Nikolas was surprised to see Spencer entering the wing of the house where he, Ace, and Stefan resided, carrying his bags, his eyes sad and resolute. He got up from his desk and approached his son, his confusion was clear in his eyes.

"Spencer? What's going on? Did you and Trina have a fight? At this hour?" Nikolas questioned.

Spencer sniffed and turned to face his father. He didn't know how he was going to explain any of this and why he just couldn't stay in that wing without Trina. Her presence was still there. The scent of her perfume was all over everything, not to mention the memories. That wing was haunted by her, so he was moving out and into the wing that had the rest of the Cassadines. The wing where he belonged, apparently.

"She left me," was the flat reply.

"She left you? Why? I don't understand. I thought the day at the zoo was good?"

"I made her leave me. She's not safe here. She's not safe with me. She'll end up like Uncle Victor and Esme…"

"Did she tell you that?"

Spencer looked away as tears again fell from his eyes. It annoyed him. The moment that he thought his tears were dried up, more began to fall again. "No, she didn't. But that will happen if I keep her. So I let her go. I told her she had to leave and I took her to her aunt Gia's. And now...it's over. She's gone, but she's safe. I can't get her hurt or killed now and that's what's important. If only I could save Ace too…"

"Spencer…"

"I have to go unpack. I won't be going back to that wing."

"Spencer, talk to me, son. Don't shut me out."

"We're a cursed family, Father. We shouldn't bring anyone else into it," was all Spencer could say before heading to a room that hadn't been claimed yet, leaving Nikolas devastated for his son. He didn't know what had caused Spencer to send Trina away like this, but he was going to find out and deal with it.

…..

Trina sat on the bed in the spare room that her aunt had set up for her, just staring into space. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Spencer had actually kicked her out. He had packed her things and driven her to her Aunt Gia's and had pushed her completely out of his life! She didn't understand it! He said he didn't love her anymore, but she could tell that was a lie. She could see it in his tears, in his face. There was love there, but there was also fear. What she didn't get was what the fear was. Did someone threaten her? When? She had spent most of the day with him. Then yeah, there was a scene between his two Uncles, but they were threatening each other, so where did Spencer's fears come from? Why and how did they become so great that they had him pushing her away for her own safety?

Meanwhile, Gia stood in the doorway, watching her niece with clear worry in her eyes. Trina hadn't said much upon her arrival. She just said that Spencer had left her and that she didn't want to go back to her mom's. Really, Gia knew this would happen. Those Cassadine men didn't know how to love anyone but themselves. All they did was hurt people, especially the ones that tried to love them.

Sighing, she entered the room and sat next to her niece. She stroked the girl's hair, her own heart hurting for her.

"I know you're having a time of it, sweetie. With the paternity results and now this...he is such a jerk for doing this to you, especially now, but what can you expect from a Cassadine, huh? All of them are selfish and…"

"Stop," Trina looked at her aunt as more tears formed. "This wasn't selfish. It was something else, but I don't understand it…"

"Do you feel like talking about it now?"

"I don't think talking will help much."

"Give it a try, sweetie."

Trina took a deep breath and leaned into her Aunt's embrace. "We had such a good day today. That's why I don't understand. I was depressed, so Spencer got Ace and we went to the zoo and seeing that baby laugh and giggle over the animals, the complete joy in his face...it lifted me right out of that depression and even had me thinking of us having a baby of our own. A sweet little brown version of Ace...then we went to Kelly's and Cyrus Renault and Stefan Cassadine had a confrontation over Spencer and ever since...his mood spiraled downhill and he began talking about how he was bad news and got people hurt and how he should have left me alone, but couldn't stay away...but then I thought he was better and we went to bed...then he woke up suddenly, started packing my clothes, saying I had to leave, that it was too dangerous for me to stay with him...and he even tried to say that he didn't love me, but I could tell that was a lie.

"He was in such a panicked state, Aunt Gia...so I decided to just give him what he wanted and leave. Just have him drop me off and leave alone. I did tell him that he needed professional help though, because, obviously my love is doing nothing for him! Just like it's doing nothing for Daddy! I'm just...useless to everyone I care about!"

Trina began to sob, burying her face on her aunt's shoulder. "Why are they both pushing me away?!"

"Oh honey, it's not you. I swear it's not you. I don't know about my brother...but...this may be something hereditary because Nikolas did the same to me once. Of course, the danger was real, because of psycho granny. Sadly, I don't know what has gotten into Spencer. Maybe this is something that he has to work out on his own and you can't be there while he does...or this can be his own imaginary fears and he'll come to his senses sooner or later. But it's not you. Don't ever think that it's you. If what you say is true and he does love you and this isn't selfishness, well then...it's not coming from a place of hurting you or rejecting you. You have to believe that. He's probably hurting himself right now…"

"That's what I'm afraid of. What is going on in his mind that's so bad that he's ripping his own heart out than allowing me to stay and help him?"

"I don't know. But you can't help him with it. Not right now. You can just lay back and get some sleep. It's late. You probably have class tomorrow."

"No...it's one of my free days," Trina sighed.

"Well then, that gives you the day to just veg out and just not think about anything for a while, alright? Sleep in. Watch one of the boring ass soap operas on TV and let me take care of everything, alright?"

"I suppose. Thank you for listening to me, Aunt Gia...and for taking me in. Even though we're not…"

"Ack! Don't say it! I don't care what some test says! You are and always will be my niece and I will always be your Aunt G-G. Nothing and no one will ever change that, You got me?"

Trina gave a small smile and nodded her head.

"That a girl. Now off to bed with you."

Gia watched as Trina kicked off her shoes and slipped under the covers. Five minutes later she was sound asleep. Sighing sadly, she went to her own room, making plans for the next day. She had something to say to one Nikolas Cassadine. Maybe after a discussion, they can figure out what's going on with the kids. She at least hoped so.

…..

Stefan returned to the mansion near four in the mourning. He had a lot of things pertaining to the family business to sign off on and prepare and he had just gotten all done. Relief filled him as he stepped into the mansion, ready to head for bed when he was startled to see Nikolas getting to his feet from the couch, his dark eyes glaring at him in a way they hadn't since Nikolas was a teenager.

"Nikolas? What are you doing awake? I thought you would be sound asleep at this hour," Stefan went to pour himself a brandy.

"I need to know what you did to Spencer," Nikolas's voice was hard and demanding. The restrained anger told Stefan that there better be no games.

"What? I didn't say anything to Spencer! What's going on?" Stefan frowned.

"Are you sure about that? You didn't make one of your veiled threats and this time about Trina? Because if you had…."

"What? Nikolas, what are you going on about?! I never made any threats about Trina! Veiled or otherwise! I have no need to!"

"Really? Well then why did my son pack up the love of her life and drive her to her Aunts because he has some fear that Trina is in danger here with him?! Where would he have gotten an idea like that if not from you?!"

Stefan held his hands up in defense. "I have no idea why Spencer would do that! It wasn't because of me, I'm sure! The girl left him?"

"More like he pushed her away and out of his life! Which, judging by his face, it's killing him! But I can understand it...I attempted that once with Gia."

"Let me talk to him. Find out why he's pushing her away."

"He said that this family is cursed. That we shouldn't bring anybody into it. Why would he think that?"

"Why are you still accusing me?!"

"Because it goes back to you! You had to have done something! Threaten someone in front of him somehow! Something, because...this isn't right! I don't want either of my sons to feel like they can't be with the people they love because of some perceived inside threat! Not anymore! Helena is gone! Stavros is gone! This is supposed to be a new era for the Cassadines!"

"It is!"

"Obviously not!"

Stefan ran his hands through his hair feeling frustrated with the mistrust Nikolas obviously had in him. "Nikolas, I swear on all that is...Cassadine! I had nothing to do with what is going on between Spencer and Trina! I did not make any threats against her!"

"He overheard you the other day with Cyrus. He didn't hear details….but he did hear your tone and he heard you mention Victor and Esme. He's not stupid. He probably put two and two together...he knows you're dangerous. You're dangerous and he had the love of his life under the same roof…"

"But I didn't threaten Trina! I would never hurt her!"

"He doesn't know that! You're a threat to the woman he loves! That's all he can see right now!"

"Well, I'll just go and tell him that I'd never hurt her. That she's safe from me," Stefan made a move towards what was Spencer and Trina's wing of the house.

"He's no longer residing in that part of the mansion. He said it was too hard. He's in the room across from mine and he's asleep right now. Leave him be."

"What would you have me do, Nikolas?"

"I don't know. I don't know if there is anything that you can do to defeat Spencer's own mind. He may have to work this one out on his own."

"I'll talk to the boy tomorrow. I'll reassure him that the girl has nothing to fear from me. There's no need for him to push her out of his life."

"It may be too late for that as well. He's already driven her to Gia's place. Poor Trina must be heartbroken right now. God, maybe this was all a mistake! I should have just stayed away from Port Charles! All I've done was ruin my son's life!"

"Oh please! Staying away from your son would have made things worse for you. Believe me. It was best that we had returned and not to worry about Spencer. He will return to his senses. Perhaps this may have been for the best. Trina is not exactly royalty, now is she?"

Nikolas turned an open glare on Stefan. "And we are? What country are we exactly rulers of, Uncle?! Our connection to the Romanovs is worthless! Face it, the titles we bear are worthless! I'm the prince of nothing obviously! So don't go on that commoner spiel. You sound too much like Helena when you do that."

Stefan nodded his head and sighed. "You're right. I do apologize."

"It's late, Uncle. We should both turn in now. Good night."

"Good night, Nikolas," Stefan turned to head for his own room, a part of him feeling bad for what was going on with Nikolas's son. He had never meant for Spencer to push away the girl he loved. He had just wanted to make sure that he was free from improper influences like Cyrus Renault.

…..

Spencer lay in his room, looking at the photo gallery on his phone. He was staring at a picture of himself and Trina in Giverny. They were surrounded by flowers and they had their arms around each other and looked so happy and carefree. Like they didn't have any problems in the world. Like he wasn't who he was and his family was normal and the love of his life was safe to be in his life forever. He had dared to be happy that day. He had dared to believe that maybe a Cassadine could have true love and happiness.

How wrong he had been. The Cassadine curse was in full effect and it'll never allow such happiness for a Cassadine and after all the evil that his family had caused, the curse was well deserved.

"I'm so sorry, Trina. I wish it was different. I wish we could have forever but...it's too dangerous. I had to let you go...I had to save you...maybe someday you can forgive me, my love," Spencer wiped away his tears and turned the phone off, unable to bear looking at the picture any longer.