"Emily, wait up!" Emily was crossing through the park when she heard Gia call after her. Emily glanced over her shoulder to see Gia rushing towards her.
"Gia, hi." Emily frowned. "Is something wrong? You look…is something wrong?"
"Look, I don't have time for pleasant little chitchat. Where's Lucky?" Gia demanded.
"What do you mean, where's Lucky?" Emily stalled.
"Don't play dumb. I just came from Laura and she told that Lucky left two weeks ago. I'm pretty sure you know where he went."
"I honestly don't know where he went." Emily swore. "He told me he was leaving so I wouldn't worry—"
"So you wouldn't worry?" Gia interrupted.
Emily spoke over her. "So I wouldn't worry but he didn't tell me where he was going. I thought he would have at least told you."
"But he didn't." Gia snapped. She hesitated because she couldn't believe she was about to ask Emily this… "Do you know why?"
Emily folded her arms and gave Gia a long knowing look. "I think we both know why."
"I have no idea!" Gia said, threw her arms wide and gestured widely. "One day I'm talking to him and the next, he's gone. I wouldn't be running around trying to find him if I knew what was going on!"
Emily shook her head. "What about the wedding?"
Gia stopped. "What? What!"
"The wedding, Gia. Nikolas told me he was going to ask you to marry him." Emily cocked an eyebrow.
"He did and I said no." And he's obviously not telling anyone else the same, Gia thought bitterly.
"Lucky doesn't know?"
"That's why I'm trying to find him."
Emily looked away and muttered, "Lucky, you idiot."
"Yup." Gia rolled her eyes.
"Gia, I wish I could help you out. But you know Lucky. He could be anywhere. If Laura can't help you, your best bet would be Luke."
"Great." Gia murmured. Go begging Luke Spencer for help? Not likely.
"Or you could just wait him out." Emily suggested. "He'll turn up eventually."
"If he did leave because of me, it could be a while. And I'm not sure I can wait that long."
After her run in with Emily, Gia returned home to come up with a real plan to find Lucky without going to Luke. She was just sitting down to make a list when the doorbell rang.
"I've got it!" She yelled, not really caring who was on the other side of the door. Unless it was Lucky and then she had a few choice words waiting for him.
Unfortunately it was just a UPS man. She smiled politely at him. "Yes?"
"Delivery for a Gia Campbell?" He said, holding out the electronic clipboard with one hand. He held a medium sized box against his hip with the other.
"That's me." She took the clipboard and quickly scrawled out her name. She handed it back in exchange for the package. "Thank you."
"Have a nice day." He nodded before jogging down the stairs to his truck.
"I wonder what this is." Gia mused aloud as she carried it into the living room. She sat down on the couch with her feet curled up underneath her. She turned it over in her hands. But the only label on it besides her name and address was the return address, a California address that she didn't recognize and no name.
Marcus strolled into the living room. "Hey, who was at the door?"
"UPS. I got a surprise." Gia told him, holding up the package.
"Who is it from?" Marcus perched on the arm of the couch.
"Don't know." Gia shrugged.
"What's in it?" Marcus asked.
Gia shrugged again. "Don't know."
"Jeez, then open it already." Marcus grumbled. He pulled out the swiss army knife Gia gave him five years ago for Christmas and took the package. He quickly sliced through the tape and started to open the flaps. Gia snatched it back.
"Thank you, I can do that myself." Gia muttered. She pulled open the flaps and pushed away the Styrofoam popcorn to reveal a photo album. She lifted it up and Marcus helpfully moved the box from her lap.
"Why would someone send you a photo album?" Marcus asked for her.
Gia shrugged and flipped open the book. She gasped. It was a picture of her, pregnant and laughing at the camera. The memory of that day came flooding back. She slammed the book closed.
"What is it?" Marcus demanded.
She just pointed at the box. "See if there is a note somewhere in there."
"Gia?" Marcus did as she asked, shooting her a concerned look. He fished around the box until he came up with a folded piece of paper. Gia passed him the album and opened the note. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Hey, these are all of you and Caterina." Marcus said as he flipped through the book. "Is this out in Texas? Who sent this?"
"Lucky." Gia spat out. She waved the note around in the air. "Lucky took them and he sent them to me. With this note. 'Gia, I'm sorry, Lucky.' What the hell is that!"
"Ah…" Marcus looked at her warily.
"'I'm sorry'?" Gia jumped off the couch. "What kind of lame apology is that? And he had the nerve to put his so-called favorite picture of me in there?"
"Favorite?"
"The first page." Gia waved towards the book. "We were out behind the house doing pictures for Deception. I was getting bigger with 'Rina so we used a lot of the boulders for cover. That was the one of the few that we took that I didn't hide my belly."
Marcus nodded. "It's very good. We should frame it."
Gia folded her arms. There was a hurt look in her eye. "He said it was his favorite. So why did he send it back?"
Marcus put the album aside and went over to her. He pulled into his side for a quick squeeze. "Come on Gia. It's probably not as bad you think. Maybe he just thought you'd like to have them?"
"I don't understand. He just…why leave and then send me the pictures with a lame-ass note?"
"Do you really want me to analyze Lucky Spencer? Because frankly I think you could do a lot better." Marcus joked.
"Then thanks but no thanks." Gia half-smiled. "Right now, I have to see how I'm going to find him."
"What's the return address on the box?"
"California. But knowing Lucky, that's not where he is."
"Do you need my help?" Marcus offered.
Gia shook her head no. "I've got another option to explore."
"Ok then. How about we got show Mom this? Huh? I bet she'd like to see it." Marcus suggested with a soft smile.
Maybe bringing her baby into a bar wasn't the greatest idea, Gia thought as she pushed the stroller into Luke's the next day. Sure, it was the middle of the day but there were just something seedy about the place. But she supposed she could use the cute factor of 'Rina to manipulate Luke into helping her out.
Behind the bar Claude did a double take at the sight of Gia and the baby. "Uh…can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'm looking for Luke?"
"Is that," Claude pointed at the baby, "looking for Luke also?"
"She's with me." Gia laughed. "Don't worry about it."
"Then he's in the back. Yell or kick the door before you go in. He's probably sleeping." Claude warned her.
"Thank you." Gia smiled brilliantly at the man and Claude had to take a step back from the force of the smile. She'd been practicing that one.
Gia pushed the stroller towards Luke's office. She knocked gently on the door and waited. There was no answer. She knocked a little harder. Again, no answer. Gia growled deep in her throat. This is ridiculous. Gia balled her hand into a fist and banged it hard against the door.
Finally, she got a response.
"Whaddaya want! Come in already!" Luke bellowed from inside.
Gia told herself to shake it off. Time to be sweetness and light. Gia cracked the door open and poked her head around. Luke was sitting behind his desk with his feet propped up. She grinned at him. "Hi, Mr. Spencer. Can I come in?"
Luke raised his eyebrow. "You're Nicky's girl?"
"Ah…yeah…" Gia said slowly. Maybe she shouldn't correct him.
"Come on in, darlin'." He waved her into the room. "And call me Luke. Gorgeous ladies like you always do."
"Thanks." Gia stepped back and nudged the door open further and pushed the stroller through.
"Whoa. And the rugrat's attached too." Luke swung his feet down. He regarded Gia suspiciously. "I suppose there's a reason for this little visit?"
"Of course there is." Gia said as she settled in the chair across from Luke. She pulled away the blanket to reveal Caterina's face. She hummed softly to herself as she gathered the baby up into her arms.
Luke sat back in his chair and watched this all play out with a bemused look on his face.
Once she was comfortable, Gia turned to Luke, a soft smile on her face. Play the sweet young mother, she thought.
Cradling Caterina in her arms, she said. "I was hoping that you could do me a favor?"
"What kind of favor?" Luke asked, still eyeing the baby. "Cute kid."
"Thanks. As you probably know Lucky did me a huge favor this past year." Gia began. "He helped me leave Port Charles when I really needed to get away. I went to Texas? Your family owns a house out there?"
"I know of it." Luke nodded. "Go on."
"Lucky was a really good friend to me. He stayed out there the whole pregnancy. He missed major holidays here with his family so I wouldn't be alone. And I'm really thankful for that. He was my labor coach. If it wasn't for his help in those early days after Caterina, after her birth…I'm not sure how I would have managed."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Luke rolled his eyes. "The boy's a saint. What's your point?"
Gia paused. "Lucky's more than just my friend because of all that—"
"What does Nicky boy say about that?"
"Nikolas doesn't have a say." Gia told him. "We aren't together anymore."
"Really?"
"Really." Gia looked him straight in the eye.
"You come in with the pretty speech and the cute baby and you haven't told me yet what you want from me."
Time to lay it all out. "Lucky's gone, he's practically disappeared. And I miss him. We miss him."
"So?" Obviously Luke was going to drag it out of her.
Gia let out a breath of frustration. "So I want to find him. And I'm going to need your help to do so."
Luke shook his head. "No can do. I don't know where Cowboy went off to."
"Probably not." Gia conceded. "But you may have an idea of a few places he might have gone. I've already called our neighbor in Texas. She said Lucky hasn't been there."
"He wouldn't." Luke told her. "If he thought you would look for him, he knew that would be the first place you'd check."
"Rub it in a little more, thanks." Gia grumbled. The sweet act was over with. "Could you make up a list of places he may have gone? Lucky used to tell me that you guys had places all over the world."
"I could make you a list." Luke said. "Or maybe not."
Gia settled the baby back in her stroller and tossed Luke a confident smile. "Oh you will make me the list. And you'll have it for me by tomorrow morning."
"Will I?" Luke half smiled at her. "And what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to find Lucky and drag his ass back to Port Charles and back into my life."
"Gia?" Her mother knocked gently on Gia's bedroom door. "Baby?"
Gia threw the door open to reveal several suitcases waiting to be packed on her bed. She glared at her mother. "I'm still mad at you."
"Oh it's been weeks Gia. Time to move on." Florence scolded her.
"Don't think so, Mother." Gia snapped. She grabbed a blouse from the closet and began to fold it. "How could you?"
"I was helping. I thought." Florence shrugged. "Where is Deception sending you this week?"
"Nowhere. This is a little trip of my own. And I will be back without another baby." Gia said sarcastically. "And you weren't helping. Helping would have been telling me that Lucky was coming by to see 'Rina."
"At the time, it was the right thing to do. I didn't know what was going on with you and Lucky. And he's been a major part of that child's life so far. I wasn't going to cut him out."
"I told you, I didn't care that he was visiting. I love the fact that he wanted to see her. I just didn't like it going on behind my back. You didn't trust me. Either of you."
"We're not going to get into this again, Gia." Florence said sharply. "I just came to tell you that Stefan Cassadine is on the phone."
"Stefan?" Gia raised her eyebrows in surprise. Florence nodded. Gia reached for the phone on her nightstand. She glanced over her shoulder. Her mother took the hint and left the room.
Gia tentatively picked up the phone. She couldn't imagine why Stefan would be calling her. "Yes?"
"Miss Campbell, I have a proposition for you." Stefan began.
"No thank you." Gia said quickly.
"You haven't heard my offer."
"I'm positive I don't want it, whatever it is. Look, Nikolas probably told you. And if he hasn't, he and I are no longer together. So you don't have to warn me off or offer me money to get out of your precious nephew's life. We're through. I'm done. Later."
"I am prepared to…offer you money. However it doesn't have anything to do with Nikolas."
"Uh…huh?"
"It's for your daughter." Stefan said.
"Excuse me?"
"For better or worse, your daughter is a Cassadine. It is only my duty to help provide for her."
"Oh, I don't think so." Gia said. "I don't want anything more to do with the Cassadines. My daughter is my own. She doesn't need your money. I can take care of her."
"Be that as it may," Stefan said over here, "I will set up a trust fund for her so that when you come to your senses the money will be available."
Gia hung up on him. "Come to my senses? Asshole."
Gia knelt on the bed and picked up the list that Luke had sent over the afternoon. She was surprised he didn't call her bluff. He actually came through for her. It was a pretty long list of places. She had no idea there were so many Spencer hiding spots around the world. And these were just the ones Luke decided it was okay for her to know. One place on the list caught her eye. It seemed familiar so she was going there first.
This is why you always trust your instincts, Gia girl, she thought a few days later. After spending the past two hours wandering around the small Irish village, looking and feeling completely out of place, questioning total strangers, she'd done it. She found him. Now what?
She walked into the pub and just looked at him, sitting at the bar, chatting with the regulars. The amount of relief she felt was staggering. That was of course followed by a wave of anger. She spent the past couple of weeks worried over this guy. Flew all the way overseas with her daughter. Checked into a crappy hotel in the nearby town and here he was. Tossing back a few with the fellas. Gia adjusted the straps on the snuggly that Caterina lay in against her chest. She strode over to where Lucky sat and poked him in the shoulder. Hard. It felt good so she did it again.
He looked over his shoulder. She watched as his eyes slowly widened in shock. "Gia! Gia?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Gia snapped.
"Looks like the wife caught ya!" cackled the older man next to Lucky. He elbowed his buddy and the two of them laughed at Lucky.
"Come on, let's go someplace less…public." Lucky took her by the elbow and started to hustle her out of the pub.
Gia jerked away from his hold to the delight of their audience who began laughing again.
"Show's over guys." Lucky tossed over his shoulder as he guided Gia out of the pub without touching her. He took her up the back stairs to the room he was renting.
Gia swept in first, stalking over to the bed. She undid the straps of the baby carrier and laid Caterina out on the bed, placing her close to the wall. Once everything was settled she looked over at Lucky who'd taken a seat by the window. Lucky slouched down in his seat.
"What are you really do here?" Lucky asked.
"Me? Oh I don't know." Gia began in a sarcastic tone. "My best friend just up and disappeared without a word so I decided to drag my daughter around while I searched for him. Why are you here, Lucky?"
Lucky shrugged, "People take vacations all the time. I didn't just disappear."
"That's right, you told Emily you were leaving." Gia rolled her eyes. "What about me?"
Lucky quickly sat up. "What about you? Not everything is about you, Gia."
"According to Emily you left because of me so I assume it's my business."
"Emily was confused, she doesn't know what she's talking about." He scoffed.
Lucky looked away from her, concentrating on the window. Gia slid off the bed and went over to him. She stood in his line of sight.
"Did you or did you not leave Port Charles because of me?" Gia folded her arms and waited.
Lucky hesitated a moment before he looked up at her. "And if I did?"
"Why?"
"Why?" Lucky exploded out of his seat causing Gia to take a step back. "You really want to know why? Maybe I didn't want to hear about how fantastic things are between you and Nikolas. Maybe I didn't want to wait around for you to tell me you were marrying Nikolas. Maybe I am sick of being 'Lucky the best friend' and I just wanted to get away!"
"Then maybe you should have said something instead of running away like a coward!" Gia yelled back. She was tired of everything happening around her and she was sick of no one telling her what was going on. "You run around behind my back for weeks and when I confront you about it you take off and send those pictures. To what? Remind me? Back me feel bad?"
"I try to do something nice because I'm 'the nice guy' and it pisses you off? I just thought you'd want the pictures." He grumbled.
"I didn't want the pictures, Lucky. I wanted you."
"Right. Sure." Lucky rolled his eyes and took his seat again. He shook his head and leaned back. "Give me a few weeks, Gia, and then maybe I can come back and do the supportive thing and pretend I'm happy for you and Nikolas. I'll even fake a smile when I ask if you've set a date."
Gia grabbed another chair and pulled it in front of Lucky's. She took a breath. "There's no date to set because Nikolas and I aren't getting married."
"He didn't ask you yet." Lucky said flatly.
"He asked." Gia said softly. "And I turned him down."
Lucky stared into her eyes. "Why?"
"Why do you think?"
"I don't know. You're the one who wants everything spelled out. So tell me, Gia, why did you tell Nikolas no?"
"I was Nikolas. Everything was set up perfectly. Straight out of the most romantic movie you think of. All of Nikolas's attention was on me. I was the most important thing to him that night and I knew he loved me or the me he used to know with all of his heart. And I didn't feel the same. Instead of focusing on Nikolas all I could think about was you. And I knew."
He leaned forward to take her hand. "And what did you know?"
"Geez, you're making this pretty hard considering I came here to tell you off." She said with a soft laugh.
"Well I've been suffering for the past few weeks."
"You're not the only one!" She insisted. "If maybe you'd have—"
"Gia?" He prompted with a soft smile.
Gia rolled her eyes. "I knew I'd rather be with you, okay? And then you ruined it all by running away before I could tell you!"
"Think about it. For all I knew you were trying to rebuild things with Nikolas and I couldn't stay for that. And I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to screw things up for you."
"If you'd stepped up I wouldn't be in this crappy little room trying to tell you I love you." Gia bent her head. "Damn it. "
"What?" He looked at her, shocked.
"I was actually hoping you say it first." She groaned. "Actually the plan was I chew out for worrying me, you grovel before me, and then declare your love for me. It was a good plan."
He lifted an eyebrow and drawled. "It sounds like you got away from the Cassadines just in time."
"You did this to me." She pointed a finger at him. "Before you I was fine. Ok, I was a mess and then I had 'Rina and you were just so good with us…"
"This isn't sounding like love, Gia." He said with a frown. "I'm think you're confusing it with gratitude and I think I may have made a fool of myself."
She threw her hands up. "God! Gratitude wouldn't have sent me to your father for help nor would it have sent me across an ocean looking for you. And you know what? I'm the only one even talking about love here so really, which one of us is the fool?"
"Hush." He grabbed her hands and pulled her forward from her chair until she fell against him. She placed her hands on his thighs for balance but he pulled her closer until she was half sitting on him. He murmured, "Hi."
Feeling self-conscious, she tried to make herself comfortable, settling into the crook of his arm.
One hand stroked her arm while the other gently pushed her hair back from her face. He bent his head and gently brushed his lips against hers, once, twice. When he would have pulled back she pressed her hand to the back of his head, pulled him back. She pressed her lips to his, opening them slightly, tasting the beer he'd just been drinking downstairs.
She said softly. "Hi."
He smiled and shook his head. "You remember that night at the ranch? The night we danced?"
She nodded at the memory.
"That's when I knew that I didn't want to be just your friend but I figured I had to wait a while, take my time. Next thing I know we're on our way back to Port Charles and you're giving Nikolas another chance. So I told myself to take a step back. Let you find out if you really wanted to be with him."
"So that's why you stopped hanging out with me and started seeing 'Rina behind my back." When he nodded she pinched him. "That was a stupid plan!"
"I know!" He laughed, able to do so now that was with him, in his arms. "I said as much when you caught me. I just couldn't stick around and wait for you to tell me that you choose him."
"Obviously I didn't." She pointed out.
"I noticed." He said with a smug smile. She pinched him again. "Cut that out!"
"So what's next?" Gia asked.
"We go home and we take it from there?"
Gia nodded, happy. "Good plan."
"All my plans are." He grinned.