Nikolas Cassadine stormed into Kelly’s, the crumpled photograph still in his hand. His heart was beating wildly, both with fear that he had lost Emily for good this time and with anger at the person who had done this to them.

“Liz!” He called out and waited impatiently for Liz to come out from the kitchen where she had been cleaning up from the rush.

Elizabeth Webber emerged, a white apron tied around her slender waist, a look of concern in her hazel eyes. “Nikolas?”

“We need to talk,” Nikolas said abruptly. “Now.”

Liz nodded, taking in the pain lurking in his eyes she didn’t call him on his arrogant behavior. “Let me tell Tammy I’m taking my break.”

Five minutes later, they were sitting on one of the tables outside Kelly’s, the summer sun beating harshly down on them.

“What’s wrong?” Liz asked.

Nikolas took a deep breath. “She knows. Emily knows about us.”

“Of course she does. Our relationship was never a secret....”

“No. I mean she knows about that night...”

Elizabeth paled. “You mean she knows that were lovers.”

“We weren’t lovers. One night of sex does not make us lovers.” Nikolas said harshly, his earlier argument with Emily ringing in his head. He winced when he saw the expression on Liz’s face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like it sounded...”

“It’s okay Nikolas,” Liz smiled at him, her hand covering his slightly. “Just tell me what happened and I’ll help you in any way I can. You know how much I value our friendship. And Emily’s of course.”

Nikolas smiled at the sweetness of her reply before his thoughts turned sour again. He put the photograph on the table between them.

“Somebody sent Emily these....” He could feel the bile rising in his throat again as he pictured it, Emily smiling as she opened the envelope and then the look on her face as she saw the picture.

“Oh my God,” Liz felt the red stain her cheeks as she picked it up. “How? What? Why?” Her confused stare met Nikolas’ angry one. “There weren’t any pictures. Where did this come from? It’s not real...is it?”

She shuddered so delicately that Nikolas felt guilty for the thoughts that had filled his head when he saw the pictures. He should have known that Elizabeth would never do anything so sordid as take pictures of the two of them having sex. He groaned inwardly. first he screwed things up with his girlfriend and then he was busy thinking the worst about his late brother’s girlfriend. His life, which had become rocky over the last week, was suddenly taking a nose dive straight down into completely miserable.

“It can’t be real, can it?” Nikolas answered Liz’s question thoughtfully. “I mean it only happened between us that once in your bedroom...”

“You can’t tell where these are taken,” Liz pointed out blushing painfully. “I mean their pretty much just the people, I mean you and I and nothing else...”

“I know what you mean.” Nikolas finished for her. “Still it doesn’t make much sense. Why would someone doctor a photograph to look like this and then send it to Emily....unless ...”

“Maybe it was someone who wanted to make trouble for your relationship with Emily? Helena or even Katherine? Maybe Jason, you know he doesn’t like you dating Emily.”

“Jason doesn’t like me dating Emily, but he would never do this to her. If Jason wanted me out of the way, he’d have me eliminated or whatever it is mobsters do. He wouldn’t hurt Emily like this. Hell, Jason will probably kill whoever did do this once I figure out who it was.” A dark look crossed Nikolas’s face. “Of course if I lose Emily for good over this one I might just beat him to the punch and kill the bastard myself.”

“Oh Nikolas,” Liz said in a sympathetic voice. “I’m so sorry about this. Emily will come around, just give her some time to think about it and she’ll realize that something that happened before the two of you started dating shouldn’t hurt the relationship you have now.”

“I don’t know,” Nikolas said softly. “You didn’t see the look in her eyes. She’s hurting so much and its my fault. Just like the last time only this time she might not give me another chance.”

“Last time?”

“When she found Katherine and I together. God, I feel like I’m going to pay for that day the rest of my life. The hurt I caused Emily. The damage I did to our relationship.”

“Nikolas that was years ago.”

“Not to Emily. That day is her reason not to believe in us and although most of the time she manages to forget about it, I have a feeling that seeing this” he gestured to the picture “brought it all roaring back for her. How is she supposed to look at that picture and trust me? I should never have lied to her.” Nikolas shakes his head softly. “I really blew it this time.”

“No, Nikolas, you didn’t.” Liz’s voice softened. “You made a mistake, that makes you human not a monster. You’re still the same Nikolas who saved me after Lucky died. Still the same Nikolas Emily loves. Give her time and she’ll realize that. If she doesn’t, then maybe what you guys had wasn’t as strong as you thought it was.”

“Don’t say that. What Emily and I have is strong enough to see us through anything, even this mess.”

“Of course it is and Emily will see it that way too. She’s just young, you know, and hurt and ....”

“Look, I have to go.” Nikolas suddenly felt the awkwardness of discussing your current girlfriend with your ex-girlfriend. “I...thanks for everything. A good friend is in town and I’m going to see him and see if I can make sense of any of this...” He stood up. “I’ll see you later.”

A few seconds later, Nikolas had began to walk away from Kelly’s leaving Elizabeth alone at the table, lazily stirring her iced tea.

The only witness to the smile playing on her lips was a pair of dark eyes watching her from across the alley.

Jason’s Penthouse

Jason Morgan looked at Jessica Buchanan where she sat on her leather sofa, her hands linked to her fiancee Will Rappaport. Jason’s bodyguard and assistant, Johnny, sat behind them.

“So how do we figure out who sent these pictures to Emily?” Jason asked softly. He turned to Johnny. “The guards on Emily report anything unusual lately?”

Johnny shook his head. “Not a thing out of the ordinary. Until school ended, she spent her days at school or at the mansion and the rest of her time with Cassadine.”

“This couldn’t be connected to the Cassadines could it?” Jason asked.

“Not Stefan.” Will spoke up his gaze narrowing. “But it could be Helena.”

“Why not Stefan?” Jason asked. “After watching Nikolas date a Barbie doll, his almost stepmother, and his dead brother’s fiancee, Stefan was actually excited when Nikolas began dating Emily. She may be a Quartermaine and come with mob connections, but she’s as close to a normal girlfriend as Nikolas is going to get and Stefan knows it. Helena on the other hand...”

“If Helena Cassadine thinks she is going to hurt Emily,” Jason almost growled the words out loud as he turned to Johnny. “I want someone watching the Cassadine bitch every moment and I want the guards on Emily doubled until this mess is over.” He handed the pictures to Johnny. “I want to know if these were doctored or not and I want to know as soon as possible.”

“Don’t make Johnny go to all that trouble.”

A dead voice spoke from the doorway and they looked up to see Emily standing in the doorway, a shattered look on her tear stained face. She walked shakily as if she expected each step to be her last. “The pictures weren’t doctored. Nikolas admitted it. He admitted it all. He and Elizabeth were lovers.” As the last words escaped her, Emily seemed to snap and she folded like a rag doll into a heap on the floor, her quiet sobs echoing through the cold and empty penthouse. In a instant, Jessica was by her side, holding her tight and helping her to the couch where Emily sat quietly, her face buried in her hands, the sound of her muffled crying hitting each person present like pin pricks. As Jessica tried to comfort her, Jason felt an unfamiliar helplessness combined with a surge of pure anger fill him.

His eyes met Johnny’s across the room.

“Now we kill him.” Jason said softly, Johnny nodded, and a stunned Will didn’t say a word.

Next:
Jessica looks for answers, Will takes Emily to Luke’s for some TLC, and Jason goes after a certain Cassadine.....