Noah Samuels had been a judge for 11 years. He loved his work, mostly because he felt he truly made a difference. Family Court was a difficult place to be day in and day out, but whenever he thought he had taken all he could of deadbeat fathers and irresponsible mothers and divorced parents who couldn't seem to remember they were the adults in the situation, the judge would remember that at the heart of what he did everyday were a bunch of kids who just needed someone to think about them first and foremost. It was why he stayed where he was, why he'd passed up an offered appointment to a Federal bench. Someone had to think about those kids. That was part of why he was a member of the state's Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children.

It was why he'd listened intently to what Ric Lansing was telling him regarding the welfare of one Kristina Davis. Samuels was certainly familiar with the case since it had been headline news in Port Charles and because he'd had major issues with his colleague, Nancy Farmer, taking it upon herself to make a custody decision when it was really the place of the family court. And if what Lansing was telling him was true, it was an uninformed and questionable decision.

"Dara Jensen is writing a formal motion to have the case reviewed due to procedural error right now," Ric informed the judge. "But, sir, if the Quartermaines get Kristina out of that hospital, I guarantee you, they will make it impossible for Ms. Davis to see her child. We'll probably have to have a marshal escort her in for the court-ordered visitations once they find out she's challenging their custody."

Ric watched as the judge considered what he was saying. Samuels had an impeccable reputation, and Ric knew that he wouldn't be swayed by anything but the facts and his point of view of what was in Kristina's best interests.

"The child's family owns GH, yes?" Samuels asked, and Ric nodded.

"Yes, and Stefan Cassadine, who is requesting that he be granted temporary custody of his niece, has assured me that he'll make certain Kristina has 24/7 contact with approved family in the hospital until we can deal with this."

Samuels looked over the order Ric had brought with him. He wasn't sure yet how he felt about where this little girl belonged, but he did know that it deserved a look... a close look. Leaning forward, he put the paperwork down on the coffee table and picked up his pen, scrawling his signature in the appropriate place.

"All right, have Ms. Jensen get me that request right away. I was going to take half a day on Wednesday, but instead, we'll have this hearing at 1:00."

Ric stood up from where he sat on the judge's couch and extended his hand as Samuels rose beside him. "Thank you, sir. We will get the petition to you first thing in the morning."

Armed with what he needed, Ric headed off to file the proper copies with the PCPD and with the clerk's office. He then headed straight to General Hospital. When he pushed open the door to Kristina's room, he found Alexis curled up in the chair watching her daughter sleeping in the crib. Stefan Cassadine was standing near the window, but his eyes weren't on the view outside. Instead, he was keeping watch over the room's other occupants.

Alexis looked up as the door clicked shut. Ric held up the restraining order and walked over toward her.

"We got it. The judge is giving us a hearing day after tomorrow. Now I just need to serve this to Ned and Edward."

"Ashton is lurking somewhere," Stefan said, "and I'm sure Edward is rounding up a team of lawyers to try to force me to let him in here."

Glancing over at her daughter, Alexis stood and drew both men away from the bed so they wouldn't disturb the baby's sleep.

"Ric, that's not much time."

"We don't want to give them time, Alexis, you know that," came Ric's response. "And we don't need it, not really. We only need a few witnesses. Mr. Cassadine, do you have someone who can testify about your relationship with Nikolas aside from the young man himself?"

Stefan considered the question for a moment then nodded. "She doesn't like me a great deal, but I think she'd be willing to do this."

"Good," Ric stated, "and it's even better if she doesn't like you. The only other person I'm concerned about is Cameron Lewis. I'm assuming we can count on him."

Both men were surprised by the look of uncertainty that shone on Alexis' face. Stefan put his hand on his sister's shoulder.

"The man is your doctor, isn't he? He's supposed to have your best interests at heart."

Alexis wasn't really certain how to characterize her relationship with Cameron. He had helped her tremendously, but that help came with binding strings. Every time she didn't agree with him, she felt the sting of his disapproval, and Alexis was simply not the type of person who wanted or needed anyone else's approval to survive. But she did need Cameron's help because if she had to go to a counselor who didn't know she was faking her DID, well, then the whole nightmare could start over again.

"Cameron and I have a difficult relationship. He doesn't particularly like it when I don't take his advice, and I have a feeling he'll be against this. He thinks I should just bide my time until the six months are up and..."

"I will speak to Dr. Lewis," Stefan declared in such a stern tone that Alexis looked at him almost as if scolding him.

"Please, don't throw your weight around as the owner of the hospital."

"I have no intention of doing that, Alexis," Stefan assured her. "I intend to throw my weight around as your elder brother."

Ric had to stifle a chuckle at the loving yet forceful way Stefan spoke. He wondered what it was like to have a sibling you not only liked but also actually loved. It was something he was certain would remain unknown to him.

Stefan excused himself to go and "take care of a few things," and Ric and Alexis were left alone.

"Dara said she'd have a copy of the case file messengered to your apartment." Alexis wandered back toward the crib as she spoke, her voice lowering slightly. Ric watched as she gently reached down and eased Kristina's blanket up higher on her body.

"You still scared?" Ric asked, and Alexis glanced back at him.

"To death. I can't lose her."

"You won't," Ric promised, his hand dropping down to her forearm in a reassuring gesture.

They stood there like that for a moment, two strangers now united in a truly meaningful and important fight. Alexis still wasn't sure why Ric was helping her and Ric still had no idea when this had started to matter to him, but neither was sorry it had happened. They were planning to make a formidable team.

"Well, I best get these papers served," Ric said, finally pulling his hand away. "If Ned causes any problems afterwards, just alert the hospital staff. They already have a copy of the order in the security office and in her chart."

Alexis nodded, then looked back down at her daughter. "We'll be fine. Thank you."

Ric watched for a moment as Alexis' whole focus returned to the small child in front of her. Even though Dr. Navarro and Dr. Jones had both guaranteed Kristina's health was fine following the accident, Alexis still remained ever watchful, a mother concerned for her baby above all else.

'That's why you're helping,' he thought. 'She's giving her baby what you wish...'

He cut off the thought before it could finish, but Ric knew where his mind had been headed. Moving quietly, he headed for the door and off to do what needed to be done.

The Quartermaines were going to be furious.

*****

Cameron Lewis did not like to be summoned. Being on call for his patients was one thing, but receiving a message that he was wanted in Mr. Cassadine's office "immediately," had not put him in a good mood, but with no choice, he had headed into the hospital. He knocked on the door to Cassadine's office and was met with a brusque "come in," from the other side.

Opening the door, Cameron made his way inside. He had formally met Stefan Cassadine shortly after his return to town, but the two hadn't spoken much. Alexis' brother seemed to regard him and, frankly, everyone else, with such disdain that it didn't invite one to seek him out for conversation. This meeting was clearly not going to be any warmer than their first. That was clear when Stefan simply directed Cameron to a chair with a flick of his hand and then stated his reasons for calling the doctor in.

"You'll be receiving formal notification tomorrow, Dr. Lewis, but I thought we should speak tonight. I'm going to be seeking temporary custody of my niece on Alexis' behalf."

Cameron sighed, but it sounded more like a growl, and Stefan leaned forward and raised his eyebrow in response.

"You disapprove?"

"I'm not at all certain that it's a good idea, no," Cameron began. "Mr. Cassadine, your sister is in the middle of a very intense course of therapy. There are reasons for the limits that were put on her contact with Kristina."

Stefan stood then and walked around the desk. He stopped a few feet from Cameron, his arms crossed as he stared down.

"Dr. Lewis, no one else is here, so let's speak frankly, shall we?"

Cameron grinned a bit, somewhat amused by the man's attempt to intimidate him. "By all means, Mr. Cassadine."

Stefan was annoyed that Lewis seemed to think he could read him. Clearly, the doctor was not very well versed in Cassadines. "You know as well as I do that my sister is no more insane than you or I. Now, please, don't mistake me, Dr. Lewis, I appreciate what you did to try and help Alexis, but you are... making assumptions... if you think you have the right to dictate the how and when Alexis should see her child from this point on."

"Look, I..." Cameron started, but he was quickly shut down by Stefan speaking over him.

"You are also aware, of course, that Kristina is not really a Quartermaine."

Cameron regarded his questioner with suspicion. It seemed out of character to him for Alexis to have confessed that to someone else. She hadn't even been willing to tell her own sister the truth. Stefan smiled at his sudden wariness.

"I don't need my sister to tell me certain things to know them. You see, I know her."

"Clearly not as well as you think you do," Cameron stated emphatically, "if you think that she's not in need of some therapy regardless of the state of her sanity."

"Meaning?" Stefan asked, fighting to control his temper for the moment.

"Alexis is a brilliant attorney, Mr. Cassadine, and clearly someone who inspires great loyalty in her friends and family. She's also a woman who's so afraid of forming any real connection with another adult that she's fixated on her child as the source for all her happiness. She has control issues that rival anything I've ever seen as a psychiatrist."

One thing you learned growing up in the hellhole that was the Cassadine estate was to pick the exact right moment to level your sword at your opponent, be it a literal or a figurative verbal one. Stefan knew the tactic well.

"Tell me, Doctor, how much control do you think a person needs to survive seeing their mother's throat slit open in front of them?"

From the look that crossed Cameron's face, a mixture of shock and recollection, Stefan knew he'd made his point.

"Did you ever really stop to consider that, doctor? What it's like to be a small child with a loving mother and baby sister one moment and then to lose it all in a second? And not only lose it, but watch... see your mother's blood flowing out of her body and be able to do nothing to stop it?"

"I..." Cameron stopped and tried to regain his composure. The mental image Stefan had painted was fairly graphic and it had gotten to him. Alexis had told him about her mother's murder once in the early days of her DID masquerade, but she refused to talk about it further. "I think that's all the more reason why Alexis needs to face her past."

"She has faced it, Dr. Lewis," Stefan yelled. "Trust me, Alexis has faced it over and over again, and she continues to survive it. So don't you presume to sit there and tell me what my sister needs or doesn't need. Do I think she needs help? Yes, help from her family, and that was too long in coming, something I regret very much. What she does not need is for some stranger who thinks he knows who she is to force her to talk about things in her life that she has endured when he certainly wouldn't have had the strength to do so."

"Excuse me?" Cameron said, clearly picking up the accusation.

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but when you, as an adult, faced tragedy, didn't you give up on your son and run away from your career and your marriage? Alexis may have buried her past until she was mature enough to face it, Dr. Lewis, but face it she did. Kristina will never have to worry about her mother turning her back because she can't cope with her life."

The sting of Stefan's words burned deeply in Cameron's gut and now, angry himself, he stood and locked eyes with his accuser.

"I'm not the one who killed a man and faked insanity to get away with it."

"True." Stefan said, responding to Cameron's physical challenge by moving closer still to him. "But you are the one who promised my sister she wouldn't lose her daughter, and she did. You promised her Kristina would be safe, and she isn't. So tell me, doctor, are you going to stand by your word and do what's best for Kristina, or is your ego really so fragile that you can't handle not being the one who saves Alexis?"

Stunned into silence, Cameron simply stood and stared at Stefan. He understood a great deal more now about why it was Alexis stood her ground so firmly, why she fought him so hard every step of the way. She'd lived her whole life like that. If her brother was any indication, a person who wasn't constantly fighting for control couldn't possibly have survived in that family.

He hated being wrong. In this case, he was only willing to admit partial error. Alexis did need to deal with her past, Cameron still firmly believed that, especially the circumstances surrounding her sister's death. But he could see now that what had seemed like a control issue was far more than that. It was who Alexis had been raised to be.

"What exactly is it you want me to do?" Cameron finally asked, and Stefan, taking the question as a sign of at least an attempt at cooperation, stepped back a bit and gave the doctor back his space.

"I will be Kristina's primary caregiver if the judge decides in our favor. Nikolas is there, we have a full staff, and Alexis can have access to her child in a far less stressful environment for both her and Kristina. I would imagine it would only help my sister complete her 'therapy' to not have to fight tooth and nail every day when it comes to my niece. We simply need you to make those points clear."

"And if I refuse?" Cameron's question was more an attempt to gauge the man he was dealing with as opposed to an actual statement that he might not go along with the request.

"Then I call Gail Baldwin and ask her to evaluate the situation for me," was Stefan's response.

"And you fire me?"

Cameron watched as a small smile came to Cassadine's face. There was a hint of true humor in it.

"Alexis has secured a promise from me that I won't abuse my power where you're concerned. So, no, you won't be fired. You see, Dr. Lewis, my sister's loyalty does work both ways. She inspires it, and she returns it. Despite whatever problems you've had, she won't have you threatened."

In one conversation, Cameron had come to see the full scope of what the name Cassadine meant to the residents of Port Charles. He thought Nikolas a spoiled boy, and so he'd mostly based his opinion on encounters with him, and Alexis, well, her stubbornness he'd already admitted was more than he'd given it credit for. Stefan Cassadine, however, gave Cameron a look at the family that had more than once held reign over Port Charles. It was an intriguing and chilling view.

"I'll testify that the change in custody is best for Kristina and her mother." Cameron relaxed a bit, his defensive stance retreating. Cassadine's did not, but that didn't surprise him. "But Alexis will have to finish the court-ordered therapy whether she wants to or not."

"And so she shall, doctor."

The two men regarded each other another moment. Neither extended a hand. Instead, after another long beat, Cameron simply turned and took his leave, and Stefan returned to his desk and returned to the file he'd been reading earlier.

"So, Ms. Quartermaine," Stefan said, as he turned the page, "interesting story... very interesting."

*****

Alexis wished it surprised her more that Ned had thrown open the door to the room and shot her a look of pure fury when he arrived. She still found it hard to believe that this man she'd once thought she loved could be as unfeeling and cold as he had become, but clearly his anger at her right now was more important than thinking about the fact that he was storming into a hospital room at night where Kristina, after a nice, warm bottle, had just gone back off to sleep.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, the restraining order held tightly in his hand. Alexis immediately grabbed his arm and drew him back toward the door.

"Keep your voice down. She just drifted off."

"Don't tell me how to show concern for my daughter, Alexis."

Button pushed, Alexis rolled her eyes and shook her head. She had already made a crucial decision about this confrontation, knowing it was coming. Still, some small part of her had hoped that Ned wasn't really this person. But he was.

"Doesn't feel very good, does it, Ned? To be told how to behave around your child, who, just so you remember, isn't yours."

"Oh, so we're back to this, are we?" Ned said, carefully keeping the volume down on his voice if he couldn't keep the contempt out of it. "I think I've proven my dedication to this child."

"No, what you've proven is your dedication to being right," Alexis shot back. "You think you know what's best for Kristina, and the hell with what I say. You could protect her from Edward, Skye would never hurt her, you'd never come between me and my daughter--any of that sound familiar, Ned?"

She could see that, at the present time, Ned hated her, but Alexis didn't care. She had trusted him when everything in her told her not to let her daughter go home with him, and ever since, Alexis had been scratching and clawing for contact with her baby. She was done begging. Having Stefan and Ric standing behind her was helping Alexis reclaim the spirit that had kept her alive that cold November night on a balcony of the Port Charles Hotel.

"I have only done what I thought was best for that baby girl, Alexis. You know that."

"I know that my daughter is never going back to that house."

Her words were so adamantly stated that Ned took a moment to really let them sink in. She was really doing this? Really challenging him this directly? He was stunned, not only because she'd been fairly easy to dismiss the last few months but because she knew from past experiences what his next threat would be, and he wasn't afraid to use it.

"You drag this into court," Ned began, his dimples deepening despite the menacing manner in which he spoke, "and you know what you'll force me to do."

Alexis had known it was coming, and when it did, the last shred of affection she felt for Ned disappeared from her heart. Taking full possession of the choice she'd made earlier, Alexis smiled. "You won't have to."

Her statement was met with his silence. Alexis liked that. It meant she'd thrown him.

"You walk into that courtroom, and you go on that stand and swear that the insufferable snake pit you call a family home is the best place for my daughter, MY daughter, Ned, when you won't even allow your own child to visit there much less live there, and I will stand up and tell the judge that you aren't Kristina's father, and I'll give them permission for a new paternity test that instant."

He searched her eyes, certain at first that she was bluffing. But Ned saw something he had never seen in Alexis before. He hadn't, but Sonny had... and Helena had... Alcazar had. It was Alexis backed into a corner... and she was taking no prisoners to get out.

"I'm not going to let you just cut me out of her life, Alexis," he said, wisely avoiding the promise she had made.

"Then don't push me," Alexis countered. "Do what's best for Kristina. If you do, nothing else changes. She lives with the Cassadines, but you're still her father and you can still see her. But I mean what I say. My daughter is NEVER going back to that house. I'll take my chances with Sonny Corinthos before that happens."

Ned glared at her, hoping to ruffle this restored confidence he was seeing, but it was pointless. Alexis had somehow found the strength to fight him, and now that she had her family's support, Ned had a gut feeling that if he didn't back down, he would lose completely what he'd fought so hard for. Huffing his displeasure one last time, he turned and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Alexis raced over and picked up her sleeping daughter. Only now, when Ned was nowhere to see it, did Alexis let the fear she'd been feeling show through.

"Oh, Little One," she whispered as she snuggled the baby close. "I'm so sorry you got caught in the middle of all of this. But I promise, Mama's gonna fix it now. I promise."

A few tears had managed to fall from her eyes, but Alexis remained unaware of them as the door opened again and a concerned looking Ric rushed over to her.

"Are you all right?" he whispered, conscious of the sleeping infant in her arms.

"Yes," Alexis answered, "I just... I never thought I'd have to be the person I just was with Ned."

"I saw him storming down the hall. I was..." Ric stopped and shook his head. There was no reason to burden her with the flash of guilt he'd felt when he saw Ned slam his hand into a wall in the corridor. All the lawyer had been able to think about was that Ned had hurt or upset Alexis. It had been his idea, his prodding, that had gotten her to pursue this. Ric couldn't stand the idea that something bad might have happened because of it.

"I'm okay, really," Alexis said again when she saw he was clearly unconvinced. She smiled and received a hesitant grin in response.

"Mind some company?" Ric asked, wary of leaving her alone again in case Ned returned. Alexis laid Kristina back down again and then sat in the chair just behind her as she motioned to the second empty one.

"I'd love some."

Hours later, after Alexis had finally curled up in the chair and fallen asleep and Ric had taken off his coat and covered her up with it, he finally pulled out the file he'd picked up at his apartment and opened it up. He wanted to know as much as possible about Alexis' case so that he could see the places where he needed to do for Dara Jensen what she might not be willing to do.

He was 20-pages deep when heard a soft mewling sound coming from the crib. Ric stood and instantly moved over, reaching down to gently rub Kristina's belly so she wouldn't start crying and wake up Alexis. The baby responded well to his touch, curling towards him slightly, her lips smacking together a few times, giving Ric a good shot of her deep dimples.

He could have missed it, but he didn't. Ric noticed something as he looked down at Kristina Davis. The curve of her eyes, the shape of her lips--he knew those two features. He knew them well from years of staring at a photograph his father had given him.

Reaching into his pocket, Ric pulled out his wallet and found the picture. His eyes moved from photo to baby and back again a dozen times, but each time, instead of finding fault with his observation, Ric found confirmation.

Those eyes and those lips belonged to his mother... to Sonny's mother.

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