CHAPTERS 5 & 6
Chapter 5: Unexpected Pleasures
Early morning, Stefan's bedroom suite. Stefan is dressing, his trademark black jacket draped neatly on the edge of the bed. As he dons his dark blue dress shirt he contemplates the progress he's making with Laura. She's warming slowly, as he expected. That didn't stop the aching he feels in his heart, or the impulsive desire to take more drastic measures to get her into his bed. Measures that he's sure are doomed to fail.
A soft knock on the door startles him from his private thoughts. He hears Laura's voice outside his room. "Stefan, I'd like to talk to you before breakfast."
Presentable, but still not fully dressed, Stefan answers his door. "You don't have to ask permission to enter my bedroom, Lasha. You are, after all, my wife. Come in." He steps aside to let her in.
Laura notes that the top half of his shirt isn't buttoned, leaving her a clear view of his lean chest. Lowering her eyes, she watches him meticulously button the cuffs of his shirt. "I... uh, wanted to talk about our sleeping arrangements."
"Oh?" Stefan says absently. "You aren't pleased with your room? It is one of the more extravagant bedrooms, one of the few large ones with a view of the water."
"No, the room isn't the problem... it's exquisite. The problem is Lulu. She made a midnight visit to my room last night. She wondered why we were sleeping separately." Laura makes a point of looking up into his eyes. "She's worried about us, I sidestepped her questions last night, but if things continue as they are, I won't be able to. I feel bad enough having to lie to her as much as I have."
"That is a problem. She's not likely to stop her nocturnal visits anytime soon. As it is, I suspect she came in here last night, because the door was ajar when I woke. She must not have stayed long, otherwise she would have awakened me." Stefan turns to the task of buttoning the top buttons of his shirt while subtly moving closer to her. "I do not relish lying to LesleyLu either. Do you have any proposed solutions?"
"The only one that makes sense is my sharing the bedroom with you. I know I said when I agreed to marry you that I wouldn't share a bedroom with you," She explains. "But I don't see any other way to keep Lulu from worrying. It's important that she feel secure."
Stefan steps even closer to Laura, his proximity forcing her to look up at him. He gazes down at her seriously, suppressing his joy at the surprise boon. "Of course, our marriage and moving into a new home are more than enough disruption for her to deal with." He twists a lock of her hair around his finger, his eyes warm and intimate. "We will do what's best for your daughter and allay her fears. I have to say the idea of waking up next to you is quite appealing. As it should be."
Laura begins to protest. "Stefan, I..."
Stefan breaks contact and turns to retrieve his jacket from the bed. He quickly changes the subject, effectively preventing her from continuing. "Shall we meet the children downstairs for breakfast?" He offers his arm to her.
"Sure, why not." Not seeing a polite way to refuse it, she reluctantly accepts his arm.
Mrs Lansbury enters the dining room as the family finishes their breakfast. "Mike Corbin is here, he says it's urgent that he speak with you, Sir," She announces to Stefan. "He also said that he wanted to see you, Mrs Cassadine."
Stefan gives a short nod and rises from the table. "See him into the living room, Mrs Lansbury; we will be there shortly."
"I will make sure LesleyLu makes it to her kindergarten class this afternoon, Mother," Nikolas offers. "Go ahead."
"I hate being called LesleyLu!" Lulu pouts. "My name is Lulu."
"Well, when you start calling me Nikolas instead of Nikky, I'll call you Lulu," Nikolas retorts in a teasing tone.
Laura and Stefan kiss Lulu good bye and wish her a good day at school. Afterwards they join Mike in the living room.
"Michael, it is a pleasant surprise to see you here," Stefan begins with a gracious smile. He shakes Mike's hand firmly.
"Thanks... and I hear congratulations are order. You two tied the knot?" Mike and Laura hug and Laura confirms his question. "I wish you two the best. Stefan, you take care of this special lady, or you'll have me to answer to."
Laura blushes as Stefan responds in good humor. "I have every intention of indulging her shamelessly. Now what brings you to Wyndemere? Mrs Lansbury made it a point to tell us it was urgent. As wonderful as our nuptials are, I'm sure that's not the reason for your visit."
They all sit down, Laura and Mike on the sofa, Stefan sitting in one of the high back carved wood chairs. Mike rubs his hands together nervously. "I'll get right to the point. It's about Lucky. He dropped the keys off at the club early this morning and told me the club was mine. He said he was on his way out of town."
Laura looks stunned. "That's not possible! He wouldn't leave town without saying goodbye to me! He wouldn't."
"It looked pretty definite to me," Mike counters respectfully. "And to be frank, he's been pretty sore about your marriage. He hasn't been the same since. Even though he's been mad at me for months, he never talked about leaving town. But for the last week or so it's all he's been talking about."
"No, he wouldn't leave town without saying goodbye! He'd at least say goodbye to Lulu. He wouldn't just leave her without saying goodbye..." Laura shakes her head adamantly, but her hands begin to shake. Stefan, remaining silent, comes to stand behind her and puts a gentle hand on her shoulder for support.
"Men do strange things when they're hurting bad," Mike says softly. "He seemed pretty definite. Of course, Emily might know more."
Visibly upset and pale, Laura gets up and walks to the window to look out. Stefan takes over the conversation. "Thank you for stopping by to tell us, Michael. Is there anything we can do for you?"
"Lucky made it pretty clear he wanted nothing to do with the club ever again. I'm hoping in a few months he'll reconsider. But in the meantime, I'm not sure how to proceed."
Laura answers as she continues to gaze out the window. "Run the club with him as a silent partner. Hire whatever extra help you need to run the club. If you need signatures, extra capital, anything, come to me. I'll act as his agent until he says otherwise."
Mike nods and gets up, moving towards Laura awkwardly, trying to offer some comfort. "Thanks. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news... if there's anything I can do, you'll call me?"
Laura smiles back at him weakly. "Thank you, Mike. You're a good friend."
After seeing Mike out, Stefan returns to find Laura still staring numbly out the window. He approaches her tentatively. "Perhaps Michael is mistaken," He says without conviction.
"Lucky wouldn't leave town without saying goodbye to me and Lulu. No matter how upset he is." Laura sighs and brushes tears off her face. "I'm going to see Emily. I'm sure she can tell me this is all a mistake." With renewed strength, Laura goes about retrieving her coat and purse.
"Would you like me to come with you?"
Laura shakes her head. "Thank you, but I have to do this alone." At his disapproving frown, she kisses him on the cheek. "No, not completely alone, I'll take the chauffeur. I know you'd be very alarmed if I went into that part of town unaccompanied."
"I will wait for you here, then," Stefan replies quietly.
After he's sure she's left, Stefan picks up the phone and dials. "Yes, I have a job for you. I want you to find Voss. I have a opportunity that he can't refuse."
The Lighthouse, Kevin opens the front door to find Cassidy on his doorstep. He smiles widely in greeting. "Well.. hello there, Stranger! To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"
Cassidy hugs him warmly. "Hi, Big Brother! I can always count on you for a warm reception."
Kevin returns her embrace. "Always." Breaking away from her, he studies her from top to bottom. "Yep, my first impression was correct. You're in a good mood. Even your color is good."
"Well, it should be!" Cassidy answers brightly, twirling around the room giddily. "There's news on Jerry! He's alive and within the next 36 hours he'll be rescued!"
Catching her enthusiasm he lifts her up in the air in a bear hug. "That's terrific news! Your prayers have finally been answered."
Cassidy sobers as she leads him to the couch. "I suppose I shouldn't be this excited so soon. He hasn't been rescued yet, and last I saw he was in pretty horrible shape. But I can't help it. It's been months since I've had any hope at all."
"And with a little luck and a lot of love, everything will work out just fine." Kevin squeezes her hand. "And I say any news that brings the light back into your eyes is welcome news. So tell me the details."
"If all goes well, he'll be in Zurich, Switzerland by the end of the week. I plan to be there when he arrives."
"You've notified his family?"
Cassidy nods. "Yeah, I called them from the plane last night. They plan to fly out to Switzerland once he's there."
Kevin cups her cheek. "You know not to expect too much from him? He's been through a terrible ordeal that's most likely changed him forever. Add that to the fact that the two of you didn't part on the best of terms..."
Cassidy agrees. "I know, I can't expect him to welcome me and the baby with open arms. But I HAVE to be there, Kevin. To help him regain his strength, to sort out feelings, to find some peace... I should warn you that I'm taking a position over in Zurich for a few months. So I probably won't be back until after the baby's born."
"I could have guessed as much." Kevin pats the cheek he's been cupping. "I will miss you, little sister. And you can expect many visits from me. I didn't just get to know you so that you could go running off and not see me for months at a time."
Cassidy's eyes moisten at his commitment to their relationship. "Good. I expect you to be a doting uncle to my baby when it's born."
Kevin smiles back at her. "You couldn't keep me away."
Chapter 6
Laura enters Kelly's diner to find Bobbie and Benny at the lunch counter with Carly. Bobbie spies her first and glowers. "Well... look who decided to slum? Hello, Laura." Carly's face is neutral, but it's obvious that she's not all that happy to see Laura either.
Laura holds her chin up high and approaches the counter. "Hello, Bobbie. Has anyone seen Emily? I was hoping she could tell me where to find Lucky."
"Emily's not around. No one really knows where she is," Carly answers carefully.
"I guess the mother is the last to know, although that's hardly surprising in this case," Bobbie replies snidely. "Lucky's gone for good. You ran him out of town, Laura. You proud of yourself?"
Laura fights to remain calm in the face of Bobbie twisting the knife. She turns to Carly for help. "Is this true, did he leave town? Did he say anything to you?"
Carly nods, pointing to a note laying on the lunch counter. "Yeah, found the note under my door this morning. It's from Lucky saying goodbye and thanking me for everything. Pretty much says he's not planning on coming back. I'd say he's long gone by now."
A trembling Laura walks to the counter and sinks onto one of the stools. "It's true... he's... he's gone..." Her face crumples as she sags against the counter in tears.
"Oh, please, Laura. Go someplace where someone cares," Bobbie says cruelly. "Better yet, go let your new husband console you! I'm sure he'd be happy to whisper sweet lies in your ear."
Feeling sympathy for Laura, Carly intervenes. "Bobbie, I have something private I want to talk to you about. Will you join me in the kitchen?"
Bobbie nods, but sends a parting shot at Laura as she leaves. "You're getting what you deserve. I hope you can live with what you've done to Lucky. I for one, think it's disgraceful."
Laura sits on the stool and shakes with silent tears of self-loathing. After the two other women leave, Benny gently approaches her, "Laura, maybe I can take you home? Or call your husband? Carly can only distract Bobbie for so long and I really think you shouldn't be here when she gets back."
Laura pulls herself together enough to give him a rueful smile. "You're.. you're right. Bobbie seems to relish taunting me and I'm in no frame of mind to defend myself... Thank Carly for me." Laura rises unsteadily to her feet.
"You really shouldn't be driving," Benny cautions.
"There's a driver outside waiting for me, but thank you for your concern. I'll be fine." Laura pats Benny on the shoulder and summons her remaining pride to make a dignified exit from the diner
At Alexis' penthouse, Alexis and Mike stand by as Cassidy packs the last of her things. A slightly frazzled Cassidy blows a strand of hair out of her face. "You sure you're okay with storing my stuff for a few months?"
Alexis smiles. "A few boxes won't cramp me in the least. Stop worrying."
"I can't help it," Cassidy admits. "I feel like I'm leaving you in the lurch taking off on a moment's notice like this. You sure you and Stone will be okay without me?"
"Stone will miss his Aunt Cassidy, but we'll get along just fine. Jan's agreed to take over most of the cooking. I even tasted one of her meals while you were gone yesterday and it was quite good. While she'll never be you in the culinary department, Stone and I should get by quite nicely. And maybe there's hope that my figure will finally return to normal."
"And she'll certainly never be lonely with me hanging around," Mike quips good naturedly. "I'll probably be underfoot so much she'll be kicking me out the door." He opens his arms to invite Cassidy for a hug. "Come give your dad a hug. He's going to miss you something fierce."
Cassidy walks into his arms and closes her eyes as he envelopes her in a warm bear hug. "I'm going to miss you too, Daddy. You promise you'll visit, right?"
"I wish I could come with you," Mike says sadly. "My little girl's six months pregnant and she's flying half way across the world. If it were for any other reason but Jerry..."
"I have to do this, Daddy," Cassidy whispers. "Once everything is settled I'll call you and you can come for a visit. Heck, there's no reason you can't stay for the baby being born."
"Actually, there is." Mike breaks the hug and explains. "I didn't want to tell you this before you left because I thought you didn't need the extra worry, but Lucky skipped town this morning. That leaves me as the only one to run the club."
Cassidy's eyes widen with surprise. "Wow... this has something to do with his mom marrying Stefan, doesn't it?"
"Afraid so. I spoke to Laura and Stefan about it this morning. Laura didn't have a clue he was leaving town and was pretty shaken up by it."
Alexis looks at her watch. "Sorry to break this up, but if Cassidy wants to drop by Wyndemere to say her farewells before she makes her six o'clock flight, you two better get moving. Cassidy, Stone will be crushed if you don't kiss him goodbye before you go."
Monica, taking a rare stroll through the park, happens upon Laura sitting forlornly on a park bench. Monica approaches her. "Laura, for someone who just got married, you look positively miserable. What's happened?"
Laura wipes the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "Lucky's gone. He left town without saying a word to me or Lulu."
Monica looks stunned as she sits next to her good friend. "Oh boy, when did this happen?"
"This morning apparently. Mike came by Wyndemere to tell me about it." Laura shakes her head miserably. "I didn't believe it at first. I mean I never thought he'd take off without a word to me. But when I went to go look for Emily, Carly confirmed it. I just came from the house. He's removed everything that's ever mattered to him."
"I'm so sorry, Laura," Monica says sympathetically, while her own worry for Emily brews. "How's Emily taking it? Did you see her?"
"No one seemed to know where she was," Laura replies numbly. "I underestimated how much I hurt him, Monica. I thought with some time he would accept my marrying Stefan. But all I've succeeded in doing is driving him away... I handled this situation all wrong. And now my baby's out there somewhere alone and hurting and there's nothing I can do fix it." She uses her handkerchief to wipe more tears away.
Monica hugs Laura briefly. "If I find out anything from Emily about where Lucky is, I'll let you know. If anyone has any information, she would. But I wonder where she is? It's not like her to disappear..."
"Thanks, Monica." Laura notices the sun setting and rises to her feet. "I'd better be going before Stefan worries. I hope you find Emily soon. Give her my best."
"I will." Monica rises also. "Bye, Laura. And take care."
Ashton residence in Bensonhurst. Emily is at the kitchen table doodling aimlessly on a note pad when Lois enters dressed to go out.
"You sure ya don't want to come with me shopping?" Lois asks Emily. "Ma's got the kids, so we could have real quality girl-talk."
Emily smiles politely. "No thanks. I'll be fine here. I need a little time by myself to think anyway."
"Okay!" Lois replies cheerfully. "Don't forget to call your parents. You don't want them worrying about where you are."
Emily frowns. "Maybe later. I just don't think I can handle Mom hovering and Dad telling me 'I told you so'."
"Well the deal is ya have to call 'em tonight or Nedly does. It's the only way I got him to agree to wait in the first place." Lois kisses Emily on the top of her head. "See ya later, Girlfriend."
After Lois leaves, Emily picks up the cordless phone and stares at it for several minutes trying to decide whether to make the call. How she dreads calling her parents. She can just imagine their reaction to the whole Lucky fiasco. Monica would swoop in full of motherly concern and try to fix things that couldn't be fixed. And Alan, he'd give her a sympathetic but self-satisfied look, 'Sorry you're hurting, Honey. But I could have told you it would turn out like this. Lucky Spencer isn't someone you can count on. Consider yourself lucky that he left when he did.' Ugh. She'd never tell them about Lucky's marriage proposal or they'd surely flip. Emily wipes a tear off her cheek and puts down the phone. Now's not the time, maybe later she'd be up to it. Maybe later she wouldn't feel like her life was ruined.
The Quartermaine mansion, Monica and Alan's bedroom. Monica is sitting on the bed talking on the phone. "You haven't seen her since last Friday? Do you two have any classes together this term?.... And she missed her class today.... no, I'm sure it's nothing serious, Josie. I'm just having a heck of a time finding Emily today." Monica looks up when she hears Alan enter the room. "If you see her, will you tell her to call me right away? ...No, it's not an emergency, really. I just want to talk to her about something... Thanks, Josie. Bye."
"Was that about Emily?" Alan interjects immediately. "What's going on?"
Monica pats the bed next to her, to beckon Alan to sit down. When he does, she begins to explain. "I heard some disturbing news this afternoon from Laura. Apparently Lucky left town suddenly. I've called all the friends I can think of and no one seems to know where Emily is."
Alan jumps to his feet. "You don't think she's taken off to be with him, do you? By God, if he's run off with my little girl I'm going to KILL him..." His fists clench at his sides.
Monica tries to reassure Alan while she reassures herself at the same time. "No, Alan, I'm sure it's not that. Emily's very responsible. If she were planning on leaving town, I'm sure she'd tell us."
Alan paces the room nervously. "Maybe, maybe not. She might not tell us if she thought we'd try to stop her... And with that Spencer kid involved, who knows what she's capable of? Are you willing to just sit here and wait to find out? And give her time to get so far away we never find her?"
"What do you propose we do?" Monica asks.
Alan stops his pacing for a moment to consider. "We'll go to Kelly's. Maybe we can find something in her room, or someone who knows where she is."
Monica nods in agreement and they quickly head out the door.
