{Picking up where the previous scene left off, the two are kissing on the bench outside of Wyndemere}

Stefan:  {Laura pulls away and Stefan watches her} "Again it begins."

Laura:  "No, this is not a beginning."

Stefan:  "The familiar dance. You draw me close, then pull away."

Laura:  {Getting to her feet} "Don't--"

Stefan:  {Rising as well} "No, how long this time until you vanish? Our last kiss was a prelude to your death. The kiss before that, a brief parting that lasted a decade and a half."

Laura:  "No, I refuse to let you--"

Stefan:  "Oh, then this is not us bidding each other good-bye? This--this kiss was intended as something more than a signal of flight?"

Laura:  {Shaking her head} "This wasn't intended at all."

Stefan:  "No. Nothing between us ever is. Not what happened between us on the island. Not our silent connection. Or our son."

Laura:  {With tears in her eyes} "I don't regret any of it. You kept me sane when I was being held prisoner, when I thought my husband was dead. And, yes, you gave me my first child. But things are different now. I'm not a prisoner anymore."

Stefan:  "Now we are free to build a life."

Stefan:  {Approaching Laura, who is standing with her back to him} "You always loved staring out at the water."

Laura:  "You know, I’m not the same girl that you used to know."

Stefan:  {Looking at her} "Some things don't change. The tie that binds us--"

Laura:  "Is Nikolas. It's Nikolas. {She turns to face him} The rest of it was over a long time ago."

Stefan:  "No."

Laura:  "Well, it was for me."

Stefan:  "Who are you trying to convince, Lasha?"

Laura:  "You. And I wish that you would listen to me. I am not the same girl who was held captive on that island. When I thought that Luke was dead, a part of me died, too. It's Luke. Luke is the one who makes me whole."

Stefan:  "Is that what he's taught you? That nothing is real except your connection to him?"

Laura:  {She looks away and then turns around, pointing} "You see over there?"

Stefan:  "The yacht harbor."

Laura:  "Mm-hmm. When I was still a teenager, Luke got into a fight with my then-husband, Scotty Baldwin. Scotty knocked him overboard, and everyone thought that Luke had drowned. But he didn't. He got out of the water, and he took my hand, and we ran away. {She smiles at the memory} I still remember that feeling. I knew that I would follow him anywhere. {Stefan closes his eyes and then sighs deeply and opens them} Anyway, a lot has changed over the years. But my certainty about that hasn't."

Stefan:  "And Nikolas and I--what are we? Mere particles in the Spencer cosmos?"

Laura:  "I love my son. And you--you are a part of his life. And beyond that, there's just nothing more to say. What we had ended a long time ago." {She turns away from him, but he continues watching her}
 
 
 
 
 

Stefan:  {Sitting on the bench, he rises as Laura comes out of the house} "Well, all potential crises averted?"

Laura:  "I just told the babysitter that I would check in with her, that's all."

Stefan:  "No fires or floods? Lesley Lu is fine?"

Laura:  "Yes, she's fine."

Stefan:  "Shall we toast the calm with Madeira?"

Laura:  "No. Thank you. I--I have to be going. I have some stops I have to make."

Stefan:  "Stops?"

Laura:  "Errands. I have errands."

Stefan:  "You know, I remember with Stavros, you used to arm yourself with an arsenal of specifics and deliver them with amazing ease. The days and nights you spent in my arms so artfully explained away."

Laura:  {Shaking her head, she starts off} "I’m leaving."

Stefan:  {Moving to stop her} "You know, if you would rather fight the memory, I will refrain from allusions to our past."

Laura:  "You won't have to. You won't have to because I’m not going to come back to Wyndemere anymore. From now on, I will just see my son in my own home."

Stefan:  "I have no desire to make you uncomfortable."

Laura:  "I’m not interested in your desires or in your rehash of our--"

Stefan:  "Our what, Lasha? Our love affair? Because that's what it was for me. We didn't speak the words, but the love was there. And I feel it as deeply now. This can't be a shock to you. You know me as no one has. Surely you realized long ago when I love, I love forever."

Laura:  "Oh, God, this can't be happening."

Stefan:  "It's a fait accompli."

Laura:  "No. No, it's not. My life is with Luke."

Stefan:  "What life? Waiting for calls that never come? Letters that don't arrive?"

Laura:  "Luke will come back."

Stefan:  "Going to sleep in an empty bed?"

Laura:  {Shouting} "Stop it." {She walks around him}

Stefan:  "Stop what, loving you? I can't."

Laura:  {Turning back to him} "Well, you have to."

Stefan:  "Why? Because you don't love me?"

Laura:  "Because I love Luke."

Stefan:  "So you've said hundreds of times. But what do you feel for me? What is it? Just define it, name it, for both our sakes. What is it? Attraction? Revulsion? Gratitude? What?"

Laura:  "I’m committed to my husband."

Stefan:  "Don't tell me what is impossible. Tell me what is happening right here, right now. You want to run. I can see that. But what are you running from? Is it my unwelcomed feelings, or could you possibly be afraid of your own?"

Laura:  {She looks down and then back up at him} "I made a choice."

Stefan:  "You chose to abandon your son. I understand why you love Luke so insistently. You must. How else can you rationalize the choices you've made in his name?"

Laura:  {Shaking her head, with tears flowing} "No. No, no. I've made mistakes. I've made a lot of mistakes. But Luke is not one of them. He isn't. My future is with him. I'm afraid if you can't accept that, then I really can't come back here anymore."

Stefan:  "I can accept it. I can accept whatever you say. {Continuing with an obvious effort} I can. Come and go whenever you please. Visit Nikolas, and bring your daughter when you like. I have no wish to make that difficult. I will speak no more of love until you do."

Laura:  "It's not going to happen." {She leaves and Stefan watches her go}

Nikolas:  {Laura is standing alone on the pier as Nikolas approaches} "Hey. You waiting for the launch?"

Laura:  "No, no. I just came back from Wyndemere. I'm sorry. I should have called to make sure that you were there first."

Nikolas:  "That's ok. You can come back with me now."

Laura:  "No. I can't. I have to get back to Lesley Lu. I'm sorry."

Nikolas:  "That's ok."

Laura:  "Well, you could come with me if--"

Nikolas:  "I’d love to, but I’m supposed to work with my tutor."

Laura:  "Oh. All right."

Nikolas:  "What's wrong? Did you have an argument with my uncle?"

Laura:  "No."

Nikolas:  "Well, you're obviously upset about something."

Laura:  "Nikolas, it's just when I think about the time that I lost with you, the time that I threw away--I let you grow up without a mother."

Nikolas:  "Don't, don't. That's over. I have my mother now."

Laura:  "I never intended to stay away. You have to believe that it just wasn't planned. All I wanted to do was to see Luke, to see if he was alive, if he was all right. But if he hadn't looked back from the balcony at me--"

Nikolas:  "I don't want to dwell on the past anymore. I mean, let's look ahead. Come have lunch soon, will you? Come Friday. And bring Lesley Lu, ok?"

Laura:  "Friday?"

Nikolas:  "Do you have other plans?"

Laura:  {Laughing a little} "No, I don't have any other plans. We'll be there."

Nikolas:  "Ok."

Laura:  "Your launch is here."

Nikolas:  "All right. Let me walk you home."

Laura:  "No. I don't want you to be late for your tutor."

Nikolas:  "Yeah, right. So Friday, then?"

Laura:  "Yeah."

Nikolas:  "May I ask another favor from you? You can refuse if it feels too draining to you."

Laura:  "What is it?"

Nikolas:  "Well, I--I have a lot of questions that I want to ask about your life with my father."

Laura:  "Of course you do."

Nikolas:  "But if it disturbs you to talk about it right now, you don't have to."

Laura:  "It's the most natural impulse in the world to want to know more about your family."

Nikolas:  "I know, but most of all, I just want you to be comfortable. That's the most important thing to me. I mean, I want you to be able to enjoy our visits together as much as I do. And I want you to feel like you're at home, like you're home where I live."

Laura:  {With tears in her eyes} "Thank you." {He kisses her}

Nikolas:  "Friday." {She watches him go}
 
 
 
 

Nikolas:  {Approaching Stefan, who is sitting on the bench} "I know I’m late."

Stefan:  "Your tutor is waiting."

Nikolas:  "Yeah, I know. I saw Laura on the docks." {He sits down}

Stefan:  {Looking at him} "How did she seem?"

Nikolas:  "What happened? What did you say to her?"

Stefan:  "What did she tell you?"

Nikolas:  "Well, I asked if you'd argued. She denied it. I assumed that she wasn't telling the truth."

Stefan:  "We didn't argue. We merely spoke of the past. Memories of the island can sometimes be painful for Laura."

Nikolas:  "Was she miserable the whole time she was there?"

Stefan:  "No. There were moments of enormous joy."

Nikolas:  "All right, well, can we focus on that the next time she comes, please?"

Stefan:  {With a far off look} "Whenever that may be."

Nikolas:  "Friday. I asked her, along with Lesley Lu, to lunch."

Stefan:  {Looking at him} "And she accepted?"

Nikolas:  "Uh-huh."

Stefan:  {Smiling slightly} "Well, I’ll look forward to it. Cicero and calculus await."

Nikolas:  "All right." {He goes inside. Stefan stands and remains, thinking. Laura is sitting on a bench at the pier, looking out towards Wyndemere. She takes a deep breath and then closes her eyes, in thought}