Emily Quartermaine pulled her bag from the overhead compartment with a smile. Two weeks of Christmas vacation spent with her friend Jessica Buchanan at Llanfair was an invitation that she could not turn down. Jess’s mother Viki had extended the invitation and hoped that the presence of the young Quartermaine could help shake Jessica out of the melancholy mood she had settled in. Emily’s expression turned sad for a moment. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what Jess was going through losing her baby in that horrible accident. A determined look crossed her face as Emily promised herself that she would do everything in her power to make her friend feel better during her stay. Jess was going to enjoy her Christmas if Emily had anything to say about it.

Of course helping Jess through the holiday season was not the only reason Emily had leaped on the invitation to come to Llanfair. There was her own mixed up life back in Port Charles. Her parents were arguing again and Emily had a sneaking suspicion that one or both of them were having an affair. Again. Jason had left town a few months ago and Carly was spending all of her time sucking up to AJ. Emily shrugged, I guess if you can’t grab one brother you grab the other. Normally, she’d manage to survive the mansion by spending time with her friends but since Liz and Nik had somehow become an item, something Emily didn’t understand and just didn’t get, she’d spent less and less time with them. She sighed softly. She missed Lucky. A lot.

Then there was Juan. He loved her. She knew that. What she didn’t know was how she felt about him anymore. A part of her wanted to hold on to him forever and let him take care of her. A part of her thought he was suffocating her. She needed this break from him and from their relationship so that she could put things together in her head and figure out what she wanted.

The movement of the crowd jostled her as she made her way off the plane and up the walkway to the gate.

She smiled at the friendly face waiting for her.

“Joey!,” She greeted Jess’s brother with a hug. That was one thing she envied Jess for, she had two brothers who both loved her and each other. She didn’t have to choose between them. She would never have to choose between them.

“Emily Quartermaine, my how you have grown over these last two years,” Joey Buchanan whistled his appreciation for the tall, graceful, and charming girl in front of him. “How long has it been?”

“Since Jess and I were counselors at that camp together,” Emily reminded him. “I missed you the last time I was at Llanfair because you were still in Italy.”

“Ahh Italia,” Joey grinned. “Remind me to thank you for the name of that little village outside of Venice. You were right, it was absolutely beautiful. Maybe while you’re here I can show you all the pictures and things I brought back.”

“That would be great.” Emily frowned slightly. “Where is Jess? I thought she’d be picking me up?”

“Jess is having a bad day,” Joey said softly.

Emily hesitated. “Is it as bad as your mother said?”

Joey nodded. “At first we all thought Jess was handling everything so well. She managed to somehow forgive Dorian when the rest of us couldn’t. She and Christian had some bad times but they managed to put things back together. We thought everything was getting better. But as the holidays started approaching, Jess was getting more and more depressed. She wouldn’t eat and she wasn’t sleeping. She hangs around Llanfair all day. She was supposed to go spend the holidays with our father, but she begged and pleaded to stay home. The first thing she’s really been excited about in weeks was when Mom said she had invited you to spend the holidays at Llanfair. By the way, thank you for that. It can’t be easy being away from your own home for the holidays.”

Emily smiled. “It’s easier than you think.” She linked her arm through Joey’s. “Don’t worry. I’m going to do everything I can do to make things better for Jessica.” And maybe along the way I can make things better for myself she finished wistfully as she and Joey went to pick up her luggage.

Port Charles

Nikolas Cassadine stared bleakly out at the sky from the living room window of his cottage. It was only two weeks before Christmas and he didn’t even feel like decorating. He’d picked up presents for his parents and for Lulu, but other than that the holidays felt empty to him. There was no joy in the air. No feeling of wonder or expectation. This time last year he had a girlfriend, a brother, a best friend. Now Lucky was dead. His relationship with Katherine had exploded on him. And his best friend barely spoke to him and sometimes he thought she went out of her way to avoid him. Not that he blamed her. He’d hurt her a lot. First with Katherine. Then by almost ignoring her after Lucky died. And finally by his relationship with Liz. Funny how he hadn’t seen how wrong his relationship with Liz was until he saw the wrongness of it reflected in her eyes. He and Liz had talked yesterday and they’d agreed that they would always be friends and always be there for each other, but that was it.

Nikolas looked around uneasily. Somehow he’d managed to really screw up his life and this time he’d have to figure out how to make it better all on his own.

The phone rang shaking him out of his somber mood and he went to answer it.

“Nik?”

It took Nikolas a moment to place the voice. “Will?”

He could almost hear Will’s smile through the phone lines. The two boys had been roommates at boarding school together and still kept in touch. Nikolas was one of the few people who knew how much Will was still hurting over the loss of his daughter. Considering how bereft Nikolas had felt on learning Katherine had faked her pregnancy, he couldn’t imagine what Will was going through.

“So how’s the life of a prince these days?” Will teased.

“Not bad,” Nikolas replied. “How’s the life of a playboy?” In boarding school they’d been known as the Prince and the Playboy.

Will was silent for a moment. “Not good.”

“Still Jessica?”

“Still Jessica. Not that it does me any good she and Christian are tighter than ever.”

“Is that defeat that I hear in your voice Will Rappaport?”

“Not defeat, reality.”

“Reality as my brother used to say sucks.”

Will chuckled. “You got plans for the holidays my dear Prince?”

“Beyond hanging out at Wyndemere, not really.”

“No ski trips to Aspen this year?”

“Please, after our last trip there I think I’m barred from Colorado for the next decade.”

“Hey- it was fun.”

“Yeah it was. I could use some fun like that again. We used to have the best adventures Will.”

“So, why don’t you ditch the tyrant and come spend the holidays with me. There’s room here at the gatehouse and you could finally meet my dad, my mom, the Bucahanans, and ...”

“And Jessica.”

“And Jessica.” Will nodded. “Not that we’ll see that much of her. She has a friend, some girl she met at camp when she was thirteen or so coming to stay with her. You come and I promise I will show you all the fun that Llanview has to offer.”

Nikolas thought about it for a moment. There was nothing keeping him here in Port Charles. Not really. Plus if he got to meet this Jessica maybe he could help his friend’s cause along. One of them deserved a happy ending and it wasn’t going to be him. He nodded. “It sounds like a great idea.”