Setting: Wyndemere. It is Nikolas’ birthday. Everyone is having a good time. Sasha has organized a wonderful party for him. But she seems distracted.

Sash: Are you having a good time Niko?

N: Yes. What’s wrong? Or do I dare even ask?

Sash: It’s my problem. And I have to deal with it. (kisses him) I’m going to go out for a while. Happy Birthday darling. And many more. (she leaves)

B: Where is Sasha going?

S: Leave it alone, Barbara. (looking at Alexis & Nikolas)Sasha needs time to herself.

K: Well, Bobbie, it was SO kind of you to come to Nikolas' party. So thoughtful.

B: It wasn't a pity move, Katherine. Nikolas and I are close, remember?

K: Oh. Are you?  I know you once were.

B: But, I guess we were never close enough for him to do Tai-Chi on me.

Bobbie rolls her eyes and walks away.

Sasha goes to mainland. Justus is there because he volunteered to drop of Emily at Spoon Island for Nikolas’ party. He notices Sasha, but she seems to have something on her mind. And there is pain on her face. He decides to follow her. And they wind up on a deserted part of the docks. Sasha is in quite a deep train of thought.

J: This is no place for a lady alone late at night.

S:(startled) Huh? How did you get here?

J: I followed you.

S: Why?

J: You looked as if you needed a friend.

S: A friend? Is THAT what we are? How ironic.

J: I hope we’re friends, if nothing else. What has you in such a mood?

S: This is an anniversary of sorts.

J: Anniversary? I thought that your marriage was a disaster.

S: Not a marriage anniversary. The anniversary of the loss of someone very special and dear to me.

J: Wanna talk about it?

S: What’s to talk about. She was alive one moment...and the next, gone.

J: Killed?

S: I don’t know. Truth is...I don’t know how she died....or if she died.

J: IF?

S: She....was my cousin, Marina. Alexis’ younger sister. She was Alexis’ sister, but the two of us were closer than she and Alexis ever were. She was a couple of years older than me, and I suppose I worshipped her.

J: The way Nikolas worships you?

S: Exactly. We did everything together. And we took Niko everywhere with us. We were like his protectors, his guardians. It was just the two of us, and we thought that it was our responsibility to take care of Nikolas.

J: What happened?

S: The night of Niko’s 7th birthday, his trust came under the control of my father. And Papa decided to overthrow Yaya. But, he had to get all of us off the island, in order for us to be out of harm’s way. He had secret boats on the far side of the island. But there was an awful storm that night. Nikolas got on the boat safely, and then all hell broke loose. The craft was discovered by Yaya’s minions. Marina and I barely got on the boat, but we did. But in the chase on the rough waters, the boat nearly capsized, and 2 crew members and Marina were thrown overboard. The crew members were found, one alive, one dead. But Marina....no trace of her was ever found. And I guess, in my heart of hearts.....

J: You’re still holding out for the possibility that she’s alive.

S: I know, I know. That sounds incredibly naive and silly.

J: Quite the contrary. It sounds very logical to me.

S: Logical? Well, it’s not logical to anyone I love. For months following the accident, I forced Papa to have divers swim the waters looking for her body. But eventually, I stopped asking. I saw how it upset Papa.

J: Upset Stefan?

S: Well, yes. Marina was his responsibility. He was supposed to take care of her and keep her out of harm’s way. Each day that I made my request, I was asking him to continuously relive a failure of his. It wasn’t fair to him. After I went back to Harvard, I dove into my trust fund, and hired private detectives to find her. I have spent almost $2 million on detectives. You could say that it’s my obsession. The thing that keeps me up and gives me sleepless nights. I doubt that you could understand. (realizing what she just said) What an idiot I am. I’m sorry Justus. It was incredibly selfish and insensitive of me.

J: That’s OK.

S: No, it’s not. You know....the detectives have asked me what I would do if I ever found her. And the answer?

J: You don’t know.

S: No, I don’t.

J: You wonder what’s worse: finding out definitively that the person is dead, or finding out that they’re alive.

S: Exactly. Because if they’re dead, then it’s all over. And nothing but your hope is gone. But.....

J: If they’re alive, then what’s wrong with you? What is so repulsive, so vile about you that a person would rather have you think that they’re dead...than be with you.

S: You understand.

J: For YEARS, I thought every birthday, or Christmas, or Father’s Day that my father would come back. And there was a part of me, full of rage, that would be ready for that day.

S: But it never came....your father was dead.

J: Yes, but I did not know that until I was a grown man.

S: I’m still grown. And I have the fantasies about a reunion.

J: What makes you so certain that she was alive? What shreds of hope do you hang your hat on?

S: Hope? maybe. It’s just that they never found certain things. Not her Cassadine medallion, nor her ring. (She shows Justus a ring). We were with Yaya at a jewelers in Florence. I was no more than 10 or 11, and she and I sat down the jeweler’s apprentice and bullied him into making us identical rings. (it is a gold ring, with the same emblem that’s used for the Pegasus Group). (as she takes it off to show him) See. Inside mine, is inscribed Marina. And inside hers is my name. And then there is the matter of the music box.

J: Music box?

S: It was an heirloom music box that I had had for as long as I remember. It was played for me every night as I went to sleep. When I was around 5 or so, Marina thought that it was such a beautiful tune that we should put some words with it. So, we took our favorite Pushkin poem, and fit the words to it. It was our personal lullaby. And we used to sing it to  Niko every night before he went to sleep. It was his personal nightly serenade. It was gone too. Never to be seen again. You know, I have feelers out in every antique shop from Tokyo, to Cape Town to Buenos Aires, looking for it. To this day, I send out quarterly notices about it, on the hope that someone will bring it in, and I might get some answers.

J: It’s your money. If you can’t spend it on a little hope, then what good is it?

S: (kisses his cheek) Thank you. For understanding.

Justus takes her hand, and they sit silently on the docks for hours.
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emily and Nikolas are sitting in the Quartermaine Den, playing with Raoul and Annabelle, when Justus comes in.
 

" Well, hello, you two."

" Justus, hi. If we're in your way, we'll leave."

" Nonsense. I only came in to retrieve this ELQ file. Edward, Ned and I are meeting in the Library. I heard you had quite a party the other night, Nikolas."

" How, I didn't...oh, Sasha.."

" Yes, Emily. Sasha told me everything that she planned for the party. Sounded like quite a bash."

" It was. But, then Sasha does parties like no one else."

" I was wondering, Nikolas. When is Sasha's birthday? I think that I might want to do something for it."

" I wouldn't recommend it."

" Why?"

" Sasha doesn't celebrate her birthday."

" Pardon?"

" She doesn't celebrate her birthday. She hasn't for years. I think the last one where she allowed anyone to do anything for her was her Tenth. After that, there have been no birthday celebrations for Sasha. She just won't allow them. After years, my Uncle gave up. It was the only thing I ever saw him give up on, at all. But, Sasha is adamant. She throws wonderful parties for everyone else. Yet, doesn't want one for herself. "

" That's odd. "

" That's Sasha."

" Well, thanks Nikolas, for the warning. I better get back the meeting."

" Anytime, Justus."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alexis Davis."

" Well, hello, Ms. Davis."

" Ned. You're back?"

" Yep."

" And how's Brooke Lynn?"

" She is fine. The operation was a rousing success. And she has been the center of attention. Loving every minute of it. And getting all the ice cream that a kid could handle."

" Sounds like you spoiled her rotten."

" Absolutely. You know, Ms. Davis. We were interrupted the other day."

" I do seem to recall that, yes."

" So. How about a rematch. During the downtime, while I was away, I tried to think of the last place that either of our families would look for us. And I think I've found it."

" Where?"

" That's a surprise. All I want from you is to be ready and packed , so when I give the signal, we can get away from it all."

" I'll go get my bag right now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Dara Jensen."

" Are you ready Ms. Jensen?"

" For what, Mr. Jacks?"

" A weekend that you'll never forget."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" AJ. I can't believe that you commandeered the ELQ Jet for us. How? and Why?"

" Well, how is that Ned was gone, and Justus gave his OK. And Why? Because I wanted for this weekend to be special. I want to spend as much time alone with you as possible. And that included transportation. So, are you ready?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" When you asked me to go on a trip with you, Justus, I didn't know what to say. Other than, you never do anything on the spur of the moment, so I decided not to chance fate. Who knew when you'd get around to asking me again."

" I'm glad that you didn't refuse me, Sasha."

" I was out here earlier checking on my plane, and I could have sworn that I saw another plane in the ELQ space."

" You did. That was the Gulfstream IV. I let AJ use it."

" And you kept the G-V SP for yourself?"

" Why not? It's the best."

(laughs) " Yes, it is. Aren't you going to tell me where we're going?"

" No. It's a surprise."