Nikolas & Emily #8 May 3- August 31, 2005 (also included Feb scenes edited to Nem)

February 2005 Emily goes to Pentonville to see Nikolas in prison, but it's clear that she can't put his physical resemblance to Connor aside. Nikolas tries to touch and be close to his wife, but Emily evades him and pushes him away. She chalks her unease up to Lucky's dire condition, and she tells Nikolas that Luke wants to remove Lucky from his life support. Nikolas doesn't believe that Luke will go through with it, but Emily's fear at being touched by Nikolas cause her to lash out about Lucky's bad state, and the fact that he could soon be dead thanks to Luke. Nikolas tries to calm her down by hugging and kissing her, but Emily's attempts to not think of Connor are futile and she shoves Nikolas away, screaming for him to never touch her.

Emily catches Liz writing a note to Nikolas and assumes she's telling him about Connor and the rape. Emily snaps at Elizabeth and tells her that if she sends that letter to Nikolas she will never speak to her again. Elizabeth gets a call on her cell-phone from Nikolas. He tells her he thinks he knows what happened with Emily and wants to talk to her. Elizabeth shows up at the prison. He tells her he thinks that Emily blames herself for killing Connor. Elizabeth realizes that Nikolas doesn't suspect anything about the rape and she doesn't tell him. She tells him that Emily has a lot going on right now. Nikolas tells her not to tell Emily that she came to see him at his request.

Emily gets a call on her cell-phone from Nikolas. Nikolas tells her the warden allowed him another visit with her today. Emily tries to make an excuse why she can't come but Nikolas tells her he just wants to talk to her. Emily agrees to come see him. She gets there and Nikolas tells her he realizes she has gone through a lot lately. Emily shocks Nikolas when she tells him she came to ask him for a divorce. Nikolas doesn't believe her, and asks her what's really going on. Emily cries as she tells Nikolas that it's over. Nikolas refuses to let go of Emily because of what happened with Connor. Nikolas knows that Emily blames herself for Connor's murder and is trying to punish herself as penitence for the murder. He tells her that she was just trying to defend herself. But she tells him that he's got it all wrong, that she can't live like this, constantly visiting him in prison. She feels trapped every time she visits the dreadful walls and unwelcome place. Emily calls herself weak and selfish, and tells him that she doesn't like being there, "I can't be married to you anymore; there's too much pain."

Emily leaves the visitation room, in tears. Nikolas sits at the visitation table and rethinks Emily's breakdown after his kiss. He stands up and kicks his chair into the wall in frustration. The warden comes in, threatening to take him back to solitary, but Nikolas needs to call his wife again. The warden, David, tells Nikolas that everything's different because he's in jail. But Nikolas disagrees, and knows that there's something else going on, vowing to figure it out. Nikolas leaves Emily a message on her machine: this will be the last call in a while, and he's used up all of the visits, so he tells Emily to take care of herself and to do whatever she needs to do. The machine beeps to end the message just before he could tell her that she loves him.

May 2, 2005 Liz stops by to visit Emily. She gives Emily the news that Nikolas has tried to contact her, calling the hospital (as Tyler has now returned after being off screen for the past 2-3 months). When he was unable to reach Emily he asked Liz to pass along the message that he is allowed visitors again and would like to see Emily the following day. After talking to Liz, Emily realizes that she can no longer put off telling Nik about the rape because it's only a matter of time before they prove Helena is alive and he's released from prison.

Elizabeth coaxes a reluctant Emily to keep her appointment to visit Nikolas in prison. Meanwhile, Nikolas anxiously gets ready for a visit with Emily. Later, when Emily visits with Nikolas, Emily reports that Tracy has seen Helena and Luke is positive that the current plan that Luke has for capturing Helena will work out this time. However, when Nikolas begins to make plans for their life together as soon as Nikolas is released from prison, Emily suddenly declares that they can no longer be married and that Emily plans to divorce Nikolas. When Nikolas makes an emotional admission that he does not understand what Emily is saying and tries to reach out to Emily, Emily has a sudden flashback to Connor's attack on her and begins screaming for Nikolas to leave her alone. A bewildered Nikolas shrinks away from Emily's hysterical attack.

Nikolas cries while Emily tells him their marriage has to be over now and that she can't stay married to him. Nikolas asks her why she is willing to throw away their marriage when they love each other and he is close to getting out of prison. Emily tells him she needs a divorce from him. Nikolas grabs her shoulder to stop her from leaving the visiting room. Emily thinks of Connor raping her at that moment and starts hitting and pushing him away from her and telling to stop touching her in a shrill voice. The guards come in and think that Nikolas hurt her and they pull him away and handcuff him. Emily leaves the room but doesn't leave the prison. Elizabeth shows up at the prison and asks Emily what happened with her visit to Nikolas. She asks Emily if she told Nikolas about the rape. Emily told her she can't tell him right now but she is afraid that Nikolas will be restrained when he didn't do anything wrong and confesses that she let Nikolas have it because when he touched her she thought he was Connor for a minute and just went ballistic on him. Emily tells her that not telling Nikolas about the rape is a big mistake.

Emily goes back into the visiting room and tries to explain to one of the guards that Nikolas did nothing wrong and tries to get him to take the handcuffs off of Nikolas. The guard tells her he can't and that it is on the orders of the warden not him. She sits across from him and apologizes for acting the way she did. She tells him he did nothing wrong. She makes the excuse that she has been under a lot of stress lately with A.J.'s murder and her father being shot. Nikolas doesn't believe that is the real reason. He asks Emily to tell him what is wrong. She is about to tell him but tells him she has to leave. Nikolas tells her he loves her and he knows she loves him and they can get through anything if she will tell him what happened so he can help her. She finally sits down and tells him that Connor raped her. Nikolas is stunned by her admission.

Emily realizes almost immediately that Nikolas already suspected that she was raped by the way he seems to calmly take the news. Nikolas is shaken but remains quiet as Emily tearfully tells him the circumstances of the rape. When she is done, Nikolas assures her that together they will get through the trauma of her rape but Emily insists that their marriage is over. She explains that despite her deep love for him, every time she looks at Nik she sees her rapist. That she can't help but feel her rapist's touch when Nik touches her. Nikolas is devastated. He tries to convince her to give them a chance but Emily becomes quite upset the more he insists that their love will see them though this. Eventually, Emily runs out of the room leaving a desperate Nikolas behind, chained to the table and unable to follow her. Later, with his head on the table in seeming utter defeat, a guard returns to the room to take Nikolas back to his cell. Nikolas though has managed to find a paperclip, which he had used to pick the lock on his cuffs. The moment the guard is close enough, Nik springs up, temporarily knocks the guard off balance and runs out the open door.

 Nik runs out of the visiting room, intent on escaping. The officer he overpowered follows him and, after ordering him to stop, discharges his gun. At first it appears that Nik is shot as he suddenly stops in his tracks. However, it is soon revealed that another officer, with his weapon drawn, is blocking Nik's escape. Resigned, Nik is taken back into custody and returned to the visitor's room where he is once again handcuffed to the tape. The warden soon joins Nik in the room, demanding an explanation. Nik tells him that his wife was upset and that he was desperate to talk to her. He assures the warden that everything would be fine if he would be allowed to call his wife. The warden denies Nik his request and orders that he be taken to solitary confinement. He also instructs that he not be allowed any visitors, most especially Emily as her visits seem to agitate Nik. Later, left alone, Nik vows to not give up on Emily.

Just then Emily enters the room and is immediately taken hostage by Helena. Helena orders Tracy to prepare to hand over her money plus interest in cash in exchange for Emily's release. Helena promises to contact them with a meeting place, date and time in the near future then, holding a gun pointed at Emily's back, ushers her toward the elevators. Unfortunately for Helena, the elevator door opens to reveal Liz, Lucky and Skye inside. Before Helena can force them off the elevator, Tracy and Luke approach her from behind and block her retreat.

Luke, Tracy, Liz, Skye and Lucky are powerless to stop Helena from fleeing the hospital with Emily. Helena eventually blindfolds Emily and takes her to a secret hide-a-way. Emily is shocked speechless when the blindfold is removed to reveal that she is in the cabin where Connor had raped her. Helena seems to take perverse pleasure in tormenting Emily as she asks her if Nik is yet aware of Emily's "infidelity" with Conner. After Helena calls Luke to make arrangements to meet him so that he can give her the money he stole, Emily taunts Helena. She tells her that it doesn't matter how much money she has, she is the biggest loser that Emily knows and no one, least of all Nikolas, loves her. As Helena's goon stands nearby, Helena sits down to share her own observations with Emily. She blames Emily for turning Nikolas against her. Helena feels that Nikolas' fixation with Emily allowed her undue influence on him while Emily alienated his affection.

According to Helena, Nik was too besotted with Emily to see how weakened he was by Emily and how she dragged him down to her own level mediocrity and banality. Helena assures her that she will make Emily pay for what she did to Nikolas. Dearly. Emily isn't intimidated by Helena's threat. She invites Helena to shoot her because in doing so she will provide Emily the opportunity to give Nikolas the gift of freedom from Helena. Without Emily around to use, Helena will be powerless to hurt Nikolas. After Helena leaves, Emily is left to wait in the cellar of the cabin. She paces nervously as she has brief flashbacks of Conner raping her. She stops her pacing when she spots a knife tucked just out of sight of the guard.

Emily snatches the knife she saw tucked away and hides it in her sweater while her guard has his back turned on her as he fetches her a bottle of water. When Helena returns she dismisses him so that she can have some privacy while she kills Emily. Emily doesn't cower. Instead she makes a grab for the gun that Helena is holding and manages to disarm Helena. Before Helena can retrieve her gun, Emily pulls out her knife and holds it to Helena's throat. Helena taunts Emily until she is able to distract her. When Emily momentarily closes her eyes, Helena tries to wrestle the knife out of Emily's grasp. Before Helena is successful, Mac, Luke and Lucky come to the rescue and apprehend Helena.

As Helena is escorted away to the Port Charles Police Department, Helena can't resist a parting shot at Emily, predicting that everything that has happened to Emily in that room will build a wall that will forever stand between Nikolas and Emily, forever preventing the couple from ever enjoying any kind of happiness. After Luke and Mac take Helena away, Emily confides to Lucky that Helena may be right! However, Lucky assures Emily that, as soon as Nikolas is free, everything will look different to Emily and will eventually work out in the end. Later, when Nikolas is released from prison, Nikolas is disappointed when he realizes that Lucky arrived alone to pick Nikolas up at the prison.

Nikolas gets exonerated and goes to see Emily at the Quartermaine mansion. Monica answers the door. She tells Nikolas that Emily doesn't want to see him and she has to abide by her wishes but tells him she hopes they work things out in the end and that she is happy he has been exonerated. Nikolas knows Emily is close by the door and he raises his voice to let her know he isn't giving up on her and loves her. Later, Emily finds Nikolas waiting for her in her room. She tells him he shouldn't be there and asks him to leave her alone. Nikolas refuses to leave and asks her to listen to him first. He asks her if she still loves him. Emily tells him she does but admits that right now she can't stand people touching her physically and especially not him since he looks so much like Connor and every time he goes near her she thinks about the rape. Nikolas tells her that he loves her and wants to help her get through this. Emily breaks down and tells him she can't get over it and probably never will and that it isn't fair to him to stay married to her since he deserves to be happy and she is hurting him right now. Nikolas starts crying and tells her he will wait forever but he won't give her up and doesn't want to be with any other woman but her for the rest of his life. Emily tells him she can't do that to him. Nikolas leaves her alone.

Nikolas shows up at the casino. He accuses Luke of being to blame for what happened to Emily since he was the one who kept her at the cabin with Connor all alone. Luke has no idea what he is talking about. Lucky tries to stop a fight from happening and defends Luke to Nikolas reminding him that more than one of them let Connor be alone with Emily. Luke suggests that maybe Emily is uncomfortable being around him because he is an ex-convict. Nikolas takes a swing at Luke but Lucky grabs Nikolas. Nikolas accuses Luke of not caring about Emily or him but only in playing games with his grandmother and that because of it, Emily was raped by Connor. Luke is taken aback by that bit of information. Emily comes into the casino and tells Nikolas to leave Luke alone and that he isn't to blame for her being raped. She tells Nikolas that she is tired of letting Connor have any more power over her and that by doing what she has been doing she has let Connor win. She tells Nikolas she loves him and wants to stay married to him.

Emily goes to the Haunted Star to talk to Luke. She asks him how Laura was able to forgive him for raping her. Luke doesn't appreciate Emily bringing the subject up. He orders her to leave, refusing to discuss the topic with her. Emily ends up down at the docks where she bumps into Lucky. As she's telling him about her encounter with Luke, Nikolas walks up. Lucky steps away so that Nik and Emily can talk. Emily can't fathom why Nikolas isn't furious with her after all of the hurt she's put him through. He explains to her that he understands now why she did those things and he's determined to stand by her and help her deal with the rape. Emily decides that the best way to do that is to return to the cabin. She asks Nikolas to join her. When they return to the cabin, Emily begins to have flashbacks of the rape. She talks through them by telling Nik what had happened. He listens to her and then reaches out to take her hand. Emily admits that while her mind knows that he's not Conner, her body doesn't. Nik vows to help her. His solution is to set fire to the basement while Emily watches, she reaches for his hand. They leave the cabin and end up down at the docks. Nik asks Emily if having the basement gone helps her in some way. Emily admits that it doesn't but having Nik there for her does help tremendously. She also tells him that she refuses to let an act of violence ruin her life and then apologizes to Nik for the way she has treated him. They eventually talk of Wyndemere and returning to Spoon Island. Emily offers to move back into Wyndemere with Nik but prefers to take a guest room. She doesn't feel she is ready yet for anything more. Nik is understanding and even suggests that time apart may be a good thing for them. He explains that they have the luxury of time to reconnect and that they can afford to take things slow. He suggests that they use the time to enjoy long talks on the phone, date and fall in-love with each other all over again. Emily is deeply appreciative of his efforts.

Lucky stops by to see Emily and let her know that the cabin caught fire. He is worried she might have had something to do with it. Emily admits to Lucky that she and Nik burned the cabin. She explains to him what happened and then admits that it did help her. Lucky is relieved no one was hurt and that Emily found a measure of comfort from the cabin's fire. She fills him in on how understanding and supportive Nik has been. Lucky is relieved that she is finally dealing with the rape and tells her so. When he happens to mention Liz and her rape, Emily tells Lucky that her situation is complicated. Liz was raped in the park by a stranger wearing a mask while Emily was raped by someone who had her husband's face.

Alexis goes to Wyndemere to welcome Nikolas home. She is surprised to learn that Emily is temporarily living elsewhere but respects Nikolas's privacy when he makes it clear that he doesn't want to discuss the details of their relationship. After exchanging some pleasantries, Alexis hands check for the money that she took from the Cassadine funds. Nik is understanding as she explains the circumstances which led to her taking the money. After Alexis departs, Nik goes to the Quartermaine mansion and confronts Tracy. He doesn't mince words. After telling Tracy that he knows she is in possession of the $15,000,000.00 missing Cassadine money he informs her that he expects it to be returned by the end of the day. Tracy laughs and accuses him of trying to extort money from her. When she threatens to call the police, Nik tells to go right ahead and call them and while they are waiting for the police to arrive he intends to call the press. He goes on to warn Tracy that he plans on telling the press about where the money she used to bail out ELQ really came from. Tracy counters by threatening to tell the press that he's lying and trying to extort money from her right after being released from prison. Emily overhears the exchange and confronts Tracy. Emily becomes increasingly angry as she and Tracy exchange words. She reaches over and picks up a vase which she upends over Tracy's head, dousing her with water. Furious, Tracy storms off, vowing that Nik will never see a penny of his missing money. Emily apologizes to him for ruining things with Tracy. Nik laughs, telling Emily that he thinks it was worth it to see Emily dump water on Tracy. When he reaches over to touch her, Emily pulls away.

Emily is studying at the gazebo in the park. Nikolas shows up with some cookies and gives her a medical book she left at Wyndemere. Nikolas suggests that he help her study by questioning her on what she has read and if she answers the questions correctly she gets a piece of cookie as a reward. They have fun playing around with the cookies. Emily tries to steal the bag of cookies but Nikolas grabs the bag out of her hands and starts to run away. Emily runs after him to get the cookies. Nikolas pushes her hand away and then realizes that he startled Emily with that move and apologizes. Emily gets serious on him again and tells him she has to leave anyway and go to see her therapist for an appointment. Nikolas offers to give her a ride. She accepts his offer. Nikolas waits for her to come out of her appointment. He asks her if the therapist gave her any homework regarding her therapy. Emily tells him that Dr. Winters suggested that she confront the rapist with how angry she is with him and that it sometimes helps. Emily tells him that she can't do that since Connor is already dead. Nikolas suggests that since he looks like Connor he can pretend to be him and let her take her anger out on him instead. Emily is resistant to the idea.

Dr. Winters stops by when she spots Emily to ask if she scheduled her follow up appointment. When Emily steps away to do so, Nikolas takes the opportunity to seek Dr. Winters advice on his idea. She warns him that while it might be helpful, provided it takes place in a controlled environment, it could be quite painful. When Emily joins them, she cautions both Nikolas and Emily to think long and hard before making the decision. Nik is finally able to convince Emily to give it a try. They go to Dr. Winter's office. With the doctor guiding the session, Emily is finally able to confront Conner. After the painful session, Emily appears to have an emotional breakdown while a visibly shaken Nik can do no more than watch. At a complete loss for words, Nik stumbles, unnoticed, out of the room. He finds Elizabeth shortly afterwards and shares with her everything that he's feeling. He believes that the confrontation left Emily completely destroyed and blames himself for putting her in that situation. Elizabeth is sympathetic and supportive. She suggests that Nik return to Dr. Winters' office and discuss things with Emily and the doctor. Nik can't bring himself to face Emily so he leaves the hospital. Meanwhile Emily is talking to Dr. Winters. She tells her that for the first time she has hope thanks to Nik. Emily then decides to find Nik in order to thank him. Instead, Emily finds Elizabeth who tells Emily how distraught Nik is over the session. Emily calls Nik at Wyndemere. He listens as Emily pleads with him to pick up the phone but he makes no move to do so.

Emily and Elizabeth meet at Metro Court and Emily confides that she has not been able to locate Nikolas following the role-playing session in Dr. Winters' office. Elizabeth prevails on Jax to let Emily know if Nikolas is staying at the Hotel and Jax confirms that Nikolas is checked in under an assumed name. Jason tells Emily that Sonny has been seeing Reese romantically lately and wonders why Sonny would be seeing a federal agent. Jason doesn't know if it is a good idea or not but can't do anything about it. Ric approaches Emily later and asks her not to tell anyone, including Jason that she saw him leaving Reese's room last night. He tells her that he and Alexis are no longer together and Reese is unattached at the moment. Emily tells him she isn't a gossip and has no plans to tell anyone.

Emily tells Elizabeth that she lost her nerve about going to see Nikolas at his hotel room. She tells Elizabeth that she thinks she needs to give Nikolas more time to think things through. Elizabeth disagrees with her and thinks that she needs to go to him soon before she loses him forever. Nikolas and Lucky chat outside Kelly's. Nikolas tells Lucky that he finally realized what Emily was trying to tell him about their marriage being over and that she will never get over seeing Connor Bishop's face whenever she sees him or is near him. He tells Lucky that he is going to file for divorce. Alexis finds him outside Kelly's and asks him what is wrong. He tells her that he and Emily won't be able to get past their problems and that he plans to file for divorce. Alexis advises him to really think things over before making a decision like this and tells him that he will probably never find someone like Emily ever again. She also tells him that she is the last person to give him advice on marriage and love. She tells him that she wants him to remind her never to fall in love again. Nikolas shows up at the hospital to tell Emily that he will grant her a divorce. Emily asks him to be patient with her a while longer and that she doesn't want to give up on their marriage just yet. She tells him that she knows one day she will be able to look at him and see in his eyes, the love he has for her and will be able to get close to him again. Nikolas asks her if she would like to take a walk in the park with him right now. She walks off with him and they hold hands. 

Later, Nik visits Emily at the hospital. She smiles brightly as she tells Nik that while she was helping Monica with Maxie that she did not think of Conner. She is hopeful that it's a sign that she's moving past her rape. Nik is hoping to take her to lunch. Emily tells him that she can't go because she has another session with her therapist scheduled. Nik is leery and lets her know that he can't pretend to be Connor again. To his relief, Emily doesn't expect him to continue role-playing. She explains that she asked him to meet her because she was hoping that they could spend some time together after her session but since the phone call, she's gotten backed up with work.

Liz runs into Nik and tells him about Lucky going before the review board and then shares with him her concerns about Lucky's desire to live together. When they finish talking, Liz thanks Nik for listening to her and leaves. As soon as Liz departs, Emily approaches Nik. When he tells her that she just missed Liz, Emily admits that she saw them talking and didn't want to disturb them. Emily then asks Nik if he is sorry for marrying her, indicating that she had overheard part of their conversation. Nik is quick to reassure her that he has no regrets. He goes on to thank her for not telling him about her rape while he was in prison. He feels it was the right thing to do because it would have made him insane being confined behind bars unable to do anything for her.

Nikolas and Emily meet and talk over old times. Nikolas and Emily decide to take their relationship back to step one and just enjoy dating. Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Lucky make plans to renovate their apartment and decide that they are probably going to need help to get the place whipped into shape. Later, when Nikolas and Emily drop by with a house-warming gift, Lucky and Elizabeth press them into service and the two young couples begin to straighten the place up together. When Nikolas and Emily get ready to leave, they look wistfully at the easy companionship Elizabeth and Lucky are enjoying.

Sam pays Emily a visit and tells her about her recent encounters with Carly. Emily is supportive and warns Sam that Carly has already chased off two good women in Jason's life and to not let Carly do the same to her. After Sam leaves, Emily goes to see Carly. Carly isn't in the mood to talk to Emily. Emily ignores her and gets right to the point. She warns Carly to stay out of Jason's love life and to keep running to him with all of her problems. Carly fires back, telling Emily that she would love to accommodate her but she doesn't know how to get over Sonny as fast as he's seemingly gotten over her. She then drops the bombshell that she asked Lorenzo to marry her. Emily is taken aback and asks if he has accepted. Carly points out that it's none of Emily's business. Emily agrees. She once more warns Carly to leave Jason and Sam alone before she departs.

Emily ends up at the gazebo where Courtney and Jax were just married. She finds Carly's bouquet on one of the empty chairs and picks it up before starting down the aisle. Just then Nik walks up. He tells Emily that all she is missing is the groom. Emily smiles as Nik joins her. He notes that she is still wearing her wedding ring and then pulls out his own. He explains that Lucky gave it to him the day he got out of jail but that he had been waiting to put it on until Emily could do it. She takes the ring and they recite vows as she slips it on his ring finger. She ends by saying "You may now kiss the bride". Nik is touched. He gently kisses her.

Emily tells Nik that it felt good to kiss him again. When Nik takes the bouquet out of her hand, he notices a rather nasty cut. Emily says she didn't realize she had cut herself. Nik leads her out of the park. They end up picking up dinner and going over to Liz and Lucky's new apartment. Lucky had just finished reading a bedtime story to Cameron while Liz held him and then watched as she tucked him in for the night. When Nik and Emily arrive, Nik asks Liz to take a look at Emily's hand. Liz takes Emily into the kitchen while the guys busy themselves setting up for dinner. Emily admits that the cut was a result of Nik kissing her. She tells Liz that she freaked out when he kissed her and held the bouquet so tight that the thorns cut her hand. Liz is concerned and suggests that Emily say something to Nik. Emily insists that therapy is helping and she'd rather not hurt Nik with the truth. Emily then changes the subject by asking Liz how things are going. Liz confides that while she likes their apartment, money is tight and she can see that sleeping on a hideaway sofa is going to get old quick. Emily and Nik return to the park where Nik kisses Emily once again. As she wraps her arms around him, her fist is tightly clenched.

Michael runs into the lobby and begs Jason not to make Michael return to therapy with Dr. Thomas. Emily notices how upset Michael has become and tries to distract the boy by offering a walk in the park. Emily is at GH when Michael returns for his next session and she persuades him to give Dr. Thomas another chance and offers to walk with him to his office. Shortly afterwards, Emily returns with Michael, who is annoyed that Dr. Thomas couldn't see him for his appointment. Emily tells Sam and Jason that Dr. Thomas had an emergency patient and wanted to postpone the appointment until later that evening and asked to speak to Jason and Sam right now. Emily offers to sit with Michael until they get back. Emily goes to get some candy bars for them and asks if Michael will be okay by himself in the waiting room. Michael tells her he will be fine. Emily returns with chocolate bars.

Emily gets a call from Nikolas while she is working at the hospital. He asks her to join him at the hotel bar. She meets him there and sits at the bar with him. He pretends that they are just meeting for the first time and introduces himself to her. She plays along and they have a good time until Nikolas invites her to come with him over to Wyndemere. She tenses up but pretends she is okay with the idea and smiles.

Nik and Emily have dinner. At the end of dinner, Nik stands up and kisses her. Unbeknownst to Nik, Emily clenches her fist, indicating that she still has trouble with Nik kissing her. When Nik asks her about his kisses and how she feels, Emily lies and tells him that she loves his kisses. Encouraged, Nik asks her to return to Wyndemere with him to take a walk along the cliffs but Emily declines. She explains that she promised Michael that she would accompany him to therapy. Nik is disappointed. He is later joined by Lucky and tells him what happened. He is frustrated to see Emily trying to force herself to pretend that all is well when it's obviously not.

Emily talks to Dr. Thomas. He questions her about what if troubling Michael but Emily tells him that she has no idea even when he presses her for information. When Michael arrives at the hospital with Jason and Sam, he is quiet as he goes into his session with Dr. Thomas. While Michael is talking to Dr. Thomas, Sam thanks Emily for encouraging and helping Michael to go to therapy. Moments later, Michael runs out and throws himself into Emily's arms, crying and begging not to be forced to return to the session. Sonny walks up just then. He sees Michael's upset and asks what is going on. Michael tells him that he doesn't ever want to have to return to therapy. Sonny reassures him that he won't. Sonny then turns to Jason and tells him that he doesn't want to ever hear another word about Michael going to therapy.

Emily arrives over at Sonny's. He tells her that he respects her as Jason's sister but he does not appreciate her interference in his son's life. Emily explains that she's Michael's godmother and his aunt and cares for him deeply. She goes on to tell Sonny that she recently had something happen to her that she tried very hard to forget and rejected therapy but it didn't work. She is able to convince Sonny to at least allow her to talk to Michael about therapy but he warns her that if Michael does not want to go, Sonny will not force him to. Emily thanks him and goes up to talk to Michael about reconsidering therapy. Emily walks in and talks to Michael. She plays a handheld video game with him while they talk about therapy. Michael asks her if therapy is helping her why she is still bothered by what happened to her. They strike a bargain, Emily will continue with her therapy if he will do the same for her. Michael agrees. Jason happens to step in the room just as Michael agrees to go to therapy and he mouths "Thank you" to Emily.

Afterwards, Emily goes downstairs to let Sonny know that Michael has agreed to return for his sessions. Sonny is surprised and asks her how she managed it. In the course of explaining, Emily ends up telling Sonny about her rape but doesn't go into much detail. He gets a very intense look on his face and asks who did it? (we just know he is ready to take out an immediate hit on the guy). Sonny is shocked. He listens as she explains how painful but beneficial therapy is for someone who has been through a horrific event. Sonny appreciates the insight and asks Emily if she would mind returning back to the house in order to continue helping Michael. Emily happily agrees.

At the ever-popular Metro Court, Emily and Nik overhear the exchange between Lucky and the waitress as Liz hands her another credit card (after the first one was declined). Nik quietly calls the waitress over and offers to pay the bill, instructing her to tell Lucky that she decided to run his credit card through a second time and it was accepted. The waitress does as requested. Emily and Nik comment that for all their money troubles they in the past they never had to worry about paying their bills. Nik feels that despite their money troubles, Liz and Lucky are still more fortunate than he and Emily because they have a closeness that he and Emily lack. When Emily hears a beautiful slow song that she loves, she asks Nik to dance.

Nikolas comes to the hospital and asks for Emily. Liz shares that she thought the two of them were together, because Emily called in. She is staying with Michael and playing video games. Her plan is to later take him to therapy. As they play, they talk about how Carly loves Michael. He admits that he misses her. Nikolas confronts Emily about her avoiding him by making excuses to be with Michael. Sonny walks in as Nikolas grabs Emily and it appears that he will hurt her. Sonny wants to know what's going on and says that Nikolas needs to be more understanding considering all Emily has been through. Nikolas is shocked that Emily told Sonny about the rape. He explodes, and Sonny tells Nikolas to leave. Nikolas asks Emily to go with him, but she turns him down. After he leaves, Emily admits that Nikolas was right. She is hiding from him by making excuses to help Michael. Sonny tells Emily that she can stay in his home as long as she needs to.

Nik visits Emily at Sonny's compound. He is not happy with Emily's continued avoidance of him. He's also still hurt that Emily had refused to leave with him when Sonny had ordered Nik out of the house. Emily tries to explain that Sonny had the wrong impression about the nature of their relationship. Sonny erroneously believed that Nik was abusing her. Nik doesn't really care what Sonny thought. He's more concerned about the state of their own relationship. Emily admits that she's been using Michael to hide, not from Nik but from herself. She clarifies that she is frustrated that her healing is not progressing faster and so rather than deal with it she's been focusing on Michael. Nik is disappointed. He tells her that being together used to come easy for them but lately it's too much work and it shouldn't be that way. He feels his love seems to be hurting her rather than helping her so he decides that from now on he will keep his distance and give her space in the hopes it will help her. As he leaves, Emily tells him that she loves him.

Emily seeks some advice from Sam. Sam promises that whatever Emily tells her will remain confidential. Emily appreciates the gesture and opens up to Sam about her problems with Nik. Sam feels that sex has become a pink elephant to Emily and Nik. Both are trying to avoid it when they shouldn't be. Sam's advice to Emily is to end the stalemate and go to Nik. They should be making love not avoiding it. Emily takes Sam's advice and goes to Nik. She tells him that she doesn't want space. She wants him to make love to her. Nik feels it's too soon but Emily is determined and eventually convinces him. Before kissing her, Nik makes Emily promise to tell him if she starts feeling uncomfortable or panicked.

Emily and Nikolas make love. As they cuddle afterwards, Nikolas asks Emily to stay the night. Before Emily can answer, her cell phone rings. Michael sounds upset, but tells Emily not to worry because there are other people at his house that can help him. Emily tells Nikolas she will stay with him, but he convinces her to go to Michael. She says she will be back in the morning. Michael is surprised when Emily shows up. He tells her he had a nightmare, and Emily tells him how she gets over her nightmares. Emily explains that even if she can't come, Michael's parents will be there for him. Michael doesn't think they can be there for him because of how busy they are with lives of their own. Michael asks why Emily doesn't have someone to make her life complicated.

As Emily starts to leave, Sam stops her and thanks her for everything she is doing for Michael. Emily confesses that she and Nikolas slept together and it wasn't as bad as she feared it would be. Sam asks how enjoyable the experience was for them. Emily thought it was good for Nikolas, but for her it was all about getting through it. Sam asks her if she faked it, and Emily confesses that she did. Both women agree that men don't need to know these details. As Emily starts to leave, Sam asks her if she thinks Jason has been acting strangely. Emily doesn't think so, but tells her sometimes his job does this to him. When she gets home, Emily climbs back in bed with Nikolas and wakes him up. He is surprised that she came back. As he starts to cuddle with her, she turns away.

Liz is surprised to see Em at GH, and believes she is there to give Liz support as she is inseminated (as she plans on carrying a baby for Jax and Courtney). Emily says she had nothing better to do so she decided to come in and volunteer. Liz wants to know why she's not spending her free time with Nikolas. Emily lies and says that Nikolas has been understanding and is giving her space. Meanwhile, Nikolas asks Lucky if he has seen Emily and Lucky tells her that he did see her and she didn't appear to be working.

Courtney heads out to the rooftop in tears and Nikolas greets her there and asks if there is anything he can do. Courtney tells Nikolas she was feeling sorry for herself. When she goes to leave, she realizes the door is locked. As Nikolas calls maintenance to unlock the door, he asks Courtney what's wrong? She admits that she's jealous Liz is getting pregnant with the baby Courtney can't have. She knows that she should feel grateful for what Liz is doing, but she wishes she could be the one carrying Jax's baby. Neither Jax nor Liz knows Courtney's feelings. She tells him that she feels like she's letting down the one person she loves more than anyone else in the world. Nikolas feels the same. He explains that things are almost back to normal, since he's out of prison now. He explains that his relationship with Emily is suffering. Courtney tells him that their love must be strong because of everything they've been through together. She tells him that they should both be lucky that their spouses love them. Nikolas just wants to get back to where he and Emily were before he went to prison. When the maintenance man unlocks the door, Courtney thanks Nikolas for letting her rant to him and leaves.

Emily admits to Sam that she's still not feeling anything when she and Nikolas are intimate. She fears that he can tell. Sam asks how Emily and Nikolas's relationship was before the rape. Emily admits that everything was wonderful. Sam thinks that Nikolas needs to know about Emily's problems. Emily doesn't know if that's the answer. She's going to give the situation more time. Emily meets Nikolas at the Metro Court and tells him she's ready for some changes in their relationship. She tells him that it was fine be with Nikolas at the hotel at first, but now she's ready to move back to Wyndemere. She tells him that Wyndemere is their home and they have a lot of happy memories there. They decide to order room service and take it back to their room and celebrate putting the past behind them.

Nik and Lucky talk as they prepare Wyndemere for Nik and Emily to take up residence in. Lucky admits that he's not comfortable with the idea of Liz carrying Jax's child. He feels useless. Nik confides to his brother that he feels as if Emily is just going through the motions. He worries that something is off with her. Later, Emily arrives at Wyndemere and is pleasantly surprised at all Nik and Lucky accomplished. Nik pours a glass of champagne for each of them and makes a toast. He tells her that while he was preparing the place, memories drifted through his mind of their time together in Wyndemere. Emily asks Nik what his fondest memory was. Nik tells her that it was making love on the sofa. They kiss and end up making love on the sofa. Afterwards, despite declarations of love there seems to be a distance between the two.

Nikolas runs into Courtney in the park. They end up sitting on a bench and talking. He confides in her about how Emily is trying so hard to make things work between them in their marriage and that it feels like she is trying too hard to make something work that came so natural to them before. Courtney listens and tells him about her marriage to Jason and how a lack of communication on her part hurt their marriage. She advises him to try and have an honest conversation with Emily and suggests that he talk to her about his feelings on a non-threatening topic. He tells her she is very wise and thanks him for being there when she needed to talk about her feelings regarding Elizabeth being a surrogate mother for them.

Lucky's financial woes cause Lucky's mood to turn surly. He snaps at Officer Murphy just as Nik walks in to tie up some loose ends regarding Helena. Nik talks to his brother about what is bothering him. Lucky admits that he's frustrated about not just the money but the whole idea of Liz being a surrogate mother for Jax and Courtney. He's still very uncomfortable with the thought of Liz carrying Jax's baby and he's secretly hoping that Liz isn't pregnant. When Nik tries to offer Lucky money, Lucky turns him down flat. He has no intention of borrowing money from Nik, regardless of the circumstances. As they talk, their discussion turns to the problems that Nik is having with Emily. He tells Lucky that despite their efforts to pretend otherwise, they are drifting apart

Emily pays Sam a visit. She tells Sam about the distance between her and Nik despite their efforts to get their relationship back on track. Sam advises Emily to be honest with Nik. In the course of their discussion, Sam brings up Jason's issue with Reese and how Sam saw Ric visit Reese the previous day. Sam tells Emily that he feels the visit was more than work. He suspects that Ric and Reese are in bed together so to speak. As Sam walks into the other room, Emily is clearly remembering seeing Ric leaving Reese's hotel room after their one night stand a few weeks earlier. Emily is waiting for Jason when he arrives home. After Emily tells Jason that Sam went to meet with Dr. Thomas, she tells him that she stuck around because she had to tell him something. Emily then brings up the conversation that she had with Sam about Carly's obsession with Reese. Jason confirms that he does have suspicions about Reese.

Jason talks to Emily about his suspicions about Reese and Ric being up to something. Emily doesn't end up telling him about how she saw Ric leave Reese's hotel room awhile back and how it was obvious they had slept together. She talks to him instead about how he should spend more of his time focusing on Sam instead of always coming to Carly's rescue. She tells him that he shouldn't take Sam for granted. Jason tells Emily that he has already forbidden Carly to come to his place unannounced anymore but that he still feels like he needs to help Carly because she is his friend.

A hurricane is headed to Port Charles as guests prepare for Carly's cocktail gala to benefit General Hospital's Endowment Fund. The weather worsens as Nik finds Lucky in the stables during the party. Lucky is angry and frustrated after Jax made an off hand comment about money which brought home to Lucky how he can't provide Liz with the things that he should. Nik reminds Lucky that Liz isn't interested in wealth but it doesn't help. Lucky points out that Nik doesn't have to worry about providing his wife with the things that she would like nor is she carrying another man's baby in order to solve their financial problems. Later, Lucky walks into the party with the bad news that no one can leave because the roads have been closed due to the hurricane.

Alexis begins having contractions, and Emily and Liz stay by her side. Elizabeth talks to Dr. Meadows on the phone, giving her Alexis' symptoms, Dr. Meadows thinks that her contractions are due to stress and she may be leaking amniotic fluid. It doesn't appear that her water is broke, though. This is good news, as long as they can prevent an infection from setting in. They prepare to move Alexis to a bed.  Nikolas confronts Lucky about his temper tantrum with Jax. Nikolas tells him that if he wasn't okay with Liz being a surrogate, he shouldn't have agreed to it. Lucky, on the defense, tells Nikolas that he's the last person who should be dishing out advice considering he and Emily can hardly stand to be in the same room together. Nikolas accuses Emily of just pretending that things are fine between them. Emily is disappointed when she walks into the living to find Lucky instead of Nik. She takes the opportunity to discuss Lucky's problems with Liz carrying Courtney and Jax's baby. She feels that he should count his blessings instead of allowing his pride to get in the way. She points out that unlike her and Nik who can't seem to get back what they have lost, he and Liz were fortunate enough to find it.

Nikolas carries Courtney into the barn on Alcazar's property. She asks him where she is. He tells her he was driving and found her car stranded on the side of the road. He tells her where they are. Courtney tells him her meeting in New York City got finished early and so she decided to head to the party to surprise Jax. Nikolas tells Courtney about how the party didn't go well and that Jax and Lucky got into a fight earlier and about how Alexis had a complication in her pregnancy. Courtney asks him what he was doing driving in the storm. He tells her he had a disagreement with Emily and was going to leave the party but the storm got worse. He walks with her back to Alcazar's house. Jax is surprised to see Courtney show up with Nikolas. She tells him what happened. Jax thanks Nikolas for finding her and bringing her to safety. Emily is still upset with Nikolas for taking off after their argument earlier. They show up in the living room to find Lucky and Elizabeth embracing. They figure they must have kissed and made up.

Lucky announces to them that he and Elizabeth are now engaged to be married. Nikolas is surprised by the proposal. Emily is very happy for them both and takes a look at Elizabeth's engagement ring. Jax and Courtney come into the room and hear the news. Nikolas takes Lucky aside and asks him why he proposed to Elizabeth tonight of all nights. Lucky tells him he has wanted to ask Elizabeth for some time and decided to do it tonight. Nikolas thinks it is his way to make a statement to Jax that Elizabeth belongs to him. Later, Nikolas comments that there is no rush for them to get married. Emily asks him what he means by that. Nikolas tells her that he thinks that Elizabeth and Lucky should enjoy their engagement for a while. Emily asks him if he thinks that they shouldn't get married right away because they are having some difficulties in their marriage. Nikolas tells her that is not what he meant but that he does think that Lucky and Elizabeth should be aware of the challenges ahead when it comes to getting married.

Emily asks Nikolas if they could speak somewhere more private. They show up at the barn, where Courtney is hanging out. Courtney hides behind a bale of hay. She overhears them argue about their marriage. Nikolas tells Emily that he wants her to be honest about how she feels about him and that she needs to stop pretending that she finds him still attractive when she doesn't. Emily tells him that she is attracted to him and thinks he is as handsome as when they first met. Nikolas tells her that he wants it to be like it was before when it was effortless to be together and be themselves. Emily tells him that she is worried because he ran off without finishing their discussion and was going to drive through the hurricane without dealing with their problem. Nikolas tells her he feels they are getting further apart each day. Emily leaves him in the barn and heads back to the house. Nikolas kicks at the bale of hay that Courtney is hiding behind and she makes a noise. He notices she is hiding behind it and asks what she is doing. She admits she heard the whole argument. She tells that she heard about the rape and that it explains a lot of what is going on with them. He tells her that he is just frustrated because Emily is faking how she feels with him and won't admit it.

Courtney confides to Nik that she can feel Jax slipping away from her already. They decide to open a bottle of champagne and discuss their problems. Courtney tells Nik about her relationship with Jax and how it began. She also shares what led up to them deciding on choosing a surrogate to carry their child. Courtney admits to also feeling completely useless and worries that Liz has become the focus of their marriage. She thinks it's only a matter of time before Jax falls in love with Liz because she is carrying his child. Nik has empathy. He feels that the rape has become the focus of his marriage to Emily and that even though he has gotten past the rape, his marriage isn't going to survive. Sensing his frustration, Courtney suggests that they vent their anger on a heavy sack nearby. It's therapeutic as both take turns punching it. Soon they are laughing. When Courtney accidentally hits Nik, giving him a bloody nose, she goes to help him. Suggesting he lay down with his head on her lap, they laugh over their antics and continue to sip the champagne. Jax walks in and stops short when he takes in the scene.

Nikolas asked Emily not to give up on them. Em asked him or a hug then, she asked for a kiss. Later at the hospital, Emily told Jason that even though she thinks maybe she and Nik should move on, she'd stick it out in the marriage. Nik is standing around the corner wasn't at all thrilled to hear that. Later, Emily insists to Nikolas that she will never give up on them.

Courtney admits to Nikolas she fears she is going to lose Jax now that Elizabeth has become pregnant with his child. Courtney continued to complain to Nikolas about feeling "irrelevant" during the upcoming surrogacy. He countered saying that at least Jax isn't repulsed by her touch. And after another round of, "Whose relationship is worse?" they parted feeling better after venting.

With Emily's help, Jason, Sam and Michael set up camp in the grotto at Wyndemere (they are taking Michael on the run to escape charges for AJ's murder). Emily met Nikolas at the Quartermaine's and she again vowed they could make their marriage work.

Emily shows up at the mansion to inform Sonny that Jason and Sam are hiding with Michael behind the rocks at Wyndemere and are waiting to hear word from him about what he wants to do with Michael. Sonny doesn't know what to do since he doesn't want to keep him away from the home and people he loves but also doesn't want him to have to live like a fugitive. Emily tells him to listen to his heart not his head.

Nik startles Emily when he walks up behind her as she's looking at a picture of them. She drops the picture and the glass shatters. The tension is thick as Emily claims to be studying. Nik decides to take a launch out for a while to give her privacy while she pours over her medical books. Shortly after Nik leaves, two police officers arrive to take Emily into the PCPD for questioning about Michael's whereabouts. Once at the police station, Emily calls Sonny for help while Lucky calls Nik to let him know that Emily was brought in. Reese and Sonny arrive while Durant is making all kinds of threats in the hopes of rattling Emily into telling him where Michael is. Reese quickly has Emily released. Nik arrives and is upset that Emily didn't call him. They have a spat while Courtney, standing nearby, overhears them.

When Nik and Emily arrive home, things aren't better. Nik is hurt that Emily didn't turn to him when she decided to help Jason hide Michael. He's also upset that Emily called Sonny rather than her own husband when she needed help. Sonny walks in and tries to defend Emily which only makes matters worse. In an effort to defend Sonny, Emily accuses Nik of being more upset about their crumbling marriage than anything else. Nik is hurt that she views their marriage as falling apart and feels it's an indication that she doesn't want to work to save it. After Nik leaves, Emily discusses her marital problems with Sonny who is sympathetic. Reese walks in a short while later to give Emily the bad news that she has a court order from Durant and it's not good.

Courtney and Nik bump into each other on the docks and commiserate about the way their day has been going. Sonny counsels Emily on her rape. He tells her he knows how she feels when someone uses your body and smashes your soul. She explains that the defining moment in her life was when her mother died. No one can tell her to just get over it. She will never forget the things that happened to her that have shaped her life. Sonny tells her that she will never forget but that she will change to a different person. She realizes that he does understand. She's upset because she's a different person than Nikolas married and now she can't give him what he wants. Nikolas walks in during this admission and Sonny makes his exit. Nikolas asks Emily who she is if she's not the woman he married. He tells her that at one time instead of keeping secrets from each other, they shared them. When she had cancer, she told him her secret and they fought it together. Nikolas presses Emily to be honest with him, and she admits she was helping Michael. Later that night, Nikolas wakes and goes to get a drink. Emily watches from afar.

Nik and Emily share a pizza at the Pizza Shack. When Nik suggests going back to Wyndemere, Emily claims that she can't because she has to work. It's clearly an avoidance tactic that Nik sees through. Once at the hospital, Monica who is concerned about all of the hours that Emily is suddenly putting in, confronts Emily about it. Emily initially tries to brush off but Monica doesn't let her. She pushes her until Emily finally admits that she's volunteering for overtime because being around Nik lately feels like walking on eggshells. Emily goes on to admit that it might be time to walk away from the marriage as things are only getting worse.

Courtney runs into a drunken Nik down at the docks. He tells her that Emily's decision to stay with him in an effort to salvage their marriage ultimately is killing their marriage. He starts to leave but stops and looks down at Courtney. He tells her that he doesn't want to feel dead inside and then kisses her. Courtney reciprocates.

Emily wakes Nikolas up while he was dreaming about making love to her. In his dream, it was as if everything was all right again in their marriage. She tells him that she didn't want him to oversleep since he had an appointment at the hospital later. She asks him what he was doing out so late the night before. He tells her he just went for a long walk, not mentioning he ran into Courtney on the docks last night. Emily tells him they were swamped at the hospital and she worked late and didn't want to wake him.

Nik calls Courtney and asks her to meet him on the roof of the hospital to talk. Courtney meets Nikolas on the roof of the hospital as he requested. He tells her that the kiss they shared was a mistake and can't happen again. Courtney tells him that she did kiss him back and is partly responsible for what happened. Nikolas makes the excuse that he was drunk at the time and that he acted on impulse. Courtney confides in him that she feels more comfortable talking to him about her feelings than to her own husband. Nikolas tells her he feels the same. Courtney goes to leave the roof to go make her meeting but the door is locked. It begins to rain really hard and the two of them get drenched. She doesn't have her cell-phone on her and Nikolas' cell phone is dead because he forgot to charge it the night before. They realize they are stuck until someone finds them. Nikolas takes his leather jacket off and puts it around Courtney, who is freezing in her summer dress.

Later at General Hospital, Emily sees Jax get off the elevator with a bouquet of flowers. She stops him and tells him to feel free to tell her to back off if he feels she is out of line in saying this to him. She tells him that if he came to bring flowers for Elizabeth, he should rethink that idea because Lucky already feels threatened about Jax's financial status and his pride is already hurt because Elizabeth is doing this surrogate thing to pay his medical bills. Jax stops her but isn't offended and tells her that the flowers are for his wife not Elizabeth. Emily smiles at him but feels like a fool for making the assumption that the flowers were for Elizabeth. Emily asks Jax if Courtney has come to terms yet with the idea of Liz being their surrogate. Jax tells her that he's confident that once Courtney holds their newborn child she will be happy and feel it was all worth it. Emily hopes that he's is right for the sake of both of their marriages. A comment that seems to strike Jax as a bit odd.

Courtney and Nik find a place to sit down and wait out the storm. As they are waiting for the storm to end, and someone to open the rooftop door, Nik takes the opportunity to apologize for his behavior on the docks when he kissed her. According to Nik, it was a combination of being drunk, feelings as if his world were crashing down and seeing her standing there. Courtney admits that she wasn't insulted. Nik wonders aloud why they have never noticed each other before given that they move in similar circles. Courtney doesn't have an answer, this prompts Nik to further wonder what would have happened had they met under different circumstances. Courtney becomes a bit uncomfortable with the discussion and reminds Nik that they both have too much to loose by letting things go further than they already have. Nik agrees. Just then Emily opens the door. There is a moment of awkwardness until Courtney leaves the rooftop with the intent to find somewhere to dry off. When Emily starts to leave behind Courtney, Nik stops her and invites Emily to dance with him on the rooftop. Emily accepts the offer and the two enjoy a moment together.

As Courtney steps off of the elevator she sees Jax. Upon seeing her drenched to the bone, he suggests that she cancel her meeting and return home with him for a nice hot bath and some dry clothes. Courtney is easily persuaded. Jax happens to spot Nik a few minutes later and notes that it seems Courtney wasn't the only person to be caught in the rain. Nik makes his way over and pretends to be surprised that Courtney too is drenched. Jax explains that Courtney was stuck on the rooftop and then asks Nik how he managed to get wet. Nik lies and says that he forgot his umbrella. Emily, standing nearby overhears the exchange between Jax and Nik.

Nikolas asks Emily why she didn't say anything to Jax when she knew Nikolas was on the roof with Courtney. Emily says that she understands that Courtney needs a stress reliever during Elizabeth's surrogacy, and she knows that some people have a reason to keep secrets. Nikolas questions Emily's comments. He tells her they act like strangers, and he thinks they're doing more harm than good by avoiding conflict instead of hashing their problems out. After Emily leaves the hospital, she seeks Nikolas out and tells him that she doesn't want to lose him. As they kiss, Courtney happens upon them.

Emily asks Courtney if she was waiting on the pier for Nikolas. Emily thinks they were meeting to get their stories straight since they had lied to Jax earlier. Courtney explains the two of them got locked on the roof together by accident and they talked about their problems together. Emily doesn't take this as a good thing, though, since Nikolas's problem is Emily and their marriage. Courtney tries to convince Emily she doesn't have feelings for Nikolas. Emily tells her she knows Nikolas loves her, so she's not worried about this. Courtney tells her they're both having marriage problems and just found each other to talk to. When Courtney leaves, Emily tells Nikolas that Courtney is a genuinely nice person. Before he can comment, his phone rings. Jax wants to talk to him tonight. They both think it's about Courtney. He tells Emily to go ahead home and he will be there later. When Nikolas gets to Jax's place, he discovers that Jax's problem is Lucky, not Courtney. He fears Lucky's hostility may be hurting Liz and the baby. Nikolas tells him he can't tell his brother what to do, and Jax gets upset. Courtney walks in and tells Jax to leave Nikolas alone. Nikolas doesn't let her interrupt and tells Jax that he will try and talk to Lucky.

Jason rushes Sam in for treatment after Dr. Thomas has injected Sam with a drug. Due to a bus accident, all attending physicians are busy so Sam's life is left up to Emily. Emily finds the serum she needs to counteract the drug Dr. Thomas gave her and tries to revive Sam. When she awakens, her heart is beating rapidly and she is out of breath. Sam tries to leave the hospital to go help Jason. Emily comes in and stops her and Emily tells her that Jason was the real reason why Sam recovered and he will come back for her.

Nikolas suggests that Emily come home and take a nap with him since she pulled an all-nighter at the hospital. She turns him down, though. When he complains to Monica about Emily's workload, Monica tells him that Emily volunteered for all those hours. Later, Emily sees Nikolas in the waiting area and approaches to talk to him. Nikolas starts to ask Emily why she's volunteering for additional hours in order to avoid him, but decides against it and starts to walk away. Monica steps in and tells him not to walk away, because that is exactly what Emily is doing. Monica tells Emily just because she's of legal age she's not going to stop caring about Emily. When she leaves, Nikolas tells Emily that he had a conversation with Monica about Emily's extra hours. Monica explained that Emily feels safer in the cold hospital, than with Nikolas. She tells him she feels more competent and effective at the hospital. Nikolas bluntly asks where their relationship is headed. Emily talks about moving out and going back to therapy, but Nikolas tells her that's a separation and questions if that's what she really wants. Emily responds by telling him she loves him, but Nikolas says that's just another way to show him how far apart the two of them really are now.

Nikolas is pacing at the waterfront. Courtney walks down to the piers and they both smiled, relieved to see each other. Nikolas tells her it's over between him and Emily. Courtney tells him she's doesn't believe him. She empathizes and tells him she knows how rare it is for him to understand what his wife has been through, but Nikolas tells her it's not enough. It's over between him and Emily. The rape made everything cold between the two of them. Nikolas tells Courtney she came into his life just when she needed him most. Courtney and Nik share a passionate kiss on the docks. Courtney finally pulls away. She is shamed that she was kissing Nik. She tells him that she loves Jax. Nik reminds her that he loves Emily. They agree that things between them have gone too far and it has to stop. Nik reluctantly walks away. He ends up at Kelly's and calls Emily. He's not surprised to learn that Emily isn't available. He leaves a message, telling Emily that he's at Kelly's and waiting for her. As he disconnects the call, Lucky walks up.

Nik decides to tell Lucky what has been going on between himself and Courtney. Lucky is shocked to learn that there is a sexual attraction between the two. He worries that Nik is rebounding with Courtney and tells Nik as much. Lucky then advises Nik to be the honorable man that he knows him to be and end things with Courtney then go home and wait for his wife. Courtney and Nik meet once again on the docks. They decide that they can't let their infatuation go any further. Before Nik walks away, Courtney asks him to kiss her. They passionately kiss a couple of times before walking away from each other. Unbeknownst to either of them, Liz is standing nearby and witnessed them kissing.

Nikolas talks to Emily at the hospital, but doesn't pressure her to come away with him. When he leaves, Monica asks if Emily is okay? Emily says that she and Nikolas pretend that everything is okay with their relationship when it's not. She tells her that after talking with Liz, she's realized she's not ready to give up on Nikolas. Monica is happy to hear that. Emily worries that Nikolas is ready to give up, seeing how she's not exactly good company to him right now. As Monica assures Emily that Nikolas would never cheat on her, Liz walks up and overhears their conversation. She sees in her mind the image of Nikolas kissing Courtney on the docks. After Emily leaves, Liz tells Monica she's wrong about Nikolas. She tells Monica about seeing Nikolas and Courtney on the pier. Monica is shocked. She thinks it should remain a secret for now. After Liz goes back to check on her patients, Courtney walks in to talk to Monica. Monica is obviously less than thrilled. Courtney just wants to know where a meeting is being held. Monica tells her, but then asks how things are going, baiting her about her pending motherhood. Courtney spies Nikolas across the waiting room and tells Monica everything is going well. She walks away and goes to talk to Nikolas, while Monica watches.

Lucky sees Nikolas on the pier and asks what he's doing there. Nikolas tells him he was supposed to be in a meeting, but Courtney was there. He couldn't be around her, so he left. Nikolas tells Lucky he's going to leave town for a while. He's going to the Bahamas to stare at the ocean until he knows what to do about him and Emily (coincidentally Courtney and Jax have decided to get away and are also going to the Bahamas). At the hospital, Monica confronts Emily and tells her she thinks Nikolas and Courtney are having an affair. She tells her that Elizabeth saw the two of them on the docks together. Emily can't believe Courtney would cheat on Jax, especially with a baby on the way. She insists she's going to go find Nikolas and sort things out with him.

After Monica leaves, Emily's cell phone rings. Nikolas tells her he's on an airplane to New York to get some business done. Emily doesn't confront him and just asks that he call her when he gets to New York. When he hangs up, the captain announces the flight will be taking off to Bahamas soon. As Nikolas starts to get settled in, Courtney sits down in the seat across from him. They're astonished to see each other there, and Nikolas asks where Jax is. Courtney's cell phone rings and its Jax telling her he won't be meeting her tonight. He will come to the Bahamas tomorrow, but he's got to finish the business deal tonight. He tells her to go ahead and check everything out and he will meet her in the morning.

Emily goes to Jax's house to see Liz and asks her why she told Monica about witnessing Nick and Courtney's kiss instead of her. Liz said Monica pushed her and she only told her what she saw. Liz repeats the details of the kiss to Emily and then Jax walks in the door. Emily wants to tell Jax about the kiss that Liz saw between Courtney and Nikolas but Liz rushes her out of the apartment before she can. Liz says she wants to be sure there is something to tell before she gets Jax involved. Emily relents but says she is going to find out what's going on.

Courtney is now in her room at the hotel in the Bahamas. She opens the door for room service and as soon as she gets her cart in we see Nikolas open his door to receive his cart from room service. As they remove the tray lids they both realize they were brought the wrong food and head out to the hallway to stop the hotel personnel. They come face to face and they both look surprised. Their rooms are directly across from each other. Courtney and Nikolas can't get over all the coincidences that keep bringing them together on this trip. Courtney says this is weird, isn't this weird and Nikolas says I think it's a plot from some mind altering space aliens trying to get us to eat granola and fruit. Courtney says that is what she ordered and they have a laugh. They decide to switch the food carts themselves. Courtney pushes hers too hard into the hallway causing both carts to crash to the ground. Nikolas makes jokes about her working out and again they both laugh. Courtney and Nikolas are talking while he eats the food that was dumped on the floor. They wonder if they were meant to be friends. They decide they will be the kind of friends that can talk about anything and make each other laugh. Before the conversation can get too deep Courtney leaves to get her massage. As she is leaving she looks down at Nikolas and says, "Friends, that sounds nice".

Back at the hospital Emily tells Monica to stay out of her marriage and Monica agrees telling Emily she will always be there for her if she needs her. Lucky walks up as Monica is leaving. Without saying hello Emily asks Lucky if Courtney and Nikolas are having an affair. Lucky jokes, "What's really on your mind?" Emily just wants to know what he knows. He tells her to talk to Nikolas but she says he had to go to New York on business. She can tell by Lucky's face that Nikolas is not in New York. Finally he tells her that Nikolas is in the Bahamas. She tells Lucky, so is Courtney.

Nikolas and Courtney return to their rooms from a swim. When she drops her room access card they both try to pick it up touching each other by accident. They make plans to avoid each other for the rest of their stay. Courtney goes in her room and screams. Nikolas goes in after her and finds her standing on the chair because there is a snake in the room. Courtney won't let Nikolas touch the snake so he tells her to jump into his arms and he will take her out of there and they can leave the snake handling to the professionals.

Emily arrives in the Bahamas and goes into Nikolas's room. Nikolas is still in Courtney's room. Courtney says to Nikolas that they have nothing to hide. So why not have dinner together? Nikolas accepts. Nikolas and Courtney are having dinner together (both are wearing bathrobes since returning from swimming) and Nikolas is building forts with his vegetables. He tells her that he was never allowed to have the toy building blocks and explains a little bit about his childhood as Prince Cassadine. When they are finished eating they decide to have a brandy together. They push the cart with the dinner plates out into the hall. Emily makes a call to see where Courtney's room is but the hotel cannot give her that information. Emily opens the door and sees the vegetables built into a fort in the hall. Nikolas touches Courtney's hair and they both feel something. Nikolas decides to leave. Courtney walks him out and as he opens the door they see Emily standing there looking shocked.

Nikolas decides to head back to his room across the hall after talking with Courtney in her room. He opens the door to find Emily standing on the other side. She sees they are wearing matching robes and thinks they are having a full-blown affair. Nikolas tries to explain that it isn't what it looks like and follows her out the door. Emily wants to leave but Nikolas gets her to go back to his room and talk about it. He insists he is not having an affair with Courtney. Emily confronts him about how she knows now that he shared a kiss with Courtney on the docks and that Elizabeth saw them and told her mother first. Nikolas insists that is all they did together and that he hasn't slept with Courtney at all. Emily doesn't believe him and slaps him in the face when he tries to keep her in the room. Nikolas tries to go after her.

Jax arrives at the hotel almost at the same time and surprises Courtney when he gets there sooner than she expected. He told her that the plane was earlier than he expected and got here as soon as he could. Courtney is still upset over the confrontation with Emily. Jax asks her what is wrong and assumes she has been alone this whole time waiting for him. She tells him that Nikolas is here and is staying in the room across from them. Jax asks her why she didn't tell him that when they talked on the phone earlier. She told him that she didn't know he was going to be there at the same hotel. He asks her what is really upsetting her. She tells him that Emily showed up and thinks she is having an affair with Nikolas. She admits that she has been running in to Nikolas a lot and they have found it has been easier to talk about their problems with each other than it has been to talk to their spouses. She tells him that her and Nikolas are attracted to each other. Jax is hurt that Courtney felt more comfortable talking to Nikolas than to him about her insecurities concerning the surrogacy. Courtney tells him that she loves Jax.

They come out of their room when they hear a commotion outside in the hallway between Emily and Nikolas. Nikolas is trying to get Emily to stay and talk but Emily is trying to leave the hotel. Jax steps in and tells Nikolas to leave her alone. Emily continues to accuse Nikolas of having an affair with Courtney, who insists she isn't having an affair and never slept with Nikolas. Emily brings up the fact that Elizabeth saw her kissing Nikolas on the docks. Jax is stunned by that piece of information and asks Courtney why she lied to him and never told him about the kiss. Courtney tells him that it was a mistake and that she isn't having an affair with Nikolas. Emily takes off after telling Nikolas she wants a divorce from him.

Nikolas tells Jax he doesn't want to fight. Jax waits until Nikolas lets go of his arm and he takes a swing at him and punches him in the mouth twice and then kicks Nikolas in the stomach a couple of times while he is laying on the floor. Courtney pleads with Jax to stop and leave Nikolas alone. Jax asks her why she wants him to stop and thinks she is defending Nikolas because she has feelings for him. Jax takes off after confronting her about lying to him about the kiss. Courtney brings Nikolas back to her room for some first aid on his bloody mouth. She blames herself for what happened since she should never have come to the Bahamas alone and that when she saw him she should have gone back home instead. Nikolas tells her it isn't her fault and thinks their marriages may be over. He suggests that since their spouses already think they have slept together already, maybe they should just give in to their attraction once and for all.

Jax ends up getting a seat on the plane home next to Emily, who sits there quietly without saying a word. Jax tells her he is sorry for what happened. Emily tells him that she should have expected something like this would happen since she has been pushing Nikolas away and shutting him out of her life ever since he got out of prison. Jax also wishes that he had known how inadequate Courtney really felt about the surrogacy and had reached her sooner before she felt the need to confide in Nikolas. He tells her that they may have both unintentionally led Nikolas and Courtney to find each other.

Emily and Jax are on the plane discussing the situation with Nikolas and Courtney. Jax believes Courtney slept with Nikolas. He tells Emily he's done; Courtney's out of his life. Emily doesn't blame Nikolas because she feels that she drove him into Courtney's arms. Nikolas and Courtney are passionately kissing and about to make love when Courtney stops him and says no matter what she still loves Jax and Nikolas still loves Emily. They have to stop before they really destroy their marriages.

At the hospital, Liz is trying to convince Emily that Nikolas did not sleep with Courtney and that Emily should give him a chance. Emily feels that she pushed Nikolas away. Liz tells Emily that even if Nikolas slept with Courtney it wasn't making love because he loves Emily. Emily feels bad that it is taking her so long to recover from the rape and wants to know when it will all be over. Liz tells her that she cannot control that and she will recover when she is ready to. Courtney and Nikolas agree that their relationship has shown them that they really love their spouses and they have been there for each other but now it's time to handle the problems each of them has in their marriages. Nikolas comes into Courtney's room and tells her that the plane has been delayed. Courtney and Nikolas think they are being thrown together by fate.

Emily shows up at Sonny's looking for Jason. She needs to talk to someone objective. Sonny tells her he cannot get a hold of Jason right now. He asks her if she could talk to him. She tells Sonny that Nikolas is sleeping with another woman. From the details she gives him Sonny figures out that Nikolas slept with his sister (Courtney). He tells Emily to consider this situation in his hands as of right now and tells her he is sorry that this happened. While Sonny admits he is not a fan of the Cassadine family, he does think that Emily and Nikolas seemed happy together. He tells her if she can get past the anger and disappointment of Nikolas's betrayal that will be the greatest gift. Back at the hospital, Emily takes time off to move. Monica and Alan are thrilled that Emily is moving back home, but she admits she's not moving back home.

Nikolas daydreams about coming home, and he imagines that Emily accepts the coincidences and accepts Nikolas's apology. Nikolas goes to Sonny's house to find Emily. She's not there, and Sonny tells Nikolas exactly how he feels about the situation. Nikolas is shocked to learn that Emily is moving into Sonny's house. He tries to tell Sonny that he didn't sleep with Courtney. Nikolas says he has the ability to keep his pants zipped, unlike Sonny. Just as he's telling Sonny how much he loves his wife, Emily walks in. Sonny tells her he can have Nikolas removed, if that's what she wants. Instead she asks to speak with Nikolas alone. Emily tells Nikolas it's too late, but he says no. He tries to tell her the circumstances of the rape caused him to turn away from her. He didn't know how to react. He loves her, though, and wants to be with her. Emily tells him she doesn't believe him. He's lied to her in the past, so she doesn't believe him anymore. He tells her he's not going back to Wyndemere without her.

When Nikolas walks past Kelly's, Jax greets him with a punch. Nikolas tries to convince Jax that it was just a kiss, but he and Courtney never slept together. Nikolas tells Jax he's going to lose the best thing that's ever happened to him that Courtney loves him. Nikolas tells Jax his obsession with the baby is the reason why Courtney turned away from him. Jax reminds him the baby was half her idea as well. Nikolas remembers Courtney telling him the first time she met Jax she thought he was a selfish, arrogant jerk. She was right all along. Jax doesn't care what either one of them think about him, though.

When Courtney arrives at Sonny's, Max tells Courtney that Sonny won't allow her or Nikolas to see Emily. Emily interrupts and says she wants to hear what Courtney has to say. Courtney realizes that Emily has told Sonny about the affair Emily suspects between Nik and Courtney and questions why Emily is staying at her brother’s house. Emily tells Courtney that Sonny has been very kind to her and that she is staying in the guest house while she is putting the pieces of her life back together.

Courtney accuses Emily of hiding from Nikolas. She tells her how much Nikolas loves Emily. Emily doesn't believe anything Courtney says and tells her to worry about her own marriage. Emily blames Courtney, not Nikolas for their relationship. Courtney tells Emily that she is breaking Nik’s heart.

Nikolas & Emily Dvd #8C 8/23- 8/31/200: 1 Hour Bonus Dvd
August 23 When Nikolas walks past Kelly's, Jax greets him with a punch. Nikolas tries to convince Jax that it was just a kiss, but he and Courtney never slept together. Nikolas tells Jax he's going to lose the best thing that's ever happened to him. Nikolas tells Jax his obsession with the baby is the reason why Courtney turned away from him. Jax reminds him the baby was half her idea as well. Nikolas remembers Courtney telling him the first time she met Jax she thought he was a selfish, arrogant jerk. She was right all along. Jax doesn't care what either one of them think about him, though. Nikolas tells Lucky he really thought Emily would believe him once he explained everything to her. Lucky believes Nikolas the two of them didn't sleep together. Lucky tells him about Jax wanting sole custody of the baby. He and Elizabeth are going to fight for the baby. Nikolas is stunned that it's come to this. Lucky seems happy he and Elizabeth are going to raise the baby. Nikolas asks how to get Emily back, but Lucky doesn't know if it's possible. Something is broken in Emily. Nikolas doesn't want to believe the love of his life can't be fixed. Emily runs into Courtney outside of Sonny's. Emily blames Courtney, not Nikolas for their affair and Emily tells her off. Courtney made her own choices, and the affair was no coincidence. Emily calls Courtney a home wrecker.

August 24 Courtney and Nikolas are kissing on the pier; Courtney breaks off the kiss. Lucky having witnessed the kiss asks Nikolas if he is really that hung up on Courtney or if he still loves Emily. Michael and Emily are discussing divorce and Michael wants to know why people get married when they always end up getting divorced. Emily explains that sometimes even though marriages end they were a good thing. Like when Carly married Sonny, even though they are divorced Sonny became Michael's dad and that is a good thing. Emily meets up with Nikolas on the pier. Nikolas tells her that he should have kept trying with her instead of turning to Courtney. Emily doesn't care if they slept together or not and says that the more he tries to explain the more it hurts. She tries to give Nikolas his rings back but he refuses to take them. He thinks they can still work things out. Emily doesn't say anything. She sets the rings down and leaves. Liz calls Emily and asks her to come over. Nikolas and Emily show up at Lucky and Liz's apartment soon to be followed by Courtney and Jax. They all begin to argue. Lucky tells them no one can leave until they fix their broken lives. Emily wants Nikolas to admit what's really going on; she says that Nikolas and Courtney can't hide the way they look at each other. Liz jumps in and says if they can't find a way to work this all out tonight they are all going to end up alone.

August 25 Elizabeth starts to feel stomach cramps and thinks something is wrong with the baby. Lucky comes to her side just as she passes out. Nikolas is about to call 911 but Jax suggests it would be faster if they drive Elizabeth to the hospital themselves since his car and driver are downstairs anyway. Everyone agrees to that idea and Lucky carries her out of their apartment. Courtney starts to worry about Elizabeth and the baby and thinks that she and Nikolas contributed in a big way to what happened. Nikolas offers to give her a ride to the hospital with him. Emily, Nikolas, Courtney, Jax arrive at General Hospital with Lucky and Elizabeth. Jax tries to follow them into a treatment room but Emily stops him and asks him to wait in the hallway and not upset Elizabeth by hovering over her. Courtney's presence bothers Jax, who questions her sincerity when she shows concern for Elizabeth and the baby. Nikolas is right there to defend Courtney which angers Jax even more. Jax continues to accuse them of having an affair, which they continue to both deny. Courtney tells Jax that she is still in love with him and didn't sleep with Nikolas.

Emily comes by to tell them that Elizabeth is fine right now and that they are just waiting for the test results they took on Elizabeth and the baby. Emily suggests to Jax that he allow Elizabeth to raise the baby with Lucky but Jax is against that idea. Emily decides to leave the three of them alone and go talk to Monica. Nikolas tells Jax off and tells him that he is to blame for what happened to Elizabeth by hovering over her all the time and trying to run her life. Emily returns to Elizabeth's room where she watches Lucky and Elizabeth in a tender moment. Nikolas also shows up and shares a tender moment with them. Nikolas walks out of the room and Elizabeth urges Emily to go after him. She goes out and tells him that she loves him still. Emily ends up on the docks with an umbrella in the rain while Nikolas shows up on the docks to wait for his ride across the lake to go home. He tells Emily that he would invite her to come home but he isn't sure she would accept. Emily tells him she isn't sure of anything anymore. Nikolas tells her that she can return home to him whenever she is ready and he will wait for her. He tells her he loves her. Courtney sees them on the docks together standing close under the umbrella.

August 26 Nik and Emily run into each other on the docks in the middle of a downpour. He tells her that he isn't following her, he is just on his way home. He says he knows better than to ask her to go home with him. He points out that she did say she loved him so he believes they still have a chance. He wishes she would believe him that he didn't sleep with Courtney. She says she does as she can see the truth in his eyes. He is relieved and says that they do still have a chance, that they still love each other. He tells her that he will be at home waiting for her to come back to their marriage. He believes that she is starting to trust him again. He tells her that he loves her. She hugs him and tells him that she loves him too. Courtney has watched this far afar. She tells Nik how happy she is for him. She knows that his heart lies with Emily, not her. Courtney tells him that what they had didn't really mean anything. Courtney tells Nikolas that he is getting what he wants with Emily. Nikolas thinks Courtney is upset, she starts to leave but Nikolas stops her. Nikolas is concerned with Courtney's feelings. She tells him to just be happy that he still has a chance with the love of his life and it's a good thing they put the breaks on when they did.

Courtney and Nikolas are at their respective homes but both of them are having flash backs about their encounters including their kisses. Later, at Courtney's apartment the phone rings, on her machine Nikolas says he needs to see her. He feels she was upset and she had more to say. He thinks he hurt her. He says he can't do this on the phone; he really needs to see her. In the hospital, Liz tells Emily that Jax is going to work things out with Courtney and she's happy that the baby will have a happy life after all. Emily lets Liz know that she is also ready to forgive Nikolas and she remembers how much she has loved him since she was a teenager. Emily goes to see Nikolas at his house, he is very surprised. Emily wants to know if Nikolas was expecting her or someone else.

August 29 Emily and Nikolas sit down to share a bottle of wine together. As Nikolas takes Emily's coat off, they attempt to share a kiss. Nikolas' hesitation leads Emily to believe she's too late, that Courtney has already affected their love. Nikolas does his best to convince her that his hesitation has nothing to do with Courtney. He hesitated because it's hard to believe she's really there. Just as she's convinced, Emily looks over to see Courtney standing in the doorway. Courtney says she should have called instead of just stopping by, but Emily doesn't believe anymore that Nikolas wasn't waiting for Courtney. Now she thinks Nikolas and Courtney are continuing their affair and storms off.

Emily rushes into the hospital and tries to busy herself. Monica wants to know what's going on, and Emily tells her about Courtney showing up at Wyndemere. Jax overhears their conversation, disturbed. He follows the pair to listen to more of their conversation. Emily explains to Monica how she went o Wyndemere to try and patch up her relationship with Nikolas, but something was off from the very beginning. Jax walks away as he hears Emily tells Monica that Courtney and Nikolas love each other. At Wyndemere, Courtney asks why he didn't tell Emily he didn't have feelings for Courtney. He says he didn't want to lie. He loves Emily, but Emily can't feel their love anymore. Nikolas has feelings for Courtney and wants to be with her, all the while still loving Emily. Courtney tells him that Jax has apologized and wants to get back together. Nikolas questions what Courtney wants, but Courtney says she wants Jax. He loves her and she loves him back. Before leaving, she tells him to go and get Emily back. She doesn't want him to be the one alone.

August 30 Lucky finds Nikolas on the pier. Nikolas tells him about his obsession for Courtney, but Lucky doesn't want to hear it. Emily stood by him through everything, but Nikolas couldn't do the same. Nikolas defends himself by pointing out how alone he was in his marriage to Emily, and Courtney showed up right when he needed Emily most. No amount of self-control will prevent him from having feelings for Courtney. Emily takes Michael to Kelly's, but runs into Nikolas along the way. Michael starts to say something, but Emily cuts him off and tells him to go on inside Kelly's. Nikolas is upset that Emily has a whole new set of priorities just a day after she walked out on their marriage. She's taking care of Sonny's kids and keeping his secrets. Emily's not going to apologize for taking care of Sonny's kids. She's not going to argue with him, and before Nikolas can come back Michael walks out with an ice cream cone. Emily and Michael leave, but Nikolas' troubles aren't over. Jax walks up and tells Nikolas he will break him if he comes after his wife. Courtney finds Nikolas on the pier and starts to walk in the other direction, but Nikolas stops her. She doesn't want to hurt her marriage by spending any time with Nikolas. She tells him if he cares about her at all, he will respect her choice to work on her marriage. Nikolas asks if she still loves Jax.

August 31 On the docks Courtney tells Nikolas to respect her choice to be with Jax. She tells him that she does love Jax. Nikolas questions Courtney about Jax's motives for allowing her back into his life. He wants to know if Courtney believes that Jax really loves her and he is not trying to get the baby that Liz is carrying. He asks Courtney if she loves Jax and she says she wouldn't have married him if she didn't. Nikolas admits that he and Emily can't go back again. They have both changed. Courtney tells Nikolas she doesn't want to feel bad because she is back with Jax and Nikolas is alone. She tells Nikolas to just leave her alone.

**The End**