"What the hell are you doing in my bed?"

Helena smiled indulgently. She pulled herself off of the bed and went to stand before Gia. "That's a very comfortable bed you have. No wonder my grandson spends so much time in it."

Gia rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was to have Nikolas'  evil grandmother talking about sex. It was gross. "Do you want to know exactly how much time your grandson spends in my bed? Is that why you're here? Do you want to know how long he can go? OR, I bet you'll get a kick out of this, there is this thing he does with his tongue-"

Helena held her hand up to silence Gia. "Must you be so vulgar?  I can see that my assumptions of you were correct. You are a impudent street urchin with unrealistic aspirations."

"Don't get all twitchy on me. You're the one who brought the subject up. If you don't want to know what Nikolas and I do in my bed, then don't mention it. SO, you said something about 'unrealistic aspirations'...what were you referring to? My hopes that you would disappear off of the face of the earth?"

"No, your misguided hope that you could ever be more to Nikolas than a mistake. He is far too good for the likes of you. I think you know that," Helena said evenly, moving to stand closer to the girl.

Gia held her head high. Helena was not going to make her feel bad about herself. Still, even with her resolve to ignore anyone who was negative with regards of  her relationship with Nikolas, she had to wonder if they had so many detractors because they were doomed. Perhaps, someone  who wasn't caught up in the abyss of love, could see something that she refused to see. Like the truth...

"I know no such thing. Nikolas and I are solid. When are you going to stop pestering us?"

Helena laughed softly. "Your bravado is remarkable. I almost like you. You have backbone. I didn't think anyone in this miserable town did...Anyway, I will get to the point of my visit."

"And that would be?"

"Emily Quartermaine."

Gia gasped audibly. She recovered quickly, wrapping her arms around her body. "What about Emily?"

"It was a pity that her life was ended so tragically. Don't you agree, Gia?"

"Uhh..yeah, it was a real tragedy."

Helena moved to stand between Gia and the door. "I don't think tragedy is the right word. I think the most accurate word would be MURDER. Such a sad turn of events."

Gia swallowed deeply, turning to face the woman. Helena's odd demeanor was starting to bother her. She was acting as if she were toying with a hamster in a cage, periodically poking a pencil through the bars. Gia's head started to spin with the knowledge that she must be Helena's caged hamster. "Why are we talking about this?" she snapped. "Emily was murdered, but the police don't know who did it."

"That's correct. The police have no idea, but you and I, well, that's a different story isn't it?  I know exactly who killed Emily Quartermaine."

Gia stumbled backwards. Her heart was racing. She looked around the room. She was trapped in a room with Helena.  "YOU!" she exclaimed.

Helena smiled brightly. "Don't be absurd, Gia. You did."

"I did not kill Emily! Why would I?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe this tape I found had something to do with it." Helena pulled the missing tape from her coat pocket. "This tape is enough proof to convict you of murder, my dear. Especially since, Emily, once again, left the record button on."  Helena clicked the play button.

"Don't push your luck, I may have agreed, but I am not your lap dog. I will do it tomorrow and that's final. If you know what's good for you, you'll leave before I decide to make you disappear."

"You and your big talk."

"I doubt anyone knows you're here. It  would be so easy to wrap my hands around your throat and SQUEEZE. Heck, now that DeadTed is gone, there is more than enough room in the freezer at Wyndemere."

Gia could hear the roof caving in above her. Helena had the tape and much worse, Emily had accidentally recorded her threatening remarks. If Helena gave that tape to the police....

Plus, with Gia being where she was when Emily was murdered...much to close to the murder weapon, it wouldn't look very good for her. Gia struggled to stay in control. In a strong voice, she asked, "What do you want?"

"What makes you think I want anything?" Helena replied with unrestrained glee.

"It's been my experience that blackmailers always do."

"You are well versed in the art, aren't you? You are quite correct, Gia. I do want something. Can you guess what I want?"

Gia turned her back. She could guess. In a soft voice, she said, "I suppose you want what Emily wanted. For me to leave Nikolas alone."

"That would be boring. Do I seem like a boring woman to you, Gia? Like a woman who would ask for the same thing as an unimaginative school girl?" Helena scoffed heartily. "Of course not!"

Gia was puzzled. She turned back to face Nikolas' grandmother. "WHAT! What do you want!?"

"Calm down. If you keep screaming, you'll develop unsightly lines around your mouth."

"Thanks for the tip. Now get on with it!"

Shaking her head, Helena said," All right, I will keep this tape, and the four other copies I made, in a secure and secret place. For them to remain in that secure and secret place--and out of Nikolas' hand--all you have to do is continue your relationship with my grandson."

"What...what’s the catch?"

"Why must the younger generation be so distrustful? But, alas, there is a catch. You and Nikolas are to continue as you have been. You will be dedicated to pleasing him. You will be willing and ready for whatever he wants to do. You will be perfect. Now, while you're catering to his every whim, you will also be encouraging  him to reconnect with me."

Gia threw her hands up in the air, laughter causing her to double over. She stifled the remaining giggles, saying, "You must be senile, old lady. As much as Nikolas loves me, even I couldn't make him like you. Hell, Stefan couldn't make him like you. You're the original lost cause. He hates you more than Luke Spencer."

"Well, then you have your work cut out for you," Helena bit off crisply, her mouth hardening into thin line. She was not amused.

Gia, on the other hand, was. She continued to bust out into laughter. "I can't make him want to like you. I mean, I  probably could soften him a little-not that I would. That's the best I could do. I'm not a miracle worker."

"You had best become one. It has been my experience that a man in love is man who is weak. Exploit that weakness, Gia. Whisper the right things in his ear at the right time. By Christmas, we could all be celebrating together."

"Okay, you're not senile, you're just plain psychotic."

"If, for even one moment, you think I won't completely destroy your life, then you, my dear, are the psychotic one. Whether you agree or not, I'm going to decimate you. I thought it was fair to let you buy yourself some time."

"I am not afraid of you, Helena."

"Then you're an idiot, too. Do you know what happens to idiotic little girls who don't understand the gravity of their situation? They end up in wooden boxes...just like Emily."

"Actually, Emily's coffin was made out of titanium. Nothing but the best for the Quartermaines..."

Helena smiled. She almost liked the girl. "Make a decision."

Gia bit her lip. She could buy herself some time. She had made a deal with Emily and then been saved from having to comply. Perhaps Helena would drop dead, too.

"Okay, I'll do it. Before you know it, Nikolas will be calling you granny and taking you for cozy family rides in the Jag. Heck, I was wrong before. I am a friggin' miracle worker. I can get Stefan to like you, too! You'll be getting sweet calls every Sunday night and maybe you and his new girlfriend can spend some quality time together."

"Leave Stefan and his new bimbo out of this. Chloe Morgan is of no consequence. And neither is my son. You just work on softening Nikolas towards me."

"I promised. I'll do it. You can leave now."

Helena placed a hand on Gia's shoulder. "In a minute. First, it is imperative that you know that you are not dealing with an amateur. Emily was joke compared to me. I want you to be full aware of the consequences of crossing me. You could be Emily."

Gia ripped Helena's hand off of her shoulder. "I got it! You are such a ghoul." "Secondly, every moment of your life is being monitored.  I have listening devices in your apartment, your car, Nikolas' car, the cottage, L&B Records, your mother's home, your brother's home...well, the list just goes on and on. I will know your every word. I want to hear you singing my praises everyday, dear. Or it will cost you." Helena smiled wickedly as the two women's eyes met and locked. "Did I forget to mention the video monitors?"

"Yeah. I think you did."

Helena picked her purse up off of the bed and walked from the room. Her stride was elegant. She was confident as she slipped the tape back in her pocket.

Once Helena was gone, Gia pulled off all of her clothes and practically crawled into the shower. She let the scalding hot water run down over. She was hoping that the soap would remove the dirt she felt clinging to her skin, but it didn't.

After fifteen minutes, the water ran warm. After twenty minutes, a nude Nikolas, whom she hadn't heard come in, climbed in behind her. He didn't say anything. She turned around  to face him. His eyes were filled with anguish. His pain was palpable. She knew that he was drowning in his unexpressed grief. She could smell the faintest hint of liquor on his breath. Gia was surprised. He never drank.

"Nikolas-" she started, but was stopped by his finger on her lips.

"Don't! I don't want to hear how sorry you are that Emily's dead. That everyone I love leaves me. "

She shrugged her shoulders to indicate that she had nothing else to say. She tried to pull him to her, but he moved, pressing his back to the wall of the shower.

The splattering of water added a tone of chaos to Gia's already crumbling life.

"Oh, Gia," he croaked after a long silence, "she was a constant in my life. And...dear god, I miss her. I...miss her!" he roared before dissolving into tears.

He slid down the wall. Without hesitation, she moved to cradle his face against her bosom. He cried while she held him. And they sat like that, in an awkward embrace beneath the shower head, long after the warm water ran cold. ~*~  ~*~  ~*~

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

Back to Romance Without Bounds Home page