep unrolling fabrics and lighting incense, to give them the right "atmos-vere vor creative zinking." And so it continues, as Alexis endures the attention and melodrama silently, while Ned stands in the background and tries to make some catering decisions with a bevy of menu options. Stefan and Anna walk down the stairs, Stefan wearing a scowl on his face. Stefan: What is all this racket? He looks around and takes in the scene: the coordinator, the minions, Ned's barely stifled smirk, Alexis' horror. He lets go of Anna's hand and moves over to Alexis. Stefan: Do tell. Alexis: (turning to him with desperate eyes) I... I... (she sighs) Stefan: (regarding her warmly, understanding she's out of her element, he takes her face in his hands and tilts her head to kiss her forehead, before turning around to face the madness) Madame...? Trellia: (holding her hand out flamboyantly as if to be kissed) Von Pickelstein, and you ARE?? Stefan: (taking her hand briefly before letting it go) I am the patron of this ceremony, and how do they say it... the cash cow, I believe. I'm afraid, I'm going to have to ask you to leave for today, my sister and I have some important matters to discuss before we plan the nuptials. You understand, of course. Trellia: (looking squinty-eyed back and forth between Stefan and Alexis, she surmises her rejection. With great bluster, she responds) Trellia vas summoned by ze gentleman, zere (gesturing absently in Ned's direction). Stefan: I understand, and I assure you, you will be aptly compensated for your... (he looks around the room at the production, with disgust)... trouble. Eventually the entire army is shuffled disgruntledly out of the house, amid shouts of Trellia this and Trellia that. When they are gone, Alexis looks like she's going to faint. She practically runs to Stefan and uncharacteristically throws her arms around his neck. Alexis: Thank you! Oh God, thank you. Stefan: (smiling indulgently, he embraces her briefly, before pulling her arms down, and looks at her, almost expecting to see the 8-yr old Alexis that used to adore him so) (to Ned) I take it this was your debacle, Ashton? Ned: (laughing bashfully) She came *highly* recommended for European weddings. Alexis: (scowling) By whom? One of your boarding school co-conspirators? Ned: Two sources, I thought I was golden. Lucy Coe and Tiffany Hill, actually. (realizing the absurdity) Ok, maybe she wasn't a good choice. Alexis: (incredulously) Lucy Coe? Stefan: Tiffany Hill? The B-grade acting trollop who used to drape herself on my uncle? Ned: I might have forgotten about Tiffany's unsavory roots. Alexis walk over to him and pushes at his chest playfully. Alexis: Lucy Coe?? Lucy Coe? Why *didn't* you just hire Katherine Bell? You might as well have! Ned holds out his arms in a boyish "I'm innocent, I tell you" stance as she berates him. Stefan: (frowning) You were considering Katherine Bell? (more to Anna than anyone else) I may have to re-examine my approval of this union. Anna snickers at all of them. Stefan pulls Alexis by the hand, away from her feigned tantrum at Ned. She finally looks up at him with weary eyes. Alexis: Stefan, I don't think I can handle this wedding thing. Stefan: Yes, you can. You are a Cassadine. You can certainly endure timeless ritual. (Alexis sighs, and he lifts her chin with his other hand, to look her in the eye) I will call someone with more... (tossing a scowl at Ned) discretion. Someone from the Rodina. Ned: (brazen, feeling undermined and defensive) Oh yeah, the blessed Motherland. Well, if it's understatement you want, that'll do it. Get some Russian coordinator in here, we'll probably have boiled potatoes and cabbage soup at the reception. Hey, I have an idea, let's honeymoon in Siberia! Stefan and Alexis both turn toward him and glower. Anna interjects diplomatically at the crucial moment when a real argument might start. Moving herself between Ned and Alexis, she puts her hand on Alexis' shoulder. Anna: Alexis, Stefan and I will find a number of candidates and I will personally interview each of them myself. It can all be done in a few days. Not to worry. (she looks at Alexis sympathetically) Weddings can spoil a perfectly good romance. Why don't you two just worry about loving each other, and we'll worry about the planning. She pointedly pulls Stefan away from Alexis, and over to the alcohol. Anna: Sherry, darling? Stefan: (still glaring at Ned, feeling like he's leaving his sister to the wolves, he answers distractedly) Thank you, yes. Ned: (quietly, only to Alexis) I'm in for some serious groveling, aren't I? Alexis: Among other things. (Gathering up her coat and shuffling Ned out of the room, she says over her shoulder) We're going to the cabin at the lake. As she's about to walk out the door, Stefan calls out to her. Stefan: Wait. Alexis, a word? She pushes Ned all the way out of the parlor, before closing the door and leaving him in the foyer. Anna busies herself at the bar while Stefan and Alexis confer quietly. Stefan: (holding her hand, and raising it to his lips) I will make this perfect for you. Alexis: (a tear forming in her eye) I know. Stefan: You realize of course, this is the cross you must bear if you insist on marrying a boarish American. Alexis: Quit while you're ahead, Stefan. The perfection? Stefan: (smiling amusedly) Yes, it will be perfection. I promise you. Alexis: Thank you. Stefan: (smiling) Agapao, ego adelphe. Alexis: (more used to his formal Russian, she tears up again at his Greek, never having heard him call her his sister in the language of their childhood) I love you, too. She lets go of him quickly, both of them uncomfortable with excessive displays of emotion, and is soon out the door. Anna: (having poured herself a drink as well, she walks over to Stefan, clinking his glass, and finally has his undivided his attention) To our new project. Stefan: Wedded bliss for a Cassadine and a Quartermaine? Anna: (chuckling) Let's just aim for bearable matrimony.   Epilogue 4 months later The movers and shakers of Port Charles file into St. Olav's, with an altar boy handing each woman the requisite doily-like head-covering. The younger girls complain, along with various slaves to vanity like Brenda Barrett and Lucy Coe (who, regrettably, accompanies Kevin Collins, an invited guest of the bride's family). The entire Quartermaine clan enters cantankerously, but, like everyone else, they are hushed when they walk into the main sanctuary, as it is only lit by candles and maintains an air of holiness. The altar is cloaked in red and white rose petals, framed by huge floral arrangements with the same color scheme and endless quantities of baby's breath. Though no instrumental music is allowed in the sanctuary, a Belgian woman from the bride's university years sings Ave Maria, an eastern European a cappella arrangement made famous by Kristin Bergmann in her day. To the left of the altar, where the hordes of bridesmaids might stand during an American ceremony, is a large, and painfully old bronze Cassadine crest, that required small machinery to transport. The crowd continues to fill up the modestly-sized sanctuary. Noticeably absent are the Spencers, despite the prolonged argument between the groom and his best man on the subject of inviting at least Laura. The bride brought up the painful subject to her brother and was, unsurprisingly, rebuked for the very idea. Also absent are the Jones' and Katherine Bell. Despite Stefan's disapproval, the maid of honor insisted upon all the Scorpios being invited. You couldn't have a few of them there and not invite the others. Jason Morgan and all his minions are on the shoot-on-sight list held by the security team manning every entranceway (all firearms equipped with silencers, of course, lest the cacophonous sounds of violence disrupt the sanctity of the occasion). Some particularly militant communist hard-liners from the Rodina also made the list, as they might think to finally silence the ever-more-annoying Tsarist movement in their country by wiping out the Cassadines all at once during this convenient gathering. So, other than a few political and personal enemies to guard against, the atmosphere is celebratory, solemn and peaceful. The music inside is ethereal when some of the wedding party arrive in the Quartermaine Bentley, bantering already. Little Emma Jax hops out of the car, beautifully clothed in red velvet, with layers and layers of ivory petticoats to her stockinged knees. She gathers her large basket of rose petals in her arms and skips up the stone walkway. The Best Man clamors about something as the groom, donning an understated, and oh-so-expensive tuxedo, follows his niece and her mother, who is trying to ignore Edward like a trooper. They all enter the side door to the preparation room. The crowd hushes even more than it was already when Ned and Edward walk out to the right of the altar. They smile the requisite smiles at their guests. The bride and family arrive in a whir of black limousines, carrying not only the wedding party, but some honored guests, various heads of state and diplomats from Greece and Russia. The pre-ceremony diplomacy tea has just finished, where certificates from both foreign governments of marriage and citizenship for all children borne by the couple were proffered to the ceremony's patron. The guests spill out of the cars and into the church, where they are ushered to their seats by A.J. Quartermaine and Justus Ward, after signing the guest-book, tended by Emily Quartermaine. When everyone else is inside, Lise brings Emma around to the front of the church to prepare for the bride's arrival. Nikolas greets Emma with a kiss. Stefan and Anna get out of the car next, and help Alexis to her feet without mussing her dress. When they get close to the door, Anna helps her out of her satin-lined velvet ivory cape, embroidered on the back and down toward the train with the family crest. And so the ancient Byzantine ritual begins... The boy's choir is well-behaved and begins the ceremony. They wear gold-trimmed robes and proceed slowly down the aisle, singing Rachmaninoff's celestial wedding chorus. They walk in twos, one boy holding a candle, and the other holding an icon, with the first two boys carrying an icon of the Cassadine's patron saint, St. Olga (a once brutal woman before her conversion, a failure at passing on her faith to her son, but whose grandson Vladimir became the patron saint of Russians). The boys place the icons in their stands all around the Cassadine crest to the left of the altar, each framed in jeweled bronze frames. The choir retreats to the back of the altar and continues their heavenly muse. Little Emma is the next to walk down the aisle, her poofy taffeta veil trailing out behind her, her blond curls framing her face, she tosses rose petals before her. The Jax brothers beam proudly as she passes to their left and proceeds to the front. Nikolas is next, as the traditional jewel bearer. He wears the robes of the altar boys, but is cloaked in a red velvet cape, crested with the Cassadine embroidery on the back. His own crown rises tall off his head and he walks very slowly and regally. He carries a long shelf-like object, red velvet and cushioned, he holds it out in front of him with only slightly bent elbows. On it rest two golden crowns, sparkling with precious stones, and a small glass box containing the wedding bands. Red and gold ribbons hang down from the knovl (as the odorned wood that he carries is called) and dance out in the air as Nikolas follows Emma down the aisle. Ned and Edward stand awkwardly as this foreign parade continues. Ten men, clearly all of Slavic descent, file in behind the boys choir, from the side, and prepare for the bride's entrance. Then, Anna appears at the door of the sanctuary. She wears a red velvet dress, full-length, and form-fitting all the way down. The neck is a deep, open round one, with the sleeves starting right at the tip of her shoulders. Her hair, like the bride's, is a thick, low bun, and with her woven gold and red lace veil, gives her a medieval, Eurasian look. Dark red lipstick adorns her puckered lips as she walks through the aisle of candles reverently, carrying a bundle of red and white roses, the bouquet dressed with ribbons trailing all the way to the floor. As she passes Robert, he smiles sadly, remembering another European wedding where she wore a lace veil. When Anna has reached the altar, the men in the choir join in with the boys in another verse of the wedding chorus. Their deep voices resonate through the sanctuary, and the congregation rises. Alexis appears at the entrance to the church, her arm locked in Stefan's. He wears a crown of jewels and an ornate, Russian uniform. And she... she is resplendent. Her dress is ivory velvet, trimmed with satin ribbon. A wide, scooped neck displays the pearls and rubies at her throat, while the rest of the dress fits tightly around her arms and bodice, until sweeping out around her hips in a heavy train. Her veil is ivory lace, but dangling along the edge, about every inch or so, are one-carat rubies, adding fringed weight to the fabric, and draping around her face and down her back beautifully. Her hair, like Anna's, is swept in a low bun, her thick bangs pressed down by the veil on her forehead. She carries a bouquet of white roses and as she passes the Russian diplomats, you can hear whispers of "Tsarina" echoing through the cavernous sanctuary. Ned is awestruck as he watches her proceeding toward him, the woman he is so used to seeing in power-suits, or his oxfords, or... nothing at all, transformed into such a... princess is the only word that comes to mind. Stefan delivers her to him, and the prelate requests his verbal deliverance. He binds their hands together in a satin sash and says in the only Greek of the day, "May love be the tie that binds." Once Stefan has stepped aside, Anna has taken the bridal bouquet, and Ned's and Alexis' hands are joined, they kneel together on the altar. Nikolas then gives the knovl to an altar boy, and places a jeweled crown on Ned's head, and then one on Alexis', on top of her veil, enhancing her medieval appearance even more. The box with the rings is kept with the altar boy for use by the prelate and Nikolas steps aside, behind Anna for the rest of the ceremony. They proceed through most of the ceremony in English, save for a few Russian lines here and there. The rings are exchanged and vows sworn. With their hands still bound, and kneeling again, they take the Eucharist together, and then step up to the altar, taking the blessed wedding candle in their hands. They are led around by the prelate, circling the Eucharist table on the altar several times. The chalices are golden, and jeweled, and the table is dressed with gold embroidered fabric. Altar boys on each side of the altar wave sticks of incense high above their heads, as the choir strikes up again during the parade of the couple. And at long last, the prelate grants permission for Ned to kiss his new bride. He does, with relief, and happily leads his wife down the aisle, while the rest of the participants follow, carrying candles, ribboned bouquets and Emma tossing rose petals everywhere. Ned and Alexis resist the urge to make love in the limo, and the reception proceeds swimmingly in the Wyndemere gardens, the late April air not too cold, yet still untouched by summer's heat. Ferries carry guests back and forth across the water, valets park cars on the pier, the bride and groom suffer through an arduous receiving line... There is dancing and the wine flows liberally. Anna and Stefan hold each other on the dance floor, slow-dancing together, despite the crisp rhythm of the full orchestra's allegro. Nikolas emerges from the house in his tuxedo, having shed the formal ceremonial robes, and dances with Robin until they steal away to the barn to... ride horses. And Robert Scorpio is introduced to the little flower girl Emma, and... her mother. Their eyes meet and something clicks. They spend the evening laughing, drinking, and making fun of Cassadines. The representatives from the various foreign governments toast the couple before heading back to their hotels for the down and dirty vodka, cigars and baklava they came for. As for our happy couple, they escape early and jet away to honeymoon on the Greek island where they first knew freedom. Freedom from Helena, freedom from lies, freedom from the cares of their families which so regularly weigh them down. They make love in the water several times a day, and it is there that their son is conceived, not unlike another couple, almost twenty years before them.