AN:
I used some dialogue from GH for this chapter.
~Kelly~
Chapter Six
Alfred had already informed him the launch was on the way. By the time Rebecca arrived at Wyndemere Nikolas had managed to calm himself down considerably. It was a good thing too killing Rebecca was not part of his plan.
When she entered, Nikolas was seated comfortably with a glass of scotch. She could feel the tension in the room despite Nikolas' relaxed pose. Something was going on and it made her nervous. "Nikolas, are you all right?"
"Why? Shouldn't I be?" he asked draining the crystal glass before standing.
"I don't know. I mean, did something happen?"
"What's the matter? Afraid I'm going to hurt you?" he whispered into Rebecca's ear. Nikolas could feel how uncomfortable she was. He was going to enjoy making her pay. "I merely wanted to give you this."
"What's that?" she asked her hand shaking barely able to hold the check in her hand. Rebecca couldn't imagine why Nikolas would be giving her money especially now. Her plan had not been working that well. Had it?
"One million dollars. That's what you came to Port Charles for, isn't it, to get what Emily had? Go ahead. Come on. Take it. You earned it, because that is what whores like you do." Nikolas shouted rounding the desk to sit in his chair. He noticed that Rebecca had not moved a muscle. "What's the matter? Million not enough? Well, tell me. What? What is the going rate for deceiving a prince these days? I don't know."
"I don't want your money."
"Oh, of course you do. I mean, what's it going to take? 2 million? 5? 10? What's it gonna take?" he demanded to know sarcasm dripping from his voice. Nikolas watched the emotions play across her face barely suppressing a smile. There was no doubt he was angry possibly angrier then he had ever been but he was also enjoying making Rebecca squirm. He could not help but think Stefan would have been proud.
"Wow. Who told you?" she asked barely able to get the words out. She needed to know who told Nikolas before she could think of a new plan.
Nikolas laughed at the question. There were very few people he whose word he would have taken. "Helena."
"Your evil grandmother? And what you just believed her? Maybe she was a part of all this? Did you think about that Nikolas?" Rebecca inquired hoping to raise doubts with Nikolas. She did have to wonder if this was why the older woman was suddenly back in town.
"Helena may have done a lot of things but she would never let someone else hurt me. Especially like this. She would not let someone taint the Cassadine name." Nikolas told her purposely leaving Elizabeth's involvement out. He needed the nurse's help with his plan and if Rebecca suspected it would make things more difficult. Angrily he picked up his checkbook and tossed it at Rebecca. "You know what? You know what I should do? Here. Perhaps you should just go ahead and fill in the amount yourself."
"Look, it's not about the money anymore," she said pleading with him to understand. Rebecca didn't want the con to fall part. She didn't want to lose either man. She deserved that money and she was willing to do anything for it.
"You--you literally sold yourself to me, to Lucky, to the Quartermaines, to God knows who else. It has never been about anything other than the damn money. " Nikolas said his voice getting louder with each word.
"Yeah, at first, maybe, Nikolas, but then things--
"Maybe--what do mean a-at first?! You what? You grew a conscience all of a sudden?!"
"No, I fell in love with you." she lied hoping to place on Nikolas' affection. It was the only card she had left really. "I was gonna tell you tonight, and then I--"
"Oh, my God." Nikolas muttered rolling his eyes. Rebecca was stupider than he originally thought. How could she possibly believe he would fall for this crap? "You exploited the memory of your dead sister. You tried to steal from everyone who loved her, w-with the help of some--some limey hustler you whored yourself out to at JFK."
"Okay, that's not the way it was." she denied flinching at the assessment. She had never seen this cruel side of Nikolas before. However, she was certain he would never do more than spout angry words.
"That is exactly how it happened! Only you two could not keep your mouths could you? And that--that truly is a pity, because, sweetheart, you were this close. You were so close."
"I was gonna tell you tonight, Nikolas. I swear I was."
"It doesn't matter any more does it? You know I am glad Emily never met you. This would have broken her heart. Now get out." The command was cold and firm in a way only a Cassadine could be.
"I'm not leaving until you hear my side."
"Okay. But I'm not paying you for it, just so we're clear."
"God, I don't want your damn money, Nikolas!" she shouted indignantly as she watched Nikolas pour himself another drink. 'Exactly how much had he drank?' she wonder briefly.
"Okay, fine. Tell me a story. Lie to me. You're so good at it."
"I was never supposed to know about Emily. I found those adoption papers by accident when I was emptying out a suitcase that my Mom had in the attic. I was packing for a job in Seattle."
"I am already bored," he mumbled plopping down onto the couch. The room was much more relaxing now that Elizabeth had helped him remove some things. He really did need to thank Elizabeth properly
"You don't know what it's like Nikolas. I've had to work for everything that I ever had. Are you listening to me?!" Rebecca demand when she noticed he was staring off.
"Yes. Yes. Yes, I-I'm listening. Okay, and so the point being is you're not a gold digger."
"Right."
"So you just slept with me out of the goodness of your heart?" he asked smirking at the pained look of shock from Rebecca. The stupid girl clearly was clueless.
"Oh, wow. That's nice. No, the point being that I thought I had finally found my way, and then I found those papers, and I confronted my mom about it, and she told me that I had been sold for money."
"There's one little flaw with your theory. Emily did not grow up rich. She was raised by a single mother who battle cancer most of Emily's life. She never even met the Quartermaines until she was twelve. It was by some random chance that they adopted her.," he said reminding Rebecca of the facts and not her delusions.
"Still she got free tuition to a medical school. She became a doctor. She married a prince."
"Okay what about Lucky he didn't grow up with much money. Hell, he didn't have anything close to a normal life. He and Elizabeth had it rough a couple of years ago. Being the guy that I am I offered to help."
"I bet Elizabeth jumped at that." Rebecca seethed at the new information. Something about the other woman pissed her off. The nurse had looked down on her since they had met.
"Actually she didn't. Neither did Lucky." Nikolas corrected pushing back the memories of that chaotic time. "You see they don't care about me for my money. Never did. Eventually they might have caved because of Cameron. But they never tried to con me."
"God, I was the one that got sold, Nikolas! Don't you understand that?! I had to work for everything that I ever had, and Emily, I mean, she was filthy rich."
"So, because of all that, you decided to--to steal from the people who care about her?"
"Yes. Yes. Yes, stupidly. I came to get my fair share. I was gonna show up, and then I got stranded at JFK. There was a snowstorm, and--"
He interrupted in a sarcastic voice. "Oh, right, where you turned your first trick with Ethan. I remember that."
"I was only supposed to be here for the money except it didn't work that way."
"Mm-hmm." Nikolas mumbled not really caring. There was one thing that did matter to him. "Whose idea was the cancer scare? Was it yours or Ethan's? Because that was absolutely fabulous."
"That was real. I knew that I had a genetic predisposition, and you were wonderful through all of that," she said softly. It was true Nikolas had been wonderful during that time. She almost regretted using the situation to her advantage.
"Oh, God. Spare-- spare me that. Please. What-- Don't touch me." Nikolas snapped when Rebecca reached out to grab his arm. It was taking everything in him not to choke the bitch as it was. If she touched him, Nikolas feared he would truly lose control.
"You helped me through all of that, all right, and then the answer that--that the test came back clear, and I started to have second thoughts."
"Well you still didn't tell me the truth, even after that."
"No, I know. I didn't, because I was scared, and I wanted you to get to know me for--for me, for who I really am, not just a replacement of Emily, and then I was gonna tell you."
"Oh, I'm sure that you were. There is one difference between you and Emily. She made me happy," he told Rebecca softly. The anger was starting to drain away leaving in its place a desire for revenge.
Rebecca shook her head and stepped closer to him. "No, I make you happy. I make you happy. Nikolas, you've told me that so many times. I'm in love with you, and I know you're in love with me, not as a replacement of Emily, but--but for who I really am."
"Damn you." he muttered steeling himself for his next course of action. Lowering his head Nikolas kissed her briefly. "I know who you really are, what you've always been. And that... is a cheap substitute for Emily. Now get out of my house," he said pushing her roughly away from him. Nikolas did not dare look back as he stormed out of the room.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Wyndemere was silent as Elizabeth made her way up to the turret room. Alfred had called her deeply concerned about Nikolas. Apparently, he had confronted Rebecca and the preceded to drink himself into a stupor.
Elizabeth opened the door and realized Alfred was right to be concerned. The small room was practically destroyed. The only thing left untouched was the large sofa. At least Elizabeth knew what kind of mood she would find him in.
"How the hell did I end up in Port Charles?" he asked when Elizabeth stepped on to the balcony. Nikolas did not need to be told she was there he could sense her presence.
"You might be more comfortable inside."
"You know," he said purposefully ignoring Elizabeth. "Katherine fell off the, uh--well, she was actually pushed--fell off the turret there, to the east. You remember that?"
Elizabeth was stunned by the old memory. Why was Nikolas bringing it up now? "Yeah, I remember."
"Ohh. You think she had time to be afraid as she fell?" Nikolas asked taking a drink to disguise his smirk. He almost felt bad for deceiving Elizabeth this way. However, it was not enough to stop. He wanted her and now there was nothing in his way.
"I need for you to come inside." she pleaded desperately hoping Nikolas would comply. The things he was talking made her even more nervous.
"I'm finally getting to understand my Uncle Stefan."
"Nikolas, I want you to come inside. You know, you're being very rude to me."
That statement caused Nikolas to smile. Elizabeth knew him so well. "You always know exactly what to say, don't you?"
Elizabeth smiled back and took Nikolas' hand. "What happened in there?"
"It was inevitable, I guess, finally turning into a Cassadine," he said trying to sound dejected. Most of what he was saying had an element of truth to it. Rebecca's lies had caught him off guard. To be deceived so thoroughly by someone like her
You have always been a Cassadine Nikolas. Please come inside with me."
Finally, Nikolas allowed himself to renter the trashed room. When they sat down Nikolas made sure there was little space between them. "I feel like a fool."
"This wasn't your fault Rebecca played all of us." Elizabeth said unconsciously running her fingers through his hair. She could not suppress the desire to comfort Nikolas. Elizabeth hated the fact he was in so much pain.
"Not you. You had her pegged from day one. And I just wouldn't listen, would I? I ignored all the warnings from you and Alexis and whoever else. Left myself wide open. I can only say this to someone who loves me like you do. Rebecca made a fool out of me. And I am absolutely humiliated... that I fell for it."
"But you got what you thought you wanted at the time."
"You're right. You're right. No matter how many different ways I try to rationalize it, a huge part of what attracted me to Rebecca in the first place was that she looked just like Emily. I don't know, I guess it was a way for me to be with another woman without feeling like I am betraying Emily. "
"Nikolas, you can't betray a dead woman!" she snapped angry that Nikolas was not even trying to move on with his life. "Unless you're using her as an excuse to bring your life to a grinding halt.
"Which I seem to have done."
"You have suffered a terrible loss, and yes, it was unfair and it was devastating, but it happened. Stop looking back. Stop wasting your time. Nikolas, you are a wonderful man with so much to offer. You've got to find something or someone you can believe in or you want or you care about."
"I know. Oh, God. You know... there has only been one time since Emily died that I stopped thinking about her; that I wasn't living in the past. And the only thing that mattered was... right in front of me. Just once." he whispered pulling her closer as they spoke. He could not control the urge to kiss Elizabeth any longer. Nikolas captured her mouth with hungry urgency. Thankfully, she offered no resistance immediately parting her lips. Their tongues dueled as Nikolas gently pushed her back onto the sofa.
