Nikolas and Emily are in her bedroom at the Quartermaines. They are standing near the desk talking.
Emily: What I know for a fact is; you were right. None of us have the right to play God. I never should have asked you to pretend to love me. It feels like, I put something in motion and now I don’t know how to stop it.
Nikolas: Maybe that message is not to stop. I never meant for you to hear what I said to Lydia. I never meant to feel the way I do but I do. It’s up to you. We don’t have to do this. I can turn around and walk out that door and we can both forget that this afternoon ever happened.
Emily: Except … it did.
Nikolas and Emily are growing closer; they both have tears in their eyes. Nikolas is reaching out for her.
Nikolas: Yeah…so I won’t lie. A few years ago, you were just a teenager who had a crush on me. And I ... I loved you. But something … something happened, you turned into this…my God, this beautiful amazing woman, full of laughter and courage. And I fell in love with you. What I said to Lydia is true, you captured my heart along time ago and you can have it forever if you want.
Nikolas pulls Emily close and then have a huge kiss, Nikolas is cupping her face and they kiss.
Lydia and Stefan are in the Cassadine Drawing room…Lydia is reading papers.
Lydia: Where did you find a codicil to my Grandfather’s will?
Stefan: You are not as worldly as you think you are. I find that refreshing.
Lydia: It’s a forgery?
Stefan: An excellent one. Don’t you agree?
Lydia: It’s brilliant. If it works.
Stefan: It has to. Nikolas is much too vulnerable to the dubious charm of Emily Quartermaine. Your marriage must take place immediately.
Nikolas and Emily are still in the bedroom. Nikolas is sitting on the desk with Emily standing between his spread legs. Her hand is resting on his arm and he’s holding her arm.
Emily: You were the first boy I ever kissed. It was wonderful and awful because I knew you were horrified.
Nikolas: I...I was surprised.
Emily: And horrified.
Nikolas: Okay, maybe…maybe I was a little.
Emily: You were all my eyes could see. And even though you didn’t kiss me back, I never forgot it. And then the night of our first support group, we kissed again and I felt like I’d been struck by lightening. I told myself that it had to be something left over from my crush or maybe it was the thrill of victory. Having you kiss me when I was all grown up. But it was more. I asked you for honesty and it’s only fair that I give you the same in return. You are inside of me, Nikolas. Awake. Asleep. No matter who I’m with or what I do, part of me is with you.
Nikolas grabs Emily and they kiss as she gasps on the “you”. They pull back with twin moans and stare into each others’ eyes.
Nikolas: So this is it.
Emily: What?
As Nikolas talks, Emily becomes more and more crestfallen. Tears are welling up and threatening to spill as Nikolas spills out his heart.
Nikolas: Love. What it means. What it feels like. I never knew until now. Everything else was just a stab in the dark that other people talked about that I never experienced. But this is it. To know you like I do. For you to know me the same way. And to finally know that I’m not alone anymore. What…what is it…what’s wrong?
Emily pulls away and pulls her hands up over her face. Nikolas grabs her and pulls her close. He caresses her face and tries to get her to open up.
Emily: Nikolas.
Nikolas: What’s wrong?
Emily: You know…we both do. This….we, it can’t happen. There’s no way.
Nikolas looks stunned.
Emily walks away from Nikolas over towards the bed and he gets off the desk to face her.
Nikolas: What are you saying? I mean…anything’s possible right?
Emily: Not for us, Nikolas. We weren’t supposed to feel this for each other.
Nikolas: But..but we do.
Emily: Well, okay, what about…what about Zander? I woke up in his arms this morning and we were happy. I’m not saying I’m sorry this happened. I’m much too selfish for that. But, we can’t be together; it’s not fair to Zander.
Nikolas: What about what’s fair to us? We have to honor the way we feel, here.
Emily: We can’t just run roughshod over other peoples’ feelings because we have a lousy sense of timing. We both made promises. You have to marry Lydia for the sake of your family and I have to stay with Zander -
Nikolas: I don’t…I don’t care about Lydia!
Emily: Well, I care about Zander. I love him. He’s been everything to me and he doesn’t deserve to be kicked in the teeth. Nikolas, I won’t hurt him.
Nikolas: Okay…are you sure?
Emily: Yes.
Nikolas: Okay...I guess you have to follow your heart.
As Nikolas says this, a single tear rolls down the right side of his face. Tears are in both their eyes and Emily is sobbing.
Emily: Half of it’s with you, Nikolas. It always will be. I know it’s not enough. I’m so sorry.
Nikolas: I’m not. We may not be able to act on our feelings but that doesn’t make them any less real. I love you…and that will never change.
Nikolas grabs Emily again in another passionate kiss. They kiss and then pull back.
Emily: You have to go.
They stare at each other for a few moments and then Nikolas heads towards the door. He stops and rubs his eyes. Sighing, he opens the door and comes face to face with Zander. Zander looks suspicious.
Lydia comes into the Cassadine drawing room. Stefan is reading papers at his desk.
Lydia: One of your idiot grooms refused to saddle a horse for me.
Stefan: As he should. Night riding is dangerous.
Lydia: No. What’s dangerous is not allowing me my favourite outlet for pent up aggression.
Stefan: Well then I suggest you find a safer way to express yourself. Think heirs. Lydia. We can’t afford to have you maimed or killed in a fall.
Lydia: Are you in for a rude awakening. You can’t bully Nikolas. He’s going to put an end to this farce of an engagement and personally, I can’t wait.
Stefan: Pull yourself together. You’re behaving like a spoiled child.
Stefan leaves. Lydia shouts after him.
Lydia: I am sick of you people. There isn’t enough money in the world to put up with you for the rest of my life.
Clapping is heard from the tunnel doorway. Lucky is standing there. He advances further in the room as he and Lydia talk.
Lucky: That’s telling him.
Lydia: Do you get some kind of sick thrill out of sneaking up on people?
Lucky: Only you. It’s funny the way you always overreact. Besides, I pick up a lot of fascinating information that way. Like the fact that you and Stefan aren’t exactly getting along.
Lydia walks over to the bar and pours herself another drink.
Lydia: Pompous windbag. The man’s insufferable.
Lucky: Now that you know that, maybe you’d be willing to tell me the truth about the night Summer died.
Nikolas holds the door open for Zander and he comes in. Nikolas keeps the door open and stands there as Zander comes in. Nikolas and Emily share furtive looks as Zander talks.
Emily: Nikolas, uh, stopped by to check on me. You know how over the place I’ve been since the news about my chemo not working. He wanted to help.
Zander: Right. That’s what Nikolas does. He helps you. You depend on him. Things have changed.
Nikolas: It’s not a contest, Zander. We all love Emily. We want to do whatever we can for her.
Zander: Especially you, right?
Nikolas: Just like you said, old habits die hard. Move than anything, I just want Emily to be happy and well. And for that she needs you. So, I’ll get out of your way.
Nikolas gives one last look at Emily and leaves, closing the door behind him. Zander turns around and won’t look at Emily. He’s mad.
Emily: Okay. Whatever you’re thinking Zander, just say it.
Zander: I hate that guy, never liked him.
Emily: And?
Zander: I’ll deal. Don’t worry.
Zander turns back around to face Emily.
Emily: Okay, what’s going on Zander? Obviously, you’re upset. But I can’t fix it if I don’t know why. Okay, we’re not going to work if you start treating me with kid gloves and hiding how you feel.
Zander: Okay, all right. You want to know what’s wrong? Somebody came to me and told me that Nikolas admitted to being in love with you.
Emily blinks back tears and looks towards the ceiling.
Emily: Gia.
Zander: No, doesn’t matter Emily. Is it true?
Emily: Yes. That’s why he was here, to tell me himself.
Zander looks upset.
Emily walks over from the far side of the room and gets cloes to Zander who is sitting on the desk.
Emily: Zander, it never occurred to me that Nikolas would fall in love with me for real. Once, I got over my crush on him, he was my friend, he was my surrogate big brother. That’s why I felt so comfortable asking him to help me push you away.
Zander: Right, Em. But that was before. Okay…his feelings have changed. I need to know about yours.
Emily: I’ll tell you what I told him. I love you and I always will. You’re who I want to be with.
Zander smiles and he and Emily get closer.
Zander: How’d he take it?
Emily: You saw for yourself. He wishes us well. He wants me to be happy and he knows that’s with you.
Emily leans in and kisses Zander. She rests herself on his shoulder but looks like she’s lying.
Nikolas is in the drawing room with a drink. He looks at the papers on the desk and shoves them off the desk. Stefan comes in and yells at him. Nikolas is pissed and drunk.
Stefan: Nikolas!!! What are you doing? Those are vital business documents.
Nikolas: Oh, they’re meaningless pieces of paper. If I burned them all right now, there’d be duplications on this desk in the morning. Waiting for my signature. Demanding my attention. So let’s here it…let’s here it for the all important, all mighty Cassadine financial empire. The reason I exist.
Stefan: Why so angry? What happened?
Nikolas: Nothing…nothing at all. Are you kidding me? I live for this stuff! Signing papers…signing papers. Re…reproducing. There should be a son to follow in my footsteps to sign yet more pieces of paper. Don’t you think? I mean, what a fine and special destiny that is. Wow…how privileged I am to have such an honor bestowed on me.
Stefan: It is a privilege!! And with privilege comes obligation. You know that!
Nikolas: What about love? Or don’t you factor that in? how much do I have to sacrifice on the altar of this family?
Stefan: Love is still an option for you. You have Lydia. You can learn to love her.
Nikolas: Never.
Stefan: Well then you have my sympathy. You’re facing a lonely future. The fact remains that you are still engaged to Lydia.
Nikolas: Save it, will ya? I’ve already agreed. I’m marrying Lydia in November per my marching orders.
Stefan: Well, as it turns out. November will be too late. This is a codicil in her grandfather’s will. In order to secure Lydia’s inheritance the two of you must be married by the end of the week.
Lydia takes Lucky into the tunnels.
Lydia: These are Darius’ belongings. He left rather quickly the night of Summer’s death. Evidently, he didn’t take time to pack his things.
Lucky: You know, I probably shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth but why would a spoiled brat like you keep track of a servant’s belongings?
Lydia: You have been obsessed with Summer’s death for weeks. Badgering me, hurling accusations, I decided to investigate Darius to get you off my back.
Lucky looks through boxes. He scrounges through two or three of them.
Lydia: Find anything?
Lucky: Give me a minute.
Lucky finds a note from Zander.
Lydia: What’s that?
Lucky: It’s a note from Zander, asking Emily to meet him on the bluffs.
Lydia: So, we already knew that Zander wanted to meet him. Obviously, Darius intercepted the note.
Lucky: No, Zander called Emily. He asked Emily to meet him in the gardens not on the bluffs. This note is a fake. Someone meant to lure Emily out on the bluff where…where Darius could push her to her death. But he pushed Summer instead.
Zander guides Emily over to stand in front of the window. They are holding hands. They turn so they are facing each other in from of the window seat. Zander holds onto Emily’s forearms.
Emily: Zander what are you doing? We’re both adults now. We don’t have to sneak in and out of the window, anymore.
Zander: I’ve been thinking about a way to do this for a long time. I even thought about taking you to that bridge at the Canadian border that we were trying to run off to.
Emily: Okay, now I’m completely confused.
Zander: That bridge was my ticket to freedom and I knew that if I crossed it, I escaped a life in prison. Once I did, I had to come back because I knew by then that you were it. You were the point of everything, you were the reason that I wanted to live. So, I re-crossed that border and I came and found your fancy house and I climbed up that window for the first time. So, I guess this is as good as spot as any.
Zander kneels down on one knee and pulls out a ring box.
Zander: Emily.
Emily: Yeah?
Zander: I love you. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?
Nikolas is sitting on the stairs in the drawing room, reading the codicil staring morosely with a drink. The door to the tunnel comes open and Lucky and Lydia come out.
Lydia: That note proves nothing.
Lucky: Who are you protecting? Stefan? I mean, you should be dancing for joy. If Stefan goes to prison for murder, he won’t be in the position to force you and Nikolas to get married. You’d both be off the hook. Isn’t that what you want?
Lydia: Nikolas and I don’t have the option of wanting things. We’re bound by years of traditions, billons of dollars, duty before all else.
Lucky: Oh, that’s just a convenient cop-out. Just excuses all kinds of behaviour.
Lucky leaves and Nikolas comes out of the shadows.
Nikolas: Lucky doesn’t understand because he doesn’t have to. See, he has the freedom to follow his heart. You and I don’t have that freedom.
Nikolas throws the codicil down. We never will.
Lydia: It’s amazing, you and I finally agree on something.
Nikolas: Good, then you won't argue. We're getting married on Friday.