Chapter 10 – "Giovanni"
After her appointment with Dr. Dup, she had a quick nap and that night she went dancing in a small club in the older part of town. It had been fun doing things on her own for a change, without Bo always there. The next day she flew back to the states, and stopped by at Glen and Barb's to visit J.T., he doesn't remember her, however she had to stopped there and telephone Bo from there. He spoke with Glen as well, and she knew she covered her tracks well this time.
Now she's back in Salem, at Jennifer's, visiting and expressing her gratitude for all the time she had been giving to Ciara.
Jennifer is laughing as she relates the story of Ciara's new imaginary friend called Giovanni.
Gina/Hope is laughing with her and making small talk even though her thoughts aren't on what Jennifer is saying. The main reason she came to visit is to keep up appearances and to fetch her daughter. Ciara has been away from her long enough.
On the drive home, she asks Ciara about her friend Giovanni. Something about this whole imaginary friend thing is making her feel edgy, although she cannot put her finger on it.
"Oh, he's tall and kinda old, and I think I knew him before, and he has dark hair, and he is lots of fun, and he takes me driving and we go to the park, and we watch the people, but I'm not aloud to tell any body, not even daddy, but I can tell you because he says you can keep a secret."
"Oh, he says so, does he?" She sounds amused.
"That is because we have met in the garden before, and that is also a secret. A secret he must have known I wouldn't tell. Not that anyone would believe me."
"Auntie Jennifer thinks he is my imaginary friend and I haven't told her that he is real. Giovanni said not to." Ciara looks very pleased with herself.
The next day, Ciara is sick again. This time Gina/Hope doesn't ring any alarm bells, she gives her a lot of milk to make sure anything is rinsed from her stomach, and when she is starting to look better, she gives her some water and put her to bed. Then she goes to the garden for a cigarette.
Ciara is being poisoned, with what she does not know, it definitely is not something lethal, someone is just playing with her state of mind. Stefano? No, somehow she knows this is not him. However, he may know the symptoms, or at least Rolf would. Should she take the chance to call in his help? Will that not expose her secret? Or, no, she must wait for "Giovanni" to make his appearance again. He must help her, after all, his existence must be kept secret as well, and if Stefano is having him follow her and the rest of Salem around, he cannot tell Stefano that he has been seen, therefore he cannot expose her.
"Yes, indeed, that is the plan. My DNA testing would have to wait. I cannot concentrate now on a way of getting hold of Shawn's DNA without arousing suspicion."
"Are we on track?" Stefano Dimera asks, looking up from his chest board.
"More than on track, I have befriended Ciara, she knows me as Giovanni, and has instructions not to tell anyone about me, however you know kids, she'll mention to her parents and Jennifer of her new friend and his instructions. Jennifer has already got wind of the story, however to her I am just a child's imaginary friend. Once we go ahead with the kidnapping, her stories will start ringing true, and we will not be under suspicion, instead they'll be looking for some weird pedophile character. Then, my new information, Billy Reed has been poisoning Ciara – possibly a tactic to get Hope to either look like a bad mother or someone losing her sanity. I saw her last night, climbing out of Ciara's window, took some photo's and the bottle of pills from her - with gloves of course, so we have her finger prints – this will make for very good blackmail material."
"Very good, very good. Join me for a game?" He sweeps his hands over the chest board.
"Nope, I'm going back over to Hope's house. This stuff that Billy gave Ciara must be starting to work, and I want to check up on her, see that it isn't enough to kill her. I don't think Hope will take her to hospital again, as the last time Bo and the nursing staff all told her she was nuts, and Billy used the situation to her advantage, as planned most probably."
"Don't get too attached."
"Why not? She'll be staying with us."
'Also true. Go then, get me some extra information if you can."
Extra information is that Hope has spotted him, that, however he will not mention, beside she has too much to hide at the moment to tell anyone about him – that and the fact that they are already thinking she's lost it.
Gina/Hope is standing with her back against the tree, the tree where she first looked into his face.
"Please show up today, I need you, more than I have ever before." she whispers as she takes a drag of her cigarette, then she looks up at Ciara's window, "My little girl needs you."
The whole day she had spent alternating between checking on Ciara and waiting somewhat apprehensively next to the tree. Finally her patience is rewarded as she hears a faint rustling behind her.
"Giovanni?" of course that is not his real name, however she didn't know what else to say.
"Giovanni?! If you are there, I need you."
Silence, then his voice answers very close to her ear.
"Yes, Gina?"
"Don't call me that!"she says, the confusion making her very prickly about the name, then an urgency creeps into her voice. "I am so glad you are here, I need your help, or expertise, or, oh, I don't know." She swings around to face him and nearly collides with him, as he is standing so close to her. His arms steady her, and push her slightly back to look into her eyes.
"What is it, what's wrong?" concern is edged into his face, and relief fills her.
"He's still here for me, he still cares, no matter what Stefano has done to him, he still cares about me."
She throws herself into his arms, as he embraces her and strokes her hair.
"Oh, John! John! It's Ciara. She's being poisoned, I cannot say anything as it is undetectable to the doctors and everyone thinks I've lost it. They don't believe me!"
As he keeps stroking her hair, and hugs her a bit tighter, she bursts into tears. She sheds all the tears she's been holding back ever since waking in hospital, and no one believed her and all Gina's memories came back on top of it all...
When she quiets down, and her shoulders stop shaking, he speaks.
"It won't happen again, and that's a fact. It was Billy, I saw her last night and I took the pills. She can't get more without arousing suspicion. It's over now, I had to come today to make sure Ciara is still okay." His voice is strong, but soothing.
"Thank you, so much, yes, thank you, I knew everything will be okay ever since seeing you."She looks up at his face, from where she is standing in the crook of his arm.
"He is so close, so close." it raises through her mind as she feels the need to bridge the gap and press her lips against his. The same thoughts are written all over his face. She pulls back, embarrassed.
"I'm sorry I fainted on you last time – at least now I have been able to come to terms with seeing you alive." the conversation is awkward and stilted.
John gives a half smile, arching an eyebrow.
"It's not like I expected a different response, and I knew you wouldn't say anything."
"No, you are quite correct, I would not." Then she continues with a slight blush, "I have to apologize for hanging on you earlier, and then the...ah...moment. Gina's memories has come back to haunt me..."
"How strange..."she thinks to herself, "...on different lifetimes they had been both lovers and best friends, and here she is standing not knowing how to speak to him, what to say..."
"I know, that is why I called you Gina, the sneaked smoke breaks kinda gave you away...oh, hell, what are we doing?"He pushes his hand through his hair, then reaches over and pulls her closer, "We've been so close for just about forever, why are we acting so bloody scared to talk to one another..."
The embrace broke her defenses, and she pushes her face into his neck, reveling in the warmth and comfort, trying to ignore the tension he's presence is creating within her body. She has too many memories of this man making love to her, how can she ignore it?
She pulls away, taking his hand..
"Come with, I must speak with you, I must. We can speak in Ciara's room while I check on her."
After checking on Ciara, she tells him the whole story. How Gina's memories returned, how Hope's childhood is a complete blank, everything she has learned since, and her trip to Dr. Dup.
He takes her hand and kisses it.
"Tonight we shall go, provided you can slip away, just like old times, except this time we won't be stealing paintings, but DNA."
She feels a excitement trickling down her spine. "Just like old times." The words conger up more memories, not just of their nightly escapades, getting away with the best art thefts that has ever hit Europe, but also the private celebrations they had in their hotel rooms afterwards.
Getting back to his bedroom is the Dimera mansion, John Black goes to sit on his bed, rubbing at his face, then he lies back, a million thoughts running through his mind...
She might be Gina, his Gina – that is lot to take in. What affect will this have on their relationship? Will he be able to resist her? It never occurred to him that he will ever have to face his feelings for her again. Everyone, including him, thought his Gina had gone crazy, then died from a gunshot.
Until now, his memories of his feelings from his previous lives have left him cold. He followed everyone around, Marlena and Kate as well, without feeling anything except an indifferent observation, recording their movements in his mind to report to Stefano later. Perhaps, it is because he has had closure on his other relationships, he had said his goodbyes, however, with Gina, they were in the throws of a passionate love affair, expecting to run away and be together forever and with no notice he was snatched away from her, and sent to Salem, reprogrammed to be Roman Brady.
In another couple of days, he is supposed to kidnap Ciara, how will that affect their relationship? Why on earth Stefano wants Ciara, he doesn't know. He is forever going on about how he wants to destroy the Brady's, however, this will cause them great distress, but it won't exactly destroy them...
Billy Reed is toying with a piece of string from one of her scatter cushions on the couch. She looks over at Bo and Abe, sitting at the dining room table, discussing Chelsae's case with Chelsea in attendance, drinking yet another drink.
"Why hasn't Hope called yet?" She wonders for the umpteenth time.
She's been waiting for Hope to call here for Bo in hysterics again over Ciara's sudden "illness", and this time she would have had Lexie's husband Abe to confirm that Hope is going crazy. Then it would've been her chance to very subtly plant the idea in their minds that Hope is definitely going off the deep end and may have been poisoning her own child with some undetectable substance, in order to get Bo's attention. This was her chance to get Hope out of the picture for good, and into a mental institution, but now that damn women doesn't want to cooperate. Could she have figured out what is going on? Little Hope Williams? Not a chance, so what went wrong?
At exactly half past seven, the phone rings.
"Hallo?" Billy answers the phone.
"Billy? It's Hope, and I need to speak to Bo, please." The voice on the other side sounds calm and in control, and very, very polite.
"Damn, women!You would swear she couldn't care less.!" Billy peers over to wear Bo is sitting. "But Bo can't hear her, so it's up to me to make it seem as if she's the jealous little wife calling."
"What makes you so sure he's over here? Why don't you phone his cell phone? It may seem as if he spends all his time here, but I can assure you he doesn't." She raises her voice just enough so the trio at the table can hear.
The voice on the other end of the line sounds bored.
"Okay, Billy, when you are done with your enraged innocent act, you can put him on the line. I do not have all day."
With no answer to Hope's response, she holds out the receiver to Bo. He takes it and answers, looking worried.
"Fancy face? We're nearly done he..." he starts to explain when she interrupts him.
"Don't rush, take your time, finish up what you're doing, hell, you can even have dinner over there if you want, or get something on the way, I'm just phoning to say I am going over to Jen's place, so you do not worry when you come home and I'm not here."
"Oh... Okay, love you fancy face."
"Yes, same here, see you later." The phone clicks.
"She's going over to Jennifer's so we don't have any reason to rush." he sounds a little surprised.
"Nothing strange about that." Abe says, putting on the kettle.
"No, I suppose not." Bo sounds a little confused.
What makes him feel this way is her voice, no tension, no anger, just, well, normal, as if she couldn't care less if he stayed the night.
"Oh, no!" Hope cries out with a look off horror on her face.
"What? What is it?" Jennifer looks alarmed.
"I left the iron on, I have to go back home and put it off!" she pulls her coat back on, and rushes to the door.
"Ciara, stay with auntie Jennifer, Mommy will be back very soon. Jen, I'll see you just now."
"Yes, of course, no problem, now go before disaster strikes!"
Jennifer takes Ciara through to kitchen where she proceeds to make hot chocolate, Hope flies out the door, and into her car. Then she pulls away at an amazing speed.
"So far so good." she stops in front of a shady looking pub, and a shaggy looking man with a thick beard gets in.
"All good?" John Black asks as she pulls away.
"Yes, Ciara is at Jennifer's, I came out to put of the iron. We don't have much time, Jennifer is my alibi, in case someone sees something suspicious and runs to Bo."
She parks a block away from Shawn's building, and walk over there for the rest of the way, using the shadowy alley that runs through the back.
"Perhaps I am being paranoid, but if anyone sees anything and tells anyone, it may just reach Stefano or Bo's ears. The last time I had to keep covering suspicious events with stories and everyone knew something was up. I am not in the mood for all those escapades again."
When they reached the place, they worked together just like old times, they both entered through the window, wearing all black clothing, and using their trained techniques.
"If only Shawn was in the country, things would've been so much easier, but I can't wait another two months to get answers." She grumble as they search in the dark for something with Shawn's DNA, something that they can know for certain is his DNA and not anyone else's.
Suddenly they hear a key turning in the lock, and they squash themselves into the cupboard. Then they hear a tap opening and someone filling something with water. The footsteps go past the cupboard. Then there is silence, she can only hear the beating of her own heart. And john's. She becomes aware of John's body heat as he stands pushed against her in the confines of the cupboard. She smells his fragrance and has a memory flash of him on top of her, naked, sweating and panting, and she remembers her own response to his lovemaking. She feels like she can't breath and hears the same silence from John as he looks down at her. She cannot see him at all, but she can feel his light breath on her cheeks. She arches against him and lifts her face up wards toward him. Then his lips meet hers.
They kiss as if they have never kissed before, she can feel him hardening and he can feel her eager fingers on his chest and shoulders and arms. Past mixes with present as her pulls her leg up to leave her foot resting on a shelf behind him, and he explores her leg moving from her ankle up to her thigh. She can feel his urgency as he presses against her, and breathlessly she kisses him back. His lips escape hers as they travel down her jawbone, down to her throat. She arches her back even more, as she feels his lips moving against the swell of her breasts.
"Hi, Shawn." Lucas voice echo's in their minds as they both freeze.
They dare not move as they realize they are not alone. She is still standing with her leg around his waist and her foot resting on the shelf behind him, he still has his hands on her waist. She rests her head on his chest as she tries to calm her body.
"I'm here at your place, everything is fine here. I'll just be watering the plants, and then I'm getting out of here."
Hope/Gina pulls out the compact as she stops in front of Jen's house. She makes sure that her make-up looks undisturbed and fixes her hair. In her handbag is Shawn's roll-on that she took from his cupboard. Luckily he doesn't shave his armpits as many men started doing lately, and one precious little hair got stuck. She now has her DNA sample.
"Hi, I made some hot chocolate." Jen says as she enters the house, "It's cooling though, so Ï suggest you drink it soon."
Hope laughs.
"Yes, I took a little longer than I expected as I went back again to take out the washing from the dryer before they crease."she sits back with her hot chocolate, looking satisfied.
Jennifer laughs.
"Another lucky save."she quips.
"You have no idea." Hope/Gina thinks as she remembers their close call in the cupboard. A shiver of excitement runs down her spine...