Chapter 2
"Tell me how Nikolas. You can't, can you?" Her voice was almost a whisper. She was in complete control of her emotions. Only people who really knew her could tell how sad and angry she was.
"Riley, nothing will change what happened that day, but you can move on."
"I have."
"With Jason."
"Yes."
"He'll get you killed."
"Like getting married to you?"
"Touche'."
She smiled slightly. "Nikolas, we're not kids anymore. I'm living the life I never could."
"I know, but I still want you to be safe." He touched her face with his hand. He smiled sadly and kissed her forehead. "Stay safe."
She smiled. "I always have."
She turned and walked away. He stared after her and wondered how long it would be before she'd self-destruct.
~~~
Jason sat back on the private jet and thought about Riley. He couldn't get her out of his mind. The way she laugh of how her eyes flared when she was angry. He loved every inch of her. He loved her like he had never loved Robin or Carly.
There was something about Riley that made him want to love her. They had never had sex. Their relationship wasn't built on that. She loved and cared about him despite his 'flaws' and involvment in the mob. She'd do anything for him and he, for her.
~~~ A few hours later
Riley collapsed on the sofa in the penthouse. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Her talk with Nikolas had drained her emotions and then Carly had dragged her to almost every store in the PC Mall.
She was about to go to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Groaning, she got up and answered it.
"Hello, Riley."
Riley was shocked but quickly regained her composure. "Hello, Helena."
~~~
Nikolas and Gia walked into the cottage. She went upstairs while he picked up the phone and dialed a number. "We have a problem."
"What is it?"
"Riley. Alexis, she's about to self-destruct."
"Do you know where she is?"
"Penthouse three."
"Here?" Alexis asked.
"Yeah. Lex, she's dating Jason Morgan."
"I'll go talk to her."
"Yeah, thanks."
"You still care about her," Alexis observed.
"I always will."
"How much?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"How much do you really care about her?"
"I love Riley. I always have and probably always will."
"Okay. I'll go talk to her."
"Thanks Alexis." Nikolas hung up and turned to see Gia standing near the bottom of the stairs.
~~~
"What do want Helena?"
"Can't I come visit a friend of the family?" Helena pushed her way past Riley and into the penthouse.
"I don't recall inviting you in."
"Really?" Helena turned around to face her. "I want to talk to you about Nikolas."
"What about him?"
"I know that he still loves you."
"So? I still love him." Riley wasn't sure where this was going but she knew that it wasn't going to be good.
"My point exactly. No matter how much I DON"T like you, you are a much better woman for Nikolas than this Gia Campbell."
"That's his decision, Helena, not yours."
"No, my dear, that is your decision."
~~~
Alexis hung up the phone. "What's wrong?" Kristina asked.
"The past," Alexis replied cryptically. She picked up the phone and dialed Wyndemere. "Stefan, Riley's in town. I know. I know. She's staying down the hall from us. I'm getting ready to go down there now. I'll meet you there." SHe hung up the phone and started to rummage through her desk.
"What's going on Alexis?"
"It's...uhm...it involves Nikolas and Helena. Found it." She pulled out a small picture. She looked at it, smiled, and left the penthouse. She almost ran down the hall towards the other penthouse.
~
"Pray tell how?"
Helena smiled. "You see, Riley, I want Gia Campbell away from Nikolas and you can do that."
Riley just glared at her.
"Nikolas still cares about you. You can help me get him away from Gia with that."
Riley shook her head and laughed.
"I don't think that she's going to do that Helena," Alexis said coming into the room.
~~~
"Gia," Nikolas said walking over to her. He was about to put his arms around her when she backed away.
"Don't. I want to know what kind of relationship you have with this Riley woman."
~~~
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little mouse," Helena said.
"Leave now, Helena," Riley said.
Helena glared at Alexis. "We will finish this conversation, Riley," she said before leaving.
"What was that about?" Alexis asked following Riley into the kitchen.
"She wants me to get Nikolas away from Gia by using the love that we shared on the islancd."
~~~
Nikolas deadpanned. "Riley is a close friend."
"Really? Is that why you told Alexis that you will always love her?"
~~~
Helena got into her limo. "Andreas, go to my grandson's cottage."
~~~
"Sounds like Helena," Alexis said. She watched as Riley got things out of the cabinets. She hadn't changed much in six years. She still cooked every time she got angry.
"It's wrong, Alexis."
"I know it is, but you know as well as I do that Helena has no sense of right of wrong."
"I know, but I want her to pay for everything that she did to me."
"So do I, but the old bat just won't die," Alexis said laughing. Riley joined in.
~~~
"Riley and I have had a complicated relationship..."
"You still do, appearantly."
Nikolas want to scream in frustration.
"Nikolas," Helena said walking into the cottage. Nikolas turned around.
"What do you want, Grandmother?"
"I wanted to inform you that I've spoken to Riley..."
"What did you say?" Nikolas demanded.
"I simply told her how sorry I was for Lena's death..."
"Do you really expect me to believe that you feel sorry for what YOU did?"
"Nikolas, I did what I had to do..."
"You hated Riley and you wanted to make her suffer and, in turn you lost as well."
~~~
"Tell me how Nikolas. You can't, can you?" Her voice was almost a whisper. She was in complete control of her emotions. Only people who really knew her could tell how sad and angry she was.
"Riley, nothing will change what happened that day, but you can move on."
"I have."
"With Jason."
"Yes."
"He'll get you killed."
"Like getting married to you?"
"Touche'."
She smiled slightly. "Nikolas, we're not kids anymore. I'm living the life I never could."
"I know, but I still want you to be safe." He touched her face with his hand. He smiled sadly and kissed her forehead. "Stay safe."
She smiled. "I always have."
She turned and walked away. He stared after her and wondered how long it would be before she'd self-destruct.
~~~
Jason sat back on the private jet and thought about Riley. He couldn't get her out of his mind. The way she laugh of how her eyes flared when she was angry. He loved every inch of her. He loved her like he had never loved Robin or Carly.
There was something about Riley that made him want to love her. They had never had sex. Their relationship wasn't built on that. She loved and cared about him despite his 'flaws' and involvment in the mob. She'd do anything for him and he, for her.
~~~ A few hours later
Riley collapsed on the sofa in the penthouse. She was exhausted, both physically and mentally. Her talk with Nikolas had drained her emotions and then Carly had dragged her to almost every store in the PC Mall.
She was about to go to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Groaning, she got up and answered it.
"Hello, Riley."
Riley was shocked but quickly regained her composure. "Hello, Helena."
~~~
Nikolas and Gia walked into the cottage. She went upstairs while he picked up the phone and dialed a number. "We have a problem."
"What is it?"
"Riley. Alexis, she's about to self-destruct."
"Do you know where she is?"
"Penthouse three."
"Here?" Alexis asked.
"Yeah. Lex, she's dating Jason Morgan."
"I'll go talk to her."
"Yeah, thanks."
"You still care about her," Alexis observed.
"I always will."
"How much?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"How much do you really care about her?"
"I love Riley. I always have and probably always will."
"Okay. I'll go talk to her."
"Thanks Alexis." Nikolas hung up and turned to see Gia standing near the bottom of the stairs.
~~~
"What do want Helena?"
"Can't I come visit a friend of the family?" Helena pushed her way past Riley and into the penthouse.
"I don't recall inviting you in."
"Really?" Helena turned around to face her. "I want to talk to you about Nikolas."
"What about him?"
"I know that he still loves you."
"So? I still love him." Riley wasn't sure where this was going but she knew that it wasn't going to be good.
"My point exactly. No matter how much I DON"T like you, you are a much better woman for Nikolas than this Gia Campbell."
"That's his decision, Helena, not yours."
"No, my dear, that is your decision."
~~~
Alexis hung up the phone. "What's wrong?" Kristina asked.
"The past," Alexis replied cryptically. She picked up the phone and dialed Wyndemere. "Stefan, Riley's in town. I know. I know. She's staying down the hall from us. I'm getting ready to go down there now. I'll meet you there." SHe hung up the phone and started to rummage through her desk.
"What's going on Alexis?"
"It's...uhm...it involves Nikolas and Helena. Found it." She pulled out a small picture. She looked at it, smiled, and left the penthouse. She almost ran down the hall towards the other penthouse.
~
"Pray tell how?"
Helena smiled. "You see, Riley, I want Gia Campbell away from Nikolas and you can do that."
Riley just glared at her.
"Nikolas still cares about you. You can help me get him away from Gia with that."
Riley shook her head and laughed.
"I don't think that she's going to do that Helena," Alexis said coming into the room.
~~~
"Gia," Nikolas said walking over to her. He was about to put his arms around her when she backed away.
"Don't. I want to know what kind of relationship you have with this Riley woman."
~~~
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little mouse," Helena said.
"Leave now, Helena," Riley said.
Helena glared at Alexis. "We will finish this conversation, Riley," she said before leaving.
"What was that about?" Alexis asked following Riley into the kitchen.
"She wants me to get Nikolas away from Gia by using the love that we shared on the islancd."
~~~
Nikolas deadpanned. "Riley is a close friend."
"Really? Is that why you told Alexis that you will always love her?"
~~~
Helena got into her limo. "Andreas, go to my grandson's cottage."
~~~
"Sounds like Helena," Alexis said. She watched as Riley got things out of the cabinets. She hadn't changed much in six years. She still cooked every time she got angry.
"It's wrong, Alexis."
"I know it is, but you know as well as I do that Helena has no sense of right of wrong."
"I know, but I want her to pay for everything that she did to me."
"So do I, but the old bat just won't die," Alexis said laughing. Riley joined in.
~~~
"Riley and I have had a complicated relationship..."
"You still do, appearantly."
Nikolas want to scream in frustration.
"Nikolas," Helena said walking into the cottage. Nikolas turned around.
"What do you want, Grandmother?"
"I wanted to inform you that I've spoken to Riley..."
"What did you say?" Nikolas demanded.
"I simply told her how sorry I was for Lena's death..."
"Do you really expect me to believe that you feel sorry for what YOU did?"
"Nikolas, I did what I had to do..."
"You hated Riley and you wanted to make her suffer and, in turn you lost as well."
~~~