Jessica greeted Stefan warmly. Clad in a crisp black shirt and matching pants, his only concession to the informality of the occasion was the lack of his ever-present suit coat. It was a minor thing, but to Jessica it spoke volumes. Stefan had made what she believed was a considerable effort to keep the mood of the evening relaxed. She appreciated it, and would respond in kind.

Waving him in, Jessica closed the heavy front door. She took a private moment to appreciate the very maleness of him. The subtle scent of his cologne teased at her nostrils and instinctively she leaned toward him for a better whiff.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Stefan said, turning and catching her off-guard. Their faces were inches apart as Jessica froze in place. Silently they stared at one another.

“Hello!” A cheery voice broke the moment and they looked down at the smiling face of Jessica's young daughter. Bonnie placed her hand in Stefan's and began tugging him further into the room. “Come see!” She led him to the low table before the couch. “I made something for you.”

Patiently the little girl waited as Stefan lowered himself onto the couch. She sat down beside him and reached over for the sheet of paper on the table. “This is me and Mommy,” Bonnie explained, pointing to two of the figures on the sheet. The words “Bonnie” and “Mommy” were childishly scrawled beneath the figures. “That's you,” she continued, pointing to the third figure.

Stefan considered the drawing he held. He angled it from side to side, and held it up to the light. Finally, he pronounced, “It is quite beautiful. Thank you.”

Bonnie beamed with pride. Her small fingers reached for the drawing. “I'll give it back,” she promised as she knelt beside the low table and reached for a red crayon. “I'm gonna write your name on it.” With the crayon poised over the paper, she looked back up at Stefan in anticipation.

Gravely, Stefan intoned, “My name is Stefan Darius Mikkosovich Cassadine.”

Jessica coughed to cover the laugh which burst from her at the sight of her daughter's wide-eyed amazement. “If you'll excuse me for a moment,” she struggled to say, “I'll just go check on dinner.”

From the corner of his eye, Stefan watched Jessica make a hasty retreat to the kitchen. Her shoulders shook with laughter, and he had to struggle to contain his own smile. “That is somewhat of a mouthful for someone so small,” he teased Bonnie. “You may just call me ‘Uncle' .”

They sat around the cozy kitchen table. Bonnie, secure in her booster chair, waited cheerfully for her mother to place her plate of food before her. “Uncle has horsies!” she announced into the silence.

“Uncle?” Jessica queried.

“Nuh-huh.” Bonnie nodded her head emphatically. “He says we can come and ride all the time!”

Stefan explained quietly, “It was less a mouthful than my given name.”

“Well,” Jessica smiled at Bonnie and put her food down before her, “if Uncle says we can, then maybe one day we will. But now, we eat dinner. Alright?”

“Alright.”

Stefan sat beside Bonnie and cut her meat into bite-sized pieces. A quick glance found the little one's attention focused on him. Another found her mother's attention on him as well.

He did not believe Jessica was the type of woman who would use her young daughter, no matter the situation. And while she might have secretly enjoyed the earlier sight of him engaged in earnest, if somewhat confusing conversation with the little one, Stefan was convinced this was not a test. Her daughter's well being would factor largely in Jessica's decision where their relationship was concerned. But Stefan knew that it would not be the only factor.

Whatever Jessica's reasons for allowing his close interaction with her young daughter, he was grateful. Pure moments like these were too rare to squander. For this one night, Stefan vowed to forego his quest to win Jessica's heart. He would simply enjoy the moment.

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