FAMILY MATTERS Always

Misled

"Do you think we can go somewhere private and talk?" Stefan asks, gently taking Laura's hand in his. He gazes in her eyes like he used to do every time he stepped out of Steve's transformation chamber back in the day. She feels weird about the nostalgic gesture... like she's emotionally cheating on Steve or something. The feeling quickly passes as soon as the nude pictures of him and Myra flashes before her eyes. The harsh memory gives her the confidence she needs to agree to Stefan's wishes. She squeezes his hand with a smile.
"Absolutely. Lead the way."
Laura follows Stefan out of Max's front door and towards his brand new Porsche. She looks impressed by its custom appearance. "Wow, Stefan... this car is gorgeous."
"Thanks. It is nice, but it's definitely not as gorgeous as you are." Laura smiles hard at Stefan's compliment. She secretly misses his smooth one-liners. He always made her feel like the prettiest girl in the world. Steve made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the universe, though.
Stefan opens the passenger door and waits patiently for her to get in. He joins her inside of the car a short time later. He glances at her lovingly with a lick of his lips. The sensual act makes Laura's skin tingle.
"We can go for a ride around the city or I can take you to one of my places downtown... whichever move makes you the most comfortable." Laura parts her lips to answer, but hesitates as she thinks about what she's about to get herself into if she goes through this. If she allows Stefan to pull off from this very spot with her by his side, then there will be no going back to the innocent side of the fence. The heartbreaking situation she's in with her husband mixed with the Tequila in her system is making Laura want to risk it all. She decides that if Steve can throw away their decades of commitment in an instance, then she can, too. She takes a deep breath after she finds the courage she needs to see this through.
"Your place is fine," she forces out, swallowing her second guesses down her throat. Stefan grins ear to ear as if that's what he was hoping she would say.
"Great choice. I'll take you to my high-rise apartment off of the water. I think you'll appreciate what I've done with the place." The car starts with the push of a button. He clicks on his seat belt and waits for Laura to do the same. She hesitates once again.
"I have to run back inside to grab a few of my things. I also forgot to tell Max I was leaving. You can keep the motor running, I won't be long."
***
The ride to Stefan's place is a quiet one. Stefan desperately wants to pick Laura's brain, but her standoff-ish demeanor makes him bite his tongue. He also can't help but to feel guilty about all of the pain she is currently feeling. Him and Myra did an awful thing by setting Steve up the way they did, but what's done is done. Besides, it was really Myra's plan. He was simply an accomplice.
Laura's body has been turned towards the passenger door window ever since they hit the road. She is so uncomfortable that she keeps having to remind herself to breathe. She hasn't felt this nervous about being around a man since she was a teenager. There is something about the presence of Stefan Urquelle that makes Laura feel like a school-aged girl all over again. It doesn't help that she has devastating news to break to him about his wife. Why would he marry that bitch, anyway?
"Laura... are you OK?" Stefan finally brings himself to ask. Even though he's been waiting a very long time to have her near him again, he doesn't want her to feel weird about it.
She mumbles, "mm-hmm," with a quick head nod. Stefan smacks his lips.
"I don't care how long it's been since we've been around each other, I can still tell when you're not being honest with me." Laura releases the tension in her body with a loud sigh. She positions herself correctly in her seat.
"Stefan... something happened between my husband and your wife," Laura blurts out before she's able to talk herself out of it. Stefan grows quiet with the intention of acting like he doesn't know what she's talking about. He clears his throat.
"Some- Something happened? Wha- What do you mean by that?"
"I mean... something happened- like, sexually."
Stefan grips the steering wheel tightly with a clench of his jaw. Even though he is very well aware of what happened, or didn't happen, between Myra and Steve, hearing Laura echo her version of events in her shattered voice pisses him off. The uncomfortable silence persuades Laura to look in his direction for the first time since she got in his luxury vehicle. She reads the anger covering his face and places her hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry."
"What are you sorry for," he mutters, keeping his eyes glued to the road. She humps her shoulders like she's not even sure why she said that.
"I guess I apologized because I know how traumatized I was when I first found out. I'm sorry that you have to go through that, too." She shakes her head, "But, at least you didn't have to see those damn pictures."
"Pictures? There are pictures?" Stefan inquires deceitfully.
"Yeah, and believe me... they are hard to look at."
Silence thickened with tension fills the atmosphere. Laura looks down at her hands while she awkwardly plays with her fingers. She practices her next line in her head a few times before saying it aloud, "Hey, Stefan, I need to ask you for a favor."
"Anything," he replies without hesitation. Laura takes a deep breath.
"Someone took those pictures of Myra and Steve, but I have no idea who would do something like that. I need you to help me find out who it was." The sweat developing on Stefan's head seems to come out of nowhere. He wipes it away before Laura notices.
"Umm, yea- yes. Of course- anything for you." Laura produces a half-smile.
"Thanks, Stefan. You have no idea how much this means to me." Stefan pulls in a parking garage attached to an elegant building. He whips in a space a few seconds later. His engine quiets down after it shuts off. He turns to look at Laura, caressing her lovely face with his hand. She grabs it and presses it firmly against her cheek as if his warm touch is her unofficial security blanket. He smirks at her accepting gesture.
"Come on. We can continue this conversation upstairs."