CHAPTER 24

Friday Night 7 pm

Kelly smiled as Nikolas held open the door of the jag for her to climb in. Ever since their all night talk, she felt even closer to him than before. As she got to know more about his past, and the future he wanted to have, she only longed for him more.

Nikolas said, "You look breath taking tonight, Kel."

"You like? I hoped you would."

Her gold colored gown hugged her curves, making his mind wander to thoughts of where he would love to be with her instead of a car. But, if the were every going to get to that place, first they would have to truly take the time to find out about each other.

Nikolas tore his eyes away from her and closed the door. Once he was seated beside her he said, "Thank you for inviting me out again tonight. That's twice now if you count the charity ball. How did I get so lucky?"

"Don't question it," she leaned over and caught his lips in a heat filled tussle "just enjoy."

Friday Night 9 pm

Milo and Emily sat on the floor of her apartment on a blanket, eating pizza.

The whole night had been so easy going and comfortable that Emily felt like she knew Milo forever and never, absolutely never, wanted to stop knowing him.

He was telling her stories about his and Max's childhood. "So Max is seven years old standing on the playground in front of this pig tailed little girl who he had a crush on for two years already, since the first minute of kindergarten. And he decided that was the big day he was going to tell her how he felt. I think someone dared him. Anyway, he goes up to her and spits it out "I like you!" He practically screamed it in her face. And then one second later, before she can say anything, he fainted. Out cold. Down for the count."

Emily chuckled, "Poor Max. Did he ever get the girl?"

"They became best friends for like ten years after that."

Emily smiled and told him, "I want to be your best friend for the next fifty years."

His face softened, into a almost heart broken expression. "That sentence would have been perfect if It did not include the words best friend."

A sad smile crossed her face. Emily was not sure if she has any right to offer him more than friendship.

She fell into something all wrong for her with Sonny, and though she didn't regret it, she didn't want to make another mistake. But Milo was so unlike Sonny, unlike Nikolas, or any other man she knew.

He wasn't completely safe but he did make her feel secure, like when he was next to her nothing bad would happen. She needed his friendship now, was counting on him and the way he made her laugh and got her jokes.

He broke the tension by teasing, "Besides don't you have like three best friends already?"

She laughed. "Yeah, I do."

"So," he touched her hand "are there any other positions available in your life?"

Emily held breath for a second, and then tilted her head to the side. This is not what she thought that one date to the Charity Ball would lead. But now it was what she wanted most in the world.

How quickly things changed. How quickly Milo changed her.

Emily whispered her question, "Why? Are you applying?"

Milo waited a moment, studying her, the way her eyes were wide now- hopeful and more than a little shaky.

He remembered why she needed Sonny so bad when they got together, because of that monster in a man's body who wore her husbands face, Conner.

He thinks about how they can make each other laugh, how she sees him as more than Sonny's employee or Max's little brother. How when they are together they have more fun than when they are apart. How he looks forward to seeing her, and her amazing smile.

That smile kills him, its so sweet and filled with grace.

Before he is sure of what he is doing, Milo starts leaning forward. And he is not let down, because Emily moves toward him and soon their lips meet.

Slowly, gently, they merge together and then he eases away. The kiss is one that will never die in either of their memories.

"Yeah," he whispers back to her "I'm applying. How are my chances?"

She chuckles, then flashes him on of those smiles that make him forget everything but her.

"Pretty good, I would say." Emily replied, and then her hand cups his cheek.

For a long time she just stares at him, amazement in her gaze.

And then a tear rolls from her eye, just one, and Milo raises his thumb to wipe it away.

Friday Night Midnight

Pete was acting odd. Even odd for Pete. He knew he was, and he knew Elizabeth had noticed, but he couldn't stop.

Damn Robin, he thought

Because ever since she suggested Pete had fallen for Liz he hadn't been able to think straight. There was no way, he told himself, he could love Elizabeth so quickly. He just could not.

He couldn't.

But he was scared to death that he did.

The jukebox was jamming out Aerosmith tunes making Jake's louder than usual.

Liz had to scoot close to him and practically put her mouth by his ear for him to hear her. That did not help keep his mind off wanting her, or help him to see her as only a friend.

"You look sick," Liz told him

"Uh...no...I don't think I am... well, maybe I had some bad crab."

"When?"

"Today at Kelly's."

She gave him a perplexed look, knowing full well Kelly's didn't serve crab.

"Dance with me, Peter."

"I don't dance."

"You danced with me at the Ball just fine."

He met her eyes with a truly frightened look in his eyes. "Are you sure that was me?"

"What is the world are you talking about?"

But he was standing already and moving to the space in front of the juke box. He stuck some money in and hit a few buttons.

After Steven Tyler finished belting, " I go crazy Crazy! Baby, I go crazy. You turn it on

then you are gone. You drive me crazy, crazy, crazy for you baby. What can I do? I feel like the color blue. I'm losing my mind. Girl cause I'm going crazy..." Poison started playing.

Pete turned and watched Elizabeth walk toward him, his eyes captivated by her. He was so far gone and he didn't know how to do any of this right.

The timing was all wrong. He was too young, he felt, for love. She was too fragile still.

Yet, when she moved into his arms, he could only thank god that He sent her into his life. Pete had a feeling that he stumbled into paradise and, in his cynical viewpoint, something this precious could never last.

But for now, he would just hold her, and try not to think about that.

(Every rose has its thorn
Just like every night has it's dawn

Just like every cowboy sings a sad, sad song
Every rose has its thorn) ( Poison)

Saturday Night 8 pm

LAINEY kept her eyes on Ned across the candle lit table at the Metro Court. When she was with him she felt different than she ever felt with a man before.

She felt real.

And slowly she was starting to lose her nervousness, starting to really trust in him and the fact that they might have a shot at working out.

"So that was my fifth marriage," he was saying "Are you sure I am not scaring you off with this rehash of my disastrous romantic history?"

"Not at all. Whatever happened in the past made you who you are. And I like who you are."

Did I just say that? she thought Oh my god I did! And it felt right.

"That amazes me," Ned said "I don't know that I have ever been more happily surprised than the day you asked me to the ball. I still can't fathom why you did...not that I am asking you to reveal your reasons but..."

"I felt connected to you because you seemed like the one person who made any sense in the Quatermaine family. So when I was at the mansion with Justus I knew I could count on you, at least, to be a voice of reason. You said the things I wanted to be able to say, but it wasn't my place. You fought against them

to make sure the right things happened but at the same time was loyal to them and when I thought about dating again... I wanted that in my life."

Ned wanted to give her all that and more. She seemed to him like a miracle come to life. He knew he didn't deserve her but he sure as hell planned to love her as well as he could for as long as she would allow him.

Saturday Night 11 pm

NIKOLAS walked Kelly to the door of her apartment. They had spent the evening at a play and then the wine bar.

She had never felt this way before about a man. Yes, she had loved and lusted and even craved someone before. But that someone had never been as amazing as Nikolas Cassadine.

Kelly could see nothing unappealing in him. To her eyes, he was the most elegant man she ever saw, and the most brooding. She wanted to get lost in his dark penetrating eyes, in his kisses, in his world and never return to her normal mundane everyday life again.

When he kissed her good night, she pressed close to him and whispered, "I don't want this night to end."

He smiled, "Nothing is ending. This is the start of something. Us. There is no need to rush. Savor this like the wine we had earlier. Let it linger, Kel. It makes the first sip so much sweeter."

Long after he went home she could still feel his lips on hers.

Saturday Night Midnight

Ned asked Lainey, after dinner and a movie, "Would you like to come to my place for a drink?"

Lainey didn't hesitate. "Yes, I would love to."

When they were sitting on the couch, two glasses of wine on the coffee table in front of them, he reached over and took her hand in his.

Lainey smiled.

"This is going to sound ridiculous after how many times I have been in love but..." he started

Her heart sped up at the mention of love.

"I feel like I need to be careful with you," Ned said

"I'm not going to break," Lainey said, adding to herself Not this time.

"You're too amazing to hurt though. I don't want to hurt you, Lainey."

"Are you going to?"

"In the end, I always do."

"So you know the end of our story already? Before our first kiss?"

Now that he seemed to be backing away, Lainey became bolder. She would fight for them even if he wouldn't.

Ned said, "I don't want it to end that way. I'm just terrified it will. That all the beauty I see in your eyes when you look at me will disappear one day."

"I'm here right now. And I want to live our story. You might think you know what the last page looks like but I'm willing to risk an unhappy ending in order to find out for myself. I want to know what it is like to love you and be loved by you. This might happen all the time in your life but for me...I treasure every moment I am with you, Ned. And even if you are right, I still want this." She looked right in his eyes, almost not believing she could be this brave but determined to make her point. "I want you."

A second later his lips were on hers, that first kiss was the most tender and emotional caress that she had ever felt. Lainey didn't want all of this to make sense like a case study on Love. She only wanted Ned to want her back, and not be able to walk away.

And she got her wish.

The sweet kisses, after more wine and more confessions of their hopes and dreams, turned to fire, the soft caresses to desperate desire filled strokes and then, later, she fell asleep in his arms on his leather couch, with a blanket covering her bare skin.

Coming up- In the middle of the night scenes with Ned and Lainey and Emily and Milo.

Then a new girl comes on the scene and inspires jealousy for one of The Five. Plus a Pete and Patrick scene.