Author's note: since this is really just a short story I put the update within the chapter. You can think of the line break as the divider with the update below. I also plan to and another update but have not finished it yet. if this is the first time you are reading this just think of the dividers as phases in their relationship.
Nikolas was sick of being told that he would be 18 years old next year and that he needed to choose an appropriate wife. He had grown up on his family's private island off the coast of Greece and had never really known anybody outside of the family and their servants. Wanting to marry for love and not for his family hierarchy he didn't know how to pick a wife; he had never been in love. When his uncle left him alone for the afternoon to complete his studies, he snuck off the island. Because Macedonia, Turkey, Bulgaria, & Albania were too close so he sailed towards Italy. Once he got to Italy he headed to the nearest shopping center with lots of different stores and restaurants. Nikolas was in one of the clothing stores when he noticed a rather large man following a petite black-haired woman. Feeling the need to protect this young woman Nikolas joined the large man who was waiting outside of the womens' dressing rooms. It wasn't long before he saw the girl leave in blue jeans, a black jacket, a red shirt and red tennis shoes instead of the black dress she went in wearing. When the large man just sat there waiting, Nikolas said, "I am not waiting anymore. If someone asks I am going to the shoe department" in perfect Italian. Nodding in agreement, he watched Nikolas leave.
As Nikolas caught up to the girl, she was at the cash register of a bookstore trying to buy a puzzle book. The cashier looked a little annoyed because the line was growing and the girl was digging through her back unable to pay for her purchase at the moment, so Nikolas walked up and paid the cashier. Handing her the book he said in Italian, "It is alright…" but was cut off by the girl, "What do you want? No one does something for nothing." Startled by her blunt English, Nikolas didn't answer. At that she shoved the book back at him and walked away. Running after the girl Nikolas explained in English, "I am sorry. The cashier just looked annoyed so I thought I would help out. I don't want anything from you. I just needed to know you were alright." At her confused look he continued, "I saw the gentleman following you in the clothing store and wanted to make sure you weren't still being followed. I don't want you to get hurt." Smiling at his sincerity she explained that the man was supposed to be her guard and her family didn't really let her do things normally. With that in common Nikolas found that he spent the entire day talking to her about family without mentioning that he was a Russian prince.
The next morning he found that he missed talking to someone besides his family and really wanted to see her again so any chance he got he snuck of the island to see her. And at that he found the most unexpected friendship as they hung out talking, going out to eat, doing puzzles, watching movies, or exercising. Within weeks he found that they had to hide from her family because they were dangerous. Not really alarmed because his family was too and that's why he never brought her to the island. He didn't want to change her perspective of him by telling her the truth that he was a prince and he definitely didn't want his uncle or grandmother scaring her off. Oddly it was the moments they were hiding that he enjoyed most. She would hold his hand, pull on his arm, or shove him out of sight, but pressed against her he found that he wanted more than a friendship with her. Afraid of her rejection and ruining their friendship he rarely said anything of the nature. When he did it was always too late. Others showed up or the guards had past either way she had moved and he wound up alone talking to himself or falling into the wall when he tried to kiss her.
No more than three months into their friendship, Nikolas came across her family. Sitting around a table at lunch he found Claudia and her Uncle Rudy accompanied by two gentlemen discussing not much in general. Knowing he was supposed to stay away from her family, Nikolas was about to leave when he saw the man sitting to Claudia's left put his hand on her leg rubbing the inside above her knee. When she didn't make him remove his hand, Nikolas got a little angry but stayed back watching. Claudia was looking at her uncle but he just looked at the other two men and then left with the third man that was across from Claudia. Now alone with the man Claudia looked around uncomfortably as he ran his hand further up her dress to her inner thigh. Unable to stop himself, Nikolas lunged at the man and yelled at him to stay away from her. Afraid Claudia pulled Nikolas away from the man yelling, "What is wrong with you?". Dragging Claudia by the hand out of the restaurant, Nikolas yelled back at her, "What's wrong with me. What is wrong with you that man had his hands all over you." Taking a few breaths to calm herself down she tried to reason, "And … that does not give you the right to barge in. You could have gotten hurt. My family and their associates are dangerous people."
Frustrated that Claudia didn't see this as a problem, Nikolas got closer almost in her face, "So, I don't like seeing other men put their hands on you. You are a smart, strong woman and you should not let guys touch you like that…" with her smiling at him he became flustered, "…What. How. Why are you smiling? I am serious. You should not let other men touch you like that." Still smiling she got a little closer to his face and said somewhat condescendingly, "You said 'other' men. Are you thinking about putting your hands on me." Putting his right hand on her cheek, he smirked and pulled her closer to him with his left arm around her waist closing the distance between them completely and kissed her with everything he had. After a few moments she pulled away catching her breath. Disheartened Nikolas started to apologize because while he wanted to be more than friends he didn't want to lose her. Wrapping her arms around his neck she agreed that she didn't want to lose their friendship but said she wanted to try as long as they took it slow and could promise to stay friends. Giddy with excitement Nikolas agreed and went in to kiss her but this time she kissed him back.
For the next three months everything continued much the same as the last three months expect that Claudia & Nikolas now spent a lot of time kissing when they hung out & frequently held hands. One night when her uncle & his men were out on business Nikolas snuck in & they were in the middle of what was quickly becoming a make-out session in her bedroom, Claudia suddenly pulled away from him when he touched her. Not sure what was wrong he asked, "Did I do something to hurt you?" Answering quickly, Claudia responded, "No, it's not that. I just thought we were taking things slow in that area." Slightly confused Nikolas said, "I am sorry. I didn't realize I was pushing you. I have never really been intimate with anyone before. I was just trying to hold you close." Calming down Claudia answered slowly, "Oh, I guess that is ok…Sorry I freaked out for nothing…wait…you are a virgin." Unsure of how to answer her in an appropriate manner, Nikolas almost whispered, "Yeah, I am. You are the only girl I've been this close with… Have you been with other guys…before you met me, I mean?" Not really wanting to answer him Claudia looked away from him, "I,…um, I am not…I mean that I" Sensing her discomfort, Nikolas scooted over to her & brushed her long black hair out of her face, "It is ok if you have."
Trying not so cry as she explained, Claudia answered, "Yeah, I was with two other guys when I was still in the states. My first, uh boyfriend, I guess you could call him, was older than me and really didn't take well to waiting until I was ready so we slept together a few times but when I stopped our physical relationship he ultimately ended everything." Rubbing her arm Nikolas interrupted, "It's ok. He was just an imbecal. You know I would never do that to you." Smiling a little at him she continued, "Maybe not the same way but it gets worse. The other guy, Trevor was my dad's lawyer. I knew he was scum. He had been for years, but my father would not listen to my mother, or even my little brother so I thought I would get rid of him." Seeing the confusion on his face because he figured out that usually when her family got rid of someone you didn't find them again, Claudia continued, "Trevor had always said how pretty I was or that I was growing into a beautiful woman. He found every excuse he could to put his hands on me, and I just thought… I knew my father would be outside his office attending to Maria's roses. He was supposed to see his lawyer, a full grown adult man, screwing his teenage daughter. I thought he would at least fire Trevor but he just yelled at me and shipped me off to Italy."
By now Claudia was wiping the tears out of her eyes and trying to hide from him, but Nikolas just held her tighter alternating between rubbing her back, stroking her hair, and saying that it was going to be alright. She didn't really believe him when he told her that it was not her fault and that they (those men) were the ones in the wrong. He told her his general opinion of her father, trying not to upset her too much. Nikolas hated her father. He had never wished anyone dead but he would have loved to see her father see feet under. Of course he couldn't tell her this so he just kept telling her it wasn't her fault & he still found her beautiful and would wait until it was the right time. When she finally looked him in the eyes she could see that it was true. Nikolas was so genuine she couldn't believe that he was interested in her, but he proved it when he kissed her with just as much love as he did before she told him about her past relations.
It had been over four months since Nikolas and Claudia discussed their relationship and true to his word Nikolas patiently waited for her. Although Claudia now believed his intentions were true and she deserved better than what she had, Claudia agreed with Nikolas that it was more than just a physical act and should be at the right time. As time went by, Claudia grew to love Nikolas and knew she was ready to be with him. While she tried to subtly tell him this, he didn't seem to get the message. Picking up on her hints Nikolas was planning the perfect moment for Claudia. He wanted her to know she was loved and deserved the best even if her past made her think differently.
Nikolas left the island early before anyone else was up and had a chance to stop him. He met Claudia at the bookstore they first talked at so they could grab a puzzle book. Yawning Claudia teased him, "Seriously, you wanted me to get out of bed before the sun is up to get a puzzle book. I think you are obsessed." Trying not to laugh, Nikolas responded, "No, I did not get you out of bed for a puzzle. I thought we could have breakfast before we headed out for the day." Intrigued she inquired, "Out where?" as she snuggled up next to him. Her attempts to get him to tell her didn't work; he just said that it was a surprise so she said, "what if I leave? Maybe I want to go to bed." Moving in to kiss her, Nikolas said, "Well, you can do that later. You will want your surprise." Moaning into him she finally agreed to breakfast and her surprise.
After breakfast, Nikolas and Claudia headed north through Italy along the west coast hitting Naples and Rome for short shopping visits before traveling to Marseille, France. Throughout the afternoon, Nikolas and Claudia toured the countryside and visited the castles. Nikolas kept debating with himself and half-heartedly tried to tell Claudia who he really was. She seemed to love the castles but he didn't know how she would take it and didn't want to ruin their perfect day. However, their perfect day didn't last. While sailing to their final destination, it started pouring down rain. Frustrated with the weather, Nikolas complained that his plans were ruined. Unable to stop herself Claudia laughed and then kissed him in the rain; "Nikolas, It's fine. Just a little rain" she said. Feeling that the evening was ruined, Nikolas explained, "I thought we could have a nice romantic candlelight dinner outside." Trying to correct the situation, Claudia asked, "Well, do you have the food? And the candles?" Not sure where she was going, Nikolas answered tentatively, "Yes, I prepared the dinner and packed it as a picnic with the candles and lighter." Smiling at him she said, "Then we can have our candlelit picnic here." Laughing at her like it was the most obvious thing, he responded, "It is raining." Grabbing his hand, she cooed, "I know" and dragged him below deck to eat on the bed.
It wasn't long before Nikolas noticed her shivering. So being the gentleman that he was, he removed his jacket to wrap around her noting that she was cold. Setting aside the rest of the food, Claudia said, "Thank you for the jacket but aren't you cold too? You still have wet clothes on." Cold he was but wanting to take care of her, Nikolas answered, "You also have wet clothes on and I will be fine." Taking off his jacket first, Claudia looked at him, "Then I guess I will just have to take them off… There are other ways to warm up." Starring at her with his mouth open, Nikolas watched as she kicked off her shoes, took off her shirt and started to shimmy out of her skirt. Stepping closer to her, Nikolas reached out to touch her cheek, "You are beautiful. So beautiful." With love in her eyes, she kissed him softly. Breaking apart so that he could remove his clothing, Nikolas thought he would love her forever. With that thought in mind, he made love to her gently, tenderly and with his whole heart.
Five months later, Nikolas was still completely in love with Claudia. All he wanted to do was be with her for the rest of his life. He would give up everything he knew to do so. As long as they were together, he didn't care if he was a prince and had all the power and money the title brought. Ready to leave everything behind he looked at rings and thought of the best way to ask Claudia to marry him. Figuring that lies and secrets would upset her he decided to also tell her that he was Prince Cassadine.
Finally ready to propose and tell Claudia everything about himself and his family, Nikolas brought her to Greece for trip to Athens. Once in Athens, Nikolas and went shopping. Of course, Claudia stopped and tried on the shoes; she seemed to love them. Every time they went shopping she would look at shoes. For some reason Nikolas never questioned this, he sensed that it was a girl thing; women love shoes. It didn't bother him most of the time if she got any she paid herself. Not that he would mind buying her shoes if they made her happy. Today, she didn't get any because she loved the red strappy shoes she had on. Although she had some black and white ones, she had a lot of red shoes.
Moving past the shoes, they were looking at some clothes when Nikolas picked out a spaghetti strapped sundress for Claudia. Obliging to his wishes, Claudia went to try on the white dress if not only to make him happy but because she did like the red rose and black vine design on it. Coming out of the dressing room, Nikolas could not keep his eyes off her. She looked amazing with the dress fit her just right and hugging all her curves perfectly. Laughing at his mouth agape, Claudia giggled, "I guess you like the dress." Nodding his agreement, Nikolas approached Claudia. With a few quick kisses, they stepped back into the dressing room together. In the midst of a heated make out session that was quickly heading somewhere else, Claudia pulled away telling him they were going to get caught and in trouble if he didn't stop. Knowing she was right he stepped away and collected himself so that he could take her hand and lead her to the cashiers to purchase the dress she was wearing before heading to lunch.
While having lunch at the Parthenon, Nikolas was attempting to talk to Claudia about their future and his familiar past. Holding her hand to ground himself, Nikolas couldn't find the words he had practiced so many times. His hands were getting sweating and he was trying not to stutter too much. Claudia wondered if something was wrong with Nikolas; he was always so calm and collected. Well, almost always. She could always hit the right buttons to make him more… emotional. It was these moments they were both truly themselves. Unreserved. Unwatched. Uncontrolled. Free to be whoever they wanted. Free to love whomever they wanted. Free to do whatever they wanted.
Sensing his… discomfort Claudia tried to make him laugh or smile. Even resorted to smearing whipping on his face. Huffing Nikolas wiped it off with his right hand. Taking his right hand Claudia licked the whipping off and sucked on his fingers eliciting a mischievous smile. Claudia was happy with his response until he smeared whipping on her nose. Removing his fingers from her mouth and pulling her close, Nikolas kissed the whipping off her nose and then worked his way to her mouth. Within seconds, Claudia started to giggle and kissing him back. They were keeping it appropriate, say PG-13, because they were out in the open public view. In between quick kisses, they would rub their noses together. Nikolas couldn't help but think she looked adorable when she crinkled up her nose. Nikolas moved his hand from her cheek to her waist to hold her close. Foreheads pressed against one another, she told Nikolas, "I Love You." While this was not the first time she said it, it wasn't something she said very often especially without him saying it first. With their hands still entwined, Nikolas brought their hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers before telling her, "I Love You Too."
don't forget to read chapter two- it is the last chapter and I am including Helena in this story.