A/N: Please bear with. This will be messy, suspenseful and overall a bit of a mess. Trina will be with Rory but Sprina is the story and the endgame. Never forget that.
Chapter 1 - Distance
A hedge, a bet, a gamble that is what he had done with Trina's life. He thought that he could get a confession out of the witch, but the witch was more wicked than he had dreamed. A contrast to when they had first met, or maybe she appealed to the darker nature of his heritage. He certainly had time to consider it as he sat in the a cell waiting to do his prison bid. The part of the precinct reserved for prisoners waiting for transport was dark, dull and dingey. The cell was small, dank and if desperation had a smell, he was sure he was smelling it in the cell. In spite of it all, he had no regrets. He chewed on his inner cheek and picked at his cuticles, a nervous habit he had since a child. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't hear Dante approach the cell.
"You are popular, you have a visitor." He informed him. Spencer rolled his eyes, he couldn't imagine who would be visiting him. If one more person tried to convince him to change his mind, he would scream since he couldn't throw anything. Trina would want him to do the right thing. She was always telling him to use his powers of privilege and influence for good instead of abusing them. That for once he should stand up and do the right thing despite his privilege providing him with the easy way out. Privilege that she didn't have, or she wouldn't be waiting on a jury to decide her fate for a crime everyone knows she did not commit.
Time slowed when she walked in. It was a loud, the 'doon, doon, doon' thumping in his ears when he saw her approach the cell. She had come to see him. He wasn't expecting her visit, however, he couldn't be happier to see her. Just to set sight on her, to drink her in had improved his day immensely. It had become one of his favorite things. It could make him happy, comfort him, reassure him or even turn him on. She had his world spun on its axis; he was hooked since day one. His face cracked into his usual cocky grin.
"Fancy seeing you here. Pardon the accommodations." She rolled her eyes as she stepped closer placing her hands on the bars. She looked up at him, face full of concern. So much concern that he couldn't bare to look at her, so he averted his eyes. Still, he could feel her eyes on him. He always could.
"Spencer." She called softly, he couldn't help but look at her, acknowledge her. Once his eyes met hers there was a long beat of silence. He swallowed thickly preparing for the heavy conversation that he knew was coming. She hadn't come to discuss her courtroom confession; she was there to change his mind.
"Spencer, what are you doing? Ninety days in Pentonville? You must take the deal." He laughed bitterly.
"I thought you would be happy. Isn't this what you wanted? For me to be a man?" She shook her head sadly. He had it all wrong. Yes the way that he had wielded his power and influence had frustrated her at times but prison? It was harsh. The DA's office didn't do their due diligence when charging her. Her trial was an embarrassment for them and now they were making an example of Spencer. It just wasn't fair.
"You think that I want you to go to maximum security prison? Pentonville?" He ran his hand through his hair once again trying to avoid contact as he looked away. Her eyes were large pools of the deepest brown that sucked him in. He could happily drown in them without complaint. "Oh come off it Spencer! I said that I wanted you to be the man I know you can be. That I see in you. The one you hide from everyone so that your vulnerabilities aren't noticeable. I want you to be real not some façade." She sighed.
"Sometimes, I feel like those moments as Victor were the realest you've ever been if you weren't lying." He pursed his lips as he considered her words. She was right, in a way. Using Victor as an alias allowed him to connect with someone who didn't know him. He could just be himself without his family name giving the first impression for him.
"Did my father come to you?" He asked tiredly choosing to ignore her comment. Off her silence he scrubbed a tired hand down his face.
"My father is a hypocrite. He always says he wants me to be a better man, Yet, you both want me to take the easy way out again. To be quite honest this change is quite confusing." He frowned fighting tears. Nerves bunched together; fear seeped into his harden façade. He was terrified, ninety days in Pentonville was hard time. For all he knew it could feel like years. He knew what happened to his cousin when he was there. He had heard the stories about Pentonville.
"Listen, I know...I know what we've said in the past, but you have to know how to pick your battles. Yes, you are spoiled, entitled and privileged. You are also connected, and they are making an example of you. You don't…you don't deserve this." Her voice cracked as she looked up at him pleadingly. He shook his head with a sad shrug.
"Don't I? I terrorized my stepmother. I used my stepsister and the monster who killed her daughter to do it. I was driven by anger, hatred. I am lucky 90 days is all that I face." Unshed tears escaped her eyes. He took her hands in his.
"Hey, don't do that." He thumbed away her tears swallowing the lump forming in his throat. He hated to see her hurt. "Ninety days isn't so long. It'll go by in no time. I'll be home by Christmas." She sniffed looking up at him. She reached her hand up to caress his cheek. She wanted to reach him somehow, to get through to him, but he was determined. She had hoped that it wasn't to prove a point to her because he didn't have to. It was the last thing she wanted.
"You don't have to do that. It's ok to be scared. It is a scary place." He closed his eyes allowing himself a moment to enjoy the softness of her touch.
"I mean the food will be awful. I'll probably lose weight, but I can carb load when I get out." He attempted to lighten the mood, she only glared in response.
"It's not going to make either of us feel better if I tell you that I'm terrified. I can't let it consume me because I won't survive. I still have a few reasons to survive, Trina. I'm looking at one." She sighed in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and reassure her. The truth was that he had questions of his own. Would he be the same when he was free? Was ninety days enough to drastically change a person? She turned away, clenching her fists at her sides.
"I should have stopped you. I knew that it wouldn't make a difference. I should have—" he reached for her through the bars taking her hand in his. She turned to face him, grabbing his other hand.
"I made you believe that I didn't have faith in you. I made you hate me. I did that! You couldn't have known." He said sadly.
"I never hated you." He smiled.
"No?" He raised an eyebrow.
"I have this sinking feeling that you know that jerk." He chuckled.
"I suspected but there were times when I did doubt it and could only hope." He admitted.
"I didn't I was-"
"You know, the rules are no touching. Trina what is going on?" Rory approached skeptically his hands shoved in his pockets, his eyes landed hard on Spencer. The scene before him was intimate. Trina's eyes were wet from crying, Spencer was near tears. They were standing too close together considering the bars separating them. They were holding hands.
"What is going on is that you are interrupting a private conversation." Spencer was in no mood for the young officer. The unprofessional officer who got involved with a suspect on a case. Spencer didn't trust him.
"Rory, I was visiting Spencer. I needed to talk to him." Trina started not realizing that she was still holding onto Spencer's hand until Rory looked at her hand in Spencer's.
"About?" Rory didn't understand why Trina would want to talk to Spencer at all. He had broken her heart, flaunted his girlfriend in her face. A girlfriend who became so jealous that she had framed Trina for a crime that she did not commit.
"None of your business. Don't you have patrol duty somewhere?" The moments of vulnerability that had occurred were gone. His face was all hard lines and contempt. Trina knew that he was ready to spar and there was no getting through to him when he was in that state.
"What are you doing here?" Trina asked Rory.
Looking at his watch, Rory frowned, "We are supposed to have dinner at the Metrocourt or did you forget?" Trina was about to respond when Spencer blurted out.
"He's a cop, don't get the surf and turf." Rory rolled his eyes.
"You should be more concerned with your last meal, Cassadine." Rory tossed back hotly.
"Rory that isn't funny." Trina glared at him. Rory shrugged.
"The food in Pentonville is awful." He smirked at Spencer.
"I've considered that fact. I know what I want my last meal to be." He blatantly looked Trina up and down then boldly smirked.
"As if that will ever happen. Trina has moved on." Rory started toward the cell and Spencer spread his arms in challenge with a shrug.
"Trina is standing right here. What I'm not going to do is be spoken about as if I'm not here nor participate in…" she gestured between them "whatever this is." She walked out.
"Why don't you go chase her you little puppy?" Spencer quipped.
"You aren't worth it. The fact is, Trina is my girlfriend. You messed up. Which…thank you by the way." Rory put his finger to his chin thoughtfully.
"Flowers might be a nice way to make this up to her." He smiled.
"Officer Cabrera, I wasn't aware that you were assigned to Spencer's cell." Dante approached.
"I was looking for Trina." Dante looked around for Trina. "She left, Spencer and I were coming to an understanding." Spencer laughed.
"That wouldn't be fair seeing as though you aren't very quick." Spencer smirked at him. He knew that he made Rory feel threatened. If he were honest, he loved every second of it.
"You should probably go find the person that you were actually looking for." Dante suggested and Rory took the hint. One more glance at Spencer then he left.
"The PCPD needs to make better choices when recruiting rookies." Dante smiled at his cousin. He knew that Spencer felt something for Trina. He could tell from their previous conversation in the interrogation room.
"Looks like someone is a little green." Spencer laughed out loud.
"Me? Jealous of that guy?" Spencer laughed again. "Not even possible."
"If you say so. Well, it pays to have connections." He pulled out his keys. "You are getting a small reprieve. You can go home but you will need to be at Pentonville in two weeks." Spencer smiled.
"I get escorted out by my big cousin, now that is connections." Dante unlocked the cell. "Which we both have, by the way." Dante sighed.
"That I've only known for a certain amount of time and reject." Spencer shrugged.
"Networking is making connections. Is that also frowned upon?" Dante pondered the question.
"No, and we both know that you are smart enough to know the difference. Your things are at the front desk." Spencer shook his head then walked out. Yes, he had some growing up to do but some things he couldn't apologize for.
Trina didn't go to the Metrocourt, she had gone home instead. She didn't want to argue with Rory, but she could understand why he might be upset. He had every reason to worry about Spencer. Her heart knew that but logically, her brain denied it. She wasn't expecting a visitor to be waiting for her.
