Author's Note: I don't know how everyone else feels about all the recent cast changes at GH, but I wasn't exactly thrilled by most of them (I was one of those people that thought Jacob Young & Coltin Scott were awesome as Lucky & Nikolas. So, a lot of the things I write about those characters will probably show a greater reflection on the previous actors rather than the current ones - not that I have anything against Greg V. or Tyler C!!! Both are great actors!)

I can't help but feel that the Gia-recast fiasco was the beginning of the end for my GH viewing days. And, that is the motive behind this chapter. I just think that recasting Gia was a bad idea. If TPTB wanted to completely alter her personality and characteristics, why not just write Gia off and create a new character? Alas, I have not the answers. LOL

Anyway, enough of my whining about the recasts over at General Hospital. Now, I'll complain about the recasts at Days . . . . just kidding. Here's the story:

Chimera: Chapter 2

The setting sun set the evening sky ablaze behind the mansion. Pulling his car to a stop in the front drive, Rex cast a weary glance at the scarlet sky that was a backdrop for the elegant Quartermaine home.

Cassie chose to ignore the sinister look of the sunset as she stepped out of the vehicle. Her gaze resting on the large mansion, she muttered, "Okay, so maybe our new family members aren't exactly hillbillies who'll stick us outside with the animals."

Rex found that he had no real response for Cassie's comment. For the first time since he and his sister had decided to leave Salem, Rex truly felt intimidated. Yet, he knew there was no turning back. The past and all its misconceptions were behind him . . . and there was no going back. The path of life could lead him in only one direction - forward.

Not bothering with the luggage that was stored in the trunk, Rex began to slowly walk toward the portentous front door. As expected, his sister followed a few feet behind him. Just as the apprehensive duo where within ten feet of the entrance, the door was flung open.

"Sorry, Grandfather, but I'm not one of your possessions," yelled the young man in the doorway. "And, if I want to go hang out with Mac Scorpio's daughter - you can't stop me!"

Harshly slamming the front door as he stepped outside into the heated August evening, the young man finally took notice of his unexpected audience. Taking in the girl's vibrant hair color and the young man's skin tone and dark blonde locks that reminded him a little too much of his own, Dillon deduced, "Let me guess. You're the twins."

Rex found himself far too much on edge to utilize the manners that he had cultured as the supposed son of Tony DiMera. "Who are you?"

His guess affirmed by Rex's defensive nature, Dillon casually reached out his right hand and replied, "Dillon Quartermaine - another deserted child of our mother. Which, I guess, makes me your brother."

Cassie smiled timidly at the teenager. "So, Tracy abandoned you, too?"

Dillon motioned toward the mansion with a wide gesture of his arms. "Would I be here if she hadn't?"

Unsure how to take Dillon's comment, Rex stated, "I suppose Cassie and I should go inside and introduce ourselves to the rest of the family."

Dillon quickly blocked Rex and Cassie as they began to approach the front door once more. "Actually, they're not even expecting you guys for another hour or two. If you want, we can head into town and grab some chow before you make those introductions." Releasing a dry laugh, Dillon added, "Besides, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to jump into the insanity."

"Insanity?" Cassie echoed. "I'm not sure I understand."

"No," replied Dillon. "But, you will."

~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~ * * ~

Feeling a gentle tap on his shoulder, Zander Smith quickly looked up from his coffee. "Gia, hey . . . "

Gia offered Zander a weak smile as she sat down on the stool beside him at Kelly's. It amazed Gia how rapidly her life had changed in the past year. Not too long ago she had been the Face of Deception and been engaged to the Cassadine heir. Next, her world had flipped upside down and she had turned back to her law studies and abandoned her engagement to Nikolas. Then, she'd found herself lured into some type of genuine friendship with Zander Smith. And, last but not least, she had begun to fall for the former drug dealer just as his first love Emily returned to him.

Just as Gia was preparing to speak, Lucky Spencer stormed in the front door of Kelly's and unhappily plopped himself down on the free barstool beside Gia.

Absorbing the perturbed look upon her once photographer's face, Gia remarked, "Why do I get the feeling I'm not the only one having a bad day?"

Lucky didn't bother to smile as he carelessly tossed a letter onto the bar. As Gia hesitantly picked up the letter and began to read it, Lucky explained, "Apparently, Lydia and Nikolas found some loophole to get to the inheritance without actually having to get married. So, Lydia has already pranced back to Europe with no goodbye other than that note." Glancing over at Gia, Lucky muttered, "You should skim down to the last paragraph, that's where she says that even though she found me quite entertaining, she really couldn't endure Port Charles for another day now that she's free to return to Europe with her cash."

Zander swallowed a drink of his steaming coffee and thought over Lucky's situation. "You probably don't want to hear this right now, but you're better off without her. That broad was way too high maintenance. Besides, I've never been very fond of redheads."

As a silence overtook the trio, Gia decided that she might as well say what she had originally tracked Zander down to say. She kept her downhearted gaze on the countertop as she announced, "Lydia isn't the only one skipping town. I plan to leave Port Charles early tomorrow morning."

Instantly, Zander and Lucky turned to face Gia in an almost synchronized manner. Certain that he was only misunderstanding Gia, Zander questioned, "What?"

"I'm leaving Port Charles," Gia repeated. Looking up first at Zander then Lucky, Gia forced herself to hold back the tears. There was no way she was going to let those two guys see her cry. She had spent far too long upholding her unconcerned image to let the mask fall now. "I've decided that it would be best if I go back to Columbia to finish up law school." Gia returned her gaze to the countertop. "Besides, it's not like I have anything left in Port Charles. Marcus is no longer working here, and my mother is planning to go back to her job in Brooklyn."

Asking the only question his mind could formulate, Lucky hesitantly demanded, "Have you told Nikolas?"

"Would he even care if I did?" Gia frowned and released a grumbled profanity when Lucky gave her no response. "Fine, I'll call him and ask him to meet me here. Happy?"

"Not really," answered Lucky with a wry grin.

Gia reluctantly removed her cell phone from her purse. Punching the keypad with quick taps of her fingertip, she dialed a number that she had tried quite hard to forget. When the voice on the other end greeted her, Gia responded, "Nikolas, it's Gia. I was wondering if you might be able to meet me at Kelly's . . . Yeah, twenty minutes would be fine . . . See you then."

No sooner had Gia dropped the phone back into the purse did Zander remark, "I'm honestly going to miss you."

Using humor as her weapon against the sadness, Gia replied, "Zander, don't you make me cry. Because, if my mascara and eye liner start running down my face, you are gonna pay." Gia tossed Lucky a quick glance. "That goes for you, too."

Lucky nodded his head as his mind raced back in time. After several seconds had passed in a comfortable silence, he remarked, "I can't believe I didn't like you when we first met."

"Yeah, well, I didn't like you either, so I guess that makes us even."

Zander chuckled lowly and added, "To be honest, I really hated you when we first met."

"Again, the feeling was mutual," retorted Gia with a slight smile. Though she was doing her very best to make light of her impending departure, she was truly going to miss the friends she had unexpectedly made in Port Charles. Somewhere along life's twisted path, Port Charles had transformed itself from just another New York town to Gia's home. Laughing aloud, Gia added, "The more I think about it, Zander, the more I realize that I really hated you back then. You were such a punk."

In Zander's defense, Lucky commented, "This coming from the girl that began her life in Port Charles as a blackmailing nanny."

Gia, along with her two male companions, laughed softly as the last rays of the sun faded and the world outside Kelly's began to darken.

Unnoticed by the reminiscing trio, Dillon led his newly discovered siblings into the diner. Opening his arms as though to encompass the entire room, Dillon declared, "Welcome to Kelly's - not exactly the hotspot of Port Charles, but you won't find a better burger in the state."

Cassie attempted to mask her disdain for such a humble locale as she remarked, "How nice. Really, it looks quite comfortable."

Dillon tossed his sister a skeptical glance before seating himself at an available table. "Yeah, I can tell you're real impressed."

"It's just that it reminds me of a place that Ro- . . . our birth father's family owns. You know, small and cheap," explained Cassie. Sitting down directly across from Dillon, she continued, "Although, this place isn't near as homely as the pub."

As he did far too often, Rex gave Cassie a stern glance to silently reprimand her behavior. He reluctantly sat down in one of the free chairs at the table and said, "That's all behind us now. Our life is here in Port Charles."

"Of course," Cassie complied with a wicked smile. "Heaven forbid I even speak about our last home."

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the level of tension, Dillon casually stated, "Okay, why don't I flag down a waitress and order those burgers now."

Just as Penny approached the table to take the Quartermaines' orders, the front door of Kelly's swung open. With an air of superiority that would rival that of the most prestigious Cassadine or Quartermaine, Mrs. Sonny Corinthos entered. She quickly glanced around the establishment until she saw her mother appear behind the counter.

Striding over to the end of the bar opposite that of Zander, Lucky, and Gia, Carly huffily perched herself upon a stool. She sighed dramatically before greeting, "Hi, Bobbie."

"Hi, sweetheart," returned the older redhead. Having watched Carly's entrance as she herself exited the kitchen, Bobbie had instantly felt that something was wrong. And, Carly's obvious attempts to further draw attention to herself only increased Bobbie's motherly worries. "Carly, what's wrong?"

"Sonny and I had another fight."

"Then why are you here? Carly, if you really love Sonny . . ."

Interrupting her mother with a fit of offended anger, Carly spat, "Of course I love Sonny! He's my [i]husband[/i]."

"Fine, then go home and straighten out whatever mess has you so upset. You can't expect Sonny to come running after you every time you storm out of the penthouse."

Carly opened her mouth to speak but quickly snapped it shut. She had wandered into Kelly's looking for some familial support. Yet, Carly had instead found the voice of reason - and she didn't feel like listening this time. "I'm leaving."

Bobbie was given no time to protest as her daughter stomped across the room to make her exit. Shaking her head, Bobbie asked herself, "What am I going to do with that girl?"

Carly was grouchily pushing the door open just as someone from outdoors was preparing to enter. Harshly slamming into the man, Carly looked up and found her level of annoyance only increasing. With surprising strength, she pushed the man to the side and muttered, "Get out of my way - before I send my uncle Luke after you with a stake."

Nikolas felt his eyes involuntarily narrow as the blonde fiend disappeared around the corner of the building. To himself he muttered, "What a psycho."

Attempting to enter Kelly's once more, Nikolas was relieved to find that no mob molls or Quartermaine exes were darting out of the building this time. Nearly as soon as he stepped inside, he spotted his brother and Gia across the room with Zander Smith. "As if my day wasn't bad enough already."

Sitting down beside Lucky, Nikolas softly greeted, "Hello, everyone." He waited a moment for his companions to respond with the generic 'hi' before he said to his half-brother, "Have I ever mentioned how offensive your cousin is?"

"My cousin?" Lucky muttered aloud. Realization dawning upon him, he muttered, "Oh, you mean Carly. Yeah, my dad's still trying to figure out how she hasn't ended back up in Ferncliff."

Just when it seemed that the entire counter would fall into a bottomless pit of silence, Gia forced a smile on her face and hinted, "Zander, didn't you and Lucky just say that you both had a ton of things to get done before calling it a night?"

Lucky smirked in spite of his sour mood. Subtlety had never been Gia Campbell's strong suit. Answering for Zander, he said, "Yeah, we really should be heading out." Lucky took a few steps away from the counter before he turned around and quietly said, "I'll see you around, Gia."

"See ya, Lucky. Bye, Zander."

Zander replied with a simple nod before following Lucky out of the building and leaving Nikolas and Gia with a bar stool and a world of memories between them.

"So," began Gia. "I hear you managed to escape your wedding. Congratulations - I think."

Nikolas smiled gently and tried to think of a reply. Gia's demeanor alone warned him that he was about to be hit by something. And, until he knew what was lurking just ahead, he couldn't think about anything else. "Not to be rude, but why did you call me?"

"Gee, don't bother being subtle."

"As I recall neither of us were ever very good at it, Sparky."

Though she wanted nothing more than to keep her impending goodbye formal and detached, Gia found herself smiling when Nikolas used the pet name he had given her so long ago.

"Okay, you want me to be direct?"

"Definitely."

"I'm leaving Port Charles. First thing tomorrow, I'm flying out."

For a brief moment, Nikolas frowned. Then, his lips twisted into an uncertain smile. "You're joking, right? Come on, tell me what's really going on."

"It's not a joke. I've decided to leave Port Charles. It's not like I ever really meant to stay here, Nikolas. If it hadn't been for meeting you while I was blackmailing Emily, I probably wouldn't have stayed in this town more than a week. I would have visited Marcus, then left."

His smile long erased, Nikolas commented, "You're really leaving. This is goodbye." He rolled his head back as he began to place the pieces together. "That's why you were acting so weird when Lucky and Zander were here. They knew your plans to leave, and you were saying goodbye to them, too."

For the umpteenth time that evening, Gia forced herself to not cry. She'd had numerous ups and downs while living in Port Charles, and she was determined to not leave on a down. No matter how much she was going to miss the city, Gia would not allow herself to cry about her own departure. Her life would go on - she'd make sure of it.

More to himself than Gia, Nikolas commented, "It seems like the whole world is changing and I'm trapped in the center of the chaos. You're leaving town, Lucky has repeatedly had his heart crushed this past year, my uncle's made a return to Port Charles, and I very nearly got married. And, I've got a creepy suspicion that this is only the beginning of the changes in my life."

Gia allowed herself to move over a bar stool so that she was seated directly to Nikolas' right. "You can't control everything Nikolas. No matter how hard you try, there are going to be things that even you can't fix."

"I'm honestly going to miss you, Gia."

"Yeah, well, I guess I'll miss you, too - even if you are a spoiled, bratty prince."

Nikolas laughed softly and wrapped an arm around Gia's shoulders. His voice erupting in a tender whisper, Nikolas rhetorically asked, "How did we get here?"

Gia allowed several minutes to pass with her head rested on Nikolas's shoulder and his arm encircling her. Mustering up the strength to let go of both the past and the present, Gia pulled away to begin her future. She smiled softly and said, "Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone. You know, keep the corpses out of the freezer and all that stuff."

Laughing once more, Nikolas answered, "I'll do my best."

Before she had time to analyze her actions, Gia leaned forward and gave her former beau a quick kiss on the cheek. "Take care of yourself."

Without another word, Gia turned away and walked out the front doors. The very second she was outside, she felt tears begin to slip down her cheeks. Peeking inside at Nikolas once more, Gia wiped away her tears and slightly smiled. "Goodbye, Nikolas."