Chapter Thirty-Four:
Obladi, Oblada

The sharp computerized ring of a cell phone cut through the creaking silence of The Zephyr. Carly, stirring at what she believed to be the most offensive sound she'd ever heard, felt Nikolas's body shift against her. She turned towards him, but he was already reaching over her, fumbling with sleep infused movements and grabbing at clothes that she'd pushed to the floor hours and hours earlier. Carly let out a moan of protest as the phone rang again. Nikolas whispered a quick apology -- having found his English again -- and she heard the phone let out a complaining yelp as it was answered mid-ring.

"Cassadine."

Carly opened her eyes, and stared up at the ceiling overhead. She was pinned, now, on her back, as Nikolas struggled with the phone in one hand, to push himself back up onto the bed. She was aware of where she was, who she was with... none of this was a surprise. But something still felt off. Nikolas's body beginning to retreat back to his side of the bed as he stumbled over his words.

"No, no... It's... Yeah. I know." The mattress bounced as he dropped onto the bed beside her, one arm thrown over his eyes to block out the light streaming in through the porthole. "Uh huh... No, I was going to call you."

It came back as she listened to him speak, and pushed over her like a wave, driving her to sit up, the sheet clasped to her chest. Last night. Their parents. Jason and Robin. And... Oh my God...

"That's not a problem," Nikolas was saying. His voice sounded like it was coming from miles away. "Because I say it's not a problem. Isn't that usually sufficient?"

Ok. What was going on? What time was it? Who was Nikolas talking to? And WHY was he talking to them? Carly ran a hand over her hair, trying to gather her wits about her. Everything was tangled and uncooperative. Her head felt strange. Her eyes stung a little. She jumped when she felt a hand brush along her lower back, then turned to see Nikolas watching her.

"Uh huh..." he spoke as if to pacify, his eyes fixed on her. Carly stared at him blankly a moment, then allowed an unsteady smile. He returned it with a look of serenity that made her stomach contract.

"I..." Carly yanked on the bedclothes, pulling the top sheet from beneath the duvet. "I'll... be right back." She wrapped the material around her and slipped onto the floor. She turned and looked at him like she wasn't quite sure who or what he was, let alone how he'd ended up in her bed.

Wait. His bed. Or their bed. Or... Ok, time to get out of here.

Carly started for the door, then stopped, looking down at herself. This was ridiculous. Let me gather this sheet around myself while I steal off to the bathroom lest you see me naked? She dropped it in disgust, and kicked it aside before grabbing the remains of Nikolas's shirt from the floor. She was pretty sure he'd made some sort of vocal reaction -- either that, or the person on the phone had said something particularly startling -- as she left bedroom with the shirt tossed over one shoulder.

"No. No, I'll... Work it out..."

His voice faded into a distant mumble as Carly pulled the door of the head shut behind her. She slipped her arms into the shirt, and wrapped it around her, shivering from the shock of being out of the warmth of their bed and into the cold tiled room. She caught a slight hint of Nikolas's cologne, but she wasn't sure if it was from the shirt, or if she was just carrying his scent on her.

That really wouldn't be a stunning revelation.

A dim light shone over the mirror and stainless steel basin, and Carly caught a glimpse of herself as she turned around.

Dear GOD!

She had gone through some pretty rough nights in her time, but this was just LOVELY. She looked like Courtney Love on a bender. Her make-up was still half on -- the mascara creating nice dark streaks down her face. Her hair was just... amazing. Really -- it takes a certain type of girl to manage to fall into bed for the night with her makeup still on, AND her hair wet. My, my. What would Virginia say?

She twisted the tap with a sharp flick of her wrist. Good question. Married to a guy descended from Royalty, for God's sake, and she still couldn't quite make the trip up the ladder to respectability. She looked like a cheap whore, and if last night proved anything...

Dunking her head under the tap, she drowned out the litany of abuse she'd just unleashed by invoking her mother's memory. Holy Christ, it was freezing! She bit her lip hard to keep from shrieking, and the cold made her head and hands ache. She shook her head under the faucet, welcoming the blast of reality. Virginia wouldn't have really said any of those things, of course. She never did. She'd just look at her daughter with a furrowed brow and say "I expected more from you, Caroline."

Interpret as you see fit.

As she straightened up, rivers of water streamed down her back. She writhed under the assault, then grabbed her bag of toiletries from the side of the sink. Just get cleaned up, she instructed herself. Wash your face. Brush your teeth. You'll feel better.

She fished a jar of cold cream out of her bag, and pulled off the top. She stared down at the container, while water rushed around in the sink below her and large drops splashed up onto the counter.

Oh God. Ohhhhh God, what had she gotten herself into?

Her body was still sunk into the memory of it. No amount of cold water was going to blast the feeling out of her. His hands and mouth and body, his voice, his words, and... She'd cried. He had made her feel so much, that it had burst out of her, made her heart erupt, and... right now... Now her legs were feeling shaky, and her stomach was acting like it had tryouts for the Olympic Gymnastics Team, and...

Her whole being just wanted to turn around and go back to bed. Like waking up after a night of alcohol consumption and needing to drown yourself in water just to feel human again. She felt compelled to go back to him. To close his arms around her and kiss him until she got some sense of real back. She felt like Eve in the garden with the serpent. There's a catch here, right? No money down, no credit history, just ten easy payments and your immortal soul.

She would sell her soul for that. For what had happened last night to be real -- in a second. Slit her own vein to provide the blood. Because that was... Beyond words.

Beyond anything.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand impatiently, and started to slap the cream on her face. She had to get clear. Get the God Damned dust out of her head and figure out what was going on here. New life, for God's sake! There were things to talk about. Ducks to align. Balls to start rolling.

She wanted a hug.

No. No, she didn't. She wasn't going melt into a puddle over this. She wasn't going to sink to her knees in front of him because of a really good night in the sack.

Right. Cause that's what it was. Really good sex. Some kind of technical brilliance on his part that she'd never been exposed to before in the dozens of men she'd already been with. It wasn't the look in his eyes. It wasn't the way he spoke to her. It wasn't the intensity of his kiss. Or the possessive arms around her afterward. No, she was too cynical and worldly to fall under the spell of any of that.

And while we're at it, maybe it's time to bring up that swamp land in Florida.

Uh uh, she thought, bending over the sink and scrubbing at her face. This is getting you nowhere. You have to be logical about this. Ok, so it's not something nature intended for you, but you have to give it a shot. Look at the facts of the case. It'll all come together. She splashed some cold water on her face for emphasis, and started to wash the cold cream and makeup debris off her skin.

Fact one: You're his wife. Pretty inarguable. Vows, rings, paperwork. Betrothed for life.

Or until the divorce comes through.

Fact two: His father is threatened. He's been screwing Nikolas over for years, and this is the first time Nikolas has struck back. Carly felt a small twinge at the idea of being a rebellion, but she pushed it down determinedly.

Fact Three: This will help with Michael. Nothing came before or above, and this benefited him in every way. Nikolas promised. So if you took Nikolas's word -- and at this point, the alternative was far too frightening to contemplate -- then she was creating a better life for her and her son. She was going to right that wrong.

It took Carly a moment to straightened up, as she found herself suddenly short of breath. Once she did, though, she turned off the water and leaned against the sink, arms locked and gripping the sides.

Fact four...

Fact Four.

She wanted him. Oh, GOD, she wanted him. She had wanted something like that night her whole life, and now that she'd had it, it was infecting her like a bad virus. She didn't just want that -- that this is how you should be treated touch -- she wanted the vulnerability and strength, the determination and the gentleness. The insecurity and the passion and the understanding, and the way it all mixed in together to make up... Nikolas.

WHY was she doing this to herself? She was tired! She didn't have the energy to fall in love with someone again. Not while she was still hung up on Jason. Still devastated over Michael. What kind of fickle, twisted, needy, desperate fucked up freak starts to fall for one man while still in love with another? A man who is, himself, in love with another woman? And what kind of parent lets herself get sucked into this nightmare when she has a son waiting for her to pull her god damned act together and be his mother again?

Oh, shit, and now she was crying again.

Carly raised her head, trying to breath through the lump that had taken up residence in her throat. Her reflection stared back at her. God, she looked like a psycho. Terrified and hyper-senstitive. Lovely combination... It had worked so nicely for her in the past. She smirked at herself, unsteadily.

He's going to change his mind. He's going to see what you really are, and he'll leave you.

Carly shook her head out, and turned, grabbing a towel off the rack behind her. She wasn't going to do this to herself. She could make herself really hard to get rid of, right? Just as Tony. Hell, ask Jason! Ask her mother, for crying out loud.

Yeah, sure. But they all get away in the long run, don't they?

Nope. We are not doing this right now. We are drying out hair. Like a normal, well-balanced person. She bent at the waist and attacked the tangled mass on her head with the towel.

It's too late.

Shut up.

He's under your skin.

Go to hell.

You can't lose another one.

Carly felt her skin prickle. She stood up, pulling the towel from her shoulders, and sat down heavily on the closed toilet lid.

She was so screwed. And for some reason, her brain wasn't going to let her pretend otherwise. It knew and it was beating on the inside of her skull.

It'll fucking kill you this time, like it hasn't left you pretty much useless already. He's the last chance. You can't screw this up. You'll lose everything. Nikolas. Michael. The very last shards of Caroline Benson.

Well. It was hard to argue with that.

So what do you know?

I know I'm his wife.

And what do you do?

I run with it.

A door slammed.

A door slammed again.

A door slammed far more times than was necessary, and Bobbie knew her instinct had been right. Luke was in early.

"What the..."

"Taggert," Claude was leaning the bar, looking like he'd been reanimated after a pleasant night's death. "He's making noise about not carding college students again. Levied a fine." The large man groaned, pushing himself off the bar. "And rumor is, he's got some family trouble."

"He's about to," Bobbie predicted, starting towards the back office. "Hold his calls."

Claude snorted. "No one dumb enough to call this early."

The man spoke truth, Bobbie thought, as she reached the door to her brother's office. Her presence here was sheer strategy. She was due at the hospital in an hour, sure -- but if she stopped by after her shift, Luke would be awake. He'd be on his game. He'd have a lot more energy to waste on lectures.

Pushing the door open, Bobbie adopted her "I'm-just-your-cute-little-sister" voice -- heavy on the lilt -- and peered into the darkened office. "Luke..."

There was a grunt.

"Claude said you were back here."

A match was struck and illuminated the darkness. Bobbie nearly jumped, as she realized her brother was standing by her left shoulder, far closer than she'd expected.

"Mornin', Little Sister." Luke brought the match up to his cigar, and took a long drag off it. "Broke my lamp," he pushed the smoke out on the words -- into Bobbie's face, thank you very much. She glared at him and flipped on the overhead light. Luke winced, and held a hand up against the light. "JESUS, Barbara! Give a man a chance."

"What are you doing here already?" she demanded, pushing past him into the office. "I saw your car on the way past and thought I might be hallucinating."

"Laura gets testy if I trash her office," Luke shrugged. "And I just had a hell of a weekend."

Bobbie tossed her purse onto the chair in front of the desk. "Wanna compare notes?"

"Desperately," Luke sat down on the edge of the desk and gave her an appraising look. "You know, I called Mac Scorpio last night to tell him to keep a leash on that damned Deputy Fife dude." Luke put up a hand, like he was dispensing gospel. "Take my word on this, Barbara. NEVER go into business with mobster. It's a never-ending hassle."

Bobbie nodded, leaning back against the wall. "You better write that one down, Luke. It could be a book. Throw in some more bits of wisdom like Never put out a fire with your hair, and Don't juggle loaded pistols."

Luke looked nonplused. "Sounds like a best seller. I could have a whole chapter about why you shouldn't sup with Cassadines."

"Ah..." Bobbie nodded. "So that's where you were going."

"It's like a house of cards," Luke started to expound. "You knock one over, the rest come down on your head, and the next thing you know --"

"You're talking in bad metaphors."

"It's early, Barbara." He spoke around his cigar. "There something you want to tell me?"

"I had dinner with Stefan Cassadine last night," she informed him dryly, then snapped her fingers. "But gosh, I guess you already heard that one."

Her brother surveyed her with a look only family could get away with. She looked back, wishing to God she didn't know he was seeing right through her.

"He giving you trouble?" Luke asked finally, leaning back a little.

"I can handle Stefan," Bobbie studied the shelves at the far side of the room. "And don't look at me like that, I'm a big girl, Luke."

Luke nodded absently, studying the cigar in his hand. "Might be what I'm worried about."

"If that's your not-so-subtle way of suggesting I might be falling back into the clutches of my exhusband..." Bobbie tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Hell will be hosting the Stanley Cup, and Buffalo will be winning."

"He was in the crease," Luke muttered, a little petulantly. "And if you're looking for Ice in Hell, you're playing with the right people."

"Well," Bobbie threw out her hands, "Where's my choice, Luke? My daughter's married to the man's son."

"Still?" Luke raised his eyebrows. "Man, I think I just lost the pool. I'll have to see who bet on them lasting the weekend."

"You're hysterical."

"It's a gift."

"She's my kid, Luke," Bobbie crossed her arms. It was time to cut to the chase. "This is so far from a joke to me, I can't even begin to tell you."

Luke's expression darkened. "You know I don't think the Cassadines are funny."

"Oh, I know," Bobbie stepped towards him. "That's why I'm here."

Luke let out a groan, rubbing his eyes with his free hand. "I knew this was coming."

"I want you to stay out of this, Luke."

He gave a low chuckle. "And I want peace on earth and a good American beer. Some things just aren't gonna happen."

"Luke," Bobbie took a deep breath. "I know you don't think Nikolas has any morals, feelings or... thoughts, particularly --"

He shook his head. "The kid could be fucking Neitchze for all I care. His IQ isn't the issue here. I just know that where he goes, trouble follows."

"Luke."

Her brother got to his feet. "And where Caroline goes, chaos reins! You really think this is a good time?" He nodded to the door. "Come to the back lot with me, we'll mix some bleach and ammonia, and then we can go throw matches into the caddy's gas tank."

Bobbie tried again. "Nikolas isn't anything like you think he is. He's sensitive, and he's --"

"I have heard this song before."

"...intuitive, and very intense about the people he cares about --"

"And right now, he's intense about Caroline."

"Ohhhh...." The word came out on a tension expelling laugh. That was the one undeniable thing she'd taken home with her last night. "He's in deep."

"So says you." Luke looked up, wearing a malevolent grin that made Bobbie feel ill. "You sure you're not just praying Prince Charming is gonna whisk your daughter away to her happily ever after?

"I've only seen that look on a few faces, Luke." She shot her brother the definitive no-nonsense look. Nearly two decades of nursing, you got real good with that look. "One of them was yours."

"Hey hey HEY!" Luke stumbled back, sitting down hard on his desk. "Don't you be going around comparing me to CASSADINES, little sister."

"I know what I saw. And I do not want you interfering in it."

"Barbara," Luke flicked the ash off the end the his cigar . "I'm hurt."

Bobbie didn't flinch. "I'm asking you. As your little sister. Back off. "

"Back off..."

"You can look it up in the dictionary. Or ask Lucky -- I want you to leave them alone. For the next little while, at least. Stefan is already circling, and I'll be DAMNED if I"m going to let you get in the water with him."

Luke studied her a long moment before answering. "Darlin', if Stefan's got something up his sleeve, then I'm the guy you want in the water with a spear gun."

"LUKE!" Bobbie exploded with exasperation. "God, just leave them alone, all right? They're young, and they've both been through hell, and I think we should all just let them be for the time being. It's pretty extreme, what they're going though."

"They're newlyweds!" Luke bellowed back. "All they want to do is lock themselves up in a room and screw themselves into oblivion. Of COURSE they're extreme, they're in HEAT."

"SO?" Bobbie tossed back. "How many times in your life do you get to go through that, Luke? Once if you're lucky? More if you're not." She stabbed a finger against her brother's breast bone. "My daughter spent three years pining for a man she couldn't have. Now she's married to someone who thinks she's proof of a benevolent God. And I know my daughter. Once she sees that, she'll be just fine. Until she hears the wolves scratching at her door, at which point all hell will break loose. So I'm telling you, big brother, when that time comes, I better not find out one of those wolves was you!"

Luke blinked. "But I look so cute in sheep's clothing."

"I want her to have this," Bobbie's voice dove down to the lower registers, and she felt tears spring to her eyes. Oh, so she was a big sap! It wasn't exactly a well kept secret. "Luke, I want her to be able to feel loved and cherished, I want her to be able to love someone who's going to love her back." She put up a hand. "Nikolas is going to give her that. I never would have put them together in a million years, but it looks like it's working.

Luke frowned, his eyes scanning hers. "What makes you say that?

She faltered. "A feeling. Ok?" Luke tossed his head back and emitted a howl. Bobbie held back the urge to hit him. "Luke, I'm serious!"

"I know you are, honey," he snapped back to attention, his eyes filled with pity for his sweet naive little sister. Bobbie hated that look as much as she adored it. "You want everyone to live in the final scene of Casablanca."

"No I don't!" She protested, then gave it up. "The second half of Gone With the Wind, maybe."

"This isn't a romance novel." Her brother looked grave. "This is Carly getting in over her head -- again."

Bobbie sighed. No point in arguing that. One dinner with Stefan, and yes, she was worried. But that didn't change the lovesick look in Nikolas's eyes. And it was that, more than anything else, that Bobbie was determined to protect.

"Luke," she raised her eyes to her brothers. "Please."

And herein lay the secret to their relationship. If nothing else, her brother was an easy mark for a woman asking for his help. Yeah. And she was the big romantic fool. Luke wasn't a whole hell of a lot better in the face of a damsel in distress. Her shoulder drooped as he let the air out of his lungs.

"I'm not going to stop keeping an eye on 'em. That's just dumb," He wagged his head from side to side, a gesture of consent. "But if someone starts causing trouble, I'm gonna be the Calvary. The first shot isn't coming from this camp."

Bobbie broke out into a grin. "That's all I ask."

"Yeah?" Luke stubbed out his cigar. "Hope you realize how much that is, Darlin'. Cause I just might have to start you a tab."

"Global... Something..."

"Global Teletech Emergis, for God's sake, Nikolas."

Nikolas closed his eyes and took a steady breath. A phone call from reality in the guise of his irked personal assistant was not his choice way to start the day. Add in the fact that it had chased Carly out of the room, and he was definitely not experiencing this morning as he'd hoped, thus far.

"I read twenty-five different proposals a week, Cece. All the names start to sound the same."

"I just find it makes a better impression when you can actually recall the name of the company that you're meeting with."

"I'm not the one who has to make the impression."

"Good point," he heard a pen tapping against a hard surface, and Cece's voice came across the line with a characteristic efficient tone. "Do you want me to bring you the morning papers?"

"Why?" He generally looked over the Wall Street Journal and that was standard practice. But if Cece was mentioning a paper, it meant something else was going on.

"There's an item about you in the society pages. The "Heard Around Town" column, to be precise."

Damn it.

"Cece..." He took a breath. "This weekend --"

"Yeah, you got married. Color me stunned, I had no idea there was a woman in your life, what with your sudden inability to remember your own name, and tendency to nearly walk into walls this whole past week."

He sat up. Cece had been shooting him some particularly irritated looks lately, but irritation was a state of being for this woman, who lived secure in the knowledge that there was simply no one on this planet who did things quiet as well as she did. She was, without doubt, the best weapon Nikolas had in his business dealings -- which was why the attitude was tolerated. That, and the fact that his father couldn't stand the woman.

"I was distracted." It sounded a little lame even to his own ears.

"Congratulations are in order, I suppose. Does this mean I'm supposed to send out announcements?"

"No..." Nikolas winced. "Maybe. I'll have to talk to some people."

"It'll be worldwide by this evening if we confirm. The tabloids love all that fallen prince stuff, especially in Europe."

"The fun never stops."

"I need to know how to proceed," Cece's voice came out in a singsong. Nikolas suspected she was going to enjoy this.

"Let it out. But find out where the PC paper got it from."

He could hear her grin over the line. "Will do. In the meantime, concentrate on getting yourself to the PC Grille. This is your baby, Nikolas. I don't care how pretty she is, get yourself to that meeting."

He nodded dutifully. A week ago, this had been pretty important. At the moment, he couldn't care less. "I'll be there. And I'll be back at the office by two, let my aunt know I'd like to see her."

"Consider it done."

"And we need to talk about some other projects I'll require your assistance on, once this is taken care of."

"Again, nothing shocking. I'll be at the Grille after nine to make sure everything's as it should be. I'll meet you in the lobby at ten."

"Right," Nikolas could feel the end of the call coming. "I'll see you at ten."

"Over and out," she chirped, before killing the line. Nikolas checked the time on the LED before folding up his phone.

"Ten?"

He looked up at see Carly standing in the door frame, wearing his shirt and a look that he couldn't read. It took him a moment to remember what he'd just been talking about.

"I have a meeting."

"Oh."

"It's Monday."

"I know what day it is," she leaned her head on the door jamb. "What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty."

They stared at each other in silence, letting it sink in. Monday. Meetings. Real life.

Carly crossed the room in milliseconds, throwing herself into Nikolas's already waiting arms. He wrapped them around her, their lips meeting like old friends, and they both tumbled back onto the bed.

They kissed like they'd both just gotten out of prison. Carly's hands were still frigid from the water, her hair was still wet, but nothing stopped or slowed their exploration of each other. Pillows, bedclothes, the cell phone, all got pushed and tossed out of the way. Nikolas's shirt lost the rest of it's buttons. Hands trailed over skin, lips feasted on each other, and their bodies shifted, slid on silk, found new ways to rest against each other. Legs entwined, arms tangled together, and they came together without anger or intention or anything more important than what came after the next second.

They finally lay, sated and staggered, with Carly's head nestled against Nikolas's chest, his arm around her back, hand on hip. Carly drew small circles on his skin, feeling his heart beat under her hand, his pulse bounce off her finger tips.

"Nikolas..." she stretched out her husband's name, feeling languid and sedate, everything she hadn't been out of his presence. Like so much water, this was the only way to recover from him.

Nikolas turned his head towards her, kissing the skin he found there -- her temple. He had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to make himself get out of this bed. Let go of her, let go of everything that was happening between them, and go discuss Fibreoptics with some Seattle-based techno-geek who was bad with money. He'd been throwing his life into things like Teletech Emergis the whole last year. Trying to find some kind of purpose at the bottom of a briefcase. It hadn't offered him anything but the most analytical pleasure. Carly was the rest of the equation. The answer to "Is that all there is?" -- This, he realized, was why people took Honeymoons. It was unnatural to go back to your life this soon after embarking on a marriage. He had less than two hours to soak up as much of his wife as he could, to make leaving her tolerable. That just wasn't going to happen. He let out a long sigh, and let his eyes close.

"Yes...?"

Carly was staring hard at her hand, at the skin it rested on. She could feel it, right here. She could feel him, his openness, his peace, the affection he poured over her. She had to keep this. And this was the quickest way to do it. She cleared her throat.

"If you'd asked me to be your girlfriend, I would have said yes."

"No, you wouldn't have," Nikolas pressed his face against her hair, his tone matter-of-fact. "You would have said I was crazy, and then you would left."

"You would have gotten me to come back," Carly snuggled closer to him, the sole of her foot gently stroking his calf. Nikolas smiled slightly.

"Didn't want to take the risk."

Carly smiled while her stomach contracted violently. She lifted her head and lay a kiss under his chin. "Nikolas."

"Mmm..."

She moved quickly, rolling over in his arms, and throwing her legs over his to straddle him. Her mouth was hungry and adoring on his, and it made him dizzy. When she pulled away from him, she was satisfied to see the lost and slack expression on his face. She smiled, enjoying the fact that she could still seduce him, regardless of time and circumstance. She cocked her head to one side, in a practiced gesture that, when timed right, turned grown men into putty in her very capable hands.

"I want something."

"Uh..." Nikolas took a gulping breath. "Huh."

Her hands slid down his chest, resting lightly on his abdomen. She felt the muscles tense of their own volition. "I want to be your wife."

Nikolas blinked. Then blinked again.

"You are my wife."

Carly's expression darkened, moving from hurt to annoyed in record time. Nikolas saw both emotions and they helped bring him out of his stupor as his wife straightened up, pulling her body away from his.

"I'm some chick you're shacked up with in a sailboat."

Oh, no. No. Nikolas shook his head, before grabbing her arms and rolling her off of him. He pressed her onto the bed, and stretched his body over hers. He wasn't going to let her do this. It was, as of now, against the rules. His eyes bore into hers, and he saw her trying to escape, to put up a wall. For some reason, it didn't descend, and she ended up looking at him wide, uncertain eyes.

"What's this about?" He brushed her hair back from her face, and gazed at her. "Is this about last night?"

"Last night... " Carly forced a laugh, tried to make it sound believable. "Last night was fine."

Nikolas covered her mouth with his and stole the lie from it. His body relaxed into her as he felt her open up. So easy. Never ever had he felt her drop her armor this quickly. No part of him missed it. He ended the kiss and started to kiss along her collar.

"What was last night?" he challenged.

"Last night..." Carly's eyes closed and her back arched as Nikolas kissed the hollow between her breasts. She licked her lips, trying to work the rest of the sentence out of her mouth. "Last night..." his lips moved up her neck, caressed the skin behind her ear. "Last night... " Oh, God... "...was incredible."

"Yes," he breathed against her. "It was."

Carly felt tears spring to her eyes. Right, Nikolas. Exactly. And how can you present that to me and not expect me to want more?

"Nik..." her throat closed on the rest of his name. She shook her head hard. Damn it! This was horrible. This was hell. She had no idea how to play this, none at all.

"Last night..." Nikolas raised his head to look into her eyes again. His hand reached up and stroked her cheek. "That's what we can be. I swear to God, Carly. We're going to be that incredible."

Carly nodded. Her brain had shut down. Heart ruled the situation completely and it was playing fast and loose. "I want to be your..." she swallowed. "We can be our own family. Can't we?" Nikolas's face lost all color. Carly felt panic bubbling inside her and the words just started to push their way out. "I mean, if you don't want that, they why ask me to marry you? Why ask me to --"

"I want that, Carly. I want that," his voice was just as breathless and rough-edged as hers. "With you. That's what I wanted last night, that's what I want now."

Her eyes brimmed with tears and Carly felt something building inside her stomach. She tipped her head back and the feeling came out in a laugh. Oh, God. He's mine! At this moment, in this place, he's mine. Thank you God, for whatever game you think you're playing now. "You were jealous."

Nikolas broke out in a grin. "So were you."

"You don't have to look quite so smug about it," Carly frowned, feeling suddenly a little more exposed than she wanted to be.

"You don't think so?" Nikolas ran his thumb along her bottom lip. "You want me. End of round one. I win."

"Oh my God!" Carly sat up, pushing Nikolas back. He was still smiling and it was suddenly infuriating. "You are so arrogant!"

He didn't even have the decency to look abashed. "I warned you."

Carly scowled at him. "You know, if you let ME count the rounds, I'm coming out way ahead." Nikolas didn't argue, just lay back, pulling her with him. She could win as many battles as she wanted, he still planned to take the war. Her body came to rest against his again, but Carly kept her eyes on him, irritated at the control he was gaining over her. This was getting entirely out of hand.

Nikolas sighed, looking into her eyes. He had a suspicion about where this was going, and a sinking feeling in his stomach told him any victories he might win were going to be short lived.

"You want to do what my father suggested, don't you?"

Carly bit her lip. Ok. This was it. Go for the kill. "I love it here. I really do," she couldn't even describe how true that sentence was. "But..." Deep breath. "If people are going to take us seriously --"

Nikolas shook his head against a rising panic. He knew where this was going and the part of him that wanted her to be protected, that wanted to make sure nothing could touch her, wasn't in line with the part that wanted her to stay apart from his family.

"We can find a place. We can go some place that's just ours. We can start looking right away."

"You don't want me near your family."

"Ideally? Not really."

Carly looked momentarily stung. She sat up, pulling herself away from him. "Why?"

"Because they're crazy. Because they eat people up and spit them out. And you're a Spencer. You're different from..." Nikolas searched for new words, but none were offered. "You're different."

"So you don't want me to know your family."

"I don't want them involved."

Carly nodded, drawing her knees up to her chest. "And in the meantime, we do what? Play house? Start looking into my chances with Michael while I don't even have a place for him to sleep?"

Nikolas sat up quickly. "Carly, I told you I'd give you what you need. What you want. I'm not taking that back."

"I want this!" Carly hit the bed with her fist, in frustration. "I want a husband, and a life, and the rest of he world... ALL of them -- they can go to hell!" She put her head down on her knees, hiding her face from him and speaking words she could scarcely believe were coming out of her. "I want to see where you come from. I want to know about your world. To see where I belong in it. And I can't do that here."

Nikolas was sure, if he wasn't already sitting down, that he would have lost his balance. He could not feel the bed beneath him, or anything else, really -- just stared at her with this sick churning feeling that comes with someone handing you something you've given up on getting. Somewhere between hysterical gratitude and mind-numbing terror. He tried to speak, but he couldn't find the words. Couldn't even explain to her how right what she'd just said was. She lifted her head and pulled in her breath. He could see her body shake with the effort. He moved over to her, put his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, automatically, tucking her head under his chin. "Give me a chance, Nikolas. That's what I'm asking for."

Nikolas's breath was shallow. His skin felt hot, then cold, and he could barely believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. "I'll... I'll talk to my father."

Carly pulled back, looking up at him. "You... Will?"

Nikolas nodded. "You... You have a right to see it all first hand. To..." he paused, "If that's what you want." He let his eyes meet hers. He felt lightheaded. "You're the most incredible person I've ever met in my life."

Ohhhh, Carly thought. You just might be in more trouble than I am. The thought made her immediately nervous.

"I.." She shook her head. "I won't let you down. You'll see. I can do it, I can be what you need."

Nikolas shook his head, still looking dazed. His hand reached up and touched her cheek lightly, like he wasn't sure she was really there. "You already are."