Gently, she smoothed away the wisps of hair framing Sabrina’s tear streaked face. Even as she offered comfort, Celeste braced herself for the fallout. Her child was as proud as she was guarded, and fully aware she had committed an error of grave proportions by laying herself bare—and before her mother, of all people. Quietly she watched the play of emotions dancing across Sabrina’s face. Watched as vulnerability and need dueled with pride and fear…and the former lose.

“What in the world,” Sabrina snapped, “makes you think this has to do with a man?” Jerking away from her mother’s touch, she angrily sprang to her feet, wiping away her tears in kind.

“Ton, petite fille.”[Tone, little girl.] Celeste leveled a withering gaze at her eldest child. “Ton.” [Tone.] A curt but graceful nod of her head towards the vacant chair indicated Sabrina was to return to its confines. Now.

“Fine,” Sabrina bit out. Her sullen gaze locked with her mother’s, Sabrina quickly deduced the idiocy of challenging the woman before her and complied with her silent command. “But I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Lie to yourself if you must.” Celeste leaned in and firmly cradled Sabrina’s chin within her fingers. “But do not lie to me.” Her voice softening, she added, “You did not come all this way to throw a temper tantrum, cher. So, again, I say…tell me about him.”

“How do you know…?”

“Please, cher,” Celeste scoffed. “I am your mother. I may not have raised you, Sabrina DeLane Cassadine, but I know you. The two most important things to you are family and your work. The latter is a benign enough subject, one you have no problem opening up about or discussing; so if this were about work, you would have led off with that. Now family? That is a bit more delicate.”

Settling back among the plush cushions of the sofa, Celeste crossed her legs. “Now if the source of your pain were tied to Natasha, or my nephews, Nikolas or Andresj? That, with me you would discuss. The same with regards to their mother, Faith. You have no problem ‘sharing’ any of them with me. However, if this somehow involved Stefan or your Papa?” Celeste made a moue of displeasure as she gave a resolute shake of her head. “There is no way you would be here. They occupy a part of your life—your Papa especially—you are not ready to share with me.”

Celeste held up a hand to ward off Sabrina’s forthcoming protests. “My child, you are as loyal to and protective of them both as your sister Viktoria is with me. And I accept that.” She allowed the statement to linger. “For now.” A graceful wave of a slender finger stilled yet another objection. “Thus, that leaves your love life. Besides, cher, woman to woman?” A knowing smile upon her lips Celeste proclaimed, “I have been alive longer than you and lived more than you, so I know the telltale signs of heartache.”

“I don’t know if it’s heartache,” Sabrina said softly. The admission was followed by a rude noise. “But it sure as hell is…something.”

“Well, whatever it is, you can’t fix it until you address it.” Celeste clapped her hands as she rose from the sofa. “I’ll have Xavier prepare us a light supper,” she tossed over her shoulder. “We’ll talk. And then you can get some rest. Do not worry. I will make sure he has everything to your liking.”

“My liking?” Sabrina repeated. Slowly, she turned to face her mother.

“Yes. I’ll have him prepare a room for you,” she smiled.

“Oh…Mama. I’m sorry. I won’t be able to stay.” As she watched the smile begin to falter upon her mother’s visage, Sabrina rose to her feet and hastened to qualify her statement. “I have a case tomorrow morning; a procedure no other surgeon can perform, save me. If not for that, I assure you, I would remain here. I mean, overnight.” Her smile was contrite as she clasped her mother’s hand. “I look forward to a return visit.” Sabrina paused. “If…you will have me, I mean?”

“Always, Monkeyness,” Celeste murmured. She nodded as she beheld the surprise register in Sabrina’s eyes upon hearing the nickname she bestowed upon her as a child. Lovingly, she brushed the back of her hand against Sabrina’s cheek. “My home, as is all that I have, cher, is yours.”

“Well,” Sabrina returned the smile weakly, “here’s hoping next time I’ll have my shit together…”

“Sabrina!”

“Oh, Mama!” she gasped, hand darting her mouth. “I am so sorry!”

“As you should be!” Celeste chastised. “Yes, you are a Cassadine. But never forget, you are also a Perrault.” Sabrina did not see the sly smile beginning to curve the corners of her mother’s mouth. “We always have our shit together!” she winked.

Celeste’s relief upon witnessing her daughter’s laughter was short-lived for moments later Sabrina’s lips began to purse and her eyes shimmer with unshed tears. Following her child’s watery gaze across the room to the display of photographs, she could only offer up a resigned sigh as she beheld the reason for Sabrina’s sudden change in mood.

“Those are from your Papa,” she explained. “He made sure I got to see you…one way or another. Come.”

Taking Sabrina by the hand, Celeste led her to the bookcase, directing her attention to a shelf upon which two Victorian styled filigree picture frames were perched and nothing else. The smaller of the two frames contained a 5” x 7” photo of a laughing, barefoot Sabrina on the shore of the Cassadine’s private beach in Greece, the surf of the Aegean swirling about her ankles.

“That was taken on your seventh birthday.”

The second photo, a stunning 8” x 10” black and white, was more somber; a candid profile shot of Sabrina, her gaze seemingly miles away, set against dark skies. “And this one, I believe you were around 20, not quite 21? My first thought when I saw this photo, of course, was how beautiful you were.” She studied Sabrina pensively, a sad smile easing its way across her visage. “My second thought? That you were far, far too young to look so serious. You had just returned to Greece, after your divorce from Julian, correct?” Try though she might, Celeste could not prevent the edge to her voice when she spoke of her daughter’s brief marriage to her Cassdine cousin, Julian Luna.

“You knew about my marriage?” A stunned Sabrina nearly dropped the photo.

“Yes.” Smoothly retrieving the photo from Sabrina’s near lifeless fingers, Celeste smiled tightly. “Let us just say, it was but one of many…matters concerning you your Papa and I disagreed about. Vehemently.”

Eyes closed, Sabrina willed herself to remain calm. There it was again; that feeling of…something similar to anxiety but so very different. Anxiety didn’t hurt. And, oh, how this did! This was a pain that ripped at her very soul it seemed. She felt the tears begin to well anew, but unlike before there was no slow trickle; this was more like an overflow.