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Don't Go By Alison . . (((Author’s note: For this story, assume that Gia had stormed out right away after hearing that Nikolas had lied to her about not having any money.))) Nikolas sighed as he stepped onto the docks. He’d been searching for Gia all afternoon, since she stormed out of the cottage. He’d checked the Brownstone, but Bobbie told him that Gia hadn’t been there. Florence claimed not to have seen her either, but Nikolas hadn’t expected her to be of much help. Then, he’d gone to the PCPD, but Taggert apologized that he hadn’t heard from Gia all day. He checked Kelly’s with a sinking heart, and wasn’t surprised not to find her. Now, here he was, standing at Banister’s Warf, out of ideas. *~* Gia shivered as she climbed over the stairs onto the docks, wandering merely because there wasn’t anywhere she wanted to be. Between avoiding her mother and avoiding Nikolas, there was no home or safe place for her, so she’d been traveling all day – walking through the park, meandering at Wyndhams Department Store, and even seeing a dollar movie at the cheaper theaters. Now, as everything began to close and the sun began to set, she realized she still had nowhere to go, no place to sleep. Somehow, her feet had taken her here, to the docks; but she was freezing in her light coat, now that it was getting darker and colder. *~* They spotted each other at the same movement. Gia started to turn away, heading back the way she came, quickly; but there was a part of her that wanted to stay. Nikolas, frantic and quicker, came from behind her and grabbed her shoulder lightly. “Gia!” He was almost breathless, not from the short sprint to her side, but from the combined worry and need he’d been feeling for her all day. She didn’t fight his grip, but her dark eyes still blazed with indignant fire. “What?” She shot back, cockiness and hurt mingling in her voice, engulfing the tiniest flicker of hope. “You didn’t give me a chance to explain,” Nikolas said softly, catching his breath. “Everything isn’t always as it seems, you know.” “Oh?” Gia asked, narrowing her eyes with sarcasm. “So, you don’t really have a million dollars in the bank?” “I have the money, but – ” “What else is there, then?” Gia quipped. “You have a million dollars, and you’re parading around, pretending to have nothing. You don’t know what nothing is like, Prince Nikolas. I do.” “I’m glad we finally got to the heart of the matter!” An exasperated Nikolas exclaimed, raising his voice. “You don’t care that I didn’t tell you – you care that I have money,” he accused. “What does it matter?” Gia said, turning away. “I’m not good enough for you anyway, right? Why bother to keep me around? Just for amusement?” “Well, you are amusing,” Nikolas commented playfully, turning her around, forcing her to look into his warm, pleading eyes. “And I like you. That’s why I want you around. Because you make things… fun. Like this morning, I was even starting to look forward to grocery shopping, because going with you sounded so much more… fantastic than anything I could think of.” Gia rolled her eyes. “All the places you’ve been, all the fancy things you Cassadines had, and going grocery shopping with me is your idea of fun? Yeah, right. Try another one.” “I’m not lying or playing you, Gia. I’m being honest,” Nikolas said softly, laying himself open. “You make things, every day things, better.” That simple statement finally got through to the core of the young woman, and her face nearly melted. “Yeah?” She asked quietly. “Yeah,” he said softly, nodding. “So, what do you say – why not come home, instead of staying out here all night?” “Well…” Gia said, shrugging with a smile. “It is warmer, but I don’t know, Nikolas – maybe it’s not going to work. I mean, it was one thing when you needed me, but, with the money - ” “I still need you,” Nikolas cut in. “So what if I don’t need you in order to make the rent? I still need your wit and your life – I need you to show me how to do things like a normal person, and I need you to make me laugh and feel alive again.” He smiled. “That’s what you’ve done, Gia. That’s why I need you. Not for a thousand dollars. For a thousand smiles.” A breathless Gia quietly jokes, “You had me at “I still need,” you know.” Nikolas didn’t get it. “Okay,” he said slowly, looking at her a little funny. “Does that mean you’re not upset anymore?” He asked hopefully. Gia just sighs. “You didn’t get it, did you? You
really didn’t get it? You’ve never seen Jerry Maguire?” Gia’s mouth fell open. “That’s it. You’re right. You do need me.” She grabs his arm. “Come on, let’s go. We need to get to the video rental store before they close.” “What? Why?” “Such ignorance on great American pop culture will not be tolerated,” she exclaimed. “It’s disgraceful! Un-American!” Still a little lost, “I’m Greek, remember?” “Well, you’re here now, and you’re going to learn,” Gia stated simply. “Come on, let’s go. We have popcorn back at the cottage, don’t we?” “Uh…yeah. Okay,” Nikolas said, the turn of events swirling over his head; but he was happy, happy to have her coming back at least. “Gia.” He said softly, stopping her from practically pulling him up the stairs. He leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers, unsure at first, wondering if she’d push him away. She didn’t. She kissed him back, her soft lips pressing against his, sending a rush of happiness through him. Finally he pulled back, and they looked at each other. She smiled at him a little and spoke first, “You know, I’ve been hoping you’d do that for weeks now.” He smiled, reassured, and she kissed him again gently. Just then, they felt the first flakes of snow fall upon them and broke apart slightly, turning their eyes up towards the sky. “The first snow,” he murmured. “How beautiful,” she whispered, clutching him tighter. “Good timing. I'll be you control the weather too, right?” She joked. He smiled; she didn’t know how close she was. “Well, there was this time my family...” he began... THE END. *~*~*~* Back to: The Library |