Wyndemere.
Claudia entered the living room, looking a little worse for the wear. Nikolas followed behind her, apologizing profusely.
"I don't know what I was thinking."
Claudia coughed a little. "Don't worry about it."
"In my own defense, there's no other way to get to the Island from the Mainland."
Claudia interrupted him. "For what it's worth, I didn't know I'd get sick either. Pregnancy is like the gift that keeps on giving. A new, unexpected gift every day." Her hand went to her abdomen. "At least the last gift makes up for all the rest."
Nikolas thought there was a gap in Claudia's logic. He raised an eyebrow. Claudia shrugged her shoulders in defeat.
"I love the baby. Crazy, huh? Big, bad Claudia keeps herself from falling in love all these years only to get sucked in by her own kid. I had this whole thing planned out -- I was so pragmatic. I was just postponing a death sentence. And then -- boom! I get these feelings." Claudia reached for her purse. "I actually have pictures. Ultrasound pictures, but that's all that's available at the moment, you know?" She opened her purse and then caught herself before she went further. "Sorry. We haven't lived together for one minute and I'm already annoying. Hey, didn't you want to ask me about something?"
Nikolas was so surprised that it was actually his turn to speak that it took him a second to answer. "When?"
"In the hospital room." Nikolas shook his head in confusion. Claudia tried again: "With the Russian?"
Right. That. "What happened with Rebecca last night?"
Claudia put down her purse. "She asked me what was going on with you and me. I told her to ask you."
Nikolas couldn't help it. He grinned.
"Right move?," she asked.
"Perfect move," he said.
Claudia gave a sigh of relief. Her new home life was going much better than the old one already. She looked around the room. "Hey, Batman, where'd your henchman take my bag? It's not much, but it's all I have right now."
"Alfred!," Nikolas called out.
Alfred popped in the room as if he'd been lurking around the corner. "Yes?" He nodded at Claudia. "Welcome, Miss Zacchara."
"Thanks." Claudia oddly felt like a curtsey was in order and was grateful she wasn't that kind of girl.
"Alfred, please show Miss Zacchara to the guest house. She'll be staying with us now."
Nikolas watched Claudia's face freeze momentarily, and then she appeared to re-group. She nodded at Nikolas, "I guess I'll see you later." She gathered her purse and began to leave the room, with Alfred following close behind.
"Claudia." Nikolas called her back.
She turned back to him again. "What?"
"The sooner you get started on your divorce, the better for your baby."
"I'm not getting a divorce," Claudia scoffed.
"You're not -- you're not getting a divorce?" She was one of those crazy Zaccharas. Just better-looking than the others.
"Sonny's got my family's business. You think I'd give that up?" Claudia shook her head at Nikolas' naivete. Then she went out of the room.
"Alfred!" Alfred stopped in his tracks and turned to Nikolas.
"Yes, Master Nikolas."
"Keep calling her Mrs. Corinthos. The whole time she's here. No matter what she tells you." That should do it, thought Nikolas.
"Yes, sir," said Alfred. And then he went to find Mrs. Corinthos to show her to the guest house.
**************************************************
GreyStone. Afternoon.
Sonny paced the floor. "I think I made a mistake, man."
"No, Sonny. You didn't."
"Nikolas Cassadine could have her out of the country like that." Sonny snapped his fingers.
"She's not going to travel with a high risk pregnancy," Jason said calmly.
"Now she's got all this time to plan something, and I'm not around to catch on."
"Look," said Jason rationally. "She pointed a gun at you. She feels that her life is being threatened. If she'd stayed under this roof, how long until she felt the need to get rid of the threat before you got rid of her?"
"Do you know anything about this thing with Nikolas?"
"No. Do you want Spinelli to look into it?"
"Yeah, man -- do whatever you can."
Jason didn't say anything else, but he knew that both Nikolas and Claudia had had a connection to Ian Devlin. The less everyone knew about Nikolas' connection with Devlin, the better. In the meantime, Jason would find out what he could through other channels.
Michael came in unannounced. "Dad, where's Claudia?"
Jason and Sonny exchanged a look.
**************************************************
Wyndemere. Nikolas' study. Late afternoon.
Nikolas pored over the latest report on his grandmother's whereabouts.
"Knock, knock." Nikolas looked up at the sound of Alexis' voice. He smiled at her.
"Come in. Make yourself comfortable," he said.
"Am I going to like this?"
"It involved me eating crow, so you'll thoroughly enjoy it."
"Oh, goody." Alexis threw herself into a chair.
"Something's wrong with Rebecca."
"Physically?" Nikolas didn't look depressed, so she tried again. "Mentally? Spiritually? Economically? GIve me something to go on."
Nikolas decided to let Alexis enjoy this as much as she could. He bowed his head in supplication. "She's conning me."
When he lifted his head, Alexis didn't look happy at all. "I really wanted to be wrong," she said.
"I know," he said. He tapped a pen against his desk. Full steam ahead. "You think it's Helena?"
"I don't know. But the sight of them together was suspicious." Alexis leaned in toward Nikolas. "What do you need from me?"
Nikolas passed a folder to her. "Grandmother asked me for a painting while she was in town."
Alexis opened the folder and studied the photograph lying on top. "This painting?"
"Yes," Nikolas answered. "Recognize it?"
"No."
"The back-up information makes up the rest of the file."
"I'll see what I can do."
There was a knock at the door. "Yes?," Nikolas called out.
Claudia peeked her head in. "I'm looking for food."
Alexis jumped at the sound of Claudia's voice. She swiveled in her seat, and said, with some disgust, "You."
Claudia's look of disgust matched -- if not exceeded -- Alexis'.
"Что она делает здесь? ," Claudia asked Nikolas. What's she doing here?
"Что ты здесь делаешь?," Alexis volleyed back. What are you doing here?
"Good. You've met," said Nikolas. "So I don't have to explain that this is my aunt, Alexis Davis. Also known as Alexis Davidovitch. Also known as Princess Natasha Alexandra Cassadine." He stage whispered to Claudia, "She speaks Russian." He now turned to Alexis. "Claudia is staying with me."
"How could you let this animal into your house?," Alexis demanded of Nikolas.
"Claudia," said Nikolas, in a way that let it be known that he was not to be trifled with on the subject, "is my guest. Please treat her with respect."
"Oh," came Alexis' swift rejoinder, "because she's been so respectful of me when I've been her guest?"
"Well, maybe if you knew how to raise your daughter, I wouldn't have to interfere," Claudia interjected.
Nikolas quickly ushered Claudia out of the room, saying over his shoulder to Alexis, "I'll be back soon. Take a look at that file."
Out in the hall, once the door was shut, he turned on Claudia. "What are you doing?"
"Me? The second I came in, she started in on me."
"And you had no idea Alexis was there." Nikolas gave Claudia a knowing look.
"I was looking for food."
"Right."
"Nikolas." Claudia's tone suggested that her voice was about to be raised a few octaves if he didn't capitulate. "I'm pregnant. With child. Knocked up. I'm hungry. It happens a lot. I need food." And then instead of going into the stratosphere, her voice now lowered and was coming through gritted teeth. "I don't know how to order in to the Island."
"Well, ask Alfred. I'm with a guest."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I should have thought of that. Except I CAN'T FIND HIM."
"Hey!," rebuked Nikolas. "Lower your voice."
Claudia stared at Nikolas. That was the first time he'd ever ordered her to do anything. So much for the one person who...
"Alexis is my aunt. You will treat her with respect. If you can't, you will leave any room she enters."
"Why don't I just stay in the guest house?," Claudia muttered.
"Claudia! You are a guest! That doesn't just mean that you are to be treated with respect -- it also means that you are to respect the rules of this house!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Nikolas regretted them. Maybe not the words, but the way he had said them. He'd never spoken to Claudia that way before. Then again, he'd never seen Claudia the way she was with Alexis. So maybe an apology wasn't in order. But he was about to give one anyway, when Spencer came toddling up the hall with Alfred in pursuit. Spencer looked from one adult to the other.
"Will you join us for dinner?," Nikolas asked Claudia by way of apology.
"No," said Claudia.
Spencer clapped his hands together with glee. "No!"
"Thank you," Claudia continued to Nikolas, a little belatedly. "I can manage." She turned to Alfred. "Alfred, could you take me to the kitchen? I need some staples for the guest house."
Nikolas noticed that her voice shook a little, even though her face was impassive.
"Right this way, Mrs. Corinthos," Alfred said.
At the sound of her married name, Claudia looked like someone had slapped her. And while Nikolas watched her, he couldn't be sure, but he thought Alfred might have shot him a look of disapproval.
Alfred led the way to the kitchen. Claudia followed. Spencer looked like he was going to follow Claudia, so Nikolas picked him up. "Let's go visit Aunt Alexis."
He looked down the hall at Claudia, and then went into the study.
******************************************************
Wyndemere. Living room. Evening.
Nikolas had meant to go see Claudia after dinner, but he'd been waylaid by yet another visitor. Rebecca.
He sent Spencer to the nanny. And now he and Rebecca were alone. And so it begins, he thought. If he was ever going to be The Cassadine, this was the moment.
"Please," he said to Rebecca. "Have a seat."
Rebecca sat down. She noticed that Nikolas did not take the seat nearest her, but remained standing.
"I guess you heard about the hospital," she began.
Nikolas pretended to search his memory for a moment, then flashed a look of recognition. "Claudia," he said.
"Yeah. I wanted to ask you --"
"It's all right," he said. "Claudia told me." That should plant a seed, he thought.
"What did she tell you?," asked Rebecca, flashing back to Claudia's little speech about what a Master Liar she was.
"That you were asking about her. And me. And she told you to ask me. What did you want to ask me?"
"Oh. Uh."
Now Nikolas took a seat. "I'll make this easy for you. Claudia and I are helping each other out in some matters. And while we are, she is staying here." He made a note of the little flare of suspicion that crept into Rebecca's eyes. "Well, not here exactly. In the guest house. It's a recent development."
Rebecca decided to go ahead and be blunt. "So you're not sleeping with her."
"With Claudia?" He tried to keep his tone neutral as if he were considering the question.
"Yeah. Because Nikolas -- I thought we -- I mean --"
"Rebecca." A note of haughtiness crept into Nikolas' voice. "What kind of person do you think I am? The kind of person who would be intimate with someone while betraying them?" He silently cursed himself for almost tipping his hand too soon.
"I'm sorry," Rebecca started.
"No," said Nikolas, salvaging the moment. "I am the one who's sorry. I've been neglectful. I have some business to attend to, but may I call you tomorrow? I'd like to make this up to you."
Nikolas hoped he was pulling off the sincere act.
"I'd like that too," Rebecca said.
And he guessed he'd pulled it off.
******************************************************
Spoon Island. The Guest House. Night.
Nikolas knocked on the door of the guest house. No answer. He wondered if she was ignoring his knock on purpose or (even worse) if she had left the Island. The men at the launch had standing instructions to inform him about comings and goings, but you never knew. Alfred had said that once his men had delivered food to the guest house, Claudia had declined all other help. What if she had overdone something and wasn't feeling well? Nikolas made his way around the side of the house and peered in the window.
Claudia was fast asleep on the couch.
He came back around to the front door and let himself in. The guest house looked a little ragged. He couldn't remember the last time it had been used. As he entered the living room, he was surprised to see evidence that Claudia had been dusting.
He knelt next to her. "Claudia," he said quietly.
"Mmmm?"
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"Did you eat?"
"Yeah."
She was still mostly asleep, but considering the fact that she'd been so ravenous earlier, he doubted she'd be this relaxed without some food inside her.
"Hey," he whispered.
"Hmmmm?"
"Put your arms around my neck."
And she did. He lifted her from the couch and brought her upstairs into the master bedroom. He put her down on the bed, and removed her shoes. (How could she walk in those things? They were a mile high -- and wasn't pregnancy supposed to change your center of gravity?) He began to turn down the bed as best he could with her still in it.
Claudia slowly woke up.
She rolled over and eyed Nikolas. "Don't you have people for this?"
"Aren't you asleep?"
"Right." Claudia crawled under the covers and closed her eyes.
Nikolas looked around the room. It was dusty. And every drawer, every bit of closet space was empty. It was a safe bet that the bathroom didn't have soap or shampoo. He'd have them sent over with a selection of towels in the morning. Along with an invitation to breakfast.
He knelt by the bed.
"Claudia." No answer. "Claudia?"
"What?"
"I'm sorry I yelled at you."
Claudia opened one eye and peered at Nikolas. Then she opened both her eyes. "'S'okay. You're a Prince. You're allowed to get haughty and demanding."
"I am."
"That's supposed to have a question mark at the end of it," she corrected. She smiled. And then she went back to sleep.
Nikolas drew the bedroom window curtains shut and quietly made his way downstairs. He guessed he'd better check the state of the kitchen. When he went inside and turned on the lights, he was dumbfounded. No wonder Claudia was so tired. The place sparkled. Every countertop was polished. Every dish, pot, pan, and utensil had been washed and was drying. He made a mental note to have a dishwasher installed tomorrow.
He opened the refrigerator. There were a few staples in there. But mostly there was what Claudia had made of the staples. There were at least 3 day's worth of meals in there, neatly packaged, and each was carefully marked with the day's date. He closed the refrigerator door and looked around the room again. The rest of the house suddenly embarrassed Nikolas. He'd thought the guest house would be peaceful, finally a place that Claudia could make her own. The reality of it was that it was more like she'd been banished. And with the thought of that word, Nikolas's heart sank. Her whole life, Claudia had been treated as thought she was part of an endurance test for everyone around her. And when she wasn't being treated that way, she was being exiled. Banished. He was a fool. And he was going to make it up to her in the morning.
