Summer Heat
Chapter 2

Jessica Buchanan gingerly got out of what passed for a backseat in Nikolas Cassadine’s convertible.
“You know you should really try a car with a real back seat,” she grumbled as she leaned forward to give Will a soft goodbye kiss. “Maybe as station wagon or a mini-van.”
“No way,” Nikolas smiled at his best friend’s girlfriend, studiously avoiding looking at the Quartermaine Mansion behind her. If he gave into the impulse inside him, he’d go in there and drag Emily out and force her to talk to him. “Cassadine family tradition dictates that I avoid station wagons at all costs.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “And I suppose male ego has nothing to do with it?”
“Come on Jess.” Will grinned at her in the heart breaking away that even after six months together still sent shivers down her spine. “You know you happen to love this particular male ego.” Will grinned as Jessica rewarded him with another kiss. “Should we come back for you?”
Jess looked at the mansion and shook her head. “I have a feeling that this might take a while. Why don’t the two of you go indulge in some male bonding or something?”
“Right,” Will smiled. “Nik and I will go get our hair done first, then our nails, and then of course shopping at the mall for that perfect outfit and then....”
“Funny,” Jessica retorted. “Very, very funny.” She paused. “Of course the two of you do have that history of transvestitism now that I think about it.....”
“Don’t even go there,” Nik turned the engine of his car on. “Call me on the cell when you need picked up. And Jess?”
Jess looked up.
“Tell Emily that I love her.”
“I will.” Jess “I promise.”
Nik nodded as with one more kiss between Will and Jess, he and Will took off.
Jessica turned to look at the massive wooden doors in front of her. Why did she suddenly feel like Daniel walking into the lion’s den? Gathering her resolve, she knocked on the door.


Upstairs in her bedroom, Emily Quartermaine did what she had spent the last seven days doing, staring at the window. She could almost tell you exactly the number of trees on the large maple and she had discovered a family of birds living in the elm tree. Considering it was summer already, she figured that the young birds must be reluctant to leave the nest completely.
Or maybe they were just hiding out from the rest of the world too.
Emily sighed. This wasn’t how she wanted to spend her summer and it had to stop. She had to ask him. She had to show him. She had to talk to him.
Even if she was scared to death about what his answer would be.
When the knock sounded on her door, she looked up, half hoping that it would be Nikolas. Half hoping that he had lost patience with her and was here to force her to talk to him.
A look of surprise crossed her face when the door opened and she realized who it was.
“Jessica!” Her voice rang with pleasure as she went to embrace her best friend in a tight hug. “I’m so glad that you are.”
It didn’t surprise Emily to realize as she said the words that she was crying.
Jessica tightened her hold on Emily. “Shhh. It’s okay,” she whispered the words soothingly to the young girl who was now quietly sobbing. “Whatever it is, we’ll fix it.”
Emily drew back and looked at the other girl. “I don’t think you can,” she whispered quietly.


Kelly’s

Nikolas and Will sat quietly in a booth finishing off an order of fries and some cokes. They’d been waited on by Tammy and had spent most of the last thirty minutes or so catching up. Will told Nikolas all about the new apartment he and Jessica shared.
After a few moments he realized that Nikolas wasn’t really listening.
“All right. Enough of the chit-chat. Tell me about this problem with Emily.”
“That’s just it,” Nikolas came as a close as a Cassidine will ever come to whining and live to tell about it. “I don’t know what the problem is and that scares me. Emily and I have gotten really good about communication since we got back from Llanview. We talk, really talk, about all kinds of things.” A grin crosses Nikolas’s face. “It’s been great, you know. Not only did I find the girl I love more than anything in Llanview but I got my best friend back in the bargain.” He paused. “This ...this wall she’s suddenly putting up....” He shakes his head. “I don’t know. It scares me. It has to be bad if she won’t talk to me.”
“Did you guys have a fight?”
“No. No fights. Not even a mild disagreement lately.”
Will hesitate. “Nikolas you haven’t been seeing someone else....”
“No!” The denial was immediate and heartfelt. “I wouldn’t do that to Emily. I’ve hurt her enough. I was lucky that she gave me a second chance, you know? Emily is all I want. It’s her face I see when I close my eyes at night. Her voice that whispers in my dreams. Her touch that I crave.....” He trailed off, slightly embarrassed. He looked up at Will with a quiet agony shining in his eyes. “I can’t lose her.”
“You won’t. Whatever’s wrong, she’s bound to tell Jessica and Jessica will tell me and then I’ll tell you and we’ll fix it. You watch and see.” Will said confidently.
“I hope so.” Nikolas’s voice lacked Will’s confidence. “I really hope so.”


“You have to swear not to tell Nikolas or Will.” Emily began hesitantly.
Jessica shook her head. “I can’t do that. Will and I don’t keep secrets. We learned that lesson the hard way. Besides Nikolas is crazy about you. Whatever is wrong let him help you make it right.”
Emily averted her eyes and looked away. “I can’t. Nikolas is the problem.”
“What....” Jessica paused. “Emily are you in love with someone else?”
“No!” Emily’s denial was immediate and heartfelt. “Nikolas is all I want. He’s all I’ve ever wanted.” She shivered. “I just wish I could say the same about him.”
“What do you mean?”
Emily hesitated and sighed. “I guess I can’t hide up here in my room for ever.” She walked up to her desk and picked up a pile of manila envelopes and walked back to the bed and sat down next to Jessica. “This came a week ago. There was no return address or anything, just my name and address and a postmark from here in Port Charles.” Jessica pulled out the envelope, a look of dismay and shock on her face when she saw the contents. “That was only the first. There’s been a new one every day since that first one.” Emily’s expression was bleak as she turned to her friend. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to confront him. I lost Nikolas before and it was pretty devastating. Except for when Lucky died, I’ve never hurt as badly as I did when I caught him with Katherine or he started dating.....” Her voice trailed off. “I can’t ask him about them because I’m petrified about what he’ll say...” She shook her head. “I guess when it comes right down to it I’m just a coward.”
Jessica put her arm on Emily’s shoulder. “You’re not a coward. I mean, look at me, a truck had to hit me before I told Will how I felt about him. You’re scared Em, that’s human, but you have to give Nikolas a chance to defend himself. There has to be an explanation.”
“What if the explanation is that he’s having an affair?”
“Wouldn’t you rather know that than keep hiding in this room?” Jessica asked. “Besides, if the answer’s yes Will and I will break both his legs and his arms and leave the rest for your brother to take care of.”
Despite herself, Emily laughed momentarily before her eyes drifted back to the pictures Jessica had taken out of the envelopes and scattered on the bed. Pictures of Nikolas Cassadine making love to Elizabeth Webber.


Next chapter

Emily confronts Nikolas, Jessica looks for help in figuring out what is going on, and Will finds himself in hot water at Luke’s.