Dara is taking the applause for the finale of her final set.

” Well, you all have been a terrific audience. And, I know that there are several couples who are celebrating anniversaries tonight. I’ve sung to the other two. I was saving the best for last.

Seth and Irma  Pearlstein, who have been married 40 years tonight. Seth says that this was playing in the dance hall when he first saw Irma 41 years ago. So, Happy Anniversary from everyone here.

“ It Had To Be You”

why do i do just as you say...
why must i just give you your way..
why do i sigh...
why dont i try to forget...

it must have been that something that something lovers call fate....
kept me saying, ‘ i have to wait’...

i saw them all....
just couldn’t fall....
til we met...

it had to be you......

it had to be you.....

i wandered around...
i finally found...
the somebody who......

could make me be true........
and could make me be blue....

and even be glad..
just to be sad...
thinking of you.......

some others i’ve seen....
might never be mean.....
might never be cross...
or try to be boss..

but, they wouldn’t do.....

for  nobody else..
gave me a thrill...
with all your faults..
i love you still...

it had to be you...
wonderful you....

it had to be you......

for nobody else...
gave me a thrilll...
with all your faults...
i love you still...

it had to be you....
wonderful you...
it had to be you....

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

Nikolas is sitting in the Conservatory when Sasha walks in.

“ If you’re looking for Uncle, he’s not here. He told me that he was going to see Bobbie.”

“ Thank you for the information, but, I’m not interested in Papa at the moment. I am more interested in why you went to Switerland when I was sick. What was so important that you left my bedside and visited that mother of yours?”

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

Bobbie is in thought when Stefan enters the room carrying a bag.

” Hello, Barbara.”

” Stefan.”

” How are you doing?”

” Why don’t you tell me, Stefan? I know you tracked the doctors down before you came to see me.”

Stefan cracks a faint smile. “ Dr. Newman says that you are progressing well, Barbara. “ He hands her the bag. “ I thought you might like these.”

Bobbie takes the bag. “ What’s in here?”

” Well, along with the current issues of varied magazines, there are several drawings from Lucas. He did these especially for you.”

Bobbie takes out the drawings that Lucas has done. There must have been about a dozen. She laughs at one. “ What do you think this is?” She asks Stefan handing it over to him.

Stefan laughs. “Actually, I know exactly what it is. I was reading to him some Greek Mythology last evening, and he was fascinated by the story of the Cyclops. He drew this and asked me if that was what it was.”

“ Stefan, I want to thank you. I know that Lucas must be a handful these days. With me not being there, and Tony....has he come to see Lucas at all since he moved back in?”

“ No. There has been no contact between Dr. Jones and Lucas. Barbara, Lucas is not a problem. I enjoy spending time with him. As do Katya and Nikolas. Katya is teaching him _p__ lessons.”

” Lucas is fencing?”

“ Well, he’s beginning.  I am continuing with his Tai-chi instruction, and Nikolas is advancing his equestrian education. I’m glad the topic has come up. I wanted to inform you that I bought Lucas a new pony yesterday.”

“ Stefan, he doesn’t need a new pony. “

” Actually, he does. All of our horses are too grown for Lucas. I feel better about his safety if he were on a horse that matched his size.”

“ Ok.”

“ I checked on Ms. Roberts for you. There has been no change in her condition. I was going to go by the room, so I could give you a live report, but, that sociopath of a husband had his hired thugs outside of her room.”

” Thank you, Stefan. But, I had already checked on Caroline’s progress with Amy.”

“ I see. I was concerned about you when you return to Wyndemere.”

“ IF I return to Wyndemere.”

“ Barbara, are we really going to have this argument again? What could be your objections to moving back to Spoon Island?”

” Oh, I don’t know...how about how I LEFT Spoon Island.”

“ Barbara, I believe I know you. And, what I know, is that there is nothing more important to you than family. That’s what the baby is, Barbara. We have made a family. Are you trying to inform me that you are willing to walk away from the possibility of this family, because of mistakes we’ve both made?”

“ What about love, Stefan? Doesn’t our child deserve that?”

” Yes. And, it will have it from both of its parents. And, from his or her siblings.”

“ Shouldn’t the child SEE love between its parents.”

“ In an ideal world, yes. But, you and I both know that this world is far from ideal. In fact, what would either one of us know about that kind of model ?”

“ Nothing at all, I suppose.”

“ No. Neither one of us would know that model, because we didn’t live that model. You tried that model with Dr. Jones, and a divorce still occurred and Lucas is now being supported by our family.”

” You dare to call what we have a family?”

” If the definition that one uses in these loose times being an amalgam of persons cohabitating with love between them, we qualify as a family, Barbara.”

Bobbie laughs. “ I suppose you’re right. It’s frightening, but, on the outside looking in, we just seem like the normal ‘blended’ family. That’s a scary thought.”

“ Besides, Barbara, when we got married, we decided that love was not necessary between us.” Stefan’s cell phone goes off. He anwers it. “ I must go.”

“ Goodbye, Stefan.” Stefan leaves.

“ We decided that love wasn’t necessary, but, that didn’t stop me from falling in love with you.”

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

Dara was in her dressing room after the final set. She had already slipped out of her dress and into her robe when she heard a knock on the door.

“ Come in.”

The door opened and, “ I thought it would be you.”

Jax was standing there, with a single rose. “ For you.”

Dara hesitantly takes the flower. “ Jax, what are you doing here?”

“ I thought that was plainly obvious.”

“ We agreed..”

“ No, Dara, you dictacted. I temporarily acquiesced. You couldn’t have thought that we would never see one another again.”

” No, but..”

“ You were performing. You are going to tell me that a man can’t even enjoy the pleasure of a woman’s beautiful voice?”

“ You know good and well why you shouldn’t have been here, tonight.”

“ No, Dara, I don’t know. You return my letters. My phone calls and emails go unanswered. This was the first time that I knew that I could be in your presence for an extended period of time and you couldn’t stop me.” Jax moves closer to Dara. “ Haven’t you missed me? At all?”

Dara looked  up into those blue eyes, and completely lost herself. As Jax moved in, he simultaneously pulled Dara to himself. He lifted her face and brought his lips down to hers. Dara didn’t resist...The taste of Jax’s lips on hers was something she’d almost been longing for since spotting him in the audience earlier in the evening. It seemed as if all their concentration was focused in on their mouths, kissing one another as if they were the most succulent morcels to the other. Dara began unbuttoning Jax’s shirt when they heard a knock on the door. They were startled back into reality.

Dara yelled out, “ Come in.”

The door opened at it was Mac. “ Dara, Jax, hi. Dara, I don’t want to rush you..”

“ Mac, I can leave.”

“ Actually, I don’t care if you stay. I was going to ask you if you’d lock up. Robin left a message on my machine asking me to be at home at a certain time, and it’s about that time.”

“ Sure, Mac. No problem. I’ve locked up before. Say hi to Robin for me.”

“ Thanks. And I will. I’ll get the keys from you later.” Mac leaves.

Jax comes up behind Dara and slips his hands around her waist. “ Now, where were we?”

” Getting ready to do something completely wrong.” , Dara says while trying to untangle herself from Jax.

“ Wrong? Two people who love each other? Dara, I.....” Jax looks dejected. “ I give up..” Jax is about to let go of Dara’s hand, but, this time, she won’t let it go. She looks him in the eye. She picks up his hand and kisses his fingers. He smiles at her and takes the hand and grabs at Dara’s face, with his thumb outlining her mouth, in a circle. He takes her by the hand and backs himself over to the couch. He sits down and she still stands. He undoes the sash on her robe to reveal Dara in her underwear. He begins to gently kiss her stomach, while she absorbs his touch once again, her fingers are running through his hair. The robe drops to the floor and Dara picks up Jax’s face. She has a wicked smile on her face she pushes Jax back on the couch and straddles him. Once there, she finishes with his shirt and gets it off of him. All the while, Jax’s mouth is exploring the area around her neck down to her busom. He takes his hands and simultaneously lets down the straps on Dara’s bra. Once down, she obliges quickly by getting her arms out of them. Jax undoes the front clasp of the bra and promptly throws it away. Like a man who’s been in the desert, Jax lowers his mouth to Dara’s breast and begins to suckle at it....then harder and harder. He hears Dara moan his name, and by this time , Jax himself is ready to burst at the seams. Without taking his lips off of Dara, they are able stand up and maneuver him out of his pants and her underwear. They get back onto the couch and once Jax is with Dara, they begin to rock. A slow, deep rhythm, back and forth.....enjoying one another, getting lost in themselves. They tease one another. As they sense that a climax is approaching, they slow themselves down, in order to prolong the agony. After several retreats, they both know that their mutual climax is upon them. When it attacks, they scream out in pleasure. Dara kisses Jax gently all over his face with a smile on her face. She motions to him to join her, as she moves from him and slides to lie down on the couch. He is right next to her, almost instantly, and they begin a slow exploration of one another...touching one another. Trying to see if their memories of one another’s bodies is still accurate.

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

Mac hears the phone ring. He gets it on the third ring.

“ ROBIN??!”

“ Uncle Mac? You sound out of breath.”

” I just got in. So, what’s up kiddo.”

“ How are things in Port Charles?”

” THINGS? or Jason?”

” Jason.”

“ His wife had the baby: a boy.”

“ Does he have a name.”

” No. He’s NoName Morgan. They could name him after Jason: Babyface Morgan.”

” Uncle Mac.”

” Uncle Mac, nothing, Robin. I can count. Hell, the whole town can count. And, when they count back, when that baby was conceived, you and Jason were a couple. I can’t believe the entire time I was cutting him some slack, he was cheating on you. He’s ever bit the bastard I thought he was.”

“ Uncle Mac..”

” Robin, I know you love him. But, he’s a jerk and I’m so glad that you’re far away from here. And, that’s how it’s going to stay. I was upset about your plans for break, but now, I support them wholeheartedly.”

” That’s why I’m calling. I’m not going on my trip.”

” Robin, no.”

” Yes. I’m coming home. I need to see Jason.”

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

“ You know I went to Switzerland?”

“ Yes.”

“ How? Wait...Mai.”

” She told me of the flight plan to Switzerland. I didn’t need any other information to know that you went to visit your mother. So, what did you discuss?”

” You.”

“ Me?”

“ Yes.”

” What  could you have to discuss with Laura about me?”

“ Do you remember my mother from her time on the island?”

“ Yes.”

“ What did you think of her?”

“ Why would you think I would think anything of her, Nikolas?”

“ Sasha..”

“ Alright, fine.What do you want me to say about her? That she had eyes sometimes to match the ocean ? And a smile full of sunshine? And hair that almost swayed in slow motion.  That she had a way of building a sand castle that made you think that you had sculpted the Taj Mahal. Or a way of cradling you as you drifted off to sleep that made you feel completely safe. What more do you want to know about your mother, except that she’s an illusion for as long as she wants to be. Then, she’s gone. But, you know that already.” Sasha gets up and leaves Nikolas sitting there.

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