Trina frowned as she walked the deck of a ship that she recognized as The Haunted Star, a party venue of Port Charles, owned by Luke Spencer. She knew that the ship had been rented by the Cassadines for Spencer's upcoming birthday party. For some reason, the vessel had a heavy air to it, like something malicious was waiting in the dark, ready to pounce out at her at a moment's notice. She glanced up at the sky, noticing that the moon was bright and full, but there was a red tint to it. Like it was bleeding.

"Miss. Edith is waiting for her cakes and honey, today. But if she does not hurry, she will have none."

Trina frowned as the vampiress came into view, standing at the railing, dressed in a long flowing white dress. Her dark hair blew in the wind and her face was morphed into the form of her demon. The yellow eyes gleamed as they stared at Trina with an insane innocence.

Trina knew who the vampiress was. She had seen plenty of pictures of her and had helped Dawn write her thesis on the vampire during her last year of training to be a Watcher.

"Drusilla," Trina simply stated, wondering why she was in her dream. There was a rumor that Drusilla could tell the future, even though her prophecies were more riddles than anything, according to Spike, who had spent nearly a century caring for the insane vampiress.

"The slayer is looking forward to cakes and honey. Sweet as syrup he is. Sweet on you he'll always be. But evil grandma had priest take the spark away," The vampiress began to sway back and forth. "Even though, the heart wants what it wants. He'll want you his queen forever unless you get the spark back."

"What do you mean?" Trina frowned, confused.

"You cannot save him from his fate. He will join us soon. But all is not lost. Love will save the dark prince."

"What? I don't understand…"

"Wake up dearie. Helena is nearby," Drusilla's fangs showed as she gave an innocent smile and reached out a taloned hand, ready to slash Trina's throat…

Trina sat up with a scream in her throat. She frowned as she felt like she was being watched. Her eyes drifted to the window where she saw Helena Cassadine peering in at her. The Vampiress disappeared into the darkness as soon as she was spotted. Trina was out of bed and ran towards the window, ready to hop out and go after the vampiress, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Trina? What's going on?"

Trina whirled around to see a frowning Spencer and realized that she had ended up staying the night, falling asleep in his arms just to have a slayer dream and waking up with Helena Cassadine peaking in on them. What the hell? Why was she there? She couldn't enter, thank god! And why was Drusilla in her slayer's dream? What was the dream trying to tell her?

"Helena was out there watching us," Trina explained, taking his hand and leading him back to the bed. "I don't know why, but it was creepy. I was going to go after her...but I think she's long gone now."

"What else is wrong? You're as stiff as a board," Spencer rubbed her tense shoulders.

"I had a slayer dream...it was...confusing."

"A slayer dream?"

Trina nodded. "Sometimes we slayers have these dreams that can tell us what's going to happen soon...but a lot of time they're mysterious and we don't understand them right away. And I don't understand this one."

"What do you want to do? Should I call my grandmother?" Spencer asked, wanting to help but not knowing how he could.

"No...not tonight...not with Helena out there. I'll talk to her tomorrow," Trina got up and walked into the quiet living room. "Do you have any tea...or hot chocolate?"

"Sure. I'll make you some hot chocolate. Maybe it'll help you relax," Spencer smiled, taking Trina's hand and leading her into the kitchen.

"You don't have to do this," Trina sighed, her slayer senses still screaming vampire nearby, but the warnings were beginning to fade. Helena must be heading back to wherever she came from. Trina had to wonder why the vampiress was outside Spencer's window watching them and how much had she seen? Did she watch them make love? She shuddered at the thought.

"I want to. It's no trouble," Spencer turned to smile at her and frowned at her troubled expression. "Is something else bothering you?"

"No...yes...it's just...she was watching us sleep, Spencer. If she was watching us sleep...what else was she watching?"

"You don't think she saw…"

"I don't know. God, this is so creepy. When I face her, I'm going to kick her ass. I mean...she totally ruined…"

"No," Spencer suddenly next to her, kneeling down with her hand tightly held in his. "No, she did not ruin it. For one, I don't think she saw anything. I think she was out there long after we had finished. Another...we're not going to give her that power over us. Our first time was something intimate and beautiful and just between us. She's not going to take that away, ok?"

"How can you be so sure?"

Spencer shrugged. "I just am. Call it my Cassadine spidey senses. I can tell what the rest of them are up to or something."

Trina couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah right."

"It would be a handy superpower wouldn't it?"

"Most definitely," Trina brushed silky strands of dark hair away from his eyes. "I love you, Spencer. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"I know. I trust you," Spencer smiled, claiming her lips in a lingering kiss before returning to the stove. "Let me get that hot chocolate ready."

Trina silently sat at the table and watched as Spencer put on the hot chocolate and poured it into two big mugs once it was finished. Watching him, she thought about how mentally strong he seemed. He was always ready to give her extra support, whether it was talking her through a bout of insecurity or encouraging her not to be too hard on Dawn as her watcher. Maybe she was wrong to keep the danger from him. Maybe he could handle it. Maybe she was underestimating him altogether…

"Spencer?"

"Hmm?" He smiled, looking at her with complete love and trust in his eyes.

"We need to talk. There's something that I haven't been telling you...something that I should have but…I just didn't want you to worry. I wanted you to be the happy, young, carefree twenty-year-old that you should be. Not like me, who has the world on her shoulders. But...I think I'm making a mistake not telling you."

Spencer frowned, a bit taken aback. He hadn't thought that Trina would be keeping anything from him. She seemed so open with him about who she was and what she did. Why she was in Port Charles at all. To find out that she was keeping secrets...it kind of hurt. "What is it?"

Trina reached over and grabbed his hand, holding it as tight as she could without hurting him. Her brown eyes were full of fierce determination and love. "I want you to know first that I'm going to protect you with everything I am as a slayer. I won't let them hurt you. They'll have to go through me first. I'm a really good fighter, despite what that Dex might have you believe. I wasn't ready for her that night, but I'm ready for her now and I have someone to fight for…"

"What are you talking about?" Spencer frowned, getting a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach...a feeling that had been at the back of his mind these past few weeks but was now growing more and more prominent. "What's going on?"

"I...I don't know how to tell you this. It...it has to do with your family...and your birthday...and what they plan for your future…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...we've already come to the conclusion that you're the only Cassadine not a vampire, right? Even your dad is one...but he has a soul thanks to your grandmother…"

Spencer frowned. "Wait...my dad is one? I mean...I knew that Helena and Victor are vampires...but my dad?"

"I'm sorry, Spencer. The daylight rings kind of makes it easy for them to hide it from you and with your dad having a soul…"

"And you knew about this? For how long? Since you came here?"

She could see the anger and hurt in his eyes and she couldn't blame him for it. This was a secret that she had been in on and hadn't seen fit to tell him. "Well...since Esme attacked and I couldn't tell whether you knew or not...obviously you didn't…"

"Why didn't you just tell me? You were telling me everything else!"

Trina winced. "Not really…"

"Not really? What else haven't you told me?"

Trina took a deep breath. "They have plans for you on your birthday…"

"What plans?"

Trina opened her mouth, ready to spill everything, but the words wouldn't come. They just wouldn't! She couldn't burden him with this! Did he need to know when she was there to put a stop to everything? Did he really need to know? All knowing would do would make him afraid up to the moment of his birthday! Could she really do that to him?

"I...I can't...I can't do that to you...it doesn't matter because I'm here to protect you, to put a stop to it! So…"

"Trina!" The anger in his voice made all of her protestations dry up. There was going to be no getting out of it. She had opened Pandora's box. Now it was time to let it all out. "Just tell me. I'm not a shrinking violet. I can handle it. I've handled everything else so far. Just tell me the truth. What's up with my birthday? I'm going to find out anyway."

"I won't let it happen. I'll dust every single one of them or die trying, I swear…"

"Let what happen? What are they planning to do?"

Trina squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them to meet his head on. "Turn you. They are planning to kill you and then bring you back as a vampire. Then Luke Spencer would be correct. All the Cassadines will be vampires."

Spencer let go of her hand as he sat back and processed the news. The clear shock was in his eyes. "Please tell me that my father is not in on this."

Trina bowed her head. "I'm afraid he is. Laura is trying her best to put a stop to it...she called me here…"

"Because you're not only a slayer, but my soulmate, right?"

It sounded so wrong when he said it like that in such an accusing tone. "She thinks we'll have a better chance of stopping them…"

"Or a better chance of getting you killed!" Spencer got up from the seat and ran his hands through his hair. "Killed protecting me, someone you love...but I love you too and I'm not letting you do this!"

"What? Spencer!"

"No! Helena had almost taken a bite out of you before, she was outside my window watching us, she's probably stalking you! I can't let you go against her to protect me!"

"It's my job! It's what I do!" Trina argued.

"Really? I don't think you're in love with the other people you save and protect. There are feelings there for you and that makes you vulnerable and I refuse to be the reason you get killed!"

"Feelings also make me strong! You know...when slayers don't have someone to fight for...they grow tired. They grow lazy! They... get a death wish, willing to give some vamp or demon their one good day. Do you want to know what made Buffy Summers so different from the other slayers before her? Why we all look to her as a role model? It's not because she's the strongest of us! It's not because she's the oldest slayer alive now! It's not even her keen fashion sense! It's because she has friends and family! People she loves dearly and protects! People that keep her fighting ...that keep her here! She has people to fight for! And now...I have someone to fight for, someone to live for...I have you and believe it or not Spencer...that is everything!"

Tears were now spilling from his eyes and his hands were in his hair, pulling at the strands, ruffling it out of the style it had started in. She could see the pain and heartache and fear in his eyes and it tore at her.

"Why?! Why is this happening to me?! Why can't I just...be part of a normal family, be a normal kid that is about to enjoy turning into an adult, not into some creature of the night?! Why?!"

Trina got up and drew him into her arms, hugging him tight. "I don't know. I don't know, why you. You're right. This is supposed to be the happiest time of your life and...I tried not to tell you because of that. I wanted you to be happy and looking forward to your birthday, not afraid and fearful of what comes next...it's just that...I feel like they're circling the wagons and...I was afraid that if I didn't tell you...it'd be leaving you wide open and vulnerable. This way...you have a better chance of getting through this."

"How? By getting my girlfriend killed?" Spencer pulled out of her arms and shook his head. "I can't let you do this, Trina."

"Well, you don't have a choice. I'm here to stop Helena and Victor and I will. I promise you that. I am going to get you through this and once it's done, we won't have to worry about them again. I'll retire from slaying and we can go away together and just...be a normal couple. Me and you. We'll be like Joss and Cam for once."

"Joss and Cam fight all the time," Spencer sniffed, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh. Well...we'll be like Harry and Meghan. You're from Russian royalty and I'm the commoner that stole your heart," Trina gave a wry smile.

"Trina…"

"Don't try to talk me out of this, Spencer. If Helena and Victor want to get to you, they'll have to get through me first."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Spencer simply stated, knowing that it'd do no good to argue.

"Don't be afraid. We'll be ok. We'll survive," Trina pressed a soft hand to his cheek.

Sadly, her words did not break through Spencer's fears. He was afraid that she'd get herself killed by attempting what was probably impossible. Keeping him alive and human. He couldn't let that happen. He had to find a way to make sure she got through his birthday alive, but right now, he was at a loss. All he could do was take her hand away from his face and kiss her palm.

"I love you, Trina. No matter what may happen. I'm always going to love you."

Trina just smiled and answered his promise with a deep, passionate kiss.