First Love Lost - last part
Alexis hurried into the taverna. She was supposed to meet Stefan there and she was running late. If she kept waking Christian as she had this morning she would never make a morning meeting on time again. I may have to change my class schedule. I can move as many classes as possible to the afternoon. It would leave me more time to be with my husband. She smiled. My husband, Christian is going to be my husband! She glanced around the taverna and didn't see Stefan. She moved out to the veranda, still looking for her cousin when her heart stopped. Helena was there.
She was sitting at a table with her escort, one of those attractive young men she always had attending her. Missing were the two bodyguards that usually accompanied her whenever she left the Cassadine estates. Helena placed something in her purse and glanced down at the clear blue ocean below, admiring the view. Alexis found herself shaking uncontrollably. How had she found her? What was she doing here? Where was Stefan? Not looking where she was going, she stumbled into a chair. Helena looked at her.
"Alexis, my dear, come here. Sit down." It was not a request.
Alexis found herself sitting across from Helena. "Hello Helena. I was expecting Stefan . . . "
"Stefan was unavoidably delayed. But I am here. Tell me my dear what has made you so happy? Nikolas says you have never been happier."
"Nikolas . . . of course . . . "
"I think perhaps you have found love. Is that what has made you so happy Alexis?" Helena's words were sweet but there was a hard edge to her voice. It frightened Alexis to the core. "I must admit I am surprised." Helena continued. "I didn't think you were destined to find true love. Perhaps I was wrong. Where is this young man who loves you more than life?"
Alexis gasped in fear. Where were the bodyguards? They were always with her, ready to do her bidding when violence was required. If they weren't with Helena . . . "Christian!" She pushed back her chair, sending it crashing to the floor, and ran from the taverna.
Helena laughed as she watched Alexis run in fear. She reached into her purse and removed a 2-way radio. "She is on her way. You may proceed." She placed the 2-way back into her purse. "The Cassadine bloodlines will not be tainted further by the illegitimate issue of that whore!" She looked out over the ocean and smiled.
The bodyguards were with Christian. One spoke with Helena, while his partner held Christian up, arms pinned behind his back. "Yes madame. I understand. It will be just as you requested." He put the 2-way down and looked at Christian with a small amount of pity and a large amount of confusion. Why hadn't this young man just agreed to madame's request? All he had to do was abandon Alexis and he would have received a large sum of money. He had refused when they offered him money. He had refused when they beat him. He could barely stand now. His face was swollen and bruised. There were internal injuries where he had been punched and kicked. Still he refused. He wouldn't leave Alexis. The injuries they had given him would likely kill him if they went unattended. What kind of man chooses death? No woman was worth that much.
The young man still looked at him with defiance. There was still fight in him. Too bad, the decision had been made. This boy's fate was sealed. "Hold him still. I need to do this just right or madame will be angry." A knife flashed.
Christian lay on the floor of his bedroom. The almond carpet was now blood red. The two men had left some time ago. He was alone and dying. "Alexis!" he gasped. It was difficult to breathe. "Please God let me see her one more time. Please!"
"Christian!" Alexis burst into the cave. "Christian are you here?" She searched the home until she reached the bedroom. "Oh God . . . Christian!" She ran to him. Blood was soaked into the carpet all around him. "You're hurt . . . I'll get help." She moved to the phone on the night stand and quickly summoned help.
"Alexis you are really here?" His breathing was ragged.
"Yes I'm here. It will be okay!" She pressed a pillowcase into the wound in his side, direct pressure to stop the bleeding. "Help is on the way. Lay still."
"It is too late. I am so sorry Alexis." He reached out to her.
"It's not too late!" She grabbed his hand while still keeping pressure on the wound. There was so much blood! "You're going to be fine!" She was terrified.
"I wanted to grow old with you. Now I can't."
"We will grow old together! We are going to watch our grandchildren play. You can't leave me!" Tears were staining her face.
"I do not want to leave. You are the best thing to ever happen to me." He opened his shaking hand. Within it was the gold wedding band. "Please, I do not have much time. Before God, right now, let me be your husband."
Alexis took the ring and placed it on her finger. "You are my husband, now and forever." She kissed his forehead.
He closed his eyes and smiled. "I will love you, always." His breathing slowed."Christian! Stay with me!" His breathing stopped. "No! No! No!" Alexis pulled him into an embrace and rocked his lifeless body. "No! No! No! No . . ."
Kristina watched as Alexis' eyes began to cloud. There was so much sadness on her face. "Tell me about your first love, Alexis."
"My first love . . . " Alexis' hand was still at her face. The two diamond rings she always wore caressed her cheek. She had long ago moved them from her left hand to her right, but she would never take them off. "Christian . . . " He was her husband in the truest sense of the word. She loved him still, but she wasn't ready to share him with Kristina. "He died."
"Oh. I'm sorry Alexis." Kristina could see the pain on her sister's face. It was deep and after so much time still raw. "You must have loved him very much."
Alexis had enough. Kristina would not be prying into this part of her life. It was private. It was sacred. She didn't want to share it with anyone. She grabbed Kristina by the shoulders. "Love is . . . " her voice cracked. "Love is difficult for me." Tears began to spill from her clouded eyes. "It is difficult for me . . . and it never turns out well." She released her sister and walked out on the balcony, closing the glass doors behind her. She stood alone on the balcony, watching the sunset turn the sky blood red.
Alexis hurried into the taverna. She was supposed to meet Stefan there and she was running late. If she kept waking Christian as she had this morning she would never make a morning meeting on time again. I may have to change my class schedule. I can move as many classes as possible to the afternoon. It would leave me more time to be with my husband. She smiled. My husband, Christian is going to be my husband! She glanced around the taverna and didn't see Stefan. She moved out to the veranda, still looking for her cousin when her heart stopped. Helena was there.
She was sitting at a table with her escort, one of those attractive young men she always had attending her. Missing were the two bodyguards that usually accompanied her whenever she left the Cassadine estates. Helena placed something in her purse and glanced down at the clear blue ocean below, admiring the view. Alexis found herself shaking uncontrollably. How had she found her? What was she doing here? Where was Stefan? Not looking where she was going, she stumbled into a chair. Helena looked at her.
"Alexis, my dear, come here. Sit down." It was not a request.
Alexis found herself sitting across from Helena. "Hello Helena. I was expecting Stefan . . . "
"Stefan was unavoidably delayed. But I am here. Tell me my dear what has made you so happy? Nikolas says you have never been happier."
"Nikolas . . . of course . . . "
"I think perhaps you have found love. Is that what has made you so happy Alexis?" Helena's words were sweet but there was a hard edge to her voice. It frightened Alexis to the core. "I must admit I am surprised." Helena continued. "I didn't think you were destined to find true love. Perhaps I was wrong. Where is this young man who loves you more than life?"
Alexis gasped in fear. Where were the bodyguards? They were always with her, ready to do her bidding when violence was required. If they weren't with Helena . . . "Christian!" She pushed back her chair, sending it crashing to the floor, and ran from the taverna.
Helena laughed as she watched Alexis run in fear. She reached into her purse and removed a 2-way radio. "She is on her way. You may proceed." She placed the 2-way back into her purse. "The Cassadine bloodlines will not be tainted further by the illegitimate issue of that whore!" She looked out over the ocean and smiled.
The bodyguards were with Christian. One spoke with Helena, while his partner held Christian up, arms pinned behind his back. "Yes madame. I understand. It will be just as you requested." He put the 2-way down and looked at Christian with a small amount of pity and a large amount of confusion. Why hadn't this young man just agreed to madame's request? All he had to do was abandon Alexis and he would have received a large sum of money. He had refused when they offered him money. He had refused when they beat him. He could barely stand now. His face was swollen and bruised. There were internal injuries where he had been punched and kicked. Still he refused. He wouldn't leave Alexis. The injuries they had given him would likely kill him if they went unattended. What kind of man chooses death? No woman was worth that much.
The young man still looked at him with defiance. There was still fight in him. Too bad, the decision had been made. This boy's fate was sealed. "Hold him still. I need to do this just right or madame will be angry." A knife flashed.
Christian lay on the floor of his bedroom. The almond carpet was now blood red. The two men had left some time ago. He was alone and dying. "Alexis!" he gasped. It was difficult to breathe. "Please God let me see her one more time. Please!"
"Christian!" Alexis burst into the cave. "Christian are you here?" She searched the home until she reached the bedroom. "Oh God . . . Christian!" She ran to him. Blood was soaked into the carpet all around him. "You're hurt . . . I'll get help." She moved to the phone on the night stand and quickly summoned help.
"Alexis you are really here?" His breathing was ragged.
"Yes I'm here. It will be okay!" She pressed a pillowcase into the wound in his side, direct pressure to stop the bleeding. "Help is on the way. Lay still."
"It is too late. I am so sorry Alexis." He reached out to her.
"It's not too late!" She grabbed his hand while still keeping pressure on the wound. There was so much blood! "You're going to be fine!" She was terrified.
"I wanted to grow old with you. Now I can't."
"We will grow old together! We are going to watch our grandchildren play. You can't leave me!" Tears were staining her face.
"I do not want to leave. You are the best thing to ever happen to me." He opened his shaking hand. Within it was the gold wedding band. "Please, I do not have much time. Before God, right now, let me be your husband."
Alexis took the ring and placed it on her finger. "You are my husband, now and forever." She kissed his forehead.
He closed his eyes and smiled. "I will love you, always." His breathing slowed."Christian! Stay with me!" His breathing stopped. "No! No! No!" Alexis pulled him into an embrace and rocked his lifeless body. "No! No! No! No . . ."
Kristina watched as Alexis' eyes began to cloud. There was so much sadness on her face. "Tell me about your first love, Alexis."
"My first love . . . " Alexis' hand was still at her face. The two diamond rings she always wore caressed her cheek. She had long ago moved them from her left hand to her right, but she would never take them off. "Christian . . . " He was her husband in the truest sense of the word. She loved him still, but she wasn't ready to share him with Kristina. "He died."
"Oh. I'm sorry Alexis." Kristina could see the pain on her sister's face. It was deep and after so much time still raw. "You must have loved him very much."
Alexis had enough. Kristina would not be prying into this part of her life. It was private. It was sacred. She didn't want to share it with anyone. She grabbed Kristina by the shoulders. "Love is . . . " her voice cracked. "Love is difficult for me." Tears began to spill from her clouded eyes. "It is difficult for me . . . and it never turns out well." She released her sister and walked out on the balcony, closing the glass doors behind her. She stood alone on the balcony, watching the sunset turn the sky blood red.