By the time Nikolas finally made his way from Spoon Island, the sky had turned a menacing shade of slate, a hue befitting his harsh mood. Rain was just starting to fall down, sprinkling his pristine windshield with huge droplets of water. He had always had a strange love affair with the rain. Emily had always said that it was a Cassadine thing. His family thrived on stormy conditions. Nikolas felt most at home in his own skin when the skies looked as though they could swallow up the earth any minute. It always reminded him just how small everything really was.

Turning the car down a winding country road, he glanced sideways at the beautiful young woman riding shotgun. She was still oblivious to his affection for destructive weather. There were so many things about him she still didn't know. He knew that it was only a matter of time before those dark things came out. His warnings would scare most women but not Nadine. His words did nothing to faze him. They only seemed to make her want to protect him that much more. She could clearly see something in him that he couldn't see in himself. Emily had been a lot like her in that way. If two such incredible women believed that he was worth saving, there had to be some truth to it. He had let one of those women save him once, and now, he was trying to decide if he was brave enough to be saved again. As he watched her hum along to the soft rock song pouring from his state-of-the-art stereo, he wanted to be brave enough for Nadine.

"I don't know what I am supposed to say to her," he announced softly before reaching forward to click off the radio. The sudden absence of noise caused Nadine to turn and look at him for the first time in awhile. She had been lost in her own thoughts since they had reached the mainland. "Lulu, I mean. I don't have any clue what I am walking into here. My first instinct is going to be to want to protect her from everything that's hurt her, and right now, Johnny is included on that list. But I also know my sister, she is going to cling to him. How can I make her see?"

Nadine looked out the window for a moment and smiled at the irony of his words. She had spent months trying to get Nikolas see that sometimes letting go is the best thing for you. She had watched him cling desperately to memories that he would never be able to get back. She had known that it wasn't healthy for him to hold on so tightly, but she also knew that he wouldn't let go until he was ready. "You can't make her feel something just because you want her to feel it," she tried to explain. "Johnny is her lifeline. She doesn't think that she can do this without him. No matter what you or anyone else thinks, she'll never believe that he has contributed to this. Maybe he hasn't. Maybe, just maybe, he has been the one thing that has kept her from going under completely."

Biting down on his bottom lip, Nikolas contemplated her explanation. There was no arguing, Lulu was in love with Johnny. She saw something in him that others didn't see. He could relate to that if he would let himself. It wasn't exactly comforting to connect his darkest qualities to the man that was in love with his baby sister. Still, with Nadine's reasoning, he could understand why Lulu needed him. The woman next to him had kept him from drowning in his own sorrow more than once. "I won't take him away from her then," he said simply. "She needs him."

Nadine nodded resolutely as Nikolas turned off the main road and onto a dusty access road. "What are you doing?" she asked, unsure of where they were going. She may have been fairly new to Port Charles, but she knew that this was the opposite direction of Shadybrook. When he pulled the car to a stop altogether, she was completely confused. "Nikolas, where are we?"

Pulling the key from the ignition, Nikolas swung his door open and stepped onto the gravel. His leather Italian loafers were immediately scuffed, but for the first time in his life, he didn't care how dirty he got or what he looked like. Jogging around to the other side of the car, he yanked open Nadine's door and pulled her from the car. She stumbled slightly with the sudden force, trying her best to regain balance as she stood up. He reached forward and rested his hands squarely on her shoulder before looking her over. Her unwashed hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail, yesterday's makeup still smudged around her pristine blue eyes. She had pulled on one of his white button-up shirts over her lacy camisole, the hem just barely skimming the thigh of her faded jeans. She was far from perfect, not at all the image of the princess he had always imagined himself with. He'd had his princess once, but he didn't want that anymore. He wanted something new, something different. There was no defining he wanted – he just wanted her.

Wrapping his hands around her waist, Nikolas pulled her flush against his body and danced her backward until she was pressed against the dusty car. Water poured down around them, quickly soaking them both thoroughly. He had been on edge all day, but Nikolas suddenly felt completely in control. Nadine moved against him as his mouth sought hers, her hands gliding up his back until they were lost in his dark locks. His fingers reciprocated as they tangled in her blond hair, setting it free from the satin ribbon that held it away from her face. A low groan escaped from deep in her throat as he lifted her off the ground. Their movements were primal and animalistic but intensely heartfelt and soulful. Finally, when Nadine felt like her lips were going numb, she gently pressed Nikolas back and let herself fall back to the ground.

"Um, wow," she laughed, covering her mouth in disbelief as she walked a few feet away from the car. She turned around and looked at him for a long moment. A pleased grin painted his handsome face as he gazed back at her. "What was that about?"

"Sorry," he apologized automatically, his years of etiquette training come back to him. "I'm not sure what got into me. I guess your advice must have got to me because once I started to process your words, I finally got why you had been pushing me so hard these past few months. I always thought that you didn't understand what I needed, but now I see that you knew exactly what was right for me."

Nadine walked back toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him again, this time slowly and deeply. "That may be the most romantic thing any man has ever said to me," she confided giddily. Nikolas enjoyed how emotionally open she was. She didn't try to hide who she was. She gave it to him willingly like a gift that he should treasure. "And as much as I want to show you exactly how much it meant to me, we really need to go. You can try to put it off for as long as you want by making these grand romantic declarations, but your sister still needs you. You can't avoid this one, Nikolas. You trusted me enough to know that I know what you need, and I am telling you that you need to be there when Lulu gets to Shadybrook."

They had almost had their perfect moment, but the fates were a cruel mistress. He was destined to be somewhere else. His only comfort was that he wouldn't have to go there alone. Neither of them said anything as he opened her car door for her and she slid into the seat. He got back behind the wheel, started the ignition and pulled the sleek vehicle back onto the main road. She eventually leaned forward again to turn the radio back on, but as she settled back into her seat, she reached across the console and took his hand. She knew exactly what he needed in that moment. He needed for her to hold his hand.

Ten short minutes later, Nikolas pulled the car into his usual spot in a parking lot that he had been in far too many times. For a brief time two years ago, he had believed that he would never have to return to the psychiatric hospital. He had been foolishly optimistic that a modern miracle had given Laura back to him. He'd wanted for his entire family. He wanted Luke to have the love of his life. He had wanted Lucky to have the woman who had made a life on the run seem like an adventure. He had wanted Lulu to have the person she looked up to most in the world. He had wanted Cameron and Spencer to have the grandmother who would love them so unconditionally. He had wanted himself to have the mother that he had missed out on for so many years.

They had gotten to have all of that for a few glorious weeks, a time he would cherish for the rest of his life. He still missed Laura every single day. He would visit her every week just to tell her all the things that she wasn't getting to be apart of. He'd show her photographs of Spencer and tell her stories about his latest achievements. He'd tell her how much he missed Emily. He'd confide in her about Nadine and how excited he was about the clinic. Anything and everything that he was afraid to share with someone else, he would tell to his mother. And as silly as it was, he still waited for her to stop rocking sometimes and look up at her with that brilliant smile. He still waited for her to say something back.

Now, he was afraid that it was only a matter of time before he would be visiting Lulu at the same hospital, showing her the same photographs and telling her the same stories. His sister's single biggest fear was coming true. His fear couldn't even begin to compare to the terror that she must be feeling. As he turned off the motor and stared up at the looming building before him, he looked for a sign that everything would be alright. He just wanted to see something that would tell him that he was doing the right thing. When nothing came, he closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. Just then, Nadine leaned across the seat and hugged him tightly. "You're doing the right thing."

Hand in hand, they walked slowly up the sidewalk, huddled beneath a small umbrella. They were both still wet from their earlier interlude, but Nikolas didn't care. He didn't care about anything other than her hands in his. When they were safely inside the hospital, Nadine collapsed the umbrella while he signed them in. He could see Claudia waiting inside the visitors' lounge, her dark hair covering her face. Taking Nadine's hand again, he guided her into the small room and sat down opposite of the mob princess. "What is their estimated time of arrival?"

"What is she doing here?" Claudia snapped as she looked up finally. She had expected Nikolas to come alone. The less people that knew about this, the better for everyone involved. The last thing she wanted to worry about was some random little twit blabbering to the officials when the guilt got to be a little too much. "You need to make her leave."

Nikolas opened his mouth to say something, but Nadine quickly interrupted him. "I'm staying," she said matter-of-factly, not at all backing down to Claudia's threatening stare. "You can look at me like that all you want, but I'm not going to leave Nikolas. He asked me to come with him, and I intend to stay right by his side. I get that you're worried about Johnny. I would feel the same way if I were in your place. You can be angry at me all you want if it makes you feel better. Just know that I'm not leaving."

"What is it with this town and blondes?" Claudia grumbled to herself. First Lulu, then Carly and now this chick – there was always a blonde somewhere who needed to shut her mouth. "Look, I don't care if you're here, but you better stay out of the way and keep this quiet. It doesn't really matter to me what happens with that whack job, but I won't have my brother put in danger because of you."

"Yes, because I am clearly the reason he would be in trouble," Nadine rolled her eyes. "Believe it or not, I don't want anything to happen to Johnny. I don't have anything against him. I actually believe that he loves Lulu and has been trying to take care of her as best as he could. The only thing I am worried about right now is getting her help."

Nikolas looked up at Claudia for a moment, waiting for the dark vixen to make some smart comeback. "It's clear that we all have our reasons for being here. Nadine came here for me. She won't say anything," he assured Claudia as he squeezed Nadine's hand supportively. "Now, I will ask you again. How long until they get here?"

Just as the words had escaped Nikolas' mouth, Johnny burst through the front door with Lulu in his arms. He had called ahead, so a team of doctors was already in place. Nikolas watched through glass window as the two spoke to each other, clearly fighting. He knew that his sister wouldn't want to stay without Johnny, but he must have convinced her because she eventually turned away from him long enough for him to escape back out the door. Claudia made a move to leave just as Lulu sprinted forward and Johnny threw the door back open. As he was about to reach for her, a team of cops busted out of the office and pulled them apart.

Nikolas sprung to action as Lulu began to yell and scream hysterically, fighting angrily as a pair of orderlies tried to restrain her. Claudia was at her brother's side, shouting demands at the cops reading Johnny's right as they handcuffed him. Lulu and Johnny kept screaming at each other, only adding to the chaos in the room. Nikolas tried to convince the doctors to let go of his sister, his voice raising several decibels the angrier he got. Scott Baldwin was grandstanding nearby, rattling off commands as he watched the entire situation with an amused smile. The whole thing was enough to make Nadine sick.

Stepping between Nikolas and the orderlies, she gently pressed him behind her. "Stop," she told the orderlies softly. The two men looked at her in confusion. "You aren't going to be able to get her calmed down like this. Just let go of her." Looking to the acting doctor, they both moved away when he nodded. Nadine had met the doctor on several occasions while working on various cases at General Hospital. She went to work quickly removing the straightjacket from Lulu's shaking body, letting it fall to a heap to the ground. She took the frightened young woman by the hand and led her from the room, doing her best to drown out the incessant screams filling her ear. When Lulu was finally out of sight of Johnny, she fell to the ground and curled up into a ball. Nadine sat down beside her, wrapping her arms around her body and rocking her gently. "Nikolas is going to make sure Johnny is safe," she promised. "They both just need you to calm down, Lulu. Please, can you do that for them?"

Lulu nodded like a lost little girl as she looked over Nadine's shoulder. Nikolas was on the other side of the door trying to reason with the policemen holding onto Johnny. She could tell that they were calmer than they had been, calming her down slightly. She soon felt another pair of arms wrap around her as someone shifted her away from Nadine and into their own embrace. Looking up, she was relieved to see Lucky's familiar azure eyes gazing down at her. "Lucky," she breathed, burying her face into his shirt. Elizabeth was at his side. "Lucky, I'm scared."

Nadine heard Lucky start to murmur his reassurance as she slipped from the room. She returned to Nikolas' side as he negotiated with the cops. "Just let them go," she whispered softly into his ear as she sidled up next to him. He looked down at her with confusion. "Claudia will take care of Johnny. Let her do her job as his sister. Your sister needs you in there. Do your job as her brother. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but I know that this is what you would tell me."

With a final defiant stare at Scott Baldwin, Nikolas stormed out of the room, pulling Nadine behind him. He stopped in the hallway when he saw his brother holding onto their sister like he had when she was just a little girl. Letting go of Nadine's hand, he sunk to his knees on the other side of Lucky and wrapped his arms around them both. Elizabeth slowly pulled back and stood beside Nadine. The two women looked as the three siblings held onto each other. Both of them knew that even if it seemed as though they were on the outside looking in, they were smack in the middle of this.