Single Perfect Moments
Nikolas Cassadine stood at the podium, staring out into a sea of grief-stricken faces. He took a few deep breaths to compose himself, and then begin the hardest speech of his life.
"Almost three years ago, in this very church, I became the happiest man alive. The love of my life, my soul mate, my Emily, was going to become my wife. I remember standing right here, at this altar, waiting for her. And when she came through those doors and I saw her, I don't think I'd ever seen anything more beautiful than her." He continued to stare straight ahead at the mourners assembled before him, but all he could see was Emily's radiant smile as she walked down the aisle.
"It didn't matter that we had been tried and tested before that day," he continued, "nor did it matter that I was facing a prison term and that the next day I would be taken back to jail. All that mattered was that we were together, pledging the rest of our lives to each other. I told Emily that as long as we had that single perfect moment, we could get through anything."
Nikolas paused, tears coming to his eyes and a lump forming in his throat. "My life with Emily was filled with single perfect moments." Looking down, he fought back the tears. "The night we confessed our love for each other. Our first Christmas, when I asked her to marry me. The night I walked into Wyndemere after the Port Charles Hotel Fire, when everyone else believed I had died, and Emily ran into my arms. The afternoon we danced alone in the living room of Wyndemere. The night we spent together when my memory returned after the car accident. Our wedding night. The day she took me back after I made the biggest mistake of my life. And the night when she, for the second time, agreed to make me the happiest man alive."
He took a breath. "Even though these moments stand out, the truth is…every moment I spent with Emily was perfect. She taught me how to love, and how to be a better person. She gave my life a purpose. She completed parts of me that were missing, and gave me the kind of love I had only hoped for. She made me a better man through her love, and she saved me from a life of darkness and despair." Nikolas looked at her picture on the mantle, tears coursing down his cheeks. "I don't know how I am going to live wi-without her," he confessed, his voice catching as he tried to keep himself composed. "When Emily had cancer and it seemed like she was going to die, she made me promise her that I would live a full life: have a bunch of kids and, every once in a while, laugh until it hurt. And then, when I died, she'd be waiting for me in Heaven." Nikolas could no longer hold back the sobs threatening to escape. "I can't do that without her." He thought of her smile, and could hear her laughter as clearly as if she were standing next to him. "I may not be able to keep that promise to Emily, but a long time ago, I promised that I would never let go of our love. And I won't. I promised her that I would love her forever. And I will." Stepping away from the podium, Nikolas returned to his seat in silence. There was nothing left to say.
The End