Chapter 5: Remembering Nicholas Cassadine

Lucky ignored the fact that everyone was staring at him, he had to ignore them if he was going to walk down isle and ask Elizabeth to take over. He did just that.

She watched him walk towards her, he looked the same, his face still held a charm that she adored, but as he stepped onto the platform and walked towards her she begun to see more of the man he had become. A man who was completely different from the boy she, Emily and Nicholas had grown up with. His eyes said it all.

"Can I…"

She smiled, "Go ahead."

He smiled at her and stepped up to the podium.

"I apologize for walking in like this, but when I got the word that my brother and best friend had passed…I felt like I owed it to them to be here," he glanced at Lulu who was still in complete shock that he had made it.

"I just want to say a few things on be half of my brother and Emily and then I promise to return this spot to Elizabeth," he glanced at her who didn't mind that he take the floor for she was still surprised that he had made it.

"Nicholas and Emily's friendship was a gift, I know that, you know that and I was fortunate enough to call them my best friends since we were teenagers…" He looked at Elizabeth and smiled.

"We all grew up together, Emily, Nicholas, Elizabeth and I. I never thought that I would introduce Emily to the man she would come to love for the rest of her life and I never thought she'd return the favor and introduce me to Elizabeth, to someone I would become very close to," he stared at her for seconds on end before glancing away not wanting to catch her saddened glare of how they ended.

"In the good times and bad the four of us remained the best of friends," he knew it was somewhat of a lie, but continued, "We had a bond that will never be broken, never."

"Alexis and Sam you two were his family and a part of his life. Alexis you were the only Cassadine who had his best interests at heart, you gave him the confidence he needed to be his own person. Sam, when he found out he had another cousin, he befriended and welcomed you to the family, you became someone else in his life that he would sacrifice his happiness for," he smiled knowing that would make her feel like she was important.

"Robin," he panned to the Scorpios, "Robin you not only were one of his best friends, but he kept you high up their on people that he respected and loved because you gave him his son. You had the guts to tell him the truth regardless of what it would cost you. You did what you knew in your heart was right and gave him a little boy whom he needed so very much after Courtney's death," he hoped that what he was saying about this particular event wasn't hinting to them how much he praised her over Elizabeth's ability to tell the truth.

"You and Patrick gave him a chance to see our mother again, my mother influenced him to get back together with Emily to allow himself to be happy with Spencer and their soon to be daughter, and I don't know anyone else besides Emily and his children who made him so happy." Lucky saw her genuine smile, what he said really got through to her, he could tell and for some reason it made him happy inside, it made him feel different about her.

He looked at the crowd as a whole again, "If my mother were here today she would say that her son, Nicholas, was steady and calm and out of her three, Nicholas shared her spirit of generosity and they shared the same heart," he smiled at Leslie for raising such a wonderful daughter who grew up to be the best mother she could be to Lucky, Lulu and Nicholas.

"My brother was a man full of wonderful qualities, a brother who felt responsible for Lulu and I," Lucky looked at his sister, "Lulu, when he discovered that he had a little sister and when he discovered that you were sick, he didn't hesitate helping you because you were his family, he was apart of our family," Lucky saw his dad's smirk, but even Lucky knew his dad in some way loved Nicholas.

"He was a man that put everyone ahead of himself, and when you asked him to do the selfish thing, to put himself first in times where it really mattered, when his happiness was at stake he'd look at you and reluctantly agree, but deep down he didn't want to. He loved his family, he loved Emily and he loved his children. That will never change. My brother was selfless, that is how I will remember him and I hope that is how you will choose to remember him…" Lucky looked down with his eyes closed.

"I find comfort and peace that in his last moments he finally did something for himself," he looked up at the crowd, "The happiest times of his life was when he was with Emily, she was his princess and he was her prince."

His lip trembling he grabbed onto the podium with more force trying to keep his emotions in, "I will carry Nicholas and Emily in my heart for as long as I live."

Lucky smiled one last time at the crowd and then slowly backed away from the podium. As he started to step off the platform he turned to look at their pictures that had been set up, he frowned having more regrets than ever that he missed out on such a crucial part of their lives.