The next few days went like wildfire and Nikolas had never been more dizzy and more alive in years. He'd settled into the role of being a proud, doting Father as he got to know the two little creatures who now gripped his heart in their tiny hands with a vice grip. Nadia treated her newfound living arrangments with fearless determination. Each room needed to be thoroughly explored, although she heeded her Mother's word when it came to touching 300 year old books and priceless vases. Nikolas watched like a hawk, fearful that she'd come across one of the many secret entrances that would lead to another part of the house, the grounds or worse, the catacombs beneath the majestic home. He could only imagine the sparkle in her eyes at that find. She loved the blankets of green grass, thickets of forest and bushes and the rocky hills of Spoon Island. Each morning, her hair would be dutifully combed and often tied back or braided, but by mid morning, her dark red curls would be free and tangled as she rushed about at top speed, constantly moving. Nikolas watched with amazement one day as for nearly 20 minutes, she attempted to climb the Beech tree nearest to the stables. It was still too tall for her small frame and he roared with laughter when she furiously waved off her nanny's attempts to cajole her into joining the family for lunch and abandon the tree climbing for later.
If Nadia was a spitfire, then Sevastian was the halcyon of the two. Soft spoken and deliberately observant, he'd accompanied his sister on the exploration of Wyndemere but instead of loudly opening doors and shouting excitedly of discoveries, he chose a more cautious path. He'd regard paintings and statues with fascination. While Nadia would bounce on the chesterfield, Sevastian would instead gingerly run his fingers along the curiously coloured fabric. He was a finicky eater, although he seemed far too polite to tell Mrs. Landsbury that he didn't enjoy her artichoke and he preferred his butternut squash to be roasted instead of mashed. He would push the undesired foods to one side of his plate and cover it with his napkin. Nadia, on the other hand, simply loudly declared her distate for all things yellow.
Both children still regarded Nikolas with curious, uncertain eyes. Nadia seemed to challenge his authority at every turn, defiantly jutting out her chin and sassily stalking from him when disciplined for not following his instructions. Sevastian held himself at length from the older, imposing man, still unable to string more than a few words together when speaking to his Father.
"It won't last," Lydia assured him late one evening after the children had gone down for the night. "Sevastian is timid at first, but he'll soon come out of his shell."
"And Nadia?" Nikolas probed. Lydia sighed from her seat and folded the newspaper she'd been perusing. "She's challenging you. It'll get better but it won't ever stop, I can assure you."
His frustrations in check, Nikolas pressed on, hopeful that he would connect with both on a more personal level. He wrapped himself up in the new world given to him and spent only the necessary time dealing with the family business and domestic duties that he'd normally drowned himself in to avoid the customary feelings of loneliness. He did not leave the island and only made it to the launch twice in the first week. A vague phone call to Alexis and a promise for a family get together came only after several anxious messages from her left on his voice mail. Other personal messages were deemed irrelevant and deleted.
One afternoon, he came across the children with their nanny colouring pictures on the library floor. They were surrounded by colouring books, white sheets of paper and, it appeared, hundreds of crayons, all of varrying shades and colours. He watched their imaginations come to life, noting with amusement the number of pictures that Nadia drew that revolved around horses. "Is this Sheba?" he asked, pointing to a dark brown blob with four rail thin legs. "Yes!" she exclaimed proudly.
"Could I frame this and put it in my office?" Nadia held the picture possessively in her hand. Sevastian looked up and the two exchanged another private look. Nikolas wondered just what it was they said to each other in those brief seconds. Nadia quirked her lips into a grin and thrust the picture at him. She paused, waiting for a moment. "I want to ride her."
Nikolas surveyed his son and daughter for a moment before smiling. "This room needs to be clean before we can do anything else."
20 minutes later, newly dressed for the occasion, Nikolas, Lydia and the children stood at the door of Sheba's stable. Nadia visibly vibrated with joy at being near the wonderous creatures and when Nikolas saddled the fine beast and mounted her, he took Nadia from Lydia and placed her securely tucked on the saddle. "Thank you," he reminded her after a beat. She clutched the reins excitedly. "Thank you, Papa!"
Nikolas instantly looked to Lydia who was buttoning Sevastian's coat. She'd heard the declaration and gave Nikolas a smile, almost regretful that it had stunned him. "She knows who you are. She's accepted you." Nikolas gave her a watery smile in return as Nadia shouted her desire to take Sheba for a run. "Don't think she'll always listen to you, though."
Sevastian was a tougher nut to crack. The horseback ride around the grounds of Spoon Island had been a wonderful family trip but the boy still ducked his head down and kept close to his Mother when Nikolas was around.
"He lets me help him with his coat and shoes. He lets me read him a story and brush his hair and make a snack, but he holds back everything else." Nikolas raked a hand through his hair as he paced the floor later that night. Anxiety set in. "He doesn't trust me and I don't know how to change that."
Lydia bit her lower lip guiltily. Even with the ring on her finger, she'd taken a small pleasure in their children rushing to her side when Nikolas took a brave step forward in connecting with them, but after a few times, the effect had worn off. He loved them dearly and wanted to make up for the time he'd missed. "Nikolas, sit down," she suggested, patting the spot on the chesterfield next to her. He needed to hear the right thing and she was the only person to provide him with that. "Sevastian has always been this way. Reserved, conservative and thoughtful. He's like you are, and there are times when I look at him, I'm amazed by how much he resembles you." She took his hands in hers. "He adores you. He watches every move you make with complete fascination and all you need to do is continue reaching out to him with the infinite patience and love you've already shown."
Nikolas nodded but his shoulders remained slumped. "It shouldn't have been like this," he finally said. Lydia watched him, a hard sadness filling her. "We make choices that aren't always pleasant."
"You shouldn't have had to." Warm brown orbs studied her and she took in a slow breath, taken aback. "I wasn't always alone. AJ helped me through the first few months."
"Yes, I heard about him pilfering the Quartermaine family accounts. Emily went on and on about it." Lydia bristled at the mention of AJ's younger sister. "When it comes to that family, everything is always AJ's fault," she noted sourly. Nikolas arched a brow. "Well, he did kidnap his son and as a result, both died in the plane crash." He rose and moved to pour them a drink, his defensive reaction on behalf of Emily kicking in. "I'm sorry you lost your friend, but a small child died too." Lydia shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. "So everyone assumes," she murmured under her breath.
"Pardon?"
"Can we not talk about her?" Lydia said loudly, pushing all thoughts of her partner in crime from her mind. "I know you're still in love with her, but she's a sore subject for me."
Nikolas turned, two drinks in hand. " I don't know why. You're the one with the ring. You are the one I intend to marry." The words were out before he even realized the depth of their meaning. Lydia's mouth dropped open and bitter tears stung her eyes. "Like last time, right?" she asked angrily. Nikolas rushed towards her, setting the drinks aside, determined to control the damage as quickly as possible. "That's not what I meant and it's not like last time."
Disbelief shone from her and he winced. "Lydia, I'm not in love with Emily." He was struck by how subdued his heart was in reaction to his words.
"I don't believe you," she stated coolly, but she didn't stalk from the room in a huff as he anticipated. He took her staying as a sign that he had some wiggle room. "I love the children and I love the life you've given me."
"And her?" Lydia asked irritably. Nikolas sucked in a breath and blanked. How did he feel about Emily? Really? He said he didn't love her but he'd spent the better part of two years chasing her, begging for her forgiveness, consumed with little more than winning her back. Was that love or something else? His silence only infuriated Lydia and she pushed away from him. "Fine! Now I know!" She whipped her head around and stalked to the door, reminding Nikolas instantly of his fiery little girl who'd done that so many times in the exact same way. He found his feet and beat her to the door. "Wait!" he demanded, blocking her from opening the door. "No!" she shouted. "I hate you!" she added after a moment. "You do not! Stop being childish and listen to me!" he said impatiently.
Her eyes widened with fury and she opened her mouth to hurl a scathing verbal slap but was caught completely by surprise when Nikolas pulled her to him, capturing her mouth with his in a searing kiss. She moved to strike him, but her hand refused to cooperate and instead clutched his wool sweater, pulling him closer. His hands glided around the curves of her waist and her nerve endings trembled in response. Just as her mind screeched at her to bite down on his lip, his tongue darted out, running lightly along her lower lip and all thoughts of halting his embrace vanished immediately. No man had ever consumed her completely quite like Nikolas did. Perhaps that's what made him so infuriating, to know his arrogance and condescending attitude, the brooding, spoiled nature of a boy handed everything he desired and to find it completely irresistible. But just as she knew of her feelings for Nikolas, in the next breath she knew he'd never love her. No man ever had and she was determined to believe no man ever would. She had spent her entire life curled up with the notion that she was too smart, too spoiled and too jaded to believe there was a man out there who would even try to break down her steel walls and love the lonely woman behind it. It was much easier in life to create a facade and live by it, even in solitude. Why allow yourself to admit that you were no different than most regular people in what you wanted in life? She knew all too well that it was better to jokingly toss about a meaningless relationship you had rather than admit the man who'd cruelly rejected you in favour of the woman he loved had torn your heart out in a way you'd never anticipated or would wish on another? Lydia Karenin had few friends, and the ones who were, would never comiserate over true love or a man who broke your heart. The subject of the Stella McCartney's spring line was a much more enthusiastic topic of choice.
Perhaps that's why she'd distanced herself in the last number of years, begging off social gatherings and scathing dinner parties. She'd regretfully cite the responsibility of her two young children, but secretly she was relieved. Make no mistake, she loved parties and shopping trips and luxurious gatherings around the world.
But she was tired of doing it alone. She was tired of feeling alone. She was tired of looking at the same sea of potential mates and knowing that not a single one would fill her heart with contentment and joy.
And so she returned to the one man who'd stirred her emotions. Yes, he'd treated her poorly, but she'd had his children for a reason. She was here for a reason.
As their mouths danced, Nikolas pushed Lydia up against the door with a thump. His hand lowered, clamping down under her thigh and he tore his mouth from her lips to rain kisses along the expanse of her neck. The moment gave Lydia pause and she took a breath to clear her thoughts.
"Why are you doing this?" Her voice was ragged and whispery, but Nikolas halted, hearing the tinge of worry in her tone. He looked up, his eyes dark filled with lust. Her formerly smooth flesh was marred with lines of concern. "What do you mean?"
"Look at us. Another few minutes and we'll be well on our way to a third child and just a moment ago we were arguing about Emily."
"No, we were arguing about love," Nikolas corrected her. "If I recall correctly, I was trying to tell you that I don't love her."
The bitterness rose up again. "Oh, yes. And I didn't believe you. I still don't. So you kissed me to change the topic."
Nikolas shook his head. "I kissed you because I wanted to. I don't love Emily," he repeated, searching her face for leniency.
She believed him, in her heart she knew that, but her pride took over and she clutched her knowledge tightly to her chest. She wouldn't demand to know if he loved her because she knew he didn't. He wouldn't and she couldn't bare to hear him say the words or see the look of awkwardness in his eyes. "Good," she finally strangled from her throat. She moved once again to the door, needing to clear her head, but strong hands kept her in place. She looked back at Nikolas, who's entire demeanor had softened with her one word. Gentle eyes stared back at her and he opened his mouth to speak. "Lydia," he said softly, almost caressing her name and she nearly broke when he said it. No one since her Mother had spoken her name in such a revered manner.
A hurried knock at the door stilled them both. "Master Cassadine?" came Mrs. Landsbury's panicked voice. "We have a situation in the main entrance that needs your attention!"
Nikolas let out a frustrated sigh. "What is it?"
"Dogs, sir. 3 of them in crates just arrived."
"Dogs?" He hated dogs, so why on earth would they be on Spoon Island?
Lydia sprung from Nikolas's grasp and threw open the door. "They're here!" she squealed with delight, rushing out of the room and down the corridor. Nikolas exchanged a bewildered look with the housekeeper. They quickly gave chase and upon entering the main entrance of the home, found they weren't the only ones delighted with the arrival. To go along with two large animal crates and a third small one, Nadia and Sevastian, just having been bathed and clothed for bed, were hopping excitedly up and down, their eyes sparkling with glee.
"Open them!" Lydia demanded to a guard, who promptly unhooked a latch. Out came a large animal with a jubilant bark, tail wagging at being released from her confined quarters. Nadia rushed up to the creature and threw her arms round its neck, much to Nikolas's dismay. Dogs had teeth, teeth that bit. He'd been bit by a large dog once as a child and had been uneasy in their presence ever since. "Taina!" she shouted and the dog responded by wagging her tail even further. The second latch on the other cage came off and a near replica of the first dog bounded out and made a beeline for Sevastian. Mrs. Landsbury let out a bleat of horror and Nikolas lunged for his son but it was too late as the dog knocked down the small boy in a split second. Nikolas rushed to his son, anticipating tears and wailing but was met with delirious laughter. "Zmei!"
"They're brother and sister!" Lydia announced happily over the din of noise. "Belgian Tervuren. Aren't they gorgeous? 6 months old and they are perfectly trained." She beamed at the reunion while the guards hid smiles of their own in light of Nikolas's grave expression. The nanny looked on glumly, knowing another bath for the children was in order. Mrs. Landsbury fluttered her hands uncertainly, clearly thrown off before she took charge once again. "The children must be bathed again!" she trilled to the nanny. Turning to two guards, she narrowed her eyes. "Take these creatures outside for a run, I won't have them dashing about in here!" The children protested the separation but were eventually herded back to their bathroom. Zmei and Taina were ushered outside for a long overdue run while two other guards carted off the cages to storage. Mrs. Landsbury and two of her assistants headed off to the kitchen to arrange a suitable schedule for the new arrivals. Whatever the situation, Mrs. Landsbury ran the house under a strict set of schedules and this was no different. Feeding, watering, excercise and playtime would be factored in for the dogs. She gave Nikolas a pointed look and he sighed, knowing full well that a kennel of sorts would be the first thing he'd be dealing with in his morning duties.
Finally, the entrance was quiet, save for the one remaining cage which was small and unusually still. Nikolas eyed it apprehensively. "What is it?"
"This is my sweetheart," Lydia replied, opening the cage and pulling out, what looked like a tan coloured bushy blob. "Nikolas, meet Venice." She turned and pushed the small blob in Nikolas's face and he reared back. The small dog simply stared back at him, and after a moment, Nikolas realized the dog had two small eyes, staring with immense curiosity back at him. "Venice is a city, Lydia."
Lydia rolled her eyes. "It's where I got him, I thought it was appropriate. I'm so happy you're finally here," she cooed, pulling the dog to her bossom and smothering it with a few kisses before placing it on the ground. The small creature sniffed Nikolas's shoes gingerly and in irritation, he shifted it. Venice, caught by surprise, let out a loud yip and bounced back defensively. Nikolas allowed a small smile to cross his lips in spite of his annoyance. "Is this our new guard dog?" he asked dryly.
"He's a companion. He's very loveable."
Nikolas looked unconvinced. "I don't really like dogs."
"You don't LIKE dogs?" Lydia was stunned. Nikolas shook his head. "I was bit by one as a child. I don't really approve of them being around our children."
Lydia gave an exasperated sigh. "Really? What did you do, poke the dog with a stick? Get ticked when he wouldn't fetch for you? Dogs have feelings Nikolas, you can't treat them like garbage!"
"He just bit me, I don't know why!" Nikolas replied defensively.
"So not only was it not your fault, when you don't like someone or something, you'd just rather ruin everyone else's fun and send it away right?"
Nikolas opened his mouth to object her generalization but seeing the brazen smile on Lydia's face made him detour quickly into silence. He sensed it was a futile argument. She smirked in response. "So, something didn't like you. How surprising."
Nikolas scowled. "I didn't poke the damn dog," he muttered as a maid appeared and handed him a few phone messages.
Lydia picked up Venice and frowned at Nikolas. "Zmei, Taina and Venice are part of the family now. Deal with it," she huffed as she sauntered up the stairs. "What about our talk?" Nikolas called after her.
She swivelled midway up the stairs, her long red mane tossed perfectly over her shoulder as she regarded him with a look. "Which one?"
Nikolas paused, knowing full well that he'd probably get this one wrong too. "All of them?"
Lydia pursed her lips, enjoying his look of cautious bewilderment. "More specific."
He paused again. "The one about you."
She gave a small smile. "Maybe in the morning."
He gave a tired smile in return. "Fine. Goodnight then."
"Goodnight."
Nikolas shook his head, but he wasn't exasperated, not really. The family was louder and he'd have to deal with having dogs around the house but the stress level didn't go up. He was happier because of it. Lydia had given him that and he was beginning to see that simply marrying her was not the justice she deserved. She wanted more and he found himself wanting to give her more.
Perhaps they could really be a family.
Looking down at his messages, he glanced at both quickly and his heart sank Ignoring the outside world had not gone unnoticed by everyone.
She noticed.
Normally, she never called him or sought him out. Normally he only dreamed of a moment where she extended her hand to him.
He sighed as he crumpled the messages, tossing them into the fire.
Emily.
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