Claudia sat in the huge living room to the Cassadine palace, where she is staying for the foreseeable future. She is on the leather couch, legs criss crossed, laptop placed on-top of her legs. She begins to open the laptop, stopping to see if anybody was around, but it didn't seem that way. Getting back on task she pulled up her plans, well, unfinished plans.

She needed to plan her father's murder, before one of his plans succeeds to kill her.

She wasn't going to feel bad or cry. She wasn't going to not plot, or try and save herself, ever, for anyone. Biology never mattered to him, genitalia did however, that's why he liked Johnny so much more, and handed her off to his friends whenever they had an urge. He was Anthony, not Dad, a man trying to kill her and a man she would kill first.

She was too busy and focused on her plans she didn't notice Nikolas creep into the room. He was wearing nice clothes as always compared to claudia in simple clothes. He walked behind her and the couch and just watched her type away, not what she was typing. It wasn't his business and he knew it might be the kind of business he didn't want to see anyway.

He knelt down behind the couch, his head and shoulders still taller than the couch, his arms reaching up to touch the back rim of the couch. Claudia still not noticing her 'kinda-in-a-thing-sometimes' man behind her. Neither knew what they were to each other but they were available and definitely attracted to the other. They had done 'stuff' but in the morning acted like it wasn't anything to be discussed or named.

Nikolas pulled some hair back out of her face and behind her ear, making her neck visible. He started to leave a few soft kisses slowly going up her neck when Claudia had noticed Nikolas. She turned around, although knowing it was him, to see. Nikolas moved his hands away from the couch and his lips away from her flesh as Claudia smiled at him.

"Hey." He simply said looking up at her as she pushed her laptop to the cushion to her right and got on her knees to face him.

"Hi." She giggled reaching her elbows out and resting her arms on the couch and resting her head on top of those. She tilted her head to the right, still leaning on her arms and waited for him to say something.

"You miss me?" He asked her getting his face a little closer to hers.

"Yeah." She answered letting him know the truth. She did miss him, a lot. Even if just last night they were making love at mid-night after he told her the story of Emily. Sure some could say they only slept together over the emotion, the grief, the need for warmth he had from the cold memories she wanted to give him so desperately. But Claudia, now thinking about the moment biting her lip, knew it wasn't just in the moment. Having sex was, but what she felt wasn't a one time quick thing, it was something that stuck and she realized was there before it too.

"How much? Because it couldn't be more than I missed you." He said being sweet and taking a hand and reaching out and tracing the arm she wasn't using as a head rest.

'He's just thirty' the walls she has built to protect herself scream out and she does for some part believe them. Yes her feelings were true, but she didn't know if his were, or if they even existed. The way he spoke of his Emily, even if it had been multiple years since, made him sound so in love with her. She was just a hated daughter who a prince in shining armor saved a couple weeks ago. She was a toy for him and sadly, she would let him. They didn't give himself a name and she, although nearly fearless, couldn't urge herself to ask him.

She takes a deep breath and quickly turns back on the couch pulling her laptop back onto her and responding "Maybe." Her fingers retreating to the spot on the keyboard, eyes plastered on the screen again.

Nikolas is very confused at her sudden change. He thought she liked him, she thought they liked each other more than what was on that computer at least. He gets up and runs around to the front of the couch. He sits next to Claudia who opted not to look at him.

Not looking was a struggle because he was sitting close enough to feel his body heat and hear him breathe. But she stayed strong and did the work she needed to do, it was dire, and this was just Nikolas. Just the man she had feelings for. Just a good time for him.

He began by again getting her raven hair out of his path to her flesh. His eyes locked target to her neck and his lips closed in. Soft at first and working their way into more passionate each one. Claudia finally had to stop him before he gave enough hickeys for an entire cheer squad.

"Nikolas!" She said frustrated, but secretly loving his lips touch. Secretly wanting more, more than a few kisses and more than what they had. More time to process what she felt and how to play things. Right away her mind went to safe, and distant.

"Don't you mean batman?" He said, referring to the nickname she had given him from the start. Although she gave it to him having a butler named Alfred, he liked that it was batman. She was calling him a hero, and he wanted to be her hero, her lover, her everything.

He reached out and shooed the laptop over tipping it on it's side and sliding his hand over her knee. He went up higher till he reached her thigh and squeeze it. She made no eye contact with him just his hand and the way it made her feel.

"Nikolas I'm busy!" she said moving his hand and throwing it back at him and aggressively grabbing her laptop.

"Too busy for a prince?" he smirked at her and she couldn't help but feel her heart melt a little. He was too damn cute. She was too damn confused.

"You are just a prince to me?" She says ignoring her walls and asking him. "And i'm just Claudia to you? Because we haven't given this a name and it scares me."

Nikolas finally realizes it wasn't just simply the work that she needed to do for the business it was the work he needed to do on their relationship.

"I'm sorry I scared you Claudia. I'm your Batman, your superhero, we aren't supposed to scare the women we like. We can be whatever you want, us, together, cause that's what i want. You and all that you are-"

"A criminal?" She asked scared of how that will fit in.

"You stealing my heart? I won't tell the police if you don't." He jokes.

"Seriously." She says smiling and whacking him playfully

"Claudia i don't care what you've done criminally, that's not who you are it's what you do. And what you do to me? It's enough to not give a damn." He tells her. Inching closer to her. "You can call me boyfriend if you'd like."

"Can I still call you Batman too?" She laughs smiling and holding his face in her hands.

"If i can still interrupt you during your work." Nikolas jokes.

"For a man with the key to the city? Go ahead." She tells him.

Nikolas doesn't reply with words but with a kiss that will relieve Claudia and stop her fears. It will demolish the walls and will make things official. Make things perfect.