Sami and Lucas made their way to the front of the crowd to get a good look. She tilted her head back and forth a few times before she told Lucas, "I don't get it. I just don't see what the big deal about her is."

Lucas had his arm around her and looked at the same portrait before he replied, "It's her smile. She looks like she's keeping a secret or knows something that we don't. She definitely could have been his mistress."

She turned and asked, "Why not his wife? If he could put her into immortality, why didn't he marry her so she gets the proceeds of his paintings?"

He turned and kissed Sami on the cheek before saying, "Not all men are strong enough to marry a woman that can put up a challenge."

She rolled his eyes since he was obviously flattering himself before she answered, "Usually it's the woman who has to settle for an idiot and pretend ignorance."

He decided to let her win this one. He said, "Let's go see something else."

They walked arm in arm to the next room of the Louvre. ~*~

Meanwhile Greta was preparing for her wedding this evening. She called the make up artists and her hairdresser. She tried to keep herself calm and collected about her decision to marry Nathan. She could be very happy if she could stop thinking about Eric Brady. As the hairdresser started combing the first locket of hair, she broke down and started sobbing. Today was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, but she wasn't happy. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry her heart out before packing her bags and heading back to the bayou. She successfully warded off alligator attacks, fought with the local hunters and challenged Stefano's authority over her life. But she wasn't sure what she should do anymore.

As she sobbed out her frustrations, her life took a turn for the worse. Someone came into the room after the hairdresser ran for help, but Greta hadn't cared. No one could ease her mind right now. She refused to acknowledge anyone's presence right now, but the woman mocked her, "The princess never could keep a man happy with her."

Nicole Walker. Nicole had no business being here right now. Greta stood up and tried to leave the room without saying a word to her, but Nicole stepped in her way to say, "Are the tears over your handsome rich fiancé or Eric?"

Greta stopped crying. She was not going to cry in front of a woman like Nicole. Greta put her nose into the air and answered, "It's not your concern. Please leave my house the way you came in."

Nicole refused to budge. Mocking Greta was always a fun way to pass her time, so she told her, "Nathan invited me in and I was under the impression it was his house, not yours at least not to the stroke of midnight where I will be dancing my way back into Eric's waiting arms."

Nicole was twisting an old knife wound from when Greta caught Nicole and Eric together. At the time she had been so strong and told Eric that she was proud that she kept her virginity from him since he betrayed her trust. But the one piece of pride that she had from that old wound was gone now. She wasn't sure how she was going to reply when the door opened again revealing someone Greta never met.

Nicole asked the new female, "Are all the Brady women reclaiming Kate's sons or are you here to have another round of Austin just for kicks?"

Greta understood that the woman was Carrie and she told her, "Ignore her. She was just leaving."

Nicole saw the futility of her situation of Greta and Carrie teaming up and she stalked off.

When the door closed Greta told Carrie, "Thank you for showing up just now. I didn't have the strength to kick her out."

Carrie saw the tear soaked face on Greta and asked, "Were you crying over my brother and Nicole? Eric and I have talked throughout these past few years, but he never talks about Nicole. He does talk about you a lot. In fact I've never seen a man so determined to hate himself after he realized how much he hurt the woman that he loved."

Greta thought about that and said, "Lucas finally convinced Sami to give him a second chance, so maybe there is hope for you and Austin."

Carrie laughed and said, "I was talking about you and Eric, Greta."

Greta shook her head no and said, "There is no me and Eric, not anymore." ~*~

Lucas found a dark corner to steal a kiss from his wife in Notre Dame. She stared up at the stained glass window in awe and acted like a good Catholic girl, refusing to tease him back in church. Well ok she had allowed one little kiss, but that wasn't in the main room of the Church. He started to ask her, "Are you ready to go somewhere else?" but his phone started ringing.

Others in the Church started telling him to turn it off. He picked up the phone intending to ignore whoever was calling him, but it was the house phone. He told Sami, "I told Carrie to only call if there was an emergency."

Sami shook her head since emergency to her meant something happened to Will, and they left. Lucas answered the phone, "Hello?"

Austin started telling Lucas about Eric's plan to stop the wedding. Lucas kept stopping Austin to keep Sami updated. Sami then told Lucas how Eric's plan was faulty and Lucas told Austin what Sami said. Austin then stopped talking to tell Eric. When Austin and Sami both started talking into Lucas' ear at once he asked, "Do you need us to cancel our date and come back to the house?"

Sami shook her head yes, which disappointed Lucas. He told his brother, "We'll be there in a few minutes."

Lucas hung up the phone and told Sami, "I rented us an apartment for the night that had a glass roof to dance under the stars."

For a moment she forgot her brother and his emergency as she imagined making love to Lucas under the stars. But her family needed her help. She told him, "I'll surprise you with something, but my brother wants our help."

Lucas led her to the car as he told her, "I never liked your brother. Can't he come up with his own scheme to kidnap the bride?"

As he took his seat next to her in the car, she kissed him before saying, "Thank God I didn't marry an idiot. Lucas that's brilliant."

Lucas asked her, "What's brilliant?"

She said, "We'll sell Eric on your kidnapping idea easily." ~*~

Greta and Carrie talked for over an hour. Greta understood within minutes why Austin never stopped thinking about Carrie. Carrie mentioned Austin in passing so often that for a few minutes Greta forgot about her troubles. Carrie was actually the one person that Greta could see Austin settling down with. It was easier to see other people's happiness than her own. Greta refused to think about Eric, even if his sister talked about him.

Carrie honestly thought Greta was a sweet girl. She honestly wasn't prepared to meet a nice royal, but her prejudice against the old aristocratic regime altered at meeting such a down to earth sweet tempered princess. She liked the girl so much that she felt guilty that she was here to spy for her brother. But she gathered her courage and asked, "Is it true that you're wedding is at midnight tonight?"

Greta nodded her head affirmatively before saying, "Nathan thinks it's for the best all around. Most of the guests have been notified by now, and if they can't come I'll get over it. I just want this wedding over with."

Carrie handed Greta a tissue and asked, "Want to tell me how you feel? I'm a good listener."

Greta had no one to talk to about Nathan or anyone. Maybe Carrie was the female advice that she needed. Greta hesitated but finally decided to tell Carrie. ~*~

Lucas and Sami arrived back at Chez Salem. Eric and Austin opened the door for them and let them step inside before Eric started telling Sami and Lucas, "This wedding cannot happen. Greta is marrying him because she stopped believing in fairy tale endings, but I have to convince her that her prince Charming is out there if she's patient."

Lucas asked in annoyance, "Are you going to make her wait a decade before finally telling her that you love her? If you are might as well let Greta marry Nate."

Eric and Sami stopped talking to ask, "Nate? Lucas do you know him?"

Lucas told the confused twins, "We went to boarding school together for a few years. He's a few years older than me, but he knew how to work the system to his advantage, and he supplied us with. nevermind."

Sami asked Lucas, "What? What did he supply his underclassmates with?"

Lucas tried to put his arms around Sami but she stepped back. He finally said, "Well we weren't allowed to go to town to buy things. Everything had to be purchased on campus. You know that I wasn't one to follow the rules, and I snuck off campus pretty frequently at night to meet girls. Nathan was the one that bought our supplies because he had rights to go to the store."

Sami asked more bluntly, "He bought you condoms?"

Lucas quickly answered, "Not just me. Anyone that had the money. He also bought us kegs."

Eric shook his head no in disgust and said, "Greta is not marrying this guy."

Sami ignored her brother and asked her husband, "Anymore boarding school stories that I should know about?"

Lucas shook his head no and replied, "Sami was fourteen and I didn't know you then."

Sami had a flash of a memory of them at the pub where she told Lucas how she was experienced when she wasn't. She then hit Lucas and said, "I thought you lied to make yourself sound more experienced. Course what should I have expected? You had naked women lining up at your apartment while Will was in school. Hell you were dating Miss Bryce."

Lucas dragged Sami into another room, leaving Austin and Eric to figure out the Greta problem on their own. When Lucas closed the door for some privacy he told Sami, "Sami that was sex and it meant nothing. I."

She exploded, stopping him from continuing, "You had sex with Will's teacher?"

He shook his head no and explained, "I was talking about women before you. Miss Bryce might have wanted to be more than friends, but I was already in love with you."

She melted. It was still new hearing that he loved her. She put her hand on his face and said, "I'm sorry for getting jealous baby. I know you were just trying to convince Eric that Nathan was wrong for Greta with your story. You know that I love you too or else I wouldn't get this mad."

She ran into his arms for reassurance. He stroked her long blond hair as he hugged her.

Unfortunately before they could do more, Austin and Eric opened the door and said, "Eric is going to sneak over there and talk to Greta."

Sami told her brother, "She's not going to listen to you right now. You have to make her listen to reason, and Lucas has the perfect plan."

Lucas said, "You could just take Greta out of Nathan's house and convince her to hear you out, I doubt you'll have much luck talking her out of a wedding there where she'll worry that Nate will over hear her, unless of course if you have some other way of stopping the wedding lie something to blackmail Greta or Nathan about or some secret that will prevent the wedding."

Austin asked, "Kidnapping is a felony. Eric you're safer bet is talking to her and voicing your objections to the wedding."

Sami then added, "It's only a crime if she presses charges. If you trust her, she won't file charges and you get your chance to say your peace in a private romantic setting. Lucas give him the keys to the apartment we were going to use for the night."

Lucas told Sami as he handed the keys and address to Eric, "Honey I expect you to make good on your promise."

She patted Lucas on the bum and whispered to him, "Scheming always helps motivate us."

He whispered back, "I don't need motivation."

She laughed and whispered back, "I'm sure you don't."

Austin said, "We can use Carrie's plan to get Eric in, but how is he getting Greta out?"

Lucas and Sami both said in shock unison, "Carrie?"

Lucas recovered quicker and said, "We'll order a car. And Sami and I can create a scene."