{In the Spencer house, Luke and Sonny are discussing how they can bring down Stefan. Luke wants to wait before making the next move since Laura told both Nikolas and Stefan that she couldn't see them again. Laura comes down the stairs as the phone is ringing and picks it up}

Laura:   “I’ll get it. Hello.”

Stefan:   “Lasha, it's Stefan. Are you alone?”
 
 
 
 

Laura:  “This really isn't a good time.”
 
Sonny:  “Well, if you've got stuff to do –“

Luke:  {Watching Laura, but turns his attention to Sonny} “Hey, come on out back. I want to show you the tree house Lucky’s building.”

Sonny:   “Ok. Take care, Laura.” {Luke looks at her a minute longer then follows Sonny out}

Laura:  “Bye.” {They leave}

Stefan:  “Lasha, are you there?”

Laura:   “Yes, I’m here. So is Luke. What do you want?”

Stefan:   “I’m sorry to call like this, but I need to see you.”
 
Laura:  “Absolutely not.”
 
Stefan:   “It's important.”

Laura:  “I don't know how much clearer I can make this. I can't see you anymore.”

Stefan:  “I thought you might make an exception to say good-bye.”
 
Laura: “You're leaving? When?”
 
Stefan:   “Will you meet me?”

Laura:  “We've already said our good-byes.”

Stefan:  “I’m asking you to do me this one last favor before we leave. You owe me that much.”
 
Laura:  “Why do you think I owe you?”

Stefan:   “Because I brought you blueberries.”
 
Laura:  {Quietly} “Oh, my God."
 
Stefan:  “You remember?”
 
Laura:  “I do.”
 
Stefan: “You were so homesick. You cried on my shoulder and told me how as a young girl you used to walk along the railroad tracks and pick blueberries right off the bushes to eat. I was so moved by your sadness that the next time I left the island I brought you back an entire basket. It seemed to make you happy.”
 
Laura: “Where?”
 
Stefan:  “In the park. How soon can you leave?”
 
Laura:   “Give me a half-hour.” {She hangs up and turns to find Luke there}

Luke:  “Problems?”
 
Laura:   “No. I'm going to go out for a while.”
 
 
 
 
 
 

{Stefan is in the park pacing impatiently until he sees Laura}

Stefan:  “Thank you for coming. Please sit down.” {Motioning to the bench}
 
Laura:  {They sit down}  “You're taking Nikolas back to Greece?”

Stefan:  “Yes. It's what you wanted, isn't it?”
 
Laura:  “Why was it so important for us to meet?”
 
Stefan:  “Since this is probably the last time we'll see one another, I felt that we should say our good-byes in person, and I wanted to apologize.”
 
Laura:  “Why?”
 
Stefan:  “I lied to you. You were right about me.”
 
 
 
 
 
 

Stefan:  "You were right about why I let Nikolas stay. You were right when you said you knew me. I am the man you remember. It wasn't in my interest to concede these things to you."

Laura:  "Why?"

Stefan:  "Why do you think?"

Laura:  "I’ve never known why you were here. Now you're leaving."

Stefan:  "We won't see each other again. That's what makes it possible to leave nothing unsaid this time."
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Laura:  "What did you intend when you came here?"

Stefan:  "I wanted to punish you, to be the living instrument of my brother's curse."

Laura:  {She looks surprised and shakes her head} "What made you change your mind?"

Stefan:  "Well, an intention is a slight thing after all. It can feel as if it fills you, animates your every act, but in a moment it can drop away or drop its mask and show another face. It may be that my reasons were hidden from us both. {She watches him and he gets a far off look on his face--the scene goes into a flashback of the island} It's odd. Just now I had this strange sense that we were someplace else. I was listening for the water."

Laura:  {She sees the same flashback} "At the cove."

Stefan:  "Do you think of it sometimes, too?"
 
 
{They both remember...} 

Laura:   {Standing alone on a cliff, she turns to find Stefan approaching} "I have permission to be here."

Stefan:  "That's disappointing. I didn't think anybody else knew this place existed."

Laura:  "Permission to be out of the compound."

Stefan:  {Laughing} "Well, I’m not the hounds come to track you down. {Approaching her} You look different outdoors."

Laura:  "It's nice here."

Stefan:  "Yeah. It's a long walk, though, huh?"

Laura:  "I wouldn't mind if it were longer."

Stefan:  "So what'd you do? Tell Stavros he was handsome?"

Laura:  "Whatever he said, I did."

Stefan:  "Well, he doesn't confide in me, if that's what you think. I suppose it's none of my business. You'd rather be alone."

Laura:  "I told Stavros I’d marry him."

Stefan:  {He turns to face her. She sits down on a bench and he comes over to her} "Well, that was a mistake. My brother doesn't forget."

Laura:  "He said it was either that or stay locked in my room. So--"

Stefan:  "I see." {He sits down}

Laura:  "Would he kill me if I said no?"

Stefan:  "I don't think so."

Laura:  "Would he rape me?"

Stefan:  {Shaking his head} "Has he yet? I don't know."

Laura:  "It's better this way."

Stefan:  "Yeah, before too long, you'll be giving me orders." {They both start laughing}

Laura:  "No, I don't think so."

Stefan:  "How you must hate us."

Laura: "So this is your secret place, huh?" {She gets up and walks a little ways away}

Stefan:  {He rises as well} "Yeah, until today."

Laura:  "I won't tell. {She turns to face him} Do you mind if I come here sometimes?"

Stefan:  {Watching her} "No. I don't mind. And anything you say here will be secret, too."

Laura: "Thank you." 
 
{Coming back to the park} 

Laura:  "I kept your secret, and you kept all of mine."

Stefan:  "We still do."

Laura:  "It made life bearable then."

Stefan:  "But unbearable now. And not just for you." {She looks at him}
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Stefan:  "Why do you marry men you don't trust?"

Laura:  {She shakes her head} "You're mistaken."
 
Stefan: "You won't tell Luke about this conversation."

Laura:  "I wanted to see you again. I wanted to see Nikolas again. It was very important to me because I really believed that if I tried hard enough and if I said that I was sorry often enough that I would be able to take that piece of my life and add it to the rest. It's like a piece of a puzzle that was missing for years. But I was wrong. It's just not going to work like that. I mean, people aren't puzzles. I--I have to go on now without you."

Stefan:  "I understand. We were always something separate, you and I. We rarely spoke to each other in front of anyone--then and now. Alone, we could tell the truth. But anywhere else, it was all pretense. {He remembers a scene on the island. He's standing at 'their place' waiting for her. She's approaching slowly} What I fear for Nikolas is that he may never belong to anything but that space we made apart where he was welcomed to the world."

Stefan:  "You remember?"
 
{Back the island...} 

Laura:  {Happy to see him} "You're back."

Stefan:  "Late yesterday. {Disturbed} You weren't at dinner."

Laura:  {Realizing something was wrong} "I wasn't feeling well."

Stefan:  "So Stavros said."

Laura:  "How was your trip?"

Stefan:  {Not looking at her} "He still went up to your room after dinner, didn't he? {Finally looking up at her} He was drunk. You seem all right now, though." {He turns and walks a little ways away and she follows}

Laura:  {Smiling at him} "I’m going to have a baby. I never thought beyond the next day on this island because -- I didn't care if there was one, but now I’m going to have someone that I can love for the rest of my life."

Stefan:  {He smiles and shakes his head} "You will give us an heir. Because of you, we won't disappear as we may deserve to. You and your child will have my every loyalty." {He raises her hand and kisses it, then walks away slowly}
  
 {Coming back to the park} 
 
 Laura's voice:  "I could never tell that day whether or not you were happy."

Stefan:  "Of course I was happy. But--I also realized on that day how much I envied my brother."
 
 
 

Continued