"Oh God." Gia rolled over onto her side and brought her knees up against her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and pressed her forehead against them. She struggled to control her breathing. She murmured. "Damn."

Flashes of her vivid dream came back to her. Her in the kitchen feeding Caterina. Suddenly Stavros appeared in the room with them.

He announced, "I want my daughter. Give her to me. Now."

Gia recoiled in horror and took Caterina and tried to run out of the room. But Nikolas was the door blocking her. He stared at her with dead eyes and said, "I can't believe I ever thought I loved you. You slept with my father. You're disgusting. My sister belongs to the Cassadines. Give her to us."

Gia flinched at his words but she still shook her head and said, "No."

Nikolas started to reach for Caterina but Gia sidestepped him. But when she did Stefan in from nowhere and stopped her. He said, his tone condescending. "Your services are no longer needed, Miss Campbell. Turn the child over to us."

"You can't have her!" Gia shouted. She went to push Stefan back but he suddenly moved away and Helena walked in behind him. Gia stared at her in shock and found she couldn't move. She stood there helplessly as Helena swooped in and took Caterina from her arms.

Helena tickled the little girl under her chin and smiled down at her. She looked at Gia and smiled triumphantly. "Mine."

Helena turned and walked out of the kitchen. Stefan and Nikolas followed her. Stavros was the last to leave and he paused to grin at Gia.

His grin was the last image in her mind.

Gia rolled out of her bed and on shaky legs walked over to the crib that Lucky had waiting for her the day they brought Caterina home from the hospital. She checked to see if she'd woken her up. She stared down at the sleeping baby and took comfort in the gently rise and fall of her chest. It'd been almost two months but every day she looked at her she was still amazed that this was hers. Gia gripped the railing and squeezed her eyes shut.

She whispered. "They won't touch you."

She opened her eyes and said it again, louder, stronger. "They won't touch you."

She leaned down and pulled the blanket up over her daughter. "I won't let them. I'll protect you, never ever doubt that."

She kissed her fingertips and brushed them against the baby's cheeks. Caterina stirred slightly but didn't wake up. Gia sighed and took a seat by the window. She pushed back the gauzy white curtain and stared out at the yard. She curled her feet under her and tried her best to get comfortable. She had a feeling she would be sitting there for a long time. There was no way she was going to be getting any sleep any time soon.

~*~*~

"Who's the sweetest baby in the world?" Gia cooed to Caterina as she changed the baby's diaper. Caterina lay in the middle of Gia's bed gazing up at her mother. Whenever Gia leaned close enough a braid would slip forward and Caterina would grab for it. "Who's the most precious, the most special, the most even tempered little girl in the world?"

Lucky snorted from Gia's doorway. She glanced in his direction. He wore a pair of blue flannel pajama bottoms, his blonde hair stuck up in several different directions and he clutched a mug of coffee in one hand. He looked how she felt, run down and tired. Of course she had an excuse; her dream kept her up for the rest of the night.

She quirked an eyebrow. "You don't agree?"

"With the little dictator being even tempered?" Lucky snorted again. "Right, I guess you slept through all that noise last night?"

"She was just showing off her lungs. She's proud of them you know." Gia flashed a quick smile. She tried to look stern when she told Lucky, "And don't call her the little dictator."

"Why not? It fits. Who else rules this house?" Lucky shuffled into the room and sat down to the baby. He gave her his finger to hold on to while Gia turned and disposed of the dirty diaper. "Or maybe you'd prefer I go back to calling her the tiny terror?"

Gia sighed. "Why can't you just come up with a nice normal nickname? Like sweetheart or darling or…"

"What fun would that be?" Lucky grinned. He passed Gia a new diaper, the baby wipes, and baby powder.

"You need some help." Gia shook her head as she worked.

"Actually what I need is some breakfast." Lucky hinted.

"Oh no, I am not making you breakfast." Gia said. She made a few silly faces at the baby and Lucky had to bit back a smile.

"Hey, it's your turn." He pointed out. "I did last week, remember, in return for a week off from diaper duty. So I'd like a nice thick slice of ham and maybe some homefries and…"

Gia redressed the baby and gathered her up in her arms. "You're getting Cheerios and you're going to like it."

Lucky made a face. "Don't we have anything with a little bit of sugar and taste? Or better yet with a lot of sugar and taste?"

"I don't know…someone finished off the last of the Captain Crunch the other day. So we're stuck with the bland but good for you crap." Gia slid a glance towards him.

"That was you." Lucky gestured at her with his mug.

"Oh. Crap, that was me." Gia frowned. "Looks like we're both getting punished here."

~*~*~

Later that night, Gia was curled up in the corner of the couch waiting for Lucky to finish bathing Caterina. He'd won the coin toss after dinner. In exchange for him bathing Caterina, Gia would make him the huge breakfast that he wanted tomorrow. Gia was taking the few quiet moments she had to scribble a few lines down in her journal. She was purposely ignoring all thoughts about her dream. It wasn't something she wanted to concentrate on. God, it scared the shit out of her. So she focused on her writing.

Back at Columbia the only course she really liked was the creative writing class. She'd discovered that she had a knack for it and her professor urged her to keep a journal for her thoughts and poems and short stories. After she left Columbia and started to work as an au pair she'd let her writing lapse. After she moved in with Nikolas she completely dropped it, instead focusing all her attention on Nikolas and the Face of Deception. She regretted her decision after she got to Texas. A few weeks after settling in she went down to the local bookstore and brought herself several journals. Whenever she had the chance she jotted things down, a few short poems, once a really long epic poem about the pains of swollen ankles. It was satisfying.

"Here she is, little Miss 'Rina, all bathed and fresh and ready for her bottle and bed time." Lucky announced loudly, breaking her train of thought.

Lucky came in carrying Caterina and a warmed up bottle. He was once again dressed in his blue flannel pajama bottoms. Gia wrinkled her nose as she realized how sick she was of seeing him in those. She was going to have to talk him into getting some new ones. Then again, they did show his butt very nicely, she thought with a wicked grin.

She closed her journal and placed it beside her on the couch. She reached out for Caterina as he came over to the couch but he ignored her and sat down next to her. She frowned slightly then asked. "How was the bath?"

"Perfect." Lucky declared as he adjusted Caterina in the crook of his arm and slipped the bottle between her lips. "She didn't splash around once or cry when I poured the water over her head or anything. Isn't that right, little dictator?"

"Don't call her that." Gia said automatically.

"And we had a talk about a certain Miss Mommy who eats all the good cereal and leaves the yucky healthy stuff behind."

"You brought the Cheerios." Gia pointed out.

"I had to toss something in there so the cashiers didn't think all we ate was junk." Lucky shrugged.

"Can I have my baby now?" Gia asked with a smirk.

"You had her all morning, no fair." Lucky faked a pout.

"She's my daughter." Gia smiled.

"Hey, she's as much mine as she is yours. I've changed the poopy diapers. At least twice." Lucky said smugly.

Gia lifted her eyebrow. "Who actually had to push her out her body?"

Lucky grimaced and passed the baby over to Gia. He shook his finger. "See now, you always have that unfair advantage, how am I supposed to win against that?"

"You can't." Gia grinned. "Is she done with her bottle?"

"Yeah." Lucky said, sitting it on the coffee table. He noticed Gia's journal. "Writing again?"

Gia nodded and propped Caterina up against her shoulder. She started to burp her. "Uh-huh."

Lucky started to inch his hand over to her "Mind if I take a peak?"

"No." Gia's hand shot out and grabbed the journal in time to toss it over her shoulder behind the couch.

"Come on. You never let me read it." Lucky said.

"Cause it's personal." Gia said stubbornly. Caterina let out a little burp and Gia smiled proudly. "That's my girl."

"I wonder if we can teach her to burp the alphabet." Lucky mused.

Gia shot him a warning look. "Don't even think about it."

Lucky looked mournfully at her. "No journal reading, no alphabet burping…you just want to ruin all my fun don't you?"

Gia ignored him and stood up. She started to pace the living room, murmuring nonsense to the baby as she gently rocked her. Lucky thought about grabbing his camera but he decided not too. Gia would say that he already had enough pictures of the baby but was it his fault the kid was a born model?

He called out from his position on the couch. "That's not going to get her to sleep."

Gia glanced over her shoulder. "And you know everything there is to know about babies, is that right Dr. Spock?"

Lucky smirked at her. "You have to do that dance and sing thing. She likes that."

Gia rolled her eyes. "It worked for you two times and suddenly it's the method?"

Lucky held up three fingers and corrected her. "Excuse me, it was three times. And I think she likes my voice."

"Right." Gia said doubtfully. She glanced down at her daughter. She stared back at her wide-eyed. Gia frowned, a bath and a bottle, she should have been knocked out already.

"Let me try at least." Lucky rolled off the couch and joined them. He wrapped his arms around Gia and she jumped at his sudden touch and closeness. "What are you doing?"

"We have to dance together." Lucky said. "You hold her and I hold you, alright?"

"Oh. Okay." She said reluctantly. She asked, "So what are you going to sing?"

"A lullaby of course." He murmured. He paused for a moment as he thought about the songs he knew. He suddenly grinned and said, "I got it."

He slowly began to move in a swaying motion and Gia followed his steps. He started to sing, deep and low, "Sweet dreams are made of this. Who am I to disagree? I travel the world and the seven seas. Everybody's looking for something."

Gia's eyes widened and she stopped dancing as she realized what he was singing. "Lucky! The Eurythmetics are not suitable lullaby material."

"But she likes it." Lucky protested.

"Sing something else." Gia ordered. "Anything else."

"Okay, okay." Lucky grumbled. He started the dancing again. "Exit: light. Enter: nigh—"

Gia punched him in the arm. "Stop that. No Metallica. What in the world have you been singing to her?"

"She gets into." Lucky laughed. "I think I saw her try to headbang one night."

Gia giggled and said, "Could you please be serious?"

Lucky nodded. "Yeah but it's good to see you smile. You were looking very…tired today."

"You know how she wakes up in the middle screaming for a change or her bottle. You heard her." Gia explained.

Lucky shook his head. "It's not that. It's something else."

Gia started to look away but Lucky touched her cheek and she looked back at him. "I'm fine, Lucky. I get a little tired. It's expected you know. Stop trying to see everything, okay? Sometimes tired is just tired."

Lucky looked at her for a moment and she wondered if he was going to push the issue. She may tell Lucky a lot of things but her creepy dream was going to stay just that. Hers. Talking about it would make it all the more real and her fear of the Cassadines of the coming for Caterina was bad enough.

Finally Lucky nodded and said, "Alright."

Shocked that he hadn't pressed for more information Gia stared at him blankly for a moment. She blinked several times then said. "Okay then. Good."

"Why don't you lay—" Gia clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Don't say it." She warned.

He grinned around her hand then removed it. "I was going to say, why don't you lay Miss 'Rina on the couch. I think she's about half asleep."

Gia looked down and sure enough, Caterina was closing her eyes and yawning widely. She said to Lucky. "She has a name, you know, and one day you're actually going to use it."

"Yeah, one day." Lucky said.

"And why am I putting her on the couch?" Gia asked as she placed the baby in the corner of the couch and surrounded her with pillows.

Lucky had walked over to the radio and flipped it on. He turned down the volume so that it created a soft background noise and wouldn't wake the little girl. He fiddled with the tuner trying to find the right station. "A little music and dancing calms her down, so I figure it'd work for you."

"Thanks." Gia said sarcastically over her shoulder as she made sure Caterina was safely padded. "Oh, wait stay on that station. I haven't heard that song in years."

"It's half over." Lucky said.

She shrugged. "That's fine."

"All right then." Lucky walked over to her and grabbed her hand. He led her over to big empty space between the couch and the stereo. He held one hand tightly and wrapped his arm around her waist holding her close.

She pushed back slightly and said, "Too close. You need a little room for this song."

I'd do anything for you, I'd stand out in the rain
Anything you want me to do, don't let it slip away
There's a quiet storm
and it never felt like this before
There's a quiet storm
I think it's you
There's a quiet storm
and I never felt this hot before
Giving me something that's taboo

He grinned as she took a step back and started to move her arms and shoulders rhythmically to the beat. She worked it down her hips and then to her feet. He watched her hips twisting to the beat for so long that Gia finally said with humor, "Lucky, you still with me?"

He shook his head. "Yeah, sorry."

"Well you better dance me cause I'm gonna dance by myself for long." Her eyes twinkled at him.

"But I like watching you dance for me." He grinned naughtily at her, his head suddenly filled with all sorts of thoughts.

"You wish I would." She shot back.

Lucky just grinned back at her as he finally started dancing with her.

You give me the (you give me, you give me the) sweetest taboo
That's why I'm in love with you (with you)
You give me, keep giving me the sweetest taboo
Too good for me

Gia slid her hands under her braids and lifted them up. She gave Lucky a sly look as she them fall down behind her like a waterfall. "You know, when I was younger I used to think this was such a sexy song."

This pulled Lucky's attention from the curve of her neck. "Really?"

She nodded. "I used to listen to it all the time. It was "our" song in a lot a relationships."

Lucky laughed. "Why?"

"I don't know, there's just something about it that just…"

"So your turn ons include long walks on the beach and this song." Lucky lifted an eyebrow.

Gia rolled her eyes. "Trust you to make it into something perverted."

"You're the one that said it was sexy." Lucky said. He suddenly closed the space between them and placed his hands on her moving hips and pulled her close to him. He took her wrists and pulled her arms around his neck then slipped his hands back to her hips, gripping her through her cotton pjs. His motions surprised her.

"Is that better?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"Much." He murmured.

You've got the biggest heart
Sometimes I think you're just too good for me
Every day is Christmas, and every night is New Year's Eve
Will you keep on loving me
Will you keep on, will you keep on
Bringing out the best in me

"This was a good idea." Gia said. "I haven't had much a reason to dance lately. I did need this after all."

"I know." Lucky said. He leaned into her and slowed their dancing down until they were barely moving, their legs brushing against each other's.

He knew he was silently crossing a line that she really wasn't aware of but he couldn't help himself. Over the past couple of months he'd started to feel something more than simple friendship for her. He wasn't sure what to call it but it was complex. After his last visit back to Port Charles and that scene outside of Kelly's with Nikolas, he'd been filled with extreme worry and concern for her. Once he got back to Texas and saw her and the baby he discovered that it was more than just worry and concern. He shook his head and sighed.

"What are you sighing about?" Gia narrowed her eyes slightly and whispered.

"You don't want to know." Lucky murmured with a strange half smile that sent a weird shiver through her. Maybe the dancing hadn't been a good idea after all.

"I think you're right." Gia took a step back. Lucky waited a beat before dropping his hands from her. "I'm uh, I'm going to put her to bed."

"Okay." Lucky nodded.

Gia paused. "And then I'm going to bed."

"Okay." Lucky nodded again. "Goodnight."

"Good night…"

Gia looked at him for a moment before turning and taking the sleeping baby off the couch and walking out of the living room. Lucky dropped down on the couch. He leaned his head back and murmured. "Smooth."

In her bedroom Gia whispered to the baby. "I don't know what that was about."

She glanced over her should quickly as if Lucky might overhear her but the door was still closed like she'd left it. She looked back at Caterina, "You don't think…"

She shook her head. "No. I'm not even going to contemplate it." She suddenly remembered. "The lights in the living room. Knowing Lucky he'll forget to turn them off. I better go—"

She cut herself off. "Look at me. I'm talking to a baby. A sleeping baby. Oh, this is just great."

She crossed the room and pulled open the door. She jumped slightly when she saw Lucky standing in front of her, his hand poised to knock on the door. His other hand was hidden behind his back.

"Uh, hi?"

"Hey." He said. "Going some where?"

"I was going to get the lights." She said lamely, wondering why it sounded like a stupid excuse.

"Got 'em." He told her. He pulled his hand around and showed her what he held, her journal. "You forgot this."

"Oh." She took the book from him, glanced down at it then sharply looked back at him.

He laughed. "No, I didn't read it."

Gia smirked, feeling some of her tension leaving her body. That whole thing in the living room must have been a fluke. "I wasn't worried."

"Right." He nodded, not buying it. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay." Gia said, turning back into her room.

"And don't forget you owe me breakfast." He said.

She smiled over her shoulder. "I won't."

"And thanks for the dance." He said softly. "We should do that again. Soon."

Gia stared at him and he reached down, grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door shut. Gia let out a breath and said to herself. "Oh, there's trouble."

~*~*~

The next night, Stefan was dining with Nikolas at Wyndemere when Mrs. Lansbury came in to interrupt them.

"Mr. Cassadine, the phone is for you." She informed him. " A Mr. Johansen. He said it was urgent."

Stefan wiped his mouth with his napkin. He nodded at the housekeeper. "Thank you. I'll take it in my office."

Nikolas looked over at him. "Is there something wrong?"

Stefan shook his head and stood. "No. It is just a business matter. Continue eating, I will return quickly."

Nikolas watched him cross the room and leave. Once instead his office Stefan quickly picked up the receiver. He said. "Stefan Cassadine."

"Mr. Cassadine, we have the information you were looking for." The voice on the other end of the line paused. "We have pictures of them. He's definitely with the girl and a kid."

"Where?" Stefan demanded. He listened to the man then said, "Texas, of course. Thank you for your help."

He replaced the receiver and stared thoughtfully at the door. A part of him wanted to tell Nikolas what he found out. Nikolas had been waiting for months for some kernel of information on Gia. But another part warred with that decision. His obsession with Gia had turned him into a different person over the last several months. Perhaps it would be better for Stefan to approach Gia first before telling Nikolas.

He walked back into the dining room and took his seat at the head of the table again. Nikolas glanced up. "Do you want to tell me what that was about now?"

"I have to go away on a business trip tomorrow." Stefan lied.

"Tomorrow?" Nikolas looked at him surprised.

"It is sudden I know." Stefan said. "But it's very important."

Nikolas nodded. "How long will you be away?"

"Just a few days." He said. "It shouldn't take any longer."

~*~*~

"You're so lucky, Rina." Gia murmured as she watched her daughter sleep. She was sitting out on the porch steps with Caterina stretched out on her lap. They were waiting for Joanne to come over for a visit. Gia leaned back on her elbows and basked in the sun. "No concerns, no problems other than wondering when you're going to get fed, changed, or entertained."

"And you're definitely not caring about who your father is." Gia sighed. "I wish he was as much of a non-issue for me as he is to you. Of course later on you're going to have questions. Who wouldn't? I still wonder about my father. Your Grandfather Martin Campbell…he died when I was two. I don't have any memories of him. I have pictures of me with him but I don't know who he is. Marcus used to tell me about him. He was good and kind and loved me so much… What kind of stories can I tell you about Stavros that won't be outright lies? How can I even bring myself to tell you any stories about him?"

Gia closed her eyes and laid her hand on Caterina's back, listening to her soft breathing.

"And then there's Nikolas…your brother…" Gia trailed off as she really thought about that statement. "You're going to need a lot of therapy one day, won't you? 'My mother once dated my brother.' Geez."

"But Nikolas, he's a good guy. Sure he hurt me like no one else ever has but he's still a good guy. Of course he did freak me out in my dream. And yes he'll probably never want anything to do with me if he ever…when he finds out about you..."

Gia sighed and shook her head. "I still miss him, you know? I never ask Lucky about him because I always wonder, what if he's moved on? And then I feel stupid because I want him to move on. I think."

She glanced down at Caterina. "Once again, I'm spilling my guts out to you and you're being no help at all. I won't even bother getting into that whole Lucky thing the other night."

Just then a car started to come up the drive. Gia sat up and noticed that it wasn't Joanne's dusty maroon truck. It was some big, black, expensive car… Gia narrowed her eyes and watched with a growing fear as the car came to a stop in front of the house. The driver's door swung open and out stepped Stefan Cassadine. He paused for a moment to close the door then started to walk towards the porch.

"Damn." She murmured. It was her nightmare come true. But she wasn't going to run this time. She forced herself to stay seated. She lifted her chin and stared down at Stefan.

"Miss Campbell." He said congenially.

Gia said. "You shouldn't be here. Go away."

Stefan looked pointedly at Caterina then raised his gaze back to Gia's. "No. We're going to go inside and have a talk."

~*~*~

"Okay, I went down to that warehouse store and got the biggest box of diapers I could find. The little dictator will have enough to last until college." Lucky chuckled as he heaved the large box into the house. He dropped it just inside the door and glanced up. He frowned at what he saw. "What happened?"

Gia was sitting on the couch cradling Caterina in her arms. Around them were all of their things, hastily packed. Gia murmured. "We have to go back to Port Charles."

"Now?" Lucky asked. He sat down next to them. "Why?"

"Stefan was here."

Lucky turned his head and mouthed several curses. Finally he said, "I knew we should have gone to Ireland. They wouldn't have found you there."

"You knew they were looking for me?" Gia asked.

"Remember how I was late being here for Caterina's birth? Well that's because halfway here I realized I was being followed and I had to come up with a different route." Lucky explained.

"Well they found me." Gia said quietly, without emotion.

"It's not too late." Lucky suggested. "We can still go to Ireland."

"No," Gia said strongly, surprising him with her force. "It's time for us to go back."

"Are you sure?"

"Lucky, I didn't spend the last hour frantically packing because I'm not positive we should return to Port Charles." Gia snapped.

"What did Stefan say to you?" Lucky demanded. "Did he threaten you?"

She shook her head. "No. He took one look at Caterina and he knew. And then he said, in that arrogant tone of his that I hate, that we were going to come in here and a 'talk'."

"What did you do?"

"I told him to get the hell off my porch and to leave me and my daughter alone." Gia said proudly. "Then I stormed into the house and locked the door behind me."

"How long did he stay on the porch?"

"Not long. I think it was my threat to call the police that finally got him moving. I don't think he'll be coming back tonight." Gia said. "After I was sure he was gone, I started packing."

"I see." Lucky looked around. He ran his hand over his hair and thought for a minute. "We can't leave right this minute. We can probably get seats on a flight later tonight if you can wait that long."

"I'm going to have to repack anyway." Gia said. "I sort of just grabbed handfuls of things. Who knows how much I missed."

Lucky nodded. "Alright. I'll call the airline then help you repack."

"Thanks." Gia said, laying her hand on his arm. "Thank you so much for putting up with all this."

He gave her a small smile. "Hey, it's been a while since I've been back to Port Charles."

"And it's felt like forever for me." Gia murmured.

"Are you going to be ready for it?" Lucky asked. "Nikolas? Your family?"

Gia sighed. "I don't know."