"How DARE he push me like that!" Gina walked down the hallway of Salem Inn. Once again, she had a cigarette in her grasp-but it did nothing to calm her. "Talking to the boy was pleasant…but the father-I should've let Stefano have his way with him." She reached a door and knocked on it. While waiting for an answer, she used her free hand to straighten out her hair and smooth out her clothes. Can't let Aldo see me in such disarray.

When the door opened, she had been poised in a seductive stance. Aldo's eyes lit up in delight. "GINA!" Gracefully she leaned into his embrace. "Come in!" He took her by the hand and led her into the room.

Two other figures approached her and she greeted them in familiarity. "Rita! Vincente!" Gina noticed a section of the large room designated as the artist area.

Rita and Vincente each took their turn to greet Gina with a kiss on each side of her cheek. "Bella…have you come to join us in creativity?" Vincente ushered her near an easel.

Painting was definitely the answer to get Brady out of her mind. "Vincente, hand me a brush." Gina exchanged her cigarette for a paintbrush and immediately placed swooshes of color on an awaiting easel.

Rita came up behind her, standing between Vincente and Aldo-who slunk an arm around her, "You always did have that unique talent to have an image ready to paint, Gina."

Gina paused in mid-stroke and glanced at Rita from over her shoulder, "Yet I have managed to learn a trick or two from the three of you." They laughed in response.

Aldo and Rita moved back to their easels, while Vincente moved to the mini-bar, "Can I get you a drink, Bella?"

"Yes, please." Gina leaned into her painting to get a closer perspective upon intricately detailing a piece of her art. When she leaned back to admire her work, Vincente was there with a glass of champagne for her. She gave him a million dollar smile, "Thank you, Vincente." He smiled in return, wondering if the others were as giddy as him in the Princess's presence.

On his way to the Brady Pub for dinner, Shawn-D passed by couples and clusters of friends excitedly raving about having royalty in their town. He stopped himself a few times just as he was about to inform some of them that they were talking about his mother. Well, it's half true. Shawn-D mused with a sigh, seeing the pub a few buildings away.

When he entered the pub, Shawn-D noticed Grandpa Shawn behind the bar. "Well, I'll be…"

"Hi, Grandpa." Shawn-D sat on a stool.

"Enjoying winter break?"

Shawn-D shrugged, "Kinda."

"Oh. It's your Mum, right?" Grandpa Shawn assessed. "She's still that Princess, hmm?"

Shawn-D nodded, "Yeah. But if Dad's plan works…she won't be a Princess much longer."

"Really now." Grandpa Shawn placed a burger in front of his grandson. "What's he got planned?"

"Ya know about the party on Friday, right?" Grandpa Shawn nodded to Shawn-D's question. "Well, Dad thinks that having my Mom's friends and family there will get her back."

"And what do you think?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to try. I really miss 'er." Shawn-D took a bite of his burger.

"We all do." Grandpa Shawn agreed. "Just let Grandma and I know if there's anything we can do."

"Sure thing, Grandpa." Shawn-D went back to his burger and Grandpa Shawn moved to serve other customers.

It was past late-evening when Gina arrived back at the Mansion. She stopped at the front door and turned away as she recalled what she had done earlier. She wasn't worried that she hadn't finished her painting-especially when she recalled Aldo stealing her attention for a dance, with Vincente asking soon after. Then they sat around, laughing and vividly reminiscing of their wild times together. Between the champagne and her raw passion, Gina soon got intimate with Aldo and wound up sleeping with him only to leave his bed hours later to return home.

"Gina, darling…" She turned to see Stefano in the doorway. "…what are you doing standing in the dark? Come in." She allowed him to usher her inside.

"Sorry, Steffy. I had just arrived." Gina replied-taking her coat off. "I was with Aldo to calm down after the fiasco with Bo." She explained. He took her coat and hung it up.

"Well, you are safe. That is all that matters." Stefano took her hand and pulled her upstairs upon noting her uncharastic yawn. Once in her room, Gina moved to change behind a screen. Stefano watched her shadowed figure. "Lily was here this evening for you."

From behind the screen, Gina replied, "How unfortunate that I had missed her." She finally stepped out wearing knock-out royal purple silk pajamas. Gina didn't mind having Stefano staring at her-such a thing from men she was quite used to. However, it fueled her consciousness to blatantly flaunt her beauty. "I shall have to visit her tomorrow."

Stefano nodded as she moved to the vanity. "So…I don't want to dampen your current mood, Gina dear…but I'm curious about how Bo Brady upset you."

Gina frowned and set her comb down, but when she turned to Stefano there was a smile on her face. She knew his concern for her was honestly real. She hadn't forgotten of his lust for her, remembering how so many years ago and more recently this past year that he had to stifle his desires. However, their Sub romp was an exception-though at the time she only used it as leverage to deter his suspicions of her in an attempt to regain his trust. Gina ended her thoughts as she swept her gaze over his figure and set to answer him, "His delusions are quite overwhelming. And it's affecting that boy of his…leading him to believe that his mother will come back."

"And I assume…" Stefano began, not bothered by her delayed response. He actually enjoyed the gazes she gave him. And despite knowing that it was Hope transformed into Gina, often he believed that it was Gina deep down to the core of the woman sitting at the vanity. The transformed Hope was just that good at emitting the Princess. Stefano was surely proud of his creation, as well as taking a Brady and making her fully his. The joy of now being able to rub it in the faces of his enemies was intoxicating.

Gina stood up and slipped into her defiant stance as she approached him, "Do you honestly thing I want to give up my life and go back to being a boring Brady?"

Stefano placed his hands on her upper arms to sooth her, "I wouldn't even dream of that, Gina. I enjoy you more as you are now rather than meddling Hope Williams-Brady." He was rewarded with a brief smile as his comment reminded her of their tryst on the sub and their relationship in general. "I think you enjoy me a bit too much, Steffy-possibly more than any other man-not that I'm complaining."

Unable to resist any longer, Stefano pulled her close enough to kiss her. Gina neither resisted nor encouraged him, even when he boldly deepened the kiss. Stefano pulled away after a moment and Gina hid her emotions as he brushed her bangs aside and bid her sweet dreams.

Gina stared at the now closed bedroom door and put a hand to her lips, still feeling Stefano's lips on hers. She couldn't resist the flood of memories of certain kisses of her past. Gina recalled her moments with Aldo, Stefano, John and Bo. However, her thoughts of Bo suddenly escalated. Gina turned to the mirror of her vanity and saw that thinking of Brady brought tears to her eyes, "Oh, Bo…"

Before her Gina side could stop herself, she had picked up her phone resting on the bedside nightstand. Quickly, she dialed his number before she could change her mind. He had answered on the second ring.

"Brady here."

She found she couldn't reply. Impatiently, he spoke again.

"Hello? Who is this?"

She wanted to answer him; instead she pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up on him. Gina set the phone back down and solemnly crawled into bed. When her phone rang, she froze and stared at it. Not wanting to confront who it was-knowing that it was Bo-Gina reached for it and turned it off before giving in to sleep.