Chapter 11

Susan lay gasping on the bed. "Where'd you learn to do that?" she
asked her lover between breaths.

"I had excellent tutors," Stefan replied, catching his own breath.

"Remind me to send them a thank you note," she laughed. "What other surprises do you have waiting for me, Stefan Cassadine? I hope they're all this nice."

"As do I," he said. He moved to kiss her but was interrupted by the sound of a knock.

Susan groaned. "Must be room service, they always have lousy timing."

"Yes, and after making us wait an inordinate amount of time for our food," Stefan agreed as he moved off the bed. He pulled on his pants, but didn't bother with a shirt.

He opened the door to find... "Laura?!"

Before Laura could speak, Susan walked out of the bedroom wrapped in a sheet, asking, "Who is it?"

Laura's face turned bright red, as she stammered, "Oh, my God, I-I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I should have called..." She turned and ran.

Stefan easily caught up to her and grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. "Laura! I will not have you walking away from me again."

"Let go!" Laura pleaded.

"No!"

Laura eyes flashed angrily. "Go back to what you were doing. You seem to have been very busy and I'm sure she's missing you."

Stefan let her go. "May I ask what business it is of yours?" he said quietly. "Were you not getting married today?"

Laura arched her eyebrow. "I see you've been keeping up with Port Charles news. Should I be flattered?"

"Do not change the subject, Laura."

"I couldn't marry him," Laura said softly.

Stefan's heart gave a leap, but he didn't let it affect his appearance. He would not allow himself to fall back into her trap. "I am glad for you, Laura. However, I am not certain why you came to see me."

Laura felt like she'd been slapped. What had she expected? "I wanted to apologize for that day in New York City."

Stefan stared at her coldly. "Which day? The day we kissed or the day you left me bleeding?"

"I deserved that. I never meant to hurt you, Stefan. Please know that."

"Very well, Laura. Apology accepted." This time it was he who turned his back on her and walked away.

Laura stood in the hall for a few minutes, finally allowing the tears to fall freely. She had ruined everything. She had hurt every man that had ever remotely cared about her. God, she was screwed up. She made her way down the stairs, ignoring the strange looks being cast her way.

Scotty was waiting outside the car when he saw her come out. The look on her face worried him -- she looked defeated. And she had been crying. "Are you okay, Laura?" he asked as soon as she got to the car. "Did he hurt you?"

Laura shook her head. "No. Not anymore than I deserved, anyway."

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself," he said.

Laura burst out crying. "Oh, Scotty, why are you being so nice to me? I don't deserve it."

He shrugged. "I think you do. And you know, Laura, I'm always right."

She looked up at him and smiled through her tears. "I forgot. Can I go home with you, Scotty? I just can't face anybody else right now."

"Sure, Laura," Scotty said.

*****

It would have been so nice to have killed them both. Three in one night would be a new record for her. "Patience, Helena," she told herself as she watched Laura and Scotty from her car. "This will be much sweeter in the end." Laura Baldwin cared for her son, that was clearly evident by the maudlin exhibition she was witnessing. She had no doubt found that tacky Susan Thompson with her son. She laughed. This couldn't be more perfect.

"Are we going to kill them now, madam?" Damon asked from the driver's seat.

Helena smiled secretively. "No, I've decided that's too easy. After all, I'm not a common criminal, Damon. Speaking of which, I think it's time for me to pay a visit to my Mikkos' murderer. Take me back to Port Charles."

*****

Susan was waiting for Stefan in the bedroom. She had dressed and was sitting at the edge of the bed. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Stefan responded.

She nodded resignedly. This is what they had agreed on from the beginning. She got off the bed and went to pick up her purse from the top of the dresser. "All right." She walked over to where Stefan was standing and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'll see you later."

Stefan watched her go. He didn't know if he should tell her to stay. He was confused. He should feel good, but he didn't. He heard the door close. She hadn't slammed it, that was a good sign. Thank the Gods she hadn't insisted on knowing about Laura. And the day had started out so nicely.

He went to the bed and laid down. Laura hadn't gotten married. And she had come to see him. He couldn't help smiling. Maybe they still had a chance... no, he couldn't forget or forgive what she had done. Besides, their being together would be too complicated, and not worth it. Things were much better with Susan. Never mind that he sometimes thought of Laura when he was with her.

The phone rang. It was probably Alexis, he thought. Good, he had a few choice words to tell his meddling cousin.

"Stefan Cassadine?" an unfamiliar male voice asked.

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm calling from Columbia University. I'm afraid I have some bad news regarding your cousin, Alexis Davis."

Stefan sat down, suddenly unable to keep standing. "Has something happened to Alexis?"

"I'm sorry to say she's in a coma," the man said, "It appears she has been poisoned. Luckily, we found her in time for the doctors to prevent the poison from spreading and killing her, but they are not giving a positive outlook for her recovery."

"My cousin is strong, she will survive," Stefan stated firmly. She had to.