{Laura walks in to the restaurant}

Maitre d':  "Your party's already here, Mrs. Spencer. This way." {Stefan sees her, and stands, waiting for her}

Laura:  {Stefan moves the taster glass of wine in front of Laura} "Fine. {The waiter pours} Thank you. {To Stefan after the waiter leaves} Please, don't do that. You promised me that the next approach would be mine. I told you that wasn't going to happen, and I meant it. The only reason I’m here tonight is because you said that we had something important to discuss. So--"

Stefan:  "It appears that Nikolas and Lucky are on some secret quest together."

Laura:  "Quest?"

Stefan:  "They were on their way to use the computer when you came down from the guest room the night of the storm. They'd made a similar visit several days earlier. They also took a day trip to Manhattan in the company of Emily Quartermaine and another young woman."

Laura:  "I had no idea."

Stefan:  "I thought it best that you be informed."

Laura:  "To be honest, as long as they're not strangling each other, I’m delighted that they're spending time together. And while I’m very happy to be informed, you know, this isn't something that we couldn't have discussed on the telephone. So, what else?"

Stefan:  "Next Friday is Nikolas' birthday."

Laura:  "I know."

Stefan:  "No matter what celebration I have planned for him in the past, it's always been a bittersweet day for him--missing the one thing a child wants most. I've always preferred to believe that wherever you were, you were with him in thought, that you would set aside time for him."

Laura:  "I never missed one. I made a ritual of it. Every year, that day, I managed to slip away so that I could be by myself, so that I could be free to think about him, to imagine him--what he looked like, where he might be, what his laugh might be like. And more than once I picked up the phone, thinking of dialing, you know, hoping that by some quirk of fate he might actually answer the telephone and not one of the servants. And I would get to hear his voice. Then I would hang up, of course. And I never did it because I knew that I wouldn't be able to hang up. And I was afraid that, in that silence, he would know it was me."

Stefan:  "You never did that? Call and then disconnect?"

Laura:  "No."

Stefan:  "The phone would ring. No one would be there. I always found myself believing it was you. My ritual has been to recall every detail of the first time I saw him. Do you remember?"

Laura:  "Oh, yes. I was lying in bed, and I was holding him. {Flashback to that time} You had to wait outside for Stavros to leave. And I knew that was killing you. And then you came in. Then we looked at each other. Then you saw him. I asked you if you wanted to hold him." {She hands him the baby and he looks at him and then takes her hand}


Stefan:  {Flashback to the present} "I know you don't want to speak of our love. But I can't help but see it every time I see Nikolas. We created someone remarkable. And I was thinking that perhaps this year we could give our son what he's longed for his entire life."

Laura:  "What exactly do you mean?"

Stefan:  "A birthday celebration for Nikolas at Wyndemere. One that includes his mother, his sister--"

Laura:  "And his father?"

Stefan:  "His uncle. It would mean a great deal to him. Or if your schedule allows, perhaps we could do more. We could accompany him to New York or London for the weekend. 'Troilus and Cressida' is opening on the West End."

Laura:  {Smiling} "Nice try. {She laughs} But talk of New York and London isn't going to make me any more inclined to accept this invitation to the 'supposedly innocent' little birthday celebration."

Stefan:  "I just don't like putting Nikolas in the position of having to choose between the two of us. Or feeling awkward making explanations to one so he can rush to the next celebration with the other. It's not fair to him."

Laura:  "I agree with you about that. But--you have an agenda, and I’m not blind to it. You know, we might end up giving him a birthday that he would never forget, but not for the reasons that you're thinking. You know, I don't think it's such a good idea for us to spend time together in his presence."

Stefan:  "I’ll wear dark glasses. {She laughs} Surely we can hold whatever it is between us in check so that the child we both love might celebrate his birthday in the way that would make him most happy."

Laura:  {The waiter takes their plates} "Thank you."

Stefan:  "You've spent the entire meal avoiding a direct answer. Will you participate in Nikolas' birthday celebration at Wyndemere? {She looks at him} You know, there was a time when you would've entrusted me with your very life. Now a mere dinner party gives you pause."

Laura:  "No, our, um--recent interaction gives me pause. You know, you are referring to a time when I thought Luke was dead and that you were my only friend. I--I don't just owe you for the way that you have raised Nikolas. If it weren't for you and your constancy in my life when I was pregnant with him--I was so sad, grieving for Luke. Even with that new life growing inside me, I still ached. And you were my lifeline."

Stefan:  "No matter what happens between us, isn't it possible to find a bridge back to that trust we once shared? Doesn't Nikolas deserve that? For us to trust one another. Can't we, for his sake, put the past behind us and move forward?"

Laura:  "I don't trust you enough to put the baggage down."

Stefan:  {Quietly} "What would it take to inspire your trust?"

Laura:  "For you to tell me the very things that you've tried to keep secret from me."

{Flashback}
 

Guard:  "Mr. Cassadine, I assume you heard about Luke Spencer?"

Stefan:  "That he's alive? Yes."

Guard:  "Prince Stavros has made it clear his wife is not to be told."

Stefan:  "I understand. {He enters Laura's room} Good. You're off your feet. The physician will be pleased. I've missed you."

Laura:  "I thought you were never coming back."

Stefan:  "I brought you something." {He hands her a gift}

Laura:  "Just having you here is all I need. So, what's it like in the outside world? Any news I should know about?"

Stefan:  "The only developments worth noting are taking place right here in this room." {He puts his hand on her stomach}

Laura:  {Back in the present} "You see? Your mind just jumped to some secret that you don't want me to know about. So are you going to tell it to me? No. You say that you want to inspire my trust. So why don't you just tell me? I dare you."