Nikolas: Morning.
Emily: How long have you been trapped like that?
Nikolas: I'm -- I’m fine. I'm okay, really.
Emily: You were here all night?
Nikolas: Yeah. Yeah, I didn't want to move you.
Emily: Hmm. Very chivalrous, Nikolas, but you know you didn't have to.
Nikolas: I know, but I wanted to. How'd you sleep?
Emily: Thanks to you, great. It's waking up that's hard.
Nikolas: Then go back to sleep.
Emily: Hmm. Don't tempt me. You know, you probably can't relate, but sometimes, all I want to do is be unconscious.
Nikolas: There have been plenty of times when I didn't want to get out of bed.
Emily: You know, I wasn't this way before. I used to love to -- to get up and go. Hmm. Now it seems like the only time I’m actually happy is in that split second between waking up and remembering that I have cancer and that I could die.
Nikolas: Come here. Close your eyes.
Emily: Hmm. More snuggling. I think I'm about to be spoiled.
Nikolas: You need to get back to that place you were so happy in.
Emily: Nikolas, this isn't going --
Nikolas: "I close my eyes before battle to see the green hills of peace."
Emily: This won't work.
Nikolas: "For those hills show me light, not the grim fields of war. In my mind, I can live there forever. In my place of peace, I am renewed with courage."
Emily: "The Captain Of My Dreams."
Nikolas: Yeah.
Emily: I can't believe I forced you to listen to that.
Nikolas: I -- I couldn't speak. It was a little hard to object.
Emily: My biological mom loved that book. That is my only excuse for inflicting it on you.
Nikolas: Hey -- I happen to love that book.
Emily: Since when?
Nikolas: Since I thought my life was over and you were reading it to me.
Emily: Oh, you never even looked at me the whole time I was there.
Nikolas: So what? You kept starting over on that same page.
Emily: Oh. Yeah, I was subtle then.
Nikolas: No. No, you were just the same.
Emily: No. I was healthy.
Nikolas: And I was injured.
Emily: And you fought your way back.
Nikolas: Only by following your fire.
Emily: I'm not sure if it's there anymore.
Nikolas: Hmm, sure it is. I'll just keep reminding you.
Emily: You know, just -- just going through these treatments takes so much out of me. But staying here -- it helped.
Nikolas: Yeah?
Emily: Yeah. Sometimes, I -- I feel like I'm under a microscope at home, you know?
Nikolas: Yeah.
Emily: But when I’m with you, I can -- I can just be.
Nikolas: That's how I’ve always felt about you -- just glad I could finally return the favor. Now, are you sure that's the only reason why you're here?
Emily: Yeah. What else would it be?
Nikolas: To make Zander think that we're sleeping together.
Nikolas: I believe this belongs to you.
Emily: Our book.
Nikolas: Take it home. Or if you prefer, I'll keep it here and whenever you feel like you're under a microscope, you --
Emily: You will read me page 243?
Nikolas: Over and over and over.
Emily laughs.
Stefan: Excuse me. I didn't know Emily had returned.
Nikolas: She never left.
Stefan: Will you be having breakfast?
Emily: Oh, thanks, but I'm actually on my way out, so --
Nikolas: All right. I'll walk you to the launch.
Emily: I'm fine. Keep this. It was a good idea.
Nikolas: You look great.
Emily: Well, I will be back before you have a chance to miss me.
Nikolas: All right.
Stefan: Nikolas, I don't approve.
Nikolas laughs.
Nikolas: Well, you've made that clear. But Emily’s important to me, so while she's staying here, show her some respect.
Emily: Dillon, hey.
Dillon: Hi.
Emily: Oh, you look like you're going to do some serious damage.
Dillon: You know what? That sounds like a great idea.
Emily: Wait.
Zander: Let him go.
Emily: Dillon?
Zander: Let him go.
Emily: Look, he's really upset.
Zander: Yeah, so am I. Alice said you didn't come home last night.
Emily: All right, Zander, leave it alone.
Zander: No, Emily.
Emily: I'm really tired.
Zander: Okay, then tell me where you were.
Emily: You don't want to know.
Zander: You owe me an explanation.
Emily: Fine. I was with Nikolas.
Zander: You mean, this morning?
Emily: No, I spent the night with him.
Nikolas: What's happening between Emily and me is of none of your concern.
Stefan: Nikolas, I am not trying to control you, I'm merely pointing out the obvious. Emily is unsuitable. I know you understand this.
Nikolas: Oh, yeah -- yeah, you'd like me to find a more appropriate partner. Is that --
Stefan: Obviously.
Nikolas: Fine. I only have one requirement of that person.
Stefan: Which is?
Nikolas: I want to love her. I will continue to see Emily. It's my choice. Don't bring this up again.
Stefan sighs.
Lydia: Yum. I do like his fire.
Stefan: You should stay out of the tunnels.
Lydia: It's nice when they start out that way, but eventually, I'll have to teach him who's in control.
Stefan: Hmm. Your bravado is growing tiresome.
Lydia: I haven't met a man who could deny me yet.
Stefan: Well, don't forget, Nikolas is distracted at the moment.
Lydia: Barely. I did my research. My future husband's fidelity is intact.
Stefan: How could you know that?
Lydia: I've been studying up on the prince. He'll be wrapped around my finger by the end of the week.
Lydia: Obviously, everything in this room will have to go.
Stefan: Nikolas isn't easily manipulated, Lydia. The situation will need to be handled very carefully. If he suspects any subterfuge --
Lydia: Why are you making everything so complicated? Look, Nikolas and I are rich. If we want to stay that way, we have to get married. It's an age-old deal, enforced by my archaic grandfather and furthered by you.
Stefan: You need to allow me time to prepare my nephew.
Lydia: We don't have time. Besides, I want my new toy. So tell me, Dad, what makes my prince pop his riding crop?
Stefan: Don't be crude.
Lydia: If he's a romantic, I could always stage an encounter in the foggy woods.
Stefan: You're as obvious as you are spoiled.
Lydia: And if he's contemporary, we could meet in a club in New York and have breakfast on the roof of my loft overlooking the Hudson.
Stefan: You will make no such arrangements.
Lydia: Hey, I’m the catch here. My family holds all the assets.
Stefan: Which, thanks to me and your grandfather, are worthless without the Cassadine heir.
Lydia: Men all over the world want me. You probably want me, too.
Stefan: My sole interest in you is your financial value to my family. You do this my way, and we'll all get what we want.
Zander: Explain this to me. Make me understand.
Emily: It just happened.
Zander: Why, because Nikolas wanted it to? Because he's been pressuring you?
Emily: No, Zander, I've always had a thing for Nikolas.
Zander: Come on, Em, how much of an idiot do you take me for?
Emily: I don’t.
Zander: You were a kid. You had a crush. We have been through so much more since then.
Emily: Hey, not everything is about you.
Zander: Come on, Em, you've been playing me this whole time.
Emily: Why would I do that?
Zander: I don't know! It doesn't make sense to me. Is it because he's rich? Is it because you finally listened to your grandfather that I’m not good enough for you?
Emily: No, I don't care what grandfather says about you --
Zander: All right, then what is going on, Em?
Emily: I didn't want to tell you this way!
Zander: This doesn't make sense. That you could have these feelings, and you lie to me, you throw this in my face. It doesn't --
Emily: All right. This is my choice.
Emily: I want Nikolas.
Zander: You slept with him.
Emily: Yes.
Zander: Why?
Emily: Because I wanted to. So now do you believe that we're over for good?
Gia: Trying to kill someone? Hey, hey, hold up, hold up.
Zander: I can't, Gia. I can't stop moving.
Gia: It's Emily, isn't it?
Zander: Don't say her name to me.
Gia: Wow. Okay.
Zander: I know I’ve said it before -- yada, yada, yada -- but it's over.
Gia: Good. Because this is tearing you up.
Zander: I know. I know.
Gia: All right. This is going to take something physical. Let's go for a run.
Zander: I don't know, Gia. I don't know if I --
Gia: Come on, come on. We'll move and we'll keep moving until we both drop, okay? Come on.
Zander: As long as we never look back.
Lydia: Daydreaming won't -- sorry. Daydreaming won't keep you vacationing on the coast.
Nikolas: Who are you?
Lydia: Isn't it obvious? I'm the woman you're going to marry.