With its lush, impeccably manicured grounds, abundance of scented foliage, all set against classic Antebellum architecture, the sprawling estate was very much a reflection of the woman who resided there: beautiful, mysterious, commanding.

Celeste Perrault, the Mistress of Maison Blanche, was all those things and so very much more. Muse. Bon vivant. Confidant. Seer. Lover. Mother.

Of all her incarnations, the last was the role she cherished most. However, as with most things in the alluring beauty’s life, her relationship with her headstrong, defiant eldest daughter was complex, painfully so. This was no doubt due to the circumstances surrounding her childhood: raised by her father, Sabrina grew up unaware of her younger sister Viktoria’s existence; the truth being revealed upon Sabrina’s graduation from medical school. The event marked not only the beginning of Sabrina’s self-imposed separation from the Cassadines but also the first time mother and child were face to face since Celeste’s exit from her life at age five. While Celeste’s relationship with Sabrina had proven to be a delicate if erratic work in progress on most occasions, any pain it caused her was overshadowed by the joy she took in watching the bond form and eventually deepen between her daughters; no easy feat, given the temperaments of both women were quite similar.

But the ultimate study in joy and pain and Celeste’s most difficult relationship was the one she had shared for the past 30-plus years with her children’s father—Viktor Cassadine.

Far more complicated than her relationship with Sabrina, or even that between her daughters, Celeste’s union with Viktor was a constant source of discord with her daughters; Viktoria’s hatred for her father ran as deeply as Sabrina’s love for him. Even more frustrating for the sisters, particularly Sabrina, was their mother’s absolute refusal to confirm or deny details regarding her banishment from her eldest daughter’s life prior to their reuniting.

Celeste’s position was unwavering. For her children she would do and endure anything. But her relationship with Viktor was off-limits and just that, she did not hesitate to remind her daughters—her relationship.

As if on cue, the voice on the other end of the phone line cut through the haze of thoughts that had rattled the tawny beauty’s nerves for the past two days since she had received the unexpected call from her eldest child.

Five simple words, yet they somehow managed to infuriate the concerned woman to no end. Much like the man uttering them oftentimes did.

“Did you hear me, My Love?” Viktor Cassadine was resolute. “She will come to you.”

“You did not hear her the other night, cher,” Celeste worried. “She sounded so…lost.”

“Which is why I say for a third time,” he laughed, “she will come to you.”

“I wish I was as confident as you, Viktor.” Celeste paced about her salon, her slender fingers lightly fluttering about her throat. Skepticism was not a feeling the normally unflappable woman tolerated well. “I also wish you’d have let me take the jet…” she added pointedly.

“Hang up the phone, Celeste, and try to relax. I know my daughter…”

“And I would be able to say the same if you had been more—”

“I am going to attribute your snide comment to anxiety,” Viktor interrupted. “But do not worry, my love, should the condition persist I will gladly correct it.” His voice was even. “As I was trying to reassure you before you allowed your nerves to get the better of you,” he noted, “Sabryn may be impulsive, but rest assured her call to you was not random. There was a purpose. Trust me. You will see.”

“You’re right,” Celeste said softly.

“Is that all you have to say?” Viktor’s tone was at its most imperious.

“Goodness, cher. Where are my manners? Goodbye.”

*click*

For the first time in the last 48 hours, Celeste genuinely laughed. She was so caught up in her amusement imagining Viktor’s shocked reaction she did not hear her butler enter the room. At the sound of his voice she spun around…and found it was her turn to be surprised.

“Hello, Mama.” Sabrina managed a small, nervous smile. “I told you we would talk again soon.”

“Cher.” The endearment fell from Celeste’s lips, tinged with wonder. “Welcome, to my home. Please,” she extended a bejeweled hand as she closed the distance between them, “come in.”

As she watched Sabrina accept her proffered hand and follow her inside, Celeste exhaled a breath she’d not realized she was holding.



Author's Note: With the exception of residing at Maison Blanche, the majority of Celeste’s history from Days of Our Lives does not apply in this Universe.

Casting: Viktor Cassadine—Andy Luchessi (Model for Tommy Bahama); Celeste Perrault—Tanya Boyd (Days of Our Lives)