Lulu bounds into her home and rushes excitedly up to her mother.
"Mommy! Guess what I saw?" Nikolas arrives behind Lulu, shutting
the door quietly.
Laura smiles indulgently at her daughter as she gives her a big hug.
"What did you see, sweetheart?"
"Mrs Parker's cat had baby kittens! They are so cute Mommy! She said I
could have one if I wanted. Can I? Please Mommy?" Lulu begs
enthusiastically.
"I bet the kitties are adorable, Lulu." Laura replies gently while
trying to inject some reality into the situation. "But we have Foster,
remember? Foster doesn't get along very well with cats, does he?"
Lulu looks down sadly. "No." After a moment, Lulu looks up at her
mother hopefully. "But this is a kitten! I think Foster would like a
kitten. Please Mommy?"
"No, honey. I'm sorry. We can't get a kitty." Laura says sadly.
Lulu and Nikolas lock stares, Nikolas gives her a warning look while
Lulu glares at him mutinously, daring him to defy her. Without another
word, Lulu runs towards the stairs. Nikolas stops her by catching her as
she goes by. "Lesleylu, you know you can't keep her."
Lulu face falls as she pulls the tiny black kitten out her pocket and
places it in Nikolas' hand. She stamps her feet angrily. "It's not fair!
I hate you, Nikky! I hate you too, Mommy!" She runs upstairs sobbing.
"Oh dear." Laura plops on the couch. "She's such a handful these days.
I know it's normal for her to being going through this now, but I'm just
so tired."
Nikolas joins her on the couch, the kitten curls up in the crook of his
arm and falls asleep. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
Laura rests her head on his shoulder. "You're already doing it by
visiting with Lulu. The only time I don't have her is when she's in
preschool or with you. Lucky's busy learning the ropes at the club, so
he's not around as much. I just need a clone of myself. I can't go back
to work and handle Lulu without more help. If I put her in daycare
that'll only make things worse. There's already been too many changes in
her life."
Nikolas puts his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. "There's the
insurance policy. I know you're mad about it, but it was done with the
best of intentions. As far as I understand, that was the whole purpose
of the policy to begin with; to give you some freedom so you don't have
to go to work right away."
Laura looks at him in mild surprise. "I'm surprised Stefan told you
about it. You approve?"
"Well if he hadn't done it, I would have myself." Nikolas gives her
shoulder an affectionate squeeze. "Don't shoot yourself and Lulu in the
feet because you're mad at him for being highhanded."
Laura sighs. "Stefan should know better than to try and buy me off. I
don't want to argue, Nikolas."
"Neither do I. But if he was honestly trying to buy you off, wouldn't he
have made the policy more extravagant?" Nikolas points out. "
Personally, I would have made it a lot bigger."
Laura considers Nikolas' words. "You have a point. I'll think about it.
Sometimes I just want to throttle Stefan for interfering in my life."
"I don't think he'll be interfering much from now on," Nikolas replies.
"He's started dating a doctor at the hospital. Emma Goldstein is her
name, I believe. He seems quite taken by her."
Laura looks at him suspiciously. "You're being straight with me, right?
You aren't just feeding me some line from Stefan?"
"Of course I'm telling you the truth." Nikolas lies smoothly. "I've
stopped being his mouthpiece a couple years ago."
Laura seems to relax noticeably, almost as if a large weight was lifted
from her shoulders. "Let's change the subject; I don't really want to
discuss Stefan. What's this I hear about a girlfriend? Gina, isn't it?
I hear from Lucky it's serious."
Nikolas blushes slightly. "Yes, Gina's pretty special. I think I'm in
love with her."
Laura hugs Nikolas impulsively, almost crushing the kitty accidentally.
"Oh, Nikolas, that's wonderful! Does she feel the same way? I've met her
a few times. She seems like such a sweet girl." The kitten, miffed
that her bed moved so suddenly, stalks off Nikolas' lap and settles down
next to him.
Nikolas beams. "I think she does, mother."
"I'm so happy for you, Nikolas! Don't be afraid to open your heart to
her." For the first time since Luke's death, Laura has tears of
happiness in her eyes.
Nikolas changes the subject abruptly. "You don't have to be concerned
about me; Gina and I are very happy right now. Now let's get back to
you. How can I help lessen the load on you?"
"You're already doing so much; don't worry about Lulu and me," Laura
reassures him. "We'll be just fine. You have your own life to keep you
busy--finishing your Bachelor's degree, volunteering, Gina, and
Cassadine Inc."
"But I do worry," Nikolas argues. "You're my mother and Lesleylu1s my
sister. You're my responsibility and that takes priority over other
things. I can tell by just looking at you that you're exhausted."
Laura looks at her hands self-consciously. "I'm fine, really. I'll admit
Lulu has trouble at night sometimes, and on those nights I don't sleep
much. But it's getting better."
Nikolas hesitates a moment before broaching the subject. "How would you
feel if Lesleylu stayed over at Wyndemere some night? She has been
begging me to let her come to Wyndemere for a sleepover. And it would
give you a break."
Laura shakes her head. "That's a sweet offer, Nikolas, but I couldn't
impose on you and Stefan like that."
"It's not an imposition. I already spoke to him about; it's fine with
him. I'll be the one taking care of Lulu. Lulu would have a blast and
so would I. And Mrs Lansbury can't stop talking about how sweet Lulu
is."
Laura considers the idea seriously for the first time. "Lulu's been
begging me to take her to Wyndemere too, and I'm running out of
excuses... Okay, I'll think about it."
Nikolas looks at his watch. "I better be going, I have plans to meet
Gina at the club later." He kisses his mother on the cheek before rising
from the couch.
Laura picks up the sleeping kitten and follows him to the door. "Don't
forget your little friend." She hands the kitten to him. "Thanks for
the talk, we should do it more often."
Nikolas smiles genuinely. "Absolutely. I'll stop by tomorrow. Give my
love to Lesleylu."
........................
Lucy and Kevin are at the lighthouse. Kevin is cooking dinner while Lucy
stands at the kitchen counter chattering and sipping wine.
"You know doc, I don't like the sound of this new EMPLOYEE that Stefan
Cassadine hired. I mean is it just a coincidence that her name is
Cassidy? I don't think so. No siree. She just shows up out of nowhere
and now she works for Cassadine Inc and you're her supervisor?" Lucy
looks over at Kevin who is cooking dinner, apparently oblivious to her
chattering. "Doc? Are you listening to me? I said I'm worried, aren't
you going to say something?"
Kevin smiles at her as he tries to be reassuring. "Lucy, you're talking
enough for both of us. As for Cassidy, I agree there's more to her than
just being an employee, but I don't think it's as sinister as you think.
Cassidy is Mike's daughter after all."
Lucy slows down a little bit. "And I like Mike, I do. It's just that he
never mentioned her before. He's lived in Port Charles for YEARS and he
never breathes a word about her. Don't you think that's a little
strange? I do. I mean if you have a kid, you like to talk about them. So
why didn't Mike ever talk about her? It makes no sense that he wouldn't
at least tell Sonny."
"I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation." Kevin throws out
in the midst of Lucy's chattering.
Lucy grabs onto his thought. "Well? Did Cassidy give you a reason why
Mike kept her a secret all these years?"
The phone rings interrupting the conversation. Kevin answers Lucy as he
reaches for the phone. "If she did tell me, I couldn't tell you, could
I? It's her secret to share. Why don't you go ask her yourself?" Kevin
picks up the cordless phone and turns it on. "Hello?'
Lucy keeps going. "So there is a secret! I knew it!"
Cassidy is on the other end of the line. "Hi Kevin. I'm sorry to call
you at home, but I encountered a potential personnel issue that could
jeopardize security. Do you have a moment?"
Kevin smiles into the phone. "Sure Cassidy. Just a sec." Kevin puts his
hand over the mouthpiece as he speaks to Lucy. "Could you put the rolls
in the oven when the timer goes off? Thanks." Lucy gives Kevin a
thunderous look before he walks to his study so he can talk privately.
"What seems to be the problem?"
"I hate using phones, they only give you the allusion of privacy,"
Cassidy quips. " But this couldn't wait. What can you tell me about a
gentleman by the name of Mark Biggs?"
As Kevin discusses Mark Biggs with Cassidy he begins to doodle on a note
pad. "I take it he1s making some serious mistakes...." As the
conversation continues an outline of Cassidy's face can be seen on the
pad.
.............................
Nikolas sitting on the couch in the Wyndemere living room studying for
an exam with the small black kitten asleep on his lap. Stefan walks in
and does a double take when he sees the kitten. "Nikolas, where did the
kitten come from?"
Nikolas replies absently as he reads his textbook. "Lulu fell in love
with it when we encountered a litter of kittens. She couldn't keep it
because of Foster, but I didn't have the heart to return it."
Stefan sits on the couch next to Nikolas, eying the kitten suspiciously.
"I see. Do you intend to keep it?"
Nikolas strokes the kitten's neck gently. "I'd like to. Lulu was
heartbroken when Mother said no. But if you would rather I didn't, I'll
find her another home."
Stefan considers the idea of a cat. "She would have to be an indoor cat.
The guard dogs might harm her otherwise." Stefan reaches over, picking
up the kitten to inspect it. "She appears to be Burmese. A fine breed."
Stefan changes the subject. "How are your mother and Lesleylu?" The
kitten nuzzles Stefan's hand.
"They're struggling. Lesleylu is fretful a good part of the time and
Mother looks exhausted." Nikolas puts his book aside as he continues.
"On a positive note, I think she'll accept the insurance policy. She
also seemed amenable to letting Lesleylu visit Wyndemere."
Stefan frowns. "I don't like the sound of that. Where is Lucky in all
this? Is he neglecting them?"
Nikolas shakes his head. "No, but he is busy learning the club, so he
doesn't have much time to spend with them."
"I am pleased to hear that Laura accepts your help and guidance. You
will inform me if there is anything they require?" Nikolas nods as
Stefan strokes the kittens head. The kitten responds by purring loudly,
clearly enjoying herself. "This kitten is an excellent idea, Nikolas.
She seems to have a very good temperament; perfect for Lesleylu. I can
see the advantage of keeping her."
...........................
