Gia stood along the docks, her gaze drifting towards the direction of Wyndemere. She sighed as she remembered the  conversation she had just had with Stefan.

Initially he had accused her of lying, but ultimately, he had accepted her word. She was pregnant with Nikolas' baby.

She was more afraid than she had ever been. A baby? What would she do with a baby? Nikolas hated her, she couldn't tell him. He probably wouldn't even care. "What have I done to us?" she wondered aloud, her hand creeping up to caress her still flat stomach. 

Far in the distance, she saw Helena's giant yacht  blighting the harbor with its presence. How she wanted to burn that thing!  She envisioned what it would like going up in billowing puffs of smoke. She was stunned when she saw Nikolas coming down off the yacht to the pier. NO!  What was he doing there?

Was Helena going to win after all? She rushed down the dock toward him. "Nikolas!"

There was a pained look on his face when he recognized her. He pushed past her. She turned to run after him. "Nikolas! Wait! I want to talk to you. We have to talk."

Without turning around,  he said, "There is nothing left to say. We are finished. The next time you see me, consider us strangers. I do."

She came up behind him, her long arms snaking around his waist. "We're not strangers, Nikolas." She pressed her breasts against his back. There was no space between them. Still, he was stiff and cold. 

"Don't touch me, Gia," he replied hoarsely. He didn't move, though.

"It's not over! I love you...doesn't that mean anything?"

"Not when it's a lie!  Damn you for doing this to us! " Nikolas fought to remain cold. She was so very near. And so sincere. Did she love him?  "You're nothing but an opportunist."

"That used to be true. I used to be the kind of person who would do anything to get what I wanted. But that has changed since I met you. Your love has made me see something in myself. I am worthy to be loved! I know it. You showed me that! I do love you and I KNOW that you still love me."

"I won't deny that. I do still love you, but I will not forgive you. I won't. I can't. You betrayed me!" Nikolas barked, ripping himself from the warmth of her embrace. He went to stand by the staircase.

"I did not betray you! I took money to do devious things, but I did not betray you or our love. I protected it. Even when Helena was riding me, I tried to shield-"

"What do you mean 'even when Helena was riding me'?"

"She was blackmailing me, too.....Didn't you know? Isn't that why you were on her yacht?"

"She was blackmailing you?"

Gia pulled at her braids. What the heck was going on? "Oh boy, you think you hate me now...Helena was blackmailing me into persuading you to accepting her into your life."

"What! "

"She had the tape, the one Emily was using. She threatened to  give it to you if I refused to do her dirty work."

"She's the one who sent me the tape?" Nikolas asked, surprised that he hadn't figured it out beforehand. What kind of a cloud had he been walking in?

"She's the only one who had the expanded version. The one with me threatening Emily at the end. Nikolas, please understand that I would never have tried to -"

"To what? To ask me to accept that evil witch in my life? To console her? To have dinner with her? To bestow her gratitude?" He  retorted bitterly.

"I did those things. I did. But I was trying buy some time. So I could figure out what to do. After that dinner, though, I couldn't take it anymore. I told her to do whatever she wanted with the tape."

"She certainly called your bluff. I have the charred pieces of my life to show for it."

"I don't care! "  Gia said shrilly. "You know, I just don't care! I know that you're hurt, but it's time to start seeing the big picture, here, Nikolas.  I made  several mistakes. Big, gigantic, humongous mistakes...but the only thing I did right was loving you. That was never a lie.  I wouldn't lie about my feelings. Do you know how hard it was for me to fall in love with you? Of course you do, you were there. Don't forget the beginning. When we were finding each other. None of that was  fake."

"You'll excuse me if I don't believe you!"

"You are not excused!  I expect the fath...MAN that I cherish to be able to read my soul. If I hadn't been sincere about the love, then you wouldn't have fallen for me. Lopsided love wouldn't have lasted this long. You know what it's like when you love someone who doesn't really love you. Nothing you had with Robin, Katherine, or Elizabeth could ever have compared!  They weren't in it for the long haul. They didn't spend day and night thinking about you. They didn't ache for the feel of your touch in the middle of the night. They didn't love you. "

"And you do?"! He shouted, his stomach bunching up into crippling knots.

"Yes!  So much so that I would sacrifice my self respect to have you.  I'm begging, Nikolas. I am begging you to give me another chance. There is a lot riding on us pulling together. We have to be together," Gia proclaimed, her hand once again seeking out her stomach. " We are bonded and sealed in the love we have for each other. I know that it is stronger than this. We have to be together for the  bab-"

"I don't  want to hear this!" Nikolas responded, his hand going up to silence her . "You are trying to build a life on something that doesn't exist. There is no us. There is no together. There is nothing but your  betrayal. It hangs between us like prison bars."

"Funny you should say that," Detective Garcia said, waltzing across the dock, Mac Scorpio right behind him.

"This is a private conversation!" Nikolas said angrily.  The last thing he needed was to be hassled by the police.

"Detective Garcia shouldn't have ease dropped," Mac apologized. "But, we have serious business to conduct."

"Business? With us?" Nikolas asked, clearly puzzled.

"With Gia," Garcia replied, turning to face the trembling girl.

Gia knew what was going on. Her life was now officially over. This situation had the scent of Helena's stinky French perfume all  over it. Helena had won. "Just get it over with, okay," she  said  in defeat.

Nikolas had no idea what was going on. "I have no idea what is going on."

"Gia Campbell," Mac said, "You are under arrest for the murder of Emily Quartermaine. You have the right to remain silent..."

"What!" Nikolas cried, as Garcia cuffed Gia's hands behind her back. "YOU think GIA killed Emily? This is absurd."

"...Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?"

"Yes," Gia replied quietly. Garcia started moving her towards the steps, but she wouldn't budge. "Just a minute, okay? Nikolas!"

He ran to her, "I don't understand."

"I didn't kill Emily! "

"I know you didn't."

"You believe me?"

"Of course I do. This is an outrage. I'll do whatever I have to do to help you."

"It's enough that you believe me," she said as the police led her away. ~*~  ~*~  ~*~

"Don't you ever get tired of losing, Dara?" Alexis said smugly as she stood in the interrogation room of the Port Charles Police Department.

"My streak is over. Gia is going away for at least twenty years."

"After she's acquitted and sues the entire department for their incompetence."

"There is no way out of this. Our evidence is tight and once  the lab technicians analyze that hair sample we just took, we will be able t prove that she had been in close proximity to Emily."

"Your evidence is circumstantial and you know it. No one in their right mind what vote to convict with those flimsy clues you have," Alexis remarked confidently.  Dara glared at her before storming from the room in a  huff.

"How did it go?" Nikolas asked, sticking his head in the room.

"Gia's going to jail."

"You told Dara that the case was flimsy."

Alexis shrugged her shoulders. "I lied. Things are looking bad for her. She has no real alibi."

"She was with me!"

"Then why does  Elizabeth say that she saw her on the docks at the exact  same time?"

"She's confused," Nikoklas returned, trying not to think of how he felt when he had awoken that night to find Gia gone. She had been upset when she had come home.  He pushed those thoughts from his head. No matter what had transpired between the two of them, Nikolas was certain that Gia was no murderer.

"Well, maybe you ought to talk to Elizabeth Webber."

"I will. So, when can Gia get out of here?"

"She'll be arraigned tomorrow morning. There's nothing we can do until then. Do you plan on posting her bail?" Alexis questioned, her eyes narrowing. She had been surprised when Nikolas had called her. She had been even more surprised when he had told her everything. Stefan and Gia were both frauds. Somehow, she really wasn't shocked.

"Of course!"

"Even after what she did to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it, Alexis. That has nothing to do with the fact that Gia didn't kill Emily. "

"You sound so sure..."

Nikolas rubbed his forehead. Despite everything, he realized that he was sure. He trusted his gut instinct. And as far as violent crimes were concerned, he trusted Gia. She wasn't guilty. "Will they let me see her?"

"It's pretty late. We've been here for hours. I doubt it," she said, gathering her brief case. "I'm going home. Do you want to come along? We can have some coffee...talk. I'm still pretty blown away that Stefan was faking his death, the kidnapping, and all that stuff with Chloe. Damn him! "

"No, I'll be fine. I need to be alone. Are you going to go see him?"

"Nah, I still have to wait another five days for my gun permit. Until then, I think I’ll stay away from Wyndemere."

"You must be as angry as I am-"

Alexis shook her head no. "I can believe he did it. It's classic Stefan. My problem is that he didn't tell me. I would have helped him."

"You would have helped him fake his death? Why, Alexis?"

She patted his shoulder affectionately. "I'd explain, but you wouldn't understand. You had to be there."

"Had to be where?"

"Stuck under Helena's thumb thirty years ago."

"What's that got to do with any thing?"

"It's got everything to do with everything.  But if you weren't there, you wouldn't be able to grasp the terror that woman put forth.  I can't  judge Stefan too harshly. I know his scars. I have them, too."

"Alexis-"

"I have to go, Nikolas. I'll be back for the arraignment," she said, striding confidently from the room. ~*~  ~*~   ~*~

Gia  laid on her hard mattress. She was in a cell. 

She had told everyone who would listen that she hadn't killed Emily. No one had believed her, but Nikolas.  He was sticking by her. That was the last thing she had expected after the confrontation they had.  He was angry with her, still he had persuaded his aunt to defend her. She hadn't seen him after they booked her. It had hurt her that he had left, but  he didn't owe her anything.

She owed him everything.

The lights were dim in the holding area attached to the police department. She was hoping that she could rake up some bail before they decided to transfer her someplace else. The thought of being locked up with criminals was terrifying.

Plus, she had her baby to think about. She hadn't told anyone except Stefan. Most likely, that had been a mistake. He would probably use it against her.

She was startled when she heard footsteps  outside of her cell. She looked up to see Nikolas. He was standing away from the bars, his eyes trained on the floor.  She stood.

They looked at each other, both afraid to speak. She didn't know what to do. She moved closer so that she could see his face. She swallowed as she waited for him to look up again.

When he did,  his deep brown eyes were full of hurt. But this was much different than when he had found out the truth. This pain was for her. 

She stuck her hand  between the small space between the bars. Hesitantly, his hand reached out to take hers.

Even in the shattered ruins of their romance, Gia and Nikolas were connected.
~*~  ~*~  ~*~

End of chapter Twenty Two, Please e-mail any feedback by clicking on the mailbox below :)

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