CH 16

Her foot was swinging casually as she sat at the kitchen table, hungrily eating her breakfast consisting of homemade pancakes and eggs. She smiled up at Rory as she walked in. “Hey.” Rory said softly. “Hi, want some?” Gia asked. She saw Rory’s mouth drop open slightly. “Are you all right?” Rory asked, her eyebrows knitting slightly. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Gia asked. Rory frowned as she sat across from Gia and looked at her intently. “Because you told me something last night that is very personal and hurt you very deeply. But you’re acting like it’s the best day of your life today.” Rory said. Gia took another bite of her pancakes and took her time chewing them. “I had a good dream last night.” She shrugged between bites. Rory watched her scarf down her food. “Well I’m glad that you’re finally eating. But are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Rory asked. Gia shook her head. “What’s to talk about? It happened along time ago Rory, I’m over it.” She said. Rory looked at her for a few more minutes, and decided not to press her. “OK fine, I believe you, we don’t have to talk about it. Now hand over the pancakes girl because I’m starving and those look delicious.” Rory said. Gia laughed and served her some breakfast and the two ate a quiet breakfast together.

Gia sat in her child development class and was trying hard to concentrate on her work. Although she was doing fine, she was grateful when the teacher announced that it was break time. She sat at her desk, as the other students went out. Her mind inevitably wandered to her dream. Nikolas felt more real to her than ever before. She was so glad that it was Caleb’s day to volunteer at the center and was looking forward to talking to him about finding this man of her dreams. She sighed aloud as she thought of last night. She had never felt so wanted and special in all her life. The way he looked at her made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She unconsciously shook her head at that thought, no probably not but that’s how he made her feel. She had the best nights sleep she had had in days and she woke up refreshed and excited to start her day. Part of her felt a little sad. Here she had this perfect man, attractive, sexy, warm and loving all in one. But she couldn’t be with him. But on the other hand it just made her more determined than ever to find him. There was no doubt in her mind that he was real and waiting for her to find him. Gia looked up when the students began to fill the classroom again and straightened up to listen to her teacher.

Gia placed the box that was in her arms, filled of various fake foods, as well as little toy plates and cups on the ground. She looked up when she heard a noise. She chuckled at Jordyn’s not so subtle cough to get her attention. “Hello there.” Gia said. Jory coyly brought her hands up to her mouth. “What are we doing today Gia?” She asked through her hands. Gia reached up and grabbed her hands, pulling them away from her face. “We’re going to play restaurant.” She said. Jordyn began to bounce gleefully. “Can I be the waitress?” She asked. “Sure you can be a waitress. You can be anything you want to be.” Gia said. Jory smiled at her. “I’ll be the chief!” Noah announced as he came bounding up to them. “OK.” Gia replied as she handed him an apron and a little chief’s hat. The other kids came up and all grabbed various foods. “OK Gia you be the person who orders the food.” A little girl named Lauren said. “Sure. OK where do I sit?” Gia asked. “Right here!” Lauren said as she pulled up one of the little kid chairs for Gia to sit on. “So what would you like?” Lauren asked, a pad of paper and a crayon in her hands. Gia tapped her chin in mock thought. “Hmm lets see. I think I’ll have a salad to start off with, fallowed by a hamburger and then I think I’ll have a piece of pie.” She said. Lauren frowned. “I’m sorry but we don’t have salad here, how about a pancake instead?” She asked. Gia laughed. “You know what that sounds really good, a pancake it is.” She said. Lauren smiled brightly and scribbled on the piece of paper. “Coming right up Miss Gia.” She said and then walked away. Jory came up next. “Can I take your drink order?” She asked. “Sure I’ll take a soda.” Gia said. Jordyn brought her hand up to block the kids from hearing what she was going to tell Gia. “Milk is better for you.” She whispered. Gia suppressed the urge to laugh, seeing as how Jory was completely serious. “OK I’ll take milk then.” She said. Jordyn nodded triumphantly and went to go get her a drink. Gia looked over at Spencer who was sitting on a chair as well. “So how’s the food here?” She asked. Spencer crunched up his nose. “Some times they burn stuff and the meet is kinda rubbery.” He said. Gia laughed. The kid sure did have a sense of humor. She watched Noah rush outside to the playground and come running back with a bundle of freshly picked flowers. Gia was soon handed her drink, and than shortly after she was handed her food as well. “This is from the chief Miss.” Lauren said as she handed her the flowers and then pointed to Noah. Gia smiled and blew him a kiss, which made him grin from ear to ear. Gia refrained from giving him a lecture about not picking the flowers and looked down at the plate that was sitting in front of her. “Eat up.” Jory said smiling at her. Gia smiled and pretended to eat the food. She looked up when Caleb walked in. “Hey Caleb come eat at my table.” Spencer said. He liked having a guy to play with. “Well I don’t know. I’ve never eaten here before. Is the chief any good?” He asked. “The best in town.” Gia answered. Caleb shrugged. “Well in that case.” He said and then took a seat across from Spencer. “Can I take your order?” Both Jory and Lauren asked simultaneously. They both gave each other looks. Gia bit her bottom lip. She knew that they both had quite a crush on Caleb. “You can both take his order.” She said. “What would you like Cay?” Lauren asked quickly in a sweet voice. Gia saw the way Jory’s eyes rolled and cringed as she realized whom she must have gotten that from. Caleb gave the girls his order and then turned to Gia. “Hey, are you OK? You were acting really strange last night.” He said quietly as the kids got him his food. “I don’t really want to talk about it, but I’m fine. Sorry I acted weird though.” She said. Caleb nodded softly. “It’s OK.” He said as he smiled at her.

“Hey you guys, snack time.” Gia announced. Everyone stopped their playing and came rushing over. They sat down at the tables and began to eat their snacks of gram crackers and apple juice. Gia’s friend Jenny came up while she was watching the kids. “Hey Gia will you help me for a little while? Too many baby’s not enough hands.” She said. “Sure.” Gia smiled up at her. Jenny came back a while later with a baby that Gia knew was brought in a few days ago named Abby. Gia took her in her arms and Jenny handed her a bottle to give her. “You going to be OK?” Jenny asked. “Yeah sure the kids are all eating and plus I have Caleb to help me. Take your time.” Gia said. Jenny smiled at her before she left. Gia looked down at the little baby in her arms, her blue eyes beamed up at her. She was really beautiful and Gia knew that she would be adopted in no time, babies always did. It was the older kids who had problems finding homes. Life just couldn’t get any better than this, Gia decided. She sat down in a chair, giving the baby her bottle and rocking her softly as she hummed. “Hey.” Caleb whispered as he came up and sat down next to her. “She’s asleep.” Gia said quietly as she held the baby. Caleb smiled. “Hey I have some news for you Gia. Last night after I went home, I started thinking about that book I found and I wondered just how long that family bloodline went. So I checked and I found out that there’s an heir to the family legacy who’s young, like our age. I thought that I would check it out and see if I can find any books at the library. It’s actually a very interesting family. There’s this man named Mikkos, now he was down right scary.” Caleb said. Gia looked at him as she took in this information. “Are you saying that you think that this guy is a prince? Prince Nikolas?” She chuckled softly, watching the baby’s face softly react to the movement, relieved when she remained sleeping. “Hey he could be anyone Gia. I’m just saying that this Cassadine family has an heir that should be around our age. I’ll let you know what I find out.” He said. Gia bit her bottom lip excitedly; suddenly very anxious to get to bed and ask Nikolas about this news, but that wasn’t how it worked. She somehow never really knew what she was going to say or do in these dreams. But she was looking forward to her next one, just to have another magical night with this man.

Gia walked into her dorm room and quickly spotted Rory eating her dinner and looking at a textbook at the table. “Hey, how was your day?” Rory asked. “Oh it was great. Is there anything better than holding a sleeping baby?” She asked. Rory made a face. “I’m sure I can think of a few things.” She said. Gia laughed as she walked up to the table. “So what did you do today?” She asked, picking up a slice of pizza and putting it on a paper plate and sitting down. Rory shrugged. “Studied like all day. I’ve been putting off this project for a while now and I have to get it done.” She said. “Well I won’t be in your way. The kids wore me out today. I’m just going to go to bed after I finish this slice.” Gia said. Rory looked at her. “Are you still having those dreams?” She asked curiously. Gia broke into a smile. “Yeah.” She said softly. “Oh so that’s why you want to go to bed. I see.” Rory said. Gia blushed as she looked down. “Well don’t let me keep you.” Rory said. Gia rolled her eyes as she continued to eat her pizza. She sat there for a while after she finished, just sitting with Rory while she studied. “Well I’m going to go to bed.” She said softly as she stood up. “Sweet dreams.” Rory smiled up at her. Gia laughed and quickly kissed the top of her head before going to bed.

Nikolas casually walked a path, he wasn’t sure where it led, but for some reason he walked with a purpose. There were trees all around him; the tropical smells invading his nose. His ears were filled with lovely sounds. Tropical birds chirped freely, along with various frogs and insects. His feet were bare but there was no pain as he trudged through the soft earth. This place was beautiful. But he didn’t know why he was here. He had no shirt on, just a pair of loose kaki pants but he was not cold. The weather was perfect. He heard a rustling to his left and tried to peak through the heavy vines and trees that surrounded him. He thought that maybe it was an animal. He couldn’t see anything so he continued to walk. Still, he wasn’t sure why but still he walked with an instinctive determination. Again he heard a noise to his left and again he looked into the leaves of the tropical plants at his side. “Hello?” He said this time. He heard no answer so he continued walking. Now he walked at a faster pace, a slightly panicky feeling taking over him, maybe fear. This time the sound he heard was laughter, a woman’s laughter to be exact. His heart began to pound as he recognized that laugh. He stopped and looked into the bushes and his eyes clashed with hers powerfully causing him to gasp. He had never seen eyes as beautiful as hers. “Gia.” He breathed. Gia smiled as she moved closer to him. She stuck her hand out to him. Nikolas looked down at it. “Gia I.” He started to say but she grabbed hold of his hand. “Come on, I want to take you somewhere.” She said. Nikolas wanted to object but he didn’t, instead he took her hand. Gia guided him under some bushes and he ducked down and walked through the foliage. He was now on the other side of the plants, and he looked at Gia who was fully in his line of view now. He sucked in a breath at the sight of her before him. She wore a white tubetop and a white flowing sarong around her waist. So much of her beautiful skin was revealed in the outfit, her stomach, her shoulders, and her sexy back. Her braids were let down, and tropical orchids crowned her head. His eyes misted with tears she was so beautiful. His staring did not embarrass Gia, she reached out and touched his face lightly, and his eyes quickly shut at the power of her touch. She dropped her hand and continued to walk, and Nikolas opened his eyes and quickly caught up to her. She took his hand again and they weaved through the island together. Nikolas trusted her completely as he walked behind her. They stopped and Nikolas gasped at the scenery before him. Three huge waterfalls were above them, pouring out into the most beautiful lagoon he had ever seen. Gia instantly jumped into the water, swimming over to the rocks in the middle of the water and climbing up onto them. Nikolas jumped in after her, expecting the water to be cold but he was surprised when it was comfortably cool. He swam under the clear water. He had never swam so effortlessly. His eyes traveled up and he could see Gia’s blurry figure above him as he swam towards her. When he reached the rocks and climbed up, he found Gia sitting, silently gazing at the waterfalls. “Gia.” He said softly as he approached her. Gia turned to face him, a soft smile on her face. Her eyes, little beads of water lingered on her eyelashes, they captivated Nikolas. They shone with an iridescent sparkle as the light hit them. “Shh, will you just sit with me?” Gia whispered. Nikolas nodded his head and moved behind her, he breathed in her scent and sighed as she rested her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes as he held her, wanting this feeling to last forever. He brought his lips to her sun kissed shoulder and marveled in the warmth welcoming his lips. They stayed in this quiet serenity for a while before Gia sat up and pulled away from him. “Want to swim?” She asked. Nikolas frowned. “Gia I have to tell you something.” He said. “Well you don’t have to swim, but I am.” She said. She dove into the water and swam until she was behind one of the waterfalls. Nikolas didn’t like this, only being able to see the outline of her body from where he sat. So he too dove in, and swam over to where she was. As he stood up on the rocks inside the small cave they were in, he looked around him. It was stunning, and the rather loud sound of the waterfall that was around him soothed him. Gia’s back was to him, and she slowly turned around to face him. She smiled at him and it warmed his heart. Excitement took over his entire body as she torturously slowly approached him. She moved so that she was inches away from his face. Nikolas’s eyes landed on her wet lips, so inviting. Gia parted them, and slowly moved closer to him. Nikolas’s lips unconsciously parted as well as her face neared his. When their lips touched, a magical feeling rushed through their bodies and Nikolas selfishly wanted to intensify that feeling. He slowly stuck out his tongue and then plunged it deep into her mouth. Gia welcomed him, twirling her tongue around his powerfully. Nikolas moaned as he pulled her body closer to his, his hands fumbling their way to her face and he gently caressed her face between his hands. Urgency took over the kiss and it became even more intense, they explored each other’s mouths with a new exhilaration. They were lost, spiraling into a state of nirvana. Nikolas pulled away suddenly, catching his breath and running his hands through his damp hair. “I can’t do this, you’re not real.” He whispered. Gia’s face saddened slightly. “I’m real.” She said softly. Nikolas shook his head sadly, she didn’t understand. Gia’s face changed from concerned to happy. She laughed. “You’re funny Nikolas Cassadine. Now come on and swim with me.” She said. Before Nikolas could object she was in the water again and swimming away from him. He got in behind her, and together they swam under the waterfall. When they came up for air, they were in the middle of the lagoon, Gia got up on the rocks again. She was standing this time, her back to him again. She turned when Nikolas came up behind her and moved closer to him. Nikolas was staring at her, her wet white clothes had turned sheer, her erect nipples taunted him so. “Can I just hold you?” He asked softly. Gia smiled and quickly walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Nikolas closed his eyes as she held her tightly, her wet body pressed up against his bare chest. He grasped for strength to do what he had to do next. He felt Gia move her lips to his cheek and kiss it softly. He began to pant as her tongue seeked out his earlobe, taunting it as she latched on and began to suck. She parted her lips and her mouth was hovering over his ear. “I love you.” She whispered huskily. Nikolas’s body trembled as he pulled back and fumbled away from her. He shook his head slowly. Gia looked at him with concern. “What’s wrong?” She asked. Nikolas looked away sadly, before looking into her eyes. “Gia I’m in love with another woman. I’m going to ask her to marry me and I; I need to stop seeing you. You need to go.” He said, tears rapidly slipping down his cheeks. Gia backed away from him slowly, shaking her head in confusion. “You’re in love?” She breathed. Nikolas was sobbing now as he saw the pain in her eyes. He walked closer to her as he nodded his and, and touched her face tenderly. “You’re not real.” He said softly. Gia began to cry as she jerked away from his touch. “Stop saying that! I am real and I’m in love with you. But you’re in love with someone else. You’re right, we can’t do this anymore.” She said as she walked away from him. Nikolas suddenly began to panic, thinking that this was all going terribly wrong and he feared losing her. “No Gia please wait.” He said, grabbing her hand. But Gia reclaimed her hand and ignored him as she jumped into the water. Nikolas started to fallow her, nearing the edge of the rocks. He watched her turn and look at him, her sad eyes peaking behind her smooth shoulder. She looked at him for a few moments before she let herself submerge into the water. “Gia wait!” Nik yelled, his heart pounding. He jumped into the water and swam to where he last saw her. He couldn’t see her anywhere. He swam to the surface and frantically looked around for her. “Gia!” He yelled, sputtering water out of his mouth. She was gone. He sobbed aloud, feeling lost and so alone. Finally he just gave up, his heart feeling broken. He let himself sink into the water. His eyes looked up at the mass of blue water above him and he continued to sink until he was no longer able to see anything but darkness.

“No!” Nik yelled, his body jolting awake. “Nikolas what is it?” Sarah asked. Nikolas was sobbing freely. He was speechless. Sarah wrapped her arms around him and he cried in her arms as he clung to her.