Chapter SEVEN
The next morning Nicole staggered down the stairs, more exhausted then when she'd gone to bed after a night tossing and turning. It was past nine o'clock so both children had been up for a couple of hours already and EJ was currently playing with Johnny on the floor of the living room while Stella was lying on a rug nearby, kicking her legs happily around.
"Hello sweetheart," said EJ easily, smiling up at her, "Did you have a good sleep?"
"Ah yes," lied Nicole, not wanting to talk to EJ about her sleeping problems and get into the reason why.
"Mama!" exclaimed Johnny suddenly and grinned up at EJ as he hugged a stuffed bear, "Mama kisses!"
Nicole started to hear him say that, thoughts of the little boy's mother already plaguing her.
"Why did he say that all of a sudden?" asked Nicole nervously.
"Samantha gave him that bear," said EJ smoothly and then looked up at her curiously, "She would kiss him with it. Is that a problem Nicole?"
"Of course not!" said Nicole too quickly.
"Are you alright darling?" he asked with a frown, "You look a bit pale."
"I... I'm fine," said Nicole faintly, "I guess I didn't get as good a sleep as I thought I did. Maybe I'll go and lie down again for a bit."
"Of course," said EJ, looking up at her with gentle concern, "You do that and I'll have Mary bring you up a cup of herbal tea and come and check on you later."
Nicole nodded slowly and then thought that might be as good a time as any to get rid of Mary. It was just a matter of time before she blabbed to EJ about her blow up yesterday. Besides, she was sick of the woman's condescending looks. Who was she to judge her anyway? Mary was just a servant thought Nicole angrily whilst she was about to become the next Mrs DiMera!
"Alright," said Nicole with a little smile, "You take such good care of me EJ."
"That's my job," said EJ with a reassuring look at her.
Nicole went up to her room but not before taking off her engagement ring, going into Mary's room and putting them in her desk drawer, knowing the other woman was in the kitchen making her that cup of tea. Now all she had to do was accuse Mary of stealing the ring and the woman would be shown the door, leaving Nicole with one less thing to worry about. Nicole walked into her room and went to sit on the bed. As she did though her eye was caught by bathroom mirror and she squinted, walking into the ensuite. She gave a gasp of horror at what she saw. Written across the mirror in bold red lipstick was the word 'MURDERER' in block letters.
Nicole instantly panicked; rubbing frantically at the words with her hands least anyone should walk in and see it. She scrubbed manically away at it, making a smeared mess of the mirror as she desperately tried to get the damning word from the mirror. Nicole looked down at her hands; all covered in red from the lipstick and it was as though they were suddenly blood stained. She gave a scared whimper and began to frantically try to get them and the mirror clean, grabbing handfuls of tissues and scrubbing at her hands and the mirror. She'd almost gotten the last of it cleaned away when there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" she asked fearfully.
"It's Mary Miss Walker," replied the housekeeper, "I have the tea you wanted."
Nicole quickly closed the door to the bathroom so the other woman couldn't see her in the throes of her clean up before answering.
"Just leave it beside my bed Mary," she called back, "I'm in the bathroom."
"Very good Miss Walker," replied Mary and Nicole heard her come in, the clink of china as she put down the tea and then she was gone again.
Nicole breathed out a sigh of relief and then continued cleaning up all the smudged lipstick that seemed to have found its way everywhere in the bathroom. She was finally done and had just gone to lie down on the bed when there was another knock on the door.
"Sweetheart?" called out EJ before walking into her room and smiling down at her, "Feeling any better."
"Yes," she said quickly, "I guess I just needed a little more rest."
"You look a little flushed now," said EJ looking concerned, "I do hope you're not coming down with anything."
"No I'm fine EJ," said Nicole easily and then made a show of looking beside her bedside table.
She sat up suddenly, frowning deeply and beginning to move things around on the bedside table, going through the motions for EJ's benefit.
"What are you looking for Nicole?" asked EJ, coming over to stand beside the bed.
"My ring!" she exclaimed, looking up at EJ wide eyed, "My engagement ring. I took it off when I came back upstairs and put it beside my bed and now it's gone!"
"Perhaps it's just fallen down the back?" suggested EJ calmly, crouching down to look behind the little table.
"Is it there?" asked Nicole, knowing full well it wasn't seeing as she'd just planted it in Mary's room.
"No," frowned EJ, straightening up.
"Oh EJ," said Nicole, making sure that her eyes filled up with crocodile tears, "The engagement ring you gave me, it's gone!"
"No need to panic just yet," said EJ easily, "Are you sure you put it here?"
"Of course I'm sure EJ," said Nicole firmly, "I took it off and then went to the bathroom to freshen up and then Mary came up and gave me my cup of tea while I was in there..."
Nicole gasped then, making it appear as though the thought had just occurred to her.
"Oh EJ," she said in quiet disbelief, "You don't think that Mary took my engagement ring do you?"
"Of course not," said EJ quickly, "She's a trusted member of staff Nicole."
"Even the most trustworthy person can be tempted," said Nicole earnestly and then feigned regret, "I think we have to check her room, just to be safe."
"I'm not going to check Mary's room Nicole," said EJ in mild exasperation.
"Why not?" asked Nicole with a scowl, "You know you take everyone else's side over mine EJ, every single time and I'm sick of it!"
"I'm just saying we shouldn't go off half cocked making accusations that we don't have any proof about," said EJ calmly.
"She had means and opportunity EJ!" snapped Nicole, "And I demand that you go and check her room right now!"
"Nicole you're becoming hysterical," said EJ, raising placating hands to her, "You need to calm down."
"No what I need is my engagement ring back EJ!" said Nicole emotionally, "It means everything to me and you don't seem to care at all that it might be stolen!"
EJ sighed heavily and looked away for a minute and as he did he frowned suddenly.
"Nicole," he said evenly, looking back at her.
"What?" she snapped, angry at EJ's reluctance to take her word for what had happened, even though it wasn't what had happened of course but he didn't know that.
"Isn't that your engagement ring sitting on the table over there?" he asked her calmly, pointing to the dresser top over by the window.
"No," said Nicole in annoyance before she even looked, knowing it was impossible, "I know that I put it beside my bed..."
She trailed off as she looked where EJ was pointing and her jaw dropped. There was large as life was the engagement ring that EJ had gotten her, sitting there in the middle of the dresser top.
"But... but that's not possible," said Nicole weakly, going over and picking up her ring and staring at it like she'd never seen it before.
"You obviously just got a little confused darling," said EJ coming up behind her and putting his hands on her arm and pressing a kiss to the top of her head, "No harm done."
"But..." Nicole went to protest some more but then caught herself, realising that probably wasn't the smartest thing she could do.
After all, what was she meant to say, I tried to set Mary up by putting my engagement ring in her room and now it's mysteriously turned up back in my room? Nicole put a shaky hand to her head, wondering how on earth this had happened. It was like she really was being haunted with the way all of these impossible things kept happening to her. EJ turned her around to face him then.
"I think all this wedding preparation and being a new mother is just making you a little overwrought sweetheart," said EJ comfortingly, "That's why I've organised Stella and Johnny to spend the day with Caroline Brady as I've got some errands to run today and I'll be out for most of the day."
"You don't trust me alone with the children," she accused him, her voice wavering wildly.
"It's not that Nicole," said EJ firmly, "You must stop taking everything so personally. Caroline is Johnny's grandmother and she wanted to spend some time with him. Stella doesn't have a grandmother on either side so I thought it would be nice for her to have a surrogate one in Caroline Brady. Caroline was more than happy to do that for our daughter which I think is very sweet of her."
Nicole ground her teeth together but said nothing. She was never going to be rid of the Brady's in her life it seemed.
"So I'll drop the children off now and pick them up later this afternoon," EJ informed her and then smiled down at her, "And I think you should take things a little easier today Nicole, get some rest."
"Sure," said Nicole quietly.
Nicole watched EJ go and then sat back down on the bed, dropping her head in her hands. She had no idea of what was going on which meant she had no way of knowing how to stop this. Nicole felt like she was on the verge of losing everything she'd worked so hard for and she couldn't face that. She couldn't lose EJ, she just couldn't. If they were already married by now Nicole knew she'd feel a bit more secure or at the very least have more rights and she was desperate for this next month to pass so she could have that insurance of a marriage certificate in her hand just in case this turned to be as bad as she feared.
oooOOOOooo
Sami watched Nicole from her hidden passage way and shook her head at the forlorn figure she made. Not that Sami cared of course. She'd always liked Mary and couldn't believe it when she'd seen Nicole put the engagement ring in the other woman's room. Sami had simply waited until Nicole was gone and retrieved the ring, used the passage way to get back up to Nicole's room and while Nicole was busily cleaning up Sami's latest handiwork in the bathroom she'd simply slipped into her room and replaced the ring on the dresser.
Nicole's face when EJ had pointed it out to her had been priceless and Sami smiled to think of it. Nicole was hanging by a thread it seemed and Sami was vaguely disappointed, thinking she was made of sterner stuff than this. She could see how desperate Nicole was to hang on to EJ and it caused a feeling of revulsion in Sami. It was so pathetic to watch really. Sami's smile widened as she thought of what the future held for Nicole, knowing much, much worse was in store and that thought making her very happy.
oooOOOOooo
Nicole flopped down on the sofa that afternoon, absolutely exhausted. She'd gone over the mansion as best she could hoping to find some clue to who was doing this to her and just as importantly how. Her search had turned up nothing though and she was just as in the dark as she ever was about how and who was doing this to her. Nicole had never felt so alone in her life. She had absolutely no one to turn to; she didn't know who to trust in all this mess. She'd thought all her troubles were going to be over once she'd gotten rid of Sami and gotten a hold of her baby but it seemed like nothing could be further from the truth. Nicole felt like she was on the guillotine and any minute now that final blade was going to drop and end her life. She looked up as EJ entered the room and frowned.
"You're back early," she commented, taking in his very serious expression and feeling her heart begin to thump nervously in her chest, "I thought you wouldn't be back till much later in the afternoon."
Nicole looked around then and her frown deepened.
"Did you bring the children with you?" she asked him.
"No," said EJ and the tone of his voice sent a shiver down Nicole's spine as EJ took a seat across from her in one of the arm chairs, "I've got something very important to talk to you about Nicole and I didn't want the children around for it."
Nicole swallowed hard, a feeling of dread coming over her as EJ stared sombrely back at her.
"Wh... what is it EJ?" she asked him, trying to keep her voice steady but not really managing it.
A thousand possibilities ran through her head and none of them good for her but she waited to hear what EJ had to say, trying to remain calm.
"I've got something to say Nicole," said EJ, regarding her seriously, "And it's going to change a lot of things when I do."
"Oh?" said Nicole, her nerves tightening so much that she couldn't stand it.
"Yes," he said quietly.
EJ looked away briefly then, seeming to be collecting his thoughts before looking back at her.
"I've had some... concerns I suppose you'd call it of late," said EJ, "About Stella."
"What about Stella?" asked Nicole nervously, sitting on the edge of the sofa now.
"I noticed some undeniable similarities between her and Ali when she was the same age," said EJ, holding her gaze steadily.
"She... she's a baby EJ," said Nicole weakly, feeling the panic start to rise in her as she became very frightened about where this was going, "They tend to look alike don't they?"
EJ's expression gave nothing away despite Nicole's desperate attempts to read it.
"Not this much alike," said EJ firmly, "So I had both Stella and Ali's DNA tested against one another and I've just gotten the report back now and can you guess what it says Nicole?"
"Oh," gasped Nicole faintly, feeling the room suddenly begin to tilt as the moment of reckoning sped up on her.
EJ had found out that Stella and Ali had the same mother. Nicole was about to be found out and she could feel the hysteria swelling up inside of her. This was the worst moment of her life. All her carefully laid plans were going to come to nothing.
"The report I just got back said the Stella and Ali are related, very closely related," said EJ tersely, his expression hardening, "Half sisters in fact. Do you know what this means Nicole?"
"EJ I... I...," Nicole had been dreading this moment every day since she'd taken Stella, worrying about him finding out and what he'd do about it.
She stood up and gave him a distressed look, her eyes filling with tears of regret and real fear. EJ stood up too moving closer to her. Nicole took a step back, words of stumbling explanation about to fall from her lips but his next words stalled them.
"It means," said EJ, his hands taking her arms, "It means that the last paternity tests were wrong and that Ali is really my child after all and not Lucas'. Stella has a half sister in Ali and both the twins are mine."
"Wh... what?" said Nicole faintly, her head spinning as she tried to make sense of what EJ just said.
"It's obvious isn't it?" asked EJ with a bit of a frown, "Clearly both of the twins are mine with Samantha as their mother and of course Stella is mine and yours. That is how Ali and Stella can be so similar, they are half sisters!"
"Ohh," choked out Nicole, her legs giving way as she suddenly dropped down on the sofa behind her.
EJ thought he was the common link between Stella and Ali, not Sami. The relief that flooded through Nicole at that realisation made her head spin. Of course that would be his first thought why wouldn't it be? EJ had no idea that Sami was ever even pregnant yet he saw Nicole's stomach growing every day thanks to the wonders of rubber padding. It only made sense that he would think that he was the father of both children because to him it would be impossible for Sami to be the mother of both children. Nicole actually felt like she was going to throw up with the relief of it all. She was sweating and shaking so badly but she couldn't make it stop.
"Sweetheart," said EJ in concern, kneeling beside her as she sat shaking uncontrollably on the sofa, "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have just blurted it out like that, the shock is obviously too much for you."
"N... no I'm fine," said Nicole unevenly, looking at EJ wide eyed, still hardly able to believe that she'd dodged such a large bullet, "I... you just caught me off guard is all."
"I know," said EJ grimly, "I was too but I've thought about this Nicole and I know what I want to do."
"About what?" asked Nicole in confusion, still feeling a little overwhelmed by this sudden turn in events.
"About Ali of course," said EJ urgently, "I want to apply for full custody of her. Lucas isn't her father and I am. I want to have Ali come and live with us."
Nicole's eyes widened at that, realising that of course he would want that.
"So we'll have three children then?" said Nicole faintly.
"Yes," smiled EJ happily, "It will be wonderful Nicole, you'll see. The twins can be together again and we'll be a complete family at last. I'm so excited sweetheart, I can't tell you."
Nicole gave a weak smile in answer to EJ's enthusiastic one. She supposed this was her penance, getting yet another squawking kids to deal with she thought with a stoically. How ironic was it that she was now going to be raising three of Sami's whining off spring? Karma really was a bitch but Nicole told herself it was a small price to pay for having EJ and the DiMera name. Nicole doubted that Ali would warm to her anymore than Johnny and Stella but she didn't care. She'd work on EJ to send them away to boarding school soon enough and she could have their father all to herself at last. So she'd have to put up with EJ being more interested in the children then her for a couple more years, it was no big deal. Especially if it meant at the end of that time EJ was all hers and she would be firmly ensconced as Mrs EJ DiMera the whole time.
"I know this is a lot for you to deal with all at once," said EJ apologetically, taking her hand as he continued to kneel beside her, "And I've got one more thing that I want to spring on you darling."
"What's that?" asked Nicole nervously, feeling her anxiety level rising again as she realised she wasn't out of the woods yet.
"As I said I want to go for full custody of Ali as soon as possible," said EJ eagerly, "And it would make my case so much stronger if I was already married and bringing Ali into an even more secure environment than Lucas can offer. So I know our wedding is still a month away but I don't want to wait that long. I know its short notice but I want to get married on Saturday. What do you say sweetheart?"
"But its Wednesday today," said Nicole in horror, "You expect me to pull this wedding together in three days EJ?! Or am do you expect me to give up my dream wedding and just got to city hall and get hitched?!"
"Of course not," said EJ quickly, soothing her outrage, "You'll have your big wedding Nicole, I promise you. We'll call in as many people as we need to make it happen, no expense spared. I swear to you Nicole you'll have that wedding and everything you deserve and have been working so hard for on your special day."
"You really think we can pull it all together in three days?" asked Nicole sceptically even while her heart was racing excitedly at the thought of being EJ's wife in that short amount of time.
It was like a godsend for her to know that she was going to get EJ's ring on her finger in only a matter of days because it meant that whoever was tormenting her had less time to blow this for her.
"I know it," said EJ determinedly and then gave her a winning smile, "So what do you say Ms Walker, care to make me the happiest man on earth and marry me in three days?"
A big grin split Nicole's face at that and she threw her arms around EJ's neck and began kissing his face madly while he just laughed.
"Oh yes, yes, yes EJ!" she cried out, feeling like all her prayers had been answered, "I want that so much, you have no idea!"
EJ hugged her back and Nicole couldn't stop herself from grinning like an idiot. She had thought that she was about to lose everything but it was turning out to be anything but. If anything her position in this household was more secure than ever and Nicole just wanted to cry tears of joy at that.
Everything at last was falling into place for her...