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I took the title of this story from the Dr. Seuss book of the same title. I received that book when I graduated from High School and it just seemed fitting for this story. The inspiration came when I was reading a story written by Sierra which featured a brief scene between Emily and Renaldo. My mind just wouldn’t let go of the idea and this was the result. What can I say, sometimes my mind works in mysterious ways. Thanks Sierra!!
This story will focus mainly on Emily and Renaldo. At the beginning of the story Emily is 21 years old and is attending PCU. She has been dating Nikolas since her senior year in high school. They are having major relationship problems. In addition, Emily is having problems dealing with her eccentric family. Jason and Carly have gotten together and are planning their wedding. Emily is close with both of them and often stays at the penthouse to avoid confrontations with the Q’s. She has decided to transfer schools and has applied to schools all over the country. The only people who know of this are Carly and Jason. The story picks up from there.
BTW for you Emily and Nik fans, this will not be an Emily and Nik story (sorry).
Chapter 1
Emily got off the elevator next to Jason’s penthouse. She had had a monstrous day and was ready to just sit down and enjoy the company of her brother and future sister in law. She was dreading her date with Nikolas later that evening. Since he had come back from Harvard he had been unbearable. He was no longer the fun loving man she had fallen in love with. Instead he had become a stuffed shirt much like his uncle seemed to be. He was so concerned with the Cassadine fortune and the Cassadine business it was almost like she didn’t know him any more. In fact, now that she thought about it, he was becoming just like her family, his first priority was the family business, and she wasn’t a part of that.
She rounded the corner and her spirits lifted when she saw Renaldo standing at the door. “Hey Renaldo.” Renaldo looked up from his newspaper and Emily noticed a hint of a smile enter his eyes even if it didn’t quite touch his lips. “Ms. Quartermaine.” He nodded and almost hoped she would move on. He found himself anticipating her visits and was disappointed when a day went by and he didn’t see her. If he allowed himself to analyze this he may even come to the conclusion that he was smitten with her, but he didn’t allow himself that luxury.
“Is anyone home or are you standing out here all by your lonesome?” Emily liked to look at Renaldo, but more than that she liked to talk to him. He would only talk to her for an extended period if Jason wasn’t around and she seemed to enjoy those times more and more lately. She even caught herself trying to arrange her schedule so she could be here when no one else was specifically to talk with him. She knew if she took the time to examine that inclination she would have to reevaluate a lot of areas in her life, specifically her relationship with Nikolas, therefore she didn’t make the time.
“Mr. Morgan and Ms. Benson went cake tasting then to meet with potential photographers. They said to tell you to make yourself at home and to check the mail on the table. They should be back in a few hours.” Renaldo finally smiled. He knew that she would go in and check the mail, but he also knew that she would be back out to talk to him. He wouldn’t admit how much he looked forward to that.
“Well, since we’re all alone why don’t we see what kind of mischief we can get into?” Emily watched with satisfaction as Renaldo’s cheeks turned slightly red. She loved it that she could get under his skin. “How about I check the mail and then bring us some lemonade?” Without waiting for and answer she turned and entered the penthouse.
Emily walked to the table and saw a letter from Pennsylvania State University on the table. It wasn’t a glamorous school or one that her family would necessarily choose, but it was the one she most wanted to go to. She noticed that the packet was big and heavy. That could only mean one thing. With trembling fingers she opened the package and read the letter. She had been accepted! She let out a shriek of delight.
Renaldo was pretending to read the newspaper, but really he was waiting for Emily to return. He was staring at the words on the page, but he wasn’t reading them. Instead he was wondering when Emily Quartermaine had turned from little girl into beautiful woman. He immediately forced his thoughts in a different direction. He couldn’t be dwelling on the boss’s sister. He valued his job way too much for that, he just couldn’t think about her. Period. Decision made, he went back to his newspaper. That was when he heard the scream. He dropped the paper and immediately sprang into action. He entered the Penthouse ready for a fight but instead was hit with Emily throwing herself into his arms.
<Port Charles Hotel>
“Jason, don’t worry about it, just because the bakery owner wanted to schedule the cake tasting here doesn’t mean we have to have the wedding here. It is simply convenient to her shop and she wanted to meet here.” Carly was getting exasperated with Jason. She had decided if they made it through the planning of this wedding they would definitely last as a married couple (mainly because neither of them would want to go through this again).
“Carly, I just don’t like being here under any circumstances. People look at me strangely. The staff doesn’t know how to treat me and worst of all it is owned by the Quartermaines. None of these things makes for a very pleasant experience.” Jason finished and then frowned at Carly’s overstated and melodramatic sigh.
They had been waiting for over forty-five minutes for the bakery representative and Jason was getting impatient and not a little nervous. He was in the middle of some pretty heavy negotiations with the local bosses over territorial rights and they threatened to turn violent at any time. He had tried to keep Carly in the dark, but lately she had begun to pick up on it. He didn’t want to worry her and spoil an obviously important day to her (though he couldn’t understand what was so important about a cake that he would likely just get smeared all over his face any way). He looked around the room and saw a large woman approaching with several pink bakery boxes. “There she is Carly.”
Carly turned and looked in the direction of Jason’s gaze. “Where? I don’t see her anywhere.” Jason turned to make a sarcastic remark about how wedding planning must be making her blind when shots rang out. Patrons scattered and screams filled the air. Jason immediately grabbed Carly and pushed her to the ground. He watched as the “woman” who had been carrying the cake boxes removed his wig and stepped forward. “That was a warning Mr. Morgan. If you continue your bid to take over the South territory Dominic Franco will start eliminating those close to you starting with that beautiful sister of yours.”
Chapter 2
Jason had wanted Emily to cancel her date with Nikolas, but she had been adamant about going. They compromised and Emily was forced to have Renaldo tag along. Some compromise she thought, here I have to have an audience when I break the news to Nikolas and tell him it’s over. Oh well, she promised herself that if she got accepted to Penn State she would go, now she had to live up to that promise no matter what the consequences were. Carly, at least had been happy for her. Emily saw that she was truly shaken from the day’s events, but she still made time to give her a hug and listen to her excited, over-zealous ranting. Jason had merely brooded in the corner and didn’t say much. Emily knew he was happy for her, but his family was threatened and he was planning a way to keep all of them protected.
Another condition of her agreement with Jason was that she spend at least one night in the Penthouse. Though Emily really didn’t mind she had planned on breaking the news to her family after she and Nikolas were finished with dinner. After all, why not get it all over with at once? Oh well, she thought, she would be able to tell Nikolas and there was always tomorrow for the family.
She took one last look at herself in the mirror and she exited her room to meet Renaldo at the bottom of the stairs. She smiled she remembered that he had also been happy for her. She still remembered the feel of his arms around her and the look of pure shock on his face when she told him she was leaving. The smile had been slow in coming, but once it did it was sincere. They had been talking over the lemonade Emily had promised when Jason and Carly had returned.
Renaldo was standing rather uncomfortably at the bottom of the steps waiting for Emily to appear. Since she had shared her news with him he had been unable to get her out of his mind. He had been attentive and listened when Jason had given him his instructions, however it didn’t stop his mind from wandering. He heard the door to the room upstairs close and looked up awaiting Emily’s appearance. She looked beautiful in the black dress she had chosen. The thin straps and form-fitting bodice did a fabulous job of showing off her figure. She wore her hair on top of her head with curls falling randomly around her face. The effect was magical. Reynaldo couldn’t help feel a twinge of envy towards Nikolas Cassadine.
Emily was beginning to feel uncomfortable under Renaldo’s close scrutiny. She tried to lighten the mood. “Hey sailor, are you ready to be stuck with me tonight?” Emily tried to keep her voice calm. Had he always looked this gorgeous? She cleared her throat and took the arm he had offered her.
<Port Charles Grille>
Renaldo had watched from a distance as Emily greeted Nikolas with a peck on the cheek. Nikolas had not let her go at that though, he wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her in for a deeper kiss. Renaldo turned away before the kiss ended or he would have noticed Emily chastising Nikolas for his blatant display of PDA.
Renaldo selected a seat at the bar that provided a fine view of their table and provided him with the best vantage point for watching Emily. He told himself he was just doing his job, but the fact of the matter was that he spent the majority of the evening remembering how wonderful she had felt in his arms earlier that day and fantasizing about feeling more. He shook himself free of his reverie and focused in on her face and realized the evening wasn’t going well for her.
<Emily and Nikolas’ table>
“Nikolas, I have already made up my mind. I can’t stomach it here any longer. I am definitely going. There is nothing you can do or say to stop me.” Emily was growing tired of the conversation. She tried to break the news to him gently, but as usual he went into a tirade about his needs. She didn’t bother to voice to him (for the umpteenth time) that she felt her needs were just as important.
Nikolas sat in shock. This was the woman he loved. He had counted on marrying her. She was from the right family, she was beautiful and she understood the importance of loyalty. All of these attributes made her the perfect choice for a Cassadine wife. “Emily, please reconsider. You know I love you. To be honest, I always thought we would get married. I thought you did too, in fact, I thought it was understood. How would it look for the fiancée of the head of the Cassadine family to be traipsing all over creation?” Nikolas finished and reached for her hand.
Emily quickly snapped it out of his reach. This man was a presumptuous, egotistical, selfish…she stopped her mental tirade and spoke, working hard to keep her voice at a respectable level. “Nikolas, we are not engaged, but if we were would that make me yours like some toy you can manipulate at a flick of the wrist? I am not a trophy, and I have a life of my own. I’m sorry Nikolas, but it’s over between us. I am not one your mere possessions and me and my needs can no longer play second fiddle to your family interests.” With that Emily rose and left a dumbfounded Nikolas staring after her.
Renaldo had been staring as well; his expression was far different from Nikolas’ though, he was proud of Emily’s strength of character.
Chapter 3
Emily was facing the fountain outside the Grille. She had never felt more insulted than she did when she was sitting at that table across from Nikolas Cassadine. Some women didn’t mind being trophies in fact they spent their whole lives preparing for just that. Not Emily Bowen-Quartermaine. Emily strove to make her own mark in the world and would never be content living in someone else’s shadow. By the same token she never expected anyone to live in hers. She thought that Nikolas understood that. She had definitely misjudged him. He was turning into a mini version of her grandfather. Tears of hurt and frustration welled in her eyes. Sure, she and Nikolas had been having problems, but she never thought he was merely supporting her choice to finish school because he thought it was nothing more than a passing whim. It created a huge hole in her heart that she knew would take a long time to heal. The sound of approaching footsteps startled her out of her reverie and she immediately felt the anger course through her veins. She turned prepared to tell Nikolas Cassadine to go to hell.
It wasn’t Nikolas. When she turned she saw Renaldo approaching. He had seen her move toward the fountain and had watched from a distance. When he felt like enough time had passed he approached her. His heart leapt when she turned then fell when he saw the tears on her face. He wanted desperately to take her in his arms and let her cry it out. Instead he just stood where he was and waited for her to make the first move.
Emily smiled tentatively. She was relieved to see Renaldo, in fact if she allowed her self time to examine her feelings she would have acknowledged the fact that her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. “I thought you were Nikolas, I’m glad you weren’t.” Emily’s smile widened when she met his eyes and noticed the color creep into his cheeks and felt her heart jump again.
“He left” Renaldo said simply. He’d watched as Nikolas slowly stood and exited the restaurant. Renaldo could have sworn there was relief in his eyes, but he left this part out. He had always thought that Emily was too good for Nikolas and tonight only verified that. “Are you alright? Can I get you anything?”
Emily sighed. She had known the evening was probably going to end this way, the reality of it was more difficult to cope with than she thought it would be. Maybe it was because she knew that Nikolas never was or never would be the man she thought he was, the man she had wanted him to be, and had hoped he was. “I’m not ready to go back yet. I know you promised Jason you would bring me home after dinner with Nikolas, but I just can’t face them yet. I’m not ready to have Carly or anyone else give me sympathy. I need some time to assimilate things first.” Emily knew she was testing Renaldo’s loyalty to her brother, but she truly couldn’t see the harm in spending a few more hours away from the penthouse. If it had been a normal date with Nikolas she would have anyway so what was the difference? Suddenly she knew she didn’t want to be completely alone, she wanted to be with someone who already knew what had happened, someone she didn’t have to explain things to. She lifted her gaze and met Renaldo’s eyes. “What do you say, we could go somewhere and have a drink, maybe shoot some pool, dance a few dances?” Emily had asked on impulse and now found herself holding her breath waiting for his reply.
Renaldo was taken aback by her suggestion. He wanted to go, but he also knew that Jason had expected Emily back after dinner, and dinner was over. He knew that Emily was not a little girl anymore. He knew she was a grown woman, a very beautiful woman who needed some space and for whatever reason she wanted to share that space with him. Renaldo reigned in his thoughts before they ran further away. Emily was only inviting him because of Jason. He had been hired to do a job and this was part of it. He told himself that she was inviting him because it was convenient and he was her ticket to an evening out. Still he had to acknowledge the lump in his throat and the quickening beat of his heart as he anticipated spending time with her. He swallowed hard before he answered. “Sure, I can’t see what harm a few more hours would do.”
Emily let out the breath she had been holding and smiled as she met his eyes. She was rewarded with one of his rare but gorgeous smiles. She held out her hand. “Alright then, it’s a date.”
Renaldo took her hand briefly and offered a quick squeeze before they headed toward the car.
Chapter 4
Emily and Renaldo sat quietly at a corner table in a bar outside of the Port Charles City limits. Emily had insisted they go to a place where they wouldn’t run into anyone they knew. She hadn’t wanted to deal with explanations or sympathy tonight, but most of all she didn’t want to watch the celebration among all the single women in town at the news of Nikolas Cassadine’s change in status from unavailable to definitely eligible.
The music was loud, the air was filled with cigarette smoke and the ambiance left much to be desired. It didn’t matter. Emily loved it; it was just what she needed. It was perfect, from the beer soaked sawdust on the floor to the obnoxiously loud couple at the table in the opposite corner. Nikolas hated places like this. Emily finally understood why she had always been drawn to them. She reached across the table and touched Renaldo’s hand lightly. “Thank you for bringing me here, I know how much you respect Jason and how hard it must have been for you to go against his orders.”
Renaldo merely nodded. It had been a test of his professional duty, however the truth was his personal desires were the driving force behind his decision. “No problem. I know tonight has been unpleasant to say the least. You needed time to regroup and I was willing to give that to you.” He wanted to tell her he was happy that she wanted to be with him after such a stressful evening. He didn’t, but he silently thanked Nikolas Cassadine for being such a complete idiot.
Emily smiled, then she sighed heavily. “Renaldo, you don’t think I was too hard on him do you? I mean he has his needs too, maybe I was being insensitive to them.” He watched a myriad of expressions cross her beautiful face. Her eyes went from concerned to furious in the span of thirty seconds. Finally he smiled into her beautiful almond shaped eyes. He didn’t remember them being so hypnotizing before. “Just remember that your needs are just as important as his, and he shouldn’t have expected you to give up everything so he could have it all.”
Emily wiped a tear away from her cheek. Renaldo had voiced exactly what she had been thinking. It made her feel better that someone else thought that Nikolas was the one who was being selfish. It almost renewed her faith in the male species. Almost. Nikolas had done a lot of damage - he had hurt her terribly. But she knew in her heart that it was all for the best. “Thanks, Renaldo. I really appreciate the support.” Emily looked into his eyes. When she heard a slow song start on the jukebox she stood up and offered him her hand. “How about that dance now?”
Renaldo slowly took her hand and let her lead him to the dance floor. When she turned into his arms he felt a jolt of electricity travel through his body. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and began to sway slowly with the music. She rested her head on his shoulder and his arms instinctively tightened around her waist bringing her body against his. He could smell her hair and something else, something uniquely her. He closed his eyes trying to commit the moment to memory.
Emily was enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his. His arms felt right around her and she closed her eyes luxuriating in the moment. When the song ended she reluctantly pulled away from him. She kept her arms on his shoulders but backed up a step. She met his eyes and knew her expression mirrored his. She opened her mouth to speak but she found no words, instead she just stared.
Renaldo was lost in her eyes. She looked so beautiful, her long hair was still on top of her head, but more curls framed her face than earlier in the evening. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest and feel the blood coursing through his veins. As if drawn by some unknown force he moved closer to her. He could already feel her lips on his.
Emily couldn’t stop him even if she wanted to, and she didn’t want to. She could feel his breath on her face and was anticipating the touch of his lips when another couple on the dance floor collided with them. They were brought quickly back to reality. The music had started again and they were on the receiving end of more than one curious glance. Emily removed her arms from his shoulders and silently moved off the dance floor.
Renaldo followed her still feeling her arms on his shoulders. When they reached their table he spoke. “We should be getting back. It’s getting late and Jason will be getting worried.” Emily nodded and moved toward the exit.
They reached the car and drove back to the penthouse in
silence.
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OTPYG
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