Nadine sat primly in her living room, perched on the edge of her sofa, legs crossed in eager anticipations as she waited for Nikolas to arrive. She had finished getting ready a half-hour before he was due and had spent the last thirty minutes flipping aimlessly through channels and counting the seconds until her Prince Charming showed up to sweep her away. Just as she was about to switch back over to a documentary on arctic animals, a buzz blared through her tiny apartment from the call box. Walking across the room, Nadine looked down to the street below to see him standing on the front stoop, dusk sun flooding his face as he looked up toward her window. Their eyes met through the double-paned glass and a radiant smile broke out on her face. Holding his gaze for a second longer, she finally padded across the room to buzz him up.

Counting softly to herself, she knew it would take exactly twenty-six seconds for him to reach her door. A soft tapping indicated his arrival, and she took a long pause to examine herself in the mirror one last time. Her hair was swept away from her face in an intricate knot at the nape of her neck. Kelly had helped her perfect her makeup with smoky eyes and frosted lips. Robin had leant her a pair of sparkling dewdrop earrings to match her bracelet. Leyla had helped give her a manicure and pedicure so that even the tiniest details were covered, and Lainey had sat by and directed the entire effort. It had been a lovely afternoon of girl bonding, and as she smiled at herself in the mirror, she knew it had been well worth it. She looked like the princess she had dreamed about as a little girl.

Swinging the door open, her blue eyes widened considerably as they washed over Nikolas. Dressed impeccably in a black suit with a crisp white shirt and a soft silver tie, he looked like the man she had dreamt about when he had kissed her that first time in his living room. "You are so beautiful," he complimented her breathily, his eyes lingering over her. Blushing feverishly, Nadine stepped out of the way to allow him into the apartment. He stepped just inside the doorway, never breaking his gaze from hers. "I can't believe you are actually ready. I'm used to waiting on a woman."

"Are you kidding me? I couldn't wait for tonight to get her," she admitted softly as she leaned forward timidly to kiss his cheek in greeting. Nikolas turned his head at the last minute to capture her lips with his in a brief kiss. She smiled against his mouth as they pulled away, his hand sliding around her waist and holding her firmly against him. "So, where are you taking me?"

Nikolas chucked and shook his head. "It's a surprise," he responded. Nadine started to protest but he quickly shut her down. She grabbed her clutch off the sofa and then followed Nikolas out the door. He waited patiently while she locked both the locks on her door. He turned back to her slowly and offered her his arm. Slipping her arm through his, she allowed him to guide her down the stairs and into the cool evening air. A black town car was idling at the curb. When the driver started to climb out to open the door for her, Nikolas waved him off and insisted on opening it for her. Sliding into the buttery leather seat, she waited while he jogged around to the other side to get in beside her. Then, without a word to the driver, the car took off and headed across town.

"By the way, I forgot to tell you up there that you look quite dapper," she smiled as Nikolas moved across the seat to sit next to her. His arm rested around her shoulders as she leaned her head on his shoulder. It was such a natural reaction they had, almost as if they had to touch each other if they were anywhere near one another. "You could take me to McDonalds and the mall right now, and I would pretty much be okay with it. In fact, we can just drive around all night if you want."

"Are you kidding?" Nikolas scoffed. He looked at her seriously before allowing the slightest smile to quirk her lips up. "First of all, you deserve so much more than a cheap hamburger at a seedy food court. Secondly, there is no way I am going to let a dress like that go to waste."

"Ah, so it's the dress that did you in?" she joked as Nikolas squeezed her hand. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head when she smiled. They both felt so at ease there, as if nothing could take away the magic of tonight from them. "I guess I'm just not used to anything like this."

Reaching forward, Nikolas turned off the music and closed the window that separated them from the driver for added privacy. Angling his body so that he could hold her hand and look into her eyes at the same time, he needed for her to understand just how much this meant to him. She was no passing thing for him. He could see forever in Nadine. Once upon a time, he thought that his forever had died with Emily. Now, as he sat in the back seat of a ridiculously overpriced car with a simple nurse in a beautiful dress, he knew that she would be okay if they had to eat cheese sandwiches every night for dinner. She didn't want anything other than his heart.

"I love you in your scrubs right after you have finished a long shift at the hospital. With your hair pulled back in a ponytail and that silly duck velcroed to your wrist, you're always so cute," he confessed. "And then when you're at home in your jeans and one of those striped tee shirts that you're so fond of, I love how comfortable you feel in your own skin. You look just as good in your pajamas and slippers as you do in a ball gown in heels. It isn't about a dress, Nadine, it's about you."

Arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her lips softly to his. His hand grazed the soft skin on the back of her neck before traveling down to the top of her spine. They stayed wrapped up in each other for seventeen blocks until the car reached the hotel. So entangled in the kissing, Nadine didn't even notice when they stopped. Nikolas finally pulled away from her, completely breathless from having her in his arms. "Oh, we're here," she murmured as she looked past his shoulder and up at the grandiose Metrocourt. She immediately deducted that they were likely going to have dinner in the upscale restaurant.

Nikolas stepped from the car and offered his hand to help her step onto the sidewalk. Her ballet flats clicked on the pavement as they strolled up the sidewalk. He nodded curtly at the doorman as they passed before they walked into the lobby. She was surprised to find it empty, completely devoid of a living soul or a single sound. There was only a uniformed waiter standing guard outside the dining room. "Right this way, Ms. Crowell," the man announced, addressing her politely rather than Nikolas. The man held the door open for them, revealing an immaculate dining room. He shut the door silently behind them, leaving them alone.

Letting go of his hand, Nadine stepped to the middle of the dining room and turned slowly in a circle. She walked from table to table, her smile growing with each new sight. When she came to a stop by the roulette table, she glanced back at him with a huge grin. Just as she was about to turn back around, another waiter arrived holding a sterling silver tray. Lifting the dome, she was surprised to find a generous stack of chips waiting for her. "What did you do?" she mused delightfully. Nikolas came to her side and took the chips from the waiter before dismissing him. He snapped once to call in all the dealers. "Where are all the other guests?"

"It's just you and me tonight," he whispered into her ear. "I was talking to Elizabeth this morning about everything and she said something that stuck. She told me that life and love are a gamble. I'm willing to take a chance, lay it all on the line, to make this work. The first time I knew that I wanted more than friendship with you was the night at the Haunted Star. Watching the way your face lit up as you won, it was the purest form of joy I've ever seen. I knew then that I wanted to put that look on your face every single day for the rest of my life. Maybe it's too early to make such a declaration but I've learned that you need to say things before it is too late."

"That is the most perfect thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire life," she whispered, completely in awe of his words. She palmed a few of the chips before leading him over to the tables. Placing a chip on the table, she made a silent promise to herself and prayed that she would win. The dealer dropped the marble and spun the wheel. Closing her eyes tightly, she listened as it clicked to a stop and waited for the man to tell her the result. As he announced that she had won, she hopped in the air triumphantly and clapped in celebration.

Over the next hour, Nikolas and Nadine traveled from table to table, placing bets and playing games. Sometimes they won, sometimes they lost. He taught her a little bit more about poker and asked her to blow on his dice for luck. By the time she had tired of gambling, she had built up quite a stack of chips. "Alright, I'm going to place one final bet," she declared, returning to the blackjack table. "If you win, I'll do something that you want, but if I win, I want you to dance with me."

Nikolas agreed to her challenge and nodded politely for the dealer to toss out their cards. Nadine peaked at her cards and grimaced. She peaked at Nikolas, who was smiling like a fool as he looked at his cards. Glancing down at the table, Nadine spotted the ace sitting face up. "I'll stick," Nikolas announced as the dealer turned to him.

The man nodded before looking up at Nadine. She swept her hand over her cards, indicating that she was going to stand. The dealer flipped his cards over and tossed down another on top of it. He went over with a twenty-three. "Well, Mr. Cassadine?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. Nikolas reached down and turned over a pair of queens. "Not bad."

"I guess I am going to have dinner to think of what I want," he teased.

"Actually, I'll have dinner to think about what I want," she argued. She flipped over the ace of spades and the king of hearts. "I believe that it what you call a blackjack. In fact, I believe that I just won."

Nikolas frowned in disappointment as he looked down at her hand. Even if it was to Nadine, he still hated to lose. He had been so sure that he had the upper hand, but apparently she was a little bit better at bluffing than he thought. Nadine danced around him in a circle, humming to herself as she celebrated. He finally caught her around the waist and spun her around a few times. "There's your dance," he joked before gliding her toward the dinner table.

"That's not what I had in mind, but I know that you'll make it up to me after dinner. I'm famished," she grinned as a pair of waitresses in prim black dressed appeared at their table. One woman placed mixed greens salad with warm goat cheese in front of them while the other poured goblets filled with a deep, rich burgundy. Nadine tried not to be intimidated by the array of forks that sat in front of her. Counting the tines, she finally settled on the right one before cutting into the greens. "Oh, yum," she moaned. "Nikolas, this is so good."

"I created the menu especially for you. I did a little research and convinced Elizabeth to tell me all your favorite foods," he admitted. "As much as it killed me to do it, I even ordered baked macaroni from a gourmet chef. He was slightly offended but I insisted. I thought that if we had some of your favorites and some of mine, it would be perfect."

Four courses later, Nadine decided that she couldn't eat another bite. She had relished the baked macaroni with Nikolas' favorite seared swordfish. His plans had been altered since that morning when he had decided to tone down the meal just a little to suit her more. When her face had lit up at the site of the pineapple upside down cake, all the effort was immediately worth it. As he sat back and watched her nibble at the crumbs on her dessert plate, he thought about telling her that he had planned for dancing ahead of time. However, he didn't want to take away her win.

"Well, I guess we should be getting home. It's late," he commented lightly, waiting for her to protest. She seemed to know exactly what he was up to as she shook her head. Rather than waiting for him to stand up, she took his hand silently and pulled him toward the floor. He clapped once and on cue, the string quartet came into the dining room. Her jaw dropped as they began to slowly play a sonata in unison. His hand found its way to her hip as she clasped his other hand. Holding her frame tightly, they started to slide around the floor in a perfect waltz.

Nadine closed her eyes as they turned around in circles, the hem of her skirt twirling around them. Resting his cheek against hers, he guided her gently with his hand on the small of her back, showing her where he wanted them to go. She hummed along to the familiar tune, surprised that she recognized any of the classical music. She had always been a fan of popular music instead. Nikolas spun her out before drawing her back to him. They made their way around the floor a few times until he dipped her deeply. Bringing her up to her feet again, he held her gaze for a moment as the music faded out. Allowing her heavy eyelids to fall shut, she knew that he was about to kiss her. She knew the sleepy, hazy look he always got in his eyes right before he made his move. And just when he was about to finally bring his lips to hers, the band started up again.

She felt him freeze in her arms as the haunting tune filled the air around them. Looking up at him in alarm, she noticed that his eyes were looking past hers as he got lost in something so deep that she was unable to bring him back to her. Slowly, he let go of her and moved away, covering his face so that she could not see him. Nadine tried to pry his fingers from his eyes but he refused to let her touch him. "Stop," he said softly, insistently. When the quartet kept playing, he whirled around angrily and screamed. "Stop! Dammit, stop!"

Recoiling at his angry tone, Nadine was frozen in the middle of the floor as she looked from the musicians to her date. "Nikolas, please," she implored gently, wanting him to snap back to the charming man who had held her only minutes before. She padded up behind him and rested her hand on his shoulder. He stepped away from her again and strode up to the musicians. He handed them a wad of cash and dismissed them rudely. She could only watch as they gathered their instruments and left the room with great confusion. Nadine couldn't blame them. She still had no idea what had made him snap like that. When they were alone again, she attempted a third time to get through to him. "Nikolas, is everything alright?"

"Please get your things," he said politely but firmly. Tears threatened to fall from his dark eyes as he turned away from her and exited the room brusquely. Nadine retrieved her purse from the table and apologized to the staff before heading outside to join him. He was staring up at the sky as he waited impatiently for the town car to arrive to the curb. Wordlessly, he ushered her into the car and slammed the door shut behind him as he climbed into the seat. Miles were between them as she sat huddled in one corner. Nadine didn't dare say a word as they went through a few stoplights. Finally, Nikolas began to speak slowly. He still wouldn't look at her, his eyes fixed on the lights outside the window. "I just think that this was too soon."

"But you said…"

"I was wrong."

Those were the last words that either of them spoke until the car reached her apartment again. Nikolas tried to get out to walk her to the door, but Nadine refused. She didn't want him to see her crying in the moonlight. She just wanted to put tonight behind her and escape to the safe confines of her bedroom. He apologized again but she brushed him off. "It's fine, really. You clearly see this as a mistake. I just don't happen to agree."

"I don't mean that your…"

"Nikolas, it's quite alright," she insisted as she jogged up the steps. Mascara was already starting to run down her pale face and she just wanted the humiliation of tonight to be over. He stood on the sidewalk, making sure that she got in safe just as she had been taught. She could hear him calling after her as she slammed the door shut behind her. Taking the steps two at a time, she prayed that she would hold it together just long enough to get inside her apartment. Nadine barely got her front door closed before she collapsed on the sofa and slowly, sadly, cried herself to sleep.