CH 36

Nikolas rolled over in bed and his eyes fluttered open, it was the middle of the night and he knew he should be asleep but something felt off. He reached over for Gia and sat up abruptly when he didn’t find her lying next to him. “Gia.” He said into the dark room. He looked over at the clock and saw that it was 1:00am. Brushing his hands over his face a few times, in attempts to clear his head a little, he groggily got out of bed. Walking over to the bathroom, he knocked on the door. “Gia.” He repeated, thinking that she might be in there. When she didn’t answer, Nik went to work trying to seek out his robe; he found it and pulled it on. He walked out of the door and began searching each room of Wyndemere for her. After checking the kitchen, he headed back up the stairs. “Uncle, I’m so sorry to wake you but I can’t find Gia.” Nik said as he stood in the doorway speaking to his uncle. “I’ll help you look Nikolas, you search downstairs and I’ll search up.” Stefan said. Nik nodded his head and headed down the stairs. As he was heading for Stefan’s office, he noticed a light on in the room Gia was in earlier that day. He opened the door and stuck his head in. “Gia are you in here?” He asked as he stepped in and looked around. His eyes searched the room and he didn’t see her, he suddenly had an idea. He briskly walked up to the bookshelf on the far side of the room. He pushed it open and nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard Gia’s shrill scream pierce through the air.

After Gia cried her eyes out, she slowly let her body slide down the wall until she was lying down. She wondered what kind of place would even have secrete passageways, she only heard about this kind of thing in movies. She cringed as she thought about what they were even built for. She had no idea how long she had been down there; time seemed to be slipping away from her. She looked at her cut hands and winched when she tried to bend her fingers. She drew out a long breath and slowly let her eyes close. Slowly, her exhaustion took over and she fell into a deep sleep. She was having a dream, about one of the women who was in the book read. Her name was Miranda Cassadine and her husband, Prince Michael Christopher Cassadine, murdered her. She was killed because after having three children, all girls and no boys, he and his family decided that because she couldn’t give them a male heir that they would kill her, along with all three of her daughters. The dream was a horrid one, the little girls were screaming as they watched their mother being stabbed from their bedroom. She watched in horror as the dark figure went into the room where the girls were, she heard their shrill screams and then everything went silent. The man walked back out of the room and began to come near her. As he neared, Gia saw that it was Nikolas. He had a knife in his hand with blood smeared across it and looked at her with murder in his eyes and a smile on his face. He walked up to her briskly and just as he was about to strike her with the knife, Gia was awakened by a bright light suddenly shining on her face. She screamed from fear as a dark figure approached her.

“Gia.” Nik said. Gia pushed herself back against the wall and continued to scream as tears poured down her face. “Gia what’s wrong.” Nik tried to reach out to her but her screams became even fiercer as his hand was about to near her and he quickly pulled it back. “No, get away from me.” Gia cried as she got up and ran down the dark corridor. She wasn’t sure where she was going but she had to get away from him. Fear was quickly sinking in as she heard his footsteps hit the hard, stone floors behind her. He was chasing her. “No! Please somebody help me!” Gia yelled as she ran. “Gia I want to help you. Stop running baby.” Nik yelled after her, he couldn’t believe how fast she was running. “Stop stop stop! Gia come on stop.” He was unable to see the rapid movements of her head as she shook it viscously back and forth. “Get away please.” Gia begged. Her heart stopped when she neared what seemed to be a dead end. “No.” She said sadly. She felt Nik gaining on her and she began to scream again. As soon as she stopped running, coming to a halt at the wall in front of her, she felt his touch as he grabbed her and turned her around, pining her to the wall with his hands on her wrists. “Shh.” Nik said, pulling one hand away and reaching out to touch her face, but she struggled against his touch as tears fell from her eyes. Nik had tears running down his own cheeks now at the thought of Gia being so afraid of him. “You killed them.” Gia cried. “What? Killed who? Gia what’s wrong with you?” He asked with concern as she held onto her struggling body. “You killed that woman and her little girls and then you were going to kill me. Please get away from me.” Gia said as she continued to struggle. “Gia look at me.” He said forcing her to look him in the eyes. “I would never kill any one. I love you I would never kill you, honey it must have been a dream.” Nik said slowly, his eyes piercing to hers. “A dream?” She said softly, looking at him with desperate eyes. “Yes, Gia come on baby, calm down and tell me what’s wrong.” Nik said, Gia finally gave into him and stopped her squirming. She nodded her head sadly. She let Nikolas guide her to one of the doors leading to the den. He pushed it open and walked through.

Stefan came into the den just as Nikolas walked through, fallowed by a very distraught Gia as she walked behind him. He noticed the way she was looking at him as he neared, she seemed to be afraid of him and the distance she was keeping from Nikolas. Nikolas sat down and tried to get Gia to sit next to him but she shook her head and stayed standing up, her arms wrapped around herself. “Gia please, tell me what’s wrong.” Nik said gently. He had never seen Gia like this. “I found a book yesterday, in the bookshelf in the room with all the old stuff in it, it was about the Cassadine’s. You said to stay out of there but I kept thinking about it and I just had to know. So I snuck down there and read it.” Gia said looking at the ground. “Oh Gia, if you wanted to know about the family you could have asked.” Nik said. “Everyone was awful, murderers and adulterers, it made me sick and I got angry and then I put it back and the shelf moved, it trapped me and I couldn’t get out, I was screaming and pounding on the wall and no one came. I finally fell asleep but then I had a dream, it seemed to real, someone was killing one of the woman from the book and her children, and they were about to kill me and I, and I looked up, and it was you.” Gia said, her eyes finally lifting from the floor and piercing right into Nik’s. Nikolas quickly looked away; he suddenly stood up, unable to take it any longer and walked out of the room. Gia’s heart began to pound as she stood there, one reason being because Nik looked so hurt when he walked out, and the other because she was left alone in a room with a man she wasn’t sure if she could trust anymore. She slowly turned to face him completely and looked into Stefan’s eyes. They were so different from Nikolas’, his were a blue, almost gray color but they looked at her with the same intensity as Nik’s. But like Nik’s, behind that intensity there was kindness and love. Could he really be capable of harming anyone? She wondered.

“Princess, please, will you sit down and talk to me?” He asked. Gia took a deep breath and nodded her head before she moved to the couch and slowly lowered herself down on it as Stefan took the seat across from her. “You look so frightened, please don’t be.” He said softly. “I don’t know what to think. How do I know that you are different from the rest of the Cassadine’s?” She asked desperately. “Gia, I’m not going to lie to you. My life has not been perfect and I have done things that I regret doing. But when I became responsible for raising Nikolas, I wanted to raise him to be better then the rest of his family. I wanted him to be a good man, with good values. I know him better then anyone and I promise you that he is the most amazing person I know and I’m honored to be the one responsible for his upbringing. He’s a good man Gia and he loves you more then anything. He and I will do everything we can to keep you safe. You and he have the power to change this family, to make a good name for us. So that years from now, someone will read about you two and how you changed the evils of this family with love and good.” Stefan touched her cheek lightly as he finished. He watched as Gia’s chin quivered and tears fell from her eyes. “I need to find Nikolas.” She cried as she got up and ran out of the room.