Author's Note: Just a reminder that this story is now AU as it hasn't matched what we have seen on GH since Laura left to take Spencer to boarding school in Paris (late August). I can guarantee that if you imagine this story as a scene with the multi-talented Jon and Genie, it is much longer than 2 minutes 17 seconds! A huge thank you to KevLaur Nation, a great support group of friends who share the love for these characters and the actors that portray them. There is still more story to be told so I keep hoping to convince even more people to join in the fanfic fun! Thanks again for reading and reviewing! Enjoy! Characters belong to GH/ABC.

The Letter

Chapter 7

Laura

Memories are like wolves. You can't lock them away and hope they leave you alone. Kevin admitted that he had read that quote in a book he had read recently and it had stuck with him at the time. A literary romance, no less, about a disillusioned and lovelorn bookseller on a floating barge in Paris.

The more time we spent with each other the more I learned about Dr. Kevin Collins, and, the more I learned the more I really liked him. Actually, with each passing day, I realized with increasing clarity that I was in love with him. Head over heels...deeply in love. Now, these feelings didn't scare me anymore. Instead, they comforted me. Perhaps my anger at him and running away was my one and only attempt to protect my heart and now I was starting to realize that I could find happiness and that we could be happy together. I even dared to believe that I deserved happiness and his love for me. I knew I was not alone in my feelings and could feel his love for me in the way he looked at me and cared for me. Now, all that was left was for us to say it out loud to each other. I for one was finding it harder and harder to keep to myself.

It seemed fitting that our trip down memory lane on the flight provided the impetus for Kevin to open up to me. He had seen me at my most vulnerable and had provided a comforting ear-and shoulder when I was grieving the loss of my son or reliving my shame and guilt for abandoning him all those years ago.

I couldn't really say I had 'met' Ryan but I had been a witness to his nefarious actions at Mac and Felicia's wedding many years ago. Most of it I had heard about later from Amy as I had slipped into protective mother mode and seen that Lucky, Sly, BJ, and Lucas had been moved to safety in another part of the church.

Kevin shared his own guilt about not trying to find his identical twin brother sooner and his shame that his father rescued him, while Ryan stayed behind to be raised by their mother, Melanie Chamberlain. Initially, he had been concerned when he learned about all the evil ways Ryan had hurt Felicia, Mac, Dr. Hardy, and Audrey. But, then after Kevin had moved to Port Charles and became friends with those same people, the toll of Ryan's rage was now being taken out on the same people Kevin cared about. People who had been able to see past the resemblance and gave him a chance to be his own person separate from his brother.

I had listened with sadness as Kevin talked about the agony of hearing young Georgie's cries in the background during his multiple phone calls with Ryan. He was cajoling him to turn himself in and not hurt Felicia's infant daughter. And then, I felt our connection deepen as I realized he, too, had lost some of the tenuous hold on his own reality. Kevin had struggled to deal with all that had happened when he was younger and the long reaching impact of his brother's madness on his own life and relationships with others.

Now, I watched him sleep again. We only had about an hour left on our flight and we had decided to go directly from the airport to Wyndemere to confront Valentin together. Talking about Ryan, even just for a few minutes seemed to exhaust Kevin and I wondered how many of those memories still hunted him down, much like a pack of wolves, in moments of stillness and clarity. I had held his hand and listened, as he likely admitted for the first time in years, that he wished he had kept silent when his mother had innocently called him Ryan that day in the bathtub. Her sullied touch had been so confusing to such a young child, and Kevin, always close to his father had reached out to him to try and make sense of his mother's actions. And to think, over fifty years later, Kevin still believed on some level that if he had stayed he could have used their connection to save his brother and thus, so many others.

Even now, as I hoped he found some peace in his slumber, my heart was moved by the confusion he felt as a young child and then later as a psychiatrist, powerless to help the one person still connected to him despite the passing of time and distance.

"Laura, how long have you been awake?" His voice was groggy from sleep as he stretched in the seat beside me.

"Oh, I'm too worried about seeing Valentin to sleep. I'm glad you could get some more rest."

He reached for my hand and then consulted his watch before speaking again.

"Good, we still have a few minutes before we land. I want to talk to you about something."

Kevin excused himself to use the restroom and I put my book away in my bag and readied myself for our landing. Lulu expected me to text once we were on our way as she and Dante planned to meet us at Wyndemere. They had spoken only to Anna and Alexis since finding out from the groundskeeper that Valentin produced paperwork and demanded to move in four days ago.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Kevin said to me as he returned to his seat and also began to prepare for our landing, despite it still being more than 40 minutes away.

"Don't apologize, Kevin. I'm glad you felt you could talk to me. I've certainly unburdened myself with you over the last six months. Kevin, I want you to know you can talk to me about anything. I'm not going anywhere."

I moved to take his hand in mine and something about his expression made me pause. He looked nervous all of a sudden and I worried I wasn't going to like what he had to tell me.

"Kevin, what is it?"

Kevin took both my hands in his and turned to face me as best he could in our airline seats. I was grateful we had no one else in our row so we had at least some privacy.

"Laura, I want you to move in with me. And this is not just about Valentin and the current situation. I had planned to ask you before we got back to Port Charles and now more than ever I want you safe and away from all things Cassadine."

Kevin could tell I was starting to say something and he stopped me.

"Laura, let me finish, because I need to get this all out at once before I change my mind."

"Go on," I answered him while releasing my right hand from his to stroke his face. He paused and I wanted to fill the silence with everything I had wanted to say to him. How happy I was he was in my life. How I couldn't imagine sleeping apart anymore. And, how much I loved him. But, this was Kevin's moment so I stopped my petting and took his other hand in mine and gave him a look that hopefully conveyed my full attention.

"I love you, Laura. I can't believe we found each other after all these years. I meant what I said on the plane, while delirious, and again after that amazing first kiss we shared. You woke me up. You brought me back from the abyss of nothingness. I had numbed out all my feelings and was literally just going through the motions, day-in-and-day-out. And all of these feelings for you were scary at first but now I think I'm going to explode if I don't get to tell you how I feel. You are the bravest and fiercest woman I have ever known and on top of all that, you are a tremendous survivor. By all rights and purposes, you should be a bitter and angry person...angry at the world and too jaded to see the good in others. But instead, you are passionate and compassionate about your family and those you care about. Not to mention, you are just beautiful and continue to take my breath away."

I watched as a lone tear startled to trickle down his cheek and I realized how he was taking a leap of faith to start this conversation with me. The plane could be crashing around us and I wouldn't notice as I was so focused on the man before me. His tears became my tears and I feared Kevin would misinterpret them.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes," Kevin answered hesitantly. "I think I've said what I wanted to say. Of course, I could go on and on about all the reasons that I love you but I would much rather hear what you are thinking."

Kevin shifted in his seat and our hands lost contact. This time I took his hand in both of mine, my thumbs caressing his wrist and then joined our hands together.

"You see this?" I lifted our linked hands up to eye level and saw the lines around his eyes soften. Now his look was silently willing me to continue.

"We fit so well together, Kevin Collins. I don't know where you've been all my life but I honestly believe we were meant to connect like this now, at this point in both of our lives. I needed you and you needed me. I was scared too and that's why I pushed you away before. To protect myself and my heart. But, I have no intention of pushing you away now or in the future. I'm not really sure I could even if I wanted to at this point."

I hesitated just slightly and Kevin waited patiently for me to continue.

"So, Kevin, yes I would like very much to live with you. And my decision also has very little to do with Valentin Cassadine and his occupancy on Spoon Island. I'm glad to be done with that dreadful place that does nothing but remind me of my son and Spencer. You're the last person I want to see at night and the only person I want to wake up with each morning. And Kevin, I love you too. I really, truly love you. I've known that for some time now and I am so glad we could finally say it to each other."

All I wanted to do in that moment was feel his arms around me and get as close to him as two people in love can do, but instead we settled for soft kisses and as much touching as we could muster given our cramped and public surroundings. Closeness of the kind I was imagining would have to wait until we dealt with the latest Cassadine menace and started our new life–together-in Port Charles.

Kevin

I felt her hand in mine as we made our way on the walk from the boat launch to the front door of Wyndemere. I could sense the tension in her body as she steeled herself for a likely confrontation with the sudden Cassadine heir, and hoped my presence provided her some support.

Even Dante and Lulu were quiet now, Laura already sharing the highlights of her trip with her daughter on the boat ride over to the island. Lulu seemed even more disappointed that she had not been able to spend time with her grandmother and brother but we all seemed to share an unspoken agreement that it was still best that Spencer was out of the country and safe currently.

Lulu seemed perceptive enough to notice a shift in Laura and my interaction and while she didn't seem to question it, she did thank me for being with them again today. Dante had reassured me that no one was going to be shot this time with Valentin and hopefully we would get some answers. We both had found out basically the same information from Anna and Alexis, that a new Will had resurfaced, written by Mikkos, before his death, and hidden away by Helena all these years. I knew Laura felt the pain of the realization that her son's death was in vain, as it appeared Nikolas, while still the Prince, had not been the rightful heir to the Cassadine fortune. Valentin didn't have to take us all hostage or ask Nikolas to sign anything over to him if he had only known about the new Will. Much less, he didn't need to shoot Laura's son or me as I moved to protect Laura.

Laura turned to face me just as I rubbed my right shoulder. "Does it still hurt?"

"I think I felt a twinge just because we are getting close to Valentin. But maybe it is just because I am thinking about what he did to me...what he did to all of us only a few months ago."

Laura placed her hand over mine and then turned to knock on the door to what used to be her home. Before she could knock, the door swung open and there was Valentin, sans mustache, in person, and magnanimously greeting us having no doubt been warned of our presence by the launch captain.

"Welcome back from your trip, Laura. Won't you all come in? I've been expecting you as I know you have some questions."

Valentin stepped aside and when we all reluctantly followed him over the threshold he lead us to the main living room.

"Can I get anybody anything to eat or drink? Dr. Collins? Lulu? Dante?" Valentin smiled as he moved comfortably around the room and went to poor himself a drink.

"This is not a social call, Valentin." I had expected Laura to be the first person to address him, her anger clearly rising to the surface, but was glad on some level that Dante was taking the lead. He could approach this interaction from a law enforcement perspective since it was still a mystery as to how Valentin was freed of all charges.

"How did you get out of prison after murdering my son?!"

I heard her rage and saw her come face-to-face with the maniac and moved instinctively to her side. However Laura planned to fight against Valentin we were in this together.

"Well, Dr. Collins, you still seem determined to protect the lovely Mrs. Spencer…or is it just Ms. Spencer now? Pity I never had a chance to meet the one-and-only Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, I've certainly heard that old witch pontificate about him enough over the last few years. Please, everyone, just relax, and have a seat. I think some explanation is in order."

Reluctantly we all moved to sit down, Valentin, still holding court as he stood by the fireplace took a sip of his drink before continuing. To say he seemed different than he did on Cassadine Island was an understatement. He was definitely more relaxed and seemed entirely confident and assured about the current situation. And I couldn't help but feel he had made the comment about Luke as a way to get under my skin even further.

Valentin turned to face us and handed some paperwork to both Dante and Laura before he started talking again.

"What I have provided you both with is the legal documents for both the criminal court and probate court cases. These documents indicate that my charges have been dropped and also verify the authenticity of the Last Will and Testament of Mikkos Cassadine that was just recently discovered in a safe deposit box belonging to Helena. I do deeply regret that this document had not been available sooner, especially since it was notarized in 1980, as it clearly indicates that my father intended to leave his estate and all assets to his oldest living son. Knowing this could have saved me the need for desperate actions when I realized that Nikolas was in Greece last summer. Instead, I could have…"

"Your regrets mean nothing! You killed my son!" This time Laura had moved so quickly that it had caught even Valentin off guard. She landed the first blow on his chest and it was enough to send him reeling backwards, as the glass crashed to the floor around him. She didn't stop there and I could barely register her placing a kick to his shin as I moved to try and stop her. Age permitted Dante to be the first one to pull Laura back away from Valentin and I noticed he moved Laura graciously to my embrace as I felt the screams exit her body. I held her as her rage turned to despair and she allowed the tears to continue falling. I could barely hear the rest of the conversation as both Dante and Lulu continued to ask Valentin how all charges had been dropped, including shooting me in a room full of witnesses. My focus was on the woman I held in my arms and wanted more than anything to protect and comfort.

The rest of the events at Wyndemere were a blur as Lulu was also very upset at the explanations Valentin provided: no evidence that he hadn't shot Nikolas in self-defense, his word versus Ava's, a legal technicality that led to no official charges being pressed, and no legal recourse for his actions now that he plans to remain on American soil.

I decided we were not going to get anywhere with him or the situation and I knew that Laura had to be exhausted. The three of us took our leave from Valentin as he was still trying to tell Laura that she could continue to live at Wyndemere if she wanted to do so. I was in awe of his brashness and attempted to silence him with a calculated look. Laura remained silent and close to me on our ride back to the main land. Lulu seemed relieved when I cautiously mentioned that Laura had planned already to move in with me. Laura nodded softly when I mentioned that I would make arrangements in the morning to have her things packed and delivered to my apartment so that she wouldn't have to see him again.

I allowed her silence to permeate our short drive to my apartment near the harbor. I wanted to give her some space and allow her to decide if and when she wanted to talk about anything that had just happened or how we were going to deal with Valentin being in our lives. He would be a constant reminder of the loss of her son. A needless, inane loss and just one more trauma in a life filled with traumas that Laura has had to endure.

Laura

Just when I think that Kevin can't get any gentler, caring, kind, or understanding, he surprises me even more. He was so patient with me as we left Wyndemere abruptly and allowed me to process my thoughts in silence. It was clear that he was there if I needed to cry…to be held…or even if I wanted to talk about my feelings. And I knew that I could open up to him when I was ready and he would be there for me with both the skill of a trained listener but not as my therapist or psychiatrist but only as my friend and lover.

My new home was equally wonderful and inviting as Kevin led me from room to room in the remodeled brownstone apartment he rented near the harbor. He had books piled in every corner and I marveled at an old typewriter that was the centerpiece in his roll top desk in the "reading room" at the far upstairs corner. It had the best view of the lake and even though the sun was beginning to set, I could tell that this room would have the best sunlight in the morning.

Kevin led me to the master bedroom and showed me that he had cleaned out some space for me in the closet, the right side of a larger dresser, and a cabinet in the bathroom. As he moved to get me some clean towels and a robe, I could tell that he was hoping I wouldn't call him out on his obvious assumption that he was going to be able to convince me to move in with him.

I found my voice for the first time since yelling at that monster.

"Pretty sure of yourself, I see, Dr. Collins."

"Not of myself but of us." Kevin turned to face me and gave me the most adorable look. A combination of bashfulness, humility, and compassion.

Now it was my turn to let him know that I appreciated his planning and comfort.

"Thank you, Kevin. This is wonderful. I feel safe with you and I appreciate you sharing your home with me."

He leaned in to give me a hug and I allowed him to hold me for just a few minutes before pulling away again. I moved my hands to his face and pulled him down to me for a kiss.

"Why don't I make us some dinner and you take some time to get acquainted with your living space. Feel free to unpack from your trip and help yourself to anything. You can even take a shower or bath if you like."

"I'm fine, Kevin. We will get through this together. Being angry at Valentin isn't going to bring Nikolas back. And I like the thought of him being out there on Spoon Island alone and far away from us."

I moved to my suitcase and pulled a small glass bottle out of the top zippered compartment.

"What's that?" Kevin asked me, suddenly curious about my actions.

"Hold out your hand. I want you to help me figure out the best place for us to put this."

Kevin seemed unsure but did as I asked as I poured the small twisted metal lump into his waiting palm. Despite being the most intelligent man I have ever known, it took him a minute to realize what he was looking at in his hand.

"You kept the bullet?"

"Of course I kept the bullet, Kevin. This small piece of steel reminds me every day of the sacrifice you made for me. How you didn't hesitate to put yourself in front of me and in the process save my life. Then, it reminds me, that because of your faith in me, I was able to cut this out of your shoulder. And, I didn't lose you. In fact, it helped me realize that I couldn't live without you."

For the second time in less than a few hours, I watched as tears fell from Kevin's eyes. I held him close and felt his palm closed tightly around the bullet and against my back. We whispered some more "I love you's" and it felt so good to feel the words leave my lips only to have them echoed back at me. Kevin warmed my ear with his kiss and all thoughts about unpacking and dinner would have to wait. The only thing I wanted to do in this moment was make love to my best friend and new roommate.

To be continued