Nikolas had Ace in one hand and a cup of coffee in another as he sat down on the couch, about to go through the stack of papers that were piled on the living room table. He had a lot of catching up to do when it came to Cassadine Industries, but he was determined to stay a hands-on dad at the same time.

"Do you think you can stay still on the couch while Daddy reads these papers?" Nikolas asked the baby who just gave him a innocent smile, as if daring his father to do so. "Oh come on, Ace. Daddy has work to do and your brother and sister-in-law are off doing wedding things. Give your old man a break."

"Mr. Cassadine. Ms. Campbell is here to see Mrs. Cassadine. I told her that the young lady is not here, but she's rather insistent," Jeffrey appeared in the doorway.

Nikolas's face lit up immediately. "Gia's here? Well, don't just stand there Jeffrey. Let her in!"

The butler just nodded and left the room. Gia soon entered, looking around curiously.

"Wow, this place really is nicer than Wyndemere. It's not as dreary," Gia critiqued.

"I thought you liked Wyndemere," Nikolas smirked.

"Nope. Not really. So how are things here? Has my niece adjusted to billionaire life okay?"

"Things are good. Trina's assimilated seamlessly. Of course, the news about her paternity has upset her, but Spencer's been getting her through it," Nikolas eyed Gia curiously. Gia was so close to Trina. To find out that she was really no relation, it must have shaken her. Maybe he could be a listening ear for her as she had been for him about Spencer. "How are you, Gia? I know that you and Trina are close. The news must be killing you."

"I'm not the one who was hit with an anvil," Gia sighed, taking the seat next to Nikolas, keeping her eyes on her hands and not the man with the gorgeous dark eyes. She had been down that road once. She was not going to be drawn down it again. Nope. No way.

"But still...all these years, you thought of her as your niece. You loved her as your niece, she was family…"

"She still is, thank you very much! No stupid test is going to change that! Trina is my niece in all ways but blood, just like she'll always be Marcus's little girl. I remember when Marcus first brought her to see me. It was in the hospital and she was just this little brown bundle wrapped in pink. So small and perfect. God, I loved her at first sight, and Marcus...well you know what it's like...to see your child for the first time...to hold him in your arms and know that this person is a part of your heart."

"Yeah...I remember. It's intense."

"He adored that baby to the end of the world and back and I adored it that he had her. He was such a teddy bear when it came to Trina. This big bad police detective ready to put people in jail, until he takes one look at his baby daughter, and all of that is gone, and in its place is a doting father that'd do anything for his baby girl. It was a sight to see," Gia sighed.

"You must have adored her too."

"Oh, I did. I had to beg and plead, but Marcus and Portia allowed me to keep her overnight and as she got older, we did sleepovers. We used to have these tea parties. Trina would bring all of her Barbies to my house and I would buy donuts and juice and she'd arrange her dolls in a circle and we would sit and drink juice and eat donuts while Trina would fill me in on her Barbies adventures. I absolutely loved it."

"Sounds like good times," Nikolas chuckled, finding himself just getting lost in the sound of Gia's voice as she talked about her life as a doting aunt.

"Then Trina discovered art...and nothing was safe. I remember Marcus calling me, complaining about how Trina would just draw all over everything. Walls, books, important papers...it didn't matter. The girl was an artist and she was going to be heard. I brought her coloring books and crayons and drawing paper and encouraged her to use those instead of the walls. It took a few times, but she finally got it. That love for art had never left her."

"It sounds like you were a very loving Aunt. I'm sure Trina is appreciative of that."

"I still love her as if she was my own daughter. She almost made me want to become a mother...but I was so focused on my career and after...our breakup...I just was never in the mood to take that leap again. Being Trina's aunt was enough for me."

Nikolas frowned and focused a little on Ace as he began to feel guilty. He hated that their relationship had such an adverse effect on Gia. She deserved to have someone special in her life, even it if wasn't him. "I'm sorry, Gia. My behavior when we broke up... was abysmal. I had let my worse traits take control when I should have kept focusing on being a better man for you…"

"Nikolas, don't…"

"It's the truth. I had hurt you and that was the last thing I had ever wanted to do."

"Well...it's ok. I forgive you. In fact, I forgave you a long time ago…"

"Really?" Nikolas smiled.

"Yes…"

Nikolas knew what he was doing as he leaned in closer and closer to Gia until their lips met in a chaste kiss, interrupted by the return of Spencer and Trina, who stared in shock at the scene.

Trina quickly grabbed Spencer's arm and pulled him back out into the foyer. The vision of her aunt kissing his father was burned in both of their minds.

"Did you see that?" Trina whispered.

"My father and your aunt were kissing...with Ace right between them," Spencer nodded, then frowned. "I wonder if Ace tries to steal her away like he does with you…"

"Spencer, this is serious."

Spencer sighed and nodded. "I know. I mean...you know what this means?"

"Not really?"

Spencer's smile was playful and young. "I may get a new mom after all if Father doesn't mess this up."

"What? You cannot be serious…"

"Of course I am. My father deserves to have love and happiness in his life. And I...I mean Ace deserves to have a mom! If that's your Aunt Gia...awesome! But father is going to need help. I need to make sure he doesn't mess this up."

"Spencer…"

"What?"

"Leave it be."

Spencer just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's get in there and announce our return home. I have a feeling she was here to see you anyway."

Trina watched him enter the living room with a small frown on her face. It wasn't lost on her that he had almost said that he deserved to have a mom. She hoped that her Aunt knew what she was doing because Nikolas Cassadine was not the only person who could be hurt if things don't work out.

…..

Wanting to give Trina some time to visit with her Aunt, Spencer had asked Nikolas to meet him in his office so he could talk about his place in the family business, leaving Gia and Trina alone in the living room of the main house.

Trina cleared her throat, feeling awkward. "You know, I should show you the wing that was set up for me and Spencer. It's like we have our own little house."

"I'd like that," Gia smiled and followed her niece, who lead her through the mansion to a door that lead into what indeed looked like a small penthouse. "Wow, this is nice."

"Isn't it? It doesn't even feel like we're living in a huge mansion, which I like. We don't even have to use servants…"

"Which is why there's no staff in this area. I take it that's your doing."

Trina just laughed and shrugged as she settled down on the couch. "Come sit Aunt Gia. You came to visit me, so let's visit. Tell me what that scene Spencer and I walked into was all about."

Gia's eyes widened and she nervously swallowed and twisted at her hands. "He kissed me for your information."

"And by the looks of it, you weren't resisting. In fact, it looked like you were kissing him back. I'm not one to judge, Aunt Gia. If anyone knows how irresistible the Cassadine men are, it's me. I up and married one and climb him every chance…"

"Trina! That's enough, please. I look at you and I still see that little girl who loved to come spend the night with her Aunt G-G. So I don't want to hear anything about you climbing anyone," Gia held her hand up to stop the flow of information.

Trina dared to blush and looked down, almost embarrassed. Sometimes, her attraction to Spencer makes her act out of pocket. But she knew how to reel herself back in. "Sorry. My point is, there's no judging here like there probably is with Daddy."

"I know and I appreciate it," Gia took a deep breath, feeling her own cheeks heat up. "Alright...I'll admit. I am extremely attracted to Nikolas still. I look at him and see how his body has filled out and his voice is even deeper and...god why are they like that?!"

Trina laughed and shrugged. "I wonder the same thing."

"So he kissed me and yes, I kissed him back. But it doesn't have to mean anything, right? It could just be a fluke. It's not like anyone could get hurt...right?"

Trina frowned, remembering Spencer's slip. "I wish I could say right, Aunt Trina. Look, I'll say this. It's different now than when you were engaged. It was just Mr. Cassadine. There was no one else involved. But now...there's Ace. He's just a baby and if you get involved with Mr. Cassadine...if you marry him...Ace will grow up seeing you as his mother, so later on...if it doesn't work out...it'll be Ace getting hurt."

Gia sighed and nodded. Then she looked at Trina who wasn't looking at her. "You want to say more, don't you?"

"Kind of. Alright, don't tell Spencer I told you. But...when we talked about it...Spencer slipped and said now I deserve to have a mom. He tried to cover it by quickly saying I mean Ace deserves to have a mom...but I wasn't fooled. I mean...sometimes I look at Spencer looking at his dad, or thinking about visiting his mother's grave and...I see the little boy he used to be. Still, inside a grown man, hidden away so almost anyone can't see."

"But you can. That's how close you two have become. You see him clearer than anyone else."

"That, I do. Look, what I'm trying to say here is...Spencer can be hurt too. Even though he'll try not to show it. He loves his dad, but he does miss having a mom. It's why he's worked so hard on trying to help me keep communication open with my mother. He doesn't want me to lose her."

"Trina...I don't know how I feel about Nikolas if I'm honest. I am really really attracted to him. I can't say that if he really pushed for it that I won't give in and give us another chance. But I can promise to be extra careful. To set boundaries and not overstep them, especially where Ace and Spencer are concerned. How's that?"

Trina shrugged and gave a half smile. "That will do. I just want to make sure that Spencer is good. That he'll stay good, you know? God, I never thought I could love someone so deeply. But I do…"

"I'm glad and I'm glad that it's requited."

"I just want to take care of him like he takes care of me."

Gia just smiled and gripped her niece's hand, happy that she had found a love that Gia wished that she could find for herself.