Laura and Nikolas have a painful, but beautiful talk

[At the Spencers'. Laura is in the kitchen. The phone is ringing.]

Laura: [To Lulu] "Okay, baby. Mommy's going to put some more batteries in the bear." [She answers the phone.] "Hello."

Nikolas: "Hi, it's me."

Laura: "Nikolas? This is a surprise."

Nikolas: "What are you doing right now?"

Laura: "Well [chuckles] nothing newsworthy. I was just playing with Lulu. Why?"

Nikolas: "Well, I know this is short notice, but could you come meet me for lunch here on the island?"

Laura: "Um, is there any particular reason?"

Nikolas: "Does there have to be?"

Laura: "No, of course not. Okay. All right. Look, I’ll just grab your sister and I can be over in about -- I don't know -- an hour or so."

Nikolas: "Well, actually, I wanted to meet you alone, if that's not a problem."

Laura: "Sure. That can be arranged easily enough. But why, Nikolas? Is there something wrong?"

Nikolas: "Oh. No, no. It's just I --l ook, can you just come, please?"

Laura: "I’m on my way."

Nikolas: "Good. I'm looking forward to it. I'll see you later."

Laura: "Bye." Nikolas: "Bye."

[They both hang up.]

Mrs. Lansbury: "Will there be an extra setting for lunch, Master Nikolas?"

Nikolas: "Yes, there will. My mother's on her way, and I want everything to be perfect, all right?"



[At Wyndemere]

Nikolas: [To Laura] "The trip over wasn't too unpleasant, I hope."

Laura: "No, not at all."

Nikolas: "I only ask that because the water on the lake was a little choppy this morning."

Laura: "Nikolas, I’m fine." [She smiles. They go to the table.] "Oh, my goodness."

Nikolas: "It's all right, I hope. Not -- not too whatever."

Laura: "Nikolas. It's lovely."

Nikolas: "Good."

Laura: "My goodness. Thank you. Oh, I remember this beautiful antique china." [She points to a dish.] "Spanakopita! That's my favorite. That's the first Greek dish that I learned to love when I came to the island." [She looks at Nikolas.] "But how could you know that? You can't possibly remember."

Nikolas: "No. No. It's everything -- oh, what's the American expression? 'Hand-me-down,' yes. Everything I know about you is a hand-me-down, other people's memories passed along to me. However, my uncle did -- he did mention once that you were struck by the beauty of the family's china, so--"

Laura: "Oh."

Nikolas: "And the lunch -- the lunch is Mrs. Lansbury's recollections of your food preferences. Even the flowers. The flowers -- Bobbie told me that they were your favorite... back, back when I thought you were dead."

Laura: [She has tears in her eyes.] "You know, I feel the same way. Everything that I know about your childhood, I learned through Stefan."

Nikolas: "Well, isn't it time we found out for ourselves who we really are?"

Laura: [She hugs him tightly.] "Thank you."

Nikolas: "You're welcome."



[Nikola seats his mother.]

Laura: "This is really so sweet of you."

Nikolas: "Hey, I’m sorry. This isn't meant to upset you."

Laura: "Oh, no. You haven't done anything wrong. Not now or ever. Oh, Nikolas. You are the worst victim of the war between our families. I mean, whatever pain it caused me, I -- I guess I earned in some way, but you deserve so much better than this. A mother and a son meeting like strangers and -- your trying to decode other people's memories of me."

Nikolas: "Well, hey, I’ve made a choice. I made a choice to look at it as a chance for us to begin building our own memories." [He hands her a present.]

Laura: "Oh. Thank you."

Nikolas: "You're welcome."

Laura: "You didn't have to do that." [She opens it and pulls out a picture frame.] "This was sweet. Oh! It's the picture from the photo album."

Nikolas: "Yep. It's the wild gardens out on the seaward side of the island."

Laura: "I know. It's my favorite spot. Did you take this picture?"

Nikolas: "Uh-huh."

Laura: "That magical, Mediterranean sunlight. You captured it just perfectly. It's beautiful. How long have you been taking pictures?" [She puts the picture down and looks at him.]

Nikolas: "Oh, since I was about 10 or so, I guess."

Laura: "Stefan tells me that you were a very serious little boy."

Nikolas: "Lonely. I mean, I had maids and tutors and retainers, of course. Some of them were nice. But my uncle was my only friend. That left me with quite a few hours to fill."

Laura: "Well, how did you?"

Nikolas: "With my imagination, mostly. I found -- I found places on the island, places that I loved the most, and I’d try to picture you in them. Hey, you remember -- you remember that portrait of you that hung in the great room when we first came to the island?"

Laura: "Uh, right. Over the fireplace."

Nikolas: "Yeah. Well, that portrait used to hang in my father's bedroom. I'd stare at it for hours, and then I’d stay away from it for weeks, months. I mean, I wouldn't even go into his bedroom. I was so confused." [He pauses for a moment.] "But -- but I loved you. I loved you anyway. Sometimes, man -- sometimes --"

Laura: [In tears] "It's okay. Say it, it's okay."

Nikolas: "Sometimes I hated you. I hated you more than anyone in the whole world."



Laura: "I was given a choice that no one should ever have to make -- who will live and who will die. I did the only thing that I could do. I waited and I hoped."

Nikolas: "For what?"

Laura: "For a moment like this, when I could look you in the eye and I could tell you that I love you [her voice breaks] that I’ve always loved you, I never wanted to leave you, and I never, ever stopped thinking that you were mine -- never."

[Nikolas and Laura stand and they hug. Stefan walks in and sees them together.]



Stefan: "Ahem."

[Nikolas and Laura turn to see Stefan.]

Nikolas: "Oh. We weren't expecting you."

Stefan: "I’m sorry. My business was settled earlier than anticipated."

Nikolas: "No, you're just in time for lunch."

Stefan: "Oh, no, no, please. I wouldn't think of intruding. I have calls to make."

Nikolas: "Well, feel free to change your mind." [To Laura] "I'm going to go tell Mrs. Lansbury it's time for the main course."

Laura: "Ok. Thank you."

Nikolas: "Yes." [He leaves.]

Stefan: [To Laura] "I take it I walked in on quite a moment."

Laura: "Yes." [Softly] "Thank you."

Stefan: "For?"

Laura: "For everything you did for our son."