This is a short story based on characters that I do not own and references to established works.

"Mission Not Accomplished"

Once Ava left, Portia walked over to her desk, fuming. "Ava, I appreciate the drink and your kindness towards Trina. And, while you may be a mother figure to Trina, you most certainly are not her mother. I am and it's me, not you, who knows who and what is good for her," Portia thought to herself. She continued to just sit there silently, drumming her fingers on her desk. Finally, as if a switch was flipped, she clicked on her computer a number of times, until she saw something that made her stop. Then, she got a pen and wrote something down on a nearby sticky note.

Meanwhile, Esme had just arrived home with Ace and was ready to just relax after getting him down for his nap. After that, she got on her bed, laid down, and closed her eyes. "Finally, peace," Esme thought. That is, until her phone rang. "Maybe, it's Spencer!" Esme thought, as she eagerly went to answer the call-seemingly forgetting all about her desire for peace and rest. "Spencer?" she asked hopefully, as she answered without bothering to check to see who was on the other end.

"No, but I know where you can find him," a familar voice responded.

"Umm. Dr. Robinson, is that you?" a somewhat confused Esme asked.

"Yes, Esme. It's Dr. Robinson. How are you and Ace doing?" Portia asked innocently enough.

"We're fine. I just got him down and I was going to try to relax for a little bit before it's time for his dinner," Esme responded, still not sure why she was receiving a call from Trina's mother.

"I see. Well, you do sound a little tired, Esme. Do you think that you might need a little help once Ace wakes up, which for babies, could be any minute now?" Portia laughed. "You know, it's really important for mothers to be well-rested so that they can take the best care of their babies." Portia was hoping that her words might encourage Esme to seek out help from her co-parent.

"Dr. Robinson, I appreciate your concern. But, I think we're g-..." Esme started, but something caught her attention.

Portia smiled when she heard crying in the background.

"Dr. Robinson, I need to go check on Ace. He's crying. Where did you say Spencer was?" Esme asked.

As Esme rocked and fed Ace, she heard the doorknob turning. "It's you brother, Ace. Let's go and greet him!" They headed to the door and when it opened, Spencer's face said it all. As a preemptive strike, Esme said, "Ace was really ready for you to come home, weren't you, Ace?" Then, she handed a still eating Ace to Spencer. There was no way that he could stay mad with Ace in his arms.

"Hey, buddy. So, you were missing me, were you? Well, I'm here now and you'll never have to worry about being without me ever," Spencer said lovingly, while holding his baby brother.

"That's exactly what I'm banking on," Esme thought deviously, while she watched her son and Spencer.

But, what if it had gone this way?

"You're absolutely right. Ace is a baby. His dinner is a bottle, and his mother, Esme, should be more than capable of feeding him without your help. I mean, is the routine his feeding time or you being there to watch him being fed, Spencer?" a suddenly more vocal Trina asked her stunned, but quite impressed boyfriend.

"Well, uh, the routine is the time, not the person," Spencer replied. "At least that's what we learned in the parenting class."

"Yes, the parenting classes that my mom so whole-heartedly endorses," Trina said, somewhat sarcastically. "So, since it's the time, Spencer, you don't really need to go now. Do you?" Trina asked with a smile, as she walked over to him. When she arrived as close to him as possible, he braced himself for a sweet kiss or warm embrace. However, he received neither. Rather, his suddenly feisty girlfriend slowly took his phone from his hand and read the less than priority text from Esme.

"May I?" Trina asked, as she prepared to respond.

For some reason, seeing this take control side of Trina was quite attractive to Spencer. It reminded him of the earlier days of their friendship. He nodded his head, giving Trina the permission she requested. He watched Trina intently while she prepared a response to Esme.

"Do you approve?" Trina asked, as she held the phone up so that her boyfriend could see the message that she was about to send. Spencer read it, while a grin appeared. He then gave Trina a thumbs-up to press "send".

"Ace, this should be Spencer letting me know that he's on his way home," Esme told her son when she got her phone out to read the reply. Within moments, her premature grin faded and turned into an obvious grimace after reading "Spencer's" reply:

Esme, you've been doing such a great job with Ace.

I'm so proud of you. So, I know that you can absolutely

handle his dinner tonight without me. You've got this.

Let Ace know that I'll be there for bedtime.

Spencer and Trina waited for a reply, but when none was received, Trina asked, "Now, where were we?"

"Well, I think that we were about to unload and tag these new pieces," Spencer responded, trying to sound as business-like as possible.

"No," Trina said seductively. "Where were we right after Ava so nicely left us alone?"

"Oh, you mean here?" Spencer asked as he pulled Trina as close to him as possible and leaned down to give her the longest, wettest, and most passionate kiss that they had shared since...ever. It felt so right for them, that neither wanted to let go. Perhaps it would have lasted longer were it not for...

"Surprise!" It was Portia, who also looked quite surprised as she rounded the corner at the gallery to see her beloved daughter and...Spencer. "What is he doing here? I thought that Esme was going to take care of getting him out of here," Portia thought before collecting herself.

When Portia mentioned how the parenting classes with Esme must be helping a lot, Spencer seized upon that moment with great relish.

"In fact, they're helping so much that she has turned into quite the good mother. So much so that she's handling dinner with Ace all by herself tonight," Spencer replied, while giving Portia a cat that ate the canary-type grin.

"Oh, well isn't that great?" Portia said through a forced grin.

"So, that means that I can unpack the rest of the paintings for you Trina, while you and your mom have a nice visit," Spencer said, as he headed over to the crate with the paintings.

"Spencer, thank you so much. That's really going to help a lot because I've got tons to do in preparation for the exhibit. Come on, Mom and let's eat," Trina said.

"So, he's really not going to leave? Unbelievable," Portia thought to herself, definitely not pleased with how her planned mission was disintegrating right in front of her.

"No, honey. I see that you're really busy. I should have called before just popping up. Ava said...I mean I'm sure Ava appreciates your dedication," Portia tried quickly to cover up her prior knowledge of knowing that Spencer was with Trina at the gallery.

"Yes, Mom. I'm sure she does," Trina said, as she and Spencer exchanged knowing glances.

At this point, Portia felt like the epitome of a third-wheel. There was a great awkwardness permeating throughout the Jerome Gallery.

"So, I'm just going to leave both of these dinners for the two of you so that you'll have something waiting on you after you finish your work," Portia said begrudgingly.

"Mom, are you sure? You don't want to stay and visit?" Trina asked innocently.

"No, sweetheart. Next time, ok?" Portia responded.

"Absolutely," Trina replied as she gave her mother a hug and prepared to walk her towards the exit.

As they walked, Spencer spoke directly to Portia and asked, "Are you leaving so soon, Dr. Robinson?" feigning disappointment.

"Unfortunately, she is, Spencer. But, she left dinner for both of us. Isn't that nice?" Trina asked.

"Oh, that's so great. I'm sure we'll enjoy it. Thanks so much, Dr. Robinson," Spencer said with a hint of sarcasm and satisfaction, and a sense of pure inner satisfaction.

"Well, good-bye, Spencer. See you at home later, Trina," Portia responded, as she exited the gallery-secretly fuming.

Once they knew that Portia was indeed gone, Spencer and Trina shared a look and a huge laugh.

"Somehow, I don't think that that's how your mom expected her visit to go," Spencer said, as he wrapped his arms around Trina.

"I'm sure you're right. She obviously knew that you were here, since she had spoken with Ava-even though she tried to cover it up," Trina replied.

"Oh, for sure," Spencer responded.

"But, we worked together and we got what we both wanted and needed," Trina replied, as she rested her head on Spencer's chest.

"And, what exactly is that, Miss Robinson?" Spencer teasingly asked.

"Well, Mr. Cassadine, I needed some free labor to help me with the paintings. Check. I needed dinner. Check," Trina replied.

"Ok, that takes care of what was needed. But, what exactly did we get that we wanted?" Spencer asked, this time feigning confusion.

"Why don't I show you this time, rather than tell you," Trina said softly as she pulled Spencer back into the kiss that they were in prior to Portia's "surprise" visit.

"Oh, yes. This-we definitely wanted," Spencer responded before returning to the kiss that would continue for quite some time.