Chapter Text
When Nikolas Cassadine first met the young woman that had captivated his wife and son there was a mischievous gleam in her eyes that he recognized but couldn’t quite place. There was something in her smile and the way she talked that made Nikolas think that he had met Trina Robinson before, but that was impossible seeing as though she was barely out of her teens. Then he found out that she was the daughter of Marcus Taggert, making her the niece of one of Nikolas’ long-lost loves, Gia Campbell. Of course, Trina was Sparky’s niece. The intelligence, the sass, and of course, the breathtaking beauty were all things Trina had in common with her model turned lawyer aunt. As much as they had in common, there were just as many stark contrasts between them. Where Gia had been guarded and at times, deceptive, Trina was open and honest. Gia’s soft heart been buried underneath a tough girl exterior, while Trina’s emotions were always on full display when it came to those she cared about, especially his son, Spencer.
Watching Spencer fall in love with Trina brought back bittersweet memories for Nikolas. Thinking back to that crazy time years ago when he had tried to renounce his connection to the Cassadine legacy and Helena had brought his father back from the dead for the first time. A time when the only person that kept him tethered to reality was Gia. They had loved each other but that love had been forged in chaos and didn’t last. They hurt each other, but if Nikolas was honest with himself, he pulled away first. Gia left Port Charles and their broken engagement in a cloud of anger without even saying goodbye to him. After, Nikolas started on his of string disastrous relationships and marriages. Over the years he thought of Gia in the quiet times, but he didn’t dare ask Taggert about her well-being. Then during a trip to England for a conference a few years ago, while having drink in at the hotel bar with a potential business associate, a vision in white had walked up and given his companion an affectionate kiss on the cheek. When woman noticed Nikolas, she slid her sunglasses off and shrieked “Nikolas!!!” With that, Gia Campbell (now Wilder) threw her arms around Nikolas Cassadine for the first time in years.
“Why didn’t you say goodbye, Sparky?” Nikolas posed. After their reunion at the bar and an explanation of how they knew each other to her husband, the trio had another round of drinks and went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. Gia’s husband, Sebastian, had left the two of them to catch up, saying he had some other calls/emails to make and promising Gia he would call home to check in on their children. Gia was a mother, and with every mention of her children, Nikolas could tell she was wonderful at it. In fact, watching Gia and Sebastian had Nikolas feeling slightly envious of the man who had now had Gia’s heart. Not because of any lingering feelings he had for Gia, those were long gone, it was because of the love the two obviously shared, an elusive love Nikolas was still chasing. Sebastian had left the table, telling Gia he loved her and giving her a peck on the lips, not out of jealousy or staking his claim in front of Nikolas, it was just to let Gia know that she was loved.
“Because I never would have left if had gone to see you,” Gia said, looking him in his eyes with a sad smile. “After everything that happened, I was a mess, and I didn’t have anybody to turn to. Marcus and my mom were so disappointed in me. Whatever friendship Elizabeth and I were forging blew up. And then you started to fall in love with Emily. Nothing felt right anymore, and I ended up turning to Zander, who was even more messed up than I was. I saw you and Emily on a date one night, and it broke me. When I got back home there was a letter from one of Alexis’ clients that I had worked with when I was interning with her. They offered me an internship and a chance for a scholarship to law school in Toronto, it was like a sign from God, so I accepted the offer first thing the next morning. I was packed and ready to go in a week. There were so many times when I wanted to come to Spoon Island or call you to tell you I was leaving but I knew that if you gave me even a sliver of a chance that we could get back together, I would not have left and I would have become the worst person I could have been. Zander had already been talking about what we could do to break up you and Emily, I couldn’t become that person and I would have.”
“I’m so sorry, Gia,” Nikolas said, realizing how much pain Gia had been in all those years ago.
“Don’t be,” Gia replied. “It was for the best. When I moved to Canada, I worked on myself and found out what made me do the things that I did. I made some big mistakes when I was in Port Charles, we all did but I grew up and I forgave myself. I know I’m a better person now and that never would have happened if we had gotten married. If I had stayed in Port Charles, I wouldn’t have walked into a board room and met the love of my life. But I would be lying if said I didn’t miss one of the best friends I ever had,” Gia said, reaching for Nikolas’ hand across the table.
It was funny how during that dinner with Gia he achieved such closure, but never once did they mention Taggert’s family. So here he was watching his son watch Gia’s niece flit around Ava’s gallery show, making sure everything was perfect for her mentor. Looking at Spencer, he wondered if he had ever looked a Gia or any woman like that like that. If his love had been conveyed with just a glance. A blind man could see Spencer loved Trina with every fiber of his being and that love was returned. For all his son’s schemes, manipulations, and plots, Nikolas knew that underneath was a little boy who only wanted love and he was getting that love from Trina. Spencer been slowly undergoing a transformation; he had been attending court mandated therapy sessions which seemed to be helping him deal with the hurt and anger that lived within him. While Spencer was still a bit spoiled and arrogant, he was slower to lash out and his words were less cruel than they used to be. Yes, the therapy was helping but what helped the most the love his son was getting from the petite beauty that managed to keep his son in line like a drill sergeant. Never let it be said that Trina was pushover for Spencer, Nikolas had seen with his own eyes the wrath Trina could unleash when Spencer fell into his old habits. Trina held Spencer accountable for his actions and his son was learning Trina would not settle for and excuse his bad behavior.
“Whatever the best version of Spencer is, it’s brought out by Trina,” Nikolas heard a husky voice say to him. He looked over his shoulder to find that Ava had walked up behind him. Their relationship was hanging on by a thread due to his dalliance with Esme Prince but at least there had been no divorce papers served. Esme was now locked up, along with both her parents and there was some semblance of peace around Port Charles. Spencer and Trina had been officially dating for about a year while he and Ava have been slowly spending time together, attempting to repair their relationship yet again.
“She’s an incredible young woman and I will forever be in her debt for taking care of the two people I love most in this world,” Nikolas said.
Just then Trina walked up, carrying a martini that she passed off to Ava, with Spencer trailing behind her. “Ava, I can’t believe what a success tonight is. You sold so many pieces,” Trina said, joy radiating from her.
“Ahh, honey, this is just as much your night as it is mine. You did the floor plan for the exhibits, you booked some of the artists, and you managed the guest list. I could not have done any of this without you. We did this,” Ava replied, kissing Trina on the cheek. “Now, there is suite booked for you and whoever you might want to have as a guest at Metro Court.” Casting a knowing glance at Spencer.
“Ava,” Trina started.
“Nope, no arguing with me, young lady. Think of it as a bonus for how hard you worked for this night. You have the suite for the week, and I do not want to see you here until next Monday. I want you to get a full spa package, spend some time at the pool, and eat everything your heart desires. Put it all on the room and it’ll be taken care of. You deserve a break,” Ava said.
“Yes ma’am. Thank you,” Trina responded, throwing her arms around Ava. “I love you. Not just for the room and everything but because you’re you.”
“I love you too, sweet girl. Now get out of here,” Ava responded. “Spencer, I expect you to help keep her away from the gallery for the next week.”
Spencer looked at Trina with his signature smirk and said, “of course.”
Trina then turned to Nikolas and hugged him. It wasn’t as enthusiastic as the one she gave Ava, but it felt incredible to be included in group of people Trina showed affection to. Spencer was still living at Wyndemere and was civil to him; Nikolas knew he owed that to Trina. He didn’t know what the future held for his relationship with Spencer, but Nikolas was doing his best to follow Spencer’s lead and not push for more than Spencer was willing to give.
“Aunt Gia said to tell you hi, and to call her when you get a chance,” Trina said with a smile. Spencer then helped her into her jacket and led her to the exit giving Nikolas and Ava a slight nod as he ushered Trina out of the door.
“How is Gia?” Ava asked. Somehow, his reconnection with Gia had led to her and Ava becoming online friends.
“Last I talked to her was good. She and Sebastian invited us to visit them in Scotland. It might be good for us to get away from here for a little bit,” Nikolas said, hopefully.
“Maybe, I’ll look at my calendar after Trina gets back and I’ll check in with Carly about if she can keep Avery,” Ava said, warily. “Nikolas, I don’t know if we’ll ever get back what we had.”
“I don’t think I want what we had. I want something better. I want to be better,” Nikolas said, stroking Ava’s cheek. “When I met back up with Gia, she said something that I didn’t understand at the time. She said she worked on herself after leaving Port Charles. She worked to be a better person. I haven’t put in the work to be a better person for myself. I’ve always wanted to be better for other people, never myself, that’s why it never worked. That’s why I’ve continually hurt the people I love, especially my son. I’m just asking for one more chance, Ava. It’s okay if you can’t answer me right now just hold off filing for divorce for a little while longer.”
“I haven’t filed the papers by now, what’s a little bit longer,” Ava said as she pressed a slight kiss to his cheek and walked away to attend to the guests still in the gallery.
It wasn’t a definite answer about their marriage but at least his suggestions didn’t send Ava running to her lawyer. Much like he was doing with Spencer, Nikolas would take whatever Ava decided to give him. Sound advice given to him by the smart, sarcastic, caring woman who blew back into his life. No, he and Gia would have never worked out had they gotten married and as Gia said everything had worked out for the best for her. Not so much for Nikolas, but he was working that. He wondered how Ava would react to him also taking Gia’s advice about seeing therapist. Shrugging, he slipped into Ava’s office and pulled out his phone,
“Hey, Sparky,” he said, seeing Gia’s smiling face.