The next day, Trina and Spencer woke up bright and early. They had a meeting with Diane at nine sharp and neither of them wanted to be late. Spencer was especially nervous. This was it. There were to be no more delays. He and Trina had done what they needed to do and now they were ready to fight for his brother. It didn't matter how hard or complicated it would be. He will see his brother safe and free from Esme's manipulations.
Trina saw him examining his appearance in the floor-length mirror at the edge of his side of the bed and walked over and took his hand, which was hot and sweaty. "You are so nervous. Relax. We're just going to see your lawyer."
"Who will be putting in our bid for custody. I just...I hope everything goes right and nothing goes wrong," Spencer sighed, turning around to face his young wife. He was so touched that she had decided to go through this with him instead of letting him go through it all on his own. She was such an amazing woman and he didn't know how he had gotten so lucky to have won her love, especially after all that had happened to her because of him.
"Nothing will go wrong. Nothing can as far as I can tell. We already know that Esme had gotten herself out of prison and is even staying with your grandmother, but we are still a better choice. At least that's the way I see it."
"Let's just hope that a judge sees it that way too," Spencer gently cupped her face with steady hands. "Just stay by my side."
"Of course, I will. Wild horses can't drag me away."
"How do I look? Ready to fight for my brother?"
"Definitely. A real Rocky Balboa," Trina smirked.
Spencer just rolled her eyes and took her hands in his. "Let's go see our lawyer."
…..
Diane was sitting behind her desk, sifting through the file before her when Trina and Spencer arrived. Usually, Diane would come to her clients, but she had far too much office work to catch up on today and it seemed best to have her clients come to the office for once. The lawyer looked up with a grim smile as her clients entered and took their seats in front of her desk.
"Spencer, Trina. I take it that everything had gone as expected with the wedding and honeymoon?" The lawyer questioned, closing the file that she had been looking at.
"It was wonderful! We went to Paris and we saw the Eiffel Tower and Monet's house! Not to mention the cruise and galleries," Trina gushed.
"Good, good! I'm glad and I'm glad to see that the affection you have for each other seems genuine. The judge will take note of that when it comes to making a decision."
"Diane...my grandmother gave me the news about Esme. To say that I'm not happy is an understatement."
"I know. It was an unexpected blow. But it's not something that we can't handle. You still have a more than a good case," Diane reassured. "Especially when I look at the two of you. The love you share is coming off of you in waves. You have a good home and...well you have a good job, right?"
"I work at the chuck," Trina looked over at Spencer who seemed a bit pale.
"I'm the Cassadine heir. I have an inheritance, more than enough to take care of me, Trina, Ace, and probably a few orphans of Port Charles. Isn't that enough?"
"Well, in most cases, the judge would want both guardians working...but seeing that you're an heir to a fortune, that might not matter in this case," Diane folded her hands on the desk and eyed the couple seriously.
"Do you think that I need a job?"
"Probably not, but it wouldn't hurt."
Spencer fell quiet, his mind going through what he had been told. "If it gets me Ace, I'll get a job."
"I wouldn't worry about it right now. You should be fine. I'll go ahead and put in the bid for custody. It should not take long to hear back."
"Thank you, Diane. We really appreciate all that you're doing for us," Spencer rubbed the back of his neck.
"Don't despair too much. At best, you'll get full custody. At worse, partial."
"Full custody would be preferred," Spencer sighed, wrapping an arm around Trina's shoulder. "I just want to get this over with as soon as possible. Give Ace the family life he deserves."
"By the way, has Esme allowed you to see the baby since leaving the hospital?" Diane asked, tapping her pencil against her chin thoughtfully.
"Well...no. But we've been on our honeymoon for the past two weeks, so I hadn't really tried to see him," Spencer confessed.
"Well, I'll just put in for visitation now, just in case. We want the baby to remember who you are, now don't we?"
Spencer felt like laughing. "Of course! Honestly, I can't wait to see him again."
Diane's smile was kind. "You are a good big brother. Ace is lucky to have you."
Trina frowned as her phone vibrated. She sighed as she looked at her phone to see who it was. "It's Joss. I forgot that I'm supposed to meet up with her later."
"You're not looking forward to it?" Spencer arched a brow, wondering what Trina was thinking. He had never seen her look reluctant to see her friend.
"I guess I am. It's just...I've been enjoying it just being you and me and now...slowly the world is leaking back into our lives. I don't know how to feel about that."
"Ah, newlyweds," Diane chuckled. "Believe me, once the glow wears off, you'll be climbing the walls to see your friends more often."
Trina and Spencer just laughed and looked at one another, both certain that the glow was here to stay.
…..
Spencer and Trina stood just outside of Kelly's, their hands tightly clasped together. Neither one made a move to step away. They just stood there, gazing into each other's eyes.
"I don't want to say goodbye, even for a few hours," Trina sighed, unconsciously stepping closer.
"I know. Neither do I. Is it always going to be like this?" Spencer chuckled, stepping closer as well.
"I hope not, or we'll never get anything done. I just love being with you so much."
"I do too. I am pretty awesome."
Trina burst out laughing and pulled her hand out of his to playfully slap his chest. "Spencer!"
Spencer laughed as well, loving how her brown eyes filled with glee at the joke. "Actually, you're the awesome one."
"I better go in. Joss is probably waiting. Do you want to come and say hi?"
"I would...but I have a feeling that if I don't leave your side now, I never will and I want to go see my Uncle Sonny. Let him know I'm back."
"Okay. I'll see you later tonight. Is there anything you want me to pick you up from here? I can."
"Hmm...I do love their BLTs."
"Ok, I'll bring you home one. I love you."
Spencer smiled and quickly kissed her before forcing himself to step away. "I love you too, my cherie amour."
"Now I know that you listen to Stevie Wonder."
"Never said I didn't," Spencer gave her a wink.
"See you at home, husband."
Spencer just smiled, kissed her one last time, and finally forced himself to walk away in the opposite direction, looking back a few times to find her still standing there. He waved once when it was time to turn the corner and then he was gone from sight.
Missing him deeply, Trina sighed and walked into the restaurant, expecting to find Joss waiting for her. To her surprise, her friend was nowhere in sight. Thinking that she might be out on the back patio, Trina went out and peeked outside to spy her friend in a deep embrace with Dex, Sonny's henchman.
Surprised, Trina silently went back inside and took a seat at one of the tables, thinking that Joss would join her in a few minutes. Trina definitely had questions for her friend, like when did she and Dex happen? It must have been over the last two weeks. It had to have been. She didn't even want to consider that Joss had gotten with Dex earlier than that and not told her. Especially after the break-up with Cam.
Cam. God, she missed her friend. She wondered how he was doing out there in California right now. She hoped that he was happy and making lots of friends. Maybe even find someone new to love. She didn't want to be the only one in their friend group in love like this. It'd be great if Cam found someone too.
Trina sighed, looking at the clock on the far wall as time continued to pass. Was Joss so caught up with Dex that she had forgotten about their meeting? That was rude. Trina couldn't help but feel annoyed. This was time she could be spending with Spencer, solidifying their bond. Walking in the park talking, visiting his grandmother, or even going to see her own mother with Spencer by her side, so Portia could get used to seeing them as a unit. But instead, she had taken time away from her new husband, so she could visit with her friend, who had seemed so eager to find out about the two weeks in Paris. But instead of gushing to Joss about Paris, she was wondering if she had been forgotten.
"Trina?"
Coming out of her thoughts, Trina looked up to find Spencer's cousin Molly standing there, looking surprised to see her.
"Hey, Molly. Hello," Trina smiled, hoping that she didn't seem unwelcoming. It wasn't Molly's fault that Joss seemed to be skipping out on their lunch date.
"You're back from Paris already? I heard that you and Spencer eloped and were on your honeymoon."
"Oh, yes. We had gotten back yesterday. We almost hated to come back, it was so romantic."
"Oh, I bet. TJ and I are hoping to go whenever we get some time off. It seems like we hardly see each other with our busy schedules," Molly giggled.
"I have some pictures if you'd like to see them. I was hoping to get them more organized first, but I have a couple that I was supposed to be sharing with Joss...but I think she's forgotten me."
"Oh, I'd love to see!" Molly slid into the chair opposite Trina's. "I bet they're gorgeous."
"I have to say, there is no other city like Paris, France," Trina took out her phone and brought up the folder that contained the pictures she wanted to share. "This is Spencer and me at The Eiffel Tower. I usually hate heights, but it was mesmerizing, and by Spencer's side...I wasn't afraid at all."
"Oh wow, it's beautiful," Molly gasped.
"Oh, and this is Monet's garden in Giverny. Look at all the flowers and that bridge that goes over a small pond. It was beautiful…"
Trina didn't know how long they had sat there going over the pictures, giggling and talking about plans for Molly and TJ to plan their own trip and Trina giving pointers on where to go and what to see. It was Molly who noticed the time and winced.
"Damn, I hate to have to cut this short, but I have to get an order for TJ and head to the hospital. I hate to leave though. This was fun. I don't get much time to just sit down for some girl talk, you know?"
"I understand. I should go ahead and get Spencer's BLT for him. It's obvious that Joss is not going to join me after all. But I'm glad that today wasn't a waste. I had fun."
"You know, we should get together again. You and Spencer and me and TJ. We can make it a double date."
"I'd like that," Trina happily smiled. She had never thought about making new friends outside the college set, but now that she was married, plus had a great time sitting there with Molly and showing her pictures of her honeymoon, making new, more adult friends seemed like a good idea. Plus, she liked TJ. He was easy to talk to and seemed to be on her side when it came to her feelings about Spencer. There had been no judgment there. "I think Spencer would like it as well."
"Oh my god, Trina!" Joss soon rushed in from the patio, looking a bit disarrayed. Trina could only guess what she had been doing. "I totally forgot that we were supposed to be meeting up!"
Trina sighed and pursed her lips, not at all happy with Joss. She had taken time away from her new husband to make time for Joss, wanting her friend to be the first to see pictures of Paris. Instead, she had been stood up for an obvious roll in the hay with Dex. She didn't begrudge her friend. She was happy for Joss if she had found love with Dex. What she didn't like was being treated as a second thought.
"Well, I can't stay any longer, Joss. I have to meet Spencer soon. I'm about to order his BLT and then I'm off. We'll just have to meet up some other time," Trina tried not to let the hurt she felt show in her voice.
"But I just got here…"
"You were supposed to be here half an hour ago. I can't just hang out on a whim anymore. I have a husband that needs my attention now. And soon...a baby to look after. I am going to need you to be more considerate of my time," Trina turned away. "Look, I'll send you the pictures."
"Trina...I'm sorry…"
"Yeah. I am too. Tell Dex that I said hello," was all Trina said as she went to follow Molly to the counter to make her order.
"Are you okay?" Molly asked, seeing the hurt and sadness in Trina's eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just...angry I guess. If it weren't for you, my time would have been wasted."
"I'm sure that she didn't mean to forget. Sometimes we let things slip our mind when we're young...oh...not that…" Molly stumbled, remembering that Trina and Joss were the same age.
Trina just laughed. "It's ok. I get it. You're right. I'll probably be over it in a few days. I'm just mainly mad because it was time away from Spencer. Was it like this for you and TJ? I know you two didn't get married, but...it's something like marriage, right?"
"Right and yeah. It was like that for me and TJ. There wasn't a moment when we wanted to be away from each other. It'll get better though. You'll get used to each other and time away won't seem so dire."
"Thank you for hanging out with me," Trina smiled, her anger beginning to fade a little.
"Oh, I should be thanking you for letting me see those pictures and giving me an idea for a romantic trip with TJ in the future. Paris is definitely on the list of destinations," Molly laughed. "You know, you're family now. Not only mine but TJ's as well. Let me put in your number and you can put in mine. We can set up a time to hang out again."
"I'd like that," Trina smiled, handing Molly her phone. Putting her number on Molly's phone, Trina felt a little giddy. She was out here making new friends. People to be part of this new version of her life. Looking over at Joss, who was sitting at the table, looking dejected, she wondered how much her life would change before the year was out.
"Oh and a little advice. Don't let anger make you turn your back on the people that you care about. Sometimes...going through changes can make people make mistakes. Giving them a little grace can be a good thing," Molly patted Trina's shoulder before grabbing the finished order and heading out the door.
Once Spencer's BLT was finished and bagged, Trina approached the table.
"Ok, how long have you been seeing Dex anyway?" Trina sat back down, sitting her bagged order on the table.
Joss's eyes widened. "How did you…"
"I spotted you kissing out back. That's why I was pissed. I saw you kissing and you show back up half an hour late, looking like you've run a marathon, which means...sex, right? So, how long has it been going on and why am I only knowing bout it now?"
"For a few months...and we've been keeping it a secret. Sonny will kill him if he knows…"
"A few months? Joss...is he the reason that you and Cam broke up?"
Joss sighed and nodded. "Not the only reason, but...one of the main ones. You know that Cam and I had been growing apart. I was going to break up with him anyway...but he found out about Dex before I had a chance…"
"Joss! And we made you be at our wedding together!"
"I know, I know. We made sure to keep it civil for your sake."
"Poor Cam. He must have been in agony…"
Joss frowned. "Do you think it was easy for me? I didn't mean to hurt him, Trina. I was in pain too."
Trina just arched a brow. "You had Dex. I had Spencer. Who did Cam have, Joss?"
Joss winced and looked away. "You must think that I'm awful."
"No. Just...I don't know. Inconsiderate."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not the one that you should apologize to. You know, Spencer hates Dex."
"I know…"
"Is that why?"
"I don't know why Spencer has it in for Dex. He's being ridiculous."
"That's my petty prince. He can be ridiculous, but I'm...head over heels for him," Trina sighed, a small smile playing on her lips.
Joss looked at Trina and shook her head amused. "You are so far gone, girl."
Trina just laughed. "I know."
