Chapter 23   Jax took Alexis and Kristina back to the penthouse, where Alexis dropped into a chair and took off her shoes. "I know we've had longer nights, but this one felt like the longest in a long time. I might fall asleep right here." Jax sat on the couch and said, quietly, "It feels like the end of an era." "You're not going to go sentimental on me about Helena, are you?" Alexis asked with a mixture of humor and mild concern. He shook his head. Kristina, stretching in the other corner of the couch, watched them. "It all seems topsy-turvy right now," Alexis mused. "But in a good way. Does that make any sense?" Jax nodded and she continued. "Normally, I want everything neatly laid out, predictable, but… that's never been my luck. And now it's weirder than usual, but I'm comfortable with that." They sat in companionable silence for awhile and then Alexis said, "Did you see Stavros with V?" "Yes," Jax said, "and I have to confess, Alexis, I'm not too happy about it." Alexis started to speak and he cut her off, saying, "I'm not denying he's changed. Not that I knew him before, but simply based on reputation… he doesn't seem psychotic, at any rate. But, Alexis…" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "Women don't do well with Cassadine men. And V is someone I care about deeply." Alexis refrained from reminding him that she cared about V, too. "What about Cassadine women? Men don't fare too well with us, do they, Kristina?" Kristina looked up from her meditative pose on the couch. "I'm still new at this Cassadine woman thing, but, on history, I'd have to agree with Alexis, Jax." "Of course you would," he said amiably. "And if memory serves," Alexis countered his argument again, "women don't come out away from Jacks men scratchless. You forget I'm your ex-wife." "And the best ex-wife a man could have," he said. She accepted the compliment with a smile. Suddenly, Kristina said, "Believe it or not, I'm hungry." "Oh, I believe it," Alexis said. "With all the intrigue, ceremonial and anxiety, none of us really ate much. I don't know why Stefan even bothers with good caterers at these things." She started to get up. "I'll go make some popcorn." "I think I want something more... substantial than popcorn." "I could order Chinese." Kristina shook her head. "I'm craving a cheeseburger. And no, before you even say it, Jax, I don't want to fly to Marseille for steak Diane or something. I just want to go down the street and find a cheeseburger." "Kelly's is closed," Alexis reminded her. "I'll go to the Outback, then." She got up. "Why are you so determined to get up and leave?" Alexis asked. "So the two of you can get to the good stuff without the nosy little sister hanging around." "I'm not sure there is any good stuff this time." "Sure there is. Helena's defeated, we're all alive, Stavros didn't go over to the dark side, he and V are in love, and so are Stefan and Dr. DaSilva." At Alexis' look she said, "I'm not blind, Alexis. The vibrations are right out there. Anyway I'm off to find a cheeseburger. You two, make of things what you will." She grabbed her purse and went out the door. Alexis and Jax just looked at each other. Stefan was alone in his office again when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," he said. It was Stavros. "Mr. Jacks took Alexis and Kristina home. Nikolas is ready whenever we are. I think he is anxious to get back to Gia." Stefan smiled. "Most likely." After a moment he said, "Would you join me in a drink?" Stavros nodded and Stefan poured one for each of them. They drank, and then Stefan said, "I have been making the arrangements. There was some fuss, of course. The authorities wanted to do a full autopsy. But there are still strings we can pull, and I have done so. We have permission to transport Mother to Greece immediately, on the Cassadine jet." Stavros nodded without saying anything. "Stavros, are you… comfortable with what was done tonight?" "I am," he said. After a moment he added, "For weeks now, I have worried about what I have lost, about the information I no longer have. But now, as Dr. DaSilva once suggested, I see that I have replaced that past knowledge with a sense, deep-seated and instinctive, of how things should be. Take V, for example. I sense that we are meant to be together, although that, as a question of human relationships, is a bit more complicated." "Relationships always are," Stefan agreed with a smile. "I have to ask myself… am I still too fragmented, too incomplete for her, for a real future?" Stefan looked at his brother. "Stavros, in some ways, you are more complete now than ever before. And, perhaps… so am I." He put down his glass. "We will be ready to leave soon. Will you excuse me?" "Of course." Kristina walked into the Outback, which was near closing time and close to deserted. "Would it still be possible to get a cheeseburger?" she asked the hostess, who assured her that it was. She started to show Kristina to a table, but then Kristina saw AJ Quartermaine sitting alone, eating what looked like the last of a sandwich. She broke away from the hostess and approached him. "Hi." He looked up. His face was drawn and tired, but he smiled at her and the smile seemed at one with what was in his eyes. "Hello. It's Kristina, right?" "That's right. I'm kind of surprised to see you here," she said. "Why's that?" "I guess I thought you'd be home with your family." "Home isn't with my family. I live at the hotel." "Um, I know that, actually." She wondered if he had even known that his cousin Ned had kept her safe at the gatehouse for several weeks. His family talked about him a lot, but did anyone ever talk to him? "But I saw the way they acted with you tonight. I know there were some problems there for awhile…" "You could say that," he said warily. "I don't know, it's none of my business, I guess I just assumed that they'd take you home with them." "Oh, don't worry. We're having a big family breakfast tomorrow." Something in his tone worried her, though she knew she had no right - or reason - to be worried about - or even concerned with - AJ Quartermaine. "Are you… all right?" "I'm fine," he said. "Are you sure? Because… tell me it's none of my business if you like, but… you don't seem all right, considering that you're the guy who came bursting in at exactly the right moment and saved the day." He gave her a short laugh. "Yeah, I'm the guy. Shot a seventy-year-old woman." "You make it sound…" She paused. "Different than what it probably was." "It's exactly what it was. I shot an old woman who was probably going to kill someone else. And I'm okay with that." Kristina nodded emphatically, as if telling him that everyone else was okay with it, too. "I mean it," he continued. "I shot her, instead of a dozen stupid things I might have done if I had thought about it more, and I don't regret it, but… it matters somehow. It counts." "You took it seriously," she said. "And I think you were meant to." He nodded. "You understand. Look, this probably sounds crazy, because all I've wanted for the longest time is what I got tonight in the police station - my family looking at me, treating me, the way they did." The way they did Jason, he thought to himself. "But when they were doing that, I started to feel like I wanted a drink. And I knew that if I went home with them, I would want one even more." "It doesn't sound crazy at all. Getting what you want most can be overwhelming. And tonight, with everything that happened, you needed time to process it, to sort it out for yourself." He nodded again. "So I told them I'd come over for breakfast. I think I'll be ready by then." He took a drink of water. "One of the things we do when the urge to take a drink is there, but not too bad is, find something else to do, something that will be satisfying. They make a great steak sandwich here." He looked up at her and smiled again. "I was thinking about a piece of pie, too. Would you… like to sit with me?" Kristina smiled back. "I'd like that." When Stefan entered Nancy DaSilva's office she was ransacking the surface of her desk. He smiled from the doorway, wondering how a woman with such an incisive, orderly mind could keep such an untidy office. Of course, that might be the reason. "You are looking for - ?" "My keys again." She looked up at him. Her hair was working its way out of its clip and she looked frazzled and utterly adorable to him. "I don't suppose you could do whatever magic you did last time..?" "I suppose I could," he said, his eyes scanning the office, pausing on her candy dish, her in/out basket, her desk lamp, before seeing the brass keychain teetering on the edge, about to fall into her wastebasket. He seized them and said, "I have another idea, however." "What's that?" "I should like you to come home with me." "To Wyndemere? With Stavros and V and Nikolas and Gia?" He smiled. "It is a large estate, with plenty of privacy for all." And the launch ride from hell, she thought, with three pairs of eyes on us, though V and Stavros will probably be focused on each other and Nikolas will be thinking of Gia, or maybe what happened here tonight. Stefan looked at her. "If you are not comfortable with spending the night at Wyndemere - if it is that, and not some discomfort at being with me -" She shook her head. "then there are alternatives. Wyndemere is not the only property we own in Port Charles." "I didn't think it was." "There is, in fact, someplace quite suitable not far from here. I could make a phone call, insure that all was in readiness…" "That sounds lovely," she admitted. "There's just one thing." "And what is that?" He put his arms around her. "The Cassadine Crisis Mentality," she said. "Excuse me?" "You said it yourself. There is always a crisis in your family. And tonight, it seems to me, has brought a lot of that to the fore." "You are right," he said. "There will always be a crisis. But I can think of no woman better suited to stand at my side to face down whatever comes." "As in, nice to have a trained therapist on hand?" "As a woman." He was quiet for a moment, holding her gaze with his own. "Tonight, Nancy, I have done all I can for my family. It is time to start thinking of myself." He kissed her, even more deeply than the second time at the Grille, and said softly, "Perhaps it is past time." When the kiss broke, Nancy said, "I will go with you, Stefan. To Wyndemere or anywhere else you like." A little later, the launch returned Stavros, V and Nikolas to Wyndemere. Nikolas asked immediately about Gia and was told she was in her room. He excused himself and went upstairs and down the hall. Her door was closed, and he knocked on it softly. "Who is it?" "Gia, it's me." "I'm angry at you, Nikolas. You might want to go away." He knew she would be. She had been angry enough when he had hustled her down to the launch and told them to take her home. "Sparky, come on…" He tried the door. It wasn't locked, so he opened it. And was greeted by a large pillow flung across the room, hitting him squarely in the face. "Well, your aim is still good," he said, closing the door behind him. "I told you to go away." "No, you said I might want to." "Clearly, you still don't know how to take good advice." He walked towards her, arms up in a position of surrender. When she didn't throw anything else, he sat down on the bed. "Gia, I wasn't disrespecting you when I sent you back." "You were and you know it. Don't play that song for me, Nikolas." "It had been a long night, and I know you have a shoot coming up… You always try to get more sleep leading up to those. Anyway, mostly we were just sitting around waiting to see if my grandmother would die or not… a deathwatch can be pretty grim, Sparky." "Those are bull***** excuses for pulling that princely rank crap with me and it won't work. Do it again and your little prince will be a little missing." Something about the stunned expression on his face made her want to laugh, but that would have made him think he was forgiven and she wasn't quite ready for that. If ever a promising young prince needed to be trained like a puppy, this was the guy. But she had to admit, he was usually worth the training time. "Gia, I swear, I was only trying to think of you and - " She put out a hand to stop him from talking. "Okay, look. We've had this conversation about umpteen-hundred times and I want to make sure we never have it again. You don't lock me out. You don't send me to my room, even if you think it's for my own good or some self-justifying bull***** like that. You don't try to protect me, unless you see two armed thugs coming at me with weapons, and even then, did it ever occur to you I might bust a few moves of my own?" He was nearly speechless. After a minute he nodded and said, "Gia, all I can do is try harder…" "You'd better try harder," she said, but she couldn't help but smile a little. "Look, Nikolas, I know you mean well, and I know all the reasons why it's hard, all the family and upbringing stuff… but I also know that you're smarter than that, and better than that. You're more than the sum of your upbringing." Another nod from him and she said, "You wouldn't want me if I was this meek little woman, trailing behind you, doing the 'yes, dear' thing." He was about to say he wouldn't know, he'd never had it, but it would only set her off again, and anyway, he knew she was right. "I love you for everything you are, Gia." "Then prove it." He reached for her and she pulled away. "Not like that. I know you're good at that. By trusting me. By letting me in. Can you do that, Nikolas? Really do that?" He looked at her, at this tough-and-tender, sweet-and-sour, indomitable, gutsy, exceptional woman he loved so much. "Yes, Gia, I can. In fact… I'm going to tell you everything that happened tonight…" Stefan unlocked the door to the summer cottage. He had, as he had told Nancy, made a few phone calls. The place was always kept clean, of course, but he had a few special requirements that needed to be met. A fire had been built, and was burning steadily. There was a vase of fresh flowers on the coffee table, and a bottle of wine chilling nearby. A sable throw was spread out on the floor in front of the fireplace. "So," he said, leading Nancy inside, "is this acceptable?" "Acceptable?" She looked around, taking it all in. "It's incredible." He shrugged. "If it pleases you, that is enough for me." "Well, it does." She looked down at her scrubs. "Though I don't exactly fit the surroundings." "You don't need to," he assured her. "It is enough that you are here and that you are who you are." He poured out the wine and turned to find her sitting on the sable throw, stroking it gently. He smiled at the sight, thinking he had smiled more in the last few weeks, in spite of their turmoil, than he could remember in a long time. "Here you are," he said, sitting next to her and handing her one of the glasses. She sipped at the wine and looked at him. "This is lovely. All of it. But in the morning, when what happened tonight fades, will it look differently to you? Will I?" He shook his head. "I once told my mother that she had determined more of my life than she knew, that every doomed romance in my life was an attempt to straighten the accounts between us. Even Chloe… was me running as far as I could from Mother. But with you, for the first time, I am with a woman who is formidable in her own right and in her own way, and I know that my mother has no part in the feelings or the decisions I am making." She nodded. "Just in the time I've known you, I've seen you come a long way, Stefan." "I think my journey - our journey together - is only just starting." He touched her cheek and the two leaned forward together into a long, deep kiss. They were still kissing as they put down their wine glasses and sank down into the sable… Stavros and V were in the library. He poured himself a drink, and offered her one. She shook her head. "It is so late," he said, "two, three in the morning, but I am not sleepy. I never seem to need - or want - much sleep." "Do you feel tired during the day?" He shook his head. "Then you're probably getting what you need." He smiled at her. "Yes… I think that I probably am." He drank his wine for a moment, then said, "Your assignment is over now, isn't it?" "Assignment? I was never, well, I suppose it is." "You were asked to come to Wyndemere and make certain I was no danger to Alexis or Kristina or Nikolas, weren't you?" She nodded. "How long have you known?" "I think I have always known that you were more than you seemed to be… At first I thought Stefan wanted you here because he did not fully trust me at the beginning. But gradually I realized you were… responsible to someone outside this family." "You never said anything." "First of all, I did not have the right, being something of an outsider in my own family. But, more important, I saw very quickly that you meant no harm to anyone here." "Far from it," she said, and he nodded. Stavros finished his drink and put down the glass. "I do not think my future will be here at Wyndemere. In any event, whether or not you are in residence here is irrelevant, I think." "You think?" He went to her. "Do you remember once I asked you if you had ever been in love?" "Yes. I said I had, but it hadn't worked out very well." "And I said that I must have been at one time, but that I did not remember it, so if I ever fell in love again, it would be as if for the first time." She nodded nervously. "Well, my V, my Athena… it has happened. And it is unlike anything I could imagine or remember…." He took her into his arms and kissed her deeply. As she relaxed into his arms, he began to kiss down her throat and neck. "Stavros," she whispered. "We should… this is the library." "But it is not a public one. Or are you worried that someone might walk in? Stefan will not be returning tonight. Nikolas is with Gia." She looked at him. "But you are right. This should be done properly." "Thank you." Suddenly, without warning, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her out of the library. She found herself laughing as he carried her up the stairs and down the hall towards his own suite of rooms. He joined her laughter, a joyous, free sound that rang through the corridors of Wyndemere… Nikolas, curled up with Gia, heard the laughter and smiled, even as tears unaccountably came to his eyes. "What is it?" she asked him sleepily. She was still taking in everything he had just told her, and though they had not made love, she did not feel it was possible to feel closer to Nikolas in any way. "He is happy," Nikolas said, and kissed her gently. Stavros let go of V, who touched her feet down as he turned to close the bedroom door. Once that was done, they kissed hungrily on the way to the bed. She lifted her arms and he pulled her sweater off over her head, tousling her hair in a way he thought was very appealing indeed. The sweater landed on the floor, as did her slacks, and then his, and then his shirt. He said a silent prayer of thanks for the oddities of his condition that, while destroying his memories of his past, allowed him to remember how to do this… He delighted in touching and caressing her, learning her body and its rhythms. He adored every sound that came from her. As they fell onto the bed in a tangle of interlocked limbs, he said again, in a voice filled with awe, "It is the first time…" Marcus Taggert had gone home a little after one in the morning. Shortly after that, a call came down from the District Attorney's office. Any charges against Andreas Andropolous and the other man picked up in Helena Cassadine's suite were to be dropped. With Helena's death and a lack of concrete evidence - V Ardanowski had no idea, for example, which young man had seized her from the Grille's terrace - it had been decided to let them go. "The Lieutenant isn't going to like this," said the night shift sergeant as he went down to the cell and let the two men out. They received their personal possessions, such as they were, wordlessly, and left the PCPD building. The other man, who Andreas had known only slightly in Madame's service, nodded to him and walked away. Andreas did not know where to go or what to do. It would seem that it was over. Madame might be dead by now, or on her way to prison. And while there were no charges against him, it was likely that the Prince - or perhaps Mr. Stefan- would impose his own justice. That seemed likely, given the long, dark car pulling up alongside of him. Andreas recognized the man who got out as someone who had represented Cassadine interests - shadowy, under the table interests - for many years. "Andreas Andropolous," he said. It was not a question. Andreas nodded. "You took a vow to serve the Cassadine. That vow has been corrupted and tarnished. Are you ready to honor it now?" He knew he had no choice. There would be a reckoning, according to the terms laid out by the Prince, or whoever he chose to represent him. Andreas nodded. The man motioned for him to get in the car. After he did, it moved silently into the night.     Chapter 24   Six months later - Cassadine Island It was early in the morning - only a little past sunrise - as Stavros woke up in the Master Suite of the main house. He glanced at V, fast asleep at his side, and smiled. He was tempted to wake her with soft kisses, but the celebrations had gone on late the night before, and he knew she wanted to be well-rested today. He got out of bed, washed up, and put on sandals and lightweight dark slacks. It had been a fascinating six months, and the time had sped by. He had taken the folder Stefan had offered him the day of the party, and had done so well with it that there had been more folders, and then even more, and now he was firmly ensconced as the primary troubleshooter for the Cassadine Estate. He was equally ensconced on the Island, which he had fallen in love with from the moment he had set foot on its shores. It had felt like home to him, a safe haven from which to continue exploring his new existence. He saw the rest of the family often, and had become at ease with flying anywhere in the world, though he still spent a fair amount of time in Port Charles, since Stefan, Alexis, Kristina and, above all, Nikolas, still made their homes there. There were still occasional whispers and stares - there always would be - but he had grown accustomed to them. And, of course, he had V. It was easier to shrug off the hostility and strangeness of others when V was at his side to remind him of what was real. Stavros walked down the back stairs and out past the rose garden, which was in full, final bloom for the end of summer. He continued down a winding path, to a small cove, where Stefan was already standing, looking out at the water. "Good morning," Stavros said, and his brother turned to greet him. "Good morning. Have you seen Nikolas?" Stavros shook his head. "I imagine he is sleeping in. I did not want to disturb him." He stepped out of his sandals. "Shall we begin anyway?" Stefan nodded and the two men started a series of slow, precise moves. Gradually, the intensity and complexity increased. It was their ritual now; whenever two - or all three - of them were together, they started their morning with a tai chi workout. Stavros found that not only did it keep him in excellent shape - he had finally become used to the amazing strength that had been a side-effect of the drugs that had preserved him and then brought him back to life - but it focused his energy. When he shared the routines with his brother and son, he also felt a strengthening of his bond with them both. Nikolas came out soon after they started, and had no trouble picking up the rhythm. As he was leaving, he had heard Gia stir, so he would not have been surprised if he had noticed her coming out onto the beach, and watching them from a slight distance, above the cove. She stretched out on the sand and watched the three men share their workout, and so much more, as the morning sun grew warm. After a little while she saw V, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, coming towards her. "Cassadine Boys Club meeting," she said to V, who laughed and stretched out next to her. "Where's Nancy?" "Still asleep, I think." "You're too excited to sleep, right?" V shook her head. "I never sleep very late." "You mean you're not excited?" "I didn't say that." Her chin rested in her hands as she watched the activity in the cove. "They look… almost mystical." "Almost," Gia agreed. "What they definitely look, is fine." "Shirtless definitely works for all three of them." She thought for a minute. "Maybe we should wake up Nancy." Gia shook her head. "She gets to see Stefan shirtless more often than she gets to sleep in." The three men finished in perfect synchronization. Not a word was said, but they looked at each other in a way that said everything. Even Gia and V knew better than to say anything from their vantage point. They watched as Stavros, Stefan and Nikolas made their way up to the beach. "Good morning," a delighted Stavros said, and took V into his arms. Nikolas gave Gia an equally affectionate greeting. The five of them walked back to the house together. Breakfast was laid out, with fresh, hot coffee. Stavros ate with unusual speed, and was finishing just as Nancy came into the breakfast room. He excused himself and returned a little later, dressed severely in one of his black-on-black outfits, his Cassadine medallion against his chest. Outside, they could hear the sounds of the staff getting everything ready. "I will be back soon," he said. "You'd better," Nikolas said. "You don't want to be late for your own wedding!" Stavros laughed. "I assure you all, I will not be late". He left, while Gia whisked V upstairs for what she called 'prep and pampering'. The car took Stavros to the other end of the Island, to a small house with an excellent view of the Aegean. He sat for a few moments, preparing himself mentally, then got out and went to the door. Andreas opened the door moments after he knocked. Stavros sometimes wondered if the man watched at the window for him. "Good morning, Your Highness," he said. "Good morning, Andreas. How is she today?" "Madame is as she always is. She is well." Stavros nodded and entered the house. Andreas followed as he went into the living room. Helena was sitting at her desk, writing something on one of the yellow legal pads she preferred to use for notes and ideas. She was wearing a deep rose-colored pantsuit. Her hair was freshly cut and washed. "Good morning." Helena smiled at the sound of his voice. Turning her wheelchair adeptly, she said, "Good morning, my darling. You look well." "As you do, as always." He leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek, but she shifted her face slightly so that their mouths touched. Helena said to Andreas, "Bring His Highness something to drink." "No," he said with a smile. "I am fine. And…I cannot stay long." "But you just got here," she said, with what looked like a small pout. "But you know I have business to attend to..." Talking to her was filled with pitfalls. Her mood changed in split seconds and he had to be on guard always. "I know," she sighed, then smiled again. "But I can hardly complain, can I? After all, I've been working on 'business' myself." "Have you?" he said with a smile, slightly forced, but she no longer knew the difference. "Yes, indeed," she said brightly. She wheeled around to pick up the legal pad she'd set aside. She tore off several sheets carefully, folded them in half, and handed them to him. When she turned again to put the pad down, he rolled his eyes slightly, then folded the sheets again and slipped them into his inside jacket pocket. "Once you put that into play, the rest of the plan should fall into place. Our enemies will not know how to react. They will be lost, confused…" He smiled. "Which is exactly where we want them." "Yes…" She gazed at him with something like the indulgent, avid fondness of their encounters in Port Charles, but it was different now. The drugs she'd ingested, the shock of his betrayal, of AJ Quartermaine's gunshot, the additional drugs Andreas fed her every day… had induced significant changes in her mental state. "I must leave the island for several days, but I will come back as soon as I can." It was true. After the wedding, he was taking V to the Riviera for a brief honeymoon, after which they would return to the Island together and V would take up her duties as lady of the manor house, and Consort to the Cassadine Prince. She was also doing some security consulting, which he found amusing, given that she was the one most likely to set off their own security alarms when setting off on her morning runs. "I will miss you, my darling," Helena said, as Andreas came back into the room with her morning medication. AJ's bullets had stopped short of killing Helena, but one of them had damaged her spine. She would never walk again, but she never seemed to question that fact, or, indeed, how she had come to be in the wheelchair. Time seemed to pass for her at a different pace than reality. Andreas, in keeping with the terms of his release into their custody, took excellent care of her. Like his mistress, he never left the Island. "And now… I am afraid I must go." He made an odd, almost formal little bow towards her, but it did not satisfy. She shook her head slightly and crooked her finger at him. With a small nod of his head he leaned down to accept her kiss. Smiling, she stroked his beard with her hand and said, "I like it, Mikkos. It looks very distinguished." "Thank you," he said, with a nod, and after another nod at Andreas, he left. In the car, he thought about the strange charade he was playing with his mother. She had given him life twice and he felt, very strongly, the responsibility of looking after her. Indeed, if she had not acted as she had, regardless of how twisted her motives, he would not be marrying V this very day. He owed her for that. But he also had a responsibility towards his family, perhaps towards the world, to insure that she did no more harm. He took the sheets of paper from his jacket pocket. The gibberish scrawled on them was indecipherable, as was the case each and every time he visited her. He fed them through the small shredder in the back of the car, and signaled his driver that he was ready to leave… Back at the house, Stefan greeted him with his usual concerned expression. "Is everything all right?" "It is as it always is. She is in her own world and, I believe, content to be there." "I do not like to leave you with the sole responsibility in all this, Stavros…" He shook his head. "I am the only one who can do it. But now… it is time to set my mind on happiness." Stefan nodded and put his arm around Stavros' shoulder, leading his brother upstairs. The wedding of Stavros Cassadine and V Ardanowski was, for many reasons, a small and private ceremony, but Stavros did not see why V, who had never been married, should be cheated out of a beautiful and elegant affair. For that reason, it had been decreed a formal event. Flowers from all over the estate had been gathered and arranged on the back terrace of the main house. Their guests had just arrived on the launch and given a chance to freshen up. Now they were in their seats. Gia was sitting, for the moment, with her brother, who did not look entirely comfortable with attending a Cassadine wedding, but was there for V, and because Gia had pointed out there was sure to be another Cassadine wedding that he would not be able to avoid under any circumstances. Kristina was there, with Jax on one side and AJ on the other. Jax had been the primary candidate to give V away, until she had decided she was perfectly capable of giving herself away, and no one had wanted to argue with her. As for AJ, his growing friendship with Kristina, combined with her pointing out that there would probably have been no wedding without him, made his invitation inevitable, and he had, over the last six months, come to terms with the fact that the man who had killed Chloe was alive, and well, and happy. He understood now that, just as he carried his own punishment for the many sins of his life, that Stavros Cassadine was not really getting away with anything. His cousin Ned was there to see V married in style, and was leaving after the wedding to check out an Italian pop star he might want for L&B. Mac and Dara had sent regrets and nice presents. V had no immediate family, but the Cassadines were, she had told Alexis, "all the family a girl could need, and then some." Nancy had been helping the bride, but now she came out in a medium-blue taffeta gown with a sweetheart neckline and a slightly flared skirt. Her jewelry was simple, except for the three-carat marquise-cut diamond, surrounded by small sapphires, on her left hand. She went over to Gia and said, "They're just about ready," and Gia nodded and excused herself. Nancy took over Gia's seat and smiled graciously at Taggert, who nodded and smiled in return. After a few minutes, Stavros, Stefan, and Nikolas, resplendent in their well-tailored evening clothes, came out and stood at the altar. They were all quite different - Stefan classically outfitted in a traditional ensemble, Nikolas sporting a more modern look, with no tie, and a high, independent collar, and Stavros was in an elegant ascot and vest, the vest subtly brocaded - and yet they all looked right together. If Stavros was nervous he did not show it. He seemed to be joking quietly with his brother and son. Nancy caught Stefan's eye and they smiled at each other. The breathtaking view, that encompassed gardens and shore, nature and antiquity, framed the occasion as nothing else could have done. The sun was beginning to set, and elegant lanterns lit up on cue. The keyboardist began to play the Pachibel Canon, and the processional began. Gia and Alexis, carrying fresh roses from the garden, were wearing the same simple silk dress, a classic sheath, but in different colors. Gia's was leaf green, while Alexis wore lilac. They reached the altar, where Gia could not resist giving Nikolas a little kiss. Stefan and Stavros both smiled. Stavros' smile lit up as the keyboardist shifted to what seemed like a slightly techno version of "Here Comes The Bride". V walked towards him slowly, and he was reminded again of Venus rising… She was in white, a long satin gown, cut off-the-shoulder, with the top of the bodice reminding him of the scalloped frosting of their wedding cake. The simple bodice opened up into a full skirt. She wore a fingertip veil, and her hair, which she had grown out slightly over the last six months, was set in soft waves. He could not see her feet, but he knew that she had spent several hours in Athens shopping for shoes, until she found a pair of remarkable white sneakers with satin laces and lace trim. He chuckled to himself at the thought of them. It was so very V, as was her bouquet, a random selection of flowers she had put together, walking from garden to garden on the estate. She joined him at the altar and he took her hand as they faced the Greek Orthodox Archbishop who was performing the ceremony. The prelate began the ceremony, and Stavros hung on every word. There had been another wedding for him once, on this Island, and Nikolas had been the eventual result, but he did not remember it. This one, he knew he would remember for the rest of this life, and as many lives as were granted to him. "I, Stavros Nikolai Mikkosovich Cassadine, take you as my lawfully wedded wife…." "I, Venus Ardanowski, take you as my lawfully wedded husband…" "With this ring, I thee wed, and all my worldly goods…" When the Archbishop asked if anyone had any cause to object, Stavros found himself stiffening, wondering if, against the odds, Helena would strike again. But there was only silence. The officiator concluded the service and told Stavros he could kiss his bride. He did so with appropriate and sincere enthusiasm. "It is the first time," he said to his wife, and she smiled radiantly. The reception was an elegant buffet dinner served on the same terrace. The wedding cake, from the finest bakery in Athens, was easily big enough for a party three times the size of the one gathered, but Stavros had decreed that the staff should have the remains. The keyboardist played popular tunes, and excellent champagne flowed from beginning to end. Stavros and V shared an opening dance to the "Carousel" waltz, which V had confessed was one of the only two waltzes she knew - "and we couldn't do the Blue Danube, it would just be too silly." As they danced, his 'muscle memory' guiding them nicely, she said, "You look very handsome." "Thank you. And you… look delectable." She blushed slightly. "I, um… you do understand why that black on black thing just wasn't going to work today, right?" "I understand that today was supposed to be as you wished it," he said with a smile. Sometime later, in one corner of the terrace, Nikolas, Gia and Alexis talked quietly. Gia's contract with Deception was coming up for renewal soon and she and Nik were discussing where her career would fit into their plans for the future. Nikolas was still working for L&B, but found himself, now that he had the freedom he had so long sought, thinking more and more of finding some way to integrate that freedom with the growing desire he had to be more involved with his family. He looked over at where his father and uncle were talking at the other end of the terrace. "They are both a part of me," he said. "Stefan raised me and made me the man I am today, but… Stavros is there, too, in my blood and in my heart." Alexis nodded. "You were forged by both of them, by the choices Stavros and Laura made, and by Helena, too - " "And by you," he said affectionately. "By me, yes, and even by Mikkos, who you never knew, and by Cassadines in generations past who never imagined you. But now it's your turn, Nikolas. Now it's about your choices." "I'm just trying to make sure they're the right ones." "No one can ever be sure of that," Alexis said. "But I have faith in you." "And so do I," Gia said, looping her arm around him. Stefan and Stavros looked out over the moonlit shore. Nancy was helping V change into her wheat-colored traveling outfit, and when they returned, V and Stavros would leave for Athens, where the Cassadine jet would take them to their Riviera honeymoon. Stavros turned and nudged his brother to turn as well. Nikolas and Gia were dancing, the only couple doing so. They looked perfectly suited, moving seamlessly to the music, conscious only of each other. "You have done a remarkable job," Stavros said. "He is a fine young man." "He is at that." "Thank you, Stefan, for what you did for him. I know that I missed it all, and that even if I hadn't, I would not remember…" He shrugged. After a moment, he said, "V and I have discussed children. We wish to start a family as soon as possible." The look that came over Stefan's face, quick and subtle, might have gone unnoticed by anyone but a brother. Stavros looked at him. The look disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, but Stavros began to laugh. It was his old roar of a laugh, powerful and filled with enjoyment, but now absent of any malice. Stefan looked embarrassed. "Stavros, please…" "You are, aren't you? Or rather, Nancy is…" He continued to laugh, more quietly, but with just as much pleasure. "Damn it, you beat me out." "We just found out, we haven't told anyone yet…" "I'm not anyone, Stefan." "That is true," Stefan said wryly and Stavros started to laugh again. "What are your plans?" "We haven't made any, not officially…" "But?" "But, my plan is to marry her at the first available opportunity." "An excellent plan," Stavros said. "I approve." "I am so pleased." They stood together in companionable silence. Finally, Stavros took two more champagne glasses from a passing waiter and handed one to Stefan. "We will catch up in due time," he assured his brother. "I have no doubt." Stavros remembered, in the hospital, Stefan telling him that they had been raised to hate each other, and had lived up to those expectations. He thought of the wasted years, the wasted energy. He thought of Helena, trapped in her wheelchair and her memories, who would never see this or any future grandchild. He looked at Nikolas and Gia dancing together, at Alexis and Kristina talking by the buffet, at the rest of their guests. He lifted his glass and said, quietly, "Our children will be raised to love each other." "Yes," Stefan said, touching his glass to his brother's, and then, as he had that day at Wyndemere. "Welcome home Stavros." The End